Ron the True Fan: Originally, I planned for a long and involved gym battle… but decided against it when I saw what month it was.

Takeshi Yamato: Yes… October. Halloween Month. Horror Month. Whatever you want to call it. Those who have seen the entirety of the anime (we include movies in that) should know what that means.

Ron the True Fan: This was ENTIRELY coincidental. But who says I can't take advantage?! ...Also, in case anyone was wondering, FFN is DISABLING your notifications for some completely retarded reason. Anyway, you know the usual message of how to support!

Near Azalea Town - Johto Region- 1341 hours local time - Day 389 of Ash Ketchum's Journey

Ash hated riding. It felt… wrong. The journey was all about getting there with your own two feet, not using some transport to find your way.

Even if he hated getting lost so much, he'd rather get there by putting one foot in front of the other then riding in a car or something. Lack of control wasn't something he enjoyed in that regard.

But even someone as stubborn as him wouldn't argue with what Kyoji coined, rather accurately, as a sea of sucking, liquid SHIT. The stones going deep into the ground were the only thing keeping the carts they were on from sinking into the ground. It took them two weeks to get from Violet to Azalea and they were barely in sight of the town!

"No wonder everyone hates Johto." said the Ranseian. "It's a shitfest." he then looked at Ash, who glared at the mud. "Happy about the wagons NOW, huh?"

Ash sighed. "Look, Johto wasn't this… muddy back then." he said, referring to the other timeline. "If it was…"

Kyoji chuckled, seeing the point. "But you still wanna walk and ruin everyone's feet." he said, amused.

"My feet didn't hurt and my shoes were just fine after Johto."Ash muttered.

Kyoji snorted. "Well, I blame the nonsense bullshit Cyrus unleashed because that makes no sense." he retorted. "Temporal ripple effects like… well… Becca."

"THAT one was your fault." Ash reminded. Sure, he got over it (eventually) but still. Kyoji did not bother arguing that Celebi really caused that one, but he has some responsibility there, too.

They'd get to Azalea the next day thanks to the mud because even Pokemon couldn't go any faster thanks to the mud. Ash had to cycle them out every three days thanks to the strength-sapping nature of the sucking liquid dirt.

They enjoyed the workout, at least.

While Ash was annoyed by the mud, Bugsy was taking full advantage of the delay.

He didn't want to believe the threat Ash posed to the status quo of Johto that everyone enjoyed until Falkner fell to him. Now Violet's territory was controlled by Blackthorn.

It also helped that Falkner sent over visual evidence of what Ash's Charizard did to all his Pokemon. And if there was any type Bugsy hated, it was fire.

He would insist Ash not bring a single fire-type. He could handle flying-types. It was not possible to bar a certain type from a battle - gym leaders were only two places from the top, so trainers facing them had every right to have type advantage and it was enshrined by law and divine degree by Arceus to be fair - but he would insist, for the sake of decency, to NOT use a fire-type.

The warning was taken more seriously when he actually SAW part of the battle when a beam of plasma shot over the town. The choice was clear then: take Ketchum seriously or be wheat before the scythe.

Chuck wouldn't care. Morty might take the warning, as he ruled the former capital, but he was a touch arrogant. Only two would be immune: Whitney, who was engaged to Lance, but needed humility due to her high win rate and her overinflated ego and Clair, who was Lance's cousin and knew Ash's power firsthand.

Johto was a careful balance of power after the fall of the URN. No one wanted to rock the boat. To rock the boat was chaos.

But with the rediscovery of the Purify Chamber specifications, Lance went to war on Shadow Pokemon in Kanto and won, allowing him to turn his attention solely on Johto.

But Bugsy was a bug trainer. Bug trainers knew that if something worked, you don't mess with it. Insects had a design that was almost entirely unchanged since before recorded history because it worked.

Johto's current situation worked. Why change something that was stable? Lance clearly didn't agree and sent Ash as an unknowing agent of his will, as Ketchum had never made any political statements.

Bugsy snorted. A wise choice. Politics drove people to madness sometimes. Regardless, he had to be ready. If he wasn't, Ketchum would obliterate him.

The next day - Azalea Town - 0947 hours local time

The roads in the town itself were better suited to the rain thanks to better drainage networks. All with a clear sign of a familiar Pokemon's handiwork.

As if to confirm it, out of the ground came a fin.

"Land shark!" Kyoji cried, the Johto Gible surfacing to make a "Gib!' before continuing to shark through the dirt.

"I wondered where all those Gibles came from." Ash said, referring to what happened a year prior during the Kanto Conference and Cipher's attempt on his life.

And just like before, the gym was a giant greenhouse, albeit with more stone and looking a bit more old-fashioned in general. It wasn't an old building like many buildings in town, so… a style thing.

"Bugsy's screwed." Misty declared as she got out of the wagon. She hated bugs in this and all timelines. So she would HAPPILY watch Ash's team nuke them into oblivion.

Kyoji chuckled, agreeing with her, though more on Ash's victory then anything else. His team were monsters in that regard and revenge for defeat was a motivator.

"I think we should wait outside." Mei suggested, knowing exactly how this was going to end.

A generally good idea… especially given that the door was an airlock with only enough room for one person.

"Aw, I wanted to watch." Serena said, pouting before Ash shook his head and walked into the airlock.

Greenfield - roughly the same time

Papa was gone. He went to the Ruins of Alph to learn more about the past. But now he wasn't coming back. Just like mama.

Molly Hale sobbed as everyone told her the news.

Why did Papa have to go? Why couldn't he come back?

The nine-year old wobbled and nearly fell off her chair, her arm knocking over an old box filled with… squares.

With… letters?

Molly got out of the chair, looking at them all. "They look like letters…" she said aloud, before playing with them, not noticing a faint glow. "Mama…Papa…"

This was a mistake, as Molly had doomed many with her actions… as a portal opened, allowing in the one set of letters no one should summon.

Giratina's many messengers, who could warp the regular universe with the power of the Distortion Realm.

The Unown.

Like the clueless child she was, though, all she did was stare in wonder.

They were pretty and calming, but they weren't her favorite Pokemon. She preferred Entei.

The Unown gave her what she wanted.

Pallet Town - Kanto Region - 1240 hours local time

Bell watched the monitor, happy for some peace and quiet. Her brother was apparently wiping the floor with Bugsy, her girlfriend or rather fiance was taking a nap nearby from their… fun time earlier and she finally got through a day without getting hit by one of Ash's Pokemon.

Maybe she and her bodyguards could have a few hours alone. She was starting to like the attention.

Alarms started going off, Bell sobbing to herself. "OH COME ON!" she shouted, marching over to the offending machine. "Can't I have a few days to enjoy myself?!"

Asuka yawned as she got up, rubbing her eyes. "Love, what's going on?" the sleepy bombshell asked as Bell looked at the monitor, her expression going from furious to horrified in seconds.

"There's something REAL fucky going on in Greenfield." the princess of Rota answered. "As in 'reality going out the window' fucky."

"As in 'bring your mom out of retirement' fucky?" her wife-to-be asked, looking out the window to find Delia marching up to the lab in her 'trainer' outfit, which seemed to be a family thing as both Ash and Red had similar style choices. Bell was the only exception thanks to Asuka.

Bell laughed nervously as her mother entered the building, then out to the ranch proper. She was going to get her team.

And judging from the look on her face, Bell was going with her. Then again, they did have family in Greenfield.

Azalea Town - same time

"At least you're not getting saddled with the repair bill." Kyoji said to Ash as they looked at the roof, which was missing a few windows from when Bugsy's Forretress was sent flying thanks to Lucario. "But the medical bill…"

Ash facepalmed before there was terrified squawking from a quintet of Xatu as they flew in, all having eye practically bulging out of their heads in terror.

Mei stared at the parrots. "I thought it was Absol that warned of disasters." she asked. "Aren't they also a bit late for the battle?"

"XATU!" 'There they are! Prepare for mass teleport!' said the leader of the totem parrots.

Ash sighed. "I think this has nothing to do with Bugsy." he said before they all landed, surrounding the group before spreading their wings and teleporting them away.

To a location Ash would personally never want to revisit, but had to.

Greenfield. And lo and behold, covered in crystals. He was hoping to wait a few days for this crap.

"Ash." came the surprising voice of his sister, with Asuka and her new bodyguard harem (it was the only thing that fit for them) all walking up. "Why do I have a feeling you were expecting this?"

The younger brother groaned. "Why are you here and why was I teleported here?" he asked. "I could've walked."

The expected voice of his mother chimed in as she came out of the Pokemon Center. "A family emergency." Delia answered, gesturing to the massive towers of crystals. "Your cousin's stuck inside… THAT."

Ash rose an eyebrow, Silver speaking up. "Cousin? How many family members don't I know about?" asked the Sakai. "I thought it was just you."

Delia noticed the redhead. "Hello, young one." she said. "You must be Giovanni's son, Silver."

"Hi, Mom." Red said, waving before Delia smiled at him. This was followed quickly by Serena curtsying to Delia.

"Hello, mother dear." she said, earning looks from Ruby, Weiss and Yang.

"I know you're weird, but THAT was weird." Yang commented before Ash put a stop to it.

"Mom, meet Ruby, Weiss and Yang, they're from Ferrum and Kalos and no, they're just friends." he said quickly, gesturing to each of them respectively. "Red's friends. Anything more is up to them. Girls, my mom, Delia Ketchum."

"We know who she is. The undefeated Elite of Kanto." Yang said, smirking. "She's got more titles that basically say 'you're screwed, so don't fight her' than I can count!"

Ruby just looked at her as if she was a god. Kyoji chuckled at the fact that was only half-true: as the Chosen of Arceus, Ash bore the soul of a god within him.

"Thanks for the quick introduction." Bell snarked before going into a quick explanation. "Mom had an uncle, he had a daughter, married some guy named Hale and had a girl of her own named Molly. And she's stuck in there."

Ash sighed. Great. It had to get WORSE. "So you want us to go in there and get her out." he assumed. "I don't want to seem like I'm bragging-"

Kyoji chuckled. "But you admit it DOES sound like it." he quipped as his Gible glared at the crystals.

"But I do kinda have a track record for resolving these things." Ash continued, Pikachu glaring at the tower for OTHER reasons.

"We're ALL going in." Delia corrected. "Red's going nowhere near that mess if I can say anything, but between the three of us, we can handle this and rescue Molly from whatever's done this."

"And what are we, dead weight?" Misty asked, offended and rightfully so. "We're more than capable of helping out."

Delia pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry, Misty, that was insensitive," she apologized. "It's… my niece is in there. I haven't seen her since my husband died, but she's family."

"And probably what kicked this crap off." Ash said dryly, getting looks from them all. "That's reality-bending. Only one Pokemon I know of in massive numbers can pull that off and the Unown aren't exactly known for leaving the Distortion Realm unless summoned by something. And Molly's in there, so that doesn't leave a lot of suspects."

The silence was deafening. Max broke it. "He's got a point. The Unown aren't easy to bring out of the Distortion Realm without an anchor point." the young man said. "And this wouldn't happen to be the daughter of Professor Spencer Hale, the world's expert in the Ruins of Alph?"

Delia slowly nodded to confirm.

"Then yes, Ash has a point to suspect her being responsible." Max finished.

"Responsible does not mean guilty." Ash clarified. "She might've done it by accident."

Kyoji cut in "How it happened changes nothing. What matters is ending it before-What the actual fuck is that?"

Ash knew EXACTLY what it was and decided to not show any mercy, reaching for BOTH of the handguns holstered to his hip. Most days, he wanted those weights gone. Now? He was VERY happy to have them.

So he had no awe when he saw the fake Entei storm up. The others didn't share his loathing for this fake caricature of a Legendary Beast.

"I have come for you." it declared, right before Ash opened fire, the machine pistol emptying in seconds into the thing's face.

So it wasn't real. Didn't mean it wouldn't be affected, as it flinched from pain and even bled.

"What the actual-WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Yang yelled at him. "You shot Entei?!"

"If that was a REAL Entei, it wouldn't be bleeding." Ash retorted, blood dripping to the ground from the faker's bullet wounds proving his point.

Max, though also horrified, was the first to break his shock. "He's… right. Suicune took a bomb to the face and only got a headache." he said as the Entei shook it off. "This must be a construct made by the Unown."

The thing's eyes glowed, Delia becoming faint, alongside Belladonna. "Son of… a…" Bell said before the 'Entei' lunged, both landing on his back and rushing off.

Ash was mad in the last timeline. NOW he was livid. "GET BACK HERE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" exclaimed Asuka, effectively summing up Ash's thoughts on the matter as he took off after the kidnapping fake Legendary.

"ASH, GET BACK HERE!" called Serena, Iris and Misty, before they chased after him, followed by pretty much everyone in the area, Kyoji shaking his head as he followed closely behind.

"Gible!" 'I hate this crystal stuff. I can't dig!' groused Gible, trying to keep up, making Kyoji pick up the land shark.

"Probably the worst part about this whole thing!" Kyoji agreed. "You can't be sharky if you can't dig!"

The 'Crystal Tower' - 5 minutes later

Molly watched as Papa returned with Mama… and big sister? Yes, big sister! He put them on the bed with a big shrug, mama on her back, big sis on her face.

Big Sis groaned. "Where in the name of…" she started before looking at Molly. "Oh fuck all the ducks."

"Bad word!" Molly said, pouting.

"Kiss my shapely ass, cousin." she said, looking around before seeing Mama. "Mom! Let's get you out of here!"

Molly shook her head. "No! Mama's staying!" she declared, even as Big Sis started helping Mama up.

"I'll repeat myself, Molly." the older girl said. "Kiss. My. Shapely. ASS. We're leaving."

"I think not." said Papa, who stood before them, glaring at the older girl. "You will STAY."

Big Sis faltered, struggling to stay up. "Ash… Get here… already…" she said before falling backward on the bed.

Big Sis needed a time out. Then she could think about what she said and say sorry!

The front doors - 1315 hours local time

One crystalline minefield later, they arrived at what used to be the front entrance, judging from the general location.

"Could you SLOW DOWN?!" Red demanded, panting. "I know you're worried about mom and Bell, but we can't help if we can't keep up!"

"Your little brother's right, Ash." Kyoji said, panting himself as he carried the yellow land shark. "And ARCEUS' ASS, HOW are you so damn fast?!"

Ash looked back at them, making a weak smile. "See you inside," he said before pulling out a familiar Pokeball, returning Pikachu, who protested before being turned to energy and sucked in and then… walking through the crystal like it was air?

Kyoji voiced what everyone was thinking. "BULLSHIT!" he shouted before trying the same and smacking himself off the wall and landing with a resounding "FUCK!"

"Don't hurt yourself, dear." came a soothing voice to Kyoji as Sabrina suddenly entered his line of sight, smiling at him. "You also lack the sheer stubborn will my dad has."

"WHERE'D SHE COME FROM?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Relax, it's just Sabrina. She teleported here," Misty said. "Came in to help? Or was the massive psychic surge or something that got your attention?"

"Both," Sabrina answered truthfully. "And you'll have to go in the back way."

"Ash pushed his way through." Kyoji said, getting up. "Why not us?"

Sabrina giggled. "Dad's stubborn enough to go 'screw you, Molly' and tell her reality to go away." she said. "You, subconsciously, have a seed of doubt: 'is this real?'."

She didn't have to say that Ash's experience helped him go 'I reject your reality and substitute my own'.

"So, psychic lady, where're we goin?" Yang asked.

Sabrina looked at a small stream. "She made a fantasy castle. Every fantasy castle's got a sewer." she said.

"Well, at least it won't be as disgusting." Kyoji said, looking at the bright side as Sabrina led the way.

Inside, Ash just stepped inside, finding the same main hall as before, complete with the Unown chanting their name. He then released Pikachu from his ball.

Who wasn't happy. "Pikapi!" 'Seriously, Ash, what the fuck?!' he demanded, glaring at Ash for what he did.

Ash was firm, but adamant in his answer. "I wasn't sure you'd come through. And I REFUSE to be separated from you ever again." he replied. "It's happened too much. Never again. Not if I have a say in it."

Pikachu's glare softened. "Pika." 'A little warning next time, please.' he added. "Pi." 'I know we're in a rush, but…'

"I know." Ash said quietly, before looking at the dome of Unown. "Servants of Giratina! My name is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town! You might know me as the Chosen of Arceus, soul-brother of your master!" Piakchu gave him a look at the last title, Ash shrugging. It was accurate. "I know you were summoned here, but I have to ask you to go home. You're doing a lot of damage outside and people are dying!"

All he got was a musical 'Unnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwnnnn~' to his request. Ash's response was to send a message back to Pallet, knowing Infernape and Ivysaur would get what he needed.

"Maybe I haven't made myself clear." Ash said, losing both patience and tolerance for this. "Undo what you've done and go back to the Distortion Realm or I will make you." he said, preparing for the end of that statement.

The Pokedex signaled the transfers going through, the Pallet trainer remotely opening balls containing every Ghost and Dark-type he had, from Scraggy to Incineroar, from Mimikyu to Gengar.

Types Psychics were weak to.

"This is your last warning." Ash said darkly, deciding diplomacy had failed and now it was time for violence to be applied with zero apology. "Undo what you've done and leave or I tell them to start blasting you!"

"I think not."

Ash was then sent flying by an unseen force, past the Unown 'globe' and into the crystal wall near the landing.

Walking out of the dining room was a familiar, beautiful figure with white pants, an undone double breasted jacket, a violet tanktop that strained against her sizable bust… and green hair so dark it might as well be black.

Ash's eyes widened as he and Pikachu looked at the woman.

"It's technically not my body anymore…" the THING that possessed Sabrina said, her hands glowing with power. "But you're familiar with this form. Time for revenge, child."

Entry 127: Unown

The progenitors of the written language, it is commonly said this was Giratina's gift to try and repay the people for the creation of Yveltal by the God of Antimatter's cult.

While this is debated, the fact they are natives of the Distortion Realm is not in dispute, commonly protecting those who fall into the Realm of the Dead and shielding them from its' effects until they can be sent home.

Certain artifacts are known to summon the Unown, but most are secured and those that aren't are never used for one simple reason: no one is stupid enough to bring forth the Unown without Giratina's permission.

Ron the True Fan: Correction - no ADULTS are stupid enough to summon the Unown without Giratina's permission. Molly is both a child and ignorant of what she's doing. …But you know I do not label that as AN EXCUSE.

Takeshi Yamato: And so, Movie 3. The closest that Pokémon has ever gotten to a horror flick. And we're taking away the 'close' part of that. Or, well, Ron is.

Ron the True Fan: Movie 3 was basically akin to a 40K story: eldrich abominations fucking with reality. As a PG-rated film, there had to be no consequences. …This is NOT PG rated. And just like everything, there will be consequences.

Takeshi Yamato: Indeed. Ron is going full-on into this. And… well, let's just say I would not be surprised if any little bunny-cat things showed up.

Ron the True Fan: I have solutions for Kyubey. Regardless… enjoy the horror. And you know the usual message. If not...well, you'll find it in the earlier chapters.

Ja Ne!