a/n: So, this ended up being a bit longer than I was expecting, so I decided to go and split the chapter in two. I'd like to thank Matrix Dragon for her help in getting this written.

Episode 6: Ashes of a Forgotten Age: Part 1

"So… This is about where I caught Zubat last time," Brock remarked as he, Ash, and Misty approached a cave entrance.

"Doesn't look like that scientist guy is here this time," Ash noted.

"You weren't in Viridian Forest as long as you were last time," Brock pointed out, "He might not have gotten here yet."

"Wait… How long were we trapped in the bug-infested nightmare last time?" Misty asked.

Whatever Brock's reply was got cut off by the arrival of a vaguely Uxie-shaped distortion in the air.

'Apologies, but I'm afraid I'm having to stick to Astral Projection for the foreseeable future,' it explained in a voice only Brock could hear, 'Azelf has something to teach Ash, and he should in turn be able to pass it on to you as well. In the mean time, let us go and retrieve your future Crobat.'

"… I thought a Legendary Pokémon would be more… Tangible," Misty noted as she eyed the barely visible distortion.

"That's not Uxie's body, it's just a projection," Brock explained as the shape in the air drifted into the cavern, "I'll be right back. It said Azelf had something to teach Ash."

"It did?" Ash questioned, just in time for Azelf to blink into being right next to him.

"PIKA!"/"GAH!"

'Fair warning, Hero of Will, this might be a bit boring,' Azelf opened, 'But once you get it done, you can do all kinds of cool things with it!'

"Why isn't it making any noises?" Misty asked.

'Oh right! Forgot my psychic voice was only being broadcast to you and Uxie,' Azelf noted, 'Let me speak up so your friend isn't confused.'

"Elf. Azelf, zelf az-azelf!"

"… They do remember that we don't speak Pokémon, right?" Brock asked as Azelf continued trying to explain themself to an increasingly confused Misty.

'Azelf embodies will, not insight or intellect,' Uxie deadpanned, 'Follow my projection, Hero of Knowledge. This could take Azelf a bit of time.'


Brock flipped his flashlight on as he followed the astral projection deeper into the cavern.

'While emotional ties are more Mesprit's domain, I can draw off of your memories and the echoes of memory within Zubat to identify the one who became your Crobat,' Uxie explained, 'I can sense that it should be somewhere within this general vicinity.'

"So will we need your help for all of them?" Brock asked.

'We are working on a system so we won't have to drop everything for all of them,' Uxie assured him, 'But given that Zubat was part of a swarm, I figured it would be better safe than sorry. Speaking of…'

Uxie's astral projection floated up towards the ceiling, and the beam of Brock's flashlight followed.

Uxie's projection flew into one of the sleeping Zubat on the ceiling, highlighting it.

'She does not truly remember, but the familiarity is there.'


As soon as Azelf realized they weren't getting anywhere with Misty, they got to work instructing Ash.

'If you were psychic, you'd be able to trace the connection back to me to communicate that way,' Azelf explained (telepathically to Ash, out loud for Pikachu's benefit), 'However, as you were not blessed with that gift, you will instead have to try and block out the outside world, such as through meditation.'

As such, Ash was now attempting to mediate on the ground outside the cave as Azelf drifted around him, Pikachu waiting in Misty's arms as Ash closed his eyes and tried to ignore the sounds of the outside world.

'Try and follow the sound of my telepathic voice to find the source within your mind, and push away anything else that obstructs it. You need to block out any outside interference, so you won't really be able to rely on this as a panic button in battle, unfortunately.

'Keep a calm mind. Let nothing distract you.

'Once you find the connection, give it a pull, and I will guide you down the next step.'

Azelf fell silent and watched Ash, waiting for the tug.

After a few minutes, they felt a tug at the back of their mind.

'Great job!' Azelf praised, 'Now! Look inward, find your innermost self, and project that version of you outward via the connection! The version of you that you project must be one you identify with in order for this to work! '

Ash sifted through his mind, remembering how he had seen himself in the mirror earlier that day, and tried to push it forwards.

Nothing happened.

Ash frowned, but then reimagined himself with slightly longer hair.

He got closer, so he made the hair a little longer.

A little better, but still not close.

Ash dug a little deeper in response, towards a shadowy shape in the back of his mind…

And then he- his eyes shot open as he immediately shoved that back down.

Coward! a voice that wasn't Azelf's snapped as the Legendary yelped and flipped back.

'You okay?' Azelf asked as they rubbed their head and Ash got to work thinking about literally anything else, 'That was some pretty strong feedback! I wasn't ACTUALLY in your head, you know! You didn't have to will me ou-'

"I'm fine!" Ash interrupted as sh- he started strategizing for the Rota Tournament, "Honestly I'd say that was a pretty great lesson! I'll be sure to pass it along to Brock!"

Azelf blinked.

'But we didn't even-'

"Hey guys, I'm back!" Brock declared as he stepped out of the cavern, Great Ball in hand, "Zubat was actually pretty excited to join the team after a quick scuffle with Geodude! How'd the-"

"Brock, great to see ya!" Ash interrupted as sh- he grabbed the Gym Leader's arm and started pulling him away from the cave, "Now c'mon! That Hero of the Year Tournament isn't gonna win itself!"

"Ash?"/"Pikapi?"

Misty followed after the rapidly retreating trainer as Azelf floated in place, staring after their charge.

'What was that about?'


In spite of Azelf's concerns, Ash was able to give Brock enough information for him to get started on teaching himself (all the while refusing to elaborate on why sh- he freaked out and run off from he- his own teacher), and it was only a matter of days before they reached Rota.

"Wow!" Misty remarked as they walked down the street, "It's like stepping into a fairy tale!"

Indeed, the houses, even the newer ones, were constructed with medieval looking masonry. There was a blend between people wearing modern clothing and those wearing more archaic fashion sense.

The local Jenny seemed to have gone for a blend of the two, mixing some chainmail in with her police uniform.

"Just wait until you see the stadium!" Ash replied, glancing over at the Tree of Beginnings in the distance, "They're really committed to this loo-"

"Hey Ash! Over here!" a voice called out.

"Huh?"

Ash turned to the source of the voice, only to find Serena waving at he- him from across the street.

"Serena?" Ash replied.


A few minutes later, the ensemble was gathered around a table outside a restaurant, munching on some funnel cakes.

"So you're a friend of Ash's?" Brock remarked.

"Oh, we go way back!" Serena replied from her spot next to Ash, "We went to summer camp together a few years ago, and we've been staying in touch ever sense!"

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Ash asked, "This place doesn't exactly have any Ryhorn Racing."

"I'd already paid for the inn room when I realized that the event they were advertising was a Rhyhorn Jousting tournament and not a race," Grace admitted, "That's a bit advanced for Serena's current level, and not my cup of tea in the slightest."

"I'm just glad this place has internet," Serena replied, "I was a bit worried about completing my online classes when I saw this whole place was one big renaissance fair."

"Just because they're committed to an aesthetic doesn't mean they're self-sabotaging," Brock pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'd been stressing about this paper my I had to write at the time and my brain was jumping to worst case scenarios," Serena admitted, "Anyways, I don't think I got your names?"

"Oh, I'm Brock, Gym Leader of Pewter City," Brock introduced as he shook Serena's hand, "I'm on sabbatical until they're done rebuilding my Gym."

"Misty," Misty introduced, "Future Boy here owes me a bike."

"It's not my fault Team Rocket's Koffing tried to block Thunder Bolt with explosive gas while floating a few feet away from your bike!" Ash protested.

Grace stared blankly at Ash.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Ash launched into an explanation, unaware of the undercover schemers sitting a few tables down.

"Looks like the twerp keeps picking up powerful friends," Jessie remarked.

"We'll just have to change up tactics," James suggested.

"With a good ol' fashioned grab and go!" Meowth finished.

The trio giggled amongst themselves.

"Hey, did you guys hear something?" Misty asked.

"Gah!" The Team Rocket Trio buried their faces in month old newspapers from three separate cities, confusing anyone sitting close to them.

Ash and friends, meanwhile, remained blissfully unaware.

"Aside from the food, atmosphere, and music, there is one other part of this city that's pretty fun," Serena continued.

"Oh?"


"The costumes!" Serena declared as she showed Ash and friends a room full of rows of costumes on racks, "I haven't had the chance to pick one out yet, but if you're planning on entering that tournament, I suggest you dress to impress!" She turned to face Misty and Brock. "Of course, even if you're not planning on entering, you can still have plenty of fun just dressing up!" She took Ash's arm and dragged he- him deeper into the room, leaving Brock and Misty to pick out their own costumes.


"Uh, Serena?"

"I was just thinking," Serena opened as she glanced between two outfits, "What if we dressed up like how we used to when we were younger? Just as a little in joke?"

Ash imagined Serena wearing Sir Aaron's outfit, and felt he- his blood rushing to his cheeks. So sh- he switched to imagining her in a flowing ball-gown, only to end up blushing even harder as that lead to the gi- boy imagining what it'd be like to dance with her.

Why'd I have to remember that kiss?

"Ash?"

"I'm fine!" Ash replied (somewhat too quickly), still blushing, "What were we talking about again?"

"Costumes?" Serena asked, "I was thinking we could coordinate?"

"Oh! Right," Ash replied.

"So…" Serena opened as she pulled two costumes out from the collection, "Would you like to be the princess or the knight?"

Ash imagined what it would be like to wear a princess' dress. Sh- he had prior experience in both timelines. Enough to have opinions.

The Kalosian Maid Dress had been the worst, hands down.

Pretending to be Juliet had felt weird, but that might've had more to do with the practice flirting than the dress. Sh- he hadn't worn the costume long enough to figure something out either way.

Being "Ashley" was close to the top but not quite. In Celadon, Ash had to wear a blond wig and put forward a false personality just to get into the Gym. Unova "Ashley"… That entire day had just felt weird. Sh- he wasn't sure if it was because the dress didn't quite fit right, or the pink wig was too much dissonance against what sh- he would actually like his hair to look like, but the colors had been fine. (Maybe if it had been a little less restrictive...)

The Nurse's uniform in Alola had felt nice, actually. Not too restrictive, no itchy wig. If sh- he had just styled his hair a little differently…

And let's be honest, it wasn't a mistake when you grabbed the girl's uniform.

Shut up!

Then sh- he recalled what it felt like the first time he tried on Serena's princess costume when he- his friend had wanted a turn as a knight (they had only had a single wooden sword between them at the time). Then, sh- he remembered deciding to be the princess first the next time they had played. And then the time after that. And then how sh- he and Serena had tried out that paper and dice game they'd seen their Moms playing with the neighbors, and how his character had been a princess disguised as a knight to try and take back her throne from the Dark Lord whom had taken over her castle. Then there was that time Ash had tried on some of Serena's clothes that had accidentally been left in their laundry after her and her Mom had visited the previous year. That had felt nicer than most of the fancier dresses.

Ash decided to take a closer look at the two outfits Serena was presenting. Both were blue. One was a Sir Aaron costume, and the other a light blue dress with pink and white ribbons.

Looks like it's made out of the same material as Serena's princess costume back in Kalos, Ash thought as sh- he felt the fabric, It would probably be pretty easy to run around in this. Pretty breathable too. Maybe it wouldn't be so...

Then sh- he imagined the entire stadium laughing him off the field and made his choice.

"I'll be the knight this time!"


"I'm not sure I'd call an Aura Guardian a knight," Pikachu deadpanned as he watched his trainer adjust the replica of Sir Aaron's hat atop his head.

"It's close enough," Ash replied, before swishing the cape, "Now, how would you feel about being my squire?"

"Put me in a costume, and you will regret it," Pikachu warned as he made his cheeks spark.

"Would you at least consider putting one on after the tournament so I can get a picture to send back to Mom?"

Pikachu sighed.

"Okay, fine!"


"So, do you know anything about that Serena girl?" Misty asked as she smoothened out the purple skirt on her dress.

It was mostly purple, but had a blue ribbon tied around the waist, with a pink trim on the skirt.

"Not really," Brock replied as he adjusted the hat on the outfit he had worn in the previous timeline, "I know she wasn't one of Ash's childhood friends last time, but that's about it."

"Maybe she's that friend Ash mentioned earlier," Misty remarked as she stared out the window.

"What do you mean?"

"He mentioned that someone he had met on his journey became a childhood friend after the time travel," Misty explained, "I wonder if…"

She let her voice trail off as she heard footsteps approaching.

"Tah-dah!" Serena declared while doing a little spin, "What do you think?" She was wearing a mostly orange dress with a white trim. A purple ribbon was wrapped around her waist.

"I thought you'd be asking your boyfriend that," Misty teased.

"B-boyfriend?" Serena stammered out, her face turning red, "W-where'd you get that idea? Sure, Ash and-and I have been close for years! But we're not dating or anything like that!" She very quickly dissolved into awkward laughter. "Why'd you assume that anyway? Were you hoping he was single?"

"… I uh… No?" Misty replied, "I only met him a little while ago?"

"Oh okay," Serena replied, still a little pink in the face, ("Because if I was Ash, I would definitely choose a girl as pretty as you.")

"Excuse me?" Misty remarked.

Serena's face paled.

"Please tell me I didn't say that last part out loud…"

"Hang on," Brock interjected, "where's-"

"Hey, check me out!" Ash cut in as he dashed up to the others, wearing a Sir Aaron costume, "Don't I look like a hero?"

"Oh it looks even cooler than I thought it would!" Serena replied, starry eyed.

"So," Misty cut in, "are we just going to ignore what just hap-"

"Hush!" Serena remarked, placing a finger on Misty's lips, "Do not ruin this moment!"

"So, are we going to put Pikachu in a costume too?" Brock asked.

"Pi-ka…"

"Pikachu no!" Ash interrupted, "We'll have to pay for his costume if you damage it!"

"Chu…" Pikachu grumbled.

"We'll get some pictures of Pikachu in a costume after the tournament," Ash promised.

"Maybe we could get a mini version of YOUR costume!" Serena suggested as she leaned up to the electric mouse seated on Ash's shoulder, "That would be so cute!"

Pikachu, recalling the few times Serena had tried to dress him up after getting into showcases in the old timeline, hopped off Ash's shoulders and scampered over to Misty.

"Pikachupi!"

"Oh you little cutie!" Misty squeed as she picked Pikachu up, "I'll keep you safe from all those meanies and their silly outfits!"

She carried Pikachu out of the room as the others looked on.

"… Okay but, we all agree that Pikachu dressed up in what Ash is currently wearing would be freaking adorable, right?" Serena asked.

"Oh, definitely!"/"Depriving the world of that gift is a horrible crime."


Ash stepped out into the arena to face he- his first opponent.

"Begin!" the referee declared.

"Come on out, Rattata!"/"Pikachu! I choose you!"

Rattata materialized on the field as Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder.

"Quick Attack!"/"Thunderbolt!"

"Pi-ka…"

Rattata slammed into Pikachu's gut and sent him tumbling back.

"CHA!" The Thunderbolt fired off into the sky.

"Now, use Bite!"

"Iron Tail to block!"

"Chuuu-Pi-Ka!" Pikachu swung his tail between himself and the Rattata's gaping jaws.

CLANG!

Static sparked over Rattata.

"Thunder Shock!"

"Quick Attack to Dodge!"

Rattata was paralyzed, it could not move.

"CHUUUU!"

"C'mon Rattata, use Growl!"

"Iron Tail!" Ash directed.


Serena winced as the Iron Tail swatted Rattata away.

"That looked painful," she remarked.

"I'm not sure if Rattata can turn this around," Misty noted as Rattata struggled to its feet, "With it paralyzed like that, it's best bet would be to use a Special Attack to hit Pikachu from a distance."

"At least this event isn't televised," Brock remarked as Pikachu sparked his cheeks, ready to launch an attack if the battle continued.

Rattata keeled over.

"Rattata is unable to battle!" the referee announced, "Ash Ketchum proceeds to the next round.


"Piplup, use Bubblebeam!"

"Charmander, Ember!"

"Piiip-lupluplup!"

"Char!"

Piplup exhaled a barrage of bubbles as Charmander unleashes a barrage of embers from his tail.

Both attacks met in the middle of the arena.

The flames popped some of the bubbles, but heated the others, allowing the barrage to push across the arena, extinguish the embers, and strike Charmander in the chest.

The Lizard Pokémon stumbled across the ground.

"Get up you stupid reptile!"

"Charmander is unable to battle!" the referee declared, "Verity continues to the next round!"

"Good job Piplup!" Verity cheered as she took out a Poké Ball, "Come on back and rest for now!"

"Pip!" Piplup preened as he vanished into his Poké Ball.

"You're on thin ice," the orange-haired boy growled as he recalled his Charmander, "Embarrass me one more time, and you're out!"

"Hey! It did pretty good considering the type disadvantage," Verity protested.

"Nobody asked you!" the boy snapped, before storming out.

Verity stood in stunned silence.

"Well, screw you too…" she grumbled as she took her leave.


Ash tapped he-his foot while waiting for he-his next match.

I mean, every time I dressed like a girl in the old timeline always turned out weird and uncomfortable!

Usually because somebody else made it weird.

Maybe! But that doesn't mean I-

Didn't you enjoy wearing Serena's clothes? Maybe you were just dressing like the wrong kind of gir-

Don't you DARE finish that thought!

I'm you, stupid!

You can't prove that!

Okay then, how about this: can you prove that you're you?

What are you talking about?

Did you travel back in time from the future, or do you remember a future that will never happen?

I…

"Pikapi!"

Ash was jolted from he-his thoughts by Pikachu's cry.

"Oh! Looks like we're next!" sh-he remarked, treacherous thoughts banished from the mind, "Let's go, Pikachu!"


"Is it just me, or does Ash seem a little out of it?" Serena asked, before taking a bite out of her Bibarel Tail (a misleadingly named fried dough).

"He's fighting just fine," Misty noted.

"Yeah, but he seemed pretty spacey before the tournament," Serena remarked, "And he didn't say a word to me between rounds either."

He's been acting pretty weird since we ran into Azelf, Misty and Brock both thought, though neither said it out loud.


Hours later, the tournament reached its final round.

"Is it the final round already?" James asked.

"Well, it's not like anything interestin' happened," Meowth waved up.

"Would you two stop grumbling about the tournament and help me calibrate the controls?" Jessie snapped.

.

Back in the stadium, Verity sighed as she slumped in the stands.

"Washed out right in the semifinals," she grumbled, "I wonder how he'll do against this Ash kid."

.

"Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Lucario, to battle!"

Pikachu landed on the field as Lucario materialized out of his Poké Ball.

"Huh," Pikachu noted, "Not the Lucario I was expecting to see?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lucario questioned.

"Open with Thunderbolt!"

"After the fIIIIGHT!" Pikachu released a bolt of lightning.

"Bone Rush to push through it!"

Lucario conjured a Ground-typed bone of pure Aura and jabbed it into the Thunderbolt, taking a step closer.

"Keep it up Pikachu!" Ash encouraged, "It'll only take one slip-up for Thunderbolt to connect!"

Lucario took another step.

"Are you sure you want to risk that?" Lucario's trainer asked, "How many Bone Rushes can your Pikachu take before it can't fight anymore?"

Lucario took another step closer.

"He'll hit your Lucario as soon as it moves the bone to swing at him," Ash countered.

Lucario's trainer smirked as his Pokémon stepped even closer to Pikachu.

"Who said anything about swinging?"

Lucario stood above Pikachu.

"Now, strike!"

"Out of the way Pikachu!"

"Eep!" Pikachu used Quick Attack to move out of the way as Lucario jabbed at him, the end of the bone jabbing the dirt where Pikachu had been standing.

The Electric Mouse Pokémon skidded to a halt a few feet away, and noticed the trail of sparks he'd left behind.

"Did you just use Volt Tackle to dodge?" Lucario asked, "With no regard to its recoil?"

"That…" Pikachu froze, "Didn't feel like Volt Tackle…"

"Go for a swing this time!"

"Keep moving Pikachu!"

"I'm not an idiot, Ash!" Pikachu declared as he took off running, ducking and jumping over and around the swings of Lucario's spectral femur.

"Pikachu, try using Quick Attack to put some distance between you!"

Pikachu complied, and bolted off in a yellow streak of electricity.

"Aura Sphere!" Lucario's trainer ordered.

Lucario discarded the bone and let it dissipate, and then hurled a glowing, blue sphere right at Pikachu.

"Uh-oh!"

"Countershield, quick!"

Pikachu used Thunderbolt and spun.

The Aura Sphere swerved along the edge and struck Pikachu anyway.

"Aura Sphere has impressive homing properties," Lucario's trainer remarked, "Finish him off with Bone Rush!"

"Use Agility!"

Pikachu, while injured, still had Thunderbolt primed from the failed Countershield.

"If Quick Attack with a stored Thunderbolt makes Volt Tackle..." he declared, before charging straight at Lucario.

He once again fired off the Thunderbolt and took off into a Quick Attack simultaneously.

WHAM!

Pikachu charged directly into Lucario's gut, and sent him tumbling down.

"Then that's a Quick Attack with an in-progress Thunderbolt!" Pikachu declared.

"Good… For… You…" Lucario groaned as he rubbed his belly, "Oh I shouldn't have eaten before this battle..."

"Was that… Volt Tackle?"

"If it was, then Pikachu just defeated himself," Lucario's Trainer declared, "Aura Sphere!"

"Oh no you don't!" Pikachu declared, before using his Electric Type Quick Attack a second time, this time knocking Lucario back.

"Hang on, why isn't Pikachu getting hit with recoil?"

"So it's not Volt Tackle then…" Ash remarked.

"That's right!" Pikachu declared, "I'm faster then lightning!"

"Bone Rush!" Lucario conjured up a third bone staff.

"Use that new move to stay ahead of him!" Pikachu complied, and for a second, a yellow bolt of lightning zipped and danced around Lucario as he awkwardly swung his Aura Construct around in a desperate attempt to land a hit, before Pikachu slammed into his back.

Static kicked in, and the Paralysis stopped Lucario in his tracks.

"Now, finish the fight with one more Zippy Zap!"

"Is that SERIOUSLY the best name you can come up with!?" Misty called from the stands.

Pikachu used Zippy Zap.

Lucario fainted.

"Lucario is unable to battle!" the referee called, "Ash Ketchum is this year's Aura Guardian!"

"We did it!" Pikachu cheered as he jumped into Ash's arms.

"Good job Pikachu!" Ash cheered.

Lucario's Trainer recalled his Pokémon and crossed the field.

"That was a good match," he stated as he offered his hand, "Ash, right? The name's Sorrel."

"Nice to meet you," Ash replied as he shook his hand.

Ash was shortly after ushered out of the room, and Pikachu remembered a little something.

Ash is going to have to sit still for the entire party, Pikachu realized as he thought back to what little he knew about his trainer's trip through Rota, He is going to HATE this!


Serena pouted as the post-tournament ball went into full swing.

"What's the matter, sweety?" Grace asked her daughter.

"Ash has to sit out the entire ball," Serena grumbled.

"Were you hoping to get a dance with your boyfriend?"

"MOM!" Serena's face turned bright red as her mother laughed.

"Don't worry, Serena, partners get swapped around all the time at these kinds of dances," Grace pointed out, "Why don't you try and have some fun before the dance ends?" Serena glanced over at Ash, who looked bored out of his mind, then over at the large crowd of human-sized and smaller Pokémon, including Ash's Pikachu, Sorrel's Lucario, and several other members of Ash's, Misty's, and Brock's teams.

(She saw Brock apologize to one Poké Ball with what sounded like "Not enough room in here." but didn't get what he meant.)

"I think I'll try and get to meet the rest of Ash's Pokémon," Serena decided, "That Butterfree looks particularly beautiful."

Grace watched her daughter walk off, and brought a hand to her chin.

"Maybe I could talk that boy into catching a Rhyhorn," she muttered, "That'll definitely reignite her passion for Rhyhorn Racing!"


Misty stared up at the tapestry of the legendary hero, Sir Aaron, atop the back of his mighty Pidgeot. She glanced over at Ash's Pidgeotto, who was perched atop Sorrel's Lucario's head as he and Pikachu engaged in conversation, then over at the similarly dressed boy slouching in his chair.

"There's a strong resemblance there," she noted to herself.

"What are you talking about?" Serena asked, suddenly appearing behind Misty.

"Gah!" Misty yelped, "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"What sneaking?" Serena asked, "I was just going to try and meet all the Pokémon Ash caught since we last met and overheard you muttering."

Misty sighed.

"Do you think Sir Aaron up there looks kinda like Ash?"

Serena glanced up at the tapestry, and tilted her head slightly.

"I mean, they're dressed kinda similarly?"

"Not that!" Misty snapped, "I mean, tell me that guy doesn't just look like a grown up version of Ash?"

Serena opened her mouth to object, paused, glanced over at Ash again, then back at the artwork.

"Huh…"

"That's it?" Misty remarked.

"What do you mean?"

"I thought you'd be more enamored at the thought of your crush growing up to look like that in eight or so years?"

"He's not my…" Serena sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

"You literally freaked out over him finding my looks more appealing than yours," Misty deadpanned.

Serena covered her face with her hands.

"Please don't tell him!" she begged, "I don't want to make this weird!"

"Relax," Misty assured her, "If he hasn't figured it out by now, he'll probably need you to tell him outright!" (Which your future self might have already done before he got pulled back in time, but you don't need to know that, and Future Boy deserves to tell you about that whole mess on his own terms.) "But if I were you, I'd act quick."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because, he's gonna be pretty irresistible if he ends up looking like that," Misty replied as she motioned to the tapestry.

Serena glanced up at the tapestry, imagined that the man on the Pidgeot's back was Ash, squinted her eyes, and tilted her head to the side.

"Eh?" she remarked, "I don't really see it."

"… What?"

"I mean, Ash is amazing!" Serena replied, "And he looks cool dressed up like that! But… I dunno… Sir Aaron just…" She shrugged.

"Okay, what about Lance of the Elite 4?"

"Ugh…"

"Seriously?"

"I don't get why girls go so crazy over him," Serena replied, "I mean, he's not ugly, but like… Lorelei is so pretty! He looks so dull next to her!"

Misty stared blankly at Serena.

"Are you sure you're into boys?"

"I literally just admitted I have a crush on Ash."


"What on Earth is your Queen discussing with our Queen's Drone?" Weedle questioned.

"The more we speak, the less I understand Beedrill social structures," Starmie replied.

"Because our views on gender roles don't line up with how your human queens view them?" Weedle asked.

"All members of my line are simultaneously male and female at once, while at the same time being neither," Starmie remarked, "Even Pokémon whom have never been in the wild do not typically adopt such limited mindsets. No, I'm more confused by the arbitrary boxes of your caste system."

"It is not arbitrary!" Weedle insisted, "Our humans are Queens who commands us, we are Workers because we follow Queens, and the girl your Queen is speaking to is a Drone because she commands and follows no one and is attempting to court a Queen! That is simply how the world works!"

"… Okay, it makes a little MORE sense with how you explained it, but I think you'll find most people don't see the world that way," Starmie noted, "My kind don't typically form communities in the wild, even if we live near each other. We just group up when its convenient and go our separate ways when we can afford to."

"Regardless, you are at least a great conversationalist," Weedle replied, "I can't imagine I'd get anything out of that ruffian my Queen's first is trying to talk to."

"Oh sure, and I'm the Noble of Mount Coronet!" Sorrel's Lucario spoke up, as if to prove Weedle's point.

"Is it really so hard to believe that Sir Aaron's Lucario is in that staff when Mew lives here?" Pikachu questioned.

"You mean that Mew is rumored to live nearby," Sorrel's Lucario pointed out, "But even so, what you are suggesting is far beyond the abilities of any living Pokémon or technology that would have been present at the time. Even if capturing a Pokémon in a staff was possible, he would be dead by now."

"At least his Trainer appears to be nice," Starmie observed.


"So you study Legendary Pokémon?" Brock questioned.

"Indeed," Sorrel answered, "It's the entire reason I came here. Even if Mew never actually lived in the area, Rota's library holds extensive records on many Legendary and Mythical Pokémon that have been sighted in the area over the centuries."

"Does that include Ho-oh?" Brock pressed.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Sorrel answered, "There are several holy sites tied to Ho-oh's worship in the area, so it was simple enough to reserve a copy ahead of time."

"Incredible," Brock remarked, "Hey, my friend Ash thinks he might've seen Ho-oh a while back. Maybe that book could help determine if that's true."

"If that was an actual sighting," Sorrel sighed. "Most of my leads have been dead ends, either due to the sightings being faked, or the Legendary moving on before I could see it. I hate to break it to you, but the odds are that Ash will never see Ho-oh again."

We'll see about that, Brock thought, After all, we do have the gods of knowledge and will keeping tabs on our journey.

"Speaking of, your friend doesn't look particularly happy for a tournament winner," Sorrel observed.

"I'm sure he's just bored," Brock observed, "He doesn't like sitting still for too long when everyone else is partying. He'll feel better as soon as he can stretch his legs and celebrate with his Pokémon!"


Welp, tournament's over, it's almost time for me to let out Lucario, and I'm still not feeling any better, Ash thought to her- HIMself as he sat down, examining Sir Aaron's staff, At least this way Lucario should get the chance to live, like Sir Aaron wanted him to.

She(He!) glanced up at the tapestry.

As bad as everything else feels right now, at least I have a second chance at the things that went wrong last time, Ash thought, before glancing into the crowd, Wait, are Misty and Serena dancing?!

They were, in fact dancing.

I'm… Not sure which of those two I'm jealous of right now, Ash thought with a blush, Wait? Why am I jealous?

A memory of Serena's kiss in the airport and an older memory of Misty wearing a kimono at Maiden's Peak both floated to the front of Ash's young mind.

Stupid, future memories. Making everything complicated!

The music stopped playing, and Ash realized that Queen Illene was making an announcement, and her maid was glaring at him.

"Oh! Sorry!" Ash rose from the street and copied the pose Sir Aaron struck in the tapestetry.

And just like in the erased timeline, the gemstone on the staff glowed as the staff itself began to shake.

Ash also remembered something else.

Wasn't Lucario super angry when I let him out?

A surge of Aura burst from the tip of the staff and took on the shape of a familiar Pokémon, the same species as the one he had faced in the final round of the Hero of the Year Tournament.

'TRAITOR!'

"Uh oh…" Ash remarked at the sight of a rapidly approaching and very angry Fighting/Steel Type.

You have a lot of nerve showing your face here after you abandoned us! Lucario snarled as he got up in Ash's face.

"Hey! Sir Aaron died a thousand years ago!" Ash protested, "I get that I'm dressed like him, but you can't honestly say that I sound like him!"

'Your Aura doesn't lie, traitor!' Lucario insisted as he grabbed Ash's color, his eyes still closed from the Sand Attack that had blinded him minutes before he was sealed, 'It will take more than disguising your voice to fool me you-'

"Use Water Gun Staryu!"

'Who dares to-'

Misty's Staryu blasted Lucario in the face, causing the Fighting/Steel type to drop Ash, while washing the sand out of his eyes.

"LEAVE MY BEST FRIEND ALONE!" Pikachu shouted.

It also meant that the Thunderbolt that struck Lucario hurt far more than it otherwise would have.

"Pikachu, I appreciate it," Ash called out to his first ever Pokémon as Lucario groaned on the ground next to him, "But Lucario would've let me go as soon as he opened his eyes."

Lucario shook off his daze and looked ready to jump into battle, only to pause when he actually got a good look at Ash.

'So… You were telling the truth,' Lucario observed, 'My apologies, I thought that…' His voice trailed off as he processed something else Ash had said during that brief altercation. 'Sir Aaron died HOW long ago?!'


a/n: So... Some big reveals this chapter. Before we get to those, credit to Syrasar and Proginoskes on Spacebattles for coming up with the names for the food items they had here. Both are based off foods you can find at renaissance fairs, with "Bibarel Tails" being renamed from "Beaver Tails", which are in fact made of fried dough in both real life and the fic.

As for the big reveals, an egg is starting to crack, and I need to edit the story description so it doesn't misrepresent Ash's gender identity. What's up with that? Simple, a while back (after I uploaded Chapter 2), I kinda noticed how similar Leaf looked to Red (basically just being a girl version) and, as Red is absent when you play as her, headcanoned them as being two versions of the same person: with Leaf being an alternate version of Red who was a trans girl.

Additionally, I reread Ashes of the Past at about this same time, and came across a certain line Saphroneth now considers an old shame (and rightfully so). Context for anyone who's only ever read the rewrite where Ash just says that wearing a dress just never felt right on him, in the original version, he stated that after the third time, it started to feel good. So, I figured "Why not take that and explore the implications?" and thus, this version of Ash starts having her own little gender crisis. Bonus points, as I could use the same anomaly that kept Ash from aging to explain why she never realized this in canon. She never aged to the point that gender dysphoria started to kick in. So, even though Saphroneth ABSOLUTELY made the right choice in cutting that gag from the rewrite (the new joke is more trans-positive, thanks to Saph's increased awareness of trans identities. Seriously, read some of his non-Ashes works, he deserves the recognition for it), it DID give me some of the inspiration to imagine a world where the crossdressing incidents technically WEREN'T crossdressing. It also provides some extra context for how Brock reacts to Ashley. If Ash actually IS a girl who's egg just hasn't cracked yet, it would mean Brock's subconscious is trans inclusive while also excluding evil (save for that time he was attracted to Cassidy). Which would track with him being attracted to Harley (who is HEAVILY implied to be a trans woman in the Japanese version) until he sees Harley's face (typical transphobic anime joke is sadly typical).

A third point in this: I started having some spiraling regarding my own gender identity here. Basically, I'm a guy, but there are times where I feel like I'm simultaneously both a guy and not entirely a guy. If that makes any sense. Because it doesn't to me either. I was hoping writing this out would cause it to make more sense to me, but uh...

Nope! I'm still having trouble making sense of it myself.

Starmie's gender thing is actually canon, at least in the Japanese version. Yeah, it's Japanese Dex entry doesn't actually mention anything about the gemstone. Instead, well, to quote the Bulbapedia Article on "The Waterflowers of Cerulean City":

"When Ash's Pokédex describes Staryu, it classifies the Pokémon as a hermaphrodite, a trait also shared with some real world species of starfish. Ash calls this strange, and Misty tells him it shouldn't matter who someone falls in love with. In the English dub, the Pokédex makes no mention of Staryu's gender and instead highlights its shining core, which is sold as a type of jewelry. Ash now remarks that it is typical of a girl to "show off her jewelry", and Misty responds by telling him to "quit stalling"."

... Misty is canonically a queer ally. Which is why I wrote her as such here. (Also, don't ever call a person a "hermaphrodite", it's considered a slur these days.)

We also get Ash directly able to understand Pikachu, and a change to the formatting to make it clearer when someone is speaking telepathically.

And oh yeah, you're probably wondering why I'm writing Serena, of all characters, as a lesbian. Aside from the fact that I like Amourshipping as well as Pokéshipping, someone pointed out that in the shot where Lisia, Serena, and May are all holding hands while watching Ash's match with Leon, the colors of their dresses form the colors of the lesbian pride flag. So gay!Serena just goes very well with trans!Ash.

Speaking of, Did any of you catch what I was doing with the dress colors?

And to reply to the only review I've gotten since last time:

Speed Reader: Next part of this chapter will show what Jessie, James, and Meowth are up to. Sorry to leave you in suspense like that, but this chapter was getting so long, and I had a good stopping point right there with Lucario.

Anyways, next time, we'll get to what was originally supposed to be the climax of THIS chapter.

See you all then!