Author's Notes: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Soul Eater - they are owned by Tetsuya Nomura and Atsushi Okubo!
Chapter 3 – Training with a Pyromaniac.
In one of the training room inside Yen Sid's tower was Patty who was swinging her legs back and forth on a chair and awaiting her 'instructor' – apparently, he was also beginning to learn how to use his own Keyblade as well. The blonde was curious about who exactly he was.
From what Sora and his friends told her, his name was apparently Lea and he had this strange but funny quote: 'Got it memorized?' – Patty deduced that he wanted to be memorized (mainly his name or character?), she didn't have a clue. All she was told was to wait for him in one of the training rooms in the tower.
Originally, Sora and others wanted to train with her and see how well she handled the Keyblade but unfortunately, they received orders from Yen Sid to visit the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee for an update on Xehanort and his organization. Apparently, they were making moves and working towards something unknown.
Sora and his friends left soon afterwards whilst Patty was told to head to one of the training room and wait for her instructor Lea to come. And that's what she was doing… waiting and waiting.
It was good that she was alone in this room since she could have a few seconds/minutes of peace. It gave her the opportunity to think about the mess that she just landed herself in – why did Xehanort have to attack Death City? Why is she wielding a weapon that resembled Sora's? Where were her friends and were they okay? Releasing a heavy sigh, Patty looked at the floor and frowned. "Hope they're okay… especially Liz and Kid."
She missed her big sister and meister so much even though she had nothing to worry about since Kid had Liz and both would be able to handle anything. All Patty could do was pray that nothing bad would go wrong and she would be able to see them again.
As Patty continued swinging her legs, she suddenly heard footsteps from the other side of the door - No doubt it was her instructor Lea.
With a small sigh, Patty got off from the chair and stretched herself. "No use in standing around all day in the chair. Time to see who will be training."
The door opened as a tall and slender man with bright red hair that was styled into slicked-back spikes and emerald green eyes stepped inside. His attire consisted of a black cloak with boots, gloves, a silver zipper and drawstrings. "Damn it… finally found the one I was supposed to be going."
Looking around the area, his gaze fell to Patty who was still sitting in the chair. "Hey there. You must be the newbie that just gained the ability to wield a perfect copy of Sora's weapon, right?" Patty just nodded at his question.
"Great…" The man scratched the back of his head as he whispered something quietly to himself. "Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs…"
Unfortunately for him, Patty overheard his little words and frowned. "Hey! I didn't ask for any of this, bub. Cut me some slack, kay?"
The man's eyes widened – how did she managed to catch all that? Damn it… now he really felt guilty for saying those words.
Deciding to not make an ass of himself anymore than he already did, the man shook his head and decided to start off with a clean slate. "Look, sorry about my words. Don't know what I was thinking… let's start over with a clean introduction – the name's Lea: got it memorized?" He placed a finger to his forehead as a sign that he really wants his name to be memorized.
"Ummm… sure. Got it memorized right here." She pointed in her brain before introducing herself. "Name's Patty. Patty Thompson."
"Good, you're a quick learner kid. Now then…" Lea crossed his arms and continued to speak. "From what Sora and his friends told me, you lost your world to Xehanort and his organization, right?" Patty nodded again.
"And you don't have a clue on how you ended up with a complete copy of Sora's Keyblade, yes?" Patty once again nodded before she spoke. "Nothing at all… I have no idea how or why this 'Keyblade'…" She paused before summoning the weapon in her hands. "… just appeared in my hands."
"I see…" Lea scratched the back of his head. "And you don't know how exactly to use it right?" Patty nodded once again.
Giving a heavy sigh to himself, Lea pinched the bridge of his nose. "What to do… what to do…" At these words, Patty couldn't help but grin. "Maybe we should… oh, I don't know… start training or something?"
Lea gave her a frown which soon turned into a smirk. "Well, well… look who is eager to get started. Very well, missy… let's start with the basics." Patty got off from the chair and summoned her Keyblade. "So, how exactly does this work? We gonna start fighting immediately or…?" She walked a little bit away from Lea who summoned his own Keyblade – one that was somewhat based on fire.
"First things first, I wanna see how well you swing that thing. Don't worry about mucking up… I'm a newbie as well. Just show me what you can do with it." Patty nodded as Lea stood still and waited to see.
Patty began swinging around funnily like a flyswatter here and there to which Lea's eyes widened and facepalmed. "Okay, okay… stop. Just… please stop." The blonde did as she was told and stood to attention.
"Guess you were telling the truth… its fine, I can still work with this. Now, I told you I'm a newbie as well and I've just started learning how to use this… thing." Lea raised his Keyblade for Patty to look.
"Anyways… it seems we both have a lot to learn. First things first – we'll start with the swinging and hitting. Should be a pretty easy job for you… in fact, I'll attempt to strike you and you block back. Think you can handle that?" Lea asked with Patty nodding.
"Alright, let's give it a shot." Lea's Keyblade rose and he was about to attack Patty when she blocked his first strike. Soon, both began to parry and block hits from left to right.
"Distance, kid! Use your head and don't let anything else distract you!" Lea yelled as Patty continued to block and parry his attacks back and forth. "Beat first and then lunge!"
Unfortunately for Patty, she made a small mistake – after delivering a small strike, she let her guard down for a second before Lea struck her onto the ground.
Lea sighed – so far, this wasn't going like he imagined it. "This isn't going well…" Patty got up from the ground and glared at him. "Gee, you think!?" The man scratched the back of his head with an uneasy look on his face. "It seems we have a lot to learn then…"
"Guess so… ready to go another round?" Patty asked with Lea nodding immediately.
"Let's give it another shot… try and pay attention this time."
"I'm doing my best."
"We'll see."
For the next couple of hours or so, Patty and Lea trained and trained hard in order to both improve their skills. At times, they made mistakes but compensated by learning from them. As they progressed forward, Lea agreed in his head that the lesson was viewed as a sort of a 'gradual experience'.
Eventually, the barbs and mistakes were toned down with both Patty and Lea improving in their skills. In fact, the red-head managed to learn a few neat tricks from the blonde.
"And… enough!" Lea declared just as his and Patty's weapon clashed with each other. Soon, both released their weapons' hold from each other and dismissed them afterwards.
Lea stretched his fingers. "Not bad, kid. Not bad at all. You're starting to get the hang of it."
"In a way, yeah… still have a lot to learn before I become a pro. Was Sora or his friends like this when they started out?" Lea gave a small laugh at that. "Somewhat. Once they were normal islanders living a peaceful life with a simple dream of exploring the outside worlds… but then the darkness arrived, Sora gained the ability to wield an exact copy of your Keyblade and before you know it – he was swatting Heartless and Nobodies from left to right."
Patty couldn't help but give out a whistle of impression. "He's that big of a hero?" Lea shrugged. "Somewhat. Granted, he's not strong or smart like his friends Riku and Kairi but he does make it for with his confidence and cheerful persona."
"Sounds just like in the fairy tale books." Patty replied back with Lea nodding.
"What about you though? What's your story before you ended up in the tower?" Lea asked to which Patty looked at the ground and gave a sad sigh.
Lea noticed this and immediately scratched the back of his head as he felt a bit of guilt of asking her this question. "H-hey… Sorry about asking you so abruptly… It's just… I have no idea who you are. My bad for being rude."
"It's fine… don't worry. I just… haven't gotten over the loss of my home and the disappearance of my friends. Hope they're alright."
"I'm sure they are, kid. Don't lose hope just yet… just because your world is gone, doesn't mean your friends are." Upon hearing those words, Patty's face lit up. "Really? They might still be okay?"
Lea shrugged. "It's not 100 percent confirmed, but they might still be alive on other worlds. If we're lucky, you might just have a chance to find them once your training sessions are up."
Patty gave a nod – at least some of Lea's words cheered her up. If her friends did indeed escape with their lives intact off Death City, then that meant she had a chance to search, find and check if they are okay.
"Well… here's to hoping I can find them." Patty crossed her fingers as a sign of good luck with Lea nodding.
"Anyways… what do you want to know about me exactly?" Patty asked as Lea crossed his arms. "If it's alright with you, can you explain from the beginning how Xehanort came to your world?" Patty nodded as she went to the chair and sat down.
"Alright, let's start from the beginning…"
(Meanwhile…)
"Are you absolutely sure, Yen Sid?" Merlin the Sorcerer asked on the other side of the crystal ball he was using to communicate with Yen Sid.
The wizard of the Mysterious Tower nodded. "Positive. Xehanort has struck again… and this time, he has left only one survivor to tell the tale."
The sorcerer gave a heavy sigh due to the fact that another world along with its inhabitants were lost to the darkness as well all thanks to Xehanort's doing. If there was one word to describe the cunning and intelligent Keyblade Master of Darkness, it was that he was very persistent in completing his ultimate goal.
For years, the Warriors of Light did their best to stop Xehanort but no such luck so far. With every defeat that came for him, he always seemed to have a back-up plan in case the original fails.
"What world has he decimated exactly?" Merlin asked with Yen Sid replying immediately. "Death City."
Merlin stroked his own huge white beard. "Hmmm… if I'm not mistaken, that was the world in which one of your allies governs and lives on, am I correct?" Yen Sid nodded.
"His name is Lord Death. According to Patty (the sole survivor, so far), Xehanort and his Seekers arrived unsuspected and summoned both the Heartless and Nobodies to assault and search for the heart of Death City. The inhabitants did their best to prevent the fall of their world to the darkness… unfortunately, it was not a success."
"I see… and about that girl you told me about just now – Patty, was it? What is her story exactly?"
"Patty is a Demon Weapon – a human with the ability to physically transform into a weapon of any type. Demon Weapons usually pair with other people known as Meisters to combat monsters known as Kishin and protect the populace." Merlin's eyes widened at such information.
"People with the ability to transform into weapons… that sounds like something that came out from a book for children!" Yen Sid nodded at his statement. "I assure you that it is true. Unfortunately, young Patricia has somehow lost her ability to transform into her 'Weapon' form."
"Oh, dear… that does sound like bad news for her. Without a weapon to defend herself, she'll become an easy target for both Heartless and Nobodies."
Yen Sid nodded grimly however he lips twisted into a gentle smile. "Fortunately for her, she might not be as defenseless as we think. It seems that even though she has lost the ability to transform into a weapon – she has somehow gained the ability to wield a perfect copy of Sora's Kingdom Key."
Merlin was surprised by what he just heard – the girl wielding an exact copy of Sora's Keyblade? This was something unexpected…
As far back as Yen Sid and Merlin could remember, there was never an incident or moment in which another person could wield the exact copy of a Keyblade with the exception of Roxas (Sora's Nobody) and Kairi as well who also wields one of the Keyblades (Destiny's Embrace) that belonged to the Keyblade Master Aqua. To see Patty wielding a clone of the Kingdom Key was unexpected. There was something more to the story than meets the eye…
"Hmmm… that is pretty surprising. Yet, I'm sure that only Sora is able to wield the Kingdom Key… for the young girl to obtain and wield an exact copy if an amazing feat. I wonder who bequeathed her or how she was able to tap into the hidden power…"
"I am pondering that as well… however, there in lies the matter of her being trained in its use. I'm sure you understand, old friend." Merlin gave a small nod – he knew what Yen Sid meant. "Let me guess… you already planned on preparing her for the fight against Xehanort."
"In a way, yes… plus, it allows her the chance to search for her missing friends. I've assigned Lea to act as her teacher until further notice – it will be a good training experience for both of them."
"Understandable. Speaking of which, she isn't aware of the usage of magic, correct?" Yen Sid nodded. "One more thing to mention, Merlin – back in the home world of Lord Death, magic is classified as 'evil' – witches would often use their magic to perform heinous acts to the ordinary populace. Many of them were considered enemies of Lord Death and his faction… yet, some remain on the light side."
Merlin stroked his beard back and forth along with giving a nod of understanding. "How soon will Miss Patricia be ready?" The sorcerer asked.
Yen Sid closed his eyes and tapped his fingers. "As you are aware, old friend… it takes years for a single person to master the art of the Keyblade. But… seeing as how Xehanort is getting very desperate with accomplishing his goal – I would have to say… a week or two."
"I see. Old friend… we had best be aware of the evil that made it off Lord Death's world. No doubt 'these witches/Kishin' will attempt to ally themselves with Xehanort."
"Xehanort might have been led astray but I doubt he will secure an alliance with the Kishin… the witches, on the other hand…"
"If we allow Xehanort to have his way… our victory will be a short-lived one." Yen Sid nodded in understanding at Merlin's words.
"We won't allow Xehanort or his Seekers to win… Patty will continue training alongside Lea until she is ready to be sent out in searching for her friends and stopping Xehanort alongside our guardians. In the meantime, I want you and the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee to keep an eye over there and see if anything is amiss. Tell Leon to learn anything he can about what the Seekers are planning if any of them are stationed there."
Merlin nodded. "I will do my best to not disappoint, old friend. Speaking of which, I assume Sora and his friends will be assisting us?"
Yen Sid nodded once more. "Indeed. I have sent them to Radiant Garden to check and see if the Seekers have made their move. Have they arrived by chance?"
Merlin shook his head. "Not yet, I'm afraid. Hopefully they'll be here soon so we can discuss what we've learned so far."
"Very good. Well, dear friend… that is all I have to say for now. Expect young Patricia and Lea in a week or two as soon as their training is finished." Merlin gave a nod at that. "We shall await their arrival whenever they are ready. Stay safe, old friend."
"You as well. Take care." Merlin nodded before the crystal ball sparkled and returned its proper white form – the projection was gone.
Yen Sid sighed heavily as he leaned back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Xehanort… why would you destroy Death City and the D.W.M.A.? It doesn't make any sense… is your heart truly one of pure darkness? What exactly are you planning…?"
The old wizard kept his eyes closed and he continued to ponder the riddle as to why Xehanort would attack a world filled with heroes and monsters…