Chapter Seven: The Ox King of Fire Mountain

The car sped along green fields and tropical trees, racing over a dirt road lined with ferns. It was a bright sunny day outside, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The distant mountains loomed shrouded in mist when Kakarot glanced out his window. The back window of the car was blocked by all the money which had been piled in great bags behind it.

They had been driving for hours at this stage, mostly in silence. Bulma had ragged Kakarot's ear off for robbing someone. However, he couldn't help but notice that she took both the car and also put on the new clothes. She looked pretty good in them, actually. Kakarot appreciated the somewhat low cut nature of the clothes. But he also felt annoyed. When Yamcha went around robbing people it made him dreamy. But when Kakarot did it, it was unacceptable.

'Geez, we've been driving for hours.' said Bulma as she drove. 'How much longer until we get there?'

'What I'd like to know is what 'there' is.' said Kakarot.

'It's a place called Fire Mountain.' said Bulma. 'Supposedly it's always on fire and is guarded by a terrible giant. He kills anyone who tries to steal his treasure or something. I don't know, I don't remember.'

'That seems important information to forget.' noted Kakarot.

'Will you relax,' said Bulma, 'it's not like any of the stories are real. How could a whole mountain be on fire?'

'Maybe we should withhold judgment until we see the damn thing.' said Kakarot.

As they pressed on, Bulma fanned herself with one hand, breathing heavily. 'I gotta admit, it is getting hotter all of a sudden.'

'Why is it dusk all of a sudden?' asked Kakarot.

As they came over a hill, they saw the whole sky lit up with brilliant orange. Bulma looked on, finding it quite beautiful. 'Wow, that's nice.'

'Or it's fire mountain.' said Kakarot.

They saw fire mountain for the first time. Really saw it for the first time.

'No way! It's real!' said Bulma.

Meanwhile, on a car driving behind them, Yamcha stood watching their quarry. He had set a tracker on their car without their knowing about it, and now was following them. They had five dragonballs, but not the rest. Which was why they were going to let them gather the others before stealing them. He glanced down to where Puar was doing the driving.

You'd better ease back, my friend.' said Yamcha. 'We don't want to be spotted just yet.'

'Right!' said Puar.

They were now making their way towards fire mountain, the legendary home of a terrible giant. Or so the rumors said, the ox king.

They eventually pulled to a halt as they came within sight of Fire Mountain. Bulma stared in shock. 'Wow! I've never seen anything like it!'

Yamcha leaped out onto the top of the car and stared. An inferno blazed without relent upon the knees of the mountain, reaching high to near the peak. The heat of it could be felt upon his face as he stared. Through the smoke and flames, a castle could be perceived on the peak, as black as a moonless night. It cast a shadow over the length and breadth of the land.

'How the hell are we going to climb that?' asked Kakarot.

'We have to try.' said Bulma. 'No silly bonfire is going to scare me away.'

'Maybe I'll get to fight that Ox King guy.' said Kakarot.

'That's the spirit partner.' she said. 'He probably has the ball in the first place!' There was a pause. 'Do you think he lives up there in the castle?'

'I don't see how he could.' said Kakarot. 'He'd have to get through those flames. And not just him, but his servants, and his guests and any subjects he might have. And they would have to do it on a daily basis, so yeah, probably not.

'Which begs the question… why did he start the fire?'

'According to legend he didn't start the fire.' said Bulma. 'He paid a magician to create a flame to protect his castle from thieves. Then it raged out of control , nd he's been stuck outside it ever since. Or it was always burning since the world's been turning, I don't know.'

'How do you know all this?' asked Kakarot.

'I… read a few books about real life legends.' said Bulma. 'Let's go kid.'

Puar lowered her binoculars.

'They're on the move again, Yamcha.' said Puar.

'Your right Puar,' said Yamcha, 'and their heading straight to Fire Mountain. I bet that means the sixth dragonball is up there in the Ox Kings castle.'

'Well that dragonball is lost.' said Puar.

'So you don't think they have a chance?' asked Yamcha.

'Actually, they have two chances,' said Puar, 'slim and none. That dragonball is as good as gone.'

'Fair enough,' said Yamcha, 'but let's stick around for the show anyway.'

'What show?' asked Puar.

'Come on, that kid Kakarot is such a blood knight I imagine he'll try to take on the Ox King. Don't you agree?' Also, since Yamcha was an even match with him if Kakarot won then so could Yamcha.

'Mmm hmm.' Puar wouldn't admit it. But she had been terrified that Kakarot would return while she was pretending to be him. 'I suppose so.'

'And there you have it,' said Yamcha, 'we get a chance to watch one of our enemies die.'

At that moment Yamcha heard a high pitched scream. Turning round, he saw a long dark haired girl. She was clad in a pink bladed helmet and wearing clothes that were too revealing for a twelve-year-old. She was running away from a T rex, a blue cloak trailing behind her. Tears flew from her eyes as the T rex drew nearer, its massive jaws snapping at her.

'Somebody help!' she screamed, before turning around and hurling the blade from her helmet.

The T rex was beheaded in one strike, and the blade returned to her helmet. She opened her eyes and screamed. 'Ew, gross! Look what I've done, I chopped his head right off!' she then fired a blue energy beam from her forehead to annihilate the body of said T rex in a flash of light.

'…Now I've seen everything,' said Yamcha after a moment.

'I don't think she even had her eyes open, do you?' asked Puar.

Worse still, the girl was coming their way, still crying with her hands over her eyes. She stopped as she saw Yamcha, who blinked. 'Nice work,' said the bandit after a moment.

'I was told to never talk to strangers!' she yelled, before firing an energy beam at Yamcha. He leaped over it, before slamming her across the back of the head. She fell unconscious, and he stretched out one arm.

'That girl is dangerous.' he said. 'Alright Puar, we've wasted enough time here already. We'd better get back on the road.'

They got back into the car and drove off. As they did, something occurred to Puar. 'That girl was real cute Yamcha, so why didn't you get scared of her?'

'It's only girls my age that scare me, Puar.' said Yamcha in annoyance.

In the desecrated ruins of a burnt out town, Bulma and Kakarot looked around, finding nothing and no one. Bulma wiped the sweat from her brow with one hand as the crackling of the flames drew nearer. 'I can't stand this heat…'

Kakrot in the meantime was tapping a skeleton with a stick. A cowboy hat was on its head.

'That sure is a massive fire.' said Bulma, before checking her dragon radar. 'The dragonball is definitely up in the castle. But how do we get it out of there? Kakarot, do you think you could use your power pole to get up there?'

Kakarot removed the skull from the skeletons shoulders and raised it on high. 'Alas poor cowboy skeleton, I hardly knew him, Bulma: a fellow of infinite jest and most excellent fancy.'

'Wait, so you've never met a girl before me, but you know Hamlet?' asked Bulma.

'What does that taste like?' asked Kakarot.

'Nevermind,' said Bulma, 'can you get up there with your power pole or not?'

'Oh yeah,' said Kakarot in resignation. 'I'll propel myself through the unyielding flames of hellfire. Then pogo stick my way to victory. Stupid flying Nimbus.' He unsheathed his power pole and set it to the ground. 'Power pole extend.'

Then he was soaring through the air towards the castle. His path would take him just over the flames, and Kakarot braced himself for a great deal of pain.

'Get that dragonball Kakarot!' cried Bulma.

Kakarot had a single moment to realize this might not have been a good idea. Then the scalding heat was burning him, as the fire licked up over him. He screamed in pain as the smoke burned his eyes, his clothes catching alight. Desperately he moved his power pole to be facing opposite to the outside of the fire.

'Power pole extend!'

For a single moment, he was falling. Then he was soaring up out of the fire and smoke and hurtling through the air towards a lake. He landed with a splash, and remembered no more.

'Kakarot…' said Bulma, shocked.

It had seemed so simple, and now he might be dead. It hadn't yet set in, maybe that was why she wasn't screaming. And then she was screaming because an axe hurtled past her left ear. It planted itself in the stonework in front of her. Turning around in horror she saw a giant full three meters high. He was clad in a red cloak, and the top of his face was covered in a golden helmet. He had arms like tree trunks, and he loomed over her with terrible power.

'What are you doing here?!' he snarled.

'Uh… me…' she said, 'I wasn't doing anything…'

'Don't tell me you've come to steal the treasures from my castle! Have you?!'

'No, no we weren't!' said Bulma. 'I mean I wasn't!'

'Whose we?!' asked the man.

'I… no one!' said Bulma.

'Are you lying?!' he roared as he loomed closer.

She was so dead. Where was Kakarot when you needed him?

Kakarot awoke to the realization that he was sinking. He swam upwards, forcing himself to surface until he rose spluttering to the top. His tail was singed, and he felt quite a few burns on his skin. Even so, the water had helped somewhat. Anyone else would have been dead, however.

'Kakarot!' came a cry of fear.

'Power pole extend!' he snapped.

Vaulting over the intervening distance, he landed before Bulma in a fouler mood than he had been in weeks. 'Use your power pole, Kakarot, you said. You can just vault over the flames you said. Why did I listen to you, you idiot!'

'Kakarot, you're all right.' said Bulma. 'I… I was afraid you were dead.'

'Obviously not.' snapped Kakarot.

'AHA!' cried the Ox King. 'I knew it! You are just stinking treasure hunters!'

'Yeah, you're right.' said Kakarot. 'Now hand over the dragonball or die.'

'You're the only one who's going to die!' snapped the Ox King, before bringing down his axe. Kakarot leaped back, dodging the strike. He retreated before the Ox King's onslaught.

'Yeah! That's the way Kakarot!' said Bulma. 'Keep him off balance!'

Kakarot waited until the Ox King struck the ground. Then he swiftly scrambled up his arm and kicked him across the back of the head. It attack had no effect, and he leaped back. 'What is this guy made of, pure metal?'

'I was trained by the great Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit!' snapped the Ox King. 'You can't possibly beat me!'

'Wait, you mean that old man who gave us a dragonball?' asked Kakarot.

'You know where I can find the Turtle Hermit!' said the Ox King.

Kakarot glanced over to Bulma. 'Hey, do you know where the Turtle Hermit lives? The Ox King wants to know.'

'Well, it's got to be close to the beach we were on.' said Bulma.

It was at this moment that the Ox King began a victory dance that shook the ground beneath him. 'Oh boy, I can finally go back to my castle! Oh boy oh boy!'

Yamcha sped through the ruins and his behind a bit of masonry, to watch the scene play out. The Ox King was looking at Kakarot with a friendly expression. 'Tell me, where did you get the little toothpick you carry around on your back?'

'It was my masters.' said Kakarot. 'He gave it to me.'

'Was his name Gohan?' asked the Ox King.

'Yes,' said Kakarot, 'why do you ask?'

'Your master Gohan once tried to break that toothpick on my head.' said the Ox King.

'You mean you and my Master once fought?' asked Kakarot in surprise.

'It seems our little friend knows the Ox King.' reflected Yamcha.

'This kid is starting to bug me.' said Puar.

'Okay, next question,' said Kakarot, 'if you and my master fought, why are you still alive?'

'Because we were like brothers.' said the Ox King. 'Your master was the first pupil chosen by Master Roshi, and I had the honor of being the second. So you are Gohan's student?'

'I am Kakarot, and that is correct.' said Kakarot.

'Alright,' said the Ox King, 'that's enough talk about the good old days. There is something important I need to ask of you Kakarot.'

'Old Master Roshi has in his possession a very powerful fan made out of a palm leaf called the Bansho Fan.' said the Ox King. 'It's the only thing which will extinguish Fire Mountain. Will you go to Master Roshi and get the fan for me?'

'Oh yeah, sure,' said Kakarot. 'we'll just drop everything and go several hundred miles out of our way to help someone who tried to put an axe in my skull. Can you hear the sarcasm in my tone there?'

'Please!' said the Ox King. 'I will gladly reward you with your choice of the treasures in my castle!'

'…Very well,' said Kakarot, 'do you possess an orange gemstone with a number of red stars within it?'

'I think I've seen one.' said the Ox King.

'I'll do this for you,' said Kakarot, 'but only if you give me that for my trouble.'

'That a boy Kakarot!' cheered Bulma.

'There is one more thing,' said the Ox King, 'I sent my only daughter Chi Chi to try and get the Bansho fan. However, I'm worried that something horrible might have happened to her. Please Kakarot, find her and bring her home safe.'

'At what point during this conversation did we become best buddies?!' snapped Kakarot. 'I'm going to have to pole vault several hundred miles. This is after being singed by fire and nearly having my skull caved in by you! I'm not taking detours! Power pole extend!'

And then he was gone, vaulting over the landscape.

There was silence, the Ox King looking on in seeming disappointment. Bulma felt obliged to do something. 'Uh… listen Mr. Ox King sir, I know Kakarot can be a little rough around the edges, but I'd like to help if I can. I'll look for this Chi Chi if you like.'

The Ox King's manner brightened. 'Great, here is a picture of her.'

And then he showed her the picture.

It was the girl Yamcha had seen before that was on the picture. The girl he had knocked out and left in the middle of the wilderness. Either she would wake up alone or die if a predator arrived while she was sleeping.

'Are you thinking what I'm thinking Yamcha?' asked Puar.

'Yeah,' said Yamcha, 'I'm dead meat if that girl's not okay!'

They raced back to their car and took off at breakneck speed. They left a cloud of dust behind them as they roared down the dirt road. 'Puar the next time I try to knock out the daughter of a giant, please smack me real hard!'

Then he saw her, lying still and unconscious where she had been. 'There she is!' He halted the car and they leaped out to approach her. Chi Chi was lying where she had been before, stone cold still.

'Oh no,' said Puar, 'she hasn't moved!'

Yamcha rushed to her side, turned her over and propped her up. 'Come on kid, wake up, please wake up! You can't be dead, please!' Then he noticed the rising and falling of her chest, and sighed in relief. 'She's breathing Puar. She's alive.'

Chi Chi opened her eyes and looked up at him. Then she pulled herself from his arms and put her hands to her head as if to fire a beam. Yamcha raised his hands in a gesture of peace, fear on his face. 'Ah! Don't shoot Chi Chi, I'm a friend!'

She blinked. 'How do you know my name is Chi Chi?'

Yamcha composed himself and putting on a winning smile. 'Erm, let's just say I'm a secret admirer of yours. I didn't want to hurt you earlier, but you left me no choice.'

She looked at him, uncomprehending and Yamcha stood up, putting one hand in his pocket as he half turned away. 'If you want to know the truth my darling, I'm in love with you. Ever since I first set eyes on you. Truly.'

Puar looked on in bemusement. Wasn't this going a bit far to ingratiate themselves to the Ox King. Chi Chi, however, blushed and seemed to take his words at face value. 'Wow, you are in love with me?' she asked.

'Of course,' said Yamcha, lying through his teeth. 'I really am.'

'Are you telling the truth?' asked Chi Chi.

'Just look into my face,' said Yamcha, turning around. 'Can you not see it for yourself.'

'Oh my,' she said, 'you're actually quite handsome. You know, you are the first boy to ever say that he loves me…'

At this moment Kakarot came into sight, vaulting upon his power pole towards them. Yamcha sighed. 'Why does that not surprise me.'

Chi Chi in the meantime was deep in her own thoughts, oblivious to Yamcha running for his car with Puar. 'I wonder if papa will approve of him.' wondered Chi Chi to herself. 'Am I even old enough to have a boyfriend?'

'Let's get out of here!' said Yamcha, before zooming off.

'Oh my,' said Chi Chi 'this is all happening so fast. I just don't know what to think.' And then she started crying again quite loudly. She only halted once she heard the sound of the engine being gunned and stared after him. 'Hey, I wonder where he's going. I thought he loved me…'

Kakarot's arms were getting tired as he soared through the air with vault after vault. Aside from being taxing there was nothing much to look at. Nothing but endless green fields and hills he had seen before already. Then he noticed…. was that Yamcha? In a moments distraction, he got clumsy and accidentally set his pole on a loose stone. The stone fell over, and he slipped forward, heading towards the ground at a huge speed. He crashed into the ground head on, right near a dark haired girl who stared at him as he landed with a crash.

'I know,' she said, 'he must be the shy type. How romantic…'

'Son of a bitch!' he snarled. '"Oh Kakarot, please vault through the flames of fire mountain! Kakarot, save me from the Ox King! Kakarot please pole vault several hundred miles to find the Turtle Hermit! Don't mind the second-degree burns! And by the way please pick up my daughter Chi Chi who I was stupid enough to send off into the wilderness alone!"'

'Uh… excuse me…' said the girl.

'What!' snapped Kakarot, at his wit's end.

'You are the second boy today that knows my name is Chi Chi.' she said, before screaming suddenly and pointing at him. 'You must love me too!'

'…I'm sorry,' said Kakarot, 'I can't help but feel as though I'm missing some context here.'

'But I'm not even sure if I'm allowed to have a boyfriend yet.' she said.

'Look,' said Kakarot, 'your father asked me to help you find the Turtle Hermit. Well actually he asked me to find the Turtle Hermit, and to find you. And I was just going to ignore the second part but I found you anyway. The point is that I am, reluctantly, here to help.'

'Really,' she said, 'that's so sweet of you.'

'What can I say?' he snapped. 'I'm just a bleeding heart of generosity. Look can we just get going, I'm about ready to start vaulting again. I guess you can ride on my back when I start again, but let's move.' At that moment she reached out and took hold of his tail. Kakarot froze up, shuddering in place as his entire form went ridged.

'So it's real…' said Chi Chi. 'Wow, you have a tail.'

She let go and Kakarot landed with a crash. He rose up. 'Don't touch my tail! I lose all my powers when someone does that! I can't stand it!'

'Sorry, I didn't know.'

Little did they know, but they were being watched by Yamcha, who smiled. 'Well, it seems our amazing little friend has a weak point after all.' He made his way back and lounged upon the car as Kakarot and Chi Chi raced off.

'Yamcha, shouldn't we go after them?' asked Puar.

'Don't worry about it Puar,' said Yamcha, 'he's going to have to come back to get the sixth dragon ball from the castle. And we'll be waiting right here for those fools. And after they get the seventh ball for us, then we'll make our move.'

'Huh?' she said.

'I'll grab that little monkey tail of his with my wolf fang fist.' said Yamcha with a smile.

Kakarot found that soaring across the lands with his power pole was a bit more difficult with Chi Chi on his back. Even so, he would admit that he did not mind the feeling of her clinging to him. Though the added weight made it harder to control himself. The power poles length could stretch for miles when put to its longest. He quickly made his way out of the desert and to lands, he knew well.

Finally, he came to the sea and had to shorten his staff length to account for the water level. 'We might never find the Turtle Hermit at this rate. He's nowhere to be found!' Kakarot hissed. 'Isn't there anyone around here to ask for directions.'

'Whatever you say.' said Chi Chi with a giggle.

'Why are you laughing?' he asked incredulously.

'Oh about some hunk I just met.' said Chi Chi.

'Bulma is correct,' said Kakarot. 'I simply do not understand women.' Then he spied something below, planted his power pole in the sea ground and lowered himself down. 'You, Dolphin creature, tell me where I may find the domain of Master Roshi.'

'Master Roshi?' asked the Dolphin. 'Yeah, you just keep going in that direction and you can't miss his little island.' He pointed with one flipper.

'Thank you,' said Kakarot, 'in the time of judgment you will be spared.' Then he continued vaulting onwards.

'I've never seen a fish like that.' noted Chi Chi.

Soon they came within sight of a small island, a patch of earth on the sea with a few palm trees on it. At the center of the island was a pink wooden house with a red roof with red letters on the top reading Kame House. A lawn futon lay on the beach.

'Wow,' said Chi Chi 'that must be it Kakarot!'

'Wow, whatever gave you that idea?' deadpanned Kakarot.

'Well, it is labeled Kame house.' she reflected.

'…Let's just find the Turtle Hermit, alright.' said Kakarot.

He landed upon the beach, and stepped out onto the firm ground, as Chi Chi stepped down, somewhat woozy. Kakarot stepped forward to see the Turtle Hermit looking out across the sea. 'You, Master Roshi, I need to speak with you.'

'Hey,' said Roshi 'speak your mind kid, I had the feeling I'd be seeing you again some day.'

'Uh… this is the great Master Roshi?' asked Chi Chi, doubt in her tone.

'Unimpressive, isn't he?' asked Kakarot in slight amusement.

'You know your people skills could use some work.' said Roshi.

'I don't care.' said Kakarot.

Our hero had found Master Roshi, but will he be able to fan out the flames of Fire Mountain? Join us next time for Dragon Ball!

Author's Note:

Well, here we have Chapter Seven. Ordinarily, I make a rule of never updating any story without waiting at least a day between updates. However, considering my previous abysmal update schedule, I'm making up for lost time.

Fun fact, when I updated this story last, it was at about six o'clock at night. When I woke up the following morning and checked the views what did I find? That I had received TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE VIEWS! In less than a day.

After an attendance rate like that, you guys deserve an early update or two.