Chapter Eight

The next couple of days of traveling came and went by quickly after the group of five had parted ways with Ox King, Chi Chi, and Roshi at Fire Mountain. To say they went by without incident wouldn't make for an interesting story though, nor would Raditz want it that way so things went by about as normally as the group of a boy, a girl, two shapeshifters, and their angsty alien could hope for at least.

As usual, Raditz and Yamcha always found time to spar for at least three hours at a time until one (usually the desert bandit) came through the door beaten to a pulp and the other followed in knotted up, but obviously the winner of their bout. Then they'd spend an hour getting stitched and tended to by Puar and Bulma.

Puar was always happy to help Yamcha and while Bulma had complained about the frequency at first, she kind of liked tending to and in turn studying the Saiyan's body. It turned out that the Saiyan physiology was almost identical to that of a Human's, yet it worked nearly three times as fast while requiring almost five times as much calories intake. It was no wonder why Raditz ate so much now, his body pretty much needed it to heal his injuries.

After sparring, Raditz would usually meditate for however long he was given to work with between situations. As was now a routine, Bulma always joined her friend and when he wasn't going into town searching for leads with a shapeshifted Puar, Yamcha also found himself sitting alongside the two. Sometimes, they'd meditate for hours before bed and this served wonders for their ki control. Now, Raditz could at least release upwards of 80% of his ki at a time without feeling burnt out. Both Bulma and Yamcha had gotten to the point in their flying skills that they could now hover in the air for close to an hour at a time, something Yamcha referred to as the Sky Dancing technique. He also swore that he'd have complete control over his body during flight like Raditz before the end of the week though, the Saiyan didn't really care nor believe the foolishness.

After leaving what little remained of Fire Mountain after Roshi's Kamehameha Wave leveled the mountain, the group had come across a small town near the end of the desert. Here, Bulma had taken advantage of the fact that she resembled members of some Rabbit Mob, getting most of her wardrobe back at a discounted rate and even getting her Saiyan friend, Raditz, some capsulized snacks for the road. He and Yamcha had then been forced into taking on Monster Carrot… believe it or not, a giant rabbit with the ability to change people into carrots with his touch. After thinking Oolong, Puar, and then Bulma forever in carrot form, Raditz had nearly snapped and punched a whole through the rabbit's chest, cleverly using his ki to cloak his fist and save it from actually "touching" him.

Then, the day after that they'd come face-to-face with Emperor Pilaf and his gang of misfits once again. They had actually come up with a good plan, but Bulma's green thumb in mechanics and Raditz's strategicness on the battlefield had prevented the crew's heist attempt. Adding another failure to their record, Mai and Shu did not have the nicest of things awaiting them at the little imp's headquarters. Strangely enough too, Yamcha of all people, had found out from Mai herself that she was only 17, and like he had lived in the Diablo Desert up until Pilaf had killed her family and taken her as a child-slave turned mercenary.

Now, after nearly two weeks since he had met Bulma, the adventure seemed to be reaching its conclusion. According to the bluenette's Dragon Radar, they were finally closing in on the location of the final Dragon Ball of their location. Heading south, the group now stood in front of a giant wooden door that blocked access to the fortress's interior. This is what stood between them and getting their (or Bulma's) wish finally granted by this Eternal Dragon.

"So, this is where our journey ends?" Bulma inquired, more so speaking to herself than aloud as she glanced at the screen of her Dragon Radar as she reached the door. "We ask whoever lives here for their ball and then we just summon the Dragon I guess, sounds easy enough."

"Ready for that perfect boyfriend of yours?" Raditz teased the bluenette with a smirk on his face. While he had to admit that the idea was stupid, Bulma had put in just as much work as he had -she deserved to enjoy her very stupid wish. "This place looks kind of fishy though, nobody good could stay in a castle like this one." He added, the hairs on his forearms rising.

"Yeah I second that, something seems a bit out of the ordinary here," Yamcha exclaimed, checking the sturdiness of the obviously aged behemoth of a home before him. "Just imagine the goodies this place has for us to loot, I wonder if anyone's home?"

"I don't think anyone stays in castles like these anymore," Puar said with a gulp. "Let alone someone nice."

"The only way we're going to find that ball is if we knock and find out or bust down the door and take it," The Saiyan arrogantly countered, stepping in front of the door in prime position to knock it down with his enhanced Saiyan strength. "There aren't many power levels in there, we should be able to handle things if they sour.

"Don't Raditz, have you any idea what type of things could be awaiting us in this gloomy place?" Bulma cried, worrying about protecting her collection of Dragon Balls over anything. Something told her this was a bad idea and as bad as she wanted to get the ball, she did not want to be stuck in some creepy castle just as the sun was going down. "Who knows who has caught on to the fact that we're collecting the Dragon Balls? These things can make you a few enemies overnight."

"Quit worrying Blue," Raditz calmly reassured his friend, pointing at his scouter. "I can take anything these guys try… I'll even hold my Four-Star one just in case some funny business is going on." He thought, Saiyan intuition taking over as he reached into Bulma's knapsack and pulled out the item. After doing this he walked up to the towering down and gave it a hard knock, to make sure whoever was inside would definitely hear him and his friends.

"Hey, open up," Raditz grumbled, patiently holding off the urge to just knock the door off of its hinges.

Silence rang through the area for a good twenty seconds before the Saiyan got his answer. In a tone much deeper than even Raditz's, a voice answered from the mounted speaker.

"Who is it that comes forth?" It asked menacingly.

"We come in peace, looking for a sparkly ball with a single star on it," Raditz answered the speaker, referring to the One-Star Dragon Ball. "Our locator says it's somewhere in this beautiful castle of yours. My friend is Bulma Brief and she's willing to pay you a reasonable amount of Zeni if you'd want to talk trade."

"It must be your lucky day then kid," The voice continued as the group heard gears shifting as the door opened up to them. "I might have an idea what you're searching for. Come in and let's talk a bit of business before it gets too late." It added as the doors came to a complete open.

"Sire," Shu, the emperor's right hand man, started. Speaking to the blue imp before him, he was confused on just why he was letting the group into his castle with relative ease. "Umm, why are we letting the twerps in? Aren't we supposed to be taking the six Dragon Ball they have, not bargaining with them for our one?"

"Shu, you imbecile," Pilaf snapped at his underling with gritted teeth. Stupidity must have run in his bloodline. "We can't help to take on the bandit, yet alone the spiky haired brat in a straight fight -you and Mai have shown me that time after time! I'm simply letting them believe that I'm being cordial with them to lead them into their trap. Let's see if any of them can stay awoke with this hitting them like a bomb,"

"Very brilliant sire," Mai heard Shu praise their leader, rolling her head at the display of ass kicking. Pilaf could do so good with these Dragon Balls yet he was just like any other short guy, he wanted power. Sighing in thought of her leader, the words that she'd heard Yamcha tell him after their last encounter rang through her brain. 'You can control your own destiny, Mai is it? You have a heart, otherwise you woulda left Puar for dead… Thank you for that! Did he even ask you what YOU'D want to use these things for? Come join us and stop letting that little imp treat you the way he does, it's fucking bullshit!'

Yeah it was bullshit.

"Alright we're in, let's go get us a Dragon Ball," Bulma cheered in happiness, squealing as she pranced down the hallway in front of the four boys. At this point, she was ready to get the last Dragon Ball just so she could go back to the city… she needed her hair done, a pedicure, and a wax.

"Come on Blue, you know we stick close to each other in corridors like this," Raditz reminded the girl, grabbing her arm out of concern before she could get anybody hurt. "We don't know who this guy we're dealing with is, or what kind of boobytraps he could have set when he realized what that Dragon Ball was."

As the group continued their stride down the hallway, they had no idea that cameras were watching their every move. In his control room, the sinister emperor, Pilaf, anxiously awaited the perfect opportunity to trap his visitors in a new invention of his, a trapdoor booby trap. As soon as he saw Raditz pass by the sign that he knew as the back of the door, he knew the time was golden.

"Now we're got them!" The emperor snickered in delight as his palm slammed into the red button that activated his trap.

At the same moment in time, as he proceeded down the hallway with some caution, Raditz's head shot up as a very faint buzzing sound entered his ears. Following this, the group was caught off guard when a sturdy brick wall slammed down from behind them. His reflexes taking over and not wanting to be trapped, the Saiyan attempted to lunge himself forward as another wall dropped in front of him and Bulma. However, the tailed warrior was just a split second too late as he collided headfirst into the trapdoor. Raditz growled in annoyance as he realized that he too had been duped and trapped with his friends.

"Dammit, I never should have let my guard down," Raditz cursed himself, falling into a defensive stance in front of Bulma. Letting his anger out, he lashed out with a punch at a nearby wall. Noticing it left no mark, the Saiyan sighed. "Looks like we're stuck… I should have known things were fishy, my bad guys."

"Just fucking great," Yamcha sarcastically mumbled in irritation. Pacing from wall to wall of the prison, the desert bandit picked at the straw in his teeth. "It wasn't just you Raditz. We all should have been on our toes… we know just how much danger these bad boys bring our way."

"Good thing we got you two twerps with us," Oolong laughed, coming up with a triumph card. "You've both been training right? Maybe these walls can be broken, you and Yamcha could do it if nobody else can!"

"Doesn't sound bad," The young Saiyan agreed, turning to face the wall as he focused on his breathing. Concentrating his strength to his fists, Raditz shot forward at the wall with killing intent. Unfortunately for the group though, the wall didn't even seem to budge a bit. Realizing it was left undented, Raditz shot out with a stronger straight to the wall. A booming sound echoed but all that the Saiyan had walked away from his attempt to knock the door down with were a few bloodied and bruised knuckles. "Dammit…" He said to himself upon realization.

"Let me have a go at it," Yamcha said, trying to break down the wall as well with his Wolf Fang Fist attack. Obviously, he had come to no avail as well. Shaking his head, Raditz cursed the Earthling for even trying it when he had failed.

"J-Just stop it Yamcha," Raditz suddenly cried, his irritation reaching its point. Locked with no way out, his survival instincts were kicking in but he knew it was irrelevant. They were trapped. "Can't you see you're just wasting your energy? If I couldn't even leave a dent on this thing, what the hell makes you think you're gonna come close to knocking it down?"

"What else do you want me to do?" The bandit countered, yelling at the Saiyan in retaliation. His temper had gotten the best of him and in this situation, Yamcha didn't give a fuck. "You usually have no problem punching your way to whatever the hell you want… do it now!" He finished, pushing the Saiyan before walking to the furthest corner to cool himself down.

Raditz sighed, letting the desert bandit let out his frustration without repercussions. He got it, they were all frustrated. He had to not let that get in the way and find a way out though, his and Bulma's lives, along with everyone else's, depended on it.

"I mean they're after these Dragon Balls," Raditz answered, taking a guess. "They're going to have to rip them out of our hands and that means they'll have to come in. That's when we beat whoever this is, find that Dragon Ball, and make our escape… nobody left behind."

This guy had no idea who he was dealing with.

"Wow Pilaf," Mai began, actually astonished that the imp's plan had worked for once. "Your plan actually worked out brilliantly… they're stuck like dogs!"

"Good," Pilaf snickered, a sinister grin making its way to his face. Soon, he would have all seven of the mystical Dragon Balls and then he'd force the Eternal Dragon of Legend to grant him the power to rule worlds. First he'd take over the Earth government, then Mars, and then Jupiter! Raditz would be the least of his worries! "Shu, how do you think we should get those fools to give up their balls? Interrogation? Torture? Should we gut the pig?" The emperor beckoned.

"Uhhh milord," The dog barked. "That room is fit with that special knockout gas we stole from King Furry's armory… remember, it kept that Paozusaurus sleeping a whole week. They shouldn't even hear us come in and take the balls from their bags then, shouldn't they?"

"Wonderful idea," Pilaf screamed, turning around to face the dog minion. "Put our guests to bed, it's getting awfully late Shu."

"Yessir, Emperor," Shu retorted, barking in excitement as he pressed the button he had been instructed. As he watched the room the Raditz brat and his friends were filled with a heavy dosage of knockout gas, Shu's tail wagged behind him. He hoped that the Emperor was proud of the work he was doing!

Nearly two hours later, the Dragon Ball Gang awoke one after another, with Yamcha being the very first to awake and Oolong being the last one to be awakened by his comrades. Nobody remembered what had happened, just suddenly feeling more sleepy than they ever had in their life.

"Man, what happened?" Oolong asked between yawns. "One minute I'm on high alert and the next I'm cleaning slobber from my snout,"

"Dammit, they hit us with knockout gas," Yamcha confirmed, taking a whiff of the pungent odor in the air. He had used it before, it reeked of the gas. "So much for waiting for these punks… such a bitch move," The bandit grumbled as he let out a yawn of his own, not watching as an awakened Bulma frantically searched her knapsack.

"H-He's right, Raditz! They took all of them… how about the one you hid? Did they find that?" Bulma questioned, hoping that all of her and her friend's hard work hadn't boiled down to being trapped in this room while somebody took the wish that they had earned fair and square.

Raditz's eyes widened as he remembered the ball, grabbing for the small sack that he had placed on his grandfather's Power Pole. Feeling the solid sphere in the pouch, a smile flooded the Saiyan's face as he realized that his idea had worked. Now the game was back in their hands. Putting the ball back in its pouch, the Saiyan put it in his armor for safekeeping.

"Good thing our guy's dumber than a sack of feathers," Raditz laughed, now a bit at ease. "Now we don't have to worry about them getting that wish!"

"Where is my seventh ball? We're missing the Four-Star Ball?" The emperor harshly growled at his henchman, frantically searching for the last of the set of seven Dragon Balls. "Without that Dragon Ball, my wish cannot be granted. I can't be ruler of the world without it, you imbeciles!"

"You were in there when we searched the girl's bag, they must've hid it somewhere before we caught them," Shu guessed, trying his best to confront the little gremlin that was his boss. "We'll find it though, we will!"

"It must be in between the tall one's legs," Mai smirked, giggling at her own dirty joke much to Pilaf's annoyance. He didn't like jokes… especially during times where jokes were definitely not taken as funny. "Sorry, sire…" She apologized, immediately regretting the choice of words.

"Restrain them," Pilaf demanded through clenched teeth at his grunts. "Restrain all but the blue-haired brat… she seems to know the most about these balls, let's have some fun with her." The emperor snickered, watching as pairs of claws sprouted from his captives' room and clamped onto Raditz, Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar.

Anger and brutal thoughts entered Raditz's head and swirled through them as he attempted to break his restraints. He continued to fight and scream, his ki building up as he watched Pilaf enter the room and slap Bulma to the ground.

"Now look at what you've made me do," Pilaf spat, screaming at the Saiyan the entire time as he tossed Bulma around. "Tell me Raditz… how much do you care about this woman?" The imp added with a smirk.

"W-What are you getting at?" Raditz screamed as he tried to lunge himself at the emperor. His metal restraints threw him to the ground as he tried but the Saiyan just continued going at it like a stubborn bull, a fiery red aura cackling around his body in reflection of the hatred that was flowing through his veins for Pilaf. "I'm going to rip your limbs off for what you've done…"

"Big mean words for someone who wants to save their friend," Pilaf snickered, moving almost quicker than anyone other than Raditz could see. Snatching Mai's pistol from its holster and a handful of Bulma's blue locks, the Emperor looked Raditz dead in his face before speaking again. "Fork over the Dragon Ball brat, unless you want to watch the janitor clean some fish food from the walls, of course," He said with another evil snicker at the Saiyan.

Raditz felt his muscles pulling at the metal and his veins beginning to pop from his skin as he watched the scene. Bulma's eyes watered as she felt the cold metal touch his temple… she wasn't ready to die! She didn't want to give up the final Dragon Ball but she also didn't want to die! Raditz had to have a plan… he was going to save her right? Right? She looked up to see the Saiyan stare at the blue emperor in defeat, the aura around him dying down as he lay down, letting the Dragon Ball roll out of his armor and to Pilaf's foot.

"Release her now," Raditz growled, unable to move his arms but wishing he could. His eyes were locked onto the emperor, even as he let Bulma go from his grasp and back into the prison. Raditz turned to see if Bulma was okay and before he could even say anything a mean left hook struck him and things went black from there.

Raditz awoke again a few minutes later, realizing he had been knocked out. He was surprised, the imp didn't seem like he hit hard but he had gotten him. Realizing his restraints had been removed, the Saiyan closed the distance to a traumatized Bulma, embracing her body in his arms with a hug.

"Raditz, we have to do something." Bulma cried into his arms, feeling very much secure after coming face to face with death. "I-I thought I was dead… they're going to use those Dragon Balls for something horrible, I just feel it." 'All of this happened just because I wanted to start this quest… my radar blueprints were stolen right under my nose.' The girl thought, blaming herself. 'My selfish wish and look at where it's brought us now,'

"Don't worry Blue, I promise we'll find a way out of here," Raditz comforted the bluenette, swaying his finger through her blue locks. He locked eyes with her for a second and thought about just how much he admired her eyes. Bulma was beautiful that much was sure, but now the Saiyan really began to think of just how much he enjoyed her presence. She was a good friend but Raditz knew that things were only bound to get worst from here. Putting aside all other thoughts, the Saiyan felt himself lean towards Bulma as he pierced into his blue eyes.

A second passed until Raditz felt his lips plant themselves onto Bulma's warm, delicate lips. Bulma kissed back with no objection, her eyes widening at the unexpected move by the Saiyan and at the fact that she was enjoying this kiss waaay too much. She felt her face turn red as she realized that she had in fact been crushing on Raditz from the start of this journey and this pretty much put the cherry on top for this. If they did make it out, she was sure she had found her perfect boyfriend. After a full ten seconds of embracing, the two backed away from one another after not wanting to be the one to end it. A smile beamed across Raditz's face as he watched Bulma twirl a finger through her hair and then his. Both of their faces were flushed with red, more so out of embarrassment that they had enjoyed that waaaay too much. Fluttering her eyelashes and biting her lips at the Saiyan, Bulma put a hand to Raditz's shoulder and began to speak after she regained her breath.

"That was amazing," Bulma said, looking into the Saiyan's eyes. "Once we make it out of here, I won't even need that boyfriend wish,"

"If is the thing though," Raditz agreed, thinking of ways to escape the prison again. A smirk came to his face at an idea he should have thought about earlier. "I'll try one of my energy attacks… see if I can knock this thing down."

The Saiyan turned to face the wall, cupping his hands to the side as he got in the stance he'd seen Roshi use multiple times. Thinking about future memories with his friends, Raditz screamed as he thrust the charged ball of ki into the wall ahead of him. Once a smokescreen had cleared, the friends saw that a small hole had been created… just not one tiny enough for Raditz, Bulma, or Yamcha to enter through.

"Dammit, it's not big enough for me," Raditz grumbled, before he remembered his friend's abilities. "Oolong, Puar, you two have to transform into bats and get down there. Take a Dragon Ball so that they can't make their wish, bring it back up here and don't get caught."

Racing against time and with a plan as good as they could hope for, the two shapeshifters nodded in agreement before they morphed into a pair of bats. Exiting the castle through the hole, Oolong and Puar soared across the clearing, searching for Pilaf and his stolen Dragon Balls.

"Eternal Dragon, by your name, I summon you forth: Shenron!" Pilaf shouted before either Oolong or Puar could reach the Dragon Balls. His one true goal in life was finally about to be fulfilled with the help of the Eternal Dragon, Shenron. In less than another minute, he, Pilaf, would be the undisputed ruler of all life on Earth and there was no one who could possibly thwart his plans.

The sky suddenly darkened, the sky becoming a deep black color, with dazzling bolts of lightning flashing throughout the skies until one particular bolt of electricity struck the seven Dragon Balls, causing the orbs to glow brilliantly. After another few seconds, the lightning bolt began to change form, taking the shape of a large, green serpent-like scaled creature. Shenron, the Eternal Dragon within the Dragon Balls, had finally been summoned, awaken from his long-term hibernation.

"You has gathered the Dragon Balls and summoned me," The dragon bellowed in an incredibly deep, yet calming voice. "I shall grant you one single wish before I depart."

Pilaf snickered at the words that came from the Eternal Dragon's fanged mouth, his mouth watering as his most anticipated dreams were about to become a reality. After coming up with the words to state to Shenron, Pilaf began to say, "I wish…"

"FOR A PAIR OF THE WORLD'S HOTTEST, MOST SOFTEST AND COMFORTABLE GIRL PANTIES!" Oolong suddenly screamed from a distance, interrupting the emperor's own wish after having closed the gap between his previous cell and Pilaf just in time.

"To be the undisputed ruler of the entire world," Emperor Pilaf finished just a split second too late.

"So you have asked… so it shall be. Your wish has been granted. FAREWELL!" Shenron roared as his blood red eyes brightened, emitting a flash from them. A split second later the scaled dragon suddenly vanished from the eyes of Pilaf and Oolong, with each of the seven Dragon Balls turning to stone before they hovered into the air, shooting off in seven directions to scatter themselves across the planet once again. In the place of the Eternal Dragon, a pair of fluffy, hot pink colored girl's underwear appeared out of nowhere, slowly tumbling towards the ground before they fell onto the head of the newly reverted back to normal Oolong, whose face showed off a large grin.

"You and all of your friends are going to pay for this!" Pilaf spat out, clearly angered that he had not gotten the opportunity to speak his wish to the Eternal Dragon… that his wish for world domination had been neglected for… for nothing more than a pair of PANTIES. "This I swear… Shu, knock these two out and throw them in the other cell." The Emperor added, activating the knockout gas chamber once again to put Raditz, Bulma, and Yamcha back to sleep.

Power Levels

Raditz: 90

Bulma: 10

Yamcha: 30

Mai: 8

Shu: 6

Pilaf: 14