“‘What would you like to search for?’” Goofy read aloud.
“Riku and Kairi!” Pecking at the keys with his index fingers, Sora input their names.
The monitor showed a progress bar, and then went red, clearly indicating that something was wrong. A voice came from the computer. “No data.”
“No way…” Sora slumped over in dismay. “Even Ansem’s computer doesn’t know…?”
I really thought we’d find something about Riku and Kairi in here. He shuffled away from the workstation, and Goofy took his place.
“Whatcha doin’?” asked Donald.
“Well, I thought we could ask the computer about those Nobodies.” Frowning in concentration, Goofy punched in the query. This time the screen answered with lines of incomprehensible text.
“What’s all that?” Sora muttered from behind Goofy.
“The data is corrupt.” The same red light flashed as the computer spoke.
“How about Organization XIII?” Goofy tried again. After a few seconds, it happened again—the lines of text, the alarm, and the computer’s inorganic voice announcing, “The data is corrupt.”
“Stupid computer!” Sora banged the keyboard with his fists.
“Sora!” Goofy tried to stop him, but Sora kept on hitting, unwilling to be pulled away.
“You’re gonna break it!” Donald scolded.
But then an image of a person appeared on the screen. It was an elderly man, his hair and beard pale, and he wore a red scarf over what appeared to be a lab coat.
“Who’s that?” Sora asked as they stared at the unfamiliar man.
“Well, I see ya got things working!” a voice exclaimed from behind them.
“Your Majesty!” Donald jumped. The king was back.
“Shh!” King Mickey shushed them with a finger to his lips again. “Good going! This computer should tell us what we need to know.”
He came closer to the screen.
“But it just keeps on sayin’ the data’s all kerskuffled,” Goofy said dejectedly, and Donald bobbed his head in agreement.
“All we got is a picture of some guy we don’t know,” Sora added.
King Mickey peered at the monitor. “Why, that’s Ansem!” he exclaimed.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy exchanged confused glances. The man on the screen was someone they’d never seen before. It couldn’t possibly be Ansem.
Sora folded his arms. “Come on… Are you trying to pull one over on us?”
“Didja forget what Ansem looked like, Your Majesty?” Goofy wondered, a little worried.
“’Course not! This is Ansem the Wise!” King Mickey said, still focused on the screen.
“Quack?”
“Uh, Your Majesty, would you come over here a minute?” Sora grabbed the king by the arm and took him back to Ansem’s study. Donald and Goofy followed them.
The painting in the study was a portrait of Ansem. That should remind King Mickey what he looked like, Sora thought. He stopped in front of the painting. “See, this is Ansem. You know, the guy we all worked really hard to defeat?”
“Oh, that’s right—I never finished explaining.”
“Wak?” Donald peered nervously at the king.
“The man in that picture is definitely the one who tried to take over Kingdom Hearts—the one you fellas defeated. But what you actually fought was his Heartless. He wasn’t really Ansem—he just went around telling everyone he was.”
At this revelation from King Mickey, the trio could only stare up at the portrait.
“Wait… Whaaaaat?!” they shouted in unison, startling the king.
“We went through all that trouble fighting an impostor?!” Crestfallen, Sora hung his head.
“Yup, a fake—but he still had to be stopped,” King Mickey said, trying to be supportive.
“Boy, this is kinda depressing,” Donald grumbled at the portrait.
Goofy was the only one who seemed confused rather than discouraged. “Gee… Then, if he was a fake, what happened to the real one? That Ansem the Wise fella?”
“That’s just what I’m tryin’ to find out,” King Mickey replied. “Ansem the Wise should know all about Organization XIII’s plans and what’s been happening to the worlds. I’m pretty sure he can help us out. I came close to finding him once…”
Goofy still looked bewildered.
“So there’s more?” Sora said. “I’m lost enough as it is!”
“Uh, so… Let’s see…,” Goofy started, trying to sort it out. “Somebody who wasn’t really Ansem became a Heartless?”
The king nodded.
“So, does that mean a Nobody got created when that happened?” Goofy observed the painting again.
“That’s right! And that Nobody’s the leader of the organization.”
“Whaaat?!” the trio shouted, flabbergasted again.
“I know I’ve met that fake Ansem before…,” King Mickey went on, looking up at the portrait. “And I’ve seen the leader of Organization XIII, too. Kinda felt like being around the same fella.”
“So where did you meet this guy?” Sora asked.
“I can’t remember.” King Mickey crossed his arms, looking frustrated. “But Ansem the Wise—the real Ansem—he must know who the impostor really is. That’s why I’ve gotta find him.”
Sora furiously glared at the painting.
If it weren’t for this fake Ansem, none of this would have happened. Riku and Kairi would be safe.
He’s the one who started all this. Sora hated the man so much he could hardly think.
I hate him. I really do.
He’d never loathed anyone like this before.
No matter how angry or sad anyone had made him in the past…hating someone like this had been unthinkable until now.
He thought of Riku and Kairi. Where were they now? What were they doing?
Then, suddenly remembering, he turned to King Mickey. “Oh, right! Your Majesty, do you know where Riku is?”
The king jumped a bit, as if the question caught him by surprise, and kept his back to Sora as he replied, “He’s… I’m sorry. I can’t help.”
Sora walked around to look King Mickey in the eye. “Really? You don’t know? Are you sure?”
But the king avoided him and turned away again. “I’m sorry, Sora.”
The boy bit back more complaints and asked a different question. “What about Kairi? Organization XIII might’ve kidnapped her.”
This time the king spun around to face him. “Oh no…!”
Then he gazed up at the painting again, thinking, and addressed each of them.
“Sora, Donald, Goofy… I was thinkin’ I’d go get help from Ansem the Wise. But— Now I know I forgot something really important. Helping others ought to come before asking others for help. I shoulda kept that in mind.” Slowly, King Mickey turned to look at them. “We’re here safe and sound and free to choose what we’ll do. So there’s no reason we shouldn’t choose to help our friends.”
Sora and the other two nodded solemnly.
“Let’s look for Riku and Kairi together,” the king said, but before anyone could respond there was a huge rumble, and the room shook.
“Wak?!” Donald blurted out.
“Outside!” Sora turned to the door.
“Sounds like we gotta start by helpin’ out our friends here!” King Mickey’s expression was grim as he dashed to the exit.
“Donald, Goofy—let’s go!” Sora said, and they nodded at him. The three followed King Mickey out of the castle.
They were on their way to do the most important thing—to help their friends.
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ki, Kingdom Hearts II Vol 1
Kingdom Hearts II Vol 1 Page 20