Indomitable Spirit

Disclaimer: Crack the Skye does not own Pokémon, FMA, nor does he own any other franchise, series, or movie he may reference in the story. He does, however, own a real katana, which will be used with force against any lawyers who believe otherwise.

Prelude- Stop n'Start

Theme: Again by YUI {FMA Brotherhood opening theme 1}

Mt. Coronet, Sinnoh Region, 9:00 PM

"HAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Cyrus madly, as he stood in front of the machine that held Dialga and Palkia captive. "Finally, my plan is complete! Now, I shall remold the world in my image!"

A short distance away, Ash, Brock, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Gary, and Cynthia struggled against the energy bindings they had been placed in. Their Pokémon hadn't stood a chance against the forces of Dialga and Palkia, whose energies were being drained by the machine and used as a weapon. Pikachu and the others were trapped within a container that nullified their attacks, rendering them helpless.

"We can't let the machine finish powering up!" exclaimed Cynthia, "If it does, it means the end of all life as we know it!"

"How? We can't even move enough to throw rocks at it!" snarled Gary.

The trainers fought against the restraints with renewed vigor, but bindings refused to even loosen slightly. Meanwhile, the machine began to hum loudly, and Dialga and Palkia screeched in pain as their energy began collecting within a sphere at the heart of the machine. Team Galactic was going to succeed and none of them could do anything about it.

Max began to cry. "M-May...I'm scared. I d-d-don't want to die!"

'No!' thought Ash desperately, 'If this happens, everyone will…!' With all his soul, Ash pushed against his bindings, until…

SNAP

In a flash of brilliant blue, Ash's bindings shattered, leaving Ash standing defiantly, wisps of blue energy drifting off his body, and eyes glowing the same blue color. Needless to say, his friends were astonished, staring with open mouths at the young trainer.

"CYRUS!" screamed Ash, his voice now oddly deeper, as he charged at the blue-haired leader, who turned at the sound of the familiar-but-different voice.

Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, seeing the boy, moved to block his path, reaching towards their Pokéballs. Yet before they could even get the balls off their belt, Ash flashed past them as if they weren't even there. Cyrus, finally realizing what was happening, turned toward the boy, preparing to draw a Pokéball.

"Go, Croba-UGH!"

But before the words left his mouth, Ash slammed into him, knocking the crazed man to the side, losing his hat in the process, and continuing toward the machine, the energy around his body growing to almost blinding. As he reached the machine, the trainer drew back his right fist, and thrust it into the machine with a wordless yell.

"!"

The machine disintegrated before the force of the blow, freeing Palkia, Dialga, and the other trainers. The glowing blue around Ash faded as the boy seemed to come back to himself. He stared at his hands in shock, wondering, as everyone else was, just what had happened. Everyone stood silently for a few seconds, until a loud crack drew everyone's attention to the sphere that held Dialga and Palkia's energies. It shuddered, cracked again, shuddered, and in a horrible parody of an egg hatching, broke open. A blinding white beam lanced upward into the heavens, the full manifestation of the devastating power of time and space. Caught right next to the orb, Ash didn't even have time to scream. The light swallowed him whole before the horrified eyes of his companions.

When the light finally died, nothing was left where Ash had been standing. He was gone.

"PIKA-PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

"AAAAASH! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The two screams may have been in different languages, but neither could convey the sheer anguish that pierced the through the very souls of the yellow Pokémon and the redheaded gym leader at that moment. They wept and screamed, but nothing they did could hide them from the bitter truth.

Ash Ketchum was dead.

Somewhere and Nowhere

It is not yet this one's time. He still has much to do before his destiny is fulfilled.

The voice was full of power, power beyond mortal comprehension. A human could not even hope to hear this divine voice.

A second chance shall be granted to him. He has proven himself worthy. Do the scales find the exchange acceptable?

They do.

The second voice was powerful as well, but paled in comparison to the first. If the first voice was the radiating sun, the second voice was the dark side of the moon. Darker than the deepest night, but carrying no malice within it.

Then so be it.

Somewhere, a great bell rang.

-6 years later-

Unknown Location

"Interesting," mused the old man, reading through his newspaper, "It seems that this year is the year for the Tournament of Celebi. According to the newspaper, this year may be even greater than the last Tournament, fifty years ago."

"Is that so?" replied the young man on the other side of the table "Where is it?"

"Two weeks from now at Sennichi no Shima (island of ten thousand days). Apparently nearly all the Champions, Elite Four members, and gym leaders, as well as the world's foremost trainers, plan to compete."

The younger man mused to himself for a minute, and then suddenly stood up. "Sensei!"

"Yes, young one?"

A vein popped in the young man's forehead.

"Gah! Old fart! How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?"

The old man's eyes twinkled mischieviously. "Call you what, young one? Have I insulted you in some way?"

"Yes! How many times do I have to tell you not to call me young one? I'm not a child!"

"You say that, but your actions say otherwise."

"Che, stupid old fart." The boy looked away, sulking.

"What is it you wished to ask me young one?"

The young man took a steadying breath. "Sensei, I want to go join the tournament!"

The older man raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Perceiving the elder man's silence as disapproval, the boy's speech became rushed. "It may be rash, but this may be the best chance I have to find out who I was! Please, sensei!" he begged, sinking into a full bow, touching his forehead to the floor.

"No more of that," chided the old man, as the boy rose back up to stare at him. "If you truly wish to go, I will not stop you. You have been the best student I have ever taught. There is no more you can learn from me. Go and pack. If you wish to reach Sennichi no Shima within two weeks you must leave today."

The young man's eyes brightened. "Arigato, Sensei!" he shouted as he dashed to his room, leaving the older man behind to chuckle at his apprentice's antics. Abrubtly, the chuckle died in his throat, and his eyes stared off into nothingness as he remembered the first day he met the child.

-Alakazam used Flashback!-

The old man had been walking in the woods, gathering berries for dinner. The forest was peaceful, full of the sounds of Pokémon. The old man had just found a bush of Oran Berries when there was a curious tearing sound, as if the largest sheet of paper in the world had been ripped in half. Alarmed, the man rushed toward where the sound had originated from. In the middle of a clearing lay a young, black-haired boy, unconcious. Surrounding him was a circle of dead grass, trees, even Pokémon. The only living thing withing the circle seemed to be the young boy himself. The older man rushed toward the prone figure, turning him over. The boy's eyes feebly flickered open.

"Wh-who are you?"

"A friend, young one."

The boy relaxed, then his eyes closed again.

The man picked him up, taking him back to the cottage. As he left the clearing, he heard a voice whisper to him.

'Second chances are not given to everyone, Teacher. Cherish this opportunity' The words sent a chill down the man's spine as memories of a time long past rushed forward.

Two days later, the young man woke up. Once he had been fed, the old man decided it was time for questions.

"Tell me, young one; how did you come to be laying in that clearing?"

The boy frowned, his forehead scrunching in thought.

"I don't know."

"Do you have a name, young one?"

The young man froze, his eyes widening. He looked at the older man, terror clearly visible in his brown eyes.

"I-I don't...remember."

-Reader woke up!-

Remembering the words of the strange voice, the man had offered to teach the young boy in his arts, had offered him a home, and a name. The boy had accepted with barely a second thought.

The old man sighed as the memory faded, to be replaced by the memories of his previous student.

'It was all my fault.'

An hour later, the boy was sitting atop his Charizard outside the cottage. He turned at the sound of the door opening to see his sensei coming out.

"Before you go my son, I have one last present to give you." The old man held out his hand, and the boy stared at the pendant in the old man's hand. It was a brilliantly blue, scintillating crystal, strung on a simple black leather band. The apprentice placed it around his neck, looking at the older man with tears in his eyes.

"Sensei, I…"

"No more words, child. Good luck on your journey. Remember, with the power of Aura, nothing is beyond your reach. Now go!"

The boy nodded, and patted his Pokémon on the neck.

"Ikuzo, girl!"(let's go)

The Charizard roared, and in a great rush of air, shot off the cliff. As the boy soared off into the blue, he turned and looked back at the old man standing on the cliff.

"Arigatōgozaimasu Aaron-sensei!" (Thank you very much)

The old man chuckled, raising a hand in farewell.

"Good luck, Satoshi."

Many miles away, boat to Sennichi no Shima

"I can't believe we're on our way to the tournament of Celebi!"

Max was excited, and for good reason. Only the best trainers were invited to the tournament of Celebi, and a week ago, he, Max Maple, had received a formal invitation to attend.

With Max were his sister and Dawn. The two coordinators had been traveling through May's native Hoenn region when Max had called them with the news of his invitation. They, in turn, had contacted Brock in Kanto, where he had been studying under a Master Pokémon breeder. Brock had received permission from his teacher to go to the tournament and support his friend.

"I'm definitely going to win this thing!" shouted Max at the top of his lungs.

"I don't think so, Max. I'm going to win." replied a familiar voice.

"Pi! Pikachupi chu ka pi pikachu!"

Everyone turned around to see Misty walking towards them. She wore a white jacket left open, revealing a tight white shirt and light blue knee-length pants. On her shoulder rode a familiar yellow pokemon, wearing a red Pokémon League cap.

"Misty! You came! We didn't think you would ever leave Mt. Silver!"

"And miss the biggest tournament in 50 years? Not for all the Rare Candies in the world!"

Ever since Ash's death, Misty had sequestered herself deep within Mt. Silver, training a new, stronger team. She had bullied her sisters to take over the Cerulean Gym, and registered as a League Trainer again. Pikachu and she had become inseperable, never spending more than 5 minutes away from each other. She claimed it was because she didn't want to lose the strongest member of her new team, but almost eveyone saw right through her facade. Pikachu and the hat he now wore were her only tangible mementos of Ash.

Ash.

Ash's name had become almost taboo among the group. On the rare occasion that there was no choice but to use it, it was spoken softly, almost reverently, holding depths of emotion that few others could understand. If anyone even hinted at insulting Ash within earshot of the group, they would fly into a rage. He had left an indelible mark on their lives.

"Are you competing too, Misty?"

"Of course! I got the invitation just before your message arrived. By the way Max, congratulations on getting your 8th Johto badge. Clair said it was one of the best battle she had in a long time."

Max blushed. "Sh-she said that?"

It was a badly-kept secret that Max had a huge crush on the Dragon Gym Leader.

"Yep. She also said that you need to work your Sceptile much harder, or he'll be useless in a Champion-level match. His resistance to fire attacks is appalling."

Everyone sweatdropped as Max crouched in a corner, muttering to himself, the words 'useless' and 'appalling' hovering above his head in black and white.

"Are any of you competing besides Max?" inquired Misty.

"No, we just came to cheer him on," answered Dawn, "Well, that, and May and I heard that the stores at the tournament are beyond your wildest dreams!" Both coordinators went starry eyed a the thought.

Misty sighed. "Should have seen this one coming."

"Pikaaa." The electric rodent agreed

The orange-trainer stared out over the water, as she thought fondly of the missing member of their group.

'I'll make you proud, Ash. Pikachu and I will win this tournament for you. Just watch.'

Hidden Laboratory

"As you can see sir, version 9.2 surpasses any previous model by a huge amount. The project is fully ready for deployment."

"Excellent. Does it have the capacity to withstand the target's attacks?"

"Oh, most definitely sir."

The man smirked. At long last, his plans were coming to fruition. Soon, he would have enough power to realize his desire.

'I will bring you back. I shall rule the world with you and her by my side.'

"Prepare this for transport. We depart for Sennichi no Shima in three days.

"Yes, sir"

Giovanni smiled to himself as he departed the lab, stroking his Persian.

'Soon...'

Author's Notes

*Bows* Hello everyone. I'm Crack the Skye, and this is my first fanfic. Please treat it kindly. I will do my best to finish the story, and I've got some ideas in my head, but life is going to get busy for me in the next six months, so please be patient. Yes, I'm a fan of Japanese, and that will show in my stories, so I hope I don't inconvenience anybody. Please review and let me know how it is. Constructive criticism is welcomed. If you have questions, please feel free to ask.

Flamers will be met with the wrath of Blastoise.

Ja ne!