Chapter 2
The Power Inside a Heart

"What the…" I said, then grabbed the gem from Yen-Sid's hand and pushed him away. "What the hell did you do to her?" Xion regained her breath, panting heavily. Rex grabbed her to support her from weakness.

"I was only bringing shards of her heart close to her. She was reacting exactly as I predicted." He got up, and walked over to me. "I will excuse your rudeness since you did not understand." He held his hand out to me, to get the gem again, but I placed it back in my bag.

"Hell no. Sorry, but if I'm going to go collect these shards, I'm going to need these as well." I spat out.

"I will tolerate your behavior only because you are this girl's only hope for recompletion!" he yelled. I stumbled back, surprised. "I can feel that your heart is deeply connected to hers, due to your close proximity to her heart shards. I believe, that with a little magical ability, you will be able to sense the other shards and their locations."

"Really..? But, I can't do that now, so how could I find them?"

"Simply look inside yourself, and awaken your magical ability." He said simply. I wondered what he meant, when I remembered the stained-glass realm I once survived. I wonder if that was where I needed to go. I believe Sora called it a "Dive to Heart."

"Do you have someplace could be alone? I don't think I could do that otherwise." Yen-Sid nodded, and opened his wardrobe in the corner of the room. It was bigger on the inside, and I found a nice, small room to concentrate. I've never willingly went to this place, but I can try. I closed my eyes, and focused on nothing but my own heart…

When I opened my eyes, I saw the black space and stained-glass platform like usual. However, the picture was different. I was still dominating most of the platform, since it was my heart, and Xion and Rex were still on it. However, I also saw two blacked-out forms, one human, one not. The three platforms from before appeared, with their items on top; a sword, a shield, and a staff.

Your destiny calls, Keyblade Knight. This room is yours to use, but remember the price of power- to use one of the three items to its fullest, you must also give one ability up in return. The voice said. Since this is my heart, wouldn't it be my subconscious or something? Disregarding that thought, I walked up to the staff.

The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of both wonder and ruin. Do you wish to use this power to its fullest? I nodded. You have chosen the power of the mystic. Now, choose a power to give up in return.

I walked over to the shield, seeing as though I did fine without it before. The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. Do you give up this power? I hesitated. I was only using this place to help Xion. Would I feel the same if I gave up the kindness to aid my friends? I shook my head, and went over to the sword instead.

The power of the warrior. Invincible Courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Do you choose to give this power up? Well, this was giving up a sword. I use a bow, so I nodded. You have made your choices wisely. Or have you..? The voice said before the realm faded.

I wok back up in the real world, and exited to the main room. "Well? Did you succeed in awakening your magical power?" Yen-Sid asked.

"Yeah, I think so. And, you're right. Besides the shards in my bag, I can feel Xion's heart fragments. I can locate them, if I had a ship."

"I was wondering when you would bring that up. As my final gift to you, Zack, just go outside my tower. I bid you good luck on your journey." He turned to sit back down in his chair, and opened up a large volume entitled, 1001 Ways to Cook With Magic. I decided to leave him alone, Xion and Rex following me.

"Are you really helping me, Zack?" Xion wrote.

"Yeah, Xion. Think about it- you don't have your heart. We now have a way of getting it back, and I'll help you get all the shards of your heart back. No matter how many there are."

"Yeah, me too." Rex said. "Don't worry, you'll need my strength." When we exited the tower on our way down, collapsing from exhaustion at the amount of stairs, I was greeted by a familiar sight.

"The Falcon? I thought it was destroyed!" I said, running inside. I found it to be much the same as before, but with a few new features or improvements. First off, an autopilot was there. I had to worry about that. Second, a small sectioned-off sleeping area. No more hammocks for us! Finally, a decently stocked food closet. Yen-Sid was really good with his magic.

"Hmm, so I just hit the direction I want to go?" I muttered to myself. "Well, the closest shard I can sense is this way, so… Let's go!" I punched in the direction on the computer, and it blasted the ship off a warp speed. I knew it would take a while, even with this new, faster engine, so I went over to the food closet and started making a meal for the three of us. Xion was marking off a cot in the sleeping area for herself, while Rex simply looked out the window at the passing stars and worlds.

It felt great to be out here, adventuring again.

(Perspective change: a green-haired individual)

Well, I got what I wanted- a pass to the Reverse World. However, just as soon as I landed in this strange, ever-changing landscape, I was attacked. I had thought nothing lived here, like the legends. But I was wrong- the Pokémon that were attacking me were unlike any I've seen before. They had glowing, yellow eyes, and jagged smiles on their black bodies.

Not even Dexter knew what they were. Not like I could use him, since a strange energy jammed anything electronically powered. It's a good thing my arm ran on the energy produced by my body heat, so I could still move and attack these Pokémon.

"Don't worry, Kiara," I said after I had finished the battle. These creatures evaporated into black smoke if I damaged them too much. "You'll be back in the real world soon."

(A/N: and so another chapter awaits us. Will Zack find Xion's third heart shard? Will Rex be reunited with his trainer? And where is Giratina? Find out… in the distant future! ~Nano)