(Warning, this chapter is chapter 69, shenanigans afoot)
"I didn't think you had it in you," Dealla smirked.
"Please, I can't take anymore." Jazz groaned, eyes fluttering in exhaustion.
"Oh come on! Where's that insane stamina of yours? Do you mean to say you're the type of guy to leave a girl unsatisfied?" Ebizu's face was so pink it looked like it could have been dyed as such.
"Dealla, we have to stop, this… this isn't appropriate! If Bulma found out…" Yamcha groaned.
"Pft!" Dealla laughed at Yamcha, her face as flushed as Ebizu's, "you can't be serious, is this all you can do? Your limits as a man? How can you expect to gain the power of the werewolf if you can't even outlast Jazz over there?!"
Yamcha roared in frustration, "Wolf Fang Thrust!" The girls let out shrieks at his display and mastery.
"Yamcha!" Puar shouted, "I, I can't watch!" The cat covered its eyes and turned away.
"I'm sorry Jazz, I'll beat you!" Yamcha shouted. He groaned with excursion, Dealla, who was on top of him, didn't make his job any easier, and he felt like his resolve would soon break, yet he kept strong.
"Please!" Jazz retorted angrily, "you think you've got it tough? Ebizu is literally a WaterWoman! She's slippery as all hell! It's taking everything I have just to hold on!" Ebizu writhed and twisted, laughing, her movements caused Jazz to groan in discomfort. "Can you stop that?! I'm trying to concentrate!"
"Just a bit more weight!" Pongitsune shouted excitedly.
Jazz and Yamcha had been forced into a stupid competition. As the partying between yokai increased in fervor and intensity, water and juice were replaced with champaign and Vodka. Jazz, already experienced with the nightmare that was Jazz 3's drunk state, steered clear away from the stuff. Yamcha, who was 2 years older than Jazz, and thus 21, chose to indulge himself a bit. It was the height of summer, so a great number of Yokai had gathered in the school. Jazz witnessed several monsters of Japanese folklore. Noppera-Bo, faceless creatures, danced soundlessly around while a rokuro kubi, long-necked woman, sang joyously. Jazz noticed that it wasn't just Japanese creatures singling, as to her side, a greek siren added soulful vocalizations, and a red-haired, freckled pale ghost girl he could only think of as a banshee added screeching vocalizations that would give rock singers a run for their money.
As the wine flowed into the night, more and more of these monster people noticed the two humans in their midst.
"So you're the guy who took out Piccolo huh?" Jazz felt the hot breath of a minotaur, he looked up to see the massive hulking beast, nostrils flared and glaring at his face.
"Uh… yeah."
"Good job!" The bull-faced man laughed and pounded Jazz on the back. "And you're tough too!" "Marvelling on how Jazz barely budged despite his heavy pats.
Jazz could only chuckle helplessly as other yokai poked and prodded at him. There was an elegant-looking woman with snakes for hair, both she and every individual snake had thick dark shades on as she admired Jazz's hands. "Ooh… quite calloused, from a lot of training I bet, are you interested in a career in wrestling?"
"Please, a real man like him needs to do kickboxing or boxing." Jazz almost became bug-eyed as a Centaur trotted over. She had long black hair, almond-shaped eyes that were as black as coal, and thick eyelashes, her eyes lacked any whites, giving her an otherworldly appearance, though Jazz also noticed that despite popular culture, she was almost as flat as a washboard.
The minotaur, noticing her gaze, burst out laughing. "She's half-horse lad, they feed their babies with udders."
Jazz felt embarrassed, then slight pain when she kicked him into a stack of wine barrels. The barrels began to topple over, but Jazz grabbed them, holding on with sheer might.
"Wow! Quite a display!" A vampire called out, laughing, "he's got strong blood pumping in those veins."
"Oh yeah!" A clearly drunk Yamcha staggered over, grabbing some barrels, "I'm way stronger!"
"Wanna make a bet out of it?" A pixie with pale green skin and dragonfly-like wings giggled as he flew over. "Everyone! Place your bets! We'll see which of these two apes can lift the most weight!"
Jazz had immediately piped up to say no, but Yamcha's drunken yes outweighed his protestations. And now they were in this crap. The two of them had to stand in the middle of a clearing, shirtless, holding square platforms while various heavy objects and Yokai balanced on the platforms. To make matters worse, Dealla and Ebizu had taken it upon themselves to tickle the two laborers in order to make them slip and drop their loads. Yamcha had nearly faltered but had thrust his arms up with renewed vigor. While Ebizu had used her water to make the floor muddy, which messed with Jazz's balance severely.
Jazz felt like giving up, but he couldn't bear the thought of losing to Yamcha. "Anyone but Yamcha, I can't lose to you of all people!"
"What… what's that supposed to mean?!" Yamcha shouted, indignant. Jazz's growls of exertion turned into a roar. Finally, after 3 hours of effort, Yamcha collapsed, exhausted and overwhelmed.
…
"So, this is it, the gate to the other world." Dealla began.
"Fuck you." Jazz muttered.
"Is that all you're going to say?" Dealla said, nursing a terrible hangover.
"Bitch…" Yamcha muttered darkly.
Pongitsune felt a sweat drop down her face as she watched the two angry young men. Deep in the back of her mind, she remembered that both Jazz and Yamcha could likely defeat the entirety of their school by themselves.
They were taking a car ride to Frying Pan Mountain. Dealla, who had woken up with a terrible hangover had begged Jazz to turn into a car or plane to get them over to Fry Pan Mountain. Jazz had simply replied by saying "Fuck you." and remained silent.
"Look!" Dealla said suddenly, patience wearing thin as she nursed the headache, "I wasn't even the one who tickled you Jazz! Why aren't you mad at Ebi Mizu!" She shouted.
"Bitch." Yamcha replied.
"I wasn't even tal-"
"Fuck you." Jazz interrupted Dealla.
"Guys, I understand things got a little out of hand." Pongitsune said, holding her hands up diplomatically, "but shouldn't you calm down? You could have said no." She said. "Dealla even apologized."
"No, she didn't, Miss Pongitsune." Jazz said.
"Ye-"
"Fuck you." Jazz interrupted Dealla once more, he then turned to Pongitsune, "no, she didn't, she has given me and Yamcha several excuses, and tried to blame shift more to Ebizu, who at least had the sense of shame to hide herself from my presence like a coward."
"I have nothi-" Dealla tried to say.
"Bitch." Yamcha said.
"...Fuck you!" Dealla transformed into her werewolf state, a silver whirlwind wrapping around her as she swung a massive furred claw into Yamcha. The former bandit blocked the attack with ease and knocked Dealla out of the car. She rolled hard on the ground before crashing into a tree. Yamcha gazed at her, then walked back into the car to sit down.
Pongitsune could only watch in shock at the treatment. As vicious and uncalled for as Dealla's attack was, she was surprised that Yamcha could attack a woman without any mercy like that.
Jazz, predicting her thoughts, spoke, "well, Miss. Pongitsune, both Yamcha and I train with quite feisty, powerful young women who take offense to us holding back. It also helps that I can heal any physical disfigurement that could be caused by battle."
"Wow… you hit me!" Dealla whined.
"Equal rights, equal fights!" Jazz retorted. "Get the fuck back in and drive." Dealla looked like she was going to say something, "fuck you." Jazz finished off, deflating the werewolf noble.
"You really know how to keep a grudge huh…" She sighed, "why aren't you guys cooler?"
…
"Is this place on Earth anymore?" Yamcha asked shocked. They had reached the burnt remains of Frying Pan Mountain, only to see that half the hill had already been restored. Past the mountain was a long winding road into a dark forest, they traveled along the road for an hour, the oppressive silence of the forest prompting everyone else to keep silent as well. Eventually, they reached the end of the forest, revealing a massive mountain and balmy climate, which left Yamcha sweating bullets. Jazz created bottles, then conjured water to fill them for his companions as they continued the car ride. Eventually, the car broke down, overheating, causing Dealla to scowl.
"Dammit, that's why I hate coming out here, it's as hot as hell and even worse than that freaking place."
Pongitsune sighed, "I understand, but it's only a mile or so left, then we can see my ancestor."
Jazz sighed, his eyes gleamed as he picked up the 3 others and flew forward, rushing them through.
"Watch out, their ar…" Pongitsune paused as Jazz shot out blasts of freezing wind into the bats, making them back away. The bats all disappear, save one that collapses on the road.
"Ow!" The bat screeched, "you jerk! Why I oughta!" The bat destransformed, revealing the red-haired Trampire. "Oh wait… I remember you…" Jazz glared at her for a few seconds as the vampire realized who she was facing. "Oh… ohmygod!" She screamed, "Yemma didn't tell me I'd be trying to stop you guys!" She ran around in circles, panicking.
"Yemma ordered you to stop us?" Jazz asked, expression hardening.
"No!" She shouted fearfully, "not at all! NO! Not you guys specifically, it's just my job to stop anyone who comes here…" Terror clearly marked her face as she remembered the dangerous kids who killed that psychopath Lucifer and could clearly kill her in an instant. "I only like money and blood, and you were nice enough to give me some blood when I was dying, I wasn't trying to get in your way, honest!" Then she looked at Pongitsune and Dealla, "oh god, a Kitsune and a Werewolf!? You guys must be after my head! Look, I'll disappear for a year, okay?! Don't kill me, if you want my spot in Monster Girls Untamed, I'll give it to you guys, okay?!"
Jazz shook his head. "We aren't after your head." He glanced at the suddenly perking up Pongitsune and Dealla. "We… aren't after your head." They frowned at his insistence but backed off.
Yamcha, whose curiosity had been peaked slightly spoke up, "Monster Girls Untamed?"
"Nope." Jazz said, "we're not getting into any more weird shit today." He began flying towards the mountain again.
"Jazz," Yamcha began. Jazz sighed, then turned around, seeing Trampire flying behind them.
"WHY ARE YOU FOLLOWING US?!" He asked.
"Uh…" Trampire squeezed her thighs together and put her hands to her head. "I remember how great your blood tastes." She began, "can I hwave swome, pwetty pwease?!" (Super Cringe) She tried making a cutesy, demure expression, her eyes gleaming red as she attempted to bewitch him with magic.
Jazz felt his heart beat faster, as all of a sudden, the red-haired vampiress began to resemble the black-haired PaoPao, though in the same outrageous-looking leotard the Trampire was wearing.
Pongitsune pinched his ear and he felt a rush of energy clearing his head. He narrowed his eyes. "LEAVE, NOW!"
"Eeeeik!" Trampire turned tail and fled the area.
They continued flying.
"Are, are you okay?" Pongitsune asked.
Jazz narrowed his eyes, "I don't know…" He felt energized as he remained in this area, but he also felt a great deal of rage, sorrow, and grief, which made him extremely grumpy. "But I guess we'll find out why soon enough."
A massive gate stood before them. Appearing in front of them all of a sudden. Jazz narrowed his eyes and felt the gate. It was definitely solid and quite warm and invigorating to the touch. 8 rectangular jade effigies were caved unto the gate's door, 4 on each side, on each door was a different carved image.
"The craftsmanship is superb," Yamcha said in between swigs of ice-water.
Jazz said nothing and simply pushed the door open. The second they entered, an inferno smashed into them the flames billowing out before concentrating in an attempt to cook them alive. With a flourish of his hand, Jazz redirected the flames with a powerful gust of wind, the flames were blown back slightly before rushing forward once again. He narrowed his eyes and shot out a blast of water, which, to his shock was transformed into oxygen and hydrogen before his very eyes. Before they could mix into their volatile state, the Long Bansho-Fan materialized in his hand and he began concentrating ki in his other hand, he swung the fan three times in rapid succession then unleashed a full-powered Kiai. The wind generated from the fan combined with the invisible blast of ki from the Kiai, punching a hole in the flames. With the flames less concentrated, Jazz's eyes gleamed green as he spread his arms and took control of the white-hot flames. The others watched in shock as the flames approached him and were absorbed into his body.
"Are you okay Jazz?" Dealla asked.
"Fuck you." Jazz replied, wiping his mouth.
"Dammit! Won't you get over that already?!" The silver-haired woman whined.
Their exchange seemed to have amused someone, as booming laugher filled the area.
The echo of the laugh caused everyone to get on guard and a certain intruder to scream in fear.
Jazz turned to see Trampire, who smiled, embarrassed. "Sorry… I got lost trying to follow you guys… and it's kind of awkward going back to king Yemma, he's just gonna fire me."
"King Yemma? He won't fire you, your job is to keep those that are unworthy from entry, my descendent, a noble of the werewolf clan, and two young heroes who fought against the former Demon King and against Piccolo's demon clan are all worthy to come."
A beautiful-looking young woman approached them. She had long black hair that went below her shoulders, the hair split down the middle of her head, over and past her eyes, and tucked behind her ears with a few loose strands here and there. Two bangs were over her ears, and she had earrings that looked to be made of three beads of varying size, one black, a larger white, then an even larger red almost as big as her round eyes. Her skin was pale and smooth, and she showed no signs of sweat despite the high temperature around them.
She wore a ceremonial-looking headdress with two long feathers that trailed from the top, several cloths or felt balls of yarn, alternating between red and orange that wrapped around a solid white almost-headband-looking headdress. Her outfit was red with gold and white adornments and lace, and she had an almost saiyan-looking pair of shoulder pads that covered her upper chest and a bit of her back and had a cape attached.
When Jazz saw her, he felt a huge amount of grief, and could not control the tears that welled from his eyes and fell down his face.
Annin smiled at him, "come, you must all be famished."
…
The dinner was relatively awkward. Dealla was still nursing her awkward feelings over Jazz and Yamcha's treatment of her. Pongitsune was overwhelmed with the sheer presence of her ancestor. The food was too spicy for the already extremely hot Yamcha, so he mostly drank water as a puddle of his sweat formed under him, and Trampire was shivering, terrified that any one of the people around her could get mad and decide to exorcise her, she also really wanted a sip of Jazz's blood again.
Jazz for his part felt like he hadn't eaten in days as he scarfed down the massive meal before him. Annin for her part grinned at the young man's appetite. "Please, tell me if you want more." She asked, smiling.
Jazz couldn't help but nod. "Yes please, ma'am."
Annin grinned. "No problem!" She got more food for them, and Jazz scarfed down even more. He wasn't Goku however, so he hit his limit after his second helping of 'lava noodles'.
"...Great Ancestor." Pongitsune began, "I heeded your request and brought my student over."
Annin looked at Pongitsune, her smile never faltering. "Thank you, I am happy you were willing to come all this way."
"No, the honor is mine, you… you protect us every day." The kitsune said, bowing.
"Uhm." Yamcha began, curious, "what exactly do you do?" He asked.
"I guard the Furnace of Eight Divisions," Annin said, smiling. "I am the god of this domain, after all, and as this location's god, it is my duty to stop errant evil spirits from passing into the world of the living."
"I see." Yamcha nodded.
"Why did you want to thank us?" Jazz asked. "I know that Lucifer and the Demon King Piccolo were both evils, but it feels like your desire to thank us goes deeper than that."
Annin nodded. "It does."
Jazz raised an eyebrow, he still felt grief and sorrow when he faced this beautiful woman, who only smiled at him, but he also felt warm and happy, not in a lover or lust sort of way, but in a nostalgic way.
"Could you, please explain?" He asked.
Annin's smile tightened. "I have guarded the furnace for 10 thousand years."
"But you look so young!" Yamcha shouted.
A glare from everyone else at the table shut him up.
"But I was not as mature as I am now, I had many… men, attend to my needs when I was younger, I was high on power and prestige. One such man was a fellow deity, a guardian for another planet. He visited me, and we fought many times, always to a draw. Eventually, he won my heart, and we wed. I had three children." Her face brightened, "the first, a fox, the second, a peacock, the third, a bull. The fox eventually became the progenitor of Pongitsune's specific Kitsune lineage, while the bull left to become king of the oni. The peacock, however, loved his mother, and stayed at my side, helping me guard and protect my flames. Eventually, he gained divinity of his own, and became the Immortal Phoenix." Jazz felt a cold pit in his stomach. "My child loved humanity, and chose to live amongst them, at times, it would grant longevity to humans and their descendants if that human came up with a clever trick, or entertained them. The ancestors of Roshi and Shen were such people. Though for Roshi, he became a truly great friend." She smiled sadly.
"Didn't Roshi say the immortal phoenix died of food poisoning?" Yamcha asked.
"His immortality is different to my own." Annin said, "while I am ageless, deathless, the phoenix will fall every 100 years, but be reborn in his own ashes. He didn't die of food poisoning, it was just his time." Her eyes turned hard, "but then… a bastard took advantage of that, Rosuto, a wizard, banished from his people, sook power and consumed my son. I could not let that go unpunished, so when he attempted to use his ill-gotten flames, I intervened. I attempted to burn him alive but he was powerful enough in fire magic to remain."
Jazz nodded, feeling chilly despite the warmth. "Is there a way to separate me from your son?"
"Jazz?!" Z asked, shocked.
"He is your son." Jazz began.
"It was too late for him when Rosuto consumed him." Annin said, "and it has been more than a year since his passing, nothing save the god of all dragons can bring him back."
Jazz nodded. "I'm sorry."
"Do not be, I am thankful that my son was avenged, and that the one who wields his flames now is not evil. That is why I am granting you this gift." Annin said. She turned to the furnace, "the Furnace of 8 divisions grants you access between the world of the living, the afterlife, other-world, heaven, and hell, but that is not all. It can separate then rejoin the components of a person, during that brief instance, the separate components can commune with the world they belong to."
Jazz's eyes widened. "Wait… you, you can't mean…" He began, surprise on his face.
"I do," She said, "but you must be careful." She warned, "if you encounter another trespasser in a critical junction of their life, your two fates may cross momentarily, and a 'corrector', may come."
Jazz didn't fully understand what she meant, but he didn't like the sound of that.
"I understand, thank you." Jazz nodded. "So, how must this be done?"
"Just enter the furnace, and it will take care of the rest," Annin replied.
…
…
Jasper(Jazz) Duncan
Age: 19 and 2 months
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: 6 feet 0.5 inches | 184.15 centimeters
Weight: 195 lbs | 88.4505 kilograms, Using additional weights totaling 300lbs or 136.078 kilo
Skills: Advanced Staff Technique, Advanced Kinjutsu (sword technique), Advanced Hand-to-Hand technique, Advanced Ki techniques, Mastered Magic Materialization
Capable of creating: Conventional Weapons, Food, various tools (limited by his knowledge of the materials, craftsmanship, and scientific knowledge)
Weapons that can be created: Long Ruyi Jingu Bang, Long Bansho Fan, Ryu Kusanagi, Wyvern's Wind-And-Fire Wheels, Dragon's Flame-Tipped Spear, Fafnir's Gungnir, Leviathan's Trident
Powers: Elemental Magic Materialization, Capable of summoning and freely manipulating fire, water, wind, and earth, capable of freely utilizing and creating lightning, ice, smoke, and steam, capable of manipulating and stirring the growth of plant and animal life. Mastered Telekinesis.
Mastery of General Magic Concepts and abilities, a basic understanding of intermediate level magical techniques, a basic understanding of advanced magical techniques.
Shapeshifting: Mastered Skill level (indefinite)
Transformation Power Techniques
Noble Werewolf: Adolescent Awakening: 3.375x power
Improved Full Power: A renamed form of Pump-Up/ Max Power, no longer lowers speed, instead it now grants strength and speed proportional to power gain, due to witnessing Launch's utilization of the technique, the power raised up to 3.6x
Talisman Magic: Body Enhancement: 1.5x Power, drains magical energy over time, lasts 25 minutes at full, before then draining ki
Emissive Techniques: Kamehameha, Don Don Pa, Solar Flare, Tri-Beam, Thunder Shock Surprise, Barrage Ki attack, Magic Fire Kamehameha, Thunderfire Kamehameha. Ki-Flame Sword, Marshmallow Meteor,
Body Techniques: Four Witches Technique, 12 Eyes Technique, Fusion Dance, Wolf Fang Fist, Mafuba
Powerlevel: 740
Without Fusion Dance, While Revved up to full power: 13,486.5
…
…
Afterword: it looks like Jazz is about to get his chance to see how his family is doing, that's awesome! Right? But what trials await him in the furnace?"
The furnace (in the original anime filler), is apparently part of the cause of Frying Pan mountain setting on fire, in the anime, adult Goku asks Annin to turn it off, but she says she cannot or demons would invade wholesale, so Goku and she fight. Eventually, Goku reveals the Bansho-Fan, and with it, they fix the fan and save the mountain, only for it to burn down again by Dragon Ball Super.
The furnace is based on furnace used by a taoist in Journey to the West, the furnace captured Sun Wukong and the Taoist wanted to burn the Monkey King and break him down into immortality pills. Furnaces are integral parts of cultivation fantasy stories and culture, and the ability to break down, refine, and put back together said substances is an important part of that magic. You might also notice that Jazz gained some power just now. It's because of the atmosphere of this location, the phoenix is back home, to the flames that helped guide its development, so he feels reinvigorated.
Ah, one thing this Chapter is pretty Suggestive, cause it's 69, get it? yeah I'm that shallow.