Chapter 2 – The Ball Shack
Goku Jr. squinted, trying to shield his sensitive eyes from the sun with his fedora. He stood in the middle of an outdoor flea market in the country, surrounded by dozens of farmers and rednecks. A nearby stall was selling homemade guns.
"Dad," the 29-year-old Saiyan said in a nasally voice. "I don't think there's any dragon orbs here."
"It's Dragon Ball, my son," Goku said. "And everyone knows that the local flea market is the best first place to look for anything."
Truthfully, Goku knew his son was right, but since Goku Jr. had neglected his training for so long and completely forgotten how to fly, their options were a little limited. If only Goku was alone. Then he could just fly around the world, searching all of the planet Saiya in less than a day. But with their house in ruins, he didn't think he had a choice. Besides, the sun would be good for Junior.
"Dad, I already have a sunburn," Goku's now-red son said to him.
Goku sighed. Or not, he thought.
The pair continued walking through the market, occasionally pausing to look at a stall. More than once, Goku had to physically stop his son from buying some cartoon figurine. He had no idea why they were being sold out here, but he sure as hell wasn't spending hundreds of dollars on one. Before long, the sun was low in the sky and the market was almost empty.
Goku frowned at the empty stalls. "There goes our first day," he said. "We only have six more before your mom is killed."
"I told you these hillbillies wouldn't have a Dragon Ball," Goku Jr. said, breathing heavily from spending an entire day on his feet. "And I still need to get home before my Discord server becomes a lawless wasteland and people begin posting memes in general."
"You know, Junior," Goku said. "It really seems like you don't care about your mother's impending demise."
"Of course I don't. Women are inferior."
"Holy shit," Goku said, stunned. "Wow. I did not expect that. I thought I taught you better than that."
"You may have taught me that, but 4chan showed me the truth," Goku Jr. smugly explained. "Respecting women makes you a beta cuck. And so does having a job."
"Jesus Christ, Junior. These are terrible things you are saying," Goku said sadly. "I'll need to have a chat with this Four Chan fellow for teaching you to be an asshole. But this isn't important right now. We need to find the Dragon Balls and save our family. Then your mother and I can help set you on the right path. Come on."
Goku was about to walk away with his son when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He turned around to see a short, bald man with six dots on his forehead. "I couldn't help but overhear that you two are looking for the Dragon Balls," the man said. "Well look no further, my friends. I know where you can find them. Follow me. I can lead you there."
Goku squinted suspiciously at him. "I may be stupid, but I'm not that stupid. How do I know I can trust you, stranger?"
The bald man chuckled. "Now, now. I know it sounds too good to be true, but you have to believe me." He grinned. "The name's Bald Goku. Nice to meet you."
"Well since you told us your name, clearly you are trustworthy," Goku said. "Now show us the way to the Balls, Bald Goku."
"Of course. Follow me, my friends."
It was several hours after sunset, almost midnight. Goku and his son stood in front of a dark, rickety old house in the middle of the woods. Bald Goku entered the house earlier and hadn't come back out yet. As they stood alone in the woods, the trees seemed to close in around them. Goku felt anxious. Not for himself, but for his defenseless son.
"We should leave," Junior said, his neckbeard quivering in fear.
"No," Goku decided. "This is our best shot at rescuing your mom. If we abandon this lead, we may not come close to finding another Ball by the end of the week."
Goku Jr. went silent, shutting his eyes and imagining his favorite anime girls in an attempt to ignore the fear. He desperately wished he could be at home in his gamer pad, eating microwaved chicken nuggets as he chatted with his kittens on Discord.
The door to the abandoned house opened and Bald Goku stuck his head out. "He's ready to see you. Come in," he said to the pair.
Goku frowned. The short man hadn't mentioned anyone else on the walk over. The father and son reluctantly followed Bald Goku into the house with Goku making sure to keep an eye out for any threats. Out of everyone on Saiya, only Dark Goku posed a threat to Goku, so if things turned bad his first priority would be to protect Junior.
The floorboards creaked as the three men walked through the house. Webs covered every piece of furniture. This place was shady as hell. Goku briefly wondered if Dark Goku had sent minions to stop them, but that made no sense. If he was going to go back on their deal, it would be after he got what he wanted. Killing them now would only deprive himself of the Dragon Balls.
Eventually they came to a shut door. The hinges squeaked as it opened, but Bald Goku didn't seem to notice and quickly beckoned for Goku and Junior to follow after him. Upon entering the unlit room, Goku Jr. began coughing on dust filled air.
"Quiet, boy," said a deep voice from across the room.
Goku squinted and could just barely see this newcomer. Sitting cross-legged on the floor was an old man wearing sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt. He was bald and had a small, white beard. Strangely, he seemed to be wearing what looked like a large purple turtle shell on his back. The old man pulled himself to his feet using a wooden staff.
"Allow me to get a good look at you," he said, before snapping his fingers. Suddenly, the room was bathed in the light of a hundred candles. The man laughed. "What could someone like you want with me?"
Goku scowled. "I'm here for the Dragon Balls. I was promised you had one," he said resolutely.
The man laughed again as he pulled his beard aside to reveal a Dragon Ball on a necklace. "You've come to the right place. My name is Old Goku and welcome to the Ball Shack."
Goku's eyes widened. "A Dragon Ball?!"
Old Goku grinned. "Not just one," he said as he gestured to a display case off to the side. Behind the cracked and dusty glass were four more Dragon Balls. Goku silently counted the stars on each of them. If they managed to leave with Old Goku's entire collection he would only need to find the Six-Star Dragon Ball and he could free his wife.
"How did you gather five Dragon Balls?!" Goku asked in awe.
"The same way I plan to get my sixth," Old Goku said, his voice suddenly menacing. "Some idiot with a Dragon Ball comes by hoping to steal mine and eventually get all seven. I then kill them and take their Balls, adding them to my collection. Now, I hope you're prepared to fight for your life. I haven't had a good fight in a while."
Goku quickly turned to Bald Goku, but he was already gone. That sneaky bastard, he thought.
"Wait!" Goku Jr. spoke up, voice shaky. "We don't have a Dragon Ball! Please don't kill us!"
Old Goku stared at him for a second before breaking out in laughter. "Nice try, kid," he said. "But I can sense how powerful your father is. Only the mythical Super Saiyan could have power levels that high without using a Dragon Ball. I know he has a Ball."
"Please, we need the Balls to save my wife," Goku pleaded. "At least let my son go."
"No," Old Goku said. "No one can leave with the knowledge of my collection. They could lead anyone here to rob me. You both came here to die."
In an instant, a dark aura burst forth from the old man, knocking Junior to the floor and filling Goku with fear. He had activated the Dragon Ball around his neck.
Old Goku grinned menacingly. "No one leaves the Ball Shack alive."