Chapter 3 - The Invisible Stalker
On a blue planet far away from Namek, On a small and remote Island. There was a pink house known as 'Kame House'.
In this house lived some very special people. One old man known as Master Roshi, a pig named Oolong and a sea turtle named Turtle.
In recent days this house also held residence for three guests, a scar-faced exbandit named Yamcha, a shape-shifter called Puar, a three-eyed warrior known as Tien and his lifelong best friend Chiaotzu. They were all dear to the old man, but lately he started to feel that the house had become a bit crowded for his taste.
On this particular day Master Roshi was lying in one of his chairs outside, enjoying the blue sky and the warmth of the sun... And of course, looking through one of his very special magazines. When, all of the sudden, he was interrupted by the phone ringing from his house. He looked away from the captivating magazine and got up.
"Who has the nerve to disturb an old man from reading" He grunted as he walked towards the house.
Oolong, who was lying in the chair next to Master Roshi's snorted.
"Reading? Hah, yeah right!"
He walked after the old man and came inside just in time to see him pick up the phone.
"Hello?" Answered Master Roshi after he had put the phone to his ear.
"Hello, Master Roshi?"
The old man got surprised by hearing the voice of Bulma Briefs. He didn't think he would hear from her for a while.
"Bulma?!" He blurted.
Hearing that name caused everyone, including the three guests, to gather around the phone.
"How's Namek? Does it have any Dragonballs?" Asked the old man.
"Yeah! But that's not why I'm calling" Came her voice from the other line.
"Wow!" Oolong breathed "She's actually calling from another planet!"
"Shh" Hushed Puar who didn't want to miss out on what Bulma was saying.
"We're in big trouble over here..." She began and started to explain what had happened.
"Are you sure of this?" Master Roshi asked after she had filled them in on their situation.
"Yes I'm sure! Or else I wouldn't have called!" Snarled Bulma.
The old man knitted his white eyebrows in a troubled frown.
"... This is really bad" He said.
"No shit Sherlock!" Came her sarcastic retort.
"Remember, don't tell Chichi about this yet!" Bulma warned him. "Knowing her, she'd probably rush to my dad and demand that he'd build another Spaceship!"
"Not to mention" She continued, "We're not even sure of the situation yet, so we don't want to get her hopes up either"
"Right, right! Got it" Master Roshi nodded and kept on listening to what Bulma had to say.
"I tried calling my dad, but he's not answering his phone as usual... So you have to go to there and tell him to start building another space ship! Maybe he can use the blueprints from the Namekian ship we used... There has to be a way for him to build a faster engine!"
"And also" Bulma added "gather the rest of the gang 'cause we might need them here as well!"
"Yes..." He replied, "I've a-"
"Oh! And Master Roshi?" The bluehaired woman interrupted him.
"What?"
"Just gather Tien and Chiaotzu... Don't tell Yamcha!" She warned.
Master Roshi scratched his beard in silence, not sure what to say.
"Last thing I need is his stupid face on Namek as well!" She bitterly remarked.
"Bulma don't say that! We need all the help we can get" came krillins voice in the background.
Behind Master Roshi one of the warriors huffed.
Tien, who was standing next to him looked his way.
"So...you're not going?" He asked carefully.
"What are you nuts? Of course I am! No one can stop me, not even a crazy ex!" Yamcha exclaimed.
"Oh..." Tien answered. Relieved but a little embarassed at the same time.
"Was that Yamcha's voice?" Asked Bulma.
"Uhm..." Master Roshi began.
"Tell him he can't come!" She demanded.
"As if!" Yamcha exclaimed "You can't forbid me from anything. We're not together anymore so you don't have any say in the matter. Just be thankful that we're going in the first place"
"Well guess what!?" Bulma retorted "I can just tell my dad not to allow you on the ship, you jerk!"
Everyone in the room seemed to share Tien's awkward feelings about the situation and just watched as Yamcha, who was now standing next to Master Roshi, yelled at the phone.
"For your information, your dad and I get along great, so HAH!"
"Puh-lease! Like my dad would favour you over his own flesh and blood!"
Finally, the old man got to his senses and stopped their argument.
"Now, now! It's best if you stop fighting! I think we can all agree that the more warriors we send to help you, the better for all of us"
"Hmph... I guess you're right" Bulma reluctantly agreed.
Yamcha nodded in triumph and stepped back.
"Well I guess it's best if we get a move on. You guys better hurry or me and Krillin are as good as dead!"
"Bulma wait!" Master Roshi blurted, "Before you hang up..."
"Yeah?"
The old man's grave demeanor changed and a warped smile crossed his face. With the reflection from the sun glistening in his sunglasses he asked,
"...What are you wearing?"
"DAMNIT OLD PERV! WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" She yelled and hung up.
"It was just a question" He mumbled and put the phone down. Then he turned to the rest of the gang,
"Well men... I guess you heard everything?"
All of them stared at Master Roshi. Once again, shocked over the old man's train of thoughts and Bulma's exploding temper.
"Yes..." They all answered after a while.
"Good, then we'd better start! Who will go to Dr. Briefs house and tell him the plan?"
"I'll do it..." Yamcha volunteered, "I don't think Tien nor Chiaotzu knows the way!"
"Okay" All of them agreed.
Puar, who felt a little bit unsure about one part of the plan asked,
"Are you sure we shouldn't tell Chichi?"
"Oh! I am definitely sure about that!" Yamcha exclaimed.
"But!" Puar protested "She's his mother! Don't you think she has a right to know?"
"No Puar, Yamcha is right... Telling her could compromise the plan" Master Roshi explained, "It's very nice of you to care but... Since she is his mother she would most likely be too emotional. All of you need to keep your heads cool in order to outsmart these oponents. Strength alone won't save you"
"It's done" Bulma said after she'd hung up.
Both her and Krillin were standing just outside the cave. In front of them was a big satelite-phone with long cables that were connected to the house.
"I really hope it works" Krillin sighed. Not feeling as optimistic about the plan as Bulma.
"It will! I'm sure my dad will find a way" She exclaimed.
"But" She added, "we should get one of the dragonballs just in case... We don't want those aliens to get them all"
Krillin silently nodded and looked in the direction he had last felt the powerful Kis.
"Why do they even want them in the first place?" He wondered.
"Isn't it kinda obvious?" Bulma said and raised one of her eyebrows.
"I mean, what do they want to wish for?" Krillin clarified.
"They are already really strong enough, considering that the weakest one killed Piccolo and defeated Goku... World domination should come quite easily to them without the Dragonballs"
"Hmm, I don't know... But whatever it is, I'm sure it's bad for us" Bulma speculated.
"Yeah... I really hope that we can get off this planet alive..." He muttered.
Both of them looked away into the distance, both of them were deep in thought until Krillin broke the silence.
"Hey Bulma... I think I'll go and check out the village they attacked"
"What! -Why?" She asked in confusion.
"I have to see if there are any survivors... Maybe I could help them!" He explained.
"But" Protested Bulma, "you said you didn't feel any ki..."
"I know, but... It doesn't necessarily mean that they're all gone" Answered Krillin.
When Bulma didn't seem convinced he added "If I go there, maybe I'll know more about what we're dealing with"
"Hmm, Then I'll come with" She responded.
Krillin shook his head.
"No, it's better if you stay here! If something happens... You could still find one of the balls and get away"
"I don't know about that..." Bulma said, not at all too keen about being left alone.
"Trust me! It's better this way! Besides, I'll be back in no time!" He proclaimed.
The blue-haired scientist gave him a sceptical look. She crossed her arms and with a strict tone she said,
"You'd better!"
Krillin nodded. Then with a slight smile and a wave goodbye he took off in the air.
Bulma stared at him while he was flying off into the distance.
"I hope he'll be alright"
Miles away, a Namekian was standing on the shoreline and looking out to the green water. He was lanky with a tall face and a crocked nose. Behind him were big fields and a dozen young Namekians planting small bushes.
"Taking a break already?" Came a coarse voice from behind.
The Namekian turned in surprise. But when he saw who had approached him his shock turned to relief and he smiled.
"Ah, Geru! I was not prepared for your approach!"
"Caught you off guard, did I? Well I never thought one could do that to the almighty Ka!" Geru said with an amused tone.
Much unlike Ka, Geru was short but heavy with a small nose and a broad chin. His no-sleeve robe revealed thick and toned arms and his stomach, while round, was sculpted.
"Hah, don't make jokes!" Ka retorted.
"Oh come now! You shouldn't think so low of yourself. You're talented enough to be the next Guardian and you know it" Geru exclaimed.
"Stop it! Don't be a fool" The lanky Namekian scolded
"I may be in many areas but not on this! I've known you for too long..."
Ka shook his head but gave him a smile. Both of them had been close since they were infants. Hatched the same day, the other Namekians could almost see them as twins. If they hadn't looked and acted so different.
"So, what are you standing here for? This season is our busiests afterall, one might think you're avoiding the work load" Teased Geru
"I am not avoiding my workload! I felt an approach so I thought I should greet him" Ka explained.
Geru looked out to the water. Seeing no one he turned to Ka and asked,
"Who?"
"Dende" Answered Ka.
It felt like they had been in that cursed forest for days. Yet the sun had not risen nor had anything eventful happened. Except for the relentless chatter and paranoia from his company.
Piccolo's angry thoughts came to a halt. He glanced to the cloud-beings who was hoovering behind him. "Company"... He thought as he kept on walking. It was certainly new to him... He hadn't considered it before, for all his life he had been alone. Not that he was bothered by it, forming bonds with others seemed so useless. But was it possible that these two idiots expected some kind of friendship out of him? Now that thought bothered him more than any kind of solitude ever would.
"I swear to god, someone or something is following us!" One of the annoying clouds said.
"Which god?" Piccolo asked sarcastically.
"That's not funny!" The cloud protested.
"I don't make jokes" He answered. "Also, I'm not so sure pledging your allegiance with any god will do you good here"
"Yeah that's true" The other one answered. "It's too late to suck up to them, since we're already in hell"
Piccolo didn't bother to listen to the rest of their ranting. He had quickly learnt to ignore the noise that was behind him and instead focused on how he would find the so called Piccolo senior. A place beyond this forest... Hopefully there would only be one place to look in. He didn't know how big the underworld was afterall, but he would be prepared to find out if he needed to.
"crack"
Once again, he attuned his ears when he heard a small sound of a snapping branch. The tiny noise had passed both of the cloudbeings' hearing. But Piccolo's ears were sharp, both literally and figuratively. He knew something was following them before the other two bafoons had caught on. However, he chose not to inform them because he didn't want them to get more clingy.
Piccolo also had much faith in his own skills and rarely feared his oponents, which was good in this situation since he could not feel the creatures Ki.
Though, he believed that if the creature was stronger than he was, it would have simply destroyed them from the start. That is at least what he would have done. Thus, he felt that finding his predecessor was more important than luring out their stalker and so, he decided not to pay too much attention to it.
However, he was curious to why it was following them.
"Hey guys! I know what we can do to forget about our fears" said the annoying cloud.
"What?" The cackling one asked.
"Lets play a game!"
Piccolo grunted in anger,
"We don't have time for that!"
"I know, I know!" The annoying cloud responded "But I tho't we could play a mind game. See, mind games don't need us to do anything but talk so we can keep on walking and playing at the same time!"
"Ohhh" The other cloud uttered in enthusiasm.
"Count me out" Piccolo muttered.
"Wow, you're boring... No wonder you don't make jokes" Laughed the cackling one.
Piccolo gritted his teeth in response.
"So..." The cackling cloud began "What game did you have in mind?"
"How 'bout, 'I spy with my little eye'?" The annoying cloud suggested.
"Woho!" Cheered the cackling cloud "I'm really good at that game!"
"Don't be so loud!" The annoying cloud complained.
"I agree" Piccolo said, "Keep this up, and I'm sure we'll have lots of company"
"Sorry" The cackling cloud whispered. "I got excited"
The green demon rolled his eyes and kept on walking, followed by the playfull souls.
"I spy with my little eye... something black!"
"Hmm" The cackling cloud pondered. "That was a hard one!"
"Come on! We're literally surrounded by it!" The annoying cloud exclaimed.
"I know, Thorns!" Answered the cackling one.
"Correct!" Said the annoying cloud, "Okay, your turn!"
"I spy with my little eye... something grumpy and green"
Piccolo groaned in annoyance as the cloud guessed his name.
"My turn" The annoying cloud stated. "I spy... with my little eye..."
The cloud went silent for a moment and then, with a thin voice he said,
"...Another eye"
Back on earth, the ex-bandit landed on the properties of Capsule corp. He was immediately greeted by Bulmas mother.
"Ohh, Yamcha! You're finally back!" She gushed and grabbed his arm. "I have really missed seeing Bulma's friends and lovers!"
The scar-faced warrior felt his cheeks radiate with heat. He didn't know what she meant with that last word since he and Bulma had broken up. And he couldn't tell if she was resenful or ignorant of that fact, especially since Mrs. Briefs mood always was brighter than the sun.
"I wish you guys would visit from time to time but what could I expect? Having a daughter that is never really at home. Always out on exciting adventures!" She sighed. "But you could show up once in a while at least! Let us old folks know about your fabulous life!"
Yamcha couldn't keep up with her ranting but wanted to be polite so he gave her a generic "u-huh".
"So Mrs. Briefs" He said when she finally gave him enough room to talk. "I was wondering where your husband might be?"
"Why, he's in his usual lab of course. That man never stops working! I swear, even when we're on vacation he always have some gadget up his sleeve"
Yamcha laughed awkwardly.
"Well you know... Men" He said. Berating himself for not coming up with anything better to say.
"But at least you're not like that, you stud!" Said Mrs. Briefs. "Bulma is lucky to have such a handsome guy... Speaking of that, when do you think you guys'll get married?"
She put her free hand to her mouth and giggled.
"I know I shouldn't jump to conclusions but I just can't wait to see my beautiful daughter in a wedding dress!"
"And" She said and got closer to Yamcha "Between you and me... " She began and looked around as if she had something top secret to say and didn't want anyone to overhear.
"It's not like she's getting any younger and I would very much like to have grandchildren"
"O-okay!" Yamcha exclaimed and distanced himself a little from the babbling woman.
"I'm sorry, But I'm kinda in a hurry... So, you take care now and I'll see you later" He said and walked backwards towards the building.
"Oh okay! See you soon" She answered and waved goodbye.
Yamcha turned and hurried in to the building. As he ascended the stairs to the main lab he thought about what Mrs. Briefs had said.
"Damn it Bulma! Why haven't she told them about their break-up? So typical her to leave the uncomfortable stuff to others"
"Unless..." He thought "She still has feelings for me?"
"Ahh, Yamcha my boy" Dr. Briefs greeted him with a smile.
"Hello, sir!" Yamcha replied and returned his smile. He hadn't changed much since he last saw him. Still in a white robe, with his moustache and the casual cigarette sticking out from his mouth.
"How are you?" The father of Bulma asked.
"Just fine" Yamcha answered, still a little flustered over the conversation he had with Mrs. Briefs.
"That's great to hear! Bulma's mother and I was sad to hear that we wouldn't see you anymore. I'm glad that it turned out not to be true" He said and stroke the black cat that was sitting on his shoulder.
"Maybe not" Yamcha thought when Dr. Briefs informed him about his knowledge of their break-up.
"Uhm... Yeah" Yamcha said with a distant voice "So, erm anyway! I've actually come here on Bulma's behalf"
"Really?" Dr. Breifs asked with a slight surprise. "I didn't know you two were... well talking, but that's nice to hear!... So how is she?"
"She's fine!... Or sorta, She and Krillin is in a bit of a situation" He said and started to reveal to Dr. Breifs What Bulma had told them.
"So you see, we need you to build another space ship so that Tien, Chiaotzu and me can go and get them back" Yamcha explained.
"I see" Dr. Briefs responded with a troubled frown. "I would really like to help you but, you see... The ship had materials we don't have on earth so I can't exactly build you a ship that is as fast as their ship was..."
Yamcha's eyes bulged in shock.
"Y-you can't?"
"Believe me, if I had the proper materials and technology I would have built several! But with earths materials and our limited technology... There's not much I can do, I'm afraid"
"Oh..." Yamcha froze. He hadn't even thought of the possibility that Dr. Briefs wouldn't be able to build the ship. "This sucks" He thought and broke into a sweat.
"If there was a way to get hold of those alien materials... I would be able to" The old man stated.
Yamcha looked down to the ground and scratched his head.
"How are we going to fix this mess?" He asked in desperation.
"WATCH OUT!" Yelled Piccolo as a huge beam came their way.
He barely managed to dodge the attack and crashed into one of the thorns. Seconds later the beam exploded, causing the ground to shake violently.
"Caught me by surprise..." Piccolo thought and got up. "It wont get the same oppurtunity again"
Except for a slight pain in his right arm he didn't feel injured.
"So I had been right about the creature... It gotta be weak, sneaking up on us like that" He sneered.
"Oh nooo!" The annoying cloud shrieked.
Piccolo looked the clouds way and saw that the cackling one had been split in several parts. He raised his brow at the bizarre sight. It looked like small poofs of compressed, white smoke.
The severed cloud was still for a couple of seconds but then it merged back in to one piece and broke out into a coughing fit.
"Pheeeew" The cloud breathed out. "Thought I had died... again, heh"
"Oh my gosh! I thought you were gone, I'm so happy you're alright!" The other cloud cried and quickly floated to it's comrade.
He turned away from their reunion and looked to his surroundings.
"Damnit! Where did it go?" He muttered when he didn't see anything.
"Uhm... You alright?" The annoying cloud asked Piccolo.
"Of course I am" Piccolo answered, his eyes still scanning their location.
"It's just..." The cloud began.
"WHAT?!" He barked.
"Well... you've sorta got a thorn stuck in your right arm. It looks kinda bad" The annoying cloud answered.
He looked down to his right arm and saw that a black thorn had pierced it. Piccolo shrugged and took it out. Purple blood poured down his arm but he ignored it. The bleeding would stop eventually.
When he threw the piece of thorn to the ground he saw white, sharp teeth of a gaping mouth in his peripheral vision. Out of that mouth came the second attack.
Piccolo jumped out of the way as the second beam struck them.
BOOOOOOOOOOM
He landed as the impact caused yet another earthquake. "I've had enough of this" He thought and yelled,
"SHOW YOURSELF AND FACE ME, YOU COWARD!"
"As you wish" Came the thunderous voice of the creature.
The half-Saiyan wiped the blood comming from his nose with his sleeve. He was sitting, his back leaning on a big rock, and resting while the other Saiyans were talking. They had landed in an area which pretty much looked like any of the places they had been to.
It was a small area surounded by that weird-coloured water that seemed to be everywhere on this planet. It reminded him of a small Island, with a couple of trees and a small hill that they were currently resting at. It was cold sitting on that hill and he wanted to go somewhere were it was warmer. But he was too afraid to voice his opinion and they wouldn't have listened to him anyway.
The boy looked at the blood stain on the white fabric.
"Mom would be mad if she saw this" He thought and tried to get rid of it by using his saliva. He tried rubbing it with his thumb but when the blood wouldn't come off, he gave up. The half-saiyan looked at the green water. Wondering if the blood would come off if he washed it there. He considered going down to the shore and try it. But his nose was hurting too much.
Uncle Radditz had punched him right in the face after that incident in the village. He wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to the harsh way the Saiyans treated him. They kept telling him that he needed to be tough and stop crying... But he couldn't help it. Everything was new and scary to him. He didn't like it at all!
Not to mention the killing and hurting other people, like the Saiyans did. He didn't want to be part of that, he didn't want to see people suffering and he didn't want to be here!
Te boy's cheeks were wet with tears and he was snivelling. He burried his face in his arms, imaginening that he were somewhere else. That he would wake up in his warm bed far, far away from here and away from these bad men.
He really missed his home and his parents. The smell and taste of Mommy's food... And Daddy's reassuring smile. He wanted to be with them and hug them. He wanted all of this to just go away. To be nothing but a bad dream that he could wake up from.
"Mommy...Daddy... Please, Take me home!"
"Gohan?"
Chichi jerked awake. She blinked and looked around the dark room she was sitting in.
"Oh... It was just a dream" She thought and leaned back in her chair. One part of her relieved, another part dissapointed. She had dreamt of him suffering and calling out for her in agony. It had definitely been a horrible nightmare. But at least she had seen him.
The raven-haired woman got up from her chair, angry at her own helplessness, and walked up to the window. She leaned on the window frame and looked out. The nightlife of West city was a little loud for her taste. With cars, hoover-jets and motorcycles constantly driving by. Even though she was in a high storage building the vehicles were loud enough for her to hear. And being a country-girl, she found it difficult to get any sleep at all while she was there.
She lifted her gaze and saw that the night sky was brightly litten by a full moon. It was really beautiful but Chichi didn't think much of it. Her thoughts were occupied with images of her son. She desperately wanted to find out what had happened to him. Where could he be? Was he okay? Was he... alive?
Chichi's grip on the frame hardened and small cracks started to appear. She knew these thoughts drove her insane every time she let herself have them... But it was almost impossible for her not to think about it. Her family had been taken from her and she would be damned if she couldn't get them back!
"My baby..." She thought as she stared out into the night. "Mommy will find you, No matter what it takes!"
He was certain it had all been a dream... But he didn't wake up in his bed like he always did. He didn't hear the birds singing in the morning or the crickets whisteling at night and he didn't smell anything familiar. He wasn't sure if he could smell anything at all.
But Goku was sure of one thing as he opened his eyes, he had never seen anything like the scenery he woke up to.
When he got up from the ground he saw that he was on some kind of damaged highway. The view he had was of strange-looking ruins that covered everything within sight. The place had an other-worldly kind of feel and the wreckage showed that there once had been a city there.
The sky was dark and so he assumed it was night. However, he felt the silence he experienced to be unnatural...
What happened here?
"Hello?" Goku tried. His voice echoing.
But as expected, no answer came. He could feel no life-force, not even of animals nor insects... He was alone.
A terrifying thought hit him, was this all that was left from earth?
He felt his heart rate increase. In that case, everyone would be gone... Dead... His family, his friends... All those innocent people.
Had he truly failed this time?
"No... No! That can't be it"
Goku refused to believe it and started to walk. He didn't care that he knew nothing of this place, he was going to find someone or something... Anything to get the answers he seeked!
There we go! Finally done with Chapter 3, Once again I'm sorry for taking so long! My internet is fine now but my computer started to crash so I had to reboot it and stuff -_-''
Oh well I have to stop complaining, Hope you guys liked it and that it isn't too confusing! And thank you so much for following and reviewing. It warms my heart in this cold season!
