The Mask of Thorrgad
Chapter 1: Crashing Memories
By: Storm Parakaitz

Note: AU Phoenix Wright/Pokémon Crossover. However, unlike most AU's, I know the universe! It's called Black Tempest – the name of my works. Most locations are made up. All Pokémon inserted are fancharacters, so if you don't like fancharacters, don't read, or shut up about it. Pairings? So far, none. The way it's set up, it would be kinda hard to. That, and I'm not a Diego/Mia person, I like being more creative than that.
Even though it's AU it still has GS3 spoilers!
Disclaimer: I do not own Ace Attorney, Pokémon, or any related characters and likewise used in this piece of writing. But I assure you, if I did, you would know about it.
Permission Issues: If you wish to post this on your own site, you must leave my author name and all notes on this document, not require financial exchanges of any kind, contact me first, and link either my author name (Storm Parakaitz) to my website, Mystic Wish, or link to it in your site's links section. I request that you do not post any email address of mine if you wish to archive my work.

Diego took a cautious step. Trees were clattering and the wind was howling with furious intensity. Diego's hair went flying about, and he stepped further into the ominous darkness. The moon was now completely obscured by the trees around him as he ventured through the rough, rocky earth underneath.

Crack.

Diego almost fell over in his surprise. Ah ha, it was just a twig... how cliché was that? He sighed at his own paranoia and continued on as quietly as possible. He didn't want his pursuer to catch up to him. The wind decided to scream for a bit, and the branches nearby collided and crunched against one another. These sounds were torture on Diego's psyche, considering the sound he was listening for was quite similar to this...

Suddenly, Diego stepped in a hole in the ground. He grunted and managed to catch himself on the edge of it, his hands digging into hard rock. He pulled himself out softly, and turned to examine what he could have fallen into: the hole was several feet deep, and didn't look like it would be easy to get out of. He couldn't tell how recently dug it was, or by what, but just looking at it gave Diego an unsettling feeling.

The hole looked like a tunnel. Not what he wanted to come across. As he picked himself back up and turned back around, a sinister "Shaaaaaaa" echoed through his ears, through the large burrow behind him. Before Diego could even say 'coffee' he had fallen on his stomach with something long, hard, and leathery wrapped around his legs.

He raised himself with his hands and turned around to get a glance of his attacker when something sharp and needle-like dug into his torso. He was being bitten. Diego's hiss of pain quickly turned into a petrified cry when he realised what was going on, and he could feel liquid on his assailant's teeth.

The darkness in front of him became blurry and the moon and trees above started to grow dim. The corners of his field of vision were pitch-black and he could feel himself slipping... when Diego felt something move across the ground underneath his legs. He blindly swung his hand out in front of him.

A pained cry pierced the air; looks like he didn't miss. For that split second, he could feel the attacker's hide – smooth, hard, and scaly, like that of a reptile. He pulled his hand back and the creature dug a hole into the ground. He couldn't tell what it was.

Diego's own vision had gone completely dark and soon, he was surrounded by darkness.

The Mask of Thorrgad

Suddenly, Diego's eyes snapped open. The ground was shaking slightly and a loud crash rang through his ears. Was it morning? The place was as pitch-dark as it was when he was knocked out. How long was he out for? The moon wasn't even shining. Nothing was being processed to his visual field.

"What happened...?" he found himself wondering aloud. Where was he? "...Hold on. How did I get here?" Diego's memory was as dark as the world around him. He examined himself for injuries the best he could – his leg was sore and he had a headache, but other than that, he wasn't injured.

He tried to sit up, only to discover that his entire torso was numb. He wasn't sure what to make of it; he couldn't even tell if he was still lying on the ground or not. Was he bleeding? He could faintly smell blood. He found himself tense and breathing roughly.

His inner mystery was cut short, however, when he heard rustling trees. He backed away in subconscious response, though he wasn't sure why. Of course, his body wasn't ready for him to take such an action, and he grunted in pain.

"Huh? Who wazzat?" came a squeaky voice, spoken rather slowly. Diego could hear another voice answer it, though he couldn't tell what it said.

"No really!" the voice replied. "I hear a someone!" with each word, the voice sounded closer and closer nearby. Soon, Diego could hear its footsteps.

"Why is my hearing so sharp? I can't usually hear footsteps..." he wondered. Then came a light gasp from whatever it was that was approaching him.

It was an orange Pichu. Though, of course, Diego couldn't see a thing. It wore a blue helmet and backpack. "A... uh... hi!" it said. Diego turned toward the source of the sound and frowned at his inability to see anything.

"Where are you?" Diego asked.

"Huh?" wondered the other. "I'm right in front of you. You should eat more sketti."

Diego looked about, but then... "Do what?"

"Yeah," it replied, "you know, pasketti. When I eat it, it makes me see better. So anyone who wants to see should eat more sketti. Duh?"

Diego shook his head, clueless. "Do you have a flashlight?"

"Uhh... why?"

"Because it's too dark to see!"

"But... it's all sunny. Did you not eat your sketti?!"

Diego nodded. "I guess that explains it... wait, what do you mean, 'it's all sunny'?"

"It's day time, mister weird hair."

"Then why can't I..." Diego moved his hands in front of his eyes, "see?"

"Because!" Diego heard it tap a foot on the ground. "You didn't eat your pasketti!"

"I think I need my coffee." Diego muttered. Just then, something else emerged from the trees.

"...Oh. Who's this?" came its voice, similar to the previous, except faster and more feminine.

He could hear the first of his unknown visitors shift directions in the dirt. "Uhh... who are you anyway?"

"My name's Diego Armando. I'm an attorney."

"Uh huh! Sis, this is Diego Armando, and he's got a turned knee. Uhh, I think he doesn't eat his pasketti. He's also weird."

"Pichips," the female addressed, "You think grass is weird."

"I'm an attorney." Diego corrected.

"And I'm a pilot!" said the first voice, whom the female referred to as 'Pichips'.

The sister coughed. "...Hello Diego. My name's Pichie." Just like Pichips, Pichie was an orange Pichu as well. She wore red goggles above her head, red hiking boots, and a red scarf around her neck. Directly above her goggles was a tuft of hair sticking out.

Diego nodded. "Sorry, I can't see you."

Pichips let out a 'baaaah,' sound. "I told you he don't eat sketti! And his knee's turned!"

"My knee isn't turned."

"Hey," Pichie said, "rudeness, introduce yourself."

"Oh oh!" he muttered, as if he'd realised something important. "I'm Pichips! But you can call me Pichips. Since you can't see me, you can't shake my hand."

"Pichips, would you go tend to Eurofighter now?" asked Pichie. Without saying anything, Pichips quickly scurried off the way he came.

"Sorry," Pichie apologised, "my brother is a little obnoxious to some. Anyway, what's this about being able to see?"

"I can't," Diego replied.

Pichie tapped her foot on the ground nervously, as if she was thinking. "Oh! Are you blind?"

Diego never actually considered that. Had he gone blind? He couldn't remember a thing, nor did he know why or how people went blind in the first place; then he remembered how sharp his hearing had been. He had heard the blind had sharper senses of hearing and smell since they'd lost one already, so their focus was on the remaining senses, thereby enhancing them. But he thought that was a developed adaptation, not something that just magically happened.

"Maybe," was his answer, "I never actually thought about that."

While Diego couldn't see her, he could somehow tell Pichie was frowning. "I won't ask any further about it, then... You don't look so good."

"I don't? Well. I'm rather numb in the stomach," he moved his hand into his vest pocket as he spoke. Just as he did so, he felt something inside. "Hm?" he pulled his hand out of his pocket and removed whatever was inside. "It seems I have something in my pocket... can you tell me what it is?" he asked the Pichu as he held out the item. He could hear Pichie walk up to him to examine it.

"Looks nasty. It's... a... hm. I don't know what it is."

Diego sighed and pocketed the object again, deciding to forget about it for the time being. Something didn't feel quite right. He then heard Pichie's feet dragging in the dirt.

"So... what are you gonna do? Anything I can help with?"

Diego shrugged and closed his eyes. What could she help with? What is it she did? "I'm not sure. I don't remember where I am, but... nothing personal, Princess, but you sound like a little kid."

"Ah, well... yes. I'm eleven," she admitted sheepishly. "But! Me and Pichips live by ourselves! We're tough!"

Diego sighed. "Only eleven? How old is Pichips, then?"

"We're twins. I'm older, though," she said before another strange pause. "...Uh, Diego? I'm sure you don't wanna talk and stuff, but... I want to help you somehow."

There it went again. The question of who these twins were exactly pounded in his mind almost as hard as his headache. However, he had to admire her personality; selflessly offering help to a random stranger, one much older than her to boot. Most their age would probably be scared out of their minds. Ah, the wonderful naďvété of the young. "I suppose... I don't have any alternative, after all."

Just then, a crash was heard. He could hear Pichie whisper something to herself. "What was that?" Diego asked.

"Pichips," the twin replied, "it always is."

"...Is he alright?"

"Yeah. He always is."

"What's he doing, anyway?"

"Oh yeah. He's trying to fix the plane we flew in to get here. He's a pilot, remember?" Diego did indeed remember. But a pilot of eleven? Curious. "We were exploring and Pichips kinda crashed, big time." Pichie jumped off the ground. "We're not hurt though! Nope, we're just fine! Hehe."

Diego mentally shook his head; these two would probably be too much for a parent if they lived with one anyway. He sorta began to feel sorry for those who associated with them.

Wait a second.