Pokémon Tails: A Journey to the East
DISCLAIMER: I don't own DBZ or Pokémon.
CHAPTER 19: The Fallout
"... and as you can see, all signs of the battle seem to have run their course in the heart of the once-bustling downtown metropolis," Gabby Roll was droning on from the television set. "No further disturbances have rocked the landscape ever since that last great burst of light and we can only hope whoever was behind this, whatever petty reasons they were fighting over that cost so many people their lives..."
But then, Brock shut off the TV, which disappeared in a haze of static.
"So what do you think, Brock?" Misty wondered, her eyes quivering.
"It seems quiet..." Brock mused, putting a hand to his chin. "Too quiet. But then again, I think the end of the world would have had to make a little more noise, so... who knows what's going on now?"
"I had no idea that Gohan was this strong," Misty said, giving a soft sigh as she slumped against the wall. "I mean, I knew he told us and everything, but still, there's telling you and then there's seeing it in action..."
Brock pondered a bit more, but then his eyes widened, and he pointed out their window. "Hey, look! Isn't that one of the Saiyan warriors?"
Misty turned, and to her shock she found one of the armored fighters from before limping past the house.
"You're right, Brock!" she said, taking off towards it. "I think it is!"
"Hey, wait up!" Brock grumbled, making sure he was not left behind.
The two rushed out of the house and made their way over to him.
"Hey, you!" Brock called out, running fast. "You! Hold up a minute!"
Captain Renso froze, not having expected to have to deal with the locals, and turned to face the two children.
"Yes, what is it?" he asked warily.
"You're one of those fighters that was in Vermilion City, right?" Misty questioned as both of the Gym Leaders came to a stop before him.
Captain Renso looked slightly taken aback. "Why, yes, I am. How did you... please don't panic, but I'm not from this world, however, I don't have any intention of harming you, though right now, I must find my protégé, Private Cabba!"
As though in response to his statement, a voice suddenly called down from above.
"Captain Renso!" it shouted urgently.
The three glanced up to find a tailed boy setting down near them, carrying the limp and inert form of Gohan with him, as a second later a weary, exhausted, and worried-looking Mew set down with him.
"Gohan!" Misty burst out, rushing over to Cabba.
The spiky-haired child turned to face her, showing nothing but genuine curiosity. "Er... hey there, miss. I take it you know this Saiyan boy?"
"Yes, I do!" Misty said, placing her hands on his skin, but a second later she had recoiled. "He feels so icy and cold to the touch!"
Captain Renso stepped forward, his eyes tightening.
"Private Cabba, what in the devil happened?" he demanded. "What about Kotaga? And Lord Frost? Has the situation been resolved?"
Cabba sighed. "Yes, it has, but..."
Before he could finish, however, Mew chimed in.
"That can wait till later!" she insisted desperately. "Gohan needs immediate medical treatment right now or he's going to die!"
"No!" Misty screamed, as her hands went to her cheeks.
"Yes, it was Lord Frost," Cabba said gravely. "He poisoned him!"
"But what can we do?" Brock stated reasonably. "We don't have any Antidotes on us, and this could be an alien toxin, so there's no way of knowing whether any kind of Earth medicines will be effective on it."
"No, Gohan, no..." the cute redhead whispered, her eyes tearing up, voice cracking. "I can't lose you, Gohan, please... not like this..."
Brock hung his head, feeling as equally hopeless as Misty was while Mew actually started crying, but then, to their surprise, the older man with the tail suddenly spoke up, snapping them all out of their funk.
"Don't lose hope, young lady!" the older Saiyan told her passionately. "There might still be a chance to save him. I happen to have on hand a number of reactive compounds that may work on whatever he's been infected with!"
"YOU DO?!" Misty exclaimed loudly, eyes wide.
"Then there's no time to waste!" Brock added hurriedly.
"Let's get this boy inside, now!" Cabba decided.
"Mew!" the Cat Pokémon agreed with a nod.
And all five of them, Saiyan and human, raced into the capsule house in the hope that they would be in time to save their fallen friend...
Delia Ketchum sat in the airplane seat, fidgeting nervously as they passed by rolling green hills and lush yellow meadows beneath.
Oh Ash, my baby... she thought. Please be okay. I can't lose you. Ever since I lost your father you were my whole world... please, hold on...
Just then, an announcement sounded throughout the back cabin.
"Attention, all passengers," the captain's voice sounded. "The Indigo Council has just issued a region-wide alert, and so in compliance with air travel regulations, we will be putting down at the nearest airport, which will delay our arrival time in Vermilion City by..."
Delia's heart skipped a beat. Delay our time? No, I can't let this happen! I have to make sure my baby boy is still all right!
Unbuckling her seatbelt, the Ketchum matron hurried past rows and rows of passengers.
"Um, excuse me, miss, but you're not allowed —" one of the flight attendants piped up, but Delia shoved past her into the cockpit.
"Hey, what are you doing up here?!" the Captain demanded, his jaw going slack at the sight of Delia.
"Oh Captain, please, I have to talk to you!" the bark-haired woman pressed, walking over to him as the stewardesses desperately tried to hold her at bay and urging her to return to her seat, but to no avail.
"Can't you see we're busy here?" the copilot snapped. "Save it for when we touch down, lady!"
"Captain, please, you can't delay our arrival to Vermilion City!" Delia pleaded, fighting off the two flight attendants as her eyes sparkled.
The Captain snorted, a bit unnerved. "I don't make the rules, lady, I just follow 'em. And when they say we set down, we set down."
"Captain, PLEASE!" Delia begged, the tears now flowing freely. "My son was close to Vermilion City! I have to get there!"
"You wanna fly over to Vermilion City now, when it's a war zone near there?" the copilot sneered. "Lady, you are a special kind of crazy!"
"Please, Captain, don't you have kids?" Delia appealed. "He is my whole world! I... I don't know if I could forgive myself if something ever happened to him! I... I just have to find out if he's all right!"
The Captain hesitated, but the copilot just scoffed.
"Remove her," he said of the stewardesses.
"Captain, please, he's all I have left!" Delia said frantically.
And staring into her eyes, the Captain sighed suddenly.
"All right, to hell with regulations," he stated forcefully, turning to his copilot. "Johnson, you heard the lady! It's back to Vermilion City!"
"What?!" Johnson scoffed. "You are crazy!"
"Maybe I am, but I call the shots!" the Captain shot back.
"Oh Captain, thank you!" Delia said, her voice grateful.
The Captain snorted again. "Take your seat. We'll be landing in Vermilion City in about twenty to thirty minutes from now."
Delia nodded, letting the flight attendants escort her out.
Hold on, Ash! I'm on my way!
Gohan was gently laid out on the sofa, his breathing shallow, his skin flushed and deathly pale; it was clear he was in pretty bad shape.
"What are some of these reactive compounds you have?" Misty questioned, shooting a sideways glance at Captain Renso.
Captain Renso fished around inside his breast-plate.
"I'm going to assume Lord Frost poisoned him with some kind of broad-spectrum venom which is effective on most humanoid species," the Saiyan commander explained. "To counteract the effects, I have in my possession ngome-X. Mix it with a hydrogen element and shock it with electricity, and it will neutralize the effects."
"But where are we going to find hydrogen?" Misty wondered.
"H20!" Brock exclaimed, sounding as if he had just won the answer to a million-dollar question, and his eyes gleamed, despite being shut.
"Excuse me?" Misty said, blinking rapidly.
"I'll go get some water, hold on, be right back!" Brock replied.
And he rushed off into the kitchen, leaving Misty behind.
"I guess electricity means we need Pikachu," Misty sighed, making her way back to the side room where the little Mouse Pokémon may be.
And sure enough, once she'd entered, she saw Pikachu still plastered in front of the healing tank, eyes focused on Ash's submerged face.
"Chu..." it whispered. "Pika Pi... Pikachu..."
"Hey Pikachu, we need your help!" Misty announced to it.
"Chu...?" Pikachu wondered, turning its head around.
"Pikachu, Gohan... Gohan was hurt, badly," she said, eyes shining. "We need an electric charge to save him. Please, will you help?"
For a few seconds, the little Electric type just stared into Misty's eyes, brimming with unshed tears, before it nodded, looking determined.
"PIKA PIKA!" it declared, holding up a fist.
Misty hugged it tightly. "Oh thank you, Pikachu! You're a real friend!"
Pikachu grinned, and then followed Misty once she set it down.
"Mew, Mew! Mew?" the white kitty squeaked to Pikachu.
"Pika Pika, Pi!" Pikachu responded.
"Here's the compound," Captain Renso said.
"I've got the water," Brock added, nodding to his cup.
"And here's Pikachu!" Misty chimed in hopefully.
"Then let's do this!" Cabba stated.
Captain Renso reached forward and let several drops dribble into the water, which instantly turned a lighter shade of purple as the contents swilled with the chemical and mixed them together till soon it spread to the edges of the cup.
"Okay, Pikachu, it's your turn!" Misty prompted it.
Pikachu nodded, and then held its hands very close to it.
"Pika Pika!" it cried out loudly. "PIKA... PIKACHU!"
And let off a jolt of yellow electricity, which made contact with the glass until soon the purple liquid had morphed into a dark pink.
"That should do it," Captain Renso said. "Now just pour it down your friend's gullet; that should do the trick. He'll be cured in seconds."
"But what if you're wrong?" Misty asked, suddenly pessimistic. "What if he was poisoned with something else? What if we don't have a cure?"
"Misty," Brock said seriously, bending over Gohan, "this is our only shot. If this doesn't work, he's a goner."
"Mew..." Mew whispered, settling down as it aimed its gaze on Gohan.
Brock dipped the glass across his mouth, letting the liquid slide into Gohan's throat and within minutes he had drunk the whole thing.
Brock stepped back, looking grim. "Now we wait."
For a few seconds, it seems nothing was happening, but then, slowly...
"Hey guys, look!" Cabba shouted, pointing at the inert half-Saiyan. "Color! There's color returning to his skin!"
Mew came up close to him and pressed its head up against his chest, and then, without warning, it shot off into dizzyingly rapid flight.
"MEW, Mew! MEW! Mew Mew!" it squealed, doing a happy dance in midair. "His heartbeat is stabilizing! He's gonna be okay!"
"Oh what a relief!" Brock said, wiping sweat off his forehead.
"Pika Pika, Pikachu..." the yellow Pokémon said, offering a brief smile, but then glancing back down the hallway towards the healing room.
Misty smiled as she gazed at the tailed boy she had come to know and care about in a very short time, her eyes bright with many emotions.
You're really going to be all right... she thought. Oh, Gohan...
Just then, Gohan's eyelids fluttered and slowly he had roused himself as he raised himself into a sitting position, blinking in puzzlement.
"Um, where am I?" he wondered. "What happened?"
"GOHAN!" Misty shouted joyfully.
Gohan reacted with complete shock as the orange-headed tomboy shot her arms out and pulled Gohan into a close hug, laying her head down on his shoulder, and her voice broke when Misty spoke next.
"Oh, Gohan... I-I was so scared!" Misty said, sounding close to tears. "I thought I was gonna lose you! I can't... please don't leave me..."
"Am I missing something?" Gohan asked, but then in a flash Misty was right back to her old self, beating him over his chest in furious anger.
"YOU JERK!" she yelled. "Do you have any idea how worried I was? Don't do that again, idiot! If you try that again, you'll regret it!"
"Gosh, Misty, I'm very sorry..." Gohan said simply, eyes full of the compassion she so loved in them. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you, but... what happened to me? I can't remember much well..."
But words had apparently failed Misty for when the fiery redhead had glimpsed the look in Gohan's innocent pupils, her anger left her as she just held him close, her very posture and actions radiating a sense of immense, palpable relief.
"Misty..." he uttered softly, wrapping an arm around her.
"Ahem," Brock said, smirking in a superior way as he folded his arms. "Do you want us to leave or would you two prefer your own room?"
For a second, Misty glanced up, staring right into Gohan's eyes, as she blushed, released him, and sat off to the side, fuming.
What IS it about this boy? she raged to herself. Why... why is it that I care about him so much? Sure, he's cute, but is he... really...
And she gasped at the direction her thoughts were turning, blushing still more deeply.
"MEW, MEW! Mew!" the Legendary Pokémon chirped, settling down in Gohan's lap as it smiled up at him.
"MEW!" Gohan cried, reaching out and holding it close, while Misty, despite her embarrassment, sent him a small hint of a smile.
"Oh Gohan... you nearly died..." it said as wet tears slipped down its puffy cheeks. "I could never forgive myself if I couldn't save you. I am not complete without the purity in your heart. Gohan, please forgive me..."
"Mew, you have nothing to apologize over, okay?" Gohan said encouragingly, patting it on the head in a soothing manner.
"Mew..." it purred, sounding content. "Mew..."
"OH!" Gohan burst forth, standing up. "Where's Frost? What happened to Kotaga?! How did I end up this way? Did someone beat them...?"
"Whoa, calm down, little man!" Captain Renso said easily. "Let me get to that. Before you could beat him, Lord Frost poisoned you..."
And Gohan could see it in his mind's eye; charging Frost, who nicked him with his arm as he felt the strength leaving his body...
"I remember," the hybrid said quietly.
"Will you please let me finish?" Renso asked politely, and at Gohan's nod, he pressed onward. "And although it was a dirty tactic, somehow with Private Cabba's help, the two of you were able to defeat Kotaga and Frost while your pet and I took care of the soldiers back in the town."
"Oh, I see!" Brock commented with a smile. "So it's really thanks to the four of you that those terrible murderers were finally beaten!"
"Pika Pika, Pikachu!" Pikachu added. "Pika Pi!"
"Well, you don't have to praise us..." Captain Renso said humbly. "A Saiyan's life is sacrifice, after all, and considering Kotaga had done to your city and many other planets all over the universe, I'm just glad we were finally able to bring him to justice."
Misty actually giggled at that. Such a noble man! And she sent Gohan a glowing expression with his back facing her. Just like my Gohan...
"So your name is Cabba, huh?" Gohan said interestedly, turning a grateful eye on young Saiyan, who blushed. "Thanks a lot! I'm sorry about what I said before back in Vermilion City. I misjudged you."
And he bowed low while Captain Renso smiled approvingly.
"It's no problem, really..." Cabba stated shyly, before his look turned serious. "But really, Gohan, who are you? Are you a regular member of the Saiyan Army? How did you get here to this planet? A Saiyan with your kind of strength is unheard of on Planet Salad."
Gohan thought it over. So they really are Saiyans, but not like the Saiyans in my home dimension. How do I explain it to them...?
"Well, you see, it's like this..." Gohan began hesitantly.
Before he could elaborate, however, the phone started ringing.
RING, RING. RING, RING. RING, RING. RING, RING. RING, RING.
As one, they faced the phone, looking puzzled, before Brock suddenly burst out loud. "Oh, I know! I bet that's probably Ash's mother!"
"WHAT?!" Gohan exclaimed, sounding worried/confused.
"CHA?!" Pikachu squeaked, sounding, if anything, even more scared.
"She said she was coming to Vermilion City!" Misty remembered as she made her way over to the phone and answered Delia's call.
"Misty?" Delia inquired. "We've finally landed in Vermilion, but I don't know where to go from here! Can you please tell me where Ash is?"
Misty glanced sideways at Brock, who walked over to the phone.
"We're just outside the front entrance to Vermilion City, Mrs. Ketchum," the dark-skinned Trainer responded. "Just keep walking until you locate the small, pink house with the dome shape."
Delia nodded. "Understood." And the phone winked out.
"Brock, are you sure that was a good idea?" Gohan questioned him. "Ash, well... he..."
"Pikachu, Pika Pi!" Pikachu agreed, plopping down on its bottom.
"I know he was hurt pretty bad, but she's his mother, and she has the right to see him," he replied, completely unfazed by what they said.
Gohan nodded slowly. "Perhaps that's for the best."
"Mew..." Mew said, as it slipped down the wall it was leaned up against with its eyelids drifting closed as the day's events catching up with it.
"Oh, Mew..." Gohan whispered, aiming his Poké Ball at it. The beam caught Mew and drew it back into the red-and-white sphere. "Rest, my friend. You earned a nice, long sleep after what we've been through today."
Misty turned to face the two Saiyans with a coy, haughty expression.
"Well, while we're waiting for Ash's mother to show up..." the red-haired Gym Leader said, throwing up both her arms. "Maybe the two of you could explain who you are and why you've come to Earth?"
"Oh, we're Saiyans!" Cabba piped forth eagerly. "It's our job to travel through the universe and take out evildoers!"
"We're typically well-paid for our services, but for most missions, we tended to side with Lord Frost's army," Captain Renso added. But now that Lord Frost is gone I have no idea what kind of future we have...
"But I thought the Saiyans were all wiped out!" Brock said before Gohan could shoot him a look telling him to shut up.
"WIPED OUT?!" Cabba exclaimed, sounding completely floored.
"Who on Earth told you that?!" Captain Renso demanded, sounding equally confused and shocked by what it was that he was hearing.
As one, Misty and Brock turned to Gohan, who sighed.
"Well, see, it's like this," he explained. "Where I come from, the Saiyans were an elite pirate organization that traveled from world to world plundering it for sale on the galactic market in service of an evil alien overlord who looks like Lord Frost." His expression was serious. "His name was Lord Frieza."
"But how can that be?" Cabba questioned, eyes blinking.
"And if that's true, how did you get here now?" Captain Renso agreed.
"Back in my universe, one of my friends, Bulma, invented a kind of device that you can use to travel between dimensions," Gohan stated easily. "However, I didn't expect to find other Saiyans when I came here."
"I had no idea..." Cabba whispered, awed by what he'd heard. Does he know the General? He claimed he'd come from another reality too...
Just then, there was the sound of a soft chiming, and the group turned to the front door.
"I bet that's Ash's mother!" Misty realized, freezing up from nerves.
Gohan headed over to the door and let it open, with Pikachu trailing in a slow slump after the Saiyan Trainer, eyes downcast with shame.
"Pika, Pika Pika..." it muttered, its ears drooping. "Cha..."
However, the reaction was not one anyone had ever expected...
"Ash?!" the woman on the other side exploded. "OH, ASH!"
And without warning, she had reached forward and pulled Gohan into a very tight embrace, pressing him up close to her ample bosom.
"PIKA?!" the Electric Rat said.
"What the heck?" Brock murmured with a big sweatdrop.
"I'm happy to know you're okay," she cooed gently.
"Excuse me, miss, but... that's not Ash," Misty said, sounding incredibly annoyed for some reason.
"Yeah, that's Son Gohan," Brock confirmed readily.
"Impossible!" Delia said, but she let go of the boy, staring at him in stupefied amazement. "But, you look so much like my little boy!"
"Well, I'm not Ash..." Gohan mumbled, feeling embarrassed. "However, if you'd like, we can take you to him."
Delia nodded, a determined look coming over her face. "Yes, please take me to see him! I just have to know how my baby's doing!"
"Then follow us," Brock told the Ketchum matron grimly.
He turned on his heel and led the group into the small room where the healing tank was located, but as he was doing so, Delia couldn't help but keep sending furtive glances towards the other Saiyans.
They have tails, just like... She shook her head. No, this can't have anything to do with him... can it? Er, should I finally tell Ash the truth about his father? And her eyes misted as happy memories flashed past her mind. I don't know why you left me, dear, but... if you were here, would this still be happening?
They entered the little space as Delia raced over to the small pod.
"Oh, Ash, honey!" she said as she pressed her face against the glass. "Is he all right? What happened to him? Please, someone tell me!"
"It's a long story, Mrs. Ketchum," Brock admitted, who burst out into tears.
"Pika..." Pikachu said, head hanging with a very sad expression.
Gohan, feeling sorry for her, walked up to the distraught woman and gently laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, don't worry, Mrs. Ketchum," he said sincerely. "I think your son will be fine. We just have to sit back and let him heal."
Delia turned to face them, wiping the stray tears away from her face.
"Please, tell me," she begged.
The group all turned to face Gohan, who sighed again.
"Well, you see, the whole story begins like this..."
"... and with Frost defeated, I rushed Gohan back here to get medical treatment, which is when we learned who he was and where he comes from," Cabba finished, picking up a thick slab of roast and gnawing at it with his teeth.
It was dinner time, and the group had all gathered around the kitchen table, where Brock had cooked every one of them a fantastic meal.
Delia was floored. "I... I didn't know..." She glanced to Gohan. "So, you're a Saiyan... but from another parallel reality?"
"Yeah," Gohan said, only barely picking at his food; it was clear he was quite worried about his friend. "But, in my dimension, Saiyans were mercenaries who sold their services to Lord Frieza, not galactic peacemakers."
He... he sounds like he might be from that other universe... Delia mused to herself. And he looks like my Ash... are they related?
"Hey, I never brought this up earlier, but when are you two planning to head home?" Brock inquired, facing Cabba and Captain Renso.
"Well, we'd like that very much," Cabba answered back with a sad smile, "but when the last remaining Frost Force soldier took off in his ship, he left us behind, and he destroyed Lord Kotaga's ship, so for the moment it seems like we're stuck here... at least till help can arrive."
"Oh my goodness, I'm very sorry!" Misty stated, favoring him with a sympathetic expression that had Gohan scowling. "Do you know where you'll be staying until the other Saiyans come here looking for you?"
"I don't know..." Cabba said uncertainly. "This isn't something that we really planned for, and it could be a long time before reinforcements make it here."
"Well, you'll always be welcome here!" Misty chirped with a smile.
Cabba blushed while Gohan winced, feeling ashamed of myself. I shouldn't be feeling so horribly towards them when they're trapped here on this world! And then a rush of realization came over him. They're like me... alone and isolated in a strange land.
Just then, there were a series of soft noises.
BEEP, BEEP. BEEP, BEEP. BEEP, BEEP.
"What's that noise?" Brock wondered, turning his head up.
"ASH IS HEALED!" Gohan shouted excitedly, and in a flash he was up from his seat and running back to the tiny room with the capsule.
"PIKA!" the Electric Rodent said, sounding just as relieved and happy as Gohan, and in seconds it was up and taking off after him.
"Hey, Gohan, wait a minute!" Misty insisted angrily.
The group followed behind Gohan as the half-Saiyan burst into the healing room and entered a series of commands into the healing tank and just like that, the water was draining out of the dome as Ash's eyelids slowly fluttered.
"It looks like he's waking up!" Misty said, sounding genuinely relieved.
"It seems the treatment was a success," Brock said, just as relieved. "But man, if we'd been just a little later in bringing him here..."
"Pika, Pika, Pikachu..." Pikachu muttered, tears welling in its eyes.
"Oh Ash!" Delia exclaimed, bringing her hands up to her chest.
The hatch to the capsule flipped up, and Ash's eyes slid open as the young Pallet Town Trainer blinked a few times, slowly making his way up and out from the tank, groggily taking stock of his surroundings.
"Ugh, where am I?" Ash wondered.
"PIKA!" Pikachu wailed, throwing itself at Ash...
... only to find itself tackled as Delia came up from behind and pushed Ash into her chest, smooshing Pikachu in between the two of them.
"Oh Ash, my baby, you're really okay!" Delia wept. "I was so worried about you!"
"Uh, Mom, what are you talking about?" the skinny child asked.
"Pika, Pika... Pi... Pikachu..." Pikachu growled as it grew slowly more and more annoyed at the way it was being groped in between them.
"Er, Mrs. Ketchum, I'm not so sure Pikachu is..." Misty began.
"Ash, I'm so sorry! Can you ever forgive me?" Delia blabbered on, completely oblivious to Pikachu's escalating sense of irritation.
"Oh boy..." Brock remarked, taking a slight step back.
"What?" Cabba inquired, his eyes blinking to take in this news.
"Pika... Pikachu... CHA!" Pikachu roared, and in an instant a blast of powerful electrical tendrils splashed over every single one of them.
"I KNEW THIS WAS GONNA HAPPEN!" Brock shouted.
"WHAT A SHOCKING EXPERIENCE!" Misty quipped despite the pain.
"OH MY IS THAT STARS I AM SEEING?!" Delia asked to no one.
"PIKACHU CUT IT OUT!" Ash admonished, taking the shock waves even worse since he was sopping wet from the healing capsule.
And like that, Pikachu cut off the waves of electricity, as the entire group sans Gohan fell over, their limbs twitching and convulsing.
"Mommy, please, tell me, am I dead?" Ash groaned pitifully.
"Yes, dear, I think we've both gone to Pokémon Heaven..." Delia answered in a manner and tone very similar to that of her son.
"Wow, Pikachu sure packs a lot of punch into its attacks," Misty complained as she made her back up, rubbing her butt.
"No kidding!" Brock agreed.
The Saiyans, of course, were completely unfazed.
"Wow, that smaller animal sure has a temperamental personality!" Captain Renso observed, sharing a side glance with his recruit.
"Kinda like girls, you mean?" Cabba chuckled.
And Misty drew up behind the armored Saiyan, cloaked in shadow and looking over a thousand times scarier than Frost had during the end.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" the Cerulean Trainer rasped as though it were the drawl of some otherworldly entity.
Cabba gulped and swallowed nervously. "Nothing! Nothing at all!"
Captain Renso laughed and slapped his hand across Cabba's shoulder. "Boy, I could tell you a thing or two about the ladies, believe me..."
Cabba just slumped his shoulders and sighed.
As Ash had finally recovered from the Thunderbolt, he stood back up, clad only in his shorts, looking around the room in total confusion.
"This is the capsule house, isn't it?" he said. "But what am I doing here...?"
"ASH, SHAME ON YOU, YOUNG MAN!" Delia scolded him harshly.
Wincing, Ash turned toward her, looking both puzzled and sheepish.
"How dare you do something so dangerous?" she reprimanded him, placing her hands on her hips as she glared down at the ten-year-old. "Getting involved with aliens from another world! Why, you're lucky you're still here in one piece!"
"That's right!" Ash exclaimed, shifting to face the others. "What about those aliens? What happened? Did you guys manage to beat them?"
Brock stepped forward, intent on explaining things over.
"Relax, Ash..." he reassured him in a comforting tone. "After Kotaga blasted through you, we rushed you to the capsule and put you in the healing tank. It was really touch and go there for a while, let me tell you."
"Once we brought you here, that's when help arrived, but not from someplace you might expect," the orange-haired girl told him.
"That's where we come in," Cabba said as he and Captain Renso moved forward into the center of the room.
"Huh, who are you?" Ash said, blinking his eyes from bewilderment.
"We're Saiyans," Captain Renso explained, waggling his tail a bit.
"Ach!" Ash burst out, falling backwards onto his butt. "You have a tail! You really are Saiyans! But I thought the Saiyans were destroyed?"
"Pikachu, Cha..." Pikachu said, grabbing its face in exasperation.
"To clarify, we are not like the Saiyans that your young friend here is," Captain Renso went on, throwing a furtive glance towards Gohan.
"While he comes from another dimension, we live here in the same universe," Cabba piped up. "We go around the universe answering the call in stopping wars and defeating evil bad guys! We used to serve Lord Frost, but..." He frowned darkly. "Now we're not so sure."
"But... who's this Lord Frost person?" Ash wondered, sounding, if anything, even more confused than he had just a minute ago.
"Frost is, apparently, the counterpart to Frieza from this dimension," Gohan informed him. "He looked just like him, except that he was blue and instead of controlling the Saiyans, he tricked them into fighting wars that he started in secret just so he could profit better."
"Um..." Ash said, rubbing his head as an embarrassed look crossed his features. "I'm still confused — can you explain that again, please?"
The group fell over, all except for Gohan.
"Oh yes, Ash is back to normal," Gohan said, laughing in relief.
"Oh, Ash!" Misty mumbled. "Still as clueless as ever..."
"I don't know why we even bother..." Brock added.
"Well, what do you have to say for yourself, young man?" Delia said.
"But Mom, whoever those guys were, we had to fight them!" Ash maintained. "They were killing so many people..." Ash shivered, still haunted by the memories of what he witnessed. "I've never seen anything so horrible in my life, and I never want to again..."
Delia's eyes misted, and she looked upon Ash with a new light.
Oh, my poor little boy... she thought. You were never meant to see this. Not this way — your father was supposed to be the one to teach you this. And for the second time, she questioned her motives. I know he made me promise we would tell you together... but is he even still alive? What if he never comes back?
"Ash, honey..." Delia said, her eyes bright with tears. "I understand."
"You do?!" Ash exclaimed, looking back up at his mother.
"Well, of course I do, sweetheart!" Delia laughed. "After all, didn't I always tell you to follow your heart, do what you think is right?"
"Yeah..." Ash uttered, blinking slowly to take in this new information.
"Then there's no problem!" Delia said simply. "You're still alive and that's all that matters to me, Ash, nothing else."
"Wow, super!" Ash burst out. "Thank you so much, Mom!"
"That's great, Mrs. Ketchum!" Misty said happily.
"Pikachu, Pika Pika!" Pikachu agreed, nodding. "Cha!"
Suddenly, Ash yawned, looking totally wiped out.
"Wow, I'm sleepy," he said. "Hey Gohan, mind if we call it a night?"
"Sure, we can talk more tomorrow!" Gohan vowed, and then he cast a smile on the other two Saiyans, who were looking very out of place.
"Pika?" Pikachu said, tilting its head up at the two of them.
"Hey, you guys can spend the night here if you want!" Gohan offered them cheerfully. "One thing's for certain, we have plenty of room!"
"Oh, are you really sure we wouldn't be an imposition?" Cabba said worriedly.
"Nonsense!" Misty chimed in. "It's like Gohan said... we have enough bedrooms for all of us here!"
"And besides the more the merrier!" Gohan said happily.
"What they said," the black Breeder said, nodding in their direction.
Cabba glanced upward at his mentor and martial arts master.
"What do you think, Captain?" he asked him.
Renso laid a gentle hand on his subordinate's shoulder.
"I think it is a very generous offer and we would be foolish to refuse, Private Cabba," he replied. "They saved our lives. We owe them."
Cabba nodded, and faced them again with a smile.
"Excellent!" he chirped. "So we're staying here for the night!"
Gohan made his way out of the small healing room.
"Follow me, we'll find some beds for you..."
As they all left, Delia stayed behind, torn and conflicted.
Ash, my son... if I tell you, will it make a difference?
And she departed the room along with the others.
The screen switched on, turning from black to brightly illuminated, showing off the same shadowed man from before as Team Rocket all huddled around the laptop, prepared to give the boss their report.
"Well, what news do you have?" Giovanni demanded.
"It's unbelievable, Boss!" Jessie burst out, sounding horrified. "Just like that, bam! That brat was fighting and Vermilion City was blown up!"
"Just like something out of a war movie," James added. "I don't think we can even guess at how many people died today."
"Not to mention all dem rare and valuable Pokémon that could have been swiped on board da ship," Meowth purred with a soft nod.
"FOOLS!" Giovanni roared, and they shook where they knelt. "Do you think I care about a few civilian casualties? What did you learn?"
They all exchanged horrified glances, looking nervous.
"Well, it seems da brat met up with some other Saiyans," Meowth explained, with lots of sweat running down the feline's forehead.
"Yes, they all had tails, just like the Super Brat!" Jessie said.
"Oh?" Giovanni intoned darkly. "This could be interesting... what were their reasons for coming here? Did they seem to recognize the boy?"
"We don't know, sir," James put forth. "We haven't really been able to get close. We were too busy hiding..."
"I see..." Giovanni growled. "Regardless, this could prove to be a potential boon for gathering intelligence. I want you to continue your assignment. Follow them, find out more about this, then report back to me once you've discovered anything more regarding these 'Saiyans.'"
"We will, Boss!" Jessie avowed.
"You can count on us, sir!" James confirmed.
"Or Meowth's not da name!" Meowth said.
"As for our current plans... for now we shall have to put the St. Anne operation on hold," the Team Rocket Leader said. "Well, you have your orders, the three of you, and I expect you to get to them. Base out."
And just like that, the line went dark while Team Rocket slumped.
"Wow, I had no idea the Boss could be so... ruthless," James whimpered. "I think I want my mommy..."
The redheaded vixen whacked him over the head. Hard.
"OUCH! Stop doing that!" James insisted angrily.
"Of course he's gotta be ruthless!" Jessie stated haughtily. "He's the Boss, and he's got many important plans for world domination!"
"I don't know, Jessie," the purple-headed man said softly. "Look at those Pokémon who lost their Trainers, or the children who lost their mothers and parents who lost their sons and their daughters; isn't this what world domination means? Killing people who stand in our way?"
For a moment, Jessie looked momentarily flummoxed.
"Well, er, maybe, um, uh... perhaps you've got a point!" she admitted.
"Meowth!" the Scratch Cat Pokémon yowled loudly. "Da Boss is da Boss, and we follow him! End of story!"
"Yeah, Meowth is right!" Jessie added. "We just have to have faith the Boss will take the necessary steps to avoid bloodshed."
"I suppose you're right..." James said reluctantly, hanging his head.
"Good!" the bossy woman said, and with that, she was off dragging Meowth and James out of the secluded alley and off through the ruins of Vermilion City. "The first step will be finding out all we can about these new Saiyans!"
James sighed as he looked out upon the ravaged soul of the port town, his heart weighing heavy over what transpired in the last few hours.
I hope Jessie and Meowth know what they're doing...
It was night, and in the many bedrooms across the capsule house could be heard the sounds of peaceful snoring... except for two.
"Gohan?" a voice called in the darkness.
"Hm?" his gentle baritone answered her back.
"Are you sleep?" the redheaded girl asked.
"Not really..." Gohan told her.
"I didn't think so," Misty admitted softly.
Silence for a few more minutes, and then, she spoke again.
"What are you thinking about?" she questioned.
"Just all those lives," Gohan replied, his voice barely more than a whisper; she almost couldn't hear it. "Just how... if I had taken out Kotaga a little sooner, maybe none of it would have happened..."
"DON'T YOU DARE," Misty growled back fiercely, and Gohan winced. "Don't you dare blame yourself for that monster did! Gohan, you were very brave in fighting him... and if it wasn't for you, Ash might have died, so... you have a lot to be proud of."
"Maybe," Gohan agreed quietly. "But that can't stop my guilt, the feeling that I should have done something before he did that."
"It's natural," Misty assured him. "I'll bust you over the noggin if you tell anyone this, but... Gohan... I think... you are one of the purest and kindest boys I have ever met. You're very special, and of course good people are going to feel guilty about all the lives lost when they have the power to stop it. But just remember, you did stop it. He took those lives. You made sure their deaths weren't in vain. Don't forget that."
He could practically hear the angry, embarrassed blush in her voice, and he smiled, suddenly feeling much closer to Misty than before.
"So, why are you up, Misty?" he wondered.
"Why do you think?" she said shrewdly, and Gohan didn't say any more.
Of course she's gonna be feeling this way... Gohan realized with another pang of guilt and shame. It was her first time seeing death and destruction on such a large scale... And here a horrified thought went through his brain. Is this due to my experience or is it getting easier for me? He shook himself. I don't ever want to get used to seeing people dying!
"Tell me what you're feeling," Gohan urged her softly.
"Nothing," Misty evaded, carefully dodging Gohan's question. "I'm just being silly is all. I mean, look at you — you've been doing this kinda thing since you were a little boy. Just forget it, Gohan."
Her words echoed what he had been thinking a few minutes ago, and Gohan felt even worse than he had before. I just have to do something to cheer her up! I don't know if I could live with myself if Misty ended up... like me...
Shaking off the dark musing, he called out in the darkness again.
"Hey, Misty, what's something you really want to do?" he asked her.
"Hmm...?" the tomboy responded. "What do you mean, Gohan?"
"I mean, if there was one thing in the world that you wanted to do more than anything else, whatever that may be, what is it that you'd wanna do?" the charcoal-eyed boy pressed, and for a few minutes there was silence.
Then...
"Oh, I don't know... no, wait!" Misty erupted. "I know what I want. There's a cruise leaving Vermilion tomorrow on the St. Anne, and I'd love to be on it! They say it's the Ship of Love, you know, and that it's meant to soothe broken souls and bring people together, and that you never truly know love until you've sailed aboard the St. Anne at sea." She sighed. "The happiest, most successful couples all found each other on the St. Anne..."
Her voice had taken on that oh so wonderfully dreamy tone she got whenever she was feeling particular romantic, and Gohan giggled.
"Okay then, Misty — if that's what you want, I think I can go out and buy some tickets for us," Gohan said as he pulled back the covers.
"S-Seriously?!" Misty gasped. "Oh Gohan, you're such a doll!"
Gohan blushed deeply as he hopped out of bed and made his way over to his slippers. "Er, thanks, Misty." He exited the door. "Anyway, be right back."
Misty sighed gratefully as she leaned back in the bed, but if she had been paying closer attention, she would've noticed that she and Gohan were not the only two who were having trouble sleeping that night...
Gohan walked through the blasted-out husks and collapsed shells of the many buildings and smaller structures that had been blown to hell during Kotaga's attack earlier in the day. Off in the distance, the sound of firefighters shouted, and the cries of thousands of Pokémon helping their Trainers to restore order added to the din.
But far more horrifying than the chaos and pain were the whispers of conversation he heard while he made his way past Vermilion Ruins.
"... boy with golden hair, and he had a tail..."
"The Gold Fighter is a monster! Who is he to do this to our city?"
"My Rattata! My Rattata is dead! Curse the Gold Fighter!"
"... wonder where he plans to strike next...?"
It's all my fault, Gohan thought to himself. I don't care what Misty says, I should have attacked him sooner, before it happened...
Making sure that his tail was tucked snugly away so that the Trainers could not see it, Gohan pressed on, suddenly realizing something.
"Where do I find tickets for the St. Anne?" he asked out loud.
"Ohohoho!" a voice called out slyly.
Gohan turned, and to his complete shock, he found the boy he had encountered in Mt. Moon standing there behind him with a smirk.
"You!" Gohan exclaimed. "You're that kid from before!"
"Yes, of course, Josh Dylan was just here pilfering what was left behind, broken in the tears of death, wilting and rotting like a dead corpse!" he snickered, and then burst out into raucous laughter.
"It's not funny!" Gohan snarled, clenching his fist till blood seeped down his fingers. "Thousands of people lost their lives today!"
And then he blinked, his brain catching up with him.
"Wait a minute, did you...?" He pointed at him. "You've been looting people's stuff! This makes for the perfect distraction, doesn't it?"
Josh's sunglasses glinted in the moonlight. "Yes, and like a newborn Taillow, you are grasping at intelligence that eludes your senses from your higher wisdom, for that, dear child, is precisely why Josh Dylan is here! To breathe like anyone else, lungs filling up with green balloons, and to loot and steal! Like any sane person!"
"You're crazy," Gohan spat. "Just like Kotaga. You have no right to steal other people's things!"
"Not even for these?" Josh asked innocently.
And with that, he waved several tickets in front of Gohan's face.
The black-haired boy gasped. "That! Are those... are they...?"
"Yes, tickets for the St. Anne, acquired fairly from the ruins of life and liberty!" Josh said. "And yours at a bargain price of 10,000 dollars!"
But, before he knew it, Gohan had grabbed Josh Dylan's collar and yanked him closer to him.
"The scruff, the scruff, the scruff!" Josh wheezed. "Get your cat-stained paws off me! Do you want me to get a dog-freeze?"
Then Gohan leaned in close, and Dylan turned blue.
"No deal," he purred quietly, dangerously, with a hissed venom. "I'd never pay for stolen merchandise. However, you are going to give me those tickets, to help bring a bit more joy back to some of the many people who suffered today!"
"Not cool! Totally uncoolio!" Josh panted. "Let go, let go, let go or Dylan will throw rice at your face, dude!"
"Give them to me," Gohan growled. "Now. Or I'll take them from you."
And, his hands trembling, his sunglasses tipped, looking very scared, Josh Dylan reached down into his burlap sack, grabbed a handful of St. Anne tickets, and tossed them to the ground. Gohan instantly let him go.
"Now leave town, and don't let me catch you stealing here again, or you'll regret it," Gohan promised darkly, snatching at the tickets.
And Josh Dylan sped away, leaving a cloud of dust behind.
"This isn't over, egg-brain!" Josh Dylan vowed. "We'll meet again!"
And as he departed, Gohan winced, suddenly feeling very, very ashamed. I shouldn't have snapped at him so badly! Yeah... he was stealing, but that's no reason to scare him so horribly. And he sighed, feeling utterly, utterly beaten. It's not his fault that so many people died... because you were too stupid not to protect them.
And he trudged on back towards the capsule house on the outskirts of Vermilion Ruins to the sounds of people screaming and crying off in the distance.
The next morning dawned bright and clear as Gohan left the comfort and safety of his blanket and bed to make his way into the kitchen.
"Oh good morning, Gohan!" Brock said, adorned in pink apron and hard at work cooking up a meal as usual.
"G-G-G-Good morning, Brock..." Gohan said, stifling a yawn. "What are you doing up so early?"
"Well, I figured after yesterday a delicious meal might put everyone's minds at ease," Brock said, flipping some eggs in the pan with perhaps too much cheer. "I mean, you can't stay in the past forever! Right? A man's gotta live a little, so just live it up!"
He's just trying not to think about all those people who died, Gohan noted wisely. And we don't have the Dragon Balls in this reality, so it's not like we could just wish them all back like we usually could... As he sat down, the demi-Saiyan sighed. And here I thought I could leave all my problems behind in this strange new world...
"That's very thoughtful of you, Brock," he commented kindly.
Brock nodded and returned to his work. Pretty soon, the kitchen was filled with hungry people who had awoken to the wonderful smells.
"Hey, do you think you can fix me up something...?" Cabba said sleepily, stumbling in through the door.
"Does your new friend have any experience with how much Saiyans eat?" Captain Renso wondered as he took his place at the table.
"Oh sure!" Brock chirped. "With Gohan, you always know how much Saiyans eat!"
And he laughed as he threw some seasoning all over the goop in a pot.
"Hi, Gohan..." Misty muttered, rubbing at her eyes, still half-asleep.
"I need a cup of coffee..." Delia whimpered pathetically.
"Pika, Pika..." Pikachu sighed. "Cha..."
And in short order, breakfast was ready and Brock was setting it all down in front of the hungry Saiyans and the three human beings.
"It looks tasty!" Ash said, now fully awake from before.
"I'll say!" Gohan agreed, licking his lips.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu agreed.
Brock sat himself down at the kitchen table and had whipped out his chopsticks. "Well, what on Earth is everyone waiting for? DIG IN!"
And with that, soon there was simply the clatter of dishes, the gnashing of teeth, and tearing of meat as no words were exchanged between the consumption of their morning meal — though soon, Misty had remembered something Gohan had said from the previous night.
"Hey, Gohan?" Misty inquired.
Gohan swallowed his food, and looked at her. "Yes? What is it, Misty?"
"Did you ever get those tickets for the St. Anne?" she asked, her eyelids fluttering girlishly.
Gohan laughed. "You know it! Just like you wanted!"
"Oh Gohan, thank you so much!" Misty squealed, now surrounded by clouds of happiness as Gohan giggled. "This is going to be so romantic, just a nice, long, relaxing cruise where we can forget everything that happened yesterday... oh, I can't wait to get on board!"
"What are you talking about, Misty?" Ash asked.
"Pika Pika?" Pikachu added, engrossed in his Pokémon food. "Chu?"
"Oh, didn't you know?" Misty stated, offering Gohan a coy smile which had him blushing. "Gohan got us all tickets to go on the St. Anne!"
"You're kidding!" Brock exclaimed.
"Oh, what a fun little adventure that sounds like!" Delia stated.
"The St. Anne?" Captain Renso queried. "Is that a ship?"
"It's an ocean liner, Captain," Gohan said respectfully. "Not a ship. So there's no way you could ever use it to get back into outer space."
"I see..." Captain Renso answered, disappointed.
"Then let's finish this meal so we can get going!" Brock said eagerly.
And the group dove right back into their meal as Captain Renso found himself favoring Cabba with a few side looks, thinking to himself...
In a darkly lit room, the screen switched on, revealing a man in a trench coat, with sunglasses, dark hair, and peachy cream skin.
"Well, what do you have to report?" the short, round little man hidden in the darkness asked of the operative on the other end of the line.
"I have tracked the source of the disturbance to the Kanto Region," the agent replied. "It was as you suspected, Master."
"The Kanto Region would mean that Team Rocket is also on the case," the short man muttered, as though speaking to only himself.
"Team Rocket?" the operative snorted. "What are they? A gang of petty thugs and thieves... they do not aspire to grand ambitions the way you do and they're absolutely no threat to our organization."
"Perhaps, but if they acquired information about the boy first, that could always lead to leverage that they have over us," the little dwarf of a man mused, then he snapped up straighter. "As of this moment, I am putting you on the case; follow the boy and find out what he does next. And keep me up to date on Team Rocket's activities."
The agent bowed as the line went dead, but his last words rung in the short man's ears.
"As you command, Master Greevil..."
Outside the capsule house, Gohan released the button on the capsule house, and it changed back into the same tiny capsule as before.
"So, shall we get going?" Misty said with a cute smile.
Gohan returned the smile. "Yes, the St. Anne is waiting for us."
"Well, thank you for your kind hospitality, but I think this is where Captain Renso and I should be leaving you," Cabba announced.
The rest of the group reacted with shock.
"You're leaving?" Brock demanded.
"So soon?" Misty questioned, looking quite sad.
"But you just got here!" Ash burst out.
"Pika Pi!" Pikachu added.
"Cabba, I think you should stay with us," Gohan said seriously. "You're alone on this strange new world, and you could use all the help you can get. Plus it might be fun traveling with another Saiyan!"
"You could help us train better!" Misty put forth.
"Who knows, someday you may get your own Pokémon!" Brock said.
"Besides, it's great having so many friends around!" Ash finished.
"I..." Cabba said, looking hesitant.
But then, Captain Renso decided to interrupt.
"Private, I think you should go with this young Saiyan and his friends," the Saiyan commander said, glancing down at Cabba with a smile.
"But... but... Captain!" Cabba protested. "Why?"
"Because there is a lot you can learn from this alien planet and just living in the real world which you can't learn from me," Captain Renso told him solemnly. "It's life, Cabba, and you can miss it if you don't open your eyes."
"But what about you?" Ash said. "Aren't you coming along with us?"
Renso turned to face the boy, shaking his head. "No, I'm afraid that I would just get in the way. I can always survive well on my own, going from place to place, trying to find a new way back home or some way to contact Planet Salad, fighting for justice and restoring the Saiyan reputation for integrity whenever I can along the way."
"Oh, how inspiring!" Delia said, popping her foot up happily.
"Well, if you're really so sure, then I guess this is where we say goodbye," Cabba said, reaching up to shake Renso's hand.
"Not goodbye, Cabba," Captain Renso told him. "If you ever need me, just raise your power level and I will be here to help all of you out."
And like that, Captain Renso lifted off the ground, smiling down.
"Goodbye!" Gohan said, waving.
"Good luck out there!" Brock encouraged him.
"And if you get lonely, stop by sometime for dinner!" Misty said.
"You'll always have friends here, Captain Renso!" Ash yelled.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu called loudly. "Pikachu Pi, Pika!"
With that, he turned and shot off into the sky and the great unknown of an alien environment and the adventure he was setting off on.
Cabba sighed, staring at the spot he had vacated for a few moments, before turning with a smile to face the others.
"Well, shall we get going?" he invited them politely.
"Yes, lead the way!" Delia giggled, sounding like a schoolgirl.
The others reacted with total surprise, but Ash out of most of all.
"What?" he questioned. "You mean you're coming too, Mom?"
"Yeah, are you sure you want to?" Brock said curiously.
"Oh yes!" Delia insisted with a bright smile. "You see, I was already planning to visit Acapulco in the wonderful city of Porta Vista, so this would be a convenient way for me to travel there, don't you agree?"
"Mom..." Ash whispered, blinking a few times.
"All right!" Misty said, raising a fist. "Then it's off to the St. Anne!" She giggled as she stomped forward. "ALL ABOARD THE SHIP OF LOVE!"
"I swear, I'm never gonna understand her," Ash mumbled.
Brock laughed. "Trust me, Ash, when you get older, it doesn't grow any easier, but that doesn't mean that it's not worth trying!"
"If you say so..." Ash replied skeptically.
"Pika, Pika Pika! Pikachu!"
Gohan just smiled, gazing at Misty fondly as the mother, the Gym Leader, the two Trainers and all their Pokémon followed behind the determined, fired-up, romance-obsessed redhead tomboy in their wake.
Hey, wow, can it be...? YES! It didn't take a year for another update!
But seriously, I think it's gonna be a lot easier to work on Pokémon Tails now that those edits are finished. But never say never, of course. It all really depends on my mood. That aside, I am very encouraged to see how many people enjoy this fanfic. You guys are what makes it possible!
Now, onto the reviews!
thedarkpokemaster: Trust me, the world won't be forgetting what happened here so easily, as I hope this chapter made clear from the reactions of the people Gohan encountered in the Vermilion Ruins (which IS now the new official name for it).
Victor0606: Well then happy belated birthday! Though if this came out on your birthday, I'd say that was a present enough, hahahaha. XD
maxigiampieri2012: Nope, just facing real life, confidence issues, and various other things on top of that, but Pokémon Tails is my crown jewel. I won't be abandoning it like Altered Fates, trust me. :)
GreatSaiyaman54: You know, maybe you should think about getting a fanfiction account? It would make it easier to talk, anyway. It's great to know I've got a fan. :P
And yes, Broly WILL be making an appearance, and as I hope this chapter made clear, Renso and Cabba are stranded on Earth, though they will both be taking different paths until they can reunite with other Saiyans.
Winstontheninja: Outside Yuka and Lucy, Vados is my waifu. Trust me, we WILL be seeing her, the Universe 6 God of Destruction, and even the Super Dragon Balls! ^_~
Jawisian: Your reviews are always a treasure and I thank you, along with ChaosDestruction and kitsunelover300, for your continued loyalty to this fanfic... and yes, I NEVER want anything to be grammatically incorrect.
Mun: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Almost as useless as Sakura, amirite? But seriously, that review made my day. Thanks for the laugh. .
GMCubed: I always planned this right from the beginning and there is going to be consequences to this battle which will send ripples through the Pokémon universe, and in a few ways it could be compared to the Shot Heard 'Round the World. And yes, training the tail will become apparent soon.
X3runner: While SSJ3 Gohan is inevitable for THIS particular fic, I find myself reevaluating the Mystic form. See, my issue is that he doesn't look like he's transformed in the Mystic state due to that God-awful butch haircut he had in the Buu Saga. I MUCH prefer the infinitely superior Revival of F style haircut and that is the one I plan to use whenever he grows up, so that when he uses his Mystic form there WILL be a difference that you can see. Other than that, I did have plans to maybe involve the U6 Saiyans in the Super Saiyan God ritual, but how they would find out about that, well... maybe you guys can help me?
As a side note, I want to promote a new friend's fanfiction account, and encourage you guys, especially fans who like DBZ and Elfen Lied, to head on over and see if you like what you see! PrismBunny90 is her name and she writes very well. Foreign Touch is, in fact, a fanfic gift from her to me, and I think she has a very promising future.
I've really been jamming out to Pokémon soundtracks, watching Let's Plays, and even reading other fanfics to get me in a Pokémon mood, so maybe that will lead to quicker updates? We can only hope!
It just occurred to me that I skipped over power levels for the last chapter, but meh, to hell with it. They still have the Scouter, so I can introduce them whenever I want. Though in my mind I think Cabba would have a slightly higher power level than Goku, while Kotaga and Frost would be near Cell, so that explains how they were keeping up with them.
One final note, the next chapter is what has convinced me to ultimately bump this chapter up a rating, and it will contain graphic descriptions, but don't worry, for those who are not interested in that sort of thing, I'll just gloss over that for Fanfiction-net, and it's not like you'll miss anything vital, so it's like Dawn says: "No need to worry!"
Please review!
KoS