"Sssssso. You've come at lasssst then. You want thissss?" Yaonch said pointing to the crystal in his forehead. You don't even know where the door isssss."
"We'll find it. But we do need that crystal." Piccolo said. Piccolo remembered the words Savalia spoke. Three good, and three evil, this one reeked of evil. Goku thought so to, he had taken a defensive stance. If it was one thing Piccolo knew Goku was good at, he knew the heart of another person.
Uub had taken up a position in front of Goku, Buu behind, and Mr. Satan behind him.
"Goku, are you up for this?" Piccolo said telepathically.
"Do I have much choice?" Goku returned.
"Not really." Piccolo smiled.
"I won't fight unless I have to." Goku responded. "I still can't generate much ki. But I can throw a punch or two if it comes to that."
"Okay, stay clear if you can." Piccolo said as he heard Yaonch started to hiss again.
"Ssssso, which one of you issss the sssstrongesssst?" Yaonch said with excitement.
Goku smiled. "Are you hoping we are strong then?"
"Oh yesssss! I haven't had a good challenge in asssss far back assss I can remember." Yaonch said.
"We'll try and oblige you." Piccolo smiled and took on a defensive posture. "We need that crystal."
"You mussssst take it!" Yaonch's posture did not change.
"You asked for it!" Piccolo said as he phased out and reappeared in back of Yaonch throwing a punch that connected with the back of the creatures head. Connected, and went through. Yaonch's form shifted so his back and front exchanged places.
"Did you think you could harm me with such a primitive attack?" Yaonch smiled around Piccolo's arm. "You fool! This entire planet if mine to command!"
The ground under the feet of Goku, Uub, Buu, and Mr. Satan became quick and they began to sink.
"Fly! Everyone fly up!" Uub said as he turned and grabbed his sensei hauling him out of the sand. Everyone else flew up as well.
Piccolo was trying to free his hand from its sandy prison.
"Oh! It'sssss not that easssssy!" Yaonch said.
The entire desert floor suddenly heaved up into the air forming a huge hand that threatened to swat the heroes from the sky.
"Look out!" Uub yelled as he attempted to flee. It was too late, the hand came down forcing them to the ground and burying them under tons of sand.
"No!" Piccolo yelled as he powered up a ki blast and released it directly into Yaonch's face.
"Arrrrgggghhh!" The creature screamed as his form came apart and settled to the ground.
"So, you do have a weakness then?" Piccolo smiled.
"A minor sssssetback I assssssure you." Yaonch's voice came from all around.
A low howl started as sand began to blow off the ground, the low howl grew into a shrill whine as the wind whipped the sand in to a greater and greater frenzy. Piccolo removed his turban and cape and tore a piece of the turban to tie around his mouth and nose. Sand stung at his face, arms, and eyes.
"How do you propose to beat something you cannot touch?" Yaonch cackled evilly.
Piccolo was looking for something to attack when a part of the sand suddenly took on a solid form and hit Piccolo hard in the gut.
"Ooof!" Piccolo's breath expelled as he was forced to one knee.
"You can't touch me, but I can cccccertainly touch you!" Yaonch laughed like a maniac. "You have to do better! You are no challenge at all!"
"Special Beam Cannon!" Piccolo yelled and released his most powerful attack directly into the sandstorm. It passed through without effect.
Piccolo reeled as he was hit a dozen more times in the space of seconds. Piccolo found his arms bound in sand behind his back, and something trying to force his mouth open, sand was already getting up his nose.
"Let'sssss sssssee how you look from the inssssside!" Yaonch laughed maniacally.
The entire planet began to quake violently.
"Eh? What is this?" Yaonch asked.
A brilliant glow added its light to the day as a huge chunk of desert floor was blasted into the air and Buu and Uub freed themselves from their sandy would-be grave. Buu carried Mr. Satan as Uub carried Goku.
Piccolo shook his head from side to side desperately trying to keep his nose and mouth clear and breath at the same time. The sand was forcing itself past his makeshift turban mask.
"Buu mad!" The big creature yelled as he let Mr. Satan fly on his own and rushed Yaonch at full speed.
Something caught Uub's attention. It flashed by him again.
"It's the crystal!" Uub said as he set Goku down. "Stay here for a minute."
"Sure, no problem." Goku said feeling a bit useless. Mr. Satan floated over to stand beside him.
Meanwhile, Piccolo was taking a severe beating. He couldn't land a punch or a kick on the creature despite his best efforts. It was like trying to fight the air. He did the last thing he could think of doing and raised his ki and diverted it all into a ki shield. The blows started bouncing off his shield, so he had a defense, but he still had nothing for an offensive plan.
Buu flew in between Yaonch and Piccolo. "You bad!"
"Well, well, what have we got here? What sssssort of creature are you?" Yaonch asked in an amused sort of way.
"Me Buu!" Buu said. Buu looked at Mr. Satan, they exchanged glances and Mr. Satan nodded. "Buu kill you!"
Buu started to inhale like a huge vacuum drawing in the air and the sand and Yaonch.
"What are you doing? Stop this!" Yaonch seemed shocked by the sudden turn of events.
"Now where is it?" Uub thought to himself. "Ah! There you are!" Uub suddenly phased out then back in a few dozen yards away and grabbed something shiny out of mid air.
"Ssssstop it! Releassssse that at oncccccce!" Yaonch objected strenuously as Uub found him self under attack by the winds.
"Oh, I don't think so!" Uub tightened his grip on the crystal.
Buu kept inhaling as he got larger and larger and the sand storm got smaller, and smaller.
"Noooooo!" Yaonch yelled as he was inhaled and the sandstorm disappeared entirely.
Buu turned away from the other warriors and released a super heated mouth blast across the desert leaving nothing by a path of glass as far as the eye could see.
"Mean thing tastes bad!" Buu said spitting out some left over sand.
"Hurray Buu beat him!" Hercule Satan ran up to his friend. "Couldn't have done better myself!"
Piccolo smirked. "Probably not."
"Good job big guy." Goku said.
"Thank you!" Buu seemed very pleased with himself.
"So where is the door?" Uub said holding out the crystal.
"Don't know." Piccolo looked around. "Nothing but sand as far as the eye can see."
"It should be close though. Let's get a better look from the sky." Uub suggested.
Uub and Piccolo flew up to around a thousand foot in the air and looked around the landscape, nothing but dunes, desert, and more dunes in all directions.
"Look there!" Uub said.
Piccolo followed Uub's finger but didn't catch on right away. Uub was pointing at just one of thousands of sand dunes, but on inspection, Piccolo noticed that this dune was different. It had a more square, symmetrical look about it, like it wasn't natural.
Piccolo and Uub flew down to the top of the structure and landed purposefully hard.
"Clank!" came the sound as their feet hit.
"Go get the others. I think we've found what we are looking for." Piccolo said.
"Right away!" Uub flew off.
Piccolo concentrated his ki and blasted all the sand from the structure and waited. It didn't take long before Uub carrying Goku, Mr. Satan and Buu landed on the platform next to Piccolo.
On the top of the platform there was a door that would open straight down into the planet.
"Let's have the crystal." Piccolo asked holding out his hand. Uub handed it to him and stepped back from the door. Piccolo bent down and placed the crystal in the indentation in the center. The door immediately disappeared. Piccolo floated over a world that looked to be nothing by one large flower garden.
"Well, this looks rather pleasant." Goku said.
"Looks can be deceiving." Piccolo quipped.
"Remember, the one that opened the door must be the last one through." Uub reminded.
"Okay, everyone go on. It's going to be tricky." Piccolo noted. While the door on this planet opened straight down, it opened onto the next dimension like a normal doorway.
Everyone jumped through with Piccolo bringing up the rear. The door immediately disappeared the second Piccolo jumped through. The crystal fell at Piccolo's feet.
Piccolo bent down and picked up the crystal. "Put this with the other one Mr. Satan." Piccolo tossed the stone to the champ.
"Right-O!" Hercule put the stone in the pack, which was now empty of water and had the other crystal in it.
'Well, first things first." Goku said as he took a capsule out of his pocket, depressed the button and tossed it a head of him on the ground. Two large tables of food appeared in front of them. The gang hadn't eaten in some time and they were famished. All except Piccolo that is who only drank water. Everyone dug in.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dealing with the Tadreans was excruciatingly tedious. Their entire population centers on a highly complex and highly strict set of social rules. They are easily offended, and difficult to placate once their feelings are hurt. Nonetheless, Roger convinced them that it was in their best interests to enter a trade agreement with the Saiyans. Roger came from the trade meeting at 11:15 AM with a huge headache brought on by "Bardock's Brew" and the stress of the meeting. Instead of lunch, Roger decided to raid the medical facility for some painkiller. Bardock, Raditz, and Nappa immediately took up flanking positions around him as he left the council chamber.
"Am I doomed to have you guys in my hip-pocket every place I go?" Roger asked already knowing the answer.
"Afraid so." Bardock said. "At least until King Vegeta returns.
"Well great!" Roger walked on rubbing his temples until he reached the front door of the medical facility. He entered through the front door. As he reached the main lobby, several people stopped and bowed in respect. A few members of the military were present that gave the customary Saiyan salute.
"You are probably going to regret coming in here you know." Bardock smirked.
"What do you mean?" Roger answered.
"You came in here looking for something for your headache, right?" Bardock asked.
"Yes, how did you know that?" Roger asked.
"My beer has a tendency to do that the first couple of times you drink it. It's the Yana Root extract I use." Bardock said.
"Yeah, that reminds me, Yambia asked me to have you executed over that, can I do that?" Roger smiled.
"Umm... No, King Vegeta did away with executions years ago." Bardock said.
"So I can bring it back right?" Roger grinned evilly.
"Only if you wish to dishonor Vegeta's wishes my liege." Bardock smiled as well.
"Oh, you're good!" Roger said.
"Thank you sire. Anyway, you being king, they're probably not going to be satisfied just handing you an aspirin, they're going to want to examine you." Bardock explained.
"You mean to say that I am king of this whole ruddy world and I can't even get a couple of aspirin?" Bardock said incredulously.
"Sure, you could order it. But the head of the medical staff here will probably assign you a nurse unless you are examined." Raditz spoke up.
"Is there any other way of getting some aspirin?" Roger was really feeling it now.
"Sure, you go to the business sector to a pharmacy like everyone else." Nappa said.
"Could you go and do that Nappa? Get me some aspirin?" Roger said.
"It's too late. The head of staff here has spotted you, he's coming this way." Bardock said.
"Great! Now what do I do!" Roger lamented.
"Like anything else, you either fight, or submit." Raditz suggested.
"Yeah, that would look real good on my king resume`, "Killed Chief of Medical Staff on very first day." I'm sure Bulma would just love that after all the trouble she's gone through to train these guys." Roger
"You don't have to kill him, just tell him what you want and don't let him bully you into anything else." Nappa said. "Vegeta wouldn't give these guys an inch. If you do, you'll never regain control again."
"I hate being the heavy." Roger lamented.
"Part of the job sometimes." Bardock shrugged his shoulders just as the man in question stopped in front of King Roger and bowed low.
"My king! What circumstance brings you here today? I hope you're not ill?" Dr. Gourdeme asked cheerfully.
"No, nothing serious, I just have a slight headache and wanted a couple of aspirin." Roger said pleasantly.
"A headache? Are you running a fever? Here let me have you examined at once!" Dr. Gourdeme started to turn to issue the order when Roger stopped him.
"No! None of that! All I want is the aspirin. I'm not running a fever, I have a simple headache." Roger said sternly.
"Sure, no problem, but can I at least assign a nurse to monitor you until you feel better?" The Doctor said with genuine concern in his voice.
"No, that will not be necessary." Roger said. "Just the aspirin. NOW!"
"Yes sire! Right away!" The man scurried off.
"Very good. We may make a fair king out of you yet!" Bardock smiled.
"Thanks, but I'm going to pass a law against home brewed beer." Roger teased.
"A true Saiyan can handle my beer." Bardock quipped back.
"I am so going to get you for this." Roger said.
Bardock just smiled.
After just a few minutes, the Doctor comes running back with four bottles of various kinds of painkillers.
"Here you are your highness! Please take them all!" Dr. Gourdeme said.
Roger looked and picked out one bottle marked "Tylenol 4" and let the doctor keep the rest.
"These will do nicely. Thank you for your prompt attention." Roger said as he turned to leave.
"No problem sire!" Dr. Gourdeme called at his back.
Roger, Bardock, Raditz, and Nappa left the medical facility and Roger was trying to remember his next appointment when he happened to remember that he forgot to get something to wash the pills down with.
"Damned! I guess I'll have to try and dry swallow these things." Roger complained to no one in particular.
Roger took the bottle and twisted the top off and started to dump a couple of Tylenol out when a ki blast vaporized the entire bottle of pills from his hand.
Roger stared for several seconds at the empty air where the bottle just was.
"Whoever did that is in BIG trouble!" Roger said as he turned to face whoever it was that shot at him.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The air was fragrant, although Piccolo might have been more inclined to describe it as pungent. The entire planet was nothing much more than a huge field of flowers. The buzzing of bees could be heard everywhere.
With their meal done, Uub vaporized the trash and Goku repacked the tables.
"There is one large ki in that direction, and two smaller ones in that direction." Piccolo indicated by pointing in two different directions.
"There seems to be a settlement of some sort in that direction." Uub pointed in yet another direction.
"What do you think Goku?" Piccolo asked.
"Well, I guess we should cut out all the middle men this time and go directly for the big boy." Goku answered.
"Agreed." Piccolo nodded. "You ready?"
"Yeah." Goku stood up and let Piccolo pick him up and fly him away. The others closely followed them.
