A changed world. A more violent world. Ash Ketchum was enjoying Alola until the world came to an end. Sent back to the beginning, everything has changed...Ash can't just become a Pokemon Master. He has to save the world from the madman that ended it. Ash/Harem (slowburn)
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Pokemon: Shadow of Time - Kanto (By RontheTrueFan)
- Thread starter 117Jorn
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Prologue: The End of The World
117Jorn
Know what you're doing yet?
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117Jorn Note: This story was originally posted on FF Dot net by Ronthetruefan, however with FF being down currently he is worried about loosing his work - so he asked me to post chapters of his stories here on QQ until he can figure out how to use the system properly here. All credit goes to Ronthetruefan, as well as his co-writer Takeshi Yamato. I have helped with this story as well, but to a much lesser degree than they. Please support the official release by Ronthetruefan on FF, or Housecoat Gaming on Youtube. This was directly copies from AO3.
Ron the True Fan: Disclaimers are pointless. Now I said it a few times to reviewers: I was not entirely happy with the prologue. It served its' purpose. Now that SOT's finished, which you'll see in about, oh, ten chapters or so, we're going back to the past… to rewrite the prologue that sucked-(WHACK!)
Takeshi Yamato: Just get to it, Ron!
Thor: (Mjolnir returns to hand and he starts spinning it again, ready to release again)
Disturb not the harmony of fire, ice or lightning, lest these titans wreak destruction upon the world in which they clash.
Though the water's great guardian shall arise to quell the fighting, alone its song will fail, lest the earth shall turn to Ash. O Chosen One, into thine hands bring together all three.
Their treasures combined tame the Beast of the Sea.
The Prophecy of Shamouti Island did not just refer to the Legendary Birds, but the Creation Trio of Dialga, Palkia and Giratina. Cyrus Akagi of Team Galactic has destroyed the balance. Now the consequences of his folly will be seen by all… but most of all, by Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town.
Pokemon School - Melemele Island - 1314 hours local time - Year 7, day 63 of Ash Ketchum's Pokemon Journey
Ash Ketchum sighed. Professor Kukui was great and all… but he knew the type chart backwards, forwards and upside down.
He might not look it, but he had been competing in leagues since before these kids could properly toss a Pokeball. And he was bored.
'Better bored then confronting another evil team.' Ash thought to himself as Kukui pointed at a gray rectangle on the chart.
"Now, we know about the Steel-type's weakness to fire, but can anyone tell me what its' strengths are?" the professor/teacher asked his class, Lillie raising her hand. "Yes, Lillie?"
The rich girl stood up, raising a hand. "The steel-type is known for its great defense, being most effective against ice and rock-types." she said, her Alolan Vulpix Snowy mewling at being told he was weak to steel. Thankfully, his trainer noticed. "I'm sorry, Snowy…"
"Correct!" Kukui said, Pikachu just giving Ash a look that said 'can we PLEASE leave?' Ash could not blame him.
He didn't like sitting still: his idea of a lazy day was running around and training his Pokemon. It was half the reason he didn't settle down with any of his companions.
Misty… Oh, Misty. Ash wasn't dumb. It took him a while to notice these things, but he wasn't dumb. Misty's mermaid water show was basically her confessing to him.
But after Latios died… he was pretty sure it was Latias who pecked him on the cheek the day he left Altomere. And he didn't feel he deserved it. Deserved… love.
Which was half the reason he went to Hoenn alone. The other half being his father just leaving and not coming back. He figured he could handle going alone. Cue running into May. He gladly tutored her until she could become a good trainer, accepting and even encouraging her career as a coordinator.
He noticed her falling for him right around the time he beat her father for the Balance Badge. It was pretty much solidified when they went to Kanto and he nearly drowned saving Samiya from sinking. He was happy to see her follow her dream, away from him, going to Johto while he went to Sinnoh.
Sinnoh… he had no fond memories of that place. Sure, Dawn was a nice enough girl (and after accidentally peeking at her diary and seeing 'Mrs Dawn Ketchum' in there after Lake Acuity, he actually considered abandoning Sinnoh and going home for a bit, but he had a League to compete in) but that was the only good thing.
Paul was an ass, Ash would not deny that. It took him beating the crap out of Paul at the League for him to soften up even slightly. Humiliation at a public venue, it seemed, was the only solution. And then there was Cyrus.
Arceus, he hated Cyrus. He wanted to 'remake reality', whatever that meant. Ash wasn't an expert. He just hoped Cyrus got what he deserved for hurting the Lake Trio.
And then there was Tobias. Which was bullshit. He learned his lesson at Shamouti: never catch a legendary. It's a bad idea in the end. Yet Tobias went and got at least two, the Latios especially mocking him for his failure to stop Annie and Oakly at Altomare.
"Togedemaru's perfect against poison-types!" said Sophocles, drawing Ash out of his thoughts. He must've spaced out thinking.
Really, he joined this school because he thought it would be all practical learning. The theory was nice and all, but once you're out of the class, you need to think on your feet.
Which he somehow forgot in Unova. He didn't even know what happened to him when he started that journey. Zekrom zapping him in the head, leftover Tobias funk, something that was actually, literally, in the air?
He didn't know. He didn't care: he didn't like what happened there. And that made his meeting Iris worse. She was a lot like Misty, but for dragons and… wilder. He REALLY got sick and tired of her 'kid' comments, especially when she was a year YOUNGER then he was.
Of course, he befriended her - and by Mistralton, she had a not-so-well-hidden crush on him, making him question HOW this kept happening - and she lightened up. Somewhat. She was more of a… tsundere? Was that accurate? Ash didn't care as Kiawe answered a question about dragon-types.
Of course, that ended with him losing at the League (what was WRONG with him in Unova? It was like someone had it against him there) he had to deal with Team Plasma AND Giovanni. He had to put the pieces together that he was the Viridian City Gym Leader after that second time with Mewtwo. You don't get a badge from Team Rocket unless their boss WAS the leader.
Then Kalos happened. He wanted to go back and tell himself NOT to go there. Alexia got him to meet Serena again. And he had to lie a LOT to her. He remembered all too well who she was.
His first crush. Then again, she had that adorable accent-
'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!' Ash mentally screamed, trying to not break his vow to not go after her.
He had to thank that guitarist nut. Greninja was demanding he 'mate' with her once the Battle Bond was solidified. Often. And that time he got sick, he nearly gave into that demand. THAT would have been awkward.
After the Kalos League (Alain's Mega Evolution thing was bullshit. He didn't rely on gimmicks to win, the Ash-Greninja thing being something they couldn't exactly control from happening) and dealing with Team Flare (he REALLY hoped Lysandre was dead. Son of a bitch deserved it) he was ready to go home. Then Serena kissed him.
His first actual kiss. He wanted nothing more then to go with her to Hoenn right then and there. But his self-control was stronger then his lust and she left while he just stood there, dumbfounded.
After that, he went home. Then Mimey won the contest to go to Alola. Which brought him to now.
At least he was confident that none of the girls here would fall for him. Mallow and Lana were 13, Lillie was 12. He was 17, even if he didn't look it. He'd love to be nothing more then their big brother figure. A crush they'd grow out of, he could live with.
He glanced at Torracat as he lounged in the sun. He should really thank Professor Kukui later.
Again, Ash wasn't an idiot. He learned a long time ago how to figure out disguises. Actually, he figured it out in Celadon thanks to Jessie and James. (He HATED crossdressing and that time Cilan dressed up as Elesa, he wanted to SCREAM) Most of the time, he figured out where Team Rocket was, he just waited for them to pull their nonsense, hoping THIS time, they'd go 'we give up! Want to be friends?'. He could hope they'd resign from the Team and become actual trainers.
So, yes, he knew Professor Kukui was the Masked Royale. Kinda hard not to figure it out with that skin and the voice, not to mention the height, physique… yeah. It was easy to figure out.
He just played stupid for the sake of the kids. He didn't want to ruin their fun. He wasn't Paul. He was pretty sure Paul had no idea how to HAVE fun.
Unfortunately, their fun was going to be ruined by another source.
A flash of light was followed by a green missile smashing into the railing, smashing it before barreling through Lillie's desk, finally smacking into the blackboard.
"Lillie, are you ok?!" Sophocles asked as Mallow checked on the girl, finding her forehead and left leg cut by the desk's metal parts, blood freely flowing onto the ground.
Ash paid less attention to Lillie, knowing they would make sure she was ok and focused on what caused her injury.
It was very familiar, with a green body, pixie wings, an onion-shaped head-
"Oh, hell." Ash muttered, loudly enough that he got the attention of his classmates, who double-taked at Ash actually cursing.
He tried not to most of the time, but this warranted it, even as Rotom Dex hovered towards the Time Travel Pokemon to identify it.
Ash, having run into Celebi four times now - once in the Ilex forest, once in Kanto when he was with May and once in Sinnoh, specifically in Crown City - was less interested in seeing Celebi and knowing why the Mythical Pokemon was even here to begin with. Mainly because EVERY TIME one showed up, everything went to hell in a handbasket in a matter of minutes.
And with the exception of dealing with the occasional Ultra Beast, he was expecting a vacation from this shit.
"This is a Pokemon that isn't native to Alola!" Rotom Dex said, Ash rolling his eyes. 'No shit.' he mentally snarked as Rotom scanned the Pokemon in question.
"Celebi, the Time Travel Pokemon: This Pokémon wanders across time. Grass and trees flourish in the forests in which it has appeared." Rotom said before suddenly going INSANE. "LEGENDARY! NOT ONLY LEGENDARY, MYTHICAL! THIS IS A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EVENT!"
Ash snorted. "Then I'm lucky, seeing as I've met Celebi three times before." he snarked, getting the attention of all of the students and Rotom Dex.
"Nonsense!" the possessed machine said. "If you had met-" Ash then pulled out one of his older Pokedex models: the Unovan one, actually. Professor Oak spent months fixing it after Torterra stepped on it and he picked it up when they went to Kanto, as Ash wanted to look at the entries he had without making the Rotom freak out like he was now..
"What?! I thought I was your first Pokedex!" screamed the indignant machine.
"I'm from Kanto, Rotom Dex: we don't start out at 14 like you do in Alola." Ash explained. "We start at TEN."
"Oh, right." Lana said in mild understanding. "That explains why Misty looked so young for a gym leader..."
Lillie blinked away her pain, focusing on Ash. "I… saw you on the news…" she slurred. "At...Greenfield?"
Ash didn't want to discuss it.
Meanwhile, Pikachu was explaining everything to Rowlet, Torracat and Lycanroc, the rock-type especially fearful of the legendary grass-type. Rowlet was extremely excited.
Mallow looked at the Pokedex in question. "That's from Unova. When did you go to Unova?" she asked.
"Two years ago." Ash said, even as Rotom went insane from seeing all the entries on Legendaries, including Arceus. "What I'm more interested in right now is…" he looked at Celebi. "What are YOU doing here?"
The onion-headed Pokemon groaned as she awoke, rubbing her head. "Bii…" 'I hate my job sometimes.' she said, Ash showing mild surprise when he heard her in his mind. "Bi?" 'Ash? Oh, thank Arceus, I'm not too late.'
This was not good. Celebi was looking for him.
"She talks?!" Kiawe demanded, Ash giving him an unamused look over his shoulder.
"All Pokemon talk. We just can't understand them most of the time." he said before looking at Celebi. "Do I want to know why you're here?"
"Celebi…" 'You're about to figure it out.' Celebi said before the ground began to shake and everything started to just feel… wrong.
"…what the hell was that?" Kiawe asked, blanching a bit. "I… I don't feel… right…"
"Cele." 'Cyrus happened.' Celebi said as the skies started turning unnatural colors of purple, gold and teal, the ground continuing to shake.
"Cyrus?!" Ash demanded. "I thought he died!"
Celebi's usually bell-like laugh sounded harsh and mirthless. "Bi." 'He did. But he had control of Dialga and Palkia until he finally lost his mind and killed himself.' Celebi said as lightning struck the ocean, literally unmaking the water.
"That… can't be good." Sophocles said before Mallow began vomiting up what looked like black blood, coughing before beginning to puke up more.
"Bi." 'We're all dead,' Celebi answered. "Celebi." 'Without a controlling presence, Dialga and Palkia went berserk and killed Giratina. Arceus is doing what he can to keep the universe from completely collapsing, but even the Creator knows there's no saving it.' the Time Travel Pokemon said before Lana's hand started randomly twitching, the nails starting to peel off her hand of their own accord.
"There's got to be something we can do!" Ash said, ignoring any odd feelings he had and focusing on Celebi.
Kukui held his head as blood poured out of his ears, screaming as he fell on the floor.
"Bi!" 'I have to send you back to the start!' Celebi said, even as Kiawe and Sophocles collapsed, the former crying literal tears of blood.
"You honestly think going back in time's going to solve this?!" Ash asked as the Pokemon started showing signs of injury, Snowy's fur starting to turn a deep red as blood oozed out of his pores and Togedemaru's metal spines beginning to rust and fall off.
"Celebi!" 'Do we have a choice?! They're dying! And you'll be next if we don't get a move on!' the onion-headed Pokemon said before Mallow looked up, her eyes starting to turn green before they completely turned black.
"Ash…" Mallow said, before screaming in pain and terror. That made up Ash's mind.
"I can't do this alone." he said, almost pathetically before he felt blood leak from his nose.
'You will not be alone.' came a voice Ash...knew? It sounded familiar. Very...
"Azelf?" he asked, getting a feeling of confirmation. It had been a long time since he'd seen them.
'My sisters and I will send back the minds of your Pokemon. They cannot physically go with you.' the Willpower Pokemon explained, even as Professor Kukui had a puddle of blood form under him, the older man hacking and coughing as he laid on the floor. 'You will need them.'
Ash coughed, flecks of blood escaping his mouth as he felt his head seemingly shrink, being ten times too small for his brain.
"Bi!" 'We need to go NOW!' Celebi said, Pikachu bounding towards him before a psionic bubble formed around the two, the Electric Mouse bonking off the shield. "Celebi!" 'The second YOU start showing signs of degradation, we're out of time!'
Ash held his head, groaning before Celebi started moving them forward. "Pika… chu…" he moaned.
"Celebi." 'You'll see him again,' she said before propelling them forward, trying to find a stable place to send them back in time. After a moment, she growled. "Bi." 'Fine. Going to have to do this the hard way.'
Ash looked at Celebi in confusion. "The… hard way?" he asked, even as he saw parts of the island start floating into the air.
"Bi." 'You've been to Unova.' the Time Travel Pokemon said before smirking. "Celebri." 'And I've always wanted to say this… but when this bubble hits eighty-eight miles per hour, you're gonna see some serious shit.'
Then the bubble shot forward, Ash's eyes being forced to stay open as they shot through whatever reality was now. It was beyond real description, with unnatural reds, golds, blues and purples making patterns Ash couldn't put into words as Celebi shot them through time, Ash screaming as he couldn't close his eyes.
A sort of ringed tunnel formed before they entered it, winding in twists, turns and loops before Ash finally blacked out from the mental strain.
His nightmare had only just begun.
Ron the True Fan: And you all wonder why this has a 'horror' tag. Last time, it was just quick, simple, to get the ball rolling and spare you the real horrors of reality unmaking itself. Now? Well, how does the FUCKING EYE OF TERROR sound?!
Takeshi Yamato: Yeesh. And yes, we still did the Back to the Future ref. It's fun.
117Jorn: …didn't do all that much in the remade Prologue tbh - not a fan of legit psychological horror.
Ron the True Fan: And besides, the best horror is IMPLIED horror. Which no one seems to GET nowadays. Then there's the unofficial 40K prequel. (Jorn: Event Horizon's not a 40K prequel, Ron! Ron: Everyone else seems to disagree with you!)
Takeshi Yamato: Yeah, honestly, Zombie Horror is way too overdone.
Ron the True Fan: ...Neither of you have actually WATCHED Event Horizon, have you? Enjoy the fic.
Ja Ne!
(New AO3/QQ note)
Ron the True Fan: I am NOT pleased. This was prompted by the most recent stupidity with FFN, so I have, reluctantly, decided to just port everything over. I am not happy. But I suppose it was going to happen eventually. Regardless...you know how this ends. I'll be updating it here once a day until Kanto is done. Ja Ne. (Angry scream)
Ron the True Fan: Disclaimers are pointless. Now I said it a few times to reviewers: I was not entirely happy with the prologue. It served its' purpose. Now that SOT's finished, which you'll see in about, oh, ten chapters or so, we're going back to the past… to rewrite the prologue that sucked-(WHACK!)
Takeshi Yamato: Just get to it, Ron!
Thor: (Mjolnir returns to hand and he starts spinning it again, ready to release again)
Disturb not the harmony of fire, ice or lightning, lest these titans wreak destruction upon the world in which they clash.
Though the water's great guardian shall arise to quell the fighting, alone its song will fail, lest the earth shall turn to Ash. O Chosen One, into thine hands bring together all three.
Their treasures combined tame the Beast of the Sea.
The Prophecy of Shamouti Island did not just refer to the Legendary Birds, but the Creation Trio of Dialga, Palkia and Giratina. Cyrus Akagi of Team Galactic has destroyed the balance. Now the consequences of his folly will be seen by all… but most of all, by Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town.
Pokemon School - Melemele Island - 1314 hours local time - Year 7, day 63 of Ash Ketchum's Pokemon Journey
Ash Ketchum sighed. Professor Kukui was great and all… but he knew the type chart backwards, forwards and upside down.
He might not look it, but he had been competing in leagues since before these kids could properly toss a Pokeball. And he was bored.
'Better bored then confronting another evil team.' Ash thought to himself as Kukui pointed at a gray rectangle on the chart.
"Now, we know about the Steel-type's weakness to fire, but can anyone tell me what its' strengths are?" the professor/teacher asked his class, Lillie raising her hand. "Yes, Lillie?"
The rich girl stood up, raising a hand. "The steel-type is known for its great defense, being most effective against ice and rock-types." she said, her Alolan Vulpix Snowy mewling at being told he was weak to steel. Thankfully, his trainer noticed. "I'm sorry, Snowy…"
"Correct!" Kukui said, Pikachu just giving Ash a look that said 'can we PLEASE leave?' Ash could not blame him.
He didn't like sitting still: his idea of a lazy day was running around and training his Pokemon. It was half the reason he didn't settle down with any of his companions.
Misty… Oh, Misty. Ash wasn't dumb. It took him a while to notice these things, but he wasn't dumb. Misty's mermaid water show was basically her confessing to him.
But after Latios died… he was pretty sure it was Latias who pecked him on the cheek the day he left Altomere. And he didn't feel he deserved it. Deserved… love.
Which was half the reason he went to Hoenn alone. The other half being his father just leaving and not coming back. He figured he could handle going alone. Cue running into May. He gladly tutored her until she could become a good trainer, accepting and even encouraging her career as a coordinator.
He noticed her falling for him right around the time he beat her father for the Balance Badge. It was pretty much solidified when they went to Kanto and he nearly drowned saving Samiya from sinking. He was happy to see her follow her dream, away from him, going to Johto while he went to Sinnoh.
Sinnoh… he had no fond memories of that place. Sure, Dawn was a nice enough girl (and after accidentally peeking at her diary and seeing 'Mrs Dawn Ketchum' in there after Lake Acuity, he actually considered abandoning Sinnoh and going home for a bit, but he had a League to compete in) but that was the only good thing.
Paul was an ass, Ash would not deny that. It took him beating the crap out of Paul at the League for him to soften up even slightly. Humiliation at a public venue, it seemed, was the only solution. And then there was Cyrus.
Arceus, he hated Cyrus. He wanted to 'remake reality', whatever that meant. Ash wasn't an expert. He just hoped Cyrus got what he deserved for hurting the Lake Trio.
And then there was Tobias. Which was bullshit. He learned his lesson at Shamouti: never catch a legendary. It's a bad idea in the end. Yet Tobias went and got at least two, the Latios especially mocking him for his failure to stop Annie and Oakly at Altomare.
"Togedemaru's perfect against poison-types!" said Sophocles, drawing Ash out of his thoughts. He must've spaced out thinking.
Really, he joined this school because he thought it would be all practical learning. The theory was nice and all, but once you're out of the class, you need to think on your feet.
Which he somehow forgot in Unova. He didn't even know what happened to him when he started that journey. Zekrom zapping him in the head, leftover Tobias funk, something that was actually, literally, in the air?
He didn't know. He didn't care: he didn't like what happened there. And that made his meeting Iris worse. She was a lot like Misty, but for dragons and… wilder. He REALLY got sick and tired of her 'kid' comments, especially when she was a year YOUNGER then he was.
Of course, he befriended her - and by Mistralton, she had a not-so-well-hidden crush on him, making him question HOW this kept happening - and she lightened up. Somewhat. She was more of a… tsundere? Was that accurate? Ash didn't care as Kiawe answered a question about dragon-types.
Of course, that ended with him losing at the League (what was WRONG with him in Unova? It was like someone had it against him there) he had to deal with Team Plasma AND Giovanni. He had to put the pieces together that he was the Viridian City Gym Leader after that second time with Mewtwo. You don't get a badge from Team Rocket unless their boss WAS the leader.
Then Kalos happened. He wanted to go back and tell himself NOT to go there. Alexia got him to meet Serena again. And he had to lie a LOT to her. He remembered all too well who she was.
His first crush. Then again, she had that adorable accent-
'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!' Ash mentally screamed, trying to not break his vow to not go after her.
He had to thank that guitarist nut. Greninja was demanding he 'mate' with her once the Battle Bond was solidified. Often. And that time he got sick, he nearly gave into that demand. THAT would have been awkward.
After the Kalos League (Alain's Mega Evolution thing was bullshit. He didn't rely on gimmicks to win, the Ash-Greninja thing being something they couldn't exactly control from happening) and dealing with Team Flare (he REALLY hoped Lysandre was dead. Son of a bitch deserved it) he was ready to go home. Then Serena kissed him.
His first actual kiss. He wanted nothing more then to go with her to Hoenn right then and there. But his self-control was stronger then his lust and she left while he just stood there, dumbfounded.
After that, he went home. Then Mimey won the contest to go to Alola. Which brought him to now.
At least he was confident that none of the girls here would fall for him. Mallow and Lana were 13, Lillie was 12. He was 17, even if he didn't look it. He'd love to be nothing more then their big brother figure. A crush they'd grow out of, he could live with.
He glanced at Torracat as he lounged in the sun. He should really thank Professor Kukui later.
Again, Ash wasn't an idiot. He learned a long time ago how to figure out disguises. Actually, he figured it out in Celadon thanks to Jessie and James. (He HATED crossdressing and that time Cilan dressed up as Elesa, he wanted to SCREAM) Most of the time, he figured out where Team Rocket was, he just waited for them to pull their nonsense, hoping THIS time, they'd go 'we give up! Want to be friends?'. He could hope they'd resign from the Team and become actual trainers.
So, yes, he knew Professor Kukui was the Masked Royale. Kinda hard not to figure it out with that skin and the voice, not to mention the height, physique… yeah. It was easy to figure out.
He just played stupid for the sake of the kids. He didn't want to ruin their fun. He wasn't Paul. He was pretty sure Paul had no idea how to HAVE fun.
Unfortunately, their fun was going to be ruined by another source.
A flash of light was followed by a green missile smashing into the railing, smashing it before barreling through Lillie's desk, finally smacking into the blackboard.
"Lillie, are you ok?!" Sophocles asked as Mallow checked on the girl, finding her forehead and left leg cut by the desk's metal parts, blood freely flowing onto the ground.
Ash paid less attention to Lillie, knowing they would make sure she was ok and focused on what caused her injury.
It was very familiar, with a green body, pixie wings, an onion-shaped head-
"Oh, hell." Ash muttered, loudly enough that he got the attention of his classmates, who double-taked at Ash actually cursing.
He tried not to most of the time, but this warranted it, even as Rotom Dex hovered towards the Time Travel Pokemon to identify it.
Ash, having run into Celebi four times now - once in the Ilex forest, once in Kanto when he was with May and once in Sinnoh, specifically in Crown City - was less interested in seeing Celebi and knowing why the Mythical Pokemon was even here to begin with. Mainly because EVERY TIME one showed up, everything went to hell in a handbasket in a matter of minutes.
And with the exception of dealing with the occasional Ultra Beast, he was expecting a vacation from this shit.
"This is a Pokemon that isn't native to Alola!" Rotom Dex said, Ash rolling his eyes. 'No shit.' he mentally snarked as Rotom scanned the Pokemon in question.
"Celebi, the Time Travel Pokemon: This Pokémon wanders across time. Grass and trees flourish in the forests in which it has appeared." Rotom said before suddenly going INSANE. "LEGENDARY! NOT ONLY LEGENDARY, MYTHICAL! THIS IS A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EVENT!"
Ash snorted. "Then I'm lucky, seeing as I've met Celebi three times before." he snarked, getting the attention of all of the students and Rotom Dex.
"Nonsense!" the possessed machine said. "If you had met-" Ash then pulled out one of his older Pokedex models: the Unovan one, actually. Professor Oak spent months fixing it after Torterra stepped on it and he picked it up when they went to Kanto, as Ash wanted to look at the entries he had without making the Rotom freak out like he was now..
"What?! I thought I was your first Pokedex!" screamed the indignant machine.
"I'm from Kanto, Rotom Dex: we don't start out at 14 like you do in Alola." Ash explained. "We start at TEN."
"Oh, right." Lana said in mild understanding. "That explains why Misty looked so young for a gym leader..."
Lillie blinked away her pain, focusing on Ash. "I… saw you on the news…" she slurred. "At...Greenfield?"
Ash didn't want to discuss it.
Meanwhile, Pikachu was explaining everything to Rowlet, Torracat and Lycanroc, the rock-type especially fearful of the legendary grass-type. Rowlet was extremely excited.
Mallow looked at the Pokedex in question. "That's from Unova. When did you go to Unova?" she asked.
"Two years ago." Ash said, even as Rotom went insane from seeing all the entries on Legendaries, including Arceus. "What I'm more interested in right now is…" he looked at Celebi. "What are YOU doing here?"
The onion-headed Pokemon groaned as she awoke, rubbing her head. "Bii…" 'I hate my job sometimes.' she said, Ash showing mild surprise when he heard her in his mind. "Bi?" 'Ash? Oh, thank Arceus, I'm not too late.'
This was not good. Celebi was looking for him.
"She talks?!" Kiawe demanded, Ash giving him an unamused look over his shoulder.
"All Pokemon talk. We just can't understand them most of the time." he said before looking at Celebi. "Do I want to know why you're here?"
"Celebi…" 'You're about to figure it out.' Celebi said before the ground began to shake and everything started to just feel… wrong.
"…what the hell was that?" Kiawe asked, blanching a bit. "I… I don't feel… right…"
"Cele." 'Cyrus happened.' Celebi said as the skies started turning unnatural colors of purple, gold and teal, the ground continuing to shake.
"Cyrus?!" Ash demanded. "I thought he died!"
Celebi's usually bell-like laugh sounded harsh and mirthless. "Bi." 'He did. But he had control of Dialga and Palkia until he finally lost his mind and killed himself.' Celebi said as lightning struck the ocean, literally unmaking the water.
"That… can't be good." Sophocles said before Mallow began vomiting up what looked like black blood, coughing before beginning to puke up more.
"Bi." 'We're all dead,' Celebi answered. "Celebi." 'Without a controlling presence, Dialga and Palkia went berserk and killed Giratina. Arceus is doing what he can to keep the universe from completely collapsing, but even the Creator knows there's no saving it.' the Time Travel Pokemon said before Lana's hand started randomly twitching, the nails starting to peel off her hand of their own accord.
"There's got to be something we can do!" Ash said, ignoring any odd feelings he had and focusing on Celebi.
Kukui held his head as blood poured out of his ears, screaming as he fell on the floor.
"Bi!" 'I have to send you back to the start!' Celebi said, even as Kiawe and Sophocles collapsed, the former crying literal tears of blood.
"You honestly think going back in time's going to solve this?!" Ash asked as the Pokemon started showing signs of injury, Snowy's fur starting to turn a deep red as blood oozed out of his pores and Togedemaru's metal spines beginning to rust and fall off.
"Celebi!" 'Do we have a choice?! They're dying! And you'll be next if we don't get a move on!' the onion-headed Pokemon said before Mallow looked up, her eyes starting to turn green before they completely turned black.
"Ash…" Mallow said, before screaming in pain and terror. That made up Ash's mind.
"I can't do this alone." he said, almost pathetically before he felt blood leak from his nose.
'You will not be alone.' came a voice Ash...knew? It sounded familiar. Very...
"Azelf?" he asked, getting a feeling of confirmation. It had been a long time since he'd seen them.
'My sisters and I will send back the minds of your Pokemon. They cannot physically go with you.' the Willpower Pokemon explained, even as Professor Kukui had a puddle of blood form under him, the older man hacking and coughing as he laid on the floor. 'You will need them.'
Ash coughed, flecks of blood escaping his mouth as he felt his head seemingly shrink, being ten times too small for his brain.
"Bi!" 'We need to go NOW!' Celebi said, Pikachu bounding towards him before a psionic bubble formed around the two, the Electric Mouse bonking off the shield. "Celebi!" 'The second YOU start showing signs of degradation, we're out of time!'
Ash held his head, groaning before Celebi started moving them forward. "Pika… chu…" he moaned.
"Celebi." 'You'll see him again,' she said before propelling them forward, trying to find a stable place to send them back in time. After a moment, she growled. "Bi." 'Fine. Going to have to do this the hard way.'
Ash looked at Celebi in confusion. "The… hard way?" he asked, even as he saw parts of the island start floating into the air.
"Bi." 'You've been to Unova.' the Time Travel Pokemon said before smirking. "Celebri." 'And I've always wanted to say this… but when this bubble hits eighty-eight miles per hour, you're gonna see some serious shit.'
Then the bubble shot forward, Ash's eyes being forced to stay open as they shot through whatever reality was now. It was beyond real description, with unnatural reds, golds, blues and purples making patterns Ash couldn't put into words as Celebi shot them through time, Ash screaming as he couldn't close his eyes.
A sort of ringed tunnel formed before they entered it, winding in twists, turns and loops before Ash finally blacked out from the mental strain.
His nightmare had only just begun.
Ron the True Fan: And you all wonder why this has a 'horror' tag. Last time, it was just quick, simple, to get the ball rolling and spare you the real horrors of reality unmaking itself. Now? Well, how does the FUCKING EYE OF TERROR sound?!
Takeshi Yamato: Yeesh. And yes, we still did the Back to the Future ref. It's fun.
117Jorn: …didn't do all that much in the remade Prologue tbh - not a fan of legit psychological horror.
Ron the True Fan: And besides, the best horror is IMPLIED horror. Which no one seems to GET nowadays. Then there's the unofficial 40K prequel. (Jorn: Event Horizon's not a 40K prequel, Ron! Ron: Everyone else seems to disagree with you!)
Takeshi Yamato: Yeah, honestly, Zombie Horror is way too overdone.
Ron the True Fan: ...Neither of you have actually WATCHED Event Horizon, have you? Enjoy the fic.
Ja Ne!
(New AO3/QQ note)
Ron the True Fan: I am NOT pleased. This was prompted by the most recent stupidity with FFN, so I have, reluctantly, decided to just port everything over. I am not happy. But I suppose it was going to happen eventually. Regardless...you know how this ends. I'll be updating it here once a day until Kanto is done. Ja Ne. (Angry scream)