Aoi Hyoudou: The idea of Ash not doing a Keyblade trial right off the bat is to give the story a much better, faster pace than the original. For those who keep asking about Ash's Pokémon and if any of them will eventually show up in the story, I already said no summons. But, depending how the story goes, we shall see. No promises. With that being said, enjoy the chapter!

II

Aqua

"AGH!" Ash awoke with a shout. Gazing about in a panic, he stood within a pitch-black void. A quick glance around immediately told him that he was no longer in Pallet Town. Taking a deep, calming breath, the black haired teen stepped forward only to gasp as the ground beneath him shattered into a cascade of pure white doves and revealed him to be standing upon a circular, stained-glass pillar.

Furrowing his brow, Ash was completely shocked to find himself staring at a mosaic image of his childhood friend, Serena sporting her the outfit she'd worn during their travels in the Kalos region. The honey haired girl had her arms behind her back and her right eye shut with her tongue poking out, strongly implying that she was doing a cute pose.

'S-Serena…?'

Within small circles above the girl were other former, female traveling companions.

An older girl with orange hair tied in a ponytail.

A young brunette with her long hair secured by a red and white kerchief.

Another young girl with blue hair, wearing a white beanie with a pink PokéBall print on it.

And finally…a dark tanned girl with purple hair, which was unusually long.

'Misty, May, Dawn, Iris?'

Shaking his head in complete confusion, Ash once again gazed into the endless black void that surrounded the pillar. "Where am I…?"

"That's a very good question," a vaguely familiar voice answered and caused the teen to let out a startled yelp. Ash immediately spun around to see a blue haired girl standing across from him. "But, let's just say…it's a little hard to explain."

Ash could only eye her suspiciously. "What do you mean by that?" he demanded. "Who are you? Where am I? And what the heck is going on here?!"

The mysterious woman raised a hand, prompting him to sigh and run an aggravated hand through his hair. When he finally relaxed, the bluenette smiled. "My name is Aqua," she said. "As for your other questions…like I said, it's a little hard to explain."

"Well, I'm not exactly going anywhere," the teen said with a frown, folding his arms together and gesturing to the endless darkness surrounding them.

Aqua giggled in response.

"True, true," she said with a small smile. "Let's see here-" She cupped her chin and pondered for a brief moment. "-How about we start at the beginning."

"That's a very good place to start."

Aqua glared at the teen. "Quiet, you!" However, she awarded him with another smile. "Your body is currently asleep." she stated.

"Asleep…?" Ash repeated slowly, furrowing his brow at her. "So…I'm dreaming then? None of this is real and you're just a figment of my imagination? I'll wake up in my room and everything will be back to normal?"

Though he intended it to be a small joke, it came out as a desperate plea.

His hopes were quickly dashed, however, when Aqua shook her head.

"Just because you're dreaming doesn't make this any less real," she said solemnly. "This place you see here-" She gestured to the platform. "-is your heart. Or a representation of it, if you will."

"My…heart?" the raven haired teen murmured, his brow furrowing. "But then…Wait a minute!" Something came to mind. "Your voice…I recognize it! You were the voice I heard before."

Aqua giggled in response.

"Guilty as charged," she said. "I was the one who encouraged you not to lose hope."

"Um, thanks?"

"However-" The bluenette folded her arms against her chest and cupped her chin, shifting her gaze downward. "-I was supposed to guide you through your Awakening, but somehow you skipped it." Her lips twisted into a small smile. "Impressive."

"My Awakening?"

Aqua unfolded her arms and returned her attention back to the Pokémon Trainer. "It's a trial that all Keyblade wielders must complete in order to unlock their true potential." she explained.

"Keyblade..." Ash murmured. Shifting his gaze downward, he tried to remember the sensation of summoning the strange weapon. His efforts were rewarded when the familiar Keyblade appeared in his hand in a flash of light.

"Such a beautiful Keyblade," Aqua said with awe.

"I guess I'm lucky to have it." Ash replied sheepishly.

The young woman shook her head. "It's not luck." she told him solemnly. "It's whether or not you're worthy to wield it." She smiled. "By the looks of, you are. Honestly, I expected no less from the Chosen One."

"How do you know about that?" he demanded, raising a brow at her as he dismissed his Keyblade.

"I was told by a stranger wearing a black coat." she explained. "In fact, he was the one who told me to contact you and showed me how to do it."

"And did he give you a name?" the young teen asked with interest.

"Unfortunately, no," the bluenette admitted truthfully before shaking her head with a tired sigh.

"Great…," Ash muttered, releasing a sigh of his own. "Just great..." His left hand ran through his hair in frustration until he felt his arm being constrained by something cold and metallic. "Huh?" He glanced to his left and noticed a light blue pauldron-like armor piece extending from his shoulder to mid-bicep.

"What the heck is this thing?!" he exclaimed with a surprised expression on his face, cocking his head in order to get a better look at the strange piece of armor.

"Ah, you noticed!" Aqua said with a smile.

Ash returned his focus back to the blue haired woman, waiting for some answers.

"Let's just say it's a little gift from me to you." she elaborated with a grin.

"Huh?!" The Pokémon Trainer blinked, clearly baffled.

"Try it out." She gestured to the armor in question. "Just tap your right fist into it." She demonstrated by moving her right fist over to her own pauldron and tapped it lightly without activating it. "Then concentrate the same way you do when summoning your Keyblade, but focus it directly into your shoulder piece."

"Okay…," Ash said uncertainly.

Taking a deep, relaxing breath, he complied with her request and slammed his fist into the pauldron. Suddenly, his vision was flooded by a white light, causing him to let out a startled yelp as he instinctively closed his eyes. When nothing adverse happened, the teen slowly opened his eyes to find himself staring through what appeared to be a visor of some sort.

"Whoa!" Ash mumbled, gazing about in amazement.

"Is it working properly?" Aqua asked. "I hope it's not too heavy. It's my first time making something like this."

"It actually feels…light," he admitted.

"Good," the bluenette said with a grin. "That armor is given to apprentices by their masters. It will protect you as you travel between worlds and allows you to breathe in space."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Ash held up a hand, which he noted was now encased in a light blue gauntlet. In fact, his entire body was clad in a matching set of armor. "Space? Worlds? What the heck are you talking about?!" he demanded.

"Ah, right," Aqua grimaced. "Now we get to the complicated stuff." She shook her head with a small sigh. "Ash…you remember those strange creatures you encountered, right?"

"How could I not?" he murmured dejectedly, gazing downward in sadness.

Those monsters took his mother away from him.

"They're what are known as Heartless," she explained, drawing the teen's attention back to her as she continued. "They are physical manifestations of people who have been taken by the darkness."

"Whaaat?!"

"They lack a body and soul."

"So, those Heartless…What were they after?"

"They were after you, Ash." she stated grimly.

"M-Me?!" Ash nearly choked on his saliva as the armor encasing his body disappeared in a flash of light. "W-Why me?!"

"The Heartless fear the Keyblade," she explained. "They were after your heart. To eliminate you before you become a threat."

"They were after my…heart?" Ash repeated quietly. "So…everything that happened was because of me? Mom died because of me?!" The guilt crushed his spirit.

"Ash, you can't think like that," Aqua said sternly. "The Heartless are obsessed with devouring worlds and consuming the hearts of their people. They would have come eventually. Your presence merely sped up the process."

"But why?!" Ash asked hopelessly with tears forming in his eyes. His legs felt weak as he collapsed and sat down. "What's so special about me?!" His hands gripped firmly onto his pants. "What is the point of me having a Keyblade?!"

"The Keyblade chooses its wielder based on the strength of their heart," Aqua approached the teen and knelt down to his level, gently reaching out and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. She graced him with a small smile. "And from what I've seen, you have a very strong heart, Ash."

Ash met her gaze and smiled weakly in return. "Thanks," he murmured.

"Of course," she said sweetly.

They sat in silence.

No one said a word for several moments until the Pokémon Trainer finally broke the ice.

"Err…Aqua?" He spoke up somewhat awkwardly.

"Yes?"

"Y-You can let go now." She stared at him in confusion before realizing just how close the two of them were.

Squeaking with a red face, she leapt back as she stumbled to her feet. "S-Sorry," she said with a stutter, her cheeks steaming in embarrassment.

Ash merely nodded with his face equally red.

"S-So," He coughed. "T-The Keyblade?"

"Ah, y-yes!" Aqua cleared her throat and regained her composure. "He who wields the Keyblade is entrusted with the protection of all worlds. A guardian of the galaxy, if you will."

"So…I'm some kind of a galactic peacekeeper?" the Pokémon Trainer asked.

"I wouldn't exactly describe it like that, but…yes I suppose," Aqua said awkwardly. "However, you aren't really supposed to interfere too deeply in regards to the different worlds. Serve and protect, yes…But it's generally frowned upon to involve oneself with a world's laws and government..." She paused before adding under her breath. "Not that there's anyone to do the frowning anymore…"

"So, if I can't interfere, then what am I supposed to do exactly?"

Returning her attention to him, she explained. "Well, I'm not saying you can't," Aqua admitted. "The Keyblade's purpose is to maintain order and balance. Light cannot exist without darkness and vice versa. However, whenever someone threatens to overthrow that balance, action must be taken. If that means interfering with a world's governing body, then so be it."

"I see…" Ash mumbled. "So, how many worlds are there? Eight? Nine? Ten, maybe?"

"Hundreds."

"WWHHHHAAAAAT?!" Ash nearly choked on his saliva as he shouted.

"Calm down," Aqua giggled. "You're not alone. There are others who wield the Keyblade, you know."

"Really?"

Nodding, Aqua raised her right hand and in a flash of light materialized a gray Keyblade with a simple square hand-guard and teeth in the shape of an 'E'.

"Y-You?" Ash exclaimed, surprised. Something came to mind. "Wait...the armor you gave me…You said that it's only given to apprentices by their masters, so that means…" The bluenette brandished her Keyblade and gave him a mock salute.

"Master Aqua, at your service," she said, grinning at the stupefied expression on his face.

"Er, s-sorry for any disrespect, Master," the raven haired teen said nervously.

Aqua merely giggled in response.

"Just call me Aqua," she insisted. "I've always hated going by that title."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." She graced him with a sweet smile.

"Okay…," Ash said uncertainly. "So, Aqua..." Clearly, he had something on his mind. "If this is some kind of dream I'm having, where's my real body?"

"Well…" She crossed her arms and gazed up for a moment before returning her attention back to her 'apprentice'. "From what I've gathered so far, it's being transported as we speak." she stated.

"What?!" Ash quickly scrambled to his feet with a concerned look on his face.

"Don't worry," the bluenette reassured with a small smile. "While I don't know who they are, their presence doesn't seem to be hostile so you're in good hands."

"Wait, so it's not you?" he questioned, surprised. "Where are you anyway, Aqua? I'm assuming this isn't your physical body."

The Keyblade Master shook her head and smiled sadly. "I'm trapped in the Realm of Darkness."

"The…Realm of…Darkness?" Ash repeated slowly and blinked in confusion. "How did you get there? Why are you trapped?"

"I took my friend's place," she said simply. "My friend…He was falling into darkness, but instead of allowing that to happen, I chose to sacrifice myself to save him. Now I'm here."

"But…if there's a way in, there has to be a way out, right?"

"If there was one, I would've already found it," Aqua said with a wry smile. "I don't know how long I've been trapped here. It could be days. It could be months. It could even be years."

Ash merely stared at her for several moments before he finally spoke. "Aqua…?"

"Hmm?"

"I'll get you out," he declared with his eyes glinting in determination. "I'll save you no matter what!"

"Ash…" Aqua simply shook her head and it was clear that she didn't really believe that. Regardless, she smiled. "Thank you."

"I promise I will get you out, Aqua." He grinned.

The bluenette just kept smiling. "I'll be waiting." Suddenly, she noted that Ash's Station of Awakening was starting to fade and becoming a big blur. "It looks like our time is up."

"Huh?!" Ash gazed at the Keyblade Master confusedly.

"Your body's waking up," she elaborated.

"Wait, but what about you?" he asked.

"Like I said," Aqua smiled one last time as she walked up to him. "I'll be waiting. You have a long journey ahead of you." She reminded him.

"But, but…" The Pokémon Trainer was starting to enjoy her company.

Aqua reached into her small pouch at her side and retrieved a light blue, star-like charm. She gently took the teen's left hand and placed the charm in his grasp. "Here."

Ash gazed downward at the charm before glancing back up and staring into her lovely eyes. "Is this for me?"

She nodded. "If you ever feel lost…" Suddenly, everything began to grow hazy and her voice began to drift farther and farther away. "Just remember that we're connected," she said gently. "We'll see each other again soon."

"Aqua?" Her body faded and she disappeared. "Aqua!" He shouted desperately.

"I'll always be close by…Just don't forget…"

"AQUA!"

"We are connected."

A/N: Ash's encounter with Aqua was based off and inspired by King of Plot Bunnies' Aqua encounter from his story, Pokémon: Keyblade Masters – Remastered Edition, so give him some credit. Even though…he has been inactive for almost seven months now…Moving on, I hope you guys liked Ash's interaction with Aqua. They were so cute together, rekindling my love for them XD. And yes, Ash received a Wayfinder of his own from Aqua in order to stay contact with her whenever he drifts into deep sleep. Next up, Ash encounters a group of…familiar characters. Care to guess?

P.S. – Give the proofreading and editing credit to my beta-reader, Vandenbz.

Aoi Hyoudou (formerly known as Johan07)