Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise; you know the drill

Feedback: Always appreciated

AN: To get this out of the way, I'll explicitly identify when the younger versions of Ash and Pikachu are the ones saying or doing something; otherwise, any references to 'Ash' and 'Pikachu' are referring to the older versions of those characters.

Temporal War

A few minutes later, with Goodra returned to his old Poke Ball to keep him hydrated, the two Ashes and their respective groups of friends were back on the road, heading towards Ecruteak City. As far as Ash could remember from the first time he'd made this journey, as well as a quick glance at the diary notes he kept on his Pokedex, they were still on schedule for that encounter with the lost milk-cans that would lead to them getting a chance to catch a ride on that blimp, so for the moment there was no reason to worry that he was going to make them miss anything important.

And I'm not Dawn and I'm not explicitly saying it, so there really shouldn't be any kind of problem so long as everything goes smoothly…

It was strange, but even though he recognised that they were in a potentially dangerous and extremely complicated situation, Ash had to admit that he was enjoying the current shift in his circumstances. With all eight of his Kalos badges collected, no reason to believe that they'd be 'late' getting back to the future (as much as anyone could be late for anything when you were talking about time travel), and a full team of Pokemon on his belt, he was ready to get back to Kalos whenever they got the chance, and in the meantime he could retrace his steps, get a new perspective on some of his old trips and friends, and even technically catch up with his old friends.

For the moment, he'd fallen behind the main group, letting Brock and Clemont lead the way to their next destination while he stayed at the back to discreetly check his Pokedex to make sure he was remembering everything correctly. In a strange way, he supposed that he was actually lucky he'd arrived in Johto at this particular time in his travels. Considering that the next few weeks after he'd got the Mineral Badge included him sending Bulbasaur to Professor Oak's lab, that run-in with Suicine during that mess with the Crystal Bells, and the Extreme Pokemon race that would result in him winning Phanpy's egg, these few weeks had been fairly clear in his mind ever since, which at least made it easier to know what he had to be 'worried' about him changing.

He might not know for sure how much importance he should place on Brock and Clemont's fears about how he might change the future if he told anyone about what was going to happen, but he was still fairly sure that the Extreme Pokemon race was the most immediate future event where he absolutely had to be there. It shouldn't take them that long to get to a city where he could work out where he, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie could find a Celebi to take them home, and once they knew where to go, his past self, Brock and Misty could get to Eggseter, win Phanphy's egg, and continue as though this whole mess had never happened.

Who knows? Maybe Team Rocket won't even pay attention to Sakura's family or the Crystal Bell when they see that I'm here…

It was strange to think about how he almost wanted Jessie, James and Meowth to drop in, but as annoying as they could be, at least when they were bothering him and his friends they weren't doing anything to anyone else.

However, for the moment, Ash was content to let his mind drift slightly as he contemplated something he'd said just after their arrival.

He hadn't thought much about it when he'd brought the topic up, given everything else he was dealing with that moment, but looking back now that he had a moment, he had to wonder why he'd forgotten about the idea that Pokemon could come from outer space. His encounters with Rayquaza and Deoxys weren't exactly moments that easily slipped a person's mind, but he'd still acted as though meeting Beheeyem and learning that it came from space was a complete surprise…

Why would I forget that? Ash asked himself.

He was aware that he wasn't the sharpest bulb in the box at times, but getting over-enthusiastic when trying to make his first catch in a new region was him being keen to make new friends; forgetting that he'd seen Pokemon that he knew came from outer space was just… stupid.

"Uh… me?" Ash's younger self said, breaking into Ash's train of thought.

"Yeah?" he looked over at his younger self, who had fallen behind the rest of the group to talk to him, the two Pikachus looking curiously at each other from their positions on their trainers' shoulders.

"I mean… I get that you can't tell me anything specific about the future," young-Ash said, looking awkwardly at his future self. "But… well, you've still got Pikachu, but you also have… Goodra, right?… as part of your team…"

"Only for the moment," Ash corrected his younger self. "Goodra is … he's making his own life now back home; he was happy with me, but it's… it's like Lapras, you know?"

"He was on his own until you found his family?" young-Ash smiled in approval at his future self.

"He… got separated from his friends in an accident, and I probably shouldn't say any more," Ash said, looking thoughtfully at the trainer he'd been; he appreciated Brock and Clemont's warnings about future knowledge, but that kind of general statement couldn't hurt so long as he didn't give any specific dates or places. "That wasn't the only thing you wanted to ask, was it?"

"…No," young-Ash admitted, smiling sheepishly at his future self. "It was just… well, you've got one Pokemon I haven't seen before, so I wondered…"

"To answer your question, I've started basically going back to basics for each new region I visit," Ash confirmed for his younger self; he was trying to keep Brock's rules in mind, but it surely couldn't matter if he got the idea on his own or basically gave it to himself. "After the Johto League was over, I decided to try a new challenge for myself and go to the Hoenn region with only Pikachu in my party. It's a bit more challenging, but it let me focus on catching and training new friends rather than just relying on the old guard all the time."

"You… started over?" young-Ash looked at himself with a new air of apprehension about him.

"I didn't release anybody; I just left all the other Pokemon on my current team at Professor Oak's lab to train and spend more time with each other while Pikachu and I went to Hoenn," Ash clarified, guessing what his younger self was thinking given the precedent set after he parted with Charizard and Squirtle. "I do the same thing whenever I go to a new region these days, but I can still call on the rest of our old Pokemon whenever I want, and they've all assured me that they like staying there."

"Pika Kachu!" Pikachu said from Ash's shoulder, nodding in confirmation.

"Chu ka pika?" past-Pikachu asked, looking curiously at himself.

"Pika," Pikachu nodded with a reassuring smile.

"That's… good to know," young-Ash said, looking at his future self with a new sense of curiosity. "So… if you've-"

"I probably shouldn't say any more," Ash cut his past self off with a warning hand. "I mean, this is just… I think we're starting to talk about stuff that's getting a bit too personal for… well, everything Brock said."

"Right…" young-Ash said, looking tentatively at his future self as the two fell into silence.

Frankly, Ash was glad that his argument had worked; he knew very well that he could be particularly stubborn when he really wanted something, but it also helped that he knew how to convince himself not to push.

Studying himself as the younger Ash walked alongside him, Ash briefly wished he could give his past self some of the advice that was tossing around his mind, but told himself not to fixate on that; after he nearly ended up erased during that mess with Arceus, he knew better than most not to risk tampering with history.

Looking back at where Ash was literally talking to himself, Misty wondered what it said about her life these last few years that she was only partly surprised at how strange this current situation was.

She knew for a fact that most trainers could go through their whole careers without ever seeing a legendary Pokemon, and yet since joining Ash on his travels she'd encountered at least six, depending on whether you counted Dragonite as legendary or just powerful or if that Entei qualified when it was 'just' created by the Unown. With that kind of precedent, the idea that Ash would have to deal with this kind of time-travelling incident in his future almost made a warped kind of sense, even if it was a very drastic situation for him to face.

That said, she was trying not to think too much about the implications of the fact that Ash and Pikachu were the only members of the group from the future that she recognised; the idea that she'd leave Ash some day…

"So…" Misty looked curiously at Serena and Bonnie, after the three girls had been walking together in uncertain silence for a while, "how did… you meet Ash?"

"Clemont told us we shouldn't-" Bonnie began.

"Yeah, I get that your brother's worried about changing history, but that's only a problem if you tell him, surely?" Misty pointed out, trying to ignore the nagging part of her mind that couldn't stop worrying about why she felt safe asking these questions. "I mean, Ash is up there talking to… himself, and we're all the way back here; Ash can make sure the younger him doesn't hear anything… incriminating, and you can answer a few questions for me that I won't tell him."

"She… makes a good point," Serena nodded at Misty, before she looked back at her. "Anyway, we're all from Kalos, but I actually met Ash a few years ago- which is probably only a couple of years from before now- when we were both at Professor Oak's Pokemon Summer Camp."

"You met him at Professor Oak's Summer Camp?" Misty looked at Serena in surprise.

"Yes," Serena smiled. "He helped me out when I got lost and hurt my leg in an accident, and just… he made me feel better about myself when I wasn't enjoying the whole experience."

"Really?" Misty couldn't stop herself from staring at the blonde girl as this young woman so neatly dispelled so many ideas Misty had once had about the significance of her own friendship with Ash. "You… you've known Ash for that long?"

"Yeah, it's amazing, isn't it?" Serena smiled at Misty, apparently ignorant of the reaction she'd inspired. "Anyway, I went home shortly after that, and we fell out of touch when he started his journey, but when I saw a news report that showed him in Kalos… well, I decided that it was time to start my own journey to catch up with him."

"You started your journey… to meet Ash?" Misty looked at the girl with a new sense of confusion, suddenly lost for how she should feel about that news.

"That was… part of it," Serena conceded with a smile. "It took me a while to work out what I wanted to do with myself, but I eventually found my niche as a Pokemon Performer, and… well, I'm doing OK."

"Right…" Misty said, making a note to look up what a 'Pokemon Performer' actually was, as well as how it differed from events like Trixie's Pokemon Circus.

"So," Serena looked at Misty with a curious smile, "what Pokemon do you have?"

"Well," Misty smiled, glad to get onto a different topic, "there's Togepi, obviously, but I also have Staryu, Goldeen, Psyduck, Poliwhirl, and I just recently caught a Corsola."

"Really?" Bonnie looked at Misty with a smile. "You actually have a Psyduck? Maybe that's the reason Ash chose that costume!"

"Costume?"

"Oh, we were at a Gourgeist Festival a couple of months ago… well, for us, anyway… and Ash had Pikachu dressed up like a Psyduck," Serena explained. "We were all wearing costumes I made, actually; Ash was a Snorlax, I was a Floreges, Bonnie was a Ludicolo, Dedenne was a Corphish, that kind of thing."

"You made all those?" Misty looked at Serena in surprise.

"I got a few store options and modified them to fit everyone; obviously I couldn't have made all those outfits on short notice from scratch," Serena waved a hand dismissively. "Anyway, Pikachu was dressed up as a Psyduck for the event, and Ash never explained why that particular costume choice was so important to him, but maybe it was inspired by yours."

"Really?" Misty looked at Serena with a new sense of curiosity, touched at the suggestion behind the other girl's words even if it wasn't enough to override her earlier jealousy.

"Hey," Bonnie looked at Misty with an inquiring expression. "If you have Water-types… do you have a Piplup?"

"Piplup?" Misty repeated in confusion.

"Bonnie!" Serena looked at the little girl in frustration. "Ash said that Piplup's trainer was Dawn, remember?"

"Dawn?" Misty looked at the other girls, her brief good mood suddenly faltering at the implications of that brief comment.

"Uh… that's something we shouldn't have told you, right?" Bonnie looked apologetically at Misty. "Can you just… forget we mentioned her and not mention that to Ash? So we can… well, protect the timeline or whatever Clemont was talking about?"

"Right…" Misty said, nodding in acknowledgement even as she fell into awkward silence.

She knew that she'd stopped travelling with Ash to get the money back for that bike he and Pikachu had ruined a long time ago (even if she still used it as a 'convenient excuse' if asked), but the idea that he could just move on after they parted company for some reason… the idea that he'd had so many other travelling companions that these two could confuse her with someone she hadn't even heard of…

She knew that she'd never actually told Ash how much he meant to her, but was it possible she didn't mean that much to him?

"So," Brock looked curiously at Clemont, after the two had spent a few moments walking silently alongside each other at the head of their expanded group, "how did you meet Ash?"

"I thought we agreed-"

"That Ash shouldn't know anything about his future," Brock clarified with a slight smile. "You clearly don't know me, so you can't tell me anything important about my future apart from the fact that I'm obviously not travelling with Ash any more, so… well, I want to know more about you."

"And… you aren't worried about why you're not travelling with him in the future?" Clemont looked at Brock curiously.

"Well… obviously I'm curious, but I'm fairly sure it's nothing bad," Brock replied, after taking a moment to give the question the thought it deserved. "I mean, Ash thought Misty and I were ourselves from his time when he first appeared, so I'm fairly sure I'm not dead or something like that, and I have faith that Ash and I won't have some kind of stupid falling-out, so I'm going to assume the best and leave it at that."

"That's… probably a good call," Clemont nodded at Brock before he decided to continue. "Anyway, I was the gym leader of Lumiose City in Kalos, but there was an… well, to cut a long story short, I created a robot to act as the gym leader in my place when I wanted to work on my inventions and the robot ended up kicking me out."

"The robot," Brock repeated, looking at Clemont in surprise. "You were kicked out of your gym by a robot?"

"I… did a bit too good of a job programming it, and all of a sudden it wouldn't let me in because I didn't realise what I'd given it as a deactivation code," Clemont explained awkwardly. "I was stuck outside for a few days until Bonnie and I met Ash, and then I started travelling with him so that he could reach a point where he could help me get back into the Gym."

"And did he?"

"Well… yes and no; he didn't become strong enough to challenge Clembot directly, but with some help from my dad we were able to sneak into the gym and challenge Clembot to a battle that gave me time to deactivate and reprogram it."

"Ah," Brock nodded. "And then what? You left your father in charge of the gym?"

"No, I left Clembot to do that," Clemont looked curiously at Brock. "Did that happen to you?"

"My father… spent some time away until he helped Ash beat me to get his first badge, and then he agreed to come back to the rest of my family," Brock explained, his expression briefly becoming grimmer as he dwelt on the memory of that dark period of his life. "I had to take care of all my younger brothers and sisters until he finally stepped up and took some responsibility for everything…"

"I… I'm sorry?" Clemont said tentatively.

"Don't worry about it," Brock said, his mood shifting to a more relaxed smile. "It's not that I didn't like taking care of them, but it was just… well, it was that I didn't have a choice but to take care of them; it's why I pretty much jumped at the chance to join Ash and Misty on their journey."

"They were travelling together first?" Clemont looked back at Misty in surprise.

"Ran into each other the day Ash started his journey when he stole her bike while trying to save Pikachu," Brock affirmed with a brief smile. "It's been… interesting to see them develop as people."

"In what way?" Clemont asked, before Brock heard a loud yell from further up the path just before Ash's future self ran past him and Clemont, the older Ash pulling out three Poke Balls as though he'd expected this to happen.

Brock wasn't sure what unnerved him more; the idea that they were about to meet someone else, or the fact that future-Ash had been that prepared for something that could have happened at any time…

When Ash saw the milk cans rolling down the hill, he moved into action immediately, barely stopping to think as he ran to the front of the group. Once he was sure there was enough distance between him and his past self, he tossed three Poke Balls, releasing Greninja, Hawlucha and Goodra.

"Catch them!" he yelled, indicating the rolling cans to his three Pokemon. With that command, Greninja and Goodra moved into position to grab two of the cans while Hawlucha leapt forward to grab a third, leaving Ash to take up a position that let him grab the final can before it could go too far. Hearing a voice calling out from up the hill, Ash quickly recalled his three Kalos Pokemon once he'd confirmed that the cans were now all upright.

"Hey!" the man who Ash vaguely recognised as the driver of the van transporting the cans yelled, coming into view just as the rest of Ash's group joined him around the empty cans. "…Oh, you already caught them?"

"Just lucky, really," Ash smiled, briefly anxious as he saw the man looking between him and his past self but calming down when the man showed no further signs of curiosity. Ash briefly wondered about that as he and his friends picked up the cans to carry them to the top of the hill and the driver's truck, but looking back at his younger self, he took a moment to consider how this might look from the perspective of a stranger and decided that the man probably assumed he was his younger self's older brother or some other relative.

After all, he hadn't exactly heard much about any other time-travelling incidents before this apart from Sam's trip with Celebi, his own experience during that mess with Arceus, and that thing May had mentioned after her Eevee hatched, so strangers seeing two young men who looked alike apart from a few years' age difference would be more likely to think 'older sibling' than 'time-displaced future self'.

Still not safe to meet too many people like this, but the occasional chat can't hurt…

"Thanks for the help," the man said, as he placed the last of the cans on his truck. "These things are trouble… So where are you kids heading to? Into town? The beach?"

"Ecruteak City," young-Ash confirmed.

"Why don't you hop in?" the driver suggested, just as Ash remembered (and he was suddenly grateful that their larger numbers hadn't put the man off giving the same offer). "I can get you there in no time."

"Huh?" young-Ash said.

"Sounds good," Ash smiled at the other man, glancing around at his friends. "Come on; let's go."

"You're-?" Brock began.

"I'm sure," Ash nodded reassuringly at his old friend. "We'll be fine."