Just an idea I wanted to get out of my head.  ^_^  

Pok� Ball

by Jennifer Califf

Dragon Ball created by Akira Toriyama and Bird Studio, Pok�mon copyright
Nintendo 



Bulma, the attractive teenage daughter of the Pok� Ball Corporation,
stood in the shade of a large rock, staring at a small device in her
hand.  The blistering desert sun shone brightly all around while her
young companion, Son Goku, sat on the ground looking unhappy.

"I'm hungry,"  Goku complained, as his stomach rumbled loudly.

"Well, I guess we should stop for a rest," said Bulma, looking up from
her device.  "According to the Pok� Radar, we're definitely headed
toward the next of the Legendary Pok� Balls."  Bulma sat down next to
the young boy who, strangely enough, had a tail.  

"According to the legend, each of the Seven Legendary Pok� Balls
contains one of the Seven Legendary Pok�mon.  If I can find all seven,
I'll be the most famous pok�mon trainer in the world!"  Bulma's spoke
with such fierce desire that even Goku almost forgot about his empty
stomach.

"Why would you want to do that?" Goku asked.

"Because then I'll be able to marry a cute and powerful Pok�mon Master!
"  Bulma said, her eyes distant as she imagined hundreds of handsome
young men all begging for a date with her.

"You're weird," Goku commented, but Bulma was too far gone to hear him.

Not far away, a young man spied the two travelers.  His name was
Yamucha, and he was known far and wide as the Desert Pok�bandit.  Anyone
passing through his desert was fair game, and few pok�mon trainers had
ever defeated him in a pok�mon battle.  However, he had one great
weakness.

"Oh no," he whispered as he watched the two intruders with a terrified
expression.  "It's a girl!"  Yamucha was torn, faced with the choice of
defending his reputation or giving in to the primal instinct that was
telling him to run like hell.  

Goku, meanwhile, had taken out his grandfather's pok� ball.  Bulma had
insisted that it was one of the Legendary Pok� Balls, and had
practically forced him to join her on her quest.  His stomach growled
again, and Goku momentarily wondered if the Legendary Pok�mon that was
supposed to be inside would be good to eat.  Nearby, Bulma had decided
to lie down for a short nap.  Goku was bored.  As Bulma slept, he
watched the shadow of the rock slowly move across the ground.  As he
watched, suddenly the shadow got larger and he knew they weren't alone.

"Who's there!?!" he yelled, jumping up and facing the rock.  Bulma was
suddenly wide awake, and she quickly reached for her backpack containing
the Pok� Balls and the Pok�radar.  Unfortunately, the bright sunlight
obscured Goku's vision, and he couldn't see.  As it turned out, he
didn't need to worry, because the intruders were more than happy to
introduce themselves.

"Prepare for trouble," said a female voice.

"And make it double," added a male voice.

"No, not you again!" Bulma cried.  Oblivious to her cries, the two
voices continued their speech, alternating lines.

"To protect the world from devestation,"

"To unite all people within our nation,"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"
"To extend our reach to the stars above,"

Leaping down from the rock to face the two travelers, the duo called out
their names.

"Magenta!"  An attractive young woman posed dramatically.  She had
bright pink hair and wore a white uniform with a large red "R" on the
chest.

"Cornflower!"  An equally attractive young man with purplish-blue hair
and a matching uniform struck an equally dramatic pose.

"Red Rocket Army, blast off at the speed of light!" announced Magenta.

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" finished Cornflower.

"Meowth, that's right!" A small, feline pok�mon jumped down from the
rock and stood between the two members of the Red Rocket Army, pointing
at Bulma's backpack.  "And you're going to give us those Pok� Balls!"

"Cornflower?" asked Bulma, trying not to laugh.  "What kind of name is
Cornflower?"

"Well, Blue, Violet, and Purple were already taken," answered
'Cornflower' defensively, "so I had to look through a box of crayons to
find an appropriate name." 

"I like your name, James," said 'Magenta'.  "In fact, I really think it
suits you."

"Do you really think so, Jess?" asked 'Cornflower' happily.

"Can we get on with this!?!" yelled an irritated Meowth.

"You won't take these Pok� Balls without a fight," said Bulma, reaching
into her backpack.  "Oolong, I choose you!!" she called, throwing a pok�
ball that opened to reveal a small pig wearing a white shirt, green
pants, and suspenders.  

"Whatd'ya want now!?!" asked Oolong, "I was in the middle of something
important.  Do you mind?"  Closer examination revealed a magazine of
questionable taste that he'd tried to hide in the back of his pants.

"Now you listen to me, you lazy perverted porker!  You're MY pok�mon,
and you're going to follow MY orders," Bulma yelled, her hands clenched
into fists of rage.

"Oh yeah?  Who's gonna make me?" asked Oolong, sneering.

"I'm hungry," Goku complained loudly, as no one was paying any attention
to him.

Cornflower and Magenta watched the argument unfold in silence, while
large sweatdrops appeared on the backs of their heads.

"Uh oh," Yamucha said, watching the confrontation.  "It looks like
they're in trouble.  But why should I help them?" Yamucha continued to
watch with growing unease. 

"It's not like I'd be helping them," he reasoned to himself, "I just
don't like the Red Rocket Army.  I'm doing myself a favor.  That's all."
 Yamucha pulled out a pok� ball.  "Puaru, I choose you!" he called and a
small blue floating cat emerged from the pok� ball.  

"Yamucha-sama?" the cat asked.

"Puaru, I want to you to help me get rid of those Red Rocket Army
troublemakers." 

"ENOUGH ALREADY!!" yelled Meowth. "You two, get those Pok� Balls!"
Magenta and Cornflower pulled out their own pok� balls and activated
them.
"Number 6, I choose you!" 
"Number 7, go!" 

The pok�mon that came from the Red Rocket Army's balls were like no
pok�mon Bulma had ever seen.  Number 6 vaguely resembled a snake, but
it's stilted movements and souless eyes betrayed it's unnatural origins.
 Number 7 was even more odd, a floating, pulsating mass of gears and
flesh that emitted a foul, sickening gas.

"What are those?" Bulma asked, her eyes wide.  

"Meowth!  These are the ultimate fighting creations of the Red Rocket
Army!  Jinzoupok�mon 6 and 7!"  Meowth grinned confidently.  "With these
artificial pok�mon, the Red Rocket Army will soon rule the world.  The
only thing that could possibly stand in our way are the 7 Legendary
Pok�mon.  And soon we'll have those too!"

"Oolong, we've gotta stop these guys.  Machine gun attack!!" Bulma
ordered the little pig bravely, but there was fear in her eyes.

"You got it!" the pig answered, and his entire body suddenly transformed
into a piece of living artillery.  He fired at the Jinzoupok�mon, but
the bullets bounced right off their tough hides. 

"No good!" Bulma cried nervously.

"You fools, you'll never win againt the Red Rocket Army," boasted
Magenta.

"Puaru, ballistic missle attack, now!!" called a voice.  A handsome
young man appeared nearby.  Next to Oolong, an ICBM suddenly popped out
of nowhere and launched it's payload directly at the two artificial
pok�mon.  

"Wow!  Where'd that come from?" asked Goku, amazed.  

"I'm Yamucha, the Desert Pok�bandit, and this is my territory,"
announced the young man.  "The Red Rocket Army doesn't belong here.  I
think you should leave!"  Yamucha stood proudly and spoke with a
dangerous glint in his eyes.

"He's SO CUTE!!" Bulma squealed.  Yamucha blushed furiously, and looked
away.  The missle exploded, stirring up a huge cloud of sand and smoke.
Bulma covered her face with her hand and tried to keep from being
knocked off balace by the shock of the explosion.

"Take that, Red Rocket Army!" she yelled.  However, as the smoke cleared
she gasped with amazement.  The Jinzoupok�mon weren't even scratched.

"You singed my hair!!" cried Cornflower, holding the charred ends in
front of his face.

"You ruined my complexion!!" cried the equally upset Magenta, who's
soot-covered face had turned bright red from the heat of the explosion.

"Number 6, acid attack!!""Number 7, poison gas attack!!"

The two Jinzoupok�mon moved forward, and the snake-like Number 6
suddenly spit at Oolong.  He jumped backward in fear.

"Yeowch!!  What the?"  He watched in terror as the place he had just
been standing dissolved and left a deep crater in the ground.

"That's it, I'm out of here!" he said, and with a red glow he returned,
unbidden, to his pok� ball.

"YOU COWARD!!" yelled Bulma.  

"Puaru!" called Yamucha, amazed that his first attack had failed.  

"Yes, Yamucha-sama?" asked the floating blue cat, reappearing in front
of his master.  However, at that moment Number 7 expelled a noxious
cloud of blue gas.  Bulma, Yamucha, and Puaru were all caught in the
blast, and all three suddenly found themselves coughing and unable to
breathe.  Bulma fell to her knees.

"Hey you, leave my friends alone!" Goku yelled, forgetting about his
hunger. 

"Oh, what are you going to do about it, brat?" asked Magenta, smirking.
Goku reached behind his back and pulled out a staff."Oh, he's got a
stick.  How frightening," mocked Cornflower.  He and Magenta laughed.

"I'm warning you, leave my friends alone."  Goku crouched, ready to
attack.  Meowth noticed as Goku reached to put his Pok� Ball back in his
pouch.

"Meowth!  It's your unlucky day, kid," Meowth said, "We're the Red
Rocket Army, and we're not leaving without every one of the Legendary
Pok� Balls, and that includes yours!"

"You leave my grandfather's Pok� Ball alone!" Goku cried, leaping
towards the Jinzoupok�mon.  However, Number 6 moved surprisingly fast,
and used it's tail to knock the staff out the boy's hand while knocking
the boy backward into the rock.  He hit it with a loud crack, and the
rock split in two.

"Siksssssss," it said in a hissing voice.  It coiled itself, and then
suddenly sprang forward, straight at Goku.  Goku rolled out of the way
at the last second and the snake-like pok�mon ran head first into the
cracked rock.  

"Number 6!"  Magenta ran over to the injured Jinzoupokmon.

"Owwww," Goku cried, slowly standing up, shaking his head to clear it.
Looking up, he found himself face-to-face with Number 7.  Number 7
sprayed a foul green gas straight into Goku's face.  Goku, blinded by
the gas, stumbled forward.  

"Alright Number 7!!  Finish him!" yelled Cornflower triumphantly.

"The smell!" he cried, holding his nose.  Number 7 flew down and rammed
Goku in the stomach, causing him to double over as the breath was
knocked out of him.

"Goku!" Bulma yelled, still on her knees. "Use the Legendary Pok�mon!"

Goku felt the Pok� Ball in his pouch and hesitated.  Through watering
eyes, he saw Number 7 preparing for another attack, while Number 6 had
nearly recovered.  Reaching for his Pok� Ball, he pushed the button.

Yamucha watched the battle between the boy with the tail and the
Jinzoupok�mon unfold.  He felt helpless, but he knew that even Puaru
couldn't fight such strong monsters.  He'd returned his pok�mon to it's
pok� ball as soon as the poisonous gas enveloped them.  Next to him, he
heard Bulma tell the boy to use the Legendary Pok�mon.  Yamucha couldn't
believe his ears.

"You mean you HAVE Legendary Pok�mon?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, I'm going to be the most famous pok�mon trainer in the world!"
Bulma responded.
"Well then WHY DIDN'T YOU USE THEM EARLIER!!" he demanded.

"Um, well, I didn't think about it," Bulma answered, smiling brightly.
Yamucha sank to his knees.

"Is that. . . ?" Bulma asked, pointing looking at the place where Goku
had stood.  Yamucha looked up.  Goku had disappeared, and in front of
them there was instead a giant ape, that was growing larger by the
second.  It seemed to glow with an inner light, and there was a sense of
savageness in it that could not be tamed by man.

"The Legendary Pok�mon, Oozaru," Yamucha breathed.  Bulma pulled out her
Pok�dex and aimed it at the giant monkey.

"Legendary Pok�mon Oozaru," identified the tinny voice of the Pok�dex.
"Believed to be one of the most savage and fierce of all pok�mon.  No
furthur information available."

"What is that!" asked Magenta, as she and Cornflower grabbed each other
in fear.
"I think it's a giant monkey," answered Cornflower.

"You two are pathetic," said Meowth.  "Jinzoupok�mon, get that thing!"
he ordered.  The two artificial pok�mon began their attacks.  Number 6
spit acid at the Oozaru, but it simply batted it aside with it's paw.
It then picked up up the snake-pok�mon and held it with both hands.
With a bestial roar, it snapped the Jinzoupok�mon like a dry twig.

"My Number 6!!" cried Magenta as the two halves of her pokemon fell,
still squirming, to the earth.

Number 7 flew up to the Oozaru's face and discharged poison gas.  The
giant monkey stood still for a moment, then suddenly sneezed.  The
poison gas dispersed into the air and the flying pok�mon flew backward
into the groud, creating a small crater.  As the Oozaru rubbed it's
nose, Number 7 slowly lifted itself back into the air and again flew up
to the creature's face.  However, before it could attack, the Oozaru
opened it's mouth and chomped with it's powerful incisors.  Number 7
never stood a chance as the giant monkey slowly chewed, and then
swallowed its foe.

"Number 7!" cried the understandibly upset Cornflower.  The two Red
Rocket Army members looked up at the giant monkey, and made the only
logical decision.

"Run!!" they cried together, and started to make their escape.  
"Come back here you cowards!" yelled Meowth, shaking his fist after
them.  Suddenly he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise, and he
turned around to see the giant Oozaru that had come up directly behind
him.  

"Um, well, on second thought, maybe running isn't such a bad idea," he
remarked, casually backing away from the giant simian.  However, before
he could escape the Oozaru grabbed him by the tail and swung him around
in a circle.  The Oozaru then roared and threw Meowth straight at the
rapidly retreating Red Rocket Army, hitting them, and sending them into
orbit.  

"Looks like we're blasting off again!!" they cried as they disappeared
into the distance.

Yamucha and Bulma had watched the entire battle.  However, now that the
Red Rocket Army was gone, the Oozaru turned to look at them.

"Um, nice Oozaru?" said Bulma hopefully.  The Oozaru roared.

"What can we do?" she cried, grabbing Yamucha by the shoulders.  

"Aaaaah!" he yelled, his body stiffening up.  He then immediately
fainted.

"What's wrong with you!!" Bulma yelled, but Yamucha couldn't hear her.
She looked up at the giant Oozaru with dread. 

"GOKU!!  Where are you!?!" she called, hopefully, but there was no
answer except the savage roar of the Oozaru. 

"We're doomed," she said to herself.  Bulma watched in horror as the
Oozaru advanced, and she closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.
It never came.  Finally, she opened her eyes.  The giant monster was
gone.  Bulma stood up, shakily, and looked around.  The remains of the
Jinzoupok�mon still lay on the ground, but the Oozaru seemed to have
vanished without a trace.  Then she say Goku.  He was lying not far
away, face down in the sand.  And strangely enough, he was missing all
his clothes.  His Pok� Ball lay near his hand.

Bulma picked up Goku's Pok� Ball.  She stared at it for a long moment.
Then, for reasons she couldn't explain, she pressed the button to
release the Legendary Pok�mon.  It popped open and nothing happened.  

It was empty.

"How is this possible?" she asked herself.  Then she looked at Goku,
lying unconcious on the ground.

"Goku?  Could it be?"  To tired to think, Bulma sat down in the shade of
the remains of the rock to rest while she waited for Goku and Yamucha to
wake up.  She had a feeling that Goku was going to be hungry.


The End

Jennifer

jcaliff@nsai-petro.com       http://www.topher.net/~jcaliff/iserlohn.htm

Broken mirror, a million shades of light
The old echo fades away
But just you and I can find the answer and then
We can run to the end of the world
-"Small of Two Pieces" lyrics by Masato Kato, end theme of Xenogears