Dragon Ball Z/ Sailor Moon/ Ranma ½ fanfic.
"Past, Present and Uncertainty."
By Julian Soullard (e-mail: jnsoullard@hotmail.com)
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AND NOW ON WITH....
Chapter 9: The show is over.
The earth shook with each running step he took. In spite of his
massive stone body, the scientist, now a monster, moved very nimbly towards
his opponent. With a loud growl, Eron sent a powerful punch towards Son Goku.
The latter quickly put his Bo staff back in its sheath and caught the
incoming attack with both hands, which were barely enough to hold the
monster's entire fist, now that it had grown beyond normal proportions.
Yet, even though he intercepted the punch, Trunks was pushed
several feet back by the force of the blow. He still held the fist though,
but didn't plan on staying still much longer.
Instead of blocking the second punch, the shrouded figure jumped
right above it, planting his hands on Eron's broad arm. Using his momentum,
he spun his body in order to send his right foot against his enemy's face.
The kick connected successfully and the scientist's face turned 45º to the
opposite side he was hit.
Much to Trunks' surprise, the monster immediately faced him again,
apparently not affected by the attack. Eron took the chance and gave him a
head butt. Fortunately for his adversary, he didn't use his horn for extra
damage. Nevertheless, Son Goku was sent flying to the other side of the
street.
"Oh, dear. Did I forgot to mention it?" Eron said with his well
known sarcasm. "What you see on my skin aren't ordinary rocks. Actually,
they're giant shock absorbers. It doesn't matter how hard you hit me, it
won't represent more than a mild sting for me. Quite a discovery, wouldn't
you say? The original creature who possessed this gift was the Gerda. Cute
little thing I found on one of my missions. Its DNA code sure proved
adequate for most of my fighting needs."
"You stole some creatures powers?" Son Goku asked, while rubbing
his forehead as he got up. "Just like the sphere you stole from that man."
"I did no such thing." he corrected, "I don't use people's Essence
Spheres. I merely analyzed the Gerda's genetic code and reproduced it so I
could use it for my DNA assimilation technique, quite simple if you think
of it."
"So your special skill is to use other people's skills through their
genes?" Trunks asked, not very impressed.
"I must admit that it's not as 'flamboyant' as dressing in blue
pajamas and riding a yellow cloud like you do," Eron mocked, "But it's more
than enough to help me achieve my goals. Besides, who says that's the only
thing I can do?"
"Then why do you steal those Essence Spheres if you don't use them?"
he inquired again, "What's the point?"
"Those aren't for me. They're a gift for my Lord." the scientist
responded, "But that's all you'll learn from me, my friend. I didn't came
here to talk."
"I see... So I was right to assume there's someone above you." Son
Goku declared as he began to walk towards his enemy. "Now you'll tell me
everything I need to know."
"I think you didn't hear me a second ago. I didn't came here to talk."
"Then I'll make you talk."
**********
He usually wasn't the first one to show up during a battle, but in
this occasion, Mamoru Chiba happened to be near the area Eron was attacking.
Now, dressed in his fighting (but none less elegant) clothes, Tuxedo Kamen
moved from rooftop to rooftop as he followed the noise of a battle.
Once he reached his destination, he realized that he wasn't the
first one to show up after all. Son Goku was already locked in a fight with
what appeared to be some sort of huge living gargoyle with horns.
In a blink of an eye, the Shinobi appeared in front of his opponent
and delivered a brutal uppercut to the creature's stomach, then a left hook
to its face. Finally he ended his attack with a roundhouse kick which sent
the unfortunate enemy a few yards away. It all happened so fast that it
seemed like one assault instead of three.
The creature stood up after that and grinned.
"Are you having fun?" Eron mocked, "You can hit me as hard as you
want for all I care, but I can't promise you to feel any pain."
"Really? Then look at your arm." the Shinobi told him as he crossed
his arms in front of his chest.
Out of curiosity, Eron did so and saw with horror that the rocks he
had all over his right arm where shattered as if hit by a sledge hammer. As
he moved his hand towards his left cheek, he realized that some fragments
were falling from there as well.
"This is impossible!!" the stated.
"So, do you still want me to hit you as hard as I can?" Son Goku
asked. "Now let's start with the questions: What are you and your friends
after and why are you taking people's Essence Spheres?"
"Well, I believe that the answer to both questions is 'none of your
business'." the monster responded.
Another blow came immediately after that reply and Eron was sent
flying further away.
"Wrong answer." the Shinobi told him. "Let's try again."
This had change for the worst. Eron inspected his recently bashed
area and saw that more of his rocks where now turned into debris. This...
this couldn't be happening. He should be stronger than Son Goku, not the
other way around. The scientist's pride forced him to keep on attacking,
hoping to change the situation back in his favor, but the defender dodged
all of his blows with the greatest of ease. Unaware to him, more of the
defenders were starting to show up. Namely: the Inner Senshi.
"Sanzoken!" Son Goku declared.
What was once one was now five. Remembering the technique he saw in
the Tenkachi Budokai files, Trunks moved faster than the normal eye could
sense an created several images of himself. Each one apparently moving as
an independent fighter while assaulting Eron with more blows.
Once again, the monster could do little to defend himself and more
of his stone protection fell in pieces.
"What on Earth was that??" Eternal Sailor Moon asked amazed.
"The legend of the Monkey God." Mars remarked, "I read somewhere
that he had the ability to make clones of himself."
She really didn't knew how he did it, but Trunks had successfully
copied one of the Monkey God's powers. Rei had to give her friend credit for
that.
[This can't be happening!! Damn it!! This can't be happening!!] Eron
thought. [I'm losing!! There's no way I can win in this condition! I have to
think fast.]
"Well, let's not just stand here and watch." Venus suggested, "Let's
help him."
Out of the corner of his eye, Trunks saw the Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen
approaching.
"Flame Sniper!!"
"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!!"
Both attack struck true on their designated target and Eron couldn't
ignore the pain this time. He had no more stone defense to rely on and as
much as he hated the idea, it would seem that the old 'turn tail and run'
move was the only option left. Not that Son Goku, nor the Sailor Senshi,
would probably allow him to flee, so he would need a distraction.
Maybe his defensive edge was gone, but at least he still had his
enhanced strength. Now he only had to use it right.
The Senshi, Tuxedo Kamen and Son Goku were already running towards
the scientist, ready to pursue the fight. Before they got any closer, Eron
grabbed the nearest, biggest object he could throw at them. Which in this
context refers to a moving van.
No one expected the monster to use a heavy transportation as a
weapon... that is... until he actually lifted it with both hands and hurled
it against them. Everyone stopped dead on their tracks. The Senshi looked at
the incoming vehicle like a deer caught in the headlights of a car, which in
this case was a rather accurate comparison.
The girls instinctively raised their arms and turned their face away.
It was all over. Or at least that's what they thought, but the van never
actually crushed them. As everyone raised their eyes, they saw Son Goku
holding the vehicle above them with one hand, literally catching it before
it could cause any damage.
Scared, as well as very impressed, the Juuban defenders could feel
how their lives had passed right in front of their eyes. Goku simply put the
van down and immediately checked the place for any signs of Eron. Not
surprisingly, the scientist had use that little distraction to escape. His
presence couldn't be felt anymore.
Trunks cursed his luck again. This wasn't the first time his
opponent had ran away. He remembered something else, though. There was a
more urgent matter than Eron right now.
"The Essence Sphere!" he suddenly said, "Where is it? Where is the
Elite Raider??"
No one knew what he was talking about, but the sudden sound of a
painful growl and a body falling to the floor caught everyone's attention.
Right in a street's corner, the cat creature in charge of guarding the
Essence Sphere was found dead, covered in its own blood. Next to it, Sailor
Neptune and Uranus were now walking towards the group, with this last one
putting her Space Sword back inside her scabbard while her friend was now
holding the precious item.
"Could someone tell us what did just happened here?" Uranus asked,
as she crossed her arms.
Everyone turned towards the Monkey God for an answer. Especially the
two newcomers who gave him the very well known distrustful look. A look
Trunks was strangely starting to get used to by now.
"Eron was attacking some citizens." he explained simply. "When I got
here, he was holding that thing which he calls an Essence Sphere. It appears
the sphere was taken out of the victim. This may sound crazy, but I believe
it represents the victim's soul."
Everyone exchanged dubious looks and eventually stared at the
mysterious object. Mercury quickly activated her visor and computer to
confirm the Monkey God's theory. Right enough, she got some very unusual
reading coming from it.
"Oh, my God..." she whispered, as she analyzed. "I can't believe
this..."
"Okay... I know someone *has* to ask this obvious question:" Venus
began, "What is it, Mercury?"
"He's right." the senshi said, "Son Goku is right. This object not
only contains that man's life force, but his knowledge, memories and spirit
as well. No wonder they call this an Essence Sphere, it hold all of the
victim's essence. The body becomes nothing more than an empty vessel once
this has been ripped out from the victim."
"But what about the victim??" Eternal Sailor Moon asked with natural
concern, "Can that man be saved?"
"There's only one way to find out." the team genius stated.
Without wasting any time, everyone ran to the body of the victim.
After Son Goku told them which one it was, Mercury approached the Essence
Sphere to it. And interesting reaction happened. As it became closer, the
brighter did the object glow. Once pressed against his chest, it began to
introduce itself with no great effort.
Mercury let out a sigh of relief as her scanner confirmed that life
had been restored to the body. Rei and Trunks, who could sense it through
other means, sighed as well.
"But look..." Jupiter said, not as rejoiced, as she pointed to the
numerous other victims. "What about them."
What about them indeed. There were at least ten other bodies lying
on the street, but no Essence Sphere could be found near them. As painful
as it sounded, those people were now dead. Dead and with no chance to be
resurrected. Everyone could feel a knot on their throats. They may have
saved one sphere, but the enemy had managed to take ten home. That was a
very sour victory for the defenders.
"No... but that can't be!!" Moon exclaimed alarmed. "There has to be
something we can do! Mercury, tell me there's something we can do!!"
"I... I'm sorry..." the girl responded, as she hung her head low.
"But clinically speaking, they're dead..."
"No..." the leader softly whispered.
**********
Inside the Lord's chambers, the master of Dominia held in his hand
the last Essence Sphere Eron had brought. As he closed it, the sphere began
to glow. One last glow before it was absorbed. The Lord then let out a big
refreshing sigh, just like when someone takes a cold drink on a hot day.
His eyelids opened and purple flames erupted out of them, making his
eyes look like two torches.
"Good... that was most enjoyable. I hope to see more of these
Essence Spheres in the near future." he commented, "Now.. regarding today's
fight: Eron what happened? This Son Goku is causing you quite a lot of
trouble as I can see."
"Yes, my Lord." the scientist said ashamed. "The defender proves to
be a new challenge each time we face him."
"My Lord, I'm starting to believe that Son Goku is a lot stronger
than he is letting us know." Arlakk cut in. "Maybe it's time to change our
strategy."
"Affirmative." Sorine added. "We are wasting too much time in this
mission."
"My Lord, if you could only give me another chance, I..." Eron began,
but was cut short when his master raised his hand and gestured him to stop
talking.
"Arlakk is right." the Lord mentioned. "This Son Goku character is
starting to get in our way too much. We have to deal with him first. I
believe it's time for all three Masters of Tomorrow to take action."
His three servants bowed in response.
"This is the strategy we shall follow..." he then added.
**********
She tapped her pencil against her note book several times in a sign
of exasperation. Answers don't usually come by doing so, but there was
nothing else to try.
Ami decided to put away the pencil and math notes. There was no use
in trying to study now, her mind was too much of a fuss with all this Son
Goku business, so she opted to find some answers to that mystery instead.
Son Goku, Son Goku, Son Goku, Son Goku... who was he? What was he
seeking? Where did he get his power from?
The power... she ran a scan on him during the last fight and
couldn't find anything magical in him asides from that Bo staff he always
carried. But if he wasn't magical then...
"Hey, Ami!" beamed a voice.
"Minako, I didn't hear you coming in." the young genius said.
"Sorry I'm late. Where you already studying?" asked the blonde.
"Well, sort of..."
"Sort of?" the girl asked as she raised an eyebrow. "Hmm..."
Noticing her math notes on her desk, Minako didn't hesitate to open
them on the last page. She got her answer there. Written several times in a
single page was the name Son Goku. Minako grinned.
"What's this?" she teased, while pointing at the notebook, "I didn't
knew you had it so bad for our new friend. Does Ryouga know?"
"Come on, Minako, don't start with that again." Ami told her as she
bushed. "I was just trying to put some clues together to find out who he
really is."
"Have you found something?" she asked, now a lot more serious.
"Well, not really. I mean... we don't have a lot of clues either."
she explained, "I can't think of a person we know who could be him."
"Well, let's see..." Minako began, "Let's make a list of all the
super strong guys we know of. Hmmm... Ranma Saotome."
"I don't know, Minako." Ami said, "Ranma may have a very protective
nature and he does care about the people next to him, but I don't think he
would dress up in a ninja suite and take the name of Son Goku to fight next
to us."
"Point taken." the blonde acknowledged, "Besides, I bet he'd say
something like 'guys wearing that kinda costumes look like geeks' or
something like that. How about Ryouga? He's pretty strong too and I bet he'd
look great in a tight ninja outfit."
"I don't think it's him either." she went on, as she pushed away the
image of Ryouga in a tight suit, "Just like Ranma, he would be more likely
to fight without dressing up in some ancient Chinese legend. Not to mention
that with his direction problem, he's not very likely to be near Juuban most
of the time to be a 'local hero'."
"Now that you mention it, Son Goku looks too muscular for being
either Ranma or Ryouga who look more like the athletic type. Especially
Ranma." Minako added. "Well, then I guess it must be someone we don't know.
I can't think of any other superpowered guys worth mentioning."
A second of silence past before the two suddenly looked at each other.
"Actually, there *is* someone else." Ami brought out.
"You're not thinking about 'you-know-who-from-three-years-ago', are
you?"
"Trunks could be a possibility." she said.
"Yeah, *if* there was a possibility for him to come back to this
dimension that is." her friend pointed out. "C'mon, Ami. As much as it would
be great to see him again, the guy is from an entirely different dimension.
We saw the last of him when he went back to his world."
"I know... it doesn't make any sense." the young genius accepted.
"I mean... I'd really like to see him too. All of us would." she
confessed. "Especially since we don't know if he had any success with his
mission. But in any case, I think Trunks is definitively out of the list.
The time he crashed here was a one in a million chance."
"Yes, I know." Ami remembered, "I always wondered what might have
happened to him?"
"All of us had. Mako-chan most of all." Minako went on. "I really do
hope he made it through with his mission. Hope he gave that friend of his
that heart medicine."
"Yeah, me too..."
Moments after saying that, Ami remembered the time they met Trunks.
Those were interesting days. Even if the Saiyajin hybrid had stayed for only
a month and two weeks, the memories didn't disappear with his departure.
Yes... they all hoped everything went well for him.
Her sight harden a little, as if she tried to remember something
else. Trunks... Son Goku... why did it sound so familiar when put together?
Her eyes grew progressively as realization struck her. Minako noticed her
expression quickly.
"Ami?"
"Oh, my God..." the young genius spoke.
"Ami, what's wrong?"
"Oh, my GOD!" she repeated.
"Ami, what is it??"
"Minako..." she began, "Do you remember the talk we had with Trunks
on his last day here? The one where he told us about his world?"
"Of course I remember." she answered naturally, "About those
androids, Dragon Balls and stuff. What about it?"
"When he told us about his mission, do you remember the name of the
guy he was intended to help?" she added, "The one with the heart disease?"
Minako took a short travel inside her brain and opened the 'three
years ago memories' file. After a couple of seconds her eyes began to grow
as well.
"No waaay!!" she said.
"Yes," Ami confirmed, "Son Goku was his friend's name."
"Wow..."
"No kidding." she added, "All this time that I've been searching for
clues on Son Goku: the Monkey God, I was following a wrong trail. I
completely forgot about the *other* Son Goku: the Saiyajin from Trunks'
past."
"But still... what does it all mean?" Minako asked, her brain still
overflowed with all the new information. "I mean... is this Son Goku... I
mean... what's the deal here??"
"I... I don't know. I'm still not sure." Ami confessed. "I mean...
maybe the Son Goku we know is Trunks friend from his dimension. Maybe he's
the one Trunks saved from a heart disease... and now he's here."
"Wait wait wait wait wait. *Why* is he here? *How* did he get here?"
the blonde inquired.
"Here come the evil three words again: I don't know." she said. "But
still, it's just too much of a coincidence."
"Hold it... no... he can't be from Trunks world. It just doesn't fit."
Minako suddenly declared. "Remember Trunks' story? He told us that Son Goku
was a powerful warrior, strong enough to destroy the androids that were the
reason for all the mess. If that's the case, Son Goku should be stronger
than Trunks, since *he* wasn't able to defeat the androids. And... well...
I don't mean any disrespect towards our new local hero, but Trunks was *a
lot* stronger than Son Goku is right now."
"You're right... I didn't think of that." Ami admitted. "Nice
deduction there, Minako. Maybe I should pass on the mantle of 'team genius'
to you now."
"Heh, no thanks." she joked. "Too much stress for my pretty little
head."
The two girls sat down after that.
"Do you think we should tell the other about this coincidence?" Minako
asked.
"Maybe not. We have nothing but a coincidence to rely on." Ami told
her. "We have nothing solid. Maybe we're following another wrong trail."
"Besides," her friend added, "I wouldn't want to get Mako-chan all
worked up about this. No need to get her hopes high with anything regarding
Trunks' world if there's nothing sure."
"Yes, that's something we have to be extra careful with."
As if on cue to interrupt the conversation (as well as the only way
the author came up to make a scene transition ^^U) the well known screams of
terrified innocent bystanders started. And yes... as expected, the two girls
became aware of it. So, since we're going with typical fanfic writing
material today, next on the list would be...
"Oh, my God! What's going on??" asked Minako.
Followed by the also typical and non original...
"Oh, no! Another attack!" Ami responded as she looked outside the
window.
And let's not forget the...
"Let's transform and warn the others!!"
So, now that we've got that covered, let's just skip the
transformation sequences we all know by heart and move on to the next
scene, okay?
**********
"Ini... mini... maini... moe... Aww, what the heck, I'll just take
yours." Eron declared as he shot another victim with his ring and extracted
his Essence Sphere.
"Stop it right there, Eron!!" shouted a voice.
"Gee... I wonder who could that be?" the scientist said as he raised
his eyes to the sky in a bored expression. "Oh, look! It's the Sailor
Senshi! Whoopee!"
"Irritating as always, I see." Venus remarked, not really amused by
the scientist's sarcasm.
"It's a nice hobby." he naturally responded, as he took out a small
flask out of his utility belt. "So... now that you're here, how about we
skip the whole 'We shall punish you in the name of the Moon' speach and
just fight?"
"If you insist." the self proclaimed Senshi of love declared.
"Crescent Beam Shower!!"
Eron avoided the incoming bolts by doing a backflip. As soon as he
landed safely, he inserted the flask inside his hi-tech bracelet and
proceed with his DNA assimilation technique. Just like last time, his body's
muscular mass increased around four times as much, but the creature the
scientist transformed into was different to the Gerda. Instead of a rocky
skin, he grew brown fur all over his body. His face resembled a wolf's and
his hands were now equipped with claws.
"Oh, look, Mercury." Venus said mockingly, "It's the Big Bad Wolf.
Let's hope he hasn't eaten Grandma yet."
"Minako... please..." the blue Senshi mumbled more seriously. "Don't
start acting like him... It's quite annoying."
Eron took a deep breath. Soon after that, he let out a big howl
which came out of his mouth and rocked the entire street. Windows broke,
pavement cracked and all sort of medium size objects were sent flying. This
included the two Sailor Senshi.
"Behold another one of my forms: the Howler." Eron announced. "I
assume you know how I came up with the name."
The two Senshi got up though, with their ears buzzing as a result of
the howl. Their disorientation would take them some time to shake off, but
Eron probably wasn't going to give them such an opportunity to recover.
"Hold it right there, Eron!!" came from above.
"Not again..."
"We had more than enough of you!" Eternal Sailor Moon continued
accompanied by Mars and Jupiter. "The people in this town aren't cattle for
you to take their Essence Sphere. I won't allow..."
"RRROOAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"
The speach was rudely interrupted by another one of Eron's screams
which sent the three defenders back against a wall.
"Don't you get it yet, you stupid little girl!" the monster declared
annoyed as he approached the leader. "I couldn't care less about your dumb
little speeches. Here's a tip, stop talking and start fighting!"
Eron raised his claw, ready to deliver a vertical slash on the
helpless Senshi. Just as he was about to strike, a red line crossed the sky
and hit the scientist's hand, make him withdraw his attack. A rose was now
planted near his feet.
"Stop talking and start fighting?" asked a voice on top of a
building. "Eron, being such a annoying chatter box yourself, you should
probably be the last person on this planet to make that kind of suggestion."
"Tuxedo Kamen!" Moon said rejoiced.
"Okay, everyone, let's get him!!" Jupiter began.
"Yes, by all means, come and get me." Eron grinned. "It'll be a nice
warm up before the real fight begins."
**********
"We're almost there! Faster, Kintouen!" Son Goku ordered.
Not again. No more deaths. He knew Eron was ripping Essences Spheres
out of innocent bystanders just so he would show up. Each second was
precious. Each second represented another victim. He had to move fast if he
wanted to avoid that. As fast as the Kintouen could fly him, that is.
Something suddenly interrupted Trunks' line of thought: a blazing
sound coming right at him. He barely had the time to turn around when a
white colored energy blast threw him right out of his cloud and right into
a nearby apartment.
"Successful shot." Sorine said as she re-loaded her rifle. "Target's
status: alive. Increasing Stunt Rifle's capacity to 3/5. Preparing for
second assault."
Inside what once was a normal living room, Trunks, who was now
sitting on the floor with his back against a wall that miraculously
resisted the impact, moved his right hands towards his aching head.
"Wha... what hit me?" he asked, still confused.
The sting all over his body made it hard to move, but he quickly
shook the confusion off his head and pointed his eyes towards the balcony
from which he came in crashing. There was a woman standing there now. Tall,
slender, completely bald and with skin white like ivory. Her face showed no
emotion at all. Her garments consisted mainly of a full body turquoise
spandex and a black jacket with black boots to make the match.
What worried Trunks the most was the big rifle taken out of a Si-Fi
movie the woman was pointing at him. That was the same rifle he saw that
Elite Raider use on Tuxedo Kamen a couple of weeks ago.
No further observations could be made as a second blast was shot
from the weapon. Trunks managed to raise his arms to protect himself, but
the strength of the attack was enough to send him through several walls and
eventually outside the building once there was nothing left to crash on.
[Why wasn't I able to sense her presence??] the shrouded hero asked
himself as he began to fall. [Unless... an android!]
The flying cloud cut through the air with great speed to catch its
owner. Then, as Trunks began to regain the ability to move, he alerted all
of his senses in search of the enemy. She was probably already stalking him
from somewhere else.
His ears located the source of danger in good time. With a great
jump, Son Goku abandoned the Kintouen and reached for the nearest building.
As expected, the blast passed right where he stood moments ago. Now it was
time to turn around this 'hunter-pray' situation. The blue figure pressed
his feet against the building's surface and gave himself a generous push
which sent him flying to the top of the building his aggressor was shooting
from.
Son Goku popped right in front of Sorine like a Jack-in-box, holding
his Bo staff with both hands, ready for a brutal vertical blow. This,
however, didn't cause the woman to even blink.
"Force Shield." she spoke.
The Nyoi Bo made impact against an invisible barrier of some sort
before reaching its intended target, giving Sorine two big advantages. The
first was obviously the defensive bonus such technique gave her. The second
was having a surprised Son Goku at point blank for another shot.
For a third time this day, the blue ninja was sent flying through
the air as the Stunt Rifle made another successful impact. The huntress
immediately flew after him, preparing another strike before the pray could
take a moment to recover.
"Eron. Sorine reporting." the android said through her Comm Link,
"Operation Ambush is a success, prepare to intercept Son Goku in quadrant
D-6 in twenty seconds."
Meanwhile, back to the fight against Eron:
"Roger that, Sorine!" the scientist acknowledged, "I'll just have
wrap thing up here faster than I had planned."
Eron filled his lungs again. That was the Senshi's cue to cover
their ears. Another high decibel howl filled the streets of Juuban, making
nearby windows crack and the pavement shatter. The heroines, among other
thing, were sent flying backwards. A car was about to fall on top of them,
but Mercury's Aqua Rhapsody pushed it out of course.
Once the five teens and the tux dressed hero regained their footing,
all of them saw how the 'now monster' scientist made his escape.
"He's running away, after him!!" Jupiter shouted.
"Great!" Eron said with sarcasm as he saw the Senshi hot on his
trail. "These girls are harder to kill than cockroaches. Sorine, what's my
time?"
//Son Goku arriving in 10 seconds.// the woman responded.
"Arlakk!!" the scientist shouted as he kept on running, "Put your
Mambo Jumbo to good use and get these brats off my back!!"
"Consider it done." said a voice.
Without any sort of spectacular entrance, the sorcerer suddenly
appeared in front of the Juuban defenders, cutting their chase short.
"Ice Storm." Arlakk said as he extended his fingers towards the
group.
A violent, cold, wind current came out of the sorcerer's hand,
expanding like a shot gun towards the girls and Tuxedo Kamen and stopping
them dead on their tracks. It was in times like these that the Senshi
regretted having such skimpy outfits: short skirts really weren't the best
line of defense against cold temperature.
"You're that guy from the park." Eternal Sailor Moon declared.
"You're one of Eron's friends."
"I would hardly think of myself as his friend," Arlakk pointed out,
"but you should consider me as your enemy no less."
5... 4... 3... 2...
Eron saw how the blue dressed airborne figure approached him
unceremoniously. Sorine did a good job wearing him out it would seem. Now
he could get his revenge for all the humiliation he caused him in the last
fight they had.
Before Son Goku had the chance to crash on the floor, the scientist
quickly took a hold of his ankle and swung him against a nearby wall,
causing some heavy damage on public property.
"Hello there, blue boy." he said. "Remember me?"
Unfortunately, Trunks was having problems speaking, as well as
moving, after continuously getting blasted by the female android. Not
wasting the opportunity, Eron lifted him up by the head and gave him a
direct hit to the stomach. The fun was just beginning.
As for the Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen, they weren't doing so well
either, the temperature was still going down and the defenders' bodies were
getting numb because of it. Arlakk stood there, quite amused by how easily
he was controlling the situation. Soon his enemies would be nothing more
than ice statues. Getting their Essence Spheres and Eternal Sailor Moon's
broach would be no trouble at all then.
Tuxedo Kamen threw a rose against the sorcerer, but it froze half
way through, much like the rest of the attacks the girls had previously
tried.
"Tuxedo Kamen," Mars began, "Throw another rose."
"I just did and it didn't work." he told her.
"C... c... cold..." Moon whined.
"Trust me."
Well... better than standing still and freeze to death. Just as
Mamoru took out another rose, Rei joined both of her index finger in a
praying stance. Fire began to come out of them. Once the rose was thrown...
"Fire Soul!"
The combined effort gave very satisfactory results. The rose, now
covered with fire, easily made its way to the sorcerer, stabbing him on the
hand. Yes, that was painful, and it also made Arlakk lose his concentration
to hold the spell.
"Get him!!" yelled Venus.
Putting into practice the well known saying of "divide and conquer",
the girls and the tux dressed guy surrounded the sorcerer. There was no way
he could attack all of them at once. At least that's what they thought.
"Reverse gravity." Arlakk cast, as he pressed the palms of his hands
against the floor.
Without even a warning, a powerful force projected the defenders up
into the sky, scattering them all over the place once they unceremonious
landed back on the ground.
"Fools. Do you really think I don't have spells which can protect
me?" the magic user declared. "We've fought greater opponents than you, so
don't even think you stand a chance."
"Oh, yeah?" Moon responded, "Well as for you, don't even think we're
planning on giving up!"
"I know that." he grinned, "And that's what makes it entertaining...
Web."
"Huh? What do you mean by web?" the Senshi leader asked.
Out of Arlakk's mouth came the answer, although not in the form of
words. The sorcerer spat something towards Sailor Mercury. And it wasn't
saliva. Ami, being the target, was the first one to realized that it was a
spider web, which grew in size very fast by the way. Before she had a chance
to move it caught her like a fishing net.
"Wha... what is this stuff??" she asked as she tried to get herself
free. "I can barely move!"
"One down, five to go." the sorcerer stated.
"Deep Submerge!!"
A water based attack came unexpectedly towards Arlakk. This one had
just enough time to raise his hands and cast a magical barrier, but the blast
still sent him to the other side of the street. At least, the damage was
absorbed by his shield, which was good enough.
On top of a building, Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus glared at
their opponent.
"Actually, it's one down and seven to go, wizard!" Sailor Uranus
pointed out from the top of a building. "And trust me, the only one who'll
be 'going down' will be you!"
"What an interesting manifesto." the magic user declared as he
prepared another spell, "Let's see if you can back up those words with
actions."
Back with Son Goku and Eron:
The situation didn't change for the better. At least from Trunks'
point of view. Eron had him now in a bear-hug and was crushing him slowly.
Worst of all was that the shrouded hero couldn't get any strength through
his body. All the previous blasts he received from Sorine's Stunt Rifle had
weakened him considerably.
[I... have to do something.] he thought. [Whatever creature Eron
turned into this time, it's a lot stronger than the last. I have to think of
something or else I'm history.]
Another painful squeeze came. Trunks was being left without much
options. There was still the possibility to go Super Saiyajin which would
guaranty his freedom. But that alternative had a lot of drawbacks. Not only
he would expose his real identity and power to his enemies, but to the
Sailor Senshi as well, who were fighting close enough to witness the whole
thing. Especially Makoto... that worried him the most. A Super Saiyajin
hardly goes unnoticed and the girls would certainly remember him if he powered
up.
[I have no choice...] he realized, as he felt his ribs in pain.
[I have to do this!]
And back with the Senshis... again...
"Stand still." Uranus told Mercury as she took out her Space Sword.
With a few quick moves of her hand, the web holding Ami prisoner
fell to the ground in several pieces.
Sailor Jupiter and Mars were attacking Arlakk with their respective
powers while this last one did the same with some elemental spells of his
own. Neptune and Venus were going to give them some help, while Eternal
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen went to aid Son Goku.
Then... it happened.
"HHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"
The shout made everyone stop what they were doing at the moment.
Those capable of sensing power readings immediately turned to see Son Goku.
The rest didn't take long in doing the same. A yellow aura had appeared
around the Shinobi's body.
[Trunks... no... you didn't...] Sailor Mars thought as she witness
the display of power.
"What's going on???" Eron asked as he felt how his hold on Son Goku
began to weaken.
"Warning! Subject is increasing his power level!" alerted Sorine,
who had been doing nothing more than watching the whole fight since it began.
Son Goku's hood ripped open as his long spiky golden hair came to
life. Along with the physical change came a huge surge of power which sent
Eron flying back against a wall. Now the only thing that remained of the
Monkey God's mask was the part that hid his nose and mouth.
"This... this power!!" Arlakk said fascinated. "It's incredible!!"
Venus and Mercury immediately looked at each other. It was true
after all. Son Goku was a Saiyajin, just like they had deduced earlier.
They still couldn't believe their eyes, but the proof was undeniable.
*That* was a Super Saiyajin.
All of the girls' jaw fell to the ground. Tuxedo Kamen joined in as
well. Even if he didn't get to know that person as well as the Inner Senshi,
he *knew* about his existence. Uranus and Neptune showed some considerable
amount of surprise as well, although, unlike the others, they didn't knew
what it all meant.
"You want to know how strong I am, Eron??" Trunks yelled at his
opponent who was lying against a building. "You want to know what's my limit
so you can analyze me like the others?? Well analyze this on your way to
Hell!!!"
The Super Saiyajin pointed the palm of his hand towards the
scientist. Yellow energy began to form around it and was suddenly released
in the form of a blast. Eron thought he had seen his last day, but with
lighting speed, Sorine appeared in front of him.
"Force Shield." she spoke.
Just like the last time, the attack hit an invisible barrier and
was completely absorbed. This caused some surprise among the defenders,
Trunks included.
"Too many unexpected variables have appeared, our plan can't proceed
as predicted." the android declared, "Aborting mission. Eron, Arlakk, let's
move out."
"Agreed." said the sorcerer. "But don't even think you've seen the
last of the Master of Tomorrow, defenders."
"Victory to our cause!" shouted the three enemies, as the words
triggered the teleportation system to send them back to their Outpost.
Everyone was still too bewildered to even care, or complain, about
the trio's escape. Trunks didn't want to turn around and look at the Senshi,
he could feel their gaze all over him. Confrontation with other people
wasn't what he did best. Unfortunately, now that he had decided to transform,
he had to pay the costs.
Ever so slowly, he moved his eyes towards the Senshi and Tuxedo
Kamen. He then removed what was left of his mask and dropped the Super
Saiyajin form. His hair fell back at the sides of his face.
She couldn't feel any air in her lungs. She wasn't even sure if her
heart was still beating. It was him. Maybe he had long black hair now, but
it was still him. She couldn't forget those eyes and that face. Words got
stuck half way through her throat.
Uranus and Neptune did, however, manage to speak up.
"Akira-san?" Michiru asked amazed.
The Saiyajin hybrid was equally amazed to hear the two Outer Senshi
call him by his undercover name, but he didn't get a chance to respond as
more questions began to pop out. Especially one.
"T... Trunks?" Jupiter finally manage to pronounce. "Is it really
you?"
"Hi." he said nervously.
End of chapter 9.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh my, oh my. Did I just leave you folks hanging again? =P
See you in chapter 10...
"Past, Present and Uncertainty."
By Julian Soullard (e-mail: jnsoullard@hotmail.com)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AND NOW ON WITH....
Chapter 9: The show is over.
The earth shook with each running step he took. In spite of his
massive stone body, the scientist, now a monster, moved very nimbly towards
his opponent. With a loud growl, Eron sent a powerful punch towards Son Goku.
The latter quickly put his Bo staff back in its sheath and caught the
incoming attack with both hands, which were barely enough to hold the
monster's entire fist, now that it had grown beyond normal proportions.
Yet, even though he intercepted the punch, Trunks was pushed
several feet back by the force of the blow. He still held the fist though,
but didn't plan on staying still much longer.
Instead of blocking the second punch, the shrouded figure jumped
right above it, planting his hands on Eron's broad arm. Using his momentum,
he spun his body in order to send his right foot against his enemy's face.
The kick connected successfully and the scientist's face turned 45º to the
opposite side he was hit.
Much to Trunks' surprise, the monster immediately faced him again,
apparently not affected by the attack. Eron took the chance and gave him a
head butt. Fortunately for his adversary, he didn't use his horn for extra
damage. Nevertheless, Son Goku was sent flying to the other side of the
street.
"Oh, dear. Did I forgot to mention it?" Eron said with his well
known sarcasm. "What you see on my skin aren't ordinary rocks. Actually,
they're giant shock absorbers. It doesn't matter how hard you hit me, it
won't represent more than a mild sting for me. Quite a discovery, wouldn't
you say? The original creature who possessed this gift was the Gerda. Cute
little thing I found on one of my missions. Its DNA code sure proved
adequate for most of my fighting needs."
"You stole some creatures powers?" Son Goku asked, while rubbing
his forehead as he got up. "Just like the sphere you stole from that man."
"I did no such thing." he corrected, "I don't use people's Essence
Spheres. I merely analyzed the Gerda's genetic code and reproduced it so I
could use it for my DNA assimilation technique, quite simple if you think
of it."
"So your special skill is to use other people's skills through their
genes?" Trunks asked, not very impressed.
"I must admit that it's not as 'flamboyant' as dressing in blue
pajamas and riding a yellow cloud like you do," Eron mocked, "But it's more
than enough to help me achieve my goals. Besides, who says that's the only
thing I can do?"
"Then why do you steal those Essence Spheres if you don't use them?"
he inquired again, "What's the point?"
"Those aren't for me. They're a gift for my Lord." the scientist
responded, "But that's all you'll learn from me, my friend. I didn't came
here to talk."
"I see... So I was right to assume there's someone above you." Son
Goku declared as he began to walk towards his enemy. "Now you'll tell me
everything I need to know."
"I think you didn't hear me a second ago. I didn't came here to talk."
"Then I'll make you talk."
**********
He usually wasn't the first one to show up during a battle, but in
this occasion, Mamoru Chiba happened to be near the area Eron was attacking.
Now, dressed in his fighting (but none less elegant) clothes, Tuxedo Kamen
moved from rooftop to rooftop as he followed the noise of a battle.
Once he reached his destination, he realized that he wasn't the
first one to show up after all. Son Goku was already locked in a fight with
what appeared to be some sort of huge living gargoyle with horns.
In a blink of an eye, the Shinobi appeared in front of his opponent
and delivered a brutal uppercut to the creature's stomach, then a left hook
to its face. Finally he ended his attack with a roundhouse kick which sent
the unfortunate enemy a few yards away. It all happened so fast that it
seemed like one assault instead of three.
The creature stood up after that and grinned.
"Are you having fun?" Eron mocked, "You can hit me as hard as you
want for all I care, but I can't promise you to feel any pain."
"Really? Then look at your arm." the Shinobi told him as he crossed
his arms in front of his chest.
Out of curiosity, Eron did so and saw with horror that the rocks he
had all over his right arm where shattered as if hit by a sledge hammer. As
he moved his hand towards his left cheek, he realized that some fragments
were falling from there as well.
"This is impossible!!" the stated.
"So, do you still want me to hit you as hard as I can?" Son Goku
asked. "Now let's start with the questions: What are you and your friends
after and why are you taking people's Essence Spheres?"
"Well, I believe that the answer to both questions is 'none of your
business'." the monster responded.
Another blow came immediately after that reply and Eron was sent
flying further away.
"Wrong answer." the Shinobi told him. "Let's try again."
This had change for the worst. Eron inspected his recently bashed
area and saw that more of his rocks where now turned into debris. This...
this couldn't be happening. He should be stronger than Son Goku, not the
other way around. The scientist's pride forced him to keep on attacking,
hoping to change the situation back in his favor, but the defender dodged
all of his blows with the greatest of ease. Unaware to him, more of the
defenders were starting to show up. Namely: the Inner Senshi.
"Sanzoken!" Son Goku declared.
What was once one was now five. Remembering the technique he saw in
the Tenkachi Budokai files, Trunks moved faster than the normal eye could
sense an created several images of himself. Each one apparently moving as
an independent fighter while assaulting Eron with more blows.
Once again, the monster could do little to defend himself and more
of his stone protection fell in pieces.
"What on Earth was that??" Eternal Sailor Moon asked amazed.
"The legend of the Monkey God." Mars remarked, "I read somewhere
that he had the ability to make clones of himself."
She really didn't knew how he did it, but Trunks had successfully
copied one of the Monkey God's powers. Rei had to give her friend credit for
that.
[This can't be happening!! Damn it!! This can't be happening!!] Eron
thought. [I'm losing!! There's no way I can win in this condition! I have to
think fast.]
"Well, let's not just stand here and watch." Venus suggested, "Let's
help him."
Out of the corner of his eye, Trunks saw the Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen
approaching.
"Flame Sniper!!"
"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!!"
Both attack struck true on their designated target and Eron couldn't
ignore the pain this time. He had no more stone defense to rely on and as
much as he hated the idea, it would seem that the old 'turn tail and run'
move was the only option left. Not that Son Goku, nor the Sailor Senshi,
would probably allow him to flee, so he would need a distraction.
Maybe his defensive edge was gone, but at least he still had his
enhanced strength. Now he only had to use it right.
The Senshi, Tuxedo Kamen and Son Goku were already running towards
the scientist, ready to pursue the fight. Before they got any closer, Eron
grabbed the nearest, biggest object he could throw at them. Which in this
context refers to a moving van.
No one expected the monster to use a heavy transportation as a
weapon... that is... until he actually lifted it with both hands and hurled
it against them. Everyone stopped dead on their tracks. The Senshi looked at
the incoming vehicle like a deer caught in the headlights of a car, which in
this case was a rather accurate comparison.
The girls instinctively raised their arms and turned their face away.
It was all over. Or at least that's what they thought, but the van never
actually crushed them. As everyone raised their eyes, they saw Son Goku
holding the vehicle above them with one hand, literally catching it before
it could cause any damage.
Scared, as well as very impressed, the Juuban defenders could feel
how their lives had passed right in front of their eyes. Goku simply put the
van down and immediately checked the place for any signs of Eron. Not
surprisingly, the scientist had use that little distraction to escape. His
presence couldn't be felt anymore.
Trunks cursed his luck again. This wasn't the first time his
opponent had ran away. He remembered something else, though. There was a
more urgent matter than Eron right now.
"The Essence Sphere!" he suddenly said, "Where is it? Where is the
Elite Raider??"
No one knew what he was talking about, but the sudden sound of a
painful growl and a body falling to the floor caught everyone's attention.
Right in a street's corner, the cat creature in charge of guarding the
Essence Sphere was found dead, covered in its own blood. Next to it, Sailor
Neptune and Uranus were now walking towards the group, with this last one
putting her Space Sword back inside her scabbard while her friend was now
holding the precious item.
"Could someone tell us what did just happened here?" Uranus asked,
as she crossed her arms.
Everyone turned towards the Monkey God for an answer. Especially the
two newcomers who gave him the very well known distrustful look. A look
Trunks was strangely starting to get used to by now.
"Eron was attacking some citizens." he explained simply. "When I got
here, he was holding that thing which he calls an Essence Sphere. It appears
the sphere was taken out of the victim. This may sound crazy, but I believe
it represents the victim's soul."
Everyone exchanged dubious looks and eventually stared at the
mysterious object. Mercury quickly activated her visor and computer to
confirm the Monkey God's theory. Right enough, she got some very unusual
reading coming from it.
"Oh, my God..." she whispered, as she analyzed. "I can't believe
this..."
"Okay... I know someone *has* to ask this obvious question:" Venus
began, "What is it, Mercury?"
"He's right." the senshi said, "Son Goku is right. This object not
only contains that man's life force, but his knowledge, memories and spirit
as well. No wonder they call this an Essence Sphere, it hold all of the
victim's essence. The body becomes nothing more than an empty vessel once
this has been ripped out from the victim."
"But what about the victim??" Eternal Sailor Moon asked with natural
concern, "Can that man be saved?"
"There's only one way to find out." the team genius stated.
Without wasting any time, everyone ran to the body of the victim.
After Son Goku told them which one it was, Mercury approached the Essence
Sphere to it. And interesting reaction happened. As it became closer, the
brighter did the object glow. Once pressed against his chest, it began to
introduce itself with no great effort.
Mercury let out a sigh of relief as her scanner confirmed that life
had been restored to the body. Rei and Trunks, who could sense it through
other means, sighed as well.
"But look..." Jupiter said, not as rejoiced, as she pointed to the
numerous other victims. "What about them."
What about them indeed. There were at least ten other bodies lying
on the street, but no Essence Sphere could be found near them. As painful
as it sounded, those people were now dead. Dead and with no chance to be
resurrected. Everyone could feel a knot on their throats. They may have
saved one sphere, but the enemy had managed to take ten home. That was a
very sour victory for the defenders.
"No... but that can't be!!" Moon exclaimed alarmed. "There has to be
something we can do! Mercury, tell me there's something we can do!!"
"I... I'm sorry..." the girl responded, as she hung her head low.
"But clinically speaking, they're dead..."
"No..." the leader softly whispered.
**********
Inside the Lord's chambers, the master of Dominia held in his hand
the last Essence Sphere Eron had brought. As he closed it, the sphere began
to glow. One last glow before it was absorbed. The Lord then let out a big
refreshing sigh, just like when someone takes a cold drink on a hot day.
His eyelids opened and purple flames erupted out of them, making his
eyes look like two torches.
"Good... that was most enjoyable. I hope to see more of these
Essence Spheres in the near future." he commented, "Now.. regarding today's
fight: Eron what happened? This Son Goku is causing you quite a lot of
trouble as I can see."
"Yes, my Lord." the scientist said ashamed. "The defender proves to
be a new challenge each time we face him."
"My Lord, I'm starting to believe that Son Goku is a lot stronger
than he is letting us know." Arlakk cut in. "Maybe it's time to change our
strategy."
"Affirmative." Sorine added. "We are wasting too much time in this
mission."
"My Lord, if you could only give me another chance, I..." Eron began,
but was cut short when his master raised his hand and gestured him to stop
talking.
"Arlakk is right." the Lord mentioned. "This Son Goku character is
starting to get in our way too much. We have to deal with him first. I
believe it's time for all three Masters of Tomorrow to take action."
His three servants bowed in response.
"This is the strategy we shall follow..." he then added.
**********
She tapped her pencil against her note book several times in a sign
of exasperation. Answers don't usually come by doing so, but there was
nothing else to try.
Ami decided to put away the pencil and math notes. There was no use
in trying to study now, her mind was too much of a fuss with all this Son
Goku business, so she opted to find some answers to that mystery instead.
Son Goku, Son Goku, Son Goku, Son Goku... who was he? What was he
seeking? Where did he get his power from?
The power... she ran a scan on him during the last fight and
couldn't find anything magical in him asides from that Bo staff he always
carried. But if he wasn't magical then...
"Hey, Ami!" beamed a voice.
"Minako, I didn't hear you coming in." the young genius said.
"Sorry I'm late. Where you already studying?" asked the blonde.
"Well, sort of..."
"Sort of?" the girl asked as she raised an eyebrow. "Hmm..."
Noticing her math notes on her desk, Minako didn't hesitate to open
them on the last page. She got her answer there. Written several times in a
single page was the name Son Goku. Minako grinned.
"What's this?" she teased, while pointing at the notebook, "I didn't
knew you had it so bad for our new friend. Does Ryouga know?"
"Come on, Minako, don't start with that again." Ami told her as she
bushed. "I was just trying to put some clues together to find out who he
really is."
"Have you found something?" she asked, now a lot more serious.
"Well, not really. I mean... we don't have a lot of clues either."
she explained, "I can't think of a person we know who could be him."
"Well, let's see..." Minako began, "Let's make a list of all the
super strong guys we know of. Hmmm... Ranma Saotome."
"I don't know, Minako." Ami said, "Ranma may have a very protective
nature and he does care about the people next to him, but I don't think he
would dress up in a ninja suite and take the name of Son Goku to fight next
to us."
"Point taken." the blonde acknowledged, "Besides, I bet he'd say
something like 'guys wearing that kinda costumes look like geeks' or
something like that. How about Ryouga? He's pretty strong too and I bet he'd
look great in a tight ninja outfit."
"I don't think it's him either." she went on, as she pushed away the
image of Ryouga in a tight suit, "Just like Ranma, he would be more likely
to fight without dressing up in some ancient Chinese legend. Not to mention
that with his direction problem, he's not very likely to be near Juuban most
of the time to be a 'local hero'."
"Now that you mention it, Son Goku looks too muscular for being
either Ranma or Ryouga who look more like the athletic type. Especially
Ranma." Minako added. "Well, then I guess it must be someone we don't know.
I can't think of any other superpowered guys worth mentioning."
A second of silence past before the two suddenly looked at each other.
"Actually, there *is* someone else." Ami brought out.
"You're not thinking about 'you-know-who-from-three-years-ago', are
you?"
"Trunks could be a possibility." she said.
"Yeah, *if* there was a possibility for him to come back to this
dimension that is." her friend pointed out. "C'mon, Ami. As much as it would
be great to see him again, the guy is from an entirely different dimension.
We saw the last of him when he went back to his world."
"I know... it doesn't make any sense." the young genius accepted.
"I mean... I'd really like to see him too. All of us would." she
confessed. "Especially since we don't know if he had any success with his
mission. But in any case, I think Trunks is definitively out of the list.
The time he crashed here was a one in a million chance."
"Yes, I know." Ami remembered, "I always wondered what might have
happened to him?"
"All of us had. Mako-chan most of all." Minako went on. "I really do
hope he made it through with his mission. Hope he gave that friend of his
that heart medicine."
"Yeah, me too..."
Moments after saying that, Ami remembered the time they met Trunks.
Those were interesting days. Even if the Saiyajin hybrid had stayed for only
a month and two weeks, the memories didn't disappear with his departure.
Yes... they all hoped everything went well for him.
Her sight harden a little, as if she tried to remember something
else. Trunks... Son Goku... why did it sound so familiar when put together?
Her eyes grew progressively as realization struck her. Minako noticed her
expression quickly.
"Ami?"
"Oh, my God..." the young genius spoke.
"Ami, what's wrong?"
"Oh, my GOD!" she repeated.
"Ami, what is it??"
"Minako..." she began, "Do you remember the talk we had with Trunks
on his last day here? The one where he told us about his world?"
"Of course I remember." she answered naturally, "About those
androids, Dragon Balls and stuff. What about it?"
"When he told us about his mission, do you remember the name of the
guy he was intended to help?" she added, "The one with the heart disease?"
Minako took a short travel inside her brain and opened the 'three
years ago memories' file. After a couple of seconds her eyes began to grow
as well.
"No waaay!!" she said.
"Yes," Ami confirmed, "Son Goku was his friend's name."
"Wow..."
"No kidding." she added, "All this time that I've been searching for
clues on Son Goku: the Monkey God, I was following a wrong trail. I
completely forgot about the *other* Son Goku: the Saiyajin from Trunks'
past."
"But still... what does it all mean?" Minako asked, her brain still
overflowed with all the new information. "I mean... is this Son Goku... I
mean... what's the deal here??"
"I... I don't know. I'm still not sure." Ami confessed. "I mean...
maybe the Son Goku we know is Trunks friend from his dimension. Maybe he's
the one Trunks saved from a heart disease... and now he's here."
"Wait wait wait wait wait. *Why* is he here? *How* did he get here?"
the blonde inquired.
"Here come the evil three words again: I don't know." she said. "But
still, it's just too much of a coincidence."
"Hold it... no... he can't be from Trunks world. It just doesn't fit."
Minako suddenly declared. "Remember Trunks' story? He told us that Son Goku
was a powerful warrior, strong enough to destroy the androids that were the
reason for all the mess. If that's the case, Son Goku should be stronger
than Trunks, since *he* wasn't able to defeat the androids. And... well...
I don't mean any disrespect towards our new local hero, but Trunks was *a
lot* stronger than Son Goku is right now."
"You're right... I didn't think of that." Ami admitted. "Nice
deduction there, Minako. Maybe I should pass on the mantle of 'team genius'
to you now."
"Heh, no thanks." she joked. "Too much stress for my pretty little
head."
The two girls sat down after that.
"Do you think we should tell the other about this coincidence?" Minako
asked.
"Maybe not. We have nothing but a coincidence to rely on." Ami told
her. "We have nothing solid. Maybe we're following another wrong trail."
"Besides," her friend added, "I wouldn't want to get Mako-chan all
worked up about this. No need to get her hopes high with anything regarding
Trunks' world if there's nothing sure."
"Yes, that's something we have to be extra careful with."
As if on cue to interrupt the conversation (as well as the only way
the author came up to make a scene transition ^^U) the well known screams of
terrified innocent bystanders started. And yes... as expected, the two girls
became aware of it. So, since we're going with typical fanfic writing
material today, next on the list would be...
"Oh, my God! What's going on??" asked Minako.
Followed by the also typical and non original...
"Oh, no! Another attack!" Ami responded as she looked outside the
window.
And let's not forget the...
"Let's transform and warn the others!!"
So, now that we've got that covered, let's just skip the
transformation sequences we all know by heart and move on to the next
scene, okay?
**********
"Ini... mini... maini... moe... Aww, what the heck, I'll just take
yours." Eron declared as he shot another victim with his ring and extracted
his Essence Sphere.
"Stop it right there, Eron!!" shouted a voice.
"Gee... I wonder who could that be?" the scientist said as he raised
his eyes to the sky in a bored expression. "Oh, look! It's the Sailor
Senshi! Whoopee!"
"Irritating as always, I see." Venus remarked, not really amused by
the scientist's sarcasm.
"It's a nice hobby." he naturally responded, as he took out a small
flask out of his utility belt. "So... now that you're here, how about we
skip the whole 'We shall punish you in the name of the Moon' speach and
just fight?"
"If you insist." the self proclaimed Senshi of love declared.
"Crescent Beam Shower!!"
Eron avoided the incoming bolts by doing a backflip. As soon as he
landed safely, he inserted the flask inside his hi-tech bracelet and
proceed with his DNA assimilation technique. Just like last time, his body's
muscular mass increased around four times as much, but the creature the
scientist transformed into was different to the Gerda. Instead of a rocky
skin, he grew brown fur all over his body. His face resembled a wolf's and
his hands were now equipped with claws.
"Oh, look, Mercury." Venus said mockingly, "It's the Big Bad Wolf.
Let's hope he hasn't eaten Grandma yet."
"Minako... please..." the blue Senshi mumbled more seriously. "Don't
start acting like him... It's quite annoying."
Eron took a deep breath. Soon after that, he let out a big howl
which came out of his mouth and rocked the entire street. Windows broke,
pavement cracked and all sort of medium size objects were sent flying. This
included the two Sailor Senshi.
"Behold another one of my forms: the Howler." Eron announced. "I
assume you know how I came up with the name."
The two Senshi got up though, with their ears buzzing as a result of
the howl. Their disorientation would take them some time to shake off, but
Eron probably wasn't going to give them such an opportunity to recover.
"Hold it right there, Eron!!" came from above.
"Not again..."
"We had more than enough of you!" Eternal Sailor Moon continued
accompanied by Mars and Jupiter. "The people in this town aren't cattle for
you to take their Essence Sphere. I won't allow..."
"RRROOAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"
The speach was rudely interrupted by another one of Eron's screams
which sent the three defenders back against a wall.
"Don't you get it yet, you stupid little girl!" the monster declared
annoyed as he approached the leader. "I couldn't care less about your dumb
little speeches. Here's a tip, stop talking and start fighting!"
Eron raised his claw, ready to deliver a vertical slash on the
helpless Senshi. Just as he was about to strike, a red line crossed the sky
and hit the scientist's hand, make him withdraw his attack. A rose was now
planted near his feet.
"Stop talking and start fighting?" asked a voice on top of a
building. "Eron, being such a annoying chatter box yourself, you should
probably be the last person on this planet to make that kind of suggestion."
"Tuxedo Kamen!" Moon said rejoiced.
"Okay, everyone, let's get him!!" Jupiter began.
"Yes, by all means, come and get me." Eron grinned. "It'll be a nice
warm up before the real fight begins."
**********
"We're almost there! Faster, Kintouen!" Son Goku ordered.
Not again. No more deaths. He knew Eron was ripping Essences Spheres
out of innocent bystanders just so he would show up. Each second was
precious. Each second represented another victim. He had to move fast if he
wanted to avoid that. As fast as the Kintouen could fly him, that is.
Something suddenly interrupted Trunks' line of thought: a blazing
sound coming right at him. He barely had the time to turn around when a
white colored energy blast threw him right out of his cloud and right into
a nearby apartment.
"Successful shot." Sorine said as she re-loaded her rifle. "Target's
status: alive. Increasing Stunt Rifle's capacity to 3/5. Preparing for
second assault."
Inside what once was a normal living room, Trunks, who was now
sitting on the floor with his back against a wall that miraculously
resisted the impact, moved his right hands towards his aching head.
"Wha... what hit me?" he asked, still confused.
The sting all over his body made it hard to move, but he quickly
shook the confusion off his head and pointed his eyes towards the balcony
from which he came in crashing. There was a woman standing there now. Tall,
slender, completely bald and with skin white like ivory. Her face showed no
emotion at all. Her garments consisted mainly of a full body turquoise
spandex and a black jacket with black boots to make the match.
What worried Trunks the most was the big rifle taken out of a Si-Fi
movie the woman was pointing at him. That was the same rifle he saw that
Elite Raider use on Tuxedo Kamen a couple of weeks ago.
No further observations could be made as a second blast was shot
from the weapon. Trunks managed to raise his arms to protect himself, but
the strength of the attack was enough to send him through several walls and
eventually outside the building once there was nothing left to crash on.
[Why wasn't I able to sense her presence??] the shrouded hero asked
himself as he began to fall. [Unless... an android!]
The flying cloud cut through the air with great speed to catch its
owner. Then, as Trunks began to regain the ability to move, he alerted all
of his senses in search of the enemy. She was probably already stalking him
from somewhere else.
His ears located the source of danger in good time. With a great
jump, Son Goku abandoned the Kintouen and reached for the nearest building.
As expected, the blast passed right where he stood moments ago. Now it was
time to turn around this 'hunter-pray' situation. The blue figure pressed
his feet against the building's surface and gave himself a generous push
which sent him flying to the top of the building his aggressor was shooting
from.
Son Goku popped right in front of Sorine like a Jack-in-box, holding
his Bo staff with both hands, ready for a brutal vertical blow. This,
however, didn't cause the woman to even blink.
"Force Shield." she spoke.
The Nyoi Bo made impact against an invisible barrier of some sort
before reaching its intended target, giving Sorine two big advantages. The
first was obviously the defensive bonus such technique gave her. The second
was having a surprised Son Goku at point blank for another shot.
For a third time this day, the blue ninja was sent flying through
the air as the Stunt Rifle made another successful impact. The huntress
immediately flew after him, preparing another strike before the pray could
take a moment to recover.
"Eron. Sorine reporting." the android said through her Comm Link,
"Operation Ambush is a success, prepare to intercept Son Goku in quadrant
D-6 in twenty seconds."
Meanwhile, back to the fight against Eron:
"Roger that, Sorine!" the scientist acknowledged, "I'll just have
wrap thing up here faster than I had planned."
Eron filled his lungs again. That was the Senshi's cue to cover
their ears. Another high decibel howl filled the streets of Juuban, making
nearby windows crack and the pavement shatter. The heroines, among other
thing, were sent flying backwards. A car was about to fall on top of them,
but Mercury's Aqua Rhapsody pushed it out of course.
Once the five teens and the tux dressed hero regained their footing,
all of them saw how the 'now monster' scientist made his escape.
"He's running away, after him!!" Jupiter shouted.
"Great!" Eron said with sarcasm as he saw the Senshi hot on his
trail. "These girls are harder to kill than cockroaches. Sorine, what's my
time?"
//Son Goku arriving in 10 seconds.// the woman responded.
"Arlakk!!" the scientist shouted as he kept on running, "Put your
Mambo Jumbo to good use and get these brats off my back!!"
"Consider it done." said a voice.
Without any sort of spectacular entrance, the sorcerer suddenly
appeared in front of the Juuban defenders, cutting their chase short.
"Ice Storm." Arlakk said as he extended his fingers towards the
group.
A violent, cold, wind current came out of the sorcerer's hand,
expanding like a shot gun towards the girls and Tuxedo Kamen and stopping
them dead on their tracks. It was in times like these that the Senshi
regretted having such skimpy outfits: short skirts really weren't the best
line of defense against cold temperature.
"You're that guy from the park." Eternal Sailor Moon declared.
"You're one of Eron's friends."
"I would hardly think of myself as his friend," Arlakk pointed out,
"but you should consider me as your enemy no less."
5... 4... 3... 2...
Eron saw how the blue dressed airborne figure approached him
unceremoniously. Sorine did a good job wearing him out it would seem. Now
he could get his revenge for all the humiliation he caused him in the last
fight they had.
Before Son Goku had the chance to crash on the floor, the scientist
quickly took a hold of his ankle and swung him against a nearby wall,
causing some heavy damage on public property.
"Hello there, blue boy." he said. "Remember me?"
Unfortunately, Trunks was having problems speaking, as well as
moving, after continuously getting blasted by the female android. Not
wasting the opportunity, Eron lifted him up by the head and gave him a
direct hit to the stomach. The fun was just beginning.
As for the Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen, they weren't doing so well
either, the temperature was still going down and the defenders' bodies were
getting numb because of it. Arlakk stood there, quite amused by how easily
he was controlling the situation. Soon his enemies would be nothing more
than ice statues. Getting their Essence Spheres and Eternal Sailor Moon's
broach would be no trouble at all then.
Tuxedo Kamen threw a rose against the sorcerer, but it froze half
way through, much like the rest of the attacks the girls had previously
tried.
"Tuxedo Kamen," Mars began, "Throw another rose."
"I just did and it didn't work." he told her.
"C... c... cold..." Moon whined.
"Trust me."
Well... better than standing still and freeze to death. Just as
Mamoru took out another rose, Rei joined both of her index finger in a
praying stance. Fire began to come out of them. Once the rose was thrown...
"Fire Soul!"
The combined effort gave very satisfactory results. The rose, now
covered with fire, easily made its way to the sorcerer, stabbing him on the
hand. Yes, that was painful, and it also made Arlakk lose his concentration
to hold the spell.
"Get him!!" yelled Venus.
Putting into practice the well known saying of "divide and conquer",
the girls and the tux dressed guy surrounded the sorcerer. There was no way
he could attack all of them at once. At least that's what they thought.
"Reverse gravity." Arlakk cast, as he pressed the palms of his hands
against the floor.
Without even a warning, a powerful force projected the defenders up
into the sky, scattering them all over the place once they unceremonious
landed back on the ground.
"Fools. Do you really think I don't have spells which can protect
me?" the magic user declared. "We've fought greater opponents than you, so
don't even think you stand a chance."
"Oh, yeah?" Moon responded, "Well as for you, don't even think we're
planning on giving up!"
"I know that." he grinned, "And that's what makes it entertaining...
Web."
"Huh? What do you mean by web?" the Senshi leader asked.
Out of Arlakk's mouth came the answer, although not in the form of
words. The sorcerer spat something towards Sailor Mercury. And it wasn't
saliva. Ami, being the target, was the first one to realized that it was a
spider web, which grew in size very fast by the way. Before she had a chance
to move it caught her like a fishing net.
"Wha... what is this stuff??" she asked as she tried to get herself
free. "I can barely move!"
"One down, five to go." the sorcerer stated.
"Deep Submerge!!"
A water based attack came unexpectedly towards Arlakk. This one had
just enough time to raise his hands and cast a magical barrier, but the blast
still sent him to the other side of the street. At least, the damage was
absorbed by his shield, which was good enough.
On top of a building, Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus glared at
their opponent.
"Actually, it's one down and seven to go, wizard!" Sailor Uranus
pointed out from the top of a building. "And trust me, the only one who'll
be 'going down' will be you!"
"What an interesting manifesto." the magic user declared as he
prepared another spell, "Let's see if you can back up those words with
actions."
Back with Son Goku and Eron:
The situation didn't change for the better. At least from Trunks'
point of view. Eron had him now in a bear-hug and was crushing him slowly.
Worst of all was that the shrouded hero couldn't get any strength through
his body. All the previous blasts he received from Sorine's Stunt Rifle had
weakened him considerably.
[I... have to do something.] he thought. [Whatever creature Eron
turned into this time, it's a lot stronger than the last. I have to think of
something or else I'm history.]
Another painful squeeze came. Trunks was being left without much
options. There was still the possibility to go Super Saiyajin which would
guaranty his freedom. But that alternative had a lot of drawbacks. Not only
he would expose his real identity and power to his enemies, but to the
Sailor Senshi as well, who were fighting close enough to witness the whole
thing. Especially Makoto... that worried him the most. A Super Saiyajin
hardly goes unnoticed and the girls would certainly remember him if he powered
up.
[I have no choice...] he realized, as he felt his ribs in pain.
[I have to do this!]
And back with the Senshis... again...
"Stand still." Uranus told Mercury as she took out her Space Sword.
With a few quick moves of her hand, the web holding Ami prisoner
fell to the ground in several pieces.
Sailor Jupiter and Mars were attacking Arlakk with their respective
powers while this last one did the same with some elemental spells of his
own. Neptune and Venus were going to give them some help, while Eternal
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen went to aid Son Goku.
Then... it happened.
"HHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"
The shout made everyone stop what they were doing at the moment.
Those capable of sensing power readings immediately turned to see Son Goku.
The rest didn't take long in doing the same. A yellow aura had appeared
around the Shinobi's body.
[Trunks... no... you didn't...] Sailor Mars thought as she witness
the display of power.
"What's going on???" Eron asked as he felt how his hold on Son Goku
began to weaken.
"Warning! Subject is increasing his power level!" alerted Sorine,
who had been doing nothing more than watching the whole fight since it began.
Son Goku's hood ripped open as his long spiky golden hair came to
life. Along with the physical change came a huge surge of power which sent
Eron flying back against a wall. Now the only thing that remained of the
Monkey God's mask was the part that hid his nose and mouth.
"This... this power!!" Arlakk said fascinated. "It's incredible!!"
Venus and Mercury immediately looked at each other. It was true
after all. Son Goku was a Saiyajin, just like they had deduced earlier.
They still couldn't believe their eyes, but the proof was undeniable.
*That* was a Super Saiyajin.
All of the girls' jaw fell to the ground. Tuxedo Kamen joined in as
well. Even if he didn't get to know that person as well as the Inner Senshi,
he *knew* about his existence. Uranus and Neptune showed some considerable
amount of surprise as well, although, unlike the others, they didn't knew
what it all meant.
"You want to know how strong I am, Eron??" Trunks yelled at his
opponent who was lying against a building. "You want to know what's my limit
so you can analyze me like the others?? Well analyze this on your way to
Hell!!!"
The Super Saiyajin pointed the palm of his hand towards the
scientist. Yellow energy began to form around it and was suddenly released
in the form of a blast. Eron thought he had seen his last day, but with
lighting speed, Sorine appeared in front of him.
"Force Shield." she spoke.
Just like the last time, the attack hit an invisible barrier and
was completely absorbed. This caused some surprise among the defenders,
Trunks included.
"Too many unexpected variables have appeared, our plan can't proceed
as predicted." the android declared, "Aborting mission. Eron, Arlakk, let's
move out."
"Agreed." said the sorcerer. "But don't even think you've seen the
last of the Master of Tomorrow, defenders."
"Victory to our cause!" shouted the three enemies, as the words
triggered the teleportation system to send them back to their Outpost.
Everyone was still too bewildered to even care, or complain, about
the trio's escape. Trunks didn't want to turn around and look at the Senshi,
he could feel their gaze all over him. Confrontation with other people
wasn't what he did best. Unfortunately, now that he had decided to transform,
he had to pay the costs.
Ever so slowly, he moved his eyes towards the Senshi and Tuxedo
Kamen. He then removed what was left of his mask and dropped the Super
Saiyajin form. His hair fell back at the sides of his face.
She couldn't feel any air in her lungs. She wasn't even sure if her
heart was still beating. It was him. Maybe he had long black hair now, but
it was still him. She couldn't forget those eyes and that face. Words got
stuck half way through her throat.
Uranus and Neptune did, however, manage to speak up.
"Akira-san?" Michiru asked amazed.
The Saiyajin hybrid was equally amazed to hear the two Outer Senshi
call him by his undercover name, but he didn't get a chance to respond as
more questions began to pop out. Especially one.
"T... Trunks?" Jupiter finally manage to pronounce. "Is it really
you?"
"Hi." he said nervously.
End of chapter 9.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh my, oh my. Did I just leave you folks hanging again? =P
See you in chapter 10...