The first thing Axel realized when stepping off the Gummi Ship was how hot it was. He grabbed the front of his shirt and tried to fan away the sweat inside.

"You'd think being around as much fire as I have would prepare me for this."

Roxas got off the ship and nudged Axel. "At least it's not your flying that'll be the end of us."

"Ha ha. I'm a great pilot."

"Wow," Xion said, shielding her eyes. "There's so much more sun than Twilight Town."

The trio had landed in a sunny town under a blue sky. It wasn't unlike Twilight Town with its tall buildings and cobblestone roads. They did their normal routine in looking for Sora. Be on the lookout for anything suspicious. Ask the locals if they've seen anything strange.

"We should see if we can get ice cream anywhere," Roxas panted, feeling the heat.

"I saw a market back there," Xion suggested.

Axel sighed. "Alright. Let's split up. You two go find some ice cream. And any leads on Sora. I'll go to the town square and ask around. Meet me there."

The smaller Keyblade wielders scampered off while the lanky redhead strolled down a street towards the open plaza. There he found a party. Some kind of local festival involving food, music, and a lot of people dancing. He got closer to the commotion and looked closer. His eyes went wide when he saw what he saw.

A woman was dancing with someone who appeared to be Donald Duck. Axel got closer and sticking out as much as he did in the crowd, caught the eye of he who was certainly Donald Duck. The small fowl looked embarrassed with the panic of someone who was supposed to be on duty but was instead caught taking a vacation with some old friends. The duck ran away, leaving his dance partner confused. She looked around and spotted the tall young man.

"You there!"

"Me?" Axel was alarmed. She was approaching.

"Yes, you. Do you dance?"

Axel gulped. "Not really."

"Good. Then I teach you."

She grabbed him and off they went.

Meanwhile, Roxas and Xion were at the marketplace when they spotted another peculiar sight. Two birds who looked like Donald Duck, but were not, were standing around, sightseeing. One was green with a dapper jacket and tie. The other was red with a sequin jacket and belt.

"Those two don't look like they're from around there," Xion noted.

Roxas went up to them. "Hey guys. Are you from Disney Castle?"

The green one frowned. "Move it, boy. I'm checking out the merchandise."

"Yes we are," the red one said. "Pardon mi amigo. My name is Panchito. He is Jose. How did you recognize us?"

"We're friends with King Mickey. Do you know Donald Duck?"

Panchito laughed. "Of course! He's here with us now."

"Not now," Jose said. "He's off dancing with my girl."

"Well, he's supposed to be with the King on a mission," Xion explained.

"Yes we know about that," Panchito replied. "But he's been working so hard on his royal mission, we thought he needed a summer vacation. We are the three caballeros after all."

Roxas furrowed his brow. "The three . . . what?"

"Three Caballeros," Jose said. "Amigos. Birds of a feather."

Panchito nodded. "No matter where he goes, the one, two, and three goes. We're always together. Except on his adventures of course."

"We know the feeling," Roxas said.

"We fought alongside Donald too," Xion added. "He can be a lot to handle, but saving the world deserves some relaxation."

"Oh, any friend of Donald is a friend of ours," Panchito said. "Let us buy you something special, as a sign of friendship."

Meanwhile, Axel was still dancing with the woman. Stepping and twirling. He felt weird, like he hadn't since the years when he was a normal kid living in Radiant Garden. Since the days he could sneak around the castle, hanging out with Isa and . . . her.

"What is your name?"

"Me? I- Lea. I mean Axel."

The woman smiled. "Which is it? Lea or Axel?"

"My friends call me Axel," is what he decided.

The woman let him go and stepped away. "Well, Axel. You are a fantastic dancer. Thank you." She kissed him on the cheek and strutted away.

Soon, Axel met with Roxas and Xion on the outskirts of the crowd.

"Any leads?"

Xion shook her head. "Only these." She revealed three ice cream bars. "No sea salt though."

"And these," Roxas added. From behind his back he revealed three straw hats. "Souvenirs from a friend."

Axel took one and combed down his hair to let it fit his head. "Thanks."

Xion took a hat and put it on. It was a little too big and shielded her eyes. "We're like the three caballeros."

"Cab a what?"

"Three best friends who stick together." Roxas flipped his hat onto his head. It fit just right "Come on, Axel. We still have a lot of searching to do."