Basically, what the title says. A good chunk of Xehanort's body collecting program in DDD seems to rely on the notion that Yen Sid is going to start the Mark of Mastery in a time and space where a version of Xehanort himself is also present, so that they might hijack the test and lead Riku/Sora astray. Also, they try to sell this as all part of the "master plan" when Yen Sid muses whether or not Xehanort had planned this far in advance. Well, the fact is, I really, really don't see how he could have planned this one. There's no real way he could have known that Yen Sid was going to send them to Destiny Islands, never mind send them to a parallel of the world which also happens to be at the exact time of it exploding to Darkness when Ansem happened to be present. What if he had sent them to, I don't know, Paris? Or anywhere else where Xehanort wasn't. 

From what I understand of DDD, Yen Sid DIDN'T start the exam during a timeframe where a Nort was really 'alive'. It was Young Xehanort who hijacked the proceedings by bringing in all of the past Xehanorts together from different points to show up. 

Question is- how'd Ursula get there?

Well honestly I don't think it's very plausible Xehanort could've known that they would be sent there at that very given world at that very given time . How would he even know they would take the MoM that day let alone THAT kind of MoM considering the last MoM we saw was nothing like the one in DDD? To even plan to hijack the MoM he would have to know this somehow but it's never said how or why . Yen Sid DID know Xehanort was going to be revived and even said that threat was inevitable. The only thing that keeps getting spewed is "destiny this, destiny that " when all Xehanort does is manufacture destiny .Although they did have Riku in their sights for quite awhile ( since KH1) as a possible vessel ( and technically was one when he was possessed if you want to count that  ) and hadn't gave up on him yet . The recusant sigil could be one way to track them even then.Maybe Yen Sid had to use DI bc he knew the exact moment it was falling to darkness and they used that to enter the RoS.

Edited February 21, 201411 yr by Flaming Lea

Fool. I think it had to start in Destiny Islands.

Question is- how'd Ursula get there?

Fool. Remember Ursula said that someone told her they'd be there? It was most likely Xehanort, and he probably helped. Or she can travel worlds herself. She had to get to those secret meetings in KH1 somehow.

Fool. I think it had to start in Destiny Islands.Fool. Remember Ursula said that someone told her they'd be there? It was most likely Xehanort, and he probably helped. Or she can travel worlds herself. She had to get to those secret meetings in KH1 somehow.

Or she flew a Gummi Ship from world to world

Isn't it obvious? YEN SID is evil, just look at the hatred behind those eyes. He clearly gave Xehanort a heads up. Think people.

Edited February 21, 201411 yr by NO_HEART_XIII

Xehanort used his powers of time and space to get a hold of the DDD strategy guide, saw the game would begin in Destiny Islands, and prepared accordingly.  The strategy guide, seeing how Xehanort was at Destiny Islands in the beginning, informed its readers accordingly.  Xehanort then used his powers of time and space to get a hold of the DDD strategy guide, saw the game would begin in Destiny Islands and prepared accordingly...

I think it did have to start there because it was one of the sleeping worlds and it would make seance to start it there because that was their home world and we have to remember that a part of Xehanort was at Destiny Islands when it fell into darkness and could have also been the reason it fell into darkness because remember the guy in the robe it was what Ansem (Seeker of Darkness) looked like before he got his new look which he got because he possessed Riku.  And I think they could keep tracking Riku because of his darkness or something like that and they could track Sora because of the sigil which they probably put on Sora before they unlocked the first sleeping keyhole (Destiny Island) or maybe they could also track Riku because he was in Sora's dream again I don't understand that whole part but whatever.  and I have to say the whole Time Travel thing is all confusing and that's probably the reason how they knew that it would all happen (AKA Video Game logic)

Edited February 21, 201411 yr by TheKingdomkid

Well for one thing I think it was less that Master Xehanort foresaw everything from the very beginning and more that Ansem had enough foresight to set up a backup plan after his observations of Sora and Riku in the KH1 stream of events. It was clear that both Sora and Riku were suitable candidates (Riku more then Sora at the time) as vessels. They also clearly proved in the end to be a threat to their plans. Xehanort doesn't really leave much to chance when setting up his plans. So I can see Ansem's thought process acting in a similar manner.

 

As for the foreseeing of the use of Destiny Islands it's a little simpler to see an explanation. As a former colleague of Yen Sid; Master Xehanort would have had insight or at least hunches of how Yen Sid's thought process works. Ansem who had been observing the events of the present would utilized this knowledge. With Sora and Riku running around and the Keyblade manifesting itself between them it was now possible (as MX's plans usually do) for the original plans to fail. The failure of Xemnas's and Ansem's plans (assumimg they were in some form of contact)would also mean their inevitable recompletion. That being said Ansem(utilizing MX's knowledge) would at the very least known that Yen Sid would need to bring Sora and Riku up to scratch in skill and power in order to combat the immense threat MX would pose. Assuming that Yen Sid and MX's knowledge is on par its easy to see where they both would think of utilizing the properties that coincide with awakening the sleeping worlds and Ansem acted appropriately.

 

The exact timing can also be explained as well. As per the laws of time travel there needs to be a version of the traveler at the destination. This means that in order to access the RoS Sora and Riku time travel destination had to meet two qualifications. One it had to be a place where the world in question would intersect into the Realm of Sleep and it also had to house the past versions of themselves as stated by Xigbar. That being said only one place and time fit that bill Destiny Islands at the moment before it fell to darkness.

Edited February 21, 201411 yr by devereauxr

From what I understand of DDD, Yen Sid DIDN'T start the exam during a timeframe where a Nort was really 'alive'. It was Young Xehanort who hijacked the proceedings by bringing in all of the past Xehanorts together from different points to show up. 

I have to say that this is a really good answer .