Pokémon Tails: A Journey to the East

DISCLAIMER: I don't own DBZ or Pokémon.

CHAPTER 22: Love at First Plight

"... and so, that's how I ended up here, in your world," Gohan finished.

It had been a few days since the group had disembarked from the St. Anne, and in all that time, the half-Saiyan from a parallel universe had taken time to divulge his origin to the self-proclaimed Dragon Trainer who had joined them on their journeys.

Needless to say, Iris looked blown away by it all.

"Huh, unbelievable!" she snorted. "And you know, if it wasn't for that tail, it'd be almost impossible to accept, and yet... how else do you explain that?"

"Exactly!" Misty said, sounding very satisfied.

"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu uttered. "Pikachu!"

"Ew, Ew Axew!" the little Dragon type grunted inside her hair.

A small giggle came from Gohan's backpack, signaling the presence of Mew, carefully hidden from prying eyes which would seek to catch it.

And here Iris shot Cabba a funny expression. "So what's your story, huh? You're obviously a half-Saiyan too, otherwise you wouldn't have a tail like Gohan does. Do you come from another reality, like him?"

"Actually, that's not quite the case..." Brock stated nervously.

"I'm half and half like Gohan is," Cabba confirmed. "Although unlike him, I'm native to this universe. My father married a Tuffle, which is a humanoid alien race that, from what he's told me, the Saiyans from Gohan's universe conquered in a bloody, genocidal war."

"Oh wait!" the dark-skinned girl said, pointing at them. "You weren't responsible for all of that trouble that took place in Vermilion City, were you?!"

Misty sighed as a dark look crossed her face.

"Chu..." Pikachu murmured mournfully.

"Actually, that turned out to be Lord Frost — Cabba's former employer," Gohan answered, clenching his fist. "Turns out he'd been starting wars on planets in order to manipulate his public perception as a righteous hero who went in and stopped them, all to make a profit rebuilding the war-torn worlds. Of course, since he's this reality's counterpart to Frieza, that doesn't surprise me in the least."

"But you stopped him, didn't you?" Iris said shrewdly.

Misty actually laughed, a shadow of her old haughty self. "Of course. Gohan's the strongest fighter in this entire universe, so there's no way he was ever going to lose to a horrible monster like that. No sir! You can count on that!"

Gohan perked up on hearing that.

Well... despite the awkwardness between us for the past few days it's good to know that she will still defend me — like old times, he thought happily; before his thoughts turned dour. But, Misty... what's wrong? Why have you been avoiding talking to me? Is it... what happened between us? But it looked like you didn't have any regrets...

"I see..." Iris responded. "So that's why Vermilion City was left in ruins. It was that terrible Frost after he got done destroying it!"

"Er, more or less," Brock said amicably. "It's a long story."

Ash clenched a fist, much the same way Gohan had done. "We've gotta increase our training... if only we'd been stronger, maybe we could have made a difference, and all those people wouldn't have died!"

"Pika Pi..." Pikachu droned, hanging its head in contemplation.

"What's that?" Iris caught on this comment. "Training? You mean, to become as strong as he was when he took down that monster? Is that possible? I mean... he obliterated a whole city in seconds, like it was nothing!"

"Oh, nothing's impossible when you learn to master your ki," Gohan told her confidently. "That said... Saiyans and hybrid Saiyans do have certain built-in advantages that normal human beings don't but that doesn't mean it can't be done. I know tons of super strong human fighters back in my home dimension — Yamcha, Tien, Krillin..."

I wonder if I'll ever see any of them again... Gohan thought, their faces swimming before his vision as his heart ached longingly for his home universe. With Misty being so closed off, do I even have a point staying here anymore? No, that's being selfish... or is it? Is it really?

Iris was silent as she contemplated what the tailed boy had just said, and they came upon the docks, only to find the ferry tooting its horn a good distance away from the harbor, evidently on its journey back to the mainland.

"Ach, you guys, is that the ferry we were supposed to take?!" Ash observed.

"I think it is!" Brock agreed.

"So you're telling me... we missed the ferry..." Misty groaned, hanging her head and sounding as if it was the mother of all disappointment.

"Pika Pikachu, Pi," Pikachu announced, both arms crossed while it nodded its head. "Pikachu, Pika Pika! Chu! Pikachu! Pika, Pika!"

"Axew, Ew! Ew!" Axew said, sticking its head out. "Axew!"

"Well, hey," Cabba suggested sensibly. "You do know that me and Gohan could just fly, right? Why don't we take turns carrying each of you back over to this mainland? You'd get there in no time at all!"

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" The raven-haired boy piped up.

"Sure, I'm in," Brock said. "It'd save time, at any rate."

"Then let's do it!" Ash said, pumping both his arms.

"Um... now?" the Cerulean Trainer questioned, suddenly blushing.

The rest turned to regard her, wondering what the issue was.

"Yeah, what's the problem, Misty?" Gohan asked her.

Her red cheeks intensified in color, and she turned away; something which tore at Gohan's heart, for he had the sneaking suspicion he was the cause behind the abrupt loss of confidence towards the normally boisterous, fiery tomboy he had grown to love so much.

Oh... how in the world can I say that I don't feel all that comfortable being in anyone's arms but Gohan's right now? the redhead mused to herself. And how do I tell him what's truly bothering me without him thinking I'm becoming a wimp? I don't want to lose his respect! It means so much to me!

"I..." she mumbled, and then suddenly pointed her finger, happy for the distraction — but also genuinely distracted as well. "OH, WOW, WHAT IS THAT?!"

The group swiveled their heads to spot a Pokémon floating in the water that to Gohan's eye appeared to resemble a jellyfish from back in his home reality... only a jellyfish with a purple-grayish coloring and twin emeralds adorned atop either side of its bulbous head, though it was obvious from the way Misty's eyes had lit up with sparkles that this was no ordinary jellyfish.

"Whoa, what's that Pokémon?" Ash offered rhetorically.

And he pointed Dexter at it, which gave its usual explanation.

"Tentacool, a Jellyfish Pokémon," Dexter droned on with his usually borderline boring manner. "99% of its body is made up of water."

"Talk about ugly," the bolt-cheeked boy concluded.

"Ugly?!" Misty huffed, briefly annoyed, before her eyes filled with sparkles once again, and a veritable aura of joy seemingly surrounded her whole body. "It's so cute! Tentacool are usually red and blue, but this one has a very different coloring to it! Tentacool are..." She sighed delightedly. "So squishy and nice when you hold onto them, and they call that red spot on their heads the ruby of the sea, but that right there has to be the emerald of the sea! And I... I've never seen anything like it before..."

Gohan grinned, finding her enthusiasm to be infectious. She's awfully beautiful when she's nerding out over the oceans. Oh Misty... His heart throbbed painfully in his chest. I just, I wish... that I could make you happy again... why won't you talk to me?

"I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder," Brock noted.

"Ruby of the sea...?" Ash taunted. "Who calls it that?!"

"Well I call it that!" the green-eyed girl scoffed, then whipped out a Poké Ball, a determined smirk written on her face. "Anyway, that Tentacool is so adorable! I'm gonna catch it, right now!"

"What... right here, right now, just like that?" Cabba blinked.

Iris laid a reassuring hand on his arm and nodded when he turned his head to stare at her. "That's how it works here on this planet, alien boy. You'll get used to it."

The former member of Frost's army settled down.

"Starmie, go, I choose you!" Misty called.

With a flash of materializing white light, the Mysterious Pokémon appeared on the battlefield, only a few meters from Tentacool.

"Starmie, use Tackle attack!" she commanded.

"Hroom!" Starmie uttered, spinning high into the air, then twisting around, until it was circling in a headlong collision course for the Tentacool.

The other Pokémon, however, was a wily little scrapper, for it simply ducked underneath the water as Starmie went soaring past, unaffected by the fancy aerial maneuvers, although the Water Trainer remained undeterred.

"Tentacool!" it cried once it popped its head back up.

"Starmie, don't give up!" Misty encouraged. "Try Spinning Tackle!"

And now Starmie took to the heavens again and went spiraling down towards the Tentacool a second time, spinning even more rapidly than it had a moment ago, though right as it was about to hit the Jellyfish Pokémon simply swung to the side, and as it did so, had shifted backwards, now shooting off a series of purple pins!

"Oh no, Starmie!" Misty shouted worriedly.

"That looks like Poison Sting!" Brock said knowledgeably.

"Pika, Pikachu!" the yellow Pokémon gasped. "Chu!"

"Axew!" Axew put forth. "Ew! Axew! Ew, Ew!"

As it went careening past, the Poison Sting barbs struck the star-shaped Pokémon head on, and its aerial spin seemed to tilt before their very eyes, as it came in for a landing right in front of Misty.

She ran over to hug it. "Starmie, are you doing okay?"

"Hroo... Hroo... Hroo..." it gurgled, and then shook itself. "Hroom!"

Misty pointed her finger. "All right, then, go! I believe in you!"

Starmie resumed its position against the Tentacool.

"Tenta! Tentacool!" it chanted, and leapt out of the water as it emitted a jet-stream of hydro-powered bubbles flying forth out of its mouth.

"That's Bubblebeam!" Gohan marveled. "At least, I think it is."

"Starmie, dodge!" Misty insisted. "Then use Tackle again!"

"Hrooom!" Starmie cried out, swiftly avoiding the blast of water, and spinning high into the air as it came down hard, angling in for another strike; hopefully one that would hit the opposing Pokémon this time.

However, it seemed luck was not on Misty's side, for before any kind of blow could land on the Water/Poison type, Tentacool opened its mouth again and let off a horrible, ear-splitting shriek.

"Ach, that sound!" Ash complained.

"It must be Supersonic!" Brock observed, covering his ears.

"Pika, Pika Pi!" the Electric Rodent whined. "PIKACHU!"

"I want my mom!" Iris moaned loudly.

"AXEW!" Axew wailed pitifully.

At the same time, the attack itself seemed to have seriously done a number on the two half-Saiyans, for they wobbled about woozily off to the side, stumbling in place and looking as though they had literally zero comprehension to where they were.

"I, graugh... lemons... I want my orange juice..." Gohan babbled.

"Oh, look... pretty lights... so pink..." Cabba giggled stupidly.

The move seemed to penetrate Starmie's defenses, as it spiraled off into the distance, yet Misty tried to gain its attention, desperate to ward off what she could see was going to happen.

"STARMIE, WATCH OUT FOR THAT DOCK!" she screamed.

CRRRRR-RUNCH!

Too late, as the Mysterious Pokémon went slamming into the wood pier only a couple yards distant from where they were, and the sound of hard cracking impact sent a thrill of horror racing through Misty.

"Oh no... Starmie!" she whispered, and like that, was off rushing towards the dust cloud that now obscured her fallen Pokémon.

"Do you think it's hurt?" Ash wondered.

"I have no idea, hope not!" Iris said.

Gohan and Cabba, recovered their senses, now blinked.

"Hey, do you know what happened?" Cabba asked.

"The others are all heading over there," Gohan stated intelligently. "I think... I suspect that Starmie must have lost. Come on... let's go!"

And the half-Saiyans trailed in the wake of the other Trainers.

"Starmie, oh Starmie, are you okay?" Misty inquired as she knelt down beside the battered Pokémon, which upon hearing its Trainer's voice, returned to its point-feet.

"Hroom... Hroom!" it proclaimed.

"Starmie, you're all right!" Misty yelled, relieved.

It staggered forward a few steps, and if it had possessed a mouth, everyone could guess it would have been panting in exertion, before finally, literally toppling over on to the wood surface, knocked out.

"OH STARMIE!" Misty exclaimed, horrified.

"It's that Poison Sting!" Brock speculated. "It probably poisoned it, and it spent all this time gradually draining away its health and stamina!"

"Pika Pika, Pikachu," Pikachu drawled. "Chu. Pikachu."

"What do you think we should do, guys?" Iris said concernedly. "It might be seriously hurt."

"The Pokémon Center!" Ash replied.

"Yes, that's a good idea!" the Pewter Gym Leader said.

"There's no time to lose!" Misty agreed, recalling Starmie into its Poké Ball as the small group took off running back down the wood pier — except for one.

The red-haired girl turned back. "Gohan? Are you coming?"

For he was staring off in a direction none of the others could spot and when he swung around to face them, he smiled apologetically, then bowed low.

"I'm sorry, you guys," he murmured contritely. "But, I have, er... something I need to take care of. It's very important. I know Starmie will be okay, so... go ahead. I'll catch up with you at the Pokémon Center."

"Are you kidding?!" Iris burst out incredulously. "What could be more important than tending to some poor, injured Pokémon?! Don't you care?!"

"Leave him, you guys," Misty grunted tersely. "If he doesn't wanna come, then we shouldn't make him — and Starmie needs emergency treatment from Nurse Joy. Please... let's stop wasting time and get going!"

Ash, Brock, and Cabba exchanged looks, and nodded, tearing off in pursuit of Misty, with Iris following only reluctantly, as Gohan turned to face the shiny Tentacool, and set down his backpack on the hard pavement as a grin crossed his features...

Thirty minutes later found the small coterie at the local Pokémon Center, while Misty paced back and forth, obviously distraught over the condition of one of her Pokémon — until, finally, Brock got up and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, causing her to spin around and capture him with a glare which petered out into a tired sigh when she had glimpsed his compassionate expression.

"Sorry," she mumbled, sounding fatigued down to her bones.

"Hey, it's not your fault," he told her simply. "No way."

"Hm... I wish I could believe that, Brock," she responded back with, brushing aside some hair from her face. "But I was so blinded by that Tentacool, I-I might have pushed Starmie harder than I needed to."

"Hey... that's ridiculous!" Brock protested. "You saw a Pokémon, you tried to capture it — that's what Trainers do! And when your Pokémon got hurt, you did the right thing and took it to be healed. No one can hold that against you."

"Yeah! If anything... it's that horrible kid back there who should be feeling guilty!" the Unova Trainer chimed in. "Why, he wouldn't even come with us to the Pokémon Center! What type of friend is that?"

"Axew, Axew! Ew!" the Tusk Pokémon put forward with agreement.

"I... I'm sure he had a good reason," Misty muttered distantly.

Inside, however, Misty wasn't entirely so sure. Is he avoiding me? He has to have noticed how sheepish things got between us ever since we departed the St. Anne, but... still, it doesn't feel right with Gohan out there when he should be by my side when I need him...

"Don't worry, Misty," Ash said bracingly. "Starmie will be just fine."

"Pika Pika, Pi Pikachu!" the Mouse Pokémon chirped. "Pikachu!"

Misty gave a weak smile. "Thank you, everybody."

Just then, the door to the Center opened, and in rushed Gohan. Upon spotting him, Iris got up and stalked over, eyeing him with a critical, disapproving frown.

"All right, kid, what do you have to say for yourself?" she intoned severely. "We've all been sitting here, worrying ourselves over that girl's Starmie, and you've been out sightseeing? Explain it, now."

"Um..." Gohan murmured, not sure what to say in the face of this "interrogation," as he was coming to view it. "About that... I... know Misty has to be feeling very worried about her Pokémon, and probably blames herself for pushing it too hard, so... I decided to stay behind and get something that would definitely cheer her up."

"Why, you!" Iris shouted, raising both her arms.

"It's okay, Iris," Misty relented, stepping forward. "So you said you wanted to cheer me up, huh...? But why did you have to stay behind to do that? What did you have to get that's so important it meant you couldn't come with us to the Pokémon Center, to treat my Starmie?"

As much as she tried, the tough-as-nails tomboy couldn't keep the wobble from forming in her voice, that she thoroughly loathed, that feeling of betrayal, despite the faith that she held out in her heart.

"THIS!" Gohan announced proudly, unveiling a Poké Ball.

And from the ball materialized the gray-green Tentacool from earlier!

"Is that...?" Ash demanded, suddenly gripped by a loss for words.

"It is!" Cabba added. "It's that same Pokémon from before!"

"Gohan, you... you caught the Tentacool?" Misty asked curiously.

"No," Gohan elaborated, shaking his head. "I got it for you."

Misty actually did a bit of a double take upon hearing it.

"What... Gohan, you... you captured that rare Tentacool?" she repeated, her eyes now shimmering bright. "Just for me...?"

"Yeah, of course!" Gohan stated soulfully, his tone heartfelt. "I know how much you wanted to catch it, and how sad you would've been if it had gotten away from you. And, well, I, er..." He rubbed at the back of his neck. "I just couldn't have the best girlfriend in the whole universe feeling that way, could I?"

"Tentacool!" the Jellyfish Pokémon declared, nuzzling against her leg.

Iris's eyes had likewise gleamed over, as she wiped at her nose.

"Wow... I was totally wrong about him after all," she sniffled. "He's really not such a bad guy after all. Getting his girlfriend the Pokémon she wanted so much. He's the perfect boyfriend... how thoughtful!"

"Hey, how is that thoughtful?!" Ash whined. "A true Trainer captures their own Pokémon! They don't let other people do all the work for them!"

Iris sniffed. "You're such a little kid. You just don't get it."

"Must say I gotta agree with Iris here." Cabba nodded in the direction of both Gohan and Misty. "I mean, look at how happy it's made that girl."

"Huh?" Ash remarked, looking over.

Misty reached down and patted her new Water Pokémon's head, sighing with contentment from the squishy texture of its scalp, and then turned to face her boyfriend, a huge smile spreading across her face and in a flash had pounced at him and wrapped both her arms around him, her right leg popping.

"Oh thank you so much, Gohan!" she squealed. "It's perfect! I love it!"

Gohan just grinned happily as he hugged her back, and then, it was like a switch had been flipped, for Misty pulled back, looking like a trapped Stantler, and mumbled awkwardly.

"Anyway, uh... I promise to take good care of it," she vowed, now no longer so much as even meeting his gaze, and Gohan's heart sank.

Misty... what's happened to you? he thought sadly. It feels like more and more you're drifting away from me, and... I miss you. I want you back. And yet I... have to think about what's best for you, too... is it really the end for us?

"Hey —" he began uncertainly.

Before he could, however, the light above the OR went off, and out came Nurse Joy, carrying Misty's Starmie on a stretcher with her.

"Well, here you go!" she pronounced. "Your Starmie's healed."

Instantly, Misty was at its side as all her friends trailed after her, with Gohan following a bit more slowly than the rest of them, still reeling from the emotional turmoil he was going through.

"Oh thank you, Nurse Joy!" she said, sounding immensely glad.

"It was really no trouble," she averred. "Though if you're going to be battling with it next time you really should remember to bring along an Antidote. It was really touch and go there for a while, to be honest."

"That, or you could find the right kind of berries," Iris offered.

"Berries?" the brown-eyed boy repeated, blinking.

"Pika, Pika Pi, Pikachu!" his Pokémon added.

"Oh, yeah," Iris clarified, tossing up both her arms. "You see, a lum berry cures all status afflictions, while others, such as a pecha berry or a drash berry, cure poisoning. Then there's others like a cheri berry which heals paralysis, a yago berry that heals burns, and so on."

"Wow, that's awesome!" Brock said, blown away. "I never knew that."

Iris laughed haughtily in a way that was reminding Ash of Misty.

"You should brush up on your local herbs," she said smugly.

"Hmm, maybe..." Brock replied, now sounding tempted.

"This young girl is right," Nurse Joy said seriously, drawing all focus back to her and her solemn expression. "When you are traveling with Pokémon you have to be responsible... just take better care of your Starmie, all right?"

Misty nodded in return, and Nurse Joy left.

"So, now that episode's behind us, what do you guys wanna try to do next?" Cabba said curiously, feeling relieved that things had worked out for the best.

"Well, the next ferry to the mainland won't be arriving soon," the squinty-eyed boy said smartly. "Might as well do some sightseeing around Hutber Port... and, hey, who knows, there could be other Pokémon you could catch."

"Hey, I'm totally down for that!" Ash declared, looking excited at the very prospect. "I gotta catch more Pokémon than Gary, after all... gee whiz, I wonder what kind of Pokémon that they've captured so far?"

For his thoughts had turned to, not just Gary, but the other two Trainers from Pallet Town who'd beat him to Oak's laboratory.

"Pika Pikachu, Pika Pi," Pikachu muttered, nodding its head.

"First, um..." Cabba groaned, as his stomach rumbled loudly enough for the rest to hear it. "Could we get something to eat? I'm getting kinda hungry..."

"Typical Saiyan appetite," Misty smirked.

"Well, it's probably pretty close to lunch time," Iris shared, feeling the inexplicable need to stand up for Cabba. "We could all grab a bite to eat."

"You're right about that!" Brock chortled jubilantly.

Ash glanced to Gohan, who seemed to be lost in his own little world.

"Hey Gohan, are you coming to eat lunch with us?" he questioned him.

"Huh?" That looked to shake him from his funk. "What did you say?"

"He wanted to know if you were gonna come eat with us," Iris repeated. "And yo, it's rude not to pay attention to people."

"Axew, Ew Ew!" Axew concurred. "AXEW! Ew! Axew!"

Misty frowned at the Dragon Trainer, but before she could retort —

"Nah, that's okay," Gohan said dismissively. "I'm not feeling particularly hungry. In fact, I'm going to go take a walk."

He turned and headed out towards the door.

"See ya guys later," he declared.

And with that, he was gone, much to everyone else's complete shock.

"Since when does Gohan pass up a meal?" Ash gaped, stupefied.

"I take it this is unusual?" Iris wondered, craning her hand above her eyes as she stared after the spot the charcoal-eyed hybrid had just vacated.

"You're not kidding," Brock added, looking utterly dumbfounded.

"Pika, Pi Pika!" the Electric Mouse added. "Pi, Pikachu. Cha!"

Misty, meanwhile, felt her heart sink even further... for she had no doubt that this was connected to her, and their recent actions on the St. Anne together, although it left her at a loss on how to proceed.

Oh Gohan, what am I supposed to do? she moaned inside her head. I don't want to lose you, but I don't want you to think less of me. And yet... if I told you, how would you take it?

As the gang headed out the door to grab some lunch from a nearby restaurant, the redheaded Trainer was left alone with her increasingly penitent thoughts, and just one truth spiraled throughout her head.

This is all my fault, Gohan, not yours...

It was night, and a curfew had fallen over the scenic city of Porta Vista; Pidgey and Pidgeotto had flown back to their tree branches, to roost until the dawn of the next day, and the area had come alive with the Hoothoot and Noctowl scouring the darkened backdrop in pursuit of the next meal and through the window of the second floor of the Pokémon Center, in came Gohan, trailing Mew alongside him.

"Gohan, are you sure this is a good idea?" it moped.

The tailed boy didn't seem the least bit perturbed that his Mew had opted to speak telepathically to him instead of engaging in Pokémon talk, since he knew it was a decision his partner strongly disagreed with, though it was one he felt had to be done.

"Yeah, Mew, I am," he answered back, determined.

Searching the room, he found a piece of paper, and started writing down upon it — leaving very simple, clear, and concise wording.

Dear everyone,

I've decided that it's time for me to move on with my life. I'm deeply sorry to leave you without warning, but it's all for the best. I pray you can believe that someday. Cabba can take over your training and have you whipped into shape as easy as I could. Don't worry about me. I'll figure out my own way.

Sincerely,

Son Gohan

With that he laid the note on the table in the center of the room.

"It's... just... this seems so sudden..." Mew offered hesitantly. "What about your other friends, Ash, Brock, Pikachu? How do you think would they react to you leaving them in the dead of the night without even saying goodbye?"

Gohan sighed, turned to face the door, and stalked out.

"Mew, please, this is already painful for me enough as it is," he said, and the New Species Pokémon could detect the raw agony emanating off him. "I don't want to lose them, I don't want to lose any single one of them... but things have just gotten so darned complicated with me and Misty lately. I'm holding her back and getting in the way of her happiness. It'll be best if I'm not around."

Once they were out in the Center's hallway, however, Mew literally hovered up to float right in front of Gohan, shaking its head back and forth, clearly planning to take a stand and to object to its Trainer's chosen course of action.

"No, Gohan, no, this is wrong, all wrong!" she squealed. "If you are going to... to just abandon them then you owe it to them to tell them why, to explain it right to their faces in the light of day! This is just cowardly! It's not befitting the pure heart that beats within your chest."

Gohan sighed again, though truthfully, he'd knew he'd have to fight Mew on this, and was prepared for it, so it wasn't very surprising.

"Mew, you know how much stronger I am than you," he said simply, thoroughly hating himself for every word which was now being uttered from his mouth yet feeling the need to say that, regardless. "Do you really want to try and get in my way?"

Mew shook itself, not intimidated in the least.

"I can sense your heart," it said strongly. "I know you don't really believe what you're saying. You just want me to stand aside and let you walk out of your friends' lives without a fight. Well, it's not going to be that easy, do you understand? You wanna leave, you need to fight to make them get why! They deserve that much!"

Gohan sighed for a third time, feeling exhausted in a way that seemed to seep down past his bones and into his soul, making him feel much older than he really was.

Until, suddenly, a voice called out to him from the direction of the room he just vacated, filling him with a sense of renewed dread.

"Gohan, what are you doing?"

His veins chilled, he swung around to find Misty standing there, holding the letter he had just left in her hand, and looking utterly heartbroken in a way which made his own heart burn painfully.

"Misty, I, er... ah..." he stammered. "I... um..."

She stepped forward and from that flash of pain thus built up anger. "You... you were going to run away, weren't you? Just leave behind all your friends who have been traveling with you for all this time? How could you do that?! Why would you do that?!"

"I left you guys a capsule house, so you'd all have a place to sleep," he mumbled shame-facedly, not even looking at her. "Don't worry about that."

"YOU IDIOT!" she screamed.

Anger was good. Anger she could deal with, process much easier, other than the confused feelings blazing through her heart, especially where this one was concerned, ever since they'd both set foot together onto the St. Anne and left it as changed people for better and worse.

"How! Could! You!" she ranted onward. "It's not that house we care about! It's losing you! After all of this time, can't you understand how much you mean to us?! How sad we'd be if you just... just... left us without a word?!"

Mew was now regarding Gohan smugly, having pretty much said the same thing only a few moments prior, and now the half-Saiyan did turn his head back up to stare her straight in the eye.

"I don't know, Misty," he said guiltily, his feelings plainly spelled out on his features. "It's not really the others I'm leaving for, but... for you."

"ME?!" She pointed to herself, seeming utterly floored. "But... how in the world could you ever think that walking out on us would make me happy? That it wouldn't leave a big hole in my life where you used to be?"

And here Gohan couldn't help it, he felt the tears sliding down his cheeks, and the sight of that tore at Misty's own heart in a way nothing else had since she'd woken up to find the note which announced from Gohan that he was walking out on them.

"Because... because... because ever since we left the St. Anne together, things have become so incredibly complicated and messed up between us," he said sadly. "And don't act like it hasn't because you know it has. And I... I just... I don't want to stand in the way of your happiness, Misty. That's not what true love is. True love is about putting your partner's good above your own. Well... that is what I'm trying to do. I don't want to be selfish here... you have to be more important than I. I don't want to hold you back, Misty. I don't."

And now Misty felt her own tears leaving wet tracks down her face, and she felt the shame of her actions nearly rip her insides apart.

"Gohan..." she said breathlessly, and decided to come clean. "No... you... this isn't your fault, this is mine... I haven't been straight with you since the moment we left the St. Anne, and I'm sorry. I should have told you from the start, but I... I..."

The boy with onyx eyes actually shook his head here.

"No, Misty, I don't blame you..." he began slowly.

"Just shut up and listen!" she snapped, and wisely Gohan obeyed. "It's... that... I-I didn't want you to stop treating me like you always have... to look at me any differently than you do now, which I... I was afraid would happen, if you knew why I felt so awkward around you. But Gohan, I want you to know, it was never regret over what happened between us. Not for a moment."

And suddenly Gohan's expression brightened considerably.

"REALLY?!" he shouted, overjoyed by her revelation.

"Yes," she replied, and a small smile graced her face. "In fact, a big part of me even now still wants you to take me in your arms and hug me close to you, to feel the strength of your arms around my body, to walk down the pier at sunset, to go out for ice cream cones together, and to just end the day with a nice, long, relaxing stroll across the beach and watch the Pokémon surface."

Within seconds, Gohan's expression had transformed from sorrow to joy and then instantly switched over to one of great befuddlement.

"But then..." he said quietly, almost afraid to ask why. "But then, if that's really the case, why... have you been avoiding me, Misty?"

And here Misty put her face in both her palms as she wept.

"Because... despite how much fun we had, despite how overwhelmingly close I feel to you, we rushed it and now we can't do all those ordinary boyfriend-girlfriend things," she said, breaking down as it became too much to hold in anymore; he was probably going to look down on her, but at least she'd let it all out! "It hasn't been ruined or anything, but... but we'll never be able to go on our first date, or any of that mushy stuff, that... you may think I'm a sap for this, but... I really want that stuff, Gohan. To take it all in and have a real relationship with you... but I don't see how after the St. Anne."

And now Gohan felt even worse than ever, for Misty had been bottling this all up inside, and he hadn't even noticed, not even one little bit.

What kind of boyfriend am I? he raged at himself. She's been hurting for so long, and I just let her suffer. Still, at the very least, I can make it up to her and give all that mushy stuff she wants so badly. I owe it to her.

And Gohan walked over and wrapped his arms around her, and this time, the vulnerable girl didn't shy away, but embraced the touch, sliding both her arms around his strong frame, weeping intently.

"Misty, it's not like that," he told her gently, even, as off to the side, Mew doggedly pretended not to hear their tender conversation. "But I really wish you'd come to me with this sooner, for I would have told you the truth."

The Cerulean Trainer looked up at him through tearstained emerald pupils shining as beautifully to him as he'd thought from day one.

"What truth?" she repeated, latching onto his warm tone.

"You want to do it all right," he sympathized. "Well, we can! Just because we've been intimate together doesn't mean we cannot have our first date, or to do all those romantic things you've been dreaming up — like going on a picnic in the country with only our Pokémon for company, or going to fancy restaurants, or taking those long walks down the beach."

And he reached down and wiped away some of her tears.

"Hey, do you mean that?" she whispered seriously.

"Of course I do, silly!" he stated earnestly. "I care about you a lot, Misty. You are the girl I want to spend the rest of my life with."

"Oh Gohan..." she breathed helplessly.

And just hugged him tightly, as Mew now wandered up and wrapped its small arms around the both of them, for it knew that this would be the inevitable outcome if Gohan had merely confronted Misty, rather than hiding from her.

"So..." she uttered, pulling back from Gohan and wiping at the tears beneath her green eyes. "How about tomorrow we decide where to go on our first date, to make up for all our lost time we rushed back on the St. Anne?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Gohan concurred amiably.

"Good," Misty said, smiling up at him. "Now will you please come back and get some sleep? You've been wandering around the city all day, and we've been very worried about you."

"I'm sorry I worried you guys," he expressed contritely.

Misty took his hand, and led him back into their room, where the others were fast asleep, and snoring soundly, crumpled up the letter Gohan had left for them, and tossed it out the window with a glare as if the note itself was some blasphemous scroll that required purging, then sneaking a peak at him from the corner of her eye like a child just fresh out of bed from a nightmare, seeking comfort.

"You know, Gohan, being in a relationship like this, there could be all sorts of... er... well, uh... unintended consequences," she ventured delicately.

"And we'll deal with those if and when they come," the hybrid responded, knowing instantly what she was talking about. "We can also take precautions for the next time we plan to be together so that minimizes the risk; don't worry, Misty, I would've sensed it if there were a new life in our midst. You have nothing to fear."

With a relived sigh passing through her mouth, the Cerulean Gym Leader reached over and planted a kiss upon his cheek that had him light up like a Christmas tree, as she giggled, and waved at him while she headed back to her bunk with only one last parting word for him which left the boy feeling much more at peace with himself than he could have thought possible hours ago.

"Goodnight, Gohan."

Before the laptop sat Jessie, James, and Meowth, and on the surface before them a shadowed outline of a man, concealed as ever in vague silhouette, though the voice that emanated through the speaker told them this was their Boss.

"Report, you three," he demanded.

"Yes sir!" they said crisply, offering a stiff salute.

"Well, see, Boss, it's like dis," the Normal-type Pokémon declared. "Dere's another boy draveling with da three of dem now and like da super dwerp, he also gots a tail; he was wid dem on da St. Anne."

"We haven't gotten close enough to hear his name, but I bet it's something vegetable pun related!" James squealed, prompting the other two to shake their head in embarrassment from his antics.

From the movements on the screen in front of them, it was clear the Team Rocket Boss was rubbing at his chin, much like he had done lately when the trio reported back their findings to him.

"Fascinating," he drawled casually. "But why would this boy be here? Was he involved in the skirmish at Vermilion City? The need for further intel is clearly indicated. Very well, you three. You have done well to bring me this information."

"Hey, Boss..." the purple-haired man uttered softly, poking his fingers together. "Um, well... there's something that I wanted to ask you..."

"Hmph?" he said, turning his head to stare at James.

Now panicking, the others latched onto him and tried to silence him.

"Oh, it's nothing, nothing at all, don't pay any attention to him!" Jessie said prominently, practically shoving his face into the cold, hard soil.

"Yeah, he hasn't had a decent thought in his brain since he learned two plus two equals four!" Meowth put forth, digging his paw into his scalp in a vain effort to get the naïve man who could put all their great ambition in jeopardy to shut his trap long enough for that to happen.

"You two — let him go! That's an order!" the Boss barked. "He clearly has something on his mind, well, then, let the man speak his piece, and be done with it!"

Immediately the woman and the Pokémon released him, as though scalded by something hot while James sat up again, rubbing his sore windpipe, but otherwise appearing unscathed from his brief turfing.

"Ugh, ach, ergh, hey, thank you, Boss," he told him gratefully.

"Yes, well, I'm a busy man, so I expect, if you have a point to make, then make it, now," the Rocket Leader threatened with a low snarl.

"Yes, sure, of course, O Great and Wise and Glorious Leader!" James said, bowing deeply. "It's just that... well, lately... I've been having some... concerns, about our mission, and Team Rocket's ultimate goal."

Jessie and Meowth beheld this spectacle with looks of utmost horror, even as Giovanni's face shifted on the monitor — an ominous sign.

"Oh is that a fact?" he said darkly, and there was no mistaking the slow, building rage in his tone now, buried such as it was within that cultured, refined accent. "And what, pray tell, may those concerns be?"

"James..." Jessie urged, apparently attempting to talk him down.

"Dis is our foirst, real opportunity to be actual somebodies in the Team Rocket organization!" Meowth reminded him in a stage whisper to the side. "Don't blow it!"

The eccentric man ignored them both and continued on.

"Well, after touring through the ruins of Vermilion City, Jessie and Meowth and I —" Here, Jessie and Meowth's expressions paled, even while Giovanni looked to radiate a palpable aura of menace "— we saw how much damage was done to the place, how many lives were lost. We were just wondering, is this what's gonna be required of us for future operations?

It looked as if Jessie and Meowth had shattered. The Rocket Boss, meanwhile, appeared to regard James with a level of cold calm.

"Collateral damage is something we, as members of the illustrious Team Rocket, are striving to avoid, yes... that is true," the shadowy figure confirmed, before he dropped his bomb on him. "However, one thing that even your intellectually challenged mind must've grasped by this point is that being part of our supreme organization requires that certain sacrifices are to be made. Whether that means that innocent lives are tossed to the side, then so long as it serves the greater good of Team Rocket, it's a worthwhile sacrifice, and one we should all be willing to make voluntarily."

"But, Boss, are you su —" James began.

"And you three!" he interrupted, causing them all to wince. "I must have your full cooperation on this matter. I will tolerate no dissent in my ranks at such a crucial moment. I've entrusted you with a mission of enormous importance, one that could have long-lasting effects for Team Rocket's future, and if you possess any doubt, any hesitation, then now is the time to voice them and I'll assign it to another, more worthy unit. Know, however, that if you fail me on this, you'll never amount to anything more than a pathetic joke in Team Rocket."

The trio exchanged looks, obviously feeling conflicted.

"Well, do I have it?" Giovanni said insistently.

"Sir, yes, sir!" they said obediently.

"You can count on us, sir!" Jessie reaffirmed, saluting once again.

"I sincerely hope so..." the Team Rocket Boss said. "Because, at this very moment, rumors have reached our ears the other regional teams are mobilizing in response to the boy's presence on this world — our golden opportunity to realize all our glorious dreams could present itself in short order, and if there is one universal fact, it's that we cannot act from ignorance. We require more information."

"And you can count on us to deliver yous dat information!" Meowth promised, shoving his face into the screen, as if attempting to get the point across before their purple-headed colleague could sabotage it.

With a nod, the screen went blank, signaling the Rocket Leader had signed off, and the trio slumped with a deep sigh of relief, before Jessie turned on James.

"YOU... MORON!" she berated him, smacking him upside the head. "What were you thinking, asking the Boss a question like that?!"

"Yeah!" Meowth piped up, likewise sounding equally mad. "He could've taken us off of this mission and then our ducks would've been fried!"

"But..." James protested, rubbing at his head. "Jessie, Meowth, you two were there, you saw Vermilion City after that battle... you've had the same fears I told the Boss, we all discussed it. What gives, eh?"

The red-headed vixen crossed her arms and glared at him.

"Talking among ourselves and bringing it up before the Boss is an entirely different thing!" she said succinctly, looking, if possible, even angrier than she had a moment ago. "James, you need to learn a little thing called the fine art of discretion! Stop running off that mouth, or you're gonna get us all in serious trouble!"

"Yeah!" the Scratch Cat Pokémon agreed. "Who are yous to decide what gets to happen to da rest of dis here team? In case yous haven't noticed, dis isn't a democracy! We do what we're told, lamebrain!"

"And what if there's another big fight like the one back in Vermilion Ruins?" James asked pointedly. "What if more people are going to die? What should we try then? Can we really live with ourselves if we let that happen?"

The other two seemed a bit thrown off guard by this and looked distinctly uncomfortable, before shrugging this off, as always.

"Well..." Jessie finally said. "If that happens then we'll trust the Boss's judgment. I'm sure he won't let us down. He is the leader, after all."

James looked to the starry skies, thinking back to how many people had been going about their daily lives only a couple days before, and how now, thanks to the actions of a few superpowered beings, they wouldn't know anything anymore. Men, women, children, all equal, and all equally helpless before these new forces of power... snuffed out, like you would blow out a candle. He blew out his breath, and could only muster three final words.

"I hope so..."

Could it be? Why yes, it's an update! Seriously, my huge apologies for how long this took. Though some of you might have already suspected this if you read Crossed Circuits, this was on the way for a while now. Mostly I need to return and pull yet another round of edits for earlier chapters, which held up progress on this chapter, before it just split into two and then into three on Microsoft Word now. If I hadn't done that it would've gotten very confusing in the "next chapter," but luckily "next chapter" is going to be Chapter 25... and not Chapter 23. Thus begins the three-part Tentacool and Tentacruel arc!

Was considering skipping the Tentacool and Tentacruel episode altogether, but I figure with how many episodes I've skipped already, and how many I plan to in the future, this was too much. Plus, it gave me a chance to further develop things along the Misty/Gohan front and to give her a shiny Tentacool! As you can probably tell, they arrived in Hutber Port some time before they met Nastina, giving me a lot to explore with this setting.

As a bit of a confession, another reason I've been delayed so long in updating hasn't been laziness but that I'm branching out into other sci-fi universes or popular lore I didn't consider checking out previously. I've downloaded exactly 247,718 pages of Marvel and DC Comics, downloaded Ben 10, nearly finished Babylon 5, and started with Classic Doctor Who. Trust me; all that will come in handy for a huge project which me and LSSJ2 Gohan are cooking up someday. I've also downloaded a few visual novels to gain a more thorough experience rather than their anime adaptations, such as Fate/Stay Night, of course, and others.

Now, let's get to the reviews!

Author - Jack Andrews: That's something I'm currently debating myself, if just with Gohan's presence they take a different route to Celadon City and thus avoid Primeape. And the reason I have in my head is Ash was a complete rookie when he left Pallet Town, so he never got his Pokédex properly updated the way the other Pallet Trainers did, something implied in the show.

Great Saiyaman54: I'm currently in the process of revising chapters for Other World. Trust me, I have NOT abandoned it, not by a long shot. As to that, yeah, he has the gravity chamber in the capsule house.

JensenDaniels32: Hope the chapter above was quite satisfying to you then, lol. Don't worry. I didn't forget about the adorable little Mew, but Gohan could barely show it off on the St. Anne surrounded by tons of people, could he?

Leafeon12: He caught it in Chapter 13, remember? When Melanie gave them all a load of different kinds of Pokémon from the hidden village. O.o

dconic 10: Yes, there you go! Hope that answered your question.

SomeOne Random: Exactly. I just ran out of ideas for how to extend the chapter and decided to end it where I did. And aw, shit! I can't believe I forgot that! Thanks for the catch. ;)

ssj3gohan007: Good to know. As you saw above, yes, Gohan was completely honest with Iris.

Death Killr: Thanks for the kind words! :D

kitsunelover300: Oh, pardon me, but from my limited understanding, "yeoman" is actually a naval rank, though my knowledge mainly comes from watching old Star Trek episodes. XD

ChosenOne358: Actually, Iris and Serena are an exception, not the rule... all other main characters like Tracey, May and Max, and Dawn will be appearing at the same time they did in the canon, but since the group won't be traveling to some regions in the fic, at least during the time I envisioned this when I was writing all these chapters from 2015 to 2017, I figured I had to bring Serena and Iris into this story somehow, eh? My thinking here is Ash and company only narrowly missed Iris in the canon when she had also been on the St. Anne and that Serena, as I pray last chapter made clear, was terrified about Ash after the tragedy in Vermilion City, which made all the headline news, so she decided to go looking for him herself. And, hey, I know that the manga could get pretty dark, aye? Like I hear a Pinsir sliced a human in two...

thedarkpokemaster: You'll see! ^_^

Argonaut986: I edited that after kitsunelover300 suggested that Pikachu evolve much later in the story — in fact, I basically edited everything between Chapter 10 and Chapter 17, so if you're feeling confused, like I recommended in my author's notes in Chapter 18, please go back and read the new stuff. Thanks for your concern, though. It shows people really do care about this story.

Tireless Overseer: Power levels... actually, in the games Mewtwo turns out to be a star buster; the OBD actually did the calculations, so that would pump him up to the android tiers and maybe even Cell... before blowing himself up. I tend to go with the mistranslation for Goku and Frieza's power levels because it seems a bit more grounded, imo. In my mind, Captain Argo is the Captain Ginyu to Frost. Toriyama himself thrived off name puns! As for 151 universes, there's only 150, those which form up to 151 are twins, and that's a nice little homage to the glory days of Pokémon back when there were just 151 Pokémon. My, how times have changed.

BlackGogeta: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy it. However, you can speak in English, or you could not read the fic. I'm curious, why do you comment in Spanish? It is not with the intention of offending, friend, I only ask out of curiosity.

Thesaiyan21: Always nice to see new people discovering my fic, have it branching out. And yeah, I was never fond of Gohan/Videl. I loved Videl, I just hated the ship. A lot. Very poor execution. But then, that describes the Buu Saga in a nutshell, sadly. Rest assured, I will cover all or most of the movies. Though... expect those ones to be MASSIVE, doorstopper length chapters. Yeah... as to Gohan/Iris, feel free to call it DragonMoonShipping! That works. And sorry, but no Gohan/Iris in this fic, however, I do have a few more DBZ/Pokémon stories thought out and some of them do have DragonMoonShipping. Can I steal that word? :)

Lightning Ash: Actually, if you'll recall, they were presented as very competent badasses, or at least thought to be that way, in Season 1, early Season 1. And this is when the story takes place. Though rest assured I do plan for things with them to come to a head, and for them to be forced into a choice, and to eventually quit following Ash and co around — as I hope this chapter hinted at!

Peachypiegmail: I'd feel quite flattered if someone made an AMV of one of my fics. Dunno how that'd work though.

Guest: In regards to AdvanceShipping, that is one of my proposed ships. Alongside CascadeMoonShipping (Gohan/Misty), Iris/Cabba (no name for this one yet), and Brock and who I plan to ship him with.

Tara Girl 23: She always did that in the anime, though. :P

LordVivon: Actually, Misty and Gohan are roundabout the same age here. Misty is 10, Gohan is 11. Not that far off.

natalie p: Well... you could always make it into a visual novel. Heck, I plan to create my very own visual novel someday, for ideas that I've had in the works since 1998. Yes. x.x

Saiyan0: I'll be doing a composite, the world that would have taken place if Gohan hadn't come (but had changes from canon anyway, so it's good he came, as it turns out after all!) and an altered timeline.

Guest: Sorry, but no can do. Refer to the great purges of 2012 over policies they put in place in 2002. No NC-17 material. So while I can link people to the lemon, I can't actually show it here. I'd get flagged and lose my account, especially while those vigilante purity nuts Critics United are still floating around... seriously, it's not hard. Just remove the hyphens, and put that in the url.

GUESS: Thanks. :$

reaver216: I'm so utterly honored by your words. Seriously, it's one of the highest compliments I've gotten. Always stay on the lookout for edits, as I'm constantly striving for self-improvement.

One final question before I end this, and that would be, what do you guys think about continuing past Sinnoh? You know, I used to think Unova was the worst, but I've finally reorganized my thoughts. It wasn't Unova that was bad, it was the soft reboot they gave us and that Ash still wouldn't age, and he was a rookie again. No, Alola looks like the rest. Egads, the new animation is pure, butt-ugly. Yet, I'd be willing to include it too, only age up the characters appropriately, and make sure they retain their proper respect. Or should I quit with Kalos? I dunno. I'd love to hear feedback in the reviews.

Seriously, you guys make all of this worthwhile; when I see reviews like "If I were an animator I'd animate this into an anime," "this is the only story that can keep my focus," and "this is my third or fourth time rereading this," it just inspires me to keep trying, no matter how hard it gets. Thanks from the bottom of my heart for all the love.

Please review!

~Saberian Dream