This is a multiverse crossover that I wrote just for fun. Picture an anime version of Kingdom Hearts or Tsubasa Chronicles.
Gatekeepers, the name refers to a group of humans, yokai, spirits and other supernatural beings who have been reincarnated from Gods long extinct
Gatekeepers, the name refers to a group of humans, yokai, spirits and other supernatural beings who have been reincarnated from Gods long extinct. These deities were not all powerful, far from it. Their genetic material was extinct due to an ancient plague. However, their souls lived on, implanting themselves in the sentient creatures that shared their network of worlds.
And what a number of worlds there were! In our world, a good many of the other dimensions exist as anime, manga, science fiction, or other stories well known here. Stories such as Stargate and Dr. Who, which have been immortalized in the popular mind as recognizable as a rose on a bush. Anime of all kinds existed in their glory from Pokemon and Bleach, to Ghost in the Shell and Deathnote.
There are four celestial dragons, gatekeepers whose past lives and powers span many worlds. There is one for each element of nature, and collectively their power makes the scientific law of conservation of matter and energy work. Fire, water, earth, wind, each are holy beasts sealed inside an apprentice level, or genin gatekeeper, once every hundred years.
Gwen, Jazra, Katry and Kailai are the current celestial dragons. Kailai is chevalier to Saya, the Chiropteran Queen in the Blood+ world, however, she was assigned to be Diva's sensei and takes good care of Saya's enemy sister. Kailai holds the rank of State Alchemist in Amestris, and takes her duties as an Alchemist of the people seriously.
Katry is a Hellhound, an Inu yokai with powerful tracking abilities. He spends regular amounts of time working with Kagome and Inu-Yasha to defend their world from Naraku, who grows more powerful and frightening by the day. Katry's Holy Beast, Suzaku, is a black phoenix with an impressive wingspan and frightening endurance. After befriending Eureka and Renton and the crew of the Gekko, he serves part time as a fighter aboard the good ship, easily navigating trappers that Gatekeepers with flying abilities find difficult.
Jazra was born a Quincy, part of a group known as the Dianic Star that had escaped the Shinigami culling in the world of Bleach 200 turns prior. Her parents kept this hidden from her until she was nearly an adult. However, because of her friends at the Seireitei and her romantic partnership with Rukia Kuchiki, Jazra was outcast from her tribe. However, using a little known gatekeeper ability known as Ancestral Reaching, she retrieved a genetic ability of a previous incarnation, the Byakugan. As such, she has been considered an adopted member of Lord Hiashi's Family in Konohagakure and the world of Naruto. Since that day she has passed the Chuunin exams to be considered a Journeyman Ninja, she has also gained membership in the ANBU black ops and frequently runs offworld missions for Tsunade, 5th Hokage.
Gwen's travels are far and wide, and it seems that the celestial dragon of water may never find a home. Gwen searches for information about her father, who was also a gatekeeper and who died many years ago. Though recently her father resurfaced as a vaizard, Gwen rarely sees him anymore, and searches for information on what worlds he visited on his first journey.
But they are hardly the first generation of gatekeepers to travel the gates. Three years prior ZP, Delphine, Feralae and Lucas were one of the most powerful teams in the Strand, as the multiverse came to be known. However, when Feralae mysteriously disappeared, their team broke up. Though most gatekeepers believe Feralae to be dead, many clues have surfaced for Gwen and ZP that suggest she may be running things from the shadows. Lucas is a mysterious entity, who appeared along with two other foxes, Lex and Lan. Lucas disappeared within the boundaries of the Fire Nation of Avatar fame, and has not been seen since. While he is definitely alive, it is unclear where he has ended up or what sort of training he is undergoing.
Delphine is a timekeeper, and left for training soon after Feralae disappeared. In a few years she will have to take her place at the gates of time, and in training she often knows that a problem will arise before her fellow gatekeepers. Delphine is, however, forbidden from revealing things she learns at the gates of time to help Gwen.
Gwen's journey has taken her many places and seen many battles and missions, growing exponentially stronger with each battle. After making Journeyman Gatekeeper, she was given several solo missions gathering intelligence on a mysterious entity. The gatekeepers have a traitor in their midst! As they have a lot of evidence and no facts, Gwen was sent first on a dangerous retrieval mission to the Deathnote world. She was to retrieve Ryuuzaki, and fake the deaths of him, Watari and Rem so that the trio could escape. While Watari and Rem have been recalled to Shield Station to await further orders, Ryuuzaki has been recuperating at Konoha Hospital.
Now Gwen has been assigned a team, Sai of the ANBU root, and Mello of Wammy House. She has been given time at last to join in the Grand Festival in Sinnoh. Taking ZP and Ryuuzaki along with her, Zoe is escorting them to the Festival Grounds. But in the world of gatekeeping and the world of pokemon, Gwen has a rival. Her old schoolfriend Jazra also has 5 ribbons, and the two are dead set for entering Sinnoh's grand festival.
And so, Gwen gets her wish. Gatekeepers all over will get to watch her and Jazra compete, and Gatekeepers of many worlds converge on the Contest Circuit Stadium. But a shadow is looming over the festival grounds, is there something out there waiting to attack?
For once in her life, Gwen wasn't running for her life, she wasn't fighting high speed, desperate battles for life, limb and the future of the free world.
This time Gwen was fighting a battle for one thing...
A dragonair
"Look closely Mello, this is how its done!" Gwen said with a wicked grin. "PLUCK! Ice beam!!"
"GLAY!!" The pokemon leapt in the air, arching his back and neck gracefully. He leapt over the Dragonair's head, aimed downwards, "GLAAAAAAAAAAY!!"
Dragonair was partially frozen in the tussel. Pluck skidded to a stop, glaring at dragonair and growling. "Double team! Then use blizzard!!" Pluck took off like a shot. At the same time Dragonair followed Pluck's movements before...
"Look out! Dragonrage!!" Zoe warned Gwen.
The technique blew out the doubleteam. Pluck turned on a dime. "Avalanche!"
"Glay!" Pluck set off a massive barrage of ice and snow.
This dragonair wasn't going down without a fight. Shivering with the cold, it rushed for Pluck in a Dragon Rush attack. "Dodge and use ice ball!"
That was what hit it. The ice ball technique blindsided dragonair. "NET BALL!" Gwen chucked the ball as hard as she could.
The netball rattled back and forth. The pokemon inside struggled to get free. But it was no avail. BONG.
"Neat!" Mello rushed over as Gwen picked up the pokeball. "What are you going to do with it?"
"hmmm..." Gwen sighed. "For now nothing..." The netball disappeared.
Zoe was there as a guide. Sai and Mello were Gwen's apprentices. ZP was along for moral support. Ryuuzaki was /finally/ out of the hospital after surviving a deathnote attack during the effort to remove him. And others were going to be joining them when they got to the stadium. They were headed for Sunyshore city, home of the grand festival. Gwen was finally going to do something /she/ wanted to do.
"What? Where'd it go?" Mello asked, he and Sai bending over to see.
"It teleported. You can only keep six pokemon on you at once. The rest get teleported to the place you got your pokedex from. Since I got mine from Professor Oak, Dragonair goes back to him. When we've put some distance between us and here, I'll call him." Gwen said with a grin. "Come on Pluck!" She encouraged the Glaceon.
"Bull... bulba!" Mello's bulbasaur trotted along beside him. Sai had a pokemon too, a Smeargle that Ash had caught for him as a joke the last time they'd been there.
"The pokemon I've caught are listed here." Gwen showed Mello. "With me I have Pluck, Merlin, Krishna, Hornet, Tsubame and Rocket. All I need to do is give a call to Professor Oak, push a few buttons and I can switch them."
"How come I didn't get one?" Mello demanded.
Gwen groaned, Mello had become the ultimate overeager, headstrong apprentice. "Next time you want one, ask. I think Professor Rowan will be there, if not Professor Oak will be. I'll ask one of them to send you one." She sighed. "Come on, its not far this way."
"Yeah, hurry up!" Zoe said with a grin. "Don't want to get left behind."
Ryuuzaki was riding on Merlin. He'd been told to take it easy, but they really needed to move. So Merlin gave him a ride. Sai could more than keep up on his own. And what interest Mello hadn't shown in Gwen's pokemon he'd shown in the shinobi of Konohagakure. By now he'd managed climbing and waterwalking, doppelgangers, henge, substitution, and the fireball jutsu. And he was advancing in progress at a breakneck pace. Gwen liked him, truth be told, because no matter what, Mello never held back. He put everything into everything. And that was what Gwen liked in an apprentice.
"Lets move." Gwen told them. Zoe walked back towards the road with them. "VICTORY!!" Gwen called ahead. "I got Dragonair!"
"I am assuming this, Dragonair, is a powerful pokemon?" Sai asked. "Is that why you're so... is excited the word?"
"Sai, I've been excited in general from the moment I got here. The festival grounds are a little over two miles away." Gwen told him. "I needed the distance to bleed off the excitement!"
"You've been working hard to enter this, grand festival." Ryuuzaki said atop Merlin. "Is it that great a spectacle?"
"Are you kidding? They routinely need upward of about 10 Nurse Joys to care for all the pokemon. And twice that many Officer Jennys to take care of security." Gwen grinned. "Trainers come from all over, sometimes Wild pokemon even sneak in to have a peek. It lasts for a week, and this time Gatekeepers will be converging on the stadium as well. Two of the Celestial dragons will be competing, me and Jazra.
"You and Jazra knew each other when you were in school didn't you?" Sai asked.
"yes, since we were 4 and 5 at the beaches near New Haven." Gwen told Sai. "But when it comes to pokemon and gatekeeping, we're rivals too. My life has always taken me towards loved ones, a family, caring for others. But until recently Jazra has mostly worked solo, and her path has been more oriented towards her career and her duties as a shinobi and a gatekeeper. Jazra specializes in Dragon pokemon, her shapeshifted form is a tiger, so she can't exactly fly on her own." Gwen explained.
"How long have you been preparing for this, Grand Festival?" Ryuuzaki asked, mystified.
"Months. See, if things had gone much differently for me, I'd be a Pokemon Coordinator rather than a shinigami. They're so playful, I love working with them."
Ryuuzaki had a pokemon of his own as well, Infernus, a Vulpix. The little fox pokemon was curled in his lap, sound asleep. "It isn't long now is it?" He asked.
"not long, look!"
Streams of people and pokemon were visible as the trail merged with the main road. Gwen let out a whoop! "We just follow them to the Grand Festival. We might even see a few familiar faces along the way."
"GWEN! Hey Gwen darling!" Harley chirrupted as he hurried over. He had his Cacturne following him. "How /are/ you doing? You have guests?" He asked, looking over at Gwen's companions.
ZP spoke for the first time along the trail. "Harley, it's a pleasure as always." ZP was a native to the world of zoids, her organoid Camouflauge prevented her from taking a pokemon of her own. The cat was durned possessive.
"ZP? ZP?" Harley blinked. "Oh my lord gorgeous, what happened to you?"
"A three year revolution and a flashbomb." ZP said crossly. "What's happened to you?" ZP was blind, her hair deep sapphire had faded somewhat. But she had not always been so. ZP had been forced to break up a massive Civil War on her home planet. Though she was victorious, she paid a high price for her success.
"Oh I've been traveling all over Johto. I've got a lot of ribbons but Drew and May and I are coming to watch. We heard that a lot of very powerful gatekeepers are going to be there. Two of them competing?"
"Yeah, my rival Jazra." Gwen said with a huge grin. "She specializes in Dragon pokemon."
"Oh my, its that serious between you two?" Harley teased. "I didn't think you /had/ a rival."
Drew sighed, grabbing Harley's ear and hauling him along. "Come on koi, enough harassing the Competitors."
"But Drew, honey, you know its what I do best." Harley gave Drew a kiss on the cheek.
The other coordinator glared at Harley, blushing furiously. "That's what annoys me."
"Heya Drew, ready to watch me kick some butt? I came up with an absolutely shredding opening act." She said with a wink.
"Shredding? Oh my Gwen my dear what have you gotten up to?" Harley fussed.
"It's a secret Harley. You'll just have to watch."
"ZP……" Drew approached the Zian. "We may have a problem on our hands sometime this week." He pulled the other gatekeeper aside and said in a low voice.
"our traitor?" ZP asked quietly. "I'm sorry Drew, I'm blind now. The device that I use to aid my vision hurts. So I'm saving it for opening day. Please move closer?"
"Fair enough." Drew moved closer. "Yes, we think he may try to put in an appearance. Or at least send some underlings. A group as massive as this? It would be easy to hide a few fighters to attack with. We still don't know how large his organization is, we don't even know if it's a he or a she. Some of the gatekeepers coming as spectators are there for Security purposes as well. Lelouche and Karen are supposed to meet you, as well as Anisette."
ZP groaned. Gwen's pushy cousin Anisette had the same power of Geass as Lelouche. Due to family history, the two absolutely loathed each other. When the two had reunited after almost five years, Anisette had attempted to make Gwen dye her hair purple. Gwen was much too used to optical based techniques to let her power connect. But the two Black Knights would be perfect for interrogation.
"What about Dex? Gwen went hysterical when she showed up at Kira Task Force HQ." ZP asked quietly. Many, many years ago, Dex, Delphine's doppelganger, had raped Gwen. The two looked exactly alike, the difference was in their manner of speaking and the feeling of their riatsu.
"We don't think she'd appear. Knowing her destructive nature, its unsure whether her capacity for violence would win out over the strategic information she copied from Delphine." Drew said quietly as Gwen introduced Sai and Mello to Harley.
"My, Gwen dearie, your apprentices are absolutely gorgeous. I didn't know your friend was such a talented artist."
"Alright, hurry up!" Zoe urged the group as they started forwards again. ZP and Drew lagged behind the others to exchange intelligence, but Gwen was far to excited to pay attention to them.
The next two miles only served to excite Gwen more. Some of her best friends among the gatekeepers were coming to watch. Each group of offworlders was escorted by one pokemon native.
Neji, Hinata, Naruto, Temari, Kankuro, Hiashi, Jiraiya and Tsunade formed one party, escorted by Sabrina. The psychic was explaining to each of them that more or less, travelers without pokemon were considered suspicious or foolish. They were necessary for protection, even more so than a shinobi's summons.
Lelouche, Karen, Abel, Nanao, Hitsugaya, Matsumoto and yes, Delphine too, followed Misty to the training grounds. The water trainer was ecstatic, as it had been the first time in a long time she'd been able to get out of Cerulean City for a trip. Lelouche was wide eyed, Karen focused, Abel a little frazzled at all the activity around him.
Gwen didn't recognize some of the gatekeeper trainers. But could tell who was and wasn't by the sash or belt they wore, or the key around their neck that acted as a gatekeeper's ID badge. The place was a reunion for many, not just the gatekeepers who frequented it.
"Woah, everyone's here." Mello blinked as he recognized some of the trainers or gatekeepers. Then he spotted a familiar face. "HEY! Urahara! Urahara-sensei over here!" He called out.
Urahara arrived, Yoruichi, Soi Fong, Uryu, Ukitake and Kyouraku were with him. Gary was escorting them, a Rapidash acting as a very courteous ride for Ukitake so his lungs wouldn't be stressed. "Gwen! I'm glad I caught you. I made one for Jazra but I didn't get the chance to send you yours." Uryu handed Gwen a clothing box. "You need a dress to compete remember?"
Gwen blinked, opening the box and unrolling the outfit. Graceful black skirts, with sapphire blue edging and a sapphire blue waistband. Geta sandals, and sapphire blue tabi socks fit her feet. A hairpiece had been knotted with macramé to attach to the side of Gwen's head. It was sort of like orihime's hairpins, but instead of a flower there was only one pin, with a coiled sapphire blue glass dragon and several ribbons dangling from it. A wrap around black cotton haltertop was not only beautiful and showed off her figure, it was comfortable too! And in place of the haori that she would be asked to wear when she became a shinigami captain, was a sapphire blue haori identical to this. On the back of it a Flygon was depicted, chasing its tail.
"Oh my, Gwen darling its beautiful!" Harley exclaimed. "its perfect for you! Hold it full length so I can see it!"
Gwen giggled, whirling with the outfit held up to her chest.
"you forget that I can't see." ZP pointed out, disappointed that she couldn't see the outfit her wife was wearing.
"You'll be using your eyepiece when you watch the festival, you can see me in it then. It will be a surprise."
"Its good to see you again ZP." Uryu said courteously. "Gwen, your grandfather is too busy with a case to leave Section 9 for the moment. Aramaki promised to use a special channel to watch the broadcast and see how you do. Your father said that he'd be coming tomorrow morning. But since he's acting captain for the 5th division, he has some work to finish up first."
"ALRIGHT!" Gwen grinned.
"Takato seems to dislike leaving soul society Uryu, any particular reason why?" Ryuuzaki asked.
Gwen's father and Ryuuzaki were schoolmates, her father having been hidden at Wammy house soon after he was tapped.
"Gweneviere." A doleful voice spoke up, stepping from behind the rapidash Ukitake was riding. A young woman with floppy purple red hair pulled back with a grey hairband, the stranger was wearing a simple outfit, a white blouse and black skirt. But it was the yellow eyes that Gwen recognized as…….
"REM!" Gwen squealed, throwing her arms around the shinigami. "Wow! Urahara made a gigai for you? You look gorgeous! Come on!" She tugged on the shinigami's arm. "Sai, Mello, Ryuuzaki, look who showed up!"
"Actually Gwen, the gigai is untraceable. Rem can't leave it, and over the next few months it will turn her into a human, she won't be bound by her Deathnote any longer and will be free to go where she likes." Urahara explained. "Though, she should get better taste in clothing."
"I'm surprised you agreed to something like that." Ryuuzaki said coolly.
"Ryuuzaki, for centuries that Deathnote was my prison." Rem said quietly. "Because I was a nikkisashi shinigami, I was unable to interact freely with the other gatekeepers. To be able to live freely, and die freely, is perhaps the greatest gift I could ever wish for."
The crowd was slowly making its way towards festival village. "Where to?" Ukitake asked, "There's an inn somewhere here right?"
"over here, the pokemon centers at these facilities are meant to accommodate hundreds of trainers and spectators." Gary told the captain. "You can take a rest and settle in."
"I have to register, be right back!" Gwen told the other gatekeepers. She trotted off towards the registering counter with Pluck. The Glaceon never looked happier. "I'm so glad we're here Pluck! I thought I was never going to get away!"
"GWEN!!" Ash, Dawn and Brock rushed over. "Did you hear the rumor?"
"What rumor?"
"There's going to be a second appeals round!" Dawn sounded anxious.
Gwen chuckled. "No need to worry. I'll help you improvise something on the fly. My pokemon got scary tough, and I caught a new one on the way here that I need to introduce to the others. Is Professor Oak around?"
"He comes in tomorrow morning for opening ceremonies." Ash told her.
"Good, Mello got down on his knees and begged for a pokedex."
"Really?"
"yeah, oh man, I'm so excited. Jazra's entering too. Normally we're good teammates, but when it comes to pokemon, hoooo boy. The fur flies! Or scales as twer." Gwen added.
"Well, leave the fighting to the pokemon. What did you choose for your opening act?" Ash asked.
"A trick I learned on a mission to Trinity Vatican. Speaking of which, Abel's around here somewhere."
"Who?"
"A Priest from Trinity Vatican. He probably came to watch me and Jazra compete. You'll just have to wait and see. Though I suspect I'll need Krishna or Jyro to come up with something good."
"Jyro's the hyperactive little……"
"Rampardos now."
"Oh no." Dawn groaned, recalling the number of times she'd been enthusiastically tackled by an over enthusiastic Cranidos looking for a good fight.
"S'alright, he knows better now." Gwen said with a grin. "Nurse Joy, I came to register for the grand festival." She held out her ribbon case.
"Oh my, you won the Oak and Rowan ribbons. That's a pretty good achievement." Nurse joy smiled as she looked over the assembled ribbons. "There we go, your pokedex please?" She inserted it into a slot and ran a scanner over each ribbon in her case. "One more thing, which town do you come from, or city?"
"Ah……" Gwen flushed, trying to think of an answer. "Karakura town, its really far away from here."
"Alright Gwen of Karakura town, you're registered for the Grand Festival. And you?" She asked Dawn. "You're Dawn right?"
"How do you know me?" Dawn asked, eyes round.
"I watched your contest in Pastoria City. That was some win, and your Piplup is so cute. And you look just like your mother, Johanna. She was an excellent coordinator."
"Thank you!" Dawn exclaimed. "I'm from Twinleaf Town." She added.
"Alright, Dawn of Twinleaf Town. You're registered as well. Opening Ceremonies are tomorrow morning at 10 AM. Don't be late!"
"no need to worry!" Gwen and Dawn chorused, then giggled. "I'd better call grandfather and let him know I've made it here safely." Gwen said with a grin.
"Oh that's right! Tell me, is he coming to watch?"
"No, but Dad is. In fact……"
"Gwen!" Professor Oak said with a warm smile. "How are you?"
"Professor!" Gwen said with a huge grin.
"Yes, I'm here. Since you and Jazra are both going to be competing."
Gwen blinked for a moment, and the groaned. "Tracey is at the lab right? He's watching it right?"
"Of course, he always does when I'm away. Why?"
"I caught a new pokemon this morning! A dragonair! And I'm going to need to switch pokemon later!" Gwen said with a sigh. "That's a relief! I'd hate for dragonair to come out of its pokeball to an empty laboratory!"
"Why don't you give Tracey a call, he should be taking care of paperwork about now."
Gwen nodded and pulled out her cellphone, it was a shinigami cellphone, the kind Bleach Shinigami used. "Alright….." She dialed Oak's laboratory.
"Oh wow, you've got a cellphone?" Dawn asked enviously.
"This one is special, come on." She lead the group over to a seat and activated the video function. "Heya Tracey!"
"Oh, Gwen good to hear from you. Was that your dragonair that came in a couple of hours ago?"
"Yeah. I'm fully registered for the Grand Festival, and dad's even coming to watch."
"Cool, the Professor is at the festivities if you want to contact him."
"Sure, don't worry." Gwen said with a grin. "I just ran into him."
"Hello Tracey, I'm here." Professor Oak said with a smile.
"I'm glad you made it safely Professor. Things are going great around here. Ash's pokemon have been helping out a lot around the Lab. And what his don't do, Gary's pokemon help with."
"I'm glad to hear that. You shouldn't have very much trouble then."
"None at all! Gwen, if you need to switch pokemon give me a call!"
"Alright." Gwen said with a grin. "Then its to the Pokemon Center I go next."
"See you soon." Tracey said as he hung up.
"Bright and early then." Gwen said as she departed.
Brock watched Gwen go. "She needed this more than any of the other gatekeepers." Brock said with a smile.
"How come?" Dawn asked. "I mean, the Grand Festival is a great achievement but……"
"Gwen has long been thought to be invincible. She gets the most dangerous missions and never any time for herself. She's wanted to join the Grand Festival ever since she first participated in a Pokemon Contest. She was able to defeat myself and Misty for our badges, then later Roark, Gardinia and Fantina. When asked why she split her attention to whatever gymleader was visiting, she explained that she never got any time for herself. The badges were mementos."
"And as a shinigami lieutenant, she'd have a lot more missions and duties to attend to." Professor Oak said quietly. "She's participated in battles where lives were on the line. She's actually killed an enemy Captain in battle. And as a shinigami, when she dies she'll remember everything that she's done in her life, lose everyone she cares about to age and time, and slowly, slowly forget her life before becoming a shinigami. Her badges and ribbons are probably important items to her, reminding her of good times that will have vanished a long time ago."
"Wow, I didn't think she'd have it that tough." Dawn looked after Gwen's retreating back.
"So…… Professor." Ash blushed, hurriedly changing the subject. "Is Gary here somewhere?"
"Yes, he came earlier to escort the people coming in from the Seireitei and Karakura town."
"Alright! I'll see you all later!" Ash said, flustered, as he ran for the Pokemon Center.
"What's up with him?" Dawn asked, watching Ash's retreat.
"He and Gary have some…… business to attend to." Brock said with a grin. "Don't worry about it."
Ash grinned, tackling Gary in the pokemon center waiting room. Misty watched them go in amusement, and the kiss Ash gave Gary's cheek told her /everything/ she needed to know about what her former apprentice was up to.