Author: "AUTHOR NOTE TIME! K, so, we have a new bad guy, or rather a pair of bad guys, partially introduced in this chapter. We also get to see some actual DBZ characters in here, and it will start feeling somewhat like Dragon Ball (note the lack of a Z). Otherwise, we have a new cover picture for the fan fic! That's Sakura in color, so you can get an even better picture of what she looks like... sucks that I can't put other characters. And, I've been working on a SPECIAL chapter for this fic, which will be uploaded sometime this coming week. I'll make sure to give you guys a heads up on next week's chapter so you can go check it out if you haven't already! DONE. Read, review, follow, fave, do whatchu wanna do."

Lost Origin: A Saiyan's Quest

Shadow #1: "Psst! Hey, you heard that?"

Shadow #2: "What, about dem Dragon Balls?"

Shadow #1: "Yeah, dem Dragon Balls!"

Shadow #2: "Dem Dragon Balls!"

Shadow #1: "Mmm, dem Dragon Balls!"

Shadow #2: "I know, rite-pfffthehehehe!"

Shadow #1: "Let's follow!"

Chapter 38: Scavenger Hunters

After hours upon hours of great suffering, our heroes were finally able to smile again! Hitomi, seeing her brother dead from Frostbitter's battle, was reminded of the Dragon Balls, a set of mystical objects capable of wishing their collector one wish. She told Sakura and the others about them, giving everyone an immense sense of hope and relief. All they needed was to obtain a device, called the Dragon Radar, to track down the Dragon Balls. And Bulma in West City could be just the person to aid them!

Andromeda: "Alright, everyone, let's use the high-speed vehicle we brought. It'll get us to West City in no time!"

Sakura: "OK!" *gets in vehicle, alongside Scorzette and Andromeda*

Hitomi: "Bye, everyone! Make sure to come back here as soon as you gather all of the Dragon Balls, OK?"

Sakura: "Can do! Take care!"

Saying this, our heroes left Waterleaf Village in Andromeda's high-speed vehicle. The chauffer approximated the trip would last two hours and a half, so he suggested everyone to sit on the back and relax. In here, our heroes used their free time to talk.

Scorzette: "So, Litua... how did it feel to transform?"

Sakura: "Transform...? I transformed? I thought Frostbitter blew the moon up before we got the chance."

Scorzette: "No, not the Great Ape transformation, the Super Saiyan transformation!"

Sakura: "Super... Saiyan? What are you talking about, Scorzette?"

Scorzette: "Are you telling me you forgot already? You know, Super Saiyan! When your hair went all golden, and your eyes became green, and your power level rocketed through the skies. Remember that?"

Sakura: "... huh? When did that happen?"

Scorzette: "When you, like... aargh! Do you have, like, amnesia or something?! Super Saiyan! When Ninomiya died, and you got really angry, you went Super Saiyan! Remember?!"

Sakura: "Oh... I guess I didn't notice. All that was going through my head that moment..." *looks down* "... was to kill."

Scorzette: "... oh... well, if you do remember, tell me, because that was awesome!"

Sakura: *looking at hands* "..." *looks at Scorzette, smiling* "Sure, Scorzette! Tee-hee!"

Andromeda: "Yeah..." *whispers to Scorzette* "I think it's best we don't talk about that."

Scorzette: *whispering back* "Agreed."

Sakura's words were simple, but they managed to infuse a lot of fear and uncertainty on her friends. Her sudden change of tone and murderous facial expression was enough to tell Scorzette and Andromeda that this was a topic best left untouched. However, as our heroes rested on the back seat of the high-speed vehicle, they were unaware that they had company. Even though this company would have a really hard time if they tried to do anything.

Shadow #2: "Psst! Hey, bro, I think hanging under the car wasn't the brightest idea."

Shadow #1: "Ya think?! I told you we should have hid in the trunk!"

Shadow #2: "Yeah, probably. Oh, well, too late now!"

Shadow #1: "I know, rite-pffthehehehe-rock."

Shadow #2: *lifts head up, dodging rock* "So, what now?"

Shadow #1: "We wait. It's not like we can do anything el-tree branch."

Shadow #2: "What-" *head hit by tree branch* "OW!"

Shadow #1: "Pffthehehehe!"

The identity of these shadowed men was unknown, but for what they sounded like, they were up to no good! However, they were still not much of a threat. No one hanging under a car can be much of a threat.

Two hours and a half later, our heroes, as well as the hanging shadowed men, arrived at West City - specifically, at Capsule Corp. Sakura and the others went to knock on the door, where they would be greeted by Bulma and Krillin.

Krillin: *opens door* "Hello?"

Sakura: "Hi, Krillin!"

Krillin: "Oh, hi Sakura! Hey, princess Andromeda! And hello-WAAH! A SAIYAN!"

Sakura: "WHAT?! WHERE?! WHERE IS... oh, wait, he's pointing at Scorzette."

Scorzette: *wiggling tail* "What of it, baldy? Got a problem?"

Andromeda: "Don't worry, Krillin, she's one of the good guys. Just don't piss her off."

Krillin: "Oh, don't worry, I'll make sure not to! Vegeta taught us not to anger Saiyans... the hard way. Bulma! Sakura and her friends are here!"

Bulma: "Sakura?" *comes downstairs* "Hey, Sakura, Andromeda, Scorzette! Long time no see! Come on in!"

Everyone went into Capsule Corp. and sat down on the living room. Krillin went to the kitchen and brought coffee to our heroes. Bulma wanted to catch up on a couple of things, though Sakura was in a small haste.

Sakura: "We'd love to stay an chat, but..." *smells coffee* "... hmmm..." *sips coffee* "Oh, boy, this is good!" *keeps drinking*

Coffee's awesome.

Bulma: "I see your tail grew back, Scorzette!"

Scorzette: "Yup." *holding coffee mug with tail* "Missed ya, old pal." *talking to tail*

Bulma: "My calculations predicted that there was a 99.99% chance that your tail would grow back sooner or later, so I made something special for you and Sakura!"

Krillin: "These are weighed wrist bands... except they're tail bands. They work the same way like the ones you're carrying on your wrists."

Bulma: "Like the clothes you're wearing, these tail bands have an elastic feature, so you don't have to worry about them being ripped off if you have to use the full moon. They're also color coded: the green one's for Sakura and the red one's for Scorzette."

Sakura: "Gee, thanks, Bulma!" *puts tail band on* "Now... there's something really important I have to ask you... but before that, do you have more of this 'coffee?'"

Krillin: "Oh... sure." *brings more coffee*

Andromeda: "Hmmm... hey, aren't Goku and the others back already?"

Bulma: "Unfortunately, no. They messaged me the other day, and they said that there was a group of aliens on a galaxy far, FAR away that needed their help. Some big bad guy was causing all sorts of havoc, but they defeated him, and now they're helping them rebuild their towns back up."

Andromeda: "Man... talk about saving the universe."

Krillin: "Hey, where's that other guy that was with you last time? Ninomiya, I think."

Sakura: *chokes on coffee* *cough cough* "THEY KILLED HIM!" *cough cough*

Bulma and Krillin: "WHAT?!"

Andromeda: "And that's why we're here. We heard about the Dragon Balls, and we need to gather them so we can wish him back to life. Ninomiya's family told us that we needed something called a 'Dragon Radar,' and I thought you could help us out with that."

Bulma: "The Dragon Radar, of course! I remember the first time Goku and I set out to gather the Dragon Balls..."

Scorzette: "What did you wish for?"

Bulma: "Panties. Don't ask."

Scorzette: "... O... K... whatever you say..."

Bulma went upstairs and into her room. When she came back down, she was holding the Dragon Radar! The device itself looked like a very standard radar, with only one button on top, but the screen only showed two things: a red arrow (the radar carrier), and yellow balls (the Dragon Balls). The screen's background looked like a green grid, helping its viewers measure distance with ease.

Bulma: "This is the Dragon Radar! That arrow is you and those balls are the Dragon Balls. You use this little button up here to zoom in and out."

Sakura: "Wait, if there's only one button, how does it zoom in AND out?"

Bulma: "That's a very, very good question, Sakura... ask Akira."

Sakura: "Who?"

Question unanswered, our heroes went outside, where Bulma would show them another surprise. She said that Goku would always use a special cloud, called the Flying Nimbus, to fly all over the world!

Bulma: *yelling towards the sky* "Flying Nimbus!" *Flying Nimbus flies in, right in front of Bulma* "This is it, guys! Goku's Flying Nimbus. I'm sure he won't mind if you borrow it for a while, specially for a good cause like reviving your friend. There is a catch, though. Only those with a pure heart can ride the Flying Nimbus. Otherwise, you'll fall right through!"

Scorzette: "Really, now? Well, let's test it out." *jumps on Nimbus* *falls through* "Ow... yup, it works alright. I've done way too many bad things for it to let me on."

Bulma: "No one's perfect... except Goku's family, they seem to ride this thing like it was any old car (how did it let Chi Chi ride it?!). How about you try it, Andromeda?"

Andromeda: "Nah, I'm cool. Every princess is a little bit naughty on the inside." *smirk*

Krillin: "Oh? ... OH! ... oh... a-anyways, how about you try it, Sakura? I'm sure you'll be able to ride the Flying Nimbus no problem!"

Sakura accepted the challenge and got ready to jump on the Flying Nimbus. No one had even the slightest doubt that our kind-hearted Saiyan would be soaring through the skies like a butterfly. However, to everyone's surprise, just like Scorzette, Sakura fell right through the Flying Nimbus. This raised a lot of questions, but only the Saiyans knew the answer.

Krillin: "What the...? Hey, Nimbus, what gives?!"

Bulma: "Sakura shouldn't fall through! Is it broken or something?"

Sakura: "..." *slightly upset* "(... it's not broken.)"

Scorzette: "(She fell through... I get it. She's not completely pure... her heart craves for revenge. Something that even angels could be vulnerable to.)"

Krillin: "Well, that's a bummer..."

Sakura: "That's OK, Krillin! We can always go on foot."

Bulma: "It'll be tiresome, but I guess that's your best choice. Whatever the case, I have one more thing I have to give you. Look at the radar; it says that there's a Dragon Ball right around here. That's Goku's four-star Dragon Ball that his grandpa gave him a long time ago. It's upstairs. I'll be right back!"

Bulma went back into Capsule Corp. to get the four-star Dragon Ball. When she came back, she gave it to Sakura, and our heroes were mesmerized by the beauty of the ball (that's what she said)! The Dragon Ball was as shiny as daylight; it was perfectly round without a single scratch on it; the four stars rested inside, seemingly floating. This was the beginning of the hunt for the Dragon Balls! But, again, our heroes were unaware of their hidden company.

Meanwhile, in some near-by bushes...

Shadow #1: "Psst! Bro, that's it! Look at what the monkey girl is holding!"

Shadow #2: "Which of the monkey girls?"

Shadow #1: "The short one, dirt bag! She's holding one of dem Dragon Balls, and the Dragon Radar!"

Shadow #2: "Oh! So, what we do now, steal them?"

Shadow #1: "You crazy?! The cops are right there!" *points at police patrol*

Shadow #2: "Crap, I didn't see them before! Man, I'm blind!"

Shadow #1: "I know, rite-pffthehehehehe! Best follow them sneakily."

Back in front of Capsule Corp...

Scorzette: "Alright, we're ready to go. Thanks for everything, but we have to leave now."

Andromeda: "Sakura, Scorzette... I'm sorry, but... I can't go with you two."

Sakura: "What?! But, why?"

Andromeda: "When we came back to Starflow Kingdom that time, I noticed the whole place felt a lot more disorganized than it did before I left. It seems that my parents really can't do things right without me. I'd love to help you two, but, the kingdom needs me. This... this is goodbye for me."

Sakura: "Oh... don't worry, Andromeda, we understand." *hugs Andromeda* "But we'll make sure to come back and visit! You can count on that!"

Andromeda: "Heh, got it! And I'll make sure to have a whole lot of coffee just for you when you come back!"

And so, Sakura and Scorzette began walking away, as Andromeda got back in the high-speed vehicle, ready to come back home. Bulma and Krillin stayed in Capsule Corp., hoping to see everyone again some time. Our heroes waved goodbye one last time, all while still unaware of the shadowed men following them! Who are these mysterious shadowed men? Will Sakura and Scorzette catch 'em all? Find out next time on Lost Origin: A Saiyan's Quest!

To be continued...

Bonus Skit

I don't get it... why don't Sakura and Scorzette just fly to the locations of the Dragon Balls, like every other DBZ character?

Author: "Because, if you pay attention, none of my OC's have learned how to fly. Sakura wasn't taught how to fly. Ninomiya learned alongside Sakura, so he doesn't know anything Sakura doesn't. Scorzette wasn't given the chance, or she might have managed to escape back when she was held a slave. Andromeda can only fly if she summons a meteor. Blanca and Plata don't even need to fly. Helen and Tiara are as human as a character in this fan fic can get... so yeah, none knows how to fly."

B-B-B-But flying is cool!

Author: "It'd make it too easy, which then would make it too boring! Imagine if Sakura and Ninomiya knew how to fly - we would have skipped 21 chapters full of emotion, comedy, character development, action, gains, loss, etc. Flying IS cool, but it would take out almost the entire 'adventure' of this adventure fan fiction."

... so how'd Akira Toriyama did it?

Author: "Cuz he's freaking Akira Toriyama, that's how."