a/n: Author announcements:
Apologies for the delay, I've been stupidly busy with work, tests, and the like. After two interviews and three tests, I've finally had an evening to myself to write and decompress.
Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the fic at all haha. I'm excited to share the ending w you guys
We are starting the end game, maybe 15 or so chapters remain, but it'll likely be more
As far as I can tell, I invented a brand new pokemon shipping, (surprising because there's like 10,000 of them) Ash x Irida, or as I deem it, Lustrous shipping
ALSO! Beat Reukra super boss in Insurgence! So I finally know his full team for later on in the fic ;)
—-
"Looks like the lovebirds are back together," Rocket-Ash said with an eye roll
Irida shot Rocket-Ash a glare, "I'm sorry Ashton, who exactly are these guys?"
Ashton took a deep breath before electing to defuse the situation, "Well… can we go inside?"
Irida shot him a look that said, "You better know what you're doing,"
Inside the cave, Ashton pointed towards the group.
Ashton moved his hand at the group, "These are versions of me from another world, they're looking for help for a problem concerning almighty Sinnoh,"
"The…..what?"
Adult-Ash stood up, "Hey…I'm the one from earlier, the one with the Chari-"
"I know." Irida shot him a glare
"We're sort of on the run at the moment. We're being hunted by Dialga and Palkia who seek to erase these two youngsters here for time-traveling against their will,"
Irida's eyes widened, "Time travel you say….. So does that mean that the Diamond clan's…"
"No! Both clans are correct, there are two deities that exist over Sinnoh, Palkia lord of space and Dialga lord of time,"
"That's….. that's a lot to take in now," Irida said, clearly in shock.
Ashley sighed, "Look. I'm just going to cut to the chase here, we need your boyfriend's help, he's strong. Very very strong, and can help us stop this,"
"Defeat the gods?"
"No, we'll negotiate with my boss, who can stop them. But just in case something goes wrong, we'll need all the help we can get,"
"What's in it for us? What does he get out of this?" Irida asked suspiciously
"Actually…. I sorta want to go. That power you showed me earlier, when your pokemon changed forms and grew more powerful, I wish to wield that power myself," Ashton said
Adult-Ash smiled, "After this is settled, I can arrange that,"
Irida sighed, she didn't want to tell him this way, but it seemed like she'd have no choice.
She took a deep breath and announced to the group, "Ashton. I….. I'm pregnant,"
"I'm sorry, what?" Sinnoh-Ash said
"Kid, do you not know how babies are made?" Rocket-Ash said with a smirk
"NO! NO! I DO!" Sinnoh-Ash said urgently
Everyone started laughing, amused at that interaction.
Ashton ran up to Irida and embraced her, "Oh wow… but it was just one night, not that it wasn't amazing but I…"
"But I'm pregnant now, and I don't want to lose you again," Irida said
Adult-Ash looked at Irida, "If he doesn't help us, he'll never be truly safe. What's stopping Dialga and Palkia from erasing him one day?"
"I…." Irida tried to say
"I understand how this is, my wife and I have two kids, but I promise you'll be much happier with a man who won't get erased by the gods at any given moment. It helps that he'll be stronger as well, thanks to the little incentive I'll provide," Adult-Ash said
Irida looked at Ashton, "It's just….. My father died when I was just a young child, I'm scared that the cycle will repeat, and my kids won't have two parents around, or having him vanish and never return,"
"Well, let me assure you, no one will be dying. I'll have him back fast! The way time works in other dimensions will have him back in a few hours in your time!"
"Oh….. well when you put it like that, I suppose. But, please don't hurt him…."
"We won't, I swear," Adult-Ash reassured her
—-
The next morning…
Adult Ash pulled the cork on a bottle, releasing Hoopa once more. He looked at the mythical pokemon and pointed at the wall, simply uttering. "Take us home."
Hoopa gladly obliged, opening a large portal in Ashton's living room.
Irida waved to him, "Take care Ashton, and stay safe!"
"I'll do my best," Ashton muttered as he waved goodbye to Irida
Ashley stepped into the portal first, then Alola and Sinnoh Ash, then finally Rocket and Adult Ash before Ashton stepped in.
The portal slowly closed, and then Hisui vanished before their eyes.
Everything went black…..
—-
The portal opened in an empty room, and the group toppled out of it. The group landed awkwardly and tried to untangle themselves.
"My leg!"
"Watch it!"
"Ashton, please move your hand,"
"Oh my! I am so sorry Ashley!"
Eventually, the Ash gang unsorted themselves and got up.
"Where are we?" Alola-Ash asked
"Welcome to the home of the timeless," Adult-Ash said as he stood up and adjusted his shirt
"Where?"
"Well, I'm not exactly sure, only it's just a place beyond space and time. Time doesn't pass normally here, and if you look out of the one window we have, it's a pitch-black void, if you try and leave, you'll end right back up here," Adult-Ash explained.
"Seems like a prison to me," Ashley muttered
"Valid, but you can't leave whenever you want for prison, whereas you can leave whenever you desire for us," Adult-Ash said
"I still fail to see why you chose to bring us here of all places," Ashton said
"Agreed with the old man, why bring us to some freaky space prison instead of finding a solution to Dialga and Palkia chasing us all over," Rocket-Ash said
"This place is the home of my employer, the most powerful group of trainers ever assembled. They'll help us find a solution to our problem," Adult-Ash explained
"Oh my, considering the might you possess, I shudder to think that those in this group may prove just as powerful as you," Ashton said
"Well, I'm one of the more senior members, so I'm not sure if I'd go that far," Adult-Ash said
Sinnoh-Ash smiled, "Maybe if we're lucky we can battle some of them,"
"Maybe," Adult-Ash replied
"So who all is among that group?" Alola Ash asked
Adult-Ash smiled, "Well, let's get out of here and I'll introduce you to the others,"
Adult Ash stood up and led the group out of the door and down the hall led to a group of trainers who were standing around a game room.
The group of trainers inside of the room instantly looked happier, and rushed over to Adult-Ash to greet him, before noticing that he had quite a bit of company with him.
"Ash, and…..Ash? And….. oh my Arceus….." Calem said with a hand over his mouth
"Ash, oh thank Arceus, we were so worried about you!" Zinnia exclaimed
"Just… give me a second to explain, this isn't as bad as it looks. I understand that it seems like I pointlessly gathered my counterparts and brought them here. But, we have a situation at the moment,"
"We know," Gold said as he walked across the room.
"The boss gave May and Lucas an assignment along with one of your counterparts; they're out saving ANOTHER one of your counterparts," Zinnia said
"Oh jeez, knowing them, I'm sure they haven't gotten into much trouble. They can handle themselves," Adult-Ash reasoned.
"We all can thank you very much," Selene said while rolling her eyes.
"Mind introducing us?" Rocket-Ash said while motioning his hands across the room
"Okay, ummm, as you guys know, this group here is known as the timeless. A special group of the strongest trainers across time with the most merit as deemed by our leader,"
"Currently, we have ten members."
Just as Adult-Ash was about to introduce them to the Ash-Gang, a group of four trainers walked in.
Adult-Ash sighed as he saw two of his counterparts walk into the room.
"Seems like it's an Ash convention over here," Gold remarked snarkily.
"Woah…. There's more of me! Look, over there, I'm wearing my Sinnoh outfit, and he's wearing my Alolan stuff and that one is….. Oh jeez he's a full-grown man, and…. A girl me…" Alola-Ash said
"Just because my hairline is falling back doesn't mean my skills are," Ashton muttered to himself.
"Congratulations, you have functional eyes," Ashley said
"Is that sarcasm?" Sinnoh-Ash questioned
Rocket-Ash nodded, "Yes, kid, it is sarcasm. It's one of the key tools in the arsenal of any woman,"
Ashley rolled her eyes at the snarky comment before a figure walked into the room.
The entire room went silent. The other trainers stood something like a mix between soldiers at attention and scared schoolchildren.
"Settle down," The figure spoke with authority before continuing, "I'm sure you all understand the situation we are in right now. And I have a development in this situation no one is aware of yet. Ash, yes all of you. Someone is hunting you; two of your counterparts died at the exact same time across various timelines. And before you suggest, it's Dialga, and Palkia, it's not. I did some digging, and the attacks were too… precise. Gods don't behead their targets; they wipe them away and leave,"
The figure let this settle in before speaking again, "For the group who isn't aware of who I am, my name is Red. I'm the leader and founder of this group,"
"Yeah, he's also my boss and employer," Adult-Ash pointed at him
"Out of curiosity, sir, how strong exactly are you?" Ashton asked
"I lost to him, taking three of his best team while he defeated all six of mine," Adult-Ash answered
"None of these other trainers managed to even take more than one," N told the Ash-gang
Gold started coughing and Red shot him a glare
May whispered in JN-Ash's ear, "Before Red embarked on his journey to found the timeless, Gold defeated Red on the peak of Mt. Silver before destroying him in a rematch, he really likes rubbing in his win every chance he gets,"
"Anyways, about our problem concerning Mr. Ketchum and his counterparts here, I'm going to the throne," Red said
"What's the throne?" Alola-Ash asked Adult-Ash
"It's the home of Arceus and supposedly the place where the egg containing him hatched, Red founded this group on his orders," N explained
"I will travel to Arceus's throne ALONE, and don't want any interruptions. Arceus was displeased the last time I traveled to the throne, so I'm going alone this time," Red explained
"But what will we do?" asked Alola-Ash
"You've caused enough chaos as it is, Arceus will likely be mad about Dialga and Palkia hunting you down, but just in case that's not the case, we need to keep you here," Red said
"So we're expected to just wait around?"
"I don't care what you guys do, battle, sleep, enjoy the amenities of this place but you aren't allowed to leave," Red said sternly
No one bothered to disagree with him
"I'll be taking my leave now," Red said as he started to walk out
"Oh, one more thing. If I don't show back up in 48 hours without communication, assume I'm dead. Gold and the Ash who works for me are in charge if that's the case,"
Gold looked at Adult-Ash who nodded at him
"Anyways, I'll be leaving now. See you all soon, hopefully this whole fiasco will be nothing in a day or so,"
"Yeah, here's hoping," Ashley said to herself
—-
Meanwhile, somewhere in Sinnoh….
Reukra, Remi and Cyrus looked at a whiteboard spread over a table. Reukra looked displeased and Remi looked confused.
Reukra looked at Cyrus, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
Cyrus nodded his head, "Yes I am. We need to do this, with their support we'd be unstoppable. Not even Arceus himself could defeat us,"
"So explain your plan one more time because I'm struggling to understand this," Remi muttered
Cyrus shot her a look and explained his plan.
"First, Reukra and Remi will ambush Palkia in its own realm. Normally, it'd be a suicide mission, but you will simply be bait. You will lure Palkia to Spear Pillar in this realm, and with Giratina's help, we will take down and hopefully capture Palkia. Then we will repeat this process with Dialga,"
"You're insane, we could die?"
"And? What's life without some risk, learn to embrace risks," Cyrus lectured Reukra
"I swear you'll be the death of me old man," Reukra muttered