One minute the group was huddled in a clearing in the forest and the next they were huddled in a snow drift. Ash's whimpers ceased immediately and Brad was afraid that he had passed out. The older Ash shivered slightly and sat back on his heels and took a steadying breath. He felt very nauseous and had a feeling that if the headache had taken place after lunch he would have been sick. Pikachu scampered over to its trainer and expressed its concern to him. Ash smiled and scratched behind Pikachu's ear, instantly reassuring it. The others watched him, slightly concerned but again relieved that he looked to be alright now. Brad put the device in his pocket and surveyed the surroundings. The device wasn't the most accurate which suited them better. It could transport them close to Ash during his lifetime but it didn't always transport the user next to the target. Now that Brad looked around him, he was confused. Brad saw the legendary bird Pokémon Zapdos, Articuno and Moltres fighting in the sky with Lugia. However Lugia was outnumbered and was quickly overpowered and fell into the frozen over ocean. There were Pokémon gathered at the edges of the bay between the four Shamouti Islands.
Brock looked away from his friend and saw the chaos in the darkened sky. "What's going on? Where are we?" He asked aloud. Brad turned to Brock incredulous. "You said you knew about Ash's past," Brad reminded him, he was beginning to think Brock had lied. "I do but I don't know everything. Where are we?" Brock replied. "The Orange Islands. The Shamouti Islands," Brad answered stiffly. Brock nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I didn't travel with Ash through the Orange Islands. I was working with… in a lab," Brock finished feebly. "Who were you working with Brock?" Serena prompted curiously. Brock gave a pained look. Ash finally recovered enough to stand. "Trust me, you don't want to know," Ash interjected, remembering how Brock would curl up into a ball in a corner and groan, "don't mention that name" and "I don't want to talk about it" when Professor Ivy was mentioned. It had been a few years by now but Ash didn't know if Brock would still feel the same way. The younger Ash was watching the legendary Pokémon fight in the air clinging to Serena. It was a little too much to take in and it frightened him. The older Ash stood next to Brad and watched the fight, trying to place what had happened and what was going to happen. "Lugia just fell into the ocean," Brad offered. Ash nodded slowly. "Alone?" Ash retorted and Brad nodded.
"Ash, what's going on?" Serena asked gently. The older Ash turned to her and gave her a smile, reassuring her. "A few years back I was travelling through the Orange Islands, competing in the Orange league. A storm pushed the boat we were on into the Shamouti Islands and into the middle of a festival. The festival centred around a prophecy. It went, if I remember it right, "Disturb not the harmony of fire, ice or lightening, lest these titans wreak destruction upon the world in which they clash. Though the water's great guardian shall arise to quell the fighting, alone its song will fail, thus the earth shall turn to ash. Oh, chosen one. Into thine hands bring together all three. Their treasure combined, tame the beast of the sea." Or at least something close to that. Turned out I was the chosen one and I had to get the three glass balls or treasures from the three islands and put them into a shrine. That enabled, at least Lugia said it did, for Lugia to harmonise with the powers of Moltres, Articuno and Zapdos and put everything back into balance," Ash explained much to the surprise to the others at his memory. Ash shrugged. "Hey, the prophecy just sort of stayed with me. Anyway I found the first two, fire and lightning, treasures almost by mistake and after this I learned I was the chosen one. I then made my way over to the island with the ice treasure and Team Rocket helped get me there," Ash continued.
"Wait, Team Rocket helped you!" Serena interrupted, shocked. Ash nodded. "They said at the time that they didn't want the earth destroyed so they decided to help me. So… hang on there I am," Ash continued but stopped to point out a figure riding on Lugia flying towards another island. As they watched Lugia dodged beams of ice and thunderbolts. Then out of nowhere a cage formed around Lugia and shocked Lugia, Ash and Pikachu. Lugia plummeted and with a last pitch effort fired off a beam of energy and broke the cage enough to free itself. However Ash, Pikachu and Lugia fell into the freezing water below. Serena cried out in alarm and made to move. She had to help, she didn't know quite how but she had to. She was stopped by Brad placing a hand on her shoulder. "Relax, this is how it's supposed to happen," he reassured her softly. Brock then cleared his throat. "Er, Ash were they here last time?" he asked quietly, pointing to a diver diving underwater at a crack in the ice. Ash gasped and shook his head. Before anyone could stop him, he pulled his hat on backwards and dove into the water alone.
If you're wondering, this scene is from the ending of the second film.
Until the next chapter.