I've stopped watching the anime episodes. I am now writing these after reading the episode summaries on Bulbapedia. I just couldn't handle it anymore.
Sperance: I actually thought through the implications after reading your review, and I have to say, I think I'm pretty accurate. I mean, Ash has died in the anime at least four times. At least. He's been electrocuted, burned, drowned, had a gun shoved in his face, and whatever else his ten year old ass has had to deal with.
He's been turned to stone, and erased from time. He watched Lucario die, been fucking possessed… that's all I can think of, off the top of my head. Ash is pretty jaded about life, possibly. I'll be delving a little deeper in this chapter, actually. Should be fun.
Makes for a completely unintentionally deeper character, though. So…whoops?
XxX
Ash felt Pikachu vacate his shoulder as they appeared atop a large mountain, the place he'd watched Memory!Arceus select for the task at hand. Absently brushing snowflakes from his hair – had it really gotten long enough to reach his shoulders? – he pulled himself onto his feet, blowing the snow covering his Xtransceiver out of the way.
He could never get used to the landings whenever Mewtwo teleported him, and after a while the Genetic Pokémon had stopped trying to be gentle. After all, if Ash could never get used to catching himself, he'd do well to get used to the inconvenience and/or slight pain, depending on how high they were off the ground.
Mewtwo floated down beside him, a shimmering wave of psychic power covering his body and expanding outwards, repelling the snow as it went.
"I wonder what a Sunny Day here would do to the rest of the world's weather." He commented idly, shooting a disdainful glance at the snow beside him as Pikachu erupted from it.
The Mouse Pokémon didn't seem to mind the cold at all. Odd.
"Don't know, don't really care." Ash tapped at his Xtransceiver for a moment, taking a second to marvel at how good the signal was. Unless you were in the middle of the ocean, the top of Mt. Silver was about as isolated as one could find themselves.
Mewtwo responded to that by firing off a Sunny Day, practically obliterating the clouds overhead and allowing the setting sun to shine on the mountain top for what would probably have been the first time in weeks.
Mt. Silver was favoured training ground by many top level trainers, mainly due to the infamous harsh weather and conditions that plagued its summit. If anything, those conditions would just make what Ash had to do harder.
The circumstances were unique, and Mewtwo found himself hoping that these next few hours would go well. Arceus had been very clear; nothing detrimental was to happen to the Chosen of this generation. If things got out of hand, it was up to him to stop things from escalating, by any means necessary.
He didn't enjoy taking lives, but Arceus knew he would never allow anything to happen to Ash.
The Xtransceiver had only been ringing for a few seconds before the woman on the other end picked up, facing towards a roar off-screen with a small smile.
"Hey, Ash. New phone?" Liza glanced at the screen properly, her mouth dropping a moment later as her eyes narrowed. Something shuffled to her right, a deep grunt that Ash could identify as curious perceptible over the small speakers.
"I know that look. What's going on?"
Ash shifted automatically, giving Pikachu more room to land on his shoulder as the Electric Type hopped out of the snow. His eyes stayed on the screen, the lump in his throat being swallowed down easily enough.
"Hopefully, nothing at all." That didn't really do much to pacify Liza, who by this point had been joined by Charla. "I'll need Charizard as soon as possible."
Liza sighed, leaning back in her chair and placing a hand on Charla's snout. The Flame Pokémon seemed disgruntled, and Ash frowned. Now he had to find a way to make it up to the Charicific Valley denizen for whatever plans he'd just ruined.
"You told me you were leaving Pallet two weeks ago." Liza commented, her surroundings shifting as she rose out of her chair. "That's fourteen days. How can you already be having a run-in with a Legendary?"
Despite his situation, Ash snorted. Should he tell her about Zekrom? Ah, why not.
"This'll be the second time."
Liza stopped in her tracks, remaining still for a heartbeat before lowering herself back into her chair.
"Tell me everything." She commanded, her tone leaving no room for argument.
"Uh…" Ash glanced at Mewtwo, the Psychic Type having spent the last minute viciously melting the snow that surrounded them with various attacks.
Mewtwo shrugged. They had nothing but time, and having Charizard by Ash's side would probably help their situation. He'd indulged a request to battle him several months ago, having used an island that held no life, apart from a few flocks of migrating bird Pokémon.
The island hadn't survived. And that had been before the elderly Professor had called a time-out and allowed Ash to borrow the Charizardite and Key Stone he'd been sent to study.
That Fire Type was downright scary.
Ash turned back to his Xtransceiver, raising a single eyebrow as Liza sipped from a straw. Behind her head, Charla was staring intently at the screen, a box of popcorn in her claws.
"Well…" he began, resisting the urge to roll his eyes as both ladies leant in closer. Wasn't he supposed to be in the middle of a very stressful situation, against a potential opponent with the ability to detonate his mind?
Meh. Even if he tried he doubted he'd die.
"I was just stepping off the plane…"
XxX
"…Did my new trainer just disappear, or did that Pikachu hit me harder than I realised?"
Snivy had yet to touch her food beyond a single mouthful, her eyes having yet to leave the patch of grass Ash had been standing on when he disappeared. Having the food given to her was nice, and it was certainly tastier than the berries that had made up her supper for the last two weeks.
That hadn't changed the fact that it had been laying at her feet for the last few minutes, completely forgotten as she processed exactly what she'd witnessed.
Her last trainer had been a complete coward. A boy who'd once dived behind her back in tears after a wild Lillipup had Growled at him. The first Gym match they'd participated in together had been ended prematurely after a Water Gun had passed a little too close to where he'd been standing, and he'd passed out.
From the little he'd told her about his home life, he was as sheltered as a hatchling would be an hour out of the egg. He hadn't even wanted to become a trainer, having only gotten himself a licence and Pokédex because all his friends already had.
She'd decided that night to leave, after his decision that he would be returning home. She wasn't sure how he'd taken her leaving, and if she was being honest with herself she didn't really care. She had her own dreams to live, and standing before a boy that jumped at shadows wasn't going to help her accomplish them.
She never would have guessed, two years later, she would be the Pokémon of a person who had made the most potent power she'd ever felt defer to his words, without even realising it.
It was a strange feeling of mystified elation, like she'd just won the lottery without even having to play.
Floatzel kept his eyes determinably on the bushes Team Rocket had disappeared into less than a minute prior, the corner of his mouth twitching at Snivy's tone.
Gliscor snorted outright.
"Yep. Get used to it." The Ground Type smiled innocently as Snivy turned her dubious expression on him, the action putting his sharp fangs on display.
"Are you telling me this happens often?"
Floatzel opened his mouth to answer, his being response cut off before it could even start by a loud cheer.
All eyes, human and Pokémon, turned to watch as Oshawott stumbled towards the table, the Sea Otter Pokémon almost tripping over an empty bowl – the bowl Pachirisu had been using, before Cilan and Dawn had recalled their Pokémon less than a minute ago - in his haste.
"Weren't there more Pokémon here a second ago…?" He murmured to himself absently, before shaking his head and continuing on his path.
"Are you alright?" Pidove cocked her head to one side, the only 'Mon who looked even remotely concerned as Oshawott almost tripped over his own feet.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm just still kinda frozen." Now that he was closer, the sheer amount of ice that was coating his front was abundantly clear to all. Not that it seemed to be bothering the Water Type as much as it should. It was a miracle he could even walk with all that added weight at all. "Anyway, watch!"
Before anyone could stop him, Oshawott took a deep breath, Ice Type energy gathering within his jaw for the beginning of an Ice Beam. A twitch of his face later had a beam of ice was flying from his mouth, small shards littering the ground beneath the frozen torrent as it connected against a tree, shattering both the wood and itself.
"I combined Water Gun and Ice Beam!" Oshawott panted, shooting a grin at Tepig as the Fire Type trotted up to him, his body erupting with the flames of a Flame Charge and a sigh escaping his mouth. The grin soon faded, replaced with a look of confusion. "Where's Ash gone?"
Oshawott scanned the clearing, his eyes falling on Snivy.
"Who're you?" He asked tactfully, accidentally sending a drop of freezing cold, former ice into the Grass Type's eye as he gestured with a single arm.
Floatzel sighed as he pulled the vines from around Oshawott's throat, before the small Pokémon's face could get any bluer.
XxX
"It just attacked you, didn't even bother talking?" Liza glanced down at the empty cup in her grasp, before shrugging and throwing it over her shoulder. "Even though you're the Chosen?"
"I know, right?" Ash shook his head dismally, letting out a dramatic sigh as Liza swiped a kernel from Charla's claws. He didn't question how Liza had gained knowledge of the circumstances concerning him; Charizard had most likely told Charla, who had in turn informed her trainer. It wasn't difficult to ascertain (thank you word-a-day calendar), given the way Liza seemed to have no trouble understanding the language that the Charizard line as a whole used, and his Charizard was well known throughout the valley as a 'Chosen-By-Proxy'.
He wasn't sure how accurate that bit of information was, but he wouldn't put it past his Fire Type to spread the word himself, just so he could enjoy the attention.
He was a vain Pokémon, to be sure, but Ash had no trouble believing that even if he had made up the name himself, Charizard certainly deserved it.
A Poké Ball appeared beside his waist, where his belt would have been, had he been wearing it. Without having to take his eyes off his Xtransceiver, Ash held his free hand up, the 'Ball crawling along his arm to deposit itself safely in his palm.
A plume of snow erupted from a ways down the mountainside as Pikachu leapt from one pile of snow and into another.
"Keep yourself safe, alright?" Liza pretended not to notice as Ash rolled his eyes. Telling him that wouldn't really do much good, considering his track record, but it made her feel better all the same.
"Yeah, sure thing. I'll have Charizard back in the valley by…" Ash trailed off as a small detail hit him, "what time is it where you are?"
"Uh, around seven. Why?"
Ash winced. Had Charla's eggs hatched yet? He couldn't remember.
"Uh… I'll try calling you when I'm finished. Don't bother waiting up."
Ash cut the connection the second he saw Charla's eyes beginning to narrow. He had enough problems right now, he'd prefer if getting yelled at by a Pokémon over a phone connection wasn't one of them.
"No issues?" Mewtwo inquired, having returned from… whatever he'd been doing. Ash gave the Genetic Pokémon a blank look as he tapped the release for Charizard's Poké Ball; the Psychic Type would have been privy to the entire conversation, given Ash could still feel his presence in his mind. It wasn't very likely he even cared.
"You're correct. I don't." The bright glow of energy dissolved to reveal Charizard's large form, the Fire Type clearing his nostrils of any smoke, lest it possible hinder his flames. He stood impressively tall, completely still after the brief nods of acknowledgement he gave both Mewtwo and Pikachu, the latter having arrived on his trainer's shoulder with impressive speed.
The only opponents he'd ever lost against in the last two years.
"You already know what's going on?" Charizard inclined his head, the memories he'd received the moment his Poké Ball had left the Charicific Valley still crystal clear. He'd felt Mewtwo asking for permission before he'd even aborted what had been a hunting trip.
Right now, he wasn't being asked a question by his trainer. No, the Chosen was making sure his bodyguard was well aware of the danger they were about to face.
Ash blew out a breath, holding out a hand for the purple Poké Ball Mewtwo was presenting to him. He knew what he was doing, having gone through something similar in Sinnoh the previous year.
It had been his job, as the closest thing Earth had to an ambassador, to make sure the Clefairy tribe that crash landed off the shore of Iron Island had all they needed to adapt and survive. The circumstances now, however, were slightly direr than a bunch of disorientated fairies.
Wordlessly, Ash pitched the strange 'Ball a fair distance away, channelling Aura to his legs in preparation of retreating, should it be required.
The 'Ball burst open before it could hit the ground, a wave of psychic energy sending it back towards Ash fast enough to leave a visible trail behind it. Reinforcing his hand and arm with Aura, Ash swiped it out of the air, the simple action sending a spasm of pain through his entire body.
If he were a normal person, his shoulder would have been dislocated, at the very least.
Purple energy coiled around Deoxys' arms as it gave a horrid screech, its eyes finding Ash's a second before the Aura Guardian in training felt his mental shields disintegrate.
Stars exploded in his vision as he sank to his knees, almost feeling the appendages tearing through various memories. Right now, he was really missing those Clefairy.
Copping a Meteor Mash in the nose wasn't nearly as painful.
Oh, those were the memories Deoxys was looking for? Alright then.
Somewhere out of his vision, Ash heard Charizard roar, thunder crashing against the blinding dome that had erupted from nowhere to cover Deoxys' body.
He was going to miss those eardrums.
…Meh. Nothing a Heal Pulse couldn't fix. Hopefully.
He could only hope that Mt. Silver survived. It wouldn't be fun having to explain where it went.
XxX
Dawn watched from the corner of her eye as Cilan's lips tilted upwards in a smile as he returned the fifth wave he'd received since Luxuria Town had come into view. Keeping her pace beside him was relatively easy as he slowly made his way through the buildings, as was enjoying the companionable silence that they'd found themselves falling into during the last few hours.
According to Cilan, the resident expert of Unova, Luxuria Town would be their last major stop before Nacrene City, one which they would have to make if they wanted to have food on the way.
Dawn doubted the bag on Cilan's back was devoid of food, not after he'd pulled out entire dining and crockery sets. Then again, maybe that's where all the room went?
Even so, there was no reason to disregard Cilan's words. She'd spent most of her traveling time in Unova on Togekiss' back, going back and forth between major cities whenever a contest was being held. Her Flying Type hadn't minded in the least, but she could tell that even the Jubilee Pokémon was getting frustrated with the lack of opposition in the region.
Contests were a new thing in Unova, having only gained traction in the last year. The only good matches she'd had this season were from people with the same circumstances as her; vacationers from other regions wanting a taste of something new. And even then, first place may as well have been given to her.
She was a veteran coordinator, and she wouldn't hesitate to admit that it was because of how she'd started. Good genetics, loyal and extremely helpful friends by her side, and a starter Pokémon that shared her passion. Even without a Grand Festival victory under her belt, she'd been considering abandoning her Unovan Contest run, in favour of returning to a more challenging region.
And then those plans were completely forgotten when she ran into Ash, and had been invited to accompany him on his latest journey.
There were many reasons she'd said yes, and fun was most certainly one of them. Maybe she had a death wish that had never been acknowledged, but two years of not running into Legendary Pokémon or criminal organisations had been… boring.
Then again, maybe Ash had just tainted her initial journey and all her feelings were merely a bizarre manifestation of Stockholm syndrome.
Her mood must have soured without her meaning it to, because once Piplup pecked her lightly on the bicep and gave her a worried look, Dawn realised that Cilan had asked her something.
"Sorry, what were you saying?"
"Ah…" Cilan sent a polite nod towards a man standing behind a cart filled with fruit, his eyes not leaving his travel companion. "I was just asking how you think Ash… may be faring?"
Dawn snorted, as one would at a particularly specific inside joke. "Ash could tell Arceus to do something and be listened to."
Cilan brought a finger to his chin, scratching it absently. He was well aware of what Aura was and how it affected life; it was good practice for a region to keep its Gym Leaders informed. The signs were easy enough to pick up on, if one was aware of what they were looking for, and given his new friend's rather liberal use of the strange energy, Cilan hadn't needed to pull out his magnifying glass to reach his deduction.
Ash was most definitely an Aura Guardian, something Unova hadn't seen in centuries. A rare delicacy indeed.
"I don't sense any sarcasm."
Dawn almost rolled her eyes. If there was anything she'd learned in the last few days, it was how irritatingly perceptive Cilan was, all the time.
"I think Ash is in denial." She confessed, not seeing any point in keeping the information private. Not letting Cilan know exactly what he was getting into would be a bad choice. Which was exactly why Dawn couldn't leave it up to Ash to decide. "Trouble will follow him everywhere, no matter the region. If you ever meet Brock, ask him to tell you some of the stories."
Cilan closed his eyes in thought, committing the name to memory. He'd heard it before, a long time ago, but he couldn't quite place where.
"This is the place, isn't it?"
Cilan opened his eyes to shoot a glance over his shoulder, finding Dawn standing on the opposite side of the road. She'd parked herself in front of one of the only single story building in sight, mouthing the words as she read the sign above the door.
Cilan frowned, that was a conversation closer if he'd ever heard one. Had he done something wrong?
Pansage knocked him once, gently, on the side of the head, lurching him into motion towards the building. There was no point worrying about it, he told himself as he unclipped his latest Poké Ball from his belt, it was nothing he would be able to help with.
"I thought you were a Connoisseur?" Dawn inquired kindly, looking away from the sign. Cilan had told her what to look out for, but not what the shop would carry.
'A-class Connaisseuse evaluations – any Pokémon, first evaluation free'
"S-class." Cilan confirmed with a single nod. The Poké Ball in his grasp burst open, the lone Dwebble Cilan had discovered and fed less than an hour beforehand giving him a wide smile. "But I can't be trusted to evaluate my own relationships with my Pokémon. I'd be a bit biased, no?"
Dawn nodded, shifting her grip on Piplup like a trained professional as the little Water Type trilled happily. Cilan had evaluated every Pokémon she's had with her in the last few days, taking very little time to identify Piplup as her 'premium brand', whatever that was. Probably some weird Connoisseur slang.
For all she knew, he may as well have been insulting her mother whilst using all those words. Half the time he'd speak a little too quickly, the other half being devoted to various foreign foods she wasn't even sure existed.
She wouldn't mind learning how to cook a few of them, though…
"So, what will you do if the bond between you and Dwebble is bad?" Dawn asked, walking through the door as Cilan held it open and into an empty waiting area.
"Bonds can change." Cilan waved a hand, making his way to the large desk that overlooked the entire room. A single bell lay upon the surface, Pansage leaping from his trainer's shoulder to ring it. "Besides, this is nothing serious. Just a bit of indulgence I don't usually bother with."
Dawn opened her mouth to comment, her words dying in her mouth as the door she'd decided to sit next to was opened.
"Oh…? Bonjour, amant."
Having already turned around to see who was talking, Dawn missed the look of abject horror as it invaded Cilan's face, bringing with it a most interesting colour.
The woman standing in the doorway couldn't have been any older than Cilan, her red dress reaching past her knees and her arms crossed over her chest. Her hair, just as purple as Iris', fell down to her waist, only inches longer than Dawn's own.
Her purple eyes were lidded as she stared at Cilan's completely still form, her eyebrows raised and her mouth tilted upwards.
Cilan's neck almost creaked as he turned to face where the voice had come from.
"Pansage!" The grown man and wielder of Mega Evolution possibilities squeaked, in such a way that his tone had Piplup choking back laughter. "Code Purple!"
The Grass Monkey dived for Cilan's backpack as the former Gym Leader threw it from his shoulders, disappearing into one of the open folds and leaping out a second later. The pellet he held in his hand exploded, quickly filling the room a thick and dark cloud.
Out of Dawn's limited eyesight, rapid footsteps were heard, before a tremendous crash echoed through the shop. And…was Pansage laughing?
"Piplup, Defog."
Having had the same idea as his trainer, Piplup let the already prepared move fly, sending out numerous wisps of wind from his small wings to blow the smoke through the room's single open window.
Dawn tried to reign in a snort, only to fall to one knee as she got out of her chair, tears beginning to gather in her eyes unbidden as she broke down into a giggling fit.
Piplup didn't even seem to care that she'd dropped him, rolling on the floor and bumping into Dwebble. The poor Rock Inn Pokémon looked torn, glancing between his unconscious trainer and the cause for his current condition.
Burgundy let herself fall against the doorframe, shaking her head pitifully at the sight before her.
"He dented the wall."
She wasn't sure how, but Dawn managed to start laughing harder.
XxX
The pain was tremendous, sweeping his thoughts away in a maelstrom of magma. His mind was rebelling against the intrusion, as normal a reaction as any could expect, pain so violent he could almost feel the heat across his skin…
Ash snapped his eyes open, the alien presence receding. He knew this Aura, he knew what fire was brewing down Charizard's throat. Pikachu's small claws were biting into his shoulder, in an attempt to spread the Light Screen enough to cover two bodies at once.
Charizard wouldn't injure him, he wasn't inexperienced enough to not trust his Pokémon with what he yielded.
It just wasn't him he was worried about.
"Stop." The command was layered, powerful enough to cut through the haze of battle and the small snowflakes that still drifted through the air.
For a moment, everything was still, until Deoxys finally touched the ground and Charizard allowed his attack to leak away.
Ash knocked the cobwebs from his mind with a hand, uncaring of the concerned glance Pikachu had spared him. It was ill advised to be angry, after he'd known exactly what he was getting into, but that wouldn't stop him.
"You could have asked for the English lesson." He must have let Aura pulse from his body without realising, as Pikachu fled from his shoulder as though he'd been burned. He brought a hand to his forehead and clenched his teeth, trying to will the headache away. "That fucking hurt."
Of all the Pokémon present, Deoxys seemed to least concerned, with either the glares he was receiving or the pain he'd caused.
"You are the chosen of this world." His accent was strange, unlike any Ash had ever heard, or likely would hear from anyone else. Scratchy and sharp, downright unpleasant to listen to.
"Yeah. Lucky me, huh?" Ash rolled his eyes, before gesturing towards the clear ground beneath the hovering alien. "Sit down, shut up, we have stuff to do."
Deoxys glanced around at all those present, his eyes lingering on the Charizard a little longer than the others. Resisting wouldn't do much good, not whilst the one who'd defeated him in the first place was present.
Even if Mewtwo didn't get involved, he doubted he'd be able to last in combat against the others present. Even a blow from the human held the possibility of putting him out of commission, between the facts that he was stuck in his Attack Forme and he had annoyed what very well could be the strongest human.
"I was… taking precautions against a possible threat." He had focused on the human – Ash – as he spoke, the words coming slowly as he mulled over his new language.
For a bag of flesh, the teenager could be quite intimidating when he wanted to be. Or so it seemed. Maybe it had something to do with the dragon standing beside him.
"You just antagonised your jailer." Mewtwo offered helpfully, from a fair ways away. It wasn't his place to interfere with the proceedings; he wasn't even considered a Legendary yet. Come to think of it, was there a test he could take? That would look very good as a qualification…
"Nothing's ever simple…" Ash growled to himself, kicking a surviving clump of snow away from where he'd chosen to sit. Arceus was probably laughing right now, drinking some fine scotch by a fireplace he'd blinked into existence. Why couldn't he just send Deoxys back to his own planet?
"It blew up."
"Get out of my head!"
He was really missing those Clefairy.
XxX
It was difficult figuring out how I could get Ash to catch a Deoxys, whilst still trying to keep the general story going. I didn't want it to just be a thing that happened in the two years he was taking off traveling, so this is what I came up with. Due to his crass actions and the complete disregard for numerous lives, Deoxys must now live out his specified detention period in the hands of the most trustworthy and powerful of trainers.
His planet perishing doesn't excuse that. What happened to his planet, exactly? I probably won't go into it with too much depth, but let's just say that not all stories can have a happy ending.
I like this chapter a lot, to be honest. Showing that Ash now has responsibilities as the Chosen of his generation. Because let's be honest, Arceus has nobody to rely on except his Legendaries, and they get captured in approximately every villainous plot ever. Ash is just gonna be busting his ass to save the world anyway, so may as well cut out the middle man. It's a small break in the silliness, but it's development and all that shit.
I've kept you long enough. Later.
X