Chapter 5: Destiny's Course - Redefined


"Well," Ash said with a weak smile. "You guys sure have been through a lot."

The four of them had just finished trading stories of their previous adventures; Sora and co. traversing worlds and battling the Heartless and Ash's journey to become a Pokemon Master. The brown-haired Keyblader just rubbed the back of his head sheepishly at his words.

"By the sound of it, you've been through a lot too," he said modestly. "So, you said that you're looking for your Pokemon, right? All of them?"

"Yes," Ash admitted. "But I'm the most worried about the ones I had on-hand when my world fell."

"The ones those balls are for, right?" Donald gestured towards the six Poke Balls clipped on Ash's belt. "You were opening them left and right when we first woke up."

"Right," the Kanto native nodded. "We use Poke Balls to catch, store and transport Pokemon. When we catch a Pokemon, it's converted into data and placed in a virtual environment that's best suited for its species."

"Virtual environment?" Goofy repeated cluelessly.

"It's like an imaginary world," Sora explained, having watched a few movies back home that dealt with similar themes.

"So there are entire worlds inside those balls?" Donald asked in awe. Ash laughed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Not exactly," he said. "The 'worlds' aren't real. I'm not sure how to explain it to be honest. I barely understood when Professor Oak tried to explain it to me."

"Still, that seems really high-tech," Sora said appreciatively. "The whole thing sounds like sci-fi to me. You have anything else from your world?"

"Well, just my Pokedex, I guess," Ash said, pulling the device out. "It's basically an encyclopedia on every Pokemon currently known to man."

"That… kinda sounds boring, to be honest," Sora admitted sheepishly. The trainer just laughed.

"It sounds boring, but it's invaluable in the field," Ash pressed a few buttons and brought up a particular window. "Here, check it out."

The other three leaned in curiously and see what was displayed upon the screen. A small yellow creature with two red dots on its cheeks stared back at them cutely.

"This is a Pikachu," Ash explained. "It's an electric-type."

"And your first Pokemon, right?" Donald asked. Ash nodded and flicked his finger across the screen. Sora, Donald and Goofy were startled when a robotic voice started speaking in a monotone.

"Pikachu — The Mouse Pokemon and the evolved form of Pichu. It can generate electricity from the electric pouches on its cheeks. When it raises its tail, it is sometimes struck by lightning. This Pokemon evolves into Raichu."

"...Okay, that's pretty cool," Sora chuckled. Ash was about to say what was assuredly a witty remark when the train was suddenly enveloped in light.

The party glanced out the window as they slowly came to a stop; the car doors opening. All around them, endless space spanned across the horizon. The only break in the scenery being a floating island, upon which a tower stood in the distance.

Ash glanced at the others, who merely shrugged. The teen shook his head with a small sigh. He didn't think he'd ever get used to this magic stuff. Nevertheless, he followed after his friends as they cautiously stepped out, each of their eyes glued on the tower looming before them. As Ash stepped off the train, it suddenly disappeared in a shower of light, causing him to let out a startled yelp and leap back in shock.

Goofy caught him as the party stared bleakly at where the train used to be.

"Well, there goes our ride," Sora said with a nervous laugh. Ash merely sighed once more. Again, he doubted he'd ever get used to magic. Things could never be easy, could they?

"Only one way to go now," he said dryly. The others nodded with varying levels of enthusiasm. With Ash now leading the way, the four amigos made their way up the hillside towards the tower. There was just… one problem once they reached their destination.

"Uh… Hey there," Ash said awkwardly at the rather large posterior poking out of the doorway. "Can I ask what you're doing there?"

"Heh," the person peeking through the door chuckled. "I sent in some of my lackeys inside to see if the master of this tower's as big and tough as they say he is. Word on the street says he's a powerful sorcerer, which would make him the perfect bodyguard for me."

"But if he's as powerful as you say he is, what makes you think he'll work for you?" Sora raised an eyebrow at his rather faulty logic.

Ash nodded his agreement. "If anything, I'd be pretty angry if someone sent his goons to mess with me."

"Bah!" The person scoffed. "It don't matter none. No matter how powerful he is, once he's a Heartless, he'll have no choice but to do as I say!"

The party started at that. "Heartless?!" Donald demanded as each of them tensed for a fight.

The person in the doorway paid them no heed. "That's right," he said arrogantly. "They're those things that come out of the darkness in folks hearts."

"You can control the Heartless?" Ash gaped in shock. That is, until he realized exactly what the person was saying. "And you sent them in there to turn someone?!"

The trainer clenched his fist as anger began coursing through him. Did he think this was some kind of game? That the people he was turning into Heartless were nothing but toys?!

"Of course!" The person laughed, further enraging the boy. "Thanks to my friend Maleficent, those Heartless do exactly as I tell 'em to! With her help, I'm gonna conquer everything!"

"Calm down, Ash." Sora patted him on the shoulder as he began to visibly shake with rage. The brown-haired teen then turned to glare at the person who still hadn't turned to face them. "That's not happening."

"Oh, yeah? Says who?!" The person spun around to glare at them, only for his eyes to widen comically upon catching sight of who he was talking to. "ARRRGH! It's you!"

Donald and Goofy likewise started in shock. "Pete?!" The cried in unison. Sora and Ash turned to them with raised eyebrows.

"What're you two nimrods doing here?" Pete demanded, pointing at them accusingly.

"What are you doing here?" Donald shot back.

"You guys know this clown?" Sora asked incredulously.

"We sure do!" Goofy exclaimed, nodding furiously. "Pete's been causin' trouble for ages! His Majesty banished him to another dimension a long time ago. I wonder how he escaped."

Pete laughed, as though he'd somehow outsmarted them. "You wanna know how, eh?" he asked smugly. "Well, Maleficent busted me out, that's how! And now your world— No. All worlds are gonna belong to yours truly. Cause Maleficent's gonna help me conquer 'em!"

"Maleficent, huh…?" Sora asked sarcastically, his lips quirking upwards. Behind him Donald and Goofy started snickering while Ash just shook his head in both amusement and pity.

"What're you laughing at?" Pete demanded. "Why, Maleficent's power is so great—"

"Look," Ash cut in, looking like he was desperately trying not to laugh at him. "Pete, was it? I don't know how to tell you this but…"

"Maleficent's toast!" Sora had no such reservations and was openly guffawing. Ash merely shook his head and chuckled.

"Sorry, but Maleficent can't help ya now," Goofy said matter-of-factly.

"You…" Pete's eyes narrowed. "So, you're the ones that did it!"

"We… might have had something to do with it," Sora said enigmatically, leaning back with a wry grin.

The four friends watched Pete began to visibly shake with rage. "Why you… HEARTLESS SQUAD!" He bellowed. "Round up!"

Ash saw Sora summon his Keyblade out of the corner of his eye and quickly did likewise. Donald and Goofy retrieved their respective weapons just as several inky black Shadows rose up from the stairwell.

"Let's see who'll be laughing after this!" Pete cackled smugly. "Nobody and I mean nobody messes with the Mighty Pet—"

He didn't even have a chance to finish his sentence before he suddenly found himself alone; the dissolving bodies of his Heartless as well as the quartet's brandished weapons being the only thing that proved that a battle had taken place. (If one could even call it that.)

"Wh— How did…?"

"So, Mighty Pete," Sora said sarcastically as the four of them snickered at the flabbergasted look on his face. "Who lives in this tower anyway?"

The cat-like villain blinked at them owlishly before putting on a twitchy grin. "O-Oh, so you don't know?" He said this smugly. As though his goons hadn't just been wtfpwned in front of him. "Well for your information, it's old Yen Sid! Course, he's probably a Heartless by now."

Donald's eyes widened upon hearing the name. "M-Master Yen Sid lives here?" he stammered in shock. Pete didn't even have a chance to reply before the duck tore past him and into the tower.

"Who?" Ash asked in confusion. By the look on his face, Sora was equally clueless.

"Master Yen Sid is the King's teacher," Goofy explained as Pete sputtered indignantly at being ignored.

"Whoa…" Sora whistled. "Sounds powerful!"

"That must be why the King sent us," Ash noted. "Maybe Yen Sid can help us out."

"You're right!" The brown-haired boy's eyes widened. "Let's go!" With that the three of them rushed after Donald, leaving the fuming Pete behind.


Later...

"I guess Pete wasn't kidding when he said he sent in a bunch of Heartless," Ash said with a sigh as he dispatched a Shadow. The party of four had spent the last twenty or so minutes just trying to climb the Heartless-infested stairs.

Donald nodded grimly. "Heartless, Heartless and more Heartless," he spat. "Things haven't changed one bit."

"I hoped Ash's world might have been an isolated thing," Sora said with a grimace. "But I guess the worlds aren't really at peace after all, huh?"

Ash clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, for what it's worth, you still did the right thing," he said. "That Ansem guy needed to be taken down either way."

"Yeah... You're right." Sora nodded before glancing up at the rather elaborate door in front of them. "It looks like this is the last one, guys."

The others visibly perked up at this; with Donald even rubbing his hands together eagerly. "Oh, boy!" the duck whispered, practically vibrating in excitement. "Let's go!" Ash watched as he and Goofy quickly pushed the door open and stepped through before shaking his head and following after.

The room he found himself in was rather spacious, with a breathtaking view of the stars just outside the windows behind the mahogany desk before him. Sitting at this very desk was a wizened old man with navy blue robes and a wizard's cap, both of which were adorned with star-like patterns.

The man smiled at them through his thick beard as Sora closed the door behind them. "Master Yen Sid!" Donald exclaimed as he and Goofy saluted the old sorcerer. "It's an honor, sir!"

"Hi, there." Ash said with a polite smile. Sora waved his own greeting only to balk as Donald rounded on them with a furious twitch in his eye.

"Sora! Ash!" He hissed. "Show some respect!"

The two teens smiled weakly and bowed their heads in respect. Yen Sid waved this formality aside with an amused chuckle. "So, you are Sora and Ash," he asked, though it was more of a statement than a question. He waited for their nods before continuing. "I take it you've already seen the King?"

"Seen, yes." Ash nodded. "But we didn't exactly have a chance to actually talk with him before he disappeared."

Yen Sid merely nodded, as though he'd expected as much. "Yes, the King's been rather busy as of late," he mused before shaking his head. "Well, it seems the task of instructing you falls to me then. You four have a perilous journey ahead of you. You'd best be well prepared."

Sora blinked at this. "Wait, what?" he asked in alarm. "Another quest? But we were gonna go look for Riku. And we promised Ash that we'd help him find his Pokemon."

Ash nodded in agreement. "Master Yen Sid… how does the King even know me?" he asked, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't even know that other worlds existed until a few days ago at best. Does he really think I'll be able to do what Sora and the others can?"

"That, I do not know," Yen Sid admitted. "What I do know, however, is that the King is no fool. The Keyblade chose you for a reason, Ash. It is up to you to discover what that reason is. As for the King's reasoning… well… I can only make assumptions."

"Anything is better than nothing," Ash urged him pleadingly.

"It is my belief that he wishes you to find those who are lost to us." The old wizard said, leaning back in his seat, frowning ever-so-slightly.

"Lost...?" The Pokemon trainer's brow furrowed for a moment.

"One who is lost in darkness, one who has been consumed by it, and one who must have his heart returned to him." Yen Sid said. "You must go with them, Ash. Until you find what it is you search for."

The old man let him stew on those words as he turned to face Sora.

"Everything in this journey is connected, young Sora." He said cryptically. "Whether you'll find your way back to the islands, whether you'll return alone or with your friend, and whether or not the islands will even be there. And the key that connects them all is you, Sora."

"I'm… The key…?" The brunet murmured to himself. He looked down to his open hand and in a flash of light, the Keyblade appeared.

The old wizard nodded. "You are the key that will open the Door to Light."

Donald and Goofy patted Sora on the back, grinning widely. The teen in question merely chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. Ash, on the other hand, sighed. None of his questions had been answered. If anything, he'd only been given more questions.

Yen Sid noticed his frustration and chuckled. "Patience, young Ash," he said with a wry smile. "I am certain you will come to understand in time."

The old sorcerer waved his hand.

Suddenly, a massive tome appeared before them. "This book contains valuable knowledge that pertains to your journey. Study it carefully." The book floated over to them and opened itself.

Ash grimaced at the sheer size of the book and judging by the look on his face, Sora wasn't exactly enthused about reading such an absurdly thick tome either. So, as Donald hunkered down to start reading, the two teens glanced at each other, sharing a silent agreement between themselves.

"Master Yen Sid, why are the Heartless still running around?" Sora asked swiftly.

Too long; didn't read.

That was okay, though. Surely, Donald could fill them in later, right?

Right?

If Yen Sid noticed their laziness (and they were certain he did), he didn't comment on it.

"Your past endeavors did prevent an immense effusion of Heartless from the great darkness; make no mistake about that," Yen Sid assured him. "However, the Heartless are darkness made real — and darkness yet lingers in every heart. So long as darkness exists in a single heart, it will be difficult to eliminate them."

Sora notably drooped at that. Goofy saw this and quickly spoke up. "Gawrsh, so that means if every heart was filled with light, then the Heartless would disappear, right?"

The brown-haired boy perked up at this, but opposition came from a very unlikely source.

"That's… never going to happen," Ash said quietly, prompting everyone (sans Donald, who was still reading) to turn to him in surprise.

"Hmm…" Yen Sid turned to stare at him intently. "And why do you say this, Ash?"

The boy grimaced. "It's like you said, Master," he muttered. "There's darkness in every heart. Even the most innocent person has a little bit of darkness in them."

"But then how are we supposed to win?" Sora growled in frustration.

"By making sure there's always light to balance out the darkness," Ash said, thinking back to his encounter with Aqua.

The sound of clapping broke the party out of their reverie. They turned to see Yen Sid staring at Ash with a look of approval on his face.

"You are absolutely right, Ash," the old man praised, causing a bright red blush to appear on the boy's face. Yen Sid chuckled at this. "Now it's time to speak of the enemies you will encounter."

The wizard waved his hand and a beam of light suddenly began shining down on the floor next to them. Within the light shaft, an image of Donald appeared, causing the three remaining party members to turn in surprise towards the real Donald.

He was still reading.

Ash sweatdropped at the sight. "I'm really glad we didn't read that," he whispered to Sora, who grimaced before nodding.

"Ahem," Yen Sid cleared his throat, prompting the two teens to smile at him sheepishly. "Now, then…"

The image of Donald suddenly transformed into a Shadow. "If one such as Donald were to yield to the darkness in their heart, they too will become a Heartless. But you know this."

Sora snickered at the poor duck being used as an example while he was unable to protest. That's what he gets for being a huge nerd and actually reading! The teen shuddered at the mere thought!

"The Heartless are always lurking and ever seeking to capture new hearts." Yen Sid continued, prompting Sora to quickly sober up. "Never let your guard down. Now then..."

With another wave of his hand, a familiar silvery creature appeared next to the Heartless. Ash squawked in surprise.

"Those are the things that attacked me during my Awakening!" he exclaimed, causing Yen Sid to turn to him sharply.

"They attacked you during your Awakening?" He questioned. Ash nodded.

"Those things ambushed us on the way to the station too," he explained. "We'd have been toast if the King didn't save us."

"That is… odd." The man's brow furrowed.

"What are they, Master Yen Sid?" Goofy asked quietly.

"The creature you see before you is known as a Nobody." The wizard explained. "At times, if someone with a strong heart and will — be they evil or good — becomes a Heartless, the empty shell they leave behind begins to act with a will of its own."

"An empty vessel whose heart has been stolen away…" Yen Sid murmured. "A spirit that goes on even as its body fades from existence — for you see, Nobodies do not truly exist at all. They may seem to have feelings, but this is a ruse — they only pretend to have hearts. You must not be deceived!"

The party (sans Donald) stared at the image in horrified fascination. "T-That sounds like a nightmare…" Ash muttered. "For your body to act with a will of it's own."

Sora nodded. "Almost like a zombie…" he shuddered. "I hope that never happens to anyone we know."

Ash's eyes widened at that, a look of trepidation blossoming on his face. "Master Yen Sid!" he exclaimed in an urgent tone. "When my world fell—"

The man held up a hand. "I know what you're thinking, Ash," he said grimly. "But I cannot tell you, for I do not know the answer."

"No..." Sora whispered, realizing exactly what Ash was thinking. The trainer grit his teeth in frustration.

"However, I can tell you this," the man said, causing both boys to perk up. "When your world fell, most of its residents had already disappeared, correct?"

"Y-Yes…"

"Then you can rest assured that the majority of them are safe and sound," Yen Sid said with a smile. "For you see, when a world falls, it acts with a will of its own to evacuate its remaining residents to nearby Hub Worlds. Only the most stubborn — or unlucky — are left to the mercy of the Heartless."

"Ya see, Ash?" Goofy slapped him on the back as the boy visibly sagged in relief. "I told ya everything'd be fine!

"But…" The party once again stiffened as the wizard continued. "Those left behind suffer an uncertain fate. Whether or not they escaped… or if they were turned into Heartless or Nobodies. That, I cannot say."

"So, my on-hand team…" Ash grimaced as Sora patted him on the shoulder.

"We'll find them, Ash," the brown-haired boy said. "We promised we'd help. Right guys?"

"Right!" Goofy cheered.

"Donald!" Sora shouted.

"Huh?" The duck glanced up at them from where he was still reading the book Yen Sid had given them.

"Stop being a nerd and tell Ash we'll help him!"

Donald scowled at that. "Some people actually like reading, Sora."

"Yeah, and they're called nerds!" The teen shot back. Donald looked ready to issue a hot retort when they were interrupted by the sound of laughter. The two turned in surprise to see Ash desperately trying to get his mirth under control.

"I-I'm sorry," the black-haired boy chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye. "But…" He smiled at them. "Thank you guys."

"Er… No problem." Sora grinned, while Donald rolled his eyes and reluctantly put the book down.

"So, what were you saying about the Nobodies, Master Yen Sid?" Goofy asked. The old wizard just smiled at their antics before continuing where he'd left off.

With a wave of his hand, the image of the Shadow disappeared and was replaced with two more Nobodies. "The being you see here is known as a Dusk," he explained. "They are the weakest and most common form of Nobody."

"The weakest…?" Ash murmured. "They seemed plenty tough to me."

"Stronger than a Shadow, that's for sure," Sora nodded.

"Indeed," Yen Sid agreed. "They can also plan, where the Heartless rely on instinct. They are a much more dangerous force and they will all try do you harm." The images of the Dusks turned into three hooded figures. "Now these powerful Nobodies formed a group called Organization XIII. It commands the lesser Nobodies."

Ash felt a prick in the back of his mind upon hearing that name. He frowned for a moment before ignoring it for now. "Organization XIII?" He glanced at the others for any signs of recognition. They all shook their heads.

"It seems that Organization XIII is working toward a goal." The old man said grimly. "What that goal is, I do not know." He shook his head wearily and waved his hand. The images disappeared and the beam of light faded away.

"The King has sensed the dangers, found the Realm of Darkness's Keyblade, and journeyed forth to fight it." Yen Sid continued. "He went out, traveling from world to world, fighting the Heartless while trying to solve the riddle of the Nobodies and Organization XIII."

"Then the first thing we need to do is find him." Sora figured. "He should know where Riku is, too. They were together when we closed the Door to Darkness. I mean, after we defeated Ansem."

"If he knew, why didn't he just tell us when he had the chance?" Ash asked. "Or better, why didn't he come here with us?"

"You must understand that the Organization has ears everywhere," Yen Sid said gravely. "I ask that you be cautious in where you speak of them."

"So, what do we do?" Donald asked.

"For now, you should try to find the King." The old man gestured to a door on the far side of the room. "You will need some traveling clothes. Those look a bit too small." He said this while looking at Sora specifically.

The teen in question looked himself over in surprise, finding that his clothes were indeed a bit on the small side. "Through that door, you'll find three good fairies." Yen Sid said. "If you ask, they'll make you new clothes."

"You sure are growing fast, Sora," Goofy said with a laugh.

"Heh," Sora smiled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I guess so…"


Ash pushed the heavy double door open to see a homely room with a large dresser and a changing screen. Waiting for them were three rather short women, one wearing red, another wearing blue and the final wearing green. Each of these women had a pointy wizard's hat as well as a pair of translucent wings. The three women were currently embroiled in what appeared to be an argument.

"You guys, me, Riku and the King," Sora said from behind him, prompting Ash to turn around. The brown-haired boy was staring at his clenched fist with a determined expression on his face. "I don't care what Organization XIII is planning. With the six of us… I mean, the seven of us," He quickly corrected himself, smiling sheepishly at Jiminy, who was rapidly writing in his journal on Sora's shoulder. "We'll get through it."

"You know it!" Donald nodded while Goofy let out a cheer. Ash on the other hand simply smiled and chuckled. Their antics quickly caught the attention of the three fairies.

"Ah," The woman dressed in red broke away from their argument and floated over to them. "You must be Sora, Donald, Goofy and Ash; the travelers Yen Sid told us about. My name is Flora." She gave an elegant bow at this, making Sora and Ash shuffle awkwardly. Donald and Goofy took it in stride, being used to such courtly manners.

Flora gestured to the thin woman in green. "This is Fauna." She turned to the stout blue one. "And this one is Merryweather."

"If you came for some new clothes, you've come to the right place," Merryweather said with a bright smile as she and Fauna floated over to them.

"I'll do the designing!" The green-clad fairy offered excitedly.

Flora and Merryweather floated over to Sora. Fauna waved her wand with a grand flourish, causing a bright green light to fly into Sora's chest and turning his clothes a leafy green color, much to Ash's amazement. Honestly. He'll never get tired of magic!

"Oh! That will never do," Merryweather scoffed as she also waved her wand, changing Sora's outfit from leafy green to sky blue.

"Now girls!" Flora said testily, brandishing her wand and once more changing the boy's clothing from sky blue to a fiery red. This was met with immediate protest from the other two and within minutes, the room descended into chaos, with colors flying around every which way.

Ash had taken cover behind the changing screen the moment a stray bolt of light had nearly turned him vomit-green (if the new color of the walls was any indication). He could see Donald hiding behind Goofy, who'd raised his shield (which was now a bright, neon blue) to protect himself. Donald's hat had likewise turned an obnoxious crimson color, clashing horrifically with his general color scheme.

Okay, Ash could now safely say that he was tired of magic.

"Would you just decide?!" He heard Sora bellow over the chaos. Immediately, the cacophony of noise ceased, prompting Ash to cautiously peek his head out.

The entire room was now a hideous combination of blues, greens and reds. Goofy's formerly black fur was now a deep burgundy, further throwing off his color scheme. Though if Ash was to be honest, he looked pretty hilarious standing there with burgundy fur, a lime green sweater, orange hat, yellow pants and a neon blue shield.

In the center of the room, Sora's outfit had somehow managed to turn pink of all things. How that was possible from the RGB colors they'd been throwing around, Ash had no idea.

Thankfully, he and Donald had managed to avoid the brunt of the fairies' magic, with the only casualty between the two being Donald's hat.

"It's ruined!" The duck wailed, clutching his crimson hat as tears streamed down his face. "Now I'm a fashion disaster just like Ash!"

"Hey!" The trainer squawked indignantly. "The difference between the two of us is that I make these colors look good!"

Red and blue had always been his signature colors! How dare Donald disparage them?!

The three fairies chuckled nervously at their overly-dramatic antics. "Alright girls, and no more squabbling." Flora ordered.

With that, the three fairies waved their wands in unison, causing three beams of light to fly toward Sora. When they made contact with his clothes, a bright flash of light appeared, forcing everyone to shut their eyes. As the light died down, Ash slowly re-opened his eyes, only for his jaw to drop at the sight before him.

The room was back to normal! And so were Goofy and Donald's clothes, much to the duck's relief.

"Yes!" Donald cried out, kissing his newly restored hat as tears of happiness flowed freely down his face. Goofy likewise looked very relieved to be back to normal, as was Ash. He wasn't sure he'd be able to look at such an eyesore for the remainder of their journey together.

...Oh, and Sora had a new outfit, too. It was black and awesome-looking, but compared to everything else that'd happened in the last few minutes, it wasn't very exciting.

"Finally…" The brown-haired teen grumbled to himself. Apparently not even he found his new clothing to be very thrilling, if the look of exhaustion on his face was anything to go by.

"Oh my!" Flora was of a different opinion as she circled the boy, clearly admiring her handiwork.

"What a charming outfit!" Merryweather complimented.

"You look quite dashing," Fauna added with a smile before turning to Ash. "Would you like anything, dear? Don't be afraid to ask!"

Ash glanced at her in surprise. "...I can't really think of anything I'd need," he admitted. "I'm comfortable in the clothes I'm wearing. The only other things I have are Poke Balls and my Pokedex, but I really shouldn't need anything else."

"Poke Balls?" Flora repeated curiously. "Pokedex?"

"These," Ash explained, retrieving the objects in question. He gave them a brief rundown of what they were and the three of them turned to each other with pensive expressions.

"I see… But I'd hate to send you off with nothing," Flora said, biting her lip. Suddenly, a lightbulb seemed to go off in her head. "Oh!"

"What is it?" Ash questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"You said that this device allows you to scan opponents, correct?" The fairy asked for clarification as she gestured towards the Pokedex.

"Among other things, yes." The Pallet Town native nodded.

"Then I think I know just what to do." She held out her hand. "May I see it for a moment, dear?"

"Er… Okay."

"Excellent, now just a dash of magic…" Flora waved her wand and in an instant, the Pokedex was enveloped in a warm red light. As the light faded, Ash was shocked at what was in her hand.

Gone was the blocky form of the Pokedex. In its place was what appeared to be a pair of sleek glasses, tinted a slight orange (much to the chagrin of Fauna and Merryweather).

"Try them on, dear," Flora said, throwing a rather smug look to her fellow fairies. Ash did as he was told. As he handled the glasses, he noticed there were a few buttons on its arms.

Placing them over his eyes, he looked around to see everything was fairly normal, albeit tinted orange ever-so-slightly. Seeing the prompting look on Flora's face, Ash pressed one of the buttons.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed.

"What is it?" Sora asked eagerly. Ash turned to him.

"Name: Sora. Age 15. Gender: Male. Designation: Friendly — tagged as green. Distance: Two feet away."

"Er, what?" The boy raised an eyebrow at the rather gratuitous information. "Yeah. I am… Wait… Tagged as green?"

"This is just like my armor's HUD…" he murmured. "I even have a health bar!"

"A health bar?!" Sora exclaimed, his eyes widening in awe.

"Yeah, at the bottom right corner of my vision," Ash replied excitedly. "I see your guy's current status too. It's like we're partied in an RPG or something!"

"That's awesome!"

"I know, right?!"

"What're they talking about?" Goofy whispered to Donald, who merely shrugged. Who knew what kids talked about these days? The duck unconsciously stretched out a kink in his back while grumbling about whippersnappers.

"Thank you, Flora," Ash said, grinning at the red-clad fairy.

"Think nothing of it, dear." The woman said with a motherly smile.

"Hmph, we could have done that…" Fauna grumbled to herself before seeming to realize something. "Oh, and before we forget! Sora, could you come over here for a second, sweetheart?"

The boy did so, an eager grin on his face. "Now those aren't ordinary clothes, dear." Flora told him as Fauna and Merryweather waved their wands, causing an orb to appear before him.

"Now, touch the orb, dear." Flora urged. Sora hesitantly touched the orb and was shocked as it was absorbed into his body.

"Now, watch what happens!" Merryweather said excitedly. The others watched on as the light surrounding Sora's clothes slowly faded, revealing a brand new outfit of red and black.

But what really caught everyone's attention was the brand new Keyblade in his left hand. The weapon was an indigo color, with a pattern of yellow stars along the shaft and the guard having the appearance of shooting stars.

"Another Keyblade?!" Goofy yelped in shock.

"Awesome!" Sora practically had stars in his eyes. "So now I can use two, just like Ash?"

The three fairies started at this and turned to the aforementioned boy in shock. "Is this true, dear?" Flora asked uncertainly. "You can use two Keyblades naturally?"

"Uh, yeah…" Ash proved it by summoning Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

"That's extraordinary," Fauna remarked, admiring the beauty of the two legendary weapons.

"I guess…" The raven-haired trainer mumbled, somewhat awkwardly. It didn't feel right that so much attention was being drawn to the fact that he had two Keyblades. Ash felt like he hadn't earned such attention. It's not like he'd done anything special.

"Mhmm," Merryweather nodded before returning her attention to Sora. "I'm sorry to say that you won't be able to wield two the same way Ash can."

"It's more like a temporary burst of power in a pinch," Fauna admitted.

"Oh," Sora looked slightly put out by this, but quickly regained his usual spunk. "Still though," He turned to Ash with a rather cocky grin on his face. "I'd say my upgrade was better than yours."

"We'll see," Ash responded with a grin of his own, thankful for Sora's ability to lighten any atmosphere. "My outfit has a few tricks up its sleeve."

'Or rather, on its sleeve.' He thought with a glance at his inactive armor resting on his shoulder.

"This journey will be twice as difficult as your last." Merryweather warned them, causing Sora, Donald and Goofy to slump over.

"Your garments also have other powers," Flora told Sora. "But you will have to discover what they are as you continue on your journey."

Sora quickly perked up and sent them all a grateful smile. "Okay, I'll do my best." he said happily as his clothes reverted back to normal. "And thanks a lot!"

"Yeah, thanks for everything you've done." Ash nodded with an earnest smile.

"Oh, and there's something else for you!" Fauna suddenly spoke up, a look of realization on her face. "From Master Yen Sid. Make sure to speak with him before you leave!"

"Oh boy!" Donald exclaimed excitedly.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ash asked with a grin. He dismissed his Keyblades, as did Sora. "Let's go!" With that said, the party made their way back into the Sorcerer's Loft, though not before thanking the women one final time.

Yen Sid was no longer seated at his desk when they entered. He was instead staring out the window. The old wizard turned to them upon hearing the door open and gestured for them to approach.

Ash glanced at the others to see them shrug. The quartet slowly approached the window and looked out. The trainer wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it certainly hadn't been this. Ash's jaw nearly dropped as a sleek, orange-yellow vehicle suddenly rose up out of the clouds and began hovering before them.

"Is that…?"

"The Gummi Ship!" Donald cried excitedly.

"Alright!" Sora cheered. "You guys all set?"

"Now wait just a moment," Yen Sid held up a hand. "Because of your previous endeavors, the worlds have returned to their original states. That means the pathways between them have disappeared."

All four of them slumped over in exasperation upon hearing this. Two steps forward, one step back.

"Then how do we get around?" Donald asked, his feathers ruffling in irritation.

"Do not fear." Yen Sid said. "If what the King suspected proves true, the worlds have prepared new pathways along which you may travel." They perked up at this. "These pathways may be utilized by unlocking special gates. How these gates are opened, I'm afraid I do not know…"

...Aaaand back to square one. They slumped over once more.

"However, the Keyblades will serve as your guides." The wizard continued, ignoring their antics. "When a beam of light radiates from the Keyblades, return to the Gummi Ship. Though the worlds may seem far apart and out of reach, they nonetheless remain connected by invisible ties. As do our hearts."

"Our hearts are… connected…" Ash mumbled to himself, absentmindedly touching the charm tucked within his shirt.

Sora nodded. "Got it."

"But be warned," Yen Sid said with a solemn frown. "As you proceed... The Heartless and the Nobodies will be using their own paths: Corridors of Darkness, to travel from world to world. They may be attempting to link these dark pathways to the gates between worlds."

"What?!" Donald cried with an indignant squawk. "That's not fair!"

"In my experience," Ash piped in. "Bad guys usually don't play fair."

He snickered as Donald sent him a baleful glare. Yen Sid once more ignored their antics. "Go forth, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Ash!" he said gesturing towards the Gummi Ship. "Everyone is waiting."

They glanced at each other for a moment before nodding. As one, the party snapped to attention. "Master Yen Sid!" Donald declared.

"We sure to appreciate the help." Goofy finished as they all saluted him before making their way out the room. As the large, double doors closed behind them, Ash looked back just in time to see Yen Sid disappearing in a flash of light.

'Magic.' The teen huffed.


Hours later...

A scream reverberated throughout the tower as three fairies stared through the window in horror. "W-What is that!?" Merryweather shouted. A crow, cawed at them then it flew through the open window with a black cloak clutched in its talons. As soon as it landed on the ground, the crow flew away leaving the cloak behind.

"Have... we seen this before?" Fauna asked, staring at the cloak with a feeling of unease running up her spine.

"It does look awfully familiar," Flora said as they examined the cloak, going to great effort not to actually touch it.

Merryweather let out a small gasp when she realized something. "Malefi—" She began to say, but quickly caught herself and threw a hand over her mouth.

"No, no, we mustn't remember her name!" Flora cried with a frantic look on her face. "Oh, dear…!"

"She sure is a mean old witch," Merryweather said before clutching her head as a horrified expression made its way onto her face. "Oh no, the memories are coming back! What do we do? Oh, what do we do?!"

Then, to their utter horror, the cloak began to rise on its own. Twisting and writhing, it thrashed about, causing the three fairies to slowly back away with terror in their eyes.

"We must tell Master Yen Sid!" Fauna cried.

"Yes, that's what we must do!" Flora swiftly nodded in agreement. She and Fauna ran to the door and disappeared in a flash of light.

This left Merryweather behind to watch in mounting terror as the cloak continued to rise; taking the form of an evil the fairies never wanted to see again. "Maleficent!" she shrieked before dashing towards the door and disappearing in the same fashion as Flora and Fauna.

The now fully formed Maleficent slowly opened her hateful eyes and gazed about her surroundings with barely restrained glee. Alive again… She was back. Slowly, she tipped her head back as a laugh began to echo throughout the room. It was dark, creepy and painful to listen to.

"Mwahahahaha!"

And even more painful to read.


A/N: Their party portraits and health bars are totally canon now lol. If you're curious what Ash's new glasses look like, they're like Miyuki's sports glasses from Diamond no Ace. (The guy on my profile pic).

Ash is now a Megane character. Maybe we'll see some Scary Shiny Glasses in the future in style of Conway? haha

*sighs* Alright guys. No more beating around the bush. Things are gonna be changed up next chapter. The overall story will still be the same, as in, still Kingdom Hearts II, but Ash will be having his own separate sidequest.

He'll still be following Sora and the gang, but they're gonna have some additional tasks to complete. Like I said, it's like a sidequest. Or maybe DLC? However you wanna look at it, there's gonna be some new shit happening.

New content.

In the original version of this fic, Ash and the gang went to two new worlds. Yu-Gi-Oh and Zelda. We saw these worlds once and we never saw any worlds beside these two. Now the question is: will I be adding new worlds?

At first the answer was no. The story is long enough has it is. But after giving it some thought, I figured that it wouldn't be overly difficult to add one or two here and there so long as it doesn't affect the overall story.

Especially since the cookie-cutter formula is: Plop characters in world, meet main character of that world, help new character, fight Heartless and save the day.

I don't know. I'll give it some more thought.

Thanks for reading and be sure to leave your thoughts in the box below.

- Your King