Special thanks to The Sinful for Beta.
Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball or any related content.
-]||[-
"Anyway, please make sure to continue on your previous path," the woman said. "The Dragon Ball isn't there any more." Krillin brought out the radar and confirmed her words. "But you should still be able to reach the location the ball was at," she seemed to be talking to Krillin more than to him now before she turned to face him. "Then, you must follow the Dragon Balls, though take the most northern path, over the arctic mountains in the far north."
Krillin frowned. "Why?"
"There are some people that you must meet, and of course, meeting me for the first time too. Only following my advice would lead you to them." She shook her head, a sadness in her eyes. "I can't say anymore. Even what I said is actually forbidden."
"Okay," Goku said simply. He was always up to meeting new people, but it was also because he felt that he should be doing what she said.
"Goku?" Krillin looked at him in surprise.
"It's okay, Krillin. I trust her."
Krillin still looked unsure but nodded.
"Wonderful!" The woman exclaimed. "Let me give you this." A moment later, clothes identical to the ones they were wearing appeared in her hand.
"Wait, why are they too big?" asked Goku as he inspected his own while Krillin easily wore his clothes with no trouble.
"You'll find out tomorrow," she said with a wink. "Now, I must go."
"Wait," Goku called out to her. "Are you alright?" He noticed during their talk. The bags under her eyes, the pain in those grey eyes, and the laboured breath. The woman wasn't in perfect health.
She seemed to be shocked before a fond smile made its way to her full lips. She bent down, moving to hold Goku's face in her hands. "I'm alright, Goku. Thank you for asking." Her smile was a bit bitter. "Please take care of my other self."
"Huh?"
Before he could ask what she meant, the woman planted a gentle kiss on his forehead before she disappeared as if she was never there.
-]||[-
Krillin yawned loudly as he woke up. Opening his eyes, he saw that the sun was already well in the sky showing him that it wasn't as early as he was used to. Groaning, he sat up slowly, still feeling the effects of the fights in the Demon Realm.
The mysterious woman from yesterday might've healed them, but Krillin still felt like he was hit by a mountain.
I wonder who she is. Thought Krillin. And what the hell is her connection to Goku? It was clear that there was something there with how she seemed to have eyes only for Goku, and the kiss at the end before she disappeared.
Not finding any clue, Krillin simply shrugged. As long as she didn't present any danger to his friend, then who cared if maybe another girl was in love with Goku?
Okay, maybe a part of Krillin was jealous. I really shouldn't have listened about the hair thing. It was the only difference between him and his friend after all!
Looking around to see his friend, he spotted him still sleeping, snoring loudly. Then Krillin's eyes widened.
"Holy shit!" he screamed, waking Goku up who jumped from sleep, ready for a fight.
"W-What!? Who – What is it, Krillin?"
Krillin looked at his friend. Goku fitted the new clothes perfectly, clothes that should've been too big for him. As it was now, Goku looked to be around Bulma's height or even slightly taller. He actually looked like a proper teenager now.
"You grew!"
"Huh!?" Goku titled his head, looking at him in confusion for a moment before he took note of his own appearance. "W-What! You're right!"
"How? You're still not sixteen."
Goku shrugged. "Well, it's possible to have an early growth spurt, and it might have to do with being in that Demon Realm and the time di-whatever."
Krillin nodded, seeing no other explanation. Huh… I guess this is another difference aside from the hair, dammit!
"I wonder how she knew the woman from yesterday," Goku asked with a frown, unlike his usual happy-looking face.
That was a good question. "Maybe she can see the future or something?"
Goku shrugged again. "Maybe… I wonder why she did look like she was in pain…"
In pain? Krillin didn't notice anything about the woman aside from her gorgeous looks and weird clothes.
"Anyway," said Goku. "We need to eat before we continue our journey."
Their stomachs growled at the same time, agreeing with that plan.
-]||[-
After that, they hunted for something to eat before they started flying in their original direction. It took them another two days before they saw signs of human civilisation again. A tall red tower stood in the distance, but surprisingly, it wasn't what got Goku's and Krillin's attention.
Rather, it was the clouds of smoke rising from around it. Upon a closer look, that smoke seemed to be rising from the ruins of a destroyed village, and as they drew closer Goku could clearly see the corpses that filled the frozen streets and smell the stench of blood.
"Krillin, let's split and search for survivors!"
His friend nodded and each went in a different direction. Goku's frown deepened as he went from house to house searching for survivors. Men, women, kids, and elderly; no one was spared. Some of the women – even a couple of kids – were naked and their fate was obvious even for Goku. It made his stomach turn, and he was thankful that his stomach already digested his food from the morning.
There were a pack of wolves that seemed to have come to feast on the corpses. Goku angrily shooed them off. His mood took a nosedive. Whoever did this was going to pay.
"Goku!"
Krillin's shout snapped him out of his thoughts. With a sprint, Goku rushed to Krillin's location.
He found him near a destroyed pink house, kneeling beside an injured red-haired girl who looked to be a few years younger than them. Goku's sharp eyes noticed that she was still breathing if barely.
"Hand me the bandages," Krillin ordered.
Goku nodded and immediately fished out the capsule that Bulma had given them before they started their journey. Opening it, several medical supplies popped into existence and Goku was quick to give Krillin what he asked.
"Will she be alright?"
"I don't know," said Krillin as he worked on bandaging the girl's wounds. "Her wounds aren't that dangerous, but she'd have surely bled to death if it wasn't for the ice and cold."
It was only then that Goku had noticed how cold it was. The scene of the destroyed village, the mangled corpses and the violated women had temporarily stopped him from noticing it. Taking another look at the girl, Goku sighed in relief that aside from her injuries, there were no signs of anything else being done to her.
"Have you found anyone else?" asked Goku for which Krillin shook his head. "Same here…"
"This must be the work of those Red Ribbon Army bastards," growled Krillin.
Goku nodded. "Yeah… We're going to make them pay." He looked at the girl again. "Take her to someplace that isn't totally destroyed or we all will freeze to death here."
"Where are you going?"
Goku looked at the destroyed village again. "I saw wolves trying to eat these people. I think we should bury them."
-]||[-
Goku couldn't just dig a grave for each person, so he instead dug a massive one to fit all the corpses together. Carrying each corpse – sometimes with their scattered pieces – took a few hours from Goku before he managed to bury them all.
Goku stood in front of the grave, silently praying for them. He didn't believe in any gods; he didn't even know about the gods. His grandpa Gohan never mentioned them, and Bulma only believed in science and herself as she told him so he had no idea what kind of gods existed. So Goku instead prayed to his dead Grandpa to help these people in whatever there was after death.
Hmm.. maybe I should ask Kefla if Saiyans worshipped anyone…
After that, Goku went to explore the tower, finding it completely abandoned. The only thing around was some kind of creature that Goku discovered, but upon seeing the skeletons in its room, Goku simply sealed it back, letting it starve to death.
On his way back, he found Krillin easily by sensing his presence. Krillin had found a house that wasn't as destroyed as the others with only a hole in the ceiling that he closed up using some wooden boards.
The girl was still unconscious, tucked in the corner of the room with several bed sheets covering her. Krillin himself was wearing a scarf, and busy cooking some food over the fireplace.
"She hasn't woken up yet?"
Krillin shook his head. "She's breathing better though… She'd need a few days before she can travel."
"Travel?"
"I mean, we can't just leave her in the middle of nowhere alone, right?"
Ah, right… The girl lost her family and her entire village; a village that was far removed from any other inhabited place. "Yup," Goku agreed easily. "Do you think this is why that lady told us to come here?"
Krillin continued working on the food, something that Goku's stomach appreciated. "I guess there is no other reason… Every other person is dead, and the Dragon Ball isn't here anymore."
"Right!" Goku brought out the Dragon Radar. He looked at the map and zoomed out as far as he could. "Hmm… There are two on Master Roshi's island, one on the other side of the world, three are in the same place and… Huh…"
"What?"
"I can't see the last one. Weird."
Krillin frowned, moving closer and looking over Goku's shoulder. "Maybe it's broken?"
"I don't think so… Oh, well" Goku shrugged as he pocketed the device. "We can look for it after we gather the others."
Krillin nodded. "I guess Kefla got the ones at Master Roshi's, and the three together are the ones that the Red Ribbon bastards got their hands on."
"You think we should go for them?"
"Nah. I think we should go for the one alone then get together with Kefla and maybe even Bulma."
Goku raised his eyebrows at the suggestion. "Huh, why?"
"It's probably their Headquarters. We have no idea what they've got hidden there, so it's better if we all go in. Who knows, they might've some people as strong as the demons we've fought."
Goku nodded, seeing the wisdom in this. Besides, if Kefla was fighting them too, she'd be angry if they didn't include her in the raid.
"You know Krillin… Sometimes I think you're smart."
"What do you mean sometimes!"
-]||[-
It wasn't until the evening of the next day that the girl woke up.
"Ah, you're finally awake," said Krillin suddenly, altering Goku who was doing some image training.
Goku perked up, joining Krillin near the girl. The girl looked at them for a moment before she squeaked and pushed herself backwards. Goku frowned at the fear in her eyes as they darted around the room.
Krillin raised his hands in the air, and the girl flinched. "H-Hey, we're not going to hurt you."
Goku nodded, giving the girl his best smile. "Yeah, Krillin here even saved your life!"
"A-Are you from the Red Ribbon Army?" the girl asked quietly.
"Of course not!" Goku cried out, making the girl jump.
Krillin glared at him. "Don't mind Goku, he's just really loud." Krillin gestured for him to shut up, making him pout. "No, we're not part of the Red Ribbon Army. We're actually fighting against them."
The girl gasped. "But you're kids!"
"We're actually teenagers, but that's not the point." Krillin took a step towards her, still raising his arms. "I'm Krillin," he introduced himself. "And that's Goku. We were after the Red Ribbon Army when we came to the village and found you… We're friends, don't worry." He extended a hand so she'd shake it.
The girl stared at it for a few long moments before she finally shook it. "My name is… Suno."
"Nice to meetcha, Suno!" Goku answered enthusiastically. "Can you tell us what happened to the village?"
Suno's eyes widened, her face paling for a moment before she started crying.
Krillin's hand met his face. "I swear… Goku. Just go hunt for something." Before he kicked Goku out of the house.
Goku frowned at the door. "What did I do!?"
-]||[-
It took Krillin nearly an hour to calm Suno down after that. I swear, Goku can never read a room. And while it was fun when he did it to some villain, it was annoying in a situation like this. He only ever understands his friends…
"You don't have to tell us about it right now, Suno," Krillin soothed as the girl finally stopped crying.
Suno nodded. "It's just that it was…" she sniffed and didn't say anything further.
"Y-Yeah, I understand." He didn't, not really. The girl lost her family – likely seeing them getting killed – and her entire village. Krillin was always an orphan, and the only family that he got was Goku, Master Roshi, Bulma, and Kefla.
Goku came back later with a massive bear on his shoulder, scaring Suno shitless. Krillin facepalmed. Why did I think he'd just hunt some rabbits or something?
On the flip side, Suno was now convinced that they were strong and really able to fight the Red Ribbon Army.
It took two more days before Suno was ready to open up about what happened.
"They came one day and took control of the village… We couldn't fight them; they had monsters on their side."
"Monsters?" Asked Goku. "Was it a big gooey pink thingy?"
Suno's eyes widened, nodding frantically. "T-That was one, but it was kept in the tower. There were two more… They looked like humans, but they weren't. I remember that one was called Android 8."
Android? The name didn't ring any bells for either of them.
"If it's called 8…" Krillin thought out loud. "Then there are at least eight of those things, if not more."
Suno continued her story. "T-They forced us to search for some orange balls and threatened to kill anyone who tried to hide it. They even killed the mayor to make us understand." She shivered and paused for a few moments. Krillin was thankful that Goku stayed silent, even if he started hopping from one foot to the other to stop himself from talking.
"In the end, the big guy they called Android 8 found the ball so they decided they didn't have any more needs for us and t-they… they…"
She burst out crying again.
Krillin patted her head. "It's okay, you don't need to tell us any more than that."
"Well, I guess there is nothing for us here but wait for Suno to heal before we can all leave," Goku said casually.
Suno's breath hitched. "L-Leave? All of us?"
Krillin shook his head, shooting a glare towards Goku. "Yeah… I mean… you can't stay here, Suno. There is nothing nor anyone here."
Suno hung her head down and stopped crying. She stayed quiet for a while, and Krillin started getting worried until she raised her head. Her eyes were red from crying, but she seemed to have reached some kind of decision.
"Mommy and Daddy… What happened to them…"
"Goku gave everyone a burial," Krillin kindly supplied.
"Thank you," Suno said softly.
An awkward silence stretched for a few moments before Goku's stomach growled. "I think it's time for food!"
-]||[-
Two more days and they were ready to leave, though not before Suno went to the mass grave to say goodbyes to her parents.
Both Goku and Krillin stayed quiet and stood far away so they'd give her the privacy she needed. Krillin wished that he could promise her that they could bring them back with the Dragon Balls, but he had no idea if it was possible, so he didn't want to give her false hope before they summoned the dragon.
After that, they packed up and were ready to fly – it was decided that Krillin would carry Suno on his back – when someone popped into existence in front of them. Suno shrieked while both he and Goku went into fight mode until they looked at the person in front of them.
The person was a short and petite beautiful girl with pinkish-red hair and pink, purple-ish flawless skin with dark grey eyes and long, pointed ears. She wore a weird fuschia robe that hung loosely around her shoulders, and only a grey bodysuit underneath it protected her modest chest. The robe parted below her waist to reveal grey puffy pants and she finished her look with a pair of white high-heeled boots that reached to the middle of her calves.
There was something strangely familiar about her in the back of Krillin's head.
"Wait, you're that strange girl!" Goku suddenly pipped up. "Though why did you shrink?"
Krillin's eyes widened. Oh, that's where I know her from! Now that Goku had pointed it out, the girl was basically a younger version of the stranger they met a few days ago.
The girl narrowed her eyes at Goku. "Excuse me? I didn't shrink. I'm as I am supposed to be, and I'm perfect, thank you very much!"
"Sorry, but we've met a woman who looks just like you but older a few days ago," Krillin helpfully supplied. "You did shrink."
"Yeah." nodded Goku. "Your boobs are smaller!"
Krillin choked on his own spit, turning to look at Goku in disbelief. There is no way this idiot just said this! He looked at the girl, and she sure looked about to blow her top. He mentally prayed for his friend's survival. Then she stopped.
She looked down at her own chest. "Wait… You said they were bigger?"
"Yup!"
The girl stared in disbelief. "And I gave up about it a long time ago…" she leaned forward in interest. She raised an eyebrow. "So… how big are we talking?"
Goku made a gesture with his hands, indicating the size.
The girl fist-pumped the air, her eyes shining like stars. "YES! Take that Vados! Marcarita! I have the cow tits now!" Before she started laughing like a B-Movie evil villain.
Krillin stared in disbelief at the scene before shaking his head and throwing his arms in the air in frustration. "I think there are more important things to discuss right now."
The girl turned to him with a raised eyebrow. With her hands on her waist, she looked at him disapprovingly. "Excuse me! My tits are very important, thank you very much." A dark aura surrounded her body that sent a shiver down Krillin's spine.
"Okay, okay." He raised his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry!" Under his breath, he added. "I'm sorry that I have my priorities straight, geez."
"Anyway, I think we need to get back on track," said Krillin, not wanting the girl to ask about her ass or something else next. "Do you know what's happening?"
"I think first I need to hear all about meeting this older version of me."
So Krillin and Goku started explaining everything. From the moment they landed in that unfortunate town, the weird portal, everything that happened in the Demon Realm, and finally their meeting with the strange woman. The girl's frown grew more pronounced with each word, while Suno stared at them in awe as they talked about their fights with the demons.
"That's certainly troubling," said the girl, her left hand stroking her chin. "Not only is there a future version of me running around, but something like this happened without me even being able to detect it…"
"Who are you anyway?" questioned Krillin. "How can there be a future version of you running around? It sounds like time travel!"
The girl smirked. She cocked her hips to the side with one hand resting on it, her other hand extended in an exaggerated manner. "I'm Chronoa, the Supreme Kai of Time," she announced haughtily.
Krillin turned to Goku to see that he had the same blank look on his face.
"I have no idea what any of that means," said Goku honestly, making the girl – now named Chronoa – deflate.
She pouted childishly and grumbled about stupid uneducated mortals before shaking her head. "Well, to put it into terms that you can understand. I'm the Supreme Goddess of Time; a deity who watches over the flow of time from the cosmos."
Once again, Krillin nearly choked on his own salvia. A goddess! This little girl! Of course, he didn't say that out loud as he valued his life.
"Really!?" Goku looked as if Christmas had come early. "Are you strong?"
Chronoa put her hands on her hips, puffing her… modest chest. "Of course!" she declared proudly.
"Wanna fight?" Goku asked, taking the woman by surprise.
Krillin facepalmed. Of course, he sighed in frustration before bonking Goku on the head. "Don't go around challenging gods, idiot."
Krillin coughed, ignoring the pouting Goku. "Anyway, what is a goddess like you doing here in the first place?" Since she had no idea about her future version – and wasn't that a thought Krillin never imagined – which meant she was there for another reason.
"Right!" Exclaimed Chronoa. "I almost forgot why I came here."
"Is it to challenge me?" asked Goku hopefully.
Chronoa rolled her eyes. "Of course not. I can defeat you with my pinkie finger with my eyes closed and all my limbs tied behind my back." If she thought that ridiculous statement was going to dissuade Goku, she was wrong given the stars he had in his eyes as he looked at her. Krillin would bet on his life that this only made Goku want to grow stronger to fight her. "No, I came here because you guys need to be somewhere else."
Krillin crossed his arms. "And where would that somewhere be?"
"Dr. Gero's Backup Lab."
Krillin blinked and looked at Goku who simply shrugged. "We have no idea who that is."
"Well, he's a mad scientist who works with the Red Ribbon Army. You'll be meeting his creations eventually."
"Why do we need to go to his lab?" asked Goku.
"You just need to."
"But why?"
"I can't tell you everything!" Chronoa stomped her foot on the ground childishly. "It's just there is someone that you need to meet."
"Fine," grumbled Krillin. "Just tell us where it is."
Chronoa smirked smugly at that. "I'll do one better. I'll take you there."
"Take us?" Questioned Goku, looking around. "Do you have a car or plane somewhere?"
She shook her head. "You just need to hold my hands," she said as she held out her hand for them.
Krillin and Goku exchanged glances before shrugging. Together with Suno, they held Chronoa's hands. For a moment, nothing happened before Krillin's vision blurred. He almost stumbled as he let go of Chronoa's hand, and he had to hold Suno to keep her from falling down.
He looked around and saw that they were no longer in the white planes of Jingle Village but on the top of a mountain in the middle of a long mountain range.
"Wow! How did you do that?" Goku asked enthusiastically, getting into Chronoa's personal space.
The Supreme Kai merely puffed her chest proudly, giving them a superior look. "Trade secret."
"Anyway," Chronoa said. "You see that small black thing in the distance." Krillin squinted his eyes until he saw what looked like a cave's opening on the side of one of the mountains. "That's the entrance. Good luck!" with that, Chronoa disappeared just as silently as she appeared.
Krillin shook his head and turned to Goku. "Okay, how do you want to do this?"
Goku was silent for a moment. "I think you should stay here with Suno."
"What!?"
"You can't take her with you; who knows what kind of stuff they have hidden there. And you can't leave her here alone, right?"
Krillin pursed his lips, looking at Suno thoughtfully. Goku was right, he couldn't leave her there on top of a mountain while they went away for who knew how long, and taking her with him would put her in unnecessary danger. He sighed. "Fine… But you better come back, you hear?"
Goku smirked. "Of course!" Before he blasted away, flying towards Dr. Gero's lab.
-]||[-
Goku flew towards his target, eyes narrowed as he got closer and closer. Anyone here might not be involved in what happened in Jingle Village, but they were still part of the same army.
As he got closer, he saw that the entrance of the cave was blocked by a massive metal gate. On either side, hidden by snow, were two massive gun turrets. Whoever manned them seemed to have spotted him as they opened fire at him.
Goku's eyes widened as his speed decreased to better dodge the massive bullets. While he could block them, he couldn't do it forever. His skin was tougher than a human's but that only protected him from small, normal bullets. Ki and keeping his guard up would protect him from these, but he'd be spending a lot of energy on it which was something Goku didn't want to do since he had no idea what awaited him inside the laboratory.
So Goku instead decreased his speed to better manoeuvre in the air around the enemy attacks.
"Haa!" Two Ki blasts later, and the turrets exploded. The impact and the noise rebounded throughout the valley before the snow that accumulated on the mountain began falling down, starting an avalanche that Goku ignored.
Thankfully, the entrance was on an angle with some of the natural rock foundation protecting it so that there was no snow there, and Goku could land without having to care about the avalanche.
The metal gate looked thick and when Goku tried to punch it, a small dent in it was the result. So Goku changed his approach. Gathering energy in between his palms. "Ka. Me. Ha. Me. Ha!"
The beam of blue energy did its job as it connected with the gate. Goku shielded his face from the hot metal shrapnel that was sent flying due to the explosion. As the dust settled, there was now a large circular hole in it.
"Well, that takes care of it."
Goku rushed inside through the hole. Behind the gate was a long tunnel with the ground, walls, and ceiling all covered in metal plates. There wasn't a lot of light aside from small dim lines running through the ceiling and the light from the hole illuminating the beginning of the tunnel. As soon as he took another step in, lights he didn't notice lit up from the wall, illuminating the first fifty meters in front of him, and more lit up with each step he took.
Soon, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching, but he didn't pay it much attention as his senses picked up on a strange presence in the lab.
"Huh… What's that?" Goku wondered out loud. It was easily the strongest, and something about it was just familiar.
Several soldiers rushed in with their weapons ready.
"Who are you?"
"What are you doing here?"
Goku ignored him as he focused on his senses. "So it's below then," He said, having found where the presence was.
"Don't take a step or we'll shoot!"
Finally looking at the guards, Goku narrowed his eyes. "Get out of the way if you don't want to die," he said, coldly.
"Why you!?" The soldiers looked incensed by his comments, and one of them was too trigger-happy and opened fire at Goku.
"Idiot," said Goku as he rushed at them, easily avoiding the hail of bullets from their rifles.
He kicked the soldier closest to him in the head, the cracking of his skull was heard by everyone as he was planted into the wall. Ducking under the fire of another, Goku sent a punch to the stomach to the nearest soldier.
The soldier collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach, and choking on the blood flooding his mouth.
"Hii!" The soldiers squeaked in shock seeing two of their comrades be defeated in the blink of an eye. Goku turned to them, and they all subconsciously took a step back.
One brave, and very stupid soul, shouted. "It's a narrow tunnel, don't shoot like idiots. Make sure that he has no space to dodge!"
"R-Right!" Together they opened fire, sending a wave of bullets at Goku.
This time, Goku didn't even bother to dodge. He rushed towards the soldiers, the bullets hitting his skin and getting deformed on impact. In less than ten seconds, he kicked and punched the soldiers, killing some and incapacitating others before continuing forward.
A few moments later, Goku saw several latches on the walls opening, and a small gun turrets popped out. They immediately started firing, to which Goku countered with several small Ki blasts that destroyed them.
Not even a minute after that, several metallic flying objects came. I think Bulma called these drones. Taking out his Power Pole, he spun it fast, blocking the hail of bullets that greeted him. "It's one thing after the other in this place," he complained before he ducked, dodging a small rocket that was fired at him. The tunnel shook from the power of the explosion.
Goku looked back at the crater behind him and frowned. "Better to end these things before they bring the whole thing down on us." With a practised ease, he held the Power Pole like one would a spear, "Extend!" and thrust forward several times.
His weapon blurred and several small explosions followed each time the Power Pole speared one of the drones. After taking care of them, Goku put the Power Pole back on his back and continued his run.
"Finally, the stairs," said Goku after a few more minutes, and a few more runs with enemies. He can now get to the lower levels, and closer to that presence he sensed.
-]||[-
"Will Goku-san be okay?" Suno asked, seeing the plumes of smoke rose from the entrance of the lab.
Krillin looked at Suno who was gazing worriedly at where their friends had disappeared into. He put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it a bit.
"Don't worry, Suno. Goku is strong. And even if he faced someone stronger, he would find a way to win and make it back. I have absolute faith in him."
Krillin wasn't saying this simply because he wanted to reassure Suno. No. Krillin firmly trusted Goku with his life. He believed in his best friend and knew that Goku one day would stand above everyone as the strongest. He'd be the one they could depend on every time.
Suno nodded. She didn't look a hundred percent convinced, but she at least appeared less worried.
"Why does Goku-san have a tail?"
Krillin blinked, realising that his friend never bothered to hide his tail. "Well, Goku isn't exactly human. He's actually an alien; a Saiyan from a distant planet."
Suno turned to him, looking at him with huge shocked eyes. "An alien!?"
Krillin nodded. "Yup. He comes from a warrior race, so you shouldn't worry too much about him." The fact that Saiyans in general – at least excluding Goku, Kefla, and Bulma – were genocidal battle maniacs wasn't something he thought he should share.
Suno's amazement faded after a moment, gaining a pensive look.
"What is it?" Krillin asked after a few moments of silence.
"It's just… a few months ago I only thought humans and beastlings were the only ones that existed… then the Red Ribbon Army came and I saw monsters and humans fused with machines, and then you came and I learnt that demons, gods, and aliens existed…" she paused for a few moments, struggling to find the words. "I guess that it's just too much."
"Huh… I never thought about it but I can see how it can be overwhelming. I guess I just got used to it because of my friends." He smiled at her. "You'll get used to it too."
"Will I?" Krillin titled his head, waiting for her to elaborate. "What will happen to me now? Where will I go?"
"With us, of course," said Krillin simply. "We have a super rich friend, Bulma, and she has a massive house. You can live there for the time being. Trust me, Bulma won't mind. And you'll have me, Goku, Bulma, and another girl called Kefla with you." He gave her a sincere smile. "We're all your friends, Suno."
"Thank you," replied Suno as she smiled shyly.
A few moments of silence followed after that.
"Are you an alien too?" she asked out of nowhere.
"W-What? What gives you that idea?"
"Because you don't have a nose," Suno answered innocently.
-]||[-
Goku went through two more levels which were more of the same; soldiers, gun turrets, and drones. He dealt with them easily enough. They weren't much trouble to him, but the repetitiveness of the task annoyed him a little.
He checked every room or opening he found on his way, but aside from weird machines and stuff he didn't understand, he didn't find anyone there.
Reaching Level 3 Minus – he knew that since it was painted in large font right on top of the entrance – Goku found himself in a large open, but dark space as opposed to the narrow tunnels he had to deal with until then.
His eyes narrowed but he couldn't see anything in the dark. However, his ears picked up some kind of humming noise approaching.
A blue bulb appeared out of nowhere illuminating a strange machine. It looked like a trashcan with a skirt that had golden balls on it. The blue lightbulb seemed to act as if it was an eye, while the thing's arms looked even weirder; the left one resembled a whisk, while the right one looked like a plunger. It looked utterly unthreatening.
[Identify yourself!]
It even talked weirdly. Goku might go as far as to say he thought the little robot looked adorable.
"Hi, I'm Goku!"
[Identity unknown! Leave the premises or you will be EXTERMINATED!]
A beam of energy shot from the little robot's left arm. Goku's eyes widened and he threw himself flat on the ground, dodging it. He looked behind him, seeing that the beam had more damage than a regular Ki blast.
"Well, now we're talking!" he jumped up, eyes sparkling in excitement as he got ready to fight this unknown new enemy.
It was then that another blue lightbulb lit up in the dark, then another, and another until there were about a hundred of those things. The room's light suddenly started working, and it illuminated a sea of the same robots. It also illuminated the room, showing that it was massive with a high ceiling.
Well, I only have to worry about the first row unless they want to shoot their own comrades.
As soon as he thought this, the robots in the second row suddenly started hovering so that their beam arm – which was what Goku decided to call it – was above the ones in the next row. The row behind it did the same, and so on until Goku stood facing a literal wall of robots that reached the ceiling and blocked the entire room.
"This won't stop me!" As to prove his point, Goku fired a Ki blast but much to his surprise, the Ki blast didn't reach the robot. Instead, it bounced off about half a meter away from it, flying harmlessly to the side and exploding.
"What the hell!" He fired a few more blasts, getting the same result.
[It's futile human.]
[We are superior.]
[Exterminate.]
[Exterminate.]
[Exterminate.]
[Exterminate.]
A dozen beams of energy flew towards him, which made Goku jump around, dancing around them. Each beam resulted in an impact showing Goku that he didn't want to be hit by too many of those. Preferably, none at all.
He took out his Power Pole, extending it so that it was as tall as himself before he started spinning it. The energy beams coming towards him hit the Power Pole and were directed somewhere else.
"Ha! How do you like that!?"
Goku's mocking shout was met by several [Exterminate] from the trashcans. They seemed angered by his defiance and rained energy beams on him. A few made it throw, hitting Goku and throwing him back.
"Gah!" It was painful, but he could tank it as long as he didn't get hit too many times in the same spot, and as long as he kept his guard up. "Let's see now." He challenged, increasing the speed of the spin. The Power Pole was rotating so fast now that it was like he held a sturdy shield in front of him, repelling all attacks.
Goku grinned victoriously, but that grin faded after a minute or two. Now what? It was true that he could block everything they threw at him, but he couldn't fight back either. It was basically a stalemate.
I can't use the Kamehameha with one hand, and stopping the Power Pole would leave me defenceless to like a hundred attacks at the same time. He thought ignoring the frustrated yells of his enemies. They have some kind of shield that seems to deflect a regular Ki blast… Wait!
With an idea in mind, Goku started forming a regular Ki blast before with as much concentration as he could, he started compressing it until it was a tiny blue ball. Let's try this!
"Ha!" Launching the compressed Ki blast, Goku watched as it flew towards one of the robots. His eyes narrowed watching it as it touched the shield, but instead of being repelled, the Ki blast went through, hitting the robot's chest and opening a hole in it. Immediately that robot stopped firing at him before a moment later, it exploded.
"Yes!" Goku cheered while the trashcans redoubled their efforts.
His suspicions were confirmed; now he had an idea of how to fight back. A repeat would take too long. He couldn't make too many Ki blasts while also focusing on compressing them. I need something that can kill more than one at the same time…
He looked at his Power Pole as it spun and acted as his shield– Wait, shield! I have an idea!
He held out his hand, and a ball of deep blue Ki formed in front of his hands. Goku concentrated, and the Ki changed shape, morphing, and elongating into a long sword. He reached out and grabbed the handle with his free hand.
The Ki blade was something he used before in the Demon Realm. It had as much power as he put in it, compressed into a sharp blade-like shape.
He rushed forward, the Power Pole acting as his shield before he swung his blade. While there was a slight resistance, the long Ki sword did what he wanted, cutting through several robots at the same time. "Yes!"
[He is dangerous. Eliminate, eliminate!]
The trashcans broke formation, hovering in different directions. They started shooting Goku, who just cut a few more, from all directions forcing him to jump and dodge since his Power Pole wasn't enough anymore.
"You think you got me?" Goku taunted, managing to cut a dozen more robots before he was forced to dodge again. They fired from every angle so he could never stand still in one place. "How about this!" He thrust his arm, bumping energy into his sword. The sword extended in the blink of an eye, stabbing through several robots at the same time. This was the main inspiration Goku got from his Power Pole.
From that point, it was a slaughter. Goku dodged around and stabbed a few robots. Rinse and repeat.
Goku sighed in relief when he finished. His Ki blade disappeared, I think it can be improved a bit more… and I need to find a name for it, and his Power Pole was back in its place on his back. He looked at the carnage in front of him, I guess they were slightly entertaining.
The smell of burnt flesh got his attention. Stepping closer to one of the robots, he looked inside only to recoil back in horror and disgust. Inside of the robot was what seemed like an abomination of mutated flesh. The only reason he figured its origin was the Red Ribbon Army uniform that seemingly fused with parts of it.
"What are those things!?" He asked loudly, voice dripping with disgust before he turned away. "Man. That was disgusting. The hell is Dr. Gero doing in here!?"
-]||[-
His next encounter after the trashcan robots – or that's what Goku took to calling them – was with a dozen of humanoid silver-coloured metallic creatures. They were robots too.
"Seriously, just how many robots did this Dr. Gero make?" Grumbled Goku before looking at his new enemy. "And what are you supposed to be?"
One of them responded. [We're the next level of mankind. Every citizen will receive a free upgrade. You will become like us.]
The others echoed the sentiment. [You will become like us.]
[Upgrade! Upgrade!]
Goku rolled his eyes. "Sorry, but I like myself as is."
[You'll be converted or you'll be deleted!]
The lead tin-man raised a small-looking rifle and fired a beam of energy at Goku. His guard already up thanks to his earlier encounter, Goku easily dodged the attack. He looked at the wall where it hit, seeing a small blackened hole instead of a crater – the usual characteristics of Ki blasts.
Goku didn't take any chances this time. He held out his hand, and a ball of deep blue Ki formed in front of his hands. Goku concentrated, and the Ki changed shape, morphing and elongating into a long sword with the handle and guard shaping itself around Goku's hand so he no longer needed to actively grab it. The blade was an extension of his arm now.
"Spirit Sword!" He called out, figuring out a name for the move.
Goku rushed forward, jumping, and dodging all of their attacks. Reaching close to the lead tin-man, he slashed his sword, and the blade went through the metal like a hot knife through butter, cutting the robot from its right hip to its left shoulder.
"Huh!" Goku noticed that it was much, much easier than cutting through the energy shield of trashcan robots from before. In fact, it didn't appear that they had any kind of shielding. "So you guys are weaker than…"
[You dare! We are superior!] the tin-men raged, opening fire at him all at once.
Goku jumped away, putting some distance between them. "They seem motivated now." He fired two Ki blasts with his free hand, the attacks blasting two holes into the torsos of two different tin-men. With a blur, he was inside the guard of a third tin-man, using his sword to cut it in half.
"Man, you guys are too easy." He was disappointed with how easily they went down. There were only a dozen of them when they started, and they were already down to eight. "At least there aren't too many of you." Not that it'd have made the fighter harder, but it'd have been annoying having to take down an army of weaklings.
A few Ki blasts and a few slashes later, the tin-men were in pieces on the floor. Goku checked them over, discovering that a part of the robot was simply a metal suit housing meat and bones. They were horribly mutilated and missing pieces of their bodies, but they were humans. Or at least appeared to be compared to the mutated mess he found inside the trashcans.
He had no idea what Dr Gero's and the Red Ribbon Army's plans were, but judging by what they left behind, it was nothing good.
Still, he was here for a reason – even if didn't know what it was, but suspected it had to do with what he sensed – and getting distracted by these served no purpose. He wasn't stupid, but he wasn't as smart as Bulma so he left the complicated stuff for her.
And thus Goku continued on his way, leaving behind the destroyed monstrous creations of Gero.
…
…
Just as he reached the end of the stairs leading to the next level, Goku stopped, preventing himself from colliding with a person who was running in his direction. The girl was pretty, with long blonde hair and green eyes, squeaked out as she jumped in shock. She looked around Bulma's age or a bit older. Goku's eyes drifted over her Red Ribbon Army uniform to the rifle on her hips. He moved.
"Wait!" The girl's strangled scream startled Goku, his fist stopped just a millimetre away from her face though the force of the air moved by the punch hit the girl in the face, sending her to the floor.
"Ouch!" the girl complained, holding her bruised nose. "What's the big idea!?" she scowled at him. "Do you just attack people out of nowhere?"
Goku raised an eyebrow. "You're wearing the RR Army uniform and have a weapon. Should I have waited until you shot at me?"
"Okay, maybe that's fair," the girl conceded. "Still. I have no intention to fight you."
Goku's eyes narrowed at her. She was clean, at least compared to every other RR Army soldier who stunk of blood. "Why?"
"I may be prideful, but I'm not an idiot! I've seen you dismantle everything in your way from the control room. I don't have a death wish." She stood up, patting her clothes. "I'm here to actually lend a hand, you know."
"Why do I need your help?" asked Goku. "And you'd betray your friends so easily?"
"Friends?" the girl scoffed. "Hardly. I'm a mercenary, and I only joined these assholes because I realised there was no one that could stop them… at least until you appeared. And the pay was good, but not good enough to die for them or ignore everything that they do."
Goku gave her a long, searching look before he smiled. "Cool! I'm Goku by the way." He extended his hand to her which she took.
"Lunch."
Goku's stomach rumbled. "Where? I'm really hungry!"
A vein popped on Lunch's forehead. "Lunch is my name, you idiot."
"Man… you have a dumb name."
Lunch scowled harder and started muttering something that Goku ignored. He knew better than to bother girls when they got like this.
"Anyway, you want to join me? I don't mind."
"Yeah, beats staying with these assholes," she answered with a shrug. "Anyway, if you want to destroy the whole base, I can lead you to where the power generators are. We can plant some bombs and hightail it."
Goku shook his head. "No, I'm here because I'm searching for something or someone…"
"What are you searching for exactly? Cuz the only thing left in the base is research data, materials and Major Metallitron, who is on his way by the way."
"Metallitron? Who is that?"
"Some Android that Dr. Gero created. He's emotionless and will follow any order."
Goku frowned, focusing his senses. He sensed something making its way toward them, but it was surely not the presence he felt upon entering the lab. "Nah," he shook his head. "There is something else down there, not this android dude… I need to find it or them."
"Fine." Lunch sighed. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but you're the boss."
They continued on their path, Goku feeling the enemy getting closer.
"What are you?" Lunch asked as they walked casually to their destination. "Are you an Android too? I've never seen anyone do half the shit that you could do."
"I'm Goku, and I'm a Saiyan."
"Saiyan?"
"Yup! I think humans would call us aliens," he said casually, not noticing Lunch's wide eyes now focused on him.
"Freaking aliens!" she exclaimed. "The hell is going on with this world… whatever, at least you're not bald and grey like in the movies."
"Aliens are grey in the movies?"
"Or green… I guess that's why you're so powerful?"
Goku shrugged. "Part of it, but I trained to become this strong. You can do everything that I did if you trained too."
"Really?"
"My friend Krillin is a human. He is almost as strong as me!" It might be a bit of an exaggeration since Goku figured that Krillin was closer to Kefla than him. "Me, Kefla – who is another Saiyan – Krillin, and Bulma all trained under Master Roshi so that's why we're so strong!"
"And to think I thought a gun and some karate was all I needed in this world…"
Goku was about to say something when he sensed the enemy was nearby. "Stop," he told her. "There's someone strong just around the corner."
Sure enough, a moment later a large man was standing in front of them.
Major Metallitron was a very large man. Tall and wide with bulging muscles that showcased his strength. His legs were built like tree trunks, wider than Goku himself, showing that he didn't skip leg day. The Android wore a sleeveless blue military vest with black gloves covering his hands. His hair was blood red, and his eyes were covered behind black sunglasses.
"Welcome," Metallitron said before pointing behind him. "The staircase leading down is in that direction. Unfortunately, you can't reach it unless you go through me."
"Woah, you're a huge guy!"
Metallitron's only comment was. "Die!" Before throwing a heavy punch towards Goku.
Goku jumped, avoiding the punch which cracked the floor, and landed on top of Metallitron's shoulder. "My turn!" he threw a punch with his left hand, hitting Metallitron square in the jaw.
GONG!
Goku blinked at the metallic thud as he watched Metallitron fall down. "Weird… Feels like I punched a metal door."
"He won't be down that easily!" Lunch, who gave them some space to fight, shouted, pointing behind Goku.
Goku turned around only to find himself trapped between Metallitron's massive arms, capturing both of his arms and immobilizing him.
"I'll squeeze the life out of you!" Declared Metallitron as he proceeded to do just that.
"I'd like to see you try!" with a roar, Goku pushed out and freed himself from Metallitron's hands. "Let's see if you'd take this!" Goku rushed forward and delivered a powerful kick to Metallitron's mid-section that sent him crashing into the wall several meters away.
To his surprise, Metallitron showed no visible sign of damage despite Goku increasing the power behind his attack. The metallic sound was back again too.
"So your body is made of metal?"
"You're going to die!" Metallitron roared and rushed at Goku.
Goku jumped up, avoiding the attack, but was met by a fist that smashed into his nose. "Gah!" he cried out in pain as he was sent back flying. "You're strong," he said as he stood up again. His nose throbbed, and he felt a few droplets of blood leave but it was nothing major. Instead, his blood pounded in his veins in excitement.
He jumped to the side, avoiding Metallitron who tried to kick him. "Miss me!" Goku taunted only for his eyes to widen when Metallitron aimed his right hand at him.
"Rocket Punch!"
His entire hand flew at Goku who barely raised his own arm, blocking the attack before it hit his face but he was still thrown back. "Guh," he growled, a bruise forming on his arm.
"So you're a robot too then?" It was the only explanation in Goku's mind for the weirdness around Metallitron.
Not standing still, Goku rushed Metallitron. Using more strength than before, he delivered a brutal punch to Metallitron's knee. Metallitron's frame buckled, falling to one knee, which Goku used to kick his head viciously. The large android was sent crashing into the wall, and Goku was glad to see a crack form on Metallitron's jaw.
"Behind you!" Lunch yelled, alerting Goku to Metallitron's fist which came back to strike him from behind. Fortunately, Lunch's warning came just in time as Goku somersaulted over it, the fist instead hitting Metallitron's stomach.
Goku burst out laughing as the android glared at him. "Time to die child!" He shouted, opening his mouth wide.
"Huh?" Goku looked in confusion before he noticed golden energy gathering in the back of Metallitron's throat. "As if I'll just let you hit me!"
It was the wrong thing to say as Metallitron instead turned his head and fired a giant beam of golden energy at Lunch.
"Shit!" He moved.
He appeared just in time to block that attack with his body.
A massive explosion followed along with Goku's cries of pain. The shockwave sent Lunch flying back, though the dust went into her nose, making her sneeze and change into her other form. She looked confused for a moment before the last few moments flashed in her mind.
"Goku-san!" She cried out, unable to see him in the cloud of dust.
When the cloud was cleared, Goku was standing in the middle of a crater. His clothes were half destroyed, and he was covered in injuries but thankfully nothing too serious. He glowered at Metallitron.
"Why the hell did you attack her? She had nothing to do with this!"
"She's a traitor and it made sure my attack hit home, didn't it?" Metallitron replied uncaringly.
Gou scowled harder. "Fine then. I won't play around anymore." He cupped his hands together, bringing them to the side as he started focusing on his Ki.
Metallitron tilted his head, looking at Goku in confusion. "Hmm? What are you trying to do? It's pointless!" He roared and dashed towards Goku.
However, it was pointless. "Ka. Me. Ha. Me. HA!" Goku roared, and a massive beam of blue Ki flew from his hands and engulfed Metallitron. The beam cut through his torso, literally erasing it as it continued, hitting the wall behind and punching a clear hole through the wall and the mountain behind it, leading to the outside.
Goku panted, watching as the pieces that remained of Major Metallitron fell uselessly to the ground. "Phew… That was tough." He turned around to check on Lunch only for his eyes to widen as they fell on an innocent-looking blue-haired and blue-eyed pretty girl.
"Who the hell are you? Where did Lunch go?"
"I-I'm Lunch," she squeaked out when he took a step closer to her. "See? This is the same uniform and rifle!"
Goku blinked. It was true, but also this girl could've stolen it from Lunch even if she looked like she'd lose a fight against an ant. He used his nose, and sure enough, the girl was the same as Lunch, just somehow mellower and less aggressive.
"W-What the hell happened to you then?"
"I… well… we're both Lunch, but we kind of switch around whenever one of us sneezes."
Goku blinked, staring at her for a long moment before shaking his head. "Man, you're freaking weird." Said the alien teen with a monkey tail who could transform into a gigantic gorilla with each full moon.
-]||[-
Goku narrowed his eyes, looking at the walls around him. This was a dead end. There were no more staircases, lifts, or openings leading to any level below. "Are you sure you don't know any other way that we could've missed?"
Lunch shook her head. "I don't share most memories with my other self, sorry. I only vaguely remember the last few seconds or minutes before each change, nothing more."
"Are you like two different people stuck together or is she a power-up transformation like the Ōzaru?"
"I have no idea what an Ōzaru is."
"Never mind," said Goku as he focused his senses. "There!" he pointed toward the wall on their left. There was nothing on it that indicated that there was something behind, but Goku could clearly sense the presence from behind the wall. "Get behind me, Lunch," he said though his stomach growled again. "Dammit… I get hungry each time I say your name!"
"… I'm sorry?" she offered, hiding behind him.
Goku gathered some Ki and fired it at the wall. The Ki blast blew a hole in the wall enough for them to enter, and kicked a large cloud of dust that caused them both to sneeze. Goku turned around, only to find Lunch's green eyes glaring at him. "Wow, you really do change whenever you sneeze."
She glared at him, bringing her face closer so she was staring him in the eye. "Got a problem with that punk?"
"Didn't you say that you don't have a death wish?" Goku taunted, unimpressed by her scowl. It was hard to fear her after everything that happened. Besides, she got nothing on Kefla or Bulma. That's for sure.
Her cheeks pinked and she withdrew with a huff.
Goku shrugged before he walked through the hole with Lunch following him after a moment. They found themselves in a vast room filled with computers, machinery, what looked like spare parts and actual human organs in some kind of jars. There was a desk filled with notes and diagrams that Goku couldn't understand, and a large screen on the far side dominated the room.
However, Goku's attention wasn't on any of this but rather on something that was to the left side of the room.
There was some kind of large cylinder made of glass filled with an unknown green liquid. Floating inside the tub, and attached to various wires and pipes was a girl.
She looked around Goku's age and was as tall as him. She was beautiful with long bushy red hair that reached her waist, pale skin, and a pair of ice-blue eyes. She was also naked and breathing with the help of an oxygen mask.
The lighting of the room and her floating in the green liquid gave her an ethereal appearance.
The girl's blue eyes widened when she saw them. She seemed to be trying to say something, Goku noticed how her arms twitched but barely moved showing that the liquid was highly viscous. However, Goku could see the plea in her eyes clearly.
"Didn't your mother teach you not to ogle naked ladies?" Lunch asked with a snarl.
"Never met my mother, and I'm not ogling her," said Goku. "She wants our help." Without saying another word, Goku moved and punched through the tank, shattering the glass. The liquid spilt everywhere around him, but Goku ignored it as his arms caught the girl's body. He ripped the wires and oxygen mask from her. "Here, I got you now."
The girl, her head resting on his chest, looked up at him. Goku found himself lost in her eyes for a moment before he snapped out of it when she gave a very awkward and small smile as if she never smiled before. "T-Thank y-you," she rasped the words slowly.
Goku gave her his best smile. "You're welcome!" he exclaimed cheerily.
[I see that you've met my little creation Subject-G] A robotic voice suddenly said, catching them off-guard.
They turned to see that the giant screen was on now, and on it was the image of a beautiful older woman who in some way resembled the girl in his arms.
"Who are you?" Goku demanded. "And my name is Goku!"
[Fufufu. So aggressive.] she taunted. [Well, I'm Vomi, Dr. Gero's late wife and the main brain behind that little failed abomination between your arms.]
Goku scowled, especially when he felt the girl shudder in his arms. He didn't like this Vomi woman at all. "Don't call her that!"
[My, so protective, but it's nothing but the truth. Don't you want to know what that thing you're holding is?]
"Talk, and stop insulting her!"
[The 'girl' you're holding is Android 21. A little experiment of mine.]
"A-Aren't you my m-mother?" The now-identified Android 21 asked.
[As if I'd call a failed abomination like you my daughter!] it was unnerving how the tone of the voice changed, but the image of the smiling woman was still the same. [Though in a way… It's kind of true.]
"What do you mean?" asked Goku.
[Well… The very base genetic material is that of my daughter… if you can call a nineteen-week-old fetus a daughter.]
Lunch stared at the screen; her eyes widening in dread. "What the hell did you do!?"
[It's simple really. I had a new idea that I wanted to try, and I wanted to use my and my husband's superior genes so I got pregnant, and we took the fetus out of my womb to act as the base of my little experiment. The little bitch fought back, and I died shortly after because of an infection. Thankfully, my husband uploaded my consciousness into the computer so I could continue my work.]
"T-That's crazy," said Lunch, taking a step back. "You're both fucked in the head."
Goku glared at the woman as he slowly digested the information. He really wanted to meet Dr. Gero and have a long talk with him. 21's bitch of a mother was lucky she wasn't alive. His anger burned as 21 trembled in his arms, and he could see tears in the corner of her eyes.
[Hardly, but I don't expect your primitive brains to comprehend our brilliance.]
"What did you do to her?" asked Goku, his voice going cold.
[We wanted to create a perfect Android. One that isn't a suit of metal shielding flesh, but rather an Android grown with greater potential and genetically modified to be the perfect creation that even the gods will gaze at in awe.] Vomi said, her voice gaining a maniacal twist at the end. [So we searched the planet for the best sources for the DNA that we were going to use. You, Subject-G, alongside Subject-B, Subject-K and Subject-A were our primary sources.]
"Wait, you mean you used this guy's DNA amongst others to modify the fetus of your daughter?" asked Lunch in disgust. Her question helped Goku understand most of the jargon Vomi had just said.
[Exactly. Their alien DNA is fascinating! I wanted more and more samples to fully understand what these aliens are made of. It was both so similar and yet so different from our DNA.] Vomi gushed. [We used other aliens too, but sadly, the result wasn't the success we wanted. Instead, we got this stupid little abomination with clearly too many emotions! We downloaded a lot of knowledge directly to her brains since I was at least going to have her around as an assistant or in case my husband wanted to relieve himself until I facilitate-]
The screen exploded, Goku shielding the girl's body as his Ki blast, alongside bullets from Lunch's rifle, destroyed the screen and everything behind it.
"Fucking disgusting trash…"
Goku agreed, but he focused on the girl seeing that she was crying into his chest. "Hey, it's going to be alright. Don't pay mind to any of that nonsense."
21 sniffed. "B-But she said…" she trailed off as her crying got louder.
Goku rubbed her back gently. "Don't listen to whatever that stupid hag says. You look normal to me, and there isn't anything wrong with you. Not how you were born nor about you showing emotions. Gero and this stupid hag don't matter. You're free now and with us."
21 hiccupped and used her hand to wipe away the tears that fell down her cheeks. Her big, blue eyes looked at him in feebleness and fear, but there was a bit of hope deep inside of them. "You promise? You won't leave me alone? You won't abandon me?"
Goku nodded and gave her the best smile he could. "I promise. And it won't be just me. There is Bulma, Kefla, Krillin, Master Roshi, and Lunch too!"
"Hey, don't you decide on your own?" Lunch scowled at him, crossing her arms under her breasts.
Goku raised his eyebrow. "Didn't you say that you're on my side now? Besides, you're my friend now."
Lunch huffed. "Fine, but only cuz I have no place else to go to." Before she walked away.
"I am too?" asked 21. "Am I also your friend?"
"Of course!"
21 smiled slightly. This one is a bit less awkward than the first. "Thank you… You said your name is Goku?"
Goku nodded. "That's what my grandpa called me. My parents called me Kakarot, so you can call me whatever you like."
She nodded as they both stood up with Goku still holding her. He let her go after a few moments. 21 took a step and fell, though Goku managed to catch her again.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"I think she is simply unused to walking," said Lunch, who appeared out of nowhere. In her hand was a lab coat and a winter jacket. "I'd normally say that her muscles are atrophied, but she looks healthy. She just needs to learn how to walk probably." She gestured to the lab coat and the jacket. "Let's get you dressed missy. You'll freeze your tits off if you go outside like this."
21 simply nodded and allowed Lunch to help her dress up. After they finished, Lunch took her by the hand as they made their way back, heading outside.
..
…
….
The walk to the exit took them some time as they had to slow down since 21 was still not comfortable walking. But they made it out in the end.
"Now what?" asked Lunch as for her, they were stuck on the side of a high mountain with no way to get down.
"Give me a moment," he said before firing a Ki blast in the air. He noticed 21 looking at this with both awe and interest.
Thankfully, Krillin got his message, and a few minutes later he was seen flying towards them.
"Of course you guys can fly," snarked Lunch.
Goku smirked. "You will too!" Before she could protest, he picked her up and threw her at Krillin. "Catch, Krillin!" He laughed at Lunch's yell who was caught by a surprised Krillin. She yelled something at him, but Goku couldn't hear them over the sound of the wind.
"Get on," he said as he crouched in front of 21. With some help, she had her legs wrapped around his waist, and her arms around his neck. Slowly, Goku took off, not wanting to hurt the girl. Though before he reached Krillin, he turned back, glaring at the mountain he just left.
"You're an eyesore," he said before taking his stance mid-air. "Ka. Me. Ha. Me. HAAA!" His strongest attack that day yet, Goku's Kamehameha hit the mountain. A brilliant explosion lit up the night sky; the shockwave pushing them back slightly. When the cloud dust cleared, there was no trace of around seventy percent of the mountain, and none of the lab. "You won't ever return here," Goku promised 21.
The girl's arms tightened around his neck. He could feel some tears fall on his back, but he didn't mind.
"Thank you… Goku."
-]||[-
A few days later, they were flying towards the direction of the next Dragon Ball, though for now, they were taking a rest. They couldn't fly too fast, not with Goku carrying 21 in his arms, and Lunch hanging on his back, and Krillin having to carry Suno too.
21 got along well enough with the rest of the group. Krillin was obviously disgusted with the actions of Vomi and Dr. Gero and assured 21 that he'd be her friend too. However, most of the time, she tended to stay closer to Goku than the rest. Goku obviously didn't mind as long as it made her happy.
21 saw everything around her with pure awe. She might have had a lot of knowledge downloaded into her brain, but it was vastly different from actually seeing the world around her for the first time. She was still shy, but ever so slowly gaining confidence, something that reassured Goku. He made sure to show her everything he could in every place they crossed, and in the evening, 21 trained her body for movements she never needed while floating in the tank. She could walk easily now, and her running was improving.
Goku frowned as he wolfed down his food. Despite the atmosphere, he had a gut feeling that something wrong was going to happen. They'd encountered no enemies so far, but who knew when their next encounter with the Red Ribbon Army would be?
He and Krillin would be fine, but 21 and Suno were sitting ducks with no way to defend themselves. Lunch might be able to take care of herself against normal soldiers, but could she fight off robots and other androids? He and Krillin will need to fight strong enemies while defending the other three.
Reaching a decision, Krillin spoke up. "Krillin, I want you to take Lunch, 21, and Suno to Bulma's house."
"What? What brought this on and how am I going to carry three of them?"
"I need to go after the next Dragon Ball, and I don't have a good feeling… Besides, if we encounter enemies, how are we going to fight them?"
21 who was sitting beside him turned to him, her eyes wide and trembling. "Y-You promised that you won't abandon me!"
Goku put his hand on her head, patting her head gently. "I'm not. I just need to go somewhere else for a short time. I promise that I'll come back."
"But why can't I go with you?"
"I fear that we're going to encounter enemies. I can't fight well while protecting you, Suno, and Lunch. I'd feel better if you guys were safe and away from danger."
21 looked down, her lips trembling. "B-But…"
"He's right," said Lunch, surprisingly. "As much as I hate to admit it, I can't fight against the likes of Major Metallitron myself, and I can't take on an entire army of soldiers with what I have. You and Suno can't fight either type of enemy, and that's only what we know of the RR Army so far."
She still didn't look happy, but 21 nodded all the same. She turned back to Goku, her blue eyes staring into his. "Promise you'll come back?"
"Sure!"
"Still," interjected Krillin. "How am I going to carry you all three?"
"You won't," said Lunch. "Just give me the address and I can reach it on my own. I can find myself a ride or steal one. You carry Suno and 21 and leave while Goku can move fast on his own to secure the next Dragon Ball before the enemy."
"It's decided then."
-]||[-
Less than two days later, Goku was closing in on the location of the Dragon Ball. In the distance, he could see a very tall tower. He wondered what the tower was, but it wasn't his focus at the moment. Why?
The answer was simple. He could sense Kefla there, near the tower, fighting someone who seemed strong. Too strong. Goku increased his speed, and a few moments later he emerged from the trees only to freeze as he saw a middle-aged man with long braided hair and thin moustache firing a golden beam of superheated energy which connected to Kefla's stomach.
The world washed away as Goku saw the beam pierce through her. He felt his heart stop, watching as Kefla fell, sensing the sharp decline of her Ki.
No.
. .NO.
"Kefla…" he mouthed weakly
A fire exploded in his veins, his whole focus on Kefla's unmoving body before his gaze fell on the man who attacked her. Who hurt her.
Hate unlike anything he ever felt filled him, and his anger exploded.
"HOW DARE YOU!?" Goku roared, his mind slipping away as the beast took over. "HOW DARE YOU HURT KEFLAAAA!"
The fire. The hate. The anger. All of it exploded at the same time as a pillar of green-coloured Ki rose all around Goku hiding his body from the view. All but his poisonous yellow eyes.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" He roared as his consciousness completely blanked.
-]||[-
AN:
Well, It's been a while…
Well, a lot of things have happened since I last updated, like graduating from Uni (though I might need to restart if I manage to leave this shithole), and other stuff.
Now that I'm back to officially updating, don't expect fast updates.
Aside from irl shit, and my muse being a bitch, I can only write on my phone which is a nightmare to deal with and much slower than writing on a laptop. Writing on a laptop isn't available for me 90% of the time at the moment.
Anyway, for the chapter itself.
Goku and Krillin meet Suno and it seems that the Red Ribbon Army had already found the Dragon Ball there and left. I've hinted at a few things that would lead to this in one of Gero's POV, not to mention Krillin and Goku spending time in the Demon Realm. Remember that in canon, it was Android 8 who found the Dragon Ball.
Chronoa officially appeared in the fic. At least the one who will actually be paired with Goku. Why are there two of them? What's the older one playing at? Well, you'll have to wait and find out.
Android 21 also appears and is rescued by Goku after following Chronoa's info.
The Dalek's and Cybermen's expy weren't planned but you can think of them as the original idea before Gero moved to the Android we've seen in the series.
Lunch finally makes her appearance too. Without Goku and Krillin meeting her, Lunch kept living her life before the Red Ribbon Army eventually contacted her and hired her as a mercenary.
At the end, Goku arrives to the sight of Kefla being fatally wounded by Tao and he loses it.
One last thing: Rest in peace Toriyama. Honestly, I was really heartbroken hearing the news. Dragonball, Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon were the first ever anything that I watched as a kid. I used to draw Goku and his fight all the time and made me want to create my own stories one day… I really don't have the word for it.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. As always, leave a review, follow and favorite and until next time.
