"Are you two ready for this?" Said a tired James.
"We can't guarantee dat you two will get there in one piece." Said Meowth
"Or that we'll even get you to the exact time we want you to be." Clemont Added.
James and Jessie's son Jeremy, checked himself over. Time period correct attire; check. Three of his best Pokémon; Check. Timeline of events that must happen; Check
"Ready as we'll ever be. Will this be less painful as one of your blast offs?" asked Jeremy.
"Well…" started Meowth.
"Wobba Wobb Wobba Wobbafett." Explained the blue blob.
"I thought I told you to stay put after you ruined breakfast this morning!" shouted Jessie as the patient pokemon wobbled off somewhere. After a deep breath Jessie composed herself. And looked at the two time travelers as they went their rooms to pack. If she didn't know any better she would have sworn she was looking at the twerpette, and a mini version of James.
"You know you don't have to do this. We can find another way. Granted it might be just as dangerous but at least we could plan for anything that would go wrong." Said the magenta (though faded) woman. "This is just short of impossible. The fact that we built this without gaining attention and have it working is a miracle."
"You know the reasons why just as well as the rest of us. If any of us go back in time, the chances of us being recognized from not going to happen to instant. If they go, then at least they could pass as trainers, but the biggest reason is that we're needed here to hold off Team Rocket shout they find our hideout."
"What's I'd give to go back with ya and give da old boss a-"
"-taste of your fury swipes with a slash for good measure." Finished Bonnie as she walked in. No longer the little girl with boundless energy, Bonnie stood as tall a Clemont. Her hair was held back by an orange and black head band, dressed in an orange jumpsuit (with the top half tied around her waist) and a black tank top. Dedenne bounded in (which says a lot for the small fairy type) and dived into the nearest hammock.
"Back already?" asked Clemont
"Yeah, not many challengers since Giovanni took over. Officially he keeps the gyms to give off a sense of normality when his real reason is to find the strong trainers and give them a "job" or a "free" vacation." Bonnie wound off for what felt like the millionth time to herself.
"So same story, different day." Clemont responded
"How many today?" Ash asked
"Two but they "loss" with only a minor fight. Their loss is our gain though, we have two more pairs of eyes and ears". Bonnie smiled as she opened a can of soda.
"Are we still on Kalos' most wanted list?" asked Serena
"That,and Kanto's, Johto's, Hoenn's, Sinnoh's, Unova's, Alola's, even Orre's most wanted list." Bonnie listed. She paused and took a sip out of her drink. "We're also on the Orange Islands list and Fiore's, Almia's, and Oblivia's lists. You're basically land locked until your idea works big bro. If it works that is."
"Orre Region?" asked Ash "Where is that? Sounds like a cool place to visit." The sense of adventure sounding strong in his voice.
"Hot, vast, not many wild pokemon, no gyms but colosseums take that spot, a battle mountain, towns that dot the land like stars in the sky." James explained briefly.
"And probably full of Team Rocket grunts ready snatch us up." Dead panned Meowth. Ash
Four sets of eyes gave him a look of "how did you know that?"
"Blasting off can have its perks. Orre may have been dry and hot, but a welcome vacation." James explained
"Until we were reblasted off by that kooky lookin pokemon and his candy colored trainer." Meowth interjected
"Woooobba" shouted the blue blob.
"What do ya want blobbo?"
"Why do I bother keeping you in your ball if you won't stay put?" questioned Jessie
"Wobbuffet wobb Wobba Wobbuffet" explained the patient pokemon
"What's your losing a bottle cap got to do with what's going on now?"
"Wobbuffet Wobb" Wobbuffet shrugged
"Just thought you'd mention it?" exclaimed Mewoth
"Well it was an exclusive to that region and in excellent condition" mused James
"Will you both shut up about losing a bottle cap? In case you've both forgotten, we're trying to save the world here and maybe make a better life for me in the past!" Jessie's outburst was followed by a muffled slap on the back of James' head and the sound of Wobbufett being returned to his pokeball until his next outburst.
For the next few minutes, the only sound was the clicks and clacks from Clemont's keyboard, the sporadic groans and hisses from the pipes that ran through the hideout, and the occasional sound of a pokemon running in the distance.
Ash leaned against a wall looking at the vast room that lay before him. A lot had changed yet with Jessie's outburst, it was a brief trip back to normality. No longer an eighteen-year-old trainer enjoying life with his friends and looking for the next adventure, he was a Pokemon Veteran. His quest of becoming a Pokemon Master would be on hold until Team Rocket's reign ended. His new home was an abandoned subway termus underneath the Lumiouse City Gym. A project started years ago, it was to make the city more accessible to those inside and outside, but a combination of Pokeride tours and some disgruntled taxi drivers brought an end to the idea. Now home to his dysfunctional family, Clemont, Jessie and James, Jeremy, and most of their pokemon. The Termus was headquarters to Team Satellite; the resistance name was given to them and how they always orbit Team Rocket's projects. They had hands everywhere, Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola, Orre, and a few eyes and ears in the smaller regions. The faint sound of a violin playing from one of the tunnels brought a faint smile to his face. In a world full of cold ruthless hearts, watchful eyes, a false sense of normality, there was still a place for music. Found in a second-hand shop on a cold Unova morning, it was Ash and Serena's gift to their daughter Alicia. Only just two years into the marriage did their daughter appear, and for a few years, it was all fun, games, and pokemon battles, until Team Rocket came to power. More and more of his friends and former travel companions went into hiding or were arrested, or under surveillance.
Before his thoughts could continue, a gentle hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality.
"You okay?" asked Serena. Even in the dim glow of the computers and lanterns, her eyes sparkled when he looked into them.
"Yeah. Just thinking about how we ended up here, how I ended up with a wife and kid, how we got roped into practically living with the same group that followed me since I started my journey, but most importantly, is this right? Changing the past that is?" A mixture of fatigue, worry, and sadness flickered in his eyes.
"Well I could explain how we ended up here, and re-enact how you ended up with a wife and kid, but the last two, I can't answer. Meowth might be able to help but as to this being right? I don't know either. I'm scared for her too. I mean it's not like she's going far and we won't see her again. Our younger selves will meet her soon enough, or that's the plan at least.
On the other side of the room, Jessie was going through another crash course history class with Jeremy.
"We'll be fine mom. The only thing we can hope for is that this will either work with only a minor hitch or this doesn't work and just makes a large explosion and we end up looking like we just blasted off." Said Jeremy. Pulling a battered hat out of his backpack. "What's taking Alicia so long?"
"Going off the faint sound of a violin, I guess she's playing one more time before her trip." Said Bonnie
"Why? It's not like we're going to a time where violins didn't exist."
"Coming from someone who spent half the night playing a video game that came out when I was a kid, you have no room to talk." James pointed out.
"How did you know? I was playing video games, I could have been reading a book." Jeremy replied
His answer was a slap in the back of the head. "Don't talk back to your dad like that." Jessie scolded.
"Well the last time I checked, books don't flicker and flash and cause you to swear under your breath," James explained.
Jeremy groaned as he heard the start of another lecture on video games start.
Serena smiled at this brief sense of normality.
"I'll get her." Said Serena. She left the room with a small sigh and Clemont, James, and Ash giving a brief idea as to what expect in the past, and to go over a cover for them if they run into anyone familiar.
Serena walked down the tunnel marked with hers, Ash's, and Alicia's name. The sound of the violin growing stronger with each step. Alicia always had talent with music. Piano, trumpet, violin, or guitar, she always mastered what she played. A makeshift door that worked only to give the occupant a little more privacy, opened to reveal a girl of sixteen. She had long honey blonde hair like her mom, brown eyes that had a held a fiery passion for whatever she set her mind to, and an understanding of pokemon that could only come from her parents. Serena leaned against the door frame and listened to her daughter play.
Alicia swayed in time to her music. For a few minutes the outside world didn't exist and only her violin, and the notes she played.
"Alicia?" Called Serena. "Time to go."
Alicia played on. She heard her mom but the music pulled her along its ribbon.
"Alicia," Serena said louder
With a sigh, Alicia stopped. " I know. Just wanted to play again just in case something goes wrong with the machine."
Serena walked over and hugged her daughter. "Everything will be alright. Do you have everything?"
"Yeah. I've got Sparks, two sets of clothes, pajama's, and a few gold nuggets to trade in for money." Alicia listed.
"Are you sure only one pokemon is all you need?"
"I'm sure, besides, wouldn't it be better if I caught pokemon from that time and then release them before I come back?"
"I'm not sure. Time travel still feels like science fiction to me but I do know that what happens in the past affects the future."
"That being said your mom and I are still not a fan of the idea, but if this does work, then you'll be safer there than you are here." Remarked Ash.
At this point, Serena and Alicia had walked back to the Termus. Ash had just finished talking to a friend in the Kanto region.
"Just be careful and while a little fun won't hurt, just don't forget what you need to do," Serena said as she held tight to her girl only a worried mom could pull off.
James soon took command of the big screen and pulled up his infamous design.
"That machine was set to our genetic code. The only way to shut it down was by a small prick of blood followed by a password, but it was calibrated to our voices. You'll have to go in and try to manually reset the system or overload it. After that just input the code on your pokedex and you'll both be back here in a few hours. Of that, we can be certain of.
"I hate to end all dis mushy and or prologue type stuff but we have a future to change" interrupted Meowth.
With that, the two time travelers climbed into their pod.
"Alright. Everyone behind the blast shield. It's a miracle we have as much power as we do. It's beyond measure and the equipment is more than likely going to give out once the pod is on it's way." Warned James
"Why am I not surprised?" muttered Ash.
In a blinding flash and deafening roar, the pod was gone in a cloud of smoke. Half of the pod to be precise. A worried Ash and James ran to the smoldering pod to find an unconscious Jeremy.
"I thought you said everything was set for launch!" shouted Jessie.
"I did, Clemont, Meowth and I checked and re-checked everything." Replied James.
"Well obviously you didn't because now our kid is unconcise, burned and –"
"Will you both shut it and help me get him to the hospital?" Ash yelled. He wasn't one for yelling unless he was breaking up an argument or trying to gain some help. "You think you've got problems, my daughter is stuck in the past. Literally. Not only do we not know where she was sent, we don't even know when. Now the sooner we help Jeremy, the sooner we can get my girl back."
James hurried out of the hideout with his son in his arms. The hospital nearby was on their side to the extent of turning a blind eye to who they were and what they were known for.
"So, what do we do now?" asked Serena. Her presence was barely noticed after the explosion. Her face was a mix of shock and fear. A look that, as of late, was common among the rest of the regions of the world.
"I'll start puttin some of dis back together and maybe Lemon head can make a scanner to find mini-twerpette." Meoth sighed. Looks like it would be another long, sleepless night.
A/N - First real story I've started and posted. Thoughts, flames, and suggestions are welcome.