Hello, welcome back! Before we continue, I'd just like to apologize, beforehand, for the excruciatingly long wait for this next chapter. School's definitely slowed everything down, but don't worry, I'll be getting back on schedule! Thanks to everyone reading my jarble, I appreciate all your reviews and comments!
Three days pass, and our uncanny group of kid travelers—a strange human boy; a kind, half-blood fallen angel; and three, pristine devils—finally arrive in the west, closer and closer to finding the next, hidden Dragon Ball…
Rias enviously watched from below, as the Flying Nimbus passed over her and the others, again, with the bubbly monkey boy—laughing in the wind—and Akeno, holding onto him tightly, from behind. She groaned, clearly annoyed, before returning her attention to the continuous road.
"Rias," spoke Sona, bringing the young, crimson-haired devil back to her senses, "that's the seventh time now that you've made a face."
Along with her two friends, Sona and Sairaorg, Rias sat in a self-driving mountain jeep, which she'd deployed earlier out of her Hoi-Poi Capsule Case—a gift from her father. Rias and Sona sat comfortably in the back, in the car's leather seats, while Sairaorg took the front, so as to sightsee the human world terrain.
"It's nothing, okay, so can you please drop it?" She whined like the distant bleat of a saddened child. Ever since the party agreed to letting Akeno ride above with Goku, since she couldn't fly on her own yet, the young Rias had been in a rather prickly mood. Sona, in particular, took quick notice.
"We're in a car, she can either sit back here with us… or you could just insist that you ought to ride with the little mountain boy on his cloud…" She whispered, then smirked, teasingly.
"Huh?!" Rias cried out, a little too loudly, glaring back. "W-Why would I want to ride with Goku? He's just a petty, human servant…" Bashfully, she turned around to hide her expression.
"Oh, please." Chuckled Sona, who was always clever at noticing things, especially considering her young age. "You like him, right? I know you've got tough competition, but that shouldn't deter you away from trying, at least."
"Sona!" Rias turned back around, embarrassed. "Would you just leave it be—"
"Hey!" Suddenly, a voice interrupted them. The Flying Nimbus lowered down, next to the jeep, and Goku and Akeno glanced inside the driving car. "Are we almost there yet?" The boy asked.
Rias took a second to regain her dainty composure, before looking out the backseat window. "Almost, so be a little more patient you two! My brother's map is a little outdated… so we'll have to keep a sharp eye out for anything."
And in that very moment, Sairaorg turned around and pointed past the front window. "Guys, there looks to be a village a few yards out! Think one of your Dragon Balls could be hidden there?"
"Maybe…" Rias thought for a moment, then accepted the possibility. "We've got time, so let's check it out!"
Another minute passed and they were inside the village. Rias instructed Sairaorg to click the pause button on the car dashboard, causing the vehicle to slowly decrease in speed, then break and come to a dead halt. Goku and Akeno descended on the Nimbus, coming to a complete stop besides the car, then waiting for the three devils to get out.
"Where is everybody…? It's like a ghost town…" Sona pondered aloud, as the group got together, with Goku and Akeno staying up on the cloud, glancing around the seemingly abandoned settlement.
"So, this is a human village…" Sairaorg crossed his arms, expressively unimpressed, "ain't it kinda small…?"
All five of them began exploring the small area which remained creepily quiet. Circular, yellow capsule structures, a type of deployable house, seemed to be the only buildings littered around the dead-silent settlement. Deep spring fountains, workable cars, a large produce garden, and the spread farming equipment… everything pointed to likely human interaction. Rias, quietly, wondered if this eerily silent village could indeed be the resting place of the next Dragon Ball.
"This is creepy," shuttered Akeno, "it's like there's nobody here…"
Goku shook his head, quickly contradicting her statement. "No… I can sense somebody…"
"You can sense people… here?" Rias looked up at the cloud-whisperer, dubious of his claim.
"No, no… I can feel 'em… all around us…" He frowned, disappointed. "That's weird…"
Sona gave Rias a look of uncertainty, and then cupped both hands over her mouth before shouting: "HEL-LO-O-O! ANYBODY HO-O-OME?!" Her voice echoed throughout the village, shortly before disappearing. Not one soul answered back.
"Looks like it is a ghost town." Rias sighed. "Hopefully there's still a Dragon Ball here."
Goku and Akeno hopped off the Flying Nimbus, joining the group. The young boy instantly took lead, his monkey tail swinging back and forth like a curious canine. "But I'm sensing all kindsa people!" He complained, then noticed a more expensive looking vehicle—a TURBO—parked nearby a suspicious house… one he definitely knew had people inside!
"I'm gonna go check this out!" He declared, deviating away from the groups' designated path. Goku ran up to the normal-looking structure, hands in the air and tail curiously wagging about; the title Sherman the Shaman was posted on the front door in bold, white letters.
"What's he doing?" Asked Sona, as she and the others watched him dart off.
"Hey!" Goku yelled, then loudly knocked on the door with his fist. DOOM! DOOM! He continued to strike the wood, right underneath the sign. "I know you're in there!" He shouted. "Why don't you answer?!"
Akeno came up besides him, just from behind. "It's probably locked. Wouldn't you say?"
"Oh, yeah?" Goku studied the door a moment, as if the modern entranceway fascinated him, then he thrust a fist straight through the front handle, breaking it with a loud BWAK!
Everyone jumped a little, surprised. Goku opened the broken door open, with a dreadful creak, completely unafraid of what may be lurking inside. "Now it's open!" He smiled.
"Wow, you're not afraid of much, are you!" The young Sairaorg couldn't help but be impressed.
Suddenly, from deep inside the dark house, two gunshots went off. PAM! PAM!
"GAH!" Goku cried out, as his head sparkled from the hot lead, then violently ricocheted backwards. He stumbled to the side, then rubbed the top of his head, trying to ease the searing pain. "OW… OW… OW… OW… OW…!" He groaned, his head aching.
""GOKU!"" Rias and Akeno screamed, collectively, before rushing over to whimpering boy.
"No… It didn't work…!" Someone lamented, afraid, from inside the house.
"What was that about?!" Goku shouted back, rightfully upset with being shot.
"Yee… Gods…! Wh-What are you…?!" Inside, a teenage girl peaked over a counter to look at the young group, she was armed with a small pistol. "A-A-Are you Lord Oolong?! The dreaded monster these villagers have been fearing?!"
Then, after getting a better look at the crowd, the girl lowered her weapon.
"Huh…? A bunch of kids…?" She stepped out into view. The girl was a human teenager, accompanied by bright, blue eyes and hair. A red ribbon tied back her braided hair into a ponytail, and she wore a biker coat and shorts, with expensive blue sneakers and purple socks.
Before she could say anything, an old farmer, drabbed in stained overalls, rushed forward, sweating profusely. "F-F-Forgive us, Lord Oolong! I'll give you anything! Food! Money! Only please spare my daughter!"
"Huh?" Goku, confused, rubbed at the bump slowly developing at the top of his forehead.
Rias, meanwhile, stepped forward—her head raised high. "To hurt one of my servants, simply put, is heresy; how you dare commit such an act? Explain yourselves, now!"
"S-Sorry about that, young fella!" The farmer wildly nodded, then apologized to Goku. "I just figured Oolong was taking a boy's form…" He scratched his oily hair, embarrassed.
From the other houses, an assembly of villagers, one at a time, began to come out from hiding.
"Y'mean it wasn't Oolong? Thank goodness…"
"I thought it was weird for him to be showin' up this early…"
The rest of the group stepped inside, as the villagers, curious yet unsure of the visitors, watched them from outside. Meanwhile, a young girl attending the moping boy, who looked like a sad puppy thanks to the growing bump on his head.
"Are you all right?" She was a young brunette, a tad younger than them, dressed in traditional village garb with a small feather decoration tucked neatly in her braided hair. Gently, she massaged the top of Goku's head with a warm towel.
The boy looked up at her, quizzically, then suddenly pat her crotch.
"EEK!" She squealed, reddened from embarrassment.
Goku laughed, then smiled. "I get it… you're a girl!" He pointed, before Rias, Akeno, Sona, and the older blue-haired girl, unanimously, waltzed over and each struck him over the head with a loud PWAK!
"What now?!" Goku whimpered, cradling his aching head.
""""No 'pat-pat'!"""" All the girls yelled at him, before realizing that they had all unconsciously gone out of their way to correct him.
"Okay, so who's this Oolong you're so freaked out about?" Rias turned her attention back to the farmer. The mere mention of the name freightened the young girl who'd tended to Goku, and she ran into the farmers arms. The other villagers, outside, seemed equally distressed.
The older, blue hair girl walked up to Rias and the others. "From what I've been told, he's some kind of monster; a shapeshifter whose true form has yet to be seen by anyone. Yesterday he came to this village and his eyes fell on this farmer's daughter." She pointed to the little girl. "He's already kidnapped a number of other girls, and threatens to kill and eat anyone that tries to stop him. I'm stuck here too, since I can't fight him."
"Why don't you guys just beat him up?" Goku sat up, innocently tilting his head to the side.
"Are you kidding me?!" Angrily shouted the farmer. "He's huge! None of us would stand a chance, and those good-for-nothing Pro-Heroes are only stationed out at the big cities. None of us, here, are equipped with any of those super-quirks. There's no All Might! The most we got is a telepath, and she's sick!"
Despite the present, collective focus being on the hysterical farmer, Sairaorg turned to speak with the older, blue-haired girl. "And what's your story, lady? You don't look like a prominent member of this village. Who are you?"
The teenager pulled her hair back, then put on a green hat with the name BULMA labeled on the front. "I don't see why that'd be any of your business, kid." She scoffed, rudely.
"Huh," Akeno twisted her head back to look over at Rias, "her attitude reminds me of someone."
"Are you trying to pick a fight here?!" Rias hissed in return like a ferocious alleyway cat.
The young Sairaorg, somewhat hurt from the teenager's response, decided to find a spot next to the already seated Goku and leave the girls to do the rest of the talking. Slowly, he was starting to get the feeling that all he and the monkey boy would be good for was muscle; although it was entirely possible that the girls would not require such assistance in future.
"Guess I should've gotten to the point earlier then, mister farmer," suddenly, Rias revealed an orange orb in one of her porcelain hands, a Dragon Ball, "have you ever seen one of these?"
Behind the crowd, the blue-haired teenager's eyes widened with the discovery and excitement, to both Sona and Akeno's immediate notice.
"Nope… nope… never saw anything like it…" The farmer fixed his spectacles before looking once more at the glowing item in Rias's hand, but came up empty nevertheless.
"Wait!" A loud voice summoned the group's attention, from the crowded house entrance. It was an old woman, an elder of the village. "I've seen something just like that before, and I might know where it is… now!"
"You do?!" Rias put away the Dragon Ball, giving the old lady her full attention. Everyone else crowded the woman, even the random passerby teenager.
"Oh, far… far from here, sweetie," she shook her head from side-to-side, reminiscing over the past, "up in a place called FRY-PAN Mountain. My sister, God rest her soul, sold it to treasure collector, Gyu-Mao, the Ox King! The Emperor of demons, nobody messes with him, yessir."
"Emperor of demons…" Rias sighed, as if the name annoyed her.
Sona leaned in, a sneer plastered smugly over her cute face, whispering, "sounds like your brother, huh?"
"Shut up!" The girl snapped back, annoyed by Sona's teasing.
"Well, we got what we came for, right?" Akeno joined the two girls in their conversation. "What should we do now, try and help the villagers out with their problem?"
Rias pondered, sneaking a quick peek at the oblivious monkey boy. "I resent those who go out of their way to pick on the weak," she looked at Akeno, realizing that not long ago this same girl had been the target of said harassment, hence her coming along with Goku on this journey. "We know where the next Dragon Ball is already," she let loose a fantastic grin, "so let's show this lame Oolong character the power of the devil clans!"
The three girls agreed, giggled, then turned to face the old villager. Sona smiled. "Ma'am, we're young, as you can tell, but will you let us help solve this Oolong crisis?"
An audible wave of excited chatter echoed between the attending villagers. Under any normal circumstances the girl's offer would come across as ludacris, but the townsfolk were indeed desperate; and one of the two young boys, Son Goku, took gun fire straight to the dome and miraculously survived, without a single scratch!
"Are we really doing this?" Asked Sairaorg, surprised with the girls' collaborative decision.
Rias nodded. "Why not? Can't hurt to have a little fun before summer ends, right?"
"Wait!" Interrupted the balding, oily farmer. "But even if you defeat Oolong, we don't know where his lair is! How will we free the other girls who've been kidnapped?"
Suddenly, the blue-haired girl smiled and took front stage. "Don't worry about that. Hey, kids," she turned her attention towards Rias and the others, "I've got a brilliant plan, to go along with yours!"
"You?" Rias frowned, unsure of the human teenager's motives.
The older girl turned to the farmer. "Can I borrow some of your daughter's clothes for a little while?"
The young brunette, from earlier, tilted her head in innocent confusion. "Huh? My clothes…?"
Rias and Akeno were stunned, awestruck; Sona grew red in the face, shocked; and Sairaorg couldn't stop himself from bursting out into a fit of hard, uncontrollable laughter.
Goku wasn't happy.
"Why do I have to wear this flappy thing?!" The boy groaned, trying not to trip over the long, black floral skirt he was presently dressed in. His hair was pulled back, hidden by a large cap, covered in decorative flowers. He looked exactly like a young girl say for the tail sticking out from his backend.
The blue girl nodded, satisfied with her work. "Perfect! It's you! It's you!" She knelt in front of the young boy, then gave him instructions, once over. "Now listen… you're going to pretend to be that village girl and let Oolong take you to his lair, okay? Then you beat him up and rescue the girls he's captured! You can take bullets head on, as I've seen, so I'm sure you'll be fine!"
Everyone else was still completely unaware that the others kids held supernatural abilities of their own, so, at the moment, Goku was the town's best bet at beating Oolong. Some villagers had quirks of their own, but this shapeshifter was said to be a real monster.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake with the tremors of loud, methodical footsteps. Another villager burst through the door, shouting: "He's here! It's Oolong!"
"Goku!" Rias quickly ran up to the boy before he could leave. "I'm sure you'll be fine, but if push-comes-to-shove… don't be afraid to call for help."
The teenager ignored the two, looking out into the village square, then yelling loudly: "Everybody hide! Just leave the rest up to us!" She turned and beckoned Goku to come, and he did. She looked down at the cross-dressed boy and nodded. "Okay, Goku, I'm counting on you!"
"You said 'leave it to us'! Aren't you and the others helping?"
"Sure!" Suddenly, she pushed him outside, then slammed shut the door. "I'll be praying for you, in here! Go get em! Just follow my plan, okay?!"
The boy frowned, but did as he was told. It seemed like that was all he was good for. "What a pain…" He kept his head down, then entered the middle of town. "Why can't I just hit him 'n' get it over with?"
SHOOM! SHOOM!
Suddenly, a large presence cast itself over the boy. "HEH, HEH, HEH! There's my cute li'l bride! C'mere honery!"
A huge monster, wearing a high-fashioned, tailored tux, approached Goku from behind. He carried a bouquet of flowers in both oversized palms. Two horns protruded from his head like a mountain goat. He was a dastardly sight alright.
"Huh? 'Zat all you're bringin' for your new married life? Just a stick?!" Immediately, he took quick notice to the orange pole tied on the boy's back.
"Yee-up!" Goku didn't turn, hoping to get the stunt over with. "Now let's get goin' to your lair!"
Oolong was taken aback by the 'girl's' bravery, but only for a moment. "C'mon baby, don't pout! I'm really just a big sweetheart, y'know! HEH! HEH!" He loudly giggled.
While the monster continued talking to Goku, dressed in drag… inside the house, everyone watched the scene play out, attentively, through the window.
"Isn't this kinda weird?" Whispered Sona.
Rias and Akeno exchanged a quick glance. "What do you mean?"
"I mean… that monster, Oolong, is emitting zero magic. He should be like super weak… right?"
"Not necessarily," Rias looked back through the window, "because Goku's the same. There's no magic flowing through him either, and you've seen just how strong he is."
"What's their secret, then?" Sairaorg asked, intrigued by their conversation.
Akeno thought back to the two priests that'd been chasing her, then to the boy that had saved her, Goku. "It's because humans have quirks. Unlike us, their powers aren't magic based. We can't sense their strength, because it's not related to our way of thinking whatsoever."
"Wow, for real? Is that what the farmer was going on about, earlier than? Quirks?"
"Something like that." Sona nodded. "Which makes me wonder… does Goku have a qu—"
"Hey, guys," Akeno suddenly tensed up, "we've got a problem."
Just outside, where all the action was happening, Goku was shivering, but not out of nerves.
…crap, I've gotta pee! The boy shuddered, realizing he'd nearly gone throughout the whole day without using the bathroom even one; and now it was coming back to bite him, and at the worst possible time.
"Oh?! You're scared of my looks, huh?" Oolong flashed a meaty grin. "Then how 'bout… Presto!" The monster suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke, only to reappear as a tall, handsome businessman. Donning a brown trench coat and high-end walking stick, the newly improved Oolong bowed down, smiling politely. "Something a little nicer, don't you agree?"
Goku slowly turned his head, facing the shapeshifter. "Whoa…"
CRACK! Suddenly, the farmer's front door shot wide open, and standing in the archway, hearts inbedded in both her eyes, the young teenager girl lustfully drooled over the monster's new form. "H-Hey there… my name's Bulma! And I'm sweet 16! TEE-HEE!"
"Hey, what are you doing?! Someone get that idiot lady back inside!" A young voice shouted from inside, before two girls ran outside and immediately dragged the ridiculous teenager back into the house. "But, he's so handsome!" The teenager, named Bulma, loudly cried just as the door closed again.
Oolong stood, frozen, perplexed over the events that had just transpired.
"Huh?" Suddenly, he noticed the small village girl nearby a tree, emitting a soft PSSSS… noise.
She's peeing!? The shapeshifter, Oolong, couldn't agree with his eyes. I can't believe this! A young lady like her! How can she do that in public?! Come to think of it, he began to sweat, nervous, how can she do it that way at all? Slowly, Oolong approached Goku's side, then peaked over to glance at the small child.
"GHEEEYAAA!" He shrieked like a wounded coyote and flailed backwards, terrified. "I SAW IT! I SAW IT!" He screamed, disgusted and absolutely petrified. He stared down the boy, rage boiling at his irises. "You're not the girl from yesterday!"
"Wow!" Goku was genuinely impressed. "You figured that out without a pat-pat?! You're good!"
The nerves in Oolong's expression twitched and violently tightened, as his brow creased into a cruel, sharp V; his pupils disappeared soon as his eyes turned a pure, uncanny white; the rows of teeth sharpened like a sharks; and his hair stood up like a wild cat's…
"You… you… you…! How dare you try and deceive the great and terrible Oolong?! PRESTO!" The monster disappeared into another cloud of smoke, before revealing his next form…
"Now you shall see the rage of Oolong! The rage—and the power!" An oversized, red bull stood before Goku, his horns dense and sharp as steel. The monster grinned, aiming his weapons for the excited boy.
"Hey, cool!" Goku finished zipping up his dress. "You turned into an ox!"
"Goku!" A familiar voice shouted, as Akeno, Rias, Sona, and Sairaorg—in that exact order—rushed to join the boy's side. Rias smiled, as she rushed to get next to him. "We're going to plan B! Let's beat him up, but not kill him! Then we'll make the rascal give up where he's keeping the other girls!"
"Ho-kay!" Goku laughed, then threw off the female garb, revealing his regular, dark mountain gi. "That's more like it!" He immediately dropped into a martial arts position.
"Dude, I love your enthusiasm!" Sairaorg laughed, as he too focused on the giant bull standing before the group.
"What?! You're gonna beat me up?! WA HA HA! You're nothing but a bunch 'o' brats!" He scanned the kids surrounding him: two boys and three girls. "Now shut up and bring me that girl from yesterday—and I promise not to kill anybody! Unless one of you girlies would like to take her place!" He grinned, confidently.
"NYAH! NYAH!" Goku stuck out his tongue. "BLEAAHH! Come 'n' get me!"
"NYEH HEH HEH HEH… Makin' fun of me, eh…? Last chance to apologize, kid" His attention disappeared from the rest of the group, focusing solely on the taunting Goku. Something about this kid ain't right…
"C'mon! You first!" Not backing down, Goku reached over his shoulder, bringing forth the power pole. There was zero fear in his eyes.
"I'm only sayin' this once!" The bull clenched his teeth. "I'm strong, see?! I'm past strong!"
Weird, thought Rias, why's this Oolong character not attacking us right now? She glanced over at Sona and Akeno, and the two girls nodded. They were thinking the same thing.
"Oh, come on!" Goku challenged, bringing his pole forward. "I get bored with the talkin' parts! Now c'mon! What are you waiting for?!"
The bull hesitated, nervous. "HEHHH… If you insist…! YAAA! It can't be!" Suddenly, after catching a glimpse of the town clock, Oolong panicked, losing all confidence he'd displayed earlier; as though it were all a stage show.
"Time out! Time out!" The monster screamed, just before turning tail and dashing for the nearest village exit.
"Hey!" Goku yelled, surprised at the tactical retreat.
Outside the village gate, the bull turned a sharp left before combusting back into a dense smokescreen. Slowly, the gas settled… revealing the creature's true form…
"No time outs! Get back here!" Suddenly, two boys slid passed the gate, searching for the retreating bull. Goku and Sairaorg glanced around, stunned.
"Huh?! Wha?!" Goku couldn't wrap his head around Oolong's mysterious disappearance.
"He couldn't have gone far!" Sairaorg shouted, confident the hidden shapeshifter was still somewhere around. He nudged Goku in the arm. "Let's keep looking!"
"Boys!" Immediately, Goku and Sairaorg turned around, face-to-face with a small pig-humanoid, resting with his back to the village fence. He was rather small, shorter than even Goku, and wore what appeared as old-era communist uniform. The pig saluted with his cap, then pointed the other way. "You lookin' for that big creature?"
"Yeah! You see him run by?! Which way'd he go?!" Goku nodded up and down, vigorously.
"That-a-way!" He motioned in the same direction that he'd pointed.
"For real?!" Sairaorg turned to Goku, and the monkey boy nodded. Both quickly ran off.
"Man, that's one fast cow!" Goku scowled and took the lead, with Sairaorg shortly behind.
As he watched the two kids run like the wind and disappear over a hilltop, the pig exhaled, amazed he was able to hold everything in. "That was too close… almost got my cover blown… heh…" Again, he fixed his hat, satisfied. "I'd love to see their faces if they found out they've been cowering in terror from a little piglet, snort!"
Oolong! Quirk: Temporary Transformation! He can change form as quickly and as often as he likes, but only for five minute periods! After that time is up, he requires a full minute to recharge his shape-shifting powers!
"Those darn kids… especially that monkey with the stick, he's not scared at all! What's up with him?! Did I not put enough oomph into my…" Suddenly, Oolong felt all the energy drain out from him, as he turned to face three, peeved girls.
"Huh?" One young girl, with hair a crimson as dark yet vibrant as blood, opened her palm, spawning a dark, wrathful blaze. "Well what do we have here? Oolong, I presume?"
"Aw… fiddlesticks…" He swore, in that very moment, he soiled his pants…
The village crowds were nothing short of astonished, and who could blame them? Everyone was in the front square, surrounding the truly revealed Oolong.
"This is the terrible Oolong?!" Bulma frowned, then crossed her arms.
As everyone took turns getting a glimpse of the little pig-man, and later a few men joined the crowd, back from their trek to Oolongs discovered, secret lair. "We found em', the girls. They're not only alive and well, they're living life to fullest. Couldn't believe it with my own two eyes!"
"For real?" Gaped Rias, now unsure if they hadn't wasted their time to begin with.
The pig sighed, defeated and ready to confess. "Why do you think I wanted a nice girl, shy girl? These chicks're wearin' me out. Take 'em away, please!"
Outside the village, Goku and the others said their goodbyes and were preparing to leave.
"Well, gotta admit, that was pretty fun." Laughed Akeno, as she rested up against Goku's shoulder, ticking off Rias again.
Meanwhile, Sona glanced over Rias's map, figuring out where they would be traveling next. FRY-PAN Mountain was a few days travel by vehicle, alone, so the sooner they left, the better.
"Hey, kids!" The group stopped what they were doing, as the teenager from earlier, Bulma, approached them with the troublemaker, Oolong, unwillingly at her side.
"You? What do you want?" Rias scoffed, annoyed that Bulma had followed them.
The teenager smiled, then suddenly revealed her own golden orb: The Six-Star Dragon Ball.
"To arrange a deal, as it seems that we're all after the same thing here, after all."
Oolong's reign of terror ends with two more attendees to the Dragon Ball Quest?! The adventure returns and will continue, next time, on "Gotta Heed The Call of Magic Dragon Balls!"