Author's Note: I literally sat through the night writing and proof-reading this, so I'm pretty square-eyed at the moment. But when I get a good idea, I just can't stop. I wanted this piece to pay tribute to Ash's past adventures as well as connect with his present endeavours, so hopefully I achieved that. Please do leave a review and tell me what you think!
Journey to the Past
The mullioned windows of Professor Juniper's sitting-room glowed fragmentally in the bright light of the summer sun. It was several weeks after Ash had finished up in the Vertress Conference and he, Iris and Cilan had witnessed the dramatic conclusion to Team Plasma's plans. Unsure about what to do next, the group had decided to stay with Professor Juniper for a few days. To their surprise and delight, Dawn and Brock had arrived for a quick visit. Dawn had finished second in the Wallace Cup in Johto, and was taking a short break from training for the Grand Festival, while Brock was on a two week break from the Pokémon Doctor's Academy. Iris and Cilan had been delighted to meet the old friend of Ash, who they had heard so much about.
'Ok, we're heading off now,' said Professor Juniper from the door, patting her coat for her keys. 'Are you sure you want nothing in the shop?'
'Yeah, thanks anyway, Professor,' said Ash from his cross-legged position on the carpet. 'We'll look after the lab for you, so there's no need to worry.'
'I'll be happy as long as the place is still standing when we get back,' she laughed, winking at them before walking out of the room. Cilan hooked the shopping bags over his arms and waved to them before following her. When they heard the front door close, Iris stretched out on the sofa and sighed loudly.
'What are we gonna do now?' she asked the room at large.
'We could play a board game?' suggested Dawn, who was standing beside a tall shelf stuffed with books and games.
'Boooring!' Iris pronounced.
'Then how about we go out and have a look around Professor Juniper's Pokémon Reserve?' said Brock.
'Oh, yeah! Let's do that,' agreed Iris at once, hopping up from the sofa and skipping out of the room. Brock and Dawn smiled and followed her out towards the back door, while Ash grumbled and pulled himself laboriously up from the floor. Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder and he ran to catch up with them.
The wide stretch of grass that comprised Professor Juniper's back garden led to a large fenced area where all the Pokémon under her care roamed freely.
'Wow, this place is huge,' said Dawn in wonder, as Ash opened the gate and they all stepped through. To their left was a long field, filled with various grazing Pokémon. To their right was a thick forest, from which a multitude of Pokémon cries echoed.
'Let's explore the forest,' said Iris eagerly.
'Ok, but not for long – we need to keep an eye on the lab,' Ash reminded her.
The four of them ventured into the shadowy trees, proceeded by Pikachu, Piplup and Axew. Brock strolled with his hands in his pockets, taking in the sights and smells of the wood with interest. Dawn stepped gingerly across tree roots and shrubs, impatiently batting insects and branches away from her face. Iris ploughed through the trees with an energy she only ever displayed in the outdoors. Ash couldn't help but grin at her enthusiasm – and Dawn's lack thereof.
'Why don't we go and watch the Pokémon grazing back in the field?' said Dawn, wiping some sort of stain off her shirt with disgust.
'No way! This is way more exciting,' said Iris zealously.
Dawn grumbled under her breath.
They had not gone far into the forest before they heard a group of hushed voices.
'Who could that be?' whispered Ash, frowning.
Brock edged forwards and peered around a tree. He sighed audibly and rolled his eyes. Three familiar figures were huddled behind a fallen trunk. They were whispering urgently together.
'It's Team Rocket. Surprise, surprise,' he said sarcastically.
'Oh, not them again!' snapped Dawn. 'It's impossible to get rid of them.'
Suddenly the voices of Team Rocket stopped and Jessie cried out.
'Come here, sweetie! There's a cute Pokémon, come to Jessie.'
There was a loud bang and a net snapped around the tree in front of Brock. He jumped back with a cry of surprise. Next moment, a small green Pokémon hurtled around the tree and smashed into Iris' face.
'OUCH!' she shouted, staggering back a few paces. While she rubbed the new bruise on her cheek, Ash, Brock and Dawn stared open-mouthed at the creature in her other arm.
'What is that?' Iris asked, staring ruefully at the little Pokémon in her hands.
'That's Celebi!' gasped Dawn. Iris looked confused.
'It's a legendary Pokémon that can travel through time,' explained Brock. Iris' brown eyes widened above her bruise.
'Wow, really?' she asked.
'Yeah, and it belongs to us,' snapped a voice from behind them. They all whirled around to face Jessie, James and Meowth, who all looked sour.
'That little twerp of a Pokémon attacked us, just because we tried to catch it in a net!' said Meowth in outrage.
'Well, wouldn't anyone?' pointed out Brock.
'We don't need to hear cheek from you, twerp! Just give me my Celebi!' screeched Jessie.
'Forget about it,' said Ash defiantly. 'Celebi doesn't belong to you.'
'Prove it!' declared James, who was sporting a large net gun.
'Yeah, twerp – prove it! That Pokémon is officially Team Rocket property,' sneered Meowth.
'Yeah, just like the last Celebi you tried to steal,' smirked Brock.
'They tried to steal Celebi before?' asked Iris.
'Yeah, and they failed. As usual,' said Ash.
'How dare you! James – get all of them! Now – shoot!' shouted Jessie in fury.
James levelled the gun at the group. 'Ok, aim and fire!'
The whole world slowed down. The bang of the gun echoed sluggishly and deeply, and the smoke issued from the gun's mouth in extreme slow-motion. Team Rocket seemed almost frozen, except that their limbs were moving very, very slowly.
'What's going on?' said Iris, bewildered.
'I think I know,' said Brock, exchanging a knowing look with Ash.
'Celebi's time travelling, right?' said Dawn, rubbing her arms as Piplup hugged close to her legs.
'Yep,' confirmed Brock. Iris looked shocked.
'Really? With us?'
'Yeah, we've seen this happen before,' said Ash, as Pikachu leapt onto his shoulder. Axew looked suspiciously at Celebi in Iris' arms. Celebi appeared to be in a state of deep concentration. Its eyes were shut tight and it was humming lightly under its breath.
'What do you mean?' asked Iris.
'It's a long story,' said Brock.
Suddenly the forest around them dissolved in a glowing green wave of light, taking Team Rocket with it.
'I wonder where Celebi's taking us?' said Dawn, slightly uncertain.
'Wherever it is, I hope it takes us back,' said Brock at once. 'Remember Sam?'
Ash gasped.
'Why do I feel like I'm really out of the loop?' said Iris, totally lost.
'Yeah, me too?' agreed Dawn.
'Sam was a really good friend of ours who was brought forty years into the future by Celebi,' explained Ash. Iris looked stricken.
'Forty years?!' squeaked Iris.
'He made it back to his own time!' said Brock hurriedly. 'Eventually …'
Silence fell between them as it looked like they were finally getting somewhere. Celebi opened its eyes and the green haze slowly vanished. The group blinked rapidly as they were hit by bright sunlight. The light was funnelled down the narrow alley where they were standing, squashed between two old, tottering buildings. At the end of the alley a wide street was visible, and it was crowded with people.
'Where are we?' asked Ash, shielding his eyes.
'No idea,' said Dawn.
Celebi relaxed in Iris' arms and smiled for the first time.
'Now, where have you brought us, Celebi?' Iris asked the little Pokémon politely. But Celebi only trilled happily.
'Guess we have to find out ourselves,' grinned Brock. 'Let's go!'
He led them down the alley and out into the crowded street. Stalls had been set up outside the bright shop fronts and happy families and young couples were laughing and chattering as they perused the market.
'It's nice here,' said Ash approvingly.
'But it looks kinda familiar …' said Dawn slowly.
Ash frowned. Dawn was right. It did look familiar. He was sure he had been here before. Then suddenly Pikachu exclaimed loudly from his shoulder.
'Pika! Pika pi!'
'What is it, Pikachu?' said Ash. He followed Pikachu's pointing hand and gasped loudly.
'What is it?' said Dawn and Iris in unison.
'I just figured out where we are,' he said simply. As he started to chivvy them back towards the alley, he saw Brock's eyes widen in sudden realisation.
'What's wrong, Ash?' said Dawn in alarm.
She got her answer only moments later. As the four of them watched from the shadows of an old bakery, a group of four people passed down the middle of the cobbled street. A tall, friendly-looking blonde girl was leading three people who looked astonishingly similar to Ash, Brock and Dawn.
'No. Way,' said Dawn quietly.
'Ash!' exclaimed Iris. 'That's you guys!'
'Yeah, that's us all right. From the past,' said Ash, hardly able to believe it himself.
'We're in Alamos Town!' whispered Brock urgently. He pointed down the street, after the retreating backs of their past-selves. 'Look – there's the Space-Time Tower!'
And there it was. The spectacular twin spires of the Space-Time Tower rose impossibly high in the distance.
'This is crazy,' said Dawn. 'But we have to get out of here. I'm sure I'm not the only one who remembers what happens next?'
'Oh, yeah,' said Ash, his excitement slipping away.
'What? What happens next?' asked Iris uncertainly, unsure whether she wanted to know the answer.
'The town is attacked by Dialga and Palkia,' said Ash quietly.
'Oh. That doesn't sound good,' said Iris. Celebi looked around happily, apparently thoroughly enjoying itself. Dawn bent down to look Celebi in the eye.
'Celebi, could you please take us back to our own time?' she asked. 'It's dangerous here.'
Celebi looked at her seriously and chirped an inaudible response. Pikachu, Piplup and Axew quickly engaged in conversation with it.
'I'd love to know what they're saying,' said Iris.
'You and me both,' agreed Brock.
Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder and started to lead them down the street.
'Where are we going, Pikachu?' called Ash. Pikachu just paused to call to them, then disappeared into the crowd.
'Hey – Pikachu! Come back! You'll get lost,' Ash shouted. He ran after it, and the rest of them were forced to follow.
'Ash, slow down!' called Dawn, but Ash didn't hear her over the noise of the crowd.
Eventually he reached the wide square that stretched in front of the Space-Time Tower. About twenty feet off to his left, his past-self was engaged in a battle with a trainer and a Torterra. He mentally shook himself from this strange sight and looked around for his Pokémon. Pikachu led him away from the battle to the edge of the square, where a woman was selling small glass ornaments from a stall. Brock, Dawn and Iris caught up with him as he was looking at the items on display. One of which, he noticed, was a glass figurine of Celebi.
'Really?' said Dawn in exasperation. 'You brought us here to buy you a souvenir?'
Celebi chirped with joy at the sight of itself in glass miniature.
'Would you like one?' asked the elderly woman behind the stall counter. She gave them a kind smile and Ash relented.
'Oh, all right. Just one – the Celebi one, please,' he said reluctantly.
'I'll get it, Ash,' said Brock at once, pulling out his wallet.
The woman smiled and carefully handed it over. Ash tied a piece of string around the figure and secured it around Celebi's neck, who was overcome with emotion.
Brock glanced over Ash's shoulder in time to see the group of their past-selves being led out of the square by the girl he now remembered as Alice. He looked up at the towers.
'Palkia's portal is starting to open,' he whispered hurriedly to the others.
'Time to go,' said Ash.
Celebi glanced in delight at its new present and pointed cheerfully down a side alley. They got the message. They all hurried down the deserted little street and Celebi closed its eyes in concentration again. At once, the noise of the crowd ceased. Ash watched, fascinated, as a Starly hung suspended in mid-flight above them. Then the greenish haze spread rapidly around them, and once again they hurtled through time.
'Do you think Celebi's taking us home?' asked Iris.
'I don't know,' said Dawn. 'I hope so.'
About a minute later, the green haze cleared, and the group now found themselves in a leafy shrub.
'Ouch, there's branches sticking in my back!' complained Dawn.
'Not the best landing, Celebi,' grumbled Ash.
He pulled the leaves and twigs out of his hair and crawled out of the bush. He looked around cautiously.
'So, are we back?' asked Brock.
'Nope,' said Ash, his heart sinking. 'You can come out of the bush, there's no one around.'
As Brock, Dawn and Iris scrambled out of the bush, Ash took a good look around their new environment.
'Oh, great. Now where are we?' moaned Dawn.
They were in a city square which was bordered on all sides by tall, futuristic skyscrapers. A modern-looking fountain played a few yards to their left. It was night, and the dark sky above was scattered by countless stars. The cold square seemed to be deserted.
'It's very – quiet,' said Iris.
'It is night-time,' pointed out Dawn.
'Yeah, but we're in a big city, so you would expect there to be people around anyway,' said Iris.
'Oh, yeah,' said Dawn with a small frown.
Celebi, Pikachu, Piplup and Axew went over to investigate the fountain. Celebi floated up and began to amuse itself by splashing in the water.
Then suddenly, Ash and Brock both realised where they were simultaneously.
'Oh, just great. We're going from one dangerous situation to another,' groaned Ash.
'What do you mean? Where are we?' asked Dawn.
'This is LaRousse City, in the Hoenn region,' said Brock.
'Hm … isn't that the place that's famous for its Battle Tower?' asked Iris.
'Yeah, that's right,' nodded Brock.
'So what makes it so dangerous?' Iris said, crossing her arms.
'That does,' said Ash simply, pointing up at the sky. Everyone looked up. Far above them, a long emerald-green shape was flying through the sky.
'Rayquaza!' exclaimed Dawn in shock.
'I've heard of that!' said Iris at once. 'The elder in the Village of Dragons told me about it. Isn't it the legendary guardian of Hoenn that flies in the ozone layer?'
'Yeah, that's right,' said Ash, impressed.
'So what's it doing here?' demanded Dawn.
'It's trying to attack Deoxys, but don't worry – it can't get in,' said Ash confidently.
'What do you mean 'in'?' said Dawn.
'Deoxys put a force field around the whole city so it could find its friend here. But Rayquaza wants to fight it, so it's trying to break in and attack it,' said Brock. Dawn and Iris both looked like they were struggling to keep up.
'So – what happens?' ventured Iris.
'It breaks in and has a huge battle with Deoxys in the middle of the city,' said Ash, scratching his chin thoughtfully.
'What?!' the girls exclaimed together.
'It's ok,' he said serenely. 'That doesn't happen 'till morning.'
'But we've got to watch out for Deoxys and its clones,' said Brock warningly. 'They're on the lookout for anyone walking around the city.'
'Oh, yeah,' said Ash, immediately looking around for any sign of the ominous Pokémon.
'So what do we do now?' Iris wondered out loud.
'Keep low and hope Celebi gets us out of here, I guess,' said Ash, glancing at Celebi, who was splashing joyfully in the fountain with Pikachu, Piplup and Axew.
'Celebi, could you take us home now?' asked Iris sweetly.
Either Celebi didn't hear her or was ignoring her, because she got no response. Iris put her hands on her hips and frowned.
'Hello? Earth to Celebi! Bring us back now!' she shouted as she marched over to the fountain.
'Iris, keep your voice down,' warned Brock.
'Guys! Someone's coming!' said Dawn suddenly.
They all froze and whirled around. The sound of quiet voices and rapid footsteps was audible from just around the corner, so Ash and Iris scooped up Pikachu, Axew, Piplup and Celebi and jumped back into the bush after Brock and Dawn.
Seconds after they had concealed themselves, three shadowy figures burst onto the square, and after pausing for a moment to get their bearings ran in the direction of the far end of the fountain.
Dawn peered curiously through the branches of the bush, accidentally poking one of them into Ash's face.
'Oww! Dawn, watch it!'
'Sorry, Ash … I just thought that those people looked familiar,' she replied quietly.
He poked his head through the bush to get a look at them.
'That's cause it's me!' he said.
'Really?' said Iris, pushing past him to look through the leaves.
Ash squinted after the running figures and saw that his past-self was accompanied by Brock and a boy called Tory Lund. He sighed.
'We're just going further and further back in time,' he murmured.
'Yeah, we need to get out of here and back to the present,' agreed Brock. 'I'd take Team Rocket over Rayquaza any day.'
They watched their past-selves run to the other side of the square and disappear behind a glass building. Silence returned.
'It's ok, we're gone,' said Ash, moving to get out of the bush.
'That sounds so weird,' mumbled Iris.
Celebi burst out of the bush and dove back into the fountain, spraying them all with droplets of water.
'Celebi!' protested Dawn, raising her hands to cover her hair.
Pikachu, Piplup and Axew happily hopped in after it.
'This is getting ridiculous,' snapped Iris.
'Guys, watch out!' shouted Ash suddenly.
'What?' said Dawn fearfully, but before she could say anything else a Deoxys clone had swept down out of the darkness and wrapped its arms around her. She screamed as she was lifted bodily from the ground.
'Let go of me!' she shrieked.
'Dawn, no!' cried Iris.
'Pikachu – quick, use Iron Tail!' shouted Ash.
Pikachu leapt from the fountain in a burst of water and slashed through the clone with its tail. The clone made a deep noise of complaint and dropped Dawn from ten feet above the ground. She shrieked again but Brock managed to catch her.
'Thanks, Brock,' she stammered.
'No problem,' he smiled.
Piplup and Axew were instantly by their trainer's sides, ready to fight off any attackers.
'Here come some more,' said Ash warningly.
They all looked skyward and they faltered as no less than two dozen clones swept down towards them. Suddenly Celebi was hovering in front of them, a look of intense concentration on its face once more. The world slowed, and the Deoxys clones came to a near halt only a few feet above them.
'Phew, that was close,' breathed out Iris.
'I wonder where we'll end up this time?' said Brock.
'Come on, Celebi! Bring us home!' implored Dawn.
For a third time the greenish haze descended upon them and LaRousse City vanished. The haze lasted slightly longer this time around and Celebi was frowning slightly as it hummed. But a moment later the haze cleared and they were suddenly buffeted on all sides by a fierce wind, with the smell of salt in the air.
They were instantly driven to their knees by a particular violent gust and they collapsed onto snowy ground. They found themselves on a patch of rocky shoreline between a large snowy rock and several frozen plants.
'This isn't home!' wailed Iris. 'And I hate the cold!'
'Where are we?' shouted Dawn above the howling of the wind.
Ash shielded his eyes against the snow which was being whipped about in the air and clambered to his feet, leaning on the rock for support. As soon as his head cleared the rock, he ducked back down again.
'What is it?' asked Iris, her face framed between two protective hands while her sleeves billowed around her.
'We're on Shamouti Island,' Ash yelled to Brock.
'Oh, great,' said Brock.
'Same question as before; where's that?' pressed Iris.
'It's in the Orange Islands,' explained Ash, a hand on his head to keep his hat from flying away. 'When we came here, something really bad happened.'
As if to support this claim, at that moment a distant roar could be heard over the wind.
'What was that?' said Dawn nervously.
Ash peered over the rock again, while Pikachu burrowed into his jacket to keep warm. Brock, Dawn and Iris poked their heads up to join him while Celebi made snow angels in the ground. Less than ten feet away from them a boy and a girl were standing by the shoreline. They were wrapped up in winter gear and were staring out to sea. Ash experienced a strange jolt in his stomach. He would recognise that red head anywhere.
'Who are those two?' asked Iris in hushed tones.
'That's Misty and Tracey; two of our best friends from a long time ago,' said Ash quietly.
Dawn was looking slowly around them with a look of mounting apprehension.
'I remember this now!' she said suddenly. 'I watched it all on the news back home in Twinleaf Town!'
'Wait – this looks familiar to me, too,' said Iris. 'I think I saw it on the news as well.'
'I'm sure you at least heard about it. The world almost ended here,' said Brock grimly.
'So are you around here somewhere, too, Brock?' asked Dawn, peering over the rock.
'No …' said Brock hesitantly.
'Oh, yeah! You were working with Professor Ivy at the time, right, Brock?' said Ash suddenly.
Brock hid his face in his arms and grunted.
'Don't mention that name …'
Dawn and Iris looked at Ash in confusion. He shrugged and shook his head.
'It's a long story – now's not a good time to tell it.'
'Right – so, Ash where are y -' began Iris, but Dawn interrupted her.
'Look!' she said, pointing up into the sky.
They all followed her gaze and gasped as they saw a gigantic white shape streaking beneath the black clouds towards them. The shape flew over the partly-frozen sea, while behind it a series of vicious tornadoes were tearing up the distant islets.
'It's Lugia,' breathed Dawn.
'And there's Ash, coming to the rescue,' grinned Brock.
Iris gasped as she spotted a younger Ash riding on the back of the legendary Pokémon. He was waving joyfully at his friends on the shore, who smiled and waved back. But suddenly a blur of thin shapes raced through the air out of nowhere – and Lugia was trapped in a cage of electricity.
'No!' exclaimed Iris.
Ash's grin faltered as he watched the scene play out once again. Lugia twisted around in fury within the bars of electricity, bellowing a bone-chilling roar. It crashed into the sea and quickly reappeared, bulldozing ice-bergs out of its way. It opened its mouth and fired a beam of extraordinary power towards Lightning Island. They watched its progress across the sea in awe, where it hit the distant island and exploded with tremendous force. Lugia emitted another ear-splitting roar and fired a second beam into the sky, where it collided with the battling figures of Moltres and Zapdos, knocking them out of the air. It then collapsed within its constraints and plunged into the icy sea. Ash felt a chill run down his spine as he watched his past-self thrown violently from its back. They both disappeared beneath the waves.
'Oh my God!' whispered Iris.
'This looks awful,' said Dawn in a choked voice.
Before they could say anything else they were distracted by Misty shrieking Ash's name. The present Ash felt his throat constrict as he saw for the first time what happened after he and Lugia fell. Tracey grabbed Misty by the arm to prevent her from hurtling herself into the violently churning ocean. She slapped his hand away and hurriedly pulled a long rope out of her bag, which was lying nearby. The top of Togepi's head was briefly visible as she opened it. Tracey looked wretched as he watched Misty tie the rope around her waist with shaking fingers.
'Misty – it's too dangerous,' croaked Tracey.
'I'm not leaving Ash to drown out there!' shouted Misty, furious tears on her face. 'Take the end of this rope and pull me in when I get to him!'
Dawn pressed a hand to her mouth as she watched, her eyes round as coins. Ash felt a burning at the corners of his eyes as his mind whirred. He had no idea how emotional Misty had become after he fell into the ocean. Sadness, anxiety, anguish and affection chased each other around his thumping heart.
Misty walked to the edge of the thrashing sea with a look of utter determination on her face and dived neatly and without hesitation into the water.
'She's so brave,' whispered Iris.
'Yeah,' croaked Ash.
Dawn looked quickly at Ash and then away again. Even Celebi seemed to realise the gravity of the situation and had settled sombrely on Brock's shoulder, who looked gravely pensive. Out in the sea Misty was making impressive progress through the waves, employing a perfect stroke which took her closer and closer to Ash's motionless body floating in the water. They could hear Pikachu's anxious cries echoing over the waves. It then became too difficult to see what was going on from their position, but within a minute Tracey had started pulling at the rope with all his might. Soon Misty came back into view, her arms wrapped around an unconscious Ash with Pikachu clinging to his shoulder. They reached the rocks and Tracey hurriedly reached down to pull Ash ashore. Misty hauled herself out of the water and lay kneeling on the ground for a moment, panting from the exertion. Tracey carefully laid Ash down on his back. Misty pulled off the rope and flung herself down beside him. She pressed her hands to his chest and bent her ear down to his mouth. She shook him slightly.
'Come on, Ash – breathe!' she begged.
'You've got to!' said Tracey. His face was a mask of disbelief and pain as Misty shook Ash harder, tears beginning to run down her cheeks.
'Please, Ash!' she implored. 'Please! You can't -'
She stopped as Ash slowly opened his eyes, and as he lurched upright Misty smiled with desperate relief.
'Oh, thank God! I thought that was it!' said Iris in a hushed voice.
'Did you think I wouldn't make it?' asked Ash, with a weak attempt at humour.
'Oh, yeah. I guess that should have been obvious,' she laughed.
'The sphere!' exclaimed Past-Ash, reaching suddenly into his pocket. He pulled out a small glass ball that glowed a brilliant blue.
'Seriously, Ash? Not even a thank-you?' said Iris indignantly.
Ash felt a wave of extreme guilt crash over him.
'I never even thought about it,' he murmured angrily.
Past-Ash had staggered shakily to his feet.
'Ash …' said Misty in a hushed voice.
He groaned and fell against Tracey, who tried to prop him up.
'Lemme go,' he said through gritted teeth. 'I gotta do this.'
'Well, some things never change,' said Iris wryly. 'He always has to play the hero.'
Misty and Tracey followed Ash warily as he made his way slowly towards a flight of stone steps in the trees to the left of their snowy rock. A few moments later and they were gone.
'Wow … that was intense,' said Iris in awe.
'Oh, Ash,' said Dawn softly, resting her hand hesitantly on his arm.
Ash was a million miles away. His head was spinning with wild thoughts and powerful emotions. His eyes were slightly glazed as he looked at the spot where Misty had vanished. Pikachu poked his head out of his jacket and nuzzled his cheek. He blinked, and slowly came back to himself.
'We should get out of here,' said Brock quietly. He was looking at Ash steadily, and a feeling of mutual understanding passed between them.
The others nodded their agreement. The wind was getting stronger every minute and the snowfall was turning into a blizzard. The waves were getting taller and taller, so that the spray from their tips as they crashed into the rocks soaked them even at this distance.
'Celebi, do you think we could go home now?' asked Brock, looking around at the little Pokémon still perched on his shoulder.
Celebi looked at him intently with its big round eyes and chirped.
'I hope that means yes,' mumbled Iris.
Celebi closed its eyes and began to hum, and suddenly the wind ceased and the waves froze. The snow was stilled in the air around them, creating a bizarre and mind-bending three-dimensional curtain of snowflakes around them. Shamouti Island vanished as the greenish haze quickly enveloped them. A few moments later and they fell forwards onto soft green grass.
'Could it be?' said Iris slowly, looking around.
They had landed outside the back door of Professor Juniper's lab, with the sun shining brightly in the sky above and the leisurely calls of the Pokémon moving about the reserve around them.
'It is! Finally!' cried Iris in delight. 'I've missed this place so much!'
They scrambled to their feet, basking in the warm glow of the sun and the reassuring sights of their own time.
'Thanks, Celebi,' said Ash gratefully.
Celebi chirruped happily and flew around their heads, brushing their hair and tickling their necks. They laughed and watched it fly high up into the sky.
'Bye, Celebi! Have a safe trip home!' called Dawn, waving.
'Thanks for the adventure, Celebi!' yelled Iris.
Ash and Brock waved enthusiastically as Celebi flew further away, the little glass figurine still tied around its neck. Finally, with one last cry of goodbye, it vanished from sight.
'I'm gonna miss that little Celebi,' said Brock wistfully.
'I'm so glad we ran into it,' said Iris with a smile. 'I feel like I learned so much about you all!'
'Our lives on the road weren't always that exciting,' laughed Brock.
'I wonder where Team Rocket went,' said Dawn suddenly, glancing over at the nearby forest.
'Hopefully a long way away,' said Iris firmly.
Just then the back door slid open and Professor Juniper was standing there, a look of surprise on her face.
'There you all are! I wondered where you had wandered off to,' she said, her eyebrows raised. Cilan appeared at her shoulder with the shopping bags in his hands. The two of them gazed at the group in bewilderment.
'But – what happened to you all? You look like you've been through the mill!'
Ash, Brock, Dawn and Iris glanced at each other and laughed. They were all sopping wet and covered in snow.
'It's a bit of a long story,' said Ash with a grin.
'How about we tell it over a nice cup of hot chocolate,' said Iris brightly. 'That's the best thing for the cold.'
'Cold? But it's the middle of summer,' said Cilan in confusion.
They laughed again and followed Professor Juniper back inside.
'I'll grab some towels while you put the kettle on,' she said. 'This story better be good!'
'Oh, it is,' Dawn assured her.
She disappeared upstairs and they followed Iris as she marched into the kitchen. Cilan and Dawn complained loudly when she shook herself like a dog and soaked them with salty water and snow. Brock paused outside the kitchen door and turned around when he realised Ash wasn't with them.
'Ash? Aren't you coming in for hot chocolate?' he asked.
Ash looked around and gave him a small smile.
'I'll follow you in a few minutes. I just want to make a call first,' he said, uncharacteristically taciturn. Brock gave a small smile.
'Take your time,' he said. 'I'll heat up your mug if you're too long.'
'Thanks, Brock,' said Ash sincerely.
He moved away towards the video phone in the hall and Brock returned to the kitchen, his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face.