Aoi Hyoudou: Thank you for your continued support. I am pleased that the story has retained its popularity. I noticed that some of you enjoy the interactions between Ash, Kat, and Raven, and are hoping to see them together. Let's proceed with the next chapter for now and we'll decide later. As for potential worlds Ash will visit, keep the suggestions coming and consider which ones I will use later.

IX

Middleton, USA - II

"Whoa! So you're saying those things that attacked me earlier were Heartless?" Ron's eyes widened as Ash explained the black shadow creatures that came from people's hearts. Kim seemed skeptical, but Ron was used to encountering all sorts of crazy villains in their world. While it sounded wild, he couldn't help but believe Ash's story.

Ash nodded firmly at his new friend and offered a friendly warning. "You should be cautious around them, or else you might become one," he said.

Ron's grip tightened around Rufus as they both trembled at the possibility. "Please tell me that's not the case!" Rufus vigorously nodded its head in agreement.

"Heartless, huh..." Kim muttered to herself before pulling out her Kimmunicator and contacting her Communication Guru. "Wade!" The moment she switched on the screen, Wade's face appeared and he could immediately tell what she was curious about.

"Give me a second!" Wade's fingers flew across the keyboard as he searched the internet for information on Heartless. After a few moments, he found what he was looking for and turned his computer screen so Kim could see. On the screen was an image of a Shadow, the creature they had been hunting. "Heartless are physical, living manifestations of the darkness within people's hearts. It seems like Ash was able to provide accurate information." Kim's eyes widened in disbelief upon realizing that Ash was actually telling the truth.

"Anything else, Wade?" Now Kim was more curious about how to defeat the Heartless.

Wade nodded in agreement as he quickly typed away on his keyboard. With a few clicks, a new image appeared on his screen. It was a blade that looked like a strangely shaped giant house key. "This here is the Keyblade."

"Key...blade?" Kim's expression was one of confusion as she repeated the name. Although the name seemed simple to her, it appeared that the weapon in question was just an ordinary key.

"Heartless fear the ones who possess a strong heart full of light, as they are the only ones capable of wielding the Keyblade." Kim believed that Ash fit the description based on Wade's explanation.

"I see..." Then the crime fighter fixed her gaze on the Keyblade wielder. "I'm assuming you already have one?"

Ash's grin widened as he extended his hand. Before Kim and Wade could react, the Oathkeeper appeared in a bright flash of light, leaving them startled. Ron, on the other hand, looked completely amazed.

"That's so cool!"

"To think it's actually true." As Wade's jaw dropped, he couldn't believe his eyes as he stared in awe at the Keyblade before him. He was both amazed and shocked to see it, even though he knew he wasn't there in person.

"Well, I guess that solves everything." Kim's initial skepticism dissipated in an instant.

"Man! I'm so full!" Ron led the group out of Bueno Nacho and onto the busy streets, stretching his arms out as he walked. Rufus followed suit and did some stretches of his own while perched on Ron's shoulder.

"Well, you did Grande Size your last meal, Ron!" Kim walked right beside her best friend, crossing her arms and giving him a look.

"Oh, come on, KP! I'm a growing boy!" Ron complained in a whiny, childish tone while his best friend gave him an eye roll in response.

Ash couldn't help but chuckle at his friends' antics as they strolled alongside each other. However, their lighthearted moment of fun and games was abruptly interrupted when they suddenly noticed a large crowd of screaming people running in their direction. "Aaahh! Monster, run!" screamed the man as he ran past the group, his panicked voice echoing through the air.

Ron was the only one who hesitated to head towards the commotion while Ash and Kim exchanged a quick glance and sprinted forward. "Hey, guys!" They both turned their heads towards him, startled by his sudden shout. "Shouldn't we go that way?" he asked, gesturing towards the opposite direction with Rufus nodding in agreement.

"Come on, Ron! We need to check it out!" Kim was frustrated and expressed that she didn't have the time or energy to deal with her friend's unwillingness to face their fears.

"She's right, you know." Ash nodded in agreement with Kim, who was sporting a smile on her face.

"Finally! Someone who understands me!" Ron couldn't help but groan under the pressure, giving in to the weight of it all.

"Fine, I'll go!" The group rapidly proceeded further into the city.

"Mwahahaha!" The scene was absolutely chaotic as Drakken's laughter filled the air, indicating his extreme pleasure with his new machine that was wreaking havoc in the city. People were running helter-skelter, trying to save their lives. The Mecha-Shadow, with its sharp claws, lifted a car and took a bite out of it before throwing the rest aside, which sent it crashing into a nearby newspaper stand, narrowly missing a civilian. The Heartless then attacked a fire hydrant, causing water to shoot up into the sky. It swatted at some parked cars, sending them flying in all directions. Suddenly, its circular eyes started flashing, and it shot a pair of red laser beams at a nearby business building, causing a massive explosion that left behind a gaping hole.

"Excellent!" The scientist was grinning with satisfaction at the chaos caused by his creation as it continued its destructive path. "You see that, Shego?" When he didn't receive an immediate, sarcastic reply, he glanced to his side and noticed that his henchwoman was busily manicuring her nails, seemingly oblivious to what was happening. "Shego!"

"Yeah?" Her boss was infuriated by her unproductive attitude as she continued to clean her nails.

"Pay attention, woman! Can't you see the destruction going on here?" Shego glanced at the doctor and then at the chaotic scene unfolding in the background. The Mecha-Heartless threw another vehicle before emitting a loud mechanical roar.

"So?" She said it once, then turned her gaze to Drakken, who appeared annoyed with a slumped posture in his shoulders and arms due to Shego's lack of support.

"Never mind!" Drakken let out a low grumble as he spun around, turning away from Shego and facing the wreckage again. "Within moments, Kim Possible will arrive and I'll show her and that annoying sidekick of hers that she's not all that." He made a wicked smirk as he declared.

"Woo." Shego nonchalantly blew on her nails, paying no attention to Drakken's disapproving stare.

The sound of heavy footsteps rumbled through the streets as the Mecha-Shadow approached a school bus full of kids and its driver inside. The yellow vehicle was lifted off the street as screams could be heard from the students. Ignoring the chaos, the Heartless opened its mouth and moved the bus closer to its chomping jaws. Suddenly, a spinning Keyblade flew in and collided with the machine's face, resulting in a metallic sound that alarmed Drakken and Shego. The Keyblade staggered the machine momentarily, causing it to drop the school bus, which hit the pavement with a loud thud. The driver quickly hit the gas, and the bus drove off.

Drakken was clearly agitated and demanded to know who was responsible for the act. Meanwhile, the Oathkeeper sword spun back to its wielder, who had kept a safe distance from the chaos. Ash caught the blade with his hand and gradually lowered his arm. Kim let out a frustrated sigh upon seeing Drakken's presence.

"Oh, look who decided to show up. I should have known it was you, Drakken," said the hero with a hint of disdain in her voice. Drakken's face lit up with a smug grin as he saw his arch-nemesis.

"Ah, Kim Possible! Glad you can finally join us." He flashed a grin reminiscent of a smug villain before turning his attention to Ron, whose name seemed to keep slipping from his memory. "And you too, um...what was it again?" He furrowed his brow, trying to recall the name that always irritated Ron.

"Like seriously, dude...It's starting to get old." Drakken carelessly shrugged his shoulders, dismissing any need to remember Ron's name as he turned his attention to the new arrival.

"You!" Drakken exclaimed, his gaze fixated on the Keyblade wielder as if he had just stumbled upon a fascinating discovery. He scrutinized the unfamiliar face for a moment, his interest piqued. "I don't think I have seen you before." He paused, stroking his chin as he pondered the situation. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him: could it be possible that Ash was Kim's other sidekick? It seemed like a random assumption, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there might be more to the story than he initially thought. "Don't tell me Kim Possible has another sidekick?!" Drakken's guess was quickly interrupted by Shego, who pushed him aside to take a closer look at Ash's face. It seemed like she had something to say about it.

"He's kinda cute, whoever he is," she said with a purr, which earned her a disapproving look from Kim's group, and Drakken appeared very annoyed.

"Shego! How many times have I told you not to flirt with the enemy?!" His angry bark made his henchwoman frown and cross her arms.

"I'm just saying."

"A-hem!" Kim cleared her throat in an attempt to redirect everyone's attention to the important matter at hand. Drakken and Shego both turned their focus to the teenage hero. "Sorry to interrupt, but can we please stay focused here?"

"Oh, right, sorry about that." After a moment of losing his cool, Drakken quickly regained his composure and refocused on his master plan. "As you can see here, I have unleashed my latest creation: The Heartless!" he proudly proclaimed, which was met with mixed reactions from the heroes.

"Really?" Kim's face remained deadpan, and she didn't seem too impressed. "That's the name?"

"Yes, really!" Drakken snapped angrily.

"You know, you could give it a cooler name, like Meta-bot!" Ron suggested excitedly, trying to come up with a name that was more creative than the original. However, Ron's suggestion was even lamer than the first one.

"Ron..." Kim brought her hand to her face and shook her head in disappointment.

"What?"

"Mecha-Heartless would have been a better choice." Ron praised Ash's thoughts on the name.

Drakken had had enough. The constant criticism was beginning to wear on him. He was exhausted and frustrated, and when someone finally said something positive, he couldn't help but think, "That's a good one!"

"Enough!" With a shout, the mad genius snapped his fingers, causing his machine's eyes to flash before it slowly turned towards the heroes and began to stomp its way towards them. "This pointless chatter has gone on far enough! It's time to show you what my creation can do. Shego!"

"I don't need to be told twice!" Shego said with a smug expression as her hands began to emit a green and fiery glow. It was evident that she was prepared to engage in a fight.

Kim's eyes narrowed as she faced Shego, knowing that she had to deal with her. She cast a quick glance at her friends and asked them to take care of Drakken's Heartless machine. "I'll handle Shego. You guys need to figure out what to do with the machine."

Ash nodded in agreement, but Ron's face twisted into a look of panic. "What?!" His body trembled with fear as Drakken's Heartless robot advanced. "Have you seen that, KP?! What are we supposed to do?" Without hesitation, Kim charged towards Shego and began fighting her, ignoring any attempts to argue.

"Figure it out, Ron!"

Ron's shoulders visibly slumped in defeat, but he quickly regained his composure and started pondering what they should do with Drakken's machine. However, before he could even devise a plan, he was suddenly grabbed and yanked into the air by the Mecha-Shadow. As the machine moved Ron closer to its face, he nervously waved at it while Rufus peeked out of his shirt pocket. "H-H-Hi...!" Ron stuttered, trying to stay calm. The twenty-foot machine then studied him for a moment before letting out a furious metallic roar, causing Ron to scream in terror.

"Ron!" Ash yelled out and ran towards the Mecha-Shadow. The mechanical creature saw him coming and extended its arm, but Ash anticipated the move and leaped over it as it slammed its claws into the ground, causing debris to scatter. Moving quickly, Ash attacked its face with his Oathkeeper, but upon impact, the weapon shook violently and emitted a loud metallic sound, leaving Ash momentarily stunned. The Heartless machine took the opportunity to swat him away like a fly, leaving the Keyblade wielder at a disadvantage. Ash crashed into the ground, causing even more debris to scatter around him.

"Ash!" Ron cried out, worried about his friend.

Ash got back up and continued his assault after the debris had cleared. He was agile, avoiding the Heartless' predictable movements and striking its body parts repeatedly with his Keyblade. However, each time he landed a blow, the sound of metal clanging echoed through the air, and no visible damage was done to the mechanical creature. When the Mecha-Shadow thrust its claws into the ground where he was standing, he skidded backwards, causing more rubble to scatter. Ash responded by shooting several Fira spells at the mechanical Heartless while carefully observing the fireballs making direct contact.

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

Ron's scream blended with the metallic roar of the Heartless as the fireballs exploded. However, as the smoke cleared, the Heartless remained unharmed despite Ash's attack. Ash was incredulous that all of his attempts to attack proved ineffective. "No way!" he exclaimed.

The sound of maniacal laughter echoed through the area as Drakken boasted about the invincibility of his creation. "Mwahahaha! Nice try, boy, but its body's made from Titanium and it's fire-resistant! None of your attacks will work!" The Keyblade wielder's attempts to slow down Drakken's creation seemed futile.

Ash's glance briefly landed on the evil doctor, causing him to let out a sigh and drop his guard. Unfortunately, this proved to be a costly mistake as the Mecha-Shadow took advantage and swung its arm, knocking Ash off his feet. He was sent flying backwards and landed hard against a nearby car, his back taking the brunt of the impact. "Great..." Ash groaned in pain as he felt a sharp sensation, his face contorted in discomfort.

"Ash!" Ron cried out as he looked for his friend. But he quickly realized that he was in danger as the mechanical Heartless started moving its arm and pulling him towards its open mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. "Oh no, oh no, oh no! Somebody help me!"

Ash swiftly shook off the cobwebs and realized that Ron was in danger. The mechanical Heartless was closing in on him, ready to make him its meal. He called out to Ron, struggling to get up himself as his wounds continued to sting. Scanning the area, he spotted a bright blue sphere sparkling a few feet away. The design on the sphere reminded him of a snowflake, and he realized it was the magic orb that Master Yen Sid had mentioned before. Without wasting any time, Ash darted towards it, grabbing it in his hands. When his fingers touched the orb, he felt a sudden chill that made him shudder and see his own breath. To calm himself down, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Suddenly, he felt a new wave of power coursing through his veins. A voice whispered the name of a spell to him, urging him to learn it. "Blizzaga..." the words escaped his lips.

Learned Blizzaga

Ash's eyes opened wide and he quickly grabbed his Oathkeeper, pointing it towards the menacing Mecha-Shadow. He prepared to cast a new spell and focus his power on the blade's tip. "Blizzaga!" he shouted out as he released a surge of energy, sending a cold sheet of block ice towards the mechanical Heartless. At first, it appeared that the robot was unaffected by the attack, but soon the sound of cracking ice could be heard. As the ice began to spread, it engulfed the arm holding Ron captive, causing the Mecha-Shadow to falter.

Ron shivered as he felt the temperature plummeting. He watched with growing dread as the blanket of ice moved closer and closer towards him. "Brr! That's cold!" he muttered to himself.

Ash took advantage of the Mecha-Shadow's immobility caused by the sheet of ice and decided to act. He sprinted forward, prompting the Heartless to divert its attention to the charging Keyblade wielder. The creature extended its non-frozen arm to attack, but Ash skillfully leaped over its sluggish attempt and lunged at the near-frozen arm. He slashed at it with a fluid motion, creating a swooshing sound as the Keyblade made contact.

After landing safely on his feet, Ash turned to face the machine. At first glance, it didn't seem like his attack had done much damage. However, soon the Heartless' frozen arm began to lose balance, causing a creaking metallic sound to fill the air. Before long, the arm came off completely and crashed to the ground with a resounding thud. The creature's claws released their grip on Ron, who breathed a sigh of relief.

"No, no, no, no!" Drakken exclaimed with surprise as he watched his latest creation losing the fight. He began pulling on his blue face in frustration.

The Mecha-Shadow's eyes slowly shifted towards its damaged arm, with wires sticking out and cracks of electricity sparking. Soon, its circular eyes flashed in anger as it glanced back at the Keyblade wielder and roared fiercely, causing Ash's body to stiffen up. Red glowing lights began flashing in the Heartless' eyes before a pair of laser beams shot directly at the Keyblade wielder, who quickly leaped out of the way before a loud explosion occurred from his original spot.

BOOM

The Mecha-Heartless fiercely attacked the charging Keyblade wielder with laser beams, but the skilled warrior managed to dodge each one of them, causing explosions with every miss. As the battle continued, Ash swiftly slid under the massive machine and unleashed a powerful Blizzaga spell at one of its legs, instantly freezing it solid. He then quickly got up and charged forward at the immobilized leg, slicing through it with a swift motion of the Oathkeeper. The impact caused ice shards and machine parts to fly everywhere, making the mechanical beast lose its balance and stumble forward with a loud thud.

With a fierce determination, Ash unleashed a barrage of Blizzaga spells at the machine, watching as each one hit its mark and froze it solid. He knew he had to finish the battle quickly, so he charged up a powerful Fira spell and launched it at the frozen Heartless. The impact of the spell caused a massive explosion, ending the battle once and for all.

BOOM

With a powerful explosion, debris was sent flying in every direction by a strong gust of wind. Ash and Ron had to use their arms to shield themselves from the flying ice shards and robot parts, including the Shadow's head that soared into the sky. Suddenly, the gigantic head descended down to the ground with a loud thud, causing the streets to shake. The Shadow's eyes flickered for a moment before shutting down completely, indicating that the battle had reached its climax.

Ron quickly rushed over to Ash's side, congratulating him on his victory. "Alright, Ash! You did it!" he exclaimed with excitement.

"No!" Drakken yelled in frustration and disbelief as he realized he had lost again, gnawing on his labcoat and angrily chewing on it. After carefully considering the situation, he realized it was best to initiate a tactical retreat in order to regroup and avoid things from escalating further. He called out to Shego. "Shego!"

"Huh?" Shego spared a quick glance at her boss, which proved to be a costly mistake as Kim was able to land a swift kick to her midsection. She stumbled backwards, but quickly recovered and jumped to Drakken's side, visibly annoyed.

Ash and Ron quickly joined Kim as they stood in front of the defeated villain who still seemed smug despite his loss. "You may have won this time, Kim Possible!" he declared before pressing a button on his belt, revealing a jetpack. "But I'll be back! Mwahaha!" With that, he took off into the sky, with Shego wrapping her arms around his shoulder as they retreated.

The heroine teen let out a deep sigh, feeling hopeless that her arch-nemesis would ever change. Kim caught the gaze of her friends and flashed them a warm smile. "Great job, everyone," she praised them.

"Well, Ash did all the work, you know!" replied Ron, which Kim already knew.

"I know."

"But I'm starving!"

"Ron!" Kim groaned, pinching her nose in annoyance. "You just ate."

"What, KP?! I told you I'm a growing boy!" he argued, which Rufus nodded in agreement. It too was hungry after everything occurred.

Ash couldn't help but chuckle at their argument. Soon he fixed his gaze to the sky and smiled. "Thank you for your help, Aqua," he muttered to himself, thanking the voice he had heard earlier for assisting him in his fight against the Mecha-Shadow.

Hope you had a great time watching the battle. It was a bit longer, but it was a good struggle for Ash as it gave him the chance to learn a new skill. By the way, that voice he heard during the battle was actually Aqua's, even though it was never indicated. With this world completed, it's now onward to the next one. Any guesses on what it could be?