Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Jim, t-tell me you didn't. I should have...I didn't-

"What the fuck did you do?!"

Receiving no answer from his co-pilot, who was currently huddled on the ground, Captain Curly was left reeling and trying to figure out what exactly he could even do right now. The ship rumbling and the alarms blaring all around them both didn't help matters. 

When Curly gained enough sense to shake himself out of his horrified stupor, he turned away from Jimmy and started quickly making his way into the cockpit. The scene inside there was just as bad, nothing but red lights and the words "CRASH IMMINENT" across the screen. 

Again, he racked his brain, before realizing that there was only one thing he could do. He reached for the controls, frantic to at least try and avert impending disaster. Just as he was about to get into his seat and get to work, however, the warning sounds...stopped. 

The change in situation was so jarring that Curly couldn't do anything else other than stand there, stunned into silence. Somewhere outside the ship, the muffled sounds of something inhuman screaming, another thing breaking, and one last indecipherable noise could be heard. 

Going by how Jimmy stood up and walked in, he was confused as well. The two of them tried to make sense of it, before Curly turned around to berate Jimmy for doing something so idiotic. 

He didn't really get a chance to. Just as Curly opened his mouth, a voice other than his own was heard: 

"Get to the utility room." He was about to ask who was saying that (it certainly wasn't Jimmy), when the voice spoke again: 

"Hurry."

With this prompting of urgency, Curly now decided that whatever the voice wanted, it was probably best to do what it asked of him. He took a few steps away from Jimmy, before turning around and running for the utility room. As he did, Curly ignored Jimmy calling out after him. 

It only took a few moments to show that he wasn't the only one who received the abrupt summons, given he was quickly joined by the other crew members. 

...

"So I take it you all heard that, too," Anya asked of her fellow crew mates as the four of them practically hoofed it to utility. When she heard it, she'd more or less forgotten about the board game they'd all been playing. 

"Man, couldn't they have said something after I had my turn?!" Daisuke said in a whiny voice, clearly not grasping how serious the situation was becoming. Nobody answered him, not even as they all reached their destination. Once there, all of them took a second to catch their collective breath. 

"Jesus, I'm outta shape," Swansea practically wheezed out, doubled over onto himself as he tried leaning on the nearest wall. "Next time, give some actual warning before forcing us to run a goddamn marathon...whoever that was." 

Curly and the others glanced amongst themselves, realizing they had no idea who actually commanded them to get here. They then heard the voice again: 

"Get into the cryopods, now." 

This time, the voice seemed closer, if such a thing were possible. As much as they wanted to question this mystery person's motives, it seemed better to just continue with doing what they were told. One by one, all of them entered the cryopods, as per the voice's request, waiting for them to activate. 

"Wait a sec," Daisuke said a short time after they turned on. "I gotta pee first-"

It didn't take much longer for Curly and his crew to enter suspended animation, Daisuke being frozen whilst holding his hands against the glass. 

In their last moments of consciousness, all of them realized that the cryopods needed to be switched on manually. Going by how Jimmy ran in at that point, it was clear it wasn't him. 

...

By the time Jimmy found where everyone had gotten off to, they had already been frozen, leaving him behind. Upon realizing this, he tried grabbing hold of the handle of the closest pod. When it didn't budge, he found himself gritting his teeth and grabbing fistfuls of his hair. 

"You traitors!" He bellowed out, to little effect. "After everything I've done for all of you!" 

Jimmy continued shouting, calling them cowards, assholes, and just about anything else he could think of to hurl at them. He only stopped when the utility lights went off. He looked about futilely, everything being plunged into darkness. Only the pods continued running, apparently running independent of the Tulpar's electricity. 

"Well, that's just fuckin' perfect," he told himself as he tried feeling about the place. When he got back out into the hallway, it was a matter of stumbling back to the cockpit. At no point during that trip did he notice that he wasn't actually alone. 

"This is some bullshit," Jimmy said out loud as he opened the nearby locker and grabbed hold of a backup generator. The heavy machinery meant that Jimmy was having a difficult time even getting the damn thing out. Still, he persisted. "Once those sons of bitches get out of cryosleep, I'm gonna-" 

Jimmy stopped his griping when he heard the door to the cockpit reopen. He stopped completely upon seeing what it was that greeted him. 

Whatever it was, with its orange skin, tentacles, and pulsating gem in its chest, it certainly wasn't human. 

Chapter Text

Whatever initial animosity Deoxys had had towards Rayquaza had all but vanished. There were more pressing matters at hand right now. 

Instead of duking it out with one another right away, the both of them turned their shared attention to the large spaceship that had invaded their potential battlefield. They both then looked back at one another, a silent understanding occurring between them. 

When Rayquaza, in all its enhanced splendor, flew over to it, Deoxys watched as it wrapped itself around the ship, in the hopes of stopping it from drifting away. When it got the ship completely stabilized, Deoxys closed its eyes and concentrated on what lied within. 

After what felt like far too long, Deoxys obtained the information it needed. Sending a warning to the inhabitants it deemed innocent, it concentrated again, this time using teleportation to enter the ship safely. 

Which led to its current situation now. It didn't know all of the exact details (it didn't probe that deeply into the minds of the humans aboard), but it did know that this man had committed serious wrongs. Whatever those wrongs were didn't really matter to it right now; it just knew that he needed to be punished for them. 

It just so happened that it currently had that opportunity to be the executioner. 

...

"What the hell...?" 

Jimmy found himself staring at this alien creature, who stared right back at him. In the time it took for him to say that, it began to glow, taking on a clearly more aggressive form. When it did, he found himself backing away from it, watching as it advanced towards him and raised its tentacles. 

That was all he needed to charge forward, managing to dodge it and run out of the cockpit.

As he barreled down the hallway, Jimmy could already hear it rapidly give chase. No matter how far or how long he ran through the darkened (but still somewhat visible) corridors, whatever it was managed to keep up with him. A quick glance over his shoulder showed that took on another form, a more slender (and evidently speedier) one than before. 

"What the fuck is this thing?!" He shouted to no one in particular, all while trying to seek out a place to hide. He ended up running through the entire ship at least once, somehow evading the alien in that time, before running back into utility and diving behind the table in the back. 

After that, Jimmy covered his mouth and nose to muffle his heavy breathing. He waited as he heard his pursuer enter the room again, seeking him out. The footsteps that he heard were slight, yet ominous. He trembled immensely, hoping and praying to whatever deity would listen that it would hurry up and leave. 

At first, it seemed as if his prayer was answered, once Jimmy heard the aforementioned footsteps receding. When they were gone, he crawled out from behind the table while on guard. When he moved a few feet, however, Jimmy then felt a pair of tentacles wrap around his ankles, the creature returning to its previous aggressive form. 

Clearly this thing was smarter than he gave it credit for. 

...

Deoxys stayed calm as it took hold of Jimmy and dragged it out of utility, resisting the urge to roll its eyes as it listened to him carrying on. 

"Oh no no no no no-guys help! Help me!" Jimmy, having cursed out his frozen crew mates only a short time before, now begged that very same crew for help, obviously to no avail.

When he got no response from them, he directed his words towards his captor. The entire time, Deoxys added more tentacles to restrain him by the arms. When it got tired of him shouting at it, it rammed a spare appendage into his mouth.

It kept him like that, bound and gagged as it dragged him through the ship, deliberately making him hit his head on any hard surfaces along the way (which was a lot). By the time Deoxys reached the optimal spot for communication, Jimmy had one hell of a massive headache, sobbing and complaining in a muffled voice. 

Deoxys then actually rolled its eyes this time and pulled him closer, for the sole purpose of kicking him in the stomach to shut him up. It then closed its eyes, giving signals to Rayquaza to begin the return process. 

Once it got the okay, Rayquaza took a firmer hold of the ship, and began its descent. 

As soon as it returned, Rayquaza waited patiently for Deoxys to exit the ship. When it did, it brought its chosen quarry out in a more armored-looking form, holding him tightly against its chest. Everything about the unfolding scene was quite surprising to the person that had awaited Rayquaza back on solid ground. 

Chapter Text

Steven honestly couldn't figure out what was more astonishing right now; the fact that Rayquaza had apparently brought a souvenir from space, or that Rayquaza and Deoxys were working together. Even so, it seemed best to save the burning questions for later. 

"So...I'm guessing we'll need to check this out," was what he said to the two Pokémon, whilst ignoring the man struggling desperately in Deoxys' grip. Without actually waiting for a proper answer, Steven approached the spaceship and inspected the outside of it. It'd clearly seen better days.

When his external glance over yielded no critical results, Steven stepped past Deoxys and walked inside. Somehow, the inside of the place was even more derelict. With each step he took inside the place, Steven grew more and more uneasy; there was a chance that Rayquaza could very well have brought him an oversized metal coffin. 

"I hope I don't end up joining any casualties that came from this thing," he thought out loud as he explored the foyer, and then the medbay. The whole time, he kept a hand on his Poke balls as a precaution. After failing to access several other rooms, he finally found himself in utility. There, his fear morphed into relief and confusion. 

At least here there were people, frozen or not. Steven dared to step close to each individual cryopod, and take a closer look at those frozen within. One of them, a young man wearing a pink floral shirt, looked particularly distressed, going by his current position. The rest of them looked oddly calm and serene, as though they had complete faith in the mechanism. 

Steven actually felt kind of bad when he found the control panel for the pods, working to thaw the humans out. When he found the correct buttons and options, all he had to do afterwards was wait for the pods to open. 

...

The first thing the crew did upon being unfrozen was watch as Daisuke burst out of his cryopod and run off while holding his crotch, whining and whimpering due to his urinary distress. After the rest of them stepped out for themselves. Swansea crossed his arms and grunted in annoyance. 

"Dumbass kid. First off, the can's in the other direction," he told his fellow crewmates, before he noticed the newcomer standing at the controls. "And second, who's the hell's this schmuck? Jimbo get into the bleach or something?" To Swansea's vulgar inquiry, Steven put his hands on his hips and rolled his eyes. 

"A pleasure to meet you too, sir." He then directed his attention to all of them. "If you'll all follow me, I can explain things on the way..." 

Supposedly, according to Steven, there had been an asteroid en route to his world, a large and powerful one. The events that transpired beforehand mostly went over the crew's heads, but they at least seemed to grasp the whole 'world in danger' and 'extraterrestrial threat'. 

"Your spaceship, however," he went on as they approached the entrance and left the Tulpar, "was certainly not expected. Neither on our space center's readings, or in the ancient legends. Hopefully, wherever you came from, however, we should be able to find a way to return you there safely."

Upon reaching the outside, the crew were blinded by the sudden burst of sunlight on their faces, the first natural light they'd seen in months. They were forced to squint until their eyes adjusted well enough to see again. When they did, they found out where Daisuke ran off to. 

...

Thankfully, Daisuke had managed to hold it in until he found a suitable place to let it out, behind the nearest tree. His relief was evident and audible as he urinated on said tree, unaware (or perhaps uncaring) that he was outside and being watched as he did his business. 

Everyone watched awkwardly as he readjusted himself and zipped his pants back up. When Daisuke stepped back from the tree, he looked around until he saw a most intriguing sight. At least, to him it was intriguing. 

"Oh, hey, Jimmy!" He said as he waved, a big grin on his face. "I didn't know you were friends with Shenron."

Jimmy briefly stopped his writhing about to stare at Daisuke in absolute disbelief. Then he glanced over at Steven and the rest of the crew, silently begging for help with his current predicament. Instead, Deoxys turned to face Rayquaza (who by now had reverted to a more modest appearance) and literally handed Jimmy over. 

"Um...someone may need to fill us in," Curly said to anyone who bothered to listen.

When no one responded, he as well as the others watched the wordless exchange between the two Pokémon. Deoxys occasionally nodded to whatever Rayquaza may have been telling it, before ultimately turning its head skyward and abruptly cocking it to the side. Rayquaza seemed to understand perfectly. 

"I get the feeling you may want to say goodbye to your friend there," Steven said to the crew of the Tulpar.

Anya subtly flinched when she heard him refer to Jimmy with that particular term. Even so, she joined the others as they got closer. Jimmy himself continued to be overwhelmed with terror and fear, as Rayquaza tightly held him in its grip like a small child holding a doll. His feelings only intensified as Rayquaza began drawing its arm back as far as possible. 

Before anyone could ask what the two Pokémon were actually planning, Rayquaza shot forth and threw Jimmy as hard as it could, towards the sun. The humans all listened to Jimmy's blood-curdling screaming as it became more and more distant, shielding their eyes as he himself became little more than a speck in the sky. 

Then, as quickly as it had begun, the screaming came to a sudden, jarring halt. 

Chapter Text

"Okay, bye Jimmy!" 

Aside from Daisuke waving and saying goodbye to the now long-gone co-pilot, all of the humans stared in a completely stunned silence, still not quite comprehending what in the world just happened. Then, Anya glanced over at Deoxys, who turned to meet her gaze. 

"That voice we heard back on the ship," she told it. "The one directing us to utility; that was you." Deoxys gave a single nod to her observation. Now Curly stepped over to stand at her side, putting a hand on her shoulder. 

"Seems we owe you one for saving our lives, then," he said now, before glancing over at Rayquaza. "As for your acquaintance there, well, I'm sure Anya here appreciates what it just did, for...certain reasons." 

Rayquaza stared back, while opting to curl up in a giant ball and growl. From the look and sound of it, it knew Jimmy was bad news too. 

Once everything had settled down, for lack of a better phrase, Anya and Curly approached Steven and Deoxys to speak in private. While Daisuke practically gushed over meeting 'Shenron' with Swansea holding his head in irritation, she explained to them her plight.

As she spoke, Steven nodded and listened patiently with a sympathetic look on his face. Deoxys, despite not having enough of a face to show proper expression, seemed to feel the same. 

"That's quite a conundrum," he told her when she was finished. "If there's anything I can be of help with-" 

"I want to get rid of it," Anya told him. "No ifs, ands, or buts. There's too much unpleasantness surrounding this child, and it'd be better for us all."

Her adamant determination made Steven's eyebrows raise in surprise. Even so, he nodded again. He then pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number, putting a finger up as he stepped back and waited for the call to connect.

"Hello, Flannery? It's Steven..." As they waited for his call to end, Curly turned to put his arms around Anya, holding her in a big hug that she quickly returned.

When a moment or two had passed, both were caught off guard by a few tentacles wrapping their way around them both. It appeared Deoxys wanted in on it, as well. After the initial hesitation, Curly and Anya extended their corresponding arms out and brought it in. They stayed that way until Steven returned. 

"I got a hold of an associate of mine," he explained to them as they all separated. "There's a small town on the other side of the region, Lavaridge. I asked my associate to contact the herb shop there, to tell them you're coming. I also told her to let them know of your...predicament. I'm sure Rayquaza and Deoxys will gladly bring you there.

"Just tell them Steven Stone sent you their way."

Curly and Anya were genuinely astonished at the ease of everything; just like that, their main trouble was over. Of course, there was now another matter that was bothering them:

"How are we going to get home?" 

Steven just waved it off with a gentle smile. "I'll get that handled on my end as well. For now, I suggest you bring along your coworker and his...nephew? There's a hot spring in Lavaridge, and I get the feeling they may appreciate that part while you settle other matters." 

...

"What do you think Steven meant by handling our way back?" Anya asked of Curly as the crew and Deoxys rode Rayquaza through the sky, towards her next destination. Given how fast they were going, and how loud Daisuke was whooping and hollering, she had to make sure her voice was raised. 

"Your guess is as good as mine," he said back with a similar volume. "But I guess we don't have much choice right now other than to trust him." 

The two left it at that, in favor of just admiring the scenery rushing by them. They did turn their heads at the sound of something being struck, and Daisuke suddenly going quiet.

"Put a cork in it, will you?" Swansea said to Daisuke in an irritated voice. Going by how Daisuke was rubbing the back of his head, it was obvious what Swansea had just done. "Giving me a damn headache with your carrying on."

The whole time, Deoxys watched silently behind itself, apparently fascinated by the stark contrast between human interaction. 

...

When Rayquaza finally arrived at Lavaridge, dropping the Tulpar just outside the town, the group separated to their respective destinations, ignoring all the shocked and frightened townspeople. 

Right away, Swansea and Daisuke made a beeline to the Pokémon Center, Swansea trying in vain to stop Daisuke from taking his clothes off too early. Curly and Anya, meanwhile, met up with Steven's associate, a woman named Flannery.

After explaining who they were and why they were there, she was all too happy to bring them to the herb shop herself. Both of them were taken by the quaint yet homey atmosphere, a rather unexpected place to obtain what they came for. 

"The herbs here are very effective, but also very bitter," the old woman minding the counter explained as she handed a bag to Anya. "If you gave these to Pokémon, they would no doubt resent you immensely for it.

"I also strongly recommend using this mixture with someone else present, considering what you need it for. There's no telling what may happen, so be ready for anything." Anya nodded. 

"That won't be a problem," she said as she inspected the bag, before glancing at Curly, who nodded. He knew he had a long way to go in order to atone for his inaction regarding what Jimmy did. 

At least this would help. 

When they exited the shop, Curly and Anya went to the hot spring. Right away, they saw Daisuke and Swansea in the bubbling hot water. From the look of it, Rayquaza and Deoxys decided to join them as well. 

"Looks like you're all having fun," Curly said with a grin on his face, as Anya giggled at the scene they walked upon. 

"Sure, let's call it that," Swansea mumbled as he leaned on the nearest wall and looked away, ignoring Daisuke and Deoxys using Rayquaza as some kind of water slide. "Eh, it helps with the aches and pains; old man like me needs that relaxing shit sometimes, y'know?" 

When the time to get out of the water came, Swansea and Daisuke did so with much reluctance and dismay. They were both off getting dried off and redressed when Curly and Anya were approached by Flannery, holding out her phone. 

"It's Steven again," she told them, as Curly took it from her and held it up to his ear. 

"Remember how I said I'd handle your way home?" Steven said. If Curly focused enough, he could hear an impish, childlike giggle in the background. 

Just as Swansea and Daisuke came back out from the changing room, joining the others, a loud whistling noise pierced the air. It was followed by a massive golden ring flying up above them. 

"Get back on Rayquaza and go through the portal," Steven continued. "Hopefully by now you've all done what's needed. Good luck to you all, and I hope things look up for you." 

...

With that, the crew were on their way home, this time admiring the dark purple swirls of their current route. Even Daisuke was awestruck by the otherworldly ambiance. Deoxys sat on Rayquaza's head, in deep focus and conjuring a large shield to envelop everyone and everything. 

Considering the recent events that transpired, they could only hope that Steven's words rang true. At the very least, Jimmy couldn't haunt them anymore. With that in mind, suddenly the imminent problem of unemployment didn't feel so daunting. 

When the crew and their ship was dropped off at what remained of Pony Express headquarters, they all bid farewell to their Pokémon saviors. In turn, Rayquaza and Deoxys seemed to return the gesture, before flying back through the portal before it closed. 

After the two returned to Rayquaza's domain, Rayquaza took the opportunity to curl up into a ball again. This time, it made room in the middle for Deoxys to settle into. 

Once the both of them were situated and comfy enough, they fell into a well-deserved nap. As they closed their eyes, they took comfort (and perhaps a bit of joy) in knowing that the world was safe, they had saved lives from another world, and they were not enemies any longer.