Pokemon Legends: Arceus

"Roc roc!" A Midday Lycanroc excitedly raced down the beach before leaping up to catch a frisbee. "Roc."

"Good job Lycanroc!" Brock praised the canine Pokemon as it came back to him, the Pokemon wagged it's tail and let out a bark as it dropped the frisbee before suddenly jerking his head to the side as Corviknight and Latias landed on the beach. Lycanroc flattened his ears at first before slowly wagging his tail at the sight of Ash.

"Roc!"

Brock began making his way towards the two Pokemon as he knew that Ash's current group were traveling across the world on a Corviknight and Latias and this was surely them. His suspicions were soon proven correct as he saw Dawn and Piplup climb off Corviknight's back while Ash and some girl he'd never seen before climbed off Latias' back.

"Ash, you're here early. The wedding isn't until next week!" Brock laughed before coming to a sudden pause as he noticed the serious look on Dawn's face. He then realized that somebody was missing. "Wait where's Zach?"

"That's actually why we're here, you see Zach's currently stuck in the past and we've got to find out the year that he met Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie as we know he's destined to fight Palkia on top of Mt. Coronet during that same year!" Dawn frantically exclaimed with worry and anxious visible across her face.

'Heh, I had a feeling those two would get together when I first saw them interacting.' Brock thought to himself. He was sure that there was more to the story than that but Dawn was just anxious to get him to come along as otherwise they wouldn't be able to interact with or find Uxie! "So you need my help? Say no more, I'm in!"

"Just like that? But Dawn didn't tell you every-" Marnie started.

"But of course, you can fill me in on the way to Sinnoh." Brock formed a light smirk before thumbing towards his and Olivia's beach house. "I just have to inform Olivia that I'll be gone for a day or two first."

"Understandable," Ash nodded while feeling quite awkward that Brock and Marnie's first encounter was under such circumstances.

"Zora!"

"Growlithe!" Zorua and Growlithe were chasing each other around the snow covered village, their tails wagging from excitement while Zach and Irida sat next to each other at the foot of his cabin. Zach silently gazed up at the distant space-time rift while Irida's head rested up against his shoulder.

"I'm not sure how I'll get back to my other Pokemon, I can't even recall where I come from... I do know that Moltres didn't look like that though." Zach spoke while motioning towards the Galarian Moltres who was currently resting on the village outskirts alongside Garchomp. "And that there was a girl who looked just like you."

"Oh?" Irida turned to look at him. "Do you know if you and her were close?"

"I-I think so, p-part of me seemed to think that you were here when we first saw each other." Zach stammered.

Irida placed her hand atop of his while offering him a warm smile. "Well I'll try and help you restore your memories however I can." Even if it meant losing any hope of having a life with him, she was willing to help him out. She loved him more than he could possibly know but she was willing to throw her shot at him away if it meant restoring his happiness, it was clear that he was missing the 'jackal' and 'badger' whoever they were and she knew that the feeling was most likely mutual based on how Garchomp, Luxray, Zorua and the others behaved around him. She knew it was for the greater good, part of her was telling her that she could pass leadership onto Palina and travel with Zach but something told her that it wouldn't be possible.

Zach flashed Irida an appreciative smile before jerking his attention towards a Galaxy Team member he'd never seen before as they entered the village, the man appeared to be in his late twenties and had short light blue hair along with a pair of bright blue eyes. Zach couldn't help but frown as he feared that he was here to inform them of bad news but that fear faded away as the mysterious stranger offered the pair a friendly smile.

"Hello there, I'm Mew-thew!" The man quickly caught himself and began nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "Professor Laventon and Cyllene informed me about your problem and I believe that I could be of assistance, you see there's this friend of mine that lives not too far from here. She knows all about the legends of the past and could help you reach Ar-Almighty Sinnoh!"

"Huh? What you're saying is literally impossible, nobody's seen almighty Sinnoh for thousands of years!" Irida exclaimed while wrapping an arm around Zach's shoulder in a protective manner as she thought the man was trying to mess with Zach.

Zach was rather silent as he stared at the man, he'd never seen Mewthew in his life yet there was something familiar about him that told him that he could be trusted. "Where is this friend of yours?"

"Huh? You don't actually believe this guy, do you?" Irida turned to Zach with a look of disbelief. "What if he's trying to lure you into a trap?! He could be in league with that Psychic for all we know!"

"If it's a trap then Garchomp will burst out to protect me like he always does," Zach smirked while glancing towards the alpha Pokemon. "He always has a sense for danger and he seems rather calm right now."

Irida still looked doubtful as her hand wrapped around his. "Well I'm going with you, if you really do find a way to close that rift and get home I at least want a chance to say goodbye."

Zach tightened the grip while offering her an appreciative smile. "I wouldn't go without saying goodbye, I know that it'd crush you if I did." He turned back to Mewthew before nodding. "Alright Mewthew, take us to this friend of yours. We'd like to meet her!"

Mewthew was rather quiet and mysterious as he barely spoke a word throughout the journey which only made Irida all the more suspicious of him.

"Well here we are!" Were the first words he spoke for several hours as the group stood on the outskirts of a clearing that contained a small modest cottage that was built quite different compared to the ones within Diamond, Pearl and Jubilife village. "It's not much but Mistress Cogita lives here!"

Zach noticed a familiar merchant walking out the door of the cabin before taking their leave as they ventured towards the distant Mt. Coronet. "That was Volo, haven't seen him for awhile..."

"He always gave me the creeps," Irida commented with a light shiver.

Mewthew uttered out a light laugh. "Yes well you don't have to deal with him right now, now come. Mistress Cogita awaits!" The man skipped towards the cottage door before opening it up without bothering to knock causing Zach and Irida to give each other an uncomfortable look as he proceed to skip right on into the cottage. "Mistress Cogita!"

"Ah there you are, Mew-"

"Mewthew, yep! That's me!" Mewthew giggled out.

"Ah, so that's that name you've chosen this time." Cogita mused before turning her gaze towards the door. "You two can come in now, I've been expecting you."

Zach and Irida shared a brief sigh of relief as they were thankful that Cogita was decent before proceeding to enter the cottage. Cogita offered them a welcoming smile before gesturing towards four cups of tea. "Help yourselves to some tea."

"Thank you, ma'am." Irida performed a respective bow before taking a seat while Mewthew helped himself without any gesture or signs of mannerism.

"Thanks but no thanks, I don't like tea." Zach spoke before sweating as he couldn't remember drinking tea before but the words came out.

Cogita flashed an amused smirk before bowing her head. "No worries, I know that tea isn't for everyone. In fact I know why you've come here as it is my duty in life to help you." A fitting punishment for some past sins of hers. "The rift in space-time must be mended, even as we speak time and space are falling out of balance."

In the future but a few months from the present, a portal opened up to reveal a much different version of Archie and Shelly than the ones that Ash encountered during their previous journey. The two then proceeded to walk towards the recovering Matt who'd just failed in his attempt to capture Latios and Latias. While not far away a different portal opened up as an alternate version of Maxie stepped out, this one looked strikingly similar to this universe's counterpart only he wore a pair of glasses that had a Keystone embedded into it. He was followed out by a version of Tabitha that appeared to be a bit on the plumper side and more entuned to his inner anger and frustration.

"Where the heck are we?! Last thing I remember is you awakening Groudon and then it nearly killed us!"

"I think it did but we were fortunate enough to be given a second chance." Maxie smirked as he looked around. "Something tells me this universe is different, perhaps we'll have better luck here than we did there."

"You think I have a better shot at hooking up with Shelly here?!" Tabitha asked with a hopeful expression.

"Who knows," Maxie shrugged as the two began walking off

In the present day, Paul was currently engaged in a Championship match against the Elite Four member Wikstrom. Paul's Magmortar was locked in a heated battle against Wikstrom's Mega Scizor when a portal suddenly opened up in front of them. Panic started to ensue within the crowd as they began pushing and shoving each other away while an enraged Wyrdeer stepped out and blindly fired off attacks towards the audience.

"Egad, what on earth is that?!" Wikstrom was visibly stunned as he'd never encountered such a Pokemon before.

Paul scoffed at his Elite Four member while reaching for a ball without delay. "Magmortar you're too tired for this so take a rest. Ursaring stand by for battle!"

"Ursaaaa!" Paul's loyal bear Pokemon roared out as he burst from his Pokeball!

"What a lovely day to fish, don't you agree Simisage?" Cilan beamed at his starter Pokemon and best friend as the two sat on a dock while participating in yet another fishing competition. Cilan may now be an S ranked Connoisseur but his work was never done and he was hard at work trying to prove to Kanto's Fishing Master that he was a fishing Connoisseur!

"Simisage!" The Grass monkey cried out in agreement before turning his attention towards the water with a look of curiosity. "Simisage?"

"I got a bite!" Cilan excitedly exclaimed while hastily reeling it in. "S-Simisage, I could use your assistance. I-It's a big one!"

"Simisage!" Simisage raced behind Cilan and grabbed hold of him as he continued reeling it into until a large red striped Basculegion came splashing up onto the dock with a furious expression!

"Bas... cu... legion!"

"Whoa, what is that?!"

"Simisage?!" Cilan and Simisage gasped while sharing confused expressions.

The Fishing Master stared at Basculegion with a mystified expression before quickly reaching out for the trophy as he held it out to Cilan. "Here, this is yours! Only a true fishing master could catch such a large and mysterious Pokemon!"

"Uh.. thanks, we sure appreciate it!" Cilan uttered out a nervous laugh as Basculegion disappeared into his Dive Ball.

"Simisage..." Simisage sweated while wondering what their new friend would be like.

"Eeee!" Misty screamed like a fangirl as a white striped Basculegion appeared in the midst of Cerulean Gym's pool, Gyarados gave the new Pokemon a ferocious look and growled at it for trespassing on his turf while Golduck, Corsola, Dewgong and the others stared at the strange Pokemon from a safe distance. "A newly discovered Water type right here in my own Gym! I can't wait to catch it, Gyarados use Hyper Beam now!"

"GYAAAA!" Gyarados seemed more than willing to do just that!

At some point in the distant future, another portal opened to showcase an alternate Ghetsis that was followed by a triad of white haired ninjas and an arsenal of followers. Ghetsis leered around the Unova coastline with a much more sadistic and maniacal expression than the version that Ash encountered, suggesting that his intentions went beyond simply brainwashing Reshiram into his service.

"Heh..." Ghetsis smirked.

"Where are we Ghetsis?" One of the ninja asked.

"Yeah, I've been here before but this beach feels... different." A Plasma grunt spoke up.

Ghetsis cracked his knuckles as he gazed towards the distance. "Our new home boys, now come. We've got to let the kiddies know that it's the big kids turn in the sandbox!" Ghetsis flashed a sadistic smirk towards a Team Rocket poster as his Hydreigon blasted it away with a stream of fire. "Giovanni will learn that this world is mine to control, not his!"

"All hail Emperor Ghetsis, all hail Emperor Ghetsis!" The Team Plasma members chanted.

"The rift is a portal to an infinite number of other dimensions and even the very future itself, in one such realm very far from our own, almighty Sinnoh himself resides." Cogita explained.

"That'd be ours, right?" Irida gestured towards her and Zach's clothing, signifying the fact that their Pearl Clan.

"Or a combination of Pearl Clan and Diamond Clan's?" Zach theorized. Irida gave him a brief look, had anyone else suggested that she'd slug them for such blasphemy.

"Correct, time traces the path we tread from the here and now into the future while space yawns all-encompassing, surrounding us in every direction. Together they comprise all of creation, the very multiverse itself!" Cogita exclaimed while Irida looked on in disbelief. "The forces are equal to each other with neither being able to surpass the other."

"I told you this one was special didn't I?" Mewthew spoke up with a light smirk.

"Huh, what are you talking about? I never met you before." Zach glanced towards Mewthew with a questionable expression.

Mewthew began to sweat. "Yes well I saw-heard about you beating all those nobles! That was some feat you did!"

Zach narrowed his eyes lightly as he distinctly heard Mewthew suggest that he'd been watching him this whole time. Cogita took notice and quickly spoke up in the hopes of quickly changing the subject. "Why yes he is, in fact your mission here in Hisui is almost at it's end but first you must travel to Hisui's three great lakes; Lake Verity, Lake Acuity, and Lake Valor. At each dwells a Pokemon said to embody one aspect of the mind. Complete the trials each will set you and bear their gifts to the Shrouded Ruins. There you shall receive the Red Chain and with it, you'll be able to bring the world back into balance."

"So it'll close the rift..?" Zach asked with a tilt of his head.

"It'll help with that, yes." Cogita gave a swift nod in response while seeming to avoid fully answering his question.

"Good enough for me," Zach stood back up and gave Irida a nod, signaling that they were off. "Thanks for the help Cogita, I appreciate it."

"You're quite welcome Zach, good luck." Cogita waved them off with a smile.

Irida widened her eyes before leaning closer to Zach as the pair exited the cabin. "How did she know your name?! We never said it!"

"I'm not sure, maybe Volo told her?" Zach shrugged before whistling out which was followed shortly by Garchomp bursting from his Pokeball.

"Garrr!"

"Regardless it doesn't matter, closing that space-time rift is crucial. I'm not going to bother her with a pointless question."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Irida nodded in agreement before pausing. "Hm, Lake Verity is closest so why not start with that one?"

Zach, Irida and Garchomp soon stood before a large rock that was centered on a small island that sat at Lake Verity's center. The three looked all around the rock but there didn't appear to be a way inside nor was there any sign of the Pokemon that they were supposed to meet!

"Huh? What do you suppose we're supposed to do here?" Irida questioned.

"Garr..." Garchomp uttered out a frustrated growl while Zorua's ears flattened.

"I'm not sure, I-" Zach paused midsentence as he heard beeping noises emitting from his satchel, he quickly opened it up to investigate the source of the noise and found the Arc-Phone as the source as it's light lit up the inside of the bag. Zach raised an eyebrow before lifting the mysterious device up and upon facing the large rock, a golden glow emitted from within the phone causing rock to change formation, allowing them entrance into a small cave! "Whoa..."

"That device sure is weird." Irida commented as the two stepped into the cave, Garchomp brushed past them as he went to see what was inside to ensure his trainer's safety.

"You're telling me, it speaks to me on occasion but only I can hear it along with certain members of my team." Zach knew Luxray and Garchomp could hear it but Zorua never showed signs of hearing it.

"That is strange, maybe it has to do with their bond to you?" Irida questioned.

"GARRRR!" Garchomp's growl could be heard ahead causing Zach to quickly rush ahead.

"Garchomp?!" Zach called out before freezing in place as Garchomp could be seen leering down at a rather small Pokemon. "Garchomp wait, I don't think they're a threat!"

"Indeed I'm not." Mesprit chimed in causing Zach and Irida to leap up.

"Y-You can talk?!" Irida gasped.

"Of course not, I'm speaking to you telepathically." Mesprit smirked while looking towards Zach. "You've come to partake in my trial then?"

"O-Of course, I need to construct the Red Chain!"

"Garrr!"

"Zora!"

"Heh, well then share your emotions with me! When you fell to this land, what stirred in your heart?"

"Confusion."

"How did it feel to bond with Pokemon and work together?"

"Incredible, they're some of the best things that ever happened to me! They're like my family."

"Garrrr!"

"Zora!" Garchomp and Zorua smiled at their trainer, showcasing that the feeling was very much mutual.

"What did you feel when you were cast out of the Galaxy Team?"

"Depressed and lost but Irida helped me get back on track!" Zach exclaimed while flashing Irida an appreciative look. Irida's cheeks turned a bright shade of red in response.

"Would you still be eager to close the space-time rift, knowing that you're cutting off your only hope to see Lucario and Obstagoon again?"

"Lucario and Obstagoon..?" Zach questioned before theorizing that those were the jackal and badger's names. "Yes, I will." He spoke without hesitation. "I've been gone for months and if they're still around then surely they'll be okay without me, closing the rift is more important. I'm not willing to put others in danger for my personal sake."

Irida formed a light smile upon seeing how noble of a sacrifice he was willing to make, though her heart did start to flutter when the words sank in. 'Wait did she just suggest that Zach will be stuck here... with me?!' She felt guilty for how excited the thought made her.

Mesprit smiled as she moved closer to Zach. 'Then take this piece of the spirit to bind the world once more.' She removed a plume from her body and placed it within his hand before disappearing into thin air as she whisked herself away with Teleport! As Zach's hand touched the plume, his eyes momentarily turned white as visions started flashing through his head. He saw himself, Riolu, Sonia and Nessa laughing and chasing each other around Wedgehurst back when they were small children, even now that was the furthest his memories would go, bringing back the memories of his three oldest friends before the memories flashed forward to show him watching Cynthia locked in a heated battle with Mustard within Wyndon's stadium; Riolu sat in his lap while Sonia and Nessa sat on both sides as they cheered on their champion, bringing back his memories of Mustard and Cynthia the memories then skipped over a small bit, fast forwarding to Zach encountering Marnie and getting banned from Motostoke's most famous desert bar after Scorbunny and Morpeko caused quite the disturbance then to Chloe and helping her befriend Eevee along with Riolu's evolution into Lucario before the memories came to an abrupt end.

"Lucario, Sonia, Nessa, Mustard, Scorbunny, Marnie, Chloe... I remember you now." Zach clenched his fists. He was dying to see his closest friends again, though he felt as if he was still forgetting a few, but he wasn't going to distract that from his goal. Now that he remembered Sonia he knew somebody was watching over Scorbunny, Lucario, Obstagoon and the others and as soon as that fear came to an end, it only intensified his resolve.

"You okay, Zach..?" Irida questioned while giving him a look of concern. "You were spaced out for a bit."

"Yeah, I'm alright. Now let's get to Lake Valor and get the next piece of the Red Chain!"

"I'm sorry Dawn but I haven't gotten the foggiest idea when that occurred." Mesprit frowned while overlooking the group as they stood at Lake Verity's shore. The cave and island that once sat at the lake's center was now deep underwater. "You see we immortals lose track of time so easily and forget small things like 'what year it is', I'm sure that my brother or sister know." She spoke while gesturing towards the distance.

Dawn lowered her head to hide her tears while Marnie placed her hand atop of her shoulder. "There there, we still got two more places to check out. Why don't we check out Lake Valor?"

"That's right, I'm sure that Azelf and Uxie will remember!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pi Pikachu!"

Much like Lake Verity before it, a golden glow emitted from the Arc-Phone upon arrival at Lake Valor causing a cave formation to appear within a rock that sat at the lake's core. Zach and Irida gave the phone a brief look before walking on into the cave where they encountered a small Pokemon that looked quite similar to the one they'd encountered previously.

"Hello, Mesprit informed me that you were coming so I've prepared a small trial of my own. One that is a test of willpower!" Azelf raised his arms causing a basket of blue balms to fall from the sky, landing directly next to Zach. "Strike me, if you can..."

"That's all?" Zach raised an eyebrow before shrugging as he reached for the balms before pulling back his arm to give it a good throw only for Azelf to teleport away right as he fired it off! "Huh?" Zach shot a quick look around the cave before spotting Azelf floating in a corner.

"There you are, let's try this again!" Zach threw back his arm before hurling another balm towards Azelf only for the Psychic to teleport away once more!

"Again!"

"Again!"

"Again!" Zach tried numerous times to strike Azelf only for the Pokemon to teleport away, hours passed and although he was nearing the point of exhaustion he wasn't willing to give up. "Must try... again... mustn't give up... can't give up..."

Azelf smiled lightly and closed his eyes, stopping in place and allowing for Zach to strike him with a balm!

"Wait, he just let you hit him!" Irida frowned.

"Yes, I've seen enough to know that he isn't going to give up no matter how hard it may be. He is ready to face P-Almighty Sinnoh." Azelf reached into his mouth and retrieved a loose fang, they grew back fast enough that it was the equivalent of Mesprit giving Zach one of her plumes. "This is my piece of the Red Chain, good luck with Uxie's trial!"

Azelf teleported away as soon as Zach took the fang, disappearing much like Mesprit had done before him while Zach's eyes went white as more memories flashed through his brain. His first encounter with Scorbunny, Caterpie, Zigzagoon, Piplup and Dratini flashed through his eyes before experiencing their evolutions along with Butterfree's farewell which was even more depressing than the first time. Images of Raichu, Porygon Z, Ninetales, Scizor, Arctozolt, Umbreon, Zamazenta, Eternatus and Zeraora then flashed through his brain as he recalled the other Pokemon waiting for him back home. He frowned for a moment as he feared never getting to see them again before shaking his head as he turned to face Irida once more.

"Lake Acuity's the final trial, let's go!"

"Oh I remember that, it was quite amusing!" Azelf giggled out.

"You do?!" Dawn looked up with a hopeful expression. "When was it?!"

"Huh? Oh... I-I can't seem to recall, sorry." Azelf frowned. "I'm sure that my sister, Uxie knows! She never forgets anything!"

"Of course, we should have started there first!" Brock snapped his finger. "I forgot that Uxie was the bringer of knowledge!"

"That means she has to remember!" Dawn gasped before frantically motioning with her arm. "Let's get going then, the sooner we get there the sooner we can rescue Zach!"

After the Arc-Phone helped unearth yet another cave entrance, Zach and Irida made their way into the cavern to find a Pokemon that greatly resemble Mesprit and Azelf.

"Greetings Zach, allow me to test your knowledge."

"Knowledge? Sounds simple enough, go ahead."

"Combee, Zubat, Unown, Magneton, Dusclops. How many are their eyes?"

"Um..." Zach froze in place as he tried thinking of an answer.

Uxie's tail twitched as Zach stared off into space for a bit. "Not great with math, are you? Don't worry, I've got another test for you!" Uxie teleported away before returning with a larger and spikier version of Hisuian Qwilfish. "This is Overqwil, I can tell that you've never met one before so allow me to fill you in on it's typing. Dark/Poison, now strike it with a Super Effective move and you'll pass the test! Don't worry, Overqwil agreed to this."

"Qwil." Overqwil nodded in confirmation though Zach couldn't help but feel a familiar sensation as he looked at the Pokemon. Something was strangely familiar about it but he couldn't question it.

"Scorching Sands!"

"GARRR!" Garchomp raised his arms as fiery sand spiraled around his body, the sand then began to fly across the cave before striking Overqwil's body and his eyes!

"My eyes! I mean 'Qwil, Overqwil!'"

"Mewthew...?" Zach tilted his head as he recognized the voice.

Uxie began to nervously sweat as Mew was dangerously close to exposing his true identity. She knew it was foolish to bring Mew in here but Mew was all too eager to lend a hand! She snatched a claw off her hand before quickly slapping it into Zach's hand. "There, you passed! With that you can finish the Red Chain, now if you excuse us-" Uxie flew over and grabbed hold of Overqwil before teleporting them both out of the cavern!

"That was strange, I could have sworn that Overqwil sounded like that Mewthew guy..." Irida commented while Zach stared off into space as more memories flashed through his head. It appeared that this one unlocked a memory that he'd forgotten at some point.

Zach currently sat alone at a camp in the Summer time and appeared to be around the age of seven or eight. Riolu sat next to him while they watched other boys running around the camp, playing with others. It was a camp strictly for boys while Sonia and Nessa were off at another camp, leaving him by himself for a few weeks with no other friends or so he thought as he was soon joined by a kid his age that had a darker skin tone and wore a leather jacket and hat that sort of made him resemble a humanoid Dragon Pokemon. A silver metallic egg sat within the boy's arm as he stood in front of Zach.

"Can I sit here?" The kid asked.

"Huh, yeah sure I guess."

"Thank you, there aren't any kids my age where I come from. Just a bunch of old grumpy men that spend their day worshipping Dragon shrines!" The kid laughed before shooting a quick look around. "I'm guessing there aren't any kids from where you're from either?"

"There are, just two girls though so they're not here." Zach frowned.

"I see..." The kid frowned before smiling as he held his hand out to Zach. "Well then allow me to introduce myself, the name's Raihan! Future Dragon Master and Galar Champ!"

"I'm Zach-wait Galar Champ?! That's my goal!" Zach exclaimed.

"Rio!" Riolu exclaimed alongside his trainer.

Raihan laughed out before flashing Zach a teasing smirk. "Well then it looks like the two of us are rivals!" The two spent the next few weeks together and became great friends despite their rivalry as they hanged out and engaged in rather Summer Camp activities with each other while also finding an enemy in a much younger Avery as he couldn't stand constantly being outshined by them!

"Gah, I'll show you two..."

At the end of the camp, Raihan boarded a bus to Hammerlocke and gave his newfound best friend a friendly wave as he stared through the window. Zach and Riolu smiled and waved back to their friend, Raihan's attention was soon diverted to his silver egg as it began glowing preventing him from seeing what occurred next. As the bus started pulling away, Avery found a rather large rock and grunted as he picked it up before bringing it down on Zach's head, knocking the younger boy out while also removing his memories of Raihan as the past few weeks became a blur. He didn't have a Rotom Phone back then so Raihan and him were unable to make contact with each other.

"Raihan... I hope you don't hate me." Zach frowned while feeling ashamed for forgetting his childhood best friend and rival.

More memories started to flash through his brain including when he first met Bede and met Avery again who clearly remembered him and was annoyed that Zach didn't, thinking that Zach was toying with him he decided to be a dick and out him his Asperger's leading Bede to beat Avery up before Mustard reprimanded them both and scolded them for their actions. He then saw Bede leave, recalled how Klara used to abuse and strike him since he refused to hit back before remembering that his and Bede's friendship was now restored while Klara and him parted on friendly terms after the two redeemed themselves during the Darkest Day, although he and Klara would never be friends they didn't hate each other anymore.

He then recalled his first meeting with Ash Ketchum and how Ash aspired him to travel the world and meet all sorts of people and Pokemon. Leading to him meeting Max before encountering Brock and various other companions of Ash's past at Professor Oak's lab, including Dawn Berlitz the love of Zach's life and although he didn't know it back then Dawn sure seemed to from the way she was looking at him! He noticed some similarities between her and Akari but his mind quickly went off track as memories of Butterfree leaving returned followed by Zach's introduction to May Maple and the forming of a close friendship as they traveled throughout Hoenn's islands together and how she seemed more attached to him after he nearly got killed trying to save Linoone, refusing to leave his bedside while remaining nearby throughout the remainder of his Hoenn journey.

'So that's why Irida looked familiar, she looks just like May!' His attraction towards Akari and Irida was starting to make sense now.

He then recalled his introduction to Milo, his reunion with Nessa, his introduction to Kabu and Flannery along with his introduction to Allister. He smiled as most of his memories had been restored, including his brief reunion with Butterfree! "My friends, I hope you'll be okay without me." He then felt a sense of sadness as the memory of Mustard's departure and funeral flashed through his mind. "Oh yeah... I forgot..." He clenched his fists as he tried holding back his tears only to fail as they came rushing out of his eyes.

Irida noticed and took hold of his hand while offering him a comforting look. She knew that he was experiencing some of his memories and could tell that he lost somebody important to him from the look on his face. She leaned her head up against his and allowed him to let it all out.

"Of course, I remember!" Uxie exclaimed while overlooking the group.

Dawn's eyes filled with joy while Lucario and Cinderace leaped for joy upon hearing the good news.

"Carrr!"

"Ace!"

"Really?! When?!"

Uxie smirked. "It was-"

Zach, Irida and Garchomp stood in front of a large stone tablet that sat at the center of some broken run down ruins.

"Cogita told us to bring the pieces here but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with them." Zach frowned while staring down at the plume, fang and claw that sat within the palm of his hand. "How do you turn a plume, a tooth and a claw into a chain?"

"Why don't you ask Mesprit, Azelf and Uxie?" Mewthew spoke from behind causing Zach, Garchomp and Irida to leap up from surprise while Zorua uttered out a startled yelp!

"Where did you come from?!" Irida questioned.

"It was like you came from nowhere!" Zach exclaimed.

Mewthew offered an amused smirk before gesturing back towards the stone tablet.

"Huh?" Zach turned around to discover the lake trio had appeared above the stone tablet. "When did you three-?!"

A red aura surrounded the lake trio as the plume, fang and claw levitated out of Zach's hand. A bright light surrounded the object while three red energy beams fired from their heads, the beams struck the three objects and began changing their form into a singular red chain!

"Is that-?"

"The Red Chain, yep!" Mewthew smirked before beckoning towards the distance. "Now I'm sure you'll want to hear what your friends have to tell you."

"Friends? What do you mean?" Zach turned towards where Mewthew was pointing before catching sight of Wyrdeer racing up the cliffside, Adaman and Professor Laventon on his back as he galloped towards them.

"Zach, we've got problems!" Adaman exclaimed.

"Adaman..?" Zach glanced back towards Mewthew. "How did you kno-Wait where did he go?! He couldn't have just disappeared!"

"Zach, it's Commander Kamado!" Professor Laventon exclaimed. "He's gone crazy and ventured up to Mt. Coronet's peak to try and close the rift!"

"Huh? What do you mean by that? He can't do anything, nothing's up there but the rift itself!" Zach exclaimed while gesturing towards the rift before noticing the silhouette of a fairly large Pokemon reaching through the rift. "Almighty Sinnoh..."

"Yeah, that is the problem! He intends on attacking him and ending him, he has it in his head that it'll stop everything!" Adaman exclaimed.

"What? But that doesn't make sense, even if he did succeed in doing so he'd knock space and time off balance even more than it currently is!"

"Huh?" Adaman blinked. "I thought Almighty Sinnoh only encompassed one element."

"No, it's both." Irida confirmed. "We'll explain more after this is all over."

Adaman scratched his head for a moment before shrugging.

"Regardless, he's likely to tick off the big guy himself and who knows what will happen to us!" Professor Laventon exclaimed. "Zach, you must get up there and stop him!"

Zach clenched his fists before giving off a quick nod. "Alright, I'll go up there and stop him." Kamado and him weren't on good terms anymore but he wasn't going to just let Kamado get himself killed, enough people died! "Irida, you stay here with Professor Laventon and Adaman."

"What?! No way, I want to go with you! What if-What if you get killed?!"

"If it means closing the rift then that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make but if that truly is almighty Sinnoh up there, I don't want to worry about you getting hit by him! I need complete focus." Zach shook his head while climbing up onto Garchomp's back.

"Zach please don't-I love you!"

"I know. Irida, I just saw my father figure die... again. I don't want to see somebody else I care about perish so soon." Zach frowned while tapping the side of Garchomp's head. "Let's go!"

"GARRR!" Garchomp took off into the air before making his way towards the mountain peak!

Irida clenched her fists and watched them fly off while tears began falling from her eyes. "Zach..."

Adaman placed a hand on her shoulder. "Irida, we can help him... if that truly is almighty Sinnoh and Kamado enraged him then we'd need a noble offering to calm him down, let's go fetch the clan treasures."

"T-That's a good idea..." Irida sniffed while wiping away some tears. "A-Alright, let's go fetch the treasures!"

"Garrrr!" When Garchomp neared the mountain's highest point a fierce wind emitted from the rift and sent him off course.

"Ugh, it's clear that we can't land directly up there! Even if we do push through we'd likely get sucked into the rift and then we'll never be able to close it!" Zach shouted over the strong wind so Garchomp could hear him. "Let's land down there, that tunnel looks like it leads up to the peak."

"Garrrr!" Garchomp swooped down and landed on the ground with a hard thud before lowering himself to allow Zach and Zorua to climb off.

"Thank you Garchomp," Zach shot a quick look towards the tunnel entrance before looking back at Garchomp. "Hm, you should fit. I'll let you stay out for the time being, I might need you."

"Garrr!"

"Hey look, it's Skyguy!" A guardsman shouted as the three entered the cave, the sight of the alpha Garchomp clearly petrified some as they froze in place when the Dragon leered at them.

"Almighty Sinnoh, he's even stronger than before!"

"That's right, my fight isn't with you all. I don't want to hurt you or your Pokemon so I'd suggest you clear out of here before Garchomp gets ticked off!"

"GARRRR!" Garchomp let out a terrifying roar that echoed throughout the tunnel.

"Yikes!"

"Gah!"

"Forget this, I don't want to die young!" Two thirds of the Guardsmen quickly ran off without further word while the remaining third remained behind, standing behind Beni who could be seen leering at Zach upon catching sight of him.

"Still alive and kicking, eh? Well then I guess it's time we got rid of you once and for all!" Beni growled.

"Dang it Beni, I thought we were friends!" Zach uttered out a frustrated growl. He was hoping to get through this without a fight, before Kamado did something stupid!

"We were until you brought that freak into the village!" Beni spat.

"That wasn't my fault and you know it, you think I wanted him to kill Akari?! We were planning on settling down together!" Zach growled out. "I never wanted to see harm come to her."

"Well it did, she died because you couldn't leave well enough alone." Beni growled. "Kamado and I used to live at a village much like Jubilife until a flash flood occurred, flooding the village while a horde of Gyarados wiped us all out! We were lucky enough to escape with our lives, the only two to do so... I lost my wife and kids."

"Wait-The Lake of Rage? You lived there...? I'm so sorry to hear about that." Zach frowned while feeling sympathetic towards Beni.

"You know what happened?! Well then I suppose you had something to do with that as well!" Beni spat while throwing down a smoke bomb, obscuring the view before stepping on out in a white ninja outfit. "I've ended people that threatened our peace before and I'm more than willing to do so again! Gallade end him with Psycho Cut!"

"Gallade!" A Gallade swiftly burst from the ball before charging towards Zach with the clear intent to kill!

"GARRR!" Garchomp snarled as he prepared to leap out only for Zorua to act out first, the pup leaped from Zach's shoulder with a violent snarl before tackling Gallade to the floor with spine-chilling resentment!

"Zora!"

"Garr..." Garchomp watched on with pride as Zorua furiously slashed at Gallade's stomach, his claws glowed a bright purple color as she slashed fast and deep while determined to not let his second father die as he wasn't letting Gallade get a chance to attack!

"Zorua... Zorua, stop! Gallade's had enough!" Zach called out as blood seeped from Gallade's chest. Zorua jerked his head up and paused as he saw swirls within Gallade's eyes, indicating he wasn't about to fight back anymore. Zorua sweated before stepping back as a light blue glow surrounded his body while he began growing taller, now matching his trainer in height while his fierce yellow eyes leered at Beni and his men who all stood with Pokeballs ready within their hands.

"Zoroark..."

Zach flashed Zoroark a light smile and patted his back before looking towards Beni. "See? If I truly wanted Gallade dead, I'd have left Zorua alone and let him finish the job."

"Zorua had the instinct in him though, he's clearly killed before!" A guardsmen shouted while Beni stared off with a thoughtful expression.

"No he hasn't, he saw his entire pack die! He's lost somebody much like me and the rest of you, he didn't want to see that happen again so he lashed out! I know it looks bad but we're not the bad guys here, we can stop the rift. I've got the Red Chain and-"

"You're talking nonsense, this is just a trick to get us to let our guards down!" Beni shouted.

"Yeah, let's get him!" A guardsmen shouted while the group unleashed a variety of Pokemon such as Roserade, Crobat, Sneasler, Magnezone and various others as they now had Zach surrounded.

Zach facepalmed while reaching for a Pokeball. "I didn't want to do this but you forced my hand, Moltres use Fiery Wrath!"

"Tres!" A sinister fiery aura formed around Moltres as he burst out above Zach and his Pokemon, the legendary spread out his wings causing the aura to fling across the cavern, sending the enemy Pokemon and their trainers flying back before they crashed against the walls of the cavern. The Pokemon laid in collapsed heaps, swirls formed within their eyes while most of the men were unconscious. Beni stared at Zach for a brief moment before falling into a similar state as he laid beside his men.

"I'm sorry Beni, hopefully you'll be able to forgive me once I save your commander." Zach swiftly returned Moltres to his Pokeball before racing towards the tunnel's exit.

"Kamado I must insist that you stop this nonsense, you can't beat that thing! You'll only enrage it and then you knows what will happen!" Cyllene shouted as she tried reasoning with Kamado who stood ready to battle Palkia as the legendary god of space phased through the portal.

"Oh come now Cyllene, you're just a woman how would you know better than I would?" Kamado dismissed with a wave of his hand.

Cyllene gasped before clenching her fists as she ripped off the top half of her robes. "See this?! I'm clearly no woman!"

"What's this now?! You're a man..?" Kamado raised an eyebrow while giving a look of surprise.

"Yes and I actually encountered this Pokemon before in a foolish attempt to reshape the world, I see better now. This world is just perfect the way it is, it doesn't need changing but people do and can change for the better. I intend on living out the rest of the days helping the world become a better place the right way, going against your orders if I have to!"

Kamado looked Cyrus over with visible disgust. "Zach's made you soft..."

"He gave me a second chance at life, I saw my life flashing through my eyes and realized the extent my sins went. I can never be forgiven for what I did in the future-past but I can help make a better tomorrow where people and Pokemon reside and live in peace! If you think that's made me soft then yes, I'm soft!"

Kamado shook his head. "Are all of Zach's friends insane?" Kamado rolled his eyes before turning back to Palkia as he reached for a ball. "Snorlax use-"

Slap! Kamado froze in place before keeling over in an unconscious state as Cyrus bashed the back of his head with a coconut. "That ought to calm you down but what about the others..?" Cyrus turned his attention towards the nearby tunnel before forming a light smile at the sight of Zach and the Red Chain. "Of course, the Red Chain! That ought to help make Palkia see sense and go home!"

"Cyllene...?" Zach froze in place upon seeing Cyllene in quite the odd state before tilting his head. "Wait... Cyrus!" He immediately grabbed Moltres' Pokeball while Garchomp and Zoroark took offensive stances.

"I knew you were from the future," Cyrus smirked while raising his hands. "Relax, I'm not a threat. I've come here to help, what Kamado was doing was foolish and endangers the very future we come from. We must send Palkia back to his own dimension before it's too late! Use the Red Chain, you'll be able to weaken Palkia and control him, motivate him to return home!"

Zach narrowed his eyes. Now that he knew who Cyllene really was he didn't feel like he could trust him anymore, though there was some sincerity in his words. "Very well, Garchomp if he tries anything you have permission to eat him." Zach didn't feel comfortable turning his back to the leader of a villainous team.

"Garrr!" Garchomp licked his lips while Cyrus performed a light shudder.

"I-I'll be good, I promise! Just do it, use the Red Chain now!"

"KIA!" Palkia's shoulders glowed a bright purple color as he prepared to attack!

"Oh no, something already p-ticked him off!" Cyrus exclaimed with an anxious expression. "Hopefully the Red Chain works!"

A series of bursts could be heard as Zoroark quickly let out Decidueye, Typhlosion, Goodra and Luxray. All five of them stared up at Palkia alongside Garchomp as Zach held up the Red Chain. "Please work, please work!" The red chain flew out of his hands and flew up before wrapping itself around Palkia's body, tightly constricting around his body and forcing him to halt in place! "I-It worked?! It worked! Haha!" Zach grinned. "Palkia, go home! I don't know where that it but you do, go back! You can't stay here!"

Palkia nodded his head and turned to take his leave before pausing as he felt a familiar presence. "Kia..."

"Here we are!" Celebi cried out as she appeared behind Zach. Ash, Marnie, Brock, Croagunk, Pikachu and Croagunk all looked around as they took in the view before freezing in place as they caught sight of Palkia. Dawn meanwhile raced right towards Zach before leaping up into his arms to greet him with a kiss! Cinderace and Lucario soon raced into the hug as they wrapped their arms around both Zach and Dawn, happy they were all reunited at last!

"Zach!" She squealed.

"Dawn?! Where did you-?" Zach was stopped by the impact of her lips while above them, Celebi's time powers caused an unforeseen issue as it summoned the very overlord of time himself!

"DIA!" Dialga screeched out as he flew directly from the space-time rift!

"Oh no, I think we just changed history!" Brock exclaimed.

"In the good way or bad...?" Ash sweated.

"Pika..." Pikachu flattened his ears as he had a bad feeling about this.

"Hm?" Zach and Dawn broke away from their kiss upon hearing Dialga's cry. "Dialga?"

"Dialga!" Dawn exclaimed with an anxious expression.

"KIA!" Upon seeing his brother, Palkia was overcome by rage allowing for him to fight back against the Red Chain before shattering it to pieces as he broke free! The two Pokemon then flew towards each other as they engaged in a heated battle while the rift spiraled violently overhead as the sky turned a dark shade of purple!

Cyrus frowned before giving Ash, Brock, Marnie and Dawn a glare. "Must you brats interfere with everything? Don't you get it, Zach was supposed to be here, you weren't! He had everything under control but then you had the bright idea to bring a time wielder to a space-time rift! Let me guess whose bright idea that was..." Cyrus leered at Ash in particular.

"Oi, don't call my boyfriend an idiot!" Marnie growled.

"Actually that was mine, I-I guess I was too focused on rescuing my boyfriend that I wasn't thinking things through." Dawn sweated.

"I'd have done the same if I was in your shoes Dawn, don't sweat." Zach offered her a light smile before frowning as he turned his attention back towards the sky above. "So what do we do now?"

"I-I might have something that can help with that," Cyrus reached into his robes' pockets which caused Brock and Ash to take a defensive stance as they weren't used to Cyrus being a 'good guy'.

"So what, are you a good guy now?" Ash questioned while Marnie silently watched on as she wasn't sure how to act towards Cyrus.

"Pika..."

"Yes and no, my sins are unforgiveable but I can still work to making things better and I intended on starting here." Cyrus spoke while withdrawing bright red ore from his pocket. "During my studies and... scheming to destroy the world and start anew I discovered this ore, I didn't have it back when I fought you guys but I found it during my time here. It contains some energy from the time of creation and if we combine that with the Red Chain-or rather the fragments of it... we could construct a Pokeball capable of capturing those beasts without fail! Then we'll be able to send them back to their home dimension!"

"Craft a Pokeball...?" Ash gave a mystified expression.

"Well there's a problem with that theory, I don't think any of us can craft a Pokeball." Zach sweated.

"Yeah, I have no idea how to do that." Dawn frowned while Brock gave a silent nod in agreement.

"But I do, now quickly gather up those fragments and we'll construct those Origin Balls!"

"Lucario, what do you think? You trust him?" Zach asked.

"Garrr..." Garchomp licked his lips as if to say he was still willing to eat Cyrus if they wanted him to.

Lucario's eyes glowed blue as he read Cyrus' aura over before turning to his trainer to give a swift nod of confirmation. "Car."

"That's good enough for me, it's great to see you again buddy!"

"Car!"

"Ace!" The vast group quickly rushed around the mountain peak, picking up as many of the shards as they possibly could before making their way back to Cyrus.

"Hm? Where'd Dawn go...?" Zach questioned as he, Marnie, Brock, Ash, Lucario, Pikachu, Zoroark, Piplup, Croagunk and Garchomp each returned with shards.

"I'm sure she's fine," Cyrus dismissed as he rather focused on the task at hand, quickly crafting two shiny ruby-like Pokeballs before handing one to Zach while handing the other to Ash. "Here, you focus on Palkia while Ash focuses on Dialga. No single person should wield them both."

The two snatched the Origin balls and threw back their arms before hurling them up into the air, the Pokeballs opened up as they approached Palkia and Dialga before sucking them on into them. The Pokeballs shook within the air before crackling out to announce the captures a success as they fell towards the ground where they were promptly caught by Cinderace and Pikachu who gave their trainers a thumbs up.

"Pika!"

"Ace!"

"Good job you too!" Zach praised.

"We just caught Palkia and Dialga..." Ash trailed off as he was visibly shocked by what occurred.

"Yes, now send them out and tell them to go home! Hurry!" Cyrus shouted.

"Uh huh, I wouldn't do that if I were you!"

"Zach!"

"Dawn?!" Zach turned around upon hearing his girlfriend call out to him only to freeze up as he was greeted by an all too familiar sight, Volo had Dawn in a tight grip while having a knife to Dawn's throat, the same knife that killed Akari from the looks of it as red stains could be seen on it.

"Volo?!" Cyrus exclaimed. "You're in league with that psychic freak?!"

"I'm not just in league with him, I control him! I'm his master!" Volo laughed with a crazed expression, his hair was a complete mess while he appeared to be wearing quite the strange white and gold attire. "Now hand over those Origin Balls and the Flame and Electro plate or your girlfriend gets it!"

"We'll never do that!" Ash growled while Brock clenched his fists.

"Nonono, not again..." Zach muttered while frozen in place as he feared watching his girlfriend die all over!

"Ark..." Zoroark stepped behind Garchomp before fading away into his shadow as he stealthily made his way across the field.

"Yes, again!" Volo laughed. "But you have the power to stop it, all you have to do is-"

"Ark!"

"Gah!" Volo dropped his grip on Dawn as Zoroark sank his teeth into his neck, drawing a bit of blood. "Damn mutt!" Volo elbowed him off while Dawn hastily made her escape, racing towards Zach before throwing an arm around him as she violently shook.

"T-That was too close... and scary..."

"You're telling me, I almost thought I lost you all over..." Zach wrapped an arm around hers while leaning his head up against hers.

"It's over Volo, you've got nothing else going for you. Give up those plates and get out of here while you still can!" Cyrus growled.

"I think not..." Volo flashed a sadistic grin as he pulled out a series of Pokeballs. "You see while I might be Shade's master, even I am but a mere servant to a master and here he comes!" Volo pointed up towards a purple rift that formed within the sky. "I did my job and served as a distraction just long enough for him to track down his brothers!"

"Brothers-You mean...?" Ash asked as he had a good idea who was coming.

"GIRAAA!" The sky darkened as Giratina emerged in his Origin Forme, the renegade Pokemon uttered out a violent shriek before flinging six different shadowy blobs off his body, firing them off towards Volo! Volo was quick to act and released his team, sending out a Garchomp, Lucario, Togekiss, Hisuian Arcanine, Roserade and Spiritomb. The shadowy blobs landed directly on top of them causing them to be engulfed by a shadowy aura as each was transformed into a Shadow Pokemon!

"Yes, yes... let the hate flow through you and embrace the darkness within you!" Volo laughed out. "Giratina, together we'll crush these kids and dethrone Arceus! We'll be kings of the multiverse and all of creation will bow to us!"

"...was I like that when I was evil?" Cyrus asked with a light sweatjob.

"Yes, you were!" Ash, Brock and Dawn shouted simultaneously.

"Pi Pikachu!"

"Piplup!"

"Croagunk!"

Giratina snarled as he prepared to fire off a powerful shadowy attack at the group.

"Ash, let Dialga out! Him and Palkia can fight off Giratina while our Pokemon can battle Volo's Shadow Pokemon!" Zach exclaimed.

"Huh? But Dialga won't attack without orders now, I'm not sure how we can fight two battles at once." Ash shot a quick glance between Volo and Giratina.

"I'll order Dialga, I trust Cinderace, Lucario and Garchomp enough to know they'll make the right decisions. I don't need to order them around, you just make focus on bringing Volo down using whoever you've got on hand!"

"Right," Ash gave off a quick nod as he held out Dialga's Origin ball. "I trust you, alright Pikachu let's take Volo down!"

"Pika!"

"Palkia use Spacial Rend, Dialga use Roar of Time!" Bright pink and blue lights enveloped around the two overlords as they fired off their respects attacks, striking Giratina who quickly countered back by surrounding the two with a shadowy aura, causing them to endure great pain and suffering!

"Ace?"

"Car!" Lucario and Cinderace shared a smirk before firing off their Pyro Sphere technique, sending it flying straight towards the Shadow Lucario. The Shadow Lucario gritted his teeth before flashing a sadistic smirk as he fired off a massive red colored aura sphere that knocked the two over upon making impact!

Garchomp flashed a cocky smirk as he stood over the Shadow Garchomp, emitting a light laugh before unleashing a loud intimidating roar as he expected to send him screaming for the hills like he did with other normal sized Garchomp. The Shadow Garchomp leered up at the alpha before firing off a red pulse of Dragon energy that knocked Garchomp off his feet, catching the alpha by surprise as he landed against the ground with a hard thud!

"Snarl!" Grimmsnarl charged towards the Shadow Roserade only for her to swiftly step out of the way before firing off a tornado of black rose petals which pelted Grimmsnarl and brought him down to his knees!

"Kiss!" The Shadow Togekiss didn't even flinch as he was struck by Piplup's Whirlpool, the Togekiss then smirked before firing off red aura which sent Piplup blasting away from her!

"Piplup!" Piplup cried as he flew through the sky!

"Croagunk!" Brock cried out with concern as the Shadow Arcanine chomped down on the poison frog like it was a chew toy!

"Croa..."

"Pikaaaaa!" Pikachu cried out as he found himself trapped within Spiritomb's ghastly flames!

"I don't get it, Zach's supposed to be the strongest person here! Just how is it that you're so strong?! Zach was significantly weaker than he was today when he beat that Shadow Metagross!" Cyrus shouted.

"Heh you're such a fool, that was an artificial Shadow Pokemon. This is the real deal, coming directly from the source itself embedded with Giratina's power! This is what a true Shadow Pokemon, nothing you fools created in today's times could compare to this!" Volo laughed.

"I don't get it, how can you two get pushed around by your brother like this?" Zach questioned as Dialga and Palkia weren't even putting a dent into Giratina while he threw them around like rag dolls!

"That is a question you'll take to your grave, that fool Shade is next for daring to question my authority! Then I'll be coming for each and every one of your counterparts throughout the very multiverse, no matter where you fools reside I'll eliminate each and every one of you to ensure my dominance over the multiverse!"

"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Adaman spoke up to announce his and Irida's presence, the two held large spheres up into the air which soon began to glow upon feeling Dialga and Palkia's presence.

"Almighty Sinnoh please accept our noble offering and use it to empower yourself and unlock your true potential!" The two chanted simultaneously while a bright golden glow surrounded Dialga and Palkia as each changed shape while taking on different aspects of Arceus himself as Palkia's hind legs greatly resembled him while Dialga got the short end of the stick as it almost appeared as if something were stuck within his neck!

"Dia!"

"Kia!" The two Pokemon screeched out while emitting a bright golden glow that flashed across the clearing, the energy soon surrounded Lucario, Cinderace, Garchomp, Grimmsnarl, Piplup, Croagunk and Piplup before fully engulfing them with Arceus' strength much like the nobles before them! The Pokemon flashed Volo's Pokemon a smirk before unleashing a barrage of attacks. Lucario and Cinderace unleashed Pyro Sphere on Shadow Lucario, sending him flying back while Garchomp annihilated the Shadow Garchomp with Scorching Sands! Grimmsnarl unleashed Burning Jealousy upon Roserade while Piplup sent Togekiss flying back with Whirlpool as Pikachu finished Spiritomb off with a powerful Thunderbolt attack! All six Shadow Pokemon laid in one unconscious heap on top of each other while Volo pulled at his hair with a visible frustrated expression.

"No, no... this can't be! We can't lose!"

"DIA!"

"KIA!" Dialga and Palkia cried out, golden energy surrounded their bodies once more as a large purple rift formed behind the Shadow Pokemon and began sucking them into it.

"GIRA!" Giratina roared as as it charged towards the two overlords only for them to swing around and send him flying towards the rift with a whack of their tails! "Tinaaaaa!"

Volo soon began lifting up off the ground as he was sucked into the rift as well. "Nonono, I can't lose not like this! I won't go alone!" Volo reached out and grabbed hold of Marnie's arm.

"Oi, get off me ya jerk!" Marnie growled as she tried prying Volo off her arm while the two moved ever closer to the purple rift!

"Marnie!" An anxious expression formed on Ash's face as he raced forward in an attempt to grab her, even if it meant falling into the rift himself!

"Oh no you don't!" Cyrus rushed forward and tackled Volo, freeing Marnie off his grasp and Ash before Ash quickly tackled Marnie to the ground and held on tight as he felt the rift's force trying desperately to suck them in! Cyrus and Volo were soon lifted high up the ground as the the portal sucked them in.

"This isn't over, I'll find my way back I swear to you all! Just you wait, I'll dethrone Arceus and rule all of creation! You'll see, you'll all see!" Volo laughed with a crazed expression as he disappeared into the rift. Giratina soon stuck his head back out as he attempted to escape.

"Roar of Time, quick!" Zach shouted.

"DIA!" Dialga fired off a powerful green energy blast from his mouth as he uttered out a violent roar, the blast sent Giratina careening back into the void while a singular shadowy blob which flying off of him and flung off to parts unknown, so small that it went unseen by the others!

"Cyrus is gone..." Brock trailed off as the portal closed up.

"He saved Marnie's life, I guess he really did change." Dawn mused before sweating as she realized Ash and Marnie had apparently decided to share a quick kiss while they were forced on top of each other.

Zach glanced up and formed a light smile before turning to Dialga and Palkia. "Alright you two, go home and don't come back! That's an order!"

"DIA!"

"KIA!" Dialga and Palkia turned around and went straight back through the rift with it closing up upon them entering through it, signaling that the threat was finally over as the sky returned to it's normal shade of blue while for the first time in years the peak atop Mt. Coronet remained calm and peaceful!

Zach smirked at the sight before dropping the two Origin Balls and promptly crushing them with his boots, smearing them across the ground before squashing them once more for good measure before lifting his boots up to check the remains. "There, nobody will be able to make another one." He gathered the broken pieces up before shoving them into a small pouch. "As soon as we find a volcano, I'm throwing them in."

"Good move," Adaman smirked while giving off a nod of approval. "I had a feeling that you'd be able to pull it off!"

"I didn't, I knew he could I just doubted he'd come out in one piece!" Irida exclaimed while giving Zach an admirable expression as she stepped forward, not having taken note of Dawn's presence as she reached for Zach's hands, her eyes full of hope as she stared into his eyes. "And you're still here meaning that you're stuck... so you'll stay? With me?!" Irida's heart rapidly beat while her cheeks burned a bright shade of red.

Zach nervously sweated as he turned towards Dawn before looking back at Irida. "Irida, I'm sorry. If I didn't have such a wonderful girl waiting for me back home then I'd definitely stay here with you, you're an incredible individual and quite beautiful too but my place is with Aka-Dawn." Zach smiled lightly as he glanced towards Dawn before frowning as he looked back into Irida's gaze. "Irida, I know that I said we'd remain friends but I truly did form feelings for you... I just can't leave Dawn for you, I'm sorry. She means so much to me and I couldn't bear to lose her for a second time!"

"I knew that kiss meant something!" Irida smirked while also recalling the night they shared following his defeat of Avalugg as she got too caught up in the moment and couldn't control herself. Irida glanced towards Dawn before pausing as she looked strikingly similar to Akari, that made her tilt her head as she wondered if there was a girl that resembled her back where he came from as that was quite a bizarre coincidence. Irida placed her hand on his shoulder and stared into his eyes with a loving expression. "Akari-Dawn's one lucky girl... I'd go with you in a heartbeat if... she was willing to share, it's not uncommon for a man to have two wives." These were the ancient times after all. "But I'm sure things are different where you're from so I'll respect your decision to stay with her."

"Thanks Irida, and good luck with Pearl Clan! I'm sure you'll make Hisui a great place to live!"

Dawn noticed the look that Irida was giving him but didn't say anything, she could tell that Zach had been here for awhile and before Volo snatched her, Zach informed her of his amnesia and confessed that he slept with another girl. Dawn was quick to forgive him as she knew he wouldn't have done so if his memories were intact and with how long time had passed, she wasn't sure if she'd done the same if she was in his shoes or not. Besides that girl was rather cute!

Irida smiled before leaning forward to give Zach one final kiss on the lips before pulling away, her hand lingered on the side of his face for a moment before pulling fully away. "I'll never forget you..."

"Nor will I forget you," Zach gave Irida a quick hug. "Goodbye Irida, Adaman. Tell the others goodbye for me?"

"Of course," Adaman grinned. "It's the least I can do!"

Irida nodded before waving her hand. "Goodbye Zach, Akari and friends! Good luck on your journey back home!"

Zach stepped back towards Dawn and smiled before waving at the two while Dawn wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"So that's the girl?"

"Yep..." Zach sweated.

"...I'd probably have done the same, I don't blame you." Dawn giggled before giving his cheek a quick kiss. "Now how about we get back to the present?! You and I have got a lot of catching up to do!"

"You don't have to tell me twice, I'm looking forward to that and seeing my other Pokemon again!" Zach grinned.

"It'll be nice to get back home and relax for a bit." Ash nodded in agreement as Celebi opened up a time portal for them.

"Don't forget the wedding's next week!" Brock smirked causing Marnie to go pale as she realized that Ash's mother would be there on account of her friendship to Brock. Marnie had yet to meet her and realized that upon meeting his parent, Ash will likely be wondering when he could meet hers or rather her brother as much like Zach her parents weren't around anymore.

"Er-Yeah, I can't wait for that!" Marnie forced a grin while nervously sweating as she feared Ash and Piers' first meeting dwelled closer and closer with each passing day!

"Hm? Something wrong, Marnie?" Ash questioned as they stepped through the time portal before reappearing on the exact peak thousands of years into the future!

"Huh? O-Oh no, I'm fine just... tired is all!" Marnie forced up a laugh.

Ash narrowed his eyes lightly before emitting out a light chuckle. "I'm tired too, come on let's go find a Pokemon Center!"

Brock shot a quick look around before speaking up. "Um, guys? Where did Zach and Dawn go...?"

Zach, Dawn, Piplup, Cinderace, Lucario, Garchomp and Zoroark all looked around with mystified expressions as they found themselves in a large golden room!

"What just happened...?" Zach asked.

"I-I'm not sure, I could have sworn we followed the others through Celebi's portal!" Dawn exclaimed while looking around with a curious expression. "Where are we...?"

"You're in my home!" Zach's Arc-Phone spoke up causing them all to jump up.

"T-That's right, I forgot that my new phone talks..."

"New phone? How did you get a new phone in ancient times?!" Dawn exclaimed with visible confusion.

"Because I gave it to him." A masculine voice spoke up causing everyone to jerk their heads to see Arceus himself standing there with a much younger Mustard standing beside him along with Urshifu.

"Hello Zach, good to see you again!" Mustard gave his student a wave while offering him a warm smile.

"Mustard?!" Zach instantly went pale as he took in the setting. "Golden walls, Arceus, Mustard... then we're in-! D-Did we die?! And Mustard... h-how are you so young?!"

Mustard let out a hearty laugh. "What, you think this is Galaxy Wars?! When we die, we take the form of our prime selves! We're not older forever!"

"No." Arceus chuckled with a shake of his head. "I just wanted to speak to you and thank you for your service. You did fine work, did everything I asked of you and more! You even found the love of your live during her previous life!"

"Y-You mean Akari really was-?" Zach spoke while shooting a quick glance around the room, realizing that Akari wasn't there with them.

"Yep! She got a second chance to be with her own true love, you!" Arceus smirked before giving off a wave of his paw. Dawn's eyes shot a golden color for a brief moment before turning back to their normal shade of blue. "And she found you!"

"So that's why she was attracted to me from the start, her soul was telling her that it was me!"

"Y-Yes... I remember!" Dawn's eyes lit up as she flashed Zach a bright smile. "A-Arceus gave me memories of Akari's-our time in Hisui together! I'm so glad that we got a second chance at a life together!" Dawn formed a tight hold on his hand while offering him a warm affectionate gaze.

"I knew it was you, I couldn't remember at the time but something was telling me that you-Akari was my girlfriend!" Zach exclaimed with an excitable expression, Dawn giggled out before pulling him in for a quick kiss.

"Is it true those two really are together throughout the multiverse?" Mustard questioned.

"In all the current universes? Yep." Arceus confirmed with a swift nod.

"Then how come Ash gets with different girls? You distinctly told me one of your favorites had him with some girl named Chloe."

"Eh, I get bored." Arceus shrugged. "Not every universe is the exact same." He waited for the two to finish their kiss before speaking up once more.

"Anyways I also brought you back to grant you a favor, one favor. You can choose whatever you want, it doesn't matter! You could ask me to make grass blue and the sky green, you could ask for any legendary you desire, heck I could even suggest to Dawn that you should have a polyamory relationship with May and/or Irida, you could learn who your parents are, the sky is literally the limit but you can only choose one favor and that's it! As soon as you make your choice, the Arc-Phone will lose it's connection to my realm while the two of you will be banished until the day you eventually perish and return here!"

Zach stared off for a moment. He had to admit it did sound slightly appealing having a relationship with Dawn and Irida but he wasn't going to force that upon Dawn, his parents' identities were always something that had him curious but he made his peace with that long ago as they were likely deceased or simply didn't care about him. Mustard and Magnolia were the closest thing he had to parents and that was good enough for him.

"Well... what is it Zach? Whatever you choose, I won't judge you for it. I promise." Dawn took hold of his hand while offering him a light smile.

Zach smiled back at her before directing his attention to Arceus. "I want you to send Ingo back to whatever dimension or timeline he came from, he shouldn't be left in that cave by himself. He looked miserable and clearly misses Emmet!"

"Done." Arceus snapped his finger. "And such a generous gesture shouldn't go unrewarded, allow me to give you a brief glimpse of the future!"

Arceus reached out and tapped Zach and Dawn's foreheads with his fingers causing them to experience visions of a vast and beautiful region that neither of them had seen before! The two of them stood atop a cliffside overlooking a large walled in city with architecture vastly different compared to the regions they'd traveled to. The two stood atop the cliffside, hand in hand while smiling as they overlooked the landscape. Lucario and Piplup stood beside them like always but a new Pokemon soon appeared, a green blur whisked up onto the future Zach's shoulder before a cute green kitten could be seen nuzzling affectionately against his cheek!

"Aw, that's so cute!" Dawn gushed at the sight. "You really needed a Grass type on your team and it looks like it'd be a perfect addition to the group!"

"I actually have a Grass type now," Zach sweated lightly before nodding as a large smile formed across his face. "That Pokemon sure is cute though... and what region is that anyways?!"

"A story for a different time, that is." Mustard adjusted his voice while speaking in a teasing tone.

"Indeed, goodbye Zach and Dawn. Good luck on the rest of your journey!" Arceus spoke while golden energy surrounded Zach, Dawn and their Pokemon before casting them away, placing them back atop Mt. Coronet's peak in the present day! Zach pulled out his Arc-Phone as he heard it beeping out so he quickly pulled it out to see that while it was still the same Arc-Phone as before, it no longer contained Arceus' power and behaved no different than a Rotom or Poryphone! The Pokedex app then opened up, showcasing all of the additions that Zach had made since his trip to the past along with the temporary ones such as Unown, Oshawott, Wurmple, Bidoof, Zubat, Geodude, Croagunk, Dusclops and even Palkia himself showing that while his trip to the past was over he'd always have something to remember the good times.

"Greetings Zach, you currently own 66 different Pokemon and have seen 769 different Pokemon!"

"Holy-Look at that Moltres!" Marnie gasped, stars filled her eyes as she peered over Zach's shoulder.

"I didn't know Moltres could look like that..." Ash trailed off. "So legendary Pokemon have regional forms too?"

"Apparently so." Zach shrugged before pocketing the Rotom Phone.

"Wow, I can't wait to meet Articuno and Zapdos' counterparts!" Ash excitedly exclaimed.

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu cried out as the two seemed eager to meet and battle the mysterious forms.

"Maybe after the wedding," Marnie sweated before going pale as various different scenarios of Ash encountering Piers played through her brain.

"Are the two of you coming back to Alola with us?" Ash asked Zach and Dawn as the two climbed atop Garchomp's back.

"No, there's something I need to do before I head there. Then I want to check in with my Pokemon, it's been months since I've seen Obstagoon and the others!"

"Ah right, well good luck with that!" Ash smiled and waved the two off.

"Garchomp, let's find the nearest volcano! We've got a present to drop off..." Zach pulled out the bag containing the remains of the two Origin Balls.

"GARRRR!" Garchomp excitedly cried out before taking off into the sky. The world seemed entirely new and different to Garchomp but he wasn't afraid as it was still the same sky and the same passenger atop his bag and Garchomp would always be there to protect him when needed!

"Carr..." Lucario held on tight with an uneasy expression as they flew through the air while Cinderace threw up her arms and cheered as they blasted through the air, moving faster than Corviknight and Dragonite!

"Ray, Luxray!"

"Obstagoon!" The two Pokemon stared each other down for a long lingering moment before giving each other a look of respect while the rest of Zach's Pokemon crowded around him and cried out, showing how worried they were when Sonia informed them of his disappearance!

"You all don't have to worry anymore, I'm back and I'm not going anywhere!" Zach laughed while looking the Pokemon over. Akari's Piplup could be seen flirting with Dawn's while Empoleon silently shook his head as he couldn't believe he was as goofy as those two once. Growlithe was busy barking and playfully chasing Sonia's Yamper around the lab's vast field while Decidueye stood vigilant atop the lab's roof, keeping watch over everyone while Typhlosion found a nice rock to lay and bask in the sun on. Dragonite was quick to pull Garchomp into a tight hug and didn't seem the least bit bothered by his rough skin while Goodra emitted out a loud cry before joining on in. Moltres looked around the crowd before sweating as Sonia came running up to him with a loud squeal before excitedly looking him over.

"I can't believe it, nobody's seen a Moltres like this for thousands of years!"

Zoroark kept a close distance to his trainer, intending on going with him to Alola before catching sight of the beautiful Alolan Ninetales.

"Ark..." Zoroark's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he stared at her. Ninetales jerked her head towards him and smirked upon spotting his gaze, the fox slowly trotted towards Zoroark before trailing her tail under his chin while offering him a seductive look.

"Ninetales..."

"Zoroark!" Hearts filled Zoroark's eyes as he realized that perhaps life at the lab wouldn't be too bad, he had to let the others get a shot after all!

Zach smirked while watching his Pokemon getting along with each other, feeling quite thankful that none of them were having issues with the other team. Though he realized that there was quite a few of them and thanks to what Arceus showed him, he knew that his and Dawn's adventure wouldn't be coming to an end when they reached the Galar League. "There's so many of them, perhaps I'll slow down on captures and work on the ones I have."

"Good idea, I mean we're going to need a pretty big yard for our Pokemon when we do settle down!" Dawn giggled out before the two leaned their heads up against each other.

"So almighty Sinnoh was one Pokemon this whole time?!" Melli exclaimed with a shocked expression.

"You mean we were all spouting blasphemy?!" Iscan looked ashamed.

"I can't believe it..." Palina frowned.

"What do we do now?!" Lian exclaimed with a frightened expression.

"Settle down, settle down!" Adaman raised his hands to quiet the two gathered clans down. "The option is pretty clear, we must combine Diamond and Pearl Clan under one banner... Platinum Clan!"

"But who will lead it, you?!" Lian spat out.

"Yes, he will. I-I won't be fit for duty for awhile..." Irida rubbed her arm with one hand while the other rested on her stomach. "Last night after he beat Electrode, Zach and I... we... well let's just say by the time my emotions are back in check, I won't be physically fit to lead." Irida blushed.

"You mean you're pregnant?! That's wonderful!" Arezu exclaimed with a prideful expression. "I'm so thankful that I won't be the only mother around!"

"Now Arezu can stop pestering me and Palina about it, thank goodness..." Iscan sweated.

"How do you even know that...?" Rei asked with a raised eyebrow. "It takes more than just one time to do that you know."

"Simple, I told her." Sabi spoke up with a light smirk. "She is indeed carrying Zach's child and with the proper guidance we can help them follow in their father's footsteps so that they can become the greatest leader Platinum Clan will ever know!"

"Don't put too much pressure on them though," Irida spoke up with rubbing at her stomach with a loving expression. "I have something to remember Zach by now and I'd rather not lose them by putting too much pressure onto them!"

"Don't worry, we know he'd want the best for you and your child if he knew." Adaman offered his friend a light smile before turning to the crowd. "Now let's pray to Arceus!"

"Here I am... left to float forever in a void... well I guess it's a fitting punishment." Cyrus closed his eyes for a brief moment before suddenly finding himself back at his desk. "W-What just happened...?!"

"Arceus gave you a second chance, don't blow it." Mewthew spoke before exiting the room.

Time passed and overtime, Cyrus formed a relationship with Professor Laventon. The two were quite happy together and even retired to a small cottage outside the village after finishing work on the Pokedex. Though after some time, his old team found him. A small temporary time distortion field appeared as Saturn and Mars stepped out.

"Commander Cyrus sir!" The two saluted. "We've come to retrieve you!"

Cyrus looked the two over with a disapproving frown before shaking his head. "Mars, Saturn...? You're still doing this? Mars, you're a smart, beautiful young woman and got a great life ahead of you! You shouldn't throw it away in a foolish attempt to 'improve it'. Saturn, you've always been strong and smart, you too could do great things on your own and live a great life! Drop this nonsense and get out of here, I want nothing to do with Dialga, Palkia, Giratina or Arceus. I've moved on with my life and so should you!"

"But sir-" Saturn started.

"Drop it!"

"We will Cyrus, I promise." Mars grabbed hold of Saturn's hand before pulling him back through the portal. Shortly afterwards a large explosion could be heard from within the former Galactic, now Team Rocket tower as Saturn and Mars walked off in casual clothing, going their separate ways for one final time as they disbanded Team Rocket's Sinnoh operations. Mars let a sigh as she wondered where she'd go next before seemingly receiving her answer as she bumped into somebody that looked strikingly similar to Rei!

"Oof-Hey watch where you're going pal!" The male shouted.

"Pal..? You walked into me!" Mars shouted as the two looked up to shout only to freeze in place as their eyes met, red tints formed upon their cheeks as they took a clear interest in each other.

"A-Are you busy later...?" The trainer asked.

"N-No, are you...?"

"Nope, sounds like it's a date then! The name's Lucas by the way!"

"The name's M-Arezu." Mars decided using her criminal name wasn't smart if she wanted to start over.

"Arezu?" The trainer formed a fond expression. "I love that name, the name's Lucas!"

Saturn meanwhile ventured far off and became a mercenary much like his distant ancestor, he may have respected Cyrus' wishes to disband the team once and for all but all Saturn knew was a life full of crime and he'd never be able to move away from that even if he wanted to.

Celebi flew through the sky in search of her boyfriend, true to her word Dawn had realized her. Choosing to do so while Zach was busy throwing the Origin shards into the volcano before Dawn followed his example by chucking the GS ball into it so nobody could catch Celebi again.

"I wonder where he is, does he even remember me-Ooof!" The pink Celebi collided with the blue Mew as he came whisking from a different direction upon sensing the return of his old friend!

"Ooof!" The two shook their heads before blushing heavily as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"Mew!" Celebi cried out.

"Celebi!" The two pulled each other into a warm embrace as they nuzzled their heads against each other, overjoyed to be reunited with each other once more!

"Yes my friend, it won't be long before we find out a host." Shade spoke to his cloak before lifting it up, revealing that the small blob had been hiding under there the entire time. Dusknoir and Metagross shared the man's sinister smirk. "I've just got to find the right Pokemon to give you to, the ultimate Pokemon!"

Longest chapter ever and took me nearly the entire weekend, my weekend anyways, to type up haha! I hope you all enjoyed it! I realized that Overqwil never appeared during the arc so I had to throw one in at the end so Marnie can learn what her new Pokemon is capable of after Qwilfish evolves. But yeah, Zach and Dawn are going to generation nine in the sequel. How Ash ends up at the end, it'd be very hard finding an excuse to send him on another adventure without doing the whole 'let's leave everyone behind and start over!' routine. I will do a gen 9 story with Ash as the protagonist someday, entire different universe and love interest for him... who? Who knows as she doesn't exist at the current time most likely.

I wasn't expecting to like Zach and Irida's relationship so there was a brief moment where I considered having her go to the future with them and allow him(But only him! AshxMarnie fics are a rarity after all and I wouldn't want to take away from that) to be with two different people but decided against it and went with the original plan as I wasn't sure how the reaction would be. Apart from the whole relationship aspect, having a character from the past be in the future was also appealing on the comedic scale.

Anyways next up is the Alola arc and Brock's wedding! Dulse, Zossie, Marnie's battle with Nanu and Ultra Beasts await! :D