Part 5: I Make a Call

-One Day Until Todd's Birthday-

I hadn't actually gone home the night before. I had been too stressed out to sleep in my own bed, so I slept in my cot in the base. And by slept, I mean I laid in bed for hours trying not to think about how terrible everything was.

That was why I made a call. I didn't know what else to do.

And so I found myself in a place I hadn't been to in a long time. All the times I had gone there in the past, it had been out of confusion. Desperation. 

Unfortunately, it didn't seem like that was gonna change.

Celebi was desperate to calm me, speaking rapidly. "I can assure you, I will do-" She paused to duck into a time portal before coming out nearly instantaneously. "-absolutely everything I can to help you. I can't imagine what you must be going through. We will get Adrian back."

I shook my head. "I'm not worried about getting sympathy. Just keep doing what you're doing."

Celebi seemed bothered by that. She fluttered down to my eye level and looked into my eyes with her own large blue ones. "Look, Todd. You've...been through a lot. I interact with a lot of others who keep watch over the time stream. We've seen everything. But you are something unique. You've been through some rough times. You may have powers, but that doesn't make you superhuman. You have a strength within you that's unlike most of the multiverse. That's why we chose the six of you. The six that would never give up."

Celebi hung her head. "I need to tell you this. Throughout my existence, I've been able to look through the time stream and see things that are about to pass. I've seen a number of your adventures before they even happened. But now..." She shook her head. "I can't see it, Todd. As soon as you leave to end this, it...disappears."

I swallowed. "What does that mean?"

"I wish I knew."

I looked away. I wasn't going to pretend to understand how timelines worked. And considering everything that was going on, it was probably better that I be focused.

I was reminded of something. "You're sure you couldn't get any of the other five?"

Celebi shook her head. "Unfortunately, they're all a little busy. Mega's not even in control of his body at the moment, Sonic's entire universe is out of whack. The others aren't available either."

I nodded. "Oddly convenient for him."

Celebi shrugged. "The timeline seeks balance. Inviting a bunch of powerful, hotheaded idiots into one universe for an extensive amount of time is going to cause some problems."

"I'll try to see that as a compliment." I responded. I glanced down at my watch, finally taking notice of the time. "I should get back to the base."

"I should have everyone there by the time you get back. I know they aren't your ideal choices, but they're the best help I can find."

"Thanks." I told her. "I do appreciate it."

As I began to leave her cave, she swallowed and chirped, "Oh, and Todd?"

I turned around and gave her a look to tell her to go ahead.

She rubbed the back of her head. "The help I got for you is good, but they're not all people you know. Some of them have no real idea what they're doing here, and a few in particular can be kind of...hostile."

"Got it." I assured the Pokemon. "I'll try to get back before they all kill each other."

---

As it turned out, I was almost too late.

Opening the door revealed a lot of people. Some familiar faces stood out, but a surprising number were new. And the one currently about to snap was definitely new.

He was about as tall as I was. He wore a gray hoodie and black pants, which was about the only normal thing about him. His body was covered in red-orange fur, which only peeked out through his hands and his head. On top of his head, there was a tuft of yellow fur. 

He was currently holding Five up to the wall (Author Note: for those of you who don't remember, check Final Showdown Ch. 53) The helpless version of me seemed to be trying to calm him, not necessarily for his own sake, but to try to make sure our fur-covered friend wouldn't get crushed should Five accidentally transform into his large super-golem form.

I quickly approached. "Hey, take it easy!" I looked over at Clover, who stood behind them. "What's going on here?"

She gave a guilty smile. "He wanted to know who was in charge, and at first glance, I thought he was you."

I threw a hand in Five's direction. "He has blonde hair!"

She only shrugged.

Rolling my eyes, I placed a hand on his shoulder. Upon contact, heat rushed into my palm. It wasn't really too hot to touch, but intense enough that I almost instinctively drew my hand back. "Hey, buddy. Mind telling me why you've got him pinned to the wall?" Five's eyes darted over to me, silently pleading.

Now the heat actually increased on my hand. He turned his head, a little slowly as if to intimidate me. When we were face to face, his eyes were startling, with jet black pupils, which carried a certain rage behind them. "She told me he's in charge. Someone needs to explain what the **** is going on." (Author Note: Woah, man! I'm trying to keep the language down. Seriously, chill!)

I nodded. "Well that would be me. This guy is me from an alternate dimension."

He stared at me for a moment. I felt the warmth lessen on my hand. "The hell?"

I lifted a hand. "It's a common mistake. Now if you'd kindly lessen the death threats, I'd be happy to get you some info."

For a few moments, he stared at me. His eyes and his body heat reflected confusion, darting back and forth. As he looked at my face, the tension in his own lightened, and his body changed temperature drastically enough that it now seemed kind of cold.

He released his grip on Five, who took a moment to collect himself before quickly running away at high speed. Taking a breath, the guy responded, his voice lighter than before, "Sorry about that. My powers come with some...control issues."

I shrugged. "I've seen worse. What's your name?" I asked, extending my hand.

He was hesitant for a moment, but took it. "Carter."

"Todd. Nice to meet you."

Seeming more relaxed, now he asked with a casual tone, "So what exactly am I doing here?"

I snapped my fingers. "Right. Basically an evil version of me is pursuing that will give him the ability to do whatever he wants, and would basically mean the destruction of the entire multiverse."

He took a quick look around the room. "Does everyone in this world look like you?"

I laughed. "No. It only seems that way."

He shook his head. "I'm still confused."

I too looked around at the people surrounding us, and answered, "Well, I'm gonna make an announcement here pretty soon, so...hang tight." I gave him a pat on the shoulder, and kept moving.

I passed the various versions of me again, giving each a passing greeting. I eventually saw someone standing a little bit over the crowd, with blue hair that would have made him stand out if he wasn't already taller than everyone.

I approached him quickly, a smile breaking at the corners of my mouth. When I got close, he turned as if he had sensed me (which he probably had), and his red eyes lit up. He grinned and returned the brief guy hug I gave when I reached him.

I looked at his face again. "Jacob Simmons." (Author Note: See Final Showdown Ch. 61 and 62)

"Todd...I'm sorry, I don't know if I ever got your last name."

I held out my hand, which he quickly shook. "I'm glad you're here." I told him.

With a smile he replied, "You needed help. I'd be happy to pay you back for what you did for me."

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought that we were basically even since we saved both our girlfriends."

He laughed. "Yeah, but you saved my a** more than a couple times."

"Fair enough."

He looked around. "So what's going on? Looks like you're pulling out all the stops for this."

"A friend's been taken. A clone of me is trying to obtain near infinite power. It's basically a typical Tuesday."

"Oh. How's that going?"

I felt my heart drop a little. "Not great. He's always been a step ahead of me. He's...just out-thinking me, and he's letting me know it."

Jacob frowned. "He didn't quote Enemies on you, did he?"

"How could you possibly know that?"

Jacob only shook his head. "The days where hard rock is used as a weapon..." His expression changed. "But how are you doing? Like, personally?"

I thought about that for a moment. When I had finally remembered why we were here, it had been a big emotional change. It seemed that being surrounded by familiar and (mostly) friendly faces was uplifting. "I...think it's better. Being around everyone, it's like...there's more hope."

He smiled. "Your aura is better than when we met. Not perfect...but better."

I nodded. "Happy to have your help. I'd better check around. See you later." He waved as I turned and walked around.

I recognized some more people. I found my step siblings talking with Taylor, who gave me a wave. I passed by Harper, who was standing with the guy we had rescued when I had kind of messed up time (Author Note: See Final Showdown Ch. 41 [I'm pretty sure]). He had a Pokemon on his shoulder, one that I somehow knew. It was a cute yellow mouse, by the name of Pikachu.

And finally, I met with someone I hadn't talked to in ages. Red hadn't changed his outfit at all, still wearing a scarlet cap with a white visor, and a red jacket with black sleeves. He idly tossed a Pokeball up into the air. When he observed me approaching him, a calm smile slipped onto his lips, and he caught the ball and slipped it onto his belt.

"About time. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about that time I saved all your collective butts." He told me. He had become visibly older, with a more mature look in his face, and his voice was deeper than before, a little more somber almost.

"Ah, no way. We just made a lot of other friends lately. You'd be surprised how often we had good backup."

He didn't really smile in reply. We stood there awkwardly for a moment. I wondered if I should say something but he finally just kind of turned around, ending the conversation there.

I was left a little uncomfortable by that, but Doc pulled me aside. "I think if you're gonna say something, you might want to do it soon."

"Oh." I glanced around the room at the largest collection of helpers I had ever gathered. "Yeah." I walked over to the front of the room, and took a breath before I began to speak.

---

Yeah, that was short. It was mainly meant as filler. I wanted this story to move a little bit, seeing as I'm gonna be working on something else for the next few weeks. Anyway, big stuff happening! Hope you guys get familiar with all the characters!