This came from an interesting idea I read in a pokemon fanfic on Ao3. I wanted to expand on it a little while also do a bit of a writing experiment with it.
Basically, the rival/friend character from Diamond/Pearl/Platinum/Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl (who’s know for rushing around all the time and jokingly fining people for making him wait) finds out he’s an incarnated Time God that decided it wanted to try out being Human for a while. He is wildly unprepared to connect to All of Time when he learns this fact.
I will give a warning for this!! Part of the point of this writing experiment is that it’s supposed to show how overwhelming time is so please be ready to see very clumped and crazy writing along with multiple writing tenses being used at once to convey that!
Barry had to move. He had to move! The blonde dove behind a shattered statue in the ruined temple atop Mt Cornet. It sat high above the clouds as it looked down on the rest of the Sinnoh region.
The place was ancient and abandoned, a mark of history that everyone knew existed but had only tiny scraps of information about. It had once belonged to some ancient people that lived in the region, the Celestica, but they had died out years and years ago. There were marks from them, found and talked about by the people that came to Sinnoh later on, but everything that was known about them was complete speculation.
Barry only knew stuff about them from old museums and a couple history books he’d read for school assignments.
What stood out to him, right then, was that the air was thin if you were in the temple and trying to breath normally there made his chest hurt slightly.
(Also, it was chillier than he’d thought it should have been. He should have grabbed a thicker coat before he’d raced up there.)
The place was crawling with lackeys from Team Galactic and the freaky machines hooked up to fancy relics they stole that they were using to try and forcibly summon Dialga, the Ruler/God of Time, and Palkia, the Ruler/God of Space. All so that their crazy boss could use his definitely-evil red magic-chain to capture them so he could for them to destroy the universe and build a new one to his specifications.
Which was all kinds of insane and Barry wasn’t sure where to even start with that.
Palkia had appeared from a rippling portal with a roar that seemed to shake, well, everything around them. It had come through, tall and powerful and covered in creamy scales that shimmered like pearls he’d seen in jewelry and aquariums he’d visited as a kid. It stood on its back legs, wing-like things sticking out of its back, and lots of pink ridges over it that make some of it’s limbs look more like armor than it’s natural body. It’s tusks helped frame the dark red eyes that glared out at the assembled humans, which certainly made his hair stand on end.
It had sure looked like the powerful dragon-type pokemon the legends said it was.
Then Cyrus, the crazy boss of Team Galactic, used the first of his Red Chains (the “naturally” made one that he’d almost killed the pokemon from the lakes to get) to capture it. And then the entire place erupted into chaos.
The sky had gone wrong, flashing with lights that made his instincts scream in panic. Palkia was in pain and fighting against the control but already space was breaking because of what was happening. But that was only half of what Galactic had wanted to happen.
Dialga hadn’t heeded the call from the machine hooked up to the Adamant Orb, not yet at least, but there was no telling how much longer it could resist whatever the scientist was doing to force it there. Not to mention how the breaking Space was probably making it freak out.
But it couldn’t come there! It had to stay away! It couldn’t come and be caught by Team Galactic too!
He would- He would fine it millions, no billions if it actually showed up! Who cared if gods, legendary pokemon, probably didn’t care about money? He’d figure out some way to make it sorry if it showed up!
Galactic’s boss was using Palkia to fight Lucas and Dawn when they tried to stop him, but their pokemon were beating it back as best they could. They were winning against it, thanks to the combined efforts of Dawn’s Torterra and Lucas’ Empoleon, but the entirety of the shattered temple around them had turned into a battlefield.
Hearing it scream from the attacks it was being hit with, from being forced to obey that- that- Whackjob using the chain, made his heart clench painfully in his chest.
(It made him feel like he was gonna be sick. Why, though? It was awful but the horror was just so strong it didn’t make sense.)
Cyrus’ lackeys were scrambling back from the raging battle, rushing away from the blast zone and racing back down the mountain tunnels to escape before a stray attack could hit any of them.
Barry’s gaze locked on the scientist grunt holding the Adamant Orb, amber eyes tracking them through the chaos.
He had to get it away from them. He couldn’t let them summon Dialga and capture it with the copy chain they’d made.
Fighting Space was hard enough on Dawn and Lucas’ teams, his friends wouldn’t be able to face Time too. They would lose if they had to battle Space and Time. He had to keep them from getting it there.
He had to get the Adamant Orb before they could force Dialga to appear and try to capture it too.
(Something in him screams that he shouldn’t touch it, that he needs to stay away from it, that he’s not ready, it’s not time! But he can’t let them win. He can’t give them the chance to win!)
Barry lunged at the grunt the second he had an opening to, forgoing his pokemon entirely and slamming an elbow into their gut to knock the wind out of them. His hands scrabbled against theirs, nails clawing at their skin until he could get a grip on the Adamant Orb and wrench it from their grasp.
By some stroke of good luck, the grunt kept their grip on the machine it had been hooked up to. Which was ripped off because of the scrambled fight between them.
The Orb glowed at his touch and Barry choked as e v e r y t h i n g s h i f t e d
He was too big for his bones, he was too small for his body, he was drowning, he was breathing, he was suffocating, hecouldseeeverything, hecouldseenothing, hecouldseealloftime, heknewalloftime, hewasalloftime, heknewwhohewasbeforeagain everythingthatiseverythingthatwaseverythingthatwillbe- !
Hetheyit hadshouldwould hide because hetheyit iswaswillbe DBiaarlrgya and hetheyit wasiswillbe in danger! Hetheyit canshouldwillnot be found there! Hetheyit cancouldn’tshouldn’t be caughtcapturedchained there!
A jagged pillar iswaswould block himthemit from sight. Hetheyit kickskicked the grunt away, lungeslunginglunged for the safe spot hetheyit knewknowknows iswaswillbe there.
An attack barely missmissedmisses himthemit but hidehides histheirits dive for cover.
Hetheyit curlscurledcurling around the orb triestriedtrying to be as small as hetheyit cancould be.
The battle ragesragindraged around hetheyit, but hetheyit staysstayedstaying hidden. Hetheyit needsneedneeded to staystayedstaying hidden or else everything waswillwouldbe over.
DBiaarlrgya doesn’tdidn’twon’t move, pressespressedpressing histheirits head against the cool stone as hetheyit waitwaitswaiting for the fightfighting to end.
Hetheyit iswaswillbe overwehelmedoverwhelmingoverwhelms.
Space growsshatterstwists around himthemit, but Time swallowsswallowingswallowed himthemit.
Hetheyit wasiswillbe too biglagegrand for histheirits skinbonesmind, hetheyit iswaswillbe too smallminisculelittle for histheirits shapeformbody, hetheyit iswaswillbe drowndrowneddrowning, hetheyit iswaswillbe breathebreathedbreathing, hetheyit iswaswillbe suffocatesuffocatedsuffocating, hetheyitcouldshouldseesawseeingeverything, hetheyitcouldshouldwouldseesawseeingnothing, hetheyitcouldshouldwouldseesawseeingalloftime, hetheyitknewknowknowsalloftime, hetheyitiswaswillbealloftime, hetheyitknewknowknowswhohetheyitiswaswillbebeforenowagain, hetheyit iswaswillbe everythingthatiseverythingthatwaseverythingthatwillbe- !
“Barry? Barry! Barry?!”
There iswaswillbe hands on DBiaarlrgya’s shoulders. Hetheyit jerkjerksjerking frombecauseat the contact.
DawnAkariHisTheirItsFriend iswaswillbe looklookedlooking at histheirit’s face in concern. Her face iswaswillbe pinchedpinchespinching with fear, dark blue eyes roverovedroving over histheirits shakeshakenshaking form.
She lookslookedlooking a mess. Her clothes arewerewillbe a mess from the battle. Behind her iswaswillbe her TorterraInfernapeEmpoleon, exahusted somehow stillwillwas standsstoodstanding. She iswaswillbe dresseddressing for summerwinteracienttimes. Her coatshirtkimono iswaswillbe torn and dirty, shortlong scarf falling off of her. (Only one iswaswillbe true. Which one iswaswillbe her? Hetheyit can’tisn’twon’tbe able to tell-)
“Holy- What’s going on?!” LucasReiHisTheirItsFriend iswaswillbe kneelskneltkneeling beside himthemit. “Barry, what’s wrong? What’s happening?!”
He iswaswillbe a mess too. His clothes arewerewillbe dirtytrondamaged. Behind him iswaswillbe his EmpoleonTorterraInfernape, leansleanedleaning against the stone to staystayedstaying upright. His vestcoatkimonojacket iswaswillbe open from broken buttonszippersties that he hasn’tcouldn’twouldn’t fix during the battle.
(When iswasshould hetheyit be seesawseeing? Hetheyit shouldwouldneeds to seesawseeing just one!)
Hetheyit trytriestried to speakspeakingspoke, the words that comecamecoming out jumbled to histheirits ears. Everything iswaswillbe too much, hetheyit can’tcouldn’twouldn’t dealdealtdealing with it! Hetheyit iswaswillbe seeingfeelinghearing more than hetheyit ever couldshouldwould!
They sharesharedsharing a panickedpanicking look before both grabgrabbedgrabbing himthemit in a tight hug.
“Don’t try to deal with it. Focus on us, just us. Nothing else.” LucasReiHisTheirItsFriend sayssaidsaying into histheirits ear.
“Right, what Lucas said. We’re here with you. Just- Just close your eyes and breathe, okay?” DawnAkariHisTheirItsFriend sayssaidsaying into DBiaarlrgya’s other ear.
Hetheyit closeclosedclosing histheirits eyes and diddoesdoing what hetheyit iswaswillbe toldtellstelling. Hetheyit focusfocusedfocusing on them. On their touchtouchedtouching. On histheirits breathbreathsbreathing.
They werearewillbe groundgroundedgrounding against the tidetides.
Hethey feelsfelt histheir chest expandexpanding as hethey breathsbreathed in. It iswaswillnot be too much. Hethey canwill handle it. Hethey hashad before. Hethey couldwould again.
“I-I’m g-gonna hurl,” hethey rasped out. Hethey feelfelt histheir friends move himthem enough to heave without getting either of them covered in histheir sick. Histheir throat burned, but it didn’t help himthem.
Hethey needed to focus on the Now. Time iswas fluctuating through himthem. Hethey waswillbe still seeing too much. Hethey needsneeded to cut histheir own powers.
“T-take the Orb from m-me. Pl-please,” DBiaarlrgya pleadspleaded, voice trembling. Holding it iswas mademaking histheir power too strong for his mindbody. Hethey needsneeded them to take it.
One of them gently pullspulled it from histheir hands. Hethey didn’tdoesn’t know which of them tooktake it, but the flow drownsdrowning himthem fades once it’s gone. Hethey cancould think again, hethey canwill focus on the Now again.
Hethey isn’twasn’t alone. Hethey hashad histheir friends. They couldwould help himthem. Hethey knowknew they couldwould. They arewere histheir closest friends.
They arewere the only ones that knewknow DBiaarlrgya. Who knowknew himthem.
Hethey iswas DiBaarlrgya. Hethey hashad LucasReiHistheirFreind and DawnAkariHisTheirItsFriend.
Hethey iswas DiaBarlrgya and hethey iswas humanpokemon. Hethey hashad LucasReiHistheirItsFreind and DawnAkariHisTheirItsFriend to help himthem.
Hethey iswas DialBarrgya and hethey iswas humanpokemon. Hethey hashad LucasRei and DawnAkari to help himthem.
Hethey iswas DialgBarrya and hethey iswas human. Hethey hashad LucasRei and DawnAkari to help himthem.
He is DialgaBarry and he is human. He has LucasRei and DawnAkari to help him.
He is DialgaBarry and he is human. He has LucasRei and DawnAkari to help him.
He is Barry and he is human. He has Lucas and Dawn to help him.
He sagged in their arms with a trembling sigh of relief.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” he mumbled, leaning into Lucas’ steady hold. Dawn’s dainty hand rested on his shoulder, muted by his coat but still there. His eyes were heavy and his head was rapidly filling with an exhausted fog. “I wasn’t ready for it yet…”
“What are you talking about? Weren’t ready for what?” Dawn asked, voice soft and confused. She sounded far away to him. But she was right there, wasn’t she?
“T’ get it all back. T’ ‘member who I was b’fore.” His words were slurred as they came out. Barry was struggling to keep his eyes open. His eyelids felt so heavy now… His everything felt heavy, once the thought hit him.
Oh. Wait, he knew what was going on. He was gonna pass out soon, wasn’t he? That… Wasn’t actually a surprise, considering what he’d just done to himself.
His very-human self had just connected to all of Time. Far too soon for him to be capable of dealing with that kind of thing. Everything was still learning and growing, he just couldn’t handle that kind of power yet.
“Remember? Remember what?” Lucas was right next to him, but somehow sounded muffled. Like he was underwater.
He should tell them what had just happened. He needed to tell them what all that was about. So they could know what was wrong and that he would be okay. Eventually.
And so they knew to not let Galactic take him. Bad things would happen if they got his sibling and him. They might run into them again when they tried to get off the mountain. He didn’t think he’d be able to get himself down though. Not right then.
(He was so, so tired now. But he trusted his friends to make sure he would be okay.)
He lifted his heavy, heavy head to look at them, shadows already filling his vision as he slurred his answer to his friend’s question.
“ ‘M Dialga.”
Unconsciousness claimed him before he could hear the shouts of shock from his friends.
When he wakes up again, safe in a motel room his friends scrambled to get him to, Dawn and Lucas tell him they’d heard him say that he would fine Dialga if it showed up at Spear Pillar. Since he can’t fine himself, they were going to fine him in Ice Cream. From the nearest Ice Cream Parlor to the motel. He laughs until his stomach hurts from the Serious Faces they’re making at him as they say it.
I’m very pleased with this over all, and with the way I played with various writing tenses to get the point across. (I also quite like how Barry corralling his thoughts/focus at the end came out.)
If you like this, please leave me a comment about it! I really wanna hear people’s thoughts!
