Pokémon Tails: A Journey to the East
DISCLAIMER: I don't own DBZ or Pokémon.
CHAPTER 12: Arrival of a New Rival
Misty, Ash, and Brock were completely floored by all they'd heard.
"So you can use your ki to superheat rocks to create diamonds?" Brock questioned, sounding awestruck.
"And those diamonds were really the rocks you got from Pewter City?" Ash added, stunned.
Gohan nodded. "Yes. As long as I have the proper materials, I can create as many precious stones as I want."
"And let me guess," Ash said as he drooped sadly, "you don't want us to do that because it would be abusing our powers."
"Chu..." Pikachu sighed, looking incredibly forlorn at this news.
"Man, having a sense of responsibility can really be hard sometimes," Misty muttered.
Gohan shook his head. "No, no, you can do it, it's just I want you to exercise good judgment with the money you make from it."
"REALLY?!" all three of them now exclaimed, sounding overjoyed.
Gohan nodded. "Yes, but you're still months away from learning how to use your ki to shape rock formations, at least."
And they all drooped again.
"Oh man, life is such a drag," Ash sighed.
"You said it," Misty commented mournfully.
"Chu, Pika, Pikachu," the yellow rat said.
Gohan chuckled as he rubbed at the back of his head.
"Aww, come on, did you really think I'd forget you guys? I had gifts made for you before cashing the jewels in," he told them.
"YOU DID?!" the group exclaimed again, now looking both surprised as well as touched.
Gohan laughed. "Well, of course I did! Here, let me get them."
And he reached down into the pouch at his side to search for them.
"Ah, here they are!" he said joyfully as he pulled out three small statues.
One was a blue Articuno, the other was a green Moltres, and the third was a red Zapdos.
"For you, Ash," Gohan chirped, holding out the Zapdos, "a statue of Zapdos made from a ruby."
"Wow, thanks!" Ash said, accepting it with a grateful nod. "It's so cool!"
"For you, Misty," Gohan added as he held her the small Articuno, "a statue of Articuno made from a sapphire."
Misty accepted it with glimmering eyes of gratitude.
"Oh, Gohan, you shouldn't have!" she whispered excitedly. "I love it! Thank you so much!"
Gohan nodded, and then held out the green Moltres for Brock.
"And Brock, here is a statue of Moltres, made from an emerald," he told the dark-skinned boy.
"Man, thank you!" Brock said cheerfully. "It looks awesome!"
Gohan giggled innocently as his tail wagged behind him. "It took me more than a week to make the statues and to get them exactly like all of the Legendary Pokémon they were based off of so please do your best to take very good of them."
"We promise," the gang said, in awe of what they had been given.
"Pika, Pika, Pikachu..." Pikachu breathed at the glittering beauty of the three statues.
Brock surveyed the outskirts of Cerulean City near them, the hillside and the rivers and the waning sun.
"Well, this looks like a good spot to set up camp for the night," the ex-Gym Leader said.
"You know what to do, Gohan!" Misty told him rather sweetly.
Gohan nodded, pulled out a capsule, popped the tab, and threw it.
BOOM!
There appeared the pink capsule house, the same as always.
"All right!" Brock burst out. "Just give me thirty minutes and I'll have dinner ready!"
"Great!" Misty squealed, placing her cheek over both hands. "That gives me just enough time to take a bath!"
"Pika, Pika, Pikachu, Pi Pikachu," the Electric-type remarked.
Ash turned to Gohan. "Hey Gohan, since Misty and Brock are gonna be busy, maybe we can have a Pokémon battle?"
Gohan blinked, looking rather surprised at Ash's suggestion.
"But... but why, Ash?" Gohan wondered, confused.
Ash raised his arm. "Well, tomorrow, we're gonna be fairly busy with training our bodies, so I thought we'd get a bit of Pokémon training in tonight before we head to bed. I'm really anxious to see how far you are in your training."
"Well, okay, sure," Gohan said with a wide grin. "As long as it's a friendly battle, no problem."
"Then it's a plan!" Brock said. "You two have your battle, and I'll let you know when dinner is ready, okay?"
"Okay!" Misty, Gohan, and Ash said as they all pumped their arms.
Misty turned to wink at Gohan before she headed inside, sending the half-Saiyan's heart fluttering.
"Go ahead, beat him, Gohan," she said, smiling beautifully. "I just know you can do it."
"Uh, well, um, th-thanks, Misty," Gohan grunted, too stunned to think of something else to say.
With a soft giggle Misty, and Brock, walked into the capsule house.
"Hey, what about me?" Ash muttered, looking slightly upset.
"Don't worry, Ash," Gohan reassured his friend. "You know how girls are."
"Yeah, you're right!" Ash said, suddenly reinvigorated. "Why am I getting so upset over what she thinks anyway?"
Gohan nodded, then adopted a serious expression. "Now let's battle!"
A short while later, the two had set up an impromptu arena, near a rock, a tree, and a large stretch of grass. Above them, the full moon slid out behind some steel-gray clouds in its final stretch of activity during the month.
Gohan grinned wistfully. "I've never seen the full moon before, not without transforming." He glanced down at the Moon Stone necklace tied around his neck as he sighed happily. "Thank you, Seymour."
"Can we just get on with the fight?" Ash whined pitifully.
"Pika Pika," Pikachu agreed, looking pathetic.
Gohan laughed. "Sure. How about a two-on-two match, Ash?"
Ash nodded a single time. "That sounds all right with me!"
"Okay then," Gohan said as he pulled out a Poké Ball. "Go, Clefairy!"
"Butterfree, come on right now!" Ash called out in response.
In a burst of energy and light the two Pokémon materialized before their Trainers.
"Fweeweeweewee!" Butterfree chittered, dancing about in the evening air like the happy Pokémon it was.
"Clefairy, Fairy, Clefairy," the Moon Pokémon chirped, twiddling its fingers.
"You ready, Ash?" Gohan asked with a sly grin.
"Ready when you are!" the Pallet Trainer called back coolly.
"Okay, go now, Clefairy!" Gohan said. "Remember, don't use too much force! We don't want our opponent getting hurt!"
"Fairy!" the Fairy Pokémon acknowledged with a cute innocent grin.
"Let's win this, Butterfree!" Ash told the Butterfly Pokémon.
"Fweeweeweewee!" Butterfree agreed with a nod.
"Go, Butterfree, use Whirlwind!" Ash commanded the Bug Pokémon.
"Fweeweeweeweewee!" Butterfree squealed as it flapped both its wings, throwing a huge gale of wind directly at Clefairy.
"Clefairy, use Light Screen!" Gohan ordered it.
Immediately, a yellowy barrier appeared around the pink Pokémon, protecting it from Butterfree's assault.
"Good job, Clefairy!" Gohan praised his trusty partner.
"Clefairy..." Clefairy giggled, looking pleased by Gohan's words.
"It's time to get serious!" Ash said solemnly, flipping his hat to the side. "Butterfree, Sleep Powder!"
Gohan smirked. "Ha, like that's gonna work."
"Fweeweeweeweewee!" Butterfree squeaked, soaring above the Moon Pokémon as it unleashed a cloud of misty vapors onto it.
However... as the glittering particles fell down around Clefairy, the little Pokémon looked to be completely unaffected!
"Hey, what gives?" Ash wondered angrily. "Clefairy got hit with it, so why isn't it taking a nap right now?"
"Heh heh heh," Gohan chuckled. "I did some checking with Dexter, and Clefairy's special ability is Magic Guard! It prevents the Pokémon from being affected by any kind of status affliction, which includes sleep, burns, being poisoned or paralyzed, etcetera..."
"Wait, what the heck are you talking about?" Ash said stupidly. "What special ability?"
Gohan fell over with a sweatdrop. "Ash, don't you know about the Pokémon's special abilities?"
Ash laughed self-consciously. "Not really. Mind filling me in?"
Gohan sighed, then he gave a genuine smile. Just like Father used to be...
"A special ability is an inborn trait of Pokémon that can be used to a wide variety of various effects," Gohan explained, very patiently. "You can check with your Pokédex to see what kind of special ability your Pokémon knows."
"All right!" Ash cried, whipping out Dexter as he aimed the device at Butterfree.
A blue light appeared on the machine. "Butterfree's ability is Compound Eyes."
"What does that do?" Ash inquired confusedly.
Dexter continued. "Compound Eyes raises the accuracy of moves of Bug-type Pokémon by 30% during battle."
"Oh, is that all?" Ash muttered, now disappointed.
"Chu..." Pikachu breathed, exasperated with its Trainer.
"Okay, you ready to resume, Ash?" Gohan asked him.
"Sure!" Ash said. "Now, Butterfree, go! Tackle!"
"Fweeweeweewee!" Butterfree chittered as it zoomed down towards Clefairy.
"Dodge it, Clefairy!" Gohan said instantly.
"Clefairy!" The Fairy Pokémon said as it leaped nimbly to the side.
And now Gohan suddenly smirked in a playful, teasing way.
"Clefairy may be immune to status effects, but your Butterfree sure isn't!" Gohan said triumphantly.
Ash gasped. "Oh no! What are you planning to do?"
Gohan pointed like he had seen the others do so very often. "Now, Clefairy, use Sing!"
"Clefairy," Clefairy acknowledged, and then, immediately it began to sing.
"Clefairy... Clefairy Fairy... Clefairy, Clefairy Fairy..." it droned in a monosyllabic drawl.
Suddenly, Ash, Pikachu, and Butterfree felt their eyelids grow heavy in response to the heavenly tune being played.
"Oh wow..." Ash said, his head drooping. "That's... that's the most beautiful melody I've ever heard in my whole life..."
And he yawned as he found himself slowly losing more and more of his consciousness.
"Pika..." Pikachu agreed, also yawning sleepily to the tune. "Cha..."
"Clefairy Fairy..." the Moon Pokémon chanted happily. "Clefairy... Fairy Clefairy..."
"Oh wow, isn't that just the most wonderful music you've ever heard before?" Gohan sighed.
Ash didn't answer, and Gohan blinked twice, wondering if he had even heard him.
"Hey, are you guys listening?" the tailed boy demanded.
And then he caught sight of Ash, Pikachu, and Butterfree, laying sprawled out on the grassy floor, snoring loudly, totally oblivious to their battle, to the world, or anything else as they slept soundly.
"Oh, oops!" Gohan said, rubbing the back of his head. "I... I guess you kinda overdid it there, Clefairy..."
"Clefairy, Fairy, Clefairy?" it inquired, sounding worried.
Gohan chuckled. "Nah, come on, I'm not mad at you. All you did was made them sleep. There are worse things you can do someone."
"Clefairy!" the tiny pink Pokémon giggled joyfully as it happily nuzzled up against Gohan's leg.
Gohan chuckled, amused, at his Pokémon's actions.
"Hey, Gohan!" a voice suddenly called out from the direction of the capsule house.
Gohan turned to find Brock and Misty standing there, looking at what had just now transpired.
"Oh, Misty, Brock," Gohan replied. "What do you want?"
"Well, I just wanted to tell you supper's ready," the dark-toned Gym Leader said.
"Hey, what happened to Ash and Pikachu?" Misty questioned.
Gohan laughed embarrassedly. "Well, see... I ordered Clefairy to use Sing, and I, well, er, sorta, kinda, put them all to sleep."
"Oh, I see!" Misty said, placing both hands on her hips as she now tossed him a very coy smile. "With them sleeping, there was no way they could continue battling! What an ingenious strategy, Gohan!"
Gohan chuckled, even more embarrassed. "Um, well, thanks, Misty."
"Well, let them sleep for now," Brock said. "I'll save some in the fridge and we can heat it up later. For now, it's time to eat!"
"YIPPEE!" Gohan whooped innocently, seemingly delighted at such a simple pleasure. "Thank you so much!"
Misty stifled a giggle. Oh, he's so sweet and innocent. He can find happiness in something so basic and simple, yet he's so mysterious and complex, too. As Gohan headed into the house alongside the Pewter Gym Leader, Misty grinned.
"Don't ever change, Gohan," she said.
And then she headed inside the house along with the other two.
In a barely illuminated chamber filled with many machines and capsules full of some sort of strange liquids, the door opened and in stepped a green-skinned being with two devil-like horns poking out of the side of his head and decked out in full battle armor like the kind Frost had been wearing instead of the Saiyans.
Speaking of Frost, the new arrival made his way over to one of the corners of the room, where the tiny blue overlord was watching over what seemed to be a larva form floating inside one of the capsules.
"You called for me, Lord Frost?" The green-skinned man said in a gruff tone that somehow carried the hint of amusement at the same time.
"Just look at it, Captain Argo," Frost breathed, and his seemingly cheerful tone from before had vanished, as his eyes had gone icy as space and he was now smirking in a way that suggested he was quite pleased at what he was staring at, and not in a good way either. "All my glorious plans for the future lay here, in this small capsule! Power and riches beyond what we could possibly imagine in ten lifetimes! What more could a man ask for?"
"I certainly wouldn't know, Lord Frost," Argo said with an agreeing smirk. "And once all your plans come to fruition, then it will be party time, Argo style! How is that for an excellent retirement plan, eh?"
With a seeming melancholy sigh, Frost turned from the capsule to face the new subordinate who had come to see him, his smirk widening.
"Well, Captain Argo, I have called you in here for a new assignment," Frost told him.
"Just tell me, Lord Frost, and I promise you will have results!" Captain Argo vowed, crossing an arm before his chest.
"There is a small planet named Earth," Frost informed him. "I believe General Turles has abandoned us to protect a secret he has hidden on that world and that he is finally ready to openly challenge me. Turles never seemed to trust me as much as the rest of his kind did..."
"Do you want me and the rest of the Argo Patrol to hunt him down?" Argo asked with a gleeful smile, looking excited at the prospect.
"Exactly," Frost said with satisfaction. "Always quick on the uptake, Captain — as usual. However, it is more than that. I have done some checking, and this Earth is a fine planet with beautiful vistas and many rich natural resources. I want you to dispatch your best proxy agents to this world and bring open warfare to the planet."
"Ah, and then you bring in the Galactic Peace Forces to put down the conflict and make a killing bartering it on the Galaxies Exchange?" Argo said smartly. "Like you always do, I take it, Lord Frost?"
Frost nodded. "You shall lead the hunt for Turles to bring that traitor to justice, but for Earth, I want the best mercenaries money could buy."
"It will be done, Lord Frost!" Argo said, stiffening up as he saluted his master in an overexaggerated manner, causing Frost to sweatdrop.
Captain Argo turned, and marched himself from the chamber in a dramatic parade manner, like Captain Argo were parodying typical military decorum rather than actually following it, and with a sigh, Frost turned back to the specimen he'd been observing before.
"Why oh why does he always have to be so flamboyant...?"
Gohan stood, clasped in Saiyan battle armor, watching in complete horror as the most feared tyrant the universe had ever seen stood on a formation of rocky outcrop, the uppermost portion of his tail now blasted off, but otherwise he looked completely unharmed!
"Die," the icy tyrant growled.
Pointing his finger at them, he shot a purple beam of energy directly at his daddy!
"GOKU!" Piccolo cried as he shoved the Saiyan warrior out of the way — and a second later, the beam sliced right through his chest.
The green-skinned fighter now fell like a marionette whose strings had been cut.
"No... no, Piccolo..." Gohan whimpered as he fell to his knees before the beaten warrior. "No, Piccolo..."
And he threw his head back to scream his agony for all Namek to hear. "PICCOLO!"
Frieza stood there, laughing at all he had just done.
Goku clenched his fist as he growled angrily. "Frieza..." he grunted.
"I must admit, that Spirit Bomb of yours sure packs a whallop," Frieza taunted them. "It even knocked the breath out of me."
And he chuckled some more, his whole body shaking from sadistic mirth.
"Gohan, Krillin, listen up," Goku said, overly tightly, sounding like he was about to lose control of all his emotions. "The spaceship I used to get to this planet shouldn't be too far from here. Find Bulma and the ship and get as far away from here as you can."
Gohan and Krillin hesitated.
"Come on!" Goku said, finally snapping. "What are you waiting for?"
"I'm not going!" Gohan vowed faithfully. "I'd never let you fight Frieza alone!"
"Listen, Gohan!" Goku barked furiously. "You have to get out of here NOW. You don't have a say in the matter!"
"But Goku...!" Krillin protested.
"We can't leave," Gohan agreed, trying to make Goku understand.
But, Frieza, apparently tired of being ignored, chose that moment to make himself known.
"If you think that your little friends can escape me, you're sadly mistaken," the ruthless monster smirked.
Thrusting his finger out, he shot a blast straight at Krillin!
"Krillin, look out!" Gohan cried.
But it was already too late; Frieza had grabbed hold of Krillin in some form of telekinesis! Krillin kicked and struggled futilely in the air.
"This time you won't come back!" Frieza snarled.
And with that, he lifted the bald-headed fighter straight up into the skies!
"Krillin, no!" Goku shouted, unable to tear his eyes from the horrible spectacle.
"Krillin!" Gohan said, terrified beyond belief. "Please no!"
"Hahahahahahahahahaha!" Frieza cackled, high on his own power.
Finally Goku could watch no more as he turned to face the icy tyrant.
"Frieza, STOP THIS!" he begged, now desperate to save his friend.
But Frieza completely ignored Goku's pleas.
"HELP ME!" Krillin screamed.
BOOM!
And like that, Frieza blew Krillin up in a savage display of fireworks. For a couple minutes, Gohan just stood there, shaking with terror and anger and knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was gonna die.
Frieza chuckled with dark amusement. "I think the brat should go next."
"You... you killed my best friend, you ruthless... heartless bastard!" Goku screamed angrily.
Frieza's only response was to laugh some more.
"I won't let you... get away with this!" Goku growled furiously.
And, just like that, the full-blooded Saiyan started powering up. The ground shook underneath his feet — bolts of lightning shot down from the heavens as if they were inaugurating a new ascension of legend.
"I won't let you..." Goku growled.
Still more lightning came shooting down as the foundation itself beneath them cracked and flew upward, disintegrating once it had reached high enough into the skies, and Goku's ki skyrocketed!
"I will... make you... suffer for this!" Goku yelled wildly, sounding as though he had lost all control.
And without warning, a golden flash suddenly lit up Goku's hair!
Gohan gasped, in complete awe of what he was seeing.
Frieza just watched, completely stupefied.
As the minutes went on, the surges of gold grew in intensity, until finally, with a loud, deranged roar, Goku's hair stuck up, morphed to golden yellow, and an otherworldly aura of pure golden light now surrounded the spiky-haired fighter!
Frieza reacted with horror as Gohan just stared, transfixed, at what he was seeing.
What... what happened to my daddy? he thought, feeling scared.
Goku turned to face his son, still suffused with the golden glow of his new power.
"Go!" he said, sounding like he had forgotten how to talk to Gohan. "Take Piccolo with you and get out of here now. Find Bulma, find the spaceship, and go!" But still, young Gohan, entranced by this sight, didn't move, and apparently Goku had had enough and he exploded angrily at his son. "DO AS I TELL YOU RIGHT NOW BEFORE I LOSE WHAT LITTLE SENSE OF REASON I HAVE LEFT!"
And Gohan turned and fled with the image of Goku's eyes now burned into his memory...
"Gohan! Gohan! Gohan!"
Gohan's eyes suddenly shot open as he stared into the concerned green pupils of Misty Waterflower.
"Huh?" he said, blinking rapidly. "What the...? Where... where am I?"
"You were having a bad dream," Misty ventured forth tentatively.
"And it looked pretty intense too," Brock added from nearby.
"Oh yeah," Gohan said, sitting up in bed as he rubbed his head. "It was, definitely."
"Well, what was it?" Ash prodded, wondering what could have the super-strong Gohan so upset.
"Pika?" Pikachu inquired, looking just as curious.
"Mew!" Mew called, coming closer as it jumped into Gohan's arms, staring up at him with those oh so adorably huge eyes. "Mew!"
Gohan chuckled lightly. "You always know how to make me feel better, Mew. Thank you."
"Mew!" Mew chirped happily, wiggling around where it sat. "Mew, Mew! MEW! Mew, Mew!"
Gohan turned to his friends. "It... it was nothing... really. I was just dreaming about when my father transformed into a Super Saiyan. You don't have to worry about me — let's just go back to bed, all right?"
The gang shared a look, and then Misty laid a delicate hand on Gohan's shoulder.
"Gohan, you don't have to be afraid to be honest with us," she told him gently with a very sincere smile. "Like you say, we're your friends. Well, you can tell us anything, and we won't think any less of you."
Gohan sighed. "Like I said, it's nothing, it's just... well, when my father transformed, it... well, it's not a happy memory."
"Tell us," Brock requested softly.
"Yeah, and maybe we can help you!" Ash piped up.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu said, pumping its arm.
"Mew, Mew!" Mew said as it wrapped its tail around him in a gesture of support, with the tip coming to slide around his own tail.
"Well, my dad first transformed when he was fighting Frieza," the Saiyan hybrid explained. "I told you all about the Dragon Balls, but what I didn't tell you was that it was the Nameks who created the Dragon Balls on our planet."
"The Nameks?" Misty repeated, blinking twice.
"Oh, I think you mentioned them before," Brock said.
"Yes," Gohan said with a nod to confirm that.
"Well, who are they?" Ash asked.
"Tall, green-skinned alien slug people from outer space," Gohan elaborated. "Three hundred years ago, a horrible weather storm hit the Planet Namek. To preserve their race, the Namekians sent a small child out into space to wait for his parents to come to him, but they never did."
"Oh man, how awful," Ash said, sounding very sad.
"Pika..." the yellow rodent said, looking as affected as its Trainer.
"To be all alone with no one to look after you," Misty agreed.
"Yes," Gohan said. "That young Namekian grew up to become Kami, the Guardian of Earth. He was the one who created the Dragon Balls in our world. Meanwhile, on Namek, the weather became so severe only one Namek survived... and he created the Namek Dragon Balls."
"Oh, now I see," Brock said.
"Well... when I was four, my uncle, a Saiyan named Raditz, came to Earth to recruit my father to join Frieza's Planet Trade Federation," he went on. "Father refused, and after a long and vicious battle, he was forced to give up his life to destroy his brother, but Raditz told us two other Saiyan fighters, Vegeta and Nappa, had been listening in over their Scouters and would come to Earth to use the Dragon Balls."
"Oh, yeah, Vegeta, you mentioned him before too!" Misty chimed in.
"He's the one who wanted to wish for immortality, right?" Brock added.
"Yeah, because he thought it was the only way to destroy Frieza," Gohan explained. "After a difficult battle with the Saiyans, we finally drove them away from Earth but at the cost of four of our friends dying during the battle."
"Oh Gohan..." Misty said, feeling her heart go out to the half-Saiyan.
"It's never easy when one of your loved ones die," Brock said, knowing from bitter, personal experience how hard that was for a young boy.
"Yes, so to wish them back, we traveled to the Planet Namek, but when we got there, we discovered Frieza was already there," Gohan told them. "We were so desperate to defeat him we joined forces with Vegeta to form an alliance against Frieza, though not even that was enough."
Ash shivered, knowing how strong Gohan was. "Man, Frieza must have really been unbelievably powerful."
"He was, and he enjoyed hurting and killing others," Gohan said. "He impaled Krillin with one of his horns, crushed my skull, tortured Vegeta into a bloody pulp, and killed many of my friends before we managed to finally wish them back to life."
"That's so sickening..." Misty growled angrily, feeling her stomach turn over.
"Sometimes, the memory of that battle still haunts me, even today," Gohan said. "Despite the fact that Frieza lost, despite the fact that it's been five years since then, I can still remember all the pain that he caused me."
Misty awkwardly reached out, wanting to hug the boy, and not really knowing how, before finally she seethed angrily. I want to comfort my friend, and if it's embarrassing, then so be it! she growled inside her head as she reached out and pulled Gohan into a tender hug.
Gohan blinked in shock, as did Ash and Brock, who exchanged a glance.
"Pika?" Pikachu wondered.
"Hey, I know how hard it has to be, but, you can't let this get you down," she told him. "You just got to keep going, one day at a time until eventually, it's long, long behind you... and I know you'll rise above this, Gohan. You're a special boy with a very clean heart and you can do it. I just know you can. I have complete faith in you."
Gohan felt his heart lighten up with a girl he'd come to care about greatly in such a short amount of time comforting him. Knowing that Misty wouldn't typically do something like this made him feel very touched.
"Thank you, Misty," he said gratefully, hugging her back. "You're a good friend."
Misty let him go and nodded jerkily to him in a show of support, but however embarrassing it might have been, her smile now was nothing but genuinely heartfelt, as it made Gohan's heart ache just to see it.
"Well, now that that's over, let's get back to bed," Brock suggested.
"That's right," Ash sighed. "Tomorrow we're training, and it's gonna be very hard."
"Pika Pika," Pikachu said with a nod of agreement.
And so the group headed back to bed, and pretty soon, despite the trouble earlier, soon the room was filled with the contented snores of four young children whose dreams were now finally undisturbed...
Phoebe Mills was just rising as the sun peeked over the horizon, lighting up the trees and the surrounding environment in a brilliant golden-orange glow. Rubbing at her eyes, the brown-haired girl quickly stood up, stretching her arms.
"Oh wow, morning already?" she said. And then her face took on a more alert look. "Wait a minute! What time is it?!"
Quickly, she glanced around the sleeping bag, finally finding what she sought, her clock, tucked into the corner of the bag.
"Please don't be seven o'clock yet..." she pleaded as she glanced at the readout.
Examining the clock revealed... that it was exactly fifteen minutes to seven.
Phoebe sighed. "Thank goodness. Every morning it's gotta be the same — breakfast at seven, Pokémon training at eight to nine-thirty, travel some more to the next town, lunch at twelve o'clock, a bit more training, then some more traveling and finally to bed at eight o'clock sharp."
Just then, soaring gracefully overhead, Phoebe caught sight of a pink comet trailing lines of energy in the sky.
"Huh, what's that?" she said, glancing up above as suddenly, she caught sight of the object in question.
She gasped in complete shock at what she was now seeing.
"OH MY PIDGEYS AND STARS!" she yelled in total awe.
Twirling above her, giggling and just generally goofing off, was none other than the Legendary Mew!
"Mew!" it chirped, bouncing up and down, zooming to the side, and playing like the typical innocent, carefree creature that the little feline Pokémon was at heart. "Mew. Mew. Mew. MEW! Mew, Mew! Mew!"
"Well, this is a surprise," she said, and then she smirked, standing up in a rush. "I gotta catch it!"
Suddenly, perhaps sensing her intentions, the Legendary Mew now turned to the side and flew off.
"Hey, wait a minute!" she called after the steadily fleeing Pokémon. "Where are you going?! COME BACK HERE! Pleeeeeeaaaaase! I don't want to hurt you! I just want to capture you! Please... come back!"
A determined frown alit her features as she took off after the Mew.
"I'm not giving up that easy!"
Gohan stood in front of Ash, Misty, and Brock.
"You're starting to make some great progress," he informed them. "But, the key to learning to unlock your ki just boils down to building up enough muscle so your body is strong enough to handle it; with enough training, you can learn to do anything with your ki."
The group shared glances.
"Did you hear that, guys?" Ash exclaimed. "We're making progress!"
"With how hard we've been working, I was wondering if we were advancing at all," Misty sighed, sounding hopeful.
Gohan nodded in their direction.
"Today, we're going to be alternating between training and meditating," Gohan continued. "This will help you to achieve total control over your emotions since ki is greatly influenced by how well your emotional control is; the more that you learn to control your emotions, the more effective your ki will be."
"Oh, is that all?" Brock said.
"That sounds easy enough!" Misty said.
"Pika Pika, Pikachu?" Pikachu agreed.
"Well... it's definitely a lot less strenuous than your average workout session, but it may prove to be even harder than training since it's not something that most human beings, especially children are normally accustomed to," the Saiyan hybrid answered.
"So do we start now?" Ash inquired, looking eager to begin.
"Pika Pika?" Pikachu asked, tilting its head to the side in curiosity.
"Yes, I think we should," Gohan said. "For the first lesson —"
And then, suddenly, a pink comet shot over their heads as a voice from faraway cried out.
"Hey, wait, hold on!" it shouted. "Wait! Wait! Slow down a bit!"
The group turned to find a brown-haired girl running up to them, now panting and gasping, as though she had run all the way here.
"Who's this?" Misty said, turning a glance towards the Pallet Trainer.
"Beats me," Ash said as he shrugged his shoulders helplessly.
"Pika, Pika Pika, Pi Pikachu," the Electric Rat said.
And then the girl stood upright as she stared at the Mew now circling above them.
"Mew, Mew!" it giggled happily, dancing around like a little kitty. "Mew!"
"Mew... what are you doing?" Gohan asked. "You know you shouldn't wander that far from camp."
"Mew!" it chirped, looking carefree as it always did. "Mew, Mew!"
And expression of extreme disappointment crossed over the brown-haired girl's features.
"Excuse me, but is this your Mew?" the girl asked them.
Gohan nodded, confused. "Yes, this is my Mew."
The girl slumped, now looking completely dejected. "Oh, it figures..."
"Excuse me, miss, but who might you be?" the redhead inquired.
"Hey, wait a second..." Gohan said slowly while a phantom of recent memory flashed past his mind.
"This is the perfect book for beginning Trainers," a similar brown-haired girl said, handing him a green leather book.
"Thank you!" Gohan said gratefully.
The girl smiled at him. "Perhaps we'll meet again someday."
"Maybe," Gohan said, wondering if they really would.
And then she turned and walked away...
"I know you!" Gohan declared. "You're that girl from the bookstore in Pewter City!"
"You know her, Gohan?" Misty said as an angry look now suddenly appeared on her face.
Gohan shrugged. "Only in passing — we didn't talk very long, Misty."
"Oh well, I guess that's all right," Misty said as she sighed deeply, looking almost... relieved?
"Hey, wait, you're that kid who was looking for Pokémon books!" the girl shouted, pointing at Gohan dramatically.
Gohan chuckled, sounding completely carefree. "Yup, that's me!"
For a few seconds, the girl just glanced back and forth between the Mew above them and Gohan, with an angry look now growing on her countenance... until finally, she exploded, sounding utterly furious.
"Hold on a moment here... you've only been a Pokémon Trainer for like a week and yet, you've somehow managed to capture the rarest Legendary Pokémon there is?!" she demanded of him, sounding, if anything, even angrier the more she spoke.
Gohan nodded, feeling confused. "Yes. So what?"
"So what? SO WHAT?!" the girl screamed and she tore into her hair, now apoplectic with fury. "So do you know how utterly impossible that is?! There's no way that a greenhorn Trainer could capture Mew after only a week of training! What... did you steal it or something? I mean, you're wearing that bogus tail, and now you have a Mew with you!"
"Hey, wait a minute, are you calling Gohan a thief?!" Brock said.
"He didn't steal Mew!" Ash now chimed in, sounding similarly angry. "It came to him! It chose him!"
"Pika Pika, Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed, sending the girl a glare.
"I think you're just jealous," Misty said haughtily, placing both her hands on her hips. "Not that surprising. It's not every day you see a Pokémon like Mew here." And Misty shrugged. "How sad for you."
Now practically incoherent from rage, suddenly the girl appeared to get a grip on herself as she pointed at Gohan once again, much to the the tailed boy's bewilderment. What does this girl have against me?
"Okay, that's it!" she roared, thrusting her finger forward. "Battle me, right now!"
Gohan gaped in total shock at what she was now saying to him.
"What, you mean a Pokémon battle?" Gohan said, pointing to himself. "What me?"
"Yes, yes, yes, what else?!" the girl said. "That will prove that that Mew belongs to you!"
"Oh, I don't know..." Gohan said, scratching his neck. "I mean, I was kinda hoping to get some training for myself in today..."
"What, are you scared?" the girl said and then she crossed her arms, smirking in a superior way. "I can't blame you if you're scared of losing especially if that Mew's not really yours... maybe I should report you to Officer Jenny and let her sort this out."
The others, who had been listening throughout all this, had finally had enough.
"Hey, Gohan, battle her already!" Brock said, sounding furious.
"She can't talk to you like that!" Ash agreed. "A battle is the only way to solve this!"
"Teach that brat a lesson!" Misty cheered. "Give it to her good and knock her out cold!"
"Do you guys think I should battle her?" Gohan said as he turned to face them.
They nodded enthusiastically. Gohan faced her again.
"Well, okay, sure, why not?" Gohan said happily, still managing, as always, to maintain his cheer, even when being confronted with a girl who was calling him a liar AND a thief, something which seemed to disconcert her.
A short time later, the group had set up an arena in the same spot Ash and Gohan had battled the night before.
"Before we start, can you tell me your name?" Gohan prodded.
"My name is Phoebe Mills from Celadon City, and I will be the one to take you down, rookie!" she averred as she tossed her hair to the side. "So, how about you, Mr. Mystery Boy? What's your name, hot shot?"
"I'm Son Gohan from Mt. Paozu," he answered cheerfully. "That's Gohan, not Son. The family name comes first."
Phoebe looked disgruntled. Does nothing ever faze this boy? Why is he so persistently happy?
Brock, who was refereeing, raised both his arms. "The battle will be two-on-two and both sides will keep on going until their Pokémon are unable to battle anymore — now, Trainers, call out your Pokémon!"
Gohan enlarged one of his Poké Balls. "Clefairy, come out now!"
The pink mystical creature materialized with a happy cry. "Clefairy!"
Phoebe took out one of her Poké Balls. "Then Phoebe chooses... Tyrogue!"
The small, gray-skinned Fighting-type emerged. "Tyrogue!"
"Wow, what is that Pokémon?" Ash wondered.
He pointed the Pokédex at Tyrogue.
"Pokémon type unknown," Dexter intoned.
The gang gasped, awestruck.
"What, again?" Ash said, now sounding highly annoyed.
"You won't find any information about this type in your Pokédex," Phoebe informed them all with a cool, confident smirk. "Tyrogue is a Fighting-type Pokémon which is indigenous to the Johto Region."
"Johto?" Misty questioned, glancing towards Ash.
"Never heard of it," Ash replied, holding his hands up helplessly.
"A Fighting type?" Gohan said, looking worried. "Oh no."
"Yes, Normal Pokémon have a severe disadvantage against Fighting Pokémon," Phoebe declared. "This battle will be mine!"
Brock raised his arms. "Pokémon battle, begin!"
Phoebe pointed. "Tyrogue, go! Use Tackle!"
"Dodge it, Clefairy!" Gohan ordered.
Clefairy made to dodge, but at the last second, its foot caught on the grass and it stumbled.
Not a moment later, Tyrogue smashed into it with a loud shout of, "Tyrogue!"
Clefairy went flying.
"Oh no, Clefairy's been hit!" Ash remarked.
"Do you think that it can still battle?" Misty said worriedly.
"Clefairy, are you going to be okay?" Gohan asked it.
Looking back at its Trainer, Clefairy nodded.
"Clefairy, Fairy," it answered him.
Gohan grinned. "Great!"
"Tyrogue, use Tackle again!" Phoebe commanded.
"Clefairy, Light Screen now!" Gohan told it.
Tyrogue ran at Clefairy, but, at the last second, the Fairy Pokémon erected a solid wall of yellow light, and the Scuffle Pokémon bounced off it as it was sent skidding back from the force of racing headlong into a mental barrier.
"Tyrogue, you know you can do better than that!" Phoebe admonished it strictly.
"Tyrogue!" the Pokémon said as it stood up again.
"Now go!" she shouted. "Let's WIN THIS!"
"TYROGUE!" the Fighting Pokémon said as it rushed towards Clefairy again.
"Clefairy, Light Screen again, now!" Gohan commanded it.
And once again, the same yellow barrier appeared in front of the Moon Pokémon.
"Ha, like that's gonna work twice!" Phoebe stated as she pointed at him again."Tyrogue, use Brick Break!"
And instantly, Tyrogue raised its fists and, to the surprise of everyone there, smashed right past Clefairy's Light Screen wall!
"Oh no, Clefairy!" Gohan said, concerned.
"Tyrogue!" Tyrogue shouted as it slammed into Clefairy, slapping it senseless from the force of its Brick Break attack.
"Follow up with Mach Punch!" Phoebe said, sensing victory.
"TYROGUE!" Tyrogue declared as it drew back its fist, and swung it forward; a glowing comet's nose appeared around that fist as, with a deafening crunch, it slammed it directly into Gohan's poor Clefairy.
"CLEFAIRY!" Gohan cried fearfully.
"Oh no, Clefairy looks like it's been hurt!" Ash cried.
The Fairy Pokémon was sent tumbling and skidding back before finally landing several feet away.
"Is it... is it gonna be okay?" Misty said, holding up her arm.
"Clefairy, are you all right?" Gohan asked it. "Clefairy, speak to me!"
"Clef... Clef... Clefairy," the little Moon Pokémon whimpered.
Gohan grabbed his Poké Ball, ready to recall it back, when suddenly, Clefairy shook its head back and forth.
"Fairy, Clefairy, Clefairy," it said simply as it struggled to stand.
"But... what...?" Gohan said, blinking in confusion. "You mean... you wanna keep going?"
Clefairy had now worked its way to its feet and it turned back to Gohan, nodding its head up and down.
"Clefairy!" it sang. "Clefairy, Fairy, CLEFAIRY Fairy, Clef, Clef, Fairy!"
It was like Gohan could instantly see to the heart of what Clefairy was saying.
"You mean... you wanna use Metronome again?" Gohan said, looking even more confused.
"Clefairy, Clefairy, CLEFAIRY!" it said.
"Are you sure, Clefairy?" Gohan asked it tenderly. "Last time, that move blew you up."
"Clefairy, Fairy!" Clefairy said determinedly. "CLEFAIRY!"
Gohan nodded while a similar determined frown appeared now on his face. "Then I've got your back, Clefairy!"
Clefairy turned to face her opponent again as she winced painfully, obviously suffering from the blows she had just endured.
"Let's wrap this up, Tyrogue!" Phoebe shouted. "Go now, Brick Break!"
"TYROGUE!" Tyrogue declared as it sped towards Gohan's Clefairy.
"Clefairy, now, use Metronome!" Gohan said.
"Clefairy, Clefairy Fairy, Clefairy, Fairy Fairy," Clefairy sang as it now started waving its fingers, gathering power for the attack.
Tyrogue barreled down on Clefairy even while the Fairy Pokémon continued its attack, and finally, a second before Tyrogue could hit it, Clefairy disappeared in a blazing surge of supercharged particles.
"Oh wow!" Misty said, looking stunned.
"That was Teleport, wasn't it?" Ash asked her, confused.
"Yes," Misty nodded. "And just in time, too."
Clefairy reappeared on the other side of the battlefield, several meters away from Tyrogue.
"Go, use Metronome again!" Gohan commanded the little creature.
"Clefairy, Clefairy, Clefairy," Clefairy chirped as it once again began to wave its fingers.
"Tyrogue, go again!" Phoebe ordered, sounding mad. "Brick Break!"
"Tyrogue!" the Scuffle Pokémon said as it raced towards Clefairy.
Suddenly, an aura of gold light shot out of Clefairy's body as Tyrogue was suffused in a similar aura of gold energy.
Tyrogue came to a complete halt looking confused at what had just happened.
"What was that move?" Misty wondered, blinking.
"Beats me," Ash said with a shrug.
"Oh no, not Perish Song!" Phoebe said. "Tyrogue, we need to make this quick! Go, use Break Brick!"
Tyrogue instantly moved forward, only feet away from Clefairy!
"Clefairy, quick, use Growl!" Gohan instructed it, hoping to minimize the damage.
"CLEFAIRY!" Clefairy snarled viciously as Tyrogue connected with a solid hit to the Moon Pokémon.
"TYROGUE!" it roared as it smashed into Clefairy.
"Clefairy, Clefairy, Clefairy..." Clefairy panted as it was now sent skidding several feet.
"Clefairy, are you okay?" Gohan asked it.
"Clef... Clef... C-C-Clefairy..." Clefairy whimpered as it struggled up again, seemingly on its last legs.
"Tyrogue, quick!" Phoebe ordered, sounding like she had lost control. "Mach Punch, go! Go, go, go! Now, now, now!"
"Clefairy, go, I just know you can do it!" Gohan said passionately. "Light Screen!"
Tyrogue quickly ran at Clefairy, gathering power in its fist as another glowing comet nose appeared before it.
At the last second, Clefairy managed to erect a very weak barrier. With its Mach Punch, Tyrogue slammed into the barrier. For a couple seconds, the barrier flickered and wobbled, like a snowy TV picture, almost breaking out completely as Clefairy strained to keep it raised. Finally, Tyrogue broke off, and it was beginning to look a lot more weakened from the effects of Clefairy's Perish Song.
"Ty... Ty... Tyrogue..." Tyrogue gasped.
"Clefairy... Clef... Clefairy..." Clefairy wheezed, looking literally seconds away from collapse.
"Oh, Clefairy..." Gohan said, now worried for it. "Do you think you're up to battling?"
Seemingly with a lot of effort, Clefairy nodded in a jerky fashion. "Clefairy!"
"Then go once more!" Gohan said very reluctantly. "Use Metronome again!"
Clefairy began waving its fingers once again as Phoebe called out, "Tyrogue, stop fooling around and go! Use Brick Break!"
"TYROGUE!" Tyrogue stated as it slowly moved towards Clefairy, however... at the last minute, the Moon Pokémon unleashed its very last Metronome as out of nowhere, blue light glowed fiercely in its eyes as Clefairy picked up Tyrogue with her mind and threw him back into one of the trees nearby.
"Clef, Clef... Clef... C-C-Clefairy..." Clefairy whimpered as finally, the golden light from before now returned and instantly, the two Pokémon collapsed to the dirt floor, now knocked out and unable to the battle.
"Tyrogue, no!" Phoebe cried out.
Brock raised both his arms. "The two Pokémon are unable to battle, so therefore, round one ends in a draw."
Gohan rushed over to Clefairy, cradling it in his arms. "Oh, you did your best out there, and I'm proud of you. You refused to give up, no matter what. You have a true fighter's spirit." Holding out his Poké Ball, Gohan recalled Clefairy. "Just rest for now."
Similarly, Phoebe withdrew her Pokémon as a dark look crossed her face. "This is my fault... I wasted too much and let them use that darn Metronome attack over and over." She looked up and fire burned in her eyes. "Well, not this time! Not again!"
Brock raised his arms again. "Trainers, call out your Pokémon."
Gohan glanced to the side, to where Mew was sitting with his friends, watching the battle with interest.
"Mew, you're up," he told the little Legendary Cat.
"MEW!" Mew chirped as it flew over to him, taking its position on the opposite side of the battlefield.
"I guess that Mew really is yours," Phoebe said, looking incredibly disappointed. "But my next Pokémon won't be defeated so easily, Son Gohan!" And with that, she tossed out her Poké Ball. "Go, Eevee!"
The tiny Evolution Pokémon appeared in a burst of white.
"Fwee!" it chirped.
"Oh wow, what's that Pokémon?" Ash wondered.
"It's so cute!" Misty squealed girlishly, taken with it.
Ash pointed his Pokédex at the little Pokémon.
"Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon," Dexter intoned. "It has the potential to evolve into any one of three different Pokémon."
"Well, at least it knew what this one was," Ash observed.
Brock raised his arms again. "Both sides are tied with one Pokémon each. This is for the win! Trainers, get set, go!"
"Eevee, use Shadow Ball!" Phoebe said, not wasting any time.
"Fwee!" Eevee shouted as, from the tip of its puffy tail, a glowing orb of dark energy formed within it.
Acting quickly, Eevee spun once, and then threw the ball directly at Mew!
"Quick, Mew, dodge it!" Gohan instructed it.
"Mew!" Mew chirped as it dodged away from the first strike.
But barely had Mew dodged it than Phoebe now pointed at Mew again. "Shadow Ball, again!"
"Fwee!" Eevee said as it once again threw a dark, crackling ball of Dark-type power at its opponent.
"Mew, dodge again!" Gohan said again.
"Mew!" Mew said, leaping nimbly to the side away from the Shadow Ball.
"Eevee, keep using Shadow Ball!" Phoebe ordered her Pokémon.
"Mew, keep dodging!" Gohan ordered it.
Thus the New Species Pokémon went on ducking, twisting, turning, and dodging to the side to avoid the blasts.
On the sidelines, Phoebe was getting ever more enraged.
"Come on, hit it! Stop toying around and get that Mew!" she yelled, now sounding angry.
Gohan smirked. "Okay, play time is over now." He pointed at the Eevee. "Go, Mew, use Confusion!"
Mew wriggled where it flew, and then threw out its arms with a cry of, "MEW!"
A purple-blue wave erupted from its body and flew towards Eevee.
"Eevee, dodge!" Phoebe cried frantically.
However, Eevee was too slow, and the blast hit it straight on as it was sent sailing backward.
"EEVEE!" Phoebe shouted, concerned for it.
"Hit it with Confusion again, go!" Gohan ordered Mew.
"MEW!" Mew squealed as it threw out another wave of Confusion at the helpless Eevee.
And like before, Eevee found itself soaring across the grass.
"Just get up!" Phoebe said desperately. "Do something! Anything!"
"Okay, Mew, now go, PSYCHIC!" Gohan shouted, confident he could win this.
"Mew..." Mew growled as for the third time in less than a week, a demonic hellish blue lit up its pupils, and its growing power could be heard to every corner within the clearing. "Mew... Mew... Mew..."
An outline of pure blue surrounded Eevee, as suddenly, the Evolution Pokémon was dragged kicking and struggling into the air!
Suddenly... Gohan was five years old again, watching Krillin being dragged up into the air, before he shook his head. No, no, it's not the same thing. This is sport, not life or death. I'm nothing like Frieza!
"No, Eevee! No!" Phoebe shouted.
"Mew..." Mew growled furiously, like some angry deity come to Earth to exact retribution. "Mew... Mew... MEW!"
And, once it was high enough, Mew slammed Eevee down into the Earth, taking great care not to hurt it too much since it knew that its Trainer hated violence, but it didn't matter — the blow was simply just too much for the opposing Pokémon to withstand, and once the dust cleared, little Xs could be seen swirling within its eyes.
Brock raised his arm to Gohan. "Eevee is unable to battle, thus, victory goes to Mew and Son Gohan from Mt. Paozu!"
"I'm so sorry," Phoebe said as she recalled Eevee. "I was so focused on winning I forgot about my own Pokémon's welfare. Well, no longer. From this point on, I, Phoebe Mills from Celadon City, will make sure that my Pokémon don't have to suffer because of my mistakes!"
Suddenly, she felt a shadow fall across her, and she looked up to find Gohan standing there, holding his hand out.
"So you lost..." he said, and then he smiled cheerfully. "It doesn't matter. It's just a battle. Can't we be friends?"
Dumbfounded, Phoebe just stared at his hand for a few seconds, and then she turned to the side with a harrumph.
"Listen..." she said. "I'm sorry for how I reacted earlier, and for accusing you of being a thief..."
Then she opened her eyes and glared at Gohan once again.
"But mark my words, I'm gonna keep training and training until one day, I can defeat you!" she promised. "From this moment on I, Phoebe Mills, am your rival, Son Gohan, and beating you is my sole mission! Remember that the next time we meet."
And with another harrumph, she turned and walked off to the side, back to her camp.
"All right, you did it, Gohan!" Ash whooped as he came over. "I knew it! That Mew of yours is unbeatable!"
"Way to go, Gohan," Misty said, flashing him the thumbs-up. "You sure showed her."
Gohan grabbed his Mew and hugged it tightly as it giggled within his grasp. He patted its head happily.
"Mew, you're awesome!" he told it jovially. "With you at my side, I know we can win the Pokémon League!"
"Mew, Mew... Mew!" it chirped, looking very happy with Gohan's attention.
"Man, beating Gohan is sure gonna be hard," Ash sighed, slumping over.
However... as the Trainer from Pallet Town watched Gohan playing with his Mew and just generally enjoying life and his friends and every second of it, a grin suddenly dawned on his face and Ash Ketchum nodded once as he finally realized something.
"Hard, but definitely worth it."
Phoebe Mills got back to her campsite, still seething over her loss.
"He'll regret the day he ever made a rival out of me," she vowed. "I won't forget this loss. Someday, I WILL defeat him."
And she got back into her sleeping bag, where she picked up the clock... and gasped in sheer shock.
"No... no... NO!" she screamed furiously. "It's already 7:15! Now my routine will be disrupted! I'll have to skip breakfast and just go right to Pokémon training or my entire schedule will fall behind! Grrr, oh, it's just that kid's fault!"
She glanced up into the wide expanse of cerulean skies.
"I promise, Son Gohan, I won't rest until I've finally defeated you."
Her resolve hardened as the sun, having finally risen above the horizon, hit her from behind.
"You haven't seen the last of Phoebe Mills..."
Woo-hoo! This story now has over 70,000 words in just the first 12 chapters! Stick around this may easily break over a million words one day. As for Mew, can we say the words curbstomp battle anybody? Also, can anyone spot the name puns for Rellik, Ezar, and Niur?
Phoebe Mills is, of course, kitsunelover300's original character and credit for her goes to her. Also, the idea of using ki to superheat rocks into rare jewels goes to my partner in crime and friend on this site, LSSJ2 Gohan!
Now onto the reviews!
iamzim87: Me too. Toriyama even likes it. And it's no worse than the Buu Saga and in fact it's better than the Buu Saga because at least GT draws on elements that came before to make a good story; Buu was just a Cell rip-off.
Pizzadude5665: Well, if I've inspired you that much, then go on! It can be a lot of fun!
JCCT: I hope to have left that ambiguous. As to that, I haven't really thought that far ahead yet.
Jawisian: Welcome back. It's always nice to see your reviews. As to that, well... I plan to skip a few episodes that don't directly impact the main storyline. In other words, filler. And, as somebody who doesn't mind filler, I still think it's the right thing to do, and Gohan's presence in the Pokémon world changes things so much so a couple episodes don't happen at all. You'll see what I mean in upcoming chapters.
JensenDaniels32: Well, you don't have to worry about that. I have been greatly inspired with this fanfic and I don't see the work stopping anytime soon. As to all my other fics, I do plan to someday update them all.
Anyway, please review!
EDIT (5/8/2017): And now the Frost story arc deepens with the introduction of Captain Argo. Can anyone guess who he is? :P