Chapter 108 – The Truth Unravelled
As much as her brain told her to drag Soba away from the fight before too many of her secrets came out, Corset found herself wanting to stay and watch her younger brother fight. Both Goten and Trunks were holding their own; neither Avo nor Cado could land a hit on either of the boys. It seemed Goku's prediction was right; with their strength roughly equal to Freeza's, Avo and Cado would prove to be a test for the boys and they were passing with flying colours.
Soba couldn't believe what he was witnessing. The fast movement from all four was unbelievable; he couldn't keep up with them, he wasn't even sure if they were there anymore! Every-so-often what sounded like canon fire struck his ears, unsure of what was going on or what was making the noise.
Goten and Avo appeared for the briefest of moments twenty-feet up in the air before vanishing. Nearby, Trunks and Cado emerged striking blows against each other before vanishing.
"Their strength is amazing..." Tarble was heard muttering.
Soba was suddenly tugged off his feet as Corset grabbed onto his arm, dragging him against his will into the large hotel lobby behind them.
"H-Hey! Where are we going?" Soba demanded, suddenly bringing himself out from his daze, angry and confused. He had a right to be; his boss had a lot of explaining to do.
"We're getting out of harm's way," Corset answered.
She was surprised when Soba succeeded in snatching his arm away from her. "I'm not moving another inch until you tell me what's going on!" The human snapped, brows converging slightly as he glared at her. "Is this some kind of sick joke? What the hell was going on out there? Who are those weird fat guys? What are your little brother and that little twin doing?"
"Little twin...? Oh, Goten," Corset mumbled more to herself than Soba, trying to stay calm and collected. "Look, none of this matters right now. We need to get you somewhere safe."
"They're aliens, aren't they? Aliens exist, don't they?" Soba wasn't calming down at all, knuckles whitening by his sides as he clenched tighter. "I saw them come out of these weird pods that fell from the sky! You know something about them; I know you do!"
"Soba this isn't the-"
"When will it ever be the time with you?" Soba yelled, voice louder than before. "When will you ever tell me the truth? You call me crazy and annoying for accusing you of flying and yet here I find your little brother and that Goten kid flying, fighting with those weird things! You made a massive show earlier about it, practically bribing me with my job to stop asking you! Was this all some kind of game to you?"
"Soba." Corset's voice was low and venomous.
"What kind of crap were you pulling?"
"SOBA!" Corset bellowed loudly, anger starting to boil over. "... Just shut up and follow m-"
There was a change which stopped her in mid-sentence, face falling as it dawned on her how much trouble her little brother was now in.
Avo and Cado's ki had skyrocketed.
Anxious for Trunks and Goten, Corset dashed forwards, ignoring Soba's baffled calls as she burst through the doors.
Goten and Trunks were high in the air. She could see their opponent despite everyone else blocking parts of him. Avo and Cado were nowhere to be seen; instead a tall, bulky, spiky purple alien stood towering before them, at least ten feet tall.
"It's... Aka!" Tarble gasped horrified.
"Aka?" Krillin repeated.
"I thought it was just rumours but Avo and Cado can merge into a monster, known as Aka," Tarble explained taking a worried step back, Gure clinging to him and hiding behind his leg.
"It's still no match for us," Vegeta snorted unfazed.
"The boys might find this a little more difficult..." Goku muttered not sharing the same kind of optimism as his rival.
In a flash the monster had charged up to the boys, knocking the unsuspecting duo back with a swing of his arms. He grabbed hold of them both and pile-drove them into the ground; the floor shuddering violently as smoke clouded the startled onlookers, blocking their view.
"Trunks!" Bulma was heard screaming.
"Goten!" Chichi cried. "Goku, you've got to stop this! The boys need help!"
"Don't worry; they're not down yet," Goku ushered the two women.
Corset glanced over her shoulder briefly; Soba had emerged out of the hotel again but she had more important things to worry about. Her attention turned back to her brother and Goten. Both had lost ki but were still capable of fighting. This new fighter they faced was far stronger than Avo and Cado had been and she began to feel perhaps the two boys would need to re-think their strategy. If worst came to worst, at least there were fighters who could still defeat this monster but the fight still belonged to the boys.
The purple brute made his way over to the ledge where Goten and Trunks had landed, apparently waiting.
Both boys rose to their feet and positioned themselves accordingly.
"They're going to do it," Vegeta muttered.
"Fuu... Sion... Haa!" A bright light shimmered from where the boys stood, blinding the observers and causing a small panic as a powerful gust picked up. Soba was almost knocked off his feet; had it not been for the wall of the hotel he would have been pushed several metres back. Several of the other spectators were shielded from the wind by the strongest of the group as Gotenks made his appearance.
"Bum-ba-ba-buuuum! It's Gotenks!" The fused warrior proudly announced. "We've been waiting for you, Avocado!"
"Wow... Even after two years he's still the same as ever!" Krillin scoffed unsure whether to be pleased to see Gotenks or dreading it.
"Let's hope he's not as overly confident as back then..." Piccolo muttered.
"... What... who's he?" Soba asked baffled.
"Gotenks," Videl answered with a smile. "He's the fusion of-"
"Videl!" Corset snapped.
"Oh give it a rest Corset; if Soba hasn't figured it out by now then he's the densest person I know!" Videl giggled rolling her eyes. "A toddler could have worked it out by now after seeing all of this!"
"You finally told him, huh?" Gohan asked relieved. The look on his friend's face said otherwise.
"... Thanks for the help," Corset grumbled sarcastically, fuming with annoyance.
Gotenks began to power up his ki before dealing the Avo-Cado fusion a powerful assault, launching his Super Ghost Kamikaze Attack and his Dynamite Rolling Thunder Punch, as well as taking a few moves from the other fighters, such as Yamcha's Wolf Fang Fist and Tenshinhan's Volleyball Fist just for good measure. The fused purple fighter was sent skimming across the ground, landing with a large splash in the lake surrounding the buffet hall.
"... Well that's over with..." Master Roshi mumbled, "Shall we return to the party?"
He and several others started to make their way back up the steps.
"Goku, let's finish eating and go home," Chichi smiled.
"You guys go on ahead," Goku replied.
Corset watched her father, Goku, and Piccolo; none had moved and for good reason. It wasn't over yet. The Avo-Cado's ki signal was still there, bubbling under the surface of the lake.
"... Aren't we going?" Soba asked.
"... Yeah, I'll follow in a minute," Corset nodded.
"I'm not taking that for an answer," Soba growled. "You're just gonna fly off and not tell me anything!"
"Soba, go!" Corset ordered.
A large column of water suddenly burst up as the fused fighter emerged, screaming loudly with rage. His heavy feet thundered onto the ground with a heavy thud and a slight tremor as he opposed Gotenks yet again.
'Dammit, I wasn't fast enough!' Corset grumbled in her mind. She'd been hoping to get Soba out of harm's way but once again he'd chosen to remain persistent at the wrong time.
"You're pretty strong, ain't ya kid?" The monster growled.
"You're pretty weak, ain't ya geezer!" Gotenks sniggered.
"Soba get back," Corset warned.
"Mock me will ya?" Aka snarled. "Super destructive wave!" his ki began to surge higher and higher, the ground starting to violently shudder under their feet. The foundations of the hotel were put to the test as the building swayed ever so slightly under the pressure.
"I-It's an earthquake!" Soba cried panicked.
"Soba, get inside!" Corset yelled.
"Wahaha-no-HA!"
A large green bullet of ki shot out of Aka's mouth, bursting into dozens of smaller discs, all of which were heading towards them and the hotel.
Amidst all the confusion and explosions of energy discs striking at random, Corset managed to keep her cool. She deflected and countered any stray ki balls heading for her. Several rumbles shook the ground as the hotel was stricken, the building slowly falling in fragments unable to withstand the onslaught. Large pieces of plaster and brick tumbled down from above.
Corset changed her strategy, staying close to Soba – who was too stunned to move let alone run.
All around the hotel, the fighters were scurrying to protect the others. Yamcha was somewhere near her mother, Gohan was close to Videl, Krillin near to his family, Tenshinhan and Chaozu both near Master Roshi and Chichi, whilst Gotenks was close to Tarble and Gure. Confusion filled the area; the hotel crumbling further with every attack Aka launched and still there seemed to be no let up as another, more powerful ki blast was fired off.
It was quickly over.
A surge in Goku's ki and two strikes ended it. Aka was sent flying; his attack launched away from the Earth as a Kamehameha sent it towards space. The punch that Goku'd dealt after the Kamehameha had been enough to stop the monster in his tracks as once again he vanished beneath the surface of the lake with a large splash.
Corset breathed a small sigh of relief and wiped her brow, checking Soba to make sure he was alright, which he was. The dread started to hit her. Now she would have to do as Videl said and eat her own words. Soba would demand an explanation.
Mr Satan fell to his knees in dismay. "... My hotel..." The large magnificent building now lay in ruins, smoke rising from a couple of warm spots.
"Dad, you should see this as a lesson of humility from God," Videl scolded the saddened man, a soft smile slowly appearing on her face. "... Let's rebuild this from scratch."
With a nod the man rose to his feet.
"Don't be so down, you can still rebuild it," Krillin smiled. "If you wanted you could just ask Shenron."
"Wow, I didn't think of that! Of course!" Mr Satan beamed.
"Dad!" Videl snapped. "What did I just say? Humility!"
"I-I was joking..." Mr Satan chuckled. "W-Well everyone, the hotel's gone but we still have that magnificent feast to eat!"
The group resumed their meals; Gure baffled by how much her brother-in-law and Goku were capable of eating. Compared to them her husband's manners at the table were far better; these two men ate like wild animals. Whilst Chichi and Bulma compared their family food bills, a scuffle between Goku and Vegeta escalated. Goku had eaten some of Vegeta's sushi; a retaliating Vegeta ate Goku's char sui, the two continued to shout at one another, eating the other's food, even going so far as to transform into Super Saiyans, much to Corset's lack of appreciation.
She sat mostly ignoring the bickering adults, lost in her own thoughts as she slowly ate her own food. What was she going to do? Her secrets were wide open now to Soba; he'd seen too much within the past couple of hours. Super strength and speed, the ability to fly, the use of ki attacks, aliens... and the lies she'd told him.
If he did return to work then she knew she'd have a lot of explaining to do. If he stayed persistent and followed through with his earlier resignation then what would either of them do? Would he still be bitter and tell the newspapers and paparazzi all he'd seen? Would she have to take matters into her own hands and summon Shenron to wipe his mind of his memories of her? What about his brother Somen; he still worked for Capsule Corp after all. Would her mother have to fire him too?
"Your food'll get cold if you don't eat."
Corset blinked; Soba had his eyes on her for the briefest of moments before returning to tucking into his food.
For someone who'd been screaming at her earlier and had seen a potentially dangerous fight involving things he could not comprehend, Soba was awfully calm. It unnerved Corset.
Age 776, June 20th
Corset had been sitting at her desk for a couple of hours getting on with her paperwork in silence. She was alone. Soba had not come into work for the past couple of days and Corset was growing on edge. Had he been scared off by all he'd seen the other day when her uncle had appeared? Was he alright? Did anyone else know of what had happened? Did his family know? She had to find out.
Turning away from her paperwork, Corset turned her attention to her computer and began to search for something...
The city below her was situated on the coast. Shore City wasn't anywhere near the size of neighbouring West City but it was nothing to be sneezed at. Miles of sandy beaches, fantastic tourism opportunities and a baseball team climbing higher and higher into the league tables.
She'd been near here before, on the coastal path to the south of the city. On that fateful day during those nine days of training for the Cell Games, Corset had run into Soba for the second time. She had been in her Super Saiyan state so he hadn't recognised her; the only time she'd realised who he was had been when he'd introduced himself.
Pulling herself away from her fond memories, the half-Saiyan half-Earthling woman looked at her watch; instead of showing her the time, she had a map showing her where to go. Following its instructions she descended into the depths of the nearby city below her, cautious as to make sure no one saw her landing. Feet touched down on the pavements of the quiet street, a light breeze picking up every-so-often as Corset walked, observing the numbers of the houses.
The house in question was on the end of this street, backing out onto a park. She soon found it and wandered through the gate, stepping up to the door and ringing the doorbell. Patiently she waited.
The door opened; an old man on the other end of it.
Corset's face dropped and she began to panic. Had she gotten the wrong house?
"What do you want? Whatever you're selling I'm not interested!" The old man snapped.
"Um... Is this the Shirataki residence?" Corset asked awkwardly.
"What if it is?" The old man growled warily of the young girl eyeing her up with suspicion.
Corset breathed a sigh of relief; at least she'd found the right place.
"We don't take kindly to folks like you!" The man hissed. "Get outta here! Go on, get!"
"Dad, who are you yelling at now?" A woman – far younger than the man – appeared at the door. Mid-length brown hair, dark eyes and a similar confused look to Soba; this had to be his sister, Ramen.
The look of confusion vanished almost immediately as the woman laid eyes on Corset, jaw falling as her eyes widened almost popping out of their sockets! With a loud shriek she shoved the older man out of her way and dragged Corset inside the house! "She's here! She's finally here in our house!" Ramen shrieked excitedly. "Miss Brief, the heir to the Capsule Corp is actually here in our house!"
"What the hell are you going on about, Ramen? Who is this girl?" The old man followed his daughter into the living room perplexed. Corset was made to sit on one of the chairs despite her protests and not wanting to intrude. They seemed to fall on deaf ears.
"Dad you moron, this is Corset Brief! She's the daughter of Bulma Brief, the president of Capsule Corp!" Ramen explained, attention turning back to Corset. "Please ignore my dad, he's behind the times! He has no clue about famous people! Would you like something to eat? How about some tea or coffee?"
"I'm fine thank you," Corset was amazed and slightly taken back at the half-minute she'd just spent in this house. Ramen was just how Soba had said; kind, courteous and crazy about famous people.
"Well if you need anything don't hesitate to ask," Ramen smiled. "I'm sorry I dragged you inside the house; I didn't want any of the neighbours to know such a celebrity like you would be here! So what do we owe the honour?"
'Celebrity? Me? I doubt that very much...' Corset snorted in her mind. "I was here to see if Soba was around," she explained, a little conscious that the old man was still watching her closely. "He hasn't come to work in the last couple of days."
"I thought he'd quit?" Ramen asked baffled. "Did he lie to us?"
"Oh, n-no, he didn't lie to you... I wasn't sure if he had been joking or not..." Inside Corset frowned. So he really had quit, just as he said he would...
"Didn't that boy say something about going to Capsule Corp today?" The old man asked.
"I dunno, did he?" Ramen shrugged her shoulders.
Corset sighed. Clearly no one knew where Soba was. Admittedly Corset had been identifying Soba's ki whilst he'd been working at Capsule Corp; she should have just found his ki and tracked him down rather than scanning the employment information and finding his address. It would have made things so much easier but even that felt as if she'd be confirming the lies she'd told him.
The front door opened and slammed shut quickly, grabbing everyone's attention.
"...Soba?" Ramen called to check.
"That was such a waste of time! I go to Capsule Corp to talk to my boss and she's not even in her damn office!" Soba's voice could be heard coming from the hallway, making his way past the front room and into the kitchen. "She must have known I was coming and just took off again!"
Amidst Ramen and her dad's embarrassment, Corset was the one who replied:
"I go to my assistant's house to talk to him and he's not even in! The idiot who doesn't even check if he has guests around in his own house before mouthing off must have known I was coming and ran off!"
Soba's head popped around the door, surprised to see Corset sitting down alongside his sister and father. A light blush came over his face for an instant before being replaced with a scowl. "Why are you here?" He asked.
"You haven't been at work for the last couple of days; I came to see if you were alright," Corset replied.
"... How do you know where I live?" Soba asked wearily, making his way around the door so he stood in the same room.
"I'm your boss, I'm entitled to know where my employees live."
"No you're not," Soba replied. "That's called stalking."
"That's coming from the guy who got his brother and sister to help him track me down?" Corset jeered, a small smirk on her face. Ramen hid her smirk as best she could.
"Hold on a minute," The older man rose to his feet. "You mean to tell me my youngest boy was working under the heir of Capsule Corp? Geez, why on Earth did you quit, Soba? You were doing better than that narcissist brother of yours! That boy's still a grunt in that corporation!"
"Dad, not now," Soba spoke sternly.
"I think you know why I'm here, Soba," Corset looked up at the standing man. "Could we go somewhere where none of your family has to hear this?"
"H-Hey, what's Miss Brief talking about?" Ramen asked.
"... Don't worry Ramen, it's alright," Soba explained. "We're not staying in the house; both of them will eavesdrop! I know a place."