Chapter 10 (SORA): The Red Flower/ The Man Village

Chapter 10: The Red Flower/ The Man Village

        Sora bolted down his path to the Badlands, only to be intercepted by Bagheera, who was frantically looking for the lost man-cub.  "Sora?  For goodness sake, where have you been?  We were beginning to worry about you?"

       "No time to explain!" Sora called as he rushed past the panther.  "Shere Khan's after Mowgli.  They're in the Badlands!"

       "What?" the panther asked, shocked by the turn of events.  "I'll go find Baloo.  Sora, please go to the Badlands and ensure Mowgli is safe.  Shere Khan will kill him if he get's the chance."
       Sora nodded before rushing off once more into the heart of the jungle.

       Sora finally made it to the Badlands, but he wasn't there first.  Shere Khan loomed above Mowgli and his new vulture friends.  He stared down the vultures, who flocked for a nearby tree and held on for dear life.  One of the vultures called to Mowgli.  "Run friend, run!"
       "Run?" Mowgli asked, offended by the thought.  "Why should I run?"
       "Why should you run?" the tiger asked, stunned that the man-cub had such bravery in him.  "Could it be possible that you don't know who I am?"
       "I know you alright!" Mowgli replied bravely.  "You're Shere Khan!"
       "Precisely" the tiger haughtily replied, placing one of his claws beneath Mowgli's chin.  "Then you should also know that everyone runs from Shere Khan.  Don't you agree?"
        Mowgli shoved the paw away defiantly.  "You don't scare me!  I won't run from anyone!  Riku taught me all about bravery!  And I won't let him down."
       Khan was about to speak, when Sora ran to the man-cub's side, his Keyblade in his hand.  "And I won't let Riku or Baloo down!  I will protect Mowgli!"
       Khan grinned wickedly.  "Ah!  You have spirit for man-cubs so small.  And such spirit is deserving of a sporting chance!"  Khan turned away from the two and laughed to himself.  "Now, I;m going to close my eyes and count to ten.  It makes the chase more interesting.  For me.  One.  Two,  Three."
        Sora prepared to stand his ground.  Mowgli grabbed a stick and stood beside Sora.  "Uh, shouldn't u be running?"
        Mowgli shook his head.  "I'm brave enough!"
        Khan turned to see neither of his targets moving.  "Four?"
        "We're not going anywhere!" Mowgli proclaimed.
        The tiger fumed.  "You're trying my patience, boy!  Five.  Six.  Seven.  Eight.  Nine.  TEN!"  Shere Khan lunged at the two, baring his claws and fangs.  But Khan collapsed before he reached Sora or Mowgli.  Mowgli looked behind and cheered.
        "Baloo!"
        Baloo had tackled Khan and pinned him to the ground.  "Run, Mowgli!  Run!"
       "Let go you big oaf!" Khan roared, flipping Baloo over and began clawing at the bear's face.  Mowgli ran forward and slammed the stick on Khan's head.  Khan returned his attention to Mowgli and rushed the man-cub.  Sora intervened and thrashed the tiger backwards.  Khan was slow to get up, but when he rose, he was infuriated.  "I warned you to stay out of my way, boy!  Now you are going to wish you'd stayed in the Man Village."
        Khan prepared to pounce, when lightning struck a nearby tree.  The vultures flew off into the Jungle.  The branches caught fire and collapsed around the group.  Khan almost panicked, but kept his cool and lunged once more.  Sora and Mowgli rolled to the side.  Khan landed and roared his most terrifying roar!

Boss Battle: Shere Khan

HP: 710 

NOTE: Team up with Baloo and defeat Shere Khan!  Shere Khan is afraid

of the fire on the field.  Use Fire Magic to your advantage!  

Battle Music: The Encounter

Get Bonus

Sora: Learned Explosion, Fire is upgraded to Fira

        Khan fell backwards against the tree.  As he did, a burning branch fell and struck him in his back.  Absolutely horrified, Khan leaped out of the fire filled Badlands and ran as fast as he could away from the battle.  

       Sora heaved a heavy sigh of relief.  "That takes care of that!"

       Baloo laughed, but gripped his side in pain.  "Ol' Stripes took off like a flaming comet!  Ya know something?  I think that's the last we'll ever see of that Shere Khan!"  

       Bagheera arrived a few moments too late.  "What's happened?"  

      "You should have been there, Baggy" Baloo proclaimed.  "We took down Stripes like he was a clod of dirt!  He'll never come to this part of the jungle again!"  

       The panther sighed.  "That was too close!  Thank you, Sora!"  

      Sora shook his head.  "Don't mention it!  It feels good to have helped out someone in need."  

       "And now" Bagheera answered, "we can finally take Mowgli to the Man Village, where he belongs."

       Baloo scoffed.  "Are you kidding?  With Stripes gone, what's gonna hunt Mowgli while we're around?  We're the ones who took down the biggest threat in the whole Jungle.  Mowgli is staying with us, where he belongs."

       "Papa Bear!" Mowgli exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Baloo.

       Bagheera was about to argue, but he sighed.  "Oh, I give up."  

        The four friends walked throughout the Jungle and laughed.  As Baloo reenacted the fight with Shere Khan, embellishing several scenes for Bagheera, Sora couldn't help but remember his friendship with Riku and Kairi.  He saw enough of them in Baloo and Mowgli that it would pain Sora to separate the two of them.  But maybe Bagheera is right, Sora thought to himself.  What if Mowgli really does belong in this Man Village?

        "Wanna know something, kid?" Baloo asked Mowgli.  "We're good sparring partners!"

        "You'd better believe it!" Mowgli exclaimed.  

        The two friends embraced.  "Yes sir!  And nothing or nobody's gonna come between us ever again!"  But as the two hugged, Mowgli's eyes widened when he heard an angelic voice.  He slid out of Baloo's arms and hurried into the bushes.  Sora, Baloo and Bagheera followed in suit.  They saw the little man-cub climbing up a tree to look at something.  "Mowgli?  What is it?"

        "What is that?" Mowgli asked.  

        Bagheera looked ahead.  "That's the Man Village."

        "No!  I mean that!"  The man-cub pointed at a girl filling a vase with water from the nearby river.  The girl looked about his age and she hummed a very hypnotic tune.  

        "Forget about them!" Baloo warned.  "They ain't nothing but trouble!"  

        "I'll only be a minute" Mowgli answered.  "I want a better look!"  

        "Mowgli!" Baloo called out, but Sora stopped him.  

        "Let him have a look, Baloo!"  

        

        Mowgli tried to peer out at the girl, but fell through the tree and into the water.  He quickly hopped out and hid among the grass.  The girl giggled at the lifelong jungle boy and finished filling up her water.  She gave Mowgli an inquisitive look before turning and beginning her trek back into the gated Man Village beyond.  With a quick glance back at Mowgli, the girl dropped her vase, which rolled all the way back to the river.  

       Mowgli slipped out of the grass and picked up the vase for her.  He offered it to the girl, but she simply winked and walked away from him.  Mowgli gingerly tried balancing the vase on his head and he began to follow her back into the Man Village.  

       Baloo's jaw dropped.  "Mowgli!" he yelled.  "Come back!  Please!"  

       Bagheera smiled.  "Go on!  Go on!"  

       Mowgli took one last look back at the jungle he had called home his entire life.  But when he looked back at the Man Village, his gaze fell into that of the little girl.  And just like that, Mowgli forgot his life in the jungle, took the girl's hand and walked off into the village.  

       Baloo stared at the gate of the Man Village, dumbstruck.  "He's hooked."  

       Sora laughed.  Bagheera placed his paw on the bear's shoulder.  "Ah, it was inevitable, Baloo.  The boy couldn't help himself.  It was bound to happen.  Mowgli is where he belongs now."  

       Bagheera turned to Sora.  "Now, what about you and Riku?  Will you be going off into the Man Village after them?"

       Sora shook his head.  "Um, actually, we're from a Man Village far away.  But we'll be leaving soon.  Your jungle will be peaceful and man free for a while longer!"  

        Baloo patted Sora on his shoulder.  "Are you kidding?  Without Mowgli around, I need a new buddy!"

        "Baloo!" Bagheera argued.  

         Baloo laughed.  "I was just kidding.  I guess you guys are right.  But I still think he'd have made one swell bear."  Sighing one last time, the bear turned to Bagheera.  "Welp, c'mon Baggy!  Let's get back to where we belong!"  Baloo picked Bagheera up onto his hind legs and the two friends walked off into the sunset.  

        "Somehow" Sora laughed as Baloo and Bagheera disappeared behind the numerous bushes and flora that made up the Wild Jungle, "I think that's just the perfect way to sum up the end to this era!  And now to get back to where I belong!  With Riku and Kairi!"  Sora activated his armor and with a flick of his wrist, summoned his hover board, and flew off into the evening skies above the wildest and craziest Jungle world he'd been to yet.

Obtained the Jungle Beat Keychain

STR: +3

MAG: +3

Ability:

Boosts the recovery rate of MP during battle

Chapter 9 (SORA): Kidnapped by Monkeys/ Shere Khan

Chapter 9 (Sora): Kidnapped by Monkeys/ Shere Khan

        Sora slugged his way through the Wild Jungle, battling numerous Heartless enemies and passing through dangerous obstacles all in his pursuit of one particularly difficult to locate man-cub.  He knew Mowgli was better equipped for a long game of hide and seek in the jungle than he was, but he still was determined to find the boy before Shere Khan could.  Or worse, if Sora himself ran into the vicious tiger first.  

        As Sora moved deeper into the jungle, he began noticing he was nearing a series of crumbling ruins.  An ancient civilization must have built itself up, but disappeared.  He had seen no sign of any humans since coming into the Jungle outside of Riku, so it puzzled Sora as to who could be living there now.  I don't have any time to lose! he thought to himself.  I have to find Mowgli!  Sora did his best to look, but even he began to feel lost in this strange and unfamiliar world.  The jungle was twice as large as any of the previous jungles he'd explored before, including Tarzan's and Simba's.  

       One thing Sora did notice as he moved deeper into the jungle was the changing of sounds.  Throughout the bulk of the Jungle, he had heard a vast amount of animal sounds, from birds and elephants to bears and even wolves.  Now, all he heard was the chattering sounds of monkeys.  He had only one clue as to where the monkeys were.  Sora noticed the trees in this part of the jungle were extensively higher than in other parts he'd ventured through.  There were at least dozens of monkeys in those trees.  

       Sora looked up one tree in particular and saw several monkeys juggling fruits and laughing with each other.  When one noticed Sora, they began to whisper to each other.  Sora stepped back and decided to continue on with his journey.  The less he knew about the monkeys the better.  But no sooner had he walked down the path that he saw another group of monkeys had appeared on another nearby tree.  They all looked at him with curious eyes.  Sora prepared to keep walking, when he walked right into one hanging from a low branch.  "Um, hello" Sora spoke nervously.

        "Lookie here guys" the monkey called, "it's on of them man cubs again."  

        Sora eyed a few more monkeys swooping down from the trees.  One monkey waved at him, snickering as he did.  Sora waved nervously back, until he saw another monkey swoop down and grab ahold of his wrist.  

         "Why don't you come and play with us?" the monkey asked.  "We need a new man-cub to play with now that Mowgli's gone!"  

         Sora's free hand grappled with the monkey to try and free his other hand.  "Sorry, I can't play right now.  I'm actually looking for Mowgli.  Have you seen him?"

        "Not for a while" the monkey chattered again.  "The only man-cub we've seen is you.  Are you sure you don't want to play with us?"

         Sora shook his head as he finally freed his hand from the other monkey.  "No thanks.  I've got to go."

         The monkey laughed.  "You seem a little tense.  Why don't you stay and hang out?"  As Sora began to question the comment, the monkey he had just been freed from stuck his hands under Sora's armpits and hauled him up into the trees.  The monkey swung his hands back and forth until he finally threw Sora up against a branch.  Sora clung to the branch while the monkeys all laughed at him.  "Come on, kid!  Stay with us."

         "I really can't you guys" Sora explained, trying not to lose his grip.  He pulled himself onto the branch and found himself surrounded by dozens of monkeys.  "I really have to go.  I don't have time for any games."

         "Good" the monkey cheered.  "Because this is not a game!"  Before Sora could once more question the comment, a monkey kicked him out of the tree.  Sora screamed as he fell, but was caught by his ankles and was being swung back into the trees.  The monkey let go and Sora flipped through the air.  Seeing a nearby branch, Sora tried to reach for it.  It took him a few seconds to realize his mistake.  "See?" the monkey laughed.  "He does want to play!"  

          Sora quickly tried to pull his hand back, but a monkey on the branch caught it and began to swing him in the air again.  Sora tried summoning his Keyblade, but was let go and flipped through the air and lost grip of it.  The blade vanished back into the light and Sora was once more at the mercy of the monkeys.  He was caught once more and swung around like a trapeze artist.  Sora finally grabbed hold of a branch and caught it, causing the monkeys to swing out and past him.  Sora sighed with relief.  

         "Mowgli?" a voice called from below.  Sora looked down to see Baloo bounding his way down the path.  "I don't think he'd come back down this way" Baloo reasoned.  "Not after those monkey's kidnapped him!"  

         "What?" Sora gasped.  "Bal--mmph!"  Sora called out to Baloo, but a furry hand fell over his mouth.  The monkey that had gagged him now wrapped his legs around Sora's torso.  Sora tried to pull the monkey off, but more monkey hands grabbed his wrists and hoisted him up in the air.  With Baloo out of sight, Sora struggled against the grip of the monkeys, but they were too strong for him.  When they were sure Baloo was gone and well beyond Sora's aid, the monkeys looked Sora over.  

        "Do ya think this guy can help us?" one of the monkeys asked. 

        "It's not like he has a choice in the matter" the monkey that covered Sora's mouth laughed.  "He's coming with us if he wants to or not!"  The monkeys hauled their new captive higher and higher into the trees until they were well beyond anyone seeing them.  Sora flailed around, trying to free himself, but that only tightened the grasp of the monkeys.  "We're taking you to your new home" the monkey continued.  The monkeys all flipped and ran through the high branches, while the few that carried Sora remained low enough to hand their prisoner off to one another hand in hand until they arrived at their destination.  

       After several minutes of struggling, Sora finally gave up and submitted to it.  It was pointless in the long run.  He figured that the monkeys were experts at kidnapping, considering that they had tried kidnapping Mowgli recently.  And now, Sora knew, he was probably going to get more attention than the younger boy had.  He was as good as kidnapped and with no free use of his hands or speaking, he was at the mercy of wherever the monkeys chose to take their prisoner.  

       One of the monkeys that gripped one of his wrists and hand began to laugh.  "Hey, the kid's given up!  That's better than Mowgli!"  

       "Well" the monkey that gagged Sora uttered, "we've watched this kid take out those dark creatures.  He's more of a handful than Mowgli was.  But we still get what we want in the long run!"  Sora sighed as his captors led him away towards the ancient ruins.  

        While stalking in the jungle for his prized Man-Cub, the huge vicious tiger, Shere Khan, looked above into the skies to see the monkeys hauling a captured Sora through the trees to the Man Village.  "Hmph!  It seems those monkeys have another man-cub as their prisoner.  Perhaps they are the ones concealing Mowgli from me!  This warrants a closer look!"  The tiger raced down the path after the monkeys and towards their village.  

        Sora opened his eyes and looked around.  He was now in the heart of those mysterious ruins he had seen before.  But the monkeys hadn't slackened their grip on him, though.  In fact, it seemed tighter now that Sora was in their clutches fully.  Sora dropped several stories until he was in a throne room of some kind.  The monkeys all began chattering wildly.  Sora looked ahead and saw a huge fat orangutan slumped on the throne, eating a banana.  He looked at Mowgli and smiled.  "Well, hello there.  You're that man-cub with the Keyblade, aren't you?"
      Sora tried to speak, but the monkey's mouth wouldn't let him.  The king of the monkeys laughed and looked towards his monkeys.  "Let the brother speak!"  The monkey gagging Mowgli hopped off and ran over towards his boss.  "You are the Keyblade kid, Riku?"
      Sora shook his head and tried in vain to free his hands from his captors.  "Nope.  You've got the wrong guy!  I'm his friend, Sora."
      "He does have that Keyblade, though" one of the monkeys yelped.
      "Then I think we can do some business, together" the ape grinned.  "The name's King Louie.  And if you want to get free, then you'd better hand over that key of yours."  Louis hopped over to his captive.  "Before you say it, let me explain.  We nabbed that Mowgli kid because we thought he could give us the power of the Red Flower."
      "The Red Flower?" Sora asked
      "Fire" Louie explained.  "But when he couldn't give it to us, we began looking for that Riku guy.  He used fire to scare off Shere Khan.  We thought he was just a man, but we saw enough of him to know he had a power different than anything we'd seen before.  It was that key he carried.  And if you have it too, then I want it."  
      "You'll find that they're very picky about their owners" Sora mocked.  "They won't answer to anyone who isn't meant to wield it.  Believe me, I know.  People have tried to steal it from others for many years.  But no one can wield it except someone who is worthy of it!"
      "And you're saying I'm not worth it?" Louie asked.
      "Did it come out too subtly?" Sora asked.
      The monkeys swung back and flung Sora to the floor.  With his hands free, Sora summoned his Keyblade and aimed it at all of the monkeys.  Louie growled.  "With Mowgli running around on the other side of the Jungle, we're gonna have to make do with you.  If I can't have it, you can't either!  Now hand over the Keyblade or--"
       A thunderous roar echoed through the ruins.  The monkeys all began to panic.  Sora looked back and saw an enormous Bengal Tiger lunge into the fray and roar at the monkeys.  The monkeys all jumped back and scattered.  Louie, upon seeing the newcomer, jumped behind his throne.  The tiger looked Sora over, grinning coldly.  "Hmph!  So you are the only man-cub around here?"
       "You're Shere Khan!" Sora snapped, aiming his Keyblade at the tiger.
       Khan snidely growled at the boy.  "Put that thing away, boy.  I mean you no harm, for now.  I do not seek a battle with you, though it would likely not end well for you.  I am after Mowgli.  And I expect that you know something about that.  Where is Mowgli?"  Khan crept close to the boy.
       Sora laughed.  "Well, it's not like you could catch up to Baloo and Bagheera.  They've probably found him by now and are taking him someplace safe.  He's on the other side of the jungle, beyond your reach."
       "You think I haven't been tailing those two idiots?" Khan sneered.  "They are as close to finding Mowgli as Louie was to understanding the Key you carry."
       "What do you know about the Keyblade?"
       "Only what I need to know" Khan roared.  "That it stands between me and a meal with you, that it stood between me and a meal with that Riku boy, and that if it does interfere with my hunt for Mowgli, than I will be a problem for it's wielder."  Khan moved closer to Sora, who aimed his Keyblade at the tiger.  Khan snarled and leapt away from the boy and looked back.  "Stay out of my way, boy!"  With that, Khan bounded off into the Jungle.  Sora was about to follow him, when another battalion of Heartless emerged to battle him.
        "Back off!"

Defeat All of the Heartless

        Sora turned to Louie, who crept his way back onto his throne.  "Where is Mowgli?"

        Louie gulped.  "Are you sure you don't want to show me that power?"

        "Where is Mowgli?"

        Louie sighed.  "He's headed for the Badlands.  That's vulture territory.  But Khan's got the jump on you.  He'll definitely catch Mowgli before you can even locate him."

        Sora laughed.  "Then you've never met me!"  Sora hurried off into the Jungle after Khan and off to rescue Mowgli.  

       

Chapter 8 (SORA): The Bear, the Panther, and the Runaway Man-Cub

Chapter 8 (SORA): The Bear, the Panther, and the Runaway Man-Cub

        The beam of light that had appeared in Beast's Castle also appeared in the center of Fantasy Land.  As the beam landed in the center of the village, Mickey, Belle, Sora and the others emerged.  Belle was fascinated by the surroundings of her new world.  "So, this is where all of the Princesses are being taken?"

      Mickey nodded.  "Uh-huh!  We're working on bringing them all here.  Snow White and Alice should be in the library helping Queen Minnie."

     "Will they need my help?"

     "I'm sure they'd welcome it" Mickey answered.  "Donald?  Goofy?  Take Belle to go see the other Princesses."  Donald and Goofy walked off, leading Belle towards Sleeping Beauty Castle.  They turned and waved one last time to Sora before departing back inside.  Mickey returned his attention to Sora.  "Good job, Sora.  Thanks to you guys, we should have the Princesses of Heart here in no time."

     Sora nodded.  "Thanks, Mickey.  So, did you want me to start looking for another Princess?  Like Jasmine or Cinderella?"

     Mickey shook his head.  "Nope.  We'll let you know when you can get to Agrabah to go see Jasmine, and we also have Kairi going to get Cinderella.  I want you to go find Riku."

     Sora raised an eyebrow.  "Riku?  Is he in trouble?"

      Mickey shook his head.  "No, but he said that he needed to talk to you about something.  I think he went to Adventure Land.  To one of those Jungle worlds."  

       Sora nodded.  "Okay.  I'll go talk to him."  Without waiting a second, Sora took off away from Fantasy Land and hurried over the mysterious jungles of Adventure Land.  

       Sora passed through New Orleans Square and even got a glimpse of Frontier Land as he scurried down the paths that marked to Adventure Land.  The wooden drawbridges and exotic statues and trees made Sora understand that he was entering a world entirely different from the fantasy worlds he had traveled to previously.  Sora made note of the any attractions and rides he passed as he looked for a "jungle" attraction.  A few of the rides gave Sora fond memories of worlds he'd explored on previous adventures.  "The Flying Carpets of Aladdin" drew many memories for Sora, who had teamed up with the hero of the same name to stop the evil Jafar from conquering the ancient desert city.  "Timon and Pumbaa's Safari" was also one that brought back good times for the young hero, as he remembered helping Simba thwart the schemes of his evil Uncle and restore peace to the Pridelands.  

      But the only ride that seemed to emulate a jungle was a boat ride called: "The Jungle Cruise".  With not much else to describe it, Sora shrugged.  Riku's gotta be in there.  It can't hurt to look.  Sora walked around the roped lines and hopped into one of the cruise boats.  As he made himself comfortable on one of the seats, a voice on a loudspeaker began speaking to him.  

       "Please keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the boat at all times" it warned.  "Do not feed any animals you may find on your journey.  Thank you, and please enjoy your stay in the Jungle."  As the boat rocked and left the dock, Sora admired all of the effort Mr. Disney had placed into each of these rides.  The flora and fauna surrounding the boat made Sora start to think he was indeed entering a jungle.  

       The unique music and scents of Disneyland were being quickly replaced with the screeching of monkeys and birds, the trumpeting of elephants and the roars of a tiger.  The sweet aroma of local plants intoxicated Sora as he ventured beyond the theme park and into another world.  When the boat stopped in a small waterway, he hopped ashore and began to inspect his new territory.  

       The instant his boat fell out of sight, Sora found himself surrounded by a group of Heartless.  Sora laughed.  "And here I thought this world was going to be difficult!"  Sora drew his Keyblade and lunged forward.  

Defeat All of the Heartless!

        Sora lowered his weapon as the remaining Heartless dissipated into the shadows.  As he prepared to begin looking for Riku, he heard a few voices arguing quietly in the distance.  Sora slowly made his way through thick bushes and past gnarled tree branches to see what was going on.  He peered around the corner to see two animals, a huge bear and a panther, arguing over something.  He leaned forward to listen in.

        "Can't a guy make one mistake?" the bear asked nonchalantly.

        "Not in the jungle, Baloo!" the panther sternly argued.  As Baloo the bear scratched his back on a nearby tree, the panther rolled his eyes.  "When will you take this responsibility seriously?  Mowgli is in danger so long as he's here in the Jungle!"

        "Mowgli is safe so long as he's with me, Bagheera!" the bear argued.  

        "Oh really?  Can you protect him from Shere Khan?"

        Baloo's eyes widened.  "The tiger?  What's he got against the kid?"

        Bagheera shook his head.  "He hates man with a vengeance, you know that!"

        "Shere Khan?" Sora asked as he came out of the bushes. 

         Bagheera eyed Sora and cried out.  "Oh no!  Not another Man-Cub!"   

        "My name is Sora" Sora explained.  "I'm looking for a friend of mine.  Riku.  Have you seen him?"

         Baloo shook his head.  "Haven't seen Riku in a while." Baloo explained.  

        Bagheera followed in suit.  "That Riku boy took off after some being of the dark.  If only he had stayed.  Perhaps he could have told Mowgli about the dangers of the Jungle.  He's experienced them first hand."

        "What's so dangerous about this Mowgli staying in the jungle?" Sora asked Bagheera."

        "Because Mowgli is a man-cub and Shere Khan the tiger has vowed to kill him."

        "Why doesn't anyone stand up to him?"

        "Shere Khan is a vicious man-eater, Sora" Bagheera continued.  "You'd do well to steer clear of him.  As should we.  The sheer potential of Mowgli wielding the Red Flower is enough to put a death sentence on his head."

         "Mowgli doesn't have any of that!" Baloo argued.  "He doesn't have a gun or fire!"

         "Shere Khan won't wait until he does!" Bagheera snapped.  "He'll want Mowgli while he's young and helpless.  Just one swipe and he's a dead boy!"  

         "Then you take him back!" Baloo growled.  "I promised him he could stay in the jungle with me!  And I don't intend to break that promise anytime soon."

         "That's just the point!  As long as he remains with you, he's in danger.  So it's up to you to convince him!"  

         "Why me?"

         "Because he won't listen to me!"  

         Baloo looked off into the distance, where Mowgli was slowly waking up.  "Well, I love that kid.  I love him like he was my own cub!"  

         "Baloo" Sora reasoned, "that's why you should think of what's best for him and not yourself.  You two may be close, but wouldn't you rather keep him safe instead of in danger?"

          Baloo gulped.  "Well can't I wait until--"

         "Baloo!" Bagheera snapped again.  

          Baloo sighed, slowly scratched his arm and walked over to Mowgli.  Bagheera shook his head and returned his attention to Sora.  "Thank you.  Someone with sense!  Riku was all for letting them remain together."

         "I don't want to see friendships split up" Sora sighed, "but if Mowgli really is in danger, than Baloo should be thinking about keeping him safe more than keeping them together.  If any of my friends were in danger, I'd want to make sure they were safe more than anything."

         "Then you and Riku must truly have a strong friendship" Bagheera commented.  

         "Thank you" Sora replied.  "So, do you know which way Riku went?" 

         Bagheera shook his head.  "No, but I would look over by the waterfalls.  You could see a good portion of the jungle from there."

         "Thanks, Bagheera.  Let me know if Mowgli--"

         "Mowgli, wait a minute!" Baloo screamed.  "Wait!"  

         Bagheera and Sora looked over where Baloo was.  Baloo hurried over to the other two.  "What;s happened now?" Bagheera asked impatiently.  

         "Look" Baloo grunted.  "I used the exact same words you did and he ran out on me!  He's gone!"  

          Bagheera gasped.  "Then don't just stand there!  We have got to find him before Khan does!"  Bagheera bounded off into the distance.  

         Baloo gulped nervously.  "If anything happened to that little guy I'd never forgive myself."  Baloo looked down to Sora.  "Please, help me look for little britches?"

         Sora nodded.  "Can do!  I'll look by the waterfalls!"  Sora took off in the distance to begin looking for Mowgli.  

         After spending over an hour looking for Mowgli, Sora finally came up to the waterfall that Bagheera had mentioned.  If he didn't find Mowgli there, maybe he could at least find Riku.  Sora hurried up the path to see for himself.  

        Sure enough, as he made his way up the cliff to the waterfall, Sora saw a tall white haired boy dressed similarly to him staring down in some distance.  The warrior put his own Keyblade away, seeming to have just completed a difficult battle.  

        "Riku!" Sora called, hurrying up to his friend's side.  Sora was about to tell him about the world's he'd visited, but he could see that something was off about Riku.  He could tell Riku was studying him, seemingly waiting for something Sora would say.  Tired of waiting around, Sora decided to address the matter.  "What is it?"

        Riku shook his head.  "Nothing.  Did you bring Belle to the castle?"

       "Yup" he proclaimed.  "She's with Alice and Snow White in the castle.  How have you been doing?"

       Riku looked away into the distance.  "I've been managing.  The darkness is growing stronger, Sora.  We  best be prepared for what it has to offer."

       "Alright, I'll stay here and help out as I can."  Sora turned to leave but felt Riku grab his arm.  Sora eyed his friend curiously.  "Riku?"

       Riku seemed ready to say something, but whatever it was quickly left his mind.  Thinking quickly, Riku retook the command of the situation.  "Sora, have you been feeling anything different about yourself?  Are you losing your temper?  Are you more prone to anger?"

       Sora laughed.  "Of course not!  What, do you think I'd steal your thunder?"

       Riku laughed as well.  "I guess that was a stupid question.  But I'm pretty sure the situation is under control here.  Why don't you go and check out some other worlds?  We don't know where Xehanort or Maleficent will strike next."

       Sora shook his head.  "I can't.  Mowgli's gone missing and I promised I'd help Baloo and Bagheera find him."

       Sora felt as though Riku knew what Mowgli could do.  "That kid can be a handful, but it's not important, Sora.  I really think you ought to go back and begin looking into other worlds.  Don't forget that we have a mission to protect the Princesses of Heart and the worlds from Xehanort."  Riku pushed past Sora and began his way down the mountain.  But before he could return to looking for Mowgli, Riku looked back.  "One more thing.  I want you to take Kairi with you to your next world."

      Sora turned red.  "Kairi?  Are you sure?"

      Riku snickered.  "I need to make sure you two lovebirds can focus on a mission" he replied.  Before Sora could make a comment, Riku darted back into the jungle.  Sora shook his head.  "Lovebirds?  Who does Riku think he is?"  Sora looked around the waterfall, but could find no trace of Mowgl.  Sora sighed.  "Well, I guess I'm gonna be scouring the rest of the jungle until I find this kid."

Forged a D-Link with Riku

Chapter 7 (SORA): Tragedy/ Transformation

Chapter 7 (Sora): Tragedy/ Transformation

        Since he had watched Belle leave his castle to be with her father, the Beast remained alone in his room, refusing anyone who wished to talk to him about his decision to free Belle.  There was nothing Mrs. Potts or anyone else currently in his servitude could say to him to make him change his mind.  Belle was with people who made her happy and that was enough for him, despite the fact that he had given up his one and only chance at love.  He didn't care about being human anymore.  All he could think about was Belle and being with her again.
        Occasionally, he would look out onto the bridge leading to his castle and hope that Belle would be riding back to his side, promising her love to him.  But he knew that would never happen.  He was almost completely sure that he would live the remainder of his days alone.
       A raucous beyond his gates drew the Beast's attention, but only for a moment.  A man with an assortment of weapons and a legion of dark followers marched towards the gates of his castle.  Beast sighed.  At least his death was coming sooner rather than later.
        The door to the West Wing opened and Mrs. Potts hopped inside.  "Pardon me, Master..."
        "Please, leave me in peace" the Beast requested.
        "But sir, the castle is under attack!  We're readying a defense.  But we cannot act without you.  What shall we do, Master?"
        The Beast stroked the glass casing around the rose and grumbled.  "It doesn't matter now.  Just let them come."
       Mrs. Potts seemed ready to argue, but she lowered her head and hopped back out of the room.  Beast kept his focus on the last petal that hung from the rose, knowing that once it fell to the bottom of the case, his fate would be forever sealed.

        Gaston kicked the doors of the castle in and marched inside.  His Unversed followed in and were instantly attacked by a menagerie of enchanted household objects.  Under the guise that the Unversed were still his fellow men, he ordered them about.  "Take whatever booty you can find, but remember that the Beast is mine!"  Gaston looked past his horde and saw Sora, Donald and Goofy hurrying to stop him.  "Keep them away until I get to the Beast!"
       The Unversed all crept closer to Sora and his friends as they entered the foyer.  Sora watched Gaston sprint his way up the walkway to the West Wing.  "We can't let him get to Beast!"
       The objects, seeing Sora and his friends returning, seized their fighting with the Unversed and hurried to Sora's side.  "You have returned" Cogsworth cheered.  "But where is Belle?"
      "She's on her way!" Sora proclaimed.  "But we have to save Beast before Gaston kills him."
      Several Unversed attacked the group, causing Sora to jump ahead and slice several of them into pieces.  "We have to defeat these creatures first!" Cogsworth cried.

Defeat all 50 Unversed!

Get Bonus:

Sora: Learned Upper Slash 

Donald: +10 HP

Goofy: +10 HP

        As Donald's Thunder spell wiped out the last of the invading Unversed, Sora turned his attention to the path leading to the Beast's room.  "We're running out of time!"  Sora hurried up the steps after Gaston to save another friend from damnation.

        Gaston kicked the last door of the West Wing opened and grinned coldly.  The Beast stood by the glass doors leading outside.  The Hunter loaded an arrow into his bow and began to aim for the creature.  

       Beast acknowledged the hunter for a moment, but too depressed to attack the intruder, simply returned his focus to the bridge leading to the woods, where he had last seen Belle.  Suddenly, the Beast roared in pain.  An arrow had struck him in his back.  Before he could rip the arrow out, he was tackled and thrown through the glass doors by Gaston.  Gaston snorted evilly as he hopped through the hole of glass and prepared to grapple with his prey.  

       As the Beast struggled to his feet, Gaston kicked him over the balcony and down the roof of the tower.  The Beast landed hard on a walkway overlooking the bridge.  Gaston slid down the balcony after him.  "Get up!" the hunter ordered.

      Beast moaned and remained still.

      Once more, Gaston kicked the Beast.  Beast rolled towards the edge of the walkway.  "Get up!  What's the matter, Beast?"  Gaston snickered as he stood over the Beast.  "Are you too kind and gentle to fight back?"  Gaston waited for the Beast to respond, but the creature moaned once more and refused to look the hunter in the face.  

      Gaston growled.  "Fine!  If you don't want to fight me, this will make my job much easier!"  Gaston walked over to one of the gargoyles overhanging on the walkway and ripped it clean.  Brandishing the statue like a club, he slowly made his way towards the Beast.  

      Sora looked down and saw the hunter descending towards the Beast.  Not waiting for Donald or Goofy to catch up with him, Sora dove off the balcony and rolled his way behind the hunter.  Summoning his Keyblade, Sora rushed past the hunter and stood in his way.  "Leave Beast alone!"  

      "I told you to stay out of this" Gaston growled.  "I'll deal with you in a minute!"

      "You'll deal with me now!"  

      "Fine!  Your funeral!"  Gaston thrust the club forward, knocking Sora backwards towards the wall.  Donald and Goofy followed Sora down and prepared to defend their friend, but were swatted to the side by the hunter's huge muscular arms.  

      As Sora struggled back to his feet, Gaston grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and snarled.  "You want to be the Beast's friend?  Then you can join him in death!"

       

      "NO!" a woman's voice cried from the bridge.  The Beast looked down and gasped.  Belle and her father stood looking from below at the situation on the tower.  "Beast!"  

       "Belle?" the Beast cried.  "She came back!"  The Beast looked back and saw Gaston  preparing to deal a fatal blow to Sora.  The Beast roared and lunged for the hunter.  Gaston looked back, but could not defend himself in time for the onslaught of the Beast's attack.  He was thrashed down to another roof and looked up in fright as the Beast roared against the moon.  

      Beast rushed to Sora's side and pulled him up.  "Sora...thank you."

      "Forget it, Beast" Sora shouted.  "We have to stop Gaston!"

       "One step ahead of you!" the Beast snarled, lunging down and grappling with the hunter.  Donald and Goofy raced to Sora's side.  With a look of determination, all three leapt down to their friend's side.  

        Gaston and the Beast thrashed each other about the roof, grunting and howling viciously as both tried to get an advantage of the other.  "Were you in love with Belle, Beast?  Did you honestly think she'd want you, when she had someone like me?"  

       The Beast threw Gaston against the wall.  Sora and his friends landed next to the Beast and readied for battle.  Gaston jumped to his feet and swung the club violently.  "It's over Beast!  BELLE IS MINE!"  Enraged, the Beast lunged forward, followed closely by Sora, Donald and Goofy.

Boss Battle: Gaston

HP: 550 

NOTE: Join Forces with the Beast and put an end to Gaston's rage!  The Beast is an ally, 
not a Party Member!

Music: Vim and Vigor

Get Bonus:

Sora: HP +5, Obtained the Cure Element

Donald: Learned Mega Flare

Goofy: Learned MP Gift

        Gaston fell against the wall out of exhaustion.  He weakly attempted to club the Beast one final time, but the Beast smashed him against the wall hard enough to knock the club out of his hand and off the roof altogether.  Beast grabbed the hunter by the throat and dangled him over the roof.  Hundreds of meters below, was the hunter's certain doom.  

       Gaston grasped his prey's arm frightfully.  "Let me go!  Let me go!  Please!  Don't hurt me!  I'll do anything!  ANYTHING!"  

      The Beast prepared to drop the hunter, but his rage began to subside.  The Beast looked at the hunter and then himself.  He finally understood what the differences were between man and beast.  His love for Belle outshined his hate for this new arrival.  Beast brought him away from the ledge and growled.  "Get out!"  The Beast flung Gaston away.  

     Beast turned to Sora and was about to say something, when a voice called out his name from the balcony of the West Wing.  "Beast!"  

     The Beast looked up and smiled.  "Belle?"  He began climbing his way towards the West Wing.  Sora and his friends admirignly looked on.  

       "I think we did it!" Donald exclaimed.  

       "Let's go up and talk to them!" Goofy rallied.

       "Yeah!"  Sora and his friends hurried through a nearby door and began their way to the top of the castle.  

        As Beast made it to the top of the fortress, he took Belle's outstretched hand.  "Belle?  You came back!"

        Belle took the Beast's paw and stroked it lovingly.  The Beast smiled warmly.  "But I don't understand.  Why did you come back?"

      "Don't you know?" she asked.  "Beast, I lo--"

      The Beast snarled in pain.  Belle looked back in horror to see Gaston had plunged a dagger into his side.  A wicked smile etched itself on the hunter's face as the Beast slumped against the balcony in pain.  The Beast lost balance and swung his paw backwards.  Gaston dodged the paw, but lost his balance.  He desperately reached for something to grab, but could find nothing waiting for him.  Instead, the hunter plummeted from the roof and to his death hundreds of meters below.  "AHHHH!"

       Belle helped the Beast onto the balcony as Sora and his friends arrived.  "BEAST!" Sora called to his friend.  

      Beast collapsed to the floor in pain as Belle sat above him.  He weakly opened his eyes and smiled.  "You--you came--you came back!"  

      Belle smiled, fighting back an ocean of tears.  "Of course I came back" she wept.  "I couldn't let him--oh this is all my fault!"  The woman hugged the Beast.  "If only I'd come sooner."

      Beast sighed in pain.  "Maybe--it's--it's better--it's better this way" he spoke weakly.  

      Belle put her hand to his mouth,  "Don't talk like that!  You'll be alright" she exclaimed, trying to loosen his cape to help him breathe better.  "We're together now.  Everything's going to be alright!  You'll see."

       Beast raised his paw and stroked Belle's hair.  Belle took his paw in her hands and wiped away tears from her eyes.  "At--at least--I got to see you...one...last...time."  Before Belle could answer him, the Beast slumped backwards and breathed no more.  His paw slipped away from Belle's grip and fell beside him.  

      Sora gasped.  Belle's hands instantly covered her mouth in shock.  The enchanted objects that had made their way up now lowered their heads in sorrow.  Cogsworth comforted Mrs. Potts as she let loose a tear. Sora fell to his knees and wept himself.  

      "This didn't just happen" Sora tried telling himself.

      "No...no!  Please" Belle pleaded with the dead Beast.  "Please don't leave me!"  Belle fell onto the body and sobbed incredibly.  "I--I love you!"  

      Lumiere looked back towards the rose.  The last petal shined once more and finally fell to the bottom of the case.  The candelabra closed his eyes and helped Cogsworth comfort Mrs. Potts.  

     

      Sora was about to turn to leave, when he saw a stream of magical light fall from the ground.  He turned back to the Beast.  The Beast and Belle were surrounded by a mystical glow.  Belle noticed this and fell backwards.  The Beast's body began to lift itself into the air.  The group all looked on in wonder.  

      "Can it be?" Lumiere asked.

      "Was the spell broken?" Cogsworth asked.  

      "Look!" Sora exclaimed.  The Beast's furry paws slowly began to revert into human hands.  His hind legs that were reminiscent of a wolf, reverted back to human legs.  His burly chest slowly deflated to that of a human's.  Finally, his horns disappeared and his beastly exterior was once more that of a human's. 

        Belle was shocked at the transformation.  She slowly made her way over to the Beast,  The man began to push himself to his feet and rise.  He looked himself over and gasped.  "I'm--I'm--"  The man turned his attention to Belle.  The man was a strikingly handsome Prince!  The Spell had been broken!  "Belle?  It's me!"  The man stood beside Belle.

       Belle eyed the man curiously.  She studied each and every one of his features.  When she instantly recognized the eyes of the monster she had fallen in love with, she cried.  "It is you!"  The couple embraced, before finally taking each other in their arms and kissing.  Fireworks shot out of nowhere and began to transform the castle.  The eerie gargoyles and creepy Gothic designs were replaced with angelic statues and magnificent lions.  

     Sora began to tear up in joy as he watched the two together.  He looked down to the objects, who also began to have magic swirl around them  and returned to their human forms.  Sora laughed as he thought he could notice small traces of the objects inside the Prince's servants.  "I can't believe this!"

      "It is a miracle!" Lumiere called out, taking his friends in his arms and hugging them.  

       The former Beast and Belle embraced each other as a beam of light appeared from thin air and shined down past them.  King Mickey walked down the path and smiled.  "Congratulations on breaking the spell, everyone!"  

       "Your Majesty!" Donald exclaimed.  

       Belle left the Beast's side to address Mickey.  "Hello, Mickey.  What brings you here?"

       "Actually" Mickey explained, "I'm here to bring you to someplace safe.  We think Master Xehanort is going to start targeting you and the other Princesses of Heart.  We have a safe place established for you."

       Belle looked to her love in sadness, but the Prince nodded.  "If Mickey thinks you're in danger here, than I want you to be safe.  Go with him."  The Prince and Belle embraced each other once more.  "We're not going anywhere.  We'll still be here waiting for you to return home."  The Prince turned his attention to Sora.  "Sora, you've done it again!  If it weren't for you, we'd still have a curse on us.  Thank you."  

      Sora shrugged.  "We try I guess!"

      "We're just glad y'all are human again!" Goofy proclaimed.  

      "We owe it all to you gents" Cogsworth cheered.  

      "You are always welcome here, my friends" Lumiere professed.  

      Mickey nodded.  "Sora?  We have to go!  There are more worlds waiting!"

       Sora nodded and waved goodbye to the Prince and his servants.  Mickey and Belle departed into the light, followed by Sora, Donald and Goofy.  Though they were departing from this castle, they knew that their lack of presence there would be for the best, because that meant that the castle was finally free from the enchantress.  

Forged a D-Link with Donald

Forged a D-Link with Goofy

Obtained the Blackthorn Keychain

STR: +4

MAG: 0

Ability:

Increase the Damage done through Ground Combos

Chapter 6 (SORA): Gaston

Chapter 6 (Sora): Gaston

        The world outside of the Beast's Castle was much less creepy and gloomy.  In fact, were it not got the Gothic castle that loomed in the distance as Sora and his team tried to follow Belle to her village, the three would not have remembered who's world it was to begin with.  The forest reminded the three of the woods outside of Twilight Town.  But the village that sat nearby was certainly of it's own.  

       Sora looked off in the distance and noticed a massive crowd of people gathering around one of the houses just beyond the local town.  "Look over there!"  

      Donald and Goofy gathered next to Sora.  "Gawrsh, I wonder what's up?"

      "Do you think they're gathered around Belle's house?" Donald asked.  

      "There's only one way to find out!" Sora shouted, racing back down the path.  Before he could get a better look, Sora was once more surrounded by the creatures that had appeared in the ballroom of the castle.  "Unversed!"  

Defeat All of the Unversed!  

        As the Unversed vanished into the shadows, Sora rallied his friends.  "Are you guys okay?"

       Exhausted but eager, Donald and Goofy nodded.  

       "Good" Sora exclaimed.  "We need to find Belle!"  Sora hurried down the path, with Donald and Goofy close to his heels.  

       As the crowd became more magnified to the heroes, Sora was slowly beginning to understand what was going on in the village.  Dozens of citizens stood shouting and hollering at someone living in the nearby house.  To the left of the mob, loomed a large wagon.  It's inscription read: 

Maison De Lunes 

      Sora walked up to one of the townsfolk and tapped him on the shoulder.  "What's going on here?"

      The townsman, a baker by his appearance, smirked.  "Old Maurice has finally snapped.  For weeks, he's been raving about a Beast in a castle.  We're seeing to it that he doesn't harm anyone anymore.  The Asylum has offered to take him in."  

      "An asylum?" Donald asked.   

      "You know" the baker explained, "like a crazy house!"

      Sora tried pushing his way to the front of the crowd to see what was going on.  Sora looked up onto the porch of the small house, where a spindly old man stood, waiting for someone to open the door.  The door opened and revealed Belle.  "May I help you?"

       The man folded his hands.  "I've come to collect your father."

       "My father?"

       "Don't worry mademoiselle" the man grinned.  "We'll take good care of him."

       Belle looked past the man and saw the wagon.  As men from the asylum hopped out of the wagon, Belle stood her ground against the men at her door.  "My father is not crazy!"  

       A small, pudgy man jumped into the fray.  "He's been raving like a lunatic for weeks now!  We all heard it, right?"  The crowd cheered in approval.  

       "No!" Belle argued,  "I won't let you take him!"  As Belle raced out to argue with the villagers, an elderly man walked out of the house.  

       "What's going on here?" he asked, confused at all of the people surrounding his house.

       "Maurice" the pudgy man called out.  "Tell us again, old man!  Just how big was this Beast of yours?"

       "I told you before, LeFou!" the old man growled.  "He was--he was enormous!  I'd say at least eight--no--maybe even ten feet tall!  He had huge claws and a temper to boot."  The more the man tried to explain the Beast to the townsfolk, the more they laughed at him.  "It's true, I tell you!"  

       "You don't get much crazier than that!" LeFou called out.  The men rushed over to Belle's father and grabbed him.  "Get him out of here!"  As the men dragged Maurice away, Belle pleaded with the men to stop.  

       "No!  You can't do this!" she pleaded.  Noticing Sora in the crowd, Belle cried out in relief.  "Sora!  Over here!  You can help us!  Tell them the Beast is real!"  

        Sora stepped up into the middle of the scene and stood his ground.  "Belle and her father are telling the truth!  The Beast is real!  He's a friend of mine!"  The townsfolk laughed in Sora's face.  

       "Now do you see why this loon has to be committed?" the spindly man asked.  "He's even corrupting young children!"  Sora eyed him curiously.  His voice is changing.  Something's not right.

        Belle lowered her head.  As she was about to give up, a huge brawny man strut up to her side and put his arm around her.  Though his features were very beautiful to look at, Sora couldn't help but feel the same thing he felt when he looked at Prince Hans in Arendelle: mistrust.  "Poor Belle" he sighed, "it's a shame about your father."

       Belle tugged at his arm.  "You know he's not crazy, right Gaston?"

       Gaston stroked his huge chin and grinned coldly.  "Don't you worry, Belle.  I think I can clear up this little misunderstanding...if..."

      "If what?"

      "If you marry me!"

       Belle looked at the hunter with absolute disgust.  "What?"

      Gaston pulled the girl close to him.  "One little word, Belle.  That's all it takes."

       Belle shoved her suitor away.  "Never!" 

       "Have it your way!" the hunter sneered, preparing to walk away.  

       Belle's eyes suddenly widened.  She frantically hurried to get something out of her house.  Sora, unable to wait and see Maurice get locked away, leapt in the way of the asylum workers.  "Leave him alone!"  

       "Stay out of this, kid!" Gaston snarled.  "Let these gentlemen do their job and stay out of our way!"  

       "Try and make us!" Donald called, rushing to Sora's side.  Goofy followed seconds later.  

       "If you insist" the hunter growled.  As he prepared to go after Sora and his friends, his attention was grabbed by the reemergence of Belle.  "Have you changed your mind, my love?"

       "My father is not crazy and I can prove it!" she called to the crowd, who all studied the girl curiously.  In her hand, Belle looked at the mirror and shouted with all of her courage: "Show me the Beast!"  

       The mirror flashed and revealed the image of the Beast, standing outside of his room in the West Wing, howling and roaring at the moon.  The crowd screamed.  Women and children cowered behind the men of the town.  Gaston stared at the Beast, completely dumbstruck.  "Is he dangerous?" one woman asked fearfully to Belle.

      Belle laughed.  "Oh no!  He'd never hurt anyone.  I know he looks vicious, but he's very kind and gentle and--".  The woman looked admiringly at the Beast in the mirror.  "He's my friend."

      Sora gasped.  She does love him!

      Gaston was not pleased with this turn of events.  "If I didn't know better, I'd say you had feelings for this monster!"  

      Belle lurched away from her suitor.  "He's no monster, Gaston!  You are!"

      Gaston fumed.  He ripped the mirror from Belle's hand and addressed the crowd.  "We've been fooled, my friends!  These people aren't right!  They're just as crazy as the old man!  They say this freak is their friend?  Well, I've hunted wild beasts and I've seen what they do!"  Gaston pointed directly at the women holding children.  "The Beast will make off with your children!  He'll come after them in the night!"  

      The townsfolk gasped.  Belle pleaded with them.  "No!  He would never!"

      Gaston continued to play to the fears of the townsfolk.  "We're not safe until his head is mounted on my wall!  Forget the old man!  I say we kill the Beast!"  The townsfolk shouted in agreement.  Numerous men grabbed pitchforks, axes, daggers, and muskets and prepared to go to war.  

      As Gaston prepared to lead the men to the castle, Belle stood in his way.  "I won't let you get away with this!"  

       Gaston grabbed her wrist and dragged her towards the wagon Maurice had been hauled into.  He shoved her inside and shut the door behind him.  "We can't have them going off to warn the creature!"  

       Sora rushed to the wagon, but was ambushed by several Unversed.  Gaston turned towards the spindly man.  "Keep the kiddies here!"  Gaston once more rallied the men of the village.  "We'll rid the village of this Beast!  Who's with me?"

       "I am!" several dozen men shouted in unison.  Gaston charged back into the woods, with several men charging after him.  As they departed, the men who followed Gaston began to transform into Unversed.  

       "What the heck?" Sora asked aloud.  

       "Oopsy Daisy" a mocking voice called out to the group.  

       Sora turned back towards the man who Gaston had ordered to keep them here.  "It can't be..."

       The spindly man phased into darkness and emerged a man completely different.  He had several battle scars etched on his face, with a sniper rifle at his side.  He wore a cold and calculating smile as he studied the situation.  "You miss me, Sora?"

       "Xigbar" Sora shouted, summoning his Keyblade.  "What are you doing here?"

       "As if I'd tell you kiddies about my plan!" Xigbar scornfully answered Sora.  "But, since you've been such a good boy while we've been gone, I think I could tell you a little bit about my boss's master plan!"

       "Xehanort!" Donald shouted.

       "You don't miss a beat!" the former Nobody sneered.  "Well, the first step in the master plan is to wipe out the Princesses of Heart!  We've already got someone prepared to take out Alice in Wonderland, but who'd have guessed that I'd get to find two of our targets in one place?"  Xigbar laughed coldly, then sighed.  "Gee, it must be my birthday.  If only the little Keyblade Princess were here."

        "Why are you after Sora?" Goofy shouted, standing in between Sora and Xehanort's flunky.

        "You're not going to use him as that vessel" Donald growled, aiming his staff at the being of darkness.

         Xigbar laughed.  "You kidding?  Why would Master Xehanort want somebody weak like Sora?  We only settled on him because Riku is too chicken to embrace the darkness like he used to."  Xigbar loaded one of his guns.  "I'm only after Sora to make sure he doesn't interfere with our plans anymore.  Not the most polite way to go about it, but who's counting?"  

        Sora prepared to rush at the enemy, but Xigbar sneered.  "Gotcha!"  With a snap of his fingers, the coach that Belle and Maurice were trapped in suddenly transformed into an Unversed!  Belle and Maurice screamed from inside.  "Oops.  That was definitely my bad!"  Xigbar pointed at Sora.  "You've got a choice to make, Sora.  Take me out right here and hinder Xehanort's need to get all 13 Seekers of Darkness together, or go rescue Belle and stop Xehanort from wiping out all of the Princesses?  It's your call."  

       Without a moment's hesitation, Sora rushed towards the monster that trapped Belle and Maurice.  Xigbar grinned before vanishing into the shadows.  "And so it begins..."

Boss Battle: Wicked Wagon

HP: 290

NOTE: This battle must be completed within 120 seconds, or Belle and

her father are doomed!

Battle Music: Dance to the Death

Get Bonus:

Sora: +5 HP, Learned Dodge Slash

Donald: +20 HP

Goofy: +10 MP, +5 HP

        The wagon howled in pain until it disappeared into the darkness.  Belle emerged, carrying her father out of the wreckage immediately.  Belle looked in the shadows, where Xigbar had been.  "Who was that man?"

       "Xigbar!" Sora answered.  

       "He's one of the bad guys!" Donald explained.  

       "And he's teamed up with Gaston?" Belle asked.

       "Gaston may not even know it" Sora explained.  "The Organization likes to prey on people and exploit their ambition to turn them into beings of darkness.  Remember that Xaldin guy?"

       Belle gasped.  "Not him!"  

       "And Xigbar just sent a horde of the Unversed to the castle to help Gaston kill Beast!"  

       Belle cried in despair.  "This is all my fault!  I have to go and warn him!"

       "Then we'd better hurry" Maurice shouted in pride.  "Anyone willing to fight Gaston is a friend in my books!"

      "We'll lead the way!" Sora shouted, rallying Donald and Goofy to follow him into battle once more.  But this time, the outcome could be disastrous if they failed to help their friend.  

Chapter 5 (SORA): The Beast's Decision

Chapter 5 (Sora): The Beast's Decision

        No sooner did Sora stumble out of the gates of the Matterhorn Bobsled attraction, then he was instantly tackled to the ground by two of his old friends.  As Sora became once more oriented with Disneyland, he looked down to see that Donald and Goofy had been the ones who embraced him.  "Donald!  Goofy!"  Sora hugged his friends as well, causing the trio of many legendary battles to let out collective yelps of celebration.  

        "What took you so long?" Donald asked Sora, before widening his eyes curiously at Sora.

        "Yeah, we were worried about you" Goofy exclaimed, before he too eyed Sora.  Too happy to question Sora, he giggled.  

        "What are you guys looking at?"

        "Is something wrong, Sora?" Donald asked.

        "Yeah.  You're face is red, a-hyuck!"  

        Sora shook his head, hoping his crimson face would fade away.  "Nothing!  It was just cold in Arendelle, that's all!"

        "It's about time you came back!" Donald proclaimed.  "We've been waiting for you!"  

        "You have?"

        "We sure have!" Mickey exclaimed, hurrying over to the situation.  "I heard from Merlin that you encountered Maleficent and Pete in your world.  Did ya have a problem with them?"

        "No problems at all, Your Majesty!" Sora proclaimed.  "So, what's this mission you have for me?"

        Mickey sighed.  "Well, I've been thinking.  It's not gonna be too long before we catch Xehanort and his cronies up to no good.  So, Master Yen Sid and I decided that we want to bring the Princesses of Heart here to Disneyland for their safety.  I just sent Riku and Kairi to Wonderland to get Alice back.  Kairi already brought Snow White here.  So, I need you guys to go and bring one of the Princesses here."

       "Sure thing, Your Majesty" Sora agreed.  "But why us?"

       "I can't risk sending Kairi or Riku after her, because she doesn't know them like she does you three.  She may not want to come with them like she may with you three.  That's why I'm sending you three to go and bring Belle back from the Beast's Castle."  

        "Belle?" Sora exclaimed.  

        "We haven't seen her in a long time!" Donald cheered.  

        "Gawrsh" Goofy gasped, "do ya think she and the Beast broke the spell over the castle?  Do ya think the Beast is human again?"

        "Well, there's only one way to find out" Mickey answered.  "You guys head over to that tavern and try to get Belle to come here to Disneyland.  I'm counting on you guys."  

        "You can count on us, Your Majesty!" all three friends proclaimed.  As Mickey hurried back towards Sleeping Beauty Castle, Sora led his friends over towards the tavern that had a massive statue of some kind of hunter.  In the windows of the tavern, were stained glass images of the Beast's Castle and the mysterious rose he protected in his room in the West Wing.  

        "What are we waiting for?" Sora asked.  "Let's go!"  

        

New Party Member: Goofy

HP: 40

MP: 90

Friendship: 100

Weapon: Knight's Shield (+2 STR)

Armor: Knight's Armor (+4 DEF, +1 STR)

Accessories: N/A

Items: x3 Potions

Abilities:

Goofy Turbo: Rush at enemies and send them directly at Sora (Costs 10 MP)

Goofy Tornado: Spin around, damaging opponents (Costs 10 MP)

Goofy Charge: Charge forward and stun attacked enemies (Costs 10 MP)

HP Gift: Give Up All MP to give all friends 30 HP

Berserk: Boost Attack when HP is Low

Item Boost: Boost the healing effects of all Items on the field

Second Chance: Ensures 1 HP remains after taking intense damage

Once More: Ensures 1 HP remains after taking damage from a combo

Jackpot: Increases the amount of money dropped by enemies in battle

New Party Member: Donald

HP: 25

MP: 120

Friendship: 100

Weapon: Mage's Staff (+2 STR, +2 MAG)

Armor: N/A

Accessories: Mystic Earring (+3 MAG, +4 AP)

Items: x1 Potion

x1 Ether

Abilities:

Firagun: Unleash a lethally powerful Fire type attack (Costs 10 MP)

Blizzagun: Unleash a powerful Blizzard type attack (Costs 10 MP)

Thundagun: Unleash a powerful Thunder type attack (Costs 10 MP)

Aerogun: Unleash a powerful Aero type attack (Costs 10 MP)

Zero Gravigun: Suspend all enemies in air (Costs 10 MP)

Stopza: Seize all Time activities in battle for an extended period (Costs 12 MP)

Curagun: Restore all health of opponents and cure them of all ailments (Costs 99 MP)

Magic Boost: Boost the power of all Magic Attacks and Defense Spells

Leaf Bracer: Allows Cure to be cast even while under attack

Shell: Halve the Damage taken by Magical attacks when HP is low

Item Boost: Boost the healing effects of all items on the field

Draw: Draw in nearby orbs

Lucky Lucky: Increase the drop rate or rare items by enemies

        The mood within the halls of the enchanted castle of the Beast was filled with giddy excitement.  All of the servants of the Beast and Belle were in high hopes, because they believe that tonight was the night that the spell that had deprived them of their humanity and transformed them into the household objects they were today. 

        For years, the Beast's most loyal servants had slaved about their dreary lives as clocks, teapots, candlesticks, wardrobes and whatnot, pleading and praying for their day to become human once more, almost as much as their now monstrous master.  Having almost given up hope, the objects made their best impression when a young woman named Belle agreed to take the place of her father as a prisoner in the castle,  But there was only so much that they could do, for the Beast was very distant and ill-tempered towards his new guest.  It would take a long time for the two to even be able to sit in the same room as one another.  

        But, as time passed, the two began to trust one another and even began to gravitate to the other as a potential friend and perhaps more.  When Belle was kidnapped by the witch Maleficent, the Beast fought his way through hordes of opponents to rescue her.  No matter how difficult the odds, the Beast fought on, even convincing a depressed and powerless Sora to fight alongside him.  Sora and the Beast would fight a great battle against both Maleficent and the Heartless known as Ansem, ultimately saving the Princesses of Heart (including Belle), and restored the worlds to their peaceful states.  

       But no relationship can exist without overcoming great odds.  The Beast would fall under the influence of the Organization XIII member named Xaldin and drive away all of the people who cared about him.  Once again, Sora stepped in and intervened, encouraging the Beast to salvage his friendship with Belle and thwarted the evil schemes of the Organization in his world.  He and Belle would have to overcome their own personal issues and woes to even manage to keep their friendship.  And to the amazement of the castle staff, they succeeded.  

      And on this night, the Beast and Belle would have a romantic dinner and dance session in the ballroom, where Lumiere, the maitre'd of the castle, told his master that he should confess his love for the young woman and finally bring an end to the spell that plagued their castle.  

      The Beast and Belle sat outside on the balcony, admiring the stars.  The Beast had cleaned himself up, wore a suit he'd kept from his cursed days, and had behaved the entire night as a gentleman.  Even Belle was impressed with him.  Gulping nervously, the Beast approached Belle.  "Belle?  Are you--are you happy here with me?"

       Belle nodded.  "Yes."  The maiden lowered her eyes and sighed.  

       "What is it?"

       "If only I could see my father again" Belle remarked sadly.  "Just for a moment.  I miss him so much."  

        The Beast smiled.  "There is a way" he explained.  Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a mirror.  "This is a magic mirror.  It will show you anything you wish to see.  Go on and use it to see him.  You could see him whenever you ask."

       Belle teared.  "Thank you so much."  Belle took the mirror from her friend and stared into the glass.  "I'd like to see my father, please?"  The mirror shined briefly before showing Belle what she had requested.  An elderly man struggled through the windy weather in the woods.  He collapsed into a patch of snow and wheezed heavily.  Belle cried out.  "Papa!  Oh no!  He's sick!  He may be dying and he's all alone!"  

       The Beast looked into the sky and sighed.  His thoughts lingered on the magic rose that he had tended for for many years.  Down to it's last petals, the spell would surely break if he could just get Belle to say she loved him.  But her father needed her, more than he did.  Though he knew that this decision would crush any chance he had at becoming human, he knew that he had to let Belle be with him.  "Then...you--you must go to him."

      Belle gasped.  "What did you say?"

      "I release you" he groaned.  "You're no longer my prisoner."

      "You mean--I--I'm free?"

       "Yes" the Beast answered, fighting off his building tears.  

       Belle cheered.  "Oh, thank you!  Hold on Papa, I'm on my way!"  Belle turned to give the mirror back to her friend, but the Beast stopped her and stroked her long brown hair.  "But this is yours."

       "Take it with you" the Beast offered.  "That way, you'll always have a way to look back and remember me."  

       The young woman smiled faintly.  "Thank you for understanding how much he needs me!"  Belle turned from her friend and hurried back into the castle.  The Beast, finally alone, felt tears running down his furry face and shook his head.  This was for the best, even though he would never be human again.  It didn't matter to him.  Belle's happiness was most important, and if she did not return his feelings, than he'd be a monster if he kept her from her family.  

        The main doors to the Beast's Castle flung open as Sora and his friends walked through.  All three let out a collective sigh as they noticed that very little had changed since they had last walked the halls of their friend's castle.  "I guess the spell isn't broken yet" Sora sighed.

       "Ya don't think they got into another fight, do ya?" Goofy asked nervously.

       "Aw phooey!" Donald exclaimed.  "Belle and the Beast were closer than ever after we helped them defeat Xaldin.  They're just not together yet."  

        "Oui, monsieurs" called a heavily accented voice by the staircase.  A small golden candelabra hopped his way over to the new arrivals.  "Bonjour, honored guests!  Welcome back.  I trust everything is going well on your journey?"

        "Hi there, Lumiere" Sora called, hurrying over to him.  "We're here to check up on the Beast and Belle.  Have the Heartless been acting up?"

        Lumiere shook his head.  "Not a one has been in sight for a long time.  The Master has been so occupied with Belle that he almost never has time to lose his temper on anyone."  Lumiere sighed happily.  "It will not be long now, my friends.  We have a feeling that tonight is the night they finally break the spell and we all become human again."

       "It had better be" chimed in another character.  A small mantleclock waddled over to the group.  "The Master's enchanted rose is down to it's last petals.  If the Master and Belle have their relationship fall apart...we may never--"

       "That's not gonna happen!" Sora proclaimed.  

       "Cogsworth" Goofy moaned, "you have to have faith in the Beast.  Otherwise, how will ya ever break the spell?"

       "I'm just on pins and needles every minute" the clock paced.  "We've left them alone since their dance ended.  Do you think the Master is too nervous to tell her?  Or perhaps Belle has rejected him?  Oh dear!  What are we to do?"

        The doors to the ballroom slowly walked open.  Belle slid past the door, a smile on her face.  She noticed Sora and his friends had arrived.  She gave her old friends a courtesy wave and hurried up the steps towards the East Wing.  Sora smiled.  "You see that smile Belle had?" he laughed.  

        "Oh my goodness!" Cogsworth cheered.  "We must congratulate the Master!  I cannot believe it!  He actually did it!"  Cogsworth hurried up the steps and pushed open the doors to the Ballroom.  "Follow me, everyone!"  Sora and his friends hurried after the mantleclock to speak with their friend.

        Sora and the others all walked out onto the balcony and stood before the Beast.  Their friend had his back to the group, looking out into the distance.  He did not address them when they entered.  Taking the initiative, Cogsworth walked up to the Beast.

        "Well, Your Highness" he proudly spoke to his master, "I must say everything's going just swimmingly.  I knew you had it in you, ha ha!"  

        The Beast lowered his head.  "I let her go."

        Sora, Donald and Goofy jumped back.  "WHAT?" they all asked.  

        "Yes yes" Cogsworth continued.  "That is splend--wait?  What?  You let her go?  How could you do that?"

        "I had to" the Beast uttered sadly.

        "Yes...b-bbb-bb-bb--but why?"

        The Beast finally turned to address the group.  "Because...I love her.  If I kept her from being with who she wanted to be with--no--who she needed to be with, I'd be no different than the monster she sees me as.  I can't keep Belle here, not if she wants to be home."  

       "But Master" Lumiere cried out, "this means that--"

       "You can't just give up, Beast!" Sora exclaimed sorrowfully.  "Think about all you've done to be with her.  You were willing to die if it meant Belle was saved back in--"

       "Sora" Beast sighed.  "You're right.  I was willing to do that for her.  But did that really make her love me anymore?  No.  What she needs is to be with her father, not me.  She does not love me.  And I can't force her to, no matter how much it hurts to see her go."  The Beast turned away.  "I'm not that beast anymore."  

        "But Beast--" Sora persisted.  

        "I think his mind's made up" Donald sighed.  

        Cogsworth and Lumiere sighed.  "Then there's no use in keeping the castle waiting.  I'd better alert the others."  Sora thought he could hear both of the Beast's servants weeping as they returned to the ballroom.  As Sora prepared to try and encourage the Beast once more, both servants let out a scream in the ballroom.  Sora and his friends hurried inside.  

         Both of the Beast's servants were surrounded by dark creatures.  But these creatures were not Heartless.  Instead of feeding off of the darkness, they fed off the negativity engulfing Beast's Castle.  "Be gone from this place, you foul things!" Cogsworth tried ordering, but the creatures did not acknowledge him.  

       Sora jumped in front of them.  "Leave this to us!  Go find Belle so we can straighten this all out!  Cogsworth and Lumiere nodded before hopping and sprinting off to speak to Belle.  Donald and Goofy fell behind Sora.  

       "Not these things!" Donald gasped.  

       "Didn't we see these things a long time ago?" Goofy asked.

       "These must be the Unversed" Sora proclaimed.  "Let's take them out!"  

Defeat all of the Unversed!

        As Sora's Keyblade cut through the last of the Unversed, he sighed.  "Why isn't the Beast here?"  Sora looked outside once more, but the Beast wasn't there.  "Where did he go?"

        "He must have gone to the West Wing while we were fighting" Donald guessed.  

        "Should we go talk to him?" Goofy asked. 

        Sora shook his head.  "Talking isn't going to get the Beast to get Belle back.  And we need to bring Belle back to Mickey.  Let's go talk to Belle.  She might be able to get to him."  The trio rushed out of the ballroom.  

        As Sora and his friends exited the ballroom, they noticed Mrs. Potts sitting by the East Wing stairs.  Sora knelt down to speak with the teapot.  "Mrs. Potts" Sora asked.  "Have you seen Belle?"

      She nodded sadly.  "The poor child's run off to her father.  Cogsworth tried to stop her, but she's already long gone by now.  Why do you ask?"

      "We have to get her and the Beast back together!" 

      "Bless you, child" she thanked earnestly.  "But unless Belle is willing to come back on her own, the spell will not be broken.  I don't think there's a thing you can do to make her come with you.  I do wish the Master hadn't let her go like this."   

       "Why did he have to let her go?  Was Belle a prisoner here?"

       Mrs. Potts sighed.  "It was a long time ago.  An elderly man came to our castle, asking for a place to stay for the night.  We did our best to make him feel at home, but the Master saw him as a trespasser and threw him into the dungeon.  As it happened, that man was Belle's father.  A few days later, Belle arrived and begged for the Master to free him.  He staunchly refused, until Belle offered herself in his place.  The Beast immediately sent her father away and has kept Belle here ever since.  But he has tried to make Belle feel at home since then.  I guess this place couldn't be home without him."

      "Do you know where Belle's father lives?" 

      "There is a village down past the woods" the teapot explained.  

      "Then that's where we're heading" Sora proclaimed.  

      "But how can we get Belle to come back when the Beast doesn't want her to?" Donald asked.  

      "Oh, I know he wants her to come back" Goofy answered.  "I think we should just help Belle know how much the Beast feels about her.  I can't bear to see a buddy of mine so sad."  Sora, Donald and Goofy hurried down the hall and towards the doors to the castle.  

Obtained Beast's Castle Map