Chapter Text
Goh snaps back to consciousness with a small gasp, clutching his chest. Staring up at the ceiling with frightened, misty eyes, he heaves a few shaky breaths, struggling to overcome the nightmare of Ash leaving him.
It’s still fresh on his mind, like a wound. Heart aching, he rolls over to face Ash's side of the bed, reaching for a touch of comfort. All he finds are the folds of cold, vacant sheets.
When Ash comes stumbling into their dark room, Goh exhales in relief, but it’s short lived when he realizes Ash is zipping open a backpack and throwing supplies inside like he’s in a hurry to leave.
"...Ash?" Goh murmurs anxiously, rubbing his eyes. “What are you doing?”
“Oh, good! You’re awake—“ Ash answers quickly, sounding all keyed up like he’s ready for an adventure. “Get dressed.”
He tosses his boyfriend a fresh change of clothes. Grookey and Pikachu start gibbering in excitement, hopping all around the apartment.
“Wha… Hold on…” Goh grumbles as he sits up, feeling like a total Garbador. He hardly left the bed yesterday. “I need a shower, first.”
Ash pads over, pulling him to his feet and unceremoniously whisking his sleep shirt away.
“Hey–!” Goh blushes, shielding his virtue from Grookey and Pikachu. “What’s gotten into you?!”
“Piplup, can you help us out?”
“Piiiiplaaup!”
Goh squints as Dawn’s Piplup hops onto the bed.
“Why is Piplup he—AAAH!!” Goh throws his arms over his eyes as Piplup suddenly barrages him with a bubble beam. Ash grins, twirling him around until he’s dizzy and covered in suds.
Then Piplup switches to a frigid Water Gun, hosing him down and sending splashes of water everywhere.
“ASH!!!!!”
“Sorry, no time,” Ash says, tossing a towel around him.
“Grookeekeeroo!” Grookey hops on top of its trainer’s head, vigorously ruffling a small towel side to side over his hair.
Goh splutters under the towel as Magby happily comes trotting over. “Maag!” It roars, sending up a plume of fire that toasts the air around them. Goh yelps and rears back, his freshly washed hair drying up against gravity.
Finishing off with a quick spritz of Goh's favorite Roselia essence cologne, Ash snaps his fingers. “All Clean! C’mon!”
Resigned to whatever crazy plan Ash has in store for him, Goh just sighs, changing into the adventure-ready fit Ash picked out for him and attempting to fix his hair. As he’s tying on his shoes, Goh painfully says, “Ash… I don’t know where you’re taking me now, but… can we… talk, first…?”
“Hold that thought!” Ash interrupts, flourishing a large blindfold over his eyes. Once it’s cinched tight, he takes Goh’s hand. “There’s something I need to show you.”
There’s a rustle in Ash’s pocket followed by a strange, charged hum, like pulsing waves of energy.
“—Ash, I really think we should talk— about…” the anxious researcher trails off as Ash tugs on his hands, leading him forward. After several steps, he senses a sudden, indescribable shift in the air. All the white noise in their apartment goes dark, followed by an unnatural drop in temperature. They’ve taken far too many steps— they should’ve reached a wall by now.
Amidst the inexplicable quiet, he swears he hears Dawn’s muffled giggles echoing somewhere nearby, followed by a small chorus of “Shh!!!”
The quiet suddenly gives way to the sounds of nature— Pidgey, singing a song. Poliwag, chirping by a babbling brook. Wind, gently rustling the leaves in the trees.
Goh must still be dreaming. It’s the only explanation for this surreal sensation.
There’s a grin in Ash’s voice as he whispers, “Wait right here, okay? I’ll be right back.”
His hands slip out of Goh’s grasp, and his presence disappears.
Goh scoffs to himself, crossing his arms impatiently. At least two minutes tick by as he waits, wondering what he could possibly be waiting for.
“There ya are!” Ash’s voice chimes warmly from behind him, clapping him on the back. “…What’s with the blindfold?”
Goh’s brow furrows in frustration before he rips the blindfold off his head. “You’re the one who—!” He starts, halting at the sight of their lush, green surroundings. They’re standing somewhere in the forest outside Pallet Town.
Ash quirks a brow back at him, smiling all the while. “You feelin’ alright?”
Goh’s hackles slowly come down as he frowns back at his boyfriend. If this is just a dream, he might as well practice what he needs to say. “Well… honestly?” he answers, looking down. “No. Not really.”
He jumps as the backs of Ash’s warm fingers brush across his forehead.
“You sick or somethin’?”
“No, I—” Goh sighs sharply, holding his temples. Every ounce of his avoidant nature is battling against him as he grits, “Listen, um… can we… talk? About… y’know… what happened?”
“Uh…” Ash stands back casually with a shrug. “Could’ya be a liddle more specific?”
Goh’s brow furrows. “Aren’t you upset with me?”
Ash’s head tilts with a perfect visage of innocence. “Why would I be upset with you?”
“Because…” Goh steps forward, tentatively reaching for Ash’s hands. Ash looks down and up again, his easygoing smile falling into something confused. Getting emotional now, Goh drops his hands and throws them around Ash instead, leaning into him as his eyes well up with tears. As he’s struggling to articulate, he squeezes Ash tighter. “…You know why!”
“Uh...” Ash tenses, his whole body going awkwardly stiff as Goh nuzzles closer.
Sensing Ash’s hesitation to touch him back, Goh’s heart cracks. Even if this is all just another dream, he can’t stand the thought of Ash giving up on him.
“You know I love you…right?” he checks, reaching for the nape of Ash’s neck and threading several fingers through his fluffy hair. He knows how much his boyfriend loves it when he does that.
Ash clears his throat, laughing nervously. “Y-You… you do?”
Goh’s heart pangs with guilt as he pulls back to look into Ash’s stunned, earthy eyes. “Of course I do!” Ash jumps a little as he presses their foreheads together, closing his eyes. Their Auras start to overlap, jittery and hot, like the fast tear running down his cheek. “I love you more than anything.”
To show how much he means it, Goh slowly tilts his head up, pressing into Ash’s lips with a precious kiss. His boyfriend of three years inhales sharply, going rigid under his hands and gripping his arms.
Goh stops and pulls away, his sad, misty gaze shaking.
“…You don’t want to kiss me…?” He murmurs, wiping his tear away.
Ash’s shocked eyes flash with some kind of tension Goh’s never seen before, like a tether snapping. A second later, he’s pulling Goh into a sharp kiss.
As their lips move together, Goh marvels at how real his dream feels. But something about the details aren't quite right…
First of all, the surreal sensation of their Aura feels a little different than normal. It’s hard to explain, but if Goh were to put it in technical terms, he'd say it feels like their usual calibration is a smidge off.
And second, Ash would never kiss him like this. The real Ash is a romantic who prides himself on being “the very best” when it comes to all manners of romance— dates, hugs, kisses, and so on.
This Ash is clumsy. He’s moving too awkwardly, like this is the first time he’s really kissing someone. What he lacks in skill, though, he makes up for in overflowing enthusiasm. There’s some sort of starved, desperate energy behind every kiss, crazy with passion. Even though the kisses are just a strange, fleeting figment of his flawed imagination, Goh hums into it, feeling loved and relieved.
They only stop when a strangled noise of shock from somewhere up the forested path alerts them, and they both pull back, still holding each other’s arms. Ash utters, “What the—?”
This dream just keeps getting weirder, Goh thinks to himself, blinking back at carbon copies of himself and Ash.
Two random Squirtle are standing with them, tilting their heads in confusion. For whatever reason, one Squirtle is wearing a big pair of pink sunglasses.
The moment Goh makes eye contact with them, his scandalized double shrieks again, scrambling away. He trips back on his heels, crashing to the ground. The Ash that just kissed him turns bright red as he screams, too, leaping away and chopping his hands through the air.
“AAAGGHHH! Wait— Who’re you?!” Ash points aggressively at his double, eyes bugging. He whirls on both Gohs next, pointing manically at both of them. “Who’re YOU?!!”
”Squirrr!” “Squiiirtlesquirtle!”
”Hold on, everyone!” The other Ash laughs nervously, signaling for everyone to calm down. Pikachu pokes out of his backpack, squeaking something to the Squirtles, but they just hop in fright and retreat into their shells. “I can explain…”
The red-faced Ash disregards him entirely, shouting, “What’s the code to our secret base!?”
“Squirtle Squad Sumo Squats!!!” The panicking Goh shouts back, holding his palms upside down over his temples to form a round pair of glasses with his fingers. “Say it ten times fast!!!”
His friend strikes a pose, too, holding his hands over his forehead like angular brows. “Squirtle Squad Sumo Squats Squirtle Squad Sumo Squats Squirtle Squad Squoomo Skahts— NO, WAIT, I can do it!! SQUIRTLE SQUAD SUMO SQUATS SQUIRTLE SQUAD SQUMO SAHTS SIRTLE SKAHD SKOOMO SWATS—”
“Close enough!!!”
The two wannabe agents sprint to each other, nod seriously, and assume defensive positions. Their Squirtles pop out and join them, poised for battle.
“Explain yourselves, imposters!” The aggressive Ash demands.
The paranoid Goh narrows his eyes, holding a protective arm out over his friend. “Isn’t it obvious? They’re alien shapeshifters sent here to replace us!”
His partner yelps in horror. “You’re right!!!”
”Careful, he’s got a Pikachu! Electric types are super effective against Squirtle—“
”I know! I’m not an amateur,” The other Ash grumbles.
The Goh rolls his eyes. “I saw you send Squirtle after that rogue Mow Rotom yesterday!”
”Ohh, Shut up!! I had to stop it fast!”
”I’m just saying: You could’ve stopped it a lot faster with your Numel—“
“Er… guys?” The Ash that originally brought Goh here cuts in, and they both snap to attention again, eyes wide and glaring. The calmer Ash chuckles, waving his arms in surrender. “We’re not here to battle you! This is all just a big mix-up…” He comes strolling over to his Goh, next, reaching over to hold hands. “We’re not aliens, or shapeshifters… We’re you from another world! Arceus sent us.”
“Arceus??” The Squirtle Squad looks down at Ash and Goh’s intertwined fingers, blushing in tandem. “Why??”
Goh looks up at Ash in confusion, too, his brow furrowing.
Ash smiles. “We just wanna ask you a few questions!”
—
Everything calms down a bit once Ash breaks out a universal peace offering: snacks. He rolls out a picnic blanket for them, and they all settle in for their chat. The Squirtles gibber happily as they munch away at a big bowl of berries.
Everyone looks ready to talk except his boyfriend, Goh. Ash’s smile falters watching Goh stare up at the light filtering through the trees, like he isn’t fully there with them. “Uh... you’re not nearly as surprised by this as I thought you’d be,” Ash laughs, squeezing his hand.
Goh just gives him a wry exhale and shrugs.
The memory of Goh dodging his proposal weighs heavy on his heart. Has he done something to upset Goh? Is that why Goh feels so far away from him right now?
The researcher’s eyes look a little sensitive, like he’s been crying, and Ash wonders what happened in the three minutes he was gone. He found Goh kissing “him” … That’s good, right…?
“Alright, so, what’d you wanna ask us…?” Alternate Ash mumbles through an enormous bite of riceball, and a couple grains crumble out of his mouth. Alternate Goh still seems a little on edge as he glances at the Goh that kissed his Ash.
“How did you two meet each other?” Ash starts, eager to hear their story.
They both look at one another and burst out laughing. “Do you wanna tell him?” “No, it’s funnier when you tell it.” “Okay!”
Alt-Ash downs the rest of his rice ball and sighs contentedly. “‘Kay, so, back when I was six, I signed up for Professor Oak’s Pokémon Camp.”
That rings a bell. “Hey… so did I! Oh, but I was so excited for it, I couldn’t sleep! By the time I passed out, I slept in and missed the whole thing…” he laughs sheepishly, rubbing his head.
“Ha! I almost did, too! But I booked it over to Oak’s lab, an’ I made it just in time.” He huffs proudly, pounding on his chest, and the other Goh smiles.
“Aww, man,” Ash laughs, “I’m so jealous! Was it fun?”
“Yeah! Everything was goin’ great until some kid there started sassin’ me…” He casts a sly look at the Goh next to him, who snorts a laugh. “He was a real piece of work, I’ll tell ya what.”
Ash beams, turning to the other Goh. “Whoa, you went to Professor Oaks Pokémon Camp, too?!”
“Yup. My friend Chloe brought me!” He answers chipperly.
Ash’s boyfriend clenches a fistful of the picnic blanket under his hand. Oh, right— He wasn’t friends with Chloe yet.
“Anyway, All morning long, we kept butting heads, ‘cause me ‘n this know-it-all had to name every Pokémon we saw. I was faster, though, and that really ticked him off,” Ash the braggart leans back and grins as the other Goh fondly rolls his eyes. “So what does he do? He starts rattlin’ off Pokémon facts like he’s the professor.” he pauses to clear his throat, gearing up for his best impression of little, nerdy Goh. “Did you know Dugtrio can dig tunnels up to 50 miles an hour?”
“60 miles per hour,” both Goh’s correct him in unison, and both Ashes crack up laughing.
“Ha! So, as you can imagine, he was really gettin’ on my nerves. He kept pickin’ on me, saying stuff like, “Oh, you didn’t know?” Or, “Any real Pokémon fan knows that!”
“Not my proudest moment,” Alt-Goh groans, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Ha-ha-ha, I totally snapped on him. Started throwing hands and everything… Like this—!” The other Ash suddenly lunges for his Goh, knocking him over, pinning him down, and pretending to pummel him.
His Goh fruitlessly slaps back at him, screaming in little bursts and giggling, “ASH! Get off’of me!! That tickles!!”
Ash grins as he watches their antics. “Then what happened?”
“Oh, Chloe snitched on us, an’ the Professor had to break us up,” The ruffian answers, laughing as the other Goh continues to squirm underneath him. Then, pretending he’s an elderly Professor Oak, he rasps, “Come now, you two! Why are you fighting? You both have a lot in common, you know!”
Alt-Goh joins in on the impression, smiling up at him. “You both share a deep love and appreciation for Pokémon!”
“Aww!” Ash laughs, looking over at his boyfriend and hoping to see a smile, but all he finds is a pensive look in his eyes.
“So, I apologized for being a jerk…”
“…and I apologized for hittin’ him…”
“And we’ve been best friends ever since!” They say together, smiling ear to ear.
“Squiirrrtle!” “Squiiirrrrtle!” Their companions mimic them, standing proud.
Squirtle Squad Ash laughs, knocking the breath out of Goh as he leans forward to pet his partner. ”If Goh hadn’t called to wake me up for the first day of my Pokemon journey, I wouldn’t’ve ended up with Squirtle as my starter!”
His Squirtle smiles, leaning into the touch.
“We weren’t gonna let Gary get it first,” The other Goh brags, and his Ash laughs. “When it was my turn to pick a starter from Professor Cerise, Ash came with me. I wasn’t sure who I wanted to pick. But the moment these two saw each other, they instantly became best friends. Isn’t that right, Royal?”
The Squirtle in pink sunglasses chimes happily, clapping its hands.
“That’s amazing.” Ash’s romantic heart swells watching them get lost in each other’s eyes. “When did you two realize you love each other?”
Their gaze on one another immediately snaps to him in collective terror. “What??!!” Alt-Ash rolls clumsily off his Goh as they both sit up straight, distancing themselves from one another.
“We— We’re just friends!” The blushing Goh stammers, fixing his hair.
“Yeah!” Goh’s ‘just friend’ answers, rubbing his nose and averting his eyes.
It’s hard to tell behind the sunglasses, but Ash catches both Squirtle exchanging a loaded glance with each other.
Ash’s smile spreads as he watches them sweat. “Ohhhh-ho-ho,” he whispers under his breath. “I see what’s happening here.”
“What?! What’s with that look?!” The defensive Goh snaps. In contrast to how chatty he was just a minute ago, the other Ash clams up, turning red.
“You two haven’t admitted it yet, huh?”
“What—”
“Your friendship means everything to you, and you’re scared you’ll ruin it with your feelings…” The romantic clutches his heart, lip wobbling, getting emotional for his other self.
“I don’t know what you’re—“
“You feel it in your Auras, don’t you?” Ash presses seriously, leaning forward to see into their eyes, searching their souls. “You two were meant for each other!”
The embarrassed Goh gapes back at him incredulously, eyes darting between him and his quiet boyfriend.
“Oh—I see—!“ he counters, pointing at both of them. “Just because you two are a couple in your world doesn’t mean we’re a couple in every world, y’know—!”
“Hmm, and I suppose it’s just a coincidence we found Red here kissing my boyfriend…”
‘Red’ turns even redder, like he’s forgotten how to breathe.
“No—” Alternate Goh bristles, turning his argumentative glare on Goh again. “Heee was the one kissing him!” he hisses, pointing wildly between both of them. When his blushing best friend says nothing to back him up, he leans close, nudging him sharply. “You weren’t actually kissing him …Right?”
“Uh…” Red squeaks, his voice unnaturally high. “Well…”
Before he can answer, the thicket behind them rustles, and both Squirtle jump to their feet as a random Jigglypuff hops onto the scene.
“Jigg-gleee!” She chimes sweetly, flourishing a small microphone with a big, showtime smile.
“Not NOW, Jigglypuff!!” The arguing boys both shout in unison.
“Uh oh,” Ash reacts fast, grabbing his boyfriend’s hand and pulling him to his feet.
Ignoring the Jigglypuff, the upset Goh throttles his friend, who’s still refusing to look at him. “Tell me you weren’t kissing him!”
“…Why? You jealous…?” Red grumbles back.
“What did you just say?!” His Goh scoffs, turning an even deeper shade of red than him.
“You heard me.”
Behind them, Jigglypuff huffs for their attention and inhales, getting ready to sing.
As much as Ash would love to stay and bust their chops, it’s time to go.
Ash reaches into his cargo pocket, retrieving the artifact that Arceus lent him: a large stake of emerald. The Aura Adept closes his eyes, focusing all his energy into his hands, and the emerald artifact starts to glow with humming, green energy. Goh watches curiously as he draws a sharp line down with it, cutting open a temporary portal to Arceus’s realm.
“Nice to meetcha thanks for chatting good luck!!!” He rambles, pushing Goh into the void and hopping in after him. From the other side, Ash zips the emerald back up, re-sealing the glowing rift from behind. Once they’re safe, he sighs in relief.
Next to him, Goh rubs his eyes, struggling to take in their change of surroundings. They’re standing in a dark ether, lit only by small, colorful, luminescent shards of gems floating through the atmosphere. They move like slow-dancing motes, drifting toward a distant light in the sky.
“Ash! Goh!”
Chloe comes running over to them, followed by Dawn, Todd, Brendan, and Horace. Gary takes his time, strolling over with his hands in his black pleather jacket pockets.
“Well? Did you talk to your alternate selves??” Dawn grins, balling up her fists in her excitement.
“We did!”
Everyone starts buzzing as Gary appraises them with a taunting smirk. “So? How’s your theory holding up?”
Ash gives him a smug look back. “So far… I’m right.”
Dawn squeals as Todd and Brendan break out into smiles. “Awesome!”
“How did it go?? What’d they say!?” Horace beams, shaking Goh around, eager to hear the whole story.
“Uhhhh… well… Things kinda got a little messy…” Ash laughs sheepishly, turning around to cut open another small portal, just enough to peer through. All their friends gather around for a look.
Red and his jealous Goh are laying on the picnic blanket with their foreheads pressed against one another, hands touching in their sleep, breathing blissfully. Their Squirtle are cuddled up, too, snoring bubbles. The bratty Jigglypuff storms away, leaving a slew of permanent marker scribbles all over all their faces.
“Awww!” Horace croons, holding his cheeks.
“That—” Dawn whines through her hands, like she’s afraid to wake them. “—is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Todd snaps a picture, snickering all the while.
Ash smiles as he closes the portal. Those two are going to wake up and laugh, thinking it was all just a strange dream. But with any luck, they’ll take what Ash said to heart, and maybe they’ll finally admit just how far their feelings go for one another. Now that his alternate self knows how it feels to kiss Goh, he’s got a hunch it won’t be long until “Red” wants more.
“…What did you think, Goh?” Chloe asks, her keen eyes watching him expectantly.
Ash looks over, too, excited to hear his thoughts. But Goh’s still being strangely quiet as he looks back at all his excited friends, almost like he’s watching a scene play out instead of being present in it.
Goh sighs. Then, without warning, he suddenly slaps his own cheeks, hard enough to sting. After a beat of stunned silence from everyone else, he simply turns and paces away.
Everyone freezes, their eyes flitting between the two soulmates. “Wait …Goh… Did you think you were dreaming this whole time?“ Ash laughs nervously, jogging after him. “This is all real!”
”Grookeykeykroo!” His companion chitters, chasing after them with Pikachu.
Goh doesn’t answer, wandering over to a floating crystal and tapping it curiously.
“Uh oh,” Todd groans. Gary starts cracking up, and Dawn turns on him, punching his shoulder. Horace and Chloe share a somber look with one another.
“To be fair, I’d probably think this was all a weird dream too, if I were him,” Brendan sympathizes.
“Goh, look at me!” Ash begs, taking his hands. When their eyes meet, the sad look on Goh’s face makes Ash’s heart twinge. He reaches up to stroke Goh’s cheeks where he slapped them, still marked with angry, red hand-prints. “Arceus brought us all here to help me prove you’re my soulmate. You’ve gotta believe me!”
Pikachu trots closer, watching them in concern.
Goh just sighs with that faraway look in his eyes again.
“Pii—” Pikachu crackles ominously, and Ash looks back at his buddy, eyes wide.
“Wait, wait, wait, don’t—!”
“—KaCHUUUUUU”
Ash and Goh both scream as Pikachu’s thunderbolt rattles them, singeing the tips of their hair. They both topple over in a mess of twitching limbs, moaning and groaning.
Their friends form a circle of faces looking down on them. “Still think this is a dream, Goh?” Todd teases, snapping another picture of them.
Goh’s eyes fly wide open. He looks at Todd, all his friends, the shining light high in the black sky, and finally Ash, smiling back at him so expectantly. His breathing starts to shake, totally panicking. “…What???”
“There it is,” Gary grins.
Ash hops to his feet with newfound determination, shaking off the sting and pulling Goh with him. Twirling the emerald in his fingers with a snappy flourish, he says, “Alright! Let’s take it from the top, everybody!”