So… Welcome to my newest attempt at a story. This one has been on my mind for a while now and I hope that everybody enjoys it. While this story is based in the Pokémon anime world, there will be some aspects and potentially characters from the games. This will be an OC centric story, but will also include Ash and the gang.
Summary-
Expecting to begin his Pokémon journey at the age of 16, Jacob Hearth's life is thrown upside down when he is given a team of strange, never before seen Pokémon and a task to protect them and himself. With the help of some new friends and his team, can Jacob survive in the wild world of Pokémon with a criminal organization after him? Can he become strong enough to keep both himself and his Pokémon safe? And will he ever find the answers that he's hoping to find.
I don't expect everyone to know about this game, but I took a great deal of inspiration for this idea from the Pokémon ROM hack that goes by the name of Pokémon Infinite Fusions. Many of you may be familiar with it, either from playing it yourselves or having seen videos online that creators have made on the topic. The basic premise of the game is that it's a usual Pokémon game, but with the ability to fuse any two Pokémon together to create something new. Sometimes it's amazing, sometimes it's terrifying, sometimes it's useless.
I didn't implement that idea in particular for this story, but it should make it more obvious where I got the inspiration for what would otherwise be a wild idea for most people to consider. Before anyone judges, please read this first chapter and see how you like it. Hopefully everyone will enjoy it, and I welcome the reviews and comments that will come.
But for now, onto the story.
"Hello" - Video calls, TV clips, and the like.
"Hello" – Letters, notes, or other written messages.
"Hello" – People or Pokémon speaking.
'Hello' – People or Pokémon thinking.
When Past and Present Meet
"And down goes Aggron with a brutal flamethrower right to the face! I can't believe it, folks! Against all odds, Hailey has clawed out a victory against Isaac! We have a winner!"
The voice of an excited male announcer blared through the TV speakers as a bulky looking Nidoking roared above a downed, unconscious Aggron. The woman, who was the trainer of said poison type, was cheering behind her Pokémon. She was clearly excited at the victory while her opponent sullenly returned his knocked out Pokémon.
"With her victory, the Jade Ring tournament is now complete! We'll see all of you people again next year for another go!"
Following the announcement, the screen went black as the live streamed tournament ended. And from his seat nearby, a young teen could only shake his head in disbelief.
"That was insane. I can't believe she actually won that. The odds were way against her." The teen mumbled as he leaned back in his chair.
Running a hand through the short, messy brown hair atop his head, the teen's ruby red eyes gazed at the TV for a few moments before grabbing the remote and turning it off for the time being. Slowly, he got to his feet and stretched, letting out a yawn as he did so.
Getting to his feet, the teen paused as he stood in front of a mirror, checking himself in the mirror. He smiled as he saw the 5'10" tall young man staring back at him. He'd worked hard to get himself in good shape, something that was important for Pokémon trainers, even though he wasn't yet one himself.
The young man was Jacob Hearth, a Viridian City native and a soon-to-be Pokémon trainer.
"It's hard to believe that Isaac guy lost. I mean, he had the advantage almost the whole battle. Then that Nidoking came in and he just got destroyed." Jacob said to himself as he thought over the battle.
The match had been a three on three battle, the finale of the tournament that he'd been watching. It hadn't gone well for Hailey at first. Her Rapidash and Golem had been dismantled by Isaac's powerful Blastoise. But then Hailey's powerful Nidoking came into the picture. Isaac's Blastoise, already tired from taking down two other Pokémon, was taken down with a barrage of thunderpunches.
Isaac's second Pokémon had been a bulky looking Torkoal that packed quite a bit of firepower. The only problem was that it was much slower than the deceptively fast Nidoking. The poison type danced circles around the fire type, peppering it with poison jabs, poison stings, and punches. Even with how bulky and tough the Torkoal was, it went down without landing more than a couple blows.
Isaac's final Pokémon had been an Aggron. When Jacob had seen the huge steel type, he figured the match was over. Aggron was immune to some of Nidoking's strongest moves and had quite a few counters of its own, and the poison type was slowing down. That assumption proved to be entirely wrong when the Nidoking, under orders of its trainer, blitzed the steel type and brutally beat it with a combination of fighting type punches and a surprise flamethrower. The point blank flamethrower had been the final nail in the coffin that sent Aggron down. The fight between the two powerful Pokémon had barely even lasted a minute and it had been utterly dominated by Nidoking. Aggron hadn't even gotten the chance to get a single hit in.
"Soon... Soon it'll be my turn. I'll be the one winning that tournament next year." Jacob promised, his words filled with conviction as he gazed out the window.
Despite the legal age that people could become a Pokémon trainer being 10, Jacob had yet to get his license. It wasn't by his own choice, either. His father had been strict in saying that he would only let Jacob become a trainer when he was older if he worked hard. And Jacob had worked himself as hard as he could. He'd learned a great deal about Pokémon, from moves, to types, and even about berries and how to create Pokémon food from wild ingredients. All the while he'd stuck to a routine his father had suggested to work out. By 16, he was in the best shape of his life and ready to go out on a journey of his own.
Of course, Jacob hadn't been happy with his father back when he'd told the 10 year old he couldn't become a trainer. The young child had been furious with his father, but as he got older and matured, he understood his father's reasoning. Deacon Hearth, Jacob's father, was an intelligent man. At one point, he'd been the head scientist leading the team working towards reviving ancient Pokémon from fossils. But then tragedy struck, as Deacon's wife and Jacob's mother passed away in childbirth.
While Deacon had gained a child, he'd lost his wife. And Jacob lost his mother before he could ever get a chance to know her. Since that point, Deacon had always been very protective of his son, doing the best he could for the boy as he grew older. But that also meant that the man wasn't incredibly eager to allow his prepubescent son to go out into the dangerous world on his own at the tender age of 10.
But on his sixteenth birthday, Jacob had finally managed to convince his father that he was ready. And in a week, he and his father would be making the trip to visit Professor Oak himself and get Jacob his starter Pokémon. The timing worked out well, as the Pokémon league season would be starting a few weeks later.
The soon-to-be trainer was hoping to snag a Charmander for himself, the idea of a massive Charizard standing by his side having long since been a dream of his. But realistically, Jacob was just happy to finally have the chance to be a trainer, and he knew he'd take any Pokémon that was offered if it meant he could be a trainer and go out on a journey of his own.
A quiet growling noise pulled Jacob out of his own thoughts and alerted him to his hungry stomach. A glance towards the clock on the wall revealed that the time was just past noon. Knowing that his father wouldn't be back home until around six at night by the earliest, the teen decided to go and make himself some lunch.
As he made his way towards the kitchen, Jacob passed a few hung photos along the wall. Most showed a tall, thin, older man and a young boy, Jacob. The man had long, shoulder length blonde hair, brown eyes, and thick rimmed glasses as he stood beside Jacob at various ages and events. His father certainly fit the 'nerdy scientist' vibe quite well, and he'd joked about it with the man more than a few times.
One photo in particular made Jacob stop and stare at it for a few long seconds. It was a wedding photo, showing his father in a nice tuxedo holding a beautiful woman in a gorgeous white dress. The woman had brown hair that fell down her back in waves and the same ruby red eyes as Jacob himself. The picture, and those like them, were the only ones that allowed Jacob to see what his mother had looked like.
Pushing aside the saddening thoughts and choosing to focus on his growing hunger, Jacob slipped into the kitchen and started whipping himself up a quick BLT sandwich. Ever since he was twelve, Jacob had been pretty independent, something that helped his father trust that he was ready to be a trainer by the time he was sixteen.
After his wife had passed away, Deacon had quit his job to take care of his son. The money he'd already made from his work and the insurance money from his wife's death meant that he and Jacob were able to live comfortably for many years. Though when Jacob had turned twelve, Deacon had started to work again. The job was quite secretive, to the point that the man had to explain to Jacob that he'd signed a contract to keep his lips sealed. But the new job paid very well and got the older Hearth man out of the house, which Jacob was happy to see. While he loved his father, Deacon could be a bit overbearing with his concern at times.
The pay from his father's new job had even been enough for the man to get Jacob a very special birthday gift. A pair of Xtransceivers, one for Jacob and one for his father. The watches were the newest product to come out of the Unovan region and worked great to allow easy communication between father and son when they needed to call one another. They'd been expensive, yes, but Deacon had assured Jacob that the price wasn't too much and that it was meant to be a special birthday present for him.
Said Xtransceiver, a red model, began to chime as Jacob was cleaning off the plate from his lunch. Given the only other person who knew Jacob's number was his father, he knew who was calling.
"Huh. Wonder if this is going to be another late night for dad?" Jacob mumbled as he answered the call, his face showing up on one of the screens.
It wouldn't have been the first time that his father had been forced to work later than he had planned to. His work was rather hard and could take a lot of the man's time, but he usually called to let Jacob know ahead of time. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with the current call.
It became clear that things were different when Deacon's end of the call connected. The man had a frown on his face and a rattled look to him. The lights in the background were flashing red and Jacob could faintly hear an alarm going off.
"Dad?" Jacob asked, confusion and worry growing at the strange sight.
"Jacob. I don't have time. This is an emergency. I need you to go down to the basement, don't argue with me, don't question it. Just do it. The code is 8-0-5-2-0-7. Turn on the computer and it'll explain everything."
Despite how calmly the older man spoke, there was a hint of worry and panic in his voice that Jacob picked up on.
"Dad are you o-"
"I don't have any more time, Jacob. 8-0-5-2-0-7. Everything is down in the basement. I love you."
Before Jacob could even finish his question, Deacon had already interrupted him. And after his last few words, the call cut out.
"Shit. Shit what's even going on?" Jacob rambled as he tried to call back his father. The basement had always been a 'forbidden zone' in the house, somewhere that Jacob was explicitly told never to enter. When asked, his father explained that some of his work that he did for his job at home was kept down there and he was the only one allowed to see or use it. Deacon was serious about it to the point that the door to the basement was locked with a code lock, a code that Jacob had just been given the combination for.
After trying and failing to call his father five times, Jacob gave up and decided to follow his father's instructions. Getting to the basement door and punching in the combo, the door loudly unlocked, and Jacob made his way inside.
"That's... A lot of locks." The teen said as he saw the four locks all keeping the door closed from the inside.
Turning on the lights as he got to the bottom of the stairs, Jacob took in the sight of his father's work. The basement was filled with advanced looking technology. There was a large computer monitor on one wall, a Pokémon transporter system was set up. Another table had an advanced microscope set up with papers all along the wall detailing Pokémon fossils, ancient Pokémon, and various strands of what looked like DNA.
Given that he'd been told that the computer would have answers for him, Jacob was quick to focus his attention on the screen. It only took a moment to find the power button and turn the thing on. As the screen turned on, the desktop opened and a few files were present. Most of the wording for the files didn't make sense to Jacob, but one in particular did, one labeled with his name.
Opening the corresponding file started a video file. Immediately the large screen was filled with his father's face, showing a video that was taken in the same basement.
"Jacob... If you're seeing this, either you've managed to sneak down here and bypass the lock somehow, in which case you should turn around and go back upstairs, or I've been killed or captured."
The intro of the video alone had easily gotten Jacob's attention, his eyes wide as he stared at the recording of his father.
'Dead or captured? What the hell is going on?'
"I should explain a bit. I know you have questions, and I hope that this video will answer all of them. Just before you turned twelve, I was approached by a man who offered me a job. He wanted to use my expertise with ancient Pokémon and fossils to try and start up his own method of reviving ancient Pokémon. He had a different idea, though, than what my team and I had tried in the past. I never found out his name, but as I worked with the team he had gathered, I did find out the group I was working for. They're a criminal organization that go by the name of Team Rocket. Yes, that Team Rocket, the same one that attacked the Pokémon Center a few years ago."
And the bombshells started to drop. Jacob could only gape and stare in shock at the revelation that his father worked for Team Rocket. It was hard to believe, but it was harder to believe that he would willingly work for such a group.
"To say that I was unhappy when I learned that was... An understatement."
The Deacon in the video grimaced and looked away from the camera for a moment before turning back with a firm look in his eyes.
"But I decided to try and do some good with the job. I didn't directly sabotage any of the efforts or try to learn too much and put myself in danger, but I kept making plans. Plans to try and get away and take my research with me before they could do anything with it. But things didn't go as planned."
Here the recording sighed, and Deacon took off his glasses. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and seemed to think about how to continue before once again speaking.
"It all started with our first actual success. We weren't just trying to revive ancient Pokémon from their fossils. No, that had proven very difficult as the DNA wasn't the most stable after such a long time. So, the idea was introduced to fuse the unstable DNA of ancient Pokémon with the more stable DNA of current day Pokémon.
At first, things went poorly. Every attempt failed and didn't give us any answers. But then one of our attempts succeeded. From there, it was easier to make a few more different attempts with some successes and some failures. After a few years of work and experimentation, we had managed to give life to completely new, unseen Pokémon. A mix of ancient Pokémon of the past and current Pokémon of the present day. Only five of them proved to be stable enough to live, though."
The recording reached out and grabbed the camera, shifting the view so that the Pokémon transfer machine was in view.
"I had this installed when the hours started getting too long. I couldn't stay away from home, from you, for too long and asked that I could examine some of the new Pokémon at home in secret. I was given the chance and began to compile information about them. But during that time, I also began to regret what I was doing. The Pokémon that I had helped give life to were being treated as tools, as experiments by the others and I heard plans to turn them into weapons and even mass produce them in the future once we refined the process. It was then that I started to put together this, my current plan."
Looking towards the transfer machine himself, Jacob was surprised to see six pokeballs sitting in the machine. They looked similar to ultra balls, but rather than a white and black sphere with a yellow 'U' symbol, the balls were just black and white.
"If my plan worked out, there should be some pokeballs inside the transfer machine. At least one, I hope, and hopefully more if I was lucky. My plan came to be that I would get the revived Pokémon away from Team Rocket. I couldn't leave them in the hands of these people and I was the only one who had the ability to get them out. They, the Pokémon that is, liked me. I was the one that fed them, that treated them well. So hopefully it should make it more likely for them to willingly go along with my escape attempt."
As if predicting the question he'd had, the video recording had answered the question and continued as Jacob focused back on his father.
"I said that we had five proper successes, but it was the sixth that made me fully realize that I needed to act fast. The first five Pokémon that we created were done from normal Pokémon. And while powerful, they weren't anything insane. But then one day one of the admins came in with a feather. It was gorgeous, so bright and vibrant. We were told to extract all the DNA that we could from it and create another revived Pokémon using that DNA specifically. It was incredibly hard to work with, and the DNA was different from the rest we'd worked with in the past. It was only once we'd succeeded that I realized why that was the case. We'd created a Pokémon out of the DNA of the legendary Pokémon Ho-oh."
As if the story couldn't get any more insane. Jacob could hardly believe what he was hearing. A Pokémon created from the DNA of a legendary Pokémon. How did Team Rocket even get something like that? Had they captured a legendary Pokémon somehow? Dozens of questions and terrifying ideas raced through Jacob's mind before his father's words pulled him back to the situation at hand.
"I couldn't let any of this keep going. I know I said that it was a success, but Team Rocket deemed the new Pokémon a failure. While the newly created Pokémon had an incredible amount of power and potential, it was nowhere near that of a legendary, especially not Ho-oh itself. I speculate that even then, she has the potential to easily reach the same level as any other pseudo legend that exists. But that isn't what Team Rocket wanted. They wanted their own Legendary that they could mass produce, not something with the power of a pseudo legendary.
I was terrified of the idea of them succeeding in creating anything stronger than her. So, I made my choice. I came home and I'm currently recording this for you to see, Jacob. If you're seeing this, it means that I was able to steal away at least one of the Pokémon and send them here. But it also means that I'll probably be captured at best... Killed at worse. I'm not just stealing away the revived Pokémon; I'm also destroying all of my research and all the remaining Ho-oh DNA. This is where you come in, Jacob. Arceus, I wish I never had to do this."
The older man teared up, wiping his tears away with the arm of the lab coat he wore. Jacob himself felt some tears gathering in his eyes as he listened to what could very well be his father's last words.
"I love you Jacob, so much. Don't you ever forget that. I've watched you grow up and become a strong, smart, incredible young man and I know you'll be an amazing Pokémon trainer with that brilliant mind of yours. And... It's because of that, that I have to ask you for one last favor. Son, you're the only person I could ever trust to take in these Pokémon. Any of them I manage to rescue, I need you to care for and protect. They can't fall into the hands of people like Team Rocket, and I know that with you as their trainer, they can reach their true potential. Hopefully, they can help you do the same. No matter what happens to me, I want you to become strong, follow your dreams, become the strongest, or even just find a peaceful place to live with your Pokémon. Either way, I want you to be happy.
But no matter what, you need to leave. Gather your things, grab all of the pokeballs that I manage to send and get out of the house. Team Rocket knows where I live, so it won't be long after I'm caught that they'll come and search the house. You cannot be there when they come. And they will come."
Jacob, openly crying by that point, stared at the video in confusion. Where was he supposed to go? What was he even supposed to do when he was alone in the world? Thankfully, his father seemed to have an answer in mind already.
"I want you to head to Pallet Town as quick as you can. Find Professor Oak. He and I are old friends and we worked together a couple times in the past. You can trust him, and he should be able to help you. I left a flash drive connected to the computer as well. It should have all the information about my experiments, the Pokémon that I created, and some other things and technical details, so I want you to take it with you and give it to Professor Oak."
Despite his tears, Deacon smiled at the camera. It was that same bright smile that he would always give Jacob whenever the teen had done a good job.
"I love you so much, son. You've already made me so proud, and I know that your mother would be incredibly proud of you as well. Do what you think is right and go explore the world. You don't have a lot of time, so I want you to quickly check the other files listed in this folder once the video is done. Each contains some information about the Pokémon I created and should give you an idea of how to work with them since they're not exactly like most normal Pokémon. Stay safe, Jacob, and be the best you can be."
With the last words spoken, the video stopped and the only sound in the room was that of the red eyed teen crying.
After a minute, Jacob wiped away his tears and looked at the computer. His mind was already whirling with ideas about what he had to do. He needed to get himself and the Pokémon out of the house, out of the city. But he needed to know what information his dad had left for him first. And so he went to the corresponding files, opening the first one labeled 'Agrum'.
Another video popped up with Deacon on screen. It was also filmed in the basement, based off of the background, though it seemed to have been filmed at a different time based off of his father having longer hair.
"Agrum is the species name that I've given the first successful Pokémon we managed to revive. The name comes from the two halves that went into making her. Agrum is the successful fusion between the DNA of the Kalosian ancient Pokémon Tyrantrum and the Hoenn Pokémon Aggron. Agrum is currently the oldest of the batch and she's... Temperamental. Much like the dragon type she originated from, she's quite aggressive and stubborn. And she's quite sure of her power thanks to passing many of the battle tests she's been put through.From what I've been able to tell, Agrum is a Dragon and Steel type Pokémon. She seems to have inherited the Strong Jaw ability from Tyrantrum as well."
"That's... Wow. No wonder dad is getting them away from Team Rocket." Jacob mumbled as he moved on to the next video. The idea of a mass produced fusion between a powerful, ancient dragon type and an Aggron was damn near terrifying concept.
Next to be opened was a file labeled 'Bastius'.
"Following the success with Agrum, the team agreed to continue using dragon DNA. This time we used that of the Unovan pseudo legendary Pokémon Haxorus and the ancient Sinnoh Pokémon Bastiodon. The result is Bastius, another powerhouse of a Pokémon. Unlike Agrum, Bastius came out male and seems to be a Dragon and Rock type, though you could mistake him for a steel type with how hard his scales are. Like most dragons, he's prideful, particularly about how hard his scales are and how tough he is. But he's also a bit lazy. Thankfully he's been useful in keeping Agrum calm and in check. Fittingly with how tough he is, Bastius inherited the Sturdy ability from Bastiodon."
Mechanically, Jacob selected the next video, labeled 'Aeros'.
"After the success with Agrum and Bastius, we ran into a problem. We had gotten lucky with the dragon types previously. But other attempts resulted in more failures than successes. So, we moved on. Aeros came to be as a result of mixing the DNA of the Kanto ancient Pokémon Aerodactyl and the Johto native Ampharos. I wasn't actually expecting this to work, but it did. Aeros is quite the interesting Pokémon. She's incredibly smart and cunning despite her young age. And after an incident, she doesn't like to be touched. Be careful about that and try not to touch her unless she allows you. She inherited the flying typing from Aerodactyl and, obviously, the electric typing of Ampharos. As for her ability, it looks like she inherited Rock Head from the Aerodactyl line."
The fact that one of the Pokémon he would potentially be caring for was very against being touched was a hint worrying for Jacob, but he pushed that aside to get through the last three entries. 'Talops' was next.
"Out of all the Pokémon I've helped create during my years here... I think Talops is my favorite. He's incredibly curious and eager to learn about pretty much anything, especially when it comes to battling. Talops is a fusion between the DNA of another Kanto ancient Pokémon Kabutops and the Kalosian Pokémon Talonflame. Talops is... Hard to figure out when it comes to his typing. But the primary results seem to be that he is a fire and water type Pokémon with small hints of rock and flying hidden in the background. He's inherited the Swift Swim ability from Kabutops as well. I've hinted to Talops that I plan to get him and the others out, and he seems to have realized it. If I wasn't his favorite before, I certainly am now."
With only two options left, Jacob moved onto 'Armure'.
"When we first discussed the idea of fusing ancient and current Pokémon DNA together, I'd thought it was crazy. But even that wasn't as crazy to me as the idea of using ghost type DNA. Ghost types are... Strange. Explaining that would take hours that I don't have at the moment. Suffice it to say, ghost type DNA isn't exactly very stable either. So obviously, I expected any combination with ghost type DNA to wind up being a failure. Much to my shock, the first attempt proved to be a success. Armure is a fusion between the DNA of the Unovan ghost type Chandelure and the Hoenn ancient Pokémon Armaldo. Despite his appearance, he turned out to be a bug and ghost type. A very interesting combination. Though perhaps his appearance is best attributed to his ability that he got from the Chandelure line, Flash Fire. Armure is... Well, he's a handful. He's crafty, playful, and loves a good prank. But like a lot of ghost types he's very vengeful when angered. I'm pretty much the only one able to work with him due to me treating him well."
Selecting the last file, Jacob opened up 'Hoardos'.
"This is... This is troubling. I knew that Team Rocket was crazy, but to mess with the power of legendary Pokémon themselves is utterly insane. Hoardos is the fusion we created between the Sinnoh ancient Pokémon Rampardos and... The legendary Pokémon of Johto Ho-oh. Despite lacking the same raw power as a legendary Pokémon, Hoardos is quite powerful. She'll be incredibly strong, and I'd wager she'll easily be on level with even the strongest pseudo legendary Pokémon once she's matured. Hoardos is a fire and rock type Pokémon as best as I can tell, even with the wings. Her ability is the confusing part, as she seems to have the Regenerator ability. Given that the Rampardos line hasn't shown that ability from what we know, I can only assume that it comes from Ho-oh. Perhaps due to her young age, Hoardos is quite excitable and eager to explore. She's also got a heart of gold as well and tries to help me out whenever she can even if it causes problems. She certainly can be protective, especially of the others. It's almost funny to see her talking down Agrum despite the difference in their age and stature."
While a large part of Jacob wanted nothing more than to inspect and investigate every bit of data still on the computer, he knew he had to listen to his father and leave. The next few minutes were a rush for the teen as he gathered his things. Luckily, most of his gear had already been packed and ready for when he left on his journey. He would be accelerating those plans quite a bit, though.
Along the way back down to the basement, Jacob grabbed a few treasured photos of himself and his father, the wedding photo of his mother and father, and a few books on Pokémon care, medicine, and food. Getting back to the basement, Jacob grabbed the six pokeballs and attached them to his belt. Then he pulled out the flash drive from his father's computer and left. He made sure to lock the door to the basement and the front door as he left.
And with one last look towards the house he'd lived in his whole life, Jacob ran towards the Viridian Forest. His destination, Pallet Town.
When Past and Present Meet
So now that the chapter is over, I can explain things a bit more without spoiling too much.
First off, the only fused Pokémon that I plan to include in this story are the six that Jacob has just found. At least for the time being. I may include some others in the future if the people really demand it, but keeping with this theme, they will only be fusions between current day pokemon and ancient fossil Pokémon.
Second, before anyone asks, no, Jacob's team is no overpowered. While they all may seem incredibly strong, every single one of the Pokémon he just got are incredibly young. They may have the potential to be utter monsters in the future, but the same could be said for a lot of Ash's Pokémon. They'll start out fairly strong, but not absurdly so. But they certainly will get very strong for reasons that you'll discover in the future.
Third, yes I gave Jacob a Pokémon that was fused with a legendary. No, that won't automatically make it insanely powerful. Of all the fusions, 'Hoardos' is the youngest of the bunch. And like I stated in the story, the experiment was a failure because Hoardos lacked the power of a full legendary like Team Rocket wanted. Basically, they wanted another Mewtwo despite the fact that nobody (Other than Ash) remembers there was a Mewtwo.
Hoardos, in comparison, will be more on the level of some extremely strong pseudo legendary Pokémon to put it in terms of the games. In a more anime sense, I plan for Hoardos to be Jacob's version of Ash's Charizard, an absolute powerhouse in the future but not the strongest on the team. As for who his main companion/partner Pokémon is going to be, well you'll find that out next chapter. Though I'm curious what everybody might guess.
Fourth, yes, Ash will be a large part of this story, but it won't be entirely focused on him. The timeframe for this fiction will be set in the Sinnoh arc, but it hasn't started just yet as you'll find out in the following chapters.
Fifth, I don't have any plans at the moment for Jacob's team to grow any larger. I'm taking the same approach for him that I would for myself if I ever wound up in the Pokémon world. Have a team of six and focus on them alone to make them as strong as possible. Maybe that might change in the future, but it's not super likely.
As far as romance goes for this story, I'm leaning towards Jacob and Dawn at the moment but I'm open to ideas and suggestions from the readers and reviewers.
Any questions, comments, or ideas can be submitted via reviews or direct messages. I'm certainly curious to see the overall view of the community with this idea as I haven't really seen an idea like this one before on the site. As usual, stupid, senseless hate will be ignored, and critiques will be taken and considered.
Until next time everybody!
