Author's Note: This is the list of special cards, summons, and sleights the pair have:
Special Cards:
-Metal Chocobo (Sora)
-Lionheart (Sora)
-Alexander (Philia)
-Stop
-Gravity
Summons:
-Simba (Sora)
-Cloud (Sora)
-Genie (Sora)
-Mushu (Sora)
-Dumbo (Philia)
-Tinker Bell (Philia)
Sleights:
Sora:
-Terror (Simba + Mushu + Item Card)
-Shock Impact (Simba + 2 Attack Cards)
-Quake (Gravity + Simba + Magic Card)
-Blizzard Raid
-Reflect Raid
-Fire Raid
-Thunder Raid
-Strike Raid
-Sliding Dash
-Stun Impact
-Blitz
-Zantetsuken
-Sonic Blade
-Lethal Frame
-Tornado (Aero + Gravity + Summon Card)
Philia:
-Gifted Miracle (Bambi + Blizzard + Item Card)
-Ice Breath (Blizzard + Dumbo + Magic Card)
-Blizzard Cross
-Reflect Accel
-Fire Cross
-Thunder Cross
-Armor Pierce
-Dagger Throw
-Cross Edge
-Round Accel
-Fad Edge
-Shadow Stitch
-Rising Sun (Aero + 2 Attack Card)
-Light Volley (Tinker Bell + Ether + Attack Card)
Both:
-Warp (Stop + 2 Aero)
-Bind (Gravity + Stop + Magic Card)
-Synchro (Cure + Gravity + Aero)
-Aqua Splash (Blizzard + Fire + Aero)
-Homing Blizzara (Aero + Blizzard + Magic Card)
-Teleport (Time + Aero + Item Card)
-Magnet Spiral (2 Gravity + Attack Card)
Abilities:
-High Jump
-Glide
(Philia speaking) When all hope is lost, and you lose your will to keep moving on... if all you see is the pitch black darkness, and there is a glimmer of light out there, would you race towards it? Or are you so deep in despair, that you chose to believe that it will disappear just like the rest? Would there be any point to move on? Would just hanging that one last bit of a future ahead of you be an annoyance? Do not think of it as an interference, but chase that hope with all you have. For one little light can still grow bigger and bigger in this bleak darkness.
Last time, Sora ended up having to face me when my memories of my past overtook me, and I went on a rampage against him. Sora ended up stopping me, but I chose to end our friendship then and there, before vanishing from Sora. Grieving for losing me, he continued to push on with Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy in order to rescue Naminé, going through the illusion of Hollow Bastion, seeing how what we say isn't truly what we mean. That hit him close, as he wondered if that was the same as what I said or what Riku had been saying to him.
However, I had no idea I said all this. Everything was a complete blank. When I came to, I was further away from Sora than before, with no one but PHox to greet me and tell me what I had done. It was a devastating blow to me, but I pushed on, going through the world of Atlantica again, fighting Ursula again, and pushing forward. However, the voice of my past started to speak to me, telling my connection to Sora is gone, and my past as a killer was all I had left. I couldn't handle it. I couldn't accept either choice, and I feared that I would end up killing Sora if I went to him and my memories resurfaced. In my anguish, I ended up breaking. I was at a complete standstill. What do I do? Can anyone help me? Please... help me... Sora... save me...
(Insert 'Resister' by ASCA, TV version.)
Pride that shines within strong, unwilling emotions
Resist destiny!
(Sora and Philia stand at the crossroads in the middle of a grassy plains at night, facing opposite directions, with Philia expression that of sadness. Then the wind draws their attention, and they shielded their faces, only to open their eyes to see Castle Oblivion before them, with Donald and Goofy by their sides. The scene blurs out as the title of the series appears.)
In a place your voice doesn't reach
Is a twisted rule that no one taught me
(On a clear surface in a black environment, Sora stood there, the silhouettes of Donald, Goofy and Jiminy, then switched out for Riku and Mickey, then Kairi with her back turned. She turns around, and her appearance changes to Naminé. He closes his eyes, and falls backwards.)
When you were young, you had dreams you wished for with all your heart
The journey to find where they are has only just begun
(Sora transforms into Philia as she splashes through the surface, her eyes half-closed as pictures of their previous adventure scatter the area about her, mostly those of her and Sora together. She becomes wide awake, and struggles to swim back up to the surface, only for her leg to be grabbed by a hand. She looked down to see PHox, his grin hidden in the hood as he looked at her.)
I no longer need the time I mourned.
So break the wall of limitation, right now!
(In a white room, Naminé sat there with a somber expression, drawing pictures in a book. She looked up, and the scene shifts to one of the large doors within Castle Oblivion opening to let Sora, Philia and their friends through.)
Pride that shines within strong, unwilling emotions
(The pair were working together as they took out Heartless that got in their way as they charged through the castle hallways with their weapon, before pulling out cards that shined, allowing them to perform magic and Dagger Skills.)
Recollections that never change, no matter what pain we experience.
(At a closed door, silhouettes of Axel unleashing his blazing chakrams, to Larxene throwing her electrified daggers, to Vexen and his shield in front of him as he unleashed a pillar of ice, to Marluxia as he swiped his scythe, unleashing a scattering of flower petals.)
Embracing the vow I found as I broadened my sight
(Sora ends up fighting against Dark Riku as they clashed with one another, both determined to save Naminé, before pushing off of one another, skidding to a halt.)
Because this road I chose with unclouded eyes will connect me to you
(Sora, covered in injuries, glares at Riku, before he heard something, and turned around to see PHox standing there, his blood red cutting knife raised, as a screaming Philia was consumed in a cocoon of darkness, before revealing herself once more, in a similar attire to Dark Riku's, only blue instead of purple, and her eyes flashed deadly at Sora.)
Let your voice echo, resist destiny!
(Sora was shocked at Philia's change, but saw Donald and Goofy come to his side, assuring him to save her, and they charged forward to Dark Philia, Sora's hand raised out to her, though the scene shifts to regular Philia falling backwards into darkness.)
Proud of Myself. Aaah~
(Scene warps about, from Sora standing on the beach with Kairi, who is swapped with Naminé, to Philia clutching her heart, while the logo of the Laughing Coffin was behind her, then crying out in desperation to know what is the truth, to Riku rising up to reach out to the light, to the light showing a silhouette of King Mickey, to the shadow of DiZ in a dark room, finishing Naminé closing the drawing book, placing it on a small white table before her, showing a crude picture of Philia and Sora standing together, their hands held as they stared up at Castle Oblivion. Naminé's shadow over the book moves aside as she walks away, ending the scene)
White Room:
Donald and Goofy were the first to go up the stairs, with Sora right behind them.
"Wow! The tenth floor... We've gotten up pretty high." Donald pointed.
"And that must mean we've lost ten whole floors' worth of our memories." Jiminy noted, hopping out onto Sora's shoulder.
"Bet Philia still has all of her memories..." Donald assumed, looking to Goofy.
"Kinda makes me miss her when she knows what we don't." Goofy whimpered.
Sora looked sad, as he missed Philia for a similar reason. However, there was something else in his mind that was interfering with him worrying more about her, even as Jiminy said, "Sora, it's still not too late. Don't you think we should turn back?"
"Can't do it..." Sora replied, "...because...that would break an old promise that I made."
"An old promise?" Jiminy echoed, "What would that be?"
Sora looked up to the ceiling, remembering as he said, "On the islands, I promised Naminé... that I'd keep her safe, no matter what. But, I forgot it... I didn't remember until I started forgetting everything else! A promise between the two of us..." He paused as he thought about that, while the others looked worried at him, but he looked up in determination as he finished, "That's why... I can't leave. Now that I remember the promise, I have to keep it."
Jiminy patted Sora's cheek, smiling as he replied, "Of course. We understand, Sora."
"Yeah, now that you remember your promise to Naminé, then you must have all your important memories." Goofy stated, with Donald nodding in agreement.
Sora nodded in response, before something flashed in his mind. Words from Philia before she lost control.
"How could you even forget Ka***?!" "Why... you swore you wouldn't lose your most precious memories." "I'm... I'm sorry, Ka***. I... I didn't protect Sora, like I promised." 'Philia screaming as the darkness engulfed her.'
Sora paused, thinking to himself on this. He ended up forgetting something so important to him and Philia, that she ended up going corrupted. What was it? Even the name of the person spoke of was vanishing from his mind. Shaking his head, he decided to ignore it, and move on.
He walked up to the door, and raised the last card up to it, which had the 100 Acre Woods on it. The card shined, and opened the door, allowing him to enter in.
Next thing he knew, he was walking along a path through a welcoming forest with thick trees, shrubbery, and clear blue skies in the air. Unlike all the times before, he was on his own, without Donald or Goofy beside him.
He approached a house built into a tree, and saw, sitting on a fallen log right in front of it, a bear in a red shirt. This was Winnie the Pooh.
"What's wrong, little fella?" Sora asked him.
The bear looked to him as he answered, "I'm looking for my friends."
"Are they around here?" Sora asked, looking about the place, "It looks like nobody's here."
"Oh. Then perhaps I'm looking for nobody." Pooh replied.
"You're looking for nobody?" Sora echoed, confused.
"I suppose I must be. But, they don't seem to be anywhere." he stated, tapping his belly, "And all this searching is making my tummy rumbly. Hmm... I wonder if there's any honey about. Oh, but if I stop to eat, I shall first have to stop searching."
Sora looked rather confused at the bear's words, before coming up with a plan. "Why don't we look for your friends together?"
"For nobody, you mean?" Pooh corrected.
Sora went and sat down on the log next to him as he answered, "No, for your friends. They might be around here. Let's find them together."
"Oh, are you looking for my friends, too?" Pooh asked.
"No, but I'm looking for some friends of my own." Sora answered.
"And are they friends who know my friends?"
"I'm not sure, Pooh." Sora replied, realizing he didn't know if their friends DID know one another. He stood up and turned to him, continuing, "But I know what it's like to miss your friends. So why don't we look for them together?"
"I'd like that, Sora." Pooh replied, hopping off the log.
The two started to look about, starting with inside Pooh's house. They didn't find anything there, but they found an Attack card in Pooh's doorbell.
When Sora wandered around to the back of the house, he was able to spot several shrubs, and caught sight of what looked like a tiny, pig-like character hiding behind one of them, Piglet. He saw the very large character that was Sora, and started to panic, running from shrub to shrub, trying to hide from him, but Sora was able to get around and catch him before he got away.
Piglet screamed in fright, before saying, "Oh, no! Oh, dear! Don't mind me."
Sora crouched down as he asked, "You're not Pooh's friend?"
"Well, uh..." Piglet whimpered, "Um... I mean, I'm NOT not Pooh's friend... I'm..."
Pooh slowly appeared on the scene, saying, "Why, hello there, Piglet."
"Oh! It's you, Pooh!" Piglet greeted, "I'm so relieved... I've finally found someone! I got separated from the others. And I was so worried, I didn't know what to do."
"That explains why you were so fidgety." Sora understood.
"Piglet, why don't you come with us to find the rest of our friends?" Pooh asked.
"What? Oh my, I don't know..." Piglet answered, a little worried, "Ohhh... What should I do..."
"Guess he doesn't want to come." Sora told Pooh.
The pair turned and started to walk away when Piglet yelped, "Wait! Please!"
"Have you decided to join us, Piglet?" Pooh asked.
"Well, no. I'm... I'm still thinking." Piglet answered, "But before you got here, I found something strange in the shrubs... I thought it might help you to find everyone else..." He then gifted Sora with a small glitter, which appeared as a new Sleight in Sora's repertoire, Confuse. However, he came to the realization that he couldn't use it, as it require Tinker Bell to use, and Philia had that Summon card. In fact, it required cards each of them could uniquely use to unleash. This meant Sora couldn't even use it. He still thanked Piglet, and they moved on.
They went along the path, and found themselves in another person's home built in a tree, which had fields of vegetable gardens about and a running creek. They investigated the place, but couldn't find anything or anyone noteworthy.
They went around the back, and was just going past the white-painted fence when they stopped as they saw a pumpkin rolling down the hill towards them. "Oh, no!" Sora panicked, and leapt out of the way. Pooh, on the other hand, was less fortunate, and got barreled over by the pumpkin. "That was close! Are you okay, Pooh?" Sora called to the bear.
"Yes... I seem to be." Pooh answered.
"Where did that pumpkin come from?" Sora asked.
"Yoo-hoo!" cried out a voice. Over the hill, racing down towards them, was a yellow-furred rabbit, running down to the pair.
"Hello, Rabbit." Pooh greeted.
"Oh, I'm glad you're here!" Rabbit answered, "Would you help me sort the vegetables from my garden?"
"So the pumpkin was yours..." Sora answered, looking to the pumpkin, "Well, I guess I can pitch in."
"Great! See, I can send the vegetables from beyond the hill." Rabbit told Sora, "But if you can separate them when I roll them down, that would be most helpful. The cabbages can go to your left, and the pumpkins can go to the right. The carrots can just roll right on past you, and they can gather up."
"Okay, sure." Sora answered.
"Also, I have some rather large pumkins. They might be a bit difficult for you to knock them aside." Rabbit noted.
"Well... I can figure it out when I get to them." Sora answered.
Rabbit went up the hill, and started chucking down one vegetable after another. Sora utilized his Keyblade to whack the vegetables to their respective destination. Sometimes, Pooh ended up going in, chasing a butterfly or something of that sorts, and Sora had to fling his Keyblade into the vegetables to prevent them from hitting Pooh, while knocking them into their respective areas. Finally, when it came to the large pumpkins that rolled down the hill, Sora used Strike Raid a few times to send them flying into the other pumpkins. It took some time, but Sora managed to get them all sorted out.
Rabbit came back down the hill, seeing the task Sora accomplished, and said, "Thank you for the help. Please take this, won't you?" Rabbit then handed Sora a new Sleight to use, Cross-slash+, which he could use with Cloud's card, along with a Fire Magic Card. With that, Sora thanked Rabbit, and he led Pooh over the hill and onward, now that another friend was found.
Next thing they knew, they were passing shrubberies to reach a very tall tree on a small hill, with balloons tied to a fallen log next to it. The duo approached the log, and Sora asked, "I wonder what these balloons are for."
"Oh, it's what I use to get to the honey at the top of the tree." Pooh explained, "They help float me up there, provided that branches and bees don't bother me as I float. Would you like to try, Sora?"
"Um... sure." Sora replied, looking to the balloons. How they could make him float, he had no clue. However, it sounded like fun, so he gave it a shot.
Sure enough, the balloons were somehow able to make Sora float, and Pooh was placed on his back. Together, they started to float up. And as Pooh said, there were not only the branches that they had to avoid as they floated around the tree, but also bees that were on patrol here and there. A couple times, a balloon would pop. However, there were spares around the tree that they used to replace them. Finally, they were able to reach the top, and get to the beehive to get the honey for Pooh.
When they reached the top, they discovered a new character was there; an owl, or rather, just Owl. "Hoo! Look who made it all the way up here!" he greeted. After they met one another, they descended down to the ground again, with Owl pulling them down.
Once they reached the ground, Owl asked, "Are you all right, Pooh?"
"Oh yes, Owl. I found it rather fun." Pooh replied.
"Maybe you can use a balloon to look for your friends." Sora suggested.
"Hoo! Hoo! You might think so, young man." Owl answered, "But serious problems arise when you arrive at your destination." Sora looked confused, so Owl asked, "When you find your friends, how will you get down to them? You see, a balloon goes only where the wind blows. Which is usually up! What if you saw your friends, but the wind kept them just out of reach? I'd rather have to keep looking for my friends, than find them and not be able to reach them."
"You've got a point." Sora agreed, now seeing his reason.
"If you want to find someone, you'd best do it on foot." Owl finished, "It can be quite excited to stumble across a friend where you least expect them!"
"Well, that is how I feel when I stumble across some honey!" Pooh compared.
"That's the spirit, Pooh!" Owl told him, "Keep moving and keep looking."
"Thank you, Owl. That's what I'll do." Pooh thanked him, "My tummy is anxious for me to find that honey."
Rolling his eyes at Pooh's absent-minded nature, he said, "Don't worry, I'll help Pooh find his friends."
"Splendid! Here's something to speed you on your way." Owl told Sora, handing him something. It was a new '0' Stop Magic card, and a Firaga Burst sleight, which he could use. He thanked Owl, and the pair went on their way.
They moved on to the next area, which was a denser part of the woods. They arrived on the scene to see multiple large stumps in an open area. There was someone hopping from stump to stump. A tiger-like character, named Tigger. However, upon noticing them, he hopped off the stump in front of them.
He hooted a laugh as he asked, "Say, how would you like to bounce with me?"
"Bounce?" Sora echoed, a little confused.
"Yeah. Bouncin' is a lot of fun! Come join with me!" Tigger told Sora, bouncing around him and Pooh, before stopping back in front of them again, "Just bounce with me onto the same stump, and follow my lead!"
"Sure, that sounds fine with me." Sora answered, turning to Pooh, "Let's go, Pooh!"
"Bouncin' does get my tummy rumbly for some honey, so why not?" Pooh replied, and they joined Tigger onto the stumps.
Tigger started to jump from stump to stump, with Sora and Pooh repeating the same order as him, having fun with him as Tigger would occasionally try to trick them with a different jump, but Sora would catch on, and follow his pattern. They kept doing this for a while, barely noticing the time went by.
When they were done, they hopped off the stumps as Tigger turned to Sora, hooting another laugh as he said, "Not bad at all!"
Pooh joined them as he said, "We were just trying to bounce like you, Tigger."
"I'm surprised you could keep up with me." Tigger stated.
"Well, I can bounce with the best of them, now!" Sora declared.
"Is that so? Then let's see you do this!" Tigger responded, leaping onto the stumps, and jumping high from one to the other on his tail, which became a spring. Sora was genuinely impressed by this. Tigger then hopped back down after showing off as he asked, "What do you think of that?"
Sora looked ashamed at his boasting as he replied, "I could never..."
"Aw, you don't have to do it like me!" Tigger assured him, "Bouncin' is best when you do it your own way! 'Cause I'm Tigger, and you're Sora!"
With a hooting laugh, he turned and started to bounce away, when Sora noticed something fall off him, and called out, "Tigger, I think you dropped something."
Tigger turned and saw the thing he dropped, saying, "Oh, that? I found it on top of a tree when I was bouncin'. You can have it. Sora. Kinda weighs me down when I'm bouncin'!" Tigger continued to bounce about as Sora picked up what he dropped; a new Sleight and a high number Ether card. The sleight was called 'Idyll Romp', which required a Summon Card he didn't have. While he was jumping before, he did notice a treasure chest nearby, and glided towards it, which turned out to be a new Keyblade card, containing the Spellbinder Keyblade Attack card.
Sora and Pooh moved onto the next part of the woods, which was even denser than the last, not to mention muddier. Sora and Pooh walked along the muddy ground until they reached the dirt, where they saw footprints that led from the mud towards a well of sorts, where they vanished. The well was blowing wind up from within it, and it was rather strong.
"That's an awfully blustery hole..." Sora noted, walking towards it.
"I wonder if one of my friends got blown upwards by the hole." Pooh wondered, wandering towards it, and looking at where the wind was blowing.
"Let's go find out!" Sora replied, "Come on! Let's go up!" Sora carried Pooh as he hopped into the well. Instead of going in, he was instead floating for a moment, until an extremely powerful gust sent him skyward. He shot very high, well into the sky, before he started to fall downward, holding Pooh's hand.
They danced about the sky, going closer and closer to the ground. However, there was more than just them in the air, as they also saw debris such as hollow tree trunks and branches, bees nests, and other such things. Sora was able to guide himself and Pooh around the debris, including rolling to evade the oncoming debris. He wasn't sure how all this debris was up here, but he still had no choice but to get around it to avoid himself or Pooh from getting harmed. They did accidentally bump into some debris, forcing the two to be apart until Sora came around and grabbed him again.
The two finally reached the ground, falling into a tall and bushy plant, which cushioned their fall. They came out of it, along with another character, which was a baby kangaroo with a blue shirt. It was little Roo, iand he was originally within the large plant until the two showed up.
They made their way back over to the blustery well as Pooh greeted, "Hello there, Roo. What were you doing here?"
"I was so busy looking for Tigger, that I was blown away by the wind, and fell down here!" Roo explained.
"And you got stuck?" Pooh asked.
"No. I was waiting for Tigger so we can ride the blustery wind together!" Roo answered, "So, if Tigger rides the wind here, this is where I'll be! It sure will surprise Tigger. Don't you think?"
"But what if he doesn't fall here?" Sora asked. He was recalling Owl's message to him before, and believing there is a similar concept here.
"Hmm..." Pooh thought as well, before saying, "...yes, if Tigger rides the wind, his bounces might bounce him even further away."
"Well, I was getting a little lonely and tired of waiting for him." Roo admitted.
"Instead of waiting, why don't you see if you can find him?" Sora asked.
"You're right!" Roo agreed, "That's a great idea!" He was about to take off, when he stopped and came back to Sora, adding, "By the way, I found this in the shrubs. Why don't you take it?" He gave Sora a couple cards, with one being a new Mega-Ether card, and the other being a high-number Gravity Magic card.
"By the way, I saw Eeyore up on the hill above." Roo told Sora, "Go say hi to him!"
"Sure thing." Sora replied, before he and Pooh make their way up to the hill above, where they saw the pessimistic donkey himself, Eeyore, standing in the middle of the hill. He was shaking his behind, where no tail was at.
"Lost my tail again. It figures..." Eeyore sighed.
"Do you know where you lost it?" Sora asked, as Pooh wandered away from them.
They stared about the place, before Pooh called out, "Oh, yum! I found it." They turned, thinking Pooh found Eeyore's tail, but instead was looking into a hollow part of a tree, where the waft of honey could be smelled from. "I knew if I just listened to my tummy, it would find some honey." he rhymed.
"Probably upset the bees, though." Eeyore warned him, "Taking their honey, that is."
Pooh, didn't bother, and instead went to getting honey. However, this led to bees starting to swarm Pooh, causing him to back off from them.
"Oh, no!" Sora shouted, readying his Keyblade as he prepped his cards. However, upon examination, he noticed his cards were different than before, now being a completely different deck. There were new attack cards, as well as magic cards. "What's with all of these new cards?!" Sora asked, looking at them, before seeing the bees that surrounded Pooh. "Well... looks like I'll have to wing it!" he told himself, readying himself to fight.
Sora started making due with the deck he was given as he fought off the bees, striking them and countering their attacks they were about to deliver onto Pooh. He had cards that blew away the bees, but didn't do much damage, but when he combined it with a honey pot card, which healed up Pooh by itself, he unleashed a whirlwind slash that destroyed the bees. He had to keep tabs with what cards he had, as well as keep an eye on all the cards he had on hand, he had to make sure to protect Pooh from enormous amount of bees around the place.
Sora managed to clear up the last of the bees with one final Honey Storm sleight, causing the trees to shake when Pooh was flown into one. Then, something fell to the ground at Eeyore's feet, which turned out to be his tail, with a couple of cards that floated down with it. Pooh was able to sit back up after slamming into the tree. "Oh, bother... My head." Pooh groaned, massaging his head.
Sora helped Eeyore out with attaching his tail to his back. Eeyore then walked over to Pooh as he said, "Well, much obliged, Pooh."
Pooh managed to get to his feet again as he replied, "I'm sure I'm obliged to you, too, Eeyore. But... um... for what?"
"For running into that tree and getting my tail back for me." Eeyore answered.
"Oh but, I was just trying to get away from those bees." Pooh admitted, "And keep up with Sora."
"Well, anyhow, you helped me. Thanks." Eeyore told them, turning to Sora.
"And I was just trying to get rid of the bees. It was an accident that we found your tail." Sora admitted.
"An accident. It figures." Eeyore sighed, "Nobody would help me on purpose. But I'm still obliged. Thank you, Pooh and Sora."
"You're welcome, Eeyore." Pooh replied.
"Here's something for you." the donkey told Sora, handing him a couple of new cards; The Elixir and Hi-Potion card.
"Hey, it's okay, Eeyore." Sora assured him, "It was just an accident."
"I know, but this fell down along with my tail." Eeyore answered, "It's the accidental part of my thank you."
"Well, I guess then I can say thanks." Sora thanked him, taking the cards, and pocketed them. They waved goodbye to Eeyore as Sora and Pooh went along their way.
They managed to reach an empty hill with a fallen log on its side, and both Sora and Pooh got up to the fallen log together, looking at it and their surroundings. There didn't seem to be anywhere else they could go from here.
"I guess we can't go any farther." Sora acknowledged. He turned to the bear, asking, "So Pooh, wasn't it more fun looking for friends together?"
"Oh yes, Sora. It was. Pooh replied, pulling out a card, "And I'd like you to have this. Thank you for helping me." Sora took it and examined the card. It was a Summon Card for a character named Bambi.
Pooh sat down on the ground, sighing as he said, "Whew... I've walked so far. I think I need a little rest. If only I had a honey pot to keep me company..."
Sora paused as he looked ahead, before looking at the card Pooh gave him. For some reason, deep down, he felt like he should hold off on using it. 'I think... I would like to give this to Philia, the next time we see each other.' he told himself, 'It feels more right that she had this. I wonder if it's because she used this summon before? I'll just have to ask her when I can.' He pocketed the card, and turned to Pooh, saying, "Well, I'd better get going."
"Where to?" Pooh asked him.
"To look for my friends." Sora answered.
"Then I shall help you look for them, too." Pooh decided.
"That's okay, Pooh. You should stay here." Sora told him.
"You mean... this is goodbye?"
"No way! I'll always know where to find you." Sora replied. It then occurred to him what he was saying, and muttered, "If I don't forget..."
Pooh got back up onto his feet and said, "Don't worry, Sora. You can count on me. Even if you forget Winnie the Pooh, I won't forget you."
"Thanks, Pooh." Sora thanked him, before realizing something else. Philia was basically doing the same thing for him. Even as his memories were fading away to reveal the ones for Naminé, Philia had still retained her memories of their adventure together, as well as everyone that they had met. The person that was also important to Sora that he had forgotten. She remembered it all. Donald and Goofy were right. Without her here with them, he missed her being with him, still containing their memories.
'Philia... I hope that when we see each other again, we can still be friends.' he told himself, looking down with a sad expression, even as he walked away from Pooh, 'I didn't realize it until now... how much I missed you.'
Some time later, he found the door, opening up and entering through. Donald and Goofy appeared, joining his side as they walked forward. Suddenly, they stopped as a black portal opened up, and Vexen appeared, getting in their way.
"Who are you?!" Sora demanded, already hostile towards the opponent.
"I am Vexen." he introduced himself, "I have come to collect your debt, Sora."
Goofy looked puzzled as he asked, "A debt? Sora, do you owe somethin' to this guy?"
Sora broke character, before turning to Goofy as he answered, "Come on, of course not."
"Oh, but you do." Vexen retorted, "You owe me for reuniting you with your former friend."
Sora thought about what he meant, before realizing the one person that fit his description. "You don't mean..." Sora muttered.
"Indeed, I do." Vexen replied, "I'm the one who brought Riku to you."
"Then... you're the one..." Sora realized, before growling, "Your the one who's been controlling him! What have you done with him?!"
"I see no need to give you information about where Riku is. After all..." Vexen slowly waved his left hand, ice started to be produced, before it was formed into his weapon; a spiked shield, which he raised in front of him as he finished, "Why trouble you in your final hour?"
There was a flash of light, and Sora was now alone again, facing Vexen by himself. Sora readied himself as he charged forward, unleashed a strike that was blocked by Vexen's shield. He pushed Sora back, and unleashed a strike with his shield, followed by another swing that summoned a pillar of ice from the ground, sending Sora upwards, and causing him damage. Sora tumbled, but was able to get back onto his feet.
"Hmph! No smarts, whatsoever!" Vexen scoffed, unleashing a Blizzara spell at Sora, who pulled out a larger number card to counter and unleash a Thunder spell to damage Vexen.
"How's that for smart?!" Sora demanded.
"You were lucky!" Vexen retaliated, before swinging his shield again at Sora, who countered with a swing of his Keyblade. Sora and Vexen both set up a Sleight, and Sora tried unleashing a Strike Raid, but got countered by Vexen as he unleashed a Freeze, suddenly freezing Sora in a block of ice. "Shatter!" he shouted before slapping his shield against the frozen Sora, sending him flying. He tumbled along the ground, getting back up, shaking the ice from his hair, before glaring at the cackling Vexen.
The icy Organization member came at Sora with another strike from his shield, but Sora had another Sleight at the ready, and unleashed the Lethal Frame, stopping Vexen and causing him to get dazed from it. He stopped time, and unleashed a combo of slashes, before time continued, and he was struck with the combo all at once, damaging him hard.
"You are just an experiment!" Vexen growled, turning to Sora, "You don't have the potential to beat me!"
"Who's the experiment?!" he shouted back, before launching at him with a swing of his blade.
Vexen was tougher than Sora thought. His shield made it impossible for frontal assault, so Sora had to get around him in order to unleash attacks to damage him. He was unable to endure all of his cards or sleights being broken by Sora's counterattacks, and he would end up dazed. This left him vulnerable for Sora to unleash attacks on him. Nevertheless, he had a lot of stamina, and he unleashed all sorts of icy attacks, from swings of his shields with ice pillars, shooting ice, and attempting to freezing Sora in a block of ice before shattering him out of it. Some attacks were easy to avoid or counter, and he avoided unleashing Blizzard-elemented spells.
"I took you for granted. It seems you're rather clever, now that I am facing you!" Vexen commended snidely, "But you are still far too weak!"
"Ha! Tough talk for someone who's getting his butt whooped!" Sora answered, "Now tell me what you did to Riku!"
"You imbecile!" Vexen snapped, creating a ring of spiked ice, while summoning ice needles that chained along the ground, going towards Sora. Sora ran as best as he could, reloading his deck, while trying to find a Sleight to counter. He didn't have a high number to use, but he did have a 0 card, and had it at the ready. The spikes were almost on top of him, and he turned and unleashed the 0 Cure card, healing himself while breaking Vexen's sleight.
"Well, this was something I didn't expect!" Vexen grimaced, stumbling from the attack, "But I've just had enough."
"Same with me!" Sora replied, using a Friend Card and unleashing a Goofy Smash, bringing Goofy with him as they knocked him skyward before knocking him back to the ground. Sora then combined three 9 cards together, and unleashed Zantetsuken, striking right through Vexen with one final slash, struck down the man.
"Unbelievable!" Vexen grimaced as he was knocked out, before vanishing from sight. From his fight, Sora managed to gain a new Sleight; Freeze.
There was a flash of light, and next thing they knew, Vexen slid back from Sora, damaged from their fight, but still standing. "As I expected, you weren't one to die very easily." the enemy stated, dismissing his shield.
"As if I'd ever lose to you!" Sora shouted, pointing his Keyblade at him.
"I wouldn't be so sure." Vexen retorted, "Did you even notice? I was delving deep into your memory as we fought." Sora looked surprised, not even noticing he was doing that, but saw him draw out a card as he continued, "And here... Look what I found. A card crafted from all the memories that are locked in the other side of your heart." He tossed it to Sora, who snatched it as Vexen produced a portal and vanished.
"Wait!" Sora shouted, but he had already disappeared. He growled, before calming himself, and looking down at the new card, which was a new world, which looked like it was taking place at sunset, with the name 'Twilight Town' on it. "Memories...in the other side?" he echoed.
"The other side of your heart?" Donald echoed, him and Goofy standing behind Sora, "Is that where all the things you forget go?"
"I got a bad feeling about this." Goofy muttered, "We should be prepared."
Sora nodded in agreement, looking at the card, before going forward, deciding to figure out what this meant himself.
Back with the other Organization members, Axel, Larxene, and Marluxia were together, looking at the crystal ball on the pedestal, watching what was taking place with Sora.
"If Sora disappears, that would mess up the Organization's plans." Axel warned their leader.
"I trust that you know what you need to do." Marluxia replied to Axel's notice.
"Haven't a clue, really." Axel replied, turning around and waving it off, "Maybe you can spell it out for me."
"Vexen has clearly committed a treasonous act against the Organization." Marluxia explained, "You must eliminate the traitor."
"No taking it back later." Axel replied to him, creating a black portal, and vanishing.
"Now, let's see what happens here." Larxene chuckled, looking at the orb, "I am interested to see if Axel will actually pull it off!"
"We must also see what is happening with Philia." Marluxia noted, "Has she made any changes with the last time we saw her?"
They examined the orb closely, before Larxene scoffed as she answered, "Oh, great. Seems like PHox couldn't wait, and went himself. And look; his toy is still broken. Guess she might be useless to him after all."
Naminé watched the two keep close tabs on what was happening below. She then looked at the book, seeing a drawing she had made. One of Kairi, herself, and Philia together, as friends. She closed her eyes, thinking to herself. 'Philia… I cannot alter your memories, but… because you hold a strong connection to both Sora and Kairi, I can reach you, even now.'
Philia
Down many floors below, PHox had appeared out of a black portal, approaching the unconscious Philia, still in the kneeling position, her glazed eyes still looking to the ceiling. He crouched down at her face, looking at her as she didn't make any sign back at him.
"Hello? You made a decision, yet?" He asked. She gave no response to his question. "Oh, come on! Don't tell me you are that broken?" He exclaimed, "Wake up already!" With these words, he kicked Philia across the room, causing her body to fly before it rolled and she laid on her back, with no sign of responding.
"You seriously would rather be lifeless rather than accept the role of a murderer?" PHox asked, looking to her for a few seconds. He then walked over, crouched down, and started punching her several times, saying, "Just give in already! I have big plans for you, so don't go falling here. Didn't you learn anything from that brat Keyblade wielder? Get up when life throws you a bone, so naw on it like the little dog you are!"
He stopped punching, looking down at her, seeing the marks from his punching. "Well, this was boring. I was hoping for more from you, but if I knew this was all it took to break you, I would've planned something else. Guess I'll just have to wake you up some other way…"
He paused for a second, before smirking maliciously as he said, "Oh, I know. Let's do this." He reached out and grabbed her weapon hand, pulling her up as he stood, so that she merely hung limply in his grasp. He then drew out his butcher knife, as he stated, "How about I lob off this hand of yours? That way, the only hand you have remaining is the one with our Guild mark. Consider it one less thing to distract you from what you truly are. Bet the pain will totally wake you. Let's see if it works!" He pulled back his weapon, ready to swing and cut off Philia's hand. Philia showed no signs of retaliation. She was about to more of herself because of him.
Deep within her heart, Philia was floating downward into darkness, like she was sinking deeper and deeper into the bottom of the ocean. She showed no signs of struggling, and had no reason to resist. Her eyes were closed, and her body almost lifeless.
"I'm done… I don't know what to do." She told herself weakly, "I don't want to accept my past, but I don't even see a future for myself. If it… if it's truly my fate to be a killer, one who will even kill my own friends… then I would rather not even continue. I want it to end. All of it."
'Philia…' suddenly, out of nowhere, a voice was speaking to Philia, causing her to open her eyes, as she looked up, and saw a bright light starting to descend down towards her. 'Please, Philia. You can't give up just yet.' the voice told her.
"Who… who are you?" Philia asked the voice.
'My name… is Naminé.' The voice replied.
"Naminé… You're the one who Sora remembered." Philia recalled, "So, you really were in this castle, weren't you?"
'Yes. And, as they had said, I am a prisoner here.' Naminé explained, 'Forced to be used as bait by the Organization… as well as the one responsible for why Sora is losing memories of his past, and why he as suddenly gained memories about me.'
"What… what do you mean?" Philia asked.
Naminé didn't reply, but only made a nervous moan, before continuing, 'Philia… I have done so much wrong, to both you and Sora. I ask you to help me make things right. You are the only one who I can reach out to.'
"Why me?" Philia asked, "And why should you ask me? You heard everyone. I was a murderer. A killer. My past is trying to resurface, and I am scared of it taking over."
'That is nothing but an illusion that the Organization is trying to create within you.' Naminé stated, 'PHox is merely trying to convince you were one in the past, so he can use you.'
"Then… do you know about my past at all?" Philia asked.
'…No. I do not.'
"Then how do you know that what they say isn't true?" she asked.
Naminé paused, then asked, 'Does it really matter? Are you really believing the you right now is a killer? The one who started off with Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy? The one who made so many friends and many adventures since?'
Philia paused on these questions. She constantly struggled between who she was in the current and who she was in the past. While the past that they were forcing upon her was constantly there, she went and looked on herself during the journey ever since she met Sora. All the memories she shared with them. The friends they made, the battles they won, the villains they defeated, and the laughter and joy they shared. None of it showed she was truly a killer like they made her to be.
'You hold the true memories for Sora, and they know that.' Naminé told Philia, 'While PHox's true objective isn't clear, because your memories cannot be altered is why they are separating you two; So that it will be easier to bring Sora further in, and make both of you easier to control. Do you believe that when you reunite with Sora, you will be what they claim you to be, or do your memories tell you otherwise?'
Philia's eyes widened in realization. She hadn't realized it, but the repetition of everything the Organization and the fake Riku were telling her was starting to get to her, confusing her, even causing her to become even more emotionally broken when Sora continued to lose his memories. She was losing herself to them, and she hadn't realized it. She was, as the castle's namesake said, oblivious to the change. Now that she noticed it, she wasn't gonna let it get to her again.
"Naminé, I still have questions about you, and what you have been saying." Philia replied, "But for now, I know what needs to be done." She struggled her body, pointing it upwards, and started to swim to the surface of her drowned heart, ready to awaken.
PHox pulled back his knife, before swinging it at Philia. Suddenly, Philia's glazed eyes became alive again, and she summoned her dagger in her other hand, swinging it to counter his attack, before kicking him in the gut, causing him to be sent backwards. Philia flipped in the air, landing on her feet. PHox caught himself, performing a backflip to slow himself down, and land neatly on his feet, grinning as he saw that she was awake again.
"Well, well. Took you long enough!" he told Philia. He then noticed the serious expression on her face, and his smile slowly faded as he asked, "So, I take it you've made a decision, huh?"
"Yeah. I have." she replied, tossing her dagger from one hand to the other. She looked at the Laughing Coffin guild mark on her hand, and did something that rather surprised PHox; she held it up, along with her dagger, and cut diagonally across the mark. Philia gritted her teeth to endure the pain of her self-inflicted wound. Blood came off of her hand. As she lowered her free hand as the blood dripped onto the floor.
"I've decided to find the truth of my past myself, and live as who I became since I awoke." Philia told PHox, readying her dagger to fight, "Whether I was a murderer or not doesn't matter in the present. The path of memories I made since I met Sora is showing me the road I will take, and it starts by defeating you!"
PHox gave a blank look for a moment, before oddly smirking as he stated, "Well, this wasn't EXACTLY what I expected. But seems like you are too stubborn to accept the reality I am handing you on a silver platter. Guess there's only one thing left to do, then..." He readied his weapon, getting into a fighting stance, "I'm gonna carve the truth so cleanly into you, you will beg for the pain to end!"
There was a flash of light, and both Philia and PHox were alone in the circular battlefield, ready to fight one another. PHox launched forward with a Crossroad Kill Dagger Skill, but Philia countered with a higher Attack card, striking him a couple times, before he countered her next card, and unleashed a Blood Round, spinning with his butcher knife, sending her flying.
Philia was able to recover, creating a Sleight, and unleashed the Rising Sun, floating up and striking down in an arc at PHox, striking him a couple times like this. She landed on the ground, before seeing PHox come at her with a Sleight at the ready. "Let's have a party!" he roared, and he encased his weapon in blood, making it larger than before. He came in an swung his blade with wild ferocity, looking like the Wild Edge, but now the more evolved 'Bloody Dance'. Philia had to dodge as best as she could, but got caught in the attack, and got slashed several times. She was knocked away, falling on the ground. Before PHox could go in for the final kill, she produced a Cura sleight to heal herself, followed by a Potion card to restock her Attack cards.
"You are just delaying the inevitable!" PHox shouted.
"No, I am doing what I think is right!" Philia retorted, and they continued the fight.
PHox was more aggressive than the last time he and Philia fought before. He had the both Crossroad Kill and Blood Round, the latter having a wider ranger than before, while his Wild Edge was replaced with the sleight Bloody Dance. Philia had to deal with his aggressive style of combat, unleashing relentless attack. Philia had to be smart, dodging or counter his attacks, before she got around and struck him with her bevy of attacks. She was more focused than she had been in a long time, and was able to become more able to fight and counter PHox.
PHox got countered again, but smirked as he stated, "I still have more tricks up my sleeve!" He created another sleight, raising his butcher blade high, his body glowing with a surge of blood-colored energy.
"Denied!" Philia shouted, countering with a 0 card, stopping his attack. "I'm done letting you mess with me!" she shouted, creating a sleight, before summoning light orbs, and unleashing Light Volley, sending the orbs flying at PHox, striking him over and over again with them. Before he had time to recover, he realized he was out of cards, and had to reload. However, as he was doing so, Philia came in and slashed her dagger at him one last time with an Attack card, finishing him off.
PHox only laughed as he fell backwards, before he vanished. In his place, Philia gained a brand new Sleight, Shadowbreaker, creating a wave of darkness with her dagger, followed by a wave of light, creating a long-ranged version of Cross Edge Dagger Skill.
There was another flash of light, and Philia had just knocked PHox away from her, who skidded to a halt, looking at Philia with a smirk. "Wow! Color me impressed to see you fight so hard from where you were just moments ago!"
"Because I have a reason to fight. You and this damn Organization are screwing with me and my friends' minds!" Philia argued, "We are gonna overcome all you guys are gonna throw at us, and not only beat you guys, but save Naminé, as well!"
PHox lost his smile, asking, "Oh? So you now believe Naminé exists here? Didn't get that impression before from you, unless..." He paused in thought, before frowning as he realized, "Oh, I see. So that's how you bounced back..." He smirked as he said, "We'll just see who is screwing with who's mind around here. Maybe I should fall onto plan B." He summoned up a portal, and vanished from sight.
Philia paused, looking at where PHox left, to the direction of the stairs. "Sora, guys, I'm sorry I am so far behind. Now, it's my turn to catch up and save you!" She charged on ahead, her mind thinking about what PHox's 'Plan B' was, but deciding to think about it later as she went to the next floor, got to the doors, and flung them open. "I'm coming!" she roared, running into the next illusion world.
New Special cards, Sleight, Summons:
-Confuse (Genie + Tinker Bell + Summon Card) (?)
-Cross-Slash+ (Cloud + Stop + Attack Card) (Sora)
-Firaga Burst (2 Fire + Gravity)
-Idyll Romp (Bambi + 2 Attack Cards) (Philia)
-Freeze (2 Blizzard + Stop)
-Spellbinder (Sora)
-Bambi (Philia)
-Shadowbreaker (Gravity + Tinker Bell + Magic Card) (Philia)
Next Time on Sword Art Kingdom: Path of Memories
Silence of the Truth