I feel as if this question is very important, so before I even introduce this chapter and explain why it took me so long, here it is.
Q - I have enjoyed your story thus far but I see a trend and I would like to make you aware of it. For the first 12 or so chapters your story was mainly serious with a hint of humor. These later chapters have been more humorous with very little seriousness. The overall feel of the story has changed. I really like stories with Yamcha in them for the simple reason that I felt he was under appreciated in the anime. I don't want this story to become a joke on Yamcha. I have not given up on your story and I will read more chapters but I can't stand when authors make a drama/adventure and turn it into a comedy/action.
A – Great comment!Reading things like these make me want to work faster and harder! Now to reply…
I will try hard to not make this fanfiction a joke on Yamcha's character. Sure, things might happen, and they might be comical, but you see, this is the original Dragon Ball. It was littered with jokes and comedic effects.
However, this will keep drama/adventure throughout.
This story will be an all-encompassing epic of Yamcha dealing with being back at the beginning. He will screw up, he will succeed, he will lose, and he will love.
When it is peace, he will relax, and when there is war, he will be serious.
And again, thank you for reviewing.
~ - . LAD . - ~
Okay, so some of you are wondering why it has taken me months (almost a year) to upload. Oh, I have excuses alright, mostly: School, relationship, club membership ordeals, lack of motivation, and MAJOR updates on all previous chapters, including the special, which I did not think I would get to.
Also, look at the size of this chapter. This is easily my biggest chapter yet.
Also, I already started writing and finished the first part of next chapter. (I still have to go over and edit it though)
So yeah, those are my reasons, and I'm sticking to them.
Now for this chapter. I have not watched the anime, so I have not seen the time when Goku went back in time, so this work will not reflect that in the slightest. Now, please enjoy.
Chapter 15: And I Fear no man ~ - . . - ~ Tournament Saga
"Let me see…" Master Roshi looked at the blue haired girl. He got a minor nosebleed, just one drop, but was able to remain completely stoic. "Welcome, welcome, come inside."
"Nice to meet you! My name is Launch, and if you don't mind, I would like to stay here for a while."
"It's good to meet you Launch. I am Master Roshi, also known as the Turtle Hermit. I will be teaching Martial arts to these 3."
"Martial arts?! Wow, that's why they were so strong!"
"I see that their current skills are good enough to be handy." He gave a nod at the 2 that went to get her "So I heard that you would be the general house keeper while we are out?"
"If it isn't a burden to you, I would be delighted to be!"
"Heh, delighted she says. Am-I-right?" Krillin said, nudging Goku with his elbow, winked at the Saiyan, and sneered a bit.
"Well, ya, she did say that. Why, did you not hear her? And are you feeling ok?" Goku said, utterly confused.
Looking down at his shoes in shame, Krillin grumbled a "Never mind".
Going back to the conversation, Master Roshi was offering Launch an invitation to learn martial arts, which she refused without much thought. It wasn't really her thing, and she was way too frail to scale mountains. But Master Roshi continued "Oh, no, I don't mean full-blown training like these 3. Just some light exercise, maybe a few small weights. You know, the little things that can help you get by in the world." Yamcha noticed that for some reason, Master Roshi's face turned darker when he said the last part. Wait, is he trying to reference the strength she will need to live in the world after King Piccolo 'destroys' it?
Krillin, hearing this, wanted to redeem himself for his earlier embodiment. "What great fortune you have! Master Roshi is known by every martial artist in the world! To think that the man himself is requesting you to become his student is a great offer!"
Launch put her hands to her face in shock. "My! I didn't know!" He does look the part, though.
Yamcha saw fit to interrupt now. "Yes, Launch should do some light exercises, but there is one more person here that would like to do a bit more than that. Launch, shale I?"
Launch was still not used to people referencing her other half in anything but an accusing tone, so it took her 2 seconds to realize what he meant. "Ah! Sure, go ahead, just be careful!"
"Don't worry, there aren't many people who are more careful then I am." Yamcha said. He then pulled up a single blade of grass from the ground and moved over to Launch. He then proceeded to tickle the underside of her nose.
"Acho!"
Her hair instantly changed colors, and her power level instantly changed, it felt so much different, and much more powerful. She quickly assed the situation, after taking out one of her submachine guns on what seems like a reflex, and pointed it at the old man with the muscles. "Who's the old fart?" She asked, while using the other hand to open another capsule, revealing her second gun "And who is this kid?" she asked, while pointing it at the smaller bald person.
Master Roshi noticed how much faster she was moving, and how steady her aim was. It will take a long while for her to come up to our level of strength, but I can see her being a major asset, as long as she stops being so aggressive and manages not to get herself killed. I have to work on that too. "He, is Master Roshi. The one who will be teaching us" he motioned to the Saiyan, the monk, and himself, the ex-bandit "and he" pointing back at Krillin "Is Krillin. He is not to be harmed, you understand?"
"Hmm… Yes, I do. So you made me come here to introduce me. How do you know so much about me?" Launch said accusatively, pulling the hammer back on the gun pointed at Krillin.
"I lived life already. For some reason or another, I'm living through it again. So basically, I know the future. And I swore to myself that I will make this life better than the last one."
"Heh" She chuckled, looking at him. But after him remaining completely stoic, her expression changed. "Besides me not believing you, and thinking that your answer is full of crap, how did you even find me? It was a spur of the moment robbery, I didn't even make plans for this."
"Well, as I said, I lived life before, and I knew it was going to happen around now. I then used the radio to tap into the police's frequencies and waited for you to do the thing."
"How do you know you actually lived life, and that it wasn't one big dream or something?"
"Well, so far, everything happened to how I remember it. So let's go with that for now, ok?" Yamcha replied, making sure he hid the part about seeing his soul from this universe, and his vision of the weird militaristic aliens. Oh, and meeting the guardians of the multiverse, the dragons. If that's what they are, he might need a little more to convince himself. If so, what about the dark ones? But that is another thought possess altogether, one that would take too long to think about when time seems to be of the essence. "Can we lower the guns now?"
"… Sure, but I am keeping them out. So, what am I supposed to do here if I'm not training with you?"
Firm, but not absolute. By giving her the illusion that she is free, she will be content. Then again, if she really wanted to do something, she could. This is completely unlike her other self, who responds better to kindness and happy words. "Yamcha, I got this." Master Roshi began "You, my lady, will be doing a watered down version of what these 3 are doing. I will create a daily schedule for you, which you should do with the best of your ability, while wearing specialized clothing. We will have to go down-town to get this specialized clothing for you." He looked around outside, noting some stars appearing in the sky "It is dark, though, so we should wait until morning."
"And let you guys get ahead in your training? Ha, no, I don't think so. We are going tonight. You guys can start training tomorrow or whatever, but I can't wait. I won't wait. And also, this seems to be the only clothing I have. So I need to get some others before tonight." That's not exactly true, I have stayed in the same cloths for weeks on end. But I don't want HER to pick out my clothes for me. Pink and frilly skirts, impossible to run in. I would rather have them ripped to shreds and forced to steal some more, just like I did that last time.
"Hmm… Well, I suppose it would make it harder to train you if you fell even further behind. Fine. I'll need tomorrow to analyses all of your skills anyways." He said, looking around at the group of 4 kids. Well, this isn't the worst group to fight piccolo. If I keep accelerating their training, they might be on par with me by the end of the decade… When is he coming, anyways?
His focus on his thoughts broke when Launch started tapping her foot like a jackrabbit, impatiently waiting for him to get going and lead the way. I'll have a more detailed talk with him tomorrow. "Ok ok, hold your horses, follow me. The rest of you, stay here and setup your beds. Krillin will show you where the futons are."
Half way there, and nothing was said. Launch put one of her guns away, holding the other in her right hand, pointed at the floor for she couldn't bother to hold it upright. "'Master Roshi'" she stated somewhat sarcastically "That's your name, right? Do you happen to be THE Muten-Roshi, the strongest man on earth for the past couple hundred year?" Launch asked impatiently.
"Yep, that is my name! Don't wear it out." He replied, somewhat cheerfully.
"You can't be the original one though, he would be older than anyone alive. And as old as you are, you don't look hundreds of years old. So what's your gimmick?"
"Well let's see, I was born in the year 430… So that would make me 319 now, right? What year are we in? Meh, it doesn't matter. I can't even remember my birth month."
"B*llsh*t. No one lives that long."
"Well, I have. And my sister was born at least one hundred years before me, the old croon. Oh, I even have proof! It's a little dark out, but here is my driver's license."
She snatched it from his hand and looked it all over. Well, it seems to be legal… nothing ill looking about it. And whoever made this got the hidden triangle that is behind the photo's left eye… This might actually be legit.
"So you and the boy both got some sort of proof. Yet I still don't believe either of you." She said, flipping the safety of her gun on and off like one would tap their foot.
"I hope you will be able to in time. Any who, if we are to make it to the clothing store, we should depart now. I don't expect her to wake up just to make us some clothing."
"So why are you guys here?" Krillin asked to Goku and Yamcha, who were now the only people inside of the house.
"To get stronger!" Goku said, innocently.
"And then what?" The short bald monk curiously asked. "Why do you want to get stronger?"
The Saiyan boy froze while setting up his futon and thought about this. Then he answered "Well, it's fun!"
This training will be rougher than you realize. Thought Yamcha, to himself joyously. You won't be having much fun for many weeks to come.
"That's it, just because it's fun?" Krillin replied, forgetting that Yamcha was in the room. Which at the moment, really wasn't all that important, for Yamcha was still busy setting up his bedding, and was on his way to get launch's futon to set up.
"Well, Yamcha also told me that I will be meeting my grandfather if I get strong enough, so that's another reason to get stronger I guess!"
Krillin had a look of confusion on his face. "Your grandfather? What happened to him? Did he leave you?"
"Yep." Goku stated plainly. "He was crushed by a giant monster. I haven't seen him in a long time. I wonder how he is doing."
"So wait, he's dead? You can't visit dead people Goku. That stuff is just impossible."
"Well, not so impossible." Yamcha stated, from across the room. "There are very powerful people on this planet, some with the power to bring back souls of the deceased for a while" He gave the actual excuse, because he did not want Krillin learning about the dragon balls before he received training and discipline. He might try to get power the easy way…
"That's something I never heard of before" the monk said. "Who in the world can bring back the dead?"
"You have not heard of the fortune teller Baba?" Yamcha asked.
"Fortune teller Baba... That sounds familiar."
"So Krillin" the ex-bandit began, hoping to distract the interest of the young boy, and make him forget about the previous conversation. He did not want to accidentally reveal too much. "How was your trip here, and what do you think of master Roshi so far?"
"Ehh, the trip was decent. A little water can't stop me from training with the master after all. And, well, I heard he was somewhat of a 'ladies' man' if you know what I mean, but he seems to be much more serious than that now. I wonder if the tales of him were wrong."
"No no, it is just that he realized that he has pupils now. He can't afford to relax like that, or we might surpass him!"
"We can get stronger then Master Roshi?!" The Saiyan boy asked, with stars in his eyes
"No way, the great master is the strongest person on earth! There is no way we can hope to surpass him." Said the small monk
The ex-bandit replied "Be that as it may, we are going to try. And even if we can't, would you let people like me and Goku get stronger then you and hog all the women to ourselves?"
"Why would we want to hog all the women, Yamcha?" Goku curiously asked.
"Never mind Goku, but Krillin knows what I'm talking about. So Krillin, are you going to let someone such as Goku get stronger than you?"
Yamcha really did not like manipulating people, he did so only when necessary. But he felt like if he did not do so now, and earlier this week when things started to go south, that something would end up going terribly wrong.
Krillin's bald head sprouted marks of anger for a second, but then smiled a menacing smile. "So that's how it's going to be, eh? You're going to make me contest with Goku while you get stronger by yourself? Well I'll make sure that won't happen. GOKU!"
"Ah, yes!" Goku said, surprised that Krillin called on him so loudly.
"Me and you are going to have to team up and train harder than Yamcha. I cannot allow him to get all the girls for himself!"
And so on and so forth, Krillin formed a partnership with Goku, and a rivalry against Yamcha. Now let's see what the other 2 are doing...
They didn't talk most of the way there.
After being around the Turtle hermit for even a brief amount of time, she knew that her guns would do nothing. However, she felt more comfortable letting one of them rest by her side.
She didn't trust anyone, but she could tell that something strange was going on. The brat who claimed to be from the future was definitely strange, powerful, and very straight forward. Then again, the buff Turtle Hermit also seemed to also be powerful, more so then even the kid. She thought about having that much strength, and smiled. Not a good smile, like her blue haired self, and not an evil smile, but somewhere in between. A devious smile. She could rob any bank. Take anything she wanted. Do anything she wanted. Break out of any jail.
"But then what?" Roshi said, to himself.
He was lost in thought. The training, the tournament he wanted to enroll everyone in. And then… They could go training by themselves, but with the threat of Piccolo over their heads, he didn't want to let them. But Yamcha might have his own input, and the master himself did not want to limit them to his teachings. His years with Korin, the cat who lives on top of the tower named after him, was tremendously great for his growth as a martial artist. Who knows what they would find out there?
What does he mean by that? Afterwards I can enjoy my life!
Right?
Would she? She liked stealing the cash, getting chased, escaping by a hair's breadth. Spending it was always nice, but she realized that on some level, she would throw all her money away on worthless things just for the excuse to steal again. Each level of security and challenge in thieving brought along another level of excitement. And then it would be ruined at a moment's notice, by Her. She felt as if she could never truly enjoy her own life, between Her ruining everything, and half of it being lived by Her.
"Oh, we are here." He knocked. "Hello old friend, it's Roshi!"
It was dark enough that she couldn't exactly see the colors of the house, but it was much bigger than Roshi's. A full 2 stories, and twice the width and height, she was surprised she didn't see it before arriving. The door opened, and no one appeared to be there to answer it.
"Come on, follow me" The old man said, as he created a small Ki ball in his hand for light.
As they walked in, Launch noticed that there were wires everywhere. 4 connected to the door and the locks on it, and many others snaking throughout the open space, hooking onto items like ceiling fans and the controls to what looked like a heating unit. The thief reached out to pluck one of these strings out of curiosity, and was surprised at the sound it made. It was not like any wire she felt before, but it felt more like a string that she would associate to a piece of ripped clothing after a narrow escape.
"So, you changed the layout of your house around . Where do you stay now?" he seemed to say in a loud, raised voice
One of the ropes swung wildly, and the turtle hermit seemed to follow it. Launch was still startled at all of the string, it looked as if there was a complex pulley system by the cabinets, one that not only opened it up, but also a second set to lift up and bring down plates, and a third to push them in and out? She could only guess at their true purpose. While following these pulley systems up, she was shocked.
She couldn't see the ceiling. At least, she didn't think she could. All she saw were strings, all different sizes and shapes. Some looked furry and wide, others were straight and thin, and very few reflected the light back in the way metal would.
"Come on Launch, It would be wise to get back soon, for you are going to need to be in top condition while I evaluate you tomorrow."
She didn't even realize she stopped moving. She hurried up to where he was, trying not to move into any of the suspended cloth that surrounded her. "Who could ever live in a dump like this?" Launch asked, not expecting an answer.
"That would be me, little missy." An elderly women voice said from somewhere in the room.
"I am very sorry for her rudeness. Now Launch, that isn't the way to act in front of the person who is going to make your clothing. Launch, this is ." Master Roshi explained.
"Now dear, I thought I told you to call me by my first name, Lucy." said. Launch finally laid eyes upon her, a small and skinny old woman, with straight braided grey hair coming down to her elbows, and eyes that hid behind glasses that somehow reflected the little light that was coming off of the single candle. "Now, why are you going after such rude girls these days? Are there no nice girls left on the planet, or did you finally get desperate enough?"
Launch was taken aback, she didn't expect an old lady who only came up to her shoulder to give her this much sass.
"Neither nor, I have agreed to train her in martial arts, and yes, before you ask, I mean actual martial arts." Replied the old man.
"Oh? For you to take an actual girl for training..." She paused "There must be some important reason for this, yes?"
"Sadly, yes there is. A cataclysmic event is coming, and I won't be able to stop it alone. I pray to Kami that my sources are wrong, but I would rather be safe than sorry."
"And what if something like this happened when I wanted you to train me? What would you have done if this terrible thing happened earlier?"
Master Roshi went silent.
"… How rude of me. 2 guests in my house, one of them being an old friend, and I haven't even invited them in for a drink. Follow me, please." said as she searched around with her hand, until she found a very select wire. She then walked, tracing it with her hand, and motioned for her 2 guests to follow her with the others.
"Wait…" said Launch "Is the old bat blind?"
"I might be blind, but I'm not deaf. I probably have better hearing then you do. I swear, it is people like you that are the reason people like me take medication… Ah, here we are"
"Oh, and how would a bat like you know where we are?"
"Obviously you use your eyes as much as I do. But to answer your question, the knots." She relied, dryly.
"The knots?" The blond girl asked, now feeling up the string. There was not enough light to let her see the little bumps that bit into her fingers, forcing her to release the rope out of pure surprise.
"Anywho, I'll make the usual for you Roshi. Young lady, what do you want?"
Launch gave her order, and more banter happened between the 2 women, who also happen to be the two youngest people in the room. That is all unimportant though. What truly matters is that until Lucy took the cups to hand to the old master and the young thief, she never touched them. She used only the strings to turn on the tap, get the cups, get the tea, get the coffee, and pour the boiled water into the water heater. As was previously mentioned, the string where everywhere. So much so, that whether or not there was light in the room, one would not be able to see the walls.
And Roshi's ball of light allowed Launch to see it all, after her eyes adjusted of course.
It was during this time, when Launch was having her black coffee, and Roshi his Earl Grey tea, when Lucy asked "So, what do you need of me? Shouldn't she be using turtle shells like the boys did back in the day?" She then took a sip of her own tea.
"No, she isn't ready for that now, and I'm not sure if she will ever be. I thought about this, and the best thing for her is a weighted set of clothing, like the one you used to wear."
"The ones I wore before the accident? How long ago was that, 60 years? A bit more? I don't even know if I have the material for that… Give me a few minutes. I'll be right back." Lucy said, leaving half of her tea on the table, and exited the room with the help of her guiding strings.
Once the old lady was out of the room, the thief whispered to her new master "Accident? What happened, did she trip down the stairs with these 'heavy clothing' on? Couldn't catch herself?" Although she didn't like the old bat too much, a kind of respect was growing inside her, for one so incapacitated, yet so able.
"… It was much worse than that. Let me tell you a story…"
Years ago. During a happier time, much like the one we are experiencing now.
"Hey, Master Roshi!" A teenage 'Grandpa' Gohan asked "What training are we going to do today? It's snowing out, so are we going to something easy? Maybe easy enough for Lucy to join us?" he asked, as hopeful as a teenage boy can be.
"Going easy? Not on my watch! How can we get ric- I mean, save people if we are slacking off?" a slightly younger looking ox-king asked.
He was still a boy, with boyish needs. While Gohan was a teenager… and he had a single want.
"No Gohan, she cannot train with us today, she is too weak and would not be able to keep up with us. And just because you asked about it, you will be doing harsh exercises, outside, in the snow. You have 10 minutes to get ready, shell and everything to keep you warm. AND YOU, NO FOLLOWING US, OK? I don't want you to get hurt or lost in this storm." I believe I did make some joke about the girls on pages being easier to handle and keep close… which I now realize was in terrible taste.
She complied, and went back to her house in the freezing storm. Gohan thought that I might finally let her join, and acted like what I did was irrational. I, however, saw it quite differently.
We had to check in on the neighbors and make sure they had enough supplies, and I wasn't sure she could handle the cold like I trained the kids to be able to. But also in the bigger picture, I knew I wasn't going to be the strongest forever, or alive forever, and having a girl to distract him can only spell misfortune to his training. He really had an eye for her.
A guy was interested in that short stack? Launch asked, interrupting.
Well, Gohan wasn't exactly the tallest either. In hindsight, they did work together… however, it would seem that mine and fate's hand forced events to take a turn for the worse.
She put some more fire wood in the fire place, while me and the kids were going around from house to house checking to see if they all had enough supplies, be it food, water, or blankets to keep warm. It was one of the worst winters on the island for a while. And the homes were not the big Luxurious summer houses we have now, it was all farms and a small town, with a trading port. The land here used to be extremely fertile… But I digress. After running out of water to give to people, that and the fact Gyū Maō drank all of the water he was carrying, we had to return home.
Gohan wanted to check on her, to make sure she was doing well. I wanted to nip this relationship at the roots, before it even started. Also, she was at our house earlier that day. If she really needed supplies, she would have brought some back with her. Seeing some smoke out of her chimney, I thought she should be warm enough.
So I said no, and after several minutes of him pleading, I compromised and said we could stop off afterwards, and it was only fair to make sure she was okay as well.
…
Yo, old man. Launch said, interrupting again, but this time using a pause that the turtle hermit gave her. What does this have to do with anything?
A few minutes of slow trudging through the snow towards the other side of the island, to another set of houses, the snow started to lighten up, and it wasn't snowing as hard as it was before. Gohan looked back at the house, hopeful to catch a glance at the girl he liked, maybe waving him off. He saw a light.
She was doing some sewing, or knitting, and it started to catch fire. She saw it, and freaked out before coming to her senses. The fire spread fast across all the fabric she had, her panicking only spreading the fire faster. She tried getting out of the house, but the wind blew the snow and pressed it up against the out swinging door. She couldn't get out. Still in her custom made weighted outfit, she was slow in doing these things, and the fire spread. She couldn't get out, so she tried going to the kitchen and getting water for the fire or maybe try at jumping out the window, but the smoke blocked her vision.
She tripped. She couldn't get up.
Once Gohan alerted me to the light, I ran as fast as I could to get there. Gohan ran like the snow wasn't even there, with Gyū Maō trailing. We were almost too late.
I started prying pieces of housing out of what already collapsed. Gohan ran into an entrance I created, contrary to my yelling of him to stop. He ran into the flames, and came out with her. She was covered in black soot, bruised, broken, and crying, but without any tears. The smoke and fire burned her, and permanently blinded her. Her weighted clothing provided protection. It saved her from being impaled and dead, but only barley. She was broken, she couldn't walk for many months, and bruised, unable to sew while in bed recovering after she was well enough to move slightly.
I don't know if she forgave me. I hope she did. Gohan never did, though. He purposefully went out of his way to remind me of this for years… Still training with me to spite me and drive it in. But with age came wisdom. He understood why I didn't want him to get with her, and that it was an accident. Though I'm not sure if deep down, he still somewhat resents me for what I did, even after his death.
His ball of light was weak now, only barely illuminating the tears streaming down his face, down his beard, into his lap.
"In trying to help him get stronger than me, I hurt her. And then he wasn't even able to replace me. Now the only thing left of him, a small boy named Goku, is left in my charge, who I might not be able to save no matter what because of the coming threat, and the added element of a time traveler… I tried to do the best, I really did… The best for all of us, but where has it led us?"
The old, sturdy turtle hermit was now visibly shaking, with his features coming in and out of view as his control of the Ki ball flickered in and out.
And Launch… She started feeling. As corny as it sounds, she cared for no one but herself this whole time. She doesn't even like half of herself, she came to despise Her. But this strong man, breaking down like a baby would… part of her wanted to say something. However, a greater part enjoyed seeing someone stronger than her crumble. But not for long. She didn't cause the crumbling. She did nothing to attain this goal. She just felt… empty, detached from the situation. Nothing to do but wait.
She drank her coffee.
"Well, I forgive you." Lucy stated, pulling a trailing string behind her, and holding onto the tout directional string with the other. "I told you long ago that I did. Me and him, we would have never worked out… but even if we did, I would have felt terrible. The way he rushed to my side to tell me all about finally learning the Kamehameha wave, the passion in his voice to go forward. I would have kept him below his potential, and it would have killed me inside. And Roshi, it was never to spite you. You wouldn't have known, but when I was still bed ridden, I asked him for a very specific favor. 'Train hard enough for the both of us.' And oh boy, did he. Telling me all about what he accomplished, trying to describe it with such detail that I could almost see it happening. The times I thought he slipped away, he actually made you feel terrible. Hahaha, oh boy, that guy. That great, great guy. Shame I won't see him again for a while."
"You... when did you know?" Roshi asked, after taking a moment to collect himself.
"Hmph, we didn't have a crush on each other for years for nothing. He sent me letters every once in a while. On and off, of course, he couldn't always send me letters from his travels, but the letters would always come. Not that I can read of course, so I would get someone here to read them for me. Awfully convenient that he used the same texture of paper, so I could tell his letters apart from everything else. I got excited just like a girl would get when her crush confessed to her every time I felt the paper. Then one day, a letter asked for a phone number. He called me weeks later… And I realized how old we got."
During this monologue, she pulled the string closer, manipulated some other strings, and then slowly released the first string, until a sturdy looking wooden crate started slowly descending from the ceiling. It touched the floor lightly.
"He was old, and he had a brat of his own. God knows where he got him from, I didn't ask. But he asked. He asked how I have been, how to raise a kid, how he wished he could have been with me, how he loved his life, and how he wished he could share it. And I told him simply. 'It was enough.'"
The basket hit the floor, and she untied the string that held it, which quickly zipped up and out of sight.
"So anyways, time to down to business. Girl, come over here. I need to take your measurements."
Launch wanted to question how she could take measurements when she is blind, and how crazy the bat is, but she knew now was not the time nor place. Launch went over to her, and Lucy felt it vibrate in the strings. The weight, where this girl was, how much she weighed, approximate height from distance of footsteps. "Now, please stick your arm out. I'm going to feel it."
Launch just complied at this point. She hesitated for a second, wondering why she was complying so easily with what she was told. Then again, she wanted to get this done as soon as possible. She might barf if one of these elders get in depth with another story. So she stuck her arm out.
With her hands, she took measurements. No ruler, no tape, no string. Just feeling Launch's arm up, then her leg, then her waist. At each new limb that was touched made the thief tense up.
"… Okay, come by tomorrow night, and you'll have 2 new sets of clothing waiting for you. Roshi, we can talk another time. I must start doing this right away if I want to have these done by then."
Yamcha finished brushing his teeth. Goku was already downstairs, fast asleep on the mattress that was next to Launch's, when she ever got back.
He spit, rinsed his mouth, and then looked in the mirror. Immediately, he noticed something off about him. His face, it was so smooth. Not a single scar. That really threw him off. Sure, he saw the exact same face on the Yamcha that now lives in his head, but he never connected that face to himself, only to a younger version of himself and an alternate universe version. The scars meant so much to him. Not only did he think they looked cool on him, but they symbolized the futility of his casual training and his inability to stop his friends' deaths at the hands of king Piccolo. Not that the training meant much anyways… For his new found love of a sport named baseball took up the next several years of his life and cut back on his training time.
But even so, do I recreate them? I have earned them once already… Should a Soldier not wear his decorations when he has already earned them? Or would creating them now cause problems in the time line?
He stood there for a good few seconds, before making his decision.
~ - . LAD . - ~
Sorry for the delay… massive hiatus.
I'll be surprised if you even remember the story up to now.
Any who, things are going to be following someone else in the next chapter. Who it is will be revealed then.
Then back to the main group.
But for this chapter, that is that, so please review!
~ - . Q AND A . - ~
Q - Cool!
Q - This is really neat so far! I really like what you are doing with the plot, and I await more.
Q - Just read through this whole story today, it's pretty interesting, if you make more, I'll be sure to keep track of it!
Q - Pretty good story so far, very unique idea I like it. The fight scenes could flow better though. Keep up the good work though.
A - Thank you! And yeah, they could, but considering I have only high school experience with writing, I'm surprised that I write this well to begin with. If you could point out exactly where I am lacking within the fight scenes, it would be much appreciated!
Q - It was a great chapter :D Your story is very original, I love it and good to see that even helped with his training Aria was great.
A –Why thank you! Also, I am a bit confused about what "Aria" means. Could you explain that?
Q - You just spoiled that Yamcha goes back in time after his death... I knew it!
A –Back in time, to another universe, meh, its all the same. But yes, he goes back and causes quite the scene.
Q - I have to say this point of view on death is interesting. I have read many DBZ fanfics, and death was present in many of them, yet this is the first time I read about someone dying of old age, and I really like the way you pictured it, because it feels...natural, albeit sad. I'm curious to see where the story is going.
A –Why thank you! I really wanted this to make people have those feelings, sad, yet natural and complete. And yeah, in a genre where almost everyone dies from massive explosions and brutal fighting, it is quite rare to see someone die from just existing too long. And trust me, it is going places.
Q - I think Yamcha is a bit careless, throwing the information he knows like that. Anyway, I'm looking forward to see how this universe will end up.
A – I completely understand. But the thing is, these are people that Yamcha lived all of his life with. Before his death, he considered many of them to be family, especially Pu'ar. I don't see why he would hide anything from them, unless it would really cause some serious damage.
Q - You story is interesting but I think you are going quite far from cannon with some of the things you've introduced. That's not necessary bad, it depends about how you are going to manage those things in the future. I hope you'll do a good job, because I like the story until this point.
A – Why thank you again! And yeah, I am splitting far from cannon, but I don't feel like I am too far at this point. I feel as if I am still in the "totally believable" range of stories. And I hope you will continue to like my story until it's done, or I'm dead. Hopefully the first happens before the second. *Takes a look back to the chapter of the review* Ahh, right after the dragons where introduced… Ok. I see your concern. Do not worry, I can tell you at the moment that we will not see them for a looong while.
~ - . POWER LEVELS . - ~
(It has been so long, so I'm going to post all power levels I already determined)
Master Roshi before training (Over doing it) – 260-265
Goku Great Ape – 185-230-ish
Master Roshi now - 172-175
Yamcha's previous power spike – 170-174
Ox King (Battle ready) – 162
Master Roshi before training (relaxing) - 112
Yamcha recovered – 70-75
Goku – 39-43
Krillin – 30-35
Launch, blond hair – 18-22
Launch, blue hair – 6-7
Son Gohan (aka, grandpa Gohan) - ?