The next morning, the group checked out of the Pokemon Centre. After getting their needed supplies from the Mart, they headed out of the city and left, once again, for New Bark Town. From there, they would take a boat to Pallet Town. The group knew that they still had a long way to go, but around your best friends, it doesn't matter how long it takes.
The sun shined, and the sky was blue. A few clouds floated in the sky, but there was no rain in sight. After a few hours, they decided to set up a camp on a field, close to a forest. Across the road was a small lake. After setting up everything, Brock started to make dinner, Misty released her water Pokemon in the lake, and Ash trained with his Pokemon. Drake, however, sat on his sleepingbag, and looked over the lake. "Yo Drake, what's up?", Misty asked him. "Nothing really.", he replied, and stood up. "I'm going to train in the woods. I'll be back within a hour or so.", he said, and walked into the forest. "What was that all of a sudden?", Ash said, when Drake disappeared in the forest. "Don't know, but something is bugging him. And we all know what that is.", Misty replied. Ash nodded. "I wish there was something that we could do to help him.", Brock said, while preparing dinner. "I hope so. I truly do. We know he is strong, but this is something he can't do alone.", Ash said, and returned his Pokemon. "I'll go look for him. Be right back!", Ash said, and ran into the forest as well. Pikachu was hot on his tails. "Be careful, Ash!", Misty yelled, but she knew he couldn't hear her. She returned to the lake, and focused on her Pokemon once more.
"Now where could he be? Better not yell, I might disturb some Beedrills.", Ash said to Pikachu. The mouse nodded, and hopped on Ash's shoulder. After a while, he still hadn't found him. Then he felt a slight vibration. "What was that?", he said. Then he could see something glowing. "I wonder what that is. Let's go check it out.", he said to Pikachu, and walked up to the source of the light. When he arrived, he couldn't believe his eyes. Drake stood there, in an open field, with a white aura around him. His black hair waved. "What the heck is going on here?", Ash thought. At that moment, Drake rose his lower arms, until they almost reached his shoulders, a few centimeters away from them. "What the…?", Ash thought, and then something happened. Drake's aura turned from white to golden yellow. Drake bended slightly. His hair flashed yellow a couple of times. "YAAAAAHHHH!!!!", he screamed, and with a sudden outburst of energy, his hair turned yellow. His aura was yellow as well. His muscles were a little bigger too. "What the heck has happened to him? It almost looks like he has transformed into a different person!", Ash thought. Pikachu couldn't say a thing, and gasped at Drake.
Drake just stood there, looking into nowhere. Then he turned around. "Ash, you can come out now, I know you are there with your Pikachu.", he said, and turned to him. Drake's eyes weren't black anymore. They were green now. Ash gasped. "How did you know I was here?", he asked. "One of my abilities is to sense people's energy. And since you have Saiyan blood now, I could sense you rather easily.", Drake replied. Ash stepped forward, still looking at Drake. "How…how did you do…that?", Ash asked. Drake smiled. "I'll tell you. Remember when I told you that when I found my parents dead? That something snapped inside me? This is the result. My father explained to me that when we Saiyans are strong enough, and have to deal with a sudden emotion, such as anger by the loss of a close person, we turn into this. This is what my father told me a Super Saiyan. He also told me that not every Saiyan could achieve it, but that our family posessed the power to become Super Saiyans. So, when I saw my mother dead, my brother and sister missing, and when my father died in my arms, I became a Super Saiyan. Sad, but its true.", he explained. "Well, I understand it, a little that is. But what purpose serves this?", Ash asked. "Well, basically I got a lot stronger, about fifteen times as I used to be. Since then I kept on training to master new attacks, abilities and the like. But I never got the chance to use this in a battle.", Drake replied. He relaxed his body, and his aura died out. His hair and eyes turned black again, and his body returned to normal as well. "And now for the big surprise, Ash.", he said, and put a hand on Ash's shoulder. "What surprise?", Ash asked. "You can become like this as well.", Drake answered.
Ash was stunned by this answer. How could he, a mere trainer, become one of the strongest warriors ever? "Hold it. Time out. You want me to be like you? Are you out of your mind?! You must be nuts if you think I can. I'm a trainer, not a fighter, so forget it.", he said, and shrugged Drake's hand off. "I never said that I want it. I said you can. And if I train you, it is posssible.", Drake said. Ash stared at him, while he became a little mad. "There you go. I can sense your strength increase. And don't tell me that it isn't, because it is.", Drake said. Ash froze. Drake was right. He could feel something, which made him stronger. Ash relaxed himself, and turned around. "I'll leave you be. I'll think about it. But you have to tell my friends this too, understand?", he said. "I know. I was hoping that I could hide it longer, so that you wouldn't be scared. It's still the same old me, and don't forget that.", Drake said. Ash looked over his shoulder, and gave him thumbs up. Drake did the same, and while Ash left the forest, Drake transformed again and started his training.
During dinner around the campfire, Drake told them what happened. Seeing their reactions, it seems that they took it pretty well. "By the way, Ash, have you made up your mind? Or dod you think that you will need more time to think about my offer?", Drake asked him. Ash stared at his plate, which was almost empty. Misty, Brock and Pikachu looked at Ash, and wondered what he was going to say. "I…I don't know yet. Being like you, is like being a hero. And that is one thing I don't want to be…yet.", Ash answered. "Ash, I never asked you to be a hero, and I never will. What makes you think I'm a hero? Well?", Drake asked. Ash putted his plate down, and stared into the campfire. "Well, you rescued Misty, for instance, twice. You saved my life. You protected us. With your own life. Ain't that right?", Ash replied, while turning to Drake. Drake stared back, and swallowed his meal. "That's true, I'll admit that. But listen. When I rescued Misty when I was young, I just happened to be there in the right place, at the right time. When I helped her for the second time, same thing. The time I saved us all, was that they were after me, and you just happened to be with me. If you weren't around…", he said. "…I may have finished them off.". Everybody stared at him. Drake saw that, and smiled. "No, it's not what you think. I'm not a killer, nor a psycho. I'm still a sane person.", he said. Everyone let out a sigh of relief. "Drake, I've come to a decision.", Ash suddenly said. Everybody looked at him again. "I've decided that I want you to train me.", he said.
The group, with the excpetion of Drake, gasped at Ash's decision. "Ash, are you out of your mind? First you don't want to be trained, and now you will! You owe us a real good explanation for this one.", Misty said. "Yeah, start talking, Ash. I want to know as well.", Brock added. Ash looked at them. "Alright, I'll tell you. But, for this once, I don't care if you believe me or not. Do you understand?", he said. They nodded, although Misty couldn't really believe what he just said. "What is he talking about? He knows that we always believe him, at least I do, no matter what. He knows that, but why is he talking like this all of a sudden?", she thought. "Seeing Drake fighting with Team Rocket yesterday, started me thinking. When I wanted to help him and Misty stopped me, I realized that I could never protect any of you, and at that moment I though I never would. After I was healed, and Drake told me the story today, I then realized that I might be able to help you when we are in danger, and our Pokemon can't help us. This is my decision, but don't get me wrong. I don't want to be a hero, and I never want to be one. So there you have it.", he said, and looked at the campfire once again. "But, don't let our friendship be affected by this. Don't forget that, please.". Stunned by his answer, Misty and Brock kept silent, but knew that he was right. And they knew that they will always be friends. Forever.
"Sir, Jessie, James, Meowth, Butch and Cassidy are here.", a secretary said through the intercom. "At last. Let them in.", Giovanni replied, and the intercom was silent. The group had recovered from the attack, and where now able to see Giovanni. Still, they all had bandages at several places on their bodies. They went in the room where Giovanni was waiting. "Well, there you are.", he said, and stood up. He smacked his fist on his desk. "Fools! You can't even take care of a single youngster!", he yelled at them. They all shivered. "But boss…that guy is special. He's like a special Pokemon that we can steal!", James said. "Oh, and how special is this kid then?", Giovanni demanded. They told him the whole story, about the attack, about Drake's retaliation, about Ash's injury, everything. Giovanni dismissed them afterwards. He remembered that something happened a couple of years ago, like what happened to his members. He looked at his videoscreen at punched in a code. The screen changed to a cell block, where two young people lay, uncounsius. "They have been asleep for some time now. And now it seems that the last one is in search of them. Well, since they can't get out to greet him, I might as well get him over here. And since they are deep below the ground, he cannot find them, unless I want to.", he said, while patting his Persian. He then switched to another screen. A large tube was showed, filled with some kind of transparant blue-ish liquid. Something was in the tube, and although it was difficult to see, Giovanni knew precisely what that was. Alot of scientists were walking around. "Soon, it will all be over. All the Saiyans will be extinct, and Team Rocket will have no trouble then of conquering this world!", he said, and started laughing.
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Although unsure at first, Ash has decided that he wants to be trained by Drake. Can Drake and Ash really find a way to harness Ash's powers who lies within him now? And can his friends aid him whenever the need arises? And what evil creation lies dormant in the solid bunker of the Team Rocket Headquarters? More will be revealed, in the next chapter!