Genie In A Bottle: Chapter 1
Rescue? What Rescue?
A/N: Again, i'm trying something new, this will follow the dragonball universe and mostly pre Z. Think the years between Piccolo dying and Goku's training with Kami with one exception. I'm sure you can guess what that is, I hope you enjoy.
Climbing up the steep mountain cliff face, the now sixteen year old climber, adventurer, explorer, and all around fun thrill seeker was hefting his way up the sides of rocky embankment of the dreaded 'Death Mountain'.
To him, it was another fun climb. "It's not even that scary, I mean you got skeletons all over but shouldn't it be Bone Mountain?" The jubilant teen laughed as he pulled his way up the rocks. "Man I should've known when I was climbing to bring more water." He admitted finding that the higher he climbed the hotter and hotter it got. Normally they got snow covered, but this one was way different.
Proudly sporting his orange pants, traditional orange power pole strapped across his back and a light blue shirt tied around his waist by a white string, his hands and feet were left uncovered as he experienced all of his journeys barefoot.
"Man… To think if Master Roshi would've made me and Krillin try and climb… This!" He exclaimed pulling himself up the sharp edges. His skin not breaking as he curled through the hard stone making himself a perfect cusp.
The former pupil now free student of the world was just experiencing the world through the eyes of a fun teeanger before the next big fighting tournament. Son Goku, a rising star, with nothing but his black spikey hair and carefree spirit was all that held him back from going through this world.
Although as he worked his way upwards a tap on his shoulder got his attention. "Huh?" Turning his head he looked and saw his brown furry appendage pointing upwards. Before the end folded over almost looking directly at him.
"What? Something is up there?" He asked, eyes widening in surprise.
It pointed upwards vertically before angling back towards him. 'Yeah'
"Well sounds fun!"
As such the limber monkey tailed teen continued his grand adventure up deathbone mountain. Grabbing at the thick canteen attached to his back the young fighter pulled it up to quench more of his thirst as it kept getting hotter and hotter. Tipping back the open lid only a small splash of water found its way onto his tongue.
Of course it was more than lukewarm.
"Belch!" Goku cried out coughing as the water was almost like poison. "Man that didn't last long." Before summarily tossing the now empty water container over his shoulder down to the ground below.
Bringing up his forearm he wiped the thick beads of sweat starting to run down his face as he continued to climb, wondering when he was going to reach the top and if it was only going to be getting hotter?
"When everyone said," Releasing a slight grunt as he grabbed onto a large root and pulled himself further upwards. "That I shouldn't climb the mountain because I'd die before reaching the top, I wonder if they weren't joking."
His grip pulled the brown and blackened gnarled vegetation out as he planted one of his feet into one of the small grooves he could make with his hands. "Whooa!" He cried as he began to slip backwards. His hands spinned as they tried to grab a perch but failed. His entire body rolled backwards in an arch. His eyes went wide as plates as the dark ominous clouds that he had passed through covering any sense of the world below his climb coming fully into view.
Except… His tail had punched into the rock and locked him into place. "Phew! Man that woulda been one hell of a fall!" Goku exclaimed before reaching back up and getting his footing.
"Wow that wouldn't have felt great if I would've fallen."
Still the young rock climber, near death extraordinaire continued his ascent up the rocky cliffs.
He'd been climbing for nearly several hours, and after his near fall he still climbed for several more. As he got higher he noticed that the mountain appeared to be spewing lava. Several large orange molten rivers flowed down through the grooves, pooling into small divots and crevices that hid it from those looking upwards.
Of course, the already parched fighter was even more dehydrated as he made his way further upwards. Figuring that the sooner he got over it, the sooner he could go back down.
His hand grasped a smooth surface seemingly like glass. Hefting himself upwards Goku found a flat perch and collapsed. Sweaty, tired, thirsty, and hungry. "I changed my mind, we should call this sweaty mountain. Man that's a workout!"
Sitting back on his heels Goku's head looked around noticing the cave opening he was now in. Though the cave was well lit as it was quite bright inside, more so than it was outside. "Well that's weird, I wonder if anyone's here?"
Getting up from the ground, firmly planted on both of his feet he put his hands behind his head and walked forwards. His eyes peered all around as the shiny obsidian glass left a blurred reflection. Walking along the narrow path. The light padding of his feet the only sound he heard as he continued to move until a long slender crack appeared the glossy surface.
"Uhh." His eyes looking down as the crack began to spread out like a spider web from where he was standing. Each one fanning outwards making more and more until...
"Yiep!" Goku cried outwards as a burst of molten yellow broke through the ground, leaping forwards in an effort to get away only to crack more and send more of the flaming lava upwards.
Breaking into a full out sprint Goku began throwing himself forwards and an incredible speed, his heavy movement breaking apart the path he traveled into a literal river of flowing hot magma as he burst through into a larger chamber ducking off to the side to avoid the rush of oncoming liquid that rolled behind him with his incredible burst of speed. Peering backwards Goku noted that he was more or less stuck heading forwards as the orange liquid churned and bubbled.
"Wow a little further and I'd be bacon!" Laughing, not minding the little brush with death as it was just another fun memory. But it was also great training!
With that challenge over Goku now looked forwards as there was a huge chamber, a large ringed area surrounded by all manner of carvings, markings, and words that did not make sense. Not that he was much of a big reader anyway. "I wonder what all of this is supposed to be?" He commented absently as he tapped his foot on a single large stone tablet that bore a series of rings with lines coming through them.
His pressure caused the plate to slip and begin to sink slowly with a heavy grinding crunch. "Well that's weird?" Bringing one hand up to scratch his head before he snapped to the side and dodged a thick arrow that was fired towards him from seemingly nowhere. It racked off the ground hitting another tile sending that one into the ground. Then two more were fired towards him and sent several more tiles falling into the floor surface.
"Uh oh." The trained fighter was quickly being barraged by deadly bolts. Flipping ducking, jumping, swinging out of the way as spikes shot up from several grooved surfaces and thick clouds of dust burst forth from the separating ground. It was almost overwhelming, his body tucking and twisting out of the way as he threw up a hand to cover his mouth doing his best to avoid the harsh choking debris being spewed out in order to slow him down.
His tail curled into him as a large spike shot up nearly cutting into his back but missing as his body pushed the fighter forwards. His natural instincts threw him all about, though before he was overwhelmed he began to dodge, block, and avoid the barrage as if it were Roshi and Krillin throwing punches and rocks at him.
Fluidly his hand batted away the arrows, his legs sweeping and avoiding each one of the spikes as he moved forwards - bending and moving his head as if he were avoiding the foul odor of Bacterion.
It quickly became a game that he was all too familiar with, pirouetting to the side until he leapt into the air and in a flurry of blows sent the arrows back in the direction of their launched holes.
Whatever mechanism was making them fire cracked and broke as the arrows jammed up and echoed a heavy grating sound the room began to slow and release a deep hiss as waves of steam boiled upwards from below.
Dropping back down, Goku released n heavy sigh. "Man, that was fun but I am seriously thirsty." Stepping forwards the fighter watched as the center platform shifted once again. But there were no attacks.
A circle appeared and upwards from the center of the stone pushed up a large pillar that stopped at Goku's chest. Yet atop of that pillar was…
"Hey-! That might have some water in it!" He reached for a small golden cylinder, wrapped in small decorative jewels. Carvings were molded onto it, as well as a clasp of silver and pearls that held the lid sealed.
Without taking another moment Goku grabbed the intricate little piece and popped off the top-!
A flash of golden light and red smoke burst forth from the lid, the light bending and twisting as the golden beams became solid, from out of the air alone materialized a hand then from that hand a human figure began to take shape.
Goku's eyes went wide as soon a pair of legs dressed in a near transparent purple came fully into view, wrapped with black sandals covering slender female feet. Wrapping upwards to a pair of black colored underwear that covered her privates. Spiraling upwards a similar veil like material covered her arms until it folded over her chest creating a deep purple top that stopped before her midriff.
Flashing even further Goku had to cover his eyes as the red dust and light reached a fever pitch, with a final burst of air that made the martial artist's feet dig in to avoid being pushed backwards.
Blinking he moved his hand and saw a large cascade of raven black hair that spread outwards defying gravity much like his own hair. Her face came into focus, a light blush painted on her ruby red lips and dark accented eyes were veiled in light mascara that were still closed. Her entire body floated in the air as she remained still glowing.
Remaining partially awestruck at the sight of the young woman Goku found himself hamstrung to speak. This mystery woman brought her hands together as if she were offering a prayer. "Most gracious of heroes has come to rescue this cursed princess from the confines of this bottle. Be it the most wise, strong, and agile of them all to have beared such a path fraught with danger to save me is most worthy of my help."
She smiled and then turned her head towards Goku, his jaw falling open slightly, "I'm a trapped Genie, though once I was just like you many, many years ago. Perhaps one such as yourself would be willing to sacrifice one of your wishes that I might grant to thee to free me from this charmed bottle?" Opening her eyes revealing a sea of warm brown which looked over at Goku.
Walking down like she were on steps from the air, pausing as she brought one of her hands to Goku's face, the light ruby shade of her fingernails reflecting the light from her savior's skin with a gentle touch. "I am known as Chi-Chi, the oxen princess, and the Genie of Death Mountain." She declared softly cusping Goku's face and tilting him up to look at her. "Might I have the name of my new master… or savior?" She almost cooed, her breath a cool breeze tickling his nose.
He could not detect the scrutiny of her eyes that looked him over, but like all things it didn't take the gears in his head to kick back into working order. "Hey Chi-Chi, it's nice to meet you. I'm called Goku!" He admitted proudly giving her a pure smile.
"Goku? That's a wonderful name." She let go of his face and touched the ground in front of him. "You must be something special to have…" Her voice trailed off as she looked around at the room. "What happened to the room?" Her once serenade-like voice shifting to something… more crass.
Not sure what she meant Goku told her the truth. "Oh well things started shooting at me, then all of the spikes and dust was just coming out. So I kinda just, well, broke some of it!" he chuckled as the once smiling face turned back towards him almost glaring.
"You.. You broke it? Then… how did… you didn't bother unlocking the panels in the correct order?" Appearing confused, she released his face and brought both of her hands to her head. "God's how did this…"
Goku brought a hand to his chin. "Well let's see, I just sort of dodged all of that stuff, it was actually a lot of fun to train with, then once I knocked back a few more arrows where they came, then the giant rock came up then I touched that bottle and then you appeared."
"Ughh this is all wrong." Chi-Chi groaned, Looking at all of the wrecked temple in front of her. Turning her gaze back towards Goku who seemed mostly unfazed by all of this. "How did you even manage to get here?"
"I climbed, was quite the long trek up. Almost as long as Korin's tower but it wasn't too bad, it just got really, really hot once I got up to the cave… oh do you have water or something, I could really use something to drink." Looking to her with that same naive innocence, missing how her face dropped.
"Oh, come on!" Chi-Chi covered her face and shook it. 'Of all of the stupid! This is humiliating.' "Why did you even climb the mountain?!" Tucking down into a crouch her hands remained over her face as she silently pleaded for this to be a dream.
"Is everything alright?" coming over to her and crouching down beside her.
Taking a full breath, "Fine, you know what you just name your three wishes and leave me here alright." Her irritation evident as she stood back up and sat back on the pedestal. She crossed her arms with a heavy amount of animosity, but it rolled over her hero's head.
"Seriously, you grant wishes like the Eternal Dragon Shenron?" Goku exclaimed, "Man that's incredible, I should save some of those wishes when Krillin dies again." He chuckled at his own joke.
"Yes, yes, now please tell me you're heart's desire." Her tone now clearly bored and shifting to apathetic, all the fire and radiance that once seemed to be flourishing in the room dwindled into a low flicker. "I'm sure you want, power, money, or women. So feel free to speak them and I'll give them to you." Chi-Chi's lips pressed together as she looked at an angle towards the ceiling.
Where had she gone wrong? None of this was happening as it was supposed too, now here she was back squarely at step friggin one!
"But didn't you say you wanted something earlier?" She had said something before hand, though admittedly in all of the excitement he had forgotten what it was, despite all of the crazy things he'd seen in his life, he wasn't used to girls just popping out of bottles. The wild mood swings… yes definitely, he'd had enough of Bulma and Launch to know just how crazy girls could be.
She waved him off, "Don't worry about it, just tell me your dumb wishes and I'll grant them."
"Well… I really don't want anything."
Chi-Chi felt a vein throb on her forehead, but she took a deep breath. "If you didn't want anything why did you climb all the way up this mountain, make your way over a river of fire, and break the intricate trap that was holding me? Certainly it wasn't all purely coincidence." No one would've climbed this mountain and found her without knowing what it was.
"Well I just sorta climbed the mountain because I'm training for the World's Martial Arts Tournament. I really didn't even know that there was a cave, mostly I just came in here because I sort of got thirsty and-"
"You walked into a volcano because you're thirsty? Why in the world would you do that?!" Chi-Chi shouted at him, "Are you an idiot?"
"Nope, just reckless." He laughed, everyone liked calling him names, he'd learn to laugh it off. Besides he had broken her… 'what is this thing even called?' Well he'd broken something of hers and she wasn't too happy about it.
"Well I have to grant you three wishes, so just name something you want!" It was irritating, like speaking to a child. Having to suffer another huge setback and ruin her plan, how was she ever going to-
"Hmm, well what can I wish for? I know Shenron has certain limits, so-"
Exhaling, "Look it's not hard just tell me what you want, aside from me killing anyone or myself indirectly or not, granting you something pointless like immortality or restoring the moon. I'm just a genie not a magical dragon, but there's some… wait…" Chi-Chi felt the ground beneath her beginning to shake. "What is that?" Her eyes scanned all over the room, dropping from her pedestal as she grabbed the small ornate bottle that was her container.
"Feels like an earthquake." Goku stated plainly.
"No kidding, but why is there ahhhh-!" Chi-Chi jumped as a small fount of lava burst from the ground just feet away from her. "What the hell, why is lava flooding in here?!" She shrieked.
"More lava, wow that's- Yikes!" A small burst sprouted around his foot which he jumped back from.
"Shit… Shit shit!" Chi-Chi repeated, as more and more spouts burst free from the ground. 'Not good! Dammit this is all ruined!' Clenching her container to her chest she looked at Goku. "Wish us out of here unless you plan on dying!"
"Huh, why would I do that?"
She smacked a hand over her face, 'of all the stupid, no good, blasted people to find me!' "Because we're-!" She jumped again as the ground ripped open and more liquid hot rock poured forth, out of instinct she went for the highground, unfortunately. That was in this giant lummoxes arms.
Mostly unfazed by the collapsing volcano Goku used one arm to support Chi-Chi who held onto him with one of her arms, though he had to admit her nails were pretty darn hard and digging into his neck. "Hang on." He told her as he lowered himself down into a low sprinting stance, one hand keeping firm to Chi-Chi's waist as the other aimed backwards.
"Hang on, what do you MEAAN-!" Her voice catching into a shriek as Goku's palm blasted a narrow beam of yellow ki behind him while simultaneously throwing his legs forward in a full leap. The momentum sent both of them blazing through the once sea of broken obsidian and lava, while the explosion behind them sent another tidal wave behind them. "You broke the main chamber, we're going to be flooded with lava, go faster, Hell WISH TO GO FASTER ANYTHING!" Her panicked voice called out as the scalding rock drew ever closer.
But he didn't even hear her, twisting himself in the air, his feet catching along the wall he began to sprint. His bare feet cracked through the hard rock in greater strides.
Of course, in his great haste Goku had forgotten he was up on a mountain/volcano. Bursting out the entrance he had come with a rush of yellow and orange spewing out behind the two of them. His momentum carried them both for several seconds until gravity won out.
Both of them went plummeting downwards. Chi-Chi's long shriek came as she fell like a rock, her hands were unable to move as even as she was primal fear still existed within her and the two of them continued to hurdle towards the ground unceremoniously. "We're going to die! DO SOMETHING, MAKE A WISH, ANYTHING-!" She cried out desperately, her brown eyes looking towards the ground as a large lake quickly began to grow ever closer.
Goku just laughed, "Ah it's alright, NIMBUS!" He called out towards the skies and from the heavens burst a yellow cloud that spiraled downwards towards them. Looking up at the cloud he waved his hand for it to come down and give them a ride.
"See, Nimbus is right on-!" He didn't get to finish as the water exploded upwards from the force of the impact, a forty foot plum of water burst upwards in a brilliant tidal wave. The small golden cloud paused just above the small lake, having just arrived a few seconds too late.
Bubbles formed from beneath the surface and before the cloud could even react a hand burst outwards from the water and grasped its form along with a sputtering face. Drawing in huge gasps of air a soaked woman was hacking and coughing as she struggled to regain herself. "Damn… that… idiot!" Spitting out more water she grabbed onto the cloud and pulled herself upwards, even if it were not its direct master the magical golden object did not refuse her.
A moment later Goku's head broke free from the water. "Owwww-! Nimbus why didn't you catch us?" The fighter bemoaned as he winced his back having suffered the full force of a terminal velocity impact, of which he had no time to brace for. "Jeez, feels like when I fought General Tao." A hand reached down and grabbed him by the ear and with surprising strength lifted him up from the water. "OW, ow, hey that's my ear!"
"What the hell is wrong with you!? You nearly killed me!" Chi-Chi shouted at him, her grip ironclad. "I am a bloody princess that has been trapped in a stupid bottle for years and the first quote HERO end quote is one who nearly kills me within five minutes of my rescue."
Wincing from his ear Goku's face was lightly scrunched as he looked up at the girl from the bottle. "Hey, I didn't mean to do that." Man she's scarier than Bulma... Way stronger too.
"Yeah, right, now get me out of this lake before I'm soaked." The Nimbus cloud didn't argue as it took both of them to the shoreline. Chi-Chi still maintained a death lock on Goku's ear.
The few villagers who had seen the after effects of the explosion came over as Chi-Chi stepped on the shore, freeing her other hand from her 'savior'. Bringing both of her hands over her head and forming an intricate manipulation with her fingers she then… SNAP and before one could blink the water that once covered her entire person was gone, she was restored to her prior near flawless form. Reaching down to her waistline Chi-Chi retrieved her container and held it in her own palm.
"Hey there-! Ugh." Goku grunted holding his back as he got on his feet and gave them all a wave.
The village headmaster blinked as he looked at Goku and then to the strange woman. "Did you? Did you climb the mountain and free the princess?"
"Ehehe, you could sorta say that." He laughed off, feeling the glare of the woman he'd rescued currently boring into the back of his head.
"More like crashed and nearly exploded would be the appropriate term, I'd hardly equate what he did to a rescue. Though that aside, since you all seem to know who I am. I'll be borrowing a room so that I might grant this kind fool his wishes and I'll be off if you don't mind… No, very well." She did not give anyone the chance to even speak or ask a question, "Come along Goku I don't have all day." Snapping her fingers again, the two of them were teleported to the village inn and inside one of the rooms that was unoccupied. She sat on the bed barely a hair out of place and Goku landed in a crumpled heap on the floor.
"Wow… that's impressive you can teleport or is that super speed." He said despite being upside down, his legs currently dangling over his face.
Chi-Chi just shook her head and covered her face. "It's magic I merely need to think and I can do it. Now… if you would tell me your three wishes so that I might be done with our agreement."
Rolling so that he was upright and cracking his neck, "What agreement?"
"Ugh," She growled in a low rumble. "The one you and I have since you freed me. Now please tell me what mundane things you want so that I can be done, please." 'Of all the people to find me I had to be with a guy who has a rock for a brain.'
"We did? I thought you said I was there to save you, like a fairy princess or something?" Scratching his cheek with one finger he tried to remember what she had said, it sounded important but then the whole place started flooding and he sort of forgot. Not on purpose though.
"I'm not a fairy, I'm a genie who's supposed to grant wishes to a smart, strong, and valorous hero. But you just happened to break everything so now I'm giving you the option to have your three wishes so that I might find someone else who is worthy of my magic."
"Well… I really don't want anything. I mean it'd be nice to just wish for something but I can't do that, it wouldn't be right of me. I normally save that kind of stuff for when I need to bring someone back from the dead after a really nasty fight or some evil group hurts people." His somber words caused Chi-Chi's hands to move from her face.
She sighed, "Well fine you don't have to wish for all three right now. Just think of something that you really, deeply in your heart of hearts want then." There was a purity in this man's words that she couldn't find a fault with, if this was an act consider herself fooled. But his gentleness and downright abnormal behavior told her this was pretty genuine. "Come on, there's gotta be something you want right now, that you can't have all the time."
Goku tapped his chin with his hand as he thought… 'Something that I want that I can't have all the time… that would be-! A thick rumble escaped from his stomach at that moment, alarming the pupil of Master Roshi that he hadn't had anything to eat in awhile, and like a lightning bolt a brilliant idea struck him. "I wish that you would cook me the best meals whenever I'm hungry so that I could eat until I'm full."
"Seriously that's what you-" And before Chi-Chi could finish her apparel changed, in one hand was a massive skillet, the other a mixer, her veil replaced with a chef's hat and her outfit now nothing but an apron. She looked at her hands and then back at Goku who gave her the biggest smile.
'SOMEONE SAVE ME-!' Was all she could scream inside of her mind as she was forced to cook for Goku. She, a Princess Genie, had been relegated to a housewife. How much worse could this get?
R&R
Kerghan