Riku didn't have time to enjoy having his Keyblade back. Heartless were tough, but these were very different. They didn't just act on instinct. They were smart. At times Riku found himself double-teamed, forcing him to try to slash with one hand and use Dark Firaga with the other. Most Heartless and Nobodies didn't blend with their environment either, betrayed by their colors or glowing eyes, depending. If their crests were back, the raptors looked like rock and decaying vegetation. With all the activity around him, it was impossible to tell what was simply vegetation he'd disturbed or something about to attack form underneath it!

Riku leapt with ease into one of the trees, glad for that skill to be returned. However, he found the ability matched by his opponents. And Keyblade or not, outrunning a raptor was out of the question, let alone a large pack. All too commonly he found himself blocking one set of claws only to be snagged by another. His clothes were torn, and what he felt rolling down his back wasn't sweat anymore. It seemed for every one he took down, another sprang up or recovered. No wonder they ruled the earth! While one-on-one, with his powers Riku could easily best one of these large raptors. But in these numbers, and in unfamiliar territory, Riku was getting warn-down, each cut accumulating and coming faster than he could defend himself and heal. He was starting to hurt pretty badly, and as such, he could feel the power of adrenaline and desperation began to well up inside of him.