Chapter 24
Seal the Keyholes
Sora stared in horror as the Opposite Armor approached the Keyhole. His body bruised and his bones broken, he could not gather up the energy to fight back; he could barely stand, leaning on the Keyblade to keep upright. Kara had been incapacitated by Maleficent's fire spell. Donald and Goofy were also down. Everyone up top was similarly too hurt to do anything; Yuffie and Aerith could only cry while Squall clutched his lion pendant almost reverently. It seemed as though Traverse Town would be consumed by the Heartless, and there was nothing that he could do about it. Just like…
No… Not again… He did not know why, but he found himself pulling Squall's crystal out of his pocket. It was glowing, and it felt very warm in his hand. Not again… The warmth ran up his arm, but it felt as though heat was actually being pulled from his body and down his arm. The stone began to glow with greater intensity. Not again!
Orange flames roared up and swirled around him. He let out a primal scream that was accompanied by a tremendous roar. This startled the Heartless, and it slowed its approach, confused. Sora panted as he stood up fully, suddenly revitalized. His breathing was echoed by what sounded like a low growl. The flames moved away from Sora and swirled in front of the fountain, forming itself and finally solidifying into the shape of an adult male lion.
Squall gasped, feeling the same power emanating from the fiery lion that he felt when he held the stone. Kara, Donald, and Goofy could only stare in awe. Maleficent stared in disbelief, wondering what sort of power the boy had summoned.
Sora met the lion's gaze. It took a moment to process what had happened, but he figured out what the fiery spirit was: it was the spirit whose heart had been crystallized through its determination when its world was lost. Evidently, the Fairy Godmother had done more than simply provide relief in its slumbering state. The spirit now had the ability to manifest in the real world.
Seeing that the other was an ally, Sora and the lion nodded as they reached a silent understanding, and they turned to face Maleficent and the Heartless. Sora screamed and the lion roared, the bellow echoing louder than the last ring of the church bell. A wave of fire exploded from the lion's mane, radiating outward all through the district. It did no damage to the surrounding area, nor were Sora's friends affected, but it seared the Opposite Armor and blasted it back. Maleficent raised a barrier of green flame to protect herself, but the force still caused her to stumble.
Donald cast Cure, healing himself, Sora, Goofy, and Kara. The four of them, along with the lion, stood side-by-side, ready to take on the witch and the Heartless.
Maleficent scowled. She waved her scepter as she prepared another spell. Before she could, however, Cid burst through the hotel doors and threw a javelin into her shoulder. The Faerie screamed in pain as the iron weapon burned in her shoulder. She grabbed the shaft, braving further injury, and pulled it out, throwing the spear to the ground. Pressing her hand over the bleeding wound, she glared at her enemies before conjuring a portal of shadows that enveloped her before closing and vanishing.
"Tch. She got away," Squall grumbled. At the same time, Aerith cast Cure to heal him, Yuffie, and herself while the cops drank Potions.
"Maybe, but we definitely left a mark," Cid retorted, lighting up a cigarette. "And now the big guy's on his own."
Yuffie grinned and nodded. "Cid's right. Let's cut it down to size!" She ran up the hotel wall and scrambled to the roof, then threw three shurikens at one of the Opposite Armor's gauntlets. The floating appendage flew toward her while she leapt between roofs to lure it away. It caught up with her and tried to claw at her, but she rolled under the swipe and retaliated by slashing it with her kodachi.
Back on the ground, the Opposite Armor threw its remaining limbs at Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Donald dodged the gauntlet while Sora and Goofy blocked the Hammerlegs, Sora swatting his aside. The torso spun to attack Sora, but he waved the Keyblade over his head, shouted "Wind!" and used the Aero spell, a multifunctional spell that he learned while studying at Merlin's house, to create a wind vortex that blew around him. The wind barrier reduced the impact of the Heartless' collision and even slowed its rotation. He retaliated, striking the torso with the Keyblade and knocking it back, then the lion lunged at it and tackled it. Kara then caught the deflected Hammerleg and swung it at the torso, sending it flying. The lion chased after the torso, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. Kara held the Hammerleg steady, despite its struggles to break free, and let Sora whale on it.
Donald dodged the gauntlet's attempts to strike him and continued to cast spells at it. At the same time, the police officers fired purple energy bullets at the limb. Squall joined Goofy in attacking the other Hammerleg, first shooting fireballs at it and then slicing at it with the Gunblade. The torso spun to shake the lion off in midair, but the lion jumped back up and grappled with it again.
On the church's roof, Yuffie dodged the other gauntlet's charging and swiping attacks, throwing shurikens and slashing with her kodachi before it could recover and try again. A few times, it had her cornered, but she covered her escape with a smoke bomb, the final time leaving a log in her place. As it floated motionless, confused as to where the log came from, Yuffie appeared behind it and delivered several rapid slashes, destroying it.
Once the other limbs had all been destroyed, the group turned to check on the status of the torso. As soon as they did, they saw the lion fly backward, crashing into the gate to the First District. They saw that the torso was positioned so that the wider opening was pointed toward them, with the head floating above the smaller opening. A blue sphere of energy built up in the wider opening, and the Heartless fired it at the group like a cannonball. Sora, Donald, Squall, and Aya rolled out of the way while Kara and Goofy stood their ground, bracing for the expected shockwave. The energy sphere crashed into the asphalt, leaving a crater and causing pebbles and dust to explode upward. The shockwave caused Sora and the cops to lose their balance and fall down.
The torso charged up another energy sphere, which Kara flew up to intercept. She punched it when the Heartless fired it, and it exploded on impact, blasting her into the wall hard enough to cause a section to crumble and collapse on top of her. As the Heartless charged up another sphere, Squall and the cops shot at the sphere, disrupting the energy and causing it to disperse, knocking the Heartless off balance.
The lion leapt up and chomped down on the Opposite Armor's head before landing with a shockwave of fire. The torso fell out of the air, and the lion swiped it with its paw, swatting it away. Goofy jumped in front of it and stopped its movement with his shield. Sora cast another Aero barrier around himself so that the wind force would increase the damage that he dealt on top of reducing harm to himself, and then attacked the head as the lion spat it out at him. The lion roared into the torso's smaller opening while Donald cast Fire spells at the body, Goofy shield-punched it, Squall slashed it, and the cops struck it with their tonfas. Kara crawled out of the debris and hovered up to blast it with heat vision. Yuffie had rejoined the group and teamed up with Sora to slash at the head. The Opposite Armor managed to get some hits in, but the onslaught on all sides prevented it from doing much, and Donald and Aerith used Cure spells to heal any injuries that were sustained.
Swinging the Keyblade like a baseball bat, Sora swatted the head into the torso hard enough to cause the visor to break loose and clatter to the ground before vanishing into nothingness. Electricity crackled around the Heartless' body and miniature explosion clouds burst from the torso's openings. Recognizing these phenomena from the demises of the first Guard Armor and the Stealth Sneak, Sora, Kara, Donald, and Goofy ceased their assault, and the others followed their lead and did the same.
The armor spasmed, both the head and the torso shaking about, then collapsed to the ground, creating cracks in the asphalt. The Heartless' face lit up with a bright white light, and a crystalline heart floated up from it. The remains of the Opposite Armor dissolved and faded away.
Everyone took a moment to catch their breaths. The cops leaned against the wall, exhausted. Yuffie chuckled, trying to appear as though she was perfectly fine, but then she collapsed, with Squall catching her and helping her sit down.
Hearing padded footsteps, Sora turned to see the lion approach him. The fire surrounding it was no longer raging, now merely burning gently. Its eyes were no longer white hot, those flames all but vanishing to reveal eyes with dark red irises and yellow sclerae. The lion gazed upon him with a friendly warmth.
"Thanks for the help," Sora said. "We'd have been toast if you weren't here."
The lion nodded. "My name is Simba," he said, introducing himself properly. Donald and Goofy were surprised that they understood him, although Sora thought it felt right.
"I'm Sora," the boy replied.
"I don't have a lot of time left here," Simba said, raising his paw to show that his form was fading to the point where he was becoming transparent. "I'll be going back to sleep in a moment. But if you need me, just give me a roar."
"Sure thing."
Simba's form dissolved into tongues of flame. Sora took the lion's crystallized heart out of his pocket and let the fire float back into the stone. When Simba was gone completely, Sora pocketed the stone once again.
"Sora. The Keyhole," Squall spoke up.
Sora blinked, having forgotten about it. "Right!" He turned around and pointed the Keyblade at the glowing purple Keyhole. Now that he could properly observe it, he noticed that, in spite of the apparent blackness in its depths, he could sense a warmth deep within. He had a feeling that there really was something alive down there. He did not understand it, but he could feel a sense of trust and gratitude radiating from the depths.
Well, he thought that the warmth should be kept safe. It was time to let the Keyblade do its thing. A beam of light shot from the tip and entered the Keyhole, causing a locking sound to click. The purple haze faded and the dark hole dissolved, leaving behind the butterfly mural.
"Nice work," Aerith commended. "The Heartless won't be able to destroy this world."
"We weren't able to catch Maleficent, though," Donald lamented.
"We'll get stronger and get her another time," Kara assured him.
Goofy heard the gate open and looked up to see a crowd of people cautiously approach the ledge overlooking the street and the fountain. "Looks like we've got company," he said, pointing up for the others to see.
Squall nodded. "Well, we did make some noise. I guess we have some explaining to do."
The people in Traverse Town had many questions about the commotion. Squall, Aerith and Aya answered them truthfully and as helpfully as possible, with some interjections from Yuffie, Cid, and Goofy. Many of the adults who came from the destruction of their worlds were horrified to hear that Maleficent had been in town. There was some initial confusion as the group tried to explain the nature of the Keyhole. Then there was dismay as many came to understand what had happened to their worlds, although some allowed themselves to be relieved that the same fate had been averted and permanently prevented in Traverse Town. All of the children present and some of the teens and adults became excited to hear that Sora had summoned a lion that was on fire. There were some cheers at the part where Cid impaled Maleficent with a spear and forced her to flee, even after the clear horror at hearing how the witch had so easily overpowered everyone. After hearing that Sora had sealed the Keyhole, those who had heard of the Keyblade clamored for the boy to show it to them. He obliged, switching Keychains to show them both forms. Excited people shoved their way through the crowd, wanting to get a closer look and touch the key. Squall and the cops held them back while Yuffie threw a smoke bomb down and fled with Sora, Kara, Donald, and Goofy.
She led them into a house next to the church, in which two adult Dalmatians and dozens of puppies lived. They spent some time playing with the puppies and talking to the housekeepers (the dogs' human owners apparently had not been found after the dogs had arrived and grouped together), before they left through the back door into the alleyway, near the runoff grate that led to the underground cavern. Yuffie led the others to the opposite end, stopping when they reached a tall fence blocking the way, with a crate in front of it. She slid the crate aside, revealing a hole in the fence and another crate on the other side, which she also pushed out of the way. She guided the others through the hole, then moved the boxes back into place to the best of her ability. They walked through the same back alley that Sora and Kara had first woken up in and stepped out into the First District plaza.
"Phew. We lost them. Hopefully, they won't be as riled and pushy if you bump into them again," Yuffie said.
"Thanks, Yuffie," Sora said, relieved.
"How was your first taste of fame?" Goofy asked.
"Felt kinda nice. A little weird," Sora admitted.
"Now that you're an active Keybearer, you'll likely get a lot of attention like that. Try not to let it go to your head," Donald advised. Goofy snickered for reasons that Sora and Kara could only guess. Donald shot him an irritated glare.
Sora let out a sigh. "Well, this was quite a day." He took out his thermos and took a sip of coffee.
"Are you sure that's the best thing to use for your situation?" Yuffie asked.
Sora shrugged. "Probably not. But I don't really know what else to do about it."
"Well, I know some meditation techniques that could help, if you want," the ninja suggested.
"If you think it would help, sure." Sora paused as a thought occurred to him. "Maybe we should wait until the caffeine has worn off before we try it."
"Yeah, good idea," Yuffie agreed. Kara nodded along.
When Squall, Aerith, and Cid caught back up with them, the group came up with a plan of action going forward. As they did not know where Maleficent was based, and the witch was too powerful to take on in a straight fight anyway, Sora, Kara, Donald, and Goofy would continue traveling to different worlds, sealing the Keyholes and preventing the Heartless from hurting more people. Recalling that Maleficent had mentioned Hades, Donald figured that the two were working together and that they might be more allies controlling the Heartless. So, along with fighting the Heartless, the party would track down these villains and stop their machinations, hopefully gathering information on Maleficent along the way.
Cid led the party to the hangar, where he showed them the repaired Gummi Ship. He offered to let them commission him and the engineers to make modifications and improvements to the ship, which Donald agreed to keep in mind. He also instructed them on how to repair the ship if it gets damaged while they are too far away from Traverse Town or anyplace else that has people who can work on Gummi technology.
After that, Squall led the party along with Yuffie and Aerith to the cavern to spar and to offer Sora some training. He was impressed when Sora was able to hold his own for a while, but he was ultimately able to overpower him during each match. After each victory, he flourished his Gunblade by swinging it from side to side and then bringing it up to rest on his shoulder.
"For all your serious attitude, you sure like to show off," Kara remarked after the third time.
Yuffie laughed. "Yep. That's cool, edgy Leon for you," she quipped. Aerith giggled while Squall averted their gaze, still keeping an even expression.
When they were done sparring, Yuffie led Sora in meditation. The technique she suggested involved relaxing not just his body and mind, but also the flow of mana through his body. By the end of it, he thought that it did help somewhat and decided to practice it going forward.
Afterward, Aerith took the group out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Kara was overjoyed at the opportunity to order pot stickers, not having realized how much she had missed the dumpling meal.
"How long's it been since you've had it?" the waitress asked after hearing her gush about her favorite food.
"Hmm… It's been…" Kara started counting the days back, but stopped, her face falling. Sora frowned, realizing what she was thinking about. "We were supposed to have it… that night. But then the storm happened. Then we went out to the island, and the Heartless appeared…"
"Oh-Oh my. I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to bring that up," the waitress stammered, feeling awful for dredging up bad memories.
Kara shook her head. "No, no. It's okay," she assured the waitress, sniffing and wiping tears from her eyes. She cleared her throat. "Why don't you guys place your orders?" The rest of the table said what they would like to eat, and the waitress left to pass the orders along to the kitchen.
"You okay?" Aerith asked after a moment.
Kara let out a sigh. "Rosetta was cooking dinner when the storm started. Reeve was probably reading a magazine. Do you think they realized we were gone?"
Sora nodded. "Yeah. I wonder what happened to them when the islands vanished. Did the Heartless go after them, or anyone in town? When they consumed the core, did everything crumble under them? Did a wave wash over and smother them? Or did everything just go out like a light—" He snapped his fingers to illustrate the swiftness of the scenario that he was suggesting "—quick and painless? Did they die, or become Heartless, or are they all in some kind of limbo?"
Aerith shook her head. "I ask myself the same thing a lot," she admitted. "We might never really know. I just hope that wherever they are, they're at peace."
"We might not be able to save those lost," Squall spoke up after a momentary silence, "but we can honor their memory and make sure the same thing doesn't happen to more people." He clutched his lion pendant. "The grief of the past will give us the strength to make a brighter future."
Everyone else nodded, liking the motto. The waitress returned with everyone's meals. They all thanked her and started eating as she left.
"What was your world like?" Sora asked through a mouthful of noodles.
Aerith smiled wistfully. "We lived in a peaceful town built on top of a mountain. Our ruler, Ansem, was a wise and just man. He and his apprentices lived in a castle, which over the generations had been industrialized along with the rest of the town as the rulers turned it more into a complex of laboratories and command center for the town's power and water systems. Ansem and his apprentices were dedicated to research to improve the town and the lives of its people. Some of them were more science-oriented, while the others were combat-focused and acted as guards.
"There were other towns scattered around the mountain and down in the valleys, which we traded with and provided resources and services to. There were also military fortresses that protected the mountain and gave the town the means to prepare for war if necessary."
"The military was effective enough to repel any invasions," Squall added, a hint of pride in his voice, although it quickly turned dour. "Save for one."
"I don't think the landscape is like anything on any other world," Yuffie said. "The earth is purple and blue, although there are a bunch of stones of the usual colors. And the city's built over a canyon where water rises up all on its own and then runs down the mountain in rivers." She sighed. "You should have seen it."
"That does sound like it would have looked really cool," Kara said after swallowing a chewed-up pot sticker.
Yuffie chuckled. "Yeah. I also would have loved to see your island," she replied.
After dinner, Squall, Yuffie, and Aerith split off from the party to attend to their duties: Squall going to file reports at the police precinct, Yuffie doing a sweep all over town for any lost new arrivals, and Aerith checking in at the clinics in the First and Second Districts. Goofy suggested stocking up on Potions and Ethers, so he, Sora, Kara, and Donald made their way to the general store. As they approached the shop, they stopped when they heard a thud.
"It came from that way," Kara said, pointing up the stairs, almost directly at the Accessory Shop. They went up to the door and saw that the light was out and there was a closed sign on the window, which Goofy pointed out was slightly ajar. Sora tried the door, but it was locked. There was another thud and a soft grunt, confirming that someone or something was inside. Sora summoned the Keyblade and tapped the tip against the doorknob. There was a click as the lock disengaged. He then opened the door and they stepped inside. Goofy flicked the wall switch and turned the light on. They heard a yelp from behind the counter.
"Who's there?" Donald asked.
"Uh… Nobody." The voice was a higher pitch, sounding like a child. The child promptly groaned at his mistake.
"Wait a second." Jiminy climbed out of Sora's pocket and up to his shoulder. "I know that voice anywhere." Sora crouched beside the counter and peeked behind it. He and the cricket saw a little boy who appeared to be about seven years old, who had a round, chubby face, blue eyes, black hair, and an unusually long nose. Jiminy chuckled as he recognized the boy. "Well, as I live and breathe! If it isn't Pinocchio!"
Hearing the cricket's voice, the boy crawled over until he could properly see him, then breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Oh. Hi, Jiminy," he greeted.
Sora blinked in surprise as he saw Pinocchio up close and more clearly. The boy's skin had a grainy texture, albeit one that was sanded smooth. His hair had the same texture. His limbs were rectangular, with rounded ends, and they were slotted together at the elbows and knees and held together with dowels. His clothes appeared to be normal cotton, consisting of a light yellow shirt with a large white collar, bright red fabric short overalls with yellow buttons, a black vest, a big blue bow tie, white gloves, and a yellow hat with a blue band in which a red feather was tucked. However, his brown shoes had the same texture and appeared to be rounded blocks attached to his ankles. He had four fingers on each hand, which his gloves were made to fit. His nose appeared to be a cylindrical rod that was rounded at the front end, lacking nostrils. A closer examination showed brush strokes on his eyes, indicating that, even as the non-reflective eyes moved as though they were normal eyes, they were painted on. Sora, as well as Kara, Donald and Goofy, who were peeking over the counter at the boy, did a double take as they realized that Pinocchio was made of wood—a living wooden puppet!
Jiminy hopped off of Sora's shoulder and stepped toward Pinocchio. "What in the world are you doing down here?" he asked.
Pinocchio cast his gaze upward as he thought up an answer, then looked back at Jiminy when he had one. "Um… Playing hide-and-seek."
Jiminy paced around with a spring in his step. "I just don't believe it. And here I was, up all night, just worried sick about you. Why, of all the—" He stopped as he heard a familiar scratch of wood and a pop, and he looked up to see that Pinocchio's nose had grown two extra inches, with a small twig and a leaf sticking up from the tip. "Pinocchio!"
"Uh, what just happened?" Sora asked, surprised by the development.
"Pinocchio, are you telling me the truth?" Jiminy asked sternly.
"Yes!" the wooden boy insisted. The tip of his nose glowed and grew another half inch.
"Then tell me, what is that?" Jiminy demanded, pointing at a small jewelry box on the floor behind Pinocchio, which the boy had clearly been in the process of stealing.
"It was a present," Pinocchio claimed. His nose grew another inch, another twig sprouting downward from the tip.
"No fibbing now," Jiminy scolded, wagging his finger. "You know you're not supposed to tell lies. Don't you remember what the Blue Fairy told you? A lie only grows and grows, 'til you get caught! Plain as the nose on your face!"
Pinocchio sighed, knowing that he had been caught. "But if you want something, why wait? Why not just take it?" he asked.
"Oh, my! Who told you that? Oh, we've been separated for too long. You need some advice from your conscience."
"Uh, hi," Kara interjected. "Sorry to interrupt, but we're all really confused. Who is this, Jiminy?"
Jiminy and Pinocchio turned to look up at the others. "Oh. My apologies. This is Pinocchio. He's a marionette who was made by the clockmaker Geppetto and brought to life by the Blue Fairy. Pinocchio, these are Donald, Goofy, Sora, and Kara. I've been traveling with them for the past couple weeks."
"Oh! Hi there. It's nice to meet you," Pinocchio greeted. He jumped to his feet, his limbs clacking together like a marionette's would when put on stage, and extended his hand politely, which the four of them each shook.
"So you're a friend of Jiminy's? I'm glad we found ya. He seemed awfully worried about you," Goofy said.
Pinocchio nodded. "Yup. Jiminy and I are good friends. He's my conscience."
"What does that mean, exactly?" Donald asked.
"Well, you see, the Blue Fairy granted Geppetto's wish for a son by bringing Pinocchio to life. But to become a real boy, Pinocchio would need to learn to be brave, truthful, and unselfish. That's where I come in," Jiminy explained. "The Blue Fairy selected me to be his conscience, to help him learn right from wrong." He sighed. "I see I still have a lot to teach him."
"Jiminy…"
"Pinocchio, don't you think that sneaking in here when no one was around and stealing something might have been wrong to do?" Donald suggested.
Pinocchio looked back at the jewelry box and thought about what Donald said for a moment. "I guess you're right." He picked the box up and put it back in the glass case where he had found it. He looked down at Jiminy. "Jiminy, I'm sorry for lying and for stealing. I promise I'll do better." Something must have sensed his sincerity, as his nose glowed and shrank down until it was an inch shorter than it had been when the others had first seen him, the twigs and leaf vanishing as well.
Jiminy smiled proudly. "See? You're learning from your mistakes. Why, you'll be a real boy in no time. I'm sure Geppetto would be proud."
"Oh! Jiminy, do you know where Father is?" the wooden boy asked.
Jiminy blinked in surprise. "He's not with you?"
Pinocchio shook his head. "Jiminy, let's go find Father!" he insisted.
Jiminy held his hands out to calm him down. "Now hold on! There are all sorts of dangers and temptations out there!" he warned. "My friends and I will find Geppetto."
"We will?" Sora asked, surprised by the sudden promise, having still been trying to process everything that he had learned about Pinocchio. Donald sharply elbowed him. "I mean… Yeah, of course we will." Under his breath, he added: "You could've asked us first, but okay."
Sora paged Squall and let him know about Pinocchio, so he came over to pick him up, promising to watch over him. Afterward, the party finally went to the general store, where they chatted with Huey, Dewey, and Louie, before heading to the house in the Third District to go to bed. The next morning after breakfast, they boarded the Gummi Ship and prepared for takeoff. Squall, Yuffie, Aerith, Cid, Pinocchio, and Donald's nephews were there to see them off, as well as a sizeable crowd that had heard rumors of their goal of stopping the Heartless across all of the worlds and wanted to wish them luck. The crowd cheered as the ship fired up and flew off into the sky. Pinocchio stared in amazement even after the ship was no longer visible and the crowd had dispersed.
Once they were out of Traverse Town's orbit, Donald veered away from the commercial transport path and then had Sora sit down in the pilot's seat to teach him how to fly the Gummi Ship. It was easy for Sora to learn the basics, although it took him some time to implement them effectively. His first pass through a field of asteroids resulted in some scrapes but no major damage. He had fun using the barrel roll mechanic, although he soon got tired of uttering the obligatory line every time. After a lunch break, Donald let Sora take the wheel and fly to the next world. Donald took Kara's usual seat and let Kara take the one that had been previously designated for Sora. Kara selected a new world to visit and let the navigation system plot a course, and Sora gunned the engine and flew off toward the new world.
After over two hours of uneventful flight, Sora yawned, the monotony and highway hypnosis threatening to make the trip boring in spite of the wonder. Donald quickly picked up on this and opened a menu up on his screen. "Hang on. Let me see if there's something that can help pass the time." He tapped an option, causing music to start playing from the alarm speakers.
"This plays music?" Kara asked amazed.
Donald nodded. "King Mickey put a playlist on here when he started using it more frequently," he explained. "Sorry for holding out on you. I never thought to bring it up."
"Aw, yeah! I love this song!" Sora said.
"Me too," Kara agreed. Goofy chuckled.
["Ahead on our Way", to the tune and instrumentation of "Sora's Theme", with Sora and Kara singing along]
Sora: Look to the sun! We set off at the break of dawn
So our journey can carry on.
Kara: [letting out a laugh before joining in] Marching along, into new lands we've yet to see
There's a new friend we've yet to meet.
Sora and Kara: Together, we march ahead on our way. A new adventure begins toda-ay.
[Both laugh after the refrain as the instrumental section plays.]
Sora: Out in the field, we go out to face the unknown.
With each challenge we learn to grow.
Kara: Though it is hard, if we stand here side by side
We will make it and see through the night.
Sora and Kara: Together, we march ahead on our way. A new adventure begins toda-ay…