by
Hung (Animeaddiction) Nguyen
Disclaimer: Oh where, oh where has my disclaimer gone?
: Thoughts
The Legend of the Golden Champion
The Bugrom Citadel...
Jinnai continued to laugh at his good fortune as the Bugrom celebrated his triumph at gaining control of the Demon-God Ifurita. As they giant insects danced about and played drums to a heavy beat, the egomaniac was imbibing his ninth glass of Burgrom nectar, which had the same effect as drinking sake. Jinnai was already tipsy as Queen Diva refilled his glass.
"So tell me again, Lord Jinnai, how you gained control of the Demon-God Ifurita."
"HIC! It washn't a problemm! That dope Trunks thought he was pretty hot schtuff, but by... HIC... my Demon-God kicked his ash! WA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
----------
The Demon-God in question was sitting alone on top of the top roof of the Bugrom Citadel and staring out at the night sky. When she saw the Eye of God, she became puzzled.
No... when I was sealed into that deep sleep, the Eye of God wasn't halfway near to completion. Something must have caused this change of events during my long slumber.
She then remembered back to that teen she had faced. The boy with power to rival her own. She recalled his words and his face...
Flashback...
Trunks: Ifurita! It's me, Trunks! Don't you remember? From the High School? You're the one who sent me here!
End of flashback...
The Demon-God trembled as she recalled that strange feeling when he grabbed hold of her Power Key Staff. Then she saw an image of Trunks as a Super-Saiyan, which reminded her of the great battle she had with El Hazard's Golden Champion.
"No... I don't know you..."
----------
Gallus smiled as the council of leaders unanimously voted on unsealing the Eye of God after he had informed them that 'Princess Fatora' was returning with the three Priestesses of Mount Muldoon. Everything was going according to plan. Soon, the Phantom Tribe would have its revenge against the people of El Hazard. It was just a matter of time now.
----------
A few hours earlier...
Trunks regained consciousness and found that he was aboard the cruiser, which was currently making its way toward Florastika.
"Oh good! You're awake!"
Trunks groaned a bit as he sat up and saw that Nanami, Mr. Fujisawa, Allielle, Ura and the Three Priestesses were sitting around the deck of the cruiser. All eyes were focused on him as he recalled the battle he had waged... and lost against Ifurita.
"It's... good to see that all of you are safe." He commented as he winced from the injuries he had sustained. He looked down and saw that he was bare-chested and that his torso was tightly wrapped in bandages, along with his forehead. On to one side, he saw his duffle bag and sword. Apparently, they had retrieved his things, but it took Mr. Fujisawa's strength to carry his weapon. The sword had been composed of some of the strongest alloys the Saiyan could find to sneak into the metal shop class.
"Trunks!" Ura cried out as she leapt into his arms. "Trunks okay?"
"I'm fine Ura. And how are you?" He looked at his cat and saw that her middle was also wrapped up.
"Ura be okay. Ura worry when Trunks get hurt."
"I'm okay, Ura. Really." He looked back at his companions and saw the questions in their eyes. He took a deep breath and sighed. "I guess you all want to ask me some questions, right?"
Nanami's brow furrowed as she nodded. "You're darned right that we have some questions! You've been hiding a LOT from us, haven't you? We want answers and we want them now!"
Trunks sighed again. "All right, what do you want me to tell you first?"
Nanami crossed her arms and gave Trunks a glare before replying. "First of all, exactly who or what are you really, and how can you do all those things you did back on the island? And don't lie to us and say that you gained those powers when you came to El Hazard, 'cause I don't buy that for a minute! Mr. Fujisawa got super-strong, I can see through illusions and my big jerk of a brother can speak to the Bugrom. I believed it when Mr. Fujisawa said you got super-strength and speed, but then you started glowing, flying all over the place, shooting energy beams, split into three people, and then transformed into that gold whatever-you-were! Start explaining Trunks! Just how were you able to do all that, when the rest of us only gained ONE superpower?"
"That's right, Trunks." Mr. Fujisawa agreed. "I may have been drinking at that time, but I wasn't THAT drunk! It's time for you to come clean. As your teacher, I an entitled to an explanation!"
Trunks could only sigh again as he replied. "Okay. I guess I do owe you that much. Though I'm not sure where to start and it's a really, REALLY long story."
"Try the beginning, Trunks. We've got plenty of time before we reach Roshtaria." His sensei said.
"All right. So let me start by asking you a question. Have you ever heard of the Saiyans?"
----------
Some time later...
"What?! I always thought that it was Hercule Satan that defeated Cell." Nanami said with surprise.
Trunks snorted with disgust. "Hah! In the words of my father, I've known stronger houseplants. That fake took the credit for all the work that my friend Gohan and his father Goku did to stop Cell. Heck, I beat that phony when I was eight at the World Martial Arts Tournament. It's just that everybody believed that he lost that fight on purpose."
"Still... it's really hard to believe that you're an alien, Trunks." Nanami remarked as she gazed at his features.
"Only half. My mother is human."
Mr. Fujisawa nodded. "And that transformation to... what did you call it again?"
"Super-Saiyan. My powers and moves becomes thousands of times stronger and faster... though it wasn't enough to beat Ifurita." Trunks said with some sadness. His father had always been telling him to continue with his training, and the difference in battle skills between himself and the Demon-God were painfully obvious.
"So you're saying that you're not the legendary Golden Champion?" Afra asked.
"Just who IS this Golden Champion you keep talking about? What does my transformation into a Super-Saiyan have anything to do with this person?"
Afra took a sip of her tea before answering. "Long ago, during the Holy Wars, the Demon-God Ifurita devastated the lands of El Hazard. At that point, the Eye of God had not been completed yet, so there was no force in El Hazard that could stand up against her. That is, until a savior came from the sky inside a Great White Egg."
"Great White Egg?"
Shayla nodded as she continued for Afra. "That's what the legend said. During that time, this warrior from the sky was violent, and would attack anyone. He seemed to be just as dangerous as Ifurita. The legend becomes very vague at this point, but it does state that he changed for some reason and began using his incredible powers to protect people. Eventually, he came face to face against Ifurita."
Miz nodded as she finished with the legend. "It was said that the battle between them was unlike anything ever seen before and lasted for hours. However, when it seemed that the warrior was about to be destroyed, he became imbued with the golden power of God, which caused his dark hair to turn to gold and his eyes to become blazing emeralds. He managed to beat Ifurita down long enough for the Elders of Ancient El Hazard to seal her away."
"That sounds like what happens to me when I turn into a Super-Saiyan." Trunks remarked. "My hair becomes blonde and my eyes turn green."
"Indeed. So you can understand why we thought you were that Golden Champion." Afra said as she finished her tea.
"Yeah, well I'm not this Golden Champion that you're talking about. So whatever happened to this guy?"
"We don't know." Miz replied. "The records to that time period have been lost over the centuries and the Golden Champion was not heard from again after his battle with Ifurita. If the Royal Family didn't have that artifact, then he would have been long forgotten by now."
"Artifact? What artifact?" Nanami asked.
"The Royal Family of Roshtaria still possesses the Great White Egg that the Champion had arrived in. It is stored within the deepest recesses of the Royal Archives Vault, and has remained untouched since then."
Trunks nodded as he took in the information. He remembered back to when he fought Ifurita and her comment on how his powers and appearance were similar to this Golden Champion. He had a feeling as to what this Great White Egg might be and who the Golden Champion was.
----------
Later on, in the Palace of Florastika...
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! WHY?! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!" Fujisawa cried out as he found himself in the dungeon again.
Miz Mishtal was standing on the other side of the pit with her hands clasped together in front of her. "I'm very sorry about this, but everyone agreed that we had to stop you from drinking."
"ISN'T THAT TORTURE ENOUGH?! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"
Miz sighed as she replied. "It's because you lose control... when you drink, you lose all your super-powers."
The history teacher sat down in a cross-legged position and crossed his arms across his chest. "I am a teacher and I have total control!"
"Nanami and Trunks say that you don't have any control. They say that you even drink when you..."
"STOP IT! I'VE HEARD IT ALL BEFORE! EVERYONE'S AGAINST ME!" Masamichi started blubbering.
"Oh my poor baby." Miz soothed, then smiled at him. "I'll tell you what..."
"Huh?"
The Water Priestess then got a starry look in her eyes. "If you can help us with the war, then I'll have time to make some preparations and then... you can drink all you want!"
Fujisawa's face lit up at this. "An open bar?"
----------
Trunks shook his head in depression as he once again found himself in his Fatora disguise. No sooner had he entered the palace, he was immediately ushered into a private chamber and was put into a dress, given a wig and had his face plastered with makeup. Princess Rune had been ecstatic that he had brought the Three Priestesses back with him, but since the other leaders had arrived to witness the unsealing of the Eye of God, both princesses of the Royal Family had to be present at the ceremony. Things had gotten even more tense when word of the Demon-God's reawakening spread throughout Roshtaria, making the need for the Eye of God's use even more desperate.
He had secretly used another item that he had brought with him to El Hazard to recover from his injuries. The day before being transported to this world, he had visited his good friend Korrin, and had received a gift of four Senzu Beans. He had only three Senzu beans left now and once they were gone, that was it. He would have to save them for emergencies only.
However, as he sat on a bench in the Royal Courtyard, his thoughts went back to that time at Shinnanome High a few days ago, though it seemed as if it had been a lifetime. He was certain that the girl who had sent him to El Hazard was in fact the same Ifurita that he had fought. It just didn't make any sense!
"Impossible." Trunks said to himself.
Beside him, his personal living body armor Ura was currently taking a cat nap. In addition to her body's amazing flexibility and hardening abilities, the cat also had remarkable recuperative powers. By the time they had reached Floarastika, she had fully recovered from the injuries she had sustained on the Forbidden Island.
----------
"Impossible!" Dr. Schtallebaugh said as he conversed with Nanami and Afra a few dozen yards away from where Trunks was. "You saw for yourself that Ifurita was indeed sealed on the Forbidden Island, yet Trunks claims that she was the one who sent him to El Hazard. Simple logic cancels both these hearsays. The ancient gods of antiquity were powerful, but they did not have the capability to cross dimensions."
"Yes, but the important fact remains that Ifurita now serves the Bugrom. Her power is as great as the legends say, and even though Trunks possesses great power himself, Ifurita still defeated him." Afra became very concerned.
At this point, Nanami noticed someone hiding behind a pillar behind where Trunks was sitting at. She frowned as she recognized Shayla-Shayla.
Afra also noticed her colleague looking around the corner. "Now what do you think she's doing?"
"Hmpf!" Nanami became even more irritated as she began walking toward her and Trunks.
----------
Shayla took a deep breath, then sighed as she looked away from the disguised Trunks, and leaned against the pillar she was hiding behind. She gathered up her courage and mentally psyched herself up.
"One... two... three!" The Fire Priestess walked around the corner and approached the Saiyan. "Hey there... dude."
Trunks turned around with a look of puzzlement as Shayla sat down on a nearby ledge with her back to him.
"Huh? Dude?"
"Yeah..." Shayla continued as she crossed her arms and lowered her head. "As in... thanks for saving my life..."
Trunks couldn't help but smile. Here was the tough and hot-tempered Fire Priestess acting humble toward him. Only a little while ago, she had been trying to fry him to a cinder. "Aw, Shayla... it's okay. You don't have to thank me for anything. I was glad to do it, and I would have done it again in a second. I guess we just kind of gotten off on the wrong foot back at Arliman."
"Heh. Yeah, it's not really like me at all." Shayla said with a nervous laugh. She then began twiddling her fingers and her cheeks became flushed with red. "So... Trunks... you haven't told me how... Earth people... I mean Saiyans like to receive their reward."
"Huh? What are you...?"
"Trunks!"
Both looked to one side and saw Nanami standing with her hands on her hips and gazing at them with an annoyed glare.
"Just what do you think you are doing? Mr. Fujisawa is expecting us to be in homeroom right now!"
"Huh? Homeroom? What are you talking about?"
"I mean it, Trunks!" She then grabbed hold of one of Trunks' arms and tried to pull him out of the bench. "Even though he's in the dungeon, he still expects us to be on time, so come on!"
"You've GOT to be kidding!" Trunks protested as he resisted her attempts to yank him away from Shayla-Shayla.
The Priestess of Muldoon let off an irritated sound as she pushed her way between the two and swatted Nanami's hand from Trunks' wrist. "Take five, Trunks!" She then glared at the interfering girl. "Just who do you think you are, hall monitor?"
Nanami gave her a look of disdain and crossed her arms. "If that's what it takes, then that's who I am. Extra-curricular activities denied!"
"Chick, you have got some serious problem!"
"I'm not the one with the problem. And I suppose that it's normal to hide behind corners and spy on boys?"
Shayla became momentarily flustered, but recovered. "I wasn't spying!"
"Oh? Then how about lurking about? What do you call it then?"
"THAT is none of your business." She then gave her an off-handed wave. "Get lost."
"Hmpf! WE will! But I'm telling you right now that I won't have Trunks hanging around with a dyke!"
"HEY! WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, A DYKE!?"
Nanami held up her dukes. "It means, put 'em up!"
"NOW THAT I UNDERSTAND!" Shayla said as she prepared to fight.
"Hold on, girls!" Trunks said as he tried to break it up.
"I SAID TAKE FIVE!" Shayla said as she swung her open hand toward him.
Trunks backed off before her hand could make contact. It wasn't as if Shayla could hurt him, but he was concerned that she might sprain her hand if she tried to smack his super-strong Saiyan chest muscles. However, his hand brushed against a large object that was hidden beneath a large overgrowth of vines and shrubbery. In an instant the thing came alive as loud mechanical noises were heard and a green light was emitted from it.
The three stepped back as a huge shape lumbered forward from the hedges. It shook off centuries of plant growth and extended an appendage with had some wicked-looking claw-like device. It looked as if it was attacking and Shayla-Shayla already had the Lamp of Fire out of its holster and ready to blast it. However, before she could turn it into a smolder pile of ash, it shuddered to a stop, becoming inanimate again. Trunks, Nanami and Shayla continued to stare at the thing as it became inactive once more.
----------
"The Royal Palace records indicated that the machine had been here long before the gardens were ever built. Obviously, the landscapers were in error in designating it as a mere statue."
Trunks nodded as he looked at the huge and derelict robot that was now lying on the examination table in Dr. Schtallebaugh's laboratory.
"In truth, I believe that this is actually a machine that was created by the ancients of El Hazard." The old man then walked over to another table and gestured for Trunks to follow He then pointed to a circular device that was about the size of a Walkman. "I have possessed this device for many years, and I believe that it is the same as that large machine over there. Now, if you were to assist me in a small experiment, Trunks?"
"Uh... sure, okay. What do you want me to do?"
"Just touch it! Hurry up!"
"All right." Trunks shrugged as he extended a hand and placed it on top of the device. Immediately, his hand glowed with blue lines as he felt a strange sensation. He quickly retracted his hand when the machine started turning itself on.
"Ah, you see?" Schtallebaugh remarked. "Now if you would just calm down and resume the experiment?"
Trunks nodded again as he took a deep breath and touched the machine again. This time, he let the sensation pass over him as he saw in his mind the insides of the device.
"Describe what you are seeing and feeling." The Royal advisor directed.
"I feel... no, I can actually see a... switch. Here it is." The young Saiyan moved his finger to the right and pushed a small activator stud. The device began spinning up and released a rotating red light which startled both men. They stepped back as the apparatus made a series of strange noises. Then, a minute later, it stopped and became dormant again.
"It... kind of felt like a really old LD player." Trunks remarked.
Schtallebaugh nodded. "Yes, but that's not important. What is important that it seems you gained the power to access and control technology simply by touching them. Apparently, this includes the Ancient Technology of El Hazard."
"Huh? But... that's impossible!"
"Yes, most people would say as much. However, this is YOUR special power. You touched Ifurita's staff and saw her memories of the Holy Wars and the Golden Champion!"
"So that's what it was?" The son of Vegita asked as he looked down at his hand. It was then that he started thinking.
----------
"You want to see the Great White Egg?" Rune asked with some confusion. Before her throne was Trunks in his regular clothes, Nanami and Allielle. Shayla-Shayla and the other Priestesses were busy in preparation with the unsealing the Eye of God. The usual group of guards had been dismissed from the throne room so that they could speak in private with Rune Venus. The only guard present was Lons.
The half-Saiyan nodded as he explained. "Yes, Princess Rune. I have a theory behind the legend of this Golden Champion of yours and I need to see this Egg to prove it."
Rune considered the youth before her before replying. "I'm afraid that I don't understand. The Egg has been a part of the Royal Treasures since the Holy Wars. It has remained in the vault since that time long ago. Now you wish to see it because of a theory?"
"Princess Rune... I have an idea of who this Golden Champion might have been and the only way I can confirm it is to see the artifact."
"Why is this so important to you?"
"Because I think that there's a chance that this Champion may have left a clue as to how to beat Ifurita, in the Egg. After all, he defeated her during the Holy Wars. Please Princess Rune. For all that I've done for you and the Alliance, could you at least grant me this one request?"
The ruler of Roshtaria considered her sister's look-alike for a long time before nodding. "I suppose that it wouldn't hurt and any clue that we find in that artifact might be of great help to us."
----------
Princess Rune and Lons led the others down a small passageway that led to a pair of large steel doors with guards posted at both sides. They smartly saluted their ruler as she gave the command to unseal the Royal Archives Vault.
The guards nodded as one of them went over to a large lever and pulled on it. The sound of metal grinding filled the air as mechanisms that have remained unchanged for decades began to move. When the lever finally clicked into place, Rune then placed a hand on a globe that was imbedded into one side wall, which released the final lock. The sphere activated, after confirming that the person who wished entrance, was indeed a member of the Royal Family of Roshtaria. The huge doors slowly swung open and a lighting system activated, illuminating the huge room. The group then walked inside.
The Archives looked like the inside of a giant library with long rows of shelves, filled with books, scrolls and other objects. Many of those items were crumbling apart from extreme age and just about everything had a layer of dust on it.
"Achoo!" Nanami sneezed as the dust tickled her nose. "When was the last time you cleaned this place?"
"This place has remained untouched since the time of the Holy Wars." Rune replied as she led them toward an open area where a large, round sphere sat on a pedestal. She then gestured to it while addressing them. "And there it is... the Great White Egg that brought the Golden Champion to El Hazard."
Trunks' eyes widened as he instantly recognized the Egg for what it was. It was about the size of a compact car, and had one circular window. It looked like a huge baseball with the outlines of the door/platform on the front. He had seen something just like it in the Capsule Corps Museum of Technology. His grandfather Dr. Briefs had pieced together the wreckage of the same craft, which had brought Goku to Earth more than forty-five years ago. It had been remodeled to carry him to Namek. In fact, the general layout of all Capsule Corp spaceships were based on the same design, except that they were built larger and made more comfortable.
He ran over to it and stopped to stand before the pedestal. "I knew it! I knew it! It's a Saiyan Space Pod!"
"Saiyan... Space... Pod?" Rune said with confusion. She had not yet been informed of Trunks' heritage or of the Saiyans.
"I'll explain it to you later, Princess Rune." Trunks said as he approached the craft and walked around it, making a full inspection of the exterior. It looked as if the ship had come down in one piece and hadn't been touched during the Hoy Wars. As Trunks looked around, Nanami and Allielle moved forward.
"Trunks? You said that this was a Saiyan Space Pod. What is that?" Nanami asked.
Trunks had only given Nanami a brief overview of the history of the Saiyans during their trip back to Roshtaria. As he continued to circle the ship, he gave out some more information. "Remember when I told you about how the Saiyans became planetary mercenaries? It's not something that I'm proud to admit. Well, anyway Saiyans used ships like this to travel to other galaxies. My guess is that during that period in our history, one Saiyan must have somehow ended up in El Hazard at the time of the Holy Wars. And he must have found out how to become a Super-Saiyan, thus becoming El Hazard's Golden Champion."
"But.. you said that El Hazard is in another dimension, in an another universe entirely."
Trunks shrugged as he stepped closer to the pod. "I don't know. Maybe that Saiyan ran into something out in space that allowed him to cross over into this dimension. Maybe there was a rip in the space-time continuum or he could have passed through a black hole. My Mom's been theorizing that black holes are gateways to alternate universes."
"Huh?"
"Sorry. Sometimes I find myself talking like Mom. Well, for whatever reason, that Saiyan ended up here and decided to forget his mission and fight for the Ancients of El Hazard. Probably wanted to fight Ifurita. The Saiyans always did like to fight!
"Are you sure that he was a Saiyan?" Nanami asked as she approached the strange craft.
Trunks looked around and saw a large mural hanging nearby. It depicted the scene of a great battle in which the Golden Champion was fighting the Demon-God. He then noticed something near the waist of the Champion's image and nodded. "I'm pretty sure that it was a Saiyan. You see that?" He pointed to what appeared to be a sash around the man's waist.
"That's his belt. So what?"
Trunks shook his head as he traced the line from the waist to the back of the Champion's leg. "Nope. That's a tail."
"A... tail?" She then looked at Trunks' waist and rear, then blushed a bit when she noticed how tight his buns were. She quickly composed herself and said, "Well... you said you were a Saiyan, but... I... don't see a tail on you."
Trunks shrugged as he answered her question. "I'm only half-Saiyan and I was born without a tail. My father and Goku are pureblood Saiyans. They were born with tails, but those tails were later cut off and don't grow back anymore. My friend Gohan had a tail when he was born, but his doesn't grow back either. I guess it all has to do with genetics and stuff." He pointed back to the mural. "That's definitely a tail though. Saiyans usually wrapped then around their waists like a belt to keep them from being cut off."
"Why?"
"Well, before the Saiyans discovered how to transform into Super-Saiyans, the source of their power and strength was in their tails. That was also their weakness. If you grabbed him by his tail, he loses his strength and feels great pain. The tail was also the key to transforming at the light of a full moon."
"To turn into a Super-Saiyan?"
"No..." The young warrior tried to think of a way to best describe the other transformation that Saiyans could undergo. "Let's just say that you DON'T want to be around a Saiyan with a tail during a full moon."
"You mean he becomes like some kind of werewolf?"
"No... something a lot worse." The son of Vegita then changed the subject as he began feeling around the surface of the ship. "In any case, whoever fought Ifurita WAS a Saiyan and he found out how to become a Super-Saiyan."
Jinnai's sister noticed Trunks feeling around the ship and asked, "What are you doing?"
"I'm looking for the outer hatch release." He bent lower to feel the underside. If I remember right, the access panel should be right about... here! He tapped an area which made a small panel flip out, revealing a keypad with some alien numerals on them.
"You found out how to open it?" Nanami inquired as she and Allielle moved closer.
"Not... quite. You see... you have to punch in the correct access code in order for the hatch to open up." He then looked over his shoulder to them. "You two better stand back, because if I press in the wrong code, then the Space Pod will activate its self-destruct mechanism. The explosion would take out half the vault!"
Both girls paled when they heard this and backed off. Nanami gestured for Lons and Rune to get back.
Trunks looked back at the keypad. Now how do I get this thing open without it blowing up? There's a chance that the plasmonic explosive charge may have degraded over the centuries, but I'm not going to risk it. I could survive the explosion, but Nanami and the others wouldn't! There's got to be a way!
Trunks pondered it for a long while. It was then that he remembered his time with Dr. Schtallebaugh and what he had said about the power he gained when he came to El Hazard.
The doctor said that I can access and control machines by touching them with my hands. I wonder...
He cautiously extended a hand to the access keypad and placed it lightly on the buttons. He closed eyes and concentrated.
His hand glowed with a blue light as he began probing the old circuits and relays. A moment later, his fingers began pressing the keypad in a certain sequence. A very long moment of silence passed by and then a dull click was heard, followed by the grinding of hydraulic systems that haven't operated in hundreds of years. The hatch slowly swung down to form a kind of boarding ramp. The main computer was located on the ramp and would have been positioned in front of the passenger during space travel. The inside of the Space Pod was lined with thick cushions to protect the passenger form impacts and there was a kind of lounge seat in the rear for him to rest in as he traveled through the cosmos. There was little else inside, but Space Pods were not meant for recreation during long voyages. Usually, the Pod's life-support systems would put the passenger into a form of suspended hibernation until he reached his destination, which eliminated the need for food supplies, water and waste disposal. Periodically, during the trip, the computer would wake up the passenger when it needed to land and recharge its power core.
Trunks then reached for the main computer and using his new power, activated its memory banks. The readouts on the screen were in Saiyanese, but he knew enough about his father's native language to understand the data. However, in a few minutes, he soon became disappointed after scanning through the entire databank. He let off a sigh as he stood up and shook his head. He had learned a few things today, but they had not been what he had been hoping for.
----------
"So what exactly happened, Trunks? What was that thing you did?" Nanami asked as they were all back in the throne room. Nearby, Allielle was filling in Rune and Lons on the history of the Saiyans.
"That was MY special power" The half-Saiyan said with a bit of a whimsical smile. "I guess I took after my Mom more than I thought. In any case, I was right about the Golden Champion being a Saiyan. According to what I learned from the ship's computer, that particular Saiyan had been on his way to conquer a planet when his ship encountered some kind of anomaly that caused him to be thrown through time and space. He ended up in El Hazard during the Holy Wars."
"And...?"
Trunks shrugged. "And that's all the computer had recorded. I guess he didn't keep any records of his stay in El Hazard and with so little known after his fight with Ifurita, there's big gray area. I was also hoping that the ship would be able to provide us with a means of getting back home, but that's a no-go too. According to the diagnostics, the hyper-drive is shot and the power core is just about expired. That Pod is just an oversized paperweight now."
"So it didn't tell you anything? Like how to beat Ifurita?"
"No. Though I have a hunch that Ifurita had never encountered a Super-Saiyan before, during the Holy Wars. That's probably the reason why the Golden Champion had beaten her. When I fought her, she easily adapted to my power levels and kicked my butt." Trunks sighed sadly as he remembered his humiliating defeat.
"So... there's no way you or any of us can beat her?" There was a bit of fear in Nanami's voice.
"I didn't say that. I'm just saying that we can't beat her at our current power levels. She's sort of like what Cell was. She'll adapt to any new challenge quickly and she's already got a lot more fighting experience than I do. The only way I can think of for me to beat her, is to increase my power levels and experience to overwhelm hers. And with what little time we have, I don't see any way that I can do that. It would take me at least a year of nonstop training for me to attain that kind of power." I'm glad that my Dad isn't here to rub it in. He's always been harping on me to keep training... I can just see him now saying 'I told you so!.' I wonder what he and the others are doing now?
----------
On Earth...
Vegita was atop a mountain and was in deep meditation. He was sitting in a cross-legged position with arms crossed and his eyes closed. He was wearing the Saiyan armor he had worn during Cell Games. Over his right ear and eye was the new Scouter, which would immediately alert him of the Dragon Balls' locations once they became active. Dende had told him that they would be reenergized by tomorrow.
That left the Prince of the Saiyans time to contemplate the future once the Dragon Balls had been collected. Of course, the first wish would be to have Trunks returned to him, but what about the second wish? There were a LOT of possibilities that one could explore with a wish from the Eternal Dragon.
He could wish for immortality as he had initially wanted when he first learned of the Dragon Balls. However, if he were to become everlasting, then there would be little point in training to become better. Why bother becoming stronger if you didn't have to worry about dying? If he had become endowed with eternal life, then he would have never achieved the coveted status of a Super-Saiyan and even beyond that. It was the challenge, the very drive for combat and to become stronger was what defined the Saiyan race. In that respect, he was glad that Kakarot was around to motivate him to become better. Whenever he became better, Vegita would see it as a kind of plateau not to achieve, but to surpass.
However, it was his son that he was concerned about. Over the last few years, with nothing but peace reigning over the Earth, Trunks had been slacking off from his training. He wasn't as strong as he should be and was becoming more like his mother. Though he would never admit it openly, even to Bulma, Vegita did care deeply for his family. However, he still wanted his eldest child and heir to become the great warrior and true Saiyan that he was! He represented the best of the Saiyans, the Royal Bloodline itself! Trunks should at least live up to the image that was his heritage.
The former conqueror of planets considered wishing for Trunks to become... no! That would be seen as a cheat! Power must be earned! Only though intense training and discipline could Trunks realize the potential that he was capable of. By that way, he could strive to bring out his very best! However, the same problem still remained. His son had no real challenges or motivation to bring out that potential.
Vegita continued to brood as the night wore on.
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El Hazard, deep below Roshtaria...
"So how goes the progress?" Nahato asked as he and Gallus approached the technicians. In front of them was a large apparatus with ringed power converters attached to it. In the center was a slender, figure with long brown hair... with a face that mirrored Trunks'.
"Not much." The head technician replied. "We've analyzed Fatora's biological makeup and determined that there is a gene which allows her to control the Eye of God. It seems to be gender specific and is only found in the female members of Roshtaria's Royal Family."
"We know that! The question is... can you control the Eye?"
"It is theoretically possible, but without more testing, we can't say for certain. However, there is a new bit of information. It seems that the control mechanism will only work if the genes for the matrix were in tandem. That's probably the reason why TWO princesses are necessary. Perhaps if we were to somehow double Fatora's genes..."
"Just do it!" Nahato said. "We must be able to get control of the Eye of God!"
Gallus nodded as he looked down at the boy. "Have you taken care of the other device?"
Nahato nodded. "It's already been done."
The ruler of the Phantom Tribe smiled. Soon, vengeance would be his!
Within the machine, Princess Fatora moaned in her drug-induced state.
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Back at the Palace of Florastika...
CRASH!
"HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Mr. Fujisawa stepped out from the dungeon, completely sober. "Mere doors cannot contain Super-Fujisawa!"
It was then that he found himself face-to-face with Shayla-Shayla.
"Yo!" The Fire Priestess held up a bottle of wine and winked.
"You're buying?"
----------
"Twelve... not bad for a novice." Masamichi remarked as he watched Shayla slug down another glass. They were both sitting on a bench outside of the courtyard. He was already on his ninth glass. Goodbye super-powers again.
"Hah! Twelve's nuthin'! I'm just getting warmed up!" Shayla then poured herself another glass. This time she had a bit of a blush on her cheeks and looked a bit nervous. "Mr... sensei-teacher... there's something real... personal that I have to ask you..."
"That's what I'm here for."
Shayla chugged down the glass and took a deep breath before speaking in a slurred voice. "Whoze that Nanami tink she is anywaaayy with Trunk? Where zhe get off, huh?"
Fujisawa smiled as he saw what was going on. "Well, I'm proud to say that they're both my students."
"She really annoys me."
"Aw come on now. It's not that bad." Fujisawa said while lifting his glass to his lips. HE stopped suddenly as a thought came to him. "By the way... just how old are you?"
Shayla shrugged as she lifted another glass to her lips. "I'm nineteen."
In a flash, the history teacher grabbed the glass out of her hands and stood up. "You shouldn't be drinking! You're underage!" "Huh?!"
At that moment, a small bundle of energy charged in and tackled the Fire Priestess. "Sister Shayla!"
"OOF!" The redhead found herself flat on her back on the bench as Allielle affectionately nuzzled against her breasts.
"I've got some really important news for you!"
"Well, what is it! Hey! Cut that out! Stop doing that!"
"Aw, don't be so mean, sister Shayla!"
"DAMN IT! TELL US THE IMPORTANT NEWS ALREADY!" Fujisawa shouted.
Allielle then relented as she sat up. "Oh, right. Well the leaders of the Council want the Eye of God unsealed right away! They're really nervous about what's been happening and with Ifurita and the Bugrom on the loose, they feel that it was imperative that the Eye of God was ready."
----------
A short time later, Trunks and the others were standing in an open field outside of the grounds of the palace. Once again, Trunks was in his Fatora disguise as he sat beside Princess Rune. The entire council of leaders was present along with the people of Earth as they watched the Three Priestesses enter a large, skinny tower that was about a mile high.
Miz nodded to her colleagues as they stepped on a large, circular platform which became a glowing disc of light. The platform then rose, carrying the three women to the top of the tower like and elevator.
Down below, Nanami sat beside Allielle as she watched them ascend.
"Allielle, what is that thing?"
"That's the Stairway to the Sky. It allows them to communicate with the Eye of God."
"Oh." It was then that she noticed that Allielle had become attached to her arm and was cuddling up to her. "Hey, wait a minute. I thought you were the one who had the hots for that Shayla-Shayla."
"Yup. But if you can't be with the one you love, well..."
"Love the one you're with...?" Nanami finished for her, as she was getting nervous.
----------
Atop the Stairway to the Sky, the Three Priestesses of Mount Muldoon nodded to each other as they went to three separate places on the communications platform. Each held out their hands before them, while focusing their powers. This caused twin control panels to emerge from the floor of the platform and extend toward their palms. When each priestess touched her controls, the platform began extending transmitting antennae to send the proper signals to the Eye of God, which was hovering more than ten miles above their heads.
The center of the Eye of God began to rotate as pylons, which kept the main energy projector immobile, slid back. The projector moved about like some gigantic pupil as a storm began to brew over Florastika. Then, a sudden downpour appeared as the last seal on the Eye of God was released. There was a bright flash of light and then as suddenly as it started, the rain stopped. There was only clear blue sky as the ultimate weapon of El Hazard was now primed for use.
Atop the Stairway to the Sky, the three females nodded as their control panels lowered themselves back down into the floor. Miz wiped her brow while taking a deep breath.
"Whew! I'm tired!"
Shayla smirked as she decided to tease her colleague. "Oh, I see. Looks like you're getting too OLD for the priestess biz, eh?"
"Oh, what do you know?" Miz shot back with irritation.
Afra gazed up at the Eye of God. "I hope everyone knows that there's no turning back."
----------
Later that night...
"We can finally rest easy, now that the Eye of God is activated!" One of the leaders said as the great celebration continued on in the palace.
"Yes, and to think that we are actually dining with the Great Priestesses of Mount Muldoon!" Another leader agreed.
Around the main dining hall, people were enjoying themselves as a false sense of security blanketed over them. However, Princess Rune, who was sitting at the head of the room, knew better. Even with the Eye of God unsealed, it was still a useless piece of machinery without TWO princesses to control it. Trunks may look like her sister Fatora, but he lacked the genetic makeup necessary to help her control the weapon. The unsealing of the Eye was only a show to get the other council leaders to relax and hold the fragile Alliance together.
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At the Bugrom Citadel...
"While I am aware of your enthusiasm at the language skills that our new general has taught you, I should have been consulted before you add any more glorification to his deeds." Queen Diva said to some of her followers as she pointed outside to a statue of Jinnai in the courtyard.
"I don't mind at all." Jinnai said as he walked up to her throne.
"Very well. As of now I give you our highest honor!" The empress said as she handed him a large medal to go with the others she had awarded to him. "I now proclaim you as the supreme commander of the entire invasion force of Roshtaria!"
Jinnai laughed his maniacal laugh as he turned to his troops. "The hour of victory draws near! I have already sent our weapon, the Demon-God Ifurita to Roshtaria to crush all opposition!"
----------
As the Demon-God was speeding toward Rostaria, her thoughts were of a certain, purple-haired boy who had affected her so greatly with just as simple touch. She shook her head as she neared the capital city of Florastika. She had been created to destroy, and to obey the master of the staff. That is her duty, her only reason for existence.
----------
At the celebration, a newcomer appeared and made his way toward Princess Rune. Nearby, Nanami turned to Lons.
"Hey Lons, who is that?"
The Captain of the Guard nodded as he saw the man take Princess Rune's hand and kiss it. "He is the betrothed to Rune Venus. He is Prince Gallus of a nearby kingdom."
"How cute! A marriage between the Phantom Tribe and Roshtaria!"
Everyone became silent when they heard this and Gallus stiffened as he quickly turned about.
"Nanami! Are you sure?!" Trunks asked. He KNEW that he sensed something strange about that character.
Nanami nodded as she pointed to Gallus. "It's true! His skin be blue!"
Gallus then chuckled as he decided to let down his illusions. "It seems that the time for this charade to end has come." There was a collective gasp as his skin turned blue and his hair became less groomed. His clothes shifted to take on a form of dark robes and pants. He then started laughing.
"You were all foolish to think that unsealing the Eye would save you! See how the Royal Family of Roshtaria has deceived you!" He pointed to Trunks. "See for yourself of how useless you're ultimate weapon is!"
At this point, Rune was so shocked that she fainted and Trunks rushed over to catch her. However, with his hands full, he was unable to stop Nahato as he appeared behind him and snatched off his wig. The crowds gasped as they saw that Princess Fatora was an imposter.
Trunks growled as he turned to attack the smirking Phantom boy. However, Nahato disappeared from sight as Gallus continued to mock everyone present.
"You shall all pay for your folly! HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
An intense bright light appeared blinding everyone... well almost everyone.
"Shit! Where did they go?!" Shaylas shouted as she and the other priestesses looked around.
"It's obvious! They're already gone!" Nanami replied as she pointed toward the exit as the light faded away.
At that moment, a huge explosion was heard nearby as Trunks felt the presence of an enormous power.
"She's here... Ifurita."
----------
In one of the nearby towers of the palace was chaos and destruction. Guards were either dead or unconscious as the Demon-God calmly walked by. The halls were littered with rubble and flames. One guard was still conscious and cringing in fear as Ifurita ignored him as she passed by. Though her mission was to destroy Florastika, she still needed to find something... someone first.
----------
Trunks was flying down the hallway towards the source of the destruction. He had already changed into his regular clothes and had his sword strapped to his back. His Fatora disguise was cumbersome and ill-suited for battle, though if this person was Ifurita, it wouldn't really matter what he was wearing. On his face, he had his spare Scouter. When he came to where his opponent was, he winced as his senses detected the huge power levels she was emitting. The readouts on his Scouter were not encouraging either. They were far above his own.
"Ifurita!" Trunks called out as he landed.
The Demon-God stopped when she heard her name and turned as he landed. Her eyes narrowed as she looked over the youth before her. She pointed the end of her staff toward him, but refrained from firing. She then spoke to him in a cold and unfeeling tone.
"Trunks. Your name is in my memory, though I have no previous knowledge of you. Explain your access!"
"Huh?"
"My memory had been sealed to all outside access. Why were you able to enter it? Explain now!" She emphasized the hidden threat by gesturing with her staff.
Trunks paused for a long time as he considered his answer. Finally he said, "I saw your heart! Your innermost feelings! Your very soul!"
Ifurita stiffly shook her head. "No heart! No feelings! I am not capable of such things! Explain yourself or perish!"
Trunks knew that things were about to get ugly when Ifurita suddenly started emitting a golden aura. Though he knew that he was seriously outclassed, he followed suit by drawing his sword and transformed into a Super-Saiyan. The two most powerful beings on El Hazard faced each other off and waited for the other to make the first move.
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On Earth...
Vegita's eyes opened as soon as his Scouter started beeping. The sensors indicated that a Dragon Ball was near. The time had come. He stood up, took a deep breath and took off like a rocket. A minute later, he powered up to become a Super-Saiyan and his speed more than quintupled as he began the search.
In another part of the world, Goten and his brother Gohan also took off. A minute later, they both split up and went off into separate directions, as their Scouters indicated the location of two other Dragon Balls.
The search for the means to bring Trunks home had begun, but it may already be too late...
End of the Fifth Night.
Author's Notes
Well, this has got to be the fastest story I ever posted. Five down and two more to go! We'll be seeing more of the Dragon Ball Z gang in the last two episodes as this story approaches its climax. Next time on Dragon Ball Hazard, the Sixth Night; Welcome Back Trunks!