Chapter Eleven: The Penalty is Pinball

Last time on Dragonball, the dragonballs were stolen. By Emperor Pilaf's bumbling henchmen, Mai and Shu. Which doesn't say much for any of their competence, now that Kakarot thought of it. Whatever the case, Kakarot led a brave trek into Emperor Pilaf's castle. They would retrieve the stolen dragonballs or die trying.

It… didn't go as planned. They ended up trapped in a dead-end after the walls themselves conspired against them. Now they waited in the cold.

'Well this didn't go as planned.' said Kakarot, tapping the wall before them with his power pole.

'We're trapped here…' said Bulma.

'No we're not.' said Kakarot. 'Yamcha and I can break stone, so I guess we'll just break down the wall and continue.'

'Kakarot, they're going to try to kill us!' said Bulma.

'Well then we'll kill them first.' said Kakarot, before drawing his power pole and striking the wall they had come through. It bounced off of the wall, without leaving a dent. '…Yamcha, why don't we combine our efforts.'

The two of them slammed on the walls with their combined strength. Yamcha even used if Wolf Fang Fist. But it looked as if the walls were made of something stronger than the pillars has been. Or any kind of stone for that matter. Eventually, they were panting, tired from all their efforts.

'I… I didn't even put a dent in it.' said Yamcha in frustration. 'The wall is too strong.'

Meanwhile, Shu and Mai were searching through the car left behind in vain. Mai looked on in worry. 'We've got to find those dragonballs. Come on; let's rip the seats open.'

From his control room, Emperor Pilaf observed with satisfaction. 'Those ignorant buffoons,' said Pilaf. 'I have to hand it to myself. The old follow the pink arrow trick gets em every time!' He began laughing to himself before he realized Mai and Shu were entering the room and stopped. 'Speak to me.'

'Sire!' said Shu.

'Sir,' said Mai, 'we searched the air car that they came here in, but the dragonballs they left definitely aren't in it.'

'No?' asked Pilaf. 'Then that means one of them must be carrying it.' He looked at the screen in frustration, wondering who it was. The others followed his gaze.

'You know,' said Mai, 'you can never trust a short person. One of those little runts is hiding the dragonballs from us.'

Pilaf and Shu turned to glare at her. 'That will be the last time that you run down short people in my presence, agent Mai.' said Pilaf. 'And stop calling me surely. Do I make myself clear?'

'Oh, yes sir.' said Mai. 'I don't know what I was thinking.'

They were sitting around and wondering if the air would run out. It was a boring. Extremely boring actually. It was also chilly within the cell of wet stone. Finally, Kakarot stood up.

'I'm going to give this another try,' said Kakarot.

'Don't hurt yourself.' said Bulma.

Suddenly a TV screen flared to life, and a blue-skinned imp appeared on the screen. 'What's wrong fools? Can't break my triple reinforced steel walls, can you?'

'Who are you?' asked Bulma.

'I am the all-powerful Emperor Pilaf!' proclaimed the Imp.

'So you're the jerk who stole my Dragonball!' snapped Bulma.

'Yes,' said Pilaf, 'this is true. But I didn't get all of them, now did I?'

'Clearly, this creature has infused his immortal soul into a glass box with unholy magic. Thus he has achieved immortality.' said Kakarot 'Another practitioner of the black arts, it seems.'

'That's a TV set you dummy.' said Yamcha.

'I know that one of you is carrying the five remaining dragonballs.' said Pilaf. 'Hand them over, and things will go much easier for you-'

'Kaaa…' said Kakarot as he took a stance.

'What are you doing?' asked Bulma.

'Haaa…'

'Listen, kid, I'm in the middle of a speech here,' said Pilaf, 'is it too much to ask for you to be quiet.'

'Meee…'

'Stop it! I am the Emperor! The future ruler of the world, I demand respect-' began Pilaf.

'HAAAAAAA!'

A beam of white light shot forth as everyone ducked to one side. The whole room was illuminated as the TV shattered into a thousand pieces. Melted glass flew everywhere as the stones on either side cracked. When the light faded, Kakarot was standing there, breathing heavily.

'The Emperor Pilaf is defeated.' proclaimed Kakarot.

'Kakarot, what the HFIL is wrong with you!' yelled Bulma. 'You nearly killed us!'

'And as a result, our enemy is dead.' said Kakarot.

'You little runt!' snapped Pilaf's voice. 'That TV was expensive; I'll have you know!'

'Impossible!' cried Kakarot. 'I destroyed his soul jar! How could he still be alive?!'

'…No,' said Bulma, 'no you did not.'

'Your disrespect will not go unpunished,' said Pilaf, 'time for the treatment.'

At that moment the ceiling opened up, and an arm reached out to grab Bulma and pull her into the ceiling. Then it shut, and she was gone.

'Oh no!' said Yamcha. 'He's got her!'

'Yeah, because she's usually such an invaluable part of our cause.' noted Kakarot, quite beyond caring at this stage.

Kakarot sat down and began to meditate, as his master had taught him. He went over his objective in seeking the dragonballs as he did so. The problem was that by this stage, he was almost confident that he was not stronger than his Master Gohan. Even if he was, there were masters stronger still he would have to defeat. Perhaps it would be wise to delay his wish?

Yet in the meantime, someone else might steal it.

Eventually, the doors above opened. Bulma was deposited back down to fall towards the floor. Kakarot stepped forward and caught her as she fell, before setting her down.

'Are you alright?' asked Yamcha.

'Yes,' said Bulma, 'nice catch Kakarot.'

'What did he do to you?' inquired Kakarot.

'It was pathetic,' said Bulma, 'a first grader could come up with more horrific torments than these guys. Trust me; they're idiots. We've got nothing to worry about.'

At that moment, yellow gas began to pour into the room through facets. Kakarot tried to hold his breath, yet he soon was forced to breathe it in alongside the others. One by one they drifted off into unconsciousness. Last to fall was Kakarot himself.

Bulma awoke, feeling somewhat woozy and arose to look around. Kakarot, Yamcha and Puar were lying around, still unconscious. She stood and looked down the hall to see the cell wall open. Quickly she leaned over Yamcha to shake Kakarot. 'Kakarot, Kakarot wake up! We can leave anytime! The cell doors open!'

At that moment, Yamcha woke up and finding Bulma's breasts mere inches away from his face. He stood straight up and set his back against the wall.

'Oh, good you're awake.' said Bulma.

'Do you think it's another trap?' asked Puar.

'Are you kidding?' asked Bulma. 'These guys are morons. They probably forgot to close it behind them.'

'I wouldn't get too smug Bulma,' said Kakarot, 'these 'morons' have managed to outmaneuver us at every turn. Given that they gassed us asleep, it was probably so they could search us without worrying about a fight. Given that Yamcha had five of them, it's safe to say that they now have all the dragonballs.'

'What?!' said Bulma. 'That… that can't be-'

'Actually not really,' said Puar, 'before Yamcha and I met up with you, we hid the dragonballs. We're the only ones who know where they is.'

'…Well done.' said Kakarot. 'Once we have dispensed with Pilaf, we may use Bulma's dragon radar to track down the remaining balls. Then I can make my wish.'

'Dragon what?' asked Yamcha.

'Kakarot, you moron!' snapped Bulma. 'I was trying to keep that a secret!' She paused as what he had said sank in. 'And don't you mean our wish?'

'I know what I said.' snapped Kakarot. 'You've made it abundantly clear that your only interested in wishes that only benefit you. So I figure it's everyone for themselves at this stage.'

Bulma actually looked hurt at that statement. 'But-' began Bulma, 'but I thought-'

'That the whole universe revolved around you and your whims?' inquired Kakarot. 'It doesn't. Get used to the fact.'

'Guys we can't talk about this right now!' said Yamcha. 'The door is open! Let's go!'

With that the four of them took off, racing through the caverns will all the speed they could muster. As they did so, they rounded a corner and came face to face with Pilaf, and his two cronies.

There was a long awkward silence.

Kakarot pulled out the power pole. 'Give me back my dragonballs!'

They ran, and Kakarot and the others pursued. No sooner had they rounded the corner and they faced many identical passages.

'Which way do we go?' asked Bulma.

'What do you think Kakarot?' asked Yamcha.

'I have no idea.' said Kakarot. 'Let's just pick one and take it.'

Suddenly a single note of a piano resounded throughout the castle. A wall shot down the hall and knocked the four of them forward through the passage, making the choice for them. They were thrown into a room of many shimmering domes. They were arranged like something out of pinball machines. They found themselves bounced from one place to another. As they did so, Kakarot slowed his speed and got on his feet using his power pole. Only to nearly be run over by a giant pinball.

It went back and forth, nearly killing them multiple times. Finally, Kakarot had had enough and charged it. Bringing his fist around, he struck it with the power to break a mountain. He was promptly slammed against the wall.

'Come on, Kakarot, we're leaving!' called Yamcha from where he and the others had gotten back on their feet. Clutching his head, Kakarot charged after them, through the exit.

'Now I know how a pinball feels when it is thrown into a pinball machine.' said Bulma woozily as they ran.

'No, you don't,' said Puar, 'because at least you are getting out. Whereas the pinball gets sent back into storage, to be shot in again.'

'See, there it is now.' said Yamcha.

Then they ran, chased by the giant pinball which rolled after them at breakneck speed. They took a turn, and the pinball followed them. Soon they were racing downhill, still pursued. Every moment they were terrified would be their last. Then they saw a side passage and quickly leaped onto it.

No sooner had they done so, then the pinball raced by, leaving them breathing in relief.

'Well,' said Kakarot, 'I guess we win.'

It was at this moment that the pinball rolled back up, defying the laws of gravity and going after them. Thus they found themselves back to square one. Running for dear life as they had before.

'You had to open your mouth, didn't you?!' shouted Bulma.

'How the hell was I to know it was possessed?' snapped Kakarot.

They raced onwards through into another room. Soon they were rushing down a set of giant dominos arranged into a staircase. They fled downwards, pursued by the pinball as always. Finally, they came to the edge of the last domino and saw an exit too small for the pinball to follow.

In one last desperate leap, they cleared the gap and reached the end.

They then came to a round red room, with a violet curtain on the far wall with an outline of darkness. For a moment they stared, breathing heavily. Finally, Yamcha spoke: 'It looks like there is a tunnel behind that curtain. It could be a way out of here. Or a trap.'

'What should we do?' asked Bulma.

'I don't know,' said Yamcha.

At that moment the curtain was pulled back to reveal the pinball, framed by spotlights on either side.

'…Fuck.' said Kakarot.

Then they turned and fled, pursued by the pinballs once again through the caverns. However, they had not gone far before they found themselves confronted with a dead end. They ran up against it, feeling for secret doors in vain.

'Oh no, we're trapped!' said Yamcha.

They turned round to face the pinball racing towards them. They waited for their inevitable end. For a few terrible moments, they closed their eyes. Yet the end never came. They opened their eyes and saw the pinball had halted.

'It halted.' said Kakarot. 'Why would it halt?'

It rolled back.

'Are we alive?' asked Bulma.

Then the wall shut on them again.

'You know, there is something familiar about this room.' said Kakarot.

Then they noticed the broken TV. 'No!' cried Bulma. 'It's the same room we started in!'

Laughter broke out from the speakers, Pilaf's laughter. 'Great, you're all safe. That's good; I was worried you wouldn't be able to see me crowned supreme ruler of the world! Even now my elite agents are closing in on the last five dragonballs! Soon I will wish for world domination! I'll see you at my inauguration. Bye!'

The speaker cut out.

There was a long silence. Then Bulma slammed her hands against the wall. 'No! We can't let it end here! There has to be a way out!'

'Kakarot,' said Yamcha 'you have to use the Kamehameha Wave! It's our only hope!'

'I can try, I guess.' said Kakarot. 'You learned about it while you were stalking us, right?'

'Nevermind that Kakarot,' said Yamcha 'we need to get out of here before they can track down the other balls.'

'Right,' said Kakarot, before taking a stance. 'Kaaa… meee… haaa… meee… HAAAAAAAAA!'

Once again, an onslaught of light and energy, there was an explosion. The walls rocked, and smoke kicked up, as a huge hole was blasted in the wall. Kakarot walked towards it. '…It doesn't look large enough for a person to go through. I'll work on it.'

'Move aside, Kakarot.' said Yamcha, staring through the hole. 'Okay, we can't get through here. But if we can get just one of those dragonballs away from Pilaf, he won't be able to summon the dragon. Puar, transform into a bat and see what you can do.'

'Right!' said Puar, before turning into a bat and flying past him.

'…Yeah, that's not going to work.' said Kakarot after a moment. The others looked at him in shock. 'What? Pilaf has beaten us at every turn so far. He truly is a worthy opponent, despite his comical nature.' Even if it did work, Yamcha would get the wish. Then he heard a sound, a sound he had only heard once before. It was very distant and drawing nearer. 'Is that the Nimbus Cloud?'

'The nimbus cloud?' asked Yamcha.

He shoved past them and looked out into the distance. He saw a faraway figure in pink and violet armor flying upon a yellow cloud. An idea seized him, and he drew his power pole and set it on the edge of the hole.

'What are you doing?' asked Yamcha.

'Getting my wish,' said Kakarot, 'power pole extend.'

Chi Chi had been somewhat distracted in the days following Kakarot's departure. Working alongside him had been… fun, and she found herself missing him. Ordinarily, she might have put aside such thoughts and focused on things closer to home. However then she remembered that she had the flying nimbus. After getting her papa's permission, she'd gone after him.

Following Kakarot had been easier than she expected. She heard tales about how he and the desert bandit Yamcha defeated Monster Carrot. From there she had set out in their general direction, and just kind of flown onwards. Even so, she had recently lost track of him.

All of a sudden, a red pole shot past her face, and she ran headlong into it. She fell off the nimbus and skyrocketing towards the ground. Fortunately, Nimbus came and saved her at the last minute. Flying the Nimbus back up, Chi Chi examined the red pole. 'It's Kakarot's power pole!' she realized, 'But what would it be doing here?' She followed its length and saw it led towards a great and terrible castle. 'Oh no, what if he's being held as a prisoner in there against his will! I've got to save him!'

She soared along with the power pole, following the Nimbus towards the castle until they came to a hole in the wall. Within she saw him, her love. 'Kakarot, what happened? How did you get captured?'

'We don't have time.' said Kakarot quickly. 'Some very bad people are about to get their hands upon the dragonballs, and we can't let them make their wish.'

'...So bad people like you or...?' began Chi Chi.

'Worse, I'm afraid.' lied Kakarot.

'What can I do to help?' asked Chi Chi.

'When they summon the dragon,' said Kakarot, 'I need you to make a wish before they can. And I want you to make the wish in these exact words…' He motioned for her to get closer, and she leaned in. Then he whispered them in her ear.

'Are you sure?' she asked. 'I mean that seems awfully mean-'

'The fate of the world depends on it Chi Chi. Say those exact words!'

'But-'

'THOSE! EXACT! WORDS!' he roared.

'Yeah, okay…' said Chi Chi, 'I could just break out of here?'

Kakarot paused. '…Are you implying that you are capable of breaking these walls.'

'Well I could try using my beam canon, I guess.' said Chi Chi.

'Beam canon, of course.' said Kakarot. 'And here I was expecting something that actually made sense.'

'Okay,' said Chi Chi 'stand back.'

She floated a little bit away from the wall and focused her power through the helmet. After a moment, the beam shot forth and pierced the wall. Chi Chi focused through it, widening the area being affected. The walls began to shudder with force. Yet it did not break, and Chi Chi sighed, rubbing her head. 'Oh, I can't break it on my own.'

'Alright fine,' he said, 'try it again, and this time I'll use my Kamehameha wave at the same time.'

'Okay,' said Chi Chi, before once again focusing her beam.

'Kamehameha!' cried Kakarot from the inside.

Suddenly the wall exploded with a massive force, and dust and smoke kicked up as the light of day filled the cell. Chi Chi's cloak was thrown behind her from the impact, as stones fell from above.

Kakarot stepped out into the daylight, spinning his power pole before sheathing it. 'Good work Chi Chi, now let's go get the dragonballs. Come on, guys.'

'Uh… okay,' said Chi Chi as Kakarot began scaling down the castle walls accompanied by Yamcha and Bulma. 'I'll just tag along I guess.'

The cronies of Emperor Pilaf rode through the night towards the designated coordinates. Eventually, Shu and Mai halted their vehicle and stepped out to look around. Mai looked at her instruments. 'According to our readings, the balls should be somewhere around here. She scanned the area. 'Let's spread out and see what we can find.'

After a few minutes of searching, Shu called out to her. Mai rushed to meet him and saw him pointing at the ground. 'See there Mai; the ground has been disturbed here. Maybe they buried the balls here.'

'Let's dig it up and find out.' said Mai, grabbing two shovels from their aircar.

After a few minutes of digging, they came across dragonballs. 'One, two, three, four, five.' said Shu. 'I think we hit the jackpot here, Mai.'

'Great,' said Mai, 'Emperor Pilaf will be very pleased with our results. Let's grab them and get moving.' She raised a com. 'Emperor, we have the rest of the dragonballs. You can make your wish as soon as your ready.'

'Good work.' said Pilaf. 'Bring the dragonballs back here at once. I'll meet you outside.'

Things were approaching a crisis point. The result would be anyone's guess.

Authors Note:

Well, here we have chapter eleven of Kakarot and the Quest for the Dragonballs. At the last minute, I decided to veer off from a standard outcome. Why keep things the same when they can be different?

So yeah, I think Chi Chi may be playing a bigger role in this fic than the original Dragonball. Funny how that worked out.

Just a fair warning, this next chapter may be the one where I break my update schedule. A lot of stuff is going to change, after all, and so it may take a few days.