Aoi Hyoudou: Thank you for your continued support. It's always great to see readers enjoying the additional scenes and content added to a story. Chapter after chapter, I strive to make my writing as entertaining as possible. In the previous chapter, I mentioned that Ash would come across some familiar faces and gain some insights into his Nobody. As the story progresses, Ash's character will continue to evolve and mature.
XV
Familiar Faces
Ash soared through the vast expanse of open space, surrounded by glittering stars, drifting asteroids, and a tranquil atmosphere. It was a familiar scene that hinted at his recent departure from Radiant Garden and his return to the rough and unpredictable journey that lay ahead. Despite the occasional gravitational pull, everything had been quiet for a while. He hadn't encountered any signs of unusual activity on his course, which he considered a stroke of amazing luck.
The Keyblade wielder was surprised when his high-tech visor detected a nearby world. It was unusual for him to come across a world so quickly, and he was intrigued. As he looked ahead, he saw a floating world with a train rail, a tall clock tower, and a sun that never seemed to rise or set. The world felt strangely familiar to him, even though he was sure he had never been there before. Despite the odd feeling, Ash decided to explore the new world and started guiding his glider towards it, wondering what kind of adventure awaited him there.
Twilight Town - Market Street
Ash found himself wandering through the bustling market streets of the town, taking in the sights and sounds of the lively atmosphere. As he strolled along, he couldn't help but marvel at the variety of shops that lined the winding, sloping road. From armor and weapons to accessories and trinkets, there seemed to be something for everyone. One shop in particular caught Ash's eye - a quaint little store run by a peculiar white creature with a large pink nose that looked almost like a plush toy. Despite its unusual appearance, the creature seemed friendly and welcoming, beckoning Ash inside to take a closer look at its wares.
"Thank you for visiting! Please come visit again, kupo!" the Moogle said cutely, waving its arm goodbye to Ash who made a random purchase at its shop.
As the Keyblade wielder approached the end of the sloping path, his eyes were drawn to an alley that seemed to be calling out to him. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should investigate, but his curiosity got the better of him. He cautiously made his way into the narrow alley, keeping his guard up. As Ash made his way down the narrow path, he eventually came to a stop in front of a door that led to an apartment building. Despite never having been there before, he couldn't shake the feeling that it looked familiar. He quickly glanced around to make sure no one was watching before taking a deep breath and reaching for the doorknob. To his surprise, he found that the door was unlocked and opened it slowly, causing it to emit a loud creak. With the door now partly open, Ash cautiously peered inside.
"Hello?" Ash cautiously called out, making sure he wasn't intruding if someone was inside. After a moment of silence, the Keyblade wielder pushed the door open, allowing some light to filter into the dimly lit apartment.
Ash stepped into the quiet room and began examining the area. The room was a small single bedroom that lacked any closets or bathrooms, but it did have a window with the curtains drawn shut, blocking out any sunlight. The bed was pushed up against the corner of the room next to the window and there was a dresser on the opposite side of the room with three picture frames positioned on top of it. As Ash made his way across the room, the wooden floor creaked under his weight. The previous occupant was no longer present, but a few items had been left behind. Other than that, the room was completely empty.
Ash approached the dresser and took a closer look at the picture frames. As he picked up the first frame, he recognized a red-haired man wearing a black coat. It was Lea, or so he thought. In the picture, Lea had a purple teardrop-shaped marking under each eye and was grinning while hugging a small figure. Ash's eyes widened in shock as he identified the person with Lea in the photo.
"This can't be real," he muttered in disbelief, his gaze fixated on the figure before him. It looked just like him, except for the crimson red eyes and the deep frown etched on the boy's face. "Is that really that me?" he whispered to himself, feeling a chill run down his spine.
Ash carefully placed the picture frame back down on the dresser before moving on to the next one. He lifted it up and immediately recognized Lea and his own doppelganger in the photo, but this time there was also a woman with them. She had blonde hair slicked back into a distinctive antennae-like style and was dressed in a black coat like the others. Lea had a sly grin on his face as he leaned on the woman's shoulder while she had a deep frown and her arms crossed. Ash couldn't remember who the woman was, but her name suddenly slipped from his lips.
His mouth widened in shock as he whispered, "Larx...ene," before quickly clamping it shut. He wasn't sure how he knew her name, but somehow it seemed to ring a bell. The situation was becoming stranger by the second and he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease.
The Keyblade wielder's attention was immediately drawn to the final photo frame. He placed the previous one down with care and picked up the new one. As he examined the image, he noticed Lea and his doppelganger once again, but this time, they were joined by Larxene. Two other figures, dressed in black coats, were also present in the photo. One of them was a young girl who bore a striking resemblance to Kairi but with black hair. The other figure was a young boy who looked just like Sora but with golden blonde hair. The group photo had several poses, with Larxene wrapping her arms around his doppelganger's shoulders while Lea and the Sora-look-alike threw out peace signs with big grins. The Kairi-look-alike stood next to his doppelganger with a warm smile on her face. Looking at the photo, Ash couldn't help but notice how happy they all looked. As he stared at the blonde Sora and the black-haired Kairi, their names slipped out of his mouth.
"Rox..as...Xi...on." Ash let out a sudden yelp, feeling a sharp pain in his head. He instinctively clutched his head, dropping the picture frame in the process. The frame hit the ground with a loud thud and the glass shattered into a million pieces on the floor. "No!" In a moment of sheer panic, the wielder of the Keyblade dropped to his knees and frantically tried to pick up the shattered frame. As he was struggling, a single tear rolled down his cheek, jolting him into awareness. "...What?" A flood of emotions washed over him, causing tears to stream down his cheeks. He couldn't quite understand why he was feeling so sad and alone, but the weight of it all felt heavy on his heart. With a trembling hand, he wiped away the tears and took a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts and compose himself.
Suddenly, Ash's attention was drawn away from the photo to the commotion outside the room. A loud female voice shouted, "Hurry guys, they are catching up!"
"Pence, leave the pretzels behind and come on!"
"But Hayner! I pay for those!"
"I'll pay you back! Now come on!"
Ash quickly got up from the floor and dashed towards the door, hoping that he was not too late to save whoever was in trouble. As he rushed out of the room, the photo he had been looking at slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. The door closed shut behind him, leaving the photo lying there on the floor.
Market Street - Tram Common
Ash eventually heard the commotion coming from Market Street's open-market area, which had a unique railing system allowing a tram to circle around the area freely. As he arrived, he scanned the whole area for any sign of trouble. Suddenly, he spotted Hayner, Olette, and Pence cornered against a shop wall by a swarm of Shadows and Neoshadows. Seeing that they were in trouble, Ash summoned his Oathkeeper and charged forward to help.
As the Heartless drew closer, Sora's Twilight friends found themselves pressed against the wall, the hissing of the shadowy creatures only adding to their panic. "These things just won't give up, will they?" Hayner said through gritted teeth, a visible bead of sweat running down his face.
Pence's voice shook as he muttered, "I should've known we should've stayed at our Usual Spot."
"If you didn't want pretzels, Pence, we could have made it happen," Hayner argued.
"So this is my fault, Hayner?" Pence shot his friend a glare, clearly accusing him of putting the blame on him for landing them in this mess.
"Guys!" Olette shouted, interrupting their argument. "I don't think now is the time to be bickering. Let's stay focused!"
The Neoshadows suddenly lunged into the air, their sharp claws aimed towards the chests of Hayner and his friends. The group braced themselves, closing their eyes and preparing for the worst. But just as the Neoshadows were about to strike, the Oathkeeper appeared out of nowhere and swiftly defeated them one by one. It bounced off one Neoshadow and immediately eliminated it before ricocheting towards the others. In a matter of seconds, all the Neoshadows were defeated and the Oathkeeper flew back to its wielder who was sprinting towards the action. The Shadows and the teens took notice of his approaching form.
"Wait...isn't that key sword the guy's holding similar to what Sora has?" Hayner turned to his friend, his eyes fixed on the Oathkeeper with a surprised look.
"I agree," Pence nodded, confirming his friend's suspicion. "But it also looks really cool," he added, admiring Ash's skill as he easily took down a few Shadows.
"His sword's really something else," Olette exclaimed, admiring the intricate designs and vibrant colors on Ash's weapon. As she spoke, a couple of Shadows lunged forward, only to be met with a powerful blast of Fira that sent them vanishing into the darkness."
"First Sora and now this guy..." Hayner muttered under his breath, feeling a tinge of jealousy as Shadows were sent flying into the air by a spinning Keyblade. He had an angry pout on his face and his arms crossed, watching the fierce battle continue in front of him. "When will I get one?" he complained, feeling left out of the action.
Olette playfully teased, "Maybe if you study hard enough, you might get one," as a Shadow was swiftly sliced in half.
"Hey!" Olette and Pence burst into uncontrollable laughter at the expense of their friend. "Not cool, Olette!" A defeated Shadow flew right past them and slammed into the wall before dissolving into black particles.
"I'm sorry, Hayner," Olette chuckled apologetically as the remaining Shadows were turned into Heartless icicles by a powerful Blizzaga spell.
With the battle drawing to a close, Ash deftly spun the Oathkeeper into his grip and unleashed a powerful Fira spell at the frozen Heartless. The fireball streaked through the air and collided with the icy sculptures, shattering them into countless pieces.
Bbooooooommm
Ash dismissed his Keyblade quickly as the ice shards dissolved into black particles once the smoke cleared. He noticed Sora's friends approaching him to congratulate him on his victory. "Nice fighting, stranger," Hayner praised Ash and demonstrated mock swings to show his approval.
"Uh, thanks, but are you guys okay?" The Keyblade wielder asked, expressing more concern for their safety than defeating the Heartless.
"We're fine. Thanks for your help," Olette said with a gentle smile, putting his mind at ease.
"We would have been in trouble if you hadn't shown up, so thank you!" Pence's smile was infectious and Ash couldn't help but smile too. It quickly became apparent that introductions were in order. "I'm Pence. Nice to meet you!"
"Olette!" the brunette tomboy exclaimed with a friendly wave as she knew it was her turn to introduce herself.
"Hayner!" The blonde teen exclaimed with a cheeky grin. "Now that you know who we are, how about you, stranger?" he joked with a playful tone.
"It's Ash," the Keyblade wielder said with a chuckle. "It's nice to meet you guys!"
"Same here." Hayner expressed that the feeling was mutual, but he was curious if Ash knew Sora since they both wielded Keyblades. "Say, do you know Sora by chance?" he inquired.
"Wait, you know Sora too?" Ash couldn't believe his ears when he heard that someone knew Sora. But then, he remembered that Sora and his friends had already traveled to other worlds before their training. So, it wasn't really a surprise if people already knew who they were.
"Of course!" A sly grin spread across Hayner's lips and he explained, "That doofus and his pals were here not too long ago."
"But they had never mentioned another person like you out there," Pence mentioned something that raised some suspicion among the group, but he quickly dismissed it because he had a feeling they could trust Ash. "But since you're friends with Sora then we can trust you."
"Perhaps that's a good idea. How about we treat you to some pretzels as a way of saying thank you for your help?" Hayner suggested, but Pence quickly interrupted him before he could say anything else.
"Um, Hayner, we did have pretzels until you forced me to leave them behind, remember?" said the pudgy teen with a frown, crossing his arms and giving a sharp glare.
"Oh, right, I totally forgot about that," Hayner said with a weak chuckle, scratching his head sheepishly.
"We can always treat Ash with sea salt ice cream," Olette suggested.
Ash blinked in confusion at the strange name. "Sea salt ice cream?" he repeated, trying to wrap his head around the concept. But at the same time, he had a nagging feeling that he had heard that name somewhere before.
"Nah." Hayner promptly declined Olette's proposal.
"How about that new stand that recently opened at the Sandlot?"
"Sounds like a great idea, thanks for suggesting it," Olette smiled. "I've been wanting to try that Rocket ice cream everyone's been raving about. Let's head over to the Sandlot and check it out!" Hayner exclaimed with a grin.
Ash was intrigued by the name "Rocket ice cream". Although it didn't sound as unique as the sea salt flavor, he couldn't help but feel like the name "Rocket" held some inside reference that he was not aware of.
"I don't know, Hayner..." It appeared that Pence was not entirely on board with the suggestion. "I agree, it's been quite popular lately so it's possible that it could be busy. And to be honest, I feel like their ice cream is just a cheap knockoff of the original sea salt ice cream," he said with a disappointed expression.
"Don't worry so much, Pence!" Hayner shook his head and let out a sigh. "Besides, this is for Ash, not for us," he reasoned.
"I still don't know..."
Hayner seemed to ignore Pence and turned to their guest. "What do you think, Ash? Want to check out the Rocket stand?" he asked.
Ash gave a nonchalant shrug and replied, "Yeah, why not?" He couldn't help but crack a grin as he added, "I'm actually curious about this Rocket ice cream."
"Then that settles it!" Hayner grinned. "Let's off to the Sandlot!" But then a frown appeared on his face as he remembered the possibility of running into a certain group of delinquents along the way. "I just hope Seifer and his gang won't be there," he said with a sigh.
"Seifer?" Ash repeated the name, looking confused as it didn't sound familiar.
"Seifer's Hayner's rival," Ash's confused expression caught Pence's attention, prompting him to offer an explanation. "They aren't exactly on good terms."
"Oh."
Hayner let out a deep sigh of frustration, his hand running through his blonde hair. "But you know, the guy can be a real jerk if you get on his bad side, so you gotta watch yourself around him," he cautioned.
"If worse comes to shove, we can always sick Ash on him," Olette joked, causing a few chuckles.
Hayner chuckled before saying, "That would set him straight." After he stopped laughing, he refocused the group's attention on their plan. "Alright, let's head out!" The group nodded in agreement and started walking towards the Sandlot.
The Sandlot
The woman with magenta long hair that curled in a comet-tail behind her head greeted her customers with a smile and asked, "What can I get for you?" She was dressed in a white button-up sleeved shirt and a black apron with a red R logo in the center. On her head was a paper hat with red R's on both sides. The mother and her daughter made their purchase of the stand's famous Rocket popsicle, which bears a resemblance shape to the sea salt ice cream, but it was red with a large black R on the front and back of the popsicle. After the transaction was complete, the woman thanked them with a warm "Thank you very much. Please come again!" The happy customers walked off with big smiles on their faces, ready to enjoy their treats.
The line at the Rocket ice cream stand was growing longer by the minute. People were patiently waiting in an orderly queue to get their hands on the delicious ice cream dessert that was being touted as the next big thing after sea salt ice cream. The woman running the stand was amazed at how smoothly everything was going and couldn't help but smile slyly to herself. As she turned away from her current customer, she saw her coworkers - a man with shoulder-length periwinkle hair and a small feline with a gold koban coin embedded in its forehead - busy with their respective tasks.
The feline appeared to be taking a dozen frozen, sealed sea salt ice cream popsicles out of a bag. It was unclear whether or not the ice creams were stolen. The cat began unwrapping them and dipping each one into what appeared to be a bowl of red dye. Next, the cat placed the red popsicles onto a tray and passed it on to the man, who began engraving their logo on each popsicle with a small paintbrush and some black substance. Once he completed his task, he placed the tray inside a quick-freeze mini refrigerator, waited thirty seconds, and then removed the tray to place the freshly made Rocket ice cream sickles on the counter.
"It looks like your plan worked smoothly as expected, Meowth!" the woman exclaimed, giving high praise to the feline's scheme to find a way to make money while they were stranded in Twilight Town.
Jessie rolled her eyes as the talking feline opened another bag of a dozen frozen sea salt ice cream popsicles. "He he he! Of course, Jessie! What did you expect? I'm the brains of the operation, after all!" the feline bragged with a smug smirk.
"I can't believe how quickly people are falling in love with our ice cream," the man said as he placed another tray into the quick-freeze fridge. "Even though we had to...borrow some ingredients to make it," he almost revealed their secret before catching himself.
James received a nonchalant reply from Jessie, "Who cares, James? As long as we roll in the cash and save enough money to get back to the Boss, we can forget about this town."
James had a valid concern as he posed the question, "What if we can't go back home, Jess?" However, his teammates remained optimistic and began exploring alternative solutions.
Jessie put forth her argument with excitement, "We could use the money to buy that mansion located in the woods and live there happily ever after."
"Maybe we could even open our own ice cream shop," Meowth suggested a potential future plan for the group. The idea brought a smile to its face.
James grinned widely and exclaimed, "Wow, that's a brilliant plan! If we can execute it well, we'll be able to make a lot of money and have financial security for the rest of our lives."
The boisterous laughter of Team Rocket was beginning to disturb the customers waiting to get their popsicles. The group's behavior was quite obnoxious. While they were still laughing, Jessie suddenly spotted Hayner's group entering the Sandlot. Her eyes widened in amazement when she saw someone familiar chatting with them. "It can't be," she muttered, surprised, which did not go unnoticed.
"Hm, Jessie, what's wrong?" James looked at the woman curiously, wondering what was making her freak out a bit. When she didn't give an immediate answer, he followed her gaze and spotted Ash walking towards their stand with a new group of friends. His jaw dropped in surprise. "No way..." As he couldn't believe what he was seeing, he rubbed his eyes to make sure they weren't deceiving him.
"Hey, what's the matter with you two?" Meowth asked his teammates, not noticing what was going on as it was too busy tearing up the ice cream bags. When they didn't reply, the feline looked back in annoyance. "Hey, are you guys deaf? What are you guys even looking a-". Suddenly, Meowth caught sight of Ash and its eyes widened in shock. "-is that da twerp?!" It gasped in utter disbelief.
James sighed in disappointment, "With no Pikachu, no less," he said. He had been hoping to steal Pikachu from Ash if he had brought it along."
Jessie looked at the familiar face with a disapproving frown and asked, 'What's the twerp doing here?'"
"I wonder who are da new twerps he's with?" Meowth asked curiously.
"Maybe he ended like us, you know stranded?" Jessie got annoyed with James after he offered an explanation.
"James, if that's true, why didn't we see him when we first got here?" Jessie asked with an angry glare and a hiss in her voice.
"I-I-I don't know, Jessie!"
"Looks like da twerp and his twerpy new friends are heading this way! Act natural!" Meowth exclaimed and the rest of his team nodded in agreement.
"Right!"
The waiting line was crowded with people when Ash and the Twilight crew arrived. Hayner commented with a frown, "I didn't expect it to be this busy today."
"By the time we get there, the popsicles will probably be sold out and we'll have wasted hours," Pence said with a heavy sigh.
"Should we come back some other time then, Hayner?" Olette asked her friend. "We don't want to waste Ash's time for nothing."
Hayner seemed to be feeling a bit frustrated as he let out a deep sigh. Although Olette had a valid point that they shouldn't waste Ash's time with trivial side jobs, leaving the Sandlot could be an even greater missed opportunity. Despite the looks he was getting from his friends, Hayner shook his head and said, "No. We've come all this way. The least we can do is stick around and see how far we can get with the stand." He even flashed a grin to show that he was still optimistic about their chances.
"But it could be hours!" Pence argued.
"How bad could it be?" Hayner asked with a cheeky grin.
Several hours had passed and the line showed no sign of moving.
"Pence..."
"I understand your frustration, but let's give it a few more minutes," Hayner argued, not willing to give up just yet.
Several more hours passed and the line hadn't moved an inch. Hayner let out a defeated sigh. "Alright, let's just give up. It doesn't seem like we'll be able to get those Rocket popsicles today."
Hayner shot Pence a sharp glare when he heard him say, "Told you!" Pence flinched and immediately apologized, "Sorry."
Hayner glanced over at Ash and flashed him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for wasting your time and getting your hopes up about that ice cream," he said. Ash shook his head and grinned, clearly not upset about it.
"I'm okay with it. At least I had a good time hanging out with you all!"
"That sounds great!" Hayner exclaimed as an idea suddenly came to him, causing a grin to spread across his face. "How about we take you to our favorite spot? You would absolutely love it."
"Sure!" Hayner's offer intrigued Ash and he couldn't help but wonder where their favorite spot was besides the Usual Spot.
As the group was making their way to the Clock Tower, an unpleasant interruption occurred. A familiar voice, which Hayner recognized, called out to them, causing him to groan. "Hey, losers!" The voice belonged to a member of the self-proclaimed Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee, a group that Ash and the Twilight crew were now face-to-face with. The committee comprised of three members: a short, thin girl with long light steel blue bangs covering her left red eye, dressed in a sleeveless navy blue zippered jacket with khaki Capri pants; a very tall and muscular teen with short carob hair, long sideburns, wearing an orange tank top with black and white tribal designs and soot baggy sweatpants bearing red stripes with the number 8; and the arrogant leader of the group, a muscular teenage boy with blonde hair, teal eyes, and a distinctive diagonal scar across his nose. He was dressed in a blue crop-top vest with white lining, a floor-length sleeveless white coat with a black lapel, baggy aubergine pants, and black combat boots.
"Ugh...Seifer." Hayner didn't have the time or the energy to deal with his rival and his crew. "What do you want? Can't you see we're in the middle of s-" As he glanced over, he noticed Seifer and his posse savoring their Rocket popsicles, almost as if they were trying to provoke them. On top of that, it looked like they were each carrying an additional dozen Rocket popsicles underneath their arms. "-Hold on! Did you purchase all of those? Would you mind sharing with us?" he asked, half-jokingly.
"Dork, please!" The Disciplinary Committee leader retorted. He made a dismissive comment, "I wouldn't waste them on you losers!" He followed it up with a mocking smirk. "Unless you get on your knees and beg, then maybe I might consider offering you a half-eaten popsicle," he added, laughing.
Olette scrunched up her face in disgust and exclaimed, "That's so gross!"
Hayner let out a tired sigh as he looked at Seifer. "Seifer, why are you such a jerk?" he asked, clearly fed up with his rival's behavior.
"I guess it's because you losers always trespass on our turf!" Seifer spat.
"Come on, Seifer, you know full well the Sandlot doesn't belong to you. It's open to everyone in Twilight Town," Pence argued.
"Lies," Fuu stated with a monotone voice.
"That's right, y'know!" Rai exclaimed in his usual cringe-worthy hip-hop tone. "Only Seifer makes the rules, y'know! So whatever he says goes and that's what keeps the Sandlot in balance!"
"There you have it!" Seifer smirked cockily, his confidence evident on his face. Ash scowled at Seifer's words. He knew Hayner was right about Seifer being a self-centered bully. "What I say, you losers will need to fall in line!" Seifer sneered. Eventually, he noticed Ash's presence and fixed his gaze on the Keyblade wielder. "Hey, who's this? A new member of your dork squad, Hayner?" he asked, his tone mocking.
Seifer's insults made Ash narrow his eyes and glare daggers, but Hayner found it amusing and chuckled. "You had better watch yourself, Seifer!" Despite his rivalry with Seifer, Hayner warned him to watch himself as Ash was no pushover. Hayner knew this to be true after witnessing Ash's skills as a Keyblade wielder, which could even give Sora a run for his money.
"What? You're saying this loser here can beat me? That's a good joke, Hayner. Bravo!" he said sarcastically. "I would walk circles around him!"
"Then prove it!" Hayner's challenge took the group, including Seifer, by surprise. "In a friendly Struggle battle!"
"What are you talking about, loser?" Seifer asked with a frown.
With a confident smirk on his face, Hayner proposed the deal of a lifetime. "It's simple. You and Ash in a friendly sparring match of Struggle. The winner gets to have Rocket ice cream while the loser leaves the Sandlot for three months!" he said, looking at Seifer and Ash. "What do you say?" he asked, eagerly waiting for Seifer's response.
Seifer took a moment to think, stroking his chin while contemplating the bet. "Interesting," he finally said, finishing his popsicle. "Make it five and you've got a deal!"
Hayner countered Seifer's offer with a smirk. "Four!" he exclaimed confidently.
"Deal!"
Ash, Olette, and Pence exchanged deadpanned stares with Hayner after he made his counteroffer.
"Ahahaha! See you in a bit, losers!" Seifer and his group left towards the Struggle arena for the special exhibition between Ash and Seifer, laughing and taunting as they walked away.
"Hey, Hayner?" Pence grabbed Hayner's attention with his words.
Hayner maintained his confident smile as he responded to Pence's question. "What's up?"
Olette shot her friend an incredulous look. "Hayner, you do realize that Ash has never done Struggle before, right?"
Hayner shrugged his shoulders, not seeing it as a big deal. "I know," he replied.
Pence's incredulous tone was evident as he asked Hayner, "Then how do you know Ash will win?"
"I just know."
On one side of the Struggle battle arena, an overly overconfident Seifer was doing some shoulder stretches with his Struggle Sword while glancing across the arena, where he noticed Hayner explaining the Struggle rules to Ash, who was listening intently with nods and practicing swinging his Struggle Sword. The cocky Struggle expert had a smug smirk, believing Ash will be a cakewalk for him.
"Okay, so all I have to do is land in a couple of hits on him and collect the most orbs from him before time expires, right?" Ash asked as he firmly swung his bat in order to get used to its grip.
"Under normal circumstances, yes," Hayner clarified. "But for this case, all you have to do is land one clean hit on him, and it's over." He had to explain the modified rules because they were unable to borrow any orbs at the last second.
"This sounds simple enough," Ash said confidently as he made one final thrust. He glanced at Hayner and flashed a reassuring smile. "I got this!"
"I hope so," Hayner joked. "Our priorities at the Sandlot are at stake!"
"Well, it's your fault for betting it,"
"Haha, you got me," Hayner said sheepishly, rubbing his head in embarrassment. "But win for us, alright?" Hayner held out his closed fist towards Ash, indicating he wanted a fist bump.
Ash took notice and smiled, lifting his balled fist towards Hayner's and sharing a fist bump, signifying their friendship. "Absolutely, man!"
As Hayner left the arena and joined Olette and Pence's side for Ash's corner, Ash glanced back at the overconfident Seifer with his Struggle bat still resting on his shoulders. "You ready, sunshine?" Seifer mocked with a cocky smirk.
"Famous last words," Ash joked, causing a vein to appear on his opponent's forehead, which began to throb.
"Tch, whatever," Seifer clicked his tongue in annoyance as he shifted his stance and held his Struggle battle loosely with one grip, pointing aimlessly at his opponent. "Get ready, loser!"
The air grew thick with tension as Ash and Seifer faced off, causing Fuu, Rai, Hayner, Olette, Pence, and a growing crowd of onlookers to hold their breath, wondering who would strike first in the Struggle competition. A gentle breeze rustled Ash's front bangs and moved Seifer's coat, adding to the charged atmosphere. Despite the silence, neither competitor moved, making Seifer increasingly impatient as he goaded Ash to make a move. "What's the matter, cat got your tongue? Attack me already!" he snarled.
Ash took a deep breath and focused on his first move, tightening his grip on the bat. A gentle breeze wafted by, rustling his front bangs. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, revealing a pair of striking red eyes that seemed to glare at Seifer. Seifer felt a twinge of unease for some reason but shook it off. Ash stepped forward and lunged at Seifer in a flash. The air filled with a whooshing sound and gasps erupted around them. In one swift motion, Ash was already behind Seifer. Seifer froze as a single drop of sweat rolled down his cheek, looking utterly bewildered. "I-impossible!" he stammered, slowly turning his head to face Ash.
Seifer was taken by surprise as a loud rumbling sound erupted from beneath him. Before he could react, he was sent flying into the air by a sudden burst of force. His body hurled towards the Rocket ice cream stand as he screamed in terror, "Aaaaahhhhhh!" The crowd and Ash were left speechless with sweat droplets appearing on everyone's head. It seemed like Ash had gone a bit overboard. The members of Team Rocket were filled with terror when they saw Seifer hurtling towards them and they realized too late that they had no time to act.
Bbooooooommm
As soon as Seifer crashed into the Rocket ice cream stand, there was an unexpected explosion. The impact of the explosion sent everyone who was present at the time flying into the sky in a comical fashion. It was quite a sight to see.
"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET IS BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" With a sudden, loud ping sound, Jessie, James, and Meowth vanished in unison, leaving behind only the echo of their voices.
However, Seifer would soon join them.
"SO AM I!
Afterwards, another ping sound echoed.
What an unusual method for Ash to achieve his triumph over Seifer, but at least he can now savor some Rocket popsicles to conclude his stay.
To conclude Ash's visit to Twilight Town, there was an unexpected and hilarious surprise. Who would have thought that Team Rocket and Seifer and his crew would make a special cameo in this chapter? It was definitely an unexpected twist. Will we see Team Rocket again? Only time will tell. And did you catch a glimpse of Ash's Nobody's home in Twilight Town? More hints will be added in future chapters. As for what's next, Ash will be back on his travels again. Can you guess which world he will encounter next?
Extra scene: Loneliness
A loud creaking sound echoed through the abandoned apartment when the door suddenly opened. A figure in a black coat walked inside, its heavy boots creaking against the wooden floor per step it took until the rogue stopped when it noticed a familiar photo lying at its feet. Slowly, the figure kneeled down and carefully picked up the photo, studying it. Underneath the hood, a pair of sad red eyes stared intently at the photo during the final days of Ash's Nobody as a member of the original Organization XIII. Its red eyes fixated on Axel, Larxene, Roxas and Xion before shifting to the 'Ash' in the photo.
The figure bit its lower lip as it spoke, "First one to leave, but last to feel...whole." Its hand gripped the photo firmly. "Lucky me..."