Final Fantasy: Eternal Calm
A Final Fantasy / Pokemon crossover fic
Story rewritten by Moya



Desclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters, they belong to Nintendo and GameFreak. I also don't own any 'Final Fantasy' game, especially 'Final Fantasy X' - they belong to those wonderful creators from Square-Enix (known as SquareSoft). I don't have any profit from this fic, so please don't sue me. This is written just for fun.
Some of my comments and Al Bhed language dictionary can be found at the end of the story, so if you get too confused look for explanation there.
Rated R for language and violence, so beware.

Thanks to Reene for her help in beta-reading. Without her the story would be completly different, so feedback her too! *hugs* Girl, you're the best!


"… " - words
//…// - thoughts

Age:
Ash, Misty - 17
May - 15
Brock - 23
Auron - 35


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Chapter One
Endings and Beginnings


Ash frowned and once again calculated all the possibilities.

This was going to be easy.

The crowd around him was cheering him on like there was no tomorrow, and he absolutely loved the sound. He was the star, one of most important personalities of the Zanarkand Dome and that simple thought, mixed with adrenaline made his head spin a little. He ran his hand through his raven-black hair and chuckled.

//You're going down.//

He would have said that out loud if he could. But rules were rules, and he had to obey them. Any words except for commands were forbidden. Zanarkand Dome was biggest and most modern stadium build just for fights, which currently consumed his whole free time. Hell, he didn't have free time anymore. Everyone had to face it - Ash Ketchum was no longer a private person, and his whole life filled with stage lights was under strict control of publicity. In one way it made his feel good, just to know that people relied on him and trusted him in defending the honor of the city. But in the other way, his insides screamed in hidden frustration. Sometimes he would give everything away for a moment of loneliness and silence.

"This is absolutely amazing!" The speaker's voice ran through the Dome with incredible speed of light. "It seems that his opponent does not stand a chance against his attacks! The technique! The attacks! I've never seen anything like this since the day our hero - Jecht - won the title!"

Just a thought about his father made Ash furious and sad at the same time.

//You sure haven't.// Ash snickered. //And it has nothing to do with my old man.//

"Pikachu." He ordered, his voice low and calm, while stretching his neck to both sides till it gave the quiet cracking sound. "Flash Bomb. Now."

The small electric Pokemon near his feet started to radiate with electricity, sending shocks even through the glass floor of the battle field. This was a new move that Ash promised to present today. And when he promised something, he always kept his word. Always. Unlike his own father.
The man standing in front of Ash was wearing a black and white suit that lay on his body like second skin. A trainer from another League who had enough guts to challenge the new rising star of Zanarkand. That man had a strange look on his face and the famous teen could easily recognize it.

Fear.

Pikachu gathered enough energy to fulfill the attack and using Agility the small yellow rodent sped up to its opponent. The snake Pokemon - Arbok - dodged the first wave of electricity, but didn't have enough strength to resist another one. At the same time Ash rushed to the side of other trainer, dodging his blow easily. He spun around, aiming his kick for trainers' chest…

The whole Dome filled with a surprisingly strong flash of white and excited screams coming from the stands. Soon, after a few long seconds that seemed like eternity, the flash faded and the Dome arena was visible again. Some people from crowd rubbed their eyes.
A moment of silence and then…

The scream of happiness from his fans could make him deaf.

Arbok lay motionless on the floor, and even those that weren't skilled in being a trainer could easily see that it was unable to fight. Its owner lay in the similar state between the benches of the stands. Huge monitors suspended above the centre of the battlefield showed a replay from couple of seconds before. The other trainer was sent flying backwards by the power of Ash's kick, landing unconscious on his back.

"Another stunning victory!" The speaker shouted and the whole stadium roared in happiness. "I am absolutely speechless! That's it folks, we were witnesses of new, unique, special attack that we were promised to see today! It's Ash, son of Jecht, new star of Zanarkand League! Give him all you got - he deserves it!"

Ash made a circular motion with his arms, slowly putting his palms in shape of small 'o' - a League sign of victory and respect for your opponent, bowing his head a little. Then he just grinned when people gave him the ovation. Oh yes. Right now he loved the attention.

And things couldn't get even better.


~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~


Zanarkand, a city always engulfed in night and shadow lightened up by millions of sparkling lights. The red robe of a tall man standing on one of the buildings fluttered on the strong wind as he watched over the sleepless crowd gathered on the streets. His brown eyes were covered by black shades, like he wanted to see the darkness in its pure, unchanged form. A long scar that ran through his right eye made it impossible for him to see.
He looked far into the ocean, as if expecting something. Or someone.

//It begins.//

His scar-covered eye twitched in anticipation, against his will.

//You're back.//

The ocean surface seemed calm and quiet, but the ebony-haired man perfectly knew that it was only the beginning. Or, to be more precise, beginning of a new story, but also an ending, for the city of Zanarkand.

The soft roar of water was the only warning that Zanarkand got. Upon the line of horizon an enormous wave had been created, getting closer and closer to the city. It shined and sparkled, as if covered in shreds of glass.
The man took a massive jug fixed to his belt and raised it a bit, pulling out the cork. He will need some of the pyreflies flying around for the journey. A journey that Ash will not like at all. He just chuckled at the thought.

The tidal wave started to form, slowly shaping itself into sphere, still creeping to the walls of the city. Nobody seemed to notice it, as most of the people were too focused on the League finals. The man knew what was coming and braced himself against it. Suddenly, dozens of smaller water spheres shot from the wave and hit the city, causing it to shake on its foundation.

In one hour it will be destroyed. He had a little time.

//Goodbye, Zanarkand.//


~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~


"That was easy!" Ash desperately tried to be heard upon the yells of the crowd that surrounded him and demanded some autographs. "He shouldn't even try to take on a master!"

A pretty girl standing just right beside him asked him to sign on the Pokeball she held up on open hands. Ash noticed her beautiful smile and grinned to himself. Oh, with a little help of his famous luck that party might be splendid with really nice company.

"What's your name?" He took the ball from her hand and prepared his pen, gazing into those big eyes and waiting.

The blue-haired girl opened her mouth to give the answer, but before she could do it a loud crash shook the floor of the Dome. Screams of panic filled the locker room Ash was in. Before he could even react the window glass shattered into a million pieces, covering the people with shining diamond dust.
He was scared. He would have lied if he said that he wasn't. But that was not the best time to panic, Ash realized when he regained his balance after the first trembles of the building.

"What's going on?!" Ash shouted, following the crowd trough the exit of his locker room. The corridors were filled with a stream of escapers, giving him a feeling of being lurked into some kind of trap. The loud roar of the building was even greater than the previous one. He started to run down the corridor, trying to focus on avoiding the obstacles along the way.
It still felt like being trapped and Ash was starting to feel sick of it. He was so lost in thought that he didn't pay attention to where he was going…

"SHIIIIT!" He yelled and stopped just in time to avoid the large break in the Dome floor that apparently was destroyed from the power of the impact. He looked down through the hole and shivered. If he had fallen from that height…

Some woman almost knocked him down the hole again and he barely caught the balance by waving his arms like a madman. Everything seemed to go crazy. People were running around, trying to find the exit and the screams had already gave him a headache.

//Think.// Ash scolded himself. //Get out of here first. Then ask questions.//

He quickly made his way trough the crowd, running trough the half-ruined corridors. His head was filled with many theories of what might have happened. The main gate of the Dome was crushed, broken in two. That sight made his heart tear. The greatest pride of Zanarkand was destroyed.

He saw a little girl with her hair pulled in ponytails standing few meters away from him. She looked like she was lost and tears run down her face. That was not his business, the kid was suppose to be with her parents… And then he noticed a large fragment of stone monument swinging just above girl's head. Ash swore again, this time in his mind, and summoning the rest of his strength the rushed to her side.
He managed to catch her just in time; a second or two later the monument crashed onto the Dome floor, causing the dust to rise and decrease the visibility.

"You okay?" He asked the girl curled in his arms. She just nodded and wiped away tears, still trembling a little.

"Melanie!" A young, brown-haired woman called her from afar. "Come on baby, we have to run!"

The girl leapt out of his arms and ran towards the direction of her mother.

"Here goes the gratitude." Ash snickered bitterly, gathering himself from the ground and dusting off his pants. After that he made it to the exit. The last thing he could remember after that was another powerful sound wave and the pain radiating along his spine when he was sent flying backwards.


~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~


Oh God, the pain.

Ash could swear his head was torn in two with a suffering that slowly crept up to every part of his body. But he was glad. It meant that he was awake. Though now he was not so sure about it, as he lay on his bruised back that screamed in agony.

"Get up." A deep bass voice called him to consciousness. At first he thought it was only a dream, but dreams weren't *that* painful. Ash frowned, suddenly aware of the fact that he was still alive.

//Oowww…//

He slowly opened his eyes just to realize that his vision was still blurred. But he could see the face of a man leaning over him. When all details became sharper he decided that he perfectly knew that man. He was dressed in the red robe with a high collar that covered his chin and part of cheeks, black chest armour and black silk pants. His left hand rested on the crook of the robe and the same sleeve was free to flutter on the wind.

Auron.

He was the one that took care of him and his mother after his old man left them ten years ago. All that time Ash was near him but the man always kept his distance.

"Auron!" Ash exclaimed, feeling sudden wave of gratitude towards the man. Maybe he will be able to explain what the hell happened. "What are you doing here?"

"I was waiting for you." The man gave out the deep whisper, his gaze still fixed on the water sphere. It seemed that it was getting bigger with every minute. "Come. We have to go."

"Wha---" He could not say anything as Auron walked away. Ash slowly stood up, wincing in pain as he could count every bone and every strained muscle in his body. "Auron, wait up!"

He ran after the older man, who, to his surprise, was already far away. The streets were a living example of chaos. Startled people were escaping to every place that could be safe, every building that wasn't ruined. Ash looked furiously for Auron, making his way through the crowd. He was wondering why he and the older man were the only ones that ran into the direction of danger, getting closer to large sphere of water that loomed above the city. He wanted to call for Auron again, but he just couldn't. His voice died in the back of his throat and he found himself unable to move.

Another flash of white filled the streets, causing Ash's eyes to burn. Warmth engulfed him into a protective embrace as he stumbled on the ground, suddenly loosing his balance. His already bruised back hit the hard asphalt once again and this time Ash yelped in pain.

"Don't cry."

Ash stared at the kid standing in front of him with disbelief. He was talking to him? The teenager looked around and to his amazement he realized that the chaotic street that he was on a second before was now quiet and calm. As a matter of fact, people weren't moving at all.

//What the hell?//

He stood up quickly, panic and confusion creeping up to him. This was *not* normal. There was no such thing as stopping time…
And what was that thing about crying? Ash wasn't one to easily surrender to sorrow. Even if he had reasons he still denied the tears that formed in his eyes. Like the ones he felt at the thought of his father.

"It begins."

The boy in front of him had dark brown skin and wore strange clothes, even for Zanarkand. A hood covering his eyes made it impossible for Ash to see his face.

"Who… are you?"

Unfortunately he never got the answer. Streets shook for the second time and Ash fought to keep his balance once more. When he caught it, there was no sign of the kid around. But it seemed that time unfroze and everything went back to normal. Ash rubbed his temples. This was too much for him, he could swear he never felt so confused for his whole life. Explanation. There must be some logical explanation for all of this and no matter what, he was going to find it. He spotted Auron at the end of the street.

Oh, the man. Ash gritted his teeth in anger. He was the only one who acted calm and cool, even in such circumstances. As if he knew everything…

"Auron!" He called, finally getting to his side after chasing him for a while. "What is---"

"Look." The older man interrupted him, his one healthy eye fixed on the sky above them. Ash already knew that he will not like the sight but slowly looked up.

Ash gasped, feeling a sudden wave of amazement. A gigantic water sphere suspended above their heads sparkled with almost all the colors of the rainbow. It's facture made it look like it was not water but liquid silver. Ash could almost sense the power emerging from it and that feeling sent a shiver down his spine. He also felt a strange presence near him, as if he knew what the sphere might be hiding…

"We call it 'Sin'"

Ash stared back at the man in red robes.

"… 'Sin'?"

Auron looked back at him, and that look caused the boy to back off a little. Only then Ash realized that the older warrior held a sword in his hand.

"Take it." He slowly passed it to the teenager, but Ash didn't even blink in response.

"I don't need it. If we have to fight I have my Pokemon."

"It won't be enough." Auron just chuckled. "Take it. A gift from Jecht."

"My old man?" Only then Ash raised his hand, gripping the base of the sword and barely managed to keep it up, as its weight surprised him. That was totally new for him, to use a weapon, and he wasn't sure if he liked it. A sword… Long and heavy, made from strange red metal, looking almost like it was consumed by flames... His father's blade. A bitter feeling rushed through him. This was the only reminiscence of him that he got.

Streets were now almost empty, people were hiding in the ruins or their own houses and an awful silence filled the space. Before they could prepare for it, the sphere above them gave out a pillar of white light that surrounded them in a tight circle. Ash could feel the warmth once again, along with that strange sense of someone's presence near him. He could not explain this. He didn't know if there was an explanation at all. Right now there was only a sweet feeling of being suspended beyond time and reality…

Auron looked up at the sphere, his shades protecting his eyes.

"Are you sure?" He asked, and though the question was directed to no one, it seemed like he was asking Sin for permission… The older man grabbed the collar of teenager's shirt and held him up high. Ash tried to fight him off, but the warrior was stronger and the resistance was no use. The sphere above gradually changed its shape until it reminded Ash of a gigantic whirlpool, then it slowly started to suck them in.

"This is your story." Auron stated as Ash's vision started to blur. He could swear that they were rising higher and higher to the dark water above… "It all begins here."

Only then Ash felt a shot of searing pain fill his body and consciousness and after that the darkness engulfed him for good.


~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~


He already started to hate the feeling of waking up in pain.

Ash could just lay motionless for the rest of his life, trying not to strain the muscles in his body even more. But, unfortunately, that option was out of the question. And all of that for one simple reason.

He was lying in water. Incredibly *cold* water.

He slowly opened his eyes, waiting for the blurred vision to sharpen. From his current experience he knew that it might take a while. Shifting a little to get a more comfortable position he grumbled in anger as a chilled wave crashed against his back.

"Gull?"

Ash turned his head slightly, just to see the Wingull staring at him from the top of the small rock in front of his face. Its small wings fluttered a bit as it twisted its head, focusing on Ash's face.

//A Pokemon?//

The teenager finally shifted his weight to his elbows and looked around. He lay on a small, flat rock and as far as he could see, there was just water all around him. No, not only water, but also some kind of ruins. But Ash was sure, that weren't buildings of Zanarkand. That thought sent a flash of fear straight to his gut.

Where was he anyway?

"Anybody here?! Auron!" He called out, frightening the Pokemon in front of him a little, but he got no answer at all.

"Heeey!" Ash yelled at the top of his lungs again and this time the Wingull squeaked in panic and flew away from him as fast as possible. The Pokemon made its way to the north and when Ash focused his sight on that direction he could see a shape of a building, partly covered by the mist of the horizon.
For a while he wondered if he should release Pikachu from its' Pokeball, but eventually he decided not to do it, not until he explores the land a little.

His noticed his father's sword still lying near him.

//Great. Simply great.//

Ash fixed the weapon to his belt, slowly getting used to its weight, until the point he didn't even pay attention to it. He slowly slid down the rock he had been lying on, into the terribly cold water, and gritted his teeth.

//This might be worse than I thought.//

He was a good swimmer, so drowning because the lack of skill was impossible, but at this rate, if he doesn't start a fire soon he might die from the freeze. Ash swam into the direction of ruined building, the same that he spotted a minute ago, thanks to the Wingull. The surrounding waters were calm and quiet, just like nothing except of birds lived in this space. But there must have been come creatures lurking in the depths, Ash was sure about it. That thought made his heart beat a little faster.

Finally he reached the stone steps of the half-sunken building and lay there for couple of minutes, nearly completely spent. He hadn't even realized how tired he was from everything he went through that day. He allowed himself to close his eyes and rest a little bit. He was just so sleepy…

He shook his head violently to get rid of the thoughts. He *couldn't* fall asleep here, not if he wanted to wake up ever again. Ash slowly got on his knees, then gradually stood up completely.

//Auron, if I ever meet you again you can be sure you will pay for that.//

The way up the stone stairs was short, but, to his amazement, they did not lead to any building, but to a marble gate. After walking through it Ash found himself standing in front of the stone pillars, almost suspended in thin air and creating a labyrinth path over the surface of the water. A path that lead into another enormous building.

He blinked, and then sighed in resignation.

//How much longer?//

He sat on the ground, too tired to make even one more step. While he was wondering what to do next another unusual sight caught his attention.
Near him, just a few meters away, a shiny blue and white sphere was flying above the ground. Ash frowned. From his current experience with spheres he knew they could do more harm than good. But what choice did he have?

He examined it from the different angles. Surely it did not look like something that could kill or hurt an almost grown-up man. Without thinking any more he lowered his right hand on it, gently touching the shiny surface.
The warm light surrounded him, but this time Ash welcomed it with gratitude. He felt the sudden wave of energy that filled every cell in his body and removed the tiredness completely.

Ash slowly took his hand back and the light subdued a little bit. He smiled in relief. That sphere was the first good thing that happened to him in this strange place. With new energy and hope that things might not be as bad as he thought Ash made his way trough the stone pillars.
Moving on the slick, narrow stones was not easy, but he had no bigger problem with it. He again considered releasing Pikachu to keep him company.

Just then his foot stomped on one of the stones that apparently was not strong enough to hold the weight of a human, and broke.

"HOLY SH---!"

He splashed into the water below like a rock, the echo of his scream loud and clear in the stillness of the air. When Ash emerged on the surface he coughed violently, spitting out the water that got to his mouth and almost to his lungs. After that accident he was sure of one thing.

Lady Luck left him for good.

Being in the cold water once again tempered his belief that this place might not be so bad after all. Soaked and cold, he looked around, searching for some safe and, if that was possible, warm place to dry his clothes. Finally he spotted a small gate in the ruins in front of him, quite far away, but Ash knew he would get there in no time.

If he only hadn't saw the huge dark shape swimming in the depths just below him. All his worst forebodings were about to come true. Ash started to swim as fast as he could to the gate. His trainer's knowledge allowed him to recognize the creature that lurked there and even though he had a weapon and Pokemon with him he still didn't want to have an encounter with it.

He made it, reaching the shelter at the same time the gigantic Gyarardos emerged from the water and smashed into the wall of the ruins Ash was in, in a desperate attempt of catching its prey. The power of the impact caused the building to shake. The teenager lying in a thin layer of water covered his head with his arms, afraid that the rocks collapsing from the rooftop might smash him.

After everything calmed down he slowly dusted off his clothes from the small reminiscences of the debris and looked into the direction of the gate he had just used.

The passage was blocked.

//Great. I made it out of the frying pan...and ended in the freezer.//

There was no other way to go than up the stairs behind his back. Ash started to climb up, avoiding rocks and gaps in the steps that made the way more difficult. He was cold and his wet clothes clung to his back like a second skin, and a mist of freezing breath came out of his mouth with every shaky breath. Even though his hands were covered in thick leather gloves his fingers were already numb from the cold.

Finally he made it through the ruined steps and entered another section of the building. He was standing in a huge hall, all made of old stone blocks and marble. Ash couldn't see any other doors. That meant…

He was in a trap.

In the corner of the hall he noticed another blue sphere that hung just above the ground. A sudden wave of gratitude washed through him as he lowered his hands onto it, soft light engulfing him once again and warming his whole body up. He stayed near the sphere for a couple more minutes, but eventually its light wore off.

Ash released Pikachu from his Pokeball. The little yellow rodent looked around for a bit, and then stared back at the trainer with confusion.

"Pi?"

Ash kneeled right beside his Pokemon, scratching him behind the ears. The creature gave out a sigh of happiness.

"I don't have an idea where we are, Pikachu. Or what is worse, I don't know how to get out of here either."

The teenager glared back at the blue-white sphere he was touching just a minute ago. It probably won't give him any more warmth…

"We need fire. Let's look around and see if we can find something, okay?"

After a confirming nod from his Pokemon Ash looked around, trying to find something he could use to set fire. In the middle of the hall he saw the reminiscences of an old campfire, but still good enough to use. If he only could find some flint and tinder…

Soon he and Pikachu found a door, hidden behind the rocks, with a long corridor after it. It was dark, half ruined and immediately sent cold shivers down Ash's back. He gulped the lump in his throat and slowly walked down it. Water trickling from ceiling was the only sound he could hear and the darkness around him started to get thicker and thicker.

"Pikachu, "flash" please." The command was short and concise. Pikachu obeyed, gradually emanating more light, making it possible to see what was in front of them.

The ruined corridor lead them to small room, where Ash found, to his amazement, the remains of furniture. He was more and more curious, as it suddenly appeared to him, that there must have been people in this ruins before. In one of wooden shelves he found what he was looking for - a flint. As tinder Ash picked up a withered bouquet lying on the floor.

//We should go back.// He thought, ordering Pikachu to follow him. //Before we will freeze in this place.//

Just when he wanted to go down the stairs again he noticed a wooden chest in the corner of the room. Curiosity pushed him into that direction, and after a few seconds he found himself opening it. Between the garbage lying on the bottom of the chest Ash found small bottle, filled with light blue liquid.
A potion. Ash knew it very well; when he was a kid he often stared at the windows of shop with magical artifacts, admiring all those vials with sparkling and shining contents. He always thought that only rich and powerful people could afford them. He wasn't far from the truth though. In Zanarkand magic was rare and really expensive.

"Works for me." Ash hid the bottle in his pocket.

His way down the stairs back to the main hall he was short, since he wasn't searching around for tinder. His fingers trembled when he tried to set the fire on the old wood.

"Come on…" He mumbled to himself trough gritted teeth. Finally a spark fell on the bouquet and flames started to consume the wood. Ash blew on the fire, increasing it a bit. After that he allowed himself to lie on his back, fire slowly making him feel sleepy. Pikachu curled by his side, giving the additional warmth that was slowly spreading trough his body. His stomach grumbled with protest and Ash suddenly realized how hungry he was.

"I need food…"

With that last comment still on his lips Ash fell into shallow sleep.


~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

*flashback*

He was in his very own home, back in Zanarkand. A bittersweet feeling filled him when he recognized the surroundings.

"Mom!" He called, scanning every room for his mother, but she was nowhere to be found. He jogged back to the main room, where he was surprised by presence of Auron standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing here?" Ash folded his arms behind his head and glared at the older man, in instinct defense position.

"It was a bad call. Your League lost because of you."

"You came to say THAT?"

Auron walked past him, stopping only for a mere second, to stare back. Two deep brown eyes met a black one.

"It's been… ten years. I thought you'd be crying."

"Who? Me?"

Ash wanted to say something sharp, but nothing came to his mind. He just continued to watch the back of the older man as he made his way to his room, where he had lived since he appeared in his life ten years ago.
In the corner of his eye he could see a small figure, partly hid by shadow. It was a dark-skinned boy with a hood covering his face…

"You cried." The boy whispered, before the whole scene went blank.

*end of flashback*


~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~


Ash yelped when he suddenly felt a spark of electricity running through him. He opened one eye just to see Pikachu waking him up in his usual way. The small rodent Pokemon was waving its paws furiously, pointing on the fire. The teenager rubbed his still sleepy eyes…

"Hey, wait!" Ash bent over the fireplace that nearly went down. "Don't go down on me! I'll get more wood!"

He ordered Pikachu to stay and rushed up the stairs, into the room he previously found the flint and bouquet He needed something, *anything* to keep the fire up…

A loud growl came to his ears as soon as he passed the doorway. Very slowly he turned around…
The creature behind him must have been at least five feet tall. Its four legs looked like blades and Ash was sure that they could easily slice him in half. Small eyes were bright and active, spying even the slightest movement. Jaws filled with sharp teeth were trickling with green saliva. It did not look like any animal or Pokemon Ash had knew or seen in his life. And Pikachu stayed near the campfire.
That meant he was in trouble.

"I guess you're not a friendly guy, aren't you?"

As a confirmation of his words the enemy attacked, swinging its blades just above Ash's head. He barely dodged it, its quick movements surprising him. The creature waited with another blow, carefully watching its possible prey. For the first time Ash understood why Auron said his Pokemon might not be enough. He grabbed the sword attached to his side. It was heavy and Ash's strength was leaving him quickly by simply swinging it when he kept the creature off at a distance. Reaching the staircase he ran as fast as he could. He could hear the monster's furious hiss right behind him. The teenager tripped over the last step of stairs and he tumbled down near the entrance to the main hall. He swirled around, barely avoiding the sharp blade that hit the ground in the same place his head was a second before.

"PIKACHU! THUNDERBOLT! NOW!" He yelled while gathering himself on his feet and ran to side of his Pokemon. The small rodent sent a powerful attack on the enemy, but it only stunned it for few seconds. Ash swung the sword, cutting slightly trough the chitin armor. The creature hissed again, attacking furiously and the teenager fell backwards by the power of their impact. Pikachu zapped it for the second time, pinning its attention just for enough time for Ash to gather himself from the ground and attack again.

He was so not used to it… Fighting for his life was completely new for him and Ash could feel a sickening feeling down in his gut. Though this monster wanted him to become its next meal, it still was a living creature and he had to kill it… These thoughts flew from Ash's head when the creature's claw sliced trough his forearm. Searing pain rushed through him when he felt the first trickle of warm blood running under his armored glove. The boy winced and jumped back from the next attack. Just when he thought he was done for, the creature stopped. There was a loud, bass noise filling the hall, and after few short seconds one of the walls exploded in a flash of white. Debris and rocks flew into his direction, but luckily, none of them hit the target. Ash rubbed his eyes, still cautious in the presence of the creature. It seemed that it was stunned by the explosion as well.

In the newly opened gap in the wall Ash could see four of five figures, still partly covered by fog. One of them, visibly feminine, stepped forward, cutting the distance between them. She stretched slowly, first looking at Ash, then at the stunned fiend, lastly on Ash again. She motioned him to stand up, stretching her knuckles till they cracked up a little. The astonished teenager glared at her with disbelief.
She was wearing a strange, yellowish costume, with dark green belts running vertically trough her waist, chest and legs. He couldn't see her face clearly, as she also wore goggles. Her brown hair was falling slightly to her shoulders, spreading from underneath a red bandana on her head.

Ash smiled, like a cat that just caught a canary.

"You on my side? Cool!"

He got up immediately, ready to fight. Now, there was no way he could make a fool of himself in front of a beautiful girl, was it? He swung his blade, striking at the fiend, eventually causing it to back off a little. Then it was the girl's turn to attack. She ran to creature's site, getting it's attention, and swung slightly forward, breaking trough the chitin armor with her clawed glove weapon. The fiend hissed in fury, aiming his claws at the mysterious girl. She managed to escape the threat, but one of the blades cut trough her thigh. Ash, without any further hesitation threw into her direction the bottle of potion he had found earlier. The girl used it quickly, blue fluid closing the wound. Ash struck the creature with his sword, pinning its attention one more time. That gave the girl an opportunity to reach down the back pocket of her pants, grabbing a black, oval shaped object that looked a lot like a grenade…

Ash ducked, falling on the ground and covering his head as the girl pulled out the security lock and threw it on their opponent. A surprisingly strong explosion shook the building; When Ash finally had the courage to look up he saw the fiend laying motionless on the ground, its body slowly emitting faint light… till the point it disappeared completely, turning into a few colorful smudges of light. These were things Auron used to call pyreflies, he saw it once when he was kid, coming out of the jug he always held by his belt… But that was… in Zanarkand…

He didn't have more time to consider what he had just saw, as someone grabbed his head and painfully pulled him up. He whimpered, and that sound made Pikachu angry enough to start radiating with electricity. But Ash spotted guns of five or six people that surrounded him, directed straight at his own chest.

"That is enough." He whispered to his Pokemon, his face still with grimace of pain. Pikachu obeyed, and Ash slowly called him back to his Pokeball, using the motions as slow as possible, not wanting them to react violently. The grip on his hair tightened, but this time he didn't let out a slightest sound.

"Fryd ec drec?" The man holding him asked his companions, his voice visibly angry.

"Y fiend! Eh risyh teckieca!" Another man in strange overalls in front of him pointed the end of his gun at Ash's face, making the boy feel the cool steel on his chin.

"Oac! Ed ec cu!" First one replied, and at this rate Ash already started to feel frightened. Why the hell had they helped him, if now they wanted to kill him?
The third of the men slowly took the knife he had tucked behind his belt and held it in front of the boy's throat.

"Fa gemm ed?" The faint whisper of the question asked by the knife-wielder was serious and deadly. Just what Ash was afraid. The pressure of the blade on his sensitive skin got stronger…

"Fyed!" A loud scream roared through the hall, switching the mens' attention. The looked around, seeing the girl that helped Ash before cross her arms on her chest. "Fryd ev ed ec risyh?"

The man slowly took his knife off Ash's throat and pointed it in the direction of girl.

"Drao yna dra cysa eh taydr."

The girl tapped her foot and Ash could almost swear he could see her piercing gaze from behind the goggles.

"E vunpet ed! Fa pnehk ed fedr ic!" Her command was clear and strong and held a power that couldn't be ignored. Ash remembered hearing that same tone in the voice of his League trainer, back in Zanarkand. He was a man whose orders *have to* be obeyed. Now the same strength he could sense in girl's words.

She stepped forward, closing the distance between them and teenager felt the pressure on his hair subdue a bit. She leaned to him, until tips of her brown hair tickled his cheek. A sweet scent of perfumes filled his lungs and made his head a bit dizzy.

"Cunno."

After that Ash felt a pain crawling up at his stomach when the masked girl kicked him strong with her knee. For a while he only saw figures and shapes of people leaning over his slump form, not hearing any sounds or words. The girl in goggles stared at him until whole word went blank for the third time that day.


~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~


The soft swaying and crying of Wingulls were the first things Ash could hear. He woke up, trying to remember where he was, still without opening his eyes. He could swear that he heard the sea… He also wondered what he had done to deserve loosing his consciousness a few times a day. Auron was *definitely* going to pay for everything he had done.

Ash felt a gentle touch of shoes touching his side and refused to open his eyes.

"Kad ib."

He still lied without slightest move, pretending not to hear. He still didn't know what it may give him or if he had any chance of escape, but everything was worth trying.

"I said get up!"

His eyes snapped open and he quickly looked up at the girl standing above him. She finally took off her goggles and Ash could see her clearly. She had large eyes, shimmering with a hidden hint of amusement while she was staring at him curiously.

"You…" He stammered. "You can understand me?"

She squat down next to him, her arms encircling her knees for better balance.

"Uh huh. Every single word."

She didn't have enough time to say anything more, as the door next to them opened. Only then Ash realized that they had been sitting on the deck of ship, swaying on waves of sea that spanned endlessly as far as the eye could see.

"Ra'c yfyge?"

Ash looked back at two men that entered the deck through the large door. The girl just nodded with her head. One of the men was dressed in strange overalls and also wore a mask on his face, strangely reminding him of the well-known gas mask. The other was wearing only dirty blue jeans held with suspenders. His body was tattooed in strange blue patterns and his blonde hair was cut into a tuft on the top of his head.

//What a weirdo…//

It seemed that this blue-tattooed freak was a leader, as he was the only one to speak, while others remained silent.

"Fryd fana oui tuehk tufh drana?"

Ash raised one eyebrow, not understanding a word from what the he had said. In a response he was punched by the other man and surprised by the blow he stumbled back.

"Hey! That hurt!" He protested, feeling his anger gaining up on him. He had done nothing wrong, after all. It was not his fault that he did not understand their language. He stared at the brown-haired girl and his eyes begged for translation.

"He wants to know what were you doing in that Temple."

"*What* Temple?"

"In that building we found you." She explained while rolling her eyes in irritation.

Ash stared for a while at her, slowly shifting his gaze at the leader and then back at the girl. Something… was not right. He didn't know yet what it was, but he had a strange feeling down in his gut and he did not like it at all.

"The truth is…" He started, watching for his every word. "That I don't remember what happened."

It was her turn to be surprised as she translated his words. The hint of amusement in her eyes got even stronger than before. Their leader just raised his eyebrows, eyeing the boy carefully from head to feet and back.

"Fa feem xiacdeuh rel mydan drah." With those last words the man turned around and headed back to the entry door, his followers right behind him. Ash stared at their backs in disbelief. That was all? They punched him, asked him a few questions and now they were leaving? Only the brown-haired girl was still by his side, helping him to get up from the cold metal of the ship deck.

"What Temple?" He asked again, dusting off his long shorts. For a while Ash thought that he was about to go crazy if some of his questions were not to be answered soon. Like he wasn't crazy now, thinking that he got sucked up by giant sphere of water…

"We found some ancient ruins right beneath us." The girl seemed to be more than happy to explain the whole situation. It's not active now, but there should still be some power left. From what Aniki [*] is saying we think it might be an airship!"

Ash wondered. Airship? Temples? He never heard about them before…

//Where the hell am I?//

"You hungry?" The girl asked, a bright smile never leaving her face, but it subdued a little when Ash stared at her like she had grown horns. "What?"

"Who are you guys, anyway?"

She smiled again, pulling off her goggles from her neck and stretching a little, almost like a cat.

"We're Al Bhed, can't you tell?"

Al Bhed? Ash tried hard to remember where he had heard that name before… Maybe it was in the news or newspapers… Or maybe just Auron mentioned something about them…

"Wait here, I'll get you something to eat. Bet you're hungry."

Only then Ash realized that he hadn't eat anything since he awoke in the ruins. His stomach grumbled loudly at the mere mention of food.

"I'll take that as yes."

She left him alone again, bouncing slightly as she moved across the deck and entered the ship through the large door. Ash just sat helplessly on the metal floor, wondering what in world he had done wrong to deserve the situation he was in. Lost. Lost alone. In the middle of nowhere, with goddamn tattooed freaks that spoke in a different language!

//This is not my best day.//

He pulled off the Pokeball from his belt and called out Pikachu. The yellow creature looked around, still ready for a fight if his master needed him. But everything was quiet. Soft cries of Wingulls and the sound of waves crashing on the side of the ship filled the air and no threat was seen.

"Piiiika…"

Ash scratched his Pokemon on his belly.

"I know you're hungry. Believe me, so am I."

Just as he said that the door opened again and the brown-haired girl entered the deck again, carrying in a tray with food that smelled delicious. Pikachu immediately got into his defense stance, ready to fight for his owner.

"Whoa, slow down little one, I'm not here to hurt you."

She eased the tray down, handing it to the boy and squat down next to him, watching him silently as he ate, sharing the food with his Pokemon. She admitted to herself, that the boy was really handsome, not exactly in her type, but close enough to like him. Maybe he was a little bit too skinny, but that, after all, could be only the first impression, as she could clearly see the groups of fine muscles under the black shirt the boy wore. The raven-black hair seemed a bit spiky but she could bet that they were soft in touch and she surpassed the urge to touch it and find out. His face was still a little bit boyish, but she could already see the developing shape of strong jaw and cheekbones that adorned his features. He was wearing black shorts that left his tanned and strong legs, black t-shirt and yellow jacket with short sleeves on it, both of his hands gloved, one by Blitz armor. Was this guy a League player then? She wondered, eyeing the creature beside his feet that looked like a Pokemon. Apparently so. And there was only one word that she found good enough to describe him.

Yummy.

"What's your name?"

The girl shook off her head to get rid of her thoughts and looked at their captive. He had already finished eating and stared at the girl with hint of amusement in his eyes. She realized that all the time while she was thinking she was gazing at him. That fact made her blush.

"May. And yours?"

"Ash."

They remained silent for a while, until Pikachu made a little squeaking sound, annoyed that he was not presented as well. Ash laughed.

"And this is Pikachu, my impatient partner."

"This is a Pokemon, right?" May asked slowly, unsure of her own words. Ash's eyes widened up. People here knew Pokémon, that was first the good news he had that day. Of course, he perfectly knew that only the League players had right to own a Pokemon, but that didn't change the fact the he felt a little more like at home.

"You know, we, Al Bhed, think that closing Pokemon in those funny balls is barbaric."

"Al Bhed…" He repeated, suddenly realizing that he had to ask May what exactly Al Bhed are.

"What?" She asked, her eyebrows knitted together and her voice filled with hidden tone of threat. "You're not an Al Bhed hater, are you?"

Ash raised his hands a little, suddenly concerned about his safety. It was not wise to tick those people off, as he was still their captive.

"No, no! To tell the truth I don't even know what an Al Bhed is!"

She stared back at him, her face in light shock.

"Where are you from?" She asked suddenly, her voice in low whisper. Something was not wrong, how in world this boy could not know what Al Bhed are…

"From Zanarkand. I'm the current Master of Zanarkand League."

May had burst out with laugh, making Ash even more confused.

"Did you hit your head or something?"

Ash wondered what to tell her. Apparently she thought of him as a weirdo who suddenly decides to tell everybody that he is the Master. But… The Zanarkand League was famous in the whole world and maybe nothing was wrong with him, maybe that girl was just crazy…

"Umm… You guys hit me."

She stopped laughing, her smile slowly dying on her lips.

"Oh… right."

She looked like she demanded more information, so Ash just started talking. He told her about Zanarkand League, about his way of becoming a Master and about life in his metropolis city. He told her about Auron and Sin, who suddenly attacked the city, about the sphere of water slowly sucking him in… All the time May looked at him with wide eyes.

"You were close to Sin!" She shivered when he finished his story. "You were infected by the toxin for sure!"

"The toxin?"

"Yeah, Sin's toxin." She shook her head, still looking at him with disbelief. "When you get to close to him you can get infected and your memory gets weird."

"You mean I'm sick?" Ash was getting confused again. What was she talking bout? What toxin? He felt perfectly fine and was sure *nothing* was wrong with his head. "How come?"

May hesitated, not sure how to say what she needed to explain.

"There… there is no Zanarkand anymore. Sin destroyed it a thousand years ago. So… the Zanarkand League does not exist."

Ash's hands curled into fists when this information sunk into his consciousness. He didn't know why but he suddenly became angry, just like everyone were stubborn enough to put a prank on him and all of this was just a stupid joke. But deep inside something was telling him that he was just fooling himself, as he had this stupid feeling of someone's presence nearby again.

"What do you mean a thousand years ago? But I *saw* Sin attack Zanarkand! Yesterday! You mean that all of this happened a thousand years ago? No way!"

May stepped back, a little scared that he might attack her as well. There was rage in his eyes, just like he had gone through too much that day and needed a good rest. Something in the back of her mind wanted to believe the boy, but she perfectly knew that it was impossible for him to see the end of Summoner's city.

"Calm down, will ya?" She shouted angrily, just to end his accusations. "You said you're a League player?"

"Um… yeah…" He answered, not sure what was her point now.

"Then you should go to Luca." She smiled, happy that she found a way to solve everything out. "There is a big League tournament coming up, all the teams of Spira take part in it and you may meet somebody you know!"

"Luca?"

"Uh huh. Luca, the second biggest city that has its own stadium. The centre of all Leagues and since the season is about to start it's possible to find out who you are. Or, if you are really a player, someone should recognize you. So? You're in?"

Ash was considering it only for a second. If this 'Luca' was really a main League headquarters it was for sure a better way to find his way back to Zanarkand then just staying here on this boat with people that smack him every time he doesn't understand what they were saying. By that rate he will be dead at the end of the week.

"Yeah, I'm in." He called back Pikachu to his Pokeball. The small rodent was curled up into a ball in the corner of the deck, snoring slightly.

"Great! So I go tell the others and you stay here, ok?"

"Do I have any other choice?"

"Nope." She smiled brightly and started to walk to the direction of door again, but after a second or two she turned around.

"Oh, one more thing. Don't tell anyone you're from Zanarkand, ok? Yevon says it's a holy place and not only people will think you're crazy but you might as well upset someone."

Ash watched as she disappeared and leaned over the rail of the ship to stare at the calm water of the sea. First there was Sin. Then he almost froze and when he made it out of it, some gigantic Gyarardos thought he would be a great snack. After that he fought with some freakin' blade-creature just to found himself beaten up and captured by a tattooed freak whose ability to use proper language was less then zero. To make everything even more amusing it appeared that he ended up *not* only in the middle of the sea without any familiar face but also a *thousand* years in the future.

"NO WAY!" He screamed again, his anger taking upon him as he kicked with fury some ship mechanism that was located just next to him. He cursed loudly as his foot shot with pain. When he was near the point he swore he could burst out with desperate tears the ship shook violently, causing him to loose his balance and landed hart on his back. The Al Bhed ran from the inside of the ship, a few of them carrying guns.

"I didn't do any thing!" He defended himself even before they could accuse him of anything. One of men leaned over that rail and gazed into the sea around them.

"SIN!"

*That* Ash understood. Sin, his only link to Zanarkand, attacked for the second time in two days. The boy quickly got up on his feet, catching the balance on swaying deck and withdrew his father's sword. He felt this strange, yet well-known feeling of someone's presence near him, almost calming him down as this feeling was quite familiar.

"Sin ec lusa! Ed'c ihtan ic! Ihtan ic!" - May called out to him, fighting with waves that were caused by enormous monster and washed a few people from the deck. He tried to grab something to hold on to, but was a second to late as another wave hit him and pushed him off the board. May jumped forward, trying to take a hold of his hand but the action was taken too late as Ash's back already hit the surface of water.


~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

It was so good to finally rest in the sun that warmed his whole body after such a long time spent in cold water, that Ash desperately refused to open his eyes. He could feel the soft sand beneath him and burrowed his face a bit harder into it. Just staying like this was his biggest desire but he knew that no matter how good it felt he will have to get up eventually.

The teenager slowly opened his eyes, just to see a long, white beach stretched almost to the horizon, ending with a green smudge that was probable the edge of some forest. Ocean water crushed against his back in soothing warmth, washing away all the discomfort he might have previously felt. He raised himself on his elbows, again releasing Pikachu from his Pokeball, to share this warmth with him.

"Pii pika piii…" His Pokemon glared at him with anger.

"I know, you don't like Pokeballs. I promise I won't call you to it soon, okay?"

Ash finally stood up, stretching the sore muscles a bit before scratching his head sheepishly.

"Soo… what are we going to do now?"

Pikachu pointed to the edge of woods, clearly proposing that they should start walking in that direction. Ash agreed, and they moved, yellow rodent skipping happily on the white sand of the beach, happy that he could get out of his shelter. Ash still could feel the weight of his father's sword tied to his belt, bouncing slightly against his thigh as he walked.

//That damn thing almost made me drown.// He thought bitterly, eyeing the weapon. //I should just throw it away.//

But he didn't do that. Instead, as Pikachu could see, his fingers constantly stroked the handle of the sword, as if it was the most precious thing to him. Ash didn't even realize that he was doing it, holding desperately on the last reminiscence of his father that he had in so many years.

The next thing he saw was a group of men at the edge of the forest. His heart skipped in anticipation at sight of humans. Maybe they weren't talking in this crazy Al Bhed language and he will be able to get some news about Zanarkand…

He heard a rustling of leaves in the bushes next to him as he was walking next to the line of trees. But this time he was ready, his experience in this world making him cautious of every danger. He drew his sword up, deflecting the attack of the creature that leapt out on him from its hiding-place. Ash couldn't believe his eyes. The creature looked much like a Pokemon called Parasect, but it had different patterns on it's body, as well as different, long and lean legs. It looked like a Pokemon, but…

Ash didn't have enough time to think more about it, as the creature attacked him. He parried it, shooting a glance at his Pokemon.

"Get ready to attack!"

In the corner of his eye he could see men running in his direction. Apparently they saw he was in trouble and wanted to help him. At least, that was what Ash thought. His sword cut trough the shell of his opponent and performed a somersault jump back, in the end landing with grace on firm ground.

"Pikachu, thunder circle!"

Pikachu jumped forward, sparks of electricity coming from his tail. He emanated some energy, sound of rolling thunder crashing trough the air as he formed a couple of electric rings that wound slowly around the fiends body, preventing it from moving.

"Now, detonate!"

His Pokemon obeyed, and electric circles exploded with flashing light. Ash didn't have to even close his eyes, used to the light for many years. The weird Pokemon collapsed without any strength left, and slowly disappeared. Ash had never seen something like this before. The creature did not faint, but became more and more transparent, it's body turning into small flashes of light, that flew around lazily for few seconds, then melted into thin air. Ash breathed in deeply, satisfied with his win.

//Come to think about it, it's not very different from fights on the Dome ring…//

He turned around, finally coming face to face with men that previously run to his direction. There were five of them, almost all dressed in the same way, in plain black t-shirts and wide yellow trousers supported by suspenders. One of them looked a bit different though. His shirt had a zipper in front, and bright blue jeans were visible from below the yellow trousers. His right arm was protected by a Blitz glove, just like Ash's. That meant he was a League player! Ash's heart skipped one beat. The boy's skin was dark brown, hair all spiky and standing up. His eyes looked as they were closed, but he observed the teenager's every move with sharp attention.

"Is this your Pikachu?"

Ash thanked all gods deep inside, as he had finally found not only a person that spoke to him in normal language, but also a person that new names of Pokemon and apparently was also a League player. For a while he felt a bit like at home.

"Yeah, he belongs to me." As a confirmation of boy's words Pikachu jumped on his shoulder.

"You are no amateur. Whom do you fight for?" The dark skinned boy eyed him with hint of amusement in his eyes.

"The Zanarkand League." Ash answered proudly, realizing only a second too late that he shouldn't have said anything about Zanarkand. Everyone around gasped and fell silent. The other boy's eyebrows knitted together in a dangerous scowl.

"What League did you say again?"

Ash swayed his arms in front of his face in silent denial and shook his head.

"No, I mean… ugh… I got too close to Sin's… uh… toxin!" He desperately tried to remember all May had told him. "So… my head is all foggy-like. I can't remember a thing."

Men around him gasped again, this time even the one that looked like a leader.

"Sin, huh? Good you're still alive. Praise be to Yevon."

Ash gasped when he saw them performing a League victory sign. But… but why were they doing it now, to congratulate him the win? He still had a confused look on his face when they lightly bowed to him.

"Okay, back to practice." The brown-skinned boy motioned the rest of group to go back to the edge of the woods. Only then Ash saw various Pokemon waiting for them there. So they really were League players!

"I'm Brock, coach and captain of the Besaid League. Your name?"

"Ash. Ash Ketchum."

"Good that you remember at least that." Brock laughed and after putting his arm around boy's neck he dragged him into direction his team went just few seconds ago. "Welcome to Besaid."

Ash smiled, a feeling of relief washing through him like a storm. He really was in a better situation then a few hours ago. He had stable ground beneath his feet, he found a League team and now someone who might have become a new friend. But he just had to ask, had to make sure…

"So it's true, huh… Zanarkand was destroyed a thousand years ago?"

Brock never stopped walking, going past the team members and entering the woods. In the corner of his eye Ash could see what Pokemon they have trained. He spotted two Victreebels, one Venusaur, a Machop, Typhosilon, Umbreon and a Kingdra. Quite a strong team though their trainers apparently lacked the experience.

"You know, once there were great cities all over Spira. Machina cities, where people played all the time and machina did everything for them. But that was the wrong way of being. Soon the cities started to fight against each other, using weapons so powerful that they could destroy everything. And then, one day, Sin came and destroyed the cities, and Zanarkand along with them. That happened about a thousand years ago."

So they were telling the truth. Brock and May didn't have any reason to lie to him, why would they? He just ended up in another time…

//This all is just a bad dream…Please, any one, wake me up…//

"Hey, I'm not saying that this League never existed. But it would be quite weird if you really were a member of it, don't ya think?" Brock laughed again, his arm loosening a bit over Ash's neck.

//All this started with Sin.// Ash thought bitterly, a small hope in his heart that maybe if he had found Sin again there could be chance that he could go back home, the opposite way he got here. He missed his city, missed his mother and friends. But there was no way to drag this along with him all the time. He was in Spira now, not Zanarkand, and he just *will* find way to return to his metropolis. Ash started to fell better when he made this promise to himself.

"That is your Pikachu?" Brock's voice torn him out of his world of thoughts, and he returned his attention to older boy.

"Yeah, that's my little fellow." He scratched the rodent behind the ears, a caress that always left his Pokemon delighted. "We're together for as far as I can remember."

"He looks tough." The other trainer stated with acknowledgement. "What was the name of that attack?"

"You mean the one on the beach?" Ash wanted to be sure. "Thunder circle. It can be detonated whenever I order him to."

"I've never seen this move before."

"That's because it's my own technique."

Brock started at him with amazed expression.

"There are not a lot of players that can invent their own moves. You must be really good one."

That turned out more like a statement then a question so Ash didn't bother to answer it, but it seemed that Brock didn't expect an answer at all. They moved trough the thick woods, more reminding him of a tropical jungle, till the point where they got to a cliff. Ash looked down, only to see blue waters of a lake, clear enough to see the bottom of it.

"Now what?"

"We jump in." Brock stretched his muscles, getting ready.

"We do *what*?!"

"Oh come on, don't be a wuss." The other boy smirked evilly. "Just call back your Pokemon and follow me. It's a lot of quicker way to get to the Besaid village than following the old road."

With that last word he jumped off the cliff, landing in the water with grace. Just like it was a completely normal thing to do. A shiver went down Ash's back. Was that water really that clear or just shallow enough to make the bottom visible? He gulped.

"Come on, Pikachu, you want to go with me or should I call you back?"

His Pokemon only glared at the surface below them and at Brock waiting for them, swimming steadily in one place.

"Piiiikaa…"

Pikachu sighed in frustration and jumped forward, curled around himself and splashed into water like a little ball.

"Guess now I have to follow you."

He prayed that he could survive the fall and slowly slipped over the edge of the cliff. The speed of his fall and wind made him feel like he was flying, but that ended soon enough as he fell into the depths of the lake like a stone. For a couple of seconds the surface waved then went steady. Before Pikachu could start to get worried his master emerged from below, coughing up water that he almost chocked himself.

"You really are a klutz, you know?" Brock laughed hard, a memory of shouting Ash falling into the lake still fresh. Ash spat some more water, an angry look on his face.

"That was *not* funny."

"You wanna bet?"

They swam trough the lake and Ash thanked all Gods that the water was warm. He had had enough of freezing already. Pikachu apparently thought the same thing, as it was seated on his trainer's back, occasionally jumping into lake to cool himself out. Brock still couldn't believe that his Pokemon actually liked water, as not so many Pikachu could swim.

"You know, I have a favor to ask." Brock stopped suddenly and started to swim steadily in one place. "Major League tournament is coming up in Luca. I thought that…"

"You want me to join your team, right?"

Brock just nodded. Ash wasn't very surprised. The same thing was happening in Zanarkand, many different teams were fighting to get him into their team. Ash snickered, at least that aspect of being a League player didn't change for thousand years…

"Luca is the main headquarter of all Leagues. It's so big that I'm sure that someone will recognize you. Then you can go back to your old team, right?"

Ash just stared at the surface of water, as if he was staring at the bottom at the lake. Was there really any chance that people might recognize him? After all, his League existed one thousand years ago. No matter how hard he tried to deny it, there still was not a point for May and Brock to lie to him. So maybe he will just be able to find out what happened to his own team. Or maybe there were some photos on the walls of main stadium, in memory of the Leagues that disappeared in Zanarkand…

"Sure. I'll join."

He didn't say anything else, starting to swim through the lake again. Brock just watched him for a second before following the younger boy.

"This year we're gonna rock!"


~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~


They emerged from the lake just a couple of minuets later, shaking off droplets of water from their hair and drying themselves for a while in the bright sun of the island. When they decided that their clothes were dry enough they started to walk up the small hill. All the time Ash wondered, what was the reason was that Brock decided to help him. Sure, scouting him into their team was one thing, but the teenager knew there was something more underneath it. He decided to drop that subject for a while and focused on admiring the surroundings. The island's forest was surely beautiful enough to make any Zanarkandian drool over the place. Since his metropolis was a little short on flora Ash still was amazed by the large variety of trees and flowers around, all of them belonging to species he haven't seen even once in his life.

"So…" Ash started a conversation again, braking off that long silence between them. "What's your Pokemon?"

"Mine? Onix. The first one I ever caught."

"Onix?" Ash raised his eyebrows in shock. "Now I'm glad I won't have to fight you. Not many trainers stand a chance against Onix."

"Ya, but that's the only well-trained one in our team. Guys try to do what they can, but… They don't put much heart in it." Brocks face grimaced bitterly. "In ten years since I joined the League we haven't won a single tournament."

"Ten years?" Ash laughed. "Boy, you guys really take it tough."

"Nah, I don't blame the rest of the team. We were close last year… but I failed. Something else was on my mind and I couldn't focus."

"Making excuses?"

Before Brock could say something to defend himself they made it to the top of the hill and Ash spotted two figures of men not so far away, approaching them quite quickly. Both of them were wearing strange, typical island clothes. The shorter one of them had dark brown skin, even darker than Brock's. The taller man looked older than his companion. His bright red hair reminded Ash of blood.

"So you're the one who survived against Sin?"

Ash watched the older man as he eyed him suspiciously and then returned his gaze to Brock.

"We're on our way to S.S. Winno, watch out for the fiends. You might meet some on your way to the village." The read-head's voice was deep baritone, proud and demanded to listen to his authority. Without even knowing why Ash suddenly thought of his father. The boy's hand instinctively squeezed the hand of his sword.

"We'll be careful." Brock nodded in silent thanks for the advice and then both boys watched the strangers climbing up the rest way to the hill top, only to disappear from their sight after a minute.

"Who were they?"

"Luzzu and Gatta. The Crusaders."

Ash swirled that word around his tongue trying to repeat it but failed first try miserably.

"Crews of what?"

Brock rolled his eyes. It seems that this boy had forgotten the basics of the basics!

"Don't tell me that you don't remember that one too?"

Ash let his head fall a little, slightly embarrassed. It was not his fault after all, that he had woken up in the world he didn't know at all. Spira was new to him, as well as all those words he had already learned that day - Sin, Yevon, Luca, Crusaders… Ash started to feel the begging of the headache. Brock saw his hesitation and kicked himself mentally for forgetting about Sin's toxin.

"Ah, sorry 'bout that. Look, Crusaders are fighters who prevent Sin from getting to close to cities and villages. They've been found a thousand years ago by a warrior monk whose name was Lord Mi'ihen. He united his friends and against laws of Yevon he protected people and their houses." Brock continued to speak as they were walking down the hill to the direction of village. The first couple of huts were starting to become visible as they were approaching them quickly. Ash listened carefully, hungry for any piece of news he could get about this new world of his. "But finally all Maesters approved their battle for better good and Yevon officially gave them the name of Crusaders. They've been fighting it ever since, drawing it away from crowded places."

"A thousand years and it's still not dead?" Ash was astonished. A battle going for ten centuries and that monster was still alive? He shivered when he finally realized how lucky he was that he survived an encounter with it not once, but three times in a row.

"Nobody's been ever able to defeat it." Brock stated calmly, as it was completely normal state. "Sin is a punishment for our greed and too high confidence. Only the Summoners can fight with it and bring us Calm."

Summoners? Calm? Another two words Ash didn't have any idea about. Just when he wanted to ask Brock they had entered the village. It was small, wooden huts gathered around the circle ground with a big fireplace. Only a few meters away Ash could see a huge blue tent and an enormous building that prevailed over the rest of the houses. It was made from white stone and painted in blue and green ornaments. For Ash it looked a bit like the Dome or church he had rarely seen in Zanarkand.

"Besaid Village." Brock stated proudly when they stopped at the enter gate. "My house is the third from the right." He pointed it with his hand and Ash just nodded. "That blue tent over there is the Crusaders Lodge. Since Luzzu and Gatta are on the beach I guess you have nothing to do there. And this is our pride - Besaid Temple." Brock motioned towards the big building that Ash previously took for a church. He wasn't so far from the truth.

"Go present yourself to the Temple Summoner. It will be a while until the dinner will be ready, so you might as well look around first." Brock intended to go away to his hut, but stopped after taking only a few steps. "Oh, you *do* remember the prayer, right?"

Ash stammered. A prayer. Great. He never was really religious back in Zanarkand and now he was about to remember some prayers.

"Ok, I'll show ya." Brock stepped back a bit from him… and then performed the League victory sign. The teenager gasped against his will.

//This is getting hilarious…// He thought, desperately trying not to laugh in the older boy's face. Zanarkand League sign became a prayer? How? League tournaments never were really approved by government, count out the religions!

"Ok." Brock straightened himself. "Check the town, then visit the temple. Maybe Yevon will bring your memory back."

After those words he walked to his hut and soon disappeared behind the blue veil that apparently was used as a door. Ash was left alone near the village gates, gazing stupidly on buildings and the temple not so far away.

//What the hell is Yevon?//


~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~


After a few minutes of research he admitted that the village was neatly organized and it was surely a great place to live. Of course, he would have done anything to go back to his Zanarkand, but for the time he was about to spend here, Besaid surely would have to do. Or at least for as long as Brock would help him.

Ash still didn't know what happened to Auron. The warrior monk was not only his last link to his previous life, but also a friend and the boy surely was afraid for him. What if he didn't have enough luck and Sin killed him? But then the trainer reminded that *he* was the one that dragged him inside the Sin. That thought almost made him scream in frustration.

He visited one shop the village had and carefully watched the weapons they had to offer there. Some of the swords were wide and long, just like Auron's. Some blades were thin and light, almost like a feather. For a while he wanted to buy one of these great swords, but not only did he have no money at all, but also something deep inside him ordered him to keep his father's weapon. Though Ash would never admit it, he wanted to have a memory of his father close, so it would never slip away from him ever again.

After that his steps guided him to the Temple, just like Brock had told him to. When he entered the big hall he was amazed by the number of details that decorated the frescos on the walls and all the marble statues standing in a tight circle. Ash started to realize even more how much this new world of Spira was different from his own. On the right side, high on the wall near the copula of the building the teenager could see an enormous statue of a man wearing traditional armor, his helmet partly covering his face. He was leaning over to the opposite side of the building, where Ash could see a statue of a beautiful woman in bright robes, her long white hair spilling to her shoulders and back. They both looked like they were trying to reach each other, so Ash assumed that they were showing some couple that once must have been in love.
Several groups of people were kneeling on the ground, praying to smaller statues with the prayer that Ash already knew as a victory sign. In the middle of the hall there were long steps, leading to the door to the upper levels, now guarded by a man that looked strangely like a monk.
His eyes wandered around for a while, hungry for any beautiful detail of the building. A strange feeling of peace was getting into him. He finally saw a statue higher than others, but not as big as the ones showing the couple in love. It was a figure of a man in wide robes, holding a staff in his right hand. His hat was hiding his obviously long hair, some of them partly slipping from underneath it onto his shoulders. The face of the man was calm and though he had a few wrinkles he still looked young.

"Ten years have passed since Lord Braska became a High Summoner." A voice behind his back startled Ash a little. When he turned around he saw another monk near him, gazing up to the statue's face. "We had finally received a statue for our Temple."

The voice of the priest was beaming with pride and though Ash knew he shouldn't ask, the curiosity was stronger than his will.

"What's a High Summoner?"

He knew he made another mistake when everyone around, including a monk, gasped in surprise. He decided that the best way to defend himself would be telling about Sin's attack. Ash found it funny, using the same excuse over and over again. Funny, and a little sad.

"Sorry, I got too close to Sin's toxin."

Just like he had thought, they had performed a prayer. It made him feel sad again, as it reminded him of Zanarkand once more.

//How many times they are going to do that in front of me?//

"The Summoners are practitioners of a sacred art, sworn to protect the people of Yevon." The monk started to explain, apparently happy to teach someone who might have lost his memory. "Only a chosen few become Summoners, who call forth entities of great power: the Aeons. The Aeons hear our prayers and come down to us. They are the blessing of Yevon."

Ash just nodded his head, though this explanation was a bit hard to understand. He remembered what Brock had told him, that only the Summoners can truly defeat Sin.

//So we just have to respect some great men or something like that… Right, got it.//

Being afraid that someone might want to know more about his encounter with Sin or ask him questions what he remembers about Spira he left the Temple in hurry, taking his way back to Brock's hut. He wondered if he should knock first, but since there was no door he just moved away the veil and slowly entered the house.
Brock was sitting near the small fire, cooking something in the pot suspended above the flames.

"Sorry, but it will take some time. Why don't you take a nap? You look tired."

Feeling really exhausted Ash didn't object that proposition. He fell asleep on one of the beds almost immediately, into a dreamless sleep. Pikachu curled by his side was lazily watching the brown-tanned League Captain until his eyes also drifted shut. Brock was still busy around the fire, making the food. Ash was slightly tossing on the bed, his sleep shallow. When a Temple monk had entered that hut the teenager was only half aware of it, suspended in the state between reality and dreams.

"You could at least go and see if they're ok…"

These words caused Brock to stand up. The boy on the bed heard them, but it made no sense for his tired mind.

"You know I can't interfere."

"But… it's been nearly…"

Ash didn't hear anymore, falling into the world of his own dreams and memories.


~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

*flashback*

"It's been nearly a day already."

Seven-years old Ash was leaning over the rail of their home boat that gently swayed on the waves of Zanarkand dock. His face was angry, lips formed into pout. Though the boy would never admit it, he was on the verge of tears, gazing into dark water of the ocean. His mother, Delia Ketchum, was standing near him, talking to two men dressed in League Guards uniforms.

"Perhaps I could go look for him with you…" Ash heard the unsure voice of his mother. *He* made her unhappy again and Ash swore he would kill him if he would ever show up again…

"No need to do that, people are searching for him now."

The men left them alone on the deck; Strong, stormy wind made Ash's raven-black hair cover his eyes.

"Thank you…" Daelia whispered to the leaving men, but they could never hear her words. She clasped her hands together in silent prayer and turned her gaze to the dark ocean.

"Who cares if he comes back or not." Ash didn't turn to look at his mother while this bitter words spilled from his mouth. He was surprised when his mother's hand grabbed his shoulder and gently turned him around, so he would have to face her.

"He is your father! Don't you ever say that again!"

Ash refused to look in her eyes, knowing that they would be full of pain because of his reaction. His mother's soft hand caressed his cheek.

"But he might die…"

"Fine! Let him." The boy avoided his mother's stare. He knew that his words were hurting her, but nothing could be compared to the pain she was going through because of the one that was supposed to be called his father. Or the pain Ash felt whenever he saw his old man.

"Do you…" His mother's voice was quivering. "Do you really hate him so?"

Ash just nodded, bitter tears spilling from his eyes. Delia leaned forward and taking him in her arms she hugged her little boy.

"But if he dies now, you'll never be able to tell him how much you hate him..."


*end of flashback*

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~


Ash opened his eyes, still dazed by the memories that flooded him so intensely while he was dreaming. He still couldn't understand why all of them returned so strongly, since his nightmares left him a few years ago. He whipped the tears from his face and decided to leave the hut and breathe some fresh air before dinner. But he was alone in the house, fireplace put out and the unfinished meal still in the pot. Brock was nowhere to be seen.

Ash stepped out from the hut, after Pikachu jumped on his shoulder; to his surprise the sky turned dark and the first stars showed up high above his head. Through the shadows from nearby trees he could see Brock standing in front of the Temple entrance, having a conversation with the monk he had met earlier. Not knowing what to do he decided that talking to the older player was the best resolution. But before he made his way to them, both men stepped inside the temple. Ash simply followed.

After getting inside the Temple Ash noticed that it was empty now. It appeared that in the evening no people prayed to the statues any more. Only Brock and the priest were standing in front of the stairs leading to the room previously protected by the guard, who was now absent. The two men were whispering something between them, just like someone could overhear them. Ash wondered if this was really necessary, until he had entered the hall there was no one that could eavesdrop.

"Brock?" The boy stepped into light from the shadow of entrance, showing himself to both men and slowly walking up to their side. "What's going on?"

The monk stepped back from them a little as Ash joined the conversation.

"The Summoner hasn't returned from the trial yet." Brock explained, his face showing that he was obviously worried. "Apprentice Summoner, to tell the truth…"

"Huh?" Ash had raised his eyebrows to show him that he didn't understand.

"Behind that door there is a maze called the Cloister of Trials." The brown-tanned player pointed the door up the stairs with a movement of his head. "Beyond there is the Chamber of the Fayth, where the apprentice Summoner prays. If the Fayth approves, the full-fledged Summoner achieves the first Aeon and can move on the journey to defeat Sin."

"So someone is in there somewhere and they haven't come back out. Right, I got it."

"A day's already gone by. I'm worried, even though there are Guardians inside." Brock folded his arms on his chest, wishing strongly that he could go inside, but he perfectly knew that the laws forbid it, no matter how hard he wanted to help.

Ash nodded, a strong feeling of fear slowly creeping up to him. The memory of his dream was still fresh in his mind, filling him suddenly with the feeling of loss. So the Summoner was inside, maybe hurt and lost. Someone, who had left his family to complete his duty, maybe not coming back… Ash shook his head to get rid of the nasty memories of his past and as quickly as he could ran up to the stairs, opening the heavy door leading to the labyrinth. Pikachu was right by his side, supporting his trainer.

"Hey, hey, hey! What do you think you're doing?" Brock shouted after him, as the younger boy fully opened the door.

"What if something happens? What if the Summoner dies?" Ash didn't know why he was so furious and so afraid. They were acting just like people that searched the ocean for his father, telling his mom that there was no need for her help since there were already people looking for him. He couldn't allow anybody to suffer like he did after loosing a member of the family. He just couldn't…

"The precepts must be obeyed!" The monk called to them, walking up to them to the stairs, his robe making his moves slow and difficult.

"Like I care!" Ash shouted back and run into the darkness of the corridor beyond the door to the most dangerous part of the temple. Pikachu showed his tongue to the approaching monk in offensive manner and quickly followed his master.


~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~


//Maybe it was not such good idea after all…//

Ash stood in front of the stone wall, in a place that he could call a dead end. He had made it for couple of minutes, finding his way in the labyrinth thanks to Pikachu, but now both of them were stuck and didn't know what to do. The only thing that could help them was a bright-blue sphere, in size of a fist, stuck in the wall. Without further hesitation Ash grabbed it and gently pulled it from its gap in the wall. The emanated light subdued a bit, but it still remained strong.

"Piika!"

Pikachu pointed out at the positive wall, where the strange signs showed up on the wall as soon as Ash had removed the sphere.

"I think we just found the way out, little fella."

The boy moved to the wall and held the hand with the sphere high, touching the mysterious glyph. At first there was nothing, and Ash seriously thought that it won't work. But soon the stone bricks of the wall started to disappear, showing the next corridor beyond it.

"A fake wall, huh?" Ash whispered to himself, slowly getting to realize what was the biggest threat of the Cloister. A chance that an apprentice Summoner might lose his way here and starve to death. The boy shivered at this thought.

The corridor ended with a huge stone door that didn't open once the teenager pushed it. That didn't surprise him, as it would be too easy to just do that. Instead he looked more closely at the door, finding a hole on the right side of it, just about the size of the sphere. He pushed it in, his precognitions true. The door opened slowly, covering Ash with dust as it moved. The boy coughed, but moved on, previously taking off the blue sphere again.

He explored the next corridor, finding in one two glyphs on opposite walls, but both of them not shining, apparently not active. They didn't even light up as he touched both of them. So he just moved on until he got to another dead end with a sphere hole. He put the sphere in, but this time no sign showed up on the walls. Instead he could hear the sound of something moving in the previous corridor. Pikachu jumped of his shoulder and quickly ran into that direction.

"Pika!" He exclaimed in happiness and jumped in one place. "Pika pii!"

Ash rushed to his Pokemon's side and discovered that one of the un-active glyphs he passed a minute ago was now shining with a bright, white light. Though he had no sphere in his hands he touched it, and the wall slowly disappeared, just like the first one. Behind it Ash found a small room with another sphere, but this time the purple one.

"You know, I have an idea."

Both of them, trainer and his Pokemon ran back to the place where Ash had put the blue sphere before and switched the blue with purple. The reaction surprised him, as the wall didn't vanish calmly but instead exploded right in his face. Ash yelped in surprised and jumped back, covering his face with hands and his Pokemon behind him. When the dust dropped and the teenager dared to look up he saw an enormous hole in the wall and a long wooden chest just behind it.

"You have to be careful while toying with a destruction sphere."

When Ash turned back he saw Brock standing behind him, with arms supported on his waist and a smug smile on his face. He helped the younger boy to stand up.

"Destruction sphere?" Ash watched the young man as he approached the chest and opened it with ease. He took out the staff, quite similar to the one the statue of Lord Braska had in hand.

"Destruction spheres show hidden treasures in the Temples. That kind of weapon - magical staffs - can be used only by Summoners. We will give it to our apprentice when we will reach the Chamber of the Fayth."

Brock took from Ash the blue sphere and both of them moved to the corridor with glyphs, where, to Ash's surprise, the second one lit up.

"And Besaid spheres" Brock held his hand up and touched the sign with blue orb, "open various corridors and doors. There are also Glyph spheres, but none of them in this Temple."

They waited until the wall vanished and this time they didn't find a corridor behind it, but an empty room with a large circle on the floor. When they both had stepped on it Brock pushed the blue sphere into the hole on the floor. The circle shined up with faint blue light and activated the lift. Ash was a little taken aback when they started to move towards the lower levels of the building.

"You have to remember" Brock started, again folding his arms on his chest. "Only Summoners and their Guardians can enter Cloister of the Trials. That's very important. I'm the Guardian myself, but you?"

"Guardians?" Ash almost laughed when he realized that as soon as he learns the meaning of new words another ones pop out and he found it meaningless to try to understand them immediately. He would just have to wait until the world of Spira will reveal his secrets.

Brock sighed.

"If the Summoner achieves his first Aeon he must visit all other Temples in Spira to train will, inner strength and gain new Aeons." The elevator stopped but Brock didn't move, just continued to talk. "Guardians are the ones to protect them and make sure they will fight Sin in the end. The Guardians that are in there right now… One of them has short temper and Yevon knows what the other is thinking. But since we made it that far might as well go in."

Only then they stepped from the elevator and moved down the corridor.

"What do you mean 'short temper'?"

"You'll see." Brock chuckled. "We'll be scolded."

Before Ash could ask another question the corridor ended and they had entered a small room. Walls were decorated with detailed paintings and lit up, just as whole room, with torches. The boy could see two tall figures near the few small steps leading to another room, hidden by transparent veils.

The first Guardian, as Ash presumed both figures were, was a tall and beautiful woman, wearing black clothes. Her face was pale; dark lipstick and eye shadow contrasting with her skin. Her black hair was put into four braids pulled into a high bun on her head, decorated with four long and thin hairpins. Dark bangs covered one of her eyes, making her look mysterious and a bit dangerous. Her body was nice shaped, the top of it covered with a black shirt with no sleeves, cut in the front and sewed, leaving a bit of the skin visible. The shirt supported with thin laces the long skirt that was framed with a floral pattern on the top, and with a flame one on the bottom. The skirt was an interesting piece of art itself. The whole front was cut and interlaced with a huge number of leather belts, leaving part of her legs clothed in black stockings uncovered. The whole outfit was completed with three or four bracelets on her wrists and black, satin gloves covering her whole arms till the hand.

Ash couldn't stop staring at her.

//God, she's hot…//

The other Guardian looked nothing like a human though. It was a tall beast, covered in blue fur and with a short, broken horn on it's forehead. Small but sharp eyes spied his every move with caution. His face was framed with a short white beard and equally white mane that was pulled into two braids on both sides of its face, and one small ponytail on the back. The rest of it spilled over its back and shoulders. The beast stood up on two legs, just like humans did, but its feet an hands looked like an animal's. It was wearing only a wide waistband and few belts closed around its chest and arms. Its long tail swung slightly behind it. That one didn't bother to move, while the woman quickly stood up and rushed to them, with an angry look on her face.

"What are you doing here Brock? We're perfectly ok, didn't think we'll be able to do it?" Her voice was strong and clear, a little deep, but extremely seducing and Ash found himself immediately entranced by it. But Brock just simply held his hands up in innocent gesture and turned his head into direction of Ash.

"Remember what I told ya about the one with the short temper? Now you see."

The boy almost wanted to laugh at loud, but was stopped by the piercing gaze of apparently mad woman.

"Is the Summoner alright?" Ash exclaimed, worried about the apprentice. The woman narrowed her eyes, eying him from the top of his head to his feet and the other way up.

"Brock? What is he doing here?" She whispered in a low voice, her slim hands turning into fists. Ash took a step back, afraid of the hit that he might earn, but their attention was pinned by a sudden movement of the door above the low steps.

The veils slowly moved away and the door went up, hiding in the roof above. It slowly showed up the room behind it, filled it with an amazing white light and a figure just behind it. At first Ash saw only black leather boots, then the edge of a violet skirt, decorated with a white flower pattern. On the way up the door revealed the long white and pink sleeves and white shirt crossed with a yellow kimono waistband. Ash still couldn't clearly see the girl's face, as the bright light behind her caused her red hair to put a shadow over her face.

A girl! And here Ash thought that the Summoners were all old men! But there was something wrong with her, as she leaned heavily on the doorframe and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She took only a few steps forward, but swayed on her feet and when her knees gave away she almost fell down the stairs. Ash moved, wanting to catch her, but he knew he was to slow. He felt sudden wave of fear as he realized she was going to fall and crush, maybe kill herself…

The beast that was standing near the Chamber entrance jumped forward and caught the girl just in time, kneeling down and talking the apprentice in its arms in a gentle hug. She stayed like that for a while, just holding onto the blue fur and panting heavily. To Ash's amazement, the beast's face turned from scowl into worry.

"I'm ok, Kimahri…"

For Ash the low whisper seemed like a beautiful sound of glass bells that his mother used to hang in his window once and he absolutely loved it. The girl slowly stood up, the beast releasing her from its embrace. She straightened herself, her face now clearly visible. She was more than Ash could ever imagine. Red hair framed her face in the perfect way, falling gently onto her shoulders. The girl's bright blue eyes shined with happiness and tiredness at the same time, but it was visible that she was proud of herself. She had dusted off her skirt and after that she ran hr hand through her bright hair, sending her Guardians and a teenage boy her beautiful smile.

"I've done it." She stated proudly, closing her eyes for a split second. "I have become a Summoner."


~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~


AL BHED PRIMER VOL.1:

"Fryd ec drec?" - "What is this?"
"Y fiend! Eh risyh teckieca!" - "A fiend! In human disguise!"
"Oac! Ed ec cu!" - "Yes! It is so!"
"Fa gemm ed?" - "We kill it?"
"Fyed! Fryd ev ed ec risyh?" - "Wait! What if it is human?"
"Drao yna dra cysa eh taydr." - "They are the same in death."
"E vunpet ed! Fa pnehk ed fedr ic!" - "I forbid it! We bring it with us!"
"Cunno." - "Sorry."
"Kad ib." - "Get up."
"Ra'c yfyge?" - "He's awake?"
"Fryd fana oui tuehk tufh drana?" - "What were you doing down there?"
"Fa feem xiacdeuh rel mydan drah." - "We will question him later then."
"Sin ec lusa! Ed'c ihtan ic! Ihtan ic!" - "Sin is come! It's under us! Under us!"

[*] Aniki means "Brother"


A/N:
Pleeeese, I desperately need reviews to know if I should continue. FFX fans might find it a little bit odd, but remember, I had to mix the FF and Pokemon motives. I dropped part of events in the attacked Zanarkand - personally I find it quite boring. Face it, I'm just lazy and I didn't have any strength and will to describe the first battle against Sinspawn Ammes or the Al Bhed underwater research near Baaj Temple. And yes, Pikachu can be closed in Pokeball here, like a normal Pokemon.

There is no Blitzball (please, don't hit me for that!), I exchanged it for League battles. Here I need to give the explanation - the League battles are joined battles of Pokemon and their trainers. Two Pokemon fight against each other and the same thing with owners. Quite weird, I know, but I think it works here. ^_^

Oh, since we don't know almost anything about Ash's father I think it's not so bad that I kept the original idea of Jecht being a dad of main hero. After all, Ash's father disappeared too. Also, my Jecht is a bit darker character than in the actual game.

I kept the main quotes and events (like that guy in the game crushing out of the Blitz pool, whoooosh!) but also there is a lot of situations that didn't happen in the original story. If you think that I stick too much with the script please let me know. If you think there are too many blackouts try playing the game. ^^*

Those that don't know FF might not know what is going on at the beginning, but I believe it's the same feeling the players get when they first encounter the game. I mean total confusment. ^_^

If you want to see the chara-design for the heroes of the story visit my gallery on the Tower.

Anyways, comments, reviews (that would be nice…), flames, suggestions - through review box or directly to e-mail.





MOYA - CHANmoya-chan@go2.pl



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