Episode 70: Roxas, the Key of Destiny
A day after Riku and Naminé became a couple, Sora and Kairi decided to have a double date.
Just before they left, Sora and Riku decided to have some boy talk.
"So, how does it feel have a girlfriend, Riku?" Sora asked.
"Well, it's a whole new step for me," Riku said. "I haven't felt this way since I got Eevee and left Alola."
"Yeah, I kinda felt the same way when me and Kairi became a couple," Sora said. "I think Pikachu and Angel became a pair."
"By the way, where are Pikachu and Angel?" Riku asked.
"Oh, they're in the backyard, and Mimey is playing waiter for them. My mom thought it was cute," Sora said. He laughed. "She said it reminded her of Lady and the Tramp." Sora laughed again so hard, he has a tear coming down his cheek.
Over to the girls, Kairi and Naminé were having some girl talk of their own.
"I'm very happy for you, Naminé. I know your parents will bust a button if they hear you have a boyfriend," Kairi said.
"Thank you, Kairi. My dad is grateful for Riku saving him when Team Rocket came and took over the Silph Co," Naminé said. "Just how did your mom react to you and Sora being together?"
"She was really happy to hear it. The same can be said for Sora's mom," Kairi said.
"I know our moms will be great friends; and so will our dads," Naminé said.
"Yeah, but I wish Sora and Karen's dad was alive in the mix," Kairi said. She sighed. "From what Sora told me, he would have loved me just as his sister and mom do." Naminé smiled. The boys came right up to their girlfriends.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, ladies," Sora said.
"Hope we didn't make you wait for too long," Riku said.
"Not long," Naminé said.
"Now, let's go and have some fun," Sora said. They take off with Karen, Ventus, Terra, and Aqua watching them take their leave.
Unknown to them, a hooded figure is watching them closely and vanishes in darkness. He arrived in a beach and sat down. Mateus approached him.
"You wanted to meet with me," Mateus said.
"I did. I have seen the power they each possess," the hooded figure said. He turned to Mateus. "He's just as powerful as you said he is."
"Are you going to make yourself known to him?" Mateus asked.
"Soon enough, Mateus. I will make my move when he least suspects it," the hooded figure said.
"Good. I won't keep you," Mateus said.
Over to Sora and Kairi in a few days later, they have taken off and they met up with Ash and Leaf when a black vortex appeared and they went through again. Sora, Kairi, Ash, Leaf, Pikachu, Angel, and Togepi have arrived at Hollow Bastion once again.
"What are we doing back here Hollow Bastion?" Ash asked.
"I brought you here," a voice spoke. They turned and gasped in surprise when they saw him walking towards them.
"Who are you?" Sora asked.
"I'm what's left. Or...maybe I'm all there ever was," the hooded figure spoke. This confuses everyone.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Leaf asked.
"Your question is without an answer," the hooded figure said.
"A question without an answer?" Kairi asked.
"Eevee?" Angel asked.
"We asked you a question!" Ash exclaimed and pointed his finger at him.
"My identity is of no consequence," the hooded figure said. He turned and looked at Sora. "But yours is of great consequence."
"Me?" Sora asked.
"Pika?" Pikachu asked.
"You remind me of him," the hooded figure said. This confuses Sora.
"Remind you of who?" Sora asked. The hooded figure turned around again, but his hand is surrounded by energy.
"Another question without an answer," the hooded figure said. He turned around again, and unleashed lightning at Sora. He quickly summoned his Keyblade and blocked it. He held on. Kairi wanted to intervene, but Ash stopped her. Sora bats the energy away and stares at him with determination. The hooded figure smiled under his hood. He sets up an invisible barrier around the two of them. "You are full of potential. Allow me to test your strength."
"Okay, you asked for it!" Sora said, holding his Keyblade. He came at him. Ash and Kairi summoned their Keyblades to join in, but they cannot get through the barrier..
"What's going on?" Kairi asked.
"He must have set this up to keep us out," Ash said. "He's on his own."
The hooded figure extends his hands and red beams of energy erupt from his hands. He moved them around like they were Lightsabers. Sora and the hooded figure clashed as it was a sword fight. The hooded figure unleashed bolts of energy at Sora again, but he dodged it. Pikachu fires Thunderbolt at him, but he uses his lightning attack to block Pikachu's Thunderbolt. Pikachu jumped at him and swung Iron Tail at him. He smacked Pikachu down, but Sora came at him and he ducked. The hooded figure summoned the red beam of energy again and swung it at Sora. He blocked it with his Keyblade. He attempts to strike him with the other one, but Sora quickly blocked it. He blocked each blow meant for him. Sora was getting tired from the fight. He gave Sora a punch in the gut. Sora goes flying backwards. He moves in to deliver the finishing blow, but Sora came at him again and he gave him a push with his Keyblade. He goes backwards and he hits the barrier, shattering it. Kairi and Ash held their Keyblades, standing in front of him. He looked up and he chuckled.
"Impressive. This has been enjoyable," the hooded figure said. "It is beyond your comprehension, for now. Until we meet again." He vanishes. "I am—but a mere shell." Suddenly, a vortex goes around them and they reappear to where they were before they disappeared.
"What was that about?" Sora asked.
"I don't know, but somehow I have a feeling we're going to be seeing him again," Ash said.
Sora had to admit he was right. He wondered who he was since he didn't give his name to them. He knee an enemy when he saw one.
Meanwhile in a different world known as the World That Never Was, the young hooded figure walks down and he enters a room. He removed his hood and we see he has the same facial features as Ventus. He looked in the mirror.
"Who am I? Where did I come from?" The boy asked. He summoned a Keyblade. It was the Kingdom Key, just like Sora's. "And why do I have this? Why? I tried asking that, and they couldn't ho me."
(Flashback)
We see the boy walk in as twelve hooded figures are sitting in what look like thrones. Each one has a different build. Only one of them appears to be female. The leader is the same hooded figure whom spoke with Mateus before.
"Good tidings, friends. Today is a momentous day. I am pleased to announce that a new comrade has been chosen to wear the coat. Number XIII, the Key of Destiny," the hooded figure said. "Roxas." He looked up to the leading hooded figure.
(End of Flashback)
Roxas kept looking in the mirror. He then looked at his Keyblade and held it firmly.
"I will have to find my own answers soon," Roxas said.
The hooded figure appeared somewhere in Kanto and he meets up with Ansem.
"You've come. I was beginning to doubt you would arrive," Ansem said. The hooded man removed his hood. He has amber-orange eyes, the same shade as Ansem's, and dark skin His hair is long, reaching to about mid-back, silver in color, and some of it falls over his shoulders. His hairstyle included his bangs, the color, and the length.
"I didn't want to disappoint you, Ansem. A shame you didn't finish them off," the other man said.
"I underestimated them. They have proven to be much stronger than I thought," Ansem said. He turned to the other man. "How are things on your end, Xemnas?"
"Splendid. The newest member of my Organization doesn't remember his past just as you said," Xemnas confirmed.
"I see. But all the same, he shall be easier for you to control," Ansem said.
"But I suspect there are others as well," Xemnas said.
"I agree. They should be somewhere in this world, and we must find them," Ansem said.
"I have my forces doing that as we speak," Xemnas said.
"Good," Ansem said. "We will speak again," Ansem said.
They both vanish in the darkness they came.
A few more weeks later, Sora, Kairi, Pikachu, Angel, and Togepi met up with Ash and Leaf to train for the Pokémon League. Sora and Ash decided to use their partners to spar.
"Pikachu! Use Quick Attack!" Sora ordered. Pikachu ran towards Charizard with his speed attack.
"Dodge and use Slash!" Ash ordered. Charizard dodges and came at Pikachu with Slash.
"Use Iron Tail!" Sora ordered. Pikachu uses his tail to block Charizard's Slash. Charizard is struck by the wrist.
"That's the way, Sora! Gimme some more," Ash said.
"Be careful with what you asked for, because you might regret it later," Sora said. "Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Pikachu fired Thunderbolt right at Charizard, earning a shock. Charizard fell on his back. "Warned you."
"Yeah, you did, Sora. But that's not going to stop me," Ash said. "Charizard! Use Flamethrower!" Charizard spews flames from his mouth and sends them right at Pikachu.
"Dodge it with Quick Attack!" Sora ordered. Pikachu ran to avoid it.
"Don't let Pikachu get away!" Ash called out. Charizard aims his flames at Pikachu. He dodges again. Suddenly, Jigglypuff came popping out, hoping she has found an audience to sing for gets hit by the flames and fell backwards.
"Jig, Jigglypuff, puff," Jigglypuff said. "Puff." Jigglypuff fell backwards.
"Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered. Pikachu unleashed Thunderbolt right at Charizard.
"Dodge it, Charizard!" Ash called out. Charizard dodges and Jigglypuff gets struck by Pikachu's electric attack. The Balloon Pokémon is pushed backwards and fell flat on her face. Jigglypuff gets up and huffed up in anger.
Back in the World That Never Was, Roxas is walking through the castle as he is approached by a tall and slender in appearance. Like the other Organization members, he wore the basic black gloves and boots. His black coat, however, is one of the more distinctive ones in the group, as its sleeves close up tightly around his arms. He has a widow's peak, rather small eyebrows and thick, shoulder-length, bright red hair styled into slicked-back spikes. His eyes are a bright emerald color and he has a purple reverse-teardrop shaped marking under each eye. He walks up to him.
"Hey, Roxas," the tall man called out to him. Roxas stopped and turned to look at him. "Hey there."
"Hello," Roxas greeted.
"Sorry that we didn't get to talk much, but I've been seeing you around, and I thought we could talk," the tall man said.
"Why?" Roxas asked, not understanding.
"Just to get to know you since you're the new kid around here. Anyway, the name's Axel. Got it memorized?" Axel asked him.
"I think so," Roxas said.
"Let's see what else you've got memorized. What's our boss's name?" Axel asked.
"Xemnas," Roxas answered.
"Good. You've been paying attention. Why don't you come with me?" Axel asked.
"Why?" Roxas asked.
"Just to hangout," Axel said.
"What does it mean to hangout?" Roxas asked.
"Oh, just the two of us getting together and have ice cream together," Axel said. Roxas looked at him funny. "Trust me." Axel opened a corridor of darkness and they entered through. They entered an area in Viridian City and they sat down.
"Where are we?" Roxas asked.
"I take it that it's your time out of the castle, isn't it? Well, you should let it sink in, and have a look around," Axel said. Roxas does exactly that. Axel takes out two light blue bars of ice cream and hands one to Roxas. He takes a bite out of one. Roxas instantly liked it.A flock of Pidgey comes flying by. Roxas had a feeling he has seen them before.
"What are those?" Roxas asked. Axel was dumbfounded when he asked him that. He then remembered that Roxas didn't remember anything.
"Those are Pokémon, Roxas," Axel answered.
"Pokémon? What're Pokémon?" Roxas asked.
"Pokémon are creatures that live in this world. There are just as many of them as there are many stars in the night sky," Axel said.
"How many are there?" Roxas asked.
"Too many for me to count. They come in different shapes and sizes, and they have powers that can make your head spin," Axel said.
"Wow," Roxas said. "Pokémon, huh."
"Yes. Those Pokémon are known as Pidgey. People call them the Tiny Bird Pokémon. A Normal-type and a Flying-type," Axel said.
"Type?" Roxas asked.
"Right. Pokémon have different types. For Example Normal and Flying. There are other types that each Pokémon has," Axel explained.
"What does that have to do with Pokémon?" Roxas asked.
"Everything. For starters there are Pokémon that have two types. We call them dual typings. Pidgey is an example of dual typings. And there are Pokémon that have single typings," Axel explained.
"Wow, I guess Pokémon sound really cool," Roxas said.
"Cooler than you think. Give it time, and you might see some more," Axel said. Roxas liked the idea of seeing more Pokémon some day. He finished his ice cream.
"I'd like that," Roxas said.
"Thought you would. Now, let's get back before they notice we're missing," Axel said. He finishes his ice cream. Roxas and Axel disappeared into the darkness they came.
Back to Sora, Kairi, Ash, Leaf, Pikachu, Angel, and Togepi, they took a break from their training. Karen, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Blossom, Sparky, Thor, and Eclair arrived and they carried a couple of picnic baskets for them to eat for lunch.
"Good timing, Karen. We were starting to get hungry," Sora said. Ash has taken a bite of a sandwich.
"Sora, your mom makes such good sandwiches," Ash said.
"She sure does," Leaf agreed. She remembered all the lunches she used to have with Sora, Karen, and Ash when they were little. She remembered how delicious they were when Delia made them.
Back in the World That Never Was, Roxas has been tasked to do some training. Standimg before him is a creature that has a thin, sinuous body that is capable of dumbfounding feats of flexibility. It has a large, cylindrical head with a flat top that is emblazoned with a symbol that resembles an upside-down Heartless emblem in shape, but with several circular notches taken out of its edges. The symbol's base is shaped like an upside-down heart, while its top is a thin, spiked cross. Its body seems to be covered in a light grey jumpsuit, and its "mouth" is actually a zipper that undoes itself to reveal its actual gray, sharp-toothed mouth underneath. It appears to be fairly muscular, though its arms and legs are very thin. The sides of its body are outlined by a black line. Its feet and hands are pointed and lack digits, and its hands each sport two black bands around them. This creature is a Nobody known as a Dusk. Several more Dusks appear around him. Roxas summoned his Keyblade and he engaged the Dusks.
Some of the Organization's members were watching the fight take place. Roxas swung his Keyblade at them. The Dusks have dodged his attacks by slivering by him, but he kept on trying and trying. He managed to strike one of them down. He then moved on with the others, and he fought them off until the Dusks were eliminated.
"He is making excellent progress," one of the hooded figures said.
"Indeed. I thought he was going to lose to the Dusks so easily," another hooded figure said with an English accent. "I guess I've lost that bet."
"If he has lost to the Dusks, then he would have been worthless; a weakling who would have stood a chance in the real world," the first hooded figure said.
"He sure mopped the floor with those Dusks. Should we send the next batch in?" The third hooded figure asked.
"Yes," the first hooded figure said, snapping his fingers. Several more Dusks have appeared and launched their attack on Roxas. He fought them off by swinging his Keyblade at them, destroying the Nobodies that attacked. Roxas was tired from his fighting, so he fell on his knees and panted. "You have trained enough for the day."
Roxas dismissed his Keyblade and walked to return to his room. The other two figures took their leave through the corridors of darkness while Xemnas appeared before him.
"How well is his progress, Saïx?" Xemnas asked. Saïx removed his hood to reveal his face. He has long, frayed blue hair framing his face, though slicked back in wild spikes at the top. Behind, it reaches down to his mid-back and is cut slightly neater. A distinctive trait of Saïx's is the X-shaped scar between his yellow eyes that extends to about halfway up his forehead in one direction and to just under his eyes in the other.
"The training is going well, Lord Xemnas," Saïx said. "I must admit, I had my doubts."
"Good," Xemnas said.
"You haven't spoken of your encounter with him," Saïx said.
"The other members does not need to know; you are the only exception. If Roxas learns of his true identity, he will be difficult to control," Xemnas said.
"Which is why we should search for the other Nobodies as soon as possible," Saïx said.
"Indeed," Xemnas confirmed.
"I will continue the search," Saïx said.
Saïx serves the Organization as his second-in-command. He is Xemnas's most trusted ally. He made Saïx second-in command for reasons of his own.
Night came as Roxas fell right to sleep in his bed. He began to have various dreams. He dreamt about times he had no memory of. He sees images of Ash, Leaf, Gary, Riku, Naminé, various Pokémon, Team Rocket, Delia, Karen, Yuta, Mirei, Danny, Cattleya, Ventus, Terra, Aqua and Kairi.
"Who are they? Who are these people? It feels like I know them, but I don't remember ever meeting them. And who was the boy who looks like me? And why does he look like me?" Roxas asked. Sora appeared in his dream. "Who are you?" Sora turned to Roxas and he is confused.
"Who are you?" Sora asked.
Back in Pallet Town, Sora woke up and sat up. He was very confused. Pikachu sat up and looked at him.
"Pika?" Pikachu asked.
"It was just a dream," Sora said. He laid back down and fell right to sleep again. "But it was sure weird though. It felt like it was Ven, but it wasn't him. He was the same age as me, but he looks like Ven and he sounds like Ven. Who is he? Just who is he?" He asked in his thoughts.
At the same time, Roxas sat up in his bed, panting.
"Who was he? And what does he have to do with me? How is he connected to me? How?" Roxas asked. He lays back down and fell asleep again. "Maybe he might help me remember. Maybe..."
Unknown to each other, Roxas actually touched Sora's heart.
Elsewhere, a girl is sitting in a field of flowers, showered by moonlight. She has long red hair, going down to her back, and she wore a white dress. She also wore golden sandals. She looked up to the night sky.
"I wonder if I can meet them someday," the girl said to herself.
Elsewhere, there is a hooded girl wondering around. Her face is well hidden.
"Who am I?" The girl asked using Kairi's voice.
On the next day, Roxas wore his hood and approached Xemnas. He wore his hood as well.
"You have arrived. I've been to see him... He looks a lot like you," Xemnas said.
"Who are you?" Roxas asked.
"I'm what's left. Or...maybe I'm all there ever was," Xemnas replied.
"I meant your name," Roxas said.
"My name is of no importance," Xemnas said. He turned to Roxas. "What about you? Do you remember your true name?" Roxas paused for a moment.
"My true name is..." Roxas paused again. This has been a regular theme between the two of them. Xemnas would ask if Roxas remembers anything.
"You've been with us for these short weeks now. You are still not strong enough. More training of you will be required," Xemnas said. He removes his hood and walked pass him.
Roxas stared blankly at his leader. He has lots of questions to ask, but he didn't know who has the answers and who didn't.
Another mystery has shown itself. Who were those two girls we saw before, and are they connected to Roxas in anyway? More answers to come when we continue on.