"Gawrsh, there's nobody here. Sure is spooky…" Goofy said nervously as he and Donald walked down one of Trave Town's many alleyways. The two hadn't spotted anyone for a while, so it was a bit eerie…at least for Goofy.
Donald scoffed, his head held high. "Aw, phooey! I'm not scared!" The duck declared proudly. Without warning, the magician felt a finger tap at his shoulder. Practically jumping out of his skin, he leapt a bit off the ground and let out a startled yell.
"What was that about not being scared?" GLaDOS' voice chimed from Donald's pocket, a bit of smugness and amusement in her robotic tone.
Ignoring GLaDOS, Donald and Goofy whipped around to see who was behind them. As it turned out, it was a woman with brown hair and green eyes wearing a pink dress with a red bow in her hair. "Excuse me, did the King send you…?" She asked, looking between the startled duo.
Come on, lazy bum. Wake up.
Sora's eyes opened, and he instantly felt pain throbbing through him. He felt like he just ran a marathon! Quickly, he realized he was lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room, his head felt like it was swimming a bit. Sitting up slowly, he turned to see Kairi standing by his bed. Normally he'd be ecstatic, and of course he was relieved, but he was so out of it, he just stayed sitting there.
"Hey, you okay?" Kairi asked, looking Sora over a bit, as if for major injuries. "You were out of it for a while."
The brunette put on a small smile, glad to have found one of his friends! Now all that was left was Riku. "Yeah, I think so…my head hurts a bit, but…"
"Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade." The redhead responded, not really acknowledging what Sora said. "It's your heart they really want, though, because you wield the Keyblade."
Sora had no idea how Kairi learned about the Keyblade or those creatures, but he didn't care about that. He just nodded at her words, letting out a sigh of relief. "I'm just glad you're okay, Kairi." The brunette said, reaching out towards his friend's hand. He stopped, however, at her next words.
"Kairi? Who are you talking about?" The redhead asked, her voice then suddenly shifting to an unfamiliar voice. "I'm the great ninja Yuffie!"
His vision swimming a bit, Sora blinked a few times and within moments, Kairi was gone, and in her place was a girl with black hair he hadn't met before. "What…?" He murmured, feeling crestfallen about his mistake. So, Kairi wasn't there after all…
"I think you went a bit too hard on him, Squall." Yuffie said, turning to someone else in the room. The man that Sora had fought was off leaning against the wall near the rooms exit.
At Yuffie's words, he pushed off the wall and turned to the two. "That's Leon." He corrected, glancing between Sora and the ninja.
Sora was still kind of steamed at that guy for freaking him out and attacking him…but the two didn't seem t have anything nefarious planned for him. After all, he was safe and sound in this small room. His eyes wandered to something by the door after a moment. "The Keyblade…!"
"Yeah, we had to take it from you." Yuffie said, walking over to join Leon. "Those creatures are attracted to it, so getting it out of your hands kept you safe while you rested!"
"That's how they track you. With it out of your hands, it conceals your heart." Leon added on, crossing his arms casually. "It won't work for long, though. Still…hard to believe that you of all people are the chosen one…"
The teenager had sat up more properly, pondering the words of the two strangers. It seemed they really knew what they were talking about and had his safety in mind. Still, he perked up at the mention of him being some 'chosen one'. He watched as Leon picked up the Keyblade…but after only a few seconds of him holding it, the weapon vanished in a flash of light. A moment later, it appeared in Sora's grip, much to his shock. "Chosen one…?" He murmured under his breath.
"Well, beggars can't be choosers." Leon went on with a light shrug.
At this point, Sora was getting a bit annoyed. He still had no idea what was happening. "Hey, how about you make a bit more sense! What's going on?"
Meanwhile, in another room, Donald and Goofy stood before the girl they met in the alleyway. She had introduced herself as Aerith and needed to speak with them. As she sat on the bed, she began to explain things. "I'm sure you're aware, but there are countless worlds out there…not just this town and your castle."
Goofy nodded but spoke in a hushed and almost worried tone. "Yeah, but those are supposed to be a secret, right?"
"That's right, because they were never connected." Aerith replied patiently. "Of course, a number of worlds remained linked to each other, and some worlds found ways to maneuver around each other." Technology or magic was sometimes just too much to keep the worlds entirely isolated. "But now the barriers around all worlds are gone, thanks to the Heartless."
As this went on, Sora had also started to get his own explanation from Leon and Yuffie. "The Heartless? So that's what they're called?" The brunette asked, remembering how he saw that symbol on the creature that stole that woman's heart.
"Exactly. They are those without hearts, as the name implies." Leon responded. "They're creatures of darkness, and they're horribly dangerous."
Yuffie nodded along with Leon's explanation. "The darkness in everyone's heart is what attracts them. No matter how small that darkness is, it's enough." She turned to Sora, head tilted. "Hey, have you heard of someone called Ansem?"
"Ansem?" Goofy asked, hearing the name from Aerith over in their room. "Nope, can't say I've heard that name…"
Aerith nodded in understanding. "Ansem the Wise, he was studying the Heartless back in our homeworld. "He recorded all of his findings in a detailed report."
From Donald's pocket, GLaDOS piped up. "A report on those creatures? I'd be able to handle that more than these two." Her statement caused Donald to grumble under his breath.
The young woman had already been told about GLaDOS on the way to the room, so she wasn't shocked at the voice. "Unfortunately, when our world fell to darkness, the report went missing…it was probably destroyed."
"Bringing it up was useless, then." GLaDOS remarked with a robotic scoff.
"Oh, be quiet!" Donald scolded, slapping at his pocket as if that would somehow hurt the artificial intelligence. "But maybe the King went to see if he could stop these Heartless, then…"
Aerith nodded in agreement, ignoring GLaDOS' rudeness. "Those were my thoughts exactly."
"Then we'd better go find him and quick!" Goofy exclaimed, as if he were about to charge out of that room that very moment to search for his friend.
"Hold on!" Donald interrupted, glaring up at Goofy. "We have to find that 'key' first!" What the mage assumed must have been someone with a Keyblade…
Confirming Donald's thoughts, Aerith gave another nod. "That's right, the Keyblade…"
"So, what is the Keyblade?" Sora asked, holding said weapon for Yuffie and Leon to see. "It just appeared in my hand…"
Leon shook his head. "I don't know where it came from, but I know the Heartless have a great fear of it. That's why they want to take you out, because your weapon can stop them."
"And the Keyblade chooses its master, and for whatever reason, it chose you." Yuffie added on, speaking almost casually like it was no big deal.
"So…these Heartless, they made my island disappear? What happened to my friends? I didn't ask for any of this!" Sora exclaimed, standing up and looking to Leon for answers.
The young man wasn't fazed by Sora's outburst and seemed to not hold any pity for his situation. "They did, yes. As for your friends…I just don't know." He said, leaning back against the wall.
Sora let out a sigh, feeling dejected. A lot of weight was put on his shoulders, and he still barely understood what was even going on. If the Keyblade could defeat those Heartless, and the Heartless were what destroyed his home…does that mean he was meant to save other worlds? He was chosen, after all, not that he asked for such a thing. "So…what now?" The teen asked.
"We'll join Aerith. I'm sure she's with the other visitors by now." Leon replied, pushing off the wall again. "The Heartless will probably attack us as soon as we go outside, so be prepared to fight. Are you ready?"
Without warning, Yuffie stood up from the bed and pointed to the far side of the room. "Leon! They're here!"
The two boys whipped their heads to look, a Soldier Heartless appearing out of thin air! Its armor clanked as its body twitched and shook as it looked about the room, its gaze fixating on Sora.
"Yuffie, go to Aerith!" Leon shouted, getting his weapon out and ready as Sora prepared his Keyblade. The older man watched as the ninja run into the next room, unknowingly slamming the door into Donald's face as the mage was just about to open it. At that, he turned to Sora. "We've got to go!"
Within moments, the Soldier Heartless was sent flying out the window at one of Leon's strikes, showing he was really holding back with Sora. The older brunette was moments behind, hopping off the balcony of the hotel they were in and to the alley below.
Meanwhile, Goofy was helping Donald to his feet, the mage muttering in a light daze as GLaDOS was left unharmed in the duck's pocket…
"That was a good hit!" Sora praised, following in Leon's footsteps as he went down into the alley as well. "What do we do now?"
"Don't bother with the smaller ones." The young man ordered. "There should be a large Heartless ordering around the small fries! Take it out and we'll be good. I'll go back the other way to look for it, and you go on ahead."
Before Sora could argue at all, Leon ran off down one end of the alleyway, slashing through some Soldier Heartless that appeared in his way. Without much choice, Sora ran in the opposite direction, some Shadows and Soldiers appearing in his way. He took Leon's advice, going past them as he went to save his energy. At the very least, he was able to move around now thanks to the adrenaline!
Of course, as Sora went, sometimes the Heartless would be too much in his way for him to do anything but fight back. Thankfully, the Shadows went down in one or two blows. The Soldiers were hardier, as expected, but weren't much harder to defeat. Thankfully, the Heartless didn't seem too intelligent, all their attacks being mindless lunges towards Sora, allowing him to strike them first with relative ease. Oddly, he noticed that as he defeated the Soldiers, and only the Soldiers, that hearts ascended from the mist they vanished into. These hearts ascended into the air before quickly vanishing. That didn't happen back with Moguro, and it didn't happen with him when he defeated the Shadows! So odd…why did the Heartless let out hearts when destroyed? Stolen hearts, maybe? Where did they go…?
Well, that hardly mattered at the moment, so the teen just kept going.
Unfortunately, there was no real way for Sora to know where to go or what to do. Leon just told him to go find a large Heartless, but he had no way of knowing where it might be! It could be anywhere in Traverse Town! Before long, he found himself in the Second District once more, more waves of Heartless appearing out of thin air or emerging from the shadows.
One of the Soldiers tackled into Sora, nearly knocking him to the ground, but he managed to get back on his feet before another attack could land on him as he kept running. He ducked into an alleyway and into a door marking the Third District, feeling like if he just kept running around, some massive Heartless had to show up eventually!
As Sora entered the Third District, an area that was mostly a large square space, he didn't realize there were others up above him. On a balcony above the entrance, Donald and Goofy were there, two Soldiers on either side of them.
"Gawrsh, uh, think we can handle them?" Goofy asked, standing back-to-back with his friend. "These are the Heartless, right?" He went on, hiding behind his shield.
With his staff in hand, Donald glared at the Soldier before him. "We've got this Goofy, let's go get 'em!"
A second or two later, a large explosion erupted from the balcony, sending the duo soaring through the air. Just at that moment, Sora was at the center of the small district, his head whipping up to see what that loud noise was. "What the…?!" He exclaimed as he saw two strangers falling towards him. Quickly, he tried to run out of the way…but he was too slow…
With a nasty crash, Donald and Goofy landed on Sora, all three sent to the ground, the two on top of the brunette. As the knight and mage gathered their bearings, their eyes honed in on the Keyblade that Sora still had clutched in his grasp. "The Key!" The two shouted out in unison.
"Hey! Get off!" Sora yelled out, figuring these two weren't Heartless. They looked odd, but certainly weren't more of those creatures!
Even as Donald and Goofy stood up, along with Sora, they had little time to converse with each other. Right away, over a dozen Soldiers appeared out of thin air! Not only did the Heartless surround the trio, but they blocked off the exits too, forcing the three to fight their way out of this.
"Let's take care of these guys real quick!" Donald declared, brandishing his staff while Sora and Goofy readied their weapons as well.
The brunette wasn't sure what to expect with these two strangers but was surprised to see them fearlessly charge into battle. The one with the shield held his weapon in front of him, sprinting at a trio of Soldiers and knocking them to the side as he went forward. As another Heartless came at the taller fighter from behind, he quickly turned around and swung his shield at the Soldier, slamming his weapon into it and disintegrating it instantly.
While that happened, the shorter fighter fought more at a distance. He shouted out elements, and as he did so, they came to be. A fireball erupted from his staff, burning away a Soldier, quickly followed by a blast of cold air that froze another two Heartless to the ground by their feet as the appendages got frozen over. Most impressively, he squawked out and then bolts of Thunder started to strike around him, taking out more Soldiers.
Sora was stunned at first but shook out of it as another group of Soldiers spawned, prompting him to attack. The brunette's fighting style had always been pretty simple when sparring on Destiny Islands, and it was no different here. Large, strong swings of the Keyblade or swift and weaker strikes that sliced through the Heartless that got in his way. He noticed the two strangers fought near each other, leaving him mostly on his own. It made sense, since the two were probably friends. But why did they seem so interested in his Keyblade…?
Those answers had to wait, as even more Soldiers spawned, the fight raging on.
Eventually, though, no more Heartless appeared, the trio stopping to catch their breath as they awaited another wave that never came. "I guess that's all of them…" Sora murmured as the three converged. "Never saw so many of those Heartless at once!"
"So those were the Heartless!" Goofy exclaimed. "I had a feeling! Ayup!"
"What was your first guess?" GLaDOS chimed in from Donald's pocket, causing Sora to flinch and look around for the source of the voice.
Before the teen cold ask anything, though, something falling from the sky caught the trio's eye and they sprinted out of the way. Just in time, too, as some very large and metallic purple objects slammed into the ground, ricocheting up and spinning wildly. They suddenly went still, and it was clear the objects were a pair of gauntlets, metallic boots, and a cylindrical torso with a Heartless symbol on it! The objects shifted until the arms, legs, and torso were in the more proper place, but none of them actually attached to each other as descended, the feet landing on the ground.
In the blink of an eye, a final metal object slammed down onto the torso, a helmet of sorts with spikes and a closed visor. After a few seconds, it started to hover, disconnected from the torso as well. "That must be the Heartless Leon talked about!" Sora exclaimed, gaping at the massive Heartless, Guard Armor.
Without hesitation, the Heartless attacked first as its fists went flying towards the trio. Sora and Donald threw themselves out of the way of one gauntlet while the other one slammed into Goofy. Or rather, it would have if he hadn't raised his shield just in time. That being said, the impact was still enough to send the knight flying a few feet back and making him land in a tumble. Still, he quickly got up, ready t keep fighting! Whatever his shield was made of specifically must have been extremely durable, as it didn't have so much as a scuff on it!
Guard Armor walked forward, bots its fists spinning rapidly around it in a tornado of metal and claws which was especially problematic given the snug battlefield the three had to fight in. Goofy started to back away from the Heartless while Donald shot a volley of fireballs at its torso. While all the spells hit, each individual attack didn't seem to do very much. Scorch marks started to appear, and a bit of the metal melted, but it'd take ages to destroy the Heartless with such a method!
Sora charged at the spinning gauntlets and leapt through them towards the feet. Landing between them, he spun around and slashed at both of the metallic boots, sending them sprawling in opposite directions. This didn't actually topple over Guard Armor or make it trip up. Apparently it just moved its feet about like it was walking as some sort of spectacle, if Heartless could even think that deeply. Instead, its torso reared upwards before slamming down towards the teen!
Moving quickly, Sora blocked the oncoming assault with his Keyblade, but his legs nearly buckled from the impact and all his limbs erupted in pain from the force of the impact. The Heartless' torso rose up again to attack again, the brunette's legs feeling too shaken to run away in time! Before Guard Armor could do anything, though, Goofy dove in and tackled Sora out of the way just in time! The metal cylinder slammed uselessly to the ground, Goofy and Sora landing a few feet away.
"You alright?" The knight asked, helping Sora to his feet. "That was a close one!"
Panting a bit, Sora gave a nod as his limbs stopped feeling quite so fragile. At the very least he could run and fight again. That's when he noticed a green light surrounding him as Donald approached. "Wait, what is this…?"
"Oh! Donald was just using Cure on ya!" Goofy explained, looking to his companion. "I guess he was worried about ya after that attack!"
"He can't fight if he's all banged up!" The mage shot back, quickly getting back into a fighting position as Guard Armor started to close the gap towards the trio.
A magical healing spell? Thinking of it, it was pretty odd how much magic the duck was able to use. Was that normal in his world? With everything that had gone on since that storm back on his island, Sora basically didn't notice all the spells Donald was unleashing…
Guard Armor threw another punch at the trio, but this time Donald acted first, shouting out once more as he unleashed more magic. This spell was a new one, though, as a strange purple and black orb appeared above the gauntlet hurtling towards the three. When this orb hit the fist, it instantly fell straight downwards, slamming into the ground. Seeming to be expecting that, Goofy charged the fallen limb and spun around rapidly, his shield's edge basically slicing at the gauntlet and causing it to vanish in a dark mist.
With one of its limbs gone, Guard Armor started to go into a sort of frenzy. Its remaining three limbs started to slam erratically into the ground, flailing in the general direction of the trio and causing them to scatter. Each fighter had one of the limbs chasing after them as they moved about the constricted battlefield.
Donald shot fireballs behind him as the remaining gauntlet pursued him. Like with the main body, the spells hit easily enough, but each separate impact did little damage. As the gauntlet formed a fist and slammed on the ground, nearly hitting its target, the mage got angry. With a furious squawk, Donald summoned a barrage of Thunder around him, several of the bolts hitting the limb. Like with the one Goofy destroyed, this gauntlet too vanished into a dark mist.
Goofy kept blocking the kicks and stomps from the foot that was following him, letting out yelps and cries of efforts as he did so. Yet the limb was relentless, barely pausing for more than a brief second before attacking again. With a grunt of effort, the knight roughly parried one of the attacks, sending the foot clattering to the ground. As the limb laid stunned for a moment, Goofy leapt into the air, tucking into a ball with his shield below him, allowing him to slam down onto the foot. This impact destroyed this limb as well, getting a noise of relief from Goofy.
Sora, with the most conventional weapon, was able to counterattack easier as the last limb stomped around at him. The teen slashed and stabbed at the foot whenever it grew close, clanging metal echoing through the area with each impact. For him, this was a lot simpler than it was for Donald and Goofy, even with his lack of experience in real combat. After one particularly hard strike from the brunette, the foot was stunned on the ground, allowing the teen to rush it and give it a harsh slash, reducing it to mist.
With that, all that was left was the torso and head. Since it had no limbs to utilize, the cylindrical body started to spasm and thrash about in an attempt to attack. Unfortunately for Guard Armor, these attacks were easy to dodge or retreat from, rendering it practically harmless. Within a minute or so of useless attacks, it started to rise up into the air.
"It's getting away!" Sora called, wondering if the Heartless was really retreating entirely. If he didn't destroy it, then did that mean more of the monsters would appear endlessly in Traverse Town? Just where did these creatures come from anyway…?
"Here, hop on and I'll help ya jump!" Goofy exclaimed, crouching down with his shield pointed upward. "Before it gets away!"
Not hesitating for a moment, Sora did as asked and leapt onto the shield. As soon as his feet touched the metal circle, Goofy sprang up and launched the teen at what remained of Guard Armor. It tried to float away, but the brunette was closing in far too fast! As Sora reached the Heartless, he slashed across its torso as hard as he could, flying past the creature and landing on his feet.
For a moment, it was unclear if this did much damage at all…but after a few seconds, Guard Armor started to float downward. Before it reached the ground properly, it shook violently, as if being shaken by a large, invisible hand. As quickly as this started, it stopped, and the head went limp as it fell to the ground with a loud thud. A light appeared from the neck of the torso, and a massive heart came forth before floating up to the sky and vanishing. It was just like when Sora destroyed the Soldier Heartless! Finally, as the heart faded, the remnants of Guard Armor was reduced to a black mist.
The trio stood there, staring at where the Heartless was for a few seconds, panting from their fight. They looked to each other, exchanging expressions of relief as the danger passed. No more lesser Heartless spawned, so apparently Traverse Town was safe…at least for the moment.
"It's kind of lucky you guys bumped into me when you did." Sora pointed out, glancing down at his Keyblade. "Doubt I could've beaten that by myself." It was odd, though. Just recently, he got easily beaten by Riku…but now, even with aid, he was able to take down such large monsters! Did the Keyblade somehow make him stronger? For all he knew, that could be the case entirely. "But you two seemed to be interested in this, what gives?" The teen asked, displaying the weapon.
"We were lookin' for ya, that's why!" Goofy explained with a friendly tone, dismissing his shield.
"Yeah, and we were looking all over the place for you or Leon! Do you know him?" Donald asked, mirroring his friend's action as his staff vanished.
Sora wasn't too surprised to learn that two guys interested in the Keyblade also knew Leon. How many people were part of this group that seemed to know more about Sora's situation then he did himself? "Yeah, I met him a bit ago…so, you were really looking for me? Do you know anything about the Keyblade?"
Before Goofy or Donald could answer, Leon's voice rang from behind Sora. "They've ben looking for you too, independent from us." The trio turned to see Leon and Yuffie approaching. "It's a good thing you ran into them when you did."
Nodding, Goofy looked from Leon to Sora. "Hey, you should come with us!" He declared, his tone friendly and inviting. "We can go to other worlds on our vessel!"
"What? Really? Is it that easy?" Sora asked, eyes widening as he finally dismissed his Keyblade. There was never a guarantee that the raft he, Riku, and Kairi were going to use would actually work. But now there was a vessel that could just go to other worlds just like that? "But…why would you want me with you? Could I find Riku and Kairi?" If they weren't in Traverse Town, they could possibly be elsewhere! Moguro had even suggested as such…
"We could find your friends! No problem! It really is that easy to go to other worlds if you're with us!" Donald replied, noticeably ignoring Sora's inquiry on why the two wanted him to travel alongside them.
Blinking a few times, Goofy leaned down to Donald and faced away from the teenager. "Uh…is that true?" He asked, quietly enough so Sora couldn't hear. Seemed a bit unlikely to the knight that they'd be able to find two specific people in all those worlds.
Donald looked to Goofy, facing away from Sora as well. "Who knows?" He replied, also speaking too quiet for Sora to hear him. "But we need to stick with him, he's got the Keyblade! We'll need him if we're going to find the King!"
As the two made their exchange, Leon stepped forward and interrupted. "Sora, you should go with them." The older man declared with a stoic confidence. "They're your best chance of finding your friends."
"Yeah, I guess…" Sora replied, a bit hesitant. He barely knew these two, and as much as he wanted to find Riku and Kairi, he was wondering if it would even be possible. Who knew how many worlds there were, and how large each one was? It'd probably be impossible to search them all, and that was assuming his friends were out there at all!
"Come on, you can't go with us looking like that!" Donald urged, looking up to Sora. "No frowning…no sad face. Understand?" The mage went on, trying to cheer the teen up. He couldn't help feeling a bit bad for the kid, even if he barely knew him. Thrown into something as dangerous and confusing as this…
"Yeah, our ship runs on happy faces!" Goofy butted in, letting out a laugh. He caught on to what Donald was doing, wanting to help Sora give a big smile! Compared to his shorter friend, Goofy felt a lot more empathy and sympathy towards the teen, and really wanted to help.
"…Happy…?" Sora asked, wondering how he could feel happy at a time like this. There was a bit of hope for the future, but it was still vague and for all he knew, nothing would get done. Though he guessed that was just him being pessimistic. Still, the teen was good at faking smiles, so he lowered his head, readying himself. Donald and Goofy watched in anticipation…and then Sora suddenly raised his head, the widest grin he could muster as he looked to the two strangers for approval. When they just stared, his smile went away, and he looked a bit concerned.
Alas, the knight and mage started to laugh, Goofy snorting a bit as he did so. "Now that's a good face right there! A nice smile!" The shield-bearing fighter said.
Well, Sora guessed that was that then. Taking a deep breath, he nodded. "Okay, I'll go with you guys, then. It's the only chance I have to find my friends! Uh…what are your names, anyway?" The teen just realized he fought alongside these two but didn't know what to call them!
"Donald Duck!" The mage said, reaching out his hand with a smile on his bill.
"Name's Goofy!" The knight added on, placing his hand on top of Donald's. The two looked to Sora expectantly, clearly wanting him to mirror their actions.
"I'm Sora! Good to meet you!" The teen introduced, placing his hand on top of Goofy's.
Letting out a chortled, Goofy nodded. "All for one and one for all, right?"
"You made the right choice." Leon said, walking to the trio as they pulled their hands back. "This town will be safe…at least for now since you three defeated that Heartless. I saw the last bits of the fight as I entered the district."
"It sure was something!" Yuffie added on with a grin. "You three will be able to stand up to anything, I'm sure of it!"
"I agree, you three just have to work together." Aerith's voice called out, the girl in question entering the area. "You just have to make sure you're prepared before you go."
Leon nodded, crossing his arms casually. "Aerith's right. If there's anything you want to do first, you should go ahead and do it. You never know when you'll get a chance to come back."
"Well, we're all set, what about you, Sora?" Goofy asked, looking to the teen. "If you wanna do anything, just let us know, and then we can be on our way!"
Sora pondered for a moment before a thought hit him. "I should say bye to Cid and Tali. I want to see if they're okay too…" After all, those Heartless were all over…
"Oh, you met Cid?" Yuffie asked. "He's a cranky guy, but he can handle himself. Still, he'll appreciate if you say bye, even if he won't admit it."
"If that's all you need to do, then let's go!" Donald urged, wanting to get things started. He had the feeling the three had a long, long journey ahead…
Before the three could head off, Leon spoke up again. "Actually, after you talk to Cid, you should head to the Zero District." He informed, pointing out a sort of small alleyway nearby, a large wooden door tucked away. "Someone we've been in contact with should be arriving there pretty soon and he can help you. As for getting back to the First District, that door there will take you there, right by Cid's place." He further elaborated, pointing out a set of wooden double doors.
"And tell that old man to visit us more often. He's always in that shop of his!" Yuffie remarked as she and Aerith started to walk off towards the alley where Sora came from.
"Will do! Thanks for the help, all of you!" Sora declared, waving the two girls off, as well as Leon who started to join them. While his meeting with Leon was…rocky to say the least, Sora was still glad he met him. He and Yuffie really helped him out, and now he understood just a bit more about what was going on.
"Good luck! Hope you find your friends!" Aerith called as the trio went off back towards the Second District, she and Yuffie waving goodbye as Leon looked ahead.
After the three went out of sight, a voice called out from Donald's pocket. "Am I just scrap metal? You didn't introduce me." It said, voice dripping with artificial annoyance.
Sora whipped around to Donald, that female and robotic voice going off again. So, he didn't just imagine things! "What is that? Is there someone in your pocket…?" Sounded like there was a small woman in there!
"Oh, her." Donald said with a roll of the eyes, reaching into his pocket and taking out a strange device with a whirring, yellow eye. "This is GLaDOS, we're sort of stuck with her."
"I am the one stuck with you." GLaDOS remarked haughtily. "And you, Clown Shoes, I guess this is a quartet now."
Clown Shoes? Sora glanced down at his shoes before looking back up at GLaDOS. "The name's Sora! And what…are you?"
"That would take too long to explain to someone like you. Just call me GLaDOS." The device responded with little patience. "Let's just say I'm here to chronicle and compile this journey. With a series of sensors, I can see and hear everything going on, even from in this idiot's pocket."
"Oh, be quiet, you palooka! You're lucky I don't drop you!" Donald snapped back, glaring at GLaDOS harshly.
Sora swiped GLaDOS from Donald's hand, looking her over in amazement. "This is so cool! You're like something from movies I've watched! So, you really saw us take down that Heartless?"
"Quit fumbling around with me! I'm not a display!" GLaDOS insisted but was of course powerless to actually do anything. "But yes, I saw you three fight that thing. These creatures are rather interesting, even I have to admit that."
Interesting was certainly one word for them, just not one Sora would use. Either way, he gave GLaDOS back to Donald. "Well, it's nice to meet you, either way." The teen said sincerely, brushing off the A.I.'s insults, more enamored by what she was to begin with.
"If you say so. Just put me away, Loudmouth." She replied, clearly speaking to Donald who shoved her back in his pocket with a bit of a grumble.
Goofy pointed towards the way to the First District. "Well, we should get goin' to see that Cid feller, right?" He lightly interrupted.
"Oh! Right, we should…" Sora almost forgot about Cid and Tali when he saw GLaDOS. "Yeah, let's go!" He started walking towards the doors, Donald and Goofy going alongside him.
"Say, Sora, what are your friends like?" Goofy asked, looking down at his new companion. "If we're gonna keep a lookout, we gotta know what they look like!"
That's right! That'd be pretty helpful, huh? Sora was just so wrapped up in things, he kept forgetting such basic things. "Well, the first one is Kairi. She's a bit shorter than me, and she's got red hair and really pretty blue eyes…"
At that, Donald snickered. "Pretty, huh? We'll keep that in mind, Sora!" The mage teased, pretty quickly picking up on Sora's wording.
"Er…well…hey, it's just true!" Sora argued with a bit of a huff, feeling his face get a bit warm. He also felt something in his chest…not a pain, exactly, but something warm here too…
Goofy chuckled along with Donald, but in a bit more of a good natured way. Seemed Sora had a bit of a sweetheart! "You said more than one friend, right?" He pushed, deciding to save the teasing for later.
Clearing his throat, Sora recovered from his embarrassment as he opened the double doors, indeed seeing it opened the way to the part of Traverse Town he had woken up in. He even saw a Moogle walking about, though he wasn't sure if that was Mog or not. "The other's name is Riku. He's a year older than me, so a bit taller. Also, he's got white hair, so he sort of stands out."
"Sounds like he'll be easy to spot, then!" Donald declared, glancing at his pocket. "GLaDOS, you can detect this sort of thing, right?"
"Only to a certain range, yes. This is science, not magic, so I can't just look through an entire world and say if someone matches such a description…it's so vague anyway." The A.I. replied, practically rolling her eyes with her voice.
Sora wished he had a picture of Kairi or Riku, but a general description was all he could really do at the moment. "So, what are you two doing going to different worlds, then? Are you looking for your friends too?" The teen asked, wondering if their own world was okay.
"Now that you mention it, we want to find our King!" Donald declared, figuring there was no reason to keep it a secret. "He went off, and we don't really know why, but he's got to be out there somewhere!"
"Uh-huh! We're pretty worried about him, even though he's pretty capable." Goofy agreed with a nod. "Gawrsh, I wonder what he's even up to…"
So, they were looking for someone too…Sora envied them a bit since their King apparently left of his own accord rather than being whisked away. "Sure, I'll help you find your King! What's he look like?"
"Oh, you know him when ya see him!" Goofy said with a chortle. "He kind of looks like us a bit!"
Sora was about to ask what that meant when the three reached the Accessory Shop. The door had a few small holes in it and yelling from inside could be heard! Worried, Sora flung the door open and looked inside.
Cid and Tali were at the front desk, the former glaring at the latter as a wrench was clenched in his hand. "…and I told ya, I could've handled it! Now my shop's all damaged!" Cid yelled out.
"So, you wanted that thing to get inside properly and make a bigger mess? You bosh'tet, I saved your life!" Tali argued back, looking at the entrance as Sora, Donald, and Goofy entered. "Oh! Sora, you're back!"
Looking over as well, Cid calmed down, if only a bit. "Glad to see you're in one piece, kid. Unlike my shop." As he said the second thing, he shot a sideways glare at Tali, which was ignored. "So, you find those friends of yours? I see you at least met some new ones." He went on, looking back and glancing between Donald and Goofy.
"No…not yet." Sora admitted, unable to help himself from sounding dejected. "But these two are Donald and Goofy. They have a ship, and we're going to go to other worlds to look for Riku and Kairi!"
"Wait, you two have a ship?" Tali asked, approaching the trio a bit. "How big is it? Is there room for one more?" She asked hopefully. "My fleet is pretty far, but maybe you could…?"
"No! We can't!" Donald insisted, a bit rudely. "Besides, we're on an important mission, and we can't make any specific stops!"
Tali seemed a bit taken aback by Donald's tone. "Don't be so nasty! But fine, I understand. If you're doing something important, I can respect that." Though she did sound pretty disappointed.
"Uh, sorry about that." Goofy said, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's pretty important stuff, but when we're done, we'll give you a lift!" The knight promised, ignoring how Donald glared up at him.
That lifted the Quarian's mood. "Thank you, I appreciate that!"
"Hey, what were you two fighting about anyway?" Sora asked, glancing back at the hole-riddled door. "And what happened here?"
"Oh, that? A Heartless entered the shop and attacked us!" Cid exclaimed. "And Tali here thought it was a good idea to shoot off a shotgun indoors! The monster was destroyed, but she ruined my shop!"
Letting out a noise of aggravation, Tali turned back to Cid. "What, and that wrench was going to stop it?! Don't make me laugh!"
Before another argument could start up, Sora spoke up. "Uh, guys! I just wanted to say bye since we'll be leaving soon. And I wanted to thank both of you for your help."
That got Cid and Tali to drop the fighting a second time. The shop owner smirked with a chortle. "Ah, well, I didn't really do much. Still, I hope you find those friends you're looking for."
"I hope so too." Tali agreed. "I know what it's like to lose a close friend, so I hope you can find the ones you lost." The Quarian sighed, sitting down on the counter. "I'll just stay here and work on getting my own ship made…if only Cid here had any useful parts!"
"What do ya mean?! I get plenty!" Cid started, turning to Tali once again with an annoyed sneer.
"Uh, we'll just…" Sora started, backing out of the shop, Donald and Goofy quickly following him outside as he shut the door behind them. "They really fight a lot, huh?"
Goofy chuckled a bit. "Reminds me of Donald here and Daisy! That's his sweetheart back home!" He said the latter part to Sora, who chuckled a bit.
"Shows what you know!" Donald argued as the thread started to head back to the Third District. "Daisy and I aren't anything like that!"
"What is your home like anyway? Is it okay?" Sora asked, pretty curious about these two. They saved his life and are taking him on an adventure, but he didn't know much about them…
Donald shrugged. "It's pretty small, actually. A castle and the town around it. Our King and Queen keep it running well, though! It's still in one piece, the Queen will make sure no Heartless get there." The mage explained. Really, their world was more like a large asteroid than anything. Not that it bothered him.
"Yeah, it's pretty snug, but it's a good home!" Goofy agreed. "I already kinda miss it!" He exclaimed as the three entered the Third District again. "Say, what's your home like, Sora?"
His home…being reminded of it made Sora feel melancholy again. "It was small too, or at least our islands were. That's what Riku, thought, at least. I didn't really mind them…but yeah, we lived on two tropical islands before those Heartless came…" At the very least, Sora was interested in the castle Donald mentioned. He had always wanted to see one in person along with pirates! Those were two things he wanted to see most when Riku brought up the idea of going to other worlds…
Goofy frowned a bit, regretting asking and making the teen upset. He wondered if Sora's world was the one he and Donald saw blink out after they arrived in Traverse Town. "Gee, I'm sorry Sora! But hey, once we take care of these Heartless fellers, I bet the worlds will all come back! Lots of worlds have been blinkin' out, and if we don't figure out a way to help 'em, the King will!"
"Really? You think so?" Sora asked, wondering just what this King guy was like. Goofy seemed to have a lot of faith in him, after all.
"Yeah! He's a real smart feller! He'll know a way for sure!" Goofy insisted, knowing how wise the King wise. Either he or Master Yen Sid could help out the worlds, he just knew it!
At that point, the three reached the door to the Zero District, pressing a panel beside it to make it slide open. It lead to what was basically a cave right in the middle of the town. Somehow, through unclear means, it was lit up a bit. The area was flooded with water save for a bridge of rock leading to a small island in the middle of the cavern where a single, decrepit building sat.
"Is this really the right place? It's a dump!" Donald complained, looking to Sora and Goofy as they started to walk forward, the mage quickly joining them at their side.
"Well, Leon pointed right at it. So, this has to be the place." Sora remarked with a shrug. "Maybe the guy he was talking about isn't here yet?"
With a shrug, Donald let out a sigh, wishing the three could get started properly! As they got to the small house, they saw the front door was boarded shut, prompting them to try walking around for an alternate entrance. There, they saw a large hole in the wall, a tapestry covering it up a bit. Heading inside, they saw it was all a singular room, and an empty one at that. No signs were present that anyone had been there in quite a while! "A waste of time…" The mage grumbled to himself.
Still, the three entered the room and looked around a bit, not that there was much to see. As Sora went off on the far side of the room alone, a voice called out! "There's something about this musty place…"
And it was Kairi's!
"Huh?!" Sora exclaimed, turning to the source. There, standing a few feet from him, was Kairi! It was plain as day, and his head wasn't all foggy like with Yuffie either! "K-Kairi…?" He whispered, so quietly that even he barely heard himself.
The girl smiled at Sora, looking casual as if nothing had happened to them or their home. "It reminds me a bit of the Secret Place back home…" She walked about slowly, just meandering aimlessly. "I miss scribbling on those walls. Kind of funny, huh?"
"Kairi? What are you…?" Sora asked, reaching out to his friend.
"Sora?" Goofy called, causing Sora to turn around. The knight and Donald were staring at him, looking confused.
Looking back, Sora saw that Kairi was gone, no trace of her to be found. But she was just there! He saw her and he heard her voice! Was he really just seeing things again? "…Nothing. It's nothing." He insisted.
At that moment, a new voice called out, one that none of the trio had heard before. "Well, well. Seems you're right on time!" The voice said, belonging to a man.
The trio turned to the home's entrance to see a cloaked man. His garb was blue with a raised hood. Aside from that, it was rather sparse save for a green orb with a yellow star decoration at his chest. He had a white mustache that went practically to his feet. His face was hard to make out, shrouded in darkness with yellow eyes. If it wasn't for the fact he spoke, he could almost be mistaken for a Heartless!
"Who are you?" Donald asked, looking the stranger over. "Are you the one Leon talked about?"
"The very same!" The mustached figure said. "My name is Merlon, a pleasure to meet you! I was told there'd be two, maybe three of you, so I guess everyone is accounted for. If you'll excuse me, I need to spruce this place up a bit. You may want to cover your eyes…"
"Huh?" Goofy asked as Sora and Donald did as told. The knight wasn't so lucky, yelping out as a blinding light shone out from Merlon, making the poor dog see spots as he rubbed his eyes.
Sora and Donald opened their eyes to see the room had changed entirely! It was lit by an invisible source, and now had carpeting, shelves with books and beakers, large decorative urns on the floor, a few large and comfy looking chairs, a bed, and a podium with an unusual large, white book on it. "Wow…!" Sora breathed, looking around. "That's amazing!"
"It's rather convenient, to be sure." Merlon said with a nod, taking a seat. "Now, I was able to predict when you'd arrive, but not your names. Please, introduce yourselves!"
"I'm Sora." The teen said, gesturing to his new companions. "That's Donald, and that's Goofy. So, why are you here?"
Merlon nodded at the introductions, taking a crystal ball out from somewhere in his robes. "You see, your King contacted me." He said, fiddling with the object in his hands. "I was to help you with magic matters, if possible. I actually have an associate who was supposed to get here, but it seems he hasn't arrived yet."
"Did your world disappear too?" Goofy saw, blinking the last few spots out of his vision.
The mustachioed man shook his head. "Thankfully, no. I'm from a special place called Flipside, and it's a bit…out of the way, let's say. The Heartless have yet to arrive there, thankfully."
"So how are you going to help?" Donald asked, folding his arms as he tapped his foot. "I'm an expert with magic already!"
"You may be, yes, but he isn't." Merlon replied, nodding to Sora. "Young man, please come over here. You have the Keyblade, right? Please, let me see it."
Sora did as told, going over to Merlon, and summoning the Keyblade, feeling almost a bit nervous. "Uh…what is it? Something with magic? Could I actually use it?" That actually got him a bit excited! Using magic was something he never thought he'd be able to do!
"Yes, very much so! Mmm…" The mystical man replied as he looked Sora and the Keyblade over a bit. "It seems you're new at wielding this, correct? I can help you begin to unlock your potential. But, you see, magic is delicate and needs experience to utilize it correctly. I could impart knowledge of all the magic I know into you, but that'd be dangerous, even with a mage at your side. So, I will aid you with a single spell, and will help you awaken the potential to learn more."
Truthfully, Sora was a bit disappointed about only getting to learn one spell, but he understood the reasoning. "That makes sense, I guess. But okay, how are you going to do that?"
"Just hold still…" Merlon said, waving his hands about in front of Sora, going back and forth along his Keyblade. As the mystical man did this, the teen felt a strange tingling sensation in his body for a moment, and it quickly faded. "There! This spell is Fire, and you should practice it when you can! Just…not in here, of course."
Sora didn't feel much different, that momentary tingling was all he had noticed. "But…how do I use it?"
"When you try, you'll get a feel for it. Trust me. And as you use magic and get into combat more and more, numerous spells and other abilities will open up to you." Merlon explained with a small chuckle. "I'm afraid that's all I can do for now, but with the three of you working together, I'm sure things will go well!"
"Better than nothing. Come on, let's get going!" Donald said, a tad annoyed. Sora getting stronger was helpful, but he just wanted to get back to the Gummi Ship!
"Thanks for the help, Merlon." Sora said as he followed Donald and Goofy outside, looking his Keyblade over. "I should try out that spell, right?" He asked, mostly to Donald since he was a magic user.
Donald nodded. "Yeah, just point that thing away from us, okay?" He said, at least feeling a bit of practice could help, even if the mage was in a rush.
Nodding, Sora gripped the Keyblade with both hands, pointing it at the cave wall. He did feel a bit of a tingle, one that was somehow like a second nature despite it being new to him. Deciding to try what Donald did, he yelled out the element in question. "Fire!" He yelled, a ball of flame shooting out of the tip of the Keyblade and hitting the cave wall! The spell jerked his weapon back a bit, but not too badly. Grinning, Sora tried it a few more times, shooting out fireballs into the water or cavern wall.
"You're a real natural!" Goofy praised with a chuckle. "But uh…I don't think you're supposed to use it too much, right Donald?"
"He's right! If you use too much magic, you'll get worn out!" Donald warned as Sora dismissed the Keyblade. "But if you keep practicing, you'll be able to use more without getting exhausted!"
Nodding, Sora actually did feel a bit more tired out of the blue. "Right…okay, that makes sense. So, now we're ready to leave, right?"
"Yeah! Let's get going!" Donald said, leading the trio out of the cave, the three of them quickly making their way to the First District and in front of a large set of double doors. "This is where our Gummi Ship is! Through here, in the hangar!"
Gummi Ship? That was a weird name. Also, there was a hangar? Sora guessed that made sense. Either way, he started to feel extremely nervous all of a sudden, like his legs were made of lead. He had wanted to explore other worlds, and the means to do so was on the other side of that door, but…he was afraid. There was no telling what dangers they'd face and what Heartless types they'd encounter. That aside, he was scared that he wouldn't be able to find Riku or Kairi anywhere!
"You feelin' alright Sora?" Goofy asked, placing a hand on Sora's shoulder.
That nearly made the teen flinch, and he looked up at Goofy. "…No, not really." He said, deciding to be honest. "I'm scared about what we'll find out there." That and his doubts on finding his friends, of course. And there was a lot on his shoulders, all because of some magic weapon he had never asked for.
"Don't worry, we'll make sure you're alright!" Goofy ensured, patting at Sora's shoulder before taking his hand away. "Donald will keep ya nice and healed, right Donald?"
"Right! We'll be at your side the whole way! And remember, the ship runs on happy faces! So none of that frowning, okay?" The mage implored, smiling himself to try and get Sora to do the same.
Sora let out a small sigh. One way or the other, he had to get on that ship. Getting it done with was all he could really do. Putting on a fake smile, the teen nodded. "Right. Sorry, let's get going!" He turned to look at Traverse Town one more time, and was shocked to see Moguro on a bench, waving him off. The teen assumed this was a coincidence, waving back at the smiling salesman. He was lucky he ran into him, or that one Heartless might have gotten him! He wanted to say goodbye properly…but he felt like if he pushed off leaving again, it'd be harder to go, so Sora hoped that Moguro would understand. Turning back around, the brunette watched as Donald and Goofy opened up the double doors, and the pathway to other worlds, surely ones that Sora would be entranced by…
In one such world, far from Traverse Town, a dark room was populated by five figures around a table. This table had a green, magical circle that displayed Sora, Donald, and Goofy on it. One of the figures, a man with cold eyes and long blonde hair scoffed. He wore a white outfit, almost militaristic, with red shoulder guards. "So, someone that small and untrained was able to take out such a Heartless? Even with help, that's quite a feat…"
The second figure, a man with almost green skin and red hair shook his head. He wore black armor and had an orange jewel upon his forehead. "Don't be a fool. It's the Keyblade that gives him strength! Without it, he's just a whelp…"
A third man spoke up, one donned in a purple suit and sporting an unusual sharp, metal nose. He looked almost molelike, and not very strong. "If we just turn him into a Heartless, that'll fix the situation, won't it? Ho ho ho!"
Letting out an annoyed noise, the fourth member of the room grumbled towards the previous speaker. He was a tall, imposing man that was over eight feet tall! He wore a fancy suit as well, a fur coat draped over his shoulders. A stitched scar ran across his face, and his left hand was replaced with a massive golden hook. "If you think it's that easy, why don't you do it yourself? Those lackeys of the King are idiots, but they're stronger than they look."
The final figure, the lone woman, cackled. She was a portly figure with green skin and black clothes, along with a pointed hat upon her head. "Looks like you and them are birds of a father, with that scar on your face you hardly look better!" She insulted, cackling once more.
Turning to the woman, the hook-handed man scowled. "Want to try saying that again, you old hag? I'll drain you dry in an instant!"
"I don't know, I think she had a point!" The mole-looking figure said with a chortle of his own.
"If you idiots are going to fight, go do it somewhere else." The man in the black armor said, tone dripping with annoyance. "I can't stand your bickering!"
"Our fighting may cause a lot of sound, but that doesn't mean you can boss me around!" The woman replied, sneering at the armored man.
A sixth voice called out, silencing the other five. "Enough of your bickering." This last voice belonged to none other than Dio Brando, who entered the room from the shadows. "One way or the other, the Keyblade has chosen this boy, and that makes him unique. But will he be the one to conquer the darkness…or will he just be swallowed by that same darkness? Either way, he may be of use to us, and if not…we have his friend mulling things over in the other room. One of these two will be useful, I'm sure…" The blonde man said, smiling wickedly at the magical hologram of Sora, Donald, and Goofy…
Much of my life has been dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. That knowledge has guarded this world well. Not a soul doubts that. I am blessed with people's smiles and respect. But though I am called a sage, there are things I do not understand. I believe darkness sleeps in every heart, no matter how pure. Given the chance, the smallest drop can spread and swallow the heart. I have witnessed it many times. Darkness...Darkness of the heart. How is it born? How does it come to affect us so? As ruler of this world, I must find the answers. I must find them before the world is lost to those taken by the darkness.
A/N: Traverse Town is now done, and the main plot can start. This chapter was longer than I expected, and it's a miracle I got it out as quick as I did. I guess I was really motivated by that scene at the end. After all, I can finally give more hints to what worlds will be appearing in this story. I decided not to name any of the figures, but I'd say three of them are from pretty popular franchises, so they won't be too hard to decipher. The first and third figures...maybe a tad harder. The first one if only because his appearance isn't too terribly unique, even if his franchise is pretty famous too.
As for Sora and his fighting, it's a bit of a shame that I have to make him so...vanilla at the start. Even if it's not fully reflected in the games, Terra, Ventus, and Aqua should have a plethora of spells and techniques at their disposal right from the start due to years of training. With Sora, it'd just make zero sense for him to do much of anything at first...so he'll just have to grow and learn as the story goes, just as he does in the game.
And no, I couldn't resist having Merlin be replaced with Merlon. I could've sworn the latter was spelled the same as the former, but apparently not. I also didn't include the Dalmatians, or rather an equivalent. Yeah, not every little thing is going to be matched 1:1. I don't want to tear my hair out making sure every little thing lines up, after all.
In any case, any and all feedback is welcome, so please leave a review letting me know what you think so far. Next chapter, the first real world gets a visit after what feels like ages and ages...