Clow and Ki
Written by: Jumper Prime
I forgot to put a Disclaimer on chapter 1, so I'll do it now. I don't own Dragonball Z, Card Captor Sakura, or any of the characters therein. I have combined the 2 series according to my own vision. This I have done for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of others. I am receiving no money for this, so please don't sue me(I haven't got much to be sued for, anyway)
Chapter 2: Journey and Preliminaries
May 26, 767 A.D.
At precisely 6 AM, Madison's alarm clock went off, waking the two girls and one Guardian Beast sleeping in the room. Madison got out of bed immediately, closely followed by Kero, who got out of his miniature bed. Sakura was a little slower to get off her cot, but with some coaxing from Madison and Kero, was soon up and around as well. A servant brought breakfast up to Madison's room and the girls and Kero ate it. Sakura and Madison then showered and got dressed, Sakura in her new battle costume and Madison in regular clothes with sunglasses and a scarf over her hair. As Kero transformed into his true form, that of a winged lion-like creature with pieces of armor on his head and chest, Sakura noticed that, along with a purse and her ever-present video camera, Madison was holding a crystalline object that looked like some sort of three-dimensional puzzle.
"What's with the shades, Madison?"Sakura asked "And what're you doing with the chariot?"
"I'm coming with you, duh. The shades are to help hide my face from any other cameras that might be there." Madison answered
"No way! Madison, you are staying here! I didn't want Li, Eli, or Yue to come, and they would have at least a little ability to defend themselves from Cell's power. You wouldn't stand a chance if he attacked you."
"Sakura, this is the most important fight of your Cardcaptor career. There is no possible way that I am missing out on filming you saving the world. All I need is for you to use your magic to activate the chariot and off we go."
"Forget it, Madison. You're not coming with us. I am not using my magic to activate the Crystal Chariot for you."
"In that case, I'll just have to solve it manually so it'll activate itself. My best time so far is about 23 minutes. I could well arrive while you're fighting Cell, and I might get hit by a stray blast on approach, but that's the price a journalist pays for going where the big story is."
"Madison-"
"There's no talking me out of it, Sakura. No matter what, I'm going. It's up to you whether or not I get the whole story safely or if I only get part of it and risk my life doing so."
"You'll still be risking your life, even if you go there with us. What if Cell decides to kill you? What if I'm not fast enough to save you?"
"Keroberos can watch out for me. And who says I'd even be a target for Cell, anyway? I'm not gonna be there to fight, just to record your victory. Now, do I come with you and Keroberos or on my own?"
"Madison... I wish your mom had never found that thing in an antique store."
Sakura sighed and raised her arm, palm facing Madison. A small mote of light flew from Sakura's hand and into the crystalline object, which floated out of Madison's hands and hovered in front of her. The different parts shifted around as though someone were manipulating them with great speed. After about thirty seconds, the object's parts stopped shifting around as one last piece locked into place, making the puzzle a perfect crystalline sphere. The sphere glowed with bright light and quickly grew, changing shape as it did so. When it finally stopped glowing, it had become a wheelless crystal chariot that floated several inches above the floor.
Madison smiled and raised her video camera as Sakura took her magic key from around her neck and began to work her magic.
"Oh key of the star, with powers burning bright," Sakura intoned "Reveal the staff, and shine your light! RELEASE!"
The air filled with so much magic that even Madison could feel it as a magical wind blew around Sakura while her key expanded into her magical staff, topped by a five-pointed star inside a hoop framed by white wings.
"FLY!" Sakura called out as she tossed up a card and struck it with the top of her staff as it reached the top of its arc.
The star in Sakura's staff spun quickly as magical energy poured from the card, which vanished moments later. A pair of wings shimmered into existence, apparently sprouting from Sakura's back under her cape. Sakura and Keroberos stepped onto Madison's balcony as Madison got on the chariot. She placed one hand on a round jewel set in the center of the chariot's rim while using the other to aim her video camera at Sakura and Keroberos.
Sakura and Keroberos flapped their wings and flew into the air. A moment later, after making sure the way was clear, Madison concentrated and the jewel under her hand glowed blue, right before the chariot shot through the air, just missing the balcony rail as she flew after her friends.
"And so, our fearless heroine and her faithful Guardian Beast took off for the journey to The Cell Games, with yours truly following to record her coming victory." Madison narrated before turning off her video camera and putting it away.
The trio flew directly towards the Cell Games arena with Sakura in the lead. Sakura did not need a map or compass to find her way to her destination. Cell's evil power was a beacon that could not be ignored, like a black hole in a sea of light. After flying for some time, they came into sight of the pure white square that was the ring where The Cell Games would soon be held. As they got closer, they began to make out people standing in and around the fighting ring. Suddenly, the crystal chariot Madison was piloting took a steep dive, accelerating away from her friends. Madison's chariot skimmed above the ground before making contact with it, skidded along the ground and fishtailed before coming to a stop with its side facing the ring, only a few inches away.
Madison grabbed her video camera and filmed Sakura and Kero as they came in for their more sedate landings. As Sakura's feet touched the ground outside the ring, her magical wings flickered and vanished. The arrival of the trio was enough to make Cell raise one eyebrow for a moment before his face returned to the stoic mask he had maintained for over a week.
"What was that about?" Sakura demanded of her friend
"I had to land first so I could film your landing, of course." Madison answered "I think it was one of my better landings, too."
Their arrival had not gone unnoticed by the reporter and cameraman in the ring, nor by the alleged strongest man in the world, Mr. Satan, who stood next to them. The cameraman had caught their landings on camera, as he had those of Android 16 and the Z-fighters, who were standing outside the ring.
"Three more individuals have just arrived." the reporter narrated "A girl on a rather unusually styled air-vehicle, a... winged lion, and a girl in a rather odd costume, this last apparently having wings as she flew in but now there is no sign of them. I don't understand it."
"It's another trick!" Mr. Satan declared "The girl in the costume never really had wings, that was just an illusion. She was really being towed along though the air by the girl in the vehicle then used her cape to slow down when they landed. Probably some fans who wanted to try and impress me with a flashy entrance. I give them a four out of ten for style and ingenuity."
"Ohhh. I see. Yes, that makes perfect sense. I don't know why I didn't think of it."
"What a dork." Madison muttered as she turned to get a shot of Cell, then raised her voice enough to be clearly picked up by her camera "And there is the villain of the piece. Cell, the evil demon who our brave heroine will shortly send back to Hell with her supreme magical powers."
Madison stepped down off the Crystal Chariot and it changed back into its puzzle-like form before floating into her opened purse. The reporter and cameraman walked over to the side of the ring where Sakura, Keroberos, and Madison were standing and stepped down.
"Excuse me." The reporter said and Madison turned to face him "Don't tell me you're here to fight Cell."
"Me? Oh gosh no." Madison chuckled a little "I'm just here to film my girl here," Madison gestured toward Sakura with her free hand "Taking Cell down and saving the world."
"A young girl like that? Fighting a monster like Cell? She's certain to get badly hurt. Luckily for her, the great Mr. Satan is here to handle everything. Don't worry, little girl, he'll defeat Cell, no problem."
"Unless there's a lot more to Mr. Satan than what everybody knows about, he's not gonna stand a chance. Lucky for us, my best friend here has all the power she needs to save the world."
"Oh the childish fantasies of a young girl." the reporter chuckled
"Amazingly enough," Vegeta said to his fellow warriors, who were standing along another side of the fighting ring "I actually agree with that fool. The girl may have a higher Ki than that conceited fool, Mr. Satan, but it's still lower than Radditz's was. If she tries to fight Cell, he will swat her like a gnat."
"Don't be so sure about that, Vegeta." Piccolo responded "There are more kinds of strength than just what you know about."
"And just what is THAT supposed to mean, Namek?"
"Shakespeare said 'There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamed of in your philosophy.'"
"What DO you mean, Mr. Piccolo?" Gohan asked more politely than Vegeta had
"Suffice to say, a person's Ki can't always tell you how powerful they are. There are kinds of power that only affect Ki level indirectly, not to mention she's probably hiding most of her power, right now, if she truly intends to fight Cell."
"Personally, I think she's been reading too many comic books." Yamcha commented "I mean, look at that outfit!"
Meanwhile, across the ring, the cameraman had focused on Sakura, who was blushing quite a bit.
"So, what's your name, little lady?" the reporter asked "Just so we can put a name to the face."
"Me? I'm uhhh, errr..." Sakura stammered, unwilling to give her real name, but unable to come up with a pseudonym on such short notice
"Call her, Cardcaptor." Keroberos suggested
"Cardcaptor?" the reporter blinked "That's a rather unusual name."
"It is a title. One she has earned several times over."
"I... See."
"OK then," Goku smiled as he audibly cracked his knuckles "Let's get this thing going, and if you want, I'll be first."
"Goku, you don't have to be the first one to fight." Trunks said
"What do you say, Vegeta?"
"Be my guest." the Prince of all Saiyans answered "We all know it will be me who ends up finishing off Cell."
"HEY! DON'T YOU KNOW I'M THE CHAMP AROUND HERE!" Mr. Satan bellowed as the reporter and cameraman scrambled back across the ring to where the Z-fighters stood
"Um. Excuse me sir," the reporter asked Goku "But I was just wondering if you or your friends were going to take part in the tournament?"
"Of course." Goku answered "I'll be going first."
"They have no idea what they're getting into." Sakura muttered as Mr. Satan and Krillin exchanged words
"I suspect at least one of them does." Keroberos responded as the reporter fell off the edge of the ring
"Huh?" Madison blinked just before Mr. Satan ripped a rock out of the ground and broke it over his own head "That's gotta hurt."
"It's time." Cell said simply "Who will be the first to challenge?"
Mr. Satan stepped forward while Sakura got up onto the ring
"You're looking at him." Mr. Satan replied "Let's get it on!"
"No!" Sakura shouted "Mr. Satan, with all due respect, you don't know what you're up against. Cell's too powerful for any regular person to stop. I have to fight him. I'm the only one who can."
The Z-fighters were intrigued by the amount of truth in Sakura's words, while Mr. Satan, the reporter, and the cameraman just laughed.
"You've been reading too many comic books, little girl." the world champion declared "I mean, look at that Halloween costume you're wearing. Only a child would fall for Cell's little trick and think that those explosions that wiped out the soldiers attacking him were the result of weird powers instead of pre-planted bombs."
"She's right, Mr. Satan!" Goku shouted "If you fight Cell you're going to get killed!"
"OK Lionel, get a close up of the guy with the big hair." the reporter ordered his camerman, who did as ordered "Are we on? Good. Ahem. Just moments ago, this long-haired guy, as well as the girl calling herself Cardcaptor, had the audacity to tell the people's hero, Hercule Satan, to back down from the tournament. Imagine, telling the martial-arts champion of the world he was going to be beaten. Having followed Mr. Satan's amazing career over the years I have one question to ask these know-it-all brats: WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? And until we can get this amateur and the little girl to leave, the main event won't begin. I have never seen anything so unprofessional in all my life!"
"Look little girl," Mr. Satan spoke to Sakura as an adult talking to a young child "You go back to ringside and keep your mouth shut, and after I've beaten Cell, I'll give you my autograph."
"I don't want your autograph!" Sakura shouted back "Don't you understand that I'm the only one who can stop Cell! He's got powers like you've never seen before!"
"You might as well let him try." Madison said "After he tries and fails, you'll look even better as you kick Cell's butt."
"You're not going to be able to talk him out of it, anyway." Keroberos agreed "Might as well let him have his shot."
"Alright." Sakura let out an angry sigh "Mr. Satan, please try not to get killed. If you die, I'll never be able to forgive myself, knowing I could have prevented it."
Sakura turned and walked back to the edge of the ring, then jumped down to stand next to Kero and Madison while Goku made a hand signal showing his own contrition.
"He's going to get himself killed." Sakura said softly "I should've levitated him with the Float card to prove to him that those 'weird comic book powers' are just as real as he is."
"It would've been a waste of energy." Keroberos responded "You know how people who don't believe in magic simply can't perceive it. He would've likely dismissed it as a 'trick' anyway, and possibly claimed you were in league with Cell, taking advantage of a booby trap he supposedly rigged up. Plus, you need to be as fresh as possible for the fight."
"Not to mention that with all the hot air that guy's packing, the Float card would probably send him into orbit." Madison chuckled as she focused her camera on Mr. Satan, who was starting to take off his cape while the reporter narrated.
"HOLD ON, EVERYBODY!" an amplified female voice was suddenly heard "IT'S TIME TO GET HAPPY!"
Everyone looked up to see a pink twin-rotor helicopter flying in from above. The woman's voice was blaring from it as it descended.
"Could it be?" the reporter wondered
"THAT'S RIGHT!" the woman's voice seemingly answered the reporter "THE FABULOUS DUO IS HERE! ONE'S GOT STRENGTH, ONE'S GOT GRACE, AND EVERYBODY'S GOT THE LOVE!"
The helicopter flew a bit lower, then, when it was directly over the ring, a door opened in the side and two men jumped out. The first was a lean blonde man with a rose in his mouth, the other was a large man wearing what looked like a black metal elephant mask. The man in white landed on his feet, the other did not, but seemed unhurt as he stood up a moment later. As soon as the big man was on his feet, a woman in red jumped out of the chopper and into the big man's outstretched arms before being set down on her feet.
"It looks like we have new challengers to take on Cell!" the reporter announced "But who are they and where are they from?"
"We are the students of Maestro Satan!" the big man stated with a thick accent as he and the man in white posed
"Yes." the man in white did a pirouette before settling down into a new pose "Gaze upon me, I am Caroni."
"Arrrrr!" the big man growled as he flexed, stressing the bands around his upper arms "And I am the stupendous power-man Pirozhki!" Steam issued from nozzles on Pirozhki's headgear as he finished his declaration.
"Could these possibly be the often talked about Satan's apprentices?" the reporter wondered
"That's right, my friend," the woman walked up to the reporter holding her own microphone in her hand "These two are the senior disciples of Mr. Satan's world-renowned martial-arts dojo. So let's pave the way for our raw man of muscle, Pirozhki. And our dashing speedster, Caroni."
"That's great! And who are you?"
"I am their spectacular manager Miss Piiza!" Miss Piiza showily blew a kiss to the camera
"Maestro, please let us take care of him." Caroni asked his mentor "There's no point in your fighting this sissy."
"I will crush him up!" Pirozhki declared
"Hmm, you're right." Mr. Satan agreed "It could be a little embarrassing for me to take on such an amateur as Cell. He's all yours."
"Whoaah Nellie!" the reporter shouted as Mr. Satan turned to leave the ring "You heard it right here, folks! We have some new challengers! And this dynamic duo will replace their mentor in Round One. What a turn of events! Ladies and gentlemen, this is great news! With the help of Mr. Satan's devoted students, how can we fail?"
"They're just more lambs to the slaughter." Sakura whispered sadly
While everyone except Caroni and Cell left the ring, Piccolo started walking around the ring towards where Sakura, Keroberos, and Madison were standing.
"Where're you going, Mr. Piccolo?" Gohan asked his idol
"I'll be right back, kid." Piccolo responded "Just gotta talk to an old friend."
"An old friend?"
Piccolo didn't elaborate as he walked around to stand next to Keroberos, facing the ring.
"Hello Keroberos." Piccolo said
"Hello to you too, Kami. It's been a while." Keroberos returned the greeting
"And now, let the tournament begin!" the reporter announced "Introducing Cell's first challenger, in the white spandex jumpsuit, the lovely Caroni!"
"As this is the first chance we've had to fight and whatnot, I'll be gentle." Caroni sniffed the bouquet of roses he held in his hand, then threw it up in the air. He immediately jumped in the air and shredded it with lightning fast strikes from his hands and feet, causing it to rain rose petals after he landed. "Those are for you. A bouquet for your funeral."
"Man, he's good! And I'll bet you this won't go more than one round!"
"Actually, I'm not Kami." Piccolo continued speaking to Keroberos "I'm Piccolo, though I did recently merge with Kami again."
"The tension is beginning to mount as Caroni warms up for the first round of The Cell Games. The rules are simple. You lose if you fall from the ring, give up or... if you die."
"Are you nervous?" Caroni asked Cell "Don't worry. It'll only hurt for a moment. Beautiful Flying Rose, ATTACK!"
Caroni jumped high in the air. Just as he reached the top of his arc, a pulse of energy from Cell sent him flying even higher, out of control. Madison used the zoom function on her camera to try to follow him but he soon went so high, she couldn't see him. Ten to twelve seconds later, Caroni fell back into view and crashed into the ground outside the ring, making a rather deep Caroni-shaped depression in the earth. Sakura grimaced as she saw Caroni's fall but relaxed a moment later as the blonde man clawed his way out of the hole in the ground.
"There's one for the blooper reel!" Madison grinned, having caught Caroni's entire 'flight' on tape.
"Piccolo!" Keroberos turned to look at Piccolo in shock "The evil part of himself that Kami cast out long ago?"
"Caroni, the first challenger in The Cell Games," the reporter said "Has lost by falling out of the ring. How terrible!" the reporter announced as Pirozhki stepped up onto the ring
"Now, it is my turn!" the muscleman declared
Pirozhki roared, beat his chest, and then pulled off his helmet before crushing it into a ball. He threw it in the air and caught it in his mouth, then chewed and swallowed it.
"Don't worry, I've reformed since then." Piccolo reassured the Guardian Beast
"Get ready for round two!" the reporter warned
Pirozhki started windmilling his arms then charged at Cell. The huge man came to an abrupt stop, as though he had run into an invisible wall, which he had. By concentrating, Sakura and Keroberos could see a slight shimmering in the air around Cell.
"Kero, you know this guy?" Sakura turned to look at her friend and Piccolo
"Yes," Keroberos answered "Clow Reed, Yue, and I met him a few centuries ago. He is the Guardian of the Earth."
"I GIVE UP!" Pirozhki yelled right before he was thrown backwards by an unseen force and tumbled head over heels until he rolled off he edge of the ring, just missing Mr. Satan before he crashed to the ground, making a shallow depression
"Not anymore." Piccolo corrected his, or rather Kami's, old friend "I sorta retired. Earth has a new Guardian, now."
"Wait. Then why isn't he here to stop Cell?" Sakura asked as Mr. Satan walked onto the ring
"The Guardian of the Earth usually works behind the scenes, and I'm not strong enough to beat Cell. I assume she's the new master of the Clow Cards?" Piccolo nodded his head at Sakura
"In the next few minutes," the reporter kept talking, though he was ignored by Sakura, Madison, Keroberos, and Piccolo "The fate of the entire Earth will be decided between Cell and the undisputed martial-arts champion of the world! And I'm not too worried because Mr. Satan promised to give Cell a hand through the stomach!"
"Actually, they're the Sakura cards, now." Keroberos said as Mr. Satan adjusted his gi and decapsulated a bag of 15 ceramic tiles "But they're just as powerful as they were when Clow Reed was alive."
"What's with the outfit?" Piccolo asked as Mr. Satan stacked the tiles
"Psychological edge."
"Yeah, right. And the paparazzi?"
"Hey!" Madison was indignant "I'm not a paparazzi! I'm her official chronicler. I've recorded her adventures since she first became a Cardcaptor." Madison chuckled as Mr. Satan broke only 14 of the 15 tiles, leaving the bottom one unscathed "What a dweeb. I think he hurt his hand, biting off more than he could chew."
"Cell!" Mr. Satan pointed at the shattered fragments of tile "You see these pieces of busted tile on the ground? Well, that's what I'm gonna do to your face!"
"There's no question!" the reporter declared "Hercule Satan is the undisputed martial-arts champion of the world! Oh, it looks like Cell is getting worried. But then, who wouldn't after seeing such an amazing display of power? This is getting good. IT'S Payback time folks! Cell's made his ring and now he's got to sleep in it."
"Let's go!" Mr. Satan said as he got into a fighting stance
"It looks like our hero's ready to fight! It's hard to believe that Mr. Satan's iron hands are finally gonna have their revenge on Cell for what he's done to the people of Earth. In mere moments, it will all be over, so don't you dare blink an eye. It's all up to you Mr. Satan! We're counting on you!" Mr Satan launched into his ineffectual attacks on Cell
"It's been good talking to you again, Keroberos." Piccolo said as he turned to walk back to where the Z-fighters were standing "Let's hope we get a chance to talk again, soon."
Piccolo walked back to the rest of the Z-fighters as Mr. Satan unleashed his futile assault on Cell. The Namekian warrior resumed his former position shortly before Cell sent Mr. Satan flying into the side of a cliff with a single sweep of his arm.
"To be honest, Gohan, I was rooting for Cell to win that little scrap." Krillin confided in the young warrior standing next to him
"Look, he survived." Piccolo smirked, seeing that Mr. Satan was still moving "I guess Cell didn't want to waste any energy on that weakling."
"Did you have a nice talk with your friend, Piccolo?" Goku asked "Who are they, anyway?"
"Keroberos is the Guardian Beast of the Seal of the Clow- I mean the Sakura Cards. The girl in the costume is his new master."
"And this concerns us, how?" Vegeta demanded in his usual acerbic tone
"If she plays her cards right-" Piccolo smirked at his little pun "She could potentially be powerful enough to take on Cell."
"In how many centuries? Weak little girls like her have no business being near a battlefield."
"Try less than a minute, if that. As I said, she has a different kind of strength than ours. You wouldn't understand."
"So, let's get the tournament underway." Cell said "Who will be first? Will it be Goku, to start things off?"
"No!" Sakura yelled as she stepped up onto the ring "It'll be me! You'll fight me first, demon!"
"I'm very sorry, little one," Cell turned to speak to Sakura "But I'm afraid that Goku has 'preregistered,' you might say. He stopped by last week to ask for the first slot, and I agreed. Perhaps you can have your shot later. Going later in the schedule will be to your advantage, you know. I'll likely be somewhat tired from my previous battles."
"But-"
"Don't worry." Goku grinned at Sakura "I know what I'm getting into."
Sakura's eyes widened as their eyes met and she felt a bright light from within the man named Goku. Goku's light was as intense as Cell's darkness, signifying that their power was almost equal. Sakura realized that this man had a good chance of defeating Cell.
"Good luck." she said, then jumped off the ring to land next to her friends
"Sakura, why'd you back down?" Madison asked in a whisper "Aren't you worried about that guy?"
"He's got some serious power, Madison." Sakura whispered back "He might be able to beat Cell on his own."
"I gotta get this on tape." Madison raised her camera
"Let's do it!" Goku said as he stepped up onto the ring
End of chapter 2
The battle between Goku and Cell is about to start, with Sakura and her friends looking on from ringside. How will they react to the fight to come? Will they be blown away by what they see, or will they take it in stride? Will they be literally blown away by the shockwaves from the coming battle? Find out in chapter 3 of Clow and Ki.