The training went well for the group. A.J was very talented for being so young, he’s mastered Dark Volly, and enjoyed the Thundershock command style.Patches was surprised to see he developed a unique ranged style of fighting using specific attacks and spells.

Violet was a surprise to Patches, she was a brawler, Critical impact was her preferred Command style. She didn’t like Shotlocks all that much and loved the explosion finisher. She even managed to learn to shift her Keyblade into gauntlet form. A very difficult task even for most Keyblade masters. She even managed to utilize Valor form, shifting out a second Keyblade for pure energy flooding her arm and fist to deal strong hits, or her Key-Gun for powerful bash attacks or harder hitting shots. She was a one girl army.

Louis was a wild card, as always. His attacks were random but planned with forethought. He was difficult to predict, and often annoyed his opponents with terrible singing. All in all, Patches pitied the poor fool who fought him. it had been a while since any of them heard word from Clemintine, but they knew she was alright. She was, as Patches put it, someone above God, so knowing that, they didn’t worry too much, but they did still miss her.

“When do you think Clem will show up?” A.J asked, the group sat at a campfire, fresh farmed veggies and pork cooking over a flame.

“I dunno. I try not to think about it, but in all honesty it’’s hard not too.” Violet spoke up.

“Ditto.” Louis said simply, roasting a fish over the fire. “I mean, we’re safe, we’re becoming bad asses, we’re well fed for the first time in years… and yet even though we know she is okay, it’s just not the same without her here.”

“Think she’s thinking about us too?” Willy asked. Out of all of them he still needed work. Patches often had to help him out more than the other.

“I’m sure she does.” Asim said. Often times he was hesitant to be near fires, since he was a pro, how he got into the school in the first place, but Patches taught him to embrace it, so long as he used his fire to help others, not just to see things burn. Asmin was a true Keyblade pyromancer. Every fire based attack and spell he knew, Flame salvio was his Shotlock and Firestorm his Command Style, his own fre resistance was now so great, he could place his hands within fire and not feel the burning heat, but the gentle warmth. He now often scared his friends with how he acted at times, but it was him. He was finally his true self. “If we’re always thinking of her, then she is too.”

“Yeah. It will be okay A.J.” Mitch spoke. Since hi training began Mitch’s anger had lessened. His temper was always aaaaaan issue in life, but now he had a funnel for it, a way of properly venting it, through his training and explosive spells and attacks, he could be himself and help others, no longer was he called a menace. “What was that thing Patches always said? May your heart be your guiding key?”

“Yeah, it means hat as long as you listen to your heart, you’lll be alright.” Ruby said. Unlike the others she was the team medic. Purely focused on healing spells and items. She carried many potions and elixirs, things of that nature and learned to use the healing spells at their fullest without draining all of her own magic. Of course for the more serious injuries she did keep a mobile medics kit with her at all times. While she could fight she was mostly the medic of the team.

“Yeah. You guys are right.” A.J said confidently. “We’ll be okay, annnnd when Clemintine finally does visit, we’ll be Keyblade Masters, and have killed every last walker on earth.”

“From your mouth to god’s ears kid.” Asim said.

The next day Patches was helping Willy with Flowmotion again, the others sparing for combat practice. After a few hours WIlly managed to run up one of the giant trees and land safely rather than on his face, Patches called them all to form a line. “Alright you brats! You are all improving so well! Save for you Willy, you still need work.” That earned a chuckle from everyone at Willy’s expence. “Now then, today we have some special guests arriving from Daybreak. These are the currently top three ranking fighters in Daybreak. They are officially called the Triple Threat, but the people often refer to them as The Bad Time Trio.” Patches announced.

“Bad Time Trio?” Asim asked.

“Yes. They each alone are very powerful, but together are nearly unstoppable.”

“Must be good with their Keyblades.” Louis said.

“Actually, while they are god with them they don’t always if ever use their Keyblades in combat. They use special magic attacks native to their own world.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“When will they be here?” Violet asked.

“We are here buddy.” Said a rather low-yet high pitched voice. Violet spun around, then screamed, backing up as she laid eyes on a standing, talking Skeleton in fuzzy slippers, shorts and wearing a blue jacket. “Hey no need to scream, it’s like you got the Skeleton scared out of ya.”

“That was horrible Sans.” Patches groaned.

“Woah.”AJ said, walking up to Sans. “You’re alive?”

“As alive as the skin on my bones.” Sans said.

“But you don’t have skin?”

“Jeez kid, pretty blunt aren’t ya.”

“Must not be very HUMerus.” Said another voice, also appearing behind violet, making her scream yet again and run off behind Louis, stood a taller Skeleton, smoking a cigarette, somehow, and wearing shorts, showes, and an orange sweatshirt. “Heh, I like that girl.”

“Can ou two stop that!” Violet screamed. “I about had a heart attack!”

“Yeah...so who are you then?” Louis asked.

“Names Papyrus.” The taller skeleton said. “And that’s Chara.”

Violet slowly turned her head around, seeing Papyrus was motioning behind her, and saw the creepiest little child ever. She promptly ran off back to the castle screaming so loudly, it was heard all the way in the Valley of Defilement. “Geeze, not very brave is she?” Chara asked, wearing shorts, shoes, and a green hoodie.

“Huh, two Skeletons and a kid?” Louis questioned.

“I may be a kid but I’m stronger than most adults.” Chara said.

“Alright get in line you lot, and someone go fetch violet today we work on your evasion and pattern recognition!” Patches yelled, Ruby running off to find Violet and the others getting in formation, waiting.

After an hour Ruby came back with a rather angery Violet, to be fair though she did get the scare of her life three times. “Now then, You’ve all done well and developed your own combat styles down to a T, but it’s important to not become too predictable.”

“Predictable?” Asim asked.

“Yes. For example, Louis , you always start an attack or combo with a powerful upright swing and end it the same way, Violet, you start with a hard thrust forwards, and end it with a hard slam down.” Patches said. “There is nothing wrong with having an attack pattern and style that you find comfortable and easy to use, but rely on it sol and the enemy can predict your attacks before you even make them simply by following how you move and your stances.”

“So how do we avoid that?” Violet asked.

“Have multiple. Make many, and then change them up randomly, even figure out how to shift between them mid-combo to throw off the enemy.”

“That’s where we come in.” Sans spoke aloud. “While our attack patterns can be earned and dodged they are fact and often sporadic. We often also combine them together at the same time, leaving little if any room for the enemy to dodge us, leaving them only the option of taking the hits or trying to block them.”

“We also make sure to keep the ways we swap between our attack patterns as rapid and hard to tell when or which pattern we will switch too.” Papyrus added.

“And while some of us don't deal too much damage we can make up for our lack of damage, durability, or endurance with some special little abilities.” Chara finished.

“Mine is called Karmic Retribution.” Sans said. “The sins on your soulI use to deal damage over time, while I can only ever deal one damage, even with my Keyblade, but with Karmic retribution all my damage stacks per hit, dealing extra damage over time and ignores all forms of defence, even magical.”

“I like to call mine Karma Counter. For every attack I block, depending on the sins on your soul, the damage you dealt to me is multiplied per sin back to you.” Papyrus said.

“I call mine Revenge Caliber. Per person slain by my enemy my speed and durability increases, however it does not affect my endurance at all.” Chara said.

“So how do we learn abilities like that?” A.J asked.

“Over time, with study, sometimes special people can just teach or give them to you. It all depends really, but your lesson today isn’t about that. It’s about randomizing your attack patterns, and learning to be evasive.”

At that moment, Sains andPapyrus raised a hand, bones shot out from the ground and appeared in thin aig as blue and Orange Gaster Blasters of all sizes also appeared, AndChara made glowing red knives and fireballs appear all around them also. “So let’s get started.” Papyrus said.

“...Fuck..” Violet spoke everyone's shared thought aloud.