Hello my beloved readers, it's Unknown entity328 with a brand new fanfic! For those of you who have read my previous works, you'll notice that this is my first attempt in writing a crossover. The mixing of two different series has intrigued me ever since I first started writing, but never did it due to lack of confidence. But, after a few years of writing, I feel I'm ready to tackle the next level of fanfic writing. And that's to write a crossover, I might even do another on top of this soon, just got to decide on the series to crossover. Bear in mind that I'm a little out of my element, so it might not be as good as it should. With that said, enjoy!
Chapter One: A New Journey Begins
In an endless, vast, white space, an unconscious young boy 14 years of age laid on his back. His face was befitting for a boy his age, he also had little zigzag marks on both his cheeks. His spiky raven black hair was covered by a red cap, with a semi circle and tip of it being white. The rest of his attire consists of a blue collared shirt with short sleeves and white trim, a black undershirt, darker blue jeans, black fingerless gloves with red borders, a red and white hat, and red high-top sneakers.
This boy's name is Ash Ketchum, runner-up in the Kalos League and savior of the Kalos region and the world. He and his friends faced the Giant Rock in order to save the world. With their companions opening the way for them, Ash and Alain finally made their way into the Giant Rock and rescued Chespie. All that remains to do is stopping the Giant Rock, but that's not easily done.
Ash started to stir back into consciousness, opening bleary auburn eyes. He pushed himself up into a sitting position with one hand, while the other was rubbing the sleep out of his face.
"What just happened?" Ash groaned out, slowly getting to his feet and dusting himself off. "The last thing I remember was Zygarde blasting that fake one with a green beam, then there was a flash of green and then… nothing." He starts looking around once he gets his bearings back. "Oh man, did we lose?" Suddenly realizing he was alone and fearing the worst, Ash frantically looked around. "Bonnie, Clemont, Serena, Greninja, Pikachu!? Where are you!? Can you hear me!?"
"It has been awhile, Ash Ketchum." He heard a mature male voice in his head before he was blinded by a flash of light. Once it dimmed, Ash saw a pokemon he hadn't seen in a while.
It is a white equine resembling a qilin or centaur with a gray, vertically-striated underside. The striated pattern has similar recurrences on the underside of its mane, tail, and face. Its four pointed feet are tipped with gold hooves. Its long mane juts away from its head, and its face is gray, with green eyes and red pupils, and a green circular pattern below its eyes. It also has a streak of gold coloration on its head, and ears that point upward.
Its neck is fairly long, with two pairs of extrusions to the sides, and a flap-like feature on the neck's underside that is colored white like much of the body. It also has a golden cross-like wheel attached to its body by its round abdomen. The wheel also has four jewels attached to it. The pattern of striated gray of its underbelly resumes past its waist. Its limbs have gray undersides and extrusions at the tops of the legs. Its tail is fairly like its mane in shape and coloration. This was Arceus, the Alpha Pokemon.
"Arceus." Ash gaped like a fish, staring at the Alpha pokemon for a few seconds before breaking into a bright smile, happy he was with someone he considered an ally. "It's great to see you again!"
"And I you, my young friend." Arceus nodded and, if he could, he would've smiled back at the teen.
"So where are we anyway?" Ash asked, looking around the white space curiously. He then worriedly looked back at Arceus. "What about my friends, are they okay?!"
"Your friends are just fine Ash." Arceus said reassuringly, getting a sigh of relief from the raven harried trainer. "Right now, they are in Lumiose city, resting after the battle with the Giant Rock."
"That's good, I was starting to get worried." Ash said, placing a hand over his heart as the tension left his shoulders.
"As for where we are," Arceus continued, getting the young trainer's attention. "We are currently in what's known as a dimensional gap."
"A dimensional gap?" Ash stared at the Alpha pokemon, his head tilted in confusion.
"As the name suggests, it's a gap between dimensions." Arceus explained, looking around the white space with Ash doing the same. "The destruction of the Megalith caused the negative energy stored inside it to tear a hole in the space-time continuum." He then looked down at the raven haired trainer with a remorseful look on his face. "Unfortunately, you were sucked into this tear, and I am unable to send you back."
"What do you mean?" Ash asked, his voice laced with confusion and worry at the Alpha pokemon's words.
"What I mean is," Arceus began to explain, hesitant to continue with a sad look in his eyes. "The negative energy is interfering with the space-time continuum, I am afraid that not even I or Palkia will be able to help."
"What does that mean?" Ash asked, fearing the answer.
"It means…" Arceus hesitated once more, unsure whether or not it was wise to tell the young trainer. Deciding it would be for the best, Arceus continued. "That you are now in another world."
This caused Ash's eyes to widen in shock and start panicking. He was in another world?! He can't contact his friends or family?! What was he going to do?! His thoughts became frantic and out of control. That soon came to an end when a warm feeling covered his entire body, relaxing him greatly.
"Do not fret, Ash." Arceus, who was providing the comforting feeling to Ash, said reassuringly. When it felt like the young trainer had calmed down enough, Arceus continued. "As we speak, Palkia and Dialga are working on a way to bring you home."
"So, until then I'm stuck here?" Ash asked dejectedly, sad that he can't get home right away.
"Indeed." Arceus nodded, disappointed that there wasn't more that he could do for the trainer that saved both his life and the world. "The world you are now in, pokemon do not even exist." This revelation shocked the young trainer as the Alpha pokemon continued. "Instead, it has a popular card game known as Duel Monsters."
"Duel Monsters?" Ash repeated, choosing to pay attention to the Alpha pokemon's words instead of dwell on what he couldn't do.
"The game itself will be explained at another time," Arceus said, getting a nod from the raven haired trainer. "What you must know is that this world is split into four different dimensions, the one you are currently in is known as Standard." Arceus then got a serious look in his eyes as he approached the main topic. "However, what many do not know is that dark forces are lurking about."
"What kind of dark forces?" Ash asked, not liking where this conversation was going in the slightest.
"I shall let these three explain." Arceus states, just as a light shone behind Ash. This caused him to turn around and cover his eyes at the brightness of it. When the light died down, Ash saw three transparent figures in front of him.
One of them looked to be a year or two older than him. His attire consisted of a black undershirt with a red jacket with a white collar and simple black jeans. His eyes and hair were both brown but his hair was a much lighter shade of brown, it's styled looking rather flat with a few spikes jutting out. He also had an average lean looking physique and peach skin.
The next figure was also older than Ash but this one maybe by three or four years. This one had tan skin, an average looking physique, black hair with gold highlights, and royal blue eyes. The upper layer of his hair juts upward while the lower layer arches down. He wears a long-sleeved blue jacket with a high collar and amber gems, over a sleeveless black shirt with a red symbol, and wears gloves below his elbows with an amber gem on them. His lower body consists of black jeans with amber knee pads, and calf high motorcycle boots. He also has a jagged mark under his left eye.
The final figure looked younger than Ash. He has tan skin, red eyes, and black and red spiked hair that points out and upward. He wears a red vest with a white hood and a purple sleeveless shirt with a green "D" symbol. He also wears white pants with designs of three orange moon crescents attached to one another with yellow outlines at the bottom, a white brown-stripe belt, and black with blue streaks shoes with white straps. Other accessories include a brown fingerless glove on his left hand, a black protective pad on his right elbow and a thick, dark blue bracelet with light blue gems and red outlines on his right wrist. What caught Ash's attention the most of this figure was the pendant around his neck.
"Hey there, my name's Jaden Yuki." The first guy introduced himself with a carefree smile.
"I'm Yusei Fudo." The second guy followed the first's lead, but did so with a small smile.
"And I'm Yuma, Yuma Tsukumo!" The youngest of the three followed suit, more cheerfully than the other two and with a wide grin.
"It's nice to meet you guys, my name's Ash." Ash says with a smile, always willing to make possible new friends.
"We know who you are." Yusei said, getting a look of confusion from Ash as he looked up at the Alpha pokemon. "Arceus told us all about you and your world."
"Oh, okay." Ash nodded, growing more confused as time passed and the trio's faces became deadly serious. Ash even swore he saw Jaden's eyes become gold and green for a brief second. "So, why are you guys here?"
"The Duel Monsters world is under threat." Jaden explained, a look of pain and sadness on his face. "The threat is… Duel Academy, in the Fusion dimension."
"Their goal is to unite the dimensions and rule them with an iron fist." Yusei continued, taking over for Jaden. He placed a comforting hand on the slifer's shoulder while the other was clenched into a fist. "They'll destroy everyone and everything that gets in their way."
"Like what they did with the Xyz dimension." Yuma says, his head lowered and a sad look on his face. The entire area around changes to that of a ruined futuristic city.
In the center of the city was a large tower that had a giant heart on top. The sounds of explosions and screams could be heard. Towering over the buildings were giant robots that fired beams from the dog shaped hands. The three duelists and Arceus looked sad while Ash was shocked.
"Is this…?" Ash asks trailing off, not believing what he was seeing.
"This is Heartland of the Xyz dimension." Yuma said sadly, covering his ears when a beam struck the streets. "At least, what's left of it."
Ash notices some people dressed in the same uniform surrounding men, women and children of various ages. The next thing he knew, a bright purple light surrounded the people. When it died down, there were only cards remaining, showing the horrified and scared looks of the people. Ash looked at the scene with a horrified expression, Yuma and Jaden looked away, Yusei had a sad look on his face, and Arceus just looked on in silence.
"How… How could they do that… to those innocent people?" Ash asks shakily, his fists clenched and trembling. He then looked at the duelists and Arceus, his eyes lit up with the fire of determination and will to help others. "What do you need me to do?"
"You're willing to help people that aren't even from your world." Yusei states, hearing the resolution in the young trainer's voice. "Why?"
"It doesn't matter if I'm from a different world or not!" Ash said, his voice not faltering for a second as he swiped a hand to the side. "What matters is that innocent people are getting hurt, and only a few can fight them." He turned to look at the destruction once more. "If this keeps up, then the future for all of the dimensions will be doomed." Ash faced the three duelists, reaching up to adjust his cap before holding up a clenched fist. "And I can't stand watching it happen when I know there's a way for me to help those in need!"
The three duelists and Arceus were silent for a few moments. Jaden, Yusei, and Yuma looked at one another as they processed Ash's words. Then, Jaden smiled and looked at Arceus.
"You were right, he is the most selfless person there is." He said, turning towards Ash with a grin. "I can tell that you meant every word that you said, because they can only be heard when you truly want to protect or help someone with all you got in your heart, and that is how a true duelist fights." He approached Ash and gave the trainer his signature pose. "You got my help, I just hope you're ready to get your game on!"
"You're willing to put aside your own safety for others, and to make sure that they have a bright future, no matter the cost." Yusei added, also approaching Ash to stand beside Jaden. He gave the young trainer a smile and a thumbs up. "That's a future I'd like to see. I'll help too, so together, let's rev it up."
"You're someone who believes that hope will always get you through dark times." Ash looked at Yuma to see he was also approaching him, gripping his pendant. "It's that hope that gives you the strength and willpower to keep moving forward and keep fighting on." He had a large grin on his face, releasing his pendant to hold out a fist to Ash "I'm more than happy to help you, and as long as we keep feelin' the flow, nothing will stop us from high fiving the sky."
With their allegiances made, backed by their ironclad determination, the duelists and trainer turned to look at Arceus. The Alpha pokemon looked down at the four before him before floating high into the air. His body shimmered as eighteen plates exited his body and encircled around him.
"I must ask if you are all entirely sure, because there will be no turning back." Without any hesitation, all four of them nodded. There was silence. Then Arceus nodded. "Very well, step forward."
They complied, stepping closer to the Alpha pokemon. When they got closer, the plates glowed before two gold orbs exited the gems on Arceus' wheel. The orbs floated down to Ash and went to his belt. Once attached, they began to change in shape and size. The glows dispersed, revealing two items now occupying where Ash's pokeballs used to be. One of the items looked like a purple, white, and black rectangular box. The other item was a blue tablet-like device with two slots on the sides.
"Those are your deck box and duel disk, these will allow you to duel in this world." Areceus explained as Ash removed the items to look them over. "Inside your deck box is a deck I personally made for you." Ash opened the deck box and pulled out his deck to leaf through it. His eyes widened in surprise recognition when he saw the cards. "And now for my final gift, I shall merge Jaden's, Yusei's and Yuma's souls to your's, Ash. Are you ready?"
Upon receiving a nod in response, Arceus closed his eyes in concentration as his plates began to spin at a fast rate. Jaden, Yusei and Yuma all began to glow purple, white and black respectively. Ash watched as the three duelists turned into floating spheres of their respective colors. The spheres then shot into his chest, causing him to step back in surprise. He saw an aura of the three colors surround the outline of his body before it died down.
"It is done." Ash turned to Arceus at the sound of his voice, but was surprised seeing the Alpha pokemon slowly disappearing. "Our time is up, be careful my young friend, for there are enemies and friends everywhere in this world. Who is which, that is what you must figure out."
With his final words to Ash, Arceus disappeared completely, followed by a bright light clouding Ash's vision. The young trainer shielded his eyes from the brightness before feeling the sensation of falling. Ash opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. His eyes began to feel heavy the farther he fell as the white space was replaced with darkness. His eyes eventually closed and promptly lost consciousness.
And the first chapter has come to a close! I hope that you all enjoyed reading this chapter. I pretty much had to squeeze my brain to come up with this idea. I look forward to reading your reviews and welcome any and all feedback you may have. Until then, I bid you all farewell until the next chapter!