Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball.
Betaed by: Zim'sMostLoyalServant and my best friend.
Special Thanks: To Bobdude17's "Launch Time" once more for inspiring this fic. If you haven't checked it out yet please do so.
NOTE: Longer than usual chapter to welcome the New Year.
Last Time on Dragon Ball IJ:
zthe Turtle Students began their assault on Muscle Tower. General White made them an offer, but they promptly refused.
Launch found herself dealing with a hungry young scientist and ultimately let her go. But what is this, dear viewers? That was no hapless prisoner, but a proper scientist of evil gathering data on them.
Science for evil kept coming, in the pop culture sendoff that was Major Metallitron. But he was no bunny, and couldn't keep going and going after the fierce battle.
But Muscle Tower, while on the back foot, certainly isn't on its back. General White has more tricks up his sleeve, what could they be?!
Find out this week, on Dragon Ball Intended Journey!
Chapter Six
Muscle Tower Flexes
White Out!
For Launch and Goku, the next floor of Muscle Tower was a complete surprise.
"The heck?" Launch went, looking around.
"Launch, why is the outside inside?" Goku asked. The floor was covered in grass and brush, with deciduous trees full of greenery, like a bit of forest had been taken inside. They could hear birds call, and even a pond was nearby, with rocks jutting up from the grass.
"Don't be silly, Goku, it's snowing outside," Launch told him, while kneeling to pluck at some of the grass.
"Oh, right. This is even more impressive than Bulma's portable houses; they got a bit of the forest and summer trapped," Goku noted.
"Yeah, but why? This can't be cheap, and what's it for?" she asked.
"Maybe they got tired of the cold, so decided to bring some better weather up here?" Goku asked.
Further chatting was cut off as Goku leapt in front of Launch, deflecting a hail of shuriken with his power pole. Alert, Launch noted some of the shuriken, even deflected, had embedded into a rock by the pond.
A voice called from the greenery.
"Impressive reflexes, boy. But that was only just the warmup. You have my respect for getting this far; you may indeed have acquired some of the Invincible One's wisdom. But your journey ends here. You face the legendary Ninja Murasaki! Employed by the Red Ribbon Army as Sergeant Major Purple, none of my targets have ever been able to even see me, much less live long enough to curse my name."
"Never heard of ya."
"Me neither," Goku chimed in.
"Well, of course. A ninja leaves no traces, so the most legendary ninja would be the least known! That's just basic sense."
"…Right, but just to be clear, you are a ninja?" Launch asked the shrubbery.
"Of course I'm a ninja! What do I look like, a pirate!?" he yelled.
"Don't know, can't see you. Are you a pirate in disguise?" Goku asked.
"I'll take this one, Goku," Launch said, as Murasaki fumed out of sight.
"What? But you got the last one. It's my turn."
"Well, this is a special occasion. I've wanted to beat up a ninja since I was a kid, and the kids at the orphanage wouldn't let me play ninja."
"Well, I'm still a kid, and I want to fight the ninja."
"Fine, we'll settle this like true students of Master Roshi. Rock, paper, scissors. One round, no takebacks," Launch declared, hands on her hips.
"Sounds good to me."
They ducked the next round of shuriken and held out their fists.
"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" they said together. Goku held out a flat hand, while Launch held out a fist.
"I won, I get to fight the ninja!" Goku cheered.
"Sorry Goku, rock tears through paper," Launch shook her head.
"Oh right. Why did I think paper beats rock?" Goku asked himself, staring at his hand in terrible confusion. Launch patted him on the head as she stepped past, and cracked her knuckles.
"Okay, time to live out a fantasy of beating up a guy dressed like he just wants to go to bed with pointy objects," she said, grinning.
"…I can't tell if you tricked that boy or are his sister in idiocy. But you will regret either way rushing to the front of the line for your doom! Death comes for you, and you'll never see it coming!"
Launch kicked up a rock from the ground and caught it in her hand. Assuming a stance like a baseball pitcher, she spat to the side, wound up, and let it rip.
BONK
Murasaki fell out a tree, holding his head and crying out.
"Ah, bean ball! How dare you bean a ninja!" he yelled.
"Alright, I got a ninja classic, though it'd be cooler if you were wearing black," Launch said, walking up to Murasaki, looking him over with a smile.
"Grrr, don't get cocky because of that lucky shot!" he told her, springing to his feet and crossing his arms over his chest.
"It wasn't lucky, you kept throwing shuriken and talking. After my training, following a trail like that wasn't hard."
"Well, I say you're bluffing. You're just a brute who got lucky!"
"Skill!"
"Luck!"
"Skill!"
"Luck!"
"Hey, aren't you going to fight?" Goku asked, sitting grumpily on a rock.
"Quiet boy, the adults are talking!" the ninja yelled at him. Launch bonked him over the head.
"Watch it, only me and Lunch can tell him to shut up," she chastised him. Murasaki glared at her, rubbing the top of his head.
"Like I said, a brute. I'll prove you didn't truly detect me. Behold! Ninja smoke bomb!" he yelled, throwing a ball to the grass that burst into a cloud of thick smoke. Launch stepped calmly out of the smoke, coughing twice into her fist.
"Man, I tried smoking to look cool a few times, but it just tastes terrible. Now, where'd you run off to?" she commented, looking around.
"HAHAHA! That is for you to never know. I have vanished, as close and as hidden as a leaf in the forest, or a grain of sand in the desert, or even a snow ball on the tundra; and even like a bowl of udon in-"
"Found ya," Lunch said, rounding a tree to point at a pair of hands holding up a blanket with a pattern on it of white, bright red, and dark blue with stars.
"No you didn't," the ninja shot back.
"Did you do that backwards?" Launch asked raising an eyebrow
"…Gah! I can't believe you tricked me into using the urban camouflage side. It's supposed to work like this! See! Or rather, you don't see!" Murasaki said, whipping off the blanket to hold up and then hide behind the side that did have a bark pattern on it. But he still looked like a man hiding behind a bark-patterned sheet with his back to a tree.
"Are you sure you're really a ninja? Do you have license or something?" Launch sighed, hands on her hips.
"If ninja had licenses, they'd be written in invisible ink anyway," Murasaki said, dropping the sheet.
"Heh, he's funny, Launch. Maybe he can join us like Oolong joined me and Bulma. Huh, whatever happened to Oolong?" Goku wondered.
"Bah, I'll show you how well a ninja hides, no tricks this time from you. Close your eyes and count to thirty! You too, boy! You won't give away my position with some secret signal," Murakasi ordered, pointing to the tree he had just been using.
At this point, not even Launch thought to question it as she and Goku counted down. General White, watching over the monitors, on the other hand…
"First mad scientists build me malfunctioning killer robots. Now my ninja decides to play hide and seek rather than assassinating the targets. I picked the wrong week to quit smoking," the commanding officer of Muscle Tower griped to himself in the control room.
"And thirty!" Goku yelled. Launch didn't yell out herself, but glanced around, noticing a completely innocent-looking rock that hadn't been there before. Walking over to the rock, she lifted a leg until the knee was almost touching her shoulder, and brought it down on top of the rock with a kick.
The rock split apart and Murasaki was revealed crouching on all fours under it. A lump rose on his head.
"…"
"…Gah!" Murasaki screamed, rolling on the ground, clutching his head.
"How'd you know he was there, Launch?" Goku asked.
"She peeked, obviously!" Murasaki yelled at them, getting to his feet. Launch sighed, shaking her head
"Man, this is disappointing. Are you working for the Red Ribbon Army because your ninja boss fired you? Or did you just lie about being a ninja and get hired by telling these Red Ribbon guys your resume was a secret to everyone?"
"You! …Let's see if your luck holds for a third time. Long-lasting ninja smoke bomb!"
Ten Minutes Later:
"Ah, this is nice, like back home a bit," Goku said, relaxing by the fire in the hut they had found by the pond. Rice cakes on sticks had been cooking by the open fire, and a teapot with water had been set aside, so they had tea with it.
Launch was now poking the tatami mats nearby.
"Ya think he's hiding under those?"
"Nah, he's hiding in the pond. But he might have money or gold hidden. …Scratch that, nothing but nudies. Wait a minute, these aren't from a magazine. Does this guy use ninja skills to take naked pics of girls?" Launch said with disgust, picking up some of the photos, only to drop them like they were poop.
General White was also not amused.
"You took naughty pictures of my sisters? You… mother always said never trust a ninja," White growled.
Stretching, Launch walked out of the hut to the side of the pond where a reed was sticking up from the water, air audibly moving in and out of it. Kneeling down on the stony pond edge, she lightly grabbed the reed and planted her thumb over the hole.
"…
"…
"He can hold his breath for a while," Goku said, joining her.
Murasaki burst from the water, red in the face, and practically crawled from the water onto the shore.
"Who cuts off… a ninja's, air supply… what kind of sadist… are you!" he pointed at Launch, who was still holding the reed, eyes half-closed.
"You really are just a cosplayer, aren't you?" she grumbled.
"Again you insult my ninja honor! Just try and catch me before I destroy you!" he said, running off into the woods.
"What, now we're playing tag? Oh well, maybe I should have lost that game," Launch said, stretching her legs a little. Goku wagged a finger at her.
"No takebacks, I get the next fight, like Master Roshi always says."
"Well, better go get him," Launch said, assuming a runner stance and taking off, whipping around the tree branches a bit as she zoomed off.
"Hi," she said, pulling up behind the speeding ninja.
"Gah! What do you think you're doing?! I trained years to master this speed!" Murasaki shouted looking back at her.
"Well, I trained about a year with heavy turtle shells and a pervy old man. So, are you going to turn and fight, or should I just clobber you at high speed?" she asked, pulling closer to him.
"CURSE YOU!"
He threw something to the ground. Launch thought he missed, but then wiped out, rolling on the ground. Sitting up, she grabbed her foot and looked at the spiked steel balls embedded in her shoe.
"Ha! You may have speed on par with your brute strength, but lack the finesse to avoid being crippled by my caltrops!" Murasaki laughed, having stopped to mock her with arms over his chest.
Pulling the shoe off, she inspected the foot to find the sock shredded as well.
"Well, that's just great! These were my last best pair of sneakers, and you ruined perfectly good socks too, ya jerk," Launch fumed, pulling off the other shoe to toss aside and stuffing the dirty sock in a pocket.
"Your foot, it isn't…? Well then, if you're tough down below, let's start with that soft spot up top. Behold my boomerang shuriken!" he yelled, drawing a length of curved sharp metal and twisting around to throw it. It whistled, spinning through the air. Launch ducked and stood back up, smiling a bit.
"So, now we're on to the actual fight? Bring it-" she stopped and ducked just as the blade came back through where her head had been. As it was, a few light taps drew her attention to the ground, where several clumps of blonde hair rested on the grass.
"Lucky dodge," Murasaki muttered, winding up another throw. He let it fly, and Launch raised her face in a death glare that made him almost miss his throw. As it was, she reached out and caught it in her hand. Hand bleeding slightly, she tossed the blade aside.
"No one messes with my hairdo, bub. No more Miss Nice Launch," she said, advancing on him. Gulping despite himself, Murasaki drew his sword and grinned, forcing laughter.
"Fool! You may be worthy to die by my blade, the legendary Sasanishiki! They say even the Lord Muten Roshi and the Crane Hermit fear its edge! This time, I'll take more than a little hair off the top!" he declared, and swung the sword toward her throat. Launch went low and kicked his feet out from under him. The sword went flying from his grip and cut deep into a tree.
"Gah! You're meant to taste blood, not sap!" Murasaki said, running over and grabbing the sword's hilt. He tugged on it, with the blade barely budging. Stepping back, he grumbled and spit into his palms. Standing up on his tail, Goku grabbed the hilt and pulled the sword free.
"Here you go," he said, handing it to Murasaki.
"Why thank you… I must have loosened it up for you," Murasaki said.
"…You really do not live up to childhood dreams," Launch accused him wearily.
"That's because I'm a nightmare even for adults! Fine! I tried to not shame you with my ultimate technique wiping you out, but now you have truly awakened the boundless wrath of a ninja! *FWEET*" Murasaki whistled, before performing a bunch of hand signs.
"Listen, I know I've been called it before, but I'm not a dog you can beat by whistling," Launch told him.
Smoke rolled in from the trees, and Murasaki laughed as Launch rolled her eyes, while both were lost to sight for Goku, who stood watching.
"Huh, that's weird, it sounds like there's more of him," Goku thought, as Murasaki's laughter seemed to multiply.
Sure enough, as the smoke cleared, there were five Murasakis standing in the clearing.
"Behold the legendary Clone Illusion technique!" the Muasakis yelled in unison. They began to run around Launch, weaving in and among one another.
"Which one is the real one?! That's the question you're asking in that bimbo head of yours! This technique flawlessly combines offense and defense! It armors me in mystery while letting me strike with virtual impunity. Prepare for your ERK!" Launch landed a blow on one of the Murasaki's stomach, making him double over around the fist, eyes bugging out.
"My guess is the only one with bumps on his head is the real one," Launch said flatly.
"Fools, why didn't you…" Murasaki gasped.
"Huh," Launch said.
"Launch, they're-" Goku yelled.
BANG
Launch toppled forward, a Murasaki holding a revolver pulling it back from where he'd shot her in the back of the head.
"Real, you were saying?" the gunslinging ninja said, turning his face toward Goku and smiling menacingly.
"That's not the illusion technique, you lied!" Goku accused them, as the four standing Murasakis laughed and the fifth, or perhaps first one, tried to pick himself up off the ground.
"Surprise! We're actually the legendary, never before discovered, Ninja Quintuplets!" the four said in tandem, striking a glowing pose. The pose was off, as their brother struggled to take his place and just fell back to the ground, gasping, making the glow cut off.
"This fight was supposed to be one on one, I could have fought at least two of you while Launch had the rest."
"Pretty cold, kid. Yer partner gets dusted right in front of you, and all you care about is etiquette and challenge-seeking?" one of the Murasakis chuckled.
"Maybe he's just in shock, realizing he's about to join her," another brother said.
"I'm going to go over there for a bit," Murasaki said, stumbling away.
"Well done Kon, but the job's only half done. Get the boy and bring me the Dragon Ball and anything else those two have on them that might be a radar or clues to their masters," White sad over the PA.
"What masters?" Launch asked, getting to her feet. Rubbing the back of her head, she glared at the four shocked ninjas.
"Kon! Did you miss?" one of the other ninjas demanded.
"Of course not, that was point blank!" Kon protested.
"Too bad I'm bulletproof. Hey Goku, let's split this lot down the middle," Launch gritted her teeth, sinking into a stance.
"Oh boy!" Goku said, drawing the power pole.
Murasaki's eye twitched on the sidelines as the battle began and swiftly turned against his brothers.
"Absurd, they must have truly trained with the Invincible One, there can be no other explanation. I have no choice," he said, running off as fast as he could toward stairs leading up to the metal boardwalk that extended from the wall above the treeline.
"Launch, he's getting away," Goku said as he brained the last of his ninjas with his power pole and Launch tossed the last of hers into a tree hard enough to crack it.
"Might as well collect the whole set, after him!" Launch said.
By the time they reached the top of the steps, Murasaki was laughing like a loon, opening up a metal cage taller than he was.
"Too late! You may have the mightiest of ancient arts, but now you face the mightiest creation of modern science. The Tower is under attack, emerge and mobilize, Mechanical Man, Android Number 8!" Murasaki proclaimed with arms raised.
A figure emerged from within, having had to hunch over to fit inside. He shared the towering height of the Major android below, but seemed stouter in his strong build than the other one. His face was long and his head was tall, with a long forehead marked with a jagged scar dominating his features. Metal pegs sticking out of his neck stood out as some testament to his inhuman nature. He looked down at them coldly.
"Another robot?" Launch asked.
"This one's mine, Launch," Goku told her cheerily. Murasaki also seemed cheerful, snickering before speaking up.
"Another robot? You think because you beat that obsolete Number 7, you stand any chance here? Not only are you both fatigued from our battle, but Mechanical Man Android 8 is the next generation of combat-ready android. He is superior to Android 7 in every measurable way. Why, in theory he could even command human troops in battle as well as destroy an enemy army singlehandedly. You are looking at a walking warzone, no, a walking catastrophe that belongs to the Red Ribbon Army. And why are you still smiling, boy!?" Murasaki yelled at Goku, cutting off his own speech.
"It sounds like a good fight. I've been waiting for one."
"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't want to fight," the android spoke with a soft voice.
"…What?" Launch asked. Murasaki clacked his jaws back together and glared at her.
"That's my line! What do you mean, you don't want to fight? You refused to attack others, but these intruders are attacking Muscle Tower. You cannot simply ignore your home being invaded and your creators threatened. Can you?" Murasaki asked, deflating a bit at the final sentence.
"I don't like fighting. Why are you two attacking Muscle Tower?" the hulking man asked.
"To save that mayor guy and drive out the Red Ribbon so they'll stop bothering these people. They're really mean, ya know," Goku said.
"I see. I also would like the mayor to go free, it's wrong to lock up someone who hasn't done anything wrong. And I wish the Red Ribbon Army would stop making the people suffer."
"Whose side are you on?! M.M.A.8.! The Red Ribbon Army commissioned your design, funded your construction, and authorized your activation. In essence, we are your parents, your makers. Do you deny that fact? Do you deny by all standards of civilization that you owe us your loyalty for being the reason you exist!?"
"I don't. And if you gave orders that weren't horrible, I would happily repay you with obedience. But all you seem to want is bad things. I can accept being an ingrate and a hated son, but I can't accept doing what I know is bad."
"…boy, you guys sure have no luck with robots, do ya?" Launch commented, smirking.
"GYRAGHHHH. Fine, you want to be rebellious? Well, the Red Ribbon High Command watches the science fiction channel, I'll have you know! We are more than ready for machines that get uppity!"
Murasaki ran past the cage, stopping a fair distance on the walkway and pulled out a remote control. Extending its antenna, he waved it so the watching Android could see.
"This? This is life or death for you, M.M.A.8.! There's a bomb inside you with a payload more than sufficient to turn you back into scrap. All I need to do is flip this switch, and it's the junkyard for you. So, stop prattling like a full metal hippie and destroy those two NOW!"
"I don't want to die. But I'd rather die than be a bad person. You two should step back, I don't want anyone else hurt for my choice," the Android stated.
"Wow, no hesitation. Metal man has ball bearings," Launch whistled, while Goku smiled.
Murasaki's expression broke further, smile still plastered on.
"Did those idiots not program in a fear of death? We could have hired an army of ninjas for the money wasted on these hunks of junk! Fine! Be that way! Here comes the boom!" Murasaki screamed, eyes bugging out.
"Rocket Launch!"
"Power Pole Extend!"
The pole knocked the remote out of Murasaki's hand, and before he could grasp that, Launch hit him across the face with her propelled punch. The ninja slammed into the wall, which cracked a bit under the impact, and slid to the floor, eyes rolling up in his head. Goku walked over to him, poked him with the power pole, then walked over to the remote and crushed it under his foot.
"Well, that was weird," Goku said.
"You saved me? Why? I'm just an android," the mechanical man asked, looking back and forth between the two.
"You're a nice guy, that's why. But you seem like you're strong, so why didn't you save yourself?" Goku asked.
"Okay boys, before we go down that whole topic, I've had my full of this adventure, with pooping scientists, pacifist robots, Determinator rip-offs, and lame ninjas. I'm tagging out, get Lunch up to speed," she said, getting out a pepper packet and tearing it open.
"Achoo! Oh, what did I miss this time? And where are my shies Goku?" Lunch asked, looking around.
"Well…" Goku began.
X X X
"…and then Launch tagged you in," Goku finished. They were seated on the grass, having gone back down to tie up all the ninjas and throw all their weapons out a window into the snow.
"So, you are two programs in one hardware, essentially," the android asked.
"I don't really know much computer stuff, so maybe?" Lunch answered, enjoying the grass on her bare feet.
"Anyway, we still need to rescue that mayor guy. But it looks like that jerk White is the only one left," Goku said.
"I don't think so. It sounds like a lot of soldiers and tanks are still unaccounted for. Either they're on their way back by now, or they already have Muscle Tower surrounded," the android said, looking at the windows above, where snow and the dark of the night concealed the outside world.
"Well, it is what it is, I suppose. We'll deal with them on our way out," Lunch nodded pulling sandals off one of the senseless ninjas and checking the size.
"You two are very brave. The way to the top can be difficult. I will guide you there as thanks for saving my life."
"Thanks, Eighter," Goku said.
"Eighter?" the android asked, getting to his feet.
"It's a better name than that long one. Too hard to say."
"Hmm, I think it suits you too, but what do you think?" Lunch asked pulling on the sock and then the sandals.
"Eigther. Eighter. Eighteerrr. Yes, this is a good name. I will keep it, I think," Eighter nodded, smiling a small smile that lit up his face.
"So, Eighter," Goku asked as they made their way up, "You never said why you never fought back and saved yourself. Did they always threaten to blow you up?"
"No, I thought they likely had something like that in store, but never knew for sure. I simply obeyed them as best I could for a long time. I suppose I did feel I owed them something, and I was afraid something would happen if I didn't. But fighting was too much. It's bad and scary, rolled together. So, when I couldn't obey anymore, I let them lock me up and call me a failure."
"I don't get it," Goku admitted.
"That's understandable, you seem to have always been very confident, Goku," Lunch said. They had entered a new floor, of strange short corridors and white walls.
"Follow me carefully, this floor was designed for people to get lost in. You could end up going in circles for hours," Eighter told them.
"Thank you, Mr. Eighter. Anyhow, I think I can understand a bit where you're coming from. I always tried to follow the rules, even when no one else did, or the rules were unfair. I thought of myself as broken in some way due to sharing a body with Launch, so what place did I have challenging things? And later, I felt I needed to make up for Launch always causing havoc by not doing anything like that. But while it may not 'cause trouble', you end up living life dictated too completely by others. Not just people who pushed me around, but even the very few who stood up for me; they all determined where I ended up. Launch in particular dragged me around in part because I never did anything more than try to cope with the situations that she put me in. While I'm not trying to match her aggression, I have decided to make the most of when I'm out, and that includes standing up for myself."
"I think you may understand a bit. But I don't know how I can balance the high road with that kind of confident agency."
"Maybe don't think of it as taking a high or low road yourself, but by being a roadblock for those trying to take the low road? They either back down or they crash into you?" Launch suggested, pondering.
"I'm not sure I get it, you two," Goku said, as they reached a staircase.
"So, this General is on the next floor?" Lunch asked as they ascended the stairs.
"No, the next floor is a secret. Here, it's behind this wall. I have no idea what is in there, I'm not even sure there are any entrances," Eighter said, pointing to a solid wall as they continued up.
"Oh dear, we'll probably find out then," Lunch sighed.
"Why's that?" Goku asked.
"Well, it wouldn't make sense for it to come up if nothing ever came of it, right? You really should read some books or at least watch some daytime television, Goku," Lunch told him.
"We're here, the top floor of Muscle Tower, White Corps Command Center," Eighter told them as they reached a landing with a door.
"Alright, let's save that mayor!" Goku said, kicking the door down.
"Oh, it's like that airport control tower I woke up in during one of Launch's more poorly thought-out plans," Lunch said.
"Welcome," General White said. He was a man who looked to be entering the far side of middle-aged, with a thick, strong body even visible through the green sweater he wore, white hair in a faux pompadour that displayed a widow's peak, and a strong chin that emphasized a slimy smile as he leaned on a console across the large room.
"Launch and Goku, you've reached the top, a worthy final achievement," he said.
"Actually, it's Lunch, Mr. General," Lunch said, raising her hand.
"Make up your mind, woman. Anyway, after all that, it's such a shame you won't join our army," White remarked.
"No way. Now let that mayor guy go," Goku demanded, raising his fists toward White.
"Likewise!" Lunch said, falling into a stance.
"Wait. General White, please stop being bad. Is it really necessary to keep fighting?" Eighter objected.
"Ha! So, the treacherous tinker toy dares to speak up? Well, you three should know to every rise, there is, a FALL!" White said, reaching behind the console and pushing a button. The floor fell away under them as the trapdoor beneath them opened wide. With three screams, they fell until they hit the ground, one after another.
"Son Goku! Are you okay?" Eighter asked. Goku was on his back as they laid there.
"I've had worse falls. Hey, where's Lunch?" Goku asked, looking around.
"Oh dear!" Eighter said, getting up quick to reveal Lunch lying with wingding eyes under him as Goku was knocked from his back.
"Are you okay, Miss?"
"Thinamabibs with mustard, please," she slurred. Eighter held her up in a sitting position by her shoulders.
"Um, what?" Eighter asked.
"No salad, I'd like the breadsticks, please," she continued.
"Lunch, stop ordering food, you're going to make me hungry," Goku said, poking her in the cheek.
"Oh! Goku, don't poke me please, that's rude you know," Lunch said, snapping back to reality to gently push Goku's hand away from her face.
"I'm glad you're okay," Eighter breathed a sigh of relief.
"None of you are okay!" General White called from above. Looking up, they thought they could make out the silhouette of the man standing by the trapdoor.
"The Forsaken Floor holds one of the mightiest weapons the Red Ribbon Army has ever produced. And unless you surrender your Dragon Ball and yourselves, I will leave you to its nonexistent mercy."
Lunch raised her hand and asked a question.
"Uh, sorry Mr. General, but you people it sounds like have a lot of apparently ultimate weapons, and they haven't worked so far. Maybe you should consider some rebranding? Or better product testing?"
"Grrr. This one is different. This horrifying bioweapon is so powerful and aggressive, we never try to use it in actual battle. Indeed, it ate its own creator alive, and we had to resort to sealing it into this room! But waste not, want not; it may be too dangerous to use as a weapon, but as an executioner, it certainly has its uses. Oh, sounds like he's woken up. And he's always hungry, even though the Red Ribbon Army is never short on executions. Behold your doom! Behold, the terrifying JIGGLER!" White proclaimed from on high.
"Oh, that's a relief, I was thinking it would have tentacles," Lunch sighed after the monster waddled into sight.
Round and purple, was the first impression the monster gave. It was so fat its belly covered it legs, with only its bare feet sticking out from the bulk, and it had no obvious neck, its head solidly planted right on its pudgy shoulders. It had no apparent nose between its large mouth displaying rows of sharp teeth and large yellow eyes. Its head was crowned with a pair of pink short antennae, and its thick arms had pudgy fingers on the end.
Aside from its size, Lunch and Goku were rather underwhelmed. Eighter, on the other hand…
"Eek!" the android fell back to the nearest wall, half turning to face it.
"It looks like a possessed wad of bubblegum," Goku stated.
"It certainly lives up to the name. Poor thing must have been terribly overfed," Lunch said.
"The only poor thing here is you three. Man or machine, the Jiggler is not picky on who he devourers."
"Well, you're up, Goku," Lunch said.
"Are you sure? You haven't fought at all since we flew here," Goku said.
"Oh, you like it more than me, and it sounds like Launch was hogging the fights."
"Okay then! Here I go!" Goku declared.
The Jiggler just laughed, making its body jiggle even more.
Overhead, the trapdoor swung shut, and the PA crackled to life.
"Be cocky while you can, kid. The Jiggler is your worst nightmare; your precious martial arts are absolutely useless against this monster. And since the Dragon Balls are unbreakable and indestructible, it will be as simple as some private sorting through its droppings to get back that Dragon Ball you took."
"Nuh-uh, the nightmare where Master Roshi had me train years with no food was much worse than this guy," Goku told the unseen General.
"And I had a horrible dream where I went to school and realized I was only wearing socks. It was so embarrassing I blushed the whole next day, and the school sent me back to the orphanage thinking I was sick, and then I had to sit in the shed for the next two days because they were worried that I was contagious," Lunch recalled.
"This is worse than those, because it's real!" Eighter protested, still cowering.
"Well, it 'was' real. I'll take care of this in one hit!" Goku declared.
"Enough peanut gallery chat, get them Jiggler! Feast!" White commanded. It wasn't clear if it really understood the General, but it began waddling forward, laughing, its long tongue sticking out. Eighter whimpered as it drew near, while Goku waited, ready to move.
"Wow!" Lunch squeaked as the Jiggler, in a smooth motion, lifted itself on its toes and pivoted swiftly on the ground. The thick long tail they'd observed swung around, cutting through the air. Goku barely dodged it. His leap took him to the wall, which he landed on feet first; sprinting off it, he rebounded and struck the Jiggler right in the face between the eyes. He landed and the monster, just jiggled.
As it laughed, both Lunch and Goku realized it.
"My punch didn't work?"
"It absorbed the shock by being fat? Huh, it's like a cartoon or something."
"Guess I gotta hit harder. Try this kick on for size!" Goku yelled.
"Wait, Goku!" Lunch yelled, but he was already flying foot first toward its gut.
He struck it, and was repelled hard, slamming awkwardly into the wall and falling face first to the floor.
"Son Goku, are you alright!?" Eighter yelled, as Lunch ran to his side.
"That jiggle isn't just a trick, it's a counterattack. If you hit too hard, it may as well be hitting back," she told him.
"I understand. But it's so stupid – this guy is fighting by hardly doing anything!" Goku griped. Eighter gulped, but of the three was the one keeping an eye on the monster. So he saw energy visibly arching between its antennae.
"Watch out!" he yelled. Goku turned his attention to the monster, but Lunch, without even turning, stepped between it and Goku. She let out a pained yell as she was shocked.
"Lunch!" Goku yelled, awkwardly catching her as she practically fell on top of him. He blinked as the weight of the heavier-than-she-looked martial artist lessened and vanished. Then she was pulled off his hands, carried away by the Jiggler's tongue.
Toward its mouth, with all those teeth.
An image flashed through Goku's mind from years before. The morning after he didn't follow his Grandpa's warning and looked at the full moon. Finding the giant footprint amidst the uprooted and crushed trees, his Grandpa's body already half buried by the blow that killed him.
"No you don't!" Goku roared, bearing pointy teeth and eyes blank in fury. Leaping so quick he left an afterimage, to Eighter's puzzlement, Goku tackled the tongue just above where it was wrapped around Lunch.
"Fool!" White laughed gleefully. Goku bit down on the tongue, hard.
The Jiggler shrieked and slammed the tongue into the ground. Its grip was loosened enough for Lunch to slip free, groaning. But Goku, still biting its tongue, was pulled into the mouth.
"Son Goku! No!" Eighter screamed, rousing Lunch, who got up on one knee, blinking.
"A futile sacrifice. You'll all be reunited soon enough in Jiggler's stomach," White laughed.
"Huh, Goku?" Lunch said, looking around.
"That monster ate Son Goku!" Eighter wept.
"…What?" Lunch said, getting to her feet. The Jiggler laughed, sticking out its tongue, still bleeding from where Goku bit it. The tongue launched at her, and she thrust out both her hands, palms out. The tongue was deflected away from her, hands briefly flaring white.
"…It worked, Goku, Launch has her Rocket, I have my Lunch Tray! Come out and let me show you!" She screamed. Charging toward the confused Jiggler, she came up just short of it, grinding to a halt and kicking it hard in the gut. She almost lost balance, but didn't. She kicked it again and again, her blows blurring together and her balance growing more fluid and steady in the face of the recoil. Face set in determination, she kept the mass jiggling, looking like a stormy sea, while the monster laughed at her efforts.
"You dumb bimbo, kick it a hundred times if you like, the outcome will be the same," White mocked. Then the Jiggler stopped laughing, and coughed. And coughed again, its eyes showing clear distress as it tried to breathe.
"It's, it's working?" Eighter wondered. Lunch didn't spare a glance or let up. Then the Jiggler closed its mouth on a hacking cough and, looking utterly anxious and confused, its jaws parted. Revealing a wet Goku with his hair spike drooping and still white in the eyes.
With a pint-sized roar, he kicked one of its fangs out, sending it flying to embed a bit into the wall next to Eighter. The monster cried out, and Goku leapt clear. Lunch leapt back as well.
The Jiggler slumped to its belly, crying out in pain, still roiling from the flurry of blows.
"Lunch, you're okay?" he asked, eyes going back to normal.
"That's my line, that guy ate you, Goku!" Lunch told him.
"Really? I don't remember that. Guess I was in its mouth, though," Goku pondered.
"Use the Kamehameha, Goku, wipe it out!" Lunch commanded, to Goku's surprise. But then he grinned.
"You and Launch really are sisters," he said, cupping his hands while the Jiggler got to its feet, again snarling and clearly very, very angry.
"Kame…"
The Jiggler stopped, frowning at Goku as Lunch stood ready, leg chambered for a kick if the tongue came.
"Hame…"
The Jiggler giggled, charging its antennae.
"HA!"
Goku fired off the blast, and the Jiggler fired its own energy off. Goku's wave swallowed the crackling blast, and struck the Jiggler in the belly. The belly wobbled fiercely and the blast bounced off, diminished. It struck the wall nearby, making it crater and crumble.
"No way!" Lunch cried.
"Huh, this thing can't actually be invincible," Goku objected.
"Disbelieve the evidence before your eyes if you want, kid. But as I keep saying, Jiggler is unstoppable."
"Maybe a headbutt will work," Goku pondered.
"Why would that work? Lunch Tray!" Lunch said, deflecting the tongue again.
"Hey Lunch, you got your shield to work!" Goku cheered.
"Yes, it's just like using my tray during food fights back in the cafeteria. But I can't hold it long, so it looks like timing is essential."
"You two, maybe we should just give up. It's hopeless," Eighter muttered.
"What kind of attitude is that?! We can still fight, why would we give up, Eighter?!"
The tongue lashed out again, this time lashing around the android as the two were ready to defend themselves.
"Whoops!"
"Eighter!"
Goku leapt to kick the Jiggler in the eye, making it flinch while Lunch went low and kicked up at the tongue. Eighter fell to the floor as the Jiggler let him go.
The Jiggler growled, but started to laugh again, slowly advancing on them.
"Maybe Launch could be useful?" Lunch asked, as they fell back toward the wall.
"Not sure. But there must be something. How do you stop something from jiggling? It's like punching the water, it just flows back in when there's enough of it."
"Well, you can't break water, but I guess ice is water," Lunch remarked, her tray deflecting the blast of energy from the Jiggler's antennae.
"…That's it, we need the outside inside for real! Cover me!" Goku perked up.
Goku ran toward the cratered part of the wall, and the Jiggler's grin slipped, watching him go. Its tongue lashed out, and Lunch leapt between them, but it didn't collide with her shield, instead sweeping low under her feet, knocking her down before swinging back toward Goku as he reached the damaged wall. Eighter dashed into the line of fire, a palm strike knocking it back.
"I did it?" he stammered.
"Here goes!" Goku yelled, punching the damaged wall. The masonry fell forward, and a cold wind blew in, followed by freezing air. The Jiggler shrieked and backed up swiftly.
"It's afraid. I knew it! It can't jiggle if it's cold! Make more holes!" Goku yelled. Lunch got up and swiftly started kicking a wall, chips flying with every strike. Eighter turned to the wall; planting a hand on it, he pulled back a fist and punched straight through, making a hole even bigger than Goku's. The Jiggler shrieked and slowed as the freezing air flowed around it, growing slower, its jiggling stopping and finally its pink color fading to blue.
"Heh, frozen monster," Goku chuckled. Lunch walked up to the Jiggler, glared up at its frozen eyes, and kicked it hard across the stomach. Turning her back on it, she walked away as cracks spread across it and as, with a clattering sound, it collapsed into shards across the floor.
"So, General Guy, anything to say?" Goku asked the ceiling.
Goku started to shiver, and Lunch picked him up, glad Launch had kept the coat she'd acquired somewhere along the way. Covering Goku as best she could, she joined Eighter.
"You really are strong."
"Still, I feel bad about Jiggler. It had no choice in being a monster," Eighter sighed.
"Well, anyway, we still need to get out. Can you tell which wall faces those stairs from earlier?"
"…That one should be right. I'll open the way," Eighter said, walking with fist raised.
X X X
"Jiggler, it can't be. And it's only a matter of time until they break out…" General White slumped in a chair by the monitors. One showed his remaining soldiers on standby outside. But what good would they do at this point? He wasn't sure a hundred tanks could stop those two.
"Snap out of it, defeatism is for losers! Those two aren't invincible, Jiggler almost had them, and they've been fighting their way not just up the tower but across the valley. That android is nothing, he's a coward. That's it, I need to play this smart. Hmm, my revolver won't likely do much, since Kon's only stunned that woman with a headshot. But it will be useful as a distraction. Yes, they'd never believe I'd just surrender. But use that and then give up? And then I use the hyper-gun on them," White grinned, pulling the advanced pistol from its drawer. He stroked its length lovingly.
"You were designed so that even androids would fall before you like common soldiers. Only two rounds, though. But some devil is smiling on me, two bullets is all I need, then I can practically order that tin can to throw himself into a trash compactor. Hmm, yes, it will come down to quickdraw; their fatigue and my element of surprise will snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. It will be the greatest tactical move in the illustrious history of General White," the Red Ribbon officer told himself as he made ready for the intruders' return.
X X X
"Mind the trapdoor," Lunch reminded everyone. White was waiting for them, sweater off, revealing a well-toned thick body for his age, and a black tank-top showing it off. He also held a revolver in his hand.
"General White, must you?" Eighter pleaded.
"You think I'm some coward who will fold like a cheap lawn chair after my forces are defeated? Bah, the Red Ribbon isn't the Royal Army, led by a bunch of wimpy political appointments and softheaded and softer-hearted academy graduates. We are men of blood and fury, determined to remake the world and its rules to suit ourselves by whatever low means we please. So just in case you're wondering, I have no qualms about killing a woman or a child with my bare hands. Won't be the first time."
"I've had enough of you. Suno's village and all the others have put up with you guys for too long!" Goku yelled.
Goku leapt and White reacted, lightning-fast firing off six rounds in rapid succession. Goku fell to one knee on the floor and grimaced, but got to his feet.
White visibly gulped and dropped the gun.
"Okay then! I think I did my part, I surrender!" White yelled.
"You do?" Lunch asked.
"We barely started," Goku objected.
"Oh thank goodness. See, isn't this much better?" Eighter said, relieved, hands clasped in front of his chest.
"You want the mayor, he's this way," White said, raising his hands. They followed across the control room, past a few office doors, and to a short hallway where a sturdy steel door stood alone at the end.
"A bit much for this geezer, but we weren't sure who might end up being a very important involuntary guest." Reaching to a keypad on the wall, he entered a short sequence, and the door slid open. The trio crowded behind the General to see inside
"Eh? What's this?" an old man in a striped shirt and suspenders with bushy white hair ringing a bald head looked at them through glasses.
"Get up, Mayor, your saviors are here," General White said as the man put down the book he had been bent over at the desk, which was the only furniture in the room besides a well-made bed.
"Saviors?" the Mayor blinked.
"Suno and her mom sent us to rescue you and get rid of these jerks," Goku said.
"Things are looking up for your village, sir," Lunch said with a smile.
"It's true, sir," Eighter assured him.
"I'll be. I prayed to Kami that help would come, but after all this time I wasn't really expecting anything. I can really just go home?" the Mayor asked, getting to his feet.
"Sure, unless you've gotten attached to the place," White snarked. Still stunned, the Mayor grabbed a black coat and hat off the coat rack in the room and tucked his book in the coat pocket and stepped out.
"So, are you with King Furry, then? I mean, I know you used to work with the Red Ribbon, young man, though it seems you've turned over a new leaf, but you two?" the Mayor asked as they went down the hall.
"King who? And yeah, Eighter's a coward but he's not a bad guy, they just tried to make him be bad," Goku said to the Mayor as they all walked past General White, who smirked with their backs turned.
"Be nice, Goku, you're a very brave boy; you can't expect everyone to face the stuff we do easily," Lunch told him.
White drew the hyper-gun from its hidden holster in his cargo pants and fired a shot that knocked Goku to the ground, unmoving. Lunch turned, eyes widening, but White grinned wider, already squeezing the trigger. The hyper-gun's bullet impacting her chest knocked her right off her feet, to collapse on the floor.
"Oh no!" the Mayor screamed, stumbling back.
"Son Goku! Lunch!" Eighter cried out, falling to his knees between them.
"Hahaha! I knew the hyper-gun wouldn't fail to take those two down! It was made with Androids like you in mind, MMA8, but it proved to be just the ticket for these punks," White chuckled, walking past the stunned android to the communication station. Flicking a switch, he spoke into a mic.
"White Corps, this is General White. Report."
"This is RRWC 17, acting flag unit. The Purple Squad has regrouped with us and reported the tower was falling. Are you okay, General?" a man on the other side said.
"Hahahaha! That fool Murasaki cut and run, did he? Well, I'll deal with him soon enough, and see about his brothers. I have eliminated the enemy. I'll be down shortly with the Mayor; we're going to pay a little visit to his village. These peasants need a sharp lesson, then we'll have every last one of them hunting for that Dragon Ball," White told him.
"You…" Eight said, rising to his feet.
"Hmm, I may need to deal with one last pest before meeting up with you. Get the motors running anyway," White drew a knife and candidly walked over to the Mayor, grabbing him in a hold and holding the knife to his throat.
"Don't you have any soul!?" the Mayor demanded.
"Shut up. Eight, look at me," White commanded. Eight turned and glared at him. For a second, White was weakening in the knees, his eyes widening despite himself. Then he narrowed his eyes and forced a grin.
"This is my last order to you, Eight. Crush that ugly head of yours. Die now, or the Mayor dies."
Eight took a step toward him.
"Why?"
"Huh? Don't bluff, you couldn't hurt a fly, much less sacrifice this man's life," White reminded him.
"Why should I believe that you would let him live? They spared you despite everything, and you aren't even the least bit sad or sorry about shooting them. How could you? How could I so easily believe you? If I'd been paying attention, I could have taken those bullets for them. This is my fault," Eighter said, taking another step. With each sentence, White shuffled back, sweating, the Mayor watching with interest.
The old man nodded.
"Smart, m'boy. Even more than the rest, this thug can't be trusted. Take him down, even if you have to go through me!" the Mayor declared.
"Shut up!" White said, his knife jolting, drawing a trickle of blood, making the old man squeal shrilly.
White screamed louder, a massive hand closing over his forearm and pulling him away from the old man. The grip tightened, and bones crunched. Dropping his knife, General White stumbled back, trying to blink lights from his eyes.
"This! Is! For! Them!" Eighter yelled, advancing and drawing back a fist.
"I command you to stop!" White screamed, holding up his good arm defensively. The punch connected, and the General went flying across the room, into and through the wall.
The Mayor could only stare, slack-jawed. Not even a bloody smear remained of the tyrant who had tormented this valley for years, only a man-sized hole in the wall, letting the chill in.
His savior fell to his knees with a heavy thud.
"Say, Eighter, right? Okay there, son?" the Mayor said, ignoring his own pain to put a hand on the massive man's shoulder.
"I did it. I guess I always could be the killer robot they wanted."
"You're crying for him?" the Mayor asked. Eighter raised a finger to his face and looked at the tears he caught.
"No, because it was too late for them," Eughter clarified pointing to the two on the floor.
"Yes, a pity that. And it sounds like you and I aren't out of the woods yet m'boy, with more of the Red Ribbon Army outside waiting," the Mayor sighed.
"Oww, that really hurt!" Goku complained, sitting up.
"…Son Goku! You're alive?" Eighter said, practically knocking the Mayor over as he rushed over to his friend. Adjusting his glasses, the Mayor hummed thoughtfully and walked over to Lunch, who was blinking and groaning.
"That was like losing a sparring match with Master Roshi," she complained.
"I'm going to just assume you mean the actual Invincible One, young lady," the Mayor said, holding out a hand to help her up.
Author's Note:
Here we are Muscle Tower falls, we have a bit of action left yo tie this arc up then its time for a party and then a character returns to the narrative! In other news I am going to staet cross posting DB IJ on Spacebattles soon, hope that goes well.
Long days and pleasant nights to you all dear readers.