After the commotion in the Mandarin Desert, Ash and the others could finally catch a breather. Cynthia and Diantha were shaken up quite a bit but are safe now. Winter and Anabel arrived to provide security for them after the terroristic threat to the two champions, and for Winter to return to Ash.
Nearby, Blake saw the gathering and saw Ash by a corner.
"Ash!" She yelled while rushing towards him.
"Blake. Are you-OW!" He shouted in pain when Blake smacked him in the face.
"What were you thinking!? You could've died out there! That's literally the man that practically framed you for the crime in Kanto! Also…Salem is back!" Blake yelled while a slight bit of commotion was going down around Vale.
"I'm sorry, Blake. I didn't want Cynthia and Diantha to die. I know that Hasx wouldn't play fair because he is my dark counterpart." Ash said while rubbing his cheek where Blake smacked him.
"Just…don't do anything like that again on your own." She said.
"I'll…try." He said.
"Ash, there's something that I must discuss with you." Xedrek said while leaning on a wall.
"What is it?" He asked him.
"About what just went down, and why I got involved." He answered.
"I am rather curious. As much as I greatly appreciate what you've done for all of us, where did you come from?" Looker asked.
"You do owe us that much." Winter said.
"It's a long story, but I'll try to summarize it for you." Xedrek said while they all got comfortable. Xedrek summoned Void Gear and summoned a hologram of Ash in front of them.
"Huh? What's this? It's just me." Ash said. Just then, the hologram changed, and a strange dark creature appeared in its place. "GYAH! What is that!?" He yelled in fright.
"It's hideous." Winter said.
"That creature you are seeing is called a Heartless, the darkness that has maintained monster form when one such as yourself yields to the darkness. There are others like these, but larger and more powerful, depending on how strong your heart is. They are extremely dangerous. Thus, kill them on sight. However, only the Keyblade is powerful enough to destroy them, and frees the crystalized heart within, despite their names." Xedrek explained.
"So in a sense…these things are almost invincible against standard weapons. Only Ash and you can destroy them." Winter said.
"There are alternative ways, but they can be challenging. However…" Xedrek continued before aiming Void Gear at the ground next to the Heartless. A tall, skinny, white creature appeared in that spot, scaring them a bit. "After the process of becoming a Heartless, a spiritual empty shell lives on with a will of its own, despite the body fading away from existence. A body whose heart has been stolen away. For you see, Nobodies don't exist at all." Xedrek explained as the Heartless faded away.
"Nobodies…don't exist. This doesn't make any sense. So I assume they come from neither the light nor the darkness." Blake said.
"Precisely. This particular Nobody is the most common form, specifically called a Dusk. The more the Nobody resembles their previous selves, the more powerful they are. Like the Heartless, there are others that are larger and more dangerous, and destined to return to darkness. However, unlike the Heartless, which act on instincts, Nobodies can think and can be deceiving as they only pretend to have hearts. Never let your guard down." Xedrek explained.
The Dusk vanished, and Xedrek stood up.
"Huh?" Cynthia asked.
"But…" Xedrek said before using his Keyblades to summon holograms of figures that resembled him appeared. "The beings you see now are ones like me. We are the most powerful form of Nobody. We formed a group known as Organization XIII. I was once a member of the group, Number X to be more precise. For years, we originally planned on slaying the Heartless and using their crystal hearts to form our own Kingdom Hearts so that we can exist again." Xedrek continued.
"Kingdom Hearts? It sounds like the heart of the galaxy, the universe, or something." Ash said.
"It is actually the heart of all worlds. After too long, and after having my eyes opened to what we were really doing thanks to a special Nobody from one whose heart is pure of light, I defected from the group. Unfortunately, one of the higher-ups informed our leader of what I was doing, so they planned an ambush to eradicate me, or turn me into a Dusk. While I could subdue a handful of them, I couldn't stop the rest. Until…Lord Arceus saved me." Xedrek said.
"The alpha? He can travel that far?" Cynthia asked.
"Well, this is the one that created the universe. I cannot see why it shouldn't." Winter said.
"After taking me just outside the gates in the Hall of Origin, Arceus told me that I can be safe from the Organization here on Remnant. He explained to me that it would be here where I will not only find my Heartless and learn to come to peace with myself in order to find my 'connection' named Derek. It was here where I lived on the down-low being a Pokémon Trainer, and eventually being put through the Mark of Mastery. Now that the Heartless truly have found this world, our jobs have become more important than ever." Xedrek continued.
"I see. Well if you need my insistence, give me a holler. I bet these Heartless are here for more than taking over Remnant. Anyway, Blake and I have a match coming up." Ash said.
"Yes. It's Ruby and Penny. If I know Ruby, she may have to use Volcarona again. Then again, she doesn't normally use her anymore after Summer's death. I bet that she gave Volcarona to either her father or her uncle Qrow to give to her to keep her close." Blake said.
"Might as well expect the worst. Who are you going with?" Ash asked.
"Aerodactyl and Greninja." She answered.
"I'll go for Granite and Data this time around." He said.
"Alright! Then let's get out there!" Blake yelled a bit.
"Yeah! But…I do fear for Ruby. If she does go for Volcarona, then we'll have to defeat her prized possession. The very thing that keeps her mother close." Ash said while thinking about more of Ruby and the last time she used Volcarona.
"If…she uses her." Blake said before taking his hand and they made their way towards the arena.
"Not so fast." Winter said while catching up to them. "I'll be going with you. Security reasons." She said.
"Okay." Ash said before the three of them carried on.
Upon arrival at the arena, Ash and Blake saw Ruby and Penny across from them. Penny seemed rather cheerful and confident. Whereas Ruby looked nervous and concerned. Ash sensed it and can almost confirm his thoughts on her.
"The next battle of the fourth round is about to commence. Blake Belladonna and Ash Ketchum Vs. Penny Polendina and Ruby Rose. This will be a four vs. four match, and whichever side loses all Pokémon will end the match. Furthermore, as a reminder, there will be no substitutions throughout each fight. Ms. Polendina and Ms. Rose, you have the first call!" Glynda called out.
"I'll start things off! Take to the skies! Corviknight!" Penny yelled as she sent out her giant metal bird onto the field.
Corviknight LVL 95 Flying/Steel Mirror Armor Metal Coat
Steel Wing Sky Attack Swagger Steel Beam
"Here we go! Go Swampert!" Ruby yelled while sending out her starter from Hoenn.
Swampert LVL 94 Water/Ground Torrent Sea Incense
Earthquake Surf Mirror Coat Hydro Cannon
"So far, nothing. Ah well. Take flight! Aerodactyl!" Blake yelled while sending out her first Pokémon.
"Okay, Data! I choose you!" Ash yelled while sending out his first Pokémon.
"Battle commence!" Glynda yelled.
"Aerodactyl, use Ancient Power on Corviknight!" Blake yelled.
Aerodactyl roared as rocks began to levitate into the air covered in purple energy. He then fired them at Corviknight, making contact with it.
"Counterattack with Steel Wing!" Penny yelled.
Corviknight screeched loudly as its wings began to glow brightly. It then shot toward him and got him in the gut. The armor on Corviknight got brighter as its defense stat went up a bit.
Data saw what was happening and saw a perfect way around this. It began to use Psychic on Swampert. Swampert was sent flying at Corviknight, damaging them both, especially Swampert.
"Swampert! Are you okay!?" Ruby called out, shaking in her boots a bit. Swampert got up and roared at them. "Use Earthquake!" She yelled.
Swampert shot up and slammed its fists onto the ground, causing a shock wave. While Aerodactyl and Corviknight were spared from the attack due to them being flying types, Data was not so lucky. The attack dealt tremendous damage to it.
"Go for the Wing Attack on Swampert!" Blake yelled out.
Aerodactyl's wings glowed bright blue and he began to charge in at it. It was a direct hit.
'Wait, something's not right. It's almost like Ruby isn't in this fight. I guess her using Volcarona did a number on her mental state…' Ash thought to himself while noticing how much Ruby seems to be out of it.
"Ruby…" Penny said while looking at her partner for a brief moment. She then grew angry and glared at Ash and Blake. "Corviknight, use Swagger on Metagross!" She yelled.
Corviknight began to glow red. Data saw what was happening, and its eyes glowed red. Suddenly, it began to get angrier as it got stronger but became confused in the process.
"Oh no! Data!" Ash called out. Data was trying to get its mind under control. "Try to fight it off!" He yelled.
Data attempted to try to use Agility. Unfortunately, it began to hit itself to get the confusion under control, damaging itself in the process.
"Now! Ruby!" Penny called out to her.
"You got it! Swampert! Hydro Cannon!" Ruby yelled out.
Swampert began to glow bright blue. It then inhaled, and it fired off a powerful burst stream of water. Data was taken the full blast. It sent it flying into a wall and knocked it out.
"Metagross is unable to battle! Corviknight and Swampert take the win!" Glynda yelled.
Ash returned Data and held the ball close.
"Don't blame yourself. We'll take care of the rest." He said before looking back at his opponents. "Let's do this! Granite! I choose you!" Ash yelled while sending out his next Pokémon.
"Battle commence!" Glynda yelled.
"Aerodactyl, Thunder Fang on the Corviknight!" Blake yelled.
Aerodactyl's fangs began to channel electricity and charged in at it. It chomped down onto its torso. He then slammed it to the ground, making it paralyzed by the attack.
Granite saw an opening for an attack. He put his hands together, and small chunks of rock were compressed, forming a giant glowing red rock. He fired the Rock Wrecker at Corviknight, making direct contact with it, and knocking it out.
"Corviknight is unable to battle! Rhyperior and Aerodactyl take the win!" Glynda announced.
Penny returned her defeated partner.
"That was awesome, now you get some rest." She said before pulling out a Dusk Ball and glaring at Ash. "I'll show you what I'm really made of! Forrestress! Go!" She yelled while sending out her armored bagworm onto the field.
Forrestress LVL 94 Bug/Steel Sturdy Quick Claw
Rapid Spin Gyro Ball Iron Defense Rollout
"Battle commence!" Glynda yelled.
"Penny! Think Forrestress can take a hit?" Ruby called out.
"Absolutely, Ruby!" Penny called out.
"Alright! Swampert! Use Surf!" She yelled.
Swampert raised its hands and summoned a large wave from behind. The wave crashed down on the other Pokémon, severely damaging Granite, and doing a bit of damage to Forrestress, but knocking out Aerodactyl in the process.
"Aerodactyl is unable to battle! Forrestress and Swampert take the win!" Glynda yelled.
Blake returned her defeated partner and looked back at the battlefield.
'I need to be on my toes for this. Ash already lost his first partner, and now we're pretty much tied up. I got to make these next moves count.' Blake thought. "Greninja! Go!" She yelled while sending out her starter.
"Battle commence!" Glynda yelled.
"Greninja! Use Night Slash on Swampert!" Blake yelled.
Greninja began to create a dark sword with one hand and took it with the other hand. He then did a powerful swipe at Swampert, dealing a ton of damage to him via critical hit, knocking it out.
'Knock out.' Greninja said while making the sword disappear.
"Swampert is unable to battle! Greninja and Rhyperior take the win!" Glynda announced.
Ruby returned her starter Pokémon while looking down in shame. After she put her partner away, she began to feel conflicted about whom to pick next. Her hand began to shake over a certain ball she had.
"Here it comes." Blake said to Ash.
"Wait…something's not right." He said while sensing the aura.
"I can't use her Pokémon…I'm sorry mom." Ruby whispered before getting a different Poke Ball. "All right! Lycanroc! Go!" She yelled while sending out her midday form Lycanroc, who howled into the sky.
Lycanroc LVL 92 Rock Keen Eye
Accelerock Rock Slide Scary Face Crunch
"Battle commence!" Glynda yelled.
'Something's not right like Ash said. Why didn't she use Volcarona? That would've given her the edge in this fight.' Blake thought. She then looked at Ash with concern, who was just as concerned. "Why'd she not go for Volcarona?" She asked.
"Beats me." He said.
"Forrestress, use Gyro Ball on Rhyperior!" Penny yelled.
Forrestress retracted its body into its shell and closed it. It then spun around and began to glow to the point where it was shining bright like light reflecting off of metal. It shot towards Granite.
Granite grinned while putting his hands together. Rocks shot out of his hands and began to form into a bigger rock that began to glow red. He used Rock Wrecker at the Forrestress, and the two attacks connected.
An explosion occurred and the two Pokémon were shot backwards, making Granite catch his breath and Forrestress began to wobble.
"Lycanroc! Use Rock Slide!" Ruby yelled.
Lycanroc howled into the sky, and rocks formed above Greninja and Granite. The rocks rained down on them hard. While Granite took the hits, Greninja wasn't so lucky as it dealt more damage.
"Finish this! Hydro Cannon! On the Forrestress!" Blake yelled.
Greninja began to unwrap his tongue around his neck and opened his mouth. A large burst stream of water blasted out and collided with Forrestress, sending it flying into a wall and knocking it out.
"Forrestress is unable to battle! Greninja and Rhyperior take the win!" Glynda announced.
Penny returned her last Pokémon and went to Ruby. She took her hand and nodded.
"I believe in you." She said.
"Penny…all right! Lycanroc! Use Accelerock on Greninja!" Ruby yelled while pointing at the exhausted ninja frog.
White aura began to form around it and charged in at high speed towards Greninja. With a powerful headbutt to the chest, Greninja was knocked out from the powerful critical hit.
"Greninja is unable to battle! Lycanroc takes the win!" Glynda yelled.
When Blake returned her starter, she joined Ash. She then kissed his cheek.
"Finish this." She whispered.
"Right." He said. He then looked back at Granite. 'That Rock Wrecker did a bit of strain on him, so I'm gonna have to see how this next move goes. One more powerful hit like that and Granite's done for.' He thought.
"All right, Lycanroc! Let's make our family and friends proud! Crunch!" Ruby yelled.
Lycanroc snarled as its teeth began to glow red and a black aura emanated. It charged in and attempted to chomp on Granite.
Granite finally got to his senses and growled at Lycanroc,
'Not today…' Granite said while spinning his drill. It glowed bright white and charged at Lycanroc while lowering his head. 'Eat Drill Run!' He yelled as the two attacks connected.
Another explosion erupted as a result of the attacks. Everyone covered their eyes and looked away as the dust blasted from the attack. Granite and Lycanroc glared at each other as the dust settled. Everyone was eager to see who will rise and who will fall.
Lycanroc gasped and fainted in front of Granite.
"NO!" Ruby screamed in devastation.
"Lycanroc is unable to battle! Rhyperior takes the win! The winners of this match goes to Blake Belladonna and Ash Ketchum!" Glynda yelled.
"I…can't believe it…we lost." Ruby whimpered while falling to her knees and holding her ball.
"Ruby, my friend." Penny said while going to her and holding her. Ruby held her as well and shed a couple of tears. "Everyone loses every now and then. There is no reason to cry but be proud of your Pokémon." She said.
"Penny…" Ruby whispered as she was pulled to her feet by Penny.
"Come on." She said while taking her hand and they began to leave.
Ruby and Penny left the arena and quickly arrived at the Pokémon Center to get them healed up. Ruby had been very quiet the whole walk. They sat down nearby and waited.
Meanwhile, Ash and Blake met up with the rest of Team RWBY and Oscar along the way.
"Yang, is she gonna be okay?" Ash asked.
"She's someone who takes losing a little too well. She'll get over it pretty quickly though. Plus, we have a trump card." Yang said while patting Oscar on the back.
"Right. Then let me work my magic." Oscar said as they entered the Pokémon Center. Oscar went to Ruby while Ash and Blake went to drop off their Pokémon. "Hey, Ruby." Oscar said while holding her arm.
"Oscar…" Ruby said before she turned towards him and kissed him on the spot.
Penny watched as they kissed. She notices that when they do it, Ruby does calm down pretty quickly, making her smile in the process. Then she had an idea.
After Ruby and Oscar broke the kiss, Penny gently pulled Ruby in her direction.
"Penny? What's wrong?" She asked. Penny leaned in and their lips met. "MMMPH!?" She squealed with her eyes shot upwards and her pupils shrank.
"Wha-?" Oscar asked in confusion.
With the others, they were about to check up with Ruby, only to freeze up from what was going on.
"What the!?" Weiss yelled.
"Is that allowed?" Ash asked as Penny deepened the kiss.
"It…can happen. But for this case, something's up. Nothing in the stories I've read were this romantic." Blake said.
Penny slowly broke the kiss and cupped the petrified Ruby's cheeks.
"Ruby, I hate seeing you like this. Since Oscar was helping you like that gave me a bit of motivation to help just as much. I know it's wrong, but I don't care. We dealt with many wrong situations before." Penny whispered.
"O-oh…Oscar? I'm sorry! I'm not backstabbing you and leaving you for her! Please understand!" Ruby begged while gripping his jacket.
"Gah! Ruby! Calm down! Penny is still learning! And besides, you two have a stronger history and you all had a wonderful reunion when we got to Atlas some time ago." Oscar said.
"But…she…" Ruby said while trying to explain more.
"Relax. It's all right. In fact, I don't mind if you two are like that, just as long as she doesn't make you leave me for her. You two are closer than sisters." He said while they calmed down.
"Well…I guess if you're really okay with this." She said with a small smile.
"That's my little sister." Yang said when they joined them.
"Ash! Blake!" Kali's voice spoke out from nearby.
Everyone turned around and they saw both Kali and Delia coming toward them. The mothers hugged their respected children, and they hugged them back.
"That was a great match, all of you. Your father would be so proud." Delia said.
"You think so? I never really knew him. Where is he?" Ash asked.
Delia went silent from that question. She slowly backed away from him and looked away.
"Delia?" Kali asked.
"Mom? What's going on!?" Ash demanded while getting closer to her, only for her to back away.
"Look…your father has been through many things and he's working very hard to keep food on the table and traveling the world, and…" Delia was saying until she saw Ash glaring at her.
"That's not an answer. Mom…where is he? Where is my father?" He growled a bit.
"That's not the way to treat your mother young man! Cease immediately or there will be consequences!" She demanded.
"ANSWER ME!" Ash shouted while pulling out his sword and Keyblade.
"HE'S DEAD!" Delia screamed, only to gasp and cover her mouth. There was a moment of painful silence that filled the whole Pokémon Center even having spectators all around them watching. "Oh no…" She whispered before shaking.
"He…he's what?" Ash asked with a look of petrification. It was as if time and space around him just stopped, and he was trapped in limbo from hearing those words.
"You weren't supposed to hear that." Delia whimpered.
Blake quickly went to Ash, fearing that his depression was going to return.
"Ash? You okay?" She asked.
"All of my travels…all of my hopes of seeing him again. It was for nothing?" Ash asked as his emotion started to go haywire.
"It wasn't for nothing. But…I guess I have no choice but to tell you the whole truth." Delia said. They sat back down and Blake held his arm tight. "Your father was more than a Pokémon Trainer, he was actually one of the best Hunters in his generation in Kanto. The reason I hid this truth from you was that I feared you would suffer the same fate he did." She said.
"Who was he?" Blake asked.
"His name was Red Ketchum. He was like the world's best husband. Destroyer of Grimm, heroic Pokémon companions, and makes some amazing food on the grill, stove, oven, you name it. But, one day he was sent out on a mission with a hired gun and client to do some sort of Grimm clearing out in Mistral to escort some Dust into the area. Afterward, he was betrayed by his client, and he killed him with a powerful headshot to the back of the head. His Pokémon were collected by officials, and released, and my husband's body was returned to Kanto." Delia explained.
"What!? Why didn't you tell me!?" Ash yelled at her.
"As I said, I didn't want you to suffer the same fate. Don't get me wrong, you're powerful, and you've proved yourself to be a fantastic warrior and Pokémon Trainer. I didn't want to take any more chances. Hence why I kept the truth from you." She answered.
"If you don't mind me asking, who was it that betrayed Red?" Blake asked.
"If I remember right…Roman Torchwick." She answered.
Team RWBY froze when she mentioned Torchwick. Blake's fist clenched as she remembered how much of a monster, he was towards the Faunus long ago.
"Well, it's a good thing that he's dead. A Griffon ate him during the Battle of Beacon several years ago. I witnessed his death. Her companion, and maybe love interest, Neopolitan, or Neo as we call her, saw me as her enemy even though I didn't kill him. She eventually learned the truth about his fate, but she refused to accept it. And in the end, it supposedly destroyed her as she just vanished as if she no longer existed anymore." Ruby explained while recalling the last moments of both of them in her mind.
"Speaking of disappearances, I wonder where Emerald is. She was one of the very first to be a turncoat and aided us against Salem and her remaining forces. Luckily, she was able to be cleared of all of the crimes she committed due to her switchover, and all the information we needed." Yang said while recalling her new friend that simply vanished not long after Salem's defeat.
"I'm sure she's doing fine. As far as we know, she's finally living a life of peace and happiness. After all, she did promise to stay in touch with us as much as she could." Weiss said.
"I need to go. I need to do some thinking." Ash said before he began to leave.
"I'll go with you." Blake said before catching up to him, only for Yang to grab her wrist. "Ah! Yang?" She asked.
"I think…he needs to do this on his own. He should be okay on his own for a while. Plus, maybe you can help prepare Weiss for her upcoming match. From what I learned, she will be facing off against Max and Misty soon. Plus, they are ruthless." Yang suggested.
"Beware of his Raichu. He might be a Shadow Pokémon, and if he is, don't hold back. Knock him out first." Ash said before leaving.
"Um…okay?" Weiss asked with confusion while kinda leaving her hanging a bit.
Ash went off on his own. He was still processing the fact that his mother not only lied to him for years about his father, but the fact that he was dead was already a lot to handle. He ended up going to the edge of the city where he went up towards a hill and was in deep thought. He was gone for a good half an hour when he began to calm down a bit.
'What do I do? All I wanted was to find you so we could be together again as father and son. Father….dad….help me." He thought to himself.
As he began to return to Vale, he was in deep thought of other things. Before he reached the Pokémon Center, he began to hear the sound of moaning nearby. He heard it down an alleyway. He activated his semblance and sensed a faint aura inside.
"What the…hello!?" Ash called out into the alleyway. There was no response. He entered it and began to look into cardboard boxes where the faint aura was at. "You, okay?" He asked.
Just then, he pulled one of the cardboard boxes out and saw a woman dying in front of him. She had chocolate-colored skin with long mint green hair. She was wearing a white biker jacket over a bright green short-top shirt. She had tight skinny jeans with brown heels. Her apparel was tattered, and her skin looked like it had been slashed for days.
The woman slowly opened her eyes and revealed them to be red-colored while Ash slowly sat her up a bit.
"Can you speak?" Ash asked her.
"Y..y-yes." She was able to say. She then slowly took her wrist and gripped it tight. "M-my…name is…Em-Emerald." The woman named Emerald said.
Ash gasped a bit as he recalled that name.
"Yang mentioned an Emerald. You must be the one that aided them against Salem. Come on. I'm getting you help." Ash said before picking her up into a bridal carry.
Emerald eyed him as her eyes began to feel heavy.
"W-why?" She asked.
"Simple. It's the right thing to do." He said while smiling. Emerald lost consciousness before they reached the Pokémon Center. "Clear a table!" He yelled out, catching everyone's attention.
"Huh? Wait a minute! EMERALD!?" Ruby screamed while she and the rest of Team RWBY joined them.
"Put her over here!" Yang yelled while taking them over to their table. Ash laid her down before a couple of Audino arrived to tend to her. "Where did you find her?" She asked.
"I found her dying in an alleyway just outside the city. Wait a minute." Ash said before summoning Divine Elemental. He then aimed it at her. "CURAGA!" He yelled.
A burst of green light blanketed Emerald as her wounds were being healed, and left scars in their places. She began to breathe easier now that the pain had faded away instantly. She slowly opened her eyes and gasped as familiar faces smiled down at her.
"Team RWBY!?" Emerald yelled before sitting up and quickly got off the table out of fear. She then reached for the holsters that she had on her lower back, only to freeze up when she realized they were empty, leaving her pretty much defenseless. "Please! Don't! Have mercy!" She yelled before falling to the floor and beginning to push herself away from them.
"Emerald, wait a minute!" Ruby yelled before rushing towards her. Emerald was about to stop her by reaching out towards her and looked away. She then felt Ruby embracing her, petrifying her in the process. "I missed you, my friend." She said.
Emerald looked down at the young Huntress out of disbelief. Just then, the rest followed suit and hugged Emerald.
An old friend has arrived on the scene. How will this new friend joining the cause change anything? Find out more next time as the story continues.