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oh god the boss is going into their third stage really freaking cool, some draggy parts as ever with these long songs, 8.5/10

Sora, Kairi, MachGaogamon, and Gagagigo each stood in silence for a long time. Too long. Sora’s hands trembled. In many other occasions, he wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice himself. For his friends, it was easy. For all worlds in the multiverse? There shouldn’t even be a question. Koishi volunteered, as did Lydia, then Alister. Each of them understood the costs, of what was being asked. Sora… he could not think of a reason for why it had to be him. What difference would it make if he said anything? Avatar Resolution commenced the debate, and Lydia spoke first. Once the debate had reached its conclusion, the answer was simple. Sora and his team, such as they were, all voted in favor of Lydia Armstrong. Once the Key of Origin manifested itself as the Phoenix, Lydia made her wish. Then, she was gone. Disappeared. Her future, a complete unknown. Hapshiel made his wish, and disappeared as well. His future was perhaps a little easier to predict. Sora to all the gathered survivors. This was all about to be goodbye. He had been through moments like this before. It was like Leon had once told him. “We may never meet again, but we’ll never forget each other.” “Gagagigo,” MachGaogamon called. “This may seem odd, but our wish needs to be shared. For Arthur’s sake, and Eria.” Gagagigo nodded. “You’re right. Eria saved me, and Arthur. You have a good head on your shoulders, and I don’t think he would have made it half as far as he did without you.” “Thank you. But Eria managed to make him another see the other way. My world and Arthur’s are already separate, and yours is even further away from that. Even still, I want there to be a chance for them to see each other again. To be together, to just… be young.” “Careful,” Gagagigo chuckled. “We’re here at the end of one multiversal incursion. I’m not sure if we should risk another one just so they could go on dates.” “A sense of humor?” MachGaogamon mused. “I’m sorry, that was rude. You just seemed too…” “Exhausted? Depressed? Take your pick, you’re probably right. I owe Eria more than I can say. We have the chance to bring her and Arthur back, and I still will not feel like she and I are even.” “And you still have Megiddo to contend with. Even once you put your world back to normal, and he’ll still be around to endanger it.” “There is that. That seems… beyond even the Key.” “If it is ever possible, you can call on me for help, and Arthur.” MachGaogamon reached out his hand. “I know him well enough that I can vouch for him on that.” Gagagigo shook MachGaogamon’s hand. “And I’ll swear the same for Eria and I.” MachGaogamon turned to Sora and Kairi. “Thank you both, for everything.” Sora blinked, as if waking up from a daze. “Don’t sweat it. Say ‘Hi’ to them for me when you’re all back!” Kairi held Sora’s hand. “That goes for me, too!” “I guess I’ve volunteered to go next, then.” MachGaogamon faced everyone else. “My friends and I have kept to ourselves for too long. For as many of us that started as enemies, we all stand here now. Whether we forget all of this, or carry the pain with us, life goes on. It always will. Even here, this isn’t the end.” With nothing more to say to the others, MachGaogamon approached the Phoenix. What is your desire? “My friend, Arthur, is dead,” said MachGaogamon. “As our worlds are restored, I hope you can bring him back to life, but with all the memories and experiences he has gained. He was searching for… a box. Pandora’s box. To his world, they only know the boy who abandoned his quest. I hope he has the chance to show them that, after all this time, he has succeeded.” Have you naught you wish for yourself? “I only wish to go my own home, the Digital World, with all I've done as fresh in my mind as it is now." You ask for much. As you wish A rift in reality formed in front of MachGaogamon, made up of pixels and grid lines. Abstract shapes appeared within, from mountains to a bright blue sky. MachGaogamon waved one last goodbye to all of his comrades, and then stepped into the world beyond. Gagagigo approached next. What is your desire? “Like MachGaogamon, I also wish for my friend back. Eria the Water Charmer… both of them. There is the one that I knew, who accepted me as her familiar. There is also the one I called Ariel. I still cannot fathom everything she must have endured. Even still, I saw potential in her. A chance for salvation, just as my own Eria saw in me. Please, restore Eria to life, and let me go back to her. For Ariel, let what we have done to help her stay with her. If you cannot undo everything that happened to her world, at least give her the chance to save it.” The Phoenix paused for a moment. …So, you finished. It is done Another portal opened, leading into a river on the other side. Birds, rabbits, and the occasional deer wandered the nearby fields. The image flickered, and Gagagigo soon saw soldiers armed in combat against demons. Whether it was archfiends or interlopers from the Dark World, the battle was rough. The image shifted again, to peasants pitching up pitchforks and torches against yet more soldiers. Next, an underwater kingdom with small fish to ferocious leviathans. This war had ended, yet Gagagigo understood what he was seeing. He would not be returning to some idyllic world that would never know strife again. There would still be injustices to set right, villains to vanquish, and innocents to protect. This time, Gagagigo knew he would choose the right side. “Goodbye, everyone,” said Gagagigo. “Perhaps some of us will meet again, in this life or another.” The images in the portal looped back to the river. He had no way of knowing if he was seeing where he would end up, or simply the nature of his world, but there was only way to be sure. He stepped through the portal. Sora and Kairi remained. They walked together, hand in hand. I was expecting one at a time. What are your desires? Sora shrugged. “Compared to the others, I don’t think I can ask for much. I want to go home and see our friends again. I trusted Arthur with the Keyblade, and I know I made the right decision with that. Let Kairi and I keep our memories, and then we can get back to our lives.” Do you wish the same, Kairi? “I do,” Kairi nodded. “I trust Eria, the same way Sora trusts Arthur. I came here to save Sora, just as he’s saved me. We’re here now, and I want it to stay that way, together with him. Whatever waits for us when we go back home, the future doesn’t scare me at all.” A simple and clean wish, then. Granted! A white door appeared before Sora and Kairi. The couple waved back to everyone else. “Goodbye!” Sora smiled. “Take care of yourselves,” Kairi added. Sora opened the door and stepped on through with Kairi. Kairi closed the door, and it vanished. Arthur Ancyl and Eria the Water Charmer held this team together. MachGaogamon made his wish, as did Gagagigo. Sora and Kairi were steadfast in sharing their own wish together. Yet Arthur and Eria were gone, locked in battle against the One Master. Though some experiences may be preserved, on this, one hopes, the clock may rewind. They were still young. Too young to truly know all there is to know about love. All they needed was more time.   (_|MirageGaogamon has returned Home|_) (_|Gagagigo has returned Home|_) (_|Sora has returned Home|_) (_|Kairi has returned Home|_)