1st revision: 15-12-19

Kiritsugu sighs. Living in a cheap hotel with three children was beginning to take its toll. Not to say he had been in that same hotel far longer than his new adoptive son and daughters, thinking about the clusterfuck that has been his life and how to move on.

He was pretty sure that the Einzberns will negate access to their Germany castle after the news of him failing to obtain the Grail and losing Irisviel. He didn't hold his hopes high. Like any influential magus, Acht's character can be quite volatile if pushed the right buttons, like losing/destroying the Grail. One that Kiritsugu pressed, in purpose. He also doesn't think that justifying it with the presence of Angra Mainyu, All the World's Evil, will work.

Calling the Einzbern family obsessed with the Grail is just simply an understatement. Whether it was to finally win the War or recover the Third Magic is up in the air.

It doesn't help that they are sore losers.

He will have to try, though. The longer he delays it, the more difficult or outright impossible would be to reclaim Illya. If he remembered right, Illya's body was modified to physiologically resemble a pure homunculus just to have a minor Grail in reserve. They will protect her with nail and tooth even if the world were to end.

Which means much more security.

While Kiritsugu is becoming even more frustrated about the rescue mission, he didn't take notice of a small figure coming to him.

"Hey."

"Uh?"

Kiritsugu turned mildly surprised to the one who called him out. It was Giratina, with a gray pajamas. Kiritsugu looked back to see the other kids watching out some magical girl anime, Sailor Moon or something.

Kiritsugu turned back to the platinum-dirty blonde "Yes, can I help you with something?"

"You're doing it again."

Kiritsugu blinked confused. Giratina sighed.

"You're making that complicated face. And I don't like it."

Kiritsugu sighed "It's complicated. Let's say that there's someone I will not probably be able to see."

Giratina raised an eye "Like who? Your wife?" she wildly guessed.

"My wife died in the fire." Kiritsugu said tiredly and bluntly. Well, technically she died when the Grail possessed her, though it was the same Grail that was responsible for the fire. Not to say that he was the one indirectly provoking it.

After all he did and experienced, he doesn't feel like talking much about the War.

"And my daughter is with her grandfather, who knowing him, won't even let me have the guardianship or visit her." and drops another bomb, not caring much at the moment, being pretty much pessimistic.

Kiritsugu felt Giratina hug his body. "I'm sorry." she said, barely holding the tears from the guilt she felt by reminding him of those depressing thoughts.

Kiritsugu also took note of the other children watching him with various expressions of shock only to change into somewhat guilt and awkwardness. The TV completely forgotten.

Kiritsugu, taking note of the atmosphere in the room, tried to change the course of the conversation.

"But don't worry." he said patting Giratina's head "When we find a place to live, I'll try everything I can to take her home with us so all you can have a big sister."

With those words, the worries lessened, they were still there but now there's a big possibility that they would have another sister and that Kiritsugu remains happy.

"But where will we live?" asked Palkia.

Kiritsugu mulled it over. There was that old manor that he bought as an emergency base of operations for when the castle was compromised. It was in disrepair, but maybe they could make it habitable again.

Kiritsugu sighed again. It seemed he had to ask another favor to Raiga. Maybe he can soften up the old man with his adoptive son and daughters, the Yakuza head always had a weak spot with children, after all.

F/C: DaS

Aoko Aozaki was a simple person with a simple character and simple needs.

That's why when she was transported in the midst of her all you can eat buffet "massacre", that she could afford with years of practice of searching for sales and coupons during budget problems, she was furious beyond abandon.

"Hello, Ao-" the elderly man was in the midst of greeting when the Magical Gunner shot him with a ray of blue prana as quick as she sensed him. Only for the beam to enter a kaleidoscopical portal, absorbing the shot to another dimension.

"Oi!" the old man protested "That was ru-" aaannd another magic bullet tried to hit him with the same space-time fate "-de! At least let me finish my sentence-!" only for what could be machine gun equivalents of magic bullets flying towards him.

For every magic bullet shot, a portal awaited it. Even sometimes before it was shot, already predicting the time user attacks. And because she was so efficient in using her prana, it became a ridiculous affair for some minutes, with the equivalent of a huge amount of dakka against an infinite vacuum that absorbs any bullet to its hungry stomach

After a while of deflecting bullets towards another dimension, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg lost his patience. And the fury of the Second Magician wasn't one to take lightly.

"ENOUGH!" his shout was so loud that it made even the temperamental redheaded Blue pause. "I call you here and the first thing you do is trying to gun me down?! At least let me explain, woman!"

Aoko tsched "Not my fault you're a goddamn vampire troll that is famous for screwing people over."

Zelretch sighed exasperated "Okay, I admit I occasionally make fun of others, but that's only if I'm extremely bored, want to teach someone or both." The deadpan Aoko was giving him wasn't helping his case. "But the rest of the time I occupy myself watching over the stability of the space-time axis of multiple worlds! Besides, some of my colleagues and alternate selves are worse than me."

While being somewhat curious about what "colleagues" Zelretch was talking about, she knew enough about the Marshall to predict that if they were on the level of the worst versions of him, better not to ask. That would probably give her even more headaches than her annual reunions with her sister.

Having calmed down, Aoko asks "Then, why I am here?"

"A good question indeed. One that does not have an easy answer." Aoko's circuits hums in preparation for a vampire gruyere "Okay, okay. I was joking. Now's the real deal."

"Are you familiar with the Holy Grail?" the vampire asks seriously.

"Isn't that the ritual in which magi compete with Heroic Spirits for a wish?" Aoko, as an important person in the moonlit world, knows a lot about the supernatural events of the world and the latest happenings in it "Didn't the Forth end in a fire imbued with curses?"

"That's right." Zelretch nodded "But that is not the most important thing. Holy Grail Wars, at least from a parallel world or interdimensional observer's perspective, are points of branching for multiple timelines of great importance in their respective worlds. Damned fanfic writers..." The last part was somewhat whispered and gave the redhead some minor confusion..

Aoko irked an eyebrow "So you're telling me that somehow, in Fuyuki, some relevant event created an inconsistency big enough to create a new main timeline, which is the one we are currently in?"

" Bingo! Despite your relative inexperience with the Blue, your grandfather knew that you would have the talent needed to comprehend and harness it."

"Don't talk to me about that old geezer." Aoko sighed "While I don't have anything against him and the path he chose for me, he was somewhat short sighted in occasions, stubbornly refuses to pass on and has insane standards. I already can manipulate time outside the laws of science and magecraft, I don't have anymore interest in completely reaching the Root!"

"Yeah, right? Once you somehow reach the origin of all creation even for a little bit, everyone wants to do the same. Not taking into account how devoid of purpose would be being an omniscient and omnipotent entity with all the knowledge of all the past, present and future. Unless you're an egomaniac dictator like the Axiom's version of YHVH, that is. Besides, space-time travel allows you for more didactic ways of learning outside of workshops and science labs."

At that, Aoko agreed with him.

"But anyways, look at this" Zelretch gestured towards a clairvoyance crystal ball "It is connected to the moment and place of the 'branching event' as to call it."

The ball emitted a rainbow light that coalesced into a holographic screen, depicting a scene of Fuyuki burning.

Until something happened.

While not to the point of giving Lovecraft-type of madness while observing it, Aoko's unique connection to time and the Root was what gave her a minor episode and migraine. Like how the hell is possible that literal manifestations of time and space that were never supposed to exist in this universe not in any other, were to be simply born?! Not even Type-Mercury was able to bring out that reaction and it's a reality-warping alien without any terrestrial concepts or laws!

And that contradiction in her head continued until the Counter Force forced the recently born eldritch abominations to seal themselves into little children. Even after, the Blue was at a loss for words.

"And what do you think about this?" Zelretch simply asked her opinion, as if that event didn't face him."

"What I think? WHAT I THINK?! Zelretch, those things would never exist on Earth, never alone the universe! The only similar beings are only Divine Spirits limited to Earth and the Sol System, but those are not even in such a pure state and cosmic scale!" Aoko, uncharacteristically panicked. She met and fought various powerful abominations of nature, so seeing freak out one of the most powerful mortals on the planet would rise a lot of ringing bells.

"Now, now" Zelretch hand waved "While I know they are pretty scary while using the full potential of their powers, their not more powerful than a Divine Spirit in normal battle unless you make them take the kids gloves off."

Aoko blinked incredulously. Okay, maybe telling her that most of the time they're not more powerful than a Divine Spirit would not completely calm her, at least now she doesn't consider them full blown Outer Gods from Lovecraft.

"You know about them?" she asked.

"Yup! Played the games and visited some of the universes they appeared too!" At the increasing confusion and dismay of Aoko, Zelretch explained "There exists a multiverse full of supernatural creatures called Pokémon that live alongside humans as equals, whether serving as pets, working labor or just proxy battles, the last one being one of the more popular sports here. In various other universes, including some of our multiverse, there exist a multimedia franchise based around videogames were you can capture and battle them."

"So what you're saying," Aoko's worry is now being substituted by increasing exasperation "is that videogames characters made their way into our world?"

"They don't have to be considered fictional in a universe to be able to exist in another. Besides, in some other universes, our world is just a cash cow series with you even starring in a videogame!"

"What?!"

"Tossing aside possible existential issues, there are some extremely powerful Pokémon considered as gods or literal forces of nature, called Legendaries due to the impact they made upon the world. Heck, even one of them designed the universe where they live!"

Aoko now has some clarity as to the beings that appeared in Fuyuki and the threat they could pose "And those also constructed an entire universe from scratch?"

"No. But are direct progeny of the Creator of their universe and their respective dominions give them the capacity to do so. The pink one, Palkia, is the embodiment of space and dimensions; Dialga, the blue one is, ironically, the absolute lord of time. The last one, Giratina, is a tricky one. In theory, it represents Antimatter but it seems it has some dominion over gravity, shadows and reflections, not to say that rules over a universal plane that serves to stabilize the normal universe, so I consider it an Anti-Existence with the sole purpose of maintaining the balance between space-time."

Oh, dear Root… they had literal universe-shaping deities literally at their backdoor. Though still, Aoko had another question.

"And how did they end up in our universe? And for that matter, how they were easily subdued by the Counter Force?"

"Mmm…" Zelretch rubbed his beard "The manner of their appearance here is similar to a certain ritual Arceus, their Creator and that of their universe, can execute to make more than one of them in a single universe while being initially weaker than their original counterparts. Though as for the reason they're here, no idea. And it would be a pain in the ass trying to ascertain the exact version of the universe from which they hail."

"And what do you think we should do? If the Clockwork or another Mage organization takes wind of that, they will immediately be marked off as Sealing Designations and in a more vulnerable state not to talk about future incursions of the Counter Force."

"For now just observe."

Taking Aoko's silence as prompt to continue, he explained "Apparently, to defend themselves, they sealed they're true natures so thoroughly that they're conceptually indistinguishable from normal humans, though I think that seal will come off as they grow up, gaining enough power to withstand Gaia without having to weaken themselves, manifesting their abilities, both as Pokémon and as embodiments of the laws of physics. Besides" and he grinned "They were adopted by Kiritsugu Emiya, the Magus Killer, alongside Shirou Emiya, future participant of the Fifth Grail War."

"So you basically want those to participate as well, right?" Aoko deadpanned.

"Hehe. Yes, but that's only one of the motives. Those three, despite somehow being exiled from their universe, they're still the ultimate authorities of space-time at an universal scale. In a universe such as ours that is ruled by the Root and with our planet having most of its Mystery stripped away, I wonder how many changes they will make."

For Aoko, now one thing is certain: Zelretch is treating all this as an experiment, to try to see how the status quo between Gaia and Alaya, even the Root itself, will change. Will those three become the absolute rulers of the universe? Will Akasha and the World successfully eliminate them before they become threats to themselves? Or just continue without any meaningful changes?

It was shady and dangerous. While not a single person, magus or not, can't be able to harm them, the Counter Force was another thing with those overpowered Counter Guardians and Beasts. Not to tell if those Legendary Pokémon will become hostile to all life on Earth.

But she has to admit she too was curious about how it will end up. And once she decides to do something, no one can stop her. Not even the World.

"Okay, count me in" Aoko says with determined grin "What is the plan?"

"Like I said before, now observe and fix any damage they could potentially provoke. When the time comes right, we will instruct them in the use of their powers."

"And what do we do about the Counter Force?"

At that question, Zelretch had a sadistic grin that worried Aoko a bit.

"I know… someone with experience in the most conceptual nature of the Worlds. He will help us to take Gaia and Alaya away off our backs.

F/C: DaS

Somewhere in the omniverse, a black coated figure sneezed. The Master of Masters thinks someone is talking about him, maybe that old vampire friend of his.

F/C: DaS

Not only were Zelretch and Aoko in the know of those events, some others in the supernatural were aware of those happenings.

A golden king from the distant past stopped his work to look towards the East, to the confusion of his friend and subjects, brow frowning due to the anomaly and the effect it would have towards his arrogant future Servant self.

A warrior queen from the land of the dead received a premonition about the birth of the Creation Trio, who then smirked, asking herself if they would prove to be a challenge enough for her to feel the thrill of a fight to the death.

And in a tower situated in an everdistant utopia, a white haired man simply smiles "Oh my," he said in a happy tone "I wonder how the future will treat you now, Artoria."

AN: Yep, the Emiya family is searching for home options, Zelretch and Aoko plot, the Counter Force is blackmailed into conceding the Creation Trio carte blanche until they're mature enough to brute force the World and some other powerful clairvoyants sensed the disturbance.

Don't know if I did good in portraying the first scene, one of them is a person who had his ideals brutally deconstructed, experienced a lot of trauma that a normal person would break under, had his wife die in vain, his in-law family won't allow him to be near his daughter and is slowly dying from a curse. While the others are orphan amnesiacs of around seven years old, who probably had an emotional shock so big that they lost their memories, and that in the future they will have very broken powers.

Some constructive feedback could be appreciated.

Well, let's just see how it will end up, shall we?