Ah boy so this chapter is sorta... by the books. Not that that's a bad thing, I had a lot of fun with it, but it does stride a little too close to what the game does for my liking. But that's mostly because the chapter that comes after it is where things really start to go off the rails so I figured I'd go ahead and make this one relatively more lighthearted and fun before things get real. So with that in mind, enjoy!


Chapter 19: The Streets of San Fransokyo

They say we are what we are
But we don't have to be
I'm bad behavior but I do it in the best way
I'll be the watcher (watcher) of the eternal flame
I'll be the guard dog of all your favorite dreams

The next world that Sora, Donald, and Goofy's quest for the Keys took them to was a far cry from the one they'd just left. For instead of the vast, open, endless depths of the Great Ocean, what laid before them now was a dense, yet massive cityscape, its sharp, futuristic skyline glistening in the late afternoon sun, even from as far away as the vantage point the trio found themselves on upon their arrival. Said vantage point was a picturesque bridge, built strong and sturdy as its distinctive crimson supports towered high above the wide road it carried, a road strewn with traffic that seemed to be, for some odd reason, in a complete standstill. Yet the odd lack of moving vehicles, much less their drivers, went largely unnoticed by the trio as they ventured out onto the open bridge. Sora in particular was quite impressed by just how cutting-edge the city looked, even from a distance.

"Cool!" He excitedly ran ahead of his companions to get a better look. "And I thought that last world was amazing; but this place is incredible!"

"C'mon, Sora," Donald said evenly as he and Goofy continued onward even as Sora continued meandering about. "We need to start looking for that Key."

"Aw, but I wanna take a look at the big city!" Sora protested, knowing that a world like this couldn't be so easily passed by. Especially since cities, especially ones as stunning and sweeping as this one, tended to be few and far between in their adventures.

"Yeah, it does seem pretty exciting," Goofy let out a small, amused chuckle.

"I feel so metropolitain!" Sora exclaimed, finally coming to stop behind the magician and the captain. "Um, cosmopolitan?"

"Non-apolitan!" Donald snapped, annoyed. "We're not here to sight-see! You said so yourself: we have a lot of work to do. So let's get to it already!"

"Uh huh, right, work, got it," Sora nodded rather absently as he pulled his Gummiphone out and began tapping away at it.

"Now what?" Donald asked with a dry scowl.

"I gotta tell Riku what a blast this place is!" Sora smiled, knowing that the purpose of such a call would be twofold. For aside from detailing their latest destination, he also intended on making amends with the new master for the rather harsh, callous note he'd left their last call on. A note that he'd been meaning to apologize for for quite some time now really.

"But we just got here," Goofy pointed out. "And we haven't done anything yet."

"And, if you think Riku's not busy enough to take time to listen to you go on about the city," Donald offered the Keybearer a critical glare. "Then I guess he also has time to hear all about the cracks on your Keyblade."

"Oh! And your scar!" Goofy agreed. "We oughta tell him and the king about that too, right?"

Sora froze at this, his hand flying away from his phone just shy of him dialing Riku up. "Um, n-no," he quickly put the Gummiphone away. "Riku and the king are busy looking for Aqua, and even though it would be really great if we could call them and tell them about, uh… that, we can't. Because they're busy. And so are we."

"So you keep saying…" Donald grumbled, unsatisfied.

Still, before either the magician or the captain could push their argument any further, a stark, sudden explosion rattled the entire bridge, nearly knocking the trio off balance entirely. And the source of that explosion was almost immediately made clear as a group of dark, winged creatures arose from the resounding blast.

"Heartless!" the trio exclaimed as they summoned their weapons, wasting no time in rushing forward to combat the familiar threat. And yet their approach was almost immediately stopped as they narrowly managed to dodge something, or rather someone who was flung their way from the rampaging horde of Heartless.

It was young woman, though her bright yellow body armor and matching helmet concealed much of her appearance. She hit the ground hard a good ways behind the startled trio, wheel-like metallic disks flying off her suit as she skidded to a stop. And though the trio didn't hesitate to move to help her, they were ultimately beaten to it by the arrival of another pair entirely.

"Go Go! You okay?!"

Caught off guard by this concerned call, they were even more surprised to find that it came from above. More specifically, it came from a boy, clad in a similar suit to the young woman's albeit in purple instead, perched onto the back of a much larger, sturdier figure, decked out in winged red armor as it somehow flew all its own. The pair flew in fast high above the trio as they watched them in amazement, even as they touched down before their injured friend, hurrying to check over her listless form.

"Go Go!" the boy called again, hoping to get some response from her. He ultimately didn't though, much to his growing worry. "Baymax!" he then turned to his taller robotic companion, who, as calmly as he ever was, proceeded to conduct a full-body scan.

"Go Go's suit has shielded her from a major injury," the robot reported evenly. "But the blow she sustained to her head has caused a mild concussion. We should take caution and not move her until we can fully stabilize her head."

"Got it," the boy nodded, allayed..

"Oh, cool!" Sora eagerly rushed forward to meet the pair as Donald and Goofy followed not too far behind. "That's a robot!"

"Hello, I am Baymax," the robot, or Baymax rather, greeted with an amicable wave. "Your personal healthcare companion."

"Whoa…" Sora grinned, clearly starstruck by the impressive armored bot. "This rules!"

"Uh, Sora?" Goofy spoke up mindfully. "Remember our other problem?"

"The Heartless?" Donald reminded much more impatiently.

"Whoops!" Sora stole a glance over his shoulder at the still-swarming Heartless on the far side of the bridge. "Almost forgot about them. But can you honestly blame me? This is a real, actual robot we're talking about here!"

"Yes, I am real," Baymax said somewhat obliviously.

"Glad you like him," the boy said with an amused smirk. "But… who are you guys, exactly?"

"I'm Sora!"

"Donald!"

"And I'm Goofy!"

And with that, they were off, weapons summoned as they prepared to plunge themselves into the impending battle. Upon watching the trio's confident bravado, the boy readily perked up, looking to his robot companion with an equally resolved smile, glad that they'd have some much-needed assistance in taking care of this unknown danger. "Name's Hiro," he readily ran forward to meet them. "You… mind helping us fight those guys? Our team's called Big Hero 6. There's usually a few more of us, but… we're spread out a little thin right now dealing with these things all over San Fransokyo. So we could definitely use all the help we could get out here."

"Of course," Sora agreed without a second thought. Largely since dealing with Heartless were already the trio's area of expertise to begin with. "We'd be happy to help."

"Someone has to," Hiro grinned warmly, glad to have the trio's aid as he hurried to hop onto Baymax's back once again. "Let's go, Baymax!" he pointed forward, prompting the robot to blast ahead using his rocket thrusters.

As a result, Baymax was able to meet the Heartless in battle first, beating the trio, though only by a few seconds. As the robot began doling out close-quarters physical attacks, the trio likewise got to work, Donald shooting off spells as Goofy launched his shield into the throng of mechanically-themed Heartless. At the same time, Sora charged through the creatures, doing his best to ignore the cracks in his Keyblade as he cut through the weaker creatures first. With the entire group fighting together in full force, it didn't take long for them all to fall in a steady rhythm with each other, taking down Heartless left and right as they worked their way down the length of the bridge. However, as the monsters' started to go down in numbers, an all new, much larger threat soon made itself apparent as it began thundering down the road, brutishly tossing aside any vehicle in its path as it raged toward the group. This massive Heartless easily hoisted another unoccupied car into the air, throwing it directly at Sora, Donald, and Goofy in particular. The attack came so quickly that the trio didn't have much of a chance to even react to it, much less dodge it, but fortunately, they didn't have to as Baymax came in with a timely rescue instead.

The robot caught the vehicle squarely, hardly even bothered by its immense weight as he held it up solidly, allowing the trio a brief sigh of shared relief behind him. "Yeah!" Sora cheered, quite impressed by Baymax's surprising strength. "Nice catch!"

"Thanks for the save!" Donald added, grateful.

"You are welcome," Baymax said, glancing back at the trio as he gently placed the car on the ground. "You may reduce the risk of injury by seeking cover."

"I-I don't think there's a whole lotta time for that!" Goofy exclaimed, shield raised as the large Heartless came in for another attack.

The creature lumbered forward aggressively, supported by several of its smaller kin as it raised its ax-like blade to attack. This time however, the trio met its swing, blocking it with all three of their weapons at once, giving Hiro the perfect change to guide Baymax's next move. "Hit him from the side, Baymax!" he shouted, steadying his grip on the robot's back as he quickly flew high above the action. "Hurry!" Baymax did just that, deftly diving back down as as the trio started wavering against the Heartless they were still trying their best to hold off. And as distracted by them as it was, it didn't even notice as a detached rocket-powered fist struck it hard on the side, sending it crashing over onto the far side of the bridge. The rocket fist itself swiftly flew right back over to Baymax as he hovered nearby with Hiro in tow, the detached appendage easily slipping right back onto the robot's hand as the pair geared up to join the trio in whatever came next.

Of course, even despite the heavy damage it sustained, the Heartless wasn't ready to call it quits quite yet. With an angry roar, the creature righted itself, swiveling around to face its foes once more. However, as it did, what it clearly didn't expect was for all five of them to rush it at once, weapons drawn and attacks advancing to the point that it left the Heartless with no time to even defend itself. Baymax slammed into the creature first at full-force, pushing it back considerably towards the edge of the bridge, but a coordinated attack between the trio was what ultimately ended up finishing the monster off entirely. A powerful wind spell from Donald and a well-timed shield toss from Goofy, paired with a sharp, succinct strike from Sora's Keyblade all succeeded in not only knocking the Heartless back once more, but this time, over the edge of the bridge entirely. Unable to remain steady, the creature toppled over the guard railing, falling hard and fast until it finally splashed into the waters of the bay down below, defeated.

From there, clearing out the remaining Heartless was quick and easy work for the collective group. Though the creatures had left a bit of damage, but fortunately nobody had been harmed in the attack, something that Hiro and Baymax made sure of through a quick sweeping flyover across the bridge. Once it was over, however, they came back in to reconvene with the trio, all of them glad to finally have a much-needed peaceful moment for proper introductions.

"Thanks for your help," Hiro hopped off Baymax just as the robot came to land. "You guys really had some great moves out there."

"So did you two!" Sora grinned enthusiastically. "That whole flying fist thing was awesome!"

"Heh, yeah, rocket fists," Hiro held a proud smile as he looked to his robot companion. "Designed 'em myself. Same with the rest of the team's armor. Oh! Speaking of which, they're definitely gonna wanna meet you guys. C'mon!"

"Sure!" Sora agreed, eager to meet the rest of Hiro and Baymax's team. However, he did stop short upon hearing Donald pointedly clear his throat behind him.

"Sora…" the magician groaned, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Didn't ya say we were 'busy'?" Goofy asked with a small, knowing smirk.

"Oh yeah!" Sora exclaimed before turning back to Hiro. "Er-sorry. We're actually here to look for something. It's a Key, looks like this." He called upon the latest Key they'd claimed, its shimmering, otherworldly appearance instantly catching Hiro off guard. "Either of you guys know where we might be able to find something like it around here?"

"Whoa…" Hiro looked over the Key in apt fascination. "Well, I-I've never seen tech like that before…"

"Tech?" Sora frowned, confused. "You mean computers and stuff? Uh… I don't think the Keys are anything like that. They're more like… um… do we wanna say magic?"

"You just did," Donald deadpanned, unamused.

"Magic?" Hiro raised a skeptical eyebrow. Even so, he didn't make any further comment on such a seemingly odd claim as he turned to Baymax for answers instead. "What do you say, buddy? Got any ideas about any of this 'Key' business?"

Baymax looked to Hiro inquisitively for a moment before offering the trio his sparse report. "My scanners are unable to identify anything with an energy signature similar to your 'Key' in the immediate vicinity."

The trio let out a shared disappointed sigh at this, but even so, Sora was quick to perk back up from it. "Ah well. It's not like it took us just a matter of minutes to find the first three either, right?"

"It sure didn't," Goofy agreed. "Guess we oughta be getting used to this routine by now, huh?"

"Even if it's a routine that always takes too long thanks to somebody getting sidetracked all the time…" Donald grumbled, sending Sora a critical glance.

"Who? Me?" Sora asked in faux offense. "Oh, c'mon, I never get sidetracked. Anyway, everybody get in close," he grinned as he pulled the Gummiphone out once again. "With those Heartless are out of the way, now's the perfect chance to finally snap a photo of the city!"

"Speakin' of sidetracked," Goofy chuckled as Donald simply crossed his arms, annoyed by the Keybearer's usual antics.

"Hm… you know…" Hiro spoke up thoughtfully. "Since you guys helped us fight off those monsters, maybe we could help you find that Key in return."

"Really?" Sora asked brightly.

"Yeah, it's the least we can do," Hiro nodded warmly. "Though… I don't know if I buy the whole 'magic' thing, but I'm sure if we can figure something out. Don't wanna brag or anything, but me and the rest of the team do sort of have something of a reputation for being geniuses. Plus, Baymax is pretty handy too."

"Yes, I have two hands," Baymax raised both of them up to show the group.

"That's… just an expression, Baymax," Hiro laughed, patting his robot's arm as he began to lead the way down the bridge. "Now, come on!" he called to the trio, who this time, were all quick to follow suit. Especially in the hopes that the more helping hands they had in searching for the Key, the quicker and most importantly easier a time they'd have finding it. "The rest of the team is waiting."


Though a team name such as Big Hero 6 certainly carried an air of epic importance to it, ironically enough, their base of operations was merely a humble garage connected to a quaint cafe owned by Hiro's aunt. Still, it was sizable enough to fit everyone comfortably inside of it, from the trio, to Hiro and Baymax, to the other four members of the team, all of whom were currently crowded around the computer in the corner, reading an article that had just been posted on the most recent attack to hit the city. An article that didn't exactly paint the team of young heros in the best light as it pointed out their inability to clear the Heartless out of the city as a whole.

"Not cool," Go Go huffed with a sour scowl, having fully recovered from her previous injuries.

"People like spectacle," the other female of the group, a tall, blonde girl clad in bright pink armor, shook her head. "Not the truth."

"Yeah, who needs quality reporting when you can just make stuff up?" another member of the team, a steadily built young man in similar green armor, said quite sullenly.

"I don't get it!" the most peculiar addition to the group, who apparently seemed to be some sort of three-eyed lizard creature, piped up. "I mean, didn't they see how awesome we were!? Sure, those things landed a couple of good hits, but we had chem-balls, laser hands, and fire-breathing!"

"Well, it didn't really matter," the taller girl let out a small, disappointed sigh. "They still beat us."

"Where'd they come from anyway?" Go Go asked, hands on her hips.

"Well, why don't we ask the guys who actually stopped 'em?" the green-clad young glanced over at the trio standing nearby.

"That's right," the taller girl offered them a friendly smile. "You never introduced us, Hiro."

"Oh yeah," Hiro perked up, going over to stand with the rest of his team. "Well, uh, this… is the gang! That's Go Go," he began, going down the line of his friends. For her part, Go Go simply offered the trio a rather dry, stoic nod of greeting, a far cry from the much more amicable smile the next team member sent them. "He's Wasabi-"

"How ya doin'?" Wasabi waved coolly as Hiro continued.

"That's Honey Lemon-"

"Hello there!" Honey Lemon greeted with a bright, chipper smile.

"And-" Hiro stopped short just shy of introducing the last member of the group, who had already stepped forward to do so himself.

Needless to say the "monster" caught the trio quite off guard, startling them as boldly lept forward to say hello. "I'm Fred. Do not be alarmed!" he proclaimed zealously as he tossed the top of his costume up to reveal the casually grinning young man underneath. "This is not my real body."

"Oh good," Sora let out a sigh of relief. "For a second, I thought this monster was the one who-" Before the Keybearer could say anything that might break the fragile world order, Donald and Goofy were quick to silence him as they rushed in to cover his mouth. The members of Big Hero 6 stood by in confusion as they watched this sudden scuffle, at least until Hiro spoke up to introduce them.

"These three are Sora, Donald, and Goofy, the, uh…" he trailed off, unsure of how to refer to the trio collectively. Sora, however, was quick to fill in with a newfound team name off the cuff, one that was more than a little inspired by Big Hero 6 themselves.

"Keyblade Hero 3!" he exclaimed boldly, striking a brazen heroic pose. Donald and Goofy joined him, largely caught up in the same excitable spirit as their young companion was. Even if their bravado was rather lost on the other team of heroes who looked to them blankly all the while.

"I am detecting minute contractions in your faces and shoulders," Baymax finally broke the awkward silence as he looked over his teammates. "Perhaps due to the garage's brisk temperature. To remedy that, I will give each of you a hug and warm you with my internal heat source."

"Er, you… really don't have to do that, Bayma-"

Hiro quickly cut himself off as his teammates all rushed forward, piling up on the robot as to enjoy the aura of comforting warmth he was putting off. "Sorry, Hiro," Honey Lemon chuckled as she and Go Go leaned up against the huggable bot. "But Baymax's hugs are hard to turn down."

"Yeah, especially after the beating we just took from those creatures," Wasabi added with a contented sigh.

"It's like a mini-ray of sunshine healing my broken soul!" Fred cried a bit overdramatically.

"What?" Go Go looked over at him incredulously.

"Uh, I'm talking about a heroic second-wind here. Duh."

"Oh, I'll show you a second wind..." Go Go scowled, already cracking her knuckles until Honey Lemon mindfully stopped her just in time.

At the same time, the trio remained on the sidelines to convene amongst themselves. Or, more accurately, for Donald to scold Sora over his rather blatant, though somewhat usual, disregard of the world order. "Why did you call us that?!" the magician huffed, far from fond of the team name he'd come up with.

"Sora, you know Donald and I don't have Keyblades," Goofy pointed out a with a confused frown.

"So? We are heroes, right?" Sora countered defensively.

"Not here, we're not!" the magician snapped, annoyed.

This argument was quick to die out however as the members of Big Hero 6 turned their collective attention back over to their trio of guests. "The monsters," Go Go's tone was serious as she sized the three of them up. "Tell us how you managed to take them down."

"Well, they're called the Heartless," Sora made sure to be mindful of maintaining order this time around, largely to avoid setting his companions off once more. "And they're drawn to the darkness inside of people's hearts."

"Ooh! Now we're talkin'!" Fred exclaimed. "Light vs. darkness! Classic conflict!"

"Would you calm down, Fred?" Wasabi huffed, irritated. "This isn't something out of one of your comics or video games. This is serious."

"Very serious," Honey Lemon solemnly agreed. "They're putting the entire city in danger and we don't have any way to fight them."

"Wait, so we're just gonna give up?" Go Go was clearly not keen on the idea based on her bitter expression alone.

"With our current skill set," Baymax spoke up. "My analysis places our chances of success at 0.0000-"

"Yeah, we get it, Baymax," Hiro interrupted with a disappointed frown.

"Hey, don't sweat it," Sora encouraged the dejected group. "The three of us can go take care of the Heartless for you. Right, you guys?" he asked, glancing back at his companions. Both Donald and Goofy readily nodded, still mindful of their current objective of finding the next Key as much as Sora was. However, if this world was indeed under the palpable threat of attacking Heartless, then for the sake of the countless innocents residing within it, as well as their new friends, that objective would just have to wait.

And yet, even despite the trio's kind willingness to help where they couldn't, Hiro in particular wasn't ready to accept his team's defeat just yet. "Wait," he spoke up, resolved. "We're going too."

"It's ok," Donald reassured as Goofy nodded in agreement. "We've got it."

"We've got plenty of experience takin' care of Heartless, after all. No need to worry 'bout us!"

"That's… not it," Hiro shook his head. "We have to help. My brother would have." This brave sentiment was one that all of the other members of Big Hero 6 readily shared, each of them determined to do their part, even despite the obvious danger. "Not to mention," Hiro continued with a smile as he stepped forward. "We did volunteer to help you guys look for that Key of yours, and… we can't really do that hanging back here, can we?"

"You volunteered us for what now?" Wasabi asked, confused.

"Sora, Donald, and Goofy are searching for a magical Key," Baymax informed factually.

"Ah ah ah," Hiro whispered to his robotic companion, still somewhat skeptical. "Supposedly magical."

"A supposedly magical Key," the robot corrected evenly.

"Ohoho! An epic battle of good against evil along with a magical macguffin hunt?!" Fred bounced up and down excitedly. "This just keeps getting better and better!"

"Well, we're definitely happy to help you find this… um, Key, in any way we can," Honey Lemon conquered warmly, even if she was still a bit out of the loop along with the others.

"Thanks, you guys," Sora smiled, glad to have so much help this time around. Help that would not only go a long way toward finding a way to gain this world's Key, but ward off any Heartless, or worse yet, any possible Organization members who might try to obtain it first.

"Glad we're all on the same page, buuuut…. Don't we need a plan?" Wasabi held a concerned frown. "We can't just go out there looking for some Key with all those monsters we, again, can't even fight running around all over the place. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not too crazy about the idea of getting tossed around by those guys again."

"So we'll train up!" Fred threw his monstrous mask back on. "When heroes are brought low, they get new powers. And those powers are what always leads to the ultimate victory in the third and final act! Which means… it's shugyo time!"

"What, did you read that in Geek's Quarterly?" Go Go deadpanned, rolling her eyes.

"Fred's actually not wrong," Hiro said with a thoughtful, growing grin as he turned back toward the trio. "I may have an idea…"

Despite this newfound idea, Hiro didn't exactly go into too much detail about it as he instead got to work, logging onto his computer as he began crafting out a new design. To give him ample time and space to focus on his inventing, the trio and the members of Big Hero 6 took to chatting amongst each other instead, both sides getting to know each other better in the process.

"So, you guys have already got three of these Key things, huh?" Wasabi asked as Sora cycled through the small collection they'd gathered so far. "Then what's the rush to find one more?"

"Well, actually, there's 13 of them," Sora let their most recently-found Key disappear. "And, um… why we're looking for them is… kind of a long story. Let's just say it's really important that we find them all, and fast."

"Ooooh! Lemme guess!" Fred cut in eagerly. "The fate of the world as we know it depends on you guys getting all thirteen before some dastardly villain can, right? Riiiiight?"

"Gee, that's… pretty much it," Goofy let out a small chuckle.

"So where do you find these things anyway?" Go Go asked, dryly curious. "Can't imagine they'd just be lying around anywhere."

"Uh… w-we've… found them in all sorts of places," Sora ventured, making note of the sharp, warning glance Donald was sending his way. "But they only show up whenever really strong emotions are being felt."

"Emotions?" Honey Lemon inquired, intrigued. "Like what?"

"Well, the first one was friendship," Sora listed. "Pretty sure the second one was fear? And the one we just got a while ago was… I dunno, compassion, I think? Still, we really have no idea what could make it appear this time around…"

"An emotionally-driven mystery," Fred nodded, understanding. "One that'll no-doubt lead to an action-packed adventure filled with peaks and valleys of crushing failures, blazing victories, and really deep self-discovery. That's a classic hero's journey right there. And I'm totally here for it, this kind of stuff is my jam!"

"Again, Fred," Wasabi deadpanned. "This. Isn't. A. Comic Book! Or a video game! Or one of those cinematic universes you're always going on about."

"Pfft, says you."

"Emotions are biological, instinctive states of mind," Baymax offered his advice to the trio. "They are often derived from one's circumstances or relationships with others and they serve to influence behavior or decision-making. Since emotions have a strong impact on overall health and wellbeing, I am programmed to detect the chemical reactions that create them. That way, I can take the emotional state of my patients into account to provide them with the best medical treatment possible."

Though he didn't fully understand all of the odds and ends of this intricate explanation, Sora couldn't help but smirk slightly upon hearing it all the same. "You make them sound so… sciencey," he let out a small, good-natured laugh. "But I think emotions are a lot simpler than that. They're just… whatever your heart is feeling, you know?"

"That is technically untrue," Baymax corrected obliviously. "Emotions are actually processed in the temporal lobe of the brian."

By now, Sora was all but completely lost as he looked to the other members of Big Hero 6, all of whom knew well just how amusingly literal Baymax could be. "Uh… anyone wanna help me out here?"

Before any of the others could do so, however, Hiro interjected, joining the group once more to present the product of his idea, or rather his latest invention to them all. "It's done!" He held up the piece of tech he'd devised: a simple, yet sharply-designed visor-looking device. A device that he handed off to, of all people, Sora.

Given that he had never been particularly well-versed in anything highly technological, Sora didn't know quite what to make of the device as he carefully took it, looking over it until he found a small inscription on the side labeling exactly what it was. "'AR device'?" he read, completely unfamiliar with the term.

"Yeah," Hiro nodded, clearly proud of his work. "Pretty cool, huh? It creates a CG overlay that augments your vision. While you wear it, this device sees everything you do and logs it."

"Uh… huh," Sora nodded, pretending to know what any of that meant.

Fortunately, Hiro seemed to pick up on Sora's rather obvious explanation as he offered a much simpler explanation instead. "You… put it on your face."

"Ohhh…" Understanding this time around, Sora slid the visor over his eyes, though as soon as he did, he was met with a disconcerting sight. "Heartless!" he gasped, his Keyblade flashing into his grip as he quickly moved to protectively stand between the singular shadow and the others. "Donald! Goofy!" he called to his companions, who both simply offered him an absolutely bewildered glance, apparently not understanding his sudden alarm. "C'mon! We've gotta-"

"Sora," Donald interjected with a worried frown. "Are you ok?"

"There's no Heartless here," Goofy assured, just as concerned.

"W-what?" Sora looked between the pair incredulously. "But… how do you not see it? It's right there!"

"Whoa!" Hiro exclaimed just as Sora began to raise his weapon to attack the creature. "Sora, chill. Just take the AR device off."

Bewildered, Sora did so, only for the Heartless he'd seen to inexplicably disappear entirely. Taken aback, he lowered the visor once more and sure enough, there the shadow was, at least until he lifted the AR device once again. "Wow…" he mused, fascinated as he tested the device out a few more times. "I have no idea how you're doing this, but it's so cool!"

"Thanks," Hiro said with a humble grin. "But so far, the map data only covers San Fransokyo. I need to expand it."

"Ok, ok, cool, AR device, yeah, awesome," Fred spoke up somewhat impatiently. "Now can we shugyo?!"

"Not yet, Fred," Wasabi shook his head. "He's still learning."

"Fortunately, we've done training just like this before," Honey Lemon said with an upbeat smile. "Sora, all you'll need to do is run through some courses Hiro scripted. Like a fun little minigame!"

"We'll put a tracer on your movements," Go Go began, familiar with the process as well. "So we can-"

"Shugyo! Shugyo! Shugyo!" Fred cheered, barely able to contain his growing excitement as he hopped around the garage.

"Ugh… so we can shugyo…"

"I guess shugyo's like training," Goofy whispered to Donald, aside. "That's a good idea. We could prob'ly use the practice."

"Speak for yourself," the magician huffed, crossing his arms.

"So… let me get this straight: you guys wanna 'trace' how we fight?" Sora asked, genuinely intrigued by the concept, even if he didn't fully understand how it worked. "Why?"

"Well, as far as I can tell, you guys are the only ones who are able to actually beat those 'Heartless' monsters," Hiro explained. "Plus, from what I've seen, you three have some pretty sick moves in a fight."

"Hiro did not mean that your combat abilities are physically ill," Baymax noted. "That was just an expression."

"Wow... " Sora grinned, somewhat flattered. "Thanks! Then again, our moves always have been pretty impressive."

"Maybe our moves have," Donald countered, raising an eyebrow. "You've still got a lot of catching up to do, remember?"

"Ugh… don't remind me…" Sora sighed, knowing all too well that his strength still wasn't exactly up to the level he knew it should have been. And yet, he did still find a bit of solace as he silently reminded himself of something that could certainly contribute to regaining that strength. Namely a newfound power, one that felt immense and exciting, that he'd only barely begin to explore. And one that he still wasn't quite ready to openly reveal just yet.

"I'm sure we'll still learn a lot by studying your skills," Hiro said, turning to his computer as the other members of the team opened the garage door to head out. "Especially when it comes to dealing with those monsters. Now… you wanna hit the town to try it out?"

"Yes!" Fred eagerly shouted before anyone else could. "Shugyo time!"

"Fred, I swear," Wasabi sullenly followed Fred out of the garage. "If you scream shugyo in my ear one more time, I… I don't know what I'll do, but it won't be pretty!"

"Cool it, both of you," Go Go pushed her way past both of the boys stoically. "We've got work to do."

"But nobody ever said that work can't be fun too!" Honey Lemon cheerily chimed in, running to join the others.

"I can also shugyo by installing new combat data," Baymax pointed out as Hiro helped him suit up. Of course, as out of the loop as they were with most of the robot's rather technical explanations, Sora, Donald, and Goofy exchanged a confused glance as they also began to leave, unsure of what he meant.

"Don't worry," Hiro interjected with a small laugh as he waved them off. "This whole, uh, shugyo thing will make sense once you're actually out there doing it."

"Oh thank goodness," Sora sighed, allayed, though he still muttered to his companions as they walked out. "At least something will finally make sense around here," he said, eliciting a dry look from the magician and an amused chuckle from the captain. "I'm still trying to figure out what in the world 'AR' means…"


By the time both collective teams had set out for their shugyo, night had fallen over San Fransokyo. Still, that hardly meant the city was any less bustling as cars continued down its busy streets and the town's many towering buildings were brightly illuminated in their bold electric colors. After a quick, scoping flyover of the massive city, one of those tall buildings was where Baymax dropped everyone off to properly begin their group training.

"Ok, guys," Hiro addressed everyone through the intercom system the entire team, as well as the VR headset Sora was wearing, were all linked to. "Let's keep this simple. Follow the course and take out any monsters you see along the way. I'll be here to help you out remotely from the garage. Good luck!"

"Right!" everyone agreed in resolved unison, none of them hesitating to set out and begin.

Since they were more familiar with the city and its layout, the members of Big Hero 6 led the way, each of them using their own unique abilities to propel themselves off of that first rooftop onto the next. Still, Sora, Donald, and Goofy weren't too far behind them, their weapons equally ready for the first sigh of potential trouble. And sure enough, it didn't take long for that trouble to show up as Heartless, actual Heartless as opposed to digital ones, soon began to materialize along their path.

As ill-equipped as they currently were to fight such creatures, the members of Big Hero 6 hesitated as a horde of shadows blocked the next leg of the course. From his monitor back at the garage, Hiro spotted them to, gearing his software up to accurately capture whatever might happen next. "Hey, Sora! Mind taking care of these guys for us?"

"Not a problem," Sora confidently swung his Keyblade to attack. Likewise, Donald and Goofy boldly followed him, all three of them quickly working through the swath of shadows with relative ease. The members of Big Hero 6 stood by on their higher perches, watching the trio's moves with rapt fascination all the while. And as they emerged as the victors from this small skirmish, the trio set off at the head of the group, the team of young heroes eagerly following them this time so they could see more.

"Yeah!" Fred cheered as he sprung over to the next building. "Now this is what I call a night patrol!"

"C-couldn't we do this on the ground?" Wasabi cling onto Baymax tightly as the robot gave him, Honey Lemon, and Go Go a boost to the same perch.

"Oh, come on, Wasabi!" Honey Lemon laughed brightly. "This wouldn't be anywhere near as exciting on the ground, right, Go Go?"

"You got me," Go Go said, finally cracking a small grin.

"Um… where to next?" Sora stopped short on the edge of a building, unsure of where to go from here.

"Straight ahead," Hiro instructed. "You guys are doing great!"

"Straight ahead?" Donald dubiously glanced down at what awaited them below. "But that's…"

"A long way down…" Goofy finished just as apprehensively.

"So?" Sora shrugged, unconcerned. "We've seen longer. Now, c'mon!" Without even skipping a beat, he took a runningleap off of the roof, plunging freely to a lower building far below, much to the bewilderment of the majority of the group still watching from above.

"Whoa…" Wasabi said, somewhat alarmed. "I don't know if he's really brave-"

"Or just plain dumb," Go Go finished, equally baffled.

"Both," Donald deadpanned, shaking his head at the Sora's usual brazenness.

"Falling from exceptional heights can often lead to physical injury," Baymax pointed out, poising his wings to perform a speedy rescue. And yet, it didn't seem to be needed as Sora somehow managed to land squarely on the large, decorative red ball fixed to the building below.

"Gawrsh, guess it doesn't for Sora," Goofy remarked, offering the others a small grin.

And yet, Sora barely had a chance to steady himself after his landing before the ground seemed to give way to him entirely. Or rather, as the orb he was standing on suddenly began to tilt off of the building altogether. As it fell, he fell with it, a much shorter distance down to the street this time as he managed to land on it once more, struggling to stay atop it as it started rolling forward on its own accord. It took a moment, but eventually, not only did he properly manage to regain his balance, but he also gained control of the ball itself as he ran on top of it, doing his best to avoid causing any damage to the surrounding city as he did so.

"Ok, I… didn't program this," Hiro remarked incredulously through his intercom. "But you can handle it. Just improvise."

"Improvise, got it!" Sora agreed, seeing a perfect opportunity to do just that as he spotted a group of emerging Heartless just ahead. Taking advantage of the new 'weapon' he had at his disposal, he rolled the ball over to them, easily running through the crowd of creatures before they even had a chance to attack. The orb made easy work of the Heartless, crushing and defeating them in droves until they were cleared out in a matter of minutes. And as soon as they were, Sora left the ball behind, making sure it was in a secure, safe place before he got back to following the course as outlined on his VR device.

However, he was far from the only one doing so, as a familiar face suddenly skated swiftly past him as he ran down the road. "Glad you could finally join us on the ground," Go Go called back to him, the slightest air of teasing in her tone. "Think you can keep up?"

"I can try," Sora replied with a wry grin as he summoned his Keyblade once more. With his weapon in hand, he picked up his speed before lunging forward, passing Go Go as he latched the tip of his Keyblade onto a nearby streetlight. Using his already immense momentum, he used his weapon to swing around the post, launching himself upward toward the adjacent towering building. Go Go skidded to a stop, admittedly impressed and perhaps even a bit dumbfounded as she watched Sora free-run up the side of that building, deftly knocking aside any Heartless that happened to show up in the process.

"Interesting…" she noted, wondering if, with the speed offered to her by her own megalev discs, she could do the same incredible feat. "Gravity not binding…"

At the same time, Sora continued steadily making his way up the building, though all the while, a persistent pack of Heartless continued pursuing him. For a moment, he ignored them, largely for the sake of making it to the top of the building, where Wasabi stood by, trying to tackle the Heartless swarming and having little luck in doing so. Still, he got a front row seat to Sora taking another high leap, shooting off several successive fire spells at the winged Heartless bombarding him. The magic hit its marks squarely, defeating them and allowing him to move on as Wasabi reached a newfound, pertinent realization.

"Hey, wait…" he grinned down at his pair of plasma blades. "My laser hands… can be projectiles!" He lashed out excitedly with his newfound 'projectiles', using them to clear out the remaining Heartless on the rooftop.

Meanwhile, Honey Lemon had taken up a perch on a nearby building, shying away out of sight from the Heartless horde invading it out of fear that her chem balls wouldn't be enough to tackle them. That is, until she spotted Sora rushing by just below her current vantage point. Largely forgetting about the ongoing simulation and any eyes that might be watching, he tossed his Keyblade forward at the Heartless, leaving himself seemingly defenseless, though only for the briefest of seconds. For as his weapon flew out of his grip, a familiar burst of darkness and light bloomed around his now-free hand, magic that he didn't hesitate to send flying right after his Keyblade. The contrasting power hit the Kingdom Key in a heavy burst, one that tore through the Heartless and cleared them out almost instantly, allowing Sora to reclaim his weapon and continue onward with ease.

"Ooh!" Honey Lemon exclaimed, amazed by what she'd just seen as she looked down to her own chem purse. "Change the weapon, change the attack!" Inspired by this newfound idea, she rushed off on her own, ready to put it into action.

Exhilarated by the strange, yet special magic swirling around both of his hands now, Sora made sure to put it to good use as he encountered yet another round of Heartless. Initially, he evaded them, dashing up to the top of yet another building to put some space between himself and the creatures. Then, after luring them in, he let loose, launching wave after wave of light and darkness at them until they all inevitably fell away in defeat.

This barrage of contrasting energy wasn't lost on Fred as he stood, witnessing it from his spot just a bit lower down on the building. "Whoahoh!" he exclaimed, awestruck as he considered his own abilities. "Light and darkness… diametrically opposed, just like fire and ice… or so we thought!" Eager to put his daring plan to the test, Fred lept away, hot on the search for the nearest Heartless he could try his new flaming cold (or rather, icy hot) attack on first.

With all of the Heartless in the immediate vicinity cleared out, Sora finally came to a stop atop the final building highlighted in the AR course, finally giving himself a much-needed breather after the intense run he'd just had. It didn't take long for Donald and Goofy to join him having cleared through the course themselves, though as soon as he spotted them coming, Sora made sure to shake his hands clear of any remaining traces of dark and light magic, just in case.

"See? I told you guys." He flashed his companions a confident grin. "My moves are still impressive."

"Well, ya sure have come a long way since Olympus," Goofy held a proud grin. "Right, Donald?"

"Mm, I guess…" Donald begrudgingly admitted, though it was clear from the small smile he was trying to suppress that he was pleased with Sora's progress too.

"Alright, that should be enough data," Hiro interjected through the intercom. "Thanks, Sora. I think you sparked some new ideas."

"Great!" Sora grinned brightly. "I'm glad I could-" He stopped short, caught off guard as the intercom channel was suddenly filled with the overlapping pitches of abundant newfound ideas from the various members of Big Hero 6.

"Yeah! Hiro, I think there's a way to-"

"I figured out that we can-"

"Did you see how-"

"All we need to do is upgrade our-"

This excited buzz of various plans and proposals continued for quite some time, each of the young heroes confident that their new tactics would succeed. An outcome that they all hoped for, especially for the sake of protecting the city they all called home from a threat none of them had ever really faced before. A threat that they faced a humiliating defeat against once before. But, if all of their new ideas truly panned out, then next time they faced them, they were certain, things would be different.


With all their new tactics in mind, everyone got to work on bringing them to life almost as soon as they reconvened back at Hiro's garage. Hiro himself was by far the busiest among them, already eagerly working on a barrage of new and improved designs and upgrades to his teammate's armor, all based on the copious amount of pertinent data gathered from the simulation.

Still, that didn't mean none of the others had any work to do. As technologically adept as they all also were, the members of Big Hero 6 all set out to tinker with their own weapons in various ways. And even if they weren't as scientifically-minded as the team of young heroes were, Sora, Donald, and Goofy all still tried to help out with moving those upgrades along the best they could. By assisting Honey Lemon as she developed a few new types of chem balls, helping Wasabi test out his new pair of plasma blades, even offering a few base suggestions for additions to Fred's suit and changes to Go Go's megalev discs, the trio made good use of what they knew about the Heartless to help their new friends better fight them. A goal that Hiro was confident they'd accomplish as he updated Baymax with a brand-new battle chip, one that was fully loaded with more than enough moves to face the Heartless head on.

"That… should do it," Hiro smiled in satisfaction as he slipped the new chip into Baymax's data port. "Oh, and Sora, Donald, Goofy, you guys are gonna love this. I remembered what you said about that Key you're looking for showing up because of strong emotions, so I downloaded another new feature onto that chip. Tell 'em all about it, Baymax."

The robot allowed said data to properly download onto his system before explaining it to the curious trio. "I can now scan for and detect significant pulses of emotion on a wide scale in order to ascertain the location of the Key."

"Oh, cool!" Sora exclaimed, initially enthusiastic. "And, uh… what does that mean, exactly?"

"It just means that Baymax can help you look for the Key," Hiro chuckled. "I wanted to have his scanner actually pinpoint where it is directly, but… that was kind of hard to do since none of us really know what it's made of. So I figured the whole 'emotion' route would be the next best thing. Now, I can't guarantee that it'll work, but-"

"But it's still really great that you thought of it all the same," Sora said warmly, Donald and Goofy mirroring his appreciation with affirmative nods. "And I'm sure it'll work. Thanks, Hiro."

"Hey, thank you," Hiro said, genuinely grateful as he motioned to the rest of his team. "Without you, we never would have gotten the data we need to stand a chance against those monsters. But now, I think we're finally ready to face them on our own."

"Um… speaking of which…" Honey Lemon spoke up, fretfully looking over to the computer as a timely news alert began to play.

"We interrupt your scheduled program to bring you this breaking news. Moments ago, the city's South District was attacked by numerous unidentified creatures." A feed of that part of the section of the city began to pop up, and sure enough, a large horde of frenzied Heartless were swarming through it, ruthlessly going after any innocent civilian unfortunate enough to cross their path. "Witnesses describe losing sight of victims during the mayhem. Many also said they saw strange, floating heart symbols in the vicinity of the missing victims. City police are urging citizens to stay at home. For those just joining us minutes ago, the South District was attacked by-"

Hiro shut the stream off, turning to his team and the trio with a stern sense of resolve to save the city before it was too late. While the others all shared that resolve, much like Hiro, Sora was the most adamant about it, ever determined to protect innocent people from the substantial threat the Heartless always posed. Which was why both of them looked to the rest of the group one more time, more than ready to put their new skills to the rest as they both proclaimed that goal in the same sort of daring unison: "Go time!"


San Fransokyo's South District was the city's busy business sector, where commercial commerce thrived thanks to the many large companies that called the district home. However, the towering office buildings that composed it, as well as any poor passerby caught between them, were all currently in jeopardy thanks to dangerous creatures bombarding them. And while a mass number of panicked civilians frantically fled from that danger to find some form of safe shelter, another group brazenly ran directly toward them in the hopes of putting a stop to their destructive attack instead.

In order to cover more ground, the trio and the members of Big Hero 6 had decided to split up, with Go Go, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, and Fred working to get civilians to safety while protecting them from any Heartless they might encounter along the way. At the same time, Baymax accompanied Sora, Donald, and Goofy as they rushed to find the main mass of Heartless, something that didn't take very long as they happened to run into a rather large group of them largely on accident.

"There they are!" Goofy called, already raising his shield.

"Let's get 'em!" Donald shouted, his staff ready to fire off a starting spell.

Likewise, Sora readied his Keyblade to enter the fray, though just before he could, Baymax stopped him short with his most recent report. "My new emotional scanner is picking up immense amounts of distress and fear from nearby civilians. Are these the kind of emotions that can assist you in finding the Key?"

"Uh… I don't think so…" Sora frowned, knowing he'd already claimed a previous Key from feelings of fear. "But thanks for the help anyway, Baymax."

"Understood. In that case, I will continue scanning for strong emotions that are not fear."

Sora nodded, somewhat amused but also quite impressed by just how dutiful the robot always proved to be. However, he still wasn't able to join his companions in facing the Heartless right away as Hiro reached out to him this time, once again through the AR device's intercom. "Sora, above you!" he warned, directing to the top of a particularly tall building dead ahead. "I'm picking up some kind of threat."

"Yeah, I see it too," Sora said, noticing the strange burst of unknown movement. "I'll check it out. You guys have things covered down here?" he asked Donald and Goofy before he set out.

"We sure do!" Goofy confidently assured as he tossed his shield through a group of smaller Heartless.

"Question is, do you have things covered without us?" Donald asked with something of a teasing smirk.

"Very funny," Sora shot back just as dryly. "But I think I can handle this one."

"Sora, I can assist you in reaching the top of the building," Baymax let his wings out as his thrusters propelled him just a bit off the ground. "Flying makes me a better healthcare companion."

"It sure does!" Sora exclaimed, excited by the opportunity that he readily took by hopping onto the robot's back. "Let's go, Baymax!"

Baymax did just that, immediately taking off and rocketing toward the sky at an incredible speed. Despite essentially having to hold onto the robot for dear life all the while, Sora couldn't help but let out an exhilarated cheer amidst the flight, one that Baymax pointed out as they neared the top of the targeted building.

"I am sensing that you are experiencing increased adrenaline and serotonin levels, which are often associated with feelings of excitement and joy," the robot noted, making himself be heard above the upwardly rushing wind. "Are these emotions connected to the Key you are searching for?"

"Who knows?" Sora shrugged with a light smile. "Could be. I guess we'll just have to keep going and find out!"

By now, the pair had finally cleared the top of the building, though a quick fly-over revealed exactly what sort of threat awaited atop it. A trio of strong, armored Heartless were patrolling it, though the moment they caught sight of the pair hovering high above their heads, they were thrown into an instant angered frenzy. With a single nod exchanged between the two however, Sora and Baymax dove in to take them on, utilizing their midair advantage well as they began landing a series of coordinated team attacks on the brutish trio. Between Baymax's aimed and heavy blows and a mix of Sora utilizing both magic and his Keyblade in between, the Heartless could do little to stop them, even with their sharp, spear-like weapons. Whatever blows the pair did sustain, Baymax's sturdy armor took the brunt of, allowing them both to sweep through the unruly group with relative ease.

"All right!" Sora cheered as they took the final Heartless down, allowing them both to safely land on top of the building. "Piece of cake. Looks like those new moves are really paying off, huh?"

"Yes," Baymax agreed. "The shugyo is proving to be very effective."

"Wait, Sora!" Hiro suddenly warned through the intercom, apparently alarmed. "Something big is coming your way. Everyone else is already on the ground fighting it; you guys oughta go join them."

"Gotcha," Sora nodded, ready for the next leg of the battle as he boarded Baymax's back once again. "We'll take care of it!"

Without wasting any time, the pair took off, zooming in low from their previously high perch to navigate the surrounding area for any additional Heartless activity. Fortunately, Hiro already took the liberty of uploading the proper coordinates to both Baymax's scanner as well as Sora's AR device, which made easy work in locating the creature they were looking for. Said creature was a large, lumbering Heartless, one that towered over the members of Big Hero 6 as well as Donald and Goofy as they all teamed up to fight it together. Sora and Baymax were quick to join that fight as they landed on the street alongside the others, seeming to set the monstrous Heartless off even more as it let out a fierce, booming roar.

"That thing's massive!" Hiro exclaimed over the intercom, tracking the creature back at the garage. "Stop it or it's gonna wreck the city!"

"On it," Go Go nodded as she and the other members of Big Hero 6 poised themselves to attack.

"Uh, guys?" Wasabi took in a fearful breath as he noticed the group of monsters materializing not too far away. "W-we've got even more company!"

"Then we'll start small and work our way up from there," Honey Lemon said, already using her purse to craft a few of her newer chem balls.

"Yeah! Let's line 'em up and knock 'em down!" Fred daringly lept into action.

It didn't take long for the others to do the same, everyone fanning out through the immediate vicinity to face their foes squarely. With the smaller Heartless as numerous as they were, the members of Big Hero 6 followed through on their plan to fight them first, leaving the larger monster for Baymax and the trio, at least for now. And sure enough, their newfound tactics against fighting the Heartless were working wonders for them, something that Go Go put into practice first as she skated onto an adjacent street, allowing a pack of flying Heartless to tail her all the while.

"Just try and catch me," she challenged them with a small smirk as she leaned low on her megalev discs. The speed she gathered was more than enough to allow her to launch herself high onto the side of the nearest building, deftly skating up its edge as the Heartless continued to follow her. At least until she happened to turn and send the pair of discs on her arms flying straight at them. The weapons cut through the creatures that had remained grounded first, though as they swiftly gilded back toward her, the winged Heartless also met their ends in turn. Satisfied that this strategy was a winner, Go Go sped back down to the ground, ready to try it out once more.

Several blocks away, a series of plasma blasts catapulted their way into a similar crowd of flying Heartless, with Wasabi keeping himself grounded atop a shorter building while he fired his projectiles off in a rapid succession. His aim was proving to be less than accurate however as the creatures always seemed to dodge his attacks, much to his growing frustration.

"Oh, c'mon!" he groaned, annoyed. "Stay still, will ya?!"

"I've got an idea!" Honey Lemon ran past him with a new chem ball in hand. Not skipping a beat, she tossed it at the horde, and the blast that followed concealed the entire group in a layer of thick, incomprehensible fog.

"Hey!" Wasabi protested, rushing over to her. "I can't aim if I can't see!"

Even so, Honey Lemon's plan wasn't quite finished yet as she produced another orb through her purse, one that she didn't explain to the still very confused Wasabi as she instead lobbed it upward. The moment the orb struck the fog, the resounding chemical reaction solidified it, trapping the Heartless within a dense, frozen prison they were helpless to escape from, especially as it fell hard to the ground far below.

"Better?" Honey Lemon grinned to her teammate.

"Much better," Wasabi nodded, taking steady aim at the forestalled group on the ground. Without any of their frantic movements, the Heartless were easily defeated the moment his plasma blasts struck them, creating a strong, resounding explosion in the process.

Out of that explosion, Fred boldly sprang forward, eagerly ready to engage the flock of Heartless swarming the street before him with his suit's newest ability. "Freeze!" he exclaimed, firing out an intense, icy burst of breath upon them all before making his next move. "Flame!" On that same momentum, he let out another heavy breath, this time one of burning heat that only really served to thaw the Heartless he'd frozen mere seconds ago. "Whuh?" Fred frowned, initially confused by his plan's failure. Until… "Oh! I get it! It's a combo move!" He jumped high into the air as he unleashed both fire and ice in full force at the exact same time in an attack that was more than enough to clear out all of the Heartless closing in.

As Big Hero 6 continued taking out the smaller threats with much more success this time around, Sora, Donald, and Goofy still kept their focus on the largest Heartless among them. Baymax offered them ample backup as they tried their best to land as many hits as they could on the massive creature, though given its sturdy, armored exterior, that was anything but an easy feat. To make matters even more difficult, the monster had a rather annoying habit of engulfing its entire body in flames, making it all the more difficult for the trio to so much as get close to it, much less attack it.

"Yeowch!" Goofy flinched back from the intense heat radiating from the Heartless. "We're in some real hot water here, fellas! What do we do?"

"What we really need is a way to weaken his armor…" Sora noted, watching Donald try and fail to quell the monster's flames with yet another water spell. "Got any ideas, Baymax?"

The robot stopped midair, looking between the trio and the monster briefly before nodding calmly. "Yes." And with that Baymax was off, rocketing up into the air and out of the group's sight altogether, much to their confusion.

"Wha-Where's he going?!" Donald asked, alarmed.

"Wait! I see him!" Goofy shouted, pointing up to the sky. "Look!"

Sure enough, there Baymax was, now hovering high above the city and the ongoing action down below. Even so, the robot aimed his hand back down toward the ground, more specifically at the rampaging Heartless, before sending his rocket fist flying. The swift projectile struck its mark hard and steady, pummeling into the Heartless with an immense amount of force behind it. The creature let out a shrill hiss at this, it's flames dying down and it's armor breached, at last allowing the trio to go in for a direct assault. They did so in unison, with Sora leaping off the boost Goofy was offering him through his shield as Donald used a heavy burst of ice magic to freeze the monster's legs to the ground. With the creature immobilized, Sora had an already clear shot at landing a heavy blow to its head, though as Baymax flew back in toward him, he came up with an even better idea to do that and more.

Baymax seemed to understand his intent too as he glided in low, catching Sora's outstretched hand right as he nearly hit the Heartless. The pair outmaneuvered its attempts at lashing out at them, gaining a good bit more height above it before Sora lept off the robot toward the Heartless once more. He went in Keyblade first, half-tempted to cast some darkened light around it for good measure, at least until he remembered who was watching. Still, his weapon alone was enough to land a brutal strike head-on, one that caused the massive Heartless critical damage. The creature broke the ice that was holding it down as it reared up, writhing in pain for a moment until it clumsily crashed back down onto the frozen spikes it had unwittingly created in the process, spikes that, alongside yet another unified strike from the trio, was more than enough to bring its furious rampage to an end.

As the monster fully fell in defeat, Baymax rejoined the trio on the ground as they took a much-needed moment to recuperate from the intense battle they'd just won. Still, their spirits were high, especially as they noticed the number of Heartless besetting the city as a whole were rapidly starting to decline thanks to Big Hero 6's courageous efforts.

"Nice, Baymax!" Sora congratulated the robot for his skillful moves as he, Donald, and Goofy hurried over to him. Strangely, Baymax said nothing, instead silently holding out a fist to Sora, catching him and his companions off guard. "Uh… what?"

"Now, we fist bump," the robot explained simply.

"First… bump?" Sora frowned, not following.

"To display excitement. Hiro taught it to me."

"So… like this…?" Still quite confused, Sora pressed his fist against the robot's much larger one, Donald and Goofy practicing the move on each other as they watched curiously. In the immediate aftermath of the bump, Baymax drew his hand back, waving fingers almost playfully in the process.

"Bah-la-la-la-la-la-la-la," the robot chimed, expectantly looking to Sora to do the same.

"Bah-la-la-la?" he ventured, trying his best to mimic Baymax as Donald and Goofy did the same, even if the gesture was still somewhat lost on the trio as a whole.

"My scanners are detecting emotions of confusion and bewilderment," Baymax noted evenly. "Do these kinds of feelings correlate to the Key? Or are joy and excitement more potent emotional responses instead?"

"Uh… I feel like that's kind of hard to say for sure," Sora said, thoughtfully. "But I still think you could be on the right track."

"Well at least somebody is," Donald remarked, hands on his hips as he looked to Sora with a dry smirk.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Uh… fellas?" Goofy attempted to interject as he glanced back at the supposedly fallen monster behind them.

"It means you never know where and how to look for the Keys!" Donald largely ignored the captain in favor of critiquing Sora instead.

"F-fellas?" Goofy tried once more, though he didn't really reach either of them.

"Oh yeah? Then how is it that I've found three of them so far?"

"Fellas!"

"Through luck, and not because of that 'Keys instinct' or whatever you like to call it, which, by the way doesn't exist."

"You keep saying that but we keep finding them, so…"

"Oh no." Baymax's rather muted declaration of alarm was what ultimately broke the pair out of their ongoing debate rather than Goofy's much more frantic attempts at catching their attention. And indeed, that alarm was warranted as the previously defeated Heartless suddenly let out a furious roar, pulling itself up off the ground as it managed to recover for another round against the group.

"Everyone, get ready!" Sora exclaimed, quickly snapping into a battle-ready pose alongside Donald and Goofy as they all called upon their weapons. However, fortunately, this time, they wouldn't have to face the creature on their own.

"We're here!"

With their weapons still trained on the Heartless, the trio turned to see the full force of Big Hero 6 behind them, including Hiro, who'd ventured all the way from the garage to help firsthand. The team stood ready to face this persistent threat together, even if some of them were a bit more ready than others.

"Aw, man, can't we pick on one our own size?" Wasabi asked, intimidated by the fearsome beast before them.

"It looks the right size to me," Go Go remarked with a wry, daring smirk.

"Watch me scorch 'em with my freeze-nado!" Fred brazenly proclaimed. "The only tornado made of ice and fire!"

"Whatever it takes to protect the city," Honey Lemon agreed, readily clutching a chem ball.

"You took on the wrong court magician!" Donald glared the large Heartless down.

"And the wrong captain of the guard!" Goofy added just as boldly.

"Prepare to face Keyblade Hero 3!" Sora finished, more than ready to finish the impending fight ahead.

"Oh, come on…" Donald grumbled, still far from fond of that team name.

"And the crime-fighting team of Big Hero 6!" Hiro interjected, sharing the determined resolve of all the others. "Together, we're unstoppable."

With that, the collective group of 9 all rushed forward, the massive Heartless doing the same to meet them in battle. A battle that, with both teams of heroes working together to reach their goals, this time around saw a swift and easy end.


After a quick recon around the entire city, it soon became apparent that most, if not all of the Heartless had at long last been defeated, leaving its innocent residents safe and sound once more. Given how arduous their first skirmishes against the creatures had started, the members of Big Hero 6 saw this triumph as no small feat, one that was quite worthy of celebrating alongside their trio of invaluable new friends. And though Sora, Donald, and Goofy were well aware that their search for this world's Key was still on, none of them protested to taking a relaxing break after the hectic day filled with fighting Heartless they'd all just had.

Said break took both teams to the top of San Fransokyo's iconic crimson bridge, giving them a beautifully scenic view of the city just as the crisp, warm sun began to set over it. Before Baymax took turns flying everyone up to the bridge's upper levels, they had all stopped to get something to toast their shared victory to: a round of fudge ice cream bars. And so, along with the grand view laying out before them, the collective group enjoyed their sweet treats and each other's company, cheerfully reveling in the success they all had to share.

Honey Lemon, Wasabi, and Fred, along with Donald and Goofy, had taken to one of the bridge's lower levels, each of them buzzing with satisfaction and excitement over the battle they'd just won. Having already quickly devoured his ice cream bar, Fred hopped around the support beam frenetically, caught up in celebrating in the most bombastic way among any of the others. "Was that awesome?" he asked, performing another high leap before he landed close to where Donald was sitting on the edge of the beam. "Or was that totally AWESOME?!"

"Yeah, I was pretty good," Donald grinned, quite proud of his part in the skirmish.

"Your magic is amazing," Honey Lemon nodded with an earnest smile. "Do you think I could study it sometime?"

"Why not?" the magician happily agreed.

"You just made Donald's day," Goofy laughed, the others soon joining in on the bright bout of levity, including Donald himself.

As the group below continued their lighthearted conversation, Sora, Hiro, Go Go, and Baymax all enjoyed their higher vantage point on the very top of the bridge. A spot that gave them a splendorous view of the shimmering bay as the sun cast its dying light upon it. And though their spirits were still high from the battle they'd just won, their conversation was surprisingly solemn all the same.

"My brother wanted to help people," Hiro absently lowered his ice cream as he looked toward the setting sun. "Now, we try to do the same."

"Your brother?" Sora inquired, curious, especially since Hiro had already mentioned him once before.

"Yeah… Tadashi…" the boy's expression turned wistful, sad even. Likewise, Go Go also looked away, closing her eyes in deep respect for her old friend. "There was a fire, a-and now… he's gone. But… he always wanted to make a difference. He cared about people. That's why he worked so hard to create Baymax."

Upon hearing such a tragic tale, Sora looked to Hiro with genuine sympathy, scarcely able to imagine just how much pain a loss as significant as a brother could bring. "I-I'm sorry…" he said quietly, earnestly, unsure of what else to really say.

And yet, for his part, Hiro surprisingly seemed to take it in stride, looking forward with a small, hopeful smile this time instead. "He's still here. In Baymax. In all of us."

Go Go and even Baymax nodded in agreement with this warm sentiment, something that this time, Sora easily understood. "Tadashi-he lives on in your hearts," he mused thoughtfully, knowing just how strong the connections between hearts could be. Connections so strong that sometimes, untold separation, even death itself, couldn't break them.

Hiro was admittedly caught off guard by this, though ultimately he couldn't help but agree. "Right," he smiled easily. "He'll always be a part of us in some way."

"Yeah," Sora nodded, leaning back to get a better view of the sun-soaked sky. All the while, he felt a familiar sort of stirring starting in his heart, a warmth that he knew all-too well and welcomed all the while. Especially as he remembered exactly where, or rather who that comforting warmth was coming from. "And when you're not strong enough, he'll make up the difference."

Just as Roxas had made up the difference in the throes of that horrific nightmare, how he had stood against all of the darkness and treachery of Master Xehanort himself, all to protect him, to rescue his heart. In a way, Roxas had made a promise to catch him so he wouldn't fall, a promise that he knew would come at his own expense. But it had been a promise he'd made all the same, to lend his strength to Sora if he ever needed it-and he always did need it-even if that meant his own heart still couldn't be set free.

And yet for the briefest of moments, captivated in the crisp orange glow of the setting sun he'd seen many times before, it felt as though he really was free. He was free and there he was, sitting alongside Hayner, Pence, and Olette, talking and laughing and eating their sea salt ice cream, just as they always did.

"Roxas."

And yet… in another moment, that trio was gone, replaced with a pair altogether. Axel sat to his left, and to his right, a girl whose face he couldn't quite see. But still they smiled and sat together, ice cream in hand, enjoying each other's company, however fleeting it might be.

"No. I."

The ice cream stayed constant as something shifted. Axel still remained but suddenly, sitting alongside her was Roxas instead. Their smiles were muted, the world somewhat dulled but there was still a sunset, there was still a strange sort of sweetness in the air, still enough for her to treasure this memory, however frail and fleeting it might have been.

"Ventus."

But then the faces changed entirely, ice cream and the sunset gone, replaced by a matching set of precious charms and a clear night's sky instead. A man with earthy brown hair and a cool, confident manner spoke to him, a woman with blue hair and a kind smile ruffling his hair. And he joined them in their bright laughter, felt secure in their comforting presence, just as he always had.

"Vanitas."

Until he found himself standing alone, abandoned and forgotten. Unwanted by all. Barely existing under a sky just as empty as the depths of his very own incomplete heart.

"Sora."

But then there was the sunset again, flooding him with its warmth and peace as Riku and Kairi sat alongside him. Uneaten paopu fruit resting in each of their hands as they said nothing, did nothing but basked together in the hope that this was where they'd someday be once again. Home, together, just as they always promised they'd be.

"Sora…?"

He finally opened his eyes at this, breaking himself out a flowing tide of memories, both known and unknown with a startled gasp. He glanced over swiftly, finding the very same group of Hiro, Go Go, and Baymax sitting alongside him, just as they'd been moments ago. All three of them looked over to him with concern, noticing just how strangely disoriented he seemed to be completely out of, as far as they knew, nowhere.

"Uh… you ok, Sora?" Hiro asked, worried by Sora's clearly startled expression.

"Um, y-yeah," he nodded quickly, forcing himself to recover. "Fine."

Fortunately, the others seemed to buy this without much else of an explanation, going back to enjoying their ice cream and the sunset as they'd been before. Yet at the same time, Sora kept his thoughts on that strange string of memories he'd just seen, on that feeling of warmth, still brimming strong in his heart, protecting it from the darkness that was actively trying to pervade it.

"You protected our hearts inside of your own, now let us return the favor," Roxas had said, his smile carrying a vow so momentous that Sora knew he'd never be able to repay it, if he could even try at all. "I know you'll find a way to save us someday, but right now, we're going to do everything we can to save you." And he had. And they were.

Much like how Hiro and the rest of Big Hero 6 still carried Tadashi on in their hearts, Sora knew he was doing very much the same with Roxas, and, as he'd recently learned, Ventus as well. And yet as he carried them within his heart, they still strived to carry his heart on as well. To shield it, to save it, from whatever harm might try to come to it, darkness or otherwise. Which was why, with that promise in mind, with the knowledge of what they were doing to help him, the lengths they were going to to protect him, Sora knew, now more than ever, that he had to do whatever he could to set them both free.

So he smiled softly as he looked to the sky once more, letting the glow of that ever-constant sunset compliment the gentle warmth resting within his heart as he quietly offered up his own promise once again. "I'm with you," he said, his voice barely a whisper as he closed his eyes and hoped they heard, knowing that they would. "Both of you."


While most of San Fransokyo lay fast asleep in the late hours of the night, some still roamed its streets under the cover of darkness, usually those who were looking for trouble. Or rather, the source of such trouble itself, as was the case with one particular pair as they strolled across one of its empty byways.

"Uh… Maleficent?" Pete spoke up, dubiously glancing around the surrounding city. "You sure those three are runnin' around this here world? 'Cause I haven't seen hide nor hair of 'em since we got here!"

"Fret not," Maleficent assured as coolly as ever as she glanced over the interpass they were on, focusing in on a small, yet straggling pack of Heartless gathered in an alleyway below. "They're here. After all, wherever the three of them go, the Heartless are typically not far behind."

Though he still had his doubts, Pete nodded all the same, accepting her intel. "So, what's the plan? You gonna let me sock it to the King's pair o' punks while you drag the kid off kickin' and screaming? Or should we do it the other way around?"

"Neither, you simpleton," Maleficent glared over at her henchman. "I have no intentions of doling out any sort of mindless brute force this time. That's what the Heartless are for."

"Er-whuzzit? We're using Heartless this time around?" Pete asked, confused. "Well why didn't ya just do that last time!? Would've worked out way better than that whole thing with the vines if ya ask me."

"Enough, you fool," Maleficent growled, growing increasingly irritated by the moment. "My brilliant plan will become perfectly clear once we-" She stopped short, picking up on the formation of the dark corridor appearing behind them almost instantly. Startled, Pete spun around to see who was joining them, Maleficent doing the same much more calmly, but even so, both of them were still on their guard as black coat-clad figure emerged from the portal. His hood was up, concealing his face, but even so, the dark fairy recognized his voice from the moment he first spoke.

"Why are you snooping around?" he asked the pair haughtily, hands on his hips.

"That would be none of your concern," Maleficent scoffed flippantly.

Even so, the hooded figure simply laughed her off. "Overstep, and darkness will consume you again," he warned almost knowingly.

"What an interesting thing to say," Maleficent smirked, unconcerned. "But I shall do anything I please. As should you."

The hooded figure nodded, seeming to accept this as he turned to take his leave. "Oh, I intend to," he said, calling upon another dark corridor. Though before he stopped through it, he did glance back at the pair one last time. "Oh, and if you do manage to actually get what you want here, make sure to tell him we're more than ready to welcome him with open arms any time he wants…"

Maleficent's already severe glower deepened upon hearing this, especially as she watched the hooded figure disappear. "Oh believe me," she hissed bitterly. "I will do no such thing. Especially since I can guarantee that he'll be in my employ first…"

"Who was that guy?" Pete interjected, confused by the strange, yet sudden visit. "Friend of yours?"

Maleficent finally cooled down a bit at this as she continued on her way down the road once more. "Yes. Though I could not tell you from 'when'. Either way, as I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted… allow me to propose a question, Pete, that even someone as dense as yourself might have a suitable answer to. If you are fully aware of your enemy's weakness, what would you do with that information?"

"Uh… use their weakness against 'em. Duh."

"Of course," Maleficent grinned. "And if your foe's weakness was, say, a deep, undying dedication and devotion to their friends, then how would you go about exploiting that weakness…?"

"Uh… well…" Pete paused, trying to come up with a suitable answer until Maleficent grew impatient and filled one in for him.

"You would force that foe to choose," she said with a cold, treacherous smirk, assured that her plan, and all that it entailed would soon be realized. "You'd force him to choose between himself and his friends. And once his poor, bleeding heart makes the obvious choice... " Maleficent's grin deepened as she clenched a tight fist over her glowing scepter, blocking out any sort of light that could have come from it altogether until only darkness remained. The very same sort of thing she planned on doing to a certain heart the moment she finally had its owner in her clutches. "That's when we'll strike…"


Ohoho well at least I managed to provide some interesting... setup in this chapter. Cause like I said next time around is when things really start to get... interesting. But as for now if you liked what you saw here please don't forget to REVIEW! Until next time!