Chapter 25 – The sunken city
"So… we're going to the bottom of the ocean again?" Trunks asked a bit nervously, looking down at the glittering surface of the sea. "What if we run into some music source like the last time?"
"Where's your problem?" Haruka asked sarcastically. "You're not the one who has to use her last tiny little strings of strength trying to pull the submarine back to the surface and thus save us all."
"Yeah, I'll just have to sit back and think of nothing but unbearable headache," Trunks retorted.
"We almost ran out of air the last time," Bulma said, entering the cabin – she had been in the tiny little room under the cabin adjusting the air tanks. "This time we have three times as much, the tanks will compress the air and filter out all unnecessary components, leaving only pure oxygen for us to breathe."
"Sounds nice… but what about all unforeseeable incidents such as monsters and aliens and stuff?" Yaten asked, raising his brow.
"We'll improvise," Bulma replied as the plane turned into a submarine and splashed into the water, instantly filling with soft blue light.
"Reassuring," Taiki muttered.
"Hey, that looks a lot better than the other ocean we dived in," Goten remarked, looking out of the window. He was right. The water wasn't that dark and it was easier to see.
"It's not too deep," Haruka said, "I can already see the bottom. Heh, we don't even have do switch the headlights on. Bulma, where's that Dragonball?"
"Keep driving on, it's right on our course," Bulma replied, examining the map. "Keep an eye open guys, if anyone sees any monsters or hears anything funny, scream as loud as you can."
"Oh please…" Vegeta snorted.
"Better safe than sorry," Bulma snapped. "We already met a phoenix, lethal music and possessed monks; I'm not interested in running into some rabid mermaids at the moment."
"Actually I can't even see any fish," Goten commented. "There's only water and some plants."
He was right. There really were no fish or other sea creatures. The clear waters were surprisingly empty.
"I wonder why…?" Michiru asked in surprise. The others shrugged.
The submarine was swimming up a small hill. Haruka glanced at the map.
"Looks like the Dragonball is on a wide plain of some sort," she said. "Right behind that hill."
"Get ready to see something mysterious, wonderful, unbelievable and generally impossible to imagine," Trunks predicted as the peak of the hill approached.
"What, a plain?" Goku asked.
Trunks glared at him. "There's never just a plain… every time someone reaches the top of a hill, they see something wonderful and unbelievable and so on and so on."
"You need to watch less TV," Vegeta commented.
"He may be right," Michiru said with a smile. "The underwater world is beautiful and stunning, whatever the sight may be from the top of that hill, it most definitely isn't something you could just look at and say something like "oh, how nice"."
A gasp emerged from the driver's seat.
"Michiru," Haruka said slowly, "have you any idea how right you were?"
The others turned around to look out of the front window. The submarine had reached the peak and was now floating right above the hill. Haruka had stopped the sub to give the others some time to admire the view.
Trunks and Goten jumped to the window and pushed their noses against the glass. "Wow! Coooool!"
"But it… can't be!" Taiki said in great surprise, staring out as well.
"You actually say something like that after the past couple of days?" Seiya asked, stepping to the window.
Michiru's eyes had simply widened.
The plain in front of them was huge and quite well lit; the surface was only a couple of hundred meters above and the water was surprisingly pure. There were still no fish but colorful plants grew all over the plain, they could even see the silhouette of a sunken ship farther on the plateau. But the plateau itself…
"No wonder the water is so clean," Hotaru's calm voice remarked behind everyone else. "There's no mud or sand that would make the water dirty."
The plain was covered with stones, but not just with any stones. Huge blocks. Smaller paving stones. Square ones, round ones. And they formed into streets, houses, towers, temples…
"It's a city!" Michiru whispered.
"Just like Atlantis," Taiki agreed with admiration.
"Would it be possible…?" Bulma asked very quietly, throwing a capsule in the air. A book landed in her lap, she opened it and started reading quickly.
"Those Dragonballs sure find the most interesting places to land," Vegeta commented.
"Indeed," Bulma said. "That must be it… the legendary Edge Capital!"
The others stared at her. "Say what?"
"Well," Bulma explained, looking up form the book, "as you know, our planet has five capitals – Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Capitals plus the main one, Central Capital. But an old legend says," she started reading again, "that back on the ancient days when the cities were built people lived in complete harmony and peace. Everything had a center, a meaning, nothing was built randomly. Everything had a polar opposite. Northern and Southern Capitals were polar opposites, Western and Eastern Capitals were polar opposites; Central and Edge Capitals were also polar opposites."
"But the inhabitants of this city here were evil and so the gods decided to banish them, letting the city sink to the bottom of the ocean?" Seiya asked.
"Naw, it was probably just an earthquake," Bulma replied, turning the page, "but nobody has seen the Edge Capital for hundreds of years so it was considered a mere legend."
"No wonder, it's pretty far away from the coast," Haruka remarked, starting the sub again. "Now, how about that Dragonball?"
"In one of those houses, I assume," Bulma said, looking at the map as the submarine drove on. "We're getting close."
"There's something I really don't like about that city," Michiru suddenly commented. Haruka looked back over her shoulder.
"What do you mean?"
"The Edge Capital has been sunken for hundreds of years, right?" Michiru asked slowly, looking at the houses slide by.
Vegeta caught her thread. "She's right… look at those houses. Hundreds of years underwater should turn them into ruins. But these even have roofs. The city looks like it has sunken yesterday."
"Then there would be dead bodies," Hotaru remarked, "but you're right. Not only that; look at the gardens."
"What about them?" Goku asked, looking down as Haruka turned the submarine and drove over a garden. It was filled with colorful water plants that were growing between footpaths and crawling up the side of the house.
"It's a garden, that's what!" Taiki said. "Look at it! It's… organized! Red swirly things grow on one flowerbed, yellow wavy things on the other one. They have been planted here."
"Someone still lives here?" Trunks asked slowly.
"Let's ask that guy over there, shall we?" Haruka suggested in a slightly hysterical voice even though it had a lot of sarcasm in it. Everyone turned around to see someone floating in front of the submarine above the brick road. Haruka stopped the submarine.
"Who the heck is that?" Goten asked with surprise.
"Sure doesn't look like a mermaid," Yaten agreed.
The creature was shaped like a human but its arms and legs ended with wide fins, making it look a bit like an overgrown walrus. It was completely covered with silvery scales and it had long white hair that was flowing in the water. Its eyes looked like fish eyes but they were living, moving and at the moment looking at them.
"Kinda creepy," Goku agreed.
"There's more," Haruka commented, looking around. "Looks like they're living here." There really were more of those creatures swimming out of the houses and stopping next to the first one, turning around and looking at the submarine as well.
Vegeta glanced at his wife. "Rabid mermaids, huh?"
"They don't look rabid… and they don't look like mermaids either," Bulma argued.
"Yeah, once you're used to sweet little girls wearing a fish tail and two seashells sitting on top of rocks and looking at the shore all day long…" Seiya snorted. "I think they're some sort of an amphibian race."
"Do they look hostile to you?" Michiru asked a bit worriedly.
"With eyes like these? Come on, even a goldfish looks hostile when you stare at it for too long," Trunks remarked.
"Goldfish are hostile," Seiya interrupted. "Vicious little critters, always ready to bite your finger off and always cursing the fact that humans are a bite too big for them."
"We intruded into their home, no wonder they're careful," Vegeta said. "Let's just get the Dragonball and leave these here alone. Bulma, where's that crystal ball supposed to be?"
Bulma zoomed the map in. "Looks like next to one of those houses. Drive onward a little, Haruka." The girl started the submarine again and it moved carefully towards the creatures that looked at the submarine and then suddenly reached out their… well, arms.
"Stop right there, surface beings," a voice filled the cabin. It reached their brains without even bothering their ears. "Trespassers aren't allowed here."
"We only came to seek what's ours," Bulma said with hesitation, she wasn't sure if the creatures outside would hear her. They did; and they seemed annoyed.
"Everything that's down here belongs to us," the voice claimed.
"I was really hoping that for once getting the Dragonball would be easy," Seiya groaned.
Vegeta's eyes had narrowed. "It will. Let me just blast the stuffing out of their scaly…"
"What, through the submarine's wall?" Haruka asked, raising a brow.
Vegeta shut his mouth. "Is there any way to get out there?" he asked then with slight annoyance in his voice.
"Not underwater," Bulma shook her head.
"We command you to leave, now!" the voice boomed. Haruka looked back at the others.
"Suggestions?" she asked with a frown.
"Let's get that Dragonball," Seiya announced firmly. "We need it, don't we?"
Haruka nodded slowly and suddenly the submarine rocketed on, whizzing past the sea creatures and leaving a long stream of bubbles behind. They could all hear furious yelling as Haruka drove the submarine on and on, following the small blinking spot on the screen. It was getting closer… and closer… and stopped. Suddenly all the machines died out and the submarine remained floating in the clear water.
"Wasn't me," Haruka said, looking around. "I think we underestimated them…"
The creatures appeared in front of the window again. This time their fish eyes were even colder – if it was actually possible.
"What exactly happened?" Trunks asked a bit nervously.
Goku tried to peek out of the window. "Looks like we're inside some sort of a bubble."
Bulma gasped. "We're doomed! Now we're certainly gonna die! The engines are dead, we're two hundred meters underwater and surrounded by evil fish people! And we can't even fight back!"
"How exactly were you planning to fight back?" Haruka asked curiously from under the dashboard. She was sitting there and examining all the gadgets and wires.
"That's not the point!" Bulma hissed. "What are you trying to do under there anyw…" The engines started again. Bulma blinked.
"Are there any torpedoes here?" Haruka asked, crawling out again. Bulma frowned.
"That red lever. No, not the "Never Pull This One"… the next one."
The whole submarine shook when Haruka pulled the lever and a huge torpedo boomed out… but it had no effect. The semi-transparent bubble's surface stopped it with ease and it fell down, rolled down the bubble's surface and eventually stopped against the side of the sub, giving a sad 'clank'. At the same moment the ceiling screeched and the walls started deforming.
"The bubble is shrinking! They're planning to crush us!" Bulma shouted with fear.
"The only good way to deal with trespassers," Vegeta remarked thoughtfully. "And there's nothing we can do."
"Vegeta," Bulma glared at him hysterically, "do something!"
"Were you paying attention?" Vegeta asked, raising a brow. "If I blast them, I'll also blast the submarine and I don't think we'd make it after that. Besides, the bubble doesn't seem to be very breakable." The ceiling bent in more and more. The engines were roaring in pain. The lights were flashing.
"We'll see about that." Everyone looked around to see who had been talking and a second later they were all staring at Michiru who had been awfully quiet the whole time. Now she was standing in the middle of the cabin and her eyes were flashing. She was furious. The calm elegance was completely gone. Usually, even fighting as Sailor Neptune she remained quite peaceful and determined but this time all her emotions had broken out.
"The ocean represents freedom," she said and her voice was trembling with rage. "Everyone is free to come and go here. Nobody owns the seas, nobody's allowed to make rules here and most importantly, nobody who have trespassed here themselves have the right to call anyone else trespassers."
She looked around at the others who took a step back when they saw the look in her marine blue eyes. "I managed to read their past from their minds thanks to my Talisman. This race moved in after the city had sunk, ate all living beings that had sunk along with the city and stayed here, living in those old houses and hunting peaceful sea creatures nearby. Eventually all the living things escaped or were eaten and this area remained dead. Only those beings and the plants they used to attract sea creatures live here now. That race destroyed this part of the ocean, and for that they'll pay."
"So how are you planning to give them the bill?" Yaten asked, looking up at the ceiling that was now pretty close to his head.
Michiru reached out her hand and the Aqua Mirror appeared in it. The Mirror flashed and started glowing brightly. A second later Michiru had transformed into Sailor Neptune without even bothering to use her transformation wand.
"I had no idea that the Mirror was able to glow so brightly," Hotaru remarked with admiration. The front window had cracked but the fish people behind it seemed petrified. They had a good reason for it. After all, they were the object of Michiru's utter rage. The girl grabbed the Mirror with both hands.
"Aqua…
…Mirror…
…REFLECTION!"
They weren't sure what happened next because the submarine shook and then started rattling frantically. Everyone was busy holding on and preventing themselves from being hit unconscious against the steel walls. Suddenly the submarine stopped and fell down.
On something hard.
"Where exactly… are we now?" Trunks asked, holding his head between his palms. "Ouch."
Vegeta looked out of the window. "Whoa," was the only thing he said. The others managed to get up too and looked out of the window. They gasped.
The waves had backed. The submarine was standing in the middle of the bottom of the ocean and the water towered above them, being held back by something glittery blue, misty and shadowy. It was like sitting in a watery crater. The fish people were also there, all around the submarine and all of them out of water. They were twitching and choking.
"They'll die," Taiki said quietly.
"Serves them right," Neptune grunted. Her eyes were still furious and cold.
Suddenly a hand landed on her shoulder. "Michiru," Haruka said with a vague frown, "I don't recognize you. You're not like that."
The look in Neptune's eyes softened a bit. "Haruka…?"
"There are other ways to solve this. I believe they already learned a lesson, please let them live." Haruka's eyes narrowed. "Michiru, please?"
Neptune hesitated, and then her arms slackened. At that same moment something hit against the side of the submarine like a raging dinosaur. For a couple of seconds there was nothing but spinning around… eventually the submarine stopped and remained floating again, this time upside down. Somehow it was still waterproof, though a lot smaller than before and terribly deformed.
"The waves… came back," Goku muttered, looking at the blue light filling the sub and pondering whether he would throw up or not.
"We have displeased you, oh great Goddess of the Oceans," the familiar voice suddenly filled their heads again. The headaches tried to fight against letting that voice in but they had to retreat.
"Goddess of what?" Trunks asked, sitting up. Everyone glanced at Michiru.
"Probably… some old legend…" the girl murmured. She was very weak and felt dizzy. The sight of dozens of water creatures floating behind the window didn't make her feel any better either.
"We were wrong. We have displeased you. What can we do to make it up to you?" the voice asked. Michiru took a deep breath and stood up, even though her legs were shaking.
"The Dragonball," she said firmly. "And take us to the surface. You have five minutes."
Five minutes later they were all sitting in the deformed piece of metal that had once been the submarine. The door was opened, fresh salty air was flowing through the cabin and countless pairs of fins were pushing the submarine towards the coast. Michiru was holding the wet Dragonball.
"Repairing the plane will take a little while," Bulma remarked.
"How long?" Hotaru asked. The woman shrugged.
"Two, maybe three hours when Vegeta helps me a little."
"Not a problem," the Saiyan prince said. "And after that?"
Bulma looked at the map. "The moving Dragonball is the closest. Odd… I could've sworn that it was in the ocean as well. Now it's definitely in the inland."
"We'll get it one way or another," Haruka said with a grin. "Right guys?"
"Right," the others agreed.