24: Goku And Vegeta Versus The Giant Sand Worm Of Death

The worm, most likely the size of the tallest building in West City with the width of a bus, roared at the four below it. Giant teeth placed in uneven rows greeted the fighters, with a long tongue to accompany them. Its skin looked rough and coarse, and it was the color of a light tan, possibly to help aid it in hiding from sight. It did not appear to have any eyes, just one large mouth, which meant it must be able to travel based on sounds. The menacing creature was really going to put a dent in their schedule.

Basil jumped to her feet, clapping her hands like a child. "Wow, it's so cool! Can I name it? I wanna name it Fluffy!"

"We're not naming it, now shut up and run!" Vegeta shouted, and dove out of the way as the large creature smashed its tail into the sand.

"It's so big! I wonder what it's been eating." Goku pondered as he flew up into the air.

"We need to get the Dragon Ball from inside that thing." Vegeta said, floating alongside Goku. "Just stay out of its reach."

"How are we supposed to get it?" Goku scratched the top of his head. "That thing is pretty big."

"Just fire Ki blasts. That should do the trick." Vegeta replied with a sharp huff.

"Fluffy!" Basil cried with laughter, and ran towards the sand worm with her arms spread at her sides. The creature cocked its head to the side, as if unsure what to do about the small thing running towards it. Basil's tail wagged happily, her wide smile never faltering.

"Basil, no, wait! Heel!" Goku hollered towards her, but his shouts rang on deaf ears. Her glee outweighed her sense of judgement, which meant that all common sense went right out the window.

The worm drew up its sizeable tail and smashed it down, which was a warning to the Saiyan girl to stay back. Basil slid to a halt, nearly tripping over her own tail. The worm, though it did not have any eyes, seemed to be examining the girl. Checking her to make sure she was safe. While Basil had no idea what the creature really was and saw it only as a friend, her instincts told her to abide by the distance the worm set between them.

Broly watched the creature in fascination, his black eyes filled with curiosity. "It is not attacking."

"Maybe it doesn't see us as a threat." Goku said, then chuckled. "Get a load of that, Vegeta! He likes us!"

"No, he doesn't, you clown!" Vegeta punched Goku in the arm. "We need that damn Dragon Ball, and kind words aren't going to get us anywhere."

"We can't just blow it up." Goku said. "Maybe Basil could coax it into handing it over...even though it doesn't have any hands."

"I think it likes me!" Basil called up to the male Saiyans. The worm had gotten closer, though not close enough to be within reach.

"Basil! See if you can get the Dragon Ball from it!" Goku called down to her.

Basil nodded, giving Goku a thumbs up. She then turned and slowly stepped towards the worm, her hands by her head so the creature could see she did not plan on attacking. "Hello, wormy. My name is Basil. We really, really, really need that Dragon Ball you have. Could you...maybe...pass it on over and we'll be on our way?"

The worm tilted its head this way and that, then, in a motion too fast for any of them to anticipate, it dove forward, burying itself into the ground a few inches from where Basil stood. She leapt back, hovering in the air above the giant hole that now resided in front of her. In seconds, the worm has disappeared, as well as the reading from the Dragon Radar.

"Dammit!" Vegeta dropped to the ground, peeking over into the hole that seemed to go on for miles and miles. "Now how are we supposed to get it?"

"Can we follow it?" Goku asked, peering over Vegeta's shoulder.

"I'll go! I'll go!" Basil cried, jumping up and down.

"No." Vegeta stood, crossing his arms. "We'll lure it out."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Broly asked, tilting his head to the side like he didn't understand.

Without a word, he charged up a substantial amount of energy in his hand and blasted it straight into the hole. Goku and Basil jumped back as sand shot into the air. The yellow blast plowed into the sand with so much force that Vegeta actually debated whether or not it would break into the surface of the Earth.

"Vegeta, that'll just make it mad!" Goku shouted.

"We need to get the Dragon Ball from inside it, and I'm not waiting around." Vegeta said blunty.

"Did it eat it?" Basil asked, then shivered. "It was probably hard to swallow."

"It has a large mouth, so it was most likely easy." Broly said.

The creature burst forth from the sand once more, spewing the small pebbles in all directions. With an enraged roar that nearly deafened the four Saiyans, it slammed its tail onto the ground, by means of a threat to pronounce its rage. No damage had been done to it, though that did not mean it wasn't angry for Vegeta having invaded on its home.

"FluffY" Basil cried in glee.

The creature lunged towards the group, baring its razor-sharp teeth. Goku tackled Basil, flinging her out of the way of the creature's mouth. Vegeta jumped to the side, and Broly swiftly caught the creature by the front of its jaw. The worm and Broly were pushing against each other, none of them gaining an inch. Broly's feet dug into the sand below him, which meant it was only a matter of time before he lost his footing. The green fur tied tightly around his waist blew lightly in the soft wind like a cape.

Vegeta threw handfuls of energy blasts. all aimed for the head. He figured it was a subtle weakness spot, since he didn't see any other indents in the creature's body that would serve better.

Goku and Basil jumped to the creature's sides, pinning the worm down while Broly pried its mouth open. It struggled and wriggled about, flopping its tail back and forth to smack them away. But with Broly's strength, it was to no avail. He placed a foot on the bottom of the jaw and held the top of the jaw up, providing a perfect walkway.

"Basil, you're the smallest one of us here. Can you climb inside this thing and grab the ball?" Goku asked, his voice straining as he pushed more weight onto the worm's side.

"But you said Vegeta was the smallest." Basil replied.

"I am not!" Vegeta shouted, then shoved Basil aside, taking her place in holding the worm down. "Just hurry up. We don't have unlimited time."

"But it's gross." Basil protested. "All slimy and...teethy."

"I will personally shove you in if you don't hurry up!" Vegeta growled.

Basil looked distraught, but she gave in, knowing Vegeta wasn't going to give in. She stepped around to Broly and slipped past him, slowly stepping onto the worm's soft tongue. "It smells bad in here!"

"Try not to breath too much!" Goku suggested.

"Seriously, Kakarot?" Vegeta scoffed. "Great advice."

Broly gave a stiff groan and pulled the top of the jaw higher, feeling the vibrations of the creature as it gave out a loud and rage-fueled growl.

Basil did as Goku told her and held her breath. Curling her tail around her waist, she crept along the wide tunnel of mouth until she came across a bend that dipped downward. Must be the throat, she thought, then slowly made her way down. It smelled horrible, and it was completely dark save for the small amount of light that was seeping in through the worm's open mouth. The creature kept jerking and trying with all its might to break free, but the combined strength of the three Saiyans holding it down was far too overpowering. It convulsed and thrashed relentlessly.

Releasing her held breath due to becoming light-headed, she moved to a crouched position, trying to give time for her eyes to adjust.

"Basil, hurry up!" Vegeta called to her. "We can't hold this thing forever!"

"I'm trying!" Basil shouted back to him. "It's too dark."

"The Dragon Balls kinda glow a little." Goku called. "Just look for a yellow glow."

"Okay." Basil replied, then moved forward slowly. Look for a glow, look for a glow, look for a glow.

As she crawled deeper into the sand worm, she felt the creature suddenly jerk forward, causing her to lose her footing and fall flat on her face onto the sticky and slippery wall of the stomach.

"Sorry!" She heard Goku shout. "My hand slipped!"

Basil pulled herself to her feet, trying not to be too disgusted with the slime that now coated her Gi and side of her face. Then, after wiping her cheek, she saw the bright yellow shine of what was no doubt the Dragon Ball they had been so desperately looking for. Bursting into a wide smile, she quickly jumped forward, landing directly in front of the Six Star Dragon Ball.

Snatching it up quickly, she turned and ran down the slick stomach and back up the throat.

She was almost to the exit when the creature gave a loud roar and flicked up its tail, managing to hit Goku off of its side. With the extra weight gone, it rolled towards Vegeta, knocking him back several feet. Broly tried to make up for the lack of weight holding it down, gripping the top of the jaw and digging his feet into the ground to hold it steady. Basil stumbled and tripped, clutching the Dragon Ball tightly under her arm. In an effort to stun the worm, she turned and shot a bright blue ball of energy straight down the throat. It exploded seconds later, the force launching her straight through the open mouth that Broly was struggling to hold. She hit the ground hard, sand flying up her nose and into the grooves and crevices of her Gi.

The creature cried out, finally breaking free of Broly's grip. It flopped around in the sand, then dive-bombed into the previous hole Vegeta had blown up. It vanished, the only sound being the enraged noises that erupted from down below.

Goku got to his feet, then beamed when he saw Basil in one piece. "You got it!"

"The Six Star." Broly said, staring at the yellow ball Basil held tightly.

Vegeta helped her to her feet. "Alright. We got one. We just need six more."

Basil looked at the ball in her hand, then laughed. "It's so pretty! And so big, too." She pulled one hand away from it, and a trail of slime followed. "And slimy."

"I guess it thought it was a nice treat," Goku shrugged. "But at least we found one. And the other teams have got to be doing a lot better than us."