*Thanks to everyone who has read and enjoyed this story so far. This chapter is mostly an adaptation of Wakfu Episode 2, "Yugo the Eliatrope", but I included some changes from the original. Chapter 3 and onwards will deviate from canon quite a bit, but until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 2: The School of Hard Nox
While Goku's transformation into a Super Saiyan 4 only lasted a few minutes, it left quite an impact on the people living in or somewhere close to Emelka. The shaking of the entire planet was so intense, in fact, that many assumed Ogrest was going to cause a massive, cataclysmic flood once more. This belief ended up being a mere assumption, of course, but it didn't stop fear and paranoia from spreading like wildfire.
Soon, the entire nation of Amakna could be trying and failing to figure out the origins behind this global earthquake. Two young girls, at the moment, were doing just that.
They each sat around a small campfire while their mounts, two Dragoturkeys, either ate some grass or laid down to rest. One girl, a teenage Cra named Evangelyne, had short, somewhat spiky blonde hair, green eyes, and pointed elven ears. The other girl was a Sadida, Amalia Sheran Sharm, had tan skin, brown eyes, and long, leaf-like green hair.
Both of their bodies were covered by brown cloaks with white tufts of fur on top.
"You know, maybe we should have just stopped by Emelka. Whomever caused that tremor could have ended up there… or someone familiar with them, at least." Amalia said in a curious, wistful tone. "It did seem pretty close to it, right?"
Evangelyne deadpanned. The Sadida princess had been going on and on about this topic ever since they asked that old Enutrof for directions.
"Don't take me for a Iop, Amalia. There's no possible way a single person could be behind all of that. I think those 'prophetic dreams' you've been having might be getting to your head." The Cra glowered in reply. "I mean, isn't it a tad bit coincidental that you received this dream exactly one day before your brother's birthday? The same brother who you just had another bad argument with not too long ago?"
Amalia looked away and tried to shrug off her friend's question.
"There's nothing coincidental about it. These prophecies just tend to appear at the wrong time, you know?"
"Yeah, right." Evangelyne snorted sarcastically. "Just don't get too comfortable. This little "prophetic adventure" of ours will only be lasting a few days."
The Sadida girl's eyes widened in surprise.
"Huh? That's all?! But… um… the prophecy might take longer to come true than that. Or we might even get lost in the forest! Or get surrounded by some dashing bandits." She said, trying to come up with any kind of excuse possible. "And our Dragoturkeys are pretty tired too! You wouldn't want them to walk all the way back home with the whole world shaking about, would you, Eva?"
Evangelyne shook her head. "That only lasted a few minutes. I seriously doubt it'll happen again."
"Oh, where's your sense of adventure and imagination, Eva? You should expand your horizons and try something new." Amalia sighed. She then held up a kebab of food that was cooking in the fire. "Like this, for example! The white things are roots."
The Cra reluctantly took a bite out of it and swallowed.
Amalia beamed with a wide smile on her face. "Mmm, good, yeah? Huh? Tasty, right?"
Judging by the look on Evangelyne's face, it did not, in fact, taste good.
"Yum. They taste of adventure."
The Sadida princess placed both hands on her hips and harrumphed.
"Hmph! No need to be sarcastic about it."
Both of them then quickly finished their meals, boarded their respective Dragoturkeys, and traveled deeper into the forest.
Back in Emelka…
Goku, Yugo, and Ruel took upon themselves to fight off the Polters currently infesting Emelka. The Saiyan smashed a few of them with a few punches and kicks while Yugo smacked some away with a red ladle. He, additionally, rolled on top of a barrel to gain some distance and forward momentum.
Ruel, on the other hand, preferred to keep things simple by splattering them with his trusty shovel.
"Well, say hi to the human excavator, you dirty beasts! Ruel Stroud is here!"
He relentlessly slammed it down on the small black creatures, turning them into nothing, but flattened goop. Even Alibert followed his old partner's example and joined the fight to protect everyone.
"Get outta my village, you ugly beasts!" He yelled while squishing one Polter after another with relative ease.
To his horror, he saw a young adult woman and three kids trapped on top of a barrel. A group of Polters reached for them with their unsettling, claw-like arms.
"Mia!" The woman's father, Jason, cried. Before he could climb out the window to rescue her and the children, Goku appeared from half-way across the village. None of them had even seen him move at all.
"Just stay where you are, guys. I'll get rid of these monsters." He proclaimed.
"But how? You're completely unarmed, aren't you?" Mia asked in concern.
Rather than reply, Goku took a deep breath, pulled back his arms, and powerfully outstretched them. This sent out a massive shockwave of energy that disintegrated the remaining Polters upon impact.
Mia and the three kids looked dumbstruck by this minor display of Goku's strength.
"Does that answer your question? Hehe." The boy chuckled while holding up two fingers as a sign of victory.
Now that all of the Polters were dealt with, Yugo, Alibert, and Ruel came back together as one large group. Many villagers were still left in a motionless, vegetative state, but thankfully, not all of them.
It was then that Goku sensed some faint traces of energy coming from a small robot. Not liking the way its blue lens was moving and continually shifting in size, he transported himself over to the robot and quickly smashed it to pieces.
Yugo's pet Tofu, Az, flew over to its remains in curiosity. Goku himself expressed similar levels of confusion.
"Any idea what this is, Shenron?" He whispered. "Kinda looks like something Dr. Gero or Dr. Myuu would cook up."
Az blinked a few times, uncertain of who Goku was exactly speaking to.
"I'm not certain myself. If I were to guess, I'd say it resembles that of a Xelor's technology or—"
Suddenly, a blue cloud of smoke was released from the destroyed Noxine. It spread all over the grass and caused a gigantic tree to burst forth!
"Yikes! Was the seed to the Tree of Might hidden in there?!" The Saiyan martial artist shrieked, vaguely remembering the time he fought Turles and his group, the Crusher Corps.
"No, but it's probably something just as sinister or potentially far worse. That amount of Wakfu doesn't just appear out of thin air…" Shenron growled concernedly.
"Worse, huh?"
Everyone else then came over to inspect the new tree. Ruel was quite blown away by its immense size.
"Holy Bwork! Any chance that could work on a stash Kamas?"
Alibert rested a hand on his shoulder and sighed.
"As they always say, Ruel, money doesn't grow on trees… or, well, sprout up like one."
The elderly man shrugged. "An old Enutrof can dream, can't he?"
Yugo, meanwhile, somberly looked at the remains of his damaged home. He clenched one of his fists in newfound anger.
"This isn't fair! None of these people deserved any of this."
"Yes, nature can be quite unpredictable sometimes, but cheer up, Yugo! I'm sure we'll be able to find a cure and bring everyone back to normal." Ruel insisted. "In fact, I know an Eniripsa who—"
"Where are they?!"
The Iop from before suddenly appeared with a wide, enthusiastic smile on his face.
"Where are the two boys who helped free me from evil Rubilax?"
Both Goku and Yugo stepped forward to get a closer look. He was definitely far different from the oafish, gray monster he used to be under the Shushu, Rubilax's, control.
"And here I thought he was never going to wake up." The Saiyan muttered.
He politely bowed to them and smiled in a more confident, debatably cocky manner.
"Allow me to humbly introduce myself, kind sirs. My name is Sir Percedal of Sadlygrove, Noble Knight, Order of the Guardians of the Shushus." The Iop exclaimed. "The two of you have saved my soul! I will repay this debt, even if it costs me my life!"
"Sir Percedal of… what now? That's a real mouthful of a name. Mind if I just call you Dally?" Goku asked.
The Eliatrope child enthusiastically nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, I agree. That's a lot easier to both say and remember."
Percedal didn't seem to like this new nickname one bit.
"Although I agree to loyally fight by your sides, I'd prefer if you didn't call me—"
"Dally? Ho-ho-ho! Oh, you're definitely not going to live that one down!" Rubilax laughed in a mocking tone.
Percedal growled and glared down at the Shushu contained within his sword.
"Errgh! I command you to put a sock in it, demon! I am a knight and I deserve to be treated with just a little respect!"
"You? A knight? Pfft. Keep telling yourself that. You'd still be a lowly farmhand if it wasn't for me. And a dead one at that!"
"I had a moment of weakness, that's all! I'd have been just fine without you." Percedal snapped.
Rubilax rolled his one eye, not taking his so-called 'master's' rant all that seriously.
"Whatever. The truth is that you're nothing but a lowly peasant who is totally unworthy of guarding an all-powerful Shushu like myself. Especially one of my esteemed quality!"
"Are you ever gonna shut up?!"
"Guardian my foot—" Percedal then proceeded to repeatedly hit Rubilax against the grass out of sheer frustration. "Ow! Ow! You're such a wimp!"
"Yeesh. This even puts me and Chi-Chi's arguments to shame." Goku commented.
Yugo glanced over at him in newfound curiosity. He hadn't mentioned anything about his family or friends yet.
"Who's that?"
"Erm… just someone I encountered on one of my past adventures." The Saiyan shrugged. As much he missed his wife, sharing information about her wasn't all that relevant to the current situation at hand.
"I'm guessing that's where you learned how to fight so well, huh? That little wind trick you pulled off was mighty impressive, lad." Alibert add.
"It wasn't wind, actually, but thanks!"
Ruel, meanwhile, was starting to get tired of Percedal and Rubilax's little spat.
"Look, I know couples sometimes have their problems, but right now, we have bigger snappers to fry!"
The Iop knight stopped what he was doing to look around. He just noticed that many of Emelka's citizens were transformed into life-size bush sculptures.
"Mmm. So, you had Polters here as well, huh? They invaded two other villages. They come from the Forbidden Forest." He informed while clenching one of his fists. "I went myself, but didn't have time to find out very much. I was attacked by a vile monster when I was asleep!"
"…and that's when you cried, so I promised to save your life. And then remember when—"
"Will you shut up already!"
Percedal then found a stone well that he could smack Rubilax into. No matter how hard the sword clinked against the well, however, Rubilax still kept instigating his Iop companion even further.
"Liar, liar— Ow! Pants on fire— Ow!" The Shushu shouted.
"Seriously, Rubilax!"
Yugo, fully taking in the information Percedal shared with them, nodded his head. He was determined to set things right and bring everyone back to normal.
"Well, what are we waiting for, guys? Let's go to the Forbidden Forest!" The boy said. "If we can find out why these Polters attacked us, we might be able to find a solution."
"You took the words right out of my mouth, Yugo. Working together will help us sort this all out pretty fast!" Goku agreed.
Ruel massaged his chin and hummed to himself in thought. "I usually don't work free of charge, but just this once, I'll make an exception to get my old friend's village up and running again."
Alibert patted him on the back and smiled.
"Appreciate it, Ruel. Keep this up and I might remove some charges off of your tab."
The old man gasped. "Do you really mean that?!"
"Help Yugo and Goku sort out this mess first. Then maybe, just maybe I'll consider it." The younger Enutrof cheekily replied. He then crouched down to address both his son and the young, spiky-haired martial artist. "Good luck out there, boys. Terrible things have happened in that forest, so stay close together."
"And please free our parents! We're counting on you, Yugo!" An redheaded boy with a pot on his head pleaded.
Goku gave him and the other kids a thumbs up. "Don't worry. We'll be back before you know it."
With that, Goku, Ruel, and Yugo all made their way to the Forbidden Forest. Alibert, however, stopped his son from leaving at the last second.
"Oh and before I forget, Yugo…" He stated in a more stern, serious voice. "Soon, you'll get a message that will tell you where to find your real family. Try to locate that message and listen to it carefully, alright?"
The boy still wasn't sure what his adoptive father was referring to, but he ended up choosing to accept Alibert's request, regardless. It might help him learn more about his recently attained portal abilities.
"Sure, Dad. I will…" Yugo whispered. He then gave him a hug and left with the others.
Percedal, unbeknownst to everyone else, was still smacking Rubilax against the well without delay. Before he could land another blow, the rebellious Shushu chimed in.
"Sir Percy, your two saviors just abandoned you. Shouldn't you be following them?"
The Iop spun around in a sudden state of panic and hurriedly ran after his three new friends. He didn't even bother addressing Mia and the three kids before leaving.
"Hey, wait for me!"
"Hahaha!"
Inside the Forbidden Forest…
Once Percedal successfully caught up with Goku, Ruel, and Yugo, they entered the Forbidden Forest and continued walking through it for what seemed like hours. It was pretty dark and secluded in nature, so they exchanged some random small talk with one another to help pass the time. Even Az chose to tag along and give his owner some company.
Ruel and Percedal walked next to each other while Goku, of course, stayed behind with Yugo. Despite their mental age difference, they still had quite a bit in common when it came to both personality and past experiences. He still didn't feel comfortable sharing more of his own past, obviously, but all of that could be revealed with time.
After all, Shenron did say that he and him would be exploring the World of Twelve for a while. Goku might as well make some new friends and allies while he still could. He had always been good at doing that sort of thing, even if it wasn't entirely intentional on his part.
"Bounty hunting? Feh! Waste of time! It costs much more looking for bounty than it brings in!" Ruel ranted aloud.
As him and the Iop talked, Goku peered over at Yugo and his now-glowing blue hands.
"You think your portals have anything to do with the message Alibert was talking about?"
The boy waved one of his arms around and generated a new portal. Az inspected it in slight surprise.
"I assume so, but… it's hard to say. I still don't exactly understand why I have these powers." Yugo honestly admitted. "Before today, I didn't even think there was anything special about me at all…"
Goku could understand where he was coming from. Back in the day, he never realized he was a Saiyan until his older brother, Raditz, showed up. His life changed completely after that day, causing both good and bad results.
And he had a sinking feeling that Yugo's Eliatrope heritage would cause similar effects.
"I mean, this could be a good thing too. You have a chance to explore and see what this entire world has to offer." The Saiyan said. "I'm sure you're happy living in Emelka and all, but would you really want to live there for the rest of your life?"
Yugo rested a hand under his chin, thinking. "Guess I never thought that far ahead. If my real family is out there like Dad says, then maybe leaving home is the right thing to do. I dunno…"
"Again, it's up to you. But from my experience, I wouldn't have met nearly as many people as I did if I stayed cooped up on Mt. Paozu all-year round."
The boy quirked a brow. "Mt. Paozu?"
"It's where I grew up with my grandpa, Gohan, as a kid. He died when I was around six or so." Goku explained in slight sadness. Even many decades later, he still missed his grandfather dearly.
"Oh… so you were adopted too, huh?"
"Yep, pretty much. I'm not complaining, though. My grandpa was the best parent I could have ever asked for and then some. Hehe." Goku laughed.
Yugo laughed along with him. He really appreciated how optimistic and energetic the boy could be.
"Hehe. I could say the same thing about my dad."
"That's something we have in common then… amongst a few other things." The Saiyan pointed out with a smile. "You still need a lot more practice when it comes to combat and energy manipulation, though. I have a feeling there's more to your portals than what you've just discovered."
The Eliatrope glanced over at him in suspicion and uncertainty.
"That's something I've been thinking about. We're both basically the same age, yet you have way more experience than me at… well, everything, to be honest. Why is that?"
Goku crossed his arms and tried to act more ignorant than he actually was.
"It's a bit…erm… complicated. Let's just say that I did a lot and I mean, a lot of training." He replied. "Do as much training as I do and anyone our age could probably do the stuff I demonstrated earlier."
Yugo didn't seem all that convinced by this response, but it was better than nothing at all. "Fair enough. Whatever training you went through must have been pretty dang tough then."
"Oh, you have no idea. Haha."
As the four continued their conversations, they entered an even, deeper darker portion of the Forbidden Forest. It, unfortunately, looked almost identical to the area they started in.
"This forest is enormous! I spent a whole month here, and still didn't cover much." Percedal grumbled. "I even made a map, so I wouldn't get lost."
The others huddled close together, so they could all view his "map". It was a crudely drawn picture of some trees with a rabbit, fish, and sun surrounding it. The sun, to Goku's confusion, had a smiley face on it.
"I don't get it. Does the sun have a face here sometimes?"
Percedal just sheepishly grinned and pulled the map closer to him.
"I took a few liberties with it, I'll admit. It may not be completely accurate, but it is pretty, don't you think?"
"Ah, I see. Sir Percedal is not only a noble knight, but an artist too. How about you just draw us a way to the Polters then? That'll make things easier." Ruel sarcastically grunted.
Percedal crossed his arms and put the map away out of embarrassment.
"Oh, lay off, old-timer. At least I tried to figure a way out."
"Yeah, yeah. Quit Iopping around." The old Enutrof said. He then pointed to a higher point of the forest. "Yugo, take a look up there."
"No need, gramps. I can just fly up there and take a look."
The three dumbly looked at each other, wondering if Goku was trying to make a bad joke or something.
"Fly? How are you supposed to do that? Last time I checked, Az was the only one with wings here." Yugo asked.
"Bedebebe!" The little yellow Tofu chirped.
"It's pretty simple. I just release my energy and…"
Within seconds, Goku surrounded himself in an invisible white aura and ascended into the air. He flew higher and higher until he was close to reaching the forest's highest trees.
"…I'm already half-way there!"
Yugo smiled at this spectacle while Percedal and Ruel's jaws both dropped to the floor. They had officially seen the impossible become possible that day.
"Was showing off like that really necessary, Goku?" Shenron asked as the Saiyan perched himself on top of a tree's leaves.
"Eh, it's not a big deal. They were gonna find out that I could fly, eventually."
Goku then squinted his eyes and took notice of a particularly large, thick tree located nearby. It was mere walking distance from where they stood.
"Hm. That's something out of the ordinary." He muttered.
"You see anything up there, Goku?" Ruel asked from down below.
He then gently leapt off the tree and floated back down to the surface.
"I saw a pretty tall tree coming from that direction. We should probably head over there."
"That we certainly should, kiddo." Ruel said while grinning from ear-to-ear. "By the way, you ever thought of making some Kamas off that little flying trick? You could make a serious killing in a place like Bonta!"
"Wouldn't you make more money through my martial arts skills instead?" Goku asked. That's how competitions like the World Martial Arts Tournament worked, at least. A huge cash prize was given to anyone strong enough to win.
"Hm. I like the way you think, my young friend. We should do business sometime."
"Come on, Ruel. You shouldn't be talking about money at a time like this." Percedal chastised. He then wrapped an arm around Goku's shoulders and smirked. "Teaching me how to fly would be a much more interesting discussion, I think. Don't you agree, Goku? Think about the possibilities!"
"Hmph! Pigs really would fly if you somehow managed to do it. Although, then again, at least a pig would actually have more than half of a brain…" Rubilax joked.
"I told you to keep quiet!" Percedal screamed as smacked the Shushu into a random tree.
"Ow!"
This managed to, temporarily, silence him for maybe a few minutes at most.
"Ugh! This sword is unbearable! Believe me, being the guardian of a Shushu is no mean feat! Be grateful that you guys don't have to deal with one."
From a short distance away, Goku could hear the high-pitched chirps of a few hundred or so Polters. This pretty much confirmed that their home was, indeed, large tree he saw.
"They're here, guys. I can sense them drawing closer to us as we speak."
"Sense them? You're just chock full of surprises, aren't you, man?" Percedal asked in disbelief.
Goku absentmindedly shrugged. "It comes with the territory."
"Well, if that's the case, then we should stick together and—"
"HELP!"
Ruel's suggestion fell on deaf ears once Percedal heard this girlish cry for help and valiantly held out his sword.
"A damsel in distress! Awesom—" Before he could foolheartedly charge into battle, Goku grabbed ahold of his shirt. "Gyak!"
"You heard Ruel, Dally. The four of us should stick together." He reminded him.
"But… But it's a damsel! She needs our help!" Percedal cried in annoyance. "And stop calling me Dally!"
"I know she does. That's why I want get to her in a much faster, potentially safer way!"
"Like what?" Yugo wondered.
Goku then placed two fingers on his forehead and motioned for everyone to huddle up.
"Just touch any part of my body and we'll be there in a second."
Although initially reluctant to do as instructed, Percedal, Yugo, and Ruel all laid their hands on the boy's back. Yugo also tucked Az underneath his arm for good measure.
"Now what?" Ruel asked.
Goku said nothing in reply. He closed in on two faint traces of Wakfu, or ki, and pinpointed their exact location. One of them, to his surprise, was much more green in color and a had a plant-like feeling to it.
"Hang on tight, everyone!"
He then used Instant Transmission and caused everyone, including himself, to completely vanish. It went by so quickly that none of them had any time to react to it, especially a certain Iop swordsman.
"WAH!" Percedal yelped.
In another part of the Forbidden Forest…
Amalia and Evangelyne's "adventure" wasn't exactly off to a good start. After the Sadida princess foolishly tried to befriend a small group of Polters, they began to attack the two of them in droves. It got to a point where Amalia had to willingly sacrifice her Dragoturkey's life, so she could latch onto a tree branch.
Evangelyne's condition wasn't much better. She had to take on an army of the demonic creatures all by herself while Amalia stood by and cowered in fear.
"What in the world do they want from us?!" The princess screamed. She was using her doll to make holding onto the branch a tad bit easier.
"What I wanna know is… Whoa. Whoa!" Evangelyne struggled to keep her Dragoturkey secure and stable. "Why did I go along with this crazy plan in the first place?"
She then took out her bow and shot an arrow at three Polters, killing them instantly. "You were all like, 'Oh, of course they're friendly!'. And you seriously call yourself an adventurer?"
Amalia huffed. "Yeah, but we all make mistakes, right?"
Suddenly, to the two girls' surprise, four people teleported to this area out of thin air. This group comprised of two kids, an old man, and a teenage Iop.
Unfortunately, he didn't find Goku's primary mode of transportation all that comfortable. He gagged and proceeded to puke all over some unsuspecting Polters.
"Yuck!" Yugo winced.
After vomiting for a good few seconds, Percedal took weak, ragged breaths and pulled out his sword.
"P-Please… gimme a warning the next time you do that…"
"Will do. Hehe." Goku laughed in an apologetic manner. He then quickly hopped onto the branch where Amalia was standing and used a small energy ball to blast away some Polters trying to attack her.
"You alright?"
She couldn't seem to respond right away. The Sadida was far too stunned by the technique Goku used to scare off those creatures.
Was that some kind of Wakfu?
She then shook her head and went back to normal.
"Yeah… I am. Thanks for saving me from… that thing."
Goku simply smiled and looked down to see where Yugo was. He was currently redirecting some Polters with multiple portals that each went in different directions.
"Could you create a portal for us, Yugo?"
"Sure thing!" The Eliatrope nodded. He placed one portal in front of them and another on the ground. "Hup! Ha!"
With Goku's guidance, they jumped through this portal and safely parted from the tree. The remaining Polters were too scared by Ruel and Percedal to show themselves again. They had squashed a ton of them with their sword and shovel, respectively.
However, Evangelyne's Dragoturkey was still too spoked by the creatures to keep itself under control. It ran away and unintentionally knocked Evangelyne off its back.
"Gyaaah!" She shrieked. Luckily, before she could hit the ground back-first, Percedal was there to catch her in his arms.
He suggestively leered at her beautiful face, much to the Cra girl's discomfort and clear disinterest. They would have both been attacked by another Polter too, if not for Ruel expertly squishing it with his shovel.
The old Enutrof spun it around a bit and then held a confident, proud grin on his face. This gave everyone some time to gather together as one large group, Az included.
"Oh, I believe that we've already met before." He greeted, recognizing them from when he first entered Emelka a few hours prior. "Ruel Stroud, your humble servant. And this is the intrepid Sir Percedal, renowned warrior knight, Yugo, the adopted son of my best friend, and Son Goku, freakishly powerful adventurer and martial artist."
Amalia's face perked up at this description. "You're an adventurer? Is that true?"
"Yep! I've been on all sorts of fun and crazy adventures before."
The Sadida was starting to get intrigued. Learning from an actual adventurer could likely help her a lot.
"Hmm. Interesting. That must be how you were able to shoot that energy out of your hands." She assumed.
"That's not all he can do. He can teleport, fly, and defeat large monsters in one single blow!" Ruel boasted on the Saiyan adult-turned-child's behalf. "He was a huge help against the Polters that invaded Yugo's village, but most of the people living there have still been turned into shrubs. We're here to find out why that happened, and hopefully find a cure."
The two girls both peered at Yugo sympathetically. He had a deep look of sadness on his face.
"Well, my name is Evangelyne. And this is Amalia. We're on a pilgrimage together."
Ruel quirked a brow. "And what are two pilgrims doing in the Forbidden Forest, if I may be so bold to ask?"
"We—"
Amalia then stepped up to interrupt her friend. "The same as you! Two nights ago, I had a prophetic dream. The god, Sadida, told me to go to the Forbidden Forest for a special mission. So, it seems we were destined to meet each other and follow the same path!"
She looked over at Evangelyne in annoyance.
"Even if some people think my imagination is overactive."
The Cra upturned her nose and looked away.
"Someone has to be realistic, don't they?"
"No offense, but it's kinda hard to be "realistic" when Goku has the type of power he has." Ruel interjected.
"I'll believe it when I see it. Minor teleportation – if that's even what it was— doesn't exactly constitute someone's overall strength."
Goku, admittedly, wasn't expecting that type of statement. It was bold, yet almost entirely inaccurate.
"Wow. You seem pretty hard to please, Evangelyne."
"Tell me about it." Amalia overdramatically sighed.
Yugo looked at everyone from left to right, smiling. "This is great! The more of us there are, the better the chance of saving everyone in Emelka."
"Then I guess there's no time to waste." Evangelyne replied with a similar grin. She then looked over to see Percedal awkwardly staring at her with flushed cheeks. Not amused by this behavior, she walked away and tried to pretend he wasn't there.
Rubilax glared up at the lovesick Iop in disgust.
"Hey, Romeo, take it easy! It's not as if she's a princess now, is it?"
A few more minutes of walking led to them successfully locating the enormous tree's resting place. Amalia was about to ask Goku more about the type of adventures he went on until she saw something fairly disheartening.
As a Sadida, she could feel the emotions given off by trees and plant-life, so seeing the forest in such pain broke her heart. The princess began to cry and approach one of these destroyed trees.
"Ohh, it's horrible! Horrible!" She whimpered while placing a hand on its bark. "Poor thing."
Goku narrowed his eyes. "Who could have done something like this?"
"Most likely Ogrest's Chaos." Evangelyne murmured.
"Oh, that old legend's just Gobball nonsense! Everything gets blamed on Ogrest these days, and no one even knows if he exists." Ruel said doubtfully.
"I'm confused. Who's this Ogrest guy and why is he such a big deal?" The Saiyan warrior asked. The Cra girl glanced at him, frowning.
"He's not just some guy, Goku. Ogrest is a powerful monster who flooded the entire world hundreds of years ago. Some say he was even strong enough to fight all twelve gods… and win." She explained. "I'm honestly surprised you haven't heard about him. Though, then again, I guess you are still pretty young."
"That's no excuse. My dad always used to tell me stories about Ogrest and his creator, Otomai, when I was younger." Yugo added.
Goku crossed his arms in thought. "Geez. If Ogrest is real, then he's definitely someone I'd want to fight one day."
"Good idea… if you want to get yourself killed." Evangelyne snorted. She then addressed her friend's dour mental state. "What's the matter, Amalia?"
"I… I felt something. An ancient evil presence. We really aren't welcome here." She warned.
Percedal held out his sword, ready and willing to fight at any moment.
"Really? Well, I'll have to give them some hospitality lessons!"
"Bah! Show-off." Rubilax grunted from below his waist.
The young Eliatrope then took a good, hard look at the large tree Goku saw earlier.
"Whoa! I've never seen such a big tree in my whole life."
Amalia grimaced at the tree's currently lifeless appearance. It seemed to be drained of nearly all its energy and nutrients.
"He's been affected, too… by that machine over there." She pointed out. The damaged remains of a Noxine could be seen on the ground.
"I destroyed one of those back in Emelka! A big tree sprouted up when blue energy was released from inside it." Goku recalled.
Evangelyne glared down at the small robot. "These things must have been stealing Wakfu from the forest then…"
"But what would someone have to gain from—" Amalia froze once she heard some creaking and rustling noises come from the woods. "Huh?"
Suddenly, from out of the bushes came four monstrous-looking trees with jagged teeth and long arms. They roared and approached the entire group from all sides.
"GRRAAAGH!"
"Oh no! Treechnids!" Amalia screamed.
"That's what attacked me in the middle of the night!" Percedal winced.
Rubilax looked up at his guardian in anger. "Set me free, peasant! It's your only chance!"
"No. Never again, demon!"
Evangelyne, at the same time, took off her coat and revealed a black, skintight dress. She also had brown gloves and long boots of the same color that went all the way up to her thighs.
The Cra archer was about ready to fire an ice arrow at the Treechnids, but Goku alone made such an attack unnecessary. He stood in a fighting stance and speedily traveled from one monster to another at faster than average speeds. One by one, each of them ended up shattering into multiple pieces.
The others looked impressed, but also a little let down. They, especially Percedal, wanted to help fight as well.
"So much for taking them on together…" Evangelyne grumbled. "I'm not even going to ask how a kid as small as you was able to do that, but nice work, Goku."
"It's no big deal. I would have saved some for the rest of you guys, but we are on kind of a time crunch, you know?"
"Even so, you still could have at least given us a little handicap, man!" Percedal sighed in disappointment.
Although they seemed safe from harm once more, a large arm quickly grabbed ahold of Amalia and picked her up.
"AHHHHH!"
"Amalia!" Evangelyne cried. Before she could shoot an arrow, an incredibly obtuse army of Polters appeared. There had to be thousands of them at most.
Goku would have tried flying up to save Amalia himself, but after sensing the tree's energy signature, it didn't seem hostile at all. It felt more… sad than anything else.
"Stay calm, everyone. I don't think that tree means Amalia any harm. She might actually be able talk things out and save Yugo's village, after all." He guessed.
"Are you sure?" Yugo asked in a hopeful tone.
Goku nodded. "Positive."
Amalia was brought face-to-face with a much larger, anthropomorphic version of the Treechnids that Goku destroyed. He had large tired eyes and similarly sized teeth made from white bark.
"Leaf? Is that you?" The tree asked. He looked almost pleased to see her again, even if Amalia wasn't exactly the person he was referring to.
The Polters stopped in place as soon as the tree made this assumption.
"Leaf. Little Leaf. Your old Soft Oak is suffering." He whimpered sorrowfully. "Strange machines came here. They burned my heart and stole the sap from my little brothers."
"Why is he calling her Leaf?" Yugo asked.
"He must think she's someone else." Evangelyne assumed as she continued listening in on their conversation.
"My Polters are turning all the humans into trees. All the humans! From now on, their destiny and ours will be one and the same." Soft Oak proclaimed as he gestured to the wanton destruction brought to his home.
Tears fell down Amalia's cheeks. She understood the old tree's pain.
"Venerable Soft Oak, you're mistaken. They don't all have hearts of stone. You must believe me!" The Sadida pleaded with open arms. "I am Princess Amalia Sheran Sharm, daughter of King Sheran Sharm, great protector of the World of Twelve's forests."
"So you're not Leaf, eh?" The tree said in an angrier tone.
Amalia shook her head. "Listen to me, I beg you. I have no idea who Leaf is. And I don't even know what Sadida expected of me by guiding me to you. But I do know the world's forests are threatened in many ways. And only men and women who are free can protect them."
She crouched down and rested a hand on Soft Oak's body, transferring green Wakfu into it. This caused the tree's injuries to instantly heal and his withered leaves to grow back. Such a selfless action healed the tree's bitter heart.
"Amalia of the Sadida Kingdom. Thank you. You have calmed my anger, much like little Leaf did oh, so long ago." He expressed with the utmost gratitude. He then gently set her back down on the ground. "Out of friendship for you and your people, I shall remain patient and have hope in mankind."
Closing his eyes, Soft Oak then drew power from a green gemstone inserted into his forehead and healed the entire Forbidden Forest's damaged grassland. This made the Polters act far more friendly around him than before.
"Cool! Thanks for saving my village, Amalia!" Yugo beamed. "Dad isn't gonna believe the adventure we had!"
"Should I use Instant Transmission to teleport us back there?" Goku asked.
The Polters answered this question for everyone else by picking them up and carrying them back to Emelka. Turns out they were much stronger than they looked.
"This works too."
"Thank Iop…" Percedal sighed in relief. He really didn't want to risk blowing chunks again in front of Evangelyne. He's embarrassed himself enough today as is.
"Teleportation may be fun and all, but this isn't a bad way to travel either." Ruel said.
Yugo then smiled at Goku, hoping that he'd be willing to join him on a new adventure.
"I'll hope you'll be able to help me find my family, Goku. I'd appreciate the company."
Considering how powerful the Eliatropes were according to Shenron, Goku couldn't even imagine declining such a request. He placed a fist in front of Yugo and smiled.
"I have nothing better to do, so why not? Exploring the world with you sounds like it could be a ton of fun."
They both gave each other a fist bump and chuckled. Percedal quickly joined in.
"Count me in too! Even we have to battle every last demon in the world, with Iop as my witness, I'll repay my life's debt. My blade is yours." The Iop knight promised.
"Oh, really? Maybe you should ask me first." Rubilax growled.
Goku clenched his fists in excitement. "Battling demons sounds pretty fun too! Hehe."
"Yeah! Thanks, Dally!"
"Percedal, Yugo. Not Dally! All I ask is for a little respect, okay?"
Behind them, Amalia and Evangelyne looked conflicted. They wanted to join them as well, but unfortunately, their obligations to the Sadida Kingdom came first. The Sadida princess was particularly saddened by this fact.
"I'd love to help Yugo find his real family too, but—"
"But a princess doesn't go off on adventures! A princess is a delicate, little plant! I know the score, you know." Amalia sighed with a downcast expression. "And my father and brother never let me forget it."
The princess then narrowed her eyes with a sense of determination she hadn't felt in a long time.
"But I'm sick of sitting around looking pretty! I want to experience something like what Goku's been through and go on adventures, Evangelyne! I wanna explore the forests of the world and help people like I did today!"
"Then let's talk to the king about it. Maybe he'll let us help Yugo." Evangelyne suggested.
"You really believe that? You know my father. He'll go totally crazy and he won't entertain a word of it."
"He could change his mind, you know. Feeling overprotective won't be necessary once he learns about the crazy stuff Goku can pull off."
Amalia crossed her arms. "Hmph. That'd just make him want to keep me away even more. Probably cause he's too dangerous and all that."
The Cra shook her head as the Polters finally reached Emelka. They successfully touched all of the villagers and brought them back to normal.
"That's my boy! You did wonderful out there, little Piwi!" Alibert said as he scooped Yugo into his arms and gave him yet another fatherly hug. "Now that everyone's safe, we have some important things about your family that we need to discuss."
"I know. I just wanted to free everyone first." Yugo proclaimed.
Goku then sensed a malevolent ki appear from out of nowhere. He spun around to see a robotic-looking man teleport into view.
"Greetings. My name is Nox." The Xelor said while glaring at Goku specifically. "It's so good to finally make your acquaintance, monkey boy. Come quietly and give me some of your delicious energy now, will you? Or things will have to get… ugly."
Goku and everyone else immediately stood in a fighting stance, ready to defend themselves if need be. Shenron already knew what type of race this Nox individual belonged to.
"Goku, that's a Xelor. He must be the one behind those robotic creatures and the destruction of the Forbidden Forest." The Eternal Dragon realized.
The Saiyan martial artist's eyes narrowed in shock and anger.
"Ergh! I don't care who you are! You won't be stealing energy from me or anyone else, monster!" He shouted.
Nox just laughed at the word, "monster", being used to describe him. He had personally called himself a lot worse many years ago.
"Ah, I see you've learned about my Noxines. You catch on quick, brat." He sneered. "Too bad you won't be able to think as quickly as I move!"
He then attempted to teleport behind Goku in a flash of blue energy. The martial artist anticipated this attack and powerfully kicked Nox in the side of his stomach.
"Gyah!"
The Xelor was sent crashing down into the grass, but managed to recover with minimal injury. He narrowed his blue eyes and began to levitate.
"Get behind me, Princess!" Evangelyne shouted. She brought her bow and attempted to shoot a yellow light arrow at Nox.
"Mmhm. Not bad. No bad at all! HAHAHA!" He laughed. He then froze the arrow in place and imbued more Wakfu into his left arm.
"He's a Xelor. A time wizard!" Ruel warned.
"Time what—"
Before Goku could even finish his sentence, Nox stopped time itself and froze everyone in place. The Saiyan, despite how powerful he was, couldn't even move a muscle at first.
"I will say that kick hurt quite a lot, you troublesome child." He said while floating closer to Goku. "That deserves a little timeout, don't you think?"
As the he struggled to move, Nox temporarily set his sights on Yugo and tried to gather some information.
"Now then, Eliatrope child, you will tell me everything you know about Grougaloragran the Dragon. And I mean everything!"
"Eliatrope? Dragon? I… I don't understand." Yugo replied in confusion.
Nox was starting to lose his patience.
"Maybe you'll talk more if I deal with your friends first. Starting with this little Tofu." He snarled while using a blue tractor beam in his right hand to draw Az towards him. "My machines will pluck it one feather at a time to find out why it is filled with so much Wakfu."
He plucked a glowing blue feather from Az's tail, causing it to float in the air and convert itself into a message. It was written in an ancient language that no one could understand, but Yugo and, potentially, Shenron.
"Hmm? Very interesting! It's in Dragonish!"
"Eliatrope child. You must set out to find your real family immediately. They live on Oma Island." Grougaloragran's voice announced. The blue Dragonish letters then entered Yugo's eyes, much to Nox's clear irritation.
Piece by piece, he brought out a magical, highly advanced longsword shaped like the hand of a clock. He mercilessly stuck it in front of Yugo's face and threatened to hurt him.
"Tell me what you just heard, you little brat, or I'll crush you and your friends!"
. "Now's your chance, Goku. I've already translated the message, so take him down before he does any more harm to this village." Shenron ordered.
Goku did as asked and, through willpower alone, broke out of Nox's time magic.
"The only person that's going to be crushed here is you, Nox!" Goku shouted.
"Tch. Irksome little pest! Wait your turn!"
He outstretched his sword and blasted a huge stream of Wakfu at the boy. He effortlessly dissipated it with a mere wave of his hands and began to charge up his own attack.
"Kaa… Mee… Haa… Mee…"
Seeing the blue ball of energy within Goku's hands, Nox grew uncharacteristically excited and erratic in nature.
"Oh… Oh, yes! The blast from before! Yes, give it to me! It'll just be the amount of fuel I need to wipe this worthless little village off the map!"
He brandished his chronal blade and waited to take the boy's energy blast head-on.
"Well, if you want it so badly, then here!" Goku teleported himself in front of Nox's chest and unleashed the Kamehameha Wave at close range. "Take it! HAAAAA!"
The Kamehameha Wave proved to be far stronger than Nox ever expected and pierced straight through his Wakfu core. Energy erupted from his eyes and every part of his body, causing the once-proud Xelor to let out a guttural scream of pain.
"GAAAAAH! NO!"
Feeling that he was genuinely about to explode and meet his end, Nox teleported away from Goku while he still could.
This gave the Saiyan some time to take a breather and calm himself down. He looked down at his hands, feeling a tad bit mortified by what just happened.
"I… thought he'd be a lot stronger than that. I actually could have killed him right then and there, Shenron." He whispered.
"I can understand your concerns, Goku, but you have killed many times before. What makes this situation any different?"
He shook his head in uncertainty. "I don't know, really. It's just that when I felt his energy, it didn't feel pure evil like Frieza, Cell, or any of those other guys'. It felt… sad and, believe it or not, remorseful."
"Hm. Perhaps there's more to this Xelor's goals than he lets on." The green dragon wondered. "Regardless, he still poses a serious threat to this world. You may not be able to hold back much longer if he, somehow, happens to acquire more and more Wakfu as planned. That type of energy can turn a simple Xelor like himself into a god."
He slightly shivered at such a disturbing remark.
"Alright. I'll keep that in mind for next time." Goku promised. He then recalled how much pain the Kamehameha caused Nox both internally and externally. "If he's even stable enough to come back…"
Goku sighed and checked on the others. They were still a little disoriented from Nox's time magic.
"You guys alright?"
"Yeah. Just a little sore, but nothing too major." Percedal muttered while massaging his aching backside. "You really showed that Xelor jerk who's boss, though, Goku! What kind of move was that?"
"Oh, it's called the Kamehameha Wave. I learned from my old martial arts instructor, Master Roshi." Goku informed. "It's usually much bigger than that. I was holding back a lot."
Ruel shuddered at this information. "You're pretty scary for a little Piwi, you know that?"
"Scary or not, you're undoubtedly a hero to this village, Goku. You and the rest of Emelka have my thanks." Alibert warmly proclaimed. "But I suppose congratulations can come another time. You six have a long journey ahead of you, I believe."
"You could always come with us, Dad. Someone needs to keep Ruel in check, after all." Yugo offered. The elderly Enutrof didn't take too kindly to that last comment.
"Oh no, Yugo. Someone needs to stay and run the inn while you're gone. Gobball stew doesn't cook itself, you know? Haha." He laughed. "But you, my boy, have always been special. You're needed more out there than you are here."
Tears fell down the young Eliatrope's cheeks as he hugged his father for what seemed like one last time.
"No matter what happens, you will always be my real father, Dad. I'll never forget you." He said.
"I know, son. I love you too." Alibert choked, struggling to keep his emotions in check as their hug ended.
Afterwards, Yugo, Goku, and the others said their goodbyes, and left Emelka behind. It was painful for the boy to leave Alibert behind, but he'd eventually find a way to move on and, at some point, come to visit once their adventure was over.
"Come on, kiddo, we have a new family to find!" Ruel called out.
They reached a gate-like structure located outside the village on a hilltop. The old man then flicked a blue gemstone into the wooden gate and created a Zaap portal.
"What's that, gramps?" Goku asked.
"Have you been living under a rock? That's a Zaap portal, Goku. It allows instantaneous travel throughout the World of Twelve. If you know exactly where you're going, traveling through one is a piece of cake."
"Seems pretty cool. I still prefer Instant Transmission, though."
"I don't." Percedal gagged as a figurative shiver went down his spine. "But enough talk about that! It's adventure time, guys! Let's get a move on!"
"Don't be in such a hurry. We'll first need to start at Kelba Market, so we can, with a little luck, find a good map to use." Ruel instructed.
This information went in one and out the other as Percedal just hurriedly jumped through the Zaap.
"Follow me, friends!"
Goku, Yugo, Az, and Ruel then followed him soon after. Evangelyne and Amalia were now by themselves.
"I've made up my mind, Eva. I'm not going back to the castle. If my father loves me, I'm sure he'll accept my decision." The Sadida princess proclaimed. "But I'll understand if you don't wanna come."
Evangelyne scoffed. "Heh. You don't even know how to cook a newt kebab, so it wouldn't be right to just leave you all alone. But I'm warning you, as soon as we help Yugo find his family, we're going straight back to the castle!"
"Okay but quit calling me "Princess" and stop treating me like one! From now on, I'm your good friend, Amalia."
"Okay, Okay! I'll treat you as a friend… erm… princess." Evangelyne awkwardly agreed to her friend's terms.
The two of them then entered the Zaap portal and joined the others on their trip to Kelba Market.
Somewhere in the Forbidden Forest…
Nox, with difficulty, managed to teleport himself to a distant swamp. His optic lenses, Wakfu core, and major portions of armor were all damaged beyond foreseeable repair. He couldn't even move his body enough to avoid falling into a pond.
He took deep, yet strained breaths and examined the large hole in his chest. The pain from that boy's Kamehameha Wave was excruciatingly painful, yet… invigorating at the same time. He wanted all of that power to himself more than ever.
"Gah! Ehehe! I could have died there! All my work would have been for nothing… because of him! AHAHAHA!" The Xelor laughed manically. He clutched his chest to stop any blood or liquid Wakfu from leaking out.
"No matter. Those brats haven't seen the last of me! Not by a long shot!"
Nox then struggled to crawl out of the pond and teleport himself back to his fortress. He'd need a few weeks to recover, unfortunately, but it'd make him all the more powerful for his next encounter with the monkey-tailed boy.
As he left, a lone figure secretly eavesdropped on his crazed monologue from the shadows. It was a voluptuous young woman with long white hair, light blue skin, and purple eyes. She also wore golden Potara Earrings in her ears and a hairpin shaped like an infinity symbol. Over her red and black, skintight bodysuit was a white lab coat that scientists would typically use during research.
And this woman, the demoness, Towa, was currently doing quite a bit of research about Nox. She knew everything from his tragic past to his current Wakfu-draining schemes.
"So that's what a single battle with Son Goku did to him, mm?" She suggestively murmured. "Interesting. Very interesting indeed."
The demonic woman then brought out her brown spear and teleported in a flash of red light. She was now hellbent on talking with Nox about their shared enemy and his true nature.
*And that's the end of Chapter 2. Like I said, most of this chapter was just an adapation of Episode 2, but there were a few changes here and there. For one, Goku was the one who took down Nox instead of Alibert, which I thought made more sense for that scene. I also had him get really banged up by Goku's Kamehameha, so the newly introduced Towa will be helping him grow stronger. She (and her husband/creation, Mira) will serve as the secondary antagonists for this arc. Her time manipulation abilities will play a big role in the story and even lead to some unexpected appearances from a few Dragon Ball characters, which I cannot reveal at the moment.
Anyways, please leave a favorite, follow, and/or review to let me know what you think about the story so far. Episode 3 will be heavily altered from the original version since realistically, Goku wouldn't have much trouble against the Black Crow/Kabrok at all, lol. I might be including an Ecaflip OC as well, but I'll have to see. Take care, guys, and see you again once Chapter 3 is written.
P.S. The main love interests for Goku so far are confirmed to be Lady Echo, Amalia, and Cleophee (Evangelyne's younger sister). More possible love interests may show up later, but those are the main three as of now.