Bang Bang Bang
"Izuku! Ochako! We've got a bit of a situation and need you in the lobby!"
Rubbing his eyes with two hands, Izuku gently shook with a third Ochako to have her join him in the land of living. As she turned over, he used his final free hand to grab the edge of the bed and pull himself into a sitting position.
Stretching all four of his arms to their full length, he was rewarded with a series of cracks running down them.
"We'll be there in just a minute, Hirupa!"
Groaning, Ochako began to go through her own morning routine, smoothing out her gown as her blue hair stuck up in a way most Gardevoir would refuse to be seen with.
"One day that Kadabra will break the door, I swear."
Izuku chuckled as he turned around, resting his chin on her shoulder as he hugged her and straightened out her bedhead.
"I doubt it; the Mankey installed it, remember? I could punch it and it would probably stay standing."
Her indignant slap at his pec just made him laugh harder. "Shush you, I'm trying to be grumpy in the morning and you're ruining it with your logic."
Reaching for the night stand, he grabbed a tattered, faded scarf with a small, round Machampite attached to it. Tying it around his neck, he watched as Ochako tied hers with a psychic tug as she opened the door. Giving her a quick hug, he made his way out to figure out what disturbed their day off.
"Lets see what madness they need us for this time."
Walking through the hall, Izuku had to take a moment to appreciate everything. What had started as a two-man rescue team had, over the past five years expanded, into a full-fledged operation with them at the helm. Hirupa, while not very combative, had taken over most of the secretarial work, leaving Ochako and him to handle the field work.
Izuku let out a yawn. "I wonder what Hirupa needed us for; usually they wait at least a day to let us rest before they bother us with administrative work."
Ochako shrugged. "Keikoku might have another warning for us. I know Absol are usually known for bringing warnings, but would it kill him to just visit to say hi for once?"
"Knowing him? Probably. He's always preferred the wild to staying in the bunks offered here."
Finally entering the lobby that had once been the entirety of their base, both of them stopped short at the sight of a sun-bleached Xatu standing in the middle.
Turning to the two, Xatu's milk-eyed stare looked through them as he nodded his head in greeting.
"Greetings heroes... I bring news of another celestial body coming near. Although the Millennium Comet does not pose any direct danger, my visions have revealed a cave producing substantial quantities of light upon its closest passing and I felt it prudent to warn you."
Exchanging a quick glance between themselves, Izuku and Ochako knew they weren't going to be getting the day of rest they were wanting.
Stepping forward, Izuku crossed his arms in front and behind himself in thought. "Do you know which cave it was? Most of the ones nearby have been pretty thoroughly explored since the earthquakes were handled a few years ago."
Turning, Xatu faced towards a wall that, if Izuku remembered right, was towards the southwest. "Indeed, across the Stormy Sea, on an island past the Tower of Joy, lies the Cave of Wishes."
Rubbing his chin, Izuku let out a hum. "Do we know how far? We need to know how much to pack for provisions, as well as how to arrange travel..."
Xatu continued staring at the wall.
"Most pokemon would take a fortnight to make the journey; however, the comet shall arrive within the week."
Cursing, he glanced at Ochako, who winced as well before speaking up. "I'll contact Lord Kyogre then. If anyone can help us make it on time it's him, though I hate bothering the Lord of Seas."
Nodding, Izuku turned to address Hirupa as Ochako's eyes took on a pink glow.
"Contact your dad and let him know ACT is going to need to cover for us for the next week or so. I'll grab a ration pack from storage. What's the word, Ochako?"
"He agreed to meet us at the coast and he thinks he knows which island we're looking for."
Nodding, he turned back to Xatu.
"Is there anything else you needed to tell us? Or would you like assistance for your trip back to the canyon?"
Shaking its head, the Xatu finally turned back towards the east.
"No thank you, I can handle the journey myself."
And with those parting words, the now-familiar blip of light signifying a teleport marked its departure.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Izuku let out a sigh of relief as he and Ochako entered a cavernous room with a geode upon a tall altar that was shining so brightly they couldn't directly look at it. They'd been able to see it from the entrance and had used its light to make their way down through the cave system.
While they had been worried when they felt their energy drain upon entry, it seemed it affected any pokemon who entered the cave. A couple of apples and they were quickly descending past droves of sleeping pokemon who had entered unprepared, and the few who were awake were easily dealt with.
Now the source of worry for the past week was in front of them. They had barely taken stock of the situation before the cave started to audibly shift, cracks forming and growing across the walls as the geode shone even brighter.
Covering his eyes with an upper arm, Izuku quickly took a fighting stand in preparation for whatever had the Xatu worried. Out of the corner of his vision, he felt the familiar energy of his wife as she prepared in her own way, a faint barrier appearing in front of them both.
When the light finally died down, Izuku uncovered his eyes and prepared for a Counter if needed. He was stuck blinking in confusion, however, as where the stone once stood was not another angry pokemon to fight, but a yawning, almost-baby-looking pokemon swaddled in a blanket.
"That's... not what I was expecting…"
Ochako looked just as confused as him as she floated up to the sleepy bundle, picking it up. It snuggled up against her for warmth as Izuku approached, simultaneously scratching his head and crossing his arms in thought. Before he could begin to theorize, another bright flash filled the cavern, though this one was nowhere near as blinding, being the flash of a teleport. Turning to face the newcomer, they both froze in shock at the mythical figure in front, and above, them both.
"Jirachi! I wish you a good morning after so… long?"
Noticing the alter's emptiness, the figure glanced around the cavern before spotting the two pokemon he was almost standing over.
"Wow, you two are good."
Snapping out of her shock, Ochako quickly bowed, giving Izuku a not-so light psychic shove to follow her lead.
"Lord Arceus! To what do we owe the honors?"
Stepping back and laying down upon its stomach, with all four of its legs curled under itself, Arceus still cut a large, but not quite as imposing figure as it chuckled.
"I came to visit Jirachi and wish it good morning for its Millennial Awakening, as well as to ask it a favor. Specifically one that involves the two of you."
That caught Izuku off guard as he shot upright.
"The two of us?"
Arceus let out a hum of agreement.
"Indeed. A millennia ago, Celebi visited me with a warning of natural disasters brought about by a meteor of great danger, with my children too consumed by the chaos brought by it to stop it on their own. While I would normally take it upon myself to handle it, the Tree of Life also needed protection, and I am, sadly, unable to be in two places at once."
It raised a foreleg, poking towards the steadily awakening bundle.
"So I asked Jirachi for a wish, to bring us a hero who could stop the meteor. My wish however was… problematic. Jirachi can not create; they must take the item from somewhere else. Hence why you, my four-armed friend, were brought here."
At this point, Izuku could swear Arceus looked sideways in embarrassment.
"Normally, this wouldn't cause issues for the person's homeworld. While ripples would obviously occur, in both our and your world, they usually self stabilize if minor, and my children keep the poke-world stable from all but the most catastrophic space-time events."
Here, Arceus actually bowed his head, sending both him and Ochako into a flustered fit.
"That was not the case for you, however. Your world started to shatter at the moment you were taken, and it was only through my children's power were we able to come up with a solution. Time is relative to us all, but few realize just how true that is. By speeding up time for our world, or you could say 'slowing down' yours, we were able to have a Millenia pass in milliseconds. Which brings us to today."
Izuku's mind started working at a speed that would make Alakazam jealous as the pieces started to click together.
"So when you said a favor involving us… you mean… you want to send me back?"
That was, Izuku didn't know how to feel exactly. On one hand, he missed his mom, and he wanted to make All Might proud, but on the other, he had a wife and life that he had built over the last five years. And he still had two hands left to judge the problem with!
"Yes… and no. I am not a heartless pokemon. Sending you away from your wife would be cruel. Thankfully, she has a counterpart back in her world, one whom she could merge with so that you two may remain together."
That was a weight that allowed Izuku to breathe easier, and a glance at his wife showed that she wouldn't be taking a no for an answer.
"Excellent. Now, Jirachi, we need you awake, please."
The figure in Ochako's arms stirred, before unwrapping itself and floating out of her arms.
"Don' wanna… Can we do this fast so I can go back to sleep…?"
A chuckle rumbled through Arceus' large frame.
"In that case, I wish for these two heroes to be returned to Izuku's home and merged with their other selves."
A blue glow surrounded the two heroes as they shared a look before they vanished.
"Now, I should probably go inform their guild…"