*Chapter III*
The Z-fighters skimmed over the crystalline waters as they made their way towards the beach. They flew with such speed that the towering wake left behind seemed to barely keep up with them. The radar showed that the dragonball was somewhere on the shoreline and they were getting close. So many things ran through Gohan's mind at this time. Thoughts of his father and whether or not this would be where he found him, or even if this whole plan would work.
'Maybe he just decided to go to the beach and meditate, he could've lowered his energy enough to keep us from sensing him.', Gohan thought trying to make things seem okay, 'But what if we get there and he's lying dead there on the sand. I don't think I could stand to lose him like that.'
They finally caught a glimpse of land. As they approached the beach they noticed an unusual glare coming from one area and they headed straight for it. They landed one by one in a circle around the dragonball. The reflection of the sun was pure and clean on its surface. The small orange orb was somewhat buried in the sand and it radiated with a warm, almost enticing glow. Gohan kneeled down to pick it out of the sand with a sigh of sorrow and relief. He wished he had found his dad with this ball, but he was glad that he didn't find his dad dead with it.
"Well that's one out of the way, only six more to go. We're sure to find Goku soon Gohan.", Krillen said trying to keep Gohan in good spirits.
"Yea.", Gohan responded as he cracked a smile.
Just then Piccolo jerked his head in another direction and seemed to stare forever. He stood firm and searched the neverending stretch of beach for what looked to be nothing. After a moment he gave up and turned to the others who only stared at him with similar quizzical expressions.
"What's wrong Piccolo?", Tien asked.
"Yea, you scared us for a second there.", Yamcha added.
"I don't think we're alone out here.", Piccolo responded.
"What? I don't see or sense anything. You're just paranoid.", Krillen said.
"You don't have to believe me, but I suggest we move with more caution from now on.", Piccolo advised.
Gohan pressed the button on top of the radar and began tracking the next dragonball. They slowly lifted from the shore, still in a circle, stopped just above the palm trees and started their hunt once again. As they left they failed to notice the dark figure standing on a nearby cliff. It watched them leave. It had been watching them ever since they arrived at the beach. Even in the light of day, the creatures cloak seemed to emit a darkness that kept its entire figure appear as nothing more than a shadow.
"So these are his friends.", the creature muttered, "They are looking for him, no doubt. They seem to be on the right track. I must return so that I may properly greet them."
The creature quietly laughed to itself as it walked away.
* * *
There was a knock on the front door just as Chi-Chi had finished washing the morning dishes. She dried off her hands and made her way to the door. She pulled it open to reveal Bulma and the others standing outside. She lit up and quickly invited them in. She was happily surprised that they had dropped by to help her through this. She tried not to show that she had been crying all morning but the soaked tissues in every random place gave it away.
"I can't thank you guys enough for coming, had I known I would have had something prepared for you.", Chi-Chi said.
"It's okay Chi-Chi, we know this is a rough time for you so we just wanted to keep you company.", Bulma replied.
"Say, mind if I check and see what's on the TV? There's a...uh, important...um, news cast that I wanted to see.", Master Roshi studdered.
"Sorry, but I don't get your female aerobics channel.", Chi-Chi answered already knowing what he was after.
"Oh that's a shame ya know I think I left my oven on I had better go back to the house and check on it.", Roshi quickly explained.
"Yea right old man, the day you know how to work an oven is the day that I start flying.", Oolong responded.
"QUIET YOU!", Roshi flared.
"Hey you two, we're supposed to be helping Chi-Chi here.", Puar reminded them.
"Ya know, Chaozu is a good cook. He has cooked for us before and definitely knows his way around the kitchen.", Oolong annouced hoping he might get a meal out of it.
Chaozu blushed and said, "Well there is a new recipe I've been working on. I could give it a try if you have what I need."
"Use whatever you can find. The kitchen is yours.", Chi-Chi responded.
And so Chaozu begins to make his latest creation in the kitchen while the rest of the group moves to the living room. They sit and talk about the things that happened and what Chi-Chi had missed at Capsule Corp. All the while Chi-Chi couldn't help thinking about Gohan and Goku.
'I hope that they're okay.'
* * *
Gohan was getting anxious as they closed in on the next dragonball. They were flying high over grassy plains with short mountains not too far away.
"The radar detects the next one just over those mountains.", Gohan reported.
They increased their speed until they reached the peak of the mountains, where they stopped in complete awe. Before them was a massive spaceship, cylindrical in shape but much longer in diameter than it was tall, and yet the ship was still a towering structure from where it started at the base of the crater it had created upon landing.
It was the biggest ship they had ever seen here on Earth. Looking down from the sky they were able to spot a small porthole on the top near the center of the ship. They looked at each other and nodded as they knew that this was it. They glided down to the porthole and jumped in one by one. The room was completely dark except for the beam of light coming through the opening in the ceiling. Once everybody was in the ship they stood together within the circle of light as they prepared for whatever was about to happen. Then it happened.
"H..Hey guys..do you feel that?", Krillen asked.
"Yeah, it feels like there are hundred fighters in here. Some seem rather weak but others might rival even Gohan.", Tien answered.
"Oh man, maybe this wasn't such a good idea.", Yamcha said.
"It seems Goku is among them, somewhere. I can definitely pick out his energy pattern.", Piccolo stated.
"DAD!", Gohan yelled.
Just as soon as the words left Gohan's mouth a resounding voice echoed throughout the room.
"So, you have come for you friend. I'm glad to see that you could make it, but I'm afraid you won't be leaving so you might as well enjoy your stay. I'm sure you're wondering where you are, seeing as it is quite dark in there. Let me introduce you to my humble abode."
"Welcome...", the voice boomed.
The room suddenly became filled with light. The entire room was a huge, flat, dirt colored floor that looked much like some type of arena. There were tiers of doors encircling the floor that climbed up all the way to the ceiling. It looked almost like a stadium. To one side of the room at the very top tier was a boxed area where the cloaked creature stood firm with its hands outstretched as if it had just commanded the lights to come to life. There was a lone door directly beneath his box with a strange emblem on it, obviously reserved for the prime fighters. The shear size of the room had the Z-fighters awestruck and they could only help but stare in wonder.
"...TO THE COLOSSEUM!!!"
The Z-fighters skimmed over the crystalline waters as they made their way towards the beach. They flew with such speed that the towering wake left behind seemed to barely keep up with them. The radar showed that the dragonball was somewhere on the shoreline and they were getting close. So many things ran through Gohan's mind at this time. Thoughts of his father and whether or not this would be where he found him, or even if this whole plan would work.
'Maybe he just decided to go to the beach and meditate, he could've lowered his energy enough to keep us from sensing him.', Gohan thought trying to make things seem okay, 'But what if we get there and he's lying dead there on the sand. I don't think I could stand to lose him like that.'
They finally caught a glimpse of land. As they approached the beach they noticed an unusual glare coming from one area and they headed straight for it. They landed one by one in a circle around the dragonball. The reflection of the sun was pure and clean on its surface. The small orange orb was somewhat buried in the sand and it radiated with a warm, almost enticing glow. Gohan kneeled down to pick it out of the sand with a sigh of sorrow and relief. He wished he had found his dad with this ball, but he was glad that he didn't find his dad dead with it.
"Well that's one out of the way, only six more to go. We're sure to find Goku soon Gohan.", Krillen said trying to keep Gohan in good spirits.
"Yea.", Gohan responded as he cracked a smile.
Just then Piccolo jerked his head in another direction and seemed to stare forever. He stood firm and searched the neverending stretch of beach for what looked to be nothing. After a moment he gave up and turned to the others who only stared at him with similar quizzical expressions.
"What's wrong Piccolo?", Tien asked.
"Yea, you scared us for a second there.", Yamcha added.
"I don't think we're alone out here.", Piccolo responded.
"What? I don't see or sense anything. You're just paranoid.", Krillen said.
"You don't have to believe me, but I suggest we move with more caution from now on.", Piccolo advised.
Gohan pressed the button on top of the radar and began tracking the next dragonball. They slowly lifted from the shore, still in a circle, stopped just above the palm trees and started their hunt once again. As they left they failed to notice the dark figure standing on a nearby cliff. It watched them leave. It had been watching them ever since they arrived at the beach. Even in the light of day, the creatures cloak seemed to emit a darkness that kept its entire figure appear as nothing more than a shadow.
"So these are his friends.", the creature muttered, "They are looking for him, no doubt. They seem to be on the right track. I must return so that I may properly greet them."
The creature quietly laughed to itself as it walked away.
* * *
There was a knock on the front door just as Chi-Chi had finished washing the morning dishes. She dried off her hands and made her way to the door. She pulled it open to reveal Bulma and the others standing outside. She lit up and quickly invited them in. She was happily surprised that they had dropped by to help her through this. She tried not to show that she had been crying all morning but the soaked tissues in every random place gave it away.
"I can't thank you guys enough for coming, had I known I would have had something prepared for you.", Chi-Chi said.
"It's okay Chi-Chi, we know this is a rough time for you so we just wanted to keep you company.", Bulma replied.
"Say, mind if I check and see what's on the TV? There's a...uh, important...um, news cast that I wanted to see.", Master Roshi studdered.
"Sorry, but I don't get your female aerobics channel.", Chi-Chi answered already knowing what he was after.
"Oh that's a shame ya know I think I left my oven on I had better go back to the house and check on it.", Roshi quickly explained.
"Yea right old man, the day you know how to work an oven is the day that I start flying.", Oolong responded.
"QUIET YOU!", Roshi flared.
"Hey you two, we're supposed to be helping Chi-Chi here.", Puar reminded them.
"Ya know, Chaozu is a good cook. He has cooked for us before and definitely knows his way around the kitchen.", Oolong annouced hoping he might get a meal out of it.
Chaozu blushed and said, "Well there is a new recipe I've been working on. I could give it a try if you have what I need."
"Use whatever you can find. The kitchen is yours.", Chi-Chi responded.
And so Chaozu begins to make his latest creation in the kitchen while the rest of the group moves to the living room. They sit and talk about the things that happened and what Chi-Chi had missed at Capsule Corp. All the while Chi-Chi couldn't help thinking about Gohan and Goku.
'I hope that they're okay.'
* * *
Gohan was getting anxious as they closed in on the next dragonball. They were flying high over grassy plains with short mountains not too far away.
"The radar detects the next one just over those mountains.", Gohan reported.
They increased their speed until they reached the peak of the mountains, where they stopped in complete awe. Before them was a massive spaceship, cylindrical in shape but much longer in diameter than it was tall, and yet the ship was still a towering structure from where it started at the base of the crater it had created upon landing.
It was the biggest ship they had ever seen here on Earth. Looking down from the sky they were able to spot a small porthole on the top near the center of the ship. They looked at each other and nodded as they knew that this was it. They glided down to the porthole and jumped in one by one. The room was completely dark except for the beam of light coming through the opening in the ceiling. Once everybody was in the ship they stood together within the circle of light as they prepared for whatever was about to happen. Then it happened.
"H..Hey guys..do you feel that?", Krillen asked.
"Yeah, it feels like there are hundred fighters in here. Some seem rather weak but others might rival even Gohan.", Tien answered.
"Oh man, maybe this wasn't such a good idea.", Yamcha said.
"It seems Goku is among them, somewhere. I can definitely pick out his energy pattern.", Piccolo stated.
"DAD!", Gohan yelled.
Just as soon as the words left Gohan's mouth a resounding voice echoed throughout the room.
"So, you have come for you friend. I'm glad to see that you could make it, but I'm afraid you won't be leaving so you might as well enjoy your stay. I'm sure you're wondering where you are, seeing as it is quite dark in there. Let me introduce you to my humble abode."
"Welcome...", the voice boomed.
The room suddenly became filled with light. The entire room was a huge, flat, dirt colored floor that looked much like some type of arena. There were tiers of doors encircling the floor that climbed up all the way to the ceiling. It looked almost like a stadium. To one side of the room at the very top tier was a boxed area where the cloaked creature stood firm with its hands outstretched as if it had just commanded the lights to come to life. There was a lone door directly beneath his box with a strange emblem on it, obviously reserved for the prime fighters. The shear size of the room had the Z-fighters awestruck and they could only help but stare in wonder.
"...TO THE COLOSSEUM!!!"