History Fanfic / TheGreatestThereWasOrEverWillBe

* CherryTapping: Ash's MO when facing a really cocky Trainer is to teach them humility by using his weakest Pokemon to curb-stomp them.

** At times the story reads like a ''deconstruction'' of the "make Ash a total badass" plot rather than playing it straight. Not only is Ash only the way he is in the first place because of Arceus's intervention to motivate him to learn everything he could about Pokemon before even starting his journey, meaning that the only reason everything goes his way is that Arceus (read: [[LampshadeHanging the author]]) is favoring him, but this has resulted in him [[spoiler:developing a SuperpoweredEvilSide, making his friends and him terrified that he will eventually lose control]] meaning that he ''needs'' his TrueCompanions around to remain sane.
** The Rocket Trio's PaperThinDisguise doesn't fool Ash ''at all'' in chapter 8, as Jessie and James don't bother to change their hair colors or their accessories, and no effort is put into hiding that Meowth is a Pokemon.

* DoesNotLikeSpam: Due to how much of a health nut Ash is, he and his Pokemon have a strong intolerance for unhealthy food, which his girlfriend and his friends have taken up. During their visit to Maiden's Peak, they leave the food district early due to being overwhelmed by the smell of grease.

* EasilyForgiven: Goes both ways-- Ash will forgive anyone who wronged him or a Pokemon instantly if they admit their mistakes, and no one ever holds anything he does against him. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in Chapter 10.

* EyeBeams: When Ash is particularly upset, he can [[spoiler:psychically link with his Pokemon while under the influence of his SuperpoweredEvilSide]]. This allows them to fire beams of pure aura from their eyes.

* KnowNothingKnowItAll: Ash describes Gary as this while growing up, as the latter had always focused on being the "cool kid" that he had never bother to learn anything that wasn't going to help him be better than everyone else, and even said that anything that Gary knows about "winning over the opposite sex" is almost entirely from self-instruction. Even in the present day, there're still certain gaps in Gary's knowledge of Pokemon despite his own natural talent.

* TrainingFromHell: Ash puts both his Pokemon and himself through training so severe that [[ExaggeratedTrope their bodies are only barely able to recover from the strain, and Ash actually calls it cruel]].

* WorldBuilding: Much of the NarrativeFiligree is devoted to the author fleshing out his interpretation of the Pokemon World, which often wildly diverges from canon.

* LeaningOnTheForthWall: After she's defeated by Ash in her debut and has her JerkassRealization, Giselle states that, if her life was a story and someone was reading it, the reader would find her EasyEvangelism as unrealistic.

Now [[FanficRecs/PokemonGeneral recommended on TV Tropes]].

In the [[TheWikiRule grand tradition of the Internet]], the fanfic has its own wiki [[https://the-greatest-there-was-or-ever-will-be.fandom.com/wiki/The_Greatest_There_Was_or_Ever_Will_Be_Wiki here]].

* AdaptationalBadass: WHERE TO BEGIN with Ash!
* AdaptationalVillainy: In the anime, there is a gang of bikers who appear in one episode, who cause some trouble on a suspension bridge, [[BigBadWannabe but that's it]]. This fic seems to upgrade them into an organized crime syndicate that rivals Team Rocket and whose leader (who has no hint of existing in canon) is worse.
* AgeLift: Misty is 12 instead of 10, just like in ''Manga/TheElectricTaleOfPikachu''.
* TheAlcatraz: [=DeadHeat=] Prison, in which the inmates are mistreated similarly to in Third World countries, yet for some reason none of the heroes have a problem with the way it is run.
* AlphaBitch: In Chapter 10, Misty and Giselle are harassed by some rich girl from Saffron City and her lackey, who believe that the two of them are filthy farm girls who have no shot at defeating them in a Pokémon battle. They actually come pretty close to beating them, before Misty and Giselle learn to work together.

* TheChosenOne: Ash is this. By Arceus herself no less.
* CherryTapping: This is Ash's MO when facing a really cocky Trainer. In order to teach them humility, he'll use his weakest Pokemon and still utterly curb-stomp them. So far, he has done this against a Team Rocket commander, and Lt. Surge. Only the latter has seen the error of his ways from this.
* CurbStompBattle: Surge finds himself on the receiving end of this from Ash and Pikachu.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Compare to the original anime, the fic shows a lot of darker moments and the dangers of criminal syndicates.

** At times the story reads like a ''deconstruction'' of the "make Ash a total badass" plot rather than playing it straight. Not only is Ash only the way he is in the first place because of Arceus's intervention to motivate him to learn everything he could about Pokemon before even starting his journey, meaning that the only reason everything goes his way is that Arceus (read: [[LampshadeHanging the author]]) is favoring him, but it this also appears to have resulted in him [[spoiler:developing a SuperpoweredEvilSide, making his friends and him terrified that he will eventually lose control]] meaning that he ''needs'' his TrueCompanions around to remain sane.
** Once you take away the kid-friendly nature of the series, along with the fact that Ash is no longer held down by the writers' NotAllowedToGrowUp and AesopAmnesia.
*** The entire RunningGag with the Rocket Trio's PaperThinDisguise doesn't fool Ash ''at all'' in chapter 8, as both Jessie and James never changed their hair colors nor the accessories they had along with Meowth's short stature, whiskers, and tail sticking out like a sore thumb.
*** Much like with ''Franchise/TheIncredibles'' example[[note]]Helen's explanation to both Dash and Violet about how criminals in real life will ''not'' exercise caution on the two despite being children.[[/note]], "bad guys" like Team Rocket being portrayed as major chumps and that no children would be harmed are '''not''' at effect here. This is why Ash had to handle his "war on crime" against the Team Rocket anonymously, less they get wind of his identity and would kill him and everyone he knows who was involved. Furthermore, those who know Team Rocket's deeper roots and operations treat them as TheDreaded for a ''very good goddamn'' '''''reason'''''. As [[spoiler:Mr.Fuji's]] backstory with them is of any indication.

* {{Doorstopper}}: Currently, the fic sits at a whopping ''918,495'' words long. The fic itself has only ''17'' chapters, meaning that on average, each chapter consists of about 54,000 words. Again, that's 54k words ''per chapter''. And the story isn't even done with Kanto yet! Arceus knows how long the final product will be.
* DoesNotLikeSpam: Due to how much of a health nut Ash is and making sure to only feed his Pokemon the most balanced and nutritious meals leaves them a strong intolerance for unhealthy food, to which his girlfriend and his friends, to a lesser extent, had taken up. This is best seen in their visit to Maiden's Peak, where they all are more likely to leave the food district as the unfamiliar smell was too much to bear.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Solidad and [[spoiler:Dr. Zager]] both show up in Kanto. This fic actually did it [[OlderThanTheyThink before]] ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines''.

* ForegoneConclusion: Even from the beginning, one can guess that Giselle will play a greater role than in canon because her name is listed in the character filter with Ash. She doesn't actually show up till Chapter 6, which coincidentally is when the story starts Growing The Beard.

* HeadsIWinTailsYouLose: Like in canon, Sabrina demands that Ash become her plaything forever if he loses. Even though he wins, she still uses her powers to trap him and his friends in an illusionary world.
* ILied: Even though Ash asked Sabrina to leave his friends out of it if he lost the battle, Sabrina traps them along with him, despite his protests.
* InSpiteOfANail: Despite Ash winning against Sabrina the first time, he still incurs her wrath, because he does not use Haunter and therefore cannot purify her soul.

* LikesOlderWomen: The fact that Ash's girlfriend Giselle, who is three years older than him, his crush on Gary's 18-year-old sister, Daisy Oak, and his attraction towards Solidad count as this. And given the cover art, Clair and Cynthia will soon be seen in this light by Ash as well.

* PayEvilUntoEvil: To [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone horrifying]] results.
* PstandardPsychicPstance: Sabrina's father uses it when rescuing Ash and friends.

** What Ash does in Chapter 7. His comment when Dragonite nods her head upon being told to destroy the mechas and the control building? "Dragonite... Smash!" A practically word-for-word shout-out to Film/TheAvengers2012 when ComicBook/CaptainAmerica tells the [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]] to do the same thing.
** Ash inexplicably name-drops Music/JohnnyCash at one point in Chapter 11.

* WomenPreferStrongMen: Discussed in chapter 9.

*** Much like with ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' example[[note]]Helen's explanation to both Dash and Violet about how criminals in real life will ''not'' exercise caution on the two despite being children.[[/note]], "bad guys" like Team Rocket being portrayed as major chumps and that no children would be harmed are '''not''' at effect here. This is why Ash had to handle his "war on crime" against the Team Rocket anonymously, less they get wind of his identity and would kill him and everyone he knows who was involved. Furthermore, those who know Team Rocket's deeper roots and operations treat them as TheDreaded for a ''very good goddamn'' '''''reason'''''. As [[spoiler:Mr.Fuji's]] backstory with them is of any indication.

*** The Turn-based mechanics of the Pokemon videogames don't apply to an actual Pokemon battle in real-life. TalkingIsAFreeAction is also averted, and Pokemon moves can also involve [[ConfusionFu unorthodox off-the-fly tactics that could disorientate and confuse the opponent]].

* LikesOlderWomen: The fact that Ash's girlfriend Giselle, who is three years older than him, his crush on Gary's 18-year-old sister, Daisy Oak, and his attraction towards Solidad count as this.

[[Administrivia/SeenItAMillionTimes We've all seen this before...]] a writer attempts to "[[FixFic fix]]" the story by rewriting the whole anime so that Ash is smarter or more competent, but [[SturgeonsLaw 90% of the time]] succeeds only in making Ash boring and unlikeable. ...This is not one of those. Instead, Ash is ''so'' much more powerful than his canon self that it CrossesTheLineTwice into pure, unadulterated ''awesome''. The best comparison is most likely ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' [[JustForFun/XMeetsY meets]] ''Manga/MedakaBox''. At times, it reads like a parody of Overpowered Ash stories, and at other times like a deconstruction, but in truth, it is neither. [[{{MST3K Mantra}} As long as you don't take it too seriously]], it's an enjoyable read.

* EasyEvangelism: See above; every Trainer who Ash criticizes quickly takes it to heart and becomes a better person.

* FunPersonified: The talking Gastly from Maiden's Peak.
%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* DeconstructionFic: At times the story reads like a ''deconstruction'' of the "make Ash a total badass" plot rather than playing it straight. Not only is Ash only the way he is in the first place because of Arceus's intervention to motivate him to learn everything he could about Pokemon before even starting his journey, meaning that the only reason everything goes his way is that Arceus (read: [[LampshadeHanging the author]]) is favoring him, but it this also appears to have resulted in him [[spoiler:developing a SuperpoweredEvilSide, making his friends and him terrified that he will eventually lose control]] meaning that he ''needs'' his TrueCompanions around to remain sane.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Especially once you take away the kid-friendly nature of the series, along with the fact that Ash is no longer held down by the writers' NotAllowedToGrowUp and AesopAmnesia.
** The entire RunningGag with the Rocket Trio's PaperThinDisguise doesn't fool Ash ''at all'' in chapter 8, as both Jessie and James never changed their hair colors nor the accessories they had along with Meowth's short stature, whiskers, and tail sticking out like a sore thumb.
** Much like with ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' example[[note]]Helen's explanation to both Dash and Violet about how criminals in real life will ''not'' exercise caution on the two despite being children.[[/note]], "bad guys" like Team Rocket being portrayed as major chumps and that no children would be harmed are '''not''' at effect here. This is why Ash had to handle his "war on crime" against the Team Rocket anonymously, less they get wind of his identity and would kill him and everyone he knows who was involved.
*** Furthermore, those who know Team Rocket's deeper roots and operations treat them as TheDreaded for a ''very good goddamn'' '''''reason'''''. As [[spoiler:Mr.Fuji's]] backstory with them is of any indication.
** The Turn-based mechanics of the Pokemon videogames don't apply to an actual Pokemon battle in real-life. TalkingIsAFreeAction is also averted, and Pokemon moves can also involve [[ConfusionFu unorthodox off-the-fly tactics that could disorientate and confuse the opponent]].

** What Ash does in Chapter 7. His comment when Dragonite nods her head upon being told to destroy the mechas and the control building? "Dragonite... Smash!" A practically word-for-word shout-out to Film/TheAvengers2012 when ComicBook/CaptainAmerica tells the ComicBook/IncredibleHulk to do the same thing.

* TheAlcatraz: [=DeadHeat=] Prison, in which the inmates are mistreated similarly to in Third World countries, yet for some reason [[MoralDissonance none of the heroes have a problem with the way it is run]].

''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10215497/1/ The Greatest There Was Or Ever Will Be]]'' is a ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' fanfic written by [[https://www.fanfiction.net/u/5265490/Forever-United-Never-We-Fall Forever United Never We Fall]] on Website/FanFictionDotNet.

* AdaptationalVillainy: In the anime, there is a gang of bikers who appear in one episode, who cause some trouble on a suspension bridge, [[BigBadWannabe but that's it]]. This fic seems to upgrade them into an organized crime syndicate which rivals Team Rocket and whose leader (who has no hint of existing in canon) is worse.

''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10215497/1/ The Greatest There Was Or Ever Will Be]]'' is a ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' fanfic written by [[https://www.fanfiction.net/u/5265490/Forever-United-Never-We-Fall Forever United Never We Fall]] on Website/FanFictionDotNet.

[[Administrivia/SeenItAMillionTimes We've all seen this before...]] a writer attempts to "[[FixFic fix]]" the story by rewriting the whole anime so that Ash is smarter or more competent, but [[SturgeonsLaw 90% of the time]] succeeds only in making Ash boring and unlikeable. ...This is not one of those. Instead, Ash is ''so'' much more powerful than his canon self that it CrossesTheLineTwice into pure, unadulterated ''awesome''. The best comparison is most likely ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' [[JustForFun/XMeetsY meets]] ''Manga/MedakaBox''. At times, it reads like a parody of Overpowered Ash stories, and at other times like a deconstruction, but in truth, it is neither. [[{{MST3K Mantra}} As long as you don't take it too seriously]], it's an enjoyable read.

* TheAlcatraz: [=DeadHeat=] Prison, in which the inmates are mistreated similar to in Third World countries, yet for some reason [[MoralDissonance none of the heroes have a problem with the way it is run]].

* AscendedExtra: Giselle was originally a one-shot character, but here she becomes one of Ash's traveling companions [[spoiler:and his LoveInterest]].

* NamedInTheAdaptation: Unlike the anime, Misty and Brock have last names; "Waterflower" and "Stone" respectively.

* TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening: Pokémon can evolve when under extreme stress, even when they would usually be incapable of it. Black Fog's StartOfDarkness involves [[spoiler:evolving after humans killed the woman who took care of him, and then killing them in turn]]. So far, two of Ash's Pokémon has evolved while close to death, though both would ordinarily require a stone to do so: Staryu and [[spoiler:Weepinbell]].

* LikesOlderWomen: The fact that Ash's girlfriend Giselle, is two years older than him, his crush on Gary's older sister, Daisy Oak, and his attraction towards Solidad count as this.

* LikesOlderWomen: The fact that Ash has a crush on Gary's older sister, Daisy Oak, and his attraction towards Solidad counts as this.

* LikesOlderWomen

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Erika's ex implies that he took her virginity, but only ''says'' that he "picked a very special kind of flower."

** The Turn-based mechanics of the Pokemon videogames don't apply to an actual Pokemon battle in real-life. TalkingIsFreeAction is also averted, and Pokemon moves can also involve [[ConfusionFu unorthodox off-the-fly tactics that could disorientate and confuse the opponent]].

** Much like with WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles example[[note]]Helen's explanation to both Dash and Violet about how criminals in real life will ''not'' exercise caution on the two despite being children.[[/note]], "bad guys" like Team Rocket being major chumps and that children wouldn't be harmed are '''not''' at effect here. This is why Ash had to handle his "war on crime" against the Team Rocket anonymously, less they get wind of his identity and would kill him and everyone he knows who was involved.
*** Furthermore, those who know Team Rocket's deeper roots and operations treat them as TheDreaded for a ''very'' '''good''' reason. As [[spoiler:Mr.Fuji's]] backstory with them is of any indication.

* DoesNotLikeSpam: As seen in their visit to Maiden's Peak, Ash and his friends are repulsive by the greasy foods being served to the customers.

** It is a plot point that Ash has a crush on Gary's sister. She doesn't exist in the anime but she does exist in [[Manga/TheElectricTaleOfPikachu the manga adaptation of the anime]], where Ash's counterpart does have a crush on her. The character of Black Fog is also inspired from this manga.
** In the anime, [[IdiotHero Ash]] assumes that the man who saves him and his friends from Sabrina knows her life's story because he is her family photographer. In this fic, the man explains that he is Sabrina's father from the beginning, and adds that he used to have a photography business before Sabrina's powers manifested.

** What Ash does in Chapter 7. His comment when Dragonite nods her head upon being told to destroy the mechas and the control building? "Dragonite... Smash!" A practically word-for-word shout out to Film/TheAvengers2012 when ComicBook/CaptainAmerica tells the ComicBook/IncredibleHulk to do the same thing.

** Boulder Town, where the buildings are carved into a rock, may be a homage to the ancient city of Petra.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Once you take away the kid-friendly nature of the series, there're certain events where things happen in real life.