.
"I can turn back time, I have the power!"
..
Raito's Mansion
1:00 AM
Secluded from the bustling city life and most human population, a night for the mansion proved to be a wonderful spot to appreciate the beauty of nature that surrounds the lone structure. Located far away from light pollution, one could clearly see the sky and admire its gorgeous sea of stars.
Sitting on a balcony just outside of the lounge-made living room, Ash decided to bask in the light of the moon and organize his thoughts. Ash had almost fallen asleep listening to the cries of nature, if the detective had not come along and made conversation.
"About the incident earlier," Kozenikata started. "I believe I have repaid my debt?"
"Ah, of course," Ash stood up and leaned on the railings. "Highly appreciated. Many thanks."
The cop took a sip of his drink and offered some to Ash. "A glass of Camus?"
Ash turned and looked at the bottle and considered the proposal. "I guess a drink wouldn't hurt."
Kozenikata took another glass and poured the Camus. After giving it to Ash, he moved to a nearby chair and sat. "Beautiful night." He commented.
"Hmm." Ash nodded in agreement.
"Such clear skies. One could clearly see the moon basking in it elegance." The detective added, taking another sip.
Ash chugged down his drink and placed the down, leaning back on the spot before. "Have I ever told you how I much I detest the moon?" he asked.
"Oh, how so?" the other questioned back, also resting his glass. Unconsciously Ash looked at his artificial arm, images of its creator popping in his head. Kozenikata took notice of his demeanor and took a guess. "Did that old man hate the moon also?"
"Hmm. Part of it, yeah." Ash answered with a chuckle, praising the detective's sharp sense in his mind. "Has he ever told you the reason he joined Team Galactic?"
"Not really, now that I think about it. But how does that relate to the moon being hated?" The detective asked another question, shifting to a more comfortable sitting position.
Ash playfully let his arm's mechanism open and close for a couple of times, the sounds of metal meeting each other loud. A slot opened on the wrist followed by another two on the edges of his index and middle finger. "Watch this." The young man said, aiming the two fingers held out to a nearby branch. Faster than a blink of an eye, the branch snapped and fell to the ground. "Incredible invention, isn't it? Dr. Raito had a brilliant mind."
"Ooh," Kozenikata muttered in amazement, "That must be very useful. What else can you do with it?"
"I can propel myself really high and cover a large distance very quickly." Ash replied.
"And again, how does this relate to the moon?"
Ash closed and put his arm to rest. "As I said before, the old man is very smart. A genius, from my point of view. There was nothing he couldn't do. Yet, why did he join Team Galactic? That was a question I asked myself every day after he picked me up from near death state. He knew that Team Galactic was up to no good, yet there he was."
"So did you ask him?" The detective asked, cutting Ash off.
"I was just getting there. Patience, Looker, patience." The young man replied quickly, patting the detective on his back. "Yes, yes I did ask him. It was when he finished the construction of this arm. It turned out that Cyrus, desperate to achieve his ambitions, had gotten word of the old man's brilliance, and paid him a visit. Though refused many times, Cyrus finally resorted to an underhanded method."
Kozenikata drank another glass of Camus, lighting his cigar. "Enough to make that stubborn fool change his mind?"
"Did you know that the old man didn't have any parents?"
"Ah, yes, that I know. But he had a little sister, didn't he?" Kozenikata answered while taking a quick puff from his cigar.
"Yes, he did. She was the only family he had. His little sister had a frail body, so the old man spent most of his life taking care of her. Taking note of this, Cyrus took her as hostage. Having no other choice, he had to join Team Galactic, since Cyrus promised him that Team Galactic would shoulder the all medical formalities. I think he spent about ten years before finally finding out that his sister's was terminally ill."
"How does that even work? He waited ten years before talking to his sister again?"
"No, no, they weren't allowed to meet. He was periodically updated about his sister's conditions, being sent the test results and whatnot. It was fine for ten years until his sister's condition suddenly took a downturn." Ash continued, his voice shaking. "He went to the hospital his sister was being treated at and snuck in. It all went well.. Until he saw her again. Seeing a sibling on her deathbed after not meeting for ten years was a bit too much for him. That moment, showered by full moon's ray, was the moment her sister passed away. With nothing else to blame but himself, he cursed his incompetence. And since that day, every time he saw the moon he has harbored a hateful feeling towards it, since come morning the moon has taken away the night, and also his sister's life."
Kozenikata looked at Ash who was glaring at the moon. "And.. you also hate the moon because he came to hate the moon?"
"Were it so easy." Ash shook his head, chuckling. "The night the old man passed away was also like that."
Kozenikata nodded and stroked his chin. "Ah, I see. I guess the old geezer really meant a lot to you."
"I thought that was fairly obvious." Ash answered playfully.
"Wait, so the sister dies right as he got to see her again?" the detective asked another question.
"Yes, after hearing her final words. At least that's what he told me." Came the simple answer from Ash.
Kozenikata got up and sighed. "Man, what are the chances.." he quickly finished his drink and set his glass down. "Well, I'll be retiring for the day. Do try to have a good night. Don't be too hard on the moon, now."
"Will do." Ash looked inside the mansion and saw the safe that contained the five Time Gears. He then remembered a scene that played out earlier in the day.
Cyrus closed in and glared at Ash. "Where do you get this confidence of yours, scum? Your actions will lead to the fall of the world, you brainless filth. Your actions will cause the world's paralysis! Now youwilltell us where you are hiding four of the gears you possess!"
"..Five." Ash whispered.
"What? What did you say?"
"I possess five gears. All of them."
"What? That's impossible!" Cyrus shouted, interrupted by the sound of an explosion echoing through the room.
"What was that?" said one of the officers, getting ready for an attack.
"..God." Ash muttered with a chuckle.
"Don't be smart with us, you criminal scum, that was your doing, wasn't it!" the other officer screamed on the top of his lung, grabbing Ash by the collar, seemingly losing patience.
"..Well, I am God." Ash stated with a grin on his face.
"..God, huh?" Ash mumbled, sighing. "I guess with the Time Gears, I might as well be one. Just need to get through Brine Cave and work it out on Temporal Tower." He said to himself, only answered by the cries of nature. He then turned once more to the moon. "Cyrus, leader of Team Galactic, aiming to destroy the universe. He would recreate the universe without emotions, so that there may be no conflicts."
Ash looked at his artificial arm and snickered. "That doesn't sound too bad, all things considered."
Celestic Town
2:00 PM
The symbol on the picture he had gotten from Carmine was strange, albeit familiar. Having never been to Brine Cave before, Ash had to trust the picture he had. During his trip to Limestone Cavern the day before he inspected it some more, ever so sure that he had seen the symbol before. Not in the future, not in the Temporal Tower he had been with his future self, but in his time, his world. He had one guess, but it was just a hunch.
Meeting with her the day before jogged his memory some more. Yes, her.
He walked the calm streets of the town, looking at children play their games with seemingly boundless energy. He noticed that the number of his wanted posters were noticeably less than other towns and cities, much to his relief. And thankfully enough, the picture on the poster was of him before he changed his hair, at least giving him a couple of seconds of delay before being recognized. Enough for a clean getaway, at least. Ash thought to himself.
The ruins were located behind the research center, and he doubted that he could just waltz in and make his way to the ruins. He went around the facility and easily jumped the fence, the main hall of the ruins now in front of him. He silently opened the big metal doors to find a blonde woman with a yellow Pokémon on her shoulder inspecting the strange characters on the wall. Shifting his gaze to her feet, he looked around to see if his hunch was correct. And indeed it was. The object with the strange symbol from the picture was there, one that matched the one in Brine Cave. She called it the Relic Fragment, he recalled.
"It seems that whenever I come visit this town, you're always here, Cynthia." Ash commented.
The woman turned around, surprised to see the unexpected guest. Pikachu immediately got off and ran up to his best friend, getting a pat on the head. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"How rude. Is that how you treat someone who has been missing for six months?" he questioned back playfully, putting Pikachu on his shoulder.
"I don't think I need to be nice after what you've done yesterday." The woman shot back, glaring at Ash. "What are you planning, Ash? Why are you doing all this?"
"It's a long story." He replied shortly.
Cynthia crossed her arms. "Then please, do tell. I seem to have time on my hands."
Ash took a step forward, taking his hands out of his pockets. "I do not. I, on the other hand, have quite a tight schedule. I'm afraid I can't be here for long."
"Then don't make your story long." The woman responded.
The young man sighed and met Cynthia's gaze. "I'm doing this because of a promise. I made a promise to a man I met."
"You're doing this because of a promise? You're destroying the world because of a promise?" the woman shot back, seemingly not satisfied hearing Ash's simple answer.
"I'm not destroying the world- Look, that's not why I'm here today. I'm not here to explain my motives." Ash said, avoiding the need to explain himself. He would like to keep her out of the whole situation. "I'm here for your Relic Fragment. Would you kindly give it to me?"
Cynthia looked at the object beside her and picked it up, holding it close to her. "This? Why would you want this? I don't even know what it does."
"I need it, Cynthia. Just give it to me. I don't want to take it by force." Ash started walking towards the blonde woman.
"No, I refuse." She rejected.
"Then I'm sorry." Ash said as he snapped his finger.
"Wha- Ahh!" Cynthia screamed as she fell backwards, the Relic Fragment taken from her hands by a blue flash.
"Good job, Lucario." Ash praised his Pokémon as he started to walk towards the exit.
Cynthia picked herself up and asked one last question. "Why are you doing this? What is this promise worth to you?"
Ignoring the champion, Ash opened the door and stepped outside the hall, to find the champion dash past him and blocking his way. He nodded to his Lucario and allowed the fighting-type to go first with the Relic Fragment. "Step aside, Cynthia. This is none of your business. I have no time for this."
"Then make me." She bluntly stated.
Ash sighed and pointed his finger to the sky. "I have my Salamence flying up there and can easily get away from you. What are you going to do then?"
"Then I will pursue you. You are currently in possession of the Time Gears of our planet, a dangerous criminal. I will stop you." Declared Cynthia.
"How much do you actually know about the Time Gears?" Ash said with a snicker. He never did like being called a criminal, but being called so by this certain someone had a little more kick to it. "Why is it that right now, this very moment, I possess all of the gears and yet, the world isn't paralyzed? I have the power in my hands to bring destruction, but yet the world still stands? Do you see me as a fool, Cynthia?" the man said passionately, losing his temper.
"Of course not! You obviously know more than I do, and if I were to see you as a fool, then I would have put more effort in bringing you to justice! You would never wish for the world's destruction, I know that much. I just.. I just wish to know what you hope to accomplish by doing all this, and maybe.. Just maybe, I could help!" she shouted back, cheeks turning red. "You.. You have a tendency to shoulder many burdens by yourself, Ash. I just thought.. maybe I could.. Help.." she trailed off, seemingly quivering. "Never once have I actually doubted you.. It's just.. You suddenly disappeared six months ago, and not once have I gotten word from you.."
Ash clicked his tongue and scratched his head, and quickly thought of something to say, obviously uncomfortable at the sight of a crying woman. "There is a reason I haven't told you my goal, Cynthia. I do not know what will happen when I reach that place. Please understand, I'm doing this so you won't be placed in danger. I have absolutely no idea what lies before me, and it is too dangerous."
"Then what about you? What makes you invincible that you would so willingly go head first to danger?" Cynthia asked again, stepping closer to Ash.
"I have prepared myself accordingly, Cynthia. I'm ready to give my life for this cause." The man said, determined.
Cynthia walked up to him and slapped him across the face, leaving a bright red mark on his cheek. "What about the people who care about you? Your mother, your friends.. What about.. Me?"
"I'm a criminal.. Surely they have changed their opinion of me." Ash muttered bitterly.
"I have not." Cynthia grabbed Ash's hand and met his stare. She took out a glove from her pocket and placed it on his hand. "You disappeared from my world twice already.. I'm not letting you go this time."
Hearing her words, Ash could only laugh lightly at himself. "I think that's supposed to be my line." He said as he took the glove and placed it on his right hand. "You've made up your mind, then?"
She nodded, a smile on her face.
Ash wiped her tears away and squeezed her cheeks. "Then I guess I have lost this one. But on the first sign of danger I will have Carmine and the others bring you back, you hear me?"
Cynthia laughed and hugged the young man. "There is no need, I can take care of myself."
The two hugged for longer, before finally interrupted by a bored Pikachu.
Raito's Mansion
10:00 PM
"So, why is she here?" Carmine asked as he pointed at the new member of the team.
"She coerced me into letting her join." Ash replied, waving the question off.
"Man, you're weak against women." Carmine commented.
The group was planning for the day after, where they would venture into Brine Cave and scale the Temporal Tower and calm the world's paralysis.
"And, why am I still here?" a man wearing sunglasses said, smoking his cigar while taking sips from his glass of Camus. "A hard-boiled detective such as myself should not be involved with criminals.."
"You have nowhere to go back to, Kozenikata. You're also a criminal now." Ash shrugged, taking the cigar from the detective and putting it out. "And no smoking. Smoke outside."
The detective pouted and took a seat. "..How uptight."
"Now then, let's start, shall we?" Ash clapped his hand and started going through the group's mission overview and briefing. The meeting went smoothly for most of it, if it weren't for Kozenikata's constant nagging about how he should be put for the more 'hard-boiled' part of the mission. Ash quickly adjourned the meeting and ordered everyone to get plenty of rest for the coming day.
Ash then headed for the balcony he was at the night before, joined by Cynthia shortly after. The two talked for some time before disturbed by Carmine and the hard-boiled man.
"Hey, Ash. I never asked, but where did you go these past six months? You left without telling any of us." Carmine asked behind the motorcycle helmet.
"Actually, I was just going to tell the story to Cynthia. But now that you're here, I guess I'll save myself the time, then." Ash started, putting Pikachu on the railings. "Six months ago, when I've just finished visiting Cynthia in Celestic Town, I was ambushed."
"Ambushed?" the blonde woman asked, concerned. "By whom?"
"I was attacked by a Dusknoir. A very.. Peculiar one. He then dragged me through a portal, half of it Pikachu witnessed. Isn't that right, buddy?" Ash lifted his Pikachu up, getting an energetic response from his best friend, happy they were together again. "I told him to run and I guess he found his way to Cynthia."
Cynthia patted Pikachu's head and smiled at the electric Pokemon. "That he did. Once I got to the place he was leading me to I couldn't find any trace of you, except for your glove."
"So where did this Dusknoir bring you?" Carmine tried to get Ash to continue the story.
Ash placed Pikachu on Cynthia's shoulder, thinking how well the color goes with the woman's blonde hair. He then turned back to Carmine and continued. "Ah, yes. I was brought to the future, believe it or not."
Kozenikata took his cigar off his mouth and tried to clarify. "The future, you say?"
"Yes, the future. This.. lifeless, desolate future. Well, long story short, there I learned about the world paralysis and how to stop it." Ash concluded the story bluntly.
"How did you manage to get back?" Carmine asked.
"I had help from.. a person that survived the paralysis. In all actuality, I was only there for two weeks or so. The process of getting me back here seemed to have messed up, and placed me six months off. So for me, it hasn't been that long at all." Ash smiled a nervous one, looking at his audience's reactions. A very mixed one from his perspective.
Carmine laughed and patted Ash on the back. "Amazing! And here we were very worried you might have gotten yourself into a very troublesome situation! I guess the legendary Thanatos has still got his touch!" The man then dragged the detective back inside the mansion. "Let us go, then! We wouldn't want to disturb these two lovebirds, now!"
"He's strangely upbeat, that guy.." Ash mumbled as he shifted his gaze from the Bravo Team member. "And kind of considerate."
"I think I will be calling it a day, now." Cynthia said as she also made her way inside the mansion.
"Oh, so soon? I thought you were going to ramble on some more about how it isn't fair that you had to wait six months while I, on the other hand, only two weeks." Ash playfully said.
Cynthia turned to the man and smiled. "Oh, I would love to, believe me. But I am too tired for that, I didn't exactly get a good night's rest yesterday."
"Ah." Ash realized that the reason for that were most probably his actions the day before. "Ah.. Sorry about that. I.."
"It's okay, it doesn't matter anymore." The woman said as she chuckled. "I'll take a shower and go to bed, then."
"Right."
After he watched Cynthia leave his side, Ash recalled his brief time in the paralyzed world with his supposed future self. A question he asked himself repeatedly came up once more. Was he really Ash Ketchum? He thought. Assuming his current knowledge of time was true, then many things were out of place. Planning to give it some more thought before he went to sleep, Ash headed to his study.
Once there, he sat down and tried to illustrate his experiences on a piece of paper, making a timeline. He found it absurdly strange that even though the man had proven himself to be Ash Ketchum, the two had many differences, the most obvious and strange one being the arm. It would have made sense if his future self had the artificial arm and he did not, opening the possibility of something happening during their difference of years. However, this just wasn't the case. Spending eventless tens of minutes, Ash was unable to come up with an answer. He then vividly recalled a scene he had with the Ash from the future.
"The fact that you were captured by Dusknoir and were brought here to be executed, that could only mean one thing. You were trying to gather the Time Gears." The man stated.
"Yes, yes I was." Ash answered.
"However, I find it a bit hard to believe that you claim to come from the world six years prior. The world ended ten years ago!"
"Ten years ago from that time.. Would be four years ago from now." Ash muttered to himself, tapping his pen on the table. "The only thing of great significance that happened four years ago was.. Me almost dying, I guess. And the fact that Cyrus' plans were halted. That moment on Spear Pillar."
He leaned back on his chair, sighing and rubbed his eyes. It was getting late, he reminded himself of the need to rest for tomorrow's quest. He went over the events in the future once more, from beginning until the end. The imprisonment, attempted execution, the escape from the fallen tower, the meeting with his future self, and finally his escape from the future. "Ah.." He suddenly mumbled, sitting up. "That vision.." Ash then tried to remember his trip back to his current time, in that strange dimension he stumbled upon when being transported back to his time.
He recalled the vision with the alternate ending to the scene on Spear Pillar, and the Dialga he saw in the vision. The Dialga that roared mightily, rewinding the scene and changing the outcome. "The Pokemon with the Roar of Time, huh.."
Suddenly it dawned on him. The outrageous possibility that only a man as eccentric as Dr. Raito would think of, an answer he found extremely silly and unreasonable. However, this seemed like the only possible answer to clear his doubts. If Dialga's power was as omnipotent as he thought, then indeed this was the only solution. Ash stood up and slammed the table in frustration. If this theory was really true, then the promise he made to the Future Ash will be invalid.
"Dammit all!" He shouted as he slammed the table once more. "It's not possible.. Not with this short time limit, no.. I.. I.." he stuttered, his voice cracking. Feeling his strength leaving his body, he let himself fall on his chair and rested his head back.
Sighing, he had to accept the current truth of the situation.
"It seems I won't be able to fulfill my promise.."
Temporal Tower Entrance
The Future
The week he spent with his past self was refreshing. It was certainly nice to have human contact after a while, especially after having all your hopes and dreams crushed by an out of control Deity Pokemon and its henchmen. Now, after confirming what he had feared the whole time he was carrying out his missions, he could finally carry out his final quest. The man had not lived for very long, but it was surely an eventful life. His start as a Pokemon Trainer, his exciting adventures with his friends.
He longed to see them again. For this, he would give anything. To meet his mother, to meet his best friends, his rivals, fellow trainers. To have one last proper battle. However, it was all but a dream now. The man had lost count of how long he had been walking, his mind fixated of his life after the world ended. Without giving up, he continuously tried to revive the planet, to revive his home, city, and comrades, whatever this vast place holds. Ten years, he fought. Ten long years. All for naught, to be dismantled by this supposed Deity. Many times he thought the world was unfair. For too long he had been alone.
But it would all end soon.
The man was determined to put it all to rest. He had been alive for too long in this godforsaken time. His partner and best friend proudly rode his shoulder, energized, carrying the same determination. His meeting with his past self finally made him realize that there was no time to waste.
"That's right," He said to himself, stopping at the intimidating entrance of the fallen tower. "Only one way to end this." He entered the tower once more, ready to face the raged legendary Pokemon. As he walked the empty halls and ascended the tower, he knew very well what would happen after.
For ten years he kept telling himself that there must be a solution. A solution to save this mad world. For ten years he lead a harsh life, looking for that one solution. And now he had found it. Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town had finally acknowledged that there was only one way to save this world.
The man finally reached the gate that would lead him to the Dragon Pokemon. Repeatedly telling himself that there was no turning back, he managed to calm himself down. His Pikachu gave a growl of encouragement which he gratefully accepted. He was ready to end it all.
The man opened the gate, marking the start of his final battle to save his world.
And the only way to save his world was to end it.
A/N: Because of the (relatively) long absence, this chapter is longer~
