at the bit

On the balcony with metal tiles overlooking the muted field was another figure in a masked mantle. This mask appeared to have a couple of horns in the back. This one crouched on the balcony's wide railing, looking out. Another figure came walking over, making soft clicks against the tiles. This one's mask also bore horns, albeit larger ones.

Turn head. "Hey."

Stop, lean elbows on the rail. A movement in the rear of the mantle. Look at the field. "...Have the others looked at you different?"

Look back out. "No more different than they have you."

"Gee, thanks."

A pause.

"...I...You promise not to say anything to anyone else?"

Look. "With the strength of ten thousand talons."

Movement in the rear of the mantle. "...I...at least think...I'm scared shitless..."

Pause. Nod. "You can be scared with me, if you want."

Look, then away again. "...Thank you..."

Another pause, then a turn, leaving.

"...We're all freaks and demons, but..." Look behind. "...you are the most Magnificent Monster..."

Piece 5: Destiny Islands

Day 9

With a groan, the doglike pokémon opened his eyes. He was in a wooden structure somewhere. ' 'Wh...Where...?' ' he asked. Suddenly, he gasped and sat up quickly, shouting a name just like the last inhabitant of the bed he lay on. ' 'Ash!' '

"I'm right here," said a soft voice to its side. The pokémon looked and let out an enormous sigh of relief. Ash Ketchum had opted to sleep on the floor that night. He smiled and turned to a tray of food. "Kairi brought us some food, if you're hungry," he mentioned.

The pokémon blinked for a second, then shook his head. ' 'This is too much,' ' he muttered. ' 'First we get attacked by those black things, then...' ' He growled and shook his head again, squeezing his eyes tight. ' '...At least I was fortunate enough to find you,' ' he said, opening them again and giving a small smile to Ash.

Ash smiled back. "You wouldn't believe how surprised I was when I saw you, Lucario," he told him. "Do you feel better, by the way? You looked pretty weak."

Lucario nodded and threw off the covers, turning to sit on the bed. ' 'Yes,' ' he replied, ' 'I feel quite re-energized, if just a bit hungry.' ' He looked down and saw some juicy-looking berries on the tray. ' 'Is this for me?' ' he double-checked.

Ash nodded. "Yep!" He reached and got a bowl of cereal for himself, milk already poured. "I told Kairi that you liked eating berries...that's right, right?" he asked, frowning a little. "That's all I saw you eat when we were on our way to the Tree of Beginning."

Lucario nodded, confirming, ' 'Yes, I eat berries.' ' He got off the bed, sat cross-legged on the floor across from Ash, and took a berry. ' '...These are quite good,' ' he commented after chewing one.

Ash grinned. "Kairi must have picked the best ones, or got some from her house." He began to eat his breakfast. "Uhm...Lucario?" he asked after swallowing some cereal.

Lucario looked up. ' 'Yes?' '

Ash lowered his bowl for a second, a sorry look on his face. "I know it's rude to ask you right after you've woken up and while you're eating, but..." He looked a little determined. "Why are you here? I thought you...I thought you died. I mean, you and Sir Aaron became bits of light and floated up, then disappeared."

Lucario sighed, putting down the berry he was about to eat. ' 'I was going to tell you anyway, so don't feel you're being rude,' ' he told the human. ' 'I'm really not quite sure about what happened, myself, but...' '

*FLASHBACK!*

' 'Sir Aaron and I were walking together in the misty world we now inhabited. It was like the world we had left, but in our time, not yours. Cameron Palace and all of the people we knew and loved were there, including the royal family that Sir Aaron and I had worked so hard to defend. We lived their afterlives in peace, and I would like to say our friendship had grown even stronger.

' 'One 'day,' Sir Aaron and I were out on a walk, enjoying our afterlife's ethereal scenery. We were just returning to the castle's entrance when, suddenly, we both stopped dead...erm, n-no pun intended...' '

"Do you sense it?" asked Sir Aaron, clutching his staff.

' 'I do,' ' Lucario replied. He closed his eyes and let the 'dreads' fly up as he activated his aura vision. ' 'A feeling of foreboding...' '

"...and aura bending around creatures, instead of the creatures exuding it," Sir Aaron finished. He readied his staff and turned around. "They're coming!" he shouted. "Get ready!"

Lucario didn't need to be told twice. He turned and held up his paws, ready for battle. A moment later, out of thin air, an army of black creatures appeared. Lucario, his eyes opened because aura vision would hinder him in a fight against aura-less beings, gasped. ' 'What are those things?' ' he asked.

Aaron grimaced. "Whatever they are, they're not good," he answered. "They look familiar...but how?..."

The enemies began to attack, and so the two began to fight for their afterlives. Lucario used Aura Sphere, as did Aaron, and his other moves. Aaron swung his staff to beat the beasts away. The two fought valiantly, but they ended up becoming surrounded. Some people had gathered on top of the walls of the castle to watch in horror. They hadn't died with weapons, so they had no way to assist the two brave warriors. (Nobody thought of bringing in their pokémon army.)

Eventually, Aaron and Lucario were back-to-back, grimacing at their situation. Suddenly, Aaron let out a short gasp. "I remember!" he cried. "All those years ago...I remember things similar to these creatures attacking..."

Lucario raised his eyebrows. ' 'I recall it, as well, master!' ' He squinted at the black things in the mist. ' 'They were different, though; men who somehow transformed into hideous monsters. These appeared out of nowhere.''

Aaron nodded. "But they were silent and dark," he described, "and without aura. As well, they vanished when defeated." He whacked one away.

Lucario blasted a quartet that attempted to jump him. ' 'Why are they here?' ' he asked. ' 'Aren't we supposed to be safe here?' '

Aaron grimaced and twirled his staff around, beating off a bunch at once, destroying a few. "I thought so, too," he agreed. "It feels like we've just been here a couple months, and already, we must fight enemies! This isn't how I imagined the afterlife to be!"

"That's because this isn't the afterlife."

' '"Huh?"' ' Lucario and Aaron glanced up at the wall of the castle. Standing there was the queen.

She looked very sorry and ashamed. "I'm sorry, Sir Aaron, Lucario," she said, putting a hand to her breast, "but it's just that I didn't want to dampen your spirits after finally reuniting. This world...it's not exactly the afterlife." She spread her arms out. Behind and around her, villagers and other people gasped and murmured in shock.

Lucario gaped. ' 'But Lady Rin...did we not die?' ' he wondered.

Lady Rin looked away. "...Yes, we all did," she answered, "but our spirits are stranded here in this alternate version of the world we left. I and my people have lived lives without need for food or water, but I have known that we live not lives of those who have truly passed on. For this, I apologize."

Aaron grunted as he fended off another shadowy beast. "Pardon my rudeness, Your Highness," he barked, "but could you get to the point and tell us what's going on?"

Lady Rin nodded and turned back to the fighters. "We are in a sort of kind purgatory. We are to remain here until one of us agrees to see to it that our true world, the one we left behind, is safe from the claws of those creatures you fight now." She sighed and looked down at the two. "I was given this warning a long time ago, when we first came here, by what appeared to be the spirit of a mew. It told me that, should our world be taken by any means, this world shall be invaded by 'those without hearts.'"

Aaron and Lucario looked at her, then at the beings around. ' 'So these creatures are truly heartless?' ' Lucario asked. He grappled with one and threw it, sending it back at the others and destroying it and the ones it struck.

Lady Rin nodded. "I suppose so," she answered. "The insubstantial mew said that they will try and capture us, for this world is not invulnrable, like the true afterlife. While the world we lived in remains unharmed, so does this world. However, I suppose something terrible must have just occurred to the world we left behind. I have a horrible feeling that we are going to face an afterlife worse than the underworld if those things succeed..." She frowned in a very worried way.

Lucario grunted as he blocked a hit. ' 'How can we fix this?' ' he asked.

"By finding a way to escape this world and accomplishing what the mew said, which I don't completely understand," she replied, putting a hand to her forehead as she shook it. "It said something about a key..."

Aaron shouted as he was struck down. Everyone cried his name, including Lucario, but the Fighting/Steel type had to defend himself from the beasts. Aaron, down on the ground, rolled onto his back and blocked another attack with his staff. "A key?...Yes! I remember! When those men transformed into those beasts, I remember a giant key appearing in my hand...It seemed like a dream..." He shook his head. "It faded as soon as I'd used it to defeat them. But that's the only key that I know of that is obviously special..." He tried to get up, but another beast struck him back down, causing him to yell again.

Lucario roared and used his aura powers to summon up aura and send it out as a shockwave, blowing back the entire ring of monsters temporarily. He ran to Aaron and helped him up. ' 'Aaron! You're going to be fine!' ' he assured firmly.

Aaron smiled and coughed. "I guess I must," he said. He stood and held his staff at the ready. He looked around, at the queen, at the creatures, and then at Lucario. He nodded. "Lucario, I have an idea of what has to be done," he said.

' 'What, master?' ' he asked. The pokémon got ready to fight again, too.

Aaron smiled. "I...I saw everything that occurred in front of me after becoming one with the Tree of Beginning," he recounted distantly. "I could not move. I could feel, however—feel the world around the Tree change, feel the health of the Tree itself...It helped make my suspended death more bearable. So I saw when you entered the Tree with that boy.

"His aura astounded me in its strength and similarity to mine." He looked back at the creatures. "Seeing as I was allowed that key to defeat those men, I have a feeling that boy will also be able to use one. If that's what's needed, then seek him out. The one whose aura is like mine."

Lucario gasped. ' 'What?' ' he asked, hurt. ' 'And leave you here alone? I can't do that, master! Not after we've just been reunited!' '

Aaron gave a smile out of Lucario's vision. "I know, my friend," he said softly, "but...my aura is weak from remaining in my suspended state for those years, and, although I have powerful aura, it is not as powerful as it could be. I cannot accompany you, let alone be the one to wield the key. Please understand, Lucario."

Lucario dropped his jaw in horror, tears pricking in his eyes. ' 'But...my friend...' '

Aaron swung out with his staff at another foe. "Lucario, I'm sorry, but that's how it has to be," he grunted. "Your power is great, and your courage is boundless. Now please, go. You are the best one to go, since you need not carry a weapon you might lose in transit between this world and wherever you need to go. As well—" he directed this up to the buttresses above, "—I have the entire Cameron pokémon army to help me..."

Above, people made various yelps, then turned to run and get his reinforcements.

Lucario growled and shook his head. ' 'NO! I'm staying here! I never wish to leave you again!' ' he cried defiantly.

Aaron turned and gave him a harsh glare. "Then I order you to go, Lucario!" he shouted. "I will stay and defend the palace with all my might, while you find a way to free our souls and allow us to move on in peace!" He bashed a beast coming up behind him without even looking.

Lucario stood, blinking and gaping a little, then squeezed his eyes shut and slowly bowed. ' 'Yes, Sir Aaron,' ' he replied quietly. ' 'I understand, as hard as it is for me. But then, you must know, this means I must return,' ' he added, looking up and smiling.

Aaron smiled back. "Thank you, my friend," he said softly. "Now go. Find a way out of this world. Find the one whose aura is like mine."

Lucario rose, nodding, and, with one last look, turned and, throwing his head up, shouted, ' 'Mew Spirit! I accept the task to put our souls to rest! Allow me to escape this world so that I may carry it out!' '

The psychic voice echoed around, but nothing came except the creatures. Lucario sweatdropped. ' 'Well, I thought that would work,' ' he muttered, looking down and around again.

Before him was a translucent mew, nothing more.

Lucario gasped, then looked left and right. ' 'Sir Aaron?' ' he called. Nothing. He looked back at the mew and grimaced. ' 'Well?' '

The mew nodded. ' 'You have chosen to embark on an enormous quest, hero of waves,' ' it noted in a calm, whispery voice.

Lucario nodded. ' 'Yes. May I leave now?' '

The mew began to glow bright white. ' 'Know that your body will become weakened from the journey, and that you must build up its power again. Your own powers of aura will be weakened, as well. It will be like you have again begun your training with Sir Aaron. This is unavoidable, because the old world has disappeared, and you must be sent across to a different plane. The power needed is what drains you. I doubt you will be half as powerful as you are now,' ' it warned. ' 'Do you still accept?' '

Lucario widened his eyes at this, but nodded resolutely. ' 'Yes, I do. I must.' '

' 'Then so shall it begin,' ' the mew declared, and all was white.

-)-D-0-O-0-C-(-

Lucario awoke in the middle of an ocean, slumped over a piece of driftwood. He blinked as he looked around the clear air across the deep, blue water. 'Am I...alive again?' he wondered. He looked around him in the water. 'I wonder if I should start getting moving...but where?' He thought to close his eyes and use his aura vision. He was amazed how much work it took him now to use it, but he got it and spread out his awareness in all directions, seeking out the unique aura his master gave off. Finally, after a few minutes of searching, which pushed his now-weakened abilities to the limit, he found him. ' 'Ash!' ' he gasped. He oriented himself in the direction of the aura and, focusing his on his target (which relieved a great deal of the stress put onto him from using aura), began swimming towards it, holding onto the board.

' 'I determinedly swam forwards, never stopping. I sometimes switched arms, but never really stopped. I kept himself going by reminding myself of Sir Aaron's order. My body began protesting, but I ignored it and kept going. By the time sunset arrived, I'd nearly gotten here and my body was almost completely spent. I felt like he was going to die again, but I had to get to you. Besides, there weren't any other islands around that I could land and rest on and get food from.

' 'When I finally got here, I had resorted to letting the tide wash me in. I had given up on aura-seeing when I had sight of the island. So, when I finally felt my body scrape up onto the shore, I had no idea where you were. And I felt so weak, I couldn't try even if I wanted to.' '

*/FLASHBACK!*

The rest of Lucario's story was what Sora had reported seeing to Ash. Ash sat, long finished with his breakfast, and gaped in awe at Lucario. "Wow," was all he could say.

Lucario sighed and nodded, closing his eyes. ' 'That about sums it up,' ' he agreed. ' 'So, now you see why I am here. Pretty fantastic story, but true, nevertheless.' '

Ash crossed his arms and bowed his head, thinking. "So, if what you say is true," he said slowly, face beginning to brighten with hope, "I should be able to hold a Keyblade, after all!" He gasped and grinned. "That means I can find my friends!...And our world," he added, feeling rude. "Sorry, I've been separated from my friends." He quickly summarized his own story for Lucario.

Lucario raised his eyebrows. ' 'So...our world is...utterly gone?' ' he asked. He got a nod in response and sank his head a bit. ' 'I thought as much,' ' he sighed. He shook his head and stood up. ' 'Well, Ash, should we get going and see what we can do?' '

Ash nodded. "Yeah. I need to do some things here first, but then I'll be out," he answered, rising as well. "You can wait outside. I think Sora and the others are already out there." He had an idea. "Hey, you say that you're not as strong anymore, right?" he asked.

' 'Much to my dismay.' '

Ash smiled. "Then find and talk to Sora. He's the brown-haired guy dressed all in black, with the big shoes. He might be busy fighting with a white-haired guy who's taller than him. But ask if he'll fight against you, and you can start getting your skills back up. I'll come back out in a bit."

Lucario nodded. ' 'Alright.' ' He turned and went out the door.

Ash finished up dressing and such, then went and found him. Indeed, Lucario was sparring against Sora. He was giving Sora a bit of a rough time, actually, since he was very good at fighting naturally.

"Woah!" Sora cried, blocking another hit.

Lucario kept up his punches, kicks, and occasional whips of his tail. However, he got parried again and hit a couple times. He regained his balance and began dodging and blocking. Each side would get in a few hits, then go back to dodging and blocking combos.

Ash came over, Kairi waving at him as he approached. "Woah, those two look like they're having fun," he commented, smiling.

Riku chuckled. "I'm wishing I could've fought with him," he said.

Ash chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry, it's just I thought you'd be a bit rough on it," he apologized.

Riku held up a hand in response.

Ash looked around. "Where are Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka?" he asked.

"Tidus has to stay home and do chores, Selphie's spending the day at the mall, and Wakka's out practicing with members of the school basketball team," Kairi answered. "They're not going to be here until at least mid-afternoon."

"Really? Huh..." Ash shrugged.

Finally, Lucario and Sora decided to stop. Both were left panting and smiling at the good fight. "You're pretty dang good," Sora complimented as he sat on the wall to rest.

' 'Thank you,' ' Lucario replied, sitting against the wall on the sand. ' 'You're very gifted, yourself.' '

Ash smiled. "Seems you two had a good time," he observed. He laughed. "I guess I'm going to have to wait for a bit before I can train with Sora!"

Lucario raised his eyebrows and looked at Ash. ' 'You are training?' ' he asked. ' 'In what, swordfighting?' '

Ash nodded. "Yup! Sora's helping me, and I spent all day yesterday training with him. I've gotten a bit better, I'd say," he added, smirking a little.

Sora sweatdropped. "Aaahh...don't get too cocky, kid," he warned his student. He laughed at the look he got. "Sorry, but you've still got a ways to go. Nothing's easy in life!"

Ash nodded, smiling. "I know that all too well," he replied. "It took me ages before I got good at pokémon training."

Kairi, sitting there and listening, suddenly got an idea. "Hey, Ash," she said, looking at him. "Lucario's a pokémon, right?"

' '"Yes," I am.' ' Lucario looked up and back as he saw Kairi sitting on the wall above him.

Kairi giggled and gave a playful look to the two. "Why not, sometime today, show us what it is you do?"

Ash raised his eyebrows. "Really?" he asked. He looked at Lucario, then sweatdropped. "I don't think Lucario'd like me telling it what to do...would you?"

Lucario shook his head. ' 'I wouldn't mind if it was you, since you are a friend, and I trust you,' ' he replied. He tilted his head. ' 'Although, what would we use as a practice opponent? There are no other pokémon here that we can battle.' '

Ash's face fell as he remembered that. He'd felt hopeful when Lucario said it'd be okay to use him in an exhibition battle. "Oh, yeah," he muttered. "I forgot about that..."

"I can fight him," Riku offered, turning and smiling thoughtfully. "I'm no pokémon, but I can take hits and fight." He grinned. "It'd be interesting, too."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Uuuhhmm...it'd be weird, but...Lucario?" he checked.

Lucario raised an eyebrow, too, but nodded. ' 'It's as good as we're going to get,' ' he reasoned.

Ash nodded. "Alright, but I'm going to have to talk with Lucario and find out what attacks it remembers," he said.

At this, Kairi gave an annoyed "Humph!" and crossed her arms. "Ash!" she scolded.

Ash sweatdropped. "What? I have to, otherwise I might order an attack it doesn't know!" he defended himself.

Kairi groaned. "No, the 'it' stuff," she said. "You've heard Lucario talking to us! He's obviously a he!" She looked at him. "Heck, let's ask him. What gender are you, Lucario?" she asked.

Lucario sweatdropped a little at the question. ' 'P-Pardon, m'lady? Er...Sorry, just such an...unexpected question...' ' He regained his composure. ' 'I am indeed male,' ' he answered. ' 'But I understand why Ash calls me an 'it,' since that is what an animal is called, and pokémon are animals. Albeit, ones that can launch Hyper Beams and Flamethrowers, but animals regardless,' ' he added, smirking at his little joke. ' 'I care not what I'm called, so long as it's not meant as an insult, and as long as it's not 'she.'' '

Ash still sweatdropped as he looked at Kairi. "Okay, okay, I'll call Lucario 'he,'" he relented. Kairi smiled and thanked him, nice and happy again, and Ash let out a flustered sigh. 'Man, she doesn't need to know how to fight—she could win fights by scaring them off!'

After a rest, Ash and Sora decided to go and train. Lucario, curious to see Ash fight, decided to accompany them. The three guys went to the cove again and got down to business. Ash took out the toy sword he now carried with him everywhere, as did Sora.

"Okay, Ash, let's begin," Sora nodded, in stance. "Come on!"

Ash nodded, then charged. He swung and got blocked. He tried swinging more and more, but he ended up getting blocked all the time. Then, when it was his turn to get swung at, he got hit five times out of the six swings. He and Sora fought against each other for a while more until the two got into a standoff, Ash panting and holding his wooden sword limply, Sora just breathing a little heavier. The Trainer had a few bruises while Sora had none, getting hit only a few times.

Lucario raised an eyebrow. ' 'Ash,' ' he called.

"What?" he asked, still looking at Sora in case he charged at him again while he was speaking to someone else.

' 'Sorry to say, but you're a very bad swordsman,' ' Lucario admitted, causing Ash to anger-vein. ' 'However, I remember witnessing Sir Aaron wield a sword quite nearly as well as his staff, which he used with unparalleled skill. Since your aura and his are so similar, I wouldn't be surprised if you had as much talent as he if you were able to unlock it.' '

Ash made his "this is new" face. "What do you mean?" he asked.

' 'What I mean is that you're bad now, but you might be able to be a lot better,' ' Lucario summarized. ' 'Just believe that you can do it, and you'll do better.' '

Ash nodded. "Alright, I'll try," he said, and turned back to Sora. "I'm ready!" he called.

"Okay, then try again!" Sora smiled, and came at him.

A few minutes later, Ash and Sora were taking a standing break, regaining their breath again. Ash had landed a couple more hits than last time, but he still hadn't done it quite as well yet. Lucario hummed in thought. ' '...I have an idea,' ' he said finally.

Ash glanced at him. "Yeah?" he asked.

' 'You remember when you used Sir Aaron's gloves to use your aura?' '

Ash raised his eyebrows. "Yeah..."

Lucario put a paw to his chest. ' 'Here's my idea: Try tapping into your aura like you did before, but instead of forcing it out, let it fill your physical body. Let the power residing inside of you assist you, flow through you.' ' He crossed his arms again to watch.

Ash considered it. "My aura..." He stood and put a hand to his chest. "Worth a shot," he mumbled, and closed his eyes. "Alright, just let it fill my body..." He reached inside of him, remembering what he did when he tried to use his aura to help Lucario out. He inwardly gasped as he felt the energy enter his chest. He didn't try and force it out, but instead let it flow. He felt an indescribable feeling. It energized him and shot his eyes wide open, a very faint pulse of aura coming from them. He felt his mind clear of distracting thoughts. "I think I've got it," he said confidently.

Lucario, watching in aura-vision, smiled. ' 'That's it. Now, just try to keep it flowing while you fight. Don't focus too much on keeping it up; you should know it when you start to lose your grip keeping the gate to your aura open. Since you got a lot of aura out on your first try using Sir Aaron's gloves, I'd say you've got a knack for it. So, good luck.' '

Ash nodded, looking at Sora. He kept his eyes on him like never before. It was as if he was using the move Lock-On. "Ready!" he shouted.

Sora nodded, then came at him again. He swung, but Ash, with amazing nimbleness, ducked and slid underneath it, stood up, spun, and whacked Sora on the back. Sora grunted, then turned and swung again. Ash instinctively blocked it, then blocked another one. He swung out as well, but got blocked, too. He was thrown off and was stabbed at, but Ash, feeling the aura flow through his body, dodged it by weaving his body to the side, bending it like a bow. He then took the opportunity to slash with his sword.

Sora got struck and stunned for a slight moment for the first time in Ash's career as a swordsman.

Immediately, Ash comboed him. First, a vertical slash down, then a stab forwards, and a finisher in the form of a wind up to the left, crouching a little, then a quick slightly diagonal horizontal swing to the right, "thrown" by his left hand while the right swung out. The combo launched Sora back a bit, and Ash got back to his stance, breathing slightly.

Sora laughed as he got up. "Wow, that hurt!" he said, rubbing his shoulder. "Looks like Lucario's idea worked! But can you keep it up?" he asked, and went at him again.

***LEARNED Focus — Ability***

Use your aura to, simply put, make you NOT suck.

The training ensued for a fairly long time—about 20 minutes of constant fighting. Ash got knocked down a couple times, but he got up again in a flash. Sora got knocked down just as much. When they had finished for the time being, both were panting hard, laughing and smiling.

Ash, flumped against the wall of the cove, turned to Lucario and wheezed, "Thank you so much, Lucario...I couldn't've done so well...without your idea..."

Lucario smiled faintly. ' 'No problem. I think it is good you learn to use your aura while you have such a powerful one. And, by the way,' ' he added, ' 'what you did was really what anyone can do, just faster. You entered a state where your focus is entirely on whatever you need to do, and your body and mind are shut out from doing all except.' '

Ash tilted his head, but Sora translated, "You mean that he just put himself into the zone."

Lucario made a confused face and turned to Sora. ' ''The zone?' Is that what people call it?' ' he wondered.

Sora laughed. "Yeah, didn't you know?" he asked.

The pokémon shook his head. ' 'No. It must have come up while I was trapped in Sir Aaron's staff...which happened in the time where swords were used for real battle, not for play fights.' '

Sora widened his eyes. "Woah...You mean with knights and stuff?" he asked. Lucario nodded, and Sora gaped. "WHOA! You're really old!" he blurted out, then meeped and clasped his mouth. "Er, I mean..." Ash and Lucario were both laughing, though, so he calmed down.

Ash looked to Lucario after that. "So, what I'm doing isn't cheating or anything?" he asked.

Lucario turned and shook his head. ' 'It's merely something to help you along,' ' he replied. ' 'And it's not too dangerous or tiring to use, either. It should help you out until you become used to swordfighting and can fight better in general. Just don't depend on it, because the less aura you have, the less of an effect it will grant you. You might need to use your aura to fight in the future, if you ever have to fight on your own for real.' '

Ash nodded. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind, Lucario." He breathed for a little bit while he rested. After a while, Lucario, who had begun to fidget, decided to go and start his own solo practice. He practiced his fighting moves, punching and kicking, and tried some aerial moves as well. After that, he tried to use some actual moves.

' 'Oh, great,' ' he muttered after trying a few and ending up with a big load of nothing, ' 'I've forgotten a great deal of moves. Wait, have I...' ' He got his paws into position and focused his aura. Slowly, but surely, a sphere began to gather up and form. He grimaced. ' 'I can still use it, but not as well,' ' he muttered. He aimed at a wall and threw it. It soared and struck, guided by the ambient waves. It jarred a few rocks loose, but had little overall effect. Lucario sighed, hanging his arms limp. ' 'Oh, well.' '

Ash frowned sympathetically. "Lucario...I'm sorry."

Lucario turned and nodded. ' 'It is nothing,' ' he replied. ' 'I can deal with it. I will just have to get stronger somehow.' '

Ash crossed his arms and thought. "If only there were more pokémon around to train against," he muttered. "Just going up against Sora and Riku, as well as Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka, is fine, for now, but..." He sighed. "Oh, well," he said, too.

After some more self-training, Ash and Lucario discovered that he still knew Metal Claw, Tail Whip, Low Kick, Screech, and, to some extent, Aura Sphere. When the pokémon used Screech, Ash couldn't help but feel sorry when Sora squeaked and covered his ears. Lucario's Screech was kind of like a loud, high dog's howl.

After Lucario finished, Ash and Sora began sparring again. Ash tapped into his aura once more and got into the zone. He now had to work on defending against aerial opponents. Sora could jump amazingly high for a human being, and Ash was dumbfounded as to how he could. He tried jumping himself, but couldn't jump all that high. Lucario, being a pokémon, could jump as high as Sora could, but Ash? No, no way! He decided not to ask, though, and instead was content just learning and practicing.

A time later, Ash, Sora, and Lucario decided to take a lunch break. Ash ate with gusto from the training, and everyone laughed. Even Lucario gave a chuckle. The pokémon ate completely natural food, like berries and such. He noticed a distinct lack of chocolate, however.

Afterward, Riku came over to the Pokémon worlders. "What about that battle?" he asked, giving a smirk to Lucario.

Ash looked at the aura-user and smiled his Ash smile. "You up for it?" he asked.

Lucario nodded. ' 'I am ready when you are.' '

Ash nodded and clenched his fist, holding it up. "Then let's go, Riku!" he challenged determinedly.

Riku chuckled. "I won't hold back," he warned.

Lucario couldn't help but smirk. ' 'I wasn't expecting you to,' ' he replied.

A few moments later, Ash was standing on one end of the beach, Lucario in front of him. At the other end stood Riku, holding his sword at his side. Sora, whom Ash had told about the job, acted as referee, a wooden sword in each hand. The brown-haired Keyblader looked left and right at Riku and Ash. He cleared his throat. "This unofficial battle between Ash, using Lucario, and Riku, using...uh, himself, will now get under way," he announced. Riku got his sword up into stance. "Ready? Aaaaaand..." He shot both arms up, holding out the two swords like flags. "Begin!"

Immediately, Riku charged forward with amazing speed. Ash nodded. "Lucario! Get ready to dodge!" he called.

Lucario nodded, crouching. Riku came forward and let out his first attack. Instantly, the pokémon dodged the swing, sidestepping. Riku looked over.

"Metal Claw!" Ash ordered as soon as Lucario had dodged, knowing how fast Riku was.

Lucario's paw spikes glowed, forming into sets of three long, hooked claws, and he slashed at Riku. Riku raised his sword and blocked it, though, quickly counter-attacking. Lucario grunted as he got hit.

Ash, expecting quick attacks and used to not hearing what the enemy will do (since wild pokémon don't call their attacks), cried, "Screech, now!" when Lucario's attack had reached its hit-or-miss point.

Lucario, as an effect, was able to let out his attack, which caused Riku to grunt and stop further attacks while he bore it. However, as much as he tried, he soon had to clasp his hands over his ears. When Ash saw this, he ordered Lucario to use Tail Whip. Although weak, Lucario was able to land the quick attack across Riku's stomach.

Riku grunted. "This ain't as easy as I thought it'd be," he commented, "what with hearing what attacks are being used on me..." He held his sword ready again. "Alrighty, let's get down to business." He ran and feinted before lashing out. Lucario was hit, but it appeared it didn't do much.

Ash grinned. 'That must have been like Feint Attack, which is a Dark-type move and therefore didn't do much against Lucario!' "Quick, Low Kick!"

Lucario complied, foot lashing out in the fast, but weak, attack. It was a bit straight, though, and was easily dodged.

"Behind you!"

He jumped out of the way of the swinging attack, soaring high. However, Ash remembered that Riku, too, was a good jumper. As Lucario came back down, Riku launched himself upwards and unleashed a three-hit air combo on the pokémon, slamming him back down to Earth. Lucario grunted as he hit the sand, then rolled and got up again.

Ash frowned. "Sorry, Lucario, I forgot he uses air attacks, too," he apologized.

' 'No worries,' ' Lucario returned, keeping his eyes on Riku as the boy landed.

Ash nodded and pointed. "Alright, let's bounce back by charging him!" he commanded.

Lucario did as he was told. Riku chuckled and readied himself. When Lucario approached, the Keyblader decided which way to dodge.

"Low Kick!"

Lucario did so. A sharp-eyed pup, he saw which way Riku sidestepped. As he did, Lucario swung a sweeping kick with extra power from the direction the human dodged. Riku grunted in surprise as he was tripped. He fell to the ground.

"Ngh!" He rolled backwards and got up. "Heh...Sneaky," he commented. 'Why did that hurt a little more than I thought it would?'

Ash grinned. "When I'm going against you, I've gotta be, sometimes," he said. "Now, start hitting him using normal fighting moves!" he commanded. 'This isn't exactly how I normally battle, but this is what Lucario's good at.'

Lucario nodded and began free-forming. He and Riku engaged for a while, Ash watching intently, waiting for the right time. It came when Lucario managed to parry a move and give a mighty uppercut to the white-haired Keyblader. "Metal Claw!" Lucario hurriedly launched the attack. It struck the stunned Riku, causing him to give a little shout of pain and slide back.

Riku grinned as he halted. "Not bad," he complimented. He stood straight and held his hand out to his side. "Let's see how you handle this!" Darkness began to accumulate in his hand.

Ash gasped in surprise, as did the others. "What the—?" He thought furiously about what attack that resembled, and could only think of Shadow Ball. He frowned and nodded. "Lucario! Try and defend!" he cried.

Lucario braced himself.

"Riku! Why are you going to use that?" Sora asked.

Riku smirked over his shoulder. "I said I wouldn't go easy on him," he reminded, then finished charging the attack. "Alright! Eat my Dark Firaga!" he cried, throwing the ball of darkness.

Lucario grunted as it struck him, exploding into a burst of black fire. He slid back so far, he ended up in the water a little. He panted when he let his guard down. ' 'Ow.' '

Ash gritted his teeth. 'What? It looked like a Fire- and Dark-type move rolled into one, but it should've been normal damage! That looked super-effective! I guess I'll have to dodge it...' He nodded and watched Riku. He was advancing, charging another Dark Firaga. "He knows I'm going to try and tell him to avoid it, so he's gonna keep on Lucario so he can't evade it!" he muttered, then shouted, "Lucario! Run towards him and try using Low Kick!"

Lucario did so, but Riku was smart enough to jump the sweep.

"AGAIN!"

Lucario, being ordered mid-spin, understood and spun around again as Riku fell. Riku couldn't land safely and was hit, knocked down again. His Dark Firaga was disrupted, too. Ash pumped his arm in victory, his plan having worked.

Lucario awaited further commands while Riku rose. He thought himself. 'If I'm not mistaken, my Low Kick seems to be doing more than normal to him,' he mused. 'I wonder if he's sort of like a pokémon himself...'

Riku smirked. "Alright, enough of this," he muttered, and summoned darkness around his toy sword. "Let's see how you like me now!" He began to attack viciously.

Ash ordered Lucario to block it, then dodge it as best he could and use Metal Claw. It failed, though, and Lucario was hit. When he did, it looked like it hurt him so much, it stunned him. Then, he got hit by a combo...well, almost. At the finishing move, he reached up and grabbed Riku's darkness-covered weapon. Riku raised his eyebrows. After surprising his opponent, Lucario quickly released the sword and slashed with Metal Claw. He hit again.

Riku was getting either mad or excited. "Pretty brave, grabbing a blade of darkness," he commented.

Ash raised an eyebrow. 'So wait, does that mean his attacks are Dark-type? What about...' He shook his head. 'Well, it looks like Fighting-type moves are effective against him. He might be Dark-type, himself, though!' He ordered, "Lucario! Try, um, Focus Punch!"

Lucario, who didn't know if he knew it anymore, raised an eyebrow, but did as he was told. He focused intensely, hoping the move worked. Then, to his surprise, his fist began to glow.

However, Riku was ready. He charged and slashed. Lucario was able to dodge just in time, however. The pokémon unleashed the move and connected with a retreating arm. Riku hissed, wincing, and held his arm briefly before getting back to it.

Ash grinned. 'Yeah, that looked like it really hurt! He's got to be like a Dark-type, weak against Fighting-type moves!' "Lucario! Tail Whip!" he ordered. "Then jump away!"

Lucario tried Tail Whip, missed, but jumped back when the next attack came.

"Now start charging up your Aura Sphere!"

He nodded and began, midair. He still charged it when he landed. It was yet slow to charge, but Ash had gotten him far enough away that Riku couldn't get him in time. Riku was charging his own Dark Firaga, which charged just a tiddly faster than Aura Sphere.

They both launched at the same time. The orbs of energy sailed past one another to their destinations.

Ash waited until the right moment, then cried, "Dodge!"

Lucario jumped to the side just as the ball of darkness approached. It curved to him a little, but ended up missing and hitting the ground.

Riku, meanwhile, tried dodging the other one. He was surprised when not only did it home in on him, it also went straight through his sword, which he'd raised as a last-second defense. "Aaugh!" he cried, getting nailed in the face by the Fighting move. He went to the ground, where he stayed a second before getting up, laughing. "Okay, that felt like it hurt a lot more than it looked like it should," he laughed. "What's the deal?"

Ash grinned. "Pokémon and moves have what are called types," he explained. "One type of attack does more damage to another type of pokémon. For instance, Fire-type attacks do more against Grass-type pokémon; it's super effective!" He held up a fist. "Fighting-type moves are super effective against pokémon whose type..." He pointed with his fist hand at Riku. "...is Dark!"

' 'Or Normal, which he might still be,' ' Lucario added to Ash. ' 'I doubt he is, though...' '

Riku blinked, then laughed. "Great, just when you think you're human!" he joked. He frowned. "Then why did it look like some of my attacks hurt Lucario more than they should?" he asked.

Ash frowned. "I have no idea—maybe they're secretly Psychic-type?" he suggested. He smirked. "But anyway, you'll have to figure out the types on your own, since us Trainers have to," he told Riku. "So, we gonna keep going, or what?"

Riku smirked, then put his sword on his shoulder. "I think that's enough fun for today," he said. He tilted his head interestedly. "Unless you'll let me try one more move, see if Lucario's up for it...?"

Ash looked at Lucario. Lucario nodded. Ash smiled. "Sure! Lucario, get ready!"

Lucario nodded, then braced himself.

Riku grinned viciously. "Oooh, bad idea," he said, and everything went dark. Only Lucario and Riku were visible.

From the darkness, Sora gasped. "Riku! Not Dark Aura!" he protested.

He was too late, though, and Riku had disappeared.

"Dark Aura?" repeated Ash.

Sora grimaced. "Something that's a really big pain in the...well, all over!" he explained.

Lucario looked around him, sensing something. Then, he saw a burst to his right and Riku searing towards him, blade out. He couldn't avoid the attack quite well and got hit. While he recovered from the hit, he got slammed again and again and again from nearly every direction as Riku mercilessly executed his most powerful move. Lucario grunted in pain each time, and tried to analyze where he was coming from. Unfortunately, the darkness surrounding the boy caused him to have no aura while the attack took place, despite the name of the attack. Finally, Riku finished by appearing in the center and unleashing a ring of dark flames, which hit Lucario, as well.

After the attack ended, Lucario fell to the sand, gasping for breath. ' 'That...is a powerful...attack,' ' he complimented. He struggled, trying to get up. ' 'A little...too powerful...ooof...' ' He collapsed, spiraly-eyed.

Sora grimaced, but held up his right sword and cried, "Lucario is unable to battle! Riku—by a really cheap shot—wins!"

Riku gave him an eyebrow raise. "Hey, he said I could try it! I didn't even know I could use it without entering my Dark Mode..." He shrugged, then knelt down to the pokémon.

Lucario groaned in a second, then looked up at his smiling face. He took the offered hand and stood up.

"Good fight," Riku said.

Lucario nodded. ' 'Good fight.' '

Ash, amazed look on his face, walked over to Riku. "You...Wow. That's one scary attack," he said. "Glad I'm never going to have to deal with that in real life!"

Riku raised an eyebrow. "If you do end up nabbing a Keyblade, you'd better be ready for it," he warned, crossing his arms. "Heartless do all sorts of moves like that."

Ash looked a little surprised, then sighed and nodded. "I guess you're right," he admitted. He shivered. "Man, I hope I don't have to fight you anytime soon, though!"

Riku raised his other eyebrow, switching them. "Really? I wanted to check and see if Sora hasn't been making you soft," he smirked, and Ash meeped, causing everyone to laugh.

-)-D-0-O-0-C-(-

The remainder of the day was spent playing with the other kids, who were all eager to try Ash out once they got to the island. They had fun with him, and he had the opposite with them—despite his newfound ability to focus instantly, he still either had a lot of trouble or he just outright lost. He did have a good time with Wakka, though, since he knew how to fight him from the previous experience he had with him. He even beat back the ball he had thrown to him.

Lucario, meanwhile, decided to practice his meditation, attempting to work on re-honing his skills with seeing the waves of aura. He sat on a rock by the waves of the ocean for a couple hours, motionless.

Finally, sunset arrived, and the others had to leave. Ash and Lucario bade farewell, then retired after getting something from the fridge there. As Ash went to sleep, he thought about his fighting skills. 'Am I...really cut out to do this?' he wondered. 'I mean...Lucario says that I should be able to use a Keyblade, but...am I really good enough to use one?...'

-)-D-0-O-0-C-(-

Ash was falling...He was falling through the sky, soaring through clouds, an ocean below...Each cloud was a different scene...A mew hovering in a dark sky over a beautiful tree...The legendary birds minus Ho-Oh flying around a wintery island...Unown floating around an entei on a pillar of crystal...A celebi over a forest with a countdown clock and cliff on either side, a suicune on the cliff and a raikou on the clock...A latios and latias soaring over an ocean...A jirachi hanging amidst a starry sky...A deoxys and rayquaza flying at each other over a city...A manaphy floating in the middle of the ocean...A lucario running down a castle hallway...Dialga, Palkia, and a darkrai suspended in the air around a tower...Origin Forme Giratina, a shaymin in Sky Forme, and Arceus levitating around a frozen waterfall coming out of a ruins...A zorua being hugged by a zoroark in the middle of a stadium...Reshiram and Zekrom flying around a gigantic sword in the sky, a victini fluttering over the pommel...

He suddenly hit water, floating down until he landed gently on a black surface amidst the darkness of the deep. He took one step, then gasped as thousands of doves flew off, revealing a circular, stained-glass platform. It depicted a circle split in two, with the top part taking up two thirds of it. That section, colored indigo, bore a depiction of Misty, smiling and winking with her victory sign while in her old outfit. A basic map of Kanto was in that section behind Misty. The lower section, orange in background with a map of the Orange Islands, depicted Tracy, holding his sketchbook and drawing with a smile. Around it were three borders, all of them split into four colors—red, green, blue, and yellow going clockwise from the lower-right. The outermost was plain and thin, the middle a bit wider with a zigzag pattern of lighter-colored lens shapes, and the innermost bore the different Badges Ash obtained in the two regions they surrounded like a sort of tilted clock face. He looked up again to see the doves were flying off.

He looked around, seeing just that mysteriously-lit platform and himself. A light floated above the center of the platform. "What happened?" he asked nobody. "Where am I?"

So little time...so much to do...

Ash gasped as he heard a voice.

Take your time.

A trio of pedestals appeared before him, each bearing an item.

For your greatest journey has yet to begin.

...Come to the light. Don't be afraid.

The voice was gone. Ash blinked. "This is...weird..." He walked to the light orb and touched it. When he did, it floated up and split into three parts and became the pedestals with the weapons just like in Maru's dream.

What power is it you desire most?

Ash stood, looking at the items on the pedestals. "Uhhhh..." He walked over to the first item he saw, a sword. "Wow..." he mumbled, feeling the weight of it. He swung it around some. "Pretty cool! Wherever I am, I know I won't be in danger anymore!"

The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you desire most?

Ash looked up when he heard the voice, then frowned in thought. "I prefer a balance, actually...but..."

While you must unbalance yourself, if you choose with your heart, it will mean nothing.

"Really...?" He thought for a moment longer, then nodded. "I choose this!" he announced. The sword suddenly vanished, and the voice was heard again as he stood and looked at the other pedestals.

Alright. Now...what power do you give up in return?

Ash thought for a moment. 'I bet that shield is for defense, and that rod is for...magic? Really?' He went and checked, and the voice gave him the same spiel it gave Maru. Ash was surprised he was right, sorta. 'Inner strength...' He looked at the shield. He went and tried that, and was told about it, as well. '...or the power to defend my friends...!' He nodded and rushed to the rod.

Is this the power you give up?

"...Yeah," he nodded after the voice asked one more time. The rod vanished, and he stood again.

You desire the power of the warrior. You give up the power of the mystic. Is this the path you choose?

Ash thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yup," he said.

As soon as that happened, the pedestals all suddenly fell through the glass as darkness enveloped them.

So be it.

Screaming, Ash was swallowed by the darkness.

-)-D-0-O-0-C-(-

~The Lanes Between~

Maru walked to his seat on the bridge. He nodded when he passed Elliott, who was sitting at his seat already. "Morning, Elliott," he greeted.

"~Morning, Maru!~" chirped the big dragon, waving his fingers.

Maru sat down. Behind him, Figment came scampering in. "We ready for our first adventure together?" he asked energetically, hopping into his seat.

Maru nodded. "Yeah, I've decided which world to go to," he confirmed.

Chip and Dale came scampering over atop the dash. "Well, then, touch yer destination and let's go!" coaxed Dale.

Maru nodded before touching Devil's Bayou on the map. The ship's engines began to rev up, and Maru held the steering wheel, wetting his lips. He'd been briefed the other day how to control it in flight, so he was pretty sure how to do things. "Alright," he murmured, "let the quest to recover my powers begin." He put on a friendly smile as best as he could and looked at his teammates, however much he preferred to do things alone. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Figment fidgeted violently in his seat, the seat belts a smidgen big on him. "Ready-ready!"

Elliott gulped and nodded slowly. "~R...Ready,~" he replied. He was kind of afraid with all the danger ahead, but he remembered he had to be brave, so he shook his head and sat upright as best he could in the seat. He wasn't really used to chairs. The belts were a bit small on him, in contrast to his purple teammate.

Maru turned his head a bit to look as behind as possible, and looked down with his eyes. "You sure you'll be fine just in there, Navi?" he asked.

Navi peeked out of his collar a bit. "I'll be fine, Maru!" she assured. "Just don't crash, okay?"

Maru smirked. "I won't," he said, and Navi popped back away. Maru turned to the front and nodded. "Okay," he announced, "let us begin!"

He stepped on the gas, and the Gummi Ship shot off, heading for the new world.

I could tell you about the journey there, but all I'll say is that it was pretty basic for Gummi Ships. Maru got used to the controls of the ship, and everyone pitched in to defend their vessel. At the end, Maru was actually grinning genuinely, since he, literally, had a blast. (Okay, it was smirk-like, but it was still a grin, pearly-whites in full view and everything.) "I think I'm going to look forward to these flights quite a lot!" he commented as they left the route behind.

Figment laughed. "Against your nature, huh?" He raised his eyeridge at Maru's great smile.

Maru chuckled. "I had fun, what do you expect?" he defended. "How do you feel, Elliott?" he asked, looking over, then raised his eyebrows.

Elliott was looking a little greener than usual. "~Erm...~" he murmured, paw on stomach, "~I'll...be fine...just a little weak from when you went so close to that wall at the end...~"

Maru chuckled. "What, are you saying my driving is dangerous?" he asked, then shook his head. "I would say I did well for my first try, personally." He dropped the smile and looked out the window. The world, exactly how it looked on the map, was ahead of them. It almost looked like it was nightfall, it was so dark. "I suppose different worlds run on different times," he muttered. "Well," he said louder, "shall we disembark?"

-)-D-0-O-0-C-(-

The frogs croaked and the crickets chirped in the night at a bayou. From an old moored, half-sunken riverboat emerged a little girl with short pigtails in a blue overall-like dress, a white shirt and light blue tights beneath, wearing brown Mary Janes. She held a small orange teddy bear as she looked around cautiously, then went down the gangplank and into the forest.

In the shadows of one of the trees, a figure in a familiar mantle and mask stood watching.

-)-D-0-O-0-C-(-

Maru, Figment, and Elliott appeared in a flash of light on the ground. Maru looked around. "Yeah, it is night," he muttered. "Yet the clocks on the ship said it's morning...weird."

"~Those are some pretty big plants,~" Elliott commented, pointing to the trees towering around them.

"And pretty coarse...sand..." Maru added, looking down and around him, but stopped. He blinked when he saw something ahead of him. Grass blades at least his height and a half. "Wait..."

"Why are we so SMALLLL?" he cried to the sky. The trio was standing in a small area with decrepit-looking trees behind them and grass ahead of them, soft, sandy ground between. They were all tiny.

Figment laughed, and they turned to him. "Sorry, I never told you guys, did I?" he asked, smirking. He produced a golden-colored card from his deck. A pair of question marks was on it. "Behold! This card transforms you into a form suitable for whatever world you're on, and I slipped it into your clothes last night when you were sleeping!" he announced proudly.

Maru blinked, then scowled. "You snuck into my room?" he growled. He sighed, shaking his head. "Well, there must be a reason for this, then..." He searched his pockets (Elliott searching his bags behind him, finding his before Maru). He found it in his back pocket and held it up, looking at it. "It reminds me of Missingno.," he muttered. He decided to call it the Missingno. Card. He put it away and looked around. "Well, we'd better start looking for that Keyhole," he said, the others turning to face the direction he was. He was looking out over the grassy part of the area, a bayou visible beyond.

***OBTAINED Missingno. Card***

Magical card given by Figment that may transform you depending on the world visited.

~Devil's Bayou~

Maru, Figment, and Elliott were in a small area bordered by grass and trees. It appeared the sandy ground didn't go around the bayou, but there was a sort of thin path through the trees to their right. Maru set up a save disc where they had landed, then led them down the path. This path led them a ways away, around to a larger, sandy area. They noticed a bottle sticking out of the ground in one part, a puddle sat in another, and at the edge of the woods...a shack sized for them? A small, slender muskrat in a long white shirt and scarecrow-like hat sat in a hammock holding a brown jug on the porch, apparently sleeping. They looked to their left out to the gloomy bayou and saw, in the distance, a grand riverboat...well, a half-sunken one.

They didn't have much time to admire things, though, since at that moment, Heartless appeared. "Wh—Already?" Maru raised his eyebrows as a bunch of Soldiers and a few new flying ones appeared. These new ones were mostly a dirty yellow and had six buglike legs from the simple oval-shaped body. From its black head came a long spike, and from its back were rapidly-flapping bug wings, making a low buzz. Its emblem was on its stomach. In short, it looked like a mosquito. Navi later decided to call these simply Bloodsuckers.

But what made Maru narrow his eyes was when another thing like Iso appeared and roared.

Maru, Figment, and Elliott went to work. While Figment and Elliott went about dealing with the smaller Heartless, Maru, eyeing the Heartless-Pokémon ahead, grabbed the Monster Ball on his belt and resized it with his free hand. "Go, Iso!" he cried, and threw the monster ball out.

It opened, releasing Iso, who roared, himself. He was smaller, too. He noticed Heartless and got into a battle position, standing sideways in a wide stance and swaying side to side, arms hanging limply. The ball closed and homed in back to Maru, who caught it and put it away. He now had a slight challenge: Defend himself and command Iso in a battle. "Navi," he called, looking out of the corner of his eye down to his collar. The fairy appeared out of it, hovering in front of him. "Keep an eye out for anyone trying to attack me while I battle this look-alike of my new friend," he instructed.

Navi nodded. "Right!" She then went to hovering around, looking out.

Maru got down to business. He thought critically back to when he was fighting the dragonlike creature. He nodded. "Slash, now!" he commanded.

The green-eyed Heartless growled and slashed with his huge reach. It hit—well, sort of. It didn't do much damage, nearly passing through the Heartless. Maru grimaced. 'Okay, note: Normal-types don't do well against the Heartless...they hit though,' he added, seeing it reel back a little. (Navi took a mental note of this, as well.)

The Heartless made no sound as it took the hit, but then it lunged, trying to take a swing at Iso.

"Dodge!"

Iso didn't hear him in time and took the damage, grunting. He skidded back a little.

Before Maru could shout another command, Navi squeaked, "Maru!" Instantly, Maru mentally locked onto the foe trying to hit him. With one fluid motion, he spun and slashed with both hands. The Soldier trying to hit him flew back, soon nailed by Elliott's huge tail sweep. He gave Maru a thumbs-up, then went back to work. Maru nodded and did so as well.

Meanwhile, the dragons were noticing that the Bloodsuckers were a bit annoying. They were fast and kept moving. They would attack by dive-bombing them or, if they were near enough, pecking out. If one managed to peck them, it would hold on for a bit, sucking blood to heal its own HP until either it was thrown off or (theoretically) its victim died. It plumped up as it drank, which was released in a gross burst upon defeat. On the plus side, if they ever tried to drink too much blood, they would explode, and the bigger they got, the slower they became. However, occasionally, they would poison their target for a while. Luckily, Figment had a Panacea with him when he got poisoned. Elliott was glad he wore armor now, since frontal attempts bounced back, stunning them. When their attacks were repelled, their straws would bend up and they would hover a few seconds while scrabbling to straighten it again. Figment discovered that they were weak to Fire magic, so he used that on them when he could. Their defense was fairly low, as well.

When Maru returned to his pokémon, Iso had taken another hit. "Shit...Uh, Take Down!" he called in a hurry. No reaction. 'Wait, Fighting-type moves would probably do well, since Heartless look a bit like Dark-types!' He pointed. "Low Kick!" he ordered.

The pokémon understood this and, blocking one blow, launched a kick to the stomach of the Heartless. It didn't sink in, but it didn't look super-effective, either. Maru grim—"Maru!"—aced and slashed behind him, then returned to his pose before. 'Great, now what? Wait!' "Dragon Claw!" he tried. His dragon reeled back his right arm, claws glowing like Dragon Claw does normally, and then slashed viciously. It hit, and the Heartless flew back. 'Super effective? Or just low defense?'

The Heartless skidded back and got up again. It sprang into the air and soared at Maru's combatant at high speed. "Dodge it!" Maru ordered. Iso barely did so in time. His tail got hit though, and he yelped out in pain. He looked at his enemy with a glower that Maru read as, "Nobody touches my tail!" His eyes then began to glow red. Maru blinked, clouds of red and black smoke coming from his pokémon's aura. 'Crap! What is this? It's familiar...what...what? Dammit!' "MEGA PUNCH!"

But Iso didn't listen. He instead crept back, coiling for the spring, then launched and slammed his fist and then body right into the other Heartless. Maru recognized it instantly from the TV reports of the Orre region incidents. 'Shadow Rush? This means...I knew it!' He looked between his aura-bearing pokémon and the Heartless, who had no aura. 'Once I captured Iso, he became like a Shadow Pokémon! But with somewhat with an opened heart, since he used moves other than Shadow Rush before...'

He had time later to ponder, since he had to think of a way to snap Iso, now intractable, out of Hyper Mode, which he'd remembered was what it was called when his aura went red. 'I am SO glad I nicknamed him, now,' he thought before calling, "Iso!" Iso merely did another Shadow Rush, missing.

A few moments later, Maru calling out Iso's name every time he thought he might listen, Iso launching a few more Shadow Rushes, both combatants were panting. Maru realized this one was the last Heartless left before it was all clear, and his teammates were by him, watching and weapons away. Iso was hurt from being too enraged to avoid blows and from his own self-harming Shadow Rushes. Maru gritted his teeth. "ISO! You've got to use a regular move!" he yelled at the dragon. "So snap out of it, now!" This he shouted with all the vehemence he could muster, and he hoped it worked. 'Cursing at him would be bad training...'

A twitch, and the red aura began lessening...not yet, though...

"~"Snap out of it!"~" Elliott and Figment helped, looking worried.

"C'mon!" Maru cried. He clenched a fist before calling as loud as he could, "ISOOO!"

Finally, the aura faded and went back to normal black shadowy stuff. Iso's eyes became clear and green once more. Maru noticed his aura was down significantly from before, but this was more of a big dent than a huge hunk. Maru sighed in relief. "Thank you, Iso. Now!" He pointed. "Fly!" The Pokémon took to the skies, and the Heartless did as well. Maru grinned. "Gotcha!" He looked up and cried, "Dragon Claw!" 'Here's hopin'...'

It worked. The Shadow Pokémon roared, claws glowing, and spun at the enemy, slashing it as it tried to escape. He grabbed it with the claw that hit, yanked it back up, then gave a double slash, sending the other one careening to the ground. Iso landed in front of Maru afterward. The Heartless struggled, trying to get up, its white eyes wincing, then plopped down, the eyes turning into the signature edgy KO spirals of Pokémon fame. It then, to Maru's horror, burst in an explosion like a Heartless, a huge heart floating up and away. But the particles of darkness, he noticed, turned to light as they faded away. Maru tilted his head and pondered this a moment, then nodded and smiled at his pokémon. "Great job, Iso," he called.

The Heartless roared. His aura was down a LOT from where it was. 'Battle must be the best way to help him out in opening his heart,' Maru thought. He held up the ball. "Thank you, my friend. Return." A white beam shot out from the ball and recalled Iso. Maru looked at the ball. "Thank you. Have a good rest. And sorry for there being no Pokémon Centers around to help you out. I bet the save discs would work well." He minimized the ball and put it on his belt again, dismissing the Keyblade, too.

Figment and Elliott clapped and cheered. "Great job, Maru!" cried Figment. "That was awesome! I've never seen a battle like that before!"

Maru chuckled. "I know, aren't they great?" he asked, smiling genuinely. "They can be very exciting...except if the pokémon doesn't want to battle," he added in a low voice, smile fading as he looked down a little.

"You need me anymore?" Navi asked. "I'd kinda like to get to recording some information, now..."

"No, Navi, thank you," Maru smiled at her, and she retreated to his collar. He turned to look around.

The muskrat was still asleep.

Maru raised an eyebrow, tilting his head and crossing his arms. "That is one relaxed rodent," he muttered.

A slam in the distance alerted everyone to turn to the riverboat. "Huh?" Figment blinked, fluttering up to see better. "What's going on over there?"

-)-D-0-O-0-C-(-

The room on the first deck of the boat lit up, and out stomped a tall, pale-skinned woman with shortish, wild orange hair, too much makeup, and a wicked scowl, wearing a black cloak and galoshes as well as big aqua earrings. Tied to leashes in her hand were a pair of American crocodiles, smiling evilly. "Incompetent Snoops!" she growled as she strode to the gangplank. "Can't even keep an eye on a mere child!" She stopped at the gangplank, looking around before crouching down, smiling evilly while speaking with barely-concealed rage. "Nero, Brutus..." she addressed, taking off their leashes and hugging each one in turn, then pointing, "Bring her back, boys!" She stood and crossed her arms, frowning as the two crocs crawled down the gangplank and slipped quietly into the water.

The woman then turned, walking off down the deck, producing a black rain hat from within her cloak. "SNOOOOPS!" she shouted.

"Yes, Madame Medusa?" called back a man's voice from inside.

"Send up flares! Light up the swamp, so I can find her...!" Medusa ordered curtly as she went to a blocky, odd-looking single-person boat. She mounted it like a water bike. It looked steampunk-esque with a funnel in front and in back, a round light mounted above the front funnel. She started it up, and after a splutter, it roared to life, fire spurting out of the back funnel. She began riding off around the bayou.

As she left, a firework shot out of one of the thin smokestacks near the bow of the ship.

-)-D-0-O-0-C-(-

Meanwhile, in the skies above the ship, a well-fed white albatross with an aviator cap and goggles flew through the air. On his back was a sardine can with a pair of mice in it. One was a chubby grey mouse and wore a red sweater and brown newsboy cap, while the other, a calm white mouse, was lean and wore a purple kerchief tied in a big bow and matching fur hat. Both wore coats and were sleeping. "Well, folks, just wanted to letcha know that we'll be landing in Devil's Bayou in just a minute," the albatross said amiably, chuckling at the two, who began to rouse. "Your crew thanks you for flying Albatross Aiiiiirr—?"

Suddenly, the firework from before came shooting up in front of the albatross, bursting red and surprising the mice, rocking them a little. More fireworks came up around them. One of the fireworks suddenly hit him in the tail feathers, making them smoke. "Sufferin' sassafras! My rudder's on fire!" The grey mouse began trying to put out the flames by coat, but the albatross squawked, "Bail out! Bail out!" starting to spiral.

The mice were already falling out of their seat, clutching the sardine can as he inverted. The grey mouse (losing its coat) grabbed the other by the coat.

"Heeelllp!" the white mouse cried, revealing a female voice. "Berrrnarrrrd!"

Bernard tried holding on, but the white mouse slipped out of her coat, both then dropping. They fumbled about, eventually catching each other and grabbing the female's black umbrella and opening it to use as a parachute.

-)-D-0-O-0-C-(-

Below, Maru was walking over to the shack. "I wonder if that muskrat can help out," he murmured. 'If I can even wake him...'

From within the shack, a stout muskrat with a white short-brimmed, round-topped bonnet, gasped as she looked through the window before rushing out the door with a rolling pin in paw, making Maru and the dragons stop a short ways before the house. She had a pink apron on, as well. "Luke!" she cried, shaking the other muskrat awake, making the hammock twist, then untwist to deposit him. "Wake up!" Luke muttered to himself and roused slowly. The other muskrat continued down the steps, pointing at the rapidly-approaching albatross. "It's Orville! He's in trouble!" She stopped when she saw Maru, Figment, and Elliott standing there. "Oh, my! Well, ain't you the tiniest human I ever saw!" she commented. She had a southern accent.

"Uh—" Maru held a finger up.

The muskrat made shooing motions, interrupting him. "Get out of the way! Orville's comin' in hard!" she bustled.

"Orville?" Figment repeated as they moved back. They looked up and saw the incoming albatross, widening their eyes in alarm at the smoke trail left by his tail feathers.

Meanwhile, Luke was taking a swig of his jug. When he lowered it, he coughed out a flame and whooped. "Now this is a good batch, Ellie Mae! You gotta try some!" he said, coming down. He caught sight of the others and chuckled. "Hey, strangers!" he called. "C'mon, you ain't never had anythin' like this before," he insisted, hefting the jug.

Maru backed away, sweatdropping. "Th-Thank you, but I don't drink," he declined.

Luke ignored him and went over to Elliott, who was also trying to back up. Then, Elliott stopped, sniffing the jug in interest. "Hm?" the dragon went, curious.

Maru sweatdropped. "Elliott, don't—!" he reached.

"Here, have a swig!" Luke smiled, jamming the jug into poor Elliott's mouth. Elliott was forcefed a couple glugs before Maru yanked him back.

"Hoo, boy," Figment squeaked, covering a smile. "Moonshine plus dragons? That can't be good!"

"Luke! Pay attention, ya git!" Ellie Mae chided, thwacking her husband with her rolling pin.

Elliott's eyes were swimming and his face contorting all about from the sensation of the strong alcohol. He looked down at his belly as it rumbled ominously.

Everyone's attention was called to Orville when he called, "Clear the runway! I'm coming in for a crash landing! Mayday, mayday!"

"Uh-oh," Maru muttered before jogging back, pulling his comrades away. Smoke was starting to come from Elliott's nostrils as he appeared to be fighting a burp.

Luke was the only one standing there. He was about to go when he noticed movement in the trees behind him. A wisp of strange cloth disappeared amidst the foliage. "Nah who could that be?" he muttered.

"Incoming!" Orville squawked.

"Huh?" Luke turned around in time to be plowed down by an awkwardly-landing Orville, skidding in the mud and puddle.

"Oh, Luke..." Ellie Mae sighed, shaking her head and running over. The group followed. Orville, meanwhile, was sighing in relief as he finally put his tail out.

"You alright, Elliott?" Figment asked, frowning in concern at his fellow dragon. "You might wanna let it out..."

Elliott, whose stomach was rumbling visibly, was smoking badly, eyes woozy as he slowed. Suddenly, his belly swelled briefly before, making a ridiculous expression (and Maru ducking with an arm on his back to keep his cloak from flapping up), Elliott wheezed out a great gout of flame. He coughed a few more times, flames spreading out more as the alcohol burned away inside him. As he did, he stumbled forwards, turning around, paws to throat. He fell onto his back in the same puddle Orville landed in (causing the bird to squawk and get out of the way), letting out one last flame. He flopped his head back, panting. "~That...was...interesting...~" he gasped, eyes wide.

"Look out below!" a male voice called.

Everyone looked up and saw the two mice floating down in the umbrella before the it blew out, dropping them. They yelped as they fell...right onto Elliott's belly, bouncing up. Elliott let out a surprised "Oof!" on impact.

"Oh...what a shame! Here, honey, let me help yeh," Ellie Mae worried, walking right over Elliott and assisting the newcomers down, starting with the female. (When the heavyset muskrat set foot on his chest, Elliott squeaked and held his throat. He gasped for air when she came off again.) "Y'alright?"

"Yes, madam," the female mouse nodded. They were smaller than the muskrats and a bit smaller than Maru. (Figment was still smallest.)

"Er, y-yes, thanks to your, ah, friend here, thank you," Bernard added, turning to Elliott and doffing his cap.

Elliott coughed and sat up, back dripping as he thumped his chest with a grimace. "~Anytime,~" he mumbled. He got up slowly. "~Oh, my tail...my throat...my whole front...~"

"What's going on?" Maru asked, stepping over to the mice. "What's with that woman and the fireworks and everything?"

"Woman?" the female mouse asked. She had a slight Hungarian accent. "Tell me, did she have wild orange hair? Not as wild as yours, I'm afraid," she added, smiling with a secret laugh.

Maru patted his hair, frowning.

"Yeah, that there's Madame Medusa," Ellie Mae nodded, grimacing towards the riverboat. "Ooooh, how I'd like to introduce her head to mah rollin' pin...!"

"Yeah, we don't much like her," Luke agreed, frowning as he stepped by his wife.

"Excuse me, we've got to get to her," the female said to Ellie Mae. "Could you help us?"

"Whah, sure thing, hun!" Ellie Mae smiled. "Whatcher name?"

"M-Miss Bianca," Bernard supplied, then put his paw on his chest. "A-And I'm, uh, Bernard."

"We're agents here from the Rescue Aid Society to help a little girl named Penny," explained Miss Bianca.

This caught the ears of the visiting trio. Maru raised his eyebrows. "Wait, you mean a human girl?" he asked. "A normal-sized human, I mean?"

"Rescue Aid Society?" repeated Figment, raising an eyeridge.

"~A little girl needs help?~" Elliott gaped.

The mice turned and nodded. "Yeah, she, ah, sent a letter—in a bottle," described Bernard, "an-and it floated down to New York City. That's, that's where the, uh, Rescue Aid Society is."

"The Rescue Aid Society is a team of mice from around the world devoted to helping anyone in danger," Miss Bianca supplied. "We got the letter, and I volunteered for the case. That poor little girl..." She frowned, looking down, worried. "I do hope she's alright..."

"I was kinda, ah, ch-chosen to accompany her," Bernard added, grinning sheepishly. "We're looking for Madame Medusa because she's kidnapped Penny, to-to find some sort of, ah, diamond. We flew all th-the way here—from New York."

"And with that, I'd better get goin', 'cuz I ain't hangin' round this creepy place long," Orville announced, pulling down his goggles again. He turned to a small pier. "Clear the runway! I'm takin' off!" He took a few steps back as everyone followed his instructions. With a panting run, he jumped off the pier...and into the water. He flapped and waded quickly, however, eventually taking off.

Maru watched for a moment before turning back to the mice, crossing his arms. "Now, call it bias, but I'm having trouble believing a pair of small mice can save a human girl from someone like that," he raised his eyebrow.

"Well, you'd be surprised," Miss Bianca defended curtly, putting her paws on her hips.

"C'mon, don't listen to that sour grape, you'd better get goin' to Evinrude! He'll getcha to 'em!" Ellie Mae beckoned, leading the mice away down a path. "Ah think I know who you're talkin' 'bout, though."

"Thank you," Miss Bianca nodded, smiling, as she and Bernard went off.

Maru frowned, arms still crossed. "So a little girl is being held captive, and those two are going to try and save her?" he muttered. "I dunno..." He sighed and looked at them leaving as he turned his body, pausing a moment. "Well..." He turned around fully. "We should get—" He stopped when he ran into a big belly. He looked up to find Elliott giving a cross look down at him, paws on hips, himself. "Elliott?" Maru asked, surprised.

"~You'd better have been saying, 'We should get over to Bernard and Miss Bianca,' because there's a little girl who needs help,~" he said firmly, gritting his teeth and growling vehemently at the end, lowering his face to Maru's.

Maru was surprised; sweet, lovable Elliott actually looked kind of scary when he snarled like that. He stepped back. "Elliott, I..." He shook his head. "I want to help her, too, but we've got a job to do right now, and that's to find the Keyhole," he said firmly.

"Maru, you really a human, or you a Heartless?" Figment asked, nonplussed as he put a paw on a hip and half-eyed at him, eyeridge raised.

Maru shook his head again. "No, I'm human—I just have priorities," he insisted. 'At least one of those is true...?'

Elliott, growling very deeply now, took a heavy step closer, making Maru start and look up as the dragon pressed against him again. Elliott bent over, baring his teeth. A bit of smoke came out of his mouth and nostrils, though not his eyes despite their blazing glare, as he grabbed Maru's shoulders tightly. "~And this is my priority!~" he all but roared. And before Maru could complain, he turned the Keyblader around and shoved him forwards down the path.

Maru stumbled and blinked over his shoulder at Elliott. 'Why does he feel so strongly about this? He's never even met this girl!' he wondered, bewildered. He shook his head, sighing. 'Well, I do want to help her, too, anyway...' "Alright, let's go help her," he conceded.

Elliott crossed his arms and nodded, giving a satisfied snort of smoke.

"Wow, yer a persuasive feller, ain'cha?" Luke commented to Elliott, chuckling, as the dragons followed Maru.

~Author's Note~

Yeah, I cut Ash's Dive. I hope you'll see why as I go along. And man, it's hard to figure something out for The Rescuers like this. I hope nobody minds my copy-pasta of the battle from the original Paris, France into here. Oh, and I hope you don't mind it being Devil's Bayou.

Life's been weird for me lately. I kinda feel like I'm at a turning point in it...like a big change is happening. How this affects me creatively remains to be seen, but I know it will.

...Wow. For once, I guess I don't have much to say. Just don't expect a TON of stuff coming in for at least until 3D is released in Japan.

Edit: My memory is horrible. Sure, I'll leave some scenes misplaced, but I had to fix a few lines and details.

Edit 2: Fixed a typo, fixed an author's brain fart, and for some really odd reason, I ended up having Elliott's named spelled with three t's here. Musta been when I did a search-replace to fix the name in the parts copied from the old fic.

~8D OMAKE 8D~

*Navi is recording information from within Maru's collar during the above cutscene.*

Navi (thinking): Man, I've been seeing some weird stuff lately...First I get sucked up into some portal from...wherever it was I was, I've been traveling so long I forget. Then I run into "Maru" here—

*Navi pauses to look at a letter stowed in his collar beside her, bearing a familiar symbol on its seal*

Navi (thinking): —and join him on his quest to seal the worlds. Then again, after spending that time with Link, I'm kinda used to weird stuff. I just hope there isn't any...

*Navi peeks out to see what's going on, then stops, blinking (though we don't see it)*

Navi (thinking): ...Wait. It's morning to us, but it's the middle of the night, here. *groans* Yup, there's time travel, alright...