"I think we're coming up on the next Dragon Ball," Goku shouted. The balls were beginning to flicker and glow, once more. After an entire morning of searching, they were finally coming towards a lead. Piccolo looked down. If he was looking at it, correctly, then the Dragon Ball landed in the middle of old ruins.
Goku landed Nimbus properly, and hopped off closer to the ground, under the watchful supervision of Chi-Chi. Piccolo quickly followed them down.
The ruins were very impressive. There were tall stone pillars and archways across the broken pavement, with only a few broken and topped over. Nature had overtaken the abandoned ruins, with weeds and overgrown trees growing around the broken pillars and out of the stone floor. The place was bereft of human life; it appeared that no one had lived here for centuries. It was truly a testament to man's ingenuity, even that far into the past. Even Piccolo was impressed.
A large figure was carved, on the face of a cliff. It was the face of a tiger, roaring ferociously with its fangs visible. It had been damaged by age and weather over the years, but it was somehow decently preserved. Underneath the visage was a small entryway, shrouded in darkness.
Goku pointed towards the entrance. "You think it might be in there?"
Chi-Chi stepped backwards, holding Gohan closer to her. "I don't know about that…"
Goku looked down at the Dragon Ball and walked closer to the entrance. Chi-Chi and Piccolo followed by, further back; if something came out of those ruins, neither of them wanted to deal with it. As he got closer and closer to it, the flickering became steadier and slower.
He looked back. "See? It's changing – it's gotta be in there!"
"Goku," Chi-Chi exclaimed. "Who knows what could be in there?! There could be some ancient diseases that could kill us! There might be wild animals that have moved in! What if it's cursed?! There are five other Dragon Balls: can't we look for one of those, instead?"
"This one might be grampa's: if we don't get it, then someone else might try and find it. I'm willing to take those risks."
"What about your son?! Do you want to bring Gohan into that kind of danger?!"
He put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, we'll be okay. I won't leave your side, for a second. If we just stick together, we'll all be safe."
She looked up at Goku nervously, but relented. "Alright," she reluctantly said, "You lead the way."
Piccolo just shook his head. He never realized how reckless Goku was until this trip had started. Recklessness and naiveté were a dangerous combination, to be sure. If he was always like this, then it was a wonder that he was still alive.
Goku took Chi-Chi's hand, and the party moved into the dark and dank ruins. No light was shining inside, except for the daylight coming in from the doorway. Goku raised his hand a lit a small ball of ki, letting it float freely next to them. They took a step backwards, when they saw they were right near the edge of a cliff. There was a long staircase leading further into the darkness.
Gohan cooed, writhing around in the swaddle. Chi-Chi hushed him, pulling him closer. "It's okay, sweetie," she whispered.
Goku looked back at Piccolo. He rolled his eyes, pushed them aside, and descended down the stairs, himself. Goku had promised to stay with him family, so he couldn't scout out the path by himself. That meant that Piccolo was the only person who was able to go ahead, like a canary in a mine. He heard one of them shout 'be careful' at him, as he was already a good ways down.
As he descended into the darkness, he lit his fingers up with his own energy. The steps were steep and short, and keeping balance became more difficult, as he got lower. He glanced backwards: the others had started following up, as well. Goku must have realized how steep it was, as well, because he was taking care to guide Chi-Chi's steps along the way. He was a bit more cautious than he had thought he would be.
Piccolo came to the bottom of the staircase, onto a flat plain. He put a bit more energy into his fingertips, brightening his ki and giving him a bit more visibility. This looked to be all one room, connecting with the entrance they came in. The walls were clear, without any writing or pictures carved into them. The floor and steps looked worn and well treaded, however; out of the corner of his eye, he swore he saw a skeleton lying on the ground.
By the looks of it, they were not at the edge of the ruins, yet. The path continued in front of him, through a small archway. He hoped they were heading in the right direction; he was going to strangle Goku, if this was leading them away from the Dragon Ball. He had a feeling Chi-Chi would join in, as well.
Chi-Chi sighed, as she made it down the final step. She nodded, and assured Goku that she was all right, when he gave her a concerned look.
"How close are we to the Dragon Ball," Piccolo asked.
Goku took the Dragon Ball out of his pocket, and looked at it. "Still glowing," he said. "We have to be getting closer. Let's keep going."
Piccolo ducked his head, as they went through the archway. The room they entered was much more condensed than the last. When he walked up to the room, he saw that they were covered in hieroglyphics and carvings.
Goku came up behind him to look at them, as well. "Wow. I don't think I've seen anything like this. What do you think they mean?"
"I don't know."
Goku leaned in, over his shoulder, balancing on one foot and awkwardly shoving his cheek against Piccolo's. Piccolo just stood there and took it, knowing fighting it was going to make it worse. Goku traced the carvings, running his finger right above the wall.
He lost his balance for a moment, and tripped forward, sending him and Piccolo falling, against the wall, almost crashing into it.
They heard stone scraping against stone. When they looked up, the archway was beginning to close.
"Goku," Chi-Chi shouted. She was still outside. She ran up, and tried to push the wall back up with one arm, but couldn't. Goku ran up, and tried to do the same. However, it was no use. Soon, the archway was completely closed. Goku stepped back and rammed his arm into the wall as hard as he could, but it wouldn't budge. Through the force of his impact, he fell backwards.
"What the hell did you do," Piccolo snapped.
Goku winced, as he stood back up. "I don't know. Maybe falling on that wall activated some kind of trap."
"Goku! Are you two okay?"
"Yeah. We're fine." Goku pushed against the wall, his muscles contracting and turning red, from the pressure. He gasped, and took a step back. "Okay. Not good. We're stuck."
Piccolo snarled. "You moron! Why weren't you more careful?!"
"Hey! I didn't know that was going to do that! Not like I could read anything on that wall."
"And you still thought it was a good idea to poke your nose in places, like that?!"
"It wasn't my fault! You tripped me!"
"You were the one who was leaning up against me!"
"BOYS! STOP IT, IMMEDIATELY!"
They both jumped. Immediately, Goku's back straightened. "Sorry, Chi-Chi!"
They heard her sigh, on the other side. "You're not going to get out of there if you keep fighting, like this. Calm down and work together on something."
"Right." Goku paced for a moment, trying to think of a solution. "Maybe there's a way out that's through the ruins. We can keep going in, and we'll come out on another side."
That had to be the dumbest idea he had ever heard in his life. "Why would going through the ruins get us closer to the exit?"
"Someone was here, once – there has to be more than one entrance."
"And what gives you that idea?"
"Hey, if you've got a better plan, I'll hear it."
He had a point, loathed as he was to admit. They really didn't have many options. Piccolo pursed his lips, and breathed out through his nose.
"Come on, what do we have to lose? If that fails, we'll just try something else."
He made it sound so simple. He sighed. "Alright."
"I'll search the outside, for a way in," Chi-Chi said. "I might be able to meet you, in the middle."
"Okay," Goku said. "We'll start heading in."
"You two better be careful!"
"We will!"
Right as Goku was about to start walking, Piccolo put his hand on his chest to stop him. "Listen: if you get yourself in trouble, I won't help you. You were the one who suggested this, so you get to save yourself."
He chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind."
Goku and Piccolo stepped deeper into the ruins through another archway into a long hallway. Goku was holding an energy ball of light that hovered over his palm. The walls were carved with complex designs, but none seemed to hold any meaning – there were no clear pictures or text anywhere. The designs repeated throughout the long and seemingly endless corridor.
Piccolo stopped and turned around. He had heard something moving behind him, but the walkway was empty. He glanced around him, but there wasn't a hiding place for them. He closed his eyes, trying to find an energy that wasn't his.
"Hey, you okay?"
"Keep your guard up," he said. "I don't think we're alone."
Goku let go of his energy ball, letting it float freely, beside him. He took a guarded stance, looking around the room, as well. He proceeded down the hallway, with more caution in his steps. Piccolo followed suit, paying attention behind them."
"What makes you think that?"
"Something was moving, behind us."
"Did you see anything?"
"No, but I felt a bit of energy."
They both continued along, standing back to back, scanning the vicinity for any energy and waiting for anything to strike. Despite their vigilance, nothing was there. Maybe they were alone, and it had been just his mind playing tricks on him.
Goku let out a grunt of pain, and the energy ball evaporated, leaving them in total darkness. Caught off guard, Piccolo frantically searched for energy, but there still was none. Suddenly, he was struck on the back of his head. He turned around to retaliate, but he was quickly kicked in the stomach. He hissed, as something sharp scratched at his neck. Something stepped on his back, trying to cease his struggling. As he tried to get him off, he felt himself losing control of his limbs. Though he was trying to move, his body did not cooperate. He couldn't move, no matter how hard he was trying.
He felt his wrists being pulled behind his back, and tied up with a coarse rope. Then, he was grabbed by the collar of his shirt, and dragged back the way he came. He heard snickering from above him, as his anonymous captors made snide comments about him.
They stopped. There was a knock on the wall, and stone began to scrape against stone. Suddenly, he was picked up and thrown onto a hard stone floor like a sack of potatoes, landing on his stomach. Another person was dropped next to him, with a loud thud. It had to be Goku.
"Piccolo," Goku shouted, making him wince. "You okay? Where are you?"
"I'm right here. Stop screaming in my ear."
"Sorry…"
Laughing and snickering came from all corners of the room. The lights flashed on, blinding Piccolo. He shut his eyes and blinked, until his vision finally cleared. When he looked up, he saw shadowed figures looming over him.
One leaned down in their faces. Piccolo was taken aback by their features – he had the face of a cat, yet stood up on two legs. It was odd that, after all he had seen in the universe, this was somehow an odd sight. He mostly wasn't expecting it.
"Well, look here, fellas," he said, rolling his r's along the way. "We've got ourselves a couple of visitors." They all laughed and yelled, in delight. "What brings such men like you to our humble abode?"
Piccolo cocked a brow. "Could have at least given us a name, first."
He looked amused. "Oh, my apologies. You must not have known that this is Felis territory – home to the sharpest claws in the world."
The lead cat jumped backwards, and the other three cats formed a pose formation. The cat did a back flip, intending to land right in the middle. Instead, he missed the mark and fell on his face. The remaining cats looked down at him, in shock and confusion, glancing at each other and standing awkwardly. The lead cat quickly regained his footing, and joined the rest of them in the pose.
"We're tough!"
"We're sharp!"
"We always land on our feet!"
"We are the Felis gang!"
They spun around once, hopped in the air, and got into a crouched position, with their rears sticking up and their tails bristled. They held this pose for several seconds, as if waiting for applause.
"Then how come you fell on your face," Goku asked, tilting his head to the side.
The cats didn't look amused. They stood up straight, and the leader approached them, again. "The name's Angeau. My accomplices are Boeuf, Dinde, and Poullet. You see, we're brothers and we moved into this-"
Piccolo groaned. "I'm not interested in hearing your life story, so get to the point, already."
Angeau's lower eyelid twitched. "Fine. Have it your way," he said, defensively. "We're robbing you of your valuables. Is that short enough, for you?!"
"Perfect," Piccolo said, with a small smirk.
Angeau snapped his fingers, and two of the cats stepped forward. "Start searching them." They nodded, in agreement, and started poking and searching Goku and Piccolo for anything of value. Piccolo cringed, as he was patted down. This felt violating. Based on what Goku's interjections, he felt the same way.
"Ey, I think I found something," one of them said, while searching Goku. He was digging into one of his pockets. He managed to grab onto something and pulled it out. It was one of the Dragon Balls.
Angeau walked up to him, and looked at it, himself. "Say, this is just like that other one we got off of three idiots. What a steal!"
"You have a Dragon Ball," Goku said. He suddenly perked up and started wriggling around. "Where is it?!"
"A dragon's what?"
"You know, a Dragon Ball! Don't you know about them?"
"Goku, shut up," Piccolo said, exasperatedly. If his hands were free, he'd be holding them to his face.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, but we have something just like it over here." The ball was handed off to one of the other cats. He walked up to the wall, pressed a stone, and a small compartment opened, revealing yet another Dragon Ball. He placed Goku's Dragon Ball next to it, and shut it, once again.
Angeau walked up to Goku and knelt in front of him. "So, these dragon's balls are valuable, are they not?"
"Well, yeah." Goku was still straining, trying to move around. "Hey, why can't I move?"
"Ohoho! We just scratched your necks with these." The cat raised its hand and revealed his long, sharp claws. "They contain an enzyme which causes paralysis in whoever they get scratched by. Don't worry – it's only temporary. If you cooperate with us, then you'll live to feel it wear off.
"Now, allow me to repeat my question: what are these dragon's balls?"
Goku lifted an eyebrow. "I don't think I should tell you…"
"Why ever not?"
"You seem like a mean person."
Piccolo let out a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't completely ignorant and clueless.
"Is that right? Well, if you won't talk, then maybe your friend will."
Suddenly, Angeau grabbed Goku by his hair, and lifted him up, making him wince and yelp. Piccolo was lifted up into a kneeling position, and kept there by two of the lackeys. Angeau reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. "Since you enjoy keeping things brief," he spat out, not even bothering to hide his bitterness. "Tell us what those dragon's balls are and we'll let you and your friend go. If not, well," He opened the knife and held it close to Goku's throat. "I think you can figure out the rest, yourself."
Piccolo cocked a brow. These idiots were incredibly unoriginal. "Are you sure about that?"
"Yes, of course."
"If you kill him, you won't be getting a word out of me. Also, you would kill the only other person who knows what the Dragon Balls are. You need us more than we need you – killing either of us would be foolish, to get what you want."
Piccolo and Goku locked eyes. The former knew something that the latter didn't, but he wasn't going to tell him, in this company. Yet, somehow, Goku understood he knew what he was doing. He would have to go with it.
Angeau lowered the knife. "No. No, this isn't how this is supposed to go. I'm the one holding you two as hostages. You're the one who's supposed to give into me. You're not making any damn sense."
"You're doing a piss-poor job, if that's the case. All you've done is stand around and pose. Pardon the expression, but you've got no bite behind your bark."
That got him angry. The other cats hissed at him, at that comment. "How dare you, bastard! You want to see bite?!" He lifted his knife up to Goku's throat, once more, almost cutting his flesh. Goku swallowed, trying to keep away from the blade. "Take that back, and maybe I'll let your friend live!"
"Just as I thought – you lose your cool way too easily. You're nothing more than a bunch of little punks with no attention to detail."
"Attention to de- what are you talking about?! What does that have to do with anything?!"
"How are you supposed to keep any hostages if you don't pay attention to any of their weaknesses? I bet your two goon haven't even noticed that they haven't been holding me up for a while, now."
The two cats holding Piccolo up looked down. Before they could say a word, Piccolo pushed his palms up and blasted them in their faces, making them fall over in pain. They lay on the floor, writhing and crying. He quickly pulled his wrists apart and broke the bindings of it.
"What?! Impossible!" Angeau dropped the knife and let Goku fall forward onto the ground. "How were you able to regain your body strength so soon? It takes most at least an hour!"
"Let's just say I'm not of this world."
Before Angeau realized he had dropped them, Piccolo stretched his arm out and pulled Goku towards him, pushing him behind him.
Angeau balled up his fists. "Dinde!" He pointed at the only cat that was still standing. "Kill that green bean! Make sure he can't come back from it!"
"With pleasure, Angeau." The cat crouched down, getting ready to pounce at him. Piccolo didn't even get into a fighting position. He just stayed on his knees, waiting for him to strike.
"Hey," Goku whispered. "Why aren't you getting ready for him?"
"Give it a second," he replied.
Dinde's tail bristled, and its eyes went wide in deranged excitement. "This is what you deserve for comparing us to dogs!" He leapt forward, aiming to pounce right on top of Piccolo.
Then, his trajectory was suddenly stopped, and he was thrown right into the hard stonewall. The impact left a large impression on the wall, and he flinched like a dying insect. Angeau looked back up, in disgust – a third challenger had made their presence known.
"Chi-Chi," Goku exclaimed. "You're here!"
Angeau raised a brow at the woman. "Are you with them? He scoffed. "If your friends weren't able to compete with me, then I can assure you that you will not stand an inkling of a chance."
Chi-Chi reached behind her back, and untied the swaddle. She carefully handed Gohan to Piccolo, without saying a word to him. Surprisingly, he was fast asleep. She took a fighting stance, glaring daggers at her new opponent. "It won't take long to put down a little delinquent like you."
He looked amused. "Oh, the little kitten has spunk! Oh, this is rich. But what a shame," he said, as he shook his head. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to mess up your pretty face just to prove a point. Perhaps a lesson can be learned from this."
She looked back at Goku and Piccolo one more time, before she lunged out, to attack. Angeau prepared to block a punch to his face, but she swung her leg out underneath him, knocking him off balance. He only had a second to regain his stance, but she shoved her elbow into his face, knocking him onto his back. He jumped back on to his feet, extended his claws, and started scratching at her. She dodged each of his swipes with ease.
Piccolo was actually impressed, by her skills. He never took her as a fighter, but she was moving with finesse and grace. Given her attitude and spunk, he supposed that it wasn't too out of character. When he glanced at Goku, he had a big grin on his face, and his eyes were wide with excitement.
Chi-Chi brought her knee up against his chin, knocking him off of his feet. She punched him twice more in the face, jumped up, swung her leg, and kicked him into the dirt, knocking him out cold. She landed and pressed her hands together.
"Whoa! That was incredible," Goku yelled.
She adjusted her hair, tucking loose strands back into her bun. She turned back to the others, and took Gohan back into her arms. "Are you two alright?"
Goku slowly shifted himself onto his knees. "Y-yeah. I think I'll be able to walk again, soon." He pulled his wrists apart and snapped the binding, flexing his arms and moving his fingers to gain feeling, again. He patted his pockets. "Oh, right. Hey, do you remember where he put the Dragon Balls?"
Piccolo slowly stood up, as he was gaining feeling in his legs, again. He walked up to the adjacent wall, and ran his fingers over the stone bricks. When he felt one that seemed loose, he pressed it. The small compartment opened, containing two Dragon Balls – the six-star ball and the one-star ball, bringing their count up to three. But there still wasn't any sign of the four-star ball.
It looked like they'd be out looking for another ball, tomorrow.
