Traverse Town
First Appearance: KINGDOM HEARTS (2002)
Side: Sora
Sora would require great power to recuse the individuals King Mickey mentioned in his letter and wake them up from their sleep, so he agreed to take the Mark of Mastery examination.
He and Riku returned to the Destiny Islands shortly before their fall to darkness. After their raft was wrecked by a Phantom Ursula, they unknowingly unlocked the first "Sleeping Keyhole."
Sora was separated from Riku and wound up in his first "Sleeping World," Traverse Town, where he met a boy named Neku.
While helping Neku look for his "Game" partner, Sora was confronted by a figure in a black coat. Before he could find out who the stranger was, however, he was seized by the overwhelming urge to sleep.
When Sora opened his eyes, neither Neku nor the figure in the black coat were anywhere to be seen.
Instead of Neku, he found a girl named Rhyme. Rhyme has lost her memory, but Sora suspected she might be Neku's lost partner. Together they continued the search for Neku.
No sooner had Neku explained that Rhyme wasn't his partner than the girl vanished. Then, the figure in the black coat appeared just long enough to summon a powerful Nightmare.
Sora defeated the nightmare, and suddenly a strange projection appeared out of thin air. In it, Sora saw Riku. A boy named Joshua then appeared before Sora long with Rhyme. Joshua explained that Sora was looking at another version, or imagining," of Traverse Town, and that there was no way for him to get there.
Neku, Shiki, Beat, and Rhyme vanished into the projection. This dual Traverse Town, Joshua explained, had appeared because it was needed; Neku and his friends were about to be wiped from existence, but in this world, the pieces of their dreams and the connections they formed had kept them in the Game-- literally. "Who are you?" Sora and Riku asked Joshua.
"Let's say... a friend," was all the mysterious boy would say before flying off into the night sky.
Side: Riku
Having welcomed darkness into his heart, was he still worthy of the Keyblade? Riku decided to take the Mark of Mastery examination and find out.
He and Sora returned to the Destiny Islands shortly before their fall to darkness. After their raft was wrecked by a Phantom Ursula, they unknowingly unlocked the first "Sleeping Keyhole."
Separated from Sora, Riku found himself in his first "Sleeping World," Traverse Town, where he met Joshua. The boy's tone suggested he knew more about this world than most.
Riku agreed to help Joshua find a girl named Rhyme, but another boy, Beat, came along an picked a fight with Joshua. No sooner had Riku defeated Beat's Spirits than he found himself growing very sleepy...
After waking up, he rescued a girl named Shiki from a pack of Nightmares and found himself stuck with her. Next, he encountered a figure in a black coat who insinuated that Riku did not belong there... Beat arrived, and the stranger lowered his hood to reveal a grey-haired youth Riku had never seen before. The youth summoned a giant Nightmare, and vanished.
Riku vanquished the Nightmare and suddenly a strange projection appeared out of thin air. In it, Riku saw Sora.
Neku, Shiki, Beat, and Rhyme vanished into the projection. This dual Traverse Town, Joshua explained, had appeared because it was needed; Neku and his friends were about to be wiped from existence, but in this world, the pieces of their dreams and the connections they formed had kept them in the Game-- literally. "Who are you?" Sora and Riku asked Joshua.
"Let's say... a friend," was all the mysterious boy would say before flying off into the night sky.
Side: Sora
Back in Traverse Town, Sora bumped into a familiar face. Joshua told him that Neku had found his partner, but they still hadn't made it back to their own world. To get there, they would need help completing a mission. Sora raced to the rescue.
He found Neku and Shiki surrounded by Nightmares, and convinced them to let him help. But it was no use; once defeated, the Nigthmare's leader simply escaped to the other version of Traverse Town.
Joshua returned and suggested they work with Riku and their friends in the other Traverse Town to trap the Nightmare and take it Down.
Sora and his friends were ready when the Nightmare resurfaced in their side of the town, but this time it escaped to another world entirely - somewhere not even Joshua could reach. Discouraged, Neku and Shiki realised they had failed the mission, but Sora cheered them up by offering to take over where they had left off.
After they all pledged to meet again one day, Sora unlocked the Sleeping Keyhole.
Side: Riku
Joshua was waiting when Riku arrived back in Traverse Town. He asked for help defeating a powerful Nightmare capable of summoning other Nightmares. Riku learned that the two Traverse Towns connected by the Portal were not parallel worlds, but rather two distinct worlds that only felt the same. In other words, Riku was in a dream.
He met up with Beat and Rhyme and let them defend the area while he raced after the powerful Nightmare. But no sooner had he caught it than it escaped to the other Traverse Town.
Beat and Rhyme were frustrated, but Riku assured them Sora would be able to handle things on the other side. They pledged to meet again one day, and Riku unlocked the Sleeping Keyhole.
