Radiant Garden- Keyblade Academy

 

Ordinarily, the Radiant Garden Keyblade Academy was rather quiet, at least by the standards of a school. Not much happened, and it was rare for any sort of exciting events to happen in the years of peace that the world had experienced. However, on this particular day, that was about to change. The Masters of the Keyblade Academy were about to send a group of students off on what would be the most important journey since the one taken by Master Sora and his friends in the past. The previous day, almost 20 students had received letters from Master Sora. Each letter shared the same message, though with slight alterations to include the name of its recipient:

 

Dear (Student),

 

Hello, this is Master Sora. I would like to let you know that you have been selected to participate in a very important mission. This journey could take a short time, or many months. I apologize if this interferes with your busy schedule, but you will be excused from all missed lessons during this time period. I would like you to convene just outside the Academy tomorrow at noon, by the fountain. You will receive further instructions at that time. I wish you and your fellow companions the best of luck on this journey!

 

Sincerely, Master Sora

 

This particular letter and mission were unknown to those who were not participating, unless a participant had informed them ahead of time. It was just the small group leaving on this quest who had any sort of knowledge as to what they were about to face...

 

 

Indy arrived at the fountain early. He hated arriving late, and as such, arriving at a meeting very early tended to become something he'd been known for. Noticing that no one else had arrived, he decided to sit down on a nearby bench, waiting for his fellow students to file in. He knew that his best friend, Raidyn, would be going along with him. Aside from that, he had no clue who all would be joining. He just hoped that they would all be ready for whatever they'd need to face. As he sat, he became lost in his thoughts. This mission could potentially mark his first time ever leaving his home world of Radiant Garden. He could finally go out and see more worlds. He could meet new people. Most importantly, he might finally have a chance to track down the person he'd been trying to find for years... He managed to look calm for the most part, though he could feel his hands shaking with excitement. This could very well be the moment he'd waited years for.

-Rei-

 

She bit her lip, then sighed.

"I can take care of myself, Indy. I'm not helpless." She scowled briefly. "I'm not a damsel in distress. They were better, I messed up. End of it."

Zar looked at Saki and Lisa, and noticed something was up with Lisa. "Hey Saki, what's up with Lisa?" Zar asked while looking towards Lisa. Zar walked over to Lisa extremely slowly, and knelt down next to Lisa. "I don't think that is a good idea." Raz said. "Well, something is spooking her and it's better to find out what it is sooner rather then later." Zar said turning towards an empty space next to him. He turns towards Lisa again, "Why don't you show me what you are spooked about." Zar said having a small amount of blood lust aura leaking out of him.

Zar looked at Saki and Lisa, and noticed something was up with Lisa. "Hey Saki, what's up with Lisa?" Zar asked while looking towards Lisa. Zar walked over to Lisa extremely slowly, and knelt down next to Lisa. "I don't think that is a good idea." Raz said. "Well, something is spooking her and it's better to find out what it is sooner rather then later." Zar said turning towards an empty space next to him. He turns towards Lisa again, "Why don't you show me what you are spooked about." Zar said having a small amount of blood lust aura leaking out of him.

Lisa then looked at Zar, who was offering to help. In response, Lisa nodded. She pointed to the trees, trying show him something. Saki meanwhile walked next to Lisa, trying to make out of what she's trying to tell them. "Let's see....Do you think there is something in the bushes?" He asked. Lisa quickly nodded. She then started to walk slowly towards the trees, raising he sling shot as well. "You think it's someone we wouldn't want around?" Saki also asked and Lisa nodded. With that in mind, Saki summoned his Keyblade, grinning. "If it's one of those hooded guys, this'll be fun!"

Maximilian soon stepped in front of Lisa and Saki and Zar, holding his hands back as a gesture for them to wait, "If theres something there..." he said as he instantly summoned his giant keyblade and within a split second cast magnet, that would pull anything, or anyone that was hiding in the trees to his keyblade's reach, quite hard to hold back against these gravity spells, thats why he loved using them.

Aello looked around at Lisa's warning after Saki translated it, but she couldn't see anything amiss. Still... "Um, if we are going to start a fight we should probably warn Joel and Lucas so that they can get off that rickety old bridge first." With that in mind Aello bounced over to the bridge. "Hey Joel!" What to say... Obviously not 'we think there is a seeker of light following us.' Actually, her companions had already made it pretty obvious that they thought someone was following. Sure, why not. "You might want to get off the bridge! Lisa thinks someone's following us!" After all, the last place she would want to be in a conflict was an easily destroyed, questionably stable old rope bridge.

Andes Mountains

 

Allitt was going to step out peacefully the second that she was noticed, but she was interrupted by the surprise Magnet spell. She was drawn towards Maximillian's Keyblade instantly. "H-hey, don't go and attack right away!" She shouted, a bit frustrated by the surprise attack. She lowered her hood, revealing her face to the group. "I'm not here for a fight. Surely you all can respond peacefully, right?" She asked, raising her hands into the air to show that she wasn't preparing for an attack. "Just hear me out, okay?"

 

 

Mt. Olympus

 

The arrival of the students and the ensuing fight was enough to shift the Rabid Dogs' attention away from the citizens, allowing them all to escape without harm. "Thank you!" They called back to the young Keyblade wielders as they fled to safety. Annistha's attack helped to lower the number of Heartless in the area by quite a but, but there were still plenty of them present, and they were clearly angry. They all sprang at each of the present students, their mouths opened wide in preparation for a biting attack.

 

Stalwart Dawn

 

Indy sighed. "Rei, that's not my point..." He would have continued, but he remembered that Somrene was still in the room. He figured it might be best for this lecture to be one-on-one. "Uh... sorry, Somrene, but would you mind stepping out for a little bit?" He asked calmly. "In fact, it would probably be a good idea to contact Master Zion, if we're able to do that from the ship... We should let her know how we're doing, and probably warn her about that attacker from earlier." He looked at Rei. "Is there some way that he could possibly do that while we talk?"

Andes Mountains Allitt was going to step out peacefully the second that she was noticed, but she was interrupted by the surprise Magnet spell. She was drawn towards Maximillian's Keyblade instantly. "H-hey, don't go and attack right away!" She shouted, a bit frustrated by the surprise attack. She lowered her hood, revealing her face to the group. "I'm not here for a fight. Surely you all can respond peacefully, right?" She asked, raising her hands into the air to show that she wasn't preparing for an attack. "Just hear me out, okay?"  Mt. Olympus The arrival of the students and the ensuing fight was enough to shift the Rabid Dogs' attention away from the citizens, allowing them all to escape without harm. "Thank you!" They called back to the young Keyblade wielders as they fled to safety. Annistha's attack helped to lower the number of Heartless in the area by quite a but, but there were still plenty of them present, and they were clearly angry. They all sprang at each of the present students, their mouths opened wide in preparation for a biting attack. Stalwart Dawn Indy sighed. "Rei, that's not my point..." He would have continued, but he remembered that Somrene was still in the room. He figured it might be best for this lecture to be one-on-one. "Uh... sorry, Somrene, but would you mind stepping out for a little bit?" He asked calmly. "In fact, it would probably be a good idea to contact Master Zion, if we're able to do that from the ship... We should let her know how we're doing, and probably warn her about that attacker from earlier." He looked at Rei. "Is there some way that he could possibly do that while we talk?"

"All right!" Aello agreed cheerfully as the seeker pulled off her hood. She hadn't wanted to fight much anyway. "So if you aren't here to kill us or some other nefarious plot," she figured that much by the girls not-violent actions, "then why are you here?" Aello wasn't entirely sure what someone who they had been told was one of the 'bad guys' could do that wasn't bad. It was interesting.

Andes Mountains Allitt was going to step out peacefully the second that she was noticed, but she was interrupted by the surprise Magnet spell. She was drawn towards Maximillian's Keyblade instantly. "H-hey, don't go and attack right away!" She shouted, a bit frustrated by the surprise attack. She lowered her hood, revealing her face to the group. "I'm not here for a fight. Surely you all can respond peacefully, right?" She asked, raising her hands into the air to show that she wasn't preparing for an attack. "Just hear me out, okay?"  Mt. Olympus The arrival of the students and the ensuing fight was enough to shift the Rabid Dogs' attention away from the citizens, allowing them all to escape without harm. "Thank you!" They called back to the young Keyblade wielders as they fled to safety. Annistha's attack helped to lower the number of Heartless in the area by quite a but, but there were still plenty of them present, and they were clearly angry. They all sprang at each of the present students, their mouths opened wide in preparation for a biting attack. Stalwart Dawn Indy sighed. "Rei, that's not my point..." He would have continued, but he remembered that Somrene was still in the room. He figured it might be best for this lecture to be one-on-one. "Uh... sorry, Somrene, but would you mind stepping out for a little bit?" He asked calmly. "In fact, it would probably be a good idea to contact Master Zion, if we're able to do that from the ship... We should let her know how we're doing, and probably warn her about that attacker from earlier." He looked at Rei. "Is there some way that he could possibly do that while we talk?"

"Ehh....Alright. But I really want to fight! Oh well." Saki said, de-summoning his Keyblade. But Lisa on the other hand, was still armed with her sling shot. She was ready to shoot her at any moment. "But I don't think Lisa trusts you. After all, you did follow us secretly." Saki said. Lisa's full attention was on this Seeker of Light. She was the enemy. No matter what. She cannot be trusted. She must be defeated. This was Lisa following her instincts as a Heartless. "Lisa...Don't shoot." Saki said to Lisa. As a result....Lisa nodded and stopped pulling back the sling shot. But she still had it up in case of any tricks.

-Zion-

 

She sat grumpily in the Palace's massive Dining Room, having to listen to some old hag drone on and on and on. God why did they always insist on having her listen to their life story when she would much rather help a certain cutie make a real life story...

 

-Rei-

 

"The Bridge. Orias can help."

 

The golden ball appeared before Somrene. "This way."

-Artemis Thornton & Luna "Nephilim" Urbane-

 

Artemis and Luna kept quiet for a while, the former especially due to the Emperor llama's lack of manners, until "Lisa" noticed something, causing Maximilian to use a Magnet spell and pulled out a hooded girl, who tried to proclaim innocence, even though her appearance suggested otherwise.

"Why should we trust you?" Artemis questioned, gripping the handle of his sheathed Katana and pulling it out very slightly.

"Every other hooded person like you attacked us. Hell, you attacked us in Twilight Town. Why aren't you with Zion...?" Luna quizzed, assuming Zion would capture Alitt as she wasn't dead and in a million pieces.

 

(Sorry for not posting frequently!)

-Maximilian Karth-

 

Maximilian could not believe, it was actually a seeker of light, but he was more baffled by the fact that Saki and Aello seemingly trusted her, this woman who was supposedly captured by Zion, who probably escaped, and was following them, when Saki de-summoned his keyblade Maximilian held back the urge to facepalm, but he kept a cool expression as he followed soon after Artemis and Luna.

 

"Probably escaped..." he said walking forward, "I don't trust you...why were you following us" he said as he held his keyblade supported in his right shoulder, he was not about to let this woman escape, much less try anything funny.

-Zion-

 

After slamming some pie in the old hags face, she teleported and appeared on Nephilim's back, arms around the girl's neck.

"Allitt. I told you, one chance. If you wanna blow it feel free, I can't really fight you head on right no, no holding back." She let go and landed, and walked forward. "And someone tell me why there I a not dead Heartless right here?!"

-Artemis Thornton & Luna "Nephilim" Urbane-

 

Luna was admittedly, caught off guard by Zion's sudden appearance upon her back, but did not complain. Instead, greeted her: "Ahh, Master Zion? I am smiled on by the sun, clearly~" She said without doubt or shame.

Artemis readied himself. "I presume you gave this fool a chance, Master? You're wasting your time....and that Heartless...shall I terminate?" He said, his grip upon his Katana tightened.

-Zion-After slamming some pie in the old hags face, she teleported and appeared on Nephilim's back, arms around the girl's neck."Allitt. I told you, one chance. If you wanna blow it feel free, I can't really fight you head on right no, no holding back." She let go and landed, and walked forward. "And someone tell me why there I a not dead Heartless right here?!"

"AH! Master Zion!!" Saki said, panicking. Once Saki said her name, Lisa went behind Saki, hoping for protection. "Wh-What are you d-doing here? I-I mean i-it's not what you think! Lisa's a-a good Heartless, trust me on that! Please!" Saki was taking each step back from Zion with Lisa behind him. Her arms wrapped around him. They were both shaking. "I-I know it seems crazy, but she listens to us and has been with us ever since! Lisa became....A friend." Saki said, trying his best to protect Lisa. "This Heartless even spotted that girl! If it wasn't for her, that Seeker of Light could've taken us down while she was following us! Please understand!" Saki was really fighting for Lisa's life right now. He never thought he would go this far protecting a Heartless. He could only hope for the best. Lisa was hugging Saki, but not as tight...

~Somrene~

The Darkling read the air. He was very clearly not wanted. Understandable. The couple clearly had some tension to clear, and that was better done without him. He nodded. "Lead the way, gold ball thing." He said, waving his hand as he began walking out of the room and towards the bridge behind the AI.

 

~Ember~

Ember blinked as she summoned her keyblade. Right, bad guys. She needed to refocus. Ember watched the civilians retreat. That much was good at least. One of the dogs attacked at her, and Ember's extensive training took over as she held her keyblade up to block the attack, then followed up with a front flip. Once she landed, she lunged forward and destroyed the Heartless with the attack. She stood up to full height and took a deep breath. The Ninja let her lessons and experiences take over. She rushed forward into the midst of the battle, tossing a few Blizzard spells, freezing a couple of the enemies in a block of ice.

Andes Mountains

 

Allitt felt that she could handle things, at least until Zion arrived. At that point, she was beginning to get a little worried. What's she doing here...? This is going to make things difficult... However, she managed to keep a calm face. "I wasn't here to make any threats. After speaking with Master Zion and having some time to think to myself, I've decided to accompany you all for a little bit. As I said, I'm not here for a fight. If you all choose to attack me, you'd be harming someone without being provoked. That's not really an honorable thing to do, now, is it?" She asked, trying to reason with the students and Zion.

 

Stalwart Dawn

 

After Somrene left the room, Indy turned his attention back to Rei. "I know that you're not helpless. However, your mother put me in charge here. I should be the one defending everyone else, not the one others are risking their lives for. If anyone dies here, it's my own fault..." He turned away.

Lucas continued walking on the rickety bridge. "Man, this is nerve wracking..." He then looked behind himself over to see Alitt interacting with the other members of the group and Master Zion talking to Saki behind. Wow...She's pretty... He fearlessly walked back to the back side of the rickety bridge and looked over to Zion.

"Master, who is that girl? Why are you all getting held behind while we try to cross the bridge?"

Edited October 8, 201510 yr by Reyn

Lucas finally got off the rickety bridge, and onto solid ground. "Man, that was nerve wracking, glad i'm fine now!" He then looked over to see Joel interacting with Alitt. Wow...She's pretty... He walked over to the group and looked over to Joel. "So, who's this girl?"

(But Spider I haven't even done anything yet)

(Also I'll post later tonight)

(Fixed)

Zar was shocked by the power Max possessed, and soon found out about the Seeker of Light that followed them. She claimed she didn't want to fight but Zar wasn't so sure, he looked towards Raz and noticed how pissed he was. Zar figured Raz wanted to ask so question, so Zar summoned his two Keyblades giving his body to Raz. Raz took the body and gripped his Keyblades until his knuckles turned white, and just before he was about to attack, Zion showed up. Raz stopped, "Get off her, I have things I NEED TO KNOW!!!" Raz walked over to Allott and gave a look of death to her. "Now then, you and other people showed up, I don't know how many their were but, they showed up at Traverse Town and attacked us, I know that I was attacked by a girl in the Terraces's. Who was she, and what was her rank." He asked. Raz started to feel a bit dizzy, and his Keyblades were slowly fading.

-Zion-

 

She frowned, then got off Nephilim. She walked between everyone and Allitt.

"For the record, if she's being nice, and hasn't given me reason to kill her. So calm down." She snapped her fingers, teleporting everyone across the bridge.

 

"Are we done here? Continue on, yes?"

 

-Rei-

 

She looked at him.

"I get it. But I'm not standing behind you. I'll stand beside you."

Edited October 8, 201510 yr by Sabre Lily

Andes Mountains

 

Allitt calmed down after Zion claimed that she didn't see a need to fight her. Hopefully that means they won't question anything yet... She would have answered Zar's question, but she had the feeling that she didn't want to risk provoking him. Instead, she looked at the others, and smiled. "I'm Allitt, by the way. I know that some of us may have... met in bad circumstances, but let's put that behind us, shall we?" She turned back around. "Now then, let's move ahead!"

 

Kuzco and Pacha looked a bit confused by what had just happened. "How did we get over here...?" The llama asked, checking his surroundings.

 

"It must have been that girl who just arrived." Pacha suggested. "Now then, as the other girl suggested, let's keep moving." He looked at the others to ensure that they were ready to move on.

 

 

Stalwart Dawn

 

"Just... don't act recklessly anymore." Indy spoke quietly, still turned away. "I can keep myself safe, too... I don't need you to step in any time I'm in danger."

Saki started to calm down when Zion teleported them across the bridge. He made a sigh of relief that Lisa was still alive and approved to go along with them. Lisa then hugged Saki very, very, VERY tightly, showing thanks for his efforts. "You're welcome....Lisa...." He strained to say. Lisa let go and Saki took a deep breath after that hug on his knees. Lisa giggled of course, as she would everytime she would hug Saki. He soon stood up and walked towards Master Zion. "Thanks. I was getting worried back there." He said. "Come on Lisa!" Lisa nodded and immidiatley went next to Saki as they started walking. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you." He commented.

 

(I'm not sure if Lily's post was meant for Lisa or Allit...I'm guessing Lisa.)

(If I knew we were being teleported i'd just have Max cross the bridge...)

 

Everyone got teleported across the bridge, well, everyone except for Maximilian, who was teleported at the cliff right bellow the bridge, thankfully, he wasn't at the bottom, managing to stab his keyblade in the rocks to hold himself, as he began to climb, some would see him climbing out of the cliff, with a really annoyied look on his face, not only did they have to tag along with a Seeker of light of all things, but he also had to worry about the teleports Zion, oh so loved to use, he simply whipped the dust off his clothes, and uttered "I hate teleports...and portals..."

 

He did hear Allit suggesting to 'put it all behind them', "How about we don't." he replied as he walked along with the group, de-summoning his keyblade as he passed by Artemis, "Best we keep an eye on her..." he whispered to him as a suggestion.

Edited October 9, 201510 yr by Scrapmaster

Andes Mountains

 

Pacha looked over at Saki. "Well... He's trying to build his new summer home over my village, and I agreed to do this only if he moves his home somewhere else." After taking a quick glace at Kuzco, he leaned closer to the student. "I believe that everyone has at least a little kindness in their heart, and that Kuzco is no exception. I couldn't really turn down someone who's in need, either..." He confessed.

 

The llama didn't seem to notice what Pacha had said, although he seemed a little annoyed that Pacha was whispering something to the new followers. "Hey, I hope you're not scheming something. I'm the emperor, you need to take me back safely. If anything happens to me, the entire kingdom will be after you."

 

"Yes, sure, Kuzco." Pacha sighed.

 

 

As for what Maximillian and Joel had been discussing, as if on cue, a certain newly freed cloaked figure was running to find the students. Allitt eventually found them, and stayed in the trees to avoid being spotted. If I follow them, I'm sure to find one of my allies somewhere... I'll just have to make sure they don't see me. Of course, if they do, I'm sure I can work my way around a fight... She smirked as she watched the group move onward once again. Zion's threat hadn't bothered her one bit. She'd make sure that if they met again, she'd be the one on top this time.

 

 

After walking for a while, the group of students escorting the llama emperor eventually came across a rickety bridge. A few boards were missing, and it looked like it could fall at any moment. Pacha peered over the drop ahead of them, and could clearly see a rather long drop down to a dangerous looking river. "This... will be a problem." He sighed. "So... who's going first?" He looked around at the rest of the group.

 

 

 

Mt. Olympus

 

When the group arrived at the scene where the screaming had occurred, they could notice a group of Rabid Dog Heartless surrounding a few native citizens. Upon the arrival of a larger group, a few of the dogs turned towards the students. They began barking, and a few of them leaped towards the Keyblade wielders, prepared to bite them. A few in particular targeted Raidyn and Toshi, as they seemed to be the ones leading the group, and the closest targets. Meanwhile, some of the other Rabid Dogs moved in to attack the innocent citizens, who began pleading for the students to save them.

 

 

Stalwart Dawn

 

Indy jumped out of his seat when Rei got back up. "Y-you're okay...?" He asked, looking concerned. However, he calmed down. He was sure Orias had healed her properly. Instead, he decided to answer her question. "W-we got attacked by a robed person... They were targeting me, but you... you took the attack for me." He suddenly looked a little angry. "Rei... I'm the one who was put in charge of this group. I should be the one taking risks like that, it's my job to make you safe..." It was obvious at this point that he was still blaming himself for Rei's injuries. "N-next time, leave those people to me... Okay?"

 

 

Andes Mountains

 

Allitt was going to step out peacefully the second that she was noticed, but she was interrupted by the surprise Magnet spell. She was drawn towards Maximillian's Keyblade instantly. "H-hey, don't go and attack right away!" She shouted, a bit frustrated by the surprise attack. She lowered her hood, revealing her face to the group. "I'm not here for a fight. Surely you all can respond peacefully, right?" She asked, raising her hands into the air to show that she wasn't preparing for an attack. "Just hear me out, okay?"

 

 

Mt. Olympus

 

The arrival of the students and the ensuing fight was enough to shift the Rabid Dogs' attention away from the citizens, allowing them all to escape without harm. "Thank you!" They called back to the young Keyblade wielders as they fled to safety. Annistha's attack helped to lower the number of Heartless in the area by quite a but, but there were still plenty of them present, and they were clearly angry. They all sprang at each of the present students, their mouths opened wide in preparation for a biting attack.

 

Stalwart Dawn

 

Indy sighed. "Rei, that's not my point..." He would have continued, but he remembered that Somrene was still in the room. He figured it might be best for this lecture to be one-on-one. "Uh... sorry, Somrene, but would you mind stepping out for a little bit?" He asked calmly. "In fact, it would probably be a good idea to contact Master Zion, if we're able to do that from the ship... We should let her know how we're doing, and probably warn her about that attacker from earlier." He looked at Rei. "Is there some way that he could possibly do that while we talk?"

Diego groaned in pain, as he was knocked down by a Rabid Dog during the beginning of the fight. "What am I even doing here..." he muttered to himself, as he Stopped the Dog, and retreated a nearby wall. "Hey, David, bit of help here?" he called out, as he swatted away a few Dogs with a swipe or two of his keyblade.

 

David came rushing to his side. "Boy, you really can't take a hit, can you?" he joked, as he summoned his keyblade. Diego just grunted, but didn't say a word. David laughed, then cast a few fire spells. Admittedly, he had always been a dog person, but he couldn't help the fact that these heartless looked like dogs. And besides, he had to give Dio some time to recover. A Rabid Dog suddenly came flying at him, clearly intent on making him doggy chow. But David noticed that it was going a bit too fast, so just as it was about to hit, he stepped to one side, and watched the Rabid Dog... crash right into Diego. "Heh. Oops," said David, a sheepish grin on his face.

 

Diego grunted as he was hit, but pushed the Rabid Dog off of himself. "Hmph. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself," he muttered, apparently on a trend of muttering. "The World!" he called out, stopping time for the Rabid Dog, then unleashed a small but furious barrage of attacks unto the poor heartless. He turned away from the heartless, then said, "And time resumes," as his Stop spell wore off, and the Rabid Dog got demolished.

 

"So, David," started Diego, a small gap in the fight having prevented itself. "Remember what we're doing here? I think I hit my head a little too hard," he explained, rubbing his head. 

 

"No idea myself! I have trouble paying attention to most things, other than you," said David, grinning, with his hand behind his head. 

 

"No wonder you're an idiot," grunted Diego. He didn't mean it, really. At least, that's what David thought. It let him sleep at night. Clutching a picture of Diego. But before he got to reminiscing further, the Rabid Dogs got violent. Diego looked at David, and asked, "Ready for this?"

 

"When am I not?" replied David, a smug grin appearing on his face.

 

Diego jumped into the middle of a small pack of Dogs that had separated from the others, and shouted out, "THE WORLD!" as he cast Stop around himself. "These dogs are mere weaklings!" he yelled, as he started to hit them in frozen time. He could only hope the damage would accumulate fast enough.

 

David, literally a second later, ran up and started casting Fire at the other half of the Dogs. Just as time was about to resume, him and Diego ran at one final Dog, and did a slash in the shape of an X across the Rabid Dog.

 

"And time resumes," said Diego, as the Rabid Dogs fell to bits behind him and David. "Good work. You're... less useless than you normally are," he said to David.

 

David blushed, then asked, "Now, how about we help everyone else?"

 

"Fine," relented Diego.

 

(Okay, how's this? Too OP? Explanation of why Diego is even there needed?)