Butterfree and his mate observed the Eggs they had laid in their nest, the wind slowly flying against their bodies. The trek beyond the sea had been long with very little time to rest, but they finally made it to their new home. They had been counting the days until the hatching, and knew the time was pretty close.
"Who do you think they will look like the most?" Butterfree asked.
His pink partner giggled. "I'm so pink due to having eaten too many Pinkan Berries on an Orange Islands trip, I told you. Our children will all look like their father."
"Who knows, they might get your beautiful eyes instead."
She groaned, bumping on him. "Oh, drop it."
"Hey, I can't help it if it's true." He chuckled.
"Well, I guess you are quite cute yourself, then."
He stared. "You guess?"
She laughed, and he scowled. He turned the other way and grumbled loudly. "You make me wish to have remained with my trainer at times, you know."
Hearing that, she stopped. She turned her head down, eyes on the rocky walls under them. Butterfree inched closer, tilting his head.
"What's up?"
She shook her head. "Nothing, really. Don't worry."
"Don't hide it. I can tell something bothers you." Butterfree flew in front of her. "What is it?"
She took a deep breath and faced him. "Do you miss your trainer? Your mind seems to always be elsewhere."
Butterfree paused, landing on a nearby tree branch. He sighed and kept avoiding her gaze.
She landed in front of him, pressing her face on his and staring into him. "So, am I right?"
Butterfree collected his thoughts, and then nodded. There was no need to lie.
"Sometimes, yeah. He was one of the best person I ever met, and I would've liked to travel more with him," he said, sighing. Then, he nuzzled his mate. "But I have you now. And I wouldn't have it any other way."
She remained still, then giggled and nuzzled him back. Once they were done, they looked at the settling sun together before watching over their Eggs again.
It was the beginning of a new life for both of them, and they were ready for it.
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Standing on that cliff one life later, memories flooded back to Butterfree. It was the place where he and Ash parted ways, and where he met the love of his life. He was a young trainer, and Misty and Brock were at his side. It was a moment he would never forget, and one he had treasured for all his short life.
When he had heard that they were all sent back in time, he had expected this to be a short trip: he would have helped Ash for a bit and then left with his mate again. Just a small detour before his life would return back to normal.
Now though, everything was different: Ash was an experienced trainer, Misty acted different, Brock wasn't there to give him a scarf and convince him to do double dates, and no Butterfree was there to wait for them. She wasn't there to wait for them. There was nothing familiar about that situation.
He had lost his normality forever. He had lost her forever. And he couldn't be there when they needed him.
He stared on, clenching his stubby paws. On the sidelines, Ash and Pikachu were looking at Butterfree with concern.
Pikachu shared a glance with his trainer. "I told you staying here would've been a bad idea."
Ash adjusted his cap, wordless. He didn't expect to actually stumble back there: he, Misty and Iris had just woken up and were heading for the nearest town, until Butterfree recognized the area and reached the cliff where the Butterfree gathered to find their mates. Wasn't it on the way to Saffron City last time? Was this rearrangement part of the timeline changes? Or was their sense of direction really that bad?
He shook his head; none of these questions mattered. He knew that Butterfree was probably beating himself up, and he didn't want his friend to suffer. Pikachu jumped off his shoulder, and Ash reached his second Pokémon.
He kneeled at his height. "Hey, we should go, Misty and Iris are probably getting worried-"
"Right, Misty and Iris. Makes sense." Butterfree kept looking straight ahead.
Ash blinked. "Something wrong?"
"No." His stare pierced the horizon.
Ash frowned, trying to place a hand on his head. "Are you really sure?"
"My mate and everyone else gathering here were all captured by some criminals. Maybe even that J person. So, everything is completely fine." He dodged the hand, glaring at Ash. "But I guess you don't care since it's not about you."
"Butterfree?" Ash swallowed as his Pokémon flew at his face.
"Who cares if everyone else had lives they were perfectly happy with. Let's get them involved in crazy adventures!" Butterfree said, glare growing fiercer.
"I didn't want to cause anything of what happened-"
"You did! You could've just let me live my new life and not drag me into this!"
Ash stopped, turning to the ground. Butterfree gave him his back.
"I don't care if you're not gonna help me, I will go find them all myself!" Butterfree took flight without further word, towards the sea.
Ash jolted up and rushed as far as he could, watching as his Pokémon left once more.
"Butterfree, wait! Come back here!" Ash said, as loud as he could.
No matter how much Ash yelled at him, Butterfree only flapped his wings faster while glaring at the sky. He had already saved all the Butterfree once, and he would've done so again, no matter how hard it would be.
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Butterfree didn't know for how much he flew before crashing tired on a rocky island. It could've been just a few minutes, or even hours, he couldn't tell.
What he could tell, however, was that the island was very familiar to him. One of the few relief spots for Butterfree crossing the ocean, and the place where he and his mate spent their first night together. Where they should have, at least.
Butterfree stared at the ground, shaking his head. He had no time to mope, he needed to find the other Butterfree, and fast.
He pulled himself up and flapped his wings, turning to back to the sea. He promptly crashed back down, catching his breath. As he realized his own limits, other harsh truths sank in.
Who even had caught and took away all the Butterfree? It could've been Hunter J just as much as it could've been Team Rocket or just simple poachers. And even if he knew who the villain was, he couldn't know where they could've taken them. He had no leads and she could be everywhere in the world.
Butterfree kicked the ground, ignoring the pain. A frail little Butterfree like him couldn't possibly make it. His eyes went to the rocks, as memories flashed before him.
He and her would never lay Eggs together. He would never get to see his children be born, and teaching them to fly once they evolved. All the happiness he shared with them all would never happen again, with no chance to reclaim it.
Butterfree would've kept beating himself mentally over it if he didn't hear a yell. Startled, he rose in spite of the pain and flew towards it, finding several Fearow circling a downed Butterfree, holding Oran Berries close to his chest.
Butterfree frowned, eyes darting between his kin and the predators. He flew upward and circled over them, releasing a high dose of Sleep Powder on the Fearow. They dropped asleep on the rocks a moment later.
The injuried one looked up in confusion as Butterfree landed behind him and walked closer. "Are you okay?"
The other gave a shaky nod. "Y-yes. Somewhat," he said while grabbing some fallen Berries. At that point, Butterfree noticed the scorch marks and cuts over his wings, and tilted his head.
"You look rather beat up," Butterfree said.
The other glanced at his wings for a second before going back to gather Berries. "Nothing time and food can't fix. I was much worse when I escaped from the hunter."
Butterfree flinched. "Hunter? You were one of the Butterfree gathered on the cliff?"
"Why, you weren't?" The other looked at him.
Yes I was, Butterfree thought. After a few seconds, he shook his head.
"No, I... I had issues with my trainer and left." He flew closer to the other. "Do you know where did they go? Are there others like you? How much time has passed? And-"
The other stepped back. "Hey, calm down. Why are you so worked up?"
"It's important! Tell me all you know!"
He sighed, nodding. "Okay, okay. Calm down, I will tell you what I know, but first, let's get away from the murderous Fearow."
Butterfree turned around, seeing some of the Fearow slowly move around. He paled and gave a nod of his own, and the two Butterfree left post-haste.
The two Bug-types flew all around the rocky island, until they reached a small entrance, just wide enough for an adult Butterfree to enter it, with jagged rocks all around; the perfect place to hide from predators.
"Here we are, me and my mate are hiding there," the other said, landing inside. He glanced at his wings, and scowled. "We were almost caught and got injuried by a Salamence that hunter was using. We are lucky to still have our wings."
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Butterfree landed as well, and his face darkened. With a Salamence, it could've only been Hunter J, and that meant she and his mate could've still been in Kanto. He tried to not think of all the complications about this: the time for them would come later.
The other approached the entry, making way for Butterfree. "Be our guest: me and my mate were just about to eat. I can give you all the details you want over a juicy chunk of berry."
"Thanks."
Butterfree entered the crevice, finding himself in a relatively large cave. He really wasn't in the mood for chitchat, but he absolutely needed the information that guy and his mate could give him. It was the only way he could find-
As Butterfree looked onward, he froze. In front of him stood a female Butterfree, similar to every other one aside from one detail: where the body should have been purple, hers was pink.
It was her. His mate. The love of his life.
His eyes widened and his body trembled, and without thinking he tackled his mate into a hug, as tight as he could.
"You are okay!" He said, before beaming at her. "I'm so glad that you are here! I've been so worried for-"
A strong wing slap stopped him, and Butterfree flinched; as he turned around, he saw his mate glaring daggers his way.
"Who the heck are you? I've never seen you before in my life." She frowned, ready to attack.
Butterfree froze, then understood. When they met she reacted the same way, and this was their first meeting in this timeline. He knew her well, but she had no idea who he was.
He stared at his feet. "Sorry, I-I confused you for someone else."
His mate sneered, turning the other way. Butterfree sighed, only to look up again: the important thing was that his love was safe. All he had to do was win her heart again, and everything would be fine.
Then, however, another realization sank in. The only Butterfree in the cave were he and her. Butterfree really hoped it didn't mean what it seemed.
At that moment the other Butterfree came in, a few more Berries in his hands. He observed the other two Butterfree, and chuckled.
"Well, I see you have already made your acquaintance." He placed the Berries on the ground, and he nuzzled Butterfree's mate. Then, he faced Butterfree, and said it.
"She's my mate. We escaped that hunter together."
Butterfree sunk on his feet, wide-eyed: what he feared was true, and he didn't know what to say.
The other Butterfree and 'his' mate got startled, approaching Butterfree soon after.
"Hey, you fine?" He asked, bowing down at him.
Butterfree nodded, standing again. He breathed slowly, head lowered. "Y-yeah. Just a bit dizzy, is all."
"Then I think we should continue this discussion over a nice serving of Berries. It's always better than talking on an empty stomach." The other turned around, walking towards the food.
Butterfree sat down with his love and him, circling the Berries: they grabbed one each, and started eating. As Butterfree munched an Oran Berry his eyes kept shifting between his mate and the other, still overwhelmed.
The other then cleared his throat, and mate and Butterfree locked on him.
"So, here's the lowdown of what happened," he said between bites. "There were lots of Butterfree around, like every year. Some were lucky and found their mate straight away, others were having some issues, like me."
The pink one grumbled. "You were an annoying pest dancing around every Butterfree you found, female and male. No wonder nobody wanted you."
"Harsh." The other grimaced, before nodding. "Though yeah, I was just about ready to call it quits after my lady here had slapped me. And that's when the hunter came."
His eyes fell on the ground, staring. "It was a human woman, silver hair, ontop of a Salamence. She started rounding us all up by firing Flamethrowers all around us, then using some sort of beam to petrify and catch us."
Butterfree sunk his stubby hands in the Oran Berry. That was definitely J. A shiver ran down his spine as he pictured it.
The other looked up, a serious frown on his face. "I wanted none of that. I tried gathering a few Butterfree and fire Signal Beams at her, but that Salamence just shrugged off every attack. We tried escaping, and I got a Flamethrower to my face for my troubles. But I didn't let that stop me."
His mate nodded. "He just went on, trying to bring every Butterfree with him. He could only save me in the end, though."
"I tried. And honestly, I'm glad to have saved at least someone." He smiled at her. "But most importantly, I'm glad to have saved you."
She briefly giggled. "Heh. Seeing how brave you were really made your good side shine."
The two exchanged a glance, and Butterfree scowled at them. He had known his mate enough to read her well, and he could tell what she was thinking. She liked him, and was very happy.
He fixated on the other, and his scowl worsened. How did that guy dare replacing him? This was all completely wrong.
"That's all there is, though. Me and my mate crashed on this island and we've been stuck there while we gathered strenght to cross the ocean." He shot a glance at his scorched wings, then eyed Butterfree. "Now, can you tell me why you were so interested in it?"
Butterfree stared down, grabbing another Berry. After sinking his rage into a Pecha, he lied.
"I had already found a mate, but we decided to go to the cliff to cross the sea, and she arrived before me." He paused, stealing a glance of his mate. "I haven't found her since."
"I see. Sorry to hear that." The other bowed his head. "How was she?"
"Really, really similar to your mate, actually." He eyed her, nostalgia settling in. "She was pink as well. A bit harsh, but kind. Difficult to win, but a true sweetie once you impress her."
His mate gave him a look, while the other chuckled.
"Well, ain't that a coincidence. She must've been eating lots of Pinkan Berries as well."
"She did."
The other grabbed another Berry, eating it. "Well, if it makes you feel better, I can tell you there were no other pink Butterfree around that day. Your mate must be fine."
Butterfree clenched his paws: sure she was, since he had stolen her. It must've been easy to talk of that when he caused the problem.
The other noticed Butterfree's eyes, and shared a glance with the pink one. They nodded, and Butterfree rose up in flight.
He faced Butterfree. "I think I'm gonna go outside, I need to stretch my wings. You want to come?"
Butterfree snapped out of his thoughts, bobbing his head. "Sure."
"Good." He turned to his mate. "Keep an eye for any Fearow, dear."
"I will."
The two Butterfree left soon after, flying a short distance to some nearby rocks. Landing on opposite ones, both stared at the sea and sky ahead, avoiding eye contact. While the other relaxed, Butterfree hopelessly tried making sense of his thoughts.
The other flapped his wings to the wind, then turned to Butterfree. "So, what's on your mind?"
"Nothing." Butterfree looked away.
"That always means something. It's your mate, right?"
"Maybe."
"I've been there. I've had several stories with many Butterfree. Some died, some broke up with me, some just up and left without telling me why. I was starting to wonder if I would ever find a true mate." The other sighed, glancing skyward.
He shifted back to Butterfree. "My point is, just because the apparent love of your life is gone, it doesn't mean your life is finished. You can still go on, find someone else, have fun. You still have your entire life in front of you."
Butterfree kept scowling, shooting a glare towards the other. He let out an uneasy chuckle.
"Not that great, huh? Sorry, I never was that good at the whole 'inspirational speech' thing." He sighed, turning serious. "Thing is, just because something bad happened, it doesn't mean you will never move on. Stuff happens all the time, and you should never let that define you."
Butterfree only sharpened his glare before breaking eye contact. It was incredibly easy to go for easy pep talks when you were the one causing the grief in the first place.
He shot another stare at the other. If he wanted, he could've just put him asleep and let him drown in the ocean; with all the Fearow around, he could've easily said that one of them killed him. And with the other out of the way, he could've easily got his mate back. It was the perfect plan, and-
Butterfree looked down, sighing. Who was he trying to fool? He would've never been able to do it. That guy looked to really be too nice, and he had seen how his mate looked his way. She was happier than Butterfree had ever seen her, and that could only mean one thing: she must've liked his replacement way more than she ever loved him, and he couldn't sadden her that way. He suppressed the tears as he watched the waves.
The other Butterfree flew closer, landing on the same rock. He cleared his throat, glancing at Butterfree.
"Uhm, say." He inched even closer. "Me and my mate were planning to try crossing the ocean in a couple of hours. Would you want to come with us?"
Butterfree observed him, only to shake his head.
"Thanks, but no. I really don't want to tag along in your journey." He stared away. "I have something else I need to do."
"Heh, I see." The other chuckled, then shrugged. "As you wish. A shame though, you look like a fun guy to spend time with."
A weak smile lit up Butterfree's face. "Thanks."
The other smiled back, before turning back to his cave. "Well, let's get back inside. We have some preparations to do."
Butterfree agreed, and the two returned inside without further word.
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After taking their time to rest and prepare, the three Butterfree were now outside the cave, gazing at the sea ahead of them.
"So, this is it." The other Butterfree took a deep breath, fluttering in place.
His mate gave him a concerned look. "Are you sure your wings can make it?"
The Butterfree nodded. "I've flown in worse conditions, and I rested enough." He glanced back at her. "That, and I am sure you can carry me if anything happens, right?"
She groaned, facing the other way. "Hope you are prepared to drown, then."
"Hey, come on!" The other puffed his cheeks, offended.
Butterfree sighed as he gave his mate and the other one last look, shaking his head and trying to stay strong. The other Butterfree flew his way.
"It was a pleasure meeting you. Without you, those Fearow would've probably killed me earlier."
Butterfree forced a smile. "Don't say it. I had to help a fellow Butterfree and his beautiful mate."
He earned a puzzled glance by the pink Butterfree for his words. The other instead let out a heartly chuckle.
"Heh. I hope everything goes well for you now."
Butterfree nodded. "Same for you two."
The other and his mate nodded back, turning around and preparing to take flight. However, another sound of flapping wings echoed around them; quickly turning, the three Butterfree found a flock of Fearow coming their way. They all froze.
"Oh, damn it." The other frowned.
Butterfree glared at the flock, then looked at the two other Butterfree. He stepped forward and flew upward.
"You two go on. I will take care of this," Butterfree said while readying attacks.
Both Butterfree jumped, with the other sweating. "Are you-"
"There's no time! Go!"
The other Butterfree stopped, and he and his mate flew towards the sea. Butterfree locked onto the Fearow, sending a large quantity of Sleep Powder in their direction; the Fearow dispersed, and none fell asleep.
Butterfree frowned. He hoped for an easy and fast solution, but it seemed he would have to fight hard. Thus, his eyes became light blue, outlining the Fearow and knocking them back.
Some other broke free and tried to pierce him with Drill Peak, only for Butterfree to blow them away with a Gust; using String Shot, he tied up together the remaining ones, and returned to focus on the ones under Confusion. Even when some of them managed to break free and hit him, Butterfree just hit them back harder. He couldn't fail now, his mate deserved an happy ending, no matter with who.
As he kept holding the line, the pink Butterfree turned his way. Until then, he had seemed like a creepy whining idiot, but seeing him protecting them brought up something odd inside of her, something she had never felt and she couldn't describe well.
"Something wrong?" The other asked.
Butterfree flinched, then shook her head, letting those thoughs aside. "N-no, it's nothing. Let's go on."
After sending their friend one last look, the two kept crossing the ocean. Butterfree bravely fended off every Fearow trying to reach them, pulling them back with Confusion and slamming them into each other in increasingly creative ways.
As the last Fearow fell on the rocks unconscious, Butterfree crashed on the ground, exhausted and catching his breath. Only several seconds later did he realize to have won. He quickly turned around to the ocean, seeing only two dots in the distance.
Butterfree looked on until they disappeared completely, letting tears wash his face. He tried to stop, only to sob quietly and cry even more.
"Goodbye," Butterfree said as he wiped his eyes, turning the other way and taking flight once more.
It would've taken a bit to reach the cliff, but he couldn't waste more time. There was someone who was waiting for him, after all.
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Ash had been staring for several hours at the sea beyond the cliff, with no intention of going away. Pikachu stood near him, giving his friend a worried look.
"Ash, come on. He won't return now." Pikachu pulled at his jeans.
"He will. I know Butterfree is not gone this time."
Pikachu kept observing his trainer. After all the grief they had to deal with in that new reality it was nice to see him optimistic again, but he wasn't sure if it was warranted in that case. He sighed and sat near him, eyes on the sea.
At that point, both he and Ash heard some wings flapping in the wind. Their eyes went up, and Ash beamed as a familiar Bug/Flying-type came into view.
"Butterfree! You are back!" Ash said, opening his arms and catching Butterfree as he landed. The two hugged tightly before looking at each other.
"I'm sorry. I really didn't mean what I said." Butterfree stared down.
Ash shook his head. "No, I'm the one who's sorry, I didn't want to cause you so much pain."
Their glances met again, with Ash lowering his cap slightly over his eyes as he allowed Butterfree to fly.
"If you want to leave me, feel free to: I won't stop you. I don't want you to be unhappy," Ash said.
He didn't know what to expect, but he was still surprised when Butterfree tackled him into another hug, looking up at him with a smile.
"I don't want to leave you ever again, Ash." He flashed a determined look. "Someone has to help you win those badges, right? I've got to make up for last time!"
Ash smiled, adjusting his hat once more, giving his first caught Pokémon a grin.
"Alright." He turned around, rising a fist up. "Let's go on, then. Next stop: the Battle Club! There should be one in the next town."
Both Butterfree and Pikachu nodded, following Ash back to Misty and Iris. As they left, Butterfree sent another glance towards the sea. He hoped that, no matter what happened, his mate could find the happiness she deserved. Even if it might not turn out to be as great as being with her, it was still nice to be with Ash again.
Thus he turned around, leaving his old life behind. Now it truly was time to truly dive into this new adventure.