Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball or Korgoth of Barbaria.
Betaed by: Zim'smostloyalservant and a good friend.
LAST TIME:
Yet another quest was afoot. Chichi and Krillin returned to Kame House seeking a way to forge the Demon Warrior Bola's tooth into a mighty weapon. Roshi actually knew a guy for that job, the smith known as the God of the Forge, Totosai!
After a few warnings and a bit of advice, the four students of the Kame School set out to see if the other old man still had his mojo. The answer turned out be yes, but he had a list of ingredients they would have to gather first.
Krillin and Yamcha had to climb a mountain of surprisingly difficult obstacles, only to find the wood they needed wasn't going down without a fight. Say Krillin, haven't you had to do this bit before?
Meanwhile, Mai and Chichi had to face the bizarre and mean-spirited ordeals of a very old very cranky shrine maiden to get the sacred water. Only for it to turn out that the real shrine maidens were on vacation and their troll of a granny had just trolled them. Hang in there, Chichi! And Mai, who knew you had such bizarre talents?
Finally, they reunited forces to face sake mists that seemed to have blown in clear from another anime. While they failed to overcome the mists, their drunken antics were so destructive the masters of the valley, in sheer despair, gave them what thy wanted and threw them out.
And so the quest was done, Chichi got herself a magical warhammer, Totosai got money and booze, and the other three students had the reward of the journey, or something I guess?
Now, the time of interlude draws to a close, as with every passing day the Budokai draws nearer to bring contenders back together and usher newcomers onto the great arena before the world.
Let us close the distance now! On Dragon Ball Intended Journey!
Chapter 28
Countdown to the Budokai
Prepare Yourselves Warriors of the World!
The towering bandit leader drew his oversized katana from the sheathe at his belt and held it overhead, with it promptly bursting into flame. The spikes adorning his black armor and helm likewise ignited.
He pointed the sword toward Goku, snarling at the boy.
"You! You will pay for what you have done this day! I will not strike you down, that is too lenient a punishment for this! I will make you suffer. I will show you suffering as you have never imagined, like a rainbow! But this rainbow is not like any other rainbow-" a rock whizzed through the air and smacked into his helm. Which cracked and shattered, letting a large red bump rise from his brow. Sword and armor going out, he fell forward like a wooden plank onto the packed dirt of the courtyard.
"Laaaunch! That was my fight," Goku whined. Launch stepped over the scattered groaning minions, hands in her pockets.
"You were going to beat him in one punch or something, anyway. That guy has been running his mouth since we started climbing this mountain; I was sick of it."
"Still rude," Goku pouted. Launch ruffled his hair, stepping past him to pick up the oversized sword. Putting her thumb at the base of the blade, she snapped it clean in two. Looking up as the dark clouds covering the sky rolled away, letting the sunshine and blue sky be seen again.
"And that's that. What's say we tie these guys up and head back? The Baron promised us a feast, after all," Launch said.
"It's been a while since we got an all we can eat offer," Goku said, joining Launch as she entered a nearby tool shed, looking for rope or something.
"Yeah, but we probably shouldn't eat him out of house and home anyway, ya know? I mean, the guy did bow down and beg us to save his barony. Not many big wig types will do that, even when the going gets tough."
"Hey look, a calendar," Goku said, pointing to what Launch assumed was the evil fortress' groundskeeper's desk. A pin-up calendar of course, she noted, but Goku was only checking the dates, being Goku.
"How long until the Tournament?" he asked, not finding that date marked. Launch stepped up next to him and flipped to the right month and showed him.
"Only about six months left, kid. And these little adventures might be good community service, but were not exactly getting pushed by them. So, what's say we really kick it up a notch? Wouldn't do for me to get eliminated before I can settle the score with Old Jackie, right?"
"Right! I hope the others are getting stronger, too. But let's go get that feast first, okay?" Goku said.
"Of course," Launch said, casually throwing the calendar in the trash can and resuming the search for either rope or an acceptable rope substitute.
And so, the Son siblings spent the last six months before the Tournament traveling toward Papaya Island, never losing sight of their training, even as the big day drew near. But they were not alone in their preparations…
Makyasweat Island:
"You two have done very well," Roshi nodded to his two students, as Puar placed dinner on the dining table of Kame House.
"Thank you, Master," Mai and Yamcha said together. Yamcha had grown his hair out, tying it back in a short ponytail at the base of his skull, but other than that he was unchanged in how he held himself. Mai, on the other hand, had fully lost the pale, almost courtly skin tone, in favor of a more tanned tone Roshi would describe as radiantly healthy. If she'd acquired a bit more thickness from muscle mass, Roshi felt it was no detriment to her beauty. Her hair was still tied in a loose braid, but she had shortened it to reach just barely past her shoulders.
Roshi held up the wall calendar.
"Now listen up, it's only five months now until the tournament. At this point, there's nothing I feel confident teaching you. Either you have enough mastery now to progress on your own, or new stuff would take too long to incorporate effectively into your styles. The only task I set to you now is to train as you see fit between now and then. If you feel easing up the regimen to focus on sparring is the way to go, then do so. If you want to grind yourself to squeeze every bit of gain, you can do so. And if you feel you need to relax more or meditate more, do so."
Yamcha nodded, while Mai looked confused.
"I see, Master, our next lesson is self-discipline. You wish to see if we are ready to fully leave your tutelage, having grasped the essence of your teachings, rather than just the words of it."
"Oh, is that it?" Mai asked.
"Hmm, maybe so," Roshi said, picking up the chopsticks and giving thanks for the meal.
'Thanks, Yamcha, I'll need all the personal time to make sure my own training is up to snuff. I don't fancy getting curb stomped as Jackie Chun.'
"So, Yamcha, do you have any ideas?" Mai asked, blowing on a morsel held in her chopsticks.
"I think we should still keep at the training regimen, but limit it to the morning. After that, our focus should be sparring. We're at close enough of level that we can get our best workout through practically working our muscles and skills. It will also help prepare us for fighting by giving us a chance to not just try out our techniques, but refine them."
'Not a bad notion, but there's big flaw in it,' Roshi thought, washing down his bite with a drink.
"But if we just fight each other, that won't help much with facing other fighters," Mai pointed out, pointing with her sticks.
"That's true, but to find any worthy opponents, we'd have to leave the island," Yamcha mused.
'Not so easy, is it?' Roshi thought, chucking to himself as the two students tried to plan out their next months.
X X X
Tenron sipped his tea at the roadside inn. The building stood out on this stretch of plain beside a dirt road connecting nowhere in particular to a place that was no big deal.
He'd exchanged his old armor and distinct clothes for khaki and white traveling clothes, with a kasa hat he'd crafted himself resting on his upper back, its cord against his neck. Still, shabbier clothes or not, he remained immaculately shaved and his hair perfectly styled.
A wanderer's life was no reason to neglect one's own grooming, he could piratically hear Lady Nanao lecturing.
"Refill, young man?" the middle-aged innkeeper asked, approaching the bench where Tenron sat on a counter stool out of the sun.
"More dishes to be cleaned?" Tenron queried.
"No, no, you did better than my hired hand, honestly. A lot better. If the martial arts don't work out, maybe you should try running your own inn, you'd make very good money if you could run an inn by yourself with that kind of skill and speed. And not just out here in the sticks like me, ya know."
"Thank you, but I have something else in mind for my future," Tenron said, gaze sliding to the simple calendar hanging by the bar in the inn, the date clearly marked under the image of a scantily-clad girl on a tractor.
'Son Goku, I will see you again. And you too, Master Chin,' he vowed.
X X X
"Yes, I'm going to the Budokai!" Princess Misa cheered, leaping into the air, fist raised. The Chin Star School was assembled in the training hall, everyone except her sitting in orderly ranks before Master Chin.
"You're not the only one," Shoken said. He was wearing a school uniform rather than the Chin Star one, and a backpack was stuffed on his back. He stood off by the wall, rather than amongst the students.
"Indeed, along with myself, the top students from the three classes are attending, Princess. It's an honor to attend, you should be proud; but do try and keep some perspective," Master Chin gently chastised the girl, who meekly got back into her place in the kneeling lineup of students assembled in the training hall.
"You three have earned your right to represent our school through your hard work, but also your integrity when you step off the tatami mat. The Chin Star School does not only aspire to teach you how to fight well, but to instill and expand values and ethics that will let you excel at life, and in doing so elevate society around you."
"Yes, Master Chin!" the three student competitors said in sync. Chin nodded.
"That being said, the first lesson you will learn from the Budokai is how small our school is. Even if our status as the top school in Ottpott was truly indisputable, our kingdom is a small state in a much larger world. And that world will be on display on Papaya Island, with fighters who have been training longer than you or perhaps even your parents have been alive, and in styles you have never heard of. The Budokai is recognized as the highest level of martial arts competition. Even as I expect you to do your best, I would be remiss as your sensei to not temper your expectations. I am not confident even I will make it past the preliminaries facing the current generation of fighters. In addition to the three students competing, seven more will accompany us, paid for by the King's generosity, to observe the tournament. Remember, whether as competitor or spectator, this is not a contest for dominance, but a chance to better ourselves through experiencing martial arts on a higher level."
"Yes, Master Chin," the whole of the school chimed. The master nodded and smiled.
"Continue the daily exercises; tomorrow at breakfast, the names of the seven observers will be posted, and in honor of the ten chosen you will all have the day off with a special dinner to be served tomorrow night."
That got him some cheers, before they ordered themselves and exited.
"Father, can we afford this special dinner?" Shoken asked.
"Of course, I had Ino run the numbers," Chin laughed, feeling a bit abashed.
"That's good. Well, I need to go," his son said, before rushing off to school.
'His mother's path of study suits him far better than the path of power. And since it's been a while since Ino beat me over the head with spreadsheet or a student gave me the stink eye, I might be improving too,' Chin thought, getting up and opening the door to look over the three classes already doing their drills in the courtyard.
He couldn't help but see the shades past students over the current ones, going through the same motions.
'Tenron, I wonder how you've changed on your journey? Heh, the Budokai; it feels like I'm about to step into the past, but it's really the future,' Chin mused, leaving his students to the supervision of their seniors to perform his personal morning training routine.
X X X
Bora's moccasins touched the grass with a light impact. Bending his knees, the giant of a man ran his fingers through the grass, touching the earth beneath. Straightening, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, savoring the sounds and scents of his home before opening his eyes and looking upon it.
He allowed himself a smile.
"How much more would it be had you not allowed me to come back a few times to see my son. The legends did not speak of your compassion, Master Korin. I hope to prove worthy of your time spent teaching me in the coming battles," Bora said, bowing to the tower.
High above, a white cat's ears twitched as he looked down on the world below.
"Heh, at least you took a decent amount of time to pass my tests; kids blowing through my training like one of those newfangled anime heroes makes me feel even older."
X X X
Ox King sweated a bit as the door to the new two-story house closed, and the carpenter with a hard hat approached him. Chichi and Krillin stood to his left, wearing carpenter overalls and orange short-sleeved shirts, stiff as boards, sweat visibly trickling down their necks.
"Well, what's the verdict?" the massive king asked, his throat dry. The carpenter met his gaze with steely eyes, and gave a thumbs up.
"It's all up to code, a body could move in there tomorrow, Your Majesty," he reported. Ox King fell to his knees in relief.
"We did it, Krillin! We finally did it! We built it with no tools but martial arts skills, and it's still seaworthy!" Chichi cheered, picking Krillin up and spinning him in the air.
"Houses don't sail!" Krillin told her as she spun him.
"Oh! What's the land equivalent?" Chichi asked, letting Krillin go to assume a thoughtful pose. The former monk went flying, crashing through the new house's front wall and out the other side. With a groaning creak, the house shuddered and collapsed on itself.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Well Dad, it's time to get ready to leave for the tournament! Bye!" Chichi declared, walking away stiff-leggedly.
The massive monarch facepalmed, while the carpenter scratched his head under his helmet.
"Well, demolition is a respectable career choice, sire," the carpenter noted.
X X X
"Okay, let's see if I read the diagram right. Pin, here. And another here, don't flinch! Sew here. Staples! Button, and button. And the zipper, and the other zipper. There and done, you are ready to represent the Crane School in style, Miss Bulma!" Yurin said, unfolding the full-length mirror stand in the well-adorned parlor. Bulma cringed at the gold and yellow robes and pants that had been put on her. The black cap with the red puffball on it was promptly cast off of her head, not unlike a big spider just noticed.
"Okay, I'll wear a uniform, but it won't be this uniform," Bulma declared, ripping off the outer layer to reveal a black sleeveless shirt hugging her body.
"But it's what I'm going to wear," Yurin objected, as Bulma grabbed her traveling sack from the corner.
"Not while you're my minion. We're going to the tailor, one who has style from this century. I'm thinking an exposed shoulder and a bit of ankle with some tear-away boy pants with yoga shorts underneath," Bulma said, grabbing the girl's hand and dragging her into the hallway after her.
"Baldy, she's desecrating the uniform," Yurin whined as she was dragged by a shirtless Tien.
"Excellent, she's not worthy to wear it anyway," Tien smirked. Bulma bristled, hair standing on end for a moment before rounding to shake a fist in his face.
"You're one to talk, you go shirtless at the drop of a zeni! If you were a woman, they'd call you a s-!" Bulma yelled in his face.
"Good thing I'm not a woman then. Because I'd end up killing a lot of people for free," Tien said, walking off with a grin.
"Grr, just wait Yurin, I'll show him at the Budokai, I'll show them all HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Bulma laughed manically, swinging Yurin around in her dramatic gesturing. All of this witnessed by an eye concealed by shades peeking through barely opened sliding door.
Shen slid the door closed on the sight and wrung his hands.
"Oh Roshi, how I will relish your despair! When you learn I have corrupted a dear friend of your students to the path of evil! HAHAHAHAHA!" the Crane Hermit gave out his own maniacal laugh.
X X X
Machines clanked and gears worked, as with a rumble heavy steel doors appeared. Kicking up dust, a red-haired man stepped into the sunlight and took a deep breath.
"Daylight, feels like a lifetime," he said, raising a hand toward the sun. The mountains were glorious in the daylight, the chilling peaks, the rough rocky cliff faces, the trees, the sheer feel of the wind sweeping over him. He'd begun to wonder if he'd ever see such things again.
"In a manner of speaking, it has been," the old man lurking in the shadows said. The young man turned, his eyes falling on the remote control held in the steady grip of the elder, antenna already extended.
"Yes, I suppose I've been reborn after a fashion, haven't I?"
"Remember, you have not been released, you are on a mission. Succeed, and your rewards will be great, freedom among them."
"Don't worry, this is business and pleasure. No one has to give me orders to seek revenge. Just you wait, you brats, SILVER IS COMING FOR YOU!" he raised a metal fist as his left eye glowed red with malice.
Dr. Gero grinned as the cyborg leapt from the mountainside and began descending the mountain in a manner beyond a normal human's capability.
"You should be sufficient to destroy those two. But if not, I will still gather data to make your superior successor. So, I should thank you in advance, even if all you can do is die, fool," Gero chuckled to himself, before hitting the button to close the doors.
"Wait, don't close the doors! I need to go out and check the mail!" Candi said, rushing up next to him. The doors closed with a clang.
"Oh great, and thanks to your stupid time lock, we're going to have two days of mail. What's the mailman going to think when yesterday's mail is still in there?"
"Sorry, dear."
"And it's a 45-minute hike to the post box besides. You know what, you're getting the mail tomorrow."
"Yes, dear."
Somewhere in the Woods:
A simple tent stood in the meadow. A bug zapper hung from a short pole by its flap door, and a fire pit nearby. Trees at the edge of the clearing had patches of bark missing, and birds sang in the trees as morning broke.
"Oh crap! Is that the real date!?" a woman cried out from the tent. A tanned woman with a short curly afro burst from the tent, grasping a toothbrush. Looking over the camp, she grabbed her head, grimacing.
"I gotta pack quickly! I can't miss the tournament after training all this time!" Ranfan yelled, and started tearing her tent down, kicking up a dust cloud in her haste.
X X X
"Well, that takes care of lunch," Goku declared, sitting down on the dead mega tiger, "Food always tastes better when it tried to make you food."
"Well, that's good, because we have another problem," Lunch said, kneeling over uncapsuled boxes on the edge of the clearing.
"What's that?" Goku asked.
"Goku, your pants have given up the ghost, and the shirt isn't that far behind," Lunch sighed, pointing out the obvious.
"Oh, I thought it felt breezy," Goku said, looking down at himself. The attention seemed too much for his abused gi to bear, and with nearly a sigh of a tear, it finished falling apart and off him.
Lunch looked down at her own clothes suspiciously. There were enough tears and patches in her own at this point that she worried it would self-destruct shortly too. The pants had already become shorts, after all.
"And we have nothing left in our capsule but some underwear and the wonderful kimono and accessories," she informed him.
"Oh, well what about her?" Goku asked, pointing to the tigress' corpse.
"Oh my!" Lunch gasped.
Midday Meal and a Trip to Town Later:
"Never thought I'd be endorsing the fur industry," Lunch said, brushing the knee-length tiger skin one-piece dress she had on. Goku had on a more Tarzan-y thought it suited him quite well.
"Why not just buy something else with the money they gave for the rest?" Goku asked.
"We spent that on the tailor, then the snack and ice cream, Goku. We're broke again," Lunch sighed.
"Oh well, this will do for swimming anyway," Goku said as they reached the town's beach. Spotting the lifeguard on duty, Goku scaled the tower to address the buff lady on duty.
"Hello, Miss Lifeguard. Which way to Papaya Island?" he asked.
"Ah, curious about geography? Good for you, kid. It's that way, though there's no ship from here to there, these days. You'll want to head further down the coast where the liners run, though I suppose you might be able to commission something from the airfield if ya got the money."
"That's okay, we'll just go there directly," Lunch said, waving off the concern. The lifeguard watched with puzzlement as the two in the fur walked out into the surf and started swimming. And kept on swimming.
Sweatdropping, the lifeguard realized something.
"Should I have done something about that?" she wondered, looking at the spot they'd vanished over the horizon into.
Author's Note:
And so we reach the end of Season 2. The 22nd Budokai has already been drafted out but what comes after has barely begun to be written. I want to at least be close to done with the season before I start posting, so I can't say when Season 3 will premiere.
Thank you all for following the story so far. Especially thanks to the reviewers; it always brightens my day when I get feedback on something I made. I hope you will all be back for Season 3 and in the meantime might have some fun checking out my other fics.
Well until next time dear readers: Long days ad pleasant nights to you all.