Chapter 1:

Whoopsies

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"Talking"

"Thoughts"

"DEITY (OLYMPUS MON) SPEECH"

Line Break

The first thought that came into Ash's head was that it was too quiet. There was a distinct lack of Pokémon snores and the mechanical hum of Professor Kukui's various machines. Then, Ash remembered that he offered to camp outside for the night so that Kukui and Professor Burnet could do some research without interruption—Poipole got bored whenever there was a long stretch of silence not involving sleep.

But that just raised a new set of questions, like what happened to his pillow?

Yawning, he rubbed his eye, blearily blinking away his morning tiredness.

A beam of yellow light flew above him, ending with an explosion to his right.

Ash yelped and rolled to his side. Rather, he would have, if there were any solid ground beneath and around him. Instead, he was left flailing wildly in what he could now see was an endless black void.

He shifted to his left, eyes widening at the sight of Palkia, the Master of Space itself, gathering an orb of blue energy in its arms.

Ash screamed, frantically moving his arms and legs in an attempt to move out of the way of what would no doubt be a powerful beam. Suddenly, he froze in place, and not a second later, felt something tug him away from Palkia.

He came to a stop far away from Palkia, and once more flailed in an attempt to right himself.

"MY APOLOGIES, I HAD NOT MEANT TO LEAVE YOU IN PALKIA'S WAY."

Ash drew in a breath, recognizing the powerful voice. He shifted around, gulping, "A-Arceus…"

The Creator Pokémon nodded, "GREETINGS. I WOULD SAY IT IS NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN, BUT IN LIGHT OF PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES…" He trailed off as another explosion rocked the void they floated in.

Ash turned towards Palkia, covering his eyes as his next beam exploded against a white barrier in brilliant pink light.

"GRREAAAGH" a new voice roared.

Ash grunted, covering his ears to block out the horrible sound. As soon as he did so, however, the voice muted, as if he put on earmuffs. He removed his hands, tilting his head at the translucent orange barrier he was currently enveloped in.

"SO MY CHILDREN DO NOT RENDER YOU DEAF," Arceus supplied.

The voice—heavily muffled—roared once again, and Ash followed the sound, not wholly surprised to find that Dialga was the source of it.

Ash frowned, "Wait, if Palkia and Dialga are here, does that mean that—"

"TO YOUR LEFT."

Ash turned so and recoiled at the sight of a pair of startling red lights rise up from the inky void. A pair of bat-like wings burst free and beat once. Globs of darkness shot forward, covering the otherwise pristine barrier.

Ash turned to Arceus, asking, "What the heck's going on?!"

But Arceus did not answer, instead staring out at the Masters of Time, Space, and Distortion.

Ash cleared his throat, and Arceus jolted. "AH, MY APOLOGIES," he turned to him, leaning down slightly, "I WAS…OVERCOME BY A SUDDEN WAVE OF NOSTALGIA."

Ash grew silent at that, awkwardly scratching his neck.

Then, Arceus shook his head, "BUT I DID NOT BRING YOU HERE TO REMINISCE. I HAVE NEED OF YOU, ASH KETCHUM."

Ash chuckled nervously, turning back to the three god-like beings blasting the barrier with a variety of attacks, "I can't really see how."

Arceus sighed, "MAKE NO MISTAKE, THOUGH VALIENT, THEIR EFFORTS WILL AMOUNT TO NOTHING OVERALL."

The blunt statement floored Ash, but before he could reply, Arceus asked, "TELL ME, DO YOU REMEMBER CYRUS?"

Ash scowled at the reminder of the leader of Team Galactic, then gasped as he remembered the man's final act, "You mean he's causing all this? I though he, uh, well…died."

"OH, REST ASSURED, HE DIED WITHIN MOMENTS OF JUMPING IN THE PORTAL, TORN TO SHREDS AS REALITY RECTIFIED THE ABERRATION OF HIS PRESENCE WITHIN THE VOID OF CREATION."

"O-oh…"

"HOWEVER, FOR ALL THE MAN'S FAULTS, HE HAD A REMARKABLY STRONG WILL, AND LEFT AN…IMPRINT ON REALITY."

Ash gulped, "So that imprint is causing all this?"

Arceus tilted his head, "YES AND NO. ONE IMPRINT ALONE COULD NOT DO SO MUCH DAMAGE, BUT AN INFINITE NUMBER OF IMPRINTS ACROSS AN INFINITE NUMBER OF TIMELINES, THAT CAN DO SOME MAJOR DAMAGE. TO SAY NOTHING OF OTHER DISASTERS WITH SPACE-TIME, AND MY OWN FOOLHARDINESS."

"What do you mean? How can you be part of the problem?"

Arceus hummed lowly, "…YOU KNOW OF THE 'FAIRY' TYPE, YES?"

Ash nodded.

"DID YOU EVER THINK IT STRANGE HOW A NEW TYPE OF POKÉMON, A TYPE WHICH APPLIES TO ALREADY KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED CREATURES, JUST APPEARED?"

Ash shrugged, "I guess I never really gave it much thought…but even Mimey was shocked when he and Mom found out about his second typing."

Arceus cleared his throat, "I HAD MEANT TO INTRODUCE FAIRIES TO THE MULTIVERSE AFTER REGAINING THE JEWEL OF LIFE FROM DAMOS. OBVIOUSLY, THAT DID NOT GO AS PLANNED. BUT AFTER MY…AWAKENING AND SUSEQUENT RECOVERY, I WENT ABOUT WITH MY ORIGINAL PLAN. I ACHIEVED THAT BY CHANGING THE TYPES OF THE THEN FAIRY-LESS POKEMON BACK INTO FAIRIES."

Ash frowned in concentration, "What does that mean?"

"I HAD ALREADY MADE THE FAIRY-TYPE POKÉMON BEFORE I MET DAMOS, BUT I GAVE HIM THE JEWEL OF LIFE INSTEAD BECAUSE I BELIEVED HE HAD GREATER NEED OF ITS POWER THAN I. AS A CONSEQUENCE, THOSE PROTO-FAIRIES HAD TO—HOW TO PUT THIS—ADAPT INTO DIFFERENT TYPES. THOSE LIKE SNUBBULL AND CLEFAIRY, ADAPTED TO BE NORMAL, AND THE FLABÉBÉ LINE WERE ALL GRASS-TYPE. I WON'T BORE YOU WITH THE QUANTUM MECHANICS INVOLVED IN CHANGING MULTIPLE SPECIES' TYPING, BUT JUST KNOW THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF TINY LITTLE PARADOXES SCATTERED ACROSS REALITY THAT, UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES, WOULD FIX THEMSELVES UP OVERTIME. BUT THEN HOOPA STIRRED UP TROUBLE AGAIN, AND THE INCURSION OF THE ULTRA BEASTS IN ALOLA CERTAINLY DID NOT HELP MATTERS."

Another explosion rocked the void, and after steadying himself, Ash asked, "Okay, fine, there's a lot of issues. But can't Dialga just go back in time and fix this, stop Cyrus and all those other problems before they become big issues?"

Arceus shook his head, "A SERIES OF OATHS WE—MYSELF, DIALGA, PALKIA, AND GIRATINA—SWORE BACK WHEN REALITY WAS NEWLY FORMED PREVENTS SUCH ACTIONS. OTHERWISE, I WOULD HAVE GONE BACK IN TIME TO KILL DAMOS WHEN I AWOKE FROM MY SLUMBER, OR DIALGA WOULD HAVE PERSONALLY GONE BACK IN TIME TO PREVENT THE INCIDENT IN ITS ENTIERTY, INSTEAD OF SENDING YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS."

Ash sighed, accepting the statements. He clenched his fist, narrowing his eyes up at Arceus, "What do you need me to do?"

Arceus hummed, turning around, "BEHOLD," he intoned, and the inky void shimmered violently.

Ash stared in awe as the shimmer dissipated, revealing dozens of rainbow-colored orbs.

"Wh-what are they?"

"THIS IS THE NEXT MULTIVERSE, AN EXACT COPY OF YOUR, AND EVERY UNIVERSE THAT HAS SPAWNED SINCE THE DAWN OF CREATION." Arceus extended his left forelimb, and one of the orbs flew forward, stopping just in front of him, "AND THIS, IS YOUR UNIVERSE."

Ash stared at the orb, mouth running dry. He gulped, "It…looks kind of small."

"WORRY NOT, ONCE PROPERLY INCUBATED, IT WILL EXPAND EXPONENTIALLY. BUT WE DO NOT HAVE TIME TO EXPLAIN THE INTRICACIES OF CREATION, YOU HAVE A MISSION."

Ash nodded determinedly.

Arceus pointed to Ash's Universe, "I WILL SEND YOU—THAT IS TO SAY, YOUR CONCIOUSNESS—BACK TO WHEN WE FIRST MET, IN MICHINA." Ash opened his mouth, a question forming on his lips, which Arceus preempted, "THE REASON I HAVE CHOSEN YOU ABOVE ANY OTHER IS DUE TO TWO THINGS. YOU HAVE THE NECESSARY AURA TO SURVIVE SUCH A TRIP, AND YOUR PROXIMITY TO MY AWAKENING." Ash nodded, that made sense

"FROM THERE, YOU SHALL PRESENT THIS," an orb of red light burst to life in front of Arceus, "TO ME." The 'this' in question looked like a miniature Jewel of Life, attached to thick black chain. Ash reached out to touch it, but flinched away, hissing lowly as he shook his hand, "Hot!" he yelped.

"AH, SUPPOSE I SHOULD HAVE WARNED YOU ABOUT THAT, IT WILL TAKE A BIT TO STABILIZE."

Ash sucked on his burnt finger, glaring at the glowing object. "Hold on," he said as he blew on his fingers, "If Cyrus—er, his will—is infinite, how will us," he gulped,"…stopping…one of him keep this from happening again."

Arceus flicked his forelimb, sending Ash's Universe back with the rest, "IT IS TRUE THAT YOUR ACTIONS WOULD NOT IMPACT THE OTHER UNIVERSES, THE OTHER CYRUS'. BUT, WITHIN YOUR UNIVERSE, STOPPING CYRUS WILL CREATE A RIPPLE THAT SHALL AFFECT ALL TIMELINES WITHIN YOUR UNIVERSE. WHEN WE SUCCEED, CYRUS'S IMPRINT ON REALITY WILL HAVE SEVERLY LESSONED, FAR BELOW ANYTHING AS GRAND AS THIS CURRENT PROBLEM, MUCH MORE MANAGEABLE. ANY MORE QUESTIONS?" Ash shook his head. "GOOD. NOW, WE WAIT FOR THE MULTIVERSE TO-!"

An explosion, greater than the rest, rocked the void once more.

Ash's was left jostling from the force of the explosions, and after righting himself, screaming in fright as a dark, silvery ooze latched onto the barrier. Yet, as soon as it appeared, it disappeared in a flash of orange light.

Dialga zoomed into view, coming to a stop just in front of Ash. The giant Pokémon spread his legs, 'bracing' and extending the fins on his back. He reared his head back, and roared, waves of silver energy expanding out from his maw, eradicating what was left of the ooze. Dialga then shifted his head, staring down at Ash.

"Uh, thanks, Dialga!" Ash replied.

The Master of Time nodded, before flying off back to another end of the void.

Ash turned back to Arceus, paling at the sight of a dozen shattered orbs, and a frantic Arceus darting between them all. "What happened?" he cried,

"I MISCALCULATED. BRINGING YOU HERE AND EXPLAINING THE SITUATION TO YOU SLOWED DOWN MY CREATION PROCESS TOO MUCH."

"Can you fix it, start over?"

"NO," Ash's blood froze in his veins, "IT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG TO RECREATE THEM…BUT PERHAPS I DO NOT HAVE TO…"

Before Ash could say something, the wheel on Arceus's eyes glowed violently, along with the wheel on his back. The wheel broke off from his back, spinning around his body, becoming a blur of white motion. Several of the orbs glowed white, started to break further, only not as violent as before, more like someone taking scissors to a sheet of paper. More and more 'strips' of universes were collected, and after dozens of strands were floating in the void, they all coalesced onto the broken remains of Ash's Universe, as well as a few others, forming complete orbs once more—if significantly less.

Suddenly, Ash's barrier disappeared, and he was pulled forward, coming to a stop near Arceus's head.

The god spoke, "I HAVE MANAGED TO FIX THE PROBLEM, THOUGH THERE ARE A FEW COMPLICATIONS. ONE, I WAS NOT ABLE TO RESTORE THE UNIVERSE UP TO YOUR TRAVELS TO MICHINA TOWN. YOU WILL FIND YOUSELF SENT BACK SOME TIME BEFORE THEN—HOW FAR BACK, I CANNOT SAY. SECOND, THIS NEW UNIVERSE SHALL BE…DIFFERENT, THEN THE ONE YOU KNOW. THE EXACT DIFFERENCES ARE BEYOND MY VISION, UNFORTUNATELY, BUT NOTHING THAT SHOULD HINDER YOU. AND FINALLY—" another explosion brutally shook the void, "NEVER MIND, YOU WILL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH."

Ash whirled around, "Wait! How am I—"

"GOOD LUCK, ASH KETCHUM," Arceus calmly, gently said, "AND KNOW THAT I HAVE FAITH THAT YOU SHALL SUCCEED." With that said, Arceus flicked his forelimb forward, sending Ash screaming into the new Universe.

The necklace quickly took his place. Arceus looked it over, grimacing, but ultimately deciding to send it through along with Ash, but not before forming a pink and green orb of energy.

After all, four items had safely entered the Universe, Arceus's wheel spun once more, entrapping the new Universes in a white barrier.

After that, he sighed, his wheel coming to a stop, once more locking over his torso. Satisfied that he had done all that could be done, Arceus turned back into the void, more silver than black, and roared.

At once, Dialga, Palkia and Giratina appeared, all three panting heavily, with eyes shining with determination.

Arceus felt his heart quiver a beat, and he spent one long moment staring at his eldest children. He then bowed his head low, let out a deep breath, and rose once more, "YOU HAVE DONE WELL, MY CHILDREN. YOU MAY REST, NOW AND FOREVERMORE."

The three Dragons keened lowly, a weight seeming to fall of their shoulders. Then, they straightened as best their fatigued states could allow, and bowed towards their Creator. The three then started to glow, Blue, Pink, and Purple, and their bodies shimmered away, leaving only their gemstones as proof of their existence.

Arceus willed the gems closer to him, resting his forehead against them as the last vestiges of reality broke away.

Then, It arrived.

A massive wave of silvery ooze crashed down in front of him. It said no words, projected no thoughts, merely ate away at everything in its path.

As the Ooze inched closer and closer, Arceus lifted his head up, snarling at the end result of Cyrus's madness. His wheel snapped off, sending out a burst of orange energy, vaporizing the ooze, forcing it back. His eyes shone with righteous fury, and the remains of his children whirled over his head, creating a rainbow-hued halo, an orb of white energy forming between them.

"THIS IS THE END, YOU FOUL ABOMINATION! YOUR JUDGMENT IS AT HAND!"

And for one, brief moment, all was light.

Line Break

The first thing Ash became aware of was the dryness of his throat. The second thing was a that he was tightly wrapped by something warm and soft.

He blinked tiredly, smacking his lips, "W-Wha…" he frowned, the ceiling looked very familiar.

"Mime? Mime, Mime, Mis-Mime!"

Ash sat up, rubbing his eyes, "Mimey?"

The psychic-type rushed forward, a wide smile on his face, "Mi-Mime!"

Ash smiled back, happy to see a familiar face—not to mention a solid piece of evidence that he hadn't been sent back as a child or something.

Ash sucked in a breath, then bent over slightly, coughing, "Hey, Mimey, think you can—"

But the Mime Pokémon had already left the room, cries of 'Mime, Mime' echoing throughout the house.

Ash shook his head, laying back down, happy to be home.

Until a terrible thought sparked to life.

Ash bolted upright, "Pika-kof" he bent over coughing into his hand.

"Ash, sweetie?" a muffled, matronly voice said from further in the house.

Ash coughed a bit more violently, "M-mom?" he asked as the door opened.

But the woman that opened the door was not his mother. Instead, it was a woman with black hair done in twin pigtails falling on her back, a few wrinkles creasing her forehead. The woman smiled softly, holding out a glass of water, "Don't worry honey, they're on their way."

Ash stared wide-eyed at the woman, sucking in a breath as his ears started to ring. The woman dropped the glass, rushing over and shouting something Ash couldn't hear over the pain.

Images, sounds, emotions all mashed together inside his head, threatening to turn it into mush. But through it all, every image—every memory, he came to realize—of this woman ended with two, clear descriptions; Grandma, Celia.

But that made no sense, Ash thought as he groaned. His mom's parents passed away when he was a baby.

The door slammed open once more, and Ash looked up, relieved to see the familiar face of his mother. But, as she rushed forward, another figure took her place in the doorframe. A man, taller than both his mother and his supposed grandma. He had brown hair, spiked in a familiar pattern, and dark, almost black eyes that shone with worry.

Once more, Ash was bombarded by memories that weren't his, once again ending with two words; Father, Red.

It became too much, and he quickly passed out.

A/N: I've recently come a realization that, while there are a few 'Red is Ash's father' fics out there, they mostly fall under the 'Distant Father' category. Thought I might play my hand at something a bit different. Be sure to leave a review. Later.