Episode 300: Hikaru Ōkami
After an exciting day and capturing a Regirock, a Regice, and a Registeel, Sora had a full hearty sleep and then woke up to get some training done when he met a young man named Hikaru Ōkami, and he claimed to be Ben's apprentice.
Today, Riku, Naminé, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Max, Lisia, Pikachu, Angel, Eevee, Azurill, Xipak, Celeste, and Marill woke up and they sat before Hikaru, wanting to know.
"Okay, Hikaru, wasn't it? You said that you're Ben's apprentice. Is that right?" Riku asked.
"Yes. I have been training with Ben for a few years ever since I received my Keyblade and I have been learning from him," Hikaru said.
"Just how do you know Ben, Hikaru?" May asked.
"It was back when I was a little kid. I was a member of a clan called the Wolves of Light," Hikaru said.
"The Wolves of Light? Seriously?" Riku asked.
"You know what that is?" Kris asked.
"Yeah. The Wolves of Light was a group of people dedicated to the forces of light and they hunted down anyone who would upset the balance of light and darkness. I always thought they were just a bedtime story," Riku said.
"No, the Wolves of Light were very real. Real as you and me. But they are nearly extinct," Hikaru said.
"What do you mean nearly extinct?" Max asked.
"You see, I am the last Wolf of Light. My people were wiped out by the Heartless. The Heartless attacked without warning and they did not hesitate in doing it. I would have been their victim if Master Ben didn't save my life," Hikaru said.
"Sounds like what Ben would do," Sora said, smiling.
"So what happened next?" Lyra asked.
"Ben saw that there was a strong light within me. But it wasn't the kind of light the other Wolves of Light had, but a different kind of light. Master Ben took me in as an apprentice instead of putting me in an orphanage. But there was another one who was brought in not long after that," Hikaru said.
"Who?" Ash asked.
"His name was Lucius Aries. He didn't have a happy beginning. He began as a delinquent, stealing and picking fights with anyone for any reason, that is until Master Ben offered him a chance for him to change his ways," Hikaru said.
"Why would he take someone like him in?" May asked.
"Master Ben saw some potential in him and he thought he could save him from a life of crime, but it turns out that he was wrong," Hikaru said.
"What happened?" Brendan asked.
"When Lucius was given a Keyblade, he was taught everything from combat to magic, but as the years past, he became more and more aggressive when using the Keyblade right to the point he began to abuse it. He even used it to attack innocent people. He openly stated that those with power are better than everyone else," Hikaru said.
"Lucius sounds like someone who shouldn't have been given a Keyblade," Naminé said.
"I'm with her. If I were Ben, I would have taken his Keyblade away from him," Ethan said.
"The both of them had their share of disagreements of how it should be, and Master Ben has repeatedly attempted to reason with him, but his constant scoldings have done nothing to make him change his ways. I still remember their very last argument. Lucius openly said that Master Ben was soft and weak, and left without saying anything else. I tried to reason with him as well, but he refused to listen to me." He sighed. "I have been looking for him ever since he left, and no one knows where he is nowadays. It's possible that he might have gotten back to that old life and he would use his Keyblade to cause harm."
"Sorry that you had to go through that, Hikaru," Leaf said.
"Don't apologize. Lucius isn't your problem like he's mine and Master Ben's. Now that I have told you my story, it is time that you shared yours with me," Hikaru said.
"Well, it's like this," Sora said.
Sora started to tell his tale about Ash, Leaf, and himself being childhood friends and beginning their journey as Pokémon Trainers at the same time, and how things didn't start out so good with Pikachu since he didn't do what Sora told him, and how Angel led Sora and Pikachu to Kairi when she was kidnapped by a couple of Pokémon Hunters. Sora stated that he and Kairi have been traveling together since then, and shared how Sora has gotten his Keyblade and how he knew about the Heartless. He even filled Hikaru in about Team Rocket and how they wanted to catch Pikachu. He shared his journey they had, and about the Pokémon Trainers and the different Pokémon they met and battled and about the Gym battles Sora had. Riku filled in about how he met Sora and Kairi, as well as Ash and Leaf met her, and knew how they were right for each other. Sora and Kairi have shared about how they foiled Team Rocket in Lavender Town, Celadon City, and Saffron City. They filled him in about Sora and Kairi have gone to different worlds and foiled Ganondorf's plans. They told him him about how they met Ethan, Kris, and Lyra when they arrived to the Johto region and about the Team Rocket operations and about how they received their Keyblades, and how Sora, Kairi, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Team Rocket, Pikachu, Angel, and Marill ending up in the realm of darkness and fighting Xehanort's Heartless and stopping him from taking over Kingdom Hearts and opening the door to darkness. They discussed other experiences like meeting Tohru who came from the past and about fighting against dinosaur-like Heartless against Seth when he betrayed the Alpha Gang and tried to destroy Sora, Kairi, Ash, Leaf, and the D-Team, and how they stopped him. They discussed how they learned about Organization XIII and the Nobodies, and that they were trying to get rid of Sora. They shared about how they met Rei and became their apprentices, and how they brought down Team Rocket once and for all. And they even shared about how they met Brendan, May, Max, and Lisia when they came to the Hoenn region, and Kairi taking part of Pokémon Contests. They filled him in about their experience with the Unversed and Vanitas, and about Zell who was a fan of Team Rocket, and he wanted revenge against Sora for it, and about the Elemental Bosses who were also fans of Team Rocket's and them joining forces with him. They shared about how they met Ben and he has informed them about Ansem the Wise and about how he dove in after Xemnas. They informed him about their interactions with Team Magma and Team Aqua, and about the Red and Blue Orbs, and about how they ventured in the Digital World and meeting the Digimon, and defeating the 4 Dark Masters and the 7 Demon Lords. Hikaru was amazed by how they went through so much.
"Wow, that is amazing. You sure have been through so much," Hikaru said.
"You could say that, Hikaru," Ash said.
"And all of you have accomplished so much because you all worked together. You should all be proud," Hikaru said.
"Thanks, Hikaru. And I'm sorry that Ben can't be here right now," Sora said.
"Don't worry about it. Master Ben has often told me about how close he was to your late father, and I wish that we could have known each other earlier on," Hikaru said.
Sora smiled at that. He knew Hikaru was right, because he and Hikaru would be fast friends.
"Say, Hikaru, would you like to join us for a bit? I mean, just so we can get to know you," Sora said.
"I'm with him. I mean, any apprentice of Ben is welcome in our circle of friends," Brendan said.
"Sure thing, you guys. I could use this time to get to know you," Hikaru said.
With that said, Hikaru has joined the group as they have prepared to head for Mossdeep City. Along the way, Sora exchanged Gallade, Probopass, and Breloom for Vigoroth, Loudred, and Dusclops. They managed to catch a boat for the next island and they made a stop for everyone to get some training done. Sora gave Dusclops the Reaper Cloth and he evolved into a Dusknoir. He had Vigoroth and Loudred doing some sparing when the both of them have suddenly evolved. Sora's newly evolved Exploud has given off a loud bellow as Sora's newly evolved Slaking gave a yawn. Sora remembered how difficult it was to raise a Slaking since they're known for their laziness, but Norman made it work somehow.
"Hm, I wonder how Norman was able to raise his Slaking," Sora said in his thoughts.
Over to Ash, he wanted to speak with Hikaru privately.
"What's on your mind, Ash?" Hikaru asked.
"Well, I've been thinking. Well, since you're an apprentice to Ben, I thought I should ask you this question. I doubt you can help, but I have to try," Ash said.
"Help with what?" Hikaru asked.
"Has Ben taught you how to enter the realm of darkness?" Ash asked. Hikaru was surprised by Ash's question.
"Why would you wanna go in there?" Ash asked.
"Well, there's another Keyblade wielder named Cascade who's been trapped in that place for a very long time, and she has no idea how long she's been in there. I have been getting visions about Cascade and her two friends, and how she ended up in the realm of darkness, after an evil Keyblade wielder named Xehanort possessed one of Cascade's friends, Gaia. So I thought maybe you would have a clue yourself," Ash explained. Hikaru sighed.
"Sorry, Ash, but I'm afraid I can't help you there. Even if Master Ben knew a way in the realm of darkness, he wouldn't have taught it to me. It would be too risky. But do any of the others know about it?" Hikaru asked.
"Yeah, they know, but just not all of the details," Ash said.
"You mentioned that you've been visions, so can you tell me about them?" Ash asked.
"The visions I was having were from the past. They've been coming to me in my sleep, and I was shocked by how the battle at the Keyblade Graveyard turned out," Ash explained.
"Keyblade Graveyard?" Hikaru asked.
"Well, it's a graveyard, but there were Keyblades all around, so I had to guess there was a huge fight going on. Xehanort said something about a Keyblade War that took place so long ago. Xehanort was very interested in it, and he was trying to forge something called a X-blade," Ash explained.
"X-blade?" Ash asked.
"Yeah, it was in my second-to-last vision. But it was incomplete or at least that guy Vanitas said. Cascade's other friend Viento was Xehanort's pawn. He wanted Viento and Vanitas to fight each other just so the X-blade can be forged. In Viento's heart, the X-blade shattered, but in the real world, it went crazy and exploded, destroying it. And that resulted in Viento being a sleep-like state, so Cascade had to take him somewhere safe," Ash explained.
"You said something about Xehanort possessing Gaia, so what's that about?" Hikaru asked.
"Well, Xehanort used his own Keyblade on himself and he sent his heart to gain control over Gaia's body and then became one with him. But then he ended up in Hollow Bastion or should I say, Radiant Garden. Cascade has placed Viento in a safe place, and she went to Radiant Garden to confront Gaia, but they ended up having a fight. They were both sinking in the realm of darkness, so Cascade ended up saving Gaia and sank in the realm of darkness in his place. And she's been there ever since," Ash explained.
"How do you know Cascade to begin with?" Hikaru asked.
"Well, Leaf and I stayed behind in Kanto, just to keep an eye on things, making sure that the Heartless are in check, and so we ended up in the realm of darkness, and we met her while inside. We ended up working together to find a way out, and we saw that Sora, Kairi, Ethan, Kris, and Lyra were there, too. Leaf and I didn't know Ethan, Kris, and Lyra by then, but we watched Sora, Kairi, and Ethan fight Xehanort's Heartless and destroyed him just so they could stop him from taking over Kingdom Hearts, but a large swarm of Heartless came at us, so Cascade sacrificed chance at freedom just so she could save me and Leaf. So I've been trying to figure out a way to get in and rescue her since," Ash explained.
"I can see why you needed to get in there, but can you be certain that she's even alive in there?" Hikaru asked.
"I know she is. She's been fighting the Heartless in the realm of darkness ever since she ended up in there. I tried to look for some clues, but I haven't found a single one. But I couldn't give up, because I'll never forgive myself if I did," Ash said.
"You shouldn't give up, Ash. If you say she's alive in the realm of darkness, then I believe you. I mean, you got in and then you got out. But there's no guarantee that you will again," Hikaru said.
"Yeah, I know. Master Rei told me that before," Ash said.
Meanwhile, three sets of armor are flying above, made up of the head, torso, arms, and legs. The head and torso is the Alpha Armor, the arm part is the Beta Armor, and the leg part is the Gamma Armor.
The Alpha Armor contains the Unversed's torso and head. Its head is diamond-shaped and grey with red eyes set in an angry expression. The front of its body is adorned with a large, light blue, U-shaped additive with black edges lined by four shirt spikes. Its "neck" is thin, black, and curls forward. The Unversed symbol is printed on the end of the neck. On either side of the neck, the Unversed has two red "arms" that end in black, triangular blades, each with a yellow stripe on them.
The Beta Armor takes is cone-shaped and red with black, spiked additives decorating it. The Unversed emblem is on its front. Its base is black with gold lining and four thin, black, propeller-like blades are attached to its top. These blades each have a gold stripe near their tips and the Unversed spins them in a helicopter-esque fashion to move. Its red eyes are on the small spike on its top.
The Gamma Armor resembles a set of three, segmented, red legs with black and grey joints. The top of the center leg sports two red eyes and acts as the Unversed's "head". The Unversed emblem is small and on the center leg, right below the eyes. Each leg ends in triangular, black feet.
Sora has decided to take a break from training for a while as Sora spotted the Three parts flying in the sky.
"Unversed!" Sora exclaimed. He summoned his Kingdom Key. The rest of the group is alerted as they saw the armor parts and combined to make the Trinity Armor. Kairi, Riku, Naminé, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, and Hikaru summoned their Keyblades and prepared to fight the Unversed.
The Trinity Armor fires three light bullets that scatter on impact. Some of them dodged while others casts a reflect spell to make it bounce off.
Sora, Riku, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Brendan, May, and Hikaru went in for the attack as Kairi, Naminé, Kris, and Lyra all cast a different spell. Kairi casts a crystal thunder spell, Naminé casts a thunder spell, Kris casts a music spell, and Lyra casts a fire spell. Pikachu, Angel, Eevee, Azurill, Xipak, Celeste, and Marill unleashed their attacks at the Trinity Armor, helping their partners. The Trinity Armor came apart and attacked the Keyblade wielders like they were in a triangle. The Alpha Armor scatters a lot of fireballs on them.
"Watch out!" Hikaru shouted as he ran.
The Gamma Armor stomps on the ground as the Beta Armor hits the ground, both creating shock waves. The Alpha Armor unleashed a laser as Sora and the rest fought the Beta Armor and the Gamma Armor.
"This Unversed is strong," Kris panted.
"How can we hope to take it down?" Lyra asked.
"We'll have to destroy the arms and legs before we go for the head," Hikaru said.
"Easy for you to say, Hikaru. They're too fast for us," Brendan said.
"We can do this if we work together," Hikaru said.
"Hikaru's right. We can do this. We gotta put our heads together and pull through," Sora said.
"So, how is it gonna go down?" Riku asked.
"Okay, Riku, you Naminé, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, and Brendan focus on the arms, while Kairi, Hikaru, Ash, Leaf, May, and I handle the legs. Once that's done, we go for the head," Sora said.
"Okay, let's do this thing," Riku said.
With that said, Riku, Naminé, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, Eevee, Azurill, and Marill went for the Beta Armor as Sora, Kairi, Ash, Leaf, May, Hikaru, Pikachu, Angel, Xipak, and Celeste went for the Gamma Armor.
The Beta and Gamma Armors attacked with great ferocity as Riku gave the finishing blow on the Beta Armor. Sora gave the fatal blow on the Gamma Armor. All that was left was the Alpha Armor. The Alpha Armor fires a beam in all directions, making the group scatter again.
"Take it down!" May shouted.
"Come on!" Naminé shouted.
"Guys, now!" Hikaru shouted.
Brendan and May slashed at it first as Ethan, Kris, and Lyra slashed at it second. Ash and Leaf slashed it third, Sora, Kairi, Riku, Naminé, and Hikaru gave it one, final slash, making the Alpha Armor fall to the ground, making it dissolve into nothing.
"That takes care of that thing," Riku said.
"Wow, we make quite a team," Hikaru said.
"Sure do," Leaf agreed.
"But you were pretty awesome, too, Hikaru," May said.
"May's right. Ben did a great job teaching you," Kris said.
"Thank you. And I have to say, you're all well-skilled Keyblade wielders. I can see why Rei has agreed to train you," Hikaru said. The Keyblade wielders beamed at the kind compliment they've gotten. Hikaru looked up to the sky and he sighed to himself. "Lucius, where could you be?"
Meanwhile, we see a young man walking down the streets of a town. He has silver hair and black eyes. He wore a black shirt, white pants, and black boots.
Just then, a girl with black hair tied in a ponytail comes up behind him. She wore a one-piece yellow dress. She has blue eyes, and white shoes. The young man stopped and he summoned a Keyblade similar to the Shining Sun, but it's much darker, and the star is black. This Keyblade shall he known as the Light of Ruin. He turned around to point it at her, but she summoned a Keyblade of her own. It has an orange handle and a black, circular guard with rough edges. The shaft is a smooth, white rod that ends in a black spike. The Keyblade's teeth form a black, sideways fleur-de-lis. The Keychain token is a black arrowhead with a diamond-shaped gap in its center. This Keyblade is known as the Midnight Roar.
"What did I tell you about following me without telling me, girl?" The young man scowled.
"Don't bust a vein, Lucius. I was sent here by the master to fetch you. And when he calls for you, you better get your butt over to him," the girl said.
"Whatever, Kanako. Still, I might as well see what he wants," Lucius said. He and Kanako left and they entered what looks like a mansion in the middle of nowhere. They entered inside and they stood before an elderly man wearing an attire suitable for nobility. He wore a dark brown cape. He has dark orange eyes and a gray beard to match his gray hair.
"I have brought him as you requested, Count Ernesh," Kanako said.
"Thank you, Kanako. Please stay, because it concerns you, too," Count Ernesh said.
"This better be worth it, old man," Lucius said.
"Be patient, my young friend. I have felt an occurrence in the Hoenn region," Count Ernesh said.
"A disturbance, Master?" Kanako asked.
"Yes, my dear. It may have a lot to do with the Blue Orb and the Red Orb. Team Magma and Team Aqua will certainly use it to awaken Groudon and Kyogre from their ancient slumber," Count Ernesh said.
"Okay, and that concerns us, how?" Lucius asked.
"Because Rei Sakura's apprentices will be there to witness the event. Those fools Archie and Maxie have no idea what is to come. Let be either a vast land or an eternal ocean, their plans for a perfect utopia will all be for naught," Count Ernesh said.
"They'll do what they did with Team Rocket. What shall we do, Master?" Kanako asked.
"We will only observe, Kanako. And when the time comes, we will deal with the so-called Guardians of Kingdom Hearts. You may leave," Count Ernesh said. With that said, Lucius and Kanako took their leave as a middle-aged man who appeared to be an older Riku walked in.
"Count, just got word from some of our sources that Hikaru Ōkami has made contact with Kaito Kethum's kid and those other kids. And my son is with them, just as you said he would be," the man said.
"As I have foreseen, Genichiro. His potential for the darkness is being waisted under Rei's tutelage. And as long he has light within, he will be harder to control," Count Ernesh said.
"And that's why my daughter Kanako was easy for you to do it. What makes you think that he'll even bother joining our side?" Genichiro asked.
"Oh, what it will take is the right kind of research, and that may take some time, but we may not have long. By the way, how is the project coming along?" Count Ernesh asked.
"Smoothly. The doc's project is almost finished. It's just like the Organization's scientist's replica program, and he researched it as thoroughly as he could. Should be ready within a few days," Genichiro said.
"Excellent. Before long, Riku will be on the side of darkness, and Kingdom Hearts will be ours," Count Ernesh said as he laughed.
Just how close are Team Magma and Team Aqua at their goals? Who exactly is Count Ernesh and what sort of nasty plans for Riku? The answers will come as we progress on in our story.