CHAPTER 2

TRAVERSE TOWN

encounter

THE TOWN ALWAYS GREETED EVERYONE WARMLY.

This was Traverse Town. It was full of people who had nowhere else to go, who had lost their homes to those strange events. Donald, Goofy, Jiminy, and Pluto had just arrived in the Gummi Ship. The man the king had mentioned in his letter, the one who knew about the “key,” was supposed to be here somewhere.

Donald took the lead, his webbed feet smacking on the cobblestones.

“Y’know, maybe we better find Leon…,” said Goofy, following behind. Pluto brought up the rear. “D’you think this is a big city?”

“How should I know?”

Goofy made a tiny sigh and looked up at the night sky. It looked pretty much the same here as it did from Disney Castle, which made him feel just a little bit better. What with the stars going out, and the king disappearing, and this “key”… Well, there sure was a lot Goofy didn’t know and a lot that made him uneasy.

There was one star sparkling more brightly than the others. What kind of star could it be…?

Just as Goofy thought that, it happened.

“Donald…!”

Donald looked up to where Goofy was pointing.

“Look, a star’s goin’ out!”

The star’s light sputtered and vanished.

“They really are goin’ out…”

Goofy had heard of it in the castle, but this was the first time he’d seen it happen. It was the kind of thing you couldn’t really believe until you saw it yourself. He thought of what the king had said in the letter. “Big trouble’s brewin’.”

And it was really true—the stars were going out. That couldn’t mean anything good.

Donald and Goofy exchanged glances and started walking faster through town.

“C’mon, Pluto!” Goofy called.

But Pluto was busy sniffing around. He followed a scent into a back alley. There was hardly any light, but Pluto kept tracking farther in.

In that dim alley, lit only by faint moonlight, there was a boy sprawled on the ground. Pluto trotted up to the boy, tail wagging, and licked him on the nose.

Sora groaned and opened his eyes. What came into focus wasn’t the sea or the sky of Destiny Island, but a place he’d never seen before—and a dog.

“What a dream…”

Right. This place has to be a dream. I’ve never seen anything that isn’t our bright sunny island.

He began drifting off again, and Pluto jumped on his stomach.

“Oof! …This isn’t a dream!”

Sora stood up, rubbing his eyes, and looked around. He was still in the same totally unfamiliar scene. The night sky spread out above like it did over Destiny Island, but it looked a little hazier than the one he remembered.

“Oh, boy…” Sora helplessly turned to the dog. “Hey, do you know where we are?”

The dog wagged his tail and scampered away.

“Hey, wait!”

Sora began to chase the dog, but he must have run down another alley, and Sora couldn’t see him anymore. He came to a wide-open spot like a town square and looked around again.

There were lots of people here, after all, going to and fro through the square.

“This is weird… Am I in another world?”

It felt like he’d gotten lost in a fairy tale. There was nothing like this in the Destiny Islands—a town square laid with cobblestones and lit by lanterns.

So after he was sucked into that sphere, somehow he’d made it to another world?

But what about the island? And Riku and Kairi?

Where the heck am I…? he thought.

Just then the Keyblade gleamed in his hand.

He couldn’t do anything to those shadowy things with a wooden sword, but he could beat them with the Keyblade. He told himself that. Maybe he’d be okay.

“Well, I dunno. Maybe someone— Wait, what’s that?”

Sora tried talking to the funny-looking creature in the middle of the square. “Um, where am I?”

“Kupo?”

The funny-looking creature with a red pom-pom sprouting from its head looked up at him.

“I’m Sora. I just woke up here…”

“I’m Kupo the Moogle, kupo.”

So Kupo was its name, and Moogle was its species…if Sora was making that out correctly.

“Shadows destroyed my home. I’ve got nowhere to go, kupo…”

“There were shadows after you, too?”

“Sure were, kupo.” The pom-pom swayed as Kupo hung his head.

“Wow…” So it wasn’t just the Destiny Islands.

Kupo didn’t seem to want to talk anymore, so Sora walked away.

“New around here?” an older woman said to him.

“Where am I?” Sora asked again.

“This is a place where people end up when they have nowhere else to call home… Traverse Town.”

“I’m from Destiny Island. What about you?”

The woman just smiled sadly. “You shouldn’t ask people that here. We all have painful memories.”

“Then the shadows got your—”

“Don’t ask such rude questions…,” she said with sorrow in her eyes. “Now, maybe the owner of the accessories store can tell you what you want to know.” She pointed to a store up some steps from the square.

“Okay. Thanks!” Sora ran across the square and leaped up the steps.

In the sky up above, another star went out.

“Hey there, how can I… Aw, it’s only a kid.”

The man who came up to the counter had goggles on his head, a cigarette hanging from his lip, and a bellyband over his T-shirt—a middle-aged man, hardly the sort of person Sora would have expected to find running the Accessory Shop.

“I’m not a kid! And the name’s Sora!” he shot back, posing with the Keyblade.

“Okay, okay, simmer down. So what’s up, Sora? Need a present for a girlfriend?”

“That’s not it!” Sora pouted at the teasing.

“You lost, then?”

“No! Well, maybe. I mean, I just woke up here…”

The man folded his arms and rumbled, “Okay, why don’t you start at the beginning, Sora.”

“Umm, well, I came from a place called Destiny Island…”

Sora told him everything—about the island, the shadows, Kairi and Riku. Now that someone was really listening to him, he felt a little better.

“Uh-huh, I see…”

When Sora finished, the man fell quiet, looking pensive.

“So, gramps, is this really another world?”

“Don’t call me gramps! The name’s Cid!”

“Okay…Cid. So this is another world, isn’t it?” Sora said, staring at him closely.

“Not sure what you’re talkin’ about, but this sure ain’t your island.”

He hadn’t left the island the way they’d planned. But there was no doubt now. He was in another world. So where could Kairi and Riku have ended up?

And everyone else on the islands?

“Yeah… Hey, Cid. Do you think Kairi and Riku are here, too?”

“Hmm. Couldn’t tell ya.” Cid frowned.

“I’d better start looking for them.”

With that Sora sounded more determined, and Cid gave him a brash grin in return. “Well, good luck with whatever it is you’re doing. If you ever run into trouble, you come to me. I’ll look out for you.”

“Thanks!”

Holding tight to the Keyblade, Sora nodded and rushed out of the shop. Cid rested his elbows on the counter and stretched over to make sure that Sora shut the door behind him.

“…The Keyblade… So that’s the ‘key’ thing, huh…,” he mumbled to himself. “Maybe I better tell Leon…”

“It sure would be nice if they were here somewhere…”

Sora ran through the town. From what the people who lived here told him, it was a pretty big place. The part where he woke up was the First District. Beyond that was the Second District, and then the Third District. And if there were lots of other worlds that had been swallowed up like the Destiny Islands, there must have been more worlds like Traverse Town that were still safe from the shadows. So that meant Kairi and Riku might be in other different worlds, Sora thought with a sigh.

He ran up streets and down alleys and emerged in front of a big door.

“Hey, you look like you’re new,” said a boy who came through the door. “It’s kinda dangerous through there. Be careful.”

“Dangerous?” said Sora. Had the other boy come from a world that got swallowed up by the shadows, too? From what he’d seen of the First District, this town definitely didn’t seem all that dangerous.

“Go see for yourself. There sure have been a lot of newcomers today, though… Did the shadows take over another world?”

Sora missed the question. “Newcomers… You mean, there are people besides me who showed up here today?”

“Yeah, looks like. I saw a couple in the Second District through this door. Kind of a weird-looking pair…”

“Thanks!”

“Hey, be careful!”

Maybe it was Kairi and Riku… Hope swelling up in his chest, Sora opened the door to the Second District. On the other side was a narrow street.

“Kairi! Riku!” he shouted. No one answered. He kept walking, a little let down. Right in front of him a man turned a corner and fell over.

“Whoa! Are you okay?!” Sora went to help him, but the man’s chest began to glow with red light. A glittering heart-shaped thing floated up and was sucked into a small shadowy orb that appeared in the air.

Was that…the same sort of shadowy orb he’d seen on the island?!

Without thinking, Sora held the Keyblade out ready to fight. The orb took on a humanoid shape for an instant, then disappeared. And then a little black monster came up out of the ground.

“These things were on the island…!” It was the same as the little shadowy things he’d fought off before. “They’re here, too?!”

They appeared one after another, and they were all coming for Sora.

He brought the glowing Keyblade down on them, and after one or two blows, they disappeared.

“There’s no end to ’em!” More and more little shadowy creatures came, and Sora ran through the Second District square, striking them down as he went.

Donald and Goofy were in the Second District hotel.

“Doesn’t look like there’s anybody here,” said Goofy, opening the front door. It certainly did seem lonesome.

“Leee-on!” Donald called as he left the hotel.

“Wonder where he could be?” Goofy looked this way and that, then squinted, looking out at the Second District square. “Huh.”

“What now, Goofy?”

“I thought I just saw someone go by.”

“Quack?” Donald stared out toward the square, but didn’t see anyone. “Are you seeing ghosts?”

“Gawrsh, maybe…”

Sora hurtled down another street to avoid more shadows and caught his breath. Nobody would be able to handle that many. He stretched his arms and took a deep breath. To win, you have to start with a clear head. Then you can outwit your opponent. That’s what Wakka always said.

I’m okay. I won’t lose.

And Sora opened the door to the Third District.

Donald and Goofy glanced every which way as they walked through the alleys of the Second District.

“Guess there’s nobody here after all,” Goofy said, sounding spooked.

“Aw, don’t be such a fraidycat. And you call yourself captain of the royal knights! …Wak?!”

Something poked Donald in the back. He jumped high in the air and came down clinging to Goofy.

“Excuse me. Are you friends of the king…?”

Standing behind them was a smiling young lady in a pink dress.

“Gawrsh, you know the king?!”

“Oh yes,” she replied brightly.

“Careful, Goofy. It could be a trick!” Donald brandished his magic wand.

“But she looks way too nice to be trouble,” said Goofy.

“How do you know?” Donald was still inching back.

Confused, Goofy looked from him to the girl. Her long brown braid swayed, and she looked a little worried, then she smiled again.

“You must be looking for Leon, right?”

“…Leon?!”

Hearing that name, Donald and Goofy both sprang up.

“The king already contacted him. Let’s go—it’s not very safe out here.”

“Gawrsh, er… What should we do, Donald?”

“What’s the matter with you? She looks way too nice to be trouble!”

The girl looked back and laughed. “So you two are Donald and Goofy. I’m Aerith. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I guess they’re not here…”

After running around the Third District, Sora came back to the Second District and stood in front of the fountain, looking up at the night sky.

That pair of newcomers the other boy had mentioned probably weren’t Kairi and Riku after all…

Somehow, he got the feeling that he’d meet someone here in this town. But after all this searching, he still hadn’t found Riku or Kairi.

“What do I do now…?”

Then Sora remembered what Cid at the Accessory Shop had told him. He could go there if he was ever in trouble. But just as he was thinking about it, more black shadows came up out of the ground.

“These things just won’t go away…!” Sora ran at them with the Keyblade ready. It felt like he was getting better at using it.

“I just know I’ll find them.”

He took down the shadows and hurried back to the First District.

“Hey there, how… Oh, it’s just Sora.”

“What d’you mean, just me?” It wasn’t unlike their exchange when Sora had first walked into the Accessory Shop, but this time instead of dashing up to the counter, he plodded.

“Still can’t find your buddies, huh?”

“No…” Cid sure did seem to read him easily, Sora thought. “…But I keep feeling like I’ll find somebody here!”

“Hmm…” Cid stroked the stubble on his chin. “Well then, you don’t wanna give up now. Why don’t ya take another look around town?”

“I guess you’re right…”

Cid gave him a grin and a thumbs-up. “’Course I am.”

“Okay. I’ll look some more!”

“There ya go. Good thing you got plenty of energy, kid.”

“I’m not a kid!”

Feeling more encouraged, Sora ran out of the shop again.

Then he heard another man’s voice. “They’ll come at you out of nowhere.”

“Who’s there?!” Sora jumped down the steps in front of the shop and turned with the Keyblade ready to face the man behind him.

“And they’ll keep coming at you…as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade.” The man had a strange kind of sword across his back, a huge gun with a blade at the end of it. His long hair fluttered in the night breeze, and a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Then he let out a sigh, his shoulders drooping. The breeze moved his hair aside, revealing a big scar on his face. “But why would it choose a kid like you?”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Never mind. Now, let me see that Keyblade.”

The man came closer. Sora shifted, ready to fight. “What? There’s no way you’re getting this!”

He smiled coldly. “…All right, then, we’ll have to do this the hard way.”

He took out the strange sword—the Gunblade—and lunged straight for Sora. A chain attached to the barrel jingled. At the end of it was a silver charm in the shape of a lion’s head, gleaming in the moonlight.

“I knew it! You’re with them!” Sora yelled.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” The man closed in and attacked Sora with a ferocious blow.

Sora barely managed to block with the Keyblade, but it almost seemed like the force might break it. He was stronger than anyone Sora had fought before. Stronger than Wakka or Tidus or Riku.

“You’re not bad,” the man remarked, smiling and leaping back. From just that one attack, Sora was out of breath.

Maybe he was no match for someone like this…

“So, how about this?” The Gunblade came at him from the side. Sora dodged by a hair’s breadth, nearly defeated by the man’s speed. His invincible smirk made Sora feel like he was being toyed with.

“I’m not done yet!”

This time the Gunblade rained down blows from above. Clang! Clang! Sora could feel the impact right through the Keyblade, all the way in his bones.

Groaning, he jumped back, dodging again, and then rushed in to attack. “Hyaaaah!”

He attacked upward, from below, and he definitely made contact. But…

“You really aren’t done, huh?”

A blow came down hard onto Sora’s head, knocking him back, and then he wasn’t sure what happened. But it felt like he was thrown into the air for a long time, and he could see the night sky drifting peacefully above.

He fell flat on his back and his head met the cobblestones with a thump. Everything went dark.

“Whew…” The man shouldered his Gunblade. From behind him, he heard someone applauding.

“We lucked out finding it here, huh, Leon?”

He turned and a black-haired girl was standing there. She shrugged and grinned. With the giant shuriken strapped to her back, she looked like a fighter, too.

“Cid told me,” he said.

“Hmm.”

She ran up to Sora and knelt down to gently touch his head. For someone who’d lost a fight, the kid looked pretty comfortable, his eyes closed as if he was just napping. “Looks like he’s not hurt too badly.”

“Of course he isn’t. I did go easy on him.” Leon put the Gunblade away and picked up Sora to carry him on one shoulder.

His head was spinning. And it hurt a little, too. Huh, what was just happening…?

“Come on, you lazy bum. Wake up.”

It was Kairi’s voice. Sora regained consciousness, and Kairi was staring into his face, looking worried.

Finally…!

“You okay?”

“I guess…” He sat up slowly, hazily trying to focus on Kairi. Was he dreaming?

“Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade. But it’s your heart they really want, because you wield the Keyblade.”

“I’m so glad you’re okay, Kairi…” Sora sighed in relief. Now they just had to find Riku…

“Kairi? Who’s that? I’m the great ninja Yuffie!”

“Huh?”

Sora looked closer at the girl in front of him. Her hair did look like Kairi’s, except that it wasn’t the same color, and her face was different, too.

Yuffie turned to the man standing behind her. “I think you might’ve overdone it, Squall.”

“That’s Leon.”

It was the man Sora had fought in the square. He stiffened. “You’re…”

“We’re not bad guys. Take a look around,” Leon said reassuringly.

“Where…”

It looked like they were in a room in the hotel he’d seen in the Second District. The bed Sora had just woken up in was nice and soft, and next to him there was a cool, damp towel they must have been using to ice his head. The Keyblade rested against the wall.

“We had to get the Keyblade away from you to shake off those creatures,” said Yuffie. “It turns out that’s how they were tracking you.”

“It was the only way to conceal your heart from them,” Leon went on.

Conceal his heart…? Sora looked up at him.

“Once you lost consciousness, they lost track of your heart. But it won’t work for long. Still hard to believe…that you of all people are the chosen one.” Leon picked up the Keyblade and swung it through the air. It sparkled and vanished from Leon’s hand, then reappeared in Sora’s. “Well, I suppose beggars can’t be choosers.”

“None of this is making any sense!” Sora complained. “What’s going on here?”

Leon and Yuffie looked at each other.

Back in another room at the hotel, Donald and Goofy listened to Aerith, patient and serious. When they’d come looking for Leon before, there hadn’t been anyone here, but now they could hear people in the next room, too.

“Okay, you know there are many other worlds besides this town and your castle, right?”

“Yup!” Goofy nodded. “But they’re s’posed to be a secret.”

“That’s right—they’ve been secret because they’ve never been connected. Until now.” Aerith looked down sadly. “When the Heartless came…everything changed.”

“The Heartless?” said Donald.

“Maybe you haven’t seen any yet. Dark, shadowy creatures… Those are the Heartless.” She stood restlessly.

“Do they look like ghosts?!”

“Yes. They’re like ghosts that live in the darkness.” Pacing slowly, she paused in front of the window and looked out at the city lights. “The darkness in people’s hearts—that’s what attracts them. And there’s darkness within every heart…”

“Well, not ours!” said Donald, hopping to his feet.

Aerith shook her head. “Even a little fear is enough to turn a heart to darkness. Sometimes.” She looked as if she’d remembered something painful—then she smiled, as if to shake off her own darkness. “Have you heard of a man called Ansem?”

“Ansem…?” Goofy cocked his head and exchanged glances with Donald. Neither of them had heard a name like that.

“He was studying the Heartless. He recorded all of his findings in a very detailed report.”

“Gawrsh, er, can we see it?” Goofy held out his hand, but Aerith shook her head.

“The pages are scattered everywhere.”

“Scattered?” said Donald.

“Across many worlds.” Aerith sat down on the bed again.

“So these Heartless things came… Then the worlds were connected… And the stars started going out… And there’s a report about the Heartless… And the king left…,” Donald thought aloud. “So…?”

Goofy pounded a fist into his other palm. “Oh, then maybe the king went…!”

“To find the report. Yes, that’s what I was thinking, too,” said Aerith.

“We’ve gotta find him, quick!” Goofy tapped Donald on the back as if they had to hurry right away.

Donald stood fast with his arms folded. “But don’t we need that key first?” he asked Aerith.

“That’s right. The Keyblade.” Aerith looked toward the neighboring room.

“So…this is the key?” Sora held up the Keyblade, staring at it.

“Exactly!” Yuffie nodded.

“The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade,” said Leon. “That’s why they’ll keep coming after you no matter what.”

“Well, I didn’t ask for this,” Sora protested.

“The Keyblade chooses its master. And it chose you!” Yuffie poked the Keyblade.

Leon gave them a cynical smile. “So, tough luck.”

“Tough luck? C’mon… I mean, how did all this happen? I remember being in my room…” Then Sora gasped and leaped to his feet, looking at them frantically. “Wait a minute! What happened to my home? My island? Riku! Kairi!”

Leon only shook his head.

“But…!”

“Calm down. There’s still more to explain.” Leon quieted him with a look.

Somehow feeling like he had to listen to Leon, Sora sat down again. But his heart was still racing.

Kairi, Riku… Our island…

What could have happened to them?

“Did you see a large door open?” Leon asked.

“…Yeah, I did.”

That big white door, and then… But there must have been a door before that.

“Each world has a Keyhole. And each Keyhole is connected to the heart of that world.”

“The heart of a world…?”

“No one knows what the heart of a world looks like yet. But the Heartless come in search of the Keyholes.” Leon pushed his hair back and glanced toward the neighboring room.

“The Heartless enter through the Keyhole and do something to the world’s core,” said Yuffie, peering closely at Sora and poking at the Keyblade.

“And then what happens?” Sora asked.

“Darkness comes out from the Keyhole. And then the world disappears.”

“What?!” Sora jumped up again, staring at the other two. That great big door. And the darkness that poured forth from it. The collapsing island… “Like our world did?”

“That’s right,” Leon said gravely. “That’s why you have to lock the Keyholes.”

Sora weakly shook his head. “But I have to find Kairi and Riku…”

“The worlds that are destroyed get scattered across other worlds,” Yuffie told him gently. “So, while you’re visiting other worlds, maybe you’ll find your friends.”

At that Sora looked up.

“Maybe. There’s still a lot we don’t know,” said Leon.

“Okay… So I have to lock these worlds, right? But how do I get to…”

Sora trailed off. They felt a strange presence.

“Leon!” Yuffie pointed at the corner. A shadow had appeared there—a Heartless.

“Yuffie, go!” Leon shouted. She took the shuriken from her back and dashed out to the neighboring room. Sora sat there bewildered. “Let’s go, Sora!”

“But—!”

“The Heartless have sniffed you out. The darkness in your heart… in the heart of the Keyblade wielder!”

“Darkness—?”

“Sora, stay with me!”

One after another, Leon destroyed the Heartless that came for Sora. But Sora wasn’t moving—he couldn’t.

The Keyblade was shining in his hand.

Worlds were disappearing. Worlds had already disappeared—like Destiny Island.

And his friends were gone. Kairi and Riku.

I have to do this, he thought.

“SORA!”

“Right!” Finally he stood up, holding tight to the Keyblade.

“Take this!” Leon swung his Gunblade and sent the Heartless flying. The window shattered, and Leon simply leaped through it to the outside. Sora followed and landed after him. The alleyway behind the hotel was swarming with Heartless. No matter how many they defeated, more appeared.

“Don’t bother with the small fry,” said Leon. “We have to find the leader! Let’s go!” He ran with Sora close on his heels.

“So, that’s how it is…”

“Sounds like we really need that key,” said Donald, and just then there was a commotion from the next room.

The door flew open and a black-haired girl came running in. “Aerith!”

“…Yuffie?!” Aerith stood up from the bed.

“The Heartless are here! It’s not safe in here anymore!” Yuffie shouted, attacking the Heartless that were coming in from the other room.

“Gawrsh, are these the Heartless guys?” said Goofy, hunkering behind his shield.

“That’s right!” Yuffie replied.

“Let’s go get ’em, Goofy!” Donald readied his wand, and then—

“Look out!”

Heartless flew into the room and slammed themselves into Donald and Goofy.

“Wak?!” Knocked back, they crashed through the window and out into empty air.

“Gawawawawawawaaaaaaak!”

“A-hyooooooooohooohooohooooo!!”

Their howls echoed through the city.

Hearing some odd shrieks from overhead, Sora looked up, but just a moment too late.

“Waaak!”

“Ahweee!”

“Oof…”

Donald landed tailfirst on top of Sora, and Goofy crashed headfirst on top of them.

“What just happened…,” Sora mumbled, still holding on to the Keyblade even while being smooshed.

Two voices chorused from on top of him, “The key!”

And then something strange came over the Second District.

“Wh-what’s going on?!”

The three got up nearly all at once and readied their weapons—Sora with his Keyblade, Donald with his wand, and Goofy with his shield. With a roaring rumble, stone walls rose up out of the ground, trapping them in the Second District square.

And then Heartless after Heartless sprang up and headed straight for them.

“Here they come!” Sora shouted.

They had no choice but to fight.

“Lemme at ’em! Fire!”

“Here goes!”

Flames burst from Donald’s wand and Goofy rushed the Heartless.

Not to be outdone, Sora leaped into a swarm of Heartless. There were more than a few, but he was pretty sure that three could handle it.

“Hey, not bad!” he called.

“Well, I am the royal magician, y’know!” Donald shot back.

“Here come some more!” Goofy told them.

Sora knocked a Heartless back and Donald finished it off with magic. Goofy attacked another one and threw it into the Keyblade’s path. They fought perfectly together, almost as if they’d been comrades all along.

When the Heartless were all defeated, the trio finally got to look at one another for the first time, and they smiled.

But in the very next moment, a huge bundle of metal fell clanking out of the sky.

“Waaaak?!” Donald skittered back and forth, trying to avoid being flattened.

The metal pieces bounced up off the ground and amassed together in the center of the square into the shape of an enormous suit of armor.

“Gawrsh, is that a Heartless, too?!” Goofy said, huddling behind his shield.

Sora nodded. “I bet this one’s the leader!”

A helmet landed atop the suit of armor. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were confronted with a giant Heartless—the Guard Armor.

“D…d’you think we can beat it…?”

“…If we all fight together, we’ll be okay.” Sora rested the Keyblade on his shoulder to look at Donald and Goofy.

“But we’ve never fought together before…,” said Goofy.

“We’ll be fine! I’m Sora!” He gave them a lopsided grin.

“Donald Duck here.”

“Uh, I’m Goofy!”

They introduced themselves just in time before the Guard Armor came rushing at them.

“Here we go!”

The three of them ran under it. First, Sora jumped up and attacked the main bulk of it, but the Guard Armor didn’t seem to take the hit at all.

“Quack!” The parts started moving on their own and a foot stomped down on Donald.

“Gawrsh, are you okay?” Goofy ran over to help him up. In the meantime, Sora was dodging the other foot that came for him.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow! Why, you! Fire!” Donald hit the right hand with his magic wand, but that didn’t do much damage, either. The torso and the two feet, stomping around with minds of their own, came after them.

“It’s not doin’ any good!” With the left foot pursuing him, Goofy held up his shield and ran off to a corner of the square.

“Take that! And that!” Donald kept shooting magic at the right foot, and it finally seemed to weaken. Sora ran up and attacked it, striking with a huge clang.

“I got it! If we’re gonna beat this thing, we have to gang up on one part at a time!” he shouted, whaling away at the right foot.

Goofy came dashing out of his corner. “Wahoooo!”

“Fire!”

Goofy’s shield dealt a heavy blow, and a hit from Donald’s magic exploded on its target.

“There we go!” As Sora pumped his fist in the air, the right foot burst apart. “Now the left foot!”

They concentrated their attacks again as he said, and this time easily disabled the left foot.

“Wowee! That was pretty good!” Goofy yelled, and this time he rushed the Guard Armor’s right hand. It was spinning around, which made it hard to hit, but the three of them together took it out, and then the left hand, too.

“Now it’s just the torso!”

Donald attacked the torso with a barrage of magic, and Goofy leaped up to hit it with his shield. At this point, all they could do was wear down the Guard Armor’s strength.

“Take this!”

Sora took a flying leap and struck the torso, and the Guard Armor fell like a marionette with its strings cut.

“Is…that it…?”

“Quack, quack, quack!” Donald kept on attacking the immobile Guard Armor.

And then… A big heart floated up out of the torso.

“Huh…”

As the three of them watched, the Guard Armor dissolved into little sparks of light and disappeared.

“All right! We won!” Sora jumped at Donald and hugged him.

“Wak?!”

“We did it!” cried Goofy and did the same thing.

Smooshed between them, Donald let out an odd noise. “Waaaak!”

“Not too shabby, Sora.”

Sora looked up to see Leon standing atop the wall.

“Well, I didn’t beat it myself, you know.” Sora smiled, speaking over Donald’s head.

“That’s right! He had the royal magician Donald Duck to—”

Goofy hushed him from butting in.

“So you’ve already met?” said Leon.

“Met…? Well, we know each other’s names…,” Sora replied.

“I see.” Leon jumped down from the wall. “They’ve been looking for you.”

“…For me?”

“For the Keyblade wielder.”

Sora turned uneasily back to Donald and Goofy.

“Hey, why don’t you come with us?” Goofy said, taking a step toward Sora. “We can go to other worlds on our vessel.”

“Other worlds…”

“We’re lookin’ for the king,” Goofy explained.

“I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi…”

“Of course!” said Donald.

Sora looked at Leon, hoping for some kind of advice.

“Sora, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends.”

“Yeah…I guess…”

Could he really find Kairi and Riku?

And he had just been fighting alongside these two so well, but could he keep doing that?

Anyway, it was really just about the Keyblade…

Wait, no. Sora remembered. He’d already made the decision that this was something he had to do.

But…can I really do anything?

“Sora…” Donald gave him a serious look. “You can’t come along looking like that.”

“Huh? Why not?!”

It was Goofy who protested first. Sora kept staring at Donald unhappily.

“No frowning, no sad face. Okay?” Donald made a sad face and a frown, scrunching his brows on purpose.

“Oh yeah, that’s right. Only smiles can come aboard the Gummi Ship.” Goofy brought his face closer to Sora’s and screwed up his face in a dorky smile. “Ya gotta look funny, like us!”

“Our ship runs on happy faces!” Donald said with a beaming grin.

Still hanging his head, Sora thought about it a little, and…

“Ngeeeee!” He made his eyes pop and smiled as wide as he could.

Donald and Goofy burst out into laughter. “Yeah, like that, Sora!”

“But that face…is too funny…” Goofy was rolling on the ground laughing.

“Seriously…” Even Leon cracked a wry smile.

“Okay. I’ll go with you guys,” Sora said with a real smile. “I’m going to find them.”

“So, let’s do this right. Donald Duck!” He held out his hand.

“The name’s Goofy!” He placed his hand on top of Donald’s.

“And I’m Sora!” Finally Sora did the same, adding his hand atop theirs.

“All for one, and one for all!” Goofy’s voice rang out.

With no Heartless for the moment, Traverse Town felt a little quieter but friendlier.

“So, if there’s any trouble, just come back here,” Leon told Sora and the others once they had prepared to leave.

“Got it!” Sora replied, smiling.

“And we might hear from the king!” said Donald.

Aerith nodded. “Besides, we still haven’t found the door in Traverse Town. As long as the door stays unlocked, the Heartless will probably keep coming.”

“Even if they do, there’s nothing to worry about with Yuffie on the job!” Yuffie grinned.

“We’ll make sure to find the door before you come back,” said Leon.

Sora nodded.

Aerith took a step closer, looking a little worried. “Be careful, Sora.”

“I’ll be okay. I’ve got Donald and Goofy with me now!”

“Yeah! Leave it to us!” Donald pounded on his chest, making Aerith smile.

“Good thing you’ve made some friends.”

“Yeah!”

“Let’s go, Sora!” said Goofy, and Sora started toward the gate.

“Don’t let your guard down,” Leon said after him. “Hold on to your heart.”

Sora waved the Keyblade over his head in reply.

A mysterious space opened up outside the gate, and a strange little ship was there to meet them, not quite an airplane and not quite a submarine.

“This is our Gummi Ship. C’mon, let’s get going!” Donald apparently preferred to hurry, but at that moment, Jiminy came out of his pocket.

“Aren’t you forgetting someone?”

“Ack!” Startled by Jiminy, Sora fell back on his behind.

“The name’s Jiminy Cricket. I’ll be going with you, too.”

“Gee, you surprised me! I’m Sora. Nice to meet you.” Sora got up and held out his hand, and Jiminy took a hold of his fingertip to shake.

“Likewise, I’m sure! I’ll stay on the ship to watch over things. So, is everyone ready?”

“Ready! We got plenty of items and snacks and accessories, too.” Goofy thumped his chest.

“Well then, let’s be off! There must be some pretty big adventures coming your way. I’ll be here to help you on your journey.”

“Thanks, Jiminy.”

Jiminy politely doffed his hat and bowed and jumped into Sora’s pocket this time.

“Okay, here we go. Let’s hurry up and find the king…” Donald headed toward the ship.

“And I’m gonna find Kairi and Riku!” said Sora, following him.

Goofy came after them. “And we gotta lock the Keyholes, too!”

So together they took off into the Other Sky, to unknown worlds.