Shadow of Time Kanto
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Pokemon Shadow of Time
- Thread starter Ron the True Fan
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Pokemon Shadow of Time (Abandoned)
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Statistics (2 threadmarks, 11k words)
User Total Ron the True Fan 2
Prologue: The End of The World
Ron the True Fan
Getting some practice in, huh?
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2024
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(Crossposted from Archive of Our Own)
Ron the True Fan: Disclaimers are pointless. Now I said it a few times to reviewers: I was not entirely happy with the prologue. It served its' purpose. Now that SOT's finished, which you'll see in about, oh, ten chapters or so, we're going back to the past… to rewrite the prologue that sucked-(WHACK!)
Takeshi Yamato: Just get to it, Ron!
Thor: (Mjolnir returns to hand and he starts spinning it again, ready to release again)
Disturb not the harmony of fire, ice or lightning, lest these titans wreak destruction upon the world in which they clash.
Though the water's great guardian shall arise to quell the fighting, alone its song will fail, lest the earth shall turn to Ash. O Chosen One, into thine hands bring together all three.
Their treasures combined tame the Beast of the Sea.
The Prophecy of Shamouti Island did not just refer to the Legendary Birds, but the Creation Trio of Dialga, Palkia and Giratina. Cyrus Akagi of Team Galactic has destroyed the balance. Now the consequences of his folly will be seen by all… but most of all, by Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town.
Pokemon School - Melemele Island - 1314 hours local time - Year 7, day 63 of Ash Ketchum's Pokemon Journey
Ash Ketchum sighed. Professor Kukui was great and all… but he knew the type chart backwards, forwards and upside down.
He might not look it, but he had been competing in leagues since before these kids could properly toss a Pokeball. And he was bored.
'Better bored then confronting another evil team.' Ash thought to himself as Kukui pointed at a gray rectangle on the chart.
"Now, we know about the Steel-type's weakness to fire, but can anyone tell me what its' strengths are?" the professor/teacher asked his class, Lillie raising her hand. "Yes, Lillie?"
The rich girl stood up, raising a hand. "The steel-type is known for its great defense, being most effective against ice and rock-types." she said, her Alolan Vulpix Snowy mewling at being told he was weak to steel. Thankfully, his trainer noticed. "I'm sorry, Snowy…"
"Correct!" Kukui said, Pikachu just giving Ash a look that said 'can we PLEASE leave?' Ash could not blame him.
He didn't like sitting still: his idea of a lazy day was running around and training his Pokemon. It was half the reason he didn't settle down with any of his companions.
Misty… Oh, Misty. Ash wasn't dumb. It took him a while to notice these things, but he wasn't dumb. Misty's mermaid water show was basically her confessing to him.
But after Latios died… he was pretty sure it was Latias who pecked him on the cheek the day he left Altomere. And he didn't feel he deserved it. Deserved… love.
Which was half the reason he went to Hoenn alone. The other half being his father just leaving and not coming back. He figured he could handle going alone. Cue running into May. He gladly tutored her until she could become a good trainer, accepting and even encouraging her career as a coordinator.
He noticed her falling for him right around the time he beat her father for the Balance Badge. It was pretty much solidified when they went to Kanto and he nearly drowned saving Samiya from sinking. He was happy to see her follow her dream, away from him, going to Johto while he went to Sinnoh.
Sinnoh… he had no fond memories of that place. Sure, Dawn was a nice enough girl (and after accidentally peeking at her diary and seeing 'Mrs Dawn Ketchum' in there after Lake Acuity, he actually considered abandoning Sinnoh and going home for a bit, but he had a League to compete in) but that was the only good thing.
Paul was an ass, Ash would not deny that. It took him beating the crap out of Paul at the League for him to soften up even slightly. Humiliation at a public venue, it seemed, was the only solution. And then there was Cyrus.
Arceus, he hated Cyrus. He wanted to 'remake reality', whatever that meant. Ash wasn't an expert. He just hoped Cyrus got what he deserved for hurting the Lake Trio.
And then there was Tobias. Which was bullshit. He learned his lesson at Shamouti: never catch a legendary. It's a bad idea in the end. Yet Tobias went and got at least two, the Latios especially mocking him for his failure to stop Annie and Oakly at Altomare.
"Togedemaru's perfect against poison-types!" said Sophocles, drawing Ash out of his thoughts. He must've spaced out thinking.
Really, he joined this school because he thought it would be all practical learning. The theory was nice and all, but once you're out of the class, you need to think on your feet.
Which he somehow forgot in Unova. He didn't even know what happened to him when he started that journey. Zekrom zapping him in the head, leftover Tobias funk, something that was actually, literally, in the air?
He didn't know. He didn't care: he didn't like what happened there. And that made his meeting Iris worse. She was a lot like Misty, but for dragons and… wilder. He REALLY got sick and tired of her 'kid' comments, especially when she was a year YOUNGER then he was.
Of course, he befriended her - and by Mistralton, she had a not-so-well-hidden crush on him, making him question HOW this kept happening - and she lightened up. Somewhat. She was more of a… tsundere? Was that accurate? Ash didn't care as Kiawe answered a question about dragon-types.
Of course, that ended with him losing at the League (what was WRONG with him in Unova? It was like someone had it against him there) he had to deal with Team Plasma AND Giovanni. He had to put the pieces together that he was the Viridian City Gym Leader after that second time with Mewtwo. You don't get a badge from Team Rocket unless their boss WAS the leader.
Then Kalos happened. He wanted to go back and tell himself NOT to go there. Alexia got him to meet Serena again. And he had to lie a LOT to her. He remembered all too well who she was.
His first crush. Then again, she had that adorable accent-
'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!' Ash mentally screamed, trying to not break his vow to not go after her.
He had to thank that guitarist nut. Greninja was demanding he 'mate' with her once the Battle Bond was solidified. Often. And that time he got sick, he nearly gave into that demand. THAT would have been awkward.
After the Kalos League (Alain's Mega Evolution thing was bullshit. He didn't rely on gimmicks to win, the Ash-Greninja thing being something they couldn't exactly control from happening) and dealing with Team Flare (he REALLY hoped Lysandre was dead. Son of a bitch deserved it) he was ready to go home. Then Serena kissed him.
His first actual kiss. He wanted nothing more then to go with her to Hoenn right then and there. But his self-control was stronger then his lust and she left while he just stood there, dumbfounded.
After that, he went home. Then Mimey won the contest to go to Alola. Which brought him to now.
At least he was confident that none of the girls here would fall for him. Mallow and Lana were 13, Lillie was 12. He was 17, even if he didn't look it. He'd love to be nothing more then their big brother figure. A crush they'd grow out of, he could live with.
He glanced at Torracat as he lounged in the sun. He should really thank Professor Kukui later.
Again, Ash wasn't an idiot. He learned a long time ago how to figure out disguises. Actually, he figured it out in Celadon thanks to Jessie and James. (He HATED crossdressing and that time Cilan dressed up as Elesa, he wanted to SCREAM) Most of the time, he figured out where Team Rocket was, he just waited for them to pull their nonsense, hoping THIS time, they'd go 'we give up! Want to be friends?'. He could hope they'd resign from the Team and become actual trainers.
So, yes, he knew Professor Kukui was the Masked Royale. Kinda hard not to figure it out with that skin and the voice, not to mention the height, physique… yeah. It was easy to figure out.
He just played stupid for the sake of the kids. He didn't want to ruin their fun. He wasn't Paul. He was pretty sure Paul had no idea how to HAVE fun.
Unfortunately, their fun was going to be ruined by another source.
A flash of light was followed by a green missile smashing into the railing, smashing it before barreling through Lillie's desk, finally smacking into the blackboard.
"Lillie, are you ok?!" Sophocles asked as Mallow checked on the girl, finding her forehead and left leg cut by the desk's metal parts, blood freely flowing onto the ground.
Ash paid less attention to Lillie, knowing they would make sure she was ok and focused on what caused her injury.
It was very familiar, with a green body, pixie wings, an onion-shaped head-
"Oh, hell." Ash muttered, loudly enough that he got the attention of his classmates, who double-taked at Ash actually cursing.
He tried not to most of the time, but this warranted it, even as Rotom Dex hovered towards the Time Travel Pokemon to identify it.
Ash, having run into Celebi four times now - once in the Ilex forest, once in Kanto when he was with May and once in Sinnoh, specifically in Crown City - was less interested in seeing Celebi and knowing why the Mythical Pokemon was even here to begin with. Mainly because EVERY TIME one showed up, everything went to hell in a handbasket in a matter of minutes.
And with the exception of dealing with the occasional Ultra Beast, he was expecting a vacation from this shit.
"This is a Pokemon that isn't native to Alola!" Rotom Dex said, Ash rolling his eyes. 'No shit.' he mentally snarked as Rotom scanned the Pokemon in question.
"Celebi, the Time Travel Pokemon: This Pokémon wanders across time. Grass and trees flourish in the forests in which it has appeared." Rotom said before suddenly going INSANE. "LEGENDARY! NOT ONLY LEGENDARY, MYTHICAL! THIS IS A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EVENT!"
Ash snorted. "Then I'm lucky, seeing as I've met Celebi three times before." he snarked, getting the attention of all of the students and Rotom Dex.
"Nonsense!" the possessed machine said. "If you had met-" Ash then pulled out one of his older Pokedex models: the Unovan one, actually. Professor Oak spent months fixing it after Torterra stepped on it and he picked it up when they went to Kanto, as Ash wanted to look at the entries he had without making the Rotom freak out like he was now..
"What?! I thought I was your first Pokedex!" screamed the indignant machine.
"I'm from Kanto, Rotom Dex: we don't start out at 14 like you do in Alola." Ash explained. "We start at TEN."
"Oh, right." Lana said in mild understanding. "That explains why Misty looked so young for a gym leader..."
Lillie blinked away her pain, focusing on Ash. "I… saw you on the news…" she slurred. "At...Greenfield?"
Ash didn't want to discuss it.
Meanwhile, Pikachu was explaining everything to Rowlet, Torracat and Lycanroc, the rock-type especially fearful of the legendary grass-type. Rowlet was extremely excited.
Mallow looked at the Pokedex in question. "That's from Unova. When did you go to Unova?" she asked.
"Two years ago." Ash said, even as Rotom went insane from seeing all the entries on Legendaries, including Arceus. "What I'm more interested in right now is…" he looked at Celebi. "What are YOU doing here?"
The onion-headed Pokemon groaned as she awoke, rubbing her head. "Bii…" 'I hate my job sometimes.' she said, Ash showing mild surprise when he heard her in his mind. "Bi?" 'Ash? Oh, thank Arceus, I'm not too late.'
This was not good. Celebi was looking for him.
"She talks?!" Kiawe demanded, Ash giving him an unamused look over his shoulder.
"All Pokemon talk. We just can't understand them most of the time." he said before looking at Celebi. "Do I want to know why you're here?"
"Celebi…" 'You're about to figure it out.' Celebi said before the ground began to shake and everything started to just feel… wrong.
"…what the hell was that?" Kiawe asked, blanching a bit. "I… I don't feel… right…"
"Cele." 'Cyrus happened.' Celebi said as the skies started turning unnatural colors of purple, gold and teal, the ground continuing to shake.
"Cyrus?!" Ash demanded. "I thought he died!"
Celebi's usually bell-like laugh sounded harsh and mirthless. "Bi." 'He did. But he had control of Dialga and Palkia until he finally lost his mind and killed himself.' Celebi said as lightning struck the ocean, literally unmaking the water.
"That… can't be good." Sophocles said before Mallow began vomiting up what looked like black blood, coughing before beginning to puke up more.
"Bi." 'We're all dead,' Celebi answered. "Celebi." 'Without a controlling presence, Dialga and Palkia went berserk and killed Giratina. Arceus is doing what he can to keep the universe from completely collapsing, but even the Creator knows there's no saving it.' the Time Travel Pokemon said before Lana's hand started randomly twitching, the nails starting to peel off her hand of their own accord.
"There's got to be something we can do!" Ash said, ignoring any odd feelings he had and focusing on Celebi.
Kukui held his head as blood poured out of his ears, screaming as he fell on the floor.
"Bi!" 'I have to send you back to the start!' Celebi said, even as Kiawe and Sophocles collapsed, the former crying literal tears of blood.
"You honestly think going back in time's going to solve this?!" Ash asked as the Pokemon started showing signs of injury, Snowy's fur starting to turn a deep red as blood oozed out of his pores and Togedemaru's metal spines beginning to rust and fall off.
"Celebi!" 'Do we have a choice?! They're dying! And you'll be next if we don't get a move on!' the onion-headed Pokemon said before Mallow looked up, her eyes starting to turn green before they completely turned black.
"Ash…" Mallow said, before screaming in pain and terror. That made up Ash's mind.
"I can't do this alone." he said, almost pathetically before he felt blood leak from his nose.
'You will not be alone.' came a voice Ash...knew? It sounded familiar. Very...
"Azelf?" he asked, getting a feeling of confirmation. It had been a long time since he'd seen them.
'My sisters and I will send back the minds of your Pokemon. They cannot physically go with you.' the Willpower Pokemon explained, even as Professor Kukui had a puddle of blood form under him, the older man hacking and coughing as he laid on the floor. 'You will need them.'
Ash coughed, flecks of blood escaping his mouth as he felt his head seemingly shrink, being ten times too small for his brain.
"Bi!" 'We need to go NOW!' Celebi said, Pikachu bounding towards him before a psionic bubble formed around the two, the Electric Mouse bonking off the shield. "Celebi!" 'The second YOU start showing signs of degradation, we're out of time!'
Ash held his head, groaning before Celebi started moving them forward. "Pika… chu…" he moaned.
"Celebi." 'You'll see him again,' she said before propelling them forward, trying to find a stable place to send them back in time. After a moment, she growled. "Bi." 'Fine. Going to have to do this the hard way.'
Ash looked at Celebi in confusion. "The… hard way?" he asked, even as he saw parts of the island start floating into the air.
"Bi." 'You've been to Unova.' the Time Travel Pokemon said before smirking. "Celebri." 'And I've always wanted to say this… but when this bubble hits eighty-eight miles per hour, you're gonna see some serious shit.'
Then the bubble shot forward, Ash's eyes being forced to stay open as they shot through whatever reality was now. It was beyond real description, with unnatural reds, golds, blues and purples making patterns Ash couldn't put into words as Celebi shot them through time, Ash screaming as he couldn't close his eyes.
A sort of ringed tunnel formed before they entered it, winding in twists, turns and loops before Ash finally blacked out from the mental strain.
His nightmare had only just begun.
Ron the True Fan: And you all wonder why this has a 'horror' tag. Last time, it was just quick, simple, to get the ball rolling and spare you the real horrors of reality unmaking itself. Now? Well, how does the FUCKING EYE OF TERROR sound?!
Takeshi Yamato: Yeesh. And yes, we still did the Back to the Future ref. It's fun.
117Jorn: …didn't do all that much in the remade Prologue tbh - not a fan of legit psychological horror.
Ron the True Fan: And besides, the best horror is IMPLIED horror. Which no one seems to GET nowadays. Then there's the unofficial 40K prequel. (Jorn: Event Horizon's not a 40K prequel, Ron! Ron: Everyone else seems to disagree with you!)
Takeshi Yamato: Yeah, honestly, Zombie Horror is way too overdone.
Ron the True Fan: ...Neither of you have actually WATCHED Event Horizon, have you? Enjoy the fic.
Ja Ne!
(QQ note)
getting this up drove me insane. Because it's allergic to being SIMPLE to use.
Ron the True Fan: Disclaimers are pointless. Now I said it a few times to reviewers: I was not entirely happy with the prologue. It served its' purpose. Now that SOT's finished, which you'll see in about, oh, ten chapters or so, we're going back to the past… to rewrite the prologue that sucked-(WHACK!)
Takeshi Yamato: Just get to it, Ron!
Thor: (Mjolnir returns to hand and he starts spinning it again, ready to release again)
Disturb not the harmony of fire, ice or lightning, lest these titans wreak destruction upon the world in which they clash.
Though the water's great guardian shall arise to quell the fighting, alone its song will fail, lest the earth shall turn to Ash. O Chosen One, into thine hands bring together all three.
Their treasures combined tame the Beast of the Sea.
The Prophecy of Shamouti Island did not just refer to the Legendary Birds, but the Creation Trio of Dialga, Palkia and Giratina. Cyrus Akagi of Team Galactic has destroyed the balance. Now the consequences of his folly will be seen by all… but most of all, by Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town.
Pokemon School - Melemele Island - 1314 hours local time - Year 7, day 63 of Ash Ketchum's Pokemon Journey
Ash Ketchum sighed. Professor Kukui was great and all… but he knew the type chart backwards, forwards and upside down.
He might not look it, but he had been competing in leagues since before these kids could properly toss a Pokeball. And he was bored.
'Better bored then confronting another evil team.' Ash thought to himself as Kukui pointed at a gray rectangle on the chart.
"Now, we know about the Steel-type's weakness to fire, but can anyone tell me what its' strengths are?" the professor/teacher asked his class, Lillie raising her hand. "Yes, Lillie?"
The rich girl stood up, raising a hand. "The steel-type is known for its great defense, being most effective against ice and rock-types." she said, her Alolan Vulpix Snowy mewling at being told he was weak to steel. Thankfully, his trainer noticed. "I'm sorry, Snowy…"
"Correct!" Kukui said, Pikachu just giving Ash a look that said 'can we PLEASE leave?' Ash could not blame him.
He didn't like sitting still: his idea of a lazy day was running around and training his Pokemon. It was half the reason he didn't settle down with any of his companions.
Misty… Oh, Misty. Ash wasn't dumb. It took him a while to notice these things, but he wasn't dumb. Misty's mermaid water show was basically her confessing to him.
But after Latios died… he was pretty sure it was Latias who pecked him on the cheek the day he left Altomere. And he didn't feel he deserved it. Deserved… love.
Which was half the reason he went to Hoenn alone. The other half being his father just leaving and not coming back. He figured he could handle going alone. Cue running into May. He gladly tutored her until she could become a good trainer, accepting and even encouraging her career as a coordinator.
He noticed her falling for him right around the time he beat her father for the Balance Badge. It was pretty much solidified when they went to Kanto and he nearly drowned saving Samiya from sinking. He was happy to see her follow her dream, away from him, going to Johto while he went to Sinnoh.
Sinnoh… he had no fond memories of that place. Sure, Dawn was a nice enough girl (and after accidentally peeking at her diary and seeing 'Mrs Dawn Ketchum' in there after Lake Acuity, he actually considered abandoning Sinnoh and going home for a bit, but he had a League to compete in) but that was the only good thing.
Paul was an ass, Ash would not deny that. It took him beating the crap out of Paul at the League for him to soften up even slightly. Humiliation at a public venue, it seemed, was the only solution. And then there was Cyrus.
Arceus, he hated Cyrus. He wanted to 'remake reality', whatever that meant. Ash wasn't an expert. He just hoped Cyrus got what he deserved for hurting the Lake Trio.
And then there was Tobias. Which was bullshit. He learned his lesson at Shamouti: never catch a legendary. It's a bad idea in the end. Yet Tobias went and got at least two, the Latios especially mocking him for his failure to stop Annie and Oakly at Altomare.
"Togedemaru's perfect against poison-types!" said Sophocles, drawing Ash out of his thoughts. He must've spaced out thinking.
Really, he joined this school because he thought it would be all practical learning. The theory was nice and all, but once you're out of the class, you need to think on your feet.
Which he somehow forgot in Unova. He didn't even know what happened to him when he started that journey. Zekrom zapping him in the head, leftover Tobias funk, something that was actually, literally, in the air?
He didn't know. He didn't care: he didn't like what happened there. And that made his meeting Iris worse. She was a lot like Misty, but for dragons and… wilder. He REALLY got sick and tired of her 'kid' comments, especially when she was a year YOUNGER then he was.
Of course, he befriended her - and by Mistralton, she had a not-so-well-hidden crush on him, making him question HOW this kept happening - and she lightened up. Somewhat. She was more of a… tsundere? Was that accurate? Ash didn't care as Kiawe answered a question about dragon-types.
Of course, that ended with him losing at the League (what was WRONG with him in Unova? It was like someone had it against him there) he had to deal with Team Plasma AND Giovanni. He had to put the pieces together that he was the Viridian City Gym Leader after that second time with Mewtwo. You don't get a badge from Team Rocket unless their boss WAS the leader.
Then Kalos happened. He wanted to go back and tell himself NOT to go there. Alexia got him to meet Serena again. And he had to lie a LOT to her. He remembered all too well who she was.
His first crush. Then again, she had that adorable accent-
'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!' Ash mentally screamed, trying to not break his vow to not go after her.
He had to thank that guitarist nut. Greninja was demanding he 'mate' with her once the Battle Bond was solidified. Often. And that time he got sick, he nearly gave into that demand. THAT would have been awkward.
After the Kalos League (Alain's Mega Evolution thing was bullshit. He didn't rely on gimmicks to win, the Ash-Greninja thing being something they couldn't exactly control from happening) and dealing with Team Flare (he REALLY hoped Lysandre was dead. Son of a bitch deserved it) he was ready to go home. Then Serena kissed him.
His first actual kiss. He wanted nothing more then to go with her to Hoenn right then and there. But his self-control was stronger then his lust and she left while he just stood there, dumbfounded.
After that, he went home. Then Mimey won the contest to go to Alola. Which brought him to now.
At least he was confident that none of the girls here would fall for him. Mallow and Lana were 13, Lillie was 12. He was 17, even if he didn't look it. He'd love to be nothing more then their big brother figure. A crush they'd grow out of, he could live with.
He glanced at Torracat as he lounged in the sun. He should really thank Professor Kukui later.
Again, Ash wasn't an idiot. He learned a long time ago how to figure out disguises. Actually, he figured it out in Celadon thanks to Jessie and James. (He HATED crossdressing and that time Cilan dressed up as Elesa, he wanted to SCREAM) Most of the time, he figured out where Team Rocket was, he just waited for them to pull their nonsense, hoping THIS time, they'd go 'we give up! Want to be friends?'. He could hope they'd resign from the Team and become actual trainers.
So, yes, he knew Professor Kukui was the Masked Royale. Kinda hard not to figure it out with that skin and the voice, not to mention the height, physique… yeah. It was easy to figure out.
He just played stupid for the sake of the kids. He didn't want to ruin their fun. He wasn't Paul. He was pretty sure Paul had no idea how to HAVE fun.
Unfortunately, their fun was going to be ruined by another source.
A flash of light was followed by a green missile smashing into the railing, smashing it before barreling through Lillie's desk, finally smacking into the blackboard.
"Lillie, are you ok?!" Sophocles asked as Mallow checked on the girl, finding her forehead and left leg cut by the desk's metal parts, blood freely flowing onto the ground.
Ash paid less attention to Lillie, knowing they would make sure she was ok and focused on what caused her injury.
It was very familiar, with a green body, pixie wings, an onion-shaped head-
"Oh, hell." Ash muttered, loudly enough that he got the attention of his classmates, who double-taked at Ash actually cursing.
He tried not to most of the time, but this warranted it, even as Rotom Dex hovered towards the Time Travel Pokemon to identify it.
Ash, having run into Celebi four times now - once in the Ilex forest, once in Kanto when he was with May and once in Sinnoh, specifically in Crown City - was less interested in seeing Celebi and knowing why the Mythical Pokemon was even here to begin with. Mainly because EVERY TIME one showed up, everything went to hell in a handbasket in a matter of minutes.
And with the exception of dealing with the occasional Ultra Beast, he was expecting a vacation from this shit.
"This is a Pokemon that isn't native to Alola!" Rotom Dex said, Ash rolling his eyes. 'No shit.' he mentally snarked as Rotom scanned the Pokemon in question.
"Celebi, the Time Travel Pokemon: This Pokémon wanders across time. Grass and trees flourish in the forests in which it has appeared." Rotom said before suddenly going INSANE. "LEGENDARY! NOT ONLY LEGENDARY, MYTHICAL! THIS IS A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EVENT!"
Ash snorted. "Then I'm lucky, seeing as I've met Celebi three times before." he snarked, getting the attention of all of the students and Rotom Dex.
"Nonsense!" the possessed machine said. "If you had met-" Ash then pulled out one of his older Pokedex models: the Unovan one, actually. Professor Oak spent months fixing it after Torterra stepped on it and he picked it up when they went to Kanto, as Ash wanted to look at the entries he had without making the Rotom freak out like he was now..
"What?! I thought I was your first Pokedex!" screamed the indignant machine.
"I'm from Kanto, Rotom Dex: we don't start out at 14 like you do in Alola." Ash explained. "We start at TEN."
"Oh, right." Lana said in mild understanding. "That explains why Misty looked so young for a gym leader..."
Lillie blinked away her pain, focusing on Ash. "I… saw you on the news…" she slurred. "At...Greenfield?"
Ash didn't want to discuss it.
Meanwhile, Pikachu was explaining everything to Rowlet, Torracat and Lycanroc, the rock-type especially fearful of the legendary grass-type. Rowlet was extremely excited.
Mallow looked at the Pokedex in question. "That's from Unova. When did you go to Unova?" she asked.
"Two years ago." Ash said, even as Rotom went insane from seeing all the entries on Legendaries, including Arceus. "What I'm more interested in right now is…" he looked at Celebi. "What are YOU doing here?"
The onion-headed Pokemon groaned as she awoke, rubbing her head. "Bii…" 'I hate my job sometimes.' she said, Ash showing mild surprise when he heard her in his mind. "Bi?" 'Ash? Oh, thank Arceus, I'm not too late.'
This was not good. Celebi was looking for him.
"She talks?!" Kiawe demanded, Ash giving him an unamused look over his shoulder.
"All Pokemon talk. We just can't understand them most of the time." he said before looking at Celebi. "Do I want to know why you're here?"
"Celebi…" 'You're about to figure it out.' Celebi said before the ground began to shake and everything started to just feel… wrong.
"…what the hell was that?" Kiawe asked, blanching a bit. "I… I don't feel… right…"
"Cele." 'Cyrus happened.' Celebi said as the skies started turning unnatural colors of purple, gold and teal, the ground continuing to shake.
"Cyrus?!" Ash demanded. "I thought he died!"
Celebi's usually bell-like laugh sounded harsh and mirthless. "Bi." 'He did. But he had control of Dialga and Palkia until he finally lost his mind and killed himself.' Celebi said as lightning struck the ocean, literally unmaking the water.
"That… can't be good." Sophocles said before Mallow began vomiting up what looked like black blood, coughing before beginning to puke up more.
"Bi." 'We're all dead,' Celebi answered. "Celebi." 'Without a controlling presence, Dialga and Palkia went berserk and killed Giratina. Arceus is doing what he can to keep the universe from completely collapsing, but even the Creator knows there's no saving it.' the Time Travel Pokemon said before Lana's hand started randomly twitching, the nails starting to peel off her hand of their own accord.
"There's got to be something we can do!" Ash said, ignoring any odd feelings he had and focusing on Celebi.
Kukui held his head as blood poured out of his ears, screaming as he fell on the floor.
"Bi!" 'I have to send you back to the start!' Celebi said, even as Kiawe and Sophocles collapsed, the former crying literal tears of blood.
"You honestly think going back in time's going to solve this?!" Ash asked as the Pokemon started showing signs of injury, Snowy's fur starting to turn a deep red as blood oozed out of his pores and Togedemaru's metal spines beginning to rust and fall off.
"Celebi!" 'Do we have a choice?! They're dying! And you'll be next if we don't get a move on!' the onion-headed Pokemon said before Mallow looked up, her eyes starting to turn green before they completely turned black.
"Ash…" Mallow said, before screaming in pain and terror. That made up Ash's mind.
"I can't do this alone." he said, almost pathetically before he felt blood leak from his nose.
'You will not be alone.' came a voice Ash...knew? It sounded familiar. Very...
"Azelf?" he asked, getting a feeling of confirmation. It had been a long time since he'd seen them.
'My sisters and I will send back the minds of your Pokemon. They cannot physically go with you.' the Willpower Pokemon explained, even as Professor Kukui had a puddle of blood form under him, the older man hacking and coughing as he laid on the floor. 'You will need them.'
Ash coughed, flecks of blood escaping his mouth as he felt his head seemingly shrink, being ten times too small for his brain.
"Bi!" 'We need to go NOW!' Celebi said, Pikachu bounding towards him before a psionic bubble formed around the two, the Electric Mouse bonking off the shield. "Celebi!" 'The second YOU start showing signs of degradation, we're out of time!'
Ash held his head, groaning before Celebi started moving them forward. "Pika… chu…" he moaned.
"Celebi." 'You'll see him again,' she said before propelling them forward, trying to find a stable place to send them back in time. After a moment, she growled. "Bi." 'Fine. Going to have to do this the hard way.'
Ash looked at Celebi in confusion. "The… hard way?" he asked, even as he saw parts of the island start floating into the air.
"Bi." 'You've been to Unova.' the Time Travel Pokemon said before smirking. "Celebri." 'And I've always wanted to say this… but when this bubble hits eighty-eight miles per hour, you're gonna see some serious shit.'
Then the bubble shot forward, Ash's eyes being forced to stay open as they shot through whatever reality was now. It was beyond real description, with unnatural reds, golds, blues and purples making patterns Ash couldn't put into words as Celebi shot them through time, Ash screaming as he couldn't close his eyes.
A sort of ringed tunnel formed before they entered it, winding in twists, turns and loops before Ash finally blacked out from the mental strain.
His nightmare had only just begun.
Ron the True Fan: And you all wonder why this has a 'horror' tag. Last time, it was just quick, simple, to get the ball rolling and spare you the real horrors of reality unmaking itself. Now? Well, how does the FUCKING EYE OF TERROR sound?!
Takeshi Yamato: Yeesh. And yes, we still did the Back to the Future ref. It's fun.
117Jorn: …didn't do all that much in the remade Prologue tbh - not a fan of legit psychological horror.
Ron the True Fan: And besides, the best horror is IMPLIED horror. Which no one seems to GET nowadays. Then there's the unofficial 40K prequel. (Jorn: Event Horizon's not a 40K prequel, Ron! Ron: Everyone else seems to disagree with you!)
Takeshi Yamato: Yeah, honestly, Zombie Horror is way too overdone.
Ron the True Fan: ...Neither of you have actually WATCHED Event Horizon, have you? Enjoy the fic.
Ja Ne!
(QQ note)
getting this up drove me insane. Because it's allergic to being SIMPLE to use.
Ron the True Fan
Getting some practice in, huh?
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- Jul 13, 2024
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Think Star Wars opening crawl/recap of the anime.
Chapter 1: Changed World
Ron the True Fan
Getting some practice in, huh?
- Joined
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Ron the True Fan: And welcome back, readers. Know that at the time of the beginning of this writing is the day and year of May 19th, 2018. (Whack!) Alright, I'll stop with the whole Dune thing. Welcome to the first actual chapter of the fic. The clock has been turned back, Ash is Back Through Time (Whack!) and is unprepared for the changes in the timeline. Now, unlike PRB, Celebi didn't know the timeline would go screwy, assuming it would be like AotP. She won't even know until the Arrival. (Whack!) and neither will Ash.
Pallet Town, Kanto Region - 16 hours before Ash's Pokemon Journey
Dreams are but the domain of the sleeper. But dreams are also the domain of nightmares. A fact Ash knew all too well as he jumped out of bed, panting and sweating. He looked around nervously, finding himself in an unfamiliar location. Well, not so unfamiliar, just that he didn't spend much time there: his bedroom, back in Pallet Town in Kanto. It even had that Voltorb clock of his that he broke in his excitement all those years ago, resulting in him waking up late and… meeting Pikachu.
Maybe he could just tell Professor Oak about it: took him a bit to connect the dots, but Sammy was a young Samuel Oak. If he just told him about that little… incident, maybe he could walk away with Pikachu. Or he would just hide the starters to begin with so Ash wouldn't have a choice in the matter. Ash held his head, groaning: he was overthinking this. Off the battlefield, he wasn't great at the thinking thing. He went with his gut with a bit of actual strategy most of the time. His train of thought came to an end with a brief flash and a thud as a familiar pixie appeared. "That… hurt." she said.
Ash blinked. Did… Celebi just speak human? "Did you… just speak in the human language?" Celebi looked at Ash and shook her head before speaking up. "A side-effect of having every single one of your Pokemon's minds in your head before they left." she said, her mouth's movement not matching the sounds. "You can understand what we're saying now." While that was awesome in more ways than one, Ash struggled to separate the words before groaning in pain as his head seemed to have an axe shoved into it, then the axehead was twisted to one-side. A mild pleasant feeling encompassed him as Celebi tapped his forehead. "Bi." 'Feeling better?' Ash nodded as there was a knock at the door.
Now, it is understandable that Celebi would cause no small amount of chaos if Ash's mother saw her. It is just as understandable that Ash needed to hide the pixie. That being said, Celebi wasn't happy with being stuffed under the young man's pillow and promptly glared at Ash while remaining silent as Ash straightened himself out and went to the door, opening it gently. But he was disappointed to find that it wasn't his mother at the door and it wasn't his bastard father, either. He was never there to begin with.
Instead, it was a young girl about seven years old, holding what looked like a Snivy plushy with a lime green onesie that had a similar theme, only with more cartoony-looking grass-type starters, like Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Treecko and, much to Ash's surprise, Rowlet, with long blonde hair and brown eyes. She looked… like him, if he was a girl, a blonde and younger. She rubbed her eyes as she looked at him with tired eyes. "Did you have a nightmare, big brother?" Ash tried not to react in surprise and horror. He was an only child. He didn't have any siblings. Pain welled up in his forehead as memories forced themselves up. The timeline had changed. He had a serious headache from everything trying to settle down and it showed as he remembered who this girl was. His younger sister: Yellow Ketchum. He adored her, taught her how to deal with Pokemon, basically acting like the father they never had.
He had a sister. Pain stabbed him again, as if to correct him. Which it did: he had two sisters. And a younger brother that was a bit older then Yellow. This was so strange. "I heard you scream, big brother. Did you have a nightmare again?" she asked. Ash didn't want to lie. But then again, watching the end of the world, the universe itself, collapse into nothingness as everyone and thing died as he was sent back in time… If that wasn't a nightmare, what was? So it was not a lie. Not really. So he nodded. "Yeah. It was a really bad one." Yellow reached out for him, giving him a hug.
Another foreign feeling. He hadn't had any family other then his mother before give him a hug. In fact… he didn't have any family last time. No uncles, no aunts… no one. Ash wrapped his arms around Yellow, almost in a way that Bewear would with the Team Rocket Trio. A group he was not going to take it easy on this time. But he let his sister go, looking her in the eye. "I'll be ok, Yellow." he said, trying not to cry. "You better, big brother." she said, holding her adorable little Snivy plushy to her chest. "You got an early day tomorrow."
Yes. Yes, he did. Meeting Pikachu again, beginning his journey and saving the world from an emotionless omnicidal maniac. But he knew one thing as he went back into his room, Yellow going back to her own bedroom: just stopping him once and locking him up wasn't going to stop him. Ash could understand, bizarrely. If being beaten by Brock the first time around didn't stop him, Cyrus was not going to stop trying. He would keep trying and trying and trying until either he succeeded or actually died. A thought Ash did not like. Cyrus could change for the better, he was sure of it. But Cyrus would not stop, not because of him, Cynthia, Arceus or anyone. He would destroy the universe and remake it in his image or simply leave it to burn to ashes around him.
But Ash had other problems. "Bi! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiii!" 'You shoved me under your pillow! What were you trying to do, kill me?!' Ash turned to Celebi, anger rising in him for some reason, something he wasn't familiar with. "I'm sorry, do you want everyone to know you're here, Celebi?!" he yelled at the time travelling Pokemon as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake anyone in the house while making his seemingly unfounded anger and rage. "'Oh, look, everyone, it's the mythical Pokemon Celebi, let's tell everyone where she is, so everyone under the sun can storm the town in trying to grab her! In the meantime, we can destroy the town while we're at it'!" he practically spat at her. Then he paused in horror. This… this wasn't him. He didn't get angry like this. Something was wrong with him.
"I… I'm so sorry." Ash said, hanging his head. "I… I don't get angry like that. What's happened to me?" Celebi flew out of the bed covers, all annoyance gone. "Brrrrrrrii…" 'It's fine, I know you really don't mean it.' she said in understanding. 'I think your other self is still in there…' Ash blinked as he looked at his body. While a bit more muscular, it was… just like he was in Sinnoh. He was 14 again? But… he started out at ten. That didn't make sense. "What do you mean, 'other self'?" he asked Celebi in confusion. "Bi, bi, celebrrrrrrrrrrri." 'I didn't have time to displace the mind in that body. They're occupying the same body.' she explained. 'Yours is more experienced, so yours is dominant, but over time, the two will merge. You won't really notice: less headaches and confusion, mostly and you'll be able to look into your other self's memories without a problem.'
Oh, that was just going to open up a whole new can of worms he didn't want to think about. A topic that was averted by Celebi's stomach rumbling. "Biiii…" 'Uh… mind getting me something to eat, please?' she asked sheepishly. Ash looked at her with a quirked, almost Vulcan-esque raised eyebrow. "Seriously?" he asked. "Bi, brrrrri." 'Even legendaries need to consume food. Even legendaries like Zekrom and Reshiram, who can subside on the emotions of humans, need to eat eventually.' she explained. "Bi!" 'Besides, isn't your mother the amazing cook?' Ash could not argue with that. And he couldn't stay here: he had to see Pikachu. He had to see his starter. Other then that debacle at the Tree of Beginning with that damnedable Mew that took his brother in all but species and blood away, they were never apart. Oh, he and Mew were going to have WORDS the next time they met…
So Ash snuck out of his room, half-remembering that his mother was a light sleeper and so was Yellow. Celebi hovered just a few feet behind, following Ash down the stairs, where a bag sat on the table. Ash tried not to smile at his mother's thoughtfulness before they dove into the refrigerator, Ash noticing that it was… mostly metal. Actually, it was ENTIRELY made of metal, with wood in some places so the metal wouldn't stick. There was a lot he needed to learn about his new life as he took out a Cinnabar Volcano Burger, something his mom made on rare occasions back… in the other past… but made more often here. He didn't offer it to Celebi because he thought she wouldn't want it, but she took one anyways. "Biii, cel." 'I might not look like it—' she said before starting to eat the burger. 'But I'm just as much an omnivore as humans are. Besides, grass-types are the ultimate carnivores in the end because we reclaim the dead.'
Ash tried not to react to that. Celebi noticed. "Biiiiii." 'Relax, kid, it's not like we seek out things and kill them arbitrarily.' she said, chewing on the spicy food. "Bi, bi." 'It's only after they've been gone for a while. We're just as sentient as humans, but you have… a spark we lack. It's why we often seek humans out.' "But legendaries are too important to just be caught." Ash said as he remembered the past events of his life. "The Shamouti birds, Lugia, Latios, the Lake and the Creation Trios… look what happened, especially after you were captured by that… that…" His hands nearly balled up, a sign of further anger before Celebi put a hand on his shoulder. "Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii." 'It's alright.' she assured him. 'You stopped him. You'll always stop him.' Ash tried to take comfort in that as he smiled weakly at Celebi. This had to stop now: they had to get to Pikachu.
Ash bit into the burger before picking up his bag and putting it on his back, noticing a canvas tent bag before grabbing it and walking out the door before closing it. He wouldn't be coming back for a good long while, at least until before the League and before Professor Oak sent him on that pointless errand through the Orange Islands for that Arceus-damned GS Ball. Sure, he won, but no one gave a damn about the Orange League and who could blame them: four gyms with three of them as almost pure sports challenges and no Elite Four. It was good training and nothing more. The only thing that really mattered was Shamouti. Which denied him a chance to reunite with… an old friend. Damn Lawrence the Third to hell.
Oak Laboratory - 0114 hours local time
Samuel Oak knew many Pokemon in his lifetime. From the quiet Bulbasaurs to the bombastic Squirtles and the varying personalities of them all. But out of every single one… this one he knew all too well. And it was trying to kill him. Not figuratively with a nice sharp-low amperage zapping but a Zekrom-level 'you DIE' attack. The Pikachu had darker than usual eyes and far too much power for a second-tier evolved Pokemon. The answers for this were… rather simple, if cruel, sadly.
The yellow murderous rodent was a Shadow Pokemon.
70 years ago, Orre's monsters and their infection had torn through every single civilized region, tore apart the unified regions of Kanto, Sinnoh, Hoenn and Sinnoh, left Unova in ruins and Kalos was in chaos for almost 30 years thanks to Team Cipher's 'wonder weapons'. Even the Ranger Union regions were torn apart as… to be blunt, Shadow Pokemon did not react well to friendship stylers. Those that tried to befriend them died the most brutal death imaginable. He was a young man back then, only surviving through luck and a massive amount of… well, the doctor called it 'healing juices', which may have unnaturally extended his life.
Which didn't help Oak in any way as Pikachu tried to kill him right now. "Kazam!" The yellow lightning murder ball was struck with a Confusion wave, knocking Pikachu down before Oak finally stormed the little thing, his bones protesting the entire time before hitting Pikachu with a pokeball with a lightning bolt on it, making it as the electric-biased Zap Ball, which was… well, the only REAL option he had: he couldn't trust normal Pokeballs to hold the speedy little mouse.
Thankfully, it clicked with a successful capture. "That was too close." Oak said aloud to himself as he placed the ball down before planting himself on a couch. "How did Ash get this thing to act like a normal Pikachu?" the 87 year-old wondered as Alakazam sighed and ate a few berries. At any rate, Ash could not go out there with a shadow Pokemon, even if it was his starter as he remembered Ash saying back in the Ilex Forest in Johto all those years ago.
Either Ash was the Chosen of Arceus and a true Pokemon master or he was lying. Samuel seriously doubted that Ash could lie worth a damn and he would know if Ash was the Chosen One. But Ash would not go out with that Pikachu. Not alone.
Outside the Oak Ranch - 0123 hours local time
Ash looked at the contents of his bag. The usual equipment was in there, to be sure: potions, medical supplies, even a massive number of herbs. But even the herbs didn't confuse Ash. No, it was the other equipment that was giving him problems.
Because sitting in his backpack were two guns. One of them looked a bit like that rifle that Ranger Jenny used back in the Safari Zone with the Tauros herd and that gun nut Kaiser, only bigger while the other looked similar in size to Kaiser's handgun, though he was pretty sure that was called a revolver. This… wasn't a revolver. It took bullets from a detachable magazine in the grip and was… well, not professionally made as the warden's gun, as the finish was as rough as the skin of an Onix. But that didn't worry Ash. Not at all, as crudely finished as it was it still worked flawlessly as he worked the action after taking out the magazine.
No, it was the fact that it had his name crudely engraved on the slide and frame of the handgun. "This is all kinds of 'wrong'." Ash said aloud as he looked at the weapon. He made this thing? Why would he make this thing? He hadn't had a single good experience with guns since his first journey through Kanto. So why in the name of the Creation Dragons did he even have one?! "Biii." 'This isn't a good sign.' Celebi stated as she looked at the weapon in Ash's hands. "Biiiiii, brrrri." 'Even as dangerous as our world could be, it never warranted anyone carrying a gun outside of town before. Something is dangerously wrong with this timeline.'
A sentiment Ash agreed with. Why his backpack carrying two guns and what looked like parts for the rifle was a question he needed answering. Still, throwing them away was a bad idea if this world was more dangerous than last time. He just wouldn't use them if he could avoid it, sticking to the old standbys of letting Pikachu zap Team Rocket's machines to death and all that as he threw them back into the backpack. Ash heard that it was called the condom rule: better to have it and never need it then the other way around.
"Couldn't stay in bed?" Ash froze at the sound of the voice, Celebi hiding in the bag in spite of it being so cramped. The source was a young woman, a fair bit older than he was back in the old timeline (Ash had no idea how that worked. Maybe he'd ask Celebi for help with tenses) but not as old as his mother. Speaking of which, if it weren't for the long black hair and the very faint marks on her cheeks that he could barely see in the dark, Ash would've thought it was his mother. …Was this his aunt or something?
She didn't notice his expression. "I know how you feel, little brother." she said, revealing herself to Ash. This was his big sister? Pain made him wince as he recalled the name of his older sister. …Belladonna. Belladonna Ketchum, his 19-year-old sister. His idol who started out with a Zubat of all things and ended up placing pretty high in the three leagues she went to before finally coming home and assisting Professor Oak at the lab.
She walked over, sighing. "You know you don't have to go." Belladonna said as ash looked at her in confusion. "No one's expecting you to go out there and you don't need to. You can stay here. Help mom." Ash knew no one expected him to go, last time or now. Actually, he felt the urge to say 'no, I don't want to go; I'll help around town'. He had a feeling that was his pre… whatever term he'd come up with use later talking. Not the Ash that faced down Mewtwo and died for it. Not the Ash that risked his life for Lugia and the entire planet. Not the Ash that faced Teams Aqua and Magma to save the Hoenn Region. Not the Ash that risked life and limb for the Unova region against Team Plasma. Not the Ash that faced Team Flare's insanity.
And most certainly not the Ash who came back in time to stop Cyrus' madness, whose only demand was that his family go back with him, because while he didn't bring them with him all the time because it was impossible to keep them all fed, in good condition and all that while on the move, he loved them all. From Butterfree, who he let go to find love, to Snorlax, who, despite being lazy as all hell, was strong and worth having around, to Gible, who loved to chomp on his head and blow things up with Draco Meteor, to Greninja and Goodra, who he left behind in Kalos because their homeland needed them more then he did to Lycanroc and Litten, his newest family members. He loved them all.
And that alone was enough reason to go. To hell with his own insecurities. "I know." Ash quietly said before looking into his sister's eyes. "But I'm going, Belladonna. Not because everyone's expecting me to go." His eyes hardened as the thought of Charmander and Tepig being abused by their bastard original trainers came to mind, as the image of Goomy, so terrified of fairy-types, appeared before him, as Litten's expression when Stoutland… passed went before him. He needed them. And they needed him. The old saying was 'you teach me, I teach you'. He taught them how to fight in a battle without getting overly hurt. They taught him how to make them into a family. "I'm going because I need to go." he declared.
Belladonna was shocked. At least her face said as much. But she smiled after processing that before giving him a bear-hug. "Come back often." she all-but-demanded. "You've still got a family here." Ash returned the hug rather uncomfortably. He didn't really get hugged by girls that often and until today, he only had one family member. "I can't make any promises." Ash said as he held back tears. Belladonna let go, knowing all too well what he meant. "We're cursed with a wanderlust, aren't we?" she mused aloud before kissing him on the forehead and going back to their house. Ash simply decided to set up that tent, noticing that Celebi was gone. 'Huh. She must've teleported away.' he thought. He had a big day tomorrow. Best to get some sleep.
Unova region - local time 2147 hours
An eye opened halfway, projecting a smugness that wasn't really there. It was more a species thing: after all, the term 'smug snake' came from Pokemon that looked like snakes, not actual snakes. And no snake-Pokemon put this forward better then the evolutionary line of Serperior. But the ultimate smug snake was the first of the line: Snivy. Her head lifted up before blinking. "Snivy." 'Where the hell am I?' she asked as she looked around. Wallpaper-covered walls, curtains on a window… Oh, hell no.
She was back in Unova. Correction, she was back in Unova in the home of the one of the trainers she had before meeting and being caught by Ash. How in the hell… never mind, she knew how from talking with the rest of the family. Ash had a great deal of experience with time travel: apparently he met a younger Professor Oak who went forward in time thanks to Celebi and went back in time to save Arceus and inspire the invention of the Pokeball thanks to Dialga of all legendaries.
Her idiot was basically the Creator's hand on Earth. She'd know from all the things she'd gone through in Unova and all the incidents she'd heard of from the others: Lugia, the Unown, the Eon twins from Altomare which her not-so-idiotic idiot never forgave himself for letting Latios do what he did… just to name a few. Sometimes you had a chance to correct a mistake. In this case? It was making the mistake never happen to begin with. And Snivy would help her human brother.
Snivy found her Devon-built Pokeball, scowled at it and promptly used Leaf Blade on it to destroy it by hacking it in half. She had one trainer. And he was from Kanto. Ash was a fool, but had a fool's cunning, using his seeming stupidity against his enemies, making them underestimate them until it was too late for them to pull back, right before he crushed them. His time in Unova exposed him to unfamiliar Pokemon: if he knew everything about what he faced, the Conference would have ended VERY differently. Know the enemy, know thyself and victory would forever be yours. Ash did not know his enemy. Ash did not know what he had to work with beyond the most basic information. That, not incompetence, was why he lost in Unova.
But she had something to do first: escape the house. Then find the others: Tepig, Oshawott, Pidove, Sandile, Scraggy, Sewaddle, Palpitoad and Roggenrola. After that… get the hell to Kanto. They would not wait for Ash to show up this time. They would go to him. Hijacking a ship, digging a tunnel, stealing a plane; whatever it took, they were leaving their birthplace to join their human brother. Which was saying a lot for a Snivy, even as she went through the house, using her snake-like body to go through the vents.
"Sni." 'See you never.' Snivy said as her escaped the house and entered the wilds through the vents, finding the air to taste more… dangerous, if that was possible. No matter. She had to find one of the others. Tepig, preferably: the fire-type might've had problems with self-confidence, but he did not lack for spirit and together they had excellent type-cover. Once all of them were together, they could face anything on the road to Kanto.
If she could find them.
Accumula Town - three hours prior
When Tepig was let out of his ball, he was surprised by three things: one, he was a Tepig, not a Pignite, two, he was back in Unova and finally, he was back with Shamus. His original, abusive trainer. He looked back at him before ignoring every word the Cyrus-lookalike (Pikachu's words, not his) said as the poor Deerling before him faced him down, firing off a Leafage which Tepig burned away with a quick Ember before jumping to the side, firing off a volley of burning material at the deer, setting the grasses on his antlers on fire.
"Ling!" 'Ow! What was—why are you ignoring your trainer?!' Deerling demanded as he tried to put out the fires. Tepig scoffed at the Deerling's mistake, even if it was understandable. "Tep." 'Trainer?' he spat. "Pig, tepig!" 'That is not my trainer. If hurting you ends this faster, I'll do it. I have a family to return to!' Deerling charged at Tepig, enraged and in pain before Tepig spun around on his back, using an Ember-based counter shield that he picked up from Infernape, finally pleased that he got it down after almost two years of trying, setting the poor Deerling on fire, right before getting back on his feet as Deerling screamed in pain. "Pig." 'I'm sorry, I really am.' Tepig said, feeling sorry for the poor Deerling. If it was a match for Ash, he would take longer, be more gentle and not as ruthless.
But at the moment, Ash was not here and he refused to be near this garbage excuse for a human any longer than necessary. As proven when he caught fire. "Tepppppppppig!" 'But I need to end this quickly!' he yelled as he ran at Deerling, igniting a Flame Charge before slamming into the poor thing, hearing cracks as his hardened skull slammed into Deerling's ribs as he made contact. Tepig REALLY felt guilty now.
"What do you know." a voice said as any guilt Tepig had melted away as Shamus looked at him. "Maybe you're actually useful after—" Tepig didn't let him finish as he spun around, then fired a machine gun-like amount of embers at Shamus, causing his shirt to catch fire for a moment as he patted it furiously. Now, Tepig was a kind, gentle soul who enjoyed a good, clean fight once in a while. But he was not perfect. So when he fired off an ember into Shamus' face, with one or two hitting a few sensitive spots, causing the boy to scream in pain and grab his face, he didn't feel all that sorry for him. This allowed Tepig to find and grab his Pokeball and run into the distance, even as Shamus screamed at him, going into the woods.
Sure, he didn't have Snivy's experience in being in the wild, but really… did he need it? All he had to do was find Snivy or one of the other captures Ash had. Then… well, he'd make his way to Kanto. Ash had to be there, because he knew all too well this had to be time travel, being in a younger body and all. Find the others, get to Kanto. At least Ash wouldn't mistreat him. He was a kind, wonderful trainer. A coo was heard as something landed on his back and took him into the air with some difficulty, the claws digging into his back, but not with the intent of causing pain.
"Doooooooove." 'You are heavy, Tepig, did you know that?' the flying-type asked as Tepig looked up to see a Pidove struggling to keep them in the air. A Pidove he knew. "Pig!" 'Unfezant, is that you?!' he asked as the bird got them to a tree, panting in exhaustion. "Pid…ove." 'Who else… would save… your hide, Pignite?' she said, panting before glaring at herself. "Dooooooove." 'Creation Dragons, I am out of shape!' "Pig." 'You're a Pidove, not an Unfezant.' Tepig retorted as he winced at the claw marks on his back. Damned bird was lucky that her talons weren't that sharp or that her grip was more to hold him, otherwise he would be bleeding.
"Doooooooove…" 'You think I didn't know that?!' she spat at him. "Pid!" 'I blame Ash for this.' "Tep." 'Come on, it's not that bad.' Tepig tried to reassure his fellow teammate. He failed. "PIDOVE!" 'I'm a Pidove again! I used to rule the skies! Now I'm a pathetic songbird!' she screamed. Tepig had to agree on that. Being back to the way you were sucked. But this was a second chance. Plus, he seemed to remember how to do all of his attacks. He was just a BIT out of shape. "Pi." 'Think of it like this, we get to Kanto, we can kick some serious rear at the Indigo Conference.' Tepig said, trying to bribe the bird with visions of glory.
After all, they had been denied for far too long. And from the look of it, the bribe worked as Pidove glanced at him. "Pidove, dove." 'I know you're playing me.' she said. 'But you're right. I do want to actually win a damned conference this time around.' Tepig eyesmiled. "Tepig!" 'That's the spirit!" he said cheerfully. 'Come on, let's find the others.' "Dove." 'I nearly broke my back carrying you.' she said. "Do." 'I'm tired, I spent two hours trying to find someone and I want a freaking nap.' Well, Tepig wouldn't deny her that, even as the bird went to sleep. He followed suit.
Unova region, outside Accumula Town - 2348 hours
Tepig awoke with a start as he found someone familiar glaring at him. "Snivy." 'Well, aren't you happy-looking.' said the grass snake Pokemon as she glared at them. Tepig's sleepiness faded away. "Pig!" 'Snivy?! OUR Snivy?!' he cried out. "Sni." 'Who else, Pignite? I see you found Pidove and got away from your asshole of a trainer.' she snarked, getting a fiery glare at her. "Piiiiiiiiig…" 'That sack of refuse is not and will never be my trainer.' he growled darkly. Snivy grinned at the fire in his tone.
"Snivy." 'Good. You're angry.' she stated, a tone of glee in her words. 'We can use that to get us back to Kanto. Now, we need to get Oshawott and Sandile.' "Pig." 'What do we need them for?' he asked. Snivy gave him a 'you're an idiot' look. "Sniv." 'We need to get to Kanto. You thought we would swim there?' she snarked. "Snivy." 'We need Sandile to dig our way to Kanto if we can't find a way to fly. Which, judging by dove girl, isn't happening.'
Pidove cracked an eye open. "Dove." 'Remind me, which of us lost when we faced one another, snake-girl?' Pidove questioned, reminding Snivy of who beat who when Ash caught the snake. "Snivy, sni." 'He got lucky and we all know it. At least he's not a complete idiot like other trainers.' Snivy retorted. "Sni." 'We need to split up to find the others. Especially Scraggy's egg.' she declared. "Sniiiiiivy." 'Leave no Pokemon behind, right? We'll meet up at that sand spa place Oshawott told us about when we've found the others.' "Dove." 'Tepig can sniff them out.' Pidove said. 'And so can you.' Snivy scowled, but didn't argue. The search needed to start now.
Meanwhile, across the world
Dreams were a comfort. Unless you were small. Unless you were weak. Unless you were a dragon. And in the case of a purple blob with green spots, it was all three. A Goomy awoke from a wonderful dream that was his past life, where he was a Goodra. This was Ash's Goodra, reverted and transformed into his old Goomy state. "Goo?" 'What the hell?' he asked aloud. "Goomy?" 'Why am I a Goomy again?' The blob wasn't pleased with the turn of events.
And less pleased when he felt sharp claws on his skin. "Fletch?" 'Goodra?' asked the unwelcome bird. "Ling?" 'Are you Goodra?' Goomy was confused before he took in the Fletchling's scent. This wasn't just a common bird: he knew this thing. "Goomy?" 'Talonflame? As in Ash's Talonflame?' he asked. The robin pokemon began to jump around in joy. "Ling! Ling! Ling! Ling! Ling! Ling!" 'I found you! Thank the Creation Trio!' Fletchling chirped. 'I thought that was a fever dream or something! We just went back in time, like Infernape always said!' Goomy didn't get it. Time travel? What was she going on about? "Goomy." 'What are you blathering about, Fletchling? We can't go back in time.' the soft tissue Pokemon said with absolute certainty. "Fletchling, fletch!" 'Not alone, you blob!' Fletchling berated with a peck. 'We had help! Dialga or Celebi or something! You know who they are, right?'
Goomy sighed. He did. He knew what they were all too well: the God of Time and the time traveler Pokemon. Just his luck. But he couldn't blame Ash for it. Ash didn't ask to run into this crap. It ran into him. There was just one problem. To stay in the swamp… or go to his trainer. Oh, who was he kidding? If it weren't for Ash in the last timeline, he would be a weak pathetic Goomy that would've dried out and died a long time ago. Instead, he was a strong, powerful Goodra.
And that was in less then two months last time: imagine meeting up with Ash early in his journey. His power would match that of… well… Pikachu. Oh, sure, he was a pseudo-legendary, as some humans called him, but Pikachu was stronger then most fully-evolved Pokemon. "Goo." 'Ok, where do we need to go?' Goomy asked at last. "Ling!" 'Serena!' Fletchling stated. "Ling, fletch!" 'We find Serena, she'll take us to Kanto! She knows Ash, she always knows Ash! It's a rule of the world!' Goomy couldn't argue with that logic. The others would probably be doing the same thing, plus they knew where she lived thanks to her team constantly talking about her hometown: Vanille Town.
"…Goomy." 'You know I'm slow as all hell, right?' Goomy asked. 'I am a snail, unless you've forgotten.' "Fletchling!" 'I know. But if you use Rain Dance, you move faster, right?' Fletchling said. 'Because the ground's wet?' Goomy agreed. With one problem. "Goo." 'If I do that, you'll get soaked.' he stated. "Goo-my." 'And you're a fire-type. That's a bad thing.' "Ling." 'Only after I evolve!' the bird said as she took to the air. Well, Goomy never said he knew everything about Kalosian Pokemon. So Goomy did what he did best… and made it rain. Next stop, Vanille Town.
Hoenn Region - 0514 hours local time
The last thing the bird knew was sitting in her tree, getting ready for another race. The next thing she knew, she was waking up, she wasn't evolved and she was back in her birth region. And Taillow wasn't happy about it. Because she enjoyed her life in Kanto at Oak's ranch. Plus side, she knew where she was: leading her flock.
And she could fly. So she could easily take them to Kanto. But if being one of Ash's Pokemon had impressed anything on her, it was 'we are family and family does not leave family behind'. If she flew straight to Kanto, she would be betraying her fellow Hoenn captures. "Tail." 'I hate my life.' she muttered as she took to the air, the rest of her flock awakening with cries of 'Taillow' and variations of such, wondering what was going on as their leader took off with such purpose. But Taillow was trying to find a landmark and any familiar smells. And she quickly picked up one from a forest.
The only question was, would he be willing to come with her? Would he even want to leave? Taillow had to get to him, if only to get a yes or no. She then began to figure out what happened. Bayleaf said Professor Oak went through time and Ash himself went back according to Infernape, inspiring the Pokeball's creation! Which meant that they had gone back, likely to the day Ash became a trainer. Which actually gave her a thought: would she and the others be able to fight in the Indigo Conference? Would they finally get to win?
Those thoughts dominated her mind before she finally arrived, landing in the branches of a tree before a twig was sent flying at her face. "Tail." 'Well, aren't you personable.' she snarked at the attacker. Which happened to be a familiar face, as a bipedial gecko came out of the dying tree. He was a legend among the family for good reason. "Tre." 'Hello, Swellow.' said Treecko, the future Sceptile that defeated Tobias' infamous Darkrai. "Tree." 'I am not a happy Pokemon. Why am I a Treecko again?'
Taillow had no answers. No real ones. She did have an idea. "Low." 'End of the world time travel, maybe?' she suggested. "Taillow." 'I have no idea. I just know we're in the past.' She looked at the tree, which, while still alive, was clearly on its' last legs. It was dying and it showed, with her claws easily scraping up bark without even trying and the leaves were not as vibrant as the others. It would not make it much longer. "Taillow, tail-tail." 'And your home is… well, I don't think it'll be alive by the time Ash comes here this time around.' she said as delicately as she could. Treecko glared at her for it. "Treeee." 'I know that, bird.' he spat. 'My ancestral home is dying faster this time. And I do not know why.'
Taillow sighed as she face-winged. "Tail." 'I'm sorry, I just… It's about Ash.' she chirped as she got to the point. "Taillow." 'We're his team. Basically family. And… well…' "Treecko." 'You want to know if I'll go back.' the gecko deadpanned. "Tree." 'I'll admit, I don't like leaving them. But… Arceus, I won't abandon Ash, either.' Taillow figured she knew what was going to happen. Treecko's family would have to come with them. If he could convince them. "Taiiiiiiiiiiil!" 'Leader!' a member of the flock screamed as they flew in.
And that opened a larger can of worms. Her own flock. She heard that Ash's first bird had to be let go to take care of another flock of her own kind. She never came back. She saw how much that pained Ash, who waited every time he visited the ranch to find her. Every time a league finished, from Johto to Kalos, he watched the skies, waiting for that bird to come back. Only to never show up.
She would not abandon Ash. But her flock… She took to the air, going into a practiced hover like Noctowl often did. Of course, he was an owl, not a swallow. She was built for speed, not silent flight, so while she could do it, she wasn't that great at it. "Tail! Low, low, low!" 'Ok, everyone, I have something to say.' she addressed the flock as they flew around. 'I… I need to leave. There's someone I need to find. He needs my help.' The flock all objected, demanding answers. But Taillow couldn't give any. She had a family to reunite.
Sinnoh Region - 1345 hours local time
A fin appeared above the ground with purpose. Oh, he knew what the hell was going on. He might not have been there for it, but he knew thanks to the others talking about their adventures in Johto and with Arceus. And while he had no idea where the others were, he knew how to find them. After all, he had a very powerful sense of smell. Sharks always did. And even if he was on land, that didn't mean he wasn't a shark.
It just meant he was a land shark. And Gible was on the hunt, the only thing betraying his presence being his notched fin. He would find the others. He would bring them back to Kanto. They would find Ash. And as soon as he found Ash, his head would have a blue-gray/red-bellyed land shark chomping on it.
But as he moved, something came to mind. It sounded like 'Da-na. Da-na. Da-na, Da-na. Da-na, Da-na, Da-na, Da-na', then repeated the 'Da-na' much faster. He had no idea what it was. But he liked it as he 'Gib'ed along to it.
Kanto Region - five kilometers from Pewter City - 0139 hours local time
An eye opened as his form materialized, regarding many things: the location, the time… his size… so his reaction was understandable. "Char?!" 'What the hell just happened to me?!' cried an adorable-looking fire-lizard. Still, Ash's Kanto powerhouse was back to square one thanks to his trainer taking up the call to save the world.
Was he pissed as all hell about being a Charmander again? Yes. Very much yes. But he saw this as a chance to undo the mistakes of his past. Oh, he was an idiot. Did Ash want him to fight for him? Yes. But not for him. For all of them: the entire family. Ash trusted him with his dreams, his feelings and his very life. He showed no fear of being held by the fire-flyer when he rescued him from that Entei clone, but really, the best example was ongoing. After all the crap he put Ash through as a Charmeleon and Charizard in Kanto and before Shamouti, Ash never abandoned him.
Which was more then could be said for a few people. "Eat." the much-loathed voice of his original trainer said as he put a bowl of food in front of him. Charmander got his head out of the clouds. It was time he did something he wanted to do for a very long time as his claws took on a metallic sheen. "Char!" 'Go to hell!' he yelled as he ducked behind Damian, hacking at his legs.
The Metal Claw dug through the human's legs, cutting the hamstrings but leaving him alive, if in great pain. The fire-type found his Pokeball, scowling at it before destroying it with an overpowered Metal Claw. It hurt making contact, but when it cracked, it was useless from that point on. Charmander then looked at Damian's Pokeball belt and bag. Not this time. He clawed it off his pants, then placed the damaged belt in the backpack before tearing it off his back, fleeing as fast as he could.
"CHARMANDER! GET BACK HERE!" the trainer screamed before Charmander made his way deeper into the forest, heading for Viridian City, knowing Ash would be there. Damian kept screaming at him, but Charmander ignored it, though he did notice that it turned from pain and anger to pain and terror after a few minutes. Damian wasn't Charmander's problem anymore.
Kanto Region - Outside the Oak Ranch - 0141 hours local time
Ash continued to examine the weapons, the headaches screaming at him that he could get the ammo in any major town along with magazines for both of his weapons. He still didn't like it. He was very much anti-gun/pro-Pokemon. And this timeline was not right if he had a gun.
"Brrrriiiiiiiiii." 'I'll make some investigations with the other legendaries.' Celebi said as Ash continued to glare at the weapons like they were unnatural. On the other hand, Ash hated guns, so that could be understood. "Bi." 'Maybe I can find out what's going on around here.' "Good luck." Ash said, finally putting the weapons away before finding a sleeping bag, though it was… very different: canvas, wool and cotton. No smooth nylon outside. Maybe sleeping on it would make it less confusing. The young man got into the bag, set up his pillow and planted his head on it, closing his eyes.
In retrospect, this was a mistake, as his dreams were very troubled. Fire and pain dominated his dreams, as people screamed, shadows and light dancing in a maze of confusion. Ash would not get a good night's sleep that night. Without Pikachu, he had nothing to save him from his other self's past.
(Input access code: ***************** …Access granted. Playing video file)
(Dour-looking man in a suit with an R on the coat pocket appears) ?: Greetings. I am the boss of Team Rocket. If you are watching this file, then you are here to learn the situation of the world beyond what you have been taught by the conservative schools you've no doubt attended. I do not expect you to watch every file. But if you do, you will be better-suited to face the dangers you will face as a member of Team Rocket. Take of that as you will. Good day. (File ends)
Entry 1: Shadow Pokemon
Destroyers of unity, creators of chaos, the angry night: whatever term you use, Shadow Pokemon are a menace to what is left of society. Emotionless killers, they seek only to kill or corrupt normal Pokemon into more of their own, with little concern for humanity: most humans are outright killed on contact, only saved by Pokemon throwing themselves in the line of fire until the universal adoption of firearms by almost all trainers.
Shadow Pokemon were used as a 'wonder weapon' by Team Cipher during their attempted conquest of the world, only to universally turn on their masters in the war sixty years ago for unknown reasons. While Cipher was slaughtered to a man, their legacy continues to walk the earth. Team Rocket personnel are ordered to avoid them at all costs. No exceptions are allowed, as there is no way to purify Shadow Pokemon after Team Cipher used a nuclear bomb to destroy Agate Village.
Ron the True Fan: Oh, look, another change between this and the fics it's technically based on. That's right, readers: Shadow Pokemon are the big reason. They are EVERYWHERE. You can't tell if a Shadow Pokemon from a normal one except from their behaviour, something very much confirmed by the only two games they've appeared in. And if you can't trust a Pokemon, you have to rely on human technology. Which is why guns are a thing. Do I like the thought? Not really: Pokemon is based on trust and love, not just game mechanics. Being forced to turn a gun on someone you thought you could trust isn't something I enjoy.
Takeshi Yamato: Not something I really enjoy, either. A bit like getting dragged into all these Pokemon fics when my muse is quite clearly elsewhere. Which is why I have help keeping this guy in line. Feel free to go all out, you two!
Vita: Sure thing. EISEN!
Graf Eisen: Gigantform!
Ikkaku: BAN-KAI! RYŪMON HŌZUKIMARU!
Ron the True Fan: Well, this will be painful. Before I get stabbed, yes, Belladonna is basically a PRB immigrant with a major exception: she's not his half-sister and Delia's her mother. And before you can claim the same with Yellow, remember, Yellow's original appearance was the manga. Cross owns Belladonna; I'm just borrowing her on occasion.
117Jorn: Have fun Ron! *Sits back with popcorn alongside Gible and a Natu*
Ja Ne!
(New QQ note)
Well, now that it's working...
It'll take a bit to port everything over. Regardless, if you want to support, a sub to my YouTube channel would help, as the more vids I have up, the more time I can write and in this case, just port over.
https://www.youtube.com/@housecoatgaming Link's right here.
Pallet Town, Kanto Region - 16 hours before Ash's Pokemon Journey
Dreams are but the domain of the sleeper. But dreams are also the domain of nightmares. A fact Ash knew all too well as he jumped out of bed, panting and sweating. He looked around nervously, finding himself in an unfamiliar location. Well, not so unfamiliar, just that he didn't spend much time there: his bedroom, back in Pallet Town in Kanto. It even had that Voltorb clock of his that he broke in his excitement all those years ago, resulting in him waking up late and… meeting Pikachu.
Maybe he could just tell Professor Oak about it: took him a bit to connect the dots, but Sammy was a young Samuel Oak. If he just told him about that little… incident, maybe he could walk away with Pikachu. Or he would just hide the starters to begin with so Ash wouldn't have a choice in the matter. Ash held his head, groaning: he was overthinking this. Off the battlefield, he wasn't great at the thinking thing. He went with his gut with a bit of actual strategy most of the time. His train of thought came to an end with a brief flash and a thud as a familiar pixie appeared. "That… hurt." she said.
Ash blinked. Did… Celebi just speak human? "Did you… just speak in the human language?" Celebi looked at Ash and shook her head before speaking up. "A side-effect of having every single one of your Pokemon's minds in your head before they left." she said, her mouth's movement not matching the sounds. "You can understand what we're saying now." While that was awesome in more ways than one, Ash struggled to separate the words before groaning in pain as his head seemed to have an axe shoved into it, then the axehead was twisted to one-side. A mild pleasant feeling encompassed him as Celebi tapped his forehead. "Bi." 'Feeling better?' Ash nodded as there was a knock at the door.
Now, it is understandable that Celebi would cause no small amount of chaos if Ash's mother saw her. It is just as understandable that Ash needed to hide the pixie. That being said, Celebi wasn't happy with being stuffed under the young man's pillow and promptly glared at Ash while remaining silent as Ash straightened himself out and went to the door, opening it gently. But he was disappointed to find that it wasn't his mother at the door and it wasn't his bastard father, either. He was never there to begin with.
Instead, it was a young girl about seven years old, holding what looked like a Snivy plushy with a lime green onesie that had a similar theme, only with more cartoony-looking grass-type starters, like Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Treecko and, much to Ash's surprise, Rowlet, with long blonde hair and brown eyes. She looked… like him, if he was a girl, a blonde and younger. She rubbed her eyes as she looked at him with tired eyes. "Did you have a nightmare, big brother?" Ash tried not to react in surprise and horror. He was an only child. He didn't have any siblings. Pain welled up in his forehead as memories forced themselves up. The timeline had changed. He had a serious headache from everything trying to settle down and it showed as he remembered who this girl was. His younger sister: Yellow Ketchum. He adored her, taught her how to deal with Pokemon, basically acting like the father they never had.
He had a sister. Pain stabbed him again, as if to correct him. Which it did: he had two sisters. And a younger brother that was a bit older then Yellow. This was so strange. "I heard you scream, big brother. Did you have a nightmare again?" she asked. Ash didn't want to lie. But then again, watching the end of the world, the universe itself, collapse into nothingness as everyone and thing died as he was sent back in time… If that wasn't a nightmare, what was? So it was not a lie. Not really. So he nodded. "Yeah. It was a really bad one." Yellow reached out for him, giving him a hug.
Another foreign feeling. He hadn't had any family other then his mother before give him a hug. In fact… he didn't have any family last time. No uncles, no aunts… no one. Ash wrapped his arms around Yellow, almost in a way that Bewear would with the Team Rocket Trio. A group he was not going to take it easy on this time. But he let his sister go, looking her in the eye. "I'll be ok, Yellow." he said, trying not to cry. "You better, big brother." she said, holding her adorable little Snivy plushy to her chest. "You got an early day tomorrow."
Yes. Yes, he did. Meeting Pikachu again, beginning his journey and saving the world from an emotionless omnicidal maniac. But he knew one thing as he went back into his room, Yellow going back to her own bedroom: just stopping him once and locking him up wasn't going to stop him. Ash could understand, bizarrely. If being beaten by Brock the first time around didn't stop him, Cyrus was not going to stop trying. He would keep trying and trying and trying until either he succeeded or actually died. A thought Ash did not like. Cyrus could change for the better, he was sure of it. But Cyrus would not stop, not because of him, Cynthia, Arceus or anyone. He would destroy the universe and remake it in his image or simply leave it to burn to ashes around him.
But Ash had other problems. "Bi! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiii!" 'You shoved me under your pillow! What were you trying to do, kill me?!' Ash turned to Celebi, anger rising in him for some reason, something he wasn't familiar with. "I'm sorry, do you want everyone to know you're here, Celebi?!" he yelled at the time travelling Pokemon as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake anyone in the house while making his seemingly unfounded anger and rage. "'Oh, look, everyone, it's the mythical Pokemon Celebi, let's tell everyone where she is, so everyone under the sun can storm the town in trying to grab her! In the meantime, we can destroy the town while we're at it'!" he practically spat at her. Then he paused in horror. This… this wasn't him. He didn't get angry like this. Something was wrong with him.
"I… I'm so sorry." Ash said, hanging his head. "I… I don't get angry like that. What's happened to me?" Celebi flew out of the bed covers, all annoyance gone. "Brrrrrrrii…" 'It's fine, I know you really don't mean it.' she said in understanding. 'I think your other self is still in there…' Ash blinked as he looked at his body. While a bit more muscular, it was… just like he was in Sinnoh. He was 14 again? But… he started out at ten. That didn't make sense. "What do you mean, 'other self'?" he asked Celebi in confusion. "Bi, bi, celebrrrrrrrrrrri." 'I didn't have time to displace the mind in that body. They're occupying the same body.' she explained. 'Yours is more experienced, so yours is dominant, but over time, the two will merge. You won't really notice: less headaches and confusion, mostly and you'll be able to look into your other self's memories without a problem.'
Oh, that was just going to open up a whole new can of worms he didn't want to think about. A topic that was averted by Celebi's stomach rumbling. "Biiii…" 'Uh… mind getting me something to eat, please?' she asked sheepishly. Ash looked at her with a quirked, almost Vulcan-esque raised eyebrow. "Seriously?" he asked. "Bi, brrrrri." 'Even legendaries need to consume food. Even legendaries like Zekrom and Reshiram, who can subside on the emotions of humans, need to eat eventually.' she explained. "Bi!" 'Besides, isn't your mother the amazing cook?' Ash could not argue with that. And he couldn't stay here: he had to see Pikachu. He had to see his starter. Other then that debacle at the Tree of Beginning with that damnedable Mew that took his brother in all but species and blood away, they were never apart. Oh, he and Mew were going to have WORDS the next time they met…
So Ash snuck out of his room, half-remembering that his mother was a light sleeper and so was Yellow. Celebi hovered just a few feet behind, following Ash down the stairs, where a bag sat on the table. Ash tried not to smile at his mother's thoughtfulness before they dove into the refrigerator, Ash noticing that it was… mostly metal. Actually, it was ENTIRELY made of metal, with wood in some places so the metal wouldn't stick. There was a lot he needed to learn about his new life as he took out a Cinnabar Volcano Burger, something his mom made on rare occasions back… in the other past… but made more often here. He didn't offer it to Celebi because he thought she wouldn't want it, but she took one anyways. "Biii, cel." 'I might not look like it—' she said before starting to eat the burger. 'But I'm just as much an omnivore as humans are. Besides, grass-types are the ultimate carnivores in the end because we reclaim the dead.'
Ash tried not to react to that. Celebi noticed. "Biiiiii." 'Relax, kid, it's not like we seek out things and kill them arbitrarily.' she said, chewing on the spicy food. "Bi, bi." 'It's only after they've been gone for a while. We're just as sentient as humans, but you have… a spark we lack. It's why we often seek humans out.' "But legendaries are too important to just be caught." Ash said as he remembered the past events of his life. "The Shamouti birds, Lugia, Latios, the Lake and the Creation Trios… look what happened, especially after you were captured by that… that…" His hands nearly balled up, a sign of further anger before Celebi put a hand on his shoulder. "Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii." 'It's alright.' she assured him. 'You stopped him. You'll always stop him.' Ash tried to take comfort in that as he smiled weakly at Celebi. This had to stop now: they had to get to Pikachu.
Ash bit into the burger before picking up his bag and putting it on his back, noticing a canvas tent bag before grabbing it and walking out the door before closing it. He wouldn't be coming back for a good long while, at least until before the League and before Professor Oak sent him on that pointless errand through the Orange Islands for that Arceus-damned GS Ball. Sure, he won, but no one gave a damn about the Orange League and who could blame them: four gyms with three of them as almost pure sports challenges and no Elite Four. It was good training and nothing more. The only thing that really mattered was Shamouti. Which denied him a chance to reunite with… an old friend. Damn Lawrence the Third to hell.
Oak Laboratory - 0114 hours local time
Samuel Oak knew many Pokemon in his lifetime. From the quiet Bulbasaurs to the bombastic Squirtles and the varying personalities of them all. But out of every single one… this one he knew all too well. And it was trying to kill him. Not figuratively with a nice sharp-low amperage zapping but a Zekrom-level 'you DIE' attack. The Pikachu had darker than usual eyes and far too much power for a second-tier evolved Pokemon. The answers for this were… rather simple, if cruel, sadly.
The yellow murderous rodent was a Shadow Pokemon.
70 years ago, Orre's monsters and their infection had torn through every single civilized region, tore apart the unified regions of Kanto, Sinnoh, Hoenn and Sinnoh, left Unova in ruins and Kalos was in chaos for almost 30 years thanks to Team Cipher's 'wonder weapons'. Even the Ranger Union regions were torn apart as… to be blunt, Shadow Pokemon did not react well to friendship stylers. Those that tried to befriend them died the most brutal death imaginable. He was a young man back then, only surviving through luck and a massive amount of… well, the doctor called it 'healing juices', which may have unnaturally extended his life.
Which didn't help Oak in any way as Pikachu tried to kill him right now. "Kazam!" The yellow lightning murder ball was struck with a Confusion wave, knocking Pikachu down before Oak finally stormed the little thing, his bones protesting the entire time before hitting Pikachu with a pokeball with a lightning bolt on it, making it as the electric-biased Zap Ball, which was… well, the only REAL option he had: he couldn't trust normal Pokeballs to hold the speedy little mouse.
Thankfully, it clicked with a successful capture. "That was too close." Oak said aloud to himself as he placed the ball down before planting himself on a couch. "How did Ash get this thing to act like a normal Pikachu?" the 87 year-old wondered as Alakazam sighed and ate a few berries. At any rate, Ash could not go out there with a shadow Pokemon, even if it was his starter as he remembered Ash saying back in the Ilex Forest in Johto all those years ago.
Either Ash was the Chosen of Arceus and a true Pokemon master or he was lying. Samuel seriously doubted that Ash could lie worth a damn and he would know if Ash was the Chosen One. But Ash would not go out with that Pikachu. Not alone.
Outside the Oak Ranch - 0123 hours local time
Ash looked at the contents of his bag. The usual equipment was in there, to be sure: potions, medical supplies, even a massive number of herbs. But even the herbs didn't confuse Ash. No, it was the other equipment that was giving him problems.
Because sitting in his backpack were two guns. One of them looked a bit like that rifle that Ranger Jenny used back in the Safari Zone with the Tauros herd and that gun nut Kaiser, only bigger while the other looked similar in size to Kaiser's handgun, though he was pretty sure that was called a revolver. This… wasn't a revolver. It took bullets from a detachable magazine in the grip and was… well, not professionally made as the warden's gun, as the finish was as rough as the skin of an Onix. But that didn't worry Ash. Not at all, as crudely finished as it was it still worked flawlessly as he worked the action after taking out the magazine.
No, it was the fact that it had his name crudely engraved on the slide and frame of the handgun. "This is all kinds of 'wrong'." Ash said aloud as he looked at the weapon. He made this thing? Why would he make this thing? He hadn't had a single good experience with guns since his first journey through Kanto. So why in the name of the Creation Dragons did he even have one?! "Biii." 'This isn't a good sign.' Celebi stated as she looked at the weapon in Ash's hands. "Biiiiii, brrrri." 'Even as dangerous as our world could be, it never warranted anyone carrying a gun outside of town before. Something is dangerously wrong with this timeline.'
A sentiment Ash agreed with. Why his backpack carrying two guns and what looked like parts for the rifle was a question he needed answering. Still, throwing them away was a bad idea if this world was more dangerous than last time. He just wouldn't use them if he could avoid it, sticking to the old standbys of letting Pikachu zap Team Rocket's machines to death and all that as he threw them back into the backpack. Ash heard that it was called the condom rule: better to have it and never need it then the other way around.
"Couldn't stay in bed?" Ash froze at the sound of the voice, Celebi hiding in the bag in spite of it being so cramped. The source was a young woman, a fair bit older than he was back in the old timeline (Ash had no idea how that worked. Maybe he'd ask Celebi for help with tenses) but not as old as his mother. Speaking of which, if it weren't for the long black hair and the very faint marks on her cheeks that he could barely see in the dark, Ash would've thought it was his mother. …Was this his aunt or something?
She didn't notice his expression. "I know how you feel, little brother." she said, revealing herself to Ash. This was his big sister? Pain made him wince as he recalled the name of his older sister. …Belladonna. Belladonna Ketchum, his 19-year-old sister. His idol who started out with a Zubat of all things and ended up placing pretty high in the three leagues she went to before finally coming home and assisting Professor Oak at the lab.
She walked over, sighing. "You know you don't have to go." Belladonna said as ash looked at her in confusion. "No one's expecting you to go out there and you don't need to. You can stay here. Help mom." Ash knew no one expected him to go, last time or now. Actually, he felt the urge to say 'no, I don't want to go; I'll help around town'. He had a feeling that was his pre… whatever term he'd come up with use later talking. Not the Ash that faced down Mewtwo and died for it. Not the Ash that risked his life for Lugia and the entire planet. Not the Ash that faced Teams Aqua and Magma to save the Hoenn Region. Not the Ash that risked life and limb for the Unova region against Team Plasma. Not the Ash that faced Team Flare's insanity.
And most certainly not the Ash who came back in time to stop Cyrus' madness, whose only demand was that his family go back with him, because while he didn't bring them with him all the time because it was impossible to keep them all fed, in good condition and all that while on the move, he loved them all. From Butterfree, who he let go to find love, to Snorlax, who, despite being lazy as all hell, was strong and worth having around, to Gible, who loved to chomp on his head and blow things up with Draco Meteor, to Greninja and Goodra, who he left behind in Kalos because their homeland needed them more then he did to Lycanroc and Litten, his newest family members. He loved them all.
And that alone was enough reason to go. To hell with his own insecurities. "I know." Ash quietly said before looking into his sister's eyes. "But I'm going, Belladonna. Not because everyone's expecting me to go." His eyes hardened as the thought of Charmander and Tepig being abused by their bastard original trainers came to mind, as the image of Goomy, so terrified of fairy-types, appeared before him, as Litten's expression when Stoutland… passed went before him. He needed them. And they needed him. The old saying was 'you teach me, I teach you'. He taught them how to fight in a battle without getting overly hurt. They taught him how to make them into a family. "I'm going because I need to go." he declared.
Belladonna was shocked. At least her face said as much. But she smiled after processing that before giving him a bear-hug. "Come back often." she all-but-demanded. "You've still got a family here." Ash returned the hug rather uncomfortably. He didn't really get hugged by girls that often and until today, he only had one family member. "I can't make any promises." Ash said as he held back tears. Belladonna let go, knowing all too well what he meant. "We're cursed with a wanderlust, aren't we?" she mused aloud before kissing him on the forehead and going back to their house. Ash simply decided to set up that tent, noticing that Celebi was gone. 'Huh. She must've teleported away.' he thought. He had a big day tomorrow. Best to get some sleep.
Unova region - local time 2147 hours
An eye opened halfway, projecting a smugness that wasn't really there. It was more a species thing: after all, the term 'smug snake' came from Pokemon that looked like snakes, not actual snakes. And no snake-Pokemon put this forward better then the evolutionary line of Serperior. But the ultimate smug snake was the first of the line: Snivy. Her head lifted up before blinking. "Snivy." 'Where the hell am I?' she asked as she looked around. Wallpaper-covered walls, curtains on a window… Oh, hell no.
She was back in Unova. Correction, she was back in Unova in the home of the one of the trainers she had before meeting and being caught by Ash. How in the hell… never mind, she knew how from talking with the rest of the family. Ash had a great deal of experience with time travel: apparently he met a younger Professor Oak who went forward in time thanks to Celebi and went back in time to save Arceus and inspire the invention of the Pokeball thanks to Dialga of all legendaries.
Her idiot was basically the Creator's hand on Earth. She'd know from all the things she'd gone through in Unova and all the incidents she'd heard of from the others: Lugia, the Unown, the Eon twins from Altomare which her not-so-idiotic idiot never forgave himself for letting Latios do what he did… just to name a few. Sometimes you had a chance to correct a mistake. In this case? It was making the mistake never happen to begin with. And Snivy would help her human brother.
Snivy found her Devon-built Pokeball, scowled at it and promptly used Leaf Blade on it to destroy it by hacking it in half. She had one trainer. And he was from Kanto. Ash was a fool, but had a fool's cunning, using his seeming stupidity against his enemies, making them underestimate them until it was too late for them to pull back, right before he crushed them. His time in Unova exposed him to unfamiliar Pokemon: if he knew everything about what he faced, the Conference would have ended VERY differently. Know the enemy, know thyself and victory would forever be yours. Ash did not know his enemy. Ash did not know what he had to work with beyond the most basic information. That, not incompetence, was why he lost in Unova.
But she had something to do first: escape the house. Then find the others: Tepig, Oshawott, Pidove, Sandile, Scraggy, Sewaddle, Palpitoad and Roggenrola. After that… get the hell to Kanto. They would not wait for Ash to show up this time. They would go to him. Hijacking a ship, digging a tunnel, stealing a plane; whatever it took, they were leaving their birthplace to join their human brother. Which was saying a lot for a Snivy, even as she went through the house, using her snake-like body to go through the vents.
"Sni." 'See you never.' Snivy said as her escaped the house and entered the wilds through the vents, finding the air to taste more… dangerous, if that was possible. No matter. She had to find one of the others. Tepig, preferably: the fire-type might've had problems with self-confidence, but he did not lack for spirit and together they had excellent type-cover. Once all of them were together, they could face anything on the road to Kanto.
If she could find them.
Accumula Town - three hours prior
When Tepig was let out of his ball, he was surprised by three things: one, he was a Tepig, not a Pignite, two, he was back in Unova and finally, he was back with Shamus. His original, abusive trainer. He looked back at him before ignoring every word the Cyrus-lookalike (Pikachu's words, not his) said as the poor Deerling before him faced him down, firing off a Leafage which Tepig burned away with a quick Ember before jumping to the side, firing off a volley of burning material at the deer, setting the grasses on his antlers on fire.
"Ling!" 'Ow! What was—why are you ignoring your trainer?!' Deerling demanded as he tried to put out the fires. Tepig scoffed at the Deerling's mistake, even if it was understandable. "Tep." 'Trainer?' he spat. "Pig, tepig!" 'That is not my trainer. If hurting you ends this faster, I'll do it. I have a family to return to!' Deerling charged at Tepig, enraged and in pain before Tepig spun around on his back, using an Ember-based counter shield that he picked up from Infernape, finally pleased that he got it down after almost two years of trying, setting the poor Deerling on fire, right before getting back on his feet as Deerling screamed in pain. "Pig." 'I'm sorry, I really am.' Tepig said, feeling sorry for the poor Deerling. If it was a match for Ash, he would take longer, be more gentle and not as ruthless.
But at the moment, Ash was not here and he refused to be near this garbage excuse for a human any longer than necessary. As proven when he caught fire. "Tepppppppppig!" 'But I need to end this quickly!' he yelled as he ran at Deerling, igniting a Flame Charge before slamming into the poor thing, hearing cracks as his hardened skull slammed into Deerling's ribs as he made contact. Tepig REALLY felt guilty now.
"What do you know." a voice said as any guilt Tepig had melted away as Shamus looked at him. "Maybe you're actually useful after—" Tepig didn't let him finish as he spun around, then fired a machine gun-like amount of embers at Shamus, causing his shirt to catch fire for a moment as he patted it furiously. Now, Tepig was a kind, gentle soul who enjoyed a good, clean fight once in a while. But he was not perfect. So when he fired off an ember into Shamus' face, with one or two hitting a few sensitive spots, causing the boy to scream in pain and grab his face, he didn't feel all that sorry for him. This allowed Tepig to find and grab his Pokeball and run into the distance, even as Shamus screamed at him, going into the woods.
Sure, he didn't have Snivy's experience in being in the wild, but really… did he need it? All he had to do was find Snivy or one of the other captures Ash had. Then… well, he'd make his way to Kanto. Ash had to be there, because he knew all too well this had to be time travel, being in a younger body and all. Find the others, get to Kanto. At least Ash wouldn't mistreat him. He was a kind, wonderful trainer. A coo was heard as something landed on his back and took him into the air with some difficulty, the claws digging into his back, but not with the intent of causing pain.
"Doooooooove." 'You are heavy, Tepig, did you know that?' the flying-type asked as Tepig looked up to see a Pidove struggling to keep them in the air. A Pidove he knew. "Pig!" 'Unfezant, is that you?!' he asked as the bird got them to a tree, panting in exhaustion. "Pid…ove." 'Who else… would save… your hide, Pignite?' she said, panting before glaring at herself. "Dooooooove." 'Creation Dragons, I am out of shape!' "Pig." 'You're a Pidove, not an Unfezant.' Tepig retorted as he winced at the claw marks on his back. Damned bird was lucky that her talons weren't that sharp or that her grip was more to hold him, otherwise he would be bleeding.
"Doooooooove…" 'You think I didn't know that?!' she spat at him. "Pid!" 'I blame Ash for this.' "Tep." 'Come on, it's not that bad.' Tepig tried to reassure his fellow teammate. He failed. "PIDOVE!" 'I'm a Pidove again! I used to rule the skies! Now I'm a pathetic songbird!' she screamed. Tepig had to agree on that. Being back to the way you were sucked. But this was a second chance. Plus, he seemed to remember how to do all of his attacks. He was just a BIT out of shape. "Pi." 'Think of it like this, we get to Kanto, we can kick some serious rear at the Indigo Conference.' Tepig said, trying to bribe the bird with visions of glory.
After all, they had been denied for far too long. And from the look of it, the bribe worked as Pidove glanced at him. "Pidove, dove." 'I know you're playing me.' she said. 'But you're right. I do want to actually win a damned conference this time around.' Tepig eyesmiled. "Tepig!" 'That's the spirit!" he said cheerfully. 'Come on, let's find the others.' "Dove." 'I nearly broke my back carrying you.' she said. "Do." 'I'm tired, I spent two hours trying to find someone and I want a freaking nap.' Well, Tepig wouldn't deny her that, even as the bird went to sleep. He followed suit.
Unova region, outside Accumula Town - 2348 hours
Tepig awoke with a start as he found someone familiar glaring at him. "Snivy." 'Well, aren't you happy-looking.' said the grass snake Pokemon as she glared at them. Tepig's sleepiness faded away. "Pig!" 'Snivy?! OUR Snivy?!' he cried out. "Sni." 'Who else, Pignite? I see you found Pidove and got away from your asshole of a trainer.' she snarked, getting a fiery glare at her. "Piiiiiiiiig…" 'That sack of refuse is not and will never be my trainer.' he growled darkly. Snivy grinned at the fire in his tone.
"Snivy." 'Good. You're angry.' she stated, a tone of glee in her words. 'We can use that to get us back to Kanto. Now, we need to get Oshawott and Sandile.' "Pig." 'What do we need them for?' he asked. Snivy gave him a 'you're an idiot' look. "Sniv." 'We need to get to Kanto. You thought we would swim there?' she snarked. "Snivy." 'We need Sandile to dig our way to Kanto if we can't find a way to fly. Which, judging by dove girl, isn't happening.'
Pidove cracked an eye open. "Dove." 'Remind me, which of us lost when we faced one another, snake-girl?' Pidove questioned, reminding Snivy of who beat who when Ash caught the snake. "Snivy, sni." 'He got lucky and we all know it. At least he's not a complete idiot like other trainers.' Snivy retorted. "Sni." 'We need to split up to find the others. Especially Scraggy's egg.' she declared. "Sniiiiiivy." 'Leave no Pokemon behind, right? We'll meet up at that sand spa place Oshawott told us about when we've found the others.' "Dove." 'Tepig can sniff them out.' Pidove said. 'And so can you.' Snivy scowled, but didn't argue. The search needed to start now.
Meanwhile, across the world
Dreams were a comfort. Unless you were small. Unless you were weak. Unless you were a dragon. And in the case of a purple blob with green spots, it was all three. A Goomy awoke from a wonderful dream that was his past life, where he was a Goodra. This was Ash's Goodra, reverted and transformed into his old Goomy state. "Goo?" 'What the hell?' he asked aloud. "Goomy?" 'Why am I a Goomy again?' The blob wasn't pleased with the turn of events.
And less pleased when he felt sharp claws on his skin. "Fletch?" 'Goodra?' asked the unwelcome bird. "Ling?" 'Are you Goodra?' Goomy was confused before he took in the Fletchling's scent. This wasn't just a common bird: he knew this thing. "Goomy?" 'Talonflame? As in Ash's Talonflame?' he asked. The robin pokemon began to jump around in joy. "Ling! Ling! Ling! Ling! Ling! Ling!" 'I found you! Thank the Creation Trio!' Fletchling chirped. 'I thought that was a fever dream or something! We just went back in time, like Infernape always said!' Goomy didn't get it. Time travel? What was she going on about? "Goomy." 'What are you blathering about, Fletchling? We can't go back in time.' the soft tissue Pokemon said with absolute certainty. "Fletchling, fletch!" 'Not alone, you blob!' Fletchling berated with a peck. 'We had help! Dialga or Celebi or something! You know who they are, right?'
Goomy sighed. He did. He knew what they were all too well: the God of Time and the time traveler Pokemon. Just his luck. But he couldn't blame Ash for it. Ash didn't ask to run into this crap. It ran into him. There was just one problem. To stay in the swamp… or go to his trainer. Oh, who was he kidding? If it weren't for Ash in the last timeline, he would be a weak pathetic Goomy that would've dried out and died a long time ago. Instead, he was a strong, powerful Goodra.
And that was in less then two months last time: imagine meeting up with Ash early in his journey. His power would match that of… well… Pikachu. Oh, sure, he was a pseudo-legendary, as some humans called him, but Pikachu was stronger then most fully-evolved Pokemon. "Goo." 'Ok, where do we need to go?' Goomy asked at last. "Ling!" 'Serena!' Fletchling stated. "Ling, fletch!" 'We find Serena, she'll take us to Kanto! She knows Ash, she always knows Ash! It's a rule of the world!' Goomy couldn't argue with that logic. The others would probably be doing the same thing, plus they knew where she lived thanks to her team constantly talking about her hometown: Vanille Town.
"…Goomy." 'You know I'm slow as all hell, right?' Goomy asked. 'I am a snail, unless you've forgotten.' "Fletchling!" 'I know. But if you use Rain Dance, you move faster, right?' Fletchling said. 'Because the ground's wet?' Goomy agreed. With one problem. "Goo." 'If I do that, you'll get soaked.' he stated. "Goo-my." 'And you're a fire-type. That's a bad thing.' "Ling." 'Only after I evolve!' the bird said as she took to the air. Well, Goomy never said he knew everything about Kalosian Pokemon. So Goomy did what he did best… and made it rain. Next stop, Vanille Town.
Hoenn Region - 0514 hours local time
The last thing the bird knew was sitting in her tree, getting ready for another race. The next thing she knew, she was waking up, she wasn't evolved and she was back in her birth region. And Taillow wasn't happy about it. Because she enjoyed her life in Kanto at Oak's ranch. Plus side, she knew where she was: leading her flock.
And she could fly. So she could easily take them to Kanto. But if being one of Ash's Pokemon had impressed anything on her, it was 'we are family and family does not leave family behind'. If she flew straight to Kanto, she would be betraying her fellow Hoenn captures. "Tail." 'I hate my life.' she muttered as she took to the air, the rest of her flock awakening with cries of 'Taillow' and variations of such, wondering what was going on as their leader took off with such purpose. But Taillow was trying to find a landmark and any familiar smells. And she quickly picked up one from a forest.
The only question was, would he be willing to come with her? Would he even want to leave? Taillow had to get to him, if only to get a yes or no. She then began to figure out what happened. Bayleaf said Professor Oak went through time and Ash himself went back according to Infernape, inspiring the Pokeball's creation! Which meant that they had gone back, likely to the day Ash became a trainer. Which actually gave her a thought: would she and the others be able to fight in the Indigo Conference? Would they finally get to win?
Those thoughts dominated her mind before she finally arrived, landing in the branches of a tree before a twig was sent flying at her face. "Tail." 'Well, aren't you personable.' she snarked at the attacker. Which happened to be a familiar face, as a bipedial gecko came out of the dying tree. He was a legend among the family for good reason. "Tre." 'Hello, Swellow.' said Treecko, the future Sceptile that defeated Tobias' infamous Darkrai. "Tree." 'I am not a happy Pokemon. Why am I a Treecko again?'
Taillow had no answers. No real ones. She did have an idea. "Low." 'End of the world time travel, maybe?' she suggested. "Taillow." 'I have no idea. I just know we're in the past.' She looked at the tree, which, while still alive, was clearly on its' last legs. It was dying and it showed, with her claws easily scraping up bark without even trying and the leaves were not as vibrant as the others. It would not make it much longer. "Taillow, tail-tail." 'And your home is… well, I don't think it'll be alive by the time Ash comes here this time around.' she said as delicately as she could. Treecko glared at her for it. "Treeee." 'I know that, bird.' he spat. 'My ancestral home is dying faster this time. And I do not know why.'
Taillow sighed as she face-winged. "Tail." 'I'm sorry, I just… It's about Ash.' she chirped as she got to the point. "Taillow." 'We're his team. Basically family. And… well…' "Treecko." 'You want to know if I'll go back.' the gecko deadpanned. "Tree." 'I'll admit, I don't like leaving them. But… Arceus, I won't abandon Ash, either.' Taillow figured she knew what was going to happen. Treecko's family would have to come with them. If he could convince them. "Taiiiiiiiiiiil!" 'Leader!' a member of the flock screamed as they flew in.
And that opened a larger can of worms. Her own flock. She heard that Ash's first bird had to be let go to take care of another flock of her own kind. She never came back. She saw how much that pained Ash, who waited every time he visited the ranch to find her. Every time a league finished, from Johto to Kalos, he watched the skies, waiting for that bird to come back. Only to never show up.
She would not abandon Ash. But her flock… She took to the air, going into a practiced hover like Noctowl often did. Of course, he was an owl, not a swallow. She was built for speed, not silent flight, so while she could do it, she wasn't that great at it. "Tail! Low, low, low!" 'Ok, everyone, I have something to say.' she addressed the flock as they flew around. 'I… I need to leave. There's someone I need to find. He needs my help.' The flock all objected, demanding answers. But Taillow couldn't give any. She had a family to reunite.
Sinnoh Region - 1345 hours local time
A fin appeared above the ground with purpose. Oh, he knew what the hell was going on. He might not have been there for it, but he knew thanks to the others talking about their adventures in Johto and with Arceus. And while he had no idea where the others were, he knew how to find them. After all, he had a very powerful sense of smell. Sharks always did. And even if he was on land, that didn't mean he wasn't a shark.
It just meant he was a land shark. And Gible was on the hunt, the only thing betraying his presence being his notched fin. He would find the others. He would bring them back to Kanto. They would find Ash. And as soon as he found Ash, his head would have a blue-gray/red-bellyed land shark chomping on it.
But as he moved, something came to mind. It sounded like 'Da-na. Da-na. Da-na, Da-na. Da-na, Da-na, Da-na, Da-na', then repeated the 'Da-na' much faster. He had no idea what it was. But he liked it as he 'Gib'ed along to it.
Kanto Region - five kilometers from Pewter City - 0139 hours local time
An eye opened as his form materialized, regarding many things: the location, the time… his size… so his reaction was understandable. "Char?!" 'What the hell just happened to me?!' cried an adorable-looking fire-lizard. Still, Ash's Kanto powerhouse was back to square one thanks to his trainer taking up the call to save the world.
Was he pissed as all hell about being a Charmander again? Yes. Very much yes. But he saw this as a chance to undo the mistakes of his past. Oh, he was an idiot. Did Ash want him to fight for him? Yes. But not for him. For all of them: the entire family. Ash trusted him with his dreams, his feelings and his very life. He showed no fear of being held by the fire-flyer when he rescued him from that Entei clone, but really, the best example was ongoing. After all the crap he put Ash through as a Charmeleon and Charizard in Kanto and before Shamouti, Ash never abandoned him.
Which was more then could be said for a few people. "Eat." the much-loathed voice of his original trainer said as he put a bowl of food in front of him. Charmander got his head out of the clouds. It was time he did something he wanted to do for a very long time as his claws took on a metallic sheen. "Char!" 'Go to hell!' he yelled as he ducked behind Damian, hacking at his legs.
The Metal Claw dug through the human's legs, cutting the hamstrings but leaving him alive, if in great pain. The fire-type found his Pokeball, scowling at it before destroying it with an overpowered Metal Claw. It hurt making contact, but when it cracked, it was useless from that point on. Charmander then looked at Damian's Pokeball belt and bag. Not this time. He clawed it off his pants, then placed the damaged belt in the backpack before tearing it off his back, fleeing as fast as he could.
"CHARMANDER! GET BACK HERE!" the trainer screamed before Charmander made his way deeper into the forest, heading for Viridian City, knowing Ash would be there. Damian kept screaming at him, but Charmander ignored it, though he did notice that it turned from pain and anger to pain and terror after a few minutes. Damian wasn't Charmander's problem anymore.
Kanto Region - Outside the Oak Ranch - 0141 hours local time
Ash continued to examine the weapons, the headaches screaming at him that he could get the ammo in any major town along with magazines for both of his weapons. He still didn't like it. He was very much anti-gun/pro-Pokemon. And this timeline was not right if he had a gun.
"Brrrriiiiiiiiii." 'I'll make some investigations with the other legendaries.' Celebi said as Ash continued to glare at the weapons like they were unnatural. On the other hand, Ash hated guns, so that could be understood. "Bi." 'Maybe I can find out what's going on around here.' "Good luck." Ash said, finally putting the weapons away before finding a sleeping bag, though it was… very different: canvas, wool and cotton. No smooth nylon outside. Maybe sleeping on it would make it less confusing. The young man got into the bag, set up his pillow and planted his head on it, closing his eyes.
In retrospect, this was a mistake, as his dreams were very troubled. Fire and pain dominated his dreams, as people screamed, shadows and light dancing in a maze of confusion. Ash would not get a good night's sleep that night. Without Pikachu, he had nothing to save him from his other self's past.
(Input access code: ***************** …Access granted. Playing video file)
(Dour-looking man in a suit with an R on the coat pocket appears) ?: Greetings. I am the boss of Team Rocket. If you are watching this file, then you are here to learn the situation of the world beyond what you have been taught by the conservative schools you've no doubt attended. I do not expect you to watch every file. But if you do, you will be better-suited to face the dangers you will face as a member of Team Rocket. Take of that as you will. Good day. (File ends)
Entry 1: Shadow Pokemon
Destroyers of unity, creators of chaos, the angry night: whatever term you use, Shadow Pokemon are a menace to what is left of society. Emotionless killers, they seek only to kill or corrupt normal Pokemon into more of their own, with little concern for humanity: most humans are outright killed on contact, only saved by Pokemon throwing themselves in the line of fire until the universal adoption of firearms by almost all trainers.
Shadow Pokemon were used as a 'wonder weapon' by Team Cipher during their attempted conquest of the world, only to universally turn on their masters in the war sixty years ago for unknown reasons. While Cipher was slaughtered to a man, their legacy continues to walk the earth. Team Rocket personnel are ordered to avoid them at all costs. No exceptions are allowed, as there is no way to purify Shadow Pokemon after Team Cipher used a nuclear bomb to destroy Agate Village.
Ron the True Fan: Oh, look, another change between this and the fics it's technically based on. That's right, readers: Shadow Pokemon are the big reason. They are EVERYWHERE. You can't tell if a Shadow Pokemon from a normal one except from their behaviour, something very much confirmed by the only two games they've appeared in. And if you can't trust a Pokemon, you have to rely on human technology. Which is why guns are a thing. Do I like the thought? Not really: Pokemon is based on trust and love, not just game mechanics. Being forced to turn a gun on someone you thought you could trust isn't something I enjoy.
Takeshi Yamato: Not something I really enjoy, either. A bit like getting dragged into all these Pokemon fics when my muse is quite clearly elsewhere. Which is why I have help keeping this guy in line. Feel free to go all out, you two!
Vita: Sure thing. EISEN!
Graf Eisen: Gigantform!
Ikkaku: BAN-KAI! RYŪMON HŌZUKIMARU!
Ron the True Fan: Well, this will be painful. Before I get stabbed, yes, Belladonna is basically a PRB immigrant with a major exception: she's not his half-sister and Delia's her mother. And before you can claim the same with Yellow, remember, Yellow's original appearance was the manga. Cross owns Belladonna; I'm just borrowing her on occasion.
117Jorn: Have fun Ron! *Sits back with popcorn alongside Gible and a Natu*
Ja Ne!
(New QQ note)
Well, now that it's working...
It'll take a bit to port everything over. Regardless, if you want to support, a sub to my YouTube channel would help, as the more vids I have up, the more time I can write and in this case, just port over.
https://www.youtube.com/@housecoatgaming Link's right here.
cavalal386
Know what you're doing yet?
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- Feb 2, 2023
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Don't know if you know this yet, but FF is working again.
Still it's a good idea to post the rest here in case FF goes down again.
Still it's a good idea to post the rest here in case FF goes down again.
Felius
Experienced.
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Yeah, yeah, Airplane was very funny. I'm asking you to actually give us said elevator pitch, not to define what it is.
Ron the True Fan
Getting some practice in, huh?
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Well, it's spaced on FFN and AO3 and I copy-paste from my FFN story preview to post on AO3. Fortunately for you and everyone else, my patience with this site's garbage text editor is at an end, because it did not translate 1-to-1 as it should have.
Jorn will deal with reposting here.
Ron the True Fan
Getting some practice in, huh?
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Might as well put it out to moderators: please delete this thread.