Chapter 14: We Will Be Heroes! — Reiterated

Sora grunted slightly as he pushed open the gates to the coliseum. Now, this was what Ash had been expecting when Sora and the others had described this place. Its opulence was undeniable, what with its brilliant white marble and gleaming golden accents.

"Gawrsh, this sure brings back memories!" Goofy said nostalgically.

"I'm glad to be back in the sun," Ash remarked as he stretched out his arms. "I was starting to get claustrophobic down there."

"Tell me about it," Sora agreed as they began making their way into the coliseum proper. Ash hung back slightly and turned to Lightning who had a sullen scowl on her face.

"So, Hades promised to help you find your sister, right?" He asked. Seeing her face tighten, he added, "I'm looking for people too. When my world fell to the Heartless, a lot of my friends went missing." The woman merely sighed.

"Serah…" She said quietly, a pained look on her face. "I haven't seen her in so long. She's the only family I have left."

Ash placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know what that's like," he said sympathetically. "One of the people I'm looking for is my mother. She's the only family I've ever known. I can't remember anyone else ever being in our lives; not even my father." Ash's eyes were resolute. "You'll find your sister. And I'll find my mother and all my friends."

Lightning looked at him in surprise before her eyes softened ever so slightly. "Thank you… Ash."

Before they could reach the doors to the inner coliseum, they swung open on their own. Hercules slowly walked out, slumping in exhaustion. He gave a small sigh before his eyes widened upon seeing a certain trio. "Sora! Donald! Goofy!" He exclaimed happily. "When'd you guys get here?"

"Heya, Herc!" Sora greeted with a grin.

"Hi!" Donald exclaimed.

"Howdy, there!" Goofy said with a wave.

"You guys on another adventure?" The demigod asked, striding up to them as Meg appeared in the doorway behind him.

Sora scratched his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, trackin' down some friends, wipin' out some Heartless."

Herc chuckled as he clasped hands with Sora. "Junior heroes, always busy!"

Sora only grinned back. "You know it!"

Hercules finally noticed the new faces standing behind them. "And who's this?" He eyed the pack of Pokémon behind them with a hint of wariness. "These creatures look like something straight out of the Underworld."

"This is Ash," Sora began the introductions. "He's on a journey with us to find his friends too."

"He's only been with us for a short time," Goofy added, clapping the teen on the back and nearly sending him to the ground. "But it feels like he's been with us for ages!"

"Nice to meet you, Hercules!" Ash greeted him with a wave. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Ah, just call me Herc!" The demigod said, offering him a fist bump. "Any friend of these guys is a friend of mine!"

Ash took the proffered fist bump with a smile. Meanwhile, Lightning merely eyed Hercules with a frown, which the demigod noticed. "Hello, Lightning." He said with a sad smile of his own. "I take it Hades was of no help?"

The woman sighed. "You warned me Hades would try to con me," she admitted. "But I was desperate enough to try anyway."

"I'm sorry," Hercules said sympathetically. "I wish I could have done more to help." The woman shook her head.

"You turned all of Thebes upside down helping me search," she said simply. "I can't ask any more of you."

"Just… don't lose hope," Herc pleaded with her. Lightning took a moment to glance at Ash before the tiniest of smiles crossed her face.

"I won't," she promised. "I would never give up on her."

"Speaking of help," Ash spoke up. "Herc, do you think you could do us— well, me— a favor?"

"What is it?" The demigod asked. "Anything I can do to help, I will." Ash gestured to the pack of Pokémon accompanying them.

"We freed these guys from the Underworld," he explained. "And I'm planning on taking them back with me to Hollow Bastion, but in the meantime, do you think they can stay here? They won't cause any problems, I promise."

"Well," Herc scratched his cheek. "I don't see why not. We're not strapped for space here at the coliseum. I take it these are more of those Pokémon that have been running around recently?"

The party's eyes nearly bugged out at this. "Herc, you know what Pokémon are?" Sora asked in shock. The demigod nodded sheepishly.

"Yes, there's someone here at the coliseum that's familiar with them," he explained. "He has some Pokémon of his own and boy, they sure are strong! Phil was over the moon when he saw what they could do and they've been training with us ever since."

"A Pokémon trainer is here?!" Ash exclaimed.

"It could be one of your friends, Ash!" Donald said urgently.

"Well, let's not just stand around then!" Herc said, urging them inside. "I'll bring you to them."

The party eagerly followed after the demigod as he led them into the coliseum. Ash was practically thrumming with excitement. One of his friends might be here! They passed through a lobby area and entered the arena, where they found several individuals.

One was a short and stubby man with red skin and a pair of goat horns on his head. Instead of feet, the man sported two cloven hooves.

Another was a hulking man well over six feet in height, wearing a simple white t-shirt and black sweatpants. He had brown hair and well defined musculature built from years of training. While certainly not on the level of Hercules, the man gave the demigod a run for his money in terms of body shape.

Sitting nearby was a younger girl wearing a white graphic t-shirt and a blue miniskirt. She had reddish-brown hair and brilliant blue eyes.

While these two were certainly not one of Ash's friends from his travels, he had to admit they looked strikingly familiar. Certainly, he must have come across them at some point… but where…?

"Alright, Primeape!" The man shouted towards a bipedal, simian Pokémon with a round body covered in light beige, shaggy fur. "That's good! Take a ten!"

Ash's eyes widened, as it all came back to him. "Anthony!" He exclaimed. "Rebecca!"

The two turned to him, a look of confusion on their faces. It wasn't until the Pokémon that had been training suddenly barreled towards him and tackled him to the ground that they realized who had called their names.

"Well, well!" Anthony said with a grin. "If it ain't Ash!"

"It's been so long!" Rebecca said cheerfully. "It's so good to see you!"

"Hahaha!" Ash laughed wholeheartedly as the monkey Pokémon nuzzled his face affectionately. "P-Primeape! That tickles!"

"I take it this is one of your Pokémon, Ash?" Goofy asked with a smile. Ash could only grin at him in response.

"He sure is!" He said as his glasses made a 'ping' sound.

"Primeape — the Pig Monkey Pokémon and the evolved form of Mankey. When enraged, it gives chase endlessly. Because it is nearly impossible to tell what made it angry, there is no soothing it."

"Alright now," Anthony said with a chuckle, pulling the Pokémon off of the teen. "Give the kid some breathing room."

"A while back, I competed in an exclusive tournament for fighting-type Pokémon," Ash explained. "Primeape and I ended up winning the whole thing."

"Ash entered the tournament because of me," Rebecca spoke up. "I asked him to beat my father."

Anthony grimaced. "Yeah, I was a lousy dad back then," he said glumly. "But Ash set me straight. In gratitude, I offered to train his Primeape to become the ultimate fighter." His eyes became proud. "Which, I have to say, I think I've done a pretty good job!"

"Ash, your Primeape has won back-to-back P1 Grand Prixs!" Rebecca said excitedly.

"Is that true, buddy?!" Ash exclaimed. The Pokémon simply stood straighter, a proud look on his face. "Congratulations! I'm so sorry, I could never attend, buddy." Ash smiled sadly. "The timing was always awful."

"I think the timing may have actually helped out a bit," Anthony admitted.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked curiously.

"See, the P1 Grand Prix takes place around the same time as the Pokémon League," Anthony explained. "And seeing as Ash always competes in the Pokémon League, there was never a chance for him to come see Primeape compete."

"Primeape would always watch your matches, Ash," Rebecca said with a fond smile. "Even from far away, you always inspired him to grow stronger. I think he really wished he could be there with you battling it out in the Pokémon League."

Ash smiled at Primeape who huffed affectionately before turning to the father-daughter duo. "Have you been here long?"

"Ever since those Heartless freaks showed up," Anthony said with a grimace. Rebecca merely shuddered.

"It was terrifying," she said. "But Hercules promised we would be safe here."

"If you want, we could take you to Hollow Bastion," Ash offered. "Professor Oak is there and is heading up a Pokémon relocation organization. We're aiming to find displaced people and Pokémon and bring them there."

"That so?" Anthony mused. "Well, we'd be much obliged." He glanced at all the Houndour and Houndoom standing about. "I take it these are some stray Pokémon? There's been a few strays wandering around the city. We can see about rounding them up for you."

"That'd be a lifesaver," Ash said thankfully.

"Well, this has all been a real touchin' reunion," an annoyed voice broke in. "But can someone fill in some blanks for me, here?"

"Sorry, Phil," Hercules said sheepishly. "These guys just got back from the Underworld."

Sora nodded. "We tried to teach Hades a thing or two, but the Underworld drains all our strength."

"Don't suppose you have any ideas to get around that?" Donald asked hopefully. Hercules looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Ha!" Phil broke into a belly laugh. "You guys? Take on Hades?" The party merely glared at him.

"Well..." Hercules said thoughtfully. "There is a stone that guards against the Underworld's curse. The gods on Mount Olympus use it whenever they have to go down there."

Sora's face brightened. "Think we could borrow it?"

Herc simply smiled. "Sure, why not! I'll go get it for you."

"Thanks!" Ash said gratefully. He turned to Lightning and whispered, "Then we can go teach Hades a lesson about messing with people's families." Lightning turned to him and nodded with the smallest of smiles.

"But Hades is no pushover, even if you've got the Olympus Stone." Herc said in warning. "And I have a match today, so I can't go with you..." A light bulb went off in Hercules' head. "Know what you need? Training! Why don't you help them out, Phil?"

"Well, well," Phil said, rubbing his chin. "The Junior Heroes, eh? Are you ready to finally earn your true hero wings?"

"You bet!" Sora said eagerly. Phil scrutinized them for a moment as they each puffed their chests out in pride.

"Hmmm… Nope. You still ain't got what it takes." The trio nearly fell over in their shock and disappointment. Phil glanced at the other two new faces. "And what about you kid? You wanna be a hero, too?"

"Uh… no?" Ash said awkwardly.

"No?" Phil repeated in surprise. Sora, Donald and Goofy also looked at him in surprise. "Pretty much everyone who comes here is lookin' to be a hero."

"I guess I'm a first then," the teen said, shaking his head. "I'm not interested in any of that. I'm just trying to find my friends and help whoever I can."

"He's pretty much a hero already." Sora exclaimed. "He saved all those people in his world!"

"He certainly saved me and my father, if only our relationship," Rebecca said with a smile. "So, at the very least, he's my hero." Anthony nodded in agreement while Primeape raised his fist with a proud grunt.

"I just did what was right." Ash told them. "Anyone would have done the same." Sora was about to say something when they heard Phil laughing.

"Now, that's a hero's attitude!" he said with a grin before turning thoughtful. "Hey, kid. You look kinda familiar, have we met before?"

"I'm pretty sure I'd remember if I did," Ash said with a chuckle. 'Unless he met Xhäs at some point.'

"You sure?" Phil continued. "Well, if you change your mind and wanna be a hero, then you came to the right place. You've got potential." He smiled nostalgically. 'He reminds me of those other three...' Phil shook his head at his old memories. "Anyway, if you want to take on Hades, then train hard. Got it?"

"You bet!" Sora said as he, Donald and Goofy entered the arena Primeape had previously been training in.

"I'm gonna head off to Mount Olympus," Herc called out to them. "I'll be back with the Olympus Stone!"

"Alright then, see you soon," Ash bid farewell to him on behalf of the rest of the group. He turned to the pack of Pokémon that had been accompanying him all this time.

"Okay, guys. You've got the run of the place. Don't go causing any problems, okay?" Once they'd all made various noises of agreement, he turned and was about to go join the others for training when he felt himself being grabbed. He looked to see Lightning dragging him to a secluded area littered with various training equipment. "Lightning?"

"You. Me. Spar. Now." Was all she said. Anthony, Rebecca and Primeape watched this in confusion. Ash blinked as she walked a short distance away before turning to face him, drawing her gunblade and taking a stance.

Primeape looked like he was ready to defend him when he raised his hand. "Don't worry," Ash said with a small grin. "I got this."

Music: Final Fantasy 13 OST Blinded By Light ( Main Battle Theme) ~ /watch?v=RPtq1Bpf6q4

"We'll see about that," Lightning said, dashing at him with incredible speed. Ash summoned his Keyblades, much to their spectators' shock and deflected her attack. He quickly pivoted on his heel, slashing at her abdomen. His opponent flipped backwards, avoiding the blow. She lunged, slashing her blade upward from a tailguard. Ash sidestepped the attack, but was caught off guard when she suddenly ducked low, slashing at his stomach. He barely deflected it when she continued her barrage, taking advantage of his surprise. Her strikes were incredibly fast and precise, relying more on finesse and agility.

'She's fast, but Xhäs was faster!' Ash thought as he ducked her side-slash and kicked her legs, sending her off balance before he performed a series of flips to gain some distance.

"Show off," Lightning said with a smirk. From the sidelines, the spectators were watching the duel in awe.

Ash grinned, pointing Oathkeeper at her. "Thunder!"

Lightning raised her gunblade, charged it with magic and nullified the attack. "Oh?" She asked with a feral grin of her own. "You're challenging me to a magical duel? I may not look like it, but I'm pretty handy at magic myself! Fira!"

With that said, her arms became wreathed in flames before she launched a torrent of fire at him. Ash's eyes widened at the unexpected power behind the attack. Letting out a small curse, he leapt to the side. "Thundara!" Lightning snapped, elemental magic begining to swirl around her body. "Blizzara!"

'Her magic is powerful,' Ash thought to himself as he used his Keyblade to block the brunt of the attacks. His eyes narrowed. 'But so is Aqua's. I can do this.'

Lightning paused her string of attacks just long enough for him to see her gathering a vast amount of flames in her hands. "Firaga!" She roared.

"Blizzard!" Ash shouted, countering the spout of flames. The two attacks collided, producing a large cloud of steam, though the difference in power between them forced him to dodge the remaining flames. Ash's eyes narrowed, expecting to see her come charging out of the steam any moment. Instead, he heard several mechanical sounds.

His eyes widened.

Ash leapt to the side as Lightning began raining a hail of bullets at him. Running quickly through the various training equipment and obstacles, his mind flew a mile a minute. Thinking fast, he kicked a large metal discus at her. She aimed her bullets at the discus, but they simply ricocheted off, forcing her to dodge.

This was all that Ash needed, as he had charged at her while she was wasting time trying to stop the discus. Within seconds, he was within striking distance and the assault began. She raised Blazefire Saber to defend as he began steadily pushing her back by raining attack after attack on her gunblade. He suddenly flipped back, catching her by surprise, as she had lifted her Blazefire Saber to defend herself. He then lunged, using the added force of his momentum to force her into a stagger. Her grip on her blade loosened. Seizing his chance, he used the teeth of Oblivion to catch it and pry it from her hands before tossing it aside. In a flash both Keyblades were at her throat, in a position reminiscent of a pair of scissors.

Ash could see the shock in her eyes, which slowly turned to acceptance and respect. "Good fight." She said with a smirk.

"Not so bad yourself!" Ash said with a grin. They were both startled by the sound of applause. They turned to see Anthony, Rebecca, Primeape and Phil standing there. The humans were clapping with amazed looks on their faces. Primeape looked pumped, like he wanted to join them while Phil merely stared at Ash in contemplation.

"Nice fighting, kid!" The satyr said after a while. "You sure you don't want no hero training?"

Ash merely smirked at him. "You sure do seem eager to recruit me, Phil."

"What the heck, Phil?!" Sora complained as he, Donald and Goofy walked over; the three having finished their training.

"I can't help it, kid!" Phil said with a shrug. "Your friend here just has something you ain't. He's got this real bigshot, regal air about 'im."

Anthony simply watched the boy in admiration. "You've gotten strong, kid." He said with a wry grin. "Real strong. And I don't mean just physically. You've come a long way as a man and a trainer."

"We've watched all your matches!" Rebecca said in admiration. "Your Kalos League performance was incredible. It's such a shame it was interrupted. You could have won the whole thing!"

"Which brings me to this!" Anthony cleared his throat. "Ash, I fulfilled my promise and did all I can to make Primeape stronger. I think it's high time he rejoined you on your adventures."

"He's been stagnating," Rebecca admitted. "Sure, he's the strongest P1 Champion. But we can tell he wants more than that. He wants to help you win the Pokémon League."

"Is that true, buddy?" Ash asked. Primeape simply let out a fearsome cry, punching his fists together eagerly. "Well, I'm more than happy to accept." Ash took the Poké Ball Anthony offered him with a wide grin on his face. "Welcome back to the team, Primeape!"

"Hey, there!" a voice called out to them. Everyone turned to see Hercules had returned from Mount Olympus.

"Great timing," Phil spoke up. "Listen, I gotta take off for a bit."

"Really?" Sora asked, raising an eyebrow. "Where to?"

"None of your beeswax." Phil said with a glare. Sora simply sighed as the satyr walked off. They turned back to the approaching Hercules, who was currently looking at them with a grimace on his face.

"Sorry, guys," the demigod said. "The Olympus Stone has been stolen."

"What?" Sora cried incredulously.

"By who?" Ash exclaimed.

"We don't know who did it yet." He explained. "All we're sure of is that it was a guy in a black-hooded cloak. And he had accomplices — a bunch of creatures in white." Sora, Ash, Donald and Goofy all looked at each other in alarm; something that did not escape Hercules' attention. "Someone you know?"

"I think so." Sora said slowly. "Hey, if we can get the Olympus Stone back, can we borrow it for a while?"

"Of course. I was already planning on lending it to you." Herc said with a smile. "By the way, you guys haven't seen Meg around, have you? She saw me off when I left but I havent's seen hide or hair of her since I got back." They all shook their heads, making the demigod frown, his body sagging slightly.. "Oh…"

"What's wrong, Your Hero-ness?" A mocking voice asked from behind Hercules. A blue hand landed on his shoulder making the demigod spin around. He sent Hades a venomous glare. The party tensed upon seeing him. Anthony instinctively stepped in front of his daughter.

"Feeling under the weather?" The god asked with a sneer. "You know, I thought staying in perfect shape was part of the 'hero' job description... you know what I'm sayin'?"

Ash and Sora glanced at each other. "Now's better than ever," the brown-haired teen said with a shrug before turning to the blue-skinned god. "Hades, we gotta talk!"

The God of the Underworld merely rolled his eyes and flicked Sora between the eyes, sending him flying onto his backside. Everyone instinctively tensed. Ash quickly stood between Sora and Hades. The god looked at him in disdain.

"You have something that belongs to me, brat," Hades hissed.

"Try and take it then," Ash snapped, clutching his satchel containing the artifacts in a vice grip. "We're not in the Underworld anymore, blue boy. You're outnumbered."

Hades looked enraged for a moment before he forced himself to calm down. "Anyway," he stressed. "I came to share a bit of mildly interesting news!" Hades met Hercules' eye. "Seems your dear, sweet little Nutmeg..." he disappeared just as Herc was about to attack him and reappeared behind him. "...went and got herself lost in the Underworld."

"You mean you kidnapped her!" Hercules snapped.

"Well, maybe..." Hades said, casually shrugging his shoulders. "But why get caught up in the details?"

Hercules whistled and a white stallion with blue hair and white wings flew to him. He was about to mount the steed when Hades spoke up.

"You can't leave now, okay?" Hades said mockingly. "You've got a very important match today, against… well… I'll just keep that a surprise." The god let out a cruel laugh. "I mean, if you don't stick around, who knows what kind of 'accidents' might happen."

"Yeah, accidents you cause." Sora said harshly.

"You're sick, Hades," Lightning snarled.

"Like I said: details, who needs 'em?"

"You're just a coward!" Hercules snapped.

"Aw well." Hades said as he disappeared in a black mist. "Can't all be heroes, kid!"

Hercules closed his eyes and crossed his arms, a look of distress on his face. Sora and the others slowly approached him. When the demigod opened his eyes once again, he had a pleading look in them. "Sora, Donald, Goofy, Ash. I can't leave the city undefended. Can I count on you guys to rescue Meg?"

"Of course!" Donald exclaimed. "Cause we're heroes too"

"Junior heroes, Donald!" Goofy corrected him, prompting the duck to turn to him with a glare.

"You take care of whatever Hades is planning to throw at you," Sora said with a smile.

"We'll get Meg back," Ash said resolutely. "You can count on that."

Herc put his hands on Sora and Ash's shoulders. "I'm counting on you guys." He turned to the winged horse. "Pegasus, you gotta find Meg." The horse nodded and took off flying. Hercules turned to Anthony and Rebecca. "You guys should leave the coliseum for a while. At least until I've dealt with whatever Hades has planned."

"We'll take the opportunity to start rounding up the stray Pokémon in the area," Rebecca suggested.

"It's settled then!" Sora turned to Ash, Donald and Goofy. "Alright, let's go!"

"Ash!" Lightning called out as he and the others made to run towards the entrance to the Underworld. "I'll go with you."

The black-haried trainer smiled gratefully. "Welcome aboard, Lightning."

"And, Ash?" she called again. He looked at her curiously as she gave him a small smile. "Call me Light."

The party had just finished their descent into the Underworld when they were met with an unwelcome sight. "Phil!" Sora shouted as they saw the satyr laying collapsed on the ground. They wasted little time in rushing to his side. Phil groaned as he slowly pushed himself off the ground.

"What happened?" Ash asked urgently.

"I spotted this strange guy all dressed in black." Phil explained, still looking a bit dazed. "He seemed suspicious, so I chased after him but he turned on me. Next thing I know, I'm seeing stars."

"Dressed in black?" Donald exclaimed. "He's the one who stole the Olympus Stone!"

"Which way did he go?" Sora asked. Phil gestured to the large door they'd used to seal Cerberus.

"Further into the Underworld," Phil said with a grim look on his face. "He's a bad apple, alright. And all I wanted was to find a backup hero. Just in case Herc needed to take a break."

"Heroes, eh?" Sora asked, scratching his cheek. "You could have just asked!"

"Hey, you're right!" Phil exclaimed. "Hey, kid. You wanna fill in for Herc?" he asked Ash, completely ignoring Sora and making him, Donald and Goofy fall over.

"I meant us!" Sora shouted.

"Oh, that's a good one!" Phil started laughing uproariously. Sora just sighed and began walking towards the entrance to the Underworld proper, hanging his head. A dark cloud was raining on him which he didn't seem to notice. Ash sighed, shaking his head before gesturing for the rest of the party to follow.

Up on the surface, Hercules awaited the creature Hades promised to send his way with agitation. He needed to finish this already and join the others in rescuing Meg!

Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet began to rumble. With a great crash, the floor of the arena exploded upward as a gigantic serpentine creature flew up and out of the newly formed hole, shrieking wildly. The audience all shouted in panic as large pieces of flying debris went crashing into the stands. Hercules watched this in horror.

"Hercules!" A voice called out to him, making him turn to see Anthony and Rebecca running towards him with looks of panic on their faces.

"Get back!" Hercules shouted, catching a flying boulder before it could crush the father-daughter duo. With a grunt, he cast it aside. He took a moment to look up at the creature now hovering above the stadium. The demigod felt a chill down his spine. It resembled a skeleton serpent; if said serpent was glowing an ominous red and violet color. This creature was beyond anything Hades had sent his way so far. The power radiating from its form rivaled even that of the Titans!

"Summon the city guard and have them evacuate the city!" Hercules told them urgently. "This creature is different from the others Hades has cooked up."

"What about you?!" Rebecca exclaimed. Hercules merely smiled at her.

"I'm a hero," he said simply. "I'll do what heroes do."

Meanwhile, the party travelled through the Underworld. They remained mostly unharassed save for a few stray Heartless. It was rather suspicious, considering Hades' taunting. They'd been expecting to meet quite a bit of resistance.

Eventually, they exited the misty cavern into a larger chamber, wherein they found a person wearing a black cloak. Though their back was turned to them, their footfalls made their presence known and the Nobody quickly spun around.

"Ah!" He cried, pointing at them in alarm. "It's you guys!"

"So this is the thief?" Lightning asked, crossing her arms with an unimpressed look on her face. The Nobody bristled and took off his hood to reveal short blonde hair and gleaming blue eyes. He stared at Sora and Ash intently.

"Okay… Roxas?" the Nobody asked hesitantly, staring at Sora in particular.

"Gesundheit." Goofy said courteously, making Ash sweat drop.

Sora just blinked at him. "...Excuse me?"

"Roxas?" The Nobody tried again, only for Sora to raise an eyebrow at him. He let out a groan. "Oh, it's no use."

"What are you talking about?" Sora demanded. The Nobody ignored him, instead turning to Ash.

"And what about you, Xhäs?" He asked hopefully and somehow, Ash fully understood what he meant. Unbeknownst to Ash, his irises flashed red for a moment as his brow furrowed into a harsh look that sent chills down the Nobody's spine.

"I'm not going back." He said simply. "...Demyx."

"So, you do remember!" Demyx said excitedly before a frown crossed his face. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. "Let's see, here... 'If the subjects fail to respond, use aggression to liberate their true dispositions'..."

"Right…" The Nobody sighed, placing the paper back in his pocket. "Did they ever pick the wrong guy for this one..."

"You're bizarre..." Sora said, shaking his head. He gasped when Demyx pulled out a round talisman-like object.

"The Olympus Stone!" Ash said urgently.

"So you are the thief!" Goofy said in accusation.

"Now that's just plain rude!" Demyx said as he raised the stone. It glowed gold as he was bathed in its light.

"He's lifted the Underworld's Curse," Lightning said, drawing her gunblade. "He's got the advantage."

"We'll see about that," Ash said, pulling Primeape's Poké Ball from his belt. "We've still got numbers on our side. Primeape, come out!"

"Numbers, eh?" Demyx scoffed as he summoned a blue sitar. "How about you try this on for size? Dance, water, dance!" The party quickly found themselves surrounded by a hundred water constructs and formed a defensive ring.

"You just had to say something, didn't you, Ash?" Donald demanded, sending the teen an annoyed glare.

"...Sorry," Ash said sheepishly. The party quickly began getting to work dispatching the water constructs. "This is a lot of constructs…" He mumbled as he noticed Primeape wildly pummeling water forms. "Primeape, use Rage Fist!" The Pig Monkey Pokémon let out a wild shriek as its fists erupted in ghostly flames, destroying a construct in a single blow.

Ash couldn't argue with the result. "Keep using Rage Fist!" he instructed as he grabbed one water construct by the tail and began using it as a makeshift weapon, destroying several other water forms as he went. Sora saw this from across the battlefield and grinned widely before copying his idea.

Further behind him was Donald, casting Thunder spells in quick succession while Goofy kept the constructs off of him. Lightning had transformed her weapon into its gun form and was unleashing a storm of bullets upon their enemy.

Soon enough, the all the constructs had been cleared from the battlefield, leaving Demyx alone and panting from exhaustion. A memory came unbidden to Ash's mind.

"You never were a fighter," the trainer said, shaking his head. Demyx met his gaze, his eyes clouded with a complicated emotion.

"Xhäs…" The Nobody murmured. "Why did you leave us?"

"The Superior has lost his way," Ash said, his eyes faintly glowing red. "You know this."

"Xhäs… Roxas…" Demyx said, his voice tinged with frustration. "Come back to us!" Before either Ash or Sora could respond, he disappeared into a Dark Corridor.

Sora rested his Keyblade on his shoulder, a frown on his face. "Guy's like a broken record." He blinked and turned to Ash, who was picking up the Olympus Stone. "Alright, Ash. Explanation time."

"You seemed to know him," Lightning pointed out.

"And who is Roxas?" Goofy asked. "And Xhäs?"

Ash sighed, taking off his hat and running a hand through his hair. A nervous tick, he was coming to realize, that came from the Nobody in question. This was gonna be an awkward conversation. "I'm not sure who Roxas is," he said honestly. "The name sounds only vaguely familiar... But Xhäs… is my Nobody."

Sora, Donald and Goofy blinked at him uncomprehendingly before their eyes widened. "WHAT?" The three shouted incredulously. Meanwhile, Lightning just looked confused.

"A Nobody?" She repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"So, you know how people get turned into Heartless, right?" Ash said for her benefit. At her nod, he continued. "When a strong-willed person loses their heart, their body and spirit linger and become a Nobody."

"Wait…" Lightning raised a hand to halt his explanation. "If a Nobody is created by someone being turned into a Heartless, then how are you here?"

Ash smiled sheepishly. "Mine was a special case."

"How so?" Sora asked curiously.

"Do you remember one of my earliest adventures?" Ash asked him. "When I encountered Mew and Mewtwo for the first time?" At their nods, he continued. "When I was turned to stone, my Heart was lost. But when the Pokémon cried for me, they gave me a part of their own essence. Basically… They infused me with a piece of their own Hearts. And so, I was revived. And Xhäs was born."

"Have you met him before?" Donald asked curiously.

"In a sense," Ash said. "He decided that instead of continuing an empty existence, he would rather become whole. And he fused with me; or rather, we're becoming one as we speak. Every now and then, I remember some things from his past. He was the original Number XIII. Xhäs: The Forgotten Key."

The others took a moment to digest all of that information. "So…" Sora cleared this throat after a while. "Do you know anything about the Organization?"

Ash shook his head. "I don't have all his memories." He said. "Not yet, anyway. I can tell you a few of their names, but it's mostly small tidbits that come to me." Sora sighed in disappointment, prompting Ash to shake his head. "Anyway, we're wasting time here. We still need to rescue Meg!"

Sora's eyes widened. "That's right!" Ash looked at the Olympus Stone in his hand and raised it above his head. All of them were bathed in the glow of the sacred artifact.

"I can feel my strength returning." Lightning said with a sigh of relief.

"Let's go!" Sora said firmly. "Meg needs our help!"

The party filed into a large chamber with an eerie-looking stone in the center. Ash couldn't help but feel a sense of dread from this stone. It had an image imprinted upon it that looked strikingly similar to Megara. There was also a large keyhole in its center.

"Does anyone else feel like this was too easy?" Ash asked. "Hades hasn't sent anything serious to stop us, even after all that taunting back at the coliseum. I suspect Demyx was here on his own agenda."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking that," Lightning said, crossing her arms. "This feels like a trap."

"Even if it is," Sora said, a look of determination on his face. "We have to press on. Meg still needs help."

"...You're right," Ash said with a small sigh. "You wanna do the honors?" Sora nodded and pointed his Keyblade at the keyhole. A flash of light erupted from the stone, forcing them to cover their eyes. When they opened them again, the stone was gone. Instead there was a hole with a beam of eerie green light flowing from it.

"Meg?" Donald called out cautiously.

"Almost there," Sora said before turning to the others. "Let's go!" With that, the party stepped into the depression, only to stumble as they suddenly found themselves in a large cavern with a floor that seemed to be made of pure mist.

There, bound in chains, they found Meg. She looked up at them in surprise before a relieved smile found its way onto her face. Beside her, Hades looked at them with a sneer on his face. "Ha!" The god let out a chuckle. "Now, that's what I call a key!" He gave them a mocking bow. "Thanks for all your help! Now… have a nice day."

With that said, he disappeared in a swirl of black mist. Ash quickly strode over to her, slashing through her chains with Oathkeeper. The force of it made her stumble, but he caught her before she could fall. "You okay, Meg?" He asked softly. She smiled at him in thanks before her eyes widened.

"Behind you!" She cried. He spun around to see Pete standing by the exit, surrounded by Heartless.

"Awww, what's the matter?" Pete asked mockingly. "Can't fight in the Underworld? Boo-hoo-hoo! Hahahaha!"

"Better think again," Sora snapped, summoning his Keyblade as the others all drew their weapons. Ash once again released Primeape from his Poké Ball. The fighting-type let out a screech as it eyed their adversary with rage.

"Charge!" Pete roared. The Heartless surged forward, quickly surrounding them. The party formed a defensive circle around Meg, who looked at all the Heartless in panic.

"We have to protect Meg!" Ash barked. Beside him, Sora and Goofy was making quick work of anything that got too close to Meg, while Lightning and Donald focused on taking down any flying Heartless with magic and her ranged weapon. This continued for several minutes, but even with their strength renewed, they began to waver as the Heartless kept coming and coming.

"There's too many of them!" Sora shouted as he took out another Heartless.

"We need to get Meg out of here!" Donald cried. Ash grit his teeth.

"We need to push forward!" He shouted back to them. "Primeape and I will start cutting a path, you guy follow us!" Turning to his fighting-type, Ash shouted, "Rage Fist!" Primeape let out a screech, his eyes growing wild. His fists began glowing with ghastly flames as it started pummeling the Heartless into submission. He quickly joined the fray, slashing his way through several Heartless.

The others began slowly moving forward, maintaining their defensive circle around Meg. From the other side of the chamber, Pete watched this in concern.

"Rage Fist!" Ash called again as he and Primeape continued to push forward. Primeape snarled as he ruthlessly crushed a Soldier beneath his fists.

"Keep going!" Ash shouted as the party crept forward. "Rage Fist!" Primeape's eye began to grow wild as he continued his assault taking as many hits as he was dishing out.

"Rage Fist!" The Pokémon's veins began bulging to an unbelievable size as his anger grew and grew.

"Don't stop!" Ash shouted as he slashed through two more Heartless. "Rage Fist!" Foam began to gather in Primeape's mouth as his anger reached a new level.

"We're almost there!" Ash exclaimed as he sliced through multiple Heartless in rapid succession. "Primeape, don't give in!" He roared. "RAGE FIST!"

Primeape unleashed a primal shriek of rage, forcing everyone to cover their ears. His eyes started glowing red and he began frothing at the mouth as his fury could no longer be contained by his mortal body. Everyone froze in shock as he began glowing with a brilliant light. Slowly, he grew bulkier and his fur grew shaggier. Eventually the light faded, revealing his new form. He was now covered in shaggy grey fur that streamed upward and faded to white as it almost seemed to evaporate into thin air.

The pinging of Ash's glasses cut through the silence of the battlefield. "Annihilape — The Rage Monkey Pokemon, a fighting and ghost type and the final evolved form of Mankey. When its anger rose beyond a critical point, this Pokémon gained power that is unfettered by the limits of its physical body. It imbues its fists with the power of the rage that it kept hidden in its heart. Opponents struck by these imbued fists will be shattered to their core."

"W-Well, now…" Pete seemed nervous as he slowly backed away. By now his Heartless had dwindled to just a few Shadows. "Let's not be too hasty…"

Ash let off a feral grin that was matched by his Pokemon. "Annihilape," he said vindictively. "Use Rage Fist."

Annihilape's shrieks of rage were only drowned out by Pete's shrieks of terror.

The party eventually made it back to the Underworld's entrance. They'd walked in a sort of shell shocked silence most of the way. The things they'd just witnessed… They let out a shudder. "Hey!" They heard Phil's voice and turned to see him running up to them with a look of concern on his face. "You guys okay?"

"It's all good!" Ash said cheerfully, giving him a thumbs up. The others looked at him incredulously.

"Ash," Sora shuddered. "Remind me not to get on your — or Annihilape's — bad side."

"Poor Pete," Goofy shook his head regretfully. "Not even he deserved that."

"Hey," Ash said defensively. "You guys said it yourself. Pete's been causing trouble for ages. It was about time he got what was coming to him."

Sora opened his mouth to reply when suddenly he felt a presence behind him. He quickly spun around to see Hades standing there, picking his ear in a bored manner. They quickly made another defensive circle around Meg. "Yeesh, you kids don't know the meaning of holding back, do you?" The god asked rhetorically. "Anyway. You guys really blew it, ya know?"

"No one likes a sore loser, Hades!" Sora spat.

"Can it, Keyboy!" Hades snapped.

"Then allow me," Lighting snarled. "No one likes a sore loser, Loser."

Hades glared at her furiously before forcing himself to calm down. "Yeah, yeah, Styx and stones." He said with a forced casual tone. "Hey, maybe you should go check on that Wonderboy of yours. I hear things are really falling apart up there." He disappeared in a swirl of black mist. "See you topside, ladies and gents!."

"Wait!" Sora cried.

"Falling apart?" Ash repeated, his brow furrowing in concern. "That can't be good..."

"Oh, no…" Phil had gone pale. "I'd been feeling tremors for a while, but I figured it was from you guys bashin' in Hades' head."

"Hercules!" Meg cried, her eyes wide with terror as she began sprinting towards the stairs to the coliseum. They quickly followed after her.

Music: Caelestinum Finale Termini Genshin Impact Ost 1 hour Extended ~ /watch?v=3GAjECaGT1Y

It took all of Ash's willpower not to let his jaw drop as he stepped through the gate to the Underworld. The scene on the surface was of pure carnage. The amphitheater was in complete ruins and in the distance, the city seemed to be in flames. Even the sky itself seemed to bleed red with some kind of strange energy. Ash nearly found himself choking with how dense the air felt. His skin tingled as magical energy seemed to flow freely.

'Milord,' Gardevoir's voice entered his head.

"I know…" Ash choked out. "The magic in the air is unbelievably dense. This is insane."

"Welcome, boys and girls of all ages!" Hades' voice cut through the cacophony of destruction. They turned in the direction of his voice numbly to see him standing atop a ruined statue. "To the grand finale! And you all are the guests of honor!"

"What have you done, Hades?!" Lightning snarled, drawing her gunblade. "What manner of calamity have you unleashed?!"

"Me?" Hades laughed. "Why I've done nothing." His smile turned into a sneer. "Why don't you ask your Poké Pal, here?" He turned and gestured to the sky above. "Behold and despair! My beast of the apocalypse is here!"

The party looked up as one, only for their jaws to drop in horrified awe upon seeing the absolutely enormous creature floating above the coliseum. The apocalyptic-level beast was a gigantic, draconic alien being. Its body was vaguely draconic in shape and had an almost skeletal appearance; with its 'skeleton' a dark violet with red-colored 'flesh'. Its main body and tail were long and thin and resembled a spinal column, and it possessed four small, thin limbs ending in claws formed from spindly appendages attached at a right angle. Its torso was formed from a cage of appendages resembling ribs, and inside it was a large, glowing pink core.

"W-What is that thing?!" Sora shouted, his eyes wide with awe and terror. He was answered by a 'ping' coming from Ash's glasses.

"Eternatus — The Gigantic Pokemon. This Legendary Pokémon has only been seen a scant few times throughout recorded history."

"A-A Legendary Pokémon?" Ash shouted, his eyes dilating slightly at the sheer scale of the creature before them. It was like facing down a mountain, if that mountain had claws and fangs.

"That thing is a Pokémon?!" Sora cried as Eternatus let out a shriek that nearly deafened them all.

"Wait, there! In its claws!" Meg shouted through the noise, pointing towards the creature's right claw. They looked closer, only for their eyes to widen.

"It has Herc!" Goofy cried. Almost as though the creature heard them, it reared back and hurled the demigod from its grip, sending him crashing into a column. The party all scattered as the pillar came tumbling down, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

"Hercules!" Meg cried as she dashed over to the fallen hero. The others quickly went to her side.

"M-Meg…" Hercules groaned, his eyes bleary and bloodshot. "You're safe… I'm glad…"

"Save your strength, Wonderboy," Meg pleaded with him.

"C'mon, Champ!" Phil urged him, wiping the sweat and dust from Hercules' face with a towel. "You can handle this; can't you?"

"I tried," the demigod whispered, looking up at the rampaging Pokémon in despair. "It was all I could do to restrict it to the city. But every time I thought I defeated it, it just seemed to heal itself and get stronger."

"We're here now, Herc!" Sora said urgently. "We can work together to beat it!"

"I can't," Hercules said mournfully. "Nothing I did worked. The city's in ruins and people are hurt. Hades was right. I'm not a hero. I'm just a washout."

"Aw, come on, champ!" Phil snapped. "I didn't train you to think like that!"

"I failed," Herc said softly.

"Wonderboy..." Meg whispered, a heartbroken look on her face.

"I was supposed to protect everyone," Hercules whispered in self-loathing. "I can't even protect the ones I love."

"Hey, now!" Sora exclaimed, shaking his head. "Phil is right. This is no time to beat yourself up! We need to stop that thing before it rampages across all of Greece!"

Herc didn't seem to hear him, his body seeming to lose its heroic aura as he began to spiral into despair. "I'm some hero…" He muttered, grasping his head in his hands.

Ash watched this unfold, though he did not see Hercules before him. No, instead he saw himself back in Hollow Bastion, after Xigbar had single-handedly dismantled his Pokémon before his very eyes. He remembered the despair and self-loathing he felt in that moment and felt sympathy for Hercules. He then recalled Leon's words to him afterwards.

Resolving himself, Ash strode up and grabbed Hercules' shoulders. "Herc!" He shouted. "Snap out of it!" When he didn't respond, Ash grabbed the demigod's tunic, lifting him up and getting in his face. His friends all looked concerned by this. "Hercules! This isn't the time to wallow in self-pity like a child!"

Hercules' eyes suddenly regained a hint of light as he looked at him in shock. The rest of the group likewise looked at him in shock.

"Ash—" Sora began

"Wait." Phil cut him off. "...Let him talk."

"You messed up," Ash said to everyone's shock. Sora opened his mouth to refute that statement but Ash quickly continued. "...That's what you want to hear, right? You screwed up and everyone else paid the price." Sora blinked while Donald crossed his arms and Goofy scratched his chin. This speech sounded familiar…

"So, get up, learn from your mistakes and get stronger," Ash said, channeling Leon word for word. "Get over yourself. You do yourself and everyone who ever called you a 'hero' a disservice by sitting there moping about your screw ups. So. Get. Up."

"Ash…" Meg began.

"No." Hercules cut her off. Everyone turned to him. Sora, Donald and Goofy smiled knowingly as the demigod slowly rose to his feet, his heroic aura seeming to return to him. "He's right. This is my responsibility, so I'm going to face it head on." He turned to the black-haired teen with a grateful smile. "Thanks, Ash."

Ash merely grinned at him. "Don't mention it." He then turned to face the enormous Pokémon still hovering above the coliseum.

"This Ash kid is really somethin," Phil muttered to Meg. The woman merely looked at the boy fondly.

"He sure it..."

"So this thing is a Pokémon…" Sora spoke up in a thoughtful tone, making everyone turn to him. "Does that mean you can catch it, Ash?"

Ash paused for a moment before nodding resolutely. "It's possible," he said. "But it's going to be unbelievably difficult. If you guys think a Mega Pokémon is strong, a Legendary Pokémon is on a completely different level."

"How do you mean?" Goofy asked nervously.

"They're basically gods in my world," Ash said seriously.

"Heh," Lightning scoffed. "Gods… They always think they can toy with human lives. They're wrong."

"...She's right," Ash nodded. "At the end of the day, a Legendary Pokémon is still a Pokémon." He reached back to his belt and retrieved every single Poké Ball at his disposal.

"Chandelure."

"Aegislash."

"Hydreigon."

"Houndoom."

"Annihilape."

"...Gardevoir." He addressed them all as they appeared. "We've got a big fight on our hands. I need each of you to help out." The assembled Pokémon were tense as they turned to face the deity hanging above their heads. "But we're not alone. Everyone here is standing together as a team."

"That's right!" Sora exclaimed. "We're all in this together!"

"All for one!" Donald shouted.

"And one for all!" Everyone replied, their eyes blazing with defiance in the face of the impossible challenge before them.

"Let's go!" Ash roared.

With that, the assembled party charged. Eternatus let out an earth shattering roar and from the shadows, Heartless began to spawn. Ash ducked beneath the fist of a Large Body. Primeape came up behind him and threw a ghostly fist into its face, destroying it in an instance. The trainer took a moment to survey the battlefield. Many of his comrades had been halted in their charge by the Heartless.

"We can't lose momentum like this…!" He hissed before turning to the strongest of his comrades. "Herc! Sora!" He shouted.

The demigod glanced his way before destroying his Heartless opponent and dashing towards him. "What's the plan, Ash?" he asked urgently just as Sora arrived.

"We need to get to Eternatus!" Ash slammed his fist into his pauldron, causing his armor to appear. He quickly summoned his Keyblades and transformed them into his Keyblade Glider. Hercules watched this in mild shock that lasted only a moment before wordlessly putting his hand to his mouth and letting out a long whistle. In a flash, Pegasus had arrived at his side.

"Annihilape!" Ash called his fighting-type, who turned to him silently. "I need you and Houndoom to link up with Goofy and protect Meg!" The Rage Monkey Pokémon let out a grunt of acknowledgement and made his way over to the woman who was hanging back from the brunt of the fighting.

"Hydreigon!" He called his dragon-type, who proceeded to unleash a spout of flames at the Heartless, scattering them before floating over to his trainer. "I need you to carry Sora."

They did so without complaint. And with that, Ash, Sora and Herc took to the skies. Eternatus let out another roar. Causing several airborne Heartless to spawn. Before they could act, however, they were suddenly met with a hail of gunfire. Ash looked down to see Lightning firing her gunblade, destroying any Heartless that attempted to stop them. Thunder spells began to rain down on the Heartless, courtesy of Donald.

A flock of Hook Bats managed to evade the attacks and charged at them but were cut down by Aegislash, who'd begun floating after them. Chandelure wasn't far behind him, casting Flamethrowers at any Heartless within range. "Keep them off of us, both of you!" Ash commanded. The Royal Sword Pokémon began to rapidly circle around them, fending off any attacks while the Luring Pokémon continued letting off spouts of flames. Ash, Sora and Hercules pressed forward. Eternatus began charging up a blue sphere in its mouth before firing a beam of blue energy at them, forcing the three to scatter.

"Keep pushing!" Sora cried. "Hydreigon, can you hit it with your own attack?!" Hydreigon let out a roar as all three heads began charging up his most powerful dragon-type attack. The attack burst forward as a blue meteor before exploding upon making direct contact with Eternatus. Pegasus flew forward at great speed, allowing Hercules to leap from his back and land an earth-shattering punch on the Gigantic Pokemon, sending it reeling. The winged horse quickly dove and caught Hercules before he could hit the ground.

"Gardevoir!" Ash shouted. He felt her appear behind him. "Hit it with a Psyshock!" From far below them, Gardevoir began gathering various pieces of debris with her psychic power before launching them at the dragon.

Eternatus let out a shriek of anger before it began charging a purple attack that Ash had never seen before. "What the heck is that…?"

'Milord, we need to move!'

"Then get us out of here!" Ash cried. In a flash, Gardevoir had Teleported them back to the ground, greatly disorienting Sora and Hercules.

"What the heck?" Sora exclaimed.

'Milord!' Gardevoir's voice echoed in their minds urgently. 'Eternatus is gathering an immense amount of magical energy. It's like it's summoning the divine magic of this world to empower itself.'

"Everyone, get behind us now!" Ash shouted, a cold sweat forming on his brow. The party quickly did as he ordered. "Aegislash, use King's Shield! Gardevoir, set up a Light Screen!" The two Pokémon quickly set up a powerful barrier just as Eternatus let out a fierce screech and fired off an absolutely enormous beam of dark violet energy. "Full power on those barriers!" Ash roared just as the beam made contact.

It happened so fast, Ash wasn't entirely sure what happened. One second, they were standing behind his Pokémon's barriers, the next they were all sprawled across the ground. He stood shaikly on his feet and surveyed the damage. The coliseum entrance, which had been behind them, had been completely vaporized by the attack. There was nothing more than a gaping crater in the ground where the structure had once stood. His comrades were all scattered about in various states of injury. Aegislash had fainted, his King's Shield having taken the full force of the attack and been unable to block it all. Gardevoir was kneeling on the ground, gritting her teeth.

Ash quickly recalled Aegislash into his Dusk Ball, murmuring words of apology and thanks before checking on Gardevoir.

"Are you okay?!" He asked worriedly.

'I am… mostly fine,' the psychic-type said. 'Sir Aegislash took most of the damage. If he hadn't protected us, we would have been vaporized.' She suddenly looked up in alarm. 'It's gathering more energy!'

Ash's eyes shot up. Eternatus seemed to be changing shape. Its body was growing longer and longer as its rib cage began splitting open to resemble a large hand. If Eternatus had been powerful before, it paled in comparison to its power now. "W-What are we supposed to do against that?" Ash murmured. "Dexter, I know this thing hasn't been seen in thousands of years, but do we know anything?!"

"In the legends of the Galar region, The Darkest Day occurred several thousand years ago when Eternatus began to absorb energy from the land. This caused Eternatus to achieve enormous size and power. It was only stopped by two heroes wielding a sword and a shield."

"A sword and a shield…?" Ash muttered.

'Milord,' Gardevoir's voice spoke in his mind. 'Did you not find an ancient sword and shield in the Underworld?' Numbly, Ash reached into his travel satchel and retrieved the two ancient artifacts. Like before, they felt weightless in his hands despite clearly being made of ancient heavy metal.

Chosen One.

Eternatus began charging another attack. Gritting his teeth, Ash raised the shield before him. Gardevoir stood at his back, placing a hand on his shoulder. His grip on the sword tightened until his knuckles turned white.

Summon Us.

Ash closed his eyes as Eternatus once again fired its strongest attack. "I need your help…" he whispered, his eyes starting to glow with a mysterious light. He then spoke, though he knew not where the words came from. "Come to me, Heroes of Legend!"

Music: Battle! Eternatus (Phase 3) - Pokémon Sword & Shield Music Extended ~ /watch?v=BmqnUQ855oo

Just before the attack made contact, two beams of light surged forward and landed in front of him, dispelling the attack like it was nothing. From within the light appeared two canine-like Pokémon. One was a light blue and pink while the other was a dark blue and red. The sword and shield in his hand began to glow before they floated out of his hands and into the air.

Everyone could only watch on in awe as the two ancient artifacts began to transfer immense power into the two Pokémon. They were engulfed in a bright light that forced them to cover their eyes. When the light faded, the light blue and pink Pokémon now had a gleaming blade in its mouth while the dark blue and red Pokémon now had a great shield embedded in its mane.

The two Legendary Heroes let out a fierce howl as their bodies began radiating immense power that dwarfed even that of Eternatus. Ash swallowed as they turned to him pointedly. "Zacian…" He said softly, not knowing how he knew the Pokémon's name without Dexter having told him anything. "Zamazenta… We need your help. Will you fight with us?" The two glanced at each other before nodding resolutely. Ash could only grin as his hope began to surge.

"Alright then!" He shouted as he leapt onto Zamazenta's back. Dexter was already feeding him all sorts of information.

"Zacian!" He cried. "Hit it with Behemoth Blade! Zamazenta, let's close in with Behemoth Bash!" Zacian's sword began glowing with a mystical energy as she let loose a high-pitched howl. Charging forward at a speed Ash didn't think was possible, she leapt up at the gigantic dragon flying above them. Her sword increasing in size three-fold, she slashed through the beast and completely shattered its defenses, sending it reeling.

Zamazenta let out a low-pitched howl as his shield began to lock into place. Ash held on tight as he dashed forward, slower than his sister but still faster than any other Pokémon he'd ever seen. With the force of a rocket, he slammed into Eternatus, sending it hurtling into the ground. Eternatus let out a screech as it began rapidly absorbing more energy. Ash snarled.

'Milord,' Gardevoir's voice reached him.

'What is it?"'

'The way Eternatus is absorbing energy… I believe I can divert it.'

'If you think you can, go ahead and try!'

'Then please, touch your Keystone.' Ash was quick to do so, transforming her into The Black Bride once again. But just as he was about to question what she planned to do, the energy that was gathering around Eternatus began to gather around Gardevoir instead.

Suddenly, she began to rapidly grow in size. Everyone could only watch in shock and awe as Gardevoir grew and grew until she was easily the size of a skyscraper.

"What the heck is this?!" Ash cried. A 'ping' from Dexter gave him his answer.

"Dynamax — a phenomenon that arose in the Galar region. By utilizing energy produced by the land, this temporary transformation grants Pokémon tremendous strength and size and allows them to use powerful moves called Max Moves."

"Max Moves…" Ash repeated, reading through the information provided to him. "Alright, Gardevoir! Use Max Mindstorm!" Gardevoir's body began to resonate with immensely powerful psychic waves that forced Eternatus further into the ground. The creature let out a pained shriek as it was forced further and further down, completely immobilized.

"Let's finish this!" Ash roared. "Behemoth Blade and Behemoth Bash, one last time!" Zacian and Zamazenta both howled wildly as they charged at their ancient foe. Zacian's sword and Zamazenta's shield both began glowing with brilliant energy as they slammed into Eternatus with overwhelming power. The Gigantic Pokémon crashed into the ground, its energy completely spent. Ash seized his chance and reached for his ball dispenser, which dispensed him a… Friend Ball, of all things. With a shout, he hurled the ball at Eternatus, who was siphoned inside in a beam of light.

All eyes watched the ball as it shook furiously. Ash could only clench his fists as the seconds passed by. Every shake of the ball brought about another bout of anxiety. Finally, after three shakes, the ball fell silent. Ash felt his entire body sag in relief as Zamazenta brought him over to the fallen ball.

"A Friend Ball, huh?" Ash whispered as he picked it up. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination or not, but he thought he felt a sense of bitter loneliness from the ball. "Is that what you really needed? A friend?"

"Ash!" A voice called out to him. He turned to see everyone rushing over to him, looks of awe and relief on their faces. "What the heck just happened?" Ash looked up at Gardevoir as she began to return to normal size, all her energy likewise spent.

"Well," he said with a small, relieved smile. "I think we just saved the world."

"Hey, give yourself a chance to rest," Meg pleaded as Hercules collapsed on the broken steps to the coliseum. They'd just finished helping put out all the fires and rescuing the people in most dire need of help.

"I will," the demigod promised before turning to Ash. "But since we finally have some time, I think we'd like some explanations now, Ash." Everyone turned to him expectantly.

"According to legends, Eternatus was only defeated by two heroes," Ash said, gesturing towards the two legendary canine Pokémon. "Two heroes wielding a sword and a shield."

"A sword and shield…?" Lightning repeated, her eyes widening. "Those rusted artifacts from Hades' repository!"

"I told you they were calling to me," Ash said with a wry smile. The woman could let out a dry laugh of disbelief. "I have this… strange connection with Legendary Pokémon. I've been encountering them ever since I was ten years old, on my very first day as a Pokémon trainer." He smiled as Zacian and Zamazenta both nuzzled him affectionately.

"That's incredible," Meg said with a smile. "Thank you, Zacian and Zamazenta. And it looks like we really owe you big time, Ash. If you hadn't thought to grab those artifacts, who knows what would have happened."

"For real," Phil spoke up. "Which brings me to this, Ash."

"What's up, Phil?" The trainer asked curiously.

"Though, we can't do it officially," he began, gesturing to the ruined coliseum. "Normally, we'd have this big ceremony with huge cheering crowds… Anyway…" He cleared his throat, straightened up and began speaking more formally. Herc merely looked at him in pride. "I hereby dub thee: True Hero!"

"W-What?" Ash asked incredulously. Sora, Donald and Goofy could only gape in shock.

"The skill, the attitude, the determination, the courage, the motivation." Phil listed off. "You've got it all, kid. You're the complete package."

"Hey!" Sora exclaimed excitedly, pointing at himself. "What about us?"

"Yeah, we helped!" Donald shouted.

"But we didn't do as much as Ash," Goofy whispered to them. They shushed him.

"Hmmmm…" Phil examined them closely. "Nope." Sora and Donald fell over in exasperation. Goofy merely shrugged with a chuckle.

"Aw, man!" Sora whined.

"Don't worry, you'll get there." Hercules assured them. "As long as you train hard."

"Well, let me be the first to congratulate you." Lightning said with a soft smile, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm never one to offer easy compliments. But… after everything I've witnessed, I have to agree. You're a bonafide hero."

"...Thanks, Light." He said before looking at her worriedly. "What are you gonna do now? You still haven't found your sister."

The woman looked out at the city with pursed lips. "I'll be here for a while yet," she told him. "I'm gonna help out with reconstruction. These people still need help."

"...I think you're quite the hero yourself, Light," Ash said with a small smile. She merely scoffed at him.

Herc nodded with a grateful smile. "We appreciate any help you can provide, Lightning."

"Think of it as my repaying you for the help you provided looking for my sister," the pink-haired lady waved off his thanks.

"We could stay and help for a while," Sora offered, but Hercules and Meg shook their heads.

"No." Herc said firmly. "You guys have already done more than enough for us. Seriously. Thank you all."

"We still need to drop off Anthony and Rebecca at Hollow Bastion." Ash brought up. "As well as all the Pokémon we've gathered up in this world. And given Gardevoir's exhaustion, we might need to take a day or two to recoup before she can Teleport us again."

"We owe a thanks to them and all the Pokémon too," Hercules brought up. "Anthony coordinated all the Pokémon to protect and rescue dozens of civilians. I've also heard reports that before they appeared to defeat Eternatus, Zacian and Zamazenta were seen helping rescue civilians. We really would have been in huge trouble without all your help."

"What are you going to do about them, Ash?" Lightning asked curiously. Ash glanced at the two wolves.

"They have their own purpose to follow," he said. "It's not my place to take them with me. But they've promised to come anytime we need their help. I've formed a connection with them."

"And Eternatus?"

"That…Is something I'll have to talk to Professor Oak about," Ash admitted. "While I don't think it's inherently malicious, taking it with me could be extremely dangerous. Who knows how it might affect other worlds like it did here at Olympus."

"We should get going, then," Goofy suggested.

"Let us know if Hades or the Heartless start acting up." Sora said with a smile. "We'll take care of it!"

"Yeah, that's what heroes are for!" Donald exclaimed.

"Junior heroes, Donald." Goofy corrected. "Ash is the only one who's a hero." Donald glared venomously at both Goofy and Ash, making the trainer smile nervously.

Sora also gave an awkward smile. "Well, anyway," he chuckled. "We have to hit the road."

Meg smiled at them warmly. "Okay, don't be strangers."

"We look forward to your next visit." Herc waved tiredly but cheerfully.

Lightning placed her hands on Ash's shoulders. "Take care of yourself." She ordered before glancing at Sora and the others. "You too. Whatever your names are." Everyone fell over.

"You don't even know our names?" Sora asked in disbelief. Lightning merely shrugged before smirking at them.

"I only bother remembering the names of real heroes," she said sardonically.

"Why you…!" Donald charged at her. Everyone watched as Lightning easily kept him at bay while he flailed his arms in useless attempt to hit her.

"Well, time to go…" Sora said with a sigh before his eyes widened. "Oh, right! The Olympus Stone!"

"That's right!" Ash exclaimed as he took it out of his pocket. It suddenly began glowing. Ash and Sora looked at each other and nodded simultaneously. Ash allowed the stone to begin floating as he and Sora both took position and pointed their Keyblades at it.

In a flash of light, the way forward was opened.

"What was that?" Herc asked in shock.

"That was the gate to the next world," Ash said, dismissing Oathkeeper. "Well, we better find Anthony and Rebecca. You guys stay safe! We'll see you again real soon!"

"I can't believe it!" Hades raged in his throne room, his entire body wreathed in angry red flames. "That Poké Brat ruined it! He ruined everything! My perfect plan, up in smoke!"

"Yeah, it's like having a second Hercules runnin' around!" Pain said, only to flinch as Hades rounded on him furiously.

"I swear, the next time that brat sets foot in this world, he'll pay!" The God of the Underworld snarled.

"Oh, really?" A voice called out. Hades sighed, running a hand over his face.

"More of you folks, really?" He asked in exhausted annoyance. "Listen, I'm not really in the mood right now, so if you could kindly take your sales pitch somewhere else. Please and thank you."

"I thought you'd like a way to get to that kid's head?" The Nobody asked, crossing his arms. Hades looked at him in annoyance, but with a hint of intrigue.

"...Alright, I'll bite."

The cloaked figure grinned as he opened a Dark Corridor and a burly creature stepped out of it, its eyes wild with rage. Hades raised an eyebrow at the creature, unimpressed.

"I know he don't look like much," the Nobody said. "Not compared to your beasty, anyway. But trust me. The kid will snap when he sees it." Hades placed a hand on his chin, a calculating look coming over his face.

Elsewhere, in a castle far, far away, a female mouse-like being in a pink and red dress was looking at a row of books in the library. "Hmm…" she mumbled, "I wonder where that old album could be?"

"QUEEN MINNIE!" She heard a squeaky voice call to her. She turned and saw two chipmunks, one with a black nose and the other with a red nose, running as fast as they could to her. They had looks of terror on their faces, like they had seen something horrible.

"There's something wrong in the Hall of the Cornerstone!" The red nosed chipmunk exclaimed.

"There are a lot of thorns all over the place!" The black nose chipmunk added. They quickly turned and began running back to the direction from where they came with the queen following them.

They went to the Hall of the Cornerstone and Queen Minnie gasped as she saw the enormous thorns invading every corner of the room. Looking frightened, she whispered, "Oh, King Mickey, please come back soon. The castle is in danger! Donald, Goofy… Where are you?" She looked up at the ceiling, hoping beyond hope that they could hear her plea…

GET

Annihilape

Ability: Defiant

Nature: Adamant

Registered: Close Combat, Rage Fist, Stomping Tantrum, Outrage

Known: Drain Punch, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Bullet Punch

OBTAINED SUMMON

Zacian & Zamazenta

A/N: I'm glad I split this into 2 parts. Otherwise this would have come out to a staggering 20k words. And the first Legendary Pokémon appeared! I thought it was only fitting that a Legendary appears in Olympus. I hope I managed to convey the sheer power of what essentially amounts to gods in the Pokémon World.

I threw in a couple easter eggs during Lightning and Ash's spar; with Ash landing a Stagger on Lightning. Also, if you never played Final Fantasy XIII, Lightning actually had a really high magic stat and a very fast casting time. So, most players would use her as a Ravager (mage) since Fang was better as a Commando (warrior).

Hope you're still enjoying the story with all the changes!

- King of Plot Bunnies

Ash slowly blinked his eyes open. Once he realized where he was, however, he could only feel a looming sense of dread and horror.

"Hello, Ash!" A sickly sweet voice said from behind him. He could already feel the creeping cold of a Blizzard spell weaving around his feet.

"A-Aqua…!"

"Let's continue our discussion from earlier," Aqua said with a sweet smile that absolutely did not reach her eyes. Ash merely closed his eyes and desperately hoped that Sora would wake him soon.

A/N2: Of course Ash isn't getting away from Aqua that easily xD