Hey guys. Star here. This is what's coming up next:

This chapter will include some answers to what's happened while Ash has been buried, why he was buried, who is still around, and where the heck everyone is. Also includes a major point in the plot, how the rest of his story can actually go on. What happens now affects everything else, so let's get to it!

Liked the little tid-bit about Misty? If you didn't, then I'm sorry. I needed a good introduction, and I figured Misty would be a good person to tell about.

For those who did, I was thinking of adding small chapters a little every time a new major character would reveal themselves to Ash, as a way to explain what happened to them the past two years. Let me know if you agree! (I'll probably do it either way…)

I have one last thing to say; I won't be updating very quickly, because I play a school sport, and that pretty much takes up the rest of my time. I have been writing this story at night, and I REALLY need my sleep! Finally, I would like to say that Tobias never owned a Latios or Darkrai. The thought of someone capturing a legendary…ugh. Just pretend he had a really strong team of assorted Pokémon. It's not really relevant to the story. Thanks for understanding.

Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure I don't own Pokémon.

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Chapter Two: Two Years Later

An hour before Ash's Awakening

'Sire, I don't know if this is such a great idea. Maybe a little bit longer will do, but-'

'No!' exclaimed Giratina, the Renegade Pokémon. He was frustrated. Here he was, in his own realm, being questioned of his actions. Sure, they weren't flawless. But when the Reverse World was all screwed up, you knew that the Human World wasn't much better. It was time to take action. 'My realm is crumbling, becoming more unstable by the day. It is time to release our trump card. We knew this day would come, and it looks like it was even worse than we imagined.'

Two legendaries were in a tower. They were very high, in a neat, stylish room. Giratina himself could easily fit in the large room…as long as he stopped, of course. Used by the overseer in the Human World, it seemed the perfect place for a portal. After all, anything that was created on the Human World was made in the Reverse World. Unfortunately, everything seemed out of place. That's what the Reverse World is like. But for someone who didn't have a clue what was going on, it could get quite confusing.

Darkrai, the Pitch-Black Pokémon, hesitated. He normally would never question the Renegade Pokémon. After all, Giratina was one of the Creation Trio. Only Arceus had control of him – but that option was out of the question. Dialga and Palkia, maybe, if they worked together. However, Giratina and he had only wanted to use their trump card if the situation was desperate. After the fall of order, no one could stop Giovanni. To preserve their kind, most of the legendary Pokémon had fled to their various sanctuaries. Except poor Arceus…

Shaking himself out of his memories, Darkrai went back to the question at hand. Giovanni thought he was invincible; no one alive could defeat him now. Everyone who had the potential lost their hope once Ash Ketchum was proclaimed dead. Maybe, with Ash back, they could begin to fight back…

It was too soon. In Darkrai's mind, it would have to wait ten, fifteen years before they could awaken him. Only then would Giovanni be weak, weak from his overconfidence.

Giratina wasn't going to have this. Yes, it might be too soon. But his realm…His realm was crumbling from the greed and poverty that went on in the Human World. If one world died, so did the other. Giratina knew this better than anybody.

'I told you, now's the time! If we keep on waiting, we shall be too late.'

'If you would just let me go and find the others…'

'And, yet again, I told you no! It's no good, they won't listen to us. Without anything to rely on, we are helpless ourselves.'

Finally, Darkrai gave in. It was no good to argue with a lord. They always had to have it their way. He didn't like it, but he would do it.

'Alright,' Darkrai said, 'where is he slumbering? It's been awhile, I've forgotten.'

Giratina nodded, finally able to make the Pitch-Black Pokémon understand. 'He is sleeping in his home of Pallet Town. His grave won't be hard to find; even in rest, Ash Ketchum knows where the hearth is.'

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Spotlights. Barking. The sound of screams in the streets. Pallet Town was no longer a pleasant place. Ever since Team Rocket had claimed it as a new HQ, the small country town had become a filthy factory city. Giovanni had figured that all the space would make a perfect place for more factories – and as a message to others. No one could escape Team Rockets grasp, not even a small country town. Soon, Hoenn, Johto, and Sinnoh were all manufacturing Dark Balls. Many of the civilians lived in fear of the ruthless city guard, who patrolled daily with their Dark Ball powered Pokémon. Even with the factories being built, the homes were allowed to stay. Why, nobody knew. An act of kindness in an otherwise hostile world, perhaps? The people sure weren't feeling the kindness, though. In this world, Pokémon were not friends. Only as guards, a security system for your household. Rocket-trained Pokémon were taught to smell, hunt, and attack others without mercy. To make sure no one entered – or left, for that matter – a tall, electrical fence surrounded the borders of Pallet. In the center of the city was a tall watchtower; in the top, a luxury room for the overseer.

It was on top of the tower the portal originated. It was quite ironic, really. A pathway out of town, right above the overseer's nose. Then again, pretty much no one could enter. With the Human World now in chaos, Giratina has prevented all but a chosen few to possess the ability to come and go as they please. Darkrai was one of them.

Slipping out of the portal, Darkrai easily made his way to the Ketchum house. At night, travel was especially easy; no one could see him now. Being the Pokémon with shadow-like abilities had its advantages. Right outside the house, Darkrai couldn't help but peer inside the room. He saw several guards searching the house, but no Delia in sight. That was good; maybe she had found a way to escape? Darkrai was a normally heartless Pokémon, but the thought of sweet, caring Ms. Ketchum being brutally tortured was enough to make anyone despair.

This sight just made Darkrai all the more determined. He had to complete his mission. Giratina trusted him; as much as they had their differences, Darkrai knew his lord meant well. While Giratina wasn't really his 'lord', it was a sort of understanding between the two. The legendary Pokémon were outcasts; both being of strange origin. This had led to a sort of father/son bonding, Giratina being the father. Darkrai cared deeply for his lord, and vice versa.

Drifting in the shadows, Darkrai finally find a small, yet elegant, headstone. Written on it were a few words…

Ash Ketchum was not just a boy.

Ash Ketchum was a friend, never hesitating to give one a hand.

Ash Ketchum was a guardian, sacrificing his own well-being for the good of others.

Ash Ketchum was a hero, always putting others' needs before his own – which ultimately led to his demise.

We shall never forget you, Ash.

RIP

Someone else might've been moved by these words. Darkrai, however, was not someone else.

Taking a deep breath, Darkrai floated down, and started to scan the ground beneath, using some of his psychic powers to see through. Sure enough, there was a wooden coffin down there. But…was it slightly moving?

Taking a deeper look, Darkrai saw Ash Ketchum holding his head, obviously in pain; and obviously awake. Darkrai was indeed surprised. Why was he awake?! Did Darkrai's presence wake him up? Did he wake up on his own? It was indeed strange…But now was not the time to ponder.

Charging up a shadow claw, Darkrai started digging into the earth, taking care to do it quietly as to not alert the guards. He was not in the mood for some unpleasant company right now. Finally, after clawing away the dirt bit-by-bit, he sent a strong Hypnosis to knock out the young man. Darkrai narrowed his eyes, knowing that with Ash Ketchum awake, the boy would notice if he was abducted right from the grave. He had planned to just open the coffin, and take Ash's unconscious body back to the Reverse World. But no; nothing ever went according to plan. Instead, he had to improvise.

Using a Shadow Claw as a kind of welding tool, Darkrai cut out the top of the wood. Now he could clearly see Ash, writhing in his sleep. No doubt, Darkrai's ability Bad Dreams was affecting Ash. He pulled Ash over his shoulder, making sure that he wouldn't fall off – Darkrai had no idea if you could get separated in shadow travel, and he did not want to find out.

Making sure to cover up the grave again, Darkrai set off back towards the portal. He made sure to hurry; the sun was rising, and a shadow with no owner was not something people took lightly.

Back in the Reverse World

'I see you have succeeded,' commented Giratina.

'Yes. However, the boy was awake when I found him. Do you find that unusual at all?'

'In fact, I don't. When I convinced Dialga to preserve Ash in time, I made sure that when another legendary came near him, he would awake.'

'Why? You also neglected to inform me of this information. Did you do that on purpose?' questioned the confused Pitch-Black Pokémon.

'I…forgot…' stuttered Giratina. How could he have been so forgetful? 'I made it that way so we wouldn't have to waken him ourselves; also, so he could get enough time to remember all that's happened.'

"Well, you're partially wrong." a new, hoarse voice said.

Both Giratina and Darkrai looked back to see Ash Ketchum staring at them from the bed, confusion and alertness in his eyes. Of all the places he expected to be, the Reverse World was not very high on the list.

'Err…hello, Ash. Glad to see you're awake.' Despite the rather kind greeting, Darkrai felt some anger welling up inside. If all of this had been for nothing…

'Welcome to Overwatch Tower, Ash. It's good to see you again.' said Giratina,

"I would say the same thing, except that I can barely remember either of you. Didn't you stop two incredibly powerful Pokémon from destroying a town?" He had pointed to Darkrai. Said Pokémon winced.

'Please don't mention that… I happened to die there as well, for a short time. It was not a pleasant experience…' he muttered.

"And you happened to pull Dawn and I into the Reverse World when we were caring for someone… Hayden, or something?" asked Ash, directing his question towards Giratina.

'I was mad because my siblings of Creation – Dialga and Palkia - had created a mess in my world, and a Pokémon named Shaymin had helped Dialga escape from my grasps.'

Now at least knowing his history with the two other Pokémon, Ash started questioning the problems at hand. "What's Overwatch Tower? And you don't really seem all that happy to see me…" he replied.

'That is because we had only need of you when the situation was most dire,' said Darkrai. 'In fact, I had personally hoped we would not need to use you.'

"First off, answer my first question. Then, tell me why I was in a coffin!" asked Ash. He had millions of questions buzzing around in his head, but he needed to start simple first. Maybe these two would know why he was buried.

'We are in Overwatch Tower, in the center of Pallet Town.' said Darkrai, rather bluntly.

Ash could feel his eyes widening. "Pallet Town? Why Pallet Town? It's never had an Overwatch Tower when I lived here! What's going on?"

'Ash…' Giratina started. This might take a while.

'Three years ago, Giovanni found a remnant of a Dark Ball. Remember that time you helped Celebi? You might…Well, in case you don't, an evil man used an evil Pokéball to capture a legendary Pokémon, and with it, he sowed havoc throughout the forest. When you and some of your friends defeated him, we thought that the Dark Balls were completely destroyed. They had not. The master of Team Rocket himself found the shattered form of the ball. Although it was not completely able to capture a Pokémon, he could sense the power in it. Taking the Ball back to his lab, the scientists there were able to revive the Ball, making it able to catch once more. Giovanni tested this on his Persian, and sure enough – the Persian became evil, much more powerful than before. Pleased with his work, Giovanni secretly created a factory to make even more Dark Balls. However, they were acting very discreetly; this was happening while you were facing off Tobias. I can safely assume you remember this.'

Ash shivered as he heard that name. He knew that this was the name of a strong trainer in the last League he partook in, but he couldn't place it! Amnesia was terribly inconvenient at times.

Giratina continued, 'We, meaning Darkrai and I, decided that the Human World would be doomed to destruction if this continued. So we waited for the perfect chance to strike – and before we knew it, the entire facility of Team Rocket was gone. No factories, no Team Rocket – nothing! You were one of the first victims of their attacks. On a boat headed towards Kanto, your female companion Dawn, best friend Brock, and yourself were-'

He stopped suddenly. Ash had cried out in pain and fainted.

Flashback

Ash, Dawn and Brock were standing on the deck, overlooking the ocean. It was a great day, with the warm weather and shining ocean. It seemed that all the passengers had decided to go up on the deck today. However, the three friends were thinking about each other's plans.

Dawn had decided to take a break from competing, and came to see the world a bit more; and to maybe meet some new Pokémon along the way.

Brock was headed home to become a Pokémon Doctor, surprising his friends with his recent decision. But, like the true friends they were, they encouraged Brock to do the best he can.

Ash was headed home to decide his next move; he knew not where to go, and just wanted to see home. After a while, you started to get slightly homesick.

"So, Dawn, where are you heading first?" asked Brock.

"Oh, I dunno. Maybe go over to Mt. Moon? I heard it's the exclusive home of the Pokémon Clefairy." Dawn's eyes had little hearts in them. "I heard that those Pokémon are so adorable! What I wouldn't give to catch one!"

Ash and Brock shared a smile as Dawn went on about how adorable Clefairy could be. They had gotten use to ranting's about how cute a Pokémon could be.

"And you, Ash?" Dawn asked him. He hadn't yet decided, and the other two were eager for an answer.

He was about to speak up, when Pikachu suddenly perked up an ear. "Pika? Pika-chu!"Pikachu started to run towards the stairs.

"Hey, Pikachu! Wait up!" yelled Ash. This was strange; Pikachu had been acting just fine a moment ago. He started to run over to catch up to Pikachu.

Hi friends felt it first before he did.

"ASH, WAIT!"

An explosion rent the air. Debris and dust was thrown into the air. Lots of people went flying, and panic started to spread.

Once the smoke and debris was cleared, everyone could easily see the gaping hole in the deck. All of the passengers had been evacuated to the top deck, yelling for their loved ones. Although the ship was not sinking, it stopped moving. The engine had been completely destroyed.

"Passengers, please stay calm!" the captain yelled into his megaphone. Slowly but surely, people stopped so the captain could be heard. "There have been no deaths reported, although a few minor injuries. We were lucky that no one was severely injured. We are currently investigating the damage."

However, Brock and Dawn were worried. Ash was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Pikachu.

"Brock, where could Ash be? Did he fall?" Dawn was now very worried.

"Let's take the stairs down. That's where Ash was headed before the explosion. He'll be ok, I know he'll be. He's been through worse." Brock said.

Traveling down the stairs, they went down and down until they were in the engine room. The engine looked fried – no doubt from the explosion – and they could see…

"Ash!" Brock yelled at him. Ash was currently standing, facing someone in front of him. Next to his feet was Pikachu, in battle position, electricity sparking through his fur.

"Guys, don't move!" Ash yelled over his shoulder.

The two stopped. What was happening? Why was Pikachu looking so angry?

They were answered when they saw Giovanni, with his Persian right next to him. In his hands, he held what looked like a remote. Behind Giovanni were his goons, uncovering something from underneath a tarp. It was large, and looked slightly intimidating.

"Oh, so now you're worried, eh Ketchum?" Giovanni's rough voice called out to him. Persian growled, making threatening glares at Pikachu. "Stand back boy, if you know what's good for you. Not that it will help, anyway."

"Oh yeah?! What are you doing here, attacking a boat with so many innocents? Do you have no soul? No feelings?" He glanced at Persian. Normally, he would feel just fine taking on Giovanni's Pokémon. He was sure Pikachu could handle it. But a closer look at Persian made him feel slightly unsure of himself. Persian's eyes were deep red instead of yelled, and its fur was slightly darker. More grey than yellow.

"What's wrong with your Persian? What did you do to him!

Giovanni smirked. "My ever-so-loyal Persian just decided to try out a new home. It has been working wonders on his health, as you can see." He looked down at Persian, and said "Persian, kill."

As the large feline jumped far, farther than a normal Persian, the boat shook yet again.

Half the floor gave way, letting water rush in. Dawn and Brock headed towards the exit, calling out Ash's name. But he was busy with his own thing. Persian had attacked viciously, gouging a long cut through Pikachu's side. He was losing blood. Fast. Ash obviously didn't want to leave him, or let his faithful partner take another blow like that. Persian was strong. A few grunts started to go after them, but Pikachu tiredly shocked them, making them back away.

"Pikachu, it's no use! Go with them; make sure they escape. I'll hold them back" Ash growled. Taking his belt, he gave it to Pikachu. The small Mouse Pokémon closed his mouth shut, giving Ash an appalled look. No way Ash would think of doing this!

"Please, Pikachu!" Ash pleaded. "They won't come to you. Just do me a last favor, and go with Brock. He will take care of you…"

With a small surprise, Pikachu saw that Ash had watery eyes. Either from the ocean spraying all over them or his tears, Pikachu never found out.

"Go! Now!" Ash yelled, and before Pikachu could protest, strapped his belt around Pikachu and threw him over to a stricken Brock.

"Ash, you know you won't survive. The water is coming in too fast. Come with us!" Brock exclaimed desperately. He knew what all this meant. And it meant that Ash would finally be having his last adventure.

"No. They came for me, and I won't let them hurt anyone else. I'll give them what they want!" Pikachu was shocked as Ash took Pikachu in his arms, and threw Pikachu at Dawn.

"But…but Ash!" Dawn yelled, catching a confused Pikachu.

Ash grinned, with what they thought, was his final smile. "No need to worry, Dawn! I'll see you later!" Turning around, Ash rushed the grunts.

Dawn closed her eyes, and ran out of the room, with Brock close behind. Neither of them wanted to look back. Neither of them could.

It seemed that time seemed to slow down. Ash went down after multiple kicks and punches; but not before injuring a few others. Then, as he lay on the ground with multiple cuts and bruises, broken bones in multiple places, Giovanni hovered over him. His vision was blurry, and he could barely hear the Team Rocket boss speak.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that underneath the tarp had been a helicopter. How had it fit into the hull?

The large vehicle started powering up, and the grunts piled in. A large hole had been cut into the ceiling, making it easy for the helicopter to fly straight out. Before Giovanni stepped on, he took a final look at Ash.

"With you out of the way, there will be no opposition. Good bye, Ash Ketchum."

With that, Giovanni took a swift kick into Ash's face, promptly knocking him out.

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Darkrai's psychic powers: Let's just assume all mentally capable legendaries have at least the basic psychic powers. Makes more sense, in my mind. Like Dialga and Palkia. They may not know psychic moves, but they can still use telepathy and levitate. Stuff like that.

Dawn and Brock: Not going to add last names, for the most part. If a character becomes more important than I intended, then I'll come back and revise it. Ok?

Well guys, hope you liked the first two chapters! This is my first FanFic posted; I'm pretty nervous. I would appreciate some constructive criticism. I'm normally pretty shy about publishing/showing my work, so this took a lot of effort.

Guys, I can't stress how important it is that this world is dark. It's going to get a bit worst. If you are someone enjoys happy, mellow stories, check out my Hoenn Frontier story. I promise you, it's a lot lighter, and almost canon-like. If there were really a thing called a Hoenn Frontier, I'm sureAsh would've challenged it.

One last thing. If you find me a little hard to follow, please tell me! I know I have that problem, but it's hard to identify when it happens.

Update: Fixed most grammar errors and other nonsense that didn't make any sense.

Cheers!