Word of Team Shadow's downfall has spread throughout the Orre region. As the weeks passed, Evice and those who sided with him are now facing charges for their Shadow Pokemon scheme. Speaking of Shadow Pokemon, there have been no further report of their sightings since Evice's downfall.

With no more Shadow Pokémon to snag and purify, Wes knew he would have to put the Snag Machine to retirement. Wes took the deivice off his arm and he tossed it up into the air. Wes summoned his two Keyblades and uses them to destroy the Snag Machine once and for all.

"There. Now, we don't need it anymore," Wes said.

"Why did you destroy it, Wes?" Rui asked.

"Because, if I didn't, then someone else would have used it for their own selfish gain. The Snag Machine is just too dangerous to keep around, so keep it out of the wrong hands, I had to destroy it. Now, no one will use it," Wes said.

In an undisclosed location, Wes and Rui were heading for Rui's grandparents when a corridor of darkness appeared. Axel stepped out of it.

"Well, well, if it isn't the meddlers," Axel said.

"So you're one of the members of Organization XIII we were told about," Wes said.

"The name's Axel. Got it memorized?" Axel asked.

"I think so," Rui said. Wes summoned his two Keyblades and held them tightly.

"What do you want?" Wes asked.

"I'm just here to make you pay for ruining our Shadow Pokémon plan on behalf of the Organization's superior," Axel said, summoning his chakrams. "And he'll have me eliminated if I refuse to heed his word."

"If it's a fight you want, then you got yourself a fight, Axel," Wes said. Rui summoned her Keyblade.

"Against the two of us," Rui said.

"I thought I was going to have to fight the both of you. Let's make this an interesting fight neither one of us will forget," Axel said.

Axel rushes at Wes and Rui, but Wes clashes his two Keyblades against Axel's chakrams as Rui comes at him. Axel teleported and then elbowed her in the stomach. Wes rushes at his girlfriend.

"Rui!" Wes exclaimed.

"Don't worry about me, Wes. Just take him down," Rui said. Axel comes at Wes and Rui, but Wes casts a blizzard spell, hitting him. Wes then rushes at Axel and they clash their weapons again. Rui rejoins the fight as Axel summons fire and sends the flames at her, but Rui casts a reflect spell, making the flames bounce off. "You're gonna have to do a whole lot better than that."

"You're right. I'm gonna have to," Axel said, throwing his chakrams. Rui deflects them with her Keyblade and then Axel came at her again, but Wes saved her by giving the fire-elemental Nobody a kick in the gut.

Axel teleported again and came at Wes again. Just when Wes was ready for him, Axel teleported again and reappeared behind him.

"Watch out!" Rui warned her boyfriend. Before he could react, Axel gave him an uppercut and he lands right on his vehicle. "Wes!" Rui turned to Axel with anger in her eyes. "You hurt him! I won't forgive you!" She came at him, holding her Keyblade, but Axel dismissed his chakrams and gave her a jab, sending her backwards and right next to Wes.

Just then, a dark portal opened from underneath them. This actually surprises Axel.

"What the?!" Axel exclaimed as Wes and Rui were sinking inside it. The Star Seeker was all that was left. Wes opened his eyes and regained consciousness. They saw they were falling into deep darkness.

"What's going on?!" Wes exclaimed. He turned to Rui as she struggles to hold on. "Rui!"

"Wes!" Rui cried.

They held hands, preventing themselves from falling off his vehicle. They make a landing on the ground below them. They looked around and they saw nothing familiar.

"Where are we?" Wes asked.

"You got me, Wes. It doesn't look friendly," Rui said.

"Maybe we could find a way out of here," Wes said.

"We just gotta look," Rui said.

"You're right. But we shouldn't stick together because we don't know what nasty surprises we could have here. We just gotta defend ourselves against the Heartless," Wes said.

"Yeah, except, I lost my Keyblade during the fight with Axel," Rui said. Wes summoned his Colosseum of Light and held it to Rui.

"Here, take one of mine," Wes said.

"Thank you, Wes, but I don't want to nerf you of your strength. And you can handle both at once. Besides, I don't have the strength left to fight," Rui said.

"Then, I'll have to do the heavy lifting until we find a way out of here. That's if we can," Wes said.

"I know we will, Wes," Rui assured her boyfriend. Wes turned to her. "We have Espeon, Umbreon, and the other Pokémon we snagged from Team Shadow and each other." Wes smiled as he hugged her tightly.

"Ah, Rui. This is why I love you," Wes said. He held her tight, silently promising her they'll get out together. "Let's go. That exit isn't going to find itself."

A dark voice echoes all around Wes and Rui as they go forward. They passed through different places in the realm of darkness, and they were troubled and haunted by how some things didn't look familiar to them. They came across a deserted town and they didn't see any people around or hear the sounds of laughing children or dog Pokémon barking. They didn't see cat Pokémon laying at the windowsills, either.

"The darkness will consume your hearts. Abandon all hope. Hope only leads to despair. Light does not exist here. There are nothing but shadows. You have no future. Your only option is to disappear into the darkness. You two have taken a step into darkness, and now you're going to end up being its victims. Darkness already surrounds you. And if you are not careful, you shall forever be lost in darkness. You shall have hope to ever return home. The darkness in your hearts will consume you until you have become Heartless. Your desires shall lead you to doubt, becoming fear. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. And suffering leads to death," a dark voice said.

"Rui, no matter what happens, don't be afraid. The darkness will only take us if we let it," Wes said. Rui couldn't help but be afraid, but she knew she had to be strong for both her and Wes's sakes. She had to keep the darkness at bay.

Just then, something moves around in the shadows. They looked and saw a couple of Darksides raising up.

"Heartless," Rui said. Just when they were about to attack, two Keyblades came and slashed through them. They were the Wayward Wind and Earthshaker Keyblades. "Where did those come from?"

"I don't know, but I doubt we're going to get that lucky again," Wes said.

They kept on riding forward and they saw they were passing through what looks like the ruins of an old castle. They didn't know what it could mean. They stepped out just so they could look around.

"This is very strange. I'm not seeing any signs of life at all. There aren't any people or Pokémon around for miles. It's like they've left the city," Rui said.

"I agree, but the question is, where did everyone go? Nothing about any of this makes any sense at all. This place just keeps getting weirder and weirder," Wes said.

Just then, Shadows and Flutterings appeared all around to attack the couple.

"Heartless!" Wes and Rui exclaimed. Wes fought off the Heartless, but for some reason, they were much stronger than they normally were. It was putting a real strain on him.

"This is crazy. They're not as weak here as they are in Orre," Wes said.

"Wes, you can't give up!" Rui said. Wes turned to Rui. "You've been in tough battles before and you always pulled through! And I know you can pull through this! You gotta keep fighting! The darkness will swallow you if you let it! You're too strong for that! Prove it to me and now! Use your Keyblades!" Wes knew she was right and he had to keep fighting no matter how difficult the challenge was.

"You're right, Rui. I can do this! I know I can! If the darkness wants to swallow me, then I'll make it hard for it to do it," Wes said.

Just then, several Shadows have joined together, creating the Demon Tower. Their eyes began to glow bright red.

"I didn't know they could do that!" Rui gasped.

"Neither did I! This is getting out of hand!" Wes said, summoning his two Keyblades. "Come and get me if you want me, you yellow-eyed freaks!"

Wes stared at the Demon Tower as it slowly moved toward him. Wes held his Keyblades tightly and he came at the Demon Tower, smacking it, knocking off some Shadows. They dissolved when they struck the ground, so Wes unleashed a fire spell, hitting the Demon Tower as the Demon Tower twists its body and slammed on the ground. The Demon Tower scatters itself and then gathers itself up again, like before. Wes kept on fighting the Demon Tower until it dives into the ground, vanishing to the darkness where the Demon Tower originated. Wes dismissed his Keyblades and he fell to his knees, exhausted.

"Are you alright, Wes?" Rui asked with concern. Wes looked at her and he gave her an assuring smile.

"I'm still here, aren't I? It'll take more than those Heartless to bring me down. And it's all thanks to you, Rui," Wes said.

"You shouldn't overdo it. We don't know how much more Heartless you can handle on your own," Rui said.

"Well, hopefully, not for a while. There isn't any time to rest. We still have an exit to find," Wes said. Rui agreed as Wes and Rui returned to their ride and continued on. As they continued on, they see that they're passing what looks like a mine with gems. They didn't see any of the miners around just like the deserted cities, towns, and castle ruins. Then they hear Rui's voice speaking to them.

"You will never see your families again. You are forever trapped in the darkness. No one will come for you."

"Don't listen, Rui. This place is trying to make you give up hope. Don't let go of hope, no matter what," Wes said. Another voice spoke, and it's Wes's voice this time.

"You think you can escape from your dark past? You may be a hero to the people of Orre, but in reality, you're actually a villain. The image they have of you will change when they find out that you're not who they think you are."

"Nice try. You're not going to make me doubt myself," Wes said.

They arrived to another castle, but it was in better condition compared to the other one they visited. They ride on through what looks like a hall of mirrors. As they hear laughter, making Wes stopped.

"You belong here with us," someone said with Wes's voice. Then, a shadowy figure appeared before them, much to their surprise. The phantom then took on the form of Wes. He looked at Wes with the yellow Heartless eyes. "You can lie to her and to yourself, but you cannot lie to your heart. You can try to forget all you want to, but you cannot escape your past."

"Is that what you think?" Wes asked.

"It's not what I think. It's what you think. Despite everything you did prior to coming here, you still clung to the past like a child clinging to a plush toy. That is why you are here," Shadow Wes said.

"No, it's not true," Wes denied.

"Isn't it? You deny the truth because your heart is weak. Too weak to embrace your true self," Shadow Wes said.

"Who are you to say that to me?" Wes asked.

"I'm you, of course. I know you much better than you know yourself. You thought you could escape from your past by taking the Snag Machine from Team Snatch, but you began to snag Pokémon from other Trainers like the irredeemable and greedy thief that you always were," Shadow Wes said.

"You don't know a thing about him!" Rui argued.

"Your heart is cold as ice. Never to warm up. Never to know the feelings of love and friendship. You never once allowed those things into your heart!" Shadow Wes said. Wes has let it all sink in.

"Wes, don't listen to him! He's lying!" Rui said.

"No, he's right, Rui. Before I left Team Snatch, I was cold and distant from everyone around me, even everyone else in Team Snatch. The only friends I ever had were Espeon and Umbreon. I never once let anyone else into my heart." Shadow Wes grinned, knowing Wes has acknowledged the truth. "Until I met you, Rui." Shadow Wes was dismayed when he said it. "As you know, I don't remember my own mother or my father. I've been with Team Snatch since I was little. It wasn't until after I left Team Snatch and took their Snag Machine that I met you. After meeting you, I felt my heart warming up little by little and it was all because of you. And that was when I realized that I was falling in love with you. I didn't know the first thing about love until we met. You taught me how to love. I'm the person I am today because of you, and I do not regret it one bit. The Snag Machine was to be used to Snag Shadow Pokémon from anyone who would use them to spread their fear and terror across not only Orre, but everywhere else in the world. After Nascour and Evice were brought down, I put the Snag Machine in retirement just so no one would ever misuse it again; not even myself. If people would look at me like the person I used to be and not the person I became, I don't care if they would accept me or not. If they can't see passed my past, then that'll be their problem, not mine. I will spend the rest of my life with you, Rui. You're now the most important thing to me in my life. More than any Pokémon battle." Rui was moved by Wes's words.

"Oh, Wes," Rui said.

"And that shadow can say all it wants about me, but nothing it can say can ever change that," Wes said.

"Imbecile! It seems that I'll have make you drown in the darkness with no hope to return!" Shadow Wes said as it underwent a transformation. It has turned into a massive Grim Reaper-like Heartless. It has a black robe like the Grim Reaper itself (Not the Heartless to those who thought that) It took out two large scyches and held them close. Wes summoned his two Keyblades and prepared himself for combat.

"Bring it on," Wes said.

Wes and Shadow Wes came at each other and clashed their weapons against one another. Wes unleashed a fire spell, but Shadow Wes uses its syches to deflect the fire spell, so Wes kept on coming at the Heartless, clashing their weapons. Shadow Wes unleashed red and purple orbs of energy, so Wes managed to dodge the orbs and then fired a beam of the same coloring from its eyes, so Wes managed to dodge and he uses his two Keyblades to strike Shadow Wes, causing it to become a massive skeletal-like creature with its two scyches making it look like a mantis. Wes's Shadow swings its syches at Wes, but he managed to block with his two Keyblades and he kept coming at it. When it attempts to cut him in two, Wes jumped and slashed at the Heartless with his two Keyblades.

"What you do to me is hopeless! You cannot hope to destroy me! As long as you have those memories, I will always exist," Shadow Wes said.

"You're right about that, other me. You will exist as long as I have memories about my past. The darkness will still be there, but it'll be in a place in my heart you won't be able to reach for it. Ever. I won't ever forget my past, so I'm going to use it as a reminder of what I have now. And you will have have no power over me or the darkness in my heart," Wes said as his heart absorbed the Heartless, making it permanently weakened.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Shadow Wes screamed as it entered his heart, shackled.

"You'll check in, but you'll never check out," Wes said.

"Wes," Rui said. He embraced Rui in his arms so very lovingly.

"Sorry if I made you worry like that," Wes said.

"Not at all. You kinda surprised me when that Heartless was being sucked into your chest like that," Rui said. "I didn't think that was possible."

"Neither did I," Wes said.

"Did you mean all those things you said to me, Wes?" Rui asked.

"Every single word of it, Rui. I wouldn't lie about that even if my life depended on it," Wes said.

"I'm glad, Wes," Rui said, hugging him.

With that said, Wes and Rui got back on the vehicle and they rode off again in the realm of darkness, still searching for the exit. They came across what looks like a beach. They looked out to the water ahead of them.

"A strange place for an ocean, don't you think?" Wes asked.

"Seems very strange to me, too. Too bad we don't have time to sightsee, because it's too dangerous to stay in one place too long," Rui said.

"You're right, Rui. The Heartless will come after us if we stay in one place for too long," Wes said.

"Let's get out of here before we see any more of them," Rui said.

Wes and Rui kept on going through the realm of darkness. To them, it seemed like hours, but something was off, because it was hard to tell if it was day or nighttime because there was no sun or moon in the sky to light their way. The only light they've seen so far were the streetlights they had passed before. As Wes and Rui kept riding through the dark realm, trying to find a way out when they spotted the hooded figure they met in Pyrite Town.

"Why are you here?" Rui asked.

"And how did you get here?" Wes asked.

"I have my own way. And I have to say, I am glad that the rumors of your deaths were exaggerated," the hooded figure said.

"Everyone thinks we're dead?" Rui asked, shocked.

"Well, it was wildly assumed since the both of you vanished. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to run into you in a place like this," the hooded figure said.

"Who are you?" Wes asked, summoning his two Keyblades. The hooded figure removed his hood. It's revealed to be Kaito Ketchum.

"My name is Kaito Ketchum, and I am searching for something. I'm looking for a very particular Keyblade that can't be found in the realm of light," Kaito said.

"Realm of light?" Wes asked.

"Yes. There are two realms that exists. There's the realm of light and there's the realm of darkness. You two are trapped in the realm of darkness," Kaito explained.

"Just how long has it been? It feels like we've been here for like a day," Wes said.

"It does feel that way, but it wasn't. It was way longer than that," Kaito said.

"How long has it been anyway?" Rui asked. Kaito paused before he replied.

"Five years," Kaito said. Wes and Rui gasped in shock.

"Five years?! We've been here for five years?" Wes asked.

"But we've only been here for a short time," Rui said.

"Well, that's the thing here. Time doesn't exist in the realm of darkness. Therefore, you couldn't know time that came and went. In other words, you two cannot age as long as you're in here," Kaito explained.

"Five years away from my family. They must have been worried sick about me," Rui said.

"They missed you everyday, Rui," Kaito said. "Anyway, if you wanna get out, you're going to need my help. But first, you'll have to come with me. The door to darkness is close to being opened and all of the worlds in existence will be up in their necks with Heartless."

"Then, get on!" Wes said. "We can go faster to reach it. Just point us in the right direction!" Kaito got in the sidecar with Rui.

"I'll point to the way," Kaito said.

As they progressed further on, they hear voices speaking.

"All worlds begin in darkness, and all so end. The heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it, it grows, consumes it. Such is its nature. In the end, every heart returns to the darkness whence it came. You see, darkness is the heart's true essence," a dark voice said.

"That's not true! The heart might be weak, and sometimes it may even give in. But I learned that there's a light that never goes out," another voice said.

"So, you have come this far and still you understand nothing. Every light must fade, every heart return to darkness!" The first voice exclaimed.

"What was that?" Rui asked.

"I don't know, but it sounded awfully close," Wes said.

"We must press on! The Door to Darkness is just down this way!" Kaito said.

Wes drove on down the path and stopped when he, Rui, and Kaito saw there was endless darkness all around.

"Behold the endless abyss. Within it lies the heart of all worlds: Kingdom Hearts!" Ansem announced as a tall white door appeared.

"Kingdom Hearts?" Wes and Rui asked.

"Look as hard as you are able. You'll not find even the smallest glimmer of light. From those dark depths are all hearts born. Even yours," Ansem said. They looked down and saw the World of Chaos, and they saw seven people and four Pokémon, being a Pikachu, an Eevee, a Marill, and a Meowth. "Darkness conquers all worlds!" The dark voice shouted.

"What is that thing?" Rui asked, frightened.

"I don't know, but what we seek is just over there!" Kaito said, pointing to a door. "Take me there."

"But what about that thing?" Wes asked.

"My son and his friends will handle it. Keep going," Kaito said.

"Your son?" Rui asked.

"I can explain later. Just get me there," Kaito said.

With that said, the vehicle drove right towards the door during the battle with Ansem. Once they were far enough, they entered inside it. Upon entry, they see a faint glimmer in the distance.

"What is that?" Wes asked.

"It's gotta be what I'm looking for," Kaito said. When they were getting closer, they saw that it was a Keyblade. The blade and teeth are gold while the guard and hilt are silver. He took the Keyblade in his hands. "This Keyblade was forged in the realm of darkness just like my son's was forged in the realm of light."

"Now that you got it, what's next?" Rui asked.

"Now, I send you back to the realm of light," Kaito said.

"For real?!" Rui exclaimed with delight.

"Yes, but the Organization will know that you're alive when you do come back," Kaito said.

"Bring them on. I owe them both for what they did," Wes said.

"No. You won't stand a chance against them by yourselves. You're going to need my son's help to do it. But you have to watch him in the shadows. That way they'll have no clue about your existence," Kaito said.

"You said you were sending us back! How are we going to do that from the shadows and without them knowing?" Wes asked. Kaito took out a couple of black coats for Wes and Rui to wear.

"With these. Nobodies wears these black coats to protect themselves from the darkness, so it'll render their noses useless, so they'll never know you're there," Kaito said.

"We need disguises?" Rui asked.

"Until the time's right, you do. His name is Sora and he has a Keyblade, so the Organization is targeting him, and I need you to do what you can," Kaito said.

"We promise," Rui said. Wes nodded.

"Now, to send you back like I said. I'll handle the rest from in here, but put those on first!" Kaito said. As Wes and Rui put on the black coats, Kaito uses his new Keyblade to open a portal, leading back to the realm of light. Wes and Rui got on board and took one last look at Kaito before they rode through the portal. "May your hearts be your guiding key." Kaito closes the portal and he took off for the Door to Darkness. "The Door to Darkness can only be closed from both sides by keys born from the realms of light and darkness. Kingdom Hearts must be protected at all costs."

In the realm of light, Wes and Rui drove out and into the Johto region. They looked around and they saw the sun shining down from the trees.

"The sun. I was almost starting to forget what the sun even looks like," Rui said.

"Same here. Hard to believe that we've been gone for five years, and I can only imagine how much has changed since then," Wes said.

"I hope not too much. And I've been thinking. What if Kaito's son Sora doesn't get out at all. Not just him, but all his friends, too?" Rui asked.

"I don't know," Wes said.

Suddenly, light shines not too far away from them. They looked and saw the group of seven people and four Pokémon returning from where they were.

"We're back!" Sora said.

"Where did Ash and Leaf go?" Kairi asked.

"Probably back home," Sora said.

"That's good," Ethan said.

"We're back where we belong!" Jessie said.

"No more Heartless in every corner!" James said.

"That's actually a good thing!" Meowth said.

"And since that Ansem has been dealt with, it looks like it's back to business as usual!" Jessie said. "Get Pikachu!"

"Yeah!" James and Meowth agreed as they leapt toward the Mouse Pokémon to grab him.

"I don't think so! Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered. Pikachu fired Thunderbolt, shocking Team Rocket, sending them flying.

"Better this than being bested by the Heartless," James said.

"Anything but the Heartless," Jessie said.

"On top of that, we're going out with style," Meowth said.

"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" Team Rocket shouted as they go flying. A star twinkles in the distance.

"Some things never change," Sora said. He turned to Ethan, Kris, and Lyra. "Sorry you had to go through all that."

"It's okay, Sora. Just glad it worked out in the end," Ethan said.

"Yeah, but the Heartless are still going to be a problem for everyone as long as darkness still exists," Sora said.

"That's right. If only there were hearts filled with light, and they'll go away for good," Kairi said.

"Pika, Pikachu," Pikachu said.

"Eevee," Angel said.

"Toge, Toge," Togepi said.

"Well, it looks like they made it out after all," Wes said.

"Yes, but we did promise to keep an eye on his son, so why not?" Rui asked.

"He's obviously important if he defeated Ansem, and we have to make sure we watch him closely," Wes said. "We will do it from the shadows."

And here is where we'll end Wes and Rui's tale. You now know how Wes and Rui fits in with the story. Ever since then, they've been following Sora, Kairi, and their Pokémon friends from the Johto region right up to the Kanto region and making certain that Organization XIII did not know that they were alive until they wanted them to know.