Yo! Son Goku and friends! Saiyan Saga (Chapter 26)
Krillin
"Wow, really?" Krillin raised his eyebrows high, appalled.
"Yep." Tien replied immediately, skipping a rock across the water on the shores of Kame House.
Krillin took a minute to process, totally shaken.
"I mean that's…"
Tien nodded his head, his lips squirming almost without his control.
"I didn't want to come to Goku, I think that one's pretty obvious."
"Heh-heh yeah." Krillin rubbed the back of his bald head. "If I remember right, he told me he thought marriage was food the first time he heard of it."
The pair shared a laugh before Tien continued.
"I'm definitely not going to Yamcha seeing just how many times his relationship was on the rocks. And it's not like Piccolo's actually gonna waste his time counseling."
"Got that right."
"You're the only sane one I can turn to."
"Heh. Thanks, friend."
"Nah." Tien shook his head and launched another stone across the waves. "Thank you. If I didn't have you I don't know who I'd tell. Kami?"
They laughed again.
"Yeah right, that old man doesn't need to know about my problems. He's got the weight of the world on his shoulders already, my concerns don't matter."
"I think that's your first mistake."
The Three Eyed Man raised a brow and turned his gaze to the turtle student.
"I think Kami's a pretty good choice even if you might think it's a bit goofy."
"You think so?"
"Why not? It's his job to look after the Earth, and you're part of the Earth right?"
"Huh." Tien responded dumbly, Krillin taking the initiative with his own stone throwing. "I guess so."
The pair skipped rocks for a while and the sun started to set, cascading the colours of burnt orange and indigo onto the shimmering ripples of liquid. The water clapped against the sand outside Kame House as they stood on the island's edges.
"That's tough." Krillin broke the silence again with the shaking of his head.
"Yeah." Is all Tien could say as he emphasised with his widened three eyes. "You guys introduced me to Launch so I'm pretty sure you guys know but she doesn't even remember half the stuff that happens."
Krillin winced and looked down at the sand.
"Yeah…"
"It's a miracle that both of them like me honestly. It'd be strange to only date one half but it's almost worse this way."
Krillin looked up at the skyline and sighed.
"Blue doesn't even know she's a wanted fugitive Krillin. She really just thinks that I'm a dedicated martial artist, which I mean isn't wrong but…"
Krillin's sigh could shake the heavens and he scrunched his face up as he pinched the bridge of his face with his right hand.
"That's not fair of me to skimp out on her and not give Blue a kid but it's also not fair of me to force Launch into parenthood, that's not right."
Krillin shifted his view to the water, his reflection bobbing back and forth as the waves splashed lightly onto the beach.
"I just…"
"If there was just some way to get her to see both parts of herself?"
"Yeah." He exhaled sharply, scoffing. "How tha~ ehh."
Krillin looked back over, in all his battles he had never seen Tien look so defeated and he saw him die.
Krillin walked over and put his arm on his friend's shoulder.
"We'll figure something out…" He glanced down at the sand quickly. "But we gotta do it soon, no more stepping around the issue."
"You're right, you're right." Tien nodded and a bit more confidence crept back into his frame.
"How about that guy you and Goku trained with, wasn't he an expert in Telepathy?"
Tien looked over, confused.
"Yeah but~"
"Couldn't he pry into Launch's mind and reveal both halves to each other?"
Tien just looked at Krillin like he was stupid before he realised.
"Wait… maybe~ You might be onto something!"
"I mean it's not like we can separate her body, it'd have to be mentally. I didn't train with King Kai but isn't he supposed to be super powerful?"
"I'm not sure, but it's worth a shot."
Tien's doughy demeanor stiffened into his true masculine shape. He grabbed his shirt and shot off like a rocket, kicking up a spray of sand in his wake.
"Thanks a bunch, Krillin! I owe you one, nah, I owe you like a thousand! A million!" His voice echoed, slapping and slipping off the slippery slopes of the seawater.
"Do your best!" Krillin roared back, giving a thumbs up as Tien disappeared over the horizon.
Tien
Tien practically broke down the door in his hurried state, Launch's unbothered eyes looked on bewildered, brushing her hair.
"What is it?"
"I gotta take you somewhere special." He huffed out.
"Ooooooh~ how romantic! I was trying to look cute today anyway!"
Tien threw his shirt on the ground and ruffled through his bag on the side with the quickness, hands flying like jabs.
"Where are you taking me?"
"To my new master's planet."
"Planet? He has a whole planet? Gosh." She put her hand in front of her mouth before returning to brushing out the coily volume.
Tien threw on a white undershirt, blue tunic and white cape. He put on his white pants and brown boots, completing the look by tying a red belt around his waist.
"I like that one the most." Launch giggled out, standing up from the desk and stealing a peck from his cheek.
Tien blushed a bit as he debated putting on the black cuffs on the side.
"So?" Launch waited patiently with both hands clasped together.
Tien smiled and grabbed her hand softly, lifting it up to his mouth and kissing it gently. Launch couldn't help herself and let out a squeal of delight.
"Let's go."
She jumped into his arms with glee.
"I love it when we fly."
Tien wasted no time, soaring through the main lobby quickly before touching down in a drive-by.
"Can you get the door, babe?"
"Hee-hee." Launch laughed as she turned the knob, to which her boyfriend danced around in a pirouette and pointed her at the other side.
Launch closed the door and The Crane leaped into the sky, vanishing under the pelting snow.
Goku
"Bulma, why are they pouring all this water on me?"
"It's so that you look like you're sweating when you do your punches."
"But I'm not sweating, that would be like lying wouldn't it?"
"No. Uh~" She massaged her temples with her index fingers. "Goku. You're just trying to sell the image."
"What do you mean by image?" Goku questioned as studio staff lathered the young father in oil.
He wore a pouty frowny face.
"It's basically what people know you for. You throw a couple punches in front of the camera and it looks really badass. You're a low-key icon since we've seen you in the last three Budokais. People who have been to these events know who you are. People know a little kid with a strange hairdo beat Demon King Piccolo." Bulma said as sassy energy reverberated off her frame in a distinct aura.
"So I just throw a couple punches?"
"Goku, just do what you normally do. I've seen you run your routine countless times. Just stand on that tape they put on the ground and do your thing. These guys operating the camera, and the ones in the editing room are the ones doing the hard work, you got it easy."
"If you say so."
"Hmph." Piccolo let out, a scoff accompanying, standing on the tape with of course, arms crossed. "I can't believe I agreed to this."
"Well, tough luck. You're gonna make Capsule Corp. look bad if you bow out now."
"I thought I was just getting my runback against Goku at the tournament, not doing a hair commercial."
"Piccolo, you don't have hair."
"Shut up, Mongrel."
"Huh-Hah-Hah!"
One of the cameramen pulled Goku aside.
"Lose the undershirt."
"The blue one?"
"Yes."
Goku complied, taking it off and then putting his arms back through the holes of the orange vest.
"And the boots." He commanded as he rounded back behind the camera, eyeing him through the lens.
"Why am I taking off my clothes?" Goku asked as he plopped his boots next to his shirt. Cast and crew looked on as the weighty apparati started to dip in the ground. The Demon's sigh flew out of his mouth at light speed and he lifted the loose clothing with a warping fit of Telekinesis.
"That was the last thing people saw at The 23rd. You took off your weighted training gear and people got hype."
Goku instinctively started doing his stretches to which the cameraman called out.
"That's perfect! Do that over the tape!"
"Over here?"
"Yes! Over there!" He pointed declaratively.
Goku got into it a little bit more, a smile creeping across his face. The cameraman spoke up again.
"Oh it's too perfect, the contrast." He mimed a larger-than-life gesture, uncontainable by his flailing arms. "Keep that face, you're doing a great job, Piccolo!"
He just stared into the camera with an ice cold expression. The camera rolled for a little bit until the man from behind it called out.
"Okay, Goku, start doing your thing in~ 3! 2! 1! Action!"
"Phu!" He punched sharply, the air snapping from the momentum of his fist.
King Kai
The North Kai snickered as Piccolo entered the doorframe to his house.
"Laugh it up while you can, old man."
"You walked out of there without even getting paid. You could have gotten some real money from that advertisement. I thought you were taking an interest in Earthling practices."
Piccolo sighed as he sat down opposite the Kai. Gregory flew around in swooping arcs, buzzing and lighting the place with his bright lights.
"I don't need money. Bulma houses me on the days I don't feel like sleeping outside. My mind needn't be dulled by the worldly pleasures. Now enough with the chat and let's get on with it."
King Kai smirked as Piccolo closed his eyes in focus. The two sat across from each other while criss-cross in an empty vacuum of space.
This is the state of Kai Telepathy. North Kai uses an empty maroon and indigo backdrop with 4 distinct walls on each side as he lets thoughts pull at him from any direction, the more common interests the easier it is to see, hear, or feel. That is why North Kai can easily detect when someone is talking to him or about him tangentially, the threads of Telepathy pull at him in this room when people mention him somewhere. If King Kai wasn't already training with Piccolo at the time he would have more easily heard Tien and Krillin talking about him.
After what felt like hours, Tien and Launch appeared on The Kai's planet with Baba's assistance. Tien's smile was broken as he heard his girlfriend gear up for a sneeze due to the harsh change in environment.
"AH~CHYUUU!"
Her hair coiled up into a harsh blonde and she shook it out. Her left brow raised high as a kite, and her shoulders slumped at the beating they took in the new environment.
"Uhhh~ Tien! Whattawe doin' hea?" She asked while taking slow strides. "And why it feel like trash to walk around!?"
"This is my master's hideout, I told you we'd be coming here." He visibly sweat out.
"Didja'?" She put her hands on her hips and sharpened her bro at him.
"Yeah, I did. I wanted to introduce you to him, his name is King Kai."
"Sure, whateva'." Launch shot back sarcastically, walking through the doorframe and loudly interrupting the training. "Whicha' you is King Kai?"
The North Kai's Telepathic dimension was practically shattered open by Launch just behind him.
"You gotta be him cuz' that's Piccolo!" Launch stated in a declaration.
King Kai shuddered in disbelief as the pushy blonde haired woman yelled at him.
"Tien?"
"Hey." Tien replied sheepishly, kind of gritting his teeth as he rubbed his nape.
"What is she doing here?"
"Look, we need to talk, Launch."
"Well I'm right hea'."
"King Kai, do you know about multiple personality disorder?"
The Kai just drooped his head low, his eyebrows telling the whole story.
"There's something you don't know about yourself, Launch, and I need King Kai's help so that I can help you."
"Ayyy! I didn't sign up for any sort of therapy! I can't believe you~"
Tien grabbed her arms on both sides, his three eyed gaze locking her down.
"Please, it's not what you think it is…"
She wormed her tongue around in her cheek, razor sharp eyebrows staring back at him. Launch gave in, crossing her arms in a huffy manner and turning around to face The Kai.
"So what am I doing?"
"Launch has two selves."
"Bullshit!"
"-And I need to know if you can get the two of them to talk to each other."
"Oh wow…"
Tien nodded, a lone drop of sweat swimming down his cheek.
"I know I'm asking a lot, this can't be easy even for someone of your caliber."
"You don't know who you're talking to, I'll get it done in 10 seconds."
Before she could blink, Launch was inexplicably surrounded by a starry indigo and maroon box, her gaze was stolen by the even unevenness of the infinity. It was surely a room, four walls, a roof, and a floor, but it seemed to stretch on forever even past the four clear corners.
"What's goin' on hea' huh!? Youa' givin' me the heebie jeebies you muthafucka'!"
King Kai appeared before her like a ghostly apparition, floating just a few feet away from her.
"Ayy! You stay away from me you fat~"
King Kai's form tore right through her, his palm slamming into her head except it didn't send her anywhere, only dragging Blue out from her body and sending her crashing into the floor.
"Oww!" She cried out in a cutesy voice, rubbing the top of her head and slightly shifting the red bow.
"Hah!?" Launch cried out with a raised brow and intense eyes.
King Kai floated around, observing.
"Youa' tha' bitch that's been fuckin' with my man! I'd know that blue hair anywhere!"
"Huh?" Is all Blue could get out before Launch already had her hands on her, grabbing at the top of her deep black shirt.
King Kai snapped his fingers and Tien appeared between the two of them, pushing Launch's more aggressive form away with his left hand.
"Stop!" He looked at her harshly, hand on her collarbone.
"Tien!" Blue cried, grabbing onto his right arm tightly and hiding behind his frame. "I was worried for a moment there."
"Bitch!" Launch screamed, peering around Tien's shoulder with a menacing glare, fire in her eyes as she pointed with her index at the imposter. "It was you!"
"You're both the same person!"
"Hah!?"
"Whut?"
"Geh…"
King Kai snapped his fingers and a meditative Piccolo floated next to the Kai.
"I get to see that loud mouth Mongrelette have a psychological evaluation? Now this I gotta see."
"Oh great…" Tien thought to himself. "Not only does my master get to watch me hash it out with my girlfriend but Piccolo too?"
"Get youa' hands off him, heffa!"
"Calm down, isn't it pretty obvious? Same height, same shape, same hair even just different colours."
"Nah, this hoe couldn't pull off my style even if she wanted it!"
"You're just mad that I make this shirt look good." Blue finally fought back, hiding behind Tien's frame again just as quick as she came out.
"You're wearing the same clothes!" Tien shouted as he stopped Launch mid-way.
"Get youa' hands offa ha', Tien!"
"She's you! How many times do I have to say that?"
Launch sharpened her brow and Blue peered back with her own curious glance.
"Look, can we just settle down and talk things through? You two are clearly wearing the same clothes, doesn't that strike you as odd?"
"Well I always believed you, Tien." Blue responded quickly, tightening her grip on his arm. "I think it's my other half that's having trouble."
"Shaddap."
Tien took a moment to steel himself before he turned his back on Launch, looking into Blue's eyes.
"I never told you this but the reason we're always on the road is because back in the day you were a dangerous criminal, you're wanted now. And I don't want you to suffer the consequences of something you didn't do."
Blue put a finger to her lip and blinked a few times, mystified.
"I guess I do remember that time I woke up with a grenade belt. That was weird, I threw em' in the garbage though."
"So you threw my grenades in the trash! I stole those fair and square!"
"Chill." Tien commanded, turning back around for a moment.
"Why you takin' her side, hah!?"
"You're a wanted criminal, Launch! She deserves to know that!"
"She don't look like me! They gonna put the cuffs on ha'!?"
"But they have DNA evidence, I'm sure if they pursued her they would catch her."
"That's her fault for not bein' hard enough, Sweetheart."
"Agh~" Tien struggled. "Okay…"
Blue somewhat childishly stuck her tongue out at Launch.
"Ayy! You watch your~"
Tien grabbed onto Launch tight, forcing her back.
"Easy, easy. We can solve this."
"So you've been dating someone else this whole time?" Blue whimpered with teary eyes.
"No, Princess, I would never."
"You call me Princess cuzza this heffa!?"
"Enough!" Tien screamed, forcing both to quiet down. "Hahhh… sorry for yelling."
He closed his eyes and prodded at his temple with a solitary finger, massaging the area.
"Look, I wanted to give our relationship a real chance, and that's not fair to one of you if I only date the other. What if I got you pregnant?"
The tension in the room silenced immediately.
"That's clearly not fair to one of you, it'd be…"
Launch looked down to the ground, loud mouth not mouthing off.
"Is that why you asked, hun?"
Tien nodded. Launch walked forward and hugged on him tightly.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
Blue looked on with a slight twinge of anger, pushing it back a bit.
"I didn't know this was so hard on you." Launch said as she dug her arms in tighter around his well muscled physique.
"Thank you."
Blue backed away, releasing her hold on him, teary eyed.
"Blue…"
"You like her more, don't you?"
Tien liked Launch more than Blue without a shadow of a doubt.
"That's not true, I like you both the same, you're still the one I want to be with for the rest of my life." Tien pointed a declarative finger as he walked towards her, breaking free from Launch.
"Then…"
"Look, I really don't want to have to say it but this has been super hard on me too, Princess."
"Does my choice not matter!?"
Tien swallowed harshly.
"I could tell you weren't as excited as I was! You don't want kids, do you!?"
Launch looked back as tears flew from her other half's eyes, her intense gaze piercing right through her.
"Buh~" She got out dumbly before Blue pressed the issue.
"Answer me!"
"You kiddin' me? Course I don't want kids! I'm not sum housewife! I'm just a low life criminal…" Her eyes also welled up, feeling great empathy from her other half.
"Don't say that." Tien cocked his head and turned back around.
"I wouldn't be a good mutha', good muthas don't rob banks. They deserve someone better than me."
Blue couldn't help it, totally breaking down and falling to her knees in wails.
"Ah-haaaaaa~"
"Stupid." Launch got out before succumbing to the waterfall of tears herself.
Tien grabbed both of them by the hands, standing up Blue.
"I'm hu~hu~ sorrrrry~" Blue apologised, barely able to get out anything under her sobbing.
Blue went over to hug Launch and she accepted, pressing her head down onto her chest.
"Why am I so damn sad?"
"Ah-haaaaaaa~"
Tien stood stunned for a moment before just saying 'fuck it', wrapping his arms around the both of them in a group hug. The trio shared in the moment, completely forgetting that they had an audience of two waiting in the wings just outside their huddle.
"Damn it, why'd I have to go an cry like that in fronta' Tien?"
Blue blinked a bunch as the tears dissipated.
"Sniff~ Ah-Chuuuu!" Blue sneezed but nothing happened.
"That's what does it."
"Really? Just like that?" Launch questioned, Tien nodding. "Huh."
"So what's the verdict?" Tien posited, putting his hands on his hips.
"About whut?"
"Kids."
They both grit their teeth and looked the other way.
"This isn't gonna be easy, is it?"
Launch crossed her arms as Blue fixed the red bow atop her hair.
"I want them." Blue said plainly.
"Ahhh~ Fine!" Launch yelled. "I want them too but I don't think we should have them. It's irresponsible."
"Why is it irresponsible?"
"Even if we both stayed at the house and raised them up the whole time we'd only remember half of what we did! That aaand our kids would probably freak out when we changed!"
"Hmm." Blue grunted out, pouty lips.
"An' Tien don't even want em' so there's two votes for you, Sweetheart." Launch waved Blue away with a sassy right hand. "Case dismissed."
"Tien…" Blue looked to her man with puppy dog eyes.
"Agh…"
"Ayy! Why you doin' him like that?" Her voice cracked as Blue embraced him.
"He's my man. I get to do him how I want."
"Errrrrr…" Launch shook her fist angrily, barely holding it in.
"You said you wanted them too."
"I did say that." He mumbled, rubbing his nape again.
"Tch." Launch smacked her lips, rolling her eyes and shaking her head, her bushy blonde locks jiving dramatically.
Tien looked up at the ceiling of the box, internally screaming.
"Launch."
Both of their heads snapped onto him in an instant.
"Tell me the reasons you want kids and we'll decide right here, right now. We can't go any further until we have this figured out."
Tien sat down criss cross, beckoning and patting the ground around him. The pair complied and they sat in a triangle formation. After they settled in, Tien took off his cape and handed it to Blue.
"Whoever has this cape is the only one who can talk, if we divvy up the attention then it'll be easier for us to communicate."
"That's a great idea!" Blue cheered, clapping her hands.
"This sucks." Launch let her face fall onto her right fist, leaning on it as Tien handed her other half the cape.
"You clearly want this development in our relationship the most, so you have first dibs."
"Okay! So~"
Blue yapped on and on as Piccolo and King Kai observed the trio's spat.
"Didn't think I'd ever be doing this with my Telepathic capabilities."
"Yeah, I thought that Mongrel was just loud, I didn't know just how much of a pain she was."
"I'd say Tien thinks it's worth it."
"Well I think he's wrong."
"Hagh-ha-ha! I can at least say your Telepathy is improving, your thoughts are reaching me with full coherency."
Piccolo nodded, mouth closed but shifting into a sly smile. Blue continued to talk up a storm as Tien intently listened and Launch yawned in boredom, the shifting galaxy around her pulling her attention away.
PaoPao
A girl with almost black hair tied into two distinct and tight buns on each side of her head prayed with both hands pressed together tightly. She was in deep focus and the room possessed dancing shadows perpetrated by candles in a square formation around her figure. She wore a deep brown crop top and loose but still form fitting black joggers that flared out a bit at the bottom before they funneled into the cuff. She let in deep breaths before expelling them with ritualistic exhales.
She breathed in one final time and stood up, blowing out the four candles with a smooth wave of her palm. She smiled and made her way to the back of the dark room and opened the door. It was morning, the bright unmistakable light spilling in through the glass walls. Raindrops pelted and washed down the sides of the building and she rejoiced in the slow but steady trickle sound of water as she made her way to her old-timey black tea kettle. She lifted the lid and poured herself a cup, standing next to the expensive-appearing marble counter.
She eyed the TV from across the room as she sipped her tea, pouring one more glass before daintily jogging over and flopping down on her also seemingly expensive black leather couch. She turned it on with the remote and sunk deep into the furniture. A long sword with a green handle and orange tassels hung on a steel plate atop the wall above her television. After a while, and realising there was no more drink to be drunk, she danced about the building to attain a refill.
"Phu! Phu! Phu!" "Zzzzzzyuwuttt! Zzzt~"
The television cut to what was essentially just a grey background. Intense and echoing kata entered from offscreen, someone practicing just out of view, sweat flying off him as he struck. He exhaled and projectile perspiration flung all around him with each punch. The screen cut to black and then to another figure, electricity forming in his green hand. The girl furrowed her brow, definitely interested as she scrambled to make her way back to the couch. The screen cut again to a pair of antennae and the top of a bald green head. The screen cut one last time to Goku and Piccolo standing opposite each other, Goku doing his characteristic leg stretches as Piccolo stood with stoicism, arms crossed.
"That's~" She practically leaped up, almost spilling all of her tea, a pointed finger right at the TV.
"You thought we were done?"
There was no voiceover, just immaculately edited sunsetting red text. It slammed and then cracked, flaming on the steely and more worn down grey background. Along with the letters came the sound of bombastic screeching metals.
"You should be watching."
"No way…" She thought as she took a deep drain from her glass.
"24 Tenkaichi Budokai"
"May 7th"
"Yes!" She jumped up, squealing in delight and then subsequently spilling her drink all over the elaborately designed carpet, mirroring the expensive looking rest of the home. "Darn it…"
Krillin
Krillin and Tien rode an elevator, soft hums and clicks as it passed by the slight divots on the way up. Krillin raised his brow questioningly.
"So how'd it go?"
"Messy, but I guess I'd still call it a win."
"Hegh-haha. If you have to guess, is it really a win?"
"Ha-ha-ha. I don't know."
"What's the move from here?" Krillin brought up a drink with a label on it, a logo with a panda's face smiling with a green circle around it, taking a slow sip as the elevator doors opened to a spacious loft with no separate rooms.
Tien breathed out harshly though his cheeks, looking up at the ceiling fan.
"I'm taking her to King Kai's periodically to get her to remember what she does between sneezes. Neither of them seemed very happy about that."
"Yeah, that's gotta be crazy. Can't imagine how much that musta put everything in perspective."
Tien shook his head and the pair sat down on the grey couch, staring out the glass walls facing the outside as they opened their foam boxes containing lunch.
"You hear about The 24th?"
"Yeah, Yamcha told me, pretty crazy. I didn't think it was coming back honestly, we've fucked up that arena every single time we've been."
"That's right, Yamcha claims Goku turned into a giant monkey at The 21st."
"He did. It was wild."
"That's bullshit."
"He did, I swear on everything Goku did that."
"Then why can't he do it on command?"
"It's the light of the full moon, he also needs his tail, which of course, is long gone by now."
Tien sat back on the couch, stuffing his face with some chicken and rice, thinking thoughtfully.
"Huh."
"You wrecked the place with the Tri-Beam at The 22nd."
"Oh yearh, I did." Tien laughed out through sloppy chews of his food. "Ha-ha!"
"Then Piccolo blew everyone away with that explosive bomb of energy at The 23rd. Yeah. Every Single Time we've been to The Tenkaichi Budokai we've remodeled the arena. What about that? Huh." Krillin capstoned his statement with a hearty chomp of his food.
"So you goin'?"
"Honestly? I don't know, I feel like I'm kind of tapped out of competing. I feel like the only thing I have left to do with my martial arts is compete against myself. Ya know?"
"Chom. Chum. Gull. Yeah, I respect that." As soon as it left The Crane's lips he went back down to gobbling down the rice.
"You?"
Tien finished up eating, dabbing at his face with the napkin provided in the box.
"Of course. As always. Whoever wins the exhibition is gonna have to face me and I'd like my rematch with either of them."
"Exhibition?"
"Yeah."
Krillin just raised a brow as he put a fork through one of the broccoli nodes.
"You don't know about the exhibition?"
"Well my priorities are kind of elsewhere, I didn't pay all that much attention when Yamcha was talking about it."
"They're selling the event with an exhibition match after the finals starring Goku and Piccolo. The arena was blown up before their last match concluded so the tournament organisers officially declared it a draw. And of course, there's the fact that Goku definitely got his ass kicked and we illegally jumped the other competitor."
"Ohp~"
"Mmhmm." Tien smirked wide. "And whoever wins the tournament gets to face the winner of the exhibition."
"Well you said you'd like a rematch with either? When has Piccolo beaten you? I don't recall you guys ever one on oneing on The Lookout."
"It was in Other World."
"Oh."
Tien got up and stretched, yawning a bit, his third eye producing a small pool of water.
"I think I'm about to head out, this week has been exhausting."
"I'll bet."
Tien's mouth squirmed around as he placed his hand on the smooth couch leather, hopped over it, and headed towards the elevator.
"Krillin?"
"What's up?" He put his arm over the seat.
"Are you sure you don't want to give The 24th a go? I feel like you're gonna be missing out."
"Hehhh~" He fell back into his seat with a large sigh before standing right back up. "We've gotten so strong now that I feel like I need to abide by a certain level of responsibility."
Tien furrowed his brow.
"We were already crazy strong back in the day, but now? Tien, I can feel the energies of the world's greatest fighters from miles away and they're…" Krillin averted his gaze to that of the window. "...they're not even close anymore. I don't want to hurt anybody accidentally, and I feel like I'm taking away the opportunity from someone else."
Tien looked at the ground for a moment, nodding slowly.
"I feel ya, but, the majority of the people at Papaya island are there to watch the best of the best go crazy, not see someone new get crowned king. They don't care so much about the commoners, Krillin, they want to see Goku and Piccolo shoot laser beams." Tien's laugh ushered one out of the turtle student as well.
"Yeah… I guess you're right."
"Thanks for treating me to lunch."
"Anytime, Champ."
"I thought that was Yamcha's nickname."
"Well, trying to conquer your girlfriend's multiple personality disorder is the mark of a champion if you ask me, so I think you've earned it."
Tien couldn't help but smile as the doors to the elevator opened and closed swiftly.
Kami
"You want me to bless the arena?" Kami asked.
Soft winds caressed and caused shivers. Up so high in the atmosphere choked up Bulma a bit. Every breath just slightly more uncomfortable than the last. Yamcha kneeled down and rubbed his hand along the white chalk below The Guardian of Earth's feet.
"Yeah, just reinforce the tiles like you did when we were up here training, no big deal, right?. That way Goku, Piccolo, or Tien won't ruin the arena like they do every year."
"Heh-heh-heh. Fair enough." The Guardian of Earth chuckled. "Popo?"
Yamcha and Bulma looked towards each other excitedly.
"Yes!" Bulma cheered in her mind. "The less money wasted the better."
"Yes, Kami?" Popo responded with his deep and polite voice.
"Do you think you can watch The Lookout while I'm gone?"
"Do you still trust me, Kami?"
"Popo, it is not your doing, you must forgive yourself. It was Garlic's evil ambitions that took over The Lookout, you hold no blame. It is my burden to bear."
"You are too kind."
"I am ready, whenever you need me." The Green God smiled brightly.
"Thank you so much, that'll be a lot of help."
"It is of no matter to me."
"Dope, we'll see you down there on May 7th, just like always. The tournament is still being held on Papaya Island!"
"See you then young Yamcha, Bulma." He bowed to the both of them, Bulma returning the favour as Yamcha pulled her by the hand and waved the pair off, leaping into the sky with his partner in tow.
"We are in good graces now, Kami."
"I agree, I feel at ease finally. I have not felt this way since Goku first faced off against Piccolo's reincarnation, I feel that this prosperity will last for a while now."
He was mildly correct, but it really just depends on what you consider to be a while.
Yulin
The girl sighed in a pouty way, hands pushing up on her cheeks, her bow tie hair bobbing down as she sat at the steps of what looked like an apartment. A man stepped down the staircase brandishing a wad of cash, smiling as he sifted through them like a flip-book.
"We need better management skills, Yulin." She said to herself as she clawed at her cheek bones, dragging down her skin in an over dramatic fashion.
She eventually let her head rest on the knuckles of her left hand, lazily sitting on the concrete steps for a long time, the bright morning lights shining until the regular daytime sunlight came around. Another man, this time with a blue attire and cap pulled around, a cheery attitude and bright smile.
"You wouldn't happen to be Yulin, would you?"
"Hahhh~" She let out a harsh sigh, shifting her powerful gaze to the man before her. "It's Yu-rin."
The man blinked a few times, giving the mail in his hand a once over.
"Well this is you isn't it?"
He flashed the thin rectangular parchment.
"Yeah…" She snatched it, eyes immediately caught by the sender's signage.
"My mistake then, have a good day ma'am." He bowed with his cap, jogging off the premises pretty immediately.
The letter read as follows:
It's me, I know we haven't talked in a long time but better late than never, right?
The Tenkaichi Budokai is finally back, I couldn't believe it when I saw the advert on the television. I think it's finally time we settle this sibling rivalry! :D What say you, Fried Chicken? I know father will be watching over us when we step into the ring.
With love, little sis :)
"That little bitch!" Yulin crumpled the paper in her hand swiftly but her genuine smile told a different story from her words. "I wonder if that poser is gonna attend too?" Her happy thoughts were broken up as she aimed her sights skyward.
The woman's previous giddy grin fell away into a more vicious scowl and she stomped back towards the doors of the apartment complex.
Bulma
Mic walked around behind Bulma in her garage, her father tooling away at an archway device of some sort. The pair strolled right up to it, Mic blinking rapidly and lowering his sunglasses to get a better look at it.
"Wow. Is this it?"
Bulma nodded with a smile.
"Remarkable… I, err… pardon me, but how do we tell how strong the combatants are?"
Dr. Brief got out from under the archway, sliding on a flat metal board, the wheels squealing loudly. He cleared his throat of a phlegmy cough into his left fist and dusted himself, loose grey stains and the like tattering his lab coat. The man brushed his hair and shook it over before walking towards the table behind the pair and grabbing a tablet. Dr. Brief handed the tablet off to Mic, who, was unprepared.
"This is it?"
"Hah-heh." Dr. Brief laughed out. "I hope so, that'd be a shame if I did all that work for nothing."
Bulma smiled and shook her head.
"Give the normies a break, dad."
"Hah-heh."
Mic scratched the side of his bushy blonde hair and examined the tablet.
"How do I… Oh!" He found a red button on the side and pressed it, it displaying a counter in the middle of the screen with the number zero in bright green. The words 'battle power' displayed in red at the top.
"The archway isn't done yet so we can't actually use the tablet." Bulma stated, her hand flopping down in a sassy manner. "But we've got a few months so my dad can definitely get your little project done for you."
"Thanks a ton, this'll be way better for business and entry. Once people realise there will be separate divisions based on power it'll be a lot better for everyone. What do you think the number for supernatural is?"
"I don't know, me and dad are only like three units or something." Bulma jogged over to a table on the other side, picking up the Scouter and turning it on, placing it over her right eye and scanning the two men. "Yeah. Dad's three and you're four, I don't really have a good reference for these things yet, all I know is that our boys are around 7,000 now."
"Wow." Is all Mic could get out, rapidly blinking behind his shades.
Gohan
Raditz sat in the corner of Gohan's room sitting on his bed and throwing a red bouncy ball against the wall as his nephew scribbled away on his school work. Periodically the little half-Saiyan would glance over at Raditz and then quickly back towards his answering sheet. This went on for a while until Raditz caught him, staring back with a ferocity, spooking the little lad.
"Hah-Hah! Sorry little one, but you make it too easy."
Gohan just sharpened his brow and went back to work, his brown tail jiving back and forth like a happy dog.
"I know you want to learn about the Saiyans so you might as well ask."
The boy looked up, and halted his studies abruptly as his uncle spoke. Turning around and putting his little paws over the back support of the chair, eyeing him like he were a monarch, or royalty of some kind, eyes twinkling. Raditz scoffed and then laughed.
"Boy, you have to ask if you want something, you can't just expect people to read your mind and give you everything without warning you know." He bounced the ball harshly off the wall and caught it in a dramatic flair. "So speak up." He made eye contact to reinforce his point and then went back to bouncing it.
Gohan thought to himself for a moment, his right index glued to his lip as he shifted his gaze to the ceiling.
"Why do we have tails?"
"Pretty standard question I suppose." Raditz fought back a chuckle and caught the ball, forgoing throwing it anymore and placing it gently beside him on the covers. "Well the real reason is because our tails are the source of our power, we use them to transform under the light of a full moon, we do this because the Bluntz Waves are at their most potent during that time in a cycle and cause a chain reaction with our tails that impacts the rest of our bodies."
"So that's why dad always told me to never look at the moon."
"Suppose so, your tail would cause you to transform into a mighty beast, we call it The Oozaru."
"Hmm." Gohan pondered, shifting the red titans cap on his head.
"A Saiyan's tail is also why we're so good at fighting, our tails provide us with a great center of gravity, we can generate a lot more force when on the ground if we still have our tails, it's pretty easy to lose them considering they don't grow back if cut off during adulthood. My father lost his in battle a long time ago. I'm pretty lucky to still have mine."
Gohan raised his eyebrow sky high.
"They can grow back?"
"Only until around 14 or so, that's when most Saiyans start going through puberty and changing into an adult. By that time usually your tail's not gonna grow back if it's cut off."
"Wow."
There was an awkward pause as Raditz leaned back, staring up at the ceiling.
"What do the Saiyans do?"
"We conquer planets and then hand them off to Lord Frieza. The Saiyans used to just do it for their own amusement and to test their limits but ever since the Cold Estate took over the proud warrior race has just had to twiddle their thumbs waiting for the right opportunity to take back what's theirs."
Gohan ruminated before continuing his questioning.
"Who's Lord Frieza?"
"Lord Frieza is..."
Raditz answered Gohan's questions all day long, the boy dreaming up wacky scenarios later that night based on what his uncle had told him.
"Dad?" He asked Goku, tucking him in.
"What is it?" He replied, bopping Gohan's nose with his index finger.
"Do you regret not having your tail?"
"Huh-Hah! Where'd this come from?" Goku ruffled his son's hair, messing up the bowl cut his wife had made.
"Raditz told me."
"Are you getting along with him better, son?"
"Yeah."
"That's great, I appreciate you being a big man and exercising forgiveness."
Goku kissed the top of his forehead, making him blush. The father sharpened his brow, taking his right hand and placing it right under his chin in thought as he sat down at the other end of the bed.
"Yeah, I think I'd prefer to still have my tail. I miss it a lot when I think about it, but, when you grow up you just gotta roll with the punches. My tail's no longer here so~" Goku shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "-shouldn't waste time worrying about it."
A deep respect filled Gohan's eyes as he watched Goku walk out of the room, closing the door behind him with a smile.
Muramasse
The enormous brown bear stomped across the grass, slashing through the tall weeds and rinds of bushes and trees until he came across the clearing.
"Hmm." He grunted with stoicism, placing his large sword over his shoulder and walking towards the loud construction.
The construction of the arena was almost complete. Only a single month out until May 7th.
The brown bear spooked the nearby construction workers until they saw him sit down on the dirt in a criss-cross meditation, eyes closed. After a long time of reflection the bear opened his eyes to see a blue haired woman and a greyish cauliflower haired man with a mustache bolstering an archway into place, gadgets and lights surrounding the metal walkway. They banged at it for a while before it hummed to life, the girl smacking her hands against each other to get the dust and dirt off, wiping her brow as she finished.
The man and the woman high fived and walked past Muramasse, throwing down a Capsule and then subsequently soaring off into the aether on an airplane. A blonde haired man instructed one of the staff to stand in the walkway and then blew a gasket at something.
"Who-hoo~ It actually works! They're something else! Get in here, try this thing out!"
Most of the crew abandoned their post and marveled at the item, all Muramasse could do was raise an eyebrow in intrigue. The blonde haired man with sunglasses finally saw the brown bear, eyes wide.
"Don't do it boss…" One of the men in the orange and purple robes pleaded.
"Hey! You!"
Muramasse turned his head to face the man.
"Yeah! Get over here man! Come on!"
Muramasse got up and stomped over to where the man was waving him in from, each step forcing the surrounding men to cower in fear.
"You look like a strong fella, you mind stepping in on this metal plate."
The bear complied immediately, the staff's eyes all simultaneously just about flew out their sockets. The displayed number was:
Battle Power
422
Tien
Tien and Launch giggled as they entered the inn, laughing as they sprinted down the hallway, holding hands and hiking up the stairs before they finally got to the back of the establishment. Tien smiled brightly, which was returned by Launch and they opened the door to room 225. The couple slammed the door closed and made their way towards the bed while in full embrace. There was a palatable tension as they roughly tore off their clothes and made their way towards their destination until:
"AH~CHYUUUU!"
Tien exhaled loudly and averted his gaze. Blue stared back embarrassed and enveloped herself in the sheets, tears in her eyes.
"Hahhh…" Tien let out frustratedly, flopping onto the bed beside her.
Her lip quivered and she stuttered out.
"I'm sorry. It's just…" She glanced at her boyfriend quickly before turning back around. "Now that I know it, it feels so gross. I know that you're with that other girl. I don't feel like I'm even in control anymore…"
Tien facepalmed with his left hand.
"It's not fair…" She whimpered. "I want you to myself, but I can't."
Tien had nothing to say, Blue just whimpered out in cries. Tien wormed his lip around and turned to put his arm around her.
"Please don't touch me…"
Tien laid back, staring at the emptiness of the dark room, cursing himself and his inability to solve the problem before him.
"Fuck."