From Penguin Village with Love

By Reid M. Haynes

Disclaimer: Dragon Ball/Dr. Slump is the property of Akira Toriyama, TOEI ANIMATION, and various other companies, as well as all characters within. I am using them without permission, and I am making no money off of them.

Legend:

( ) Denotes thoughts.

{ } Denotes sound effects.

Arale-isms:

N'cha: Shortened form of Konnichiwa, which is Japanese for 'hello.' When hollered at full blast, it becomes a Dragon Ball-esque beam attack. (a.k.a: the N'cha Cannon)

Bye-cha: Like "N'cha", only for farewells. Also able to be used as a beam blast.

Hoyo: Expression of confusion, astonishment, and various other emotions.

Thanks-cha: My own custom Arale-ism. Basically, it's "thanks" with a "cha" stuck on the end.

Go-kun: Another all new Arale-ism. A cutesy way of referring to Goku, similar to "Goku-kun."

Tale 2: Talent for Love

Atop the seaside birch tree, in the rising sun, a small swine was self-levitating to its highest branch. Mr. Pig was preparing for his daily rite, clearing out the frog in his throat. Reaching over to a standing mike, he dusted off the head and crowed his traditional announcement: "It's morning in Penguin Village!" It filled the entire island like a plague; yet, nothing was as comforting as this warbling squawk.

Truly, it was a fine day in this tropical paradise, sparkling and sweet. The palm trees were covered in soft dewdrops, and autumn berry bushes perked up throughout the gently rolling hills. At the Norimaki residence, butterflies danced among the tall grass and flirted carelessly with their life mates. And the smell of burbling batter was wafting from the open window, mixing in with the organic fragrances of all the other things in this paragraph.

The beautiful young woman smiled sweetly. "Done!" Licking her dainty hands free from the pancake batter, Midori regarded her confection with the satisfaction of a master artist. She took the pan to the kitchen table, where her husband was waiting anxiously. Then, with a smile, she carefully placed a healthy portion onto his plate, happy with her domestic duties.

"Honey, have you heard the news?" the woman asked conversationally, adding another pancake to his helping.

"Hrrrmm...?" the man pondered somewhat absently, poking at his breakfast with a fork.

"Arale brought home a visitor yesterday," Midori continued, moving back over to the stove. "That nice boy with the tail's come back!"

"Say WHAT?!" he burst out in surprise, nearly causing his wife lose her grip on the saucepan. "The same kid that came with that Red Ribbon Army?!"

"Well, he dosen't seem to have those men following him now," she said nonchalantly, putting down pancakes on the bar. "I'm sure it'll be alright!"

Norimaki Senbei (or Dr. Slump, as he was man derogatory dubbed), sighed exasperatedly, laying his flabby arms in front of his plate. He had spent all yesterday working in his laboratory, so the night's events had blown over his head. He should've known he couldn't trust his android daughter not to bring in every weirdo that fell from the sky. Now there was a guest, and a rather odd one at that.

"I just hope he dosen't break anything," he murmured, feeling doubtful already at this situation."

"Well surely you don't think that 'he' will cause any trouble," Midori smiled sunnily, bringing some bacon to the table.

"Anyone Arale gravitates to IS trouble," Senbei grumbled, putting his hand to his cheek. His eyes fired up with fear. "Where is she, anyway? At this time, she should already be on her way to..."

"N'CHA, HAKASE!" and the doctor's face was flattened into his pancakes, courtesy of the cheerful robot that he invented.

Senbei groaned into the mush, feeling utterly helpless. Then, he swung to Arale with a scenery-chewing scowl on his face. "Dammit, how many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that?!" he hollered, spit fleckles impacting on the girl's face.

"Hoyo?" Senbei's "daughter" was oblivious to his frustration, not sure why he was so upset. Then, she eyed his face curiously. "Hey, why d'ya have glop all over your face?" she asked, blinking sporadically.

The doctor lurched closer to Arale, somehow managing to stretch his facial features even more than they already were. Then, he clawed at his head vehemently, making horrid growling noises like a prisoner in total agony.

As Senbei continued his tantrum, Midori turned to the girl with a grin. "By the way, Arale-chan, have you put little Goku's ninja outfit on the cushion," she asked.

"Sure," Arale responded simply, a question still on her face. "But what do you need his clothes for?"

"Oh, I just wanted to do some sewing while Turbo's asleep," the woman shrugged her shoulders cheerily. "After his fall, it will certainly need a little patchwork."

Suddenly, a klatter from upstairs attracted Midori's attention, and she turned and beamed. "That must be him now!"

Arale grinned, and jumped off of her perch on Senbei. Running around the kitchen's edge, she made her way to the bottom of the stairs. The little android looked up the ascending steps, perking her ears at strange noises just beyond her sight. Then, her smile widened, and her eyes went loopy and happy. "Go-kun!"

Atop the staircase, with a fanfare of "Peep peep!"ing, was Goku, as well as two other creatures. To either side of him were cupid-like creatures, whom we'll call Ga-chans 1 and 2. "Peep peep!" They were identical to each other, bearing curly, green hair and little nodes coming from their skulls. Both of them were cheerfully leading their ward down, yanking at his clothes and continuing to cry their little calls: "Peep peep!"

The real sight here, though, was the boy himself. Goku was dressed in the exact same outfit that Arale typically wore. Grey overalls, red golf shirt, it was all there, right down to the wing cap on his head. Funny thing was, instead of reading "ARALE," the logo on front now spelled "GOKUH." But even with this misconception, you had to admit: it completed the ensemble quite nicely.

With a small giggle Goku hopped down the last three steps, prompting the Ga-chans to hover back to their mistress. "Heh heh!" he chuckled, fingering the bill of his hat. "Weird outfit!"

Arale nodded, watching her little friends come to her side. "Ain't it cool?!" she cooed, glancing to each cherub with a smile.

"Oh, Goku-kun!" Midori hustled over to the boy, who looked up with a wide-eyed expression on his face. "I got your diagram for the new uniform you wanted. You're...not a great artist, but I can make do!"

"Didja see the 'kame' sign on it?" Goku asked her. "The turtle guy's my master, y'know."

"Oh yes!" the woman answered. "Pretty strange symbolism for a dogi, though."

Goku grinned cheekily.

"Hoyo?" Arale's mouth made an "o" shape as if she was sucking through a straw. "Who's Dogi?"

"That's my martial arts uniform." Goku turned to his friend and offered her the same smile. "Midori-san said she'd make a new one for me! Now I don't have to wear that dog guy's stuff."

"But why doncha want to be a ninja?" she asked. "Ninjas are strong, right?"

"Not really," Goku said. "I beat five of them, and they weren't very strong. You can have the ninja stuff if you want."

"Yay!" Arale hopped up and down like a high-school cheerleader as Goku watched with a smile. "Ninja ninja! Ninjas are totally sweet, and flip out and kill people!"

"Now remember, Goku," Midori interjected, putting her hands on her hips. "Be sure to take it easy while you're out. Your head still has a nasty bruise!"

"Huh?" The boy blinked and tilted his head. "While I'm out?"

She was unshaken by this question. "Arale has offered to give you a tour of Penguin Village!" Midori explained, nodding her head. "You must've been half asleep when we told you."

"And it's not 'huh,'" Arale corrected, a Ga-chan clinging to her head. "It's 'hoyo.'"

Goku blinked again, staring blankly at the girl. "Hoyo?"

Arale smiled. "That's it!" Ignoring the martial artist's still-confused expression, she took hold of his arm. "C'mon, Go-kun, we gotta go!"

Breaking into a run, she dragged Goku towards the door, which was thankfully already opened for them. "Bye-cha, Sensei Midori!" she called out, taking off to the hills.

"Hoyo!" Goku called out, as he was helplessly wrangled on Arale's grand tour.

Somewhere else, one girl wasn't having such an interesting time. Unless you call being soaked in slush and mud interesting, which the girl in question on certainly wouldn't. All around, a wasteland of marsh and ferns daunted her for many a mile, stretching almost beyond the horizon. And by the way she carried herself, it was clear she had experienced every inch of this maelstrom, for at least a day since arriving here.

"Danggit!" she blurted out, her accent straight from Nowheresville. "Ain't this marsh ova' yet?" The raven-maned lass clawed at mud caked upon her shoulders, trying to keep it from ruining her hair. "Been walkin' around this place for a fortnight since mornin', and I've found no hide or hair of th' boy!" On that, she clenched her slush-soaked gloves. "Ooh, that Son Goku! I'll gitt'im good!"

Ox Princess Chi-Chi was a girl on a mission, and was fully prepared to make good on those vows. Dressed in a strange steel bikini and cape, she looked very much like one of the Valkyrie, the fierce women warriors of Norse legend. A finishing touch was the weird helmet on her head, sporting a blade-like crest on top of the cranium. But really, all she needed was a fiery look in her eyes, and not even a Valkyrie would contest with her. Much less Son Goku.

Continuing onward, Chi-Chi picked up her feet from the sludge that threatened to engulf them. With her teeth gritted in determination, she made her way towards the southern edge of the marsh, where she could just see the tropical shoreline peaking from the sky. It was there that she left her boat the other day, alongside a rocky seaside cliff. She would need it to get out of this slimy pit, and continue her search for that spiky-haired ne'er-do-well.

{glimp!} Chi-Chi suddenly felt her boot catch on something. "W-wha..." she murmured, snapping around to find her foot sunken in a puddle of glop. Worse still, the action had caused her to lose balance. And with a loud "Ee-yaAAH!", she vaulted face-first into the sludge, sending a small splatter of mud into the air.

With a pitiful groan, the girl slowly raised her speckled face from the swamp. Then, that groan morphed to a full-blown cry, as she fell to her knees in despair. "Nnnoo!" she whined, raising her head to the sky. "This is terrrrible!" With her hands, she gnawed at her eyes, sobbing away.

"I say, do you need some help?"

Chi-Chi stopped crying for a moment, and looked blankly towards where she heard the mysterious voice. Her eyes widened. "Who are you?"

About three feet from Chi-Chi, standing patiently astute, was a small spectacled boy about her age: thirteen. He was a bit shorter than she, chubby, and looked basically like the school nerd you knew back in Junior High. The weird thing about him was his black hair, short cut with two little cowlicks sticking out like devil horns. That, and the fact that he had somehow reached Chi-Chi, when no one had been around for many, many miles.

The boy and girl stared at each other, not knowing quite what to say in this weird situation. Then, he made as if to clear his throat. "Ahem," he coughed into his hand. "Forgive me, but I noticed you were in quite a dire state, and I was wondering if you would require some assistance."

"Hmm?" Chi-Chi was taken aback by this strange little lad, and took a little while to get to his question. "What do you mean?"

The boy seemed unfazed by her awkwardness. "Well, you seemed to be very distressed indeed," He then pointed towards the abbreviated armor she wore. "And I noticed you are in a bit of a situation concerning your apparel."

"Huh?" she gasped, trying to grasped the full meaning of his sentence. Then, she turned a fierce gaze towards the boy. "Hey, are you bein' dirty?!" Chi-Chi snapped, covering her body with her arms.

"No, no!" he amended, shrinking from the girl's tart words. "I wouldn't dream of it! It was only the sludge and grime caked onto your clothing, nothing more!"

Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes at the boy, trying to pick up on any falsities. Finding his manner startled but truthful, she softened up a bit, though still suspicious. "What was yer name again?" she asked once more, giving him a wary look.

"Ah, I never said, did I?" The boy resumed his earlier candor, smiling in a friendly manner. "I am called Obotchaman, and I was just on my way back from an out-of-town errand." Extending his hand to her, he offered a slight grin. "May I ask your name?"

The girl was startled by the hand, and by the boy's extreme politeness. Then, slowly, she gave a smile of her own. "Chi-Chi," she replied, taking hold of his hand.

With a {WHOMF!}, Chi-Chi was quickly brought back to her feet by surprising strength. She let out a small gasp, wondering how he could've done that, but the boy ignored it. "I was wonder why you were wandering in such a desolate place?" he asked, putting his arms back to his side.

"Um, well, I was actually lookin' for someone," she answered, looking a bit coy at the question.

"Searching for someone?" The boy blinked.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I had a date with my lil' sweetie this morning, but he never showed up. I searched all over lookin' for him, but I couldn't find him nowheres!"

Seeing the girl about to turn to tears again, he regarded her statement with an understanding nod. "I see," the boy said, putting his hands on his hips. Then, he straightened up. "Well, my errand is finished, so I'll be happy to help you find your significant other, if you so desire."

"Help me?…" Chi-Chi questioned, tilting her head to the side.

"You'll want some new clothes too, I suppose," he said, ignoring her question. "Please follow me to my village, and I'll find an appropriate article for you to wear."

And {VOOM!} he dashed off at lightning speed to whence he came, leaving a streak of swamp water expanding from the vortex. With his legs forming into a blur, he moved towards the glimmering southern coast, and quickly disappeared among the reefs and sands.

Chi-Chi was left standing in the marsh, staring in awe at the strange little lad. Her features changed into something between acceptance and confusion. "Well, he seems like a nice boy," she determined, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "But to be as fast as Goku is…"

After a moment more, she followed him to the shoreline.

"And this is the Coffee Pot!" Arale said, gesturing at a large building to her right. "I like spending much time here!"

"Wow!" Goku gaped, looking upwards to where his friend pointed. Before him stood an oddly shaped coffeehouse that looked for all the world like…well, a huge coffeepot. In fact, it looked so much like a coffeepot, that I see no reason to continue this paragraph.

Goku's eyes widened as a thought came to him. "You don't drink that bitter tastin' soup, do you?" he asked, peering at Arale cautiously.

"Hoyo?" she peeped, then shook her head. "No, no, no, I come here because it's where Akane hangs out."

"Akane?" The boy scratched his head, trying to recall the name. Just then, Arale grabbed his arm. "Oh look, there she is!" she cheered, pointing out towards the main road. Goku squinted into the distance, and just made out a cloud of automobile smoke.

On the road leaning to the Coffee Pot, a souped-up scooter tore its way towards Goku and Arale. This vehicle belonged to a teenage girl, about sixteen years of age, with curly orange hair and dark blue eyes. She looked quite a bit like Bulma Briefs, both in her type of figure and the somewhat-risqué way she displayed it. Unlike Bulma, however, the way she carried herself was much hardier, giving off an impression of a more rough-and-tumble upbringing than Goku's pampered friend.

{REEEEK!} Scraping the tires on the gravel, Arale's friend halted her scooter in front of the Coffee Pot, where the duo stood. Brushing some hair out over her eyes, she glanced at the spectacled one, giving her a rather cool smile. "Hey, Arale."

"N'cha!" Arale greeted, raising her hand up happily.

Akane leaned calmly on her motorbike, then turned to regard Goku. "What's this?" she wondered, cocking her eyebrow at him suspiciously. Then, her eyes popped open with recognition. "Hey, I haven't seen you in awhile! Goku, right?" she exclaimed, leaning forward.

"Yup!" Goku put his hand behind his head, chuckling in embarrassment. "That's me!"

"Ah, you tell truth after all, Akane!" A clipped Chinese accent spoke from behind the older girl. "Crazy cloud boy does exist!"

"Wha…!" Goku said, peering around Akane's back. "Hey, who are you?" he asked, finding a strange person sitting there.

Arale gaped, holding back a 'hoyo.' "It's Tsuku-tsun!"

Riding behind the tomboy was a seventeen-year-old young man, with close-cropped hair and an open smile. Dressed in traditional Chinese clothing, he looked like he walked straight out of a martial arts flick. Funny thing was, his small eyes and strong cheekbones looked very familiar to Son Goku. In fact, if you took away his naïve countenance, he would almost look like…

"Yamcha!" Goku suddenly leapt onto the youth, bracing him in a huge hug.

"W-whaAA...?" The startled boy gasped, thrown off balance by the extra weight. "OOF!"

"What the hell…?" Akane started, as her boyfriend was knocked off the bike, thanks to the monkey-tailed boy. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Golly, Yamcha, what're you doing here?" Goku asked happily, oblivious to the queries of those around him. "I thought you were stayin' with Bulma back at that 'West City!' place!"

"I not Yamcha!" the yamcha-like one wheezed, trying to pry the kid off of him. He looked desperately to Akane for help, pleading to her with his dark eyes.

Luckily, the girl got the message. "Cut it out, kid!" she complained, stepping up to them in a huff. "That's my boyfriend, Tsun Tsuku-tsun!"

"Huh?" Goku blinked, confused. He looked over to Tsuku, who affirmed him with a nervous smile. "You changed your name to Tsuku-somethin', Yamcha?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Akane and Tsuku facefaulted.

"Go-kun, we needa go," Arale reminded him, pointing her finger at the road. "You c'n talk to your friend later, 'kay?"

"Yeah, where're you two headed, anyway?" the fiery-haired girl inquired, ignoring the other's strange remark. "What're twerps like you gonna do?"

"We're goin' to the lighthouse where all the blue jays live!" Arale cheered, going back into happy mode. "There's lots of poo piles there!"

"Yeah!" Goku said, walking back over to the girl. "Arale-chan's been tellin' me about this poo-pokin' thing, so I'm kinda curious!"

Akane narrowed her eyes. "And this is your idea of 'fun'," she muttered, a sweatdrop oozing from her temple.

The duo didn't blink. "Uh-huh!"

Akane glanced at Goku, smiling excitedly up at her. Then she snapped back to Arale, who had the exact same grin on her face. She lurched away from them, making a disgusted grimace. (This is creepy…) she thought to herself, her eyes slipping warily between the two apparent doppelgangers. (To think there's another "Arale" in this weird, weird world…)

"W-well, don't let me spoil your fun," she finished up, trying to deadpan on Goku and Arale. "See ya later."

Walking back to the still-reeling Tsuku-tsun, Akane lazily waved her hand in dismissal. Arale took the cue for once, and grabbed Goku's hand. "Okey-dokey," she called out, making a dash for the lighthouse. "Bye-cha, Akane-chan!"

"Yeah, yeah," she growled, propping her scooter onto the stand.

"Bye-cha, Yamcha!" Arale called to Tsuku-tsun, smiling innocently.

"Bye-bye, Arale," the youth responded, waving at the retreating girl. Then, his eyes goggled at her full-statement. "I not Yamcha!" he hollered, shaking his fist in frustration.

Akane glanced at Tsuku-tsun, wondering what was up with him. Soon, though, she started snickering quietly under her breath as the martial-artist sunk his head into his hands.

Back above the South Seas, a strange contraption was making its way towards the small island chain on the horizon. It was a flying machine, or something akin to it, at any rate. The thing was bright yellow, had a face, and carried an attitude that seemed very stressed out. Understandable really, for instead of using propellers or wings, it had arms and giant fans, and was flapping them wildly in order to stay aloft.

This was Super-Mecha "Pinpon-Go," the crowning achievement of a wacky inventor. Able to comfortably seat a family of four, as well as its current occupants.

"Gosh oh gee!" Chi-Chi exclaimed, pressing her face against the glass, viewing port. "This thing can really go!"

Obotchaman beamed back at her, though he kept one eye on the controls. "Indeed, it is quite the achievement," he responded gently.

"Where didja find sucha odd thang?" she asked, turning to him in curiosity. However, her inquisitive expression soon turned to confusion, as she found a blush forming on the boy's face.

"Actually, I got temporary use of it from my friend's father," Obotchaman said, a twinkle forming in his pupils. "Norimaki Arale, the most lovely maiden in the land!" He sighed, slumping over in a lovesick daze.

Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes at him, irritated. "Hey, I'ma little cutie, too!" she growled, a grudging look on her pretty face. "My Dad said so!"

"Now, Miss Chi-Chi, don't be hasty," he stuttered, making a wan attempt at apology. "I didn't mean anything like that."

"So what did you mean!?" she persisted, moving her frown closer to the boy's face.

"Well, er…" Obotchaman shrunk back away from Chi-Chi, his nervous smile wobbling under her penetrating stare. This did little to alleviate her concerns, of course.

As a small scuffle took place within the cockpit, Pinpon-Go continued to wobble towards to the island. Unfortunately, it had little initiative over its direction, with the manual-control switched on. Looking upwards, it rolled its eyes towards Obotchaman and Chi-Chi. "I wonder when they're going to realize no one's flying me?" it groaned, a sweatdrop somehow forming on its steely exterior.

"Huh?" Chi-Chi said, halting her assault on Obotchaman's twin cowlicks. "Did someone just talk?"

Obotchaman's dazed expression changed to recognition. Scrambling out from under the girl's body, he darted to the controls, trying to find out what was wrong. Once he saw the situation completely, a weird smile formed on his lips. "It seems no one is controlling the aircraft…" he answered, chuckling in a somewhat crazed manner.

"That's right," Pinpon-Go moaned, looking down at the islands below; its future crash site.

Chi-Chi stared blankly through the porthole. "Gosh oh gee!"

{WHEEOOO…!} The flight path of Pinpon-Go soon became a crash course towards the small island below. Swirling and spinning, the craft headed for one of the taller palm trees on the beach. "Doooah!" The children hollered, clutching onto each other in rabid fear. And {D-KOOOM!} it made contact, sending a wave of coconuts rolling recklessly over the sandy shore.

Pinpon-Go twitched on top of the palm tree, its legs misaligned and its cockpit shattered. "Nobody loves me," it groaned, just before it conked out.

Obotchaman and Chi-Chi were winded on the beach, sprawled away from each other. Chi-Chi's head was concealed within a mound of sand, while Obotchaman carried a coconut on his. Both of them were barely conscious, their eyes transformed into little swirlie swirls. Neither of them was aware they were being watched.

Though the stars in his gaze, Obotchaman was aware of a dark shadow looming over him. Raising his head from under the coconut, he looked, and found a stranger standing there. "He" was short and stocky, wearing a white labcoat, ugly khaki trousers, and clumsy brown loafers. Covering his face, however, was a mask, a rather fake looking one shaped like a yellow, "Have a Nice Day" smiley face. A real shady guy, one not to be trusted easily.

"Hello, little boy," the mystery man chuckled, sneering behind his mask.

"Huh?" Obotchaman gasped, inching away from the stranger. He propped himself up on his elbows and stared up at the man. "Who are you, sir?"

{PLOOP!} With a shove, Chi-Chi lifted her head out of the sand pile, coming down hard on her rump. She looked at the two and walked over. "Obotchaman, who's that man?" she asked.

"Forgive me," the mystery man responded, stepping back from the boy. With a small bow, he regarded the children with a smile, something that was apparent even under his mask. "But this island is my little vacation spot, so you're really the one intruding here. I was just catching some Zs, when I heard a loud crash in the general vicinity. I wonder…what happened to you two?"

Obotchaman stared blankly for a moment, but soon he caught on to what he meant. "Oh, um, yes," he stammered, referring to the fallen Pinpon-Go. "Our vehicle was devastated when it overcame some…er turbulence." The boy looked back and grimaced nervously at Chi-Chi, who was scowling at him.

"I see." The mystery man put a hand to his chin, smiling slightly. "How dreadful," he eased, a questionable sincerity in his voice. He then stood up. "Well, you're lucky you happened to crash land on this island," he continued, walking between the both of them. "I believe I can help you with your problem."

"Say again?" Obotchaman gasped, his eyes widening at the stranger. "You can really do that, sir?"

"Of course," he replied, "I do know quite a bit about machines, after all."

Chi-Chi made a scrunched face, looking at both Obotchaman and the mystery man. "It seems there are a lot of weird guys out to help me," she determined tentatively, scratching at her temples with a fingernail. "Hmm…"

After Obotchaman had thanked him, the mystery man clapped the two kids on the back and started off. "Time to get to work," he commented, proceeding towards the broken down ship. "We wouldn't want you to arrive late, now would we?"

"It's all right, mister," Chi-Chi smiled gratefully. "You can take yer time, since you're helpin' us."

And then the man snickered evilly his back rumbling with mirth. "Keep thinking that, little girlie," he mumbled to himself, an odd twinkle forming though the eye of his mask. "But when you see what your friends are up to..."

Obotchaman looked strangely at the other. "What again?" he wondered, a bit addled by what he heard.

But the mysterious man had already left Chi-Chi and Obotchaman to begin work on Pinpon-Go. They didn't notice the small devices he had placed on their backs, either.

Under the tired sun, Penguin Village was about ready to turn in for the night. It had already been a long day, and afternoon was quickly dissolving into evening, leaving only a red sheen on the sidewalk. Most of the citizens were tucked away in their beds, leaving the streets lonely for some accompaniment. Fortunately for them, there were two kids with enough energy to still get around. Plenty of it, in fact.

"Y'know, that Suppaman guy was kinda a disappointment," Goku commented, drawing Arale's gaze unto him. "I thought you said he was strong."

The girl kept walking forward, though she seemed also to have some discontent. "Well, he says he's a superhero, so he must be!" she answered, staring back to the sidewalk. "Though he couldn't never beat me in rock-paper-scissors…"

"Rock-paper-scissors, huh?" Goku smiled at her, squinting to keep the sun out of his eyes. "That's one of my favorite games!"

Arale turned to the boy excitedly. "Then we c'n play it!" she hurrahed, returning his grin enthusiastically.

Goku chuckled good-naturedly, and resumed walking down the street of Penguin Village. He sighed happily, and smiled off into the western sunset. It had already been such a great day for him. He had gone to the Coffee Pot, visited Sonritsu Junior High, and hadn't had so much fun since his last Dragon Ball hunt. This town was kind of weird, but it was starting to really grow on him. Even though he spent only one day here, he was already starting to wonder why he hadn't visited sooner.

With his eyes wandering, Goku's attention came to rest on the girl, who was continuing onward slightly ahead of him. Finding him in the corner of his vision, she turned to him and gave him an earnest smile, giggling with glee. Startled by this joyfulness, it took him awhile to decide how to react. Finally settling on a happy sort of feeling, he regarded his friend with the same type of grin, then got himself lost in thought again.

Who would've thought he could have so much fun with a girl? Arale never complained about the way she looked, or spent hours combing her hair over and over again. She liked everything he liked: fighting, adventure, everything! More than that, she was good company, and they seemed to share the same feelings wherever they went together.

Goku grinned to himself, chuckling inadvertently. It was just what he hoping for! A really fun girl…

"Hey, Go-kun!" Goku jerked out of his reverie and turned to his right. Arale was still smiling at him. "Let's go to the lighthouse now!" she said cheerfully.

The boy adopted an inquisitive expression, probably somewhere between concern and confusion. "Doncha think it's kinda late?" he asked her. "Those guys at your house are probably worried about'cha."

This seemed disquieting to Arale, who slowly lowered her head. "Oh, okay then," she said, sounding a bit disappointed. Slowing down her stroll, she moved closer to Goku, coming up slightly behind his back.

Then {PUSH!} Goku found himself flying face-forward towards the pavement. "W-wha…?" he managed to burble out, just before he collided against the hard turf. Wearily, the boy tended to his scuffed hands, wiping them free of the dirt and grime. Then he rose up to his knees, glaring straight at the perpetrator of this act.

"Kya-ha-hah!" Arale laughed, skipping away with childish mirth. "Come get me, Go-kun!" And {ZOOOM!} she zipped off to the lighthouse.

Goku quickly rose to his feet, his fists clenched. "That wasn't very nice!" the boy growled, chasing after her. He was smiling.

Thus, the great chase ensued.

"But I just ain't sure why that freaky guy knew so much about this thang!" Chi-Chi protested, turning to her new friend a skeptic look. "What was he doin' there, anyway?!"

Obotchaman didn't look up from his controls. "Well, his untimely arrival was certainly beneficial to us," he responded, not frazzled in the slightest. "'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth,' that's what I always say."

Chi-Chi curled up into a little ball, pouting stubbornly. "Some horsies have nasty teeth," she mumbled, closing her eyes in defeat.

But despite Chi-Chi's concerns, Obotchaman was correct in his analysis. Pinpon-Go was running fine now, and was making good time the rest of the way. They were about one kilometer from Penguin Village, and could already see the island's southern shore in the distance. From there, they would get Chi-Chi new clothes and continue…with a little visit to Arale, of course. "Miss Chi-Chi, my hometown is within view," he reminded the girl, who looked up from her sullen sulk. "We'll land near the lighthouse, so be ready."

Through the streets of Penguin Village, Goku trampled after his friend, his legs and arms swinging like mad. He skipped over trashcans and cut all possible corners in his efforts to catch up. Goku was moving faster and faster, yet Arale remained out of reach still. She was just as fast as Goku, and nothing less than his top speed would enable him to catch her.

The duo had already moved out of the main city, leaving twin smoke trails where their feet had once been. With happy grins on their face, they continued their game of cat-and mouse all the way to the outskirts of the town. They were closing in on the nearby western wharf, yet still their pace didn't falter. Even as the shoreline licked the heels of their feet, both were determined to win, and they kept their eyes on nothing but the lighthouse and each other.

"Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin...!" Arale squalked, her arms outstretched and catching the rushing winds. With her shoes splashing in the salty water, she made for the small island where the lighthouse stood. Turning around to check on Goku, she found him a few meters behind, much to her glee. "Nyah nyah!" she mocked the lagging boy, holding on to her slight lead. "Can't catch me-eee!"

Goku bristled a bit at this light insult, but then settled on a contesting smirk. "Oh yeah?" he shot back, leaning froward with his momentum. He spread his arms out wide, opening his fists in an effort to increase aerodynamics. And "Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin...!" he was running airplane-style just like Arale, gaining with it confidence, and his second wind.

By now, they were already well past the seashore, within a fifteen minute swim to the lighthouse isle…or just a minute's dash, if you could run on water. And run they did, skimming right over the surface of the bay. Leaving behind jet streams, they quickly crossed the submerged sandbar, leaping over the waves like they were rolling hills. Soon, the twin sea breakers had halved the distance between them and their goal, as they entered the middle of the sea.

"Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin...!" Arale hollered, leaving behind the sound of her own voice with tremendous speed.

"Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin...!" Goku emulated, enthusiastically chasing after his friend.

{DWOOSH!} And the two continued onward towards the finish line.

About thirty meters away from the island's small beach, Arale took another look at her opponent, who was closing in on her fast. She beamed. "You're fast, you're fast!" she squealed, waving her arms extravagantly.

"Right-oh!" Goku's face changed into a death-grin, his hands forming into deadly claws. "And you'll see just how fast I really am!" The boy stepped up his pace again, making a beeline for Arale's retreated form. Soon, he was only three meters away from the girl. Then two. Then one…

Arale's eyes widened at the boy, looking surprised for the first time since their chase begun. "Hoyo-yo…!"

Goku gritted his teeth in determination, poising his body for the kill.

{SWOMP!} With a flying tackle, Goku knocked Arale out of her dash, nearly knocking the wind out of the little android. "GOTCHA!" he cried, embracing her in a violent bear hug that left her at a loss for what to do. With the force of his tackle, both of them were knocked to the island turf, leaving a groove in the sand where the boy had made his move. Soon, they were wrestling next to the lighthouse, both of them laughing as they tried to better the other.

"Heh heh!" Arale chuckled, pushing back the monkey-boy's head with her hand. Clenching her fist, she threw a quick jab to Goku's face, hoping to knock him out of his assault. He just snickered, catching her punch with his free hand and dragging her arm away from him. With all his strength, he pressed the girl against the earth wall, preparing another attack.

But upon finding the look behind those huge, round spectacles, he halted his attack. And both of them stared into each other's eyes, right into their souls.

The two of them were sprawled on the rough beach, their bodies lying atop each other. Face to face, their desire to win faded into the wispy ocean breeze surrounding the lighthouse. Both of them were still tensed for combat; yet their muscles abandoned the thrill of battle in favor of another emotion. They just kept looking into each other's eyes, not having a single word to explain this.

Goku could remember feeling something like this before, when he was with his Grandpa back in the mountains. Yet, he felt neither of them had experienced something quite like this, so he kept silent.

"Go-kun?" The boy jerked away this moment to look back at Arale, who was regarding him with a weird sort of face.

"Yeah?" he said, relaxing his body from its sudden stall.

"…You're cool," she finished, the smile practically glowing from her face.

And Goku smiled back, a closer understanding entering his heart.

Suddenly, out of the blue, the lighthouse's search beam swooped around to shine on the quiescent Goku and Arale. Their rounded faces shone like suns in the vibrant white light, freezing the moment like a snapshot, as well as their emotions. The waters around the isle sparkled like a prism, rippling with a rainbow luminescence all the way to the seabed. And the misty sky above twinkled with the lighthouse's beacon, creating a dreamy atmosphere that was half real, half fanrasy/

Perhaps the lighthouse was just concentrating on a boat that had lost its way to the Penguin Village harbor. Yet in the end, it was focused on nothing but Goku and Arale, and not even a guppy dared to interrupt the bond they held together.

Goku was still grasping onto Arale's fist, but began to carry it more tenderly. The girl looped her fingers into his, and the two of them were soon holding hands.

But not far from this sweet little scene, some were not so enthusiastic about the turn of events. Two new arrivals were peeking out from just beyond the lighthouse, kids that were very close to Goku and Arale. Though they weren't noticed from behind the building, they could see well the situation their love interests were falling into. The emotion flowing from their eyes, and the hands that held each other so innocently.

"Miss Arale…" Obotchaman whispered, his lips quivering with despair.

A spark of emotion flared in Chi-Chi's disbelieving eyes. "Goku?!"

Teaser: It's been one day since the crash landing, and Goku and Arale's relationship is already chugging along! Unfortunately, they aren't the only ones letting off some smoke, and Chi-Chi and Obotchaman are ready to crash their party! What disaster will this spell for our hero and heroine? And who is that mystery man?

Coming up, in the next exciting episode of "From Penguin Village with Love!"

Until next time, Ja ne! ^_^