Part Two: Back On The Road
Chapter One
Ash stared out the window of his new house in Viridian City. It was a lot bigger than his old one and had a much better view, but his mind wasn't on that. He was still sad about losing Misty and Pikachu. The electric mouse had died a few weeks after the accident, due to internal injuries that no one knew it had until it was too late.
"Poor kid," Giovanni Ketchum said quietly as he watched his son, who didn't know he was being watched. "Losing his girlfriend really broke him up, didn't it?"
"You know, they never admitted how close they actually were," Delia Ketchum said to the tall Rocket boss beside her. "They always had this hate act going. Misty actually said that the reason she was following him was to get a new bike to replace one he destroyed, but we all knew it was a cover story."
Giovanni nodded. "It's not that unusual for them to have denied it like that," he said. "But usually they give up after a while. Poor kid never got the chance to get that far, and now look what's happened to him."
Ash heard someone walking up behind him. The young trainer looked over his shoulder and saw Tracey. "Oh. Hi," he muttered.
"You really miss her, don't you?" the Pokémon Watcher asked gently.
Ash put his face in his hands. "Yeah. Why did it have to be her?"
"No one will ever know," Tracey said. "And you know she won't return, not after this."
"I know." When Ash moved his hands away from his face, his expression was one of extreme despair. "Tracey, go away." When the Pokémon Watcher began to object, then Ash said a little softer, "Please. Just leave me alone."
Tracey slowly walked out the door, shaking his head. Ash had definitely changed. Instead of being the bright and energetic trainer he had known, instead there was a listless kid crying over his dead girlfriend and Pikachu. He was probably wishing that either he had died with them or he hadn't been permanently damaged as he had been.
It had been six whole months. That short conversation Tracey had just had with the depressed trainer was the most Ash had spoken since Misty's funeral. It was almost like Ash's entire outlook on life had been destroyed...
Oh, it'll return, a voice said in Tracey's head.
The Pokémon Watcher spun around, but there was no one there. He frowned and thought hard. It had sounded more telepathic than spoken...and it wasn't Gary. But then who...?
What, don't you recognize me?
"No, I don't," he said cautiously. Then, a bit more silly, "May I ask who's calling?"
Sure you can ask, but I'm not gonna answer.
Behind the Pokémon Watcher, Ash's face had gone white. He stared at where the voice seemed to be coming from, eyes wild with fear and hope. "Is it...could it...could it really be her?" he wondered.
Giovanni and Delia hadn't heard the voice. It was only Tracey and Ash who could hear a gentle female voice, speaking only in their heads.
"It's her," Ash got out. Then he fainted from the shock.
Chapter Two
When Ash woke up again, he wasn't in his house. He couldn't see his mom or dad anywhere around the area.
Ash looked around. He seemed to be on a beach, with white sand and blue waves. The breeze whipped through his spiky black hair and ruffled his worn blue jacket.
And then the trainer realized he was standing.
"What the heck?" Ash pondered out loud, taking a step forward. He was shocked and amazed that he actually COULD walk again. Not even any pain! It was a miracle!
"Or close to one, anyway," the voice said again. This time, it seemed to be outside of Ash's head. In fact, it was coming from right behind him.
Ash spun around with his old speed. Standing behind him was a young red-headed girl. She wore a yellow shirt and jean shorts, and her orange-red hair was drawn back into a side ponytail. She glowed a slight blue, and was a bit transparent.
"I wasn't imagining things," Ash said. "It really IS you."
The girl nodded. "Yes, Ash. It's really me, or my spirit anyway. My soul, whatever you want to call it."
"Misty, I've missed you..." Ash's voice broke, and he dropped to his knees on the sand. Huge sobs racked his body. "I'm so sorry!" he sobbed. "I could've done something, could've stopped her..."
Misty waited until Ash had calmed down a little, then put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Ash. It wasn't your fault. And if it's anybody's fault, it's Jessie's. She should have known the bomb was stronger than what she set it for. She didn't even get the chance to blast off! For that, she was sent to...to the Other Place than where I went." She smiled, amused, as she pulled him to his feet.
"She'll probably wind up running the place," Ash said sarcastically as he stood up (still wondering how he actually COULD). "If you've been a spirit ever since the accident, how come you've been hidden? How come you didn't show yourself? I've missed you, way too much for way too long."
"She was held to the limits of the newly killed spirits, evidently," another person said as he strode across the sand. It was Tracey, sketchpad and all. Come to think of it, Ash noticed that the Pokémon Watcher had been watching THEM instead, and had even drawn a fairly good picture of the two of them.
Ash blushed and stepped back from Misty. The Pokémon Watcher had seen the whole thing.
If Tracey noticed Ash's expression, he said nothing. Instead he went on to explain. "Spirits can only come back if someone's missed them long enough," he said. "Your depression is what helped Misty's spirit get a good lock on your mind and on this place."
"And where exactly IS this place?" Ash asked, waving a hand at the beach. "We're not anywhere that I know of."
"Uh...we aren't exactly HERE," Tracey said. "This is all Misty's doing. You're here in your mind, and I'm here in my mind, but we're both still back in your house in Viridian City."
Misty nodded. "This is all practically a dream, except that I'm real and I'm here. How else could you be standing on your own after what happened to you six months ago?"
"I guess you've got a point," Ash conceded, wincing a little at the memory of the bomb blast. "But why us? Why'd you choose to bring us here, Misty?"
Misty shrugged. "I couldn't stop Tracey from hearing me, so I decided it was okay if he came along. And you can guess why I chose you," she said, grinning.
Ash blushed deeper, but said nothing.
"But all this isn't important," Misty continued. "I really did call you guys here for a reason." She looked more serious. "The spirit world is under attack."
"Under attack? From who?" Tracey wondered.
"From a legendary Pokémon called a Mechavian," Misty said. "It was created by Team Rocket, or at least the more intelligent ones. Here, I'll show you."
The beach was suddenly a Team Rocket laboratory. The lights were turned down, but there was one thing brightly illuminated. It was something that the trainers recognized as a cloning tank.
And there was something inside.
It was about seventeen feet tall, and covered with silvery metallic feathers. A stripe of red ran down the edges of its wings and long tail. A ridge of red went from its beak down its back and up its belly. Even its claws were surrounded. Its wings seemed to burn with a corona of bright fire that somehow burned in the fluid of the cloning tank. It had a strange, dark silver shape on its stomach. It had black-ringed eyes, and talons like clamps. Each claw was similar to the end of a crowbar.
It was basically a seventeen foot tall, mechanical-looking avian Pokémon. Mechanical avian. Hence the name, Mechavian.
Tracey instantly took out his sketchpad and began to draw. He didn't say anything until his sketch was finished. Ash saw it over the Pokémon Watcher's shoulder, and noted that it didn't look half bad.
Misty smiled. "One good reason for bringing you along," she said as the scene faded away. "You might be able to use that to plan your attack."
"Wait wait wait, hold up," Ash said, putting up a hand. "OUR attack?"
"Of course. That's why I came. We need your help to defeat Mechavian," Misty said.
"But what can I do?" Ash asked. "Back in the real world, I'm stuck in a wheelchair! My dad's the boss of Team Rocket! My rival is a psychic who can read my mind! What am I supposed to be able to do? What will I gain from all this?"
Misty stared into his eyes. "If we win, the Spirit World will grant me life again," she said. "I could be living, really living with you. And since they can do that, they will restore you to the way you were before the bomb blast."
Ash and Tracey stared at the spirit of Misty in shock. They glanced at each other, then nodded simultaneously.
"We'll do it," Ash said.
"Just one thing," Tracey added. "Is it just gonna be the two of us, or do we let anyone else know about this?"
Misty looked surprised. "Oh! I forgot!"
She snapped her fingers, and two people appeared in front of her. Brock and Gary.
"Aaaaaahhhhh! It's a ghost!" Brock instantly yelped when he saw the shimmering blue spirit.
Gary, on the other hand, looked very calm and level-headed. Ash figured that he had a better grasp on the situation due to his very small amount of psychic powers that the Mew had given to him before its death. "Hello, Misty," he said over the wailing scream Brock was letting loose with.
Misty glanced over at Brock and raised her hand. Brock shut up, and it looked like he didn't want to do it either. "I may be a ghost, but it's still me," she said to the stunned breeder-wannabe.
Brock just stared as Misty filled him and Gary in on everything she had told Ash and Tracey so far. When she was done, Brock just shook his head in shock as if to try and clear it, then looked back up.
"That is the strangest thing I've ever heard..." he said.
"And it's all true," Gary added.
"So now what?" Tracey wondered.
"Mechavian is attacking our forces in two weeks," Misty said. She smiled. "I'm sure you've all heard of Battle Angels." Everyone nodded. "They're the ones training to fight Mechavian, but their powers aren't strong enough. That's where you guys come in."
She turned to Tracey. "You're a Pokémon Watcher. You've learned how to draw everything perfectly the first time, making no mistakes at all. Your job will be to draw out battle plans and charts for the planning of the attack."
She looked over at Gary. "Gary, I'm sure you've already figured out that your powers will be needed on this mission."
Ash's former rival nodded. "Yes. I've got all my old Mew's powers, even though I haven't refined them as well as I'd like to yet."
Misty glanced at Brock. "You used to be a Gym Leader," she said. "We need you to gather up all the strong trainers you've ever met, and try to bring in a few of the other Gym Leaders if you can."
"And what about me?" Ash asked.
Misty smiled. "You've been chosen to lead this entire mission."
Ash's jaw dropped to the floor. "Me? You...you have got to be kidding. Me? I can't lead anything! I can't even walk, let alone charge into battle against a steel bird made by Team Rocket!"
Misty smiled. "That's why my assistant has decided you will have new options available during this battle."
Assistant? Ash was about to speak, but then Misty's assistant appeared on the sand in front of the group.
"Heya buddy," the yellow creature said. "Long time no see, huh?"
Ash stared in shock for a few seconds. Then he fell to his knees and grabbed his Pikachu, saying his name over and over and over. "Pikachu! I can't believe it's you!"
It was almost too much for the young trainer to handle. First his girlfriend, then Pikachu. What else was just up around the corner?
"As Misty was saying," Pikachu said once Ash let him go, "you're going to have new options for the battle. The spirit world has decided that you've been a good enough trainer all these years, and that it thinks you should get the special chance to know exactly what being a Pokémon feels like."
It only took a second for that to sink in. "You mean...you'd turn me into a Pokémon?" he wondered. "But how can you do that?"
Pikachu smiled. "Sorry. Trade secret."
"Oh, yeah. Well, what Pokémon would you turn me into?" Ash asked.
"You get to decide," Pikachu said. "Any Pokémon you want. You could be a Charizard, a Venusaur, a Blastoise, even a Mew. Any Pokémon you want."
Ash considered that. "How long do I have to decide?"
"You have to make your choice before we send you back to your world," Misty said. "Which, by the way, will have to be very soon. You've got five minutes, max."
As she spoke, she pointed at Brock. A blue shimmer surrounded him, and he disappeared. "He's been sent back," Misty said. "He's got to get started on gathering those trainers."
Ash thought about it as she transported Gary, and then Tracey. Once Misty, Pikachu and Ash were alone, Ash made his decision.
Chapter Three
Tracey woke up with a start, a faint blue glow fading from somewhere. He sat upright in a split second, looking down at the sketchpad in his hand. On the top sheet was the picture of a steel bird, with talons like clamps and fire raging around it.
And then it all came back to him in a split second, the entire thing with Misty and Pikachu, and when they had spoken about Mechavian.
"He's awake!" the Pokémon Watcher heard a voice exclaim. He looked over to see Professor Oak and Tracey's Scyther standing next to the couch he was lying on.
Tracey realized that Misty had made it seem to everyone else as if they had just been sleeping. It looked like that was her only option for communicating to the mortal trainers.
"Tracey, are you all right?" Oak asked. "You collapsed at about the same time Ash did, and then we couldn't get you to wake up no matter what we did! Scyther here almost had a heart attack."
"I'm fine," Tracey said. He looked down at the sketchpad. Oak followed the young Pokémon Watcher's gaze to the near-perfect rendering of the metal avian.
"WHAT in the world is THAT?" Oak demanded.
"This is what we're going to be up against in two weeks," Tracey said. He hesitated, then went on. "Misty told us."
"Misty told you what? Tracey, Misty is dead," Professor Oak said. "And what's this 'us' business?"
Tracey was saved from having to answer when there was the sound of an explosion coming from upstairs. Smoke rolled down, but there was no fire.
"What was that?" Tracey exclaimed, leaping up and running up the stairs.
He skidded to a stop in front of Ash's bedroom, where the trainer had been carried after he lost unconsciousness. The Pokémon Watcher should have been prepared, but NOTHING could prepare him for what he saw when he looked into Ash's room.
A blue streak leaped at the Pokémon Watcher, and slammed two small paws into his chest. Tracey went down hard on his back, and found himself staring up into the face of a blue doglike creature with two white, ribbony tails and a prism-shaped jewel on its forehead. It had a purple wavy mane-like thing coming back from its neck, that almost looked like waves in water.
"Cune!" it yelped, and jumped out into the hallway.
Tracey leaped up and charged after it. "Professor Oak, look out!" he yelled to the Pokémon Professor, who barely dodged the blue beast as it sailed down the stairs.
"Suicune!" Oak exclaimed when he saw it. "That was a Suicune! But what was it doing in Ash's room?"
Tracey skidded to a stop and glanced back in Ash's room. The trainer was nowhere to be seen. Which only left the Pokémon Watcher with one sensible idea of where he had gone.
"Don't let it get away!" Tracey shouted, taking the steps two at a time. He threw himself after the water beast, and managed to grab one of its silvery-white tails.
"SUIIII!" it screamed, tripping at the human's weight. It turned around and blindly tried to bite Tracey, its paws slipping on the floor. "SUIIII!"
Tracey stared right back into the Suicune's eyes. "It's me!" he whispered. "Calm down! It's just me!"
The Suicune stared blankly at him, then intelligence flooded into its eyes. "Suicune?" it asked, looking at its paws as if it had never seen them before.
Which it hadn't. Because it wasn't a real Suicune. This Pokémon was actually the one Ash had chosen to become. The most powerful legendary dog.
Tracey let go of the panicked dog, which by now he was pretty sure it was Ash. The Suicune looked at its paws for a few more seconds, and then looked up at Tracey.
I guess it worked, Ash's voice said, coming from the shocked blue dog in front of the Pokémon Watcher. I'm not just imagining this, am I? I really am a Suicune?
"As far as I can tell," Tracey said, still surprised. "What happened?"
You where there when Pikachu said it, Ash reminded him. They offered me some new powers. In which this form was included. He smiled, which looked very strange on his Suicune face. I think I'm gonna stay like this for a while. It feels nice to walk on my own two...er, four...feet again.
Professor Oak stared at the Pokémon Watcher and the Suicune, who were staring into each other's eyes with surprising intensity. Tracey spoke to the Suicune as if he was in conversation with it, but the Pokémon Professor couldn't hear the legendary dog saying anything.
"Tracey? You can understand it?" Oak asked from the other side of the room.
The Suicune looked over at him, a quizzical look on its face. Well of COURSE he can understand me! it shot back at him in Ash's voice.
Professor Oak about had a heart attack. As it was, Scyther had to keep him from falling over in pure shock. And that's not easy when one's arms are actually two-foot blades.
"Ash! You...you're a Suicune?" Oak stammered. "But...but...how?"
I have no idea.
Chapter Four
Tracey and Ash filled in Oak on all that Misty and Pikachu had told them. It was almost too much for him to handle, but then he agreed to help research Mechavian and help plan the counterattack. They planned to keep it a secret from Ash's father, since Team Rocket had been in charge of creating the bird. He might decide they knew too much about this new secret weapon and shut down any attempt to oppose the steel bird.
Brock made a broadcast on the TV later that day, announcing the situation and calling for any able Pokémon trainer to come to his Gym in Pewter City for a "Pokémon Tournament." It was just a cover story of course, the Rockets were everywhere, but the turnout was astounding, and a wide variety of Pokémon were represented, a good thing considering what they were up against.
Gary came back from his training in the mountains to help prepare for the attack. He worked with Tracey and his sketches, and began planning for possible weaknesses the metal bird could have based on what he saw.
Ash stayed as a Suicune 24/7, preferring to be as powerful as the legendary dog as much as he could. Plus the fact that he needed to learn how to control his new Pokémon abilities and attacks, and basically just get used to the feel of its form. Plus the fact that he was secretly happy to run around, even if it's on four feet instead of two.
Ash streaked through the woods, leaping over fallen trees and boulders with ease. He dodged a giant Onix, and cut through the Electrode colony without any reaction from the electric Pokémon.
"PIDGEOOOOOOOOT!"
A huge Pidgeot dove down at the human-turned-legendary-dog, pulling up at the last possible second. Ash didn't miss a single step as he jumped onto the Pidgeot's back.
The Pidgeot shot up into the air like a bullet, flying like it thought it was in the Air Force. Yeeeeeee-HAH! it crowed. I love this!
Ash grinned. I can see why you picked Pidgeot, Tracey, he said to the enthusiastic Pidgeot.
I'm just glad Misty let me have some special powers too, Tracey the Pidgeot said. After drawing all they needed, they really didn't have any need for a Pokémon Watcher. He smiled, how he did it with a beak was a mystery. Besides, I wasn't about to let you get all the glory.
Ash laughed. Whatever. Should we run through the obstacle course again?
Guys! Misty's voice cut in. You're supposed to be training!
The shimmering blue figure of the deceased water trainer appeared in the air in front of them. She looked very annoyed.
But I am, Misty, Ash objected. I'm just building up my speed in case I need to run fast when we're up against this Mechavian thing. Suicune is rumored to be all fast and everything, but it really isn't.
Now Ash, I know you haven't been able to even walk for half a year, but running around on all four paws is a little extreme! Misty scolded him. Why don't you change back for a while?
Ash glared at her. Now you look here, Misty, he said coldly. I never want to return to my human form again. Not until this mission is over. Do you have any idea what it's like to be stuck the way I was? Unable to walk anywhere, unable to actually be a Pokémon trainer anymore? You have no idea what it's like. No idea at all.
The crystal on his Suicune forehead glowed bright blue, then he disappeared into thin air. Teleport, another special power Pikachu had given him.
Tracey looked at Misty. Where'd he go?
Home, Misty said. Or what used to be his home.
Regret and pain filled her voice when she finished the sentence. Pallet Town.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ash appeared in the ruins of what had been Pallet Town. He looked around sadly at the destruction; his house, Professor Oak's place, the place where he and Gary had been in a battle right before the bomb blast.
As he stared around at what had once been the peaceful town of Pallet, he heard someone walking almost silently behind him.
The Suicune spun around, preparing a Bubblebeam just in case whoever-it-was turned out to be unfriendly.
"Easy Ash, it's just me," the familiar voice said. The tall trainer stepped out of the shadows and faced his former rival.
What are you doing here? Ash asked Gary, powering down his attack. I didn't think anyone else would bother to come to our old hometown.
"Probably the same reason you're here," Gary said. "To be alone and think. This all a bit much to absorb in a few days, isn't it?"
Ash nodded, accepting the trainer's company. He sat down and looked up at the sky. The stars were just beginning to appear in the dark blue sky. I just wish I could have gone back in time and avoided all of this, he said.
Before he could say anything else there was a whooshing sound, and the air around him turned a bright blue. There was the feeling of falling, and suddenly everything snapped back to normal.
Well, almost normal.
"Where are we?" Gary wondered, looking around.
I have no idea, Ash said, startled.
They were in the same place, in Pallet Town. All would have been fine except for the fact that their hometown was completely untouched, exactly the way it had been before the bomb had gone off. People were walking around the streets, and fortunately Ash and Gary were in the shadows of a tall tree so no one saw them.
Ash cocked his head and listened hard. I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto, he said.
"Really," Gary said sarcastically. "I couldn't tell."
No, I'm serious, Ash said. He Teleported over to the rooftop of a building in a spot where no one could see him. Gary followed using his own Teleport power.
Ash leaped from roof to roof, with Gary not far behind. He stopped at a two-story house on the edge of town, and dropped to the ground underneath a window.
Gary, not being dumb enough to jump off a roof, Teleported down next to the seemingly frozen Suicune. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Shh, Ash said. He looked through the window, and what he saw almost made him scream in shock.
He was looking into his own house, in the living room. His mother and father were standing in there, and they were in a very heated argument.
"I told you, I can't stay!" Giovanni Ketchum was shouting. "Team Rocket is really beginning to rise, and if I don't take advantage of that they could overpower us!"
"But what about us?" Delia Ketchum demanded, almost in tears. "Is this Team Rocket more important to you than me? Or how about your son?"
"No, he isn't!" Giovanni yelled. "That kid will never amount to anything! I bet he won't even be a Pokémon trainer! He's a disgrace to the entire Ketchum family! Either he goes, or I go!"
Another movement caught Ash's eye. He turned to see a kid crouching at the top of the stairs, listening to the argument downstairs. The kid looked about six or seven years old, with messed-up black hair and brown eyes. He wore a Pokémon League Expo hat that was a bit too big for him, and he seemed very familiar to Ash.
Probably because it was himself.
Chapter Five
Ash stared in complete shock at his younger self. Little Kid Ash didn't seem to notice the Suicune, seeing as he was completely focused on the argument of his parents.
Ash remembered all this. He could remember every single bit of the argument. He could actually see, in his mind's eye, what had gone on from Little Ash's point of view.
"That's you?" Gary whispered, looking at the little kid on the stairs.
Ash nodded, still numb with shock. Almost seven years ago, he said. That was when my dad left. I...when I heard that, I knew I wanted to be a Pokémon trainer. I didn't want Dad to be disappointed in me. I wanted to be someone special, someone he could be proud of. I just wanted to make him happy... The former trainer trailed off, swiping a paw across his eyes to clear the tears streaming down his face. But then it all backfired, he said. I got into so much trouble growing up that Dad didn't even want to think about me anymore. He even sent Jessie and James after me for years, under the rumor that they were going to steal Pikachu. But what he really wanted was to make me look bad. Evidently it succeeded, because now look at me!
Gary looked over at the Suicune that had been his rival. The former trainer was trying hard not to cry. "It isn't your fault," Gary said, knowing right away what was troubling him. "Your dad didn't leave because of you."
No? Then how do you explain that? Ash asked, looking back at his arguing parents. Dad knew I was a nobody! He knew I would never be any good! He knew it right from the start. And now I've done nothing but made that image he had of me worse.
He looked up at the younger version of himself, but didn't say anything. Finally he said, Let's get out of here. I don't want to see any more.
Gary nodded, and Teleported away with Ash in tow. They appeared in Professor Oak's backyard, in the forest where Ash had been training earlier.
"So what did we do anyway?" Gary asked, sitting down on a log. "How did we get here? It's basically Pallet Town of the past, only we're here."
I don't know, Ash said. It happened right after I wished I could go back in time-
He cut off abruptly, and looked at Gary. A look of understanding and frozen shock was on his face. That's it! he yelled.
Gary nodded. "You said that you wished you could go back in time, and it happened."
I wonder if it works the other way, Ash said. Then he said to himself, I wish I could go forward to where we left!
Nothing happened.
Hmm...I wonder why it didn't work this time, Ash said. It worked before fine, but now I can't do it. Maybe it only works one way.
Gary looked a little frightened. "I hope not! Otherwise we'd have to live here for seven more years until Pallet Town is destroyed again and Mechavian comes."
Now Ash was the one to look scared. Gary looked at him questioningly, keeping himself from reading the former trainer's thoughts. "What is it?"
Gary, turn around... Ash said slowly.
Gary did. When he saw what Ash was looking at, he too looked more than a bit panicked. There was someone watching them from the edge of the clearing.
It was a little kid about the same age as Little Ash back in Pallet Town, only with spiky brown hair and a green-and-yellow ying-yang pendant around his neck. Gary recognized him right away.
It was the Gary from the past.
Future Gary stood up abruptly, causing Past Gary to jump a little. The six-year-old kid watched his future self in confusion. "Do I...know you?" he asked.
"Sort of," Future Gary said.
"What's that?" Past Gary asked, looking at Ash. "Is that a Pokémon?"
"Yes, it is," Future Gary said before the human-turned-legendary could say anything. "It's my Pokémon, called a Suicune."
Past Gary looked from the faux Suicune to his future self. "I'm going to be a Pokémon trainer someday," he declared. "And I'm gonna be the best!"
Gary smiled a little. He sounds like you, he said psychically to Ash. Always wanting to be the best.
Hey, that is you and not me, Ash answered. Now who's bragging?
"You're new here, aren't you?" Past Gary asked. "I haven't seen you around town."
"Actually, I'm just returning to Pallet Town after a long time of being away," Future Gary said. Well, it wasn't completely a lie. "You may not know me, but I know you. Known you all your life, in fact."
Past Gary looked up at the tall trainer, a look of confusion on his face. "I DO know you, don't I?" he asked. "I don't know how, but I know you."
Future Gary glanced at Ash. The Suicune shrugged. Might as well tell him, the former trainer said. He already knows too much. Besides, who's gonna believe a little kid?
Gary had to agree. You're right. Besides, I can remember all this happening already. It really isn't altering the past. I think we were meant to be here.
"Listen to me," Future Gary said to the little kid that was himself. "What I'm about to tell you, don't say to anyone else. Okay?"
Past Gary nodded. "I can keep a secret! Now tell me!"
Future Gary glanced at Ash again before going on. "I'm from the future," he said. "I traveled here somehow with this Su icune, and we're trying to find a way to get back."
Past Gary nodded, not surprised in the least bit. He probably already believed in time travel and all that. "Okay. What're your names?"
"His name is Ash Ketchum," Future Gary said, looking over at Ash. "Or his future self, at least." Past Gary looked a little shocked at that one, and looked like he was about to ask how. "We don't know how it happened exactly, and we can't tell you anyway," Future Gary said quickly.
"Then who are you?" Past Gary asked, beginning to sound a little bit anxious.
"My name is Gary Oak," Future Gary said, almost choking on the words. "I'm you, in the future."
Chapter Six
Truth to tell, the Gary of the past took it a lot better than the two trainers had expected him to. The six-year-old promised to not say anything to anyone, and decided to stay with the two boys for a while.
"How come you're stuck here?" Past Gary asked. "Couldn't you just time-travel in reverse and go back to the future?"
It doesn't work that way, Ash said, speaking directly to the little kid. Of course both Garys were the same person, so both of them heard it no matter what. I don't know why, but we already tried it and nothing happened.
Future Gary nodded. "We have to figure out how to get back sometime soon. There's a battle coming up, and we need to be there to help win."
"A Pokémon battle?"
No, we mean a real battle, Ash said. Actual attacks, weapons, actual injuries. And when the battle is over, there will be people lying dead on the battlefield. He said it coldly, and both Garys flinched away from the Suicune's dark expression.
Past Gary looked confused, as if wondering why Ash was so angry. Future Gary explained to him that Ash had lost two important people in his life already due to a crazy explosion caused by Team Rocket.
Ash looked off into the sky as the two Garys talked. He completely ignored them, seeing as listening only reawakened the rage he felt at Jessie for causing Misty's death. Pikachu too, but he missed Misty the most.
Finally the Garys finished summing up Ash's predicament, and Ash returned to the conversation. We don't want anything else to happen to our friends and family, Ash said to Past Gary. So we have to find a way back in time to help.
"Maybe Grandpa can help!" Past Gary offered. "He's really smart. I bet he could figure out how to do it!"
"No!" Future Gary said quickly. "It's a secret that we're here, remember?"
Past Gary nodded reluctantly. "But then what do you want me to do?"
The two trainers were saved from having to answer when a metallic-sounding screech reverberated through the forest. Then the sound of beating wings and roaring fire.
Ash was in a battle stance, head low and crystal blazing, before he even knew it. Future Gary was likewise glowing with brilliant white psychic energy, and Past Gary was just plain scared.
"Ash? Do you smell anything weird?" Future Gary asked the faux Suicune.
Ash used his legendary dog sense of smell, taking in the scent of the forest. There was something mixed in with the usual natural smell, a bit of steel and burnt metal.
His eyes flew open, and the crystal blazed even brighter. It's here! he hissed. It's HERE!
Future Gary looked panicked. "But how can it be here already? Don't tell me it can time-travel like we can!"
All right then, I won't tell you, Ash said in a bit of battle humor. And a quote from Brock when they had been lost in the woods once. Now what?
"Get back to town," Future Gary warned Past Gary. "You don't want to be around when this Pokémon shows up."
Past Gary took off like a shot, dashing for Pallet as fast as he could go. Ash called after him, And don't tell anyone about this! but the six-year-old was already gone.
And with the crackling of massive fire energy and the screaming sound getting louder, a dark silver bird streaked overhead. A raging inferno surrounded it, singing the tops of the trees as it soared just inches away from the treetops.
"Mechavian," Gary said, a chill going up his spine.
Chapter One
Ash stared out the window of his new house in Viridian City. It was a lot bigger than his old one and had a much better view, but his mind wasn't on that. He was still sad about losing Misty and Pikachu. The electric mouse had died a few weeks after the accident, due to internal injuries that no one knew it had until it was too late.
"Poor kid," Giovanni Ketchum said quietly as he watched his son, who didn't know he was being watched. "Losing his girlfriend really broke him up, didn't it?"
"You know, they never admitted how close they actually were," Delia Ketchum said to the tall Rocket boss beside her. "They always had this hate act going. Misty actually said that the reason she was following him was to get a new bike to replace one he destroyed, but we all knew it was a cover story."
Giovanni nodded. "It's not that unusual for them to have denied it like that," he said. "But usually they give up after a while. Poor kid never got the chance to get that far, and now look what's happened to him."
Ash heard someone walking up behind him. The young trainer looked over his shoulder and saw Tracey. "Oh. Hi," he muttered.
"You really miss her, don't you?" the Pokémon Watcher asked gently.
Ash put his face in his hands. "Yeah. Why did it have to be her?"
"No one will ever know," Tracey said. "And you know she won't return, not after this."
"I know." When Ash moved his hands away from his face, his expression was one of extreme despair. "Tracey, go away." When the Pokémon Watcher began to object, then Ash said a little softer, "Please. Just leave me alone."
Tracey slowly walked out the door, shaking his head. Ash had definitely changed. Instead of being the bright and energetic trainer he had known, instead there was a listless kid crying over his dead girlfriend and Pikachu. He was probably wishing that either he had died with them or he hadn't been permanently damaged as he had been.
It had been six whole months. That short conversation Tracey had just had with the depressed trainer was the most Ash had spoken since Misty's funeral. It was almost like Ash's entire outlook on life had been destroyed...
Oh, it'll return, a voice said in Tracey's head.
The Pokémon Watcher spun around, but there was no one there. He frowned and thought hard. It had sounded more telepathic than spoken...and it wasn't Gary. But then who...?
What, don't you recognize me?
"No, I don't," he said cautiously. Then, a bit more silly, "May I ask who's calling?"
Sure you can ask, but I'm not gonna answer.
Behind the Pokémon Watcher, Ash's face had gone white. He stared at where the voice seemed to be coming from, eyes wild with fear and hope. "Is it...could it...could it really be her?" he wondered.
Giovanni and Delia hadn't heard the voice. It was only Tracey and Ash who could hear a gentle female voice, speaking only in their heads.
"It's her," Ash got out. Then he fainted from the shock.
Chapter Two
When Ash woke up again, he wasn't in his house. He couldn't see his mom or dad anywhere around the area.
Ash looked around. He seemed to be on a beach, with white sand and blue waves. The breeze whipped through his spiky black hair and ruffled his worn blue jacket.
And then the trainer realized he was standing.
"What the heck?" Ash pondered out loud, taking a step forward. He was shocked and amazed that he actually COULD walk again. Not even any pain! It was a miracle!
"Or close to one, anyway," the voice said again. This time, it seemed to be outside of Ash's head. In fact, it was coming from right behind him.
Ash spun around with his old speed. Standing behind him was a young red-headed girl. She wore a yellow shirt and jean shorts, and her orange-red hair was drawn back into a side ponytail. She glowed a slight blue, and was a bit transparent.
"I wasn't imagining things," Ash said. "It really IS you."
The girl nodded. "Yes, Ash. It's really me, or my spirit anyway. My soul, whatever you want to call it."
"Misty, I've missed you..." Ash's voice broke, and he dropped to his knees on the sand. Huge sobs racked his body. "I'm so sorry!" he sobbed. "I could've done something, could've stopped her..."
Misty waited until Ash had calmed down a little, then put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Ash. It wasn't your fault. And if it's anybody's fault, it's Jessie's. She should have known the bomb was stronger than what she set it for. She didn't even get the chance to blast off! For that, she was sent to...to the Other Place than where I went." She smiled, amused, as she pulled him to his feet.
"She'll probably wind up running the place," Ash said sarcastically as he stood up (still wondering how he actually COULD). "If you've been a spirit ever since the accident, how come you've been hidden? How come you didn't show yourself? I've missed you, way too much for way too long."
"She was held to the limits of the newly killed spirits, evidently," another person said as he strode across the sand. It was Tracey, sketchpad and all. Come to think of it, Ash noticed that the Pokémon Watcher had been watching THEM instead, and had even drawn a fairly good picture of the two of them.
Ash blushed and stepped back from Misty. The Pokémon Watcher had seen the whole thing.
If Tracey noticed Ash's expression, he said nothing. Instead he went on to explain. "Spirits can only come back if someone's missed them long enough," he said. "Your depression is what helped Misty's spirit get a good lock on your mind and on this place."
"And where exactly IS this place?" Ash asked, waving a hand at the beach. "We're not anywhere that I know of."
"Uh...we aren't exactly HERE," Tracey said. "This is all Misty's doing. You're here in your mind, and I'm here in my mind, but we're both still back in your house in Viridian City."
Misty nodded. "This is all practically a dream, except that I'm real and I'm here. How else could you be standing on your own after what happened to you six months ago?"
"I guess you've got a point," Ash conceded, wincing a little at the memory of the bomb blast. "But why us? Why'd you choose to bring us here, Misty?"
Misty shrugged. "I couldn't stop Tracey from hearing me, so I decided it was okay if he came along. And you can guess why I chose you," she said, grinning.
Ash blushed deeper, but said nothing.
"But all this isn't important," Misty continued. "I really did call you guys here for a reason." She looked more serious. "The spirit world is under attack."
"Under attack? From who?" Tracey wondered.
"From a legendary Pokémon called a Mechavian," Misty said. "It was created by Team Rocket, or at least the more intelligent ones. Here, I'll show you."
The beach was suddenly a Team Rocket laboratory. The lights were turned down, but there was one thing brightly illuminated. It was something that the trainers recognized as a cloning tank.
And there was something inside.
It was about seventeen feet tall, and covered with silvery metallic feathers. A stripe of red ran down the edges of its wings and long tail. A ridge of red went from its beak down its back and up its belly. Even its claws were surrounded. Its wings seemed to burn with a corona of bright fire that somehow burned in the fluid of the cloning tank. It had a strange, dark silver shape on its stomach. It had black-ringed eyes, and talons like clamps. Each claw was similar to the end of a crowbar.
It was basically a seventeen foot tall, mechanical-looking avian Pokémon. Mechanical avian. Hence the name, Mechavian.
Tracey instantly took out his sketchpad and began to draw. He didn't say anything until his sketch was finished. Ash saw it over the Pokémon Watcher's shoulder, and noted that it didn't look half bad.
Misty smiled. "One good reason for bringing you along," she said as the scene faded away. "You might be able to use that to plan your attack."
"Wait wait wait, hold up," Ash said, putting up a hand. "OUR attack?"
"Of course. That's why I came. We need your help to defeat Mechavian," Misty said.
"But what can I do?" Ash asked. "Back in the real world, I'm stuck in a wheelchair! My dad's the boss of Team Rocket! My rival is a psychic who can read my mind! What am I supposed to be able to do? What will I gain from all this?"
Misty stared into his eyes. "If we win, the Spirit World will grant me life again," she said. "I could be living, really living with you. And since they can do that, they will restore you to the way you were before the bomb blast."
Ash and Tracey stared at the spirit of Misty in shock. They glanced at each other, then nodded simultaneously.
"We'll do it," Ash said.
"Just one thing," Tracey added. "Is it just gonna be the two of us, or do we let anyone else know about this?"
Misty looked surprised. "Oh! I forgot!"
She snapped her fingers, and two people appeared in front of her. Brock and Gary.
"Aaaaaahhhhh! It's a ghost!" Brock instantly yelped when he saw the shimmering blue spirit.
Gary, on the other hand, looked very calm and level-headed. Ash figured that he had a better grasp on the situation due to his very small amount of psychic powers that the Mew had given to him before its death. "Hello, Misty," he said over the wailing scream Brock was letting loose with.
Misty glanced over at Brock and raised her hand. Brock shut up, and it looked like he didn't want to do it either. "I may be a ghost, but it's still me," she said to the stunned breeder-wannabe.
Brock just stared as Misty filled him and Gary in on everything she had told Ash and Tracey so far. When she was done, Brock just shook his head in shock as if to try and clear it, then looked back up.
"That is the strangest thing I've ever heard..." he said.
"And it's all true," Gary added.
"So now what?" Tracey wondered.
"Mechavian is attacking our forces in two weeks," Misty said. She smiled. "I'm sure you've all heard of Battle Angels." Everyone nodded. "They're the ones training to fight Mechavian, but their powers aren't strong enough. That's where you guys come in."
She turned to Tracey. "You're a Pokémon Watcher. You've learned how to draw everything perfectly the first time, making no mistakes at all. Your job will be to draw out battle plans and charts for the planning of the attack."
She looked over at Gary. "Gary, I'm sure you've already figured out that your powers will be needed on this mission."
Ash's former rival nodded. "Yes. I've got all my old Mew's powers, even though I haven't refined them as well as I'd like to yet."
Misty glanced at Brock. "You used to be a Gym Leader," she said. "We need you to gather up all the strong trainers you've ever met, and try to bring in a few of the other Gym Leaders if you can."
"And what about me?" Ash asked.
Misty smiled. "You've been chosen to lead this entire mission."
Ash's jaw dropped to the floor. "Me? You...you have got to be kidding. Me? I can't lead anything! I can't even walk, let alone charge into battle against a steel bird made by Team Rocket!"
Misty smiled. "That's why my assistant has decided you will have new options available during this battle."
Assistant? Ash was about to speak, but then Misty's assistant appeared on the sand in front of the group.
"Heya buddy," the yellow creature said. "Long time no see, huh?"
Ash stared in shock for a few seconds. Then he fell to his knees and grabbed his Pikachu, saying his name over and over and over. "Pikachu! I can't believe it's you!"
It was almost too much for the young trainer to handle. First his girlfriend, then Pikachu. What else was just up around the corner?
"As Misty was saying," Pikachu said once Ash let him go, "you're going to have new options for the battle. The spirit world has decided that you've been a good enough trainer all these years, and that it thinks you should get the special chance to know exactly what being a Pokémon feels like."
It only took a second for that to sink in. "You mean...you'd turn me into a Pokémon?" he wondered. "But how can you do that?"
Pikachu smiled. "Sorry. Trade secret."
"Oh, yeah. Well, what Pokémon would you turn me into?" Ash asked.
"You get to decide," Pikachu said. "Any Pokémon you want. You could be a Charizard, a Venusaur, a Blastoise, even a Mew. Any Pokémon you want."
Ash considered that. "How long do I have to decide?"
"You have to make your choice before we send you back to your world," Misty said. "Which, by the way, will have to be very soon. You've got five minutes, max."
As she spoke, she pointed at Brock. A blue shimmer surrounded him, and he disappeared. "He's been sent back," Misty said. "He's got to get started on gathering those trainers."
Ash thought about it as she transported Gary, and then Tracey. Once Misty, Pikachu and Ash were alone, Ash made his decision.
Chapter Three
Tracey woke up with a start, a faint blue glow fading from somewhere. He sat upright in a split second, looking down at the sketchpad in his hand. On the top sheet was the picture of a steel bird, with talons like clamps and fire raging around it.
And then it all came back to him in a split second, the entire thing with Misty and Pikachu, and when they had spoken about Mechavian.
"He's awake!" the Pokémon Watcher heard a voice exclaim. He looked over to see Professor Oak and Tracey's Scyther standing next to the couch he was lying on.
Tracey realized that Misty had made it seem to everyone else as if they had just been sleeping. It looked like that was her only option for communicating to the mortal trainers.
"Tracey, are you all right?" Oak asked. "You collapsed at about the same time Ash did, and then we couldn't get you to wake up no matter what we did! Scyther here almost had a heart attack."
"I'm fine," Tracey said. He looked down at the sketchpad. Oak followed the young Pokémon Watcher's gaze to the near-perfect rendering of the metal avian.
"WHAT in the world is THAT?" Oak demanded.
"This is what we're going to be up against in two weeks," Tracey said. He hesitated, then went on. "Misty told us."
"Misty told you what? Tracey, Misty is dead," Professor Oak said. "And what's this 'us' business?"
Tracey was saved from having to answer when there was the sound of an explosion coming from upstairs. Smoke rolled down, but there was no fire.
"What was that?" Tracey exclaimed, leaping up and running up the stairs.
He skidded to a stop in front of Ash's bedroom, where the trainer had been carried after he lost unconsciousness. The Pokémon Watcher should have been prepared, but NOTHING could prepare him for what he saw when he looked into Ash's room.
A blue streak leaped at the Pokémon Watcher, and slammed two small paws into his chest. Tracey went down hard on his back, and found himself staring up into the face of a blue doglike creature with two white, ribbony tails and a prism-shaped jewel on its forehead. It had a purple wavy mane-like thing coming back from its neck, that almost looked like waves in water.
"Cune!" it yelped, and jumped out into the hallway.
Tracey leaped up and charged after it. "Professor Oak, look out!" he yelled to the Pokémon Professor, who barely dodged the blue beast as it sailed down the stairs.
"Suicune!" Oak exclaimed when he saw it. "That was a Suicune! But what was it doing in Ash's room?"
Tracey skidded to a stop and glanced back in Ash's room. The trainer was nowhere to be seen. Which only left the Pokémon Watcher with one sensible idea of where he had gone.
"Don't let it get away!" Tracey shouted, taking the steps two at a time. He threw himself after the water beast, and managed to grab one of its silvery-white tails.
"SUIIII!" it screamed, tripping at the human's weight. It turned around and blindly tried to bite Tracey, its paws slipping on the floor. "SUIIII!"
Tracey stared right back into the Suicune's eyes. "It's me!" he whispered. "Calm down! It's just me!"
The Suicune stared blankly at him, then intelligence flooded into its eyes. "Suicune?" it asked, looking at its paws as if it had never seen them before.
Which it hadn't. Because it wasn't a real Suicune. This Pokémon was actually the one Ash had chosen to become. The most powerful legendary dog.
Tracey let go of the panicked dog, which by now he was pretty sure it was Ash. The Suicune looked at its paws for a few more seconds, and then looked up at Tracey.
I guess it worked, Ash's voice said, coming from the shocked blue dog in front of the Pokémon Watcher. I'm not just imagining this, am I? I really am a Suicune?
"As far as I can tell," Tracey said, still surprised. "What happened?"
You where there when Pikachu said it, Ash reminded him. They offered me some new powers. In which this form was included. He smiled, which looked very strange on his Suicune face. I think I'm gonna stay like this for a while. It feels nice to walk on my own two...er, four...feet again.
Professor Oak stared at the Pokémon Watcher and the Suicune, who were staring into each other's eyes with surprising intensity. Tracey spoke to the Suicune as if he was in conversation with it, but the Pokémon Professor couldn't hear the legendary dog saying anything.
"Tracey? You can understand it?" Oak asked from the other side of the room.
The Suicune looked over at him, a quizzical look on its face. Well of COURSE he can understand me! it shot back at him in Ash's voice.
Professor Oak about had a heart attack. As it was, Scyther had to keep him from falling over in pure shock. And that's not easy when one's arms are actually two-foot blades.
"Ash! You...you're a Suicune?" Oak stammered. "But...but...how?"
I have no idea.
Chapter Four
Tracey and Ash filled in Oak on all that Misty and Pikachu had told them. It was almost too much for him to handle, but then he agreed to help research Mechavian and help plan the counterattack. They planned to keep it a secret from Ash's father, since Team Rocket had been in charge of creating the bird. He might decide they knew too much about this new secret weapon and shut down any attempt to oppose the steel bird.
Brock made a broadcast on the TV later that day, announcing the situation and calling for any able Pokémon trainer to come to his Gym in Pewter City for a "Pokémon Tournament." It was just a cover story of course, the Rockets were everywhere, but the turnout was astounding, and a wide variety of Pokémon were represented, a good thing considering what they were up against.
Gary came back from his training in the mountains to help prepare for the attack. He worked with Tracey and his sketches, and began planning for possible weaknesses the metal bird could have based on what he saw.
Ash stayed as a Suicune 24/7, preferring to be as powerful as the legendary dog as much as he could. Plus the fact that he needed to learn how to control his new Pokémon abilities and attacks, and basically just get used to the feel of its form. Plus the fact that he was secretly happy to run around, even if it's on four feet instead of two.
Ash streaked through the woods, leaping over fallen trees and boulders with ease. He dodged a giant Onix, and cut through the Electrode colony without any reaction from the electric Pokémon.
"PIDGEOOOOOOOOT!"
A huge Pidgeot dove down at the human-turned-legendary-dog, pulling up at the last possible second. Ash didn't miss a single step as he jumped onto the Pidgeot's back.
The Pidgeot shot up into the air like a bullet, flying like it thought it was in the Air Force. Yeeeeeee-HAH! it crowed. I love this!
Ash grinned. I can see why you picked Pidgeot, Tracey, he said to the enthusiastic Pidgeot.
I'm just glad Misty let me have some special powers too, Tracey the Pidgeot said. After drawing all they needed, they really didn't have any need for a Pokémon Watcher. He smiled, how he did it with a beak was a mystery. Besides, I wasn't about to let you get all the glory.
Ash laughed. Whatever. Should we run through the obstacle course again?
Guys! Misty's voice cut in. You're supposed to be training!
The shimmering blue figure of the deceased water trainer appeared in the air in front of them. She looked very annoyed.
But I am, Misty, Ash objected. I'm just building up my speed in case I need to run fast when we're up against this Mechavian thing. Suicune is rumored to be all fast and everything, but it really isn't.
Now Ash, I know you haven't been able to even walk for half a year, but running around on all four paws is a little extreme! Misty scolded him. Why don't you change back for a while?
Ash glared at her. Now you look here, Misty, he said coldly. I never want to return to my human form again. Not until this mission is over. Do you have any idea what it's like to be stuck the way I was? Unable to walk anywhere, unable to actually be a Pokémon trainer anymore? You have no idea what it's like. No idea at all.
The crystal on his Suicune forehead glowed bright blue, then he disappeared into thin air. Teleport, another special power Pikachu had given him.
Tracey looked at Misty. Where'd he go?
Home, Misty said. Or what used to be his home.
Regret and pain filled her voice when she finished the sentence. Pallet Town.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ash appeared in the ruins of what had been Pallet Town. He looked around sadly at the destruction; his house, Professor Oak's place, the place where he and Gary had been in a battle right before the bomb blast.
As he stared around at what had once been the peaceful town of Pallet, he heard someone walking almost silently behind him.
The Suicune spun around, preparing a Bubblebeam just in case whoever-it-was turned out to be unfriendly.
"Easy Ash, it's just me," the familiar voice said. The tall trainer stepped out of the shadows and faced his former rival.
What are you doing here? Ash asked Gary, powering down his attack. I didn't think anyone else would bother to come to our old hometown.
"Probably the same reason you're here," Gary said. "To be alone and think. This all a bit much to absorb in a few days, isn't it?"
Ash nodded, accepting the trainer's company. He sat down and looked up at the sky. The stars were just beginning to appear in the dark blue sky. I just wish I could have gone back in time and avoided all of this, he said.
Before he could say anything else there was a whooshing sound, and the air around him turned a bright blue. There was the feeling of falling, and suddenly everything snapped back to normal.
Well, almost normal.
"Where are we?" Gary wondered, looking around.
I have no idea, Ash said, startled.
They were in the same place, in Pallet Town. All would have been fine except for the fact that their hometown was completely untouched, exactly the way it had been before the bomb had gone off. People were walking around the streets, and fortunately Ash and Gary were in the shadows of a tall tree so no one saw them.
Ash cocked his head and listened hard. I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto, he said.
"Really," Gary said sarcastically. "I couldn't tell."
No, I'm serious, Ash said. He Teleported over to the rooftop of a building in a spot where no one could see him. Gary followed using his own Teleport power.
Ash leaped from roof to roof, with Gary not far behind. He stopped at a two-story house on the edge of town, and dropped to the ground underneath a window.
Gary, not being dumb enough to jump off a roof, Teleported down next to the seemingly frozen Suicune. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Shh, Ash said. He looked through the window, and what he saw almost made him scream in shock.
He was looking into his own house, in the living room. His mother and father were standing in there, and they were in a very heated argument.
"I told you, I can't stay!" Giovanni Ketchum was shouting. "Team Rocket is really beginning to rise, and if I don't take advantage of that they could overpower us!"
"But what about us?" Delia Ketchum demanded, almost in tears. "Is this Team Rocket more important to you than me? Or how about your son?"
"No, he isn't!" Giovanni yelled. "That kid will never amount to anything! I bet he won't even be a Pokémon trainer! He's a disgrace to the entire Ketchum family! Either he goes, or I go!"
Another movement caught Ash's eye. He turned to see a kid crouching at the top of the stairs, listening to the argument downstairs. The kid looked about six or seven years old, with messed-up black hair and brown eyes. He wore a Pokémon League Expo hat that was a bit too big for him, and he seemed very familiar to Ash.
Probably because it was himself.
Chapter Five
Ash stared in complete shock at his younger self. Little Kid Ash didn't seem to notice the Suicune, seeing as he was completely focused on the argument of his parents.
Ash remembered all this. He could remember every single bit of the argument. He could actually see, in his mind's eye, what had gone on from Little Ash's point of view.
"That's you?" Gary whispered, looking at the little kid on the stairs.
Ash nodded, still numb with shock. Almost seven years ago, he said. That was when my dad left. I...when I heard that, I knew I wanted to be a Pokémon trainer. I didn't want Dad to be disappointed in me. I wanted to be someone special, someone he could be proud of. I just wanted to make him happy... The former trainer trailed off, swiping a paw across his eyes to clear the tears streaming down his face. But then it all backfired, he said. I got into so much trouble growing up that Dad didn't even want to think about me anymore. He even sent Jessie and James after me for years, under the rumor that they were going to steal Pikachu. But what he really wanted was to make me look bad. Evidently it succeeded, because now look at me!
Gary looked over at the Suicune that had been his rival. The former trainer was trying hard not to cry. "It isn't your fault," Gary said, knowing right away what was troubling him. "Your dad didn't leave because of you."
No? Then how do you explain that? Ash asked, looking back at his arguing parents. Dad knew I was a nobody! He knew I would never be any good! He knew it right from the start. And now I've done nothing but made that image he had of me worse.
He looked up at the younger version of himself, but didn't say anything. Finally he said, Let's get out of here. I don't want to see any more.
Gary nodded, and Teleported away with Ash in tow. They appeared in Professor Oak's backyard, in the forest where Ash had been training earlier.
"So what did we do anyway?" Gary asked, sitting down on a log. "How did we get here? It's basically Pallet Town of the past, only we're here."
I don't know, Ash said. It happened right after I wished I could go back in time-
He cut off abruptly, and looked at Gary. A look of understanding and frozen shock was on his face. That's it! he yelled.
Gary nodded. "You said that you wished you could go back in time, and it happened."
I wonder if it works the other way, Ash said. Then he said to himself, I wish I could go forward to where we left!
Nothing happened.
Hmm...I wonder why it didn't work this time, Ash said. It worked before fine, but now I can't do it. Maybe it only works one way.
Gary looked a little frightened. "I hope not! Otherwise we'd have to live here for seven more years until Pallet Town is destroyed again and Mechavian comes."
Now Ash was the one to look scared. Gary looked at him questioningly, keeping himself from reading the former trainer's thoughts. "What is it?"
Gary, turn around... Ash said slowly.
Gary did. When he saw what Ash was looking at, he too looked more than a bit panicked. There was someone watching them from the edge of the clearing.
It was a little kid about the same age as Little Ash back in Pallet Town, only with spiky brown hair and a green-and-yellow ying-yang pendant around his neck. Gary recognized him right away.
It was the Gary from the past.
Future Gary stood up abruptly, causing Past Gary to jump a little. The six-year-old kid watched his future self in confusion. "Do I...know you?" he asked.
"Sort of," Future Gary said.
"What's that?" Past Gary asked, looking at Ash. "Is that a Pokémon?"
"Yes, it is," Future Gary said before the human-turned-legendary could say anything. "It's my Pokémon, called a Suicune."
Past Gary looked from the faux Suicune to his future self. "I'm going to be a Pokémon trainer someday," he declared. "And I'm gonna be the best!"
Gary smiled a little. He sounds like you, he said psychically to Ash. Always wanting to be the best.
Hey, that is you and not me, Ash answered. Now who's bragging?
"You're new here, aren't you?" Past Gary asked. "I haven't seen you around town."
"Actually, I'm just returning to Pallet Town after a long time of being away," Future Gary said. Well, it wasn't completely a lie. "You may not know me, but I know you. Known you all your life, in fact."
Past Gary looked up at the tall trainer, a look of confusion on his face. "I DO know you, don't I?" he asked. "I don't know how, but I know you."
Future Gary glanced at Ash. The Suicune shrugged. Might as well tell him, the former trainer said. He already knows too much. Besides, who's gonna believe a little kid?
Gary had to agree. You're right. Besides, I can remember all this happening already. It really isn't altering the past. I think we were meant to be here.
"Listen to me," Future Gary said to the little kid that was himself. "What I'm about to tell you, don't say to anyone else. Okay?"
Past Gary nodded. "I can keep a secret! Now tell me!"
Future Gary glanced at Ash again before going on. "I'm from the future," he said. "I traveled here somehow with this Su icune, and we're trying to find a way to get back."
Past Gary nodded, not surprised in the least bit. He probably already believed in time travel and all that. "Okay. What're your names?"
"His name is Ash Ketchum," Future Gary said, looking over at Ash. "Or his future self, at least." Past Gary looked a little shocked at that one, and looked like he was about to ask how. "We don't know how it happened exactly, and we can't tell you anyway," Future Gary said quickly.
"Then who are you?" Past Gary asked, beginning to sound a little bit anxious.
"My name is Gary Oak," Future Gary said, almost choking on the words. "I'm you, in the future."
Chapter Six
Truth to tell, the Gary of the past took it a lot better than the two trainers had expected him to. The six-year-old promised to not say anything to anyone, and decided to stay with the two boys for a while.
"How come you're stuck here?" Past Gary asked. "Couldn't you just time-travel in reverse and go back to the future?"
It doesn't work that way, Ash said, speaking directly to the little kid. Of course both Garys were the same person, so both of them heard it no matter what. I don't know why, but we already tried it and nothing happened.
Future Gary nodded. "We have to figure out how to get back sometime soon. There's a battle coming up, and we need to be there to help win."
"A Pokémon battle?"
No, we mean a real battle, Ash said. Actual attacks, weapons, actual injuries. And when the battle is over, there will be people lying dead on the battlefield. He said it coldly, and both Garys flinched away from the Suicune's dark expression.
Past Gary looked confused, as if wondering why Ash was so angry. Future Gary explained to him that Ash had lost two important people in his life already due to a crazy explosion caused by Team Rocket.
Ash looked off into the sky as the two Garys talked. He completely ignored them, seeing as listening only reawakened the rage he felt at Jessie for causing Misty's death. Pikachu too, but he missed Misty the most.
Finally the Garys finished summing up Ash's predicament, and Ash returned to the conversation. We don't want anything else to happen to our friends and family, Ash said to Past Gary. So we have to find a way back in time to help.
"Maybe Grandpa can help!" Past Gary offered. "He's really smart. I bet he could figure out how to do it!"
"No!" Future Gary said quickly. "It's a secret that we're here, remember?"
Past Gary nodded reluctantly. "But then what do you want me to do?"
The two trainers were saved from having to answer when a metallic-sounding screech reverberated through the forest. Then the sound of beating wings and roaring fire.
Ash was in a battle stance, head low and crystal blazing, before he even knew it. Future Gary was likewise glowing with brilliant white psychic energy, and Past Gary was just plain scared.
"Ash? Do you smell anything weird?" Future Gary asked the faux Suicune.
Ash used his legendary dog sense of smell, taking in the scent of the forest. There was something mixed in with the usual natural smell, a bit of steel and burnt metal.
His eyes flew open, and the crystal blazed even brighter. It's here! he hissed. It's HERE!
Future Gary looked panicked. "But how can it be here already? Don't tell me it can time-travel like we can!"
All right then, I won't tell you, Ash said in a bit of battle humor. And a quote from Brock when they had been lost in the woods once. Now what?
"Get back to town," Future Gary warned Past Gary. "You don't want to be around when this Pokémon shows up."
Past Gary took off like a shot, dashing for Pallet as fast as he could go. Ash called after him, And don't tell anyone about this! but the six-year-old was already gone.
And with the crackling of massive fire energy and the screaming sound getting louder, a dark silver bird streaked overhead. A raging inferno surrounded it, singing the tops of the trees as it soared just inches away from the treetops.
"Mechavian," Gary said, a chill going up his spine.
