Archive of Our Own ^beta

To be sent back in time as singular and to come back to the present as plural is a strange thing. Now that Dawn has returned home, she just wants to go back to living her normal, average lifestyle, but she doesn't feel able to do that.

She isn't even fully aware that she time travelled at all. She just remembers the last thing she saw was the glowing eyes of Arceus, and then it all went blank for what she assumes was a few months. Little does she actually know it was a full year.

When she was sent back in time, she completely forgot who she was. She didn't know her name was Dawn. She didn't know she was born and raised in Twinleaf Town. She didn't know she had travelled around the Sinnoh region, and had participated in contests with her aim to become Top Coordinator.

So, with all of that gone, she had to make a new name for herself, and a completely new person too. She became Akari, a pokémon trainer who's aim is to catch every pokémon, travel around all of Hisui, complete every task given to them by the Galaxy Team, and meet Arceus, who will hopefully recover all of their lost memories and return them to their true home.

Except, when they did all of that, nothing happened. When they finally encountered Arceus after all of their hard work, it didn't do anything except play hard to catch. And it wasn't until they were in a Space-time Distortion, looking for the strange pokémon of different colors they loved seeking out sp much, when they were sent home.

When sent back, Akari found themselves in the present. They were still themself, but in different clothes, and in a different part of time they found familiar, yet unfamiliar.

They were in a forest that looked like The Heartwood, and in the distance, they could see a woman that looked a lot like Sabi, but they weren't able to get a closer look.

A woman with turquoise hair and a strange uniform ran over to them while they were wandering around the forest and took hold of their shoulder. She asked if they were 'Dawn', and the name felt oddly familiar, despite never hearing it back in Jubilife Village, but they shook their head.

They explained that their name was Akari, and they had probably been apart of this timeline at some point, but they only remember their life in Hisui. The woman jotted all of this down and then told them to come with her.

They sat on the back of a strange steed, and the two of them rode through a few settlements until they reached what seemed to be the destination of their old home? Akari thinks that their quarters look much better, but this will do.

They were escorted inside, where a woman sat on a couch, her eyes lighting up when they saw them. She jumped up from her seat to give them a hug, which made them rather uncomfortable, but they didn't feel they could do much to stop her.

Over the course of the next few months, Akari would be taught all about the life of Dawn, that felt weirdly painful to hear about, by Johanna and some of Dawn's friends. Apparently, Akari is Dawn, and despite the fact they wanted to know who they once were, they couldn't accept that they were a happy-go-lucky girl with dreams about being the highest ranked person to dance around a stage with pokémon in the 'Sinnoh' region.

To them, it just seemed more like something Arezu would do, and Akari and Arezu are two completely different people.

No one could make them be Dawn, but all of them collectively were able to help bring her back from the darkest and foggiest corner of their mind. But, that just meant that two completely different people were now sharing one body, and neither of them liked that...

But, one day, Dawn had finally had enough of all of this. She's wanted to finally be able to function like she's wanted to for a few months since she's returned home, but now she finally wants to take the first step to achieve that.

Even if she can't fill in the huge gaps in her memory, or even have full control of her body, but she still wants to live her life, and she can't bring herself to sit around and let her life waste away before her very own eyes-

"Piplup-lup?"

Dawn looked down to see a concerned look on Piplup's face. She must have spaced out again and had been staring at her bedroom wall in the middle talking to him, which has become a common occurrence.

"Sorry Piplup!" She apologised, "We can go now!"

She got up from her bed and jogged down the stairs, her partner pokémon running by her side. She was about to get to the door when she heard her mother's voice.

"Dawn, where do you think you're going?" Johanna asked.

Dawn spun on her heel and turned to face her. Her mother had her arms crossed, but her face looks more worried than angry.

She's so tired about everyone look concerned and worried for her and her safety.

"I'm just going on a walk," Dawn answered in a slightly annoyed tone which slipped out accidentally.

"I don't really think you should do that on your own..." Johanna muttered.

"Mom, I'll be fine! There's no need to worry!" She tried to reassure her, but it wasn't working well.

"But what if you get hurt? What if you go missing again? What if you forget who you are again?" Her mother argued, "You keep having these moments where you think you're someone else, and it scares me!"

There has been a few occasions where Dawn has spaced out during conversations with Johanna, leading to Akari taking her place. It would always be so sudden, and it would always make Akari freak out, as they know as little as Dawn as to what is going on.

"That's only happened a few times though, and Piplup is coming with me!" Dawn replied, "He'll look after me!"

Johanna wanted to argue further that this would be a bad idea, but she could only sigh and put up a fake smile.

"Okay..." She mumbled, "Piplup, please look after her..."

"Pip pip piplup!' Piplup saluted.

"Bye mom, see you later!" Her daughter waved goodbye to her before reaching the door handle and shutting the door behind her.

Once Dawn was out, she took a deep breath to compose herself. She was secretly nervous about all of this, but as long as she has Piplup by her side, she will be okay!

"Come on Piplup, let's go!" She exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air.

"Piplup!" Piplup shared her excitement, and with that, they were off.

The coordinator and her pokémon set off and out of Twinleaf Town to venture through Route 201 and Sandgem Town. However, once she was in Route 202, she felt herself come to a stop.

In front of her was a flock of Starly, but it wasn't an ordinary flock. One particular Starly was a different colour from the others, and that puzzled her.

Dawn didn't know what it meant, but Akari did.

Dawn wanted to know what or all meant, but she couldn't help but stare blankly at the flock, giving Akari the chance to take over.

"Well then, it looks like I'm going to get to catch a new Starla!" They announced as they put their hands on their hips.

"Pip-piplup?" Piplup looked up at them with concern.

Akari looked down at their other half's partner pokémon. They didn't understand why now when ever they got to have control of this body that didn't even feel like their own, it was always following them around with a worried look on its face.

They groaned to themselves before sending it back to its weird ball, and then turning their attention back to the 'shiny' before them. They needed to get her back, and now was the perfect opportunity.

Back in Hisui, Akari came across a shiny Starly, which they caught and named Starla. They loved her deeply, as they did with their other pokémon. They helpedcher become a strong Staraptor, and they miss her a lot now.

But now, they can get back what might be a descendant of their beloved shiny. They can bring back Starla to the team!

Akari took a deep breath before getting into a fighting position. This attracted the attention of most of the Starly, but not the one they were after.

With that, they began to roll over to their target. This scared away a lot of the Starly, but there was still another one trying to protect the shiny, almost as if it was a knight protecting its princess.

It tried to peck and their hideous pink boots, but they kept on going. They were used to pokémon attacking them, so it felt like nothing compared to the other instances where they have been poisoned, fatally injured, or worse...

The blackout...

They took out an empty poké ball and got into a position they felt comfortable catching in. They still hate the look of these modern poké balls, but if it would get them closer to rebuilding their old team in a new setting, then so be it.

As the shiny Starly still wasn't looking, they threw the poké ball, catching it off guard. One wobble, two wobbles...

Ding!

The Starly was caught! Akari was slightly put off by how the the poké ball didn't have a little smoke and a small explosion noise coming from it, but it was fine, because they finally have Starla back!

They picked up the poké ball before nuzzling their cheek next to it. They really hope that this new Starla and themself would get along just as well as they did with the old Starla.

Once Akari put away the ball, Dawn came back all of a sudden. It must have been because the other Starly was still pecking at her boots, but it really snapped her out of her dissociation, and left her feeling rather disorientated.

She shooed away the pokémon and then had a look around. All of the Starly from the flock she had seen before were now gone, including the oddly colored one, and she felt so confused.

Something must have happened with the other half of her to scare all of the pokémon away. Dawn now feels horrible on the inside because of that, worrying someone who keeps on taking over her body without concemt and is terrifying pokémon while presenting as her.

She just wants control again...

While she was looking around, she also found that Piplup was gone. She brought out his poké ball and let him out. He had tears in his eyes as he ran to hug her leg.

"Pip-piplup!" He cried.

"It's okay, I'm back now!" She reassured him, "There's no need to worry!"

Both Piplup and Dawn wanted to go home, and yet there was something still lingering inside her, telling her to keep on going. That thing wanted her to go past Jubilife City, past Route 203, and so on until she arrived in Route 211.

She didn't understand exactly why she wanted to go there, but something inside of her was telling her that she should.

When she arrived, she saw a pack of Teddiursa playing with each other. A smile spread across her face as she watched them, but before she could take a step closer.

"Piplup pip Pip-piplup!" Her partner cried, hugging onto her leg.

"There's no need to worry, Piplup!" She crouched down to reply, "There's no oddly coloured pokémon or anything to trigger anything strange to happen to me!"

Which is true. For the most part, that's the only time Akari will come out, as they are fascinated by the different look and the sparkles that come with a shiny pokémon.

But, luckily enough, there aren't any different coloured Teddiursa there.

"Pip-piplup..." Piplup muttered, crossing his arms as he looked away.

"I will be fine, I promise," Dawn replied with a serious look on her face.

He looked into her eyes, and he sighed. Despite the fact that Dawn would keep the promise if she could, there's no telling if the other one will come out and possibly send him away and put her in danger...

But, even then, he just has to go along with it. He has to be there for her, because if he isn't, no one is there to save her.

They both finally nodded in agreement before Dawn got to her feet and both of them made their way over to the pack of Teddiursa. They were suprisingly not scared of her, so all of them gladly accepted pats and strokes from her.

She was really enjoying herself, and she really thought she would be okay, but then, she heard a noise. A noise that was unfamiliar to Dawn, but was familiar to Akari.

And when Akari came out in that moment, all of the memories came rushing back. Back when they had also been stroking Teddiursa in Ursa's Ring when, suddenly, an Alpha Ursaring had approached them from behind and attacked them.

It sent shivers down their spine as they realised that they were about to relive that all again. That Ursaring, which ended up becoming a beloved Ursaluna of theirs called Usagi, was the cause of their very first blackout, and made it crystal clear that they were never safe in Hisui, and that they never would be.

Akari slowly turned their head around, and although they weren't suprised that there was an Ursaring behind them, they still jumped a little and their breath hitched regardless. They should be used to this, they should have grown to always keep their guard up and never let emotion get the better of them when they see cute and harmless pokémon that have savage and killer parents, but they thought things would be different now.

They thought they wouldn't need to fear experiencing any of this ever again...

But yet, they were. They looked up and found a furious Ursaring towering over them, just like they had before. This one didn't have red, glowing eyes, but it was still just as tall as the one they had seen before.

Akari got into a battle stance as they prepared themself. They knew gritting their teeth wouldn't be enough to scare it off or make it go away, so they would have to fight a good fight to catch it.

"Pip-piplup!"

But this Piplup wasn't making it any easier for them to do so. They thought they had already sent it away, but maybe when they were out, their other hald had sent him back out.

Why it would have such a weak pokémon, Akari couldn't understand, but still they just shrugged it off and sent it back to its poké ball. And once that was gone, they began to roll.

This confused both the Ursaring and her Teddiursa, but they continued on. They didn't seem to have any smoke bombs or anything they could use to distract it, so this was all that could possibly work.

They threw poké balls as they did so, but Ursaring kept on jumping out. Akari quickly realised that this wouldn't be as easy as they were hoping it would be in a modern Hisui, so it was now time to battle.

They knew their other half had a Quilava, so they sent him out. They once had a Quilava themselves, and they missed him deeply, even more than any other pokémon they had in their possession.

His name was Spirit, and they had recieved him when he was just a Cyndaquil. They grew alongside him, and with much training, he grew to be a strong and powerful Typhlosion.

Maybe this battle would help his possible descendant to evolve and become just like him...

"Spirit, use Smokescreen!" Akari commanded.

Quilava has easily adapted to his new nickname, and did as they told him to do. A cloud of smoke temporarily covered Ursaring, making her more aggressive. However, when she then failed to land a move on him, meaning it worked.

"Now then, use Eruption!" They instructed.

With an explosive fury, Quilava attacked Ursaring, dealing a lot of damage. It now meant it was time to start throwing poké balls to catch her and add her to the team.

While Akari was going through the bag of their other half, they found an Ultra ball inside. Hopefully this would do the trick.

They threw the ball, and she was captured inside. The ball rolled around a few times, and then...

Ding!

They ran over to pick up the ball. Usagi was finally back on the team, and they were so happy their plan was finally working. They would be able to get all of their old pokémon back, and they will hopefully be able to feel a little like themself again.

But, as they turned around and were about to thank Quilava, he was engulfed in a bright, blue light. He grew and so did Akari's hope, but all of that changed once he had evolved.

Spirit seemed to be a Typhlosion, but not the one they had before. He didn't have beautiful, purple and red flames around his chest, and he seems to have lost all of the coolness he once had in a past life.

Maybe pokémon just loose their coolness as time goes on...

But still, Akari now had Spirit, Starla and Usagi back. Now all they need is the other three, and their team will be back to how it should be.

Even with little differences, as long as they can have the same pokémon, they'll be happy. All they hope is that Starla and Usagi don't have as much of a significant difference when they eventually evolve into a Staraptor and Ursaluna.

Akari sent Spirit back to his ball, and once he was put away, Dawn came back. And as soon as she was in control again, she turned to the Teddiursa.

When she looked down on them, they all had teary eyes. She wanted to comfort them, when she took a step closer, they ran away crying.

It has messed everything up for them again, and she couldn't help but falls to her knees with fear of what might have just happened while she wasn't there.

She feels guilty for it scaring the Teddiursa away, and for it breaking her promise to Piplup. Even though it wasn't her fault, it doesn't change anything, because she still technically did it, or at least her body did it.

She felt like all she was now capable of doing was sobbing to herself it the middle of a path, not allowing anyone to comfort her. She thought it would be better to never return home, but, it seemed fate had different plans, as she heard a motorbike speed towards her, and then a woman come and sit doen beside her.

"Is this Dawn or Akari I'm speaking to?" Officer Jenny inquired

"Dawn..." Dawn muttered in response.

"Are you okay?" She questioned.

She shook her head.

"Would you like me to take you home?" Jenny asked.

She nodded her head.

The officer helped Dawn stand up straight and then onto the back of her motorbike. She wrapped her arms around Jenny as she rode her home, and at last she finally felt a little bit of comfort and safety.

She was returned home, and she was startled when her mother ran up to hug her.

"Where were you? What happened? I was worried sick!" Johanna exclaimed as she held her by the shoukders

"I'm sorry..." Dawn apologised, not feeling able to look in her eyes.

"Why don't you go upstairs and rest while I explain what happened to your mother?" Jenny suggested.

She nodded and went into the house. She made her way upstairs and into her bedroom before sitting down on her bed.

She let out Piplup before letting him lecture her to his heart's desire. And, once he was done, and finally felt sympathy for her, he jumped up to sit next to her as she went through the contents of her bag.

She threw the two poké balls and the ultra ball, and out came the shiny Starly, larger than normal Ursaring, and her newly evolved Typhlosion. So much had happened since she was gone, abd it scared her.

But, Dawn didn't have any tears left to cry. She felt too tired to do so. All she felt she could do was laugh to herself hysterically whike the four pokémon in her room looked at her with concern.

"There's no need to worry..." She tried to reassure herself after she had finished trying to make herself happier to no success, "Everything will be okay..."

One day...