Chapter 28: Bad News and Good News and More Bad News
(Opening Theme: Unbreakable by Fireflight)
Cashew Village
Barit woke up and shook his head, yesterday had been long, too long. Nothing but patrolling Cashew Village in pairs, taking a break at different times as needed, it was a lot different from what he was used to in Conton City. He exited Kamiki and Jinbei's house, Kenshiro had moved them to his ex's, Tsubaki's, house so she could take care of them while he watched over Cashew Village. His cell phone rang, and he answered it, "Yeah?" "Barit, Jade and Shurayuki are going soon, get to the Square so we can talk strategy," Brocc said on the other end. "Alright," Brocc said, and hung up, then flew to the Village Square. Shurayuki and Jade were dressed in brown shinobi gear and had mud liberally smothered on themselves, ready to look for the Neo-Red Ribbon Army's base. Kenshiro was already there, as was Brocc, dressed in an outfit like Gohan when he was a teen, except for his lack of shirt. "Alright, Mom and Jade are going now, that means that we'll have less time to rest. We need to shore up our defenses to make up for it. Mom suggested we have some of the Villagers go at the entrances of the Village, just in case, and others stay on lookout on their roofs, keep contact with us with our cells. What do you think?" Kenshiro told Barit.
The Namekian thought about this, he wasn't an expert in war, small scale fights he could handle, but not a war involving thousands, and protecting thousands of people as well. "What about physical defenses? Traps, walls? Mines?" Barit asked. "We can't, farms are too far apart for a wall to be made quickly, and we don't have materials to stop any heavy machinery, if the Neo-Red Ribbon Army has any. And a wall won't keep out the Units. As for mines, there's too much risk for the Villagers. What traps did you have in mind?" Shurayuki asked. "Spike traps maybe? Caltrops hidden in leaves, nets?" Barit suggested. Shurayuki nodded, "We can ask the Villagers to handle that, anything else?" Barit shook his head. "Alright then, Kenshiro, go tell the Villagers our plan, Barit, Brocc, you'll need to patrol by yourselves while Jade and I try to find their base or camp, whichever they have. Good luck," Shurayuki said, and with that, her and Jade headed out. Kenshiro, Brocc, and Barit went their separate ways, Brocc took the North half of Cashew Village while Barit took the South.
Barit kept his eyes and ears wide open as he looked for any sign of the Neo-Red Ribbon Army, but he wasn't as great as a Super Namek like Piccolo or Slug, his hearing was superior to an Earthlings, but nothing compared to theirs. He focused on listening, but didn't hear anything out of the ordinary, he heard forest animals and Villagers going about their lives, he heard a thunderstorm approaching, maybe it would reach the Village in another hour, and when he concentrated he could hear Shurayuki and Jade's footsteps as they made their way through the forests around Cashew Village, but he didn't hear any sign of an army. If the Neo-Red Ribbon Army has a base, then it's pretty far away… For hours nothing happened, until someone called him on his phone. "Yeah?" Barit asked. "Hey, is this that yellow guy, Barry?" a strange voice said on the other end.
"The name's 'Barit', not 'Barry', but yeah, that's me," Barit responded. "Barit, got it, sorry. I'm Takeda Takashi, one of the lookouts here on the land. It's almost time for lunch, I got some food for ya if ya want it," the voice said, Takeda Takashi. "Thanks, Takashi-san. Where are you?" Barit asked. "You're about ten miles outside the Village now, I'm twenty miles North of ya, I'm on top of the blue house with the green roof," Takashi said. "Alright, make sure you got plenty of water, I'll see you soon," Barit said, and followed Takashi's directions. He spotted the house, and saw Takashi waiting for him. Takashi was a pretty skinny guy in a red shirt and jeans with boots and a straw hat on, holding a pair of old binoculars. Takashi waved at him and Barit waved back as he landed on his roof. "Wow, you're a pretty big boy, ain't ya?" Takashi said as he handed a canteen to Barit. "Yeah, training all the time tends to make you pretty big," Barit said, then gave Takashi his hand, "Barit." "Takashi," Takashi said as they shook hands.
"Ya see anything while you were up there?" Takashi asked as Barit drank. "No sign of the enemy, and I didn't hear anything out of the ordinary either," Barit said. "Yeah, Kenshiro told us about how you Namek's got good ears. Nothing at all?" Takashi asked. "No, unless they can hide their heartbeats and footsteps, I don't think there are any soldiers nearby. Thanks," Barit said as Takashi gave him some cooked fish and rice balls to eat. "What about those…cyborgs? Or that robot that Jiro talked about?" Takashi asked. Barit closed his eyes and focused his hearing, looking for the sounds of anyone he didn't know flying, or an engine running. He shook his head and he and Takashi continued eating. Suddenly, he heard something small flying through the air at almost supersonic speed. Acting without thinking, Barit stood up and caught the object, it felt like Kenshiro's fist slamming into his palm.
Barit opened his hand, and saw it was a bullet. "Takashi-san, get down!" Barit yelled as more bullets came their way. Barit focused his hearing, but could hear any gunfire or engine. "Call Kenshiro and Brocc! Sniper attack! Too far away for me to hear where they are!" Barit yelled as Takashi got out his phone. "Kenshiro! There's a sniper trying to shoot me and Barit! He's grabbing the bullets, but we can't find the sniper!" Takashi said. "More than one!" Barit heard Kenshiro say on the other end, "Goro, Sasuke, Itto, and Abe are dead! They're coming! Barit I know you hear me, get ready to fight!" That was when Barit heard them coming, two men and a woman in black jumpsuits. One of the men was average height but muscular and had long brown hair and grey eyes, the other was taller and just as muscular with short orange hair and brown eyes, while the woman was just as tall as the second man with purple hair in a ponytail and matching eyes. "Takashi-san, get inside!" Barit yelled as he took flight.
He headed straight for the tall man first and stretched out his arm, grabbing his leg and slamming him into the woman. Barit focused on the second man then and blasted a paralyzing ki ball at him, stopping him in his tracks. Barit got in range and blasted the short man with Evil Explosion, sending him flying back. He narrowly missed what looked like a green Destructo-Disc from the woman and blocked a kick from the tall man before punching him back. Barit dodged a ki wave from the woman and blasted her with Bomber DX. The shorter man came at him from behind but Barit narrowly dodged his charge and grabbed his arm in time to spin him around and slam him into the tall man before summoning his power and blasting powerful ki balls and finishing with a full powered Masenko blast, destroying the men. That Explosive Assault wore Barit out, and the woman saw her chance to slam her palms into his ears from behind.
Barit screamed in pain as his ear drums burst and she pulled the stunned Namekian's head back to knee the back of his head before breaking his nose with a dropping elbow. Barit fought through the pain and grabbed the Unit's shoulders to pull the top of her head into his knee, making her let go. Barit blasted her away from him with Masenko, then focused his power through his stomach and blasted a Break Cannon out his mouth, destroying her. "I'm sorry for what was done to you. May you know peace in Otherworld," Barit said as he stretched out his ki sense, he could tell that about a hundred soldiers were coming, with about five tanks as backup. Barit looked down and saw them coming and flew to them, focusing his power throughout his body and turned Giant! The Giant Barit stomped down on the soldiers, crushing about twenty soldiers and one tank, shaking the ground as he fell. "LEAVE CASHEW VILLAGE!" Giant Barit yelled as he stomped on another tank. The soldiers all ran as the tanks tried to fire at him, but their attacks were ineffective against the Great Namek. He looked around and saw no more soldiers or Units coming, and his ears finally healed enough for him to hear.
He heard Kenshiro go Kaioken Times Twenty as he fought five opponents at once, and Brocc sounded like he was powered up to Super Vegeta 2, but still losing! Barit returned to his normal size and flew in Brocc's direction. He arrived to see Brocc was bleeding badly from his chest, but still fighting against two tall skinny men like him with white hair, Kaioken auras surrounding them. Barit stretched out his arm and grabbed one of Brocc's opponents and pulled him into a hard kick to his face. Barit followed up with Masenko, knocking him back again. Barit knew that he had to keep on the offensive, and quickly summoned up his power, finishing his opponent with Break Cannon. He looked and saw Brocc block his last opponent's fist and yell, "Reverse Mabakusenko!", destroying him. Brocc grabbed his chest wound and then reached into his pants to pull out some Healing Capsules, tossing one to Barit, who quickly used it. "Fuck, these bastards are getting even stronger! I didn't think that two old men could do that to me!" Brocc yelled. Barit focused his hearing and heard as Kenshiro was still fighting against three opponents at once. "Let's go! Kenshiro needs backup!" Barit yelled, leading the way as he and Brocc flew to Kenshiro's aid.
Kenshiro was dealing with three Super Saiyans! One was a woman whose ponytail spiked out, another was a man with short hair and large ears, and the last was a man with a large chin and beard with spiky hair, all of them a golden blur as Kenshiro struggled to dodge their ki blasts. "Kenshiro!" Brocc yelled as he tackled the bearded one and slammed his elbow into his opponent's solar plexus. Barit tackled the woman and flew outside the Village with her before turning Giant again. Kenshiro saw that he was only fighting one opponent and flew at the last man like a rocket before striking the sides of his neck with his fingertips and slamming his knee into his face, "Hokuto Shinken Koshu Hagan Ken!" The man didn't have time to do anything as his skull split in half. Barit meanwhile had grabbed his opponent in his massive hand and slammed her hard into the ground, crushing her. He returned to his normal form and said, "May you know peace in Otherworld." That left Brocc, trading blows with his own opponent as fast as he could.
However, Brocc had gotten a Zenkai boost from his fight only minutes before, and soon was overwhelming him before he at last landed a powerful blow to his opponent's throat and powered up a Times Ten Kamehameha Wave, blasting him out of existence. Kenshiro deactivated Kaioken and Barit went to help him stay up. Kenshiro was breathing hard and he had bruises all over his body. "Brocc, you got anymore Healing Capsules?" Barit asked. "Not on me, I got some more at the House. Are anymore enemies on the way?" Brocc said. Barit closed his eyes and focused on his hearing, trying to detect any more Units or soldiers. "No, we got them all for now," Barit told him. "Alright, hold on Kenshiro, I'll fix ya up real fast," Brocc said and flew back to Jinbei and Kamiki's House. "Those guys were strong, real strong, and they were smart," Kenshiro said, "I destroyed two of them with Hokuto Shinken. That's when those three went Super Saiyan and kept their distance. I had to go Kaioken just to avoid their attacks!"
"I get it, this could be a good thing though, if the Neo-Red Ribbon Army's breaking out the big guns, it means they're desperate, it means that we're winning!" Barit pointed out. "I hope you're right," Kenshiro said, "I don't feel like I'm winning right now." Brocc arrived with a Healing Capsule and tossed it to Kenshiro, who quickly used it to heal his injuries. "We drove them back," Barit said, only for Kenshiro to sadly say, "But we lost some good men." "Hey, it's not that bad, remember, there's the Dragon Balls! Just call Pearl and tell her to collect them, then we can use them to bring them back!" Brocc pointed out. "Can't, not now. The Neo-Red Ribbon Army isn't beaten yet I don't think. I can ask her to gather the Dragon Balls, but we can't use them yet, more people might die before this war is over," Kenshiro said. The three of them flew down to see the families of the men who were killed by snipers crying over their bodies, as High Priest Hideaki said prayers over them.
"High Priest, hold on," Kenshiro said. "Kenshiro, we must bury them quickly, return them to the soil they came from," Hideaki said. "Wait, we can bring them back," Kenshiro said, "In Conton City we have the Dragon Balls. With them we can summon the Great Dragon Shenron, he can bring them back to life!" "The Dragon Balls!?" Hideaki said, "You mean, they're real!?" Kenshiro nodded, "Yes, I've seen them myself. We can have our friends gather them, and then, once we're sure the Neo-Red Ribbon Army is defeated, we can use them to bring back everyone that was killed!" One woman looked at him and said, "Are you sure of this?" "I am, Himeko-san," Kenshiro told the widow. "Then do it, you need to do it now!" another widow said. "No, not yet. There may be more deaths in the future. But if we wait to make sure the Neo-Red Ribbon Army is beaten, then we can bring everyone back!" Kenshiro said. "But what about now? We can't leave their bodies to be savaged by animals, or left to rot," Hideaki said.
Kenshiro stopped and thought about this, Hideaki was right. He had no idea how long this could take, his plan was a longshot. "Do you have anyplace cool and out of the way where you can keep them preserved?" Barit asked. "Well, there is a storage silo where we keep any excess meat for the summer, but, these are our people! We can't just…stuff them in there like they're nothing!" Hideaki said. "It won't be forever! Just until this whole thing is over," Kenshiro said. Hideaki sighed then turned to the widows of the dead men, all of them looked at him and Kenshiro hopefully, and he said, "Very well, we will…rest their bodies in the storage silo for now." The families all took the dead men's bodies and headed to the storage silo, leaving Brocc, Barit, and Kenshiro alone.
Outside Cashew Village
Jade and Shurayuki had been going for hours with no sign of soldiers before they sensed a powerful ki signature. Shurayuki had Jade stop and they laid still on the trees as it passed overhead. The sight chilled Jade, she spotted a female Super Saiyan 3 flying overhead, in the black jumpsuit of a Unit! "Could that be…Unit 124?" Jade asked. "Possibly," Shurayuki said quietly, "we need to follow her, let's go!" Jade and Shurayuki quickly lost sight of the woman, but they could sense her enormous power as she continued to fly, South of Cashew Village. About two hundred miles away, they finally saw her again, landing in a large camp where they saw soldiers training outside of tents. "We found it," Jade said. "Yes. We'll go back and tell the others for now, then tomorrow, if all goes well, we'll infiltrate their camp, and take whatever we can," Shurayuki said, and they headed back to Cashew Village as quickly and quietly as they could. When they went back into the Village, they saw Brocc flying overhead.
He saw them and flew down, "Where were you?" "We found their camp," Jade said, then looked around, "What happened?" "We were attacked, with snipers, tanks, soldiers, and Units. Barit destroyed the tanks and sent the soldiers running, and we destroyed the Units, but, some Villagers were killed by the snipers," Brocc told them. Jade swallowed after hearing this and Shurayuki grit her teeth, "There's more. We saw a Unit, a Super Saiyan 3. That might be Unit 124 that the Captain talked about." "S-Super Saiyan 3!?" Brocc yelled in astonishment, "We felt a powerful energy signature, but we thought…oh fuck me!" "We have to tell the others!" Shurayuki said, and the three of them flew off to see Kenshiro and Barit. When they heard the news both of them grew grim. "This is really bad, even the five of us together might not be able to take on a Super Saiyan 3," Kenshiro said, "Plus she's probably even stronger than a regular Super Saiyan 3 since they turned her into a cyborg." "Call Pearl now, we'll need everyone to help us," Shurayuki said, and Kenshiro took out his phone.
Conton City
Pearl woke up from one of the most embarrassing dreams she ever had. She quickly bashed her head into the wall to forget it, around the time her forehead started to flatten, she stopped. "Okay…what else can I do today?" she said out loud, then looked at her Scouter. She took her glasses off and got a crazy idea. "Well, Tagoma had his Scouter…why not?" she said as her tentacles raised up and shot two pink beams, one to her Scouter and one to her glasses, raising them up in the air and bringing them close. In a flash of light, the two combined. Her glasses now had black frames and purple lenses, with grey buttons on the left arm. Pearl smiled and put them on, things looked different, but manageable. She then took out the Capsule Cooler gave her yesterday and opened it, she wasn't surprised to see that it was a copy of his Armored Squad Armor.
She put on the Armor and looked at herself in the mirror, Green isn't my color really…oh well, free clothes! She took off the outfit and took a shower before putting it back on, and made about a dozen pancakes for herself, carefully following the instructions on the pancake mix box. After breakfast, her Scouter Glasses went off, it was the Supreme Kai of Time, "Pearl, we need you, there's been another disturbance in Time." "On my way," Pearl said, grabbing four Healing Capsules and her phone before flying to the Time Nest. She arrived to see Trunks, the Supreme Kai of Time and Elder Kai waiting for her. Both of them looked grim as they looked at the Scroll. "Come see this," the Supreme Kai of Time said, and Pearl looked at the Scroll.
It showed AGE: 767, Imperfect Cell facing off against both Android 17 and 18, Piccolo and Android 16 already defeated at the hands of Cell. "You gotta to be kidding me!" Android 17 yelled as he charged at Imperfect Cell. The Bio-Android had Towa's corrupted aura around him as he yelled, "Solar Flare!" Android 17 was blinded by the attack, and Cell slammed his tail into him, knocking him into Android 18 hard enough to knock them both out. Before the Androids could regain consciousness, Cell's tail opened up, and he absorbed both of them at once, transforming into his Perfect Form. Perfect Cell laughed at his easy victory.
In the Time Nest, Trunks yelled, "N-No…Cell absorbed both 17 and 18 at the same time and attained his Perfect Form…" "That's not what happened before?" Elder Kai asked. "It isn't," Trunks explained, "Before, he absorbed 17 and later 18." Elder Kai still didn't understand though, "But last time he still absorbed them both, right?" "Y-yes," Trunks admitted, rubbing the back of his head, "but the order of things is different. Cell saw how much stronger my Dad and I became in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. So to test how strong Goku and the rest of us could get, he devised the Cell Games. But if he's already achieved his Perfect Form, I don't think the Cell Games will happen." Elder Kai finally understood, "Well, that sounds like trouble. Why don't you pop in and pay Cell a visit? You're far stronger than you were back then, so that might get his attention." Trunks rubbed the back of his head again, sighing, "Th-this is getting ridiculous…"
"Wait…" the Supreme Kai of Time interjected, "With all of these changes, does that mean that Krillin and Android 18 won't be able to get married?" "Huh!?" Trunks exclaimed, "Is that possible!?" "It is!" the Supreme Kai of Time said, "Please! You can be so dense! Anyway," the Goddess turned to Pearl, "it's time to get to work! Trunks will be able to give you some support on this one." Trunks turned to Pearl, "All right! I'm familiar with this part of History, so I'll be happy to guide you!" "Thanks," Pearl said. "That's true! You're the worst with romantic stuff, but you do know how to punch things!" the Supreme Kai of Time said to Trunks. Trunks rubbed the back of his head, "Could you lay off that for a while, please?" I wonder how he'd react if he knew about him and the Supreme Kai of Time in Ryo's Universe… Pearl thought as she watched them. Elder Kai got everyone back on track as he gave Pearl the Scroll, "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, do your best out there!" "We will!" Trunks and Pearl said as Pearl grabbed the Scroll and Trunks got close to her, and they vanished in a flash of light.
AGE: 767
Piccolo faced Android 17 in the Archipelago while Android 16 and 18 watched. Pearl appeared beside Piccolo, who silently nodded to her and she to him. Android 17 was surprised at first, but then a purple aura surrounded him as his eyes glowed red. "I only want to know Goku's location. Will you tell me or not?" Android 17 said to Piccolo. Piccolo answered, "You want to know so you can go kill him. I won't betray him by telling you." Piccolo and Pearl got ready to fight, as did Android 17. Android 17 said, "Then our fight will continue…until you change your mind." Piccolo barely avoided the Android's charge and hit his back with a ki ball, only for 17 to turn around and blast him with some ki balls of his own. Piccolo blocked and dodged 17's attacks before slamming his fist into 17's stomach, only for 17 to return the favor, making Piccolo cough up blood. Seeing how desperate he was, Pearl quickly intervened and knocked 17 away from Piccolo with Finish Breaker.
Trunks told Pearl through her Scouter Glasses, "17 is more powerful than he should be! It wasn't just Cell! If Cell absorbs 17 in this state, he'll grow terrifyingly strong! Try to dispel the enchantment on 17 before Cell arrives!" "Got it!" Pearl said as 17 switched targets to her. She dodged his Side Bridge attack and it's return before hitting him with an exploding ki ball. Piccolo saw his own chance and hit 17 with Light Grenade before flying in with a hard kick to his head. Android 17 grunted, but grabbed Piccolo's throat then slammed a ki ball into his stomach. This was all the distraction Pearl needed as she charged up a Super Kamehameha, hitting 17 dead on. 17 wasn't done though as he charged up ki in his hands saying, "I'm going to beat you like a rug! Take this!" The green Super Electric Strike was too big for Pearl to avoid, so she quickly used Instant Transmission to get in front of 17, where he flew around her and kicked her five times before the last kick sent her into the ocean.
"I don't care who tells me, you or Piccolo," 17 told Pearl as she flew out the water, "But I demand to know Goku's location." "Not happening," Pearl told him as he charged at her. Pearl blocked his attacks and kicked him back. Piccolo blasted ki balls at 17 as fast as he could, only for the Android to deflect all of them. "I have an unlimited energy supply. If you want to keep being stubborn, you're going to die," 17 smirked. "Hellzone Grenade!" Piccolo yelled, and his attack slammed into 17, dispelling Towa's aura. The three combatants prepared to keep on fighting, only for them to sense yet another ki signature. They all looked up to see Imperfect Cell high on a mountain, looking down on them. Towa's aura surrounded Imperfect Cell as he laughed, "At last, this long-awaited day has come. Now I will unite with 17 and 18 and attain my Perfect Form!" Cell jumped down and Android 17 said, "I don't know who you are, but you're annoying me, so get lost. I'm having a little fun here, you see?"
"17!" Piccolo yelled, "He plans to kill you and absorb your body! Run!" "Cell is here!" Trunks yelled, "You'll have to fight to defend 18 so he can't absorb her!" Pearl quickly got between Cell and 18 and knocked him back with Finish Buster. Cell quickly focused on Piccolo, stabbing his arm with his stinger tail and absorbing some of his life essence, before grabbing him by his throat and saying, "Goodbye, Piccolo." Pearl shut her eyes as Cell blasted a hole through the Namekian's stomach and tossed him aside. "Piccolo!" Trunks yelled. "I'm sorry Piccolo, but this is accurate to History," Pearl whispered before powering up a Majin Kamehameha and hitting Cell with it, knocking him away from 17. The Android was too cocky though and charged at Cell. Cell punched 17's face and then kicked him back before stomping on his stomach, making him scream. "Seventeen!" Android 18 yelled as she blasted Cell with a Full Powered Energy Wave, only for it not to affect him at all!
Android 16 stepped forward and hit Cell hard with Rocket Punch, knocking him off of 17 while Pearl grabbed him and got him away from Cell. Android 16 turned to his comrades and said, "You have to get away from here, 18. 17 will not listen to reason." "But what about you, 16?" Android 18 asked. "I will destroy Cell," Android 16 said. "What!?" Android 18 said. Android 16 nodded, "It is time for me to fight, though I have not yet met Goku." Cell flew over and asked, "Why are you so eager to throw your life away? Do you really have that little regard for your own life?" "Wh-What are you doing, 16?" Android 17 asked, "You aren't really going to fight, are you?" "There is no other option," Android 16 stated as he and Cell charged at each other.
Cell and 16 clashed, throwing punches and kicks at each other furiously. Trunks told Pearl, "In the correct Timeline, 16 and Cell had equal power… But now Cell is far stronger than him! You have to give 16 a hand here!" Android 16 yelled as Cell landed a hard kick to his chin, but the Android hit him with Laser Eyes before slamming his shoulder into Cell. Cell brushed off the attacks and blasted Android 16 back with a Kamehameha. Pearl hit Cell with Death Ball in response and flew in to the fight, slamming hard punches into the Imperfect Bio-Android's stomach before kicking him back. Android 16 saw his chance and slammed another Rocket Punch into Cell's face, sending him flying into the distance. Android 17 was astonished as he said, "I never knew that you were this strong! 16, this is amazing…" "Wow…" Android 18 said. "Are you still here!? I thought I told you to run, 18! 17! Now is your chance! You have to get away!" Android 16 yelled at his comrades before Cell sent a Destructo-Disc his way, slicing Android 16 in half!
Pearl quickly flew at Cell and grabbed him from behind before pounding on his skull then stretching back and slamming her knees into his back, sending Cell into the ocean. "GET OUT OF HERE!" Pearl screamed, and the female Android finally took the hint to fly away. Android 17 however refused to leave, "I'll end your misery! Now face me!" Android 17 yelled at Cell. Cell burrowed through the ground behind him and declared, "It's your funeral pal!" Cell's tail expanded and before he could fight, Android 17 was engulfed by it. Pearl sensed Vegeta coming, and quickly used the Scroll to return to the Time Nest.
AGE: 852
"Welcome back!" Trunks greeted Pearl, "Great work out there. You stopped History from changing again. I'm impressed." "Hmmm… We can't say they all lived happily ever after, though," Elder Kai pointed out. "Huh?" Supreme Kai of Time said. Elder Kai continued, "In the end, Cell absorbed Androids 17 and 18, and attained his Perfect Form, right?" "Yeah," Trunks concurred. "But that's the original flow of History," the Supreme Kai of Time pointed out, "We can't change that. What concerns me more is that we haven't seen Towa or Mira yet this time. One thing is clear… You can be sure that this won't be the end. We need to keep a close eye on the Timeline." "Don't worry," Trunks told her, "Leave that to me." Trunks turned to Pearl and told her, "You should go and rest for a while. Thanks for everything." "Very well," Pearl agreed, and headed out of the Time Nest. Unfortunately, she had no time to rest, as her Scouter Glasses immediately went off, she was needed at Guru's House, Frieza's Spaceship, and Majin Buu's House.
Her cell phone went off then too. "Hello?" Pearl called. "Pearl! I've been trying to reach you!" Kenshiro said. "What's wrong!?" Pearl asked him. "Things are getting serious here, Barit, me, and Brocc just stopped an invasion from the Neo-Red Ribbon Army, but some Villagers were killed. Mom and Jade also spotted the Neo-Red Ribbon Army's most powerful weapon, Unit 124, she's a Super Saiyan 3!" Kenshiro told her. "WHAT!?" Pearl yelled. "We need you to gather the Dragon Balls, more casualties are all but assured now, and we need to be able to bring everyone back once this thing is settled," Kenshiro told her. "I can't, not now! I'm needed in some Time Rifts! But, I can talk to everyone here, see if they'll help with the Dragon Balls!" Pearl told him. "Hurry Pearl, we need the Dragon Balls," Kenshiro said. "I'll tell everyone here what's happening, they'll be sure to help," Pearl told him. "Okay. Bring the Dragon Balls here as soon as you've gathered them all," Kenshiro told her. "Alright. I love you, be careful," Pearl told him. "I love you too, and I will be," Kenshiro said, and they hung up. Pearl flew straight to the Bamboo District, relieved to see Amaya, Bage, Rachel, Beate, and the Himuras were already there training. "Pearl! Where were you?" Beate said, she and Bage were both in Super Saiyan form, and Bage was dressed in a combo of Super Hero and Shinobi gear, a black two piece jumpsuit with pads and straps all over, arm and shin guards, crimson fingerless gloves, dark grey boots, and a crimson jacket like Future Trunks' with white kanji on the left sleeve reading, 'Destiny Shaper', and a white cape like Tien's. Amaya wore a similar outfit, only black and green colors. Amaya's training really paid off, and she got him some new clothes, Pearl thought before remembering why she was there.
"I was on Time Patrol," Pearl explained, "But that's not important right now. Kenny just called me, things are getting serious in Cashew Village. People have died, he needs the Dragon Balls to bring them back." "Alright," Rachel said, "We'll do it." "There's more," Pearl told them, "Shurayuki and Jade spotted Unit 124, the Neo-Red Ribbon Army's most powerful cyborg, she's a Super Saiyan 3!" "WHAT!?" everyone yelled, except for Kaoru and Kenshin. "What does that mean?" Kenshin asked. "It means that they're in deep shit," Beate told him, "A Super Saiyan alone is strong enough to destroy a planet, but a Super Saiyan 3 makes a Super Saiyan look like a wimpy punk with an attitude." "They'll need more help then," Amaya pointed out, "Perhaps I can help them." Amaya summoned her power, and with a loud yell went Super Saiyan 2! "Holy shit!" Beate said. "Maybe, but right now we need to focus on getting the Dragon Balls," Pearl said, and her Scouter Glasses went off again. "I'm needed in the Time Rifts, you'll have to do this yourselves."
"Got it," Bage said, "You go do your job. We'll get the rest of the Dragon Balls for you." "Thank you so much," Pearl said, and flew to Guru's House. She touched the glass dome and entered the Time Rift. Nail went to her and said, "One of Frieza's Saiyan underlings is searching for the Dragon Balls. They seem to be burying something odd in the ground and 'growing' these freakish soldiers…And since it's on our night side, visibility will be poor, so be extra careful." Raditz again? This Time Rift is so messed up…what could be causing this? Pearl wondered, but out loud she said, "Let's go!" The two of them flew through Time Rift Namek and arrived in a Mountainous area, where Raditz was waiting with six Saibamen. Pearl summoned her power and flew straight at Time Rift Raditz before he could say a thing, slamming a fist into his face. She didn't feel in a good mood and Instant Transmitted behind Raditz, blasting his back with Finish Breaker before kicking him aside.
The Saiyan wasn't through though, and Pearl was reckless, allowing Raditz to hit her with a Shining Friday, paralyzing her and giving him time to hit her with Weekend. "I don't have time for this!" Pearl yelled as she powered up again and brought her hands together. Raditz readied another Weekend, and Pearl answered with a more powerful Super Kamehameha. Pearl's blast tore through Raditz's attack like it was nothing, obliterating him. Pearl looked and saw Nail had killed all but two Saibamen, and she quickly used Instant Transmission to get to the remaining Saibamen before slamming her fists into their faces hard enough to break their necks. Nail saw this and nodded, and they quickly gathered the Dragon Balls and put them in the Time Machine nearby before heading back to Guru's House. "We managed to put a stop to their destruction. It's all thanks to you. Keep up the good work," Nail told Pearl. "Always," Pearl said, and left the Time Rift.
On returning to Conton City, she flew around looking for food to give Majin Buu and his children, spending about 5000 Zeni herself to make sure she had enough before flying to his Time Rift. She entered Majin Buu's House Time Rift and saw they were all just finishing playing. "Hello Onee-san!" Majin Buu's children all greeted her. "Hi, you look like you worked up an appetite!" Pearl said as she laid the food out for them. They all ate their fill, and laid down for a nap. Majin Buu looked happily at them and said, "When Buu with family, Buu have fun, whether family play or fight. Why is that?" "It's because you love them," Pearl said, "And love makes everyone happy." Buu looked a little confused as he said, "It because Buu happy? 'Happy' better than 'fun'? Then Buu happy! Family so amazing! Buu so happy! Thank you!" "Your welcome," Pearl said, and she left the Time Rift, her stomach turning when she saw she had to go to Frieza's Spaceship. She flew to the Time Rift and entered it, and Cooler immediately called her on her Scouter Glasses, "Ah, Captain, I've decided to claim Frieza's Ship for my new base of operations. Meet me there." "Yes sir!" Pearl said, and flew into Frieza's Spaceship.
Appule was waiting for her and said, "I thought for sure that Frieza-sama had to be invincible after everything he's done. Leave it to you to prove us all wrong…" "It took a lot of work, Appule," Pearl told him, "You know, you've been a pretty good friend, I think I'll talk to Cooler-sama about getting you a promotion. "Really!?" Appule said. Pearl nodded. "Thanks buddy! I-I mean, Captain!" Appule said, and saluted Pearl. Pearl sensed for Cooler's ki signature and wasn't surprised that he was in Frieza's old throne room, though she was surprised to sense Frieza there as well. She quickly ran over and saw Frieza looking beaten and downtrodden, covered in fresh bruises, while Cooler sat on his throne, using his brother as a foot stool. "Ah, Captain, there you are. You're going to assist in my training today. Through fighting, and beating, Frieza, I realized that there is still latent power sleeping inside me. I need to fight powerful opponents and push myself to the edge in order to bring it out. I respect your power, so you'll be the perfect opponent for me. Now, fight me!"
"Alright," Pearl said, and the ship flew down to Namek. Cooler and Pearl got out, and Cooler transformed into his Fifth Form. "I must train until I die and then keep training if I am to become fit to conquer the Universe! Now, come at me as if you want to kill me!" Cooler yelled as he charged at Pearl. Pearl avoided his charge and blasted him with Finish Breaker. Cooler blocked the attack and punched her in her stomach, only for Pearl to grab his fist then kick him in his chin. "That's it! Come at me!" Cooler yelled as he blasted Death Beams at her. Pearl dodged them and hit him with a weak Majin Kamehameha. Cooler took the hit and slammed into her with Death Crasher, knocking her into a mountain. Pearl didn't feel hurt, she felt…happy. A sinister smile was on her face as she got up and blocked Cooler's punches and kicks before slamming several punches to his stomach before kicking him back and powering up Majin Kamehameha to its fullest and blasting him with it.
Cooler looked at Pearl and yelled, "Pathetic! Futile! Is this what you call training!?" Pearl growled angrily and flew at him head on, throwing punches and kicks with all her speed and skill. Cooler managed to block all her attacks, and started taunting her, "Is that all?! Show me every last grain of your skill!" Pearl used Angry Shout to knock Cooler back, then used Instant Transmission to get behind him and blast him point blank with Finish Breaker. Cooler spun around to hit her, but she was already gone, Instant Transmitted above him as she tossed an exploding ki ball into his face, sending him flying. Pearl raised her hand and summoned a Death Ball, and Cooler raised his hand to summon his own Supernova. "DIE!" Cooler yelled. "Go to Hell!" the angry Pearl yelled as they tossed their attacks at each other. Supernova and Death Ball clashed as the two combatants pushed with all their ki at each other, until finally, they exploded! Pearl and Cooler were caught up in the blast and fell to the hard Namekian ground, forming craters once they hit.
Cooler got up as did Pearl, both too tired to continue. "That seems to be the limit. That's good for now," Cooler said. Pearl suddenly felt the anger leave her, and nodded as they went back inside Frieza's Spaceship. Cooler resumed his spot on his throne, still in his Fifth Form, and told Pearl, "It's rare to find someone who can fight this well against me… I'm looking forward to seeing just what you're capable of. Good work, Captain." "Thank you, Cooler-sama. I was wondering, if I could ask for a few favors," Pearl said, then healed her injuries with a Healing Capsule. "Name them," Cooler said. "I'd like to claim ownership of the Solar System that houses Planet 4032-877, also known as Earth," Pearl said. "Granted," Cooler said. "And, I'd like for the soldier called Appule to be granted a promotion, maybe to Lieutenant," Pearl said. "Why?" Cooler asked. "He has been a great help to me in my advancement, and deserves to be rewarded," Pearl answered. "Very well, send Appule here and he shall have his promotion," Cooler said. "Thank you, Cooler-sama," Pearl said, and headed out. She saw Appule and told him, "Cooler-sama would like to see you." "Huh!?" Appule asked. "I think you'll like it," Pearl told him. Appule took the hint and smiled, running to Cooler's Throne Room.
Pearl left the Spaceship, and her Scouter Glasses went off again, at the Capsule Corp. Time Rift. "Haven't been there in a while," Pearl said aloud, and flew to the appropriate platform. She touched the glass dome that housed Capsule Corp. Time Rift and went in. She spotted Vegeta waiting for her and ran over to him. "So, you finally came, huh?" Vegeta said, "Looks like you've been training hard. You understand, don't you? I've also been training hard for this day. I'm going to use you to test out my power. Your race and rank don't matter to me. You're simply a warrior whose skills I've acknowledged. I'm going to crush you with everything I've go. I hope you're ready!" Vegeta gripped his left fist and transformed into his Super Vegeta 2 form. "Bring it on!" Pearl yelled. "That's a good answer. I knew you had it in you," Vegeta said, "Even though you're a Majin, you managed to come this far. I commend your guts and willpower. But ultimately I'm going to win. Now show me what you've got!"
"Let's go!" Pearl yelled and the flew off, straight to an Underground Cave. Vegeta flew at her and she barely blocked his punch, and five more that followed before he kicked her chin, sending her flying into a stalactite. Pearl recovered and dodged his Big Bang Attack then powered up her own Majin Kamehameha, knocking him back before she flew at him and slammed her knees into his face before grabbing him from behind and pounding her fist on his head then stretching back and slamming her knees into his back, making him hit the went cave ground hard. Vegeta sprang up and smiled, "Oh, that's not bad. This is starting to get interesting." Vegeta blasted a storm of ki balls at her and she blocked them all, but his power made it hurt her arms with each block. He then surprised her as his ki exploded around her, and she cursed, "Shine Shot!"
Vegeta seized his chance and bellowed, "Final Flash!" His Ultimate Attack hit Pearl dead on, sending her into then through the wall of the cave. "I guess I have no choice then," Pearl said as she focused her power and pink smoke shot out of her arms, and Purified Pearl emerged. The Majin curled into a ball and flew at Vegeta like a cannonball, slamming him into the cave wall before following up with a Vanishing Ball. Vegeta recovered as Purified Pearl flew at him, and he caught it before tossing it into the ground. "Hmph…This is more fun than I expected," Vegeta said. He blasted Purified Pearl with Big Bang Attack, and followed up with Shine Shot. Purified Pearl bellowed in rage and flew at him again, then stopped. Vegeta was surprised enough to give Purified Pearl time to form a Teleporting Vanishing Ball, the attack stunning him before Purified Pearl lifted it and slammed it onto his head. Vegeta slammed into the ground and Purified Pearl summoned a Super Vanishing Ball, tossing it into him before he could recover.
Purified Pearl laughed at the bloodied Vegeta and was about to continue when Pearl returned to her normal form, screaming her lungs out. That was too close… I almost killed him! Pearl realized. She flew down to the unconscious Vegeta and used Majin Magic to heal his injuries. Vegeta woke up and wordlessly flew back to Capsule Corp. Pearl followed him. When they arrived Vegeta said, "Th-That's impossible! I gave it my all… How could I have been so easily defeated by a Majin!" "I guess I'm stronger than you," Pearl stated, and Vegeta glared before snorting, "Hmph! Never mind. This time I'll admit defeat. But just you wait… I'll defeat you next time! Until then, keep training." "I will, Vegeta-sama," Pearl told the Saiyan Prince. Pearl used a Healing Capsule on herself and bowed to him to try to make him feel better, and left the Time Rift. When she returned to Conton City, she saw an average height but strongly built Earthling Male with black eyes waiting for her, he wore Android 17's ripped pants with yellow socks and blue shoes, Goku's Jacket, and Pan's Bandana on his head.
"So you're the one they put in charge of the critical mission? I've heard all about you from my friends! I'm also a Time Patroller. Out of all of my friends, I'm definitely the strongest! And, you probably don't remember this, but you and I used to be classmates! Not only that, we were rivals!" the Earthling Male said. Pearl remembered another student who was always trying to do better than her at the Time Patrol Academy, and suddenly remembered, "Dailli!?" Dailli nodded, "Now, let's see which one of us is better! If there are no objections, let's get started!" "Hold on!" Pearl said, "I got more important things to do than fight over some trivial rivalry!" "I thought you'd say that," Dailli said, then reached into his jacket and pulled out a Dragon Ball, the Five Star Dragon Ball. "Beat me, and it's yours," Dailli said. Pearl nodded, and the two Time Patrollers flew away from Conton City, into the clouds surrounding it.
Dailli opened up with Wolf Fang Fist, surprising Pearl. When the last blow of the technique hit, Pearl hit him in his face with a ki ball, then hit him with Fish Breaker, knocking him back. Dailli wasn't finished though as he sent a large ki ball her way. Pearl dodged the attack only for Dailli to then attack from below, slamming four kicks to her chin before slamming his fists in her back, Orin Combo! Pearl used Instant Transmission to get some distance and powered up a Majin Kamehameha. As Dailli flew full speed at her she just barely had time to blast him, point blank range. Dailli was sent flying back and Pearl flew after him, slamming his stomach with her elbow once she caught up to him sending him flying even further. "Sorry Dailli, but I can't fool around!" Pearl said as she threw a Death Ball at him, knocking him out. Pearl caught Dailli and flew them back to Conton City.
Pearl healed his injuries and Dailli groaned, "Ugh… Pretty impressive… I concede that you are a worthy rival. I'll keep training, and when the time comes, I plan to face you once more. Next time, victory will be mine! I hope you'll keep training to make it interesting! Here you go!" Dailli handed Pearl the Five Star Dragon Ball. "Thank you, Dailli, this will help more than you realize," Pearl said. She flew off to the Time Machine Station and saw everyone waiting for her, including someone she didn't notice before, an eight year old boy that resembled Amaya. "Hey guys," Pearl said, "Um, who is this little boy?" Amaya stepped up and said, "This is my little brother, Hirohito. He will be staying with me from now on." "What happened?" Pearl asked. Amaya then explained what had happened, how Hirohito had witnessed their parents murder at the hands of a warper named Pinkamena, and made it first to Ryo's Universe, and from there to their Universe. "Oh Amaya, I'm so sorry," Pearl said as she wrapped her and Hirohito in a hug, "I promise, we'll make this right, somehow."
Amaya was fighting tears as was Hirohito, but they didn't shed anymore. "We've gathered six Dragon Balls, but we can't find the last one, the Five Star Dragon Ball," Beate said. "You mean this one," Pearl said as she produced it. "How did you find that!?" Beate asked. "I had an old classmate, Dailli, challenge me, the reward for beating him was this Dragon Ball," Pearl explained. Bage took out a bag and put the last Dragon Ball in it, the Dragon Balls all glowed inside the bag. "Alright, now, to Kenshiro, everyone that wants to go, grab on to me," Pearl said. Everyone, Beate, Rachel, Amaya, Bage, Hirohito, Kenshin, Kenji, and Kaoru all grabbed part of Pearl's shoulders or arms and she put her fingers to her head, and they were gone.
Cashew Village
They all arrived in a Hospital room, Kenshiro was sitting down and talking to his Grandparents. Jinbei and Kamiki loudly exclaimed, "SHIT!" "Sorry," Pearl apologized, the Hospital room was cramped now. "Oh, it's you, Pearl-chan," Kamiki said, then saw everyone, "My, you've brought a lot more friends since last time." "Sorry for intruding," Pearl said, then Bage showed the bag with the Dragon Balls inside, "We got the Dragon Balls, Kenny." "Yes," Kenshiro said as Bage gave them to him, "Thank you, everyone. Finally, some good news." "What good news?" Shurayuki arrived, then saw the bag. "YOU BROUGHT THE DRAGON BALLS HERE!?" she screamed. "Mom!" Kenshiro said. "Get them back to Conton City now! Are you crazy!? The Village is under siege! If the Neo-Red Ribbon Army gets their hands on those, they'd be unstoppable! Get them back to Conton City, NOW!" Shurayuki screamed even louder, putting some Killing Intent in her words for extra effect.
Pearl quickly grabbed the bag and Instant Transmissioned to her apartment, making sure to leave the Dragon Balls on her bed. Pearl Instant Transmissioned back to Cashew Village, specifically the Hospital room for Jinbei and Kamiki to see everyone looking embarrassed and a window wide open, Kenji and Hirohito were laughing their heads off though. "What happened?" Pearl asked. "Shurayuki-sensei grabbed Kenshiro-san by his ear, and dragged him out the window," Kaoru said. "Oh dear," Pearl said, and went out the window. She soon heard Shurayuki screaming her head off and followed the noise to Kenshiro and Shurayuki. "OF ALL THE BONEHEADED, BRAINDEAD, SHORTSIGHTED MEN I'VE EVER MET, YOU HAVE TO BE THE WORST EVER! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!? DO YOU WANT THAT ARMY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!? I SWEAR TO DENDE, CHRONOA, SHIN, AND EVERY GOD AND GODDESS REMEMBERED AND FORGOTTEN, YOU INHERITED YOUR FATHER'S FACE AND HEART, BUT NOT EVEN ONE TENTH HIS BRAINS!" Pearl flew down just as Shurayuki stopped yelling to catch her breath.
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Pearl quickly said, "It wasn't Kenny's idea to bring the Dragon Balls here, it was mine! He just wanted me to gather them for him, that's all!" Pearl hoped her lie fooled the kunoichi, but she wasn't sure. Shurayuki's red face turned a shade Pearl didn't think was possible, but she stayed silent. Shurayuki took three deep breaths to calm down, and her face returned to its ivory complexion. "I'm sorry, Kenshiro, but things are extremely desperate for us now. We can't afford any stupid mistakes, and bringing the Dragon Balls to a village under siege was THE DUMBEST MISTAKE ANYONE COULD POSSIBLY MAKE!" Shurayuki's scream made Pearl jump back. Shurayuki calmed down again and rubbed her temples. "I need a screw, badly, and I can't get any since we could be attacked at any moment," the kunoichi muttered. "This is because of that Super Saiyan 3, isn't it?" Pearl asked.
"Yes, I just don't think we have the power to beat her, especially if the caliber of the warriors we've faced so far is any indication. I estimate that we've destroyed 38 Units, that leaves 86 left; and we might still have to face their strongest Units. Not to mention that while we're busy with them, the regular soldiers could still invade the Village. Jade and I have set up dozens of traps around the Village Perimeter, but they can't hold back an army for long," Shurayuki explained. Pearl got an idea then, "Wait, wait, what if we make someone even stronger than a Super Saiyan 3?" Pearl asked. "I don't think we can make a Super Saiyan God, not enough Saiyans," Kenshiro said. "I don't mean a Super Saiyan, I'm talking about you, what if we explain the situation to Elder Kai, and ask him to Unlock your Potential?" Pearl suggested. "Could that work?" Shurayuki asked. "It could, but it would mean that I would be gone for at least twenty-five hours, longer since I might need to rest afterwards," Kenshiro said, "Can we afford to be short a warrior?"
"Let's go back to the Hospital," Shurayuki said. The three of them flew back through the window, everyone was sitting quietly while Jinbei and Kamiki were examined by Tsubaki. "Ah, Kenshi-chan, I was wondering where you went," Tsubaki said. "Sorry, Tsubaki-sensei, but I can't talk much now," he said, then turned to everyone that came with Pearl, "We need to step outside." When everyone was outside in the hallway, Kenshiro and Pearl explained their plan. "So while I'm gone, I need someone to stay here and take my place," Kenshiro said. "Amaya's a Super Saiyan 2, she could help a lot," Bage suggested. "But, I can't I have to take care of my brother," Amaya said. "I'll do it then," Beate said. "Same here," Bage said, "We're both Super Saiyan, that should even things out." "Are you sure?" Kenshiro said. "I am," Bage said. "Hell yeah," Beate said. "Beate, Shurayuki, can you guys come with me for a moment," Rachel said, and the three of them walked further down the hallway.
"Alright then, I guess that's settled," Pearl said, Rachel, Beate, and Shurayuki came back two minutes later. Rachel kissed Beate goodbye, and Amaya kissed Bage on his lips to the large Saiyan's surprise, then she, Rachel, Kenshin, Kaoru, Kenji, Hirohito, and Kenshiro took hold of Pearl's shoulders, and they were gone.
(Ending Theme: Whispers in the Dark by Skillet)
Author's Note: If you want to know what happened to Amaya and Hirohito's parents, read Chapter 33 of 'Ryo vs. the Xenoverse'.