Hello again! Back to the story of Gine in the King Piccolo Saga proper! Now we know the situation and the plan to deal with the return of the demon king. How will it go?
Based on MasakoX's What If series "What if Gine went with Goku to Earth?", but a retcon with some changes of my own on how I think the story would have went down had Goku's mother escaped planet Vegeta with him.
DISCLAIMER: The following is a fan-based work of fiction. Dragonball Minus, Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Dragonball Super, and Dragonball GT are all owned by FUNimation, Toei Animation, and Akira Toriyama.
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CHAPTER 11: TERRIBLE TAMBOURINE
Gine sleepily rolled over. The unfamiliar hardwood-floor she was on with the air mattress was enough to make her open her eyes. Then they shoot wide open in momentary panic and her tail bristled, seeing an empty and strange room she didn't recognize. Where the hell was she?!
But the adrenaline faded as quickly as it came, replaced with grogginess. Gine remembered now that she wasn't sleeping in either the tournament hotel or back at their home on Paozu.
She, and the rest of the gang, went to Master Roshi's island, or Kame House as it was called. The events of yesterday coming back to her as her drowsiness wore away, the tournament finals, Krillin's murder, Kakarot running off, King Piccolo, what they were going to do, and somewhere along the lines ending up here in the blowup bed in the upstairs guest room of Master Roshi's home.
Gine flew off the blankets and rolled out of the mattress, yawning deeply as she stretched. Gine noticed the other roll-out beds where everyone else slept in were empty, so she was the only one in the room. She then looked out the open window towards the sea. A warm breeze laced with a salty-scent filling the room. Judging from the angle of sunlight coming in, it was almost midday.
She must have been out for twelve hours, but she didn't feel too well rested. The last several days of sleeping in strange locations and the exhausting drama of dealing with large amounts of people and the tournament seemed to have drained her quite a bit. And the new situation arising from Krillin's death and King Piccolo certainly didn't help, and her heart aching to know where her son was.
But all things considered, at least she got some amount of sleep. It was far more comfortable than the forced-stasis of attack balls, that was for sure.
She got up and put her dress gi back on, taking in the sight of the sea surrounding the island. Gine had never seen the ocean up close before she followed Kakarot around the world towards the tournament. She was enchanted by how expansive, pleasant, and blue it was. She had seen many types of bodies of water that covered entire planets, but she had never seen something that gave a planet such a beautiful color and life. She was slightly jealous of Kakarot when he got to swim in it on this training lap around the globe, and she hoped she'll get to take a dip in it too sometime.
And the island too was something that Gine thought was quite cute. Her mind turned to her and Gohan's home in the mountains of Paozu, she thought it was truly isolated. But this, a tiny spit of land only big enough for this pink house in the middle of the vast expanse of the ocean, thousands of kilometers from anyone to bother them, was truly nice. Though she would've preferred the soul-cleansing, cool and crisp mountain air than the hot humidity the sea gave off.
With enough of gazing outside and fully dressed, Gine walked downstairs to where she was hearing the gang conversing, she smelled cocoa and coffee in the living room where everyone else was gathered.
"So you're telling me that if you get all seven of these dragon balls together, any wish you make comes true?" Asked Tien to the gang sitting on the couches. It seemed like they had finally got around to explaining those to him and Chiaotzu.
"Yep, but you only get one wish. So obviously we are going to use that wish to bring Krillin back to life." Said Bulma, sipping her cocoa while she worked on the new dragon ball radar at the dining table. She saw Gine as she got downstairs and smiled brightly.
"Hey, Gine! Was just about to go wake you up. You've been out for quite a while, girl!"
"I have, huh?" She said wryly, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Yep!" She then giggled, "Must be nice to not have to worry about bed-hair, I bet!"
Gine lifted an eyebrow, "What about my hair?"
Bulma looked taken aback, then stumbled to explain. "Oh, you know, since your hair is so shaggy like Kakarot's."
Gine rolled her eyes up to the obsidian mop atop her head. She had no idea why human females like Bulma or Launch could be so obsessed with such trivial things like hair. So she chuckled politely to go along with it. "Yeah, I guess so. One less thing to worry about."
Gine looked at what Bulma was working on at the table, changing the subject and turning somewhat serious. "How's the radar coming along?"
"I'm almost done, actually!" Bulma said, "Just need to make a few more adjustments and we can head on out of here."
"That's good to hear." Gine said. Then she looked at Bulma closely, looking at the traces of dark circles under her eyes. "Have you been up all night?" She asked incredulously.
"Yep, time flies when I'm workin' on something important." She said with pride in her voice, and not taking her eyes off of her work.
Gine smiled genuinely, then added softly "I really appreciate you doing this, Bulma."
Bulma's face lit up. "Hey, don't sweat it! It's all to save the world, right?"
"Right." Gine nodded, then turned towards the rest of the gang sitting in the living room. Chi-chi, Launch, Turtle, and Oolong were starring into a very primitive electronic screen box, or TV as Gohan said they were called. While he, Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, Puar, and Roshi sat on the couches.
"Anything new?" She asked them as she grabbed herself some cocoa.
They collectively shook their heads in 'no'. Gohan sat by Roshi and said, "Still no word from the news about anything regarding King Piccolo, so things are quiet for the time being."
Roshi nodded reluctantly, "And still no word about Kakarot either, so he probably hasn't returned to the tournament or come looking for us..."
Gine groaned inwardly, not appreciating Roshi's implication of what may have become of her son. She then saw Krillin's body laying on the floor with his hands clasped. She felt a stabbing pain in her heart at being reminded that this poor little boy was dead, and so surreal that they are keeping around as they are literally waiting to bring him back to life.
"Quite a weird thing, huh?" Tien said, as if reading her thoughts. She looked at him.
"Hard to believe that there such things as dragon balls that could grant any wish you want, including bringing people back from the dead!" He said, sounding as disturbed as Gine felt about the whole thing. She could only nod at that.
"On top of knowing that King Piccolo is out there somewhere, on the loose again..." He added, looking out the window towards the sea.
"Well, I know this is going to sound bad..." Yamcha started to say, "...but I think maybe we should use the wish to defeat King Piccolo."
"What?" They all turned to him, stunned.
"I know we have to bring Krillin back to life but from everything I've been hearing, this monster sounds unstoppable." He tried to explain, but shrunk when he meet eyes with Gine.
"J-just thinking out loud, you know. As a last resort in case-" He stammered. The female Saiyan glared at Yamcha for a moment, then up to Roshi. They must have been up a while longer than she was, discussing nothing but Piccolo probably. After her and Roshi's little quarrel yesterday, he most likely talked nothing but doom and gloom while spreading doubt about her abilities.
Gine decided to not press it further though. "We'll beat him, we have to. But yeah, I guess you're right, Yamcha. Only as a last resort."
Yamcha sighed in relief when he realized Gine wasn't going to pummel him, and tried not to remember the disagreement between her and Master Roshi. "Right, exactly. It's good to have backup plans, right?" He said as if to reassure himself.
"Are you sure that's a good idea, Yamcha?" Then asked Puar. "I thought the dragon balls turned to stone for a whole year after a wish has been granted."
"Yeah, it sure is a long time to let Krillin's body hang around." Said Turtle.
"Ew, and what about the smell?" Said Launch.
Yamcha looked down and scratched his head sheepishly, "Oh yeah, didn't think about that." He said defeatedly.
Gine thought the same thing too. She remembered the smell of rotting flesh, and she'll be damned before she is reminded of that again.
"If you ask me, bringing him back to life sounds creepy." Piped Oolong. "So maybe we should just leave him be."
Gine looked over at Oolong, just when she thought they couldn't think of anything more cruel that could be done to Krillin even after death.
Bulma spoke towards them from the table, "Well, I could make a freezer capsule to see if I can preserve him until we find the dragonballs again."
Gine looked at her. Could she really do that? If so, then she had seriously misjudged her and was glad she was full of surprises.
Then Bulma glowered at Oolong. "And one for backstabbers too."
"Hey, I was just sayin'." Oolong said defensively. Strangely, Gine found those words in that phrase oddly catchy to her.
Suddenly, the TV spoke up. "There were several more killings of world class-martial arts fighters today as-"
"Hey, come here, listen!" Chi-chi exclaimed as she turned up the volume. Their attention caught, everyone else quickly gathered around to watch.
"...A hundred and three more killings were added to the toll as King Chappa and his entire school was found murdered in his temple this morning..."
The image changed from the news anchor to pictures of the inside of a temple, where the floor looked more like a mass grave of bodies piled on top of each other.
"This latest report came in just after a series of murders throughout the outskirts of East and North Cities where other martial artists were known to be living, where in some cases they were massacred alongside the entire population of villages they lived in. Please be advised that the following images are very disturbing..."
The screen showed pictures of a few desecrated towns she didn't know, but she did know what had happened by just the first glimpses. Blackened craters, crumbled houses and dwellings, and the streets and land littered with bodies. Some human or humanoid, some were animals. Men, women, and children. All dead. Slaughtered.
Gine felt her blood run cold. She had seen this kind of sight aplenty in what should have been another lifetime ago. But now, it all came rushing back to her as if it were yesterday. The scene of countless worlds... Gine didn't notice that Chi-chi was softly whimpering at seeing the horrible images too.
The screen then changed to showing still pictures of faces. That distraction helped Gine shake her head to break herself out of that trip towards those painful memories, and tried to focus on the new images less she break down in sorrow and despair.
The screen now showed faces of martial artists that Gine thought she may have seen during the preliminary rounds at the tournament earlier. Maybe not the extremely fat and snotty looking one though.
"Police are still baffled as to the motives of the killer, and why only martial artists are targeted. As to the identity of the killer, the only clue the police have was a piece of paper found with each of the bodies with the word 'devil' encircled in it."
The aforementioned piece of paper with Piccolo's crest was displayed. Gine felt herself catching her breath, worry filling her mind. She glanced over at Roshi and saw that he looked petrified, his worst fear realized.
"This latest evidence seems to point towards the hideous-looking winged monster that attacked and killed superstar Pampet without warning in the middle of a boxing match just last night. As that creature dropped the same piece of paper on this victim as well..."
She recognized the image of Pampet as it came on the screen, the one fighter Roshi easily knocked out of the ring. The image then changed to footage of a sort of canvas arena where Pampet was facing off against a humanoid creature, like a gargoyle, with sickly-green scaly skin and rudimentary wings. In an instant the creature rammed a fist into the human fighter's face, bashing it in before hundreds of horrified spectators. Gine could tell that Pampet was dead before he hit the floor.
Then, with maniacal glee, the creature pulled out the sheet with the devil symbol on it and let if fall on Pampet's lifeless face. Then the creature flew off as pandemonium broke out among the spectators below.
The image rewound and froze on the blurred image of the creature.
"As of now, no one has been able to identify the creature, and the authorities urge citizens to please contact the police immediately if you have any information regarding who or what this monster is."
Gine starred at the image for a long moment, seething anger rising within her at gazing upon the monster that murdered her son's best friend. Her friend. She didn't notice the mug of cocoa she was holding cracked in her grip.
But still, something was off. Was that supposed to be Piccolo? If so, he didn't look like much. She had been up against warriors that looked far more intimidating than this humanoid looking thing. It must have been a minion of his at least.
"When we return, can your clothes drive you insane? You might be surprised. Stay tuned for a special report after these messages." Said the announcer, as if the previous story meant nothing. No one spoke or moved for a few seconds.
"Well, it's already begun." Said Launch, breaking the silence and saying what was now obvious.
Oolong looked frightened. "I hear flights to the south seas look cheap this time of year." He tried to joke.
"Guys, the other fightes are in danger! We have to warn them!" Shouted Yamcha.
"We'd have trouble contacting them without the list." Roshi pointed out, his spirit as low as they had seen him. "Besides, many of them use aliases."
Yamcha looked deflated in defeat.
"We can't stay here and do nothing, there's got to be some way we can help! I just feel so useless here!" Tien said through gritted teeth.
"Well, you're right that we can't stay here. We are just sitting ducks." Roshi said as he got up, and walked towards the door.
"Where are you going, Master?" Gohan asked after Roshi. He turned to his former pupil, saddened.
"We have to find another place to hide. If Piccolo is indeed after everyone from the Martial Arts Society, it's only a matter of time before he finds this island. None of you will be safe here for long."
Gine felt sorry for him for a moment, if he thought of losing this island she admittedly found somewhat charming. But only for a moment, and was replaced with anger.
"We can't just keep running and hiding instead of facing Piccolo head-on! If we do, more innocent people will die the longer they keep hunting for us!"
"Don't you think I know that?!" Roshi spat at her, "But we still can't stay here where they might find me if they know I'm Jacky Chun."
"HA! I knew it!" Yamcha shouted. Roshi glared at him with surprise and regret when he realized what he just said. Gine almost chuckled at that accidental slip, but not now, there were far more pressing things to worry about.
Roshi continued "We need to find another safe spot so we can stay out of their sights. And come up with a real plan instead of-"
"Annnnnnd, done!" Shouted Bulma, then everyone looked to her.
Bulma clicked the button on top of the new dragon ball radar. It started beeping, and Bulma's face lit up.
"It works! What'd I tell ya?! I'm a genius!" She cheered as she triumphantly held the device above her head.
"Alright!" Everyone cheered with her, even Roshi and Gine.
Bulma looked at the screen again, then beamed. "It shows the nearest dragon ball is about three hundred kilometers due south!"
Gine walked over to her and looked at the screen. Based on how Bulma and Kakarot described how it worked, they were on the center of the dark green neon screen, and a flashing yellow dot at the southern end of the compass, with the distance displayed right next to it.
"Looks like it!" Gine confirmed.
"If we take the capsule jets, we could get there in no time!" Said Bulma.
"Right, then we have no time to lose!" Gine declared, she then turned to the group.
"We should all go gather the dragon balls together. In case if we do run into Piccolo or his minion, we'd have a better chance to take him on together than we do scattered. While I'm sure I can deal with him myself, I would much appreciate your help just in case. If you want to run and hide instead, I'll understand." She said, looking at each and every one present.
Gine found herself amazed that the words she was saying were actually coming from her mouth. Since when did she ever find the courage to take charge of anything?
Everyone looked around at each other, then back at Gine. Yamcha stood up and spoke first.
"We'll come with you, Gine." He said without any doubt in his voice, standing tall even on his bad leg which he seemed to not feel too concerned about.
Puar joined his side, "Me too!"
"Yeah, you're right, Gine. It's better to stand and fight than run like cowards." Tien then added with as much conviction as he could muster, Chiaotzu standing beside him and ready.
"Ya! Let's get that no-good green goblin the kick'in da schnaz he deserves! For Krillin!" Said Launch, pulling out her arsenal of machine guns.
"Yeah! My Kakarot would go! So will I!" shouted Chi-chi, which Gine was unsure to be endeared or repulsed by. But she greatly appreciated her support nonetheless.
"Dooooh, oh, fine!l At least I'll be better off with you than running off to the south seas by myself!" Oolong said, reluctantly.
Gohan smiled proudly at her, and she knew already he would go too. Gine felt touched that he would always support her no matter what, and he in turn had never imagined that Gine could rally the strength of all of her friends, who only days ago were total strangers to her. She was truly as surprise to him as much as she surprised herself.
Gine finally turned to Master Roshi, who hadn't said a thing yet. She looked at him expectantly, then everyone did as they waited for his answer.
Roshi stood there for a long moment, then closed his eyes mournfully. "Master Mutaito never charged into a challenge even if when knew he was the world's strongest... "
Gine's heart sank. She realized that despite their differences in plans of action, and despite her self-assurances about her ability to beat the strongest creature on the planet, she couldn't be 100% sure, and Roshi could be invaluable.
"But..." He went on, reluctantly. "He also knew it was better to stand up for what was right, than to just stand back and do nothing. Even if it meant making the greatest sacrifice."
Gine softened her expression. She remembered the pain she saw in his eyes from telling the tale of his former master, of how he defended his honor and gave his life to save the Earth.
"We could really use your help, Master." She said softly. As much as she thought of her strength as a Saiyan, and being able to call herself the strongest for the first time in her life, she still held him and this Mutaito in high respect as a warrior. Something she had learned greatly from Gohan.
He opened his eyes, and looked at her with acceptance and urgency. "Then what are we waiting for?" He asked, smiling.
They all moved quickly to pack up into one of the large CapsuleCorp jets that Bulma had on hand.
Once they got everything they needed and Krillin's body safely stowed aboard, Roshi pressed a button on the inside of the house and ran out as fast as he could. Moments later, Kame House disappeared into a puff of smoke, and all that stood in it's place of a grass patch on the island was a capsule that could rest in the palm of Gine's hand. She was still astounded that humans had come up with this kind of technology to compact literally anything into a small space for easy transport. The possibilities of something like this in the Frieza Force would've been far too numerous for her to count, so she set that thought aside.
"Ready?" Bulma asked from the copilot's seat as Gine, Gohan, and Roshi were the last ones to board the jet.
"Ready!" Roshi answered back.
"Alright, punch it!" Bulma shouted to Launch in the pilot's seat, and the blonde-haired fury started the engines.
Gine had a sudden sense of Deja Vu as the jet shuddered, the engines spooling up with a piercing whine. In a moment, they hovered off the ground.
"Hold on to your butts!" Launch shouted as she jammed the controls forward, and suddenly they blasted off at supersonic speed towards the horizon.
Gine's stomach dropped out within her from the acceleration, and she immediately felt as if she was back at the day she had escape Planet Vegeta with Kakarot.
She looked out the window expecting to the see the magenta-red desert landscape of her home world- scratch that, former home world, receding away from her a blinding speed until it became nothing but a dot indiscernible against the backdrop of billions of other stars. Bardock, the love and light of her life, standing there watching them go as she gazed at him for what would be the very last time. While she, frightened and alone with nothing but her baby boy, were sent out into the darkness of space to whatever fate awaited them.
But instead, she saw nothing but the endless expanse of the blue ocean below. The tiny spit of Master Roshi's island shrinking in the distance behind them, rather slowly since supersonic wasn't a speed she found impressive with her ability to fly. But she stared after the island until it was a dot, then lost to the sea. Deja Vu indeed, she thought wearily.
"Missing the island already?" Chi-chi said from her seat across the isle from Gine. She snapped out of her reverie and looked at the young-woman embarrassed.
"Oh, no. Just... remembering things." Gine said, quietly.
"Like what?" Chi-chi asked curiously.
Gine shook her head. "Never mind." She said curtly. Gine didn't feel like talking about that day to her, yet. Gohan glanced at her understandingly.
Chi-chi starred at Gine, seeming to pick up her sullen mood and her not wanting to pursue the subject, so the girl looked away as she decided to change the subject.
"I hope Kakarot is okay, he won't be able to find us if he tries to go to the island." She said, worryingly.
Gine then started to think the same thing. Oh she knew her son could take care of himself, but her maternal instincts never let up on endlessly fretting about his well being. She thought she'd be used to this by now with him running off on his adventures the past four years, but there was still something that kept her worrying.
"I'm sure he'll be fine. He is trying to find the dragon balls as we and Piccolo are, so I'm sure we'll cross paths sooner or later." Gine reasoned, trying to sound assuring. She then mentally kicked herself for her not thinking of telling Kakarot to head back to Paozu if he couldn't find them.
No use regretting that, she thought. And as she said, they'll see each other again eventually.
When they reached cruising altitude, Bulma unbuckled herself from the copilot seat and stepped down towards where Krillin's body lay on the floor. Gine glanced at him and saw Bulma get to work on some yellow metal container she was assembling near Krillin which she assumed was a freezer capsule. Gine thought that blue-haired girl always had to keep her hands busy.
"We're gonna need a lot more of those freezer capsules!" Launch said as she piloted the jet.
"Aw, come on, that's not very funny, Launch." Said Turtle. Then Roshi coughed to get their attention.
"I'm glad you are all here. Gine, Gohan, and Tien. We'll need all of your strengths." He said gratefully.
Yamcha realized Roshi didn't mention him. "What about me? I can still fight!"
"You still have a broken leg, Yamcha. I know you are determined to help, but your injuries might slow you down or leave yourself vulnerable in a fight." Roshi objected.
Yamcha slumped back in his seat, groaning in frustration. Tien opened his mouth as if to speak in Yamcha's defense but then thought that his rib, though broken, has yet to cause him too much trouble when it came to fight, and could at least stand. So he closed his mouth instead.
Roshi then said, "Plus, if we fail for whatever reason, you may be the last hope of defeating Piccolo. So it's important that you rest up until called upon."
Yamcha nodded reluctantly. Everything Roshi said was true, and much like his idea for defeating Piccolo with the dragon balls, it was always a good idea to have a Plan B.
"We won't fail." Gohan said calmly, "I believe in all of us."
Gine smiled warmly at his encouragement.
"I hope so, the lives of so many innocent people are at stake." Tien said with great seriousness in his voice.
At those words, Chi-Chi's eyes glassed over in tears. Gine glanced over at her.
"I can't imagine what those poor people were feeling in those moments. Those villagers that monster killed..." She said aloud to no one in particular, her voice slightly choking as she recalled the images she saw on the television earlier.
"Everyone massacred. Even frightened women and children... How could anyone be so cruel..." the young princess said, as she started crying softly.
Gine looked at her sadly. She knew all too well how there could exist such ruthless killers. How she accompanied many of them on her planet purging days. Witnessing acts of violence and atrocities that would make what they saw on the TV seem like child's play.
She was also uncomfortably reminded that Chi-Chi herself came from a village. So Gine could only imagine the terror the young woman must be feeling...
Almost as if arriving on the same thought, Chi-Chi's face suddenly paled.
"DADDY!" The girl screamed.
Everyone jumped and turned to her in alarm.
"What?! What's wrong Chi-Chi?!" Roshi asked, startled.
"I'm on that list too! What if whoever is killing those fighters tries to find me?!" Chi-Chi yelled.
"They won't find you here with us, your safe!" Bulma tried to reassure her.
"No, NO! Don't you remember the news? Whoever is killing those martial artists is also killing the villages too wherever they find them!" Chi-Chi said, half panicking.
Gine realized it first. Then it sunk in for everyone.
Chi-Chi was from a village like those other fighters. If King Piccolo or his minions try to look for her at Fire Mountain, Ox-king, and their entire kingdom would be in danger.
"We have to get to my father!" Chi-Chi pleaded, her hands in desperate prayer.
Gohan nodded in alarm for his old friend. "You're right! if whoever is doing this is tracking where they live, they'll kill him for sure!"
Roshi wasted no time. "Launch, head for Fire Mountain!"
"Way ahead of ya, tuts!" Launch said as she changed their course. The jet banked hard right and accelerated even faster towards the north.
The ocean seemed to zoom right past them a lot faster, and before long they could see the long line of approaching land on the horizon. But Gine wished it could approach faster as this lumbering human-built transport hauled them across the sky.
Chi-Chi started openly crying loudly. Gine got up and sat next to her, trying to comfort the poor girl by letting her be hugged tightly.
"Please! We have to hurry!" The young princess begged while she buried her face into Gine's dress gi. "I don't know what I'll do if I lose him too!" She sobbed, losing herself to despair at the idea of losing her father.
It was then that Gine remembered that Chi-Chi only had her father to look after her, and her mother was long dead. She couldn't comprehend the idea of losing her parents at the point Chi-Chi was in her life since Gine didn't know her own parents herself, so all Gine could do was hug Chi-Chi back and pat her soothingly.
"Don't worry, Chi-Chi. We'll get to him soon." Gine said, trying to calm Chi-Chi down.
The ocean gave way to grassy land below, then desert. And after a few long minutes, the familiar shape of Fire Mountain appeared on the horizon.
"THERE!" Gine shouted towards Launch as she pointed towards the mountain kingdom below.
"Got it!" Launch confirmed as they descended rapidly.
A few moments later, they circled over the main village where the Ox-king's castle was. As Gine and the others looked down below, crowds of people began to pour out of their homes to see what the buzzing jet was doing above them.
"Look! There he is!" Bulma said from her window.
Everyone saw where she was referencing and saw a behemoth of man make his way out of the castle and into the village square.
"He's alright!" Gine said happily. Chi-Chi risked a look and cried out again but in sweet relief this time.
Launch brought the jet to a slow decent into the wide-open village square. A large crowd gathered to see the commotion but kept their distance to allow the large jet to land.
No sooner after they touched down, the door opened, and Chi-Chi launched herself out towards her father.
"Chi-Chi?"
Ox-king himself was flabbergasted as to what was going on. But he was ecstatic to see his daughter again, though.
"Daddy!" She yelled as she ran into Ox-king for a hug, tears of joy flowing from her eyes.
"It's so good to see you, sweetheart!" He said happily as he embraced Chi-Chi with his tree-trunk thick arms. He then looked up from his daughter to see everyone else piling out of the jet, and his face lit up at seeing their familiar faces.
"Master Roshi!" He said waving to them, then he recognized Gine. "Gine!" Then moving on, "Bulma,! Oolo-" He stopped, when he saw a face he had not seen for a VERY long time step out from behind Oolong.
"Gohan? Is that you?!" Ox-king exclaimed in amazement.
"The one and only, my old friend!" Gohan beamed at him.
"This is so unexpected! How are you doing, old buddy?!" Ox-king boomed at his former training buddy.
"Had less worrisome days, I'm afraid." Gohan said as they all reached him from the jet, Gine standing behind all of them alongside Yamcha as his leg slowed him down. Ox-king was still holding Chi-Chi and that was when he noticed she was crying.
"Is something wrong?" Ox-king said worryingly as he glanced down at Chi-Chi, who still held him tightly. Gine was saddened when she remembered that she and Gohan hadn't seen him in a long time for either of them, and that such a reunion should have been more festive. But they had to cut greetings short.
Chi-Chi looked up from where she hugged her father into his eyes. "Oh, Daddy. I had to find you here. I thought the worst may have happened already!" She said, crying again.
"What? What are talking about?" Ox-king said.
Roshi stepped forward. "Ox-king, I wish we could have come at a better time to catch up on old times, but I'm afraid you and everyone present may be in grave danger."
The king of Fire Mountain looked at his former master, concerned and confused. "Huh? In danger?! From what?!"
Roshi looked his former student in the eye. "King Piccolo has returned."
Ox-king gasped in horror, his face turning white.
"Did-did you just say...King Piccolo?!" He stammered, sounding just as horrified as his former master and partner were at that revelation.
Roshi nodded gravely. "I'm afraid so. We don't know how he broke loose from his prison, but he is free again. And he, or minions of his, are out roaming the land killing anyone part of the Martial arts Society."
"Uh. Wha- why?" Ox-king asked. But he was afraid he already knew the answer.
"To rid of anyone who can stand against him." Said the Turtle Hermit, "Myself and most of us here are on that list." Then he gestured at Chi-Chi.
"She is on there too, for participating in the World Martial arts Tournament."
Ox-king starred at his old master agape and held Chi-Chi protectively.
"Oh no! What should we do?!"
Then, at those words, Gine's sensitive ears picked up a distant flapping sound. The hairs on the back of her neck straightened, and she wheeled around.
"What is it, Gine?" Yamcha asked, noticing her sudden alertness.
The flapping sound grew closer, then Gine looked up to the sky.
"There!" She pointed. The gang, distracted by Gine's call, broke free from talking to Ox-king and curiously looked up to where she was pointing.
There were screams of horror among some of the villagers who looked up, as a large, winged creature appeared from the air. It came swooping down over the square like a condor circling its prey.
Then it landed on its feet in front of the gathering in front of Ox-King and the gang. Turtle, who finally got out of the jet and tried to make his way over to them, stopped short of the creature, shuddering in fright.
Gine, and every other fighter in the gang behind her got into defensive stances at the intrusion of this unknown visitor. She and Yamcha were closest to it, and both felt unsettled by the sight of the grotesque humanoid caricature that stood before them. Then they immediately recognized the creature. The scaly body and rudimentary wings. The gargoyle from the news report.
It stared them down, then it's mask of a face lit up in recognition, and chuckled.
"Well, looky here. Guess I found the jackpot! Four fighters in one place! Who would've thought!" The creature said with its scratchy voice.
"Yamcha! Scrawny and lame. Tien, Shen's prized pupil. Chiaotzu, the doll boy." The creature sounded off as he spotted each of the fighters. They in turn were horrified that this thing knew who they were, and more by what they knew this thing wanted.
Oolong and Puar cowered behind Gine, both sweating bullets. "Hope I don't owe him any money too!" Oolong said, not sure if he was half serious or half joking.
Then the creature's gaze fell on Chi-Chi, "And of course why I'm here...Chi-Chi. The pint-sized princess."
Chi-Chi screamed in horror, clutching the Ox-king for dear life.
"No, it can't be... it's the monster, isn't it?!" Bulma uttered in terror.
Yamcha squared off into stance, ignoring the pain in his leg. "You must be King Piccolo's yes man, right?" He shot at the creature.
"Yes. NO!" It said, catching itself as if embarrassed. "I mean, well, you don't, er...shut up!"
Behind Gine, Tien screamed, "Monster! You're the one who killed Krillin, aren't you?!"
"If that was the little bald one's name, then yes." The creature said, remorselessly.
"Who are you?!" Yamcha demanded.
"Me?" The creature asked mockingly. "I'm Tambourine." Then smiled. "And you are all my next victims."
The villagers around them backed away in complete fear. Gine, and the other fighters in front of Ox-king stood where they were and locked eyes with Tambourine. He seemed more focused on the four fighters he was after than her.
"You murdered Krillin." Gine growled at Tambourine, taking in the horrible face of this 'thing' that took the life of the sweet little boy, and the lives of so many innocent people. The images from the reports of the massacres that this monster had caused, innocent women and children slaughtered, played in her head too. A burning white-hot anger began to grow within her.
Tambourine looked at her. "That I did. But who's asking?"
Gine glared daggers at him. "Me, the one who is going to avenge my son's best friend."
Tambourine threw back his head and laughed hard in a horrible hyena sound.
"You? A human woman, fight me?! Ha! Don't make me laugh." He said as he extended his clawed hands to attack.
Gine was taken aback momentarily by why this monster thought her being a female was relevant, but let it go as she got into stance. "Well, you're right about me being a woman, but I'm no human."
Tambourine gave a confused look. "Huh?"
Gine didn't give him any more time to react as she launched herself at Tambourine in the blink of an eye. Her fist plowed straight into the reptilian flesh of where his solar plexus ought to be, his eyes bulged from their sockets in shock and pain as he was sent flying back from the hit. Gine then phased behind him and with a wet crunch she kicked him in the back, up into the air. Tambourine started screaming as Gine phased in front of him and punched him again, then catching up to him again from where he was sent flying off to from one attack to the next, kicking him around like a rag doll.
Finally, she spiked him over the head and sent him plummeting to the earth below. He crashed into the ground in a cloud of dust and debris, making a solid crater.
Tambourine lay in the crater on his back, stunned and broken from what just happened. In the span of a few seconds both his wings were snapped like twigs, each limb bent in directions they weren't supposed to be, and if he had a spine, it was surely broken.
He spat up purple blood and whimpered from the pain as he tried to move. The rest of the gang looked on in astonishment from where they stood, having no idea what just happened since Gine moved so fast.
Gine herself hovered a few hundred meters above, glowered down at Tambourine and looking at how the monster was in such pain from her attacks. She had no pity for him after everything he has done and for what he did to Krillin. And in some primitive corner of her mind, she was hoping that he was truly suffering from what she inflicted on him.
She then decided to finish it there and rocketed towards him in a downward kick. Tambourine saw her coming at him, but he cowered where he lay.
"This is for Krillin!" She yelled.
Tambourine screamed in terror as his end came down on his head. With a wet sound mixed with crashing rubble, Gine's foot crushed Tambourine's skull into a bloody mess of scales and brains while the crater caved in deeper from the impact.
When the dust cleared, Gine jumped out of the crater and scraped off what was left of Tambourine from her boot.
Gine looked up from inspecting her foot to see the gang and the villagers starring at her with a mix of amazement and horror, she began to worry if she frightened them.
All at once, everyone present erupted into a chorus of cheers. The sudden applause taking Gine completely off guard.
"That was so cool!" Yamcha exclaimed as he applauded.
"That was the most amazing display of strength I've ever seen!" Tien said, unable to hide the sense of awe he had.
"Yeah! That was awesome!" Launch and the others said. Chi-Chi ran to her and clang to her like a magnet to metal.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" The young girl said gratefully, tears of joy pouring into Gine's dress gi.
The villagers came around Gine and the gang, applauding her. "You saved our kingdom!" Many of them shouted in joy.
Gine never felt so uncomfortable in her life, being the center of such enormous praise from an entire town of people she didn't know. She felt a twinge of anxiety flare up in her, like she just wanted to disappear from right then and there.
Gohan stepped before her and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" He asked.
Gine looked him in the eye. Of course, she was alright, she barely exerted herself through this "battle" and Tambourine never landed a hand on her. Even if he did, she knew he was too weak to put up a fight against her anyway. But then she knew what he was asking.
It was the first time in over a decade, she realized, that she had fought to kill. Something she abhorred with all her soul.
But somehow, deep within her, she felt content. Proud even. That she had brought a murderous creature that had caused so much pain the death he deserved.
Gine had no idea why she was feeling this way. She hated killing and being a warrior. But, somehow, doing this felt so right. Like, it was a kind of calling she felt truly suited for. Was she? Was this what Gohan was so concerned that she was actually taking some amount of joy in bringing evildoers to justice like in their little argument a few days prior? And not to kill?
A Saiyan fighting to protect instead of conquering...but not kill..., now that was a truly interesting thought in her mind.
"Yeah, I'm okay." Gine said.
Gohan nodded, smiling as if understanding. Gine then felt a overwhelming sense of gratefulness to Gohan. Oh, how'd she be lost in so many ways without his presence...
Chi-Chi finally let go and looked up at her with misty eyes. "Thank you for saving my father, and our kingdom." She choked out.
Gine smiled at her. THAT, she can truly be proud of without any doubts. "You're welcome, Chi-Chi." She said politely.
"That was the coolest thing I've seen in a long time, Gine!" Bulma and the others said along the lines of that as they gathered around her while she could only sheepishly accept their complements.
"I hate to break up this little victory dance!" Roshi interrupted as the cheers died down and everyone turned to him. "But King Piccolo is still out there somewhere, and who knows if that was his only underling."
Fear and uncertainty took back over among the villagers. Oh yeah, there was that detail Gine almost forgot. Ox-king's fear of the monster returned as well.
"Oh no, your right!" Puar said worryingly. "What if more monsters come after us?"
"And Piccolo is still out looking for the dragon balls too!" Added Tien.
"What?! OH NO!" Ox-King exclaimed. "If he gets them..." He said, unable to finish, already knowing how finished everything and everyone would be.
"Then we better get back on track. Let's get to the dragon balls before he does, and we can end his reign once and for all." Gine said to them all.
"Right!" They all agreed.
"That's your plan?" Ox-king asked.
"Pretty much. And once we stop him from using those, I'll face him myself." Gine explained.
Ox-king stared at her in even more astonishment. "YOU ARE?!" He gasped. This woman, was going to go toe-to-toe with the devil himself? To him, she was either crazy or the bravest person he ever met. But, after seeing her fight...
"She is." Roshi stated plainly, garnering a look of surprise from Gine.
"She is by far the strongest person on the planet, that I know for sure now. And if the little fight with that Tambourine fellow was anything to go by, we might have a solid chance after all." He said, a real smile creeping onto his face.
Gine smiled too, but half at Roshi and half at herself. Pleased that she was able to prove to him that she wasn't at all useless.
Ox-king's face turned into one of conviction. "You can do it. I know you can too."
Gine's smile grew even wider. "Thanks."
Ox-King turned to Roshi, "So, what should we do?"
Roshi turned to his other former student, "Have your people seek shelter or go into hiding. It's still not safe for you here."
"Right!" Said Ox-king, then the large hulk of a man cupped his hands to address the rest of the town.
"EVERYONE! LISTEN TO ME! OUR KINGDOM IS IN GRAVE DANGER! I REPEAT: OUR KINGDOM IS IN GRAVE DANGER! KING PICCOLO HAS RETURNED!"
The townsfolk looked at each other concern, and some of the older ones seemed especially worried. They must've at least heard of Piccolo before.
"IT IS NOT SAFE HERE! GATHER ONLY WHAT YOU NEED TO SURVIVE AND TAKE YOUR FAMILIES INTO THE FORESTS UNTIL IT IS SAFE!"
Everything went into motion as the villagers of Fire Mountain fled home semi-panicked, but at least now knew what to do.
"What about you, Daddy?" Chi-Chi asked her father.
He looked down at his daughter with a sad smile. "I need to stay, sweetie. I can't just leave our people on their own."
"Oh..." Chi-Chi teared up again and went to hug her father as tightly as she could. Gine couldn't fathom how the girl wasn't so dangerously dehydrated from all of her crying, and she felt a great respect for Ox-King. Never willing to abandon his charge.
Ox-king patted Chi-Chi's back lovingly as she cried into his massive chest. "There, there, sweetie. Don't worry about me, okay? I'll be alright."
"Are you sure?" The girl asked as her sobs calmed down.
"Absolutely. I'm the Ox-king! And a student of the Turtle School. I'll be fine." He said reassuringly, looking up at Roshi and Gohan in a knowing smile. They in turned smiled back.
"That sure is true. If Ox-king could survive all that Roshi put both of us through. We can handle about anything!" Gohan joked warmly.
Ox-king chuckled at that. "Ah yes, those were the times. But yeah, don't worry. We'll catch up on old times later, my friend." Then he looked down at his daughter. "Okay?" He softly asked.
Chi-Chi nodded reluctantly, then pulled away from Ox-King's embrace.
"I love you, daddy." She said to him.
"I love you too, sweetie." Ox-king said back. "Now go, all of you. And good luck against King Piccolo!"
"Thank you!" They all shout back as they pile into the Capsule Corp jet again. Chi-Chi took one last look back before jumping in behind Gine, after picking up Turtle. Moments later, Launch was at the controls and had them off the ground before the door even shut.
Then the jet screamed away, blasting off towards the south as Fire Mountain shrank in the distance behind them.
Back at cruising altitude, Gine sat in the copilot seat next to Launch. Bulma handed her the dragon radar, so she could continue working on the capsule for Krillin behind her.
Then Gine looked behind her and around the interior of the jet.
"If any of you want out and think if anyone else you care is in danger, now is the time." She said to them. At least giving them one more chance to seek refuge, not wanting what almost happened to Chi-Chi's kingdom happen to their families.
Bulma spoke first. "Well, that's fine Gine, but if we don't find the dragon Balls before King Piccolo does, then no one will be safe."
"She's right. I say we all stick together." Tien offered.
"Yeah!" Gohan, Roshi, Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, Puar, Oolong, Bulma, Chi-Chi, and Launch all agreed unanimously.
"I might not be too much useful besides swimming, but I go where you all go." Turtle said to Gine.
"Alright, then." Gine said, her heartwarming at how dedicated they were. She then pressed the button on the radar.
Immediately, a dot flashed at the southern end of the compass. The one they were after earlier.
"Got one! About two hundred kilometers away due south." She said, pointing out through the plexiglass canopy.
"Changing course!" Launch said, then yanked the controls in the direct Gine pointed.
The clouds swirled and rushed past them at blinding speed as they moved as fast the jet was designed for.
While they flew, Bulma worked on a capsule to preserve Krillin's body. When she was done, she'll be able to shrink him down like her other capsules.
"Don't mix him up with your vitamins!" Yamcha joked. Nobody cared to laugh at that.
"So we'll be fighting King Piccolo and his minions for control of the dragon balls, am I right?" Tien asked aloud.
"Yes, and his possession of the four-star ball puts him in the lead." Said Roshi.
"That would be a problem, would have to face him to get Kakarot's ball back." Tien said.
"What we need is a plan to knock Piccolo off his guard long enough to get the back." Gohan said.
"Right! I'd love to knock him off his guard." Said Tien. Agreed too by Yamcha.
"Once I find that ugly bastard, I'll introduce him to my lead army!" Said Launch, pulling out a submachine gun for effect.
"Careful, all of you." Said Roshi. "I understand how you all feel, but King Piccolo is a powerful adversary. Maverick tactics won't win this fight. We must work together..."
While everyone conversed behind her, Gine just sat there and took in the view of the world flying by before her while she contemplated quietly.
"Kakarot..." She whispered quietly to herself. Despite the great companionship she had found amongst the gang to save the world of all things, she sorely wished her son was right there with her at that very moment.
She knew he could take care of himself. He'd be fine. Won't he?...
The ambiguity of that question left her heart feeling aching, clutching it unconsciously.
As much she knew that her son would find his way back to them, she felt a familiar sense of dread she hadn't felt since that day she fled Planet Vegeta long ago. And started regretting that she didn't chase after him yesterday. The one true thing she had left in the cosmos...
She'll find him. Like the dragon balls, they'll comb the whole Earth if they have too.
There we go! The race to collect the dragon balls and defeat King Piccolo is on.
See you in the next chapter!