"Xander Unlimited" by Shadow Master aka Ryley Breen

Note: For those of you who do not know which Anime series I am currently taking material from here is a URL where you can aquire the information (world-wide-web-dot-f-f-u-d-v-d-dot-com-forward slash-status-forward slash-status-dot-php). Before you ask why I wrote the URL out like I did let me just say that that whenever I enter an email address or a URL into Microsoft Word it automatically makes it into a link. This would not be a problem if it showed up when I converted the chapter file into an html document but it does not as some people might notice in some of my more recent stories and chapter updates. So the only way that I can give you the URL to get the necessary information is by spelling it out like I did.

A short summary of the Anime series is that it is a series that is much like the various Final Fantasy games that you may or might have played. However I find that it is quite unique in the sense that there are no romantic elements but still has an interesting storyline if you make a few allowances. It is about two twelve year old kids Ai and Yu (Japanese names obviously) who travel to a mysterious world called Neverland to find their parents who as scientists had gone there to explore but never came back. Along the way they meet a woman named Lisa(think Emma Peel from The Avengers tv series) and a mystery man called Kaze although he is replaced by Xander in my version of events.

I would also like to state for those of you who may be miffed at the attention I have been giving this fic since it was first posted that I have only been slow for three reasons:

a)I do not have all of the episodes of the series as I download them off the net and prefer to have them all before I move too far along so as not to miss any plot threads or events of importance. The last thing I need is someone who is a fan of the series telling me I missed something.

b)I have been getting considerably more reviews for my InuYasha/BtVS fanfic crossover "An Heir With Character" and I find it easier to write that fanfic than Xander Unlimited because of the abundance of material and the depth in the characters. I expect that once I conclude with the Final Fantasy Unlimited portion of the fanfic things will pick up since I plan to do story arcs involving the Tenchi Muyo universe and maybe one of the Gundam shows as well perhaps the Witch Hunter Robin series depending on how fast I can get episodes to watch and whether I develop a taste for the Witch Hunter Robin series. So please be patient.

c)I am currently on a job hunt so I cannot devote too much time writing fanfic since if I cannot find a job I will be forced to sacrifice some things including my internet connection.

In any case I will attempt to even out the amount of attention I give my newest stories and update them all on a regular basis. Thank You.

Two Weeks Later, The Ghost Train

This place is turning out to be just like Sunnydale. , Xander thought to himself as he silently listened to Yu rattle off facts about Neverland Every other week something is either trying to kill you or the place where you decide to visit winds up being cursed with you not finding out until you're too deep to go back to where it's safe

He had been traveling with these three people and their oversized parakeet ever since they had first bumped into one another. It wasn't like he had many options to choose from when the mushroom man had been blown up and they seemed to know more about where he was than he did. He supposed that he could have gone off on his own and tried to find his own way home but given that he wasn't Buffy or Giles he opted to side with them. Since then though they had come across a 'chocobo' which was apparently an overgrown parakeet that had a red hair fetish from the way it seemed to randomly chomped on Ai's hair and swing her around from left to right. Yu had taken to calling the bird Chobi which was as predictable as naming a dog doggy or a cat kitty but he didn't question their choice as the chocobo seemed to like them more than him. Unfortunately nor even a day passed before they came under attack again by a small group of giant mushrooms. They were a bit smaller than the one that had initially attacked them being a combination of blues and greens and seemed designed more for capture and restraint than destruction. Fortunately though his red gun which he had come to call 'crimson thunder' to himself was up to the job of destroying them although the main one that the rest sprang from took more than one shot to finish off. Once he had though the main attraction finally appeared in the form of some weird pipe smoking general looking guy with a mini-mushroom for a head. He called himself Fungus predictably and said he was ordered by someone calling himself the Count to destroy them in order to restore order to Neverland. Xander had given his opinion of that course of action in the form of six shots from crimson thunder which to his surprise Fungus caught in his teeth. Just as before though the golden cast on his right arm which was apparently named 'The Magun' had chosen to activate at that moment and before he knew it he was once again swept away by memories. Before he knew what was going on he had summoned another creature although this one was about the size of a bug so all he was able to see from his vantage point was a small dot. For some reason this creature 'Typhoon' had been able to encase Fungus in this force field which gradually began to shrink horizontally and vertically back and forth until it completely disappeared along with the mushroom general.

From there they had been given only a few moments to catch their breath before Ai took notice of Chobi's agitated state and somehow figured out that something called the Ghost Train was about to leave the station. It had been a close call but eventually they had managed to get on board before their main means of transportation left the station. That was how it had been for the past two weeks although thankfully they hadn't encountered another representative of 'bad guys 'r us' yet but he suspected that it was only a matter of time until it happened. In the mean time the woman Lisa and the kids continued their search for the parents while he accompanied them only to learn about this world he found himself in and hopefully find a way home. Personally he hoped it was sooner rather than later because this newest adventure of his wasn't the most enjoyable thing in the world especially his dreams. For the last two weeks whenever he slept his mind had been bombarded with images both bizarre and alien to him making him wonder if he wasn't losing his mind. It was all a jumble for the most part but a series of images continued to pop up from time to time and with them the grief and fury that seemed to accompany them. The desolate landscape with something coming towards him, the woman crying as she slipped away from him and the name which he tried his best never to think of when he had the tiniest bit of control. All in all the main reason why he had not interacted much with his new companions was not because he was trying to be jerk or anything but because he was doing his best to try and make sense of these images.

What I wouldn't do for a bottle of Tylenol right about now. he said as he used his left hand to pinch the bridge of his nose in an effort to stem another headache.

It was getting easier to become a lefty when he had spent most of his life being a right-handed person but he still occasionally hit himself on the head with the golden cast when he had an itch or something. Fortunately after the first few guffaws the others had been kind enough to keep their laughter at his mistakes on the inside. He had made a few other attempts to remove it or at least see if there were any latches that could enable it to be removed but to no avail. However it got on his right arm it seemed more and more than only the person who put it there would be able to take it off which meant that he too would be looking for someone albeit for different reasons. Hopefully though this person would actually be looking for him as well since it seemed unlikely that he would just get whisked away from Sunnyhell and given all this weird stuff only to be abandoned. At least that was what the logic he was currently using told him but then again when has logic and Xander Harris ever been used in the same sentence. Still the two kids and Lisa were good company but if Chobi ever got the idea to come over and take a bite out of his hair he would show the bird why his gun was called crimson thunder.

Still, despite how relatively smooth things were going so far it was only a matter of time before something happened and the longer they had to wait before the bad thing happened the worse it was likely to be when it finally hit. He just hoped that whoever they faced next was just as stupid or arrogant as that Fungus character otherwise they could be in some serious trouble.

The Floating Fortress of the Count, Same Time

The palace was truly something to marvel at if only for the sheer size and unusual design but all that was nothing compared to the one who ruled over it all. The Count of Neverland was truly a contradiction to behold for while he looked to be no more than a spoiled brat of a child he possessed a power that terrified those loyal to him. Even his guardians who possessed formidable powers in their own right shook with fear whenever he directed his anger or annoyance towards them. In all of Neverland no one really knew how powerful he truly was or if even the form he was most often seen in was his true form at all. The only thing that could be said for certain was that those who dared to oppose him met swift and terrible ends either by unknown forces or at the hand of his guardians. Such was one of the topics of discussion of today but the Count seemed to take little if any interest in this.

"So how is the chaos going?" the Count asked his right hand man the puppet thing Oscar.

"One more world was conquered my liege and it was a very healthy world as well." Said Oscar who seemed to immensely enjoy his work with an almost insane edge to his voice.

"Oh?" commented a plant lady who sat off to the left side of the throne room looking very aloof and bored.

"Count, there is one more thing I would like to bring to your attention." Oscar mentioned as he seemed completely serious right then which caught the Count's attention.

"What is it?" the Count asked as though he just wished his servant would conclude his report so he could get back to eating his meal.

"It appears that someone new has arrived in Neverland and he has somehow come into the possession of The Magun." , Oscar replied trying to be as to the point and exact as possible, "Judging from how he handled one of Fungus' mushroom warriors there is a good chance he might be UNLIMITED!"

"Unlimited?" asked the Count who seemed to distinctly dislike what such a word implied about this newcomer.

"It is a term that is often used to describe a person who possesses power great than that of the gods." Oscar explained but before he could expand on his definiting he was hit right between the eyes by the fork used by the Count.

"I am the only god around here! It is not possible for anyone greater than me to exist, right?" said the Count as he looked to his guardians for confirmation of his decree.

"Yes sir." Oscar replied with a respectful bow.

"This guy should be taken out immediately. Right White Cloud Makenshi?" the Count asked looking up the elaborate sculpture above him to where a teenage boy dressed in white with a unique white sword rested.

Makenshi however was silent and did not look like he was going to say a word anytime soon.

"Count." Came the voice of the aloof plant woman as she floated down from above the royal child to sit on the edge of his floating throne.

"Before Makenshi takes him out I would like to see this Magun for myself." She said in an all too friendly tone of voice.

"What is it Helba, you want to play again?" the Count asked with suspicion in his voice.

"Yes, very much so." , Helba said before she noticed a bit of fluff floating around her head, "Stop annoying me already! Get out of my face loser!"

With a flick of her finger she knocked the puff ball away to the ground and after two bounces on the stone floor it exploded and reformed into the mushroom general Fungus.

"Thank God! I thought I was about to die!" mini-fungus said before standing at attention and saluting the Count.

"Hahahaha! Can the immortal Fungus die?" asked the Count in amusement.

"Of course I can't die! Even if I am ripped to shreds or completely destroyed I will still be resurrected!" , Fungus declared proudly as he walked over to his special pipe and attempted to use it like he usually did, "Except … it takes awhile .. before I regain my original size."

"You're so pathetic." Helba said snidely

"Very well Helba. You may entertain yourself with this newcomer." , the Count said but with a warning tone in his voice, "Just don't fail me."

"Of course my liege" Helba said before going on her way.

Village of Sweet Aroma, 7 hours Later

"You have got to be kidding me!" Xander muttered as he took in the surrounding village.

"What is this?" Ai asked in a tone that made it clear that he was having just as hard a time accepting what she was seeing as he was right now.

What was laid out before them looked like the bottom of a fruit bowl if you looked at it from the point of view of a grape at the bottom of the bowl. Bridges criss-crossed between various pieces of fruit hanging from the ceiling but what really wierded him out was the cloaked figures he saw scattered around the area. He wasn't able to get close enough to any of them to see what they looked like underneath the hoods but they were brooding worse than deadboy on his worst day.

"It's no good." One of them droned with despair.

"We can't leave this place." Said another with equal grief.

"I will stay here the rest of my life." Came a distinctly female voice but just the same as the others in the emotion in her voice.

This went on and on without end as though these people had nothing more to look forward to but another day of grief and despair. He could never pretend to understand what they had been through but it was getting downright depressing being in their company. He just hoped that Ai and Yu finished their search of the area around the train station quickly before these people started to spoil his mood as well. After all he was about the most easy going and upbeat person he knew and it just wouldn't be right if these guys wound up turning him into deadboy jr.

Yuck! If I ever get that bad I hope that someone will have the decency to shoot me he thought to himself as the others took in their surroundings.

"Something weird is going on here." Ai said with a frown as she looked at all the glum people laying and walking around.

"There's no way our parents could be in a place like this." Yu commented with a little disappointment at this failure.

"Maybe." Lisa stated as though she was at least willing to give this place a once over before they left.

"Yeah. We might as well explore this place while we're here." , Xander said as he tried to get a better idea of the layout of this place, "Besides maybe I can find someone who knows how to get me home. This looks like some kinda refugee camp so there are probably all kinds of people here."

Hearing a munching sound from behind them they saw that Chobi was sampling the local delicacy but they were all a bit surprised that he seemed to be taking a bite out of the wall. Upon further examination though it was discovered that the buildings of this little village were made completely out of fruit. Ai tore off a sample from the wall and seemed encouraged by the good smell of the substance but Yu on the other hand was worried about whether or not it was safe to eat.

"You seem to be forgetting that this is Neverland rather than the real world." , Ai pointed out as though she was some sort of authority on this strange world, "It might be perfectly normal to grab something out of the wall and eat it here. It's even written in our parent's book 'Day of Succession'. "

Ai raised the sample she had taken to her mouth to eat it and thereby prove that it was safe to eat but at that precise moment one of the hooded figures ran by and snatched her back pack from her hands. This took them all by surprise so none could react in time before the thief crossed the bridge in front of the entrance to the train station to a doorway on the other side.

"Hey! Theif!" cried Ai before she tore after the figure like she was going to kill him.

"Sis" cried Yu.

"Wait for us Ai!" cried Lisa as the three of them took up pursuit of both the thief and Ai.

Unfortunately a throng of hooded people crossed their path at exactly the wrong time blocking the way that would allow them to pursue the little girl. Not about to allow the kid to go off into this strange world without any sort of supervision he placed a hand on the shoulders of two of the robed figures and leap-frogged over them to the other side. He didn't wait to see if Lisa or Yu were able to follow him because Ai was already pulling out fast ahead of him and if he waited there was a good chance that he would lose her in the network of tunnels and bridges. Once he entered the building, if you could call it that, on the other side of the bridge he just barely managed to see the tip of Ai's light red hair disappear down a hole in the floor. Without hesitating even once he jumped down after her but on the way down wondered if he should have just looked for a less uncontrolled way down. This train of thought though was halted when he literally hit rock bottom both in terms of landing on a stone surface and the fact that he landed embarrassingly on his butt. Taking a moment to make a mental note never to do something like that again he quickly got to his feet and ran out of the exit hoping that Ai hadn't gotten to far ahead of him.

"Ai wait up!" he yelled and fortunately she stopped just outside some kind of strawberry building which kinda went well with the freaky grape bundle buildings and watermelon buildings.

"The thief went in there! Let's get him!" Ai demanded before charging into the building.

"Forget Willow, Ai reminds me more of Buffy with how bossy she is." Xander mused to himself before following her inside.

When he got inside he was immediately reminded of the few bars he had been forced to drag his father away from when he was younger. It was one of those places where deadbeats and drunks liked to hang out and complain about how life had handed them a raw deal or how their troubles were all someone else's fault. Personally he felt that that was just loser talk for the most part but after experiencing the darker side of the Hellmouth he felt there was a pretty good chance some of them might be telling the truth. In any case though finding the robed figure that stole Ai's backpack was going to be like looking for a pink needle in a very large brown haystack with all the similarly dressed people in the room.

"Um … excuse me …" Ai said but as soon as the words left her mouth the entire room went silent and both of them found themselves the center of attention.

Not to be discouraged though Ai asked "Did any of you see someone just run through here? He had a brown hood over his … head … kinda like you .."

It was then that Ai's brain apparently caught up with her mouth as she realized what he already knew about how hard it was going to be to find the thief among all these look-a-likes.

Growling to herself she asked "He did come through here right? He had to have! He's a thief! Do you know where he went?"

To this though all the robed figures in the room did was begin laughing their heads off but it was the distinct note of insanity that entered into the laughs which seemed to be creeping Ai out and even him to a lesser degree. Whatever terrible calamity these people had been through had pushed them straight to edge between sanity and insanity and it seemed like the slightest bit of pressure was capable of knocking them off that edge. This scared Ai and apparently convinced her to look elsewhere for the thief and her back pack as she quickly vacated the premises. Glad to get away from these wackos he followed her out deciding to suggest to the girl that they regroup with the others but once he was outside though he saw one little problem with that course of action.

"I think we're lost." , Ai said as she realized where her single-minded approach had gotten the two of them, "There is just so many important things in that bag that Ack!"

Ai had apparently not been looking where she was going and unfortunately he was still four or so steps behind her so he was helpless to do anything but watch as she tripped and fell head first into a slice of watermelon that lay on the ground.

"Ai! Are you alright?" Xander asked as he quickly got to her side and helped her to her feet.

Ai didn't answer as she was visibly trying to keep a brave front on but he could recognize it for what it really was. Despite their good intentions Ai and Yu were just children and the task of looking for their parents was a large problem to overcome. It was no wonder that they were having difficulty keeping it together with every new location that turned out to be a dead end. He just hoped that between him and Lisa that they would be able to keep the brother and sister's spirits up.

"Sob I hate this place! Ai! Yu! Mom! Dad!" she yelled as she seemed on the verge of tears.

As the echoes from her yelling died down a bit they were both able to hear a sound that absolutely did not belong in their seemingly underground garden.

"The sound of waves? Of the ocean?" Ai asked as she tried to match the sounds of lapping water with what she knew.

They both searched the area for the source of the sound and finally narrowed it down to an alleyway ahead of them where a white water mist seemed to be spilling out of slowly. With their interest peaked they both proceeded to where the mist was coming from and Xander was quite happy with the distraction as it seemed to keep Ai together rather than breaking her down. The sight they saw when they reached the entrance to the alleyway and could see the end of it pushed even his ability to accept the strange and the unusual to its limits. There at the end of the alleyway was the biggest clam shell he had ever seen in his life and hanging or sitting in decorative places were at least twenty pearls of various sizes. Inside the shell was a bizarrely dressed woman who seemed to be some kind of sorceress or fortune teller but he couldn't tell which as her clothes bore a resemblance to what women of either profession would wear.

"I am Fabura, the Guiding One." , the woman called Fabura announced like your standard cryptic helper, "I see you have lost your bad little one."

"Yeah. I know that I should probably give up looking for it in this place being as strange and unpredictable as it is." , Ai said in response as she began to look over the strange woman's booth up close, "Speaking of which this sure is a strange stall you have. Kinda mysterious."

She continued to look around and once he himself got closer he could see that the pearls were not pearls at all but crystal balls that were semi-transparent. Inside each of these spheres were an odd assortment of objects kinda like those quarter machines at grocery stores that had plastic balls inside of them containing things like plastic rings and little toy cars. Looking to Ai though it seemed as though on in particular had caught her attention above all the others so he walked up behind her to see what it was. After all if Fabura asked for some kind of money in payment for this item it was probably better if he footed the bill than Ai. Inside the crystal ball was something that looked like a piece of a fur rug that had been made into a purse of some kind but then suddenly it turned around and gave them both a toothy smile with a set of sharp teeth. Ai put her finger up to her side of the crystal ball and in response the fuzzball seemed to try to bite it off as it opened and closed its mouth. She tried this several more times before giggling at the puff ball's antics.

"This is so cute!" Ai declared with a smile and Xander knew right then that he would be buying it for her.

"If you want it I will give it to you." , Fabura said with nothing but kindness in her voice.

"Could I? Would it be alright?" Ai asked excited by the prospect of having this unique creature.

Not apparently willing to wait for the woman to say no Ai reached up and took down the crystal ball which vanished seconds after being removed from its spot.

"The child's name is Pochepocket. Please take good care of it." Fabura said announcing the strange creature's name and identifying it as a child.

If that is what a child of that species looks like I'm not sure I want to meet mommy and daddy. He thought to himself as he tried to think of a way he could get it away from Ai if he had to in case it proved to be too dangerous for her to keep.

"Pochepocket?" , Ai inquired wanting to know more about her latest acquisition but then changed her mind by saying, "Thank you."

"That what you wish for, will come true." , Fabura said ominously, "Don't give up."

Ai seemed to take a moment to try and figure out what the woman meant by that but any thought was interrupted when they both heard the thrumming sound of an aircraft. Xander tried to pick out what type of aircraft but it was unlike anything he had ever heard both at air shows and on television. Something both he and Ai could agree on though was that chances are it wasn't anything good so they had better find out what it was before it came knocking on their metaphorical door. Ai had already left and he was about to do the same when he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to find that Fabura had left her position in the clam shell to stand behind and to the left of him.

"Will you not accept a gift from me heir of the Dark Wind?" she asked encouragingly as though she was certain that he would like something she had to sell.

"I appreciate the thought Fabura but I have to catch up to Ai before she manages to land herself into some serious trouble." He said trying to politely excuse himself from her company without offending her in the process.

"This will not take long. Please, examine what I have to offer and you may find something you never knew you wanted." She said as she tried to persuade him forcefully without making it seem like she was trying to make him buy something.

Deciding that it would take less time to simply buy something from her rather than continue arguing with her he turned back to the assortment of crystal balls and tried to pick something out that he liked. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the items contained within other than they were not precisely what they appeared to be on the surface. It was like buying something that looked like a can of peanuts but in reality turned out to be a can of fake spring snakes but not necessarily humor oriented in their theme. Several minutes passed before his eyes finally came upon something that caught and held their attention beyond a momentary fascination. On the surface it looked to be nothing more than a simple mirror but there was something about its unusual design that told him that there was something more to it than that. Walking up to it he reached up with his left hand and took it down from its place among the other balls of crystal holding it at eye level for a moment to examine it closer. The crystal vanished like it had for Ai but for him once the mirror came to a rest in his hand it began to glow a light blue like a light bulb with a faded blue hue to it. He considered it quite beautiful before he noticed the blue glow begin to flow over his hand and crawl up his arm. For a moment he almost panicked before he realized that there was nothing unpleasant about the light and how it felt as its progress seemed to cease once it reached his shoulder.

"Urth is now bonded to you and will be with you for the rest of your days." , Fabura said in explanation for what he had just experienced, "As long as she is with you your friends will never be far from you heir of the Dark Wind."

"Thanks Fabura, farewell." Xander said as he tucked the mirror beneath the leather strap across his chest which held the various soil charges he needed for the Magun.

Pushing the question of what she meant by her cryptic words he ran in the direction he had seen Ai run and quickly found the source of the sound that had caught the child's attention. It was a ship of some kind designed to look like some kind of flower but what he was focused on was the clumps of black that contained prisms that looked like the one that had spawned the mushroom warrior that he had met upon awakening in Neverland.

"It's a subordinate of the Count!" cried one of the hooded figures in the street.

"Can we run away?" asked another sharing in the fear that filled the voices of the other citizens who spoke.

Looking at the strange ship he did not miss it when the ship expunged one of the prisms and dropped it on a direct collision course with the spot of dirt he was standing on.

They think they can just drop something on me and kill me , he thought incredulously before indignation rose up Guess I'll just have to teach them otherwise.

Taking out Crimson Thunder he aimed it at the prism waiting until just the right part of it was exposed before taking his shot. Like expensive crystal glasses at an opera the prism shattered when his shot hit it causing it to fall to the ground in hundreds of harmless pieces. For a moment he wondered if that was all this new threat had to offer but that was before he saw the shards of the prism dissolve into a fine powder and falling upon everything in the area. It had diverse effects as it seemed to cause the citizens of this town to break out into laughter while another result was the sprouting of dozens of thorned yellow flowers. He mentally kicked himself as he looked all about only to find that he was completely surrounded by the flowers along with several of the people of this small depressing town. Taking aim with Crimson Thunder he began to pick off the flowers one at a time and seemed to have the advantage as it took only one well placed shot to destroy them. This unfortunately only released the pollen within in them and what he suspected the prism had contained when he destroyed it. As soon as the pollen touched the people any who were not laughing hysterically were doing so with a vengeance now. As the sound of a female giggle reached his ears he turned to see the plant lady that was likely responsible for this attack floating down to a watermelon rooftop using a flower umbrella.

"Why do you look so unhappy?" she asked so sarcastically.

Bringing Crimson Thunder to bear on her he asked "What do you want here? Do you work for the Count?"

"The Count? Am I not good enough to keep you entertained?" she asked faking being hurt by his words.

He decided to answer her question in a manner an enforcer like her would understand as he fired a shot from Crimson Thunder right at her head. Unfortunately all she did was place her umbrella like a shield in front of her and forced him to watch as the shot just bounced off of it like it was a spitball.

"Mmmmm, such a short temper." , she said with a taunting voice, "Aren't you gonna use that big bad Magun on me? C'mon! Hit me with the Magun!"

Bringing what she wanted out from beneath his cape he tried to will it to transform but no matter how much he willed it or focused on the woman as a target nothing happened. Then something else seemed to catch her attention and when he turned to see for himself he saw that Lisa, Yu and Chobi had finally found there way down here from the entrance to the train station.

"Xander! Where's Ai?" Lisa yelled in inquiry.

"Oh! We have some more guests! Here! Have some laughing pollen!" the plant lady said before aiming and spinning her umbrella in Yu, Lisa and Chobi's direction.

Within moments of it touching their skin both Yu and Lisa were laughing her heads off and seemed barely able to keep from rolling around on the ground. Hearing footsteps off to his right he saw that Ai had finally managed to run down the source of the trouble he just wished he had a more normal scene to greet her with.

"Don't come any closer Ai! The pollen is like laughing gas!" he yelled as he tried to thin the ranks of yellow flowers hoping that once they were all gone and some wind came through here that the clouds of pollen would dissipate.

"That's right and the more of my pets you destroy the more pollen is produced. Soon everyone will be so happy!" , plant lady crowed before regarding him mire directly, "Are you so happy that you can't think to use your Magun?"

Lady if I could blast you with it I would he thought angrily to himself as he redoubled his efforts to make the powerful weapon work.

As if some godly entity heard him the entire area for blocks was suddenly bathed in a bright emerald light that almost blinded him if he had not closed his eyes in time. When he was finally able to open his eyes he was glad to see that the light had apparently neutralized the pollen as it soon disappeared from sight and those affect by it returned to normal. That wasn't the only thing that changed as almost immediately after the pollen finished disappearing he could feel a familiar sensation coming from the Magun on his right arm. Looking down at the cast he smiled as he spotted the lens on the cast began to glow and rotate in its socket.

"It has moved." He said to let the Ai, Yu and the others know what was about to happen.

"What? What happened to my pollen?" plant lady exclaimed in confusion.

Bringing the Magun up to his chest he declared "Soil is my Power!"

With those words the transformation began changing the golden metal cast into the weapon that would put an end to this fight. The power he could feel flowing around his arm was amazing and even more capable of being analyzed without all those memories being burned into his head. If he had to compare it with anything it would be like putting your arm up to your elbow into hot tub water that is just below scorching temperature. It was traveling up and down his arm but as the parts of the Magun began to assemble into its active combat form. By the time the gun had finished assembling the sensation was gone and the weapon itself was in his hand and ready for use.

"The Magun has thawed." Xander spoke in a tone reserved for those with hearts of ice.

"Ha! Now fire that Magun and try to defeat me like you did Fungus!" , plant lady taunted while confirming that the two of them were comrades, "Try and squish me into a little box like you did him! Ha! No matter how many of my pets you destroy you'll never get through to me!"

"We'll see!" , he said accepting the challenge, "The soil charge triad to use against you has been decided!"

Reaching for the first cartridge he brought it out and said "The cry of the dark spirit, Dark Green!"

Tossing it into the air for a little bit of show and partially from an instinct that had been pressed into him with the weird memories he watched as it flawlessly.

"The one that does not forgive creation, virgin white!" Xander declared before sliding the second bullet into its proper slot.

"And finally, the one that freezes everything, ice blue!" he declared as the final cartridge fell end over end into the final vacant slot.

With the final element of the triad in place the tempo of the black heart sped up in its chamber and the drill bit sped up as well building up the charge of energy necessary to fire the weapon and unleash its awesome power.

Taking aim directly for the plant lady he yelled "Shine! I summon you! SHIVA!"

With a backwash of air that caused his cape to billow out dramatically behind him as the trio of energy beams emerged from the cloud of ignited powder that came from the three barrels. Once it had reached the halfway point the summon creature Shiva appeared although she looked more like a wooden carving of a mermaid that one might see on the front of a sailing ship than a powerful force of nature. Seemingly carved from the purest ice it flew towards its target with unerring accuracy and just before it reached the plant lady she summoned all of her plant soldiers to form a protective barrier in front of her. The blast hit with tremendous force and many were forced to look away but when the light vanished they looked to see that every single one of the flowers had been transformed into ice. For a moment it seemed as though he had imprisoned the plant lady within a mound of ice but a moment later it all crumbled down into a pile of fragmented ice. In the end all that was left was the plant lady as blue as a blue bird and slightly frigid at the moment as well severely cross with him.

"S-s-so c-cold! Y-you cheated!" , the plant lady complained between chattering teeth, "It's too cold around here! I'm going home!"

With those spoiled brat words she flew back into her ship and beat a hasty retreat thought the only exit from the cave in which the village laid. Looking at one of the supposed big bads of this realm he had to say he was a little disappointed in their performance so far as a whole. He had expected something on level with Angelus or at least peroxide boy but they were more on level with a bunch of arrogant fledgelings than serious threats. It was possible that they were just underestimating him and would step up their attacks and strategies eventually but he hoped to be long gone before that happened.

"Thanks Xander!" Ai said running up to him.

"Ai! Thank goodness you're safe!" Lisa said as she strode up to them.

"Yeah but my clothes got all sticky from the watermelons." She said showing the sticky red juices soaked into her shirt.

"Hey sis, what's that?" Yu asked pointing to the fur ball purse hanging at her side.

Almost as in answer to his question Pochepocket leapt forward and almost bit the boy's finger off at the knuckle.

"It looks like it's alive." Lisa commented seemingly intrigued by the creature.

"I got it from a lady named Fabura. His name is Pochepocket." , Ai said holding him up for all to see, "Cute isn't he?"

To their credit neither Yu nor Lisa did anything to offend Ai right away but Xander knew it was only a matter of time before that brother instinct caused Yu to stick his foot in it.

"It isn't evil is it?" Yu asked warily.

"Don't worry it's alright! It's what saved everyone!" Ai declared proudly.

"So did you find your back pack Ai?" Lisa asked in order to change the subject before the girl clued into what her brother had asked and got mad.

"The people here say that you can't find something here once it has been lost." Ai replied and for a moment seemed sad but fortunately Xander had a great sense of timing.

"Fortunately the rules of Neverland don't seem to apply to us eh?" he asked with a grin which was soon mirrored on the faces of all the others.

"Right! So…" Ai began before looking her brother in the eye and signaling something.

"…We'll definitely find our parents!" both of the children said in unison.

"Oh brother!" Xander muttered before rolling his eyes in annoyance at the sight before joining the others in a brief chuckle.

Their brief moment of levity was short lived as a chime began to sound and was traced back to the watch like object hanging from its neck. For a moment none of them knew what it meant but in the end it was Yu who finally seemed to catch on and with no little concern let them in on what was going on.

"We're in trouble now! Chobi is saying that the Ghost Train is about to leave!" he declared conveying the urgent nature of what he was saying.

Terrified of missing their train all of them broke into a run with Yu and Lisa leading the way as only they knew the route that would take them back to the entrance of the train station. It took them ten minutes to retrace the route to arrive back at the entrance but that did not mean that their journey was over as they still had to go down the spiral staircase to the doorway they had used earlier to exit the Ghost Train. Continuing their mad pace down the spiral staircase they were gratified to see that the train was still there but that relief soon vanished as the watch around Chobi's neck which up until now had been chiming in synch with the bell that was now sounding in the station suddenly stopped. Looking back and forth between Chobi and the Ghost Train they were upset to see the spiral drill at the bottom of the train begin to rev up as it was confirmed that the watch on Chobi had stopped ringing. To seal their fate they watched as the various entrances to the interior of the train sealed up to be replaced by those spooky eyes that showed them where the doors once were and would be again at the next station. Before they could say anything the train took off in a rush of air and a flash of light leaving them gasping for air on the stairs and looking at the space their main means of transportation had once occupied.

"Well, this sucks!" he said as he joined the others who were on their knees resting from their insane race to get back to the station.