Donald and Goofy arrive in Traverse Town, a haven for those whose worlds were already destroyed. They notice a star- that of Destiny Islands- fading away, and decide to look for the one with the key and Leon.
Unknown to them, King Mickey's dog Pluto has already found Sora, who wakes up and, after initially assuming that it was all a dream, realizes that he is in a different world. Following Pluto, Sora meets up with a shopkeeper named Cid, who explains to him about Traverse Town. However, Sora is determined to find Riku and Kairi, and sets off in search.
While exploring, Sora soon encounters the same creatures that attacked the islands in every nook and cranny, and eventually stumbles upon Leon—Squall Leonhart, to be specific—who warns that the creatures will continue to harass Sora as long as he continues to wield the Keyblade. After a quick battle for the weapon, Sora passes out. Leon tells his partner, Yuffie Kisaragi, that things look worse than they had previously thought. At the same time, Donald and Goofy continue to search for the key's bearer, only to stumble upon another friend of Leon's, Aerith Gainsborough.
Meanwhile, at a different world, Riku awakens on a stone platform. He calls out to Sora and Kairi, unaware that he is being watched...
At a hotel, Sora awakens to find what seems to be Kairi, but she turns out to be Yuffie. As he gets acquainted with Leon and Yuffie, he learns from them that he is chosen by the Keyblade and, with Donald and Goofy getting a similar exposition dump from Aerith in the room next door, the dark creatures are the Heartless, which were studied by a researcher named Ansem. Though Ansem had compiled his findings in a lengthy report, which they hope contains the information needed to understand the Heartless, the reports have been scattered across the worlds.
Their conversation is interrupted as the Heartless attack, forcing them to flee; before leaving, Leon tells Sora to find the Heartless' leader. Eventually, Sora arrives at the Third District, as do Donald and Goofy. A group of Heartless then blow Donald and Goofy off a balcony and onto Sora, who they realize has "the key." But there is no time to introduce themselves as more Heartless appear, accompanied by their leader, the Guard Armor.
The fight with the Guard Armor is no easy feat, but the three vanquish their enemy. From there, Sora learns that Donald and Goofy have been looking for him, and are searching for their king. While Sora is reluctant to join them, Leon tells him that they may be his best chance at finding his friends. And so, the three join forces as companions in a long adventure.
Meanwhile, a group of villains keep note of Sora and friends, realizing that they are out to save the worlds. Their leader, Maleficent, reminds them that Sora has recently obtained the Keyblade, and that his fate is up to the universe to decide...
Tropes:
- Developer's Foresight: No matter how you leave the world, you'll always get the tutorial to use Trinities.
- First Town: Traverse Town serves as this.
- Heads I Win, Tails You Lose: Leon will absolutely mop the floor with Sora if he doesn't know what he's doing. If Sora does win, he'll still collapse from exhaustion, and Yuffie will tease Leon for "slipping". Victory will also give Sora EXP, and he'll get an Elixir later on after the Guard Armor fight.
- Missed Him by That Much: Donald and Goofy constantly miss Sora by a margin, both when they walk by the alleyway he's resting in or when he's wandering the town. They finally meet before fighting the Guard Armor.
- The Unsmile: Sora is told to smile for Donald and Goofy. He ends up doing something So Unfunny, It's Funny.
