CharizardGirl: Hello there, everyone! So I know this one-shot was marked as completed years ago, but now, uh, it's not. The first "chapter" will serve as the prologue, because now, TwilightWakerofTime and I are going to co-write an entire story! Yay! We've got a lot planned, and despite the fact that both of us are serious procrastinators, I think together we'll be able to update fairly on-time(ish). Because it just works like that. Probably. Without further ado, here is TwilightWakerofTime's A/N, followed by the first chapter of this new story. Enjoy! :D
TwilightWakerofTime: Hi there. I'm the official "Zelda expert" of this duo. I'm not super well-versed in the world of Pokémon, but that's what Miss CharizardGirl is here for. ;) I'm extremely excited to be working on this story with her. I've wanted to do a collaboration and a crossover for so long, and here's my chance to tackle both at once! This chapter alone has been in the works for about a year now, so we hope you enjoy it.
"Piplup! Piplup pip!"
Bulbasaur nodded in response to Piplup's beckoning, hurrying over to her side. From behind them, Tepig snorted, following at a slow pace. It was amusing to watch how his companions interacted. Bulbasaur was so enthusiastic about pleasing Piplup that it was almost disgusting. Tepig never had cared about Pokémon other than himself; if it was up to him, he wouldn't be traveling with these losers at all.
"Bulba Bulb, Bulbasaur!"
Tepig glanced up at the pair, who had stopped right at the bottom of a hill. Bulbasaur was glaring at him impatiently, gesturing with his head to hurry. Tepig smirked. "Teh, Teh Tepig."
"Bulba!" Bulbasaur cried in frustration as Tepig approached at the same pace. The grass-type Pokémon looked at Piplup in exasperation, who merely shrugged. It wasn't like they could do much else. Tepig had been acting like this throughout their journey.
Tepig finally approached them, ignoring Bulbasaur's scowl as he shoved past them toward the top of the hill, continuing forward without a glance back. "Bulba, Bulba Bulbasaur!" he complained, trying to get Tepig's attention. Tepig merely snorted and ignored him. No, Tepig was not going to apologize. For now, however, it would be best to avoid fighting. They had a mission to complete, after all. He could roast the little pest later.
"Bulba!" Bulbasaur's excited cry jolted him out of his thoughts. Tepig blinked and looked up.
They had finally reached the top of the hill. A beautiful valley stretched out before them, the forest extending down the hill with thin patches of trees sprinkled with pink- and white-flowered meadows. Right in the middle of this sea of green was a small, quaint little town, its rooftops peeking between the trees.
Tepig sighed in relief. At last! He wouldn't have to travel with these imbeciles any longer. There they would find the people Jirachi told them about.
"Pip…" Piplup breathed. Tepig turn to the side to see that the pair had caught up to him and were staring down at their destination with awe. The blue penguin was right. They were almost there. Soon they would know who their trainers were...
Without looking back or waiting for them, Tepig strode forward, newfound enthusiasm driving him forward. He was very interested in finally meeting this trainer that was supposedly going to turn him into a powerful Pokémon. And not just any trainer. Jirachi had told the three of them that they were special, so their trainers would be special too. Best of all, they got to choose who they'd be partnered with. ...Well, that wasn't exactly what Jirachi had said, but it didn't matter. Jirachi claimed that he'd feel some sort of spiritual connection with his trainer from the very beginning... whatever that meant. He just knew that no matter what kind of "connection" he felt with them, he wasn't going to let some human that he didn't like be his trainer. Either way, they weren't going to wander the wild in hopes of encountering a human, or be shoved into laboratories and pray that someone would choose them as a starter. Tepig wasn't even overly fond of company, but he could still hardly wait.
The three of them darted down the hill, and after reaching the bottom the momentum carried them forward until they reached a tree. The three collapsed in the shade, thankful that it protected them from the harsh sun. Tepig didn't mind the heat, as he was a fire Pokémon, but he appreciated the rest nonetheless. They had been walking for days on end and hadn't gotten much sleep. The other two looked absolutely exhausted. Tepig hoped he didn't look that weak.
"Pip, Pip Piplup..." Piplup moaned.
"Tepig," he grumbled. They were almost to the town. Couldn't she wait until then to get some water? Honestly, she was a water Pokémon. But of course, that pushover grass Pokémon was scouting around for a water source in seconds.
Tepig watched him leave impassively. There was no way he was going to move now that he'd found a few moments of respite. He laid his head down on his front feet and gazed in the direction of the town curiously. Jirachi had explained that there was an inseparable, preexisting bond between him and his future trainer. He frowned, staring at the houses that were just barely visible through the trees ahead. What would it feel like to meet his trainer…?
"Bulba! Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur called. Apparently, he had found water. Sighing, Tepig reluctantly stood to follow the two. They arrived at a small stream and Piplup happily drank from it.
Watching as the two childish Pokémon engaged in a splash fight, Tepig rolled his eyes and turned away. He couldn't stand this! Couldn't these fools take something seriously for just this once? Grunting impatiently but resigning himself to lay in the grass, he figured he'd just have to wait until they were ready to move on. As much as he detested it, Jirachi had told them to stick together, and Jirachi was probably the only other Pokémon he held any modicum of respect for.
However, things became worse quickly when he was hit with Bubble. Tepig was on his feet in an instant, shouting at the two Pokémon, who had scrambled back onto land at Tepig's disturbance. Piplup looked guilty, but upon seeing Tepig's angry, water-drenched face, Bulbasaur burst into uncontrollable laughter, falling onto his side and shaking with mirth.
That was all Tepig could take. He might respect Jirachi, but there was no way he'd stand by and get laughed at.
Tepig used Ember on Bulbasaur, and the grass-type was sent flying back into the water with a loud splash. Piplup immediately started scolding Tepig, but he was too tensed up with fury to listen. Bulbasaur climbed back onto shore, glaring at him.
"Bulba! Saur, saur!"
"Teh," he snorted in response. It was perfectly fair. That was the least he deserved for messing with him.
Much to his surprise, however, Bulbasaur used Vine Whip, smacking the unsuspecting fire-type across the face. Tepig stumbled momentarily, still shocked by the fact that the typically sickeningly nice Bulbasaur had just fought back, but then the fury overcame it. The next thing Bulbasaur knew, Tepig had rammed into him with Tackle, and a full out battle began.
As Bulbasaur and Tepig dueled, Piplup begged them both to stop, but it was useless. They were completely absorbed in their fight, oblivious to the world around them. The water-type Pokémon watched worriedly, desperately trying to think of a way to put an end to the senseless violence - when she suddenly heard a strange noise from behind her.
Piplup spun around, staring at the woods in surprise. Her eyes scanned the foliage… but no more noise came. She tilted her head to the side curiously, now unsure of whether she had actually heard anything or not. She was just about to write it off as being her imagination when the sound of words hit her ears.
Human words.
Alarmed, Piplup turned back around to warn her friends, but she barely managed to open her mouth before a loud gasp cut her off.
"Oh my gosh! It's soooooo cute!"
Piplup squeaked as a pink-and-white blur streaked right past the two fighting Pokémon and scooped her up. She struggled in the grasp of the human, but it was pointless. The arms around her were strong and she couldn't escape as she was nearly strangled by cuddling.
The little girl holding her giggled. "Ganny, can I keep it? Pleeeease?"
An intimidating figure stepped into view, rolling his eyes at the girl. He was a dark-skinned human, no older than seventeen or eighteen, standing tall and proud with flaming red hair. His eyes then wandered to the small blue creature in her arms, and a look of surprise crossed his face as a second child brushed past him, rushing over to the group of Pokémon. The little boy giggled and timidly reached out to the Bulbasaur, a curious expression on his face, as if he were trying to figure out what it was. He bent down to pick it up, completely oblivious to the battle going on. Or had been going on. Even Tepig couldn't help but stare at the newcomers in shock, the disagreement temporarily forgotten. While the two small humans assaulted the other Pokémon (which, to be honest, Tepig didn't really mind), the third human locked gazes with Tepig.
A tiny shiver went through the small fire-type Pokémon as he met the teenager's hazel eyes, and he could have sworn that he saw the same happen to the human. The teenager blinked, looking slightly awed, and he took a step forward.
Tepig felt himself stepping forward as well. There was something… special about this human...
"This is weird," the teenager muttered dazedly. He reached a hand out to Tepig. The Pokémon recoiled at first, not expecting the movement... but then, just as the human started moving his hand away guiltily, he cautiously allowed himself to move into his touch. He felt like he could trust him, even though they had never met before.
The human patted Tepig's head a few times. When Tepig didn't protest further, he carefully picked him up and held him in his arms.
"Hey, Link and Zelda. I think we should see Professor Deku down in the town. Bring the Pokémon, okay?" the boy said. The two younger humans giggled and squealed with glee as they ran up to him, Pokémon squirming in their arms. Tepig snickered at the defeated look on Bulbasaur's face. Suddenly, the older human turned back to face Tepig again.
"You're… a Tepig, right?" he asked. Tepig nodded, and the human smiled. "I'm Ganondorf. I'm going to take you to meet someone, okay?"
A grin found itself on Tepig's face as well, and the fire Pokémon nodded again. He wasn't sure what it was about the boy, but Tepig liked him. Now this was a human he wouldn't mind having as a trainer.
The six of them left the forest cheerfully, the previous feud now entirely forgotten.
oOoOo
When they arrived back in the small town, Ganondorf led them to a relatively small, metal building with vents and pipes running along the sides. They entered the building through the large steel doors and were greeted by two more Pokémon, a Nuzleaf and a Seedot. Ganondorf brushed past them and looked around. There were several small trees growing in the corner and a larger one growing straight up through a hole in the roof.
"Professor?" Ganondorf called. He took a few steps forward into the lab, footsteps echoing eerily through the seemingly empty laboratory. "Professor?"
As if on cue, a short, scrawny man fell from the tree, creating a resounding "thunk" as he smacked into the cold metal floor. He stood up, his small patch of green hair sticking up at odd angles and standing out in sharp contrast to his dark skin. He wore large, thin-rimmed glasses over his yellow-gold eyes, perched atop his wrinkled face.
"Hello there, Ganondorf. I was just investigating, ah, the tree," the professor mumbled, pushing his crooked glasses back to their rightful position.
"The tree?" Ganondorf replied curiously. He squinted suspiciously at the unsteady professor, who was currently holding onto the bark of the offending tree in order to remain standing.
"Yes, the tree. I was trying to determine the amount of weight these branches can hold. To test that I thought I'd try climbing to the top myself, but my Pokémon make it seem easier than it is, and I got a bit stuck," the professor rattled on, rubbing the bump on his head. He then spun around to face the two younger children, wobbling a bit since he was still disoriented from the fall. "Oh, hello there, children."
Link and Zelda shrunk away shyly from the crazy, rambling, swaying man in a lab coat, clutching tightly on to their newly found Pokémon friends.
"Link, Zelda, this is Professor Deku," Ganondorf sighed. He placed a hand on the short professor's shoulder to steady him, hoping that would make him seem less insane to the probably-terrified children. "He's the only one in town who has Pokémon, and he's been here investigating why that is. Could you show him the Pokémon you found out in the woods today?" The two children cautiously stepped forward, hugging the Pokémon tightly.
"Oh my... it's been a long time since I've seen other Pokémon," Professor Deku said, quickly wiping his glasses clean on the corner of his tattered lab coat. He kneeled down to Link and Zelda's height to examine the Pokémon more closely. "Hmm... this is very surprising indeed. Not only is this forest known for not having Pokémon, which you just found three of, but they are each from a different region."
"So what are we to do about it?" Ganondorf asked. He crossed his arms, hoping for a straightforward answer. Tepig looked back and forth between the two curiously.
"Well, you are each to train one, of course! You all found them, so despite the strangeness of it, you found them fair and square!" the professor said cheerily, clasping his hands together.
"So does this mean I can finally become a trainer, Professor?" Ganondorf asked. His excitement started to bleed through his normally grumpy attitude.
"Why of course! Those two as well," Professor Deku replied, gesturing wildly.
"W-what? But they're just kids!" Ganondorf exclaimed.
"And you're a teenager. Each of you found one of those Pokémon, and seeing as they haven't tried to run yet, there must be a reason behind it. That Tepig seems to be warming up to you quite quickly, huh?" Professor Deku grinned. "Therefore, I will give you each one Pokéball and you may continue to train them here in the village until those two are old enough to leave and become official trainers. Ganondorf, I know you're old enough, but I believe you should stay in this village for at least a while longer. Those Pokémon must've come here for a reason, so please watch out for those other two. You don't have to stay long, just a short while longer," the professor pleaded.
Ganondorf hesitated for a moment. "Fine," he replied in a defeated tone. The excitement drained out of his expression, leaving him more irritable than before.
The professor grinned in triumph and turned back to his desk. He rummaged through a nearby drawer and pulled out three Pokéballs, handing one to Ganondorf. Then he faced Link and Zelda.
"Here you go, Zelda," he said as he handed it to her. She stared at it with a mix of wonder and confusion for a moment before turning to Piplup. The professor chuckled and looked at Link. He examined the small child hugging the Bulbasaur, noticing the child's strange outfit: the long, green, dress-like tunic, the tights, and the fairly long blond hair. He squinted at Link, pushing his thin glasses back up his nose before asking, "Are you a boy, or a girl?"
CharizardGirl: Thank you for reading! We had a lot of fun brainstorming for this, so hopefully we can execute all those ideas in the future. Bye! :)
TwilightWakerofTime: And there you have it, folks. There's our first chapter. We'll be delving more deeply into the Zelda and Pokémon universes in the future, so stay tuned! Leave a review if you have comments or criticism!