Kingdom Hearts Alpha
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of it's characters and settings. They belong to Square Enix and Disney.
Chapter 25: Friends Reunited
"Hey, about those Gummi Blocks," Sora asked as the group had boarded the Gummi Ship once more and set back out into the far reaches of space. "Did you notice how different they look from the other ones we've been finding?"
"Maybe Leon and the others'll know." Goofy suggested, as Donald set the coordinates for Traverse Town into the Gummi Ship.
"Everybody hang on!" Donald said as they started to set out before Sora grabbed the controls.
"C'mon, Donald! Let me be the pilot for once. I'm the Keyblade wielder after all." Sora begged as he tried to pry the control mechanisms away from Donald.
"I don't care who you are, no means NO!" Donald snapped back as he regained control, shakily steadying the ship out.
"Here we go again..." Goofy and Aqua simultaneously muttered under their breath. This was going to be a long trip...
Eventually, after a serious counseling session for Sora and Donald to mend fences mid-flight (which forced them to set the ship on auto-pilot amidst a dangerous meteor shower), the heroes finally landed back in Traverse Town, seeing Rikku and the Accessory Shop owner Cid being grilled by a woman in police garb.
"...No, ma'am. I haven't seen any sign of her the past few days." Rikku reported to the detective.
"If I may," the detective questioned. "The attacks by the Heartless spiked once a boy with a key arrived, is that right?"
"Well, yeah, but what does that have to do with that girl's disappearance? Or any of the others?" Rikku fired back as Sora and his friends approached.
"What's going on?" Sora asked as the two turned their attention towards the visitors.
"So, you must be the Sora kid that Rikku was just telling me about." the detective said to Sora as she observed him.
"Uh, yeah. And wh- who are you?" Sora asked nervously.
"I'm Detective Cornell. If you must ask what I'm doing, there have been reports that within the past few days people from all the Districts of this town have been abducted and presumed dead. Since the attacks have escalated since you first arrived here, would you by any chance know of anything that we don't?"
"Wait a second, are you accusing Sora of kidnapping someone?" Aqua asked as she glared at the officer angrily.
"If that is what you choose to believe, but believe me when I say I'm only looking out for your welfare. You wouldn't want to know what would happen to you when any secrets you hide come back at you." Cornell replied as she left the team to regroup with her fellow officers and report back at the Town's station.
"Geez, what a jerk." Rikku whispered as Cornell was out of range. "Anyway, are you guys here to see Leon? He's over at his regular training spot in the waterway."
"By the way, Sora," Cid said to the group "Can you take this book over to the old house by the 3rd District? Some guy brought it in to have it patched up and I wager he wants it back now. Do that, and I'll take care of whatever you need."
"Like these here?" Sora asked.
"Those ol' Gummi blocks there? No problem. I can have them installed for you fellas. Just remember to deliver that book back."
"Thanks, we'll go look out for him." Donald quacked as the team set out for the waterway by the 2nd District, coming across a tough Heartless called the Sniperwild which fired at them relentlessly upon sight, leading to the group making good use of the Cure spell they earned earlier. Eventually, using a new Team Diamond technique, they knocked down the grate which blocked the entrance into the waterway and eventually found Leon practicing inside the underground cave with Arieth watching close by.
"So, you found the Keyhole." Leon said to Sora as they went over to talk.
"Yeah, and both times we found these." Sora answered, showing Leon the Gummi pieces they found. "Do you know what they're supposed to be for?"
"No, but there's a reason why sealing those Keyholes is so important." Leon spoke, as he and Arieth explained about the hearts of the worlds. "In every world, there's a central heart that fuels life for its people and protects it from darkness. Ever since the Heartless appeared, they've been searching to collect hearts and take over worlds with darkness by entering the Keyholes."
"Then what happens?" Donald and Goofy asked.
"In the end, the world disappears. That's why we need your help, Sora, Aqua. You're the only two who can."
"I understand. We'll do what we can to save them." Sora replied.
"That's all we needed to hear. By the way, while I came down earlier, I found some sort of lift up those stairs." Leon said with a gracious smirk, pointing over towards a staircase not far off from where they were sitting.
"Thanks, we'll go check it out." Aqua replied as the group went over to investigate.
"When you're done, meet us over at the old house in 3rd District. Cid ought to have those Gummi pieces fixed up and we'll tell you about the Bell Tower at the 2nd District." Arieth added as the group went up into the Mysterious House where the lift took them to.
"There's nothing in here," Donald noticed as the group looked around while Sora received a sight he didn't expect.
"There's something about this musty old place. It reminds me of the cave back home, where we used to scribble on the walls. Remember, Sora?"
"Kairi..." Sora murmured, surprised to see Kairi safe and sound, although then his moment was broken when Goofy called for him. "Did you guys see that?"
"See what? There's nothing in here except for the four of us." Aqua said to Sora with concern. The silence was then broken when a stranger dressed in wizard garb stepped into the room.
"I must say, you all came in here sooner than I expected." the stranger spoke in bemusement.
"Who are you? You're not a Heartless, right?" Sora asked.
"A Heartless? Good heavens, no. My name is Merlin and I am a magician." the stranger introduced himself as he set his bag down on the pedestal nearby. "The King sent me to help teach you how to use magic. I'll explain in a moment." With a wave of his wand, he used a magic spell to empty the contents of his bag, filling out the room with furniture regrowing from its tight space until eventually the space was filled with its proper splendor. "Now then, there are many powers you can wield through the Keyblade, including your spells, so I'm here to help you learn how to control this power to fight against evil. Oh, and one more thing..." Merlin continued as the magic in the room focused upon a tiny pumpkin-shaped carriage until it revealed a frumpy but friendly-looking sorceress.
"Hello, I am the Fairy Godmother. The King of Disney Castle sent me to help as well. Just talk to me if you need anything." the fairy introduced herself.
"OK, so Merlin, we're here to give you this back, and to ask about this." Donald spoke as he handed the book to the wizard and showed off the peculiar gem. "Ah, so Cid had that book fixed up. How nice of him; I should go thank the fellow someday for fixing it, but for now, I'll just leave it on that table over there. If you wish to read it, just pick it up and open it. As for that though, I believe the Godmother should know more about it."
"So, ma'am, do you what this thing is?" Sora asked as he showed the Fairy Godmother the tiny gemstone.
"Oh, poor thing! It's become a summon gem." the Fairy Godmother exclaimed.
"What?" the group perked up in confusion.
"The creatures in this gem lost their world to the Heartless, but their hearts were so strong that rather than disappear with their home, they transformed into this gem." the Fairy Godmother explained.
"Can you bring them back?" Goofy inquired.
"Yes, but only their spirit. Now watch closely," the Fairy Godmother continued as she waved her wand and spoke her magic words "Bippidi Boppidi Boo!" {You have obtained the Wander and Sylvia summon and unlocked the Summon command. You can now summon allies into battle, as long as you have two healthy party members on your team. The summon will battle alongside you until the summon gauge runs out, at which point it cannot be summoned again until a new battle starts again.}
"Thank you so much." Sora said with a smile on his face as the group set back out to reunite with Leon and the others when they were ambushed by a Shadow Heartless and Green Requiem Heartless. As they prepared for battle, the Heartless were cut down quickly as Sora was shocked to see a familiar face for real.
"There you are, Sora! I've been looking all over for you."
"Riku?!"
Jiminy's Journal
* Cid Highwind- A Gummi Ship engineer who helped Leon, Aerieth, and Rikku flee from their dying home when it fell into darkness. Gruff and cantankerous, he still has a soft side as he helps with working on our ship. Cid cracked down to set flight in "Final Fantasy VII" (1997).
* Detective Andrea Cornell- A police officer in Traverse Town who is investigating a series of abductions of civilians living in the town, allegedly by the forces of the Heartless. She may seem unfriendly, but she's out to find the truth behind this mystery, one way or another. Her search began in "ABC's Secrets and Lies" (2015).
* Merlin- A great sorcerer living in the outskirts of Traverse Town. His wisdom and magic powers are second to none, and he helps teach Sora and the others more about magic. He carries a magical bag with him that can carry just about anything. Merlin taught Arthur how to be king in "The Sword in the Stone" (1963).
* Fairy Godmother- A powerful but generous and good-hearted fairy who helps Sora and his friends on their adventure. Slightly absent-minded, but an expert at magic. She gives Sora and the others lessons in magic, as well as advice for the journey ahead. She first appeared as Cinderella's fairy godmother in "Cinderella" (1950).
* Wander and Sylvia- Two space travelers who explore the galaxy helping those in need. With Sylvia being the more spirited and hot headed of the two compared to the carefree and naive Wander, thsee two balance each other out as they aid Sora in his adventure. Wander uses his pep and vigor to spellcast against the Heartless while Sylvia uses melee combos to battle and grab Heartless with her tail. These best friends really get around in "Disney Channel's Wander Over Yonder" (2013).
* Green Requiem Heartless- Tiny green Heartless that float around casting healing spells on enemies during battle. Annoying as it may be that they drag battles on longer than usual, the healers ironically have low health, making them easy to defeat.
* Sniperwild Heartless- Heartless that resemble the Bouncywilds, but these need to be defeated quickly as possible because once it sees you, it'll call in its friends and fire an endless barrage of shots at you. If only you could use some sort of spell to nullify their attacks...
And that concludes yet another update. Please remember to review and share this story to help spread awareness and keep it going. See you all next time!