NOTE: Welcome back to another chapter! With the Red Ribbon Army beaten, Yor and Goku hurry to collect the final Dragon Ball to bring Upa's dad back to life! Their next stop is the home of Fortune-Teller Baba, so that she can give them the location of the seventh ball. Will they succeed in their quest or is failure in their future? Find out this time on, Assassin x Monkey!
Enjoy and Review!
Chapter 6: Fortune-Teller Baba
Yor watched the islands go by as Yamcha flew them to Fortune-Teller Baba's palace. So much has changed for her in these past three days. It never would've occurred to her that she'd be heading to a mysterious palace to find the location of an orb that would lead to summoning a wish granting dragon that could resurrect the dead.
She blinked. "Wow…my life is weird."
"Heh, welcome to my world." Yamcha's response alerted her that she had spoken out loud.
"O-oh, I didn't mean to offend any of you!" Yor frantically apologized.
"You're fine, Yor, nothing you said was offensive. Right, guys?" Yamcha turns to the two younger fighters.
"Exactly!"
"What are you guys talking about?"
The ex-bandit sighed at Goku, long used to his low attention span. "Don't worry about it, Goku." He addressed his friend before glancing back at Yor. "So, Yor, mind telling us about yourself? Sure, Goku likely already knows, but we don't know much about you. Except that you helped him take out the Red Ribbon Army."
"Still pretty shocking." Krillin added.
Not expecting their curiosity, Yor fumbled her words a bit. "O-oh…uh…" She didn't know if she should tell them the truth since they're Goku's friends or keep it hidden. "I…uh…"
"Oh, that's easy!" Goku exclaimed. "Yor's an assa-MGHM!" The Thorn Princess' hands clamped over Goku's mouth.
Laughing nervously, Yor acted quickly. "I'm an assigned bodyguard!"
"Assigned bodyguard?" The other males questioned.
"What does that mean?" Puar asked.
"I-I…uh…guard important people from bad people! Totally not some bloodthirsty killer hired by a secret organization!"
…
…
"Okay…?" Yamcha muttered, a bit weirded out. "Anyways, we have more important matters to take care of, guys."
"What do you mean?" Goku asked.
"Getting you some new clothes, Goku! You reek!" Yamcha exclaimed.
"More specifically, his clothes smell bad. I did have him take a shower before we joined up with you all." Yor explained.
"I was fighting the whole time in these." Goku responded.
"Well, we better go down and get you some new clothes before we meet Fortune Teller Baba. She may not even want to tell your fortune when you look like that!" Yamcha said.
Yor gasped and started sniffing her own clothes just to be sure she didn't still stink either. Krillin sweatdropped at Yor's antics. "He's not referring to you, Yor."
Puar turned to his best friend. "I think I'm starting to see why she and Goku get along so well."
"Me too, buddy." Yamcha grinned.
The gang stopped at a small town to get Goku some new clothes. Yor and the others couldn't help but laugh at the dorky outfit the clerk had given Goku to try on. He was dressed in a black vest with a white button-up underneath and a red bowtie around the collar. White shorts covered his lower half and a soft blue cap on his head. This outfit didn't fit Goku's style at all, but she wondered if Yuri would like to wear it. "Y-you look so silly, Goku!"
Goku didn't find it so funny and glared at his friends. "I don't like these clothes!"
"C'mon, they look pretty great on ya, buddy! You look like any regular little kid!" Yamcha jokes.
Yor turns away as Goku begins stripping the clothes off to give back to the clerk. She was gonna have to remind Yamcha to buy Goku some underwear, because he can't keep walking around without any.
"I've been fine with what I've been wearing up till now." Goku complained.
"Shall I make a new set of these for you then?" The clerk offered.
"Yeah, have him do that." Yamcha agreed with the suggestion.
"Sure!"
After explaining to the clerk how Goku would like his new GI stylized, the little monkey put his dirty ones back on in the meantime. Luckily, they only needed to wait an hour until Goku's new clothes were ready to be bought. Yor appreciated the small bit of free time given before they'd have to set back off on their journey.
"What should we do now? Head to a coffee shop until the clothes are done?" Yamcha asked.
"Sure!" Krillin responded.
"Okay, then I'll go bring Upa here while I have the time!" Goku told the group.
"Bring him here?" Yor questioned.
Goku nodded his head. "We almost have all the Dragon Balls, after all! I want him to be with us when we get them all!"
Just when she thought this boy couldn't be any more kind, he continued to prove her wrong. Yor could only wonder how someone as sweet as Goku could exist in such a cruel world. "I'll come with you, Goku!"
"Alright!" Goku responded before calling the Nimbus. The monkey and assassin hopped onto the yellow cloud and took off.
"You guys better come back here without getting lost!" Yamcha yelled after them.
"Don't worry, we'll be back quickly!" Yor waved as they flew off.
"There it is!" Goku pointed at Korin's Tower as they approached the sacred lands.
"I'm surprised you remember where it was, Goku." Yor commented. She thought she'd have to direct him on where to go due to how dense he was.
"Nah, I don't think I could ever forget where Master Korin's tower is located." He responded. The Nimbus lowered down to the grass, allowing them to hop off. "UPA! YOU HERE!? WE'RE BACK!"
"Goku?" Upa stuck his head out of the Teepee. His eyes brightened at the sight of the two who avenged his father. "GOKU! YOR!" He rushed towards them, embracing his saviors with his little arms. "I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE ALIVE!"
"You think we'd die?" Goku giggled.
"We weren't going to die to people like them. Not after all they've done." Yor softly patted the boy's head. Upa's expression reminded her so much of Yuri whenever she'd return home after a mission.
"We beat those Red Ribbon guys and we have six whole Dragon Balls now! One more and we'll be able to bring your dad back!" Goku explained.
"Really!?"
"Yes, and we want to bring you with us when it happens." Yor answered.
Goku called the Nimbus back to take them back to Yamcha's group. Upa clung to Yor as they flew through the air. "Where's the seventh ball?" He asked.
"I don't really know right now, but there's someone who can tell us!" Goku responded.
Yor looked down at the little boy. "Is this your first time leaving home, Upa?"
"Yes, I've never left Korin's lands before. I'm a little scared." Upa admitted. He felt Yor grabbing him, then placing him onto her lap as she pulls him into a close hug.
"Don't feel embarrassed about it, Upa. I remember when my little brother and I had to leave our home… I was terrified of what would happen to us, but I had to be strong. Our old home may have been gone, but we were always together."
"Where is he now?" Upa asked.
"He's waiting for me to come home. For me, home will always be with him, and I think it's the same for you. Your home is with your dad, and soon he'll be coming back to you." Yor reassured him.
"Yeah! I want to go back to the home my dad and I lived in together!" Upa declared.
Goku thought about Yor's words, thinking back to his grandpa. He wondered if his grandpa felt the same way about him before he died. He loved his home back at Mt. Paozu and he loved his grandpa too, but he also loved seeing what the world has to offer him.
There are so many strong guys that he didn't know existed back when he lived on those mountains. He'd likely never say it, but he was thankful for meeting Bulma and going on that quest for the Dragon Balls.
He wants to continue exploring the world and getting stronger, but would that mean he's abandoning the home that he shared with his grandfather?
After joining back up with the others and getting Goku's new clothes, the gang loaded back up on Yamcha's aircraft to find Baba's palace. The ex-bandit turned to his partner. "How much longer, Puar?"
"It should be around here." Puar looked up from the map.
Yor peered out of the windows, searching for the palace. "I don't see any sort of castle."
"But the map says it should be around here."
"Hey! There's a building over by that lake! That must be it!" Krillin points out. Everyone leans over to his side of the airship, noticing the small palace located on the lake's water. Yor found the building's structure weird, especially the large circular ring behind the building.
"Alright, it looks like we found the right place!" Yamcha declared as he landed the airship. Everyone unloaded onto the sandy land, allowing Yamcha to capsule the ship.
"It sure is hot here." Goku noticed.
Yor couldn't help but agree and admired the sand beneath their feet. She never got out much even with her missions that required days of travel. Seeing a desert-like area was a brand-new experience for her.
"Seems like we aren't the only ones here." Krillin took their attention to the entrance of the palace. Multiple big burly men and martial artists could be seen waiting in line.
"Oh, I hope this doesn't take too long." Yor muttered.
"I guess we should've expected a renowned fortune-teller to be busy." Yamcha hummed as they walked into line.
Suddenly, a small pink ghost with a straw hat floated over to them. "Yes, yes, get in line please. That's it."
"A-a ghost…!?" Yor squeaked, wondering how such a thing was possible. She turned back to her companions to see that none of them were startled in the least bit. "How are they not surprised by this!? Is this normal for them!?"
Goku walked up to the ghost. "Hey, is this the portion-seller Baba's house?"
"She isn't a portion-seller, but a fortune-teller." The ghost corrected him. "Are all six of you together?"
"Eh? W-well, yeah, but…"
"Hehehehe! I see!" The ghost giggled. "Well then, when your turn comes up, you will be called." It informed them before floating away.
"Weirdo." Krillin muttered.
"Oh, so you do find it weird!" Yor exclaimed, happy.
Krillin shook his head. "Not really, that ghost just talked weirdly. I've seen much stranger stuff." A certain incident with a giant rampaging ape flashed through Krillin's mind.
Yamcha observed the guys in front of them and thought about the ghost's weird words. "Don't you guys find it strange? There are mostly buff guys lined up here."
Krillin, a little worried, tried to wave it off. "Hey, don't scare me like that! It must be another group of five friends from some dojo."
"Hohohohoho!" The gang turned to see some fancy dressed couple walk out of the palace. "I see! So, it was stuck in there! My solid gold weight stone! Isn't that wonderful, dear?" His wife nodded her head, agreeing with him.
"See! It's not all buff guys." Krillin said.
"Does that make a difference?" Yor asked.
"Well, yeah! I don't want to fight some big guys just to get my fortune told!" Yor didn't understand Krillin's worries. She's killed plenty of guys who were bigger than the men in front of them. If they had to fight anyone, she's pretty confident that they could handle it.
But would killing anyone prevent them from getting their fortune told?
"Next please!" The ghost said to the group in front of them. The big burly men all rushed inside with quick haste, leaving Yor's group as the only ones left.
"T-they seemed really pumped up." Krillin gulped.
"There really is something suspicious about this place." Puar said.
"GYAH!"
"Huh!?" The gang jumped from the pained shout that echoed from the back. "I think I heard some weird voice." Krillin gulped again.
"What's going on back there?" Yamcha wondered. A few seconds later his question was answered as all of the big guys from before walked back out. However, they were all severely damaged from some sort of fight.
The ghost floated above them. "Too bad! Please come again!"
"W-what!?" Yamcha and Krillin exclaimed.
"Oh, dear." Yor muttered, feeling bad for them.
"Next please!" The ghost signaled for them to head in.
"W-wait! What happened to those guys who just passed by!?" Yamcha asked, but the ghost just kept giggling. It led them to the palace with four of the six group members worried for what was awaiting them inside. The only ones who walked in without a shred of worry were Goku and Yor, who were too focused on admiring the palace itself.
"I have brought them!" The ghost informed its master.
Floating in front of them was none other than Fortune-Teller Baba! A small old woman with pink hair dressed like a witch, sitting on a floating crystal ball. "Hoi. Another bunch of young'uns."
"Are you that portion-teller Baba?" Goku got her name wrong again.
"It's Fortune-Teller Baba!"
"Thank you for having us, lotion-maker Baba." Yor bowed respectfully.
"That's not even close! It's Fortune-Teller Baba!" The old witch yelled at them.
"You have a weird name." Goku said.
"It's not my real name! Just a nickname!"
The little monkey didn't really care. "Ummm…there's something I want you to find for me!"
"Sure thing. Just pay 10,000,000 Zeni." Baba named her price, shocking the group.
"TEN MILLION ZENI!?"
While this country used a different type of currency, Yor knew that ten million was a massive amount that she'd never be able to possess in her entire life even if she took the hardest missions that the Garden had. "W-we don't have that type of money!"
"Figured as much." Baba sighed. "Come this way then." She turned to the exit towards the large stage.
"W-what are you going to do?" Yamcha asked. She didn't respond and just continued towards the stage, so the others hurried after her. Goku and Yor silently followed as the others planned to escape if things proved to be too dangerous.
Once they reached the stage, Baba began to explain. "You'll be battling here with my fighters one at a time. If you win, you'll go on to the next fighter, but if you lose, you'll change with one of your own. You can change fighters between rounds if you wish, but someone who loses cannot fight again. If you can beat all five of mine, you win, and I'll give you a fortune for free."
"Oh, so that's all!" All of the worry that the others had vanished, well except for Upa who was still new to this.
"That's what those five guys lost at." Krillin was glad that they didn't have to fight some giant monster or something. He smirked with his usual brand of overconfidence. "Hey, grandma, three out of the six of us went pretty far in the last World Tournament."
"Hoh. Then color me excited." Baba smirked.
"So, if we just fight your six fighters in order and win, then you'll give us a fortune for free?" Yamcha summarized.
Baba nodded her head. "Yes, but you are all just a bunch of children. There's no way you'll win. You should just give up here."
"No way! There's too much riding on this!" Yor declared. She was certain that after beating Tao that she could handle whatever Baba threw at them.
"Yor's right, we got this, right guys?" Yamcha smirked.
"Of course! This sounds fun!" Krillin agreed.
Upa and Puar opted out, since they couldn't fight like the rest of them. This was more than fine with Baba as long as the others were more than willing to fight.
"It'll just be us four then!" Goku told her.
"Hoh? You four vs. my six? You've got some confidence." Baba laughed.
"Heh, lady doesn't know who she's messing with." Krillin smirked.
The young assassin turned to her bald companion. "It's not good to be overconfident, Krillin. I'm sure we can handle it, but we must be careful."
The little monk blushed from her worry, thinking that she must be worried about just him. "Don't worry, Yor. We martial artists can handle whatever this old lady throws at us." Yor just frowned at him, unsure of what to make of his overconfidence.
"What are the rules?" Yamcha asked.
There are none. If you give up, fall into the lake, or die, you lose." Baba's eyes briefly flashed towards Yor before looking back at Yamcha.
"Die…?" Okay, the others were a little worried again.
"Now, let's begin. Who will go first?" Baba asked.
Shaking off his bit of fear, Krillin stepped up to the plate. "I will!" Everyone else stepped off the stage to give the fight its space.
"Do your best, Krillin!" Goku cheered for his best friend.
"Heh, you probably won't even need to come out, Goku! I'll take all six on myself!" Krillin declared.
"Be careful, Krillin!" Yor yelled.
"And I'll make sure to put on a good performance for Yor! After she sees me beat these guys, she'll be my girlfriend in no time!" Krillin thought.
"Dracula Man, come out!" Baba called for her first fighter. Everyone questioned the name until a small blue bat flew out of the palace.
"It's just a bat." Upa said.
POOF!
"KIIIHHH!" The bat transformed into a blue-skinned boxer with spiky hair and vampire fangs.
"WOAH! It turned into a person!" Goku gasped.
"How was that possible!?" Yor asked.
"Is he a kickboxer?" Yamcha wondered.
"What a weirdo!" Krillin yelled. He regained his composure as Dracula Man got into a boxing stance. "Well, he looks pretty weak."
"BEGIN!" Baba announced.
"I'll just begin lightly to see what he's got. HAUUU!" Krillin screamed as he charged at his opponent.
"GUAH!"
SPLASH!
Yor and the others watched as Dracula Man easily ran circles around Krillin and kicked him into the water. She had to admit that she didn't think that the vampire kickboxer would be able to handle Krillin so easily, especially after hearing about how strong Krillin was. "I guess, this just means that lotion-maker Baba's fighters are more challenging than we initially thought. Well, I won't make the same mistake."
Krillin was fished out of the water by a ghost, who started giving him a blood transfusion due to Dracula Man sucking his blood. "Hang in there, Krillin! Are you alright!?" Goku cried, worried for his friend. As soon as Krillin got back up all of Goku's fear vanished. "Geez, you really lost quickly!"
"Because you kept bugging me!" Krillin yelled back.
Yor patted his arm. "Don't worry, Krillin, we'll handle it from here." She didn't know why, but Krillin suddenly ducked down with a dark cloud over his head. "Is he okay?"
"I'm sure he's fine." Goku responded.
Baba, smirking at her victory, continued. "Now, who's next? Who wants to fight my Dracula Man?"
"What should we do next-" Before Yamcha could say anything, Yor jumped into the ring. "What, Yor!?"
"I'll go next!" Yor exclaimed. The young assassin was determined to avenge Krillin's defeat and earn her team their first win.
"Kihihi! A little girl wishes to fight me next?" Dracula Man laughed. "I'm certain that female blood tastes better than males." The girl didn't respond, simply preparing herself for the fight.
"Is this gonna be okay?" Yamcha wondered.
"Don't worry, Yor's really strong!" Goku reassured him.
Upa nodded his head in agreement. "She was able to fight my dad with little issue, so I'm sure she can do this!"
Baba saw that both fighters were ready. "BEGIN!"
Dracula Man charged in with a straight left, but was shocked to see that Yor easily dodged the attack. His next one was once again easily dodged, angering him slightly. The vampire kickboxer unleashed a torrent of kicks that were either parried or dodged by the young assassin.
"Woah…!" Everyone other than Goku were surprised by Yor's nimble speed and combat.
"Rgh!" Dracula Man transformed into a bat, flying around in an attempt to confuse his opponent. He swooped in from behind, transforming back to take a bite out of Yor's next, however something was quickly lodged into his mouth. "Ack!?"
"Heh." Yor allowed herself to smirk after shoving one of her knives in-between Dracula Man's jaws. Gripping the metal tightly, Yor raised the vampire into the air before slamming him back-first into the floor. With a twist, she ripped the knife out of his mouth, taking some blood and teeth with it.
"Gwah!? M-my teeth!?" Dracula Man cried. His eyes flashed dangerously at the young assassin. "You'll pay for that with your life-Gack!?" Yor didn't allow him to finish , sinking her fist into his sternum. With the wind knocked out of him, she flipped backwards to land a devastating kick into his jaw to blast him into the air. She jumped after him and landed a downwards kick that sent him falling into the water.
SPLASH!
Yor touched back down with graceful beauty, twirling her knives before pocketing them back into their holsters. She did a respectful bow until her comrades exploded with excitement. She turned around just for Goku and Upa to tackle her. "HOORAY! YOU DID IT!"
"Uwaaa! Wait, I wasn't ready!" Yor cried as she was knocked onto her back.
"Good job, Yor!" Yamcha and Puar cheered. It seems like Goku wasn't lying when he said that she was really strong.
"Heh, not bad…" Krillin said. Though he was a bit embarrassed that a girl had done so better than him. She wasn't even a martial artist and out performed him in an effortless way that Goku would've done.
Baba continued to smile, having expected the outcome. "Fufufu…! Let's see if you can handle what's next."
Chapter End
NOTE: Krillin tastes defeat and Yor tastes victory! I did have to think a bit more about this little tournament since Yor being there SHOULD change some stuff. However, there are things that need to stay the same, so I had to change the rules a bit. Unlike in canon, Baba is allowing them to switch in-between rounds. This allows for Yamcha to get his turn and for Bulma and Roshi to get brought in. Yor and Goku alone could handle most of the fighters, but that kinda snubs everyone else.
Also, Puar and Upa don't get their fight. Yor handled it just fine, so they stay as cheerleaders here.
I also added a sixth fighter to Baba's side, originally, she just had five. So, you'll find out who that sixth person is soon enough.
Have a great day!