Haha! Son Goten & Trunks! Babidi Saga (Chapter 21)
Goku
Goku pressed his hands into the Earth, the grounded feedback of dry grass and supple dirt clenched into him as he pressed away and did handstands. He came close, then pushed out again, over and over, a steady routine. The nearby deer and doe frolicked, some content to bend over and brush the man with their snouts. He smiled and breathed in deep, his belly expanding before intaking more clean air.
Off of his frame left tiny bubbles of energy.
"There we go…" Goku commented as he felt the surge. "That's what I'm looking for…"
Other wildlife came by and parked at the edge of the treeline, some insects content to ignore their programming to sincerely gaze upon the truly ethereal energy coalescing around the strange man doing handstand pushups. The glistening aura around him reverberated, expanding in size before retreating inwards.
"Hmm… I can't seem to hold onto it for free. It Has to go somewhere. It isn't like regular Ki… I could charge my regular energy just fine forever it feels like but I have to focus that stuff to a point, and it's hard to keep focus and do something else."
Fwomp!
Goku fell into a criss-cross applesauce, gazing up at the passing clouds.
"Is something like The Spirit Bomb even that useful? When am I gonna have the time to charge it..? It's not like the enemy is gonna just stand there and take it, that would be silly."
Before he knew it, the soft crunch of shoes on gravel sounded off into Goku's ears and he sat up, eyeing a man in a suit and tie.
"Hello." At his voice, the woodland critters snapped out of their trance and made their way to the treeline, all manners of animals at his beck and call content to flee at a moment's notice at the lack of the glowing aura surrounding him.
"Hi! Huh-Hah!" Goku giggled as he brushed off his blue pants and stood to full height, shaking the man's hand with a smile on his face. "Who are you?"
"My name is Antiq. I'm here for something that should look like an orange ball with stars?"
"... Really? You're looking for a Dragon Ball?"
"Yes."
"Oh shoot, let me go grab that."
"Thank you." He answered, crossing his arms and standing on the road to Goku's humble abode.
Vwa-Vish!
The man's eyes widened as the athletic youth before him simply teleported out of existence.
"What!?"
Vu-Vush!
"Dad!"
"Hey! I gotta borrow this Dragon Ball." Son Gohan's father commented as he plucked it off the deep brown desk, palming it and assuming the position.
"What are you gonna do with it?"
"Oh! Someone's looking to make a wish I guess."
"But dad~ what if they use it to wish for something bad?"
"That's not for me to determine, son. If they need to make the wish it's not like I have any right to tell them they can't do it."
"..."
"..."
Vwa-Vuish!
"Here you go."
"Thank you, sir. I wasn't expecting this to be so easy but… here's for The Dragon Ball."
The man brandished a pod, clicking in the middle node and unscrewing it to reveal a steaming, foggy suitcase. Goku's hands touched up against the cold metal and the man simply walked down the hill to where his fancy black skycar was parked.
Clicc-Clicc.
"Hey! I don't need this much money!" Goku hollered over the hills as Antiq paid no mind and slammed his driver's side door shut, blasting off into the aether above Mount Paozu.
Vrrnnnnnnnnnn~Fyuuuu~
"Huh." He shrugged. "Oh well." As Goku watched the skycar peel out on the air he dropped the case and saluted with his index and middle finger before the automotive vanished behind the clouds.
Copper
"We've got movement." Copper stated as he checked the radar's steady signal beeps and ticks.
"Really?" Silver almost fell over himself on his way to the room, clamouring over the console and watching the green scanlines wash and then reset under the sonar.
"Yup. Three Dragon Balls on that remote island and then two following suit from two different parties each."
"Huh?"
"Yup. There are three parties in total. Buuut it could maybe just be one team looking for The Dragon Balls with two scouting parties. Because both are converging on whatever this is in the ocean."
"Let me look that up." Silver replied as he left the room as he pushed Copper's chair aside and leaned over the computer terminal. He clicked and clacked on the keyboard, his hands flying and his mouse chirping on the pad before he found what he was looking for. "Hey."
Copper turned his head, scratching at the scar the bear had given him. Silver took the time to scratch his face too but it was mostly just because his salt and ginger goatee was itchy.
"Mei Queen Castle. You think that might be where The Dragon Balls are going? It's out in The South Sea far away from civilisation though… maybe that's not too accurate. Mei Queen Castle itself is big enough to be considered a city all in its own right."
Copper pushed Silver out of the way this time to scroll down and look at the other details on the page.
Lord Jaguar, the owner of this establishment died tragically due to what police officers suspect to be a burglary gone awry.
"You readin' this shit, Silver?"
"Loud and clear, Boss. Whoever's in charge now-"
They both locked eyes on the text denoting:
The estate and Lord Jaguar's possessions were handed down to his only cousin Men-Men, he left behind no children or spouse.
"-wants to wish back Lord Jaguar."
"..." Copper furrowed his brow before shaking his head. "Maybe…"
"Are we going, Boss?"
"Well I don't want to take the chance in waiting too long only to be wrong, so… we're setting sail."
"Alright!" Silver cried, shaking his fist in heroics, his boisterous voice bellowing out of the room and banging up and down the wet slime of the aquatic headquarters. He shed his wifebeater and grabbed the long navy blue coat off the rack behind them.
"Silver?"
"Yes, sir?" He shot back, hand on the frame, already halfway out the door.
"You grab the weapons, I'll get the boat ready."
"See the problem is chief, what if they don't give a fuck about guns?"
"..."
"You remember those cracked motherfuckers from last time?"
The all too familiar vision of the hulking forest green behemoth just eating up sniper shots, plastic explosives and the rocket propelled grenade were too quick to come back to him.
"..."
"Now I'm not saying we don't bring weapons or nothin', Copper, all's I'm saying is that maybe it would be better if we… diversified?"
"Point being?"
"Uhhh, you know, I feel like stun grenades and stuff would still work even if they could shrug off bullets."
Earrrr~
Copper weighed the options while spinning in the swivel.
"Good thinking. Grab the vests, we'll pack just handguns and grenades this time around."
"Roger that, Boss." Silver replied as he dashed down the hall, his footsteps echoing in the massive halls of the green hull.
Newman
"Perfect." Newman proclaimed as he saw the mass of metal come off the conveyor belt, freshly sprayed and wiped down to perfection. He smiled wide, his reflection clear to see in the glossy finish of the mechanics.
The armour was a tall machine, not so wide but it stood at great length. Slick grey finish with big bulging red bug eyes on either side of the pilot seat. Its two arms coalesced into a gunner fist on both sides. There were a pair of antennae sticking out just above two black almost insect-like wings. They were made of metal but they resembled the shape. At the bottom of the mech was another hole and a device that resembled the gun arms, Newman opened up the hatch to the one-seater and pressed a button, stepping back quick as smoke fired out from below and forced the four-legged mechsuit to hop high before clamping back down on the floor of the lab.
Fshuun~DWRNN!
The machinery nearby wobbled and wavered under the weight of the reentry and Fresh couldn't help but smirk and fix his glasses at the suit.
"Catch!"
Newman didn't and was knocked on his ass by the cracked Dragon Ball.
"Ahh! You couldn't just hand it to me? asshole."
"That's all you wanted, right Newman?"
"Yup. Hrm. Yeah." The Pod Corp. CEO answered as he dusted off his nice suit and picked up The 6 Star Ball.
The ball shined bright in the fluorescent lighting and Newman walked over the table to type in a code on the side of a tiny safe.
Buu-Buu. Bee! Kshah~
The door opened on its own after Newman typed in the correct coordinates and he tossed The 6 Star Ball in there with the other, totalling two before he closed it back up and manhandled it into the mechsuit. His thin frame climbed into the pit and he closed the 'door' on himself, locking it in and putting his hands on the controls. He reached up top of the machine and brought down a keyboard and two gloves? down to his level, the apparati possessing wiring and feedback to the two gunner arms. He socketed his own flesh into the compartments and moved around the blasters, bringing them to the forefront of his fly-like vision. He shook his head and pressed a few times onto the computer.
"What a terrible idea…" He laughed out, shaking his head before the visor turned normal and it just displayed two different computer screens to the outside that was The Pod Corporation Research and Development Laboratory.
He got ahold of the controls and walked out with messy precision, almost bumping the machine's admittedly large frame into the tops of the ceilings and various employees.
"Can you get the door for me?"
"Newman?"
"Please?"
"Right away, sir."
The shutters opened to a afternoon day in the mountainous region of North City and Newman ascended into the aether, smoke and jet fumes blasting out into the rest of the lab before he disappeared behind the clouds. He pulled down another device, a Dragon Radar.
Buu. Buu. Buu.
"Excellent."
VWOOONN!
Goten & Trunks
"So where are we goofin off next?" Oolong asked as trails of puffy grey smoked behind him above the city streets as they came ever close to the bay area, water pulling forwards into beautiful blue stained orange waves of sunset.
"Well uhh, there's like three whole Dragon Balls this way so I think we're just gonna go there." Goten claimed as he wiggled the item in his hands and smiled wide.
"You guys better hurry up! If you guys get home too late Bulma and Yamcha are gonna have a fit!"
"Relax, Puar." Trunks chimed in with a shiteating grin. "We're gonna grab up all The Dragon Balls and we'll be back in no time."
"But it's almost dark!"
"Hyahahaha!" Goten laughed out as he burst forward with life, leaving behind the other three.
"Hey! Get back here, Goten!" Trunks shouted before dusting the two animals in his own wild blitz of Ki.
Oolong and Puar looked at each other and let out a sigh each, following along but unable to keep up.
Men-Men VS Goten & Trunks
Objective: Secure The Dragon Balls!
"We've found another Dragon Ball, sir." A man dressed in the grey uniform claimed as he took a kneel at the bottom of what was previously Lord Jaguar's throne.
"Hmm. What's the report on the others?"
Klm. Whup!
"Sir!" The officer stood at attention, saluting as Men-Men flapped his blazer and stepped forward. "The locator reports that two sets of Dragon Balls are heading our way!"
"Really?" Men-Men responded, raising his brow before walking out into the hall and following him to the lab. The epic expanse opened up for what looked like miles in the facility and a giant screen told the tale of the four blips headed their way. "Are The Dragon Balls still in the storage room?"
"Yes sir!"
"Alright, bring them to the throne room."
"... Sir?"
"You heard me, don't make me ask twice."
"Yessir!"
Klm!
His boots came together in a satisfying pop before stomping down the stone castle halls. Men-Men cracked his neck and his fingers as he stepped down into the dip of the indigo pit below the throne. He took a long sigh before snapping. A butler rushed in, delivering a drink for him to sip on slowly as the other men surrounding handed him The Dragon Balls. He finished his beverage and set the wine glass back on the silver platter before taking the cracked orange spheres and dumping them onto the floor right where he was standing.
"Uhh, sir?"
"I don't ask much of you, but could you please shut up?"
"..."
"Thank you." Men-Men replied as shooed them away with his hands.
The butler and the soldier simply climbed the steps out of the pit and returned to their station only for the man in army fatigues to come rushing back into the room mere seconds later.
"Lord Men-Men!" He shouted back, holding a salute.
"What is it?"
"We have visuals on two entities entering our range but they don't have The Dragon Balls!"
"What?"
"Yes sir, we don't exactly know where they are bu-"
"Hyahahaha!"
"HaHaa~"
KROMM!
Men-Men dashed up and pushed the officer out of the way as he saw a tower explode off into nothing but chalk near the pier.
"Hey! You guys got The Dragon Balls!?" Goten asked as he flew through the air upside down.
"Maybe you shoulda' asked that Before we put that hole through the castle."
"Oops~"
"Open fire!" A low growl boomed from the steps at the pierside of the huge island.
Ratatatatatatatatatatata~
"Hey! Watch it!" Trunks shouted back. "You could like… hit us or something."
"What the hell..?" A few soldiers commented before a man on high with a chambered gatling locked it in.
"Eat lead!"
DUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDUDU~
"Agh!" Trunks shouted as he got blasted in the chest, arms, and eyes. "Geez!"
DUDUDUDUDU~
"Knock it off! That shit Hurts!" He yelped, flipping and tumbling on the air as the large shells left welts, reddening his skin and tearing his clothes to shreds. "Ayy!"
BONK!
"What I say, HUH!?" Trunks stated as he put his hands on his hips like his mom, staring down the soldier from on top of his now caved in minigun.
The wolf-man went for a punch only to be thrown up and over, absolutely lobbed into the water by the port.
SPLASHH!
"Get them!"
"With what?"
Tkk. Fshuu~
"What's this thing?" Goten asked as he caught the grenade. "Trunks! What is thi-"
BA-BOMMM!
The black man just slapped the lizard in uniform with the back of his hand.
"Did you just blow up a kid?"
"..."
"Fuck is wrong with you?"
"..." The green reptile in the grey fatigues pointed his claw hand up in the sky, the man next to him raising a brow before the truth was laid bare and the smoke wafted out into the aether.
"Hyahahahaha~"
"He's a monster…"
"Bruh! He's a kid! I ain't sign up for this Bullshit! I'm outta here! Damn! No check ain't worth dyin' over!"
Vrnnn~
Him and his lizard compatriot hopped onto the boat as well and they just hoofed it, the water separating under the power of the engine as other soldiers still blasted the duo with everything they had.
"HaHaa~ You're all whack!" Trunks taunted as he landed kick after kick, dodging bullets on incoming.
Scores of soldiers fell down the steps of the port side, some falling onto the creaky wood, some onto stone, most into the ocean. More and more officers poured out the front half, aiming their sights down from the side entrance of the castle. Goten picked up the spire they felled only to almost topple over, zigzagging from the weight he couldn't quite get up.
"Trunks…"
"What?" The Capsule Corp. Kid asked, collar o Army unit still in his hands.
"Help…"
"Bruh." He exclaimed, dropping the man into the water and floating over to get under the concrete structure. Leftover rocks and stone fell as they lifted the cylindrical object into the sky.
"Let's throw it! Hyahahahaha!" He cackled, moving about like a gremlin.
"Bet."
Fshuuu~
The shadow the gigantic, broken up spire cast was immense, forcing the many men under the mint green banner to flee their post before it smashed into the main portion of the castle, shaking it to its core.
"Men-Men! We have conformation that two kids are running wild outside! They destroyed the northern tower And the minigun stationed at the port!"
Men-Men tightened his tie and furrowed his brow.
"Kids..?" He thought, stroking his chin. "Didn't a kid defeat The Red Ribbon Army?"
"..."
"You don't even know, do you?"
"No sir."
"So you don't know who The Red Ribbon Army was?"
"No sir."
"..."
"..."
Havoc ran rampant outside as the walls shook and stone fell from aloft, a giant hole tore through the side entrance of the castle, brick upheaved as they stood stoic and stared at each other.
"You're fired."
The man walked away dejected as the castle shook a second time and a rapid pair of footsteps echoed off the stone and bunched up the carpet lining the halls. Men-Men cleared his throat and tightened the tie under his blazer and vest combo as he marched back into the throne room. The pair of children grinded to a halt on the surface and looked down at the well dressed man in mint green.
"Hey so you got The Dragon Balls?" Trunks asked before he looked through his legs and saw the very items himself. "Oh shoot-"
"Why don't you come in and sit down, boys? I'll have my butler prepare you some drinks."
"Ahh. I see. This guy knows what's up." Trunks commented as he turned to Goten and pointed his thumb at Men-Men. "I think we'll take you up on that offer."
The trio made their way into the indigo marble structure of the big room, both kids' eyes wide at the sheer state of the place.
"Whoaaa…"
"No kidding." Trunks added on as he almost fell over himself trying to look at the ceiling.
"There they are, Trunks!"
"I already knew that, Goten." He replied, crossing his arms and standing above the few stairs that led down into the pit housing three orbs.
"Boys?" Men-Men prompted, making his way back up the steps to stand parallel with the kids' positioning just in front of the archway leading to the hall.
"Hmm?" They both answered at the same time, having to look up at the tall man's eyes hidden behind the glint in his glasses provided by both the bright light of the chandelier and the natural light flooding in from the castle windows of the hall. Men-Men pulled the piece out of his waistcoat as fast as lightning and blasted, one for each child's forehead.
Goten and Trunks weaved the thin metal shells with ease, both laughing about it. Men-Men smiled as he put away the smoking gun, placing a single hand on his hat and shifting the fedora ever so slightly.
"They must be martial artists…" He kept to himself as the boys looked at each other.
"Trunks, he just tried to fade us!"
"It's beadyz." Trunks replied with a smug smirk as they posted the fuck up, tiny chests loud and proud in the indigo marble throne room.
The two children ran hogwild, blitzing around Men-Men in every direction, front, right, centre, they circled the man like twin hawks, both raring to strike simultaneously in an attempt to enhance their pugilistic pressure.
Whapp-Whapp!
"Whoa~"
Whapapapapapa~Fwoff~
Whapp-THOKK!
After parrying strike after strike after strike, Men-Men found the angle, stalling Trunks in the air behind him and landing clean on Goten's jaw with a left snap kick. After propping Gohan's little brother up in the air, he weaved the same leg around and spun in a full 360, delivering a monster of a roundhouse, smashing the little kid all the way into a bust of Mei Queen Castle's previous owner. Light on his feet, the man's frantic footwork got out of the way of Trunks' less than stellar punches to deliver a hefty knife hand Kiai, stomping on the red carpet as he did it, bunching it up and sending ripping gales The Capsule Corp. Kid's way.
Pa-POKK! Skweeeee~ BONKK!
You heard that right. A Kiai. Earth has been steadily evolving over these last 30 years. Even people like Men-Men and Musuka have discovered the arts due to scrolls and the growing knowledge base, and will continue to do so in a linear fashion as is the same with all skills. Krillin has been teaching the entire police force across all of the major cities, growing the infinite potential of martial arts in a grass roots manner. With that, crime too is forced to evolve, if they don't meet the demands of the law, they WILL be arrested, with ease now. Many sick souls did not escape the growth of Ki on Earth but some did, becoming far more evil and cruel as a result of their growth in strength, competency, and intellect. All brought along by the easily accessible, commercially incentivised, and now widely televised… Tenkaichi Budokai.
"Owhh~" Trunks groaned as he bumped up against the back wall and rubbed his slick mop of messy black hair.
Men-Men made a show of it, taking off his mint green blazer with a careful deliberation before tossing his fedora aside lightning fast. His long ponytail no longer existed, he brandished the modern undercut style for his platinum blonde hair. The right hand lead stance he had shifted the other way as he flared his arms forward in a very traditional kung fu styling, raising his left knee up before pressing it into the bunched up carpet. As he swapped sides, the right hand, closer to his face, pushed up his slightly off kilter glasses so that they fit more snug over the bridge.
"Alright, bozo~ you asked for it…" Trunks commented as he stood on shaky feet, trying to tighten his stance and lean down deep. "Wolf-"
"..!" Men-Men's brows focused their full intent on the little kid's hands taking on a claw shape.
"-Fang Fist!"
Wsst!
The boy launched faster than he had any right to, forcing Men-Men to pony up and really pay attention to the little kid's pressure. He backed away and used sidesteps to ensure safety before finding the angle, even if they were fast, they didn't have any semblance of defence to speak of. Men-Men smiled before lining up a right.
Tup~
Trunks' eyes widened as he tripped over the man's sleek black dress shoe. Mid-fall the man pressed him up in another 360, just like he did for Goten. Stalled in time, Men-Men fully committed, spinning around for a 720 just to connect with the right leg for the third time this attack and send the boy flying.
WHAMM! SMASHH!
Parallel from Goten, right into a column, folded like an omelet.
"Hey!" Goten shouted as he got to his feet and blasted forward with a thin trail of Ki.
Men-Men barely dodged to the outside as Goten ran headfirst into the enemy, only to barely whiff his attempted headbutt. The resourceful son of Son Goku pressed his hands on the carpet, and redirected his attack onto the backpedaling man in a silver vest.
"Charge!" He yelled off the rebound, trying to pin down his foe.
Readying for just the right moment Men-Men caught the sides of Goten's torso and pressed him up, stalling the kid in the air again before landing deep with thunderous left hand haymaker to the gut. Goten's eyes went blank from just how hard he got hit but Men-Men didn't relent.
Wsh~Wham-BAMM!
He lambasted the child with a left high kick to the heavens, forcing Goten's backside to smack up against the tall ceiling. As he fell, Men-Men hyped it up like he were on a merry-go-round, smoothly transitioning and raising his right leg this time. With the shot locked in, he let it loose and his right leg exploded into a side thrust kick. It didn't fire, it just was locked in, and then Goten was on the other side, smashed into the wall along with Trunks once more, lightning quick. He postured up, fixing his tie as Goten struggled to stand and Trunks launched at the man once more.
Men-Men parried the lad easily, tossing him to the ground in a simple judo throw before field goaling him like a football into the other side of the room finally. Goten got fired up.
"Now you've done it!" He screamed before blasting off again.
WHAMM!
The little boy's bones rattled along with Men-Men's countering his linear attempt with a pirouette 180 backfist. He grabbed onto his shirt collar, gutted him with a left one more time for good measure and threw Goten over where his best friend was, the two of them seeing stars.
"Sir, we've got more intruders!" An employee shouted before:
BONKK!
"YEEEEEOwwwHooHooHoo!~" The M M Army grunt yelped as he was pounded down the corridor into obscurity.
A man wearing a long navy blue overcoat marched into the room with swagger, his hair a foxy grey and orange combination. He furrowed his brow and cracked his knuckles before being taken aback by the three Dragon Balls stuck still in the pocket down the stairs.
"Cracks? They have cracks? What in the hell for..?" Silver thought before he stepped forward to the sharply dressed blonde man.
"..? ..!" Men-Men's eyes opened wide as the tall redhead sauntered towards.
"You have The Dragon Balls?" Silver asked with a sharp stare.
"We have Dragon Balls!" Goten asserted as he raised his hands from the cracked purple wall in the back. "Our friends are coming to bring them here in just a bit!"
"Goten, shut up!" Trunks retorted with a punch to his friend's arm.
"Oww~"
Bonk!
"Hey~"
As the boys bickered Men-Men locked eyes with Silver.
"I know you."
"You do, huh?" Silver replied with a cocky smirk.
"You're Colonel Silver. The Red Ribbon Army hired you after you defeated 3 professional boxers back to back. You're one of the reasons I wanted to join so long ago."
"..." Silver spared a glance only to wild out at the revelation. "..! What!? Shit! That fucker's got a kid!" He shouted, watching Goten's unmistakable bouncy black locks of hair jive back and forth as he and Trunks roughhoused mid-conflict. "I'm…" He pondered, taking a step back as he gazed at Goten goofing off in the back with the other child. "...old as hell, huh..?"
Men-Men tightened up, presenting an equal parts offensive and defensive stance.
"I know The Dragon Balls are here or are coming here, and I don't care who I have to squash to get them." Silver commented as he bobbed up and down, raising his guard into an orthodox boxer's styling. His black boots squeaked off the marble before the pair went to town, throwing precise strikes each other's way.
The first real attempt was a high left roundhouse from Men-Men, expertly ducked by Silver who tried to return fire with a trifecta of jabs. Men-Men dodged all of them with head movement before coming in close and landing a left elbow clean in the midsection. Silver's pain surged through and he bent from the maneuver only to eat a rising backhand from the same arm in a one-two. The salt and ginger man ate a left kick to the jaw afterwards, only increasing his backpedal. As Men-Men attempted to capitalise, the tiny gremlins behind him rushed in. Goten hugged him like a backpack as Trunks latched onto Men-Men's arm, taking hold and preventing the man from performing a guard.
"What the- ..!"
Before Silver's punch could connect, Men-Men thrusted Trunks in the way, the boy yelling and yeowching his head off as the man's large knuckles bopped into his spine.
"Ahh! That hurt! Jerk!" Trunks commented as he flailed around on Men-Men's forearm.
Goten wiggled and wormed his way around the man's back, pulling his footwork all over the place until Silver landed a killer one-two, both shots in the jaw, cracking his glasses. Men-Men returned a left boot but Silver weaved to the outside with ease, stepping out and in, slamming in a calculated gut shot with a left body hook. Men-Men's eyes filled with tears of simultaneous pain and fury. Before either man could continue their exchange Trunks abandoned ship and landed a killer right roundhouse on Silver's temple, knocking him for a loop. The man rolled on the ground, starry eyed as Trunks proclaimed:
"Oh yeah~" Chest high and mighty.
"Get the- get Off!" Men-Men protested, trying his best to snatch or grab at Goten's frantic movements.
TupTopTapTup!
"Silver!"
"..?"
"Who we attacking?"
"Get the damn kids!"
"The kids?" Copper's face contorted as Trunks ran buckwild trying to punt Silver's face from the ground.
Wuuush!
"Whoaa~" Trunks let out as he slipped and fell onto his butt.
Silver almost tripped over as Trunks stuck out his hand this time, forcing him off kilter but not getting him to fall. Silver's boots mashed off the tile before he got in range and Men-Men landed a lightning in a bottle right snap kick. Silver's nose bled and Goten hopped off, landing a killer frontflip into an upside down Ki blast at Men-Men's chest.
Bya-BOMM!
The smoke cleared and Goten was in Silver's hands.
"Now you-"
Before the man even finished speaking, Goten absolutely launched out of the man's hands, Ki blitzing and rocketing him to the marble floor. He hit the indigo and caught it like last time, palms on the marble before he launched Trunks' way. His best friend was going toe to toe with the tall black man until Goten's furious flight spun him out, low slide tackle only using his head and not his feet. Copper's palms caught the floor in daze and he looked around a bit confused before Trunks pantsed him.
Fwoff!
"Whoaa~"
"HaHaaa~ Why does an adult have heart underwear? He's whack Goten, look at em-" Trunks clowned, pointing at the man's butt while laughing.
WHAMM!
A thunderous donkey kick from Copper caught Trunks in the mouth and launched him at the only other standing column on the left side of the room. Goten just laughed too before he was absolutely waylaid by a claw hand clutching at his throat.
"Gugugugu~" He gaggled out as he kicked his feet and struggled under the metallic cold presence wrapped around his throat.
"What tha hell..?" Copper asked as he saw the large mech flying in the building, propelled by smokey gas from its underside. The General pulled up his pants and tightened the belt much more so than it was before. "Stupid… kids…"
Goten looked up at the giant metallic almost insect-like being clutching at the nape. It billowed with smoke and then spoke with distortion.
"I'm not interested in you, kid. You'd better skedaddle or things could end badly." He stated before fixing his left cannon arm down towards the battle below. Goten's eyes widened as not a grenade, nor a blast, or even gunfire launched from the device. He kicked his feet until said projectile clacked off the ground and near Silver's head. The man turned after backstepping a high right leg from Men-Men.
"What?" Is all Silver thought as the item bounced right in front of his head.
Dum! Dun~Dllunn!
Men-Men whiffed clean with a tornado roundhouse, raising a brow as the man seemed to disappear. Trunks' eyes widened most of all out of the people occupying the starting to wane nature of the throne room.
Dwuu~ Dwuu~
Men-Men finally looked down and noticed the object shimmying and shaking ever so slightly.
Boo.
"Gggg~" Trunks grimaced, his teeth chomping together so hard it wouldn't be unreasonable for them to crack right then and there.
"HYAH!" Goten shouted at the top of his lungs, spreading out like a star and destroying the claw hand that previously pinned him down. He cartwheeled out onto the scene and grabbed the device. "Trunks! What's this!?" He asked before dashing over his friend's way, dodging a right sweep from Men-Men in the process unintentionally.
"Goten! Get that thing out of your hand, NOW!"
Goten had never seen Trunks so serious and as a result:
"Oop~" He let it fly, throwing it behind him, Silver's pod landing snug between the three Dragon Balls housed in the pit. "What is that thing?"
Trunks scurried to his feet and brung Goten down to the ground with a tackle.
"Goten, that's a pod." He told him straight, pointing at the item down the steps.
"A pod?"
"It's from Pod Corp! Mom thought those guys were close to getting a capsule that could lock in living organisms!"
"..."
"..."
"What's an organism?"
"... It's like… you know. Us. We're organisms."
"Oh."
"Yeah, and like, bugs too. They're organisms."
"... Huh."
"So don't let those things hit you or you're-" He mimed cutting his neck and then laid limp on the floor for a moment until the smokey fires of a pod shot rained down on them. "Move it!"
The little kids dodged the two-piece shot Newman fired from on high.
"Who the hell… is that Bulma's kid!?" Newman pondered as his camera zoomed in and he saw the Capsule Corp. CEO's stark blue eyes in the kid's own. "No way… damn! I was supposed to have the drop on them but he knows the plan!"
"I'm outtie 5,000!" Trunks shouted as he hyped a Ki blast and absolutely sent it, spinning a full rotation before launching it towards Newman. The bug machine dodged by flapping its wings and weaving to the left. The bolt hit the banner and the ceiling, causing an explosion and a sizable amount of debris to fall from the heavens. Copper and Men-Men stood on shaky ground as the building started to waver, both from the damage caused just now, but also at the ever leaning structure of Mei Queen Castle due in no small part to Goten and Trunks' rampage at the port.
"What are we gonna do, Trunks?"
"I don't know. They were kinda fading us, no cap." He remarked, scratching the top of his now much messier mop.
"... Do we wait for Oolong and Puar?"
"..! Hold on! I have the strat!"
"The strat?" Goten's face brightened up, smile wide and goofy.
The castle shook as more action banged up against the walls and the cracks in the throne room showed their ugly faces. Trunks smirked and wiggled around his pointer finger as if a teacher.
"We just wait for them to show up and then we get all The Dragon Balls and make our wish while they're still fighting."
"..." Goten's lips pursed out into duck mode and all he could do was stand there as Trunks crossed his arms proudly.
As if on cue, Oolong and Puar filed in, flying around the castle windows before landing behind the pair.
"I'm gonna wring your neck if you boys leave us with The Dragon Balls again! What were you gonna do if they caught us and beat us up!?"
"Uhh, Oolong, we Have The Dragon Radar. It's not like we couldn't find you if you were captured or something." Trunks rebutted as he shook the device in his hand.
"It's about principle, kid. We ain't fighters so you gotta keep that in mind."
"Yeah, and that's why you're carrying The Dragon Balls, duh."
"... Kid, that don't make no sense."
"..."
Trunks and Oolong just glared into each other's eyes before a pod came flying The Capsule Corp. Kid's way.
"Trunks, look ou-"
Before he could react, Goten jumped in the way and grabbed the metallic pill. It didn't matter.
Dum! Dum-Dlunnn!
"What the hell wassat?" The Pig asked as he put his hands on his hips.
Puar looked down as Trunks blew a gasket.
Bwuu~ Bwuu~ Boo.
"Goten!" He shouted, grabbing the item and looking for any sort of release mechanism. "If I remember, you screw open a pod and that's how they're different." The boy remarked as he laid hands on it, desperately looking for the right play.
"Uhh, kid! We gotta run for it!" Oolong screamed bloody murder, yanking Trunks' torn shirt and dragging him down the hall as another pod bounced around the castle, falling down to the open ended nature of the rest of the titanic facility after falling out the window.
Men-Men leaped into the air, landing right on Newman's machine. He breathed out a cathartic breath and slammed in elbow after elbow, denting in the machinery. The robot flew around in wild arcs before Copper ran up one of the columns and jumped on himself.
DWANN!
Men-Men looked up at the black man standing tall, above him seeing as he was clinging to the bot with a tight hug of whatever he could grab. Copper booted his head, freeing Men-Men's grasp of the machine and granting the man a freefall to the ground, landing awkwardly on the three Dragon Balls.
"Ahhh~aghhh~" Men-Men grunted out as the three orbs pressured his back strange upon entry.
Copper leaned over, looking into the big bug eyes of the machine.
"Ayy! If you don't tell me how to get my boy out of that capsule It's gonna end real badly for you!"
"They're not capsules, jackass!" Newman fired back as he whipped the shit, spiralling out and flinging Copper's haphazard grasp of the machine into total disarray, slamming him into the wall.
Men-Men took off his glasses and shook his fist with rage before yelling and sending another knife hand jab into the aether. It took a second but:
Pah-POKK! DWERNN!
The machine slammed into the castle, forcing another shake and some creaky stone to let out their disagreements. The bug mech was warped and scrapped, barely able to fly, and definitely unable for that flight to be straight. Newman separated from the wall and wiggled his way above the throne.
Before Men-Men could attack it with a flying kick, Copper caught him during the leap with an all in attack of his own, dropkicking Men-Men into the second to last column left in the throne room.
WHAKK! Fwuuu~KRrrrrrrOKK!
The room shook, eyes went wide all around, and the ceiling collapsed in on them, debris, dusty chalk and all manner of flooring above them caved in.
Duh-DOOOOOMMMM!
The shockwave clapped out into the halls and Trunks felt the air impact his chest as he stood on the outside stairs, trying to coerce the pod's cooperation.
"Come on…"
"What happened in there, Oolong?"
"You think I know!? We're lucky we left there when we did otherwise my goose-"
"Don't say it, Oolong." Puar chimed in, circling around in the air.
"-was-"
"Got it!"
The light turned green on the silver pill and fog petered out. Goten stepped out like it was a car or something and shivered to the core.
"Brrrrr~ It was cold in there~" He claimed, rubbing his sides.
"Cold? ..? You knew what was going on in there?"
"Y-y-y-y-ye-Yuh-Yea-yu-"
Bonk!
"Yeah. It really was."
Trunks looked back at the two animals standing on the stairs and he shook Goten by the collar.
"We're getting back in there before those guys get a chance!"
"Y-ye-ye-yuhye-"
Bonk!
"Yeah! Hyahahahaha~"
"Hold it!" Puar called out, stalling the boys in their tracks.
"What?"
"We have the chance! Let's sneak back in!"
"But how?"
Bom!
Into stone he went, the little blue cat was now nothing more than some cracked white rock. Goten and Trunks got as hype as some hyperactive knuckles could get, following suit and skittering along the ground with their companion. Oolong threw the ball sitting in his pocket into the air for the one time and sure enough:
Bom!
The smoke settled and Men-Men clawed his way through the wreck, smashing out the stuff in his way with his fist till he rose to the surface. His suit stained white, he coughed up both blood and dust. He patted himself down before noticing that the man in the machine was pretty scot free all things considered, crawling out of his creation cradled by crags. He opened up the hatch only to see the man with blonde hair and blue eyes yank him out of the seat. Newman's back hit the uneven terrain and he winced as the man pivoted back to search for The Dragon Balls. His curiosity hit the peak as he saw a box in the deep recesses of the chair. Before he could grab it, a giant stone slab broke on the man's face, tossed by Copper from the other side, his dark black suit especially marked by the chalk.
Copper rushed the man, leaping over the stone quarry that was supposed to be the throne room of Mei Queen Castle, sensing his opportunity, Newman scrambled across the roughed up rubble and snatched the safe. He hit a few buttons on the side and detached a phone from a compartment.
Clicc. Bee. Bee. Bee.
His phone was a Dragon Radar.
Newman got up and crawled around, looking for the signal until the floor naturally gave in, the strange dip in the throne room that led down to the pit was a useful marker. He dug through, hand in hand to find the missing three Dragon Balls. Their fight raged on in the back as Newman fell down and a few more rocks came with him, some hitting him on the head and arms, forcing a weak wince and grumble to fall out of the man.
"Come on~" Trunks rallied as he led the troupe of strange rocks with cartoon eyes. The quartet fell in, more rocks, pretty convincing too, Newman none the wiser as four slabs slid in.
Fresh's eyes lit aflame with intrigue, desire, and self assuredness. The Dragon Balls glew, a strange red aura, rainbow really, flooded out of the cracks. The Dragon Balls never looked so mystical, but that mystique gave away their position, one of the stone slabs radiated with magic, drawing Fresh's attention.
"What?"
Bee-Bee!
His phone sounded off, all 7 balls right here in the pit.
Bom!
"Those are ours, dummy!" Trunks shouted as the smoke cleared and more rocks caved into the pit, Men-Men and Copper's combat shaking the very shoddy foundation the five of them housed.
Newman held the line as best he could but the boy's strength was unreal, he palmed the ball and yanked it out of his hands, falling on his butt as a result. Goten:
Bom!
And grabbed the other two before hopping out of the pit.
"Hyahahahaha~" He laughed without a care in the world until: "Oufff!"
Spinning while spread eagle, Goten was thrown for a loop as Men-Men grabbed one of the two spheres right from his palms.
"Hey!"
Bya-BOMM!
"Rrrrrrrr~" The cousin of Lord Jaguar grunted as the searing yellow plasma dug deep and singed his muscled back, peeling away his button up and vest at the same time. Men-Men took a knee as Trunks ran up before he got his leg snatched.
"Hey, let go, Old Hea-"
Before Trunks could finish his sentence he saw what looked like a spray can, and Newman's index clamping down on the red button at its pinnacle.
Ksssss~
"OWW! AHHH~" The boy yelled, throwing the ball all the way up to the second floor as he flailed, face spray painted orange, eyes, nose, and lips watering, stinging to the core. "What the heck!? OWW! Damn! What is thi- OWW!"
Newman slammed his hefty hunk of a safe onto Trunks' jaw, forcing him down into the pit. He climbed out to safety before the final foundations shook and the rubble collapsed in on the boy.
Bom-Bom!
"Trunks!" Oolong and Puar shouted as they breached the top, looking down at the pile of rocks that locked him in.
Goten hit a kip up, looking back at the charred backside of his blonde haired foe.
"Hey! That's my Dragon Ball!" Goten protested, pointing at Men-Men's malicious mug. His eyes strained red and a forehead vein peaked through.
"Yours?" He asked. Copper came flying in but Men-Men sniped the angle, spilling him out with a single but potent backfist, forcing the black man to spin out and see stars on the leftovers of the room. "Your ball? Kid? No. This is my ball."
Wsst!
He bounced the other up like a hacky sack before lobbing it at Goten's nose with a left leg.
SMAKK!
"Gahaww~"
"And this is my Dragon Ball too." He claimed, snatching it up from the air as Goten fell onto his back, nose bleeding.
"Owwhh~" Goten cringed, rubbing his nose and sitting up as his tail came into view, the blonde man raising a brow at that fact.
"He's still going? How tough is this kid?"
"That hurt, mister! I'm gonna… I'm gonna-"
WHAMM!
"Whoa~" Oolong yelped as Goten flew across the room and smashed up against the stained, scraped, and scratched purple marble wall.
"You!" Men-Men shouted as he saw the brilliant hue simmer out of Oolong's pocket.
"Huh?"
"You've got one too, don't you, pig!?"
"I don't know what you're talking about busta'! I ain't got no Dragon Balls to speak of!" He shouted, pointing at the man like he were declaring him guilty of a crime at the witness stand. The Pig stood sideways as Puar filed in behind him and he handed off the balls to the blue cat.
Bom!
"Come and search if ya' don't believe me."
"..."
The crummy looking rock formation shifting on the ground alerted Men-Men's attention but it was stolen once again as Copper grappled onto leg.
"Heh. You don't know when to QUIT!"
WHAMM!
The man rolled over and let his jaw hang wide from the knockout blow as Men-Men finally exhaled and took in a deep breath. Finding a gun from the rubble, Newman pulled a piece from the pile and aimed it at Men-Men.
KLAMM! BLAMM! Tyu~ Twuu~
"You've done it now!" He hollered after shifting off-line perfectly for each shot, throwing the sphere in his left like a baseball.
It was a good thing Newman fell on his ass to duck as the ball caved right through the throne room, through the wall on the other side, through a tower, through the cliff face diagonal of the port, and caved into the sea.
"Why did I do that..?" He questioned as he saw the small hole break through into the outside of the castle. Men-Men slapped his head only for Trunks to scream his little head off and throw a titanic stone slab skyward.
Men-Men backdashed as it hit the ceiling above the ceiling, forcing the leftover debris from the floor above to topple over, The Dragon Ball coming with. The blonde man's eyes widened and he leaped, taking to the skies. In the middle was the scrappy messy mop of the orange faced blue eyed kid. They clashed, tears still streaming.
"You just pissed me off!" He roared, grabbing the ball and landing a left roundhouse deep into the man's ribs.
"Uuu~" Men-Men let out dumbly as Trunks fell away and he slammed into the wall, the last hurrah of the second floor coming down with him.
As Trunks' ass touched the rocks, Newman dashed over and prepared another spray from his can.
"No!" Trunks cried, raising his arms to guard only for nothing to come. "Huh?"
"Kid! Hurry up!"
Trunks blinked a few times, the image blurry, a strange rope with eyes and Oolong's voice tying down the man's arms from spraying the can at him.
Kssssss~
It didn't stop him from spraying however, it just didn't get Trunks. The Capsule Corp. Kid skedaddled backwards before leaping out and yah-yeeting the old fogey with a superkid punch.
"Take that! HaHaaa~"
"Goten!"
Bom!
The kid got up from the dust, Oolong wiping it off for him.
"Kid! You got the radar?" He asked, grabbing hold of both of Goten's toddler shoulders.
"... Trunks!" Goten hollered.
"What!?"
"You got the radar?"
"..? Crap! It's probably deep down in that place below the floor!" Trunks exclaimed, putting his hands in his now orange stained messy mop.
"I'll go get it!"
"Goten."
"..?" The boy looked back at The Pig as he snatched onto his wrist.
"You get the radar and find those balls, I'll stay here and help Trunks."
"But you can't fight! You said it yourself!"
"Just because I don't know martial arts don't mean I can't fight."
"Hyahaha~ Whatever you say, Oolong!" He laughed out before swan diving right into the flat face of the phalt.
Newman scrambled around in the chalk as Trunks walked over with swagger.
"..!" His victorious gaze looming over Newman was cut short by the blinding speed out the corner of his eye. "Shoot!"
Men-Men the menace of course.
Copper's eyes opened again and the warping image of a white dust bowl and purple marking flooded his vision. He crawled around on the ground for a long time before digging at the rocks. He shrugged off the other spirited attacks the haphazard rocks provided from Trunks and the blonde man's engagement sent his way trying to find the pill. To his surprise he found the pod, looking down at its design. He cradled it carefully, feeling it up and down before finding a button in the middle. He clicked it in.
Ting.
"..."
No dice.
WHAMM! BAMM!
"Jerk!" The boy's raspy voice echoed around the destroyed room.
He clicked it in again and the pod responded, but then soon did what it just did. Nothing. He furrowed his brow, clicking it in this time. After this revelation, the black man's hands felt the the pod's response to his touch, it could be turned. It returned to neutral. This time for sure. He clicked in the button on the middle and then unscrewed the capsule, forcing smog to shurn and shoot out. The man walked out of the tiny device as if he wasn't locked up at all, growing into full form.
"Brrrrrrrr~" Silver shook, rubbing his arms. "Whoo~ Damn, that was cold!"
"Got it!" Goten screamed as he breached the stone like a fish, flopping onto the rocky floor and brandishing the radar as high as he could get it.
Bom!
"Go! I'll take it from here!" Oolong proclaimed as he morphed into a rope with eyes.
Goten hooted and hollered, laughing up a storm as he flew right through the bricks, the impact left in the castle's walls by Men-Men's baseball throw was a good enough line to follow.
KLAMM! ROCKK! WHANTT!
His shoulders dusted up from slamming into the rocky faces but the boy was content to just laugh it off as he flew towards the sea. Puar met up with him on the cliff face, squealing.
"Goten, give me The Dragon Balls, I'll keep em' safe while you fight."
"But I gotta get this one first!"
"Oh~"
Splashh!
Newman carefully treaded the wasteland with counted steps only to come across the large frame of a middle aged man.
"Not so fast." Silver remarked, smiling and finally knocking him out cold with a right overhand. The CEO of Pod Corp. laid limp and the red haired man bent over, picking up the cube of a safe. "Huh. Yo, Copper, you think this got The Dragon Balls in it?"
"..." Copper let out a few breaths, his throat at the breaking point, gasping and swallowing air haphazardly. "Yea~"
Silver nodded before looking down at the code, shaking his head and then slamming his fist right through, revealing the two orbs he had tucked away in the small compartment. Trunks tornadoed around the room before finally falling and bouncing off his butt from the heavy hit. With bated breath and streams of sweat swimming down his skin, Men-Men pulled close with a left hand. Trunks' grip grasped on The Dragon Ball from earlier, and The Capsule Corp. Kid positioned it high for a block and the blonde man's knuckles folded in on the cracked orange sphere.
DONKK!
"Ahahhhh~" Men-Men let out in a shifting note of pure existential agony. He gripped his fist tight and whined, taking a backstep and falling onto the rocks.
Trunks locked eyes with the practically fresh Silver and scoffed.
"Man! Why wasn't this a free dub!? This sucks!"
WHAMMLLE!
Breaking through into the other side past the stone, Trunks almost fell into a vat of chemicals. He stabilised with his flight before The Dragon Ball took the dive for him, a slight hiss bubbling up from the contact. Silver's jaw dropped as he saw the glinting orange fade away in the strange green mixture.
"..? Does he not know..?"
The salt and ginger man gripped the rail tight up above the kid on the catwalk and Trunks moseyed around a bit.
"Heheh… Oh No! THE DRAGON BALL! You jerk! You totally made me drop in the fucking acid!"
"..."
"Retard!"
"I'm gonna kick your ass, kid!" Silver shouted from the rafters, his smooth voice banging off all of the metallic equipment. He held on tight the two Dragon Balls in 'his' safe and leaped the safety rail.
"Come and get it!" He screamed back, jumping up and down on the railing to draw him in.
As soon as the guy hit the catwalk Trunks dipped out, flying high above him and flipping him the bird.
DUNGG!
"Brat!"
Trunks landed in the room, Men-Men seriously pissed, lobbing up his one and only Dragon Ball despite his best efforts. As he pulled up, so did Goten, the two kids squaring up against the man with nothing but pure malicious intent bubbling behind his eyes.
"Where's the balls?"
"Puar's got em'. So that means he's got three."
"This guy has one, and that other guy behind us has two."
"Behind us?" Goten replied, turning his head only to barely weave a big boot that was aimed at his forehead.
FSHUU! WHAMM!
"Deigh!" Trunks winced as he saw Silver fly right back where he came from with an epic roundhouse from their other adversary.
He hit a clothesline on Trunks, taking his head off and spinning him all over the floor. Goten postured up, looking for the right angle before just gunning it, slamming into him with his head first, third time's the charm. Trunks clamored to his feet as the pair fell right back on the catwalk.
"Goten! I don't think these guys can fly!" He yelled into the massive expanse of the darkened walkway laboratory. The open ended nature was unnecessary to say the least, a normal person could easily take their last dive off any of the catwalks.
"Really!?"
"Jump! Huh!" Trunks hyped it up, charging a fierce ball of energy in his hand, sending it and disrupting the structure of the metal.
Ba-BOMBB! Earrrrrrrrrr~
The passageway caved in, climbing downwards ever so slowly as Men-Men sweat it out. He looked to leap skyward, attempting to land on one of the many large test tubes but something caught his foot.
"Hyahahaha~ See ya!" Goten shouted as he flung the man into the dark depths below.
Silver dashed and darted, making sure The Dragon Balls stayed put in the warped safe until something caught his leg.
"What?" He looked down only to see a rope with eyes tied around his leg. The floor fell underneath him, strangling the limb and forcing The Dragon Balls to fall out as he struggled upside down. "Damn!"
"Nice one, Oolong!" Goten yelped as he flew across the cavern, snatching up both orbs mid-fall.
"Catch!"
Trunks jumped, grabbing both mid-air.
"Where's Puar!?"
"He's waiting by the coast!"
Before Trunks could leave, he saw the tall silhouette of the black man looming through the hole Silver left in the wall.
"..."
"..."
"Yeet!" Trunks laughed as he threw the balls through the man's legs and dipped with his flight. "HaHaa~ Loser!"
The Capsule Corp. Kid stuck the landing and blasted towards the small blue blip floating above the cliff, blending into the shining oceanfront.
Bee. Bee.
"Huh?" Goten asked as he checked the radar. "Where is it? There's one in here." The kid put both feet on the edge of the pot and looked into the soupy liquid.
Bom!
"Oh SHIT!" Silver shouted as he fell from aloft, Oolong Shapeshifting to a pink bat before landing on the kid's shoulder.
Fwuuuuuuu~
"Okay, here's what we got…" Silver kept calm, sliding down the metallic edge of the many columns the vats created. His boots squealed and he let his coat fly off into obscurity. He took a deep breath and launched back up with a few marching stops of a wall run.
"Copper! Nades!"
Tsks~ Fwuut! Bah-BAMM!
"Whoaaa~" Trunks shouted, lifting an arm to defend against another ocular-based assault on his senses.
Splash! Ksssssss~
"They got the balls past me!"
"No big deal, Boss! We just gotta find that other guy!"
"Behind you!" Copper's voice banged off every surface ricocheting in just the nick of time.
With a sharp turnabout elbow, Silver slammed in one on Men-Men's left temple, staggering him, the man still iron willed, holding onto the railing and his single Dragon Ball as tight as he could.
"I'm Not letting you take this wish away from us!" Silver cried as he lambasted the man with a five piece combo. After the final the man's footing fell out from under him and he relinquished the item unintentionally. "Let's go!" Silver shouted as he snatched it.
Or was it unintentional?
Before Silver could finish celebrating a thumping gale slammed into his forehead.
Pah-POKK! DWERNN! Fsht!
Trunks ran back in only to be laid out by Copper's left leg, thrusting him back into the rocky disturbance of what was supposed to be a throne room.
"Ahh! Hey! You're whack, you know-"
WHAMM!
"You okay, kid!?" Oolong shouted, tears in his eyes.
Klluuuu~ Splatt!
"Yeah, I'm alright. "Goten cheesed, smiling wide as the acidic nature of the pot didn't seem to do anything to him or the ball. He got out, clothes nonexistent, just a naked kid giggling his head off with a Dragon Ball in his hand. "Get this to Puar."
"I ain't touchin' that thing! Youa' made of sterner stuff then I'll Eva' be!"
Goten shrugged and left everything behind, zooming back in to deliver the slimy green orb. As he got into the throne room he saw Trunks lay down the man again with an exhaustive breath.
"Finally!" He let out, falling flat on his butt before looking up at Goten. "Goten?"
"..? Yeah?"
"Where are your clothes?"
"..."
"..."
"I'm gonna get this Dragon Ball to Puar."
"You go do that."
Tap. Tup. Tap.
"... Phew~" Trunks' breath escaped his lips as he drew his left arm to his brow and wiped it clean of muck, blood, dust, and sweat. He took a second to compose himself only to lock eyes with the man.
Flump.
The limp personage of the red haired Old Head flopped in front of him and all Trunks could say was.
"Damn it."
By the time Goten got back, Trunks, Oolong, Copper, Silver, and Newman were all piled up in one big bundle of bodies.
"The Dragon Balls, kid. You're not winning against me." He claimed, the last hurrah of natural lighting cascading in from the castle walls, the stained glass two floors above, and the giant hole Goten left pursuing the previous object.
"Uhh, I don't know. You look pretty tired."
"..."
Trunks, as stealthily as he could, pulled out his broken, bricked up, shattered phone, and typed in a text as Goten, dick out, stared down the blonde man. Men-Men ripped off his dress shirt and the last tatters of his vest and cracked his neck.
Ding!
Dad! We're getting faded! Backup requested immediately!
Dad!
Bruh
Like I'm not kidding we're getting absolutely destroyed out here
WHAMMWHAMMWHAMM!
Trunks' eyes just about popped out of his head as he saw Men-Men ruthlessly scout out angles, snipe Goten's movements and punish accordingly with stunning proficiency.
"..."
"What is it, babe?" Bulma asked, sitting down next to Yamcha as they sipped from their cups.
"Hagh-Hagh-Hagh!"
"What's so funny?" She cheesed.
"Nothin'." He replied, typing in something on his phone and then definitely not leaving the loft.
"Bruh!" Trunks let out louder than he should have when he got back:
Like I'm not kidding we're getting absolutely destroyed out here
Code red!
Hold that
Trunks' jaw practically unhinged as Men-Men spilled the boy out like a bowling pin, slamming him up against the throne with a high left roundhouse.
"Ouff~" Goten groaned as his scraped up body plopped onto the ruined castle throne.
"We're not goated…" Trunks lamented as he stood up and watched Men-Men stalk his prey.
Va-Vish!
"..?"
"..."
"..? Who are you?"
"Krillin!"
North City's Superman spared a glance for each kid, the only ones conscious in the room besides the man standing across from him.
"Hey boys. This looks like a doozy."
"Nah, it's just Krillin. He can't fade this dude. No way." Trunks lamented, falling back on his butt and leaning over his knee. "We're done for."
Fsht!
It didn't even look like anything happened and Goten was paying attention the whole time. The blonde man was standing and then The Dragon Ball was in Krillin's right hand as Men-Men fell asleep standing up.
Flomp!
Men-Men's malicious gaze gave weight to a somber slumber and he didn't move a muscle after that.
"This what you boys were looking for?"
"Mmhmm! Hyahaha~"
"No way…"
"Sorry boys, but I think I'm gonna have to take your toys away for a little bit."
"WHAT!?"
"Yamcha told me that if I saw Dragon Balls anywhere near you guys, you're grounded."
"Bruh. I'm Already grounded. What's mom gonna do, omega ground me?"
Krillin just laughed.
"Where are the other Dragon Balls?"
"Right here, Krillin!" A floating handbasket with six golden orbs in it claimed before:
Bom!
"Thanks, Puar. I'll take it from here."
"What are you gonna wish for?" The blue cat asked, flying in an arc around the stout police officer.
"We're not wishing for anything." He claimed, looking into the crevices that ran deep into each sphere. "I'm taking these back to Kami and we're leaving them the hell alone. I thought the one Gohan found was just the odd one out but it looks like the whole set is damaged somehow…"
Krillin
Vwa-Vuish!
The warping nature of Instant Transmission skewed the night light of The Lookout as Kami gazed over at Krillin's entry to his side.
"Ahh, Young Krillin."
"Heyuhh~ You wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would ya?"
"..."
The Guardian of Earth caressed the orange orbs with his withered hand, cupping The 4 Star Ball tight, feeling the ridges the cracks left in it.
"My word…"
"Is this… unusual?"
"Very much so…" He responded, furrowing his sausage-like eyebrows, wrinkles and all. Krillin handed off the rest of the spheres as Kami took them in with a bit of Telekinesis, stalling them in the air in front of them. "Here. Try your absolute hardest to destroy it."
Krillin raised his own brow this time, a long bead of sweat flashing out in response to the cold material clutching at his skin.
"You sure?"
"Go ahead."
"... Alright." Krillin nodded his head to the side, still in uniform, taking off his cap before putting it back on and spawning in his left arm.
"..."
The energy of The Two Witches fluttered off into the indigo void and North City's Superman gripped as tight as it would go. He didn't even hit it yet, just staring intently, focusing up, revving his Ki to its penultimate state. Kami watched as Krillin tried to judge the force necessary.
"Young Krillin?"
"... Yeah?"
"If you refuse to go all out, it is not a true test of The Dragon Ball's durability."
"... Heh-heh. I guess not. Amhemn!"
Fwuuuuu~
The nightly breeze blew up Krillin's black jacket as he drew back his fist.
"HYAHH!
GNNN!
Wind exploded everywhere, almost knocking Kami onto his butt from the blow. Krillin's jaw clenched and his fist drew blood to just below the surface.
Krrrrrrr~
Several more cracks came out to play after his left overhand.
"Wow…"
"Mmhmm." Kami answered with solemnity, picking up the orb and studying it closely. "Even now, you could not destroy it in one go."
"..."
"But-"
"I could probably break it with a few more."
"Precisely. And… it is strange… the balls themselves are stronger than Shenron is. The fact that they took damage in the first place is peculiar."
"..."
"Young Krillin?"
"Yes, Kami?"
"Thank you for bringing The Dragon Balls to me." The Guardian responded as he turned tail and sauntered on over to the inconspicuous tiles in front of the palace. The stone shifted with a wave of The Green God's palm and revealed The Black Star Dragon Balls.
"... What are those?"
"Oh, these? Heh. I suppose you would not know about this set."
"No, not at all." Krillin answered as he hopped down into the dusty hidey hole, brushing away the accumulation and gazing into the true darkness of its celestial markings.
"These are Dragon Balls created by Garlic. Or… so I've heard."
"So you've heard?"
"Well I was Dead when these little instruments were given life."
"Wait… Isn't Garlic the guy who competed with you for Kami?"
"Heh-Heh-Heh. So you Were paying attention. Yes, yes he was."
"So he's alive?"
"No."
"... Then how come these aren't stone?"
"... Ahh, a good question. The Dragon Balls themselves are a manifestation of the creator's vision."
"..."
"In order for Dragon Balls to have potency the pros and cons of the caster's will need to be weighed for an appropriate outcome."
"..."
"Ki and magic are one in the same. Though, one might say that Ki is more about the instantaneous nature of activation while something like magic is more about planning and structure."
"So… you're saying that…"
"Garlic."
"-Garlic had a different plan in mind when he created these?"
"Correct. I just used traditional Namekian philosophy when creating the set. These rules don't Have to be the same. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if there were… hundreds of sets of Dragon Balls all across existence, all with different rules, different guidelines, philosophies. If his minion is to be believed Garlic performed magical shorthand."
"..."
"The usage of someone else's life essence to accomplish his goals. Sacrifice is much faster when you put multiple Other individuals on the line instead of your own."
"Wow."
"Think of it this way. Technically The Pendulum Room, The Room of Spirit and Time, and even these, The Dragon Balls. Are all a part of the same system."
Krillin crossed his arms and looked up as Kami explained, the stars behind him seeming to illuminate, and sparkle behind his white flowing garbs, contrasting harsh with the dark atmosphere. Kami truly looked like a God from where Krillin was standing, hands on The Black Star Ball.
"They may not be connected, or even Related in any way. But the process in which I created them is much the same. I start with an idea, and then manifest that idea into existence, with slow, careful build up over years. Something like The Pendulum Room, and The Room of Spirit and Time require more from the caster since there are no downsides, zero to be seen, you step in the room and take from it what you need. The Dragon Balls on the other hand, are different, they are 7 separate pieces, that need to be found, and gathered. I'm absolutely astonished that technology had advanced enough to even find these things. It would be impossible without some sort of locating device."
"Yeah, yeah. I totally follow you. The rules The Dragon Balls have are actually pretty strict. It just so happens that we have the ability to sidestep the limitation they were supposed to have."
"Egg-Sactly. Young Krillin, Exactly. It is no small feat to gather them, that's why they can grant practically any wish. It took a while to make The Dragon Balls, many years. But Garlic made them in one evening."
Krillin's whistle cut across the entirety of The Lookout, the night's wind still billowing up The Guardian of Earth's cloak ever so softly.
"His idea was a fast, and loose one. Demons aren't known for thinking so far into the future. They are belief driven, strong, and motivated, but often lack focus outside the present. With that idea in mind, it's not so unreasonable the limitation he imposed on this set."
"So what's this one's limitation?" Krillin asked as he dusted off the rest, placed the one he was holding down, and then picked up The 7th Black Star Ball.
"In addition to the gathering, The Black Star Balls would eradicate the planet with which the summoner summoned The Eternal Dragon to, unless the wisher gathered them, and returned them to their rightful place in less than a year."
"Huh. Well that's not so bad."
Kami grinned.
"You did not let me finish."
"Oh."
"And they spread across the entirety of the universe, not just our planet."
"What!?"
"Heh-Heh-Heh."
"Whuh… so what was his plan!?"
"I am not going to feign knowing what was going on in that crazy man's mind at that time." Kami claimed as he looked skyward, the genuine smile on his face impossible to ignore as he looked up at the crescent moon dotting the sky. "But perhaps he saw the technological advancement this planet had since he had seen it last and thought he could go to another planet after making his wish."
"Whoa…"
"And with an insane restriction, or… limitation like that, I am willing to bet that his version of The Eternal Dragon, or I suppose, Black Star Dragon would be terrifyingly powerful, easily putting my work to shame."
All Krillin could do was relinquish the orb to fall in line with the rest as he hopped out of the hole and let his jaw slack open in thought. Kami waved his hand once more and the second set laid in conjunction, opposing the Black Star Dragon Balls in another fountain-like abode. The Guardian of Earth sealed the items within their tomb and walked out to the edge, Krillin following close behind as he let his arm fade into obscurity.
"So what do we do now?"
"... Well… probably just neglect to use them. I have no clue what that entails. We will have to wait and see."
"Right."
"It is my duty to protect this planet so if I have to keep them up here and out of the public's hands, I suppose I must."
Fwuuuu~
Goten
"How was your day, young man?" Chi-Chi chimed in from in front of the kitchen counter as the little boy swung the door wide, but not too wide.
"Good! I'm hungry!"
"I bet."
"Where we you all day, son? Whoa!"
Gohan, Goku, and Chi-Chi all just shot looks at each other and then laughed as the tyke just stanced up, naked as a newborn, scratch marks all over his tiny frame.
"I'm starving! Let's eat!"
"..."
Trunks
"You are So grounded."
"... Bruh." Is all the Capsule Corp. Kid said as he let his face fall onto his fist, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the loft countertop, marble and all.
"Searching for The Dragon Balls!? While grounded!? What is your deal, Trunks!?" Bulma stated, flailing her arms out before piercing into her boy's own stark blue eyes.
"..."
"You took the radar… you got in a fight… you look like you fought a bear!"
"I could beat a bear. It was that other guy. He was cracked."
"Cracked!? I have no idea what I'm gonna do with you!"
"Mom."
"Is there a problem, baby? If I'm doing something wrong I need to know."
"Mom."
"Because there's no Way you'd be this stupid if I was-"
"Mom."
"What!?"
The pair locked onto each other, both staring into the abyssal gemstone cavern that was their eyes.
"That guy from Pod Corp. actually made the uhh, capture capsules."
"... What?" She leaned in close, her fury more palatable, the flames casting away the blue in search of a reddening from the veins on the sides.
"Yeah. He caught Goten and some other dude in one."
"Goten? Is he okay? Whatdidhedotoyo-"
"Goten's fine, mom. He's back at his house. All that matters is that he found out how to put living stuff into capsules."
"Pods."
"Pods." Trunks replied, rolling his eyes.
"How do you know about this?"
"I dunno~ he was~ he was There when we were gonna make our wish! I don't know, mom! I guess he wanted to make a wish too… or somethin'. Get off my case!"
Bulma's eyes ran dim, and away from her Capsule Corp. Kid's. She slid her hand across the counter and made her way to the balcony, content to leave it there, and pondered as she gazed into the neon streams of West City's tube tunnel systems.
Copper
A hefty sigh fell out of a tall tan man standing in front of the iron bars of a cell.
"Not gonna look great for the company, Mr. Newman."
"Well… the human race never got anywhere without taking any risks. Thousands of people died running into unfortunate circumstances just to get us here. I wouldn't be doing my due diligence as a man of science if I wasn't willing to take a couple bumps on the road. Though… having a few extra bucks in the bank certainly does help offset the losses. Later boys." The CEO of Pod Corp. waved the pair goodbye, exiting the cell and then the precinct, leaving Copper and Silver to ponder and stare up at the lights as night time came to collect its check outside, spreading across the skyline in every direction, revealing the vast expanse of space any all the pretty stars it encompassed.
"Is that it, Boss?"
"..." Copper just stood up tall, looking out the barred windows and into the lights protruding from the streetlamps. "..."
"We went all the way and we still couldn't lock it in. Is it just not meant to be? Was it all just a bad dream?"
"... No."
Silver sat up from the bedspread, wincing a bit as he touched up on the green bruises littering his face.
"We just didn't train long or hard enough."
"Damn. I really thought we had it for free this time."
"Me too, Silver. Me too."
"..."
Copper said nothing, only focusing his empty glare out into the nightlife of North City and the mountains that hung over it with ever more loose 'intention'.
"So how far does this rabbit hole go?"
"What are you talking about, Silver?" He replied, finally pacing away from the stone wall of the cell.
"Ki. Energy. Whatever that three eyed guy sai-"
"Tienshinhan."
"Yeah, that guy. I just wonder how strong we could really get."
"..."
"Like what's the cap? Where does it max out? Do you think we could destroy planets or something?"
"Hnn-Hmm. Get outta' here, man."
"I'm only barely kidding."
"Damn near feels like we gotta be at that level to make a wish with The Dragon Balls."
"It sure does." Silver shot back as he laid flat against the sturdy frame below him, absorbing a deep inhale through his beat up nose.
"Copper?"
"What is it, General?"
"We're not stopping until we get her back."
He answered back, not with words, but an emphatic salute to the grey concrete and the florescent lights as they turned off and left those who still had an overnight stay to fend for themselves in the precinct.