Author's Note: An entry in Deviantart's Crossover Contest. Thanks to iammemyself, preciousserenity, and cneilson for the editing help!

Mind the spoilers for Pokemon Black/White 1 and 2!

He slid to a halt at the end of the cliff and shivered.

Sonic the Hedgehog lifted a hand to his face, trying to use his fingers to shield his eyes from the sun and the wind. He couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling that he was lost… and he realized that this was one of the few times that feeling had ever bothered him.

He looked down the mountain at the landscape below, frowning. Sunlight glinted off grass that had a much greener tone than he remembered only hours ago; vegetation was sparse where earlier in the day it had been plentiful. The sun was further south in the sky than he recalled, like the very season had changed. A gust of wind swept over him, colder than before. The sun was going down.

He briefly considered trying to descend the mountainside before nightfall, but as he looked out and beheld the many streams and rivers flowing from the mountain, he thought better of it. Sonic began searching for a nook or a cave that might shield him from the wind.

The soft murmur of voices drew his ear to a small cavern in the mountainside , and he slowed down as he approached it. As he tiptoed toward the doorway, the words became clear; a gentle, male voice speaking far too quickly echoed out the entrance to the cavern.

"Even most humans frown on littering… but many think the formula for social welfare has room for their deviations, never stopping to consider that they are not the only addition to the problem."

Sonic bit his lip and nodded. Definitely a nerd, but probably not an evil inventor. He strolled into the cave, looking for the source of the voice.

He found a young man, human, standing there, weight on the balls of his feet, unbalanced. A black baseball cap hung from the fingers of one hand at his side; a mess of wild green hair hung from his head, tied loosely in back. Before him towered a great serpent made of stone, holding the plastic rings from a pack of soda cans before the man with a stern look on its face.

A rock crunched under Sonic's feet, and both pairs of eyes turned to look at him. The serpent raised an eyebrow; the human raised both.

"I've never seen a Pokemon like you before," the young man remarked, barely pausing before he added, "Is your trainer with you, friend?"

Sonic felt his own eyebrow raising."Pretend for a minute I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You speak my language," the young man marveled, approaching, though a subtle twitch of the eyes made Sonic think he wasn't happy about it. "My name is N." He held out a hand that struck Sonic as surprisingly small.

Sonic took it, shaking it briskly. The human's handshake was firm, but the hand it came from felt soft in Sonic's hands. "I'm Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog. Unless you call Hedgehogs 'Pokemon' here."

N smiled sheepishly and apologized, speaking more quickly than before. "I'm afraid I've never heard of a hedgehog. You look a little bit like a Pokemon from the desert though, one called Sandslash. Still, I've never seen a blue one, nor heard one speak human language. This encounter defies all probability."

"Heh. You're using words that are going over my head, and I made it through the Arabian Nights."

N nodded. "You're not from this place at all, are you?" He seemed almost to sigh the words, as if they relieved him, his speech slowing down.

"Nope!" Sonic stepped into the cave, further from the entrance, willing himself not to shake off the cold.

"Pretty sure I'm a long way from home. And a lot further than I should be, given that when I woke up, it was summer."

The young man motioned deeper into the cave. "Join me at my camp. I was just about to build a fire. It's too cold for humans."

"Heh. I'm not human, but it's cold for just about anything."

That remark earned a hint of a raised eyebrow from N. "That isn't true here, but come with me anyway." N shook his head, musing to himself, "If you're with me, no one should try to catch you. They'll assume you belong to me."

Sonic took a step back. "Whoah, is that why you care so much what I am? You can do whatever floats your boat, but that isn't my scene."

The human stopped, shoulders falling, sighing. "You really aren't from this world. Sonic, the kind of being for which I mistook you here is frequently enslaved. Your uniqueness would mark you as valuable. If people see you with me… they should leave you alone. Otherwise, I fear for your freedom, and your safety." He shook his head again, eyes shut tightly. "If you aren't a Pokemon, who knows what effect a Pokeball might have. A sample size of one is no sample at all…"

Sonic fought the urge to gasp, but he let his head move backwards a bit. "Sounds like I wound up here for a reason then!" He scratched under his nose, absently wondering if he did that as often as this human shook his head. "I'll just set all the animals free like I've been doing for years."

N chuckled, sighing. "What do you think I have been trying to do? The formula for liberation has too many variables for one man to change alone. The rate of change is exponential; it seems almost to have inertia, starting slowly and picking up speed."

Sonic grinned, leaning toward N slightly. "I'm pretty sure I can do some things you can't, N. I' the fastest thing alive where I come from. I'm also pretty good in a fight."

N nodded and began walking again, leading Sonic to a small firepit filled with wood. He pulled out a bookof matches, adding quickly, "To fight with trainers and change their hearts… you would have to be in a Pokeball, which influences the minds of the Pokemon within. Fighting without one is unlawful here, and likely to harden hearts instead of enlightening them."
Sonic sat down next to the pit, straining to listen to N's rapid speech, as the human knelt by the wood. He struck a match, held it to some kindling, and placed it in the pile.

"So what you're saying is that I'd have to throw in with you. What do these Pokeballs look like?"

N pulled out a small orb, red and white, with a button in the center. He apologized quickly, "I only keep my friends in these immediately before a battle. When we are done… I set them free."

Sonic could feel himself blanching at the thought. He leaned back. "No thank you. I think if I'm gonna help out around here, I'm gonna have to do things my way, and you'll have to do 'em yours."

N shook his head one more time, staring into the fire. "You don't understand. There are Pokemon who will not leave their trainers unless rejected, despite the abuse they face."

"Why would I make 'em? Tellin' people what they want is just as bad as pickin' for 'em."

"The sad truth is that this culture, and those pokeballs, have already done just that."

Sonic leaned over, putting his elbow on the cave floor and propping his head on his hand. "Maybe, but you can't build a world where everyone gets to choose if you don't actually let 'em choose, buddy."

N stood, wobbling a little as he backed out of the pit. "So how will you change the minds of those who are deceived?"

"Once nobody's trapped, you just tell everyone who thinks they wanna be there that they're free to choose. Eventually, if you say it enough, they will."

N grinned. "You remind me of someone…" He shook his head, only a little this time. "Tomorrow, my friend and I are leaving. Someone needs us. It's very dangerous… I'm loathe even to take my friend. But if you want to travel part of the way… I think we could help each other."

"As long as I don't have to go into one of those little balls, why not? We want the same thing."

N sat down next to the fire, holding his hands out near it. "The same thing, in different ways. I think I understand, now."

Sonic laughed. "That's great, 'cause I sure don't!"

The boy looked up at Sonic, the growing fire glinting in his pale eyes. N laughed, too, his smile reaching his eyes.