a/n: So, I worked on this when I hit a bit of writer's block on my Shattered Glass version of "A Girl and Her Bike". This was inspired by Saphroneth's "Ashes of the Past" just so you know, but I hope this is different enough to stand on it's own two feet.
Update 2/26/2022: This isn't a new chapter being uploaded, I just learned that a character I thought was present in the Legends Arceus special wasn't featured at all. I have to tweak my plans for their arc, but that's it.
Prologue: When Time Unwinds
The ending began in a dusty old warehouse in a backwater town. A warehouse with only two inhabitants.
"Is the machine almost finished, Charon?" one of the figures asked as he examined the gold and silver Poké Ball he had "acquired" the previous day.
"Patience, my friend," Charon replied as he tightened a bolt on the mechanical cylinder, "I'm reverse-engineering a piece of the DMA to draw power from the otherwise impenetrable shell of that relic." The former Team Galactic member chuckled. "To think that something so small could contain such immense power…"
"Immense power we won't be able to use if the authorities find us," Charon's partner reminded him.
"Not to worry," Charon waved him off, "My former associates' half-baked scheme is bound to keep the authorities distracted for a few days with the clean-up alone. And besides…"
Click!
"The power-intake is ready for our test run," Charon finished with a grin as three calls extended from the center of the top of the device, "Place the GS Ball in its proper slot, and all of space-time will bend to our will." He chuckled. "Just imagine the money we could make off of this!"
"Of course," Charon's partner stated as he placed the GS Ball into the metal claws, "But first, there's the matter of how we'll test this machine…"
"Of course," Charon replied as a keyboard extended out of the device, "But what date should we use for our test run?"
"I actually had a date figured out before I tracked you down," Charon's partner replied as he covered his face with a metal mask, "Rotom, if you would be so kind?"
"Certainly!" a voice buzzed as a smartphone with a face flew out of one of the six pockets on Charon's partner's jacket, "My master would like to visit this time and place!" The phone turned its back to Charon, revealing the date and coordinates on its screen.
"Hmm…" Charon examined the data, "Why that date and place in particular."
"I have some… 'Unfinished business' to attend to," the masked man replied, "And it will allow us to rid ourselves of a particularly annoying nuisance in the process."
"I suppose that makes sense," Charon replied as he entered the time and coordinates into the keyboard, "Arming rift generator."
The front of the machine opened, and the barrel of a cannon telescoped out as dark energy crackled over the GS Ball.
"Channeling energy into power core," Charon continued, "Power levels rising. Gravity readings inverting." He struck a key marked with a pronged ring. "Fire!"
A green beam fired out of the machine's cannon and pierced reality in front of the duo as the Rotom returned to its master's pocket.
"And with that, the experiment was a success," Charon observed as he could just make out a sleepy town on the other side of the rift.
"Not yet," his partner pointed out as he took a step towards the rift, "We still need to see for ourselves that the past can be changed."
"And how do you expect to accomplish that?" Charon questioned as his partner approached the portal.
"Just watch and learn doctor," the masked man replied as he stepped into the past.
Arceus halted in front of the gateway to their realm and activated their Mind Plate. The Original One switched to the Psychic Type and reached out to as many minds as possible, before stepping into Their realm outside of space and time. The Alpha Pokémon spread the links from those minds to others via their bonds, each link weaker and weaker, until space and time disappeared. With nowhere else to go, the thoughts and memories of the minds Arceus had linked to flooded into Their domain.
.
Wha- What just happened? Ash wondered as he weightlessly floated in the void.
Ash! Pikachu called out, What's going on? Where are we?
Pikachu! How did I just understand you? Ash wondered.
"Allow me to explain," Arceus opened, "Someone created a rift in space and time and journeyed into the past. I tried to pin down the rift by linking a network of minds with my own psychic abilities, but the past changed and the timeline shattered before I could finish. Your consciousness lingers in this realm outside of space and time, but even I can only resist the alterations to the timeline for so long…"
So, wait, what was the point of bringing us here? Goh piped up.
"Oh good, the rest of you are coming too as well," Arceus remarked, "It would appear as though your proximity to me allowed your consciousnesses to persist past the end of time."
Wait, what do you mean? Dawn asked.
Arceus wordlessly used the Spooky Plate to change type, and the spirits of Ash, Brock, Dawn, Goh, Cynthia, and their Pokémon materialized in the void.
Scattered throughout the void were the half formed and blurred phantasms of their friends and loved ones, barely recognizable as anything but the scattered thoughts of people who never existed.
Diantha! Cynthia floated towards the shattered and blurry form of the Kalosian champion, It's me, Cynthia! Say something, anything!
Cynthia's Pokémon crowded around their trainer as the others noticed some familiar faces among the remnants
Goh saw his own parents, Professor Cerise, Chloe Horace, and whatever Pokémon he hadn't brought with him to the Sinnoh Festival.
Dawn felt her heart shatter at the sight of her mother, Kenny, and Zoey.
Ash could identify his mother, his other traveling companions, his classmates, and all of the Pokémon he didn't have in his team at the time.
Who did this? Brock asked when he was finally able to force his attention away from the remnants of his parents and siblings.
"I don't know," Arceus admitted, "I cannot explore what is left of the timeline without being affected by the paradox."
There has to be something we can do! Dawn insisted, You wouldn't just bring us here just so we can watch ourselves die, right?
"That I would not," Arceus replied, before switching between the Iron, Meadow, Draco, and Mind Plates, "Thankfully, I am still able to glimpse shattered fragments of what never was, and I believe I figured out the point where everything went wrong: The interloper prevented Ash and Pikachu from meeting!"
… Of course that's what happened, Brock remarked.
Seriously, how many times have those two saved the world by now? Piplup asked.
Yeah, the Shamouti incident would've completely destroyed the world if I hadn't-
"Actually," Arceus interrupted, "The prophecy only stated 'The world shall turn to Ash.' As it never specified which Ash it would turn to, there was a lot of wiggle room."
A projected image of a girl none of them recognized riding Lugia appeared in the void.
"All I know is that her name is Ashley Marina, and this is all that I can access from that aborted timeline," the Original One explained, "But back to the matter at hand, the source of this paradox just so happens to be one of the 'fragments' I can access from this realm."
A rift opened in the void.
"This trip will be one way, and the interloper who stopped Ash and Pikachu from meeting in the first place will also be stranded in the past with you," Arceus explained,"Additionally, your memories of the "original" timeline may not be the only ones you end up having to deal with. I have no idea what details you'll remember, or even if those memories will all be from the "correct" timeline. I have never attempted this before, after all."
So why can't you just go there and stop this yourself? Piplup asked.
"Only one of me can exist in the timeline at once," Arceus answered, "Seeing how you will have never cleared Damos' name and restored my faith in humanity if Ash and Pikachu never met, there's a good chance that my own returning to the past would only result in a frenzied version of my past self awakening early and destroying the world."
… That's a good reason to outsource, Piplup conceded.
So… It's all down to me again? Ash asked.
"You, Pikachu, and the rest of your friends," Arceus answered, "Remember, while one person can make all the difference, that is true of everyone, regardless of whether or not they were chosen for the task. I have faith that you will see this through to the end. Should you succeed, we shall reunite upon your return to this moment. So, what do you all say?"
What about those of us who weren't born yet? Lucario asked.
"Worry not, you will remember when you are born," Arceus promised, "Time is a fragile thing, but as long as your birth is not prevented, this should be a very simple experience. While you are being reset to a certain point in your physical development, your memories should be mostly intact. Are you ready and willing to take on this challenge?"
The gathered humans and Pokémon shared a glance, and nodded.
"In that case," the rift pulsed with a golden light, "Your adventure will begin anew upon crossing over that threshold. Do everything you can to be in place when the time is right, and prepare yourselves for your new adventure. I have faith in you all to see this through to the end. Good luck."
The minds of Ash and joined together and passed through the threshold.
The bonds they shared pulled the remnants of the others.
Arceus sighed.
"As soon as the rift closes, I will know whether or not this plan will work," the Original One reflected as the timeline shifted once again, "I do not wish to start over from scratch. At the very least, I am with you in spirit."
Across the world, the timeline shifted.
The Champion of Sinnoh scheduled a trip to each of the three lakes around the region.
As soon as he awoke, a Mew fanatic vowed to be the best Trainer possible for his future starter.
A future Coordinator tried to figure out how a girl with no Pokémon could help save the world.
A Gym Leader prepared breakfast for his siblings, and mentally prepared himself for meeting with his father.
A Pikachu recalled the future that never was right at the treeline on the outskirts of Palette, the rising sun illuminating the sleepy town he had just followed the Rotom away from.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu turned back towards the lab, ready to meet his best friend for the first time all over again-
BOOM!
Only for a Rhyperior to burst from the ground ahead of him, an empty gaze behind its eyes.
"Now now, Pikachu," a masked man stated as he stepped out from behind the tree, "Don't tell me you're having second thoughts already."
The Electric Mouse Pokémon's cheeks sparked as he turned to face the masked human.
"I would hate to destroy such a useful Pokémon," the human continued, apparently unafraid of Pikachu's threat display, "I came back here just to ensure your power would be used properly, after all."
"Chu, kachu?" Pikachu questioned.
The Rotom Pikachu had been following zipped into the masked man's pocket, and emerged in a Rotom Phone.
"He wants to know who you are," the Rotom translated.
"I am Eternal," the masked man answered, "And this is a new chapter of my story. And I don't intend to let you ruin the ending this time."
For Want of a Mouse
a/n: Okay so, I hope this is a unique enough spin on an old premise. I figured having someone actively trying to change the past for the worst would make for an interesting premise, at the least.
I also wanted to give Arceus' words more OOMPH than the others, thus why they're formatted the way they are.
But yeah, they were sent back right from the ending of "Arceus, the One Called God". Mostly because that was the Legends: Arceus tie in for the anime, and this actually started as my own take of "Ash in Hisui" before becoming THIS instead.
(Ironically, Ash's Hisui adventure would've snowballed into an AU of the anime.)
Thank you all for reading, just know that I typically alternate between my fics to avoid burnout, so updates are probably going to be infrequent.
Also, go read Ashes of the Past. It's good.
And if you're caught up with Ashes of the Past and want to read more, don't badger Saphroneth for updates, go check out his other fics, like Legendarily Popular! All the ones I've read are pretty good.
Update 2/26/2022: Removed Chloe. Poor kid really never gets to do anything unless the episode is about her.