Chapter 2: A Metroid In A Mall
Lots of people think that we're vicious animals, but I don't think we
know what our identity really is. Another thing is people wondering if
we can see. Kinda stupid, really, we can see all around us, which is
kinda disorienting, so we focus on just one thing. I heard from some
of the older kids a few hours after I hatched that we were made by the
Chozo...what's a Chozo? Is it edible? Anyway, back to my little
story.
It was just a day after being hatched when I went to this big place
that had lots of people in it. I was looking for Mommy, since I never
saw anyone to care for me. I was floating in between the crowds and I
saw two people, one was green and wearing a cape, and there was one
that was wearing a lot of orange. So I flew in between them and the
one in orange ran away really fast, I don't think I would have caught
up to him, but the green one was about to hit me, so I bit him. I let
go when he yelped not because I hurt him but because his energy tasted
bad. Yucky, remind myself not to eat Piccolo, I think...and then I
floated up to a fat guy sitting at a table.
"Week! Week-eek...eek!" He threw his sandwich at me and I grabbed it
and all the stuff in the middle fell on another green guy in a brown
robe. He started yelling at the fat guy so I just put the bread back
on the plate and went someplace else, I don't think that the green guy
saw me this time. I was hovering outside of a store called...Ber..Ber,
oh, I couldn't read it anyway, but I went inside and saw a bunch of
what the people called 'Tee-bees'. Tee-bees are big boxes with moving
pictures, and what the tee-bees had on was...uh...that guy in orange
that ran away, and his hair was big and yellow, and he was fighting a
big pink guy, and other tee-bees had something on where big metal
monsters were chasing each other and making a weird noise. I could do
that noise and I was flying around in circles, too! "Eeeeeeeeeeeeer!
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!" And then I crashed like one of the monsters
into a shelf of boxes, and people were looking around to see what was
going on so I flew into a rack of soft things. I think that two of
them saw where I went and they parted the soft things to see me. Hey!
Mommies! Which one? Oh! I was flying around both of them in panic,
and they were talking to each other until one with red hair caught me.
.oO(Relax. Samus wouldn't know what to do with you, so you're going
back with me.) Back with her? I wonder if I was in trouble, but I
didn't feel that way. This was Mommy...I just knew it.
[For the record, a near newly-hatched Metroid was inside a mall,
encounters Goku and Piccolo, catches Hardy's sandwich, which falls
onto Keaton, goes into Bergner's, where Samus and Royce were looking
for clothes for Houston (Stupid smelly t-shirts and old jock straps).
They spot the Metroid around the TV's, circling around until it runs
into a shelf of computer games, and then flies into a bunch of dresses.
It circles Royce and Samus until Royce grabs it and they leave the
store.]
-------------------
"That was weird, wouldn't you agree?" Samus looks at the four bags
full of all kinds of funny-looking clothes that Royce had, the baby
Metroid nestled in the third bag. "Although I'm wondering if you were
buying for yourself."
"No. I'd like to see Houston try these on for a joke. We're taking
pictures of him in all his new clothes, aren't we?" Samus lit up.
"Pictures! I forgot that we'll need enough camera film!" Royce waves
for a moment and sees Piccolo walk by, glaring at the sleeping Metroid.
Apparently she didn't know that it bit him minutes ago.
"Relax, I've got that covered. We've got how many outfits for him?"
"56." Royce starts to continue walking.
"I told you I did. We've got twice that amount of exposures from that
three pack of 35mm film that I bought." Bulma walks into a restaurant
at the same time that Samus and Royce walk into it also.
"Well, looks like I'm not the only one of our little group who loads
up on bags of clothes and makeup." Samus sets the bags down by a
table, as do Royce and Bulma.
"Makeup? No. We were buying new clothes for Houston. I'm not one
for makeup, anyway. When you're a bounty hunter, mascara just gets
in the way. What all did you get, and for who? I see eight bags."
"Oh! Three bags are various brands of makeup and hair care products,
four of them are clothes for me, one for Vegeta, one for Goku, one for
Nappa, that was tough to find clothes his size, and one for Radditz.
They really need something to wear aside of just one outfit, since all
that they brought was one outfit...and they could stand bathing, too,
so I'm going to go to a department store to buy lots of soap, deodor-
ant, and shampoo for all of them." Samus looks inside the bag of the
clothes that she bought for Vegeta. All tasteless color matches that
would most certainly leave anyone laughing at Vegeta for life. There
were 'BADMAN' decals on all the shirts. Pink and pea-green. Purple
and polka dots. This was practially golf attire! She stifles a
laugh.
"Buying gag gifts for Vegeta? HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!! Pink! Saiya-jins
hate pink! Although, I think that you did find the right clothing
name for him...BADMAN suits someone like him well...pink." Samus
starts to laugh hysterically again while Goku walks up to the group.
"Hey, why's she laughing?" Bulma holds up the bag of golf clothes.
"Oh, just what I bought for Vegeta." Bulma blushes.
"Ggh! PINK?! I didn't know he liked pink! AAGH! What do you plan
on doing, giving him a career as a clown?!" Goku holds the pink shirt
and polka-dotted pants together in front of him and Samus falls off
the chair, howling in laughter. Vegeta just happened to walk by and
see Goku holding the ridiculous clothes.
'Oh, geez...I hope that none of that is for me...I really do...'
----------------
Bulma had walked over to the apartment where Nappa and Vegeta were
staying and left a bag of clothes and soaps for each of them. She
had taken care to label them also, so that at least one of them
would know what was for who. She then went to the ground floor to go
visit Goku and give him and Radditz their bags. Samus and Royce both
had to force Houston to fulfill his end of the bargain. Royce had
four bags of outfits, far more tacky than Bulma's golf-clothing color
scheme for Vegeta, while Samus had only two bags of various underwear.
The Metroid just floated around the apartment and was looking at an
inactive 'tee-bee'. It landed on the TV squeaking "Bee-bee!" at
Royce.
"Bee-bee? Oh. Tee-bee." Royce points to the TV. Samus laughs as
Houston walks out in his first outfit.
"I feel frillier than Kefka." Royce takes a picture and they move on
to the next ridiculous outfit.
----------------
Goku was inside the training room alone again, the gravity set to 125.
He wasn't angry anymore, at least, not if he thought about it. Yet he
still felt his thoughts while training gravitating toward what had
happened that match. He couldn't help but feel anger when his
thoughts lingered there. He didn't even notice Catocs watching
through the window as he started to shadow box furiously. He never
held anything against Goku, really. But what did he do that made Goku
so angry? Was him saying that he was going to be sorely defeated just
because of a change in the history that he knew? He looked over at
Gul'Gen.
"You know about what was supposed to happen, right?" Gul'Gen looks
at Catocs with partially pleading eyes.
"Tell me that my vision of seeing them all die before they ascend
isn't true. Please tell me that it isn't. I...can't stand what
happened. Staring in a mirror and daydreaming about them. And
then the mirror suddenly shattered all its own. It was an omen. A...
a very bad omen. I can't find any other way to interpret it. You,
and the others..." Catocs puts a hand on Gul'Gen's shoulder.
"It is wrong. I'll make sure of it. Fate can't force anything.
Fate can't control anything but what we cannot change. What we can
change, however, is the course of lives close to us. You leave the
Saiya-jin to me. When the time is right for each of them, they will
ascend." Gul'Gen shakes his head.
"No. I can't. You were the last vision in that mirror before it
suddenly went pitch black and shattered. I get the unshakable feeling
that...that...well..." Catocs turns away from Gul'Gen.
"I see. You're the second person who actually noticed. That legend.
'Where once every 1000 years, a Super Saiya-jin is born...once every
5000 years, a Saiya-jin of unimagniable power, both in light and
shadow shall emerge. This Saiya-jin has the strength and the-'"
Gul'Gen stops Catocs.
"Nature of darkness itself...I know that legend. The Shadow
Saiya-jin. You, boy, are the light half. I can't imagine what the
dark half would be...and I don't think you should ever let it come
forth." Catocs looks at Goku. Goku was staring at the two of them
the whole time. He felt like Goku was staring right into him. His
body felt like ice. He was afraid, because of what Gul'Gen gave a
cue.
'...Don't be afraid of me. I'm not a threat.' "Yes you are. The
Old Bird even knows it." 'Does he now? I can't come forth. You
and the others are safe.' "Who are you?" 'I am Kuja...a Gennom.
But I am also a dark spirit, one I believe that the ancient Seda
calls Yami. I won't threaten you or hurt anyone. You can either
use me to conquer or to protect.' "I want to protect...to protect
Goku and Vegeta, the others, too." 'Then I will do as you wish,
whenever you need me.' Gul'Gen looked at Catocs the whole time,
paralyzed with fear. Catocs shakes his head.
"It's alright. I promise." Gul'Gen changed from just standing
still to shaking, like a leaf on a tree in heavy winds.
"You...actually contacted it...a-and...and..." Gul'Gen sat on a
bench. "Now this...this is extraordinary. You control both parts.
So that's why you're so strong."
"I don't control it. (I don't understand. Why would you protect me?
What is so important?) Huh? (You hear me, don't you? It's Goku. I
can't believe that I'm doing this, but it feels like I've always been
able to.)"
'Goku...I'm sorry if I hurt you. (That's alright. You pushed me to
make myself stronger. But I was also frustrated. What are you hiding
from us?) Four things, actually. Cell...Majin Buu...Amroth...and the
mad doctor Akyasuma. (Hm. Who are they?) All still far stronger
than you, I can tell ya that. (HEY!! No fair! I still have to train
more?! You little...ugh, I oughtta...) No getting mad at me for it.
Wait...I have an idea. Get as mad as you want at me. (Huh? Why? I
don't think that it'll prove anything.) Trust me, Goku. You've got
the strength to handle it now. Let your anger go.' Catocs walks into
the training room and stands in front of Goku.
"You don't understand yet, do you? I've felt you trying to ascend to
the Super Saiya-jin before. You weren't strong enough to handle the
extreme amount of pain that you felt. Physically, emotionally, and
mentally. It's even excruciating to maintain the ascension. But
when you actually do it, you can hold it better than achieve it. The
power that you feel alongside of your pain allows you to handle the
stress better. Watch." Catocs gathers his energy to the highest
point of his power and then lets out a piercing howl that seems to
have its orientation around pain. His hair, which hung down, had now
begun to stand up, the aura of his energy turning yellow, and the
irises of his eyes aqua-green. A burst which momentarily shook the
ground and pushed a veil of dust away from Catocs signified the end of
the transformation. His hair had slightly matched the color of his
aura, were it not for the aura, it would not have looked gold. It was
standing up in short, thick tufts, also. Catocs lets out his breath.
"This...is the appearance of a Super Saiya-jin. I was able to use it
during the tournament, but Ridley wasn't really that tough, either,
and besides...I wouldn't have had the time. That took roughly one
minute to do, one minute that could have sent me out of the the ring."
Goku stared at Catocs in awe. His power was humoungous, far greater
than it was before. It felt like he was millions of times more
powerful. "One more thing. If you want to ascend to this level, you
are going to have to fight against it!"
Lots of people think that we're vicious animals, but I don't think we
know what our identity really is. Another thing is people wondering if
we can see. Kinda stupid, really, we can see all around us, which is
kinda disorienting, so we focus on just one thing. I heard from some
of the older kids a few hours after I hatched that we were made by the
Chozo...what's a Chozo? Is it edible? Anyway, back to my little
story.
It was just a day after being hatched when I went to this big place
that had lots of people in it. I was looking for Mommy, since I never
saw anyone to care for me. I was floating in between the crowds and I
saw two people, one was green and wearing a cape, and there was one
that was wearing a lot of orange. So I flew in between them and the
one in orange ran away really fast, I don't think I would have caught
up to him, but the green one was about to hit me, so I bit him. I let
go when he yelped not because I hurt him but because his energy tasted
bad. Yucky, remind myself not to eat Piccolo, I think...and then I
floated up to a fat guy sitting at a table.
"Week! Week-eek...eek!" He threw his sandwich at me and I grabbed it
and all the stuff in the middle fell on another green guy in a brown
robe. He started yelling at the fat guy so I just put the bread back
on the plate and went someplace else, I don't think that the green guy
saw me this time. I was hovering outside of a store called...Ber..Ber,
oh, I couldn't read it anyway, but I went inside and saw a bunch of
what the people called 'Tee-bees'. Tee-bees are big boxes with moving
pictures, and what the tee-bees had on was...uh...that guy in orange
that ran away, and his hair was big and yellow, and he was fighting a
big pink guy, and other tee-bees had something on where big metal
monsters were chasing each other and making a weird noise. I could do
that noise and I was flying around in circles, too! "Eeeeeeeeeeeeer!
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!" And then I crashed like one of the monsters
into a shelf of boxes, and people were looking around to see what was
going on so I flew into a rack of soft things. I think that two of
them saw where I went and they parted the soft things to see me. Hey!
Mommies! Which one? Oh! I was flying around both of them in panic,
and they were talking to each other until one with red hair caught me.
.oO(Relax. Samus wouldn't know what to do with you, so you're going
back with me.) Back with her? I wonder if I was in trouble, but I
didn't feel that way. This was Mommy...I just knew it.
[For the record, a near newly-hatched Metroid was inside a mall,
encounters Goku and Piccolo, catches Hardy's sandwich, which falls
onto Keaton, goes into Bergner's, where Samus and Royce were looking
for clothes for Houston (Stupid smelly t-shirts and old jock straps).
They spot the Metroid around the TV's, circling around until it runs
into a shelf of computer games, and then flies into a bunch of dresses.
It circles Royce and Samus until Royce grabs it and they leave the
store.]
-------------------
"That was weird, wouldn't you agree?" Samus looks at the four bags
full of all kinds of funny-looking clothes that Royce had, the baby
Metroid nestled in the third bag. "Although I'm wondering if you were
buying for yourself."
"No. I'd like to see Houston try these on for a joke. We're taking
pictures of him in all his new clothes, aren't we?" Samus lit up.
"Pictures! I forgot that we'll need enough camera film!" Royce waves
for a moment and sees Piccolo walk by, glaring at the sleeping Metroid.
Apparently she didn't know that it bit him minutes ago.
"Relax, I've got that covered. We've got how many outfits for him?"
"56." Royce starts to continue walking.
"I told you I did. We've got twice that amount of exposures from that
three pack of 35mm film that I bought." Bulma walks into a restaurant
at the same time that Samus and Royce walk into it also.
"Well, looks like I'm not the only one of our little group who loads
up on bags of clothes and makeup." Samus sets the bags down by a
table, as do Royce and Bulma.
"Makeup? No. We were buying new clothes for Houston. I'm not one
for makeup, anyway. When you're a bounty hunter, mascara just gets
in the way. What all did you get, and for who? I see eight bags."
"Oh! Three bags are various brands of makeup and hair care products,
four of them are clothes for me, one for Vegeta, one for Goku, one for
Nappa, that was tough to find clothes his size, and one for Radditz.
They really need something to wear aside of just one outfit, since all
that they brought was one outfit...and they could stand bathing, too,
so I'm going to go to a department store to buy lots of soap, deodor-
ant, and shampoo for all of them." Samus looks inside the bag of the
clothes that she bought for Vegeta. All tasteless color matches that
would most certainly leave anyone laughing at Vegeta for life. There
were 'BADMAN' decals on all the shirts. Pink and pea-green. Purple
and polka dots. This was practially golf attire! She stifles a
laugh.
"Buying gag gifts for Vegeta? HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!! Pink! Saiya-jins
hate pink! Although, I think that you did find the right clothing
name for him...BADMAN suits someone like him well...pink." Samus
starts to laugh hysterically again while Goku walks up to the group.
"Hey, why's she laughing?" Bulma holds up the bag of golf clothes.
"Oh, just what I bought for Vegeta." Bulma blushes.
"Ggh! PINK?! I didn't know he liked pink! AAGH! What do you plan
on doing, giving him a career as a clown?!" Goku holds the pink shirt
and polka-dotted pants together in front of him and Samus falls off
the chair, howling in laughter. Vegeta just happened to walk by and
see Goku holding the ridiculous clothes.
'Oh, geez...I hope that none of that is for me...I really do...'
----------------
Bulma had walked over to the apartment where Nappa and Vegeta were
staying and left a bag of clothes and soaps for each of them. She
had taken care to label them also, so that at least one of them
would know what was for who. She then went to the ground floor to go
visit Goku and give him and Radditz their bags. Samus and Royce both
had to force Houston to fulfill his end of the bargain. Royce had
four bags of outfits, far more tacky than Bulma's golf-clothing color
scheme for Vegeta, while Samus had only two bags of various underwear.
The Metroid just floated around the apartment and was looking at an
inactive 'tee-bee'. It landed on the TV squeaking "Bee-bee!" at
Royce.
"Bee-bee? Oh. Tee-bee." Royce points to the TV. Samus laughs as
Houston walks out in his first outfit.
"I feel frillier than Kefka." Royce takes a picture and they move on
to the next ridiculous outfit.
----------------
Goku was inside the training room alone again, the gravity set to 125.
He wasn't angry anymore, at least, not if he thought about it. Yet he
still felt his thoughts while training gravitating toward what had
happened that match. He couldn't help but feel anger when his
thoughts lingered there. He didn't even notice Catocs watching
through the window as he started to shadow box furiously. He never
held anything against Goku, really. But what did he do that made Goku
so angry? Was him saying that he was going to be sorely defeated just
because of a change in the history that he knew? He looked over at
Gul'Gen.
"You know about what was supposed to happen, right?" Gul'Gen looks
at Catocs with partially pleading eyes.
"Tell me that my vision of seeing them all die before they ascend
isn't true. Please tell me that it isn't. I...can't stand what
happened. Staring in a mirror and daydreaming about them. And
then the mirror suddenly shattered all its own. It was an omen. A...
a very bad omen. I can't find any other way to interpret it. You,
and the others..." Catocs puts a hand on Gul'Gen's shoulder.
"It is wrong. I'll make sure of it. Fate can't force anything.
Fate can't control anything but what we cannot change. What we can
change, however, is the course of lives close to us. You leave the
Saiya-jin to me. When the time is right for each of them, they will
ascend." Gul'Gen shakes his head.
"No. I can't. You were the last vision in that mirror before it
suddenly went pitch black and shattered. I get the unshakable feeling
that...that...well..." Catocs turns away from Gul'Gen.
"I see. You're the second person who actually noticed. That legend.
'Where once every 1000 years, a Super Saiya-jin is born...once every
5000 years, a Saiya-jin of unimagniable power, both in light and
shadow shall emerge. This Saiya-jin has the strength and the-'"
Gul'Gen stops Catocs.
"Nature of darkness itself...I know that legend. The Shadow
Saiya-jin. You, boy, are the light half. I can't imagine what the
dark half would be...and I don't think you should ever let it come
forth." Catocs looks at Goku. Goku was staring at the two of them
the whole time. He felt like Goku was staring right into him. His
body felt like ice. He was afraid, because of what Gul'Gen gave a
cue.
'...Don't be afraid of me. I'm not a threat.' "Yes you are. The
Old Bird even knows it." 'Does he now? I can't come forth. You
and the others are safe.' "Who are you?" 'I am Kuja...a Gennom.
But I am also a dark spirit, one I believe that the ancient Seda
calls Yami. I won't threaten you or hurt anyone. You can either
use me to conquer or to protect.' "I want to protect...to protect
Goku and Vegeta, the others, too." 'Then I will do as you wish,
whenever you need me.' Gul'Gen looked at Catocs the whole time,
paralyzed with fear. Catocs shakes his head.
"It's alright. I promise." Gul'Gen changed from just standing
still to shaking, like a leaf on a tree in heavy winds.
"You...actually contacted it...a-and...and..." Gul'Gen sat on a
bench. "Now this...this is extraordinary. You control both parts.
So that's why you're so strong."
"I don't control it. (I don't understand. Why would you protect me?
What is so important?) Huh? (You hear me, don't you? It's Goku. I
can't believe that I'm doing this, but it feels like I've always been
able to.)"
'Goku...I'm sorry if I hurt you. (That's alright. You pushed me to
make myself stronger. But I was also frustrated. What are you hiding
from us?) Four things, actually. Cell...Majin Buu...Amroth...and the
mad doctor Akyasuma. (Hm. Who are they?) All still far stronger
than you, I can tell ya that. (HEY!! No fair! I still have to train
more?! You little...ugh, I oughtta...) No getting mad at me for it.
Wait...I have an idea. Get as mad as you want at me. (Huh? Why? I
don't think that it'll prove anything.) Trust me, Goku. You've got
the strength to handle it now. Let your anger go.' Catocs walks into
the training room and stands in front of Goku.
"You don't understand yet, do you? I've felt you trying to ascend to
the Super Saiya-jin before. You weren't strong enough to handle the
extreme amount of pain that you felt. Physically, emotionally, and
mentally. It's even excruciating to maintain the ascension. But
when you actually do it, you can hold it better than achieve it. The
power that you feel alongside of your pain allows you to handle the
stress better. Watch." Catocs gathers his energy to the highest
point of his power and then lets out a piercing howl that seems to
have its orientation around pain. His hair, which hung down, had now
begun to stand up, the aura of his energy turning yellow, and the
irises of his eyes aqua-green. A burst which momentarily shook the
ground and pushed a veil of dust away from Catocs signified the end of
the transformation. His hair had slightly matched the color of his
aura, were it not for the aura, it would not have looked gold. It was
standing up in short, thick tufts, also. Catocs lets out his breath.
"This...is the appearance of a Super Saiya-jin. I was able to use it
during the tournament, but Ridley wasn't really that tough, either,
and besides...I wouldn't have had the time. That took roughly one
minute to do, one minute that could have sent me out of the the ring."
Goku stared at Catocs in awe. His power was humoungous, far greater
than it was before. It felt like he was millions of times more
powerful. "One more thing. If you want to ascend to this level, you
are going to have to fight against it!"