"So, this is Upa?" Yamcha looked at the small child, who smiled nervously.
"H-hi!" He said, "nice to meet you guys!"
"Wow Goku, you finally have a friend who's a cute girl!" Krillin said.
Chi-Chi, PaoPao, and Bulma smacked the bald monk, bowling him over.
"Uh…" Goku began, "Upa's a boy, right?" He turned to Upa.
The young boy nodded, "yeah!"
"Wow, Krillin!" Goku laughed, "I can't believe I can tell boys and girls apart better than you can!"
"Shut it…" Krillin grumbled.
Yamcha turned away, hiding a laugh, "if that's out of the way, the trip to fortune teller Baba's is still half a day away, let's get some rest and be on our way."
They stopped by a relatively nearby village with a tailor and an inn, the purpose of the tailor was to replace Goku's ruined gi, while the inn was just to secure for themselves a place to sleep.
Goku, Yamcha, Krillin, Hercule, and Upa shared one room, while Chi-Chi, Bulma, and PaoPao shared another.
Roshi returned to his island, followed by Launch and the Tsukimi ninja. But Bulma wanted to tag along.
"Are you sure you want to come, Bulma?" Yamcha asked, "it might be dangerous, we don't know what kind of person this Baba lady is."
"Well," Bulma sighed, "honestly, I just wanna go back home and get a pedicure, but my pride has been challenged." She frowned, "someone figured out how to hide the dragon balls, and I wanna know who did it."
"I love how smart you are babe." Yamcha hugged his girlfriend, who hugged him back.
"And I love my strong, brave hunk of a man!" They began to rub noses. Krillin squinted and turned away, irritated.
"Krillin!" Goku began.
"What?" Krillin asked, turning to his friend.
"Do you still wanna be a great martial artist to be popular with girls?"
Krillin gulped, "well… I mean…"
Hercule smacked Krillin on the back, "it's great to have dreams! Mine is to be the greatest champion in the world, and rich! Super duper rich!"
Bulma smiled, "ooh! That reminds me!" She tossed out a capsule, revealing a wooden chest filled to the brim with treasure.
"Woah?!" Krillin and Hercule ran over first. "That's a ton of treasure!"
"I know right?!" Bulma laughed, "Goku and I found it when we went looking for a dragon ball. This stuff is worth hundreds of billions of Zeni!"
"That's a lot of treasure..." Krillin began to salivate.
"Yeah, it is!" Bulma laughed. "The best part is, Goku doesn't really want any."
They looked at the tailed boy, who shrugged, "I mean, I guess it's shiny."
"But Goku!" Chi-Chi asked, "wouldn't you want to prepare for the future?"
"But I am!" Goku smiled, "I'm training to fight stronger and stronger guys!"
"That's not what I mean…" Chi-Chi muttered.
"Let's all rest before we get too excited to sleep." PaoPao clapped her hands softly.
"PaoPao is right." Yamcha added, "we've got a big fight ahead of us."
The group split in two, and after Bulma recollected the treasure chest, she and the girls retired to bed.
Unbeknownst to the ladies, a couple of young men had seen the display of treasure and elegant women, and wicked thoughts flashed through their minds.
…
"What will you do after you make the wish?" Krillin asked.
"I guess I'll just wait to find the dragon balls again." Goku shrugged, "I want to save Upa's dad, and also those other guys that Tao guy killed."
"Tao?" Yamcha began, "who's that?"
"Some… uh… assassin guy."
"You mean Mercenary Tao?!" Krillin began, "the legendary Crane Assassin?! How'd you survive?"
"I beat the guy." Goku replied, "At least, I think I did, Upa saw." The others gawked at Upa's timid nod.
"Wow…" Yamcha laughed, "you're really amazing Goku, I don't think you really need us to help you with Baba."
"No! It's fun with you here," Goku smiled, "I missed going on an adventure to find the dragon balls, it's boring doing it alone, and you guys are all pretty strong!"
"Coming from you, that's a big honor." Yamcha scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
Goku grinned.
"Well, we've got an important day tomorrow, so it's best we rest." Krillin yawned.
They were about to go to bed when they heard screaming coming from the girl's bedroom. Leaping from his bed, Yamcha rushed over.
"Girls!" He opened the door, "are you-" he stopped speaking. In front of him, Chi-Chi was smacking her hands as if she was wiping the dust from them. On the floor, a group of 6 men in ski masks were on the floor. Their arms and legs mangled beyond repair, the only sign that they were alive being the moans and cries of pain they sometimes let out. Chi Chi for her part looked annoyed. PaoPao had evidently been reading a book, as she hadn't even glanced up from it. Bulma had a machine gun in her hand and had it trained on one bandit, who had his back to the wall and his hands up.
"Keep those mitts up there you handsy mutt!" Bulma growled, "or my bullet's first target is your head."
"I see you have this handled." Yamcha laughed dryly, "I'll go get some guards."
…
Miguel sat listlessly in her bedroom, she couldn't sleep. At the moment, she was staying in Capsule Corp, since her most recent Concert took place in West City and the Corporation sponsored her, she had been allowed to rest on the grounds. The owner of Capsule Corp, Dr. Briefs, was an eccentric but kind man, in many ways he resembled her father. She had actually sent him a phone call, one of the things she did as soon as the money started flowing her way was send some back home to help her dad. New trucks, new tools, feed for the ostriches, medicine, and a telephone so that they could communicate better.
The sound of her phone ringing brought her out of her daze, she picked up the phone slowly, then picked it up.
"Hello?" She asked, doing her best to hide her shaky voice.
~"I hope you're being treated well over there."~ Her father's voice immediately soothed her.
"Dad…" she began, smiling, "how are you?"
~"I'm doing quite well sweetheart, thank you for your gifts and money, it really helps me, I even bought a robot to help me farm my turnips, he's pretty helpful."~
"Sounds like you have a lot of 'help', dad." Miguel giggled at her father's wordplay."
~"Well, not every father is lucky to have a daughter like you."~ Gabriel sighed over the phone, ~"how are you?"~
"Dad?"
~"I'm your father, I get a sense of these things, something tells me my little girl isn't feeling very well."~
"So you saw the news too?"
~"Wait? What?! What news? You know I don't have a TV! Did someone hurt my little girl?!"~
"Wait! Dad! I'm fine! Don't go grabbing your gun!" Miguel calmed her nerves, her father could be extremely protective when he needed to be, and it warmed her that even though they were so far away, he still cared about her the same way. "It's… I just miss them."
It was silent for a while before Gabriel spoke again.
~"You're at that age, huh?"~
"Daddy!" Miguel sounded reproachful.
~"No, I won't bore you with silly talk, we already spoke about the birds and the bees a while ago, you're almost 16, that's how old I was when I met your mother, and when she went off to college and I remained back home, I probably felt the same way you do now. Will they leave me behind? Did they even care? Will they return? What if they're different, what if I'm different? To tell you the truth, I was scared."~
"But you ain't scared of nothing papa…"
~"Who told you a dang fool thing like that? Everyone gets scared, and I guarantee, the person you're thinking about feels the exact same way about you."~
"Really?" Miguel smiled.
~"Of course, you're your mother's daughter, you've got her heart, and her beautiful mind, if that boy's got any sense in him, he loves you. But, it's okay if he doesn't."~
Miguel felt her face fall. It would be okay if Hercule didn't like her? But why?!
~"He's his own man, you're your own woman, I'm sure more than a few folks have given you the lovey-dovey eyes since you became a singer. But does that mean you love them the same way?"~
"No papa." Miguel nodded.
~"That's right, no, but that's alright, you aren't evil, and there isn't anything wrong with them for not being loved by you the same way. So, the boy you like is his own man, with his own heart and emotions, just as you deserve the freedom to love and be loved, so does he, you don't have to overthink it."~
Miguel nodded, "I'll try… thanks, papa." She understood the spirit of what her dad told her, but it was hard to even think of putting it into practice.
~"Well, it ain't easy. One time I got jealous over your mom, there was a boy who hung by her all the time, they'd hold hands and walk to and from school. I'd get so mad, and one time, I got into a tussle with the kid. You wanna know what I found out? That was her kid cousin, he was younger than him but just tall, ooh boy she hated me for years."~ Gabriel laughed, ~"don't jump to conclusions and hurt those you should love dear, and don't feel like you're worthless based on what someone else feels about you. I love your mom, but I know neither she nor I were perfect, all I'm confident in saying is that we both love and loved you more than anything else in the world."~
"Thanks…" Miguel felt fat tears dripping down her face.
~"Goodnight."~
"Goodnight dad…" Miguel smiled even as the tears dropped from her face. Her dad was right, she cared about Mark, but that didn't need to define her, she was so hung up on whether or not he liked her back that she was hurting herself. She even encouraged him to leave, to train and be better, she could wait, and if they came back together and he or she was too different? Well, at the least, they could still be good friends.
A second call interrupted her thoughts, and she picked it up, only to smile widely as she recognized the voice.
"Hercule?!"
…
Everyone convened in the inn's diner and all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet.
Goku had truly put the diner to the test, with the owner and head chef pulling in favors from other restaurants around the village to sate his virtually endless appetite.
"I've heard the phrase eat out of the house and home… but jeez." Krillin felt disbelief as he saw the boy put down meal after meal.
"Hahaha, he might have bankrupted me in a month." PaoPao reminisced about her failed attempts to recruit Goku, happy she didn't attempt to use food as a bribe.
The only one who seemed enamored instead of hurt was Chi-Chi, whose eyes sparkled with love. "My dad always told me that a man with a big appetite had a big heart!" She ran to the kitchen. And minutes later came out with big bowls of rice, noodles, and finely cooked meats and stews.
Goku's mouth watered and his eyes widened as he took the new course. "It's DELICIOUS!" He shouted.
Chi-Chi rubbed her nose and sniffed in triumph. "I'm no slouch when it comes to cooking." She laughed.
"Wow! You're really good Chi-Chi! Goku shouted, "I like your cooking!"
Her face reddened, "you l-like… m-me…my…" Chi-Chi fainted.
With her additional course, Goku was finally satisfied. "I haven't been full like this for a long time." He got off the table, shocking everyone as they saw that his stomach was barely bulging from his meal.
"Here…" Bulma slipped a 30-million Zeni check to the owner, who also fainted.
"Let's go before we cause any more problems." Yamcha half sighed, half chuckled.
"Please! Come back anytime!" The head Chef and other restaurant owners cheered them off. Goku had been a daunting challenge, but his satisfaction, mixed with the astounding reward, was more than worth it. The waiters and assistant cooks were terrified on the other hand.
…"Kami, please don't let them ever come back…"
Bulma piloted the ship, she had scanned the map Roshi gave them onto the ship's navigation system, so they'd make it to Baba's home as quickly as possible.
"We're finally going! To Portion Seller Baba's place!"
"Fortune teller, moron…" Bulma muttered tiredly.
"So, is everyone well rested and ready?" PaoPao asked.
"Yup!" Goku nodded.
"Of course," Yamcha affirmed.
"You've got it." Chi-Chi stated fiercely.
"Definitely!" Krillin smiled.
Hercule's response was to yawn.
"Someone stayed up to talk to his girlfriend." Krillin giggled alongside Upa.
Hercule turned red. "Sh-shut it!"
"Aww…" Krillin ribbed at the older boy, "feeling embarrassed?"
Hercule's frown twisted into a smirk, "at least a girl likes me, monk boy."
Before the two could get at each other's throats, Bulma shouted, "okay! I found it!"
They looked out the window. Fortune Teller Baba lived in the middle of a large desert. Her home was situated over a lake.
"Wow… what a large oasis." Bulma admired the topography. The home consisted of four distinct miniature islands with tiny bridges connecting each one. "She has good taste."
"It must be expensive maintaining this place." Chi-Chi stated, looking down, "it's more lavish than my dad's palace used to be.
"It is very expensive," PaoPao admitted.
They landed, stepping out only to be struck by the desert sun and hot winds.
"Wow… it's hot here." Goku looked around in wonder.
"Yeah, oh?" Krillin looked at the entrance. "It looks like we aren't the only ones here."
They made their way towards a gold-topped dome entrance. Standing at the front of the line was a group of 5. They turned in sync, raising an eyebrow and giving the group the stink-eye.
Yamcha was left speechless with their odd behavior. 'Are they trying to threaten us?' The 5 were definitely strong-looking. The closest was a bald, extremely buff man with a wide jawline, he wore a black tank top and spandex pants. Standing by his side was a shorter man, wide and barrel-chested, with a thick mustache and stubble, his widow's peak was well defined but his hair was otherwise shaped like a small afro. The scars on his hands though signified his training. Next to them was a massive lion-type human-animal with a thick black mane and slightly extended jowls that made his muzzle resemble a mustache. He stood over the bald man in the tank top, who had already stood taller than the 6-foot Yamcha. But the fourth man put even the lion to shame, towering at nearly 7 feet tall, he was bald but had a long face and a straight nose when compared to the more squashed face of the man in the tank top, he was solidly built, with his flowing Shaolin-like robes hiding powerful musculature. Standing at the front of the line, slightly shorter than the lion, was a gorilla-type human-animal wearing the same uniform as the mustached man, he was the first to ignore them, and turned back towards the entranceway.
"Why'd she keep us waiting for a day…" he grumbled in annoyance.
Yamcha looked at the man who gave him the stink eye. Did he need to respond somehow? "Umm…" he began.
"Get in line please!" A slightly nasally cool-headed voice called out to them. They turned to face a ghost in a straw hat. Except for big black eyes and a wide black mouth, the ghost looked more like a stereotypical Halloween costume, pure white bedsheet. Instead of a long flowing gown, however, the ghost had a wispy tail that lazily flopped in the air, trailing behind with the weightlessness of a feather.
"Huh?" Yamcha turned to the ghost.
"You guys are here to speak to fortune-teller Baba, right?"
"Yes!" Goku nodded. "I wanna talk to the Martian-Smeller!"
The ghostly grin dropped, "uh… she's not a Martian-Smeller, she's a fortune teller."
"Umm… are you really a ghost?" Upa pointed at the specter.
"Yup!" The ghost demonstrated his powers by passing through Bulma's stomach.
"Eek!" Bulma smacked the ghost, but missed, striking the bald man in the tank-top.
"Hey!" He growled. Before they could fight, a rich man and woman walked out of the palace.
"Next!" The ghost turned to the group of 5 buff men, who cheered and charged into the pavilion.
"Strange…" Yamcha began musing.
"Yeah, those guys must be here for the challenge." Krillin began, "but it's weird."
"What?" Bulma asked.
"They don't really look like anything special," Chi-Chi admitted.
"I mean, it's not like you can just look at someone to tell how strong they are, right?"
"Well, yea, you can't." Goku said, "but you can sort of tell depending on the way they move. Those guys were kinda strong, but they were super duper normal."
"I get it." Bulma nodded.
"Do you really?" Krillin looked at her suspiciously.
Eventually, the air began to fill with the shouts and screams of several men. Followed by the sound of splashing and heavy impacts. Eventually, the fie men came out in various states of severe injury, they were covered in bandages in some way or another, or were given stilts or staffs to support them as they walked. The oddest one to look at was the lion, who moved on shaky limbs.
"Yeesh…" Yamcha and others looked on in shock.
"Too bad! Please come again!" The ghost saw the men off to their car, waving as they walked away.
"What was that?!" Yamcha began.
"Next please!" The ghost ignored his question. He again phased through Bulma, causing her to scream in shock, she attempted to punch the creature, again and again, passing through it as if he were a mirage.
"Wait… what happened to those guys?" Yamcha asked, grabbing his girlfriend protectively.
The ghost simply giggled, then he turned to look at PaoPao. "Oh?!" He giggled louder, "it's good to see you again witch-girl!" He charged forward, making a beeline for PaoPao's chest. He was stopped by an invisible barrier. "You've improved."
"That's not something I'm happy to hear from you," PaoPao muttered darkly.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Things don't ever change with you, follow me!" The ghost led the group forward.
"PaoPao, do you know what's going to happen?" Bulma turned to the girl.
PaoPao nodded, "but I cannot tell you." The ghost giggled some more.
"Could you teach me how to smack that ghost?" Bulma asked.
"Oh? Most definitely." PaoPao grinned, "given your intelligence, as long as you take my lessons seriously it will take at most, maybe a month."
"Oh… that long…" Bulma tsked, causing the ghost to give a hearty chuckle. "Fuck you." She flipped off the perverted ghost, who led them into the center palace.
"That's it! Come on now! Just head inside here!" The ghost pointed towards the entrance of the palace.
Inside, they saw a short, squat old woman with purple-colored hair and in an all-black robe wearing a witch-hat. She sat on a slightly blue-colored slightly-translucent crystal ball and hovered in the air.
"Oh my. Another group of kids again, ooh, but you're a bigger group this time around."
"Are you that notion yeller Baba?"
"It's Fortune Teller Baba!" PaoPao, Bulma, the ghost, and the old woman yelled at the same time.
"That's a weird name." Goku pointed out.
"It's a nickname! What, never head of nicknames?!"
"Ummm… there's something I want you to find for me!" Goku began, "I heard from old man Turtle that you could find it!"
"Sure…" Baba laughed, "just pay up 10 million Zeni."
The others gasped in shock, save for Bulma and PaoPao.
"Only 10 million?" Bulma began, "sure, I-"
"You can't pay for them." Baba began. "I only answer wishes in groups of 5, and you aren't a fighter, are you?"
"What?!" Bulma yelled, "that's not fair!"
"Without Bulma, there's no way we have the money!"
"Wait!" Chi-Chi asked, "Bulma, what about Goku's half of the treasure?"
Bulma snapped her finger, "you're right, Fortune Teller Baba! Goku and I got a huge treasure, half of it is his, so if we use some of that, can they get their fortune?"
The witch thought for a second, "hmm… all this talk of technicalities annoys me. Follow me."
"Why?" Hercule began, "what are you going to do?"
Upa hid behind Goku, and Hercule clenched his fist, but couldn't hide his teeth from chattering. Goku looked at the group, confused, then followed the woman to a large circular ring in the center of the lake.
"You'll face my fighters one at a time." She pointed at the ring's edges. "Normally, I do rules a bit differently, but I like you fellas, so I'll give you a bit of a break. Except for the last fighter, each fighter will go out one on one. If you win, the losing fighter gets eliminated, then the next fighters go on the stage, the same thing with me though." She smiled.
"Oh? That sounds easy." Bulma began, "so we just need to win 3 of the 5 fights and we win."
"No." Yamcha shook his head, "it's not that simple. Winning a fight means you still get rotated out, it just means that winning keeps you from being eliminated." Yamcha turned to his team. "Let's do it like this." He turned to Krillin. "You're the second strongest, so you go first, since Goku's the strongest, he goes last. I'll go after Krillin and Chi-Chi will go before Goku. Hercule, you'll fight third. No matter what happens, both Goku and Krillin will probably win and make it to the next round, but each of us should be skilled enough to reveal the moves of the fighters we face."
"Yamcha." Krillin began, "aren't you just counting yourself out too quickly?"
Yamcha chuckled, "hell no, I'm just being pragmatic."
Baba giggled, "you're an interesting bunch, this should be pretty exciting."
"So…" Krillin began, "what are the rules?"
"None, if you lose consciousness, give up or fall into the lake, you lose. Otherwise, keep fighting till you drop. If you kill your opponent, you get disqualified.
"Cool." Krillin stepped forward, "well then, I'm going first!"
"You can do it Krillin!" Goku called out.
"No worries Goku!" Krillin smirked, "I'll carry this team forward!"
The witch chuckled as she turned towards the pagoda in the back. "Alright! Dracula Man! Come on out!"
"Dracula man?" Krillin frowned, "what an odd name…"
A bat flew out, hovering over the group.
"It's just a bat?" Bulma asked.
"Why am I just fighting an animal?" Krillin began.
"He's not just an animal," PaoPao said.
In an explosion of dust, the bat poofed, revealing a lanky man with spiky hair, a narrow nose, and long fangs. He wore gloves and shorts and had sports tape wrapped around his legs and feet.
"He looks kinda like a kickboxer." Yamcha began, "but those fangs look troublesome."
"I guess, he's kinda like Jazz." Krillin shrugged, "but he looks pretty weak."
"Begin!" Baba shouted.
"Well, I'll start off slow, lets see what you've got!" Krillin charged a flying kick into the vampire, who exploded into a bat and began zipping around the arena.
Krillin trained his eyes on the small creature, keeping himself from losing sight. It transformed and reached for the bald monk, but Krillin rolled out of the way. "Wow!" He leaped up, and began to fight faster, despite his increased speed, the vampire dodged and blocked his thrusts and kicks, however, his thrusts and kicks were blocked by Krillin's own movements.
"They're evenly matched," Yamcha stated.
"Naw… Krillin can go even faster." Goku nodded, "right Krillin?"
The monk smirked, "you know me well Goku." Krillin pulled back, then loosened his shoulders.
"You would have beaten me half a year ago when I found myself stuck on that island and with that vampire jerk…" Krillin began.
"You've fought another vampire?" Dracula Man looked curious, "I'm surprised, very few of us enjoy meeting others. Which one was it? Don't tell me, Count Drac, my father? No… he's dead, perhaps it's Trampire? No? She hates getting her hands dirty, is it Vamp? He's such a quiet boy, despite how scary he looks."
Krillin shook his head, smirking, "Lucifer."
Both Baba and Dracula Man's faces widened in shock. Krillin zoomed over before the latter could react and kicked him hard enough to send him flying into the water.
"Hehehehe." Baba giggled, "you're quite skilled, I'll give you that." The old crone turned to her pagoda. "Well, let's send the next fighter over."
Dracula Man climbed out of the water. "S-sorry ma'am, I lost way too easily."
"Oh, don't worry about it Fangs, you did your best, honestly, I didn't expect them to have been the ones who took care of Lucifer. I could have sworn that my idiot kid brother finally lifted his ass, but to think it was his students." She smiled. "Well!" She shouted to the fighters. "Good job defeating Fangs over there!" Baba allowed the group to cheer some more. "But it will only get more difficult!"
"Well, I'm ready for it." Yamcha stood up. "Good job, Krillin." The two fighters fist-bumped as Yamcha tagged in.
"I hope you're ready." Baba smiled.
"Well, I feel a little sorry for you, miss fortune teller, you're lucky you have the rules this way, or else I'd have swept through the entire row of fighters." Yamcha clenched his fists. "Bring out your fighter!"
"But he's already here."
"Eh?" Yamcha eased up, "where? I don't see anyone."
"That old bag's gone senile…" Krillin muttered. Even Goku, Upa, and Chi-Chi had issues trying to spot Yamcha's opponent.
"I've got it!" Bulma began, "he can probably turn small, right?" She laughed, "first the first guy can be as small as a bat, this guy can probably be as small as an ant."
"Oh?!" Yamcha smirked, "that could be it! Thanks babe!" he got into a fighting stance and looked at the ground. "You thought you could trick me?!" He looked around.
Baba giggled, "well if you don't want any hints, I'll begin the fight." She shouted for the fight to begin.
Yamcha flinched as he felt someone by his shoulder. "What the!?" He turned around, only to shout in pain as something struck his stomach. Another blow hit his jaw, then he was tripped up and saw stars as someone repeatedly stomped on his face. Rolling up, he looked around.
"Fufu… try to catch me."
Yamcha turned to the sound swinging his fist and stomping every which way but found nothing. Another strike nicked him on the shoulder.
"Would you like your hint now?" Baba guffawed, "he's the invisible man! No one's made it past him in 50 years!"
"No fair…" Yamcha muttered.
"Yamcha! Kick his butt!" Bulma shouted.
Yamcha nodded, "got it!" He closed his eyes. The arena was silent and still for a few seconds, then Yamcha kicked out behind him.
"What the!?" The invisible man shouted.
"Even if I can't see you, I can hear you." Yamcha grinned, "I have the senses of the wolf."
Baba began to sing.
"Hey!" Bulma yelled, "that's cheating! Cheating!"
"I said there aren't any rules!" Baba laughed as more blows landed on Yamcha's body. "What will it be boy? Will you retire?"
Yamcha replied by slapping the floor, sending a shockwave of ki outwards, and blowing back the fighter. Yamcha smirked. Taking off his cape, he folded it tightly and wrapped it so that it would cover his eyes and ears.
After a few seconds, he charged forward.
"What the?!" The invisible man's voice shouted, panicked.
"Bear Palm!" Yamcha struck with force, paying back every blow and cheap shot with an equal level of ferocity. "Ram strike!" He head-butted his invisible enemy, causing them to cough and vomit on the arena. "Scorpion sting!" The former bandit curled his body and struck the invisible man with an unorthodox kick.
"But… how can you see me?!" The man shouted. "Cheater!?"
Yamcha laughed, "I bet you're wondering how I can see you. I can't… remember, I said I have the senses of the wolf." He poked his nose, "I can smell you from a mile away." He charged forward.
"I surrender!" The invisible man took out a very visible-looking white flag. Yamcha removed his blindfold, smiling as his friends cheered him on.
"That's my boyfriend!" Bulma shouted excitedly.
"Outstanding." Baba smiled. "But you won't win this next one, the last three are true fighters, and neither Fangs nor Suke-man has been able to beat any of them."
Hercule stepped forward. "Well then, I hope you're ready for a change!"
"Oh? Funny choice of words." Baba beckoned them forward and led them into the pagoda. It was a lot larger inside than it was outside.
"Wow…" Bulma whistled in appreciation. "I'd love to get an interior designer like you one day."
"Oh? Sure." Baba laughed, "it'll cost ya though."
"Where are we going?" Yamcha asked as Baba led them up the stairs.
"The Devil's Toilet…" PaoPao muttered.
"The… the WHAT?!" Yamcha began. "What the heck is that?!"
"You'll see." Baba turned to Hercule, "enter this door."
Hercule made his way through a strong wooden door, finding himself inside a small, dark cave, he looked at a row of curved, even stalagmites and stalactites, and as he got closer to the entrance of the cave, the warmer the air felt. Eventually, he walked out of the mouth of the cave and realized that it was the mouth of a gigantic stone demon. Across from him, an equally sized stone demon sat on top of a toilet of hard-black stone, making a perfect mirror from the demon. Massive tongues extended from the demons, nearly meeting but not touching, acting like a bridge between the two sides.
"I hope you have a fun time." Baba smiled. "You'll be fighting on those stone demons' tongues, below is a pool of deadly poisonous acid. If you fall, you die."
The others gasped in worry.
"I… I see…" Hercule shook slightly as he poked his head over the sides.
"If you want to give up young man, you can do so now."
"No way!" Hercule pounded the floor, "I ain't running!"
"I see." Baba smirked, "alright then." She turned to her entrance, "you'll fight Bandages." From out of the other cave entrance, a massive, 6ft 4in tall undead humanoid wrapped from head to toe except for his tough-looking face in bandages. He lacked eyebrows and had high cheekbones and a cleft chin, with a piece of bandage hanging off from the side of his head, almost like a bandanna. "Begin!"
Bandages took the first move, he leapt over the tongues, appearing behind Hercule, who barely ducked his sweeping kick. He then threw a series of rapid punches, of which Hercule was only able to dodge two or three. Eventually, the mummy kicked Hercule off the stage.
"Oh no!" Krillin cried out.
"Was that all?" The mummy yawned, "it's not fun if it's that easy."
Hercule cupped his palms and fired a Kamehameha, propelling him onto the toes of the demon. From there, he slowly climbed his way back up to the tongue. "Darn you…" He got up, "you're making a fool of me!"
"You're right, I am." The mummy laughed, "and you're pathetic. I would have rather have fought that woman out there." He pointed to PaoPao, "than fight you."
"Sexist bastard…" Hercule growled, "she is terrifying and strong, sure, but that doesn't mean you can use that monster to demean me!"
"Umm…" PaoPao contemplated what she should say next, she chose to stay silent.
"I've got a girl I like, I won't lose here!" Hercule's body flexed, and the others watched in awe as his muscles bulged.
"Woah! That's Jazz's move!" They shouted excitedly. "Do it, Hercule!"
"HIYAAAAAH!" Hercule charged forward, only to be smacked with enough force to shatter part of the stone floor. He collapsed, unconscious.
Baba laughed, "well, that's one win for me! Bring on your next fighter!"
…
Jazz put on his pack and opened the door to leave. It was the middle of the night, and it had been a few days since the two attacks, so patrols had lessened slightly, this, mixed with the deficit in guards, made it easy to start sneaking towards the entrance. A puff of smoke later revealed a field mouse, common to the area, running across the halls. From a bird's eye view, they saw a massive
"Sneaking, sneaking, we're sneaking, sneaking, sneaky sneaks sneaking sneakers." Z began chanting the phrase in a sing-song voice.
'That's surprisingly distracting, please stop.' Jazz sounded out in his head.
"I don't want to, sorry." Jazz got the impression of a girl giving him an impish grin and sticking out her tongue.
Pushing her out of the forefront of his mind he made his way down the winding hallways. The crane school was deceptively simple in its design, the dorms were near the center of the facility, connected by long branching hallways that slowly joined into a main spiraling hallway. From there you would either go upstairs to the main pavilion, or downstairs to the storage room, scroll room, and meditation room. He made his way to the stairs and began to hop up the steps, his aim was the main pavilion, once he got close enough, he could transform and escape.
'Hmm?!' A rhythmic thumping filled the air, like the staccato of helicopter blades. Caught by his own curiosity, Jazz ran towards the sound. His heartbeat with anticipation as he made his way towards the sound. Eventually, he found himself in front of an underground dojo. There, he widened his eyes at what he saw.
Tien was training against several other students, but he was wrapped head to toe in a thick harness that bound him to the floor and attempted to clasp his body together. It made his movements jerky and sluggish at times as he moved to strike, block, and parry the movements of his challengers. At a distance, Master Shen watched him train.
"Move till your body can no longer keep going, then continue forward with greater strength and ferocity! Ruthless, power, and speed, crush those beneath you with everything you have! That is the way of the Crane School!"
Tien screamed in determination, an aura of ki exploded out from him and he rushed forward with greater ferocity. The sound of impact was akin to a sledgehammer pounding against a flank of meat. It was a thick, heavy sound, causing Jazz to flinch at times. Eventually, the other trainees could no longer continue. Jazz watched Tien with interest.
"Master, I can continue," Tien said.
"I understand, my student, but I cannot have you kill the fodder."
The Crane students flinched at his words.
"Call Jasper here," The Crane Sage began.
'Crap'
It took some quick thinking and a few transformations here and there, but Jazz set his room up normally and sat meditating when several Crane Students pounded on his door.
"You may enter." He said as he stilled his beating heart.
"The master calls."
"I see, alright, I will go." Jazz got up.
"You could have made your escape!" Z began.
'I know…' Jazz said in his mind. 'But by the time I escaped the pavilion, they'd sound the alarm, if I had at least half a day or night's head start I'd be completely comfortable.' Jazz let out an inaudible sigh, 'I'll just have to see what they want.'
He walked into the room, surprised to see Tien standing, no longer bound. Though the grooves on the floor remained.
"Ah, my new star disciple, how are you?" Chen smiled.
"I am doing well, Master." Jazz bowed. "What did you need of me?"
Shen laughed, "no need for such formality, I simply wanted your assistance for a short bit, please do step forward."
Jazz made his way closer and stood at Tien's side. The tri-clops ignored Jazz for the most part.
"Jazz," Chen began, "did you know I'm a fan of music?"
Jazz attempted to flee right then and there, but he was knocked down by a vicious kick from Tien, bowling him over. He attempted to get up, but several cables blasted out and bound his body tightly, restricting his movement.
"Going somewhere?" An elderly voice called out, raspy and dark. "Let's not be too hasty boy…"
An old man and a middle-aged, tall black man walked out from behind a hallway. Jazz didn't recognize either of them, but he could immediately tell what the symbol on their chest was.
"Red Ribbon Army." He whispered, flames burst out of his body as he attempted to melt the cables, yet they remained firm and on their part delivered a nasty electric shock into him.
"You know of us? That makes things easier." The old man began stroking his beard. "Earlier today, students belonging to the Turtle School, led by Sun Goku, annihilated our base." He frowned, "amongst them was a young, tan, or dark-skinned male with a ridiculous Afro and even more outrageous shouting voice. He tarried us long enough to cause our near capture." The man, who Jazz at this point realized was likely Dr. Gero, twisted his face in anger.
"We," the black man spoke, "sought rescue from our old allies in the Crane School. When we discovered that Lord Shen had stepped out recently to unwind, after all, he'd suffered two vicious attacks, both from our common enemy the Tsukimi and Son Goku. Both times the students around us praised your intervention." Commander Black of the destroyed Red Ribbon Army stepped back, letting Shen continue.
"As you know, I'm a fan of music, and much like my brother, I love listening to cute singers. Well, there's this one lovely singer named Miguel. When she made her way back to her limo, I sent an… overly-zealous-but-weak member of my Crane School over to cut a lock of her hair. She was stopped by a tan man with a ridiculous Afro. Annoying, but understandable. What surprised me, however…" He paused for dramatic effect, "…was watching you open the limo door and get into the driver's seat. I'm not one for newspapers or TV, but then I discovered you'd been this girl's security detail with this young man for quite a while."
"Mark 'Hercule' Satan. Pride of Orange City." Staff Officer black threw a folder full of scattered documents, including a picture of a driver's license and passport. "He competed in over 18 different international martial arts competitions of different disciplines and won them all. And he was to set his sights on the Tenkaichi Budokai, but his Master was killed by the venerable Crane Assassin and he was injured badly."
"Broken arm and a broken rib, that's not healable in three months, let alone the three days it took for him to become Miguel's security detail, with you."
'I left too much of a trace in the public eye.' Jazz realized.
"You and Herucle attended the Tenkaichi Budokai. And you competed against…" Gero's face twisted as he hissed out the name. "Son Goku…a student of the Turtle School. He was not the only student wearing his master's colors however, it included a monk of the former Orrin temple, the daughter of the Ox-King, and PaoPao, leader of the Tsukimi. PaoPao had attacked the Crane School, only to 'die', so of course a fellow disciple of the Turtle would come to avenge her."
Shen fired a Don Don Ray into Jazz's knee. "This bastard went on to kill my brother!" He screamed out obscenities as he began beating Jazz to a pulp. Jazz grit his teeth and kept himself from screaming. "And to add insult to injury, do you know who the Red Ribbon Army saw when their base was destroyed?! They saw the Tsukimi, led by a familiar black-haired bitch." Shen smiled, "at first, I thought perhaps that my own disciple, Yurin betrayed me, but that would make no sense. Why would the Tsukimi follow her? Then I recognized the footage of the woman in the Mempo mask at her side. Talia, one of the turned Jiang-Shi, that woman is loyal to a fault, and would kill herself rather than serve a new master." He grinned, "you were smart Jazz, you played me, and I realized it, you and PaoPao know each other. Because that Hercule bastard was bandying the colors of the Turtle School when they invaded the Red Ribbon Army. You played us all, we danced around an intricate little fib and paid dearly for it. I would have trained the one responsible for the death of my brother." Shen sighed as he dropped the limp Jazz to the ground. "At first, I asked if Gero or General Black wanted anything to do with you, but they would rather work on repairing and rebuilding their work. On the other hand, just killing you would be a waste, so…" he observed Jazz slowly heal. "Don't think I didn't catch your uncanny hardiness, my Disciples need a practice dummy to practice all their killing techniques, and you've so graciously donated your body.
The cables pulled Jazz up. Tightening around him and pulling his limbs taught. "Of course, I won't make it easy for you." He smiled, turned to some disciples who held Jazz down. They stabbed needles into him and injected him with several strange colored concoctions. "A fun little concoction by me, it stimulates endorphins, testosterone, and floods your body with a whole host of pain and hallucinations, turning even the calmest and level-headed man into an insane beast.
Jazz couldn't hear him, already, a white-hot ice seemed to flood his veins as he attempted to struggle out of his bindings.
"You probably can't hear me, but this was designed by Gero, not even Tien can break out of it."
Jazz screamed out in pain and his flames began to engulf the room. The heat was so great that several of the Crane Students too close to him collapsed. Shen growled, blocking his body.
"Tien, you know what to do." Similar bindings appeared around Tien's body.
"I thank you for the opportunity for growth, master." Tien charged forward, a grin on his face.
…
...
Jasper(Jazz) Duncan
Age: 16, physical appearance: 16
Hair color: Red
Skin color: white
Race: Quarter Caucasian(White American of English-Irish descent), Quarter Asian (Korean), Quarter Black(African-American), Quarter Hispanic (Cuban)
Height: 5ft 10inches | 177.8 centimeters
Weight: 161 lbs | 73 kilograms, Wearing 44 lb weights on wrists and ankles, and 100 lb weighted shirt, alongside a full body tension harness.
Skills: Decent Sports Talent for Age, Semi-Above Average Intellect for age, intermediate martial arts skills, average ki control, good pain tolerance, trap building, intermediate weapons mastery, basic boxing, basic MMA, street fighting skills, bullshitting, and trickery
Powers: Magic Materialization (Fire) (Advanced Understanding), Magic Materialization (Water) (Basic Understanding), Telekinesis (beginner)
General magic: Basic Understanding
Max Power/ Pump Up (1.5x (mastered), 2x (capable),
Shapeshifting, Mastered Skill level (indefinite)
Noble Werewolf. Juvenile Awakening, 1.5x, currently possible only under a full moon
Powerlevel: 87, will raise to 130 temporarily when using Pump Up/Max Power 1.5, or 174 when using Pump Up/Max Power 2x, if using Juvenile awakening, power will be 195 or 261 respectively
…
…
Afterword
Thanks for reading
This chapter was close to 8000 words, I could have made the joke, but alas, I lacked the will