21: Gotenks Is Born
"Yep, he was totally here all right." Launch declared as she kicked a small rock. It skittered into a small crater off the side of the road.
Krillin peered over the top, but his eyes fell upon nothing note-worthy. "Damn. Where'd he go so fast?"
"Beats me," Launch shrugged. "I bet he ran for the hills once that Broly guy showed up. Sucker."
"Well, we gotta find him before he destroys more of West City." Krillin stood and hurried onto the sidewalk, his frantic eyes searching over everything. But as the two walked around endlessly, they both saw no sign of the white lizard.
The city was, for the most part, deserted. Only a handful of people still ran around the streets, too afraid to stay in one place but not having anywhere to go outside of the city. It was bright and sunny outside, so it would normally be a beautiful day to relax and think about nothing. But, in this particular case, it was a day to panic and fight for survival. Of course, it was nothing new to the Z Fighters. They had been fighting, practically, their whole lives. Combat was as everyday as eating or taking a breath. But their new dilemma was as drastic as the time when Cell took over the streets, absorbing every person he came across with nothing in the way of mercy. Krillin felt a wave of anxiety wash over him. He needed to find Frieza before he killed anybody. He had no doubt that the overlord was harvesting a plot of major proportions. And if he had indeed joined forces with Turles, then things were already on a rocky start. Both were fairly strong, but Krillin wasn't sure whether or not Turles had multiple forms like Frieza did. Krillin actually knew next to nothing about the space pirate other than his sheer determination and merciless personality.
Damn you, Frieza, Krillin thought as he bit his lip. You're relentless. You'll never give up, so there's no redeeming for you. Just what are you planning?
"Hey, tiny, look over there!" Launch said, erupting Krillin's thoughts. He followed where she was pointing and saw Bulma waving to them frantically from a few feet away, her eyes wide with fear. She stood on the curb in front of Capsule Corp, her white lab coat flapping behind her in the wind that the ships above brought. Once she saw that she got their attention, she started motioning wildly for the two to come to her.
"Bulma?" Krillin said with a tilt of his head, and the two hurried over. 'What's the matter? is everything okay?"
"No, everything is NOT okay!" Bulma shouted, her chest heaving.
"Whoa, no need to shout, lady. We're right here." Launch rubbed her ears.
"That bastard Frieza took Bulla!" Bulma cried, shaking Launch by the shoulders. "He took her! When I couldn't find her, I checked the security cameras, and he just came in and took her!"
"What?!" Krillin gasped. "Seriously? What does he want with her?"
"Does it matter!?" Bulma snapped in a harsh growl. "He has my baby! You need to find him NOW!"
"We're tryin' to do that, lady, jeez." Launch pried Bulma's hands from her shoulders. "We've been lookin' everywhere, but he ghosted."
"Where's Vegeta?" Bulma looked around. "Is he with you?"
"No, he's with Broly and Goku and Tien." Krillin replied. "How long ago did this happen?"
"I don't know, maybe ten minutes? I'm not sure, just please find her!" Bulma ran her hands through her hair as she began pacing back and forth. "I swear, if he touches ONE hair on her head, I'll-"
"I think Vegeta might beat ya to it." Launch crossed her arms. "Once he hears about this, it'll be all over."
"You don't need to tell me." Krillin said with a shiver. "Remember how pissed he got when Beerus slapped Bulma?"
"Yeah, that was crazy." Launch laughed.
"WHY ARE YOU TWO STILL HERE?!" Bulma shouted. "GO FIND HIM!"
The two Z-Fighters darted off across the street, even more motivated to find Freiza quickly.
...
Turles paced back and forth, his hands clasped behind his back. The battle waging in the streets below was only heating up, but it was more than evident that Goku and his team were remaining triumphant. Their new ally seemed powerful beyond compare. His scouter couldn't even register the power level of this new fighter with a green cloak of some sort around his waist.
Where is she? Turles thought with a huff. This is a waste of time. Shouldn't she be with her self-proclaimed protectors? I assumed Kakarot would keep her close, but she's nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he hid her somewhere. A pathetic attempt to stall the inevitable. He thinks he can defeat me? If so, he's as stupid as ever. All I need is that female Saiyan, then I'll be on my way. Everything would be so much easier if everybody cooperated.
The automatic doors slid open behind him, and Turles turned his head to see Frieza enter slowly, his hands behind his back. His tail swished slowly back and forth across the floor.
Turles sighed. "This battle plan of yours isn't working. Kakarot is still alive, and sending each of your soldiers to their graves."
Frieza smiled. "Oh, I wouldn't worry too much, Turles. For I have something that just might help us both out."
Turles raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what would that be? Unless it's the female Saiyan, I don't believe I'll be interested."
Frieza chuckled. "Don't be so sure." Then he slowly pulled his hands out from behind his back, and there, in one palm, sat a little child with blue hair and large blue eyes. It wore a simple pink bodysuit of some sort with a zipper along the stomach. Turles was taken aback by such a finding from the overlord. The child cooed loudly as it looked around the room in wonder.
"How is that human thing supposed to help us?" Turles asked in annoyance.
"This 'thing' is the child of a human scientist...and Vegeta." Frieza grinned evilly.
Turles blinked. "Vegeta? That Saiyan? Why in the universe would a Saiyan breed with a human?"
"That is beyond me," Frieza replied as he came closer, holding the child out for Turles to take. "But, with this offspring, we have complete control over Vegeta. He's prideful and loves a good fight, but when it comes to his family, especially this tiny creature, he won't attack. And Goku won't fight us either if it might mean she'll get hurt. He adores humans. It disgusts me."
Turles took the small child from Frieza and stared at it. The child stared back with wide eyes. "This...thing...is half Saiyan, then?"
"Indeed." Frieza nodded and moved to stand in front of the large window overlooking the damaged and fire-lit city below. Frieza Force soldiers were scaling the buildings and blasting cars out of simple enjoyment. "Half-Saiyans are fairly strong. Goku has a son that is as strong as a pure-blooded Saiyan."
"Is that so?" Turles looked the child up and down. " Then...perhaps I'll just keep this one instead."
Frieza raised an eyebrow and turned to face the tall Saiyan. "You mean you are calling off your search of the female Saiyan?"
"It is obvious that Kakarot has hid her somewhere. That location may very well be another planet. Why waste time searching when I have a perfectly good Half-Saiyan right here?" He pinched Bulla's cheek, making the child giggle.
Frieza nodded slowly and turned back to gaze out the window. Perfect. Now that pure female Saiyan can be mine. Turles can keep the child, for all I care. The real prize is the Saiyan Goku is keeping from me. A treasure such as her cannot go to waste on a planet like this. She'll make a perfectly powerful addition to my soldiers. And, best of all, she's as stupid as Goku is, perhaps even more so. I can easily convince her that I am the goodness in this universe, and Goku and his lackeys are the evil ones stopping me from creating the perfect world.
"I think I'll go pay Vegeta a visit." Turles said with a sly grin. He turned and started toward the doors. "I'll make sure he knows his child is in good hands."
...
Valese ran as fast as she could down the longest hallway the school had. It forked at the end, one end leading to the gym, another leading to the second cafeteria, and another leading to another hall full of lockers and classrooms. She stopped for half a second before a decision formed in her mind. She spun and ran down the hall with the classrooms and stopped in front of the room labeled Chemistry. Slamming the door behind her, she allowed herself to breath. Her chest rose and fell quickly, and her brown hair cascaded down her shoulders in messy curls.
A hard slamming against the door pushed her forward, sending her stumbling forward into a lab table covered on glass vials and cups. They crashed to the floor, glass sliding under tables and chairs and in places a broom could never hope to reach. She whirled around and screamed when the door was ripped, almost too easily, from its hinges and thrown down the hallway. The could of it crashing into lockers made her flinch even more. A tall, bulky soldier in dark armor stepped into the room, his eyes glued to her with such intensity that it made the girl shudder roughly.
The soldier reached out to blast her into smithereens when a loud battle cry sounded from down the hall. Both the soldier and Valese perked up, neither of them sure what the source of the sound was. Then, in a movement faster than Valese could catch, the soldier was tackled from the side. The soldier and her mystery savior crashed into a row of lab tables, sending more glass and papers flying. The savoir fired a bright beam from his palms, which quickly brought an end to the soldier.
Valese slowly took a step to the door, then yelped when the strange man stood up and turned to face her. "Okay, please don't hurt me! I'm just a human! Please! I'm too young to die! I barely got my license a week ago!"
"Valese?" The boy asked, but the girl noticed how strange his voice sounded. It was almost as if two people were speaking at the same time. A dual voice.
The girl looked up. "How...how do you know my name?"
"It's me, Gotenks!" The boy said with a large smile.
Valese raised her eyebrows, taking a step back. She looked the boy up and down. The boy before her looked nothing like Goten. This boy wore a black Metamoran vest, and had spiked black hair that was a purple-ish white on the sides. He wore white silk pants with a teal sash, and dark shoes. His dark eyes stared at her with intense interest.
Upon seeing her confused face, the boy cleared his throat. "Well, actually, I'm a fusion of Goten and Trunks. You know Goten. He likes you."
Valese blinked. "What?"
Gotenks took a step forward. "Look, I'll explain everything, but we gotta get out of here. It's not safe." He grabbed her hand and hurried down the hallway, jumping over the door that took up half the walkway. "Come on, I think I know a place where you'll be safe."
"Where?" Valese asked. "And what did you mean when you said you were a fusion of Goten and Trunks? What is going on? Who was that guy?"
"He works for Frieza. He's part of the Frieza Force." Gotenks replied over his shoulder. "They're attacking the whole city."
"Why?"
"I think they're after someone." Gotenks said. "And we can't let them get her, or it will all be over."
Valese yanked her hand free, forcing Gotenks to stop. They stood just outside the high school, and the sounds of screaming and explosions were all she could hear. Her eyes showed fear, yet her facial expression showed calmness. "You said you were a fusion."
Gotenks nodded, placing his hands confidently on his hips. "Yep. From the Fusion Dance. It's a technique Goku taught me, but Piccolo helped me master it."
Valese shook her head, but she was smiling. "I have no idea what or who you're talking about, but...if you're really half of Goten, then I trust you."
Gotenks smiled. "Really?"
"You're strange...I don't even know where to begin with you." Valese stepped down the stairs leading to the entrance and looked up into the sky. "But I'm no stranger to strange things." She turned and smiled at him. "You're a good guy, right?"
"Yeah, don't worry." Gotenks took her hand. "I'll keep you safe."
