Warrior Instincts
Ch.4: Martial arts prodigies and devious minds! Enter the Kamehameha Wave and Emperor Pilaf!
xXx
Crystal-blue eyes surveyed the mountainous landscape as Bulma sat beside the Ox-King in his personal hover car. She, along with a reluctant Oolong, had agreed to aid the large monarch in the search for his only daughter Chi-Chi. However as they sped along, the young genius found her mind drifting.
The topic: Goku.
Bulma couldn't help but marvel at how much her life had already changed in just the couple of weeks since she'd met the monkey-tailed alien. A year ago, the blue-haired beauty would have never imagined herself in the company of a man such as the Ox King, or learning that aliens really did exist. It was mind boggling.
Yet, with the exciting came the strange. Learning that Goku's real name was Kakarot, and that his mission was to destroy all life on Earth was a terrifying shock for Bulma at the time; but then the wild boy showed himself to be uninterested in such a task. If anything, Goku seemed more interested in learning about the human race rather than exterminating it. He'd even asked Bulma how her vehicles worked and what they ran on. And while children were known for being curious, Goku's inquiries were always well thought out and direct; his vocabulary, Bulma learned, had been enhanced by the various books Gohan had kept in his personal trunk.
In short, Bulma could only conclude that Goku was either a prodigy or his race was highly intelligent.
'But then, why haven't they come for him yet?' The blue-haired beauty thought from her seat beside the giant monarch. 'Surely the fact that he hasn't sent any sort of report back should have his parents worried.'
It was questions like this that stumped Bulma's brilliant mind. And yet, with what Goku was sent to do on Earth, the teenage genius often hoped the young boy's people didn't come looking for him. After all, what if they decided to finish what their son never started?
That thought alone plagued many of Bulma's dreams; like a boogie man at the back of her brain. Often, the young girl's azure eyes would open wide in fright as she awoke from another nightmare. On those nights Bulma was forced to watch, as imagined images of older Goku's raining down on the planet inside pods like the one she and the monkey-tailed boy had found weeks ago, began laying waste to every city on the planet.
The means was always different; sometimes with advanced weaponry,other times with crazy powers like breathing fire. But every time it would end the same...the real Goku, seated on a throne, with her battered body thrown at his feet. And as awful as the destruction of her home was, the worst part of her nightmare was always the look Goku would give her as she begged him for help.
It was like something pulled from a painting of the devil; nothing at all like the stoic indifference, or cocky challenger Bulma was used to. No, this Goku's face was twisted into a cruel, unforgiving smile. His unnaturally sharper canines gave the seated fighter a feral, animalistic look that was only heightened by the blood smeared around his lips from whatever raw meat he'd just taken a bite of. Onyx-black orbs were slit in pure relish as he looked down his nose at her in contempt. Then, with a single raise of his hand, Bulma knew nothing but pain the likes of which she'd never known before awakening from the nightmare.
Even with the cool breeze afforded by the Ox-King's convertible hover car Bulma still found herself shivering at just the memory of those dreams.
But then, that's all they were right? Goku wouldn't really hurt her...would he?
'No,' Bulma denied with a shake of her head. 'Goku called me his friend, there's no way he would turn on me like that, I just know it.'
So engrossed was she in her thoughts Bulma didn't notice that the car had stopped until a large, meaty hand patted her on the shoulder. Shocked from her internal retrospection, the blue-haired girl turned her eyes up in a silent question of what the man beside her wanted.
"You seem troubled; I was asking if you thought your friend would have any interest in marrying my daughter, but when you didn't say anything I began to get worried. Is something the matter?"
Bulma blinked in an effort to clear away the images in her mind before shaking her head. "No, nothing's wrong, I was just spacing out. Also, to answer your question, I'm not too sure Goku would have any interest in your offer. He doesn't even know Chi-Chi; besides Goku's not the type to do something without a real reason. As I just mentioned, they don't know each other, which means Goku has even less of a reason to think about your offer because he sees no point in it; why marry someone if there's nothing to gain or emotional bond to share."
The Ox-King seemed to ponder this for a moment before speaking again, although the question he asked wasn't the one Bulma was expecting. "Your friend calls himself Kakarot, yet you have continuously referred to him as 'Goku', why is that?"
The question drew Bulma's mind back to the conversation the Ox-King had had with Goku right before the young boy rocketed off to find Roshi. Ox-King had, like any normal person, asked Goku for his name.
It came as no surprise to the beautiful genius when her alien friend had given the monarch his original name, rather than the one given to him by Gohan. However, it was times like this when Bulma wished Goku were just a bit more friendly to others; as it would save her the need to explain why he went by two separate names.
With a sheepish grin, the blue-haired teen attempted to give an explanation for her friend's behavior.
"Well, Kakarot is Goku's real name; 'Goku' being the name given to him by Gohan when he was adopted. Unfortunately Goku doesn't really trust anyone new, so he gives them his birth name as a sign of that mistrust. As for why I call him 'Goku' rather than 'Kakarot' is rather simple, although no less meaningful to me...he considers me a friend and he trusts me."
The Ox-King mulled over his passenger's words while he continued driving, his mind working over Bulma's words as they searched for his daughter.
What made this 'Goku' so withdrawn; especially if he had lived with Gohan for any length of time? What sort of past could possibly cause a boy so young to be so closed off to all but one person? And finally, what had Bulma done to coax the boy into a friendship with her?
Normally the Ox-King would not trouble himself with such thoughts, but the enigma that was Kakarot seemed to call to him just as much as the little orange ball he'd acquired, and now lay tucked away in the confines of his burning castle.
However, before the burly man could ponder the mysterious boy any further, a shrill scream of fright rang in his ears. One that the Ox-King recognized immediately.
"WAAAHAAAA! SOMEONE HELP MEEEE!"
It was Chi-Chi; and she was in trouble!
Straining his ears to catch which way the sound had come from, the mighty monarch swerved the hover car into a sharp turn and began speeding towards where he picked up his daughter's cry for help. With his massive boot pressed firm against the gas, and his eyes narrowed in intense focus, the Ox-King found himself swing around a number of tall rock formations, as well as a plenty of wildlife, before finally caching sight of Chi-Chi.
And what he saw did not make him very happy!
Bulma herself was left to gasp in horror at the potential disaster as she too laid eyes on the younger girl's hideous predicament.
Dressed in a blue cheongsam with red pants, and black shoes. Her dark, raven hair was free of any sort of tie and whipped behind her as the young girl ran screaming from the gnashing jaws of a large, purple dinosaur. With her dark eyes swallowed by tears the frightened princess didn't see the indent in the earth ahead of her, so when the toe of her pointed flat caught in the dip Chi-Chi went tumbling forward.
From her seat in the hover car Bulma could only look on in horror, her body frozen in fear and anguish. But when the transport rocked heavily, before settling back down, the heiress of Capsule Corp felt her fear turn to shock. The Ox-King was tearing down the country-side, his body hunched as if he were about to actually ram the tyrannosaurus threatening his daughter! The large king's roar of battle, his ferocious moment, were all brought to a screeching halt however when a blindly fearful Chi-Chi turned to face the purple dinosaur...and blasted it with a vibrant beam.
In almost an instant the scaly predator was toppled, and transformed into a roasted carcass.
For Bulma it was almost too good to be true; until her brilliant mind rebooted and she replayed that scene over in her head. It had only been for a moment, but that was all the blue-haired beauty needed, because Bulma easily recreated the memory in her mind. After turning over and onto her back Chi-Chi had thrust out her hands as she waled for her fiendish pursuer to leave her alone. Then, just for a second, there was a gleam that came off a pair of rings the Ox-King's daughter was wearing on each pointer finger. From there it was the creation of the beam, and the cooked dino hide Bulma could now smell in the air.
It was Chi-Chi's blubbering as she launched herself at the Ox-King that broke Bulma out of her stupor. After a rapid set of blinks, the blue-haired beauty removed her seat-belt and climbed out of the hover car, her ears choosing to selectively ignore Oolong's shouts of indignation at being left alone.
Coming up on the father-daughter duo, Bulma made out the words of comfort the Ox-King was belaying in a gentle tone. Seeing the mountain of a man behave like such a marshmallow, when just an hour before he'd been cruel and derogatory towards not only herself but Goku as well, threw Bulma for a loop. And yet, here it was.
"Oh Chi-Chi, what in the world were you doing out here all by yourself? Don't you remember how dangerous I said the lands outside the village are for a girl so young; what if something happened to you, don't you know how heartbroken I would be?"
The little girl sniffled a little before responding, her button nose glowing red from all the crying she'd been doing that day. "I-I was only trying to find M-Master Roshi, Papa; the one you said could put out the fire. I-I just wanted to be able to go home~."
Chi-Chi broke out into another crying fit after finishing her reply with a pitiful whine. From her place outside the family hug Bulma felt her heart throb at the sight of one so young suffering so much pain. Which is why it came as a great joy when a familiar voice called out from above.
"Bulma, I found the old man!"
Crystal-blue eyes shot up to the sky above, and Bulma beamed in a show of great happiness as her friend came soaring down from the heavens on his little yellow cloud. Even seeing the perverted martial arts master trailing behind on his own flying familiar didn't drain any the joy Bulma felt at seeing Goku again; even if it had only been a little over an hour.
At the same time however, Chi-Chi also looked up at hearing the new voice, and her reaction was a bit...different from Bulma's.
The moment her onyx eyes landed on the wild-haired boy with the monkey tail, young Chi-Chi felt her face turn a pretty pink. Descending from the very sky, commanding the legendary nimbus cloud itself, the fierce-looking warrior in white looked every bit the knight in shining armor Chi-Chi had read about. It was as the boy finished his dive from above, and jumped from his cloud, that the smitten princess of Fire Mountain learned his name.
"That's great Goku; and you got back just in time too. The Ox-King and I just managed to find his daughter, Chi-Chi. She was being chased by a pretty nasty, over-grown lizard, but that's not even the wildest part. Chi-Chi used these rings to create some sort of energy beam that completely fried the thing!"
Bulma gushed about the possibility of recreating such devices, but Chi-Chi herself heard none of it. She was too busy staring dreamily at the boy in front of her. 'Goku~,' She swooned.
However, the young girl's flip-flopping tummy dropped to her feet, and she reeled back in disgust as the vision of her white knight was replaced by a hideous old man. Unlike Goku he was bald, and his face was home to an untidy beard and mustache the color of snow. Where Goku wore a martial arts gi that fit his svelte, athletic body the old man wore a disgusting, orange beach shirt and white shorts that stopped above his knees. He also wore a turtle shell on his back, and carried a walking stick in his right hand.
This was Master Roshi!?
Before the young princess could make any sort of comment however, she was further awestruck by what her father did next. Her father, the feared and ferocious Ox-King, the man said to have the strength of one hundred men and whose power was great enough to fell just as many with just one sweep of his ax...was kneeling!
"Oh, Master Roshi, how great it is to see you again!" Ox-King greeted enthusiastically, his burly arms easily trapping the elderly martial artist in a beefy hug. "It's been far too long Master; I'm overjoyed to see you still in good health."
To everyone but Goku's surprise, Roshi easily freed himself from the Ox-King's powerful grip and landed softly on his feet. What did surprise Goku however, was the tone with which the old man addressed his former student. "I wish I could say the same Ox, but I've heard far too many stories about you to be happy about our reunion. What's this I hear about you terrorizing the countryside; I didn't teach you martial arts so you could become a tyrant!"
Ox-King immediately dropped to the dirt floor, his nose to the ground and hands outstretched in a prostrating pose of submission. "Oh Master, forgive me, but you don't understand! I rage not out of enjoyment, but anguish. My home, the very castle I hoped to raise my daughter, has blazed for many years and I've since become desperate to find a way to put out the fire. My methods may be violent, but I've just begun to lose hope. Please Master, forgive this worthless student, and say you'll save my home?"
There was a tense few seconds after the large monarch's blubbering plea, one that had even the hidden Yamcha feel the hair on the back of his neck stand at attention. Should Master Roshi refuse, there was no telling what the mighty Ox-King's next move was going to be.
Yet such worries were unfounded, because after letting loose a tired breath, the elderly martial arts master agreed to lend his aid. "But only because I can see you are truly ashamed for what you've done. Now, show me this 'eternal flame' you've so foolishly surrounded your castle with, and I'll put it out. I don't have the Bansho Fan anymore, but there's still a trick I know that may do the job."
Leaping back to his feet in utter relief, the Ox-King hurriedly ushered his old teacher in the direction of his home, and introduced the man to his daughter as they walked. Goku and Bulma were quick to follow, as was Oolong once he saw that there was no longer any danger. For Goku, the young alien found his interest peaked; just how was Roshi going to extinguish a flame that has burned for ten years?
The answer turned out to be the first step, in a long journey for power, for the young boy.
Standing to the side and out of the way, Goku watched Roshi as he settled himself atop a broken patch of wall that had him looking right at the castle. Onyx-black eyes watched with focused intent as the martial arts master removed his gaudy beach shirt, revealing a thin and frail-looking body, but then widened in pure disbelief as that same figure seemed to explode into a small mountain of bulging muscle.
'H-How did he do that!?' Goku stammered mentally. Never had he witnessed such a thing; and yet it helped to explain how Roshi was able to best him so easily. The man truly was more powerful than he appeared.
And then, it happened. Goku watched, his mouth still dropped open in shock, as Roshi lifted his hands and began to motion with his thick and muscular arms. Cupping the heels of his flexed hands together, Roshi pulled his arms back so his hands rested near his waist, and then he began to chant.
"Ka...me...
It was as if time was moving slow for the wild-haired Goku. Where once there was empty air, the space between Roshi's palms began to fill with a bright, almost fluorescent blue ball of light.
"Ha...me..."
That vibrant sphere began to grow in size; what was once no bigger than a marble had slowly expanded to the size of a baseball. Then Roshi tensed his powerful body, lurched his hands back, and then trust them forward with one final cry.
"HA!"
The ball of light, Goku realized, was actually energy! That medium-sized sphere immediately grew to the size of a dinosaur egg, and a thick beam shot out from its center; it rounded spear-head rocketing straight for Fire Mountain. As is raced, Goku watched as the beam increased in size, and turned his eyes to look at Roshi. The elderly man's bulging body was lined with thick, pulsing veins that easily showed just how much effort he was putting into the technique. And it further showed when Goku looked back at the castle, and saw the entire structure be enveloped by the Kamehameha blast. Then, just as quickly as it was covered, the castle was revealed again; this time free of any flames.
It's sturdy walls were singed, and there was numerous cracks throughout the facade from being hit by the beam, but the Ox-King's castle was standing tall and free of its fiery prison.
With his job done, Master Roshi let out a long breath and allowed his body to relax. His muscles deflated, and Goku watched in fascination as he returned to looking like a scrawny old man. Feeling himself being watched, Roshi turned his shaded eyes to the monkey-tailed youth and offered a slight jab.
"The Kamehameha Wave; a technique of my own creation. Are you still so sure you don't want to learn from me, Kakarot?"
"How about you just tell me how it's done, and I'll figure the rest out myself old man." Was Goku's quick response.
Interestingly enough, it was Ox-King who answered. "You show the Master some respect boy; it took him fifty years to even develop the Kamehameha Wave, and even after being his student I'm still unable to perform it!"
"Only because you still haven't realized that the technique is created through concentrating your Ki, rather than simply flexing your muscles and bellowing like a gorilla." Roshi reminded his former student.
'Ki.' Goku thought as he stared down at his own hands, flexing his fingers in wonder. Gohan had been just about to teach Goku about this very subject before that fateful, full moon night so the name was nothing new, however seeing its use in real life was unlike anything Goku had expected. At least, until he remembered his dream. Those weapons of light, they were beams just like the Kamehameha Wave, meaning that his father had the ability to use Ki!
'And if he could do it...' Goku theorized, as he narrowed his eyes in focus. He easily recalled the way Roshi had seemed so centered, so in-tune with his body. So Goku made the same attempt. He envisioned himself, forming the technique in his hands, and that ball of energy resting between his palms. He imagined the heat that would come off the neon sphere, conjured the humming that he'd heard when he watched Roshi and let it fill his own ears. Dimly aware that he was staring to work through the same motions as he'd seen Roshi do, Goku settled into the stance with his hands cupped at his sides. It wasn't until he heard Bulma gasp in wonder that he realized those sensation he'd imagined were in fact real.
"G-Goku, how did you do that?"
Opening his dark eyes, the monkey-tailed martial artist looked down and saw that he'd done it; he'd recreated the Kamehameha Wave! However, even in his state of triumphant shock Goku was able to see that there was a very distinct difference between his energy and Roshi's.
Where the old man's had been a bright, neon-blue, Goku's was a strong almost-black shade of violet.
Wondering if this would affect the technique any, Goku shifted into a firm stance before thrusting his hands forward. "Kamehameha!" He was glad to see that his beam still performed in the same way Roshi's had, even if it wasn't anywhere near as large, but was interested to see that it had punched a sizable hole in the first barrier it came across; that being a clearly abandon home. Then, as the already decrepit building finally gave out and began to crumble, Goku turned his attention back to the old man in sunglasses.
"Fifty years, huh?" He snarked, a smug look stretching over his young face. Then, that look washed away as he turned to Bulma. "Now that the fire is out, could you go ahead and start looking for the ball?"
At the mention of the next dragon ball the blue-haired beauty finally managed to shake off her shock, and heartily agreeing with her younger companion turned towards the Ox-King to ask if he'd show her into the castle.
"Very well, but only because Kakarot managed to bring the Master here to extinguish the flame." The burly monarch conceded. With that, he lead a widely-grinning Bulma and a still stunned Oolong into his home.
His daughter on the other hand, moved closer to a Goku who looked about ready to start another conversation with Master Roshi.
"So is the Kamehameha your only technique, old man?" Goku wondered out loud. "If it is, what point would there be in me becoming your student if I've learned your greatest move in under ten minutes?"
While an irritated Roshi went on to explain about his teachings, and how they would help increase not only Goku's power, but speed and reflexes as well, behind his tree Yamcha looked on at the monkey-tailed boy in true fear. Considering himself to be a martial artist, the bandit had indeed heard of the legendary Kamehameha Wave and its immense power. It was said to be the greatest technique in the world! And yet, here was some little kid capable of doing, what took a Master like Roshi fifty years to develop, in seconds! This, coupled with the harsh beating Yamcha had suffered at Goku's hands, had the older boy wary of just how much more dangerous he'd become if Roshi actually took him on as a student.
"My only hope it to get my hands on the dragon balls first, and make my wish." Yamcha seethed to his partner, Puar. "If I do, I can wish to be made the greatest martial artist in the whole world, and then not only will I be able to defeat Kakarot but Bulma will be sure to notice me then."
"But Master, what about your...condition?" The shape-shifting cat worried. "If you try to fight Kakarot before curing it, he could use it to his advantage and you'd be right back to square one."
"Not if I get him alone." The bandit reasoned. "If I fight him away from Bulma, or any other girl for that matter, there's no way he'll defeat me then."
The two continued to plot, their tones not whispered, but low. However, what neither of them realized was that Goku could still hear them. He'd learned long ago that his senses were significantly sharper than any human's, so hearing Yamcha and Puar, even from so many feet away, was of little difficulty.
Unfortunately, his idea to call them out was sabotaged by the interference of some girl he'd never met before. She had garnered his attention through a stuttered 'E-Excuse me', and was barely able to look him in the eye when he turned to her. She was a small thing, even though they stood at the same height. Her body was soft and petite, Goku could see no traces of muscle tone, and her hands looked free of any sort of callouses or rough patches of skin. The girl, being younger than Bulma, obviously looked very different, and yet this wasn't what caused the boy to look at her with disinterest. In fact, Goku mentally decided Chi-Chi was indeed what many would consider 'cute'.
The problem was that Chi-Chi, if he remembered the Ox-King calling her, gave off a very distinct aura of shyness and discomfort. It was so thick that Goku could practically smell it. She also had a problem standing still; Chi-Chi continuously shuffled her feet, or played with her fingers. And finally, she could hardly look at Goku for more than a few seconds before turning her gaze to the floor. This meek, submissive behavior left a bad taste in Goku's mouth; one he couldn't for the life of him explain.
But he decided that was no reason to be rude, and tuned back in when he heard the girl begin to speak.
"M-My name is Chi-Chi, I'm the Ox-King's daughter, I thought I heard that other girl call you 'Goku' but I'm not certain. W-Would you mind telling me your name?"
"I'm Kakarot, and it's...nice to meet you Chi-Chi." Goku couldn't find a better word than 'nice' to describe what he felt about their meeting, one that spoke truer of how he felt without being rude, and only hoped the young girl didn't notice his hesitation.
She didn't. Chi-Chi was too caught up in her swooning, and having the handsome boy's attention on her, to take note of his growing discomfort. Instead she offered a shy smile and continued talking. "T-That's a nice name. I saw you do the Kamehameha Wave Kakarot; you're amazing."
Seeing the strange way she was looking at him reminded Goku of how Yamcha had stared at Bulma earlier that same day. He would need to ask her if she'd been as uncomfortable then, as he found himself feeling in this moment. Chi-Chi's eyes sparkled with something foreign, and her pupils were dilated. She was leaning in just so, with her clasped hands settled neatly over her chest.
Goku himself leaned back, attempting to save his personal space as he replied. "Thank you Chi-Chi, that's very...kind of you to say. I'm surprised though; you know about the Kamehameha Wave?"
Chi-Chi nodded enthusiastically before answering. "Oh yeah, my Papa tells me stories about his years training under Master Roshi all the time, plus I've even watched him when he practices. I've never seen anybody beat him."
The monkey-tailed boy did his best to keep the scoff from leaving his lips, but only managed to cover it with an act of clearing his throat. Because while the Ox-King had indeed caught him off-guard, Goku had no doubt in his mind that he could defeat the man, especially now that he had the Kamehameha Wave in his arsenal of techniques. 'I'd just have to be careful not to over-use it; I'm still a little winded from that one I used earlier.'
Remembering that he hadn't responded to the blushing girl's last statement, Goku offered another question. "You say you've watched him practice, do you study martial arts yourself?"
When Chi-Chi shook her head in the negative, the little spark of curiosity inside Goku finally died and his normal indifference took its place. At least until she flashed him her hands."No, but Papa did give me these rings. They help draw out my energy, since I don't know how, and project it in a beam so I can protect myself against things or people that try to hurt me."
Goku would have asked how they worked, if Bulma hadn't come running up to him with a victorious squeal passing through her beaming smile. "Look Goku, this makes six, we only need to find one more dragon ball before we can summon the dragon!"
And while the ecstatic teen didn't see the annoyed look Chi-Chi was giving her, the ever observant Goku did, and it made him raise an eyebrow in interest. What was her problem?
Choosing to ask Bulma about it later, Goku instead went to ask her where the final dragon ball was located. "I'd like to see the dragon before I'm as old as the pervert over there." He reasoned, thumbing over to the incoming Roshi.
"Keep it up and I'll rescind my offer to let you train under me kid." Roshi threatened. Then he turned his attention to the blue-haired beauty in front of him and leered grossly at her as he greeted Bulma. "It's been a while since I've seen ya Bulma, how about coming over here and giving an old man a hug?"
The elderly man's lecherous intentions were clear with the way he groped the empty air, and Bulma shivered in disgust before stepping back behind her scowling friend. "Ew~, no thanks, I think I'll just stay over here with Goku."
It was here that Chi-Chi made herself known again. "I-I thought you said your name was Kakarot, why is she calling you 'Goku'?"
"It's just a nickname," Bulma cut in after seeing the odd look the princess was giving her young friend. Being a female herself, the blue-haired city girl easily understood what was going on. "I just call him Goku because...because..."
"Because she knows it annoys me; she makes fun of the fact I'm named after a vegetable." Goku finished for her, the pint-sized fighter choosing to use the reason for her calling him 'monkey boy' to appease the curious Chi-Chi. He had no idea what her issue was, and personally didn't care, all Goku wanted was to move on and find the final dragon ball.
But it seemed Chi-Chi wasn't going to make it easy for him. The pre-pubescent princess lost her look of confusion and jealousy, and replaced it with shy hopefulness as she turned her attention fully on Goku. Off to the side her father watched the exchange with interest of his own, his mind still thinking of a way to wed his daughter to the obviously powerful young boy.
"O-Oh, well then do you m-mind if I give you one? I promise it won't be anything mean." She asked, the toe of her shoe digging a small hole into the dirt as the girl peered up at Goku through her lashes.
It was with a wary eyebrow that the wild-haired alien offered his consent.
"How about 'Kishi'; because you're the reason Master Roshi even knew about the fire, and without you he never would have come to put it out." Chi-Chi rocked on her heels as she gave the boy in the white gi another pretty smile.
Goku could only cock his head to the side, his face betraying nothing, as he answered. "I...suppose that's alright. Sure, you can call me 'Kishi', Chi-Chi."
The young princess was thrilled; in her mind it was as if Goku had just agreed to be her own personal knight. Continuing to swoon over the young fighter she asked if he would stay and have dinner with her and her father, to celebrate having their castle back. She was distraught when he refused.
Only to brighten when, of all people, Bulma was the one to convince him to stay. "You were just talking about how hungry you were earlier, and I know you haven't eaten anything all day, so I think we should stay. Besides, with my radar there's nowhere on earth for the last dragon ball to hide, so there's no rush Goku." Turning to Chi-Chi, Bulma leaned down on her knees and offered a cheerful smile. "We'd be more than happy to stay for dinner cutie, thank you."
Realizing she would have to invite the older, beautiful girl as well Chi-Chi almost wanted to rescind the offer. But one look at Goku, and then hearing the way his stomach growled at the thought of finally getting something to eat, had the princess heartily motioning for them to follow her inside.
Wrapping her arms around Goku's muscular bicep she batted her eyes at the boy and asked what his favorite food was. Her love-tinted gaze didn't see the sour look that broke out on her 'Kishi's' face as he answered.
"Anything made of meat will do fine, thank you." The alien boy had to swallow a growl as he spoke, and tensed his shoulder to keep from jerking free of the odd girl's annoying grip. As much as Goku hated having his personal space violated, Bulma had been right and he was hungry, and the young boy believed that if he rebuffed the princess' efforts to be close that the offer would expire. So Goku kept his peace and ignored the terrible itch he had to get away from the clingy girl known as Chi-Chi.
What none of them knew however was that they were being watched. A small bird fluttered its wings from above, while its beady eyes followed the small group as they entered the castle. Eyes that, miles away, were feeding that same view to a monitor inside an even grander castle to a man known as Pilaf.
xXx
Dinner had been pleasant, but only after the Ox-King had gone out and bought food that hadn't been sitting inside a burning castle for ten years. Goku showed off his impressive appetite by devouring an entire roasted boar single-handedly before slurping up ten bowls of noodles, and finishing it off with a large platter of egg rolls.
"Geeze kid, you'd think you hadn't eaten a day in your life." Oolong gaped. "Where in the world did you put all that?"
Goku only gave the talking pig a look, as if to ask 'are you dumb', before replying. "In my stomach; where else would it go?"
"Now that I think about it, the day we met you were dragging a humongous fish behind you Goku." Bulma interjected, a thoughtful look etched across her face. "I guess I just didn't fully notice it on account of me hitting you with my car."
Chi-Chi choked on her drink at this bit of news. "You hit him with your what!? How could you do something like that?"
"It was an accident," Goku defended. "I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, so when I came out of the woods I'd unknowingly stepped into the middle of a dirt road." It was a lie of course, having lived in the mountains for so long Goku knew them like the back of his hand, but the wild-haired martial artist didn't like the way Chi-Chi seemed to be almost glaring at Bulma.
The conversation moved then to a topic the monkey-tailed youth was more than happy to talk about; martial arts. It was brought up by Master Roshi, who spoke of an event that took place every three years: The Tenkaichi Budokai.
"It's a tournament that takes fighters from all over the globe, and pits them against one another in an effort to decide who is the strongest fighter in the world. There's no real age restriction, so you'd be able to enter alongside the adults, and test yourself against the toughest of martial artists."
Goku looked on in great interest at this bit of information, his brow knitted in focus as he listened carefully to the elderly man's words. "I'm assuming you're telling me this because the next tournament is fast approaching, right?"
"That's correct," Roshi nodded. "It's a little more than eight months from now, but I thought I'd tell you about it so you could prepare. Bulma said herself that there's no chance of you actually losing out on finding that last dragon ball, so I have no doubt your quest will be finished long before then, and once it is I'd hope you come by my island. I told you about what my training would do for you, and I think you and I both know that even a little bit of progress is better than none at all; right?"
Goku knew he was right, and the prospect of further increasing his strength aroused a feeling of excitement deep inside that only grew at the thought of facing all those fighters in the World Tournament. His choice was clear.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt; but none of your perverted nonsense old man. If I'm going to learn under you then I'd better feel like I'm actually getting something done, or I'm out, understood?"
Roshi only offered a nod as he agreed, although his face was a little pinched in irritation. "Fine, take all the fun out of it why don't ya?"
From there it was a quiet evening of story telling and small talk, although Goku still found Chi-Chi to be far too focused on him as she rarely left his side. But that came to an end when the Ox-King informed his dozing daughter that it was time for bed.
"But I'm not sleepy." She tried to say, although it was covered with a yawn which completely shut down her argument. It wasn't more than a second after her father picked up in his arms that the little girl was fast asleep, her lips lifting into a content smile as she muttered the name 'Kishi' while snuggling into the king's embrace.
"I don't understand that girl at all." Goku muttered mostly to himself.
Bulma looked at the boy with a playful grin as she opened her mouth to tease. "Oh come on Goku, who are you trying to kid, it's obvious she likes you."
"That much is obvious, but what was with all the hand holding and those weird looks she kept giving me? I like you just fine Bulma, but I don't feel the need to constantly be touching you or talking your ear off." When Goku gave his only friend an exasperated look he was surprised to find one of incredulity staring back at him.
Both Roshi and Oolong had followed right after Ox-King and his daughter, so it was just the two of them, and it became more apparent when Goku found himself a little pinned down by Bulma's look of disbelief.
"Um, you...like me?" There was a tone of...almost worry in her voice, and it only confused Goku more.
"Yes," he answered. "How could I consider you a friend if I thought you were annoying, or didn't like you Bulma?"
At this the blue-haired beauty sagged in what looked to be a sense of relief, something again that Goku couldn't truly comprehend. Were girls always so weird; Gohan hadn't ever gotten the chance to really explain what he called the 'fairer sex'. When it didn't look like Bulma was going to say anything else, the pint-sized fighter sent out a verbal prod. "Um, Bulma, I'm still confused."
Hearing the boy's voice made the teenager jump a little in her charred seat, and she blinked her big cerulean eyes for a moment before refocusing on her friend. "O-Oh, sorry about that kid, I just got a little...distracted there for a second." Nervously scratching at her nose, the embarrassed high school student waved her other hand dismissively as she went on to speak again. "But anyway, don't worry too much about Chi-Chi right now Goku, we'll be heading out in the morning anyway so it won't be an issue after that. Besides, I don't think I'm the best person to explain that concept to you."
Then Bulma made a production out of standing and stretching, before nervously bidding her younger friend goodnight and heading to her guest room.
Goku watched her go with a bewildered look on his face, and only shook it off after she disappeared from the the room. Shaking his head at the odd behavior he slid off the burnt couch he'd shared with Chi-Chi and settled onto the blacked rug on the floor in a 'lotus' pose.
Maybe some meditation would help him make sense of the strangeness of the female mind?
It was the oddity of the night, the variety of smokey scents, and the thick castle walls that kept Goku from knowing that just outside the castle Yamcha was scaling the side and making his way inside.
The desert bandit scrambled his way through one of the open windows, careful to watch his hands so he didn't cur himself on the broken window glass. Once he was inside though it quickly became a game of 'find the cheese', and he was the mouse, because Yamcha had absolutely no idea where the dragon balls were being kept.
It was a lucky thing his best friend was a talking cat.
"I can smell Oolong's disgusting scent from across the world Master; we were seat-mates back in shape-shifting school. I'd know his sweaty stench anywhere." Puar gagged in explanation. "And I doubt that the group would sleep too fat apart from each other, so once we get down to his room it'll just be a matter of looking through each room until we find that girl Bulma."
The pair had decided that she was the most likely person to have he wish-granting orbs in her possession, but even now, just thinking about the girl's beauty had Yamcha's mouth going dry.
So it was with visions of sweeping the blue-haired goddess off her feet for pummeling that rat, Kakarot, into the ground that the thief followed his floating companion through the corridors of the castle and down the many steps it took to reach Oolong's room.
"Can you pick out Bulma's scent from here Puar?" Yamcha asked the little cat.
Puar lifted her nose into the air and sniffed a couple of times, angling her head as she searched for a trail. Seeming to finally work through the various other odors in the hall though, Puar motioned for her Master to follow her as she flew two doors down and stopped. "She's in this one Master, but I think you'd better be careful, I can smell that old man Roshi a little further down the hall too. There's no telling what he'll do if he catches us."
"What about Kakarot, where is he?" The boy in the white gi was who Yamcha was really worried about. His bandaged wrist still throbbed, even after he reset and braced it, from when the younger fighter broke it.
The fact that it took Puar longer to catch the younger boy's scent was more than good enough for Yamcha, and then she told him the kid was in a completely separate room in the castle. "And the Ox-King isn't anywhere nearby either, so now's definitely your best chance." The female cat whispered.
With the damage from the flames it was child's play for Yamcha to work his way inside, but he was careful not to let out more than the unavoidable creaks that came from turning the knob and pushing open such an old door. Once he had it left open just a crack, the ragged-looking teen quietly stepped through the room and searched for the dragon balls. It took only moments with the way Bulma had her things organized, and soon Yamcha had the bag of wishing orbs clutched greedily in his fingers. He was grinning like a fool, and was just about to make his exit, when a rustling of sheets caught his attention.
'Damn, did she hear me!?' Yamcha fret, his body turning stiff as a stone. When he didn't hear any screams for help however the fearful teen worked his head to look over his shoulder...and found a bra-clad Bulma twisted in her own personal sheets.
It was easy to see that the girl had pulled her own bead set out from her belongings, because the pale pastel colors stood out vibrantly against the charred backdrop of the room. However it wasn't the soft-looking sheets that held Yamcha's attention, it was the girl they were wrapped around. Bulma lay spread out on the burnt mattress that had been lent to her for the night, its frame having been turned to tinder by the fire and so lay flat against the floor, and it was obvious to see that the girl was a wriggly sleeper. Her body was almost on full display with the way her arms and legs stretched to fill the corners of the mattress, all of her velvety soft skin free to be feasted on by the eyes as she slept in nothing but her pale-pink underwear. All except for the bundle of cloth that wrapped almost possessively around Bulma's waist.
Yamcha couldn't help tracing over every new inch of skin he found, from Bulma's ankles to her shoulders, stopping only to study the girl's smooth belly and leer at the soft rise-and-fall of her round breasts. Even cradled by the cottony cups of a bra Bulma's globes were a mesmerizing sight for the teenage Yamcha. Their plentiful size and perfect shape had him feeling weak in the knees, while thoughts of cupping the malleable flesh in his bare hands sent blood rushing between his legs.
But it wasn't the uncomfortable tightening of his trousers that woke Yamcha from his lusting...it was Kakarot.
"So not only are you a weakling and a thief, but you're a disgusting waste of space too, how did I know?" The boy in the white gi scoffed. "Ya know, you and your partner should be more careful when you're plotting, I could hear every word you two were saying behind your little tree fort outside. Did you really think you'd be able to just sneak in without me knowing?"
This had been bit of a bluff; Goku hadn't known they were inside. However his hearing wasn't the only one of his senses that surpassed those of any normal human, his nose had easily picked up the desert bandit's filthy scent once he'd gotten close enough to the room Goku had stayed behind to meditate in. But Yamcha didn't need to know that.
Goku's stern voice, and Yamcha's frightened squeal were both enough to rouse Bulma from her slumber though. The groggy girl muttered angrily as she pushed herself onto the palms of her hands, and rubbing at her glassy eyes with heel of one palm grumbled to whoever ruined her beauty sleep. "How am I supposed to keep myself looking perfect, if I'm being woken up in the middle...of the..."
All grouchy feelings flushed from Bulma's body as she finally took in who was in her room. Taking their place was a sick disgust and female fury. "You! What the hell are you doing here; and where do you think you're going with our dragon balls!?"
Yamcha could only stutter and bluster in the presence of a nearly-naked, awake, and angry Bulma. His tongue flapped, but only wordless babbling came out, and soon even that stopped as his eyes were drawn back to the girl's boobs. They heaved with Bulma's fury, easily drawing any red-blooded male's attention as they strained against the girl's bra.
This reminded Bulma that she was, indeed, clad in only her underwear and that lead her to scream in indignity. "GOKU! POUND THIS CREEP INTO DUST RIGHT NOW!"
"With pleasure." The feral, almost hungry look that Yamcha found on Kakarot's face drained all the color from his own and swiftly killed the rising tent in his pants. However, he was saved when a massive tremor shook the ground and dropped the bandit to the floor.
Bulma yelped in fright, scrambling to find clothes to put on as another shock wave rumbled the ground beneath her bare feet. "W-What in the world is going on!?"
By now the rest of the castle was awake, and everyone was rushing to regroup. Once Bulma was fully clothed again she and Goku joined the rest of the sleepy bunch, uncaring that Yamcha scuttled behind after them, although Bulma made sure to snatch her dragon balls back. "I don't care if the ground splits in half, these are mine."
After gathering in the foyer it was Oolong's big mouth that broke the ice. "Okay, what's going on, is the world ending!? Because if it is, then I'm gonna scream, I haven't even had my first kiss!"
Having no experience with physical signs of affection besides a hug, Goku had no idea what the fumbling pig was talking about, but there was one thing he was certain about. "No, the world isn't ending you buffoon, we're being attacked."
As if to reiterate the boy's point a loud 'smash' echoed through the castle, and the sound of rushing footsteps soon filled everyone's ears. In no time they were surrounded by dozens of men, each with a deadly rifle aimed directly at them as they were cut off from any way of escape. The men were geared in riot armor, complete with helmets, and some even carrying large rectangular body shields.
"Who are you, and what are you doing in my home!" Ox-King demanded, his large body covering his cowering daughter as she clung to his knee. "Speak, before I decide to just forget about questioning and start crushing skulls!"
"I'd suggest not making empty threats, Ox-King." It was a female voice that called out from the crowed, which began to part and make room for the speaker. "Because I'm sure you and I both know that there's chance of you being able to fight us, and protect you precious daughter at the same time."
The woman who had spoken was young, only few years older than Bulma, and easily just as beautiful. She stood a few inches taller than the blue-haired girl, and dressed much less flatteringly than her too. Where Bulma was clothed in a pair of Boyshorts, a t-shirt, and sneakers the new girl was dressed in a clear uniform that allied her with the rest of the intruders. She wore a navy-blue trench coat and beige slacks, as well as sturdy brown combat boots. Her long, raven hair was left free of any sort of binding and fell to just past her shoulders, gently framing a pretty face decorated with red eye-shadow and ruby lipstick. Yes, the woman would indeed be considered beautiful...if it weren't for the pistol strapped to her hip that her right hand was rested on, and the smug grin she was shooting at the Ox-King.
"And don't think just because there's three of you that we won't win." The woman spoke again, referring to Goku and Roshi. "Because as good as you all are, there's no way you'll be able to beat us all before someone gets there hands on miss prom queen and the pewee princess there, so I want all of you to put your hands in the air and start moving before things have to get ugly."
The three martial artists hated to admit it, but trapped in such an enclosed space the intruder was right. They were surrounded, with little room to move, and there were far too many guns pointed that a stray bullet was sure to make it to one of the girls. So it was with grudging duress that each fighter did as they were told. Almost immediately they were smashed in the back of the head, felling both Roshi and the Ox-King, however Goku only gnashed his teeth in fury.
"If you're gonna take us with you just get i t over with already lady, because the next time one of your goons tries that on me I'm gonna break his fingers."
"General Mai, what do you want us to do?" One of the soldiers questioned the woman now known as Mai. "Should we just cuff him like the others?" To demonstrate he motioned to where Bulma, Yamcha, and both Chi-Chi and Oolong were now shackled with their hands behind their backs.
"Yes, but set him up with a prison set, I want monkey-boy as restrained as possible for the flight back." Mai ordered, her aqua eyes trained hard on Goku.
Soon enough both Goku's wrists and ankles were locked in shackles, the two pairs of cuffs being linked by a thick length of chain that was just long enough to allow the boy to shuffle along as he was herded into a large transport he'd never seen before.
As he sat down next to a cowering Bulma Goku listened as Mai spoke into a black, rectangular device. Her voice was firm and confident, and it brought up the same feelings that had flared when he'd met Bulma, but they were cooled once he heard what she was saying.
"We've got them sir, all six balls are accounted for, and we're returning to the castle now with the prisoners as ordered. It won't be much longer; world domination is all but yours Emperor Pilaf."
xXx
A/N: Okay, well that took longer than I wanted it too, but we're almost at the end of the dragon ball hunt. The next chapter will fully introduce Pilaf, and expose Goku's Great Ape form to the rest of the group.
Now, I played with Mai's age in this story. She's about the age of her future counterpart from Dragon Ball Super, and will be just as skillful in terms of combat. In Dragon Ball I feel like she was forced to be underplayed due to the focus on comedy, so I'm going to try and bring out her character more.
Before anyone says anything about Chi-Chi, think back to her actual interactions with Goku as a child. I may have laid it on a little heavier here, but she was in fact a shy and easily embarrassed individual where Goku was concerned. I also changed her outfit because I just personally didn't care for the look they give her in the beginning. Basically, Chi-Chi is wearing the same uniform she had on when she fights Goku in the tournament, and her rings take the place of that weird helmet she had on as a kid.
'Kishi' is what Knight translated to on my search, which is why that's the nickname Chi-Chi gives to Goku. It won't be heavily used because I don't want to confuse anyone by calling him too many different things, but I feel like giving Goku a nickname is something a young Chi-Chi would have done.
The different colors of the Kamehameha is important, and will be explained once Goku reaches the time to be trained by Kami.
Not sure what else to say here. Um, I think I explained that writing perverted dialogue isn't easy for me just because of how silly and honestly stupid it seems to me, so sorry for anyone who thinks Roshi isn't acting like...well, Roshi.
So, anyway, I hope you enjoyed this update, and I'll do my best to not make you wait so long for the next one.