Ash, and other characters are from Gamefreak/Nintendo and Cartoon Network
Bleach: characters and locations are from Viz Media
Chapter 1
New location, same job - Hero
Ash Ketchum native to Pallet Town was currently in his room lying on his bed, and thinking of the new journey ahead. 'I'm going to the Unova with Professor Oak tomorrow. I wonder if I will get to meet Zoroark again.' He thought while gazing at his ceiling before fading to dream. Above him was an old friend - ready to greet him.
'Good thing I know how to get to his house.' The creature thought before landing in the front yard, and began pecking at the door. All throughout the house the strange tapping could be heard, and one of the two Ketchum's heard it.
"What's that?" The Pallet Town protector thought aloud before reaching up to his new clock to check the time. "2:30 in the morning?" He muttered before switching to street clothes and headed down to the door. "I know it's early, but someone may need help." The young one assured himself before walking to the door.
"Ash!" The big bird that stood before him cheered when he saw the human - who was also happy to see the flying creature.
"It's good to see you, Pidgeot! How have you been?" The former trainer to the creature said with a big smile as he enjoyed holding his old friend again. Ketchum released and decided to look his friend in the eye.
"There's no time for pleasantries. I felt something off in Lavender Town." The bird said back to him in it's native tongue. Even though the human could only get the jist of the message the Trainer could see that it was urgent thanks to the look in it's eyes.
"Lead the way." Ash said before hopping onto the flyer's back, and they took off. The two headed to that all to familiar building. "The tower? Why are we…" Ash questioned but stopped when his body was struck by an incredible power. "Nevermind." He said before walking in.
'Good luck, old friend.' Pidgeot thought before flying off. The hero kept on walking upward - having a feeling that the strange power was coming from their playroom.
'It's a good thing I spotted this floor door when I was last here.' The mortal thought before opening said door, and was now in the playroom - just as cheerful as ever: except that Ghost types were cowering against the far wall. "Guy's what the matter?" He asked the Gastly and Gengar who simply looked at him with fear filled eyes.
'Maybe he can help.' The fully evolved one thought before pointing at something behind the human. Intriged the hero turned to see a wardrobe, and nothing else. Beliving that it was some sort of trick Ketchum decided to humor them and check it out.
'Hopefully it's just a harmless prank this time.' Ash thought as he recalled the last time involved them removing his and Pikachu's souls from their bodies for a time. The young man opened the door and saw a portal before him. "What is this?" He asked before feeling the same dark force from outside coming from inside the wardrobe.
'So, it's a portal.' The floating head behind them thought while looking at the object before him. The human gazed at the hole and did not like what it may represent.
"Wonder where this came from?" Ash thought aloud and added, "Could be another Giratina dimension, or maybe it's from Palkia and Dialga's fight." Ash knew that his world had strange, and mysterious secrets, so he knew anything was possible. "What if: who ever is on the other side of this portal is being attacked. I have to help them." He said to himself before walking into the wardrobe, but something grabbed his hand.
"Please. Please, don't go, Ash." Gengar said to the hero since the Ghost class did not want his first living friend to venture into this strange void.
"Don't worry, Gengar. I'll be fine, and back before you know it." The human said to the gently creature in a calm tone. Believing this the ghost/poison class released his grip and Ash walked through the portal, and the moment the native of Pallet Town did that the portal closed behind him.
'Please be alright.' The two thought after seeing the only means to follow vanish right before their eyes. As Ash was walking through the portal he was visited by two familiar faces which he did not know of them until one spoke.
"Be on your guard, Ash Ketchum. You are about to enter a world where the rules and regulations you are familiar with no longer apply." The voice to his right stated which caused the Pallet Town Protector to look in that direction.
"Sir Aaron? You're here, but I thought that you were…" Ash started to explain himself, but was interrupted by a voice to his left.
"We are dead, but you need to take what he's saying to heart. The dimension you are about to enter will make very little sense so you will always be ready to fight." The monster tamer looked over to the left informant and saw that it was a familiar sight as well.
"Lucario? You're here too?" The hero questioned and received a silent nod as his answer. If the two of you know of the world where I'm heading then maybe you have some pointers for me?" He offered to them, but his ancestor just smiled at what he heard.
"Where would the fun in that be? I think you should learn as you go. So long." Sir Aaron informed before the two of them faded away. Ketchum then focused on the other end of the tunnel before seeing that the walls had moving images on them.
"What are all these about?" Ash asked as he viewed them all. It was a timeline of sorts, but he couldn't make heads or tails about it. The images were: an orange haired youth becoming a hero, accepting the job, battles with two friends of the hero, a Brock-like creature in the hero's body, a solo fight, a strange team-up, an arrogant bowman and his challenge, the challenge unlocking the friend's special powers, teamwork defeating an army and a giant, but the last shots showed Ash that the raven haired girl in the previous images seemed to be conflicted about what's going on around her. 'Looks like this is the end of the line.' The hero thought before the portal spit him out.
'I just hope fate knows what it's doing.' Sir Aaron thought as he watched the portal close behind the modern hero even though he had his doubts. Ash saw the portal had closed, and knew that there was no way to reverse that, so he decided to focus on where he was.
'Now what?' The monster tamer thought as he stood in an alley in the dead of night. The sound of a groan of pain reached his ears, and the hero went racing in that direction. When he got to the battlfield he saw two men in black, the black haired girl paralyzed with fear, and the bowman down on the ground.
"Well, well, looks like you were nothing but talk." The red haired man commented to the fallen warrior.
'Renji's strong. He's even stronger than before. I can't move. Let alone - stop him.' The raven haired one thought as she watched the fight that just happened. Ash, who's presence was still unnoticed, prayed that this would be end peacefully, but he had his doubts.
"Now then, let's finish this off, shall we? Remember this as you part this world - Renji Abarai: is the name of the man who killed you." The swordsman said to the down warrior.
'This is the part I can live without.' Ash thought before charging onto the battlefield and delivered his hardest, aura infused, punch to the attacker's right side. "Picking on a fallen warrior is seriously not cool." Ash said to the swordsman before putting up his dukes.
'Who is that?' The girl and fallen one thought as they saw this hat wearing human defending them. The silent one on the other hand had a different thought in mind.
'Different in hair, outfit, and speech, but not in face or actions.' The raven haired swordsman thought since he could place the face, but decided to remain silent about it.
'Geez, doesn't anyone in this town sleep?' Renji thought out of anger before focusing on the foe before him and could tell one thing for certain, 'He's not the one who stole my friend's powers.' He thought before speaking, "Hey, who the hell are you?" Ash heard him, but decided to go with a cover story instead of the truth…at least for now.
"I am Ash Ketchum a Boxing nomad who often steps in when seeing something bad going down. Seeing someone take advantage of a frightened girl and fallen warrior is part of the list." The new comer explained which only seemed to anger his foe even more.
"Well, I don't like meddlers, so get lost." The red haired one called out, and received a 'no' head gesture as his answer. "Have it your way kid." The attacker said before starting up again, but soon realized that this guy has skill.
'Man, this guy is seriously angery about something.' Ash thought as he dodged a few swords swipes. 'Still, I can't let him harm these two.' Ash thought as he glanced over to the two behind him before retaliating with a few swift punches.
'Geez, this kid's good. I might have to use my power against him.' The opponent thought as he followed the kid up the hill they stood beside, and swung at the invader. The boxer dodged the strike and saw the steel bars of the fence meant nothing to that sword.
'Gotta go for distance.' Ketchum thought before picking up the cut pieces of metal and chucked them at him while racing away. The first one he deflected to the street below and chopped all the others even more.
'He's not bad, but enough messing around. We've got a job to do.' Renji thought as the two returned in between the bowman/girl, and other swordsman. He was about to get serious until he saw the ground beneath him begin to glow. "Who in hell's name are you?" The red head questioned after leaping and landing away from the small explosion.
"Name is Ichigo. I'm the one who's going to beat your ass. How's it going?" An orange haired youth commented to the red head. This caused all to take notice to this new comer.
"A Shihaksho? I don't know you. What squad are you from?" Renji questioned the new comer since he was wearing their uniform. "Ha, check out that over-sized Zanpakto." He stated as this latest foe drapped his sword over his shoulder.
"Oh yeah. So, your saying I got a big one, huh? It's funny - to tell you the truth I've been thinking this thing looked kind of big next to Rukia's blade, but you know I got to say up until now I haven't had anything else to compare it to." Ichigo explained to his opponent.
'Wait, during his personal battle that I saw in the tunnel - wasn't there a swordsman with a hat?' Ash thought, but decided not to say anything about it since this seemed like a really intense moment.
'The size of it reflects the Soul Reaper's Spirit Energy. How did a snot nosed little brat get a sword that size? Is he for real?' Renji thought since that was one of the first thing he learned at the school.
'Ichigo, you fool. Why did you come?' The girl thought with her eyes filled with fear. Her fear did not go unnoticed as her old friend caught onto it.
'So, the fist fighter really is only a good samaritin. I need to focus all my anger on that one.' Renji thought as he looked at Ash and then at the new comer. "Oh, I get it! You're the lowly human who took Rukia's powers, aren't ya carrot-top." He stated to the new guy.
'So, this again.' Ichigo thought as he recalled the last guy that brought this up. The girl in question was a bit alarmed that he figured it out so quickly. They all watched as the red head jumped over Ash and started attacked the new challenger.
"Come on! Come on! What's wrong?! Is this big sword just for show?" Renji questioned as he continuously struck the sword that the holder was using as a shield.
"Back off!" Ichigo shouted and went with a downward thrust which was dodged and they all saw the attacker strike the orange haired one's right shoulder.
"Ichigo!" Rukia shouted in alarm and wanted to aid him, but was stopped by the bowman.
"Don't go." He wheezed before passing out again. She looked down at him with concern, but knew that he had a point - she was a civilian at the moment: not fit for combat.
"It's over. Very soon you'll be dead, and Rukia will get her powers back, and then Rukia will go back to the Soul Society to die." Renji explained to the energy sucker and the goodie two shoes.
'To die.' Both heroes thought in awe after hearing that, and neither of them liked it one bit. Renji then explained that the young woman in the area tried a self sacrifice move, but Ichigo ruined it by showing up, and then he started to boast.
"Just what did you think you could accomplish here. Your not a Reaper - you're a fake. There's no way you could hurt a real Soul Reaper. You couldn't even land a scratch on one of us." Abari commented before a slash, inches away from his face, came at him in a downward thrust.
'He opened himself up to that.' Ash thought with a mental smile about what he just saw.
"Sorry about that. I know you were in the middle of saying something, but you left yourself so wide open. I apologize, why don't you continue. Were you saying something about a scratch." Ichigo stated to the opponent, and knew what he meant - the shaving cut on his chin.
"You punk." The red haired one replied back while rubbing away the spot on his chin. Ash could tell that this guy wasn't going to take that blow lightly, so he stepped along side Ichigo.
"Consider me back-up." Ketchum offered while lighting up his fists with aura, which seemed to be acting on its own, but Ash could care less about that at the moment. 'Something must be up since I know my aura fists hit his ribs and sides at full force, but he's still fighting at peak performace. Is he holding something back' Ash thought and did not like that thought one bit.
"You let your guard down, Renji." A voice spoke behind the opponent causing all to take notice to the silent one in the distance. "This young man here - Ichigo Kurosaki: I believe I've seen him before. There was a report from the Secret Remote Squad he dealt a Menos Grande quite a serious blow and forced it back to Hueco Mondo as well." The Captain explained which caused Ash to recall that scene in the tunnel.
'So, that's the name of that giant. Oh man, I pray that a Menos was not the thing Bill was trying to befriend that day on his lighthouse.' Ash thought with concern before going back to the battle before him.
'What's this guy laughing about?' Ichigo thought as the red haired warrior began to laugh over what he had heard.
"You've got to be kidding me. Man, the Secret Remote Squad must really be slipping these days. This kid wounded a Menos Grande. Who in their right mind would believe that load of crap! I mean - look at him captain, and that Zanpakto. It's nothing but an oversized piece of junk. He obviously can't control his Spirit Energy. So, tell me: what is the name of that monstrosity?" Renji commented and questioned to the warrior before him.
'Hmm? Name?' Ash thought to himself since he knew there were Trainers that nicknamed their creatures - there was even a rater of names in Lavender Town; at least that's what he's heard. 'But to name a sword?' The aura user thought and did not see the logic in that.
"Huh? What's it's name?" Ichigo questioned the more experienced fighter.
"You didn't even ask; did you?" Renji commented back as he took a break from the fight to find out just how much this kid knew of their culture.
"What? You mean Rukia?" The sub questioned and then realized something that he had to comment about, "Wait. Are you telling me that all of you guys name your swords?" It was then that the more experienced one now knows the sub knows next to nothing of their culture.
"I knew it. Your not even able to ask your Zanpakto it's name, and you really think you can fight me as an equal? Come back in two thousand years." Renji said before transforming his sword to a totally different form.
'Didn't see this coming?' The two thought as they saw the transformation, and didn't know what to make of it.
"Roar, Zabimaru! Now, open your eyes. See what lies before you. And fall upon your prey." Renji said as he leapt high into the air. Ash saw this and felt his aura flow up to his elbows, and after feeling that he stood before Ichigo to try to defend him. Sadly the enemy blade bypassed both heroes defenses and seriously wounded their left shoulders.
'Man, you don't get any of this personal damage in a Poke`mon battle.' Ash thought before feeling even more pain as Renji pulled his sword back which caused them even greater harm.
"It's over, you little runts. You lost to Renji Abarai, and will die where you stand." The more experienced one said to the two wounded warriors before him.
'Am I really this weak?' Both warriors thought as they fell to their knees and Renji stood over them in triumph.