"Hacchan?" Jazz asked, "I remember you once telling me about how Jingle Village was attacked by General White, is that what you mean?"
"It has to do with that, my people checked Hacchan all over, but couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. Until now, that is."
"Now?" Jazz asked, "what changed?"
"Parts of his body were lined with lead, but the led has been coated in aluminum and other metals that would show up on scanners, so what would have simply been blank spots were thought of as filled with things as normal. Well, one of our scientists, with Hacchan's permission, traced along his surgery lines to inspect those parts of his body and discovered something." PaoPao sighed, "he has a human heart, brain, and spine."
Jazz sputtered in astonishment. "He's human?"
PaoPao nodded grimly. "I know, I didn't realize it, but despite his exterior being almost completely metallic, he is in fact, or was in fact a human, Dr. Gero's research into human-machine hybridization is already extremely advanced, that's not even accounting for the fact that Hacchan is an older model that's over 10 years old, he must have gained a great deal of research materials during the King Piccolo incident." PaoPao gritted her teeth, "as strong as my people have become since then, they still won't be able to escape an attack of that magnitude unscathed, yet despite all our hunting, we have found no trace of the Red Ribbon Army."
"Do you want me to help you search?" Jazz asked, "y'know, with my clones and such?"
PaoPao shook her head, "I'm warning you that something might happen during the World Martial Arts Tournament, there is a connection between the first Demon King Piccolo invasion and the Red Ribbon Army, and they may pull a similar stunt again when all the world's strongest defenders are congregated in one place." She smiled, "there are two reasons I'm sharing the information with you, and you alone Jazz, the first is because I consider you to be the most pragmatic member of our group of friends, and second because you're the strongest when you actually chose to go all out."
Jazz blinked in surprise, "really? What about the gains everyone has made, even the kids are close to surpassing my base power"
PaoPao shook her head, "certainly that's true, you have the least amount of ki in your strongest relaxed state, but that means nothing to someone like me, who can overclock my power with magic, a magic I taught you to master."
Jazz grinned, "well, I guess that's true, but damn, Hacchan was really a human…"
"Would that change how you feel about him?"
Jazz shook his head, "I already wanted to cave Gero's Skull in, finding out he kidnapped an innocent person just adds fuel to the fire. And I didn't really care about whether Hacchan was actually 'alive' or not, he's a kind guy, and a friend of Goku's too." Jazz turned to return to the rest of the group, "thanks for the update, PaoPao."
…
Later that night, Jazz utilized his magic to create a magnificent house out of earth, wood, stone, and glass, then using his magic materialization, created bedding, furniture, and entertainment.
"Magic's really convenient." Bulma sighed. "Why didn't you learn that, Yamcha?"
The former bandit simply smiled apologetically, "Sorry honey, I wouldn't even know where to start."
"Would you know where to start, Bulma?" Krillin said before Bulma let off a cutting reply.
"How're you guys so chummy already…" Bulma muttered.
Miguel giggled. "It reminds me of Hercule and my dad, sometimes they'd butt heads, but after a short argument they'd go right back to being buddies."
"Your dad lives with you guys?!" Bulma shouted, surprised, "doesn't it suck? Doesn't he embarrass you with his antics?"
"No?" Miguel answered, "he's a great dad, he loves me, took care of me, and lets me follow my dreams." Miguel looked perturbed, "I mean, your dad can't be that bad Bulma…"
"He once handed me a capsule for show and tell back in elementary school in order for me to show off an invention, but he switched out the wrong one, and gave me his porn magazines…" Bulma growled.
Miguel could only blink helplessly at the terrible memory, she turned to PaoPao, who shook her head. "My father orchestrated my assassination, I think my most positive memory of him was telling me that if I got my shit together, I'd make a worthy servant for my elder sister, this was after I was forced to kill my first prisoner, I think I was… 4?"
Launch, feeling helpful, piped up, "my dad used to hit my mom… and me? I remember Blondey kicked his butt when she turned 16 though, then he tried to run us over and she caused him to crash, then he kicked us out."
Miguel felt like she was going to faint.
"It's okay," Chi-Chi tapped her friend on the shoulder, "my dad was loving and caring, sure, he got very sad after my mom died, but he still took care of me, I guess I could say he was a little overprotective, but he's a great teacher."
"I can definitely agree with that assessment." PaoPao said, "many of my best warriors were trained by your father."
Chi-Chi beamed with pride. "That's great!"
"Okay!" Jazz called out, interrupting them, "I finished cooking!" He ushered the entire group to a long table, on it was a veritable cornucopia of food. Roasted birds, venison, fruits, and vegetables assorted in salads or roasted as garnishments. Rice, beans, beets, a whole host of thick and thin soups and stews, fresh, delicious-smelling bread, freshly churned butter, sweet fruit spreads, and zesty sauces for the meat.
"I hope you ladies came with an appetite because I know we guys did." Jazz said, grinning. He split himself into duplicates, holding out the chairs for the girls to sit down, each girl taking the seat."
Blondey, who had taken over, smirked at Jazz. "Well, aren't ya a gentleman, unlike some guy I know." She side-eyed Tien, who scoffed. They had become closer, but they definitely were not a couple.
"Yeah…" Bulma sighed, "maybe I should have tried to sink my fingers in you when we were younger, you definitely had a crush on me when we first met!"
Jazz blinked at her brazen attitude, then turned to Yamcha, who looked like he pretended not to hear her dismissive attitude. Jazz gulped, he'd been hearing her nagging all day, and while Yamcha had pretended not to, he noticed the scarred martial artist definitely heard all her nagging too. "Jeez Bulma, that's a little rude." He began, "I mean, I'm dating someone right here, and there's your boyfriend."
PaoPao grinned foxily, "oh no, I don't mind her words, I'd just hope she'd put her money where her mouth is."
"Oh?" Bulma played along, "and what might that mean?"
Before they could continue, Goku's stomach growled, "I don't mean to be rude guys, but… I'm actually starving…"
"I seem to forget that even when Son-Kun grows so big, he's still that silly little kid I found in the mountain." Bulma chuckled.
The group gave their various prayers, for the majority of the dragon team, they gave quick thanks for the food, in Tien's and Krillin's case, they used a small, quick Buddhist chant, and in Jazz's case, he used the Lord's Grace. Then they began to tear into the meal.
"Jazz…" Krillin cried out, "I can't believe I've forgotten how good your food tastes! Man, I missed that bear stew you used to make when we trained under PaoPao!"
"You're stupid lucky, PaoPao!" Bulma growled, "my cooks aren't anywhere this good, hey, Jazz? Ever think of putting up those fighting gloves and becoming a private chef?"
"This food is great as always!" Chi-Chi said, "though I'd add a bit less salt in the chicken soup, you salted and cooked the chicken separately before you added it to the soup, right?"
Jazz blinked in surprise, "Yeah, I did, how could you tell?"
"The soup did not soak in all the way, it's very soft in its exterior and tough in the center, making it fun to eat, but the salt is just a bit too much, otherwise it's perfect!" Chi-Chi grinned, "I used to make that mistake, the salt will defuse just a little bit, so you don't need to add quite as much as you would normally."
Goku on his end was stuffing his face, the void of cleaned dishes around him grew more and more, only to be offset by a generous helping of seconds as several Jazz clones poured out of the kitchen with more food.
Everyone ate to their fill, with Goku laying down, content and patting his distended stomach. Already, they could see his stomach beginning to deflate, it was as scary as it was fascinating.
Chi-Chi for her part sat by Goku's side.
"Have you told him yet?" Jazz asked.
Chi-Chi shook her head.
"You have to, you know. Eventually, if you don't you'll regret it."
"But, you know him, he doesn't understand where I'm coming from, and… I don't think he feels the same about me."
"Well, you never know." Jazz didn't necessarily know if Goku loved ChiChi, at least, he didn't know if he had a deep romantic love for her in the original, he was definitely fond of her and showed many times that he cared about her, and her opinion, and her feelings. But in many ways, Goku seemed to treat Chi-Chi the same as he treated his other close friends. But this Goku had grown up with Chi-Chi being a part of his life, and this Chi-Chi was a little different due to her close proximity and was witness to Goku's…eccentricities. Jazz never heard mention of the marriage promise, which had surprised and worried him, but they definitely were closer, he didn't know whether Goku in the original would have agreed to let Chi-Chi travel with him on his training journey some 6 years ago, and they, much like Tien and Launch, had some sort of chemistry. Though he couldn't call it a true relationship, then again, who was he to judge?
Goku, seemingly oblivious to their discussion, stretched and got up. "Phew, that was a good meal, I've not been that stuffed in months, not since Chi-Chi and I took down that wild bison herd."
"Hey… Goku?" Chi-Chi began.
"Yeah?" Goku asked.
"When the tournament happens, I wanna fight you, okay?"
Goku smiled, "definitely, it's always fun fighting you."
"And, win or lose, I have something to tell you. Will you listen?" She asked.
"Of course." Goku grinned even wider, "I'll listen to whatever you have to say Chi-Chi."
"Promise?" She asked.
"Of course, whatever you want, I'll do." He said, "I'll help you no matter what."
"Don't promise that." She chided, "I just want you to listen and give me an honest answer."
"Definitely." Goku yawned, "oh boy… I'm tired." He looked out to the full moon, "oh…" He closed his eyes immediately, "phew… that's why…when the moon is out I get real tired unless I look at it."
"I'll help you to a bedroom." Chi-Chi offered.
"I'm good!" Goku said excitedly, "I've not navigated a new location with my eyes closed in forever!" He got up and slowly made his way until he encountered a wall, following the wall, he began moving down the hallways.
Chi-Chi watched him leave, then felt her nervousness threaten to spill, she turned to look for Jazz but saw that he was gone.
…
"Alright, Hercule, are you ready?" Jazz took out a pair of blindfolds and earplugs."
"Do I have to be?" Hercule asked in annoyance. He was drenched in sweat and completely exhausted. They'd been training for over half a day, and the rest of the group was spending the last of their day just hanging out and enjoying the beach. He turned to his trainer, Jazz, who gave him a toothy grin.
"No, you don't have to be ready." Jazz grinned as Hercule took the cloth and plugs. "But you still have to take it." Jazz waited for Hercule to put on the blindfolds before continuing. "There are two ways to learn how to detect ki, the more simple and thorough way is to meditate until you can still your own thoughts and spirit, then attempt to feel for the spirit of others, like one feeling the warmth of a candle in a cold room, or one feeling the slight breeze of wind in the middle of a valley. Unfortunately for you, such a training method takes at least a month of hard work and unflappable dedication. Even I with teachers much more competent than myself didn't master it until about 3 months of constant use and practice, and I can't say I'm perfect either even after having it for years. For you, however, we'll have to train it the quick way. Exhausting yourself until you lack the energy to do anything, then block as many of your senses as possible. The near-death experience will sharpen your 6th sense, and once even that sense is exhausted, you should maybe start feeling ki."
"Maybe…start feeling ki?" Hercule repeated incredulously.
"Well, it might be quick, it might not be, Lazuli was bad at sensing ki, so she needed to do this method. It took her half a day to get it when I taught her, so hopefully, it will be the same for you."
Hercule plugged his ears, "I ain't gonna lose out to a little girl!" He shouted.
"A little sexist, but good, I like the enthusiasm." Jazz grinned, the blindfolded Hercule had no way to react to Jazz's kick sending him careening towards the ocean.
To be knocked into a location as cold and violent as the ocean while you couldn't see or hear was painfully disorienting, it took all of Hercule's will to keep from gasping and flooding his lungs with the salty water of the ocean.
Jazz dived into the water, using his magic and telekinesis to move as if in the air or the ground.
Through his fighting experience, Hercule was able to protect his vitals even if he couldn't see or hear Jazz's attacks. It helped that Jazz wasn't going all out, it looked like he was fighting at strengths and speeds that were just at Hercule's level, but the fact that Jazz could do so left Hercule feeling somewhat disappointed with himself. He trained his ass off, nearly dying several times, yet he would throw himself into battle and training, getting stronger and more skilled, he was proud of his power, but the fact that Jazz somehow could keep up felt like a cruel joke. He felt his muscles tense as he activated Pump Up.
Jazz grinned, Hercule hadn't yet realized that Jazz would use magic to generate air for Hercule to breathe, just enough to keep him from passing out. The point of the training was to exhaust the trainee while forcing their senses to their limits, something both dangerous and stupid without someone taking care to keep them alive and safe. If Jazz did things wrong, Hercule would lose brain cells from oxygen loss.
Hercule felt the attacks slow down after he activated the pump up, but he remained tense, he knew his former teacher long enough to know that a big attack would come next. As he sat in the water, the fear of the attack began to fill his mind, causing his movements to become jerky and his heart to race. Eventually, while spinning in the currents, he felt like moving his hands to his blindfold, in that second, he felt a spark, as if in his world of black he could feel a blade of fire aimed for his back. He spun rapidly, blasting ki towards the fire. The same fire dodged his attack and charged for his side, but he blocked that attack too. Eventually, he was forced out of the water, yet despite being exhausted and supposedly senseless, he could determine the movements of the 'flame' before him, which now took the form of a humanoid wrapped in a whirlwind, if he were to give a color to these rapidly spinning flames, it would be silver. It was a beautiful, terrifying color that seemed to fill the void before him.
"It looks like you've gotten it." Jazz ripped off Hercule's blindfolds and earplugs. "How do you feel?" He asked.
"I feel…" Hercule grinned, "this is awesome! I can feel everyone's energy, yours, the twins, Krillin's, Yamcha's, Miguel's, and…" He paused. "Wait…" He turned to Jazz, shock on his face. "I feel two energies from Miguel…"
Jazz merely smiled, "Oh? Well, congrats."
…
…
Jasper(Jazz) Duncan
Age: 21 and 10 months
Hair color: Red
Skin color: white
Race: "Human"
Height: 6 feet 0.5 inches | 184.15 centimeters
Weight: 195 lbs | 88.4505 kilograms,
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, Jorgumandur's Svalinn, Hydra's Ancilla
Powers: Elemental Magic Materialization, Capable of summoning and freely manipulating fire, water, wind, and earth, 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. mastered understanding of intermediate-level magical techniques, an advanced understanding of advanced magical techniques.
Shapeshifting: Mastered Skill level (indefinite)
Transformation Power Techniques
Noble Werewolf: True Awakening: 5.3x power
Ultimate 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 5.4x
Talisman Magic: Body Enhancement: 5x Power, drains magical energy over time, lasts 10 minutes at full, before then draining ki,
1.5x level: can be used for 6 hours straight
2x level: can be used for 2 hours straight
3x: can be used for 1 hour
4x: Can be used for 30 minutes
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
Blessing from a "Friend": Enhanced strength, speed, stamina, durability, senses, capable of surviving a 2 fold fusion without extreme backlash.
Powerlevel: 1954
Power of Just Werewolf: 10,356.2
Power of Pump Up: 10551.6
Power of Werewolf and Pump Up: 55923.84
Power of Werewolf, Pump Up, Magic Talisman Technique: 279,617.4
…
Afterword
Hopefully, you should be getting this update at the same time as Chapters 76, 78, and 79. If you see this chapter first, chapter 76 is the first chapter you should look at to catch up, or, if you need a refresher…
It looks like Miguel is pregnant! Congrats to Her! In cannon, Videl was born about almost a year after the Last Budokai Tenkaichi in Dragon Ball, so this should be an appropriate time for them.