THE VEGETA CHRONICLES
Chapter 10 - Dark Exodus
KRAK-KOOM! The sound of a golden flash of thunderous force shook the surface of the entire island, as Goku's fist struck Bojack's jaw. The force alone sent him pinwheeling like a missile, thrown back with the breaking expansion of concussive air pressure, slamming through the farthest wall of the stadium's seating and blasting it away as he continued to spiral out of control. It wasn't until a distant blast of earth and wind that was heard, that everyone knew he struck the inactive volcano in the distance, collapsing it on top of his now unconscious form.
When all had quieted, Goku felt all eyes drawn to him, as he retracted his fist.
With his right arm draped around his wife's midsection, whom was now blinking owlishly at him, all the approaching heroes had stopped dead in their tracks. Due to the actual event of someone dead coming back to life, especially beyond the power of the Dragon Balls, was beyond their comprehension.
Gohan's mouth went dry, and his eyes widened, as he hovered in place just bare meters away from where his mother had been in mortal danger, not but a few seconds ago. His father, in the flesh, had returned to save his mother and had incapacitated Bojack in a single punch!
Piccolo's eyes went wide and nearly whited out with shock. Goku just punched Bojack with more force than Gohan had displayed below. Whether the boy had been holding back or not, it was clear that Goku had awakened a new wellspring of energy within him, and had ascended to the next level. The one only Vegeta and Gohan had the capability to attain, up until now.
Trunks' heartbeat skipped a few steps when he witnessed the sudden dispatching of Bojack, a being they almost believed to be invincible, sent hurtling across the stadium and into the far horizon. How Goku kept impressing and amazing him always left him without words to express his disbelief.
Before Goku could say anything to the speechless trio of friends and family surrounding him, his wife had a few choice words to give to him.
"G-G-Goku...I...I," Chi-Chi clenched at his collar, as she turned to fully face her deceased husband.
"Yeah?" Goku turned his glowing visage to look his wife dead in the eye, his body still sparking around his skin and glowing brightly from his newly ascended form. It was to Goku's chagrin, that his eyes met that of a pair of glaring onyx eyes, bared teeth, and a growling woman.
"WHY?! WHY DID YOU LEAVE YOUR FAMILY BEHIND, HUH?! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YOU PUT ME THROUGH?! DO YOU KNOW WHAT ALMOST HAPPENED TO THE PLANET BECAUSE OF YOUR RECKLESS BRAVADO?! DO YOU?!" Chi-Chi yelled at the top of her lungs, causing the nearby Namekian to wince, as she began to shake him violently by his collar with both hands, as she unleashed all of her pent-up feelings she stored inside of her against his decision to stay dead.
"Now comes the unraveling emotions of a pregnant woman," Gohan said dryly, as his eyes dropped down to a half-lidded, blank stare as he saw the conflict coming a mile away, "let's see how dad tries to get out of this one-"
"I'm sorry," Goku's voice came out seriously, his face having lowered into a downcast, solemn expression. His voice came very soft, very quiet, and unlike any other time he had spoken to his family, it was very sincere and serious. It was enough to cause Chi-Chi to stop shaking her husband's collar, as his left hand came up to gently squeeze her right hand, as he sighed, continuing his apology, "I've come to realize that I haven't been making the best decisions recently, even before I died. I've been ignorant of your feelings, and Gohan's, whenever I would try to take the opportunity to leave on an adventure, I'd leave you two behind. I guess a part of me thought that things didn't have to change since we were kids, and that I'd always come and go whenever I felt the impulse. I brushed off your anger, your sadness, and your loneliness as silly things I didn't need to worry about...but I was so wrong."
Looking up, Goku felt his lips quiver, as his eyes began to water with tears, trying to muster the resolve to continue speaking, "I only hope that you'd forgive me. All I've done those three years was doing nothing but ignoring your feelings and Gohan's. I don't want you to think me as some rotten father, or a bad husband. I want you to understand my feelings for you and this family are still sincere, if not stronger than before."
"O-Oh Goku," Chi-Chi raised her left hand up to stroke her husband's face, wiping away some of his tears, as tears of her own accumulated within her own eyes, "I don't want you to change. Your heart is as precious as gold, and your passion for justice and protecting others is what I've come to love about you the most. You shouldn't apologize, for I have done nothing but push just as hard back, trying to make sure we had the perfect normal life. I thought if I could give Gohan the proper upbringing that you didn't get, he'd be able to have a happy life, devoid of conflict and heartache. But I've just realized...how much I've missed your presence...by my side, for all who you are. Just promise me that you'll stick closer to home, when you do come home, okay?"
"Chi-Chi!" Goku laughed through his tears, nuzzling her neck as he hugged as gingerly as he could, as her wife returned the gesture as tightly as she could. As he began to relinquish in his hold over her, he leaned back enough to see defining bulge encompassing her midriff, the obvious signs of pregnancy. With a tender smile, he placed his left hand over the bump, feeling the developing child's movement within Chi-Chi, "so who's our little champ in you?"
Chi-Chi allowed a look of bashfulness cross her face, her face blushing as she stroked her midriff as her eyes met Goku's, "You really didn't think those couple nights spent before the Cell Games wouldn't have results, did you, Goku?"
Goku began to blush hotly himself, scratching the back of his head as he laughed timidly, "Yeah...I guess you're right, hehe!"
As the other three landed near Goku, the deceased Super Saiyan sighed with a sense of joy. He sensed Bulma and her child accompanied by a young girl up the stairs towards their direction.
"Its great to see you all again," Goku spoke with a big smile on his face, as he saw the assemblage of dear friends and family gather before him.
"That's an understatement, you knucklehead!" Bulma spoke with a smile of her own, as she held Kid Trunks in her arms, contentedly cooing in his mother's embrace while ogling Goku's form.
"Goku!" Kid Trunks spoke with familiarity, smiling and giggling as he reached out playfully for the man whom made him laugh every time he saw him.
"Nice to see you and Trunks made it out okay," Goku smiled as he reached out and rubbed a hand over the little boy's capped head tenderly.
"Are you saying that I couldn't handle myself?" Bulma frowned playfully at Goku, placing her free hand on her hip.
"Nah, I knew you'd be fine, I'm just glad I was right this time around," Goku chuckled with admission, causing Bulma herself to giggle as well.
With a heavy sigh, he turned his attention to the next person who needed it the most.
His son.
Gohan had been oddly quiet since Goku's apology had started. He didn't know if he could look him in the eyes, as he had developed an accusatory remark to spite his father the next time he'd see him. Their parting words weren't the best, and he had expected the next time he'd hear from him was to be years, not months. If anything he wouldn't be surprised if he saw him when he died himself. But now that was here, in the flesh more or less, he didn't know how to start the conversation.
"I owe you an apology of my own to you, Gohan" Goku spoke plainly, as he approached his only son, kneeling before him so his eyes would be level with his, "I've never treasured you the way a father should have. I ignored you as much as I ignored your mother when I went along with my life, believing that it was how families should behave. It was wrong to ignore your feelings, when you've pleaded to me to save Piccolo when he was in danger and to strike you so callously. I had no right to do that to you. Furthermore, I saw a glimpse of your potential in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. I decided to gamble upon it, rather than fight the good fight as I always have done. I treated my battle with Cell as nothing more than a friendly competition, and thoughtlessly tossed you to him at his strongest. I shouldn't have needlessly sacrificed everything dear to me, especially the father that you desired and needed the most."
Placing his hands on his boy's shoulders, now trembling as tears welled up within his own emerald ones, staring back at Goku's repentant ones, his father spoke with finality, "Will forgive your dad, just this once?"
"Dad!" Gohan threw himself into his father's arms, burying his face as he cried out, "I m-m-missed you so much! I didn't know if I-I-I would see you again!"
"I know, son. I know," Goku spoke softly, rubbing his teenage son's hair thoughtfully as he held him close to his being, knowing he probably won't get another chance for awhile to do that for his growing child.
But for the moment, as long as he was remaining in the living world, he'd cherish what time he'd have left with his friends and family.
"Wow! I can't believe it!" Tien gawked up through the gaping hole where the pyramid of Battle Island II used to be, and where Bojack had rammed himself upwards. From there, Yamcha and himself could feel what had transpired up above as clear as if they were seeing it with their own eyes. Goku had made a miraculous, and for once, an unexpected return.
"Yeah, who'd thought Goku would come in like that," Yamcha spoke with a sigh of relief, washing over his stressed and beaten body, "I just wished I could have flown up there with the others to see it for myself..."
"You and me both," Tien grunted with admittance, feeling annoyed at himself for being so exhausted the way he was.
"Well, considering Krillin got a free ride out of this dump, who's going to come and get us?" Yamcha complained, flailing his arms as his back remained upon the ground, wincing from the slight exertion he made even doing so.
"Sorry ladies, but it looks like you'll have to settle for me," a dry, humored voice announced itself, as 17 walked casually towards the group with a slight limp in his steps. His black jacket had been burnt, shredded, and torn from the battle, in accord with his jeans, boots, and shirt. All in all, he looked pretty irritated, but managed to hold up a genuine smile of relief on his young face, "you don't mind, do you?"
"Ha! No I don't mind at all!" Yamcha laughed aloud with thankfulness, raising an arm for 17 to grab a hold of, "say, you seen Vegeta around here?"
"Why do you ask?" 17 asked, sounding annoyed as he roughly threw Yamcha over one shoulder, earning a satisfying yelp in response.
"Agh! I was just saying...if he's under a pile of rubble at this point, won't he be pissed off?" Yamcha asked as 17 reached down and hauled Tien much more gently over his other shoulder.
"I think the way that Vegeta was blindsided by Bojack, I doubt he'd be pleased, even if we sat him on a leather couch," 17 spoke with a dubious tone, firmly lifting all three of them up into the air towards the hole in the fake sky ceiling.
"Isn't that the truth-?" Tien began to say, before a thunderous quaking motion could be felt throughout the demolished underground city.
The landscape began to tear open into gaping fissures, in the wake of blazing golden flames erupting from a singular point, emanating from a single corner of the city. Then, it could be seen as a terrifying yell erupted from the gothic city battlefield. As the golden flames spread forth, like an ungodly wellspring of fire from a geyser of purified energy, a streak of lightning discharged upwards, along with the Ascended Super Saiyan's being. Expanding to be the width of a skyscraper as it pummeled the ceiling and sprayed into the sky flamboyantly, the figure rising methodically swift and perfectly vertical.
Vegeta, had awakened.
As Goku had finished speaking with Gohan, he hadn't the time to turn to Trunks or Piccolo as a sudden blast of energy blasted forth from the nearest side of the untouched stadium grounds.
The explosion gave birth to a stream of golden lightning, crackling and shimmering, all the way up to the dark sky high above the stadium. When it struck, the contours of the energy flared out brilliantly, spreading across the dark clouds like a web of golden electricity, sending dozens upon dozens of lightning bolts to crash all across the skyline and ocean's surface from the ferocity of which the energy had been projected.
When Vegeta finally arose to meet in a level horizon with the gaping Z Fighters assembled before him, he cut the flow of projected power as suddenly as it came, causing the sky to be filled with high negatives, but absent of the bright golden pillar emanating from the Ascended Super Saiyan.
Trunks breathed a sigh of relief, as did Bulma and her child within her arms.
The others, looked hesitantly at the glare that fixated upon Goku's now standing form. His shining emerald eyes burned much more fiercely and controlled than Goku's, but it was apparent he wasn't going to do anything stupid. A mutual silence followed upon the two warriors' eyes met, as it was clear that Vegeta wanted to ask the question that had been on his mind more than the others.
The tension was palpable, as the two Ascended Super Saiyans' auras crackled and glowed vibrantly, as they stared each other down.
"I'll return," Goku said with a defining tone of certainty, causing Chi-Chi and Gohan's eyes to widen with hope and joy. Piccolo couldn't help but smile alongside Trunks, as they knew he would come back eventually.
"Don't keep me waiting," Vegeta spoke with a dry tone of acknowledgement. Looking over to Trunks and Gohan, he nodded to the two of them, as his aura crackled to heights beyond even the Saiyan prodigy and his father, "wait here. I'm going to finish off Bojack myself. He earned a death wish when he blindsided me."
"We'll stay here and keep an eye on our families, father," Trunks nodded, as he spoke for Gohan and himself, as nodded with seriousness to his dad's gaze, "go finish this!"
"I intend to!" Vegeta spoke with a dark smile, moments before his body took to the air and flung towards the impact site of Bojack.
He'd finish this with Bojack. One way, or another.
Bojack's eyes slowly opened. He began to pull himself out of the massive pile of molten rock that had collapsed on top of him the moment his unconscious body struck it. His right arm was still bleeding and still in constant, agonizing pain. The latest impact had only furthered the reveal of an exposed, violet-stained bone from his lopsided angle that his right forearm was display. His jaw had been splintered from the punch, allowing little to no movement from his mouth, and his body was scarred from various impacts from his last battle.
He could only growl at this point, and it was the only thing he could feel at this point be an appropriate verbal gesture to communicate his livid, frustrated state.
It wasn't until he saw a nearby, speeding entity approach him rapidly with a golden-aura, rocketing forth at speeds he could barely see, that fear crept within his spine. His eyes barely met Vegeta's, before he felt himself struck in the chest...
KRAK-KOOM! "GAUGH!" The result caused Bojack's eyes to bulge out with shock, as the wind was knocked out of him, and his body careening in the wake of a powerful shockwave, flattening the debris-ridden volcano upon the island, rippling across the ocean and towards the coast with a powerful gust of wind.
Before Bojack could skirt across the surface of the water long, Vegeta would reappear within a golden streaking visage, driving him deep into the ocean below with a mighty upheaval of water. The rising waves of water billowed upwards and outwards at an astronomical rate, as a balloon of broken air pressure divided the layers of moisture till the bottom soil was exposed.
With his back deeply indented into the earth, he felt as if his abdominal muscles were collapsing under the sheer pressure of the Saiyan prince's fist, indenting his waist towards his back.
The Herasian Overlord could barely move a muscle, as he'd find his ribs cracking from an additional punch, projecting the soil further downwards and the spread out waves even further. The punches grew more fierce and quicker in repetition in a matter of seconds, creating crackling blasts of lightning and distorted pressurized wind that continued to expand the drying crater of seabed beneath Bojack, and the rising voluminous tides of water, curtaining the violence with a dramatic flair.
"How does it feel, Bojack?!" Vegeta snarled out, roaring past the rapid series of punches that decked him further and further into the drying up seabed, crackling with golden tendrils of hyper-friction and discharged energy, exiting from his knuckles, "to be helpless and weak! Defenseless! Like Kakarot's family! LIKE MY FAMILY, YOU COWARDLY BASTARD!"
Bojack couldn't even sneer at his enemy. His mouth gaped, as much as it would allow, as his body cracked and battered under the enormous yield of strikes breaking his once feared and respected body. Now, it would become nothing more than carrion fodder, if he was lucky enough to have any remains left over.
But his agony was nothing compared to the next act the Ascended Super Saiyan preformed.
Grasping the exposed bone, perforating from the torn and shredded arm, he gave a violent yank and pulled it directly out of the wounded arm. As the geyser of violet blood sprayed out, Bojack gave a hoarse howl, signifying the excruciating pain he had been submitted to feel. That yell would be cut short, as the bone would be turned over and thrust into his gut, with a welt squelch as it penetrated his bruised and broken skin and muscles, directly into his gut.
"Its funny how your body sometimes doesn't do what it wants, isn't it?" Vegeta mocked as he twisted the bone in his enemy's insides, causing him to writhe and gargle in pain, blood coming up his throat and coating his face.
As the water began to recede back towards the impact sight, the Super Saiyan 2 swung his arm to the side, sending a telekinetic field to hold back the skyscraper-tall waves of voluminous sea water. After that was done, Vegeta raised his arm towards the sky, opening his palm up. What transpired before Bojack's eyes had him gaping with fear and awe.
The enormous discharge of energy that Vegeta had discharged into the heavens wasn't beyond his reach. In fact, he had full control over it, and had begun to pull it down within a stream of enormous electrical discharge into the palm of his right, open hand. The width of the energy spanned nearly a quarter of a mile, and seemed to cause the storm overhead to spin around like a hurricane of negative energy.
The air around the dry seabed crackled with intensity, indenting the earth, and causing spare bits of moisture to dry up, sizzle all around the air and causing the atmosphere in between the giant swirling maelstrom of water to become insufferably static and hot.
"T-This can't be happening! Son Gohan was strong enough to wound me...and...this Vegeta...has done ten times worse in a matter of a single minute!" Bojack thought with undeniable fear, his body shivered with uncontrollable spasms of pain and injury, as he lied helplessly before his executioner, "the gods set this up! They knew this would happen! They played me for a fool!"
"Allow me to introduce you to my newest technique, Bojack," Vegeta crowed out, as the last of the electrical forces from the sky compressed into the palm of his hand, allowing him to ball it up into a fist. Glowing white hot with intensity, the fist flew downwards to the protruding bone sticking out of the Herasian's gut, disintegrating it bare centimeters away, before the appendage drilled a hole through the ruthless nightmare's torso. Then, the attack was unleashed.
KRRRRRRAAAAAAAK-KOOOOOOM! "SAIYAN THUNDER!" Vegeta roared out with a mighty yell, as his fist unleashed a magnanimous explosion of golden-white electrical energy from his knuckles, effectively cooking Bojack's skin before evaporating it into the dust. The explosion that would follow would trail up in a discharge of yellow fire, expanding the space of which Vegeta had ballooned from before into a square mile of cooked seabed, sending vast waves backwards for a great distance, before the mighty ocean would recede.
Bojack the Unbound, has been slain, and the nightmare, was finally over.
As the brilliant light of Vegeta's attack lit up the sky and blew away the skyline of darkness, the Z Fighters assembled around Goku within Battle Island II's nigh vacant stands, breathed a collective sigh of relief.
In the wake of such a moment, Goku also noticed his body starting to glow, even to the point of looking transparent. Looking up at his hands respectively, his family and friends knew what it meant all too well. Goku was about to be sent back to the Other World.
"Well, I guess I'm about to head off for now," Goku smiled, noting the collective looks of sad smiles sent his way, knowing they'd miss him after seeing him so soon, "but don't worry guys. I meant what I said to Vegeta. I'll come back, but not through the Dragon Balls. This time, I'm going to earn my way to live the life I wanted to have, and the Kais provided a way for me to do so."
"Ha! I bet its a Tournament!" Yamcha teased, still leaning on 17 for support, along with Tien.
"H-How did you know?!" Goku briefly blinked in surprise at Yamcha for guessing so accurately.
"It wouldn't be hard for any of us to believe that you'd find the excuse not to use the Dragon Balls if a Tournament was involved," Tien chuckled, rolling all three of his eyes at the revelation.
"It was probably his idea too," Gohan quirked, smirking as he knowingly saw Goku sheepishly chuckle as he scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah...hit the mark again, haha!" Goku laughed in admittance, causing everyone's head to either hang or let loose a series of humored chuckles.
"Well, before I go," Goku cleared his throat, as he turned to his wife. Grabbing her by the head, he leaned in and gave her a deep, heart filled kiss, holding it as long as he could, so he would cherish Chi-Chi's warmth. Strangely, when Chi-Chi felt herself enamored by the kiss, she felt Goku's hand tap gently across her midsection, and sending a surge of warmth into her belly, directly infusing into her developing child.
"Oh G-G-Goku!" Chi-Chi's eyes opened wide as she gasped for air from the kiss, feeling the child kick happily within her womb, briefly seeing her belly glow with the golden power of Goku's Ascended Super Saiyan energy, before it simmered to normalcy, "what did you do?"
"Call it an early birthday present for our kid," Goku winked, giving her a smile of seriousness to her, "he'll grow up to be much stronger than myself when I was a kid. That empowerment will guarantee it."
Everyone became astounded at the sight. While Chi-Chi timidly nodded, still unsure of what this would do to her yet-to-be-born child, but she was grateful none the less that Goku was being thoughtful. Even if he couldn't give their baby a physical gift, this, in a way, was much better.
Bulma herself uttered a sound of dawning, "Huh, so that's what Vegeta did...?"
"Did what?" Trunks, speaking up for the first time since Goku's arrival. He really didn't feel much was needed to be said, as he already made his peace with Goku. Seeing him now didn't change it, but when his mother spoke up, his attention was re-diverted.
Turning to look at Trunks equally as much as she explained to the others, as she bounced her son's counterpart in her arms, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you this, but a few months ago, little Trunks got sick. I was going to take him to the doctor to have him examined and your father found out. I saw him put his hand over his head and say something I didn't make out before he made him glow. In just a few hours, he was giggling and happy, with much more energy than I thought him to be capable of. I think what Goku just did is the same thing, kinda..."
"Oh, I see," Trunks furrowed his brows, already having mixed feelings about what his father did. The fact that he must have noted his own child's moment of helplessness, even if it wasn't serious, must have compelled him to give him strength that he didn't naturally possess. He just didn't know if it was a good thing to keep his younger counterpart from struggling on his own or receiving help in that form. Either way, he allowed himself a brief smile, knowing that his father cared that much to actually do something for his son.
"Well, I'm about out of time guys," Goku swung a half-salute at his friends, before placing a strong hand onto his son's head, ruffling it with a smile, "you did well son. I can truly count on you to handle things your own way. Just remember that you're not alone, and that your friends are here beside you. Fight alongside them as a comrade, and you'll become truly invincible. Its what got me as far as I have."
"I will," Gohan smiled back up at his father, as he began to shimmer into transparency, fading into non-existence once more, "and thank you for believing in me...dad."
Several hours later...
"...as the investigations continue to pile onto Mr. Cash's lap for allowing Terrorists to enter the Tournament, a news conference was aired not but an hour ago, with King Furry himself making a statement to the press about the mysterious World Champion, and the mysteriously alleged Z Warriors..."
"I'm sure you're all very shocked, at this time, but this isn't anything new to me. During my privileged time, serving as your monarch, I have known someone by the name of Son Goku who has been fighting these extraterrestrials, monsters, and demons since his time as a child to adulthood. The Red Ribbon Army, a menace that terrorized the world decades ago. The Demon King Piccolo, a madman who usurped my throne and nearly sent the world into chaos. The Aliens from space who annihilated West City. And the most despicable and recognizable menace that was named Cell, whom nearly destroyed the whole planet. All of them have been fought and stopped by various heroes, formed from the group called the Z Warriors. Base on the testament of previously assumed World Champion, Hercule Satan, at the Intergalactic Tournament, there is no more further proof needed to explain the actions and the reality of where our world resides within this eternal conflict, of good and evil. If they have kept this Earth safe, time and again, without even our realization of it happening, then I believe we should give them the benefit of the doubt, and keep believing in them, and our newfound champion, Vegeta..."
"And there you have it folks. A recounting from our esteemed monarch, King Furry, giving his personal faith to the Z Warriors after they staved off an outrageous attack by REAL extraterrestrials, has left the media and people of Earth with mixed views. Who are these Z Warriors? How does King Furry know this Son Goku? Why haven't we noticed this until now? I'm Jimmy Firecracker, and letting you know the facts straight from the source. Stay tuned, as major lawsuits of magnanimous proportions pile up on Hercule Satan, for incredible fraud for setting himself up as the hoax of the world. And now, a look at the weather..."
As the TV continued to drawl on a much more mundane set of news within the hospital room, Krillin's eyes finally opened. Having passed out from his battle after immediately receiving a kiss from the woman of his dreams, he was almost afraid to wake up. For one, he felt a lot better, as pain killers were flooding his system, injected via IV tube attached to his right arm, giving him a hazy euphoric sensation upon to fully awakening. Next, he felt a distinct warmth over the top of his blanketed chest.
Blinking, Krillin saw the blonde haired beauty, with her eyes closed, resting her head directly over his chest. Faced in his direction, the bald monk could feel himself blushing hotly, seeing the gorgeous woman seated so close in proximity to him. He could smell the scent of her hair, past the smell of scorched clothing from the intense battle that she had endured against his own oppressor, the one responsible for putting him in the hospital to begin with.
"Just my luck," Krillin muttered aloud, brushing her hair softly with his free left hand, as he smiled thoughtfully at his heroine, "if girls aren't stealing my heart, they're kicking my ass. Sometimes that falls into both categories, hehe..."
"I don't know about that," 18 muttered back, a sudden smirk crawling onto her face, as her soft blue eyes opened and met Krillin's onyx ones, "you did hit that bitch pretty hard in order to piss her off that much..."
"E-E-Eighteen!" Krillin spoke aloud with surprise, his blush rekindling twice as strong, as he retracted his hand and sheepishly smiled back at her, as he clumsily tried to speak to her, "I uh-er-I...mean...um...th-thank you. For what you did for me."
"You don't need to thank me, Krillin," 18 smiled back softly, as she leaned back onto her kneeling stance, crossing her arms in front of herself on the short man's bedside, "she had what was coming. If I hadn't stepped in, she might have hurt a lot of good people. Innocents...just like Cell had done..."
"Yeah, it was real brave for you to jump in like that. Even if it wasn't me, it was real nice for you to-" Krillin started to talk, before he saw 18 stare seriously at him, cuing him to shut up.
"We need to talk," she spoke evenly, taking control over the conversation with no gesture other than her eyes fixating onto the bald monk's. The tone shifted though, as her cheeks began to tint a slight scarlet flush radiate from her fair skin, "about us..."
"Us?" Krillin could barely voice out what she just said, his eyes squinting to comical proportions of incredulous disbelief.
"Yes, us," 18 rolled her eyes with a humored smile, before they locked back onto Krillin's eyes, as she continued, "I've been thinking about this a lot. Ever since the moment you used your wish on the Dragon Balls, to rid my brother and I of the bombs in us...I felt a sense of utter freedom...that I never could shake, even after Dr. Gero was killed. Or even when Cell was destroyed. You made a wish that you could have used for anything, and you selflessly used it for my sake, as well as my brother's."
"Yeah, well, I didn't really think of you guys as inhuman monsters that crazy doctor wanted you to be. You were just lonely and had no one to accept you for who you were. And deep down, I saw the woman I knew who had a heart of gold, even if she never had a chance to prove it," Krillin smiled as big as he could, even as tears mustered up on his black beady eyes, "after all, you saving me proved I was right, hahahaha!"
"You're so thoughtful, Krillin," 18 smiled as she whispered, her eyes starting to fall half-lidded, as her face leaned towards the incapacitated, timid warrior, "you're not the strongest human I've met, nor are the strongest willed. But...in the end...your heart is bigger than all of theirs combined. Such compassion, isn't overlooked. Especially...by someone...like...me," she finished, as her lips finally touched his and quieted any retort he may have had.
Krillin, for the first time in his life, felt at complete contentment and peace. The woman of his dreams that he had sought to protect, to trust his feelings with, and hopefully get them in return, had finally acknowledged her own love to him. Even if it wasn't straightforward or blunt, her words and her actions spoke volumes of how she felt towards him. And Krillin felt like the situation couldn't get any better...
"Knock Knock!" 17's dry voice cut through the air, like an unwelcome knife burying into skin. Unlike his sister, he had changed his clothing to a simple black T-shirt, and a red-black ball cap. The only thing he salvaged of his old look was his boots and jeans, despite their wear-&-tear look, he couldn't part with them.
As 18 broke the kiss, Krillin felt himself pale at the look of sheer rage behind her eyes. Veins protruding from her forehead only further emphasized her anger at her brother's rude interruption of a special moment. As she turned around, Krillin could swear if she could project an aura of Ki, it would be as hot as magma at this point, when she addressed her brother at her full height.
"Seventeen...what a pleasant...surprise," she barely uttered out, feeling her teeth ground into each other, as her twin brother just smiled and shrugged off her anger.
"Whatever, sis. If you want to make out with your boyfriend, that's fine, I'll only be a moment. I just wanted to pass a message to the bald guy first," 17 spoke with a show of hands, trying to defuse his volatile sibling's anticipated retort.
"Message?" Krillin blinked a few times, trying to decipher what that could mean. As he thought about it, he was kind of surprisingly alone. Usually the whole gang would show up at once. What's changed?
"Yeah, the big green guy, Piccolo, asked me to do it," 17 shrugged, nonchalantly, as he crossed his arms, expertly diverting 18's attention away as he continued to relay what he knew to Krillin, "Yamcha and Tien had been placed in a hospital room not but a few rooms down the hall from you. If you feel up to it, you can visit them there. As for the others, Piccolo's trying to ensure most of the guys are staying far away from the press. Unlike Vegeta, the rest of the gang doesn't seem to have an army of lawyers stacked up and waiting to press back any filing complaints for damages they have been responsible for."
"Boy, that's a bummer," Krillin pouted, suddenly realizing that he hadn't been approached or questioned. Either the human trio had been condoned, if but temporarily, because they played a much smaller role, or they were hospitalized. Both ways, he knew that things would change and be a lot different than it used to be, "I guess I don't envy Gohan's predicament then, considering he was one of the highlights of the whole crazy mess. Even if Vegeta killed the guy, he was the one that was aired on most cameras. It makes sense the media would pay attention to him and what he's going to do."
"Yeah, and don't worry about my sis or I. We can handle ourselves around the press. They couldn't catch us anyways," 17 reassured Krillin with a smile, thumbing over at the blonde cyborg next to him.
Unfortunately, his attention was too diverted for him to notice the sudden movement of her hand reaching for his ear, yanking it hard in retaliation.
"AH-AH-AH-AH, hey, cut that out!" 17 protested, as 18 glared towards her brother, rolling her eyes as she waved to Krillin with a smile.
"I'll be seeing you later, Krillin," 18 spoke her parting words, as she walked out smoothly, hauling her brother clumsily in toe, as he yelled out in pain and protest.
"See you too, 18," Krillin spoke with a fond tone, waving back, as he reclined back into his bed and cushions. He smiled as his eyes closed, and drifted off to peaceful slumber once more.
"Man, this is totally bogus," Yamcha uttered in complaint, as his body lied back, half numb from the pain killers rushing through his worn and torn body. His brows furrowed as he balled his fists, feeling unsatisfied to a certain degree.
"I'm going to try my best not to acknowledge you just used the word, bogus," Tien said in an irritated tone, sitting more upright than Yamcha, his arms and torso bandaged a little more than his black haired, scar-faced comrade.
"I mean, we busted our asses out there, and we get practically nothing for our trouble!" Yamcha sat up, looking over at Tien, as he emphasized with his wrapped arms in specific gestures, "I mean think about it! We actually beat the bad guy! In a stylish way at the end!"
"Aren't you just happy to be alive?" Tien inquired with a humored grin.
"It'd be nice to be alive and actually get something for the trouble we got. We didn't even get the media's attention throughout all of this crap we had to endure, almost dying and all," Yamcha flopped his arms to his bedside once more, huffing with a frown on his face.
"You're just jealous," Tien grinned knowingly, as he leaned back into his cushion.
"Yeah...maybe a little," Yamcha sighed, looking to the door, gesturing towards it with one hand, "I'd just like it if for once, some hot chicks would come in the room and be concerned about us, instead of us getting ditched or us getting pitied or laughed at by the other guys..."
Just as Yamcha began to finish his sentence, he heard a few hushed whispers outside of the door. Through the window divider, he could faintly see a crop of blonde and blue hair, respectively owned by a pair of young ladies, as they walked straight into the hospital room. Yamcha's jaw almost hit his bed, feeling like he was a psychic for making such an outrageous prediction nonchalantly and having it come to life.
However, it wouldn't be compared to how shocked Tien would be to see that familiar face cropped by beautiful blonde curls.
"L-Launch?!" Tien uttered out in disbelief, as he saw his ex walk right in with a blue-haired girl in tow. Currently donning a crimson tank top, accenting the telltale red ribbon tied around her head, she held a black strap matte bag over her shoulder, adorning a pair of red finger-less gloves, and a pair of black shorts, accented by a pair of white-red tennis shoes.
She smiled with satisfaction, as she looked to her friend and spoke with an upraised fist of victory, "Great work, Maron! Who knew that you'd make such a great distraction for that security guard to let his defenses around me?!"
"Distraction? I thought I was asking him for directions? Are we lost, Launch?" Maron asked, propping a hand onto her chin, as she stared wide-eyed at her mischievously acting friend. Contrary to Launch's current personality, Maron appeared much more naive, perhaps more-so than her shy self. With bright blue hair, a slight hue difference than Bulma's, fair complexion, and a curvaceous figure that was hidden her skin. Her attire composed of a tight red sleeveless shirt, revealing her lower back and navel area, as well as her voluminous chest straining beneath it. With only a short black skirt and a pair of red high heels below, much of her supple and smooth skin was left to the view of Yamcha, something he was all too pleased about.
"H-H-H-H-Hot!" Yamcha's brain thought with spastic joy. Instantly, he remembered the time he had met Bulma being somewhat similar to seeing this look-alike, Maron. The only real difference was, she appeared as dumb as a rock. Not that he had a problem with that, considering it was her intelligence and constant belligerence that wore down on him in their relationship.
"No, Maron, we aren't lost," Launch sighed, holding her head with her hands, massaging her temples as she closed her eyes. She mentally prepared herself for what she was about to do, and she didn't want her friend butting in. With a gesture towards Yamcha, without really thinking about it, she said in exasperation, "look, can you talk to Yamcha for a little bit? He's a cool guy, and he's actually a war veteran from a lot of intense stuff back in his day. I just need a moment with Tien so-"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOH!" Maron's eyes suddenly went wide with excitement, as she turned around and practically hopped onto Yamcha's beside, landing partially on his injured legs, "you're a war veteran?! Is that how you got those scars?! How DID you get those scars?! Tell me tell me tell me!"
Taken aback by the sudden leap onto his legs, Yamcha bit down on his tongue and kept a brave smile up. Secondly, her body's proximity to his was a welcome distraction and change of pace, having never been this close to a girl before since Bulma. The fact she was so enraptured, whether it was genuine or not, in his own facial deformity, that he actually had to keep himself from blushing like an idiot and started to tell the actual story behind his scar.
"Well, you see...there were these guy who served the Red Ribbon Army. At the time it was just me and my trusty sword, so I had to get close to get rid of the gun-toting losers! This scar is the result of a rifle butt smashing up into it good, breaking my jaw and nearly knocking me out cold," Yamcha, began to tell Maron, whom seemed to be delighted in hearing the tale, and continued to talk of his exploits back when he was a bandit.
This left Tien and Launch, more or less, alone to talk out their issues.
"So, you look pretty banged up, Tien," Launch spoke curtly, an evident smirk on her face, as she always enjoyed getting a rise out of him.
Tien fixated all three eyes of his on his bipolar ex, asking her straight up, "Why are you here, Launch?"
"Isn't it obvious, or do I need to spell it out for you?" Launch rolled her eyes, her smile turning into a sneer as she tapped her foot impatiently.
Looking towards the window and away from Launch's immediate gaze, Tien sighed aloud, "It isn't simple. It may seem like it, but ever since that battle, knowing that I failed to protect Chiaotzu, just told me how incapable I was to protect those I care about. This is why I can't take him with me into battle anymore, and this is why I can't be near you when stuff like this happens-"
SLAP! "BULLSHIT!" Launch snarled out suddenly, causing Yamcha and Maron to lock their attention to the verbal conflict, as the blonde slapped Tien across the face. Heaving with exertion, her own hand stung from making contact against such a tough jawline, but her point had been made, giving her vigor to continue speaking, "you honestly think that you have to be everywhere at once and protect everything around you at all times?! That's what has been holding you back for the past three, four years?!"
Tien's eyes winced from the slap, not because of the pain, but what her words meant. Lowering his gaze, he still couldn't meet her eyes, as he looked down to his lap, contemplating the gravity of his choice up till now, "I trained to fight the Androids, and nearly gave up my life tooth and nail to stop that monster on TV, Cell. I have been trying, desperately, to measure up to Goku and the others. But I can't protect people like he can. I can't break the laws of death or selflessly make my own sacrifice worth something. What if-"
"What if?! This is all on a WHAT IF?! I can't believe this!" Launch threw her hands into the air, circling around incredulously, as her back turned to the bed-ridden warrior behind her, sliding her hands down her face as she groaned out, "what happened to the man who gave Hell to anyone who stepped in the ring with him? What happened to the man I...I...I," turning around, she sighed heavily as her eyes turned back to meet Tien's upraised ones. Blue-green eyes filled with sadness and regret, "I fell in love with?!"
Tien couldn't feel himself speak.
He knew he had no reason to rekindle his relationship with Launch. It was his moment of self pity and cowardice that kept him from returning his sights back upon the Bipolar woman. It was the moment of weakness that he felt when he felt completely helpless against the hands of Nappa, a monster of unbelievable power and menace, who casually harmed his friends and caused slaughter with a sick smile on his face. That fear was only remembered when he faced down the terror that was Cell, a monster's cunning which only rivaled Nappa's monstrously dark persona.
Raising his face, he looked up at Launch with a sad smile, "I don't know. These last six months, I've been doing nothing but trying to pick up where I last left off before the Saiyans arrived. Back when I was at my prime, and when Goku was second to me. This last battle I barely came out it winning, with Yamcha's help. What if I can't stop the bad guys next time? What will happen-"
"Will happen," Launch finished for him, raising a fist up in emphasis as she smiled, giving him a thumb's up, "you just do me a favor and let me get grabbed by the hand of fate when it happens. If you keep fighting it, Tien, you won't go anywhere in life. You'll flat line and won't get a chance to see what you're capable of. Just like how you showed me you were back when we first met."
"I will, Launch, and I-" Tien began to say, until his eyes widened at Launch's sudden sniffles.
"Ah...Ah...AHHHHHHHH-!" Launch's head reared back, before letting loose a loud, comical sneeze, "CHOOOOO!~"
Within an instant, her hair shifted color to blue, and her blue-green eyes shifted to brown black irises. Blinking a few times, she looked around as if dazed, and unsure where she was, "W-Where...am I?"
"Launch, you came here to see Tien, remember?" Maron nodded her head expectantly to Tien, apparently experienced enough to deal with her sudden mood flips.
"Oh, that's right," Launch's smile rekindled into a softer appeal, as she walked up to Tien's bandaged side, and wrapped her arms around him. She sniffled, not knowing why she had tears in her eyes, but was just thankful to see Tien again, "I missed you, Tien. I missed you a lot..."
"I know, Launch," Tien broke out a sigh, as he finally relaxed, hugging his long time friend and girlfriend, ready to rekindle their relationship, once more.
As he looked over at Yamcha, he saw Maron unexpectedly wrap an arm around the scar-faced bandit, and he return the favor. While it looked harmless, the look in Yamcha's eyes clearly spoke bounds of the direction he wanted to go with the semi-dim-witted girl.
For once, Tien and Yamcha felt as if life was going to get better for them for a change.
Later that night...
Mister Cash gulped as he walked through the dimly lit warehouse.
With all that's happened within the day, with a near apocalypse occurring on his son's birthday, Hercule being announced as a fraud, and the near total destruction of his Battle Island II's arenas and stands, he felt as if the entire world was collapsing on him. He knew that the current profits he reaped from the broadcasts, the attending audience, and other participants would eventually backlash as his top notch lawyers wouldn't be able to hold back the government, the media, and the public's attacks upon his reputation.
He came to this undisclosed location for one purpose and one purpose only: To save his skin and the immense fortune he had established.
Upon the first wave of calls he had constantly sent to the answering machine, one in particular caught his attention. A mysterious, distorted voice called over the line, saying to meet him alone within outskirts of North City's closed down industrial warehouse district. They assured him success and staving off the inevitable ruin that would befall any companies, investments, and his professional reputation would be completely nullified. How could he take them at face value? He didn't care, so long as it was all true and guaranteed.
Within a dusty office he entered, he encountered a solely lit lamp. It eerily kept in constant, slow motion, giving a particularly haunting atmosphere to the room that XS Cash entered within. Sitting on the far side of a square table, was a shadow enraptured man of tall stature, clothed in black leather and possessed a pair of gloved hands, most noticeably visible within the constant swinging rays of light from the lamp above.
"Thank you for joining me tonight, Xavier Samuel Cash," the man spoke in a level, crisp tone, possessing nothing but seriousness and professionalism in how he conducted himself. Despite this, he didn't make a move, other than to clasp his hands together, obviously enjoying his position of obscurity within the shadows, beyond the rich man's eye sight.
"Its Mr. Cash," the rich business man spoke as he approached the seat, taking it briefly in his pudgy hand, scooting it back before taking the seat for himself, so he could gauge the man on a level field of vision.
The dark outline was clearly a man whom had done rendezvous of this nature repeatedly, and despite his insistence, had found no respect for the man either, as his following words came out dryly, "Whatever you say, Xavier."
Rubbing his hands nervously, Mr. Cash blinked a few times, twitching out of irritation. He didn't allow anyone to speak to him on a first name basis, let alone the press use it on their broadcasts and announcements of him. Yet this man had obvious grasp of whom he was dealing with, as he spoke so casually to the powerful and influential man sitting but a spare meter or so away.
"You said that you could help me with my problem, mister...?" Mr. Cash tried to get to the point, not feeling comfortable being in such a degrading place and at such a late time of night.
"Trench," the man spoke curtly in response, before continuing, "its not a matter of can we help you, but rather will help you. Its only a matter of you cooperating with us to make it happen."
"How can I be sure you can possibly fix my problems?" Mr. Cash spoke doubtfully, leaning against the chair, allowing a smirk of confidence build up on his own rotund facial features, as he pointed a stubby finger at the intimidating outlined figure, known as Trench, "I'm the richest man in the world. Do you know what that means? It means there are very few people or organizations that can match up to my influence. The fact of the matter is that not only am I being accused of fraud, housing terrorist-motivated aliens in my Tournament, and risked the lives of thousands in the name of entertainment, is something that not my lawyers can fix, what makes you think you or any of your people can do what I cannot?"
Trench chuckled darkly, sending a shiver down the rich man's spine. The sensation of masked obscurity, the location of this meeting with a vague man with bold claims, made him realize how vulnerable he was. Doubts crept into his mind, as he heard the creaking of the man's weight shifting forward, showing the lower jawline of the man's face. It wasn't enough to see his entire face, but a glimmer of light reflected off his eyes that mirrored his controlled distaste that showed visibly from a guttural snarl from his face.
"You simpering simpleton. You are the one cornered here, not I. You know full well the ramifications of what actions that have taken place today will not go unnoticed on your part. It'll be only a matter of time until your investors fear your business, the government have you locked up for endangering the lives of thousands unwittingly or not, and others come take advantage of your much weakened state of business. Your reputation means more than your life, Xavier Cash. Something that you obviously proved with your compliance in meeting with me tonight," he leaned back as he finished, his body being bathed by the obscure shadows once more, as the lamp continued to sway eerily above their heads.
Gulping down his anxiety, Mr. Cash reached for a handkerchief within his velvet jacket, and wiped away the cold sweat developing on his forehead, before redepositing it back into his chest pocket, "So...how much money are we talking about?"
"Not much, Mr. Cash, and not to be of your concern," Trench spoke smoothly, waving his right hand under the light in emphasis, "just know that by the time we're finished, your profits will have substantially increased, the media will praise your name, your face will be cherished by the public, and the government will turn a blind eye to this incident."
"If you're capable of such...uh...machinations, Mister Trench, why do you need my funds? Surely you could acquire your own sums of money for whatever venture you people do," Mr. Cash inquired, waving his hands in emphasis of his confusion.
"Do not think so little of yourself, Xavier. You funded a globally broadcasted event, manufactured two artificial islands, one the size of a mega-metropolis, into personal arenas. I'm very certain that whatever resources we require from you, will seem mundane in comparison," Trench spoke with a dry, assured tone.
"What purpose would such a discreet group of yours need with my money?" Xavier finally spoke up, and to the point.
This question was met with amusement, as Trench himself leaned forward, as he explained with a dreaded, dark smile, barely seen by the swinging light, "That is not for you to know, Xavier. The only thing you should know is that we have been pulling the strings behind the scenes of happenings for much longer than you will believe. The populace, the media, the government, and several rogue elements have been within our watch, control, or tight leash up to this point. That is the kind of power we possess, and the power you need, Xavier Samuel Cash, and its the power my organization can provide very handsomely, so long as you supply us with your resources indefinitely, from this point onward."
Grasping his handkerchief, Xavier rubbed his forehead of more accumulated sweat, feeling as if he will be making a deal with the devil. But if dealing with a demon is what would keep his lifestyle, his investments, and his reputation intact, then he was willing to commit a dark deed, if but just this once. After all, it was a fish eat fish world. Who cares what they do with his money, so long as he could keep most of it.
Reaching his hand forth for Trench to take a hold of, Xavier inquired with a hesitant smile, "Who should I make the checks out to?"
Leaning back within the shadows, Trench's own larger, black leather covered hand would grab a hold of Xavier Samuel Cash's hand with an iron vice grip. His voice spoke with dark reveling, as satisfaction laced his tone, "You may call us the Inner Circle."
A/N: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's a wrap! The Bojack Saga's conclusion has been updated and I hope you all enjoyed how the story has unfolded up to this point. These last six chapters have been a real blast, and I hope you enjoyed some parts as much as I've written them.
For those of you just joining us, sorry if there was a little confusion. I updated Chapter 7 into three episodic parts to allow a more comfortable, pleasurable reading experience. Thus, this Chapter is officially the 10th Chapter. Just thought to clear that up first...
So in regards to how I ended the chapter, let me end this by sections.
-As far as I go for the Kaio-ken users, Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha, I won't give away numbers (cause Power Levels ARE BS) but I will say that for certain that they will master it to a degree that Goku hasn't or will not be able to. Its the edge that I hope to use to empower the humans in a variety of creative ways. It'll be different for each character as they try to find the perfect balance as they continue to perfect their techniques, strength and durability throughout the VC series. Some more so than others. Who will come out as the strongest human alive, and how strong will they become? Only time will tell...
-In explanation for the transference of SS energy into Chi-Chi's body and Kid Trunks being briefly exposed to it when he got sick, I'm basically creating a good explanation for why these kids are as strong as they were. Within reason, Goten and Trunks shouldn't have been that strong, considering how much trouble Gohan went through when he traversed through his childhood with a tenth of the power that Goten and Trunks had at their base levels when he was their age. This helps fill in that plot hole that Toriyama created, where he needlessly made them stronger to make them Plot Fodder for them to be used by Buu to get stronger.
-I must remind you again, this IS the Vegeta Chronicles. While I am giving more time and effort to side characters than they were originally conceived, there will be times when Vegeta will administer the killing blow to major enemies. It won't happen all the time, but he will be having a main POV throughout this story, and will be given a lot of credit, as his character was perhaps the most abused. He won't be unstoppable, he won't take Goku's place as being THE main character, but for the next few years of Goku's absence, he WILL be at the center of conflict, and will most likely be the strongest fighter at the Z Fighters' disposal, so expect him to take the helm of this story in his own way.
-Those of you interested in how The Other World Saga ties into this, please read the following update I'll have for OWS within this weekend. Being collaborative stories that tie well within each other, if you haven't read what's been going on in that story, then you are missing out. Its a bit more lax and laid back in some chapters, but it IS centered around Goku's exploits within Other World, and the development I'm preparing him for that led him up to THIS chapter. The 4th and 5th Chapters of OWS happen at the exact same time as the Bojack Saga, so I suggest taking a peak, to at least get an idea what's going on there, while this is going on.
-For Launch and Maron's intervention into this story, I will let you know what I'm allowing and what I'm not within their character. Yes, Launch, for the most part is still a psycho Bipolar chick, but has been able to be sobered up to a degree where she's been able to get a handle on her psyche and her loneliness. Up till seeing Tien again, she's been hanging with Maron, whom is a bit different from what you've known her from the Filler shows she's been involved. Maron never was Krillin's girlfriend, nor did the Garlic Jr. Saga ever occur.
Anything else less obvious, or that isn't directly relating to the plot I'll leave for you guys to chat, debate, or inquire me in your reviews or PM's.
NOTICE: I will take a brief hiatus from writing VC Chapters for the next week. I am focusing on a new story that I will write on the side when I get the chance called The Legend of Broly, and VC's take on how their conflict came about, as well as the back story of the terror known as the Legendary Super Saiyan. This will play a critical role in the upcoming Arc within VC, and I will ensure that it will be a more expansive story relating to what makes Broly the way he is, rather than the poorly explained movie that debuted him in.
Tune in next time: The second child of Goku is born! A memorable occasion that will change Gohan, Chi-Chi, and all the Z Fighters' lives as we know it! What will Vegeta be up to? How will the exodus of the Bojack Saga affect the day-to-day lives of our heroes? Find out, on the next exciting chapter of the Vegeta Chronicles!