Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon… sadly D:

A/N: This story takes place in an alternate universe that could never ever happen. I dragged this up from the depths of my twisted mind. Characters may be very OOC. Enjoy the products of my psychopathic mind!

Slowly, the young trainer opened his hazy eyes. "Ugh…What the…?" He looked around and saw a wasteland of gray and brown before him. When his vision became fully un-fogged, he realized he was bound with chains attached to a cold, concrete wall. He panicked and tried to break free, but with no avail.

"A-Ash?" A voice croaked from nearby. The boy turned in the voice's direction and saw a familiar face.

"B-Brock?" Ash let out a gasp when he realized he was looking at his best friend, scratched and bloody, with clumps of dirt clinging to his skin. Despite the pain he appeared to be in, Brock's face lit up when Ash said his name. "Oh Ash, thank goodness you're okay. You've been out for two days now, and-"

Ash cut him off. "Two days! Are you kidding me, Brock? I've never been asleep that long before!" Ash let out a sudden gasp. "I've never not eaten for that long before! Ugh, I can already feel my stomach collapsing in on itself…"

"Ash, you're being overly dramatic. Just calm down." Brock said, trying to comfort his junior. Sadly, Ash ignored him.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN? How can I calm down? I can see my life flashing before my eyes! Most of it is just getting electrocuted, electrocuting Team Rocket, and running around. I need some variation in my life, don't I, Pikachu?"

Ash calmly looked to his left and stared blankly at the empty patch of ground for a few minutes. Suddenly, he let out a scream. "Ah! Where's Pikachu?" Ash started looking around frantically. "Come on, buddy, show yourself! Brock, help me find Pikachu!" He turned, looking expectantly at the gym leader, who had a solemn look on his face once again.

"Ash," He began slowly. "You don't remember anything that happened in the last few months, do you?"

Ash looked confused. "What are you talking about? My memory is just fine."

"What's today's date?"

"Huh?"

"What is the date?"

"Oh. It's October 25th, right? I can't wait until Halloween; this year I'm gonna be Mewtwo and Pikachu's gonna be Mew and-"

"It's February 17th." Brock stated plainly.

"W-What?"

"I said it's February 17th." He restated as if it was no big deal. (Which it clearly was!)

Ash was so taken aback, he couldn't speak. All that came out of his open mouth were high pitched sounds that were barely audible. For a few minutes, Brock just stared at him blankly, waiting for him to pull himself together. When he finally did, he asked, "But where is my Pikachu?" When Brock didn't respond, Ash's eyes began to fill with tears. He asked again, "Where is Pikachu?" Louder this time.

Brock bowed his head and muttered hoarsely, "Gone." Brock was on the verge of tears as well, but he was determined to hold them in.

Ash on the other hand, couldn't restrict them any longer. Tears came flooding out of his eyes and down his cheeks. "No!" He screamed. "No, no, no! He's not gone, he's not! He's out there somewhere, I just know it!" He began flailing his legs and trying to free his arms from their restraints, almost dislocating them in the process.

Brock tried to calm him. "A-Ash, I know this is hard for you. It was for all of us. But I need you to get a grip!" Brock yelled the last part, shocking Ash out of his tantrum.

Tears still barreling down his face, he inquired between chokes and sobs, "W-What do you mean 'all of us'?"

Brock paused, allowing a single tear to roll down his beaten face. "Get comfy, Ash. I'm gonna have to tell you what happened over the past few months from the very beginning." Ash looked toward his senior intently, tears still flowing down his cheeks. "It all started like this…"

CLIFF HANGER! Ugh, I hate these things. You're all probably wondering,"What the fuck is going on? Where the Hell are they? What happened to Pikachu?" Well, eventually, these questions will be answered. Please keep reading! I promise it gets better! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, so please review!