Pokémon Tails: A Journey to the East
DISCLAIMER: I don't own DBZ or Pokémon.
CHAPTER 16: A Surge of a Time!
Ash, Gohan, Misty, and Brock all looked up at the large sign before them with something akin to awe on all their faces.
"Finally..." Ash breathed, sounding overjoyed.
"I can't believe it..." Brock agreed, feeling the same way.
"After so long..." Misty added with shimmering eyes.
"We did it," Gohan finished for them.
The sign before them said, in big, bold letters, "VERMILION CITY."
And throwing all decorum to the wind, all of them threw up their arms and declared, "Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray! Hip hip hooray!"
"We made it to Vermilion City!" the Pallet Trainer said proudly.
"Yes, but Gohan could have just flown us here if we really wanted," Brock added.
"Or we could've used Instant Transmission!" Misty piped up.
Gohan nodded. "Yes, but it's still good training to go through at least until your bodies adjust to this kind of workout."
"Well, I gotta say, can't argue with you there," Brock pointed out.
"Now, we should get going!" Ash declared with electric enthusiasm. "I wanna challenge the Vermilion Gym!"
"Uh, right now, Ash?" Brock said as Misty also seemed disconcerted.
"We just got here!" she agreed, slumping over in weariness.
"You know what they say!" Ash grinned widely. "Better late than never!"
"True... but how does that apply here?" Misty groaned, grabbing her forehead exasperatedly.
Gohan just laughed while images of frying pans and goofy grins permeated his consciousness. The others stared at him.
"I wonder what has Gohan so happy," Misty said.
"Anyway, let's get going!" Ash said. "Onward to the Gym!"
And Ash made to press forward into Vermilion City...
"Wait, Ash!" Gohan called, bringing him up short.
"What?" Ash said, turning back to face him. "What is it?"
Gohan nudged something with his foot. "I think you'd better take a look at your Pikachu first."
"What, Pikachu?" Ash said, and then he gasped as he saw Pikachu laid sprawled out on the ground. "Pikachu, what's wrong, buddy?"
And he picked up the Electric Rodent as it sighed wearily. "Cha..."
"Oh, it must be tired after all of the training it's done recently," Misty said, looking worried.
"Well, don't worry so much," Brock said soothingly. "We just gotta take it to the Pokémon Center, and it'll be fine."
"In that case!" Ash vowed passionately as he turned and pointed out. "Onward to the Pokémon Center!"
As the others entered the bustling sprawl of the city before them, Gohan had only one thought on his mind.
I should really get one of those machines Nurse Joy uses to heal sick Pokémon...
Once they found the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy was only too happy to help them tend to their injured Pokémon.
"Of course, don't worry — we'll fix them right up," she informed them cheerfully. And then she caught sight of them staring at her. Nurse Joy grinned. "I know why you're surprised. I look like all the other nurses, don't I? My first cousin works in Pewter City, and my second cousin works in Viridian City. I think I'm the prettiest one, don't you?"
"Yeah," Brock agreed, nodding his head enthusiastically.
Definitely straight up, Gohan thought, feeling slightly green. It's not a family tree, it's a family bamboo shoot.
"Nurse Joy, do you know anything about the Vermilion City Gym Leader?" Ash inquired.
Nurse Joy gasped upon hearing his words. "You're going to challenge Lieutenant Surge? My... you are brave, aren't you?"
"Lieutenant Surge?" Misty said as she blinked perplexedly.
"So that's the Gym Leader here!" Gohan exclaimed.
Nurse Joy nodded. "Yes. They call him 'The Lightning American.' During the war, he used Electric Pokémon to shock his enemies into paralysis. He's rumored to be one of the toughest, fiercest Gym Leaders in all of Kanto."
Ash was looking slightly scared now while Gohan seemed confused.
"Um, what war?" he said plaintively, tilting his head.
"The recent war between the Kanto Region and the Unova Region," Nurse Joy said, looking at Gohan as though he were crazy, and then a thought suddenly entered her head. "You mean you haven't heard a single thing about it?"
"No," Gohan said, shaking his head. "You see, I'm not from around here. I come from a little area called Mt. Paozu."
"My, that must be pretty far away," Nurse Joy stated. "I've never even heard of Mt. Paozu."
Gohan just laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in the manner he had inherited from his father.
"If you're going up against Lieutenant Surge, your Pokémon should be in tip-top shape," Nurse Joy said as she walked away.
Gohan looked after her for a minute, and then, making his decision, jumped the counter and chased after her.
"Hey, wait a minute, Nurse Joy, there's something I want to ask you!" he called after her while they retreated down the hall.
The others stared confused after him. "What on Earth could Gohan have to talk to Nurse Joy about?"
Brock shrugged. "I don't know, Misty."
Meanwhile, Ash just stood there feeling increasingly nervous at all he had just heard.
What do I do against Lieutenant Surge? he thought. He can't be as tough as she says he is... can he?
"I'm hungry!" Ash said as he turned and stalked away. "I'm going to get something to eat!"
Misty and Brock turned their attention to his retreating back.
"What's up with him?" Brock wondered, now scratching his head.
"Him? What's up with both of them?" Misty said with a sigh.
A short while later, the young Pallet Trainer could be found sitting in the Pokémon Center's cafeteria, staring out the window at the passing city which seemed to be alive with energy and vibrancy — he barely noticed it.
Suddenly, Misty and Brock came wandering up.
"What's wrong, Ash?" Brock wondered. "Shouldn't you be preparing for your Gym battle?"
Misty placed both hands on her hips and smirked rather haughtily.
"Ha, I betcha I know!" she said confidently. "Ash is nervous."
Instantly responding, Ash leaped up from the table and pumped a fist. "I am not! You take that back!"
Misty faced him again, now with a gleam of amusement in her eyes.
"Oh please, everybody here can see it!" she taunted him. "You might talk big, Ash, but deep down, you're afraid that you don't have what it takes to defeat Lieutenant Surge, or keep earning more badges. Just admit it already."
"Hey, I won two badges, didn't I?!" Ash snarled, now definitely feeling very annoyed at the persistently aggravating tomboy.
"More like you won just one, Mr. Pokémon Master," Misty said with a grin. "You didn't really earn the Boulder Badge, and you only narrowly defeated me for the Cascade Badge — you're still just a rookie, Ash."
"Well, if I'm a rookie, what does that say about you?" Ash countered. "You lost to me!"
And that seemed to shake Misty up for a moment.
"You have nothing to worry about, Misty! I'm going to challenge the Vermilion City Gym and I'm going to win!" Ash said, his voice growing louder with every second. "Me and Pikachu are totally unbeatable!"
"It sounds like you have to be unbeatable to defeat this Lieutenant Surge," Brock noted.
Just then, a cheerful shout broke into their conversation.
"Hey, you guys, finished!" Gohan announced as he came walking up with a big grin etched on his face. "I got the healing machine installed in the capsule house! Now we can heal all our Pokémon anytime we want on the road!"
"Hey, that's great news, Gohan!" Brock said happily, turning back to face the redhead and the human boy. "What do you guys think?"
With a dismissive snort, both Misty and Ash turned away from one another and walked away with their two heads held high up in the air, obviously not wanting to speak to each other anymore. Gohan just blinked several times, staring after them in confusion.
"Um, did I miss something here?" he inquired.
Brock laughed lightly. "Nah, just a little tiff between friends."
"Hm, well, okay," the demi-Saiyan said with a careless shrug and he seemed to perk up as he seemingly remembered something. "Oh, yes, I almost forgot! All our Pokémon are healed, so we should pick them up at the front counter!"
"Awesome!" Brock commented. "I'll go get Ash, you get Misty, and we can meet each other there!"
Gohan nodded and the two turned to head off in their respective directions.
At Kame House, the Z Warriors were gathered as Piccolo filled them all in on everything that had been happening in the past two weeks.
"... and for that reason, we need your help to track down Gohan and bring him back home," the tall Namekian finished. "He's lost out there somewhere. Who knows what kind of dangers he could be facing, or even if he's still alive...?"
"Hey, hey, whoa, calm down, Piccolo!" Krillin said, holding both his hands in a placating gesture. "We really shouldn't jump to conclusions before we find him. I mean, Gohan's a tough kid. He can definitely look after himself."
"Yes, but for as strong as you may become, there's always someone better," Master Roshi piped in. "I think Piccolo is right. For all we know there could be a thousand fighters out there ten times stronger than Cell ever was."
The other Z Warriors looked extremely uncomfortable by what he'd said — they didn't like the idea of Gohan being stranded out there all alone, hurt and possibly worse without anyone to help support him.
"Well, one thing's for sure," Tien burst in, startling everyone out of their silent reverie. "We aren't going to find Gohan just sitting around here doing nothing. When is Bulma gonna have those Dimensional Hoppers ready?"
"She said another forty-eight hours before she completes the second one," Yamcha explained, folding his arms over his cheat and staring up at the ceiling. "But knowing Bulma, it will probably be much sooner."
"And once they're finished, we can start looking for Gohan!" Chiaotzu put forth determinedly.
Everybody nodded in agreement. Suddenly, the door to Kame House burst open as three figures strolled calmly into the main seating room, a long-haired woman along with both a raven-haired teenage boy as well as a blonde teenage woman who looked oddly similar.
"All right, everyone, listen up!" Chi-Chi said furiously. "We have a plan to get Gohan back, so pull up a chair and listen up!"
"It's simple," the raven-haired boy said. "You want to find Gohan again, just gather the Dragon Balls and ask your friend, the Eternal Dragon, where he is now, and then go pick him up. Easy as pie."
"Hey, guys, that's a great idea!" Krillin said enthusiastically. "If we ask Shenlong where he is, then all we have to do is go and get him!"
"But... but..." Tien said, blinking and stammering and looking very confused about the current turn of events taking place. "But Android Seventeen... Android Eighteen... why are you two helping us out?"
Eighteen flipped her hair to the side. "Gohan freed us both when we were trapped inside Cell, and we haven't forgotten that."
"Maybe this will be a down payment on what we owe that boy," Seventeen added.
"Well, regardless, it's good to see you again," Krillin babbled goofily.
"Ha!" Yamcha exclaimed, throwing them a look of deep mistrust. "I don't trust you two! How do we know you're not trying to get Gohan killed or lure us all out of this reality to eliminate the competition?"
In a snap, both the twins had shifted their cold glares onto Yamcha, who gulped, feeling that he might have gone too far. Very slowly, they moved forward towards him, and everyone could practically feel the temperature in the room go down several degrees.
"How dare you?" Seventeen said angrily. "After what we went through, you'd accuse us of trying to stab Gohan in the back?"
"We owe our lives and our freedom to him!" Eighteen growled. "If it wasn't for him, we'd still be trapped in that living hell forever. The debt we have to repay him is enormous, so don't you even try to give us your excuses, little man."
"Maybe... we should teach you some manners?" Seventeen suggested.
And for a very short moment, everybody on that island could see the glimpse of the future versions of the androids that had laid waste to so much of Trunks's future world, ruthless, dark and menacing, causing those nearby to shiver.
And then, a green hand laid itself upon Seventeen's shoulder.
"Now is not the time for petty disputes," he said. "You really want to pay him back, just help us find him."
Seventeen roughly shook off Piccolo's hand, waved his right arm dismissively, and moved off towards the front door.
"Whatever, Piccolo," he replied in a would-be calm voice, but Piccolo saw the shudder run through his body.
"When you have the teleporters ready, let us know, would you?" Eighteen added lazily.
And the others watched them leave the house, where the sounds of the mechanical duo taking flight could be heard.
"Man, those two really know how to push my buttons," Yamcha snarled, clenching his fists.
"Yeah, you'd think they'd learned their lesson by now," Tien agreed, nodding.
Krillin turned toward his friends, an optimistic expression written across his features.
"Aw, come on, guys!" he said. "They didn't have to come to help us. Cut them a little slack, will you?"
In response, Tien folded his arms in the trademark style that was so reminiscent of Vegeta, glaring off to the side. "Well... you have a point but I've got my eye on those two until they prove themselves to us."
"Yeah, I'm with you, Tien," Yamcha vowed.
Master Roshi just kept staring at the spot the two androids had fled towards, a thoughtful frown on his face. However, in the next several seconds, the entire household was rocked by a suddenly loud shout.
"WHO CARES?!" Chi-Chi screamed angrily. "What's important now is finding my precious Gohan... holding him in my arms again... so I can make up for all the mistakes I've made, the pain I caused that drove him away from me..."
Everybody was suddenly looking a lot more sympathetic to the Son Matron. Master Roshi nodded and smiled warmly at her. "Don't worry, my dear, once we summon Shenlong he'll give us Gohan's location, and it's a done deal."
"Yeah, we just gotta stay optimistic!" Krillin said. "Now let's go hunt some Dragon Balls!"
The team cheered and, as one, made their way outside towards a future that would hopefully have their lost friend in it again.
Ash, Misty, Brock, and Gohan met up at the front counter.
"Pikachu!" Ash burst out. "Are you all right?"
The little rodent, being pushed out on a tray by Nurse Joy, leapt off the silver surface and jumped back into Ash's arms.
"Oh, Pikachu, you're all right!" Ash said happily. "I'm so glad, buddy!"
"Pika Pika, Pi Pikachu, Pika Pika, Pi Pika!" Pikachu answered back.
Just then, Ash got serious as he held the tiny Electric-type out at his arms length.
"Pikachu, do you feel ready to challenge the Vermilion Gym?" he asked.
Pikachu pumped a fist in its response. "Pika Pika, Pikachu!"
Ash hugged it again. "Great. Thank you so much, pal!"
"Well, Pikachu's sure confident," Brock stated with a warm smile.
Even Misty, despite their disagreement earlier, appeared to be rather touched at the heartwarming scene unfolding before them all.
"They do make a great team, don't they?" Gohan remarked with a smile.
"Yeah, kinda like you and Mew," Misty said, giving him a grin with a cute wink, causing Gohan to blush all over again.
"Oh... please take care," Nurse Joy said insistently. "I've seen that expression on too many Trainers who thought they could take down Lieutenant Surge and all of their Pokémon paid the price for that."
"Don't worry!" Ash declared. "Me and Pikachu have been through some really heavy training lately. There's no way we can lose!"
"Pika, Pika Pika!" Pikachu said, grinning ferally as it remembered the hell its body had been through recently.
And with that, the group turned and headed out of the Center.
"Well, if you're sure," Nurse Joy sighed.
In short order, the group was at the Vermilion City Pokémon Gym, a tall building in a giant, rectangular shape with many electrical-shaped thunderbolt arcs spiking upward on either side of the entrance door.
"I hope you know what you guys are getting yourselves into," Misty said.
"Don't worry, Misty," Gohan said, smiling at her. "We'll be okay."
"I hope so," Brock said warily as he stared at the entrance.
"Enough dawdling!" Ash snapped, having finally lost his patience. "Let's go, now!"
And so the group all made their way inside the Pokémon Gym. The interior of the structure was a darkly lit arena with two people standing in front of them dressed up in full biker gear, a man and a woman.
"Hello, how do you do?" Gohan said politely, bowing in respect like always.
"We've come here for a Pokémon match!" Ash said brazenly. "Where's the Gym Leader?!"
And Misty and Brock both jerked in shock at Ash's childish antics.
Meanwhile, the male biker turned to face the shadows. "Hey Boss, got another pair of victims for the emergency room."
A dark figure moved within the darkened shadows, slowly resolving itself into the form of a huge hulking brute of man once it entered the light, with spiky gold hair in the style of a crew cut, tan pants, and a tan leather vest with no undershirt, revealing layers on layers of solid rippling muscular torso beneath said vest, giving him an impressive appearance.
"Whoa, he's huge!" Brock exclaimed.
"And he's almost as muscular as Gohan!" Misty agreed.
The man came to a stop in front of them, smirking.
"Welcome to Vermilion Gym!" he declared.
And then, to everyone's surprise, he bent down and threw his arms around Misty.
"What the... what's he doing?" Ash wondered, blinking.
"Oh, my next challenger's a cute one!" Lieutenant Surge grinned. "Don't think I'll go easy on you."
Gohan frowned angrily. Who does this guy think he is? he seethed inside. He shouldn't be hugging Misty like this. I feel... I feel... And it was then he realized. Jealous! That's it! I'm feeling angry and hurt and... and jealous! But why should I be feeling this way?
"Um, sir, I'm not the challenger!" Misty said nervously.
"But then who?" Lieutenant Surge said, letting go of the redhead.
"Me!" Ash declared, pumping a fist up in determination.
"And me!" Gohan added, nodding.
"Oh, you two, huh?" Surge said with a very patronizing smile. "Okay, sure thing, babies."
Gohan's frown deepened while he felt more confused than ever. What's this guy's problem?
"We're no babies!" Ash grated furiously.
"Yeah, you shouldn't call people names like that," Gohan ventured.
Surge threw up both his arms. "Sorry, but I call everyone who loses to me baby."
"But we haven't battled yet so how do you know we'll lose?" Gohan demanded.
"Because everyone loses to me!" Surge laughed.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu said, frowning like Gohan and Ash were.
Surge spotted the Pokémon and burst out laughing.
"A Pikachu!" Lieutenant Surge jeered. "Hey, look at this! One of the babies brought along a baby Pokémon."
And his two cronies started laughing along with the Gym Leader.
"Stop that!" Ash cried. "Why are you making fun of Pikachu?!"
"Why? Oh, I'll show you why, baby," Surge answered while his grin stretched to both corners of his lips. "Go, Poké Ball!"
Just like that, another Electric Rodent materialized before them; although, this one had a completely drastic appearance compared to Pikachu — it was taller, fuller, with a white circle across its belly, a tan body, and yellow electrical sacs as well as a very thin, long whip-like black tail topped off with the end resembling a large thunderbolt.
"Rai!" the Pokémon stated as soon as it had emerged.
Electrical sparks arced around its cheek sacs. Pikachu frowned upon catching sight of it.
"It's a Raichu!" Ash shouted, looking shocked.
"Raichu?" Gohan repeated, blinking in complete confusion.
Ash ignored the question as he held out his Pokédex.
"Raichu — a Mouse Pokémon of the Electric type," Dexter explained smoothly. "Raichu is the evolved form of Pikachu. It shocks with more than one hundred volts, enough to render a Dragonite unconscious."
Gohan also held out his Pokédex.
"Raichu, the Mouse Pokémon," Dexter said. "When loose electricity builds up inside its body, it becomes feisty. If its electric pouches run empty it raises its tail to gather electricity from the atmosphere. It also glows in the dark."
"Sounds dangerous," Misty commented.
"Okay, babies, if yous want to quit and run crying home to your mommies, now's your chance," Surge said, waggling his finger in a taunting manner while his Electric Pokémon did the same thing.
"There's no way we're gonna quit now!" Ash snarled.
"Heh!" Surge said, laughing arrogantly. "What could a baby like that do?" He smirked in a knowing way. "If yous wanna become a Pokémon Master, you should make your Pokémon evolve as soon as you catch it."
"Just because it's at a lower level doesn't make it weaker," Gohan added. "Even a low-class can surpass an elite if he tries hard enough. And there's more to training than just getting stronger; that alone doesn't make a being 'the best.'"
"Gohan, please, let me handle this," Ash averred. "He wants to prove how good he is, then let him show me!"
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, sounding just as determined.
"Go ahead, Ash," Gohan said with a nod. "Just know I've got your back if you lose."
"Thanks for your concern, but we're not gonna lose!" Ash promised.
"Oh, now this I gotta see," Lieutenant Surge said while his smirk widened.
A short time later they had moved to opposite sides of the arena as floodlights shone down on the ring.
"The Pokémon battle will now begin," the announcer declared. "Only one Pokémon may be used on both sides. The Gym Leader, Lieutenant Surge, has chosen Raichu. The challenger, Ash, has chosen Pikachu. No time limit. Let the battle begin."
"Go, Raichu!" Surge called out.
"Rai!" Raichu cried out, dashing onward into the arena.
"Go, Pikachu!" Ash responded in kind, pointing his finger forward.
"Pika!" Pikachu said as it sped into the ring like Raichu.
"Pikachu, Thunder!" Ash commanded, going for broke and hoping for the quick knockout.
"Pika... CHU!" the little rodent screamed like the vengeful cry of a furious deity come to Earth to exact retribution.
Dozens of yellow electrical tendrils lashed out at the incoming Raichu, and as it zoomed closer, it shook its head, clearly uncomfortable.
"Ha, I'm impressed!" Surge commented. "Yous actually made Raichu flinch!" His smirk didn't fade from his face, however, a foreboding sign. "Now, it's our turn! Raichu, show them what a real Thunder attack is like!"
"RAICHU!" the bigger Electric-type roared, sending much stronger and bigger waves of electricity slamming directly into poor Pikachu!
"CHA!" Pikachu screamed in utter agony as the powerful jolts arced across its body and Pikachu fell like a stone to the floor.
Raichu landed on the opposite side of the ring, looking slightly winded, but otherwise perfectly fine!
"It's already over, baby," Surge remarked. "You put up a better showing than most of the babies I crush beneath my boot, but you didn't really think that Pikachu could beat my Raichu, did you?"
"Pikachu..." Ash said as sweat ran down the sides of his head, now concerned for his Pokémon.
"Quick, Ash, call it back!" Misty advised, sounding as worried.
"Raichu is so much stronger!" Brock agreed. "This is a mismatch!"
"Please listen to them, Ash!" Gohan added. "It's not worth it!"
Ash seemed to weigh his options for a few second, the pain of losing compared against the well-being of his Pokémon partner, and decided that it was no contest. He raised Pikachu's seldom-used Poké Ball to recall the little rat, however...
"Pi... Pika... chu!" Pikachu growled angrily as it struggled to its feet, turning its head back to stare at Ash with fire in its eyes.
"What... but... Pikachu?" Ash said, blinking.
"Pika!" Pikachu said, pumping a fist.
Ash stared for a few seconds at the Electric Rodent, and then he nodded. "Right, we aren't quitters! We're going all the way!"
"I don't think this is such a smart idea," Brock said, sweatdropping.
"I know, Brock, but what can we do?" Misty sighed. "They're so determined..."
"Don't worry," Gohan stated, managing to keep the rising tension he now felt out of his voice. "If worse comes to worse, I'll just use Instant Transmission to take us all to the Pokémon Center. Pikachu... will be all right."
"Well, if you say so," Misty said.
"Well, well, well, I must say, that Pikachu of yours is one tough customer!" Lieutenant Surge complimented him. "However, this is where it ends. Raichu, use Thunder again, maximum strength!"
"Raichu!" the Electric Rat shouted. "RAICHU!"
"Pikachu, counter with Thunder now, full power!" Ash ordered.
"PIKACHU!" Pikachu cried, sending out electrical waves which slammed directly into Raichu's own Thunder attack.
For several seconds, the Electric attacks battled furiously against one another in the center of the ring as both of the opponents tried to push the coruscating arcs back toward their respective owners and secure the win.
"Come on, Pikachu, you almost got it!" Ash begged.
"Ha, wow, you really are quite the little trooper, ain't ya?" Surge said. "But playtime's over. RAICHU, KEEP GOING!"
"RAI..." the plump rat stated while suddenly the floor beneath them started vibrating in tune to Raichu's power and even from so far away, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Gohan could all feel the intensity of the blast building for each and every joule Raichu poured into it.
"Oh no, this could be bad!" Brock said.
"Raichu's pouring all its power into this one last attack!" Misty added.
"Any second now," Gohan said, a frown etched upon his face.
"CHU!" Raichu bellowed as its Thunder batted away Pikachu's own Thunder and smashed into the little yellow rodent with all the force of a train as thousands of arcs danced their way over Pikachu's body.
"CHA!" Pikachu shrieked as it fell in a crumpled, battered heap on the floor, now totally defeated.
"Pikachu!" Ash shouted, now abandoning all pretense as he rushed onto the floor and grabbed the beaten Pokémon in his arms.
"Ha!" Lieutenant Surge said as he broke into laughter. "I told yous. You might have put up a good fight, but the second you stepped into my Gym, you was only running on borrowed time. So ends another match, baby."
Gohan, Misty, and Brock raced out to help Ash with his unconscious Pokémon. Forgetting everything around him, Gohan placed a hand on Ash's shoulder as he looked down at the beaten Trainer in a way he had definitely inherited from his father.
"Hey, Ash, just hold on, okay?" he said calmly. "We'll get Pikachu some help, I promise." He turned back to face Misty and Brock. "Do you two wanna come along, or stay here? Once I've dropped Ash off..." A hardened look formed on his face. "I'm coming back."
Misty and Brock exchanged a quick glance.
"I'll go with Ash, keep him some company," Brock offered.
Misty nodded. "And I'll stay here; you're gonna need someone to cheer you on if you want to defeat this guy, even if you do have Mew."
Gohan nodded too, but inside he was glad Misty was staying, and in the background, Lieutenant Surge blinked in complete confusion.
"Erm... would yous mind telling me what you talking about?" he asked them.
Ignoring him, Brock latched on to Gohan's own shoulder as the half-Saiyan put two fingertips directly to his forehead, and in another flash of energized particles, Gohan vanished with Ash, Brock, and Pikachu.
"Whoa! What the heck?!" Surge yelped. "How on Earth can that kid just disappear like that?"
"Well... that's kind of our little secret," Misty said uncertainly, rubbing her neck the way Ash and Gohan sometimes did.
Two minutes later Gohan returned, now minus Ash, Brock, and the Electric-type Pokémon.
"Hey, you didn't have to be so harsh on them, you bully," Gohan said, now sounding mad.
"Ha, are you kidding, baby?" Lieutenant Surge said, regaining his arrogant swagger. "Being tough's the only way to win. If yous can't understand it, then you don't deserve to be a Pokémon Trainer."
"Well then, by your own logic, you don't deserve to be one as well, because I am going to beat you!" Gohan vowed passionately. "And I'll avenge Ash and Pikachu too, for the honor of my friends you hurt!"
"Oh, Gohan..." Misty said, feeling her heart go out to him.
"Well, well, well, your friend talked tough, but he learned what true power is, and so will you, baby," Surge said.
"Enough drama!" the Saiyan boy said as he walked over to the same place Ash had occupied not ten minutes before him. "I want to do this properly. A three-on-three Pokémon battle, no substitutions, and we keep going until the last Pokémon standing is the winner."
"Three? You want a three-way match?!" Surge said as he laughed again. "Your friend couldn't beat me with one Pokémon! What makes you think you can do better in a three-on-three Pokémon battle?"
"Because there's one thing you failed to realize," Gohan said in a low tone. "I am my father's son! And I will beat you or die trying!"
I don't get it... the half-Saiyan thought. Why in the world do I feel so determined to prove myself to him? Does it have something to do with my feelings for Misty? Misty... no, Misty has nothing to do with this... does she?
"Well, if that's the case, then so be it," Surge said, grinning widely. "This is gonna be fun."
"The second match will now begin," the announcer stated. "Only three Pokémon may be used. No time limit. Let the battle begin."
"Go, Electabuzz!" Lieutenant Surge yelled as he threw out another Poké Ball.
And in a burst of light, a plump yellow-colored Pokémon with black thunder markings as well as long, flowing whiskers in a nearly shellfish appearance appeared there on the battlefield, staring down Gohan.
"Hablblblb!" the Electric Pokémon babbled.
And with a simple motion, Gohan reached down to grab the Poké Ball at his belt...
Deep in the vastness of outer space, a speck of light appeared in the horizon, and a minute later the lone speck was revealed to be a ship in the shape of a disk-like turtle, with various bulges across the surface, as it sped through the interstellar vacuum towards its destination.
And, on the bridge of this gargantuan ship, seated in a wing-backed throne that had been built to accommodate the ruler of the vessel sat Frost, overseer of the Cold Federation and the leader of the Galactic Peace Forces, a wine glass in his hand.
Cabba walked up to stand before him, swallowing nervously.
"Scared?" Frost chuckled as he turned to regard him.
"A-A little..." Cabba admitted. "I hope you don't think less of me, Lord Frost, but... despite all the missions I've been on, I always get nervous before every one of them, to prove that I can stand and fight on equal footing alongside the best of your soldiers, that I can do the job right and live to tell about it. I don't know... does that make me a coward?"
Frost reached out and patted the boy on his shoulder.
"Of course not, my friend!" Frost purred. "You are new to fighting and despite all of your training, the real thing is still always harder than the simulations. It's natural that you would be a little frightened. But true courage comes in the presence of fear, not the absence of fear."
Cabba's eyes shone brilliantly with the light of his suppressed tears.
"My lord, I... I hope it is not too much to say that I am ready to die for you and this wonderful cause," Cabba said, voice thick with emotion.
Frost laughed, holding a hand up to his mouth. "I have no doubt you will perform your duty well, my friend, and either way, I am proud and honored to have you here at my side during this time of great crisis."
"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, my lord."
Frost nodded once, then turned to face the navigator and the pilot.
"How long till Kotaga and his forces reach Earth?" Frost asked.
"They are just entering the Earth solar system and should be arriving at their destination in twenty-four minutes, thirteen seconds," the helmsman reported back promptly.
"The soonest we could intercept?" Frost demanded.
The pilot sighed as he glanced down and absorbed the data on his console. "Forty-two minutes, twenty-seven seconds, my lord."
"I just hope we can make it in time." Cabba said worriedly.
"Me too, my friend," Frost said as he stared out at the windows.
But deep down, in his heart of hearts, Frost was smirking, already working on the speech he was gonna give to the galactic news.
Yes, I think it is safe to say that Kotaga had gotten reckless... even the mighty elite can fall prey to hubris and arrogance, but in the end no petty criminals shall stand in the way of our noble peacekeeping efforts... now, what it will cost to fix up this pleasant little land...
Yeah, this was out much quicker than before; my apologies to how long it took last time. And now, without further ado, there's a big plot change coming up in the next chapter that's going to directly affect the storyline, but, most of you won't see the results of that until the early Hoenn arc.
The way I see the current timeline since Misty didn't taunt Ash about how he caught his Pokémon there was no need for them to head to the beach, and thus they never met Bill, but on the plus side, he DID get to meet a Legendary Dragonite without being interrupted. And then they arrived in Vermilion City in a different day, meaning there wasn't the swarm of Trainers seeking medical attention there was in canon. Plus Pikachu and Ash a lot stronger and more confident than in canon because of Gohan's training and hence Pikachu was able to keep up with Lieutenant Surge for a while.
Now, onto the reviews!
kitsunelover300: Sorry, but as you can see, no Krabby. :P
Drama Llama-Sama: Don't really know about that... but I'm sure I'll figure something out when I get to it. I figure that you have to have a power level of at least 100 to be ki sensitive, or have Saiyan genes.
Guest: Hey, sorry, but... I never really bought into the Daizenshuu listing Goku's starting power level as being 10. In my mind, he was at 45, maybe 50, when he first appeared in Dragon Ball, and of course, he was subconsciously calling on his ki, since learning ki is easier as a Saiyan, which is how he was able to first perform the Kamehameha even though it took an ordinary human fifty years to master it.
GreatSaiyaman54: Oh, trust me, by the time this story ends, I can guarantee you that Gohan WILL be a Super Saiyan 3. Just check my profile for my details on my views regarding Mystic Gohan versus a potential Super Saiyan 3 Gohan.
Jawisian: Thanks for your kind thoughts. It's good to know you're sticking by this story even now. And trust me, there's a very strategic reason that I had Gohan rip out his own tail that won't even become apparent until you get to one of the major reveals of the story. And oh — oops. I'm sorry. I'm going through so much right now I completely forgot to answer your question but in response to that, I'm sort of in the middle. It is more of a "formal" title that new Trainers give to their Pokémon and it sticks from that point on though sometimes they can break through that even though, yes, Pokémon DO have genders.
thedarkpokemaster: Thanks for all your kind thoughts!
DARK-ZERO-0000: Nah, no problem! That you reviewed now is cool.
nestila crystal: Yup! It's my all-time favorite book franchise.
Guest: The parties as they stand right now are:
GOHAN
Mew (female)
Clefairy (female)
Staryu (male)
Caterpie (female)
Rattata (female)
Charmander (male)
ASH
Pikachu
Butterfree
Pidgeotto
Zubat
Bulbasaur
Rattata
MISTY
Staryu
Goldeen
Starmie
Magikarp
Oddish
BROCK
Onix
Geodude
Zubat
Weepinbell
Paras
Squirtle
Bailey Brassell: Well... I really didn't wanna give it away, but... trust me, Misty, and May and Max, will be staying long beyond the time that they were here in canon. I like them all, so yes, they will be staying.
As one final note — what do people think of my shipping names? CascadeMoonShipping for Gohan/Misty and AdvanceMoonShipping for Gohan/May? If any of you want feel free to use them yourselves.
This story now has 16 chapters, 100,000 words, and 177 reviews so far! You guys rock! Thanks for your interest!
KoS
EDIT (5/8/2017): Here is the last edit! In my mind, since this takes place a decade or so before the events of Dragon Ball Super, Cabba is still a rookie in the Galactic Peace Force — what do you guys think? Does that make sense? Or do you just hate it?