Chapter 3: Friends and foes

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NOW – ALOLA

"So…" began Ash, turning away from the phone. "I live here? What kinda place is Alola anyway?"

Kukui was not yet ready to move on from the topic of time travel, but he supposed he had to – for now. Ash's attention was already shifting, and Kukui could see him looking towards the kitchen with interest.

"Alola is a region made up of four main islands", he explained quickly. "We are on Melemele Island right now. You came here with you mom for a holiday, but you decided to stay and attend the pokemon school where I'm a teacher at. So yes… You live here - you have for over a year now."

"I go to a school here?" asked Ash, surprised. "What about the league? I still won all the gym badges, right?"

Ash's cluelessness would've been almost endearing, thought Kukui, if he didn't feel like someone had just stolen something precious from him.

"We don't have gyms here", he corrected, and Ash's eyes widened. "Also, this was the very first year for our league, so everyone interested was allowed to take part in it. However, you did very well in all four island challenges. Those are traditional trials held on each island that, in a way, could be compared to gym battles in other regions."

"Island challenges?" Ash echoed, turning to look at Pikachu. "Sounds cool! Right, Pikachu?"

Pikachu tensed, gazing at him uneasily. "Piikaa…"

"Oh, right", muttered Ash, his brow creasing. "You already did all that…"

"Why don't you greet the rest of your pokemon, Ash?" suggested Burnet with a strained smile. "They must be getting anxious. They're usually out of their poke balls by now."

Ash looked at her blankly for a second before his whole face brightened.

"Oh, my pokemon!" he exclaimed. "Right, um…" He patted down the waist of his pants and took out his poke balls, releasing everyone at once.

It was uncommon for them all to spend the night in their poke balls, but Kukui knew it was because the previous day had been hectic and stressful with the aftermath of the league – with the big exhibition match between Ash and Kukui, with the press and the fans and everything still being a bit of a mess after the ultra-beasts' attack. Everyone had needed their space and a moment to recoup afterwards. But the morning was getting late with the pokemon still inside, and they were not used to that.

In an instant, the living room was filled with Ash's pokemon. Lycanroc didn't waste a second to zoom across the room and leap on Ash, who was so distracted by the rest of his team that he almost fell over by the impact.

"Whoa!" he yelled, stumbling back until he managed to brace Lycanroc with his arms. The pokemon licked his face enthusiastically and Ash pushed it down, laughing. "Wow, this is my team?"

He looked around with wide eyes. At the hulking Melmetal, at the strikingly colorful Naganadel, at the little Rowlet who flew over to Incineroar and promptly fell asleep on its shoulder. Kukui studied his face, trying to find any sign of recognition in there, but no. Ash grinned brightly at each of the pokemon, but it just looked wrong. It was that friendly, curious smile one gives to a stranger. Not the smile a trainer – no, a Champion gives to his cherished, championship-winning team. Not the smile Kukui had seen Ash give to his pokemon hundreds of times.

The pokemon crowded around Ash, and Kukui watched with a heavy heart as bit by bit their excitement faded and they stilled, looking at Ash with confusion, with worry; why wasn't he greeting them like usual? Why wasn't he rushing to give them food? Why wasn't he being…

Why wasn't he being their Ash?

"Yes", said Burnet quietly, while Naganadel flew around Ash suspiciously like it was doing a body check on him. "They are yours."

"Amazing!" grinned Ash, but his smile quickly fell as he noticed the distress he'd just caused. He patted his pockets, twirled around with a frown, and then looked at Kukui and Burnet with a questioning look. "Wait… Don't I have a poke dex?"

Ah yes, Rotom. Kukui rubbed the back of his head, thinking.

"Um, yes, you did have a poke dex", he began, and Ash raised his eyebrows. "But, you see, it was a so called Rotom Dex, a rotom that lives inside a poke dex, and yesterday after our exhibition match Rotom got another job and… it left."

"Left?" asked Ash blankly.

"It got a job offer it couldn't refuse", Burnet hurried to say. "It's now actually working at the same place where I am. Well, where I should be right now. Today was supposed to be our first day working together." She glanced at Kukui, uncertainly. "I'm sure Rotom would come back if we asked it to…"

"Ah, it's okay, I just…" Ash looked down where his hand was still buried in Lycanroc's fur, his brow creasing. Lycanroc whined softly and stared back at him with big eyes, and Ash inhaled shakily. "I don't know any of these pokemon", he said then, so quietly Kukui almost didn't hear it. "But they know me – the other me. I just wanna…"

Kukui dipped his chin. "I understand. Let me go get my poke dex- Uh, it's quite old, and I haven't updated it in a long time, but…" He waved his hand hastily. "Just, wait a moment, okay?"

Ash nodded. Kukui made a face at Burnet, to which she replied with an incredulous look, and somehow that led to some sort of a silent agreement between them.

"Just a moment", Kukui said again, and quickly walked downstairs into his lab. He didn't run – that would've given the impression that he wanted out of the situation. He didn't, he just needed to… go and get the thing. Right.

Down at the safety of his lab, he slumped down on his worn sofa, leaned his head against his hands and breathed out deeply. He had not expected his day to go like this – not even in his worst nightmares had he expected anything like this. For sure, strange things happened around Ash, but really…? Time travel?

His personal moment of crisis was interrupted by an intense memory; him as a child, on a field playing with Litten, meeting Move Kahuna-

Wait.

He didn't really remember what that kid had looked like – and he had kind of written off that encounter as a false memory anyway – but thinking about it now made him feel strange. Like déjà vu, but with a suffocating, world-turning edge to it.

He breathed in deeply, holding his head tightly as something Ash had said to Brock echoed in his mind, demanding attention.

"It wasn't like when Celebi sends you to another time."

He remembered that day clearly; Burnet finding his old childhood photo and book, Ash coming home dirty and bruised and really hyped up about something, and later Rotom proudly showing him pictures of a celebi it had spotted. They hadn't discussed it further that day. Why – why hadn't they discussed it further?

Kukui rubbed the bridge of his nose. Why hadn't Ash said anything?

There was a series of loud crashes from upstairs, followed by Burnet shouting, and Kukui startled out of his thoughts and got up from the couch so fast that his head spun. He glanced around, feeling odd, like he was the one who was somewhere where he shouldn't be.

Right, he thought, shaking his head. He came down for the poke dex. Right.

Kukui rummaged through his desk drawers and found the old poke dex he'd been thinking about. It was an old model he'd gotten in Sinnoh as a young adult, with none of the new smart screen technology, or touch screens, or voice commands – or whatever those fancy new ones nowadays had, Kukui had no idea. He picked it up, and even though he hadn't used it in years, it felt familiar to him like he'd never put it away in the first place. Feeling the bulky weight of it in his hands really threw him back to his younger days; when he'd been young and carefree and traveling through the distant regions, still only discovering the wonders the world held.

Sometimes, he really missed those days.

Kukui wrapped his fingers around the device, pulling himself together. Those memories were distant history. Right now, he had a kid to take care of.

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He left his lab and climbed back upstairs, pausing at the top step to stare at the scene that had unfolded during his – barely two minutes long – absence. Ash was sitting in the middle of the floor, Naganadel's paint-like ooze splattered in his hair and laughing like a maniac, while Pikachu sat on the top of his head and rapidly explained something to the rest of the team. Burnet had a bag of poke chow in one hand and a cleaning wipe in the other, and she was trying to wrangle a hungry Melmetal away from the kitchen's utensil drawer, with not much luck.

There was poke chow and ooze all over the carpet, and Kukui carefully walked around the mess. He paused next to Ash, and the boy stopped giggling, his eyes curious as he looked up at Kukui and then at the poke dex in his hand.

"You okay?" Kukui asked, soft amusement in his voice. Ooze was slowly dripping down Ash's face, and he wiped at it with the back of his hand, grinning again.

"Yeah! Professor Burnet introduced us all already! Naganadel's so cool! I had no idea there were ultra-beasts and everything! And look at Melmetal, how awesome is it?" He stopped short, noticing the trouble the pokemon in question was causing Burnet. He put a hand to his mouth and hollered: "Oi, Melmetal! Stop bothering the Professor!"

Melmetal glanced back sheepishly and backed away from the kitchen. Burnet wiped her forehead, slumping against the countertop with an exasperated sigh.

"I don't care how extremely rare or mythical you are, young lad", she scolded, waving around a half-eaten frying pan, and Kukui swore he saw Melmetal shrinking in shame. "We have been through this. These are tools, not food. Your food is stored in the garage, and nowhere else."

Melmetal nodded quietly. Its eyeball drooped ruefully, and it trudged back towards Ash, the entire floor shaking under its weighty steps.

"Melmetal's a mythical pokemon?" asked Ash, clearly surprised. He stared at it, a smile spreading on his face. "Wow, you're just so awesome, Melmetal!"

Its eye did a happy twirl, and Kukui was sure it would've blushed if it had a face – or a skin, even. But Ash's attention was already needed elsewhere as Incineroar stomped up to him and posed confidently, its impressive muscles bulging. Rowlet rolled off its shoulder and Ash caught it mid fall, wrapping it gently in his arms.

"You're super cool too, Incineroar!" Ash complimented easily, and Incineroar let out a pleased grumble. Ash went on: "I heard you're really strong! Like really super strong! And-" He was cut off by Lycanroc, who pushed its head against him so hard it must've hurt. Ash laughed. "You too, Lycanroc! You look amazing! And you, Rowlet…"

He looked down at Rowlet, who blinked at him sleepily, happily unaware of the ongoing situation. "I think you're great! And you, Naganadel, and-" He paused, a wistful look settling on his face. He lifted his arms and picked up Pikachu, bringing it onto his lap. "And you'll always be my best buddy, Pikachu."

"Pi-ka pikapi!"

It was heartwarming, and Kukui only realized he was grinning fondly at the scene when Burnet poked him in the arm with a knowing look. She was smiling sappily too, though, so he didn't mind it too much.

"I see you've already learned everyone's names", Kukui chuckled. He raised up the poke dex, inclining his head. "I guess we won't be needing this old thing after all."

"No, let me see", pleaded Ash, finally standing up from the floor. He held out his hand, and Kukui gave him the poke dex. Ash turned it over in his hands, momentarily confused by the design, and then pointed it at Pikachu.

The dex whirred to life. "Pikachu, the mouse pokemon. It can generate electric attacks from the electric pouches located in both of its cheeks."

"I knew that already!" Ash grinned. He pointed it at Rowlet next, the owl still firmly held in his arms.

The dex beeped. "Rowlet, the grass quill pokemon. A grass and flying type. It swoops down without making a sound and unleashes a powerful kick without being noticed."

"Nice, a grass and flying type!" Ash exclaimed. "You next, Lycanroc!"

The dex pinged as it recorded Lycanroc, but no sound came after that. Kukui leaned over Ash's shoulder and saw a loading icon on the screen before it changed into a No data found -message. Ash glanced at Kukui, a baffled look on his face.

He turned the dex at Melmetal. Again, there was a ping, but no data appeared on the screen. Kukui winced and rubbed his neck nervously.

"Oh, strange…" muttered Ash. He turned to Incineroar, and that time the dex got a hit.

"Incineroar, the heel pokemon. A fire and dark type, and Litten's final evolved form. Incineroar is capable of shooting fire from its midsection."

"Sweet!" Ash cheered. He looked at Naganadel expectantly. The dex, however, seemed to have decided that it had had enough mysteries for one day, and the screen froze before Naganadel's image was even properly recorded.

"Hey, why aren't you working?" Ash whined, shaking the device with some force. Kukui reached in and took it from his hands before he could do any more damage to it.

"Ah, I kind of expected this", he admitted apologetically. "This is such an old model. It doesn't have the newest updates – and I mean, your team includes some of the most major discoveries made in recent times. Ultra-beasts wouldn't be on any normal poke dex anyway, and Melmetal was added only recently… and Lycanroc's dusk form is such a rare phenomenon that it's been debated if it even was a real thing – up until you managed to raise one, anyway."

"Half of my team isn't even on the dex?" asked Ash numbly. He looked around quietly – taking in the pokemon with a newfound appreciation, assumed Kukui.

The teacher in him raised its head excitedly. "If you'd like to learn more about them, I would love to-" he began, but stopped when Burnet grabbed his arm with an alarmed look on her face.

"Hold on, Kukui", she exclaimed. "Shouldn't you two be at the school right now?"

Kukui stared blankly at her, realization dawning slowly.

Oh shit. Oh shit, they still had class.

"Well", he uttered, dread creeping into his voice. "Yes. Yes, we should."

He caught Ash's confused, curious face in the corner of his eye.

"I have to go to work", he explained hastily. "At least to tell the rest of the class what's going on. You can stay here if you-"

"No way!" yelped Ash, nearly jumping up and down with eagerness. There was still colorful ooze all over his hair, and he looked ridiculous. "I wanna come too, Professor! If I'm stuck here for now, then I really wanna get to see Alola more!"

Right, though Kukui. That's fine. Into the pokemon school with a time traveled Ash it is.

Kukui smiled shakily, and Ash grinned.

It would be fine. Maybe.

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THEN – KANTO

The aircraft climbed and climbed, and Ash's fingers were numb with cold when it finally stopped gaining altitude. His eyes watered and his limbs felt frozen around the landing gear poles, and he wondered how long he would be able to endure it.

He stared down at the ground far below and saw the city of Rota and the Tree of Beginning quickly disappearing into the distance. It was strange, seeing everything like that. It was his Kanto down there alright, but it was quite different seeing it from the angle of gods and birds.

Speaking of which. Ash turned his head around slowly, and spotted a pidgeot flying alongside the aircraft, enjoying the twirling currents it created.

"H-hey", said Ash through chattering teeth, his lips almost too numb to form words. "Wa-nna help m-me?"

The pidgeot looked at him curiously and it drifted closer, dipping into the shadow the aircraft created. Ash reached out his hand, feeling the wind blowing through his fingers, gripping it, forceful like it was something more solid than just air. The pidgeot flew even closer and when it was just inches away, it craned its beak, so it gently pressed against his quivering palm.

Ash closed his eyes. Oh, how he missed his Pidgeot right then.

"I g-gotta get inside", he gritted out, hoping his voice wasn't completely stolen by the howling wind. "Is there a h-hatch? Somewh-where?"

The pidgeot pulled away from him and Ash instantly missed the contact. It dipped lower and studied the underside of the aircraft.

"Geot-too!" it called after a short search, and it surged forward and grabbed onto something just behind where Ash's legs were curled against a landing gear pole. Ash craned his head back just in time to see the pidgeot forcing open a hatch with its claws and revealing a maintenance shaft behind it.

"Amazing!" Ash whooped, and the bird cooed, a pleased look in its eyes. "I owe y-you one", added Ash with a numb-lipped grin. The pidgeot nodded and drifted down and away, back into the sunlight.

Ash scooted backwards, balancing precariously on the supports as the wind pulled on his clothes and plastered his hair against his eyes, and he was once again happy he had no tendency towards fear of heights. Though even without that, what he was about to do seemed slightly above the normal levels of danger he was used to in his everyday life.

Crouched down, balancing on the balls of his feet on one of the poles, Ash reached for the ladder he could see inside the maintenance shaft. The shaft was very close, just slightly off to the side, and Ash's fingers just managed to wrap around the lowest rung.

"Man, alright", he muttered to himself. "Here goes nothin'."

He leaned forwards, letting go with his other hand and grasped onto the rung. His legs slipped off the pole and for a few seconds he just hung there, his freezing fingers holding up his entire weight. Then, gritting his teeth, he pulled up, climbing the rungs with his arms until he finally got a foot up too.

It was quiet inside the shaft, peaceful, apart from the wind whistling against the open hatch below him. Ash climbed up as quickly as he could, his arms trembling already from the effort. A moment longer and he wouldn't have been able to hold on.

The shaft led to a small maintenance room with nothing much inside it that Ash could recognize. Exhaling deeply, he flopped down on the floor and just laid there for a moment, breathing hard, trying to pull himself together. He'd done it – he'd gotten in. Now, he would need to find Lucario and Mew as fast as possible before J's plane had flown them all the way to Sinnoh or wherever it was they were heading.

He got up, his exhausted body resisting every movement, but he stubbornly ignored the aches and walked up to the door. Luckily, it wasn't locked, and he slipped into the hallway beyond it.

It was quiet except for the low hum of the engines, and no one was around that Ash could see. He walked along the hall, peeking through the doorways that were on the way, but only found rooms after rooms filled with machines and shelves and other boring stuff. Ignoring those, he jogged up a stairwell and paused at the top of it, pressing himself against the wall when he heard voices from nearby.

"You think that lucario actually has somethin' to do with the old-ass legend?" asked a gravelly voice.

"The boss seems to think so", answered a man with a younger voice, and added: "I dunno, though. Feels a bit far-fetched if you ask me."

"You don't say… And if it turns out to be that kid's pokemon, then it becomes a lot less valuable than what J's hopin' for… But to be fair, lucario always sell well enough, so at least we'll get somethin' out of it."

They were walking towards him, and Ash reflexively touched his belt where his poke balls were, getting ready to defend himself. He wouldn't call out even one of his pokemon if not absolutely necessary though, since there was a high risk for them to get captured and he couldn't let that happen. No matter what.

"If it was that kid's, then he was being pretty dumb, even for a squirt", chuckled the younger man. "He didn't even try to get it back into its poke ball or anything."

The older man snorted. "He didn't call back that pikachu either, and that rat was definitely his. Maybe he's just one of those new age trainers who practice free-range training or some shit. No poke balls, no rules, that kinda crap. I still don't think that lucario was anythin' special."

"Man, you're probably right…"

They walked past the stairwell, not noticing Ash hiding behind the separating wall, and continued down the hallway making idle conversation. Ash breathed out shakily, his nerves frayed and his entire body tingling uncomfortably. Though, he supposed, the latter might've been mostly caused by his earlier trip into the sky while hanging outside the aircraft.

Ash began walking into the opposite direction from where the goons had gone and ended up in a small and messy locker room with clothes and equipment strewn across the floor and benches. He shifted trough some of it, stuffing anything vaguely interesting into his pockets just in case.

He was about to step back into the hallway when he was struck with an intense feeling – a sharp mental tug, like someone was trying to reach out to him. It reminded him of link he had with Greninja, and he stumbled back into the locker room and sat down on the bench. He pressed a hand against his head and closed his eyes, focusing on the sensation.

No. No, it wasn't like with Greninja. It was more akin to what he'd felt with Riolu back in Sinnoh – the Riolu that Hunter J had been after. He remembered Kellyn explaining how his aura was perfectly matched with Riolu's, and that was why he could understand the pokemon and even sense its location from far away. Additionally, his aura was like Sir Aaron's aura, and Aaron, in turn, had been compatible with Lucario.

Ash opened his eyes, raising his head slowly.

Lucario was reaching out to him. And he knew where it was.

He stood up again, determined now. Lucario wasn't far away, and he could feel it. Only the faintest of sensations, but he could feel it.

He sprinted down the hallway, all caution forgotten, and headed towards the source. He pushed open the doors at the end of the hall and-

Lucario was there, halfway petrified in its glass case, and Hunter J was standing right next to it.

"Lucario!" yelled Ash.

"You", snarled Hunter J.

"Ca-ri!" yelped Lucario, twisting its upper body around desperately.

"Let Lucario go!" shouted Ash, and his fingers itched for the poke balls. Without the sure and constant presence of Pikachu by his side, he felt vulnerable, unguarded.

Hunter J looked at him like he was no more than a piece of dirt on the carpet. Worthless.

"And why should I do that, brat?"

Ash was feeling majorly pissed, and he replied without thinking: "Lucario deserves a free life! It only just got out of Sir Aarons staff, and I won't let it get captured again!"

His eyes met Lucario's, and they both froze.

Oh, crap…

"What did you just say?" demanded J, her gaze boring into Ash.

"It's- It's none of your business!"

Get out, Ash, now!

Ash and J flinched at the sudden mental tug. They both realized it'd been Lucario's words at the same time, and Hunter J twisted around, her mouth gaping.

"It knows telepathy?"

She reached for the case, and Ash leaped.

"Don't!" he screamed, pushing her hand away before she could turn the dial up again. She turned on her heel, lightning fast, and struck him across the chest with the mechanical device around her arm. Ash stumbled back with the impact, grabbed his aching collarbone and glared at her angrily. She didn't seem too bothered about his attempt, and instead stepped back as well and observed him calmly, carefully.

"Is this really Sir Aaron's lucario?" she asked, her delicate brow creasing. "How did it come back? How does a young fool like you fit into this?"

Don't tell her, Ash!

Lucario stared at him desperately, and Ash swallowed hard.

"I… don't know", he lied, very hesitantly, and J rolled her eyes.

"Why are you here? How did you get in?"

Ash bit his tongue, struggling to keep silent.

"Where's Mew, anyway?" he asked instead, looking around. It wasn't in the room – there wasn't much else in the room besides them and Lucario's container. The glass case for it was a big one, taller than he was and, imperceptibly, he attempted to gauge its weight, if it'd be possible for him to move it.

It looked heavy, but he thought he might be able to at least knock it over if he had to.

"Don't trouble yourself with that." J smiled at him, like a predator would smile at her prey. "Right now, I'm more interested in the connection you have with this lucario. And if it really is the legendary Lucario. I might just keep you around as well, while I figure this out."

Her hand moved onto her belt, and Ash knew he was out of time.

He grabbed one of his poke balls at random, not quite sure who was inside it.

Hunter J yelled: "Drapion! Grab him!"

Ash yelled: "Come out, uh, Phanpy…?"

It was Grovyle who came out, and Ash racked his brain trying to remember what moves it knew, while simultaneously ducking and running away from Drapion's pincers.

"Use… leaf blade, Grovyle!" he yelped, leaping away from Drapion and scrambling along the wall towards Lucario. He could see Grovyle attacking Drapion from the corner of his eye, but Drapion was strong, and it only flinched, responding straight away with cross poison.

He knew it would be only a matter of minutes before J's henchmen were alerted and Ash and Grovyle would be surrounded by enemies.

They had to get away, and fast.

Ash spotted a power cabinet near the corner of the room and was suddenly reminded how Pikachu had accidentally blown a hole in J's airship the first time they'd met. It gave him an idea.

It would be stupid, and insanely dangerous, but it might just work.

And if it didn't, then Ash had no further plans.

"Grovyle!" he shouted, dashing towards Lucario, breath wheezing in his lungs. "Dodge Drapion and use bullet seed on that cabinet!"

"Such a nuisance", he could hear J scoffing. "What are you aiming to do now, brat?"

Ash was too focused on his plan to pay her any mind. He reached Lucario's container just as Grovyle did as he'd instructed and blew a large hole into the wall, exposing the sky behind. In just a few seconds, the room depressurized, and an intense pull of air grabbed onto Ash, sucking him and a lot of debris in the room towards the hole. Luckily, he had a firm hold on the table the container stood on, and the weight of it kept him in place.

"Alright", he grunted, his shaking fingers slipping on the dial. "Let's get you out, Lucario…"

"Wait, stop that!" J screamed – and finally, she sounded like she was taking Ash seriously. Ash smiled to himself and pushed down the dial.

The glass and the stone faded away, and Lucario was free.

"Grovyle, return", Ash ordered, and only when he knew the pokemon was safe did he look around.

J was holding onto a cabinet door, eyes wide and hair flapping around wildly in the wind. Drapion was struggling on the other side of the room, its pincers digging into the floor desperately. Lucario was grouching on the base of the container, intense fury in its eyes.

The door burst open, and a handful of grunts stumbled in, yelling in horror as they saw the broken wall.

"Whoa! What's going on, boss?"

"Don't let them get away!" snarled J trough her teeth, while fighting to keep her balance as the floor tilted and shook.

"Lucario", Ash said, gaining its attention. "We gotta go."

I can take them on, Ash.

It said it with determination, but Ash knew it was exhausted still, pain lining its movements and the intense look in its eyes. It might be able to fight for a few minutes, but that wouldn't be enough. Not even close.

Ash would just have to rely on his insane luck, once again.

"I have a plan", he lied, and this time it was smoother. Scarily so. "Trust me, okay?"

Lucario looked at him for a second and nodded.

I trust you.

Ash grinned – he set his jaw, bared his teeth, and didn't pray for salvation. He wouldn't do that, not now, not ever. If Mew or Arceus or whoever it was that wanted him alive, they better pull through now.

"Come on", he said, and tugged roughly on Lucario's arm, pushing it towards the hole. It staggered against the intense suction, fear taking over the rage in its eyes, and then it was out, flying into the open air.

Ash took out a poke ball. "Swellow!" he shouted. "Catch Lucario!"

The bird shot out with a screech, flew through the hole and disappeared beyond it. Ash grabbed onto the pedestal where Lucario had stood, lifted it with effort and-

Ignoring the shouts and screams from J and her henchmen, he sprinted after it to the hole and jumped.