Project Cloud
Chapter 5 — No Other Choice
The feeling of shock regarding Goku's drastic change in character had Roshi, Yamcha, Launch, Krillin, and Bulma is such a shock that they didn't even completely leave the vicinity by the time that they made it back to the copter. Reality was taking a complete 180 flip.
They caught their breath and informed Oolong, Puar, and Turtle on all that took place. Puar merely responded that they already knew because he shapeshifted and watched the whole thing prior to dumping all the tea with the others.
Needless to say, nobody knew what to think.
Given what was seen and described, it was insane to believe that Goku out there was really even Goku. Nobody else knew what to say.
Krillin didn't tolerate the 2 awkward minutes of complete silence anymore and just spoke what was on his mind.
"There's no way that Goku's doing all of this without being mind-controlled or something! That isn't him. No way. I'm not buying it - they messed up his brain or somethin!"
"He's being forced to fight," Yamcha reminds Krillin with a shaky voice. "There's no way Goku would fold so easily to those type of guys."
"I don't know about mind-controlling," Roshi says, "but whatever that doctor did to him in that lab, they altered his mind - his sense of self. That isn't Goku at all."
It was a hard fact that was just taking far too long for them to digest.
Especially given the current circumstances.
The fight between Gohan and Goku was one-sided to say the least.
Red and Gero both got a good kick out of it.
Gohan slides across the ground yet again for the umpteenth time during the battle with his grandson.
From the very start, Son Goku didn't hold back in any of his punches or kicks and it showed with each blow that he rendered his opponent. Son Gohan was lucky to already be dead, for the damage would be much greater earlier on. Regardless, the tears in clothes and cuts all over his face that leaked blood showed that he wasn't having an easy time. Part of it was because he held back at the very beginning but as the fight drug on and as he got more serious, he was embarrassed to an even higher degree.
"Is that all the strength you have, Grampa?"
As soon as both of Gohan's feet touches back down on land subsequent to getting up, Goku rushes directly for him without even the slightest bit of hesitation.
Gohan receives a mighty punch to the abdomen region so hard that Goku forces saliva to come spewing from the elder's mouth. Stuck there doubled over with his hands clutching at his stomach, Gohan doesn't have a choice but to listen to Goku's following words.
"I remember you being a lot better back then."
Goku proceeds to duck under a karate chop swipe in order to properly counteract with a brutal uppercut to the chin. He uses his tail to wrap it around Gohan's ankles to reel the man back in from going too far up, rendering him a devastating blow to the chest.
His assault doesn't end there, though.
Subsequent to the strike to the chest, Goku follows with an upward elbow to the chin, forcing Gohan on his tippy toes. The seasoned Martial Artist then receives a simple roundhouse kick that sends him off his feet and spiraling just yards above ground.
Goku times his next move perfectly. He jumps up and comes back down with the tip of his elbow digging into Gohan's chest as his back crashes onto the ground.
The howls of pain coming from Gohan elicited looks of sadistic pleasure on the satisfied faces of Gero and Red. Black and Violet remained professional and merely kept watch, observing the kid's every move in silence. The plain looks on their faces betrayed what they really felt inside, though. This boy was amazing.
Goku gets back on his feet and towers over the exhausted Gohan. Despite the bruises and swollen eye, Goku could still compare messed up this face to the nice Gohan whenever he first saw him. He remembered the time that Gohan taught him how to properly throw a fist, whenever he taught him how to hunt, fish...and always warning him to never look at the full moon.
All of these memories were ones that would bring Goku on the verge of tears just four days ago.
But it didn't mean anything to him now.
No matter if he tried to make it mean something.
He couldn't feel the emotion.
This was why he felt nothing whenever he reduced Son Gohan to ashes with a point blank Kamehameha right to the face as he was lying on his back after finding out he didn't have the Dragon Ball.
Goku was covered in a smoldering smoke as he remained in a gaping hole that caused Red and the others to quickly back up.
The explosion from Goku's attack catches the attention of Roshi and the others as they not only hear it, but see some of the smoke high up in the sky from afar. Despite Gohan already being dead, Roshi was quick to notice a dramatic fall in his chi.
He knew that only meant one thing.
The look of despair and sorrow on Roshi's face conveys everything that the others needed to know without words even needing to be shared.
Son Gohan had been completely wiped off the plane of existence.
But still, this didn't deter at least one of them from asking the big question.
"Did Goku — d-did he really go through with it…?"
Then a surge of panic takes over the master. He doesn't give them an answer at all and says, "GET IN THE COPTER, NOW!"
Everyone but one ignored Roshi's order.
Goku was running with such speed that he looked like a black figure being disassembled piece by piece the closer he got. It was unreal.
Launch feels her heart sink to the pits of her stomach, but even that doesn't convince the blonde lady to turn her back and head into the copter with the others. Instead, she raises her Uzi and aims it at the speedy child. It wasn't the first time she's raised a gun at Goku, nor would it be the first time she shot him if she were to pull a trigger. But this was different. All those other times consisted of silly moments.
This was hazardous now.
The closer he gets, the more Launch tells the child to stop or her hand will be forced. She ignores the yells and fussing from her peers telling her to get into the damn ship.
But Launch feels like they haven't tried hard enough. They've just given up on this poor sap, already so insistent in retreating. Granted, she always thought the boy was weird, but he was the purest person she's ever met. She couldn't let him go out like this.
But Goku didn't care.
Launch begins firing off rounds at the boy.
The bullets bounce off him like a ball trying to penetrate thick layers of rubber. He effortlessly pushes through and Launch pays for it dearly.
KRAK
The snap of Launch's neck due to Goku's merciless elbow to the cheek was heard by all and rang loud as an echo through the wild.
But it was her body falling down with a hard thud that really solidified it for everyone.
Bulma, the one who's in control of flying, is in shock and doesn't even move.
But Pilaf is there to act quickly and hops over with such haste to grab the wheel and get the hell out of dodge that by the time he notices his special case is falling down, it's too late.
Pilaf panics that they need to turn back and get it, but Mai was there to quickly calm him down as he drove off to tell him that she made sure to take the Dragon Ball out and keep it on her in another case. She even showed him and everyone had a big sense of relief.
Goku grabbed the case and sniffed it out to get the smell of the Dragon Ball and all the hands that had been on it. The kid crouches down and begins to get ready to make a leap over to the copter, but Gero placing a hand on his shoulder stops him from doing so.
Gero knew he had seen enough.
Despite the fact that Goku was doing precisely what Gero wanted him to do, the doctor was still yet fully satisfied with the current result. From the moment Goku asked if he should be the one to beat him up for doing what he did, he knew that he had to make a few tweaks. He still wasn't complete and Gero would prefer to be safe rather than sorry.
If Goku were to go on any longer, the potential of him eventually having a mind of his own as a heartless brat would just be too much for him to work with - all disobedience had to be done away with as soon as possible.
Those weaklings could wait.
"We will be able to catch them at a later time," Gero tells Goku. "As Commander Black put it, we will catch up to them eventually."
Goku, though keen on going after them, calms down and nods his head, in agreement. He had an idea of how they would cross paths once again.
It was just bound to happen.
"We will," Goku says. "Eventually."
With night out on the horizon, Roshi stands on the shores of his island as everyone is packing things up, looking over the calm tide of the waters being illuminated by the bright stars that remained up above the heavens of Planet Earth.
He knew that everyone was constantly reflecting on everything that just transpired moments ago. Roshi also knew for a fact he couldn't get any of it out of his head. Son Goku not only killed Launch, but his own grandfather without a second thought.
He truly wasn't the same anymore.
If only, if only I had stepped in to help him from the start.
Roshi couldn't help but kick himself for everything responsible, but he didn't let the pain show.
At least he tried not to.
He kept thinking back on how when Blue came over to Kame House and tied them all up. This happened just after a band of soldiers came over in attempt to take them down. Roshi knew that it was dangerous, but the fact that he didn't leave off with Goku made him think of how different things could be right now. With those two working together, they'd be unstoppable.
But dwelling on that right now wouldn't change a damn thing. As far as he was truly concerned, the most important thing was to leave the island so that they couldn't be found. They needed to resort to a area where Goku wouldn't bother looking for them.
It was obvious enough as he preferred to be alone, getting his feet wet under the stars' light.
"Everyone's ready to go," Yamcha tells Roshi.
After getting their things together, Roshi's house was turned back into a capsule and everyone got into the copter to relocate.
Such a common theme had been reflection on past events. It was unbelievable as to how quickly things could turn around and how they could just continue to get worse. This was the very last thing anyone expected to happen. At first, Bulma figured that Goku would have been killed by being taken in. At the very least, they'd still be able to wish him back somehow with the Dragon Balls eventually.
But to actually go up against him?
Perhaps the most challenging obstacle yet.
It came to no surprise that someone brought it up during the aftermath.
"I can't believe any of this is really happening," Oolong breaks the silence. "I mean...he really killed his grandfather - the man who took him in."
Oolong understood that whenever he deduced that Goku killed Grampa Gohan as a rampaging ape was much different to the current moment. In the form of an oversized, irate, mindless beast, Goku had no control over his actions. His primal side took over and there was nothing he could do.
But now?
The kid was well aware of what he was doing, even if he had been forced into doing it. He knew the names and faces of his friends, yet he showed no qualms about killing Gohan for the second time, much less ending Launch's life as if she was the enemy.
"But what can we do really?" Bulma asks. "Going back and trying to get the Dragon Balls to fix everything would be a deathwish!"
"I may not be the coldest beer in the fridge," Turtle says, "but I believe everyone just needs to train and get stronger for next time. We can't just stop fighting for Goku."
"Turtle's right," Yamcha agrees. "And we can't let Launch's death be in vain, either."
"You're all right, but let's focus on the Red Ribbon Army. After all, they are responsible for this madness." As much as he wanted to say he was, Rohi wanted to assure his peers that they needed to keep the number one enemy in mind. Goku wasn't the enemy. It was the army. "So I know the perfect grounds for training and hiding."
Sitting around praying in a little teepee, hoping things would be okay wasn't an easy-fix solution.
It took Upa a while to realize it and by the time he did, he figured that he needed to take action himself in order to grow strong like his dad - even stronger for that matter. The little boy stood mere yards away from the seemingly endless pole that made up of Korin's tower. He had been told tales and legends about it, but hearing is so much different than getting to experience it for yourself.
The only way Upa knew to get big and strong was by climbing to the top.
So that's what he was bent on doing.
The kid had to get over his fear of failure. Bora wasn't here to reassure him anymore and since he was now dead, Upa's father was the main motivation that pushed him to do this now.
So the kid grabbed onto the pole and began climbing.
He climbed it for all of five seconds before falling down on his butt.
But one failure didn't mean he was going to stop.
Upa got right back up and began climbing again, this time getting a bit higher than before.
The boy strained like no other, using all the muscles in his body with each movement.
Still, it wasn't enough to climb for more than 10 seconds.
He kept trying.
And trying.
And trying.
The only face Upa had in mind was his father's and Son Goku's.
After falling down on his back yet again, Upa lets out a silent cry, tears falling down his hot, chubby cheeks and down into his ears before falling onto the green grass. Just thinking about how hopeless and helpless he was whenever he was probably needed the most was a type of pain that no child his age should have to go through.
But he did.
And that feeling was what motivated him.
But how could he even become stronger if he was too weak to climb the damn pole?
The kid continues to cry silently.
"Something the matter, young lad?"
Upa quickly hops back on his feet, wiping his tears as he goes in reach for the nearest rock he can find. "I won't let any more of you Red guys attack my home! GET AWAY!"
Roshi effortlessly catches the rock and drops it by his own foot. Everyone behinds him takes a step back out of respect with their hands up to show that they didn't come to hurt him.
Upa recalled how easy it was for Tao to deflect the rock to him, so for Roshi to catch it without flinching - much less blinking - meant that the old timer was very strong as well. And if he were anything like Tao, then he was in grave trouble.
Upa backs up, fists clenched, and body shaking, all until Korin's pole from behind stops him from backing away any further.
"We don't mean any harm," Roshi tells the boy. "We're the good guys. We're not apart of the Red Ribbon Army."
"So you ran into those guys, too?" Shuu asks him.
Upa just nods, confirming so.
"So he must know Goku," Oolong concludes.
The mere mentioning of Goku's name causes Upa to wipe his tears away and smile a bit. "Did you find him!? Is he okay!?"
Before anyone could answer the question, Roshi bypasses Upa with his eyes fixated on the route to Korin's tower. "We saw you were trying to climb this thing. Are you trying to get to the top?"
"I have to reach the top if I want to avenge my daddy and Goku!"
This brings a smile to Roshi's face. The same determined attitude had reminded him of Goku and he loved it. He turns around to face the child and speaks. "Would you like to train under me before climbing it? I once made it to the top and trained with Master Korin myself so if anyone's going to be able to help get you there, it'll be me."
The mere thought of being able to actually made it there lit a fire in Upa's eyes. The kid's frown went opposite as his spirits were lifted. He knew for a fact his daddy was watching over him and he didn't want to disappoint for sure. Being strong like his father and heroic like Goku wasn't going to be the only form of motivation for the young boy from now on.
"I promise that I'll be strong like Goku is!" Upa declares. "I'll even save a life one day!"
This was the highlight of Roshi's day despite the atrocities that occurred mere hours ago. There was a bit more hope added to a near hopeless situation.
Everyone realized that despite the fact that Upa more than likely knew Goku for a very brief moment, the fact that he was capable of instilling such a sense of inspiration into someone was like no other. Only Goku could do such a thing, and quite frankly, it was a blessing that he ran across this kid.
Because they'd need all the possible help that they could get.
"Very well, then." Roshi turns around and looks over to Yamcha, Krillin, Shuu, and Mai. "Let's begin."
Oolong leans over to Pilaf and whispers, "Why aren't you trying to train, too?"
Pilaf, embarrassed, rolls his eyes and just says that there's nothing a fist and a foot can't do that a few guns and rockets can't.
Quite frankly, Pilaf was scared. By him training to fight, this also meant that he would have to be placed in the middle of conflicts such as the one that they had earlier. But instead of using guns and other weaponry, he'd have to resort on using his own hands to fight. If there was one thing Pilaf hated, it was being beaten on, so he denied even being taken upon as a student of Roshi's.
But it was different for Shuu and Mai. The former of the two was already into using swords, so Martial Arts was something he believed could come naturally to him. Mai was very much military like, so she knew a thing or two already, but the woman had an innate desire to hone her skills for moments like these would cause for her to dig in deep and bring out the best warrior suppressed inside.
As much as she didn't want to do it, she made the logical choice and went with her better judgement.
As for Upa, the kid had something to finally look forward to.
And he made a silent promise.
Not to only himself.
Not to only his father.
But also to Goku.
That he was going to be the greatest he could be.
And that path to power starts now.
Very much appreciate the guest review, WhamBam.
I really wanted to send off the impression that Goku can't be saved at the moment. I, too, also feel like Goku's friends take him for granted and I'm glad that you caught that in my last chapter. And yes, the Red Ribbon Army isn't the most dangerous crime organization for no reason. They have resources at their disposal and an evil genius that is capable of making artificial humans stronger than Z-level characters. Needless to say, the people of Earth are in great peril, even if they don't realize it yet. And thanks again for the comments about Gero. To be honest, it's a blast writing him and I can't wait to show more. Thank you again.
