Fanfic / Diamond Adventure! The Dark Mystery

One of the grand finales of Year 1, tying the plotlines of Dark Proxies and The Pantheonic Rebellion together.

With Halloween around the corner, the Mythical Pokémon Diancie hatches a plan to put an end to the ongoing conflict between the GUAL and GUAC and hope for the Magical Girls Sisterhood to stabilize. But it's easier said than done, as there's a lot more wounds that need healing, and she can't stay away from guarding the Heart Diamond for long.

The tale is unique for tying two arcs together, resolving many issues and opening up new ones. It can be read here.

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Diamond Adventure! The Dark Mystery provides examples of:

Tropes A to K

• 24-Hour Armor: A standard with those entering computer worlds. Sora's party spends several chapters of Act Two in their Grid forms. Diancie doesn't gain armor, but what is pink on her becomes black to reflect her conversion into data.

• Affably Evil: Lucifer is nothing but polite to even Sora and his friends despite being on opposite sides. His hostility to Madoka remains despite her absence, of course.
• Always Save the Girl: The only reason why Homura fights Cyber Errol and the Terraformer is because he'll go after Madoka, as Jak assumed. Although it is implied with her conversation with Sora later that night that she decided to stop Errol because the Dark Makers would be a major hazard to the pantheon, especially if Xehanort allies with them.
• Ambiguous Gender: Meow Wow's gender remains unspecified, as per their journal entry. Juggle Pup and Majik Lapin are both male, while Komory Bat is female.
• Anger Born of Worry: Sol Badguy was severely displeased when he learns that Rika Furude was the one who sent the Lol Rangers on a mission to humiliate Lucifer in the dangerous Labyrinth of Amala, where the Lord of Flies could easily kill all of them.
• Arc Villain: Cyber Errol serves as the main antagonist of the second act, brought back to life by Xenagos to exploit Jak's amnesia.
• Ascended Extra:
  • A minor character in both "Stars of Morning" and "The Pantheonic Rebellion", Sayaka serves as one of the viewpoint protagonists of the tale.
  • After being overshadowed by their rivals for two tales, Ratchet and Clank finally get the spotlight as viewpoint characters.
  • Xenagos becomes the Big Bad of this story after appearing for one scene in both Stars of Morning and The Pantheonic Rebellion, plotting to take advance the GUAC's agenda.
• Back from the Dead: Xenagos hijacks one of Donald's spells to revive Cyber Errol from the dead to serve the GUAC. It doesn't work out as Errol intends to destroy the Pantheon with the aid of the Dark Makers, whom he made a deal out of in his first life. Fittingly enough, Errol meets his end at the hands of Akuma Homura and Juggle Pup, a hardened girl with dark powers, and an otter/seal mix created from darkness, respectively..

• Bearer of Bad News: Absol, like always, with nobody taking her warnings seriously apart from her trainer, his friends, his allies, and Clank.
• Because You Were Nice to Me:
  • Absol shows a lot of affection towards Ratchet and Clank because of their kindness towards her in "Stars of Morning". The same, however, can't be said for Spider-Man when Riku puts her in his care.
  • While Homura remains cold and afoul to everyone she meets, she's nice to Sora because he openly forgave her, and the two are secretly in league because they share a common enemy in Xehanort. She even calls him "Cosmos' biggest cheerleader" in a joking matter, which he took with a smile, compared to his friends, who took it as an insult.
• Bench Breaker: Riku tricks a satyr into breaking the chair he was tied to so that he could escape. Of course, Xenagos was smart enough to make sure that, even if he does escape from the chair, Riku would still have his hands bound behind his back, making it more difficult for him to fight.
• Berserk Button:
  • Diancie treasures the first diamond she ever made, especially as it is both her Mega Stone (Diancite) and a symbol of her friendship with Bonnie. She will defend it fiercely if someone decides to try and steal it.
  • Absol won't tolerate violence or being forced to Mega Evolve by anyone apart from Riku because of her aura.
• The Bet: Months before the tale begins, Sora makes a bet with rival duos Ratchet and Clank, and Jak and Daxter, to see which duo can defeat Maleficent in battle. The bet is still ongoing despite the Nth Metal episode crippling both Sora and Jak.
• Big Bad: Xenagos

• Bittersweet Ending: Jak is erased from existence, Sora leaves with Riku and Kairi to prepare for the Second Keyblade War, and both the GUAL and GUAC have ruined reputations. But the Sisterhood has started to rebuild itself with Usagi as the new leader, and Homura begins to have second thoughts over her actions.
• Bodyguarding a Badass: With Sora still recovering from the foiled Second Battle Royale, he's always seen with a Spirit Dream Eater for support. Most of the time, the Dream Eater in question is Meow Wow.
• Book Ends: The tale begins with Riku giving a narration on villains, and how much of a threat they are, from absolutely pathetic (Prince Hans, Cruella de Vil) to legitimately threatening (Maleficent, Jafar). The tale ends with Sora giving a similar warning.
• Bound and Gagged: Riku is left bound and gagged in the first act when captured by Lucifer's minions.
• A Boy and His X: Diancie is Madoka's Pokémon Partner. Absol is also one for Riku, before temporary joining Peter Parker in the end.
• Butt-Monkey:
  • One of the Carbink servants, Merrick, always seems to be on the short end of the stick of misfortune. He's chased by Meow Wow in the prologue, kicked into a wall by Kairi, tossed around by Juggle Pup, and falls for a few of Daxter's snarks.
  • Once inside the computer, Sora is subjected to hostility from many programs, from having his armor and Dream Eaters mocked, to being the center of a cruel joke, prevented from paying the bus fare before a deadline, punched in the heart for politeness, and shoved for helping someone out. These programs represent how cruel people can be in reality to others for just no reason.
• Call-Back:
  • The events here are set a few months after Pokémon: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction, with many events in it referenced.
  • Sora is still recovering from a leg paralysis in Dark Proxies. It doesn't help that Caius Ballard had crushed his knee bone in Battle Royale: Round 2.
    • Jak still has amnesia, and cannot recall a lot of his past, nor remember his friends apart from Daxter, Samos, and Keira.
• The Cameo: The recurring Bewear from the Pokémon anime makes an appearance at the end of Act One to save Team Rocket from being blasted off by Absol.
• Can't Take Criticism: This is the reason why the GUAC kidnaps Riku in the first act, after his Villains Report mentions Lucifer and his role in Madoka's downfall. Ironically, Lucifer is not offended, and admits Riku did have a few points.
• The Caretaker: Downplayed. Jak is able to look after himself fine, and apparently retains his fighting skills and personality. But his serve memory loss makes sure that Juggle Pup is never too far away from him.
• Cassandra Did It: The Carbink servants blame Jak for the theft of the Heart Diamond. Proving his innocence is a plot point in Act Two.
• Changing of the Guard: Absol's original trainer is Riku. At the end of the tale, Riku allows Spider-Man to look after her while he and Mickey are in the Realm of Darkness looking for Aqua. Absol has trouble accepting the situation, and disobeys Parker because she's technically a traded Pokémon. They improve by Rainbow Rivalries.
• Chekhov's Gunman: In the first act, Riku attends a meeting with Darth Vader, Sol Badguy, Zuko, Sarah Kerrigan, and Killia, who, like him, are all deities who atoned for the acts they've done in the past. They formed their group to sympathize with those who made up for their atrocities. They return with their friends in the third act after their comrade is shot and almost killed.
• Cluster F-Bomb: Several of the jerkass programs use course language when harassing Sora, though (being a Disney character) he never says a single dirty word back at them. One of them even goes as far as to use the unspeakable word, and ends up having her face mauled off by Meow Wow.
• Clear My Name: Jak is left comatose, and Sora is about to return to Yen Sid's tower. Because the Carbink servants are blaming them both for Diancie's assumed kidnapping and the theft of the Heart Diamond, Sora personally requests Ratchet and Clank to vindicate them both.
• Coming of Age Story: Word of God states that this story is about how many of the characters affected by events such as the asylum, Madoka's downfall, the attacks in Europe, and the second Battle Royale, learn to face the world—that there will be trauma, there will be times where things are bleak and hopeless, but with people who are by your side, things will get brighter.
• Continuity Nod: Riku gives his condolences to Darth Vader for the actions of his grandson Kylo Ren.
• Cooperation Gambit:
  • Early on, we learn that Sora and Homura are in league with keeping Madoka safe, although Sora has his own agenda in their alliance in that he's trying to seek out a third option in their rift, one that benefits both sides. When Sayaka finds out about the alliance, she denounces Sora as a traitor.
  • This leads to Jak forming his own against Homura later on. He points out that he doesn't care about what she did to Madoka or himself, but makes it clear that Errol will kill her with the Terraformer if they don't destroy him quick enough.
• Cyberspace: The Grid is the main setting of Act Two for Sayaka's side of the story.

• Distressed Dude: The GUAC capture Riku in Act One because they took offense to his Villains Report on Lucifer and tie him up. He escapes when Groudon destroys the lab, leaving the GUAC in a civil war.
• Do Not Taunt Cthulhu: Errol paid the price for bringing a Terraformer into the pantheon, and openly tells Homura how the Dark Makers will crush Madoka.
• The Dreaded: Carrying over from "Stars of Morning" is James and Meowth fearing Riku because of his actions at the end of Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days, which has been dubbed "Ansemphobia" by Jessie. This has also evolved into them fearing anything that conceals eyes, including Mega Absol's bangs, Raiden's and 2B's blindfolds, and Sora's pumpkin mask, the last of which caused Jessie to call them out on such cowardice.
• Enemy Mine:
  • The second half of Act One shows Sora offering to team up with Team Rocket to free Groudon from its apparent mind-control and end the earthquakes. They consider the idea, but get blasted off before stating an answer.
  • In Act Two, Homura and Jak team-up to defeat Cyber Errol and stop him from using the Terraformer from destroying the Pantheon. Because Jak falls into a coma in the aftermath, nobody finds out about Homura's heroic action, and Homura herself ends up losing her memories of the battle.

• Even Evil Has Standards: Members, good and evil, from both the GUAL and GUAC are horrified when their leaders decided to bring Kyogre and Groudon into their conflict. This has led to Alexander Anderson.
• Everyone Has Standards: Homura was very angry at Xenagos for kidnapping Riku, who had defended Madoka and herself in his reports, and even calls him out on using Groudon for that sole purpose. Her reaction when she finds out that he is manipulating Diancie was even more brutal.

• Face–Heel Turn: Downplayed. Sora doesn't turn evil, but from their point of view, he betrays the trust of the Magical Girls Sisterhood by siding with Homura.
• Foreshadowing:
  • It's more than just a coincidence that Diancie would join the hackers while the Heart Diamond is stolen from the Carbink. She is being manipulated by Xenagos into spying on them and Sora.
  • While he just makes a cameo, Captain Qwark makes a brief mention to Ratchet and Clank about his next mission to destroy Dr. Nefarious' latest device, which is instantly dismissed as Miles Gloriosus. "Mechanical Outbreak" features both Qwark and Nefarious in major roles.
  • A line in the opening Villains Report openly mocks Maleficent on her more recent appearances that discredit her claim as the Mistress of All Evil, which eventually leads to "Rainbow Rivalries" where she teams up with Giovanni.
  Riku: Maleficent has been seen as less of a threat ever since the universe where she’s more heroic was discovered. Even more so when we found out she has a daughter named Mal.
  • The end of Act Two, where Sora and Homura have their conversation, would influence "Lines of Chaos".
• Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: Sora does not hold a grudge against Homura for what happened to Madoka, as he can see that her actions were to protect her, and he believes that it is possible for the two to become friends again, even if she remains a devil. It doesn't help that he blames himself for not stopping Kyubey from making a contract with a banking program, leading to the Witch System's return.
  • If Villains Report 15 is anything to go by, Riku never personally blamed Homura for her actions, either, citing that she did have a point in taking Madoka's powers for herself. He even compared her with himself when he sided with Maleficent, who is an outright Card-Carrying Villain.
• Frame-Up: Xenagos, to spite Riku, steals the Heart Diamond from Diancie and pins the blame on Sora, though the Carbink believe Jak was also a co-culprit and go after him, too. He also hijacks one of Donald's illusion spells to bring Errol Back from the Dead.
• Friendly Rivalry:
  • The tale continues the rivalry between duos Ratchet and Clank, and Jak and Daxter, and actually becomes a plot point in Riku's side of the story, as everyone has helping Jak regain his memories a goal alongside recovering the Heart Diamond.
  • It is also implied that Sora and Ratchet have formed a minor rivalry over "legacy impact" in various worlds; Sora was immortalized along with Donald and Goofy in Olympus Coliseum (having their own constellations in the sky) and the Pride Lands (images of them are painted next to the image of Simba in Rafiki's tree), and Ratchet was immortalized with Clank in Gimlick Valley (the fongoids made status of them with their leader).
• Fun with Acronyms: The titular D.I.A.M.O.N.D Adventure, being known as the "Digital Interception And Majestic Origins Near Domains". Diancie mistakes this as an actual adventure involving diamonds.
• Genki Girl: Believe it or not, Absol is one when she's not trying to stop a disaster. This is shown at the end of Act One where she celebrates by playing around with the hackers for while, one of whom is fellow genki girl Edward. This is only when she's under Riku's command, as she disobeys Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the end because he doesn't have any badges, and she's at Level 70.
• The Ghost:
  • Madoka Kaname has also been mentioned several times as early as Act One. She's gone off to Sailor Moon's Universe for a holiday, so she makes no appearances. The fact that Diancie is her Pokémon Partner is the reason why Xenagos is manipulating the Royal Pink Princess.
  • Ash Ketchum and Pikachu make no appearance, but they're mentioned a few times.
  • Argus Steel and his daughter, Millis, were both indirectly mentioned by Riku in Act Two as being the ones who gave him the idea to use Komory Bat as surveillance. They never appear, and it's unknown if he had ever met them, since they pulled a Heel–Face Turn and now run a chocolate shop.
• Gone Horribly Wrong:
  • Diancie's wish to help Madoka and Homura make amends without changing the current statues quo just makes things worse for the pantheon. The place is at risk of another civil war, a Princess of Heart is forced to flee for her life, making that one less member of the pantheon to counter the darkness, one faction is exposed as corrupt, and another has its members turn against each other.
  • Although Jak regained his lost memories from Sora, his heart shattered because the returning memories overwhelmed him, putting Jak into an indefinite coma, and causing people to gradually forget that he even existed; by the events of Rainbow Rivalries (set during Easter), even Ratchet can't remember him.
• Grey-and-Gray Morality: The conflict between the GUAL and GUAC is a heavy dose of grey. Both sides fight over their causes, but both sides also have followers with certain morals they would never betray. The use of Kyogre and Groudon against the pantheon offended many members because they believe that the use of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon as weapons of mass destruction is wrong. The GUAC was especially divided after Riku was kidnapped and Diancie, a Mythical Pokémon, was revealed to be an unwilling mole against the GUAG.

• Halloween Episode: Act Three takes place during Halloween, and one chapter is devoted to many random deities doing related activities. Sora, Donald, and Goofy are all in their Halloween Town forms as well.
• Handicapped Badass: The events of "Battle Royale: Round 2" have temporary left Sora in a wheelchair due to a leg injury, but he's almost fully recovered from this point. He spends most of the tale on his legs, but the exhaustion from the mission in it placed him back in the wheelchair in Act Three. It doesn't stop him from fighting, regardless.
• Headbutting Heroes: Sayaka and Sora don't get along because of their conflicting opinions over Homura. When she learns that Sora and Homura are conspiring (albeit against actual villains), Sayaka takes it as an outright betrayal, and the two become enemies.
• Heel–Face Turn: Groudon is forced to work for the GUAC in capturing Riku because they've got hold of the Red Orb. Once the Red Orb is in Sora's hands, Groudon sides with him and destroys the GUAC lab.
• Heroic BSoD:
  • Sora has kept a positive face on throughout the tale despite constantly being attacked and humiliated, and it's implied that he has PTSD from the events of "Dark Proxies". Him being treated like a hired thug by the Sisterhood is what causes him to snap and betray them.
• I Gave My Word: Ratchet intended to keep his promise to Homura to not attack Lucifer. Diancie breaks the promise, leading him to call her out on it.
• Irony: The GUAC target Sora (and, by extension, Riku and Kairi) for trying to convince Homura to possibly turn against them, something Xenagos, one of the GUAC's generals, has indirectly caused.
• It's All My Fault:
  • When Sora finds out that Jak ended up in a coma as a result of his memories returning, he takes full blame for his friend's fate despite knowing he's at no fault. Though this is short-lived; like everyone else, Sora eventually forgot Jak ever existed.
  • Sayaka eventually regrets recruiting Sora on that mission in the first place, especially when she meets Daxter and he tells her what became of Jak, causing Sayaka to fear she may have killed him because of her vendetta against Homura. Likewise, Sayaka also forgets Jak, but her regret remains.

• Kick the Dog:
  • Many programs have this as a function, with Sora or his Dream Eaters as the main victims. Four female programs trick Sora into being the butt of a cruel joke. A male program calls him ugly because of his armor, and even asks if he picked it out from the trash. Four more programs mock Sora from the street with a word too horrible to write down. Two programs bully him over his Dream Eaters. And finally, the bitch who shoves Sora for his kindness. Karma bites them when Tron informs them that Sora is a User, causing several to apologize, and others to crash in shock.

Tropes L to Z

• Laser-Guided Amnesia: Jak lost a good amount of memories from the Nth Metal during "Dark Proxies". He regains them here, but becomes comatose indefinitely.

• Mon: The use of Pokémon and Dream Eaters are a feature in this tale, with the Pokémon Partnership Program in full force here. Indeed, Riku brings Absol along as aid, and in Act Three, Jak finally accepts Juggle Pup as his partner Dream Eater after he spends four months hanging around with him and Daxter.
  • Majik Lapin is shown to have left Sora for the Sisterhood in the end, with the implication that he would become a Guardian Entity of Madoka.
• Mythology Gag:
  • The way the Carbink servants act to Sora (and later Jak), thinking he'd want to kidnap Diancie and use her to create diamonds, echoes how the seven dwarfs treated Ventus when they accuse him of wanting to steal their diamonds in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep.
  • Several elements of Pokémon: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction are included into the main plot, such as the Heart Diamond, Diancie running away (with Shaymin) from the Carbink servants, thieves trying to kidnap her for diamonds, and the inclusion of Mega Evolution.
  • Kairi's skills in battle are taken from Dead Fantasy, where she is a full-on Action Girl. Likewise, she's on good terms with Ruby and Team JNPR (or Team RNJR), since they were from a series created by the same guy.
• Noodle Incident:
  • Lucifer mentions that Beelzebub and the Chaos Knight made sure to wipe all Grim Patrons out of the Labyrinth.
  • Sora points out that Tron wants to kill Kyubey for attempting to make Puella Magi out of several female programs, given it would cause entire systems to crash when they eventually witch out, and result in thousands of dollars in damage.
• Not Disabled in VR: Averted. Sora's leg injuries are carried over into The Grid, and the damages done in there come out with him.
• Not in This for Your Revolution:
  • Sora has made it very clear that he wants no part in the Sisterhood's conflict with Lucifer since he has his own agendas with Homura, but is forced in anyway despite his and Ratchet's objections. When they find out that he's in league with Homura, they relent, but dismiss him as a traitor.
  • Homura has no intent of helping Jak regain his memories, but when Errol is revived, and summons a Dark Maker mecha known as the Terraformer to crush the pantheon, she aids Jak in stopping Errol, but only because she knew he'll try to hurt Madoka.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Tron points out to Diancie that she's almost like Homura, given both have tried to help others for selfish motivations, and that Diancie should've known better after dealing with Millis Steel.
• Older Than They Look: It is mentioned by Dace that Diancie is 19 years old, despite acting like a 14-year-old. Dace himself mentions that he's over 500 years old.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Lucifer normally wouldn't mind the Lords of Chaos' infighting, but in this story, he cancels every plan he has on attacking the GUAL when he realizes that Homura and Xenagos were on bad terms with each other, and Sora becomes a serious threat against Homura's loyalty.
• Parting-Words Regret: Sora and Sayaka have a major fight over Homura's actions, and she calls him a traitor. Sayaka does eventually realize she's been too harsh on Sora, especially in light of him watching Jak fall into a coma but before she could apologize, he has already left the pantheon, and later disappears during the Second Keyblade War. Sayaka is left with guilt over her actions ever since.
• Poor Communication Kills: The House of Nature gets informed that Diancie is safe and sound when a major earthquake strikes, but Aang is unable to pass on the message to the Carbink because they are rampaging over her disappearance and the Heart Diamond's theft. Not only that, the servant quartet refuse to listen to him or Cole MacGrath.
• Pragmatic Villainy:
  • One of the reasons Homura is forming an alliance with the heroes is because she sees Xenagos' means of instigating war against the GUAL as tactless.
  • The GUAL only attack in a small scale and a low profile to avoid suspicion from the Magistrate Judges. This is due to what happened in The Pantheonic Rebellion. After Tron leaks the data of their plans to use the asylum as a stronghold, this tactic was dropped.
  • In a more downplayed example, the GUAC only wanted to use Groudon as a distraction for capturing Riku to spite Lol Ranger and resume their war on the GUAL, not make Madoka suffer more despite Homura's beliefs of Madoka getting drawn in to the GUAC's fight against the GUAL.
• Precision F-Strike: Riku gets a downplayed one (since he's a Disney character) when he realizes that he has fallen into the GUAC's trap.
  Riku: You bastards!
• Put on a Bus: This tale marks the final appearance (pre-Kingdom Hearts III) for Sora, Kairi, Riku, Jak, and Daxter. The first three leave because of the upcoming war with Xehanort; the last two because one fell into a coma.
• Rage Breaking Point: Sayaka confronts Sora over his betrayal, calling him a traitor and a devil follower. He attacks her when she states he doesn't care for Madoka, which isn't true at all.
• Real Life Writes the Plot: The Ungrateful Bitch who Sora saved in Act Two was based on a real life incident where MysZorua was assaulted by two women after trying to help get a pram unstuck from a gap while getting off a bus. It also doubles as a Shout-Out to the Jerk with a Heart of Jerk in a Machamp costume in Pokémon Sun and Moon.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
  • We don't see the exact script, but Villains Log 15 is when Riku attacks Lucifer for convincing Homura to take Madoka's powers, and, despite sympathizing with her, also to Homura for selling her soul out, even warning her that if she goes too far, Master Xehanort will target her, and who knows what sort of Heartless he'll create out of her Witch form.
  • Villains Log 22, written at the end by Sora, calls out both YHVH and Lucifer for their actions, telling them they don't represent law or chaos, but rather, they represent different forms of evil. He also points out that silencing critics is also a form of evil, and warns everyone to not overreact.
• Reluctant Warrior: Sora and Absol express this throughout the tale. Sora refuses to fight because of the condition of his leg, but does so anyway due to Chronic Hero Syndrome. Absol hates violence, and doesn't like to Mega-Evolve on account of her appearance causing fainthearted people to die, but she still fights for Riku.
• Ret-Gone: By the end of the tale, Jak is in crystal stasis, and everyone who didn't originate from his world forgot about his existence.
• The Reveal:
  • It is confirmed in this tale that Sora is in a similar situation as Madoka. He had lost a good portion of his skills because of the events of Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance], which leaves him a shell of his former self. He gets better.
• Revenge Before Reason: Despite Homura's warnings, Diancie attempts to attack Lucifer with a Diamond Storm in a moment of anger, with Ratchet trying to stop her, having learned from his own RBR against Qwark. It remains unknown if Homura found out about Diancie breaking her promise.
• Revenge by Proxy: Several characters stated that the GUAC's attack on Riku was very petty. It's implied that this sudden attack is in retaliation to what happened in "Operation: Devil May Cry".
• Ridiculously Cute Critter: The Juggle Pup Dream Eater who is known to balance anything on his nose just for fun.
• Rising Conflict:
  • All Diancie wanted to do was re-kindle the friendship between Madoka and Homura if it means peace for the pantheon. Sora's paralysis, Jak losing many of his memories, and Madoka having her powers sealed are major factors in fixing this mess.
• Running Gag:
  • Komory Bat is often mistaken for a Crobat, with Riku correcting the person in question.
  • Sora looks a lot like a Shiny Bisharp when in Space Paranoids, and almost everyone assumes him to be one. It doesn't help that Diancie can speak through telepathy, and assume that this "Bisharp" can as well.
  • Juggle Pup balancing anything he can find (mostly Daxter) on his nose.
• Sequel Hook: The end of Act Three ties into the Reformation of Law, as some of the plots left hanging here are resolved there. A few others are resolved in "Lines of Chaos".
• Shout-Out:
  • Riku doing a report on villains is an inversion to Luna's "report on heroes" in the non-canon Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. Amusingly, one of the report's articles mentions about the existence of alternate canons, with the events of Size Matters and Secret Agent Clank included.
  • Sora protecting a Legendary Pokémon (Diancie and Groudon) from a villain group is a bit of a homage to Lillie and Nebby, and Gladion and Type: Null/Silvally in Pokémon Sun and Moon.
• Spanner in the Works:
  • Act One has the GUAC using the Red Orb to control Groudon simply as a distraction to capture Riku for insulting Lucifer in his Villains Report. Later on into the act, Sora takes the Red Orb from the GUAC and escapes into the computer world with it, freeing Groudon from the GUAC's control, and allowing him to attack the lab in rage for the GUAC trying to control him, and ultimately lead Zaheer, Deidara, and Gilgamesh to withdraw.
  • One related to the above. Xenagos complicates the heroes' plan to restore Jak's memories by hijacking Donald's magic to transform his illusion of Cyber Errol into a clone.

• Stealth Sequel: To both "Dark Proxies" and "The Pantheonic Rebellion" story arcs, as the two arcs are being masterminded by YHVH. In fact, the GUAC is manipulating Diancie into spying on the GUAG all because of her partnership with Madoka.
• Taken for Granite:
  • At the end of Act Two, Jak regains his memories, but he has to sleep for his heart to heal. Riku, not wanting him to sleep in a pod like Sora did, decides to crystalize the eco prince.
  • One of the demons in the Labyrith of Amala have petrified Zagara, Sarah Kerrigan's loyal broodmother subordinate.
• The Thing That Would Not Leave: Juggle Pup has stuck around Jak and Daxter even after the Friendship Asylum has been destroyed (we're talking four months).
• This Means War!: The Villains Report, while mainly taking shots at the Disney Villains, also has articles about Luficer and YHVH in them, causing the GUAL and GUAC to react in aggression.
• Time Skip: The events here take place two weeks after "The Pantheonic Rebellion" Act 4, and two months after "Battle Royale: Round 2".
• Took a Level in Cynic:
  • Sora is slightly less kind here compared to his previous appearances, and is a bit grumpy at times, even becoming a bit more cynical over missions. It is justified, as he's bitter over being forced into a mission by Sayaka so soon after a major operation on his leg.
  • Tron is less idealistic in the Time Skip from "Stars of Morning", with it hinted from suddenly having to deal with three enemy factions who consider him and the White Hats a major threat. Case in point, he is still nice to Sora, Donald, and Goofy, but is far less lenient with Sayaka and Diancie, with him scolding the latter at times.
• Toxic Friend Influence: Sora's interactions with Diancie in the second act show that his morality views are far lower than what Ash taught her.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Coyote Starrk reveals to the group that Rika Furude was the main orchestrator behind Lucifer's humiliation Lol Ranger gave him back in "The Pantheonic Rebellion" as revenge for what he did against Madoka. While Rika makes no appearance in this story, her plan caused the GUAC to create an anti-slander black-ops group regarding his role in Madoka's depowerment, have his cohorts capture Riku for slandering him, and ultimately cause the Keyblade Master (with Sora and Kairi) to leave, all as a form of revenge against a little girl.
• Unwitting Pawn: Diancie is working for Xenagos, but she is not aware of his actual motivation.
• Villain World: Black City is part of The Grid, and thus, is under Clu's control and is part of the GUAL.
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • Kyoko and Mami call Sayaka out on forcing Sora into the front lines in their battle against Lucifer at a time where he needs rest. The result frustrates Sora to no end, with what him being attacked by Groudon, and rouge programs, leading Mami and Nagisa to track him down to dismiss him, and Kyoko to talk some sense out of Sayaka for bringing him into their conflict.

• Wise Old Folk Façade: A program working for Clu takes on the form of a kindly old woman, and uses said appearance to fool Sora and Sayaka into trusting her, even if most of her actions were genuine Pet the Dog moments. After they leave, she informs Clu about the Red Orb.
• With My Hands Tied: Riku doesn't let being Bound and Gagged stop him from fighting or escaping, but he does have trouble at first, failing to hit Deidara at Jak's destination spot because he cannot call out Komory Bat until he works his gag off.
• Wrecked Weapon: Jak's Eco Gun is destroyed during the battle with Cyber Errol, having been knocked out of his hands and fell into a chasm in the House of Prophecy. Ratchet later recovers and fixes it after a Soldier Heartless finds it.
• You Monster!: Homura says this to Xenagos after Sora tells her that he is directly responsible for making Diancie an unwitting spy for the GUAC, leading to Riku being captured and Clu almost taking the Red Orb for himself.

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