I was asked to do this story by anon. I'll be honest, this will probably go through the entire Dragonball series, to include Z and the movies. I'm rewatching the whole thing as I do this, and it's going to be 1 chapter per episode, so this might take a while. Either way, welcome to StarBall!
We begin in a forest. It's simple enough, with the nicest of woodland creatures and the most beautiful of trees and mountains. In the very middle of this forest stands a little cottage. Nothing out of the ordinary about it, except perhaps for its occupant.
In the middle of the clearing that the cottage stands in, there is a young boy clothed in a red shirt and cap. Strapped to his back is a sizable hammer, although he seems to have no difficulty carrying it around. He is focused entirely on a log that sits before him, and the reason for this incredible focus is soon clear. He rushes the log, throwing it into the air, and leaps after it, kicking it into perfect blocks.
He falls to the ground, taking a deep breath. As he exhales, the blocks fall into a beautiful stack just in front of him. He stands, clutching his stomach in hunger. Little did he know that his life was about to change forever.
A quarter mile away, a car sped along the old mountain road, coming to a halt on a sharp curve. Out from it stepped an absolute beauty of a girl, with flowing brown hair and a teenage figure to drop any jaw. She reached into a pocket and pulled from it a circular device, studying it very closely.
"Let's see here...oh, yeah! There it is! You're as good as mine, you little jewel." Having stretched sufficiently, she slid back into the car and took off.
Back at the cottage, the young boy was slipping his hammer back over his shoulder. He turned to the silver diamond star that lay on a pillow in the middle of his room and nodded to it. "I'll be back soon, Grandpa. Stay there while I'm gone." As he spoke, the star lit up, illuminating it's entire side of the room. "Wow! I've never seen you do that before! Can you do it again?" No reply was forthcoming. "Well, you can wait until later if you have to. I'll be back soon, okay?" With that, he rushed out the door, speaking to himself as he went. "So, what's for dinner today? I think...fish." He leapt across the river gorge without breaking a sweat, grabbing a vine and swinging into a wild apple tree. "But first, a little snack."
He had finished the first apple in a mere two bites, tossing the core down beneath the tree branch he was on. Unfortunately, it struck a Goomba, who looked up into the tree, growling in anger. Without warning, it leapt up, snapping at the boy. He chuckled, using his grip on the tree to swing backwards and off the branch, completely dodging the Goomba's attack. He dashed away, laughing all the while. "Come on, catch me if you can!" The Goomba charged once again, snapping and growling. Just as suddenly as the boy had come, though, he was gone. And so was the ground. Before the Goomba even had time to react, he was freefalling all the way down the river gorge.
The boy had managed to grab onto a branch a few feet down, but he had underestimated his own weight and barely had time to right himself before the branch cracked and fell with him still on it. No matter, he splashed out of the river giggling once again. "That was great!"
A few moments later, the boy sat on a rock on the shore, his clothes out to dry. He took a look around and dove into the water without further delay. It was a mere minute before he came up with a fish fifteen times larger than himself easily. "Alright, this ought to last me until dinner!" He wriggled back into his clothes and set to dragging the fish back to his house.
Just as he struck the path, a strange growling sound started after him. "Huh? What's that noise?" Just as the question left his lips, the answer was presented in the form of some strange metal block charging toward him. He froze, unsure of what action to take, and so was struck head on, the collision flinging him backward into a tree.
The driver had her eyes shut as tight as they would go, asking herself just one question. "Is he dead?" She quickly jerked one eye open and was relieved to see the boy crouching in fear behind that gigantic fish. "Oh, so you're alive?" The boy grimaced in anger.
"Thought you'd finished me off, huh? Well, you're not getting my fish that easy, you big monster!" Just like that, the car began to lift up into the air, raised up by the boy.
"Gah! Stop that! What are you doing?!" The boy groaned under the strain of lifting the car, but he continued doing just that.
"Grah...This is for hitting me!" With that, he tossed the car a good ten feet, landing it perfectly on it's side. The two left wheels popped off, and seeing that he had the advantage, the boy drew his hammer. "There, that'll teach you. Sneaking up on me from behind...Well, I'm ready for you this time. Why don't you come out of your shell and fight?" The girl poked her head up through the window, shuddering with fear. Goku raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you used up all of your power already?" The girl grimaced as she lifted a handgun from inside the car.
"Not quite!" Five shots flew from the barrel, each hitting a different limb and one striking him directly in the forehead. The boy fell over, clutching his head. His legs twitched as he sat up, grimacing in pain.
"Oh, wow...What was that?" The girl caught her breath.
"But...but how? You shouldn't be alive, kid!" The boy stood up, straight up yelling now.
"Thought you'd finished me again, huh? Well Grandpa told me about things like you. Your black arts won't work on me!" He drew his hammer and charged. "It's your turn, monster!" Finally that last word registered in her mind.
"Monster? Wait, kid! I'm not a monster, I'm a human being, just like you are!" He skidded a few inches as he stopped.
"Wait, you are?" She rolled her eyes as she pushed herself out of the car door.
"Of course I am. You can see that for yourself, can't you?" She stepped forward, causing him to leap backward. "Look, I won't bite."
"Stay back!" He moved a little closer, giving her the once-over. "A human, you say?"
"That's right. Want to see my certificate of authenticity?" Not understanding half of those words, he dismissed it.
"No thanks." He moved around her in a circle, obviously looking for something.
"How long is this going to take?"
"Well, you're human alright, but you're different. You're thin and scrawny." She crossed her arms in frustration.
"I'm a girl, silly! That's why." A look of shock came across his face.
"A girl? So that's what you are..." She couldn't actually believe this.
"Oh my gosh. Are you saying you've never seen a girl before?" He stopped inspecting her and spoke face to face.
"Nope. Beside my Grandpa, you're the only human being that I've ever seen. But Grandpa did tell me about girls. He told me that if I ever ran into a girl that I should be as polite as I possibly could." She got a bit of a twinkle in her eye.
"Well, what a nice thing to say. Your grandpa sounds like a very wise man, is he?"
"Well, he was. His game ended a long time ago." As he spoke, the boy lifted up the back end of the girl's skirt while she was lost in her ministries. She shot around, screaming straight at him.
"Shame on you! What do you think you're doing?!"
"I was just checking to see if you had a tail." Only now did she notice the strange catlike tail that was growing from the boy's lower back. "Don't worry, maybe it just takes girls longer to get theirs." There was really no comeback to this, so she just ad-libbed a response.
"Oh, I'm sure it'll sprout up any time now." In her head, she couldn't get over how weird this kid was. She was jerked from her thoughts by that little voice again.
"So, how did you get that monster to obey you?" The boy was gesturing to the car.
"That's no monster, silly, that's a car." He leapt up on the overturned door.
"Oh, so this is a car. Grandpa told me about these but I'd never actually seen one." She figured that if he was going to make random comments, she might as well too.
"You know, for a little kid, you're really strong." He jerked around, a smile on his face.
"Thanks, Grandpa trained me to be like steel! Oh, and since you were driving a car around, does that mean you're from one of the big cities?" She nodded.
"You got it."
"Wow! Hey, why don't you come to my house and I'll make you some lunch. You can tell me all about the city you're from." She held up a finger.
"Hold on just a second." Once again she drew out the little circular device. Sure enough, it pointed in the same direction the boy was headed. "Well, I'd guess we're having fish for lunch, so sure. What else is on the agenda?" He shrugged.
"Well, we can have lunch and talk, and then we can play together." She raised an eyebrow.
"Look, if you think we're doing anything improper, you can forget it." He tilted his head.
"Improper? What're you talking about?" Her eyes bulged as she realized her mistake. Well, that was one less thing to worry about with this kid. Honestly, something this innocent was just adorable.
"Oh, nevermind." He turned back to the path.
"Girls sure are strange. Anyway, let's go!" She started off after him.
"So kid, what's your name, anyway?" He looked back, still grinning.
"My name is Mario. How about yours?"
"Oh, my name? My name is Daisy." He chuckled.
"That's kind of funny." Her eyebrows lowered.
"What's wrong with that? Mario's not exactly the most beautiful name, either, you know."
"Yeah, but it's still not as funny as yours." She blushed in anger.
"Hey, Daisy happens to be a very elegant name! It's a lot better than Mario, that's for sure!"
It only took a few more minutes for them to reach Mario's cottage. Daisy couldn't help but get a nice vibe from it.
"You know, that's a nice little place you've got there."
"Thanks, just give me one second." He rushed through the door and was immediately struck by the sight of his Grandpa glowing once again. "Listen!" Daisy stuck her head in through the door.
"What's up?"
"Grandpa's trying to talk to me." She looked around.
"But Mario, I don't hear anyone..." She had just seen it. Right there, in the middle of the room. "Oh my goodness, it's a Crystal Star!" She rushed forward, shoving Goku out of the way. She grabbed it off of the pillow, gazing into it. Goku leapt up, grabbing her by the skirt.
"Hey, gimme my Grandpa back, now!" He reached up, snatching the ball from her.
"Wait, Grandpa?"
"Yeah! This is the only thing my Grandpa gave me to remember him by. Only I can touch it, but look..." The glowing and strange water sounds started up again. "He's trying to talk to me. What do you think he's saying?" Daisy reached down for her hip.
"I hate to do this, but..." She pulled from the pouch there two identical relics, each with a differing number of points. Mario leapt back.
"No way! You've got two Grandpas!" She grinned with amusement.
"They're not grandpas. They're called Crystal Stars." He looked at her skeptically.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Definitely. See, your star started glowing because it was reacting to the two that I have. Look." She set her two down on the table, and Mario warily followed her lead. Almost immediately, the three balls started shining even brighter than before.
"Wow..."
"Pretty cool, huh? Yeah, these gems have the power to do great things, and some not so great. If a bad guy got ahold of these stars, he could wreak some serious havoc." Mario looked down at his star.
"Well, what do these things do?"
"Are you sure you want to know?" He nodded eagerly. "Well, okay."
Far away, a trio of odd individuals came to the threshold of a dark chamber. They each gulped, but only one spoke up.
"I don't know. It looks pretty dark in there..." The leader of the group rolled his eyes.
"Shut up, Guy." They strolled into the chamber, coming quickly to their prize. The leader chuckled to himself. "Ah, yes. Come to Jr. Troopa, my precious. Yes!" Just as he lifted the Crystal Star from it's resting place, one of the huge guardian statues swiveled on it's axis and fell directly on top of him. It's helmet flew open, revealing a dead skull. "Gah! Get off of me, you bonehead!" Jr. Troopa threw the knight off, dusting himself clean. The skull rolled out across the floor, releasing bats and bugs as it went.
After a few minutes of observing this spectacle in horror, Jr. Troopa lifted the Crystal Star up before himself. "Well, enough of that. I'm here to make my wish!"
"Sir!" He jerked around in annoyance.
"What is it, Wendy?!"
"I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you need all seven Crystal Stars before you can make a wish." His eyes bulged as it all came back to him.
"...more searching, then."
"But just imagine, my lord. On the day when the seven Crystal Stars are reunited, a beautiful burst of energy will light up the sky, exploding in a fiery light. The Eternal Mother, Rosalina, will rise before you with the sole purpose of granting you a single wish, whatever it may be." Jr. Troopa grinned evilly.
"Well, in that case, I guess I can handle a little more searching. I will rule the entire world!"
Back at Mario's hut, the occupants were both finishing their conversation. "Wow! That's amazing! Anything you want, you said? And it'll come true? I wonder why my Grandpa didn't tell me about any of this stuff."
"He may not have known about it, Mario. Not many people do. The truth is, you and I are part of just a few people in the world who know about the Crystal Stars or Rosalina." She picked up two of them.
"Don't get mine mixed up with yours, okay?"
"Don't worry, that's impossible. Each one is made of a different kind of jewel. See, this one's made of emerald."
"Oh, I get it! Grandpa's star is made of diamond!"
"Now you're catching on." She leapt up, thinking aloud now. "I can't believe I already have three of the stars! At this rate I'll be able to wish for a boyfriend by the end of the month!" She turned to him. "You are going to let me use your Crystal Star to make a wish, right?" He jerked his back away from her.
"You can forget it! Grandpa gave me this star to remember him by, and I'm not gonna hand it over just because you're a girl."
"But your grandpa said to be as polite as possible to girls." Mario disregarded this statement entirely, sticking out his tongue at her. She pursed her lips, thinking desperately.
"Ok, look. I'll trade you." She lifted one corner of her skirt seductively. "You let me have your Crystal Star, and I'll let you have a little peek." Mario crossed his arms in confusion.
"What do I care about seeing your dirty old fanny?" Daisy lit up on him, screaming directly in his face.
"IT IS NOT DIRTY, YOU RUDE LITTLE BOY!" This little fit seemed to calm her, and she started thinking to herself again. "Well, there's got to be a way. The hunt must go on. Oh, I know! Why don't you come with me? We'll be partners. What do you say?" Mario didn't seem too opposed to the idea.
"Oh, to go hunt stars?"
"Sure, why not? You'd get to see so many new things and learn so much. Your Grandpa would be very proud of you." His eyes lit up.
"Really? You think Grandpa would be proud if I went?!"
"Of course he would. Seeing his grandson venturing out into the world all on his own? Seeing all the cities and crossing the desert and seeing the ocean?"
"Alright, that sounds great! I'll go with you."
"This'll be great. So we're partners?"
"Alright, but I still get to keep my Grandpa's Star." Daisy grinned innocently.
"You drive a hard bargain, but I guess that's fair." She couldn't wait. This kid would be a perfect bodyguard until she found the rest of the Stars and made her wish. She'd have the most perfect boyfriend that ever lived. She jerked from her thoughts as they walked out the door. "Well, here we go. The start of a great adventure." Mario turned to her.
"Hey, Daisy. How do we know where to start looking? The Crystal Stars could be anywhere in the whole world, right?" She drew up to her full height, a smug grin on her face.
"Just who do you think you're dealing with here, kid? I'm no amateur." She pulled from her satchel the little round device from earlier, tapping it once. Suddenly it lit up with dots in different locations across it. "See, it's a World Map. Each of these locations has one of the Crystal Stars. These three here are our Crystal Stars, we've already cleared them. And these are the others. It looks like the closest Star is right here, about 750 miles to the west." Mario looked up from the Map.
"Is that a long way?" She tucked the Map back into her satchel.
"Let's just say that it's out of our walking distance. And since you broke my car, we'll be needing a new set of wheels." She pulled a box out from the back pocket of the satchel and selected a small yellow block with a question mark emblem on it. "This'll do." She flicked it with one finger and tossed it a few feet ahead of them. As it touched the ground, it exploded into smoke, and when that cleared all that was left was a motocycle. "Like it?" Mario stumbled back in shock.
"D-Daisy, how did you do that? You're some kind of a witch, aren't you?" She shook her head.
"No, witchcraft has nothing to do with it. Everyone in the city has Item Blocks. How can you get anywhere without them?" She climbed into the motorcycle, waiting for Mario to follow. He circled the vehicle once, poking it with his hammer. "Good grief, will you just hop on? It won't bite you." Mario leapt on behind her and the ignition kicked on. "Ok, here we GO!" The bike flew down the dirt path, leaving Mario screaming.
"Wow! This thing goes even faster than I can run!" Daisy rolled her eyes.
"Of course, moron. Get with the program!"
After a few minutes of riding, Daisy had to yell out for dear life. "Ease up, Mario! You're squeezing the life out of me!" His grip loosened.
"Just relax. I happen to be an expert driver and I have everything under total conTROOOOO-" They had flown over a steep hill, coming to a skidding halt just on the other side. Mario chuckled with excitement.
"Wow, that was fun! Let's go back and do it again, Daisy! Just one more time, please?" She was a bit preoccupied as she slid off of the bike.
"Sorry, Mario. Time for a pit stop." He started off the bike
"Ok, I'll come too." Her eyes bulged.
"Oh no you won't! Don't the words pit stop mean anything to you?! Look, just stay there!" She rushed off behind a boulder as Mario continued speaking.
"Pit stop? What does that mean?"
"I NEED TO PEE, YOU LAME-BRAIN!" Mario scratched his head.
"I don't get it. Why can't she just pee right here? How strange."
"Mario, come here! QUICK!" Mario turned back to the boulder.
"I wish she'd make up her mind." He rushed off to the boulder. "Coming, Daisy!" As he rounded the corner, he was faced with the sight of a gigantic Paratroopa. It turned, looking him right in the eye.
"And who are you, kiddo?"
"My name's Mario. Are you a friend of Daisy's?" The beast laughed.
"Yes, that's it. In fact, we have dinner reservations for two right about now." In the blink of an eye, the monster had pulled out a rope and lashed it around Mario, strapping him to a tree. The boy looked down at his body and thought aloud.
"You know, I think he was lying." The monster spoke from behind him.
"You're a regular Einstein. See you, twerp." He lifted off, carrying a still screaming Daisy with him. "Hey, stop being such a downer! I'm in the mood for a happy meal!" From behind them, Mario yelled out.
"Hey, where are you guys going?" Daisy smashed the monster's foot in anger.
"DON'T JUST STAND THERE, IDIOT! GET ME DOWN!" Mario looked down at the ropes that bound him.
"Well, I don't blame her for being upset, but she doesn't have to go calling me names." His tail popped up from behind him, untangling the ropes in a second flat. He looked back up at them, thinking aloud. "Well, I'd like to help her down, but I really don't know how to fly. Oh wait, I've got it!" He rushed over to the motorcycle, hopping into the driver's seat. "Now, how's this thing work? Daisy was able to make it fly a few minutes ago." He flicked a few switches and the bike started rolling forward. "Well, it's moving." It only took a few seconds to realize that this wasn't good enough. "Come on, whatever you are. We've got to get moving, Daisy's in trouble!" Without meaning to, he twisted the accelerator, sending the bike speeding forward.
In a minute, he was caught up to the Paratroopa, a wide grin on his face. He shifted his body weight all the way up against the main guard, sending the bike flying into the air. "Alright, Daisy! Just a little further, hang on!" The beast turned, seeing the same boy from earlier riding a motorcycle alongside him through the air. The boy was already falling, though.
"Hah!" His laugh came too soon. The boy leapt off the bike as it fell, almost reaching the flying Koopa's face, but once again he fell.
"Alright, take this you big bully! Hammer pole, extend!" He drew his hammer, watching as the grip grew to impossible lengths. He swung it straight downward, catching the beast perfectly across the neck. It released Daisy as it screamed in pain, falling toward the ground. Daisy flailed in midair, trying to right herself. Mario fell alongside her, a few yards below. "Here, Daisy!" He threw the now normal sized hammer up to her, slowing her significantly and allowing her to land safely on two feet. She turned to him, screaming straight into his face. Things, it seemed, were back to normal.