As Wednesday afternoon rolled around, Mafin, Begu and Krillin decided to have a sparring match outside Kame House.
It was a very intense session for the trio, as they were training to face the two deadly androids. Simultaneously, it was also very exciting, as they hadn't really gotten to spar with each other before.
From Krillin's perspective, the boys were only getting better and better. Their combined fight strategy still managed to be very impressive. As the two of them fought together as one, they were equal parts defense and offense.
So, Krillin decided to test them out once more, to see what they were truly capable of.
During a five minute rest break, the monk announced to his students that he would change tactics, and focus soley on one fighter at a time. Ten minutes for Mafin, and ten minutes for Begu. The duo agreed with this new plan, and once the match resumed, both fighters took turns facing off against the more experienced warrior.
What Krillin found was a world of difference between the two fighters, and he immediately noticed one glaring flaw in the duo's usual strategy—one of them was too reliant on teamwork, and the main one responsible for that flaw was Mafin. The Pesutorian's physical punches, kicks, parries, dodges and blocks were...a mixed bag. While not bad per se, Mafin's attacks were noticeably not as strong compared to when he and Begu acted as a team.
Begu, on the other hand, seemed fine when on his own; even though the Octorian relied on rapidly flailing his fists and kicks (as well as using head butts) a bit too much, he was more than capable of handling a physical match on his own.
Finally, an hour passed, and Mafin and Begu sat down, panting in exhaustion.
Krillin was considering telling the boys about their respective shortcomings, but he had a feeling that they were already aware of them, and would probably try to figure those issues out for themselves.
Instead, the monk said, "I think that's enough training for today."
Krillin gave a thumbs up to the both of them, "Nice job, you two. Keep up the good work. 'Cause we're gonna need it for when we face those androids."
As he was about to go inside, Mafin stood up in a fast manner, "Krillin! Wait!"
Confused by this sudden outburst, the monk turned back around to face the Pesutorian, "What's up Mafin?"
Mafin nervously fiddled with his hands, "U-Um...I wanted to ask you..."
He glanced at Begu for a brief moment, then looked back at Krillin.
"This is it!", Mafin thought, "This is the moment!"
The Pesutorian took a deep breath, and exhaled out.
He then asked, "Krillin, is it possible to use the Namekian Dragon Balls to revive Octoria, and our parents as well?"
Both Krillin and Begu's eyes widened.
For a brief moment, there was silence among the group on the beach, the only sounds being the sweeping ocean waves hitting the shore.
Suddenly, the monk answered, "Well, yeah. I mean, if those Dragon Balls managed to transport the Namekians to New Namek, then I think reviving Octoria can't be too bad."
The duo let out a collective sigh of relief.
Krillin inquired, "Why'd it take you guys so long to ask me about this?"
He looked at Mafin, "And why didn't you ask me this morning?"
Mafin nervously replied, "I-I was going to, but I got a little...scared."
Begu spoke up, "To be fair, the both of us were kinda scared to ask..."
Mafin nodded in agreement and continued, "These orbs are also Dragon Balls, so we had no idea if they followed the same rules as Earth's or not."
Krillin remarked, "The Namekian Dragon Balls act kinda the same as ours, so you guys should be fine."
Mafin and Begu felt their hearts rapidly beat with joy and excitement.
Krillin smiled, "Alright, so tomorrow, I'll make sure to tell Goku about your situation. He should be able to get those Dragon Balls without any problems."
Mafin happily exclaimed, "Sweet! Thank you so much, Krillin!"
The monk winked at the Pesutorian. He then went back inside Kame House.
Mafin looked back at Begu, who smiled, "Thanks, dude. I really appreciate what you just did."
Mafin replied, "No problem."
He then stretched out his arms and said, "I'm gonna take a little nature walk at Mount Paozu. Just to cool down for a while."
Begu perked a brow, "You're going back to Mount Paozu? Again? We just went there yesterday!"
Mafin smirked, "Says the guy who went back over there with Kappukeki this morning."
"Yeah, fair point. So, I guess I'll see you when you get back."
Mafin chuckled, "Right."
He looked towards the door, and shouted, "KAPPUKEKI!"
The curly haired heroine instantly teleported in front of the duo.
She was now wearing a blue V-neck along with denim jeans and black sneakers.
"You called for me?", asked Kappukeki with a smile.
Mafin nodded, "Could you please teleport me over to Mount Paozu? I'm gonna go on a nature walk."
Kappukeki replied, "Okay! But, can I join you on your walk?"
Mafin was slightly puzzled by this request at first, but then remembered the heroine's reason for staying here in this timeline.
He nodded, "Sure you can."
Kappukeki's face brightened, "Alright-y! Fourth verse, same as the first! Here we go!"
Mafin grabbed onto the heroine's waist, and Kappukeki teleported away.
The two arrived at a random forest, far away from the Son household.
Mafin peacefully inhaled and exhaled.
"Let's go.", said the Pesutorian as he began walking into the forest. Kappukeki happily nodded and walked alongside him.
Trees of varying sizes stood strong and mighty all around. There was a light breeze in the air, and the many leaves that rested on the trees dangled back and forth. Sunlight pierced through the leaves, casting a beautiful greenish-yellow glow on the ground. Various distant chirps could be heard throughout the area.
Mafin spoke up, "You know...I've always enjoyed doing these kind of quiet walks. Begu doesn't care for them, but I do. And I haven't gone on one in a long while."
Kappukeki remarked, "Oh, you haven't?"
He shook his head no, "I've been meaning to, but I'm so preoccupied with training, that I end up forgetting about it. Until today, that is."
The pair walked by a massive oak tree, and they took in an adorable sight: They saw a blue bird in a big nest, sleeping quietly alongside her three babies.
Mafin let out a sigh, catching Kappukeki's attention, "You know, I have to admit...I miss doing this. Strolling around in the Pesutorian forest. Hearing all the sounds of the woodland creatures. The days before training and world ending threats, and all that stuff. Just getting to see the beauty of nature."
Kappukeki nodded, "Yeah. I see what you mean.
The Pesutorian continued, "And, well...sometimes I miss the way things were before."
The heroine grinned, "Thankfully, your parents and Octoria are all coming back tomorrow!"
Mafin smiled, "Yeah, and it feels amazing!"
He looked up at the sky, still obscured by the trees, and said, "I've also been thinking about something else."
Kappukeki asked, "What's that?"
"When all of this android stuff is over, I think might stop fighting entirely."
"What?! Why?!"
"It's just that, without Begu, I've never really felt like a great fighter on my own. Plus, with 21 living in this timeline, Frieza being dead, and my parents coming back to life...what's the point of me training to get stronger?"
He shook his head and sighed, "I'm not saying my decision is set in stone and all, but for right now...I'm considering it."
Kappukeki said nothing, and only silently nodded. She felt bad for her future father's predicament, because, unbeknownst to him, he would end up being right; her mother once explained to her that by Age 780, Mafin gave up martial arts completely, and decided to become a library assistant in West City.
Perhaps, in this new timeline...Kappukeki could (once again) do something else to alter certain events.
Perhaps, like before with the new version of her mother, she could bring out that hidden fighting potential within this kind-hearted person.
And perhaps, she could finally get that perfect future she's always wanted...
"Better put that on the back burner.", thought Kappukeki.
As they walked past several tree roots, she then asked, "So, how'd you and Begu first meet? I've always wondered about that."
Mafin explained, "See, it's kind of a long story, and it all goes back to our freshman year of high school. Our school was called West Galaxy High. Generic name, I know. Besides the core subjects, I learned various things about the universe, such as the Big Bang, the history of each planet in the West corner of the galaxy, as well the names of their various stars."
He enthusiastically grinned, "Speaking of planets, I LOVED learning about Sho-Non 84! Such an amazing history filled with heart, soul, and spirit! It's a really peaceful sounding planet! Oh! And there are several other planets that I find fascinating!"
Kappukeki smirked in a rather smug manner, "You really love learning about planets, don't you?"
Mafin blushed, "Y-Yeah...West Galactic History 101 is actually my favorite subject."
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"S-Sorry for being so geeky..."
"No, no, no! It's okay! You like what you like!"
"Although, I also took an art class in my senior year, and it kind of sparked an interest in painting. I'm thinking about trying out a watercolor class here. Say, I wonder, are there any-"
"Uh, weren't you about to say how you and Begu first met?"
Mafin's eyes widened, "O-Oh! Right, right, right! Sorry!"
He cleared his throat and continued, "It was a Tuesday afternoon, during the second week of class. I went over to my locker, dressed like the scholarly geek I was. I took my history textbook out of my locker, when all of a sudden...
A younger Mafin heard a loud slam near him. He looked over the door of his locker and saw a young, purple-skinned Octorian dressed in a gray hoodie and jeans.
He was shaking his head, growling, "Crap! Stupid worn out bag!"
Mafin asked, "Are you alright?"
The Octorian sighed, "No...my flippin' textbook just fell out of my backpack. And it's all due to a broken front zipper that won't close."
He briefly showcased the small backpack to Mafin, which indeed did have a broken zipper.
Mafin's eyes widened, "Oh, geez!"
"Yeah. Not fun."
"So, where's your textbook?"
"Eeeeh, it's kinda...drenched in juice."
He pointed towards the large book, which was completely covered in raspberry juice, which spilled out of a nearby bottle, for some reason.
Mafin exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! That's horrible!"
The Octorian rubbed his forehead, "And what's worse is that my history class starts in ten minutes! My teacher's probably gonna think I'm a greasy slob! What the heck am I gonna do?!"
As the purple guy let out an aggravated groan, Mafin stroked his chin in thought, wondering how to help solve this issue.
He looked over at his own book, still clutched to his chest, and got an idea.
"You could share my textbook for today.",offered the Pesutorian.
The Octorian perked a brow, "Wait, aren't you in, like, another class?"
Mafin replied, "Actually...we're in the same class."
The Octorian shouted, "WAIT, WHAT?! THEN HOW COME I'VE NEVER SEEN YOU?!"
Mafin nervously rubbed the back of his head, "I-I've always sat in the back of the room. I'm really soft spoken."
The Octorian said, "Huh. Well, okay then. Thanks for the help, dude."
Mafin smiled, "No problem."
"I'm Begu, by the way."
"I'm Mafin. It's a pleasure meeting you."
The Pesutorian politely bowed in front of the Octorian.
Begu chuckled, "Dude, you don't have to go all royalty on me. A simple hand shake is good enough."
Mafin stood up and exclaimed, "R-Right! Sorry! Will keep that in mind!"
He closed his locker and placed in his locker combination.
Mafin turned to Begu and asked, "Um, do you need help getting your book, or...?"
Begu sighed, "Sure. It's gonna be a little messy though."
And so, both men carefully grabbed the ruined textbook, and place it in Begu's small bag.
Mafin then placed his new friend's bag in his larger one.
As the Pesutorian zipped up his own bag, Begu happily said, "Phew! Thanks a lot for the assist, man!"
Mafin nodded, "You're welcome."
The two students proceeded to walk up the school stairs.
Begu spoke up, "Still kinda odd how I've never seen or heard you. But then again, I'm usually asleep the entire class."
"Asleep during history?!", Mafin gasped, "Why would you sleep during history?!"
The purple guy shrugged, "I guess it's 'cause I'm watching so many GalaxyTube videos at night."
Mafin winced, "Yeesh. I advise you to break that habit. It's not very healthy."
Begu rubbed his arm, "Yeah, you're right."
He groaned, "But history's gonna be so BOOORING!"
Mafin placed a reassuring hand on Begu's shoulder, "It won't be. I promise you, it won't be. Not if you give it a chance. So, please try to stay awake for today."
Kappukeki questioned, "What happened afterwards?"
Mafin replied, "He managed to stay awake the ENTIRE class. Of course, I had to repeatedly tap him on the shoulder every time he dozed off."
The Pesutorian chuckled at the nostalgic memory.
Kappukeki smiled warmly, "Man, your first meeting with Begu...kinda reminds me of my first meeting with Pan!"
"Who's that?"
"She's an awesome friend of mine, who's like a big sister to me. She's also the future daughter of my timeline's Gohan."
"Aww! That's really-WAIT! SHE'S WHAT?!
"Yep, it's true! Don't tell your Gohan about what I just said though, because that could make things kinda awkward..."
"Y-Yeah. It would."
Mafin then stretched his legs out, and sat down on the grass.
Kappukeki smiled, "Ready to go back?"
Mafin sighed, "Yes. I feel like we've been walking around for a while now."
Kappukeki nodded and placed a hand on the Pesutorian's shoulder. She then instantly teleported herself and Mafin out of the area, and back onto the small island of Kame House.
The two of them walked inside the house, and saw Begu and Krillin relaxing on the couch, watching TV.
Begu looked over at Mafin and waved at him, "Hey, man! How was the nature walk?"
Mafin smiled, "It was good! I got to talk with Kappukeki for a bit."
Kappukeki added, "Yeah, it was a really fun experience!"
At that moment, the heroine saw a familiar cartoon playing on the TV.
"HOLY CRAP ON A STICK! IS THAT SPONGEBOB?!"
Krillin and Begu stared at her with widened eyes, startled by her reaction.
Krillin spoke up, "Uh...yeah."
Kappukeki gained a very large grin on her face, and let out an excitable, child-like squee.
As she did this, the other three people in the room covered each of their ears.
Krillin uncovered his, and asked, "Why did you have to-?"
"NO TIME TO REPLY! TURN IT UP! I HAVEN'T SEEN THIS SHOW IN YEARS!", shouted Kappukeki as she hopped over and sat in between Krillin and Begu.
Begu exclaimed, "Geez! Alright, alright!"
He grabbed the remote and turned the volume a little bit higher. Kappukeki's hands began shaking with a combination of nostalgia and excitement as the episode's title card came on.
Later that evening, a snoozing Kappukeki suddenly woke up to see that everyone had left her alone on the couch.
She sat up and looked over the couch to see Mafin and Begu sleeping on their respective beds.
"I guess Krillin went back upstairs too, huh.", thought the heroine.
Getting up from her seat, Kappukeki decided to head outside to get some fresh air.
She used Instant Transmission to teleport herself onto the island shore.
At that moment, the curly-haired heroine exhaled slowly and collapsed to her knees, unleashing a MASSIVE amount of hidden ki in the process.
Kappukeki thought, "Phew! Finally! Can't believe I masked my energy for two days!"
"Kappukeki? What are you doing out here?", asked a familiar voice.
Recognizing that voice, Kappukeki turned around, and saw Mafin standing a few feet away.
