Sometimes I wonder if we're even significant in the world we live in. Sometimes I wonder if we're even on the same side. And I sometimes wonder about my Emperor's intelligence. Sometimes his sanity.
Of course, he's always proclaimed he was destined for greatness, ever since we all got together when we were children, Pilaf, Shou, and myself. Back then we were only street urchins stealing to survive off the streets of World City so his boasts were hard to believe at first. Then that fateful day arrived, when a group of armed soldiers caught us. We were all afraid for our lives, but we shouldn't have been. Because they belonged to Pilaf himself; according to a lawyer Pilaf was the heir to a very rich and powerful man, and when that man passed away, Pilaf was awarded his entire fortune and estate. Thankfully he didn't forget his friends, and both Shou and I benefited greatly in Pilaf's newfound wealth.
But it wasn't enough for Pilaf. He saw his new status as a chance to conquer the world, and he urged Shou and I to prepare; Shou chose to train in ninjitsu while I studied how to use various firearms and other military training... and while I've done very well for a formerly homeless orphan, poor Shou, to this day, hasn't even gotten past genin status. In short, Shou makes a VERY lousy ninja.
Pilaf... who self-proclaimed himself as Emperor, was... and still is, focused on his goal. While his plans are, at best, grandiose, he does have the resources to take the world. There's just one thing in his way.
Eighteen.
She has always been in our way... her power is awesome and her will is strong... and time and again she has stopped us. Even when we discovered the existence of the Dragon Balls she's been there to halt us in making Pilaf's wish for world domination come true. And when she defeated King Piccolo... who we accidentally released to begin with...
Well, that's when I began to question my own judgement about her... and Emperor Pilaf.
It was our fault that we unleashed King Piccolo on the world, something I feel very guilty about. Eighteen saved millions of lives stopping him, while we did nothing but kowtow in front of him for fear of our very lives.
She's a hero... she's everything I could never be. If only I had a little bit of the courage she had. But I don't. I'm a coward. But
Mai paused for a moment. She was in bed, clad in her nightgown, as she was writing her latest entry in her diary. Giving her next sentence a bit of thought, she sighed, and continued to write.
Eighteen isn't. And despite everything we've done, she never really gets angry at us. She treats our past skirmishes like they were games, and if our lives end up being in danger, she saves us. When I think about it... she's saved MY life a few more times than Pilaf or Shou.
We're nothing more than annoyances to her... to anyone else. The last thing I want to happen is to waste my life following dreams that may never come to pass... or worse, die by the hands of someone who thinks we're too much of a bother to live. Maybe
Mai looked up, and gazed at the posters... wall scrolls, action figures and dolls... and various other memorabilia dedicated to Teena herself. Everything that had ever been issued Mai had collected. Her eyes focused on a poster of Teena on her ceiling, back when she had shorter hair, clad in a white two-piece bikini and posing on her stomach with her feet in the air. Mai's cheeks felt a soft blush come over them as she completed her entry, writing...
I should follow my heart for a change.
"Number One Fan"
By Ken Blackwell
A week had passed since the arrival and defeat of the Saiyan known as Raditz. And while Teena stood atop the highest skyscraper in West City, the freezing high altitude winds didn't bother her, despite her attire... a white "18" insignia tube top, thigh-high tights, gloves, and a Capsule Corp baseball cap worn backwards, black motorcycle boots, a leather mini-skirt, and a blue denim vest with the Capsule Corp logo on the left breast pocket and the "18" insignia on the back.
What bothered Teena was the impending threat of the Saiyan duo Vegeta and Nappa... two warriors much stronger than Raditz, making their way to Earth in a year's time at least. Although the necessary precautions were being prepared to be ready for the Saiyans and to minimize unnecessary casualties, Teena had her doubts.
She then paused, her ice blue eyes opening. "How long were you just waiting there, Piccolo?"
"Long enough to kill you several times over if your guard wasn't ready..." Piccolo answered gruffly as he floated behind Teena, who just smirked at the emerald-hued archdemon.
"Good thing it was ready then, hm?" Teena replied.
"You've a lot on your mind, Eighteen..." Piccolo muttered. "I assume you've spoken to that cursed Kami by now..."
"Yeah, I have..." stated Teena. "He said that he can train the others okay and he's ready to help... but..."
"... But?" Piccolo queried, crossing his arms.
"... but he's got nothing more to teach me," Teena answered, shrugging her shoulders. "I spent three years with him training to fight you, Piccolo. I've surpassed him, big time."
"Hmph. And you actually turned down his offer to be the Guardian of the Earth."
"Damn straight I did. I can't imagine being up there looking over the Earth with nothing to do... no adventures, no games... dear God, no SHOPPING?! I'd be bored to tears!"
Piccolo smirked. "Hmph. So then, what's Kami's plan for you?"
"Well, he wants me to train abroad... as in, go to the afterlife and head over to some guy called the Lord of Worlds... King Kai, I think that's what Kami called him."
"Really..." Piccolo cocked his head. "But you're still alive. How exactly is Kami going to accomplish this task?"
"He said he'd pull some strings to get me there without actually dying... but..."
"There's another 'but?'" Piccolo exclaimed.
"I got a lot of apprehension leaving Earth to do this..." Teena explained. "I made a vow to protect the Earth and its people. Not only from threats like Raditz, Nappa and Vegeta... and well, you, Piccolo... but from themselves, as well. Crime, natural disasters, accidents of the 'Oh, the Humanity' level... you know..."
"Ha... and you honestly think you can stop it all by yourself?"
"I'm not THAT foolish, Piccolo. I just do what I can. It's what all anyone can do, whether they have special powers... I'm a cyborg with infinite power reserves, not God."
"Well... for what it's worth, you're a worthy adversary, Eighteen..." Piccolo admitted. "I've little faith in your friends' skills, but I'm certain that after your training, we'll be able to defeat the Saiyans together."
"Wow... confidence towards me, coming from you..." Teena raised an eyebrow as she smiled jokingly. "Now I KNOW we're doomed."
"Crack jokes all you like until the Saiyans come, Eighteen..." Piccolo advised as he turned around. "You'll have to be at your best against them."
"I always am at my best," Teena replied. "But then, you should know that."
Piccolo hmphed. "I'll see you in one year." And with that, Piccolo flew off into the clouds above. With him gone, Teena let out a sigh.
""He's got all the humor of an unfunny thing. Like a rock or a stump..." Teena took a moment to think. "... or maybe a petrified stump. That's pretty unfunny..." she then paused, feeling a vibration against her left breast as a MIDI of "Head-Cha-La" played. Calmly she pulled from her inside vest pocket her cellphone and pressed the TALK button. "Teena here."
"Teena!" Bulma's voice emanated from Teena's cellphone. "Great news... we recovered the Seven Star Dragon Ball!"
"Really? That's great news!" Teena smiled. "That leaves only one more Dragon Ball to go now, doesn't it?"
"Yep! The One Star Dragon Ball. Once we can find it, we can make your wish, Teena."
"Great... before I leave I want to at least be there when we give Tomoko a good chance at a long life..." Teena gave pause for a moment, then sighed. "... Bulma...?"
"Yeah?"
"How long'll the S.A.F.E. Houses be up and running?"
"Well, we got our top construction workers and technicians working around the clock for this one, we should have them up and ready in eight... nine months, tops."
Teena nodded. "Down to the wire, hm? Okay, I'll try to be back in time to test the Houses' durability and make sure they'll work."
"So... does this mean you'll be leaving, then?"
Teena hesitated, realizing that it did indeed sound like that. But her apprehension surfaced once more. "I don't know..." she said finally. "I know it'd be the best thing for the Earth if I did train with this King Kai person, it's just... I don't want to leave the Earth unprotected... what if Piccolo decides to wreak havoc while I'm gone? And... sorry, I guess I'm being too much of a worry wort."
"Well, I may have a solution to that worry, if you're willing to stop by Capsule Corp to see."
"Of course I'm willing. I'm on my way." Teena folded her cellphone and placed it back in her pocket, and jumped off the building, quickly igniting her energies to rocket across the city towards Capsule Corp.
---
"... so despite your apprehension you're still making the preparations to leave?" Bulma asked Teena, as the two long-time friends walked down the hallways of Capsule Corp.
"I guess my brain knows what my heart is still trying to grasp, God willing..." Teena replied. "I already packed a few extra changes of clothes and I let Videl take care of Neney while I'm away..."
Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Neney?"
"I announced on my on-line fan club that I got a kitten and held a poll to see what I should name her," Teena explained. "And the name 'Neney' won out."
"That's cute, Teena..." Bulma smiled as the reached her lab, entering it. "Well, I said I may have a solution to your worry, and here it is..." she gestured to a gleaming chromium metallic figure, female in appearance, with dredlock-like cords streaming down the back of its neck, adorned with a helm, gauntlets and boots, its face a beautiful humanoid visage with blue opticals, unlit and devoid of life. And of course, the Capsule Corp logo etched into the left side of its breastplate.
"..." Teena blinked, staring at the immobile female figure. "You... made an android...?"
"I wish..." Bulma answered. "I'm pretty smart for a girl, but even I can't replicate the kind of technology Dr. Gero is capable of... whether you like to admit it or not, he knew what he was doing when he designed the biomechanics for you and your brother."
"You're right. I don't like to admit it." Teena sighed, looking over the chromium female in front of her. "So... is this a suit of armor, then?"
"It is!" confirmed Bulma with a bright smile. "Teena, I present to you your replacement for the next year! Built by Bulma Briefs, Super Genius™, this is the Weapon Battlesuit! Version 1.0!"
"Not bad..." Teena crossed her arms with a cocked head and a smirk. "So who's gonna pilot this bad girl?"
Bulma didn't even bat an eye as she answered. "I am!"
"Not good..." Teena corrected herself.
"Why not?" exclaimed Bulma. "Who better than to become Weapon than the woman who designed it? Who understands it more than anyone, hm?"
"You're not a trained fighter like I am, or like Piccolo, if he decides to go Demon King on us again."
"Not a problem... the Weapon Battlesuit's on-board computer has a multitude of martial arts that can be encoded and implemented, taking over the suit's motor functions for offensive and defensive actions, plus it also has a photographic reflex program like you have, allowing it to copy any move it processes effortlessly and flawlessly!"
"... Thank you, Ms. Wizard..." Teena replied. "Now can you put the technojargon down and step away from the car, please? Did you take into consideration how ridiculously dangerous this choice is, Bulma?!"
"Of course I did, Teena!" stated Bulma. "I DID release you from the stasis pod seven years ago, remember? We've been through a lot as friends, and I trusted you with my life because I knew you'd let nothing bad happen to me." Bulma placed her hands on Teena's shoulders, her sky blue eyes meeting Teena's icy blues. "It's your turn to trust me now, Teena. Please?"
"..." Teena sighed deeply in defeat, then nodded softly. "... okay..."
"Good!" Bulma smiled. "We'll hold a press conference tomorrow to let everyone know you'll be leaving for a year, and you'll appoint Weapon, who'll secretly be me, as your replacement until you return to fight the Saiyans!"
"All right..." Teena nodded. "If anyone asks, what'll Weapon's backstory be?"
"Well, I don't want to upstage you, being the beautiful cyber-babe that you are, so we'll say Weapon's a highly trained Capsule Corp official who will remain anonymous, chosen to wear the Battlesuit." Bulma walked over to the armor and detached the faceplated helm from its neck. "But until then, I think it's time for a trial run. While everyone's gearing up to head toward's Kami's Lookout, we can go out and search for the One Star Dragon Ball!"
"Just like old times, hm?" Teena smirked. "Only without Oolong."
"Exactly!" Now then..." Bulma placed the helm down, then slipped her jacket off. "Give me a moment to get ready and I'll be good to go!"
"Okay," Teena nodded, crossing her arms as she waited.
"..." Bulma paused, then cocked her head. "Translation: I'm going to get naked to slip on the bodysuit that'll help me operate the Battlesuit more efficiently, and while we're both women here and I see you naked every time we do a systems checkup every six months I WOULD like my privacy right now."
"... oh... OH!" Teena sweatdropped as she blushed. "Right, right... okay... naked, privacy, gotcha... I'll just, wait outside then."
"Would you? Thank you," Bulma smiled sweetly as she gently pushed Teena out the door, closing it in front of her.
And Teena sighed, leaning against the wall as she waited. "This is gonna be one hell of an interesting day."
---
"It's brilliant! Spectacular!! Unbelievably, pure genius!!!" Pilaf praised himself as he danced about his throne, holding in his hands the One Star Dragon Ball while Mai and Shou watched on, standing at attention.
"Uh... what's so brilliant, sir?" Mai spoke up.
"My plan, of course!" Pilaf answered. "It's occurred to me that I'll never succeed in taking over the world with that robo-wench Eighteen there to foil my plans. So I've decided to devise a plot to.. get rid of her!"
"Huh?" Shou blinked twice.
"... you're not going to... k-kill her, are you sir?" Mai asked, almost in a pleading voice.
"What? No, of course not!" Pilaf balked. "Really Mai, you should know be better than that! Besides, after witnessing her might against King Piccolo and his reincarnation I know that we can't hope to fight her one-on-one... but there is ONE thing I observed that I never saw until now."
"What's that, your emperorship, sir?" asked Shou.
"Her weakness!" Pilaf pulled from his robe a remote control and switched on a video projector, showing footage of Teena's fight with a yellow blob-like creature. "This is footage I obtained, from the Red Ribbon Army's Muscle Tower many years ago!"
"Back when Tee-- er, Eighteen wore her hair short!" Mai reflected.
"Er... well, yes... anyhow, take a look at this fight between her and this monster..." Pilaf waited, and paused the footage right after Teena was electrocuted by the monster's long tongue and before she was pulled into its mouth. "There! See?"
"Oh... oooohhhhh!!" Shou nodded. Then shook his head. "... see what?"
"Did you overdose on stupid pills today, Shou?!" Pilaf spat. "Look!! It's electricity! Electrical shock weakens her!! So all we have to do is lure her here! We'll do it with this Dragon Ball here... then we'll attack Eighteen with industrial strength TASERs that have enough power to stop a blue whale!!! Then we'll imprison her with electro-shock shackles and use the Dragon Balls, once we find them, to make me Emperor of the Earth!!!"
... that might actually work... Mai thought. "But, sir... what about the two aliens that are supposed to show up in a year?"
"They'll be too much in awe of my magnificent rulership that they won't do anything!" Pilaf exclaimed. "You worry too much, Mai! I have everything under control!"
"Er... o-of course, sir..." Mai said. Is he serious?! she added in thought. If even Teena is concerned about the aliens... I mean, if she and King Piccolo treat us little more than nuisances... what will the aliens think of us?! Mai's imagination ran wild...
"Ha ha ha ha!!" Pilaf bellowed, as he, Shou, and Mai stood before the two alien warriors... who, in Mai's mind, looked like two of those Predator aliens from a movie she saw a long time ago. "I am Pilaf, Emperor of the Earth! Bow down to me as your true leader!!"
"Oingo boingo..." the first alien said.
"Shonen jump..." the second one replied, swivelling its shoulder-mounted cannon at the trio.
"No! Pilaf shouted. "Serve me! I command you--"
The alien opened fire--
Mai sighed, coming to the resolution that she should stop watching such movies. But if Pilaf actually succeeds in this plan... Mai wondered. And if Teena is incapacitated... and when the aliens DO arrive... what will happen to the Earth... and... and us...?
"Right! It's time to supply the bait!" Pilaf tossed the One Star Dragon Ball to Mai. "Take this, Mai, and place it in the cave nearby the castle, would you? Oh, and to bypass the security that will stop Eighteen for good, shout 'Pilaf Is The King, Baby!!' and it'll all shut off for five minutes! Got it? Linger in there a second longer and the TASERs'll target you! And I don't think I need to say that getting hit by electrical charges designed to knock out a blue whale won't be too healthy for a human, but I already said that, didn't I?" Pilaf sweatdropped. "Anyway... GET TO IT!!!"
"Y-yessir..." Mai and Shou both bowed to Pilaf, and went on their way out of the throne room, with Mai staring at the jewel-like orb in her gloved hand, wondering what to do under such dire circumstances.
... should I follow my heart...?
---
"Whooooo-hoooooo!!!!" Bulma, clad in the gleaming Weapon armor, flew barrel rolls around Teena as the two soared through the sky. As she spoke, the suit's voice modulator altered her voice, making it sound metallic and lower-pitched, as the face plate's lips moved in time to Bulma's. "Is this what it feels like to fly? It's awesome!!"
"I know, I never get tired of it..." Teena replied with a smile. "So the battle suit enhances the wearer's natural energy levels a thousand fold, hm?"
"Mmhm! It even comes with its own energy attacks! Like you or Yamcha or Tein! Watch..." Bulma... Weapon for now... came to a stop in the air, and threw her arms back, dredlock-like cords wisping about her armored head. "PHOTON WAVE!!" And she swung her hands together, creating a literal wave of light barrelling down onto a hill, cleaving it in two.
"Not bad... though you know, it takes more than energy attacks with fancy names to come out on top," Teena advised. "It also takes experience... the knowledge and the overall edge to survive and win."
"Come on, Teena..." Weapon sighed. "Are we going to go through this again?"
"Look, I appreciate that you want to sub for me while I'm gone and all... but under no circumstances are you going to fight with us against the Saiyans! I need you as Bulma Briefs, Super Genius. Not as Bulma Briefs, Canned Meat!"
"You're not being fair about this, Teena!"
"I'm being a hell of a lot more fair than the Saiyans if they ever get their hands on you, Bulma! Think about it! If they're stronger than I am and you KNOW how strong I am, can you fantom how agonizing it'll be if they catch you? And then start to squeeze? Yeah, I'm sure the pain'll be pretty bad up until you explode like a watermelon--"
"Ugh, stop!!" Weapon covered her auditory modules, eyes shutting tight. "You don't have to be so graphic about it!"
"Do I?!" Teena sighed deeply, then floated over to hug Weapon. "Look, dummy... you're my best friend... my bestest friend, pardoning the grammar. You were the one who released me... the first real life human I saw in 12 years. It's almost like imprinting, you know? If anything bad happened to you I'd never forgive myself... even IF we used the Dragon Balls to bring you back..." Teena pulled away, hugging herself as she lowered her head. "Hell, I haven't even completely forgiven myself yet for Chi-Chi..."
"... Teena, I..." Weapon paused abruptly, turning her head. "Teena... sorry for changing the subject here, but I just picked up the Dragon Ball!"
Teena blinked. "You got a Dragon Radar built into that helmet?"
"Of course, silly... you're forgetting who you're talking to... this way!" Weapon dove down towards a small mountain, a cave nestled within. And as she flew down, Teena sighed with a shrug, about to dive down with her until she spotted a familiar man-made structure off in the distance.
"Huh, Pilaf's castle..." Teena cocked her head, then quickly followed Weapon, paying it no mind.
"Ha, there you are..." Weapon remarked as she waited for the descending Teena. "What kept you, slowpoke?"
"Nothing," Teena answered. "C'mon, Bulma... let's go find some Dragon Ball-ly goodness."
The two entered the dark forboding cave, the only illumination being the soft cerulean glow of Weapon's optical sensors, which blinked off and on in time to Bulma's own eyes underneath them.
"... what?" Weapon asked, noticing Teena glancing at her.
"Nothing, it's just that... that trick with the optics blinking, that's so cool..." Teena admitted, to which Weapon responded with a chuckle. Teena smiled back, then raised her hand, igniting the air around her palm to create a patch of energy, lighting the cave's interior significantly. "There we go."
"And there it is!" Weapon pointed at the all-too-familiar orange sphere with a single star-like shape within, sitting prominently in the middle of the cave on a four foot pillar. "The One Star Dragon Ball! We found it!"
"Whoa, wait a sec!" Teena placed a hand on Weapon's shoulder, halting her. "Don't you think it's too easy here? We turn a corner and the Dragon Ball's right there?! Where's the rooting for it? The bad guys, the monsters, the peril for us brave souls and what not? Where's the what not?"
"Huh?" Weapon blinked.
"Pilaf's casle is nearby, too..." Teena added. "Wouldn't put it past him to use the Dragon Ball as bait as some hair-brained attempt to do something stupid to me..."
"Well... this IS Pilaf we're talking about, right?" Weapon shrugged. "Whatever he's got planned you can handle, easily... so let's just take it!"
"Well-- wait!!" A glint of a red laser caught Teena's attention as it targeted towards the approaching Weapon, who was reaching for the One Star Dragon Ball. "BULMA, LOOK OUT!!" She quickly acted, pushing Weapon out of the way just as the steel barbs shot out, piercing the skin on Teena's shoulder. And the cave's interior was turned bright, with Teena, screaming and convulsing, in the center of the light, her hair standing on end.
"... Teena..." Weapon's eyes widened, watching her best friend being electrocuted with enough energy to rival even fierce lightning storms. Finally Teena collapsed, spasming uncontrollably, eyes wide open, her body being cooked from the inside out. "OmiGod, it's killing her..."
"P-PILAF IS THE KING, B-BABY!!!" Weapon heard a familiar female voice scream the presumptuous proclamation, and the buzzing noise caused by Teena's electrocution ceased, though Teena herself still twitched, smoke rising from her breathless body.
T-5:00
And before Weapon's eyes, Pilaf's female lackey Mai rushed forward, sliding to her knees to check on Teena, who stopped twitching, now completely lifeless. "..." Mai stared down, disbelief in her blue eyes, followed close behind by a torrent of tears. "... we... killed her...?!"
"..." Weapon stared blankly at Mai, words and actions failing her completely.
"We did?!" Pilaf asked in a shocked tone as he and Shou entered the cave, following Mai. "Er... w-why yes! Of course we did!! That was the plan all along! Kill Eighteen so that she'd no longer meddle in my affairs"
"BUT SIR!!!" Mai turned to face Pilaf, tears of anguish streaming down her face. "That w-wasn't what we were g-going to do!!! You said we were going to c-capture her!!!"
"Well yes, but this works out much better in the long run, don't y--" Weapon, also on the verge of tears under her face plate, was about to finally find the urge to act for such an incomprehensible act of murder, but was astonished to see Mai pull her gun, aiming it directly at Pilaf.
"You're making it all up as we go along!!" Mai shrieked, hands shaking as she nevertheless kept the semi-automatic pistol's aim true. "You're too high and mighty to admit you screwed up!! You screwed up when you freed King Piccolo and now you've screwed up again!! You killed Eight-- ... YOU KILLED TEENA!!! You killed her, and you killed us all!! Those aliens are going to kill us without Teena to stop them!! I HATE YOU, PILAF!!! I HATE YOU!!!!!"
T-4:09
"... N-now Mai..." Pilaf raised his hands in a "please-don't-kill-me" gesture, slowly approaching her. "Don't you think you're overreacting just a little bit?"
And Mai pulled the trigger, the bullet striking the ground right in front of Pilaf. "SHUT UP!!" she screamed. "You... y-you don't know ANYTHING!! Teena was a role model! Someone I could look up to!! Someone I c-could... l... l-love..." Mai lowered her head, hands dropping to her sides. "... we're all going to die now... because of you... well, the aliens'll have one less human to kill because I'm going to beat them to it!" Mai raised the gun, putting it to her own head.
"MAI?!?" Pilaf blinked. "No, wait!!!"
"I'm through taking orders from you..." Mai said sternly. "Consider this my resignation!"
"MAI, STOP."
T-3:31
Mai blinked thrice, and turned to see TEENA, sitting up with her body still smoking slightly, with her hair frazzled from the normally-terminal electrocution.
"... she's... alive...?!!" Pilaf blinked.
"She's a zombie!" exclaimed Shou.
"And you're in dire need of a clue..." Teena told Shou. "Pilaf... you and Shou go. Now."
And they did, running out of the cave for more fear of Teena's miraculous survival than Mai's threat with a gun.
"..." And Mai stared at Teena in a similar kind of disbelief when she believed Teena was dead. "I... thought that-that you d-died..."
Teena shook her head, then tapped her skull. "Special biomechanics. I have a layer of a biopolymer between my brain and skull that automatically strengthens to protect my brain from severe concussions or even electrocution. But my power cell still gets disrupted when I get electrocuted, so I simply shut down until I re-energize."
"Damn, even I didn't know any of that..." Weapon said, shaking her head. "Give me grey hairs, why don't you..."
T-2:10
Mai sighed in relief. "I should've known you couldn't be beaten so easily..." Mai then paused, reaching into her trenchcoat and pulling out a watch. "... oh, no..."
"What is it?" asked Teena.
"The TASERs are set on a five minute interval!" Mai explained. "We have to leave... in about one minute and fifty-seven seconds they'll re-activate!"
"Crap..." Weapon quickly grabbed the One Star Dragon Ball from the pillar. "Okay, I got the Dragon Ball, let's go Teena!"
"You and Mai go, Bulma." corrected Teena. "I gotta stop these TASERs. To just leave them here so they can kill any idiot who wanders in here is irresponsible!"
"But they're hidden!" Mai warned.
"Then I'll just un-hide them. GO!"
Weapon nodded, then rushed over to pick up Mai, rocketing out of the cave, leaving Teena alone with the concealed TASERS.
T-1:37
Teena waited silently, patiently... her eyes closed within the darkness of the cave. Mai wised up, she reflected. Atta girl... she seems smart enough to not follow Pilaf forever. Guess it was just a matter of time. Though I wish Pilaf and Shou also wised up. They're just wasting my time. They'd be so much better off as allies.
T-1:00
Teena opened her eyes, hearing the familiar sound of machinery powering up. Okay... how many am I dealing with here... five... six? No, seven. Seven TASERs?! What the hell? Pilaf could power West City with seven TASERs! And he's using them to make me Extra Crispy?!
Teena cocked her head.
... Wow. For Pilaf that's a petty damn good plan...!
T-0:39
I underestimated the little blue twerp... nearly got fried because of it. He must really want me out of the way. Well, I can't make any time with Pilaf now, with Veggie and Nappie showing up and all.
T-0:10
Speaking of time... it's almost up. Gotta do this just right, or it's back to being lit up like a dammit not gonna finish my thought--
T-0:00
Powered up fully, the TASERs targeted Teena, the lasers aiming directly at her chest and back. Teena then acted just as the barbs shot from the shadows, moving so rapidly her own perception of time slowed. Catching the barbs out of the air around her, Teena didn't even waste half a nanosecond as she yanked on the barbs as hard as she could. And all seven TASERs exploded through the rocky cave wall, colliding with each other and shattering in a ball of flame. Satisfied, Teena turned around and shot out of the cave before the explosion could envelop her.
"Unbelievable!!" Mai praised as Teena landed in front of her and Weapon. "You did it! You destroyed them all!"
"Yeah, well..." Teena shrugged. "I'd say 'they don't make them like they used to,' but that's just so clichT."
"Let's go then..." Weapon said. "We got all seven Dragon Balls now, so let's put them to good use."
"I'll catch up, Bulma..." Teena said. "You go on ahead. I'll be talking to Mai."
Weapon nodded, and turned around to fly off, leaving Teena and a blushing Mai alone.
"... uhm..." Mai fumbled for the right words to say, then sighed, lowering her head. "I'm sorry... for being such an annoyance to you for the past seven years. I wish... I wish I had it over to do again because I--"
"I know. I overheard while I was recovering," Teena said. "I'm proud of you, Mai. You followed your heart. You did the right thing. About damn time too, I might add."
"Th... THANK YOU!!" Mai blushed redder, bowing to Teena out of respect and gratitude. "Thank you so much!!"
"Now then..." Teena held her hand out to Mai, smiling softly at her. "Let's take it from the top. "I'm called Eighteen. Teena to my friends. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms...."
"Er..." Mai blinked, then smiled brightly, realizing what Teena was doing. And she promptly seized Teena's hand, shaking it.
"M-my name's Mai!" she introduced herself. "Mai Suimono...!"
---
We summoned the Eternal Dragon later that day... Bulma, Teena, and myself were all there. There was also a little girl there who looked familiar; when I asked Bulma, she said the girl's name, and that's when it hit me. Six year old Tomoko Kawai, diagnosed with a terminal disease, not expected to live through the year, and with the Dragon Balls gathered up...
Well, let's just say I admire Teena even more now than I did to begin with.
Once the Eternal Dragon was summoned, I was amazed to see it and Teena greet each other by name! I asked Bulma, and she told me that during her three year training to prepare for King Piccolo's reincarnation she was granted "special permission," whatever that implied, to gather up the Dragon Balls and summon Shenlong. And her wish then was to simply know the Eternal Dragon better as an individual, not as a tool, like most people would. Her reasoning was that she knew she would be needing Shenlong for special situations and that it would be better in the long run if Teena and the Dragon knew each other as allies.
And so the wish was made... that Tomoko and everyone like her infected with the disease in question be cured, and that disease be abolished from the Earth. Shenlong remarked how noble the wish was, and he granted it. And before my eyes, I saw little Tomoko's skin regain its color, and she looked like a six-year old should look; healthy. With tears in her eyes, she looked up at Shenlong and said "Thank you, Mr. Dragon!" in the cutest way possible, then leapt into Teena's waiting embrace and hugged and thanked her as well. And it was then I realized for sure, as Shenlong returned to his slumber, the Dragon Balls dispersed to the four winds, and I watched Teena hold Tomoko close, crying her own joyous tears, which side I was on...
Mai looked up from her diary, sitting in her bed and in her nightgown, in her new room held within the Capsule Corp building. Laying on a maintenance table on the far end of the room was the Weapon Battlesuit, given to her by Bulma because she felt the more battle-savvy Mai was better suited, no pun intended, to utilize it. Her eyes shifted to all the Teena memorabilia she had taken from her, finally gazing at a new item sitting on her dresser; a photo of herself, blushing red but managing a small smile, with Teena standing next to her, an arm around Mai's shoulders. She smiled softly, and she completed her diary entry with...
... I'm on the RIGHT side.
--TO BE CONTINUED.