Sora couldn't help but look around at Seasoning City as Mob lead them from location to location. The buildings were all so massive compared to the ones back on Destiny Islands. Some of them were easily a dozen stories tall, while none of the homes Sora knew went past two. Other technological differences caught his eye as well. As the four passed by a store, he saw a number of television displays in the window. But these ones here weren't all boxy like the ones back home. No, they were oddly flat and wide, all of them displaying very clear and crisp pictures with complete color! Did everyone have televisions like this in this world?
That really was all it took to impress Sora, seeing this technology that, to him, seemed to come from the distant future. Phones that people could carry around, flat and non-bulky televisions, and very sleek and shiny cars! Then, of course, there was Mob and the things he could do. All Sora had seen so far was his ability to take out Heartless without putting forth any real effort, but he was sure there was more that the black haired teen could do!
As Sora gazed at the technology around him, Goofy turned to Mob, head tilted a bit in curiosity. "Say, Mob, how'd ya meet a guy like Reigen anyway? You're kind of young for a job, ain't ya?"
"Oh, that's simple." Mob mused, looking straight ahead even as he talked back to Goofy. "I actually came to him, seeing the sign for his business. I wanted to know about my powers more, and he taught me that just because I'm an esper, doesn't mean I'm super special or anything." Even though his tone was still mostly flat, there was still a clear adoration in the teen's voice for his Master. "And I've worked for him since. He seemed pretty eager when he saw me use my powers for the first time."
Donald scoffed with a roll of the eyes. "Sounds like he needed a real esper to help him out. Guy sounds like a phony!" The mage didn't buy Reigen's act for a second. Apparently someone strong enough to train someone like Mob couldn't handle a single Heartless by himself! Sure was convenient!
Despite Donald's harsh words, Mob didn't seem too bothered. "I've heard a lot of people say Master is a phony or a scam artist, but I know he's the real deal. He's taught me a lot, and I've only been with him a few years."
That…didn't convince Donald at all. It felt like Mob was being taken advantage of to the grumpy duck. Even worse was that Mob seemed to almost enjoy being taken advantage of by a phony esper! Whatever floated his boat…
"Excuse me! You four there!" A woman's voice called from behind the quartet. A bit surprised, the small group turned to see an unusually dressed woman before them. It was the same woman who had spotted them from afar, the one in the odd hood and mask with the smiley face painted on it. "You four…you have sadness in your hearts, don't you?"
Well, she was right about that. At least that's what Sora thought. Still, the stranger was pretty unsettling, with the way her face was hidden and the abrupt way she asked such a question. "Who…are you?" The brunette asked, glancing to Mob to try and gauge if this was somehow a normal occurrence here. Yet, the other teen's expression, or his lack of one, offered no help.
"Who I am doesn't matter." She responded, clasping her hands together joyfully. "I noticed your sad little group from afar. The small one here has sadness in his heart, and it's going to spread to the rest of you if it hasn't already!" The woman went on, gesturing to Donald.
The mage flinched at that, glaring up at the woman. "What are you talking about? I'm not sad! But you're annoying us, so go away! We're busy!" This absolutely reeked of something shady! Donald wasn't sure what it was all about, but he had a pretty bad feeling about it…
Donald's words didn't seem to faze the stranger. If anything, it amused her as she gave off a light laughter in response. "You don't have to be ashamed! We all have moments of weakness!" The woman insisted with a small shake of the head. "Come with us, and our Master can help you!"
Goofy was as skeptical as Donald but didn't plan to be as rude. "Who's 'us' though? Something about this doesn't seem quite right…" The masked woman came across as really suspicious to him. Something about her attitude rubbed him the wrong way..
"Why, the group I'm a part of, of course. We're called LOL, maybe you've heard of us." The woman responded, and when met with silence from the group, she went on. "Well, I can tell you need us…you aren't laughing or smiling! Your hearts need help! But why is it you're so distraught…? Is it the economy? I know it's troubling for so many…"
Mob shook his head. "No, that's not what's troubling us. I don't think we really need your help, miss. Sorry." The teen somewhat meekly apologized.
"Nonsense! There has to be a reason! Studies…health…no, no…" She murmured, mainly to herself as the group offered no helpful reaction. "Ah! That's it! It must be a matter of love! At least for one of you! That's what's dragging the rest down! Misery of the heart spreads, you know!"
Sora flinched a bit at that. Wait, did this woman have some sort of ability to read hearts? He wasn't sure if it was outright love, but when he was with Kairi…well…
The brunette's thoughts were interrupted as Mob gave out a little noise of surprise. "Wait, how did you know?" He asked, entirely sincere and looking ready to hang onto the stranger's every word from this point.
"Oh, you can't be serious…" Donald muttered to himself, crossing his arms as he tapped his foot impatiently. They had no time for this! It seemed like the woman was insistent on sticking around though, even if the mage insulted her…
"It was a lucky guess." The masked stranger insisted. "Please, come and see Master Dimple. If anyone can help your weary hearts, it's him! He's helped so many of us in the month that he's begun his group, you know…"
Mob hesitated, but then shook his head. "I don't know. We're sort of in the middle of something. We can't just drop everything and-"
"You'll become popular." The woman interrupted, speaking pretty bluntly while still having that friendly tone in her voice.
"Okay, we'll go." Mob instantly responded, for the first time sounding determined and even a bit forceful. For a moment, at least. He then looked to his three new companions. "That's…okay, right?"
Before Donald could respond with something rude, Sora spoke up. "I think we should check it out. Maybe this Master Dimple guy can really help with hearts. He might even know about the Heartless here if that's the case…"
Goofy wasn't sure how sound that logic was, but it was good enough for him! "Gawrsh, that makes sense! I think." He added on, scratching the side of his head. "Better than goin' to a bunch of haunted places, right?"
Donald couldn't argue there. Not that it changed the fact he was pretty suspicious of this masked woman. She was up to something nefarious, at least that's what the mage assumed. "Alright, fine. If we don't get any help, we gotta move on, though!" He insisted, still feeling that the King wasn't in this world. If he had been, the Heartless problem would've surely been taken care of by now…
"I guess we're all gonna go, then." Sora said, clasping his hands behind the back of his head. He was a bit unnerved by the stranger, yeah, but not as suspicious of her as Donald was. Honestly, if he could just see her face, he wouldn't mind her nearly as much. "That's okay, right?" On a different note, he didn't like the idea of leaving the world so soon. What about Riku and Kairi? He barely got a chance to look for them!
At this, the woman let out a light laugh, clasping her hands together in clear excitement. "Of course! The more the merrier! Please, come with me to our headquarters! It's quite close, in fact!" Without waiting for a response, maybe not wanting the quartet to possibly change their minds about the situation, she turned right around and started to walk forward.
As the four followed, a bit behind, Sora turned to Mob. "So…you want to be popular, huh?" For some reason, he didn't expect that from his new friend. Not that he exactly knew Mob all too well. The esper seemed to just have an air of apathy all around him, so it was surprising to Sora that he'd care about something like popularity.
"Doesn't everyone?" Mob asked back in a sincere tone. "Everyone likes to have more friends and people to hang out with, don't they?" Again, his tone was very genuine.
"Friends are nice, yeah, but ya don't gotta be popular to have good friends!" Goofy remarked, nodding at his own words. "Gotta just have some good friends that are real close to your heart, that's all! Dontcha got people like that?"
The esper paused before giving a small nod. "Well, there's Master, and my family of course. I joined the Body Improvement Club recently, but I'm not sure if I'm really friends with any of them yet."
Body Improvement Club? What was the point of that when he had such strong powers? "Why do you want to be in a club like that?" Donald asked. "Can't you just use your powers if someone threatens you?"
"No, I can't. I promised Master I'd never, ever use my powers on a human being." Mob responded, shaking his head a bit. "Besides, it's not about fighting. It's…" He trailed off before looking a bit flustered. "…It's nothing. It's just something personal."
Nothing wrong with that, Donald supposed. The mage shrugged it off and focused on keeping more of an eye on their new, unusual acquaintance that was leading them on. This LOL thing sounded like a cult or a scam or something. To his surprise, though, the masked woman led them into a perfectly ordinary looking office building. He expected them to go somewhere a lot shadier!
Without exchanging words, the quintet entered a nearby elevator, the woman pressing the button to the basement floor. "Master Dimple will be so happy to meet the four of you." The masked stranger insisted. "The other members will be very glad as well! I just know it!"
"How many others are there anyway?" Goofy asked, confused because the woman was being pretty vague on the numbers. Considering they were in such a large building, that meant there had to be a lot, right?
The woman hummed in thought, shaking her head a bit. "I admit, I've lost count. A few hundred, I think. I really should keep track of this better…"
A few hundred members?! Whoever this Dimple guy was, he really knew how to draw people in. Sora had assumed it was maybe a few dozen at most. "Okay…so, what do you guys do? Just be happy?" The brunette asked, still a bit confused on what LOL was really all about.
"It's not quite so simple. We revel in the joy within our hearts." The woman explained, still being pretty vague. "Master Dimple can explain it far better. Speaking of which…" She trailed off, looking to the elevator doors as a ding rang out, the quintet reaching the basement.
When the doors opened, the four guests looked on in awe at the sight before them. The basement area was made almost entirely of a single, massive room filled with what had to be a few hundred people. Like the woman that brought the four of them in, all these people wore hoods with the smiling masks on. Though their faces were covered, it was easy to tell that a wide variety of people were in the room and a part of LOL. Men, women, young, old, thin, fat, muscular…it was a real sight to behold! At the back of the room was a large stage, a red curtain at its back, and a smiling face with red dimple marks hung up from above. The woman stood by the elevator, watching as the four wandered into the crowd.
"Gawrsh, this sure is somethin', huh?" Goofy remarked, though he felt a bit nervous. "Everyone wearin' those masks kinda makes me uneasy…"
"I know what you mean, it's kind of creepy…" Sora murmured, not wanting to say it too loud on the chance he'd upset someone.
Mob didn't seem to mind, even having a small smile on his face. "Maybe everyone here wants to be popular too. Do you guys think so?" He asked the outsiders, turning to them.
"I doubt it. Let's just meet this Dimple guy and leave!" Donald said, not keeping his voice down at all, not caring if he was overheard.
As they went forward, a tall and heavyset man stood in their way, looking down at them with that unnerving smiling visage of his mask. "Hey, you guys are new, aren't you? You should get up on the stage!" He informed them cheerfully.
"That's right! Come along! Onto the stage!" A nearby woman declared, starting to push Sora forward while three other LOL members prodded at Donald, Goofy, and Mob. "Master Dimple will want to meet you!"
"Why do we need to get on stage for that?" Mob asked, but his question fell on deaf ears, as no one from LOL acknowledged he said anything. Before long, the four had been shoved onto the stage, where two more people soon joined them. One was an older man who looked like he slept in his suit, the clothes dirty and crumpled. The other was a girl about Mob's age, dressed in her school uniform and had short, beige hair.
This girl turned to the group, more specifically the esper. "Mob? Is that you?" She called to the teen, who turned to her. "Hey, you remember me, right? I'm Mezato…you know, from homeroom?" The young girl seemed a bit nervous, no doubt due to being forced on stage in front of hundreds of masked strangers. "Did they lure you in here?"
Mob paused for a moment, as if trying to remember who Mezato even was. Apparently they weren't friends or anything. "Um, actually, we just…"
"He's here! Master Dimple's coming out!" A male LOL member called from the crowd, cutting Mob off. The masked ocean of people cheered as, from offstage, yet another person in a mask stepped forward.
That being said, this new figure, Master Dimple, had a mask with red marks on its cheeks. He also wore an extravagant sort of robe. As he neared the center of the stage, he suddenly stopped and turned to the audience before. "Let me ask you something…" He said, his voice barely a whisper, yet the crowd hushed to hear him speak. "…ARE YOU LAUGHING?!" The man screamed out in pure joy, the smile on his face evident just from his voice.
At this, the crowd cheered, chanting out Master Dimple's name as he and the audience sporadically laughed as well. The six outsiders on the stage looked at each other in bewilderment and even a bit of concern. "I'm getting a bad feeling about this…" Sora murmured, but his words were drowned out by the crowd.
Master Dimple didn't look at the newcomers, still addressing his own followers. "How about we take these masks off?! I want to see your smiles!" He declared, he and the rest of the LOL members removing their hoods and masks. The crowd was made up of perfectly normal, average people, all wearing wide grins on their faces. Master Dimple had combed black hair, and red marks on his cheeks as he wore a large grin as well. "Ah, that's so much better! Such lovely smiles and happy hearts!" The grinning man belted with joy and enthusiasm. "It's truly a beautiful sight!" Master Dimple went on, clapping happily as the crowd continued to laugh, almost uncontrollably.
The disheveled looking man on the stage scoffed, looking down at the audience. "Creepy bunch, aren't they…" He muttered to himself, glancing towards the elevator exit.
"I don't get what's so funny, do you guys?" Goofy asked, looking between Sora, Donald, and Mob. "They sure seem happy, at least!" What was wrong with some smiles and laughter, at the end of the day?
"And…stop!" Master Dimple commanded, causing the audience to eerily stop cheering in a single instant, every single member of the crowd! Then, as if spurned by the older man's comment, the leader of LOL turned to the group on the stage. "And look at this, we have a whopping six new smiles to add to our happy family! Isn't that just wonderful everyone?!" He asked the audience, which started to once more cheer and holler in response as they laughed. "It's rare we get so many Smilemates in a single swoop!"
"Smilemates? Hey, we didn't agree to join anything!" Donald argued, glaring up at Master Dimple. This whole situation was just weird! He didn't know what was going on, but he just felt…uneasy. What frustrated the mage more was his lack of being able to explain, even to himself, what was so wrong with this situation. He supposed it all seemed too perfect and too happy…
Mezato turned to Master Dimple as well, giving him a harsh look. "Yeah, what's going on here? What do you mean about this Smilemate stuff? Is that what you call the members of your religious order?"
Despite the accusations, the group leader didn't seem to falter at all, his smile still nice and bright. "You see, if you wish to have happiness, you must let the walls around your heart vanish! Your hearts are locked up, you see, but I can help undo these locks and set the joy and light within free! This is the path to true happiness! It's plain as day why you're all unhappy! It's because you aren't laughing at all!" Master Dimple announced, speaking as though he was revealing some grand truth that would change the lives of the six before him.
Laughing was all it took to be happy? Sora knew that wasn't true from personal experience. "It's not that easy. You can't just get the happiness from your heart from laughing a lot!" The brunette argued, shaking his head. "Hearts are a lot more complicated than that!" Granted, he was no expert on the subject of hearts, but it seemed fairly obvious to him. If joy came just from laughing, there'd be no sad people anywhere!
"That's where you're wrong! You must laugh! Laugh! Even in pain, let the laughter out, and in doing so, the darkness in your heart will vanish as happiness and light replaces it!" Master Dimple boasted, once more not seeming bothered from the resistance he was getting. In response, the large audience clapped and cheered for their leader, having hung onto his every word. "You can't have a happy heart without a hearty laugh! That is what I teach! That is what your brethren before you have accepted! They've done so, so you should do the same!" The joyous man all but ordered, pointing dramatically at the six.
Despite the very heartfelt and bold declarations of Master Dimple, the sextet wasn't impressed. In fact, the disheveled man let out a scoff. "Get real…you think people can be happy just by laughing? This whole thing is a joke!"
For the first time, Master Dimple seemed a bit annoyed, turning to the audience. "Who is this man?" He asked, his voice lacking a lot of the cheer it normally had. "Where did you find him?"
A heavyset woman raised her hand, a bright smile on her face like everyone else. "We found him sleeping on a park bench! He's homeless, you see…"
Master Dimple let out a dramatic sigh, as if the whole situation was part of a play or other act. "How tragic!" He declared, his tone just as over the top as his sigh. "A victim of recession! You poor soul!" The religious leader said, directly addressing the homeless man. "It's no wonder you lost your smile! Worry not, we will draw out the laughter from your heart! Bring out the Smile Masks!" Master Dimple ordered, addressing someone backstage.
A smiling young man brought out three hoods with happy faces on them, just like the other members of LOL wore. "Sorry, Master Dimple, but we only have three!" The young man said as several more members of the group hopped onto the stage.
"It's no matter. We'll just have to let three of these miserable folks wait a bit longer!" Master Dimple said, pointing out Mob, Mezato, and the homeless man. "These three first! The poor man from the park bench could use it the most!"
Sora frowned at the masks, and he saw that the rest of the sextet, save for Mob, seemed uneasy. The esper hadn't reacted or said anything at all since going on the stage. He was content at best or stuck with fear at worst. "What are those things anyway?" The brunette asked, really starting to regret coming to this place. It all seemed too good to be true with Master Dimple's claims that being happy just meant laughing a lot and how he could unlock their hearts.
"Fear not, young man!" The religious leader said, shaking his head a bit as he beamed at Sora. "I simply wish to help you poor souls! And that is exactly what I will do!" He then paused, looking to Mezato, who was glaring at him openly. "But you look like you have something to say, young lady…Speak up!"
It seemed that the young girl was going to keep quiet, but after a moment of hesitation, she opened her mouth. "This religious order…LOL…it's only a month old, right?"
"Yes, that's right!" Master Dimple boasted, his grin widening. "And just look at all the Smilemates we've accumulated in such a time! Isn't it just wonderful?"
"No, it's not! I'm a reporter for my school, and I came here to investigate the weird rumors surrounding this cult!" Mezato shot back, taking out a camera from her pocket. "I've heard you're using hypnosis to force people to join! How else could you get so many members in just a month?"
Donald glared over at Master Dimple as well, crossing his arms. "Yeah! That makes sense! This is a bunch of phooey! There's some trick to it! I know it!"
Sora wasn't sure what to do about this! Should he stop those Smile Masks from being put on anyone? Mezato could easily be wrong, but things were pretty fishy around here! "I think we should just go. This doesn't feel right…" The brunette added on, wondering if he should summon his Keyblade.
Master Dimple shook his head, quickly speaking up. "Those rumors are baseless! These are masks designed to help, not forcibly coerce! For when these masks are donned…" He paused as two members of LOL fit the Smile Masks onto Mob and the homeless man before anyone could stop them. "…they will help unlock one's heart and fill them with light and happiness! Just look!" With a dramatic flourish, he gestured to the homeless man, whose mask was removed.
The change was dramatic, to be sure. Once the mask was removed, the once grouchy man wore a massive smile on his face, and he practically looked ten years younger! "Sparkle!" The homeless man yelled out, copying Master Dimple's catchphrase before breaking out into laughter. An unusual change…but he didn't seem harmed in any way, that was for sure!
"See?! Isn't that just a wonderful smile?!" Master Dimple rhetorically asked, giving two thumbs up towards the homeless man, who kept laughing at seemingly nothing. "All smiles are wonderful of course, but one plastered on the face of a man that had been so miserable is something else!" He looked to Mezato as the once miserable man kept laughing as members of LOL congratulated him on his transformation. "Well, what do you think now, girl? Still suspicious?"
Mezato stared at the homeless man, then looked to Master Dimple. She hesitated before answering, seeming to want to pick her words carefully. "Y…You're right. I jumped the gun a bit. Nothing here seems illegal, so…I'll just leave." She seemed nervous, not truly believing what she was saying.
"I'm afraid not!" Master Dimple declared, still retaining his smile, but his tone becoming far more serious, even sinister. "You enter our abode and throw all sorts of accusations around and then think you can just leave? I'm afraid that's not going to happen so easily!"
That was the last straw! Sora rushed in front of Mezato, glaring up at the leader of LOL as he summoned his Keyblade, prompting numerous cult members to back away in fear. "She can leave if she wants to! You can't keep her here!" He didn't know what was going on here, and he had stopped caring. Whatever was happening, it was going too far at keeping an innocent girl there against her will.
Master Dimple seemed very shocked at Sora's actions, staring at the Keyblade with an expression that was almost awe. "He has one…?" The cult leader murmured to himself. Clearing his throat, he quickly regained his composure. "I'm afraid not. In fact, none of you will be leaving!"
Goofy and Donald ran to Sora's side, summoning their own weapons as well. Neither of them wanted to fight ordinary people, but if the LOL members were going to keep innocent people captive, they couldn't just stand there and watch! "Not a chance!" Donald squawked, pointing his wand at Master Dimple.
Grunting in annoyance, the cult leader made a hand motion that confused the trio at first, but then they heard Mezato giving muffled grunts behind them. Turning, they saw that an LOL member had forced the Smile Mask onto the young girl. Brandishing his Keyblade, Sora got the cultist to back away before ripping the hood off of the girl's head. "Hey, are you okay?!" The brunette asked as he got a look at Mezato.
"Sparkle!" The schoolgirl spouted out, a bright smile on her face as the mask was removed. "I feel great, why wouldn't I?!" She asked, letting out a bout of joyous laughter.
"What an amazing smile!" One of the cultists shouted out, letting out laughter of her own.
"It's so dazzling! I'm jealous!" Another member exclaimed, yet his voice was still mirthful and happy.
Sora was baffled at the sudden transformation. Mezato was just desperate to leave, and now suddenly she was smiling and laughing? There had to be some trick to this! This wasn't normal, it couldn't be! The Keyblade wielder then turned to Mob, who was suddenly raising his hand after being so passive and silent since being brought onto the stage. "Mob, are you okay?" Sora asked, approaching the esper.
"Me? I'm fine." Mob replied, his voice muffled through the Smile Mask, but it was clear he was still speaking in his usual monotone voice. He then brought his attention to Master Dimple. "Hey, so this is all about smiling and laughing, right? It's not about being popular? Can I go home then?" With that, the black-haired teen removed his hood to reveal his typical expressionless face!
With this revelation, Master Dimple recoiled in shock as he saw Mob's lack of a smile. "This can't be…! How are you not smiling?!" The cult leader demanded, pointing an accusing finger at Mob as his own smile went away. Several members of LOL murmured in confusion, staring on at the oddity of the esper.
"Well, I don't really have a reason to, I guess." Mob replied, not seeming aware of the hostility Master Dimple was feeling towards him. "But I can go, right? This all seems kind of weird, and it doesn't interest me."
Sora had to wonder just how closely Mob was paying attention to everything that had happened. Didn't he see the odd way the homeless man and Mezato had acted? Speaking of which, the two newest Smilemates just watched on, laughing to themselves and grinning ear-to-ear like nothing was wrong. "Of course you can go. We all can!" Sora shouted out, turning back to Master Dimple. "I don't care what you have to say about it!" He declared towards the cult leader.
"No! I already told you that you can't leave! You're staying right here until you smile!" Master Dimple screamed back, looking about as more members of LOL looked more confused than happy. With an annoyed snarl, he waved his hand and all the cult members suddenly roared out with a new wave of joy and laughter. "I don't care how much I have to force it, you four will smile and join our group!"
"Why do ya want us to smile so badly? It's not somethin' ya can just force!" Goofy argued back, scratching the side of his head. "Sometimes ya gotta let the smile come off, or even frown or cry if ya gotta!"
"And what kind of world is that?! Why do you need to feel any other emotion in your heart but happiness?!" Master Dimple demanded, glaring daggers at Goofy and no longer bothering to put a smile on his own face anymore.
Sora shook his head, rejecting the message of the enraged cult leader. "If you're just happy all the time, you can't appreciate the good things! When you get sad or angry, it makes all the happy times much more special!" Of course, he had a strong feeling this was about more than just Master Dimple wanting people to smile.
"Something isn't right here…" Mob murmured, looking around at the members of LOL as they seemed to be almost in pain due to how wide they were smiling and how hard they were laughing. He raised a hand, and a pulse of invisible energy scattered throughout the room.
Instantly, all the members of LOL stopped laughing, their smiles fading as looks of confusion and fear started to form instead. They looked around the large, crowded room, murmuring to themselves and wondering what was going on.
"What was I doing just now…? Laughing?" Mezato murmured, looking to Mob and then Master Dimple. "It's hazy…"
At this point, all signs of joy and serenity were gone from the cult leader. Instead, he was openly glaring at Mob with a scowl on his face. "What did he just do…? What's with this boy?!" He grumbled to himself. With a shout, he raised his hands and a pulse of energy spread throughout the room, similar to what Mob had just done. Of course, it had the opposite effect, as every member of LOL started to smile and laugh hysterically once more. As before, even Mezato and the homeless man were affected!
Sora, Donald, and Goofy felt the wave of energy wash over them as well. Their hearts bloomed with what was unmistakably joy and mirth…but it just didn't feel right. Sure, happiness was obviously a pleasant feeling, but it wasn't sincere in this case, it wasn't real! It was something forced upon the three of them, and even though their hearts felt happy, there was a discomfort that couldn't be ignored. Despite their wishes and desires, their heads started to feel fuzzy as smiles tugged at their lips, no member of the trio able to resist as the happiness within them grew stronger…
"Not them. I won't allow it." Mob declared, quiet yet uncharacteristically forceful. Once more, he raised a hand, and a pulse of energy came forth. This time, it only had an effect on Sora, Donald, and Goofy, who instantly felt the oppressive happiness leave their hearts. They were left almost feeling tired as the heavy swing of emotions they had in just a few moments passed over them.
"What was that? A spell? Those weird hoods must be magical too!" Donald exclaimed, shaking off what had just happened to him with a frown.
Once more, Mob's actions visibly enraged Master Dimple. If looks could kill, the glare he gave the esper would've killed him a dozen times over before he hit the floor. "You meddlesome brat! You're really trying my patience here! Why don't you just get a clue?!" For the first time, Mob seemed visibly shocked, eyes widening at Master Dimple's last few words. Whatever this meant for the esper, it made him go quiet, as if he was deep in thought. The cult leader then turned to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "As for you three, you're lucky you mean more to me alive. Well, at least the one with the Keyblade!"
It was Sora's turn to be shocked, glancing between Master Dimple and the weapon he held at the ready. "How do you know about the Keyblade?" Weren't those in other worlds not supposed to know things like this?
Reeling away from his fury, Master Dimple scoffed, amused at Sora's reaction. "What, you thought you were the only ones that knew about Keyblades or the Heartless? Those creatures of darkness are very handy, you know. The perfect puppets!"
"Wait, so you're the one settin' the Heartless out on the city then?" Goofy asked, putting things together. "Why would ya do that?!"
"Isn't it simple?!" The LOL leader declared, going on before he could get a response. "The Heartless spread misery and woe. Those who become saddened by all the darkness and chaos can find their way here to a happy family!" Even as Master Dimple spoke, confessing to his horrid sins, his cultists never stopped laughing, apparently unable to do so. In fact, it was hard to even tell if the LOL members were even aware of what their leader was saying.
"All of this just so you can spread happiness?! I don't get it!" Sora exclaimed, confused. He was wielding darkness to unleash Heartless…but then made people laugh? Master Dimple forced it, yes, but it was still such a relatively harmless end goal. "What do you get out of this?!"
At this, Master Dimple let out a mocking, scornful laughter. "You really don't know? You wield the Keyblade and don't know about the Keyhole that's here?" He smirked as Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked shocked at his response. "I'll take that as a no. With all the strength I gain from my followers, I can expose the Keyhole even without a Keyblade! But if I can just subdue and control you, things will be much easier!"
"Keyhole? What are you talking about? What's that mean?!" Sora demanded, looking to Donald and Goofy for an explanation, but they both shook their heads in similar confusion.
"You're really bad at all of this Keyblade business, aren't you? One really learns a lot after becoming a spirit. So many secrets!" Master Dimple declared, letting out an uproarious laughter, one that was mimicked by his followers.
A spirit? That's what he was? That explained a lot of things going on around here! His odd knowledge, how he could control so many people…! Sora still had no idea what he meant by a Keyhole, but it seemed pretty important! Before the Keyblade wielder could speak up, Mob's voice interrupted him from behind.
"You're a spirit? That's good." The esper said, his tone far different than what it usually was. Unlike most cases, he was emoting, and in a strong manner. Anger bled into his tone, and when the trio turned to look, they saw that he was openly glaring at Master Dimple. "I'm glad that someone who said something as awful as 'Get a clue' turned out to be a spirit." As he spoke, an invisible energy hummed around him, to the point where his hair started to lift up and wave about as though he were underwater.
Sora had no idea why such a phrase would upset Mob so much, but it was pretty blatant that the normally awkward teen was furious with the cult leader. "Mob? What's going on? Are you feeling alright?" Even as he spoke, he backed away from the esper.
"Ya really seem different…" Goofy added on, he and Donald following Sora's example and giving Mob a bit of space. "Did he really upset ya that badly?"
It was clear Master Dimple felt the energy radiating from Mob as well, as he backed away while his smile faltered. "You're no ordinary brat, are you?" The spirit murmured. "Very well, I'll just let my Heartless do the fighting!"
At those words, a group of massive Shadow Heartless, Gigas Shadows, spawned from thin air. The members of LOL started to panic, running to the sides of the large room. The sight of the monstrous creatures overrode Master Dimple's control over them, sending them into a fearful frenzy.
Luckily, the Heartless ignored the innocent bystanders, charging right for the quartet, who stood their ground to fight. Or, rather, the trio from the outside worlds would fight, except that Mob simply raised a hand and the onslaught of Heartless was evaporated in the blink of an eye. The esper didn't even flinch as this happened, glaring at Master Dimple with a look of 100% Rage. "Those things aren't a challenge for me. Summoning them won't help you." Mob declared, lowering his hand as he spoke.
The cult leader backed away a bit, grimacing at what just happened. "Brat's stronger than I thought! Just what kind of kid is he?!" He thought aloud, snarling at the group that was spoiling his plans. Composing himself, the false prophet smirked deviously. "Fine then, I guess I'll have to get serious!"
Before the quartet could act, Master Dimple threw out his arms, a visible darkness emanating from his form. The man's mouth opened impossibly wide, and a dark cloud spewed forth and into the air. When the last wisps emerged, the human fell to the floor unconscious.
The dark cloud summoned gusts of wind that blew across the entire room, the members of LOL pressed against the walls, gawking in horror as the four fighters faced the gale that filled the room. "Mob, have ya ever faced something like this?!" Goofy asked, looking back at the esper.
"This is nothing." The teen replied with full confidence, giving the pulsing cloud a glare as it started to spin about in a tornado of darkness. "He pushed me too far, so I'm not letting him leave here."
At Mob's words, a cackle emerged from the tornado as it dissipated, showing Dimple's true form. The trio from beyond the world took a step back as the titanic figure emerged. Humanoid in nature, Dimple was a muscular, towering entity that even dwarfed the Guard Armor in Traverse Town! He smirked down at the quartet with confidence, keeping the two red circles on his cheeks that his human disguise had.
Before Mob could do anything, waves of more Gigas Shadows appeared, all of them charging and leaping right at the esper. As before, he was able to destroy them with ease, not even having to move as his excess power did all the work for him. However, the Heartless just kept coming in seemingly endless numbers, keeping Mob rooted to the spot as Dimple looked towards the other three fighters.
"I only need one of you, the brat with the Keyblade. You might as well just agree to help me out. If you do, I might just spare your friends!" Dimple bargained, an air of confidence in his voice as if he had already won.
"How do you even know about the Keyblade? And what's this Keyhole thing anyway?!" Sora demanded, brandishing the mysterious weapon. If he was going to fight Dimple, he might as well try to get some answers first.
At that, Dimple chuckled, continuing to flood Mob with Gigas Shadows to keep the esper occupied. "Let's just say when you're a spirit for a long enough time, you pick up on a lot of things. I happened to look in the right places and found that this exact spot is where the Keyhole is, a source of power that could make me the undisputed god of this world!" The spirit sighed, shaking his head. "But things would be easier if I had a Keyblade, only they can so easily reveal Keyholes. That's why I started LOL, so I could attain enough power to reveal the Keyhole all on my own! Now that you're here…I can just use you as a puppet!"
While that didn't answer all of Sora's questions, he didn't have time to press for more information. Just as Dimple let out his threat, energy started to build up around the massive spirit. Above the trio, bolts of Thunder shot down, prompting them to run towards Dimple on the offense. Some of these bolts of magic even went for Mob, but they dissipated before they could even come close to him. The other three were less lucky, having to weave around the magical attacks that kept shooting down towards them.
At the very least, they managed to get close enough to Dimple to attack while unscathed. Goofy threw his shield like a frisbee, aiming for the spirit's head. The opponent simply swatted it back at the knight, the weapon slamming into his chest and knocking him off of his feet. Donald let out bolts of Thunder of his own, while Sora pointed the Keyblade at Dimple and fired off a small barrage of Fire spells. Both attacks hit, the Thunder striking down on Dimple's head while the spirit raised an arm to block the onslaught of fireballs. Neither attack seemed to really phase him at all, prompting another chuckle from the devious cult leader.
Singling Donald out, Dimple slammed a fist towards the mage, who barely got out of the way in time as he leapt to the side. Sora dashed towards the massive limb, swinging his Keyblade like a club and slashing through the green flesh. Being a spirit, Dimple didn't bleed even as a nasty gash appeared where Sora attacked. It simply remained an open wound that didn't seem to affect the spirit much at all. "Did that even hurt him…?" Sora murmured tot himself as he backpedaled away from Dimple.
"That weapon's more impressive than I thought. A normal sword wouldn't be able to harm me, no matter who was wielding it! Makes me excited to unlock its full potential!" As Dimple boasted, Goofy's shield flew towards the side of the spirit's head, slamming into it! Apparently, it was made of something that could affect even something like Dimple, as the massive spirit flinched, grunting in pain and annoyance.
Letting out a yell of annoyance, Dimple threw his arms open, bolts of Thunder shooting off everywhere as Goofy's shield returned to the knight. Unfortunately, he was struck by one of Dimple's spells, with Donald running over to his friend's aid as Sora ran and rolled about, trying to dodge the magic as best as he could. With Donald and Goofy near each other, Dimple raised his arm, ready to slam his fist down on them!
"I'm not going to let you." Mob said, his voice filled with a tranquil range, but his words somehow echoing across the room. Raising a hand, he pointed at Dimple's arm, which instantly disintegrated, leaving a non-bleeding stump at his shoulder.
"What?!" The spirit exclaimed, looking over to Mob, who was slowly walking towards him. The Gigas Shadows had stopped appearing, the esper's path now fully open. "Where are the Heartless?! Did you seriously destroy them all?!" Fearing Mob more than he put on, Dimple looked to the LOL cult members, still pressing against the wall, and trying to stay out of this. "You! My loyal followers! Get over here and help me!" Not giving the scared humans a chance to refuse, the malicious spirit gripped onto their hearts, controlling their bodies. Instantly, the humans charged at Mob, leaping onto him in a huge pile and burying the teen in their numbers.
"Mob!" Sora yelled out, going towards the pile of controlled humans to try and help his new friend. Before he could get close, Dimple darted between the brunette and his goal. "You're rotten! Stop controlling their hearts!" He demanded, lunging at the spirit, aiming to slice right down his torso! Dimple was too fast, however, swatting Sora so he careened right into Donald and Goofy, sending the three to the floor.
"So, what if I take control of their hearts?! They're just humans, so I can do as I please! Maybe if their hearts weren't so weak, I wouldn't be able to manipulate them so easily!" Dimple spat back. "Your hearts aren't so easy to manipulate, so I'll have to wear you down a bit!" The spirit's gaze honed in on Sora. "In fact, your heart is so unusual…" He murmured to himself, too quiet to be heard by anyone else.
As Dimple pondered, the human pile behind him lifted into the air, surrounded by the glow of Mob's power. The esper stood unharmed, waving a hand, and causing the LOL members to harmlessly lose consciousness before he shifted them to the edges of the room. "Stop hiding from me!" The black-haired teen demanded. "Are you really that scared of me?"
Scowling, Dimple turned to face Mob. "Fine! Is that how you want it?! I'll just erase you, then! I'm sick of you pretending to be angry like you're actually human!" Reeling his remaining arm back, the spirit gathered energy in his palm and thrust the limb forward. An almost blinding beam of energy shot off towards Mob…yet as the attack careened towards him, it stopped before actually making contact. The beam dissipated, hitting some sort of invisible shield around the esper.
In an instant, Mob closed the gap between him and Dimple as the spirit's attack failed. The teen stood in midair, so he was parallel to his opponent's face. "Go away." The esper said simply, tapping Dimple's forehead with two fingers. The spirit grunted before he burst like an overfilled balloon. Of course, nothing spilled out of him, and all of his pieces quickly evaporated. As quickly as he had formed, the leader of LOL was destroyed, Mob floating to the floor as Sora, Donald, and Goofy got to their feet.
"Gawrsh, that sure was somethin'!" The knight exclaimed, shaking off his injuries. "Ya really got a lot of energy in ya, huh?"
Donald let out an impressed noise, dismissing his wand. Whether it was psychic powers or whatever, Mob's abilities were enough to impress the duck. "Where did you learn to do all that?"
As the trio got close, Mob took some deep breaths, his rage-filled glare fading as the energy around him started to vanish. His hair returned to normal, and his expression shifted so it was closer to what it usually was. That, except, he seemed almost a bit uneasy. Despite all that he had done, he didn't even seem tired, however. "Oh? Uh, that? It's just how I was born, really. Master's helped me hone my powers, but that's about it."
"Wish I could do stuff like that! It was awesome!" Sora praised, relieved that everything had settled down and everyone was okay. He felt bad for the members of the LOL cult, who had clearly been manipulated by a spirit. The fact that such things existed was something else entirely, but the brunette supposed he'd have to get used to seeing unusual things.
"You really think so? Even though I got so angry?" Mob asked, genuinely surprised. Apparently it didn't cross his mind that being able to float and destroy powerful foes with a touch might impress someone.
Sora had noticed the odd shift in Mob's demeanor, especially when Dimple had told him to 'get a clue' like that. For whatever reason, that really infuriated the esper! "Why did you hide your anger like that until it exploded? You usually seem so…reserved." The Keyblade wielder went on, having to pause and think of the right word.
"That's what I was trying to do." Mob said, pausing in consideration before he went on. "I keep my emotions locked away in my heart. If I get too emotional, my powers just go haywire." He explained. "I trust you three enough to tell you that, I think."
"And we saw it, so no point in keeping it a secret!" Donald pointed out.
"You shouldn't have to hide all your emotions like that. Nothing wrong with letting people know what you feel!" Sora suggested, knowing he was being a hypocrite. He hid stuff from others a lot, but maybe he could help someone else with the same problem. "Your friends will understand if you're upset or angry at something!"
Mob sighed through his nose, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know…I'd have to talk to Master about this." The esper said, not sounding too sure. "Hey, do you know what that spirit was talking about? He wanted your weapon for some Keyhole?"
Sora didn't like how dismissive Mob was with his advice, but it wasn't like he could force the psychic teen to do something he didn't want to. So, he just let it go. "I really have no idea. That's the first I ever heard of something like that, why?"
"It's just that I feel something here. It's not a spirit or anything." Mob explained, looking about. "I thought it was just me being nervous about all the people, but it's still here…"
"Well, gawrsh, can ya use your powers on it somehow?" Goofy asked as he scratched the side of his head. It seemed like Mob could do all sorts of things, so making a Keyhole appear didn't seem out of the realm of possibility to the Royal Knight!
Pausing for a moment, Mob nodded. "I can try." He stated simply, closing his eyes. Clearly concentrated, he made a small humming noise as he raised a hand and an invisible crackle of energy surged through the air. Without warning, a brilliant light erupted from the floor, causing the four to flinch. Taking a few steps from the glow, they watched as it grew larger, up until it was about the size of a car! As quickly as the lights stated, they vanished, and what was left behind was a car-sized Keyhole in the floor. It didn't seem to have a purpose or lead anywhere, the quartet peeking inside to just see pitch blackness. That being said, an unusual and unexplainable energy seemed to radiate from the hole in the floor.
"Well, if that ain't the Keyhole, I don't know what would be!" Goofy exclaimed, looking to Sora and Donald.
"What did that spirit want with it though?" Mob inquired, also looking to the brunette and mage. "It's just some big hole."
Donald hummed in thought. "Well, use your Keyblade on it, Sora! Maybe if you lock it, it'll stop someone else from using it!" How it'd be used was another story, but if someone like Dimple wanted it, it was hardly a stretch to think it could be used for something evil!
Having the same thought process as Donald, Sora summoned the Keyblade. He had no idea what the Keyhole was for or could be molded into by someone like Dimple, but he felt it best that it was locked away. The spirit was pretty convinced that the Keyblade was tied to this mysterious force, and Sora had no reason to doubt that Dimple was right. As everyone took a few steps back, Sora raised the Keyblade, so it was pointing straight up. After a moment, a ball of light forming at its tip and the Keyhole started to glow. Unlike before, the object started to fade away, and once it vanished completely, an audible locking sound, as if coming from a gigantic door, rang out. As the lights faded, Sora dismissed the Keyblade.
"I…think I did it. I locked the Keyhole, whatever it was." He informed the others. "I dunno what Dimple wanted with it, but no one like him can use it!" At least, he hoped so. Something in his heart told him this was the case, but it was still just a feeling in the end.
"I still don't know what's going on, but it seems like things are settled here." Mob said, looking to the still-unconscious LOL members. "They'll wake up in a bit. I just put them to sleep while all that chaos was going on. For now, I want to go see my Master and talk to him about a few things."
Donald spoke up before Sora or Goofy could. "That's fine, we've gotta go too!" He declared. It seemed to him that the King wasn't in this world. If he was, he surely would've been drawn to the Keyhole just like the three of them were. It was no coincidence that they landed in this specific city in the world, after all. The Keyblade and Keyhole were tied together somehow, so maybe this was part of why the King wanted Sora to be found!
"Wait, we do?" Sora asked, looking down at the mage.
"We do!" The duck insisted, giving an aggressive nod towards the brunette.
"You'll still be around, right? Will we run into each other again?" The esper asked, a bit of hopefulness bleeding into his usual monotone voice.
Sora felt bad about that. As unusual as Mob was, he had grown to like the black haired teen and viewed him as a friend! But the chances of them meeting again seemed slim. After all, once this adventure was over, who knew if he, Riku, and Kairi would just end up on Destiny Islands again? "I'm hoping we will!" Was what the brunette decided on.
"Yeah! Ya never know!" Goofy optimistically added. "Ya take care of yerself, alright?"
Smiling lightly, Mob nodded, accepting those answers. "You three do the same. Are you going to hang around here? Those people will wake up any minute, you know…"
"We'll stick here, we have something to talk about first!" Donald decided, knowing that staying somewhere secluded was best for that. Especially since going back to the Gummi Ship was a very flashy occurrence that'd draw a lot of attention…
"I still don't really get what you three are all about, but good luck!" The esper declared, bowing lightly before he walked back to the elevator. He gave a small, somewhat awkward smile as its doors closed and he was whisked away.
Saying goodbye really stunk, but Sora tried to brush it off as best as he could. No need to linger on the negative stuff, right? "So, what are we talking about here, exactly? And why are we leaving? What about Riku, Kairi and your King?"
"Think about it!" Donald exclaimed. "We were drawn to that Keyhole thing, right?" He paused as both Sora and Goofy nodded. "The King, Kairi, and Riku, probably would be too. If they ended up here, it'd have to be in this city, I'm sure of it! And they would've come down here by now, but they're not here!"
Sora wasn't too sure of that logic, but Donald would know more about these things than he would, and he had no reason to assume the mage was lying. "I guess that makes sense. What was that Keyhole thing, though?"
"It was very unusual; I've never seen anything like it." A voice popped up. It was GLaDOS, speaking up from Donald's pocket. The mage took her out so she could talk more properly. "I sensed something unusual in this room. Multiple somethings, that is. I guess that ghost was one, and that Keyhole was the other."
"Why didn't you say so?!" Donald demanded, glaring at the hardware in his hand.
"You didn't ask." GLaDOS smugly replied, causing the mage to sneer at her. "The real reason is because I thought you'd want me to be discreet. You don't want people to see something out of this world, do you?" She inquired.
Sighing, Donald knew that GLaDOS was right. "That's true…but we might come across more of those Keyholes! So, speak up if you sense another one, alright?"
GLaDOS made an annoyed 'Tsk!' noise. "If it will speed this all along, I guess I will. I've memorized the exact readings that Keyhole gave off, so I can sense it in the future easily. Just keep in mind I can only get these readings from certain distances, okay?"
"Thanks, GLaDOS! That's great!" Sora exclaimed, still having no idea what these Keyholes were about. But if locking them helped people, then the group might as well look for them, right?
The artificial intelligence let out a bemused sound. "If you say so, Clown Shoes." She remarked before going silent.
Donald rolled his eyes, putting GLaDOS back in his pocket. "Well, now that that's settled, let's get out of here!"
"How do we do that? Your ship is all the way in space!" Sora pointed out. He never actually thought of it until this point…
"Easy!" The mage exclaimed, taking a small remote from his pocket. It had an antenna and a big, red button on it. "I just press this, and we'll all go back. You ready?"
Sora wished the three of them could explore the world a bit more. After all, he wanted to leave Destiny Islands to see what was out there, and he only got a small peek of this world. Finding Riku and Kairi were a lot more important, though. "I'm ready." He said, standing close to Donald.
"I'm ready too! Let's get goin'!" Goofy said with some excitement.
With that, Donald pressed the button and the trio vanished in a flash of light. Mere moments later, the first of the LOL cultists started to stir…
Elsewhere, in a dark room, the same figures lead by Dio were watching Sora, Donald, and Goofy as they sealed the Keyhole. "I'm surprised they found one already." The man in dark armor bemused. "It was in such an easy place to reach too, and now it's out of our grasp!"
The man in the purple suit shook his head. "That ghost was there, though! I wouldn't want to deal with that!'
Scoffing, the sole woman let out a cackle. "You're really scared of a single ghost? I guess you're so weak, you'd end up toast!" She let out another bout of laughter as the man she insulted shot her a glare.
"If he could sense more of those Keyholes, he could've been useful to us." The man with long blonde hair pointed out. "A shame we couldn't have him join us before that youth erased him."
The man with the hook shrugged. "Who cares? It's just one Keyhole. The brat and his goofy sidekicks just got lucky." He said with confidence.
Dio nodded to this, grinning as the table in the center of the group showed the trio vanishing in a flash of light. "He's right. It's just one Keyhole. There are endless worlds out there. And once we get what we want, not even the Keyblade's lock can keep us from prying open those Keyholes and getting just what we want. I wouldn't even call this a setback. He'll end up in one of your worlds sooner or later, I'm sure. When that time comes, you five will have to just do what that spirit wasn't."
The five others looked to Dio, a few with disguised nervousness as their leader spoke in a tone that made it clear that failure wouldn't be tolerated…
It is my duty to expose what this darkness really is. I shall conduct the following experiments:
Extract the darkness from a person's heart.
Cultivate darkness in a pure heart.
Both suppress and amplify the darkness within.
The experiments caused the test subjects' hearts to collapse, including those of the most stalwart. How fragile our hearts are! My treatment produced no signs of recovery. I confined those who had completely lost their hearts beneath the castle. Some time later, I went below and was greeted by the strangest sight. Creatures that seemed born of darkness...What are they? Are they truly sentient beings? Could they be the shadows of those who lost their hearts in my experiments?