Disclaimer: I do not own Ash Ketchum from Pokemon nor do I own characters from Square Enix, Disney, Biohazard, or any other company.
Fandom: Pokemon/Kingdom Hearts
Title: Where They Wait For Him! The Trial of Awakening: The First Trial!
Character (s): Ash (18)
Genre (s): Fantasy/Supernatural
Rated: T
Word Count: 4,771
Pairing (s): Ash/Aqua, Ash/Cynthia, One-sided Ash/Harem, and One-sided Other Pairings
Summary: Ash's world has fallen to the darkness due to the Heartless and now fate has taken him onto an adventure where he must save many worlds from the forces of evil. But at some point, fate will lead Ash to the one he first loved, Aqua. He will encounter new friends, new foes, and new worlds! Can Ash handle it? We will have to wait and see if he is capable of doing so!
Where They Wait For Him! The Trial of Awakening: The First Trial!
目覚めの試み:第一回の公判!
"Ash…" A familiar voice echoed in the back of Ash's mind. "It's time to wake up. Don't be a lazy sleepyhead now." A giggle echoed in the back of his mind this time.
A soft groan escaped from Ash. The young descendant of the Aura Masters slowly opens his eyes as his vision became clear. Soon Ash took notice that he was lying flat on his belly on something hard. What in the world. When did this happen? Rather than asking that, he decided to move himself up into a sitting position. Once he was up and somewhat around, he glances around his surroundings and notice that it was somewhat the same. It was pitch black…like the darkness.
Ash sighed. He figures as much. Soon the sighing prince glanced downward and quickly noticed that he was sitting on a circular, stained-glass platform. "WHAT THE?"
The raven-haired young man quickly shot up and did a quick scan at the strange platform that he was standing on. The stained-glass platform was very beautiful and descriptive. To Ash's surprise, there were three familiar images on the platform and all three were female. One had red hair, the other one had brown hair with a green bandana, and the third one had long, silky blue hair. These three were definitely familiar.
'Misty…May…Dawn?' Ash had no clue whatsoever on why his former female traveling companions were on this platform. What in the heck was going on here? As he continues to gawk at the beautiful platform, he was fully unaware that his clothes were as good as new while his wounds were completely healed. After a few seconds later, he finally took notice of it. He was completely baffled. Who could have done this? He was good as new.
Suddenly, a thought came to him. The only person who could have done this was none other than… "AQUA!" Ash yelled out loud in realization. Soon the young prince glances around his surroundings in hopes to find the blue-haired woman. "Aqua, where are you?"
At first, Ash did not seem to get an answer. He started to get worry until he finally got one. "I'm all around you."
"What do you mean by that?" The former trainer glances around in confusion. "I don't see you." A giggle echoed within the air.
"Don't worry, you silly goose. You're not going to be alone." Aqua's voice echoed within his mind. Ash sighed in relief.
"That's good.." Soon curiosity came to him. "Where am I, Aqua?"
There was a moment of silence. In what way can Aqua put this in simplest terms for her soon-to-be apprentice to understand this? "Uh…well, it's kinda complicating to explain, but…let's just say that we are inside your heart as we speak."
"Inside my heart?" It sounded too unreal to believe. However, nothing is impossible.
"That's correct, Ash. And this place is part of your heart. You can only be here when you are asleep and no…do not even try to say that it is a dream or that you cannot get hurt. Don't presume anything." Aqua quickly beat Ash to the punch. "Like they say anything is possible."
"I see…"
"Now that you understand a little bit. It's time to move on." There was a brief second of silence before Aqua's voice continued. "There's a reason why you're here, Ash. You're here to take your Trial of Awakening."
"My Awakening…? Oh, yeah. You did mention it before." The young prince said in realization.
"That's right, Ash." Aqua giggled within his mind. "It's a trail that all Keyblader wielders like myself along with potential candidates must go through, in order to become an official, full-fledged Keyblade Master."
"But why me?" Ash questioned. Another giggle entered into his mind.
"It's because I have fate in you, Ash. I believe you are capable of passing the Trial of Awakening and maybe able to pass the Master Qualification Exam. After all, you're the Chosen One." This of course made Ash groaned.
"Don't call me that. I do not deserve that title. Not after what happen to everyone I let down…" The fallen Chosen One whispered sadly.
"Ash…" The fallen Keyblade Master did not mean to bring back a bad memory. She needed to change the subject fast. "Uh…um…are you ready to go through the trial, Ash? Once you pass the first trial, we can move onto the next step. Then afterwards, I will tell you everything you need to know."
After a brief moment of gathering up his thoughts and thinking over the possibility that maybe, just maybe…this opportunity will help him fix everything that happened before. Maybe…becoming a Keyblade Master will give him an extra boost to regain everything back from the darkness. It is a chance that he is willing to take. If being an Aura Master is not enough, according to Aqua, then he will just have to be a Keyblade Master as well. If it means to regain his planet, his friends, his mother, and especially his…girlfriend, Cynthia then he will do everything what it takes to get them back.
"Everyone…Cynthia…I will get you guys back no matter what…" Ash whispered softly.
"Ash?" Aqua's voice calls out to the distracted Chosen One. Ash still did not give her an answer to her question. "Are you ok? You still didn't answer my-…"
"I'm ready, Aqua!" Ash's spirit was fire up with enthusiasm. A giggle echoed within the air.
"Now that's Ash I came to know. Now that you accepted the trial. It is time to get things started. Good luck. Do not worry I will be watching you. Remember you are not alone. I will always be with you. As I said before our-…"
"Our hearts are connected. I know." A smile appeared on the young teen's face. One last giggle echoed within his mind.
"That's right." Aqua sounds pleased before her voice faded away.
Suddenly, Aqua's successor quickly turns his head to the right where he spots three pedestals in the center, each bearing a weapon. Ash was a bit taken back to see three pedestals appearing out of nowhere like that. Was this part of his first trial? Maybe so. Out of curiosity, Ash slowly walks over to the center and carefully studies each one of the weapons before him. After a few moments of pondering over his choices on which one he should choose, Ash finally decided to pick the Dream Sword since it clearly fits his description perfectly…well almost.
As soon as he made his choice, the pedestals suddenly vanished. Soon the stained-glass floor beneath him shattered into millions of pieces. Oh, boy. Soon Ash find himself let out a startled cry as he fell and fell until he easily landed onto a different stained-glass pillar. The pillar looks the same like the first one. However, this time it had three images of guys. They look awfully familiar. One had spiky, brown hair, the second one appears to be dark-tanned person with squinty eyes, and the third one appears to be wearing a familiar headband.
'Gary…Brock…Tracey?'
"There's no time to think, Ash. Your first test begins now. Get ready." Aqua's voice alerted her protégé to stay focus.
Suddenly, several shadowy-like creatures with glowing yellow eyes and twisted antennas emerged out from the stained-glass floor. Soon the shadowy creatures turned their attention to their target who was glaring hatefully at them. "It's YOU GUYS AGAIN!" The angry teen hissed. It seems like these shadowy creatures were responsible for Ash's misfortune.
"You need to relax. Don't be reckless." Ash took a deep breath. Aqua was right. He needed to stay calm. He cannot be reckless. "Now then, what will you do?" A chuckle escaped from the young teen's mouth. That is easy.
"I'm going to fight them head on." Ash said with confidence. Sure, he might not have any of his Pokemon on him right now. But that does not mean he is a pushover. He has other ways to fight. After all, Riley taught him in learning how to fight in combat as well, in learning how to master his aura powers and abilities.
Soon Ash moved his right hand and placed it on his chest. Next, he closed his eyes and relaxed his body, so he can concentrate on calling out his aura. "The aura is within me…" He whispered softly.
The next thing we know, Ash's body emitted a bright light blue, which made the evil creatures to move back a little bit. As the former trainer was busy channeling his aura, something else appeared. It was a strange large scar, but not just any strange scar. It was the Aura Scar. The strange, Inverted Eastern Cross-like scar appeared on the left side of his face and it was glowing the same color as his aura. Strange. But oh, well. That was not important right now.
Soon the light blue glow around Ash subsided. Once it did, the former protégé of Riley slowly placed his right hand to his side while keeping his eyes shut for a brief moment. A calm smile appeared on the young teen's handsome face.
The evil creatures were pretty dumbfounded on why their prey was just standing there. However, it did not matter to them what he was up to. He was their prey and it was time to devour his heart. The shadowy creatures now known as Shadows inched closer to Ash. Bad move.
Suddenly, Ash quickly shot open his now light blue eyes as a light blue katana appeared within his right hand. With no time to waste, the Aura Master unleashed a quick slash at his targets. The single blow took out all of his opponents. However, the battle was not over yet. It is just getting started.
Soon more Shadows popped out beneath the platform and started to lunge forward at Ash. The young swordsman was able to see this coming as he easily sidestepped their lame attempts. Easily, Ash took down the Shadows, one by one. Some of them tried to attack him from his blind spot. However, the former trainer quickly predicted their sneak attack as he jumped into the air.
Next thing we know it, Ash's left hand started to emit a bluish glow. Soon he placed his glowing hand at his targets and launched a barrage of aura spheres. Each sphere connected its target. The black monsters screamed in pain before dissolving in a shower of black particles.
After launching aura spheres at several Shadows, the katana wielder quickly landed on his feet before moving in to take down the remaining Shadows with quick combo attacks. These creatures were not much of a fight. Ash was hardly breaking a sweat with them.
Once the Aura Master took out the remaining three Shadows, more started to appear. Ash sighed in frustration. This was a never-ending battle. However, the former trainer did not have time to complain. He moves in to deal with the newly bunch.
After what it seems like an eternity, the battle with the Shadows finally came to a halt for the time being. Ash can finally sigh in relief. However, the battle did not leave him unscathed. He had minor scratches all over his body. But that did not bother him at the very least.
As Ash was busy glancing around his surroundings to make sure no more Shadows would appear, a familiar voice came into the picture. "Nicely done, Ash." Ash was slightly startled when he heard Aqua's voice in his mind again. "Now you can move forward." What did she mean by that?
Suddenly, a transparent, stained-glass pathway appeared to the left of him. So that is what Aqua meant by that. With no hesitation, Ash quickly took the path and move forward onto his next objective. Along the way, more Shadows appeared, but they were easily dealt with by Ash.
Once the black beings were done being dealt with, the young swordsman find himself standing on another stained-glass pillar, but this time it had images of an old man in a white lab coat, a young woman, and a yellow creature with a lightning bolt-shaped tail. Immediately, Ash quickly recognized these three figures.
'Professor Oak…Mom…Pikachu…'
Unfortunately, the former native of Kanto did not have time to grief over them. Suddenly, Shadows appeared and surrounded him. The young teen sighed dejectedly. Not again.
After a few minutes of dealing with the Heartless, Ash find himself slightly exhausted from the nonstop battles against these black creatures. His breathing was slightly heavy. His Aura Scar started to act up. The young teen slightly winced in pain when his scar started to bleed in a reddish color. It was reacting to his condition. He needed to do something to rejuvenate his aura or else the pain will get worse.
The scarred teen finds himself digging into one of his pants' pockets in hopes to find something. He sighed dejectedly when he find nothing. 'I guess I just have to move forward without my aura pills for the time being.'
Suddenly, Ash heard a loud noise that sounded like something was cracking. The exhausted teen glanced around to see nothing out of the ordinal until his eyes fell onto the floor. It was starting to crack and fast. Soon the entire pillar beneath him shattered into millions of pieces. As it happened before, Ash finds himself letting out a startled cry as he was falling. The former trainer continues to fall into the darkness until he softly landed onto another stained-glass pillar that had images of a few people he was not quite familiar with.
The first image reveals to be a young boy with spiky, brown hair in a black and silver jumpsuit, which is baggy like his old outfit, but with more zippers. Around his neck was a necklace that looks like a crown of somewhat.
The second image next to the young boy appears to be another boy who is a little older with long, silver hair in a black zip-up tank top and a white and yellow vest over it.
The third image next to him appears to be the only female who looks very familiar to Ash. She has long, dark red hair with violent-blue eyes in a pink strapless mini-dress. Around her neck was a small necklace, similar to the one he usually wears. There was definitely something about her. What was it?
Moving on, the other three images were pretty strange to Ash. It was a duck, a dog, and somewhat a mouse with big rounded ears. These three creatures were somewhat familiar to Ash as well. Strange.
However, the young teen did not have much time to study the stained-glass images some more. Soon he can hear Aqua's voice in his head again. "The final part of your first trial is now at hand. Get ready, Ash." Aqua's voice told him. "Get ready to face your fiercest enemy…"
The former prince glanced around his surroundings when Aqua said that. He spotted nothing, but empty darkness. There was nothing out of the ordinary. The only thing he can see is his own shadow, which was moving around and getting bigger. Wait…what?
Suddenly, a pair of bloody red eyes was glaring at him hatefully from his shadow. Soon Ash's shadow grew in height and took on a form of massive, muscular humanoid with black skin. Its head is covered in dozens of twisted, black tentacles. Was this behemoth Ash's final objective? More or less, did it really come from him?
'Did that thing came from me? Does that mean I have to fight my inner darkness?' Ash thought nervously.
Knowing to the nervous teen, the massive creature was glaring at him with its small, bloody red eyes. The young teen slightly took a step back. He feels a little nervous on taking this on. "Don't be afraid, Ash. I am right here with you. You're not alone."
Ash smiled happily, knowing that Aqua was going to be right beside him. Knowing that she was with him in spirit, the young teen got into a battle stance. It was time to face his inner darkness.
~ Boss Battle ~
Darkside (Ash's inner darkness)
With no hesitation at all, the Aura Master charges in towards the dark behemoth. The massive Heartless let out a roar before throwing the first punch, which was easily avoid by Ash who sidestepped the attempt at the last second. With its blind spot wide open, Ash quickly moves in and unleashes a combo attack. Unfortunately, his attack did not do anything. The Heartless barely even flinched when it was nailed by his assault.
Discarding his lame effort like a mosquito bite, the massive beast backhanded Ash, which sends the poor trainer flying in pain. But somewhat the young swordsman was able to shake off the cobwebs as he quickly recovered before landing on his feet. This was not going to be easy that is for sure. This thing was a lot tougher than those small fries he fought earlier.
Soon the massive creature charges in towards its prey with its right fist up high. It was preparing to throw another punch. As it got closer, its right fist flew forward at Ash. The former prince quickly leaped into the air, avoiding the punch. And by using its own momentum against it, Ash used the beast's arm as a springboard to leap higher into air.
Once in the air, Ash channeled his aura within his left palm and before long, an aura sphere was formed. Soon Ash dive-bombed downward towards the Heartless with his aura sphere ready to be slammed against it. As the young teen was inching closer and closer, he quickly forced his left arm forward. Unfortunately, something unexpected happens.
As Ash was inching closer to it, the massive creature quickly thrust its right fist upward towards Ash's aura sphere. The two collided, which ended up in a death lock for a brief second before Ash's aura sphere died out. The Heartless was able to neutralize Ash's attack with ease. "Impossible!" Ash gasped in surprise.
But there was no time to look surprised. In one quick swoop, the Heartless used its other hand to snag the disbelieved prince in a tight hold. Ash gasped in pain as the hold around him was getting tighter and tighter. The beast was putting the squeeze on him. Ash needed to do something or else…his ribs were going to crack.
With no second to lose, Ash quickly threw his light blue katana at the Heartless's left eye. A sicken sound echoed the air when the katana pierced the beast's left eye. The Heartless roared in pain and before long, released its hold on Ash.
The Aura Master quickly landed on his feet before jumping back a few feet to separate himself from the agonizing beast. While the Heartless was busy roaring in pain and clutching its injured eye, Ash took this moment to come up with another plan. 'What can I do? My aura has not fully recover yet and plus, none of my attacks are working against it. What else can I do?'
"Don't give up, Ash. There is a way. You just need to figure it out." Aqua's voice told him.
'A way? What do you mean-…Hold on! That is it. That sword from before.' Ash quickly remembers about the first event. 'But how can I-…'
"Let your heart lead it to you."
'My…heart?' It was not a simple answer. But it is worth a shot. Ash quickly shut his eyes and placed his right hand over his chest.
Soon the massive behemoth quickly stops crying as it turns its attention to Ash. The next thing we know it, the Heartless charges forward in anger. As it was inching closer to our young hero, its right fist was up into the air. And before long, the Heartless thrust its fist towards Ash. Unfortunately, its fist will not connect when something unexpected happens.
Quickly as it happens, the former trainer quickly opens his eyes and removes his right hand from his chest. In a flashing bright light, a sword-like Keyblade, possessing a curved, notched blade that bears a slight resemblance to the Soul Eater and the Way to Dawn with a noticeably sharp edge, appeared within his right hand. It was a black and white blade with a white star-shaped keychain attached to it. Its name was Two Become One.
As soon as his new weapon appeared, Ash quickly uses it to his advantage. The former trainer used to block the Heartless's fist, which completely stopped it in its track. A smirk appeared on Ash's face.
With one strong push from the new key bearer, the wounded Heartless stumbled backwards a few feet. And before long, everything went downhill for it.
Ash quickly charges in with speed. The Heartless tried to throw a punch at the young teen, but Ash quickly disappeared and reappeared behind it. Soon the new Keyblade wielder quickly delivers a slash at its back. The Heartless screamed in agony before turning around and tried to knock Ash away, but the young teen was able to jump backwards, avoiding the attack. And before long, Ash once again charges in and delivers swift combination attacks against the beast. The Heartless screamed in pain, each time a clean hit made contact.
Ash's assaults were getting on the creature's nerves. It was throwing punches wildly in frustration. And to everyone's surprise, a couple was able to send Ash flying back, but Ash was able to quickly recover. Soon a thought came to Ash. It was time to end this.
Suddenly, Ash's body lights up like a blue flaming candle as his aura was blazing around his body. Soon the former trainer placed his left hand out and soon he fired a powerful aura blast from his palm. The energy beam rocketed towards the beast and then…
BOOM!
The collision caused a big explosion. The Heartless roared in pain when the blast erupted against it. As the cloud of smoke subsided, we find the beast on one knee with its body still smoking from the explosion. Soon the wounded Heartless look forward and spotted no sign of Ash anywhere. Where did he go?
Suddenly, the Heartless sense a strong presence above it. The massive being quickly looks up, but it was too late. The moment it glances up, it was over. The new key bearer quickly slashed his Keyblade downward onto its body until it reaches to the floor. Once Ash delivers the final blow, the battle was over.
~ Victory! ~
The massive Heartless known as Darkside roared in agony. The wounded monster moved around wildly before it slowly falls onto its belly. Soon the newly key bearer watches closely as the defeated Heartless's body quickly vaporized into a shower of black particles.
Suddenly, something was pulling Ash. The young teen quickly glanced down to see the darkness beneath him was sucking him in. "NO!" He tried to move away, but it was useless. "AQUA!"
"Don't be afraid, Ash. You just passed the first trial. It's time for you to take the second and final part of your Awakening." Aqua's voice assured him. Ash hoped she was telling the truth. Soon, his newly weapon vanished from his grasp. "And congratulations on awakening your Keyblade. Now you hold the mightiest weapon of all."
"Key…blade…?" Ash said slowly as the darkness continues to consume his entire being.
"That's right. You're one step away in becoming a true Keyblade Master." Aqua's voice started to fade away. Ash was breathing heavily. The darkness was almost done consuming him. "And don't be afraid. You're not alone….Because I will be there with you….Ash….always…."
That was the last thing the young prince of Radiant Garden heard before everything around him….went black.
A/N: Yup! You guess it! I brought in Ash's aura powers and abilities. I hope you guys like the Keyblade I pick for Ash. It fits perfectly for him, don't you think? Anyway, I know. There was not much Ash/Aqua moments in this chapter. But do not worry; there will be in the next one. Oh and before I finish things up here, I need to give you guys a heads up. Once Ash is done with his trials, he will not be traveling with Sora and Co. at the very start. Ash will be traveling alone for awhile. However, he will have two unexpected characters accompanying him later on. Don't worry, Sora and Co. will show up later on as well. Be patient. Until then. Ash will be traveling alone for a little bit, so he can get use to the other worlds. Aside from that, I hope you like this chapter! Please R & R! Thank you! Until next time! Peace out! ^_^
Johan07!
