As soon as Sora arrived at the Gummi Ship's cockpit, he felt his hunger intensify. Stomach growling, he saw Donald tap some buttons on the main controls before he and Goofy went down the ladder and into the main part of the vessel. He knew they had to be heading towards the kitchen! Yet instead of following, he looked down at the world they just left behind, the ship moving as Donald apparently activated some sort of autopilot. He felt so bad for Kenshiro, and wished he could've helped him reunite with Yuria! There was nothing to be done, though, and he had to tell himself that. Still…pangs of illogical guilt pricked his heart and made the teen sigh.
Trying to shove the thoughts away, he followed after his companions and went towards the kitchen. As he approached, he saw his hunch was correct and heard a commotion going on from inside the room. From what he could hear, they were preparing a feast! Or, rather, just pulling a feast from the magical containers in the room.
Opening the door, the brunette saw that the table in the room was covered in more food than the boy had seen at once! Fruits, vegetables, meats, desserts, pastas, and more! Donald and Goofy were looking over all the food and beamed at Sora when he came in.
"What took you so long?!" Donald demanded in a good-natured way. "We were about to dig in without you!"
Rubbing his stomach, Goofy laughed. "Hey! Look!" He gestured to the food as he began to sing, pointing out something on the table as he did so. "Turkey! Lobster! Sweet potater pie! Pancakes piled up 'til they reach the sky!" Donald vocalized, sounding more like a series of quacks as he joined in the music while Goofy went on. "I wanna eat and eat and eat and eat and eat until I die!"
Sora couldn't help but let out a laugh as Donald and Goofy started to sing together, clearly more focused on their song than actually eating. "Turkey! Lobster! Sweet potater pie! Pancakes piled up 'til they reach the sky!"
Goofy calmed down into a solo, pointing out more of the food with a big grin on his face. "Lots of starches, lots of greens. Fancy chocolate covered-"
"That's enough! If I had ears, they'd be hurting about now!" GLaDOS interrupted from Donald's pocket. "If you're going to eat, then just do it!"
"Aw, come on, that was fun!" Sora lightly argued as he took a seat. "How can a program get annoyed by noise anyway?" Not like she had ears or anything, like she just pointed out. To that, GLaDOS gave no response.
Donald scoffed. "Forget her! Let's just eat! I already set the ship to fly us back to Traverse Town. It'll take a while, though." It already took them numerous days to get this far, after all. As the magician said this, he managed to pick up an entire pancake with his fork and essentially devoured it in a single bite. At the same time, Goofy started to dig into the potato pie with enthusiasm.
The teen shrugged off GLaDOS' attitude and followed suit. All in all, the meal was a blur with very little conversation as the three ate until their stomachs started to ache. Their time in Kenshiro's world really made them realize how quickly one could get hungry. When the three of them finished, more than half the food was gone while the broomsticks came to life and began to clean the rest of the mess.
"Gawrsh, I really needed that!" Goofy exclaimed happily as he let out a content sigh. "Kinda wish we could bring some to Kenshiro and Bat…"
"Having so much fresh food in a world like that wouldn't make sense…but I agree…" Donald replied with a shake of the head. He could be harsh at times, but it wasn't like he was heartless!
Sora was a bit more distracted, thinking about their future trip to Traverse Town. "You think Leon and the others can help us out? What if they can't?"
The mood swiftly went from jovial to serious at Sora's words, Donald and Goofy frowning as they exchanged glances. "We don't have a better plan. It's the only thing we can think of!" Donald explained.
"Besides, the more brains we got tickin' away at the problem, the better! Maybe someone came to Traverse Town that can help us like tellin' us what the Keyholes are for!" Goofy added on, trying to be his normal optimistic self.
It was just hard for Sora to be so optimistic. Heck, he didn't even expect to see Riku or Kairi there anymore. For a bit, he thought maybe the blonde man the Oracle had mentioned could be Cid…but what were the chances? Riku wasn't there before, why would he be now? If only the Oracle had been more precise…
"What about your King? And my friends? We have no idea how to find any of them!" Sora pressed, almost a bit annoyed at how nonchalant Donald and Goofy seemed. Weren't they worried at all?
"Hey, it's alright! We'll find 'em, Sora!" Goofy said, giving a concerned look. "Worryin' about it won't help none. We might as well try to stay positive!"
"Besides, remember what we said before? No sad faces! Try and cheer up, Sora!" Donald recalled, even if he and Goofy exaggerated how important happy faces were to the Gummi Ship.
Sora almost snapped back at Donald that he of all people shouldn't be telling someone else to cheer up. He had been a complete grump almost the entire trip! But the teen bit his tongue and let out a sigh. "…Fine. Alright. I'm going to just get some sleep." After traversing Kenshiro's world and having a huge meal, Sora felt pretty beat.
Even though he relented, it was clear to Donald and Goofy that Sora was still plagued by doubt, but they just let it go. "Sure, alright! Go on and get some rest! It'll be a while before we get back to Traverse Town." Goofy explained. "A couple of days, maybe…"
"Yeah…Okay." Was all Sora said as he excused himself and walked back to his room. He couldn't help his mood swing and felt bad for ruining the fun they were having. The teen just couldn't stop worrying about his friends! Then there was the Heartless and these Keyholes and…it all seemed to rest on his shoulders just because he had the Keyblade! With a sigh, the brunette flopped onto his bed, tired and full. Even with the stresses he felt, sleep soon took him…
The next few days were rather uneventful.
For Sora, a lot of it was spent working out and training in his room. He swung the Keyblade more times than he could count. Over and over he practiced with the mysterious weapon, going until his arms felt like noodles. He also performed basic exercises with pushups, sit-ups, and using weights that Donald was able to conjure at his request as well as other workouts.
Not to say Sora just spent all his time in his room. He of course went out for food and spent more time with Donald and Goofy than he had previously. Nothing substantial went on, the pessimism Sora showed before being dulled down for the sake of his newest friends. Donald even let the teen stay in the cockpit more as they looked at the stars outside.
One thing he did notice during one of these stargazing sessions made him feel sick to his stomach. It was hard to tell explicitly for sure…but looking out at the worlds, Sora felt like there were less of them than before. Whatever was making the stars go out was still going on…
He chose not to mention it to Donald or Goofy.
After several days, the ship neared Traverse Town, much to everyone's delight. As unusually spacious the Gummi Ship was inside, the trio still wanted to stretch their legs a bit more and walk around somewhere new. At their approach, Sora looked out the cockpit along with Donald and Goofy and they all felt a bit uneasy.
"Gawrsh, Traverse Town looks…bigger…" The Royal Knight pointed out. Indeed, the floating town of a world practically doubled in size since they were last there. Clearly, more refugees from destroyed worlds found themselves there, making the town grow to accommodate them.
Sora especially recalled what Moguro said about Traverse Town practically being like an organism. "Yeah…but at least some people are finding a safe place, right?" The teen asked, trying to be the optimistic one for a change…but it didn't really work. The fact that so many people needed a safe haven was bad no matter how one looked at it.
"Well, we can't do much now." Donald said, trying to downplay things…which also didn't really work. "Let's just go see Cid. He's right by the hangar, after all." As he said this, the mage turned the autopilot off and directed the Gummi Ship where it had been the last time the group was there.
As soon as the three departed their ship, they all stretched as if they had been somewhere cramped for days rather than the magically spacious vessel. Just being outside of it made them feel the need to loosen up a bit!
"Hey, how about we go see Cid first? His shop's right near here anyway." Goofy suggested as the three entered Traverse Town proper. The First District was a bit more crowded than last time, more people milling about with most of them looking stressed or miserable. Given the reason they wound up in the town, it was hardly a surprise.
"Good idea. He'd know if any of our friends passed through." Sora agreed, trying not to get his hopes up. Though he still kept an eye open at the people they passed by, just in case…but when they arrived at Cid's shop, he didn't see Riku or Kairi. He noticed there weren't any Heartless in the area, and he wondered if they stopped showing up in Traverse Town or if Leon's group, or some other newcomers, were able to keep them at bay. Another thing he noted when their destination came into view was that the door was replaced from last time.
As soon as the trio stepped into the shop, they almost regretted it.
Like the last time they entered, Tali and Cid were at the front desk, glaring daggers at each other. At least Tali's glare was assumed given her visor. "You only have worthless parts here! Not even an engine!" The Quarian hissed. "If I had one, I could've been out of here ages ago! What kind of shop is this anyway?"
"Do you have any idea how hard Gummi Blocks are to come by? They don't grow on trees, you know!" Cid shot back, blowing smoke in Tali's face…not that it bothered her due to her protection.
"You know my filters won't even allow me to smell smoke, right?" She said in a taunting tone. "And if I didn't know any better, I'd think these 'Gummi Blocks' were just toys you made up!"
"They are not toys! Just because you don't know something doesn't mean it's dumb or fake!" Cid shouted, apparently not getting the memo and puffing more smoke in Tali's face.
"Uh, we actually have a ship made of Gummi Blocks!" Sora piped up, just wanting the arguing to stop! It was nearly giving him a headache…
Donald snickered as Cid and Tali jumped in place and turned to the trio. "Have you two just been arguing since we left? Nothing's changed!"
His mood instantly improving, Cid waved at the three as they stepped further into his shop. "Well hey, guys! Didn't think I'd see you back so soon! And hey, I replaced the door that someone shot up so that's new!"
Ignoring Cid's dig at her, Tali also seemed happier at the trio's arrival. "Good to see you three are staying safe. And is your ship really made of this Gummi stuff?"
"It is! But uh, if ya don't got an engine here, it won't really matter much…" Goofy replied apologetically. He didn't know too much about the Gummi Ship's inner workings, but he at least knew it had to have an engine!
"Mmm, true…and I'm guessing your errand isn't done yet either?" The Quarian asked, seeming to already know the answer.
"That's actually why we're here. We wanted to talk to Leon about something. And, uh, have Riku or Kairi passed through yet?" Sora asked, mirroring Tali in that his tone gave away he already knew the answer.
"Or the King?!" Donald butted in.
Cid and Tali both shook their heads, the latter seeming disappointed about the trio still being on their quest. "Haven't seen 'em." The shop owner replied. "I've been keeping an eye out though, so have Leon and the rest."
"I've been asking around when I'm out of the shop too." Tali added. "But there's actually a place you should go. Since you left, a detective agency appeared in this district. There's only two detectives at the moment, but they do their best to find people here in Traverse Town. I never met either, but I hear they're good at their jobs."
Sora remembered how Tali mentioned that there was food for her kind when they met. Now some detectives appeared and a place for them to work popped up. Really seemed like Traverse Town itself tried to help those in need the best it was able, like it was actually alive. Maybe that organism comparison was closer to reality than expected…
"We should go there, then! It's worth a shot! Then we can go find Leon!" Goofy suggested. "Do you two know where he is right now?"
Again, Cid shook his head. "No clue. Yuffie's around here somewhere, helping keep the First District safe. She'll know."
"And the detective agency is behind this shop a bit. It's hard to miss." Tali explained. "No idea if the two guys running it will be in or not."
"We'll check anyway. We appreciate the help, you two." Sora said, feeling just a bit of optimism. At the very least, even if they don't find Riku or Kairi, maybe the detectives will. They can pass on a message letting his friends know that he's okay. Who knew when the three would return to Traverse Town again, so the detectives can be looking the entire time!
With some waves and farewells, the three left the shop and followed Tali's directions. They kept their eyes peeled for any familiar faces, whether it be their lost friends or anyone else from Leon's group, but no luck in either case. Before long, they came across a building with a neon sign on it. Granted, a lot of the buildings did, but this one stood out for two reasons.
One was because the sign was red while most of the others were yellow or green. The other was the heart with an arrow through it. "Valentine Detective Agency…" Donald read. "Is this the right place? Sounds weird…"
"It's gotta be! We followed Tali's directions!" Goofy pointed out. "Come on, let's take a look inside…"
With a shrug, Sora and Donald followed the knight into the building. It wasn't lit well inside, and the smell of cigar smoke stung their nostrils. There wasn't much to see initially, as the entrance went right into an office area with a desk and a number of filing cabinets along the walls. Even the desk had a lot of files and papers that seemed to just be tossed onto it randomly. Behind the desk was a closed door leading to the rest of the building.
At the desk sat an unusual looking man that perplexed the trio. He wore a hat and a large, worn coat with a loose tie which was normal enough. It was the rest of him that was odd, though. The stranger seemed…off somehow, the way he looked, but with the lack of light, it was hard to tell why exactly. His skin nearly seemed grey, but it could have just been a trick of the light. One thing that couldn't be was the chunk missing from the left side of his face, but it was hard to tell what lied underneath. His eyes were stranger still, only two lit yellow circles peering at the three.
The man took out a cigarette pack from inside his coat and lit one up, revealing his right hand was metallic and almost skeletal. His face was illuminated by his lighter, but it was too fast for the three to get a proper look. As he savored the cigarette for a moment, he looked his three guests over. "You three looking for someone? Pretty backed up here, but we're still taking cases." He informed them casually, as if it was the hundredth time he had said it that day. "Name's Nick, by the way. Nick Valentine."
Well, he seemed nice enough. And his name explained the Valentine's Day imagery on the sign outside. Sora was the one to speak up, ignoring how Nick' odd yellow eyes almost reminded him of a Heartless. "Uh, how much does this cost? We don't really have much…" Honestly, he had no idea if Donald and Goofy had any money, he never stopped to think about it.
"It's free, of course." Nick replied, the small red dot of his cigarette bobbing a bit as it rested between his lips. "Even back in my world I never charged anything. Wouldn't dream of starting now. My partner feels the same way. We're all in a mess of trouble, so we've gotta stick together the best we can!"
Before anyone could reply, the backdoor of the room opened and out came another man, who paused before taking more than two steps into the room. Like Nick, he also wore a disheveled, rumpled raincoat that seemed even worse than the unusual man's. In the light, not much else stood out. "Ah, geez, Nick, you know I can't see half as well as you do. Let me just turn on another light here…"
With that, the second man flipped a switch by the door and the room was suddenly bathed with light. It was at this point that the trio got to see Nick properly, and they were quite taken aback! Quickly, it became obvious why he seemed uncanny to them, as his grey skin seemed like it was made of rubber! It was fake for sure! Worse was that huge chunks of it were missing from his neck and the left side of his face, revealing metallic workings underneath. Whatever he was, Nick wasn't human…
Nick looked over to the second man, who was blinking rapidly to adjust to the light. This man was very normal in comparison. His hair was disheveled, and he looked like he rolled out of bed, but he was otherwise an average guy in a messy raincoat and work clothes. "Sorry, Columbo. I just kinda forget sometimes. Ellie always got on my case about that too."
"Don't worry about it." The other man, Columbo, commented. After a moment, he finally noticed the trio and looked towards them, showing that his right eye was glass, as it didn't move at all. "Oh, I didn't realize you were talking to, ah, some new folks!" He spoke a tad awkwardly, like he had dozens of thoughts swirling in his mind at once. It wasn't that he was slow or dimwitted, more like he was just distracted.
"That's right, yeah. I was just telling them we don't charge for our services. By the way, this is Lieutenant Columbo, my partner." Nick explained before noticing that the trio were staring at him. "Oh, right. You're probably wondering about my looks. No one told you?"
Donald was the one to speak up this time around as he shook his head. "Uh-uh! What are you? Some kind of robot?" He asked rather rudely.
However, Nick didn't seem offended, not reacting much at all as if he heard that question a million times. "Sorta. Long story short, I'm a Synth. A synthetic human. Not as fancy as the others back in my world, though. All you need to know is I'm on your side, alright?"
"That's right. Nick here's a real standup kinda guy." Columbo praised, leaning against a nearby cabinet as he took out a green cigar that was somehow as rumpled as his raincoat, like he accidentally sat on it or something. As he lit it up, he shook his head. "As for me, I admit this is out of my jurisdiction. I'm on homicide back in my world…phew…my 'world' is still a heck of a sentence to say…"
"I appreciate it, Columbo. But don't you go all humble on me now. You've done an excellent job so far." Nick complimented right back before turning back to the trio. "But anyway, me not being human isn't a problem for you, is it?"
Goofy shook his head like Donald, his ears flapping around a bit. "Gawrsh, it's not that, Nick! We were just kinda surprised, that's all! All we knew was you were a detective."
Sora couldn't help but grin a bit. "Besides, we've seen stranger things than a synthetic man." The Mahjarrat mostly coming to mind…
At those words, Nick let out a genuine, shocked sort of laugh. "You know, I've been around for about a century and no one's said anything like that to me!" Whatever went on with his life, Sora somehow tickled his funny bone. As the trio glanced at each other, the Synth calmed down and took out a notepad and a pen. "Alright, so how about you tell me who you're looking for. Name, appearance, age, that sort of thing. I'll need your name too, it'll help things out."
Oh, they never had introduced themselves! "I'm Sora, and this is Donald and Goofy." The teen introduced, gesturing to his friends. "I'm looking for two friends named Riku and Kairi." He explained before describing the two.
"And we're looking for King Mickey!" Donald exclaimed as Nick wrote down Sora's information before also describing his friend.
"Alright, so three people." Columbo noted as Nick jotted things down. "Just to be clear, we've got a lot of folks looking for friends and family, so it could be a bit of time before we get to ya."
Well, that was to be expected. Everyone in Traverse Town was surely looking for at least one person. And with only two detectives, searching the entire, continuously expanding world would be difficult. "Aw, we understand. We just appreciate ya helpin' at all!" Goofy said.
Columbo smiled at that with a light nod. "Appreciate it, Goofy. I feel for everyone coming in here, I really do. Wish I had such good memory like Nick. He doesn't even need his notes. And you know, Sora, you remind me a bit of my nephew, he-"
"How about we leave the family talk for later, eh Columbo?" Nick interrupted, apparently stopping some sort of ramble or long story. "But yeah, anything we should tell your friends if we can find them? Like my partner said, it could be some time before we even get to start looking for these three."
"If you find them, can you tell them we're safe and to talk to Cid at his shop? Or Leon, Yuffie, or Aerith if you know who they are." In a way, it practically seemed like that group was in charge of Traverse Town, or at least the unfortunate people that wound up there.
Nodding, Nick handed his notebook to Columbo, who started to study it himself. "Oh, we know them. Great folks! Especially the ones keeping those Heartless things at bay. Thought my world had enough problems, but then those things showed up…but yeah, we'll pass the message along."
Despite his earlier pessimism and the general cloud that was over his head a lot of the time, Sora couldn't help but feel a bit of hope. It was something that seemed so rare to him, he usually just felt upset, angry, or just nothing at all. He still felt like that, those emotions, or a lack of them, hitting him hard on their way back to Traverse Town. Sometimes the adventures he had in the worlds he visited were able to distract him, but…
"We appreciate it." Sora responded, giving Nick and Columbo a small grin. "We'll get out of your hair. Other people will want to see you too."
The detectives waved the trio out as Donald and Goofy shared their thanks as well. Stopping a bit near the entrance, Donald sighed. "It's nice having some help, but who knows if they can do it? Or if those three are even here…" If the King was in Traverse Town, he surely would've talked to Leon or his group! Still, every little bit helped…
"Shucks, don't talk like that, Donald!" Goofy admonished in a friendly tone. "We just gotta stay positive! Yuffie should be nearby, and we can ask her where Leon is!"
Just at that moment, a female voice rang out. "Oh, you want to find Leon?"
A bit startled, the group turned to see a familiar young woman with black hair. "Yuffie!" The three exclaimed at the same time.
"The one and only!" Yuffie exclaimed with a bright smile. "Didn't expect you guys to be back so soon!"
"Ya sure snuck up on us!" Goofy exclaimed, having been a bit startled at Yuffie's appearance, but he was sure glad to see her!
Yuffie laughed and looked quite pleased with herself. "Well, I am a ninja! So, what are you guys doing back? You need Leon?"
"We're kind of stuck." Sora outright admitted. "We're not really getting anywhere and were hoping Leon, you, or Aerith could help…"
"Leon'll know better than me. He won't admit it, but he's basically the leader of our group." Yuffie said as she glanced at where he three came out of. "Giving Nick and the Lieutenant a visit, huh?"
"Just in case! You never know when one of our friends might turn up!" Donald explained. "So, where is Leon anyway?"
"Oh, right. He's in the underground cavern. That's where he goes to train, but sometimes Heartless spawn in there, so he's keeping watch too." The ninja explained. "I can step away from my post for a bit to lead you there."
With a word of thanks, the trio followed Yuffie as she took them into the Second District, into the alleyway where Aerith met Donald and Goofy for the first time. There was a sort of waterway with a large opening. "I didn't even notice this when we were here before!" Goofy exclaimed as they approached.
"From what I heard, you were too busy being scared by Aerith, so I don't blame you." Yuffie ribbed with a cheeky grin.
Donald quacked at that, glaring at Yuffie. "She did not scare me!" He insisted as he crossed his arms. Right at that moment, a hand went onto his shoulder and he let out a startled yell.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" Aerith's voice called sincerely. The group turned to see the young woman with an apologetic look on her face. "I just saw you were coming this way and wanted to say hello."
Huffing, the magician grumbled to himself before speaking up. "Didn't have to be so quiet about it…" He said, just loud enough to be heard.
"Good to see ya, Aerith! We were just gonna talk to Leon!" Goofy greeted, chuckling a bit at Donald's strong reaction.
"We just need a bit of advice." Sora added, openly grinning as Donald calmed himself down. "We heard you guys were keeping the First District safe."
Aerith smiled with a nod. "We're doing what we can. A lot of people pitch in, so it's not just us. When you talk to Leon, tell him to rest up a bit too, okay?"
The three agreed as Yuffie and Aerith went back to the First District. Entering the cavern, the trio found a spacious area with a lot of water. Leon was there, swinging his blade, the gunblade, as he stared to a tunnel area with a mural of a crescent moon on it.
Upon being approached, Leon stopped swinging and rested his gunblade on his shoulder. "Didn't expect you three back so soon. How are things going out there?" He was his usual stoic self, not seeming explicitly happy to see the trio.
"Not great." Sora confessed. "Can't find our friends anywhere. We're sort of at a dead end, and we wanted to ask you some questions."
"Can't promise I can help, but shoot." The man replied, looking the three over as if studying them for something.
"Well, we keep finding these Keyholes in the worlds we visit." Sora explained as he summoned his Keyblade. "The Keyblade reacts to them and locks them, but we don't know what's going on with that…"
Leon nodded, not seeming shocked at all. "So, you've found some Keyholes. Every world among the stars has one, even Traverse Town. They lead to the hearts of each world, and the Heartless enter these portals to get to the core of each world. That's how the stars keep going out."
"What?! Why didn't you tell us that before?!" Donald yelled out, remembering Zamansis' theory. Turned out he was entirely right. The Heartless did want to find the Keyholes!
"I figured the Keyblade would lead you in the right direction. And from what you're telling me, I was right. You three have all gotten stronger, I can tell." Leon mused, apparently that being why he was studying them. "Especially you, Sora. You've got to get stronger so that Keyblade can save more worlds."
If it was the Keyblade that could stop worlds from vanishing, did that mean he could've saved his island? A wave of guilt washed over the teen, wishing he could've stopped the Heartless right at the start! But…if he did that…then he wouldn't be on this journey, and he couldn't save other worlds! "Is there a way to restore them at all…?"
Leon shook his head. "If there is, I don't know it. But don't let that get you down. There's sure to be a way." Watching Sora sigh and drop his gaze to the cavern floor, he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. "Here. I want to give this to you, Sora. I found it here in Traverse Town. I can feel a strange power in it, but I think you should hold onto it."
Sora looked back up and dismissed his Keyblade as he took the object. It was a small orange stone, no bigger than his thumb. There was a power in it, but…it also felt weird. It felt oddly sticky, like it was covered in something, but nothing actually got onto his skin or gloves. "But what is it? How do I use it?"
It seemed like Leon had no answer, not saying a word at first. "…You should see Merlon. He'd know. Besides, he told me he wanted to see you anyway."
"Why does he want to see us?" The teen asked as he pocketed the orange stone. "Is something wrong?"
Leon shrugged. "He didn't say. He just told me the next time I saw you that you should go see him. Maybe he saw that you'd be stopping by soon in that crystal ball of his or something."
"Guess we better see him, then. It could be important! Maybe he saw somethin' that could help us in that there crystal ball of his!" Goofy theorized.
"Maybe he's seen the King! Or your friends!" Donald added on, hopeful.
Sora wasn't about to get his hopes up for another seer like he did with The Oracle. "We'll go right now. Thanks, Leon."
The trip to Merlon's abode was swift, the three rushing through the Districts and leaving little time for conversation. Heartless appeared in their way, mainly the likes of Shadows, Soldiers, and Large Bodies which were quickly dealt with. By this point, those types of Heartless were easy to dispose of for the trio.
As they got to Merlon's house, they entered to see the elderly man sitting in one of his chairs, sipping at some tea from a fancy cup. "Ah! You arrived! Just as I expected you to!" He exclaimed, placing his cup down on the table next to him. "I take it Leon sent you."
"You sure do expect a lot." Donald said with a snide tone. "How come you can't use that crystal ball to tell us where our friends are?"
Ignoring Donald's rudeness, Merlon shook his head and stood up. "It's not that simple, I'm afraid. The visions come to me, I don't choose what I see. Even then, the details can be vague. If I could tell you exactly how to proceed in your adventure, I'd do so in a heartbeat."
Sora wasn't expecting anything, but even then he was a bit let down. Of course, he should've seen it coming. If Merlon had such abilities, he'd have used them when they first met. "Okay, so why did you want to see us?"
"As it happens, my colleague I mentioned before should be here within a few minutes. It's more what he can provide than anything." Merlon explained as he approached Sora. "I did want to see how your magic has progressed. Might as well, as we wait." When the teen lifted his hand to summon his Keyblade, the old wizard shook his head. "Not necessary, I can feel your power just as you are."
"He's learned a couple of new spells already!" Goofy praised as Merlon looked Sora over. "Sora sure is a natural, huh?"
Merlon nodded with a light chuckle. "Yes, it seems so! Three spells already! Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder. Sora, I advise you try to Cure someone when you get a chance. It tends to be the next spell learned when the three basic ones are unlocked, so to speak."
"It's a bit tricky!" Donald intervened, a little annoyed at all the magic talk without his input. "Cure spells are the only kind that don't do damage, so they use a different type of magic energy. You can't just use them over and over like the others, okay?"
That sort of made sense to Sora. It was a shame he couldn't just use a spell to heal him or his friends at a whim, though. So far none of them had gotten too seriously injured, but who knew what they'd face up ahead? They could fight opponents stronger than Dimple or Shin, but without the likes of Mob or Kenshiro to help them. Or even worse, someone like Lucien, but without the Dragonkin to step in and put an end to things…
Just at that moment, the door to the house swung open, slamming into the wall! "I apologize for my tardiness! Taking the long way was more difficult than I assumed!" A man's voice doomed into the small abode.
Everyone but Merlon was startled, and they all turned to see who intruded. There in the doorframe was a man in a black cloak with a red robe underneath with black pants and shoes. He was a bit of an older man, his hair starting to go grey, and he also sported a goatee.
As the man walked…no…levitated into the home, the door closed behind him with a literal flick of the wrist. "Ah, glad you've arrived!" Merlon exclaimed. "Sora, Donald, Goofy, this is Dr. Orpheus, that colleague I mentioned a few times. While I am versed in visions and a few other odd spells, my friend here has a wider array of abilities."
The stranger, Dr. Orpheus, studied the trio, his expression hard to read. Without warning, he pointed at Sora. "YOU!" He boomed, causing the teen to flinch. "You must be Sora! Wielder of the Keyblade, are you not?! King Mickey told me of you! Then the other two are his trusted allies!"
"Uh…yeah, that's us…" Sora replied, taken aback by Dr. Orpheus' unusual behavior and boisterous presence. "Who exactly are you, though? Merlon said you had special powers?"
"Correct!" The older man screamed, throwing his cloak back in a dramatic fashion. "A master of necromancy, I am Dr. Orpheus!" He introduced…despite already having been introduced before swiftly calming down. "Don't take that the wrong way, it's just a habit. In my world terms like wizard or sorcerer are…a bit cliché. No offense, Merlon."
The wizard shook his head. "None taken."
"So, what are you here for? You didn't answer our question!" Donald exclaimed, wondering if they should really trust this guy…especially when he said he was a necromancer! Bringing back the dead was pretty nasty business…
Out of nowhere, Dr. Orpheus got his energy back as he placed a hand forward and the other on his temple. "I have a gift I must bestow upon you! But before that! I sense something…unusual on your person, Sora! Show it to me at once!"
It couldn't have been the Keyblade, that wasn't really 'on his person' which raised the question of where it went when he dismissed it. After a few seconds, Sora had an idea and pulled the odd orange object he got from Leon out of his pocket. "You mean this?"
Gasping, the necromancer pointed at the orange stone. "YES! I can sense one's heart coming from this object! Someone's life essence is present within! Tell me, where did you get it?!"
Sora wasn't really able to tell of Dr. Orpheus was just being his seemingly usual loud self or if he was accusing the teen of something. Either way, he just told the truth. "Leon found it here in Traverse Town, but he didn't say where."
"Aha! That makes sense!" The older man exclaimed. "When a world ends, three things happen to the residence! Either they vanish, end up here…or they become a form like this!" He yelled out, pointing to the orange stone. "You could very well say this is the HEART of one with a strong will to survive! Her very essence is trapped within! A horrid fate to befall anyone!"
Her? Dr. Orpheus knew this was a girl? It couldn't…possibly be Kairi, could it? No, that didn't seem right at all. "What can we do? Can we free her?"
But the necromancer didn't really reply to Sora, waving his hands in front of the orange object as they began to glow. "BY THE STRENGTH OF MY MYSTICISM! I COMMAND YOU…OPEEEEEEE-" Dr. Orpheus bellowed, holding the last word as some sort of magic seemed to project his voice! The home seemed to shake as Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Merlon covered their ears, poor Sora only using one hand as he held the orange stone in place.
The large white book Merlon had swung open to the middle as the door outside slammed open! In Donald's pocket, GLaDOS began rapidly sputtering gibberish, unnoticed by everyone else. Down the Second and First Districts, doors and windows slid open and numerous neon signs rapidly shut on and off. In the detectives' office, the filing cabinets slammed open as papers flew all over the place, and Nick's eyes started to flash on and off as he remained still as a statue. In Cid's shop, as he and Tali fought, the Quarian's suit started rapidly beeping as numerous functions were activated and deactivated, seemingly at random. "What the heck is going on?!" Cid yelled out as the shop door swung open.
"-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!" Dr. Orpheus finally finished, the orange stone sparking and forcing Sora to drop it. Wincing, he felt dizzy as he shook his hand from the mild burning sensation that came from the spark.
Donald, Goofy, and Merlon uncovered their ears, the magician glaring at Dr. Orpheus. "What was that about?! Did you have to yell like that?!" The duck demanded.
"My aching circuits…" GLaDOS complained quietly from the mage's pocket. "I really, really hate magic…" At the very least, nothing permanent happened to her.
Not even seeming winded after that loud scream, the necromancer picked the orange stone off the floor. "I admit, it was my first time performing such a spell, so I gave it my all." He explained, surprisingly, calmly.
"But it didn't do anything." Sora pointed out as he took the object. "Whoever this used to be is still trapped…"
"Ah! But you can aid her!" Dr. Orpheus explained, pointing at Sora. "Your Keyblade can be used to bring her forth from her imprisonment! Alas, it is only for a limited time, but she can aid you in battle as a summon!"
A summon? Just drawing out someone to help fight the Heartless? That sounded sort of harsh to make someone that went through such an ordeal start to fight on a whim. Yet even as he thought this, Sora felt a pulse in his hand. A sort of tug. It blatantly came from the stone, and yet there were no words, the teen sensed the intent behind it deep in his heart. Whoever was in the stone was agreeing with Dr. Orpheus and urging Sora to do as he said.
Placing the stone in his pocket, Sora gave a nod. "Got it. Even if it's for a little bit, helping someone trapped sounds nice…"
"I just wish we could help her out more. Whoever she is…" Goofy lightly lamented in a rare pessimistic moment. "Must be awful scary to be trapped like that…"
"Hey, you said you had some other gift for us, right? What was it?" Donald asked, still a bit miffed at the loud spell from earlier.
Either not picking up Donald's annoyed tone or just not caring, Dr. Orpheus clapped his hands together. "Yes! I almost forgot! I have a protective spell to place upon you. Such kinds aren't my specialty, so it isn't as though you'll be invincible. However, the damage will be greatly reduced! Now, hold still…" Once more, the man's hands began to glow as he waved them in circles, chanting in some unusual language.
Thankfully, the spell was far more subtle than the first. So much so that the trio didn't really feel a difference. "It sure is a relief knowing we've got a bit of extra protection!" Goofy exclaimed, though he had no idea how effective the spell actually was.
"Thanks! We were just fighting a guy that could've really done some damage…" Sora said, thinking about Shin. If one of his martial arts attacks had actually landed…well, he didn't want to think about it.
"At least there was no yelling…" Donald grumbled, but he was ignored.
"It is my pleasure! Blunt combat is not my forte, and my own world already fell with me unable to help! But aiding you in the help of other worlds is the least I could do!" Dr. Orpheus announced.
Merlon chuckled, sitting down in his seat. "And it's all appreciated, Dr. Orpheus. I think it's safe to say if you find any more of those gems, you should bring them back here."
"Yes! I will help unlock them for you so you can use your Keyblade with them!" The necromancer agreed. "And I'm sure the next time it will be less…chaotic…"
Everyone else silently hoped so…
"Thanks again, but we really should be going. We just stopped for a little bit." Sora announced. "You've both been such a big help."
"Think nothing of it, young man! Now go! With a strong heart, you must right the wrongs of the wicked Heartless!" Dr. Orpheus announced loudly, shaking his fist in dramatic fashion.
Saying their goodbyes and thanks, the trio left the home and made their way back to the Third District. Right as they entered, Goofy spoke up. "Hey, how about we summon that girl ya got in that stone there, Sora? Even if we ain't fightin', it'd be nice to let her out."
"Good idea! It's probably cramped in there!" Donald agreed, mildly joking.
Sora summoned his Keyblade, not sure of what to do exactly. Before he could work it out, though, a horde of Heartless appeared around them! At least a dozen Shadows, Soldiers, and a new type of winged Heartless, Air Soldiers, appeared! "Well, if she can really help us in battle, now's the time!" He declared while Donald and Goofy spawned their weapons.
Still not sure what to do exactly, Sora acted as though he were using a spell, but focused on the gem in his pocket. Raising the Keyblade straight up, the teen reached into his heart and the tip of the weapon glowed. Swiftly, he slammed it into the ground, and an orange liquid started to pool around him! It took him a moment to realize it was ink of all things!
The ink wasn't even an inch deep, but it spread out a few meters around Sora. As he pulled the Keyblade out, something else erupted from the liquid! He swore for a second that it was, bafflingly, a large orange squid! Yet as it landed, ink practically exploded from its form and there instead was a teenage girl!
She wore black shorts and a white t-shirt, but it was from the neck up that was bizarre about her. First was her mouth, where there were three fangs, two on top and one on the bottom. Then there were her eyes which were orange and there were black marks around them like a raccoon. Her hair was the most unusual, which was orange and seemed normal at first, but ended in large tentacles! On her back was a glass tank full of orange ink, and it had a tube going to the weapon in her hands, a gun with its own container full of the substance!
Standing up straight, the odd girl let out a whooping sound, her voice having a strange quality to it. It sounded garbled, almost like she was gargling water as she vocalized. Turning to Sora, she gave him a peace sign before turning to the Heartless with a glare.
Stunned by the unusual stranger, Sora, Donald, and Goofy shrugged it off for the moment as their opponents started to close in. To their surprise, it was the tentacled girl that reacted first. As if she had been waiting ages for this, she charged forward and shot ink at her opponents! Shockingly, the ink seemed to actually damage the Heartless, destroying several Shadows and staggering the others her attack hit.
Not wanting to make her fight alone, Sora, Donald, and Goofy joined the fight too. The battle was swift, of course, with four of them fighting numerous yet weak Heartless. Sora and Donald cast Fire and Blizzard spells while Goofy charged at one of the diving Air Soldiers with his shield, knocking it to the ground where he swiftly bashed it and finished it off.
Surrounded by Soldiers, the mysterious girl didn't seem scared at all. To further surprise, she blatantly transformed into a large orange squid and dug into the ink at her feet despite how shallow it was. In a moment, she launched into the air and turned back into a girl midair and took a glass pyramid full of ink out from seemingly nowhere. She spiked it to the ground below, and it exploded violently into ink, destroying the Soldier Heartless.
Within a minute or two, all the dark creatures were gone…and there was ink everywhere, even on Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "What a mess…!" The magician complained, looking himself over with a sigh. "Why'd you have to do all that?!" He demanded of the girl, who walked over to the group with a beaming grin. "And what are you anyway…?"
The teenage girl opened her mouth and…well, it sounded like she was speaking. Yet all that came out were odd gurgling sounds. Again, it sounded like she was gargling water at the same time. Needless to say, the three had no idea what she was saying in the slightest.
"Uh, we can't…understand you." Sora interrupted, making the girl stop talking and look at him in surprise. "Sorry. But it seems like you can understand us somehow." To that, the girl nodded in confirmation. "That's weird…"
"She's an Inkling, that's what she was saying, amongst some thanks." GLaDOS piped up from Donald's pocket.
Goofy looked at his friend's shirt, tilting his head. "How do ya understand her, GLaDOS?"
There was a scoffing sound from Donald's pocket. "Just hearing a few words let me decipher the structure of her language. It's easy, really. Don't ask me what an Inkling is, though."
Well, the ink part of her species name made sense. She was a squid, at least some of the time, and fought with ink. "So, you can just translate for us, right?" Sora asked, glad the language barrier wasn't an issue.
"Oh, I can." GLaDOS responded. "I just don't want to. Have fun trying to understand her on your own."
Stomping a foot, Donald slapped his own pocket. He knew it didn't do anything to GLaDOS, but it felt cathartic. "You're awful!" The mage cried out, wishing he could just leave the A.I. in a trash can or something. The Inkling didn't seem amused either, huffing and saying something under her breath.
Sora really wished GLaDOS could just play nice for once. With a sigh, he shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry. I guess we won't be able to talk much. But since we have a chance, I'm Sora. And this is Donald and Goofy." He said, gesturing to his friends. "What's your name? Uh…I guess just say it and nothing else so we don't get confused…"
The Inkling didn't seem to mind Sora's request and understood it. She pointed at herself and said a single word. It was hard to decipher, and she repeated it again.
"W…Woomy? Is that what ya said?" Goofy asked, straining his ears to listen in closely.
To that, the teenage girl paused and seemed to contemplate. She shrugged and gave a nod. Apparently, it wasn't exactly right, but she deemed it close enough.
"Alright, Woomy it is! Thanks for helping us out back there. Don't worry, we won't just summon you to battle." Sora promised. "I can let you out to just enjoy being out of that weird stone."
Grinning wide, Woomy gave Sora a thumbs up. After that, she did something odd. She walked around Sora and looked him over from his shoes to his face. The Inkling hummed to herself in thought as she did so, even grabbing his necklace a bit to get a closer look. After that, she gave him another thumbs up.
"Huh…I think she likes your clothes, Sora!" Goofy observed, not even sure if he was right. As he spoke, Woomy did the same thing to him and gave him a thumbs up as well. "Huh! She likes mine too! Well thank ya, Woomy!"
Finally, she looked Donald over, flicking the zipper at the end of his hat, which bothered him. After she was done, she shook her head and gave him a thumbs down. "Hey! What's wrong with what I'm wearing?!" He demanded, but Woomy only laughed in response.
Without warning, Woomy seemed tired, hunching a bit as if drained of energy. "Oh…Dr. Orpheus said you could only come out for a little bit. I think it's time for you to go back to your stone." Sora said with an apologetic tone. Even though there was nothing he could do about it, he still felt guilty. "It was nice to meet you, and like I said, I'll summon you out to just relax later, okay?"
Despite her tiredness, Woomy gave Sora a beaming grin and reached out a hand to shake. Smiling back, the brunette gave her a firm handshake, and in an instant, she vanished in a flash of light. To everyone's relief, she somehow took all her ink with her.
"Thank goodness! That would've taken forever to get out!" Donald exclaimed. "Stupid Inkling…nothing wrong with my clothes…"
"Aw, I liked her! She seemed nice! Shame GLaDOS won't let us talk properly, though…" Goofy bemoaned. He didn't hate the A.I. like Donald did, but he sure wished she'd behave herself more…
"I did too. On the way to the next world, we can let her see the ship!" Sora suggested as the three made their way to the Second District, keeping their weapons handy just in case. It didn't seem like there was much else to do there, so they might as well leave.
As they went to the center of the Second District, three Soldiers appeared in front of them. More Heartless so soon? The three prepared for a quick fight when a figure appeared and in the single slash of some sort of sword, the three creatures were destroyed! The person stood up straight, smirking at the trio as a familiar voice rang out. "There you are! How's it going, Sora?"
The brunette didn't believe his eyes at first. Standing right there with his usual cocky grin was…
"Riku?!" Sora exclaimed, approaching his friend, and ignoring the unusual, sinister sword he was wielding. It was sharper than the Keyblade and even had reptilian eyes on either side of its hilt. "Is it really you? You're real, right?!" He blurted out, recalling how he kept seeing visions of Kairi. Granted, he never saw hallucinations of Riku. Without waiting for a response, he dropped the Keyblade and grabbed at Riku's cheeks, tugging at them to see if he was really real.
Sputtering in confusion, Riku shoved Sora's hands away. "Of course I'm real, what kind of question is that? Butt seriously, it took forever to find you, you know."
Letting out a sigh of relief, Sora felt like a massive weight was lifted from his shoulders. All this time he had been so worried and Riku and Kairi, but now they…wait…! Looking around, the younger teen quickly realized something. "Hey…where's Kairi…?" He just assumed if Riku was here, Kairi had to be as well.
"She's not with you?" Riku asked back, seeming concerned, his frown deepening as Sora hung his head and stared at the ground. "Well, it's fine. I'm sure she's somewhere safe too. We're finally free now, and I'm sure she's looking for us right now!" He exclaimed, gesturing to the town around them and turning his back to the group. "Just leave everything to me, I-"
Riku was interrupted at the sound of a blade striking. Turning around, he saw Sora destroying a Shadow Heartless, Keyblade practically shining in the town's light. Grinning a bit, Sora stood up straight and slung his weapon over his shoulder. "Everything to you, huh?" He asked coyly. Riku had always been the stronger of the two, but with the Keyblade and the spells he now knew, he was sure he was tougher than his rival! "I've been looking for you and Kairi all this time, with their help." At long last he gestured to his two new companions. "That's Donald and Goofy, we've been going to different worlds looking for you!"
Goofy waved to Riku, giving the teen a friendly smile. "Heya, Riku, nice to finally met ya! Sora's been awful worried about ya, ya know!"
"So worried he just now remembered we're here!" Donald said with a light scoff, but he was mostly joking. He could hardly blame Sora and Riku being so wrapped up in their reunion.
"Donald. Goofy. I guess that's how Sora's made it this far, huh?" Riku asked, his tone making it hard to tell if he was kidding or not.
"Naw! He's got the Keyblade! It chose him, ya know!" Goofy said, placing his hands on Sora's shoulders, almost like a proud father.
With a small laugh, Donald looked up at Sora. "Who would've guessed. It sure surprised me!"
Sora glared down at Donald, leaning down to get more at his level. "And what's that supposed to mean?!"
"So, this is a Keyblade?" Riku asked, causing Sora to turn back to him.
The older teen was casually holding the weapon in his hand, much to the shock of Sora. When Leon tried that, it just jumped back into his hand. Even at this moment, Sora tried to summon his Keyblade, but…?! Nothing happened! "Hey! Give that back!" He exclaimed, reaching for the weapon, but Riku held it out of his reach for a moment before relenting and tossing it back to him. Just what the heck was that all about?! "Hey, Riku, how-"
Before Sora could ask his question, a loud slam rang from behind them, like something huge hitting the ground. The small group turned to see that a massive Heartless appeared! Now just any Heartless, but another Guard Armor! "How about we take care of this guy first?" Riku asked, brandishing his blade as the other three got their weapons ready.
Before anyone could charge the Heartless, though, the creature did something odd. It slammed its hands onto the ground and leaned forward until it was ding a hand stand. Its feet clamped and became unusual claws as its head floated at the bottom of its normal body and its visor opened to reveal a black face with yellow eyes. So, it became Reverse Armor!
Making the first move, Reverse Armor floated in the air and charged the group, its four limbs spiraling wildly as a way to attack and defend itself. Sora, Donald, and Goofy ran out of the way, but Riku stood his ground. With a yell of effort, the white-haired teen used his sword to parry one of the arms that flew at him and sent it flying into the air! The arm flew off to the top of a tall building, hitting a large bell placed there. When the bell rang from the impact, a nearby mural spun around, though no one noticed this.
Except for GLaDOS, that was, whose sensors let her pick up everything going on in the immediate vicinity.
Reverse Armor stopped and turned around as the four regrouped. Going on the offensive again, the Heartless stuck the fingers of its old hands out, the pointed spikes a clear danger. It made the hands slam up and down into the ground, the sharp ends making holes in the concrete. At the same time, its old feet-turned-hands clamped open and shut as they homed in on the group.
Sora and Donald used magic together, sending a volley of Fire spells at the clamping hands, though little damage was being done. Riku charged at the spiky feet and slashed at them with his sword, shockingly destroying each of them in a single blow! Goofy hurled his shield at Reverse Armor's head like a discus, but the attack missed and happened to hit the bell, the ringing of which caused the mural to spin once more. Luckily, the shield bounced off the bell and hit the massive Heartless on the back of the head, stunning it for a moment.
This allowed Donald to get a god Gravity spell in on the remaining two limbs, sending them down to the ground. Sora followed this up with two Blizzard spells to freeze the limbs solid before he smashed them to pieces with the Keyblade.
With only its head and torso left, Reverse Armor floated up into the air, its body turning to face the group wide-end first. Energy started to glow as it prepared for a new attack! The four scattered as it launched a large ball of darkness that exploded when it hit the ground. Unfortunately, Donald was a bit too slow and got hit by the blast, sending him flying into the nearby wall where he went limp upon hitting the ground, moaning out in pain. Normally, that explosion would've done far more damage to the duck, but apparently Dr. Orpheus' partial protection truly worked!
Sora and Riku looked at each other and silently game up with their next move. As the energy attack charged up again, the teens ran towards the Heartless and leapt at it, slashing across its torso in an 'X' pattern! Turning around in midair, Sora slammed his Keyblade against the Heartless' head, sending it flying. As its torso fell apart, its head happened to hit the bell a third time, causing the mural to spin around yet again. This impact with the bell caused the head to fall to the ground where it vanished in a dark mist along with the remnants of the rest of its body.
Landing on the ground, Sora panted as he looked up at the bell. "We really made quick work of him, huh Ri-" He turned to his friend to see he was gone. "Riku…?" Looking around, he saw no signs of the older teen, only Donald and Goofy, the latter kneeling by the former. "Goofy, where did Riku go?"
"What? He disappeared?" Goofy asked, looking around to with no avail. "Well, sorry Sora, I was a bit preoccupied with Donald here…"
"Oh! Wait, what Merlon said…" Sora approached Donald and pointed his Keyblade at the duck. Taking a deep breath, he focused on helping his friend, and a warm sensation went through the brunette as Donald was enveloped in a green light! A Cure spell!
Getting to his feet, Donald let out a breath of relief. "Didn't think you'd get that working so fast!" He exclaimed, looking around. "Hey, where did Riku go…?" In his injured state, he hadn't noticed what Sora and Goofy had just said.
"I don't know, he just vanished, but…I think it's okay. I know he's safe now, and he's probably just looking for Kairi!" Sora had seen Riku was more than capable of taking care of himself, after all. As happy as that made him, a bit of jealousy was there too. Riku was older than him, and was always stronger, faster, smarter, and even taller than Sora was. He just wanted to be the better one for once, but it seemed Riku was still stronger than him! Heck, Riku got by on his own, but Sora had to rely on Donald, Goofy, and even GLaDOS at times…
Sora's thoughts were interrupted as GLaDOS spoke up. "I think you'd like to know I now sense a Keyhole here." She said from Donald's pocket. "Odd. I only just now was able to do so…it's at that mural, which kept spinning during the fight."
"Mural…?" Sora murmured, but then saw she was right! There was a mural nearby, and as if prompted by the A.I., a Keyhole suddenly appeared on it! "Leon did say even this world had a Keyhole…" Wasting no time, the brunette approached and once more used his Keyblade to lock it. Maybe with the Keyhole sealed, Heartless wouldn't bother much with this world anymore…?
As he pondered this, Sora saw Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, and even Cid approaching. "What was all that commotion?" The blonde man asked. "And was that a Keyhole I just saw?"
"It sure was! It's all sealed away! Had to fight a big ol' Heartless first." Goofy explained as he and Donald joined Sora. "We even found one of Sora's friends, Riku! He kinda ran off, but he's tough!"
"Hey! Glad to hear! Not everyone is lucky enough to have friends or family show up here." Yuffie said, crossing her arms. "Cid's the one that got the four of us here like this…"
"That reminds me!" Cid exclaimed. "You guys ever hear of Dio Brando? I heard he's in town." When the three shook their heads, he huffed. "Man's dangerous. Believe it or not, he's a vampire! Can't go out in the sun or anything!" As he said this, he glanced up at the night sky, which seemed permanent within Traverse Town. "If you're thinking about going after him…don't. Like I said, he's dangerous, and chances are he'll slip away at the first sign of trouble…"
Aerith sighed. "He's been using the Heartless for years. It's because of him that they keep spreading, even to here, and it's why our world vanished."
"Nine years ago, that's when it happened." Leon added, sounding unusually guilty, as if it were somehow his fault as well.
"He sounds like really bad news…which we could've warned Riku about him…" Sora murmured. He never did learn who the blonde man that Riku met was that The Oracle mentioned. At this point it really didn't matter, and the teen just assumed it was someone from Traverse Town aside from Cid. Despite the man's warning, he wanted to go after this Dio guy, but this place was huge, and it wasn't like he knew where to start looking or what Dio even looked like!
"If we had the reports of Ansem, that'd really help. He was the one that ruled over our world, benevolently." Leon explained.
"They were probably destroyed when our world was. He studied Heartless for a long time, so if anyone knew how to stop them, it'd be him." Aerith elaborated further.
As the conversation took place, two figures watched from a rooftop. They were far enough away that even GLaDOS had no idea they were there. One was a tall, blonde man with three moles on his left ear. The other was a teenager with white hair. Dio Brando made a tsking noise as he watched the group. "See that, Riku? All the new friends he's made? He's all but forgotten you. The first thing he did was jump in a rocket ship and explore the stars. I'm sure he knew full well that most of those whose worlds vanish end up here, but he didn't stick around. What does that tell you?"
Riku stared at Sora, hands clenching into fists at his sides. "It tells me enough." The teenager answered simply yet saying everything he needed to.
"He won't even take the risks you have to get what you want." Dio added on, grinning wickedly while Riku was looking away. "I promise I'll help you get what you want! I see a great deal of potential in you, and you even remind me of myself at your age…"
"…By the way…" Cid said, seeming to have just remembered something. "..I know you wouldn't mind, but I installed a new gummi onto your ship. It's a Warp Gummi, and it lets you instantly jump from world to world. Unfortunately, this type can only go to ones you've visited, so you can't just beam around the Universe as you want."
"Still sounds helpful!" Donald pointed out. "If we ever need to come back here, we can do it a loot easier!" Not that going back here did too much to help them on their journey…
Cid chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Also, the weirdest thing happened. Tali's suit started to mess up, almost turned off entirely. She can't even leave that thing, you know? Can't handle germs. Apparently doors and windows all across town slammed open and shut while lights malfunctioned. You guys know what happened?"
"Oh, that was Merlon's friend, Dr. Orpheus. It was just a spell he was casting…uh…he sort of promised it wouldn't happen again…" Sora said, feeling bad. It wasn't his fault, but he was still sort of involved, so…
"Anyway, we've got to get back to our posts. Sorry we couldn't help more, but if you keep sealing Keyholes and helping people, you should find the answers to all our problems." Leon all but promised. "Good luck to you guys."
With that, the two groups said their goodbyes as the quartet went off back to their posts and shop. Sora, Donald, and Goofy went back to the First District as well. "Guess we should tell Nick about Riku. Won't want him to waste his time." Sora suggested, still feeling bummed that Kairi wasn't with him. If she were anywhere in Traverse Town, Riku should've found her! He remembered how Moguro suggested both his friends were elsewhere, but that had just been a guess on his part…
"Good idea! Then we should get goin'! With Cid's warp thingy, we can just jump back to Kenshiro's world and be on our way!"
With their route planned, the three made their way to Nick's detective building and saw the Synth leaning against the wall near the door. He looked out of sorts, like he was ready to fall over. "Nick, you feeling okay?" Sora asked, feeling like it'd be best not to explain what happened. After all, he still sort of felt guilty over Dr. Orpheus' actions.
"Huh? Oh, hey, Sora." Nick greeted, standing up a bit straighter. "Just feeling a bit off. Something weird happened earlier, lots of doors and windows flying open and a bunch of electronics acting out of sorts…including yours truly…"
"Sorry to hear that, but I do have some good news, at least." The brunette replied, glad that Donald and Goofy were keeping their mouths shut too. "I ran into Riku just a bit ago and he's okay, so you don't need to worry about finding him."
Smiling a bit, Nick seemed to quickly be improving as he even stopped using the wall for support. "Hey, that's great! I'll let the Lieutenant know when he gets back. Since I wasn't feeling well, he went off on his own. If you'll excuse me, I have some paperwork to clean up. I was only out here asking people what went on earlier, but no one seems to know. I guess it's over now, at least…" With that, he ducked back into his building, leaving the trio to head towards the hangar.
Yet as they got near, a voice familiar only to Sora rang out. "Ah! Young man! Sora! Fancy seeing you again!"
Stopping, the three saw an unusual man that the teen instantly recognized. His squat stature, his business suit, and most notably the massive, seemingly permanent grin on his face. "Moguro? I didn't see you there!" Sora exclaimed before turning to his friends. "Donald, Goofy, this is Moguro. He helped me out of some trouble when I first got here."
The salesman got up and approached Donald and Goofy, handing each of them his card. "I am Moguro Fukuzou, and I aid with people's hearts. You can just call me Moguro, though."
Donald and Goofy eyed the cards, both sort of weirded out by the writing, but pocketed them to be polite. "Well, a friend of Sora's is a friend of ours!" Goofy exclaimed. "We appreciate ya helpin' Sora out before!"
"How could you help out anyway? Did you save him from a Heartless or something?" Donald asked, squinting at the salesman who was only about as tall as he was.
Moguro didn't seem to mind Donald's rudeness, even letting out a small chuckle. "Oh, just a single, tiny one." He humbly clarified. "It was really no big deal. It's good to know he made new friends, however. But what about those other friends? Riku and Kairi?"
"Oh, I actually just ran into Riku. And the detectives here are going to look for Kairi. Donald and Goofy are taking me to other worlds to look there." Sora explained.
"Excellent! At least you've accomplished part of your goals! And don't worry about Kairi, she's right there in your heart!" Moguro stated, tapping Sora's chest for a brief moment.
It was hard not to worry, but Moguro was right. She was right there in his heart, just like all his friends were. As hard as it was sometimes, he had to keep hoping he'd find her. "Thanks, Moguro. I hate to cut this short, but we really have to be going! Hope to see you again if we drop by here again!" He was happy to catch up more, but after finding Riku, he was more determined than ever to find Kairi and wanted to leave right away!
Moguro watched as Sora, Donald, and Goofy went into the hangar, the teen waving the salesman off as the door closed. Humming to himself, the smiling salesman walked off into the district. "I told him exactly where to find his friend, but he just didn't listen to me. Oh well, I'm sure he'll find the answer sooner or later!" With that, he belted out a hearty laughter into the night…
Once more, Dio and his allies watched Sora's actions in a far off world. "Even a world like that had a Keyhole? Why didn't you do anything when you were right there, Dio?" The man in the black armor asked.
"I don't see him as a threat." Dio replied simply, not seeming to care much for Shin's death. Kenshiro did a lot of the heavy lifting there anyway. "That, and I feel Riku isn't quite at the stage where he's ready to watch his friend die. He's too useful to drive off in such a way." The teenager in question was off in his own room, far away from the meeting.
"How? He doesn't have the Keyblade…but he does seem about as strong as the brat." The man with the golden hook pointed out.
"Probably because he'll use the darkness like us. The kid with the Keyblade would never do such a thing!" Guessed the man in the purple suit.
The green, stout woman of the group cackled. "How quickly he turned on his friend! Their bond looks too broken to mend!"
Dio shrugged lightly. "I sense a great deal of potential in Riku. Trust me, he'll be a valuable ally down the road. I don't allow those that are worthless to aid in this plan. He'll do absolutely anything to aid his poor friend Kairi, trust me…"
To study the Heartless behavior, I picked one out for observation. It wiggled its antennae and, as if sensing a target, headed deep into the castle. In the deepest part of the castle, its antennae began vibrating, as if searching for something. Suddenly, a strange door appeared. I'd never known of its existence.
It had a large Keyhole but didn't seem to be locked. So, I opened the door. What I saw on the other side mystified me. What was that powerful mass of energy? That night I observed a great meteor shower in the sky. Could it be related to the door that I have opened?
A/N: One thing that probably stands out is no mention of any sort of 100 Acre Wood equivalent, and that's because there won't be one. Since in the actual games, Deep Jungle had to be cut for Chain of Memories, I decided to just have one less world in this story than what was in the game. This will be the only time the number of worlds between game and story are different, that I'll say right now. It would've just been a normal world out in space rather than in a storybook or something similar since I wouldn't even know what to use instead.
I honestly wonder how I did with Dr. Orpheus. I'm in this odd state where I feel like I both made him too hammy or not hammy enough. I normally wouldn't have a character talk with so many caps locked words or bolded letters, but I'm making an exception here. As for the Inkling Girl or "Woomy" I don't really know why, but it felt weird to have her actually speak in a way everyone could understand. Just didn't seem right to me. Her first appearance was pretty brief, but Summons were hardly a big part of the games anyway. And the reason she didn't participate in the boss fight and instead just generic enemies was as not to make it a big five vs. one deal.
I actually took Riku helping in the Reverse Armor fight out of the official novel of the game, which is a real thing I assure you. Made it so I switched a few scenes around, but I think it worked out okay. Once more, a brief boss fight due to outnumbering the Heartless so much, and it was a nice way to show how much stronger the group had gotten. No reason Reverse Armor should really be any stronger than Guard Armor. I have noticed there's been an excuse so far for most boss fights to make them short, but I swear it's a total coincidence. The next boss fight, at least one that's the last of its world, should break this cycle.