Aoi Hyoudou: Holy cow, I'm revisiting this story after six years since no one adopted it. I am feeling old! PokéHearts is one of my favorite series I have ever worked on, but unfortunately, I never got to finish it due to other side projects. This time around, I am hoping it will receive more love. However, I am still undecided on the worlds that Ash may be visiting throughout the story. I am open to suggestions, and perhaps I might consider using them. It is important to note that since it is a teen-rated series, please ensure that some of the potential worlds are not M-rated. It would not be easy to work around them without changing the rating.

VI

Jirga Para Lhao - I

"Argh!" Lea grunted as he slid across the rooftop, barely avoiding the unexpected fireball from the hooded assailant. Lea's black overcoat was emitting black smoke from the aftermath. After recovering, the red-haired Somebody looked up and noticed that the mysterious hooded figure wielding the Keyblade was nowhere to be found. "Damn!" He muttered under his breath, frustrated that the encounter didn't go as planned. "He could at least hold back a little!" Lea regained his composure and fixed his gaze on Merlin's place, pondering a lingering thought. "What's his plan? Why, now..."

Next morning...

"Waaaahhhhhhh!" The Great Ninja Yuffie was crying with tears in her eyes upon learning that Ash was leaving for his journey. She hugged him tightly, rubbing her cheek against his and refusing to let go. Ash was taken aback by her sudden behavior and stood still, blushing slightly. Aerith felt sorry for her friend, while Cid seemed indifferent, and Leon appeared annoyed with the female ninja, putting his hand on his face. "You just got here!" Leon was highly annoyed by her constant whining and complaints.

"Yuffie, please..." he said with a low growl. "Let go of Ash!" It was a direct order.

Yuffie was irritated and gave her friend a sharp look. "You wouldn't understand, Squall!" Leon expressed his annoyance by rolling his eyes.

"It's Leon!"

"Now, now, you two-" Merlin intervened before things got heated, preventing the need to use his magic to fix his house again."-let's behave in a civilized manner here!" The old wizard fixed his gaze on Yuffie, trying to convince the girl to release the young prince. "His Majesty must fulfill his role as a Keyblade wielder. He cannot do that if you keep sticking by his side." The ninja still refuses to listen to reason. "Don't worry, he will come back and visit everyone, just like Sora and his friends did." The mention of Sora's ability to visit often after his long journey brought realization to the ninja.

"Fine..." Yuffie sighed in frustration and released her hold on Ash, much to his relief and gratitude towards Merlin.

The elderly wizard shifted his focus onto Ash. "Now, your High-" He briefly paused when he heard the young man let out a small groan. He still felt uncomfortable being treated like royalty. "-Ash." After realizing his mistake, he corrected himself, and the teenager responded with a small smile. "Your journey from this point on will not be easy, and you may encounter many challenges along the way."

"I know." Merlin chuckled, feeling silly, reminding the boy of the dangers that awaited him. Like Sora, he had embarked on several journeys, and this one was no different.

"I always remind Sora, Goofy, and Donald to avoid trouble yet those lads always end up getting into trouble anyway." He shook his head in disbelief.

"You can say that again." Yuffie nodded in agreement with her eyes closed and arms crossed, drawing looks from her friends as if she was in any position to talk. She always causes trouble for them with her mischievous behavior.

Merlin redirected the conversation back to Ash. "During your journey, you'll come across more magic orbs. Be sure to grab them! They'll assist you!" The teenager nodded in response to his instructions.

"Well, do!"

"If you ever feel lost or need someone to talk to for help, please don't hesitate to reach out to us," Leon said with a small genuine smile, crossing his arms.

"And speaking of reaching out-" Cid unexpectedly tossed a device at Ash, who began juggling it as he hadn't expected to receive anything from the "old man" Yuffie referred to. "-that should help. It allows you to communicate with anyone, and don't f #$# break it either!" He almost dropped the communicator, startled by the cursing yell.

"Uh, thanks, Cid. I promise I won't break it," Ash smiled awkwardly, and sweat dropped while the mechanic/inventor/pilot nodded firmly in response.

Moments later...

The group gathered outside Merlin's house to give Ash a send-off. Yuffie looked around, annoyed not to see a certain Somebody present to bid farewell to their prince. "That Lea..." She let out a frustrated sigh as she muttered under her breath. "He always runs off at the worst possible time, and he should be here to see Ash off." Aerith couldn't help but giggle at her friend's sudden outburst.

"Oh, don't worry-" She tried to provide reassurance to the ninja. "-I'm sure he's around here somewhere." Lea was hiding nearby in the shadows, arms crossed, staring back.

"Well, I'm off," Ash gazed at his new friends with a sad smile. Although they weren't new, they were still unfamiliar to him since they had just met. "Thank you for everything."

"Take care. We will see you soon." Ash felt relieved when Leon's words reassured him.

"Please, be careful," Aerith had a pleasant and kind voice, which was also very encouraging.

"Don't forget about us, you hear!" Yuffie flashed a wide smile after making her statement, and Leon responded by rolling his eyes.

"You make it sound like he's moving away."

"Shut it, Squall!" Ash chuckled nervously as he watched the two friends argue, feeling a small bead of sweat run down his forehead.

The Keyblade wielder took a deep breath and slammed his fist on his shoulder pauldron. A bright light enveloped him, and when it faded, he was wearing his Keyblade armor. He summoned the Oathkeeper with a flick of his hand and transformed it into his Keyblade glider. After glancing back at the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee, he flew off on his glider with lightning speed, leaving the city behind.

Space.

Ash was gliding through space, but the journey was a little bumpy as he bounced up and down against the gravity pulls. He gripped the handles firmly as he navigated through the asteroid fields, searching for the next world he might stumble upon. Time seemed to pass slowly, but eventually, his high-tech visor sensors detected life signals ahead on his route. As he looked forward, he noticed a massive floating city accompanied by a chain of islands around it. 'My next destination seems to be there. I hope the people are welcoming and friendly.' As he proceeded forward and entered the atmosphere of the new world, he thought to himself in a joking manner.

Jirga Para Lhao - Lei Colmosna

"Whoa..." Ash couldn't help but feel awestruck as he walked across the immense port bridge, which connected to the local marketplace. He had landed safely without arousing any suspicion from the locals. Although he tried his best to blend in, he couldn't help but notice a few murmurs and odd glances from the people around him. In the distance, he saw more floating landscapes, each separated as individual landmarks rather than being connected to the city itself. He also saw various flying vehicles, including buses, cars, and boats, all with unique designs and moving swiftly through the sky. Among them, he saw regular birds, but they were mainly on the ground, trying to avoid colliding with the high-speed metallic vehicles. This world was different from Radiant Garden in a very unique way.

After thinking he could enjoy his sightseeing without worry of the Heartless, Ash was suddenly knocked to the ground by someone screaming in a foreign language he couldn't understand. "Monstres! Les monstres sont de retour ! Courir!" The woman screamed as the Keyblade wielder dusted himself off, annoyed.

"Some people..." He grumbled to himself, only for his thoughts to be interrupted by more screaming and the sound of people running past him, speaking in the same foreign language as the woman from earlier. As he turned his attention forward, he saw that the city was under attack by black creatures. These were unlike any creatures he had ever seen before, even though they shared the same skin color as the Heartless. They were black, gelatinous lifeforms with tiny, blobby legs and a long, whipping tail. On top of their bodies was a giant, glowing red eyeball that moved around like a real one. These creatures were far more threatening than the Heartless.

However, that was the least of his worries as he noticed someone fending off the creatures with a strange black cat by her side. The young girl had greyish-brown colored skin, long blonde hair, red eyes, and well-defined lips. She wore a peculiar outfit: a sleeveless black romper/playsuit with a cut under her cleavage and on her back decorated with golden accessories. Two golden rings wrapped around her hips, two around her thighs, and one in the shape of the sun on her stomach. She also had a matching headband and a long scarf that reached past her waist.

Ash rushed to the scene and quickly helped the girl. He drew his Keyblade, startling her. "Qui es-tu?" she asked with widened eyes.

Ignoring the girl's language barrier, the Keyblade wielder reassured her that he had come to help. "Don't worry, I am here to assist you!" The red-eyed girl looked at him with confusion, but soon, a feeling of trust washed over her. She grinned and nodded.

"Merci!" She thanked the Keyblade wielder, although he didn't understand her words, he nodded in acknowledgment.

The two heroes turned away from each other and stared down at the black creatures. Ash quickly lunged forward at one of them and swung his blade, which made contact and sliced off the creature's long tail. It screeched in pain, but it was just a trick to lower his guard. The tail regenerated itself in the blink of an eye, surprising the young teen. "What the? It already healed itself?" The monster took advantage of the situation and used its newly repaired tail to whip at the confused teenager. The teen noticed the strike coming towards him and quickly used the Oathkeeper to block the attack. The force of the impact pushed him back towards the girl, but he managed to regain his footing afterwards.

The girl noticed that Ash was having a hard time fighting against the unfamiliar creatures. She quickly looked at him after dodging an attack and kicked one of the black foes towards another one, causing both of them to be defeated. "Hé! C'est celui-là! Attaquez leurs yeux!" She spoke to him in her native language, causing the Keyblade wielder to look at her strangely when he turned to face her.

"What?"

The girl tried to explain herself clearly, but her face twisted in annoyance as she attempted to do so once more. "J'ai dit que c'était leurs yeux! Attaquez leurs yeux! C'est leur faiblesse!" Ash was at a loss for words as she threw a tantrum, unable to comprehend. "Qu'est-ce que tu fais à me regarder, espèce d'idiot! Je t'ai dit d'aller chercher leurs yeux! Pourquoi tu n'écoutes pas m-" As she observed the teenager, she gradually realized that he was unable to comprehend what she was saying. His peculiar attire, though she did not wish to judge his fashion sense, indicated that he might not be a local. She needed to act fast, so she tried a new approach, hoping it would work. She repeatedly pointed to her eye, then to the monsters, and then back to her eye again. She continued doing this until the Keyblade wielder finally understood what she was trying to convey.

"Of course...their eyes!" he said out loud, which made the girl happy.

Ash turned away from his companion and shifted his focus to the monsters, a smirk etched onto his face. He dashed forward, causing the creatures to sneer at his incoming form. In response, they whipped their long tails simultaneously at the overconfident teenager. However, the Keyblade wielder had predicted this and swiftly leaped up high, avoiding their strike. He immediately dove back down, clutching his weapon with both hands and slicing downward at the first eyeball that came into his view. The monster screeched frantically in pain before dissolving into nothingness. Ash then turned his attention to the remaining two creatures. He quickly jabbed the tip of his Oathkeeper into one eyeball before jumping back to avoid an incoming strike from the third creature. He answered right back with Fira directly at its eyeball. The Keyblade wielder landed safely, watching as the black monsters screeched in agony before disappearing in black particles. Ash let out a deep breath, thinking the crisis was over, but soon, more of the black creatures started to appear. The teen let out a frustrated sigh before charging forward once more.

The girl delivered a series of quick punches to one creature, followed by a swift kick to another. Then, she activated her gravity powers for a brief moment, sending the rest of the monsters off the edge of the city. Their screeching cries echoed as they plummeted to their doom below. After catching her breath and wiping the sweat from her face, she was confronted with more monsters, some with wings, that suddenly appeared and surrounded her once again. She gritted her teeth in frustration, realizing that this fight may take longer than she had expected.

"Ha!" Ash wielded his Keyblade, striking down yet another monster. As it vanished, he spun around, quickly shooting a Fira spell at a creature that had been waiting behind him. Despite their progress, the situation remained ominous. For every monster they defeated, more appeared to take their place, and they found themselves being cornered from both the ground and air. These foes were proving to be more troublesome than they had initially seemed. 'What should we do now...' He glared at the monsters, running low on options as he gripped his Keyblade. Then an interesting idea popped into his mind when he glanced at his Keyblade once more. 'If taking them down individually won't do, perhaps there's a way to take them all out at once!' Taking the risk was worth it. If all else failed, he didn't want to think about it now.

Ash began to swing the Oathkeeper from its keychain around and around, gaining momentum. He closed his auburn eyes and focused all his strength, paying no attention to the monsters that were moving closer. With one final swing, Ash threw the Oathkeeper into the air like a frisbee. The Keyblade hit the first monster in its path and bounced off, striking another one. The Oathkeeper continued to eliminate every monster in sight like a spinning pinball, making contact with each one. Even as the monsters tried to flee, the spinning blade found its way to them and eliminated them in an instant.

As the spinning blade took down one of the winged creatures, it headed straight towards the blonde girl. Sensing the danger, Ash dashed towards the young girl and tackled her to the ground, completely startling her. The Oathkeeper barely missed them by a hair. The blade seemed to be wrapping things up as it sliced the final monster in half before making a round trip towards its wielder. Ash bravely held his hand out, hoping the blade would cease its attack. Almost as if it had a mind of its own, it slowed down long enough for Ash to catch it in his grasp, and all the monsters were defeated.

Ash stood up from the ground with a deep sigh and fixed his gaze on his Keyblade. "You are truly remarkable, aren't you?" he whispered to the Oathkeeper.

Just as Ash was holding the Keyblade, he felt someone bump into him and wrap him in a warm hug. Startled, he looked at the person and saw the blonde girl hugging him tightly with a smile on her face. She eventually let go of him and gave him a big grin. The Keyblade had disappeared. "Tu étais formidable!" She praised him in her native language, but the young teenager still could not comprehend what she had just said. Judging by her expression, he assumed she was thanking him for saving her life.

"Oh, uh...you're welcome?" he awkwardly replied, causing the blonde girl to blink before bursting into laughter. Ash was speechless. After the girl's laughter subsided, she wiped her red eyes and realized they hadn't been introduced.

"Oh, où sont mes manières? Je m'appelle Kat! Ravi de me rencontrer! Quel est ton nom?" Ash felt completely bewildered. He couldn't decipher what Kat had just said. Realizing that their language skills were vastly different, Kat crossed her arms and contemplated for a moment, which didn't go unnoticed. Soon, an idea dawned on her, and a smile spread across her face. "Je pense que je connais quelqu'un qui peut m'aider! Suis-moi!" She grabbed Ash's wrist and pulled him along with her.

"Wait, where are you taking me?" the Keyblade wielder demanded.

She flashed another smile as she turned around to face the confused teenager and replied. "Ne t'inquiète pas! Je suis sûr que mon ami peut vous aider à me comprendre!"

"I still don't understand!" She giggled as she dragged him while his shout echoed.

From a safe distance on a rooftop stood a mysterious female figure wearing a white and brown iron mask. She was a tall, pale young woman with long black hair that covered the right side of her face in a bang, which faded to purple and reached past her waist. Her main outfit consisted of a revealing black suit with long, detached sleeves with light brown bracelets at the end, having dark brown borders. Additionally, she was wearing matching accessories under her knees and a matching belt with a dark brown jewel, which revealed her chest, midriff, and hips, showing her panties.

A new adversary has emerged.

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! Ash's goofy interaction with Kat was both entertaining and expected. If you're not familiar with the story, it's from chapter 2 of Gravity Rush 2 when Kat and her group visit Jirga Para Lhao. You probably already know who that mysterious woman was, too. I thought it was hilarious how Ash channeled his inner Thor. There will be more moments like this in future chapters, so stay tuned!