Chapter 4: Before the Story Telling ~-.-~Dragon Ball Saga

The car didn't even stop yet, and Yamcha jumped after his friend Pu'ar. He lost him once, a long time ago. He won't let that happen again.

He would have gotten to Pu'ar sooner, but there was a minor problem. He was so worried about jumping out and saving his friend as soon as possible that he didn't look before he leaped. He looked down to where he was about to land and noticed that was heading straight into some wasteland spikes.

Crap! Was the only thing that went through his mind, knowing that he has gotten too old to dodge them. But then he remembered something. He wasn't old. He didn't have to go around by cars any more. He was young, he could fly!

Or that was what Yamcha thought before trying and finding himself exhausted and almost upon the spikes. He only slowed himself down; he didn't have the power to lift a man that weighed over 150 pounds with only his Ki alone. With nothing left to do, he tried to contort his body and dodge them on the way down, hoping to inflict minimal damage.

That's when he hit his side on one of the sticks of death that were sticking out of the ground, and something went *pop*. His pants pocket blasted open leaving a huge hole in the side of his pants, but he was saved. The Flying Squirrel let him ride for one last time as he was softly impacted on the main platform, and somehow the metal of the jet prevented the spikes from going all the way through. He thanked Kami and all the higher gods for all the good luck and quickly stood up, thankful that his younger body was able to act and heal so fast.

He jumped off of the somewhat shaky platform, moving closer to the seemingly unconscious cat, this time towards a spot safe for him to land. But midflight his pants fell down to knee level, unable to stay up by themselves now that there was a hole in the side and waist. The ex-bandit caught them and pulled them up with both his hands, holding them at hip level with a hand. He forced himself to be extra careful now; he couldn't lose himself before he saved the world. This was the mission he set himself on, and he would never let it go.

Sure, back in the other universe, the earth was still around and happy, but everyone on earth died once, maybe even twice or three times. Unless they where Goten's age or younger, they were spared from knowing Cell (besides for that one day when literally all of hell broke loose, but not many people actually met cell that day), and if they were younger then Uub then they never got killed by Buu (although no one actually remembers dying to him). But even besides these 2 acts of tremendous genocide, there were still other hardships that plagued the earth after, and before, those two.

Since he came back, he started formulating plans in the back of his head to help save everyone, or at least reduce the hardships they face, and make their live that much better. Step one, train Goku to defeat the Red Ribbon Army faster. But this was the part about it he hated the most.

He NEEDED to stay alive in order to coordinate everything. He needed someone to die on Namek to trigger Goku's Super Saiyan transformation. He needed Cell to absorb 17 and 18 and force Gohan, or anyone really, to become a Super Saiyan 2. Without any of that, they will not be prepared for the stronger enemies. Debora the henchman was a weakling to Buu, and about as strong as Perfect Cell. Unless he could somehow avoid all these tragedies, and he means ALL of them, then there would be no need for death and sadness, along with the rage that came with it.

Also, how was he supposed to deny Krillin of his future wife, 18? The happiness of his friend when he was with his daughter, or the strange romance that happened between the small monk and the Cyborg… Was it his choice to deprive them of that?

The answer, it wasn't.

But with his closest friend unconscious, his all of these thoughts were pushed out of his mind. Holding his pants up, he pushed his ki to the limit and greatly exceeded any speed that this Goku has ever gone. If he wasn't careful, he might have tapped into his life energy, which would have been fatal for him at such a low power level. Ironically, what he called a low power level was about 6 times that of a normal human, and could be used to fight about 50 average humans before he was worn down by the constant fighting. He got to his dear friend and checked Pu'ar's vital signs. They were all strong.

Maybe he did use some of his life force, because by the time he got there to pick the cat up, the car finally stopped. Bulma was frantically getting out with Goku right behind her, sticking his head out of the doorway, but not knowing what to do and whether to leave or not.

Picked up now, the cat was being carried carefully by the bandit back to the car at just above a normal walking speed, the bandit panting all the way. Bulma met them half way in between where the cat fell and where the car landed. She expressed concern for the cat and offered to carry him. Yamcha, after catching his breath, said "I'm sorry, but I feel like this is my fault and that I should be responsible for what happens to him."

Bulma looked up in astonishment and approval, maybe even crushing harder then she was before, when out of nowhere the bandit's pants fell down.
And she stared. Woah. Was her only thought, before all she could see was the cat in front of her face, held out by Yamcha himself.

It took her a second to register what was happening, and when it finally clicked inside her head, she took the cat and turned around, running back to the car. "Goku, get that good for nothing Oolong out here with the first aid!" she screamed while running the last 40 meters to the car. Oolong appeared in the doorway; reluctantly it seemed by the attitude he used when telling the girl "No way! Why do I have to help a crybaby like that?!"

"OOLONG!" One word, that's all it took from the bandit to shut the pig up and get him scurrying inside to find the first aid. The bandit, now with the top of his pants in his hands, stumbled a couple of feet before falling over himself. He was much too exhausted to continue on.

It was another 5 minutes before Goku found noticed his new trainer's absence and brought him inside as well.

"OOLONG! WHAT ARE THESE!?" The angry girl screamed, coming out of the bathroom.

"I told you they where my pajama's, I never expected them to fit you" said the pig, as he saw the girl come downstairs with nothing on but a very big towel going from right below her shoulders to right below her knee. He could have spied on her in the bathroom, or made sure the towels weren't big enough, but he needed her trust for his big plan. He thought that maybe the bandit, who he still didn't trust, and the cry baby would disrupt this, but they are both inside, sleeping like babies, and have been for hours. "I'll wash your clothing and give them to you in the morning, I guess you will have to sleep with that for now." he said, pointing to the towel. "By the way, would either of you want anything to drink?"

"Oh yes please! And do you have anything else to eat? I'm still very hungry!" The little boy replied, hoping to have at least another chicken.

"Sure, but after this, their wont be much left before we get to our emergency supplies. Hey Bulma, while I'm doing this, can you go put your cloths in the washing machine?" he stated, while pointing in the general direction of the contraption.

"I have to do everything around here, don't I?" Bulma stated, stomping upstairs to retrieve her clothing.

Everything is going to plan! the perverted pig thought, while making a pitcher of lemonade with the strange 'other' powder that only he had and knew about. He also knew that he wouldn't be drinking it.

"What's that?" Goku said when the cup of lemonade was put in front of him.

"Its fruit, specifically a lemon, mixed with water." And something else. He thought diabolically.

"It smells… Weird. Is there anything else in it?" Goku said, eyeing the cup strangly.

It's ok, I planned for this. "If you drink it, it will make you stronger!"

"But isn't Yamcha going to make me stronger?" Goku said, a bit confused.

Crap, I got to think. "Yes, but he isn't feeling good right now, so he won't be able to do that. This is for while he is still asleep!"

"Ok!" Goku said with a big smile, accepting that answer. He picked up the cup. Right as he was about to drink it, Bulma came downstairs, still in the towel. Still stomping, she picked up the glass of lemonade that the pig set on the table right after he poured Goku's, and she sat right next to the kid. With a frustrated look on her face, she chugged the whole thing down. Not wanting to lose to the one sitting next to him, Goku chugged his glass as well. Then, before either of them knew it, they where both fast asleep.
VICTORY! thought the only one still awake, while he did a little quiet dance. Everything is coming together perfectly!

He took a second look at the situation, and immediately thought it wouldn't do. Nonono, Goku can't be right next to her when this happens! What if I accidentally bump into him? I have to move him to a chair. One of which he quietly got and set down next to the table, where the cat was floating earlier before he had his episode. So what was that about? Ah, no matter, I'm about to accomplish my life's work!

Remembering the new duo, he went upstairs to quietly check on them, to make sure they were still both deeply asleep. Opening the door, he tip toed in, and waved his hands over both of their faces. Good, still asleep. It would be horrible for me if they woke up while this was going on. He confidently walked away, only being somewhat careful of being quiet, and closed the door with a little 'Tack.'

Grinning ear to ear, he was about to initiate phase 2.

The first thing that registered to Yamcha was a 'Tack'. Then, and only afterwards, did he realize that all he could see was black. His senses slowly coming back to him, the wet towel on his head, the clothing that he wasn't wearing, and the heat of a body next to him where actually quite southing. I have woken up to worse. He thought, almost comically. But how did I get here?

He tried to remember, but he couldn't remember exactly. There was his life, and then his death. Then he came back for his 'second chance' as he decided to call it. That's right then… then…
Then Pu'ar jumped.

Almost like a second nature, Yamcha desperately reached out to feel for power levels. He didn't have to look far, though. The heat that came from the body next to him was his one and only best friend, Pu'ar. Thank Kami. He seems alright.
But his best friend's power was low. Lower then it should ever be. But it's stable, so Pu'ar isn't in any danger of dying. If only I was back in the old universe, then my friend here would receive the best care on the planet. Or even better would be a senzu bean

He finally started to assess himself and his own well being. A couple scrapes and cuts, nothing too bad. All of his muscles ached; he definitely used more energy than he was capable of using. It doesn't matter now, we are both all right.

He knew he should take it easy and rest, not moving at all, but he wanted to see if his friends were all right. Once again reaching out he felt all of their power levels. Immediately, he felt 3 things that set off. Goku and Bulma both had incredibly low levels; lower then it would be if they were sleeping. They were both either unconscious or badly wounded, and either case was bad news. If either Goku or Yamcha died, the Earth would surly crumble under the forces of Raditz. Well, that's a sad, and scary, thought. He thought as he opened his eyes. Ouch.
Even doing such a rudimentary task like opening his eyelids bothered him, how was he supposed to check on the situation downstairs?
Well, maybe he didn't have too.

Oolong had a higher than normal power level, like he was fighting. The only weird thing about this was that it was constant, so whatever was happening now, the pig was holding his own, or maybe even winning in any fight he might be in.

The last weird thing was that he sensed no other power. So unless someone was gunning them down and got a lucky shot at Goku's tail, then it has to be a robot/android. Androids barely exist at this time, Gero might be in the process of making #1. So that can be crossed off. But a robot might not be that far. Except for one little detail. They are in a desert, surrounded by a forest, a river with harsh rapids, and a burning mountain that no one could access. Back when he used to live here, he has never stumbled upon one…

I have to risk it. He thought, throwing the covers off of him. He heard a small yelp next to him. Damn, I need to be more careful getting out of bed. I don't want to hurt Pu'ar anymore. Sorry little guy.

Now that Goku was in the chair far from Bulma, Oolong had a little time to himself. Little did he actually know, but *a little* was actually about 5 seconds before he heard a step on the stairs. No No No NO! This ruins everything! He thought, and panicked. Who is it? Did I leave any loose ends? No, nothing he could think of. Bulma is still clothed, Goku is sleeping, and the lemonade is on the counter. The lemonade!

He quickly got up, and got a glass down, just as Yamcha came down the last step, sweating profusely. "Is everyone all right?" he said panting pretty badly, hunched over and grabbing his side.

Why is he down here, he can barely walk! the pig thought hatefully, before giving a smile and saying "Yes, why would you think anything is wrong?"

"Their power levels are weaker than they should be, even while they are sleeping they should never be this low."

"Power levels?" Oolong asked, curious. He has never heard the term before, the first one to use it would be Goku's brother, and that would be years from now.

"Nothing, never mind." said the bandit

"No, please tell me. Come in, sit down, and ill pour you a glass of lemonade." Yes, I got him!

"Actually, a glass of water would be better."

Oh. Well then. "Sure, one glass of water coming right up!" This caught the pig off guard. His whole plan is in shambles. Now, the only thing he could do is to not get caught. Little to his knowledge, he was going against someone with more life experience than anyone he ever met.

"So why is Bulma on the bench, only wearing a towel?"

"Um, well, her clothes are upstairs in the wash"
"Yes, but why is she sleeping here?" Yamcha asked, noticing a pause in the pig's speech

"Because you and your friend are occupying the bedroom upstairs! I don't even know you 2, or like you, but I'm forced to live with you after you threatened to KILL ME!" Shouted Oolong. After being forced into a corner, he turned on the offence. Not because it was his plan, but more because of pure animalistic instincts.

"Ok then, one more question. Why did Bulma not wake when you started screaming? She is a light sleeper, and if I did so much as poke her" which he did, in her leg, with the tip of his shoe, "then she would have been up in my face about waking her up from her sleep."

To this, the pig was taken back and stepped backwards, thinking of something to say. But before anything came out of his mouth, Yamcha continued "Power levels. I said this before, didn't I? Well feeling power levels is a little trick I learned along my time. It basically means I can feel where any living is at any time, and if I focus I can know the status of them. These two are unconscious, and I bet you're the cause. Now this is what is going to happen. You are going to go upstairs to the bathroom and stay there all night. I will know if you leave, and where you go. You can bring your lemonade with you and drink it if you want." he won and he knew it.

The pig stuttered a bit. Not knowing what to say, he hung his head in defeat and went over to grab the lemonade, thinking he will flush it down the toilet or something. But at the 3rd step he shouted "Wait, how do you know about her sleeping patterns, and how she is a light sleeper?!" He was turned around completely now and was pointing the pitcher in the bandit's direction. He looked him square in the eyes "You pervert."

Normally, this would work on most teenagers and scare them into backing up, but Yamcha wasn't a teen. He was an old soul trapped in a boy's body. He was almost immune to scare tactics. He stared down foes hundreds of times stronger, and either stalled them long enough to get help or was sometimes able to do some damage before help finally arrived.

But even though it didn't work on him doesn't mean that didn't work on Oolong. Yamcha quietly lifted his hand and formed a small ball of energy in it. "This right here is Ki. This amount of energy is enough to kill you twice over. I;m not going to explain everything to you now, I will tell you tomorrow after I get some rest. So for now, I suggest you do the same, for when Bulma wakes up, it's going to be a terrible day for you."

Yamcha knew Oolong didn't believe him, so he tossed it backwards out the open window. It exploded in mid air and made a shockwave strong enough to rock the house car back and forth.

Oolong looked like he just found god on earth. "If I wanted to, I could have killed you whenever. Now please, stop being so aggressive. I just want to help" Yamcha stated flatly. Oolong then did one of the most useful things that he would ever do in this universe. He had enough, and went upstairs. He was beat over and over and over again, and he was dealing with someone who could make his death as long and agonizing as possible. Both mentally and physically outmatched, he resigned when he could and spared his dignity and his body.

"Please, just don't tell Bulma." A request. That's all it was, and it probably wouldn't be answered. But Yamcha was full of surprises.

"Sure old friend, your secret is safe with me"

Oolong turned one last time, and saw a weathered look on such a young boy. It didn't fit on him; someone that young shouldn't look nearly that old. But the strangest part was the smile. The one that looked like you where greeting an old friend, but with a strange twist of sadness. No, not pity, but maybe regret. Combined that with the "old friend" and you have a bad case of misidentify. Unless I really have met him before?

And that is what the shape shifting pig thought of most of the night before he finally fell asleep in the bathtub, the empty lemonade pitcher firmly snuggled in his arms.

~ - . LAD . - ~

Heh, I find it quite a bit funny that even when I wrote this chapter all those… years. It has been over a year now. Damn.
Anywho, as I was saying, even when I wrote this chapter, I stated that it needed editing. Well, it's a good thing I edited it then.

~-.Q AND A.-~

Q. yeah your story interesting Pu'ar caught on that Yamcha not the same you think you can make the story a bit longer?

A. Each chapter will be at least 3000 words. If you are talking about the entierty of the story, well, it is getting updated every now and then. And I have plans for it to go past DBZ, so hopefully I stay motivated long enough to finish the story.

Q. I have a question. I was confused about the part where he died. Was it just a dream?
Or did he really go back and live again? And if so, why at that point did he come back?

A. Nope, not a dream. He has lived his whole life (around 80 something years, I haven't actually put a whole backstory together) and then died, and woke up in his body back when he was about to meet Goku. Why this point? Well, there is a reason, but you won't know for a while.

Q. Pu'ar's breakdown was interesting and actually logical, because to Pu'ar it really must seem like Yamcha got possessed.

A. Why thank you. This story is meant to get deeper into the human side of Dragonball Z, that includes the humanity of all the non-human characters as well. Also, as the son of a psychologist, I feel like I understand human emotions to a level where I can write somewhat accurately about them.

Q. Hey bud I loved the story but got some words you need to edit.

A. Well, I am now going back through and editing everything, even the responses to these questions are edited. So if you see this, the first 14 chapters should be edited pretty neatly. If you see any mistakes, leave a review and or a PM.

~ - . POWER LEVELS . - ~

Goku (unconscious) – 9

Yamcha (From waking up) – 11

Oolong – 5
Oolong (excited about his plans) - 8