"He's coming to!"

Sora groggily and slowly opened his eyes, blinking over and over as his vision remained blurry. The first thing he realized was that he was laying on his back, staring up at a ceiling. At least he was indoors. The second thing he realized was that he was not alone. His eyes struggled to focus on two faces that were peering down at him. He smiled.

They looked familiar.

"Riku? Kairi?" Sora croaked out.

"Sorry, not quite." The girl said as her features became distinctly less Kairi-like. She was a honey-blonde girl with blue eyes. Definitely not Kairi, but Sora would be the first to admit that she was cute, though. Not Kairi levels of cute, but a close second. "Are they friends of yours?"

Sora smacked his lips as he started to become more and more conscious. "Yeah, my best friends."

"Sorry we're not them." The boy said solemnly. His features, too, became less Riku-like. He had black hair, for one, and brown eyes. There was a small yellow creature perched on his shoulder too. "Maybe we can find your friends once you're up and moving."

Another voice called out as its owner, a taller man with squinted eyes, walked up to the bed. "How are you feeling? Can you tell us your name?"

"Sora." He replied, looking around the room. There was a fourth person surrounding his bed, a blonde girl that couldn't have been more than 12 or 13 years old. "Where am I? How long was I out?"

"Right now, you're in our hotel room." The taller, tanned man answered. "You took a nasty fall and Ash's Charizard had to catch you before you hit the pavement. You've been asleep for the better part of 12 hours."

"Ash? Charizard?" Sora asked, unfamiliar with the names.

"Right! We should probably introduce ourselves." The raven-haired one said. "I'm Ash, and this is my partner Pikachu."

"Pika!" The small yellow creature exclaimed.

Sora tilted his head in confusion. Was it saying its name?

"I'm Serena, and that's Brock and Bonnie." The honey-blonde said, pointing to herself and then the two others.

"And this is Dedenne!" The girl called Bonnie said with a grin.

"Dene!" A small brown hamster-like creature shouted from atop the girl's hair.

Sora smiled. He had no idea what these creatures were but felt it rude to ask. Clearly these creatures were these peoples' pets and he didn't want to accidentally offend them. "Nice to meet you all. I'm Sora, but I guess you already knew that."

"Can you tell us where you came from? How you got here?" Brock gently asked.

Uh-oh.

Clearly Sora was in another world, but how was he going to explain his appearance? If he fell from the sky and there was some question as to how he got here, he'd have to have a really good excuse. Somehow he doubted people just fell from places while unconscious.

Sora could already hear Donald shouting in his head about the World Order.

"Uhh… I'm not quite sure." Sora half-lied. It wasn't entirely a lie, necessarily. He couldn't exactly explain where he was prior to coming here, wherever that space between realities was. It clearly wasn't something like the Lanes in Between. How exactly does one explain falling through and out of one's reality and into another?

"Hmm…" Brock hummed as he cupped his chin. "Sounds like amnesia to me."

"Well at least he knows who his friends are!" Bonnie said with a smile. "That's something!"

"Yep, now we just have to find them!" Ash declared, a fist raised with purpose.

"Ash, you seem to forget that we're new here too." Serena reminded him. "We're new to Orre and we know basically nobody here. We only know about Professor Krane through Professor Oak."

"Oh, right." Ash said dejectedly. "Well, we can always ask around. Sora, did you want to tag along with us? Maybe we can find your friends."

Sora smiled. He hadn't known these people for all of ten minutes but already he could tell he was going to get along with them just fine. Not that Sora ever had an issue doing that before, anyway, but he took comfort in the fact that his ability to make friends carried over across realities, too. "I'd like that, thanks!"

"Can you stand?" Brock asked.

Sora not only stood, but practically leapt to his feet with excitement. He knew he had little chance of seeing Riku and Kairi here in this reality, but at least he'd already met some friendly people.

"I guess that answers my question." Brock chuckled. His eyes seemed to look over Sora's shirt and belt. "Do you have any Pokemon with you? Maybe they could help jog your memory."

Sora tilted his head. "What's a Pokemon?"

The four of them suddenly looked at Sora like he'd grown another head. He now felt very self conscious. Had he offended them somehow? Whatever this 'Pokemon' thing was, apparently it was well-known enough in this reality that not knowing it was a problem.

"You… don't know what Pokemon are?" Ash asked, looking absolutely dumbfounded.

"No, sorry." Sora nervously admitted. "... should I?"

The four of them looked between themselves with looks of confusion and shock. Sora began to panic just a little. This was obviously important information.

"Maybe it's the amnesia?" Bonnie suggested before she turned to Sora. "Pikachu and Dedenne are Pokemon. They're our friends and companions!"

"Pi-pika!"

"Dene-ne!"

Oh, so that's what Pokemon were. He definitely didn't have any of those.

"Oh! No, I don't. Sorry." Sora apologized. "Is that weird?"

"It's definitely unusual…" Ash muttered as he cupped his chin. Brock gently elbowed him in the side before he continued. "B-but it's not weird, no!"

"Well, now that Sora's up, we should get moving." Serena said, standing up and grabbing a backpack. "We're not going to find his friends here in this hotel room."

"Do you mind if I use your restroom first?" Sora asked bashfully.

"Of course not, go for it!" Ash replied as he and the others grabbed their belongings. He pointed to a door off to the side. "It's right over there."

"Thanks!" Sora said, making his way over.

Once he was inside, he went over to the sink and washed his face. Oh, he was in some trouble now. He brought out his gummi phone and was relieved to see that it still turned on. What was less relieving was that all of his friends and contacts were greyed out. They weren't deleted from his gummi phone, but it was clear that there was no way of reaching them. He'd have to find his way home some other way. He could use the Power of Wakening again, but there was no way of guaranteeing he'd survive another trip like that, or even if the next reality he popped into would be nearly as welcoming. He'd have to make do with what he had here.

Sora raised his hand to the side, making sure it was well away from any nearby fixtures. Did he still have his Keyblade? With an experimental flick of his wrist, his trustworthy weapon manifested itself in his hand with a small burst of light. His weapon seemed to have taken on the appearance of his classic Kingdom Key.

"Cure." Sora whispered, wanting to see if magic worked in this world too. A small glow of green energy washed over his scuffed-up hand, patching his minor wounds.

Good, at least he wasn't defenseless.

Still, he'd have to be careful. While he'd gotten lucky with worlds in the past when it came to the existence of keyblades and magic - in that they paid little mind to them - Sora wasn't quite so sure he'd be able to avoid suspicion here. This was a different reality, after all. As was already demonstrated by these 'Pokemon', nothing could be assumed or taken for granted here. If he could help it, he was going to keep his magic and keyblade a secret unless he deemed it safe or necessary to do so.

He hoped nothing would warrant their use.

Not wanting to keep the others waiting or arouse suspicion, he dismissed his Keyblade and flushed the toilet. After a few moments, he exited the restroom to see his new acquaintances waiting for him by the door.

"Ready to go?" Ash asked, giving him a grin that reminded Sora of his own.

"Yep!" Sora said, flashing the group a smile and casually placing his hands behind his neck. "Ready when you are!"

As the group of five exited the hotel room and closed the door behind him, Sora finally mustered up the courage to ask the others a few questions that were burning a hole in his mind. "If you don't mind me asking, and I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but could you guys tell me more about Pokemon? Based on your reactions earlier, they must be pretty important around here."

Over the next 15 minutes, as they made their way over to some machine shop Bonnie mentioned, his new friends - he was going to call them that unless proven otherwise - explained to him what Pokemon were and how important they were.

Apparently Pokemon weren't just simple pets, but rather friends and companions that you would befriend and have adventures with. Pokemon trainers, as they were called, would care for Pokemon and help them grow stronger; in return, the Pokemon would help protect their trainer and grow alongside them. Sora was very much about making new friends and building bonds wherever he could, so he immediately understood and latched onto the idea of Pokemon companions. Pokemon also came in all shapes and sizes, the tiniest being the size of a small tick and the largest being the size of a whale. They were also categorized into eighteen different "typings", each of which had its own strengths and weaknesses. Ash, being the most well-traveled of the group, showed Sora a device called a PokeDex, which documented all of the different Pokemon he'd seen in his almost ten years of traveling. It was all very exciting, the idea that there were literally hundreds of different Pokemon one could make friends with.

Pokemon also apparently were important in society. Pokemon battles, which at first Sora hated the idea of, pit Pokemon and their trainers against each other in combat. Ash was quick to elaborate and explain that these battles were not meant to encourage violence, but instead were framed more like friendly contests of strength and ingenuity. They were meant to allow both trainer and Pokemon to grow stronger together. Ash was apparently one of seven so-called "Champions", who were the best of the best when it came to Pokemon battling.

Brock, on the other hand, was a licensed Pokemon doctor, who helped treat injuries sustained in combat. That brought Sora some relief, that these people took the health and safety of their companions seriously. Sora also passively wondered if his healing magic would have any effect on Pokemon. He doubted he'd get the chance to test that out without revealing anything about other worlds, though. So far as he could tell, magic didn't really exist in this world and couldn't be harnessed by humans. Even Pokemon abilities could be explained by science.

It was a wonder none of the other worlds raised so much as an eyebrow at the sight of a boy wielding magic, let alone a sword shaped like a giant key.

Pokemon Contests and Performances, as Serena would go on to explain, focused on the aesthetic side of Pokemon rather than combat. These were meant to bring out the inner beauty of both the trainers and Pokemon through flashy abilities and moves. Sora was eager to see one of these for himself, just as much as he was to see a Pokemon battle.

By the time they reached the machine shop, Sora was about as caught up as he was going to get when it came to this strange world and its Pokemon. He figured he would learn more about it just through experiencing it, so he didn't make much effort in committing anything specific to memory.

"So I meant to ask, where are we going?" Sora asked as the group entered the machine shop.

"Well, we need to see if we can rent or purchase a vehicle to use while we're here in Orre." Brock explained. "All of us here are accustomed to walking anywhere we need to go, but a lot of Orre is covered in desert, so we'll need something a bit faster."

"That makes sense." Sora admitted. There was no way he, Donald, and Goofy would have been able to get much done if they had to travel everywhere on foot. It literally would have been impossible.

After some stiff haggling with the shop owner - and a very surprised Serena and Bonnie at just how wealthy Ash was - the four managed to purchase a scrappy-looking, open-topped car that seated six; seven if you squeezed three together in the back seat. It was perhaps the strangest vehicle Sora had ever laid eyes upon, and based on the reactions of his new friends, the same could be said for them as well.

The front of the brown, rusted jeep looked fairly ordinary, with a standard grill and headlights much like Sora had seen on worlds like San Fransokyo. Jutting out of the sides of the car, just next to the hood, were several exhaust pipes of varying lengths. The hood itself had a section cut out of it, where the engine sat partly exposed to the elements. There were four doors to get into the vehicle, so any passengers sitting in the rear-most seats would have to do a little climbing over chairs in order to reach the back. Fortunately, given that it was an open-top car, that wouldn't prove too difficult to accomplish if one were limber enough. Reaching over the top of the car was a loose framework of metal bars, likely put in place as handholds and supports, though one might be able to drape a tarp over the top for some improvised cover. Painted faintly on the hood and sides of the car, as well as the trunk, were dark blue flames.

What was strangest, however, was the fact that there were no wheels. Instead, the jeep was hovering about a foot off the ground, suspended by four cylindrical tubes resembling turbines that were situated just below the wheel wells and were currently emanating some sort of energy to keep the vehicle afloat. Even as the jeep sat there, clearly turned off, the turbines kept it floating above the concrete below.

"Whoa." Everyone muttered at the same time, staring wide-eyed at the hovering jeep in front of them.

"They weren't kidding when they said Orre had some pretty amazing technology." Ash said with awe, a huge grin plastered on his face. "Science is so amazing!"

Bonnie brought out a camera from her bag and took a few photos of the jeep from different angles. "Clemont would be going crazy right now if he saw this. I can't wait to rub it in his face later!"

"Bonnie…" Serena muttered despairingly as she shook her head. "You know he's too busy with the gym. You're lucky he and your dad even let you come on this trip. It was only because Ash was going to be here that they even agreed to it in the first place."

"Wait, really?" Ash said, perking up at the mention of his name. "Why?"

"You're a bi-regional Champion, Ash." Serena explained, smiling at him. "If anyone can keep Bonnie safe, it's you."

"Wow." Ash said, rubbing the back of his neck. His expression suddenly became more determined as he looked over at Bonnie. "I won't let them down."

"I'll keep you safe."

Sora felt a twinge of guilt and pain in his heart upon hearing those words. Those were the very same words he told Kairi and while he eventually made good on that promise, it was an unwelcome reminder of just how far away he was from those he left behind.

"Sora?" Serena asked, looking over at him with concern. "You okay?"

"Hmm?" Sora hummed, trying to downplay his inner turmoil. "Oh yeah, I'm good. Just looking forward to seeing new places!"

"Oh, you'll fit right in." Brock chuckled, resting a hand on Sora's shoulder. "We're looking forward to this adventure too."

"Yeah!" Bonnie shouted, excitedly walking backwards towards the direction of the hotel. "Let's hurry up and go grab our stuff at the hotel so we can get - OOF!"

Bonnie's excited tirade came to an abrupt end as she collided with someone walking down the street. Poor Dedenne was forcibly ejected from his trainer's hair upon collision, sending him rolling across the concrete. Sora winced at the character the young blonde had so carelessly run into. It was a rather large man with platinum blonde hair, which stood tall on top of his head but was otherwise shaved on the sides. His shoulders were almost comically wide; it was clear he took a lot of pride in his body. He looked like a thug, in all honesty, given his red muscle shirt, black shorts, black gloves, and grey boots.

"Hey, watch where you're goin' pipsqueak!" The imposing man growled.

"Sorry!" Bonnie said apologetically. Meanwhile, Dedenne shook his head as if reorienting itself after his sudden and dizzying flight. "It was an accident, I swear!"

The man gave his own attire a once-over, then seemed to growl again. "And now look what you've done! You messed up the happening look of Zook, the coolest, baddest, and most happening guy around!"

Sora sweatdropped. Seriously?

"Hey man, take it easy!" Ash said, stepping in and raising his hands placatingly. "She said she was sorry."

"Sorry doesn't even begin to cut it!" The stranger called Zook insisted, shifting his ire over towards Ash. Bonnie and Dedenne instinctively backed away and stood behind Ash. Then, the stranger gave an appraising look at Ash and grinned. "You look like a real Pokemon trainer, unlike little miss clumsy over there. You look like you'd be a lot more fun than some munchkin."

"Hey!" Bonnie cried out indignantly. "I'm no munchkin!"

"Dene-ne!" Her companion shouted out angrily.

Sora saw Ash bring a hand over his Pokeballs, which Sora now noticed only numbered four. He'd been told most Pokemon trainers could carry up to six Pokemon with them at any given time. Since one of them was Pikachu's and the other presumably belonged to the "Charizard" Brock mentioned earlier, he wondered who else he brought with him.

"I'll just stomp you with my shadow Pokemon!" Zook exclaimed with a cocky grin. He tossed out two Pokeballs, which burst open with a flash of light to reveal two creatures. One resembled a large white bipedal ferret/mongoose creature with red markings and large menacing claws. The other looked like a black snake with two glistening pink fangs and a bladed tail of the same color.

"Viper!" The snake-like creature hissed angrily, brandishing its bladed tail.

"..." The other creature, on the other hand, stayed relatively silent, instead staring forward in silent anger.

"Two Pokemon, huh?" Ash said with a grin. "Not often I get to have a double-battle."

"Hah!" Zook guffawed as he placed his hands on his hips. "You must be new to Orre, kid. We never do single battles here! Only doubles!"

"Well, whaddya say Bonnie?" Ash said, glancing over his shoulder. "Wanna team up and prove to this guy that you're a great trainer?"

"Yeah!" Bonnie replied excitedly. "Dedenne's still recovering from our battle earlier, so I'll use somebody else!"

Ash and Bonnie then unclipped a Pokeball each from their belts and threw them high. Each ball exploded in a flash of light, revealing two Pokemon.

"Go Tyrunt!" Bonnie cried.

"Ty!" The Royal Heir Pokemon roared.

"I choose you, Gible!" Ash called out.

"Gible!" The Land Shark Pokemon cried out.

A Pokemon resembling a small, pudgy shark with arms and legs emerged in front of Ash, while a small dinosaur-looking Pokemon took a fighting stance in front of Bonnie.

Sora looked over the Pokemon presented, trying to figure out as much about them as he could based on the crash course he'd been given earlier today.

He guessed that the snake Pokemon was a Poison type, but the other one was confusing. He guessed it might have been a Normal type, given the lack of elemental attributes he'd seen on other Pokemon in Ash's Pokedex, but that odd, shadowy aura it was giving off made him think it was a Dark or a Ghost type.

His friends' side was a much harder read. Ash's Pokemon looked ferocious, in a cute kind of way, so he guessed it might be a Dragon type, though his shark-like appearance might suggest a Water type. He remembered seeing many Dragon type Pokemon in Ash's Pokedex and that many of them looked quite fearsome. Bonnie's looked equally so, so it was entirely possible that her Pokemon was also Dragon type.

"Hey Serena." Sora whispered over to the performer, who was now carrying Pikachu in her arms. "Can Pokemon have more than one type?"

"Yep." Serena answered while nodding. "Bonnie's Tyrunt is Rock and Dragon type, while Ash's Gible is Ground and Dragon type. Zook's Zangoose is Normal type and his Seviper is Poison type."

"Zangoose only has one type?" Sora asked, furrowing his brow. Serena gave him an inquisitive look before he continued. "It's just that Zangoose is giving off this really weird dark aura, so I figured it was a Dark type."

Before Serena could properly reply, Brock made his way to the side of the battlefield and called the trainers' attention to him.

"I'll act as referee, then!" Brock shouted. "This is a battle between the duo of Bonnie and Ash against Zook. The battle will be over when all of one side's Pokemon are unable to battle! Let the double battle begin!"

"Let's start this off right!" Ash exclaimed, throwing an arm out front. "Gible, use Dragon Pulse on Zangoose!"

"Tyrunt, use Bite on Seviper!" Bonnie cried out immediately after.

"Seviper, use Wrap on Gible!" Zook roared out. His expression calmed and he smirked before giving out the next command. "Zangoose, use Shadow Rush on Tyrunt."

"Shadow Rush?" Everyone but Zook and Sora murmured.

Tyrunt ran forward and intercepted Seviper before it could wrap its body around Gible, chomping down with a nasty Bite attack. Meanwhile, Gible fired off a green orb of energy at Zangoose. The Dragon Pulse made contact and certainly looked like it did damage, but the Cat Ferret Pokemon charged through it, slamming directly into Tyrunt's side with a sickening crash. Having been dealt such a grievous blow, Tyrunt went flying backward with a cry of pain. Zangoose staggered back after launching Tyrunt, looking a little dazed.

"What was that?!" Serena cried out, staring at Zangoose, who seemed to have taken some damage from the attack.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked, completely oblivious as to what everyone was surprised about.

"I've never heard of a move called Shadow Rush." Serena said, looking at Tyrunt, who was slowly getting back on his feet. "That move looked super effective, though."

"Bonnie, I don't know what that was, but we need to be careful." Ash said, glancing over at his younger teammate. "Go on the defensive, I have an idea. Gible, use Dig!"

"Zangoose, again!" Zook yelled out. "Seviper, Poison Tail on Tyrunt!"

"Tyrunt, use Ancient Power as a shield!" Bonnie shouted.

As Zook's Pokemon charged forward and Ash's dug under the ground, Tyrunt erected a shield of floating rocks and aimed it in front of itself. It took a wide stance and braced for the inevitable impact.

Sora glanced over at Serena. "What's Ash doing? Isn't that just going to let them gang up on Tyrunt?"

"Ash has a plan." Serena said with the utmost confidence. "He always does."

Both Seviper and Zangoose crashed into the Ancient Power shield, pushing against the earthen barricade as hard as they could. Tyrunt seemed to be visibly struggling to hold up its barrier. Just when it looked like Tyrunt was going to buckle from the pressure, Ash raised his fist up into the air.

"Now, Gible!" He shouted, bringing his fist down. "Dig up and use Draco Meteor!"

"What?!" Zook cried out, apparently having forgotten about Ash's Pokemon entirely.

Gible poked its head out from directly underneath Seviper and Zangoose, catching both Pokemon off-guard. He opened his mouth and a bright orange orb shot out, catching and launching both Pokemon into the sky. Just as the orange orb reached its zenith, it exploded, sending out a flurry of small glowing meteors that began to crash into the surroundings. Zangoose crashed into a small planter nearby while Seviper was less fortunate in its landing spot, having crashed into the side of a building.

Sora looked over and saw that Seviper had swirls in its eyes. It didn't look like it was in any position to keep going.

"Seviper is unable to battle! Only Zangoose remains." Brock announced. "Continue the match!"

"Grr…" Zook growled, clearly upset at the way the battle was going. "Zangoose, Shadow Rush!"

Zangoose picked itself up and looked just as angry as it had before. Upon hearing its trainer's command, it shot over an overtly hostile look and its eyes flared red with fury. It rushed forward at Gible and Tyrunt with incredible speed and power. Sora took a step back as the shadowy aura it gave off flared. He actively had to suppress the urge to summon his Keyblade right then and there.

"Tyrunt, use Ancient Power, one more time!" Bonnie cried out.

"Gible, get ready with a Rock Smash." Ash said surprisingly calmly.

Tyrunt once more erected its stone shield and presented it forward while Gible's tiny little arm started to glow. Zangoose crashed into the Ancient Power shield one more time, but this time it broke through the barrier, sending Tyrunt flying back.

Then, it kept on running, this time straight at Bonnie.

"No!" Ash cried out. "Now, Gible!"

"Gib!" The Land Shark Pokemon roared out, swinging its fist at the rampaging Zangoose, nailing it in the face and sending it hurtling into a nearby wall. When the dust settled, Zangoose was also down for the count.

"Zangoose is unable to battle!" Brock shouted, though a clear expression of worry and anger was etched across his face. "Zook has no more remaining Pokemon, making Ash and Bonnie the winner!"

"But I just got that Shadow Pokemon!" Zook cried out in anguish. He quickly pointed two pokeballs at his downed Pokemon. A red beam of light made contact with both, and Sora watched in amazement as both were sucked into the capture devices. Zook snarled at Ash and Bonnie before sprinting off. "Don't think this is over! We'll crush you next time!"

Sora was tempted to pursue the man until he saw the state that Tyrunt was in. It looked like it was hurting quite a lot. Everyone rushed over to Bonnie, who was nestling his head in her lap. Brock fumbled in his sack until he brought out a yellow fruit.

"Here." Brock said, handing the fruit over to Bonnie, who quickly and graciously took it and began to feed it to her injured Pokemon.

"What was that?" Serena muttered. "I've never heard of a move like that, and it looked super effective."

"It looked like it was aiming for Bonnie for a second there." Sora guessed. "I thought Pokemon battles were just between Pokemon, not their trainers."

"No, you're right, Sora." Brock said rather grimly. "I don't think Zook really had control over his Zangoose at the end there. I've never seen a Pokemon act like that before. It looked so… so…"

"Angry." Sora finished. "Like it had no respect or love in its heart. It only wanted to kill. That weird aura it had flared when it did that, too."

"Aura?" Ash asked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that weird dark cloud thing it was giving off from the start." Sora said. It was then he realized that everyone was, once again, giving him a weird look. "... What?"

"I didn't see any kind of aura, did you guys?" Ash asked, looking around at his companions.

"Nope."

"Not me."

"Can't say I did."

"M-maybe my eyes were just playing tricks on me or something." Sora lied as he put his hands behind his neck. He definitely felt something coming off that Zangoose, and it reminded him of the kind of malice and darkness given off by the Heartless. It wasn't quite the same, else he would have dashed in with his Keyblade, but it was eerily similar. The fact that no one else noticed it was cause for concern. "Is Tyrunt going to be okay, though?"

"Yeah. He just needs some rest but he'll be fine." Bonnie said, looking up with a smile. She then looked back down at Tyrunt. "You did a great job. That Zangoose was really scary, but you helped take him down. You're awesome."

Gible waddled over and laid a consoling, albeit pudgy, hand on Tyrunt. "Gib-gible."

"Runt…" The Royal Heir Pokemon grumbled contently, albeit weakly.

Sora could now see what Ash meant by how battles strengthen the bond between Pokemon and trainer. It was similar to how he forged friendships with all of the people he met on his own journey. As cruel as it might seem, the bonds he made with the many people across all those worlds were made when fighting a common enemy together. Having each other's backs and trusting each other to come out of the other side in one piece. He certainly felt that way with Donald and Goofy, and they'd been through so much together.

Now he could see it with Bonnie and Tyrunt.

"Now that we have the jeep, we should go see Professor Krane." Serena said, standing up. "There's no Pokemon Center here, but maybe the professor's lab has better equipment to heal Pokemon."

"That's right!" Ash said, slamming his fist into an open palm. "He might be able to help Dedenne and Tyrunt if they're not better by then."

"That makes sense to me." Brock nodded. "I'll still do what I can whenever we make stops on the road, but for now they're stable enough."

Bonnie only nodded, giving Tyrunt a few more pats on the head before returning him to his Pokeball. Ash did the same, returning Gible to his ball and thanking his friend for the job well done. Together, the group of five plus Pikachu and Dedenne made their way over to the jeep.

"Who's Professor Krane?" Sora asked. "Is he a friend of yours?"

Brock shook his head. "We've never met him, but we were told to go meet him when we came here. He might be able to help us."

"Hey, he's a Professor, so he's got to know a lot of people." Ash said, giving a smile towards Sora. "Maybe he's seen your friends!"

Sora smiled back, but didn't have the heart to tell Ash that it was unlikely. Sora would never openly admit it, but for the first time in his life, he was legitimately terrified that he would never see his friends again. After all, they were separated by literal universes, separate realities. Unless they decided to use the Power of Wakening themselves, the chances of reuniting were next to nothing. Sora took some solace in the fact that he'd always carry his friends in his heart, but it was a bittersweet feeling. That wasn't to say that he wouldn't look for a way home, but right now he didn't see how he'd accomplish that.

Once they finally reached the jeep, Ash looked at everyone else. "I can't wait to see how this thing drives!"

"I don't think so." Brock countered, giving Ash a knowing look. He held up a pair of keys. "Even if I didn't already have the keys, you're terrible at navigation, Ash."

"Aww…" Ash groaned. "You're right though. I'd probably get us lost."

"I call shotgun!" Bonnie cried, making a mad dash towards the passenger seat.

"W-wait, what?!" Ash shouted. "It's my jeep!"

"I'm perfectly okay with taking a back seat." Serena said with a giggle. "I guess you're stuck with me and Sora in the back, Ash."

"I'll take the last row of seats." Sora said, bringing his hands behind his neck nonchalantly. "I have so many questions, so I wanna be able to talk to you guys easily."

"I guess that works for me, then!" Ash declared, all sadness at losing the shotgun seat having apparently disappeared.

Sora couldn't help but chuckle at their antics. He could already tell that the bonds of friendship between each of them were strong, just like the ones between him and his friends. Nothing would break them apart. Whatever might come their way, Sora was confident they could overcome it together.

As Sora jumped into the back seat of the group's jeep, he leaned back and spread out over the two seats. He let out a deep sigh of contentment as Brock started up the jeep and began driving out of Gateon Port. This was it.

Off to a new adventure.