Chapter 4 - Krillin's Request
Yamcha and the Z Fighters escort Krillin back to Capsule Corp, to reunite with Bulma and to hear his story out.
"It really is you, isn't it?" Bulma asks as she walks around Krillin. She can hardly believe that after all his time in the outside world, that he is still in one piece.
"Yep, it's me," Krillin replies with a smile. Bulma continues to examine Krillin before stopping in front of him. Without any warning or provocation, Bulma slaps Krillin across the face. The sound of the slap fills the Command room, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. The Z Fighters stare in disbelief at the sudden slap.
"That's for making me think you were dead!" Bulma yells as Krillin rubs his cheek. A red, throbbing palm print is visible on his face. Once again, without any signs, Bulma grabs Krillin and hugs him tightly. She releases him before telling him, "That's for not being dead."
A soft smile forms on Yamcha's face at his wife's reaction. Her unpredictability is something that he finds so attractive about her. One moment she'll be calm and the next she's throwing a wrench at him. It's never a dull moment.
"Sorry that you missed Stocking. She's in school right now but I know she'll be excited to see her Uncle Krillin," Bulma says with a smile but her statement just confuses Krillin.
"Stocking?" Krillin asks, acting like he has never met her before.
"Um...our daughter?" Bulma says, somewhat disoriented by Krillin.
"Your daughter? Oh yeah! Your daughter!" Krillin replies as he stops rubbing his face. Judging by the way he sounds, Bulma knows Krillin has forgotten all about Stocking.
Krillin begins looking around the Command room, almost as if he is looking for someone. "Where is Master Roshi? I expected him to be here," Krillin asks before a devilish smiles forms on his face. "Or is he too busy peeking through bedroom curtains and reading his magazines?" Krillin begins to laugh at the thought of his old master, lounging in his beach chair, giggling at the scantily clad women in his magazines.
No one else is laughing or smiling.
Tako, Rasha, and El look away while Yamcha's stops staring at Bulma. His smile turns into a look of sadness. Bulma hangs her head at Krillin's remark before answering his question, "Master Roshi is dead."
The news hits Krillin hard, forcing him to take a step back. "B-But how?" He mutters, unable to accept the outcome.
El steps forward, having witnessed the event with his own eyes. "It was during the destruction of West City..." As he talks, he remembers back to that faithful day.
"Go El, get out of here!" Master Roshi shouts to a younger El. They are standing in the ruins of a building that was destroyed by a redirected ki blast. High above them, they can see Yamcha and Tako losing to Piccolo and Bell.
"But Master Roshi! I can help!" El says as he grips his fist in anger. While the others fought, El tried to get as many people as he could out of the city. As the fight against Piccolo and his children continued to intensify, it became clear that they needed El's help.
Master Roshi looks over his shoulder at El and smiles before saying, "Survive El. Go and survive. Get stronger and avenge me." Roshi looks down at some nearby rumble after he finishes talking. His life begins to quickly replay in his head as a smile forms on his face. Having made peace with the inevitable, Roshi turns his attention back to the battle. El looks up just in time to see Bell fire a large blast as Tako charges through the air. Yamcha rushes forward, grabs Tako and spins around, allowing the blast to hit him in the back. Yamcha lets out a scream that echoes across the ruined city. The blast pushes Yamcha through the air and he crashes into a skyscraper. Bell begin forms a ball of energy to finish off his foes but Master Roshi is not about to let that happen.
"GO!" He shouts before holding his hands up towards the sky. He brings the base of his palms together before pulling his hands back and preparing his most famous attack. "Ka...me...ha...me..." As Roshi chants, a ball of blue ki appears in between his palms. The bright light draws the attention of Bell and Piccolo, who both look down at their new foe. "Ha!' Roshi shouts as he thrusts his palms up towards the sky. A beam of ki erupts from his hand and quickly travels towards Bell.
"...He was no match for Piccolo and Bell. However, his sacrifice was what allowed us to escape," El finishes retelling the events as Krillin stares at his shoes and grips his fists.
"I can't believe...Master..." Krillin whispers, upset at himself for not being there.
"What brings you to North City?" Yamcha asks, deciding they have spent enough time on that grim subject.
Krillin looks up at Yamcha before remembering the purpose of his visit. "I need to talk to you and Bulma..." Krillin pauses and looks over at the other Z Fighters before adding, "Alone."
"I don't like this," Tako complains as the other Z Fighters and himself have relocated to the Brief's living room.
The living room is on the second floor of the Capsule Corp. building. The Brief's living room is a frequent stop for the Z Fighters. A large, light blue, half circle couch is in the center of the room with a purple, rectangle ottoman in front of the couch. A large, box television is on top of a simple entertainment center that is pushed against the wall across from the couch. A sliding door is several feet from the couch and it leads to a small patio. The kitchen and dining room fit comfortably in the corner of the room. The television is rarely on, seeing as there is only one channel; WDNC 7. The local station, it mainly plays music but has a news program every day at six pm. El and Ichigo are sitting on the couch, while Rasha is rummaging through the fridge. Tako is out on the patio, leaning against the railing. He is looking out at the city, as he likes to do.
El leans back against the couch and looks through the opened sliding door at Tako. "Krillin, Yamcha, and Bulma have been friends for years. I'm sure whatever they are talking about, there is a reason why they are doing it alone," El explains but Tako continues to keep his back towards him.
"He's right you know," Rasha adds before taking a big bite out of an apple. She chews for a few seconds before swallowing and adding, "Besides, I'm sure Yamcha will tell us whatever they talk about anyway."
"I still don't like it," Tako says before getting up from the railing. He turns around and enters the living room as he continues, "We haven't heard anything from Krillin in years and now he just suddenly reappears? How has he been able to survive in the outside world without Piccolo and his children noticing? We are Z Fighters too, so why are we excluded from the conversation? No, this all seems too odd."
"I know Krillin. He's a good guy and we can trust him," El argues back. Rasha, after finishing the apple in just three bites, has returned to the fridge in her search for more food.
"I agree with Tako," Ichigo perks up. Her words shock the others. She rarely speaks up during discussions and it's even rarer for her to agree with Tako. Noticing everyone's looks, Ichigo stutters as she explains, "I-I mean...um...as far as we know, w-what's left of the human race lives here in North City. It isn't likely that he's been living with some survivors since Piccolo and his children have been hunting everyone for years now. Krillin is probably s-strong but almost every known fight between the Z Fighters and Piccolo have ended in disaster or a lose. Yet, Krillin has been able to survive. How?" The room remains silent after Ichigo finishes talking. El and Tako begin to think on the subject as Rasha steps away from the fridge, her arms full of food. She walks and dumps her food onto the table. The noise draws everyone's attention as they watch three oranges roll towards the edge. Rasha quickly dives and catches the fruits before they hit the ground.
"Sorry," She says before picking up a chunk of ham and taking a bite out of it.
"I still trust Krillin..." El says, returning the room's attention back to the topic at hand. "However, even I must admit that the odds are not in Krillin's favor."
Krillin, Bulma, and Yamcha relocated to Bulma's office, which is on the third floor. The office is small and simple, not something you would expect the President of a corporation to have. It has a wooden desk with two, dark red armchairs in front of it. A black rug with the Capsule Corp. symbol on it is spread out under the desk and chairs. A dark green bookshelf is to the left of the desk. Scientific and Business related books line the shelves. A row of medium size windows is behind the desk, allowing a decent view of the city. A pair of long, brown curtains hang over the windows but they are currently pulled back. A ceiling fan, currently spinning on its medium setting, is in the center of the ceiling. Bulma's desk is a mess; with papers, folders, and books scattered about. The papers have a mixture of designs, schematics, and notes written on them. Some of the papers look hastily scribbled on while others have a more focused look to them. The folders are reports from various different departments. Most of them are from Research and Development but a couple of them are from Accounting and one is labeled 'City Development'. The books also cover different subjects, from biology to scientific theories to business. A name plate with the words 'President Bulma' engraved on it sits on the corner of her desk. She spends little to no time in her office, preferring to be in one of the labs instead, working on a new project or improving an old design.
Bulma sits at her desk with Yamcha standing beside her. Krillin sits in one of the armchairs in front of the desk. Krillin looks around the room before commenting, "Wow Bulma, this is a nice office. President huh? Congratulations!" Just as the words leave Krillin's lips, he realizes what must have happened for Bulma to become president of Capsule Corp. He begins waving his hands in front of him as he frantically apologizes, "I-I didn't realize Bulma! I'm sorry about-"
"We got a few questions for you," Bulma interrupts, not wanting to hear another 'I'm sorry for the death of your father'.
Krillin stops waving his hands and lowers them before saying, "I figure you do. My sudden appearance is no doubt very shocking."
"How have you managed to survive in the outside world for this long?" Yamcha asks, just like his students, he knows how difficult that is. Back when West City was still standing, Piccolo was more interested in finding the Dragon Balls so it was easier for someone to stay under his radar. After the Z Fighters managed to retrieve and hold on to the Four Star Dragon Ball, he started focusing on exterminating everything.
"It hasn't been easy. Piccolo has been destroying everything and anyone who won't bow to him. I have had more close calls than I care to remember."
"Bow to him? Why would anyone bow to him?"
"I'm not sure. He's been giving people a choice lately, either bow to him or be destroyed. His followers live in what was once the Sacred Land of Korin and worship Piccolo like a god. At least, that's according to the rumors."
"Well, he is Kami's other half," Bulma states. She's not about to view Piccolo as a deity but she figures that's what he is trying to accomplish.
"So he's creating a cult?" Yamcha asks, finding the whole situation to be strange. "Piccolo has spent the past ten years wiping out all life. Why now, all of a sudden, is he concerned about being worshiped?"
"Maybe he realized how boring it would be if there was no more life on Earth," Bulma theorizes.
"I'm not sure either," Krillin replies before lowering his voice to that of a whisper. "Is the Dragon Ball still safe?" Bulma and Yamcha both nod but they decide not to reveal it's location.
"Where is it?" Krillin asks, almost in a demanding tone, something that is uncharacteristic of Krillin.
Bulma shoots him a glare before answering, "It's safe. Don't worry about it."
The Four Star Dragon Ball is built inside a vault, underneath the Capsule Corp building. Only Bulma and Yamcha have access to it through a series of voice and DNA locks. While Bulma and Yamcha one day hope to give the new Z Fighters access to the vault, for now, their exclusive access was a necessary precaution. The vault is also protected by a smaller, more powerful barrier, similar to the one around North City.
"What about the other Dragon Balls? Have you managed to get any of them?" Bulma wonders, figuring the answer is no but she still holds onto hope. Krillin says nothing, he just lowers and shakes his head.
"From what I have heard, Piccolo still keeps the remaining six on the Lookout."
"I'm not surprised. We are lucky that we managed to hold onto the Four Star for as long as we have," Yamcha comments as he remembers all the trouble they went through in their attempt to gather the Dragon Balls.
They began their search shortly after Piccolo killed Goku. They figured it would be easy, they would gather the Dragon Balls and wish Goku back to life. Once wished back, Goku would be able to kill Piccolo. It started off good too; with them quickly finding the Four Star, Seven Star, and One Star Dragon Balls. However, Piccolo and the Z Fighters soon began to juggle the Dragon Balls back and forth. The Z Fighters would gather three, Piccolo would take two from them. They would manage to get one back but Piccolo would find another. They never even got close to having all seven and after losing Chiaotzu, the Z Fighters decided it was best to protect the one they had. Yamcha and Bulma know that once they find a way to defeat Piccolo, they will use the Dragon Balls to wish everyone back.
"Have you encountered any of our allies or maybe find some new ones?" Yamcha inquiries, always on the lookout for any chance to grown the Z Fighter's roster.
"I have and that's actually why I'm here," Krillin says before looking up at them. "I have found Korin."
The very mention of Korin shocks both Bulma and Yamcha. They remain speechless before Bulma finally asks, "Korin is alive?! But how? We were all pretty sure he was killed by Piccolo when he took over the Lookout."
"I'm not sure yet but I have seen him. However..."
"However, he is being held hostage and you need our help to rescue him," Yamcha finishes Krillin's sentence, already seeing where his friend is going.
"Korin would be a great assist to us. He could help train the new Z Fighters and maybe even grow Senzu Beans again," Bulma suggests, remembering how helpful the Senzu Beans have been in the past. She tried growing her own but all her experiments failed and they ran out years ago.
"Yeah. With his training, I'm sure he will make the Z Fighters stronger! Just like how he made us stronger," Yamcha nods at Krillin's statement. While he knows they are all stronger then Korin, Yamcha believes that Korin has a few tricks that he didn't pass on.
"Who is holding him hostage, though?" Bulma wonders, not seeing how there could be anybody with enough organization and strength to hold Korin.
Krillin says nothing as he returns to looking at the floor. Yamcha and Bulma exchange looks before Krillin answers them. "Launch." The mention of their old friend's name causes Bulma to stand up and Yamcha to take a step forward.
"Launch?!" Bulma and Yamcha repeat. They never thought they would hear that name again. They lost contact with Launch a year after Piccolo's victory at the Tournament and they assumed she was eventually killed.
"How on earth did Launch survive all this time?!" Yamcha asks, not understanding how Piccolo managed picked off the Z Fighters with ease yet a regular human managed to escape.
"I'm not sure but something happened to her. She's now permanently in her blonde state and is the leader of this small group of people. They call themselves Launch's Resistance. They are trying to fight back against Piccolo's onslaught."
"But Launch is our friend. Why wouldn't she want to help us?"
"Launch is different now...she's friends with nobody. Last time I visited her, it didn't end well," Krillin explains before lifting up his shirt, revealing a nasty burn that travels across his left side.
"So you are proposing a rescue mission?"
"Yes. I want to try and retrieve Korin peacefully but if it breaks out into a fight again, I'm going to need some strongest allies on my side."
"I can't go so how about-"
"Tako and Rasha," Krillin orders, again in a demanding tone. Yamcha and Bulma have taken note of his more aggressive personality and are not sure what to make of it. He catches his stern tone and quickly lightens his voice. "I mean, from what I could sense, they are the strongest."
Yamcha thinks on Krillin request before coming up with an alternative. "Take Rasha and El."
"Isn't El weaker then Tako though? I don't think you realize-"
"El is marginally weaker than Tako but without studying them, you would never be able to know that. El is more likely to think a situation through while Tako will charge in, ki blasts flying. Given how delicate the situation is, I believe you will benefit from having two clear and calm headed fighters." Yamcha explains but it's clear Krillin doesn't like the suggestion. He doesn't push the issue, however.
Krillin shrugs his shoulders as he says, "Yeah, I guess you are right." Krillin springs to his feet before adding, "Thank you Yamcha. When we get back, maybe we can have a little match? I mean, it's been a while since we last fought back at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. I bet you know some new moves huh?"
Yamcha and Bulma look at Krillin with confusion before Yamcha replies, "Krillin, we never fought in the Tournament. I lost to Kami, remember?"
Realizing his mistake, Krillin quickly backtracks and says, "O-Oh, I meant when we were training for the Tournament!"
"Hmm," Yamcha says to himself just as Bulma suggests, "Let's go deliver the news to the others."
The three adults travel to the living room and the Z Fighters listen to Krillin's plan to rescue Korin.
"I know it doesn't sound very solid, but it's the best chance we got," Krillin finishes saying as the room falls silent as the Z Fighters think on the news.
Tako gets up from leaning against the wall and takes a step forward. "I want to go," He demands.
"No," Yamcha sharply replies. He knows Tako only wants to accompany Krillin for a chance to fight Piccolo and he's not about to let his student carelessly toss his life aside. That's another reason why he wants Krillin to take El instead. Tako says nothing as he gives Yamcha a look of disappointment.
Rasha, who has managed to eat all the food she got from the fridge, is finishing up some instant noodles when she asks, "When do we leave?" She is interested in seeing the outside world, or what's left of it anyways.
"Tomor-" Bulma begins to say but is interrupted by Krillin.
"Right now." Everyone looks at Krillin with surprise at his urgency. "Launch's Resistance only moves at night. If we wait until tomorrow, we will be wasting a lot of time. If we leave now, it'll be night by the time we arrive." Rasha and El both look at Yamcha and Bulma, the two teenagers waiting for them to say something.
"How do you intend to find them?" Yamcha asks, somewhat concerned at Krillin's request.
"I picked up a rumor a few days ago that Launch's Resistance would be traveling near the remains of Central City. From there, we should be able to pick up some clues," Krillin explains before looking at Rasha and El. "Do you two have any tracking skills?"
"A little," Rasha replies but El shakes his head.
"It'll have to do. Let's get you two ready," Bulma says, her tone suggesting that she isn't a fan of leaving so suddenly but she understands why. Krillin and Bulma exit the living room and Rasha and El start to follow them but are stopped by Yamcha.
"Keep an eye on Krillin," Yamcha whispers to his two students. "Something is odd about him."
"Odd?" El asks, having noticed nothing strange from Krillin.
"I can't say exactly how I know but be careful and keep your guard up. Trust only each other. There is more to his story than he is telling us," His students nod their heads at Yamcha's request. Having nothing more to warn them about, Yamcha lets them catch up to Krillin. Yamcha turns his attention towards Tako and Ichigo. Ichigo is still sitting on the couch while Tako has his arms crossed and is leaning against the wall.
"We need you here Tako," Yamcha explains but Tako continues to frown at him.
"I'm stronger than El, I should go with them in case anything happens."
"That's why I need you here. We are going to be down two fighters. If something happens here, I'm going to need your help," Yamcha explains before focusing his attention of Ichigo. She is staring down at her knees, a frown on her face. Ichigo has always felt like she isn't much help, seeing as she is the weakest and less experienced of the Z Fighters. Yamcha walks over and sits down next to her before placing his hand on her shoulder. He tilts his head so he can get a better view of her face before reassuring her, "I'm going to need you too Ichigo."
"What good can I do?" Ichigo softly asks.
"You can do a lot Ichigo. You are a Z Fighter. That makes you a very important part of our team and to North City. If we were to come under attack, I know you would stand up against whatever foe, no matter the odds," Yamcha's words manage to lift her spirit up a little.
She looks over at her master and asks, "You think so?"
"I know so," Yamcha replies with no hesitation or doubt in his voice. Yamcha stands up before suggesting, "We can do some training after El and Rasha leave." Ichigo nods her head quickly at the suggestion but Tako continues to stay quiet. Yamcha looks over at Tako and asks, "Would you care to join us?"
Tako and Yamcha stare at each other for a few moments before Tako finally replying, "Sure."
Author Notes:
Thank you for reading Chapter 4!
What awaits Krillin, Ichigo and El outside the barrier?
Is Yamcha's suspicion about Krillin correct?
Find out on the next chapter of Dragon Ball Z - The Dark Age!