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Kingdom Hearts: The Antipode - a timeline
So, I figured it was about time I set up a timeline for Riku's universe. For those curious about the actual story, you can check it out here. It's a work in progress, and I've taken Riku from after the first story, so this timeline will contain spoilers for Antipode. ...but just RPing with him will spoil some aspects of the story, so. XD
Birth by Sleep;
Birth by Sleep follows canon exactly. Riku still inherits Terra's Keyblade, Ven's heart still ends up inside Sora, and Kairi does end up on Destiny Islands. Some things to note are that Riku remembers meeting Terra and Aqua; he just hasn't told anybody about it, even after he started his journey. Other than that, no massive tweaks, nothin' to really talk about.
Destiny Islands;
Day 1;
It largely follows canon. Sora, Riku, and Kairi all work on the raft together. Sora goofs off a little, getting distracted by sparring matches and the likes. He also faces Riku and gets his butt kicked. On the first night, Riku and his friends watch the sunset together just like in canon. Worth noting, however, is that Sora does not have an awakening; Riku does, and he vaguely hints at the dream when he's hanging out with Sora on the first day.
That night, however, Riku returns to the small island and visits the Secret Place in order to examine the door. There he encounters Ansem, who vaguely hints at what lies beyond the door and fuels Riku's curiosity. Unfortunately, Riku doesn't get any real answers before Ansem disappears.
Day 2;
The next day, Riku arrives at the small island bright and early. He gathers all the supplies and is set to go by the time Kairi arrives. The day then follows canon. Sora and Riku race, Riku wins, teases Sora about Kairi, and everything seems to be going great. It's at sunset that things change for the worst.
Riku overhears Sora and Kairi's conversation, particularly how he's apparently changed and that Kairi wants to take the raft and go... without him. This sets him off, and he takes off to the Secret Place without even picking up that Kairi was kidding. Seeing the drawing on the wall with a newly added paopu fruit further discourages him. Then, Ansem arrives right on time, telling Riku that his friends no longer wish for him to be a part of their lives. He warns Riku that if he doesn't act fast, his friends will leave on the raft without him. However, if he took the raft on his own, he might end up drifting aimlessly at sea.
In the end, he coaxes Riku into opening the door, and all hell breaks loose. The Heartless attack, and Riku is left unable to fight back. Fortunately for him, Sora is still there. After a short misunderstanding, he informs Riku that Kairi was just teasing, and the two of them hunt for Kairi, all while avoiding the Heartless and the wreckage all around them.
When Riku searches the other side of the island, he finds nothing but ruin. Even the raft is left in tatters. When up with Sora again, they find Kairi being chased over towards the paopu tree. The two of them try their best to defend her, but they eventually take a dive for the sea, swimming against the rushing waves in order to get back to the shore.
Riku, desiring to protect the things that matter, manages to summon the Keyblade. He fights off the Heartless, leading his friends to the Secret Place in hopes of passing through the door. Kairi starts acting awkwardly-- like she senses something's wrong, but Riku and Sora press on. When they make it inside, the door flings open, Kairi's heart goes to Sora, and she disappears. Sora and Riku are then sent flying into the air, landing on a broken chunk of the island where the Darkside awaits them.
Riku does battle with the Darkside while Sora watches the whole thing. When the Darkside's defeated, the two boys are unfortunately separated, and Destiny Islands disappears.
Traverse Town;
Riku wakes up in Traverse Town all alone. After being pestered by Pluto, he decides to take a look around. A new world is something he's always dreamed off. Like he's gonna miss his chance to explore! However, the people he meet keep talking about shadows, worlds disappearing, stuff like that. It's a little creepy, but he tries to push it aside for the most part. No Heartless appear until he enters the Second District, gets hit on by some creepy lady exiting the hotel, and watches that lady get her heart ripped out.
So, he battles with the Heartless, all while exploring the Gizmo Shop and the hotel. After a while, he goes back to the First District, where the Heartless attack once more. Leon shows up and the two fight, with Riku being so full of himself that it gets on Leon's nerves pretty darn fast. Though Riku thinks he can take on whatever Leon throws at him, he soon finds himself completely exhausted and flees for the Third District. The Guard Armor appears, kicks his ass, and he falls unconscious.
-- Meanwhile in Hollow Bastion --
Sora wakes up all alone in the Rising Falls. He takes a look around, trying to find his friends or anyone who might know what's going on. He runs into Maleficent.
--
When Riku wakes up, he's quickly introduced to Yuffie and Leon as well as Donald and Goofy. Right away, he does not take those two seriously, thinking of them as morons. Though Leon explains the Heartless and Donald and Goofy try to talk about their mission, there's little time to sit and chat. The Guard Armor is still out there somewhere and the Heartless are on the move. So, they go out and fight their way through the Heartless.
When Riku, Donald, and Goofy make it to the Second District, they soon find themselves face-to-face with the Guard Armor. The three of them fight it as a team, and Riku witnesses Donald and Goofy's skills. Despite being silly looking animals, they manage to impress him with their fighting skills, and together they thrash that Heartless.
After its defeat, Donald and Goofy further explain their mission. At first Riku is reluctant to go along, but when they mention that they can go to other worlds, he decides to give it a whirl... but only because he wants to see those other worlds. Oh, and maybe find his friends for good measure.
-- Back in Hollow Bastion --
By this time, Sora's explained what happened to the islands to Maleficent. She acts friendly and understanding in order to earn Sora's trust and even promises that she'll help him find his friends, provided he helps her in return. Best of all, if he goes along with it, he'll be a hero...
In short, she tells Sora to go 'rescue' Alice from the savage Queen of Hearts and even hands him the Soul Eater so he can defend himself. Sora, longing to see his friends again and be a hero, takes the bait. They leave for Wonderland, the start of Sora's own journey.
Wonderland;
While Sora's sent off to hunt for Alice, he gets distracted by several things. First, he chases down the White Rabbit. Then he engages in friendly conversation with the Doorknob. Though he does take the "Drink Me" bottle and eventually make it to the castle courtyard, the court is already in session, and Sora is left with no choice but to pass on through. This leads to a momentary halt in the proceedings, some irritation from the Queen, and Sora high tails it into the forest before he makes a scene.
Back on the Gummi Ship, Riku gets an introduction to Jiminy Cricket, Chip and Dale, and gets to see how the ship works. Soon they arrive in Wonderland, immediately thrown off by its oddities from the get-go. Riku, caring little for Donald and Goofy's mission, wanders off, forcing the others to chase him down. When they reach the Bizarre Room, the Doorknob asks if they're friends with that 'other boy' who was looking for the White Rabbit. After stumbling across the 'drink me' bottle and the 'eat me cookies', they shrink, battle some Heartless, and stumble across the trial in the castle courtyard.
At first they just watch as the Queen stubbornly accuses Alice of stealing her heart. Donald and Goofy debate whether to step in and ask about the King. Riku, however, gets fed up real fast and barges straight into the trial, not only defending Alice but insulting the Queen of Hearts. This leads to a battle against the card soldiers that lasts a good while.
Meanwhile, Sora stumbles through the Lotus Forest, completely lost. He encounters one of the talking flowers and tries to figure out if they've seen the Cheshire Cat-- for Maleficent told him to give it his regards. This leads to an awkward discussion with the flower questioning whether Sora is a weed. Eventually, the flower shoos him off, and he's left wandering aimlessly. He sees Kairi for a split second, but she disappears in the blink of an eye.
Soon enough, he encounters the Cat himself, faced with puzzling riddles. The Cat tells him to beware the shadows or he might get lost, but what's that supposed to mean?
Back in the courtyard, Riku and co. continue to fight off the cards, while Alice and the King of Hearts try to find a way to stop it. Eventually, the King manages to calm down the Queen of Hearts, and they negotiate an alternative to fighting. When the Queen suggests croquet, Goofy babbles on about how much he loves it, how he tried to teach his son how to play, and so on. Riku and Donald seem a bit reluctant, but it's too late to turn back. The Queen, the King, and the White rabbit lead them to an open field and the game begins.
Only the game involves flamingos for mallets and hedgehogs for balls. Oh, and the game is totally rigged in the Queen's favor. Though she fails miserably at playing, the cards, the ball, and everyone else ensure that she scores, while Donald and Goofy's mallets act all giddy and avoid making a single hit. When it's Riku's turn to play, he throws his mallet aside and hits with his Keyblade. After all, all ways are the Queen's way-- clearly that includes cheating.
Before things can get too out of hand, though, the Cheshire Cat appears, giving Riku a vague warning about how Alice is gone and some boy who's too nice for his own good is the culprit. Thinking that it might be Sora, he runs off in a hot pursuit of Alice, forcing Donald and Goofy to tag along. By the time they hit the courtyard, Alice is indeed gone.
At this point, Sora whisks Sora back to Wonderland's entrance, where Maleficent greets the two and takes them back to Hollow Bastion. Though Sora learns that Riku was there, there's just not enough time to stick around. Maleficent does promise to continue to aid him in his search, however.
Shortly after, Riku and co. make it back to the Bizarre Room, where the Cheshire Cat issues a warning, gives Riku a blizzard spell, and disappears once the Trick Master appears. During the fight, Riku learns how to toggle between different spells; he just has to focus his mind to get the job done. Eventually, he manages to take out the Heartless, seal his first Keyhole, and together they depart for the next world.
Olympus;
When Riku, Donald, and Goofy arrive, Donald's first priority is to find King Mickey, while Riku's ever eager to join in the games. But with no sign of Mickey outside the Coliseum doors, they end up slipping inside and dealing with Phil, who refuses to let them in on account of not being true heroes. Oh, sure, Riku has a Keyblade, but he's not the first, and that's a fact Phil makes perfectly clear. Heroics are more about flashy weapons, and though he offers to train Riku and the others, they flat-out refuse, storming out of the Coliseum with the intent to take off...
At least until Hades shows up and offers them a pass into the games, free of charge. Its a little suspicious, but how can they turn it down? After a bit of bickering with Donald and Goofy, Riku takes the pass, and the trio heads inside. Phil's left with no choice but to admit them into the games, where they face off with countless Heartless in the preliminaries and become a crowd favorite in no time.
-- Back in Hollow Bastion --
Meanwhile, Sora asks Maleficent if she's found any sign of his friends. Though she has not, she offers to teach Sora how to use magic, all while warning him about the dangers of the darkness. Naturally, this offer to train and learn new and awesome abilities totally tickles his fancy. He immediately jumps at the chance, while Maleficent continues to promise to reunite him with his friends.
-- Annnnd back in the Coliseum --
The games go by relatively smoothly. Between matches, Riku and co. talk to Phil and learn a little more about him, like how he wants to train the next great hero. Then, they end up face-to-face against an enigmatic man with an enormous sword. Cloud ends up being quite the challenge for the trio, but with their combined skills they manage to wipe the floor with him.
Unfortunately, that's far from the end of it. Moments after Cloud's defeat, an enormous, three-headed dog attacks, sending the crowd fleeing from the stands, while Phil calls in Hercules and tries to get Riku out. When he refuses to leave, Donald and Goofy are left with no choice but to fight alongside him. Phil even remarks that he might have what it takes to be a hero after all.
With Cerb at full power, it's hardly a cakewalk for Riku and the others. When Cerberus isn't spitting out gigantic fireballs, he's snapping his powerful jaws or sending trails of darkness along the ground. To deal with this beasty, Riku comes up with a simple strategy: take the heads out one-by one get up on the Cerberus' back! Though it's still a tough match, they take out Cerb no problem.
After the match, they catch up with Phil and Hercules, learning that Cloud's in good shape. Phil declares Riku, Donald, and Goofy to be Junior Heroes. When asked why, he explains that being a hero isn't about the size of your strength, but the strength of your heart. Riku... doesn't quite get it, unfortunately, and so he leaves a bit unsatisfied.
Before he and the others leave, they catch up with Cloud, learning his true motives. Evidently, he struck a deal with Hades and let the darkness get to him. What he really wanted was to find somebody important. Not a bad motivation.
After giving Riku the technique Sonic Blade, Cloud disappears, leaving the trio to ponder over what they just learned. Donald even goes so far as to say that he was being pretty hard on Riku, but rather than accept his apology, Riku psyches him out and hurries back to the ship. He's far from ready to accept his friendship.
Together, they return to Traverse Town to inspect a strange Gummi Block that Goofy discovered on the way out of Wonderland.
Traverse Town 2;
When Riku, Donald, and Goofy return to Traverse Town, they bump right into Sora, who'd been waiting for a while. After an awkward reunion/introduction, Donald and Goofy wander off to deal with Cid, allowing Riku to hang with Sora for a bit, so long as he doesn't wander off. ...Riku basically disregards their wishes and runs off with Sora to the Second District.
There, they touch base on a few things, like what they've both been up to since the islands disappeared. Though neither has found Kairi just yet, Sora reveals that a lady named Maleficent has been helping him and offers to take Riku to meet her. Oh, and he mentions that he 'rescued' Alice, which leaves Riku somewhat wary.
But before they can get too far, Donald and Goofy confront them. After a bit of an argument, though, Goofy convinces Donald to let Sora tag along as they go visit Merlin to drop off an old book. Strangely, no Heartless appear on their way to the Third District... Still, they make it to Merlin's house soon enough, and though it's empty at first and Sora hallucinates about Kairi, things start to go smoothly once the wizard arrives.
Merlin explains that King Mickey instructed him to teach Riku magic and also explains the purpose of the book. Once that's out of the way, the group heads back outside to meet with Cid, but on the way, Sora freaks out over Maleficent and runs off. He tells Riku that he'll try and get back soon, though, so they can leave together.
But when Riku meets with Cid and the others, he learns the truth about Maleficent, leaving him completely torn. Not only that, but Leon's gang tells him about the importance of the Keyholes. With all this new info to take in, Riku rushes off, forcing Donald and Goofy to follow. After all, if Maleficent's in town, then she's probably after the Keyhole, too.
Unfortunately, when the trio returns to the Second District, Sora and Maleficent are nowhere in sight. Instead, another Guard Armor appears on the scene, forcing Riku and the others to fight it off. Halfway through the match, the Guard Armor rearranges itself, becoming far more powerful than before. Still, they manage to take it out after a frustrating quarrel.
With newfound knowledge, Riku leaves town with a firm purpose-- finding Sora and sealing the Keyholes. He might not be totally invested just yet, but it's a start.
--Meanwhile--
The Disney villains have a chat, mocking Maleficent for letting a kid do their dirty work. She points out, however, that Sora is a useful asset, and so long as he remains on their side, even Riku can't get in the way of their plans. She then instructs Ursula to take him to Atlantica so that he can assist her in finding the Keyhole and obtaining the Trident. Hoo boy.
Atlantica;
In Ursula's grotto, Sora's given the instructions to befriend Ariel so that he can find the Keyhole and reclaim the Trident. Basically, he's tricked into believing that Ursula is Atlantica's rightful ruler. So, after being told not to reveal too much information, especially about her and the outside world, Sora takes off. He and Ariel become fast friends and search for the Keyhole together. However, Triton sends Sora off after a rough first meeting.
At that point, he and Ariel part ways.
Shortly after, Riku, Donald, and Goofy arrive. Thanks to Donald's magic, they gain new aquatic forms and start to explore Atlantica when they encounter Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian. Riku quickly learns that Sora is also in Atlantica and has been searching for the Keyhole, and Ariel, being a friendly and curious girl, offers to help despite Sebastian's pleas. Their first stop is her secret grotto, where she reveals that she's always longed to visit other worlds. This leads to an argument between Riku, who supports and relates to Ariel's dream, and Sebastian, who flat-out opposes it. Unfortunately, some Heartless break up their little spat, and the group is forced to clear out the grotto.
Once they take out all the Heartless, they all high tail it to Triton's palace, fighting off more Heartless along the way. Once they reach Triton, Riku tries to get some answers out of him, but just mentioning the word 'Keyhole' sends Triton into a fit of frustration, and he demands that Riku leave at once. Ariel, offended by her father's words, takes off like a bullet. Naturally, the trio pursues her, only to find the grotto completely empty. Not even Sora's around!
But that's because he, along with Ariel and Flounder, are off exploring the sunken shipyard in search of treasure, and boy do they come up with something neat. After exploring one of the countless ships, they discover a strange crystal trident. Before they can do anything with it, though, a fierce shark attacks, leading to a wild chase through the shipyard, while Sora and later Ariel fight back. They eventually triumph and scurry back towards Ariel's grotto using a convenient shortcut. Unfortunately, Flotsam and Jetsam block the path once Ariel and Flounder leave, warning Sora that Triton is the one controlling the Heartless and that, if he doesn't hurry, Atlantica may be doomed.
He's given the instructions to find Ariel when she's all alone, take her to the palace, and nab that trident. With a new goal in mind, he waits down in the tunnel, unaware of the chest up above.
Meanwhile, Riku, Donald, and Goofy continue to search for the Keyhole, fighting Heartless along the way. Eventually, Ariel and Flounder catch up with them, revealing the crystal trident they discovered. Ariel notes that its shape is awfully familiar, suggesting that it might be the key to finding the Keyhole. Together, they all head into the grotto, place the crystal into the wall and prepare to seal Atlantica off. ...at least until Triton and Sebastian appear, the crystal gets shattered, and Ariel takes off in tears.
Sora soon stumbles upon Ariel, offering to help her. All she has to do is take her to the palace, and then they'll be able to get her to the outside world. However, when they get to the palace, Sora snatches the trident, and he leads Ariel through a dark corridor to Ursula's grotto.
Around that time, Riku, Donald, and Goofy arrive, catching a quick glimpse of Sora as he slips through the portal.
After learning that the trident's been stolen, Riku's group along with Sebastian hurry to Ursula's grotto. They eventually stumble upon Ursula, Ariel, and Sora as Ursula attempts to seize the trident's power. Riku barges in and tries to reach Sora, but he winds up getting tossed through a dark corridor. Then, Ursula flees the grotto into the open sea.
Riku's group alongside Ariel pursue her. Ursula uses the trident's power to become enormous and all powerful. After a tough fight, she's defeated, and the group returns the trident to its rightful owner. Triton then thanks Riku and explains that he can use the Trident to find the Keyhole.
After sealing up Atlantica, Riku's group prepares to leave, but not before saying some final goodbyes. While Donald and Goofy leave for the ship, Riku stays just long enough to tell Ariel the truth-- that he's from another world... which she figured out on her own.
Riku encourages her to never give up on her dream, and she gives him a parting gift-- one of Ansem's reports. He then leaves with the others.
Pleasure Island;
As the group travels through space, the Gummi Ship picks up a heavy darkness reading. Though at first Donald's hesitant to go, Riku manages to convince him to take a closer look. After all, isn't it what their King would want?
The moment they enter the island, Riku finds himself captivated by all the attractions. While Donald and Goofy insist that he remain cautious, Riku completely disregards them and takes off to explore. Along the way, he discovers that the island's attractions are a little... strange.
Places like Tobacco Row and the Rough House encourage bad behavior, and booths hand out both guns and liquor. All the while, he keeps seeing flashes of darkness zip by in the corner of his eye.
Eventually, Donald and Goofy catch up with him. Eventually, they decide to investigate the world and search for the Keyhole; after all, it's obvious that something's amiss, and there must be somebody in charge.
They spend a few hours searching but uncover few results. Eventually the lights dim down, the boys vanish from sight, and the island grows eerily quiet...
And then a massive horde of Neoshadows attack. Though at first the group tries to fend them off, their numbers remain high, and the Heartless attack relentlessly. Before long, they're forced to flee.
Along the way, they find no sign of carnival staff or children-- just more Heartless. Eventually, they reach a pool house and take cover. Inside, they stumble upon Pinocchio and a boy named Lampwick.
The two boys smoke cigars, drink liquor, and overall make jackasses out of themselves.
Though the group explains the situation, Lampwick acts completely dismissive, calling Riku's group a bunch of wusses. Pinocchio, despite some scolding from Jiminy, decides to stay with Lampwick even after the group decides to go back outside and investigate. When they reach the front gate, Riku discovers the truth behind Pleasure Island.
The Coachman running the joint uses the island to transform boys into donkeys and sell them for profit. Any that retain their ability to speak get fed to the Heartless.
The group decides to put a stop in this plan. Even Donald's okay with meddling for a change. However, with two boys still on the island, Riku hurries back to the pool house. Unfortunately, he's already too late. Lampwick's changed into a donkey, while Pinocchio's sprouted ears and a tail.
In order to save Pinocchio, Riku carries the puppet all the way back to the Gummi Ship, while Donald and Goofy fend off Heartless near the Ferris Wheel. Once he drops off Pinocchio and Jiminy, he hurries back; after all, he can't afford to let the Coachman have his way.
On his way back towards Donald and Goofy, Riku comes to the realization that he's been way too hard on Donald and Goofy, who've watched his back even when he made a jerk of himself. When he finally reaches them, he apologizes for running off, and the three decide to take on the Coachman.
Things very rapidly take a turn for the worse when the Coachman summons a Behemoth. Not only does he wind up devoured by the Heartless, but winds up overwhelming the trio with its powers.
Donald urges Riku to hurry to the Keyhole, but Riku refuses to back down. Having faced powerful foes in the past, he believes he can take down the Behemoth. Unfortunately, as time goes on, the park begins to crumble. More Neoshadows emerge and nearly snatch Riku's heart away-- until Donald and Goofy save him.
Left with no other choice, the group eventually retreats to the Gummi Ship right as Pleasure Island fades into darkness.
Needless to say, his failure to save that world weighs heavily on Riku's conscience. After mulling it over, he apologizes to Donald and Goofy, and the three decide to truly work as a team, not only to save King Mickey, but to find Sora as well. From this point on, Riku truly considers them his friends.
Halloween Town;
Riku gets his first chance to drive the Gummi Ship, only to crash land right outside of the Halloween Town square. After Donald disguises the group with his magic, the three wander into town and witness the Halloween rehearsal only to find Sora dancing among the various ghosts, ghouls and... Heartless, of all things.
Sora tries to get a word with Riku, only to get interrupted by Jack, who explains his plans to use the Heartless as a part of the celebrations due to their frightening qualities. Although the guidance system is currently malfunctional, he, Professor Finkelstein, and Sora have been whipping up an artificial heart that just needs a few more ingredients.
Jack leads them to Finkelstein's lab, but before Riku slips inside, Sora takes a moment to explain something happened to Kairi and she won't wake up. This revelation hits Riku like a ton of bricks, especially when Sora points out that they need the artificial heart to save her. Even as the group hunts down ingredients, Riku finds himself weighed down by guilt and confusion.
As the group enters the square, Heartless attack. Luckily, between Riku, Donald, Goofy, Sora, and Jack, they have little trouble plowing through the masses and reaching the graveyard. There, they meet with Sally, who expresses concern over Jack's plans. Nonetheless, he continues on, and the group meets with the Mayor for the final ingredient: surprise
During this time, Riku attempts to explain the truth about Maleficent, but before he can finish, the large pumpkin explodes, revealing the surprise inside.
The group returns to the lab, finishes the heart, and at first everything seems to go smoothly. Unfortunately, Sora swipes the heart before Finkelstein can even test it. Left with no choice, the the trio and Jack hurry after him.
At the curly hill, Sora reveals that Kairi has indeed lost her heart, and he plans to use the fake heart to save her. This leads to an argument between the two boys. While Riku accuses Sora of hanging with the wrong crowd, Sora accuses Donald and Goofy of manipulating Riku. Before long, Sora flees to Oogie's manor. The group once again pursues him.
They fight through Heartless and face off with Lock, Shock, and Barrel. In the mean time, Oogie tries to convince Sora to give him the fake heart so he can 'test' it and make sure it's safe for Kairi. That, and he accuses Jack of being careless by wanting to use something like the Heartless as a Halloween attraction. Furthermore, he tells Sora that if they work together, they can be the real stars of Halloween. In reality, he wants the heart to control the Heartless.
Riku's group barges in before Sora can make any sudden moves. The two boys argue, and Sora once again accuses Donald and Goofy pushing Riku around. Though Oogie suggests they fight off Riku and co., Sora refuses because Riku's his friend. Then, when Jack Skellington mentions to Sora that he could've requested another heart for Kairi, Oogie throws the kid through a dark corridor and swallows the heart himself.
A fight ensues in Oogie's torture chamber, but, eventually, he meets an untimely end. While Jack laments about the failure of the fake heart, Riku, Donald, and Goofy encourage him, pointing out that he can always find an even spookier attraction for the next Halloween.
As the group makes their way back to Halloween Town, Oogie merges with the manor and attack. Left with no other choice, the group fights the manor, destroys it, and eventually uncovers the Keyhole, which Riku immediately seals. He also uncovers an Ansem Report among the wreckage.
Meanwhile, back in Hollow Bastion, Sora encounters Ansem in the Entrance Hall. There, he points out how intriguing Sora is because he's an 'anomaly'; darkness cannot swallow his heart and that he will never know true power unless he releases the light that shackles him. Sora, naturally, doesn't understand a word he's saying, and Ansem leaves one final cryptic message: 'to return what's pure to its rightful place, sacrifices must be made.'
Once Ansem leaves, Sora returns to the castle library where Maleficent surely awaits him.
By this point, Jack Skellington has already attended a Halloween planning meeting, and Riku's group prepares to say their goodbyes. Jack encourages Riku and friends to come back and visit with Sora in tow. Like Ariel, he doesn't blame Sora for his actions. He even points out that the adventure they had gave him new found inspiration for Halloween festivities.
Riku promises to return someday and bring Sora and Kairi along for the ride. With that, he and his friends leave with new found determination.
Agrabah;
Riku's group arrives in Agrabah smack dab in the middle of a parade for a man named 'Prince Ali'. A swarm of Heartless attacks in the middle of the festivities, forcing Riku and friends to fight through the masses. It's there that they meet the prince, who uses an all powerful Genie to dispose of the Heartless.
With the Heartless gone, Ali and his Genie introduce themselves, and the trio quickly learns that Ali is not truly a prince-- he simply wished to be one so that he could win the heart of princess Jasmine. Although he doesn't know the location of the Keyhole, he offers to let Riku, Donald, and Goofy into the palace by pretending they're his servants.
Meanwhile, Sora learns from Jafar that 'Prince Ali' is likely a fraud who plans to use a genie's power to reign supreme over Agrabah. In order to 'save' Agrabah, Jafar points out that they need the lamp. Though Sora's a little skeptical, Jafar promises to use one of his wishes to aid Kairi. Despite his reservatons, Sora agrees to swipe the lamp.
When Riku's group and Ali reach the palace, things don't go quite as planned. Jasmine rejects Ali's advances, while Jafar acts outwardly suspicious towards Ali. Of course, the Sultan supports Ali and encourages him to just give Jasmine a little time. He also grants the trio and Ali full permission to explore the palace.
Unfortunately, when Riku asks the Sultan about the Keyhole, he reveals that he's never heard of such a thing. Left with no other choice, they opt to explroe the palace grounds and the rest of the city to find the Keyhole.
Hours pass with no results. Eventually, the group returns to the palace, and Ali attempts to woo Jasmine once more. After a few blunders, he eventually succeeds to a degree, and he and Jasmine take off on a magic carpet ride.
Once Ali returns Jasmine to her room, Sora sneaks up on the prince and knocks him unconscious. Then, he swipes the lamp. Unfortunately, the magic carpet attempts to pursue him, and Sora's left with no choice but to flee, while the carpet brings Ali back to Riku's group. When he reaches the throne room, he releases the Genie from his lamp and, after a short conversation, wishes for Kairi's heart back.
Unfortunately, the Genie is unable to return her heart, but he points out to Sora that her heart may be closer than he thinks. Unfortunately, Iago swipes the lamp soon after, and Jafar orders the Genie to take himself, Sora, and the Genie straight to the Keyhole.
Riku's group makes it into the palace right as Jafar, Sora, and the Genie vanish from sight. While the carpet rushes off for the Sultan, Ali wakes up, discovering that the lamp is missing. Before long, the Sultan returns, explaining that Jasmine has gone missing. The group very quickly puts two and two together and concludes that Jafar was the one behind it all.
With no other choice, the trio and Ali-- or rather, Aladdin, hurry towards the Cave of Wonders. After dealing with the cave's tricks and traps, they eventually reach Jafar and the Keyhole, but by that time, Sora and Jasmine are already gone. Jafar still humors them by pointing out Maleficent's goal to collect the Princesses of Heart to open a door to the heart of all worlds.
He then wishes himself to be an all powerful sorcerer, overwhelming the group with his power. He transforms Donald into a rubber duck and knocks Goofy unconscious. Then, he turns Riku's Keyblade into a wooden sword. Before long, he changes into an enormous cobra, forcing Riku and Aladdin to flee his powerful strikes. However, they soon convicne Jafar to use his final wish to become a genie, defeating him once and for all.
Riku seals the Keyhole, and the group retreats back to the palace. There, Riku, Donald, and Goofy explain the whole situation. Aladdin wishes Genie free despite his offers to find Jasmine, and Genie in turn offers to aid Riku's group in their search. The Sultan also assures Aladdin that he's proven himself more than worthy of Jasmine's hand in marriage.
With that, the group takes off for the next world...
Neverland;
Sora returns to the ship's cabin and spends time alone with Kairi's lifeless body. As he mulls over the situation, he finds himself in constant pain, as Kairi's heart resonates inside him. Kairi even tries speaking to him, but Sora disregards her words as another halucination and rushes off to speak with Maleficent. The witch urges him to disregard his visions, which she considers products of his desperation.
Hook's ship eventually corners and attacks the Gummi Ship, bringing Riku and friends on board. He awakens on the ship deck where Sora greets him with a smile and a tacky eye patch. Sora points out that it's the perfect time to save Riku and offers to bring him to Kairi. A tense conversation follows surrounding Kairi and Sora's loyalty to Maleficent. Before long, Riku calls Sora out for being a villain's lackey and swears to take Maleficent out. Furious, Sora casts Sleep on Riku and tosses him into the brig.
Of course, Sora's left feeling torn and conflicted. While he still clings to his loyalty to Maleficent, he finds it hard to rationalize the actions of Ursula, Jafar, and Oogie. Thus, he approaches Maleficent in order to set the record straight. She, of course, feeds Sora more lies, telling him that the other villains were victims of their own innerdarkness and the Keyblade is what brings Heartless to the worlds. As a result, she says that it's best that Riku remains captive.
But once Riku wakes up and reunites with his friends, they don't stay captive for long. With a little help from Tinkerbell and Peter Pan, they fight their way through the ship in order to find Wendy and Sora. Along the way, Peter Pan and Tink try to help Riku's group fly, but the pixie dust fails.
Meanwhile, back in the cabin, Hook and Sora discuss Peter Pan, Riku, and the princesses. Hook even goes so far as to call Peter Pan a talented liar who promised Wendy eternal youth if she stays with him forever... as a slave. Though Sora offers to take care of Pan, Hook declines, as he has a personal grudge against the boy. With that, Sora takes Kairi out onto the ship deck...
Only to get attacked by a swarm of Heartless. No matter what he does, they just keep coming-- at least until Maleficent appears and annihilates them all. This act completely convinces Sora that Maleficent is not the one controlling the Heartless. It has to be Riku's Keyblade bringing them in.
Around that time, Wendy gets taken away, and Peter takes off to find her. After a bit of climbing, Riku, Donald, and Goofy make their way to the ship's upper levels. They reach the cabin before long, only to find it completely empty. This leaves Riku confused and disappointed. When Donald and Goofy ask what's wrong, Riku points out to Donald and Goofy that he encountered Sora and Kairi earlier.
Soon, they catch up with Peter, Tink, and Wendy. After a short conversation, the three of them leave, and Riku's group returns to the ship's upper levels. There they encounter Hook, who surrounds them with Heartless and reveals that he'd captured Tinkerbell. Not only that, but he points out Sora's location-- Hollow Bastion. Of course, he warns the group that if they make one wrong move, he'll dispose of Tink. In order to save her, Riku, Donald, and Goofy distract Hook with insults, while Riku inches towards the plank.
With Hook suitably distracted, Donald and Goofy free Tink, and she sprinkles pixie dust over the trio. Peter returns and encourages Riku to think happy thoughts; soon, he and the others take off like rockets above the ground. With Peter by their side, they do battle with Hook, although Peter eventually takes the captain on one-on-one with no flying.
Just like in the film, Hook winds up landing in the water and chased off by the hungry crocodile. He leaves behind two Ansem reports, and the group, led by Peter, takes off to the Big Ben clock tower. There, Riku seals the Keyhole, and he expresses his surprise and disbelief that he actually flew. After all, he's been weighed down by so many troubles, such as what happened to Kairi and Sora's alliance with Maleficent. Of course, his friends encourage him to believe in his friends.
After saying their goodbyes, the group takes off to Traverse Town to prepare for the final encounter with Maleficent.
Traverse Town 3;
In Hollow Bastion, Sora and Maleficent discuss what must be done with Riku. While Sora fears hurting his friend, Maleficent reminds him that if Riku breaches the castle, he'll bring the Heartless along with them. In the end, Sora decides he'll do what he can to keep Riku out without harming him and that hurting his friend will be a last resort.
Back in town, Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Leon's gang discuss the Ansem reports. Soon, they realize that Ansem was the one behind the Heartless and that he created a machine to mass produce them. A machine that somebody like Maleficent could use. As for Sora, Leon points out that he may be Maleficent's trump card and that, sooner or later, Riku will have to face his fears.
With a little encouragement from Donald and Goofy, he decides to face Sora head-on, though his fears still linger.
Hollow Bastion;
The trio arrives in Hollow Bastion and fights their way through powerful Heartless. Eventually, they encounter Sora, who refuses to let Riku pass. The two begin to fight, but Riku keeps missing, while Sora keeps striking with the blunt side of his sword.
Riku's fears overwhelm him, and the Keyblade vanishes. Sora turns away and begins to leave, warning Riku that he should just turn back.
Fortunately for Riku, Donald and Goofy stick by his side, and together they follow Sora into the castle. There they meet up with Beast who joins their little group after they plow through some Heartless.
Before long, they catch up with Sora in the Entrance Hall. It's there that Riku finally accepts that he must fight Sora, and he flat-out tells his friend that he'll do it if it means he can knock some sense into him.
The two fight one-on-one, each showcasing their own strengths. Eventually Riku comes out on top and tries to reason with Sora, only for more Heartless to attack. Sora makes an escape.
After clearing the area, Riku and the others make their way through the castle, solving puddles and facing more foes.
In the mean time, Sora encounters Ansem, who casts doubt on Maleficent's motives while revealing to Sora that Kairi's heart rests inside him. He passes on the Dark Keyblade so that Sora may release her, all while telling him that the only way to save himself would be to take the darkness and make it his own. Otherwise, he'd become swallowed entirely.
With that, Ansem urges Sora to go to Maleficent and see what she has in store. With his newfound doubt, he hurries to the Grand Hall.
Some time later, Riku's group reaches Maleficent in the chapel, where they face-her head on. With a little assistance from Genie, they manage to overpower the witch. At that point, she slips through a dark corridor, and the group follows. Though weakened, she continues to taunt Riku and the others, mentioning how 'that foolish boy' will complete the Keyhole and plunge the world into darkness.
She transforms into a dragon and launches flames straight at Riku, but Sora rushes into the fray, knocking him outta the way and striking Maleficent with his sword. At long last, he realizes that he'd been played for a fool and joins Riku in facing his 'old friend'.
They triumph over Maleficent, and Sora apologizes profusely. Of course, nobody really blames him for his actions. But with Maleficent outta the way, Sora leads the group to the Grand Hall. Once there, he takes Riku up to Kairi and reveals that Kairi's heart had been inside him all along and that he'll have to release her heart.
Riku refuses to accept this, and the two argue over what to do. In the end, however, Riku realizes that there really is no other choice.
He challenges Sora to one last spar to let his friend go out on a high note, even throwing the match for Sora's sake. With that, Sora gives Riku some final words of encouragement and frees Kairi at long last.
Kairi awakens, and Riku apologizes for everything. Kairi naturally forgives him.
Donald and Goofy catch up with Riku, but before long, the Keyhole begins leaking darkness. Powerful Heartless like Neoshadows and Darksides appear, along with Ansem, still dressed in the brown robe.
He taunts Riku, tries bringing him into the darkness. All the while, Riku's friends stick up for him. Even when Ansem tries to possess Riku, he musters up the strength to fight back, and Kairi's light certainly helps.
However, while Ansem fails to get his vessel, he manages to feed off of Riku's darkness and starts reconstructing a body from it and the darkness of the Keyhole.
The Heartless inch closer to the group. It's only when Beast arrives that they make their escape, left with no other choice but to flee to Traverse Town; after all, Kairi's safety is of utmost importance.
Little do they realize, Sora is far from gone. In Twilight Town, Xemnas stumbles upon his Nobody, who's managed to retain all of Sora's memories.
Meanwhile, Sora himself plummets into darkness and tries follow Ansem's advice. Unfortunately, the darkness starts to overwhelm him... At least, until Ven's heart calls to him, encourages him. Together, they dive straight into the darkness, determined to use it for good.
Traverse Town 4;
Donald and Goofy meet with Cid, giving Riku and Kairi some alone time. During that time they catch up, and Kairi provides Riku with encouragement. Eventually, it's decided that Kairi will accompany Riku for the rest of their journey. While Donald questions it at first, the fact that Kairi is a Princess of Heart could give them an added edge against the darkness. Especially with the other princesses in Hollow Bastion.
Before they leave, the group meets with Leon and discusses the events of Hollow Bastion, including what happened to Sora and Ansem. Leon also points out that, thanks to the Keyhole, the number of Heartless has increased, even in Traverse Town. In spite of the dangers ahead, the group takes off for Hollow Bastion, determined to put an end to Ansem's scheme.
Meanwhile, the Organization meets and discusses Sora's Nobody, who's refused to cooperate due to suspicion. Xemnas sees no issue with the Nobody clinging to his former identity, seeing it as no consequence and even a useful trait. Eventually it's decided that they will use Naminé to tweak the boy's memories and make him more useful for the Organization's plan.
Hollow Bastion 2;
The group returns to Hollow Bastion, only to be greeted by Beast, who points out that the princesses have held back the darkness, but it won't last much longer. Together, the hurry to the chapel. Kairi stays with the princesses so she can hold back the darkness, while Riku, Donald, and Goofy continue to the Grand Hall.
There, they're greeted by an army of powerful Heartless. As they fight their way to the Keyhole a mysterious, shadowy figure assists them by pelting Heartless with green flames and swift combos. Riku never gets a good look at him before they make it into the Keyhole.
Inside, they do battle with a Behemoth. Unlike at Pleasure Island, however, Riku and his friends come out on top.
They hurry back outside and are greeted by Leon's gang and Kairi. It's there that Riku learns that defeating Ansem will restore all the worlds... and the borders around them. Even Gummi Ships will no longer work.
Riku is left speechless. He'd promised Kairi that they wouldn't go home until they found Sora. How can he keep that promise if the worlds become separate again? Though he tries to put on a strong front, he still can't accept the consequences. This remains a lingering fear of his throughout the rest of the act.
---
Before the group leaves for the final world, they discover a corridor in the chapel. The princesses mention a man in black, and Riku's group decides to investigate. There, they encounter Xemnas, who makes cryptic remarks and attacks in order to test Riku's powers. Before the fight begins, Kairi gets dragged through a dark corridor. Xemnas hints that he knows who the helper is.
With that, a fight ensues. Xemnas' power overwhelms the trio at first, though Tink's healing powers do help. In the end, they defeat Xemnas, and he leaves after telling Riku to bring him more hearts... and dropping an Ansem Report that hints at the existence of Nobodies.
When they return to the chapel, Kairi's safe with the other princesses. Though she didn't get a good look at the one who saved her, she insists that he was just trying to help.
Though they failed to find Sora, the group presses on and takes off to the world of the Heartless...
End of the World;
Sora arrives in this world and awaits the arrival of his friends. His embrace of darkness has granted him a humanoid Heartless form, though he's lost his ability to speak. Only Ven can hear his innermost thoughts.
He awaits the arrival of his friends, determined to help them.
On the ride to EotW, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy try to cheer Riku up. Unfortunately, he still can't completely forget Leon's words, though he at least tries to take their advice. He also promises to train Kairi to fight once everything's said and done.
Once they arrive, Donald orders Chip and Dale to take the ship to safety if they don't make it back. With that, the group journeys through the darkness, fighting Heartless along the way. All the while, Sora helps them, though he never stops long enough for anyone to recognize him.
They pass through illusions of the worlds they visited, battle with Chernabog, and eventually make it to the Final Rest. Though Riku's left disappointed that their Heartless helper kept avoiding them, his friends once again encourage him to press on. Kairi even gives him her lucky charm.
When they pass through the door, they stumble upon an illusion of Destiny Islands. There, Ansem taunts them again, bringing up how darkness is the heart's true essence-- at least until Riku interrupts his speech.
Riku, Donald, and Goofy all fight Ansem and his guardian, while Kairi watches from the sidelines. Once Ansem's defeated, he retreats further into the ruined islands, and Riku pursues him. Unfortunately, a barrier keeps the others from joining in.
To further mess with Riku's mind, Ansem manipulates his form to resemble Riku... had Riku chosen the path of darkness. He even fabricates a fake Keyblade.
The two fight. Though Ansem's power overwhelms Riku at first, he eventually comes out on top. Ansem then plunges everyone into the Endless Abyss for one final fight...
In the end, Riku and friends triumph. Kingdom Hearts bathes Ansem in light, and the group hurries to the door...
Except Riku can't bring himself to close it. Not when he has a promise to keep. Though he openly admits that leaving it open could bring darkness throughout the worlds, he refuses to forget about his best friend. The others come to accept this; after all, they still need to find King Mickey, too. Thus, they leave through a dark corridor, leaving the door to darkness behind...
Epilogue:
The Organization meets and discusses their plans for Riku and their new 'puppet' as well as Sora's Nobody. With the Heartless flooding the worlds, they plan to use both Riku and his Replica to double the hearts for their Kingdom Hearts. Sora's Nobody will act merely as an accessory to the Replica and a means of manipulating Riku, if necessary.
Back in the dark realm, Mickey fights off the Heartless behind the door. Meanwhile, Sora wanders the ruins of Hollow Bastion's town, fighting off Heartless whenever he can. He's driven to find a way back to human form and refuses to meet with his friends until then.
Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi wander along a grassy field, left with nowhere else to go. Though they'd failed to close the door, they're still determined to find their friends and set things right.
Outside Memory's Skyscraper, Xemnas meets with the Riku Replica, who's had his memories altered to match Sora's Nobody. While the Replica questions why he should work with the Organization, Xemnas assures him that he'll get to see his friends again. More importantly, he'll be able to help restore Sora's heart.
Though reluctant, he accepts Xemnas' words and follows him to the castle. He'll play along, but only for his friends. Not for the Organization's sake.
--
This is where KH1 ends and Act 2 begins.
*INSERT ACT 2 INFO HERE*
Birth by Sleep;
Birth by Sleep follows canon exactly. Riku still inherits Terra's Keyblade, Ven's heart still ends up inside Sora, and Kairi does end up on Destiny Islands. Some things to note are that Riku remembers meeting Terra and Aqua; he just hasn't told anybody about it, even after he started his journey. Other than that, no massive tweaks, nothin' to really talk about.
Destiny Islands;
Day 1;
It largely follows canon. Sora, Riku, and Kairi all work on the raft together. Sora goofs off a little, getting distracted by sparring matches and the likes. He also faces Riku and gets his butt kicked. On the first night, Riku and his friends watch the sunset together just like in canon. Worth noting, however, is that Sora does not have an awakening; Riku does, and he vaguely hints at the dream when he's hanging out with Sora on the first day.
That night, however, Riku returns to the small island and visits the Secret Place in order to examine the door. There he encounters Ansem, who vaguely hints at what lies beyond the door and fuels Riku's curiosity. Unfortunately, Riku doesn't get any real answers before Ansem disappears.
Day 2;
The next day, Riku arrives at the small island bright and early. He gathers all the supplies and is set to go by the time Kairi arrives. The day then follows canon. Sora and Riku race, Riku wins, teases Sora about Kairi, and everything seems to be going great. It's at sunset that things change for the worst.
Riku overhears Sora and Kairi's conversation, particularly how he's apparently changed and that Kairi wants to take the raft and go... without him. This sets him off, and he takes off to the Secret Place without even picking up that Kairi was kidding. Seeing the drawing on the wall with a newly added paopu fruit further discourages him. Then, Ansem arrives right on time, telling Riku that his friends no longer wish for him to be a part of their lives. He warns Riku that if he doesn't act fast, his friends will leave on the raft without him. However, if he took the raft on his own, he might end up drifting aimlessly at sea.
In the end, he coaxes Riku into opening the door, and all hell breaks loose. The Heartless attack, and Riku is left unable to fight back. Fortunately for him, Sora is still there. After a short misunderstanding, he informs Riku that Kairi was just teasing, and the two of them hunt for Kairi, all while avoiding the Heartless and the wreckage all around them.
When Riku searches the other side of the island, he finds nothing but ruin. Even the raft is left in tatters. When up with Sora again, they find Kairi being chased over towards the paopu tree. The two of them try their best to defend her, but they eventually take a dive for the sea, swimming against the rushing waves in order to get back to the shore.
Riku, desiring to protect the things that matter, manages to summon the Keyblade. He fights off the Heartless, leading his friends to the Secret Place in hopes of passing through the door. Kairi starts acting awkwardly-- like she senses something's wrong, but Riku and Sora press on. When they make it inside, the door flings open, Kairi's heart goes to Sora, and she disappears. Sora and Riku are then sent flying into the air, landing on a broken chunk of the island where the Darkside awaits them.
Riku does battle with the Darkside while Sora watches the whole thing. When the Darkside's defeated, the two boys are unfortunately separated, and Destiny Islands disappears.
Traverse Town;
Riku wakes up in Traverse Town all alone. After being pestered by Pluto, he decides to take a look around. A new world is something he's always dreamed off. Like he's gonna miss his chance to explore! However, the people he meet keep talking about shadows, worlds disappearing, stuff like that. It's a little creepy, but he tries to push it aside for the most part. No Heartless appear until he enters the Second District, gets hit on by some creepy lady exiting the hotel, and watches that lady get her heart ripped out.
So, he battles with the Heartless, all while exploring the Gizmo Shop and the hotel. After a while, he goes back to the First District, where the Heartless attack once more. Leon shows up and the two fight, with Riku being so full of himself that it gets on Leon's nerves pretty darn fast. Though Riku thinks he can take on whatever Leon throws at him, he soon finds himself completely exhausted and flees for the Third District. The Guard Armor appears, kicks his ass, and he falls unconscious.
-- Meanwhile in Hollow Bastion --
Sora wakes up all alone in the Rising Falls. He takes a look around, trying to find his friends or anyone who might know what's going on. He runs into Maleficent.
--
When Riku wakes up, he's quickly introduced to Yuffie and Leon as well as Donald and Goofy. Right away, he does not take those two seriously, thinking of them as morons. Though Leon explains the Heartless and Donald and Goofy try to talk about their mission, there's little time to sit and chat. The Guard Armor is still out there somewhere and the Heartless are on the move. So, they go out and fight their way through the Heartless.
When Riku, Donald, and Goofy make it to the Second District, they soon find themselves face-to-face with the Guard Armor. The three of them fight it as a team, and Riku witnesses Donald and Goofy's skills. Despite being silly looking animals, they manage to impress him with their fighting skills, and together they thrash that Heartless.
After its defeat, Donald and Goofy further explain their mission. At first Riku is reluctant to go along, but when they mention that they can go to other worlds, he decides to give it a whirl... but only because he wants to see those other worlds. Oh, and maybe find his friends for good measure.
-- Back in Hollow Bastion --
By this time, Sora's explained what happened to the islands to Maleficent. She acts friendly and understanding in order to earn Sora's trust and even promises that she'll help him find his friends, provided he helps her in return. Best of all, if he goes along with it, he'll be a hero...
In short, she tells Sora to go 'rescue' Alice from the savage Queen of Hearts and even hands him the Soul Eater so he can defend himself. Sora, longing to see his friends again and be a hero, takes the bait. They leave for Wonderland, the start of Sora's own journey.
Wonderland;
While Sora's sent off to hunt for Alice, he gets distracted by several things. First, he chases down the White Rabbit. Then he engages in friendly conversation with the Doorknob. Though he does take the "Drink Me" bottle and eventually make it to the castle courtyard, the court is already in session, and Sora is left with no choice but to pass on through. This leads to a momentary halt in the proceedings, some irritation from the Queen, and Sora high tails it into the forest before he makes a scene.
Back on the Gummi Ship, Riku gets an introduction to Jiminy Cricket, Chip and Dale, and gets to see how the ship works. Soon they arrive in Wonderland, immediately thrown off by its oddities from the get-go. Riku, caring little for Donald and Goofy's mission, wanders off, forcing the others to chase him down. When they reach the Bizarre Room, the Doorknob asks if they're friends with that 'other boy' who was looking for the White Rabbit. After stumbling across the 'drink me' bottle and the 'eat me cookies', they shrink, battle some Heartless, and stumble across the trial in the castle courtyard.
At first they just watch as the Queen stubbornly accuses Alice of stealing her heart. Donald and Goofy debate whether to step in and ask about the King. Riku, however, gets fed up real fast and barges straight into the trial, not only defending Alice but insulting the Queen of Hearts. This leads to a battle against the card soldiers that lasts a good while.
Meanwhile, Sora stumbles through the Lotus Forest, completely lost. He encounters one of the talking flowers and tries to figure out if they've seen the Cheshire Cat-- for Maleficent told him to give it his regards. This leads to an awkward discussion with the flower questioning whether Sora is a weed. Eventually, the flower shoos him off, and he's left wandering aimlessly. He sees Kairi for a split second, but she disappears in the blink of an eye.
Soon enough, he encounters the Cat himself, faced with puzzling riddles. The Cat tells him to beware the shadows or he might get lost, but what's that supposed to mean?
Back in the courtyard, Riku and co. continue to fight off the cards, while Alice and the King of Hearts try to find a way to stop it. Eventually, the King manages to calm down the Queen of Hearts, and they negotiate an alternative to fighting. When the Queen suggests croquet, Goofy babbles on about how much he loves it, how he tried to teach his son how to play, and so on. Riku and Donald seem a bit reluctant, but it's too late to turn back. The Queen, the King, and the White rabbit lead them to an open field and the game begins.
Only the game involves flamingos for mallets and hedgehogs for balls. Oh, and the game is totally rigged in the Queen's favor. Though she fails miserably at playing, the cards, the ball, and everyone else ensure that she scores, while Donald and Goofy's mallets act all giddy and avoid making a single hit. When it's Riku's turn to play, he throws his mallet aside and hits with his Keyblade. After all, all ways are the Queen's way-- clearly that includes cheating.
Before things can get too out of hand, though, the Cheshire Cat appears, giving Riku a vague warning about how Alice is gone and some boy who's too nice for his own good is the culprit. Thinking that it might be Sora, he runs off in a hot pursuit of Alice, forcing Donald and Goofy to tag along. By the time they hit the courtyard, Alice is indeed gone.
At this point, Sora whisks Sora back to Wonderland's entrance, where Maleficent greets the two and takes them back to Hollow Bastion. Though Sora learns that Riku was there, there's just not enough time to stick around. Maleficent does promise to continue to aid him in his search, however.
Shortly after, Riku and co. make it back to the Bizarre Room, where the Cheshire Cat issues a warning, gives Riku a blizzard spell, and disappears once the Trick Master appears. During the fight, Riku learns how to toggle between different spells; he just has to focus his mind to get the job done. Eventually, he manages to take out the Heartless, seal his first Keyhole, and together they depart for the next world.
Olympus;
When Riku, Donald, and Goofy arrive, Donald's first priority is to find King Mickey, while Riku's ever eager to join in the games. But with no sign of Mickey outside the Coliseum doors, they end up slipping inside and dealing with Phil, who refuses to let them in on account of not being true heroes. Oh, sure, Riku has a Keyblade, but he's not the first, and that's a fact Phil makes perfectly clear. Heroics are more about flashy weapons, and though he offers to train Riku and the others, they flat-out refuse, storming out of the Coliseum with the intent to take off...
At least until Hades shows up and offers them a pass into the games, free of charge. Its a little suspicious, but how can they turn it down? After a bit of bickering with Donald and Goofy, Riku takes the pass, and the trio heads inside. Phil's left with no choice but to admit them into the games, where they face off with countless Heartless in the preliminaries and become a crowd favorite in no time.
-- Back in Hollow Bastion --
Meanwhile, Sora asks Maleficent if she's found any sign of his friends. Though she has not, she offers to teach Sora how to use magic, all while warning him about the dangers of the darkness. Naturally, this offer to train and learn new and awesome abilities totally tickles his fancy. He immediately jumps at the chance, while Maleficent continues to promise to reunite him with his friends.
-- Annnnd back in the Coliseum --
The games go by relatively smoothly. Between matches, Riku and co. talk to Phil and learn a little more about him, like how he wants to train the next great hero. Then, they end up face-to-face against an enigmatic man with an enormous sword. Cloud ends up being quite the challenge for the trio, but with their combined skills they manage to wipe the floor with him.
Unfortunately, that's far from the end of it. Moments after Cloud's defeat, an enormous, three-headed dog attacks, sending the crowd fleeing from the stands, while Phil calls in Hercules and tries to get Riku out. When he refuses to leave, Donald and Goofy are left with no choice but to fight alongside him. Phil even remarks that he might have what it takes to be a hero after all.
With Cerb at full power, it's hardly a cakewalk for Riku and the others. When Cerberus isn't spitting out gigantic fireballs, he's snapping his powerful jaws or sending trails of darkness along the ground. To deal with this beasty, Riku comes up with a simple strategy: take the heads out one-by one get up on the Cerberus' back! Though it's still a tough match, they take out Cerb no problem.
After the match, they catch up with Phil and Hercules, learning that Cloud's in good shape. Phil declares Riku, Donald, and Goofy to be Junior Heroes. When asked why, he explains that being a hero isn't about the size of your strength, but the strength of your heart. Riku... doesn't quite get it, unfortunately, and so he leaves a bit unsatisfied.
Before he and the others leave, they catch up with Cloud, learning his true motives. Evidently, he struck a deal with Hades and let the darkness get to him. What he really wanted was to find somebody important. Not a bad motivation.
After giving Riku the technique Sonic Blade, Cloud disappears, leaving the trio to ponder over what they just learned. Donald even goes so far as to say that he was being pretty hard on Riku, but rather than accept his apology, Riku psyches him out and hurries back to the ship. He's far from ready to accept his friendship.
Together, they return to Traverse Town to inspect a strange Gummi Block that Goofy discovered on the way out of Wonderland.
Traverse Town 2;
When Riku, Donald, and Goofy return to Traverse Town, they bump right into Sora, who'd been waiting for a while. After an awkward reunion/introduction, Donald and Goofy wander off to deal with Cid, allowing Riku to hang with Sora for a bit, so long as he doesn't wander off. ...Riku basically disregards their wishes and runs off with Sora to the Second District.
There, they touch base on a few things, like what they've both been up to since the islands disappeared. Though neither has found Kairi just yet, Sora reveals that a lady named Maleficent has been helping him and offers to take Riku to meet her. Oh, and he mentions that he 'rescued' Alice, which leaves Riku somewhat wary.
But before they can get too far, Donald and Goofy confront them. After a bit of an argument, though, Goofy convinces Donald to let Sora tag along as they go visit Merlin to drop off an old book. Strangely, no Heartless appear on their way to the Third District... Still, they make it to Merlin's house soon enough, and though it's empty at first and Sora hallucinates about Kairi, things start to go smoothly once the wizard arrives.
Merlin explains that King Mickey instructed him to teach Riku magic and also explains the purpose of the book. Once that's out of the way, the group heads back outside to meet with Cid, but on the way, Sora freaks out over Maleficent and runs off. He tells Riku that he'll try and get back soon, though, so they can leave together.
But when Riku meets with Cid and the others, he learns the truth about Maleficent, leaving him completely torn. Not only that, but Leon's gang tells him about the importance of the Keyholes. With all this new info to take in, Riku rushes off, forcing Donald and Goofy to follow. After all, if Maleficent's in town, then she's probably after the Keyhole, too.
Unfortunately, when the trio returns to the Second District, Sora and Maleficent are nowhere in sight. Instead, another Guard Armor appears on the scene, forcing Riku and the others to fight it off. Halfway through the match, the Guard Armor rearranges itself, becoming far more powerful than before. Still, they manage to take it out after a frustrating quarrel.
With newfound knowledge, Riku leaves town with a firm purpose-- finding Sora and sealing the Keyholes. He might not be totally invested just yet, but it's a start.
--Meanwhile--
The Disney villains have a chat, mocking Maleficent for letting a kid do their dirty work. She points out, however, that Sora is a useful asset, and so long as he remains on their side, even Riku can't get in the way of their plans. She then instructs Ursula to take him to Atlantica so that he can assist her in finding the Keyhole and obtaining the Trident. Hoo boy.
Atlantica;
In Ursula's grotto, Sora's given the instructions to befriend Ariel so that he can find the Keyhole and reclaim the Trident. Basically, he's tricked into believing that Ursula is Atlantica's rightful ruler. So, after being told not to reveal too much information, especially about her and the outside world, Sora takes off. He and Ariel become fast friends and search for the Keyhole together. However, Triton sends Sora off after a rough first meeting.
At that point, he and Ariel part ways.
Shortly after, Riku, Donald, and Goofy arrive. Thanks to Donald's magic, they gain new aquatic forms and start to explore Atlantica when they encounter Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian. Riku quickly learns that Sora is also in Atlantica and has been searching for the Keyhole, and Ariel, being a friendly and curious girl, offers to help despite Sebastian's pleas. Their first stop is her secret grotto, where she reveals that she's always longed to visit other worlds. This leads to an argument between Riku, who supports and relates to Ariel's dream, and Sebastian, who flat-out opposes it. Unfortunately, some Heartless break up their little spat, and the group is forced to clear out the grotto.
Once they take out all the Heartless, they all high tail it to Triton's palace, fighting off more Heartless along the way. Once they reach Triton, Riku tries to get some answers out of him, but just mentioning the word 'Keyhole' sends Triton into a fit of frustration, and he demands that Riku leave at once. Ariel, offended by her father's words, takes off like a bullet. Naturally, the trio pursues her, only to find the grotto completely empty. Not even Sora's around!
But that's because he, along with Ariel and Flounder, are off exploring the sunken shipyard in search of treasure, and boy do they come up with something neat. After exploring one of the countless ships, they discover a strange crystal trident. Before they can do anything with it, though, a fierce shark attacks, leading to a wild chase through the shipyard, while Sora and later Ariel fight back. They eventually triumph and scurry back towards Ariel's grotto using a convenient shortcut. Unfortunately, Flotsam and Jetsam block the path once Ariel and Flounder leave, warning Sora that Triton is the one controlling the Heartless and that, if he doesn't hurry, Atlantica may be doomed.
He's given the instructions to find Ariel when she's all alone, take her to the palace, and nab that trident. With a new goal in mind, he waits down in the tunnel, unaware of the chest up above.
Meanwhile, Riku, Donald, and Goofy continue to search for the Keyhole, fighting Heartless along the way. Eventually, Ariel and Flounder catch up with them, revealing the crystal trident they discovered. Ariel notes that its shape is awfully familiar, suggesting that it might be the key to finding the Keyhole. Together, they all head into the grotto, place the crystal into the wall and prepare to seal Atlantica off. ...at least until Triton and Sebastian appear, the crystal gets shattered, and Ariel takes off in tears.
Sora soon stumbles upon Ariel, offering to help her. All she has to do is take her to the palace, and then they'll be able to get her to the outside world. However, when they get to the palace, Sora snatches the trident, and he leads Ariel through a dark corridor to Ursula's grotto.
Around that time, Riku, Donald, and Goofy arrive, catching a quick glimpse of Sora as he slips through the portal.
After learning that the trident's been stolen, Riku's group along with Sebastian hurry to Ursula's grotto. They eventually stumble upon Ursula, Ariel, and Sora as Ursula attempts to seize the trident's power. Riku barges in and tries to reach Sora, but he winds up getting tossed through a dark corridor. Then, Ursula flees the grotto into the open sea.
Riku's group alongside Ariel pursue her. Ursula uses the trident's power to become enormous and all powerful. After a tough fight, she's defeated, and the group returns the trident to its rightful owner. Triton then thanks Riku and explains that he can use the Trident to find the Keyhole.
After sealing up Atlantica, Riku's group prepares to leave, but not before saying some final goodbyes. While Donald and Goofy leave for the ship, Riku stays just long enough to tell Ariel the truth-- that he's from another world... which she figured out on her own.
Riku encourages her to never give up on her dream, and she gives him a parting gift-- one of Ansem's reports. He then leaves with the others.
Pleasure Island;
As the group travels through space, the Gummi Ship picks up a heavy darkness reading. Though at first Donald's hesitant to go, Riku manages to convince him to take a closer look. After all, isn't it what their King would want?
The moment they enter the island, Riku finds himself captivated by all the attractions. While Donald and Goofy insist that he remain cautious, Riku completely disregards them and takes off to explore. Along the way, he discovers that the island's attractions are a little... strange.
Places like Tobacco Row and the Rough House encourage bad behavior, and booths hand out both guns and liquor. All the while, he keeps seeing flashes of darkness zip by in the corner of his eye.
Eventually, Donald and Goofy catch up with him. Eventually, they decide to investigate the world and search for the Keyhole; after all, it's obvious that something's amiss, and there must be somebody in charge.
They spend a few hours searching but uncover few results. Eventually the lights dim down, the boys vanish from sight, and the island grows eerily quiet...
And then a massive horde of Neoshadows attack. Though at first the group tries to fend them off, their numbers remain high, and the Heartless attack relentlessly. Before long, they're forced to flee.
Along the way, they find no sign of carnival staff or children-- just more Heartless. Eventually, they reach a pool house and take cover. Inside, they stumble upon Pinocchio and a boy named Lampwick.
The two boys smoke cigars, drink liquor, and overall make jackasses out of themselves.
Though the group explains the situation, Lampwick acts completely dismissive, calling Riku's group a bunch of wusses. Pinocchio, despite some scolding from Jiminy, decides to stay with Lampwick even after the group decides to go back outside and investigate. When they reach the front gate, Riku discovers the truth behind Pleasure Island.
The Coachman running the joint uses the island to transform boys into donkeys and sell them for profit. Any that retain their ability to speak get fed to the Heartless.
The group decides to put a stop in this plan. Even Donald's okay with meddling for a change. However, with two boys still on the island, Riku hurries back to the pool house. Unfortunately, he's already too late. Lampwick's changed into a donkey, while Pinocchio's sprouted ears and a tail.
In order to save Pinocchio, Riku carries the puppet all the way back to the Gummi Ship, while Donald and Goofy fend off Heartless near the Ferris Wheel. Once he drops off Pinocchio and Jiminy, he hurries back; after all, he can't afford to let the Coachman have his way.
On his way back towards Donald and Goofy, Riku comes to the realization that he's been way too hard on Donald and Goofy, who've watched his back even when he made a jerk of himself. When he finally reaches them, he apologizes for running off, and the three decide to take on the Coachman.
Things very rapidly take a turn for the worse when the Coachman summons a Behemoth. Not only does he wind up devoured by the Heartless, but winds up overwhelming the trio with its powers.
Donald urges Riku to hurry to the Keyhole, but Riku refuses to back down. Having faced powerful foes in the past, he believes he can take down the Behemoth. Unfortunately, as time goes on, the park begins to crumble. More Neoshadows emerge and nearly snatch Riku's heart away-- until Donald and Goofy save him.
Left with no other choice, the group eventually retreats to the Gummi Ship right as Pleasure Island fades into darkness.
Needless to say, his failure to save that world weighs heavily on Riku's conscience. After mulling it over, he apologizes to Donald and Goofy, and the three decide to truly work as a team, not only to save King Mickey, but to find Sora as well. From this point on, Riku truly considers them his friends.
Halloween Town;
Riku gets his first chance to drive the Gummi Ship, only to crash land right outside of the Halloween Town square. After Donald disguises the group with his magic, the three wander into town and witness the Halloween rehearsal only to find Sora dancing among the various ghosts, ghouls and... Heartless, of all things.
Sora tries to get a word with Riku, only to get interrupted by Jack, who explains his plans to use the Heartless as a part of the celebrations due to their frightening qualities. Although the guidance system is currently malfunctional, he, Professor Finkelstein, and Sora have been whipping up an artificial heart that just needs a few more ingredients.
Jack leads them to Finkelstein's lab, but before Riku slips inside, Sora takes a moment to explain something happened to Kairi and she won't wake up. This revelation hits Riku like a ton of bricks, especially when Sora points out that they need the artificial heart to save her. Even as the group hunts down ingredients, Riku finds himself weighed down by guilt and confusion.
As the group enters the square, Heartless attack. Luckily, between Riku, Donald, Goofy, Sora, and Jack, they have little trouble plowing through the masses and reaching the graveyard. There, they meet with Sally, who expresses concern over Jack's plans. Nonetheless, he continues on, and the group meets with the Mayor for the final ingredient: surprise
During this time, Riku attempts to explain the truth about Maleficent, but before he can finish, the large pumpkin explodes, revealing the surprise inside.
The group returns to the lab, finishes the heart, and at first everything seems to go smoothly. Unfortunately, Sora swipes the heart before Finkelstein can even test it. Left with no choice, the the trio and Jack hurry after him.
At the curly hill, Sora reveals that Kairi has indeed lost her heart, and he plans to use the fake heart to save her. This leads to an argument between the two boys. While Riku accuses Sora of hanging with the wrong crowd, Sora accuses Donald and Goofy of manipulating Riku. Before long, Sora flees to Oogie's manor. The group once again pursues him.
They fight through Heartless and face off with Lock, Shock, and Barrel. In the mean time, Oogie tries to convince Sora to give him the fake heart so he can 'test' it and make sure it's safe for Kairi. That, and he accuses Jack of being careless by wanting to use something like the Heartless as a Halloween attraction. Furthermore, he tells Sora that if they work together, they can be the real stars of Halloween. In reality, he wants the heart to control the Heartless.
Riku's group barges in before Sora can make any sudden moves. The two boys argue, and Sora once again accuses Donald and Goofy pushing Riku around. Though Oogie suggests they fight off Riku and co., Sora refuses because Riku's his friend. Then, when Jack Skellington mentions to Sora that he could've requested another heart for Kairi, Oogie throws the kid through a dark corridor and swallows the heart himself.
A fight ensues in Oogie's torture chamber, but, eventually, he meets an untimely end. While Jack laments about the failure of the fake heart, Riku, Donald, and Goofy encourage him, pointing out that he can always find an even spookier attraction for the next Halloween.
As the group makes their way back to Halloween Town, Oogie merges with the manor and attack. Left with no other choice, the group fights the manor, destroys it, and eventually uncovers the Keyhole, which Riku immediately seals. He also uncovers an Ansem Report among the wreckage.
Meanwhile, back in Hollow Bastion, Sora encounters Ansem in the Entrance Hall. There, he points out how intriguing Sora is because he's an 'anomaly'; darkness cannot swallow his heart and that he will never know true power unless he releases the light that shackles him. Sora, naturally, doesn't understand a word he's saying, and Ansem leaves one final cryptic message: 'to return what's pure to its rightful place, sacrifices must be made.'
Once Ansem leaves, Sora returns to the castle library where Maleficent surely awaits him.
By this point, Jack Skellington has already attended a Halloween planning meeting, and Riku's group prepares to say their goodbyes. Jack encourages Riku and friends to come back and visit with Sora in tow. Like Ariel, he doesn't blame Sora for his actions. He even points out that the adventure they had gave him new found inspiration for Halloween festivities.
Riku promises to return someday and bring Sora and Kairi along for the ride. With that, he and his friends leave with new found determination.
Agrabah;
Riku's group arrives in Agrabah smack dab in the middle of a parade for a man named 'Prince Ali'. A swarm of Heartless attacks in the middle of the festivities, forcing Riku and friends to fight through the masses. It's there that they meet the prince, who uses an all powerful Genie to dispose of the Heartless.
With the Heartless gone, Ali and his Genie introduce themselves, and the trio quickly learns that Ali is not truly a prince-- he simply wished to be one so that he could win the heart of princess Jasmine. Although he doesn't know the location of the Keyhole, he offers to let Riku, Donald, and Goofy into the palace by pretending they're his servants.
Meanwhile, Sora learns from Jafar that 'Prince Ali' is likely a fraud who plans to use a genie's power to reign supreme over Agrabah. In order to 'save' Agrabah, Jafar points out that they need the lamp. Though Sora's a little skeptical, Jafar promises to use one of his wishes to aid Kairi. Despite his reservatons, Sora agrees to swipe the lamp.
When Riku's group and Ali reach the palace, things don't go quite as planned. Jasmine rejects Ali's advances, while Jafar acts outwardly suspicious towards Ali. Of course, the Sultan supports Ali and encourages him to just give Jasmine a little time. He also grants the trio and Ali full permission to explore the palace.
Unfortunately, when Riku asks the Sultan about the Keyhole, he reveals that he's never heard of such a thing. Left with no other choice, they opt to explroe the palace grounds and the rest of the city to find the Keyhole.
Hours pass with no results. Eventually, the group returns to the palace, and Ali attempts to woo Jasmine once more. After a few blunders, he eventually succeeds to a degree, and he and Jasmine take off on a magic carpet ride.
Once Ali returns Jasmine to her room, Sora sneaks up on the prince and knocks him unconscious. Then, he swipes the lamp. Unfortunately, the magic carpet attempts to pursue him, and Sora's left with no choice but to flee, while the carpet brings Ali back to Riku's group. When he reaches the throne room, he releases the Genie from his lamp and, after a short conversation, wishes for Kairi's heart back.
Unfortunately, the Genie is unable to return her heart, but he points out to Sora that her heart may be closer than he thinks. Unfortunately, Iago swipes the lamp soon after, and Jafar orders the Genie to take himself, Sora, and the Genie straight to the Keyhole.
Riku's group makes it into the palace right as Jafar, Sora, and the Genie vanish from sight. While the carpet rushes off for the Sultan, Ali wakes up, discovering that the lamp is missing. Before long, the Sultan returns, explaining that Jasmine has gone missing. The group very quickly puts two and two together and concludes that Jafar was the one behind it all.
With no other choice, the trio and Ali-- or rather, Aladdin, hurry towards the Cave of Wonders. After dealing with the cave's tricks and traps, they eventually reach Jafar and the Keyhole, but by that time, Sora and Jasmine are already gone. Jafar still humors them by pointing out Maleficent's goal to collect the Princesses of Heart to open a door to the heart of all worlds.
He then wishes himself to be an all powerful sorcerer, overwhelming the group with his power. He transforms Donald into a rubber duck and knocks Goofy unconscious. Then, he turns Riku's Keyblade into a wooden sword. Before long, he changes into an enormous cobra, forcing Riku and Aladdin to flee his powerful strikes. However, they soon convicne Jafar to use his final wish to become a genie, defeating him once and for all.
Riku seals the Keyhole, and the group retreats back to the palace. There, Riku, Donald, and Goofy explain the whole situation. Aladdin wishes Genie free despite his offers to find Jasmine, and Genie in turn offers to aid Riku's group in their search. The Sultan also assures Aladdin that he's proven himself more than worthy of Jasmine's hand in marriage.
With that, the group takes off for the next world...
Neverland;
Sora returns to the ship's cabin and spends time alone with Kairi's lifeless body. As he mulls over the situation, he finds himself in constant pain, as Kairi's heart resonates inside him. Kairi even tries speaking to him, but Sora disregards her words as another halucination and rushes off to speak with Maleficent. The witch urges him to disregard his visions, which she considers products of his desperation.
Hook's ship eventually corners and attacks the Gummi Ship, bringing Riku and friends on board. He awakens on the ship deck where Sora greets him with a smile and a tacky eye patch. Sora points out that it's the perfect time to save Riku and offers to bring him to Kairi. A tense conversation follows surrounding Kairi and Sora's loyalty to Maleficent. Before long, Riku calls Sora out for being a villain's lackey and swears to take Maleficent out. Furious, Sora casts Sleep on Riku and tosses him into the brig.
Of course, Sora's left feeling torn and conflicted. While he still clings to his loyalty to Maleficent, he finds it hard to rationalize the actions of Ursula, Jafar, and Oogie. Thus, he approaches Maleficent in order to set the record straight. She, of course, feeds Sora more lies, telling him that the other villains were victims of their own innerdarkness and the Keyblade is what brings Heartless to the worlds. As a result, she says that it's best that Riku remains captive.
But once Riku wakes up and reunites with his friends, they don't stay captive for long. With a little help from Tinkerbell and Peter Pan, they fight their way through the ship in order to find Wendy and Sora. Along the way, Peter Pan and Tink try to help Riku's group fly, but the pixie dust fails.
Meanwhile, back in the cabin, Hook and Sora discuss Peter Pan, Riku, and the princesses. Hook even goes so far as to call Peter Pan a talented liar who promised Wendy eternal youth if she stays with him forever... as a slave. Though Sora offers to take care of Pan, Hook declines, as he has a personal grudge against the boy. With that, Sora takes Kairi out onto the ship deck...
Only to get attacked by a swarm of Heartless. No matter what he does, they just keep coming-- at least until Maleficent appears and annihilates them all. This act completely convinces Sora that Maleficent is not the one controlling the Heartless. It has to be Riku's Keyblade bringing them in.
Around that time, Wendy gets taken away, and Peter takes off to find her. After a bit of climbing, Riku, Donald, and Goofy make their way to the ship's upper levels. They reach the cabin before long, only to find it completely empty. This leaves Riku confused and disappointed. When Donald and Goofy ask what's wrong, Riku points out to Donald and Goofy that he encountered Sora and Kairi earlier.
Soon, they catch up with Peter, Tink, and Wendy. After a short conversation, the three of them leave, and Riku's group returns to the ship's upper levels. There they encounter Hook, who surrounds them with Heartless and reveals that he'd captured Tinkerbell. Not only that, but he points out Sora's location-- Hollow Bastion. Of course, he warns the group that if they make one wrong move, he'll dispose of Tink. In order to save her, Riku, Donald, and Goofy distract Hook with insults, while Riku inches towards the plank.
With Hook suitably distracted, Donald and Goofy free Tink, and she sprinkles pixie dust over the trio. Peter returns and encourages Riku to think happy thoughts; soon, he and the others take off like rockets above the ground. With Peter by their side, they do battle with Hook, although Peter eventually takes the captain on one-on-one with no flying.
Just like in the film, Hook winds up landing in the water and chased off by the hungry crocodile. He leaves behind two Ansem reports, and the group, led by Peter, takes off to the Big Ben clock tower. There, Riku seals the Keyhole, and he expresses his surprise and disbelief that he actually flew. After all, he's been weighed down by so many troubles, such as what happened to Kairi and Sora's alliance with Maleficent. Of course, his friends encourage him to believe in his friends.
After saying their goodbyes, the group takes off to Traverse Town to prepare for the final encounter with Maleficent.
Traverse Town 3;
In Hollow Bastion, Sora and Maleficent discuss what must be done with Riku. While Sora fears hurting his friend, Maleficent reminds him that if Riku breaches the castle, he'll bring the Heartless along with them. In the end, Sora decides he'll do what he can to keep Riku out without harming him and that hurting his friend will be a last resort.
Back in town, Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Leon's gang discuss the Ansem reports. Soon, they realize that Ansem was the one behind the Heartless and that he created a machine to mass produce them. A machine that somebody like Maleficent could use. As for Sora, Leon points out that he may be Maleficent's trump card and that, sooner or later, Riku will have to face his fears.
With a little encouragement from Donald and Goofy, he decides to face Sora head-on, though his fears still linger.
Hollow Bastion;
The trio arrives in Hollow Bastion and fights their way through powerful Heartless. Eventually, they encounter Sora, who refuses to let Riku pass. The two begin to fight, but Riku keeps missing, while Sora keeps striking with the blunt side of his sword.
Riku's fears overwhelm him, and the Keyblade vanishes. Sora turns away and begins to leave, warning Riku that he should just turn back.
Fortunately for Riku, Donald and Goofy stick by his side, and together they follow Sora into the castle. There they meet up with Beast who joins their little group after they plow through some Heartless.
Before long, they catch up with Sora in the Entrance Hall. It's there that Riku finally accepts that he must fight Sora, and he flat-out tells his friend that he'll do it if it means he can knock some sense into him.
The two fight one-on-one, each showcasing their own strengths. Eventually Riku comes out on top and tries to reason with Sora, only for more Heartless to attack. Sora makes an escape.
After clearing the area, Riku and the others make their way through the castle, solving puddles and facing more foes.
In the mean time, Sora encounters Ansem, who casts doubt on Maleficent's motives while revealing to Sora that Kairi's heart rests inside him. He passes on the Dark Keyblade so that Sora may release her, all while telling him that the only way to save himself would be to take the darkness and make it his own. Otherwise, he'd become swallowed entirely.
With that, Ansem urges Sora to go to Maleficent and see what she has in store. With his newfound doubt, he hurries to the Grand Hall.
Some time later, Riku's group reaches Maleficent in the chapel, where they face-her head on. With a little assistance from Genie, they manage to overpower the witch. At that point, she slips through a dark corridor, and the group follows. Though weakened, she continues to taunt Riku and the others, mentioning how 'that foolish boy' will complete the Keyhole and plunge the world into darkness.
She transforms into a dragon and launches flames straight at Riku, but Sora rushes into the fray, knocking him outta the way and striking Maleficent with his sword. At long last, he realizes that he'd been played for a fool and joins Riku in facing his 'old friend'.
They triumph over Maleficent, and Sora apologizes profusely. Of course, nobody really blames him for his actions. But with Maleficent outta the way, Sora leads the group to the Grand Hall. Once there, he takes Riku up to Kairi and reveals that Kairi's heart had been inside him all along and that he'll have to release her heart.
Riku refuses to accept this, and the two argue over what to do. In the end, however, Riku realizes that there really is no other choice.
He challenges Sora to one last spar to let his friend go out on a high note, even throwing the match for Sora's sake. With that, Sora gives Riku some final words of encouragement and frees Kairi at long last.
Kairi awakens, and Riku apologizes for everything. Kairi naturally forgives him.
Donald and Goofy catch up with Riku, but before long, the Keyhole begins leaking darkness. Powerful Heartless like Neoshadows and Darksides appear, along with Ansem, still dressed in the brown robe.
He taunts Riku, tries bringing him into the darkness. All the while, Riku's friends stick up for him. Even when Ansem tries to possess Riku, he musters up the strength to fight back, and Kairi's light certainly helps.
However, while Ansem fails to get his vessel, he manages to feed off of Riku's darkness and starts reconstructing a body from it and the darkness of the Keyhole.
The Heartless inch closer to the group. It's only when Beast arrives that they make their escape, left with no other choice but to flee to Traverse Town; after all, Kairi's safety is of utmost importance.
Little do they realize, Sora is far from gone. In Twilight Town, Xemnas stumbles upon his Nobody, who's managed to retain all of Sora's memories.
Meanwhile, Sora himself plummets into darkness and tries follow Ansem's advice. Unfortunately, the darkness starts to overwhelm him... At least, until Ven's heart calls to him, encourages him. Together, they dive straight into the darkness, determined to use it for good.
Traverse Town 4;
Donald and Goofy meet with Cid, giving Riku and Kairi some alone time. During that time they catch up, and Kairi provides Riku with encouragement. Eventually, it's decided that Kairi will accompany Riku for the rest of their journey. While Donald questions it at first, the fact that Kairi is a Princess of Heart could give them an added edge against the darkness. Especially with the other princesses in Hollow Bastion.
Before they leave, the group meets with Leon and discusses the events of Hollow Bastion, including what happened to Sora and Ansem. Leon also points out that, thanks to the Keyhole, the number of Heartless has increased, even in Traverse Town. In spite of the dangers ahead, the group takes off for Hollow Bastion, determined to put an end to Ansem's scheme.
Meanwhile, the Organization meets and discusses Sora's Nobody, who's refused to cooperate due to suspicion. Xemnas sees no issue with the Nobody clinging to his former identity, seeing it as no consequence and even a useful trait. Eventually it's decided that they will use Naminé to tweak the boy's memories and make him more useful for the Organization's plan.
Hollow Bastion 2;
The group returns to Hollow Bastion, only to be greeted by Beast, who points out that the princesses have held back the darkness, but it won't last much longer. Together, the hurry to the chapel. Kairi stays with the princesses so she can hold back the darkness, while Riku, Donald, and Goofy continue to the Grand Hall.
There, they're greeted by an army of powerful Heartless. As they fight their way to the Keyhole a mysterious, shadowy figure assists them by pelting Heartless with green flames and swift combos. Riku never gets a good look at him before they make it into the Keyhole.
Inside, they do battle with a Behemoth. Unlike at Pleasure Island, however, Riku and his friends come out on top.
They hurry back outside and are greeted by Leon's gang and Kairi. It's there that Riku learns that defeating Ansem will restore all the worlds... and the borders around them. Even Gummi Ships will no longer work.
Riku is left speechless. He'd promised Kairi that they wouldn't go home until they found Sora. How can he keep that promise if the worlds become separate again? Though he tries to put on a strong front, he still can't accept the consequences. This remains a lingering fear of his throughout the rest of the act.
---
Before the group leaves for the final world, they discover a corridor in the chapel. The princesses mention a man in black, and Riku's group decides to investigate. There, they encounter Xemnas, who makes cryptic remarks and attacks in order to test Riku's powers. Before the fight begins, Kairi gets dragged through a dark corridor. Xemnas hints that he knows who the helper is.
With that, a fight ensues. Xemnas' power overwhelms the trio at first, though Tink's healing powers do help. In the end, they defeat Xemnas, and he leaves after telling Riku to bring him more hearts... and dropping an Ansem Report that hints at the existence of Nobodies.
When they return to the chapel, Kairi's safe with the other princesses. Though she didn't get a good look at the one who saved her, she insists that he was just trying to help.
Though they failed to find Sora, the group presses on and takes off to the world of the Heartless...
End of the World;
Sora arrives in this world and awaits the arrival of his friends. His embrace of darkness has granted him a humanoid Heartless form, though he's lost his ability to speak. Only Ven can hear his innermost thoughts.
He awaits the arrival of his friends, determined to help them.
On the ride to EotW, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy try to cheer Riku up. Unfortunately, he still can't completely forget Leon's words, though he at least tries to take their advice. He also promises to train Kairi to fight once everything's said and done.
Once they arrive, Donald orders Chip and Dale to take the ship to safety if they don't make it back. With that, the group journeys through the darkness, fighting Heartless along the way. All the while, Sora helps them, though he never stops long enough for anyone to recognize him.
They pass through illusions of the worlds they visited, battle with Chernabog, and eventually make it to the Final Rest. Though Riku's left disappointed that their Heartless helper kept avoiding them, his friends once again encourage him to press on. Kairi even gives him her lucky charm.
When they pass through the door, they stumble upon an illusion of Destiny Islands. There, Ansem taunts them again, bringing up how darkness is the heart's true essence-- at least until Riku interrupts his speech.
Riku, Donald, and Goofy all fight Ansem and his guardian, while Kairi watches from the sidelines. Once Ansem's defeated, he retreats further into the ruined islands, and Riku pursues him. Unfortunately, a barrier keeps the others from joining in.
To further mess with Riku's mind, Ansem manipulates his form to resemble Riku... had Riku chosen the path of darkness. He even fabricates a fake Keyblade.
The two fight. Though Ansem's power overwhelms Riku at first, he eventually comes out on top. Ansem then plunges everyone into the Endless Abyss for one final fight...
In the end, Riku and friends triumph. Kingdom Hearts bathes Ansem in light, and the group hurries to the door...
Except Riku can't bring himself to close it. Not when he has a promise to keep. Though he openly admits that leaving it open could bring darkness throughout the worlds, he refuses to forget about his best friend. The others come to accept this; after all, they still need to find King Mickey, too. Thus, they leave through a dark corridor, leaving the door to darkness behind...
Epilogue:
The Organization meets and discusses their plans for Riku and their new 'puppet' as well as Sora's Nobody. With the Heartless flooding the worlds, they plan to use both Riku and his Replica to double the hearts for their Kingdom Hearts. Sora's Nobody will act merely as an accessory to the Replica and a means of manipulating Riku, if necessary.
Back in the dark realm, Mickey fights off the Heartless behind the door. Meanwhile, Sora wanders the ruins of Hollow Bastion's town, fighting off Heartless whenever he can. He's driven to find a way back to human form and refuses to meet with his friends until then.
Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi wander along a grassy field, left with nowhere else to go. Though they'd failed to close the door, they're still determined to find their friends and set things right.
Outside Memory's Skyscraper, Xemnas meets with the Riku Replica, who's had his memories altered to match Sora's Nobody. While the Replica questions why he should work with the Organization, Xemnas assures him that he'll get to see his friends again. More importantly, he'll be able to help restore Sora's heart.
Though reluctant, he accepts Xemnas' words and follows him to the castle. He'll play along, but only for his friends. Not for the Organization's sake.
--
This is where KH1 ends and Act 2 begins.
*INSERT ACT 2 INFO HERE*