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// Prologue: Roads are Optional 
// Story: Helix and Hooves: Trainers of the Future 
// by The Kelduo 
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Welcome to the land of Equestria, a place brimming with very special quadrupeds that come in all different colors and sizes! These adorable creatures are known as ponies. Ponies live a fairly peaceful life in Equestria, all thanks to the efforts of the Mane Six who quash the influence of such villains as King Sombra and Queen Chrysalis. Recently, however, Equestria has fallen into a state of unease, for a group of intergalactic heroes has crashed there with no means of returning to their home land. It is up to these heroes and the Mane Six to gather the lost Energy Spheres in an attempt to escape. Let us follow one of the most technologically skilled of these surprising new heroes as he puts his abilities to the test: Helix!



In the skies above Equestria, a dark green avian creature with black wings was soaring at high speeds in search of something important. Its eyes finally settled on the house of a stallion with a knack for timely activities. 'He'd better be home,' the owl thought to itself as it flew to the doorstep. It knocked on the door with its white talons.

A brown stallion answered the door, revealing the interior of the house to be like that of an old-fashioned laboratory.

Before he could get a word out, the owl said in a calm but hurried male voice, "It's time to put our creation to the test, Doctor Hooves. You ready?"

The stallion, who was known as Doctor Hooves replied, "Of course, Helix." He flashed his flank, which had an hourglass for a cutie mark. "I've been waiting forever to put my talent to use. What's the destination?"

The owl, who was known as Helix, thought for a moment as he entered the time-obsessed stallion's abode. "Considering the situation I'm in, a good destination might be the world of Pokemon, perhaps one year and ten months ahead from today to be safe. I am using such precision because new places to explore in the Pokemon world tend to be discovered towards the end of the year."

"The world of Pokemon? That sounds intriguing."

"It is very intriguing. But enough talk, I don't have much time. We must hurry before it's too late to stop a monster that might roam Equestria within minutes from now! The EPOCH must be--"

The Doctor's eyes opened wide. "Wait, a monster?! What good will traveling to the future be if there's a monster in the present?! It isn't like we'll be able to return on time!"

"You know about that big red and black monster who eats magic? He got his hands on an Energy Sphere, and feeding on its energy gave him the strength to break out of his cage in Tartarus. And don't worry about him destroying Equestria or anything while we're in the future, because I plan for us to return only twenty seconds or so after leaving. As for where in the world of Pokemon we will go, input the following coordinates..."

After hearing the coordinates, the Doctor went into a large machine that was cylindrical in appearance, and Helix followed him into the surprisingly spacious interior. As Helix closed the door behind him, though...

"Mele!" A small, slender green biped literally put her foot in the door before making her way inside.

Helix turned to her with no hint of surprise. Rather, he smiled upon seeing her. "You came to check out the future of music, didn't you?"

"Me, mele!"

"Understandable, Meloetta, but I'm afraid you cannot. If you saw your future self, or vice versa... then it would be Alice Through the Looking Glass all over again."

Meloetta gasped. "Mele! Me, mele..." As she left, she waved at Helix. "Me mele melele!"

"I can assure you that I will say hello to future you for present you, Meloetta."

By then, the Doctor had finished inputting the coordinates. "...Okay! Helix, will your mechanical red partner come along?"

Helix nodded. "Rotom is an expert at identifying Pokemon, so he will be a valuable ally."

"Very well." Doctor Hooves pressed a red, flashing button. "If you feel a bit distorted during the trip, don't panic. Traveling through time and space simultaneously may have dizzying side effects. So sit back and hang on as we make the quantum leap to save the day!"



After a long ride through the space-time continuum, Helix and Doctor Hooves stumbled out of the EPOCH, having to lean on its exterior to keep from falling over. Even the artificial Rotom Dex couldn't see straight. "Remind me to deactivate before traveling through time and space..."

Helix replied, "You don't have to tell me. I've been confused before, but this took it to a whole new level... Not that I don't like it. It would be good training for if we go up against something that warps gravity or some other area of physics."

The Doctor had to agree. "I had not calculated the amount of dizziness to be this high..." The Doctor snapped out of his confusion, and he let his eyes adjust to their surroundings: a sandy beach not far from a thriving town. A small shack was close to the coastline. "I'm not one to judge solely by appearance, but this place is incredible! It's as if Las Pegasus was grounded! Although, I do have anxieties about this place, because it reminds me somewhat of the Everfree Forest. There aren't even any Pegasi moving the clouds!"

Helix got over his confusion by consuming a pastel pink berry known as a Persim Berry. "This is the Alola region, a tropical portion of the Pokemon world. You are wise to compare Alola to Las Pegasus, and even wiser to notice the clouds moving on their own. Weather works differently in Equestria than in the Pokemon world."

"What's going on?!" A man wearing green glasses, a hat, and a white, unbuttoned, long-sleeved shirt burst out of the shack. When he saw Helix, though, his demeanor went from shocked to happy. "Whew, it's just you, Helix. Thought an Ultra Wormhole had opened up... Anyways, Alola, Helix! How are you doing? Oh, is that a new Pokemon?"

Helix shook his head. "This is Doctor Hooves, and he hails from Equestria on the planet Equus. You wouldn't understand, because you've probably never watched something like My Small Ponyta. As it would happen, Equus is actually in the same galaxy as Pop Star, Kirby's home planet. I suppose you've met him or his friends?"

"Well, Meta Knight came by a few years ago to take on the island challenge, and he told me a little about Kirby. As for My Small Ponyta, Pummel's Keldeo seems to really love that show. It must be because he's an equine Pokemon like the stars of the show. But I never knew that the planet the show took place on actually existed! ...Of course, I wouldn't anyway even if I watched the show myself."

"The planet that My Small Ponyta took place on doesn't exist; I was talking about the planet from a very similar show in the world where I come from. Without further ado, it's time for introductions. Doctor Hooves, this is Professor Kukui, an expert on Alolan Pokemon. Professor Kukui, this is Doctor Hooves, a stallion who is fascinated with the idea of time travel."

The two shook hands/hooves. "It's an honor to meet you, Professor Kukui."

"The honor is mine, Doctor Hooves. So, what brings you two here?"

Helix motioned towards the EPOCH. "See that machine over there? We used it to travel through time and space to get here from about two years earlier, in Equestria, in order to prepare for a battle with a dangerous monster."

Kukui laughed. "You came into the future to prepare for battling against a monster? Sounds like you'll need a lot of High Horsepower in order to beat it! ...No offense, Doctor."

"None taken."

Kukui turned to Helix with a frown. "I'm not sure there's much left for you to do here to prepare. I mean, you even caught the Ultra Beasts and Necrozma! The best you could do here is defend your title as Alolan Pokemon Champion once more. Other than that, there isn't anything here in Alola that can help you train much."

Helix nodded. "Exactly. Nothing in Alola. But what about other regions? That's why I came into the future, to gain access to future Pokemon skills and powers."

Kukui put his hand under his chin in thought. "Another region? Here's an idea: Have you heard of Ash Ketchum?"

"The child prodigy who wants to be the very best, like no one ever was? The one whose cause is to train Pokemon, and who always has Pikachu by his side? Yeah, I've heard of him."

"That's good to know. Why don't you catch his Tailwind and set off for his destination? Samson Oak could probably get a flight ready for you."

Just then, an elderly man with light-colored hair and a strong tan came over. "Did someone call Me-mikyu? I think I heard Kukui say one of you needed a Ride-don!"

Helix shook his head. "Yeah, but we've got a flight of our own. Remember what I can do? All we really need to know is where this intriguing new region is."

"Right!" the professor continued. "The region Ash went to, as I've been told, is northeast of the Alola region, a Surf's ride away from Unova."

"Thank you, Professor. Tell the Masked Royal that I said hi." Helix morphed from his dark green owl form into something more suitable for flying long distances: a draconic, bipedal Pokemon with green skin; a Shiny Dragonite. Helix put the Doctor on his back. "Doctor, hang on to me as if your life depended on it, because there's a very good chance it will."

The Doctor obliged, and the duo prepared to take off. However, the Doctor first asked Helix, "What did Samson mean by Me-mikyu and Ride-don? And why did the professor say Alola when he saw you?"

"Well, you see, Samson really likes to use Pokemon puns. In this case, he was referring to Mimikyu and Rhydon. As for Alola, that is how Alolan people say hello or goodbye. So when you say Alola, you not only mention this region but also greet its natives. Now, without further--"

"Melele!" Meloetta flew to the group from the northeast.

Helix paused. "...You're the Meloetta from this year, right? You never followed us into the EPOCH?"

Meloetta smiled. "Me, mele!"

"Good. You had me worried for a moment there. Now, what was it you wanted?"

"Mele me! Mele melele!"

"Okay, we will follow you. Time to soar!"

As the trio took flight, Meloetta materialized a group of string instruments and played them while she sang:

Heroes, it's time
Let us... take flight!

Doctor Hooves exclaimed, "I can understand her now!"

Helix smiled. "Music is a universal language. When Meloetta sings, she is speaking her native language. Since she knows music and song like the back of her hand--or hoof, in your case--she can sing in such a manner that beings of any language can understand her."

The Doctor smiled back. "In that case, Meloetta, sing on!"

And she did.

Oh, we're soaring through the sky
We see no need to be shy!
We're soaring, rip-roaring right on by!

Heroes patrol the air, giving bad guys a scare
You can't beat us with your sheer might...