bit again
In a metal-tiled, stone-walled arcade, two people sat in black comfortable chairs, talking to each other. The muted sunlight outside filtered through the wide windows in the outer curve of the arcade.
"So I heard there's a new girl joining us?"
"Yeah, and I wish they'd hurry up and train her, already."
Lean. "What's she like? Can ya tell me?"
"Not really...though..." A pause, then whispers. "...I'm willing to play 20 Questions if you promise not to tell anyone."
Jerk back. "You? Really?"
"For once, yeah. And first question's answer is animal."
Lean again. "Wow, things are getting crazy...Okay, is she young?"
"Yes."
"Did she come from the same world as one of the others'?"
"...Yes."
Smirk. "Is she hu—"
Suddenly, a figure in a mantle swept past them, going so close that it brushed the mantle right over them, interrupting them. "Quit faffing around and do something constructive, you two," it spat in a cold, edgy voice as it went by and out an intricate, futuristic-looking sliding door with many moving parts.
A pause. Cross arms. "...I hate him. Have I mentioned that lately?"
"Me too, because now I don't feel like playing anymore."
Groan. "Psh...'Toxic Killjoy', indeed...Ass..."
Interlude
Falling...
'...Mew...'
Memories...
'...Articuno...Zapdos...Moltres...Lugia...'
Darkness...
'...The Unown...Entei...'
Wishes...
'...Celebi...'
Hopes...
'...Latias...Latios...'
Pain...
'...Jirachi...'
Friends...
'...Deoxys...Rayquaza...'
Dreams...
'...Manaphy...'
Fears...
'...Lucario...'
Worries...
'...Dialga...Palkia...Darkrai...'
Ideals...
'...Giratina...Shaymin...Arce...us...'
Truths...
'...Mew...two...'
Light...
'...Pi...P...'
Falling...
"Uuuuuhhhhnn..." A young black-haired boy slowly opened his eyes, feeling totally wiped. He saw he was on a bed in a shack somewhere. He heard the ocean nearby. He blinked a few times, trying to remember what happened. Suddenly, his brown eyes shot wide open and he sat up straight. "PIKACHU!" Ash Ketchum cried, and he threw off the covers. He was in nothing but his shirt and jeans. He found his shoes, socks, gloves, vest, hat, and trusty backpack, all intact, then raced out the door. "PIKA—huh?" He stopped as he saw a beach. To his right was a green area with a pool of water. He blinked. "What...Where...where am I?" he asked nobody confused.
"'Eey! Watch out!" called a sort of Jamaican-accented voice.
"Huh?" Ash turned to look, finally focusing on finer details, and found a ball coming up and kissing his face. "YOW!" He fell back a little from the force and stumbled back to the wall of the shack, holding his nose.
"Heheheh! I told ya to watch out, man!" laughed the voice again. Ash opened his eyes and looked down the beach. A boy with orange hair that looked sort of like the tip of a soft serve stood grinning at him. "Welcome to the Destiny Islands!" he greeted, holding his blue and white ball.
Ash blinked. "Wh...Where?" he asked. "I was...I was just in a place called Nightsky City! And...and..." he trailed off, seeing the look of loss on the other boy's face.
The other boy sighed and shrugged. "Sorry," he said, "we just found you washed up on the beach night before last, man. We dunno where you be from."
Ash gaped, then narrowed his eyes, shook his head and looked around. "Have you seen a pikachu around here, by any chance?" he wondered.
The other boy gave a quizzical look. "Uh...bless you?"
"Sorry—a pi-ka-chu," he repeated slowly, pronouncing each syllable so that it didn't sound like a sneeze. (It was an understandably common mistake, especially in regions where pikachu weren't all that abundant.)
The other boy's look got more quizzical. "Aaahhh...I never heard of a pikachu," he said slowly, sounding like he wondered if he'd hit Ash too hard.
Ash blinked his eyes wide. "What?" He shook his head. "Are you kidding me?" 'Sure, they're pretty much nowhere around Unova, but surely—?' He was about to say something else when he gasped and put his hand to his belt. His heart froze as he patted his belt all around. Without warning, he raced back into the shack.
The orange-haired kid blinked in confusion. "Uuuuuuh...oooookaaaayyyy..." He turned and walked off, shrugging.
Ash, meanwhile, was tearing through the inside of the shack. He had quickly looked everywhere. All he found was dust. A look of pure, horrified shock spread on his face as he fell to his knees. "My...My pokémon..." he whispered, staring at the woodwork in the floor, realizing that he was alone in a strange place. "They're gone...Pikachu, too...And I don't know where I am...where my friends are...or what the heck happened last night...or whenever that happened..." Tears fell from his eyes and stained the wood. After a moment, he began to cry, banging his fist on the floor.
Piece 3: Destiny Islands
A while later, Ash stood up, bearing it. He looked around. The fairly small shack looked very spartan, having only a makeshift bed (a couple logs tied together with a cot atop it, a blanket and pillow on that), a large, open, empty crate, and a window looking out at the sea. For some reason, a green, glowing disc sat in the corner; when Ash stepped on it, he felt physically revitalized. Wooden stairs went up to an alcove with a door. Ash sighed, then turned and walked out the door.
The ocean scene met him once more as he stood on the small bluff behind the shack. He was staring directly at a wooden bridge to an islet with a few palm trees. One bent way over and looked good for sitting on. A palm tree stood on either side of him now. He swung himself down off the bluff onto the beach close below. After landing, he walked along the sand, looking about him.
"Destiny Islands," he muttered. "Dunno where that is, but at least the weather's nice..." He wondered if he'd picked up a map recently and opened his backpack. He gasped when he saw that he only had his sleeping bag and changes of underwear with him. Nothing else. He gaped, then sighed and put the pack back on and reached into his pocket to take out his badge case. With an immense sigh of relief, he found that his badges, at least, were safe and sound. "Well, every cloud has a silver lining," he muttered, putting it away. He then remembered his trusty pokédex and reached for it. He paled when he found he was without that, too. "Oh, great, all I have is my sleeping bag, some underwear, and my badges?" he complained, then groaned and hung his arms low in defeat. "How can things get any worse...?" he asked.
His answer was a slam on the head, and he stumbled back a bit, then regained his balance. He anger-veined when he saw the blue ball again. "HEY! COWLIP KID!" he roared as the orange-haired boy came from behind a rock to retrieve his ball. "Watch where you're aimin' that thing, already!"
The kid sweatdropped. "Hey, hey, it wasn't all my fault," he defended himself, holding up his hands. "It bounced. And the name's Wakka, not 'Cowlip Kid.' How old are you, anyway?"
Ash hesitated a second—Wakka seemed a bit older than he was—then sighed and picked up the ball. "Sorry, I'm in a bad mood," he told Wakka, walking the ball over to him. "I'm in a place I've never been before, I've got no idea where my friends are, and all I've got with me are my clothes, badges, backpack, sleeping bag, and spare underwear. You'd be in a bad mood, too."
Wakka smiled sympathetically. "You musta gotten into a real bad storm or something," he guessed, receiving his ball. "You musta been separated from your pals and your stuff musta washed away."
"A storm..." Ash looked down, sad-faced. "I guess that's a good way of putting it," he mumbled, remembering the experience. He walked past Wakka. "I'm going to just look around this place for a bit," he said, and went off.
Ash looked as he walked. It appeared to be a camp of sorts. There was a dock, a treehouse system, and a few other kids playing in the sand. "Wow, nice place," he commented to nobody.
"Yeah," Wakka agreed happily, walking up beside him. "It's our home away from home, and it's great!" He grinned and ran over to the other kids. "'Ey, guys! The kid who washed up yesterday didn't go in his sleep, after all!" he called as he ran over.
Ash sweatdropped at this, then walked forwards over to the crowd. The other ones stopped playing and came over to investigate. A blonde-haired kid with a long, red stick came up, looking him over. "How're you feeling?" he asked him in a young, energetic voice.
Ash made a small smile, his emotions not allowing him to do much else. "Fine," he half-lied.
A young, brown-haired girl with a jumprope came over and put her hands behind her back. "What's your name?" she asked.
"I'm Ash Ketchum," he answered.
The girl grinned back. "That's a nice name!" she said. "I'm Selphie."
"I'm Tidus!" the stick-holding boy introduced.
Wakka laughed and held a hand up. "You already know who I am," he said.
Ash nodded. "Nice to meet you," he said.
"Where are you from?" asked another boy. Ash looked and saw a teenager wearing black shorts with big red pockets, a black short-sleeve hoodie jacket with metal pauldrons, a pair of gloves, and a chain around his neck bearing a crown-like pendant. He had blue, alive eyes and spikey, brown hair. He also wore big yellow and black shoes.
Ash answered, "Pallet Town," and wasn't all that surprised when a look of confusion registered on every face around him. "In the Kanto region?" he tried, holding his hands up a bit. Nothing. He blinked. "Sheesh, am I even on the same planet as Japan, anymore?" he couldn't help but ask.
"Well, yeah," answered another boy. He had on a white and yellow vest, a zip-up black tank, baggy blue jeans, a flexible white cast over his left wrist, and black boots more normal-sized than his friend's. His hair was silvery white, long, and down in thin spikes. His eyes were blue, as well. He carried a 'badass' vibe around him. He crossed his arms. "You ain't nowhere near Kanto, though."
Ash screwed up his eyebrows a little and tilted his head, baffled and becoming more worried by the minute. "Uhm...What region am I in, then?" he asked.
The other girl there giggled and came over. She had a white and pink tanktop with many zippers, bracelets on one wrist, a black side purse around her waist, pink high-top shoes, and long redhead hair. She had cute blue eyes, too. "Just plain ol' Destiny Islands," she answered.
Ash gaped. "Then..." He suddenly tried something, clenching his fists. "You guys've heard of pokémon, right?" he checked, looking at each of them in turn. His worry was rising to panic.
Everyone gave him looks of confusion. That was all the proof his heart needed to freeze into a solid block of ice. He gawked in shock. 'I...'
"No...No way..." He looked down at the sand. "This...I...But...How..."
'...I'm not in Unova anymore...or even...'
"Ash?" The trainer looked up and saw the brown-haired boy come over, a dutiful expression on his face. "I think we can explain." He looked to Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka. "You guys hang out on your own," he told them. "We'd like to talk to Ash alone."
The three made sounds of agreement, then went back to playing. Ash noticed that by "playing," I mean "fighting." Selphie was using her jumprope like a whip, Tidus used his stick like a sword, and Wakka used his ball by throwing it at them or bashing them with it in his arm. Ash was tugged by his own arm, and he turned to see the brown-haired kid motioning to go. He walked off with them.
They went to the little island with the bent tree. It had a beautiful view of the ocean. Standing under the shade of one palm tree, Ash noticed the bent one bore a large, yellow, star-shaped fruit. 'Wonder what kinda berry that—oh. Yeah. No pokémon world. Or I'm in the past again...'
"Ash." He turned to face the three.
"What?" he asked a little quickly. "What do you guys want?" He clenched his fists, slightly on edge.
The brown-haired boy came forward. "First off, let's get our names out," he smiled. He put a fist to his chest. "I'm Sora."
"Riku," said the white-haired boy.
The girl nodded. "My name's Kairi."
Ash nodded politely. "Nice to meet you," he returned. He looked at Sora. "What is it?"
Sora sighed and looked at him. "You've probably noticed that we look a little...different from you," he guessed, gesturing towards himself, then to Ash. Ash started a little. Sora smiled sympathetically. "And I bet you've also realized that this isn't the place you remember, not in any way at all."
Ash nodded slowly, narrowing his eyebrows a bit. "Where the heck am I, then?" he demanded.
"In a different world." Riku stepped forward, crossing his arms. "You're inside a completely different world, a whole other reality," he explained. "There's no such thing as...'pokémon' here."
Ash widened his eyes. "Another world?" he muttered. He frowned and held his chin, turning away from the trio. "This has gotta be, like, the third or fourth time, at least, not counting dreams," he mumbled, "but this time sure takes the cake..."
"Huh?" Riku blinked. "What're you saying?"
Ash turned back, shaking his head. "Are there at least, umm...like, strange creatures?" he asked, holding his hands up to gesticulate. "Like, things—like dragony things or animals or big bugs or moving plants—that breathe fire, or launch leaves, or shoot electricity, or maybe squirt a lot of water, and it looks like it's all natural? Something like that?"
Sora, Riku, and Kairi exchanged eyebrow raises. "Ummm...the only thing we got here is normal animals and plants," Sora replied slowly, smiling helplessly.
Ash gaped at him. "No...No pokémon?" he repeated breathlessly, shock filling him. "None at all?...Pikachu...no..." He looked down slowly, realizing what horrible things this new world might have in store for him and, wherever they were, his pokémon and friends.
"I'm sorry, Ash," Kairi sighed, and he looked up at her. She had a truly sympathetic face on her. "We all are. And we all understand—all too well—the feeling of suddenly being in another world, not a friend in sight, no familiar things around at all." She looked down a little, herself, as she remembered her own experiences.
Sora crossed his arms and frowned a bit worriedly. "Ash, what happened last? Do you remember?"
Ash looked at him and nodded. "Yeah...though I kinda wish I didn't." He closed his eyes as the images flashed by his memory. "First, I was in a place called Nightsky City, during this huge, all-city party that was so thick, we couldn't get out. Me and my friends Brock, Cilan, Iris, and Pikachu were with this one guy named Maru." 'Though I still doubt he's not exactly who he says he is...' "We had just gotten out of the center—er, a Pokémon Center's like a free hospital for pokémon—when Maru and Pikachu looked up, looking really tense."
He clenched his fists tight as he remembered. "Soon, these weird black things started appearing after the lights all went out. Pikachu could use his Electric attacks and fend them off, but Maru, using this old wooden cane, couldn't. Not until he began kicking them, at least. A few of the people in the crowd, which was getting smaller because those black things were making people vanish, could somehow whack them away, too...I think they were from this one little fighting tournament they had that Maru won," he remembered, tilting his head a bit.
"Then, I got my other pokémon out and told them to use their attacks to destroy any of the black things that tried to fight us. Cilan, Iris, and Brock did the same. We kept running, trying to find a way out, but we ended up on this stage they had there. By then, we had to recall our pokémon because they were getting tired, and Maru and Pikachu looked tired, too. I think during this, Maru said that the black things were stealing peoples' hearts." In front of him, Sora, Riku, and Kairi looked at each other and nodded, though Ash didn't see since he still had his eyes shut. He clenched them tighter. "Then this black goo, like quicksand or something, sucked me, Cilan, Iris, and Brock up. We tried to blast it off with one of our pokémon's attacks, but some goo interrupted it. If only I'd thought of it sooner—!" He sighed and shook his head in frustration.
"The last thing I remember seeing was Pikachu and Maru looking at me in horror, and my hand reaching for them. Then it was all black...Wait!" He whipped his head up, eyes flying open and spraying a few tears. "I remember, I had this weird nightmare that I was falling down, and I remembered all the special pokémon I've met, and then there was this weird light!" He shook his head and looked down. "But then I woke up, and was in that shack I guess you guys put me in. That's all I remember." He looked up and at Sora. "What the heck were those things that separated me from Pikachu and my friends?" he demanded to know.
Sora nodded, crossing his arms. "Those things are called Heartless," he explained. "What probably happened afterward was Maru and Pikachu got sucked up, too, either by that goo you were talking about—that I've never heard of or experienced—or by a big, black ball in the sky that probably appeared a while later." He had looked serious until now, but he softened his face. "Don't worry—if they defended themselves until the ball sucks them up, they'll be fine," he assured Ash. "That's what happened to me."
Ash gasped. "What? But...isn't this your home?" he asked, arms out to indicate his surroundings.
Sora nodded. "Yeah, it is," he confirmed, then chuckled. "It's a very long story."
"But now," Riku continued, "you're alone, without your friends. They might even be in a different world entirely. Where, though, I don't know." He shook his head, looking away. "They might have been taken by the Heartless, or they're being held somewhere, or they're safe and sound someplace. Just hope it isn't the first thing."
Ash looked horrified. "What do the Heartless do?" he wondered. "Do they really steal peoples'...hearts?"
Sora nodded. "Yeah," he answered, "and when that happens, the person who lost their heart becomes a Heartless, too. If their heart was strong when they lost it, their bodies are left behind as empty shells, called Nobodies. They're between the light and the dark, in the twilight, and hated by those from both sides, I think." He shrugged. "It's complicated."
"To put it lightly," mused Riku, smirking.
"But not all Nobodies are bad," piped up Kairi. Ash turned to her. "Some actually turn out to be nice. For instance, both me and Sora lost our hearts once." Ash gawked, and Kairi laughed a little. "Don't worry, we're not Heartless," she assured him, "although there can be human-like Heartless, just like there can be human-like Nobodies. But when both me and Sora lost our hearts, we generated Nobodies, who both ended up being good in the end."
Ash nodded, then crossed his arms and dropped his head as he thought. "So...the Heartless steal peoples' hearts, which makes them become Heartless, and sometimes they make Nobodies," he reviewed. He looked up. "Is that it?" he asked.
The three shook their heads. "Oh, no," Sora replied, laughing mirthlessly. "Turns out that worlds have hearts, too.". He smiled sympathetically at Ash's surprised (and somewhat exasperated) face. "Yeah, surprised me, too, when I found out," he nodded. "How can the place you live have its own heart? Well, it does, and they're pretty big. The Heartless are attracted to big hearts, and the bigger, the better. They probably went to your world for its heart. Though..." He crossed his arms and bowed his own head, thinking. "That sounded pretty catastrophic, there, and Heartless generally don't take a world as soon as they find it. It usually takes some time before things get bad. They must have found the heart of your world really fast..."
Ash frowned. "What happens when the heart of a world is taken?" he asked. "What if there are still people on there?"
"They get taken away," Riku answered. "Not necessarily their hearts, but themselves. There's a place known as Traverse Town that people who've lost their worlds live. Although, last we checked, another place known as Radiant Garden is becoming a place where people occasionally end up." He smiled. "If your friends are in either world, they're safe, don't worry."
Ash gulped. "I hope so," he mumbled. He sighed. "So...my world's probably...gone, now...huh..." he asked weakly. He got three solemn nods in answer. He whimpered. "Great, now I don't even have a home to find!" he griped, and slammed his fist on the tree behind him.
Kairi, though not quite happy with his somewhat childish behavior, smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, someone might be able to restore it," she told him. "Sora restored our world."
Ash opened his eyes. "Huh?" He whipped to look at Sora. "HOW?" he demanded. He clenched his fists and brought them up a little. "Maybe I can do the same thing and bring back my world! Would that bring back the people who were lost?" he asked.
Sora blinked. "Yeah, but...um..." He hid a smile. "How old are you, again?"
Ash looked away and down. 'Like they'll take me seriously if I tell them I'm...but I can't evade it forever...' "...Ten."
Sora raised his eyebrows, then laughed. "Wo-h-how, man...Sorry, that's just kinda funny!" he apologized. Ash growled and raised his shoulders, about to shout, so Sora quickly continued, "Th-That is, unless you're very special." He tilted his head a bit. "Saving your world would bring back anyone lost, I think. And sorry that I laughed at you," he added, looking sheepish, glancing at Kairi just as she gave him a smack on the head with a disapproving pout.
"Fifteen and you can still act like you're younger than him," Kairi disparaged, hands on hips.
Sora rubbed the back of his head where he was hit, grinning sheepishly, and looked at Ash again. "It's just that there aren't many people who can use the weapon that's needed to save worlds."
"Weapon?" Ash repeated, looking up in interest.
Sora smiled, nodded to his friends, and in unison, all three whipped their hands out. In flashes of light, three Keyblades appeared in them. Kairi's was delicate and flower-themed, Riku's was sort of like a bat's wing and really darkness-themed, and Sora's was extraordinarily plain, being silver, yellow-cross guarded, and bearing a blue rain guard. Ash had shielded his face from the sudden glare, but when he brought his arm down, he gasped in amazement and surprise.
"WWOOOOOAAAAHHH!" he cried. "What the—!"
Sora grinned and spun his around, resting it on his shoulder. "These are the kind of weapon I'm talking about," he said. "They're called Keyblades, for pretty obvious reasons." He held his out so Ash could see better. The wannabe-pokémon master looked in awe at it. "They're given only to special people, who are in fact chosen by the weapons," Sora explained. He smiled faintly. "When my world was being attacked, I got mine. I dunno how Riku got his, although I do know that he was the one who was supposed to get the Keyblade." He sniggered. "Too bad he let himself get lured in by the darkness," he commented, giving a sideways glance to his friend.
Riku chuckled. "Yeah, well, at least I wasn't duped into following a stranger in a hooded, black trenchcoat to a really weird castle and end up losing my memories," he countered with a smirk.
Sora widened his eyes, then looked down in embarrassed shame, then looked up and defended, "W-Well, c'mon! Gimme a break! It was our best lead at the time!" waving his hands. Riku and Kairi chuckled.
Riku held up his Keyblade. "Soul Eater changed when I was on my own sort of journey after Sora saved our world. And I gave Kairi hers." And he said nothing about where he got it.
Kairi grinned sheepishly. "Truth be told, I don't know much about swordfighting," she confessed. "I just got this because I wanted to help out as much as I could at the time."
"She ain't too shabby with it, either, after living with us two for so long," added Sora, smirking appreciatively at his friend.
Ash smiled. "It's always good to want to help people out, even if you know you wouldn't be that much of a help," he asserted, making his signature expression as he held up his fist. "At least you were able to help, so be proud of that."
Kairi grinned. "I am!"
Sora raised an eyebrow, dismissing his Keyblade. The others did, too. "Ash? I thought you were all down and stuff a second ago, and now you're giving advice like you were happy again."
Ash sighed, his smile fading, and dropped his fist a little. "Well, I do miss my friends a lot," he admitted, and paused. He lifted his head and fist again, though, his face back on. "But, as much as I want to, I can't do anything if I just stand here and cry. The best thing I can do now is to keep my chin up and never quit!" He nodded at his words. "I've learned that through my journey: No matter what happens, never stop trying. Even if you know you're going to lose, it's better to give it your all than to let yourself lose. Because, well, you never know..." He chuckled and thumbed his nose. "You just might win!"
Sora grinned and nodded. "You're right, Ash," he agreed. "And I hope that you can keep going with that spirit, because it's no good if you give in to despair. Just keep goin'." He smiled and looked at the waves for a second, reminiscing. "Anyway, Ash," he continued, getting back on topic, "these Keyblades are able to do many things, and if you get one, that's a surefire chance to save your world. It's just that, well, only certain people can get one. They're kinda picky. I couldn't just give you mine, for instance," he added, summoning Kingdom Key once more. He held it out. "Take it and watch what happens."
Ash came over and, a look of interest on his face, did as he was told. He held it up and looked at it for a second, feeling the weight, until the weapon disappeared in a flash of light. "What?" he gasped.
The Keyblade reappeared in Sora's hand, and he laughed. "See? Two people have already tried to take it from me," he said, "and both times, it came back to me. Only once, when Riku took it, did it go away for good, and I was left with my toy sword." He dismissed his familiar weapon again.
"And, by the way, the Heartless are immune to both toy weapons and normal fighting, like with your hands and feet, unless you know what you're doing," he went on. "That's probably why Maru, holding that cane, didn't do anything. He wasn't holding a real weapon. If he even held a puny knife, it would've worked. I mean, like, a pocketknife or something, not an eating knife!" he laughed. "Oh, wow, that's a funny thought—using utensils as weapons! I can see it now: Waves of Heartless getting beaten to a pulp by a guy wielding an enormous spoon or something!"
Ash blinked, then got the image and laughed, too. "That would be funny!"
Riku just shook his head into his hand, a smile on his face, and Kairi laughed along with. He sighed as the laughter faded. "Look, let's get to the point," he said, and put a hand to his hip. "Ash, you're in a different world, with no friends in sight or way to get back. Unless we can get a Gummi Ship here or something, chances are you're stuck here..." He paused for a moment, frowning in thought, before continuing. "...So, sorry, but you're going to have to cope for a while. That alright?"
Ash looked up at Riku, frowned a little at the reminder of his plight, then nodded. "Yeah, I will," he replied. "I hope. I'm just so worried about my friends..." He sighed, then smiled. "But I'll just have to keep holding on to the thought that they may be okay." He tilted his head. "Am I going to stay here on the island, or is there another place you want me to stay?" he asked. "I mean, I have a sleeping bag, and there's a bed in that shack." His stomach gurgled just then, and he sweatdropped and smiled sheepishly. "I didn't see any food in there, though," he confessed.
Sora and co. looked at each other, smiling, then at Ash again. "Well, don't worry, we've got food here," said the brown-haired Keyblader. "And we'll work out where you'll be staying for the night later. For now, you can go to the shack and hang out."
Ash nodded and smiled. "Alright," he said. "Now, ah..." He blushed a little. "Can I have some of that food?"
Sora and the others laughed, then started to lead him to where he could eat.
Riku hung back with Sora while Kairi talked with Ash about the island. "Speaking of Gummi Ships, where's ours?" he asked in an undertone, serious.
Sora shrugged, serious as well. "I have no idea," he replied. "It doesn't make any sense...I thought they'd be here by now. And we can't figure out any other way out, either," he added.
Riku looked away. "Since I lost my ability to open dark corridors, yeah, we're pretty much stuck until our ride comes to pick us up," he agreed bitterly. "But..." He pulled out a letter from his pocket and looked at it. "Why would he just...?"
"Something a little fishy's going on here," Sora frowned, crossing his arms. "And I don't mean the fish."
-)-D-0-O-0-C-(-
After having some lunch and using the bathroom, Ash wandered around, exploring the island. He soon circumnavigated it, and found himself back at the beach that the others 'played' at. He found Sora and Riku there, fighting with wooden swords. Kairi sat on the wall and watched. Ash joined her. "Hey."
"Hey," she greeted back. She turned to the fight again. "Those two sure keep their skills sharp," she commented. "They just come back from one huge adventure, Riku even gets pretty banged up, and they're still both goin' pretty hard. Barely took the time to rest."
Ash watched, raising an eyebrow at the swordfighting. "Wow, they're good," he complimented.
Kairi smirked. "Well, they are both chosen by the Keyblade," she reminded him. "I'm just able to use it, but they're able to use it well." She looked back at them. "It's been about a week since we got back from our big adventure, but they're still swinging swords around, despite having spent what must have felt like a lifetime fighting off Heartless and Nobodies—mostly Heartless."
She sighed and leaned back a little, looking at the sky. "You know," she said, "if I wasn't the damsel in distress both times through, I bet I'd've had a bunch of fun on that adventure. You really don't know how exciting it is to visit other worlds like they do..." She leaned forwards again. "But those two do, especially Sora. He got to meet lots of new friends, do lots of cool things, and even got to fly a spaceship!"
"A spaceship?" Ash repeated. His eyebrows shot up.
Kairi nodded, smiling and looking at Ash. "Yeah, it's called the Gummi Ship," she explained, "and it's able to go between worlds. It's better than the way the Heartless go. They're supposed to use these weird tunnels of darkness that connect each world together. They're said to be very dangerous, but the Heartless can go through like it's nothing." She sighed and shook her head. "But, hey, that's them. Sora got to go through using an awesome spaceship, his two partners that he picked up on his journey helping out. It sounds so exciting...!" She laughed somewhat mirthlessly. "But then, well, I should be careful what I wish for, since I may just end up getting captured again if I wish to go on my own journey too hard."
Ash smiled. "I'm already on my own journey," he thumbed himself. "It's a journey to become a Pokémon Master, the greatest Trainer ever!" He gave his determined expression again. "In my world, there are creatures known as pokémon, which are basically animals that are able to do cool stuff, like my best friend, Pikachu. It can squeeze its cheeks, which have special pouches in them, and send out bolts of electricity!" He smiled proudly. "It and I have been through thick and thin together. At first, it didn't really like me, but after I defended it from a bunch of spearow, well, we've been buddies ever since!" He grinned and reflexively looked to his side—and saw nothing. His smile fell, and he sighed. "I really miss it..."
Kairi put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her smile. "Don't worry," she bade. "I promise, you'll see Pikachu again. It's bound to happen."
Ash smiled and nodded. "You're right." He sighed and looked back at Sora and Riku sparring. They watched for a while, then Ash began to feel interested. He looked at them, brain working. "You know," he said, "Trainers are people who capture and train wild pokémon to fight other Trainers' pokémon. It's pretty hard, but fun, too. I like it. For me, the key is finding the true strength within each pokémon and commanding them in battle in a way that best suits them. For instance, I used Pikachu a lot for its speed." He pointed to the friends/rivals below. "But something like swordfighting...That's different. You have to know how to basically command yourself, and you know that you're gonna get hurt. I always try to keep my pokémon from getting hurt, of course, but it's still not quite the same as myself getting hurt."
He put his hand back and propped his chin up as he watched. "But still, after watching Maru fight in that tournament with all the other different fighters, and watching these two, I'm kinda thinkin' this actually looks pretty fun. I've done all sorts of things, but always with my pokémon. Alone, though..."
Kairi smirked wryly, yet thoughtfully, raising an eyebrow. "I swear, this island just makes boys wanna beat each other up," she joked. "Go ahead and give it a shot. We just do it for fun, here—well, they do. I prefer to sit back and watch. But if you want to try your hand at it, don't be scared!" She chuckled and smiled fully. "Those guys would be glad to have someone else to fight if you've got a knack for it enough!"
Ash smiled and nodded. "Yeah, besides, I enjoy doing new things!" he said. He took off his backpack and hopped down.
Kairi watched him trot over the sand. "...You know, I should probably train myself, too," she muttered. "Now that I, y'know, have a Keyblade and all..."
Sora and Riku, noticing him going towards them, stopped fighting. "Hey, guys!" Ash called, waving a hand. "Could I try?" he asked.
Sora and Riku raised their eyebrows, then smirked a little cockily. "You sure?" Riku asked.
"We do things a little rough," Sora warned the Trainer.
Ash stopped, getting to them. "Yeah, but I like a challenge," he argued, grinning. "Just give me a wooden sword and I'll see how I do!"
Sora and Riku looked at each other, exchanging eyebrows, then shrugged. "Alright," Sora warned, "you asked for it." He looked at Riku again. "Who's the executioner, you or me?"
Riku tossed his sword to Ash, who fumbled and didn't quite catch it. He rolled his eyes. "You," he replied. He went to stand at the wall.
Ash picked up the weapon and held it, brushing it off and looking at Sora. "Just you and me, huh?"
Sora grinned. "Looks like." He got into position. "Get ready!"
Ash nodded and held his sword ready, in both hands, and up, sort of like a baseball bat. "Ready!" he said.
"Then let's go!" Sora cried, and ran forward, sword pointing at Ash.
Ash gulped and swung as Sora got nearer. He missed, and was brutally comboed by the expert Keyblader. He blinked a second later, seeing blue sky. "Ow," he said, sounding surprised. "Okay, that wasn't a big surprise, but still..." He got up and back into pose. Sora kindly waited for him to get ready, and even stood still while Ash charged and swung again.
Sora nimbly dodged it and whacked him from behind. Ash fell face-first into the sand, then got up again and charged again. "Remember to keep your legs bent a bit," Sora told him. "And look where you're going to swing!"
Ash growled, "I know!" as he missed again, and this time, he turned to face Sora before he got hit. He tried raising his sword up to block, but was too slow. "Ow! That actually hurts for a toy," he muttered.
Riku scoffed. "If you think this hurts, then you're not meant for real fighting," he called over to the Trainer. "Be a man and bear it!"
Ash growled at him, but got hit during his distraction. "Hey! I wasn't looking!" he protested.
Sora looked at him with a serious—but still well-meant—look. "Never let yourself get distracted," he advised him, "because in a fight, your opponent will use every opportunity to defeat you."
Ash gritted his teeth and was able to block a hit. "I've just gotta get focused," he muttered. "Just gotta imagine that I'm in place of one of my pokémon in a battle, but with swords..." He was struck down again, but he paused before getting up. He took a deep breath to calm himself, and set his mind to being focused. Ready, Ash turned and faced Sora. He had stopped holding his sword like a baseball bat, since he didn't want to waste the prewind if he had to block. Instead, he held it with both hands, holding it out to his left while he stood sideways with his left foot forward, resembling a Kendo practitioner, if more loose and relaxed. He placed his legs a bit apart and crouched a little. After a moment, he charged forward.
Sora grinned and went forward, too. The two met in a clash. He took his sword away quickly and tried another strike. Ash barely blocked in time. He struck and hit wood again. Then he tried a stab. Ash was a little slow, and unsure how to parry a stab, and thus got hit. "OOF!" he went, holding his stomach, then growled and tried attacking again. The pain caused him to become reckless again, as well as slower.
After a few more minutes of getting beaten up, Ash said to stop, panting and feeling sore all over. "Okay...I give up," he breathed, leaning on his sword a little. "Uncle...Owch..."
Sora sighed and walked over. "Well, sorry, Ash, but you asked for it," he told him. "Maybe swordfighting just isn't your thing."
Ash gave a weak grin up at him. "I just haven't gotten in as much practice as you have, that's all," he reasoned. "I'm used to being able to see what my opponent is doing entirely, not so close up." He gave his sword to him and stood up. "I guess I'm going to have to learn how to analyze a situation when it's me on the field and not the Trainer's box." He smiled and went to sit by Kairi again.
Kairi looked him up and down, concerned. "Wow, I didn't think Sora would do that to you," she muttered, a little shocked. "I thought he'd be nice enough to teach you. Maybe he's just in one of those moods..."
Ash, bruised and beaten all over, just gave a little smile. "That's alright," he dismissed it. "I'm fine. At least he didn't try any really dirty tricks."
"Ash!"
Ash looked down and saw Sora smiling at him. "What?"
Sora grinned. "If you want, I can go easy on you tomorrow so that you get used to swordfighting," he offered.
Ash raised his eyebrows. "Really?" he asked.
Sora smiled and nodded. "Yeah, if you really want to," he said. "I'm sorry I went so rough, but I had a feeling that you wanted to know how to swordfight because you wanted a Keyblade."
Ash sweatdropped, making the "uh-oh" face, then sighed in defeat. He smiled and lifted his hands. "You got me. True, I did want to do this because it looked fun, but I also really wanted to get a Keyblade," he confessed. He looked a little sad as he explained, "I still want to find my friends, and you said that Keyblades guide you to adventures. I just thought maybe I'd be able to go on one, too, and find my friends."
Sora sighed, lacing his fingers behind his head and slouching. "Even if you could use a Keyblade, and knew how to fight, it's not that easy," he cautioned. "I had to fight hoards of Heartless and seal worlds up before their hearts were stolen." He smiled. "But if you really want to learn swordfighting..."
Ash nodded. "Yeah! I want to get better!" he grinned.
Sora nodded, smiling. "Then you can start training tomorrow, or whenever you feel up to it," he said. "I say tomorrow since, well..." He sweatdropped and grinned sheepishly. "I really did a number on you!" He laughed.
Ash couldn't help but start to laugh, too. "Yeah, I feel like one big bruise!" he agreed. "But I'll be better tomorrow, I swear."
Sora nodded, smiling. "Yeah, that sounds good. Besides, it'll be sunset soon, so that means it's almost time for us to go."
Ash looked up and saw the sun starting to sink low on the horizon. "Yeah, I guess so," he shrugged. Then he looked confused and asked, "Wait, you guys live away from here?"
Kairi nodded. "Yeah, of course," she said. "We go to school and everything, on the mainland."
"Except now, it's summer, so we hang out here," Riku shrugged. "It's pretty fun."
Ash smiled and looked around. "I'm used to lots of forest," he said, "though I've been on my own adventure in the tropics." He then remembered something and gasped. "Hey, you know what?" he asked. "I actually had this one really huge one when I was there. In fact, not to brag or anything, but..." He shrugged and blushed. "I...kinda saved the world."
Riku, Sora, and Kairi gave him skeptical looks. "Oh, really?" asked Riku. "How? What was happening?"
Ash recounted his story about when he was on Shamuti Island and met Lugia. "...And do you know why I went through all that trouble?" he asked.
"Through the good of your heart?" Kairi guessed.
Ash shook his head. "Well, wait, that too," he gave, putting a finger up. "But the reason I did all that was partly because, on this one ancient pedestal, there was this prophecy that ended saying that someone who sounded an awful lot like me would come to make things right." He gave a little laugh. "Turns out I was destined to save the world! Funny, huh?" 'It'd sure explain why I kinda end up doing it a lot...'
Ash didn't sound at all arrogant that he saved the world. He was, thankfully, humble about the whole thing. Sora raised his eyebrows. "Really..." He shrugged. "Well, that's a nice story, but unless you are bragging, why bring it up?"
Ash motioned to the three around. "You guys hold Keyblades, and you said that only certain people can hold them," he reviewed. He smiled and put his hand to his chest. "Maybe, because I'm supposed to be some 'chosen one,' I'm able to use a Keyblade, too!" he suggested, sounding a bit hopeful.
Riku shrugged. "It all matters on what's your heart like," he said. "Not if you're destined to save the world. And besides, if it is destiny, then it's a completely different one. And in my opinion, if you've already got one destiny, that's pretty much it. There's tons more heroic things that people can do, and they should be given a chance." He looked at Sora, then crossed his arms and added, "Well, okay, Sora's saved lots of worlds from the Heartless, but he's a Keyblade wielder. He's kinda supposed to do that. That's an exception, then."
Ash smirked. "Then that would mean that I'm still up for it," he pointed out. "Because if I get a Keyblade, which lets people do more than one big thing, that would include me saving my world from destruction."
Riku raised his eyebrows, then grumbled, "Oh, nevermind!" while the other three laughed.
"But really, Ash," Sora said, "I dunno if that counts towards getting a Keyblade. I mean, I've met a hero who's related to gods in his world, and he didn't get a Keyblade." He shrugged. "It's really luck, I guess. And if you're a good person inside."
Ash smiled. "I try to be nice," he nodded. "I'm not completely worried about that part." He shrugged, though. "I guess I'll just have to wait and see."
The others nodded, and they all decided to do their own things while the sun was still in the sky. Eventually, though, sunset arrived, and Ash said goodbye to everyone else. He then went to where he was shown the food was and got something to eat for dinner. Sure, it was just a couple sandwiches, but it was something. He then went and turned in for the night. All through that day, although he did his best to not think about it too much, he felt sadness gnawing at his insides, along with worry. Loneliness, however, was beginning to fade.
-)-D-0-O-0-C-(-
"...Mmmm..."
"...ey..."
"...Mmmm...?"
"...Hey...Hey! You finally conscious?"
"...Uhhhgh..."
"You alright, there? You really got nailed pretty bad..."
"...Yena?"
Travis sat up, in human form, on a medium-large bed inside a small room with peach walls and a green marble-tiled floor. There were no windows, only a wooden door, a clock reading 7:36, a desk, and a mightyena sitting by his bed...in a chair and wearing brown pants. Travis shook his head, huge mane of long, spiky hair rustling back and forth behind him. "What...Did I have a really wild dream or something?" he wondered, brushing his bangs up.
Yena shook his head. "No, it was all real," he replied in Human, frowning. "Do you know where you are?"
Travis looked sharply at him, eyes wide. "I don't like the way you said that," he mumbled. He suddenly threw off his blanket and got out of bed, standing up in his boxers and looking left and right quickly. "Where are we? What happened to EBA HQ? What happened to home?"
Yena stood up on his hind legs, showing himself to be about as tall as his friend, and put his paws on Travis' shoulders gently, a worried frown on his face. "Trav, please, calm down," he soothed. "We're...We're in another world."
Travis looked over his shoulder at Yena. "Like before?" he asked.
Yena nodded. "Yeah, but this time..." He sighed and lowered his snout. "It's a world with no way back."
Travis paled. "...Yena...What happened?" he whispered.
Yena shook his head and squeezed Travis' shoulders. "Our world disappeared," he answered slowly. "The EBA and Ouendan's, too."
Travis stood still, mouth open in shock. Tears welled up in his eyes. "Disa...ppeared...?" he whimpered. Yena nodded slowly. "Buh...Wuh...That...My...But...I...Buh...Buh..." Travis blubbered before finally breaking down. He turned and hugged Yena tight, letting out a wolf's howl of sorrow.
~Author's Note~
Lessee...Few dialogue edits here and there, changed Sora, Riku, and Kairi's outfits to be their KHII ones since they stayed in them even during the ending of Re:coded, and was gonna add on a whole other part with the cheerers but realized that'd need more space than I have, so I'm moving that to next chapter. Remember, folks, voting for Maru's next world is still open! Refer to the last chapter's Author's Note for details!
Okay...How many of you cheered when you saw the story was going back to Ash (or at least when you read that fact in the last Author's Note)?...
I really dunno if I should be submitting this when I'm still working on the next chapter (which is all-new or mostly-all-new (probably just all-new) content!), and since I should be doing homework...I kinda wanna reread this or hold it so I can make any last-minute edits I think of...buuuut...Well, I think the only thing I'm really unsure about is the inside of the shack. I changed it so it's the same as in KHI. I'm assuming it's only been refurbished inside. If I goofed up on the way it looks, tell me how to fix it, seriously!
~8D OMAKE 8D~
*Wakka is sparring with Tidus, Ash watching from the sidelines.*
Wakka: Here I come! *hucks the ball*
Tidus: *whacks it away as hard as he can...winding it up in a tree* ...Oops...
Wakka: Ah, don't worry, I've got loads. Be right back, man! *jogs off to boats*
*later*
Wakka: *comes back with a new ball, blue and white like the last one* Okay, ready!
Ash: *pointing at the ball, raising an eyebrow* Those the only kind you have?
Wakka: Yeah, why?
Ash: *smirking* Heh, you've got—
Wakka: I KNOW I'VE HEARD IT BEFORE AND IT GOT OLD REAL FAST! XC
Ash: *tilts head, lost* Wh...Huh? 'I was gonna say he's got a one-track mind; what did he think I was gonna say?...'
(I was thinking of having him say "one-trackball mind" *ducks*, but I realized he's not that clever.)