#YELLOW = SUPER SAIYAN HE MUST BE A SUPER SAIYAN

[tobiasdrake]

What are your opinions on Paikuhan/Pikkon, as well as the Other World Tournament arc more generally?

Could have stood to be longer. Five episodes doesn't seem like nearly enough to get an entire tournament arc over and done with, but it can be enough episodes when there are very few characters to be invested in.

The Anoyoichi Budokai or "Strongest in the Other World Martial Arts Tournament" is an interesting premise held back by a lack of substantively interesting characters to fill a tournament roster. What makes tournament arcs work is getting to see various members of the cast given their moment in the spotlight. However, in the Anoyoichi Budokai, there are only two characters of any interest: Goku and Paikuhan.

Having only two interesting characters creates a problem for a tournament arc. It means the final round is the only match of any interest. The rest of the time is spent waiting for the plot to reach the interesting stuff. At that point, you'd be better off having Goku and Paikuhan slug it out in an exhibition match.

For his part, Paikuhan's introduction is a little janky. They wanted to do the "Meet the new antagonist, he makes the old antagonist look like a joke," bit to puff him up. So we get this?

Every arc has its ups and its downs. This is the weakest point of the Anoyoichi Budokai by far. This is peak "Toei doesn't understand Dragon Ball".

So, despite the fact that you don't keep your body in the afterlife without special dispensation from a sponsoring god, Frieza, Cell, and the Ginyus all have their bodies and are able to use their tremendous power to take over Jigoku.

The Ginyus, at least, were excused in a previous filler episode. Kaio sponsored them, allowing them to keep their bodies so he could use them to train the Earthlings. That episode had its own issues, mind. But at least it's there. No such explanation has been offered for who gave Frieza, Cold, and Cell their bodies back.

Toei just. Really likes this premise of all the old villains still being tremendously powerful and being able to revolt from Hell, even though the metaphysics are designed with built-in explanation for why that can't happen. Toei did it here, they did it in the movie Fusion Reborn, and they did it in GT.

So, Goku and Paikuhan go to put down the Hell revolt and like.

Goku wipes out the Ginyus while powered up in Super Saiyan yellow battle aura and Super Saiyan hair colored black for some reason. Not sure if this is a coloring error or what. Is he supposed to be Super Saiyan here or not? Doesn't seem like he'd need to be.

But then we get this reaction shot from Frieza and Cold.

Staring in slack-jawed amazement. Goku defeated the Ginyus!? That's impossible! It staggers belief that Goku could be so powerful that he could do that to the Ginyu Force! How far must he have advanced since the last time Frieza saw him!?

Y'know. When Goku left Frieza in chunks on the turf of an exploding planet.

Toei.

What the fuck are we doing here. This bit in Jigoku is the absolute nadir of the arc.

Its main purpose is to set the stage for this moment.

Paikuhan works over Cell like he's nothing.

If we're to assume that this is Super Perfect Cell at his full strength, then this is an intimidating yardstick moment for Paikuhan. Goku couldn't even take regular Perfect Cell. He doesn't have a snowball's chance in Hell, pardon the pun, of measuring up to Paikuhan in the ring.

Goku, of course, is thrilled by the opportunity to try. Paikuhan here is presented as a new mountain for Goku to climb. The next peak he can ascend to. Today, he met the new Always Someone Stronger Around the Next Corner.

This, at least, Toei does get. This is classic Goku. He watches Paikuhan make short work of Cell and his takeaway is "Fuck yeah, I want a piece of that." Thankfully, Goku getting a piece of that is what the arc's actually about. Goku's in the afterlife for like an afternoon when the Kaios propose a tournament between their four galaxies.

Like I said before, most of the matches don't feel meaningful because we have no investment in any of the other competitors.

This guy's based on Hercules and he's the closest thing to a third important character, in that he and Goku got to exchange words for a bit in this episode. He's here so we can be sad when Paikuhan kicks his ass.

Oh no, Paikuhan defeated that one guy that was kinda nice and now he's out of the tournament. Sucks.

Goku, meanwhile, fights this caterpillar dude who tickles people.

Who he beats by just kinda blasting him 'cause Goku's tremendously powerful so this ain't shit. It ends on a killer joke, though, as Caterpi enters a chrysalis so he can power up and transform into his ultimate battle form!

Look, these things take a while, okay? Not everyone can just eat a spunky orphan and then POP, perfection. XD Ya got me, Toei, that was fucking gold. Caterpi is a nothing character but the punchline kills.

But other matches are stuff like this.

Cool power bro but. Like. I do not know who these people are. Toei, I don't know who these people are. I legit could not care less what the outcome of this match is. I don't know why you made this a tournament.

What makes a fight interesting is not that the guy punches very hard and his ki blast is super big. We care about the fight because we're invested in the characters participating.

Only once in the history of the Tenkaichi Budokai did Toriyama ever make us sit through a match between two randos: Namu vs. Ranfan in the 21st. That was because he was developing one of those randos to be an emotional core for the arc; That fight was meant to serve as our introduction to Namu for a story that would reach its height when he fought Goku in the semifinal.

This isn't that. Half of the arc's third episode is spent waiting for things that matter to start happening again.

Goku's opponent in the semifinals is really cool, though.

He's fighting a fish man with the power to summon water, forcing Goku into a bad position as he has to try and defend himself from Aqua while trying to avoid drowning. This is a really cool technique, setting up Aqua as an interesting and complicated opponent for Goku to have to navigate.

Who he beats by just kinda blasting him 'cause Goku's tremendously powerful so this ain't shit. Gotta admit, Aqua's fight left me disappointed 'cause that was a perfect setup for some classic Goku analysis and counter-fighting. But nope. Goku just Power Levels through every match.

Goku's third fight is barely worth mentioning. He fights the purple lizard guy from that earlier rando match. Malaiko is just a big strong guy who hits really hard. Goku hits harder. It's mainly notable for this one moment.

Where Goku momentarily loses track of Malaiko, and we see his eyes scanning back and forth as he tries to figure out where his opponent's gone.

Goku. Goku, you can sense ki. Goku, you are probably the universe's #1 master at ki sensing. You physically can't lose track of people like this. What are you doing?

He does find Malaiko and manage to sucker punch him before Malaiko can launch his attack. But I dunno. Goku needing to stop and try and figure out where his opponent vanished to for a couple seconds this late in the series feels wrong to me. This happens during the fight with Paikuhan too.

Paikuhan dodges an attack so fast that he vanishes from sight and Goku has to spend a couple seconds looking for him, before Paikuhan announces himself and surprises Goku. Again: Goku can sense ki. What is this?

In any case, rando hits hard, Goku hits harder, and we get this moment of acknowledgement from Paikuhan.

My dude, what are you talking about? We've been given no reason to believe that guy Goku just beat was supposed to be powerful beyond his abilities, nor has he had any opportunity to improve his skills since you met him like four hours ago. We have seen no meaningful improvement from Goku at any point in this tournament. Paikuhan's just saying words that sound like Dragon Ball things to say.

We move right along to the main event and what we're all actually here for: Goku finally steps into the ring with Paikuhan. From what we've seen of these two, Paikuhan should shitstomp Goku. What he did to Cell puts him leagues outside of Goku's capabilities.

Yep.

Yep.

That's about right. Paikuhan dominates this match, as well he should based on how they set him up. His Hyper Tornado is neat, trapping his opponent in a vortex of razor-sharp air currents that cut him up. Most of the fight is Goku facing some new thing or another that Paikuhan's doing. Goku struggles to even land a hit on Paikuhan, with every exchange either leading to Paikuhan wasting Goku or Goku managing to pull it out and fight evenly before the next exchange wastes him.

Paikuhan is never on the back foot, while Goku always feels like he's at the end of his rope desperately trying to pull this out.

There's also a bit of Playing the Hits to this fight, as Paikuhan pulls the "Goku suddenly reveals he's wearing weighted clothes" bit from the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai while Goku basically looks into the camera and calls him a knock-off Piccolo.

Goku, you're not supposed to point out when the anime's being uncreative. That's my job. There's also one of Toei's favorite bits of anime choreography here.

Toei really likes dramatic Super Saiyan transformations when a character's back is against the wall. In the movies, this gets really obnoxious and can feel like the characters are getting shitstomped on purpose. Like, we'll get prolonged sequences of Goku getting fucking shitstomped and we know he can just transform so it's like. Goku. Goku, why are you letting this happen to you?

This never happens in the manga. Saiyans go Super immediately as they step up to fight the bad guy. They only hold back when they have a reason to hold back, such as Trunks reserving his limit-breaker form because he's concealing it from Vegeta, or everyone agreeing at Gohan's behest to not go Super at the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai. Toei's action is all holding-back all the time, because it lets them drag fights out without having to come up with a valid reason for why the tide would suddenly turn at the critical moment.

But here, in this match, it works. For this first stage of the match, Goku and Paikuhan are both starting out small and testing each other's abilities. When Paikuhan decides to get serious, he takes off his weights. Goku repays him in kind by transforming. Goku was fighting Paikuhan at a level that matched what Paikuhan was giving him; now that Paikuhan is kicking things up a notch, Goku kicks things up to match.

This makes sense and feels true to character. Much moreso than, say, Vegeta letting Android 15 beat the shit out of him for several minutes because he loves the taste of fist in his mouth.

And then, of course, there's Goku's ultimate last resort unveiled here in this arc.

Goku uses the Kaio-ken as a Super Saiyan. As ways to remix old abilities for new and creative attacks go, this is a neat idea. Though it does raise a shitton of questions. Like, if Goku can do this, why didn't he use it against Cell?

Funnily enough, Toei forgot they wrote this in Dragon Ball Super. The Z anime and all of its filler is canon to the Super anime, with Captain Ginyu's continued existence being the most obvious example of their connections.

Toei did this again with Blue Kaio-ken, while also offering a lore explanation that Super Saiyan Blue is the only Super Saiyan form that it's possible to use Kaio-ken with. Never before has Anime Goku ever been able to combine Kaio-ken with Super Saiyan, but he can now do it with Blue.

So I guess this never happened. XD That's just as well; It lasts for all of one punch and then he never does it again. I think it's just there for another Playing the Hits moment. Remember that time Goku hit Kaio-ken and then punched Vegeta really super hard? Good times, moving on.

The climax of this fight comes when Paikuhan unveils his inappropriately named Thunder Flash.

"Thunder" in an attack name can generally mean one of two things: A powerful sonic crash or a fancy word for lightning. That. Um. That's fire. It's fire, Paikuhan. Do you know what thunder is? Because I don't think you do.

This is the best part of the entire tournament. Goku says this because characters are just saying Dragon Ball sounding words in this arc.

Which is a funny thing to say when the climax of the fight is going to feature Goku capitalizing on the technique's clear and obvious vulnerabilities. That's right, Thunder Flash finally gives us a chance to see Counter-Fighter Goku in action again.

Obviously, the technique's vulnerability is a) a super-long chargeup time where he has to do about as much random bullshit with his limbs as Recoome's Ultra FIghting Miracle Attack, followed by b) holding him in place while he fires it. Goku seizes on that second one; If the technique doesn't land, Paikuhan's set himself up for a brutal counterattack.

Goku can teleport. So he makes a brutal counterattack. Honestly, not sure why he didn't teleport out of the way the second time Paikuhan hit him with this. I can understand the first; He didn't know what was coming. But I don't know why it took until the third for him to come up with this. Evasive teleportation is not a new thing he just came up with today; He was doing it in his fight with Cell.

He says it took until the third Thunder Flash for him to first see Paikuhan's movements clearly.

I believe that. What I have trouble with is that he stood there and let the attack hit him without even trying to evade it. Dodging's for suckers, I guess.

But, nitpicks aside, this is a fantastic triumph for Goku. The fight up to this point has clearly asserted Paikuhan's undeniable statblock superiority, which makes it all the more hype when Goku wins anyway by exploiting the holes in Paikuhan's technique. Paikuhan is stronger, but Goku outmaneuvers him at just the right moment, in just the right way to clinch a ring-out and claim victory.

A victory that speaks both to Goku's abilities as a counter-fighter and his general familiarity with the atmosphere of the tournament stage.

So, overall, the arc itself is janky as fuck but its centerpiece, the Paikuhan fight, is mostly solid. It takes too long to get to the good part and there's nagging bits of Toei Choreography here and there once the fight begins but most of the fight itself works.

And it ends in a place that leaves Paikuhan and Goku both with much to learn. It's clear by the end of the match that Paikuhan is a stronger fighter while Goku is a better fighter. There are still mountains for both men to climb. This resolution feels true to the spirit of Dragon Ball and lets the Anoyoichi Budokai go out on a high note.

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super 013

Yeah, they’re still at it.

Let’s just skip to the best part.  So Goku and Beerus are having a beam-struggle above the Earth, and Whis explains how their combined energies have been compacted together into some ultra-dense energy sphere which may destroy the entire universe no matter what happens.  So yeah, even though this was the plot of the last episode, we’re doing the whole universe-ending bit all over again. 

Mr. Satan asks Whis to intervene, and tries to bribe him with a handwritten voucher, allowing Whis to all he can eat, anywhere in the world.  I’m not sure why Whis needs this when he can just steal all the food he wants, but Whis declines the offer, however reluctantly.

But all I care about is this awesome little doodle Mr. Satan did.  This one image is what makes Super better than GT.  I have spoken.

So they tease the universe ending again, and once more, nothing actually happens. 

As everyone wonders what’s going on, Bee licks Dr. Brief’s face.  Awwww.  Dr. Brief ate some tasty stuff and there’s still some flavor left behind in his mustache.  Bee’s playing a long game here. 

Also, Bee fucking rules.  This is another reason why Super is better than GT, because in GT, Bee is dead.  They were like “Well we can either have Doltaki or a cute dog everyone loves,” and they made their decision.  Fuck Dragon Ball GT forever.

Anyway, it turns out Beerus neutralized the universe-ending whatchamathingy, but he needed to use 100% of his power to do it.  He hadn’t been using his full power up to now, because he thought it would be undignified to go all out against a Saiyan, but now he doesn’t care about his reputation, and he just wants to win.  Also, he’s lying, and he’s still not using his full power. 

So they go at it, and then Goku reverts back into his vanilla Super Saiyan form, and Beerus declares the fight to be over.  Goku doesn’t get it though, because he hasn’t noticed.

Also, Goku is still just as strong as before, so he has no reason to quit.  Beerus speculates that his body must have learned how to sustain the power level of the Super Saiyan God form, so Goku can still tap into it beyond the limitations of the ritual he used earlier.  So with that established, they keep fighting.

And yeah, I am very relieved to see that yellow aura again.  I’ve never hated Super Saiyan God, but my favorite parts of the movie are when Beerus fights Goku on King Kai’s planet, and Vegeta at Bulma’s party, and Goku after his God form wears off.  Funny how that works out.  You can invent a new transformation, but the movie seemed to tacitly admit that it wasn’t going to matter much in the long run, and it’s true purpose was to provide a way to make Classic Super Saiyan relevant again.

[megamattzx]

Preview to Shroud of Memories

Small preview to a later chapter of Dragon Ball: New Frontier: Shroud of Memories.

This is a prequel to a Group Story that is also ongoing.

Shroud of Memories is set 44 years before the events of New Frontier and has Goku Jr and his allies going off to rescue his versions of the Son Family. In order to do so, he must rely on his Memories and past in order to do so.

Preview: Goku Jr continued holding back the blast as Chi-Chi stared in dread. Gritting his teeth, the clone and son of Goku pushed the blast of energy in the air. Chi-Chi was shocked by her son's growth. Whenever she thought she was no longer able to be surprised, she gets proven wrong.

Goku was also shocked by this. He couldn't even believe his eyes. This was his son and yet there was more of himself than he realized. Gohan was also shocked by this power. Hell the entire Son family was. Goten only grinned from seeing this. Goku Jr stared his opponent in the eye.

"Your fight's with me," he told Haruto. A spark in his eyes and a tone fire in his voice. His ki rising as the Earth shook around him. Rocks started levitating around the area around him. Blue, green and yellow electricity wrapped around him as it all happened.

Haruto stared at the saiyan in horror. Fear like never before sent a chill down his spine. "H-how....?" He said shakingly. His voice indicated fear. To say that he was terrified would be an understatement. He was dealing with a monster in his eyes.

Goku Jr saw this and grinned before transforming into a Super Saiyan Blue. The different grades of normal Blue should be more than enough to take him down now. This fight wasn't going to end the same as it did last time. He knew that now.

Chapter 1 is out now: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49703296/chapters/125455921

[livefreeforfun]

Saiyan Duality - A SSG and SS4 Comparison

I don’t think anyone would argue that one of the most recognizable aspects of the Dragon Ball franchise is the transformations the characters tend to undergo. From an old hermit bulking up to an absurd degree to the legendary Super Saiyan, the franchise has its fair share of power ups, but the users of many of these iconic forms usually fall under one category of people - the aforementioned Saiyans.

The Saiyans, across all forms of Dragon Ball media, have over a dozen different transformations, each one becoming more and more powerful than the last. From the simple Great Ape to the lengthily named Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Controlled Berserk (I wish I was making that up), the repertoire of Saiyan forms is immense, but I constantly see two of these forms being compared: Super Saiyan 4 and Super Saiyan God.

Both forms are very iconic, with Super Saiyan 4 being a GT trademark and Super Saiyan God being the first of many new transformations we see in Dragon Ball Super. I’ve seen a multitude of debates online trying to prove that one of these forms is better than the other, so I wanted to throw my hat into the ring and give my take: while I have a personal preference for God, both forms are absolutely incredible at what they attempt to portray in those who use the form, and I’m gonna go a little in depth as to why.

Starting the Super Saiyan 4 section with a little bit of background info, the older of the two forms made its debut in GT during the fight against Baby. To access the form, a Saiyan needs to both have a tail and already be able to transform into a Super Saiyan. They must transform into a Great Ape, turn Super Saiyan on top of that to become a Golden Great Ape, and then control that state to obtain Super Saiyan 4.

Super Saiyan 4 is remarkably different from the previous Super Saiyan forms, sporting no golden hair and instead keeping it back and having it grow far longer and having it cover the user’s shoulders, though it’s worth noting that Super Saiyan 3’s hairstyle is much longer. To make it more visually distinct, the user’s body is also covered in red fur save for parts of their chest, with their tail also turning red and gaining a red trim around their eyes. Curiously, Goku is also turned into an adult when he accesses this transformation, which is explained as a unique property of this form: any user of the transformation has their body reverted (or propelled into) its prime, meaning they will always appear as a young adult. Lastly, different users of SS4 have slightly different looking versions of the form. For instance, Goku’s version of the form has a shade of red fur that has a slight pink hue to it while Vegeta’s fur is crimson, and Goku has yellow eyes while Vegeta has blue eyes.

Now that the backstory and design of SS4 has been talked about, it’s time to talk a little bit about SSG. Super Saiyan God is a legend closely related to the legend of the Super Saiyan that Frieza feared. The legend involves the Saiyan Yamoshi and his five pure hearted allies battling against the evil hearted Saiyans. Yamoshi actually obtains Super Saiyan, but still loses the battle and his life, and now his spirit wanders through Universe 7 trying to find the Super Saiyan God.

There are only a couple ways for a Saiyan to obtain Super Saiyan God. The first method is a ritual, in which five other pure hearted Saiyans give their power to a sixth, transforming the sixth into the Super Saiyan God. As a side note, this ritual only works because of the wandering spirit of Yamoshi, making it a Universe 7 exclusive phenomenon. The other way for a Saiyan to obtain SSG is to train with god ki, which can typically only be done by training with someone who already possesses godly ki, such as Gods of Destruction.

Super Saiyan God, as a transformation, actually looks quite simple compared to other Super Saiyan forms. The user’s hair and eyes turn red, they become slimmer and even look a little younger, and their aura looks like fire. Super Saiyan God, similarly to SS4, also seems to give different users of the forms slightly different shades of red, though it’s not nearly as apparent as it is for SS4.

When putting the two forms next to each other, it can be hard to find similarities between them. Both feature some kind of red hair but outside of that, noticeable similarities are sparse, and I think that’s the point. Both forms have to portray entirely separate ideas: the wild nature of the Saiyans and the calmer demeanor of the Gods, and they portray these ideas incredibly well in my eyes. While I do have more of a preference for SSG like I said earlier, it’s not hard to see why so many fans of Dragon Ball are allured by the primal look of SS4.

Ultimately though, if you ask me, trying to compare the two to try and prove that one is objectively better is just a waste of time. It feels like God was designed to be the other side of the same coin as SS4, the heads to its tails. Both designs have their strengths and their weaknesses, so at the end of the day, whichever form is “superior” will always be up to viewer interpretation and nothing more.

[shoottomiss]

Don't know why I made this

Vegeta: Stand back, Blair Bitch, let an actual skilled fighter take this one.

Raven: A skilled fighter, eh? Is that why you lose 90 percent of all the important battles?

Vegeta: Oh yeah, that's rich coming from the girl who can't throw a punch to save her life.

Raven: Indeed, why banish someone to a dimension of their worst nightmares when I can just hit them really hard?

Vegeta: Oh yes, why experience the adrenaline rush of battle when I can just annoy them away with the yellow pages?

Raven: You couldn't even read the yellow pages, fist for brains.

Vegeta: Tell me, are your tatas actually literal purple nurples? Cause it would explain why you act like a bitch all the time.

Raven: Can't be any worse than having to fly just to reach the top shelf. I'm sorry, but you must be 'this' tall to beat Goku.

Vegeta: What's that? I couldn't hear you over the army of emos calling for their queen.

Raven: A more illustrious title than being "the prince of all shitty hairstyles", I assure you.

Vegeta: Ooo, your boyfriend must be so proud. Oh, but tell me... how is Malchior?

Raven: ...Just fine. How's your spine?

Vegeta: ...

Raven: ...

Vegeta: (super saiyan) I'M GONNA WRING YOU OUT AND USE YOU TO MAKE HOT TOPIC'S NEXT LINE, TWILIGHT SPARKLE!

Raven: (four red eyes) NOT BEFORE I SEND YOU TO A DIMENSION FULL OF NAPPAS, GOKU LITE!

Beast Boy: That... doesn't look good.

Bulma: Nope. We better talk em down before Vegeta blows her to smithereens.

Beast Boy: Nah, Raven's gonna traumatize him with her nightmare magic before he gets a chance.

Bulma: (scoffs) Oh please, Vegeta could put a hole through her head before she could utter a word.

Beast Boy: (scowls) Raven doesn't need words to use her magic. She'll just stare at him and "poof"! No more little veggie.

Bulma: Can little miss creepy stand a planet blowing up in her face?!

Beast Boy: Can the overgrown troll doll survive the fires of hell?!

Zod:...

Faora:... God, it's like space thanksgiving with my family back before Krypton blew up.

Zod: Agreed. I am uncomfortable. Let's find some different heroes so I can actually tell them how I always win.

[vegetandbulma]

so i am rewatching the cell saga and i must say, this saga is absolutely everything. perfect cell just being perfect cell, bulma only giving a fuck about her son and not her baby daddy, gohan wearing piccolo's uniform, vegeta in that yellow sweatshirt and just randomly taking it off in the living room, trunks and his long hair, vegeta's weird creepy smile he gives piccolo before going into the time chamber, goku and gohan in their super saiyan forms, mr. satan trying to fight cell for a whole episode while the z fighters just watched with dumbfounded looks on their face, the people of earth trying to understand how goku and the z fighters fight when they see them on tv for the first time...the cell saga was EVERYTHING and a gem we should all cherish.

[engineerdz]

Guiltless Chapter one

Just posted my first DBZ fanfic! you can find it on Ao3 here. It kind of aligns with Kakavege Week prompt: hypnotism (kind of?)

Summary: 

“Don’t antagonize him,” Piccolo ordered. “He can’t feel guilt right now, so he will act on all his impulses. It’s up to you to control yourself around him.”

“I was just standing up for myself,” Goku mumbled sullenly. "It's not my fault he got himself stuck Majin."

“I’m not running like some kind of coward,” Vegeta spat.

“Don’t be a fool,” Piccolo argued. “We’ve got nothing.”

“You have nothing,” Vegeta started. “But I’m a Saiyan warrior-”

Goku grit his teeth as he squinted out through the fog, still not able to sense a damn thing out there. He’d probably heard Vegeta’s pride speech a hundred times by now, with all the battles they’d fought together. He’d never really agreed with the concept - Goku would sacrifice his own pride gladly, if necessary - but hey, whatever kept Vegeta up and swinging. Goku had his love of fighting and the ki power to back it up, and those were the things he could never lose.

Well. Until today.

“-his pride,” Vegeta finished behind him. “So feel free to continue hiding in this hole like rabbits. I’m going to go out there and fight the bastard.”

“I’m going too,” Goku announced, turning around from his vigil at the front of their cave to look at his companions. Vegeta smirked in triumph as Piccolo grimaced.

“You can’t use your ki,” Piccolo said. “No Super Saiyan, no energy blasts, no flying, no nothing. You’ll die.”

“Ah, come on, Piccolo,” Goku cajoled. “I’ve got my fists.” He glanced over at Vegeta, and decided it was worth indulging his ego one last time, in case this was the end. “And my pride.”

“Ha!” Vegeta said. “We may make a proper Saiyan out of you yet, Kakarot.”

Piccolo sighed loudly and rubbed his temples. “I hate magic,” he muttered. “Have you guys heard from Gohan? His mystic transformation was magically induced, he might be able to pull some power on these guys.”

“Eh,” Goku said. “I think if he could fight, he would be here by now. That witch Abraca must have done something to distract him.”

“Magic power is a bullshit cop out, anyway,” Vegeta said. “I’m leaving.” He brushed past the both of them to exit their cave, knocking his shoulder into Goku’s arm roughly on his way out.

“Bye Piccolo!” Goku echoed. “Dragon balls should still be working fine, once it’s safe to come out. Wish us back when you’re done!”

“Unbelievable,” he heard Piccolo scoff as he ran out of the cave and hurried to meet Vegeta. Vegeta, despite his big words, was taking the tiniest steps possible. They couldn’t see more than 10 feet in front of their faces with all the magical fog swirling around, and there was no clue as to where their enemies were.

“Which way should we go?” Goku asked, his arms falling into a defensive stance as he inched forward on Vegeta’s right.

Vegeta was flexing his inward hand out in front of him, opening and closing his fingers like he could message a ki-ball into existing. “Damn. Can’t even make a false moon in this thing.”

“Whoa,” Goku said. “Throwback. That was magic?”

“Only magic-adjacent, apparently,” Vegeta huffed.

“I think we should go right.”

Vegeta, predictably, went left. Goku let out a “hey!” just so Vegeta wouldn’t realize he was onto him, and kept at his side.

“Will I ever be rid of you, clown?”

“It’s not like you have a lot of other options, here,” Goku pointed out. “Come on. Who would you rather have on your team?”

“I work best alone,” Vegeta snarled. “You’re going to give away our position, making this much racket-”

“I hope I do, then we’ll get someone to fight,” he said. “And come on, I know you liked working with Trunks from the future, at least . You’d team up with him again."

“Trunks has gone back to the future, and is never coming back.”

“He could come back,” Goku argued. “He went back into his timeline where Bulma’s still alive, they’ve got a time machine.”

“But the gods are onto us now, and he can’t use it,” Vegeta said firmly. “So no, I wouldn’t even team up with Trunks.”

“Baby Trunks,” he suggested.

“No. And don’t call him that, he’s eleven.”

“But he’s the same person!”

“They’re not interchangeable!” Vegeta snapped, and threw a lazy punch out to his side in the general direction of Goku’s face.

Goku leaned backwards to dodge the blow, and that was when his feet were swept out from under him. “Ah!”

“Kakarot!”

Goku spread his arms to absorb the speed of his fall, back landing on the ground hard. He kicked outward immediately, using the momentum to launch himself back to his feet. His kick connected with something that exploded into green light on contact - he pivoted, retreating until he felt his back hit Vegeta’s.

 “It’s the goddamn... holograms, again,” Vegeta panted, dodging as he jerked them both to the right to dodge a burst of energy that exploded at their feet.

It took much more effort than usual to stay together. Goku still couldn’t sense Vegeta’s ki - he couldn’t sense anything - all their coordination had to  be done through aborted gestures and pokes of elbows. “I’ve got 6 greens and a yellow,” he called out over his shoulder. “The greens explode on contact.”

“The yellow is the leader!” Vegeta shouted. “And the blue ones are making more - goddamnit -”

Goku punched a green one, and was forced to leap away to avoid its blast. Another one surged forward, aiming for his gut, and he was only able to take care of it by taking another lunge away from Vegeta. “They’re trying to separate us!”

“Obviously!” Vegeta screamed, sounding pained. Goku glanced away for a precious second - he could still make out Vegeta’s silhouette, but the fog would make him impossible to find if they separated any further. Another energy blast forced Goku to dodge again, but he managed to cartwheel sideways and hook his feet around a blue hologram’s neck, slamming it onto the ground where it fizzled and died.

Vegeta shouted again. Wordless, this time. A cry of pain, it had to be - it was too short to be anything else. “Vegeta!”

“RAAAAAGHHHH!” Vegeta screamed - frustration, this time. “I’m fine!”

Goku had seen Vegeta pushed to the verge of collapse and still insist he was fine almost as many times as Goku had heard the pride speech. He slapped one green hologram into another and took the opportunity to dive closer. “You sure?”

“Of course! The red bastard just got a lucky hit!”

“What red-” Goku started, and then there was a blinding pain at the back of the base of his neck.

And then he fell.

A field of white.

“Kakarot!”

Screaming far away, like it had to echo across caverns and caverns to reach him.

He couldn’t feel his toes.

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

He couldn’t feel his tongue.

“Trying hiding behind your magic now, you WITCH!”

He couldn’t feel anything.

He blacked out.

Goku woke with a start, sensation flooding down his limbs in a wave of pins and needles that died down as quickly as it came. There was a hand on his cheek, and a hand on the bottom of his jaw. “Come on, Dad, keep chewing.”

He swallowed down the familiar taste of a sensu bean and opened his eyes. “Gohan?”

Gohan smiled and let go of his face, letting Goku swing up into a sitting position. “Phew. Thought we’d have to use a Dragon Ball wish on you for a second.”

“I’m fine,” Goku said, reaching an arm back behind him to touch the back of his neck, the last place he remembered getting hit. The fabric of his gi back there was sticking to his skin, and when he pulled his fingers back around they had an annoying residue of blood. “Wow, that does look bad.” He looked around at the empty field they were sitting in - it was a clear, sunny day again, and aside from a few scorch marks there was no evidence that a battle had taken place here. “What happened?”

“Good news and bad news,” Gohan said, jumping up to his feet. Goku followed suit, reveling in the fact that his ki seemed to be back and working as good as new. He stretched as Gohan started rambling. “The good news is that we were able to beat Abraca’s ki-blocking spell and all her minions, and that she won’t be bothering us again.”

“Aw, I missed out on the fun,” Goku pouted. “Were you able to do it Mystic?”

Gohan made a face. “It wasn’t me, actually. That’s kind of the bad news.”

Goku took another look around the battlefield. “Where are Piccolo and Vegeta?” he asked suddenly.

“Piccolo’s guarding Vegeta,” Gohan said. “Well. He’s probably keeping tabs, at least.”

Goku stopped fidgeting and stared Gohan directly in the eyes. “What do you mean, guarding? What happened to him?”

“So the good news is that Vegeta was able to pull out some magic to beat Abraca,” Gohan said, and then the corner of his mouth dipped. “The bad news is that Vegeta’s Majin again, and we don’t know how to turn him back.”

[sparklyjojos]

CARNIVAL recaps [2/13]

Today’s recap: Men in Black, not very subtle villains, and the overly dramatic Uno samurai detective who’s trying to figure them out.

--

FIVE

07 Sep 1996 — 13 Sep 1996

BERMUDA TRIANGLE

--

So far, the Billion Killer destroyed the JDC headquarters, the Empire State Building in New York, Stonehenge and Cappadocia. Each time a skull made of orichalcum (as the material that hasn’t been ever discovered on Earth is called) was left on the scene. Witnesses claim that a trio of people in black suits and sunglasses is always hanging around just before disaster strikes.

The first two attacks decimated two detective organizations, JDC as well as NYDT that had its headquarters in Empire State Building. The Billion Killer moved to other targets after that, but each 1 PM on Saturday still saw one of the many detective organizations in the world being blown up by some other criminal.

The Billion Killer, the bombing of detective organizations, the rapidly increasing crime rate, Alive on the loose—the chaos of the Crime Olympics rules the world and claims four million lives daily according to the UN statistics.

--

Let us leave our hardworking detective protagonists and move somewhere else for now.

This gloomy closed space in which it’s hard to tell the time of day is called the Sanctuary. Let’s say, for now, that it’s a giant invisible castle swimming tirelessly through the heavens. Maybe we should say “unseeable” instead; it’s not really invisible, but occupies a convenient blind spot.

There’s a giant round room in the middle of the Sanctuary with a table surrounding a fountain—its name is Lebensborn, the fount of life.

[I don’t know about Japanese readers, but it's really not hard to figure out a certain plot twist (?) after seeing this name.]

Three people in suits and sunglasses stand next to the table, all looking androgynous. These are Dots. The name comes from the fact that they’re nothing more than disposable pawns of RISE—little dots in the grand picture. They talk in calm, unemotional voices in a secret language known as R language or Ra language. [The reader may notice that they always start their dialogue with “...”, because, you know. Dot dot dot.]

Dots are just foot soldiers. RISE is led by a group of so-called Rainbow Sophists, each having a pseudonym symbolizing a color and a chess piece:

Violet Queen

Blue King

Green Bishop

Yellow Bishop

Orange Knight

Red Knight

Black Rook (a.k.a. the Master)

White Rook (a.k.a. the Doctor)

[Insert your Doctor Who joke of choice here.]

They’re all commanded by the leader of RISE, Rudolf Strauss (RS for short).

One of the Dots mentions talking with “the Master” about the book Cosmic that has just been released on September 5 [the real world date of its release.] It seems to pose no threat to RISE, and “mein fuhrer RS” decided they could allow it to be sold.

[If the reader didn’t catch on after Lebensborn, they sure caught on hearing mein fuhrer, huh. Subtle.]

Another Dot says that the Sanctuary is headed for the Bermuda Triangle and that they should get ready to leave the orichalcum skull there. Before that, they go to the Cosmic Room to talk with the Fuhrer. On the way one of the Dots is wondering aloud just what the Sanctuary actually is, but gets shushed by others so that he doesn’t bring “Ra’s wrath” on them; mere Dots are not to know secrets. When the problematic Dot continues to get agitated and speak out of line, suddenly there’s a sound like an explosion and his head is blown off from his shoulders.

The other two don’t seem too concerned and decide to go to “Dragon’s Center” first and inform the Master that a new Dot is needed.

--

(Everyone is wearing a mask. The world is a constant masquerade, a never-ending chaotic carnival.

Nobody, even a hypothetical “other people detective”, could possibly solve other people perfectly—but then again, nobody is even able to understand themselves. Our reasoning about others and even about ourselves is often completely misguided.)

--

The world has seen a lot of secret and dark organizations like the Freemasons and Illuminati, the Neo Nazis and sects. They’re not completely secret, but they don’t have to be; popularity just brings in more curious people who can be introduced to the actual secret parts once they've proven themselves.

RISE is the secret behind the secret, the organization that’s always been hiding behind many others for ages. The common “secret society” sign of the eye in a triangle is a symbol meaning Ra, the one whose eye is always observing the Dots and punishing them.

--

The Sanctuary drops off three Dots in a pontoon in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle before moving far away again, unseen by anyone.

It seems the Billion Killer is going to target a new advanced submarine known simply as “Robo-Ship” with about fifty members of UND on board. UND is a recently created organization of the United Nations gathering talented private detectives from the entire world, who have ironically come here to observe the upcoming Billion Killer’s case. RISE had sent a warning to the White House earlier that the fifth case would happen here.

At 1 PM, the Robo-Ship suddenly disappears. The only thing found near the crime scene is a pontoon with an orichalcum skull and three headless bodies in suits.

--

SIX

14 Sep 1996 — 20 Sep 1996

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE

--

Suzukaze Unomaru, the JDC detective looking like a samurai, is investigating a case and is in turn being investigated by his travel companion Marion, secretly one of RISE’s Dots.

Marion started to tail Unomaru a month ago when he came to Cape of Good Hope to investigate a strange incident: a hundred-of-meters-long moving shape was spotted under the ocean’s surface, spawning rumours about a giant sea serpent. Marion told Unomaru that she was a private detective also investigating the rumour and suggested cooperation. (Of course her entire backstory as well as the name Marion are fake. She had another name once, but can’t remember it. Dots aren’t allowed to have individual differences.) The two get on a cruise ship and even witness the giant underwater shadow once, which bonks into the ship from below, briefly rocking it and sending the passengers into a frenzy.

One day, Marion enters Unomaru’s cabin and discovers the floor is covered in piles of anime cards. Unomaru solemnly explains that he’s in the middle of searching for a rare Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta card that he lost, infodumps about how Vegeta never goes SS3 in canon and only in Dragon Ball GT, and dramatically adds that if they don’t find the card, it surely means someone stole it and Marion will have to help him investigate and catch the culprit.

Aside from anime, TCG and other playing cards, Unomaru also collects basically anything you could call a card (credit cards, those shop loyalty thingies…) and can do some neat magic tricks with a normal deck.

They talk about the sea serpent sighting and the chaos that erupted among the passengers. Unomaru is reminded of how in Jaws the shark didn’t even have to be shown fully, as just the triangular fin was enough to make people afraid, or how Duel showed only the arm of the truck driver to similar effect.

Unomaru believes the underwater thing wasn’t a sea monster, but maybe a giant submarine. He thinks that the impact against the ship was intentional so that everyone’s attention would be focused on the sea, creating a convenient blind spot in the sky. He just can’t figure out what would be there in the sky they weren’t meant to see.

Unomaru shows Marion one of his card tricks under the promise that they’ll play some UNO later. He pulls out a deck of fifty-two playing cards, takes a few and spreads them on the ground; they’re all of different colors and values. Unomaru returns the cards to the deck, shuffles it, then gives Marion half of the deck and they shuffle their halves as they like without looking. Finally Unomaru puts the halves together, separates it again into two piles, and has Marion check them. The cards were shuffled so many times, but now they’re neatly separated into one pile of all black cards and one pile of all red. [The illusion isn't named, but it reminds me a bit of Paul Curry's Out Of This World.]

The trick is that Unomaru prepared the deck in the right order long before the illusion was shown, including a few “random” cards that he showed at the start to mislead Marion. The rest just required skillful handling. All those anime cards strewn around helped misdirect Marion’s attention. Since the two halves of the deck had been already sorted by color, it didn’t matter how much Marion would shuffle her single-colored half. The trick to an illusion is always easy in hindsight—just like it is with tricks to mysterious crimes.

Unomaru changes the topic to the three mysterious “men in black” seen before the Billion Killer’s cases, and finally launches the attack: “Say, Marion-dono, wouldn’t you happen to be one of these ‘men in black’?”

He recounts the signs he noticed in her: nervous expressions, lifeless eyes, strangely impersonal androgynous atmosphere, always starting a dialogue with a moment of silence as if she was carefully choosing words. In fact, Unomaru noticed it all the first time they met and intentionally let Marion follow him around. It’s now Saturday and nearing 1 PM, so it must mean the Billion Killer case will start soon.

After a brief hesitation (that even she isn’t sure the reason for) Marion jumps at Unomaru with a garrote, but it catches on the wooden sword strapped to his back. In response, Unomaru booms at her in his own twist on the heroic lines from Momotarō-zamurai, acting so confident (and weird at the same time) that Marion freezes in her tracks.

“Ooo-one! People live to solve mysteries! Twoo-ooo! The strange and mysterious must be solved and make clear! Three-eee! Solve mysteries with the sword of logic!” He dramatically points the wooden sword at Marion. “Suzukaze Unomaru challenges the villain!”

He tells Marion about the first thing that clued him in as to her true identity: that she didn’t look Japanese and claimed to be from another country while speaking flawless native-sounding Japanese. Marion answers that oh, you see, she’s not actually speaking Japanese at all, which confuses Unomaru enough that she’s able to run away from the cabin. She throws him a line about how this ship is going to sink soon and kill him, and that the detectives will never be able to square against the transcendent being that is the Billion Killer. Unomaru yells after her that she should stop what she’s doing or she’s going to die, just like those other men in black did in the Bermuda Triangle.

As Marion changes into her black suit and joins two other Dots on the deck, she finds herself strangely thrown out of rhythm and still thinking about what Unomaru said. He had to be wrong. The Sanctuary is supposed to come pick them up after the job. Surely the Dots from the Bermuda Triangle were safely retrieved?...

Marion realizes with terror just what being a disposable tool means. She screams in fear, drops the orichalcum skull and runs back towards Unomaru who is sprinting towards her, just a few meters more and he will save her somehow, surely—

Marion’s head is suddenly blown up right in front of Unomaru. The same thing happens to the other two scared Dots soon afterwards.

At exactly 1 PM, the ship hits something giant underwater and sinks, taking over a thousand people with it.

--

[>>>NEXT PART>>>]

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (190/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball,  which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation.   This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made  on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: This story takes place about 1000 years before  66 years after the events of Dragon Ball Z.

     [20 April, Age 850. Toki Toki City.]  

Inside the Time Vault, Chronoa monitored Luffa's mission with great concern.   The Scroll of Eternity allowed her to view everything that was happening in the affected time period, but there were complications that made it difficult to tell what was happening.  

"We still can't see or hear Demigra in the Scroll," Trunks observed.  He was Chronoa's closest and most trusted aide, and the field leader of the Time Patrol she had formed to assist her in her duties.  Under different circumstances, she would have sent Trunks to handle such a delicate mission, but he was too closely connected to the events and people involved, and his presence ran the risk of upsetting the balance of the affected timestream.  

And so, instead, she had sent Luffa, the Time Patrol's newest recruit.  Luffa was easy to spot in the mystic images displayed by the Scroll.   Her hair glowed bright yellow while she used her Super Saiyan form, and her baggy pants were colored to match.   The trouble was that Luffa wasn't doing very much, and so monitoring her didn't seem particularly helpful.    

"It looked like Lord Beerus was being affected by Demigra's magic," Chronoa said.   "But then he just seemed to snap out of it.   Maybe he attacked Demigra, but there's no way to tell from here, not while he's able to hide his presence from the Scroll like this.  We'll have to wait for Luffa to give us a report."  

"At least Goku survived," Trunks said.  "And the Earth wasn't destroyed.   I never knew about this event.   Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan God?  It's feels so unreal."

Chronoa nodded absently.  From Trunks' perspective, all of it was unreal, because he came from another timeline where Goku died of a heart virus years before he ever had the chance to discover the Super Saiyan God form.   Trunks had traveled back in time to prevent that tragedy, and in doing so, he had violated a cosmic rule against altering the past.  Chronoa had allowed both timelines to continue to exist, in exchange for Trunks' help in running the Time Patrol.   So it was no wonder that he wasn't well-versed in the timeline he had altered.  He had his native timeline to focus on, and his duties in the Time Patrol as well.  

"What I don't understand is why Luffa is just... floating there talking to Lord Beerus," Chronoa said.  I don't like it..."

"Can't you bring her back to the Time Nest?" Trunks asked.  "The mission is over, isn't it?   Whatever Demigra is up to, it must have failed."

"I don't want to risk upsetting Lord Beerus," Chronoa said.   "If I brought Luffa back now, I'd interrupt their conversation, and he can be a bit... touchy about these things.  You saw what he did to your father over a serving of pudding."

"Oh, right," Trunks said.   "It's amazing that there could be anyone that strong.  I'm glad it's over, though."

"Is it?" Chronoa asked.  She looked up from the Scroll and locked eyes with Trunks.   "The situation with Lord Beerus may be resolved, but Demigra's still out there, planning his next move.   He may not have been able to control Beerus the same way he could control Majin Buu, but the fact that he even dared to try is troubling all by itself."

"That's true," Trunks said, "we shouldn't relax just yet.  Still, what else can Demigra do from here?  Luffa and I are powerful enough to deal with Majin Buu if he tries to control him again, and it looks like Demigra's spell won't work on anyone stronger than that.  He's boxed in."

"That's what I'm worried about," Chronoa said as she chewed her lower lip.  "You know what they say about animals being most dangerous when they're cornered.  Demigra's been planning this for a long time.  I don't think he's finished just yet."  

She looked back down at the Scroll to see if Luffa was still speaking with Beerus and Whis, only to find all three of them were gone.   "Where did they go?" she asked.  

"I don't know," Trunks said.  "I wasn't watching."

"Ugh... just when I was about to bring her back to the Time Nest," Chronoa said.   "They must have gone back down to Bulma's birthday party to get another snack!  Well, Lord Beerus is free to do as he pleases, but we need Luffa back here to tell us what the heck is going on..."

She touched the Scroll gently, moving her fingers across its parchment to reverse the images to the moment before they disappeared, but before she could find the exact moment she wanted to view, she sensed something that caused her to forget about the Scroll altogether.

"Someone's in the Time Nest," she said with a gasp.  

"An intruder?" Trunks asked.

"I don't know," Chronoa said, "but it wasn't one of our people coming in from the City, and I didn't bring anyone in from the timestream."

"Then we'd better not take any chances!" Trunks said.  "I'll check it out, but you'd better stay here in case you need to call in reinforcements!"

As he dashed out of the main atrium of the Time Vault, Chronoa looked back at the Scroll.   Even if they were being invaded, it would need to be put in proper storage.   But before she could deal with that, she noticed the images it displayed, and her eyes went wide with terror.  

"Oh no..." she said.   "Anything but that!"

*******

"Oh my, L-lord Beerus!   It has been quite a while, hasn't it?!"

Chronoa emerged from the Time Vault to find exactly what she feared the most.   She almost wished that it had been an intruder.   Even Demigra would have been a sort of relief.  If her ancient enemy had finally decided to make his move on the Time Nest, then at least that would end the tension that had gripped the Time Patrol for the past several weeks.   But instead, she found Luffa, who had returned with Beerus and Whis.  

"You brought them back with you?" Trunks asked Luffa under his breath.    

"I couldn't exactly tell them no..." Luffa said with an uncomfortable smile.  

"Good point," Trunks replied.   Then he addressed Beerus directly.   "It's a great honor to make your acquaintance, Lord Beerus."

Chronoa was over seventy-five million years old, and Beerus was quite ancient himself.  She had nearly forgotten just how long ago it had been since they last met, but there was no forgetting the regal bearing of the God of Destruction.   A lean, rangy felinoid, his hairless skin was purple.   Each of his pointed ears was almost large enough to cover his entire head.   His large, yellow eyeballs seemed to bulge from his skull, and his eyelids stretched taut across them.    Every expression he made bore a hint of menace that underscored his lofty title.    His raiments signified his role as the God of Destruction: Loose-legged blue pants, leather shoes, and an broad usekh collar and a sash, each bearing the pattern that symbolized his divine office.

While they were technically peers in the cosmic design, Chronoa still trembled in the presence of Beerus.   As the God of Destruction, he had the authority to destroy anything he saw fit.  He tended to reserve that power for those things which managed to test his patience.  

All in all, it was best to avoid Beerus altogether.   Failing that, the safest course was to stay on his good side, and do nothing that might annoy him.   Chronoa had never heard of Beerus destroying a Kai, but there were stories of him doling out worse punishments.  

"Yes, it is an honor," Chronoa said.  "Er, allow me to introduce my staff.  You already know Luffa of course, and this is Trunks, the son of Vegeta and Bulma."

"Hmm... I do recall a purple-haired Saiyan child back on Earth.   Then you must be the man he grows up to become," Beerus said as he rubbed his chin and looked Trunks over.

"Well, er, it's a bit more complicated than that, sir," Trunks said, doing his best to hide his anxiety.  

"Yes, well as much as I'd like to exchange pleasantries," Beerus said calmly, "I don't want to interrupt your duties here in the Time Nest.   So I'll come straight to the point.  It's about that Demigra fellow."

"D-demigra?" Chronoa asked.  

"He tried to make a fool of me," Beerus explained.   "Well you must have seen it all from here.   Luffa tells me you normally monitor her activities whenever she goes on these time missions of yours.  So I want to find out where he is."

Chronoa took a deep breath.  Beerus didn't need to explain what he wanted to do with Demigra when he found him.   He had threatened to destroy the Earth over a cup of pudding, after all.   But why would Demigra risk involving the God of Destruction in his conflict with the Time Patrol?   Whatever Demigra's motives, she knew it would be futile to try to withhold information from Beerus.  

"He's imprisoned," Chronoa began.   "Long ago, I banished Demigra into the Crack of Time."

"Indeed?" Beerus said.  "What a dramatic-sounding name.  Luffa mentioned that Demigra uses mystic images of himself to interact with the outside world.   We encountered one of these 'mirages' on Earth.  So I take it that means the real Demigra is still in this 'Crack' you speak of."

"That's right," Chronoa said with a grim nod.   "However, I fear that he may break out soon.  He's already threatened to seize control of the Time Nest."

"Hm, I see," Whis said.   Beerus' attendant was not a deity like Beerus and Chronoa, but neither was he a mortal like Trunks and Luffa.   Tall and thin, Whis loomed over the others like a shroud, although his prim and unassuming demeanor belied his enigmatic nature.   "So Demigra was changing history to create some sort of exit for himself."

Chronoa nodded again.   "That is what I've suspected," she said.   She hadn't shared this with Trunks or Luffa, but there was no point in denying it.  "Another demon named Towa had been experimenting with using temporal distortions to weaken the barriers surrounding the Demon World.   Demigra may be doing the same."

"That suits me fine," Beerus said with a smirk.   "And you believe he'll come here when he escapes.    Okay, then right when he comes out of hiding, I'll destroy him."

"Nice," Luffa said.  "I was hoping to take a crack at Demigra myself, but this could be almost as much fun, Lord Beerus."  She elbowed Trunks' arm.   "You should have seen the look on Demigra's face when he realized his plan had backfired."

"Well, that would solve all of our problems," Trunks said.  "I can't thank you enough for your assistance, Lord Beerus."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, I assure you," Beerus said.  "Then if that's settled, perhaps--"

"No no no, please don't!!" Chronoa screamed.  "Lord Beerus, please.   If you fight in this world, it would completely destroy this dimension of time!"

At last, Luffa and Trunks understood the danger, and their enthusiasm for Beerus' proposal evaporated.  

"Destroy the dimension of time?" Trunks asked quietly.

"The hell--?" Luffa asked, less quietly.

"Yes, I know," Beerus said, indifferent to her outburst.  "I'm the God of Destruction.  I do have expertise in these matters."

Chronoa's first impulse was to try to convince him of the importance of the Time Nest, and of Toki Toki City, which surrounded it.   Both were suspended within a dimension of time separate from the rest of the universe, which made it possible for her to carry out her stewardship of Tokitoki, the Divine Time Bird.   With someone else, she might have been able to explain that destroying the Time Nest would unravel the fabric of creation itself, but Beerus simply didn't care.   The end of the universe was someone else's problem, not his.

And so she fell back on a more mundane strategy.   "Oh, I know!" she said hastily.   "I'll cook delicious meals for you if you promise not to fight here.  Cool?"

This seemed to upset Luffa and Trunks a great deal.

"You can't!" Trunks said.

"No!  What are you thinking?!" Luffa hissed.  

They were more than subordinates to her.   She considered the Time Patrollers to be good friends, but Trunks was especially dear to her, and Luffa had become almost as close in the short time they had worked together.   No doubt they were worried about her making such offers to the God of Destruction.   For she knew her own cooking was brilliant, and if Beerus got a taste for her trademark cuisine, he might demand that she return to his planet with him, and cook for him full-time.   Luffa and Trunks couldn't bear to see that happen, but for the good of the Time Nest, Chronoa was prepared to make the hard choices.  

But Beerus would not be tempted.  "Delicious...?" he began to ask, then shook his head.   "No, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass on that.   It's the principle of the thing, you know?"

Trunks and Luffa were both greatly relieved to hear this, and at last Trunks cleared his throat to speak.  

"With all due respect, Lord Beerus," he said, "please allow us take care of Demigra."

"No, he tried to use me," Beerus said.   "Besides, can you even defeat Demigra?"

"Absolutely," Trunks said.  "We've been preparing for a showdown like this for weeks now, and Luffa here has been fighting his mirages in other missions.   Please, just give us a chance.   The lives of everyone I care about are on the line."

Beerus rubbed one of his large eyes with his hand as he considered it, but Chronoa doubted that Trunks' appeal would add much to her own.   If Beerus was willing to destroy the entire Time Nest dimension to avenge his honor, then Trunks' loved ones would mean even less.   Then Luffa stepped forward.

"My lord," she said, "Demigra isn't worthy of your time.  I can kill him for you, and spare you the hassle of waiting for him to show himself."

She was holding her hands out in a friendly, almost servile gesture that Chronoa found very uncharacteristic for Luffa.  

"Is that so?" Beerus asked, one of his eyes widening with interest.  

"I won't pretend to know the business of a God of Destruction," Luffa continued, "but I'm sure you'd rather be doing something else than chasing after a cowardly nuisance like Demigra.  He should pay dearly for offending your person, but you needn't dirty your hands on the likes of him.   Not when I can carry out the execution in your place."

Chronoa exchanged looks with Trunks, who simply shrugged.  They were both confused by Luffa's approach, but it seemed to be working.

"Ah, that's right," Beerus said.  "Back at Bulma's party, you told me you and your family were mercenaries.   I suppose this is the part of your sales pitch where you casually mention your modest fee."

Luffa smiled.   "On the contrary, Lord Beerus.   It would be a great privilege to serve as the instrument of your divine wrath.  The benefit to my reputation alone would be priceless.    No, I should be presenting some sort of gift to you for even considering my proposal."

Luffa now had Beerus' undivided attention.   "A gift, you say?   What would you have in mind?"

"I gathered that you have a taste for Earthling cuisine," Luffa said.  "There's plenty of that here in Toki Toki City, just outside the Time Nest.  But Earthlings have such... puny appetites.   They don't appreciate the subtle nuances that you get from cooking in bulk quantities.   I'm talking about flavor techniques that only a Saiyan chef would know."

"I've sampled Saiyan dishes before," Beerus said.   "Decades ago, I paid a visit to King Vegeta.   The food was satisfactory, but he was sorely lacking in hospitality."

"Hah! I'm not surprised," Luffa said.   "Sharing a meal is a time-honored tradition of family and community.   What would a royalist know about any of that?  No offense, Trunks, but your grandfather's lackeys probably didn't know sugar from salt."

"Er, okay..." Trunks said.

Luffa stepped toward Beerus and pointed at her chest.   "I'm not from this era, Lord Beerus.   The Time Patrol brought me here from centuries in the past.   My entire era was forgotten a long time ago.  No one even remembers all the battles I fought, which means I'm pretty sure a lot of my cooking techniques were lost to time as well.   So when I roast a dinosaur, it's an experience you can't get anywhere else."

"You're certainly a confident one, aren't you?" Beerus said.   "I must admit, I'm intrigued by your offer, but the question remains as to whether you have the ability to defeat Demigra.   I can't have you acting in my name if you lack the skill to uphold my reputation."

"Lord Beerus, considering everything they've said," Whis suggested, "why not try testing them?"

"A test?   That might be good."   Beerus put his hand over his face and rubbed his jaw as he considered the idea.  "Let's see how well the two of you do against Whis and myself."

"You mean you'd spar with me?" Luffa asked.  "I'm... that's..."

"Er, yes!" Trunks said.   "Thank you very much!"

"Sure," Luffa stammered.   "Yeah, what he said.   Thank you."

"Lord Beerus," Whis asked, "you mean that I have to fight too?"

"This was your idea, Whis," Beerus said.  

"Oh, fine..." Whis sighed.  

"Now then," Beerus said.   "We may as well get started..."

"Hey hey hey!" Chronoa snapped.   "You can't do that here!"

"Oh, what's wrong now?" Beerus groaned.  

Chronoa stamped her feet on the stone pavement of the Time Nest.   "Weren't you listening to what I said before?   If you fight here, you risk destroying the Time Nest! It'd be no different than if you fought Demigra yourself!   Go... I don't know, just go somewhere else!"

"All right, fine," Beerus said.   "You're so selfish... but we'll find some other venue for this test."

"I think I can arrange a suitable location for us, Lord Beerus," Trunks offered.   "We can use the Parallel Quest system to travel to an isolated segment of time..."

"Very good, I'll that up to you, Trunks," Beerus said.   "And while you arrange that, I might as well hang around for a bit.   It's been a while since I visited the Time Nest, and Luffa can fix me that snack she offered..."  

*******

And that seemed to be that.  Beerus was satisfied, at least for the moment, and he had provided a path forward for defeating Demigra without sacrificing the entire Time Nest in the process.  After the others left the Nest to attend to their business in the city, Chronoa tried to relax by tending to the Divine Tokitoki Bird.   She set out fresh food, changed his water, and checked his ears for chroniton mites.    

She wanted to tend to the Scroll of Eternity, and repair the changes caused by Demigra's last incursion, but that couldn't happen until Beerus returned to his own time.  And so, there was nothing to do but wait.  Normally, Chronoa was an adept at the fine art of patience.  But with the God of Destruction at her doorstep, it was difficult to trust Luffa and Trunks to handle things on their own.  

And so, it didn't take long for Chronoa to take her leave of the Time Nest to check on them.   As a god herself, she could sense divine ki and locate Beerus, but this turned out to be unnecessary.  The commotion around the Toki Toki City cafeteria was the first sign of his presence.  

Chronoa found a relatively calm Namekian bystander.    His name was Bebbux, and he was in charge of the city waterworks.    "What's going on?" Chronoa asked.

"Supreme Kai of Time!" he gasped when he saw her.   "Thank goodness you're here.  I must report that the God of Destruction, Beerus, has come to Toki Toki City!"

"Yes, I know," Chronoa said.  "Luffa was supposed to show him around.  Is something wrong?"

"Y-you're allowing Lord Beerus to visit the city?" Bebbux said with great surprise.  

"Well, I don't exactly have much choice," Chronoa said.  "It'll be okay, I think."

"I just... it's just that... This is your domain, and as a goddess yourself..."

"Sorry," Chronoa said.  "The Kaioshin, like me, oversee creation.   The Hakaishin are destroyers.  Beerus and I are peers, but that doesn't give me power over him.   He's authorized to destroy anything he chooses.   All I can do is make sure he doesn't have any reason to destroy us."

"Oh..."  The look on Bebbux's face was that of a man who was about to request a leave of absence.  

"Did they go in the cafeteria?" Chronoa asked.  

"Well, yes," Bebbux said.   "I was there to inspect the water lines. I like to do that around this time of day, after the lunch crowd has thinned out.  But then those three just walked in and she commandeered the kitchen."

"Luffa?" Chronoa asked.  

"Well, Lord Beerus is one thing, but you can do something about her at least, can't you?" Bebbux asked.  "I told her I had a job to do, and she threatened to break my arm if I didn't get out of her way!"  

Chronoa looked again at the Time Patrollers milling about outside.   They were rattled by the presence of Beerus, or Luffa, or both.  None of them seemed very happy about being denied their mealtime, even if it was for their own good.  

"I'll talk to her," Chronoa said.   On her way to the entrance, she met the cafeteria manager, the head chef, and an irate diner, and had very similar conversations with each of them.  At last, she made it inside the now-empty building, and found Beerus and Whis seated at a small table in the kitchen.  

"I thought Luffa was with you," she said as Beerus glanced in her direction.  

"She excused herself to gather supplies," Whis said.   "But I'm sure she'll return shortly."

"She had better," Beerus said.  He held up one of his fingers and examined the point of the claw on the end.  "I'm not fond of all this waiting."

"Yet you were willing to wait for Demigra to show up so you could destroy him personally," Whis reminded him.

"That's different," Beerus said.   "For one thing-- ah, there she is now."

Luffa stormed into the kitchen pushing a cart full of potatoes and crates of other foods.   She wheeled it towards the griddle, then returned to the table with a small box under the crook of her arm.  

"Sorry, that took longer than I expected," she said.   "But I think you'll appreciate it, Lord Beerus.   I found you an appetizer."

She opened the box and withdrew a pair of small cans to Beerus and Whis.   Beerus held up his serving and started at it with great interest.   "This image printed on the label," he said.   "Could this be--?"

"Pudding, my lord," Luffa said.   "I thought about making some myself, but I've never tried that before, so I didn't want ruin your first experience with it.  All you have to do is pry that handle back, then use it to peel off the lid.  Here, I'll show you..."

Chronoa was about to interrupt, but decided against it.  Coming between Beerus and his pudding had proven to be a grave mistake.   As a student of history, the Supreme Kai of Time was not prone to repeat it.

"What a delightful container," Whis said.   He had already opened his and was spooning a sample into his mouth.   "It reminds me of the beryllium-shelled bivalves on Nellis II."

"The ring came off my pudding can," Beerus said with great disappointment.   "What a frustrating design.   Now my pudding is trapped forever."

"Not quite," Luffa said, handing him a butterknife from a nearby tray.   "You can still work the lid off with this.   It takes a little doing, but--"

"Ah, I see," Beerus said.   "You're right, Whis, this is like those little clams.   The struggle of opening them up makes eating them that much more satisfying..."

There was a moment of blissful peace as Beerus finally sampled pudding for the first time, and Chronoa approached Luffa while she began preparing the main course.    

"Don't worry, I've got this under control," Luffa said before Chronoa could speak.    

"I just wanted to see if I could help," Chronoa said.  

"No, I'm the one helping you, remember?" Luffa said.   "You brought me here from the past because Trunks wasn't enough, right?"

"Well, yes," Chronoa said, "but it was Shenron who actually chose--"

"Fine, whatever," Luffa said.  "My point is he made the right call.  Trunks can't handle all this on his own.  And you say Lord Beerus can't fight Demigra without destroying the Time Nest.  So I guess that might hold true for Yamoshi as well, since he was a god once."

She began slicing potatoes on  a cutting board, and picking up speed.

"You forgot to peel those," Chronoa said, but Luffa made a derisive snort.  

"No I didn't.  Like I said before," Luffa told her, "my style has been lost to time.  You can cook however you want, Chronoa, but Lord Beerus can have that experience whenever he wants."

"But he's very particular about his meals..." Chronoa tried to argue, but Luffa was hearing none of it.  She simply set her jaw and increased her ki.   Her yellow hair glowed brighter and there was a flash of her golden aura, which she quickly stifled when it began to disturb some of the items on the countertops.  

"Luffa, you've been in Super Saiyan form ever since you came back from the mission," Chronoa said.   "You told us before that you sometimes have trouble shutting it off.   If you're upset..."

"I'm fine," Luffa said.  She was now chopping vegetables with blinding speed.   When she needed to use a different knife, she would briefly hold it up and stare at it until the blade began to flash with the same aura that surrounded her body.   "I just need the form for this work.  My senses are much sharper this way."  

Suddenly, Luffa swept her left hand over the griddle.  Chronoa gasped, but there was no sign of any injury to Luffa's fingers.  She held them close to her face and inhaled sharply, then made a satisfied snarl and continued her work.  

"Back home... in the past, I mean... I used to use an infrared thermometer," Luffa explained.   "But not everyone uses the same temperature units, or even the same characters for numerals.  So I learned to go by feel and smell of the cooking oil."

"Why?" Chronoa asked.  "You already know the temperature."  She pointed to the dials that controlled the griddle's heating elements.  

"'Medium' is not a temperature," Luffa insisted.   "All that does is tell you how much power is getting sent to the filaments under the surface.  It doesn't take into account the thickness or composition of the griddle, or the temperature of the surrounding environment.  Now let's see..."

She had put all of her cuttings in a large bowl, which she now emptied into an even larger pot of boiling water.   Then she turned her attention to a hunk of ground sausage.  

"Wait, what about your timer?" Chronoa asked urgently.

"For what?" Luffa asked.  

"Uh, hello?  The potatoes?  Your stew is going to turn out all wrong if you don't know how long you kept them in there for!"

"I'm not making a stew, I'm parboiling them," Luffa explained.  "And I'll check them with a fork to see if they're soft enough.   It's under control, Chronoa."

"Parboiling?" Chronoa asked.   She had never heard of this.  Were Luffa's techniques as rare and obscure as she claimed?

"Is there a problem over there, ladies?" Beerus called from the table.   There was a series of pans and utensils hanging from an overhead rack that hid the griddle from the table, and so he could barely see what was going on.  

"Everything's fine, Lord Beerus!" Luffa called back.   "Oh, I should ask.   Do you have any allergies or dietary issues I should know about?"

"No, nothing like that," Beerus replied.  "I must say, it smells very enticing so far."

"Damn straight it does," Luffa said with a confident smirk.  

Minutes later, she laid the potatoes on the griddle, nearly covering the entire surface.   Then she covered the potatoes with shredded cheese, peppers, diced tomatoes, and various seasonings.  Chronoa grew ever more concerned.  

"You're not moving the food enough!" she pleaded to Luffa.   "It'll get all burnt on the bottom!"

"This isn't stir fry," Luffa said.   "I'm trying to make it crispy.  Hrmm..."

"Wh-what's wrong?" Chronoa asked.  

"Nothing.   I'd kill for some bluespice right about now," Luffa muttered.  "Earth has an impressive range of flavors, but I could really go wild if I had a few other ingredients...  Well, no point in worrying about it."

"This is about Keda, isn't it?" Chronoa said.  

Luffa paused and stared at her.   "What did you say?" she asked.    

"You're upset about your friend," Chronoa said.   "You said she somehow ended up on Namek, and we couldn't find any sign of her, and then she turned up on Earth.    It's only natural that you'd be frustrated about that."

"How do you know about her turning up on Earth?" Luffa asked.  "I never told... did Big League Chew report it to you?  I guess he'd have to tell you, wouldn't he?"

The truth was more complicated than that, and so Chronoa didn't bother to correct her assumption.  "The Time Patrollers trust me, Luffa.  We all know this has been difficult for you.   Maybe it's been tougher than we realize, because you've handled it so well."

"It's not that I don't trust you," Luffa said.  "I just didn't know what to say.  Keda vanished back in my era.  We thought she was dead.   Then I find her living out most of her life on Earth in this era.   At first, I wanted you to fix it somehow, but..."

"Yes...?"

"But the more I learn about this business, it seems like you would have already found out about it if it was a problem.   But you had no idea.  Just like you didn't know anything about me when I got yanked out of the past.   This was all supposed to happen, so there's nothing you can do about it."

Chronoa nodded her head.   "That's right," she said.   "I want to investigate this more carefully, of course, though that will have to wait until things have settled down with Demigra.  But if you already understand that I can't change the past, then why...?"

Luffa began flipping the layer of food on the griddle, revealing the potatoes that had once been on the bottom.   The golden brown color, illuminated by the yellow glow of Luffa's hair, reminded Chronoa of a gardener tilling soil.  

"I told you," Luffa said.  "I wasn't sure what to say.   At first I wanted to demand that you send Keda back to her own time, to her friends.   But when I saw her living on Earth as an old woman... at least we think that was her...  Well, I wasn't so sure I should say anything.  Maybe she liked it better the way things turned out."

There was only the sound of vegetables sizzling on the griddle for a time, and then Luffa finally added: "I guess I was worried that you might decide you had to fix it after all, and send Keda back, even if she didn't want to go.   I wasn't sure how I would feel about that, either.   So that's why I didn't bring it up to you before.  Sorry if that's against the rules around here."

"It's all right," Chronoa said.  "It's like we say in Toki Toki City.   'There's time.'  You weren't ready to talk to me about this, and that's okay.  But if you're not upset about Keda, then...?"

"I keep telling you," Luffa said, "I'm all right.   I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about fighting the God of Destruction later, but that didn't stop Kakarot from giving it a try.  If he can take his lumps, then so can I."

"That was different," Chronoa said.   "Goku was a god then."

"Not the first time, he wasn't," Luffa said. "And Vegeta wasn't a god either.   Besides, even when Kakarot had the god form, it wore off in the middle of the fight."  She began to dig out spaces in the layer of hash she had been cooking, and while she worked the spatula with one hand, she pointed at herself with the other.  

"Those two bastards, Kakarot and Vegeta," Luffa said, "they fought Lord Beerus with this form, and they made their ancestors proud.   Well, this ancestor, at least.  I can't just bow out of this, not after seeing what they could do."

"But if you don't impress Lord Beerus," Chronoa warned, "he won't let you fight Demigra!"

"Then I'll just have to impress him, won't I?" Luffa said with an anxious grin.   "Why do you think I offered to cook for him?  I was hoping to put a little polish on this arrangement."  

"Then... then you really are all right," Chronoa said.  "You just seemed so agitated..."

Luffa snorted.   "If we're being honest, I probably haven't been 'all right' since I was nineteen years old.   But I'll manage."

Chronoa pointed at the griddle.  "Then what are you doing right now?"

"I'm making a space for the eggs," Luffa said.  

Chronoa was confused until Luffa began to crack eggs on the edge of the counter, and she dumped the yolks into the spaces she had dug out in the hash.   She continued this process until each hole was filled with white and yellow protein.

"No!" Chronoa gasped.  "You can't just cook those on top of something else!"

Luffa simply smirked at her.  "It'll be fine, just wait."

"But if Lord Beerus is displeased--!"

"Trust me," Luffa said.  "You said the Time Patrollers trust you, right?  Doesn't that go both ways?"  

If Luffa were fighting, it would be an easy matter to stand back and defer to her judgment.   But Chronoa had been cooking meals for millions of years, and all of her experience now screamed out to her that Luffa was making one terrible blunder after another.  The potatoes would be too soft, and the cheese wouldn't burn right, and the eggs wouldn't be rubbery at all.  And Luffa had never once turned the dials on the griddle to their highest setting.   How could she hope to achieve the greatest flavor intensity without using the maximum power available?   And she had only sprinkled a tiny amount of salt into the meal!   But if Chronoa tried to interfere now, there was the chance that this would upset Beerus just as badly as a low-quality meal.  

Luffa glanced away from her work and gave Chronoa a reassuring look.  "Relax," she said.  "I'm your legend too."

"What?"

Chronoa didn't understand what that meant, although she found it comforting nonetheless.   She forced herself to stay calm, and watched as Luffa completed the work and began shoveling the hash off the griddle and into several dishes.    Two of these, she carried to the table, and Chronoa followed her with a carafe of fruit juice.  

"For your consideration, my lord," Luffa said respectfully as she set the plates before her guests.  

Chronoa chewed her lower lip as she watched Beerus and Whis take the first bites of their meal.   They chewed, swallowed, and then...

"Oh, that is good," Beerus exclaimed.   It was more enthusiasm than Chronoa was used to hearing in his voice.   Usually he was so cool and aloof, even when he was enraged.    

"Oh my," Whis added after making a happy squeal.  Once he had regained his composure,  he pointed at his plate and asked.   "Tell me what are these little green pieces?"

Luffa leaned in to see what he was pointing to with his fork.   "Ah, those are an Earth vegetable called 'chives'.  They go very well with the tubers."

"Oh, I quite agree!" Whis said.  

For several more minutes, Chronoa simply stood by and watched them eat while Luffa beamed with pride.  

"I guess you worked up an appetite fighting Kakarot, huh, Lord Beerus?" Luffa asked.  

The God of Destruction was too busy gobbling the rest of his meal to answer right away, but he did make a noise that Luffa interpreted as a 'yes.'

"I made plenty if anyone wants seconds," Luffa said.  "I don't know much about gods, but I had a feeling anyone who fights like the way you do could pack it away like a Saiyan."  

"I must admit," Beerus finally replied, "you've certainly lived up to your claims, Luffa.   King Vegeta had nothing on his board quite as tasty as this.  Hmm, and filling, too."

As they continued to exchange pleasantries, Luffa glanced back at Chronoa and made a 'thumbs up' gesture.  There was still the test that she and Trunks would have to pass, but at least they had made it this far without any trouble.  Chronoa couldn't help but consider what Luffa had said before.  

 'I'm your legend, too.'

Was that how Luffa saw herself?  Chronoa had heard Trunks and other Saiyans refer to the Super Saiyan form as "legendary", but the word had meant little to a Kai like her.   The Super Saiyan seemed very commonplace in the Time Patrol, and the word "legend" seemed to be little more than emphasis.    But Luffa seemed to feel a personal attachment to the word.   For Luffa, it was a point of honor, a sacred thing that she shared with no one, except maybe her ancestors, and perhaps Son Goku and Vegeta.  

But Chronoa had never given much thought to how Luffa defined that role.  It wasn't just a lofty title.  For all her talk of being a simple mercenary, Luffa sought to be an inspiration.  She wanted Trunks to fight harder, and she wanted Goku to live up to his place as her successor, and today she wanted Beerus to know exactly what sort of exceptional being had pleased his taste buds.  

And she had also inspired Chronoa to be at ease.  Chronoa was used to being cheerful and relaxed, but the Demigra crisis had made that feeling seem like a distant memory.  

Chronoa thought of Bubbex and the other Patrollers outside the cafeteria.  They weren't the only ones who had complaints about Luffa.   Many of her critics saw her as an overhyped has-been.   But perhaps there was more to a legend than the reputation.  In the end, she supposed, Luffa was just someone who tried harder.  That persistence could be abrasive at times, but she was definitely the sort of person one wanted on their side.

Maybe that was what Shenron had seen in Luffa when he chose her to be Trunks' partner.   Up to now, Chronoa had accepted it as a matter of hope.  Now, she finally felt like she understood the Eternal Dragon's reasoning.

And maybe that meant Luffa was ready, after all.

Just like the note had said.  

But ready or not, Luffa would have to go through Beerus first...

 NEXT: Beerus' Test.

[lombax-lombardi]

Ponder~

Summary: Now was not the time. Now was the time to forgive and find answers, the group find themselves visited by another.

Genre: Plot.

Direheart stared at the lavender female.

Dream Eater?

She had heard the phrase once before, a long time ago as she peered into the minds of others. But her dear friend....was one?

It was strange. Then again Direheart herself was a strange one.

“..........I’m not mad” she spoke, wincing in slight pain. Terra’s hold on her slightly tightened, she pressed a hand against his chest to tell him she was fine.

Rii blinked. “You aren’t?”

“No” The former spirit shook her head, fingers ghosting over the jewel lodged in her chest. “From where I stand, you were just trying to save someone, who deserved to be saved. Just how like Seven saved us from Blackheart the second time” a faint smile formed on her pale lips.

“You wanted to help someone....h-how could I be mad at that?” The jewel glowed faintly, the former spirited gritted her teeth in slight pain, worry etched on Terra’s face who cradled her close.

He was very worried about her.

Rii would have gone over to hug her but she didn’t want to ruin the moment, hearing Riku dismiss his Keyblade behind her as clanking footsteps filled their hearing.

The door behind them opened up revealing Seven, holding a clipboard in her hands, Sophia turned her head to see the robot doctor.

She was certainly something else.

“H-How is she? The tailed one...?” Sophia spoke softly, the doctor gave a big beaming smile. “She is alright. As is the baby...well babies. She is having twins.”

Direheart blinked. “I-I only sensed one? How can there be two?”

Seven shook her head. “You may be magical my friend but my high quality built in sensors can scan more then you can sense. She’s got two in there, trust me. Hard to find the second one however, half alien children will do that.” She said tilting her head slightly.

“Anyway, she will wake soon but I am also here for Direheart. My scans indicate you are severely weakened, due to your fusion with a super powered alien. This...Super Saiyan as you call it....seems to be a drain on stamina. Combined with your powers, your fusion judging by my calculations should have lasted at least 3 hours, compared to our fusion, Sevenheart. She only lasts an hour.” Stated the robot, Seven tilted her head once more, one finger on her chin as the other still held her clip board, then her face turned into a serious looking frown, brows narrowed.

“I forbid you from using magic and fusing until you regain your strength”

Direheart looked ready to argue however, knowing it was fruitless to argue with herself she gave in. “Doctor’s orders?”

“Yes Doctor’s Orders~” Seven replied with a grin.

It was now much later in the day, Sophia was able to stand once again, moving herself so Direheart would have a place to lay down, Esper watched Rii carefully, now wasn’t the time to ask about her origins.

Not until this whole Ruby ordeal was dealt with.

As for that tailed woman, Seven has been monitoring her condition, alongside Ansem the Wise, once he heard of a pregnant woman in the lab, he decided to keep an eye on her.

“How is she dear Seven?” the old man asked with a smile, Seven turned her head, antenna flashing. “Oh she is fine sire, I’m mostly concerned for the unborn children...” she said turning her head back to the holographic screen before her, the holographic line connecting to her antenna squiggled slightly.

“So much activity for ones who have not yet seen the world. My my. Once we find this ones husband and Madilyn’s, dummy of a boyfriend, the sooner they can get back to their worlds.” She said, furiously typing away on the holo-keyboard when her line became sharp and jagged.

She pressed a hand against one of her grey earpieces, the older man raised a brow. “Are you sensing something my dear?”

“Yes...it’s coming from the other room” Dismissing her screen she stepped back out into the main room. Terra was tending to Direheart with Aqua right next to her, Rii sat beside Ruby alongside Ven, with Esper close-by.

Seven closed her eyes for a moment, opening them back up again. They were not the usual brown, they were a moss green. That meant she was scanning for the new source she heard.

Ansem watched closely, eyes following the scientist robot. The bulbs on her antenna began blinking quicker now, making a somewhat loud noise.

She stopped at Ruby’s beside.

The others in the room felt their hearts swell but a slight fear twinged them, Direheart could feel it. “S-Seven....w-what’s wrong?” she asked her robot alternate, who turned her head to the former spirit.

“I scanned a large power surge. It came from her” She gestured to the unconscious girl. Seven raised her hands in front of her and was going to do another scan when a hand stopped her.

It was Sophia.

“Wait, robot friend. Didn’t Master Yen Sid say Rii, my grandchild had two personalities inside her?” 

The Dream Eater blinked, face turned into one of pondering, recalling what the old wizard. Two.....Shadow and Light....Shadow and.....

“Wait! I remember now! Yes he did say that. The Shadow was the one we were supposed to watch for, but she has a good side inside her somewhere!”

Sophia nods. “Yes my child. Perhaps the Light has managed to wake. Perhaps she has answers....Rii, I would wait before diving into her heart.....I am somewhat familiar with your kind....only from things I have heard. If Light has something to say...then let her speak.” Sophia gestured to Ven.

“Stay close to her, Light may see only you as a friend” The sandy blonde nodded, Sophia giving Seven the nod of approval to try and scan her.

To see if Ruby’s better half was in there somewhere.

The bulbs blinked brighter this time.

“Yes. I am getting another source here! Lady Sophia is right!” Direheart felt a weight lift from her. She feared the good part of Ruby had been swallowed by the Shadow.

That was not the case.

Suddenly Ruby’s eyes opened, they were not red or green, but a soothing sunshine yellow, brighter then gold. She looked around, pulling herself up, trying to familiarise where she was. Sophia gently pushed the others back as to give her space.

“......Where am I? I remember being sealed...and...Oh!” Her eyes met with the charming blue of Ven’s and she gave a small smile. “You are Ruby’s Ven yes?”

The male felt a blush tinge his cheeks. Her Ven huh?

“Y-Yeah I am. You must be the good half of Ruby right?”

She nodded.

“Yes. I am called Light, Brightness whichever you wish to call me.” She placed a hand against her chest. “I am sorry...as it is only me that has surfaced...Ruby is trapped.”

The others gasped.

Trapped? In her own body?

“How did this happen?” Sophia exclaimed, almost looking ready to pass out, only to be held up by Aqua.

“When the Shadow took over, she sealed myself and Ruby deep inside Ruby’s heart. I failed in my duty to keep her safe, which was why I manifested. I was manifest to protect Ruby from her darkness”

Direheart listened intently. She remembered her daughter Deirdre speaking of the Ruby of her world, who had something similar.

So things do tend to repeat themselves.

“How far sealed in is she?” The shapeshifting sorceress asked Light, tears prickled her eyes, like the sun shining against the ocean.

“I only managed to get out, only because she made me. Ruby told me to get help. She’s so far down inside her heart that....that I couldn’t even break her chains.....” The tears flowed quicker now as she buried her face into her hands.

“Please you have to help us. Someone....” she sobbed into her hands, Sophia placed her hands on the little ones shoulders.

“We will. I promise. How long do you have control over Ruby’s body my child?”

Light lifted her head, bright yellow eyes shining slightly.

“Until she is free. Once she is free I will seep back into the depths of her mind, and the Shadow will fade....”

Sophia nods.

“Very well. Ven, you tend to her now. Others, form a circle around Direheart. Friend Seven, stay with the young ones” The robot gave a nod as the others in the room huddled around Direheart.

“From what I can assume, we have limited time to get the answers we need from the Shadow. She sealed Ruby away, she could tell us how deep. I wish to not weaken Rii but if waking is the only way to save my grandchild then I will allow it.”

“Then we need to interrogate that creature” Riku states, Direheart spoke up. “Myself or Kora have to be present...” she tried to sit up but her injuries would not let her.

And if Terra’s glare was any indicator, he wasn’t going to either.

“Then once the young lady wakes up, Riku I would ask you to come with me” Stated Ansem the Wise, the silver haired boy nodded.

“....You don’t have...to wait long...old man...” The raspy sound of the tailed female’s voice called out to them, they turned their heads to see her leaning against the door with a smile on her face.

“You’re supposed to be resting!” Direheart huffed, the tailed female rolled her eyes. 

“Please. You’re telling me to rest? Idiot.”

“Moron”

“Stubborn fool!”

Sophia stood between the two. “Now girls. Since both of you were part and have retained the memories of said fusion, once of you must accompany Riku to talk to the Shadow”

Maddi scoffed, tail flicking back and fourth. “I’m going. That disgusting creature knows where my husband is and I am taking him back to my world with me” Her eyes flashed with slight anger and worry.

Direheart rolled her eyes. “Fine. I won’t stop you. You Saiyans are known for being too robust”

The old man, having gained the approval of Direheart to take her alternate with him, he and Riku along with the tailed female headed down.

Down.

Down.

Until the reached where they needed to be. In front of a container filled with a black mass, glowing red eyes stared at them.

“Can she hear us?” The tailed female asked, the old man shook his head.

“For now she is mute however....” The old man took a step back as a image projected in front of them.

It seems the glowing red eyes were conjuring this image.

Maddi narrowed her own eyes, a slight jade flashed in them, causing the creature to claw inside the container.

“....Tell us. Where are the people you’ve stolen.” Maddi spoke, the image before them rolled its eyes.

“Like I’m gonna tell you-” a flash of gold filled her vision and the creature shrieked loudly.

“Okay....When I had control of Ruby’s body, I sealed your...PITIFUL loved ones inside glass crystals. They are attached to her belt, t-toss them into a magic circle and they will be freed...” This creature was really pathetic.

“And Ruby. You sealed her. How do we unseal her?” Maddi asked, eyes flashing jade once more.

The image before them hissed, as did the large black mass inside the container.

“I ain’t telling you anything, alien!” The image before them vanished and the Sayan felt her blood boil.

“Can I destroy her?” 

he look Ansem and Riku gave her, was all the answer she needed.

“Fine. I guess we have to ponder this one then don’t we?”

[x-fantasy-is-my-reality-x]

Goku Black x Reader: Forbidden Fruit (Chapter 7: The Calvary Arrives)

Black and Zamasu had immediately flown off to meet Trunks, leaving you alone in the cabin. You waited until they were nothing but dots in the horizon before sprinting about the house checking all the windows and doors, but they were all locked. You threw a chair at one of the windows, but it did absolutely nothing, confirming your suspicion that they had discreetly strengthened it with magic before they left. It was agonizing, your freedom was so close yet so far.

You tried all the closed doors, but they too were locked and impenetrable. Eventually, after breaking two chairs and a knife you let them clatter to the floor and sat in the armchair in the living room, with your head in your hands. It just wasn’t fair. Once again, you were engulfed by a crushing sense of helplessness and frustration as the gravity of your situation gradually tightened the noose.

Just as you were about to start crying again, a light tapping sound came from the window near the kitchen. Cautiously, you moved towards the source of the sound and hesitantly looked over the edge of the windowsill, and nearly had an aneurysm. It was Black, with his face pressed so close to the glass that you could every tiny detail of his nose. You screamed shrilly and tripped backwards as he rose up outside, so you could see his very unusual gi. Had he changed his clothes? And then it hit you. That must have been Son Goku, who looked nearly identical to Black as Trunks had once told you. Still, it was unnerving to see someone who looked like Black’s twin. And it was even weird when he smiled sheepishly at you and rubbed the back of his head, mouthing something inaudible to you. You had never really seen Black smile like that, or anyone on this earth since his arrival as a matter of fact. He hovered near the window and placed his hands on it, pushing at it but it still wouldn’t give.

“Uh hi?” You said loudly, hoping he would be able to hear you.

Luckily, he did. “Hi I’m Son Goku! Trunks told me that Black kidnapped you, so he sent me here to rescue you,” he replied, still smiling. “Why can’t I get through the window?”

“I t-think they magically enhanced it or something before they left.”

“Oh okay, that’s no problem, I think I can still get in.”

You had just opened your mouth to ask him how, but you didn’t get the chance before he unexpectedly appeared in front of you just like Black had. You let out an involuntary shriek and kicked him in the shin, your heart leaping into your throat.

“Oh my God you people are absolutely insane!” You panted as you concentrated not losing your mind.

He grinned at you apologetically and reached out a hand, from which you flinched away. “Sorry, I guess most people aren’t used to that.”

Now that he was standing in front of you, you could see subtle differences between him and Black. For one, he dressed the complete opposite of Black and appeared to be a bit more muscular. Goku was also less tan and there was a different glint in his eye, a pleasant shine that said ‘I’ll kill you with ice cream and sunshine’ instead of Black, who gave off a vibe of ‘I’ll kill you by disemboweling you and then feeding you your entrails’. Still, even with the small differences you still couldn’t help but be wary of him. But I guess if Trunks trusts him so should I, you reasoned with yourself.

You suddenly remembered your blue-haired friend. “Oh uh Mr. Goku sir how’s Trunks?” You stuttered nervously. Please let him be okay.

“Please, you can just call me Goku Y/n, and Trunks if fine, he’s with Vegeta.” He beamed at you, all teeth and gums and you found your own lips quirking up a bit. You could see why Trunks liked him so much, his positivity was infectious. It was a pleasant change for once. He seemed to just notice the bands around your ankles and wrists, frowning at them.

“What are those?” He asked, brushing his finger against one, jerking away from it as it let out a sharp zap.

“I’m not really sure Goku,” you replied. “I can’t seem to get them off.”

“Here, let me try.” You gave him your arm, watching as he flared his chi and gripped the bands tightly, and after some straining they cracked and shattered to the ground. Goku did the same to the rest of them, and you rubbed your wrists thanking him.

“It was no problem. Speaking of which, we should probably get you back to Trunks and Vegeta. Grab my arm.” He held it out for you.

“What why?”

“You’ll see, just please don’t scream, we don’t want for Black to know that you’re there,” he answered, giving you a reassuring look. “Trust me.”

You looked into his eyes, and after finding nothing malicious you gave a small nod and touched his arm.

“Okay now w-” The rest of your sentence was cut off as the ground suddenly changed beneath your feet, along with the rest of the scenery. You were back in West City, the familiar scent of dank death and musty decay flooding your nose. Burning embers danced around your face and up above the gray storm clouds rioted and raged, the wind howling like wolves. The fallen city looked the same as always, the buildings rising from the ground like skeletons and the earth all churned up and wounded. Brilliant flashes from the distance caught your eye, streaks of bright yellow, blue, pink, and purple. Distinctly, you were able to recognize Trunks as a blazing Super Saiyan, charging with all his might towards Black, in his regular form who was laughing in glee. Zamasu was battling with a warrior you had never seen before, with tall, flame-shaped blue hair and a tight cobalt-colored spandex suit. Based on Trunks’ description of his father you guess that it was Vegeta, the legendary Saiyan who had turned his back on evil. Lightning split the sky as they clashed, energy balls flying everywhere and destroying everything that they came in contact with. A golden one whizzed over your head and blew up a car ten feet behind you, and the black-haired Saiyan next to you quickly ushered you behind a standing chunk of concrete.

“Stay right here Y/n, we’ll be right back for you after we defeat Black.” And he was off before you could even protest. Goku let out a thunderous war cry as he shot towards the brawl, his hair flaring into scarlet as he rammed into Black, who had the weakened Trunks in a headlock. The teenager flopped to the ground when Black dropped him in favor of Goku, his hair turning back into its normal color. You growled angrily, but there wasn’t much you could do to help other than to get yourself caught again.

Maybe I can go find Mai and the other survivors.

Well, it was better than just sitting there and watching them fight. The cracked dome of Capsule Corp stood a bit further up ahead, close to the place where their hideout was. You began to slowly make your way around the debris, hiding in the shadows of the forlorn buildings as the war raged on. Quite a few times you were almost crushed into a pancake as the vibrations caused by their blows broke off massive pieces of what was left of the surviving structures, or when a rogue Final Flash or Kamehameha came your way. Finally, after dodging the sixth attack you ran into Mai, who was spectating close by.

“Y/n!” Mai nearly screamed, and you quickly covered her mouth with your hand.

“Mai, I’ll explain later it was a long story.” She nodded at you, and both of your attention was drawn back to the battle by Trunk’s frantic cry. You and Mai could only stare up at them, horrified as a magenta blade protruded from the prince’s back, trails of crimson leaking down his white armor as he twitched in agony. The warrior made a raspy choking sound and like Trunks, his hair faded to black. Black’s face was painted with Vegeta’s blood, and he had never looked so terrifying, grinning with shining white teeth as the dark liquid ran down his face, like red tears. You watched as the blood plopped onto the ground and you heard Mai let out a quiet sob. Zamasu had Trunks pinned underfoot, barely able to keep his eyes open, and it appeared that Goku was the only one capable of standing, but even he looked tired and weary, bruises and scratches all over his body.

With a flick of Black’s hand, Vegeta dropped like an anchor into a crater, unconscious and bleeding heavily. You gritted your teeth and struggled against the rage that made your entire body shake like a leaf. Black’s eyes locked on the last standing Saiyan, and he began to power up as Goku splayed his feet ready to fight to the death. Black flew towards him in astonishing speed and crushed him into a building, holding him there as Goku fought valiantly against him.

“Black,” Zamasu said coyly. “Why don’t you tell our dear friend dear how this came to be? He must be so confused.”

His partner smirked, and the entire battlefield went quiet.

“What? What do you mean?” Goku spat.

“Oh I think you know very well what I mean Son Goku,” Black purred. “Why do you think I look like you? Why I am you?”

When Goku didn’t respond, he went on slowly, savoring every syllable. “Because Goku, I stole your body. I used the Super Dragon Balls to switch bodies with you, and you know what I did after that?”

A cold sense of dread solidified in your stomach and you wanted to vomit as you guessed his next words.

“I killed you. And then your wife and that little brat that looked like you. I killed them all.”

[bagofbonesmp3]

Quicksilver’s Outfit Scores

if i forget an outfit you are free to add. he doesnt changes that often bc he’s a filthy bitch but it HAPPENS. so, uh here it goes

#1 The Classic ™

score: 7/10. i only respect it because it was the first but look at those BOOTY SHORTS??? the wide neck was a good choice tho. comes in green and blue, depends on my mood on how i feel about them.

#2 old happy times

score: 1232141/10. THE ONLY OUTFIT HE SHOULD BE WEARING. matching his ex namor. waistline is a SILVER LIGHTNING????? iconic. fight me over this. his thighs are strong and no pant can withhold them.

#3 quicksilver in wundagore mountain

score: 10/10. coloring? check. pose? check. he’s got those thigh lightning thingies, like he could carry a gun there. headset looks nice if u are into the star trek stuff. black and white have never looked better

#4 mistakes

score: -32523523657/10. looks non threatening at first but then you take a closer look and YIKES. ugly ass 70s alien shoulder pads. goblin shoes. lime gloves. i hope this burns in hell. i dont even know where this came from.

#5 chton possesion

score: 100/10. had to get possessed by a hellbeast to show that CHEST. in lightning form. ugh. lovely. also that SCARF IN HIS WAIST????? i thought only women could pull that off. red suits the silver hoe. should return.

#6 post house of m depression

score: 5/10. this is how i look every morning when i get the fuck out of bed. i still love him but BABE.

#7 avengers academy.

score: 8/10. PASSABLE. only time i will ever let him wear those ugly ass lime gloves. and boots. the black atop the chest makes him look kinda cool. i’d still kick his ass in a comic con.

#8 pietro goes see a therapist

score: ankles up? 9.5/10. ankles down? -75/10. some artists dont think things trough. but it WAS the 90s

#9 good old 90s

score: 9.5/10. not like his b&w outfit but like, GOOD. i never know what to think about those neck flaps. i bet his ass must look good on black tights. and he knows it.

#10 serval industries uniform aka variant 1

score: 12/10. good tier. those flashy things along his ribs are lovely. hair looks good. actually manages not to look bad in yellow. eye piece makes him look like a super saiyan, which would turn remy on. that's the whole point, isnt it????

variant 2: the hoodie

score: 10/10. he loved that hoodie. give it back, mavel.

#11 uncanny avengers v2 score: 312/10. he has those air vents. white on grey on futuristic blue. the googles were a weird choice but i DIG IT. i miss it.

#12 current suit

score: 2/10. ugly. that’s the youtube rewind logo. can do better. he looks soft but at what cost?

[the-ash0]

surviving paradise chapter 7

Time

I stare at the sky as I sit, plucking at grass in the Capsule Corp front garden. It is small compared to the back one, so staying here provides me a measure of privacy. Though the Nameks fear me, they need their fresh air too, I suppose. So I have left the back gardens free for them, lest I run into any by mistake. I am trying hard enough as it is not to start trouble.

Today marks the first full week of my stay here on earth, but already my patience is running thin. I have not left Capsule Corp grounds since that first day at the bar. On one hand, I hardly feel like subjecting myself to another degrading episode due to my… inexperience with this world and its customs. On the other, everything I could ever want or need is provided for me right here; right here at my fingertips.

Which is exactly as it should be, of course. I am a prince, after all. And the greatest warrior in the galaxy, now that Frieza and Kakarot have managed to kill each other off. Which is fine; clever, in a way. To get rid of both in this manner. Yep, life is absolutely fucking perfect.

So why do I feel so... tired?  

It must be the routine of this place. The days on this planet are too short to suit me. Though I suppose the schedule I followed in my previous life —a cycle of travel in cryo-sleep for months up to years, a purge mission or two lasting a few days, then back in cryo-sleep for a debriefing and an optional few days to restart the process— doesn't really qualify as a rhythm.

Still, the monotone repetition wears on my nerves. I know I should try and adjust; rise and retire with the sun. Yet I spend more time staring at my bedroom ceiling than dreaming, and the morning light does little to rouse me into action. I feel strange: weak without any damage taken. Exhausted without wanting sleep. Numb...

I reach out for another hand of grass to pull up, but find the semicircle around me cropped to the point that I need to dig up roots. I contemplate moving to another spot to restart the process, though picking myself up seems like so much work for nothing.

Why bother at all? I could pluck the whole field bare or move around and make ugly bare circles in the perfectly cut grass. What would that achieve? Well, maybe someone would take offence. I could use someone to scream at, or have scream at me, or talk to... Anything.

A sound from behind brings me back to my senses. I take it back; I really do not wish any form of interaction, and definitely not with the locals.

The grey-haired professor, apparently the man of the house, appears from the door and makes his way towards me with purpose. I groan. The old dolt had stayed clear of me mostly until now, and I had thought him the smartest of the pack for that. Perhaps I was wrong.

He walks into my periphery and clears his throat, pets the weird black creature perched on his shoulder, then stares down at me as if expecting something.

As soon as I realize what he wants, I deign not to give it. Instead, I focus my attention on the clouds overhead. There’s only a few of them, of course. Even the weather on Earth is perfect. Perfect, constant, monotone and boring. Sadly, my studious inattention is not enough to deter old four-eyes from intruding.

The grey human sighs, fidgeting in his pocket for something before sitting down. A decent distance away, but facing the same direction with an unfounded air of camaraderie. The crunch-creak of metal on a lighting stone finally breaks my resolve. “If you dare light that stinking filth in my breathing air I’ll rip your throat out.”

The man blinks at me and puts his lighter away with an apologetic smile, studying the white twig in his other hand as if unsure what to do with it. “Panchy asked me to fetch you,” he offers as appeasement. “Lunch is served.”

Blasted woman and her blasted food.

“Well, she could have just said so herself, could she not?” I grind out, “besides, do you always run to do your woman’s bidding?”

I turn from his blinking four-eyed stare and recline with a sigh. Pathetic as this planet’s gravity is, I am not up to fighting it. “Besides, I am not hungry.”

“And there it is too,” his old voice turns sure, as if I just proved some point. Opting to leave the unlit cigarette in mouth, he frowns down at me. “In answer to your question, Panchy hardly ever asks for anything. So when she does, I do run, even when I do not understand.”

I take a deep breath. “Your wife is a degenerate airhead whose only purpose would be to exemplify the useless stupidity of this planet and its main species!”

To my surprise the man laughs —laughs!— at my comments.

“She does seem like an airhead doesn’t she? Here on Earth, especially in my generation, too much intelligence in a woman was frowned upon; just as my little girl likes to play the damsel in distress, she likes to play airhead.” The man lowers his voice, and I perk up as I finally hear a threatening undertone: “But I would think that a man such as yourself knows not to take all at face value?”

I, the Prince of all Saiyans, snarl and turn on him. “I do not care for you, your planet, or any of your ridiculous mating customs. In fact, I think I’ll blow this whole planet up, right now! And there’s not a damn thing you or anyone here can do about it.”

The old man stares at me intently, before nodding and adjusting his glasses. “Is that what is bothering you?”

“NO!” Yes? Maybe? I deflate, what little energy I had gone again too soon. This man is supposed to be the richest in the world... Can’t he at least get the military to fight me? Maybe if I just blow him and his precious Capsule Corp to pieces, someone worthy will show. Probably. Possibly.

Kakarot’s idiot friends might provide me some challenge, but the old coot just gives me a goofy grin. Unworried. Whatever. Military or stupid Z-gang, no one on this planet is worth my trouble. I can hardly make myself care if they win or lose. I lay back down, place an arm over my eyes, and repeat: “I’m not hungry.”

The old man sucks in his breath, like I had said I was dying or something, then gets up and leaves.

Finally, some peace.

Or as close as I am able to get to it.

I find myself wondering if death would have brought true peace. I was dead before, right? But all I can remember from that time is my fervent, all encompassing wish that someone— preferably Kakarot— kill that filthy Lizard.

I had not wanted to leave and had clung to that battle with all I had. The memories are garbled after death, but I think I still spoke to my fellow Saiyan. Maybe I might have had peace after that. That would have been nice.

Sadly, peace appears to be the one thing not available in this place. I recognise the crunch-step of feet on gravel, and have to stifle a groan. No torture that Hell could have dreamt up would have been as annoying and maddening as this constant string of visitors. It is the blue-haired young woman this time; the old coot’s spawn. Her voice sounds suspiciously friendly and chipper.

“Vegeta? Vegeta dear, will you come and have a look at what I’m fixing?”

I don't care. “Did your father send you?”

She answers a little too fast: “No!”

I can't help but bark a mirthless laugh. Well, I can teach her a thing or two about lying. “Sorry, I am busy.”

Her unamused drawl suggests she is not that stupid, though. “I think you’ve mowed our lawn enough for a while, don't you?”

I move the arm still covering my eyes slightly so I can squint up at her. She stands over me, hands on hips, all wide open eyes and bare shoulders. Her hair is up in a bun, strands fall past her face as she bends over me. She wears a  thin-strapped top over only marginally more practical pants. Yellow working gloves on her fists, an eyeshield dangling from one like an accessory. If not for the dark smudge by her nose, she’d resemble one of those girls on the square movie frame her mother likes to watch.

I can't decide if I’m more offended that she would approach me with so much bare skin to burn off, or that she can’t even be bothered to clean herself up before addressing royalty. Instead of letting my irritation show, I smirk and roll to my side, away from her. “I don't do manual labor. I’m relaxing. And as I can't manage to care about your silly projects, just run along.”

If I was hoping to bait her, I am disappointed. She stretches her arms over head as she straightens, and hums to herself, putting a gloved hand to her cheek. “That is a shame. I had thought to outdo my father’s machine. You know, the one that made Goku’s transition to Super Saiyan possible. But without a Saiyan to test it, I can hardly prove to father I’ve won our bet. Perhaps I should let Yamcha use it instead. Or Krillin. He’s pretty strong. Perhaps he could be super-human. Who knows…?” She trails off and smiles at me triumphantly.

At some point during her speech, I have sat up to scowl at her, but she sees right through my anger to the awakened hunger beneath.“I don't suppose you could just relax inside the spaceship for a while? I kind of need to test the gravity settings before I call this one safe for use, but poor little me will get squashed by anything beyond the 3 ½ setting…”

“Fah! Weak as you are, you’ll probably die at twice Earth's gravity.” Not to mention what would happen at, say, ten times Earth's gravity. But for me, that would be like coming home. Was this Kakarot’s secret to achieving such power?

Kakarot... As I straighten and cross my legs, I cannot help but think of our first battle. Now, that was a fight. I honestly can’t remember the last time I had so much fun. Well, at least up to the point where his bloody friends intervened and cut off my tail. They just have no sense of propriety. But before his friends intervened...I grin at my boots. I was winning, right? Our fight is not yet finished; perhaps a rematch is in order.

Yes, a rematch. The third-class may be dead, but here on this magic little mud-ball called Earth that does not seem to be a problem. And before Namek, before his special training, he was weak compared to me, so… if I use the same methods he did, should I not be able to surpass him? After all, I am the one meant to be a Super Saiyan. Everyone always said so. I effortlessly stand, my attention on my fist as I ball it slowly and remember what I am. Who I am..

“No, no.” The woman’s voice pulls me back to the present, turning as she shakes her head. “The science is in on this. I should be able to take up to 6 gees easily, but I won't be able to stand after 3, 3 ½  tops. That’s useless for my tests though. Father’s machine went up to 100 times Earth’s gee. Mine, once tested, should be able to generate 200 gees! Oh dear,” she walks off pensively, “do you think that might be too much?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” I have to run after her to catch up. “You couldn’t build something to hurt me if you tried.”

[gochigalore]

Seven Days - A GoChi Fanfic Series for GoChi Week.

Day Two: Pride

A/N: Another form of pride within the seven deadly sins is known as vanity. Which is what is actually meant by pride so this will be the theme of this chapter.

"Hey Cheech...are you okay?"

Goku peered his head into the room to see his wife sitting on the edge of their made up bed. We just caught her wiping a tear from her eye and rests her hands together on her lap of her beautiful red dress she had brought for tonight's occasion. Taking caution the nervous saiyan made his way over to Chichi trying to find the words to say.

"So that was something back there huh? You and me, fighting over food. It's kinda funny when you think about it." Goku put his hand behind his head as a nervous reaction as he gave off a weak laugh ChiChi's shot Goku a glance that immediately stopped the laughter.

"That was so embarrassing!" ChiChi whined. "I was acting like a starving barbarian. We were acting like that. But the strange this is...I couldn't control myself."

"Yeah...same with me. It was like something got control of my body and emotions and I just surrendered to them. Don't get me wrong, I love food but I'd never act like that over it." Goku sighed and sat down on the bed beside her. ChiChi repeated the event over and over again in her mine and covered her face in shame.

"Ugh I can't believe we did that in front of our sons, our daughter-in-law, our granddaughter!" She sighed. "They're probably laughing at us right now as we speak."

"Don't say that." Goku scooted closer to her. "Listen, even though I didn't know what happened back there, I'm sorry for being a part of it. I knew how much tonight meant to you."

ChiChi turned to him and saw the genuine look of sincerity in his eyes. Seeing that made her heart melt that she couldn't help but to give a warm smile and patted his knee playfully.

"Well, what's done is done. I kinda want to move on from tonight. We should hear back to the others."

But as if on que another knock was heard.

"Hello?" It was Gohan who slowly entered his head though the cracked opened door. "Is...everything okay?"

The two lovers looked at each other in a sign of approval towards one another and then both turn their gaze back to Gohan. They needed to think of a lie. "Yes, everything is alright son. Sorry about dinner. Uh...your mom and I had a long day and we went a little crazy. Right, dear?" Goku looked back at ChiChi as she picked up on his notion.

"R-right. I was busy cooking all day and I barely ate. I guess I got a little too tense back there." ChiChi laughed nervously. "We're terribly sorry about that. We've should've acted far more mature then what we were being."

"It's okay really. Beside when has anything normal ever happened around here? It was kinda funny actually." Gohan retuned with a more genuine laugh. "Anyway. I was about to send Goten to bed for you guys and then me and Videl are going to bed ourselves. We're gonna be staying here a couple of days, if you guys don't mind. You guys need anything?”

Goku gave his usual bright smile. "That's great to hear! We'd love to have you guys stay over. And nah, I think we're good for the night. We'll talk tomorrow okay?"

And that was it. Goten was tucked into bed and the two couples drifted off to bed themselves hoping to forget about that chaotic dinner.

The next day.

Goku woke up to the pleasant sound of ChiChi humming as we arose from him bed. He looked around at the position he was in and new instantly that he slept well. He had always been just as a sloppy sleeper as he was a sloppy eater. He rubbed his eyes with his hand to clear his blurred vision to reveal ChiChi in front of the mirror trying on various clothing in her closet. She was holding a long teal dress in front of her, examining how good it would look on her. Her after studying the lovely dress, she cringed.

"Ew, the colors don't look good in me at all! Who the hell have me this crap?" ChiChi scoffed in disgust as she tossed the dress to the side in a haughty sigh. Goku's eyed followed the dress and he discovered the huge pile of close where the dress had landed. He speculated that she must have went trough half her wardrobe while he was asleep. ChiChi noticed her awaking husband and turned him for a second then back to the mirror.

"Oh Good morning, sweetheart!" She spook nonchalantly too busy with her clothing to really pay attention.

"G-good morning ChiChi, Um...what are you doing?"

"Trying to find something to wear. I cannot believe half of the junk that's in my closet." She was now holding a pink and yellow blouse but again she cringed and tossed aside to her ever growing pile of rejected clothing.

"For what? Are we having another dinner?" Goku asked innocently.

"No, I just woke up in the mood to raid my closet and get rid of the hideous shit." She now was holding a very classic looking yellow dress with blue outlines. This time she turned to Goku and asked. "Why the hell do I even own this?"

"But ChiChi, you love that dress. It's was a gift your father gave you for your birthday last year, remember?"

"Oh..." she sneered in boredomas she looked at the dress again before tossing it to the side. She then gave a flustered sigh and walked to the bathroom. "I'm gonna need new clothes. None of these does my body or my looks any favored I'm going to go shopping today. We still have money left over right?"

"Yeah...But you said that was for to help Goten get a better education." Goku protested. ChiChi came back out back in a towel as she was getting ready to take her morning bath.

"Pfft, a couple of hundred of dollars wouldn't hurt." ChiChi snorted obnoxiously "Besides don't you want your wife to look as hot as possible?"

"Uh..." Goku blinked dumbfounded. He never heard his wife talk this way before. To put herself before her own son's studies was something she's never EVER do. It was like she was like a whole other person.

"Then it's settled. I'm going shopping and you're coming with me." ChiChi demanded. Goku looked at her as to say 'Why do I have to go?' and ChiChi read his mind. "You're in more of a desperate need of a new wardrobe then I do. I can't be bothered to be seen with you in that Orange and Blue getup that you wear all the time?"

"You mean my Gi? But you never had an problem with it before-"

Goku stopped when ChiChi interrupted. "My mind is made up, Goku! You're getting new clothes whether you like it not!" ChiChi fave a fake smile and sashayed out of the room leaving Goku unsatisfied with the conversation. He gets up from the bed and walks over the mirror and takes a good long look at himself. While he always thought of himself as kinda food-looking he never really cared too much about appearances let alone his own. But then... the same blue light from before shined in his eyes momentarily And dissolved then he look at himself again the mirror and suddenly got a new perspective of himself. He turned his body around to see every angle he could Of himself. He suddenly began to have a better appreciation or his own physique which was quite impressive to most.

"Gosh, I never knew how...hot I was. I mean...ChiChi tells me all the time how hot I am but I never noticed until now. I don't think anyone is as hot as me. No wonder she's so crazy about me." Goku's eyes traced down every inch of his own body, flexing his muscles, smirking slyly. "Maybe ChiChi was right, I could use some new clothes. After all I could use something to show off my hot body." He chuckled to himself as he flexed in front of the mirror admiring himself.

While in the middle of his flexing, Goten enters the room to see his dad having fun with himself in the mirror. He watched in embarrassment at his father going on and on about how sexy he thought he was. Goten turned around quickly and walked away mouthing "wow" as he did so.

Later at the mall Goku and ChiChi arrived liking around and the number of people buzzing around the store.

"So when do we go shopping for my new stuff?" Goku asked excitedly

"After I finish shopping first. You know it chivalrous to let the ladies go first, and only the fairest of ladies have the right to go first, don't you think?" ChiChi smirked as Goku rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, I'll be over in the men's department if you need me, but I doubt they'll have anything even remotely decent in his hellhole." complained as he walked off.

It was Chichi's turn to roll her eyes as she made her way through the many racks of clothes. Unfortunately, the more she looked through the clothes, then more disgusted she became. She flicked through every clothes degrading every single piece she came across.

"Ew...no...hell no... I won't be caught dead in this crap...disgusting...gross...just...just no...”

ChiChi was so busy with her "shopping" that she didn't see the store clerk approach her. "May I help you ma'am?" He asked her.

ChiChi turned to the clerk with a haughty glare. "Yes. Do you have anything that is...oh you know...actually wearable in h is place? All of these are hideous. Who would wear any of these?"

The clerk was taken aback by her bluntness. "Well...uh...I don't know what you mean. All of the clothing here are in style."

"Ha! If these are "in style" then I'm a super saiyan." ChiChi mocked, quite please herself with the joke.

"A what?"

"Oh outta my way!" ChiChi shoved passed him and continued browsing through the many racks of clothing. Minutes and many dresses later she finally found found something worthy of her attention. It was like a diamond in the clothes rough. It was a cute, clingy, long-sleeved burgundy dress that just by one look at it she knew it was created for her body.

"Eureka!" She shrieked as he ran over the dress, however the minute her hands landed on one sleeve soon. Anotherhand arrives on the other side." ChiChi's eyes immediately looked up as the figure holding the other dress and gave her the same leer woman was giving her. They both lacked on the dress and pull the opposite parts toward them ChiChi became concerned when the dress was at it stretch limit and feared it would tear.

"Let it go, bitch." ChiChi sneered.

"No way! I saw it first!" The woman barked back.

"Bullshit! You was nowhere near it!"

“Says you!”

“This is only good piece of clothing that’s in this store and you’re candy ass is not gonna take it away from me.”

“What are you gonna do? Fight me?” The woman laughed haughtily as before she she react a foot came fly across her face and she was on the floor. She looked up to see Chichi with the dress in her hand. ChiChi smirked innocently

“You asked for it.” She shined as she turned to walk away. Just then she felt something on her ankles that prevented her from leaving and she fell on the ground. The ruthless woman then climbed on top of her to try and get the upper hand in her But ChiChi was much stronger then she was and she was on top of her trying to yank the dress from her. Thy wee starts to draw in a crowd This lasted for a little while before the story manager and security came rushing over to them to break it up. The two security guard held both each of the ladies as the manager got in between them. Then the security guards let them go.

“You two are casing a scene!” The manager shouted “This is a repeatable store! And I won’t stand for this roughhousing. Now if you two don’t behave I’ll be forced to kick you both o-“

A suddenly crash from across the room was heard and everyone’s directions cane toward Goku who was holding a middle aged man by the collar with a murderous look in his eyes because he wanted the same tank top Goku did.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry!" The man pleaded with his life. “It’s big deal you can have it!”

“That’s what I thought.” Goku smirked reeling in his minor victory.

“HEY YOU LET HIM GO THIS INSTANT!” The manager shouted! He turned to ChiChi “is he with you?”

“Yeah? What’s it to ya!” She barked.

“Ok this is out of hand. I was gonna give you a second chance but you and your barbaric husband is tearing up my store! I want you two out at once!

“Fine” ChiChi sneered.

ChiChi saw this as her chance. While the manager had retrieved the dress from them he was too busy looking at what Goku was doing to pay attention to them. ChiChi snatched the dress from the manager and darted off.

“HEY COME BACK HERE YOU THEIF!” The manager called out to her. Waving his hands like a mad man

“GOKU LET’S GO!” ChiChi call out to him as she ran out of the store. At her call Goku grabbed the dark gray tank top and ran after his wife.

“SECURITY! SEIZE THEM!!!”

The manager screamed as security took off after the shoplifting couple. It wast long until they began to catch up with them. “Goku they’re gaining on us!”

“Don’t worry I got an idea! Hop on my back!” Goku commanded as ChiChi jumped on his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. Once Goku had her safely on her back. He took off flying into the air leaving the exhausted security guards watching in defeat as they made their getaway.

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (179/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball,  which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation.   This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made  on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: This story takes place about 1000 years before  66 years after the events of Dragon Ball Z.

Featuring Superstar Barry Kahn!  Oh... wait, it’s Majin Buu.   I always have trouble telling them apart.

     [7 May, Age 774.  Earth.]  

Luffa was the Legendary Super Saiyan of a bygone era.   After being transported across a millennium, she was recruited into the Time Patrol.    Her mission, ironically enough, concerned the history of her successor, a Super Saiyan who called himself Son Goku.  

The Demon Witch, Towa, had tried to harvest energy from powerful warriors throughout time and space.  Luffa had thwarted her plan, but she still had to clean up the mess Towa had made of the battle between Son Goku and Majin Buu.  Luffa knew little about the historical context of the battle, only that it was a diversion, and that Majin Buu was a powerful creature capable of molding his entire body like raw dough.  

When she arrived on the scene, she found Goku struggling against three Majin Buus, each suffused with a purple energy which was now sickeningly familiar to Luffa.  The Majin was under the influence of Towa's evil magic, increasing his strength, and making him fight more aggressively than normal.  

Son Goku was holding his own, but only just.   He lacked the raw power to match Majin Buu, but he was also having trouble coping with six arms and six legs.  When Luffa was close enough to join the fray, she found two of the Buus holding Goku's arms, while the third began to wind up his left arm in an exaggerated fashion, as though preparing to punch him.  

It was this third Buu that Luffa kicked in the side of the head.   She then fired a ki blast at the one holding Goku's right arm.  

"Having trouble, Kakarot?" Luffa asked.  "I guess being dead must have dulled your reflexes."

"Thanks!" Goku said as he slipped free of the remaining Buu.   "But who the heck are you?!"    

"Right, I keep forgetting that you don't remember me," Luffa said under her breath.    She had encountered Goku several times during other Time Patrol missions, but the entire purpose of those missions was to eliminate changes to history.    Luffa would use brute force to defeat intruders like Towa, and subdue altered fighters like Majin Buu, and then the Supreme Kai of Time would make more subtle adjustments to the affected span of time.   Luffa tended to think of this as "massaging" the altered history back into place.   She wasn't sure if the Kai would approve of this terminology or not.  

And so, while Luffa had met Goku more than once, each encounter was always a first for Goku.   It was beginning to irritate Luffa, for she had a great interest in the man.   Once every thousand years, a Super Saiyan would rise up from the ranks of their warrior race.   Luffa had been the Super Saiyan of her millennium, and Son Goku had become the Super Saiyan of his.    

"You're a Saiyan!" Goku said as he caught a glimpse of Luffa's tail. The fur glowed bright yellow to match the hair on her scalp.   Goku had no tail, but the hair on his own head was the same as Luffa's.    It was still unsettling to her to see other Saiyans in the transformed state.    But she was beginning to get used to it.

"The name's Luffa," she said as she drove an elbow deep into the face of one of the three Majin Buus.    "I'm here to help."  

"I didn't think there were any Saiyans left!" Goku said.  

"Where's Vegeta?" Luffa asked.    "I mean, he can transform too, right?"

She had never actually seen Vegeta in the transformed state, but she had seen Vegeta's son, Trunks, use the same power.    According to Trunks, there were many more Super Saiyans after Goku, including Vegeta.  

"He's dead," Goku replied.   One of the Buus tried to shoot a ki blast at him, but he managed to deflect it into the path of another.    

"You're both dead?" she asked.  "What's wrong with you two?"

"Heh-heh!  Uh, sorry about that," Goku said.  

According to the briefing Trunks had provided in the Time Vault, Goku had been killed seven years earlier.   Some supernatural authority had granted him a single day to return to the living world.  Aside from the halo that floated over his head, he looked like any other living being.  

"I take it Vegeta doesn't get a free day back like you did," Luffa said.  

"Probably not," Goku said.  "Hey!  I just thought of something!"

Luffa wanted to ask him what, but one of the Buus had grabbed her from behind.   Their flesh felt like the sort of elastic gloves used in hospitals.  Only, there was a certain warmth to it, a subtle reminder that it was living tissue, even as the arm stretched and contorted around Luffa's neck.  

"Hang on!" Goku shouted.  His ki blast blew off the head of the Buu that had grabbed her, but by doing this, he had left himself wide open to the other two.   Luffa managed to slip free of the arm, though she found it still held on very tightly, considering it was connected to a decapitated body.    Then, as she moved clear of her assailant, she saw a second head sprouting from its chest.  

"Buu!" cheered the newly restored creature.   He pumped his fists and shuffled his feet as he floated in the air.   He looked completely undamaged.    It was as if Goku hadn't hurt it at all.  

"What were you thinking?!" Luffa snapped at Goku.   "These things are way out of your league!   They regenerate even faster than Cell, and their power doesn't decrease at all!"

"I know," Goku said.  "This guy's really something!   He took out Vegeta without even trying!   Hey, leggo!"

He had tried a spin kick to keep the other two Buu's from flanking him, but his foot had sunk into the massive gut of one of them, and the Buu began to pull him in like quicksand.  

"Get off of him!" Luffa shouted, and she fired ki blasts as quickly as she could in three directions.   So far, it seemed that Majin Buu couldn't sense ki, and so she hoped that he relied on sight and sound to find his opponents.   Even if he could grow back his heads, she could still blind him for the few seconds it took for him to regenerate.  

"Thanks!" Goku said.  "You know, you're really strong!   I'm impressed!"

Her heart sank when he said these words to her.   She had hoped to fight him at some point.    As one of the Legendary Super Saiyans, she had long dreamed of a great battle against a worthy opponent, and it seemed like the only proper challenge for her would be to face another Super Saiyan.    That had seemed impossible before the Time Patrol showed her a glimpse of opportunity.   But the Patrol had strict rules against interfering with history, and so Son Goku was off-limits.   Even so, she hoped that an chance would present itself somehow.  

But now, she realized that it was truly impossible.  Goku had been dead seven years, and she was now witnessing his peak performance, and it simply didn't compare to her own.   He fought valiantly against Majin Buu, but she was handling the odds just a bit better.    A fight between them at their current levels would be a mere formality.   She would gladly give him the honor, if the opportunity ever presented itself, but there was nothing more to look forward to.  

"What was your idea?" Luffa shouted as she struggled to keep all three Buus headless at the same time.   "I can't keep this up forever!"

"We don't have to!" Goku said.   "We just need to buy a little more time.  But I was thinking, if we make it out of this, you and I can do a fusion!"

"A what?" Luffa asked.  

Goku was too busy fighting off one of the Buus to respond right away.    "Have you heard of the Metamorans?" he asked.   "They have a technique to combine two warriors into a single being!   I wanted to try it with Vegeta or Gohan, but they're dead now.   But you should be compatible!"

"Combine?" Luffa asked, making no attempt to hide her disgust.  

"Yeah!" Goku said.  "Don't worry, it's not permanent.  It lasts for thirty minutes, and then you separate.   Oh, but you'd have to learn the dance steps first.   Hmm, and you're kinda short.  It helps for both fighters to be about the same size, but maybe we can still make it work."

So that was his plan to defeat Majin Buu.   It might have succeeded, and she couldn't fault him for using whatever resources were at hand, but it still galled her to hear a Saiyan talking this way.  "Kakarot, what happened to relying upon your own strength?!" Luffa asked.   "You didn't get that yellow hairdo by combining bodies."

"Yeah, I know," Goku said.    He swung his leg and managed to kick one of the Buus aside while firing a ki blast into another.   "But I don't have time to train, and this guy's too strong to beat head on!   I had a trick up my sleeve, but Buu started attacking me before I was ready to use it!"

"Then we'll just have to do this the hard way," Luffa said.   "Like your ancestors would have done!  Or did you think they used fusion to get past all their enemies?"

"Huh?  Well, shoot, I never thought about it much," Goku said.   "I guess they did whatever they could with what they had, right?  Like Vegeta.   When he first showed up on Earth, he had this fake moon thingy--Ow!"

"You talk too much!" cried one of the three Majin Buus, who had zapped him with a ki blast from behind.    "Buu want big fight, not stimulating conversation!   Now do big power stuff, now now now!"

Goku was still in once piece, but the back of his orange dogi was nearly destroyed.   He winced with pain as he moved away from the enemy, but the three Buu's left him little avenue for escape.  

"Dammit!" Goku said.  "No wonder Vegeta couldn't survive against this guy!     I can fight him, but I can't hurt him, at least not long enough to get anywhere!"

Luffa was doing only slightly better.   She could disable Buu for a moment or two, but there was no way to capitalize while he had three bodies.   Despite their silly antics, they worked in perfect harmony, fighting with a single mind.   Buu appeared to have a simple intellect, but it was more than enough to wield the vast power he commanded.  

"Mean girl!" Majin Buu shouted.   "Why you keep shooting Buu in Buu's face?"

"Figure it out!" Luffa shouted as she shot him two more times in the face.    One of the heads grew back even faster than before.  

"You no like Buu's face?" Majin Buu asked.   "You not think Buu is handsome?"  

"What the hell are you talking about?" Luffa asked.  

"Buu not apologize for not living up to unrealistic body standards!" he screamed.   "At least Buu not make frowny mean face all the time!"  

"Hey that's it!" Goku said.    "Tell him if he stops blowing up cities, you'll give him a kiss!  I mean, it's worth a shot, right?"

Luffa raised her hand to shoot Buu again, but then swung out her arm and fired near Goku instead.   She missed, but narrowly.

"Hey!" Goku shouted.   "It was just a suggestion!"

"Don't you get it?" Luffa said to Buu.   "It doesn't matter how good looking you are when you split up into three bodies like this!   It kills the mood!"

This gave Buu pause.   One of them continued to fight with Goku, but not quite as doggedly.  The other two flanked Luffa, but they didn't attack.   Instead, one of them scratched the top of his head with his yellow mitten, while the other put his thumb to his chin and nodded sagely.    

"Hmmm... mean girl make good point," Majin Buu said.    

"Sure I do," Luffa said.   "Look, nobody wants to be outnumbered.   You have to make a lady feel comfortable.   Trust me, I know these things.   You have to be calm and exist in a single body.   It shows people that you're confident and secure in your masculinity."  

One of the other Buus nodded.   "Buu not sure what you mean, but Buu will give it a try!"  

"Hey!  What are you doing!?"  

They all looked up to find Babidi floating above them.   Luffa had never seen a creature quite like Babidi before.  He was supposed to be an ancient wizard, powerful enough to enslave Towa's bother, the Demon King Dabura.   But he looked more to Luffa like a rotten piece of Shafulbian shrimp that had been dropped on the floor.    There was a stylized "M" symbol on his belt, which matched the one on Majin Buu's belt.   This appeared to be the only real connection between them.  

"Majin Buu!" Babidi scolded.   "You are supposed to be making an example of that orange-clad misfit!  Kill him, torture him, turn him into licorice, I don't care, but do it quickly!   And as for you, young lady!   How dare you interfere in my affairs!"

Luffa turned her head and spat, not giving a thought to how high up in the  air they were, or what her spit might land on down below.   "I do what needs to be done," she said with a snort.  

"Buu have situation under control!" Majin Buu insisted.  "Just want advice from mean lady before Buu turn her into funnel cake!"

"Yeah, let him handle it!" Luffa said.   "Unless you'd rather come down here and take care of this yourself!"

Babidi was stunned into silence.   "F-fine," he muttered.   "But just hurry it up, okay?"

"Like I was saying," Luffa continued, "you have to be careful not to come on too strong around women.   Just take it easy.   Try pulling yourself back together and see how it goes."

To her surprise, Buu did as she asked.   The three bodies moved closer together, then they each hopped around in midair and pumped their fists, and with a jolly cheer, they collided together, merging into a single being.

"All done!" Buu said.   "How you like Buu now?  Hmmm!"

"Much better!" Luffa said.   "Wouldn't you agree, Kakarot?   Kakarot!"

Goku was staring out in the direction of West City, lost in thought.  "What is taking him so long?" he said under his breath.    Then he finally noticed Luffa calling out to him.   "Huh?   Oh!  Yeah, much better, Majin Buu!   Luffa's sure to go on a date with you that way!"  

"Shhhhut up..." Luffa grumbled.   She didn't know which was worse, Goku's infantile scheme, or the fact that it was actually working.   Maybe the fusion technique he had spoken of wasn't so bad after all.        

"You think Buu handsome now?" Buu asked.  

"It's definitely an improvement," Luffa said.   "I think that purple energy you're putting out is a problem though.   That, and maybe if you put your head... tentacle... thing to one side.   Just shake up your look a bit."

Buu glanced down at his hands, as though noticing Towa's corrupting magic for the first time.   "Hmm..." he said.   "Buu not notice this before.   Me wonder where it come from."

"If you could ditch that purple glow," Luffa suggested, "it would definitely improve your look.   Maybe switch to some other color, like red or pink."  

"Hmm, Buu like the way you think, mean lady!" Majin Buu said.   He then raised his arms over his head, as though preparing to attack.   Instead, he plunged them into his chest, submerging them into his own flesh like it was warm batter.   He then ducked his head down, and bent it until his own face was buried within his body.  

"Wh-what's he doing now?" Goku asked.  

"I have no idea," Luffa said.   "I was just playing a hunch, but it looks like he might do my job for me."  

For a moment, Buu simply hung in midair, his arms and head folded inside of himself, still roiling with Towa's purple energy.   Then, Luffa heard a muffled wail.   Then the purple aura grew more turbulent, and finally, Buu's arms emitted jets of steam through tiny holes in his skin.    Each one whistled like the spout of a tea kettle.

"B-buu!" Babidi pleaded.   "Are you okay?   Speak to me!   I command you to answer me!"

Luffa ignored the wizard.  He didn't seem to be of any consequence at this stage.   It was only a matter of time before Majin Buu turned against him.    If Babidi had the power to escape that fate, he would have already used it.  

At last, a powerful pink aura emerged from Buu's body.   The force of it was enough to shove Goku and Luffa back.   She braced herself and crossed her arms over her face as she tried to keep an eye locked on Majin Buu's body.  

Then, at last, one of his arms pulled out of his chest, holding a large candy cane.  His other arm was next.    He used this to grab hold of his head tentacle and yanked on it to pull his head back out.     Everything Buu did was bizarre to Luffa.    It was as if he were putting on a comedic performance for an audience that didn't exist.  

"Yucky purple energy alllllll gone!" Buu announced.   "Buu find it inside Buu and turn it into candy!   Peppermint!  Yum yum yum!"

Luffa wasn't sure what this meant, but Buu had already opened his mouth and stuffed the cane inside before she could react.   He then smiled and bit down, shattering the candy cane with a loud crunching noise.   He chewed a few more times, then swallowed in dramatic fashion.  

"Uh... what just happened?" Goku asked.    

"I think we won," Luffa said.  "Well, I did, anyway.  I still don't see what you can do against a guy like this at your level, Kakarot.   But at least you've got a clear shot at it now.   Sorry I won't be around to see it."  

"Buu feeling much better now!" Majin Buu announced to no one in particular.   "Ready to beat up this guy now!"

"Hey, come on," Goku said to Luffa.   "We only have to hold him off a little longer, just until... huh?"

He turned to look at her, but she was suddenly gone.   Goku was confused for a moment, then he shrugged and smiled as he returned his full attention to Majin Buu.

"All right then," Goku said.   "Buu, I guess I'll have to give you a demonstration after all..."

*******

Over one hundred kilometers away from Goku and Majin Buu, there was a remote wasteland, inhabited only by small patches of grass and brush, and a few wild animals.  Towa had landed in this area, surrounded by a spell of concealment to avoid any unwanted attention.  

If the Time Patrol had detected her, they would have immediately moved to intercept her.   If any Earthlings native to the era could have seen her in that moment, they would have wondered why the strangely dressed woman with blue skin was wandering aimlessly through an empty field.   The truth was that Towa knew exactly where she was going.     When she finally found what she was looking for, she knelt down and examined it.  

There had been a green crystalline structure on Mira's chest.   Luffa's final attack had destroyed his body, but this piece alone had survived the blast.  It had been badly damaged, but this just made it easier for Towa to reach inside of it and withdraw a lump of organic material that lay within.    

"It seems as though she destroyed you, my creation," Towa said.  

The lump of flesh pulsated as it lay in the palm of her hand.   Green tendrils wiggled slightly as it moved.  The lump seemed to struggle, even now, when it was utterly helpless to act.  

"Not... enough... power..." the lump said.   It lacked a mouth to speak, but Towa could hear its thoughts quite clearly.   "I need more... I need more energy..."

This was the beauty of Mira's design, Towa thought to herself.   Luffa could defeat him in battle, and mock their marriage, but she was a foolish Saiyan, concerned only with savage combat and an outdated sense of honor.   Sooner or later, warriors like Luffa would wither and die, or fall at the hands of someone even stronger.   It was no different from the way Mechikabura had failed the Demon Realm.   It was no different from her brother Dabura, who had been enslaved by Babidi and killed by Majin Buu.  

But Mira was forever.   If he was defeated, Towa could recover his core, the lump of flesh she now held in her hand.  The lump contained the essence of his mind and intellect, and she could rebuild upon this to make him whole again.  

"That's right," she said.   "We'll leave this place and collect more power.   Then we will regroup and try again."

Towa closed her hand around Mira's core, holding it tightly, but gently enough to avoid damaging it.  She adored him, even in this undignified condition.   She could feel him moving against her fingers. She could sense how desperate he was to live again and do her bidding.

On the back of Towa's head was a large hairpin, a length of gold-plated ytterbium wire, shaped into a sideways figure-eight.  The symbol for infinity was Towa's emblem, and worn by all of her followers in the Time Breakers.   But Mira was the true expression of her ideals, in a way that no abstract symbol could ever be.   He could be destroyed, but always restored.   He could lose his power, and regain it by harvesting more.   His was an endless cycle, one that Towa could control for her own ends.  

The entire universe could learn a thing or two from Mira's example, Towa thought.    And one day, she believed, the universe would learn.  

But for now, Mira was at his lowest ebb.  Small and weak, still reeling from his defeat, physically and emotionally drained.  But even so, he still craved restoration, to return to his mistress' service.    

"Yes, we mustn't give up," Towa said.   "We'll return to exact revenge on our transgressors."

That was Towa's ideal of infinity.   Defeat in combat was merely a setback.  As long as she refused to abandon her plans, she would always be victorious in the end.   The only true defeat was to stop fighting, and Towa vowed that she would never give up, never surrender.

And she would ever forgive.

As he wriggled in her palm,  Towa was certain that Mira would never forgive either.   He had no choice in the matter, after all.

"I know that next time," she assured him, "you will annihilate them all.   Because you are truly my greatest masterpiece, Mira..."

The tip of her spear began to glow purple, and a low, inhuman hum began to sound.  It was a signal she had arranged to tell her that it was time for her to leave.  She had cast a spell to detect when the Trunks of this era had left West City.   Once that moment occurred, it would mean the Time Patrol's mission would be accomplished, and they would soon begin restoring this part of the timeline.   If Towa remained here any longer, her presence would be discovered.  

As a precaution, Towa had hidden the Dragon Radar in Trunks' home, making it take a bit longer for the boy to find than it had originally.  That had delayed matters long enough to recover Mira's core, but the time had run out.   She floated into the air, and flew away, preparing to transport herself back to her own time, centuries in the future.

It had galled Towa to plan ahead for Mira's defeat.   He had been so confident of his ability to defeat Luffa, but Towa couldn't afford to lose him along with the energy they had gathered.  She considered erasing his memory of Luffa, if only temporarily.   It would give him time to recuperate without any lingering regrets.  

"Just wait..." Mira's thoughts echoed into her mind.   "Soon we'll return to crush those who stood in our way!"  

Overcome with affection, Towa held him a bit tighter now.   There was a passionate fervor in his words that she had never heard from Mira before.   No, she decided, it was better to leave his hatred for Luffa in tact.   It had done so much to galvanize his resolve.  And when he finally defeated Luffa, it would make his victory all the more satisfying....  

*******

     [15 May, Age 850.   Toki Toki City.]  

"Nicely done!"

Luffa found herself in the Time Nest, standing just outside of the Time Vault, rather than inside of it.  Trunks was there to meet her.  

"Are you sure about that?" Luffa asked.  "I was surprised to get pulled out of there so quickly.   It seemed like Kakarot was still in a tight spot."

"Don't worry about Goku," Trunks said.   "Once I got the Dragon Radar... I mean, the other me... once Trunks got the Dragon Radar out of West City, Goku could just use his Instant Transmission to escape Majin Buu.   I'm more impressed with your performance.   Dealing with Majin Buu is no picnic, but you handled him well."  

"Thanks," Luffa said, "but all I did was blow his head off a bunch of times, and he's a pretty big target."

"I don't just mean the fighting," Trunks said.   "I'm talking about how you tricked him into resisting Towa's spell.   Another Saiyan would have just wasted energy trying to beat it out of him."

"Oh," Luffa said.   "Well, I've had a lot of experience with weird aliens.   I guess that comes in handy sometimes..."   She looked around the Time Nest for a moment, taking in the greenery and the ethereal view that lay beyond its transparent walls.    "Why did I get teleported out here?" she asked.  

"I'm not sure myself," Trunks said.  "The Supreme Kai of Time thought there was something unusual going on during the mission, and she told me to wait outside for you.    I was sort of hoping you could tell me."

Luffa shook her head.   "Now how would I know?" she asked.   "Maybe Chronoa just wants to throw me a parade for taking out Mira.   Not that I... What's wrong?"

Trunks' expression suddenly became very concerned.   "What is that?" he asked.    "Luffa, your hand!"

Luffa looked down at her right hand, and her eyes went wide as she saw the pink glow coming from her palm.  She held up her hand, and it looked like a rose-colored flame burning her glove, but there was no heat.  

"I'm sensing a very... sinister energy," Trunks said.  

"Yeah..." Luffa said.   "So am I, now that you mention it.   What the hell is this?"

"I don't know," Trunks said.  "We'd better--!"

"Give your hand to me!  Now!"

The Supreme Kai of Time ran towards them, seemingly from out of nowhere, and held out her own hand to Luffa.    Luffa had never seen the Kai look so concerned before.    Even when Trunks had nearly faded out of existence, she had maintained a certain sense of composure, but now, she was frantic, almost on the verge of panic.  

Luffa did not hesitate to do as the Kai ordered.   She held out her right hand, expecting Chronoa to reach out for it.   Instead, the Kai stopped short, a few meters away from Luffa, and held out her arms as she summoned a mystic field.  

Suddenly, the pink flame pulled away from Luffa's hand, and floated towards the bubble the Kai had created.   As it entered her field, the flame faded and went dark, leaving behind a symbol in the shape of a letter 'D'.

With a desperate gasp, Chronoa copleted her spell, and then flung the force bubble into the air, as high as it would go.  

And then it exploded, violently.   All three of them covered their eyes as the light from the blast faded.  

"The Majin Emblem..." Chronoa said.  "It's just as I feared."

"The what?" Luffa asked.  

"Majin?" Trunks asked.   "You mean this has something to do with Majin Buu?   Like the symbol on his belt?"

"No," Chronoa said.   "The Majin Emblem takes the form of a symbol, but it's a magical creature, like Buu, or the other Majins serving in the Time Patrol, but a much simpler form of life.  Those who conjure them can use the Majin Emblems can use them to send messages.    They can be hidden on a carrier, and then transform into other things, like written text, or flames..."

"Or bombs," Luffa finished.  She glared at her right hand with suspicion, as though expecting a second Majin Emblem to reveal itself.   "Towa must have slipped it onto my hand while I wasn't paying attention.   I thought she was retreating a little too easily.   I should have known she would have a trick up her sleeve to avenge Mira."

"No," Chronoa said in a very grim tone.   "This wasn't Towa's doing.  I only wish it were.  The spell to conjure Majin Emblems is a lost art.   It was forgotten long before Towa was born."

"Then who could have done this?" Trunks asked.  

"The man who helped me during the mission to save Trunks," Luffa said.  "He wanted me to give him my hand so he could take me to the change in history.  It was this same hand.   He never touched it, but he must have done something then.   That was why he helped me.   He knew I would return here eventually, and his little 'calling card' would activate."

"But who is he?" Trunks asked.   "He was hidden from us in the Scroll of Eternity, and Luffa was the only one who saw him."  

"That's not the problem," Chronoa said.   She slowly dropped to her knees and shook her head with despair. "I recognized the symbol before it exploded.  He wanted us to know who sent it."

"I don't understand," Trunks said.  

"Trunks, do you remember what I told you once before?" Chronoa explained.  "How there was a villain who tried to seize control of the Time Nest?  It's him.   He's the one behind all of this."

As she spoke, the divine Tokitoki Bird flew over Chronoa and hovered just behind her right shoulder, as though to lend moral support.   But then, Tokitoki suddenly turned his head and made a shrill screech.  

Chronoa looked over to see what had disturbed the bird, and her brown eyes narrowed with anger.  

"I knew it was you!" she shouted.    "Demon God Demigra!"

Trunks and Luffa looked to see for themselves, and found a man standing on one of the pillars on the roof of the Time Vault.    Trunks had never seen him before, but Demigra looked just as Luffa remembered. A tall, pale-skinned man with fiery red hair, clad in blue finery and gold ornaments, and holding a scepter made of bones.    

He made an unctuous, insincere smile as he looked down at the Kai.    

"Thanks," he said pleasantly, "for keeping things so tidy."

 NEXT: The Mirage from the Crack of Time

[joan-frias]

The Great Saiyaman

A Gohan x Videl Fanfiction

.

SON RESIDENCE, MOUNT PAOZU

GOHAN goes out of their house, excited to go to high school for the first time. He's wearing a white shirt, black vest and reddish brown pants. He has this saddle bag draped over his right shoulder.

GOHAN: Flying Nimbus!

The yellow fluffy cloud flies toward Gohan. CHI-CHI then goes out of the house as well.

CHI-CHI: Gohan! Don't tell me you'll forget your lunch.

GOHAN: Oh yeah! Thanks, Mom!

Chi-Chi gives him the lunchbox. Gohan takes it and puts it in his bag. He hops on the Flying Nimbus.

GOHAN: Bye Mom!

CHI-CHI: Take care!

Gohan flies to school through the Flying Nimbus. It's a sunny day and the air is windy. Green fields stretch along the way as Gohan passes through the East District.

SATAN CITY, EAST DISTRICT

In a few minutes, Gohan arrives near Satan City. He hops off the cloud.

GOHAN: Thanks, Nimbus! I'll call you again after class, okay?

Gohan runs as he enters Satan City. He looks at his watch. It reads 8:12.

GOHAN: Oh no! At this rate, I'm going to be late.

He looks around, making sure no one is nearby. When he's satisfied with what he saw, he instantly speeds up his run.

A car suddenly stops as Gohan went by. The two passengers look back at the direction where Gohan went. It seems that they saw Gohan dash by.

Gohan passes by the Satancity Bank. He stops by when he sees the police mobile lined up in front of the bank.

GOHAN: What's happening here?

He learns that there is a bank robbery going on.

GOHAN: Another robbery? This city is so messed up!

Gohan looks around, then when he's sure that nobody is watching, he goes to a secluded corner. He transforms into his Super Saiyan form.

GOHAN: I guess no one will recognize me now.

He flies to the crime scene, surprising the thieves as well as the police and the other spectators.

He kicks two of the crooks, knocking them down. The third one fires his gun to him, but as usual Gohan just catches the bullets by his bare hands, then drops them after.

Two of the crooks are inside the getaway trucks. They see what Gohan did to their comrades.

ROBBER #1: What the heck! Who is that?

ROBBER #2: I don't know. Let's just go!

The robbers start the engine wanting to escape from Gohan. They were able to move a few meters away from the scene, but Gohan releases a Kiai* attack through his palm.

GOHAN: Hah!

The truck rolls over.

The police were so amazed at what they witnessed, as well as the spectators. However, they did not have the chance to glorify the mysterious man as it suddenly disappeared.

POLICE: What had just happened?

Gohan goes back to the scene, now transformed back to his normal form. He looks at the crime scene also making sure that the situation was pacified.

VIDEL: Hey you!

Gohan almost jumps in surprise. He looks at the person who spoke and saw a girl who's wearing a long white shirt with her hair on two pigtail ponytails.

VIDEL: What happened here?

GOHAN: (nervously) Ah… I-I don't know. I just… passed by, you know...

VIDEL: I immediately rushed here when I received the call that some robbers took over the bank. I can't believe the situation was already taken care off. This does not usually happen. The police can't handle such situations like this.

While Videl is talking, Gohan escapes as silently and as fast as he could.

VIDEL: Someone must have helped them. Who could that be?

OLD MAN: Videl!

Videl looks at the person who called her. It was an aged man, wearing a blue suit and eyeglasses.

OLD MAN: Good thing you are here.

VIDEL: What happened?

OLD MAN: It's that guy we saw last time with the golden hair. He took down all the thieves in a flash.

VIDEL: Golden hair? Again?

OLD MAN: He had really incredible speed and power! He even flipped their car over with some strange scream…

The old man sees Videl's school badge.

OLD MAN: Wait… I think I saw that same badge you have on him. Could it be that you know him?

VIDEL: (looks at her badge) This?

The badge is the same as the one the registrar gave Gohan when he went to enroll in Orange City High School. That morning, he was also wearing it as he was told to do.

VIDEL: I don't know him. But if it's true that he has this badge, then I can find him.

ORANGE STAR HIGH SCHOOL, SATAN CITY

CLASSROOM

VIDEL is sitting at her desk while she talks to her classmates. On her right is SHARPNER, a blond guy who thinks that he's super cool. He's the typical jock, cocky verging on narcissistic as evidenced by his white muscle tank. On Videl's right is ERASA, a blond girl wearing a green tank top. She's sweet and nice and a best friend to Videl.

ERASA: So the Golden Fighter showed up again? Ooh! I wish I saw him. Do you think he's handsome and cool?

VIDEL: I don't know. I haven't saw him yet.

Videl looks intently at Sharpner.

SHARPNER: Why are you looking at me like that?

VIDEL: I was just thinking… You're not the Golden Fighter, are you?

SHARPNER: Sorry to disappoint you, but no. I'm at the gym this morning working out my arms. There's no chance I could be that guy.

ERASA: Videl, do you think this Golden Fighter is stronger than your father?

MALE CLASSMATE: That would be impossible! Videl's dad is the world's saviour. No one could possibly be stronger than him.

The TEACHER enters the room. He is a middle-aged man with grey hair and thick spectacles.

TEACHER: Good morning, class. Today, we have a new student. Gohan!

Gohan enters the room. He looks around the class, smiling shyly at his classmates.

GOHAN: Good morning! My name's Gohan. Nice to meet you all.

ERASA: Ooh! What a cutie!

MALE CLASSMATE: That is a very weird name.

Videl looks closely at Gohan.

VIDEL: He looks kind of familiar.

SHARPNER: Maybe you've seen him on tv, on a spelling bee or something.

TEACHER: You may sit wherever you'd like to sit.

GOHAN: Okay.

Gohan looks around again, trying to find an empty seat where he could sit down. Erasa waves to him, catching his attention.

ERASA: Over here!

GOHAN: Oh… okay.

Gohan walks toward Erasa, quite oblivious that Videl is not taking her eyes off him.

GOHAN: Thank you so much.

ERASA: You're welcome. Gohan, right? I'm Erasa. And this is Videl.

Gohan looks at Videl, and he somehow feels weird at the way she looks at him.

.

The teacher starts the discussion for the day. Gohan tries his best to concentrate and listen carefully, but his seatmate seems to have another idea. Erasa seems to be in the mood to chat.

ERASA: By the way, Gohan. Do you know that Videl's father is the great Mr. Satan?

GOHAN: What? Mr. Satan?

ERASA: You're surprised, right? Actually, Videl here is quite a celebrity, too.

VIDEL: So you're the guy!

GOHAN: Huh?

VIDEL: You're the guy that I talked to outside of the bank this morning.

Gohan tries to recall what happened earlier, and he remembers talking to Videl before he tried to go away from the crime scene.

GOHAN: (quite nervously) Yeah… That's right.

ERASA: So you saw the Golden Fighter, too?

GOHAN: Who? The Golden Fighter?

ERASA: Yeah… Don't you know him? It's the guy that everyone is raving about. They call him Golden Fighter because he has golden hair, and they said he kinds of… shine also. He's super strong, according to those who saw him. They said he has special powers or something. Well, they saw him like three times already, and I tell you. He's gotten popular already.

Gohan was able to put two and two together and realized it was him who they call the Golden Fighter.

GOHAN: (on his mind) Oh oh! Is it me they're talking about?

He catches Videl looking at him. He suddenly feels nervous.

GOHAN: (on his mind) Does she know?

VIDEL: Gohan, I remembered something. They said that the Golden Fighter wore a white shirt, a black vest, and brown pants. Sounds familiar?

Gohan looks down at his clothes. Of course, it was how Videl described it. He is the Golden Fighter after all!

ERASA: Hey! Don't tell me you're trying to copy the Golden Fighter? I thought you don't know him?

GOHAN: (nervous laugh) Ha-ha…

VIDEL: Or maybe, he's not trying to copy him. Maybe he is the Golden Fighter.

GOHAN: WHAT! OF COURSE NOT!

TEACHER: Quiet, please!

GOHAN: Sorry Sir.

SHARPNER: (chuckles) Come on, Videl! As if a nerd like Gohan can be a superhero.

ERASA: Oh come on! (to Gohan) You can be a superhero for me.

GOHAN: Oh… I'm not sure about that.

Videl's thoughts run down as she analyzed all the information she has received so far.

VIDEL: (on her mind) He's not blond, alright. But those men on the videos during the Cell Games… One of them, a dark haired guy. He suddenly transformed and then his hair turned gold. Dad said it was a cheap trick, or, is it really?

ERASA: (to Gohan) So, are you new in town?

GOHAN: No, I don't live here.

ERASA: Oh! So where are you from?

GOHAN: (quite hesitant) It's 429 mountain area.

ERASA: NO WAY!

TEACHER: Students! For the nth time, please quiet down!

Erasa hides her face in her book.

ERASA: (to Gohan) That's like a thousand kilometres from here. Like, a five-hour drive.

GOHAN: Well, you know… it's not easy.

Gohan lets out a nervous laugh. Videl looks at him suspiciously.

BASEBALL FIELD

Gohan's class is about to have their PE subject. For that session, they will be playing baseball. They have changed into their PE clothes. Gohan is now wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and grey jogging pants.

SHARPNER: Hey Gohan! Do you play baseball?

GOHAN: No, but I know the basics at least.

SHARPNER: (mockingly) Really? Well you see, my team's kind of full already. Videl can take you in.

Videl, who is just nearby, walks toward Gohan.

VIDEL: Since you don't have any experience with baseball, I'm making you the right fielder. You know what that is?

GOHAN: Yeah, of course. It's on the right side, right?

VIDEL: Whatever.

Gohan goes to the position of the right fielder.

GOHAN: (on his mind) Okay… Baseball isn't that hard, right? I just need to make sure I play like a normal person does. Just like what Mom and Bulma said, I can't let people know my real strength.

The whole class starts playing. Videl is the one pitching the ball, and she was able to strike two of their classmates out. Then it was Sharpner's time to hit the ball. Videl threw the ball as strongly as she can, knowing that Sharpner is a good batter. Her efforts were in vain as her blond classmate was able to hit the ball. Everyone thinks it will be a home run. Until Gohan jumped up and caught the ball in the sky.

He stayed floating in mid-air for a while, contemplating on what to do. And everyone is just dumbfounded.

GOHAN: (to himself) The guy on the third is running. That means if I throw it to third, he'll be out. Okay… Throw it gently.

Gohan throws the ball on the third base, with his teammate catching it. It hits the gloves with an impact making the student fall into the ground.

CLASSMATE 1: Out!

GOHAN: Yes!

Gohan goes down to the field and runs to the bench.

GOHAN: We did it! Three outs!

He suddenly realizes that everyone is looking at him.

GOHAN: (on his mind) Oh no! Did I throw the ball that hard?

PE TEACHER: That jump was great, Gohan.

GOHAN: (on his mind) Oh, that's it! Got to think of an excuse. (to the PE teacher) Oh! It was… beginner's luck… you know… I just… jumped and it happened.

Gohan laughs nervously as he sits down the bench.

CLASSMATE 2: Gohan, it's your turn!

GOHAN: Huh? Oh yeah! Sorry.

Gohan takes the bat as Videl looks closely at him.

CLASSMATE 3: I wonder if this guy hit well, too.

CLASSMATE 4: Let's see.

Gohan is now at the batter's position ready to hit the ball.

PE TEACHER: You hit with your left side?

GOHAN: Is this not allowed?

PE TEACHER: I just thought you're right-handed since you threw that ball with your right hand… Never mind. Just do it the way you're most at ease.

Sharpner is the once pitching, and since Gohan caught the ball earlier making Sharpner's team lose their turn, he thinks it's payback time.

SHARPNER: (to himself) So you think you could catch my hits, huh? Well, how about I scare you a little?

GOHAN: (on his mind) I need to take it easy this time… Maybe not hit the ball at all? I might exert more force than I should, so maybe not hitting is the better option. Yeah, I won't hit the ball.

Sharpner throws the ball intentionally at Gohan's face, thinking he would be so scared he would dodge it. But as the ball moved closer, it seems Gohan froze that he did not move at all. Videl sees the ball will hit Gohan's face, so she tries to warn him.

VIDEL: Watch out!

Gohan does not dodge, just as he planned. The ball hits his face.

SHARPNER: You idiot! Why didn't you avoid it?

Everyone is shocked at what happened, especially when Gohan turned out to be just fine after that ball's impact on his forehead.

GOHAN: Coach, that's a ball, right? Then I could walk to the next base.

PE TEACHER: Yeah, that's right

GOHAN: Yes!

Gohan runs to the next base.

GOHAN: (on his mind) That's how you do it! No one noticed my true strength and I get to move to the next base.

But Gohan was wrong. Videl's suspicions grew stronger with what she just witnessed.

VIDEL: Weird...

AT THE LOCKERS

Gohan puts his things on his bag. Sharpner approaches him.

SHARPNER: Gohan, have you joined any clubs yet?

GOHAN: I haven't got the time to join any.

SHARPNER: How about the boxing club? You were pretty sturdy back at the court earlier.

GOHAN: I don't think I can join any club… You see…

Erasa then joins them.

ERASA: 'Cause Gohan lives so far away he doesn't have time to spend for clubs. Right, Gohan?

GOHAN: Yeah. That's it.

SHARPNER: Then just move here to Satan's City

GOHAN: I can't...

ERASA: Oh, leave him alone, Sharpner! By the way, Gohan, why don't you take me home today?

GOHAN: Uhm… sorry, but my ride is a one-seater.

SHARPNER: I can take you home, Erasa.

GOHAN: That's great! Then I shall go now. Goodbye guys!

Gohan leaves the two alone. He walks along the city to the city entrance. Videl follows him in a distance.

VIDEL: Why is he walking if his home is so far away?

She continues following him. At one point, Gohan senses that someone is tailing him. He walks faster until he was able to lose her. He then jumps onto the roof of a building totally hiding from Videl.

VIDEL: Huh? Where did he go?

Gohan looks down at Videl.

GOHAN: (murmur) Videl...

Moments later, Gohan was able to ride Nimbus and head home. He contemplates on all that has happened today.

GOHAN: Golden-haired boy, huh? I really should be careful. How can I use my powers without my classmates knowing about it? Hmn… Perhaps I should stop by and visit Bulma.

CAPSULE CORPORATION, WEST CITY

BULMA is in her laboratory when Gohan arrived at the Capsule Corporation. She's wearing her lab gown over a green turtleneck mini dress. She is studying something on her computer when Gohan entered the laboratory.

GOHAN: Hi Bulma!

BULMA: Oh, hi Gohan!

GOHAN: Do you have a minute? (looks at the computer) Or... are you busy?

BULMA: Nah! I'm just looking at some designs for our new product. (shows the screen to him) What do you think?

GOHAN: Wow! That car looks amazing!

BULMA: She is really amazing. It's the newest design for our upgraded Capsule Dyno Car. I can't decide if it's this one, or this one.

GOHAN: Both looks good to me.

BULMA: That is the reason why I can't choose.

GOHAN: Well, you should take it easy. It seems you've been working too hard.

BULMA: I guess you're right. Oh! I remember! It's your first day of school, right?

GOHAN: Yeah...

BULMA: Why don't you tell me about it while we have some snacks?

GOHAN: That sounds great!

A variety of snacks were served to Bulma and Gohan.

BULMA: What happened to "Not trying to be a superhero because Chi-Chi does not approve?"

GOHAN: Well, my mom said I could do it if I promise not to hurt myself.

BULMA: I see... You're just like your father on that sense.

GOHAN: I don't know. I guess it's just because of who I am. I think given this great power, it's meant to be used to something great, something meaningful.

BULMA: Well, you've beaten Cell. I don't know what's greater and more meaningful than saving the earth at a young age of nine. Although someone took the credit for that.

GOHAN: Actually, one of my classmates is Videl, Mr. Satan's daughter. And I feel something kind of weird about her.

BULMA: Ooh, I know what that is... Gosh, Gohan! It's just your first day and you already have a crush on your classmate.

GOHAN: NO! THAT'S NOT IT!

Bulma giggles at Gohan's reaction. He even blushed at what she said.

GOHAN: What I meant was, I felt she's kind of suspicious about me.

BULMA: Suspicious?

GOHAN: I feel like she's thinking I'm the Golden Fighter.

BULMA: Hmn... Maybe she's worried you'll steal the limelight from her father. You know, everyone thinks her father is the savior of the world. If there is someone who's more powerful than him, then he might lose all the attention and privileges that he and his family is experiencing. That means you're a threat to their lavish lifestyle.

GOHAN: Seeing Videl and meeting her, I don't think she's that kind of girl that is after fortune and glamour. She seems simple and down-to-earth to me.

BULMA: And you don't have a crush on her, huh?

GOHAN: What! No! Of course not!

BULMA: (giggles) Okay, if you say so.

Bulma stops teasing Gohan.

BULMA: So… you want to be a superhero, but you don't want that Videl girl to snoop around you?

GOHAN: Yeah. I also don't want my classmates to know because I guess they'll think it's weird. That's the reason why I came here. I was hoping you could help me with something.

BULMA: Hmn… Maybe you should wear a disguise.

GOHAN: That sounds good.

BULMA: I can make you a suit that uses the DynoCaps technology, that you can activate anytime you need to transform and hide your identity.

GOHAN: Yeah! That's a brilliant idea!

BULMA: Of course it is. I'm Bulma.

GOHAN: Yeah… So how long do you think you can do that?

BULMA: Hmn… Two hours.

GOHAN: That fast? Wow!

BULMA: Yeah. You can wait for it if you want to.

GOHAN: That's great! Uh... Can I hang out with Trunks while I wait for you to finish?

BULMA: Sure! He's in the training room with Vegeta.

GOHAN: Training room? Isn't he too young for that?

BULMA: Well, for Vegeta if you're old enough to walk, then you're old enough to train. I think he wants to make his son stronger than you.

Gohan lets out an awkward laugh.

The training room is just a few rooms away from Bulma's laboratory. Gohan immediately found Trunks who had just exited the training room. The little Saiyan hybrid is now eight years old, with purple hair and face that resembles Vegeta's. He's still on his dark green training clothes which means he just finished training with his father.

TRUNKS: Gohan!

GOHAN: Hey! I heard you're training with your Dad.

TRUNKS: Yep!

Vegeta goes out of the training room, wearing his usual dark blue bodysuit.

GOHAN: (to Vegeta) Hi!

Vegeta looks at Gohan from head to toe, as if examining him.

VEGETA: It seems you're neglecting your training. I can tell by just looking at your body getting leaner. Don't ever stop even if the world has been peaceful. You'll never know when you need to fight again.

GOHAN: Okay...

Vegeta leaves.

TRUNKS: So Gohan, what should we do now?

GOHAN: Hmn... Well, I don't know.

TRUNKS: I know! I have this new video game we can play. Just don't tell Goten because he might get mad that I got to try it with you first.

GOHAN: You can have my word on that.

TRUNKS: Great! Let's go to the game room.

Gohan plays with Trunks on the latter's game room. After two hours, Gohan went back to Bulma. True to her word, she is now finished with Gohan's suit.

BULMA: This watch contains the suit that I made for you. I used an ordinary looking watch so that it will be unnoticeable. It's my Dad's, actually. It's kind of old, but he said he'll give it to me if it means it would help save the world or something. (gives the watch to Gohan) The red button is for you to activate the suit. The blue one is for you to transform back to your normal clothes

TRUNKS: That's so cool! Can you also make one for me, Mom?

GOHAN: So I just push the red button, right?

Gohan pushes the red button. In an instant, his clothes change from head to toe. Literally. He's now wearing a red and black helmet, a green gi over a black bodysuit, red cape, white gloves and boots.

TRUNKS: Actually Mom, I think I'll pass.

GOHAN: This is amazing!

BULMA: Does it fit?

GOHAN: It fits perfectly! This is so cool, Bulma! Just what I have in mind.

BULMA: I'm glad you like it.

Gohan looks at the mirror examining the suit. He is obviously happy with the result. 

After a few more poses, he says his goodbye to Bulma and Trunks. He goes out of the Capsule Corporation and calls out Flying Nimbus. Bulma and Trunks sends him off.

GOHAN: Thanks a lot.

BULMA: You're always welcome.

TRUNKS: Come back again when you have time.

GOHAN: I will. Bye!

Flying Nimbus flies away.

GOHAN: Let's go home now, Nimbus. I think you better go a little faster since it's getting late... Hey! I think I'm going to fly home myself. If I put on my new suit, no one will recognize me. Then I could fly and will go home faster. Wanna bet, Nimbus?

He stands up, then activates the suit that Bulma gave him.

GOHAN: Alright! Let's go, Flying Nimbus!

Gohan flies as fast as he can, leaving Nimbus behind.

GOHAN: Hey Nimbus! Come fly faster!

As he passes by a city, he sees a speeding car causing havoc on the highway. He decided to go down and stop it. He landed in the middle of the road, just in time for the driver of the car to see him and stop.

MAN #1: Hey! Do you want to die?

GOHAN: (deepens his voice) Sir, I think you're above the speed limit. Better slow down and obey the traffic rules.

MAN #2: And who do you think you are, punk? Ordering us around?

The two men go out of the car.

GOHAN: Who I am? Well.. uh…

Gohan thinks of a good superhero name.

MAN #1: What a strange looking guy.

MAN #2: Hey! I asked you who you are!

GOHAN: Ah! I know!

Gohan steps back, and while saying his name and a little bit introduction, he does some poses and funny gestures.

GOHAN: I am the guy who loves law and order. I am… the Great Saiyaman!

MAN #2: What? Great Saiyaman… What a stupid name.

MAN #1: Just as stupid as the way he looks.

GOHAN: Stupid? How dare you mock me!

Gohan's temper starts to flare up. He stomps his foot leaving a huge crack on the road. The two men are shocked at what they saw.

MAN #2: I take it back! It was a good name

MAN #1: Yes, it suits you perfectly. Even your costume, it's very cool

MAN #2: We're sorry. We won't do it again. We'll drive safely now.

GOHAN: Promise me that, or I'll punish you next time I caught you.

MAN #2: Yes! We'll go now.

The two men immediately go back to the car. They drive slowly and carefully, fading into the late afternoon horizon.

GOHAN: Heh! That sure went well.

The Great Saiyaman flies to the sky as he celebrates his first accomplishment. And that is how the newest superhero on earth was introduced to the world.

Notes:

*Kiai - It is a technique where the user affects the air currents around him with ki to produce powerful shockwaves in order to strike the opponent.

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