Heroes of the Multiverse

by Ari Rockefeller

 

 

Usual disclaimers apply.  These characters do no belong to me.

 

 

 

 

            Traveling between realities was, in theory, not a particularly grueling ordeal physically or mentally.  Of course, those who originally said this had partaken in this practice many, many times in the past.  Of the three heroes in the vehicle currently speeding towards the driver’s home universe, only said driver had done this on a fairly regular basis.  The two passengers, however, had three experiences between them (if this one was to be counted).

 

            Thus, it takes a little while for one to get used to the strain that shifting between dimensions causes.  Two or three trips won’t do it.  No, it takes a lot more than that.

 

            After hearing a dull thump come from the back seat, Goku glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw the intrepid Ash Ketchum laid out, a hand on his head.  He groaned loudly.  “You alright back there, kid?” Goku asked.

 

            “No…” he moaned.  He was feeling light headed, like he was spinning around in a dryer.  The nausea he felt this time around was worse than what he felt moving from his world to Darien’s.  Pikachu was staggering around on his belly, in a similar state of dizzy, and with a light whimper, flopped weakly onto Ash’s stomach.  “Are we…there yet?”

 

            “Whoa!  Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, there…don’t be puking all over the floor back there (the leather interior’s expensive)!”

 

            Darien wasn’t fairing any better, but he wasn’t dropping any hints as to just how bad he was doing.  “I don’t suppose there’s sick bags back there, are there?” he asked.

 

            “Actually…” Goku reached back behind Darien’s seat, into the mesh netting that made a crude pocket on the back of the seat.  He fished around for a few seconds, and found several small white paper bags, each with the Capsule Corporation logo on it.  He tossed them to the still stricken Ash, who merely groaned and lolled his head towards the back of the car.  “Don’t worry, it’ll be over soon.  See?”  He pointed forward, directing everyone’s attention to what was in the line of sight.  A speck of bright white light came into view, and grew bigger as they approached.  “We’ll be in my world in no time.”

 

            Soon, the brilliant light washed over and consumed the dimension-hopping car.

 

 

 

 

* * * * *

 

 

 

            As with their previous two entrances, this one wasn’t any more pleasant.

 

            Goku’s car was launched into Goku’s home world from about fifty feet above the ground downward at a 45° angle.  They were only momentarily able to appreciate the clear blue skies and tranquil scenery before the car plunged into a huge lake that fed into a wide, deep river.  The two passengers became immediately worried for their own safety, but the driver kept it cool.

 

            “Waaa!” Ash wailed, hands flying for the door handle.  “Quick!  Bail out!”  The handle flopped back and forth in his hands, but the door remained closed and locked. 

 

            “Calm down,” Goku reassured, “we’ll be fine.  Watch…” Before the car splashed down into the water, Goku’s hands moved a mile a minute over the small keyboard underneath the monitor.  When the car hit the water and started to sink to the bottom of the river, the program went to work and the car began to modify itself.  The inside of the car pressurized, pumping fresh oxygen into the cabin.  The headlights were drawn back and replaced with floodlights several times more powerful, illuminating the riverbed.  Dozens of operations went unseen to the passengers, protecting the engine from any sort of water damage.  The car drove under the water at about thirty-five miles an hour.  Sonar pinged at a slow, constant rate.

 

            “Wow,” Darien said, “this is pretty neat.  Does all this come standard?”

 

            “I wish,” Goku answered.  “I had my friends over at Capsule Corporation put a few modifications to this thing.  Never thought I’d have to use them, though.”

 

            Ash leaned forward so he was in between the two front seats.  “How long can we stay down here?” he asked.

 

            “How long can you hold your breath?” Goku chuckled.  Ash stiffened in shock.

 

            The car pushed forward as fast as it could go given the water and loose bedding beneath the tires.  Numerous fish of varying sizes swam by the strange interloper to their otherwise pleasant existence beneath the surface of the water.  “I think we know where we are,” Goku started, breaking an awkward silence.  “I know this place.  My son and I come out this way to train.  This is also an excellent spot for fishing, too.”  The car came to a sudden stop as a large creature swam in front of the car.  It was a great big fish that was bigger than the car itself.  Its scales were a bluish-gray, and its eyes were the size of medicine balls.  “Ooo!”

 

            “What’s that?” Ash asked.

 

            “Pika!” {“That thing’s huge!} Pikachu piped.

 

            Goku calmly unbuckled his seat belt.  “A snack,” he said with a smile, putting the car in park.  He then put two fingers on his right hand to his forehead.  “You guys wait here; I’ll be right back.”  And with that, he suddenly disappeared.

 

            “Goku!” Darien shouted, trying to stop him.  He sighed as Goku disappeared, failing to stop his friend from doing whatever he was planning on doing.

 

            As soon as he disappeared from inside the car, he reappeared in the water just behind the aforementioned giant fish.  The fish only had a second to react before Goku’s large, muscular hand lashed out and clamped down on the fish’s tail.  It flailed violently, trying desperately to free itself from the Saiyan’s grasp.  Without so much as a second thought, Goku jumped straight up, disappearing from the view of his two friends who were still in the car. 

 

            “What in the…?” Darien mumbled, hunched forward, trying to look up past the windshield.  All he sees is a few frightened fish – some just as big as the one Goku caught – and the waters of the lake.  They remained down there for a few moments, and he and Ash continued to get the best look they could of above the car.  They were so lost that they didn’t hear the slight wind rustling that accompanied Goku’s entrance or departure of the Instant Transmission technique.

 

            “Hey, what’re you looking at?” Goku asked.  Darien and Ash recoiled in surprise as they registered Goku’s sudden reappearance.

 

            “Please don’t do that…” Darien said, trying to calm himself down.

 

            “Sorry.”  A nervous chuckle accompanied the apology.  “Well, I’ve had enough of sitting here on the bottom of the lake.  Come on; let’s surface this thing.”  Goku shifted out of park, and aimed for a slope at ten-o’-clock.  A few moments of driving upward at a 30° angle, breaking the surface.

 

            Once the car came to a stop, they disembarked and stretched themselves out.  Being underwater made them feel even more cramped than they would normally feel traveling through dimensions.  The fish Goku caught was hanging by its tail fin in a forked tree branch.  It was no longer flopping around suffocating, and was now ready to be cleaned and cooked.  Goku reached up into the same tree and snapped off a much larger branch.  He snapped it in half numerous times until it was nothing but a bundle of sticks in his hands.

 

            “I’m…not really all that hungry anymore…” Ash said quietly to Darien.

 

            “What’s the matter, kid?” Darien answered, “Never seen someone clean a fish before?”  Ash shook his head in the negative.  Goku was about to do just that when his attention was suddenly drawn to a white streak in the sky.  Darien and Ash looked up in the same general direction, trying to see what Goku was looking at.  The white streak was growing larger, like it was coming at them.  The strangers thought it was a meteor, but they soon pushed that assumption aside.  After all, meteors didn’t wave its arms at you and call out “Daddy!” at the top of their lungs.

 

            At least, no meteors they knew.

 

            “Friend of yours, Goku?” Darien asked.

 

            “Even better,” Goku answered, smiling, “that’s my son.”

 

            Goku waved his arms and called out his son’s name as the young man drew closer.  As fast as he was going, it was a shock when the boy stopped on a dime and slowly descended in front of his father and his new friends.  Darien met the boy before, but for Ash, this would be his first encounter with the son of Goku.

 

            He was about Ash’s height, a little shorter, but was heavily muscled for a boy his age.  He had long, wild black hair that went halfway down his back.  He had his father’s eyes—intense when in the heat of battle, but gentle, full of the kind of innocence only a young boy could possess.  He was clad in gi that was different from his father’s.  He was clad in a baggy purple sleeveless shirt and baggy pants, and black and white bobbysoxer-patterned boots.  Red sweatbands adorned each wrist, and a white scarf of sorts was wrapped tightly around his neck.  A red sash adorned his waist.

 

            “Hey Gohan!” Goku shouted as his son ran up to his father.

 

            “Dad!” he said.  “Wow, I didn’t expect you to be home so soon.  Mom told me you were going off to look for other heroes, or something.”

 

            “Well, we’ve had a slight change of plans.  We’re headed back to the Multiverse just as soon as I take care of a few things here.”  He motioned to the other young boy who was a part of the group.  “I don’t believe you two have met.  Ash, I’d like you to meet my son, Gohan.”

 

            Gohan looked at the strange boy, who returned the equally fascinated look.  The feelings were mutual—both only knew each other as cartoon characters in their own worlds.  But here they were, standing face to face with one another, in the flesh, one as real as the other one.  Gohan smiled and stuck out his hand.

 

            “Ash, right?” Gohan asked.  “My name’s Gohan.”

 

            “That’s right,” Ash said, full of his trademark confidence, taking Gohan’s hand, “I’m Ash Ketchum, the greatest Pokémon master in the—guwaaah!”  The greatest Pokémon master in the world balked and cringed in pain under Gohan’s unexpectedly strong grip.  Seeing his new friend buckle like that, Gohan immediately let go and brought his hands up to his chest.  His eyes were wide, but he was still smirking.  Gohan didn’t mean to hurt him, and was thankful to see Ash didn’t take any particular offense to his slight lack of control.

 

            “Sorry,” Gohan said sheepishly.  “You alright?”

 

            “Yeah, I’m fine.”  Ash and Gohan looked at each other for a sharp second.  Then, for some strange reason, both boys busted out laughing loudly.

 

            Goku smiled as his son and his new friend laughed loudly.  It was a joyous site to see his eldest son acting like what could be described as a “normal” boy his age.  Growing up in a small, isolated, sparsely populated mountain village and spending the better part of his time training, fighting and defending his home world from evil left the poor boy with virtually no friends his own age.  Any free time Gohan did have was spent under a deluge of books (under his mother’s direction, of course) studying.  So the site of his eldest son not doing any of those things and acting like a normal young boy was a great relief to Goku.  Even as strong as Gohan is, he’s too young and innocent to spend all of his time preparing to stop the end of the world.

 

            “Good to see those two getting along so well,” Darien said aside to Goku.  “Unlike with him and Reenie; they nearly bit one another’s heads off.”

 

            “Yeah, well…” Goku answered, “stuff just happens.”  He turned his attention back to the two boys.  Gohan was holding Pikachu in his hands, and the yellow mouse Pokémon relished in the attention his master’s new friend was giving him.  “Hey Gohan, is mom home?”

 

            “She should be,” Gohan said, “we just got back from the Multiverse a few hours ago.”

 

            “Oh good.”  Goku pulled the giant fish out of the branch it was strung up in.  It was long dead.  He held the fish with one hand by the tail with it slung over his shoulder.  “I’m gonna run home for a second, drop this off and get a few things.  I’ll be right back!”  He put two fingers from his other hand to his forehead and disappeared with his Instant Transmission technique.

 

            “Does he do that often?” Darien asked.

 

            “Not as much as you’d think,” Gohan said.  “I mean, he’s not completely lazy or anything.  What do you think he does, use Instant Transmission to get up off the couch to use the bathroom or something?” Gohan chuckled, amusing himself with that image.

 

            Goku was gone longer than expected—nearly half a minute.  Darien and Ash, and even Gohan to an extent, began to get worried, like Goku got lost on the way back.  When he did, he was all smiles, and carrying an orange pole with a same-colored scabbard.  The scabbard had a simple rope tied to each end so that it could be worn on the warrior’s back.

 

            He approached Ash and handed him the weapon.  “Here, this is for you,” he said.

 

            Ash inspected the weapon closely, eyes wide with curiosity.  “What is it?” he asked.

 

            “It’s a weapon I used a lot in the past.  It’s called the Power Pole, and it’s an excellent weapon.  I can teach you how to use it, if you’d like.”

 

            Ash still couldn’t take his eyes off the innocent, unremarkable-looking staff.  “What’s so special about it, anything?”

 

            “It may look like an ordinary bo,” Gohan put in, “but you can do some really neat tricks with it!”

 

            “That’s not all I want you to have, Ash.”  Goku pressed a button on his keychain and triggered all four doors on the car to open.  “Everyone, get in, I got something else I think you should have.”  As directed, everyone got into the car.  After starting it up, he drove off.  They followed the path of the river until it took a sharp left, which is when he drove out into an open, dusty wasteland, with a few plateaus scattered about, sticking out of ground.  Several miles passed before they found a suitable bluff, standing about a hundred feet tall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER III

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            “What’s this place?” Darien asked as everyone got out.

 

            “Another good place to train,” Goku said flatly.

 

            “Looks a bit desolate,” Ash said.

 

            “Pika, pika,” {“How quaint,”} Pikachu said from atop Ash’s shoulder.

 

            “There’s nothing to get in the way or distract you out here,” Gohan said, “so it’s perfect.  We can really let loose and fight to our fullest out in this place!”

 

            Though this wasn’t the first time he’s been out in the desert or similar wasteland, Ash was a little apprehensive of the surroundings.  Other than a few cacti, the four of them were the only life forms out in this hostile environment.  A few birds flew by, way overhead, but their shadows did little to shield out the brightly shining sun.

 

            “So, what did you want to show me?” Ash asked.

 

            “I’ll show you once we get on top of this bluff here,” Goku said, pointing up.  “See ya up there!”  Before Ash could formulate a response, Goku and Gohan jumped from the ground up to the top of said bluff.  Darien morphed into Tuxedo Mask and flew up to join the others.  Ash was left on the ground, looking up, landlocked.

 

            “No, that’s okay, I’ll get up just fine on my own!” he shouted.  He was being partly sarcastic, but there was a bit of truth to his words.  He detached a Pokéball from his belt and flung it into the air.  “Charizard, I choose you!”  The ball snapped open on his words, and the large, firebreathing dragon appeared before him.  “Okay, Charizard, I need you to fly me up to the top of this bluff, alright?”

 

            “Char,” {“Understood,”} Charizard grumbled, bending forward so Ash could get on his back.  Once his master got comfortable, the pet dragon flapped his wings and took flight.  He couldn’t fly straight up into the air, however, so he had to make several large circles as he ascended, gradually bringing him and Ash up to where Goku, Tuxedo Mask and Gohan were waiting.

 

            “Wow!  What is that?” an elated Gohan shouted as Charizard landed.  The young demi-Saiyan looked the dragon up and down with wide eyes at the marvelous looking dragon.  Sure, Gohan had a “pet” dragon of his own named Icarus, but there was no comparison between that one and Ash’s.  “Is this one of your Pokémon?”

 

            “Yep,” Ash answered, boasting.  “This is Charizard, and he’s one of my strongest Pokémon.”  Gohan nearly busted a gut laughing as Charizard put his claws on his flanks and stood straight up, his head turned to the side and his wings unfurled before them.  Ash couldn’t help but laugh himself.  Sure, Charizard was the most serious of his Pokémon, but even he was entitled to be proud of himself every now and then.  He grabbed the dragon’s Pokéball.  “Okay, that’s enough of that.  Charizard, return!”  A beam of red light shone from the little white button on the front of the ball, and struck Charizard.  Charizard himself was turned into red light, which was sucked back into the ball.

 

            “How do those things work?” Gohan’s head tilted to the side.

 

            “What?  You mean you don’t know…either?”  Both boys laughed loudly.

 

            “Anyway,” Goku interjected, bringing their laughter to an abrupt halt.  While the sound of the boys laughing was easy on the ears, there were more important matters to discuss.  “What I have for you, Ash, will allow you to not only fly with us without tiring out your Pokémon, but be able to keep up with us.  No offense, but there’s no way Charizard would be able to keep up with Darien or myself.”

 

            “There’s also no way we would ever ask you to push any of your Pokémon to such limits,” Tuxedo Mask added.    “I mean, no reason for your dragon to burn up all his energy trying to keep up with us, right?”

 

            Ash looked around.  He didn’t see anything that was special, just dry, dusty rock.  “So where is it?” he asked.

 

            “I’m getting to it, just give me a second,” Goku said.  He walked over to the cliff, so that his toes were just barely hanging over the edge.  Was this some sort of summoning ritual, Ash wondered?  Darien, equally in the dark, scratched his head under his top hat.  Gohan smirked inwardly.  He knew his dad was just screwing with them, but he wasn’t about to let them know.  It would make this next bit all the more entertaining.

 

            “KIN-TOOOOOOOOOOOOUN!!!”

 

            Ash blanched backward, holding his ears and wailing in pain.  Pikachu did the same, pulling his long ears down against his head.  Tuxedo Mask blinked long and hard, letting the loud scream subside.  This bellowing was nothing compared to the wailing Serena emitted every now and then.  It wasn’t high pitched like Serena’s, but it still felt like the whole bluff would collapse.

 

            Out over the horizon, a small, orange object came rocketing towards the four of them.  The strangers couldn’t tell what it was until it got closer, because it left an equally orange trail in its wake.  When they could be easily distinguish it, they weren’t sure what to make of it.  It was a cloud.  An orange cloud the size of a college dorm-room refrigerator.  Even worse, as it flew in, it made a sound like a sputtering engine—a pocketa-pocketa-pocketa-pocketa…

 

             “Interesting device you’ve got there, Goku,” Tuxedo Mask said.  He found the cloud to be a bit puzzling.  This world seemed devoid of magical properties (by his own world’s standards, anyway), so why would Goku be in possession of a magical device such as this?

 

             “What’s that?” Ash asked.  It came to a halt level with the ground, about a foot away from Goku’s position.

 

            “Pikachu?” {“Is that a cloud?”} the mouse piped.

 

            “That,” he started, “is called the Kintoun Cloud.  “And what it does – I know that’s gonna be your next question – is allows certain people to fly.”

 

            As Ash approached, Goku took a step to the side so the boy could get a closer look at the contraption.  “What do you mean by ‘certain people’?”

 

            “Not just anyone can use the Kintoun Cloud.  Someone who uses it has to be pure of heart—no ill thoughts, no evil tendencies, nothing like that.  You fit those qualifications, right Ash?”

 

            Ash looked at Goku, then at the cloud.  “Hmmm…” he hummed.  “I admit that I’m not…perfect…” The young stranger wringed his hands nervously, “but then again, who is?  Right?”  As he stared at the orange cloud intently, he mentally replayed any of the events that may disqualify him from using this object.  It was as he said—he wasn’t perfect; sometimes his thoughts were of how he wanted to get back at Gary for something he said to him, sometimes his thoughts were of…Misty…thoughts that involved….  No, wait, Ash!  Come on, clear your head, man, calm down….  Ash saw himself as a “good boy”, but he was far from perfect.  He’s screwed up plenty of times (more than he’d like to recall), but he didn’t remember doing anything that would leave a permanent mark on his soul.  Nothing he ever did was that bad.  Was it? 

 

            One thing he did know was that standing here milling over the situation wouldn’t help it any.  Goku was encouraging him to jump on it, and the least he could do was humor him.  Giving one last glance to the Saiyan warrior, and with a reassuring yap from Pikachu, Ash sighed, closed his eyes, and jumped forward with all his might.

 

            There was a moment between when Ash left the ground and hit the cloud that seemed to last forever to the boy.  He seemed to hang in the air for as long as he’s been alive.  But as long as the moment lasted, he still had some sort of sense of his surroundings.  Just as he started to drop, his hand flew to his belt and palmed Bayleef’s Pokéball, intent on throwing it up on the cliff and having her catch him in the grass Pokémon’s vines.  Sure, the sudden stop of his body after a 20 or 30 foot drop may give him a bit of whiplash or crack his back, but hey, it’s better than dying.

 

            With that in mind, the site of Ash squatting on an orange cloud with one hand on his hip and his eyes shut was more than a bit amusing.  It didn’t register with the young man that he wasn’t falling didn’t sink him until after a few moments.  Slowly, he opened his eyes, wondering where the wind was…shouldn’t it be whipping around him as his body plummets to the ground?  He knew he didn’t release Bayleef and have her snag him out of midair.  So what happened?  Ash looked around and saw he was standing on the Kintoun Cloud.

 

            “Huh?” he piped, looking over his shoulder at his friends.

 

            Gohan was laughing happily, while Darien smiled simply.  Goku was just as elated.  “Alright!” he said.  “You can use it!”

 

            “Awesome!” he responded, looking down at the cloud.  He jumped up and down on it a few times, finding its consistency to be like that of a mattress.  Then, he suddenly stopped, staring at Goku with dull eyes.  “So, how do I use it?”

 

            “Eh?  Oh!  Oh, yes, of course!” Goku said with a chuckle, “it would help if you knew how to ride that thing, didn’t it?”

 

            Everyone else facevaulted.  Somehow, Ash managed to say on the Kintoun.

 

            Once they fixed their positions, Goku took flight, floating in the air just a few feet away from Ash.  “Okay,” he started, “the trick to using the Kintoun cloud is to realize that it’s an extension of you.  It’s controlled by your will, your spirit, and your heart.  To master it you have to realize that on it you can do virtually anything.  And so long as you remain pure in mind and spirit, you’ll always have it at your disposal.

 

            “First off, get in a wider stance, like you’re leaning forward over one knee.”  Ash did so, his left foot out and his right foot back.  “Now as you do that, lean forward, imagine yourself moving forward.  Project the image of yourself flying around in your mind.”  He did, and Ash leaned forward, arms at his sides, most of his weight over his left foot.  The cloud started slowly, but eventually it picked up speed.  Soon, Ash was flying at a decent speed, faster than anything Charizard could pull off.  “Great!” Goku shouted, on Ash’s left.  He was a few yards away, matching the boy’s pace on the cloud, while Gohan and Tuxedo Mask kept up on his right.

 

            “I can’t believe this!” Ash shouted.  “I’m actually flying!”  Ash let out a holler in joy and threw his arms back, inadvertently turning the Kintoun into a full loop-the-loop.  Not prepared for this sudden twist, Ash lost his balance and began to fall.  Though his body was plummeting and his arms flailed wildly, the cloud kept its course, and actually caught Ash.  The transition looked seamless, as though Ash had jumped off the cloud himself and planned this little stunt.

 

            Everyone else gasped collectively when Ash fell from the Kintoun, but let out a relieved sigh when he flopped back down onto it.  The boy regained his footing after realizing he wasn’t about to die.  “Sorry,” he squeaked with a nervous laugh.

 

            “You always have to keep in control, Ash!” Goku called.  “I know it’s tough, but this if your first time using it.  Once you get the hang of it, stuff like that won’t happen!”

 

            “Okay!” Ash answered.  “So how do I turn this thing?”

 

            “That’s easy, just lean your body in the direction you want to turn!”

 

             “Alright.  Hey, the same goes for going up and down, right?”

 

            “That’s right, kid!”  Taking this new instruction, Ash leaned first to the left, making a nice, wide turn.  As his path arced, he noticed the long, orange streak the cloud gave off in flight.  His turn went about 270 degrees before straightening out.  After a while, he did the same with a right turn.  All the while, Goku, Tuxedo Mask and Gohan kept pace with the boy on the cloud.  “Remember, it’s all a matter of mind over matter, Ash!  If you can see yourself doing it, you can do it!”

 

            For the next half hour or so, Ash trained with the Kintoun Cloud, flying all about the vast, open landscape.  He progressed quite rapidly, navigating a series of twists, turns and loops he banged out one after another all off the top of his head like he was born to fly.  Goku was very pleased; never has he seen anyone advance as quickly with the Kintoun as he has.  Truly, this boy had mountains of untapped potential.  Hero material all the way, he thought.

 

            At one point, Goku froze, and called everyone around for a quick meeting.  “Hey, while we’re here,” he said, “I have to make a stop somewhere before we head back to the Multiverse.  You guys don’t mind, to you?”

            “Where do you have to go?” Tuxedo Mask asked.

 

            “I gotta pay a visit to a friend of mine.  It won’t take too long.”  He motioned for everyone else to follow him.  “Come on, this way!”  As Goku sped off, everyone else fell into position—Gohan and Ash at either wing, with Tuxedo Mask a half-a-step behind.

 

 

 

 

* * * * *

 

 

 

            A few minutes later the quartet of warriors flew over the city, which Goku pointed out as West City, the (obviously) western section of the capital city (which the outsiders assumed was Japan).  They flew above the city, parallel to one of the larger, more heavily trafficked streets until they came upon a large estate.  The property was dominated by a large, yellowed dome-shaped building with the words Capsule Corporation in big black lettering facing the street.  Several large trees, a lush garden, and several smaller buildings attached to the main building dotted the domain.  Out in the back, by one of the larger sub-buildings, there was a white patio set with six white chairs with blue cushions placed around a glass table with a matching umbrella.  A dainty woman was watering plants nearby.

 

            Goku and Gohan landed first, stopping on dimes right above the property and descending straight down.  Tuxedo Mask swooped down and landed oh-so-gracefully, typical of the tuxedo-clad superhero’s style.  Ash’s landing was…less than graceful.

 

            Like the Son family, he too fell straight down to the ground, but in a different fashion.  When Ash staked out his landing site, he waited until he was directly above his target, and jumped off the cloud.  Having no magical powers or advanced martial arts training made the oncoming bump very grueling.  Even though Ash turned a nice somersault in midair (much to Pikachu’s dismay), it did little to affect his landing.  Ash wailed in surprise as he realized he was falling farther then he expected, and landed hard on his feet, ending up with his body squatted down with his knees up by his face and his ass nearly touching the ground.  His legs felt completely destroyed. 

 

            For a few long moments, no one said or did anything as they watched Ash, waiting to see what he would do next.  “Ow…” he whimpered after a while, breaking the silence.

 

            “Are you alright?” Gohan asked, approaching him.  Ash was still in his squat position, his eyes glassy and vacant.

 

            “Yeah,” he grunted, “just peachy.  A little help, here?”

 

            Gohan grabbed his hands, and stood on his feet for leverage.  With a sharp yank, Gohan snapped Ash back upright.  He walked around a few steps, limping, but otherwise okay.  When Ash thought about it, this was nothing, really.  He took harder bumps falling off of cliffs and into rivers and such where his whole body was bounced around like a rag doll.  This was nothing.

 

            “Goku?  Is that you?” the woman asked.  The fall snapped her out of the trancelike state she was in when watering the flowers.  “Oh, it’s so good to see you again!”

 

            “Hello, Mrs. Brief,” Goku said with a slight bow.  “You wouldn’t happen to know where Bulma is, do you?”

 

            “Oh, she’s still in the Multiverse, darling,” the woman replied.  She then turned and headed for a door to the house.  “But you and your new friends must be awfully tired!  You have a seat and I’ll get you all some nice warm tea.”  She disappeared into the house, and the four took their seats.  They hardly got settled when someone else stepped out.  It wasn’t Mrs. Brief, but rather, a young man with lavender hair and a dark purple jacket over a black tank top, with baggy gray track pants and yellow and black boots.  His eyes were also purple.

 

            “Hey, you guys!” the youth shouted.  “When’d you get back?”

            “Not too long ago,” Goku shrugged.  “How’ve you been, Trunks?”

 

            “Pretty good.”  Trunks sat down in one of the empty chairs.  “You looking for my mom?”  Goku nodded.  “That’s too bad, Goku.  You just missed her.  She left for the Multiverse last night around dinnertime.  She heard you were putting together a superhero group and she wanted to fix something up real nice for you.”  He looked at the two strangers Goku and Gohan brought with them.  “And who are you two?”

 

            “These are the first two to sign on to my cause,” Goku explained, smiling.  He motioned to the man in the tuxedo, “This guy here is Tuxedo Mask,” he then motioned to Ash and Pikachu, “and this is Ash Ketchum.”  He would’ve gone into greater detail, but a hard, gruff voice interrupted him.  It completely shut down the content mood everyone was in.

 

            “Bah!  You waste your time, Kakarot!”

 

            Everyone, Trunks included, turned to the source of the voice.  The man was about five-foot-ten, clad in a black skin-tight body suit with white boots and gloves.  He wore a white and yellow vest about an inch thick that slipped over his head. His hair was black, and formed a large widow’s peak on his forehead.  Every inch of his body was covered in rock-hard muscle, much like Goku’s.  He had a hard scowl on his face and was covered in sweat.

 

            “Hello, Vegeta,” Goku said, his tone serious.

 

            “So, you’re not satisfied with playing hero in this world, you have to go playing around in the Multiverse, don’t you, Kakarot?” Vegeta said.  In one hand was an unopened bottle of water.  Rather than twisting the cap off, he simply squeezed until it popped off and drank the contents in one gulp.

 

            “You may think it’s foolish, but it’s a lot better than holing yourself up in the gravity chamber for days on end and training blindly, wouldn’t you say?”

 

            “Hmph.  It’s your bloody life, Kakarot, like I give a damn one way or another what you do with it.”

 

            Tuxedo Mask leaned over to Ash.  “Quite a charmer,” he said in a low voice.

 

            “Why does he keep calling him Kakarot?” Ash asked.

 

            “It’s because that is his Saiyan name, boy!” Ash practically flew out of his seat, nearly trampling Pikachu in the process, as the loud, raspy voice boomed from directly behind him.  Tuxedo Mask also sprang up, not noticing Vegeta’s sudden presence behind him.  “Allow me to explain it so that your feeble, gaijin minds can understand.  Kakarot and I are Saiyans—members of an ancient warrior race known for their superior strength and fighting prowess.  And I, I am their prince!  There was a time when our numbers flourished, and we were the envy of the universe!  Until…until a madman named Freiza annihilated our home planet and reduced our numbers to four.  FOUR!  I was among the survivors, along with two bodyguards of mine.  The fourth survivor I didn’t learn about until much, much later…Kakarot.  Goku.”  Vegeta scowled.  The very mention of that name made his blood boil.

 

             “Kakarot, on the other hand, was sent to this Earth as a baby with orders to raze all life from this miserable planet so it could be sold to the highest bidder.  But fate intervened, it seems.  When he was just a child, he suffered a severe concussion resulting in complete memory loss.  He forgot about his mission and was raised as a normal child.  Chances are if my retainers and I never came to Earth, Kakarot would never have learned about his ancient Saiyan heritage…and the history of this world would be very different, indeed.

 

            “The Saiyan race lives on in some form, as both he and I have demi-Saiyan sons…the children of Saiyan fathers and human mothers.  I am loath to admit it, but they possess all the best traits of both races without their respective weaknesses.  The children have shown more potential than full-blooded Saiyans at their age have.  Much more than I feel like explaining now, anyway.”

 

            “Just be glad we have each other around to push ourselves further and further, Vegeta,” Goku said flatly, “even if you’ll never admit to it yourself.”

 

            “Don’t kid yourself, Kakarot.  My sole purpose in life is to become a stronger warrior than you are.  Even if it kills me, I will live to see the day when you are defeated by my hands!”  Vegeta looked at the outsiders next.  “Let this be an early warning to you and your other little ‘superhero’ friends: there just may come a time when the Multiverse is in peril and I will be there fighting on the side of ‘good’.  But don’t think for one second that I’m fighting for the same thing you and your pathetic little band are fighting for.  No one is going to kill Kakarot – in this world or any other – as long as I’m around.  We’ll never settle our score if one of us ends up dead beforehand.”

 

            “I guess that makes sense,” Ash shrugged.

 

            “Pikachu,” {“Talk about holding a grudge,”} Pikachu added.

 

            “And just what makes you so special, boy?” Vegeta growled at the Pokémon master, who recoiled in shock at his harsh words directed his way.  It wasn’t just the way he was talking to him, though.  It was the way this Saiyan prince carried himself.  Vegeta was a very imposing figure, and when combined with his general bitterness and anger, it made him that much more uncomfortable to be around.  His stare was like steel, and it bored into his soul.  Ash was unable to formulate any kind of answer to his question, which only agitated Vegeta further.

 

            Vegeta feinted forward, and the overly jumpy Ash immediately made a move to run away.  He got two steps before tripping over an end table, crashing to the ground.  Pikachu sprang to his master’s defense, letting loose a thunderbolt at Vegeta.  As strong as the attack was, it did little more than irritate the Saiyan prince.  Pikachu’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates as Vegeta simply scowled at the little rodent and the attack he tried to pull off.

 

            “Pi?” {“What the—?!”} it shouted.

 

            For a few moments, Vegeta stared into space, not acknowledging anyone or anything else’s presence.  Then, eerily, he turned his head towards Pikachu.  “Would you like to try that again, rodent?” he snapped.

 

            “Kaaaaaaa!” {“Oh, fuck this!”} the mouse squealed as it scurried behind its fallen master.

 

            “Vegeta!” Vegeta’s head spun around to see Goku shouting at him, ready to fight.  Vegeta knew he meant business, and cautiously stood down.  He wasn’t about to fight Kakarot, not here, anyway.  Vegeta had planned for his eventual destruction of his Saiyan rival, but it wouldn’t be here, and wouldn’t be now.

 

            His attention turned to the other foreigner.  “So, do you fight as well as you dress, pretty boy?” he snapped at Tuxedo Mask.

 

            A chill crawled down the Earth Soldier’s back.  It wasn’t every day he felt this much hatred and rage emanating from one source before—not even Queen Beryl was that twisted and cruel.  Just by looking at him and Goku he could tell they were strong…stronger than anything he had ever known.  That battle in his home world gave him just a taste of this “Saiyan” strength; how would they act if given the chance to really cut loose?  This Vegeta guy looks capable of endless destruction with not so much as a second thought.

 

            At least he said he would fight for the good guys…even if it were only because he wants to fight and defeat Goku himself.

 

            “The standards of your world and the standards of mine are too broad to be compared,” Tuxedo Mask answered calmly.  “But rest assure, like you, only my own kin are equal to me in strength in my world.”

 

            “I’ll bet,” Vegeta scoffed.  He turned and walked away, tired of dealing with Kakarot and his new little friends.  The Saiyan prince couldn’t detect any kind of ki signal from either one of them, they were that weak.  And that guy in the tuxedo says he’s one of the strongest in his world.  Bah.  “Trunks!  I’m going to be in the gravity chamber for the remainder of the day.  I do not wish to be disturbed!”  That was all he said as he walked off, slamming the door behind him. 

 

            “Lovely,” Darien grunted after reverting.

 

            “With friends like that, we don’t need enemies,” Ash said, picking himself off the ground.  Pikachu crawled back onto Ash’s shoulder.

 

            “Pikachu?” {“Is he gone?”} he squeaked.

 

 

 

 

* * * * *

 

 

 

 

            Night fell on the Dark Kingdom, the only light in perhaps the entire kingdom coming from a plethora of candles lit in Beryl’s throne room.  Even with all the candlelight permeating throughout the queen’s chambers, the room still looked very dim.  Indeed, the darkness in the Dark Kingdom was so intense that even the heaviest of light didn’t have much effect.

 

            The queen was at one of the tall windows on the right wall of her chambers, staring out into the infinite darkness of her universe.  She was lost in her thoughts.  In a rare moment, she nearly had all of those pathetic Sailor Soldiers and that wretched Tuxedo Mask all ready to be slaughtered.  But she couldn’t have predicted any…outside interference.  Those brats weren’t alone—a warrior of immeasurable strength, and a young boy with fantastic beasts at his ever beck and call.  They came in with Tuxedo Mask when he returned to his own dimension, but she merely thought they were travelers…interdimensional travelers, but travelers nonetheless.

 

            Travelers who just so happened to wreck her plans to conquer “Earth” and make it part of the Dark Kingdom.

 

            The defeat was not in vain, however.  The presence of these otherworldly beings gave the queen new insight as to how the universe worked.  That there were more universes out there than just the two she new of—the Earth realm and the Dark Kingdom.  Doors started opening for Beryl left and right…and behind two of those doors…

 

            “The presence of those two strange warriors has disturbed me to no end,” she started, breaking the long silence.  “Their interference with my plans has completely altered what I knew about the worlds around me.”  She turned from the window and walked over to her two guests, two demonic fiends who were apparently from the same dimension.  “You two, however, seem to have a better grasp on the workings of the universe, do you not?”

 

            The two she was addressing were two beings she invited to her kingdom, into her palace.  They both were terribly strong, each possessing strength that easily rivaled her own magic—she didn’t have to see them in action, she could sense that just by looking at them.  The taller one looked like some sort of green speckled bug, but believe it or not was an android.  He was created by Dr. Gero, the quintessential “mad scientist” who collected DNA samples of the strongest warriors who ever stepped foot on that particular Earth.  The other was shorter, but just as strong and just as hateful as his partner.  His body was a pale white with purple accents on his head, shoulders and stomach.  He had a long, pointed tail that could be a very deadly weapon in combat.  Entire galaxies fell to his tyranny, as he was known for eradicating entire civilizations and selling planets to the highest bidder (when he wasn’t blowing up planets, that is).

 

            Both had one thing in common…they were killed by a few overly selfless Saiyans.  But while at least Freiza died at the hands of a full-blooded Saiyan adult, Cell was defeat (and in his mind, humiliated) by a half-breed prepubescent child.  They had a lot in common when they met in the afterlife and caused unparalleled chaos throughout Hell.  Both wanted to see Goku and his little friends destroyed no matter what it took.

 

            “There is more to an individual universe than simply the living world and the dead world,” Cell explained.  “There is a much bigger device at work.”

 

            “What you didn’t realize until a few days ago,” Freiza added, “is that there are countless universes running parallel to one another.  Each has its own set of ‘heroes’ and ‘villains’ running their own lives, one keeping the other in check, and generally keeping balance in that particular universe.”

 

            “This still doesn’t explain how I didn’t know about you two until that Goku fellow came to Earth and foiled my plans!” Beryl shouted.

 

            “Easy, your majesty…”

 

            “One thing that the ordinary people of each universe have in common is that they need to be entertained,” said Cell.  “There are dozens of forms of entertainment in your Earth alone.  However the ideas for any form of entertainment are never their own.”

 

            “What do you mean?” the queen asked.

 

            Freiza chuckled.  “Well, where do you think those people get their ideas?  Hmm?  It is because there are a number of artisans on any given world that have at least a subconscious connection with any number of particular universes.  It just so happens that the ‘creators’ have some talent with a pen or a paintbrush, or whatever.”

 

            “Our worlds…are they connected in any way?”

 

            “All worlds share a common bond, your majesty,” added Cell.  “The Multiverse.”

 

            “It is a place where magic and science live peaceably with nature,” Freiza said.  “A place where all the best traits of the countless universes are blended into a single world.  Many times the ‘heroes’ and ‘villains’ could pass each other on the streets and not even know it.  It is the center of all existence; without it, our worlds would cease to exist.”

 

            “So what does this have to do with me?” Beryl asked.  “Are you two proposing we should cooperate with one another?”

 

            “Actually…yes,” Freiza said, his sinister chuckle making a chill crawl over Beryl’s skin.

 

            “It starts with the elimination of our nemeses, queen,” Cell explained, “but we plan on taking our devices further.  See, once Goku and this Sailor Moon person and their little cronies are out of the way, we were thinking we would simply conquer every other universe out there until evil rules over literally, everything.”

 

            Beryl’s eyes lit up, and a smile graced her face.  “I like the way you two think.”

 

            “You also have to consider that wherever we go, any local ‘evildoers’ will want to join up with us.  We’re not the only ones with dreams of world conquest, you know.  You may even run into beings more twisted than Cell and myself.”

 

            “This is sounding better and better with each passing second.”  Beryl rubbed her hands together slowly.  “What must I do to seal our agreement?”

 

            “Quid pro quo, my queen,” Cell stated.  “You help us kill Goku, we’ll help you kill this Sailor Moon.”

 

            “Done.”  She approached her new business partners.  “I do believe we are going to have so much fun together…”

 

            The laughter of Freiza, Cell and Beryl echoed throughout the palace, drifting out through the Dark Kingdom in an eerie, haunting melody.

 

 

 

 

* * * * *

 

 

 

 

            “Find your center.  Focus your energy into a single point, right in your hands.”

 

            “I’m trying, I’m trying.”

 

            “I can see that, but you’re not gonna get anywhere tensed up the way you are.  Take a few deep breaths, then try it again.”

 

            Ash did as Goku explained, and took several deep breaths before closing his eyes.  His hands were about half a foot from his body, fingers splayed out and curved so it looked like he was holding a ball in his hands.  There was about an inch of space between each finger.

 

            After leaving the Capsule Corp. grounds, Goku and company returned to his mountain village.  Before Goku, Ash and Darien left for the Multiverse, Goku wanted to see what this strange energy Ash had within him.  They were seated Indian style out in a field about a hundred yards from Goku’s house.  He knew that the incident with the shadow youma in Darien’s home world was no accident, that somehow Ash was able to generate electrical energy and use it to his benefit.  The only problem was not even Ash knew how.

 

            Goku reasoned, though, that if it was anything like ki, it could be conditioned and used just the same.  So he set out to teach Ash the same ki-manipulating exercises he taught his own son.  He noticed Ash was progressing with this at the same pace Gohan did when he started—slowly.

 

            “Okay, here it goes,” Ash said.  He concentrated hard, and recreated the image of him fighting that demon in Darien’s world, where he got lightning to shoot out of his hands.  But that was only because he was under extreme duress.  Having your life on the line makes you do some pretty strange things.  He concentrated harder, and without his knowing his body started to shake slightly.  In his mind’s eye, he saw lightning dancing around his fingertips, in between his fingers.

 

            What he didn’t know is that Goku was seeing that same thing with his own two eyes.  That’s it, Goku thought.  Eventually this energy manifested into a small ball the size of a golf ball suspended between the boy’s hands.  The corner of his mouth twitched and the shaking in his hands became more apparent, until with a sudden shout, Ash’s hands flailed out straight and fired the energy straight ahead of him…right into Goku.

 

            “Oops…” Ash hiccupped, wringing his hands nervously.  “S-sorry…”

 

            “It’s alright,” Goku said.  The energy Ash gave off did little to faze him, but it leave a few traces in his clothes and in his hair, which he wouldn’t learn about until he touched a doorknob or other metal object.  “You’re still a bit rough around the edges, but you’re also just starting out with this.  Not bad, though.”

 

            Ash smiled, knowing Goku wasn’t mad at him.

 

            “Now, let’s try this again…”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To Be Continued……………