Author: "AUTHOR NOTE TIME! Just by looking at the title of the chapter, you should be able to guess what's gonna happen. There really isn't much to say about this chapter, other than some 'hints' that you will see at the end of this chapter. I hope you guys are enjoying the Thief Thugs, by the way. They're not really as threatening as they are troublesome, and I actually kind of like that in some villains. As of right now, they're mostly there for comedic relief, but they are the main villains of this current saga, and the WILL cause trouble... later. But for now, read, review, follow, fave, do whatchu wanna do."

Lost Origin: A Saiyan's Quest

Bam: "Psst! Bro, you see 'em?"

Boom: "Bro, it's not particularly easy to see in the middle of the night, while also trying to focus on not dying in a vehicle crash!"

Bam: "I know, rite-pffthehehehehe!"

Boom: "How 'bout you look out for them?"

Bam: "Oh, OK, ehhh... oh, I see something, to the right!"

Boom: "That's like some sort of... dome?"

Bam: "Maybe they're there. Let's go!"

Chapter 40: Size Matters

With two Dragon Balls on hand, Sakura and Scorzette found themselves just before the third Dragon Ball! The Dragon Radar showed that it was somewhere within an absurdly large building, shaped like a dome. Unlike the abandoned city, this building was working just fine, and in fact, there seemed to be a lot of people inside. The Thief Thugs, hiding behind some rocks, watched as our heroes examined the building. They were all surprised of what came next.

Sakura: *ground shakes* "Ah! Hey, what's going o-" *looks back* "WHOA!"

Giant: "Hey, you two! This is the entrance for competitors. The entrance for spectators is on the other side." *walks through competitor entrance*

Scorzette: "Entrance for c-what? Is this like a tournament of some sort?"

Sakura: "Hey, Scorzette, look! There's a sign up there. It says: 'Titan Brawl.' You think this is, like, a fight club for giant-" *giant robot walks through entrance* *cringes* "Eeehhh... I don't like robots... I haven't had much luck with them..."

Scorzette: "Only for giants, huh... wait, look, the prize!"

Sakura: "It's a Dragon Ball! Whoever wins gets a Dragon Ball!"

Scorzette: *looks at water pond's reflection* *notices moon is full* "It's a full moon tonight... hey, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Sakura: "Coffee?"

Scorzette: "N-NO! If we transform into Great Apes, we could enter the tournament and win the Dragon Ball!"

Sakura: "Oh... and after that, can we have coffee?"

Scorzette: "Ah... Y-Yes, Litua, we can have coffee after that..."

Sakura and Scorzette went to the side of the building, where there was no one, so they could transform in peace (though I fail to see what's peaceful about transforming into a giant monkey). As they did this, the Thief Thugs decided to sneak in the dome, missing our heroes' transformations. Since they saw the sign with the Dragon Ball prize on it, they thought they could steal it when no one was watching!

Boom: "Psst! Bro, where d'you think they're hiding the Dragon Ball?"

Bam: "Geez, I dunno, Boom. Maybe in, like, a box or sumthn'?"

Boom: "Maybe. Let's look around, see what we can find."

Bam: "Bro, ain't it a little bit dangerous to be messing around in a place full of giants?"

Boom: "Oh, they're just big and stupid, they're not really a threat! It'll make it easier for us to sneak past them like this, anyways!"

Bam: "I know, rite-pffthehehehehe!"

Meanwhile, in the competitor's entrance...

Sign-up guy: "Alright, sir, just sign right on that board up there and you'll be ready to go! Man, it feels kind of diminishing to be an average-sized person in a place full of giants..."

Scorzette (Great Ape): "My partner and I would like to enter the tournament."

Sign-up guy: "Heeey, giant monkeys! I haven't seen those before! Alright, men, are you ready for the big, manly fight tonight?!"

Scorzette (Great Ape): "We're women..."

Sign-up guy: "... OH. Well, that works, too! Jus-Just sign right there and I'll take care of the rest..."

Sakura (Great Ape): "Do you have a bigger pen? Like, a LOT bigger pen?"

Sign-up guy: "... look, just tell me your names..."

20 minutes later...

Referee: "Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for tonight's TITAN BRAWL?!"

Audience: "YYYEEEEEEEE!"

Referee: "Tonight's winner will have the luck of taking home a very valuable treasure! This item is a mystic object of great value, that has even caused wars between men for dozens of generations! The big prize tonight: A DRAGON BALL!"

Audience: "YYYYEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Referee: "Let's get on with the first battle! In this corner, weighting a crap-ton of pounds that I'm not willing to count again, it's Monkey Strider Litua!"

Sakura (Great Ape): "Hello!"

Referee: "And in this corner, from the ancient caves of the ferocious Dazper City, it's Hulker McScrooge!"

Sakura (Great Ape): "Dazper City used to be ferocious? Huh... I guess that's why Blanca and Plata liked it there..."

Referee: "Aaaaaaaaand...! BEGIN!" *runs to safety*

Despite the two opponents being of almost equal size, Hulker McScrooge stood no chance against Sakura, nicknamed Monkey Strider Litua for this competition. Sakura was still a Saiyan, transformed into a Great Ape, which by itself is already an immeasurable amount of power. The fight ended in two hits, dropping everyone's jaw at the power of the Great Ape. Scorzette was going to fight on the next round.

Referee: "In this corner, part of the same race of giant monkeys that Monkey Strider Litua belongs to, we have The Scorzenator!"

Scorzette (Great Ape): "Yeah! Come on, bring it!"

Referee: "And in this corner..."

Meanwhile, somewhere within the dome...

Bam: "Psst! Bro, look at that up there!"

Boom: "Holy bah-geezus, that's a lot of food!"

Bam: "Bro, you think we have time for a snack?"

Boom: "Oh, most certainly we have time for a snack! Let's get eatin'!"

The Thief Thugs climbed up to a giant table, filled with dozens of plates full of delicious, gigantic food. This food, however, was meant to be only for the giant fighters, not for the general public. Careless of this fact, Boom and Bam started digging their teeth onto the massive banquet, feasting on the delicious taste of the huge turkeys, mashed potato mountains, and lakes of exotic drinks. Their paradise was quickly destroyed, though, by one of the fighters, who caught the Thief Thugs on the spot.

Boom: "Man, good thing we found this here, cuz I was starving!"

Bam: "I know, rite-pffthehehehe-"

Huge ogre: "HEY! Little tiny babies ain't supposed to be here! SCRAM!"

Thief Thugs: "Uh-oh." *ogre picks them up* "Oooooh, no..." *ogre throws them out the window* "WAAAAAHHH!"

Meanwhile, on the arena, Sakura and Scorzette had been demolishing the competition! One by one, cyclops, robots, giant animals, ogres, everyone fell to our transformed heroes' feet, whining in defeat. After 49 matches, it was time for the final round to take place, where Sakura and Scorzette would be facing against each other.

Sakura (Great Ape): "Well, we made it, Scorzette! Now, all we have to do is one of us has to give up, and then we can have the Dragon B-" *punched by Scorzette*

Scorzette (Great Ape): "Give up? Litua, how often do we get to transform into Great Apes? This is as good a chance as ever to train in this form!"

Sakura (Great Ape): "Ow... train... oh, I see! But don't expect me to hold back!"

Scorzette (Great Ape): "You best not hold back, Litua! Come at me!"

The audience was astonished as they saw the two Great Apes clash, causing massive earthquakes with every strike! Even with their immense size, the Saiyans were able to throw punches, kicks, tail swings, headbutts, all sorts of attacks at speeds the human eye would have a really hard time reading! Though the fight was already extremely intense, it took a step up!

Sakura (Great Ape): "Man... you're really fast, Scorzette!"

Scorzette (Great Ape): "I could say the same about you, Litua!"

Sakura (Great Ape): "Thanks! But, let's see if you can keep up with this!" *engulfs body in lightning*

Scorzette (Great Ape): "Electricity, huh? I've got a couple of tricks up my sleeve, too!" *summons dozens of runes*

Sparks were flying everywhere with each attack Sakura connected, which became easier for her as the electricity made her faster. Scorzette was not left behind, though, as her runes gave her a very efficient Area of Effect-style of combat, making it difficult for Sakura to approach her. It seemed like the two were on par with each other, and this one fight had the crowd cheering maniacally, with some people screaming "Monkey Strider Litua" at the top of their lungs, while others could not stop yelling "Scorzenator." The endless storm of attacks would soon come to an end, as one of the two fighters was ready to perform the final strike.

Sakura began charging electrical energy on her feet - great amounts of it, in fact. This was going to be like no other attack she had previously performed during the fight! However, despite being able to attack, Scorzette stood in place, apparently waiting for Sakura to perform her devastating attack! She definitely had something planned out...

Sakura (Great Ape): "Here I come!" *jumps* "Lightning Comet!" *begins diving towards Scorzette, feet first*

Scorzette (Great Ape): "Big mistake!" *summons barrier rune*

Sakura (Great Ape): "What?!" *hits barrier rune, almost breaking it*

Scorzette (Great Ape): "Urgh! Now!"

Scorzette's barrier rune was not just a shield! It consumed the energy of Sakura's Lightning Comet, transformed it into burst energy, and countered! The impact was too much for Sakura to sustain, and she was sent flying, only to hit the ground right after. The referee - seeing how Monkey Strider Litua was unable to continue fighting - called forth the winner: The Scorzenator!

Referee: "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! Everyone give a huge round of applause for the new champion: The Scorzenator!"

Audience: "YYYYYEEEEEEEEEEE! SCOR-ZE-NA-TOR, SCOR-ZE-NA-TOR, SCOR-ZE-NA-TOR!"

Referee: "Here is your grand prize, Scorzenator!" *hands five-star Dragon Ball*

Scorzette (Great Ape): *takes Dragon Ball* "Yes!" *walks towards Sakura*

Sakura (Great Ape): "Ugh... ow..." *notices Scorzette* "Huh?"

Scorzette (Great Ape): "Need a hand?" *helps Sakura get back up*

The next morning...

Scorzette: "(We've got three Dragon Balls already... oh, the irony. Me, a mid-class Saiyan warrior, much more powerful than any human... helping a friend revive someone I dislike... I could have said 'no.' It's not my problem. Ninomiya wasn't my childhood friend, or my brother, or even someone I cared for. Litua is the one that really cares for him... so why am I helping her do this? Is it because Litua was the first person to call me their friend? Do I really care for her this much? Or... maybe there's more to this... things about me that not even I understand...) Hmmm... Hey, Litua, wake up."

Sakura: *sleeping on Scorzette's knees* "Zzzzzz... Hmmm..."

Scorzette: "(She must be really tired from last night. Even with the training I gave her, Litua's still not nearly as used to the Great Ape form as I am.)" *staring at Sakura* "(Look at her... just like me, she lost her family, her home, her friends, and nearly lost her sanity. Yet, even after all of that, she still manages to keep that look of innocence and naïveté. But I know... she's hiding something... something she doesn't want anyone to know about.)"

Sakura: "Hngh..." *yawn* "Hm...? Oh, good morning, Scorzette!"

Scorzette: "Thought you were gonna sleep all day. Anyways, you still hurting from last night?"

Sakura: "No, I think I'm feeling well now. Tee-hee!"

Scorzette: "Great. So, what do you say we grab a snack and get going? The Dragon Radar shows that the next Dragon Ball isn't too far away."

Meanwhile, behind some nearby rocks...

Bam: "Psst! Bro, they're awake."

Boom: "Alright, it means they're gonna get moving soon."

Bam: "Means WE gotta get moving soon!"

Boom: "I know, rite-pffthehehehehe!"

Bam: "Let's go get the motorcycle!"

Now with three Dragon Balls on hand, our heroes were prepared to continue their quest to gather all the Dragon Balls! And just as determined, the Thief Thugs were patiently waiting to part again, even further west, where the rest of the Dragon Balls could be found! What awaits our heroes on their next adventure? Will Scorzette be able to figure out her strange feelings? Find out next time on Lost Origin: A Saiyan's Quest!

To be continued...

Bonus Skit

As our heroes woke up from their tiresome night, the Thief Thugs observed, wondering about several things.

Bam: "Psst! Bro, look, the tall one's getting up."

Boom: "Alright, as soon as the other one gets up, we'll get followin'!"

Bam: "Hey, bro, how do you think they got the Dragon Ball? They're not giants, so they can't have entered the tournament."

Boom: "Dunno, dun curr. I just found them fast asleep under that tree earlier. They seemed really tired."

Bam: "Hey, bro, if they were so tired and sleeping, why didn't we snatch the Dragon Balls away from them before they woke up?"

Boom: "Cuz..."

Bam: "..."

Author: "..."

...

Boom: "... crap."