>     Nerima wasn't a bad-looking city, Kailan admitted, especially for 
>a farming world like Earth. The buildings were large but well 
>attended, free of dirt and graffiti... *At least, in this area,* he 
>thought. Some of the worst slums he'd ever seen had been in cities 
>that were hailed far and wide for their loveliness. Perhaps that was 
>the punishment whatever gods existed imposed on those who would create 
>beauty; the more wonderful one side of a creation, the darker the 
>other half had to be.
>     He stopped that line of thought fiercely. Nerima was a nice town, 
>and he'd enjoy himself here. First priority was the Dragonballs, 
>certainly, but seeking a good time was never far from his mind. He 
>noticed a group of young ladies walking down the sidewalk towards him, 
>and inclined his head towards them with a chivalric air and a grin. 
>They smiled back, giggling slightly. But he did not slow his pace, or 
>speak as he passed by them. He already had a girlfriend. The fact that 
>A) he didn't know her name, B) they weren't on the same planet 
>anymore, and C) she hated him didn't mean she and he weren't still an 
>item. The Dragonballs would make everything better. They had to.
>     He whistled tunelessly to himself as he walked down the streets, 
>taking in all the sights. Once, he thought he heard the faint noise of 
>laughter over the din of cars and construction, but paid it no mind.
>     When he tired of gazing at Nerima's buildings, he reached in his 
>pocket and put on the pair of sunglasses there. Into the lenses was 
>built a Saiyan scouter; Kailan hated the full-scale models of the 
>power-gauging devices. They were so clunky. An unobtrusive one was far 
>more his style. He flipped the machine on, panned the city for 
>concentrations of fighting power. Then he whistled lowly to himself, 
>impressed. *Lords above... a huge group of fighters, almost all of 
>them above five thousand in power level! I think I need to check that 
>out...*
>     When he reached the building- it seemed to be a school- a banner 
>over the large double doors proclaimed that inside was "A Tournament 
>for the Strongest, the Fastest, the Bravest of all the World!" 
>Intrigued, Kailan stepped closer. A number of men and women, some of 
>them obscenely muscular, flexed or sparred on the steps outside the 
>door. He politely shouldered his way through them, stopping in front 
>of a sign on the wall. It read, "All fighters welcome! Any style of 
>martial art, any weapon welcome! Pokémon trainers welcome! No holds 
>barred; anything goes! First to knock the other unconscious or out of 
>the ring wins! Fabulous prizes!"
>     *Fabulous prizes? Like, perhaps, a Dragonball....?*
>     He needed a good workout anyway, after his long stint shipboard. 
>He entered the building, heading for an official-looking table near 
>the door. The sounds of cheering and battle cries filled the air.
>     The man at the table gave Kailan a glance as he approached, then 
>turned his head to a number of papers on the desk. "Name?" he shouted, 
>voice carrying over the din.
>     "Morning, sir. Kailan Kanchestar's the name."
>     "How do you fight?"
>     Kailan gave the man a grin. "I fight to win, of course."
>     The man glowered back. "Funny. Don't antagonize me, boy. I'll 
>determine who you fight out there. And believe you me, there are some 
>people here today you definitely don't want to fight. Get me?"
>     "Of course, sir."
>     The man glared a little more, then went back to his papers. "How 
>do you fight? Pokémon, bare-handed martial arts, martial arts with 
>weapon?"
>     "Uhh... the latter. What're Pokémon, by the way?"
>     The man looked back up at him, this time in surprise. "You don't 
>know?"
>     "I'm not from around here."
>     He grinned in a way Kailan didn't like very much. "How 'bout you 
>fight one? It'll be our first human-Pokémon match of the day. Should 
>be interesting. You're up next," he went on before Kailan could 
>object. "I suggest you prepare yourself."
>     There was the laughter again, just on the edge of hearing. Kailan 
>ignored it, and walked over to the ring. *So... a Pokémon, eh? Maybe 
>it's some sort of augmented human or something. My curiosity is 
>piqued...*
>     The fight in progress was winding down when he reached the side 
>of the ring. The two guys fighting both had pretty good moves, but it 
>was obvious that one was exhausted from the physical strain of 
>fighting for so long, while the other still had stamina reserves left. 
>So it was a very short time indeed until his name was called.
>     "Kailan Kanchestar!"
>     There was polite applause as he stood, which he acknowledged with 
>a gentlemanly nod. He let his eyes drift over the other fighters on 
>the bench, waiting their turns.
>     "Pokémon leader Misty!"
>     More applause, and a girl stood. She was several inches shorter 
>than him, with short red-brown hair not unlike his own and very large 
>eyes. She was wearing overalls with a pair of shorts. And she was 
>fairly pretty. Kailan's heart sank. *Aww, damn. I didn't want to fight 
>a girl... not now...*
>     He took a few steps towards her, bowed. "Good luck, miss. I'll 
>try not to be too hard on you."
>     She smiled tightly, eyes narrowing. "What a gentleman you are. 
>I'll make sure to let my Pokémon know that. Maybe he won't maim you as 
>fiercely."
>     She picked a red and white ball from off her belt and tossed it 
>at her feet. "Go, Blastoise!"
>     A few seconds later, the biggest scary-ass turtle Kailan had ever 
>seen was snarling at him from across the ring. He most certainly did 
>not like the look of the two huge cannons on its back. *Hey... it's 
>got guns... what kinda fight is this?*
>     "Fight!" shouted the announcer.
>     Kailan drew his power pole. The creature lumbered forward, 
>gnashing its hooked beak. Someone was laughing again, but Kailan 
>couldn't tell who.
>     "Blastoise! Bubblebeam!" yelled Misty.
>     *Bubblebeam? What the hell...?*
>     The turtle gripped the floor with four clawed feet firmly, as if 
>bracing itself. Two enormous sprays of water burst from its cannons, 
>one of them catching Kailan square in the chest and lifting him off 
>his feet. He flew out of the ring, mind trying frantically to 
>comprehend what had happened. His body and reflexes, however, were 
>quick to react. He pointed the power pole behind him, shouting for it 
>to extend. It stretched out, impacting against the judges' table with 
>a solid thunk. The barrier caused it to grow the opposite way, 
>propelling him back into the ring. He landed rather clumsily back in 
>the fighting zone, and growled for his pole to shrink to axe length. 
>The crowd cheered its approval of his quick thinking, but he hardly 
>noticed.
>     *Bastard turtle-thing*, he thought. *My suit is SOAKED.*
>     "Blade extend!"
>     The halberd head flipped open, metal edges glinting nastily. 
>Misty screamed angrily, and one of the judges shouted from behind him. 
>"No weapons against Pokémon!"
>     "What?!" Kailan hissed, glaring behind him.
>     "It's the rules! No guns, explosives, swords or any other blades 
>will be used against Pokémon! Such weapons could kill the animals!"
>     *Well, crap.*
>     He retracted the blade, reluctantly. Someone was definitely 
>laughing at him now. It was mocking laughter, and he didn't like it.
>     The turtle came at him, taloned forepaws swiping towards his 
>face. He leaned backwards, and spun the staff in his hands, catching 
>the monster twice across the face. It hardly blinked, and lunged at 
>him with a wicked curved beak. He jumped straight up, pulling his legs 
>under him, and struck down with all his strength. The pole simply 
>rebounded off the creature's shell.
>     *Crappity crap-crap crap.*
>     He landed behind the Pokémon, and stomped heavily on its rear paw 
>as it tried to turn on him. It howled in discomfort, and he clouted it 
>on the head again with the staff. It winced, skittering away from him. 
>He allowed himself a grin of triumph. So the thing could be hurt after 
>all!
>     "Blastoise! Water gun!"
>     Two fine streams of water came from seemingly nowhere and hit him
>straight in the eyes. He yelped in pain and surprise, stumbling 
>backwards as he tried to clear his vision. Through a haze, he saw a 
>huge grey mass charging him, and lashed out at it with staff and 
>booted feet. It jumped on his chest regardless, the weight pressing 
>him down to the mat. Burning pain flared on his torso as its claws 
>raked across him. Using the beast's momentum, he performed a judo 
>throw that sent it careening across the ring. He shook his head, his 
>vision returning. The thing was way faster than it should've been, 
>given its size.
>     Its eyes narrowed, and its talons clenched the ground. But Kailan 
>was ready this time.
>     The twin jets of water blasted right over his head as he threw 
>himself into a roll towards his adversary. Still crouching, he 
>sweep-kicked it in the head. It staggered at bit, dazed, and he took 
>the opportunity to wedge his pole under its shell. Holding the pole, 
>he stood-
>     And the turtle flopped onto its back, waving its claws 
>helplessly.
>     There was laughter and cheering from the crowd. Kailan smiled and 
>waved, exulting in the triumph. Now all he had to do was push the 
>thing out of the ring. The match was as good as over.
>     That turned out to be far truer than he realized.
>     "Blastoise! Use the Bubblebeam!"
>     The turtle fired its jets once more, despite the fact that the 
>cannons were facing away from its human opponent. Water drenched a 
>number of audience members, but the Pokémon didn't care. Without its 
>claws dug into the floor to brace it, the force of the water blast 
>sent it skidding across the floor-
>     Straight into Kailan's legs.
>     Not even his reflexes were fast enough this time. Kailan did a 
>complete somersault in the air and landed heavily on his shoulder. He 
>rolled a number of feet before finally stopping. He lay on the ground 
>for a long moment, breathing heavily, trying to realize what had 
>happened.
>     When he stood, the match was over. He was outside the ring.
>     The crowds were cheering again, but not for him. Misty knelt by 
>the animal, arms around its neck, laughing joyfully. Kailan ran a hand 
>through his hair peevishly, sheathing his pole.
>     *Turtle bastard.*
>     Someone was really laughing now. It almost sounded like cackling.