The roof of Monstro's mouth tore open to reveal a gaping hole as the whale shuddered, causing the columns of wood in its mouth to tip and shake. The water levels decreased as the whale shook itself, freeing Geppetto's boat from the shore as the crashed Gummi ship came into view, covered with water but otherwise fairly intact. The group screamed as they came crashing onto the wooden boat, giving Geppetto's cat and goldfish the fright of their lives.
"We're back in Monstro's mouth?" Goofy asked, rubbing his head.
"Sure looks like it…" Donald responded in a daze.
"I don't want to know how that works," Akira said as she sat up.
Geppetto had heard the crash of their landing and even worriedly extended his arm to them, but he was torn. They crashed onto his boat just when he had found his son, whom was being taken away by a strange boy.
"You're safe!" he exclaimed to the group, "Thank goodness! Please, you must help my son, I beg of you!"
Sora quickly rose to his feet when he sensed the dread in Geppetto's voice, fearing the worst for his son. "What's wrong?" he asked quickly, running over to join him as his allies picked themselves up off the ground, "Where's Pinocchio?"
Geppetto remained silent and pointed to a ledge near the roof of Monstro's mouth. Riku stared them down with a scowl on his face, carrying Pinocchio's limp body in his right arm. He pressed his lips together, his glare never leaving his face amidst Geppetto's cries.
"Please, give me back my son!" Geppetto pleaded, his voice cracking.
"Sorry, old man," he responded stoically, "I have some unfinished business with this puppet."
Geppetto reached his arms out to Riku, tears forming in his eyes. "He's no puppet! Pinocchio is my little boy!"
Riku smirked; the old man was onto something. "He is unusual. Not many puppets have hearts. I'm not sure, but maybe he can help someone who's lost theirs."
"What…" Akira muttered, bringing her hand to her mouth as her eyes grew wide.
"You can't mean…" Sora called, "Are you talking about Kairi?"
Riku's nostrils flared. "What do you care about her?"
He was finished with this conversation. He marched towards the opening of another chamber at the top of Monstro's mouth, ignoring Geppetto's pleas. Sora balled his hands into a fist as he glared at the chamber Riku had just entered, silently vowing to bring Pinocchio back. Donald solemnly placed his feathered hand on Akira's arm as the tears began to form in her eyes.
"We'll fix this," Sora said with resolve, turning to face Geppetto, "We'll go after him. We'll bring Pinocchio home."
"Oh, thank you," Geppetto answered graciously.
"He's right," Jiminy said, straightening his little top hat, "This is no time for tears! Pinocchio needs us now more than ever!"
"But, Kairi…" Akira sighed as she wiped the small tears at the corners of her eyes.
"We'll find her," Sora answered firmly.
"He said she's lost her heart…"
Donald smiled and tugged at her arm. "If he knows this much about her, he must have found her!"
"W-what?" she gasped.
"Yup, Donald's right!" Goofy added, "Why else would he talk about her like that?"
She smiled amidst her misty eyes, nodding to her friends. Searching for her old friends had been an emotionally draining process; but having Donald and Goofy close by gave her all the hope she needed.
Sora smirked. "All the more reason to go after him, huh?"
Riku sat the unconscious puppet on the ground, thinking of his next move. Kairi wasn't here in this world; he'd have to remove Pinocchio and take him to her. It was already incredibly difficult to get here in the first place, and to travel with extra baggage may prove to be almost impossible. Unless, he had his own ship to travel on…
He smirked when he heard their footsteps skidding to a halt as they entered the chamber. They had a ship. He never thought he'd see the day when their stubborn persistence would delight him so.
"Riku, let Pinocchio go," Sora said firmly as he and his allies gave the smirking boy a warning glare.
Riku stood up and turned to face them, walking slowly towards them as he carefully avoided the deep pools of yellow liquid scattered across the ground. "A puppet that's lost its heart to the Heartless... Maybe it holds the key to helping Kairi. How about it, Sora? Let's join forces to save her. We can do it, together."
Just like he had done on the island, on the night that changed everything, Riku smiled boldly and extended his hand to Sora, inviting him to take it.
This time, Sora wasn't afraid. He summoned his Keyblade and gripped it tightly, pointing it directly at his old friend. His allies drew their weapons as well, keeping their gaze fixed on him.
Riku took a step back, offended. "What? You'd rather fight me? Over a puppet that has no heart?"
Sora kept his scowl fixated on him as he spoke softly. "Heart or no heart, at least he's got a conscience."
Riku scoffed at the idea. "Conscience?"
"You might not hear it, but right now it's loud and clear. And it's telling me you're on the wrong side!"
Riku pursed his lips as he gazed at his old friend, both disappointed and unsurprised. He wasn't sure if Sora was too blinded by his childish attempts to play the hero now that he had the Keyblade in his hands, or if he felt a sense of security with some new friends and Akira following him around wherever he went with no direction of their own. Whatever it was, Sora made his position clear, and he understood it well; Sora thought himself a hero, but ultimately Riku knew he would be the one to save Kairi.
"Then you leave me no choice."
The ground shuddered as Monstro shook himself once more, making it hard to stand. The rogue Heartless they had neglected to defeat earlier fell from the ceiling and came crashing down between Sora and Riku, looking angry and ravenous from its last fight with them. Riku stepped back in shock but quickly composed himself and summoned a dark portal; he wasn't stupid enough to take on this Heartless again. Before stepping through the portal, he turned to glance at the group one last time as they readied their weapons and attempted to get Pinocchio out of the battlefield. They really did look like a circus of clowns...
Jiminy hopped off Donald's hat and scurried quickly towards Pinocchio. "Pinocchio! Pinocchio!"
Pinocchio squirmed in his spot, slowly opening his eyes. "Jiminy, I'm not gonna make it…"
His nose instantly grew three times as long, earning a look of relief from both the cricket and the boy. "Well what do you know?" Pinocchio said happily, "I guess I'm okay!"
Jiminy hopped onto Pinocchio's knee, beaming at the young boy. "I'm just glad you're okay! Geppetto will be relieved!"
"Jiminy! Get Pinocchio out of here!" Sora called as the Heartless began to flail its long arms again, preparing to attack. Pinocchio placed Jiminy on his head and hurried out of the chamber, backtracking towards the mouth where his father awaited them.
The Heartless held nothing back this time around, still furious with the group from their last encounter. Despite its smaller size, it packed quite the punch, and brought both of its arms together before wildly punching at the group, sending them flying back. Akira was knocked into the pool of yellow liquid, gasping and sputtering as she quickly rolled onto the platform for safety. She felt the muscles in her legs seize up as they gave out beneath her, sending her crashing to the ground. Pain shot through her body as her throat constricted, making it difficult to breathe.
"Akira!" Sora called as he dashed to her side, shaking her shoulder, "What's going on? What happened?"
Breathing became almost impossible as she tried to respond to him. She just needed to say one word for him to understand. "P… poison," she managed to say as she gasped for air.
Sora watched in horror as he understood why the giant Heartless had momentarily ceased punching them with its arms; it had submerged its hands into the yellow liquid, sucking the acid into its body as it prepared to shoot it at its foes. Sora pushed Akira to the side as he narrowly dodged one of the projectiles of poison, his heart racing; he needed to come up with a plan, and fast.
"Cure!" he cried, mimicking the positioning Donald had taught him as a green glow enveloped his friend with countless green leaves floating around her. If he can heal her up enough to get her walking again, that was one less item on his list of things to worry about.
Thankfully, she was able to regain control on her arms and legs, slowly picking herself up as the last of the poison in her body melted away from the healing spell. Sora sighed with relief; he was really getting the hang of this spellcasting business.
"I need to practice that spell," Akira said with a smile, propping herself up on her staff.
"Now isn't the time!"
The teens were surprised by Donald's sudden appearance before them as Goofy fended off the projectiles of acid with his shield. He was surrounded by what seemed to be a bubble of wind that moved in the direction he moved in, conforming itself to his boy.
"It's about time you two learned the wind spell," he said quickly, stealing a worried glance at Goofy, "We don't have much time, so get it right!"
Sora and Akira positioned themselves the way they normally did when they needed to use their magic, watching Donald intently as they waited for instructions.
"Concentrate!" he quacked, "Let the idea of a windy barrier flow through you, and yell Aero!"
"Aero!" the teens cried together with closed eyes.
They felt a sudden gust of wind envelop their bodies, keeping them protected from the elements. Sora watched as a projectile of acid flew directly to his face only to melt on contact with the wind barrier. "This spell is amazing!" he exclaimed.
As per Donald's instruction, Akira practiced a second time by applying a barrier on Goofy while Sora rushed towards the Heartless, no longer worried about the acid mess the Heartless had made. If there was one thing Riku had taught him in this world, it's that this Heartless in particular did not enjoy receiving wallops to the head. He unleashed multiple blows with his Keyblade as the Heartless' soft head kept bouncing back and forth, its permanent unnerving smile never leaving its face. He clenched his teeth as he dug his blade into the enemy's head, pushing it backwards and forcing it to fall over, submerging its head completely into the acid. The Heartless twitched and writhed beneath him but eventually went still as the poison completely engulfed its body, destroying it from the inside. A familiar crystal heart released itself from the makeshift cage in its abdomen, floating towards the ceiling as it disappeared into the air.
Upon the Heartless' defeat, the ground beneath them began to rumble, making it very difficult for them to stand. They skipped over to higher ground as fast as they could as the yellow acid splashed onto the main floor amidst the tremors.
"What's going on?" Akira cried.
"It sounds like Monstro's upset!" Goofy yelled from across the room.
"Then why are we still here? Everyone run!" Donald shouted at the top of his lungs.
They scrambled towards the exit, tripping every which way as they attempted to flee, the rumbles growing louder as the quakes grew in intensity. Sora stopped just shy of the entrance, quickly scanning the area in a panic. "Riku!" he called, "Riku!"
He held back as he felt Akira's hand on his arm, attempting to pull him to safety. He tried to keep his feet solidly planted on the ground, but the shocks made this practically impossible. He stumbled as she anxiously pulled him towards the exit, watching in alarm as the acid shot from the ground, splattering over the walls. He knew Riku wasn't there anymore; this was the second time he showed up before them only to vanish in an instant. He desperately called his name one last time as he was pulled to safety, knowing full well his friend wouldn't hear him.
Maybe he just wasn't ready to accept it yet.
"Pinocchio! Mister Geppetto!" Jiminy hollered as they finally reached Monstro's mouth. The tremors had gotten worse in the short time it took them to arrive, and it was clear they couldn't stay inside the beast for very long.
"You're safe!" Geppetto cried when they quickly arrived on the deck of his boat, "I had begun to worry."
"We can't stay here," Akira said as another shock reverberated through the area, "Either Monstro's going to swallow us or spit us out!"
Pinocchio hurried to their side as he struggled under the weight of the green gummi block he had found earlier, carrying it excitedly to the group. "Here! This will help!"
"How?" Sora asked, "We don't even know what that block does, let alone use it. You'd need a Gummi ship for that!"
Geppetto quickly scurried to a small trap door on the floor of the deck, pulling at the handle and opening the door as they peeked at what lay below. Hundreds of colourful gummi blocks were interconnected below the deck, each one more vibrant than the last, some old and some new, and even some that began to collect a coating of rust. "Will this work?" he asked.
The group could barely keep themselves focused on their impending doom as they remained awestruck by the unbelievable sight. "This is incredible!" Goofy said in amazement.
Geppetto smiled. "I'm a bit of an airship enthusiast myself! Pinocchio has been finding these little blocks as Monstro swallowed them, and I've been installing them into our boat. We've collected quite a few but I still can't get it to fly…"
Donald laughed mischievously as he eyed the big green gummi block Pinocchio had left on the ground, rolling up his sleeves. "Goofy, Akira, go clean off the ship and get it ready for take off!"
"And what are you going to do?" Sora asked suspiciously, crossing his arms.
Donald let out another mischievous laugh, narrowing his eyes at Sora. "Watch."
The tremors grew too frequent and too tremendous to ignore any longer. Goofy and Akira had finished preparing their Gummi Ship, starting the engines and keeping the doors open for the other two. Meanwhile, Donald had quickly done everything he could to install the green gummi block and hardcoded a set destination as the coordinates before slamming the trap door shut.
"The ship has a set of coordinates to follow and will take you directly there," he said to Geppetto as the boat began to whir under their feet, "When you get there, look for a guy named Leon and tell him we sent you!"
Geppetto thanked them profusely before securing himself, his son and their belongings on their boat, while Sora and Donald jumped from the deck and into the water.
"Hurry up!" Akira yelled as she held the door of the Gummi Ship open.
They splashed and swam as fast as they could as the whale jerked, tumbling into the cockpit as she slammed the door shut and locked it tight. Monstro squirmed and fidgeted, feeling a twitch in its nose. The whale took a deep breath and sneezed, sending both ships along with a pile of debris darting through the sky. The passengers tumbled every which way until the ship was able to keep itself straight, leaving them frazzled and dazed.
"Did we survive?" Akira asked from the floor.
"Seems like it!" Goofy said happily as he peered out the window to see the massive expanse of sky that lay before them.
"I hope Geppetto and Pinocchio are safe…" Jiminy said as he stepped onto the console.
"Bah, they'll be fine," Donald answered, taking a seat in the captain's chair.
Sora rose to his feet and brushed himself off. "Donald, that was amazing! Where did you learn to do that?"
Donald grumbled. "It wasn't anything great. Chip and Dale showed me a few things here and there back at the castle…"
"That was a very brave thing you did!" Akira said with a smile as she hugged him from the left.
"You got us, Pinocchio and Geppetto out of that whale!" Sora joined in, hugging him from the right as he quacked in confusion.
"Yeah! Donald really saved the day!" Goofy said happily, reaching his long arms around both teens and pulling all three of them into a tight hug. Donald let out a string of quacks in protest, but they went largely ignored.
"Okay, this is very nice, but I need to drive. Sora stop pulling on my hat! Akira, you're way too close, I can't reach the steering – Goofy, please, you're crushing me… Would you all just get off!?"
Riku watched the scene before him with heavy eyes and an equally heavy heart. He had done it; he had done what Sora wasn't able to do with his legendary weapon. He found Kairi.
Yet she was nothing like he remembered. Her body lay stiff on the plush cushions of the couch, her breathing soft, her skin pale and cold. If her chest didn't rise and fall to a soft rhythm, one would think her to be dead. He instantly looked away; he didn't have it in him to think of that possibility right now.
"So, Kairi's like a lifeless puppet now?" he asked his guest, whom stood behind him in the captain's quarters.
"Precisely," Maleficent responded.
"And her heart?"
"Take by the Heartless, no doubt."
Riku shut his eyes as he balled his hands into fists. His heart ached at the sound of her words, but he wouldn't allow himself to cry. Not yet; not when he hasn't done absolutely everything he could.
"Tell me!" he pleaded as he turned to face her, "What can I do?"
Maleficent grinned. Finally, he was beginning to understand. "There are seven maidens of the purest heart. We call them the Princesses of Heart. Gather them together, and a door will open to the heart of all worlds. Within lies untold wisdom. There, you will surely find a way to recover Kairi's heart." She leaned in closer, stretching out her hand to him. "Now, I'll grant you a marvelous gift."
She raised her arms as a green energy began to wrap itself around his body. He felt it cloud his mind and seep into his limbs as it coursed through his veins. He opened his eyes and gazed at the witch, cracking a small smile. This power was unlike anything he had ever known; he felt like he could take on the world.
"The power to control the Heartless," she explained.
Now he had the power to save her; now nothing stood in his way. He turned to face Kairi and crouched to eye-level, gazing fondly at his precious friend.
"Soon, Kairi. Soon."