#maybe this world is all that remains of scala and that's why eraqus watches over this place and was training students

[gummi-ships]

Kingdom Hearts 3 - The Land of Departure

[a-crack-in-the-universe]

KHUX finale predictions

On who uses the lifeboats in Data Daybreak Town (DDBT):

There are 5 lifeboats left in DDBT (one was used by Maleficent and another was destroyed)

Therefore only 5 people can escape to 2DBT.

There are 7 main Dandelions in DDBT: Ephemer, Skuld, Brain, Ventus, Lauriam, Player and Elrena.

Since there are only 5 pods 2 of them must stay behind.

Skuld, Lauriam, Ventus and Elrena are all shown to have gone into the future, so all four of them had to had used the pods to escape DDBT. Brain is heavily implied to have founded Scala ad Caelum and sired the line that produces Eraqus, so he also likely used one of the pods.

By process of elimination, the only ones left are Ephemer and Player.

(more below the cut)

Here’s what I think may have happened:

The union leaders and Player hurried to the lifeboats to escape. During this Lauriam remembered about Elrena and took a detour to pick her up so that she could come with them to the real world.

However, when they got to the lifeboat room they found that there were only 5 boats left.

Player decides to stay behind, to do what they can to help the other Dandelions stuck in DDBT.

Ephemer gallantly gives up his chance to escape so that Elrena can, because she is one of the ordinary Dandelions they are meant to look after and by helping her he can at least save one of their people. He also likely couldn’t bear to escape while leaving Player and the other Dandelions behind to face whatever was going to happen in the sealed DDBT.

So, those are who used the pods to escape DDBT. But what about in the 2nd Daybreak Town?

On who uses the pods in the 2nd Daybreak Town (2DBT):

Well, in 2DBT there are only 5 pods left since Maleficent and True Dandelion used 2 of the pods to time travel. Luckily that’s enough pods for Brain, Lauriam, Skuld, Ventus and Elrena to use. However, we know Brain doesn’t travel into the future, because he founds Scala and Eraqus’ line. This suggests that only 4 of the remaining 5 pods were used in 2DBT.

Here’s what I think could have happened:

Once Brain, Skuld, Lauriam, Ventus and Elrena arrive in 2DBT, they have to decide what to do next. Of course they can all use the pods to travel, but what about Ephemer, Player and the Dandelions who remained in DDBT? They can’t just abandon them.

So, Brain decides to stay behind to 1) watch over the DDBT and maybe find a way to help them and 2) try and prevent the destruction of 2DBT, because he’s worried that if all the pods are used that world will also be destroyed.

I’m not sure what could happen after that, but I have a feeling Brain could succeed in breaking the data cage, because he already announced that he would become the virus that would break the program and seemed very determined to do that. I’m iffy about this part of my theory but it would explain why KH3 showed Ephemer’s spirit in the Keyblade Graveyard when the latest KHUX story update points to Ephemer potentially staying behind in DDBT. And it would make more sense if the Dandelions were able to join Brain in Scala, since Brain can’t continue the line of Keyblade Wielders if he’s the only one left in the world. 

I have no clue what would happen to Ephemer and Player if that’s the case, though. There are some slight hints in KH3 and Dark Road that imply that they might have time travelled, but I have no idea how and why that could’ve happened.