Switch Up! A Tale of Multi-Verse Ash Ketchum!

Chapter 23: Little Talks

Darkrai eyes Yveltal, who looked ready to pounce on all of them, using Oblivion Wing on their asses. He knew that much.

When starting this, he had one simple goal… bring one Ash here to help him correct what happened in the Kalos League.

That Ash was none other than Alola-Ash. Somehow, Mew and Celebi decided that if one Ash was good, two would be better. With one battle, they could have gotten away, but after so long…

It was unavoidable.

Now Arceus and his cronies were in front of them. All of the Ashes looked fearfully at the Alpha Pokemon. Oak looked like he was having a wet dream… awake. Brock was completely composed… with his closed eyes one couldn't really guess his state of mind…

Darkrai looks at Solgaleo and sighs 'Arceus probably had Solgaleo and Lunala looking for Ash knowing the loyalty that stupid lion has for him. It was a simple job to follow it…'

"So, shall we begin?"

Darkrai looks up to Arceus and nods in understanding, deciding to take whatever is coming.

One of the Ashes though opened his big mouth…

OS-Ash steps up and looks to the Alpha Pokemon "Why… why did you do all that? All to stop us…"

"Who do you think you are stepping up to the God of Pokemon!?" Rayquaza lowers his head towards OS-Ash and blows him back with his breath.

"I care because this was supposed to be an easy job" Darkrai steps up, shooting a glare at OS-Ash "Why meddle so much?

Arceus looks at them and sighs "What you started here… you don't feel it because of this pocket dimension…"

"What's happening?" Mew questions curiously "The barriers we set up-"

"Are useless" Arceus shakes his head "The multiverse is shaking because of all the changes that are taking place. The consequences of your acts are felt all over the planes of existence. This realm is the only one not being affected in some way"

All of the Ashes looks pale at that, understanding the consequences of their actions.

"You winning is not something that can happen en masse" Arceus conjures images from another world "Our Macroverse, is composed of infinite parallel world that stem from all your actions. Lifting a rock can create a universe" Orbs that represent the universe float in seeming balance "The ones above call this Macroverse the 'Anime'. On the other hand, there exists a twin Macroverse to this one that the ones above call 'Video Game'. Like ours, it possess many universe inside it, but they're ruled by a different set of rules than the ones we have"

"I'm getting lost here…" Hoenn-Ash comments to Sinnoh-Ash, who nods in agreement.

Meanwhile, Arceus continued in his necessary monologue that explained the why's of everything "One of them is that people from another world control avatars in these universes that lets them immerse in the world of Pokemon. These people are called… Gamers"

Oak looked ecstatic at this! He was practically told the secrets of the universe!

"These Gamers, while playing, sustain the Video Game Macroverse which in turn balance our Anime Macroverse. One cannot exist without the other. And for the VG Macroverse to continue existing, these gamers have to immerse themselves in this world. And for that to happen they must be happy. If they're not happy, they leave the world and it is destroyed…"

"What the hell am I hearing…?" Kalos-Ash mutters to Alola "Macroverse? Avatars? Videogame? What the hell is going on?

"Are we a franchise?" Alola sinks to the floor, existence in question "What are we?"

"And to make them happy they must win… and to attain balance, something in our Macroverse must lose…"

"And that someone is me… right?" Alola-Ash steps up, looking at the Alpha Pokemon "I hate you Macroverse!" He cries to the heavens "Wait, but I did win the Manalo Conference and I'm the Champion of Alola"

"That is because the influx of fangames with superior difficulty allowed the Anime Macroverse to give you a win through the constant loss of the Gamers" Arceus explains as matter of fact "But only that win! You cannot win so much. That destabilised the Meta balance and the VG Macroverse started falling apart. Imagine encountering and battling me just after starting your journey"

"That sounds rough" Sinnoh-Ash scratches his chin "But then… are we condemned to lose… forever?"

"That's your role in this Macroverse" Arceus states gravely "It cannot change"

Silence reigned in the Void…

All of the Ashes looked among each other with lost looks.

Only two of them composed themselves to talk, Kalos and Alola-Ash…

"Then what? We just lose?" Kalos-Ash looks at the Alpha Pokemon with anger "What about us? Our feelings? Our future? Our dreams?"

"Does it mean that whatever we do… we're fated to lose in the end?" Alola-Ash shouts out as well.

"Far from it… Your future is set to never change. You'll still be the 10 years old trainer who keeps going, who never surrenders, but in the end, will never win" Arceus tells them without a sign of remorse "That's how things are…"

"I don't believe that" OS-Ash clenches his fists in anger "I started my Pokemon journey because I wanted it! I choose my friends and who I battle! My Pokemon and I win or lose because of what we do!"

"You started your journey because you were created in the image of a person in the VG Macroverse. You started with Pikachu because it was meant to be. Brock and Misty, your first travelling companions are them because they're your age in VG and are the closest Gyms to Pallet Town. Charizard obeys and disobeys, because it was meant to be, even against his choice. You lose because you grow as a trainer and obstacles must be set to avoid you conquering a region. Obstacles like Tobias, Alain, Cameron or Tyson are set because you need to lose"

"So I was set to win the Sinnoh League, huh?" Sinnoh-Ash looks down at that.

"Not only that, you were set to face the Elite Four and lose against Cynthia" Arceus tells the Sinnoh counterpart "But to maintain the balance it must be done… it's a sad existence, and to stop you from thinking on that, you are directed to new journeys to take your mind away…"

"It's a sad existence…" Brock mutters sadly. It was true, things in Ash journey looked to be on purpose to stop him.

"I don't want that!" Kalos-Ash looks at Arceus, defiance in his eyes "I'm gonna break that existence and I'm going to win! I'll fight for it if I need to! I'll beat you and your gang of Pokemon if needed!"

The Legendary Pokemon behind Arceus looked outraged at the bold declaration.

Arceus though looked ready to take on the challenge "You think you can back up your claims?"

"I know I can" Kalos-Ash looks at Arceus' eyes without wavering "If fate wanted to make us lose… We'll beat fate!"

"I accept" Arceus looks at Kalos-Ash with a look that could be described as smug "You will have to replay your Sinnoh battle against Tobias. You will have to beat him with your Pokemon. He has a powerful team of six Pokemon that were chosen to stop you from winning in any way or form"

"Two Pokemon was too much… can we win?" Alola-Ash wonders out loud, thinking on the next challenge.

Kalos-Ash nods with a grin on his face "I don't see a problem!"

"Very well, in fifteen minutes you shall go and try to beat Tobias" Arceus turns around and walks away along his gang of Pokemon "Use that time well… and for your benefit, I won't interfere in that battle. You will have to win, if not… I'll have to eliminate all of you for your transgressions"

With that, Arceus along the other Legendary Pokemon leave the Void.

The silence in the void was deafening and it was broken by Hoenn-Ash "We have a chance to survive!"

"Is that what you have to say?!" Sinnoh-Ash questions his counterpart "Tobias fought his way to the semi-finals with just Darkrai! Then he won the finals with just that Pokemon! He only brought a second Pokemon when battling me. And that's saying much!"

"I get it, he's super strong" OS-Ash interjects "But Pokemon can beat Legendaries, so we have to get our most powerful Pokemon to battle"

"That's something I can agree on" Brock steps up and looks at Kalos-Ash "As you will be fighting, I think that you should create a team that can counter the Pokemon you know he has and counter most other types he may have"

"Me?" Kalos-Ash looks around and sees that everyone was looking at him "Why do I have to fight? Let Alola have it, he's the most experienced"

"Yeah, but you challenged Arceus" Darkrai floats towards him, an annoyed tint on his voice "You will battle, end of this discussion…"

"Okay then… Pikachu is a must" Kalos-Ash looks around and sees that everyone is in agreement…

Suddenly a screen pops up in front of him. It depicted every Pokemon he owned, including the Alola ones. Mew floats to Ash and points at the screen "You'll be able to see which Pokemon you have and also you'll be able to choose from when you want to bring them! Celebi is that cool!"

Kalos-Ash smiles at that "Then let's choose a team!"

-o-

Darkrai watched as Kalos-Ash disappeared from the void. He managed to get a satisfactory team for this battle, more or less.

"Do you think he has a chance at this?" Oak walks up to Darkrai, also staring at the place Kalos-Ash vanished.

Darkrai closes his eyes and turns to the other Ashes "He has as much chance as anyone…"

-o-

In the Hall of Origin…

Arceus sat in his seat looking at a gigantic screen that Genesect installed for everyone to see the battle.

All the Legendary and Mythical Pokemon were there, except those who were trapped in the void.

Mewtwo looks around the gaggle of Pokemon and sighs in annoyance before teleporting away.

Ho-oh and Lugia were debating who would win…

"Ash will win! He's my chosen!"

"He won't! He's not strong enough to beat Tobias!"

Groudon and Kyogre were surprisingly calm, considering everything. But then again, with Rayquaza close it was obvious what was happening.

Rayquaza keeps an eye on them, but suddenly Deoxys appears and calls for his attention. Well… more like Rayquaza went full Dragon Ascent on Deoxys and a fight broke out.

Groudon and Kyogre look at each other and decide that a battle would resolve their problems, again…

Jirachi and Magearna steered clear of that battle and joined Shaymin who looked ready to fight.

Keldeo stood with the Swords of Justice and watched the ongoing chaos "When is Ash's battle?"

"In a few minutes" A new voice join their conversation "It will be an interesting sight"

Keldeo looks up to see Xerneas taking a seat beside them.

Two new figures also sit by Xerneas "So who's this Ash chump?"

"Isn't he the bloody chosen one?" The other ones asks back.

"You might be right… he looks like a fine bloke"

Virizion shudders at their words 'Great, the brits are here…'

"I could do with a cup of tea" The wolf like Pokemon with the sword comments "And maybe a piece of spiced treacle"

The wolf with the shield in its face shakes his head "No, my friend. I find that a piece of ginger biscuits can turn even the toughest hooligan into a chuffed bloke!"

"You're right my mate!"

'I hate the brits…' It was the collective thought of the Swords of Justice.

"The Sinnoh League finals are starting!" The announcer on the screen says, a happy note on his voice "This time we have two strong trainers ready to meet their mettle! In one side we have Ash Ketchum! He comes from Kanto and he beat some strong contenders in this conference! Among them we have trainers like Nando, Conway and Paul!"

"It's starting!" Victini cries out cheerfully "Go Ash!"

In Lily of the Valley Island…

"On the other side we have Tobias! A mysterious local trainer that has, so far, battled with only his trusty Darkrai! Will trainer Ash beat this Darkrai? Or will he become another stepping stone for Tobias journey!?"

The people walked through the island, intent on reaching the main stadium for the next battle. Not only was a powerful trainer like Ash Ketchum fighting, but also a trainer with a Mythical Pokemon like Darkrai!

It was a treat for anyone who had the luck to have a ticket.

Brock and Dawn for their part already had tickets for this battle, but the bustle of people was quite off putting.

"There's so many spectators!" Dawn looks around as they manage to make their way to the stadium entrance "There are more people than when the tournament started!"

"This I can understand" Brock hands their tickets to the guards, who looked completely overwhelmed "No offense to Ash, but the show of a Pokemon like Darkrai battling is one I wouldn't want to miss"

"Brock! Dawn!"

Both look behind to see Barry climbing through hordes of spectators to get to them.

"Get away you!" Barry shoves through a particularly sturdy looking man with a huff "I'm gonna fine ya if you don't move!"

"Barry you made it" Brock nods at the boy in greeting "Had much trouble getting here?"

"You don't know half of it" Barry sighs as he joins them in trekking through more people to get to their seats.

They manage to reach their seats and see that the stadium is filled to the brim with spectators. All the seats were occupied and because of that, many spectators also sat in the stairs…

"This is oversold" Brock looks in shock "I think I've never been to a league battle with so many spectators…"

"I wonder how Ash will do…" Dawn looks to the field and sees that the league workers were leaving, meaning that the battle is starting now… "He's facing that Darkrai that everyone's come to see…"

"It will be difficult, but that's where Ash thrives in. He will be fine as long as he comes up with a strategy to beat Darkrai" Brock stroked his chin in thought "From what I saw from his training yesterday, I think he might even have a plan…"

"There he is!" Barry stands up and point to the battlefield.

Brock and Dawn look down to the battlefield and see him walking confidently into the battlefield, thought the latter comments on his clothes "Nice clothes…"

In the Champion's booth…

"Ah, Ash Ketchum! Now that's a trainer with passion for battling!" Charles Goodshow comments as he watches Ash walking into the battlefield "I wonder how he'll fare against Tobias!"

"Indeed" Cynthia looks at Ash and sees something different from the trainer she met in the past. Maybe it was his pose which showed confidence, or something else, but something told her that this was business… "I expect a great battle"

In the void…

"Do I bother If I watch from here?"

The Ashes and co. turn to see Mewtwo floating down towards them.

"Mewtwo!?"

"The Hall of Origin was crowded and noisy" Mewtwo shakes his head in disgust "Also those brits arrived as well…"

Darkrai grunts in agreement "Damn those Zacian and Zamazenta… you can stay as long as you want"

"So what can I expect from this battle?" Mewtwo stares at the screen that showed Kalos-Ash walking into the battlefield.

Alola-Ash walks up to him and grins widely "A great battle!"

In the battlefield…

Ash adjusts his fingerless gloves and taps his shoes against the ground twice before stepping forward into the battlefield.

He looks around and sees that the place's packed with people.

One look to the top he can see Charles Goodshow and Cynthia looking down at him. He smiles at them and sends a nod…

Then he turns to look down to Tobias, looking confident of his Pokemon might.

Not that he had anything to be afraid of as both his Pokemon were strong… and that was not talking about his other four Pokemon…

Ash looks to the sky and feels everyone's eyes on him. Not in the stadium, but the in the universe… the multiverse…

Determination shines on his eyes as he walks to his box and readies a Pokeball. He extends his arm and points the Pokeball towards Tobias.

"You're going down, Tobias!" Ash declares loudly for everyone to hear "I'll be your hardest battle ever!"

Tobias stares at Ash for a few moments before a smirk pulls on his face "Talk after you beat my first Pokemon"

"Are both trainers ready to battle!?" The referee looks to both of them who ascent in agreement "Then show your Pokemon!"

Silently, Tobias throws a Pokeball. From it comes Darkrai, whose presence sent chills to the spectators watching the match.

Ash throws the Pokeball in his hands, ready to take on this challenge…

"I choose you!"

BREAK

Welcome back people! I hope you enjoyed the 'necessary explanation chapter' that I posted for you.

Arceus reveals the existence of a multiverse that needs balance, and thus, Ash was chosen to forever lose to let us, players, win in the games. Alola's victory is explained due to the influx of fangames that are nigh impossible to beat, tilting the balance a bit in favour of Ash. But Ash winning consecutively tilts the balance into the Anime Macroverse and that breaks the karma that the VG Macroverse needs.

That's all there is to it. Easy huh?

After a bit of existential crisis, Ash stands up to Arceus and challenges him. That leads to Ash's final battle.

He wins, everything is kept as it is… he loses and well… Judgement on his ass into extinction.

Also Ash prepared a team for this battle, meaning we'll see Pokemon that are from Gen I to VII. I'm not touching Unova for obvious reasons, but other regions are fair game. Some choices may surprise you, others not so much.

The only thing I can tell you is that the team is fixed for both trainers. I had some people PM about Tobias's team and I have to tell you, I already selected who would be his Pokemon!

-o-

-SINNOH LEAGUE-

KALOS-ASH Vs. TOBIAS

? Vs. Darkrai

-o-

Onto the reviews!

Shazim62202116: amazing chapter though how the hell would kalos beat tobias?

ME: Thanks! Well… believe in the power of friendship I guess…

Reader 0007: I didn't even know what tobias's full team members is,only darkray and latios that we know of-wait,don't tell that in the name of keeping the status quo,arceus and his band of evil will become tobias team member!?

ME: HELL NO! It would be too much! But you can expect a few surprises along the way! Tobias' full team was decided through a review poll I did… three years ago… yeah too much time ago…

OC-Trainer-Gray: Alright, I don't really care for the trophy, what I hope is Arceus is a nice guy and let's Ash's Pokémon keep their new changes if they got one, like Meganium, Alola!Pikachu, Floatzel, Infernape, I hope by the end, Arceus let's that stay at least. And to add, there are timelines with these new changes and Pokémon now, right? if so than that means Ash is gonna be with a few issues, particularly, his Pokémon. Unova doesn't change, but OS timeline with Hoenn!Ash for example, means he retain his Hoennian Pokémon, so there's a paradox on that alone, either Ash is made to wherethese Pokémon were in his possession from the get-go, thus either removing them from their areas, Ash catching new Pokémon that replaces their location, or he catches the exact same Pokémon.

ME: It's all on Kalos-Ash now! About the different Ashes, Darkrai pointed out that each one creates an alternate line. Arceus explanation about multiverse added to that, you get that each Ash went canon until the point of divergence. Example. To Sinnoh-Ash he would have Floatzel, but he won't have Meganium as that was for OS-Ash's timeline. Meaning that Alola-Ash will have Dartrix, but won't have Floatzel and Meganium. That would be the logic…

Thor94: amazing battle, didn't expected this. And finally the talk is coming, but whatever the reason, Arceus has no right using dirty trick to take down Ash dream every generation.

ME: Well apparently he has valid reasons. Thanks for the compliments! I aimed towards avoiding giving the expected 10.000.000 volt thunderbolt.

-o-

ALSO! I PASSED THE 200 FOLLOWERS ON THIS STORY! CONGRATS TO ME! VIVA ME! (Put London Tipton here please).

Thanks for all of you, readers, who make this fanfic what it is…

I know 200 followers might not seems like a milestone worth of notice, but to me it is! It's my most successful story so far and it shows on the numbers!

SO thanks to you guys, gals and whatever else!