Dragon Ball Next Generation
The Grey Saga
Part 2: The Sacrifice
Chapter 2
The nyoibo shot up at an amazing rate. The wind pulled back my hair, almost tearing it from my head. But, after what seemed like several minutes, I saw nothing above me. I wondered if Karin had it wrong, and there was nothing above the tower.
Finally, I saw it. At first, it appeared as a dot in the sky, but as I came closer I saw that it looked like a giant top floating in the middle of the sky. I wondered how such a huge structure could stay in the sky when there were no apparent rockets or engines attached to it.
Then I realized that I was still speeding toward the structure. I clutched the nyoibo even tighter as I prepared myself for a painful stop. But my fears proved groundless as the nyoibo slowed down as it came to the tip of the giant top. To my right was a ladder that curved up to the top of the structure. I grabbed it and pulled myself up.
I peered over the edge, not knowing what to expect. There were large domed buildings at the other end of the tiled floor; a garden of all kinds of flower surrounded them. The rest of it was rather bleak, with only two rows of strange trees leading up to two large doors on the main dome.
"Hello!" I yelled. I waited a few minutes without a response. I tried it again with the same result. I was considering knocking on the door when I remembered the bell that Karin gave me. I untied it from my belt and rang it.
The sound it emitted was unlike any other bell I had heard. It was soft, and sweet to my ears. After ringing it a few times, I dropped my hand to my side and waited.
Soon, the two large doors opened slightly and a figure appeared. He was short and rather round. He wore white gi pants, a vest, and a turban on his head. But what really got me was his skin. He was black. I mean, night black.
Instantly, I began to sweat. Was this the god of Earth? What would he do? What would he say? All of the things I had done in Satan City instantly came rushing back to me. Does he know what I did? Will he damn me to Hell? By the time the man reached me, a small puddle had formed around me and I was going blue from hyperventilating.
"You're here to see Kami-sama, correct?" The man asked. I let out a sigh of relief as I realized that this wasn't Kami.
"Yes, I am Son Celic. I am here to see Kami-sama." I responded. The man smiled.
"Ah, very good. I am Mr. Popo, Kami-sama's assistant. I'm afraid that if you wish to see him, you must first defeat me." He said, assuming a defensive stance. I studied my opponent. His stance was almost perfect, but he didn't look too powerful. I smiled as I took an offensive stance.
"You're on." I said, sounding pretty cocky. Figuring I'd just take him out quickly, I leapt at him, aiming my foot at his head. Almost an inch before it got there, Mr. Popo grabbed by foot and, using my momentum against me, swung me into the ground.
I shot back up, and leapt over his head. I turned in mid-air to try another kick to his head when he dodged to his right. I caught myself, and leapt back. I ran at him, deciding to hit him with several fast punches. He dodged each one, and delivered his own faster then I could see.
I gasped for breath and fell to my knees clutching my stomach. This guy was humiliating me! My anger pushed aside my pain and I shot my leg out, sweeping his legs. He nimbly jumped over them and kicked me in the face.
"You use far too much movement when you attack." He said, watching me grasp my face and writhe in pain. After a few moments, the pain receded and I stood up. I wiped the blood from my nose and took an offensive stance. Clearly, I was underestimating my opponent. He was fast, despite his figure, and he was strong, my nose was proof of that. I guess I'll just have to be smarter.
I began to zanzoken around him, creating as many as I possibly could. I surrounded my opponent with images, even with some above him. His eyes darted up and down, left and right. I knew I had him. I leapt at his unguarded side. At the last moment, his eyes shifted to the real me and he grabbed my foot. I cursed in frustration as he swung me around and let go.
I expected to hit ground, but I didn't. I realized that Mr. Popo, by accident or design, had thrown me over the top of the structure! Desperately, I grasped at the air, and my fingertips clutched the edge of the structure. I desperately grappled for a better hold on the edge.
I decided then would be a good time to see how far up I was. I almost lost my grip as I looked down. I could literally see the edges of Earth! I suddenly felt very dizzy, but I controlled myself. I shut my eyes and concentrated on the battle at hand, trying to put my newfound fear of heights out of my mind.
I saw Mr. Popo standing above me, holding out his hand.
"You won't ever win if you fight like that." He stated. I screamed in frustration, and planted my feet on the side of the structure. I pushed off, and using my hands to anchor me, I spun and attempted to plant both my feet into my opponents jaw. He ducked and I landed awkwardly on the ground.
Before he could go on preaching, I leapt to my feet. Desperate to find a strategy that would work against him, I leapt away from him and cupped my hands at my side.
"KA..." I began, starting to pump power into my hands.
"ME..." I pushed more power between my palms. I wasn't sure how much to put into the blast, because it was only the second time I had used it, and I didn't want to kill Mr. Popo. Well, not really
"HA..." I began to shape in power in my hands into a ball.
"ME..." I looked at my opponent. He was standing there calmly, as if he didn't realize he was about to be annihilated. "HA!" I screamed as I thrust my hands forward. The beam of power erupted from my hands and raced toward Mr. Popo. Inwardly, I smiled. I knew I finally had him.
Just before the beam was upon him, he did a couple of quick gestures with his hands, and then caught the beam! He threw his hand upward, causing my attack to fly harmlessly into the atmosphere.
I sunk to my knees in exhaustion, amazement, and anguish. He... blocked... my... attack... I couldn't believe it. I was so sure I had him. Maybe I had hurt him! I looked up, hoping to find Mr. Popo gasping for breath, or passed out, or anything that would help me win. But no, he was standing there, perfectly fine, as if he had swatted a fly instead of my strongest attack.
His gaze met mine, and for the first time, he decided to take the offensive. I barely had time to jump to my feet and raise my weary arms to deflect his attacks. He instantly found holes in my defense, and I found myself back on the ground, gasping in pain.
His mouth moved, as if he was about to say something, when his gaze shifted from me to the domes behind me.
"Ah, Kami-sama!" he said, as if greeting a long lost friend, and then bowed deeply. My pain was temporally forgotten as I heard is name. I stiffened up, and the hair on the back of my neck went strait up. I was afraid. I was afraid of seeing the god of Earth, of hearing what he would say, of how he might judge me.
Reluctantly, I got to my feet, and turned around. I was amazed and relived by what I saw. The being before me did not look at all like the harsh, judging Kami I had expected. For starters, his skin was green. He had two short antennas sticking out of his forehead. His face, which was kind and gentle, had a few wrinkles, and gave the impression of great wisdom. He smiled, and I could see two sharp fangs, slightly yellowed with age, poking from his jaw. But, even with those menacing teeth, I knew he was a kind person. I instantly felt like I could trust him.
"Hello, Kami-sama, I am Son Celic. My former sensei, Kame Sennin, has sent me hear to train under you." I said, bowing and holding the letter out to him. He took the letter and glanced over it.
"Very well." He said. "You showed great promise in your fight against Mr. Popo, and I will be happy to train you. But this training will be very difficult, do you think you're prepared?"
"Yes!" I shouted, a little louder then I meant to. "Thank you, Kami-sama." I said, bowing vigoursly.
"I've never been much for former titles." He said, waving his hand dismisivly. "You can call me Dende."
I gaped at this casual god. It seemed difficult to believe I was on a first name basis with him. Dende looked as if he was about to say something more, when the doors to the main dome were flung open, and another figure walked out.
"So, this is the descendant of Vegeta and Son Goku?" he said mockingly, as he immerged into the sunlight. I gasped... again. The figure before us was a replica of Dende, without the wrinkles and had a much larger frame. I could tell he was powerful.
"Son Celic, I would like you to meet my son, Kargo." He stated proudly.
"Your son!" I exclaimed. No one had told me he had a son.
"Yes, I named him after one of my closest brothers on Namek. He is the last member of the Z senshi." I looked at him and was about to ask what Namek was when I remembered that he was an alien, like me.
Kargo examined me. Unlike his father, his face was hard; his eyes did not hold the kindness and warmth that his father's did.
"So, this is the great Saiya-jin?" he scoffed. "This is the hope of the world?" His eyes met mine, and I instantly wanted to run away, but I met his gaze. "Go home, boy. You're too weak to be of any use to me." With that, he sneered, baring his sharp fangs, turned around, and walked back into the domes.
I stood there, half stunned, half to scared to move. Finally, Dende broke the spell.
"Don't worry," he said, "Kargo is under a lot of stress. He's the un- elected leader, and he just wants everyone to be as strong as they possibly can for the upcoming invasion. That was his way of challenging you." I looked at Dende, wondering how someone like Kargo could be Dende's son.
"Fine," I said, trying to imitate the smirk that Kargo gave me, "I accept."
"Good." Dende said with a smile. Then he pointed his finger at me, and a bright flash was emitted. I had only half a second to wonder what happened when I realized I could no longer stand up. I toppled backward, and landed flat on my back.
"What the hell did you do that for!" I yelled, while trying unsuccessfully to stand back up. I realized who I just yelled at, and began to apologize as vigorously as I could.
"I'm sorry," Dende said, "I suppose I should have warned you first. I gave you weighted clothing. You will be wearing it throughout the rest of your training."
I looked down, and realized that he was right. Under my gi was another shirt, their were armbands around my wrists, and boots had replaced my shoes. At least it looked better then a turtle shell. I grimaced as I stood up. The entire ensemble had to weigh close to four hundred pounds. Walking alone would be a challenge. Dende didn't seem to notice my difficulty, and walked past me, motioning me to follow. I did, though rather awkwardly.
After a short walk to the domed building, I was already out of breath. Even with the weighted clothing, it shouldn't have been this difficult. I asked Dende about it when I caught up to him.
"We're in the upper atmosphere of Earth, so there is less air up here. Normally, being this high up, you would die of suffocation or hypothermia in a few minutes, but this place is blessed. Though, there still is a slight difference." He explained.
With that, he led me into the building. We entered a small room, furnished only with a large, four poster bed. My new room. I gazed at the bed, thinking about how comfortable it looked, but Dende broke my thoughts and led me away.
He took me outside again, and sat beneath a strange tree, motioning me to do likewise.
"Today, I am going to give you your first lesson on controlling your ki". He said.
"Alright! You mean I'll be able to fly like the others!?" I was a little excited. Dende nodded.
"Not just yet, though. First, you have to learn to control you ki." He said.
"What is ki, anyway?" I asked. Dende looked over my shoulder, and smiled.
"How about a demonstration?" he offered, and waved to someone behind me. I looked around, and saw Kargo walking toward us.
"What is it father?" He asked, ignoring me.
"I was wondering if you could give Celic a demonstration on how to use ki." He said. Kargo nodded, but glared at me.
"Very well." He said. With that, he began to levitate. From the expression on his face, he looked almost bored. I knew if I was able to do that, boredom would probably be the last thing I felt.
"Now watch." He said, glaring at me. He stretched out his hand, and a ball of light... ki... appeared in his palm. With a twitch of his fingers, he sent the ball flying upward at an amazing rate. Sweeping his hand, the ball simultaneously curved downward, right toward me! I narrowly leap out of the way as the ball zipped past me. Finally, he clutched his hand, and the ball exploded.
"Wow..." was all I could say as I got up. I dusted off my gi, and pretended like I hadn't leapt for my life. I looked at Kargo, who seemed to be rather amused.
"Nice fireworks." I said, trying to stay cool. Kargo's amusement turned into a sneer. He turned toward Dende.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing with this boy?" With that, he turned around, and left us.
"Well, are you ready to begin your training?" Dende asked.
After seeing what Kargo could do, I wanted to be able to fly and use ki as well. I would make him respect me. I looked at Dende and nodded. He smiled.
"Very well. Lets begin."
Chapter 2
The nyoibo shot up at an amazing rate. The wind pulled back my hair, almost tearing it from my head. But, after what seemed like several minutes, I saw nothing above me. I wondered if Karin had it wrong, and there was nothing above the tower.
Finally, I saw it. At first, it appeared as a dot in the sky, but as I came closer I saw that it looked like a giant top floating in the middle of the sky. I wondered how such a huge structure could stay in the sky when there were no apparent rockets or engines attached to it.
Then I realized that I was still speeding toward the structure. I clutched the nyoibo even tighter as I prepared myself for a painful stop. But my fears proved groundless as the nyoibo slowed down as it came to the tip of the giant top. To my right was a ladder that curved up to the top of the structure. I grabbed it and pulled myself up.
I peered over the edge, not knowing what to expect. There were large domed buildings at the other end of the tiled floor; a garden of all kinds of flower surrounded them. The rest of it was rather bleak, with only two rows of strange trees leading up to two large doors on the main dome.
"Hello!" I yelled. I waited a few minutes without a response. I tried it again with the same result. I was considering knocking on the door when I remembered the bell that Karin gave me. I untied it from my belt and rang it.
The sound it emitted was unlike any other bell I had heard. It was soft, and sweet to my ears. After ringing it a few times, I dropped my hand to my side and waited.
Soon, the two large doors opened slightly and a figure appeared. He was short and rather round. He wore white gi pants, a vest, and a turban on his head. But what really got me was his skin. He was black. I mean, night black.
Instantly, I began to sweat. Was this the god of Earth? What would he do? What would he say? All of the things I had done in Satan City instantly came rushing back to me. Does he know what I did? Will he damn me to Hell? By the time the man reached me, a small puddle had formed around me and I was going blue from hyperventilating.
"You're here to see Kami-sama, correct?" The man asked. I let out a sigh of relief as I realized that this wasn't Kami.
"Yes, I am Son Celic. I am here to see Kami-sama." I responded. The man smiled.
"Ah, very good. I am Mr. Popo, Kami-sama's assistant. I'm afraid that if you wish to see him, you must first defeat me." He said, assuming a defensive stance. I studied my opponent. His stance was almost perfect, but he didn't look too powerful. I smiled as I took an offensive stance.
"You're on." I said, sounding pretty cocky. Figuring I'd just take him out quickly, I leapt at him, aiming my foot at his head. Almost an inch before it got there, Mr. Popo grabbed by foot and, using my momentum against me, swung me into the ground.
I shot back up, and leapt over his head. I turned in mid-air to try another kick to his head when he dodged to his right. I caught myself, and leapt back. I ran at him, deciding to hit him with several fast punches. He dodged each one, and delivered his own faster then I could see.
I gasped for breath and fell to my knees clutching my stomach. This guy was humiliating me! My anger pushed aside my pain and I shot my leg out, sweeping his legs. He nimbly jumped over them and kicked me in the face.
"You use far too much movement when you attack." He said, watching me grasp my face and writhe in pain. After a few moments, the pain receded and I stood up. I wiped the blood from my nose and took an offensive stance. Clearly, I was underestimating my opponent. He was fast, despite his figure, and he was strong, my nose was proof of that. I guess I'll just have to be smarter.
I began to zanzoken around him, creating as many as I possibly could. I surrounded my opponent with images, even with some above him. His eyes darted up and down, left and right. I knew I had him. I leapt at his unguarded side. At the last moment, his eyes shifted to the real me and he grabbed my foot. I cursed in frustration as he swung me around and let go.
I expected to hit ground, but I didn't. I realized that Mr. Popo, by accident or design, had thrown me over the top of the structure! Desperately, I grasped at the air, and my fingertips clutched the edge of the structure. I desperately grappled for a better hold on the edge.
I decided then would be a good time to see how far up I was. I almost lost my grip as I looked down. I could literally see the edges of Earth! I suddenly felt very dizzy, but I controlled myself. I shut my eyes and concentrated on the battle at hand, trying to put my newfound fear of heights out of my mind.
I saw Mr. Popo standing above me, holding out his hand.
"You won't ever win if you fight like that." He stated. I screamed in frustration, and planted my feet on the side of the structure. I pushed off, and using my hands to anchor me, I spun and attempted to plant both my feet into my opponents jaw. He ducked and I landed awkwardly on the ground.
Before he could go on preaching, I leapt to my feet. Desperate to find a strategy that would work against him, I leapt away from him and cupped my hands at my side.
"KA..." I began, starting to pump power into my hands.
"ME..." I pushed more power between my palms. I wasn't sure how much to put into the blast, because it was only the second time I had used it, and I didn't want to kill Mr. Popo. Well, not really
"HA..." I began to shape in power in my hands into a ball.
"ME..." I looked at my opponent. He was standing there calmly, as if he didn't realize he was about to be annihilated. "HA!" I screamed as I thrust my hands forward. The beam of power erupted from my hands and raced toward Mr. Popo. Inwardly, I smiled. I knew I finally had him.
Just before the beam was upon him, he did a couple of quick gestures with his hands, and then caught the beam! He threw his hand upward, causing my attack to fly harmlessly into the atmosphere.
I sunk to my knees in exhaustion, amazement, and anguish. He... blocked... my... attack... I couldn't believe it. I was so sure I had him. Maybe I had hurt him! I looked up, hoping to find Mr. Popo gasping for breath, or passed out, or anything that would help me win. But no, he was standing there, perfectly fine, as if he had swatted a fly instead of my strongest attack.
His gaze met mine, and for the first time, he decided to take the offensive. I barely had time to jump to my feet and raise my weary arms to deflect his attacks. He instantly found holes in my defense, and I found myself back on the ground, gasping in pain.
His mouth moved, as if he was about to say something, when his gaze shifted from me to the domes behind me.
"Ah, Kami-sama!" he said, as if greeting a long lost friend, and then bowed deeply. My pain was temporally forgotten as I heard is name. I stiffened up, and the hair on the back of my neck went strait up. I was afraid. I was afraid of seeing the god of Earth, of hearing what he would say, of how he might judge me.
Reluctantly, I got to my feet, and turned around. I was amazed and relived by what I saw. The being before me did not look at all like the harsh, judging Kami I had expected. For starters, his skin was green. He had two short antennas sticking out of his forehead. His face, which was kind and gentle, had a few wrinkles, and gave the impression of great wisdom. He smiled, and I could see two sharp fangs, slightly yellowed with age, poking from his jaw. But, even with those menacing teeth, I knew he was a kind person. I instantly felt like I could trust him.
"Hello, Kami-sama, I am Son Celic. My former sensei, Kame Sennin, has sent me hear to train under you." I said, bowing and holding the letter out to him. He took the letter and glanced over it.
"Very well." He said. "You showed great promise in your fight against Mr. Popo, and I will be happy to train you. But this training will be very difficult, do you think you're prepared?"
"Yes!" I shouted, a little louder then I meant to. "Thank you, Kami-sama." I said, bowing vigoursly.
"I've never been much for former titles." He said, waving his hand dismisivly. "You can call me Dende."
I gaped at this casual god. It seemed difficult to believe I was on a first name basis with him. Dende looked as if he was about to say something more, when the doors to the main dome were flung open, and another figure walked out.
"So, this is the descendant of Vegeta and Son Goku?" he said mockingly, as he immerged into the sunlight. I gasped... again. The figure before us was a replica of Dende, without the wrinkles and had a much larger frame. I could tell he was powerful.
"Son Celic, I would like you to meet my son, Kargo." He stated proudly.
"Your son!" I exclaimed. No one had told me he had a son.
"Yes, I named him after one of my closest brothers on Namek. He is the last member of the Z senshi." I looked at him and was about to ask what Namek was when I remembered that he was an alien, like me.
Kargo examined me. Unlike his father, his face was hard; his eyes did not hold the kindness and warmth that his father's did.
"So, this is the great Saiya-jin?" he scoffed. "This is the hope of the world?" His eyes met mine, and I instantly wanted to run away, but I met his gaze. "Go home, boy. You're too weak to be of any use to me." With that, he sneered, baring his sharp fangs, turned around, and walked back into the domes.
I stood there, half stunned, half to scared to move. Finally, Dende broke the spell.
"Don't worry," he said, "Kargo is under a lot of stress. He's the un- elected leader, and he just wants everyone to be as strong as they possibly can for the upcoming invasion. That was his way of challenging you." I looked at Dende, wondering how someone like Kargo could be Dende's son.
"Fine," I said, trying to imitate the smirk that Kargo gave me, "I accept."
"Good." Dende said with a smile. Then he pointed his finger at me, and a bright flash was emitted. I had only half a second to wonder what happened when I realized I could no longer stand up. I toppled backward, and landed flat on my back.
"What the hell did you do that for!" I yelled, while trying unsuccessfully to stand back up. I realized who I just yelled at, and began to apologize as vigorously as I could.
"I'm sorry," Dende said, "I suppose I should have warned you first. I gave you weighted clothing. You will be wearing it throughout the rest of your training."
I looked down, and realized that he was right. Under my gi was another shirt, their were armbands around my wrists, and boots had replaced my shoes. At least it looked better then a turtle shell. I grimaced as I stood up. The entire ensemble had to weigh close to four hundred pounds. Walking alone would be a challenge. Dende didn't seem to notice my difficulty, and walked past me, motioning me to follow. I did, though rather awkwardly.
After a short walk to the domed building, I was already out of breath. Even with the weighted clothing, it shouldn't have been this difficult. I asked Dende about it when I caught up to him.
"We're in the upper atmosphere of Earth, so there is less air up here. Normally, being this high up, you would die of suffocation or hypothermia in a few minutes, but this place is blessed. Though, there still is a slight difference." He explained.
With that, he led me into the building. We entered a small room, furnished only with a large, four poster bed. My new room. I gazed at the bed, thinking about how comfortable it looked, but Dende broke my thoughts and led me away.
He took me outside again, and sat beneath a strange tree, motioning me to do likewise.
"Today, I am going to give you your first lesson on controlling your ki". He said.
"Alright! You mean I'll be able to fly like the others!?" I was a little excited. Dende nodded.
"Not just yet, though. First, you have to learn to control you ki." He said.
"What is ki, anyway?" I asked. Dende looked over my shoulder, and smiled.
"How about a demonstration?" he offered, and waved to someone behind me. I looked around, and saw Kargo walking toward us.
"What is it father?" He asked, ignoring me.
"I was wondering if you could give Celic a demonstration on how to use ki." He said. Kargo nodded, but glared at me.
"Very well." He said. With that, he began to levitate. From the expression on his face, he looked almost bored. I knew if I was able to do that, boredom would probably be the last thing I felt.
"Now watch." He said, glaring at me. He stretched out his hand, and a ball of light... ki... appeared in his palm. With a twitch of his fingers, he sent the ball flying upward at an amazing rate. Sweeping his hand, the ball simultaneously curved downward, right toward me! I narrowly leap out of the way as the ball zipped past me. Finally, he clutched his hand, and the ball exploded.
"Wow..." was all I could say as I got up. I dusted off my gi, and pretended like I hadn't leapt for my life. I looked at Kargo, who seemed to be rather amused.
"Nice fireworks." I said, trying to stay cool. Kargo's amusement turned into a sneer. He turned toward Dende.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing with this boy?" With that, he turned around, and left us.
"Well, are you ready to begin your training?" Dende asked.
After seeing what Kargo could do, I wanted to be able to fly and use ki as well. I would make him respect me. I looked at Dende and nodded. He smiled.
"Very well. Lets begin."