DRAGON BALL ~GRAND TOUR~
PART I – The Black Star Dragon
Dende gasps as he feels the floor tremble repeatedly with tremendous force. Mr. Popo enters the room and assures him that although the lookout is being shaken, he has ensured that Goku and Uub's training in the room of spirit and time cannot cause any permanent dimensional destruction due to some upgrades he made to it. "Enjoy your tea in peace" he says, and so Dende carries on, taking a sip and looking out peacefully across the vast orange afternoon sky.
Inside the room of spirit and time, the energy contrasts drastically with the peaceful status of the god of Earth's floating temple. Son Goku moves assuredly fast, a flash of burning hot silver in his eyes with each swift movement. Uub's eyes follow the movements and a smooth green aura erupts before he commits to his attack. He is hit by several hard strikes that even the most trained eyes would never be able to see being thrown. He parries to the best of his ability on the next round of strikes and moves backwards, dodging in every direction as he floats in the large dark training space.
"That's better, but use more forward pressure! Never move back that much!" Shouts Goku. Uub regains his composure and shoots forward, his aura sucking into him this time. He's ready for Goku's flurry of impossible strikes and shoots downward. Goku follows suit without blinking and in an instant they are exchanging powerful blows, moving in every direction, neither of them losing ground.
Their speed increases tenfold and Goku charges up a quick ki blast, but changes his mind at the last second. He remembers they had promised not to use any energy attacks during this training battle. This may be Uub's final test after their years of endless training, after all. Uub capitalizes on Goku's minor delay and hits him with a charged straight punch that stops the Saiyan in his tracks.
Uub feels a wave of calm and confidence as his body heats up beyond anything he's experienced so far. His eyes flash silver just like Goku's and they begin to exchange attacks in what can only be described as galaxies colliding at a mind-melting pace of instinctual destruction and precision.
Uub catches Goku with a hard kick to the stomach, almost sending him flying backwards, but the Saiyan master catches the leg at the tail end of the kick and uses the momentum to throw Uub towards the entrance of the room. Uub grabs Goku around the neck as he is thrown and the force sends both of them smashing through the door of the Room of Spirit and Time.
They stand immediately, their clothing in tatters. The immense heat emanating from them begins to singe the floor where they stand, "god ki" auras blazing around them. They look right into each other's eyes before powering down.
Dende looks towards them, mid sip and wipes the sweat from his forehead. He gets up to meet them, but notices Mr. Popo has reached them first. He begins to ask them about their training, to which Goku exclaims "I think Uub is as ready as he'll ever be. He's learned how to use his god ki and can even follow the movements of Migatte No Gokui. Even though god ki and divine levels can't be sustained for long here in this world without causing permanent destruction, I believe he is still levels above anyone I've ever faced".
Mr. Popo smiled proudly as Dende finally reaches them and says "You've been training endlessly for years on end, maybe you would like some food and rest. Son Goku, Piccolo contacted me and says he is bringing your granddaughter here to meet you today. He wants to show you how far she's come in the years you've been gone. He also says she might have a few choice words with you for being out of her life for all these years…whatever that means".
Goku smiles nervously and giggles. "H-how did Piccolo know we would be finished with our training today?"
"He said it 'came to him in a vision' or something" Dende said stoically before turning away and walking towards the temple. "Get some rest. Your family and friends have missed you dearly while you've been training here and on the other worlds".
Goku and Uub look at the young Namekian before collapsing onto the ground from exhaustion.
Emperor Pilaf and his minions, Shiu and Mai carefully approached Dende's temple lookout in their plane. As they grew closer, Shiu and Mai crowded the pilot-side window, causing the plane to nearly flip over. "Watch what you're doing, you idiots!" Shouted Pilaf. "They say this is the god of Earth's domain. We don't want him to see us and ruin our plans, right pea-brains?"
"Well," said Mai "Our reputation does precede us, sir". "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" shouted Pilaf repeatedly. As the trio continued their antics, two figures flew past their plane at top speed, blowing the wings off and sending it plummeting down to the Earth below.
"What was that?" said Pan. "Nothing we should worry about" replied Piccolo. "What's wrong, you seem uncomfortable" he continued. Pan furrowed her brow as she flew and said "well, I drank all that water when we were training earlier and I never got to use the bathroom. I've been holding it in for hours."
"Tsk" said Piccolo as he blushed, "Why didn't you say something earlier? You're usually good about these types of things." As the two made their landing on the lookout, Piccolo pointed to the top floor of the temple. "Up there. That's the cleanest bathroom in this place. Hurry up." Pan leapt up quickly to a window where Piccolo had pointed to.
He realized that he did not give her clear direction as to which door lead to the bathroom, but he shrugged it off. She was bright and would probably figure it out quickly.
"Greetings Piccolo. Where's Pan?" Dende said as he approached the tall Namekian. "Oh, she had a natural emergency". Dende looked up at Piccolo with a baffled expression, but said nothing. After moments of silence, Dende said "Goku and Uub should be waking up any minute now. They will be happy to see you both."
"Ha. It has been a while." Said Piccolo.
Pan rounded the corner of a dimly lit hall and to her dismay saw that there were at least 10 doors ahead of her. "Damn Piccolo, he didn't say which door to use! Oh well, I'll just keep trying 'til I find the right one." She tried the first four without any success. As she opened the fifth, a huge puff of dust blew into her face and she sneezed. When the dust settled, she noticed a huge cauldron covered in cobwebs and bones. A unique energy emanated from the room, which gave her pause. She was going to close the door, but decided to leave it cracked. There was something about that energy. She needed to hurry though.
After trying nearly every door, Pan finally found the bathroom successfully (which did not turn out to be clean at all. Thank Kami for bukujutsu). The strange energy from the spooky room had not left her mind the entire time. As she passed the cracked door on her way out, she opened it back up and stood in front of the cauldron. She took a moment to look around the room before she began sifting through the bones on top of it. She soon realized that the bones were not filling the cauldron and were instead covering a dusty tapestry.
She quickly pushed the bones aside and admired what she could see of the intricately woven cloth. It showed small glyph figures, iconography and what appeared to be a giant red dragon. She pulled at the tapestry gently to see more of it, but it seemed stuck. She pulled harder and tore it. "Damn!" she exclaimed. She put the tapestry back on top of the cauldron when she realized that she had spent quite a bit of time up in this room.
Pan ran to a nearby window which was covered in a thick layer of dust and grime. She rubbed her palm across it to create a smudge line big enough to look through. She looked down below and saw Piccolo and Dende who were soon greeted by two figures. She recognized one as her grandfather Goku, his unmistakable silhouette and stride in full effect. The other, she didn't initially recognize. Pan felt a tinge of jealousy run through her as she realized it was Uub, the young boy that was so important that Goku took him away to train for the past few years. They say he's the reincarnation of Majin Buu, the demon monster that was defeated before she was born.
She calmed her mind and put her conflicted feelings aside just as Piccolo and even Vegeta had taught her to do during their training sessions. As she began to turn away from the window, she noticed a series of dusty photos along the nearby wall. The photos showed various strong warriors training here at the lookout temple. As she reached the end of the row, she noticed that the last photo was of her grandfather when he was a child. His clothes were tattered and he was giving an ecstatic peace sign, a huge smile across his face.
Pan stared at the image intently before smiling and saying "So cute! I wish I could have seen him when he was this age." The mysterious energy she had felt earlier grew thicker until it filled the entire room. The air grew burning hot and soon, the cauldron in the center of the room exploded with light and knocked her through the wall and down to the courtyard (?) below.
As she slowly opened her eyes, she heard voices and saw the sky grow chillingly dark. A massive and terrifying red dragon with gold horns filled the sky above them. He spoke in a booming voice which seemed to echo throughout her soul. A hard flash of lightning shot down towards where the others were standing before a deafening blast sent light scattering in all directions and the sky returned to its original state. It had already been approaching night time, but something about the way the sky turned dark while the dragon was there was abysmal and eternal. She had seen Shenron summoned before at Bra's house, but this was different. This was terrifying.
Pan got to her feet and noticed the others all crowded around Goku. She rushed forward and was shocked to see a child just like the one in the photo, only wearing a torn blue and gold do-gi instead of an orange one. He flashed a big smile and peace sign when he saw her. "Pan-chan! Heh heh" said the boy.
Her heart sunk when she realized that it was her who had unknowingly summoned the red dragon and made a wish to see her grandfather that way. She didn't remember seeing any Dragon Balls though… "They must have been below the tapestry" she thought. She looked up nervously toward the area of the temple she flew out of and was dismayed to find that it was just a smoking hole in the building. There was no way she could hide what happened now.
Goku stared at her, his eyes wide and a massive grin across his face while the two Namekians looked on nervously. Did he even realize what had happened? Dende walked up to her and asked what she had been doing up in that room. She glared over at Piccolo who turned away and stoically stared off into space.
Pan felt a firm grip on her arm and turned to see Goku standing next to her. "It's been so long and you've grown taller…and stronger!" Pan looked over at him nervously and said "S-sorry grandpa…I didn't mean to…" Goku looked puzzled. "What do you mean?" Uub broke the silence and said "You're a kid again Shihan…That's what she means."
That tinge of jealousy crossed over Pan again when Uub spoke, but dissipated quickly when she saw her grandfather's facial expression change. Suddenly, Kaio-Sama's voice echoed through all of their minds. Pan didn't recognize it, but everyone else did.
"The Black Star Dragon has been summoned for the first time in hundreds of years. This great dragon is different from the Shenron you are used to. Instead of the Dragon Balls being scattered across this planet, they are scattered throughout the whole universe. What's more, the final and seventh ball goes to a different universe entirely…And if that wasn't enough, failure to gather all the balls within a year's time will result in both universes being destroyed."
A look of deep concern crossed the group's faces. Goku spoke first: "Man, after all these years, this happens…Chi Chi ain't gonna like this." Piccolo glared at him with disgust before speaking. "Well, we've got no choice but to make a plan as to how we're going to gather all of the Black Star Dragon Balls. I'll contact Bulma and Vegeta. Let's meet at Capsule Corp in one hour."
Everyone stared at Piccolo somewhat dumbfounded. "GO!" He shouted, before he grabbed Pan by the wrist and flew off. "Follow us Goku!" He said as they became a bolt across the sky.
Goku put Uub's hand onto his shoulder and said "We've got to make a stop before I return home" as he put two fingers up to his forehead and teleported them both away.
Vegeta looked down intently as he watched his daughter complete her 1500th pushup in 20x gravity. "That's it. Only 1000 more." Bra side-eyed her father as sweat poured down her face. "Easy for you to say" she exclaimed through gritted teeth. "You know, it's really hard to take you seriously with that moustache, dad".
The Saiyan Prince let out a cackle and said "Well, I'd be happy to get rid of it if you agreed to more than one training day a week. As it is, Gohan's daughter has surpassed you quite a bit. I think she would have burned through those pushups an hour ago."
"Why don't you have her do it instead, then?!" Bra exclaimed as she hopped to her feet and sent a flurry of ki blasts flying into her father's face. He easily deflected them but smiled proudly at his daughter's tenacity. "That's the spirit. Keep it up." As they looked at each other intensely, a beeping sound came from the training room's central computer. Vegeta activated it with his voice, "What is it?" he said as Piccolo's face came onto the screen. I'm coming over with Pan right now. It's an emergency."
Vegeta scowled and said "I'm busy. What kind of emergency could it possibly be that you can't explain to me right now without you having to come all the way over here?" Piccolo made a frustrated sound and smiled slyly before saying, "Goku's coming over too. You're not gonna want to miss it."
At this Vegeta nodded knowingly before abruptly shutting off communication with Piccolo. He turned to the confused Bra and said, "Today's training is over. Go clean up. We have an 'important' guest coming over." With a satisfied grin on his face, the Saiyan Prince turned away and thought to himself, "finally Kakarroto, some real action after all these years. Just what our children's soft generation needs right now."
Chi Chi sunk to the floor and let out an audible gasp as Goku and Uub stood in front of her. "Wh-what happened to you?" Dramatic tears began to flow from her eyes, before she regained her composure and slapped Goku across the face. She put a broom in Uub's hand while pointing him in the direction of a tall pile of dishes in the kitchen. Uub blushed and bowed politely as he walked over to complete his new "duties".
"Where's Goten?" asked Goku. "Who knows, probably at one of those hedonistic all-night parties that Trunks likes to throw now that he's the CEO of Capsule Corp! You know, it's been a really long time. I was hoping by the time we saw each other again, it would be passionate and intense just like all the other times you returned, but no…"
"Chi Chi…that's weird" said Goku. "You're an adult! I mean, you were…" exclaimed Chi Chi in frustration, the tears welling up in her eyes again. She took an exaggerated deep breath and regained her composure before turning back toward her mini husband. "Well, what's the big threat this time?" Chi Chi said as she walked toward their bedroom, throwing her clothes onto the floor as she did so.
Goku stared at her in her underwear, mouth agape. She looked back at Goku before continuing, "Piccolo already told me that you were coming and about the 'urgent' meeting at Bulma's, but he said you would fill me in on the rest." Goku continued to stare without saying anything.
Chi Chi furrowed her brow before removing what little clothes she had left and said "Figure it out quick, none of this is for kids, only grown men!" gesturing over her firm naked body as she slammed the door in Goku's face.
Uub winced in the next room. He had to let out a small chuckle as he thought about the contrast between Goku, the nearly divine martial arts master and what he had just witnessed right now. Hopefully they would be leaving soon. He looked over and congratulated himself on the great job he did cleaning the kitchen.
Chi Chi barged out from the bedroom, a cloud of perfume following her. She held her chin up in an aloof pose as she threw a small suit onto Goku's head. She wore a dark blue china dress with an open-toed pair of high-heels that Goku had never seen her wear. She opened one eye to glare at Goku. He quickly began putting on the suit, which he guessed belonged to one of his sons at some point.
"You look beautiful Chi Chi" Goku said as he blushed lightly. "Thank you. That's the best thing you've said all night" she replied as she grabbed his hand. I've been training with Videl in case you were wondering. "Hey you! Get over here. Put this on before we go, hurry up!" Chi Chi commanded as she threw an adult-sized suit over to Uub. She turned away as he changed into the dress clothes. As he joined them, she noted how ridiculous he looked swimming in Goku's large suit. She suppressed the urge to laugh and silently admired his respectfulness toward her.
Uub touched Goku's shoulder before the now young Saiyan teleported the three of them to Capsule Corp.
Everyone gathered around the epic fire pit Bulma prepared at Capsule Corp. Pan greeted her before running up to Bra and giving her an excited hug. Goku, Chi Chi and Uub appeared immediately just as Gohan and Videl touched down near them. Everyone exchanged greetings before making the realization regarding Goku's appearance. Gohan crouched down to talk to his father eye to eye. "I don't know if I have the capability to create some kind of elixir that could help you, but I sure can try." Videl let out a chuckle while Pan and Piccolo turned away at the awkwardness displayed.
Just as Goku was about to ask where Vegeta was so he could explain the situation, the Saiyan Prince slammed down onto the ground. He was holding two young men by the hair. Vegeta tossed both of them forward nonchalantly. Goten and Trunks peered up sheepishly, both of them in their underwear. Goten had lipstick marks all over his face and body and Trunks had what appeared to be bruises around his neck and melted candle wax on his chest.
"My eyes can never be cleansed of the things I saw our sons doing tonight, Kakarroto. Why is it we needed to bring them here tonight, Namekian?" said Vegeta as he looked Goku straight in the eyes, looking him up and down. "Vegeta" was all Goku could muster in reply. "I knew you must have fucked something up big time in order for you to show your face like this, Kakarroto. Let's hear it then" said Vegeta smugly.
Pan's face lit up at the sight of the Saiyan Prince and dashed toward him at her max speed. Their forearms slammed against each other in a brutal but affectionate strike. "I see you're still improving, little one. The rest of these slackers could all learn a thing or two from you." Vegeta said as he drew a piece of candy from his jacket pocket and flicked it towards Pan in the blink of an eye for her to catch.
Goku surveyed the scene and smiled proudly at the display of affection Vegeta and Pan had just exchanged. Everyone looked healthy and happy, but he realized that their group was very small. Where were Krillin and 18? Yamcha? Roshi? He soon realized that it had been silent for quite a while and everyone was now staring at him.
Before Goku could explain, Piccolo gave a stoic recounting of the events from earlier in the evening including the Black Star Dragon and the dire consequences of not successfully retrieving the Dragon Balls within one year. He wisely chose to omit Pan's involvement in their current situation, which she was grateful for.
"We need to get going as soon as we can. I know that Bulma and Gohan have already developed a sentient dragon radar that can detect balls throughout the universe, but we're going to need a ship and a strong crew. I vote on sending Goten and Trunks with Goku and Uub to retrieve the Dragon Balls. It's about time they pulled their weight around here. After all, they were supposed to be our successors after you left with Uub, Goku. They can spend the rest of the night in the room of spirit and time."
Bulma put a hand to her face in embarrassment for the two young warriors. She tossed each of them a capsule which contained new clothing for them to put on.
An expression of frustration crossed Pan's face. Goten and Trunks still trained sometimes, but only to stay in shape so they could pick up girls and boys to go on dates with. They didn't care about their Saiyan heritage or protecting the Earth. She had been training consistently since she was a kid. First with Piccolo and on rare occasions, Vegeta. Bra was strong too and they didn't even mention her. Sure, Bra didn't really like to fight and she hid her power all the time, but her potential had grown huge compared to the two boys. Why were they suddenly so important?
Goku of all people noticed Pan's intense look and began walking past all of the new generation of fighters. He eyed them all up and down before turning to Uub and gesturing him to join Goten, Trunks and the kids.
"Everyone, this is Uub. You saw him briefly at the tournament before I left. I've been training him hard to be my successor. I honestly never planned on coming back. I know that's harsh, but I wanted you to know the truth. It's nice to see everyone again, all things aside. Piccolo, if you think Goten and Trunks are the ones for the job, then I trust your opinion. I have to disagree on including Uub though. He needs to stay here and practice protecting the Earth. I think Pan and Bra should stay with him too, I can tell they've been getting stronger. I vote for Vegeta or Gohan to go in his place. As for me, despite my new look, I can still pack a punch, so don't worry about me."
Pan felt conflicted at what she heard her grandfather say, but stayed quiet. Not getting to go on the adventure laid out before her seemed incredibly disappointing; however, Goku's trust in her to essentially protect the earth with Uub was something she hadn't considered before due to the era of peace she grew up in.
Everyone stood in silence before it was broken by Bulma saying "Yes, the universal radar is finished and it just so happens I have a new ship I've been working on. It'll take me another couple of days to finish, but I'm going to need 100 of those new fuel cells you've perfected, Gohan. Oh, and I'm going to definitely need your help young lady." She gestured to Bra as she was about to sneak away. "I can't do it without you" Bulma said with a wink. Her daughter nodded shyly in acknowledgement. Bulma continued, "Well, now that we got that settled, who's hungry?"
The group applauded as Capsule Corp staff wheeled out giant catering trays of food and massive spits of the finest meats anyone had ever seen. Drinks were poured, music blared, and everyone took turns catching up with each other. Goku asked where everyone else was to which Piccolo responded by saying that he wanted to put together the core group before the others learned of Goku's change. On cue, as if waiting for their entrance, Krillin, 18, Marron, Roshi, Yamcha and Puar all descended from the sky. Yamcha threw down a large duffel bag and Oolong popped out with bumps on his head, middle finger help up to the world.
They were shocked to see Goku returned to his childhood state, but were happy to see him. After learning of the plan and the stakes, they all exchanged stories from the past few years spent apart. Uub was welcomed warmly by Krillin's family which made him feel more comfortable in this setting. Videl and Chi Chi began a few rounds of hard sparring after too many drinks. Just as ki blasts were about to be thrown, Android 18 stepped in to keep the peace. "When did you learn that?" She said slyly.
Later in the evening, Vegeta cornered Goku privately and expressed his true sentiments. "Kakarroto, I'm going to have to decline your offer to accompany you on this wild goose chase. As much as I'd like to help expedite you returning to your regular body, I have to insist that Pan or my daughter go along if Uub is not going to be included in the party. This will be their first big step to becoming true warriors. They haven't grown up with many opportunities to truly test themselves the way we have. Along with Uub, they should be the real hope for the future."
"Goten and Trunks are still strong, all things considered, but they've chosen to indulge in the family business along with the material things this peaceful world has to offer. They've confirmed they have no interest in pushing themselves to their limits and I no longer have any interest in convincing them otherwise. The same can be said about your son, Gohan. He's already doing his part assisting Bulma with the technology for the ship."
"I see, Vegeta. It's sort of scary to see you act this noble. I'll talk about it with Piccolo." Vegeta let out an audible "Hmph" before continuing. "Don't get it confused. I'm only letting the next generations go with you because I want to stay here and train for our next battle. I know your ways Kakarroto, and if I don't take my shot, I may never get to test myself against you again…So hurry up and get your adult body back so we can travel to another dimension and fight each other to our full potential. I have a lot up my sleeve since the last time you saw me. I'm sure you do as well…but there's no way you can reach those levels in your current state."
Goku hadn't thought much about it since he had changed, but Vegeta was right. He couldn't access god ki in a child's body, nor the dimensions where god ki could be used to its maximum level. If that was the case, Migatte No Gokui was also off the table. He would have to rely on his raw skills and where he had taken the various super Saiyan levels up to this point. The challenge would be to take what self-mastery he already had to the next level…and push the new generation to their limits. The thought got him excited and he burst into Super Saiyan 2, electricity crackling around him. "By the way Vegeta, I dig the moustache. It makes you look super tough" said Goku with a playful look in his eyes. Vegeta laughed out loud before returning to the party.
The next morning, Trunks was nowhere to be found. It seems he had snuck out of the Room of Spirit and Time and returned to work, while Goten was found in the room's bed nursing a massive hangover. Piccolo was fuming. Goku had not mentioned anything about what Vegeta had suggested the night before and was instead choosing to warm up and spend time with Chi Chi back at home.
Piccolo's first thought was Pan, since he knew if Goku had insisted on Uub not going (a foolish decision on Goku's part according to him), then it would be a major struggle to convince him otherwise. He himself felt foolish when he realized that he had not considered her and how that must have made her feel. He had seen her become incredibly frustrated during some of their hard training sessions especially when the subject of her grandfather leaving came up.
He remembers her turning super Saiyan for the first time and how she vowed to never do it again, choosing instead to find a new form to bring out her full potential, much like her father's "Ultimate" form. This type of absurdity (in Piccolo's eyes) was on brand for her. After all, she was still a child. He needed to remember that, despite her always surpassing his expectations. He hated to admit it, but he had become rather protective of her over the years…and on this particular occasion, it had clouded his judgment. "Sorry Pan" he said to himself as he jumped off the lookout and raced toward Gohan's house.
Piccolo and an excited Pan showed up at Goku's house about an hour later. She had been surprised at how supportive her mom and dad were about her accompanying Goku on the hunt for the black star Dragon Balls. She had changed out of her training clothes and put on her favorite pair of cropped jeans along with a crop top, an Orange bandanna (that she wore in honor of Goku's classic colors), and a chain wallet (her idea of looking tough).
As they approached the houses (Gohan's family had moved to a larger home a couple years earlier) they saw Uub meditating on top of a large rock. He looked powerful and mysterious. As they approached the front door, he said "I would knock first" without opening his eyes. Piccolo paused but ignored the warning and walked through the door.
There was soapy water everywhere and a totally naked Chi Chi chased an equally nude Goku around the house. "Get in the bath, you stink!" she shouted before realizing that Piccolo and her Granddaughter were standing in the same room as them. She gasped and covered herself with her arms and the large scrubbing brush in her hand.
Piccolo and Pan blushed as they looked away. "I…I didn't want to imagine it…how could you" said Piccolo. "What? NO! Absolutely not! It's not what you think. Gross, Piccolo!" shrieked Chi Chi as she ran into the bedroom and came out in a pink bathrobe. Goku stood in the room as if nothing had happened. "What's up guys?" He said as a horrified Pan kept her eyes diverted. "Put on some damn clothes, Goku! Bulma says she's nearly ready with the spaceship. We're supposed to meet her there today."
"Fine, fine" said Goku. "What are you doing here, Pan? What happened to Goten and Trunks?" Pan furrowed her brow and did not hide her disdain toward her grandfather's comments. Piccolo interjected, "They're not…we had a change of plans. Pan is the better choice to go along with you."
Goku suddenly remembered what Vegeta had said the night before and realized that he must have already talked to Piccolo. He bathed quickly, came out in his blue and gold do-gi and shook his wet hair wildly like an animal. Chi Chi giggled as he joined her on the couch. He gave her a kiss on the cheek which delighted her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she said her goodbyes to Goku and the others.
Uub accompanied the other three warriors to Capsule Corp. Bulma came out and let them know that Bra was helping put the finishing touches on the ship. It was a large octopus or spider-like craft. Bra acknowledged them briefly and continued working frantically on what looked like some type of portable computer. "Wow, she really takes after her mom with that stuff" said Goku. Pan ran to greet her before entering the ship to drop off her travel bag while Piccolo, Goku and Uub went back outside.
Goku saw Vegeta up in a high balcony. He flashed a thumbs up to the small Saiyan down below before Goku replied by placing a finger across his top lip, indicating he noticed that Vegeta had shaved off his moustache. Vegeta smiled and flipped Goku off before walking back into the house.
Piccolo filled everyone in on the change of plans to have Pan and Bra accompany them on the trip. He also revealed that he would be going as well. Uub agreed to stay and said he would love to train with Vegeta if he had the chance.
Back in the hangar, Bra finished assembling the small computer and attached it to a mass of wires hanging out of the side of the connected, the wired drew themselves back into the ship automatically. Bulma walked over to her and handed her a whitish gray orb. "Don't forget about this little guy" she said as she passed it over to her daughter. "Did you get him to work?" asked Bra. "Yes, I did! He was missing a vital brain chip, but I mistakenly received this weird 'eye' thing with a shipment of parts recently and it turns out it was just the component we needed to make him come alive" replied Bulma. "Go ahead and turn him on."
Bra flipped a switch under a panel at the back of the robotic orb and a single red "eye" flashed on. Arms and legs sprung out of the orb as it made a series of incomprehensible exclamations before floating still in the air. Bra nudged him gently a few times, before he let out what sounded like laughter and then powered down. "So weird. I'll call him Giru. Thanks for fixing him mom. It'll be nice to have a dragon radar that can also keep us company."
Bulma smiled proudly. She saw so much of herself in Bra, yet she also had the fiery spirit of her father at times. "I hope you're feeling ok about all of this. You've been a big help to everyone. I went on a big adventure with Goku when we were both younger. I guess it's your turn for adventure now. Funny that it's with Goku as a kid again though. Jeez. Oh, it's almost time to launch! Go get washed up and pack your things. I programmed the first destination, so you can rest along the way. I know you didn't get any sleep last night."
Bra yawned and realized her mom was right. She hadn't slept and was feeling it now. Since her mom had programmed the ride, she didn't have to worry about flying the damn ship as she was probably the only one in the group who knew how to do it. She walked into the house and up to her room to get ready. Her bed was looking very tempting and she sat down on it to take off her socks. Before long, she had completely laid down and drifted into a deep sleep.
Trunks arrived trying his best not to look disheveled. Piccolo glared at him before asking "what the hell happened to you this morning? We were counting on you!" Trunks looked over at him, puzzled. "Huh? Dad called me and told me to go to work as usual. He said you changed your plans to have my little sister go instead of me."
Piccolo's eyes darted back and forth. "Oh, he did, did he?" The Namekian pondered what Vegeta had been thinking before remembering how he had almost neglected Pan as part of their plans. "Ha! Vegeta…always the wiser."
Trunks shrugged and walked into the hangar. He had brought food and coffee for everyone along with the extra power cells Gohan had developed with his mom. He noticed that no one else was in the hangar, so he got into the ship to check it out. As he admired the sleek control panel and marveled at the mini onboard computer that Bra and Bulma had put together, his stomach churned. It happened again and he winced. "Dammit. I knew I shouldn't have gotten that extra espresso shot."
Things were getting dire in the digestion department and the nearest bathroom was all the way inside the main building. He scanned over the cockpit quickly before noticing the small bathroom near the back. He raced over to it and shut the door. The locking mechanism made a loud hiss followed by a click.
Bulma hurried everyone up the ramp into the ship, assuring them that it was programmed to leave in five minutes and that she couldn't reverse it. Pan looked around for Bra, but Bulma claimed she had seen her get back onto the ship. Piccolo didn't sense her ki inside, so he got off to double check. As he entered the main building, a barrier closed over him. He pulled at the strange metal bars, puzzled, but they did not budge. He let out a shout of frustration once he realized that he was stuck and no one could hear him.
The ship's engines roared to life and the hangar's canopy opened swiftly. The ship began to rise as cables automatically detached and the ship blasted off into the sky.
Aboard the ship, Pan let out a string of panicked expletives when she realized Piccolo and Bra were not on board. As the ship lurched a bit, the orb-like robot Giru sprung to life and did quick circles around the room. Goku laughed childishly, but Pan did not.
"Grandpa, don't you realize? It's just us. I have no idea how to fly this thing, do you?" Shouted Pan. "Don't worry" said Goku. "He Heh. We'll be fine. Bulma says this robot is the new dragon radar she built with your dad. I'm sure he knows how to navigate if he can detect the Dragon Balls all over the galaxy. Strength-wise, between the two of us, no one stands a chance. I've already been to some of the worlds we're headed to while I was training with Uub. I can't use instantaneous movement between worlds in this small body, but Bulma says she programmed the ship to fly where we need to, just in case. It's all taken care of, just relax and enjoy the flight."
Pan decided to strap herself into one of the flight seats and try and clear her mind. Goku was trying to walk around the main cockpit, keeping his balance the whole time. He had already made 10 laps and the whole things was beginning to stress her out. She closed her eyes, tried to focus on nothing.
She heard a faint tapping and tried to shut it out. At first it seemed like a sound the ship was making, but she soon realized it was getting louder and louder. She got up in frustration to find Goku snoring in one of the flight chairs. The romantic image she had of her grandpa, the great martial arts master, was beginning to melt away the more time she spent with him. Piccolo had warned her of this and encouraged her to be patient. That he always redeemed himself and had a lot to teach her. She pushed it out of her mind and walked towards the source of the loud tapping.
As she approached small door where the sound was originating from, she heard a growl and the door came flying off. Out came Trunks from the bathroom, looking frustrated. "What the?" he exclaimed in horror as he saw the ship break through the Earth's atmosphere in the cockpit windows.
Dr. Myuu paced in front of his massive laboratory computer. Finally, the screen lit up and a brunette female figure wearing glasses appeared on it. "Awaiting your orders, my lady" said Myuu with a polite bow. "They've already taken off. My agents are ready to infiltrate on Earth and gather more data. There's a chance there are still powerful warriors there as well."
"Very good, doctor. My creation is ready to receive power, thanks to your efforts. There are rumors of a Dragon Ball in universe 6. I will dispatch our weapon there. He will be waiting for Son Goku and the others when they finally arrive. Have General Rildo and his machine mutants be in charge of making sure the warriors on Earth do not assist in helping the others make their return. Planet Salad on Universe 6 will be their tomb…a fitting end to the Tsufurian revenge story that we will be orchestrating. Regardless of what happens, they must never know that we are in charge of this plot. If things don't go the way we planned, General Rildo and your other agents must take the fall. If all else fails, Dr. Gero is waiting in Hell with our contingency plan. I am counting on you."
"Thank you number 21. I exist to serve you and the almighty Dr. Gero." Myuu bowed before the computer screen shut off and the control room was bathed in colorful lights emitted by the various vessels and instruments in the laboratory.