History Fanfic / DiamondAdventureTheDarkMystery

** Diancie treasures the first diamond she ever made, especially as it is both her Mega Stone (Diancite) and a symbol of her friendship with [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} Bonnie]]. She will defend it fiercely if someone decides to try and steal it.

* TheDreaded: Carrying over from "Stars of Morning" is James and Meowth fearing Riku because of his [[PostFinalBoss ac]][[EnemyWithin ti]][[SuperpoweredEvilSide ons]] at the end of ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'', which has been dubbed "Ansemphobia" by Jessie. This has also evolved into them fearing anything that [[BlindfoldedVision conceals eyes]], including Mega Absol's [[PeekABangs bangs]], Raiden's and [=2B's=] blindfolds, and [[spoiler:Sora's pumpkin mask]], the last of which caused Jessie to call them out on such cowardice.

* [[OverprotectiveDad Overprotective Guardians]]: The Carbink servants just won't allow Diancie out of their sights, and accuse anyone who goes near her as a thief.

** Sora points out that Tron wants to kill Kyubey for attempting to make Puella Magi out of several female programs, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome given it would cause entire systems to crash when they eventually witch out, and result in thousands of dollars in damage]].

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** It is not a good idea to send someone who ''just'' had surgery off on a dangerous mission.
** Sometimes, being nice to people will only result in harassment from them. Offering to help someone get unstuck from a gap can end in a fight that leaves the helper battered and possibly needing medical assistance, or worse, wind up murdered.

* AdultFear:
** What happens to Jak throughout the tale. He's still amnestic, and is captured by Homura very early on [[spoiler:because Lucifer told her that Jak may have been tainted with the Law of Cycles while protecting Kyoko from Courtney Gears in "Dark Proxies"]]. He does eventually regain his memories, but it comes at the cost of [[spoiler:him being temporary erased from the pantheon and everyone outside his universe losing their memories of him]].
** The Carbink servants panic and riot all over the House of Nature when fooled into thinking that she was kidnapped. When she returns, they are very overprotective of her, and almost bar her from celebrating Halloween in Act Three until Sora convinces them that he will keep an eye on her, which they reluctantly accept.
** When Coyote Starrk reveals to the group that Lucifer's humiliation at Lol Rangers' hands in ''Fanfic/ThePantheonicRebellion'' was [[spoiler:Rika Furude's]] plan, everyone, all adults in the group, were disturbed to hear that a little girl just sent her three friends (all of whom are minors) and the ruler of a country to a dangerous place to humiliate a weakened entity at the time whose right-hand fly could easily kill them all if he wanted.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: It's normal for Team Rocket to try and steal Ash's Pikachu every single day in the pantheon, like in [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} the anime itself]]. This time, they instead follow Sora out of an [[ExactWords accidental suggestion from Meowth]], and try to steal ''Meow Wow''. The trio would learn the hard way that Sora isn't bound to their status quo, and therefore, would retaliate differently.

* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: The only reason why Homura fights [[VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander 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.
* AmbiguousGender: [[CanineCompanion Meow Wow's]] gender remains unspecified, as per its journal entry. [[SweetSeal Juggle Pup]] and [[RobeAndWizardHat Majik Lapin]] are both male, while [[BatOutOfHell Komory Bat]] is female.

* BackFromTheDead: Xenagos hijacks one of Donald's spells to revive [[VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander 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 [[FallenAngel Dark Makers]], whom he [[DealWithTheDevil made a deal out of]] in his first life. [[LaserGuidedKarma Fittingly enough]], Errol meets his end at the hands of [[spoiler:[[SatanicArchetype Akuma Homura]] and [[WeaselMascot Juggle Pup]], a hardened girl with dark powers, and an otter/seal mix created from darkness, respectively.]].

* {{Cyberspace}}: The Grid is the main setting of Act Two for the hackers' side of the story.

* DistressedDude: The GUAC capture Riku in Act One [[spoiler:because they took offense to his Villains Report on Lucifer]] and tie him up. He escapes despite some moderate trouble.

* EveryoneHasStandards: [[spoiler:Homura was very angry at Xenagos for kidnapping Riku, who had defended Madoka 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]].

* EvilMatriarch: [[spoiler: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 PetTheDog moments]].

** Diancie's wish to help Madoka and Homura become friends again just makes things worse for the pantheon. [[spoiler: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.]]

%%* HalfwayPlotSwitch: The plot with Jack Skellington and Neyla doesn't begin until Act Two. The first act sets up the antagonists in the GUAL and GUAC through [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire the manipulation of Groudon and Kyogre]].

%%* {{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.

%%* KarmicDeath: Early on in Act Two, Sora encounters four programs who treat him cruelly, [[ClusterFBomb even cursing at him]]. When Megaman.Exe goes to [[spoiler:the Undernet]] and sees them running from the Commantis, he allows it to destroy them. Sora calls him out on allowing this in spite of their actions.

** 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 [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY if he picked it out from the trash]]. Four more programs mock Sora from the street [[CountryMatters with a word too horrible to write down]], grab his wrist to insure he misses a deadline and pays extra, and drive him off a bus as he is on his way to meet up with Tron. Two programs bully him over his Dream Eaters. And finally, the bitch who shoves Sora for his kindness.

** 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 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 [[DeathSeeker her Witch form]].

* RetGone: [[spoiler:By the end of the tale, Jak is in an indefinite coma, and everyone who didn't originate from his world forgot about his existence. And with [[DreamWeaver Riku]] gone because of Lucifer's rage, he's unable to use the Power of Waking to awaken Jak. This continues well into Year 2, and by Tanabata, Daxter stops waiting for Riku to return, and opts to seek a way to wake his best friend up himself]].

** [[spoiler:Jak's fate is a homage to ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'', though Daxter is allowed to remain awake and protect him]].
* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: It's normal for Team Rocket to try and steal Ash's Pikachu every single day in the pantheon, like in [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} the anime itself]]. This time, they instead follow Sora out of an [[ExactWords accidental suggestion from Meowth]], and try to steal ''Meow Wow''. The trio would learn the hard way that [[HandicappedBadass Sora]] is ''[[GoodIsNotSoft nothing]]'' like [[IdiotHero Ash]].

** Act One has the GUAC using the Red Orb to control Groudon simply as a distraction [[spoiler: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 via the warp gun. This causes Groudon to attack the base in rage for the GUAC trying to control him, and ultimately lead Zaheer, Deidara, and Gilgamesh to withdraw.]]
%%** Homura takes the Heart Diamond from a satyr and returns it to Dianice's temple in Act Two. This sends Xenagos' plan to frame the GUAL in debris.

** Act Three has the GUAC ordering an assassination attempt on Daxter. Absol realizes this and asks Harpuia to send in Fighting Fefnir and Hidden Phantom. Absol, alongside Panty's arrival, sends the assassination plan down the graveyard.

** Tron is less idealistic in the TimeSkip from "Stars of Morning", with it hinted from suddenly having to deal with three enemy factions who consider him a major threat. Case in point, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold 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.
* ToxicFriendInfluence: [[CombatPragmatist Sora]]'s interactions with Diancie in the second act show that his morality views are [[GreyAndGrayMorality far lower]] than what [[BlackAndWhiteMorality Ash taught her]]. However, [[EveryoneHasStandards he also has his limits]], and tells Diancie that she cannot just abandon her duties for selfish reasons, but does agree that the Carbink don't give her any breaks.

* WithMyHandsTied: Riku doesn't let being BoundAndGagged stop him from fighting or escaping, but he does have trouble at first, failing to hit Deidara at the hacker's destination spot because he cannot call out Komory Bat until he works his gag off.

* YouMonster: Homura says this to Xenagos after Sora tells her that he is directly responsible for [[spoiler:Diancie and several programs in [[Film/TronLegacy The Grid]] being affected by a virus]].

** Early on, we learn that Sora and Homura are in league with keeping Madoka safe, although Sora has his own agends in their alliance in that he's trying to seek out a third option in their rift, one that benefits both sides. [[spoiler:When Sayaka finds out about the alliance, she denounces Sora as a traitor]].

* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler: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 lead to Alexander Anderson]].

%%* ItWasAGift: "Battle Royale: Round 2" reveals that Sora has obtained a Mega Bracelet[[note]]converted into a Mega Glove in Space Paranoids[[/note]], and he finally realizes it's use from Diancie. According to Rhyme, Neku gave his Key Stone to Sora as a token of friendship while the latter was being treated for his crushed kneebone after Polygon Man's defeat.
%%* KarmicDeath: Early on in Act Two, Sora encounters four programs who treats him cruelly, [[ClusterFBomb even cursing at him]]. When Megaman.Exe goes to [[spoiler:the Undernet]] and sees them running from the Commantis, he allows it to destroy them. Sora calls him out on allowing this in spite of their actions.

%%** Deidara has another moment in Act Three. During the fight against Daxter and his allies, [[spoiler: Stocking Anarchy leaves when her sister Panty Anarchy arrives, heartbroken over what her sister did to Riku,]] he decides to get [[spoiler:Vile]] and withdraw. [[spoiler:Vile]], on the other hand, decides to stay and attempt kill the heroes.

** In a more downplayed example, the GUAC only wanted to use Groudon 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.

* RevengeByProxy: Several character 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 "[[Fanfic/ThePantheonicRebellion Operation: Devil May Cry]]".

** Lucifer mentions that Beelzebub and the Chaos Knight made sure to wipe them out of the Labyrinth.

** 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 [[NotSoDifferent with himself]] when he sided with [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]], who is an outright CardCarryingVillain.

* NotSoDifferent: Tron points out to Diancie that she's almost like [[spoiler:Homura]], given both have tried to help others for selfish motivations, and that Diancie should've known better after dealing with [[DaddysLittleVillain Millis Steel]].

** 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 MilesGlorious. "Mechanical Outbreak" features both Qwark and Nefarious in major roles.

** Sora points out that Tron wants to kill Kyubey for attempting to make Puella Magi out of several female programs, [[RealityEnsues given it would cause entire systems to crash when they eventually witch out, and result in thousands of dollars in damage]].

* RealityEnsues:
** It is not a good idea to send someone who ''just'' had surgery off on a dangerous mission.
** Sometimes, being nice to people will only result in harassment from them. Offering to help someone get unstuck from a gap can end in a fight that leaves the helper battered and possibly needing medical assistance, or worse, wind up murdered.

* TwentyFourHourArmor: A standard with those entering computer worlds. Sora and Ruby spend several chapters of Act Two in their Grid forms. Diancie doesn't gain armor, but what is pink on her becomes [[EvilCostumeSwitch black]] to reflect her conversion into data.
* ArchEnemy: Neyla is one to Jack Skellington. She spends the tale ambushing Sora and his Kirlia, and later Team [[spoiler:RNJR]], and trying to steal the packages the Master Builders keep sending to Dr. Finklestein for his main project.
* ADayInTheLimelight: Chapter 12 mostly revolves around Megaman.Exe's adventure into [[spoiler:the Undernet]] to free Diancie of a virus and return her with the others safely.

** The Carbink servants panic and riot all over the House of Nature when fooled into thinking that she was kidnapped by Jak and Daxter. When she returns, they are very overprotective of her, and almost bar her from celebrating Halloween in Act Three until Sora convinces them that he will keep an eye on her, which they reluctantly accept.

** Although she was fully introduced here, Kirlia, [[spoiler:is the same Ralts who befriended Ratchet and Clank in "Dark Proxies"]].
** After being overshadowed by [[VideoGame/JakAndDaxter their rivals]] for three tales, Ratchet and Clank finally get the spotlight. In fact, Ratchet is even the tale's deuteroganist of the [=B-plot=], being TheLancer to Riku.
** Xenagos becomes the BigBad of this story after appearing for one scene in both ''The Great Upheaval'' and ''The Pantheonic Rebellion'', plotting to take advance the GUAC's agenda.

* BadPowersGoodPeople: Mega Absol's aura can kill fainthearted people. Because of this, Riku rarely Mega Evolves her, and Clank only does so out of desperation. Fortunately, Absol holds strong bonds with both of them, which tames the aura.
* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler:Riku teams up with Ratchet and Clank to pull one on Jak in the hopes of helping him regain his memories, and also to Xenagos after it emerges that he had stolen the Heart Diamond from Dace and tried to frame Jak for it]].

** Absol shows a ''lot'' of affection towards Ratchet and Clank because of their kindness towards her in "The Friendship Asylum". Clank is even able to Mega Evolve her without issues (such as causing her aura to kill people). The same, however, can't be said for [[spoiler:Spider-Man]] when Clank puts her in his care after the duo's exploits in the climax.
** [[spoiler:While Homura remains cold and afoul to everyone she meets, she's nice to Sora because he openly forgave her. 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]].

** Absol won't tolerate violence or being forced to Mega Evolve by anyone apart from Riku (and Clank) because of her aura.
* TheBet: 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 [[spoiler:the asylum incident crippling both [[InjuredLimbEpisode Sora]] and [[LaserGuidedAmnesia Jak]]]].

* BigDamnHeroes:
** Just when Mithos stopped time to kill Ratchet, Clank and their allies, he is ready to cast Prism Sword to kill them all, only to be stopped by Piccolo, who pierces his chest with a Special Beam Cannon, disposes of Bullygin, and takes back the Blue Orb.
--->'''Luke fon Fabre:''' We only succeeded because Mr. Green Alien here ambushed them!
** Earlier in Act Three, Metatron uses the Fire of Sinai to vanquish Sora and Mickey as they fought Groudon, only for them to be alive when Homura blocks it the last second. Later into the battle, [[Manga/SaintSeiya Phoenix Ikki and Andromeda Shun]] intervene and slow down two Archangels.

* BodyguardingABadass: The hackers recruited Ruby Rose, [[ComicBook/TeenTitans Cyborg]], and [[Franchise/GIJoe Snake Eyes]] to guard Sora because one of his legs is still paralyzed. The mere presence of Cyborg and Snake Eyes causes Shaymin (and by extension, Riku) and Team Rocket to hit a snag in their plans.

** At least four events are call backs to ''Fanfic/DarkProxies'':
*** Again, Ruby wears [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver black armor with red Tron Lines]], though she's wearing a different armor this time. Naturally, Sora has to constantly remind any programs about that Ruby is ''not'' in league with the Grand United Alliance of Evil.
*** Sora's attempts to stop Diancie from "online shopping" results in him accidentally hacking ''every single hologram'' in the pantheon, and replacing all of them with Elmo, holding a fish bowl. Bentley makes a snarky comment at Sora's poor "hacking" skills, while Shiena and Edward laugh at him.
*** Sora is ''still'' recovering from paralysis. It doesn't help that Caius Ballard had crushed his knee bone in ''Battle Royale: Round 2''.

* TheCameo: 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. Meowth even lampshades the Strong Arm Pokémon being in the pantheon despite being a non-deity.[[note]]A Bewear is a herald to [[Videogame/PunchOut Bear Hugger]] though[[/note]]
* CantTakeCriticism: 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.

* CaretakerReversal: [[spoiler:Happens at the end, when Riku ends up in the medical division. Sora, who's spent the past two tales with a broken leg, decides to look after him, and Diancie insists he should and thanks him for helping her]].

* ChangingOfTheGuard: Absol's original trainer is Riku. After he was shot in Act Three, Absol is loaned to Clank. At the last scene of Chapter 19, [[spoiler:Clank gives her to Spider-Man (whom she disobeys because she's technically a traded Pokémon, and because she's forced into situations involving violence)]]. coincidentally, wearing an outfit based on Sora's Halloween Town costume when he catches her playing hooky in Act Two. He's in that costume in the very next act.

** Homura forms one with the Toon trio, Riku, Ratchet, and Clank when she reveals that she wants to help Diancie because she's Madoka partner. The two sides remain hostile, with Homura warning them that she'll turn on them if Lucifer is targeted, with Donald countering that they'll turn on ''her'' if she attacks Sora.
** 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, but makes it clear that Errol will kill her with the Terraformer if they don't destroy him quick enough.

* DecoyProtagonist: The lead character constantly shifts between Sora, Riku, or Ratchet. [[spoiler:The latter is the real protagonist, while the first two are PutOnABus after Halloween]].
* DefrostingIceQueen: Homura isn't nice to anyone throughout the tale, but towards the end, she slightly warms up a bit towards Sora after he tells her about how he, in "The Friendship Asylum", tried to destroy the pantheon out of desire to protect Kairi after a major betrayal. He understands what she did, and she thanks him for keeping Diancie safe, if only to protect Madoka. [[spoiler:Sora's kindness helps set up the events of "Lines of Chaos"]].
* DistressedDude: The GUAC capture Riku in Act One [[spoiler:because Lucifer was angry at being slandered (hinted to be a result of the LOL Rangers driving him insane in "The Pantheonic Rebellion")]] and tie him up. He escapes despite some moderate trouble.

** 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 refuse, mainly because Jak showed up imminently after the offer.
** In Act Two, [[SatanicArchetype Homura]] and [[DarkIsNotEvil Jak]] team-up to defeat Cyber Errol and stop him from using the Terraformer from destroying the Pantheon. [[spoiler:Because Jak falls into a coma in the aftermath, nobody finds out about Homura's heroic action]].
** Act Three has [[spoiler:Comicbook/DoctorDoom, [[Manga/{{Hellsing}} Alexander Anderson]], [[Comicbook/{{Watchmen}} Ozymandias]], Clu, and [[Webcomic/GirlGenius Baron Klaus Wulfenbach]] team up with the protagonists and the Magistrate Judges to take the Red Orb back to Groudon's temple and help the Magistrate Judges reform the [=GUAL=].

* EvilerThanThou: Xenagos knew that Cyber Errol was a SatanicArchetype, and hijacked Donald's illusion spell to bring him back proper, but had no idea until it was too late that Errol was also an OmnicidalManiac who contacted the Dark Makers in the hopes of destroying his universe, and intends to do the same thing to the pantheon, forcing Homura to destroy him and his Terraformer to protect Madoka.
* EvilMatriarch: [[spoiler:A program working for Clu takes on the form of a kindly old woman, and uses said appearance to fool Sora into trusting her, even if most of her actions were genuine PetTheDog moments]].
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Downplayed. Lucifer succeeds in turning Sora against the Sisterhood, but it's heavily implied to be a result of their paranoid nature and forcing him onto the front lines when he's been given a doctor's order to rest]].

* FrameUp: 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 BackFromTheDead, and orders [[spoiler:Stocking]] to attack both parties.

* GuestStarPartyMember: [[spoiler:Absol join Ratchet, Clank, Diancie, The Ministry of Atonement, the ministry's allies, [[AndZoidberg and Iron-Man]] in the climax after her trainer is shot and almost killed]].
* HalfwayPlotSwitch: The plot with Jack Skellington and Neyla doesn't begin until Act Two. The first act sets up the antagonists in the GUAL and GUAC through [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire the manipulation of Groudon and Kyogre]].

* HandicappedBadass: 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 (justified because he was only hours out of surgery in his first on-screen appearance). It doesn't stop him from fighting, regardless.
* HeadbuttingHeroes: Sayaka and Sora don't get along because of their conflicting opinions over Homura. [[spoiler:When Sora forgives Homura for what happened in "Stars of Morning", Sayaka takes it as an outright betrayal, and the two become enemies]].

** [[spoiler:Before she succumbs to the virus]], Diancie spends a good portion of the second act in regret over not taking her duties seriously. She soon snaps out of it, especially after one of her companions succumbs to exhaustion and serve pain in his knee. [[spoiler:She reaches BreakTheCutie status after being freed from the virus, with Tron calling her out on trusting people she just met, as that was how Xenagos corrupted her]].

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Riku pulls one off near the end of Act Three. Though thanks to the quick actions of his friends, he survives]].
-->'''[[spoiler:Riku]]:''' [[IronicEcho Consider this... an apology]].
* ICanStillFight: Inverted in Act One, where Sora is exhausted because he just had a serious operation several hours earlier (and was put asleep), and refuses to fight. Sakura has to convince him to join. Played straight in Act Three, where he refuses to stay in the medical division during Halloween.

* {{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.

** [[spoiler:Sayaka eventually regrets sending 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]].
* ItWasAGift: "Battle Royale: Round 2" reveals that Sora has obtained a Mega Bracelet[[note]]converted into a Mega Glove in Space Paranoids[[/note]], and he finally realizes it's use from Diancie. According to Rhyme, Neku gave his Key Stone to Sora as a token of friendship while the latter was being treated for his crushed kneebone after Polygon Man's defeat.
* KarmicDeath: Early on in Act Two, Sora encounters four programs who treats him cruelly, [[ClusterFBomb even cursing at him]]. When Megaman.Exe goes to [[spoiler:the Undernet]] and sees them running from the Commantis, he allows it to destroy them. Sora calls him out on allowing this in spite of their actions.

** 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 [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY if he picked it out from the trash]]. Four more programs mock Sora from the street [[CountryMatters with a word too horrible to write down]], grab his wrist to insure he misses a deadline and pays extra, and drive him off a bus as he is on his way to meet up with Ruby. Two programs bully him over his Dream Eaters. And finally, the bitch who shoves Sora for his kindness.
** Neyla ambushes Sora in his sleep and locks him in a closet, where he almost suffocates from toxic fumes. He wakes up and escapes, right as Lie Ren appears to make the last parcel delivery to Dr. Finklestein, where he is also overcome by the fumes.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: The JerkWithAHeartOfJerk programs are destroyed by the Commantis when Megaman.Exe decides not to save them because of their interactions with Sora earlier.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm:
** Zaheer, Deidara, and Gilgamesh retreat back to the Labyrinth instead of fighting the protagonists and their allies. Gilgamesh initially protested against this, but Deidara points out that the fight would get the attention of a GUAG member.
** Deidara has another moment in Act Three. During the fight against Daxter and his allies, [[spoiler: Stocking Anarchy leaves when her sister Panty Anarchy arrives, heartbroken over what her sister did to Riku,]] he decides to get [[spoiler:Vile]] and withdraw. [[spoiler:Vile]], on the other hand, decides to stay and attempt kill the heroes.
** Metatron and three Archangels (Raphael, Uriel, and Michael) retreat when Homura Akemi and the Demifiend, two of the Lords of Chaos, appear on the battlefield to assist the heroes in defeating them.
** There are two reasons Lucifer declared defeat to the heroes and cancels his plans to attack the GUAL in the third act: One, not only has the [=GUAC=]'s actions alerted the [=GUAG=] to them, but they've also set up potential ambushes against them. The second reason is that he can't have Homura acting out of line in the middle of a battle against their enemies. There's also the fact that the Magistrates were going to do the job for him now that the GUAL has been exposed.

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler:Jak]] lost a good amount of memories from being in contact with Sora's heart during "Dark Proxies". He regains them here, but [[spoiler:becomes comatose indefinitely]].
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: At the beginning, Sakura literally locks a Kirlia Sora was looking after out of the PACU to give him and Riku the briefings for the mission they are forced into. By the time Kairi arrives, Kirlia is banging at the door and screaming to be let in.
* {{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, while Kirlia (later Gardevoir) appears alongside Sora at the end of Act Two, and stays with him for most of Act Three.
** In Act Three, Jak finally accepts [[SweetSeal Juggle Pup]] as his partner Dream Eater after he spends four months hanging around with him and Daxter.
** [[RobeAndWizardHat Majik Lapin]] is shown to have left Sora for the Sisterhood in the end, with the implication that he'll become a GuardianEntity of Madoka for when she returns from Usagi's world.

** Several elements of ''Anime/PokemonDiancieAndTheCocoonOfDestruction'' 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. Coincidentally, asides Diancie herself, the Pokémon show Mega-Evolving in the first fifteen minutes of the film are either owned by a protagonist (Gardevoir and Absol) or evolve from one (Scyther - Scizor).

** In Act Three, Ruby mentions that, after leaving the hospital, she went to a nice-looking strange restaurant that had large dice, stuffed bears, and numbered cards inside. The customers besides Ruby herself were [[Videogame/HalfLife Morgan Freeman]], [[VideoGame/CallOfDuty SAS Captain John Price]], Hello Kitty, [[Literature/HarryPotter Hermoine Granger]], Howling Mad Murdoch, [[Manga/KillLaKill Mako Mankanshoku]], [[LightNovel/GirlsUndPanzer Erica Hartmann]], and [[Literature/{{Discworld}} Rincewind]]. Whatever number the customer got, they couldn't change it. [[Videogame/LeagueOfLegends Doctor Boom]] threatened to blow up the restaurant after he didn't get he wanted, and the employees kicked him out.

* NotBrainwashed: Daxter accuses the GUAC of brainwashing [[spoiler:Stocking Anarchy]] to assist them in their attack against him. Deidara states she went on her own volition.

** Sora has made it very clear that he wants no part in the Sisterhood's conflict with Lucifer [[spoiler:since he has his own agendas with Homura]], but is forced in anyway despite his and Ratchet's objections, not wanting to upset Diancie.

* OnlyAFleshWound: [[spoiler:Averted with Riku, who is clearly dying after being shot]].

* PartingWordsRegret: Sora and Sayaka have a major fight during Halloween 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 [[spoiler:watching Jak fall into a coma]] but before she could apologize, he has already left the pantheon, [[spoiler:and later disappears [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII during the Second Keyblade War]]]]. Sayaka is left with guilt over her actions ever since.

** In a more downplayed example, Lucifer and GUAC only wanted to use Groudon 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.

* RageBreakingPoint: [[spoiler:Sayaka confronts Sora over his betrayal during Halloween, 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]].

** In Halloween Town, Ruby is dressed as a cute devil with a tail and horns. For Team JNPR, Jaune becomes a Mummy (albeit not to the same extent as Donald), Nora is a blood covered nurse, and Ren is dressed as a Chinese doctor (with a scar on his face as a homage to Black Jack). [[spoiler:Pyrrha would've been a ChineseVampire with a BadassCape had she lived]].

** Act One started off as just a rush to the lab with Team JNPR making their package deliveries to Dr. Finkelstein. But then Donald casts a transformation spell without informing his allies, and the GUAC obtains the Red Orb to bring Groudon under their control. As a result, deities think a witch has cursed them, and countless earthquakes have rocked the pantheon. Then, towards the end, [[spoiler:the GUAL terrorizes the pantheon with Primal Kyogre, triggering a [=PR=] war between the two opposing factions]].

* ShipTease:
** Sora and Kairi spend the Halloween party together without Riku or the Disney deities alongside them, though they don't call it a "date", despite the instincts of several others, namely Rhyme.
** There are also a few moments between Sora and Ruby that indicate this, mainly in The Grid after they join up.
* ShoppingMontage: The computer used by the hackers has online shopping, which inside, resembles a huge shopping mall with tons of programs representing buyers. Diancie abandons her mission for a bit to [[MythologyGag have some fun shopping]], much to the chagrin of Sora and the hackers. More hilariously, Sora and Megaman.Exe busted Diancie while she was wearing an outfit based on ''the former's'' [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire Halloween Town form]], which he is currently stuck in outside.

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: It's normal for Team Rocket to try and steal Ash's Pikachu every single day in the pantheon, like in [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} the anime itself]]. This time, they instead follow the hackers out of an [[ExactWords accidental suggestion from Meowth]], and try to steal ''Meow Wow'' from Sora and Diancie. The trio would learn the hard way that [[HandicappedBadass Sora]] is ''[[GoodIsNotSoft nothing]]'' like [[IdiotHero Ash]].

** Homura takes the Heart Diamond from a satyr and returns it to Dianice's temple in Act Two. This sends Xenagos' plan to frame the GUAL in debris.

* SuperMode:
** Diancie also frequently Mega Evolves, often without the aid of a Key Stone, whenever she's in a battle.
** During the climax, Absol and Gardevoir Mega-Evolve and Mega Man X activates his Ultimate Armor to fight the Demons in the Labyrinth of Amala. Absol is clearly displeased that she has to Mega-Evolve for reasons involving violence.

* ThisMeansWar: 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, with one [[spoiler:infecting Diancie with a virus to spy on the White Hats]] and the other [[spoiler:to steal the Heart Diamond and frame the other faction]].

** 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. [[spoiler:And also because he still has half of [[AntiHero Jak's]] heart inside him until shortly after Diancie's betrayal]].
** Tron is less idealistic in the TimeSkip from "Stars of Morning", with it hinted from suddenly having to deal with three enemy factions who consider him a major threat, and [[spoiler:having fallen to Courtney Gears' control]]. Case in point, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold He is still nice to Sora]], but is far less lenient with Diancie, with him scolding her at times.
* TookALevelInKindness: Shaymin was quite a {{Jerkass}} in [[Anime/PokemonGiratinaAndTheSkyWarrior his origin film]] (especially in Land Forme), but here, he's friendlier and more willing to help.
* ToxicFriendInfluence:
** Shaymin encourages Diancie to basically abandon her duties ''at the worst possible time''. Granted, he had no idea [[spoiler:about Xenagos invoking AdultFear to make Dace very overprotective and drive Diancie to rebel]].
** [[CombatPragmatist Sora]] isn't much better than Shaymin, as a lot of his "lessons" he teaches Diancie in the second act are of [[GreyAndGrayMorality lower morality]] than what [[BlackAndWhiteMorality Ash taught her]]. However, [[EveryoneHasStandards he also has his limits]], and tells Diancie that she cannot just abandon her duties for selfish reasons, but does agree that the Carbink don't give her any breaks.
* TranquillizerDart: [[spoiler:This is how the GUAC under Lucifer's orders captures Riku, given he would easily slaughter them all otherwise]].
* UnbrokenVigil: Riku is left hospitalized from [[spoiler:injuries sustained from the Halloween riot and being shot by Stocking]]. Both of his childhood friends, out of devotion and a double HeroicBSOD, refuse to leave his side.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Coyote Starrk reveals to the group that [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler:caused the Demon Lord of Chaos (who regained his sanity) 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 hide in Alola, all as a form of revenge against a little girl.]]

* VillainWorld: [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Black City]] is part of The Grid, and thus, is under Clu's control and is part of the GUAL. [[spoiler:And then, there is the Undernet, which is a WretchedHive full of stolen buses that even Clu and his Black Guard refuse to go near unless sufficiently prepped]].
* WhamEpisode:
** [[spoiler:The end of Act Two. Sora forgives Homura for betraying the Sisterhood, though it may stern from how they mistreated him earlier. Sora is also revealed to have encountered Kyubey in Space Paranoids shortly after "Stars of Morning", with disastrous results[[note]]Kyubey attempted to contract with female programs, but was caught by Jinx, Mog, and Grim... but not before one banking program witched out, causing a system malfunction that lead to a BankRobbery[[/note]], and he and Tron have their own desires to kill him]].
** [[spoiler:Act Three has Riku being shot and almost killed by Stocking after Halloween is ruined and the GUAL is found out to be corrupt]].

** 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, and Ratchet outright demands he and Clank go in their friend's place. The result frustrates Sora to no end, with what him being attacked by Groudon, rouge programs, and Neyla, 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.
** Megaman.Exe calls Diancie out on running away from the tower's trial for selfish reasons in Act Two, and when Tron finally gets to speak with her [[spoiler:after Diancie is freed from TheVirus]], he berates her for being selfish and trusting anyone despite knowing that one person she trusted turned out to be a DaddysLittleVillain. And by the end, Ratchet calls her out on [[spoiler:attacking Lucifer, despite Homura's warnings ''not to'']].
** Cinderella mentions that she encountered Sol Badguy prior to attending the Disney meeting, scolding her for leaving Satako Houjou, one of the members of Lol Ranger, with the others inside the Labyrinth of Amala back in a previous story.
** Near the end of the story, Prince Zuko berates the Carbink guardians for senseless attacking deities.

* ChangingOfTheGuard: Absol's original trainer is Riku. After he was shot in Act Three, Absol is loaned to Clank. At the last scene of Chapter 19, [[spoiler:Clank gives her to Spider-Man (whom she disobeys because she's technically a traded Pokémon, and because she's forced into situations involving violence)]].
coincidentally, wearing an outfit based on Sora's Halloween Town costume when he catches her playing hooky in Act Two. He's in that costume in the very next act.
* ChekhovsGunman: In the first act, Riku attends a meeting with Darth Vader, [[Videogame/GuiltyGear Sol Badguy, [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Zuko]], [[Videogame/StarCraft Sarah Kerrigan]], and [[Videogame/Disgaea5 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. [[spoiler:They return with their friends in the third act after their comrade is shot and almost killed]].

** 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 [[NotSoDifferent with himself]] when he sided with [[Disney/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]], who is an outright CardCarryingVillain.

** 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 [[Disney/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs the seven dwarfs]] treated Ventus when they accuse him of wanting to steal their diamonds in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep''.

* ItsAllMyFault: [[spoiler: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]].

* PetTheDog: Riku had his medical expenses for both the Stuffum Syndrome and blood poisoning paid by one of Hans' older brothers (presumably [[TokenGoodTeammate Lars]]) as an apology for Hans cutting a nasal cannula that the Keyblade Master was forced to wear, in the midst of a VillainousBreakdown.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
** Donald turns himself into his Halloween Town form, a {{mummy}}, forgetting that the spell will also affect Sora and Goofy despite them not being present, and it is revealed that the spell now affects a broader range of deities, including the Cooper Gang, Kairi, Kyoko, and Ruby. His mistake is blamed on witchcraft, sending many on a wild goose chase.
** Usagi and Sakura forcing Sora into going on a mission in spite of a doctor's orders to stay in bed until Halloween drove him to [[spoiler:betraying them by forgiving Homura]]. The other {{Magical Girl}}s call them out on it.

* NotSoHarmlessVillain: [[spoiler:Clu provides to be a real threat in the second act after spending "Muse Hysteria" as an AntiVillain. For example, he has ordered several programs to spy on Tron and his allies, and even steals the Red Orb from Sora, allowing the GUAL to control Groudon]].

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
** Lucifer normally wouldn't mind the Lords of Chaos' infighting, but in this story, he [[spoiler: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.]]
** [[spoiler:When Sora finds out that him being hospitalized after suffering a leg injury triggered a RantInducingSlight in Homura that lead to her FaceHeelTurn, the revelations after being TheChewToy for most of the tale causes a mental breakdown.]]

** The Rogue Programs who harass Sora in Act Two [[spoiler:are all under a virus, which is the same one used on Diancie (and almost used on Jak) in "The Friendship Asylum"]].

* SequelHook: The end of Act Three ties into the ''Fanfic/ReformationOfLaw'', as some of the plots left hanging here are resolved there. A few others are resolved in "The Millennium Comet" and "Lines of Chaos".

* StealthSequel: To both the "Project: Alternate!Gentaro" and "The Pantheonic Rebellion" story arcs, as the two arcs [[spoiler:are being masterminded by YHVH]]. In fact, [[spoiler:the GUAC is manipulating Diancie into spying on the GUAG all because of her partnership with Madoka]].

* TimeSkip: The events here take place four months after "The Friendship Asylum" and two months after "Battle Royale: Round 2".

** 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 Sakura so soon after a major operation on his leg. [[spoiler:And also because he still has half of [[AntiHero Jak's]] heart inside him until shortly after Diancie's betrayal]].
** Tron is less idealistic in the TimeSkip from "The Friendship Asylum", with it hinted from suddenly having to deal with three enemy factions who consider him a major threat, and [[spoiler:having fallen to Courtney Gears' control]]. Case in point, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold He is still nice to Sora]], but is far less lenient with Diancie, with him scolding her at times.

* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler:Diancie is working for Xenagos, but she is not aware of his actual motivation. In fact, ''she'' was the sniper who killed Jak during the asylum incident, but it is hinted that she was not in her right mind at the time.]]

** [[spoiler:The end of Act Two. Sora forgives Homura for betraying the Sisterhood, though it may stern from how they mistreated him earlier. Sora is also revealed to have encountered Kyubey in Space Paranoids, with disastrous results[[note]]Kyubey attempted to contract with female programs, but was caught by Jinx, Mog, and Grim... but not before one banking program witched out, causing a system malfunction that lead to a BankRobbery[[/note]], and he and Tron have their own desires to kill him]].

* WhamShot: [[spoiler:Sora's Kirlia evolves into Gardevoir during the second act when she saves Megaman.Exe from a corrupted Diancie, then proceeding to fight the Commantis]].

** The Sisterhood call Usagi and Sakura out on forcing Sora into the front lines in their battle against Lucifer at a time where he needs rest, and Ratchet outright demands he and Clank go in their friend's place. The result frustrates Sora to no end, with what him being attacked by Groudon, rouge programs, and Neyla. This drives him into [[spoiler:forgiving Homura]].

* YinYangBomb: Gardevoir and Absol become this [[spoiler:under Ratchet and Clank's command]] in the climax.

The third and final tale of the "Madoka" story arc, the first tale of the "Law and Chaos" story arc, and the tale that officially ties them to the ''Fanfic/ProjectAlternateGentaro'' arc and ''Fanfic/ViennaBurning''.

Halloween is near, but someone is planning on using that day for an unknown terror. Also, someone is sending Sora on a top-secret mission regarding Madoka... and he has the Mythical Pokémon Diancie as a partner for said mission.

The tale is unique for tying two arcs together, resolving many issues and opening up new ones. It can be read [[https://tropepantheon.wordpress.com/diamond-adventure-the-dark-mystery/ here]], and like ''Fanfic/MuseHysteria'', it follows the "three act" formula.

* AlohaHawaii: [[spoiler:Mickey is forced to send Sora, Kairi, and Riku to [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Alola]] to hide them from Lucifer when he makes a threat against the trio for trying to force Homura to turn against him]].

** Although she was fully introduced here, Kirlia, [[spoiler:is the same Ralts who befriended Ratchet and Clank in "The Friendship Asylum"]].

* BlindfoldedVision: Ruby wears a blindfold in The Grid to keep herself in control. She mentions that Riku, a former BlindWeaponmaster, is training her to fight while blindfolded in the event that [[spoiler:her Silver Eye powers become out of her control]].

* ABoyAndHisX: Pokémon partners appear, such as Ruby's Scyther, Riku's Absol, Sora's Kirlia/Gardevoir, and Diancie (who's Madoka's partner, but is a wild Pokémon). In the climax, [[spoiler:Ratchet becomes a temporary partner to Absol and Gardevoir]].

** At least four events are call backs to ''Fanfic/MuseHysteria'':

*** Daxter has trouble saying Namekian correctly, even when Piccolo does appear in the story.
** There are many to ''Fanfic/TheFriendshipAsylum'' also:
*** Mabel being fascinated with Sora's Halloween Town costume is brought up again here.

** One to the Great Upheaval: In their fight against Metatron, Uriel, Raphael, and Michael, Green Lantern states that even Super Man couldn't withstand Metatron's fire of Sinai when the seraph did the same to Sora and Mickey.

* ChekhovsGun: Riku mentions early on that he upgraded Sora's Mega Bracelet to allow Z-Crystals to be used, and even gave Sora a few of them for Kirlia to use once she evolves into Gardevoir. [[spoiler:Sora hands Diancie a Fairium-Z when Clu disables Mega Evolution, and has her use Twinkle Tackle against the Commantis]].

* ClearMyName: [[spoiler:The events of the tale have caused Jak to fall into a coma, and Sora to hide in Alola, with both of them unable to settle their feud with the Carbink servants. Sora personally requests Ratchet and the others to vindicate them both]].

* TheDreaded: Carrying over from "The Friendship Asylum" is James and Meowth fearing Riku because of his [[PostFinalBoss ac]][[EnemyWithin ti]][[SuperpoweredEvilSide ons]] at the end of ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'', which has been dubbed "Ansemphobia" by Jessie. This has also evolved into them fearing anything that [[BlindfoldedVision conceals eyes]], including Mega Absol's [[PeekABangs bangs]], Raiden's and [=2B's=] blindfolds, and [[spoiler:Sora's pumpkin mask]], the last of which caused Jessie to call them out on such cowardice.

* FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire: Sora is in his Halloween Town form throughout the second half of Act One, the end of Act Two, and most of Act Three due to Donald casting a transformation spell without warning. [[spoiler:However, he has a mental breakdown during Act Three and attacks Mami and Sayaka]].

* GoMadFromTheRevelation: [[spoiler:Sora finds out that Homura got a glimpse of him in the GUAG Medial Division after the asylum's fall, causing her to snap and betray Madoka. He, too, snaps from the revelation and nearly kills Sayaka before Mami restrains him]].

* GuestStarPartyMember: [[spoiler:Sora's Gardevoir and Riku's Absol join Ratchet[[note]]who is actually Gardevoir's original trainer[[/note]], Clank, Diancie, The Ministry of Atonement, the ministry's allies, [[AndZoidberg and Iron-Man]] in the climax after their trainers are forced into hiding]].

** Sora has kept [[StepfordSmiler a positive face on]] throughout the tale despite constantly being attacked and humiliated, and it's implied that he has PTSD from both the asylum and [[spoiler:failing to save Tron from Courtney Gears, indirectly leading to Kyubey reviving the Witch System]]. Sora has a complete breakdown when informed that [[spoiler:''he'' played a role in Homura's FaceHeelTurn]].

* ICanStillFight: Inverted in Act One, where Sora is exhausted because he just had a serious operation several hours earlier (and was put asleep), and refuses to fight. Sakura has to convince him to join, and he only agrees if Kirlia comes along as well. Played straight in Act Three, where he refuses to stay in the medical division during Halloween.

* ItsAllMyFault:
** [[spoiler:Both Riku and Kairi blame themselves for leaving Sora alone during a point when he cannot defend himself, which allowed Neyla to attack him in his sleep]].
** [[spoiler: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]].

** 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 [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY if he picked it out from the trash]]. Four more programs mock Sora from the street [[CountryMatters with a word too horrible to write down]], grab his wrist to insure he misses a deadline and pays extra, and drive him off a bus as he is on his way to meet up with Ruby. Two programs bully him over his Dream Eaters. And finally, the bitch who shoves Sora for his kindness. [[spoiler:They're all under a virus created by Xenagos to control them, which is the exact same virus used on Diancie in "The Friendship Asylum" to turn her into a human-like program and have her shoot Jak]].

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler:Jak]] lost a good amount of memories from being in contact with Sora's heart during "The Friendship Asylum". He regains them here, but [[spoiler:becomes comatose indefinitely]].
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: At the beginning, Sakura literally locks Sora's Kirlia out of the PACU to give her trainer and Riku the briefings for the mission they are forced into. By the time Kairi arrives, Kirlia is banging at the door and screaming to be let in.
* {{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 and Ruby bring their respective Pokémon partners, Absol and Scyther, along as aid, while Kirlia (later Gardevoir) appears alongside Sora at the end of Act Two, and stays with him for most of Act Three.

* AllHallowsEve: 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.

* ArcVillain: Cyber Errol makes a sudden appearance in the second act to antagonize Riku and his group. [[spoiler:But it turns out that Errol was just an illusion created by Donald Duck to reawaken Jak's lost memories]].

** Deidara and Stocking Anarchy were about to kill Daxter in dark form, but the precursor was saved by [[Videogame/MegaManZero Fighting Fenfir and Hidden Phantom.]] This was subverted later on, as Donald and Goofy arrive later to help the three of them, but the former was ambushed by [[spoiler:Vile]].

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Many are finally able to move on after the dual tragedy involving Madoka and Gentaro[[note]]Well not all of them, but that is (literally) another story[[/note]], but not without costs. The GUAL has been exposed, the GUAG itself has four members out of commission (Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Jak) because of the GUAC's actions]].
** [[spoiler:Riku is shot and almost killed, forcing Sora to continue the Villains Report in his steed. Although they and Kairi are having fun in Alola, and Sora finally recovers from his paralysis and broken knee, they'll soon have to return to their own world for the upcoming confrontation with Xehanort, preventing them from returning to the pantheon for awhile. They're pretty much forced to say goodbye to all the friends and allies they've made]].

* BoundAndGagged: Riku is left bound and gagged in the first two acts. The first time, he's tranquilized after helping Sora escape with the Red Orb, and he awakens with a rag in his mouth and his hands tied behind his back. When this happens again, it was because he had discovered something that the villain is plotting, and is shocked again. [[spoiler:This was part of a BatmanGambit so that Riku could fake a kidnapping with an illusion of Cyber Errol in the hopes of getting Jak's memories back]].

* CuteLittleFangs: Sora has these in his Halloween Town form, and due to entering the computer ''while in said form'', they're retained in his form for The Grid. Nothing else is transferred.

* DecoyProtagonist: [[spoiler:Sora is set up to be the main deuteragonist, getting the info from the Grid with Tron in the mountains, but after Riku gets shot in Act Three, it becomes obvious that Ratchet is the real one]].

* EpilepticTrees: In-universe with two of the Villains Report. In Volume 19, Riku suspects that his Absol is Maleficent's estranged daughter Mal, turned into a Pokémon by her mother as revenge for betraying her. This is actually false. In Volume 21, Riku even writes down on the possibility that Prince Hans is [[Anime/PokemonZoroarkMasterOfIllusions a young Grings Kodai]], who's change of appearance is due to extreme darkness in his heart.
** Meowth gives another in-universe speculation that the reason why Sora wears a mask in his Halloween Town form is because his hidden eye could kill or curse people through direct contact, similar to the curses of both Absol (who kills fainthearted people while Mega Evolved) and Uxie (who erases the memories of anyone who looks in its eyes). Sora calls Meowth out on such a theory, as he has taken his mask off before with no negative effects to anyone around him.

* EyepatchOfPower: Sora wears one while in his Halloween Town outfit, but unlike in "Muse Hysteria", it serves as just a cosmetic change.

* MistakenIdentity: Apparently, Sora is unrecognizable in his computer armor. He mentions that programs mistake him for a Shiny Bisharp when in Space Paranoids.

** Donald turns himself into his Halloween Town form, a {{mummy}}, forgetting that the spell will also affect Sora and Goofy despite them not being present, and it is revealed that the spell now affects a broader range of deities, including the Cooper Gang, Kairi, and Ruby. His mistake is blamed on witchcraft, sending many on a wild goose chase.

** in Act Three, Ruby mentions that, after leaving the hospital, she went to a nice-looking strange restaurant that had large dice, stuffed bears, and numbered cards inside. The customers besides Ruby herself were [[Videogame/HalfLife Morgan Freeman]], [[VideoGame/CallOfDuty SAS Captain John Price]], Hello Kitty, [[Literature/HarryPotter Hermoine Granger]], Howling Mad Murdoch, [[Manga/KillLaKill Mako Mankanshoku]], [[LightNovel/GirlsUndPanzer Erica Hartmann]], and [[Literature/{{Discworld}} Rincewind]]. Whatever number the customer got, they couldn't change it. [[Videogame/LeagueOfLegends Doctor Boom]] threatened to blow up the restaurant after he didn't get he wanted, and the employees kicked him out.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Lucifer normally wouldn't mind the Lords of Chaos' infighting, but in this story, he [[spoiler: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.]]

* FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire: Sora is in his Halloween Town form throughout the second half of Act One, the end of Act Two, and most of Act Three due to Donald casting a transformation spell without warning.

** Sora has kept [[StepfordSmiler a positive face on]] throughout the tale despite constantly being attacked and humiliated, and it's implied that he has PTSD from both the asylum and [[spoiler:failing to save Tron from Courtney Gears, indirectly leading to Kyubey reviving the Witch System]]. And when he finds out that [[spoiler:Jak's heart shattered from his returning memories]], Sora breaks down completely, believing he failed to save his friend.

* TheBet: 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 [[spoiler:the asylum incident crippling both [[AnArmAndALeg Sora]] and [[LaserGuidedAmnesia Jak]]]].

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Many are finally able to move on after the dual tragedy involving Madoka and Gentaro[[note]]Well not all of them, but that is (literally) another story[[/note]], but not without costs. The GUAL has been exposed, the GUAG itself has four members out of commission (Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Jak) because of the GUAC's actions; without Kairi, the entire pantheon is unprotected from corrupting darkness, somewhat allowing the events of "Through Darkness And Mirrors" to happen]].
** [[spoiler:Riku is shot and almost killed, forcing Sora to continue the Villains Report in his steed. Although they and Kairi are having fun in Alola, they'll soon have to return to their own world for the upcoming confrontation with Xehanort, preventing them from returning to the pantheon for awhile. They're pretty much forced to say goodbye to all the friends and allies they've made]].

* BodyguardingABadass: The hackers recruited Ruby Rose, [[ComicBook/TeenTitans Cyborg]], and [[Franchise/GIJoe Snake Eyes]] to guard Sora because he hasn't gotten used to using a prosthetic leg. The mere presence of Cyborg and Snake Eyes causes Shaymin (and by extension, Riku) and Team Rocket to hit a snag in their plans.

** Once inside the computer, Sora is subjected to hostility from many programs, from having [[BlackKnight his armor]] and [[{{Mon}} Dream Eaters]] mocked, to being the center of [[DudeNotFunny a cruel joke]], prevented from paying the bus fare before a deadline, and shoved for helping someone out. These programs represent how cruel people can be in reality to others for just no reason.

*** Sora is ''still'' recovering from having his right leg torn off. It doesn't help that Caius Ballard had undone a lot of damage in ''Battle Royale: Round 2''.

*** Both Sly Cooper and Sora are shown to be slightly nervous upon seeing fire [[spoiler:referencing that Sly was set on fire to free him from corruption, and Sora was caught up in a structural fire that indirectly caused his leg to be lost]].

* ComingOfAgeStory: WordOfGod states that this story is about how many of the characters affected by events such as the asylum, 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.

* ForgivenButNotForgotten: 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 [[spoiler:become friends again]], even if she remains a devil. His friends are hostile to her, however. This is downplayed when he reminds himself that they're still on enemy factions, and he must fight her if Cosmos gives him the order.
** 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 [[NotSoDifferent with himself]] when he sided with [[Disney/SleepingBeauty Maleficent]], who is an outright CardCarryingVillain. Likewise, Riku also admits he will attack her should she attack Cosmos, despite knowing that she's not gone below the deep end [[Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame like with Frollo]].

* HandicappedBadass: 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 Act Two on his legs, but the exhaustion from the mission in it placed him back in the wheelchair in Act Three (justified because he was only hours out of surgery in his first on-screen appearance). It doesn't stop him from fighting, regardless.

** Sora has kept [[StepfordSmiler a positive face on]] throughout the tale despite constantly being attacked and humiliated, and it's implied that he has PTSD from the asylum incident. One nightmare shows that he is still traumatized, [[spoiler:as he can no longer use Drive Forms]]. And when he finds out that [[spoiler:Jak's heart shattered from his returning memories]], Sora breaks down completely, believing he failed to save his friend.

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler:Jak]] lost a good amount of memories from being in contact with Sora's heart during "The Friendship Asylum". He regains them here, but [[spoiler:becomes comatose indefinitely]]. It is implied that [[spoiler:whenever Sora was asleep, Naminé would extract Jak's missing memories from him. But Jak himself cannot regain them unless something directly related to his past comes up, causing their hearts to reconnect briefly]].

** In Act Three, Jak finally accepts Juggle Pup as his partner Dream Eater after he spends four months hanging around with him and Daxter.

* NightmareSequence: [[spoiler:Sora has a flashback while asleep to him trying to get back into fighting shape after losing his leg and most of his abilities. An attempt to enter a Drive Form fails and he faints from fatigue]].

* RetGone: [[spoiler:By the end of the tale, Jak is in an indefinite coma, and everyone who didn't originate from his world forgot about his existence. And with [[DreamWeaver Riku]] gone because of Lucifer's rage, he's unable to use his Dream Eater powers to awaken Jak. This continues well into Year 2, and by Tanabata, Daxter stops waiting for Riku to return, and opts to seek a way to wake his best friend up himself]].

** We finally get the full details on what had happened to Sora at the end of The Friendship Asylum: [[spoiler:Sora had it amputated below the knee and replaced with a prosthetic leg, but his knee bone remains damaged from Caius Ballard, explaining the wheelchair]]. Sora refuses to speak about this to keep the status quo in check.
** [[spoiler: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 ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'', which leaves him a shell of his former self, and had attracted the interest of Lucifer]].

** All Diancie wanted to do was re-kindle the friendship between Madoka and Homura if it means peace for the pantheon. [[spoiler:Sora losing one of his legs, Jak losing many of his memories, and Madoka having her powers sealed]] are major factors in fixing this mess.

** Juggle Pup balancing anything it can find (mostly Daxter) on his nose.

*** Several of the titles are references to various songs. Log 15, the one that angered Lucifer and resulted in Riku being targeted, is called "[[Music/MichaelJackson Blood on the Dance Floor]]", reflecting that Homura stole Madoka's powers in the middle of a dance.

* StealthSequel: To both the "Project: Alternate!Gentaro" and "The Pantheonic Rebellion" story arcs, as the two arcs [[spoiler:are being masterminded by YHVH]]. In fact, [[spoiler:the GUAC is manipulating Diancie into spying on the GUAG all because of her partnership with Madoka]]. "Through Darkness And Mirrors", which takes place a month after "Diamond Adventure", is a more direct sequel to "Project: Alternate!Gentaro".

** Averted with Sora. A flashback in the second act has him [[spoiler:training in The Grid to regain his fighting skills that were lost as a result of his heart being shattered and from absorbing the All-Star Power. At one point, he attempts to use a Drive Form, but fails and blacks out from power fatigue]].

* ADayInTheLimelight: Chapter 12 mostly revolves around Megaman.Exe's adventure into [[spoiler:the Undernet]] to free Diancie of a virus.

* ChangingOfTheGuard:
** Absol's original trainer is Riku. After he was shot in Act Three, Absol is loaned to Clank. At the last scene of Chapter 19, [[spoiler:Clank gives her to Spider-Man (whom she disobeys because she's technically a traded Pokémon, and because she's forced into situations involving violence)]].
** On the other hand, [[spoiler:Gardevoir stays with Ratchet. She obeys him without question because ''he's'' her original trainer, not Sora]].
* ChekhovsGag: Diancie was, coincidentally, wearing an outfit based on Sora's Halloween Town costume when he catches her playing hooky in Act Two. He's in that costume in the very next act.

* ChekhovsGunman: 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. [[spoiler:They return with their friends in the third act after their comrade is shot and almost killed]].

** Act Three has [[spoiler:Doctor Doom, Alexander Anderson, Ozymandias, Clu, and Baron Klaus Wulfenbach]] team up with the protagonists and the Magistrate Judges to take the Red Orb back to Groudon's temple and help the Magistrate Judges reform the [=GUAL=].

** When Sora goes through the notes in the Black Tower involving Madoka and Gentaro, he notes how Gentaro would flip when he learned just what [[spoiler:YHVH was planning for him]]. Tron notes that Gentaro flipping isn't possible since Gentaro and his girlfriend (Elena) haven't been seen since they went on a camping trip in the mountains at the House of Nature.

** Lucifer and GUAC only wanted to use Groudon a distraction for capturing Riku to humiliate Lol Ranger and resume their war the GUAL, not make Madoka suffer more despite Homura's beliefs of Madoka getting drawn in to the GUAC's fight against the GUAL.

* ShoppingMontage: The computer used by the hackers has online shopping, which inside, resembles a huge shopping mall with tons of programs representing buyers. Diancie abandons her mission for a bit to [[MythologyGag have some fun shopping]], much to the chagrin of Sora and the hackers.
** Hilariously, Sora and Megaman.Exe busted Diancie while she was wearing an outfit based on ''his'' [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire Halloween Town form]], which he is currently stuck in outside.

* WithMyHandsTied: Riku doesn't let being BoundAndGagged stop him from fighting or escaping, but he does have trouble at first because he cannot call out Komory Bat until he works his gag off.

** After being overshadowed by [[VideoGame/JakAndDaxter their rivals]] for three tales, Ratchet and Clank finally get the spotlight. In fact, Ratchet is even the tale's deuterogamist of the [=B-plot=], being TheLancer to Riku.

* BodyguardingABadass: The hackers recruited Ruby Rose, Cyborg, and Snake Eyes to guard Sora because he hasn't gotten used to using a prosthetic leg. The mere presence of Cyborg and Snake Eyes causes Shaymin (and by extension, Riku) and Team Rocket to hit a snag in their plans.

* ChekhovsGunman: 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 help others with atonement. [[spoiler:They return with their friends in the third act after their comrade is shot and almost killed]].

* DecoyProtagonist: [[spoiler:Sora is set up to be the main deuteragonist, but after Riku gets shot in Act Three, it becomes obvious that Ratchet is the real one]].

* DownerEnding: As revealed in ''Fanfic/RainbowRivalries'', [[spoiler:the attempt to help Jak regain his memories, while successful, ended in his heart being shattered again, and everyone except Daxter and Keira forgot about him]]. The rest of the tale is a BittersweetEnding.
* DragonWithAnAgenda: Sora is an unusual heroic example, being a self-proclaimed "[[PunchClockHero hired thug]]" of the Sisterhood to join a hacking mission because they know of his friendship with Tron. He only goes along with the mission because he's aware that [[spoiler:Xehanort wants to make Heartless out of both Kriemhild Gretchen and Homulilly (Madoka and Homura's respective Witch forms), and wants the Sisterhood to snap out of their paranoid nature because he feels it's holding Madoka's willpower back]].

* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler:Members, good and evil, from both the GUAL and GUAC are horrified when their leaders decided to bring Kyogre and Groudon into their conflict.]].

* EvilCostumeSwitch: Sora and Ruby gain different armor while what is pink or cyan on Diancie becomes black in The Grid, which is the EvilCounterpart to Space Paranoids. Downplayed as they're not brainwashed.

* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:In the second half of Act Two, Diancie turns on her friends and runs into the Undernet. Downplayed as she was under a virus]].

* HeroOfAnotherStory: While "Through Darkness And Mirrors" is set during December, there are lines/scenes that foreshadow the events in that story, most notably Villains Log 20 lays out a few of the characters that will be involved.

* LampshadeHanging: When Riku discusses him being brainwashed many times (by Maleficent, Ansem, [[spoiler:Courtney Gears]], and Polygon Man) in Villains Log 20, he questions if he's just some magnet for mind control.

** Wonder why there were no [[VideoGame/HearthstoneHeroesOfWarcraft Grim Patrons]] in this story? Lucifer mentions that Beelzebub and the Chaos Knight made sure to wipe them out of the Labyrinth.

** 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 ''Fanfic/ThePantheonicRebellion''. [[spoiler:After Tron leaks the data of their plans to use the asylum as a stronghold, this was dropped]].

** In a minor one, [[spoiler:Ratchet is Gardevoir's original trainer. Sora adopted her as a Ralts because the lombax didn't want to become a Pokémon trainer]].

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Diancie is the Princess of the Diamond Domain, and is a mighty princess while Mega Evolved. Mickey is King of Disney Castle, and a Keyblade Master. And Jak is the disposed Prince of Haven City, and he's especially powerful while in his Dark Jak form.

* VillainWorld: [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Black City]] is part of The Grid, and thus, is under Clu's control and is part of the GUAL. [[spoiler:And then, there is the Undernet, which is a WretchedHive full of stolen buses that even Clu and his Black Guard refuse to go near]].

** [[spoiler:Act Three's climax ends with Riku being shot and almost killed by Stocking after Halloween is ruined and the GUAL is found out to be corrupt]].

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: 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 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 [[DeathSeeker her Witch form]].

** [[spoiler:While Homura remains cold and afoul to everyone she meets, she shows some contempt for Sora (and possibly Jak before she forgot his existence) because he openly forgave her. She even calls him "Cosmos' biggest cheerleader" in a joking matter, which he took with a grin, compared to his friends, who took it as an insult]].

** [[spoiler:The end of Act Two. Sora forgives Homura for betraying the Sisterhood, though it may stern from how they mistreated him earlier. Sora is also revealed to have encountered Kyubey in Space Paranoids between "Battle Royale: Round 2" and this tale with disastrous results[[note]]Kyubey attempted to contract with female programs, but was caught by Jinx, Mog, and Grim... but not before one banking program witched out, causing a system malfunction that lead to a BankRobbery[[/note]], and he and Tron have their own desires to kill him]].

** Once inside the computer, Sora is subjected to hostility from many programs, from having [[BlackKnight his armor]] and [[{{Mon}} Dream Eaters]] mocked, to being the center of [[DudeNotFunny a cruel joke]], and being attacked for helping someone out. These programs represent how cruel people can be in reality to others for just no reason.

** 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 [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY if he picked it out from the trash]]. Four more programs mock Sora from the street [[CountryMatters with a word too horrible to write down]] and drive him off a bus as he is on his way to meet up with Ruby. Two programs bully him over his Dream Eaters. And finally, the bitch who shoves Sora for his kindness. [[spoiler:They're all under a virus created by Xenagos to control them, which is the exact same virus used on Diancie in "The Friendship Asylum" to turn her into a human-like program and have her shoot Jak]].

* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: The only reason why Homura fights [[VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander Cyber Errol]] 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.

** [[spoiler:While Homura remains cold and afoul to everyone she meets, she shows some contempt for Sora because he openly forgave her. She even calls him "Cosmos' biggest cheerleader" in a joking matter, which he took with a grin, compared to his friends, who took it as an insult]].

** 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, but makes it clear that Errol will kill her if they don't destroy him quick enough.

** In Act Two, [[SatanicArchetype Homura]] and [[DarkIsNotEvil Jak]] team-up to defeat Cyber Errol and stop him from using his Dark Maker weapon from destroying the Pantheon. [[spoiler:Because Jak falls into a coma in the aftermath, nobody finds out about Homura's heroic action]].

* EvilerThanThou: Xenagos knew that Cyber Errol was a SatanicArchetype, and hijacked Donald's illusion spell to bring him back proper, but had no idea until it was too late that Errol was also an OmnicidalManiac who contacted the Dark Makers in the hopes of destroying his universe, and intends to do the same thing to the pantheon, forcing Homura to destroy him to protect Madoka.

** Homura has no intent of helping Jak regain his memories, but when Errol is revived, and summons a Dark Maker mecha to crush the pantheon, she aids Jak in stopping Errol, but only because she knew he'll try to hurt Madoka.