As Thursday afternoon rolled around, Mafin decided to get ready for his upcoming hang-out with Android 21. He called Bulma up, and told her about his Sunday plans. Bulma understood, and told Mafin to meet her at the West City mall. The two friends proceeded to head out to the mall. Mafin once again used Kappukeki for transportation, while Bulma just took a Capsule Corp. jet. They met up with one another, and walked over to a clothes store.
After searching through—and trying out—various outfits for a while, Mafin finally came across an outfit he really liked: A green dress shirt, a pair of dark brown slacks, and a pair of dress shoes. He tried the new outfit on, and it fit him perfectly. Once that was done, Bulma bought the outfit for him (as well as a few new dresses for herself.)
The rest of the week passed by, and it was now Sunday.
The early morning sun shone brightly in the sky.
Mafin opened his eyes and thought to himself, "Here we go. Today is the big day."
The Pesutorian jumped out of his bed, and ran over to the bathroom to wash up.
Soon after, Mafin went upstairs, opened up the closet, and brought out his new clothes.
He and Kappukeki teleported over to the entrance of Capsule Corp.
The futuristic bio-android happily gave Mafin a well-meaning pat on the back, "Good luck, my dude! Have a great time!"
Mafin smiled, "Thanks, Kappukeki."
She winked at the Pesutorian, then teleported away.
Mafin turned around to head inside the building.
When entering the lobby, Mafin saw the receptionist, and walked towards her desk.
"Good morning, ma'am.", greeted the Pesutorian, "Is a researcher named Android 21 currently available at this time?"
The receptionist replied, "She is."
Mafin said, "Could you let Ms. 21 know that I'm here to see her?"
The receptionist nodded, "Okay. I'll let her know."
As she pressed the intercom on her desk, Mafin walked over to a nearby chair, and sat down to wait.
For some reason, he started to become a bit more nervous. He hadn't seen 21 since Monday. What on earth was he gonna say to her? How was even gonna speak to her, or act around her? And what was she going to say about his new appearance? Was he going to look decent? Idiotic? S-Somewhere in between?!
All these new fearful thoughts began swirling around in his head, and it was starting to make him feel dizzy...
Mafin sighed and thought, "I better just go..."
The Pesutorian was about to get up, and walk out of the building, believing he had failed in his attempt to have a nice, fun day with 21...when, suddenly—
"Mafin? What are you doing here?"
The Pesutorian turned around and saw 21, standing a few feet away from him.
She was wearing a dark red tank top, a pair of indigo track pants, and black Converse.
Mafin nervously stammered, trying to think of what to say.
He managed to spit out, "H-Hey, 21! I just...w-wanted to know if you, uh, wanted to hang out today. I-I mean, if you want to, that is."
The orange alien cringed at what he just said, and mentally slapped himself for that.
To his surprise, 21 said, "Sure. I'm currently off today, so I don't mind."
Mafin happily exclaimed, "Okay! Cool!"
In his mind, he let out a very loud cheer, as he was happy that he didn't screw this event up. He was now deeply excited that this was actually happening!
The researcher walked a little closer to Mafin, making his face heat up for a brief moment.
She inquired, "Did you cut your hair?"
Mafin replied, "Yeah! I cut my mullet off for today."
He quickly backtracked on that last sentence, "W-Well, actually, Chi-Chi cut it for me, at my request."
"It looks good on you.", complimented 21.
Mafin smiled, "Thanks, 21."
The two of them walked out of the building, and went outside, taking in the warm weather.
Mafin questioned, "So, what's with the training outfit?"
21 answered, "I actually went out for a quick jog around several city blocks this morning."
"Oh, sweet!", said Mafin, "How was that?"
"It was wonderful!", grinned 21, "I felt an incredible dopamine rush after that!"
Mafin exclaimed, "Awesome!"
A new question then crossed his mind.
"Um, what's dopamine?", asked the Pesutorian, awkwardly rubbing his arm in the process.
21 smiled and explained, "Dopamine is a chemical messenger that sends information to your nerve cells. Basically, it's a key factor for how we all feel pleasure, and for how we think and plan certain elements of our day."
Mafin nodded, understanding the basic gist of what his friend/crush described. When looking back at high school, Mafin knew that science, especially bio-science, was never really his strongest subject. He was somewhat embarrassed by that fact.
They went over to a nearby park, and sat down on an unused bench.
To kickstart a new conversation, the pair decided to talk about all the stuff they went through this past week (although, Mafin left out any part that involved his small conversation with Chi-Chi, for obvious reasons).
Upon learning about Mafin's new decision to potentially give up fighting, 21 was rather understanding of this choice; it reminded her of the time before she started training, when she wasn't really a fighter at heart. 21 decided that, whatever her friend ended up doing next, she would support him.
The researcher was also extremely happy to learn that Octoria was revived, although she was heartbroken by the fact that the duo had to wait a year to return there.
Despite this setback, she would still hope to meet both of her friends' parents when the time truly arrives.
21 then talked about her week, which was spent training with her various teachers. The researcher thought that each of the Z-Fighters were excellent teachers, and she was deeply honored to have learned from them. She also noted how they all had very different fighting styles, which created a great amount of diversity for her, and could potentially help out in the long run.
Mafin agreed with this theory, and in his mind, he hoped that 21 would be able to get through these three years well, and eventually return to her quiet life as a researcher.
After a while of sitting around doing nothing, the pair decided to leave the park.
They flew out of the city, and over various islands for a while, before coming across Break Landscape, and began taking in all the wonderful sights, such as the various dinosaurs roaming around, or the lush, landscape.
"This planet never ceases to fascinate me.", said Mafin as he observed a pack of Triceratops running across a random field, "I mean, like these dinosaurs; I've never encountered any creature similar to them back on Pesutoria. And now, any time I see one, I just think, 'Man, these creatures are so...strange and beautiful looking.' "
He let out a small sigh, "I don't know. I love that feeling I get when I learn something about a planet."
21 smiled, "I definitely understand that feeling. I had a similar experience with that Guide to the Universe book. I never imagined that there were so many planets, with so many histories out there. The amount of planets within the universe is just...just astounding."
Mafin joyfully shouted, "I KNOW, RIGHT?! GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE IS SO COOL!"
The Pesutorian then covered his mouth, thinking he expressed himself a bit too eagerly.
21 giggled at his reaction, making him blush.
He nervously rubbed the back of his head and exclaimed, "S-Sorry!"
21 grinned, "No worries! We have a shared joy of learning, after all!"
Mafin chuckled, "Yeah!"
The pair continued flying around the landscape for another hour, when finally, they stopped in mid air, and decided to call it quits for the day.
They each said their goodbyes to one another, and decided to fly back to their respective homes.
21 had returned to her room, and changed into a simple, white t-shirt and dark blue PJs.
The researcher went to her dresser drawer, and pulled out a softcover copy of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. She walked over to a nearby moveable chair, sat down on it, and quietly read to herself.
After reading for fifteen minutes, 21 slowly began dozing off.
21 sudddenly found herself back in the fog-filled void.
"N-No! Not again!", exclaimed a fearful 21.
"You really think training and medicine can save you from me?", asked a familiar voice.
The creepy doppelgänger from before instantly appeared in front of 21, with a smug look on her face.
"Why?! Why do you still persist on staying in my mind?!", questioned 21. She was getting tired of constantly having to deal with her crazier side, who (for some odd reason), wasn't fading away from existence.
The doppelganger rolled her eyes, "Isn't it obvious? I'm still a part of you. I'm basically who you really are on the inside: a powerful being who desires as many sweets as possible. So, even using all of your mental strength, you won't be able to hold me back for long."
"No...", whispered 21, with terror in her voice.
The doppelgänger stated, "However, I want to wait for the day that those other two androids show up."
She held her hand out, and balled it into a fist, "When that day arrives, I'll emerge from this shallow prison, and convert them into tasty treats! After that, I'll do the same to every single person on the planet!"
21 exclaimed, "You can't do this! I...I won't allow it!"
The doppelgänger glared at her counterpart, "You don't get it, do you? I WILL become more powerful, and there is NOTHING you can do to stop me!"
She fired out a pink ki wave at 21, sending the good android spiraling futher into the dark abyss...
Suddenly, 21 was stirred awake when she heard a knock on her door.
"Hey, 21.", said Mafin, who stood outside, "Is it okay if I come in?"
Upon hearing the Pesutorian's voice, 21 jumped up, "Mafin?!"
The android walked over, and opened the door.
Mafin wore a simple white T-shirt, along with black PJ's.
He smiled, "Since the training cycle starts all over again tomorrow, is it okay if I spend the night?
21 unenthusiastically nodded and said, "Sure."
Mafin noticed her now sorrowful expression and asked, "A-Are you doing okay?"
21 let out a deep sigh, "No...I saw her again."
Mafin's eyes widened, "You mean Crazy 21?"
The android nodded, and she said, "You can sit down, if you want."
Mafin walked inside the room, and sat down on the edge of her bed.
Afterwards, 21 explained to the Pesutorian what she learned from Evil 21's plan.
When she finished, Mafin rubbed his forehead in shock and disbelief, disturbed by what he just heard.
"And there's nothing we can do about it?", he questioned.
"No. We can't.", replied 21, in an rather quiet manner.
The researcher started to pace around the room, "Which means that the medicine was essentially pointless! And now my evil side plans to wreck havoc upon the world, and I won't be able to do anything about it!"
She pulled at her hair bangs, "GRAAAH! I HATE THIS TURN OF EVENTS! THE WHOLE PLAN WAS ALL FOR NOTHING!"
21 angrily threw her book across the room, and it impacted against the wall with a loud slam.
A chill ran down Mafin's spine. The Pesutorian was deeply frightened by his friend's sudden outburst. He had never seen 21 so angry before!
21 turned around, and gasped in shock upon seeing Mafin's expression.
"Oh my goodness!", exclaimed 21 who nervously gripped her hair bangs, "I'm really, really sorry, Mafin! P-Please forgive me!"
Mafin nervously replied, "I-It's fine, 21. You didn't hurt me."
She let out another deep sigh, rubbed her forehead, and sat down next to him.
"I just...don't know what to do anymore.", said 21.
Mafin frowned, "I'm sure we can still find a way to-"
"NO!", shouted 21, "I have to face the fact that I can't be saved! I'm just a terrifying monster waiting to be released!"
Tears began to form in her eyes.
She sniffed, "I'm sorry, Mafin...but it's all over."
21 took off her glasses and threw them near her pillow. She then hugged her knees, and began quietly sobbing.
She heard Mafin say, "21, please...please don't give up. It's going to be okay."
He continued, "Despite what your crazy side says, I believe we can still get rid of that creature. I just need to ask Bulma and Kappukeki for help. I'll see if they can create a cure for you."
21 looked up at the Pesutorian, still teary eyed.
"H-How do you know?", asked a fearful 21, "How do you know this will work?"
Mafin placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled, "I...honestly have no idea. But you're my friend, 21. And I'm not giving up on you. I promise you that."
Touched by this, 21 felt newer, happier tears forming in her eyes. She engulfed Mafin into a tight hug, making him blush a deep crimson.
21 softly smiled, "Thank you."
After a few moments, she ended the embrace.
Mafin then noticed a black device sitting on her dresser drawer.
He inquired, "Is that a new music player?"
21 nodded, "Yes. Bulma gave it to me a few months ago."
Mafin said, "Oh, cool!"
He then asked, "What do you listen to on there? I mean, if you don't mind me asking."
21 smiled, "Not at all. Currently, I'm listening to an acoustic album called 'Sky Sailing'."
Mafin raised an eyebrow, "Sky-what now?"
"Sky Sailing.", corrected 21, "It's a wonderful album, in my opinion."
The researcher stood up and walked over to the device. She hooked up her MP3 to the miniature loudspeaker, and set it to the next song, 'Tennis Elbow'.
The track immediately began with a rather nice guitar opening.
Mafin thought to himself, "Okay! Let's try to make things more fun for her!"
He stood up and held out his hand to 21, "Care to dance with me?"
Surprised by this gesture, 21 asked, "Why?"
Mafin replied, "I think you need this."
21 quietly nodded in response, and held both of Mafin's hands.
Mafin and 21 started to slowly dance to the beat of the song. All the while, they heard the singer, in a calm voice, tell a rather nonsensical tale about ending up in some random place called Prince Edward Island, scratching up a rainbow, and apparently gaining tennis elbow.
Despite the surreal nature of the song, the pair were enjoying themselves as it played on.
Finally, at the climax, Mafin and 21 stared at each other.
It felt like time stopped for a moment. There were no thoughts about Crazy 21, no thoughts about training, no thoughts about the other androids, and no thoughts about the future apocalypse. The pair were only focused on each other's company.
Then, the chorus went:
We are lost, in the sound...
Close your eyes, and I will twirl you around...
As the chorus continued, 21 instantly twirled Mafin around, and both proceeded to dance in an even more joyous manner, dancing harmoniously all the way until the end of the song.
There, the two friends collapsed on the bed, and they began laughing out loud.
After a while, the laughter died down.
Once again, the researcher and the Pesutorian quietly stared at one another.
21 spoke up, "Thank you, Mafin. For everything."
Mafin smiled, "You're welcome."
The two of them slowly drifted off into a deep sleep.
Hey guys, it's me, Story Nado.
Wow. I've been writing this story for two years now.
TWO YEARS!
I can say, that it's been one massive roller coaster ride for me so far, and it's been fun. Very tricky to write at times, but still fun.
So I just wanna thank you guys for taking the time to read and follow this story. It really means a lot to me that you all enjoy it.
I'll see you all next time.
