KINGDOM HEARTS III: Final Mix
Disclaimer: I do not own the story or characters featured in this story. They are the sole creation of the Walt Disney Co., PIXAR, Tetsuya Nomura, and Square Enix. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy.
WARNING! Contains story spoilers for Kingdom Hearts III, so read with caution if you haven't played the game yet.
Chapter 3: Go the Distance
"You okay now, Sora?" Goofy asked, as Sora shook off his disorientation and summoned his Keyblade once more.
"Yeah, I'm okay," Sora replied. "Let's keep looking for more people to help."
"Well, if it isn't the Keyblade wielder and the King's fools," a mocking voice called out from nowhere in particular until a Corridor of Darkness opened and revealed Maleficent and Pete.
"Maleficent! Are you the reason the Heartless are here?" Sora gasped as the team faced down the two villains.
"Certainly not, boy," Maleficent replied, while Pete analyzed Sora.
"Hey, Maleficent, I don't know about his two sidekicks, but Kid Keyblader looks a lot punier than last time. I say we take him out now while we have the chance," Pete told her superior, as Sora's confident expression faltered.
"Ordinarily I'd be inclined to accept such an idea, but the boy is inconsequential to us now. We have a larger agenda to attend to."
"Agenda? ...Oh, right! We gotta find that Black Box!" Pete said after a bit of recollection, before Maleficent shot him a scathing look to tell him to be silent.
"As for you three, I guarantee we shall meet again... once I decide there is time for such trifles," Maleficent concluded, as she opened a Corridor of Darkness to go elsewhere in the world.
"Hey, Maleficent! Wait for me!" Pete cried out as he raced after the mistress before turning around and addressing Sora. "You better hope you'll give us a fight worth takin' when we square off next time. Later, losers!"
Sora scowled as the two villains disappeared, before Donald and Goofy looked at Sora in concern.
"Sora? You aren't bothered by what those two said, are you?" Goofy asked.
"No, it's fine. I can take it," Sora assured his two friends.
"Are you sure? If you need to open up, you can," Donald told Sora.
"I SAID I'M OKAY!" Sora snapped angrily.
"Gawrsh, no need to get mad, buddy. It's just a question," Goofy told Sora. "You're gonna get stronger, you know."
"It's not that! It's just... I know everyone is counting on me, and Riku was always better dealing with pressure than me," Sora replied, trailing off in thought as the group set off to help save the citizens of the town. In a nearby treasure chest, Sora found a map of the city so he could track each of the major landmarks. Heading down a staircase, the group managed to take down a cluster of Flame Cores and then approached a path that was set aflame from all the chaos. Goofy quietly then took out his shield and pushed it forward towards the fire, repelling it effectively.
"Fellas! I just got a crazy idea!" Goofy exclaimed, as he set down his shield for Sora and Goofy to climb on. "Are you ready?" Goofy asked as he started to push the shield across the ground and climbed on as the shield slid along the floor, letting the team safely skate along the burning street. The trio then bounced around, sliding down rooftops as they slid across a statue's surface, taking down a group of Heartless that were threatening a family standing above on a mound of rubble.
"Don't worry! You're safe now!" Sora assured.
"Thank you, but there's still others trapped in the city! You're going to need this to keep your strength up," the older man told Sora as he gave the boy a Potion. The heroes thanked the man before heading out to clear through another burning street where they could see fireballs destroy a temple close by.
"Gawrsh, I hope they've got insurance," Goofy remarked as the group jumped off a ledge ahead where they found a pathway leading into a fountain and garden space. But first, they entered a stone house directly by where they landed off the ledge and took out the Heartless inside.
"Thanks, kid. Feel free to help yourself to something from my fruit basket on the way out," the house's owner offered as the heroes continued on their way.
"I guess we can save these for later," Sora thought, sticking the fruit in his pocket. "Good thing this pocket satchel carries more than it looks like it can." Ahead of the group, Sora could see a woman clinging onto the top of a pedestal, crying for help.
"Where did all these monsters come from? Hercules, where are you?" the woman shouted.
"We'll put these hotheads out, just hang on!" Sora told the woman.
"Who are you three? Where is Hercules?" she asked.
"Yeesh, we're heroes too, y'know," Donald grumbled. The group quickly managed to take out the Heartless as the girl climbed down to thank the trio.
"Thank you for saving me, you three brave ones. I'm sure you'll be right on Hercules' level one day if you keep training," she said before leaving.
"...Is it really that noticeable?" Sora asked.
"Maybe just for you," Donald squawked jokingly.
"Well, we'll get to that level together!" Goofy assured warmly, as the group turned a corner on their way to find more citizens to help when they found a statue in front of a wall.
"You think this might be the statue Phil was talking about?" Donald asked.
"Well, let's get to smashing then," Sora answered as he hit the heel of the statue with his Keyblade until it began to topple and knock down the bricks of the wall.
"I don't think that was supposed to happen," Sora gulped nervously.
"Well, either way, there's a shortcut now," Goofy told the others as Sora grabbed some cloves, rosemary, and a King Oyster mushroom, thinking they might come useful later. In the distance, another temple collapsed after a fireball shot through it.
"Herc might be in trouble!" Donald cried out, as the team slid down the slope and through a drove of Heartless to save a woman hiding away from the monsters. Going up the steps, the heroes found Herc holding up the collapsing building with all his strength.
"Herc!" Sora called out to the professional hero.
"Sora, glad you could make it!" Hercules replied in relief, as another quake caused the building to rumble further, causing the family Hercules was protecting to try and shield themselves. The rubble also fell in front of where Sora and the others entered, blocking their only way out.
"We're trapped!" Donald wailed, as more Flame Cores appeared.
"Sora, you guys take 'em on. We still need to save this family!" Hercules instructed.
"Herc, you think you can still keep the building up?" Goofy asked.
"Not a problem!" Hercules answered with a assuring smirk.
"Guys, we gotta do this quick. I think something I learned a while ago might help..." Sora told his friends.
"Is that your secret, Sora?" Donald asked.
"You bet," Sora told them, as he focused his power within his Kingdom Key to activate a Drive Form called Second Form. The teenager clocked in enough hits against the Heartless to be able to take out a group of them with his Sonic Blade attack. The group then managed to take out the rest of the monsters with a stream of water spells.
"Good job, now get the people out!" Hercules told the trio as Sora helped guide them out through a large hole in the wall, looking back in concern at Hercules before making a run to safety with the family. After the dust cleared, Sora and his friends looked on in horror at the wreckage, fearing Hercules to be dead, until they could see a figure walking out through the dust.
"Hercules, you scared us. We thought you were dead!" Sora exclaimed.
"Don't worry; it takes more than that to stop a true hero," Hercules assured, until a hooded figure in a black coat stepped out of a Portal of Darkness. It was the Organization member, Xigbar.
"Oh, bravo! Well done!" Xigbar said sardonically, clapping his hands together.
"Who asked you, you creep?" Donald shouted.
"What are you doing here, Xigbar?" Sora questioned.
"Oh stop, you're giving me the warm and fuzzies, kiddo. Now tell me, Mr. Bodybuilder, does having a heart of light come with some sort of life insurance policy or what?" Xigbar continued.
"Just get to the point already!" Sora said in frustration.
"But I did; do you honestly think always putting other people first amounts to anything good? Like with Herc and his 'Nutmeg', for example."
"I was able to save Meg's life because I wasn't afraid to risk my own," Hercules told Xigbar.
"Ah, but you've got friends in high places, after all. That may seem admirable to you three, but one guy leaping into danger with some kind of godly safety net in waiting doesn't scream 'hero' to me. You're just lining up to lose," Xigbar replied.
"But our friends are-" Goofy began to say before Xigbar interrupted.
"-your power. I know, I know. But sticking all that power in one place is bound to break some of those hearts in the long run. But you know where I'm getting at, Sora? Accept your destiny, and find the hearts joined to yours."
"Why should I listen to you?" Sora growled.
"You think I'm telling you this out of goodwill? As if! You should be grateful I'm feeding you this trail of breadcrumbs. Your reward's waiting around the corner when all this is said and done."
"Whose hearts? Tell me!" Sora called out, only to be met with silence, as Xigbar had already left.
"Don't let him get to you, Sora. He just thinks he can get under your skin, but we'll prove him wrong," Hercules told Sora to ease his doubts.
"Besides, as a team, we're proof enough, right?" Goofy added.
"Anyway, everyone else is accounted for, so let's check back at the Agora." Hercules told the group as they set off back to the edge of town.
And that finishes this another chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, and remember to leave a review!