DRAGON BALL GT: REVISED
By Kaboom Krusader
Chapter Eight - "Some 'Splaining To Do"
It was a glorious, beautiful day. The sun was shining, the sky was cloud-free, and the flowers were blooming all across the rolling hills. Birds chirped cheerfully as they lightly floated along on a cool, gentle breeze. Add the pristine, shimmering coat of morning dew on the ground, and the landscape was absolutely majestic.
But of course, such was typical for Heaven.
More specifically, this was the territory of the Grand Kaio: the small, otherworldly sphere which served as both this particular god's home and training grounds for the Universe's strongest, noblest, and deadest warriors. Situated square on the planetoid's equator was the mighty hall of Grand Kaio himself, where countless warriors congregated to train and compete for his eye.
But none of the rivalries between warriors could hope to compare to the one at work in their midst, between two of their masters. About two stories upwards, on a balcony overlooking a densely crowded training area, stood two certain squat, bespectacled, sacred beings. One was blue, and wore a pair of stylish round sunglasses. The other was purple, the shorter of the two, and sported a classy-looking monocle. They were unmistakably the Kaio of the North, more commonly known as "King Kai" to his students, and the Kaio of the West. And as was to be expected, the two were arguing bitterly.
"Geez, cut me some slack!" North Kaio defensively whined.
"I think I've cut you plenty of slack already!" West Kaio exclaimed. "For some fifteen years now, out of the kindness of my heart, I've been letting you stay on my planet! And for what in return? Nowadays you do nothing but lounge around, eat my food, dirty my car, and distract my students!"
One of those students, the tall, green, spotted, robe-and-turban-clad West Galaxy native named Paikuhan, followed the two.
"Please, masters, don't speak so harshly. I'm sure you ca-"
"You monocled nincompoop!" They blatantly ignored him and continued bickering. "It's not my fault they still haven't gotten me a new planet yet! I don't have anywhere else to go!"
"You'll just have to find somewhere else, then!" West stamped his pudgy little foot. "I'm going to talk to Grand Kaio again about this, and I'm not leaving this sphere 'till he gets you out of my hair for good!"
"We don't have hair!"
"Whatever! Let's just find him and get this settled!"
Paikuhan let out a sigh of annoyed defeat and flew off to train on his own. The two Kaios kept on arguing as they searched for their boss among the crowd of warriors.
"You know," West continued, "He might make it more of a priority if you actually did something around here to earn your keep!"
"What? Why you..." North fumed. "I do plenty! I still manage to keep watch over my galaxy, even from such a crappy vantage point like yours!"
"Psssh," West Kaio dismissed his protest, as the two worked their way through a dense crowd of fighters. "You say you're watching, but you're just napping. Plus," He noticed a short-statured fighter just in time to avoid running him over, before moving on. "You haven't taken on a new student in years."
"Hey, it's not my fault Goku went back to life," North Kaio continued, also dodging the shorty. "Nobody so far has come close to filling his shoes."
"Huh?" The pint-sized individual took notice of them before being lost in the crowd again.
"Then you've just gotten too picky," West scolded. "There's plenty of fighters chock full of potential from your galaxy dying and ending up here all the time." He stopped and turned around. "But you can't expect them all to be Super Saiyans."
"Humph!" North Kaio folded his arms. "Pardon me for favoring quality over quantity!"
"Apply that to your diets, and the both of you'd be a lot better off!"
"Waagh!" Both chubby deities jumped at the sudden intrusion into their conversation. Standing behind them was an older, peach-skinned Kaio, sporting full-rimmed sunglasses and a positively gnarly amount of facial hair. He was none other than the Grand Kaio himself.
"Ah! Venerable master!" The two each gave a quick bow.
"Heya, Northy, Westy," he greeted them affectionately. "A little birdie told me you two were looking for me."
"A birdie?" West turned around to see a feathered avian-humanoid being from the South Galaxy, who haplessly shrugged.
"Well actually, I meant Paikuhan." Grand thumbed behind him. "So what's up?"
"Yes, well, ahem," West began, clearing his throat. "It's about our friend 'Northy' here."
Grand gave him a glance. "Okay?"
"Well as you know, his planet was destroyed some time ago, in the same incident that got his pathetic butt killed."
"Hey!"
"Anyway, out of the kindness of my ever-charitable heart..."
"Pffft!"
Kick.
"Ow!"
"...I have allowed him to stay and conduct his business on my own planetoid. But it's been a good amount of time since then, and there are no signs of him leaving..."
"Ah, I getcha," Grand concluded. "You want him to get a new home."
"Yes!" West proclaimed. "For the love of... um... us, yes!"
"Well," Grand said. "I'll talk to Kaioshin next time he swings by. I'm sure he can work something out..."
He suddenly paused, to the confusion of the lesser Kaios.
"What's wrong?" North asked.
Grand Kaio pointed into the crowd. "Who's that?"
They turned to look and tracked his indication to the pipsqueak fighter whom they had passed just a few moments earlier, now more visible due to the crowd thinning a bit. Now that they looked closer, they saw it was a young boy. He was happily occupying himself by doing some stretches and throwing an occasional punch into the air.
"Dunno," West said. "Looks like the poor kid died young, though."
"Is your monocle cracked or something, you purple ignoramus? Look again," North Kaio rebuked him. "He's got no halo. He's alive."
"Well, that's weird," Grand Kaio muttered. "Hey! You!" He waved and got the youngster's attention. "Come over here!"
The kid flashed a grin and bounced over to them.
"Heya!" He exclaimed in an unexpectedly familiar tone, looking upwards as he stood in the middle of the three. "How are ya, old-timer?" He gave a quick bow to the top dog, and then noticed the other two. "How's it going, King Kai?" This left all parties rather befuddled.
"Hmm?" North Kaio scratched his temple. "Have we met?"
"Now that you mention it," Grand Kaio cocked his head slightly. "The kid does look kind of familiar..."
"Huh?" The boy took a sour expression. "Geez, what's with everybody today? You'd think..." He paused, and then looked himself over as if having to re-familiarize himself with his own body. "Oh yeah, that's right..."
Suddenly, Paikuhan.
"Masters!" He called, as he floated downward and landed next to them. He noticed Grand Kaio and bowed slightly. "Ah," he said. "I see they found you, sir."
"Paikuhan, m'boy," Grand Kaio pointed downwards to the kid. "Have you seen this little guy around before?"
The tall, green-skinned warrior glanced down, and his eyes widened in surprise. The kid waved enthusiastically.
"Hi, Paikuhan!"
"...Son Goku?"
The gods' jaws dropped in unison.
"Well," Goku responded. "It's about time someone recognized me!"
"...Goku?" North Kaio adjusted his glasses. "It… it really is you, isn't it?"
"Yup!" Goku put his hands on his hips. "In the flesh!"
"I'll be darned," Grand Kaio declared. "It is li'l Goku, huh?"
"You didn't recognize him, sir?" Paikuhan inquired. "Something seems to have happened to him, but how many other people in the Universe have hair like THAT?"
"Well, actually..." Goku began counting on his fingers.
"What happened to you, kid?" West Kaio inquired.
"Ah, it's a long story..."
"Okay then," Grand Kaio abruptly noticed. "I'll leave you guys to your business, now!" Clearly wanting to avoid sticking around for a story at all costs, he was off and away like some sort of ninja.
"Wait!" West Kaio gave chase. "What about the planet for North? You never..."
"Wow," Goku commented. "I didn't know the old-timer knew Instant Movement, too!" He turned to Paikuhan. "Hey, now that I've found you, I did hop over here to test my power, y'know. So let's spar!"
"Really?" Paikuhan replied, grinning. "Sure you can still handle me with that body, small-fry?"
Goku returned the grin and took his fighting stance. "Won't know until I give it a shot!"
"Well then," Paikuhan replied, taking a stance of his own. "I'll oblige you!"
The two simultaneously zipped up into the air, a burst of wind expanding outward in their wake. North Kaio tracked their movements, watching how his student adjusted to his new child-sized form. Quite well, apparently, as Goku was deftly keeping up with Paikuhan just as easily as ever — perhaps easier, in fact, as Goku's smaller frame apparently allowed him to maneuver around and dodge more effectively.
"So, Goku," he called up. "What happened to you, anyway?"
"Oh, well," Goku responded as he parried a punch, using the momentum to spin himself and move backwards to avoid another. "I told you about that guy Pilaf, right?"
"The short, trollish one you stopped from conquering Earth a couple times?"
"Yeah, with the funny hat." Goku threw a spinning kick, which Paikuhan blocked. "Well, he showed up again the other day after like, what? Twenty years?" Continuing to adapt to his size, he leapfrogged himself over Paikuhan's head. "And he somehow managed t' almost get himself a wish, right under our noses!" Paikuhan retaliated by flipping backwards to deliver an arcing kick, which Goku managed to parry.
Kaio snorted in amusement. "Really?"
"Yeah," Goku said, giggling. "He snuck right on up to Kami's Temple while we were all at the Tenkaichi Budokai... Gotcha!" Goku flipped his leg downward, landing a kick square on Paikuhan's backside.
"Ow!" Paikuhan righted himself and rubbed the point of impact. "You're damn near impossible to hit like this." He grinned. "Well, I'll just have to hit faster and harder then." He took off his turban and robe and casually tossed them away. They landed on the ground beside several other by-standing warriors with a loud thud, heavy from the training weights embedded in them. "Graaaah!" Paikuhan roared, and a sizable ki aura burst into view around him. He glared daringly at Goku.
"Come on," he taunted, making a waving gesture. "You turn it up, too."
"Oh, boy," King Kai remarked to himself. "Here they go..."
Goku flashed a toothy grin. "Sure thing!"
He arced his arms down at his sides and started growling. His Gi began to flap and ripple as if in the wind, as he channeled and spiked his ki. His hair rose on end and waved, and he started to faintly glow, indicative of the massive burst of power that was imminent. "Hyaaah!" With a shout, Goku was embodied in a flash of light, as a bright golden aura surrounded him, repeatedly swoosh-ing as his power pulsated. His hair, also golden, stood on end, and his eyes were colored emerald green. He'd transformed into a Super Saiyan.
"Whooo," Kaio exclaimed. "I'll never get used to seeing that."
Paikuhan blitzed Goku at speeds far greater than before, throwing a ki-charged punch. Goku crossed his arms in front of his face and blocked it. The mountain-shattering force of the impact sent out a shockwave of air that knocked a few of the weaker bystanders off their feet. Kaio noticed and called up to the combatants.
"Hey, you two, if you're going to use that much power, then do it farther away!"
"But then you won't be able t' hear me..." Goku whined as he dodged another punch, the air and ki displacement from which was enough to move his own aura and hair.
"I'll follow you," Kaio assured him. "Just go!"
Kaio kept up as the two brought their fight higher into the air and away from the more densely populated area of the training complex. Goku continued the story.
"So anyway, I got there just as he was about to make his wish. I'm sure he was gonna wish to rule the world, or at least get his youth back or something," he continued, exchanging a quick flurry of blows. "But then I distracted him when I showed up and fought him and his friends." He launched a jabbing kick, which Paikuhan blocked. "He got angry and said I was easier to handle as a kid."
"Let me guess," Kaio remarked, amused. "He slipped up and expressed that in the form of a wish."
"Yep!" Goku confirmed, blocking a punch with his knee. "And here I am!"
"I see," Kaio remarked. "Well, that's nothing short of hilarious!"
Both Goku and Paikuhan flinched at the awful pun. But unfortunately for Paikuhan, Goku was far more accustomed to them and thus was delayed for only a split second less. This tiny difference allowed him ample opportunity to land a solid punch to the larger warrior's jaw.
"Ooof!" Paikuhan grunted as he went flying off over the small horizon, and Goku chuckled in satisfaction.
"But Goku," Kaio inquired, "why didn't you just use the second wish to change yourself back?"
"Huh?" Goku relaxed, powering back down to normal state. He cocked his head like a bewildered puppy. "Second wish?"
"You dummy," Kaio remarked. "Don't you still get two wishes from your dragon?"
"Oh, that's another weird part," Goku said. "It wasn't Shenlong."
"It wasn't?"
"Nope. This dragon KINDA looked like him, but..." He folded his arms and frowned a bit as he thought. "He was a LOT bigger, and colored red. He looked a lot more spikey and nasty."
"A large, red dragon?" Kaio rubbed his temples, as if trying to recall something out of his memory.
"And the Dragon Balls were weird, too. They were a little bigger," Goku continued, demonstrating the size with his hands. "And they had black stars in 'em."
"Black... stars...?"
Kaio continued staring into space for a few moments, trying to put together the pieces. Paikuhan returned to the immediate area, having been knocked quite some distance by Goku's punch. He powered down as well, then noticed Kaio's expression.
"What's wrong with him?"
"I dunno..." Goku remarked. "Hey King Kai, you okay?"
"Black stars..."
Suddenly, an expression of utter horror came across North Kaio's face, as he began to flop-sweat. "B-b-black stars! Black stars! OH NO! Oh no..." He began to violently fidget in place, grasping his head in shock and worry. "Oh no, oh no, oh no... this is terrible..."
"Huh? What? Terrible? Who? Why? When? How?" Goku was greatly confused.
Fittingly, West Kaio chose that moment to return to the group, looking dejected. He floated up next to North Kaio.
"Well, I managed to catch him and made him promise to actually talk to Kaioshin, but ..." He noticed North Kaio's ensuing freak-out session. "What are you seizuring about?"
"Listen, Goku!" North Kai suddenly exclaimed. "You need to go back to Earth and gather Piccolo and the others right away!"
"Huh?" Goku was even more confused. "What? Why?"
"What's going on, Northy?" West Kaio asked again.
"The Black Star Dragon Balls!" North Kaio exclaimed. "They've been found and used again! On Earth!"
West Kaio raised an eyebrow. "The what? What are you jabbering about?"
"You idiot!" North began waving his arms frantically. "Namek was in YOUR galaxy! Don't you remember that incident? All the destruction and horror and chaos..."
"...Namek... Black Stars...?"
"..."
"...AAAAH!" West Kaio's monocle popped off from his face as he recoiled in shock. "Oh, no! You're kidding me!"
"No!"
"I thought they were destroyed!"
"No!"
"Now they've been used on Earth... In your North Galaxy?"
"Yes!"
"Which means..." West paused to contemplate for a moment, his brow laden with sweat and worry. "They're YOUR problem now!" He turned tail and rocketed away. "Let's go, Paikuhan!"
"Uh, yes sir," Paikuhan began to follow but turned back as he did so. "Best of luck, Goku."
"Thanks, Paikuhan. Seeya," Goku waved as they flew off. He then turned back to Kaio. "So what's-oof!"
Kaio grasped Goku firmly by the front of his Gi and got right in his face. "Now, Goku! Go gather the others! I'll get back in touch with you once you do! This is urgent!"
"Urgent?" Goku was worried as well, now. "But why? What's wrong?"
"It's those Dragon Balls, Goku!" He exclaimed. "They're deadly! Since they've been used..." His face took a solemn expression as he let go of Goku. "Planet Earth itself is in grave danger! And unless we do something about them soon, the rest of the mortal universe is no more safe! Do you understand?"
Goku paused for a second, soaking in the information, before nodding determinedly. "Gotcha, King Kai." He held up two fingers to his forehead. "I'll get everyone together in a jiffy." He vanished, teleporting himself back to Earth.
Kaio stood there a moment longer, rubbing his temple as he thought to himself.
"I only hope we can still do something..."
Ubertuna, Tiger, or Brontosaurus...?
In her kitchen, ChiChi casually flipped through her recipe book, scanning for an appropriate dish. It had been a long time since they'd had a big group over to their home at Mt. Paozu like this, and she'd have to come up with something substantial in order to provide dinner for everyone. She bobbed her head to the side and began counting on her fingers.
"Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Goten, Pan, Trunks, Bra..."
That made... seven Saiyans to feed. Among plenty of other guests.
"Better make that TWO Ubertunas... No, maybe three, just t' be safe."
She opened up the fridge, grabbed a ready glass of lemonade, and walked out of the kitchen into the living room, where several of the guests were already present. Goten had been there for a few hours already, and Pan had flown ahead on her own and arrived not too long ago. Her parents, Gohan and Videl, had taken the skycar because of baby Gosan and so were moving a bit slower, but were due any time now. Pan was idly chatting with Marron, who had arrived a few minutes ago with her parents, Kuririn and Eighteen. Along with them came Master Roshi, whom Eighteen was keeping a close eye on, as usual. Bulma and family were on their way, as was Piccolo.
Oob, Goku's apprentice, had been there for quite some time already, and after helping Goten move some furniture around earlier, he was lounging on the couch, keeping mainly to himself. ChiChi walked over, got his attention, and handed him the drink.
"Here ya go, dear," she said, smiling warmly.
"Oh." Oob accepted it. "Thank you." He took a sip.
"You're welcome," she cheerfully responded. Ever since some time after Goku had taken him on as a student, Oob tended to spend just as much time around the "Son Family Ranch" as he did his own island village. Oob was such a nice boy, and great to have around. He was always so polite and helpful and well-mannered, a nice contrast to the rest of the males who typically hung around the place. Since Gohan and Goten had both moved away from home, having Oob living with her and Goku so often was like having a new substitute son.
Speaking of which, Gohan and company had just arrived and walked in. Everyone present waved and gave them a friendly "hello" of some form or another, and ChiChi bounded over to greet them. Gohan had been first through the door, and with a, "Hello, sweetie," she stretched upwards to give him a peck on the cheek, much to his own embarrassment and his wife's amusement. Videl was right behind him, holding Gosan. The toddler noticed ChiChi and stretched out his arms in glee.
"Ga'ma!" He squeaked.
"Ooh, hello there, handsome!" ChiChi reached back out for him. Knowing when to take a hint, Videl handed him over.
"Here, take the little pooper," she said. "There's a reason we were late, you know."
"I couldn't imagine," ChiChi responded, playfully poking the giggling tyke on his nose, before turning back to Gohan. "You're just in time. Would you come down and help me get some fish?"
"Sure," Gohan said, taking off his coat while glancing around. "Is Dad here?" He tossed it across the room onto Pan's unsuspecting head.
"Oomph! Hey!"
"No, not yet," ChiChi replied, walking towards the door to the basement. "I haven't heard from 'im since the Budokai, actually."
This caught Kuririn's attention. "Really? That was four days ago!"
"Oh, you know how he is," ChiChi replied nonchalantly, waving it off. "You never know when he's gonna up an' disappear for a few days to go training or something..." She opened the door and began walking down. "Probably went off to eat... He won a whole lotta Zeni for placing second, so I ain't complaining..." She and Gohan went down the stairs a moment too late to see Pan and Roshi exchange worried glances.
"Heh," Kuririn commented. "That's Goku, alright."
"I thought Goku was the one who suddenly wanted us all to get together tonight," Eighteen pondered. "If he didn't tell ChiChi, who did?"
"Pan did," Goten answered.
"Did he tell you what it was about?" Kuririn asked her.
"U-uh," Pan stuttered. "No."
"Did he look like something was wrong?"
"Wrong?" She waved dismissively. "No, nothing wrong! Everything's A-okay..."
Videl put her hands on her hips and walked over to face her daughter. "I think there's something you and Roshi aren't telling us, Pan."
"Me?" Roshi protested. "Whatever would make you think..."
"I'm a police captain, remember?" She said, leaning down and menacingly glaring him in the face. "I'm trained to be able to TELL these things." She turned back to Pan. "Spit it out."
"Well," Pan started. "You see, Grandpa is..."
The front door opened.
"...Here?"
All eyes turned to see, in fact, Piccolo walk through the door. He had a solemn, concerned expression on his face, but still managed a friendly nod to everyone.
"Hello."
"Oh! Piccolo, there you are," Gohan just reached the top of the basement stairs, carrying a huge fish over one shoulder. "Hey, do you have any idea what this is abo-"
Suddenly, a small figure pushed his way out in front of Piccolo and observed the crowd before him.
"Oh wow, everyone's really here!"
Several jaws dropped, as the young boy who was apparently Goku sniffed the air. "Oooh, is that ChiChi's mozzarella macaroni I smell baking?" He ran to poke his head into the kitchen, hopping over the couch in the process. "Yeah, sure is!" He turned around to face everyone and waved energetically.
"Hi, guys!"
Gohan was first to respond. "...Dad?"
"Oh," ChiChi's voice resonated from down below. "Is your father here?" In everyone's stupefied silence, her footsteps could clearly be heard coming up the stairs.
"Um, Mom," Gohan warned. "Wait a sec, you might wanna..."
But he couldn't deter her now more than any of them ever could, and she reached the top of the stairs, forcing him out of her way. "Goku! You're..."
She noticed him and paused. He waved meekly.
"Hiya, ChiChi."
She stood there, staring for a moment, as Gosan cooed and looked around curiously. Suddenly, her eyes rolled back into her head, and she began to tip over backwards into the open stairway. Gohan zipped back and caught her and Gosan, the former having soundly fainted and the latter giggling like mad.
A few moments later, ChiChi was slumped on the couch, with Goku sitting next to her and everyone else gathered around.
"Oh boy," he said. "I hoped she'd take that better..."
"Well, geez, Goku," Kuririn said. "It's not exactly an easy thing to take. I'm sure you've gotten this several times already, but... what happened to you?"
"It had something to do with the earthquake, right?" Eighteen asked.
"It's a long story," Piccolo put in. "Once we're all here, I'll fill everyone in."
"Trunks just texted me," Goten spoke up, tapping a reply into his cell phone. "He says they're approaching the mountain to land now."
"So," Videl began again, addressing her daughter and Roshi. "You two knew about this little detail?"
"Um, yeah," Pan admitted. "We met up with Grandpa on Tuesday."
"Tuesday," Gohan pondered. "That's the afternoon you went out with Salza, right?"
"His name's Selzer!" Pan protested. "But yeah. I stopped a bank robbery, and-"
"You what?" Gohan was surprised. "I didn't know that."
"I saw it," the ordinarily shy Marron informed them. "It was all over the news."
"Yes," Oob piped up. "I saw it too."
Gohan cocked his head. "I oughta watch more TV."
"Anyway," Roshi continued. "I met Pan there after the whole ordeal, and then Goku showed up too. Pan didn't recognize him at first, but I did, since I knew him back when he was a youngster... the first time."
"The news people must've started talkin' about something else before I got there," Goku mused.
"By the way, Master Goku?"
"Yeah, Oob?"
The student pointed inquisitively. "Has this affected your power any?"
"Haha, yeah, that's a good question," Kuririn joked. "Maybe now I'll be a match for you again, huh?"
"Keep dreaming, buddy!" Goku retorted. "I zipped over to the Other World to test my power," he flexed while talking. "I ain't tried revving up all the way yet, but as far as I can tell I've still got just about all of it!"
"Oh, well," Kuririn sighed with a smile. "I still have Yamcha to beat on, at least."
Suddenly, the door opened, indicating the Brief family's arrival. All turned to see Vegeta storm in and make a beeline for Goku.
"Hey, Vegeta, guess what I-"
He didn't get to finish, as Vegeta interrupted him with a solid, aggravated punch square to the head. Goku tumbled backwards into the kitchen from the impact, crashed headfirst into and through the back door, and skidded face-first to a halt on the ground several yards away outside. Vegeta pointed in his direction and yelled.
"THAT was for abandoning our fight, Kakarrot!"
"Um, Vegeta," Kuririn said to the irritated Saiyan. "Didn't you notice something... different about Goku?"
"No, I was too busy driving my fist into his face! Why?"
"Yowowowowow..." Goku came stumbling back into the room, rubbing his jaw. "Boy, Vegeta, I wasn't expectin' that..." He contorted his face as he wiggled his tongue around. "I think you loosened a tooth..."
His timing was perfect, as the rest of the Briefs chose that moment to walk in the door and were able to join Vegeta in his shock.
"Son?" Bulma was flabbergasted, as she walked towards him, knelt down, and looked him over. "Oh my god, what in the world happened?"
"Holy cow," Bra exclaimed, and turned to Pan. "Hey Pan, your grandpa's younger than you now? How's that feel?"
"Very confusing and disturbing."
Trunks walked forward and joined his mother in inspecting the kiddie-sized Saiyan. "Wow, this is weird."
"K... Kakarrot...?"
"I knew it," Bulma stated. "It was a wish. I thought it was from the sky darkening, but then the earthquake threw me off." She stood back up and folded her arms in confusion. "This... but why wish to turn you in to a kid? Care to explain?"
"Well, since we're all here now," Piccolo spoke. "I can tell what happened."
"Okay, then," Goku said. "Everyone gather 'round, it's time for a story from Uncle Piccolo!"
"Please don't say that..."
"Hee hee! Oh, careful, you guys, don't sit on ChiChi..."
"...Found him in the bathroom, where we first saw him in his present state." Piccolo concluded the story. "While that in itself is rather trivial, the fact that it meant the Black Star Dragon Balls had been used was confirmed."
"Yeah, I don't mind being a kid again for a while," Goku commented, while dabbing the semi-conscious ChiChi's head with a damp cloth. "It'll be kinda fun. I'm a lot harder to hit, now." He looked at Vegeta. "Hey, you okay?"
"Just... don't talk to me," he responded, rubbing his head in pained annoyance. "I'm having enough trouble taking this in as it is."
"So, the 'Black Star Dragon Balls,' huh?" Bulma pondered, sitting on the couch opposite of Goku from ChiChi. "Weird."
"So what is the deal with them?" Kuririn asked. "You just said they were dangerous, maybe even threatening to the Earth. How exactly is that?"
"Yeah, you know," Goten said. "Aside from the worldwide quakes and all."
"Oh yeah, those."
"It's... a rather long story," Piccolo said, wracking his brain. "I'm unsure as to some of the details, but I should be able to adequately..."
"Oh! That reminds me!" Goku suddenly exclaimed, pounding his fist into his hand. "I'll be right back, guys!" He jumped off the couch, put two fingers of one hand to his forehead, and teleported away.
"So..." A moment later, Bra broke the awkward, confused silence, and indicated ChiChi. "How's she doing?"
"Better now, I think," replied Gohan, who had taken over tending to her. He spoke to her. "Mom? Mom, are you okay?"
"Hrrrnnnnn... whuzgoinnonnn...?" ChiChi groggily began to fully wake. Suddenly, she bolted straight upwards, startling everyone. "Goku! How dare you..." She looked around, confused. "Uh, where'd he go?"
"He teleported away for something," Oob informed her. "I don't know what, but–"
At that moment, Goku and another figure materialized right in front of her. She yelped and jumped backwards.
"I'll never get used to that..." she panted.
"Oh, ChiChi! Sorry, hon," Goku said apologetically, then helped her up. "Are you okay, by the way?"
She stared wide-eyed for a moment, before shaking her head and sighing. "As okay as I can be, I guess," she lamented as she dusted herself off. She then gazed at Goku sadly. "What happened to you?"
"Boy, have I been getting that question a LOT toda – Ow!"
With a light kick to the shin, Eighteen gave him a look that said, 'Shut up.' Goku paused for a moment, stumped, before realizing what she meant. ChiChi was obviously deeply upset. Goku took a more soft and comforting tone. "Sorry, Chi. Piccolo already just told the story t' everyone, so I'll fill ya in myself in a bit, okay?"
"Okay," she remarked, rubbing her head, before glancing at the newest guest. It was a short, stout, blue-skinned humanoid creature with antennae, dressed in robes and sunglasses, who was looking around the place curiously. "Who's this?"
"Oh yeah," Goku trotted over, and slapped the newcomer's back. "Guys, I'd like those of you who haven't died and met him at some point already to meet my good friend King Kai!"
"Ow!" King Kai scolded. "Geez, Goku, will you be careful? You're a lot stronger than I am, remember?" He pointed accusingly. "What's the big idea suddenly showing up and teleporting me here? I am a Kaio; I'm not supposed to just be hopping down and around on planets all willy-nilly without some good reason, you know!"
"But you said you were gonna tell the story..."
"I meant by telepathy, like I normally do!" He continued yelling at his student. "What's with that casual tone, anyway? Show me some respect, for crying out loud!"
"But this is how I always talk to ya..."
"So WHO is he again?" Pan asked.
"Um, Pan, this is the North Kaio," Gohan informed her. "He's a god who watches over our entire galaxy from the Other World."
"Oh," ChiChi responded meekly. "Guess I better put on some tea, then." She scurried into the kitchen.
"A god, huh?" Pan remarked, sizing him up. "He doesn't seem like much..."
"What?" King Kai was notably annoyed. "Why you little – who do you think you are?"
"Um, if everyone doesn't mind," Piccolo cut in. "We've got a great deal to discuss and not a lot of time to do so."
"Hmph," King Kai snorted. "Yes, I agree."
"Well, first of all," Bulma began. "We need to know more about these Black Star Dragon Balls. Where'd they come from? How are they different from Shenlong's set?" She pointed a finger upwards. "And if they've been stored up in the palace this whole time, why has my Dragon Radar never detected them?"
"All good questions," Piccolo responded. "And they will be answered. There is, actually, quite a story behind the Black Stars. Like I said earlier, I do not know the full details, but I know at least enough so that we can all realize what we're dealing with."
"Really, Piccolo?" King Kai commented. "I'd thought Kami had retained no memory of it."
"True, he certainly didn't," Piccolo remarked, before smirking. "But Nail did. He and Moori were the only ones whom the Great Elder entrusted with that knowledge. Nail was wise in wanting to merge with me, in order to preserve it."
"Interesting," Kaio noted. "We Kaio had a habit of watching Namek, particularly observing a certain ceremony of theirs each year, so we actually witnessed most of what happened."
"Wow!" Goku was getting excited. "Come on, come on, tell us!"
Vegeta, who had been being his usual grumpy self off on the other side of the room, plopped himself down on the couch and folded his arms. "That's right. Get on with it." Bulma situated herself closer next to him and whipped out a notepad. "Shoot."
"It all happened back on planet Namek, about... almost six hundred years ago, now," King Kai began to narrate. "Before the horrible cataclysm which wrecked it, Namek was a thriving planet, bustling with commerce and culture. There were several great cities and spaceports where this happened, but most of the planet was a veritable paradise, covered with crystal-clear water and majestic forests full of Ajissa trees.
"Politically, there was a bit more to it back in those days than what you guys witnessed when you visited, though it wasn't too terribly complicated. The simplified system you saw was each village having its own Elder in charge, with one Great Elder mandating things to them. But back in those days, before the disaster, in addition to all the civilian merchants and farmers, there were three separate clans, each with their own head elder cooperating in a balanced triumvirate of influence.
"First off, there was the Seer Clan. They were the diplomats and lawmakers. They oversaw business both on Namek itself and its relationships with other worlds. They were wise and amicable, and Namek was in good standing with many races thanks to them." Kaio gave Piccolo a glance and a nod, deferring to him.
"Even such peaceful worlds as Namek have their dangers and problems every now and then," Piccolo continued. "So there was need of those whose duty it was to keep the peace. This was the Warrior Clan. They were born and bred to be amazingly powerful, so as to defend Namek against anything or anyone who might threaten her beloved peace. Before I merged with him, Nail was the one and only true Namekian Warrior alive, strong enough and worthy to be a member of this group."
ChiChi then emerged from the kitchen with a tray of cups and a pot of piping hot tea and began passing it out. Goku eagerly snatched up a cup and, as usual, tried to drink it too soon and burnt his tongue. Ignoring his typical subsequent whining, ChiChi simply continued around to serve it to the other guests.
"Last, but certainly not least," Kaio picked back up, as he accepted a cup and gave the contents a curious sniff. "Was a clan that was very central to Namekian culture, but small and mostly kept a mystery from the outside population. They were called the Dragon Clan. To the general public, they were known simply as a diverse and loose group of artists, philosophers, and religious practitioners. Which they were, but that was primarily a front. Their real purpose was –"
"Dragon Balls!" Goku exclaimed, proud of himself for figuring out the obvious.
"You got it," Kaio affirmed and nodded. He carefully took a small sip of the tea. "Ooh, this stuff's pretty good! Anyway," he said before taking a second sip. "Indeed, this particular order were those who dedicated themselves to the creation and use of the mighty Dragons. Once a year, there was a festival where apprentice Dragon clansmen would "graduate," so to speak, and summon their dragons for the very first time. They would wish for things like peace, prosperity, good crops, and so forth... and so they did just as much good for Namekian society in this way as the other two clans."
ChiChi started to head back into the kitchen, but motioned for Marron, Videl and Oob to follow and lend a hand, which they did. At Kaio's beckoning, she left him the pot of tea as she passed, which he eagerly used to refill his cup and take another swig.
"The Dragon Balls themselves were always little more than a rumor to anyone other than the Namekians themselves," Piccolo continued, taking a small sip from his own cup. "So in preparation for this festival, all the outsiders currently conducting business or even living on Namek were evacuated under the pretense of it being a sacred event only for Namekians. Since alien residency didn't extend far beyond the capitol city, it was easily doable. This way, the Dragon Balls could remain a relative secret without fear of their reputation fostering greed-inspired hostility.
"One year, however, the Dragon Balls did become the target of a certain unscrupulous individual. However, it was a Namekian, the adolescent son and heir of the Warrior Clan's aging head elder. He was born with miraculous potential for growth, a 'Super Namek,' you might say, and he quickly rose to a place among the strongest warriors on the entire planet. But along with that power came a spark of evil. Through a combination of his ambition-filled upbringing and his constant exposure to alien influence, particularly that of criminals, he developed an unnatural and insatiable thirst for power."
"Boy," Goku cracked, slyly grinning at Piccolo. "Doesn't this sound familiar?"
"More than you'd think," Piccolo said. "You actually met this particular Namekian in combat."
"I did?" Goku paused for a moment, sifting through his memory. Suddenly he realized it and his eyes popped wide. "Oh, are you talking about Slug? Wow!"
"No kidding?" Gohan was equally surprised.
"Indeed. Slug developed a habit of taking all kinds of sinister and exploitative measures in secret for the sake of increasing his already incredible power," Kaio said. "But this over-ambitious attitude would bring about his exile from Planet Namek. As it was, he ultimately set his sights on the Dragon Balls for his own gain. He made a deal with a certain renegade alien to obtain and use a set during the festival, under the cover of the other summonings. It's unknown who the alien was, what they were after, or what eventually happened to them. But Slug wanted more power, and merely intended to use his "partner" as a scapegoat."
"However, things didn't go well for him," Piccolo said. "First off, there was only one wish granted, and it unexpectedly went to his partner. In his anger over this, he became sloppy and ended up exposing his nature and his guilt in not just this affair, but several other major occurrences. He was defeated and banished from the planet as a result."
"But what made it worse," Kaio said, "was the unfortunate choice they made in picking a set of Dragon Balls to use. They were, in fact, the Black Stars."
During this short pause, ChiChi re-entered the room, ringing a small bell. "Dinner time!" She proclaimed. All parties, especially the Saiyan ones, and especially Goku, immediately moved to follow her.
"It's a nice day, so we're using the big oak table outside," she announced. Everyone funneled themselves out the back door where a massive slab of wood fashioned into a table was waiting, upon which a veritable buffet of food awaited them. Three massive, roasted, and glazed fish sat waiting, steam still rising from them, surrounded by a wide variety of side dishes.
"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy," Goku said, bouncing up and down in place. "ChiChi, you're the best!" He ran out in front of the crowd and leaped into the air, vaulting over the table and landing in his usual chair on the far side. He was suddenly confused, however, when the surface of the table was as high as his nose.
"...Oh, right."
He got up and darted around to the side of the house out of view, returning just a moment later with a large piece of firewood from the pile. He carefully placed it on his chair and re-situated himself while everyone else did the same.
"Time to dig in!"
Goku immediately began hoarding large amounts of food onto his plate, barely keeping it stocked as the contents rapidly moved right on to his mouth. His stuffed, black hole-like face wore an expression of eagerness, as he glanced back and forth between Piccolo and Kaio.
"I think he wants you to continue," Bulma chuckled.
"Msssghewasfff!"
"Uh... very well. You're all familiar with how normal Dragon Balls work," Piccolo explained. "They are tied to the life force of their creator. The dragon lives so long as he lives, and its capabilities reflect the power and spirit of the creator. But the Black Stars are different. They were an experiment, created by the head elder of the Dragon Clan himself: an old and wise Namekian named Katatz."
"Katatz?" Kuririn piped up, serving himself some mac and cheese. "I think I've heard that name somewhere before."
"These Dragon Balls were not connected to Katatz in the traditional way," Kaio continued, now on his fifth cup of tea. "Rather, he created them by "donating" a portion of his own life to power them continuously, regardless of his own condition. This had potent but dangerous results."
"Dragon Balls," Piccolo demonstrated, "work on a balance of positive and negative energy. Positive energy is what fuels the Dragons. It is a creative power which they use to grant the wishes. Negative energy, however, is what's left over after the wish. It is a void, a destructive power. It causes things to break down rather than come together.
"When a wish is made, the Positive Energy is used and a proportionate amount of Negative Energy is left in its place. The purpose of the Dragon Balls turning to stone for a year is so that they are allowed time to reabsorb and recycle this Negative Energy before they are used again."
"Wow," Gohan remarked, helping Videl pick out some easily-chewed food for Gosan, who was giggling in amusement over his grandfather's antics. "There's a lot more to them than I thought."
"But, because of their alternative method of creation, the Black Star Balls are different in this area as well," Kaio explained. He took another sip from his seventh serving of tea, paused for a moment as his eyelid twitched a bit, then continued. "They have no control or moderation in the amount of Positive Energy they use. There are no limits or disallowed wishes like with the other sets. And no matter what the nature of the wish, they use ALL of their energy at once. And that's a lot."
He went to pour another cup, but to his dismay he realized the pot was empty. He held it out to ChiChi, a look of pathetic desperation lining his face. She stood there for a moment, staring curiously, before shrugging, taking the pot, and heading back inside.
"To make matters worse, when first used by Slug, the Black Star Dragon Balls were still incomplete," Piccolo continued. "They weren't yet designed to re-absorb the Negative Energy like most other sets. So, their use created a massive pocket of Negative Energy, right there on Planet Namek. The results were disastrous. The planet was nearly destroyed, and almost all life on it was wiped out. Only one Namekian remained alive: the Great Elder. At the last moment, he summoned Porunga for the first time using his own remaining set of Dragon Balls and repaired the damage."
"But doing so was a double-edged sword," Kaio said, twiddling his thumbs and rocking back and forth slightly, casting occasional quick glances at the door leading into the kitchen. "At the time, Porunga could only grant one wish. So a year passed until he could use the Dragon Balls again, but by then, none of the other Namekians could be returned to life. All he could do was rebuild from nothing."
"So," Vegeta inquired between bites of a massive piece of fish. "How did these Black Star Dragon Balls end up on Earth?"
"I think I've got an idea," Gohan noted.
"Mere moments before the planet was due to be completely destroyed, the Great Elder managed to at least save one particular Namekian," Piccolo recounted. "It was the child of Katatz."
"Oh, of course!" Kuririn snapped his fingers. "Now I remember! He became Kami!"
"That's right," Kaio said. ChiChi returned with a new pot of tea, and Kaio eagerly took it. He quickly refilled his cup faster than seemed physically possible, and then chugged it all even faster. He then started wincing and choking because it was freshly-made and still very hot.
"... Something happened amidst the whole ordeal which caused him to lose his memories," Piccolo said. "Either a head injury, or mental trauma, or maybe even both."
"The... -hack- Great Elder apparently saw fit to entrust the child with the Black Stars," Kaio said. He took another sip, a gentler one this time, from what was now his twelfth cup of tea. His hands were visibly shaking ever so slightly. "He left instructions to keep them safe and never use them."
"Which he did, and quite studiously," Piccolo replied, taking another small sip of what was still his first cup. Oddly enough, it seemed to have a calming effect on him in contrast to Kaio's newfound hyperactivity. "He did, however, study them closely. Their size, their function, and even the appearance of their dragon inspired his eventual creation of Earth's Dragon Balls and Shenlong. But all throughout his life, he kept them safely nestled away in some place or another. Even once he claimed the position of Earth's god after nearly a century, they remained a secret. Not even Mr. Popo was privy to any information about them, other than that they existed."
"I guessh w're lucky," Goku muttered in between bites, his mouth stuffed with half-chewed fish, "Thut Kami never got tempted t' ushe 'em."
"Goku," ChiChi scolded, and delivered him a quick, firm tap on the head from her seat next to him. "Don't talk with your mouth full."
"That's right," Piccolo nodded. "Even more lucky that my sire, the Demon King, never got his hands on them either..." Piccolo suddenly turned to Goku, an annoyed grimace on his face. "Is... is that what you were referring to, Son?"
"Hurh?" Goku returned a clueless stare, his cheeks full nearly to bursting with mashed potatoes, gravy, and possibly part of his plate. "Whurcha trlk'n 'bout?"
"When you punched me in the stomach and said, 'Just like the old days?' Did you mean...?"
Goku gave a wide grin, some gravy leaking out from between his front teeth.
"You vile little creature," Piccolo jabbed, smirking in satisfaction as Chi-Chi again smacked the bite-sized Saiyan for his equally minuscule table manners. This elicited an outburst of giggles from baby Gosan, much to the annoyance of his mother, who was presently trying to feed him some corn.
"Anyway," Piccolo resumed. "Particularly in light of the Demon King's emergence, Kami thought it best to move them to a new, more permanent, and secure location, up within the Temple where he could keep it under close watch, and far from the reach of any Earthling. They remained there with him for centuries, sealed away..."
"Until our old friend Pilaf stumbled across them," Bulma mumbled.
"So, wait," Gohan noted, pausing between bites. "If they've been used right here on Earth... why is Earth still here, and not destroyed like Namek almost was?"
"Well," Kaio said, pouring cup number sixteen. "It has mostly to do with the difference in the planets themselves. You see, Namek doesn't move. It has, or rather, had, an interesting position within its solar system. It had three suns and sort of just remained in one spot between them, spinning on its axis, rather than orbiting them. So when this massive pocket of Negative Energy was formed, Namek was left to simply sit there and stew in it. But Earth, on the other hand..."
"Has moved out of the pocket," Gohan concluded.
"That's right," Kaio continued, now frantically sipping away at cup nineteen. "In addition to this, the Black Star Balls now work a bit differently than they did then. After their first use and at the cost of his own life, Katatz made two desperate modifications to them. The first was to re-absorb their Negative Energy like other sets did. Unfortunately, it was too late, and the damage had already been done. Namek's core was destabilized. The second tweak was in response to the failure of the first. He modified them to scatter after they were used."
"Just like Earth's!" Goku commented while refilling his plate.
"Not quite," Kaio said. "Shenlong's Dragon Balls merely disperse themselves across whatever planet they're used on. But Katatz enacted a much more drastic measure with these. When used, the Black Star Dragon Balls will spread themselves... across the entire galaxy."
"What?" Every single mouth at the table dropped open in shock. Goku's still had some food within it, which dribbled out onto the table, eliciting another smack to his head from ChiChi, which in turn riled up more giggling from baby Gosan.
"The entire... galaxy?" Pan seemed flabbergasted. "That's insane!"
"It must have been a last-ditch effort," Gohan reasoned. "So that even if it cost one more planet somewhere, the Dragon Balls would be all but impossible to gather and would never be used again."
"So, you can see how Earth is in a serious pickle now," Kaio lamented. "Due to its movement and the balls' absorption of SOME Negative Energy right before they scattered, Earth is out of immediate danger for now. It got away with just the earthquake from Xuelong's summoning and a few bad storms afterwards, without suffering any permanent damage." He rubbed his temples and took a small sip from cup number twenty, seemingly starting to come down from his tea-high. "But a year from now, Earth will pass back through that pocket of Negative Energy. Unless the Black Star Balls are here to absorb the rest of it..."
"Then the planet is doomed," Vegeta concluded.
"Can Shenlong do anything about it?" Goten asked.
"Doubtful," Piccolo replied. "Xuelong's power far surpasses Shenlong's. He would be powerless to affect anything brought about by Pilaf's wish."
"It could be worth a try, at least," Gohan said. "In the long run, it would be best to let the Black Stars remain scattered like Katatz intended. If we can find some other way to get Earth out of trouble, of course."
"I'm cursing myself for not keeping a closer eye on Earth," Kaio lamented. "Things have been so peaceful since Majin Boo was defeated that I let myself become complacent. I figured that with Goku and the rest of you here, there was nothing to worry about." He adjusted his glasses. "If I had been watching the planet like I'm supposed to, I might have been able to track the Black Star Balls' paths..."
"I don't see how we can track them, either," Bulma said. "They've never even shown up on my Dragon Radar." She sighed and propped her chin up on her hands to sulk. "If I even had one of them, I might be able to figure somethi-"
Piccolo held out one of the Black Star Dragon Balls. Everybody recoiled in shock again. Gosan squealed in amusement again.
"Piccolo!" Kuririn exclaimed. "You have one of them?"
"When did you go into space?" Goku's dumb question elicited another smack, this time from both Pan and ChiChi on either side of him.
"I arrived at the Temple too late to prevent the wish," Piccolo explained. "But I did manage to intercept and retrieve one of the Dragon Balls as they were angling up into the sky."
"Hey look," Goku noted. "It's the four-star ball!"
"Let me see that!" Bulma leaned over across the table and snatched the ball from Piccolo's hand. She began looking it over closely, with Trunks also studying it over her shoulder. She then placed it on the table and whipped her gaze around to Goku.
"Hey, Son," she said, standing up. "Can you take me back to Capsule Corp. real quick? It's important."
"Uh, okay," Goku said. He hopped out of his chair and ran around to Bulma's side. He took her hand with one of his, then brought the index and middle fingers of his other to his forehead. He concentrated, trying to scout out Ki so as to perform Instant Movement. "Hmm, let's see..."
"My mom was cavorting about in the garden when we left," Bulma said. "She's probably still there."
"Okay, I found her," Goku said. The next second, they had blinked out of sight.
Curious, Kuririn reached over and picked up the Dragon Ball. His wife and daughter leaned over on either side of him to examine it as well.
"It feels... cold," he noted. "And the inside of it looks so dark and creepy."
"That and a bigger, more sinister dragon," Eighteen snipped. "Did this Katatz want them to seem so evil?"
A moment later, Goku and Bulma suddenly reappeared, the latter carrying a small tool case and the ever-recognizable Dragon Radar. She sat back down in her chair, pushing aside her empty plate to make room to work. She placed both items down, opened up the case to reveal a thorough set of micro tools for electronics, and swiped the Dragon Ball back from Kuririn.
"Okay, let's see here," she said, beginning to unfasten the Dragon Radar's back panel with the screwdriver. Goku hopped up onto the back of her chair and watched intently as she tinkered away.
"So wait a sec," ChiChi noticed, as she stood up and began clearing some dishes with Marron's help. "If Shenlong can't undo a wish from this more powerful dragon..." She glanced over at her husband. "Then what are we gonna do about Goku?"
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Eureka!" Bulma excitedly proclaimed, holding the Dragon Radar above her head and grinning. She then held it out for everyone to see. At dead center on its screen was was small dot blinking and beeping, with a number '1' next to it.
"Just as I thought," she cheered. "These Dragon Balls just emit a different frequency than the normal ones! We can track them after all!"
"No kiddin'?" Goku squealed. "Awesome!"
"You mean you can track that one," Vegeta kill-joyed. "What about the other six?"
"Don't you worry about that!" Bulma winked at him, then turned to her son. "Hey, Trunks, do you want to get out of that office for a while?"
"Does a bear-bandit crap in the woods?" He responded. "What do you have in mind?"
"How about helping me finish up the X-7?"
"How about awesome?"
"What's an X-7?" Pan asked.
"It's a space ship," Bulma explained. "Capsule Corp's latest model. And in a week or so, it's going to go on its maiden voyage."
Goku's eyes were as wide as his ever-emptying plate. "You mean...?"
"That's right," she said. "Those Dragon Balls are out there somewhere, so we're just going to have to go find them!"
