Fan Fiction ❯ Kingdom Hearts: The Third Epic ❯ Knowledge of a Foe ( Chapter 4 )

Knowledge of a Foe

 

The party now departed, going to their separate destinations. Sneer, Lu Xun, and Goten bid their farewell and departed back to Oceansburg, the capital city of the Universal Alliance. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy went off to have their gummy ship repaired and resupplied.

“It would only take about fifteen minutes.” Mickey implied before he left. Thus, Riku and Sora were left to wait. The two stood by the gates, awaiting their comrades to retrieve them. Sora leaned against the wall.

“Once again, we go on another quest to find our dearest friend.” he uttered.

“Damn that Arakis!” said Riku. “It's because of him and his scummy organization that Kairi was taken from us. He'll pay dearly for what he's done.”

“Perhaps it is because of your own failure that your friend was taken from you.” a voice suddenly rang out.

“Who's there?” asked Sora. Then, from out of the shadows, appeared a very familiar individual.

“Lord Thundro.” said Riku. “What are you doing here?”

“You decided to listen to my advice didn't you.”-

“What is it that you want?”-

“I have come to help you out, my friends.”-

“You?!” Riku scoffed again. “You're an Imperial! How do we know you're worth trusting?!”

“Despite all that I've done for you and your friends, you still dare to show such disrespect!” chuckled Thundro. “Well, if I encountered a man dressed in an Imperial uniform, I'd probably react the same way. You say if you can trust me, or not. But I say, you have no other choice in the matter because I'm the only one who can help you. Who do you think gave you all that knowledge about the Cavendish Shinobis?”

“You.” said Sora. “You were the anonymous source which gave Sneer all that information.”

“What's your motivation anyway?” asked Riku. “You're a top lord of the Dark Empire. Yet you betray them by giving us information. But as the same time, you don't want to fight for our cause either. What are you after?”

“I do this so that I can find my own identity.” said Thundro. “Perhaps you don't realize it, but there is more to my motive than meets the eye. Can you imagine living for ten thousand years and realize that you are not who you think you are? For that extensive period of time, I was taught the ways of the empire. I was raised to serve, fight and die for her glory. I would give my life to her without question. However, what I didn't realize was that I was not one of a kind. I had in fact been someone else in a different life. The Dark Empire concealed my lost past, hoping that I would never look for the truth.” Thundro walked just a few feet outside the gate and looked at the stars in the clear night sky. “I am a clone. A clone of a warrior who's been long since dead and is still alive to this day. I am the opposite of the young warrior who fought alongside you against General Kai.”

“What?” the two youths said.

“You mean you're Goten's clone?” asked Sora. “So is Goten even older than you?”

 

“The Goten that you met was not the same Goten. The one which I was cloned from came from a different time. I shall tell you the story.” Thundro began to reveal what had occurred ten millennia ago. “What happened was that Goku, Goten's father, had been seduced by a great evil and went on a rampage of death and destruction. He had found his way back through time, to when the Empire was still young. And when Goku entered the space-time continuum, so did Goten and a few other members of the Z team. In the fight against this evil Goku, all the Z fighters who tried to stop him, including Goten, were killed. But because of our talent, Lord Arakis, who also happens to be the ancestor of Goku and Goten, took it within his power to take genetic samples from the bodies of the some of the slain Z fighters and clone them into an elite fighting task force. Therefore, I have come to be because of that. I was brainwashed to think that everyone who opposed the empire was evil. But because we took on the task of killing so many just to expand our influence as well as our borders, I started to think that we were taking this too far. That we were murdering billions for no other reason than to eliminate the possible threats to the empire. When I stumbled upon top secret documents regarding my past and found out that I was merely a clone of someone else, I began to question if this was what I was really supposed to be. At the same time, I wanted all this to end so that I could see the Dark Empire at the pinnacle of its peak. But I began to notice that many of the top lords of the Empire began to discard with the old traditional codes of honor. The very codes that made the empire unique. Lord Cavendish was amongst them. It angered me enough to see that my comrades were tossing out the old way which I had deemed sacred and a way of life, but when Lord Cavendish decided to expand further into other dimensional realms, when I was hoping that it was enough, I made my decision that I could no longer return to the Dark Empire. She was no longer the empire of my birth. And because I have turned my sword against the empire, I can no longer return to her ranks. For I know the penalty for traitors. The events of this night have made that clear.”

“We had no idea.” said Sora.

“I've carried off the subject for too long. The reason why I meet you like this is because I have something for both of you.” Thundro reached into his pocket and took out what looked like a machine capsule with a number two on it. “This is a capsule which contains your new wardrobe. If you intend to enter Imperial territory, it's best that you disguise yourselves so that you may appear and disappear at will. Shadows are mush harder to detect when in darkness.” He handed it to Riku. “Your wardrobes have your names so you won't get either mixed up.”

“We appreciate this.” said Riku.

“How can we repay you?” asked Sora.

“Simply by preventing the Empire from further expanding into other realms.” Thundro replied. “And these are also for you. I thought that I'd hand them over to you myself. It is a tradition, by the old Imperial code of honor, to do so.” Thundro reached from behind him and handed each youth a sword. The swords' hilts were gold plated and placed in black sheaths. “I don't think you can go into battle without a weapon. These are Imperial fencing katanas. The strongest in the universe.”

Sora took the sword out of his sheath. The blade was bright, glimmering like a mirror, reflecting the bright lights of the stars. Riku unsheathed his and found an inscription upon the base of the blade, embedded with gold. The words were:

 

 

“Maldarf Selorian Volck Stun Veri Maya”

Honor and strength lead to one's victory and truth.

 

“Consider this an honor from me.” said Thundro. “No one has ever been given such a rare gift. These swords take years to make, to ensure their strength and durability. So only the best of the best can receive them. To be given such a weapon is truly an honor.”

“We will use these swords to their full advantage and I swear that we will take good care of them.” said Riku.

“It's so light.” said Sora. He gently flicked at the blade with his thumb. The blade was sharper than a razor. “And sharp.”

“I'm glad that you like them so.” said Thundro. “But enough with the admiration of these fine weapons. I have more pressing information regarding the seven members of the Cavendish Shinobis.” The two key bearers looked up at him suddenly and gently sheathed their swords back into their scabbards.

“Tell us.” said Riku. “What must we know about the Cavendish Shinobis?”

“As you know there are seven altogether. Each mastering a particular element of the seven elemental arts. First, there is Isis, master of ice. He has the capability to freeze anything rock solid. He can tolerate all cold temperatures and can accumulate ice climates to seven hundred degrees below zero. He can cause blizzards, snow storms, and is known for freezing and entire region into submission.”

“Is he the weakest of the seven?” asked Sora.

“He is the weakest alright. The next in line is Horus, master of water. He can control the will of water. He is also very agile in water. So the one thing you must avoid is fighting him in an watery environment. He can create flash floods, maelstroms, tidal waves, and torrents. Horus is also known for flooding out an entire countryside, drowning all its inhabitants.”-

“He doesn't seem very dangerous.”-

“That's where you're wrong. He can manipulate water to travel at four hundred miles and hour. A speed that could pierce through steel if concentrated into one spot. The next member is Anubis, master of fire. He can accumulate temperatures up to six million degrees, incinerating everything he touches. At times, he can be completely unapproachable because he can withstand so much heat.” Thundro leaned next to the wall, continuing his lecture. “Then comes Osiris, master of wind. Like Horus and Isis, his capabilities are based on extensive devastation. He can created hurricanes, typhoons, and tornados at an immeasurable scale. His manipulation of wind is so thorough and precise that he can even create sonic booms.”

“A guy who can manipulate the very air we breathe? Scary.” said Sora.

“Who's next on the list?” asked Riku.

“Then comes Caesar.” Thundro continued. “He is the master of soil, like plate tectonics and seismic activity, he can cause quakes that can shake entire planets apart. He has the ability to use solid granite as projectiles. And because Caesar is also made of rock, he can merge himself into any type of rock he wants. So he can perform ambushes against his opponent at will. Then there comes Kahn. Second in command of the Cavendish Shinobis and master of the dark element. Darkness can corrupt and deteriorate any life. Therefore, Kahn knows how to manipulate darkness, using it for offensive and defensive maneuvers. He can create a think fog of darkness, concealing himself completely. Or he can use the darkness to sap energy away from his opponent. He has grasped the power of darkness so well that he has also been dubbed “The Heartless King.”

“What about the last guy?” asked Riku.

 

“The final man who is the leader of the Cavendish Shinobis is one whom you've already encountered and fought in the second district.”-

“General Kai!” said the two young warriors.

“And he is the most dangerous out of them all. He is the master of light. And we're not talking pure light, but destructive light. Electricity to say the least and bright flashes that can completely deprive a foe of their eyesight. And because he is master of light, he can travel at the speed of light, making him hard to catch. But it is not because he has mastered the power of destructive light that he is dangerous, but because he has mastered all seven elements and has learned how to combine each to make different devastating attacks. The techniques that he displayed in your previous battle are tiny compared to what you'll have to face later on.”

“After what we saw, that guy must be invincible, or something.” said Sora.

“He must have a weakness somewhere though.” Riku added.

“He has one weakness.” Thundro continued. “As ruthless as he is, Kai is also a chivalrous man and likes to test his full capabilities against a foe in a one on one fight. Declare to fight him one on one and he will accept every time. That is his single weakness, not being able to let down a one on one fight. The only thing you have to do is defeat him.”

“You can't expect us to fight one on one with this guy.” Sora protested. “He's too powerful even for us.”

“We won't know until we try, Sora.” said Riku.

“The secret behind defeating him is to learn and master as many new techniques as possible.” Thundro advised. “You will learn new techniques by experiencing them for yourselves. The most important ones you must learn are those of the seven elements. When you defeat each of the Cavendish Shinobis, you would have gained more experience and learned another technique. The more you concentrate on your new techniques, the stronger you will become. So that is one of your top priorities. Gain as much battle experience as possible. Only then can you fight against Kai.” It was then that the gummy ship appeared before the gates.

“Hey Riku, Sora!” cried Mickey from the cockpit. “We got to go!”

“We have to go.” said Sora. “Thank you for your...” But as he soon as he turned to thank Thundro, the lord had disappeared without a trace.

“Let's move it.” said Riku. “Thundro will come back.”

The two boarded the gummy ship and blasted off to their destination, not knowing that the former dark lord was watching them from a rooftop spire.

“I wish you the best of luck.” Thundro uttered to himself. “Let your paths guide you in the right direction, just as mine has.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isis: The Scourge of Zi

 

The prolonged war on planet Zi is finally over. However, some antagonist continue to use powerful zoids in order to stir up renewed conflict. In response, the empire and the republic join to establish the Guardian Force. A task force with the express purpose of maintaining the peace. Van Flyheight and Fiona, along with the organoid, Zeke, dedicate themselves to insuring peace and stability for the people of planet Zi. Together, they are the Guardian Force fighters.

 

-Quote by Narrator

 

 

The result of their efforts was not as expected. The Death Stinger had managed to survive a fall from the upper atmosphere. Irvine and Thomas had managed to live through the attack from the Death Stinger's charged particle gun. Now, even though no longer in the air, the Death Stinger was still a great threat. Now it continued to walk towards the New Helic city, the capital of the Helic Republic. It was in Hiltz's agenda to totally demolish the capital. After he had fulfilled that mission, he would continue towards Gygalos, the Imperial capital of the Gylos Empire.

“Only the strong shall prosper.” Hiltz thought to himself. “And with the power of the Death Stinger within my grasp, there is no one who can stand against me. And in the end, they will all curse their own impudence for daring to defy me. I will make a new world for planet Zi. The Death Stinger can withstand all. It has no weakness.”

“You're wrong, boy!!” shouted a voice from behind. “That contraption of yours has only one weakness!!” Hiltz looked about to see where that voice came from. His sensors picked up a life source from nearby. As he focused upon who dared to defy him, he observed a man standing upon a cliffside.

“You certainly are confident to dare insult me openly.” said Hiltz. “Either that, or you have lost all sense of rational thought. Don't you realize that you are but one man, while I am armed with the most powerful zoid in all of Zi.”

“That's the reason why you're weak.” chuckled the man. “You depend too much on the use of a weapon. Without it, you're worthless.”

“Listen to yourself. You aren't in any position to be mouthing off.”-

“Oh, I believe I am. Since I'm the only one who can dare defy you and that old rust bucket of yours, I can mouth off as much as I want.” The last statement angered Hiltz and the man felt that sudden emotional surge. “What?! Did I make you mad because I insulted your over-sized mechanical arachnid?! Well, you heard me right! Against me, the Death Stinger is as useless as an old drum barrel!”

“You will regret ever spitting out those words.” said Hiltz. At that moment, his charged particle gun began to charge up.

“I dare you to shoot at me!” chuckled the man. “In fact, I'll give you a free shot!”

“So be it!”-

 

Meanwhile, back as the republican base, Colonel Rob Herman was observing the activity to which the Death Stinger was engaged.

“It looks like Hiltz has stopped.” he said. “And he's charging up his charged particle gun. What on Zi could he be thinking?”

 

“Sir, we have confirmed the target of the Death Stinger.” said one of the operatives. He focused on the individual standing on the cliffside.

“What is that guy trying to prove?” Rob thought to himself. It was then that Thomas and Irvine entered the facility.

“Hey Herman.” said Irvine. “What's going on with the Death Stinger?”

“It seems as if a lone individual has decided to oppose the Death Stinger.” he replied. “For some reason, Hiltz has stopped to converse with this guy.”

“What can this guy be up to?” asked Thomas. “And what would urge him to face the Death Stinger without a zoid?”

“That's the thing. He's openly attacking Hiltz.”-

“Where's Van?” asked Irvine.

“He's still fighting Reese and the blue Genosaur.”-

“Well, whoever this guy is, at least he's stalling some time for us to think of a plan to counter attack.”-

 

“Now you will die!” shouted Hiltz. A mighty blast bellowed forth from the charged particle gun. The impact of the beam caused a massive explosion three miles long and its sound waves echoed throughout Zi. Great puffs of smoke and ash bellowed into the air making the horizon dark and ominous. Hiltz scanned the area of impact and found no trace of life. “Fool. What was he thinking? The Death Stinger has no weakness whatsoever. Well, now that that little problem is out of the way, I shall continue on to the republican capital.”

However, as he turned a course towards the capital of the republic, that same chuckle began to echo from the fading clouds. Hiltz turned to see the man still standing there.

“I told you the Death Stinger was useless!” he bellowed.

“It can't be. How could he have survived that attack?”-

 

Meanwhile, back at the republican base, Colonel Herman and the others present could not believe what they had seen. The man had lived through the attack from the charged particle gun.

“That's impossible.” said Herman. “That guy actually survived.”

“But is that possible?” asked Thomas

“I don't think so.” replied Irvine. “Everything before was literally vaporized from an attack from the Death Stinger's charged particle gun. How could that guy survive such an impact?”

 

“Must I make myself clear twice?” said the man. “I guess I'd have to reiterate several times in order to crack through a head as thick as yours.”

“You're just trying to save your hide with tricks.” said Hiltz. “There's no way that anyone could have survived that attack. I'll make sure not to miss this time.”

“I would suggest you stand down. There's no need for you to throw your life away needlessly.” The particle gun on the Death Stinger charged to its maximum status.

“It's you who should be worried about throwing your life away needlessly.”-

“I go out of my way of warn you, then you turn around and mock me! Well, I'll just have to prove my point in a different matter!”-

 

“DIE!!” shouted Hiltz as a second beam bellowed forth from the Death Stinger. The beam came ever closer to the man. But as the energy beam's distance narrowed, the man on the cliff suddenly twisted his body in a striking motion and flung his hand into the beam. The beam of the charged particle gun was blocked. Immediately after contact, the man deflected the giant beam into the midst of space. As the smoke cleared, the reaction upon Zi who had witnessed this foot of strength were in utter shock.

 

Back at the republican base, Herman and the others could not believe what they just saw on the screen.

“Tell me I didn't just see that guy deflect the energy from the Death Stinger's charged particle gun.” said Irvine.

“No.” replied Thomas. “That's exactly how I saw it too.”

“But the chances of someone doing that is impossible.” said Herman. “There's no way in hell that anyone could have done something like that.”

“Well, I sure hope that this guy's on our side.”-

 

“How can this be?” Hiltz thought to himself. “He actually deflected the beam of the charged particle gun. But performing a foot like that is unlikely. How could he have managed to succeed where everyone else had failed?”

“I can see that you've broken out in a cold sweat, boy.” chuckled the man. “What made the Death Stinger deadly was its charged particle gun. With that weapon, you were the most feared in all of Zi. But now that I have rendered the power of your charged particle gun useless, you feel as helpless as a new born babe.” Just then, the man began to accumulate what looked like a giant ball of ice over his head. Hiltz couldn't believe what he was seeing. “Let me show you what true power is.”

“How is he doing that?” said Hiltz. “How can someone be able to make ice appear like that? Is it some form of magic?”

“This is a little present for you! And you can have it!! Iceberg Blitz” The man threw the massive ball of ice directly at the Death Stinger. Hiltz quickly charged up the beam cannon and fired away with an immense blast of energy. But the ice was so condensed, it deflected the beam off course and continued to draw nearer to its target. This great ball of ice struck the Death Stinger, within seconds. The ball exploded and caused what looked like a blanket of ice to completely entomb and immobilize the Death Stinger. A small crack had formed in its surface. As the temperature dropped, growing colder and colder, with the Death Stingers six thousand degree heat signature conflicting with the decrease, the armor was stressed to the breaking point and began to form cracks in the Death Stinger's armor. Within seconds, the cockpit of the Death Stinger began to chill into solid ice.

“AMBIENT!!” cried Hiltz. From out of the blue, his red organoid appeared and dove into the Death Stinger. As soon as the Death Stinger turned to solid ice and began to crumble, Hiltz and Ambient emerged back into the heat of the desert.

“Nice try, but you die today.” chuckled the man. He suddenly flew through the air at incredible speed, confronting Hiltz and his organoid face to face. “I told you the Death Stinger had one true weakness. The pilot himself is mortal.” The man suddenly threw a sharp icicle at the red organoid. Ambient was struck in the throat, the icicle piercing straight through his metal skin. The organoid fell lifeless to the ground.

 

“Ambient! No!” cried Hiltz as he fell with his slain organoid, but he was suddenly held by the throat by some invisible force. He could only watch as the corpse of his faithful organoid slammed into the ground, causing a cloud of dust to bellow into the sky.

“And now you die!” said the man.

“You...monster.” uttered Hiltz. “How...could you...do that?”

“Monster? I'm sure you should know all about monsters since you were one yourself, going on a killing spree throughout Zi. Well, your time has been spent. I shall take over the chaos from now on.” The man pointed his index finger straight at Hiltz's stomach.

“Who are...you?” uttered Hiltz.

“Though it matters little to you now, I guess it wouldn't hurt.” chuckled the man. “My name is Isis! Seventh member of the Cavendish Shinobis!” With that, another icicle burst forward and impaled Hiltz through the gut. Hiltz grew lifeless in the hands of Isis and the ninja released his victim, allowing him to fall freely from a thousand feet in the air.

 

At the same time, at the republican base, Herman and the others couldn't believe what they had witnessed.

“Dear God!” said Herman. “Did you see that?”

“That guy defeated and destroyed the Death Stinger as if it were nothing.” added Irvine.

But as Isis turned to confront his next opponent, he made his message clear that he was indeed not an ally. He gazed upon the landscape of Zi and with one breath he blew a sheet of ice across the land. The sheet ran for miles and towns and villages in the path of the sudden chill were instantly frozen. The observers in the base now knew for a fact that this so called savior of Zi was no savior at all.

“He's definitely not an ally.” said Thomas. “What do we do?”

“If the Death Stinger was no match,” said Herman, “what could we do against him?”

“Furthermore,” added Irvine, “How could a guy like him be able to obtain skills like that. He didn't use any weapons whatsoever. He only used his own strength. Someone being able to do something like that is impossible.”

“What should we do?” asked Thomas.

“We'll have to observe him thoroughly and hope that he doesn't go on a rampage like Hiltz did.” Herman replied. “All we can do right now is wait.”

However, to their surprise, Isis did not stand still. Instead the ninja went on his way to eliminate his next target.

“I sense three greater powers.” they heard him say. “Two of them seem to be exchanging blows in one area. The other seems to be remote at the moment. They're not moving. Then, that's where I shall go. I leave the other two to battle it out. Then, I'll slay the winner. It'll save me a great deal of effort.” With that, Isis began his trek to hunt down the lone power.

“Who's he heading for?” asked Thomas.

“I don't know.” replied Herman.

“He said that there were two in combat.” Irvine added. “He must have been talking about Van and Reese who are still fighting each other.”

“Then who is the one he's after right now?” asked Thomas. It was then they realized who it was that had the other significant power.

“It's Raven!!” the three said in unison.

“I take it that he's the next target.” said Herman. “I never thought I'd say this, but I hope nothing happens to him.”

 

 

In the dim light of the setting sun, amongst the dusty furniture of his long ago home, Raven sat in thought. His mind filled with thoughts of the past and how it affected his life forever. He remembered the day when his parents were killed by the black organoid. He recalled years later when he tamed that same murderous organoid and named him Shadow. He remembered the days when he and Shadow would battle opponent after opponent and always emerge victorious. And he looked back to the very recent hours when Shadow lost his life in battle.

“They say that journeys end where they began.” Raven thought to himself. “Well, this is where it all began.” A chain of memories went rushing into his mind and the young man could only curl up in sadness. Tears began to flow from his eyes as he had realized now that he was all alone with no one to comfort him. “I don't want to be alone again.”

“Oh, but alone is what you always desired is it not?” chuckled a voice from out of the darkness. Raven stood up and peered into the shadows.

“Who's there?” he said. “Show yourself!”

From the dim shadows into the dim light which seeped through the open window, a figure emerged. It was none other than Isis.

“So you must be the pilot of that massive red zoid outside.” he said. “You must be weak then, to depend upon the use of such a machine.”

“Weak?!” said Raven, angrily. “You dare to call me weak?! I don't know who you are, or what you came here for, but I can tell you I am not...”

“I'll tell you what I came here for.” said Isis. “I've come to kill you.”

He suddenly swung his arm forth and two icicles flew into the direction of the young zoid pilot. The icicles struck Raven in both shoulders and pinned him against the wall. Isis then sent forth a ring of ice and it wrapped itself around Raven's throat. Raven cried in agony as the blood seeped down from his open wounds.

“That was easier than expected.” said Isis. He walked up to Raven and looked at him straight in the eyes. Raven's eyes were half open now that he had been weakened from the attack and loss of blood. “I expected better results in this struggle. But you made the outcome too simplistic for my taste. I had expected your efforts to enforce your reputation as a zoid pilot. But apparently, what they say about you are only rumors and nothing more.” He gave a powerful thrust to Raven's gut with his fist. Raven gasped as he felt the knuckles of his enemy dig deep into his internal organs. A stream of blood began to trickle from the side of his mouth. Isis sat down and gazed at his fine work. “You have been very disappointing to me. For your failure, I sentence you to the worst possible form of dying. I intend to have you hang there until your legs give way to exhaustion. Then you will slump down and that ring around your throat with cut off all air circulation. You will slowly suffocate. That is if you don't die of loss of blood first.”

 

 

Meanwhile, on the open battlefield. Reese and Van Flyheight were continuing their battle. However, there was a slight disadvantage against Van. Because he had to fight battalion after battalion only hours earlier, he had been deprived of most of his strength. His blade liger was beginning to waver, even with the help of the silver organoid, Zeke.

“We'll have to endure as long as we can, alright buddy?” said Van. Zeke gave a soft growl and the two rushed forth into battle in the ever weakening blade liger.

“Why?” Reese thought to herself. “Why does he do this? Why do I do this? Why must we fight?”

 

At that particular moment, when metal would clash against metal, when zoid would attempt to slay zoid, a mysterious ship appeared from out of the blue and landed safely on the ground. For a moment, the two zoids paused in the midst of their battle to see what it was that entered their territory.

“What is that?” Van thought to himself. He cried out to the ship. “Whoever you are?! You can't stay here! There's a battle going on!”

At that moment, the door of the spaceship opened and out came our heroes Riku, Sora, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. They were now dressed in what looked like Imperial uniforms, consisting mostly of the color black.

“Where are we?” asked Sora.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” added Riku.

“That's what Sneer said.” Mickey explained.

“This looks more like a desert!” said Donald. “We're in the middle of nowhere!”

“Anyway, we look pretty good in these new duds.” chuckled Goofy. He stretched out his arms to get a better look at his new outfit. It was almost identical to a baggy zoot suit, with puffy pants and a oversized military jacket. His shoes were once again on size to big and Goofy flopped his feet around like a duck.

“You look more like an idiot!”-

“I think these clothes are really cool.” said Sora as he gazed upon his black leather jacket and jeans. But as he gazed at Riku, his eyes grew with envy. Riku was dressed with a flowing black trench coat, outfitted with double rows of brass buttons, armored shoulder guards, and a high collar. With his left hand was dressed with a black glove, his right was dressed with a white gauntlet. A black vest and black slacks further intensified his look with white, gold-tipped boots to complete the ensemble. “Man, Riku! How come you get such flashy outfits?!”

“I guess Sneer wanted to match my wardrobe with my dark side.” replied Riku.

“Enough talking about our clothes!” shouted Donald. “We have our guy to find! What the heck was his name?”

“I think it was... was um... Van.” said Mickey. “Van Flyheight.”

“But..uh...how will we know him?” asked Goofy.

“I don't know.” said Riku. “Maybe he'll know us?”

It was then that they gazed upon the blade liger and the blue genosaur, who still wondered who these five strangers were.

“Hey, you!” shouted Van. “Get out of here! This is a battle zone!” Sora walked up to the liger and gazed at the figure in the cockpit.

“Is your name Van Flyheight?” he asked.

“I am.” replied the pilot from within. “What is it you want?”

“We've come to help you. There is a powerful warrior wandering about and we've come to stop him. Do you know where he is?”-

“I have no idea what you're talking about!”-

“Van Flyheight!” shouted Reese. “Have you forgotten, we have a battle to finish!” The genosaur made ready to fire its charged particle gun.

“Get out of here now!” cried Van as he went to face the might of the blue genosaur. However, for some reason, Reese held her fire. A strange presence made itself known to her. She also detected that Hiltz, the death stinger, and Ambient's presence ceased to exist.

 

“Something has happened.” she thought. “But what? Could it be that...” Reese's senses did not deceive her. Hiltz, Ambient, and the Death Stinger had vanished without a trace. “How can this be? How can this be?” But as she continued to sense the area, she noticed another strong power. Without another word, she began to proceed to where she felt the energy signal. “What is this new power? Could it be the Dark Kaiser? No! It is one far greater!”

“Where is she going?” said Van.

“Van!!” cried Sora. “Please come down! We need to speak to you!”

“Does Reese's leaving have something to do with them?” Van didn't bother answering to his request. Instead, he took off in pursuit of Reese.

“Hey! Wait a Minute!” cried Sora. “Come back here!”

“We have to go after him.” said Riku.

“We'll go after him in the gummi ship!” Mickey ordered. The five boarded the ship and began to follow the blue liger.

 

 

Meanwhile, at the abandoned home, Isis awaited patiently for Raven's final breath to exit out of his body. Blood seeped from the open wounds and sweat poured down the young man's face. His breathing became a laboring task and the ice around his neck slowly gripped Raven's throat even tighter. Isis picked at his fingernails with an icicle he made.

“I must admit, boy.” said Isis. “You certainly are one who has a strong will. Any other would have suffocated to death by now.”

“What...do you...want from me.” Raven uttered. “Why...are you doing...this?”

“For the sake of my own personal enjoyment. I want to see potential heroes like yourself slowly die an agonizing death, knowing that all efforts to resist were futile. And when you are all dead, I will claim this planet in the name of the Dark Empire.”-

“Dark...Empire? Who are...they?”-

“I will say no more for it is irrelevant to one who will soon meet his end.” It was then that he detected a massive energy surge approaching them. “So, those insects have caught on! It's best that I finish what I came here to do and eliminate all potential threats.” He leaped onto the window sill and grinned back at Raven. “Die well!”

As soon as he uttered those final words, Isis quietly exited and leaping into the thickness of the wilderness, not leaving a trace of energy to follow.

 

Within seconds of Isis's departure, Reese and the blue genosaur arrived, with Van and the blade liger not to far behind. Reese jumped out of the cockpit and ran into the house, where she felt the energy slowly fade. As she entered the main room, she stumbled upon the grim sight of Raven impaled against the wall. Van entered the room soon after to see his former rival hanging like freshly cut butcher's meat.

“Raven!” he cried, rushing to the wounded zoid pilot. Sora and the others had only arrived when they first saw Van trying to pull out the icicles from Raven's flesh.

“Oh my goodness.” said Mickey. “How terrible.”

Van pulled out the last icicle and Raven fell almost lifeless onto his shoulder. He turned his foe on his back and held him in his arms.

“Raven! Raven!” Van cried. “What happened?! Tell me!! Wake up!!” The boy slowly opened his eyes and gazed upon the face of his rival.

“Fly....height.” Raven uttered. “It's you.”

 

“Tell me, Raven! Who did this to you?!”-

“I...don't know. A...man.....”-

“Well, what did he say to you?!”-

“Empire...Dark Empire.” Raven reached for Van's collar, but his arm soon fell lifeless onto the floor. Van shook him gently.

“Raven!!”-

“Let me see.” said Riku. He knelt opposite of Van and checked for a pulse on Raven's neck. There was still a heartbeat in his veins. “It's alright. He's still alive. Just exhausted.”

“What did he mean by Dark Empire?” asked Van. Riku turned to his friends.

“Do you think?” he said.

“Without a doubt.” replied Sora. “It must have been one of the Cavendish Shinobis.”

“Already he must be trying to take out all potential threats.” added Mickey.

“But who are you guys?” asked Van, curiously. “You still haven't told me yet.” Riku stood up and introduced every new face to the young zoid pilot.

“I'm Riku.” he began. “That's Sora, Mickey, Goofy, and Donald.”

“We've come to protect this world.” said Mickey. “You don't realize it, but your home is in great danger.”

“I already know that.” said Van. “We already have a mad man named Hiltz running around with a powerful zoid called the Death Stinger.”

“Not anymore.” Reese explained.

“What do you mean?”-

“I can no longer sense the auras of Hiltz, the Death Stinger, or Ambient. Without a doubt they must have been destroyed.”-

“But how?”-

“I had sensed this new power, but took no notice of it until I recently realized that there was no longer an energy signal made by Hiltz. And if their power had suddenly disappeared, I can only fear that they've been destroyed.”-

“But Hiltz had the most powerful zoid on the planet Zi. How could he just be destroyed like that?” Van then turned to Riku. “Is this the threat you were talking about?”

“Yes.” replied Riku. “He is a member of the Cavendish Shinobis and his power is said be great enough to wipe out an entire planet. Or so we've heard.”

“Is he armed with some sort of weapon capable of destroying a planet?” asked Reese.

“No.” said Sora. “This guy uses his own strength to do that.”

“His own strength?” Van scoffed. “Tell me how one guy can destroy a planet without the use of some kind of weapon?”

“We can't explain it, but we know for a fact that he needs no mechanical devise to cause utter devastation on this planet.” Riku explained. “We've seen men like him in action. And believe me, the amount of energy they can accumulate would blow you away.”

It was at that moment that a message transmission sounded within the cockpit of the blade liger. Van quickly ran to his zoid and turned on the communication screen. It was Captain Rob Herman.

“Herman.” said Van. “What's going on?”

“I tried to reach you earlier,” Herman explained, “but the enemy's static interference prevented us from connecting.”

“What's going on?”-

 

“I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that Hiltz and the death stinger have been eliminated.”-

“That's good to hear, but what's the bad news.”-

“Apparently, there is an even greater threat. Hiltz was destroyed by, and I'm sure you won't believe this, a single man without the use of a zoid.”

“What?! But how can that be possible?!”-

“I don't know how to explain it, but this guy for some reason managed to use some sort of energy to take out the death stinger.”-

Just then, a young girl popped her head into the screen. It was none other then Van's closest friend, Fiona. She being an ancient Zoidian was able to detect the activity that had gone on.

“Van.” she cried.

“Fiona!” Van replied.

“Are you alright?”-

“I'm fine. And you?”-

“Well.”-

“Tell me, Fiona. What's going on?”-

“I don't know for sure. We've never encountered anything like this before. But it has an even greater level of power than the deathsaur.”-

“Are you kidding me?!”-

“No.”-

“Please allow us to explain the entire situation!” Riku hollered. Van poked his head out of the cockpit.

“You know about this guy?” asked Van.

“We have a good idea of who it is.” Riku took the pulley up to the cockpit and presented himself before Rob Herman and Fiona.

“Who are you?” asked Herman.

“My name is Riku.” replied the young man.

“Alright Riku, tell us about this guy.”-

“We believe that he is one of the Cavendish Shinobis. A man who goes by the name of Isis. He has the ability to manipulate ice.”-

“That's how he defeated the death stinger. He used ice.”-

“The power he's capable of using goes beyond the potential of what any of you are able to do. Zoids alone would not be able to stop him. That is why my friends and I are here.”-

“You haven't explained who you guys are.” said Van.

“We have come to this world to stop the very enemy which threatens your home.”-

“Are you saying that you're from another planet?”-

“More like another dimension.”-

“Well, what can you do to help us?” asked Herman.

“Just leave everything to us.” Riku replied. “It's best that you try not to engage him. Being a Shinobi, Isis can move swiftly and destroy swiftly. So make sure not to confront him head on.”-

“I understand. Then, we will leave you to do what you must do.” Herman turned to Van. “Van, return to base at once so that we can plan our next strategy.”

 

“With your permission, Sir.” said Riku. “I request that Van Flyheight assist us in our mission. If there's any zoid pilot we can depend on most, it's him.”

“Very well. Then Van, you go with Riku and his friends. See if you can give as much support as possible.”-

“I understand.” Van replied.

“Be careful, Van.” said Fiona. “Come back to us. Both you and Zeke.”

“Don't worry, Fiona. I will.” With that last statement, transmission was cut off. Van turned to Riku. “Well, let's get on our way.”

“Right.” replied Riku. They both jumped from the cockpit. “Sora! Tell the other's we're moving out!”-

“Gotcha!” said Sora.

“How's Raven doing?”-

“He's lost a lot of blood.” said Mickey.

“I don't think he'll make it.” added Sora. “Do we have any potion?”

“We never supplied ourselves with any?” Donald explained. “I could use my healing technique.”

“We can't do that. We'll need all the strength we have for the upcoming battle.”-

“Well..uh...maybe these will help.” said Goofy as he pulled out a bag of Senzu beans.

“Goofy? Where did you get those?” asked Riku.

“Goten gave `em to me. He said to use it only in an emergency. He also said that..uh..a half a bean should do the trick.”-

“Why didn't you tell us that before?!” shouted Donald as he strangled Goofy by the throat.

“You... never...asked!!”-

“Give me one.” said Sora. Goofy gave him the bag and Sora picked out a bean. Breaking it in half, he gave one half to the dying zoid pilot. Within seconds of consuming the bean, Raven suddenly sat up. His wounds were healed and his strength had been fully restored.

“What happened?” he said, flexing his hands into fists. “I feel great.”

“Amazing.” said Riku. “Fully restored with only one half of the bean. That heals better than even mega-potion. You think we can extract some of that stuff and put it into our future potion stock?”-

“I think so.” said Sora.

“We'll see what we can do later.” added Mickey. “Right now however, we have a ninja to take out!”

“Right!” said Van. “Then let's hurry!”

“Wait!” Raven shouted. He ran up to Van and the others. “Let me join you, Van.”

“Why?!”-

“I want to take that guy out as much as you do.” He placed his hands on his sides. “Besides, didn't I tell you before. It there's anyone here who'll defeat you, it'll be me.” Van smiled.

“Everyone wants a piece of Van, eh? Alright, I accept.” Van stuck out his hand and Raven hardily grasped in a strong handshake.

“Then, let's do it.” Raven turned to Reese. “You should stay here, Reese. We'll take care of it.”

“Do you boys think you can have all the fun without me.” Reese replied. “I want to kill that guy just as much as you do. So either I come along, or I stand against you. Which will it be.”

 

“Well, do we have a choice.” said Van. “Then, let's gear up!”

So now, three new allies sided with Sora and the others. They mounted upon their zoids and rushed to where the power level was detected. Three zoid pilots, once enemies and now allies, joined the Kingdom Hearts group to help liberate Zi from the threat of the Dark Empire.

 

 

Isis had detected a new power, a power far greater than the first three. Though he detected its presence earlier, he had decided to ignore it for the time being. Now, that he knew the first three were of no threat, Isis made his efforts and struck out against the greater power.

“I'm sure whoever is here will enjoy my presence.” Isis said to himself. “How enrapturing!”

As he flew towards the Valley of the Rarehurtz, he was inevitably confronted by legions of sleeper zoids. The Valley of the Rarehurtz was responsible for creating bizarre seismic activity which caused most zoids to act in rather irrational manners, allowing them to become more acquainted with their warrior instincts. To become savage and untamable. As Isis confronted these guardians of the valley, he only chuckled.

“I apologize, but I have no time for you whatsoever!” he scoffed. He slightly exhaled his lungs and from his mouth a icy wind current bellowed forth, freezing solid all attacking sleepers. The ice was so cold, it penetrated through the zoid armor and froze the zoid core, the very heart of the zoid itself and the single function which gave life to a zoid. As soon as the ice touched this vulnerable necessity of life, the zoids ceased to function and die.

“How pathetic these zoids are.” said Isis. “They're all bark and no bite! I intend to go after the greater power that lies within the caverns of this valley.” Just then, he detected heavy strengths approaching from behind. He paused for a moment in mid-air. “It must be Sora and the others. They mean to stop me. Well, they'll certainly have an excruciating obstacle to conquer first before they can get to me.”

In seconds, Isis began to accumulate a series of dark clouds over the valley. Winds began to bellow and snow hailed down in a great maelstrom. However, within seconds of the storm's creation, Isis diminished it, allowing the warm sun to beam through.

“Perhaps I'll wait a little longer. If I want to catch them off guard, its best to deploy the storm when they are closer to me.”-

 

 

Within the cavern, the Dark Kaiser, formally known as Günter Prozen, former regent of the Gylos Empire, awaited the appearance of Van's closest friend, Fiona who happened to be also an ancient Zoidian. With Fiona under his control, Prozen hoped to awaken Zoid Eve, the mother and the life source to which all zoids were connected. By resurrecting the Zoid Eve, Prozen hoped to also resurrect the Deathsaur, which was once the most feared and most powerful zoid in all of Zi. It was in fact the thing responsible for killing off the entire ancient Zoidian civilizations centuries earlier. And now Prozen's ideal was to use the Deathsaur as an enforcer to help him conquer the world.

“It is only a matter of time before I can awaken the zoid eve.” said the Dark Kaiser. “Soon Fiona Elise Lynette, you will come to me and resurrect her. And once she has been revived, then the Deathsaur will walk again and reek havoc upon this planet once more.”

 

“You certainly have this plan of yours well detailed down to perfection.” a voice shouted out from the shadows. “I guess both you and I have a common goal to work on.”

“Who's there!” shouted Prozen. “I demand to know who's there! Hiltz?! Reese?! Raven?!”

“Hiltz is dead, Raven is dying, and Reese, as well as all on Zi will soon feel my wrath. Including you, Günter Prozen, former regent of the Gylos Empire.” chuckled the voice. “But I guess you insist on being called the Dark Kaiser now!”

“Show yourself, perpetrator! Who are you?! And How did you get here?!”-

From the shadows, appeared the same tall, stalky man who had confronted the might and power of the Death Stinger only a couple hours earlier.

“I am Isis. The seventh member of the Cavendish Shinobis. And how I got here will be kept a secret.” said the ninja. “I only wished to seek an audience with you and see if you were willing to listen to my proposal.”

“What do you want?!”-

“I want you to help me take over this world. Together, you and I can rule this world with an iron fist and there would be none who could dare to defy us.”-

“What's your price?”-

“You help me conquer this world and I will make sure that you're well rewarded by dubbing you as supreme ruler of Zi. And with me as your personal bodyguard, no resistance would ever surface in the face of your regime. Well, what do you say?”-

“How do I know that you are as strong as you claim to be?”-

Only after that statement, Isis suddenly fired a an energy ice ball at the inner caverns. In less than a few seconds, half of the Kaiser's underground realm was frozen solid. Stalactites and stalagmites, hit by the explosion were automatically frozen solid. As soon as they had taken their ice form, many cracked from their foundations and fell, or collapsed to the floor, shattering into billions of frozen shards.

“Does that prove anything to you?” said Isis. “I am master of ice. And to be master of ice, I can cause great blizzard storms beyond your own imagination.”

“Now I'm interested.” said the Dark Kaiser. “How shall you help me?!”

“Call forth the Ancient Zoidian, Fiona Elise Lynette and have her awaken the Zoid Eve!”-

“Very well!”-

Within minutes of the request, a bright form of light began to accumulate from within the cavern. As the light faded, there stood the young girl, Fiona, wondering where she was.

“What is this place?” she said to herself.

“Welcome, Fiona.” said the Dark Kaiser. “I'm so glad that you can make it!”

“I know you.” she replied. “You're Günter Prozen.”

“You're right about that, young lady. I was once known as Günter Prozen. The former emperor of the Gylos Empire. But now I have become a far superior being. I am the Dark Kaiser.”-

Fiona realized that Prozen's body was encased in what looked like a melted zoid core. Immediately, she knew what it was that stood before her.

“That... that's the Deathsaur's zoid core.” she said.

“Correct.” said Prozen. “I have become the zoid core of the Deathsaur. And All I need from you is the power to help resurrect the Deathsaur from its eternal slumber. That way I may be able to reek havoc upon all of Zi! Now, ancient Zoidian, fulfill my request! Awaken the zoid eve!”

 

With his new power, he took hold of Fiona's mind and lead her to where the zoid eve rested.

 

 

Meanwhile, at that time, Van and the others had managed to track down Isis's trail to the Valley of the Rarehurtz. Upon the way, they saw zoids frozen in icy tombs. Those which had escaped their icy prison were turned to stone. The extreme cold had completely froze the zoid, core and all, killing them instantly.

“Without a doubt, this is the work of Isis.” said Sora.

“He has taken refuge in the Valley of the Rarehurtz.” Reese explained.

“Valley of the Rarehurtz?” asked Donald. “What's a rarehurtz.”

“It is seismic activity that accumulates a bizarre form of energy.” Van explained. “These tremors cause zoids to lose their ability to rationally think and become more acquainted with their warrior nature.” He and Reese activated their stabilizers to prevent their zoids from being effected by the rarehurtz. “I wonder what's lead him to the Valley of the Rarehurtz.”

“It must be the Dark Kaiser!” said Raven. “Isis must've sensed his presence in some way. Either that, or the Dark Kaiser has summoned him.”

“Could they be in league with each other?”-

“Probably.”-

It was then that Van received a transmission from Headquarters. Upon his viewing screen, Captain Rob Herman appeared.

“Van! Can you hear me?!” he shouted. The picture was slightly statically.

“Yes, Herman, I can hear you!” Van replied. “What is it?! We're sort of busy right now!!”

“It's about Fiona! She vanished!”-

“What?! What do you mean she's vanished?!” Van was all in shock.

“For some reason, she just disappeared in a bright ray of light.”-

“It's begun then.” said Reese. “Fiona has been summoned to the Valley of the Rarehurtz to resurrect the zoid eve.”

“What was that?!” asked Van. “You mean she's here?!”

“If she awakens the zoid eve, then the terror of Zi will also be resurrected.”-

“You mean the...”-

“Yes. The Deathsaur.”-

“We have no choice, we must move out now!” Van contacted Herman again. “Herman, we're gonna need a lot more fire power than this! Reese tells me that once Fiona awakens the zoid eve, its resurrection will also awaken the scourge of Zi, the Deathsaur!”

“Are you sure?!” asked Herman.

“Without a doubt! Get all forces assembled here now!”-

“Very well! I will inform the Madam President and Emperor Rudolph immediately!”-

Herman logged out and Van and the others continued towards their goal.

 

 

“It seems we have company.” said Isis.

“Yes.” replied Prozen. “We must hurry.”

“Take the girl and awaken the zoid eve.”-

“What about you?”-

 

“I shall remain here and hold them off with a grand maelstrom! I will display the true extent of power of the Cavendish Shinobis!” Isis walked out of the cavern leaving Prozen and Fiona alone.

“Now then, Fiona Elise Lynette,” he chuckled, “awaken zoid eve and allow me to harness the power of the deathsaur. The greatest zoid on Zi!”

 

 

Meanwhile, back at headquarters, Herman had assembled the heads of the both the Gylos Empire and the Helic Republic.

“Are you sure about that?” asked Emperor Rudolph. “The zoid eve will resurrect the Deathsaur?”

“That's correct, your Majesty.” Herman replied. “And we have no zoids powerful enough to stop it!”

“There must be a way to stop the resurrection of the zoid eve.” said the Madam President. “Surely, Van can stop the Dark Kaiser before then.”

“Nevertheless, we must assume that the deathsaur was resurrected. We would need to use a zoid that could equal the strength of the Deathsaur.”-

“You mean we should....” There was a moment of silence before Herman gave out the order.

“Contact Colonel Kruger at Winding Lake! Tell him to deploy our secret weapon.” He ordered. “If there's anything that can stand a chance, that can.”

“The Ultrasaurus.” said Rudolph.

“Call Dr. D!” Herman further instructed. “Tell him we need the gravity cannon right away!”

“Understood.” said one of the attendants.

“To think that we'd be using such a powerful weapon like that.” Madam President thought to herself.

“I want as many divisions out there to help aid Van Flyheight!”-

“We're giving the order now, Sir.” said another attendant.

“I will have the Imperial forces deployed to that area as well.” said Rudolph.

“Appreciated.” replied Herman.

 

 

At the same time, Van and his party were nearing the cavern of the Dark Kaiser. But as they came ever closer, the gazed upon a lone individual standing just below the ridge.

“Who is that?” asked Van.

“It's Isis!!” said Raven.

“That's Isis?” asked Sora. “He doesn't look like must from here.”

“Don't underestimate him, kid. He's much more dangerous than he looks.”-

But as they neared him, the shinobi raised his hand and stretched it in front of him. Within seconds, clouds began to form above the party and snow began to fall. Gently at first, but then became increasingly more power as the winds increased in strength. In only a few minutes, the zoids found themselves furrowing in the snow.

“How could the weather pick up so quickly!” said Van. “We can barely move now!”

“I see now why Isis is called the master of the ice element.” Riku thought to himself.