"So, where exactly is this bell?" Sora asked with his hands behind his head.
"Weren't you listening? Cid said it was at the top of the gizmo shop!" Donald quacked impatiently.
"And where is that?" he asked with a yawn.
"Aw, phooey!"
They had followed Yuffie's directions and made their way towards the Second District, but the realization soon hit that she gave them little information on how to proceed once they arrived. The Second District was the largest of the three and contained anything from sprawling walkways to tiny alleys, which made their search all the more difficult. Not to mention, none of them had any clue what a 'gizmo shop' even was, let alone what one looked like.
"That Riku friend of yours seems like a swell guy," Goofy said, attempting to liven up the conversation during their rather uneventful search.
"Kinda smug if you ask me," Donald snapped.
Akira chuckled as Sora shot Donald a warning glare. "He's definitely the more serious one of the bunch," she said.
"But he always has a plan," Sora added with a small smile, "We can always count on him when things go wrong."
"I guess that's why you weren't too worried about him when he left," Goofy said with a laugh.
"Well, he technically is the one who started this whole talk of 'visiting other worlds'," Akira explained as she brought her finger to her chin, "We all wanted to explore the outside worlds but Riku was the most enthusiastic about it. I think he's happier about living his dream than he is worried about any danger."
"So, you guys have been planning on exploring the outside worlds for quite some time!" Goofy exclaimed.
"We sure have," Sora said with a grin, "We even built a raft and everything!"
"Gawrsh, then, what happened?"
Sora's smile instantly fell. He dropped his hands to his side and gave Akira an apprehensive look, whom gave a stoic nod in response. He took a deep breath as he looked to the ground. "The Heartless came. And just like Cid and Aerith said, they destroyed our world. Akira and I were close to each other when we were swept away, which is probably why we ended up in Traverse Town together."
"But we couldn't find our friends, Riku or Kairi. Well, until we found Riku here…" Akira concluded.
Donald let out a melancholic sigh as Goofy clapped his hands over his mouth. "Gawrsh, that's terrible."
Akira shook her head. "It's... fine. I knew you had an idea about it, but the four of us never really talked about it."
"Speaking of which, what about you guys?" Sora asked, "We know your King sent you to find the 'key' but… why?"
Donald and Goofy looked at each other for a moment before Donald spoke. "He disappeared, and he left us a letter with a set of instructions to follow."
"He just up and left?" Sora asked, wide-eyed.
"He mentioned that trouble was brewing and that he left to investigate," Goofy explained, "And he told us to come to Traverse Town and find Leon, who would help us find the 'key'. I reckon he thinks there's a connection between the two. He made it sound pretty important in his letter."
"He must want to stop the danger before it spreads," Akira reasoned.
"Yup! That's sounds like something the King would do!"
Akira smiled softly. "He sounds very kind."
"He sure is," Donald quacked, "He's the best king Disney Castle has ever had!"
"Castle?" Sora repeated, "Wow, I've never seen a castle before."
"Then you should come visit once we save the worlds and find the King."
Sora nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! And you can come visit our world once we find Riku and Kairi… And find a way to get it back too." He dropped his gaze again when he realized how difficult the latter would be.
"What was it like?" Donald asked.
"The Destiny Islands are surrounded by oceans!" Akira explained, recalling her home, "It can get very hot during the day, but the beaches are amazing. Soft sand, blue waters… and in the evening, you'd watch the sunset; it's one of the most beautiful sights you'll ever see."
"Oh boy, we'll have to pack our bathing suits, Donald!" Goofy said enthusiastically.
"We can think about all that once we've found the King and saved the worlds," Donald quacked.
"And before we do that, we have to find the… gizmo shop?" Sora said, perplexed.
They had been walking around aimlessly while they talked and had lost track of where they were going. Yet, Sora found himself interrupted by a large set of brown, wooden doors beside a regal-looking building with a massive neon sign flashing above the doorway, the words 'Gizmo Shop' blinking in alternating colours.
"Well what do you know, we found it!" Goofy exclaimed joyfully.
"I didn't even realize we were so close," Sora said with a smile.
"You wouldn't have realized it if it was two inches from your nose," Donald sneered.
"Hey, I'm the one who found it, didn't I?" he retorted, crossing his arms.
The two argued as they entered the shop, with Akira and Goofy chuckling behind them. "I hope we find your King soon," she said as the commotion unfurled before them.
Goofy nodded. "And I hope we find Riku and Kairi."
"Easier said than done, I guess," she sighed, "I know Riku's safe but who knows where Kairi might be; and who knows if she's even safe."
"Wherever she ended up, I'm sure she'll be alright," Goofy said encouragingly.
She nodded in response. "I think so. She didn't have the brawn, but she always had a strong heart; she always knew the answers, always knew what was right. I looked up to her a lot and… I guess I wished I could be more like her."
Goofy chuckled. "Aw, I think you've got a strong heart of your own; after all, your staff chose you, didn't it?"
Akira blinked at his words. She had never given it much thought, now that he mentioned it.
"Besides, you've got to keep a strong heart if you want to find her again someday," he continued, "She's relying on you to do so. Just like the King is relying on me and Donald to have strong hearts too."
Akira took a moment to take in his words before nodding in understanding. He was a pretty encouraging character. "Thanks, Goofy."
"No problem. Besides, we're more than just teammates; we're friends now!"
Akira nodded with a smile as Donald let out a piercingly angry quack amidst Sora's now incoherent yelling. She chuckled at the uproar they were causing. "I guess you need to be pretty close to take the insults they're dishing out and still remain friends afterwards."
Once Donald and Sora had finally settled down, the four of them followed the path through the shop towards the back of the establishment, where they found a rickety ladder that led them to the roof. Sure enough, a massive golden bell hung in the air inside a small alcove, but it didn't look like it had been used in a while. The team scratched their heads, perplexed at the situation; if it didn't look like it had been touched, how did it ring earlier?
"Maybe try ringing it, Sora?" Akira suggested.
"Yuffie said to ring it three times, remember?" Donald asked sternly.
Sora took his word for it and pulled on the rope with all his strength. The bell rang with a deafening sound, reverberating through the district as the ground shook beneath them. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the fountain near the door to the alleyway had come to life, a small trail of fire forming along the stone surface as the background image changed from a pasture of red flowers to the soft petals of violet daffodils.
"Wow," Donald said in a trance as he admired the fountain, "Ring it again!"
Sora pulled the rope once more and, amid the booming sound, the fountain had lit up in a set of neon lights, the image morphing into that of a pair of white trees.
He eagerly rang it a third time, excited to see what new trick the fountain would pull next. Streams of water burst from the fountain, dancing around the shifting image as it changed to a beautiful mural of fragile butterflies floating around a budding flower. Yet, they couldn't admire the painting for long; a blinding light had covered it for a moment, slowly fading to reveal the shape of a massive keyhole.
"A Keyhole!" Goofy yelled.
"Just like Leon said!" Akira exclaimed.
"Well, come on, what are we waiting for?" Donald said excitedly as he hopped off the roof onto a ledge near a set of houses, with his three allies close at his heels.
They carefully approached the glowing Keyhole amidst the illuminated fountain, with Sora proudly donning his Keyblade and ready to seal it. They waited with bated breath as the boy raised his weapon to lock the keyhole when a sudden tremor knocked them off their feet.
"I knew it wouldn't be that easy…" Sora said with a groan.
Amidst the adventures they had so far, they had learned one lesson that always held true: no world Keyhole was without its powerful guardian Heartless, a last-ditch effort to stop the heroes of light from claiming their prize. As they rose to their feet, they found themselves face-to-face with the same armoured Heartless they had fought during their first battle together.
Donald summoned his staff and prepared for battle with a furious look on his face. "Leave this one to me, you three."
He marched up to the Heartless with conviction, prepared to mimic the attack that caused the Heartless' demise last time they fought. "Thunder!"
He called down several bolts of lighting from the sky, which hit the enemy squarely in its helmet as well as across all its floating limbs. However, the Heartless remained stationary, feeling nothing from the attack. Donald gulped; perhaps they were in more trouble than they previously thought.
The Heartless suddenly jerked, seemingly angry from Donald's attempt at attacking it. It fell forward on all its fours, its head reeling forward to watch the frightened team. As they remained frozen with looks of shock on their faces, the Heartless disconnected its limbs, flipping them around. It brought its arms to its feet, folding its claws inward while it bent its feet into hoof-like paws, bringing the latter up to its arms. Finally, it flipped its torso upside down and spun its head forward, lifting its helmet to reveal its familiar glowing yellow eyes.
"I don't think it's the same Heartless we fought before…" Goofy said with a gulp, hiding behind his shield.
The Heartless clawed at them with its now bulky hand, slamming into the ground in front of the fountain as they ran for cover. Sora released a string of blows on its hands while Goofy crouched behind his shield, the clanking sound of metal and claws ringing through the district. Akira attempted another Thunder spell while aiming for the torso, only to find it invulnerable, protected by its still living limbs.
She rushed to Sora's side and aided him in disposing of the arms, while Donald and Goofy took care of its legs. However, the torso proved to be the most challenging of the parts. It flipped the open bottom of its torso, readying a beam of light as the group ran for cover. The laser shot through the district, breaking benches and stone as it missed its target by a hair.
"We have to destroy it from the inside!" Donald exclaimed.
"How? If we go near it, we'll get blown to bits!" Akira yelled from across the district, propping herself up on her staff.
Sora's eyes lit up, an idea forming in his head. "I'm going to Maneuver 42 him."
Akira blinked in confusion, unable to comprehend how he meant to execute his idea. "That's not how that works-"
But before she could finish, Sora had rushed from their hiding spot and sprinted towards the unassuming duck, his arms stretched in front of him.
"Hold on!" he yelled as he grasped Donald between his hands. With all his strength, and amidst the duck's violent protests, Sora flung him into the air, aiming him towards the inside of the torso cannon.
Amid his terrified screeches, Donald was able to shout one important word. "Fire!"
A massive fireball shot from the end of his staff, aimed directly at the interior of the torso. The Heartless shook as the fireball made contact with its next beam of light, exploding within the torso and sending it crashing to the ground amid the deafening sounds of steel hitting stone. They sighed with relief when they saw the familiar crystal heart floating into the air as it exited the now disintegrated Heartless body, disappearing into the sky.
Akira let out a long breath and dropped her shoulders, cocking her head to the side. "I guess that is how that works…"
Donald pulled himself to his feet, stamping them on the ground as he quacked furiously. "Why do you people keep throwing me?" he demanded.
"It's because you're the lightest," Sora said with a grin, sending Donald into an angry frenzy.
"Sora! The Keyhole," Akira called as she approached the group amidst Donald's torrent of annoyed quacks.
Sora nodded and raised his Keyblade with one hand, pointing it to the Keyhole. They heard the familiar sound of a door locking shut amidst a beam of light radiating from the Keyblade, followed by the Keyhole softly disappearing into the painted mural. A small object fell from the mural into the water, glistening under the water's surface.
"Well, what do you know. Another gummi!" Goofy exclaimed as he picked up the gummi block from the fountain.
"We should go give it to Cid. And… tell him about what happened, I guess," Sora said with a small chuckle.
Donald crossed his arms and tapped his foot on the ground, scowling angrily as the others sniggered at his reaction. "You had better tell him everything, or I will!"
Sora and Akira looked at each other in surprise when they entered the First District. They didn't quite expect to see Cid outside his own accessory shop, much less fiddling with stock of his own.
"Hey, guys," he called as he waved to them, "So, how did it go at the gizmo shop?"
"You mean, you didn't hear all the racket we made fighting the giant Heartless and sealing the Keyhole?" Akira asked, tilting her head to the side.
Cid blinked. "Er… no. But I'm glad you guys found it. The Heartless won't be much of a threat around these parts anymore, thanks to you."
Donald buried his face in his hands as Goofy stretched out his hand, revealing the gummi block they had received. "We found this gummi block after locking the Keyhole. Do you know what it's for?" he asked.
Cid picked it up and marvelled at it, examining its every facet. "Wow, you guys have got yourselves another navigation gummi here. Nice find!"
Sora put his hands behind his head. "How do you know so much about gummi blocks, Cid?"
He laughed as he scratched the back of his head. "Guess there ain't any use hiding it anymore. I'm in the gummi block business. You ain't gonna find a better gummi engineer in this town, guaranteed. So, I assume you folks want this gummi installed on your ship, huh?"
The group nodded happily in response, but Cid's face fell as he furrowed his brow, examining the gummi block closely. "Afraid I can't do that just yet. This gummi is part of a set; can't install it until I have the other piece…"
They slumped their shoulders at the same time, sighing heavily. Cid waved his hands in an odd attempt to cheer them up. "Hey, hey, don't look so down. Just continue locking Keyholes and I'm sure you'll find this one's sister in no time!"
They let Cid hold onto the gummi block in the meantime while Sora asked a most important question. "By the way, who's running your old shop?"
Cid scratched his chin. "Not too sure. Why don't you kids go visit and take a look for yourselves?"
"We will, thanks!" Akira called with a wave as they began making their way to the entrance of the shop, Cid waving goodbye to them from afar.
"If he calls us kids one more time…" Sora whispered bitterly to himself.
As he heard the creak of the door to the accessory shop open, the small figure darted to safety beside the counter, putting his head between his knees in fear as he kept his item secured at his side. Little did he know he was hiding in plain sight…
"It's empty," Sora said solemnly, not exactly sure what he expected to find.
"Hm?" Akira asked as she caught a glimpse of the cowering figure, "What's this?"
The group circled around him, watching closely as he buried his face further into his knees, shaking in fear. They curiously gazed at the little boy, unable to distinguish if he was a real boy or a puppet, given that he certainly acted like a real boy, but was made of wood connected by metal screws. He had pitch-black hair and a small schoolboy uniform, with little brown shoes to match.
"Well, as I live and breathe! If it isn't Pinocchio!" Jiminy exclaimed as he popped out of Akira's hair, giving her a fright in the process.
The young boy's ears perked up at the sound of Jiminy's voice as the cricket hopped down to the floor. "Oh, hi Jiminy!" the boy named Pinocchio said joyfully.
"What in the world are you doing down here?"
"Um… playing hide-and-seek!"
The group watched as Jiminy paced back and forth across the floor in front of his old companion, rubbing his temples. "I just don't believe it. And here I was, up all night, just worried sick about you! Of all the – Pinocchio!"
As Jiminy raised his head, he was shocked to find Pinocchio had sat himself up properly, but his nose was twice as long as it was a few moments before. The four friends gasped in unison; noses don't just grow that long in a few seconds.
"Pinocchio! Are you telling me the truth?" Jiminy asked sternly with crossed arms.
Pinocchio nodded quickly while Jiminy eyed him suspiciously. "Then tell me, what is this?" the cricket asked, pointing to the item on the floor.
"It was a present!"
"No fibbing now!" Jiminy continued, waving a finger at the young puppet, "You know you're not supposed to tell lies. A lie only grows and grows, 'til you get caught! Plain as the nose on your face!"
"I didn't think they were actually supposed to grow," Sora whispered to Akira, whom shook her head in confusion.
"But if you want something, why wait? Why not just take it?" Pinocchio argued to the little cricket.
Jiminy's eyes widened in shock. "Oh my! Who told you that? You need some advice from your conscience!"
"That's right! You're my conscience, Jiminy," Pinocchio said with a smile, "I'll never tell lies as long as you're around."
A small crystalline light began to shine from the tip of the young boy's nose as it ate away at the extra length, returning his nose back to the size it was before. The group blinked, their jaws agape. Who was this young boy Jiminy was so familiar with, and how in the world was his nose able to grow and shrink like that?
"You need to be good, so you can become a real boy," Jiminy said, "You promised Geppetto you would be, right?"
"Oh! Do you know where Father is?" Pinocchio asked quickly.
"He's not with you?"
"No! Oh, Jiminy, we have to find Father!"
Jiminy waved his arms to calm the now anxious boy down. "Now, now, hold on! Settle down. There are all sorts of dangers and temptations out there! I'll go find Geppetto, so you just wait here. These friends of mine here will be helping me."
"We… will?" Sora asked, raising an eyebrow.
Jiminy climbed onto Sora's shoulder with a few hops, adjusting his little hat. "Well then, shall we go, Sora?"
Sora shrugged his shoulders as his three friends gave him sympathetic looks. "You could have asked us first…" he said, rolling his eyes.