What If Ash was in Pokemon Horizons?

Encounter at the Crystal Pool

The group arrive at the Crystal, Ash and Roy looking around excitedly. Roy spots a sign, leading his friends to it. "Look guys!" Roy shouted with excitement booming in his voice. "We can meet dead people at the pool! Isn't that cool?!"

Liko seems interested, Dot simply shrugs "Maybe, but the sign says it's just a legend." She states, Ash replies "Doesn't mean it's not true!" Remembering when he got caught in Tapu Fini's mist.

"Uh, where's Briar?" Liko suddenly asks, making the other three look around, Liko had a point. Briar was nowhere to be found. "I'll look for her," Friede said, already walking off, "I'm sure you four are trained enough to be by yourselves, wait here." And with that, he walks into the nearby forest of trees.

The kids play with Floragato, Crocolure, Dot's Quaxwell and Pikachu, playing at the shore of the pool. Sudeenly, a seemingly angry Milotic emgers from the crystal waters. Ash and Pikachut ry to talk with the anrgy Pokemon, explaining that they come in peace. But Milotic doesn't wanna talk, terastallizing into a Ghost Type in front of them.

"Another Wild Terastallization?!" Ash calls out, wanting to use more science-like terms like Friede or Clement would.

Ash turns to his friends "Alright guys, looks like we gotta have a battle!" He calls out, as Pikachu stands ready for anything, Floragato, Crocolure, and Dot's Quaxwell joining him.

Any counterattacks the Pokemon fire out Milotic easily avoids, except for a few Thunderbolts from Pikachu. Liko tries to hold Milotic in place with Floragato's vine, but Milotic uses the vine to its advantage. Dragging Floragato underwater, making her let go of her grip on Milotic.

Roy and Dot get an idea from a game they played at the Harvest Festival, huddling up with Ash and Liko to come up with a plan. 

Floragato ties her vine to Dot's Quaxwell, and he dances in the shallow water of the pool, luring Milotic, and allowing Crocolure and Pikachu to hit it with a Thunderbolt and Disarming Voice combination. Milotic fires back with its own Disarming Voice, much to the kid's surprise. Milotic and Crocolure sing at each other repeatedly, reverting Milotic's Terastallization as the two Pokemon seem happy singing together.

A now calmed Milotic swims away, as Friede returns with Briar, seemingly both had seen the whole battle.

"You must be Liko, Roy and Dot!" Briar says, beaming at the kids, "Raifort's told me a lot about you three!" Then, she turns to Ash "She's also told me a lot about you, ut I already new a ton about you! Mr. World Monarch!" Briar adds, beaming at Ash with admiration. "Plus, with the Unova Champion herslef speaking so highly of you, I felt like I knew you very well!" Briar finsihes with. 

Ash rubs the back of his head "Guess I'm well known everywhere now." He said, chuckling sheepishly, kinda liking the attention.

Terapagos pops out of Liko's backpack, making Briar see it and freak out, being very excited. Making Terapagos scared, and runnign away as she chases it for examination, having Floragato step in to calm her down.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Briar exlaims, "I'm just so excited! I've only every seen one other Terapagos!"

Liko's eyes widen in surprise, "You have?"

"Indeed!" Briar replies.

"Well, since you seem to know a lot, would you know why wild Pokemon outside of Paldea can Terastallize?" Friede asks, seeing an opportunity to get answers, even Ash leans in, wanting to know.

"Well, those crystals giving the Crystal Pool it's name resemble those found in Paldea. Allowing wild Pokemon in Kitakami to Terastallize, isn't that wonderful?" Briar replies brightly.

Ash happily responds "You bet it is!" While Friede muses to himself "So that's why..."

"I found that out when doign research about Terastallization. Apparently Terapagos is connect to that phenomenon." Briar explains, making the kids hooked.

"Wow! I wanna know more!" Roy exclaims, the other kids sharing his excitement.

Briar leads the group to her tend, which was nearby. They all work together to set up a fire for them to sit around to chat. "Any more questions for me?" She asks.

"I got one!" Roy calls out, "Who's your partner Pokemon?"

Liko and Dot look at him, weirded out by his question, they could learn so much, and he chose to ask that?! "What?" Roy cluelessly asks.

"That's a good question!" Briar replies, wishing to cheer up Roy, "I've just been so busy with my research that I haven't found one."

Dot finds that relateable, replying "I'm also busy studying Pokemon, but I've got Quaxwell with me." Making Quaxwell hold his head high and making Briar smile.

Liko catches Briar up on what she knows about Terapagos. The pendant, Lucius, the six heroes and Laqua. Briar listens closely before responding "I don't know anything about a place called Laqua, but I do know that this Lucius must've met Terapagos somewhere. Just like Heath!"

"Who?" Ash and Roy piped up.

"Why, the very person who gave Terapagos its name of course! Briar cheerfulliy replied, "And an ancestor of mine!" 

The group look in shock, a few gasps escape from the kids, as Briar looks inside her backpack pulling out seemingly a copy of the Scarlet Book, but it appears much older. Dot takes the book and skims the pages, Ash, Liko and Roy looking over her shoulder.

Briair explains, "This here is the original Scarlet Book, wirtten by Heath themself! The printed version in the acdemy always block out certain chapters. So I figured you four would like to see the entirety!"

The kids read through the book in interest, reading through previously censored chapters, reading about how Heath went down into the Great Crater of Paldea and explored Area Zero and met Terapagos.

Briair continues her explanation to the kids and Friede, "When Heath first released the Scarlet Book to the public, many people didn't believe them. I want to prove their discoveries were true, and to do that I need to solve the mysteries about Terapagos, every single one."

Briar leads the group back to the pool once the sun goes down. Liko having Terapagos call out to Lucuis, the group betting that Terapagos's memories of Lucuis and the legend of the Crystal Pool can get them more answers. Terapagos cries out til the sun comes up, and nothing.

"Guess the legend was wrong..." Ash suggests, everyone else forced to coem to that conclusion of their own subconscious.

The group decides to call it a day and part ways with Briar, who continues her research at the pool while Friede and the kids head back to The Brave Olivine. Friede, Ash, Liko and Roy reunite with the rest of the crew and discuss what to do next. Being kinda in a limbo since they have no leads about Terapagos or the remaining Heroes.

"Uh, where's Dot?" Murdock finally asks, his voice filled with worry.

"Oh, Dot wanted to stay in Mossui Town to get footage." Liko replied casually.

Just then, Dot runs into the ship and into the conference room, reuniting with everyone and dragging a girl inside by the arm. Yelling, "You guys! This girl saw Kleavor!" 

"She has?!" Friede replied, the others too stunned in shock to speak. 

"Who are you?" Ash asked after a moment of silence.

The girl chuckled "Nice to meet you too, World Monarch. My name's Perrin."