I'm not dead!
Well, I guess I could be marked as 'dead.' I've been inactive for so long, a lot of you may be losing faith that I'll continue this story…and you know what, you could be right.
I have lost loads of patience with this story, and I really wish that my way of writing now applied back when I first started so I wouldn't need to do a rewrite.
The main reason that I want Ash Ketchum Z-Warrior Unleashed to be finished is because I have big plans for the future following the conclusion. However, that path seems so far away…
Rewrites are what you create when you're unsatisfied with how the story is going, right? Well, there are many, MANY changes that I wish I can go back and correct. But at the same time, I have real life to worry, and frankly have been worrying about. I may be running out of time, and I may not be able to write at all. I'd die of regret if I didn't get my ideas out there. So…here's what I'm going to do. To speed things up I'm going to list off the changes made to the original story, with small blurbs of exposition so you don't lose the depth. It'll be right up until the aftermath of Ash's first battle, where I left the original story off.
I really hope you can forgive me for taking what can be considered a lazy path, but I really am desperate here. If you want proper structure, then you may be better off reading the original, but be warned, all the changes I state here will negate a lot. I know I'm asking a lot, for you guys to fit the puzzle pieces yourselves, but I trust you. This chapter can be classified as an 'I'm not dead!' one, rather then a storytelling one.
So, without ado, let's speed through these chapters.
Chapter 3: Setting Off
The chapter opens with King Kai telling Goku about the assault on HFIL. Goku is both excited and worried for a foe like that. King Kai warns Goku that this is no ordinary foe; he's so powerful, and yet can't be sensed, like he exists on a totally different plane that they are unable to detect, and he fears that many things are going to be set in motion that he can't predict. Goku decides to leave King Kai's planet, being warned not to fight whoever this is until more information is gathered.
Back in the Pokemon Dimension, Ash has recovered a day after his ordeal, and he is released from the hospital, Cynthia covering for him for what happened. He meets up with Dawn and Brock, who inquire how he's feeling and if he's alright. He reassures them that he is, but then wants some time alone.
He finds his way to the docks and sits in silence as he watches the waves to think about his loss, both in the league and of control of his prisoner. After a bout of soul searching, he decides that he and his pokemon need to get so strong, they'll never lose again. He wants to go on a training trip that's so intense, it'll strengthen him and his pokemon's beyond belief.
He decides to tell all his pokemon about his decision the following night, and leaves.
Night comes for him, and Ash awakes. He takes all his pokemon into the forest and released them from their pokeballs so he could talk to them.
He explains the decision that he has made, and he won't go back on it, so if there was anyone here that didn't want to go, they needed to say so. He wouldn't hold it against them, as this was a spur of the moment thing. All his pokemon say they want to come along. they'd go anywhere with Ash. Their loyalty, friendship, and love for him surpassed any doubts they may have had.
Ash recalls his pokemon and goes to the docks before releasing Lapras, who he and Pikachu then sail off into the night with. Ash reflects on his human friends, the challenges he will face and his ideals that led him to this moment. He looks back without regret and looks to the darkened horizon ahead.
Next stop: The Johto Region.
Chapter 4: An Insurmountable Foe
Six months.
It has been six months since Ash and his pokemon had set off. They had been on many adventures and been all around. In the pursuit of training, they had conquered a lot of the world's most dangerous places, including their most recent: Mount Silver.
However, they aren't able to spend more than a week there before their lifestyle and reality crumbles before them.
A person emerges from the harsh blizzard one wearing a cloak like Ash had taken to donning. They don't know his name yet, but Ash is instantly on guard.
It was Sanachi!
Quickly recalling his pokemon, he faces down the one who has hunted him, and Sanachi mentions that he was behind Paul's disappearance, shocking Ash.
Sanachi declares that he will kill Ash, not calming the trainer's nerves, and (to put it mildly,) gets beaten to near death by a foe that he cannot beat. Pikachu tries to defend his friend, but doesn't stand a chance either. Even if he broke his vow to keep his prisoner locked up, he was sure that even he wouldn't stand a chance.
The curbstomping battle leaves a broken and near dead Ash and Pikachu hanging from a cliff edge, Ash desperately holding on to Pikachu with one arm, and the cliff edge with the other,
Sanachi kicks him off, letting Ash and Pikachu fall into the freezing abyss before a beam of burning light heads down, threatening to swallow them.
However, before that can happen, A sudden portal appears behind Ash and Pikachu and closes once they enter it. Through divine happenstance, Ash had been saved.
Sanachi, enraged that he lost his prey, claims that he will throw the entire world into chaos. Dethrone the divine beings that had saved Ash. Become a merciless god to everything that lived.
Barely conscious and using what was left of his strength to hold on to Pikachu, Ash finds himself falling from a great distance. Too wounded to get a flying pokemon to help them, devoid of the lack of oxygen at terminal velocity, and seemingly out of luck, Ash hopes that he has just one more lucky break.
And he does. They materialize over some kind of large domed shaped building where some kind of party is going on.
It is the anniversary of the defeat of Majin Buu, and all the Z-Warriors are gathered. But when they hear a loud bang skyward, they look up, only to find a person falling from the sky. Goku quickly rushes into action and catches him before he hits the ground. He finds the unconscious form of some kind of creature in the cloaked individual's arms and decided to not disturb it.
He sets the clearly wounded person on the ground and Yaijorobe gives Goku a Senzu Bean to help Ash.
Still barely conscious, Ash realizes that he had gotten very lucky and had somehow survived. He realizes that they're trying to feed him something and consumes it, shocked when he found that his energy returns.
He quickly sits up to everyone's caution and looks around. Under the circumstances, there's only one thing he can say.
"What in the world is going on…?"
Chapter 5: Not From Around Here
Ash is left with so many questions as he is stared down by lots of strangers. Having been cut off from humanity for so long, Ash is first intimidated, but calms down when Goku assures him that they mean no harm. Finally managing to put some thoughts together when things stopped being so intense does Ash some good. He acknowledges that he may seem selfish, but, if they could, could they heal Pikachu, who is clearly hurt as well. Questions obviously come up about Pikachu, and Ash honestly can't believe that they had never even heard of one before. They were pretty popular, weren't they?
As the party is put on hold, Ash decides to ask where he is. When they answer Capsule Corp., Ash tells them he has never heard of such a company before. Bulma replies that such a claim is impossible. With what Ash was currently wearing, he seemed like he was enough of a citygoer to know what Capsule Corp. was. When Ash denies it and says that, to his knowledge, The PLA (Pokemon League Association) was the biggest company he knew of. Of course, that doesn't ring a bell with anyone there either.
While they talk, Goku suddenly collapses into a mysterious state of unconsciousness. He awakes to see a completely dark space and the only thing illuminating that is a pair of deep red, but somehow soft eyes.
"Please keep our Chosen safe. Please nurture him. Please make him strong…for the sake of both our worlds…Until the day my voice is heard once more, and my will reaches out for him. I ask this of you…Son Goku…"
With those slightly ominous words, Goku awakes, clearly confused. Vegeta asked what happened, and Goku says that he isn't sure.
In the meantime, Dr. Briefs, Bulma's father, runs out of Capsule Corp. in a panic. He says that Bulma's latest invention has been causing warning alarms to go off in the large facility. When she goes to check, followed by a few individuals like Ash and Pikachu, she scans the readings of the machine and shuts it off.
She explains that it was supposed to check for spatial anomalies in Earth's atmosphere. It was originally supposed to be for detecting alien shuttles, but it had picked up a very weird reading of a cosmic distortion, almost like a rip in the fabric of reality.
Right above where Ash and Pikachu appeared…
Dots began to be drawn as Bulma looks at Ash, who is just as confused as everyone else right now.
"You're from another dimension."
The conclusion that Bulma comes to stuns everyone in the room, Ash and Pikachu especially. Ash can't remember anything about how he arrived, and neither can Pikachu. They just remember falling and that was it. Ash claims that it isn't his first time entering a different dimension, but it is still rather shocking to hear. Even more so as it seemed that there was seemingly no way back to his own.
This is concerning to hear from everyone present, as Ash would surely be—
"If there's a way to get here, there should be a way to get home, right. I'm sure we'll find that way someday, right buddy?"
"Pika Pikapi!"
Well, they certainly didn't take too long to get over the fact they were essentially stuck in a different dimension. However, when asked where they would reside until that day came, they said that they'd be happy camping, since they were used to it. Chi-Chi refuses such a notion and offers a place for him at their house through an act of kindness not a lot saw coming. She clearly sees that Ash is a kid that shouldn't be wandering around on his own, and on top of that, Goku told her that there was something really special about Ash that could change the fate of both their worlds. Never having seen her husband so serious, Chi-Chi could relent without regret.
Needless to say, not having slept in a bed for a while, Ash accepts the gracious offer.
The day slowly turns to evening, and everyone is about to go home. Gohan, carrying his mother, Goten and Goku rise into the sky to leave, but then remembered their newest residents…
…who is looking up at three people casually levitating in the air…with jaws hung open and eyes wide.
Needless to say, it wasn't likely that these people would run out of anything to talk about anytime soon…
Chapter 6: Of Pokemon and Ki
This one is basically a chapter where both Ash and the Son family exchange info about their respective worlds. Pokemon are the norm there, ki is the norm (sorta) here.
When Ash goes to bed, he tries to remember what the circumstances were when he came here, but for some reason, he can't remember anything. He drifts off, unable to think of the reason.
Chapter 7: A Door to So Much More
When Ash awakes, he decides to take an early morning stroll and stumbles across a large hill where he can see the sun rise. As he sits, he realized that this, this whole situation was something that was way bigger than he could think. Different dimensions, people with strange powers, and some kind of weird feeling that he couldn't evade that unsettled him greatly. But for some reason…for some strange reason…
Besides Pallet Town…he felt more at home here than anywhere that his travels had taken him to…
He is soon tracked down by Goku, and the duo talk and learn a lot about each other, like Goku's heritage as a Saiyan and Ash's goal to become a Pokemon Master, and the cruel way that it was beaten down by his rival, who…huh…
…what exactly happened to his rival…?
Due to his strange memory loss, Ash can't recall when Sanachi told him that he had killed Paul.
Once the subjects passed, Goku decided to bring up the point that he had been holding back until now.
He explains that sometimes they need to fight, and sometimes death is a part of that, on either side. Ash is horrified and wants to say that he'd never be able to go through with something like killing someone…
But he couldn't…
…because he already had…
No! Those memories were better left repressed.
Goku looks to Ash and asked a simple question that would set everything in motion.
"Ash…do you want to become my student?"
After pondering it for a while, Ash says that he will, for as long as he doesn't have to kill anyone...that would be his vow. He would never kill, not again.
As Ash accepted, Goku calls down Flying Nimbus and says to Ash this will get him used to flight, which he would certainly come in handy.
As Ash hops onto the cloud, he begins to wonder just what he had gotten himself into.
When they return home, there's an unexpected visitor: Vegeta, who wants to ask Goku about Ash. When they both go further away to discuss what Vegeta wants to discuss, the prince inquires if Goku really knows what he's doing with Ash.
When Goku asked why Vegeta is concerned, Vegeta tells him to sense Ash's energy, and when Goku does, he is shocked. It was huge! Almost as great as Majin Buu, and that potential was still untapped!
Ash could become as strong, if not stronger than he was if he was properly trained. It was strange for him to be so strong, considering he was from another world and everything.
Eventually, Goku decides that he is capable of handling Ash's training and Vegeta acknowledges that he at least warned his rival.
Before the prince leaves, he overhears Goten talking excitedly about pokemon battles, which intrigues Vegeta. He goes up to Ash and asks what it was about. Ash explains the concept of pokemon battles which further intrigues Vegeta.
To everyone's shock, Vegeta requests a pokemon battle from Ash, who was taken aback, but soon regains confidence.
"Sure, Vegeta. I accept your challenge!"