~Final Reckoning~
When the smoke finally cleared, it looked like Garlic was vanquished for good, for there wasn't anything left of him. The pink mermaid sighed in relief, but she quickly turned her attention to Goku and the others still lying on the ground, breathing heavily from exhausting and intense struggle that ensued a while ago. After recovering enough strength, the Z fighters slowly started to get up. Although they were drained, they still had the strength to at least get themselves up on their feet, except Goku, who was still lying on the ground.
"Goku!" Lucia exclaimed worryingly as she again rushed to his side, kneeling down next to him and lifting his head. "Goku? Goku." She repeated, but Goku sad nothing as he merely gritted his teeth with closed eyes in great pain. Then Lucia noticed that his arms are twitching rapidly.
"Goku. Your arms." Lucia said sadly.
"Yeah, I think I overdid it a little bit." Goku smiled lightheartedly in pain as he opened one of his eyes and looked at Lucia.
"A little bit?! Goku, you can't even move your arms, why do you always have to be so reckless?!" Lucia shouted sadly as tears formed in her eyes, her heart aching in immense pain every time she is forced to endure the sight of her beloved in his current state.
"Don't be so hard on him Lucia. Goku never really learned to pace himself, he tends to take things on too much too soon." Master Roshi smiled as Krillin helped him up.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I just need a little rest and I'm as good as new." Goku smiled.
Then Goku's and Lucia's faces went blank as they heard a cracking noise. The entire group was alerted before they looked down on the floor where they stand. They all noticed that the entire floor was starting to crack before it crumbled entirely, with all of them shouting in panic as they all started to fall down. But it didn't throw them off their loops as they all landed on their feet at the chamber below, except for Goku because Lucia grabbed him by his waist sideways and helped him down so he wouldn't crash on the ground, he was already in enough pain as he is.
"We are back at Michel's chamber." Lucia said as she looked around the room while Goku started to get back on his feet.
"Yeah." Goku said seriously before he turned around towards the ruined pillar, noticing certain someone lying dead near it. "It seems we are." He then walked silently towards Michel, followed by Lucia and the others whom Goku passed by. All except Piccolo who stood away from the group with folded arms. He would have left in a moment's notice if that portal wasn't one way, so if sticking around with Goku and his buddies will get him out of here, he might as well do just that, at least for a while.
As Goku, Lucia and the others gazed at Michel's cold and broken form, Lucia couldn't help but feel a deep sadness in her heart. For all of Michel's sins and misplaced motivations, in his heart he was a lonely soul who suffered for centuries. The pain of loss for his people, the anguish that solitude brought, both of these cases were known to Lucia as they were the same agonies that befell Sara and Gaito respectively. They might have been broken from all the unfortunate events and circumstances that made them into what they were, but Michel had it worse by a long run. Even Seira attested to that, the very person who from the moment she was born was forced to be Michel's prisoner in his own body. She was the one who suffered more than anyone, or so it appeared until today, and yet she felt nothing but compassion, kindness and love to the angelic being, doing her best to soothe his soul so he can find peace in this world that he desperately sought to claim. It is quite tragic that the peace he long sought was ultimately found in death.
"Lucia? Why are you crying?" Goku asked innocently.
"Poor Michel. He was never the bad guy like Garlic and the other monsters. He did not deserve to die like this." Lucia said sadly as she sniffed a bit.
"Yeah. He's not as cold-hearted as we all believed him to be. An evil heart could never shed tears like he did." Goku said seriously as he walked forward and knelt close to Michel, afterwards starting to clear the rubble burying him beneath. "I think I understand now. Garlic and his son, along with that big headed bird made him into what they wanted him to be, he never got a chance to be anything else. He made a lot of mistakes, but I see now that it wasn't entirely his fault." After he cleared the rubble, Goku picked up his body and turned towards his friends. "Well, we're done here. Let's go." Everyone nodded silently and followed Goku as they flew back towards the others they left behind now that they recovered enough energy.
Meanwhile, Sara and the other mermaid princesses, along with Kaito, Rihito, Nicole, Madame Taki and Yuri waited for Goku and the others to return.
"Where are they? Have they won or what?" Rihito asked curiously.
"They did. The blue energy that shattered the orb was definitely that of Goku and his allies. They should return anytime soon." Sara said seriously.
"I hope. The sooner we can bury the dead, the better." Nicole said grimly in low tone as she turned sideways towards the deceased Noel, Coco and Hippo, while Karen and Yuri had gloomy expression on their faces, still unable to accept the fact that their loved ones were dead.
"Sara." Madame Taki said seriously, drawing the orange mermaid's attention. Taki then pointed in front of her for Sara to take notice. Sara looked curiously at where Taki is pointing at, then she gasped loudly in shock and surprise to find…
"Gaito!" Sara shouted sadly as she sprinted towards Gaito, who was severely wounded from the graze he received from the combined Kamehameha Wave. His left arm and chest was profusely bloodied, his left arm nearly incinerated to the muscle, but nothing life threatening as of yet.
"Gaito! What happened to you?!" Sara asked sadly, heartbroken to see him in such bloodied and beaten state.
"No need to be dramatic Sara. I'm still alive. As for this wound, well, nothing that a few stitches won't fix." Gaito smirked slightly. For all her worries, Sara couldn't help but shake her head in slight amusement.
"Yup, you're definitely alright." Sara smiled gently before it disappeared soon after. "But we still need to tend to your arm, you have third degree burns everywhere, your wound will fester if we don't tend to it soon."
"We'll get to that after we leave this place." Gaito said seriously while Kaito reached the two.
"You and me both brother." Kaito smiled a bit as he placed Gaito's right hand on his right shoulder, gripping his arm and slowly trudging towards the others.
"Look, there they are!" Hanon smiled as she pointed at Goku and the others flying down to the group.
"Lucia!" Hanon and Rina cheered happily as they ran towards the pink mermaid. Madame Taki and Nicole followed suit, heading towards Tien who had Roshi on his back.
"Roshi. You're alive." Taki smiled, greatly relieved that he yet lives.
"Of course I am. You are not going to get rid of this old turtle yet." Master Roshi chuckled light-heartedly.
"What are you smiling and laughing about?!" Karen shouted in booming voice, making everyone present wince in fear of sudden shouting. "Don't all of you heartless bastards even care about all of the people who died?! Who had been slaughtered?!"
"Don't worry Karen. Everything's going to be alright." Goku smiled as he put Michel next to Noel, but his carefree smile only aggravated Karen further.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Karen shouted louder, making Goku wince and yelp in fear and panic." It will never be alright! So many people died by those monsters! Our friends…" Karen shouted loudly in fury before she quickly started to whimper. "Noel… my dear Noel…" She then buried her face on Goku's chest and cried loudly.
"Hey, take it easy. They won't be dead for long." Goku smiled brightly as he hugged her a bit to soothe her nerves.
"Huh?" Karen said as her teary eyes connected with Goku's in confusion, curiosity and glint of hope in her heart.
"We can use the Dragon Balls to wish back for all the people Garlic and his goons have killed." Goku smiled as he placed his hands on Karen's shoulders.
"The Dragon Balls! That's it!" Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu and Master Roshi shouted in unison at the realization.
"Good thinking Goku!" Krillin smiled brightly.
"Yeah, I feel so stupid to forget about something like that." Yamcha smiled brightly.
"Wait, Dragon Balls? What are they all about? I don't understand." Kaito asked in confusion.
"I want to know too. Are you saying they can fix the damage that those monsters caused?" Nicole asked curiously.
"Indeed they can. The Dragon Balls are powerful orbs that are capable of granting you any wish, and that includes bringing the dead back to life." Master Roshi nodded with a smile.
"The power to revive the dead?" Sara asked in surprise.
"That sounds too good to be true." Rihito said seriously.
"It's true without a doubt. I should know because I was the one who created the Dragon Balls." Kami said seriously, drawing the attention of the entire group. "However, were it not for Goku's pure and honorable intentions when he visited the Lookout four years ago, the Dragon Balls would have been left to be stones for good."
"Why is that?" Hanon asked curiously.
"When I first created the Dragon Balls, I did so in order to encourage the acts of bravery and give the people of Earth a sense of hope. But soon I learned that the hearts of Men are easily corrupted, people began to kill one another in order to obtain the Dragon Balls. Their greed and lust for power turned my noble, pure endeavor into that of evil. But like I said, it was Goku who changed my mind when he arrived to my domain. He was an example that not all the people on the planet were greedy and dishonorable, that there still are individuals with kind and untainted minds and hearts." Kami said seriously before he glanced at each of the group. "Most of you present are a proof of that fact." He then glanced at Gaito and Sara. "Most of you." Gaito sneered slightly in low tone, not needing a reminder for what he and Sara had done in the past. "So I suggest that you start collecting them as soon as possible and restore your loved ones back to life."
"Umm, excuse me but… how do those Dragon Balls look like?" Seira asked curiously.
"They look like beautiful, orange balls with stars in it. The one that Goku has back home has four stars inside." Lucia smiled as she caressed the little mermaid's head.
"Wait. You mean this?" Rihito said curiously as he pulled out something from his pocket. Goku and Lucia gasped slightly in surprise when they discovered that he has their Dragon Ball.
"What?! A four star ball?!" Goku shouted in surprise and shock.
"Rihito, where did you get that?!" Lucia also shouted in surprise and shock.
"I found it when I came to visit your house when Mikaru was missing. I guess you gave it to her and she probably dropped it when she left." Rihito said seriously as he handed over the Dragon Ball to Goku.
"Thanks Rihito. You have no idea how much this Dragon Ball means to me." Goku smiled gratefully.
"So how many of these Dragon Balls we have to find before we make our wish?" Rina asked curiously with serious expression.
"There are seven Dragon Balls to be found throughout the world. We already have one, so that leaves six more to be found." Yamcha smiled.
"Are you insane?! Who knows how long it will take until we find those things!" Yuri shouted angrily.
"About a day, give or take." Goku said casually with a smile.
"Wait, seriously? How is that possible?" Yuri asked in bewilderment.
"Well, Bulma has this device called a Dragon Radar. With it we can use it to find the Dragon Balls and we will be able to use them in no time." Goku smiled.
"Wait, there is a radar to find those things? Man, you guys are cornucopia of convenience, aren't you? You make it sound like those Dragon Balls are some kind of reset button to use after every battle." Gaito said in snide tone.
"It's not the kind we can always rely on. When a person is revived once, he can never be resurrected again. It happened to me, Master Roshi, Chiaotzu and the other martial artists who were killed four years ago. We can't repeat that luxury if we were to die again." Krillin said seriously.
"One resurrection is good enough." Karen said in angry, yet sad tone before she glanced at her dead sister. "I will make sure that something like this never happens to my sister again."
Then suddenly, a white, blinding light formed in front of the group. Everyone was at the ready at the possible ambush from the sudden freak occurrence. When the light died down, it was revealed to be some kind of dimensional rift.
"What is that? A portal?" Tien asked curiously.
"Is it a way out?" Nicole asked in slight confusion.
"That would be a miracle, but then again I never rule those out." Goku smiled brightly.
"Let's go." Kami said seriously as he proceeded to walk inside the portal, followed by Piccolo. When Goku was about to walk and take Michel's body, he noticed that Lucia was looking down on the ground with sad face. Confused and curious, he decided to talk to her and see what's troubling her now.
"Yamcha, can you take Michel's body and go through the portal please? I need to talk to Lucia about something." Goku smiled. Yamcha was a little confused at the sudden request, but in the end he obliged.
"Umm, sure." Yamcha nodded before he left to pick Michel up and go to the portal. Krillin did the same by picking up Noel, followed by Tien taking Coco and Yuri lifting Hippo's small frame in her embrace. With renewed hope, they all departed to the portal, eager to collect those all-powerful Dragon Balls and restore their loved ones back to life. When they entered the portal, they found themselves back on the barren island they entered the DNA pillar before. Soon after, Kaito and Gaito went in next, followed by Sara, Seira and Nicole.
"Lucia? What is it?" Goku asked curiously. For a few moments Lucia remained silent, appearing hesitant to speak her mind for reasons only known to her, but in the she merely smiled gently.
"Nothing Goku. It's just…" Lucia said before she looked at Goku in the eyes. "I'm just glad that it's all over and that everything will be as it was."
"Me too." Goku nodded with his typical smile.
"Come on, you lovebirds! Let's go!" Hanon said cheerfully as Nicole, Madame Taki and Roshi entered the portal.
"We will leave you behind if you don't come right now!" Rina teased.
"Will you two just…" She said in anger, but was interrupted when she saw someone charging at her boyfriend. "Goku, look out!"
Goku quickly turned around, but it was too late as the assailant rammed him on his chest and pinned him down, who happened to be Garlic as he regressed to his normal form.
"Missed me?" Garlic said angrily. Goku gritted his teeth as he headbutted Garlic, knocking him back on his feet while recoiling in pain. Goku quickly got up and dashed forward, throwing a right punch at Garlic, but the demon caught his fist with his left hand and threw a right punch to the gut, followed by left knee to the chin before he grabbed him by the throat, quickly flying towards the tower and slamming through it's walls.
"Goku!" Lucia, Hanon and Rina shouted worryingly.
"No, not this time." Lucia frowned seriously in determination before she looked at her friends. "Hanon, Rina, go through that portal with the others, who knows how long will it remain open!"
"What are you saying?" Hanon asked in worried and confused tone.
"We won't leave without you Lucia!" Rina shouted in frustrated, yet worried tone.
"This is not a request Rina!" Lucia shouted angrily, much to the surprise and slight shock of the two at her not so often outburst. "Please, I won't be able to help Goku if I'm worried what will happen to you two as well. Go, get out of here!" She waved her hand in calmer tone before she dashed forward and flew towards the tower.
"Lucia, wait!" Hanon shouted worryingly as she reached out her hand to stop her, but it was too late as Lucia was far gone. Reluctantly they obeyed Lucia's wish and entered the portal, praying inwardly that Goku and Lucia will pull through.
Meanwhile, inside the tower…
"I am not so easy to kill, you stupid simpleton." Garlic chuckled in pain, barely having the strength to fight, but will not dare let Goku know.
"How… How did you survive that attack? You should be dead right now." Goku asked angrily while gritting his teeth as he struggled to get up.
"Were it not for this soulstone, that might have been the case." Garlic smirked arrogantly as he showed Goku a black, empty sphere that contained his soul. Due to it being a one use item, he could no longer use it, thus he shattered it in his iron grip. "You robbed me of my vengeance Goku." He then kicked Goku with the right knee to the left cheek, slamming him into the ground and making him roll like a ragdoll a few yards from him. "You denied me the pleasure of tearing Kami apart. No matter. I will indulge in killing you before I hunt Kami down."
"Stay away from him!" A female voice called out. Goku and Garlic looked up and noticed that it was Lucia who arrived, landing between Goku and Garlic.
"Lucia?" Goku said as his eyes widened in surprise, though at this point he shouldn't be surprised as this isn't the first time she would go into the thick of it to save Goku's skin.
"You might want to turn away little mermaid. This won't be pretty." Garlic said in snide tone as he readied to kill Goku, even through Lucia.
"I won't let you hurt him." Lucia said angrily as she clenched her fists to her sides, remaining steadfast no matter the odds.
"No Lucia!" Goku said worryingly as he got up on his knees.
"Fine." Garlic said casually before he charged at Lucia.
"STOP! NO!" Goku pleaded loudly, but it was too late as Garlic is about to deal a finishing blow to Lucia. However, as he threw his right punch, Lucia actually caught his fist, leaving the two fighters utterly shocked and surprise.
"What?!" Garlic shouted in shock that the mermaid princess managed to block his attack. Inwardly Lucia was also perplexed that she just did that, but she didn't had a second to hesitate as she threw a right uppercut and a left power kick, knocking him back in the air and slamming him into the ground.
"Whoah. Nice kick." Goku smiled in amazement.
"It's all thanks to your training." Lucia smiled gratefully before she looked at Garlic seriously. "Look Goku, he must have been weakened severely after your attack up at the tower. It is now possible for us to beat him."
"Alright then, let's do it Lucia. Together." Goku smiled confidently at Lucia. The pink mermaid couldn't help but blush at the notion of them fighting together, but she smiled brightly and nodded to her boyfriend eagerly before both of them turned to Garlic and took their fighting stances.
Garlic slowly got up from the ground and held his stomach, trying to ignore the pain that the mermaid princess inflicted on him.
"What the hell is going on here? She should be able to even do that!" Garlic thought angrily before his eyes went slightly wide in clarity to his weakened state. "I get it. I can't believe I made an amateur mistake. That soulstone leaves me severely weakened for a good while when I use it. That's how that wretched mermaid got the upper hand that time." He slowly got up on his feet and glared daggers at Goku and Lucia. "Don't think this changes anything, you are still no match for my power!" He roared as he charged at Goku and Lucia, with the young couple doing the same by attacking Garlic as well.
The three fighters bumped onto each other before they threw a flurry of punches in both directions. Garlic threw a right punch on Goku's gut, but he got hold of his arm and Lucia threw a right knee on Garlic's face. Garlic grabbed Goku by the throat and tossed him overhead. At that same instant, Lucia dashed and threw a flurry of punches on Garlic's gut. After enduring Lucia's fists of fury, Garlic grabbed her head and kneed her right in the face, followed by left fist on Lucia's right cheek. Goku immediately threw a left power kick on Garlic's face, but Garlic in his fury grabbed his foot and slammed him hard onto the ground. Goku gagged loudly and coughed out blood from the force of the slam to the ground, but despite that, he immediately got up and threw a right punch, with Lucia throwing the left punch at the same time from Garlic's left flank. Much to their surprise, he caught both of their fists.
"Playtime's over." Garlic said in dead serious tone before he threw a left power kick at Lucia's gut and right elbow slam on Goku's face, knocking him down. Not wasting a second, Garlic mounted Goku and started to slam him hard with heavy blows, all which Goku could only block.
"Get off of him!" Lucia shouted angrily as she got Garlic on a chokehold, pulling him back as hard as she was able, but Garlic grabbed Lucia by her hair and slammed her on the ground to her right before grabbing her by the throat and lifting her in the air.
"Before I kill you both, I want to thank you. I learned that toying with my foes has lead me to this pathetic state. It was my error, and because of that now I'm all business." Garlic said in dead serious tone as he glanced from Lucia to Goku. "You Goku, being Kami's champion will be the first to suffer. I want to see your eyes filled with despair and horror as I torture your girlfriend, both physically and mentally." He chuckled menacingly as he gripped Lucia's neck harder, forcing her to choke and squirm to free herself from his iron grip while black lines slithered from Garlic's palm to Lucia's skin upward.
Goku's blood started to boil with rage at the very notion of Lucia being tortured and then killed soon after. And the sight of Lucia's desperate struggle to free herself, the pain so great that even tears former in her eyes, Goku roared in fury and immediately went on the offensive. He used his left hand to bend Garlic's arm and punched him in the face with his right fist, followed by Lucia's kick and Goku's hard headbutt that knocked Garlic down.
"What?!" Garlic said in shock, but before he could do anything, Goku grabbed him by his neck, swung him overhead in full circle before he roared loudly as he tossed him through the pillar.
"Why won't you die?!" Garlic screamed in fury and fear, fury that he's a stubborn freak of nature and fear that he is now starting to lose ground now that it was Goku's turn to be on a rampage. He immediately attacked him as he threw a right fist, but Goku caught the fist with his left hand and threw a right punch in the face. Then he kicked him upward in the air and dashed up, cupping his hands and slamming him into the ground so hard that he bounced off and then crumpled again, rolling like a ragdoll a few yards away from Goku. Garlic gritted his teeth in rage and attacked Goku and Lucia again.
=Play Music: Dragon Ball Super BROLY OST Full-Force Kamehameha=
As Garlic dashed towards Goku, the spiky-haired warrior used his Afterimage Technique, which Garlic's fist went through. In that moment, Lucia threw a right punch which Garlic blocked and at the same time Goku threw a left power kick at Garlic's face, followed by Lucia's left roundhouse kick at Garlic's gut, sending him flying back away from the two. Garlic flipped back and charged both of his hands with crimson energy before shooting a barrage of energy attacks at the young couple. Goku and Lucia flipped acrobatically in the air, dashing and evading the blasts as they closed in fast at Garlic. When they were close enough, Goku and Lucia threw simultaneous punches at Garlic's face, knocking him back again. The demon immediately flipped backwards and attacked the duo again. Goku and Garlic collided their right fists while Lucia attacked from above, throwing a right roundhouse kick that Garlic blocked. Then Goku delivered a right uppercut, followed by Lucia's left knee to the gut and right elbow hook and Goku's left hook, Lucia's upward kick and a flurry of punches in Garlic's gut from both Goku and Lucia combined. Then Lucia delivered a right hook, followed by Goku's right knee to the gut and left elbow hook to the face before they both let out a battle cry and delivered a simultaneous power kicks at Garlic's chest, knocking him back as they flipped backwards to gain some distance. Then they both took their fighting stances back to back and charged at Garlic in unison. The demon growled furiously and let out a battle cry of his own as he charged in his berserk state.
While Lucia was relatively fresh as she didn't had to exert her strength in a fight, Goku was at his wits end, but he knew he had to give everything he has left and more if he is to win this bout. Same goes for Garlic, only he is more rapidly losing his strength as he has to fend off both Goku and Lucia at the same time. He was really perplexed that the mermaid princess could be this strong, but upon further inspection, only she had the physical prowess to contend with him, the only assumption being that Goku trained her and turned her into a martial artist that he has to deal with now.
When Garlic was close enough, he grabbed the two by their throats and drilled them into the ground a few yards before he tossed Goku away while lifting Lucia up and punching her in the gut, making her gag and cough out blood. As much as she was in pain, this time she will not give in to the agonizing pain. She decided to fight to the bitter end and make Goku proud. She gritted her teeth in fury and immediately went for a counterattack, kneeing Garlic's arm to free herself and throwing a right roundhouse kick at Garlic's face, while Goku dashed forward and headbutted Garlic right in the face, knocking him down to the ground and crumpling a good distance away from them. Goku and Lucia did not stop in their relentless assault as they closed in on Garlic. The duo threw relentless punches and kicks at Garlic, pushing him back further and further, not giving him the precious moments he need to compose himself and go for a counterattack. Then Goku and Lucia dashed forward back to back and threw simultaneous punches right on Garlic's face, knocking him back hard as the demon slammed into the debris behind him, burying him under a pile of rocks.
"Let's do it Goku!" Lucia shouted in determination.
"I'm way ahead of you!" Goku nodded with a confident smirk before both of them dashed up in the air, flying up until they were high enough to execute a decisive, combined attack.
"Kaaa…Meee…Haaaa…Meee…" Goku and Lucia chanted the energy wave, cupping their hands close to each other in combined assault. Down below, Garlic got out of the rubble he was buried underneath and looked up at the shining bluish-white light, his eyes going wide in horror as the duo is about to finish him off.
"HAAAAAAAAA!" Goku and Lucia roared as they unleashed a combined Kamehameha Wave at Garlic. The energy wave quickly closed in on Garlic and his time there was no second chance for the demon as the blast collided with him.
"You may have won… but in the end… I'll have the last laugh." Garlic thought with a malicious grin in his final moments as he was disintegrated at a rapid pace until there was nothing left of him. The energy wave continued it's course through the rubble and out of the tower before eventually fizzling into nothingness.
=End of Track=
Goku and Lucia panted heavily, barely capable of catching their breath as they unleashed every bit of energy into their combined attack. Goku didn't even had the energy to stay in the air anymore as he started to plummet towards the ground.
"Goku!" Lucia said worryingly as she rushed to his side. She grabbed Goku before he could hit the ground before slowly descending until they landed on the floor, carefully placing her beloved on the ground.
"Goku. Are you alright? Say something!" Lucia said sadly as she shook his head slightly. Goku couldn't move his body after using almost all of his energy, but he was still conscious as his eyes were twitching, opening his right eye half way and smiled at the pink mermaid.
"We won." Goku chuckled slightly in mixture of pain, joy and relief.
"Yes. It's finally over." Lucia smiled gently as she closed her eyes and leaned her forehead on his while tears of joy flowed from her eyes, starting to sniff and hiccup a bit.
"Hey. Why are you so sad? I thought you would be… happy that we won." Goku said with his trademark smile.
"I'm happy that you are alive, dummy!" Lucia exclaimed sadly. When she calmed down a bit, she continued. "You are always so brave, so strong. And yet you are always the one to be bloodied and beaten." She said sadly as she wiped a few blood stains from Goku's face.
"I don't mind the injuries at all… if it means that you will be alright Lucia." Goku smiled, making Lucia blush red at his heartfelt words. Goku smiled widened a bit as he continued to look in Lucia's teary eyes, while the pink mermaid smiled lovingly and leaned in, plunging her lips into a deep, loving kiss.
Sadly, their tender moment has been abruptly interrupted as an earthquake ensued.
"Wha… what's happening?" Goku asked as he frowned in alert while Lucia dried her tears.
"This place is starting to fall apart. We have to get out of here." Lucia said seriously as she quickly hoisted Goku up on her shoulders.
"Lucia, what are you doing? You are weakened too, you won't make it to the exit if you carry me with you." Goku protested seriously.
"I have to at least try. I can't lose you again either, not this time!" Lucia shouted in utter determination as she used what's left of her reserves and flew back to the portal while the tower rapidly crumbled.
The pink mermaid dashed and evaded the debris collapsing from the tower as she was flying as fast as she was able back to the portal. The realm around the young couple started to disintegrate in its entirety following Garlic's death. The tower was completely demolished, but fortunately Lucia managed to escape the tower before it's ruins could fall on them both. However, as determined as she was, Lucia's energy was nearly depleted. Even now during their escape, every fiber of her being feels completely exhausted while the land and strange beasts around her continued to be disintegrated into nothingness. But she can't stop now, she has to use every drop of energy she has in her to escape, to see another day with her boyfriend at her side. They will reach that portal until her body gives out on its own, for her love is that strong towards Goku.
Meanwhile, on a barren island where they previously entered Michel's realm, the Z Fighters waited a good distance from the portal for Goku and Lucia to emerge.
"Where could they be? They should have been back by now." Krillin said worryingly.
"It really blows that the portal is one way passage, otherwise we would have helped them out." Kaito said seriously.
"Goku, Lucia. I pray that you get yourselves out of there safe and sound." Master Roshi thought seriously.
Then suddenly, the portal itself started to rise into the sky, much to the confusion of the group. They noticed that the portal itself started to destabilize, vibrating with uneasy sounds that worried the group. From the other side of the portal, Lucia gasped in shock as she too noticed that the portal will not hold for long.
"No! No, I won't make it!" Lucia shouted in despair.
"You can do it Lucia! Believe in yourself!" Goku shouted seriously in encouraging tone. That encouragement was what she needed as she continued to fly as fast as she could. However, no matter how much effort Lucia is putting, in his mind Goku knew this wasn't enough. They need more speed if they are to reach that portal in time before they are disintegrated too. That said, Goku charged what's left of his energy reserves into a final Kamehameha.
"HAAAAAA!" Goku shouted as he unleashed a one-handed Kamehameha behind the two, giving them a much needed speed boost to reach the portal. After Lucia was stunned a little, she recomposed herself and flew towards the portal. Thanks to Goku's boost, the two fortunately passed through only a moment before it closed. When they emerged at the other side, they were falling down from the sky.
"We… made it." Lucia whispered, smiling in relief before she finally lost consciousness.
"Nice work… Lucia." Goku whispered with a smile before he too was out cold.
"Look, they made it!" Hanon smiled brightly as she pointed at the two. But Tien with his enhanced eyesight noticed that the two of them are not even trying to slow their fall. Upon further, quick inspection, both of them appeared to be unconscious, which the other pupils of the Turtle House noticed soon after.
"Yamcha!" Tien shouted as he dashed immediately in the air.
"On it!" Yamcha nodded before he too flew in the air. The two fighters reached Goku and Lucia quickly, with Tien catching Goku and Yamcha catching Lucia before landing on the ground not long after.
"Goku!" Krillin, Master Roshi and Chiaotzu called out worryingly.
"Lucia!" Hanon and Rina called out worryingly.
While Goku's friends rushed to their side, high in the sky Piccolo overlooked what happened with folded arms and noticed that Goku made it alive.
"So, you made it. Good, that means I can tear you apart myself when we fight again. Sadly, our battle will have to wait for another time Goku. I hope you will be ready when that day comes." Piccolo said grimly before he turned around and flew higher in the sky towards the unknown.
"Are they going to be alright?" Rihito asked worryingly.
"Yeah, they'll be fine. Both of them are just exhausted, a good rest will do well for them both right now." Tien smiled.
"Thank goodness." Nicole sighed in relief.
"Well, there's only one thing left to do before we can celebrate out victory. We need to start gathering the Dragon Balls and undo all the damage that Garlic caused." Master Roshi smiled.
"I couldn't agree more. But where do we start looking for them?" Karen said seriously with folded arms.
"Well, we have the four star ball with us. That means there are six more left to find. And to do that we need to head to West City and ask Bulma to give us the Dragon Radar." Krillin smiled.
"Yeah. With Goku resting, it's up to us to find the Dragon Balls. So let's not waste any time and go to find them all." Yamcha smiled.
"What do we do in the meantime?" Yuri asked curiously.
"We will go to Goku's house, I'm sure that's the only place where it wasn't wrecked when South City was attacked, considering it's up in the hills." Rina suggested.
"Then that's where we will go. It's as good a place as any to wait for them to return with these Dragon Balls." Sara said seriously.
Before they could proceed with their plans, Krillin and Yuri picked up Noel and Hippo respectively, while Yamcha handed over unconscious Lucia to Kaito and went to pick up Michel. Tien dropped Goku on Roshi's hovercraft and headed to pick up Coco before they finally flew back to the mainland. While they flew towards the shore away from the island, Master Roshi, Madame Taki, Nicole, Kaito and Rihito went back on foot towards Master Roshi's hovercraft.
"Seira, are you feeling well?" Sara asked in slight worry as she knelt down and placed her hands on Seira's little shoulders.
"Not really. To think that monster killed Michel without mercy, along with Noel, and Coco, and…" Seira started to whimper slightly as tears formed in her eyes.
"Not for long Seira." Sara said gently as she placed her hands on Seira's cheeks. "If these magical orbs are as powerful as they claim them to be, then we will bring the mermaid princesses back to life, along with all the people of South City that suffered Garlic's wrath." She said as she dried Seira's tears with her thumbs. After she calmed down a bit, Seira smiled and nodded silently.
"Okay." Seira said before Sara smiled as she too nodded.
"Let's go Sara." Gaito said seriously while patiently waiting for the two to depart. Sara got up and slowly walked towards Gaito with Seira in tow, then the three of them slowly caught up with the others and entered Roshi's hovercraft. With everyone on board, they all departed from the barren island.
A gruesome war against Garlic and his forces have finally ended and the Z Fighters are now left to repair the damage that the demon caused to the people of Earth. After Krillin, Yamcha and Tien relocated the bodies of their fallen comrades to Goku's beach, they departed without a second to waste to the Capsule Corp in West City, accompanied by Chiatozu as he was well known not to leave Tien's side.
"You guys go to Goku's house. I will remain here to tend to them, we can't just leave them like this." Karen said in slightly gloomy voice as she looked at her dead sister.
"Are you sure Karen?" Nicole asked worryingly, not feeling sure if leaving Karen next to her deceased sister is a good idea at all.
"I'll be fine, don't worry. Now go, all of you deserve some rest." Karen smiled gently.
"Losing a sister must have been a heartshattering experience for you. But don't worry. You'll see them all again alive and well when the boys gather the Dragon Balls. In the meantime I suggest we wait for them at Goku's house until they arrive." Master Roshi said in slightly serious tone.
"No." Karen said seriously, to the slight surprise of the entire group. "I said I'll stay here and make sure that nothing happens to them. Now please, go. No more arguments." Karen said in seriously, yet slightly shaky tone as she turned her back from the group. Hanon, Rina, Master Roshi, Nicole and Madame Taki glanced at each other, feeling slightly uneasy as they felt like Karen's sanity will shatter the longer she has to look at her sister's corpse. If they were to try and convince her further of otherwise, then that might actually happen. Seeing no other alternatives and with persuasions failed, they complied to her demand.
"Alright then. Let's go." Master Roshi said as he turned around and went towards Goku's home, followed by Madame Taki, Nicole and the others.
Yuri looked at Hippo for a few moments before she reluctantly had to leave him, inwardly praying that those orange balls will bring him back to her arms. Same dilemma befell Seira and Sara as they both locked their gazes at Michel and Coco respectively. Seira started to sniff a bit in sorrow as her eyes started to tear up. Sara placed her hand on her head and soothed her a bit, silently telling her to come with them. When they did, Seira looked at Michel for a few seconds before they departed too. Everyone started to head back except Gaito and Kaito, the latter who still had Lucia in her arms. Kaito looked at Lucia's sleeping form in contemplation, his thoughts being his own the longer he gazed at the pink mermaid.
"Lucia." Kaito thought the longer he looked at her beautiful face.
"It's quite a shame brother." Gaito snapped his twin brother from his thoughts. "If fates had been kinder to you, you would have been in this mermaid princess' heart instead of Goku."
"I moved past that Gaito. Like I said, I wish nothing but the best for these two. They deserve it not only for saving us all, but for the pure and innocent personalities they have." Kaito smiled.
"You have matured Kaito. An interesting development to say the least." Gaito smirked with folded arms.
"Right back at ya, glad you are not trying to kill us anymore." Kaito retorted, while Gaito couldn't help but chuckle in amusement.
"What can I say? Women have a way of changing the man's nature for the better." Gaito smirked as he looked at Sara walking with the others.
"Yeah." Kaito nodded with a smile before he looked at Lucia again. "That they do."
About an hour later, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu have reached the main entrance of Capsure Corp, and not long after they entered the doors, which was fortunately locked even after midnight.
"Yamcha!" A familiar voice called out happily before the four fighters looked to their right and noticed...
"Look, it's Bulma!" Krillin smiled.
"Hey Bulma!" Yamcha smiled brightly. When Bulma was close enough, she jumped on Yamcha and hugged him tightly, with the two of them all the while laughing and giggling.
"Thank goodness you're alive." Bulma smiled before her face went seriously. "There was report all over the news that South City was attacked, it's now in ruins."
"Yeah. So many people were killed by those sea monsters." Yamcha said seriously as he looked on the floor before he glanced back at Bulma and smiled. "But as long as we have the Dragon Balls to bring them back, we are good."
"That's why we came here Bulma. We need your Dragon Radar so we can search for the Dragon Balls and summon Shenron." Krillin said seriously.
"I'll come with you to collect the Dragon Balls, it's been a good while since we went on a good Dragon Ball hunting." Bulma smiled as she turned around and headed to the laboratory to fetch the device and ready herself.
And so it was that the Z Fighters flew across the world as fast they were able to find the six remaining Dragon Balls. It took three hours to get the Dragon Balls one by one, but eventually they managed to gather them all. Not long after they obtained the final orb, they flew back to Goku's home in South City.
Sometime later that night as the dawn approaches, Goku finally started to wake up from the sofa. When his vision became less and less blurry, he noticed that the person standing next to him was…
"Krillin?" Goku said in sleepy tone.
"Hey there buddy. Had a good sleep?" Krillin smiled while Goku bent up a bit and yawned loudly while stretching his arms.
"Yeah, I think so." He said groggily as he rubbed his right eye before both of his eyes widened slightly in remembrance. "Wait. We still need to find the Dragon Balls to wish back all those people."
"Hey, don't worry about it. While you were resting, Bulma, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu and I managed to collect all seven Dragon Balls, we were about to summon Shenron." Krillin smiled.
"Wait, Bulma?" Goku said in slight surprise.
"Hi Goku." Bulma suddenly said as she walked towards the two fighters and sat on the sofa where Goku slept.
"Oh, hi Bulma." Goku smiled brightly.
"They told me that you guys have been in one nasty battle. I'm so glad that all of you made it out in one piece." Bulma smiled.
"Well, let's go out there and use those Dragon Balls." Goku smiled.
The seven Dragon Balls have been assembled and placed at the beach, while everyone eagerly waited for Goku, Krillin and Bulma to arrive from their house as they observed the orbs flashing repeatedly.
"I have never seen something like this." Nicole said in amazement before Master Roshi chuckled light-heartedly.
"You are in for a surprise when we use them." Master Roshi smiled.
"Hey guys!" A familiar voice called out to them from the sky.
"There they are." Seira smiled brightly.
"About time." Rina smiled as Goku and Krillin landed in front of the group with Bulma holding onto Goku's back. When they landed, she let go of him and walked next to them.
"So, are you finally ready to summon the Eternal Dragon?" Kami asked seriously.
"Sure thing, let's do it." Goku smiled before he turned towards the Dragon Balls.
"Man, I can't wait to see how this dragon looks like." Kaito smiled in excitement.
"I'm curious to see him too, he must be magnificent to behold." Rihito smiled in great curiosity.
Everyone fixed their eyes on the Dragon Balls and waited for Goku to perform the ceremony. While Goku, Bulma, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu and Master Roshi are already used to this, along with Kami for obvious reasons, the others in the group waited in anticipation, readying themselves to witness the power of these almighty spheres.
"ARISE SHENRON!" Goku shouted loudly as he raised his arms.
As soon as Goku finished his line, dark clouds formed in the sky accompanied by thunder, lightning and strong wings. The Dragon Balls shined brighter and brighter until lightning struck at the Dragon Balls and then a giant yellow beam wreathed in lightning followed, piercing the thunder clouds, while lightning continues to strike randomly from the clouds in the distance. Everyone except Roshi's pupils and Bulma watched in mixture of awe, amazement and fear at the sudden freak occurrence with the activation of the orange orbs, shielding their eyes from the bright light, unable to believe that those orbs are capable of this spectacle. Seira clutched onto Sara's leg and hid behind her in fear, while Sara held her head to soothe her fears. Then the giant yellow beam started to writhe like a serpent left and right and elongate itself, the tip of the beam shaping into a head of a dragon, while four parts of the serpentine beam formed a pair of arms and legs. The yellow beam darkened and solidified into a body that Goku and the other Roshi pupils recognize, letting out a loud, beastly roar as it finally emerged. Seira clutched onto Sara's leg harder, trembling a bit in fear while Hanon and Yuri clutched onto Rina and Nicole respectively in similar fear of the of the giant dragon that formed from those small orbs. Then the Dragon slowly lowered his massive head and gazed at the Z Fighters below.
"Goku! What is that?!" Rina shouted in amazement and shock.
"That is Shenron." Goku smiled.
"Yup. But don't worry, he's harmless." Krillin smiled casually.
"Incredible." Karen said in amazement.
"Yeah, that's one way to put it." Nicole said in slightly trembling voice in fear of the dragon.
"Wow, that dragon is huge!" Rihito exclaimed in mixture of shock, amazement and slight fear of the scaled monster.
"He looks so badass, check him out!" Kaito fanboyed at the mere sight of Shenron.
"How can a dragon this big even be harmless?" Gaito said in confusion as he looked at the dragon in awe.
"Yeah, he may look scary, but like Krillin said, he never harmed anyone." Yamcha smiled.
"I am the Eternal Dragon! Speak your wish I shall grant it!" Shenron said in his usual, booming voice.
"SHENRON! I WISH FOR YOU TO BRING BACK ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE KILLED BY GARLIC AND HIS ALLIES, EXCEPT FOR THE EVIL ONES!" Goku shouted loudly for the dragon to hear before Shenron growled slightly and remained quiet for a few moments. Everyone waited in anticipation of whether the dragon will fulfill Goku's wish or not, but Roshi's pupils know better as the dragon is merely being dramatic.
"It shall be so!" Shenron said before his eyes glowed red as he started to make Goku's wish come true. Not long after, the group noticed that the bodies of Hippo, Coco, Noel and Michel flashed with red light. Invigorated with new life, Michel, Hippo, Noel and Coco opened their eyes and slowly got up from the ground.
"Noel! NOEL!" Karen screamed in immense joy before she rn towards her beloved sister as tears flowed from her eyes.
"Hippo! My dear Hippo!" Yuri shouted in equally immense joy as she too sprinted towards Hippo with tears flowing from her eyes.
"Coco!" Sara smiled brightly as she ran towards her friend, followed by Seira as she ran towards Michel.
"My dear Noel!" Karen whimpered loudly as she hugged her sister tightly.
"Karen." Noel smiled sadly as she hugged her dear sister.
"Miss Yuri? Is that you?" Hippo asked, hoping that all of this wasn't a dream.
"Yes my dear Hippo, it's me!" Yuri whimpered loudly in joy as she too hugged Hippo tightly. Hippo doesn't know what's going on, but he didn't care as all that mattered is that Yuri was in his arms again.
"Coco." Sara smiled, feeling an immeasurable joy in her heart as she formed tears in her eyes as well.
"Sara." Coco got up and hugged Sara, with the orange mermaid reciprocating the hug.
"Michel, you're alive!" Seira shouted loudly in mixture of joy and sorrow as she hugged Michel tightly.
"What? Seira?" Michel asked, feeling conflicted and confused at what happened and what is happening right now.
"Oh my goodness. This is truly a miracle." Hanon said in shaky voice filled with joy as tears flowed from her eyes.
"It truly is. The wish actually came true." Nicole said in equal happy tears mood, with Rina sharing the sentiment as she smiled brightly.
The others smiled brightly at the heartfelt reunion. Even Gaito couldn't help but crack a smile at the immense joy radiating in the atmosphere after their loved ones were brought back to life. As Shenron continued to channel his power, South City glowed with red light across the streets, reviving all of the people as intended, along with other cities who fell victim to the assault of the naga. Eventually Shenron finished with the intended resurrection.
"Your wish has been granted! I'll take my leave!" Shenron said as his body glowed again with yellow light, his massive form regressing to small, glowing orb that pulled the Dragon Balls from the ground. Then the light disappeared and the seven Dragon Balls hovered high in the air. While they did that, Goku fixed his eyes on the four star ball, not feeling like letting it scatter with the other balls across the world. When he locked his target he dashed high in the air and grabbed the ball, letting the others dash across the sky in separate directions before he landed on the ground. With the orbs scattered, the storm clouds quickly dissipated as the early dawn sky was again revealed.
"Goku? What was that all about?" Hanon asked curiously.
"Well as you may have seen, when you make a wish on the Dragon Balls, they scatter across the world." Goku smiled before he showed the now petrified four star ball. "And when they do, the balls turn to stone, but it takes a whole year for them to regenerate before they can be used again."
"And you took the four star ball because it was given to you by your grandpa, right?" Rina smiled.
"Huh? How do you know of that?" Goku asked innocently in surprise before he smiled brightly. "Oh I get it, Lucia must have told you that, right?"
"Yup, she did." Hanon said as she and Rina nodded in unison.
"I doubt it can be that simple to use these orbs, there must some kind of catch, otherwise you can use those orbs repeatedly every time they are active." Gaito said seriously.
"Yeah, I agree with him." Rihito said seriously.
"Come on guys, don't be so glum. If there was a catch to use the Dragon Balls, Kami would have surely told us, right?" Krillin smiled as he looked at the Guardian of the Earth, while Kami said nothing as he merely nodded silently.
"So Lucia, what do you think?" Goku smiled brightly as he turned around, but only now he noticed that she wasn't here, at first believing that she was present from the start. "Lucia? Where's Lucia?" He asked Hanon and Rina. To his confusion, the two mermaid princesses remained silent, along with Nicole as they were apparently hiding something from Goku in more discerning eyes.
"Hanon? Rina? Where's Lucia?" Goku asked curiously.
"I'm afraid that Lucia is ill Goku." Madame Taki suddenly said, drawing the attention of everyone in the group. "And I don't think she will wake up anytime soon." She said in utterly sad voice, on the brink of crying herself. Goku had no idea what she means by that, but it sounded very serious and that worried him greatly. Without hesitation he jumped in the air and flew towards his house.
A few minutes later, the entire group headed inside Goku's house to check on Lucia. Everyone, including Michel gathered around Goku's bed where Lucia was lying and by the looks of it, she did not look well at all as her skin color turned to a mix of ghostly white and tar black.
"Lucia." Goku said in frustrated, yet utterly worried tone as he grabbed her hand, heartbroken to see Lucia in such crippled state before he flinched a bit when he felt how her hand was cold.
Just as Goku and his friends averted one disaster, another quickly followed in Lucia. The pink mermaid princess was now afflicted with a terrible curse that threatens her very life. Will they find a cure to Lucia's affliction? Or will they be forced to watch as their beloved mermaid princess is withering away in excruciating pain until she eventually dies? Until the unthinkable happens, they will use everything at their disposal to save Lucia, especially Goku, who has no intention whatsoever to let someone as purehearted as Lucia die.