After getting my injuries patched up with a Super Potion from Serena, Riku and I stepped away to talk privately on the riverside, trying to figure out where the other had been upon our arrival.

"So you're saying this world exists as a television show in your world? Riku had a shocked look on his face.

"Yeah. There's also a card-game and video-game series, which is where it's most popular. My brother, Arashi, has been obsessed with the franchise since the moment he could talk. I ended up watching the show with him when we were younger, so that's why I know so much about this world. Based on the Pokémon I've seen and the crew that's traveling with Ash, I'd say we're in the Kalos Region, which is generation…" I counted in my head the different regions I could think of before guessing aloud "..six I think?"

Riku put a paw to his mouth as he looked down and seemed to think about something. "Master Yen Sid told me after I received my Mark of Mastery status that there are worlds beyond the Lanes Between where events of other worlds are recorded, but only believed to be works of fiction." Looking up at me he added "Maybe your world is one of them."

"Maybe." It was at that moment that I suddenly realized something. "Hang on a sec. How did you know where Ash and the others were camped out? And how did you know about the Mega Stone?"

Riku looked to the sky, his eyes filled with curiosity. "I'm not so sure myself. This may sound weird, but it almost felt as though someone was guiding me, telling me where to go and what to do."

"That was me!"

Riku and I both turned to the river and saw a pink, cat-like creature emerge from out of thin air. Her sapphire-blue eyes gleamed mischievously and her long tail curled around her body, twitching playfully. It didn't even take me a heartbeat to figure out who the newcomer was.

"Hello, Mew," I greeted with the dip of my head. I don't know if it was out of pure manners or the fact that she was a Legendary Pokémon, but the gesture just felt right.

Mew giggled sweetly like a child, her paws on her mouth. "Hello, Hikari, and to you as well, Master Riku," she replied, bowing her head to both of us. "It's so nice to meet you both. I haven't met any other Keyblade Wielders since Yen Sid was in his prime."

I looked to Riku, laughing when I saw the pure astonishment on his face. "I guess this comes at a bit of a shock, but Mew is a Legendary Pokémon and known as one of the most ancient in existence. She also carries the genetic makeup of all Pokémon in existence, which leads people to believe she is the very ancestor of the species.

Mew laughed again, this time with the hint of embarrassment. "Well, there are a few exceptions, like my father, Arceus, and my brothers, Dialga and Palkia, but for the most part, yes; I had a paw in the creation in the majority Pokémon today, not counting human-created ones like Muk, Porygon, my clone, Mewtwo, Trubbish, and a few others I can't think of off the top of my head. Oh, and the humans too."

That caught me off guard. "Didn't expect that." I shook my head to clear it before moving on. "So I take it you're the one who asked Master Yen Sid for help, am I right?

Mew nodded. "Ever since my father was imprisoned a few millennia back, I've been watching over the safety of the world and intervening when needed. However, when these strange creatures suddenly starting popping up, I turned to Yen Sid for guidance."

"And Master Yen Sid sent us," Riku finished. "Does that mean you were the one that turned us into Pokémon?"

Mew's face grew red once more and the embarrassment was now clearly visible. "I didn't purposefully change your forms, honest. It's just that Hoopa -another Legendary- snuck up on me when I was opening the portal, causing the distortion that transformed you both and sent you to different parts of the area. I'm really sorry about that." She bowed her head in apology.

"Hoopa is the Pokémon of Mischief, right? That seems like something she would do," I commented.

"Can you change us back? Riku inquired.

Mew looked back up at us and smiled brightly. "Of course!" She closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate. A light-purple aura slowly started to surround her, then I noticed the same aura surrounding Riku and myself.

A warm sensation washed over my body as I closed my eyes and let my mind drift, the light getting brighter and brighter.

When I opened my eyes again, I noticed that I was significantly taller. I looked to where the Absol had been, confirming my suspicions when I found Riku once again a human, an almost relieved look on his face. His eyes met mine and he smiled, nodding his head. We then both turned back to Mew, who was once more smiling.

"Thank you, Mew." I dipped my head once more.

Mew giggled. "Think nothing of it. Shall we get down to business then?" When I nodded, she continued. "Recently, there have been rumors milling around this area of a small village that's been taken over by strange creatures of darkness with cold red eyes."

"They're called Unversed," Riku explained. "They're basically the dark creations of negative emotions. Master Yen Sid once told me that they roamed several worlds along The Lanes Between some twelve or so years ago, but the individual believed to be the cause of their spawning supposedly vanished when another Keyblader defeated him."

"Is it possible that the one who created the Unversed has somehow found his way into my world, even though it isn't connected to The Lanes Between?" Mew asked.

"Unfortunately, that's how it seems. It may be possible, however, that a member of a group known as Organization XIII is using a similar power to bring the Unversed here, as they use Corridors of Darkness to travel between worlds; this world may very well not be an exception." Riku looked down with an angry look on his face.

"Yen Sid warned me of them. I unfortunately know of Xehanort and the pain he has caused to so many." With a determined look, Mew added "I will not have such vial Darkness loose in the world my father worked so hard to create." She placed her two paws together to form a circle and bowed her head, once again summoning her Psychic powers.

I had to shield my eyes when there was a sudden flash of light, but when it faded and I lowered my arms to see what had happened, what I found took me by surprise.

The very forms Riku and I had taken stood before us, a happy look on the Sylveon and a noble expression on the Absol.

"The light you poured into your Pokémon forms gave these two life," Mew stated.

"Sylv!" The Fairy-type chirped.

"Sol." The Dark-type dipped its head in greeting.

"They wish to help you and become your partners in your quest," Mew added, seeming to translate.

Hearing this, I got to one knee and held out a hand. The Sylveon smiled and walked up to me, rubbing its head against my hand much like a cat would. I laughed and stroked the top of the Pokémon's head. "Thank you, Sylveon. We welcome your company."

"Veon!"

I looked and saw Riku do the same with the Absol, a wondrous look on his face. "They're incredible, aren't they?"

Riku nodded and looked back at me, still petting the Absol. "The Dream Eaters were one thing, but these Pokémon are something completely different."

"I think I'll take my leave," Mew said. "Just call out for me if you need any guidance."

"We will. Thank you, Mew." I dipped my head in thanks.

Mew gave a final giggle before shining white and vanishing from sight with a Teleport move.

Once she was gone, Riku stood up and gave me a concerned look. "How exactly are we going to explain to Ash and the others why we're no longer Pokémon?"

I smirked playfully. "Don't worry; I've got it covered."

I rubbed the back of my head, pretending to be embarrassed. "Sorry we didn't tell you guys. We were just worried that if we told you all that we were humans, you wouldn't believe us."

Ash laughed at this. "Don't worry about it. To tell you the truth, I got turned into a Pikachu myself a while back."

His friends all looked at him in shock.

"Now that's a story I've gotta hear," Clemont commented.

As the black-haired youth told his tale to his companions, Riku looked at me suspiciously. "You knew about him being turned into a Pokémon before, didn't you?"

I winked and gave a mischievous grin. "Now what would give you that idea?" I asked sarcastically.

The Sylveon I had decided to name Aki - which means "fairy" in Japanese- giggled playfully. I think that since we shared a body, my memories were now her's as well, which would explain how she understood my joke.

Riku only sighed and shook his head.

"So you guys somehow merged with your Pokémon, but don't know how?" Ash questioned, seeming to be done telling his story.

I nodded. "We came here on behalf of a friend who's been concerned about strange things going on in a nearby village," I explained. "Have you heard anything about it?"

They all shook their heads.

"Sorry; we haven't," Serena apologized.

"It's no big deal," Riku stated. "If anything, we're glad you haven't. It just means that you guys are safe enough of a distance."

"What do you mean by 'safe'?" Bonnie asked.

Riku and I looked at one another, unsure. The law of the Keyblade was to keep the existence of other worlds a secret and not to interfere with worldly conflicts unless completely necessary. I felt that Ash and his friends deserved to know what was happening in their world, but at the same time, the famous saying "Ignorance is bliss" made me want to protect the group like a mother bear would her cubs.

"Sylv."

My eyes fell to Aki, who had a sort of understanding look in her icy-blue eyes. It was almost as if she was telling me that I should do what I felt was right.

I smiled and nodded at the Fairy-type. "Thanks, Aki." Looking back at Ash and the others, I took a deep breath before continuing. "You don't deserve to be lied to, especially when it comes to the safety of your home… The truth is, the strange activity in the nearby village we were called out to investigate, it isn't a mystery as to what is behind it."

"What do you mean?" Clemont questioned.

"A very dark power has found its way into this world, threatening to devour the Light," Riku spoke up. He looked at me with an expression that seemed to say that he agreed with my decision and would support me.

"I don't get it," Bonnie commented tilting her head to the side.

I scratched the side of my head, trying to figure out to break the news to them as lightly as possible. "You see, this world isn't the first to be invaded by the evil force."

"Like aliens in the movies?" Serena put out.

"Not exactly," Riku explained, seeming to be having the same difficulty that I was. "You see-"

"Aiee!"

Riku was cut off at the sound of a young girl screaming in the distance, causing us all to turn inland.

"Absol!" Riku's Absol -which he chose to name Yami (which means Darkness)- darted off in the direction of the scream, Aki quickly following.

"That can't be good," I stated. "Let's follow them."

Riku and I took the lead as we chased after our Pokémon counterparts. We weaved between the densely packed trees before coming to a clearing. What we found was almost beyond belief.

Dozens of dark creatures with red eyes in a variety of shapes and colors filled the small clearing, some hovering off the ground that reminded me of jellyfish, others that looked kinda like sumo wrestlers with armor. Yami was standing in front of the monsters, fangs bared and fur bristling. Aki was just a few paces away, standing protectively over a little girl who was covering her eyes with her hands, quivering in fear.

"What are those things!?" Serena exclaimed.

"Unversed!" Riku turned to me, an icy flame blazing in his eyes. "Time to get to work."

"Right," I replied with a nod, summoning my Keyblade, Riku quickly following suit.

The silverette charged in first with inhuman speed, sliding past a handful of Unversed with a swing of blade, causing them to vanish in a puff of black similar to Pureblood Heartless.

"Stay back, you guys," I said, turning to the younger group. Giving an encouraging smile, I added "Don't worry; this isn't our first rodeo." With that, I leaped into battle, casting a Fira spell as I did so, lighting a jellyfish Unversed. I swung my Keyblade into the lit creature, sending it flying into several of its companions, spreading the flames. One of the sumo-wrestler-like Unversed came into view in the corner of my eye and I jumped high into the air, narrowly dodging its swinging arms. When I landed, I was back-to-back with Riku, Yami at his side.

"Glad you could join us," Riku retorted as he pushed back an Unversed, sarcasm clearly evident in his voice.

"I couldn't let you boys have all the fun," I countered, raising my Keyblade to the sky and casting a Thundara spell. Electricity crackled in the darkened sky and several lightning bolts hit the dark creatures surrounding us, causing them to fall back.

Riku and I charged forward in different directions, smashing our Keyblades into the quickly diminishing enemy. I would keep looking back at the kids, relieved to see that Aki was protecting them with Shadow Balls and Swift. Ash and the others simply watched in stunned silence, which I couldn't really blame them for.

Several head-bashings and spell castings later, all the Unversed had been defeated, leaving the clearing once again silent. I let out a sigh of relief before casting away The Angel's Keyblade and turning to check on Riku and Yami. They were a little out of breath, but otherwise seemed fine. Riku looked at me and nodded, confirming that he was alright. I smiled and nodded back, then hurried back to Aki.

Getting to one knee, I looked down at the now unconscious child. "She doesn't seem to be injured," I stated aloud. "The shock must have just caused her to pass out." I reached out my hand so it was above the girl and used a Cura spell.

The flowery-green light rained down on the youth and within a few short moments, she let out a slight moan and her eyes slowly opened. Her hazel-brown eyes filled with confusion upon seeing me. "W-What happened?" She asked in a timid, quiet voice.

I smiled reassuringly as I pulled my hand away. "You lost consciousness, but you're safe now."

"Sylv," Aki mewed, nuzzling the girl, causing her to giggle.

By that time, Ash, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie had joined us, having somewhat recovered from their initial shock. Riku and Yami also came over, seeming much more relaxed.

I looked at Riku, who returned it with a knowing expression; it was time for the truth; the full truth.