Lord of the Dragonballs

by Riccy

Two Fellowships make their way across middle earth: The Fellowship of the Ring and the Fellowship of the balls. Both have very different tasks, but must join forces to defeat a common enemy.

8. Chapter8: Flight of the Nazgul

Chapter 8: Flight of the Nazgul

Inside a small, pillared room amidst Dende's palace, two hobbits, two saiyans and a namek were hard at work. Their task did not seem important but they had no way of knowing how vital it would be to the success of the Fellowship. Goten and Trunks were laughing like a couple of stoners at the sight of Merry and Pippin, much to the annoyance of Piccolo. Their mirth ceased after a stern grin from the Namek whose facial expressions accounted for 99% of his total communication. In this case, it told the saiyans that they were to demonstrate the fusion dance again. This turned their neutral mood into one of despair; they enjoyed fusing, but had never caught on to the dance. It was a stupid set of moves and one that in any other circumstance would be pointless. They did it nonetheless. "Fu…" they said in unison as they stood three feet apart with their arms outstretched. "Sion…", they tiptoed over to each other, changed the direction their arms were pointing and lifted their right and left leg respectively. "HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" they leaned into each other and touched their index fingers. The dance had been performed correctly, but no fusion occurred as their powers were not aligned. Piccolo didn't want them to fuse as it would take half an hour for the effect to wear off. This was bad not only because they wouldn't be able to demonstrate the dance anymore, but also because Piccolo did not like Gotenks, the rebellious punk, that Goten and Trunks turned into. The two Hobbits clapped at the sight and clicked their heels. Apparently, they had become the first people ever to like the dance.
"We have many dances like that in Hobbitton", explained Pippin. "We must teach it to our friends when we return!.
"Um…no. I don't think that would be a good idea", said Piccolo as he imagined what it would be like if the entire hobbit population accidentally fused. "Best keep this our little secret".
Merry and Pippin couldn't wait to try again. This would be their fourth attempt since they had begun their training half an hour ago. They stood three feet apart and copied Goten and Trunks' moves identically. Unfortunately, just as it seemed as if this attempt would be successful, Pippin tripped over himself and fell to the ground. Trunks and Goten giggled again. "Do you guys really like that dance?" asked Trunks.
"Yes", replied Merry. "It's a good dance".
"Don't you find it a little um…what's the word?"
"Gay?" suggested Goten.
"No", replied Trunks. "I dunno what that word means".
Goten looked disappointed. "I was hoping you did", he told his friend, "cause I wanna know what it means".
"Ask Piccolo then", suggested Trunks.
"Picco…"
"No", interrupted Piccolo, going red in the cheeks, partly from anger, partly from embarrassment. "I won't tell you what it means. You'll just have to use a different word".
"Okay", said Trunks, thinking hard. "How about sad?"
"It doesn't make me sad", said Goten, looking confused.
"No, I mean…"
"Look!", shouted Piccolo, becoming angry now. "Merry and Pippin are almost there! Shut up and let them try again, okay?"
The two saiyans nodded and kept quiet as they watched the hobbits get into position. "Fu…" they said together as they stretched their arms out, "sion…" they moved towards each other. Suddenly Piccolo stopped them. "It won't work", he said. "Merry, your arms are at the wrong angle. Move them down about 15 degrees and start again".
They moved back into position for another attempt.

Through the door Gohan was finding it hard to concentrate on what he was doing from the noise of the fusion crew. Every two minutes he could hear "Fu…sion..HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and it was starting to give him a headache. "Could you keep it down in there?" he shouted, banging on the wall, "Some of us are trying to train!"
"Hey, screw you!" came a muffled Namekian voice from the other side.
"Just ignore him, Mister Gohan", said Sam trying to help. He could see Gohan was close to breaking point. The Saiyan decided that if it didn't stop soon he would see if Dende had any other rooms or ask him to soundproof the training halls. He cheered up for a second at the sight of Frodo and Sam engaging each other in combat. Steel clashed against steel as they fought like true swordsmen. Gohan had been a good choice to train the two hobbits as he was experienced in dealing with swords; he had trained hard with the z sword not long before. The speed at which Frodo could fight at now was incredible. Sam was improving too, but at a slower rate. 'Incredible!', though Gohan. 'They're so small!'; he wasn't as focused as he should have been. As he watched them dual, he remembered the days when he was training with the z sword on the home of the Kais. The feelings he had felt upon freeing the weapon from the rock rushed through him once more as he became nostalgic. 'Pull harder Gohan' he could hear the Supreme Kai saying to him. 'He can't get it out' said Kibito inside his head. If anyone had heard the conversation that was going on in Gohan's mind, they probably would have become aroused from the sexual innuendo. He just about had the sword free when the Kai and Kibito both shouted "Fu…sion…ha!" Gohan awoke from his daydream with renewed anger. "That's it!" he screamed, forcing his fist through the barrier. His angry expression was clearly visible through the hole he had made and Piccolo looked shock as he, Goten, Trunks, Merry and Pippin all turned at once. Gohan had opened a can of whoopass.

"What was that?" asked Krillan, suddenly turning. He had heard the sound of Gohan's fist breaking through the marble wall.
"That's probably Gohan putting his fist through the marble wall", said Goku. "I know my son well. Any part of his body makes the same sound breaking through any material. I've got used to hearing it from since he was a baby. He used to break a lot of walls".
Gandalf looked on is disbelief.
"What's that?" asked Krillan. Goku looked at him, frustrated. Krillan had been saying those two words for the last half hour. This time, however, he had spotted something useful; Gwaihir, the Windlord, was making his way through the clouds. He flew with great speed and grace towards the floating kingdom. Gandalf smiled as his friend approached. The giant bird landed beside them and pulled back its wings.
"Hello my friend!" said Gandalf with a large grin on his face.
Gwaihir rolled his eyes. "Where do you want to go this time Gandalf the grey?"he asked sarcastically.
"That's hardly a way to greet an old friend, is it Gwaihir?" asked the wizard.
"Gandalf, the only time you ever call on me is when you want something, so what is it this time?"
"Um…I need to journey", he told the bird.
"Okay. Hop on then. Oh! My prices have gone up by the way".
"Do I still get my wizard's discount?"
"No, that offer finished in the second age I'm afraid".
Gandalf sighed. "I remember the days when I could travel on your back for free old friend".
"Yeah, well that was before I had a wife and two kids to support, now do you have any money?" Gwaihir asked. He then turned to look at Goku. "What're you staring at?" he asked.
"Um…nothing", replied Goku nervously. "I just didn't know birds could talk".
This was one of Goku's random outbursts that others took note of as evidence of his stupidity. After all, he lived in a city with a cat as its mayor. Also, Korrin was only fifty feet below them, so he knew fine well animals could talk. Gandalf took out some change and put it in the bird's beak. "Are you ready Goku?" he asked. He knew that the saiyan would be doing most of the work.
"Where to?" asked Goku.
It was Krillan's turn to roll his eyes now. "We'll tell you on the way Goku", he said, and the three took off to find Vegeta. Although Goku had given his radar to Yamcha, he had studied it carefully beforehand; Vegeta's dragonball had stayed in the same spot for hours. That meant they could find him easily since they had learned the precise location. They knew Vegeta would never leave his dragonball unattended; not after what happened all those years ago on Namek.

Vegeta smiled as he shot through the top of Moria. He was invisible but his grin could still be sensed by the rest of the Z-Fighters who knew him too well. Adjusting to this new vision the Ring provided would be hard though. He took the it off and put it in his pocket with his dragonball. The power was his now; the Ring was under his control, as was he under the Ring's control, and the two powers were fused as one. Strangely, the Ring didn't seem to mind being with Vegeta; it put up no struggle and stayed as light as possible, although the Saiyan could have carried it no matter how heavy it was. In addition, it didn't attempt to leave his pocket. This was understandable though; Sauron had thought the Ring would always find its way back to him because he was its creator; he forged it using his own power; He and the Ring were two of the same. This was not the case however. Through a flaw in its design, the Ring sought power. It had no compassion or sense of loyalty; it desired only to be as powerful as possible, and Vegeta was far stronger than the Dark Lord. The combination worked for both parties; it gave them both what they desired, and they both desired the same thing.
He had been flying for a while now and decided to land. Setting down by an open field, he drew the Ring from his pocket and studied it, admiring its beauty. 'I can't believe something this small could be a source of such great power' he thought, but already he could feel the energy of the Ring flowing through his body. It slipped through his hand, seemingly trying to find its way onto his finger again. Vegeta was never clumsy; this couldn't have been an accident. He stopped it before it could reach its destination though and hid it once more. Uneager to re-enter that strange world the Ring had taken him to the first time he had worn it, he kept it in his pocket. In the distance he could hear horses galloping across the grass and quickly checked to see if the Ring was safe. The sillouhettes of eight horses, all manned by men wearing black capes, came into sight and were heading straight for Vegeta. He suddenly remembered the town the Fellowship had found the first dragonball in and the black rider he had destroyed. His arms were folded as he stood, curious as to what the riders wanted from him. He knew for a fact he could take them on if he had to. If he could kill one of them without the Ring, he could destroy an army of them with it. They circled Vegeta three times then lined up in a row. One of the horses in the middle took a step forward and drew his sword. Dismounting his steed, he walked towards Vegeta, kneeled and offered him his weapon. "I am King Morgul", he explained. "I am leader of the Nazgul. We offer our services to you our Lord".

Vegeta grinned at this show of respect. He didn't know who these men were, but the thought of having his own Special Forces excited him. It would be like Friesa and the Ginyu Force, only infinitely more powerful. There was something strange about these men though. Vegeta couldn't see their faces or sense their power level. "Why are you masked?" he asked Morgul. "Are you trying to hide something?"
"No my Lord. We cannot be seen in this realm. If you wish to view us, you must place the Ring on your finger".
Vegeta was suspicious. This could easily be a trick. Nevertheless, he took the Ring out and did as he was instructed. Everything suddenly turned dark and blurry again and he felt strange. The ground moved below him and he found himself suddenly in a huge tower. Beside him was a large throne and the Black Riders were with him in the same positions as before, only now he could see their faces. Morgul looked old and wisened. He had a long white beard and wrinkled skin and eyes of a man who has experienced much hardship. Vegeta looked down and pitied him almost for a second, then he scanned all their power levels. Morgul was stronger than the others by far, but still not too powerful. This wasn't his chief concern at the moment though; he still wanted to know where he was. "Where are we?" he asked.
"We are in another dimension our Lord. This is our home where we are trapped for all eternity. The room in which we appear to be standing is your throne in the tower of Barad-Dur. It belonged to the Dark Lord Sauron. The Ring belonged to him too. However, we no longer serve him; he is weak compared to you. We serve only the Ring, and in the hands of one powerful enough it is possible to draw our loyalties from the Dark Lord. We wish only to serve you now…Vegeta".
Vegeta wondered how they knew his name, but this was still far down his list of concerns. "You are too weak to serve me", he told them. "You will die easily against my enemies".
"Then we will die quickly, but we will die for you", said Morgul.
Vegeta considered this for a moment. They were weak, but they respected him, or so he thought. In actual fact, they respected the Ring more, but they weren't going to tell him that. Saurons spirits spoke in the heads of the Nazgul. 'You bastards!' it said. Morgul smiled and ignored it. Now was the time to seal the deal. "If you take us today, we'll throw in an army of orcs and trolls as well".
This got Vegeta interested again. "How big an army?" he asked.
"We have thousands of demons my Lord", replied Morgul.
Vegeta smiled. An entire army that would die for him. They could amuse him even if they couldn't fight to save themselves. "I'll take it!" he exclaimed.
"You won't regret it", said Morgul. "If you wish, we can take you to Barad-Dur now".
"Okay. Take me there", he said. "But in my dimension".
Morgul accepted his sword back from Vegeta and re-mounted his horse.
"Wait", said Vegeta suddenly. "I have a better idea", and he laughed an evil laugh.

Dende and Mr.Popo ran through the door to see what was going on. "We heard an explosion," exclaimed Popo.
"Shut up!" shouted Gohan. "This is between me and the Namek". His eyes were locked on Piccolo's and if looks could kill, Piccolo would be saying hello to King Yemma right now. He pulled down the marble surrounding the hole he had made and stepped through to the fusion chamber. "So…" he said in the most intimidating voice he could manage. "Are you going to keep the noise down, or am I going to have to make you?"
"Please don't do anything hasty Gohan", Dende begged the saiyan. "I just had the place refurbished!"
Piccolo did not look worried. He threw off his cloak and turban and waited for Gohan to make his move. Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin had run to the back of the room. Ignoring the fight, they attempted the fusion dance once more. They stood three feet apart and raised their arms. "Fu…" they both said as Gohan drew back his fist. "sion…" they moved closer together as Piccolo blocked his face with his arms. "HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Gohan stopped his punch mid-air as a powerful burst of light exploded across the room. He shielded his eyes for a moment as Piccolo watched the source in amazement. Dende and Popo looked astonished. Goten and Trunks cheered wildly. 'Is this what it's like when we fuse?' they wondered. The light was clearing and they could see only one hobbit stood where two had been before. He looked strong and proud and bore a long, sharp sword. He twirled it in his hands as the lighting in the room returned to normal. All present could see the hobbit clearly now. He wore primitive fighting attire. It was brown with many rips and sleeveless. His belt was a thick piece of rope. It held together his brown trousers made from the same material as his shirt. His hair was curly and black and ran down over his broad shoulders where his bulging hobbit muscles started. He looked strong. His feet were rooted in the ground and his legs apart as he showed off his skills with his weapon.
"They did it!" exclaimed Piccolo. "They really did it!"
"He looks pretty tough", said Gohan, impressed at the results of the fusion.
"Does he have a name?" asked Mr.Popo.
"Hmm…I guess we should give him one", said Piccolo. "Their full names are Meriadoc and Perrigrin. Um…how about Perriadoc?"
Gohan made a face at this suggestion. "I don't like it. How about Merrigrin?"
"Pippy", came a voice from across the room. "My name is Pippy. And I'm a hell of a lot stronger than anyone in this room".

Vegeta sat on his throne in Barad-Dur, now feeling like the Prince of all living things rather than just the Saiyans of which there were but a handful left. He finally felt the true extent of his power, realising he didn't need to be strong to be in command. People were asking to serve him without having to be bullied into it. Strength was still important to him though and it would be fun to test out his newfound power. Khamul of the Nazgul knelt by his side, looking rather like a pet. He had been chosen by the Witch King to take Vegeta to the tower and carry out his orders while the rest were away. The first of his duties was complete; the second wouldn't be so easy.
"The seven are abroad Lord Vegeta", Khamul said, moving to kneel before his new king.
"Yes, I know that. I sent them out idiot!", said Vegeta angrily. "Do you know if they have completed their task yet?"
"I am not sure my Lord. I cannot sense them once they have reached a distance outside the range of my ring's power".
"I can't sense them either. It must be this Ring overpowering my abilities".
"What are the dragonballs my Lord?"
Vegeta smiled and took his one ball from his pocket. It shone brightly in the light from the cracks in the walls that allowed the sun to penetrate the fortress. The beams seemed to converge on it and the Ring suddenly made itself heavier as if to show it were jealous. "This will be my final source of power", he explained. "Once I have all seven, I will be immortal, and the ring and I will be fused permanently as one".
Khamul's expression was invisible to all but the Ring. He was happy for the fact that his Lord was happy, but worried for a reason he did not know. He was the last of the Nazgul to see a dragonball; Vegeta had shown it already to the others so that they could pick up the scent of it. He put the ball away at the same time the light diverged from it. His face took on a more serious expression and he sat down once more.
"Where is that army Morgul was telling me about?" he asked.
"The Orcs?" asked Khamul. "They're scattered about Mordor. There's a grouping of them in Cirith Ungol".
"And the trolls?" asked Vegeta, not wanting to be cheated out of one single solider. "Morgul said something about trolls too".
"We have many creatures my Lord. They are all ready to be deployed at your command".
The beams of light converged once more. This time onto Vegeta, and for a moment he looked as powerful as he was, yet not as powerful as he felt. "What is the nearest land not under my control?" he asked.
"Gondor", replied Khamul. "It is populated by men. Denethor, the steward, rules the country. He isn't a king, but his power will fall at the King's return".
"His power will fall when I say it falls!" shouted Vegeta. "Deploy my troops and ready them for attack. I want the world to know there's a new King, and he has returned to the throne".
"All of them?" Khamul asked nervously.
"Yes", smiled Vegeta. The decision was almost as foolish as its maker.

It was an exciting time at the palace. A new person had just been created and a valuable one at that. Pippy was stronger than both Merry and Pippin put together and his skills were far more impressive than either of theirs. Apparently the abilities of the two hobbits complimented each other perfectly, forming an almost invincible warrior. He seemed cocky, but also knew his limitations, so Piccolo didn't fear this personality trait would be a threat as it was with Gotenks. The young hobbit had his sword in one hand and his other hand clenched in a fist. "I wish to fight", he told the company.
"No problem!" shouted Trunks.
"No, I don't think that's a good idea", warned Piccolo, but Trunks and Goten had already started the fusion dance. An explosion of light filled the small room once more as the two saiyans became one. Gotenks, who they all knew and feared, stood before them. He was the most unpredictable of all saiyans and cockier even than Vegeta. He never thought before going into battle and reckoned he could take on anyone in the universe. Not even proof to the contrary would persuade him to be more careful.
"If it's a fight you want, prepare to die!" exclaimed Gotenks in a voice that contained elements of both Goten's and Trunks'.
Pippy twirled his sword and posed for his adversary. The two hybrids grinned at each other and prepared to fight. They did not have a willing audience but this didn't bother them much, both existing purely to fight. Fortunately, they were stopped by the distraction of a noise coming from outside the palace. Gohan, Piccolo and Dende had already rushed out to see what it was, and in the distance they could hear the sound of eagles. 'It can't be Goku', thought Piccolo. 'Not this soon. And there's more than one eagle there'. They were joined by Mr.Popo, Pippy and Gotenks who were also curious as to the disturbance the others had seen. They stood back and waited for the strangers to arrive. There were seven of them. Each looked identical and wore a black cloak, under which no features could be made out. The shape of a sword stuck out from beneath their clothing and they seemed to be facing the Fellowship. Flying in single file on their living transport, they reached into the darkness and unsheathed their steel. The birds stopped short of Dende's marble garden and allowed their passengers to jump off.
"Alright", said the middle of the cloaked men. "Let's do this just as Lord Vegeta told us to".
They moved around a bit and attempted to strike a series of pathetic looking poses. Finally, they ended in a pose that incorporated all of their bodies. "We are the Nazgul force!" they exclaimed. All present looked extremely confused. Morgul, the leader of the Nazgul, broke his pose and stood normally. "That didn't quite feel right", he said. "We'll just tell Vegeta we made it look good".
"Hold on a minute. You work for Vegeta?" Piccolo asked,
Morgul turned to face him. "He is our King", he told the Namek. "And he sent us to retrieve his dragonballs".
"His dragonballs?" asked Gohan.
Morgul ignored the question and pointed his sword at them. "Are you going to give us the balls, or are we going to have to kill you and find them ourselves?"
"We'll die defending the balls if we have to", said Piccolo.
"Then so be it", said Morgul. "Vegeta will have his wish, and you will have your wish". The seven swung their swords and approached Piccolo.
'These guys aren't so tough', he thought, remembering how easily Vegeta had destroyed the first Nazgul almost a week ago. He put his fingers to his head and concentrated his ki. "Masenka-ho!!!!!!!!!" he screamed as a long spiralling beam emanated from his temples. Morgul laughed from behind his cloak. His expression could not be seen, but it could be felt from his laughter. He brought his sword before him and swung it at the beam as a batter would a baseball. It deflected off the weapon and flew into the side of Dende's palace.
"I told you guys not to fight here!" said Dende. "Why do you never listen to me?"
Gohan shot a large ki pulse from his hand. Morgul deflected this also. It flew into the sky and disappeared from view. The teenage saiyan continued his attack with a burst of rapid ki pulses aimed at all seven of the Nazgul. Each drew their swords and swung the energy away safely.
Morgul laughed wholeheartedly. "Vegeta told us every one of your tricks!" he stated. "We can defend against any of your attacks".
"It's all very well knowing how to block our attacks", said Piccolo, "But how are you strong enough to do it?"
"Vegeta gave us each a significant amount of his power", replied Morgul. "If you sense our ki, I'm sure you'll find each of us is significantly stronger than any of you".
"But won't that leave him powerless?" asked Gohan.
Morgul laughed again. "The Ring has given him power you cannot even begin to comprehend. His gift to us is as a penny to a millionaire".
Gohan lowered his eyebrows. He had fully recovered from his fight with the Balrog and felt the sudden urge to kill the Witch King. He charged at him, elbow first, at a great speed. Morgul pointed his blade at Gohan and the saiyan dodged round it, aiming now to attack him from behind. Another of the Nazgul spotted this and threw a punch at Gohan who fell and skidded across the marble ground. Morgul wasn't happy about this show of disrespect. His temper grew as he became serious and felt the need to really hurt rather than toy with these weaklings. He walked slowly over to Gohan and raised his sword. The black cape floated in the wind and the darkness it concealed struck more terror into the hearts of the Fellowship than it ever could were it visible. He plunged the sword down, only to strike the hard ground. It chipped the marble as Gohan rolled to safety and bounced back onto his feet. Another black rider was waiting for him though, and with a swing of his sword, he knocked Gohan to the ground. The saiyan gasped for air and struggled to get up. "They…they're too fast", he managed to get out before lapsing into unconsciousness.
Piccolo snarled through gritted teeth. "What kind of monsters are you?" he asked, not expecting an answer, or at least an answer he'd like.
"I told you", came Morgul from behind him. "Lord Vegeta warned us of all your tactics. You cannot hurt us".
Piccolo suspected Morgul was right, but the sight of his friend lying, hurt, on the ground enraged him. "MASENKA-HO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he shouted, letting loose another deadly beam. It was struck away by Morgul who did not seem phased by the attack. Piccolo continued with rapid fire, watching the Nazgul's tactics as they avoided the blasts; looking for an opportunity; a weak spot in their defence. Then he spotted it. The one at the back. He was slower than the others. He seemed to be struggling to keep up with them and narrowly missed being hit by several of Piccolo's ki pulses. Smiling, he zanzookened behind the Black Rider and placed his hand on its back. He released all his energy at once and blew the creature into the next dimension. Everyone except the Nazgul shielded their eyes from the explosion; they existed in another realm and could not see it in all its glory. They knew what had happened though. Now they were one less.
"So…I can't hurt you then?" smiled Piccolo, landing once more. He had jumped to avoid the blast after he was sure the Nazgul was destroyed.
Morgul's expression was so daunting, it could almost be seen by the Namek. "Dwa was weak!" he exclaimed. "You got lucky but believe me…it won't happen again".
Piccolo believed him; he realised it had been pure luck that Dwa was slower than the rest, but none of the others appeared to have any weakness. The Nazgul had shown they know all the techniques the z-fighters used and it was useless trying to stop them. Anything Piccolo tried from now on would just get him killed in the end. "We have no choice", he said to his friends who were standing behind him. "We have to surrender the dragonballs".
"What, are you crazy?" asked Gotenks. "I'll fight them if you won't, but we're not giving those freaks the dragonballs!"
"Piccolo is right Gotenks", said Mr. Popo. "If you fight them you will most likely be killed. They seem to know all your attacks".
"But they don't know mine", came another voice. It was Pippy. He stepped forward looking more confident than ever. "Vegeta may have warned those men about your attacks and told them how to defend against them, but he can't have told them about my attacks".
"Do you have any?" asked Gotenks, not impressed with what he had seen from the hobbit. As far as he was concerned, there was no greater fusion than himself.
Pippy smiled and drew his sword, walking slowly towards Morgul. "I will fight you", he exclaimed.
Morgul was confused. "You'll fight me?" he repeated. "But you are a mere hobbit!"
Pippy grinned. He dashed to the right and plunged his sword deep into the chest of one of the Nazgul. It fell quickly, dead before it hit the ground.
"I may be a hobbit", said Pippy, "But I have the skill of a ranger, the agility of an elf and the strength of a troll. I suggest you leave now if you don't want to end up like your friend".
Enraged, Morgul swung his sword at Pippy. It clashed against the young hobbit's steel and they engaged each other in swordplay. Pippy was trying his best to keep up with Morgul, the more experienced swordsman. He had no chance to attack as Morgul was too fast. Blocking every hit, he found himself being pushed back to the edge of Dende's garden.
The other Nazgul took it upon themselves to combat the remaining z-fighters. Dende and Mr.Popo were taken out easily, both with blows to the back of the head. Gotenks and Piccolo used their fists to block the swords. They both realised the need to disarm the enemy; without weapons, they might be easier to defend against, even if they knew they couldn't defeat them. They both jumped in the path of one of the Black Riders. With a spinning kick, they managed to send his sword flying out of his hands and high over the palace. One more came from behind them though and knocked them down with a blow to their backs using his sword. The others piled up on them and used their fists as weapons now. Piccolo and Gotenks managed to return a few blows, but most of them were avoided easily by the Nazgul. They couldn't get up anymore. With one final blow each, they were knocked unconscious. The fate of the world lay in Pippy's hands now.
Pippy knew he was too close to the edge. With one surprise attack, Morgul could send him flying, and that would mean certain death. He somersaulted back and landing on one foot, sprung twice till he was behind his enemy. They had switched positions now. Taken by surprise, Morgul didn't see the fist being swung hard at him. It struck him in his invisible face, and he fell off the side of the land. Pippy couldn't believe his luck. He had no idea it would be this easy to defeat the leader of the Nazgul. Taking no time to celebrate, he turned to face the four remaining Black Riders. They had just finished work on Piccolo and Gotenks and now pointed their swords at him. The hobbit stood poised for attack, waiting for them to make the first move. They seemed to have the same idea though, and nobody did anything for a while. 'Why aren't they attacking?' Pippy asked himself. 'I'm giving them every opportunity'. Behind him, a great eagle was rising into view. On it sat Morgul in all his glory. He laughed an evil laugh as Pippy felt a shiver run down his spine. By command, the large bird swooped down at him at great speed. He ducked and narrowly avoided certain death once more. Disappointed, Morgul jumped off his transport and joined his team-mates. It was five against one now. This didn't discourage Pippy though; he knew their style of fighting. He was certain he could take them all on. But it was too late; He felt a funny feeling take over his body and suddenly found himself being torn apart. And then he ceased to exist. Merry and Pippin stood where he had been standing. They were confused and didn't know where they were. The Nazgul were also confused. Not wasting any time to figure it out, they charged at the two hobbits and found it was not hard to defeat them. Merry and Pippin, the last defence, lay unconscious on the ground. They had failed to defend the dragonballs. After a brief search of the palace, the Nazgul found what they were looking for. Victorious, they mounted their eagles and headed back to Mordor. The dead were left behind as they were useless now. Of course, their rings were taken from them and any items they had with them. After that, they were abandoned. The Nazgul left, each with a dragonball in his hand. They flew back home as peacefully as they had flown to the battle, their confidence renewed by their success.

Things are going from bad to worse for our heroes. Their last hope is that Yamcha and his team can find the last dragonball and keep it safe. Find out how they fare in Chapter 9