Aoi Hyoudou: Thank you for your continued support. I am pleased that the story has been well-received even after the long hiatus. I will update it as frequently as possible. In the upcoming chapter, expect a significant battle to take place, and keep an eye out for a surprise appearance.
VII
Jirga Para Lhao - II
In a hut building near the docks, a man with dark complexion, white hair, and yellow eyes, dressed in a white-sleeved shirt, started to feel a bit worried. He had sent out a certain blonde girl to take some photos for him around the city's marketplace, and it had been a while since she had left. "J'espère que Kat va bien..." He muttered under his breath while alone in the hut, as his friends had gone out to run their own errands.
BAM
"Ah!" The man yelped as the door was kicked open but smiled at the sight of the familiar girl. "Kat!" As he looked on, a frown tugged at the corners of his mouth when he saw that Kat was pulling a young man behind her. Kat waved at her guardian, still gripping Ash's wrist and pulling him along.
"Syd!" Syd watched as the two teens approached him. Kat released Ash's wrist, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Sydney! Vous devez nous aider! Il ne peut pas me comprendre!" Kat said something to her guardian, but Ash couldn't understand what she said to her friend.
Syd gave her a confused look, not understanding her meaning. "Que veux-tu dire?" He raised an eyebrow as Ash looked confused.
"Dites simplement quelque chose et vous le découvrirez par vous-même!" Kat lamely explained, which caused the man to pinch the bridge of his nose and shake his head. Sometimes, he wondered how he was able to put up with her. Despite his reluctance, he went along with her shenanigans and redirected his gaze back to Ash.
"D'accord, gamin. Qui es-tu? Et as-tu fait quelque chose de bizarre à Kat?" With his arms crossed and a glare, he accused the Keyblade wielder in their native language of something. Syd waited for a response from the baffled teenager, but as time passed without any answer, Ash just stood there with a dumbfounded expression. Kat's words were starting to sink in. "Alors c'est vrai... Vous ne pouvez pas nous comprendre, n'est-ce pas?" The elderly man stared in disbelief at the teenager, who blinked back and confirmed Kat's statement.
Syd remained silent, cupping his chin with interest. It had been a long time since they had encountered someone who couldn't speak their language, and this was a new experience for them. It reminded Syd of a time when they had met a stranger in a black outfit who resembled the boy in front of him. Could they be connected in some way? Regardless, Syd knew he shouldn't waste any time. If this boy was indeed Kat's new friend, he wanted to help them with their problem.
Syd raised one finger, indicating to both teenagers that he would return in a moment to search for a solution to their problem. Kat beamed at her guardian while Ash nodded slowly, still uncertain about what was happening. They watched as the white-haired man searched the entire hut for something they could use to communicate with the Keyblade wielder. Syd threw paper, boxes, furniture and even a rubber ducky around the room in a desperate attempt to find the one object that could assist them. "Où cela pourrait-il être?" Syd couldn't find the object and wondered if their friends moved it.
He spotted a small box on the floor, which he immediately recognized. "A-ha! Comment puis-je rater ça?!" He bent over, picked it up, and then removed the top. Inside, there was a small device that resembled some earpiece. The object appeared quite old, covered in dirt and cobwebs. Despite its appearance, its functionality was still crucial. Syd removed it from its box, blowing away the dirt and cobwebs before giving it a thorough inspection. Satisfied that it was still in working condition, he approached Kat and Ash at a steady pace, offering the device to the Keyblade wielder, who stared at it and then looked at the older man in confusion. "Je pense que cela devrait fonctionner. Mettez-le dans votre oreille." He told the teenager to put the device in his ear, but he forgot that Ash didn't understand him. After realizing his mistake, Syd opted for a different approach. He pointed at the device first, then at his own ear, and repeated the cycle until the Keyblade wielder understood.
"I assume you want me to put this in my ear. Let me know if I understood you correctly," He was a bit skeptical, but Kat's guardian nodded. The teen slowly took the small device from Syd's hand and carefully inserted it into his right ear, making sure it was securely in place. "So how do I know this will even-" He heard beeping noises from the small gadget, indicating it was turning on with flashing colorful lights. After a while, the beeping stopped, but the lights remained steady.
As a test to confirm the functionality of the translator device, Syd gestured to Kat and requested that she say something to Ash. Knowing her task, Kat promptly complied. "S-So...can you understand us now?" she asked in a much fluent English, which made Ash's eyes widen in surprise. He couldn't believe the device actually worked.
"Y-yeah...I can," he replied, amazed, as the grinning Kat fixed her gaze on Syd.
"You heard that, Syd? It actually worked!" The white-haired man was quite shocked but also amazed, like everyone else.
"I didn't expect it to work either since it hasn't been used for a while," He acknowledged with a tired grin. "You can keep it if you want." As the young teen glanced back at him, he told Ash. "This would likely be more beneficial to you than it would be to us."
"Really? Thanks!" Syd grinned at the teenager's humble demeanor.
"Anytime, kid." Due to the language barrier earlier, he didn't know the teen's name. Now, with the barrier removed, it's time for a proper introduction. "Oh, now that you can understand us, let us introduce ourselves properly. I'm Syd." Ash looked at the man strangely upon realizing he shared the same name with the other Cid but with a different spelling. Ignoring the teenager's expression, he went ahead and introduced Kat. "I believe you have already met Kat, but she can be difficult." The playful jab didn't go well for Syd. Kat glared at him, fists on hips.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Her voice was filled with annoyance as she asked with a sharp gaze.
Syd took a step back and waved his hand defensively as a bead of sweat dripped down the back of his head. He had spoken his mind truthfully, but he didn't expect that one comment would offend her so much. He genuinely meant well, but it seemed like his good intentions weren't enough to prevent her from feeling hurt. "Hey, I was just telling the truth as it is!" Kat puffed her cheeks and turned her attention back to Ash, ignoring the man.
"So, what's your name?" Her cheerful disposition returned to normal as she asked.
"It's Ash. Ash Ketchum." Upon hearing the name, Syd's eyes widened. Though it sounded familiar, he chose not to acknowledge it, instead greeting the teen.
"It's nice to meet Ash." Syd's smile was genuine.
"Same here!" Kat leaned close to Ash's face, making him a little uncomfortable. She was impressed by what Ash had done earlier with the monsters."You were amazing! You took down those Nevi with ease!" Her high praise was quickly overshadowed by the creatures' name, confirming his earlier assumption that they weren't Heartless.
"It turns out that they were not Heartless after all." Upon hearing his reply, his new friends quickly glanced at each other before turning back to the Keyblade wielder, surprised to learn that their recent encounters with the Nevi were not what they had seemed.
"I understand now. Those creatures we recently encountered with yellow eyes and antennas were not Nevi," Syd, who was clearly intrigued, muttered while cupping his chin with his hand. "We believed that they transformed into different shapes." After a while, he let out a deep sigh. "We have more problems to worry about, which is not great."
"Don't worry, Syd!" With her infectious grin, the always high-energy Kat was doing her best to alleviate the man's concerns. "We will take care of them-" Her beautiful red eyes shifted their focus onto her new friend."-right?"
Ash couldn't help but grin back. He couldn't refuse his duty as a Keyblade wielder to fight the Heartless."Right!"
"Oh, great..." Syd expressed his disbelief by groaning and covering his face with his palm. "There's two of them now!" He couldn't believe there was another person who acted like Kat. One was bad enough, but with two, it would drive him insane.
Suddenly, Syd's worries grew worse as they heard shouting outside. "Attention residents of Jirga Para Lhao, we are aware of the presence of the Shifter and her companion with the unique house key. Surrender them immediately to avoid severe consequences!"
The teens sprinted forward after exchanging a glance, startling Syd. "Hey, wait! It's a t-" They were already sprinting towards the marketplace before he could stop them. "Those idiots..."
Ash and Kat's footsteps echoed loudly against the bridge's pavement as they rushed to confront the trouble lurking in the city. Ahead, near the marketplace, a group of creeps had created a blockade. They were dressed in strange outfits resembling martial arts attire, with large, flat hats. However, some of the higher-ranking soldiers wore helmets similar to those of firefighters, along with face masks that completely obscured their faces. The regular foot soldiers wore red rags that covered their mouths. This group was the Garrison Force, a military unit under the control of the Council that oversees the authority of the city.
The leader of the Garrison unit, donning a knight-like armored facemask, noticed the approaching figures of the teens. Behind his mask, an evil smirk played on his lips. "Good, they are here hehehehe." He activated his built-in mask radio and signaled a foot soldier to deploy their secret weapon. "Do it!"
Two soldiers, one wearing a knight-like armored facemask, were standing guard near a control panel. One of them received orders from their leader and nodded to his comrade to press the big red button on the panel. The other soldier nodded back and pushed the button, making a clicking sound. "Go, Night Gale! Teach those brats a lesson!" The woman in the iron mask received a signal and leaped off the rooftop with her raven.
Ash and Kat came to an abrupt stop when Night Gale suddenly landed ahead of them. She stood between them and the military goons, providing a safe barrier. The Keyblade wielder was startled by the new threat and immediately noticed the pained expression on Kat's face when she saw a familiar person standing in their way. "R-Raven?" Her pathetic pleas fell on deaf ears as her friend shrugged them off and took a battle stance. "What are you doing? Why are you helping these creeps? Answer me, Raven!" Night Gale's body started emanating a dark aura, which was a signal that more trouble was about to happen. Suddenly, unexpected shadows appeared as puddles and started moving around on the bridge. Gradually, they emerged from the ground, taking the forms of Shadow and Neoshadow.
"Heartless!" Ash quickly materialized his Oathkeeper with lightning speed, firmly grasping it in his hand.
Night Gale wasted no time in attacking Ash. She moved past Kat, who seemed to be conflicted, with incredible speed and charged straight at Ash. Night Gale then executed a flying kick aimed at Ash. Instinctively, Ash used his Keyblade as a shield to block her attack. The sound of metal echoed in the air as Night Gale's heel connected with the blade. Ash stood his ground with clenched teeth, successfully blocking the unexpected attack. However, the evil Raven wasn't done yet. She swung her other leg and delivered a swift, powerful kick to his cheek, sending him tumbling to the ground with a thud. Raven then executed a backflip somersault in the air before safely landing at a distance.
"Ow..." Ash winced and Kat rushed to his side.
"Ash!" The Shifter helped her friend up, feeling awful that Raven attacked him. She then shifted her sharp gaze to Night Gale.
"Raven!" she shouted with a bit of anger in her voice. "I don't understand why you're doing this. I thought that we had moved past this!" Night Gale paid no attention to her opponent's words and continued her attack. But this time, Kat had enough of her friend's reckless behavior and stood her ground against the incoming Raven. They clashed, with Kat successfully dodging and sidestepping some of Night Gale's quick punches and swift kicks. However, she was caught off guard when Night Gale delivered a knee strike to her gut and pulled her hair, causing her to crash into several wooden crates, leaving her momentarily stunned. The blonde Shifter managed to compose herself despite feeling disoriented and noticed Night Gale descending towards her with a diving kick. She quickly used her Gravity Shift abilities to dodge the attack and found herself levitating in the sky while keeping a safe distance from Night Gale. However, Night Gale responded by activating her own Gravity Shift powers and flew upwards to Kat, resulting in a fight that took place high up in the sky.
Ash was recovering from Night Gale's earlier attack when he noticed that Kat was struggling to defend herself against Raven's constant attacks. He observed that Kat wasn't even attempting to hit Raven, who was ignoring all of her pleas and relentlessly striking her with punches and kicks. Ash knew he had to help Kat, but before he could do that, he had to deal with the Heartless. Several Shadows attacked him, but he quickly defeated them with his Oathkeeper. He then used a series of Fira spells to destroy them, causing them to dissolve into black particles. The Neoshadows surrounded him and tried to attack him, but Ash was able to sidestep their strikes and counter with his own combo strikes, finishing them off with a Fira spell. With the bridge clear of Heartless, Ash turned his attention to the sky battle above.
Night Gale had Kat pinned against the slow-pacing windmill by her throat. The blonde Shifter was gasping for air while trying to pry her friend's grip off, only to feel it more tightened. Just when Raven thought she had defeated her fellow Shifter, a speeding fireball came out at her and made direct contact with her back, causing Raven to wince and loosen her grip around Kat's throat. Kat coughed violently after she could finally breathe, massaging her neck to make sure no physical damage was done.
Night Gale diverted her attention from Kat and focused on the smirking Keyblade wielder below. Annoyed, she clenched her hand into a fist and charged down towards him. Ash managed to avoid the diving fist by skidding backwards. Night Gale then dashed forward and attempted a high kick, but Ash was able to dodge it and countered with a blade swing. However, the masked Shifter leaped over the strike in midair, avoiding any contact. Unfortunately for Night Gale, she was left vulnerable in midair, and two wooden barrels were flying towards her. One of them collided with her, knocking her back down to the bridge. The second barrel hit her directly, staggering her a bit, which gave Ash the opportunity to fire a direct Fira spell at her. Night Gale couldn't brace for impact as the fireball engulfed her.
BOOM
Once the smoke cleared, Raven dropped to one knee. Her body was marked with fresh burns and black smoke. As she lifted her head, bits of spark electricity leaked from her cracked iron mask. Ash suspected that the mask could be controlling Raven's strange behavior. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the foot soldiers who had been guarding the control panel were freaking out because the machine was having technical issues. This confirmed Ash's suspicions that Raven was under some form of control or brainwashing. 'They are the ones controlling Kat's friend; to set her free, we must remove her mask.' He needed to inform Kat about Raven's current situation. The blonde girl was still suspended in the air, recovering from her fight with Night Gale.
"Kat!" he yelled, and the girl glanced downward to hear his loud voice.
"Yeah, Ash?" Curious about what he wanted from her, she shouted back
"It's crucial that we remove the mask she's wearing. Those guys are controlling her." He explained in detail, putting Kat's mind at ease, knowing her comrade had no reason to betray her. "We need to collaborate on this task. Can you manage it?"
"Just say the word, Ash!" With a nod, Kat replied, her mind now set on liberating her fellow Shifter.
Ash glanced back at Night Gale, who was slowly getting back to her feet. He knew that the timing of his next move had to be precise as any slight mishap could ruin everything. Once he had decided on his next move, he dashed forward, causing the brainwashed woman to tense up and prepare for his attack. However, at the last possible moment, the Keyblade wielder jumped back and aimed the tip of his Oathkeeper towards Raven's feet, launching a fireball. As expected, Raven leaped up into the air to avoid the Fira spell, which Ash had anticipated.
"Now, Kat!" he yelled, giving the Shifter her cue to deliver the final punch.
Kat wasted no time in executing her signature move as she unleashed her Gravity skills at full power, her body glowing a bright shade of red as the aura around her intensified. She then charged forward at lightning speed towards Night Gale, who was now vulnerable and unable to dodge the oncoming attack. With high velocity, Kat's tackle made direct contact with Night Gale's stomach, knocking the wind out of her breath and causing her to crash into a pile of wooden crates. Once Kat backed off, Night Gale was left gasping for air and struggling to recover. Her mask dropped to the pavement with a metallic sound, alerting the Garrison Force that Raven was no longer under their control.
"No...this can't be! Night Gale was defeated?!" The Garrison Force Captain's voice was filled with panic as he couldn't believe that their secret weapon had been lost to a group of children. He knew that his superiors would be displeased with the news and he had to act quickly to make things right. "All right, men! It's time for plan B. Move out and take care of these p-" He noticed all his men lying unconscious before he could give his order. "What the hell? Who-" A solitary figure in a black coat brandished a Keyblade over the defeated bodies. "-wait! You're supposed to be on our side!"
"Who said I was?" The figure swiftly eliminated the Captain with a single strike, causing the black Keyblade to vanish. "You will face consequences for messing with someone who is important to me." After opening a mysterious dark portal, the figure walked through it and disappeared before anyone could notice.
Meanwhile, Kat was trying to keep Raven's breathing steady, but it was becoming heavy with beads of sweat dripping down her face. "Raven! Raven! Please hang on!" The blonde shifter pleaded with tears in her eyes, gripping her friend's hand tightly. Raven's condition was deteriorating after absorbing the full impact of Kat's finisher, causing her face to become paler than usual.
Sensing Raven's condition deteriorating, Ash searched for a way to improve it before it was too late. Suddenly, a memory came to him. Before he left for Radiant Garden, Master Yen Sid had gifted him two spells, one of which was Fira, and the other was Cura. Perhaps Cura could help with Raven's injuries. It was worth a try.
"Kat, let me take over for a second here." The Keyblade wielder informed his friend, who looked at him with confusion.
"What do you mean?"
Ignoring his friend, Ash summoned his Keyblade and pointed it at Raven. He closed his eyes and focused before casting his spell. "Cura!" The name lingered on his lips and triggered something within Kat, causing her to stare at the Oathkeeper. It was emitting a strange, green glow. Soon, that same light enveloped Raven's body, startling Kat as she felt a new surge of life poured into her fellow Shifter's body when she grasped her hand. Raven's injuries from the battle were quickly disappearing, and her breathing seemed to be returning to a normal rhythm. As the glow faded, Ash opened his eyes and smiled at Kat.
"She's going to be fine. All she needs now is some rest." He informed Kat that Raven was out of danger, which made her sigh in relief and admire Ash's skills.
"Thank you, Ash! You're truly amazing, you know that!"
"I try," He lightened the mood with a joke but quickly redirected the conversation to the important matter at hand. "Let's take Raven back to Syd. I'm sure he's worried about us." Kat nodded in agreement to his suggestion.
The next day...
"Well, Ash, I don't know what you did, but Raven will be fine. She just needs an extra day or so to regain her strength and appetite before she's back on her feet," Syd let out a sigh of relief as he addressed the Keyblade wielder.
"That's good to hear." Ash was happy to hear that Raven was making a complete recovery.
"But why are you leaving now when she's not better, Ash?" Ash, Syd and Kat were outside the hut building in Jirga Para Lhao. Kat pouted while signaling the end of the Keyblade wielder's stay. "At least, stay another day!" She pleaded with puppy-dog eyes.
"Now, now, Kat! You know Ash is a busy person and he can't always have time to play around with you." Syd gently scolded the Shifter for being a little self-centered but also empathized with her dislike of goodbyes.
"Shut it!" The girl growled and glared at the white-haired man, who slowly backed away to avoid her wrath.
"But Syd is right tho." Syd and Kat were taken aback when Ash concurred with the man's statement. "I still have a journey to continue, but I promise to come back and visit to see how Raven is doing. And, of course, to see how you guys are doing as well. This is not a goodbye, but a new beginning for something to come." The pair was impressed by Ash's words of encouragement.
"It's impressive to hear such wise words from someone as young as you." Syd grinned mischievously, teasing playfully.
"I get that a lot," Ash scratched his head and replied in a sheepish manner.
The Keyblade wielder was surprised when Kat wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a warm embrace, startling both him and Syd. It was unusual for Kat to show any form of affection in public. Leaning close to the teenager's ear, the Shifter whispered softly. "I appreciate everything you have done." She thanked him for everything he did for her and Raven, putting a smile on Ash's face as he accepted the hug.
"You're welcome."
However, Kat pulled away with a frown, replacing her previously happy expression as she stared at her friend, still having some doubts. "Will you promise to come visit us?" To make sure her friend wasn't going back on his word, she asked again.
Ash smiled and said, "I'll never break my promises to my friends." Kat grinned with relief and satisfaction.
I love the way Gravity Rush ends. It was one of my favorite games back then, and I enjoyed writing it. I hope there will be a Gravity Rush 3 so that we can have a proper conclusion to Kat's story. By the way, I hope you enjoyed the twists I added to the story. They were intended to create moments of suspense. Now, it's time to move on to the next world. Can you guess what it is?