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Chapter Text

‘Something isn’t right.’

Ash remembered thinking that as he stood in the makeshift arena all the young trainers of Pallet Town used to battle their Pokémon. At first glance, everything seemed just fine; it was a nice sunny day with a clear sky. A gentle breeze rustled the tree branches where Pidgeys and Spearows were resting. There were no signs of rogue Pokémon or even Team Rocket about. Everything was fine.

But still, Ash couldn’t shake this uneasy feeling that had settled in his gut. He tugged on his gloves anxiously, lost in thought until a familiar voice grated on his ears.

“What’s wrong, Ashy-boy? Are you scared?” Gary sneered from the other side of the arena, his partner Eevee sitting at his feet. Right- they were about to have a battle. Ash shook his head, straightening his cap. “I’m not scared, especially not of you! Just.. distracted, that’s all” Ash said as he watched Pikachu from where he sat on his shoulders. His partner Pokémon looked just as unsettled as he was, ears straight up and the fur along his back bristling slightly. He looked at Ash with a small “Chu..”, looking worried.

“Don’t worry Pikachu, once we win this battle, we can head back home” Ash scratched under his buddy’s chin before letting him hop off his shoulders. Pikachu glanced back at his trainer one more time before getting into a battle stance, electricity crackling in his pelt. 

The young Pokémon trainer took a grounding breath before swiftly flipping his cap backwards, spiky black hair jutting out from the hole in the back. “Alright Gary, prepare to lose! Pikachu, I choose y-!”

His words were drowned out by a loud gust of wind from right behind him. It flung his hat off his head and into the middle of the arena, but soon the cap started slowly moving back towards him. “What in the..” Ash’s words trailed off as he turned around and saw the source of the gust.

It was… well, he assumed it was a portal of some kind. It looked like a tear in the space right in front of him, green mist surrounding the gash. Ash could feel the almost overwhelming suction power it had, his vest flapping from the force. He didn’t know of any Pokémon that could make something like THIS- though he didn’t really have time to ponder that before hands grabbed the back on his vest and tugged him backwards, making him trip over his shoes in the process.

“Are you dense?! Quit staring and get away from that thing!” Gary snapped at Ash as he held onto his arm, Eevee trembling from their spot on his head. “Eevee! Vee vee!”

The portal’s power seemed to be getting stronger, Ash’s cap skipping across the dirt as it was pulled in closer. He tried to use his foot to stop it, but it flew by too fast. Just then, he saw a streak of yellow lunge at the cap. Ash cried out in panic as he saw Pikachu clutch the hat, his lightning bolt shaped tail planted into the soil to try and keep him from getting pulled in.

“Pikachu!” Ash fought to escape Gary’s grasp, but his rival seemed determined to keep him from being sucked in. After failing to squirm his way out, Ash panted and looked over his shoulder at Gary.

“Forgive me for this”

“What do you-”

In that instant, Ash slammed his elbow into the other boy’s chest. As soon as he felt the arms around him release, he scrambled after his beloved Pokémon. Skidding to a stop behind him, Ash tried tugging Pikachu out of the portal’s range, his sneakers leaving marks in the dirt as they were slowly pulled in. When Pikachu lost grip of the hat and tried to leap after it, it almost sent him tumbling into whatever was beyond the portal’s surface- Ash grabbed onto him as fast as he could, falling to his knees with a wince. His eyes stung from his hair constantly whipping into his face, but he still held on as best as he could. He was vaguely aware of someone, probably Gary, grabbing his ankles to keep him grounded, but it wasn’t enough. In a flash, Ash was pulled from his rival’s grip, Pikachu clutched close to his chest as the pair fell in and promptly warped from this plane. As soon as it had appeared, the portal closed, leaving Gary and Eevee alone in the arena. 

Gary stared at the space where Ash and Pikachu had just been, too shocked to even do anything at first. After a minute or so, he blinked rapidly and backed up. Ash couldn’t just be gone, right? He had to be somewhere, maybe not in Kanto, but at least somewhere on their Earth. Gary dragged his hands over his face with a groan. This would be a pain in the ass to explain to Professor Oak.

Chapter Text

Ash snapped awake as he felt himself get launched into the ground. A searing pain shot through his jaw as he hit his chin upon landing. He winced as he slowly got over the shock, pushing himself onto his knees.
The boy rubbed at his sore jaw as he took in his surroundings. He could immediately tell that he wasn’t in Kanto, which was mildly concerning, but he didn’t seem to be in any danger at least. He took in the sight of a grassy plain dotted with flowers with spiked cliffs off in the distance. There were these strange looping rock formations scattered around, creating paths across the land.

Pikachu would probably love to explore this place- Ash blinked at the thought. Where was Pikachu, exactly? He spun around in a circle, looking for his partner Pokemon, but the electric type was nowhere around. The only familiar sight was his cap laying nearby.  A sharp panic started to well up in his chest, but he pushed it down. There was no time for that, he had to find Pikachu as soon as possible. Ash grabbed his hat, taking comfort in it for a moment before putting it on. He had no idea where to go, so he just picked a direction and started walking.

~

Ash came across quite a few interesting creatures while searching, but none of them seemed to be Pokemon from his home region since his dex didn’t recognize them. Maybe they hadn’t been discovered yet? Well, whatever the case, they weren’t of much help since they didn’t seem to understand anything Ash asked.

The young trainer sighed softly, gently scratching the blue bird-like creature that he had found. It trilled and flapped its wings happily. It reminded him of the noises Pikachu would make when pet. He stopped and let the critter fly away after a moment, watching it take off before continuing down the path he was on. When it led to a deadend, he was about to turn around when he heard the whir of something mechanical behind him. When he did turn around, he barely had the time to dodge out of the way of a massive swinging ball.
Ash rolled away as the ball struck the cliff he was once standing in front of. He braced against the bits of rock that scattered from the impact. Ash squinted through the dust to see a round flying robot hovering in the air. The giant ball that almost squashed him was hanging from a chain attached to it. Before he could even question what the hell was even happening, a stout bald man with a large mustache and goggles popped out from the top of the machine. 

“Marvel at my newest creation, the Egg Wrecker! Perfect for squashing pathetic hedgeh- eh?” The man stopped mid rant to peer at the boy cowering before him. He cleaned off his goggles before leaning over the machine to get a better look. “Oh my- you aren’t that blasted hedgehog at all..” He mumbled, stroking his mustache between his fingers. “Well, this is certainly interesting. I’m not quite sure how you got here, but an audience is always appreciated” The man settled back in his seat while Ash just blinked in confusion.
 “Wh- an audience? Who are you? Why did you just try to crush me with a giant wrecking ball?!” He called out, struggling to wrap his head around anything that was happening.

“Easy now, one question at a time. Goodness gracious, you are just as impatient as that blue rat” The mysterious man sighed dramatically before sitting up. “Dr. Robotnik, greatest scientist of our era- or perhaps of all time. There, introduction over. Now, I suppose it’s only fair to apologize for our little.. incident. This wasn’t meant for you” He tapped his fingers rhythmically against the dashboard of his robot as he spoke. 
“You see, I’ve been dealing with this pesky rodent always bugging me, so I’m trying to find some way to get rid of him. This beauty of a machine is my latest attempt.”

“Why don’t you just use a Repel then? This seems kind of excessive..” Ash muttered the last part as he dug through his bag. When he found the green spray can, he chucked it up to Dr. Robotnik. The doctor looked at it curiously once he had his hands on it, turning it over. “A Repel, is that what you called it? What does it do?”  
“Just spray it and all creatures will stay away for a certain amount of time. Pretty handy in caves” Ash zipped up his bag and slung it over his shoulders again.

“What a nifty little product... thank you, strange boy. This may come in handy quite soon” The doctor grinned mischievously at the can in his hands. Almost as if on cue, a blue blur came from out of nowhere and smashed into the machine, causing it to spin in the air for a moment. Ash hid behind one of the fallen rocks and watched the scene unfold. When the creature landed on the ground, it uncurled to reveal a- um.. well, Ash wasn’t sure what it was. Looked kinda like a Pokemon but with.. cargo shorts? And red sneakers?

“You’ve fallen right into my trap once again, Sonic! Not only do I have a new machine to pulverize you with, but a new gadget to keep you away for a long time!” Dr Robotnik announced when he reappeared, smoothing out his mustache. The blue creature, apparently named “Sonic”, just crossed his arms and tapped his foot like he was bored. “Does this have to be a daily occurance? Can’t we do this, like, once a week at most?”
“Enough with your attitude! It won’t save you from THIS!” Dr. Robotnik aimed and sprayed the Repel right at Sonic, who at first blinked in surprise then recoiled with a yell. He covered his eyes, hissing. “Dude, what is wrong with you? Spraying bug spray or whatever in my eyes?” Well, at least Ash knew this wasn’t a Pokemon.

The doctor peered at the bottle, adjusting his goggles.”Maybe I used it wrong.. no matter! The results still benefit me!” He cackled, his robot raising in the air as the ball started to swing. It surged forward, barely giving enough time for Sonic to jump out of the way- but once he was moving, this guy was unstoppable. Ash peeked out from behind the rock to watch the fight. He was in awe of just how fast he was moving. His speed seemed almost impossibly fast- way faster than even a Legendary Pokemon. Sonic just kept hammering the robot with hard blows, expertly maneuvering around despite his now limited vision from the Repel.

In the end, Dr. Robotnik gave up, hovering out of reach. He grumbled something about being scammed by a child before flying away, parts of his robot crumbling apart. Sonic watched him leave with a hand over his eyes to block the sun before sighing. “Ow.. whatever was in that spray can hurts like crazy” He rubbed at his eyes with a wince.
Ash hesitated before cautiously standing up and stepping from behind his shelter. “Excuse me- I can help with that..”

Sonic whirled around to face him, tension easing when he could quickly tell the kid wasn’t a threat. Ash took a water bottle from his bag and offered it to him. “Here- use this to rinse that Repel out of your eyes. It’ll make it feel better” He explained, watching as Sonic took the water and did as he was told. Ash chose to ignore how he got water everywhere by shaking his fur out. “Whew, thanks- say, I’ve never seen you around before. What’s your name?” Sonic tilted his head, ears twitching. 

“Oh- Ash, Ash Ketchum. I’m from Pallet Town”
“Never heard of a ‘Pallet Town’ before.. where are you from?”
“It’s a complicated story..” Ash let out a weary sigh. “Essentially there was this.. portal, I guess, and it sucked me and my buddy Pikachu in. Now we’re split up and I’m looking for him.”

Sonic thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. “Ya know what? I remember my friend Tails talking about seeing something similar. I can take you to his workshop. Maybe he can help us find your friend!”
“That would be great, I’ve been wandering by myself since I got here” Ash smiled sheepishly, feeling relieved. He still hadn’t found Pikachu, but at least he now had an ally to help him.

He just hoped nothing else weird would happen. 

Chapter Text

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Link leaned back against the cracked pillar he was hiding behind. It was cold, so cold compared to the red hot pain he felt all over. All these sensations at once made it feel as though his nerves had been lit on fire. Somehow, perhaps by a miracle, he was still conscious.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

The sound of Ganon’s hooves against the hard stone floor echoed throughout the dungeon. Each step was like the hands of a clock ticking closer to midnight, the dawn signaling Link’s demise. 

“I know you’re there, Hero.. I can smell your blood .” Ganon called out, a low growl reverbing behind his words. Link covered his mouth to muffle his heavy breaths and prayed to the Goddesses that Ganon didn’t hear him. He stayed as quiet as possible, listening as the heavy steps creeped closer. It felt like every step sent shockwaves through the ground, rattling up Link’s spine and into his head.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

He couldn’t just sit here and bleed out until Ganon got to him. He either had to kill the damn beast or escape, but neither seemed very possible at the moment. Link bit his lip at the scorching pain that came from trying to move, hot blood pouring from his wounds. A trembling hand pressed against the gash in his side wasn’t enough to soothe the pain, but it was the only luxury the young hero could afford.

Slowly, Link inched his way to the next pillar. If he could hide behind them long enough, he could just barely escape the dungeon. He knew he was taking the coward’s way out, but it was better than Ganon getting ahold of his sacred blood. If he still perished, at least it was on his own accord.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Every time Link drug his body across the ground, his vision went blurry from pain. He pushed himself forward with the toe of his boots, biting back yelps of pain at the way his bare knees scraped against stone. No matter how much his brain begged him to stop, he kept reaching out in front of him and pulling himself along. After what felt like an eternity or two, Link felt the chilling shade of the pillar. He was almost hidden behind it. He was almost–

All the air in his lungs was forcibly ripped out of him when Link felt himself be grabbed and hauled into the air. He scrambled to grab onto anything, anything at all to ground him, but he just flailed pathetically at nothing.

“Is that all you’re capable of? Crawling around like a pest ?” Ganon’s voice boomed, making Link feel disoriented. The hero wasn’t even aware he had his eyes squeezed shut until he opened them and came face to face with large yellowed tusks. Link recoiled at the beast’s rotten breath as Ganon cackled at his misfortune. “I must say, I quite enjoyed our little game of cat and mouse, but we’ve dragged this out for too long..” 

Link struggled in Ganon’s grasp, clawing at the Demon King with the ferocity of a vengeful cat. Desperation started to set in when he realized how powerless he was in this situation. No Silver Arrows, no Master Sword, not even a single bomb. Just a puny boy up against the manifestation of evil itself. What a lousy excuse for a hero, huh?

Just when all hope seemed lost, the two turned to look at the red light that had suddenly caught their eye. In the middle of the dungeon was some portal, simmering and bright. Link realized this could be his only chance at survival and all at once, adrenaline hit him like a boulder. In an act of pure desperation, Link bit down as hard as he could on the hand that held him captive. He didn’t even stop to acknowledge the sour blood that sprayed in his mouth- he was being dropped and had one chance to make it out of here alive.

Breathe in.

Using all the strength he could muster, Link hit the ground running. He didn’t look back when he heard Ganon roar with rage, he just kept pushing forward. Just as Ganon’s hoof came crashing down, Link launched himself through the portal. He tumbled in a free fall, head spinning as he fell. The spinning brought along darkness and soon the pain eased.

Breathe out.