The Game of Life: Dragon Ball Edition
A/N: "The following is a fan-based work. Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Shueisha, Dimps, and Akira Toriyama. I'm just a guy havin' fun. :p."
Chapter 15: Passage of Time
Interlude
"Lord Kuriza! Urgent news!"
Kuriza's eyes snapped open, not out of alarm, but out of annoyance. He gently floated in the center of a massive room, his aura flowing out of him like a calm river. The Frost Demon wasn't shy about his need for better control of his aura. It was probably the only thing that was holding him back from stabilizing his other forms. There was just so much power inside of him.
More so than even his Grandfather, although he'd never admit it out loud.
He knew about his problem before, but it became painfully clear when they had fought that Frost Demon traitor who killed Ruu and Jaguul. Kuriza had controlled his second form just fine, but when he slipped into his third form, he lost all cognitive thought and reason. Somehow, Vurt and Kuu managed to calm me down enough to focus and destroy the enemy.
Relying on others is a weakness, Kuriza suppressed a deep growl from within. Once I'm strong enough, I can look out for myself.
Vurt rushed into the room not a moment later, a streak of light following behind him. Kuriza stayed in his meditative position, but his eyes were now glued on the intruder. His eyes were critical, causing Vurt to hesitate and then bow.
Vurt didn't know it, but Kuriza would never even think about killing such a loyal follower. Sometimes, Kuriza even considered Vurt a friend, but he would never know that. The closer that Kuriza seemed to Frieza, the more likely that people would listen to him.
"What is the news?" Kuriza asked impatiently, allowing Vurt to rise to his feet. The purple aura in the room subsided at once, while Kuriza straightened out his posture and began to float down to the floor.
"Lord Frieza has vanished," Vurt's face was clearly in a panic, "And so has Lord Cooler and Lord Cold! It's been reported that they all disappeared at the exact same moment."
Kuriza's eyes widened for a moment in shock; his brain processing the new information. If just one of them disappeared, they could have just been going away on their own for whatever reason. But all three of them disappearing at the exact same moment… What did that mean?
Vurt opened his mouth to speak, but when he saw the intense look on Kuriza's face, he closed his mouth. Kuriza began to pace the room, his tail flickering from side to side as he did.
"Has there been any reports of them at all, throughout the entire Frieza Corp?" Kuriza turned on the nearest monitor using his Telekinesis, realizing that the story was already on every channel.
"No sir… They just vanished just like that," Vurt clicked his fingers as if to emphasize his point. "What should we do? If we don't make a statement soon, the Frieza Corp will fall apart!"
After a few more moments of thinking, Kuriza looked up at Vurt with a neutral expression on his face. "Let it fall apart."
"What?!" The words flew out of his mouth before he could stop it. Kuriza gave him a stern look, which caused Vurt to compose himself. "My apologies, my lord, but what do you mean? Do you plan on just abandoning the empire that your family has been building for centuries?"
"Only temporarily, until I can get stronger or figure out how to find my Father and Grandfather," Kuriza put a hand underneath his chin and sighed, "Whatever or whoever did this was powerful enough to simultaneously destroy or remove three of the most powerful beings in the universe all at once. I have to become strong enough to face power like that. Or at least have an army that can match it."
"T-That… Is there an army that strong out there?" Vurt questioned, clearly skeptical.
A sly grin spread its way across Kuriza's face, which sent a shiver right down Vurt's spine. He'd been mentoring Kuriza since he was just a hatchling, but never had he seen such a devious expression on his face.
"Not yet…" Kuriza turned away from Vurt and placed a scouter on his face, linking it to every speaker on the ship.
"Initiate the stealth panels on the Demolisher and change directions," Kuriza ordered his workers, who he knew would immediately obey. A few seconds later, a raspy voice came through the speaker.
"What's the new destination, Lord Kuriza?" The voice asked. The room fell silent as Kuriza floated back into his meditation position in the center of the room.
"My home planet, Planet Chilled."
Planet Saiyan - Year ?
Green liquid drained out of a healing tank; a lone figure standing in the aftermath. Said figure was tall, not unusual for a Saiyan, but what was peculiar was the white streaks that ran in his fur, and in his hair. This wasn't an ordinary Saiyan, by any means. He looked up into the mirror closest to him, milky white eyes staring back.
Leek didn't attend many parties, but this one he didn't have much choice. It was the annual celebration of the disappearance of the Cold family and the Frost Demon race. Everyone would be out on the streets partying, and for them, it was definitely a time to be happy. But not for him.
Leek continued to get ready, throwing on a suit and tie. He wasn't very comfortable in it, but the Tuffles had introduced some interesting new clothing options to the Saiyan race, and for formal gatherings, we were expected to wear these things. Whether it was a political move, he didn't know or care. But it was most likely because King Okro went and married the daughter of the old Tuffle King.
That had made the whole transition much easier for both races, for some reason. Maybe it was because both races knew that they each had a person in charge now. The first year was full of fighting and protests, but about a year and a half after the end of the war, King Okro married the princess, and all the fighting stopped.
Well, there was still the occasional band of fighters, but they weren't much of a nuisance.
Leek walked out of his changing room into the living room of his new apartment. The entire back wall of the apartment was one-way glass. He was high above the 'Golden City', as people were starting to call it, and just above him was the cloud line. It was a luxury apartment, paid for primarily by the Government. He could have paid for it himself, but they insisted, due to what Sub had done for them all.
The Tuffle's outdid themselves with their inventions and creativity. Leek had been to many planets, but in his opinion, Planet Saiyan was still the most luxurious of them all. Sometimes he wondered exactly what kind of future that Sub had seen, where the Saiyans could have wiped out the entire Tuffle race and then died off themselves. The entire idea sounded insane.
Leek looked in the mirror at his freshly cut hair, grumbling at the new style. It wasn't his favorite, but it would do. He had used some of what the Tuffles called 'grease', to slick what was left of his hair to the left. He had to admit, it didn't look bad, but it made him feel like a Tuffle.
He wasn't a Tuffle and he didn't want to be a Tuffle.
"You ready, 'Bino?" The voice of his best friend caught his attention. It didn't startle him at all, considering that he'd sensed his energy from miles away. Soko hovered outside of the one-sided glass and waited until the glass slid open and Leek hovered out to meet him.
Soko had grown quite a bit since they'd met, but then again, that was many years ago. They weren't quite adults yet, but they were getting there. Leek was almost physically 17, and Soko already 18.
"Nice outfit," Leek replied as they began to soar through the sky in the direction of their destination. Sook had a matching suit but in the opposite colors. Soko simply smirked at him as they flew.
"Think you'll pick up any chicks tonight?" Soko asked with a mischievous grin. Leek shook his head, before shrugging his shoulders. That was the last thing on his mind at the moment.
"I doubt it," Leek replied, much to Soko's dismay.
"Why not? You know you could have any girl that you want! You're pretty much one of the top soldiers in the Saiyan army; you're like a celebrity!" Soko reached out to nudge his friend, but Leek casually moved out of the way.
"I know, but just not tonight," Leek tried to speed up, but Soko sped up to match him.
"Tonight is a night to celebrate! Not to be mopey and sit around all day!" Soko crossed his arms while Leek rolled his eyes.
"I'm not mopping around. I'm going to a party, aren't I?" Leek retorted as they began to descend from the sky slowly.
"After Mom had to convince you for days," Soko took a deep breath, "She wasn't even convinced that you were going to come, that's why she sent me."
"She knows that I'd never go back on my word," Leek almost looked offended, but he turned away to hide his facial expression, "Besides, it's only a party. Maybe it'll be good to keep my mind off of things."
"That's the right attitude," Soko snaked his arm around his friend's shoulders and soon they were both smiling again, "Now, I want to see you dancing with at least one girl tonight!"
"I don't dance," Leek shook his head at the thought. That strange thing that the Tuffles introduced to the Saiyan seemed so odd, yet the large majority of Saiyans quickly grew to love it. Leek, however, couldn't get it right no matter how many times he tried to practice alone.
"It's easy, trust me. You just go with the flow of the music!" Soko did a rough spin in the air, much to his friend's amusement. "And from what I've heard, the girls like a Saiyan who can dance. Maybe enough to let you take them home..." Soko gave Leak a sly wink.
"What kind of girl are we talking here? Saiyan or Tuffle?" Leek returned Soko's wink with a cheeky grin.
"Does it matter?" Soko shrugged his shoulders, "Both races have hot chicks if you ask me. Plus, some of these Tuffle women have some incredible personalities that are, well… Different, from the rough Saiyan women."
"Maybe I like girls rough," Leek raised an eyebrow, "Tuffles just seem so small and easy to crush, and I don't think accidentally ripping her arms off is a turn on."
"Well, you'll never know unless you try," Soko finally touched down on the ground, followed by me a moment later. Immediately after which, the world lit up in white flashes. Cameras all around them as they began to walk into the Royal Castle, which was aglow with flashing colors and rapidly changing designs.
While there were many smaller parties scattered across the planet, and even across the entire galaxy, this was the party to be at. People traveled from the other side of the universe to attend, just to be in the presence of the Saiyan royalty and suck up to them.
Ever since Frieza disappeared, the Frieza Force quickly dispersed into smaller factions, who were easily picked off. The little that survived were quickly picked up by Rover, who formed them into his own private force. While they still fell under the command of the Saiyan rulership, they worked separately and independently, only ever taking direct orders from Rover or King Okro himself, if he needed them.
King Okro had even supplied Rover with some Saiyans to add to his private army. It turned out to be a good investment, seeing as Rover's forces were the main reason why the Saiyan Empire was spreading so fast and effectively across the galaxies. He was gifted with a strategic mind that was unparalleled by most.
Leek's mind wandered to Rover, and to the reason why he wouldn't be at the party tonight, despite having become rather close with the species. It was the only thing giving Leek hope and turning this otherwise dark day into something brighter.
Rover was about travel to Earth to figure out what had happened to Sub. After the party, Leek planned on meeting up with Rover's forces and join them on their journey.
Leek couldn't help but frown as he looked at all of the people celebrating around him. The reason that he was usually a shut-in on this day annually wasn't that he hated parties. No, it was because for him, 'Redemption Day', was also the day that he lost someone he cared about.
Was that why Sub had left so suddenly? Did he know all along that he was going to sacrifice himself to rid the universe of the Cold Family? That thought kept on resonating with Leek, and the idea made him feel horrible. But he still had hope, despite the evidence piling up against that fact.
He had hope that one day his brother would return.
Unknown Planet - Year ?
It was incredibly cold when he woke up. It didn't take him much longer to notice that the world was much more different now; better than before. Colors that he didn't even know existed were there, vibrant and popping. He felt as light as a feather, like he could take on the world.
Like he could take on the entire Saiyan race.
That was what this all was for, wasn't it? The stone-faced individual thought to himself as he flexed his muscles. They looked the same as before, but there was something different. The new energy was spinning, twisting and colliding inside of him, spreading and blossoming with each passing second.
The man stood up from the cold surgery table and quietly got changed into some of his clothes, which he had left in the room for after the surgery. Once they were on, he made his way out of the room and into a long hallway.
At the end of the hallway, voiced started to form.
"We are no longer just a small group of Earthlings. Our numbers are growing too quickly for us to continue exploring as one large collective," The first voice, the voice of Doctor Briefs, spoke calmly.
"I agree, but our research can not slow down. If it does, we'll never be able to complete our project," Gero's voice was agitated, "We both know that our only chance of taking down the Empire is to complete Cell and master the human-to-android transfiguration process."
"So what do you suggest?" Doctor Brief asked, followed by a long silence.
"I suggest that we take the volunteers and separate from the majority of mankind once they're equipped enough to protect themselves well enough on this new planet. That way we can focus all of our attention on Cell and the transfiguration process," The room fell into silence once again after Gero spoke.
"Well, if how I feel means anything, you've done a good job with the transformation," The tall man took a step into the room, startling the two men for a moment. When they realized who it was that they were looking at, their eyes widened considerably and Gero immediately walked up to the man, scanning his body curiously.
"D-Doctor, it worked…" Gero's shock couldn't be more palpable. He reached out and touched across the surface of the man's body. "It really worked…"
"How are you feeling, Ryol?" Doctor Brief asked Ryol, the young man responding by flexing his muscles and cracking his neck.
"Much better than ever before. I feel like I could do just about anything," Ryol unflexed his muscles and looking at both of the amazed doctors, "Thank you for this opportunity. I won't let it go to waste."
"No, thank you for volunteering, despite the many risks. It takes a powerful determination to go through what you went through," Doctor Brief consoled him with a smile. "Thanks to you, we might have finally discovered the correct process of creating Androids. This is a momentous change in the course of humanity's future."
"Let's not get too hasty," Gero took a step back and sent the android an intense glare, "We still need to make sure his power core is stable and run a few more tests. And then after all of that, the combat test."
"Of course, but let him rest for a moment. He must be exhausted after such extensive surgery," The shorter scientist insisted. Much to his surprise, Ryol chuckled in response.
"Exhausted, I don't think I'll feel tired ever again," He turned from Brief to Gero, his eyes sparkling an unnatural green. "Run the tests and then I want to do the combat test. Today."
Brief seemed hesitant, but Gero grinned proudly at his creation; already leading him into another room. "If you insist."
"Remember, Ryol, we aren't quite sure exactly how powerful you've become. So be careful when fighting this subject."
Doctor Brief's voice filtered through speakers surrounding the giant stadium-like structure. Ryol stood in the center of the empty construct waiting. He hopped from side to side as he did, the idea that his opponent was about to come forth exciting him.
"This is a Saiyan that we managed to capture using very careful planning, absorption technology, and chi suppression technology," Gero's voice blared through the speakers, just as the floor opened in the distance and a figure began to rise. "Despite being captured, this Saiyan is still powerful. Don't let his appearance deceive you."
Ryol hesitated for a moment once his eyes adjusted and zoomed into the distance. The Saiyan in front of him was just a child. Or perhaps an early teen, he couldn't quite tell. Chains wrapped its way around his neck and arms and legs and somehow held the boy in place.
"It's just a child.." Ryol said in disappointment and slight annoyance. Before he could even formulate another thought, Gero's cold voice pierced into his heart.
"So was your daughter," His words caused Ryol to freeze in spot, his eyes flaring to life in a mixture of rage and sadness. "Ellis was her name, wasn't it? Do you think that they cared at all when they blasted Ellis into ashes? No! This species is a species of pure monsters that need to be put down! He might look like a kid, but underneath that, he is a plague of death!"
All was silence in the arena for a few moments, before finally, Ryol turned towards the Saiyan child and went into a fighting stance. This stance was from the Wing Chun style, as taught on Earth before it was destroyed. Before they left, Doctor Gero and Doctor Brief collected a great digital library of important things that they thought they'd need to rebuild humanity. Thankfully, fighting techniques were one of them.
"Okay, release the chains,"
The moment that the chains suppressing the Saiyan fell off, the hairs on their body stood up on edge, like a rabid animal. They turned to Ryol, their eyes focused on him intently. The androids blood boiled at the sight of the boy. A boy apart of a filthy race.`
In a moment's time, the Saiyan was running at him; his chains dragging behind on the floor as he held them tightly in his hand. Ryol's eyes narrowed and he prepared for impact, pleasantly surprised at how slow it appeared that the Saiyan was going. If he was still human he would probably have been surprised. But not anymore.
The fight didn't last longer than 10 seconds. The boy was on the floor laying motionless, eyes rolled back.
"Good! With this strength, we'll be able to have our revenge!"
Gero's voice intoxicated Ryol and he grinned ferally. The Saiyans wouldn't even know what hit them.
Sub - Deadzone - Time #%
One day while hopelessly floating through the void, I was delighted to see that the surrounding void began to shimmer and crack. No matter how much I'd tried before, nothing could make it shake. This probably meant that it was being opened from the outside.
I wondered how much time had actually passed. While in this void, The Gamer system acted as if it was restricted itself. I couldn't make any more improvements or adjustments while trapped in the Mafuba. It was like the Jail in Monopoly.
In a flash of light, the world around me exploded. I felt my body expanding outwards as if shaping back into my original form. When it was all over, I stretched out and looked around me. Much to my dismay, I realized that my prison was just replaced with another one.
The Deadzone. I realized glumly. There was all-encompassing pitch darkness all around me. I was surprised to see that near me, a figure floated by, glaring at me. He looked familiar and one look at his name confirmed it.
"Garlic JR? You freed me?" I asked him cautiously, my eyes scanning the other man. He looked exactly how he had in the movie and series. The small alien narrowed his eyes at me and I could see the confusion in them.
"Who are you and how did you get in here?" He asked me pointedly. I offhandedly looked away from him and started trying to work with the gamer system,
Mafuba Prison Escaped!
Restrictions – Unlocked!
Deadzone – Entered!
.Thanks for the obvious, game. I sighed in frustration. But the systems back on, that's all that matters. Now I need to figure out how to escape.
"Are you ignoring me?!" I heard Garlic behind me but rolled my eyes. He was way too weak to hurt me... But then again, that's what I thought about humans. I narrowed my eyes and turned back to him. I'm not taking any more chances.
With a wave of my hand and a pulse of intense energy, Garlic JR was no more. I turned my attention back to the game system.
I have a Dimension Manipulation ability, so maybe that can help.
I opened up the special ability menu and went to the ability in question, before opening up the skill tree. The last time I upgraded it, it had allowed me to fit my entire body into a portal. After that, a whole lot more options sprang from that, and only now was I able to see the possibilities.
Feat:
Deadzone (1 point) – You'll be able to open portals and travel between the world of the living to the empty wasteland, the Deadzone!
Information about the Deadzone:
Barely inhabited
Time dilation to the extreme degree! Due to being a place outside of time and space, the Deadzone doesn't follow the natural flow of time.
Zero Gravity
Crap… So who knows how long I've been away from the real world… It could be centuries.
I tried to buy the ability, but a large 'x' hovered over the purchase button. When I clicked it, words popped out at me in large red print.
CANNOT PURCHASE SKILL UNTIL YOU'VE ENTERED, AND EXITED, THE DEADZONE!
You've got to be kidding me. I growled in annoyance and tried to click the button again, prompting the same message. After a few tries, I closed the interface and looked around at the vast infinite.
The good news is, I'm not stuck here forever. The game says that there's a way to get out… The bad news is, I have no idea how.
"If there's a way out, I haven't found it yet," Garlic Jr's voice wasn't hard to miss, so when I turned around and saw him flying near me with a pissed off look on his face, I was surprised.
"Didn't I just kill you?" I looked at the tiny person with narrowed eyes. I must be going crazy.
"Technically yes, but also no," Garlic crossed his arms over his chest, "I'm immortal. Nothing can kill me permanently."
Immortal King of Earth
Name: Garlic Junior
Race: Immortal Makyan (Male)
Age: 60
Status: Alive (Furious)
Power Level: 4000
Garlic is the current King of Planet Earth, cast to the Deazone due to his own recklessness.
"King of Earth, huh?" I was shocked by the news. More shocked by his status as an immortal. How far were we in the timeline for Garlic to have already wished for immortality?
"I remember you.." Garlic's eyes were squinted hard. "You're the alien guy that tried to conquer Earth. The 'One Day Invasion' guy?"
"One Day Invasion? I don't know what you're talking about," I was starting to get annoyed, and a little worried. I needed to get out of this place as soon as possible.
"You came to Earth, killed the King, then got everyone looking for the Dragon Balls, and then you vanished," Garlic said confidently, before grinning. "Thanks to you, I found out about the Dragon Balls. It wasn't very difficult for me to collect them either."
Ah. My announcement made everyone realize the value of the Dragon Balls, and somehow, they found out about it's secret. I looked down at Garlic. So that means we might not be as far down the timeline as I thought. Good.
"Tell me, Garlic, how did you get trapped in here?" I asked curiously.
"Why should I tell you anything? You just tried to kill me!" He growled at me in anger, his teeth bared. In a second, I was behind him, with my tail wrapped around his neck.
"Either you tell me now, or you will die a million times over until you do," I tightened my grip on his neck until he was barely conscious, before releasing him and letting him catch his breath.
"F-Fine, fine!" He choked out while flying a good distance away from me. He took a good few minutes to recoup before he explained, "The aliens came one day and attacked Earth."
"What did they look like?" I interrupted quickly, to his annoyance.
"Some of them looked like humans, but with brown furry tails. Some looked like you. And the rest was just ugly," He looked away from me, off into the distance, "But they were strong. Too strong for me. When they tried to raid my castle, I retaliated by opening a portal to the Deadzone, hoping to trap them inside…"
"But instead, they trapped you," I realized with a sigh. He nodded his head in shame, while I turned away from him to think. I had no need to talk to him anymore, so with one powerful swing of my tail, I sent him as far away from me as I could possibly manage. No sneak attacks.
I need to find a way out. Garlic didn't have any useful information at all. I took off into the unknown, intent on finding an escape.
It was many hours, or days later when I decided to rest. I couldn't tell anymore. Everything looked the same and at times it felt as if I was flying in one place. When I finally stopped exerting energy and just settled down. For the first time, I noticed a blinking icon in the corner of my HUD, and I clicked it.
Unread Notifications!
I clicked the pop-up with interest, a few things jumping out at me immediately.
Due to various reasons, such as being in the heat of battle, or being sealed away right before a notification was due, certain information and rewards will be sent to your notifications pile.
Unread:
MISSION COMPLETE!
Quest!
Annihilation
Objectives:
Path 1: Go to your homeworld and annihilate everyone living and breathing. No survivors. [Denied]
Path 2: Let them all live, and face Cooler's wrath. [Denied]
Path 3: Make your own route, neither destroying your race or fighting Cooler. [Complete]
Reward:
30,000 EXP!
Accept Reward Now?
I accepted immediately, which brought me right on the edge of receiving a level up.
EXP Earned Due to Defeating Frieza Elite Ruu and Frieza Elite Jaguul! +10,000 EXP
Battle Point Earned Due to Defeating Frieza Elite Ruu and Frieza Elite Jaguul! +1 Battle Point
EXP Earned Due to Defeating Twizzle and Blaze! +2000 EXP
Accept Rewards Now?
I'd wondered why I hadn't received experience for killing them. I must not have auto-receive on for everything. I'll have to change that.
Once I accepted, I went up a level, now at level 10. Due to my level up just prior to summoning Shenron, I now had a grand 8 attributes to give out, along with 4 feats and 4 Special Move Points. I'd figure that out once I got out though.
I noticed something peculiar at the corner of my eyes for the first time since entering this sickly dimension.
When I turned to look off into the distance, I saw a large golden portal. Could that be a way out? Whatever it is, it's my best bet. I powered up and sped over to the golden portal as fast as I could.
Sorry for taking so long to update :/ Life has been hectic, and I hit a major writing block, and then I recently started writing my own book that I plan on publishing hopefully sometime this year! A lot has happened, but I'm happy to say that I'm back and the updates shall be way more regular from now on!
Just in case you didn't know, me and Klldarkness, the creator of the Dragon Ball RPG Rebirth story, have a discord channel! Here's the link! discord DOT gg/UZWUKsh
