A/N: This chapter has been updated as of 9/20/2015 to correct a small detail about the Falchion

Morning found Pit, Lucina, and Palutena back in the armory in front of the three doors. Outfitted in her old apparel, the princess looked more at ease—if not a little anxious to begin their journey. Pit, on the other hand, was as fidgety as a chicken in a nugget factory. The angel kept dancing in place as he listened to Palutena's final instructions, switching his bow from one hand to another. His adventures had taken him to many places, from Galactic Sea to the Underworld, but none had ever taken him to a whole new world. Already his imagination was running wild.

What if he got to go to the Mushroom Kingdom and meet Mario? Or Princess Peach? Boy, he thought, what would be really cool would be if I got to fly in the Arwing. Or Samus' ship! I wonder what they'd think of my weapons… It's too bad I don't have a blade or cannon to show—

"Pit!" Palutena placed her hand on his head, effectively holding him in place. "Are you listening?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Pit looked at her blankly. "Huh?"

The goddess sighed and shook her head. "I know you're excited, Pit, but try to pay attention. I just got done telling you and Lucina to stay on the down low. That means that you cannot interfere with their stories, or let anyone know you came from a different world."

"Why not?" he frowned.

"Remember what I told you earlier? When Palkia first got here? The worlds are kept separate for a reason. We have to maintain order and balance. The Heartless are creating enough chaos as it is without you planting ideas in other peoples' heads."

"Right… Gotcha…" said Pit, glancing down at his bow. So much for all his fantasies…

Palutena softened. "Just stay focused on taking out the Heartless and finding the Keyblade, okay?"

"We will do just that," Lucina stepped forward, giving Pit a meaningful look. He furrowed his eyebrows back at her. What was that all about?

"That's all I ask," said Palutena. "Well, I think that's everything. We'd better get you going on your way. Rings at the ready?"

Simultaneously, Pit and Lucina withdrew their armor rings from their pockets and slid them on their fingers. Instantly a light enveloped them, lasting not even a second before it revealed them in their new set of armor. Even though they had seen them just last night, Pit couldn't help but look over it one more time.

"You know, these are cool and everything," he said. "But how do we get them off?"

"Just take the ring off, silly," came Palutena's simple answer.

Pit lifted his hand up, and was surprised to see that the ring was still on his finger. "Oh."

The goddess moved on, turning to the other Keyblade seeker. "Lucina, would you like to give Palkia a call? Tell her she can set the portal up through the bay door there."

Nodding wordlessly, the princess reached into the bag tied to her hip and withdrew the pink orb. Haltingly, as if unsure of her actions, she rubbed her gloved hand over its surface.

"Lady Palkia?" she called.

"Lady?" A voice immediately entered her head. "Don't get called that very often. What's up, kid? Ready to head out?"

Lucina nodded, only to realize that Palkia probably wouldn't pick up on the gesture. "We are waiting in the armory. Palutena says—"

"The bay doors? Ain't that cliché? Alright, gimme a moment."

Suddenly, the floor-to-ceiling doors began swinging outwards, bleeding golden light into the room. As they watched, the air outside began to distort, twisting into a blotchy pink vortex. Half a second later, a familiar dragon stepped through it.

"Good morning ladies," Palkia greeted. As an afterthought, she added, "Pit. You're all looking sharp today."

"You seem to be in a good mood today, Palkia," Pit commented.

The Space Pokémon snorted. "Yeah? You gonna make something of it?"

"Aaaaand, I take it back," he withered.

The corner of her mouth twitched and for a moment she appeared amused. However, the look was fleeting. She glanced over at Palutena, and the two deities seemed to have a serious, silent conversation. Before Pit could voice his curiosity, the dragon abruptly barked, "Alright, people. We're here. We're ready. We're wasting daylight. Let's get this show on the road."

Pit glanced over at his goddess, wondering what that had been about. He knew that Palkia's telepathy could be selective at times—had she been saying something to her that he and Lucina had missed out on?

Palkia turned around and crouched, spreading her blade-like wings apart. "Get on, you two—and hold on tight. It's gonna be a wild ride."

Without hesitance, the two warriors did as they were told. Using Palkia's thick tail as a ramp, they climbed on to her back, with Lucina taking up position the front and Pit right behind her. The angel flashed his companion an excited smile, realizing that their adventure was finally beginning. The princess, however, ignored it and looked to the portal with grim determination.

"Good luck, you two!" Palutena waved. "Remember, the fate of the entire universe rests on your shoulders… If you fail, the darkness will destroy everything we know and love… But no pressure! Try not to die!"

She smiled as if she had just given them the heartiest pep-talk of the century. Pit clenched his teeth in a forced smile and muttered back, "Right… no pressure or anything…"

"'Nough chit-chat; this train's leaving the station. Later, Palutena!" Palkia declared, then shot off like a rocket towards the open doors. Pit barely had time to shout his farewell before the pink vortex swallowed them whole. Then, Skyworld disappeared completely from around them.

For a brief moment, Pit felt like he was in a kaleidoscope again. Distorted colors twisted all around them as they shot through space, hurting his eyes. Yet at the speed the Pokémon was travelling at, the confusion only lasted a moment. The colors dropped away from them, emptying them out into a vast… nothingness. Up, down, left, right—it was all the same, a void filled only with stars and space. For a disoriented moment, Pit wondered if there really was an "up". Next, he wondered about air.

Palkia snickered when she heard the angel gasp in alarm. "What's the matter, chicken wings? Forgot how to breathe?"

Lucina likewise was giving him an odd look—or at least, that's what it seemed like. Pit couldn't actually see her eyes through the armor's visor. But she gave off a general aura of being annoyed.

"Oh…" The angel coughed, trying to clear the embarrassment. "I thought that maybe…" He stopped, giving it some thought. "Haven't you ever wondered why we're able to breath in space? I mean, it's weird, isn't it? I went to the Galactic Sea and back, and Mario did his thing in Mario Galaxy and—"

"Is there a point to this? Or are you just going to sit around and ask stupid questions?"

"…Never mind. So where are we going to first?"

"I did my rounds last night, and I've narrowed it down to two choices." The dragon flared out her wings, bringing them to an effective stop. Once the pearls on her shoulders were glowing, she brought her fists together. The motion created a wave of energy that shot out laterally from their position, leaving behind a trail in its wake. Some ways ahead the wave branched off into two different directions.

"The world on the left is a tropical place with a bunch of ruins," Palkia explained. "It might be a good place to start searching for clues about the Keyblade. The Heartless there are a bit weaker and… distracted for some reason. I don't know why, so don't ask. The world on the right is full of tougher enemies that're causing a real mess. I'll let you two decide which one you want to head to first."

Pit and Lucina studied the ethereal paths before them, and answered simultaneously.

"Right."

"Left."

Palkia craned her neck around to face them, arching one of her brows.

Pit stared at Lucina, surprised to say the least. It hadn't occurred to him that they might have their differences. They seemed pretty united on their goals earlier…

"It sounds like the world on the right is in more danger," he began, hoping he could get her to see his point. "We should help them first."

Lucina, however, shook her head. "We would be better equipped to help them if we found the Keyblade first. If the world on the left really has any clues to offer—"

"Well, yeah, but if people are getting hurt, it's our responsibility to help them!"

Her tone was quickly growing agitated, despite her attempts to stay agreeable. "But until we get the Keyblade, we cannot get rid of the Heartless for good. They would come back and cause more trouble later on."

"But what if—"

"Are you two really gonna argue this out?" Palkia cut in, her harsh voice lashing through their minds. "Heck, I didn't think this would be that hard of a decision. Put your heads together and pick a darn world already! The longer we stay out here—"

A bolt of white-hot energy cut her off as it shot through the path of light, shattering it like glass. Palkia instantly took evasive action and took a nosedive spin. Pit and Lucina barely had time to hold on before they were rocketing through space again. The angel glanced over his shoulder, seeking out the source of the wild shot. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of several blocky shapes pursuing them.

"Space ships?" His face screwed up in confusion.

"It's the Heartless' transports," Palkia growled. "They're what attacked me before I ended up in your world. Muk-ing nuisances… Well, they've made your choice for you. Pit, make yourself useful and take a shot at them. Keep 'em off my back."

"Roger that!"

While Palkia continued to dodge enemy fire, Pit pivoted around and readied his bow. He regretted not having a one-handed weapon like a staff or a blade, as it would've made his job easier. Still, he fought his hardest to adapt. Sliding down Palkia's back, he took up position at the base of her tail, where he took aim at the nearest ship. The first arrow exploded in a shower of light against its hull, but did little to halt its progress. Perturbed, Pit kept firing, and eventually his barrage of arrows took it down.

"One down, a million more to go," he grumbled as more ships took its place.

From behind him, he heard Lucina call out, "Palkia!"

"I see 'em," said the Pokémon, already gathering energy within her maw. Half a second later, a beam of dark purple energy erupted from her throat and vanquished a small fleet of Heartless transports that had been assailing them from the front.

Glancing over his shoulder, Pit made a face. "Why didn't you do that earlier?"

"Oh, sure, let's go ahead and use up all my energy right away," she sneered back with a snort. "I'm sure that'd work out great. Keep your head down and keep firing!"

"Okay, okay! Gimme a break," he muttered back. Regardless, he did what he was told. The frenzied chase continued, with Pit covering them from behind and Palkia unleashing the occasional frontal attack between her evasive maneuvers. Although the dragon could dispatch her opponents with ease, Pit felt like it took him ages to take down a single ship. He wasn't sure if his bow was to blame, or the enemies' armor.

"Sheesh, what are these things made of?" he finally asked after a felling a particularly troublesome ship. "Diamond?"

"Gummi blocks," grunted Palkia. "That trippy stuff you see floating all around us. It's what's left of the barriers that once stood between the worlds."

"Isn't there an easier way to get through it?"

"Sure. Grow some scales and a real pair of wings."

"Ha, ha. You're hilarious," Pit dead-panned. He didn't have to be turned around to know that the dragon had a smug look on her face.

In time, the number of enemy ships diminished. In contrast, the colorful space rubble Palkia had called gummi grew more plentiful. The team was able to shake off the rest of their pursuers by ducking into the maze the material created. Unfettered, the trio drew a collective breath.

"Forgive me," Lucina winced. "I wasn't much help back there…"

"Meh, you're fine," Palkia shook her head in a motion similar to a horse tossing its mane. "You got a sharp pair of eyes, that's for sure."

"Maybe we can find you a good long-range weapon when we get back to Skyworld," suggested Pit, retaking his place behind the princess. "Are you good with a bow?"

"…Admittedly, not."

"I reckon you mostly trained with Falchion, growing up."

"Yes, for the most part. Although I do have some small training with lances."

Pit frowned ponderously. "Maybe you could use a lance staff, then…"

"Figure it out later. We're coming up our destination."

Thoughts about staffs and bows were completely tossed out of Pit's mind as he craned his neck over Palkia's wings to catch a first glimpse of their first world. The celestial body was mostly covered in ice-blue ocean, broken only by an island covered in lush green rainforests. A lone landmark stood out on its crown—a rickety thatched-roof hut built on stilts by the beach. A sign stood over the hut's door, but Pit couldn't read it to save his life. Unfortunately, he was as illiterate as ever.

"Wait, which path did we take?" asked Pit, faltering slightly.

"You two took so long to make up your bloomin' minds that I just went with whatever one was closer—the one that was on the left. Now don't give me that look! The Heartless here might not be as big as a threat, but they're here nonetheless. Might as well get rid of them before they do turn into trouble."

Palkia flared her wings out once again, coming to a complete stop. "Okay, you two. Time to shine. Lucina, still got that pearl tucked away safely? Good. I'm gonna beam ya down to the surface now. Remember, you're looking for anything related to the Keyblade. If you can't find something, just take out the Boss and be done with it. Any questions?"

Pit raised his hand.

"No, there won't be refreshments. Or floor ice cream."

The angel lowered his hand.

"Right. Let's do this." Palkia charged up energy in the pearls on her shoulders before raking her claws across the space before her. It tore like fabric, leaving a tattered purple-glowing hole. Pit groaned as he recognized it—a wormhole, like the one he had travelled through earlier to go to Lucina's rescue. Only Palkia knew how to ruin the excitement of visiting a new world…

The Pokémon flew up to the side of the vortex, turning to the side to give the two warriors a clear access. Pit looked at the portal with trepidation, while Lucina stared in fascination.

"Do we have to take the wormhole?" Pit complained.

"Well, if you want, I could just throw ya at the darn planet and see if you burn up in the atmosphere. How's that sound?"

"…Not any better."

"Wormhole's the best and fastest way, kid, so stop your complaining. Besides, you ain't getting far without the power of flight. And before you ask, no. I can't grant that power. So tough luck. Now, off with ya."

Lucina was the first to stand and face the vortex.

"Careful," Pit cautioned. "It's a pretty crazy ride. You'll be super disoriented when you get to the other side. Maybe a little nauseous. But it won't last long. I think."

She hesitated, but again the helmet prevented him from seeing her expression. Would she take him seriously? Whether she did or not, the young woman said nothing as she leapt from Palkia's back, falling into the open vortex. Sighing, Pit braced himself and followed.

As she passed through the "wormhole", Lucina wished that she had given Pit's word more heed. The whirling colors of the passage threw her off balance, besides giving her a pounding headache. She tried to make sense of the chaos, but with little success. All she knew was that she was falling at an alarming rate.

Abruptly, the passage ended. Lucina barely had time to think before solid ground rose up to meet her. Disoriented as she was, she could do little to make her landing more…graceful. The princess ended up tumbling forward into thick vegetation, face-planting into damp moss. Though the spongy plants cushioned her fall, it left her spitting out green fuzz from her mouth. The earthy taste did not help the discomfort she suddenly felt in her stomach.

Ignoring her body's complaints, the young woman pulled herself up off the ground and looked around her new surroundings. The world tilted around her, making the task difficult. One thing was immediately apparent: the air was thick. It pressed in on her like a heavy blanket, threatening to crush her beneath its weight. Not only did it feel suffocatingly close, the air was also hot and sticky. Lucina had been glad to regain her long-sleeved ensemble, but now it was promising to be more of a burden than a blessing. Hardly a minute had passed by and already the cloth was clinging to her skin uncomfortably.

Behind her, the wormhole flashed and widened. Lucina turned in time to see Pit making his entrance. The angel pulled off his ring as he fell, dismissing Palutena's special armor to free his wings. Spreading them out, he slowed his descent and came to a slow, gentle landing. Lucina bit back a pang of envy.

Pit shook himself before glancing about. "Huh, that wasn't so bad this time around. Guess you get used to it after a few trips." Noticing that she was struggling a bit, he took a step forward. "Hey, you all right?"

"Fine," she muttered, waving off his offered hand. She instead opted to steady herself against the nearest tree trunk as the last of her dizzy spell wore off.

Pit gave a frown, but shrugged indifferently. He glanced again at their surroundings and let out a low whistle. "It's a real jungle out here. I wonder what world this is… It's sure humid, that's for sure."

Lucina straightened and pulled off her ring, letting the dark gray armor dissolve into light. Although she wanted to be thorough in their search, she couldn't deny that she would be happy to leave this world behind. Humidity like this… did not suite her. Turning to face the jungles before them, she began, "We should begin our search, now. Palkia mentioned that there were old ruins somewhere on this world. I think we should start by—"

She was interrupted by a euphoric hoot. The princess turned and found her companion bouncing on a giant… flower?

"Whoo-hoo! Yeah!" he hollered again, a wide grin on his face. Between each bounce, he shouted, "Hey! Lucina! You! Gotta! Try! This!"

It took Lucina a while to form a response. "Wha… What are you doing?"

Pit flapped his wings a few times to gain extra altitude before doing a forward flip onto the flower again. He laughed. "What does. It look. Like? It's like! A Tramp! O-line!"

She blinked at the plant, trying to decide whether or not her eyes were deceiving her. No matter how hard she tried to clear her vision, the gigantic red flower remained where it was, catching Pit with every fall and launching him back into the air again. But… how could such a thing be possible? The plant's disk must have been ten feet or more in diameter.

The young woman shook herself. Real or not, it was a distraction. Pit should know better—they had a mission to complete.

"Gods above," she muttered before raising her voice. "Pit! Enough of this! We need to find the Keyblade."

Pit immediately stopped, letting his bounces simmer to a stand-still. He scratched his head guiltily. "I know… But… it looked like fun."

Lucina tried not to scowl. Her opinion of the angel wasn't taking the best turn. He was a capable warrior, no doubt, but the other sides of his personality weren't what she expected. He was childish, impulsive… with no sense of self-control. If he really was over ten decades old, why didn't he act like it?

The Ylissean princess rubbed her temples. The humidity and his behavior were contributing to a painful headache. Still, she knew she had to be patient. As much as she'd hate to admit it, she needed Pit. She couldn't take on the Heartless on her own—the battle back at that one town proved it. Besides that, Palkia and Palutena trusted her to work with the angel to overcome the darkness. Although the goddess of light seemed kind, Lucina didn't want to risk offending her.

"Let's just get going," she finally sighed.

Picking a direction at random, Lucina took the lead.

Falchion, as it turned out, wasn't well suited for chopping through plants. Of course, the holy blade could easily slice through anything—including stone, as her father had proved—but its latest reincarnation was built for power, not finesse. Maneuvering the thick blade to hack at errant plants wore Lucina down faster than she expected, and in the end she had to relinquish the lead to Pit, whose small bow blades had an easier time carving their path. She wasn't particularly pleased with the arrangement, but he at least seemed to be taking their quest more seriously now.

They came across a few crude structures now and again—mostly pillar-like statues with strange feathered creatures at the crown, heavily encrusted with moss and vines. The two investigated every ruin they came across, but couldn't find anything of interest. The primitive statues seemed to be entirely for show rather than tell. Although, during one investigation, Pit and Lucina had a momentary scare when one pillar unexpectedly fell over and nearly flattened them both. Thankfully, their quick reflexes saved them from a grisly demise.

After a good long while of exploring, Pit paused, one of his blades still poised to strike a plant. Slowly, he brought the two together and reformed his bow. "Luc," he whispered, waving her over as he hunched down. "Check this out."

She felt mildly annoyed by the use of a nickname; very few people got away with calling her "Luc", and Pit wouldn't be one of them. Still, he had a note of caution in his tone that demanded attention. For now, she would let the name slip by. She crouched next to him, peering through the vegetation. Beyond the branches, she could see into a wide sun-lit clearing. A large yellow mass of something took up most of the space, and all around it blue-furred creatures danced about.

They were completely silent, save for the soft thumping of their clawed feet.

Frowning, Lucina pushed aside a branch to get a closer look. The creatures resembled monkeys, with their long tails and big round ears, yet their eyes were large and pupil-less. Their swollen hands ended in sharp black claws. Emblazoned on their chests were black hearts marked with red lines.

"Heartless?" she immediately guessed.

"Yeah, I think," Pit muttered back. "But I don't get it. What are they doing with all those bananas?"

Lucina glanced back over at the yellow mass; really, it had been a giant pile of spear-shaped fruit resting on a wooden cart. What were these Heartless doing? From what Palutena and Palkia had told them, they fed off of peoples' hearts—not actual food. Unless, bananas had hearts? It didn't seem likely…

Pit and Lucina jumped to their toes as a deep thrumming filled the air, accompanied by a furious hoot. The monkey Heartless froze, turning their featureless faces towards the sound. From the shadows, Pit and Lucina watched as another new creature entered the scene. Intimidating in size, it swept through the Heartless, muscle-bound arms effortlessly launching them into the air.

Beside Lucina, Pit let out a gasp. "Is that Donkey Kong?"

The Heartless still on their feet retaliated. The giant punched many of them aside, but the Heartless proved to be more agile; most leapt out of the way of its fists and scratched at its brown fur. The giant let out an angry grunt of pain.

"We need to help him!" said Pit, gripping his weapon tightly.

Lucina narrowed her eyes, accessing the situation. The Heartless in the clearing were numerous, and they moved noticeably faster than the ones they had fought back in Pit's world. The giant was able to incapacitate a few, but that was only with the element of surprise on his size. Now that they were aware of his presence, the foul creatures were beginning to overwhelm him. Lucina wanted to help, but she was wary of this new breed of Heartless. If she and Pit weren't prepared, they could make the situation worse.

She nodded and began to say, "Yes, but we should plan our approach carefully. If we can strategically…"

The ex-princess trailed off, realizing Pit was no longer listening. The angel was charging through the undergrowth, bow blades drawn.

"Pit! No!" she hissed, but he was well out of hearing. Lucina's head fell into her palm as Pit made his not-so-subtle entrance and attacked the Heartless head-on. So much for strategy… Robin, she knew, would be appalled. Returning her attention to the field, Lucina tried to think of a way to salvage the situation. Pit had created quite the stir, and although it had been reckless, it had momentarily disoriented the Heartless. Perhaps if she attacked from another angle…

Turning to the side, Lucina started ducking her way through the vegetation. If nothing else, at least she could—

The great ape suddenly howled, tearing Heartless off from his shoulders. In a fit of rage, the beast began pounding the earth with its hands, sending a quake through the surrounding area. Pit and the Heartless faltered, nearly losing their footing. Meanwhile, the stone slab Lucina had been walking across suddenly gave out. Before she could react, the earth swallowed her up.