Chapter 26: Dragonball Hunting

Part 1: Wolves vs. Lions

Well, once again we all met on the Lookout. Its seems to be a very popular place, though its very scenic.

But everyone came to say goodbye to me. I was going to hunt for the Dragonballs alone, and I didn't have to worry about the Shadow dragons since we cleansed the Dragonballs a few years ago. I'm strong enough to beat them, anyway, but that isn't the point.

"Katie, you're sure you want to do this?" Chi-chi asked.

"Yeah, I've never got to go on a Dragonball hunt yet, anyway. I need to do this. I got so mixed up about who I really am in that illusion…"

"If you're sure, then good luck!" she replied.

"I'll contact you if I need any help."

"If you can still become Dragonfly, I don't think that'll be a problem." Pan said, laughing.

"I don't know about that, but I know I have my Angel powers back."

"Katie, uh-"

"Mirai, I'll be back. And never forget how much I love you. It makes this mission all the harder. I feel like we haven't been together for years. But I have to do this."

"Good luck. I hope you come home quickly." I kissed Mirai and Vegeta stepped up. He was very quiet and very brief, but it was meaningful.

"I hope you find what you're looking for. I hope you find your peace."

"Thanks, Vegeta. Thanks for everything." Then I turned to the group, "I'll be off now, then. I'll be back as soon as I can. And Goku will be with me!"

"Goodbye!" they all cheered as I jumped off the Lookout.

I had packed the Dragon Radar and an entire container of capsules. I was set for a good long time, and I'd be out here a good long time, too. I dressed in shorts, a tank top, boots, and a bandana to keep my hair back. My pack wasn't very big since everything I had was in capsule form. I also had Arina, just in case. I decided it would be best to do this the old fashion way, using as little Ki as possible to build up some stamina. I realized during my fight with Drazark that I had really poor stamina. Hercule could have lasted longer than I did before I transformed into Dragonfly.

Cell. Kami I miss him. He really was my best friend. I didn't think a soul could be destroyed, but in this Tri-dimension anything is possible. Now he's gone, and I can't bring him back.

Maybe I can't, but could the Dragonballs?

The Dragonballs might be able to restore Cell's soul, but the only way to know was to try.

It was starting to get late, so I took out the Dragon Radar. There was one near by, only a few miles north of my current position. I headed that way.

The countryside was beautiful. I was out deep in the mountains, deeper than Goku's home or Mount Frying Pan.

Goku, why did you die, but not Vegeta? That's not what I mean, I mean why didn't the both of you die? That's not right either. If that blast could kill you, then why not Vegeta as well? Did Vegeta finally surpass you in strength, or was it just how the blasts hit the two of you? I miss you, Goku, but I'm glad only one of you died. If you both died I don't know what I would have done. I swear I don't hate you at all, Goku. Not one bit.

I continued on, hiking and thinking thoughts similar to this. I didn't mean that Vegeta should have died, but those blasts were the same strength, so if one of them died, why not both? I guess I could ask Goku in a few months.

I came closer to the place the Dragonball was supposed to be located and took out the radar again.

"What? It moved? What the HFIL?"

It should have been somewhere near two meters from my current position, but it was further away than that, nearly a mile.

Did I just miscalculate, or does something else have it?

I headed that way then, but a few minutes later when I check it was off in another direction.

I took to the sky to look around, but I didn't see any planes or flying dinosaurs that might have taken off with it. No rivers or streams, either. I looked to the forest floor, but all I saw was a pack of wolves.

"Well, better than nothing. Maybe the wolves took off with it." so I landed and howled to the wolves. An interesting fact about Yamcha, his favorite attack isn't called the Wolf Fang Fist for nothing. He actually trained and lived with a pack of wolves for years, and he taught me their language during my training for Roxx.

(Since you probably don't speak wolf, I'll translate as I write.)

The pack came into the clearing I landed in and growled when the saw me. The alpha male and female stepped up to me, but not too close. These wolves probably had never seen a human, or Sayjin, before.

"What sort of creature is this, my love?" the female asked her mate. She stepped closer and sniffed me.

"I am known as a Sayjin. I have come here searching for something called a Dragonball."

"She knows our language." The male growled.

"I don't trust her, she doesn't even have a tail."

So I responded by wiggling my tail out from the belt loops on my shorts.

"Oh, she does have a tail!" the male laughed.

"I still don't trust her." The female said.

"I only want a little help, and I'll leave your territory. If I don't get any help I might be stuck here for a while."

"What is this thing you are looking for?" the male asked.

"It's a little round stone with the light of a star in it. I need them to help a friend, and I know there's one near here."

"Why should we help you? You are trespassing on our land." A grunt wolf asked.

"My brother makes a good point." The female growled.

"I'll do something to repay you." I said.

"What could you possibly do for us?"

"I don't know, but ask and I'll try anything."

Suddenly a wolf ran into the clearing to the two alphas.

"Sheera, Kalar, Tigressa has found our lair, and the pups are trapped. I just heard the message from Halra."

"Wolves, back to the lair. Hurry." The male, I assumed Kalar, ordered the rest of the pack.

"Hey, wait a minute!"

"If you can keep up, then maybe we'll have a job for you." one of the wolves called back as they ran.

Well, I can do that…

So I ran, feeling the freedom of running as I had back when Vegeta taught me wilderness survival skills.

"You run well, for a two-legger!" the female, I assumed her name was Sheera, called back. I sped up so I was next to her.

"Who's Tigressa?" I asked.

"She is a mountain lion who despises our kind, she's been after our lair for years, and she'll do anything to get to our pups." She replied.

So I followed the pack into another, smaller clearing and saw the large lioness. She was far larger than any two wolves in this pack. Her back was to us and she had her eyes on the pups. The wolf I presumed to be Halra was injured, but standing in front of the pups. The pups were whining and crying in fear.

"Tigressa, we have returned. Leave now or we'll be forced to fight you." Kalar growled.

"Foolish wolf! You know you don't stand a chance against me!"

Kalar jumped on her, but Tigressa grabbed him with one of her paws and threw him into a tree. He was alive, but he wasn't getting up to quickly.

"Kalar, no!" Sheera went to leap, but I moved in front of her.

"Foolish girl, what are you doing?"

"I'm saving your pups. Let me handle her."

"What makes you think you can stop her?" Sheera growled.

"Trust me."

I stepped up to Tigressa. Lucky for me I could speak more than wolf, thanks to Yamcha. His pack of wolves taught him more than their own language.

"What are you suppose to be? A monkey of some kind?"

Damn the monkey thing already!

"I am called Katie. Let the pups go, they're only babies!"

"Babies grow up, and they'll become more wolves for me to deal with." She turned back to the pups, and by now Halra had fallen from weakness. I could clearly see claw marks down her side.

I formed a small Ki blast, really small, and hit Tigressa. Though Tigressa was an enemy, she was still an animal and therefore not as powerful as say… Master Roshi. I don't like to hurt anything, especially animals.

"I said leave the pups alone." I growled when she turned to face me. In fury she leaped on me, and it was really all I could do to hold her off.

"I wonder how giant monkey tastes?" Tigressa growled.

"You won't get a bite out of me."

Well I was wrong. She got off me and turned and bit into my leg. I hissed at her and she laughed. Well, not really a laugh by human standards, but you get the idea.

"You don't taste half bad."

"Tigressa, leave the pups alone and leave before I have to hurt you." I hissed to her.

"I told you, the pups will grow and then I'll have more wolves to worry about. My family was here long before the wolves, and I will not leave."

"I can understand that, believe me. I lost my home, too, years ago. I got revenge on the one who did it, but that didn't bring my home back. Making the wolves leave will only cause more friction between your kinds."

"I was here long before the wolves, and I will make them leave, one way or another!" she leapt at me again, but I roll-dodged her and climbed to my feet. She leaped at me again, and I once more dodged.

"Hold still!" she roared at me. This time when she leapt at me I flipped her over. She hit the ground hard but got up fairly quickly.

"Tigressa, please, just leave now. There are plenty of places a large lioness like you could live happily. There aren't any other lions here."

"I'm the last because of them!"

"No, Tigressa. I know of a place with lots of lions. You could be happy there, and maybe we could become friends one day."

"Take me there, but if I don't like it you die."

"Whatever." I knew she couldn't kill me. I was afraid of having to kill her more than anything. I don't want to kill. But I knew of a great place with lots of mountain lions and no wolves at all.

I walked up to her and placed my hand on her back, then teleported the two of us to Mount Frying Pan. Mount Frying Pan isn't far from the Son house, so I knew I could visit to see how she was adjusting.

"See, Tigressa? There are no wolves here, and there's plenty of food and room for many mountain lions. One day I saw five when I was walking through this area. This place particularly is know as Lion Valley."

She took a few steps away from me and sniffed the air. She looked around and as she did a mountain lion, a male mountain lion, walked by.

"I think I may like to stay here."

"If I'm not mistaken, his name is Leono. He's a friend of mine, thought not directly. I met him from another friend, but he's nice. And single."

"Katie, was that your name? You are a good person. I realize now that maybe I was too rash with the wolves. Their mothers and father chased away and killed my family. I hated them, but now I see I was too harsh. Would you… apologize to the wolves for me?"

"I wouldn't mind at all." She did a house cat and rubbed against my leg.

"I'm sorry for your leg. Any friend of the wolves was an enemy of mine, but I was so angry. I thought I was all alone."

"Its okay. I understand. Goodbye, Tigressa." And then I teleported back to the wolves.

I use to think animals were less petty than humans because they never killed for revenge or racism. I guess everything mortal feels this way now and then. I felt that way with the Icejin, but now that I think about it, who's to say they aren't like everyone else, and Frieza, Kooler, and King Kold were just some of their black sheep? Maybe the rest of them are like anyone else.

"What was that?" Sheera asked when I returned.

"Tigressa is gone. She won't bother you anymore."

"Thank you, two-legger. Did you say your name was Katie?"

"Yes."

"Yeah! Thank you!" the pups ran over to me and knocked me over, licking and playing.

"Hey! That tickles!"

"You beat Tigressa, thank you!" the pups cheered as they continued to jump on me. All together I counted twelve pups.

"Well, I have a treat for you in my bag, but first I'm going to help Kalar and Halra, okay?"

"A treat for all of us?" one of the pups asked.

"I sure do, now let me up!" I laughed. They were so cute, but I had to help the injured wolves first.

"Sheera, how are Kalar and Halra?"

"They need help." Sheera responded.

"I have just the thing." I got out my bag of Zinzu beans and I ate one first for my leg, and to show that it was safe, then I gave one to the wolves. They were better in an instant.

"Thank you, Katie."

"No biggie, I've done harder things than that."

Well the pups were watching intently, so I looked in my bag and found what I was looking for. I had a capsule full of rubber balls, though I don't know why. I just knew there was one in my bag full of balls. Bulma can be so random sometimes.

So I got out twelve balls and gave one to each pup.

"They're toys for all of you. You can chew on them, and chase them, and do all kinds of neat things with them."

"Wow, cool!"

"These are neat!"

"Are all Sayjins this nice?"

"If only." I though out loud. But I was laughing at the pups playing with their balls, chewing and chasing them.

Puppies are so cute!

"Katie, we owe you a lot. You saved our pups from Tigressa, and got rid of her once and for all. If you want to stay with us tonight, we will share our land with you."

I noticed that it was starting to get dark, so I agreed.

"That's nice, really, but all I want is the Dragonball."

"We'll help you search for it in the morning." Kalar replied.

So after a, uh, weird night's sleep the wolves helped me search for the Dragonball. Turns out a T-rex ate it by mistake, but over the night it was... released. It was the 2-star ball, and I thought how ironic that was.

So I bid farewell to the wolves and went after the next Dragonball.