Chapter 4: A Tao Order
Emolga came through the tunnel which brought Ash and Georgia to the land under threats of a creature named Cell. It perched on a tree to get a look at the backdrop of the woods. It sniffed the air and picked up a scent of something, leaping off and pursuing the aroma. It found Lao's cabin where Georgia and Gohan stacked the last of the split logs. "That should do it," Gohan said. Pikachu and Oshawott breathed a sigh of relief, exhausted from cutting all the wood with their attacks. Finding two of its friends, Emolga squeaked down to the group. Pikachu heard the squeaking and glanced up to see Iris' Pokémon. Lao and Gohan turned to the reunited creatures, curious to the black squirrel.
"One of Pikachu's friends?" questioned Lao. Georgia saw Emolga as well but her face was of disgust.
"If you're here, Emolga," she scorned. "That Dragon Girl isn't too far off." Emolga looked up to the pink-haired rival, shaking its head in disagreement. Georgia's scowl didn't back away. "Don't lie, you little..." Emolga quickly grew fear from Georgia's face.
"Georgia, I don't know why you have to torture that creature," Gohan pleaded. Georgia relented a little.
"I suppose. I can't get worked up about a Pokémon that's not a Dragon-Type." Just as Emolga breathed some relief, trouble echoed.
"Cell's here!" the shout of Lime bellowed over the skies. Her calls roared over the land and alerted everyone. Gohan shot looks to find the enemy that seemed to ignore his own threats to properly
"Don't tell me Lime's at it again," Lao groaned. Gohan somewhat relaxed himself before remembering that Ash was with her.
"Isn't Ash watching over Lime?" he asked.
"Yeah..." checked Georgia. Pikachu began squeaking where he believed the shouting originated.
"Ash and Lime must be at Borbonne's dome!" Gohan felt that he needed to make sure the two weren't hurt.
"I'll go on ahead!" he allowed as he jumped up. Without wings somehow, Gohan started to fly in the air, leaving Lao, Georgia and the Pokémon gasping in disbelief.
"No one told me he could fly," she gulped. Lao watched Gohan, getting a stint of nostalgia.
"So, he's one of those," he believed. Georgia's head twisted to Lao, wanting to know his information. "A group known for flying and using energy as a weapon. He may be the savior to the Crisis of Cell." Interested with where Gohan began to fly toward, Emolga lifted off in pursuit. Lime's shouting stirred the villagers in believing they're going to die unless they entered the dome for safety. Borbonne's men blocked entrance to the dome. In hiding, Ash wore headphones to drown out Lime's screaming, a tall order. Seeing the ravaging crowd fighting to enter the dome, Ash placed a hand on Lime's shoulder which stopped her.
"That's good enough," he praised as he removed the headphones.
"I knew my lying about Cell would work somehow," she snickered. "Thanks for helping me. I would say the same to Georgia." She gave Ash a small kiss on the cheek. Ash chuckled from the kiss, rubbing the cheek that received the peck. They stepped out and viewed the chaos in front of the dome which Borbonne locked everyone else from entering. Borbonne's men, vainly trying to hold off the mob, found Ash with his arms crossed and Lime. They realized the false alarm.
"Everyone, calm down!" shouted Kasdan. "It's a false alarm! Cell isn't attacking! It was a young punk's prank!" That prompted the crowd to stop the rampaging onslaught and allow Borbonne to exit.
"What!?" he snapped. "Don't tell me it's that same damn punk girl~! Where is she?!" Not wanting to hide, Ash and Lime came out to see the angered mayor.
"I actually see your true colors, Mister Borbonne!" grinned Ash. "Thinking about yourself before the village you're in charge of…" Getting a good look at Ash, Borbonne snarled.
"I've never seen you around here before but if you're aiding that punk, drastic measures need to be assessed! Get them, men!"
"Sir!" his bodyguards in black business suits obeyed as they approached the two. Lime ducked behind Ash who stood firmly to the oncoming slew of bodyguards.
"Please, Mayor Borbonne!" an old man pleaded. "They're just little kids!" Borbonne didn't want any backtalk from those who knew him.
"Can it, old man! This is my town and my laws! If you wanna live, you do as I say!" Ash huffed a chortle as he pinched the bill of his cap.
"You know," he started. "I've been wanting to release a heck of a lot of frustration that I've bottled up for a long time, mostly by Team Rocket." That's when he tilted his cap backwards and removed his jacket, showing a teal t-shirt. Gohan and Emolga viewed the scene from above.
"This can't be good," shuttered Gohan. As Borbonne's guards closed in, Ash balled up his fists, tucking his arms around his chest. One bodyguard reached in for Lime. Ash jumped in between, arming the bodyguard's arm away. He followed up with an impressive right hook connecting the jaw, just below the ear. Just as the bodyguard fell, he became asleep, knocked out from the blow. Lime looked at the fallen bodyguard, surprised that he dropped rather easily. Emolga gathered some wind under its cape and flew a little higher than the awe-stricken Gohan. "That was one punch! That can't be right!" He may have been seeing things but proof would come as another bodyguard jumped in at Ash. The raven-haired sprinted forward and connected a fierce right cross to the stomach, keeling the guard over. An open target, Ash dispatched the new attacker with a pinpoint uppercut to the chin. That bodyguard fell back, asleep as well. Lime saw the two knockouts, amazed at Ash's quick work. "I thought Ash was merely a Pokémon Trainer! Boy, he never told me about learning martial arts!" Kasdan and Burdwell came forward to confront the opponent.
"We should have done something to you and that little bitch when you chased us off Lao's store!" cursed Kasdan. Ash responded by waiving the two to come after him. Kasdan didn't budge but Burdwell charged with his tiny legs. When he jumped, Ash found the opening. He swung an uppercut, catching Burdwell in the gut. Suspended in the air, Ash used his other fist to catch the dwarf in the chin. Finally, Ash's arm acted like a piston when it launched Burdwell to the sky for a few seconds, landing on his back and his lights were turned off. Kasdan trembled from seeing Burdwell go down. He reached for his holster, a flash of silver glimmered. A potential firearm, Ash smiled.
"I should remind you that we didn't come alone," he smiled as he tapped the ground twice. Kasdan wondered for a second what Ash brought up… when suddenly a rumble echoed from down. With one blast, Kasdan lost footing and flew without any control as the ground burst from beneath. From the ground popped a brown crocodile wearing sunglasses. Kasdan fell on his head, instantly cutting his consciousness. The crocodile reached Ash's side and shared a fist bump. "Perfect timing, Krokorok." The crocodile nodded to the praise. "Stay with Lime. I got these." The whipping man lashed his whip at Lime and Krokorok but Ash snagged it and both engaged in a tug-of-war. The whipping man reeled Ash but that was his mistake. Ash used the momentum to deliver a flying hook. Not only was the whipping man taken to dream land, he lost his weapon. Ash twirled the whip and wrap it around his left arm. Some of Borbonne's bodyguards woke back up but seeing the new brace, they chose their health over their boss' money and began to flee.
"Hey, you get back here!" ordered Borbonne. "I'm not paying you to run away!" Ash faced Borbonne, his glare a warning to stand down. Borbonne had other ideas. "Hey! General Tao! I've got a punk that needs your attention!" Hearing the call, a tall man in a pink Chinese robe exited. He wore a steel helmet with red goggled built in above the pencil-thin mustache. He also wore blue slacks and sleeves over arms covered in more steel.
"Who's this 'punk' you're referring to, Lord Borbonne?" he asked. Borbonne wasted no time in pointing to Ash.
"That's him, right there!" Tao got a good look at Ash, a soft breeze blowing his hair to the side. Tao hiccuped in some hesitation.
"That can't be Goku. He should be much older than that. And that muscle mass is pathetic." He soon straightened out. Ash eyed Borbonne again.
"Still hiding and not coming forward?" he taunted. "What kind of mayor are you?" Borbonne growled at the tease, his will to close Ash's mouth for good growing.
"One who makes a choice to maintain order by any means necessary… like keeping your damn mouth shut!" Ash balled his fists again, now with the whip acting as padding.
"Don't fret, Borbonne," Tao promised. "I'll make quick work of him." In a flash, Tao sprinted at Ash who quickly threw a left hook. Tao appeared in front of Ash and blocked the hook with an open hand, splintering the whip's handle on contact. Ash saw a moment to strike and rolled his fist under Tao's arm, tagging him in the sternum. It was a glancing blow since most of the punch got absorbed from the breaking of the handle. Still with the left, and with little windup, Ash threw the uppercut but Tao jerked his head back slightly to make Ash miss. Gohan and Emolga figured Ash didn't stand a chance against Tao.
"Something about that Tao guy wants me to jump in," he sensed. Tao prepped two fingers and lunged at Ash who raised the whipped arm, blocking the digits. Within a second, he fired a right hook to the stomach, landing a clean strike. Tao reeled for a second before stepping back to review.
"I see… you're not using a martial art. A young, prodigal boxer with speed and precision… not bad for a human sapling." Ash didn't respond to Tao's compliments. Tao suddenly vanished again before reappearing with a kick, forcing Ash to raise the same arm. This time, the kick destroyed the whip around Ash's arm. However, Ash took the opportunity, and arm's freedom, to snag Tao's foot and pull himself in for a teeth-rattling uppercut to the mouth. Tao fell back but stayed on his feet, although hurting from the counterstrike by covering his mouth. This gave Ash the opening and he couldn't waste a second as he started throwing a flurry of hooks, jabs and crosses before one more uppercut to the ribs. Lifted off his feet for a second, Tao fell on his face in terrible pain. Borbonne gulped in shock from Ash's dominance over the General.
"No way!" he stammered. "Not Tao!" Lao, Georgia and Pikachu arrived as Tao got to his feet. Georgia reached Lime and Krokorok.
"I'm surprised," Tao groaned, clutching his stomach. "Ever since I nearly died and my body augmented, I've never been hurt like this." However, Ash began to suffer problems by shaking his left arm. Tao noticed that Ash had a problem. "Apparently, hurting me comes with a price." Lao noticed Ash's discomfort with his left arm.
"Something tells me that Ash's left arm is badly hurt," he assumed. That's when Tao disconnected and removed his left hand. With a pump to his arm, a sword emerged, protruding from the missing hand. Tao raced at Ash who still tried to shake the pain from his arm. Tao slashed at Ash who spotted and jumped back. A little slow, Tao's swing ripped through the shirt and cut open the chest. Feeling the slice splitting his skin, Ash clasped the wound from around the right shoulder to his left hip. Blood poured from the wound. Everyone but Tao, Ash and Borbonne gasped from the nearly successful attack. A fearful Pikachu dashed to Ash's side as Tao's right hand unbuckled.
"Hey, what kind of little kid uses weapons in a fight?!" argued Georgia. Tao ignored the pink-haired and strutted toward Ash and Pikachu.
"Don't fret yourself, child," he sneered. "I'm just your ordinary neighborhood killer. Please understand how much of an example you'll be for disobeying the mayor's orders." He pointed the right arm which seemed to be charging a light. Worn out, Ash wove his good arm to Pikachu to get behind him. Georgia wanted Ash to escape.
"Get outta there!" Ash started getting up but time ran out as Tao fired a laser. Ash couldn't move fast enough as the laser blast erupted. Everyone couldn't move at seeing Tao kill Ash who stood up to Borbonne for his treatment of his people. Lime's tears flooded her face. Georgia's eyes stared at the blast, knowing Ash deserved better than this. That's when the smoke began to lift. Pikachu stood by Ash who didn't look to be charred. Finally, Gohan also appeared, his hand sticking out but clean of bruising or blood. In fact, the blast did nothing to Gohan, let alone Ash and Pikachu. Tao saw the new face and grew afraid.
'Wait! That can't be! It can't be Goku!' Lime and Georgia got to Ash's side, hoping he wasn't greatly hurt.
"There's no way I would tell Dragon Girl that you bit the dust." Fighting the pain, Ash snickered and believed Georgia's tease.
"I doubt she'd listen," he added. Lime eagerly wanted to know of Ash's condition.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"It's just my non-throwing arm, that's all." While Lao joined to make sure Ash wasn't in any serious danger, Tao needed to know about Gohan.
'Now wait a second...' he reevaluated. 'Goku has raven-black hair. That brat's got blond hair. There's no way it can be Goku but I want to be sure!' Facing Gohan, his question needed that answer. "What is your name?" His attention on him, Gohan came clean.
"It's Gohan!" he named himself. Tao's mind eased down significantly.
'Gohan? I guess that's better than the alternative.' After a breath, Tao continued. "I see… For a moment, I believed your name was Goku." The name rang a bell to Gohan and for good reason.
"I know who you're talking about… I'm his son!" The General freaked at the study of Gohan and his connection to this Goku as kin. Witnessing the sudden change of emotion, Borbonne became suspicious.
"General Tao, what's wrong?!" he asked. "It's like you've seen a ghost!" Turning to his client, Tao tried to about face, a feeble attempt.
"No, not men particularly..." he denied somewhat. "Though you may become one yourself if you fight that kid." Just then, Tao ran to a tree and kicked it off the bark before hurling it in the sky before jumping on himself. "I'm outta here!" Borbonne, stunned at the turn of events, tried to call Tao back.
"Wait! Tao! You can't quit on me!" Nearly gone, he had his final words.
"I JUST DID!" The tree and Tao flew out of sight. Most of his bodyguards saying "No Mas" and Tao leaving the scene, Borbonne began to sweat even as he turned to Ash, Gohan, Lao and the Pokémon. The entire village could now breathe their mistreatment down his throat.
"Hey, don't look at me like that! I'm your mayor!" No one listened and soon the heat billowing from the villagers and the trainers. Lime stood behind a bleeding Ash while glaring down Borbonne. "Oh, I see… You weaklings don't care what happens to all of you when Cell strikes! You think I pushed you to erect the dome before the Cell Games! Well, guess what… If you want to rebel against me, no one is setting foot inside the dome!" Ash scooped some of his blood and flung it on Borbonne to felt the splash of crimson to divert his attention.
"That's perfectly fine," he growled. "I can do a better job protecting these folks than you would, and there's no abusive labor to build anything. Besides, that may be my blood on you, but that could easily be Lao's blood, or Lime's blood or the copious amount the village has you'd be bathing in if you scrunch everyone in that dome!" Unbeknown to the mayor, Georgia got around Borbonne.
"Is that so? By the time the Cell Games end, you'd wish that you stayed in the village and cooperated with me. You kids don't even have the balls to face Cell!" As if on cue, Georgia took a quick step before delivering a brutal kick between Borbonne's legs. Borbonne gasped, winced and yelled in extreme pain. Seeing where Georgia planted her foot made the men wince themselves and cover their genitals, Lime turn her head away as did some of the village's women and the Pokémon to shield their eyes. For a while, Borbonne stood stiff as Georgia's foot remained wedged on every man's weak point for massive damage.
"Look who's talking?" she grinned before removing her foot, allowing Borbonne to fall and assume the fetal position.
"That hurt me, and I just watched it," a female villager cringed.
"Borbonne's not making babies anytime soon," a male villager joked.
"Not even Vegeta would stand after… THAT!" winced Gohan.
"Georgia, seriously?!" pained Ash. Surprisingly, Borbonne got to his feet from the low blow. Tears falling on his face from the pain, he ran off. The retreat of Borbonne spelled relief for the village as they cheered Ash, Georgia, Gohan, Lime and Krokorok for stopping the harassment of their cowardly neighborhood mayor. Gohan gave the other half of the bean to Ash who ate it. Once swallowed, the magic of the bean showed as his arm felt better and the wound on his chest virtually vanished.
"That was amazing, Ash!" praised Lime as she hugged the healed trainer.
"I'll say," Gohan agreed. "What martial art was that? Where you're only using your fists?" When she heard Gohan's question, Georgia's mind pictured the "martial art."
"So you took up some boxing before training Pokémon, right?" she guessed. Ash grinned to Georgia's assumption.
"Well, how else do I stay in shape?" he joked. "All that walking around regions?" Georgia's response was to reapply Ash's cap with a smile. With Borbonne cowering away, residence of the Chazke Village had one more problem: Cell and his world destruction.
TO BE CONCLUDED...