Chapter Fifty Two: Penguin Village

The group had sat down and begun pouring for themselves to various soft drinks and were sipping it. As they did so Krillen looked out to sea wistfully. 'I lost my dreams somewhere between the ocean and the bottom of this glass.'

'That's pretty deep,' said Bulma 'but is it you talking or just the fruit punch?'

'Kakarot,' said Turtle 'are you going to rescue Master Roshi?'

'Sure,' said Kakarot 'though I doubt he needs it. I figure we can meet up with Yamcha and then the Dragonball Gang can launch an all out assault. Real climactic and stuff.'

'Suit yourself.' said Bulma 'Me, I'm going home. I've had enough adventure for a lifetime.'

'And how are you going to get back?' asked Kakarot.

'…I guess I'll have to borrow one of Master Roshi's airplanes.' admitted Bulma. 'The diamond should more than pay him back for it.'

From where Blue was watching at the edge of the window he smiled. He had several ropes coiled over his arms. It was perfect. 'Eheheheheh, those amateurs don't stand a chance against my enhanced mental capabilities!'

Then he summoned forth his power and took control of the ropes. As a blue glow surrounded him the ropes leaped to life in his hands. He tossed them into the air and like snakes, they slipped into the house.

'That won't work.' said Turtle 'Hasky stole all the dino caps. I can take you to the shore, but it might take me awhile.'

'Great,' said Bulma 'I've been reduced to traveling by turtle.'

The ropes were slithering into place. Soon he would be able to move.

Then the ropes struck. Cries of alarm came from the kids as the ropes, enhanced by the power of Blue's mind, wrapped them up, making them helpless.

'I can't move.,.' said Kakarot, wrapped head to tail.

The Dragonball fell from his hand and rolled across the floor to land at Blue's feet.

'You!' roared Kakarot 'Coward! Pathetic rat! No offense mouse. Untie us and face us in honorable… combat…' His voice trailed off as his tail was grabbed by one of the ropes. He couldn't move, and his head was going all woozy.

'You can't be here…' said Bulma, terror in her tone.

'You're dead…' said Krillen.

'Who are you?' asked Turtle.

'Someone you should fear, Turtle.' said Blue, picking up the dragonball. 'And I've never felt better.' He looked at the dragonball and laughed to himself. 'Oh, what a beautiful sight… The dragonball, like your fate, is now in my hands.' Then he paused. 'Oh, why do I get the feeling I'm forgetting something? Oh yes, Bulma Briefs, you are cordially invited by General Red to work for the Red Ribbon Army.'

'I'm not going anywhere with you!' snapped Bulma.

'Oh but I'm afraid I really must insist.'

'You maniac!' cried Bulma 'Why are you so interested in collecting the dragonballs anyway?!'

'Who can say?' wondered Blue 'Commander Red's purpose is his own. I've simply been ordered to retrieve them.' Then pocketing the dragonball he made his way forward. 'But most of you don't need to worry about any of this. After all, what is there to worry about when you're dead?'

He drew out a clock and set it down and then activated it. It began to tick and tock repeatedly. Blue laughed. 'The explosive is set to detonate in five minutes.' Then reaching down, he picked up Bulma and threw her over one shoulder before walking for the door. 'That should allow plenty fo time for you to try and save yourselves but… not enough.'

Walking out Kakarot watched helplessly as Blue produced a capsule that transformed into a hovercoptor. Throwing Bulma into it, he got in and flew away into the distance laughing.

The clock was ticking. The sound was infuriating and Kakarot struggled to move. He had to move, to break free. By sheer force of, will he managed to call up some strength to work against the ropes. Yet not enough.

Krillin and Turtle seemed to be hyperventilating, struggling in vain as well. They were all going to die. Or at least the turtle was, Kakarot thought he might well survive the bomb. As might Krillin. Though Blue seemed confident it would kill them, so perhaps it was a special bomb.

'Only three minutes.' he said 'Mouse, gnaw the ropes now.'

Mouse looked up, then went back to snuffling on the ground and walked out of the house. Kakarot narrowed his eyes. 'Well screw you too then you worthless rodent!'

'This is it!' cried Krillin 'We're never going to make it! If only Master Roshi were here, he'd break these binds!'

'We've got two minutes!' cried Turtle.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

'Would someone break that goddamn alarmclock!' roared Kakarot 'It's driving me crazy!' Then he heard something. And then he saw something. 'Look there, in the sky… is that what I think it is?'

Krillin looked and then he jumped for joy. 'The nimbus! The flying nimbus! Chi Chi's here!'

Chi Chi surged out of the sky and landed on the beach. Running toward the door she opened it. 'Master Roshi! Krillen! Kakarot are you there!'

'Not now Chi Chi,' said Kakarot 'there is a bomb ticking at our feet! Get rid of it quickly!'

'What you mean this clock?' asked Chi Chi, approaching it.

'Yes,' said Kakarot 'now throw it out of here!'

Chi Chi grabbed the bomb, raced out into the island and hurled the bomb into the distance. A few moments later there was a terrific explosion in the distance. Chi Chi rushed back in. 'So what have you guys been up to?'

'Chi Chi,' said Kakarot 'I'd love to fill you in, but right now Bulma's been kidnapped and I need you to cut us loose so we can go rescue her!'

'Bulma's been kidnapped?!' asked Chi Chi as she began to untie Kakarot. 'Oh no! But why would Master Roshi let this happen!'

'…He's also been kidnapped.' said Krillen as the ropes came free from Kakarot.

'And what about Launch? And Yamcha and Puar?' asked Chi Chi, beginning work on Krillen. 'Have they been kidnapped?'

'No Yamcha and Puar are off doing something completely irrelevant to anything.' said Krillen 'And Launch has developed an evil split personality.'

Chi Chi blinked as the ropes came free from Krillen.

'An evil split personality which is not on our side.' put in Kakarot.

'Oh that's awful!' cried Chi Chi, working on the turtle. 'We've got to save them!'

'Right now we need to save Bulma and the dragonball.' said Kakarot. 'We can't let the Red Ribbon Army get them all. So long as we keep one, we're good.'

'Oh those mean jerks again.' said Chi Chi 'We're still repairing the village after what they did!'

'Less talking more pursuing General Blue.' said Kakarot. 'To the nimbus cloud!'

Chi Chi and Kakarot raced forward. Chi Chi leaped onto the nimbus and pulled Kakarot up, before glancing up. 'See you Krillen! I hope we can hang out later! Away nimbus!'

'Take them down, Chi Chi!' cried Krillen.

They surged over the water, leaving behind them huge ripples in the waves with their passing. Chi Chi looked annoyed. 'Of all the mean, dirty tricks to pull, especially on a beautiful day like this!'

The chase led them over waterfalls and vast stretches of desert. Past great pleateaus and over vast forests. On and on it went and yet they still did not see Blue's plane. Yet Kakarot knew they were getting close, he could feel it. Soon he would reclaim his Bulma, and kill that… what was a non derogatory word for someone of eccentric sexual orientation?

A question that would have to wait.

'There he is!' said Kakarot 'I can sense him, see him ahead!'

Gradually they began to home in on a dot. And that dot soon became a plane. It became larger and larger. Kakarot drew out his pole.

'Get me in close enough to use my powerpole.' said Kakarot 'I'll do the rest.'

'But if we destroy the plane we might hurt Bulma!' said Chi Chi.

'Oh,' said Kakarot 'damn. Then get in close enough for me to break the windshield-'

Then Blue dodged underneath an arch of rock, and they were nearly knocked off as Nimbus pursued. He began to dodge and weave and they chased after him. Chi Chi kept up easily with him, closing the distance little by little.

Then the engines on the plane gunned and it surged off into the distance. Kakarot swore as it disappeared over the horizon and sheathed his pole. 'Go faster Chi Chi, we have to catch him.'

'I know!' said Chi Chi 'Faster Nimbus! Faster!'

The nimbus began to spin as it increased speed and soon the disappeared craft reappeared and they began to gain. Then they surged over the side of the plane and were going alongside it. Kakarot saw Blue in the cockpit and Bulma tied up next to him. He brought down his powerpole, but Blue decreased speed, allowing the pole to pass him by.

Then he increased speed again and zoomed past them. Once again Chi Chi increased speed and soon the landscape was flying by them at an alarming rate. Soon it was nothing but a blur as the chase went on. Flames began to surround the nimbus as their speed continued to increase.

The world suddenly began to look strange around them. Reality itself began to shift as they continued their journey. Kakarot could hardly believe what was happening. Yet though nimbus went faster and faster Blue always remained one step ahead.

Then suddenly the plane shuddered and began to spin out of control. The world resumed its normal color as they slowed their pursuit to watch the plane careening forward without direction. Kakarot was terribly afraid that it would crash and then Bulma would die.

'Speed up Chi Chi!' said Kakarot.

'I can't!' said Chi Chi 'I think Nimbus is tired!'

The plane regained some semblance of control and turned to rush towards land and they followed as best they could. Yet something was different about this land. The grass was too light a shade of green. The hills were strange colors. The houses were odd.

'This is odd.' said Chi Chi 'I've never seen any place like this before. Is that giant mushroom a house?'

'Looks like it.' said Kakarot, beginning to think he would hate this place. 'Don't let him out of our sight.'

Wait a minute, did the sun have a mouth and eyes? That was… horrifying.

It was a beautiful day otherwise. Children were playing in the water. A yellow tiger was fishing in the water. Birds were chirping and butterflies flying. A microphone on a tree branch provided a pig with the ability to speak to the people.

'Penguin village time, twelve o'clock.'

What.

A panda and a crocodile child were playing in a sandbox, creating sand castles. Multicolored scoops of ice cream, or so Kakarot assumed them to be, were laughing. A tan fox was staring at them in awe. Meanwhile a surge of dust was racing along the road, with a violet haired girl with glasses at the head. Laughing.

What?

A mouse and a man in a mask were cheering her on. Not a normal mouse but an anthropormorphic one, with warped, cartoonish features. And a smile.

What?!

There was what he could only assume was a vampire flying overhead a coffee shop shaped like a pot of coffee. The building itself was smoking from a chimney shaped like a tea kettles spout.

WHAT?!

The chase led them back and forth over a normal enough looking house as Kakarot reeled. He could see the purple haired girl staring up at them in awe.

'Kakarot focus!' said Chi Chi 'We're getting near!'

'Right,' said Kakarot, remembering his purpose. 'power pole extend!' And he struck the plane.

This last impact proved too much for it and it reeled off course. Yet it righted itself and suddenly halted in midair, allowing them to catch up.

'Maybe he's finally giving up.' said Chi Chi.

Then, as they drew near, the engines suddenly roared to life and they were blasted by the exhaust. Thrown from the nimbus, they fell from the sky, descending towards the ground. Kakarot looked up and saw the plane smash head on into a rock face.

'No!' he cried.

Could Bulma be dead? No, no he refused to believe it. She had been training, she was a lot stronger now. She could survive. He and Chi Chi landed on the doorstep of the house they had been chasing Blue above.

Then Kakarot found himself face to face with the violet haired girl and two flying green haired pixie things and he was reminded of where he was. They raised their hands.

'Hi!' said the violet haired girl.

'Hidyhohidyhohidyho!' cried the pixie things in unison.

A long delayed reaction set in.

'WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!'

Authors Note:

Okay, so here we he the next chapter, featuring the crossover episode. And since the tone of this fic is darker than dragonball, it is all the more jarring to enter the other series. Oh well.