Wow... it's been a LONG time, hasn't it, folks? Sorry that I'm having an A/N up here (I feel it makes for an awkward transition into the document's content, but I felt like this needed to be said), first of all. Second off, if you're reading this, then thank you so much for your sheer dedication to this story. I know that I have been a positively terrible author when it comes to working on this story, putting you through what was a three month plus hiatus because of writer's block and a combination of various other things. Honestly, I was hoping that by the point this story had its sixth month anniversary(eighth by the time this goes up, most likely - only started seriously getting back to work on June 13th) that we'd be at least one or two chapters into the Saiyan Saga by now. Unfortunately, we're still lingering in the Demon Saga, and anyone who I've been in contact with regarding my story(fans, friends, et alia) know that this has been a very dry spell for me in terms of writing. My interest in telling everyone this story hasn't run out in the slightest, but it has been a very tough time getting into this Saga as a whole for whatever reason. Thankfully, I think that case of writer's block is over and that means I can get back to telling this story, albeit its being tough to chart out.
While I'm not necessarily planning on discarding my Demon Saga plans to progress on with the main story, I will say that I do aim to complete this storyline a bit sooner than expected. I've had multiple conversations with some of my close writing colleagues about how having a more accelerated version of the Demon Saga would play out, and when I showed them all the points I still planned to hit with its revamped content, they agreed that this was actually for the better. I won't say anything upon how long it originally was destined to be until I complete it, but I decided that I should preface the remainder of this Saga with these words so as to - hopefully - let all of you know that I'm still thinking about the direction of this story and how much I want to tell it. Seriously, I know I sound like a broken record at this point, but there have been many, MANY times when I've mulled over my writing projects and whether or not they're worth writing out or not. If it wasn't for the fact that I know some people are seriously interested in seeing this tale unfold, I don't know if I'd have the drive to keep on telling the story on my own. While I'm not expecting people to totally devote their readership to this story and say how much it's touched them and brought them indescribable feelings of happiness, just the fact that you spend a few minutes of your time to read what I've poured a lot of time into is truly amazing in itself. Words cannot describe how thankful I am for you reading this.
With that said, our story shall now continue. Welcome back to Turbulence, everyone, and I hope you find that any writer's rust you find within this chapter isn't too terrible!
"In this time of fear, the calendar system humans had developed no longer meant much. Days were merely a passageway into months. Months would translate into years. And as for years? Well, according to what I've learned, they only stood for the three-hundred and sixty-five days you had before your life was inducted into the lottery once more. Life in that rotten hellhole, from what I've gathered, was literally nothing short of waiting to die.
"Though I personally never had to deal with the likes of King Piccolo, I can tell you just from what I've gathered that he was singlehandedly the most nefarious of all those who attempted to take Earth as their own. In fact… I'd call him nothing short of the devil's incarnate."
- Y2J, Codebreaker
Demon Saga - Part 5: Dancing With the Devil
Life under Piccolo's reign was nothing short of agonizing. Not only was there the obvious scarcity of food and drink, but morale had a tendency to be on the decline as well. With death lurking around every corner, the ever-thick tension pervading throughout Earth's darkened atmosphere, it was sometimes difficult to keep one's spirits up. Only those with genuine friendships and bonds could really keep their sanity intact in such a dog-eat-dog world.
But of course, friends and allies could only take one so far in this new world. There came a time when everyone realized that hope was not enough. Though it could keep one alive for a time and strengthen their resolve, only power – pure, raw, unadulterated power – would be able to lift this dark cloud looming over humanity once and for all.
From an outsider's point of view, it would seem as if Earth's remaining heroes had all the time in the world to achieve said power. The way King Piccolo had reconstructed law – or, rather, lack of it – allowed for them to remain concealed within Kame House until the day their specific sector of Earth was to be destroyed. Thankfully for them, however, fate and chance had aligned for them thus far eight out of eight times this lottery was held, the luck of the draw managed to save the rebels from their untimely deaths. Unfortunately for said sectors, however, their respective populaces had been utterly slaughtered and annihilated due to lady luck frowning upon them.
But those eight sectors would not be the last if Piccolo managed to have his way. The remainder of Earth was sure to follow in their footsteps; the moment their number was drawn, every last one of them would be razed to the ground in nothing short of mass-murder. The harsh reality of the situation was that humanity as a whole was simply living on borrowed time, and subconsciously everyone knew this in the back of their minds.
But even worse was the prospect that Piccolo would grow to neglect his quiescent regimen. The maniacal monarch's sanity was erratic and volatile, and it was only a matter of time before he would become bored and nullify his official ruling in favor of accelerating his plans. Once he did that, there would truly be nobody left to challenge Piccolo's might—he and his demonic children would commence their total eradication and purge of anyone who could ever dream of freeing Earth from his iron grasp. Quite simply, the whole situation was bone-chilling to think about.
Such sentiments and fears were only confirmed when a particular fateful broadcast aired...
"Hey, guys, check this out!" Yajirobe exclaimed in stupefaction. "Piccolo's goin' on the television again!"
The nearby congregation of fighters, consisting of Tien, Yamcha, Krillin, and Chiaotzu, pivoted around in unison toward the samurai and the aforementioned television monitor. Almost immediately, they too recoiled in fear as they immediately made out the all too familiar olive-green visage of the Earth's monarch fill the obsidian television's screen; a chorus of audible gasps began to echo throughout Kame House's interior.
"What's going on now?" came the high-pitched whimper of the Crane-styled imp, his small frame visibly trembling with nothing short of abstract fear. "It's rare for him to be on television around this time of year... it isn't even close to the ninth of May..."
Hoping to assuage his friend's uncertainty, Tien immediately pitched in. "To be honest, Chiaotzu, judging by past editions of these reports... I can only guess that he's wanting to try and incite our rage to force us into inadvertently revealing our location. It wouldn't be the first time he's tried."
"And it won't be the last," supplemented Krillin, a frown overtaking his features. "If nothing else, Piccolo loves to try and play mind games. As long as he's in power, he'll keep trying to root us out while still manipulating everyone to his whims."
"Which is why he has to be taken down as soon as possible." Yamcha clenched his left fist, scowling as he did so. "The more he leads humanity to kill one another and the more sectors of Earth he has the chance to destroy, the farther and farther we get from what Earth was eight years ago." Though nobody wanted to have to admit it, the former bandit was dead-on accurate in his wording. Without the Dragon Balls to reverse the damage done, Earth would still be a ravaged, barren planet compared to its previous prosperity.
"Yamcha... while we all agree with that, I still have h—"
Krillin was abruptly cut off by Piccolo's baritone growl beginning to travel all over the airwaves. Immediately keeping quiet, he looked into the face of the bane of his existence and, reluctantly, poured all his attention into hearing what he had to say.
"Citizens of Earth, this is your king speaking," began Piccolo as he reclined back in his throne with a smirk. "I must say that I have been rather pleased with your carnage and destruction in recent times, and so I would like to see if you can carry out an even greater order. After all, you've all come so far under my reign that it would be a shame to see if we cannot advance further…" An evil cackle forced its way out of the demon's throat, and he made no attempt to prevent it from spilling out—after all, this was his world now; he could do whatever he pleased. "Do not fear; I have no plans to revoke the lottery quite yet. The next attack will indeed be as scheduled, the anniversary of my coronation… which, for all you children that have failed to learn this date from your mal-educated parents, is the ninth of May.
"However, as I have noted, this is not the news I plan to pass onto you humans today. You see, I happen to know a group of martial artists who have not exactly conformed to our lifestyle—you may know some of their names as Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, and Krillin. There are various others that make up this alliance; however, I have no records of these warriors' names. Somehow, they have eluded my grasp for my entire reign and have refused to acknowledge me as the King of Earth. As such, if any of you have any leads, clues, or are somehow able to locate them altogether, I will personally grant you a life as one of my servants, free from the ever-looming presence of murder and death.
"The time is now to purge the world of these rebels, humans! The time is now to transition into a pure world where everyone believes in Piccolo's unrivaled might and power! The time is now… to liberate ourselves of the gray morality of this planet and return to the days of old, black and white, and to either swear fealty to me or perish among the rest of your sinful kind!"
And with that… the transmission ceased.
Silence and horror permeated around the room in spades, the tension so thick it could only be cut with the sharpest knife. Despite everything the unlikely assortment of warriors had been through, all of their collective experiences against the demons and their efforts to save humanity from imminent extinction, none of them could even begin to formulate a sentence as to the sheer terror and fright radiating throughout their very souls.
Krillin was the first to break the silence that had befallen Kame House's intimate interior, a small chorus of stammers forcibly bursting out of his maw before he was able to finally speak. "He… he's turning the entire Earth against us…"
Tien, ever the pragmatic thinker, immediately went to work on diffusing Krillin's trepidation. "We don't have as much cause for concern as you're thinking. Thankfully, only Piccolo has our tournament records and previous information; he's got nothing on our current whereabouts at the moment. Even if he decides to get copies of those documents mass printed and releases them to the public, nobody knows of where we're hiding out."
"It doesn't matter if anyone knows where we are…" mumbled Yamcha grimly, balling his fists. "His announcement about wanting to find us doesn't mean that he's counting on the humans to do something—he likely already knows that they're not going to be able to offer him any information on where we are. Instead, he's saying that the gloves are coming off and that he's not about to play around any longer." He'd been filled in on Piccolo's demeanor and relationship with his demonic children by the currently-asleep Pilaf gang – they'd earned it after keeping watch over the house during the night – and judging by what they had to say… things looked grim from here on out.
"That sure sounds troublesome," frowned Turtle. "You should round up the others and make sure that they—"
"We already know," came two combined voices from behind them.
In one swift motion, everyone whipped around to find both Bulma and blue-haired Launch standing near the stairway, bedecked in their respective fighting attires, with equally troubled expressions. A tense silence once again washed over Kame House as they simply traded glances with one another with what was nothing short of fear. They knew that the odds were against them now… but at the same time, they knew they had to make the most of their limited opportunity.
"We lucked out with the timing of Piccolo's speech," Launch articulated softly, prompting all eyes to turn to her. "Aside from Chi-Chi, everyone was here during the broadcast. That means the situation is more in our control than Piccolo's."
"It doesn't excuse the fact that Chi-Chi is in grave danger, though," Tien iterated. "We have absolutely no idea where she could be right now due to her energy suppressor being active, and her removing it is nothing short of a double-edged sword. If she removes it, we'll be able to find her; on the other hand, Piccolo and his minions will be able to pinpoint her location just as easily."
"You're right. Which is why one of us should make the trip alone to minimize any potential losses." Bulma adjusted her blue Capsule Corporation jacket ever so slightly, her azure eyes steeled with determination. "I know it sounds like a huge gamble on my part, but—"
"Are you crazy?!" Yamcha shouted, crossing the distance between himself and Bulma before throwing his hands onto the heiress' jacket-adorned shoulder. "You're going to get yourself killed if you do something like that! If anyone, it's going to be an experienced fighter who goes to find her!"
"He isn't wrong, Bulma…" Krillin bowed his head, unsure of how to properly phrase his next words. "...While you and Launch have made amazing progress as fighters over the span of eight years, you're not strong enough to hold your own against even Piccolo's minions. If we can get someone stronger to go, they can at least hold them off long enough for us to arrive after turning off their energy suppressor."
"See? Krillin's got the right idea!" supplemented the long-haired warrior. "Listen to me, Bulma: we've had some damn close calls over the years, and without everyone here pulling their weight... we'd all be dead right now. How could you expect to do anything on your own against a demon who'd be able to kill you before you could even blink?"
"W-Well…" Looking into the eyes of her former lover made Bulma subconsciously tremble in her place and stutter over her sentences. His onyx eyes, though clouded with a mixture of shock and anger, still looked as beautiful as the ones she'd fallen for. And in that very same moment, though it was obviously the inverse of what Yamcha was persuading her, she knew she had to be the one to embark on this outing. If for nobody else… it was for him and him alone. "...At the same time, if a 'stronger fighter' went, there's just as big of a chance that they could die as well, meaning that we could risk losing one of our more valuable assets. Plus, it also helps that I wasn't a fighter in the tournament records he managed to pick up and that he hasn't even seen me once. In all actuality, it makes the most sense for me to go."
"Are you seriously trying to argue this?!" Yamcha scowled angrily. 'Bulma… don't you understand? I can't afford to lose you now, not when everything is on the line…'
"But there's more to this than just my fighting skills. Remember that project I told you guys about? Well… I just got off the phone, and I think it's ready to be employed."
The two titans continued to duel in the skies with fervent intensity, fists and feet flying in rapid barrages as one warrior tried to overpower his respective counterpart. It seemed that – for the most part – they were evenly matched, but it was clear as day to Nail that Kakarot's proficient style of battling allowed him to put up a challenge to the raw and stiff strength of Articuno. Though his abilities as a fighter were nowhere near as graceful or lucid as his opponent, every bit of strength that the Arcosian packed into his punches would surely add up over time. But on the other hand, Kakarot's swift and furious chains held lingering effects over the Arcosian, and if there was anyone Nail trusted to figure out a way to turn a small advantage into a victory, it was none other than his pupil.
"Kakarot… you've truly grown up, haven't you?" murmured Nail to himself as he looked up into the lime-green skies of his homeworld, watching as Kakarot spun out of the way of a haymaker and responded by roundhouse-kicking his foe in the chest. The impact sent the blue-skinned Arcosian spiraling down to the ground, creating a small quake that pulsed through the immediate vicinity of Namek's luscious azure-colored islands.
"Not just in the physical sense… but you've come so far from what you once were. When you first approached me in regards to your desire of being trained, you could barely strike me without inflicting a burning pain within your body… and now you're clashing against a foe I had no chance of defeating from the start. Truly, you have become Namek's greatest defender against otherworldly threats and are now the greatest threat to Frieza's tyranny that Namek has to offer.
"I-I'm proud of you… my brother…"
Kakarot quickly dashed down in pursuit of his adversary with an outstretched fist, but the Arcosian used his positioning to his advantage by pushing off the ground and striking his foe with a double kick to the sternum, immobilizing him for a split-second. That one small moment on the battlefield was enough to allow Articuno to fully regain his balance and uppercut his foe higher into the air.
Sailing higher into the air, the Namek-raised combatant found himself reeling after that swift combination. His body was aching, pulsing in pain, but something within him roared for him to continue on with the battle. It was that voice within him that managed to – despite the pain he felt from doing so – halt his momentum and then dart back downward toward the rapidly approaching Articuno. Without any way of avoiding it, the Arcosian's eyes widened as the spiky-haired warrior's head collided with his solar plexus and took him down to the ground.
'Each time he seems to get me on the defensive, my fighting capability manages to drive him back. But the stamina it drains me of to do so each time surely stacks up… sooner or later, I'll tire out and he'll be able to finish the battle,' thought the spiky-haired hero as he descended downward, eyes never leaving the fallen Articuno's figure. I've got to try a different approach… but what?'
It was at that moment that Kakarot landed on the island swiftly, his obsidian-colored boots lightly tapping against the blue-colored grounds of his adopted homeworld. His breathing staccato and his clothing tattered, a small scowl overtook his features as he saw Articuno staggering in his attempts to return to his feet. "Had enough yet, Arcosian?"
"Tch! I should be the one asking you that, Namekian." The rebel brushed off the dirt that had managed to find its way onto his crimson-silver armor before extending his palm toward his spiky-haired adversary. "Your skill is admirable, but so was your comrade's… and I think we both know how that turned out for him, don't we?"
'Predictable...he's trying to get inside my head and cause me to slip up,' Kakarot internally noted, his jaw taut. 'But he knows nothing about me and nothing of what I stand for—if anything, his own motivations will be his own downfall!'
"Heh! You seem ready to fight again," smirked the Arcosian haughtily. "So I guess it's about time we wrapped things up. I only have so much time I can spend here, after all… there are many capable warriors out there who yearn to defeat Frieza."
"Speaking of that tyrannic monster... I'm sure that Lord Frieza," Kakarot paused for a moment to hurl up a glob of spit in disgust of combining the two words, "is waiting for your report back on his cozy little throne." He paused for a moment to glare fiercely into the eyes of his adversary, seeing nothing short of fiery rage burning in his garnet eyes. "You can't fool me, trespasser, and if fate decides that I should perish on this day, then I'd at least like to know the truth behind my assailant."
"You…" Articuno hissed lowly, his outstretched arm trembling with nothing short of outraged fury, "You still seem to have no idea who you're dealing with. You're quite the sophisticated specimen, Namekian, but when it comes to reading people, you seem blind as a bat!"
'And now it's not me, but you, that's on the ropes, isn't it?' Kakarot knew that psyching the Arcosian out was his best route to victory if ever there was one. Though he didn't want to admit it, the blue-skinned warrior's strikes stung—painfully, he might add. Any way he could possibly reduce the Arcosian's chances of fighting with a clear head would only be a beneficial factor in the outcome of this battle.
"I tried to play nice with you… tried to recruit you as one of my own… but your sheer prejudice against my people only hinders your perspective of my situation! What is it that makes you people so damn stubborn?!" He fired off a pale blue stream of light that rocketed toward Kakarot at incredible speeds, but the teal-adorning warrior just barely managed to jump out of its destructive path. Immediately, Articuno dispersed the blast and leapt up into the sky, taking advantage of his adversary's prone positioning and catching him with a forearm to the cheek that sent him reeling backward.
"You fools are all the same!" Articuno hollered, coiling Kakarot's arm with his tail and using the momentum to pull him into a high-impact elbow smash that connected with the defender's skull. He then followed that up with a headbutt before his three-pronged foot crashed into the spiky-haired warrior's torso, forcing him to keel over in sheer pain. The rebel then extended his arm and placed it on the small of Kakarot's back, firing off a swift pulse of energy that slammed his enemy down and into the sea-green waters of Namek.
"I shouldn't have banked my hopes on someone like this." A small scowl came to his features as he saw the ripples caused by Kakarot's being submerged within the body of water, indicating he wasn't down for the count quite yet. "I should've known that he'd be far too stubborn to see the greater picture."
Just then, a chorus of battle cries and shouts began to erupt behind him, prompting him to look over his shoulder and see a quintet of Namekians speeding toward him with – presumably – the intent to kill. Turning his full body around, the Arcosian ignited his aura with a battle cry and began to generate an ice-blue sphere of light in either of his hands. "You all just never stop coming, do you?!"
"What would you expect?" cried out Linas, bedecked in a red vest and black pants, as he jetted ahead of the pack. "We're not about to let one of our brothers die!"
'H-He's faster than I expected…' Articuno thought to himself as he continued to form the pair of energy balls. 'But he's a fool if he thinks he co—'
WHAMM! Linas, with the speed of a rocket, connected with a furious storm of kicks that sent Articuno's vision for a spin. His moccasins repeatedly slammed against the Arcosian's face and skull, the strikes so fast that the blue-skinned warrior found it difficult to even see the next one coming.
"You're going to pay for hurting my best friend!" vowed Linas as he kept up this violent barrage, putting every ounce of power he had into it. "After our race came back from the threat of extinction and became what it is today… I won't let anyone take that tranquility away from us!"
Just as the other Namekians caught up to the combatants, Linas would drop back for a slight moment, backing off for the faintest of seconds to allow his brothers a chance to enter the fight alongside him.
A maneuver that would prove to be counter-effective.
Now no longer binded by Linas' agile flurry of kicks, Articuno summoned his power and released it in an explosive blue storm of light, immediately driving away three of the Namekian defenders and sending them hurtling backward until they eventually fell back onto a solid blue plateau of land. Even Linas and Cochela, the most capable of the hastily-assembled fighters, had been forced to put everything they'd had into not being blown away by the sheer power behind the attack.
"Hah… hah… that was a close one," panted Cochela heavily as he looked over to his brother. "But… even if we're not powerful enough to defeat this invader, we have to provide Kakarot enough time to recover."
Linas nodded toward his comrade before looking back up at the Arcosian with a scowl. "Yes, but I don't think we can really manage to keep him off his game as well as Nail or Kakarot managed to do. My speed surely impressed him before, but he's going to be anticipating it now—there's no way I can catch him by surprise like that again."
"Even so, that doesn't mean we can just roll over and quit in the face of this threat." Cochela raised his arm and prepared a yellow sphere of energy within the creases of his palm. "If I can keep his focus for a moment, then I'm sure that you can get back on the attack. The instant he moves… is when I strike."
"Understood." Linas looked back up at their foe to prepare for their counterattack, but much to his surprise… the Arcosian's back was turned to both him and his brother; he was staring down at the water in search of Kakarot instead of pursuing them.
Feeling the heat of their stares below him, Articuno looked over his shoulder and waved his hand dismissively toward the duo. "I have no interest in killing any of you, you know—my interest lies within the Namekian I was fighting before you. If you're interested in spectating, be my guest, but do take caution if a spare blast manages to head your way." With that said, he immediately reverted to his original positioning, his ruby-red eyes transfixed on the water to wait for Kakarot's eventual emergence.
"Is… is he serious right now?" Linas murmured to his brother, his eyes agape with nothing short of shock and awe at the Arcosian's apathy in regard to the remainder of the Namekian race. "He invaded our planet, violently attacked our strongest fighters… and now he claims to have no intentions of killing us?"
"He's deceiving us; I just know it," immediately responded Cochela, still cautiously clenching his energy sphere in case the Arcosian was operating under a false pretense. "There's just no way that he could so callously dismantle our fighters and then completely contradict himself… I refuse to believe anything that trespasser conjures up!"
"Surprisingly, in this case, he's telling the truth."
In one succinct motion, both the Namekian brothers and Articuno immediately pivoted around to find Kakarot standing behind his allies. Though his form was soaking wet from his encounter with Namek's emerald-tinted water and his fatigue obviously apparent, it was evident that from Kakarot's lightened expression toward his comrades that he was telling nothing less than the truth.
"I know that I sound extremely foolish and that my statement clashes with my original assessment of him, but the Arcosian sounds oddly sincere in his approach. Even when I was recovering and his focus was taken off me, he had more than enough time to at least fatally wound you. His refusal to do so shows that he's willing to stick to his story, which while I don't immediately accept… is now a worthy enough cause that I will fight against."
"W-What are you saying, Kakarot?" Cochela asked, watching as Kakarot began to rise into the air to meet Articuno's altitude. Just before he did so, however, the Namekian-raised Saiyan gave one final glance and a small smile toward his valued friend.
"What I'm saying is that, should the Arcosian manage to defeat me in battle in a fair one-on-one contest, I will join him in his cause." Kakarot then re-focused his eyes to his Arcosian adversary, nodding toward him in a small sign of thanks. "While I still don't agree with your methods and conduct, I now see that your resolve is indeed absolute. You had every chance to go against everything you preached before by killing my brothers in cold blood, but you instead backed up your claims and adhered by them. That's something that I can respect regardless of your background."
"My desire to see Frieza fall is rivaled by no other, Namekian. As I've said before, nothing – and I mean absolutely nothing – will deter me from seeing his lifeless body with my own eyes." Articuno clenched his fist, filling it with a faint outline of blue energy. "Any obstacle that stands in my way will be overcome if it means making my way toward that beautiful sight. Including you. I apologize for this in advance, but I will take any road to victory if it means allying myself with you, an exceptionally strong warrior. I won't play as nice as I did before now that I know the stipulations behind this battle."
"I'd expect nothing less from you," immediately retorted Kakarot as he summoned his power within him, a red and purple light emanating from his left palm. "But you must understand one thing, Arcosian… I don't intend to lose when everything I stand for is on the line." Drawing his arm back, Kakarot grit his teeth and concentrated more energy within the crease of his palm, allowing it to formulate into a sphere of a contrasting red and purple hue. Suddenly, an extra shout of brute strength gave aforementioned sphere a coiling black lightning that arced around it, a crackling noise accompanying it.
"Impressive technique," lauded Articuno sincerely, a small smirk coming to his face. "You seem to be concentrating quite a lot of energy into that attack. I suppose I'll do the same and speed things up a notch..." Thrusting out both of his palms so that only his palms were touching, the Arcosian began to manifest a bluish-white wave of energy between the creases of his azure-skinned hands at a rapid rate. "This'll incapacitate you long enough to settle this, Namekian! Powder Blizzard!"
The dual-colored blast sailed toward Kakarot at incredible speeds, prompting the Namekian-raised Saiyan to cease charging his the time was now or never, he went through with his final gambit.
"Mystical Meteor!" Kakarot cried, pitching the tri-colored beam of light toward his adversary's attack with all the might he could muster up. The attack flew toward the contrastingly-colored beam boldly before they collided in a multicolored explosion, sending rays of light shooting from the epicenter in all different directions.
The aqua-haired heroine, careful to avoid arousing any sort of unwanted attention, descended behind the Capsule Corp building before carefully leaning her back against the wall and shutting her eyes. Flying through the air at top speed, despite her ki suppressor being active, always gave her a sense of fear that she'd be detected by one of the demons and that she would immediately be forced into battle. This time, however, things were different—within a few short minutes, she would be able to make a difference if need be.
'C'mon, dad, hurry up...' thought the heiress to herself as she walked to the front of her former home, frequently glancing toward the sky to ensure that there weren't any of Piccolo's demons on patrol at this hour. 'Even if I wouldn't immediately be recognized as a threat to Piccolo by anyone in this city, that doesn't mean I want to wait outside and have one of his disgusting demons spot me…'
She'd called in advance, of course, telling him that she'd be on her way within a different dialect to throw Piccolo off—being educated and having to talk with many foreigners had come back to serve her greatly in this instance. And if it wasn't for her father giving her the best education known to man for the first sixteen years of her life, they may not have been able to finish this project together despite being on opposite sides of the globe. Though she was a superhuman by definition and that her strength would be able to easily dismantle any normally-trained human, there was no denying that her brainpower was the strongest asset the heiress boasted.
CLICK!
A faint, dull noise indicated to Bulma that the complex had just been unlocked. Promptly taking the initiative, the scientist-turned-fighter immediately made her way inside to immediately find her father standing there with a smile and a cigarette sitting within his mouth, just as always.
"Bulma!" the overjoyed Dr. Briefs exclaimed, walking over to her and hugging his daughter tightly. "It's… it's been so long since I've truly gotten to see you in person!"
"I never wanted to leave, daddy," responded Bulma as she returned the embrace. "If it wasn't for Piccolo's ruling Earth, I'd be right back here, helping you run Capsule Corp. But… obviously I haven't had the chance to do that yet, what with everything the Earth's been through in the past eight years…"
"You don't have to worry; I completely understand why you've had to leave so abruptly," hastily responded the doctor. Just then, he immediately became serious as he realized the implications of her returning home. "So… I assume that you're looking to use it, aren't you?"
Bulma immediately nodded as she separated herself from her father. "I'm sure you saw Piccolo's most recent report about how he's pretty much done playing cat and mouse with us, right?" A nod from her father prompted her to swiftly continue. "Well… I would've taken my time getting here, but Chi-Chi's in some serious danger because she's out right now getting food and substance for the rest of us. I can't let her die right now, dad, especially when you consider the fact that she's much physically stronger than I am right now."
"But… honey, why were you the one chosen to come out here? Please tell me that someone else is out there right now and that you're just preparing for the worst-case scenario." Dr. Briefs narrowed his eyes, suspicious of his daughter's intentions.
A loud sigh escaped his daughter's lips before she could reply. "D-Dad…"
One look into her fierce eyes told her father all he needed to know. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, as her father, he could read her like a book."Bulma...you can't be serious. I know from raising you for sixteen glorious years of my life that you're headstrong and bold, but… this… this is just too far. You could get seriously hurt—or better yet, you could get yourself killed out there!"
"Dad, I don't have a choice anymore!" Bulma snarled, much to her father's shock and horror. "It's either me or someone who's actually powerful, and without using the weapon you made for me, I have no worth whatsoever!" Tears began to fall from her azure orbs to the ground, but she furiously wiped them away with her gloved hand. "Do you understand, dad? I have a chance to save someone's life right now after my own was constantly saved during my trip to find the Dragon Balls. And considering that this person grew up without a mother and lost her father to Piccolo's regime and the fact that freedom is nothing but a distant childhood memory for her… I'd say she deserves to be saved for once."
Dr. Briefs bowed his head, adamantly trying to prevent tears of his own from trickling down his eyes. How could he refuse what was such a selfless and admirable request? Hearing those words, as painfully selfish as it was, drove a razor-sharp dagger through his heart—the thought of his daughter dying made him want to spit up a river of bile. But at the same time, the aging doctor felt a surging sense of pride that he'd managed to raise a daughter with incredibly admirable traits and morality.
"All right, Bulma," Dr. Briefs said dejectedly, still trying to come to terms with the idea that this encounter could've been the last time he'd ever get to see his daughter again. "I'll show you to the lab and we'll get it up and running. While I can't say as a father that I approve of this decision, I know that as a human being that this is the best decision for you. Just remember one thing before I grant you permission to the final result of all our collective hard work, my daughter."
"Y-Yes, daddy?" Bulma responded, her voice cracking from the intense emotion. "W-What is it?"
"You, above all others, have worth. Don't delude yourself into thinking that you're weak or worthless in comparison to your friends; you're the strongest person I know just because of your willingness to sacrifice yourself for just one life. I know that this won't allow you to become the strongest of your group nor will it help you be the most reliable on the battlefield, but if I know my daughter, she's going to make it so that she can play a huge role in Piccolo's eventual overthrowing—whether she's the strongest or the weakest on her team."
A terse silence came upon father and daughter as they stared into one another's eyes, each of them brimming with tears. And then, in one collective moment, the two embraced for what was quite possibly the final time, not just as fellow scientists, but as a proud father and a healthy daughter that had blossomed into a beautiful woman.
At last, both members of the Briefs family had truly reunited once more, and for that one moment it was as if Piccolo's binding rule didn't exist. In that one moment, it was if Bulma had never been forced into leaving home.
And in that one moment, a new fire was lit under Bulma Briefs to protect the Earth like never before.
And that's a wrap, people! Thanks for checking out Chapter 8 of Turbulence, as while it may suffer from a bit of writer's rust, I personally think it turned out pretty well for what it was supposed to be.
If the ending of this chapter felt clunky to you and that there should've been more to this chapter, let me know - there was more content originally planned for this chapter, but I ultimately decided to save it for the next one mainly because I felt like I'd reached a natural stopping point here. As a result, I'm actually somewhat ahead of the game and I've got a bit of chapter 9 written out already! I promise that the wait between updates will NOT be as atrocious as three months going forward; that was simply a very tough time for me in terms of writer's block and an assortment of other things.
As for the plot this chapter: I think that the 'mystery' behind Bulma and Dr. Briefs' scene is fairly recognizable, but at the same time I felt like leaving it open just because I feel like that's something an actual television show would do. Nevertheless, that will be one of the many things that will be addressed in the next chapter, as will her going after Chi-Chi. And of course, we can't discount Yamcha and the others as well! This is a great opportunity to hopefully get to flesh out Bulma's character a little more now that other characters have the chance to talk about her, and I'm hoping I can make the best of it. You'll notice that I'm going to try to incorporate more of these moments(whether it be discussions, flashbacks, or other devices) to hopefully make up for the lost time I missed with the 8 year timeskip and all that, since while I didn't care to write about it… that doesn't mean that it isn't a vital part of my story.
Transitioning onward from that, we now move to Namek and the progression between Kakarot and Articuno's battle. So while I know that Articuno hasn't really been well-received to you guys if going by chapter 7's feedback means anything(and you have every right to feel this way considering that I really didn't do that much with the character aside from establish his basic motivations), I hope that this chapter was able to somewhat make you even remotely re-consider your stance on him. As I've tried to express through my narration, Articuno is basically a soldier whose mindset alone contradicts his goals. He despises the Cold family name for giving the Arcosians a malicious name throughout the universe, but at the same time… his code of conduct is terribly similar to Frieza's. But it's all he knows at this point - to intimidate, to use physical force, to get easily enraged... and who can blame him? It's not like he had the chance to develop his own belief system aside from the very blunt goal of wanting to see Frieza dead.
In any case, my readers, thanks so much for reading this chapter. It was tough to churn it out, but I'm hopefully making up for it now. As a small bonus, the next chapter is already 2.5K in and has a full scene done! I'm not about to promise any specific dates, but I can and will say that I'm diligently working on the next chapter! The climax of this story arc isn't too far away, so hang tight; the Saiyan Saga is well on its way!
-Chemistry-Deaf: You recently got into Bleach? I got into it during high school (graduated 3 years ago, so I had known Bleach for around 6 years, not counting my freshman year since I wasn't as involve in manga till second year). It's a little long, but good. The art style and the idea anyway... I really like some of the songs the opening plays. My like of Bleach had gone down in recent years based on what's happening in Bleach. I still read it just to see what's up.
For Kakarrot meeting Articuno, I don't think nearly killing Nail would help him that much. I suppose that's a problem with that race. Thinking everyone would bow down or follow their strength... I wonder how he would affect the story.
Well, it's been a while since my last update, so I've made quite the bit of progress since then(as I have with many other anime - Attack on Titan, Samurai Champloo, Black Lagoon, Death Note, Yu Yu Hakusho, and a few others that you can see on both my profile and my own MyAnimeList under the same name). Right now, I'm in the Arrancar arc of the story, and I can tell you right now that it's been a wildly entertaining ride(despite the fact that I, like many others, find Soul Society to be the best arc overall so far). The best track has undoubtedly been Precipice of Defeat(despite the abundance of other great tracks), which I actually used quite a fair bit while writing this chapter.
-SaiyanWanderer: I agree that Chi-Chi seems like the perfect match for a new fighter, but im not so sure about Bulma and Launch. Chi-Chi is the ox princesses, born and raised to fight by one of earths toughfest fighters, the Ox King. So it makes since she would take up fighting. I can see the motivation you had to make the other two fighters as well, but i dont see it. Sure, Bulma could make some sort of battle armor or some kind of mech suit, but Launch to me is one of those background characters that Toriyama forgot about in dragonball. She is very fiery, and is Tiens not so secret lover, but we will see what you have up your sleeves for her.
Something that i love so far that i didn't expect to see was some OCs. It gives your story that extra 'ompf' if you will. I am really excited to see what you have in store for the future, its too bad that you wont update for a little while but know that i am a devote reader of your series.
Well… as I hope this chapter hammered home(especially in Krillin's dialogue when talking about both Bulma and Launch's progress), the newest fighters are FAR from "perfect matches" as fighters. They're fighters of circumstance, warriors that never would've been if not for these particular turn of events. It's safe to say that I'll be exploring these emotions in many chapters to come.
To be honest, I've been doing a lot of things I never thought I'd originally do with Turbulence. First it was incorporating these fighters and then it was the addition of more original characters(what I mean by that is something I'll leave to your interpretation). Being honest, this fic has really taken a life of its own; it isn't just something that I'm writing anymore, but it's now a major project for me that I'm extremely excited to work on. There are times when my interest wanes and my motivation is low(as long-time readers of mine know, I'm notorious for scrapping things that I lose interest in), but a part of me just doesn't want to ever let this go until I can share my vision of this story with you all. As noted, I'm a broken record at this point, but this is the one fic that's really grown close to my heart and so I simply will not allow myself to let it go. Through past, present, and(what will likely be) future inconsistencies, loquaciousness, and whatever faults my story has, I still want to share my take on a revamped DBZ storyline before I bow out of writing for the DBZ fandom(the majority of my DBZ ideas will be poured into Turbulence, and I'll likely be burned out once that's over and done with). While it's unknown whether or not I'll spend time expanding into other fandoms after this is all said and done considering that this epic will likely take me longer to finish than One Piece and that I'll likely have a full-time job and possibly a family by then, I can promise with absolute certainty that this will be finished one way or another.