Chapter Text
Ash loved playing in the forest. Chasing around a few pidgy, (getting chased by spearow) and watching the caterpie inch their ways up the tree bark.
Giving various nuts and Berries to the rattata or watering the oddish. Sometimes he played with his friends in the forest too, but unless there was a Professor Oak's summer camp going on then his only playmate was Gary.
Gary didn't really like playing in the forest. Something about a beedrill attacks. Ash had never seen a beedrill in the woods outside of Pallet town, but Ash was perfectly fine exploring the forest without someone else slowing him down. Besides, Professor Oak's summer camp ended almost a month ago.
"Sweetie, be back by lunch!" Said Delia as he ran out the door
"I will!" Said The black haired 6 year-old with little zig-zags on his cheeks "I'ma going to play in the forest."
"Be careful!" Warned Delia as Ash ran into the forest
"I will!" The black haired child repeated his previous answer
"What should I do today?" Wondered Ash as he looked around the forest area
"Od, oddish!" Said A small leafy creature with a dark blue body smiling up at ash
"I think I have enough time before lunch to play in the stream!" Muttered Ash cheerfully to himself as he headed in the direction he knew the stream lie
Ash played in the stream for a little bit, before growing bored. He glanced around the area and saw a small light purple creature with pinprick eyes. It almost looked like it was made of jello, every movement created little waves that traveled up its body.
"Wow, what kind of pokemon are you?" Asked Ash leaning down at the mysterious pokemon
"Dit Ditto." Said the Ditto slinking away quickly from ash's gaze
"Guess you're a little shy, huh?" Mumbled Ash under his breath "Hmm? what's that noise?"
Ash heard a distinct beeping noise.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep
It seemed to be getting closer to him.
BeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeep
Now it was starting to freak ash out. He heard rustling in the bushes ahead. He decided that now was a good time to leave. Ash started running away from the beeping. Whatever was making that beeping noise was starting to chase him. That was a problem, because it was faster than him.
"Raticate, hyper fang!" Commanded an unknown voice
Ash was immediately knocked down to the ground by the overgrown rat. A middle aged man in gray attire with large red "R" appeared out of the bushes and approached him.
"Hey! Leave me alone!" Yelled Ash struggling to get out from under the Raticate, but being unsuccessful due to his small size. "Let me go!"
The man in the gray shirt with the giant red "R" held the beeping machine, which at this point was going haywire. He glanced at Ash before turning it off.
"Been looking for one of you guys for years." Said the Guy casually gruff tone
At this point Ash is just plainly confused.
"What?" Asked Ash confused on why this guy was looking for him
The man didn't answer Ash, just pulled out a rag and calmly placed it over Ash's mouth and nose.
"Hey! what?" Asked Ash as he started shaking his head but his words were slightly muffled by the rag
The world started swimming and black spots appeared in Ash's vision. He tried holding his breath, but eventually he had to breathe in. When that happened, the black spots grew bigger until they consumed his entire vision. He felt his head fall into the grass shortly before passing out.
He had one final thought: "I don't think I'm making it home to lunch."
It was a long, dark, dreamless sleep. Eventually, though, he opened his eyes. He stared at a little girl, the Kantonian starters, and a fun-sized mewtwo.
"W-where am I?" Asked Ash, scared as he moved his entire body to look around and found himself floating in the air "Why am I floating?"
"You're in our mind space!" Said The little girl grinning brightly at him "It was rather hard to get you in here though."
"Are you with that guy who attacked me in the forest?" Asked Ash suddenly concerned
"Someone attacked you?" Asked the fun-sized Mewtwo innocently
"We just felt your presence in the lab." Said The little girl "It took us a few days to pull you in, though."
"Lab?" Asked Ash tilting his head "I've got to get home!"
"Wow, so..... you weren't born here?" Asked fun-sized Mewtwo giving Ash a funny look
"I don't think so, no." Said Ash Looking down at the ground "Some guy had a beeping machine, told his Raticate to attack me, and then put some sort of rag over my mouth and nose."
The little girl seemed to think for a moment. Although, she seemed unable to decipher why they did that.
"Hmm, Well, my name's Ambertwo!" Said the sweet little girl moving on from what Ash just said "But I'm really just Amber!"
"I'm Mewtwo." Said the fun-sized Mewtwo spinning in the air
"I'm Bulbasaurtwo!" Said the grass type starter pokemon, "But everyone just calls me bulbatwo."
"I'm Squirturtletwo." Said the water type starter, "But everyone else just calls me Squirttwo."
"I'm Charmandertwo!" Said the cheerful fire type starter, "But everyone calls me Chartwo."
"Um, hi my name's Ash Ketchum." Said Ash nervously, "But everyone just calls me ash."
"It's nice to have another human!" Said Amber somehow gaining a wider smile "Here let me show you my remember place!"
She brought the entire group to a seashore with a beautiful sunset.
"This is my favorite place." Said Amber seeming to get lost in a distant memory "I used to love coming here."
"So, you're not a clone?" Asked Mewtwo curiously, breaking the silence "What's that like?"
"Well, I guess it's like living." Said Ash answering after a moment of thinking "It's like playing, feeling the breeze, and watching all the wild pokemon play!"
Amber brings up all of these things into the area as Ash says them. Except the wild pokemon.
"Wow, Amber, you're great at that!" Said Ash in awe as he felt the breeze and saw the playground
"Hey, Ash, could I have some of your memories to add here?" Requested Amber looking at he new black haired friend
"Will I get to keep them?" Asked Ash worriedly
"Yeah, it's like creating copies of them." Said Amber excitedly explaining the whole concept to Ash "Then I use them to create scenery around us!"
"Sure!" Said Ash "That sounds awesome!"
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"Hey, Amber?" Asked Ash laying on a patch of grass and gazing up into stars "Do you have any dreams?"
"Dreams?" Asked Amber laughing a bit "Well, I don't really sleep."
"I mean like goals." Asked Ash sitting up in the grass with excitement and a gleam in his eye "I know I want to be a pokemon master!"
"Well, I guess I never really thought too much about it." Said Amber gazing off into the distance while thinking
Amber thought about it silently for few moments.
"I think I would love to be a performer." Said Amber sitting up and smiling a big toothy grin at Ash "Make every one wow at all the pokemon moves combining together. Maybe I could become the kalos queen. I would make everyone smile."
"What about you guys?" Asked Ash in the pokemons' direction "Any hopes and dreams?"
"I want to be a firefighter!" Said Squirttwo confidently
"I'd rather create perfumes." Said Bulbatwo much more thoughtfully than Squirttwo
"I really want to become a giant Charizard and battle!" Said Chartwo running around with anticipation at the thought"I'll be the best battler ever!"
"I think I would like to meet Mew." Said Mewtwo "I mean, it would kinda be like my mom right?"
That made Ash stop for a second. His mom. He wondered how long it's been. How long has he really been in here for? How long did she wait for him to come back? Ash started frowning sadly.
"Is something wrong, Ash?" Asked Amber as she glanced his his direction and spotted his frown
"Its....Its." Said Ash starting to sniffle a little "I miss my mom."
Amber looked down sadly.
"I can't bring a mom into the remember place." Said Amber as she whispers the last part "I've..... tried."
"It's not your fault." Said Ash still sniffling, but wiping his eyes and trying to act brave
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Ash was playing a game with all of the other pokemon and Amber when something started to happen to bulbatwo.
"Bulbatwo?" Asked Ash "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I think I'm fine." Said Bulbatwo laying on the grass "I just feel a little faint."
Bulbatwo closed her eyes. She started to fade from view.
"Bulbatwo!" Yelled Ash as he tries to grab onto the pokemon, but fazes right through her
"Chartwo!" yelled Mewtwo in anguish as Chartwo starts slowly fading out of existence
"Squirttwo stay with us!" Yelled Amber as he faded
"Don't go!" Said Ash the last part coming out as a soft plea "You have dreams to accomplish."
It didn't stop all three from fading.
They all left with soft smiles on their faces. Like they were bathing in sunshine. Like they were having a pleasant dream.
"Please." Said Ash on his knees
But it's too late, they're gone.
Amber looks at her own hands. She looks like a ghost now. Not unlike what she was before. She knows it's her time.
She smiles sadly at Ash.
"I guess someone else will have the joy of my dream." Said Amber with the same sad smile "I wish them the best of luck."
"Amber, you don't have to do this." Said Ash pleading "Just stay with us, play with us, laugh with us."
"I don't have a choice, ash." Said Amber slowly closing her eyes in the same manner blubatwo and all the rest did, like she was merely experiencing a pleasant dream "Follow your dream, because I couldn't."
"Please, Amber, Please!" Begged Ash "Just stay here with us!"
"Come back!" Yelled Mewtwo lunging to hug the air where Amber once stood
Ash felt something oddly cold run through his body before he felt nothing, nothing but blackness.