A/N: Final Word Count: 10.7k Pre-A/N's
Yataaaa, another chapter, another episode, and a possible migraine finished XP Once again no idea how the chp turned out cause been dealing with some stuff on my end so writing flow is a bit wonky here and there, but all the same I don't think it came out too terribly in this. I dont have much to write about in terms of notes for this series (unless it comes to answering questions), one of which I do have to remark- haven't actually revealed the reason behind Cauli's lack of power that i Promised I would mention last chapter. Was going too, but then just felt kinda outta place with the flow of the chapter, so decided to reveal that more over time later. But as I was saying, I dont have much to write in these A/Ns compared to usual, so instead i'll use the intros to display relevant (or least in that its related to dbz) trivia about the series ^^ Case in point:
Weighted Training Gear: While it might not be as much depending on the current level of power (as weve all seen, it's effective for training but loses most use after the Saiyan Saga as functional gear), it proves its usefulness until then as it allows for a steady increase of up to 20% of a fighter's power, so it's not completely useless this early into the series ^^.
Trivia #2: Difference between Full Blooded Saiyans and Half breeds like in the show. As is something that's usually not mentioned as much in Super, the half-blood trait actually allows the fighter to more easily tap into greater heights of strength, aka, going super saiyan and such much easier. Granted, this isn't always the case, and emotions still seem to be important even to Full-blooded saiyans. However, as does not surprise me, given the violent heritage and race, there's rarely opportunities for Saiyans to express affection for each other, much less emotion, hence the lack of strength we've seen them in ova's and specials. As stated however, a Saiyan is still fully capable of tapping into their hidden potential, especially after rigorous training like Vegeta managing to go blue- this bit actually stumped me a bit when I was doing the "gohna in the pod" bit as for how to proceed (hence part of the delay) but luckily i managed to research it and came to realize this ^^.
So with that all said, assuming im not missing something which means im indefinitely am, enjoy!
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*Splash!*
The small fishing boat rocked violently as another wave crashed into it The waves were especially violent and cruel as usual to the residence of the small island, but it was one of the only few sources of both income and food for anyone to scrape by on the dying strip of land. Whether it was the only man who had any fishing experience, the middle aged woman wearing a grey pre-tied head scarf over her scalp, a red-colored padded hanten jacket with a white undershirt and black pants, who was getting on in her 50s, or the young man who looked like he had more experience with construction than fishing, wearing a typical white shirt with blue overalls and sandals. This sort of craziness was the only lifestyle the trio had ever known on their depressing island.
And it wasn't going to change anytime soon.
"Wah!" The young man yelped, holding onto the rails. "Take it easy on the steering, will ya?"
"The steering's the only reason we haven't capsized yet, thank you very much!" The fisherman shouted back.
"Tenyu, Rodger, please, let's not fight about this." The old woman said, somehow struggling yet doing better to maintain her balance on the ship despite her rickety old bones. "As soon as we find something, we can return to land."
"We know that Chiyo, we're just tired. We've been at this for 16 hours straight." The fisherman moaned, wiping his head. "Anything we have turned up is either too sick to sell at the market or too damaged for scrap."
"Let's just forget this whole thing and sail for the continent, I'm sick of living like this!" Tenyu complained.
"Are you kidding me? Our boat would never make it passed the horizon. Even if we did somehow manage it, we'd be dead in the water out of fuel before we reached even halfway to the nearest shoreline!"
"Ugh, we wouldn't even be out here right now if it wasn't for those stupid Ribbon-guys." Tenyu moaned leaning onto the rail in a slump. "Everything's gone to Hell since they showed up. I'm sick of it!"
"I'm sure things will get better in due time." Chiyo assured, trying to maintain the positivity among the ship's inhabitants. "Who knows? Maybe we'll find out fortune somewhere out here. Then we can afford to leave the island for good!"
"Oh, yeah, sure," Tenyu rolled his eyes, "like the answer to our prayers is just gonna right out of the ocean or something-"
"Hey guys? Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Rodger asked as he lowered his head a little from the deck to see the sky through the windows. Turning around, the other two fortune-finders were awestruck to see what Rodger was seeing.
Within the smoggy purple sky, despite it's thickness, they happened to see what appeared to be a star, shining through the blanketed air. Such a sight was unheard of for anyone living on the island. To even catch a glimpse of a star, or a moon, or even a sun was nothing short of amazing within these parts! One could practically sell a picture of it for a few zeni it was that rare!
"... I know I said ocean, but I maintain my stance."
"Well isn't that a lovely sight." Chiyo smiled as she gazed at the small dot. "I haven't seen a star in almost seven years here."
"How is it so noticeable though? We're not that far from the island, it should still be too thick to see any stars around here."
"Hey, guys?" Rodger spoke up again. "Is it me, or is it getting brighter?"
"Huh?" The other two squinted, trying to see for themselves. It was a long shot to make, Tenyu assuming maybe the three of them were starting to hallucinate from the oxygen and fumes in the air. But as they continued to stare, they noticed the small twinkling light starting to get a little brighter with each second.
"Hey, it is getting brighter! Maybe it's a shooting star?" This was absolutely a good day from the old woman's perspective.
Tenyu continued to stare at it as he subconsciously grabbed the rail a little tighter. "Hey, uh... Just out of curiosity... Which way is it 'shooting' to?" The question suddenly dawned on the head fisherman and the old woman as a pinch of nerves started to form in the back of their minds, made worse by the fact the brightness was getting incomparably brighter.
"Oh dear."
"HURRY UP AND MOVE THE SHIP!" Tenyu shouted. The fisherman didn't need to be told twice as he took the ship's steering wheel firmly, turning it as fast and as hard as he could as the light continued to brighten further. From what was once a small speck of light in the night, clouded, sky was now becoming a raging hot ball of fire that was quickly descending upon them. So much so in fact that the ship barely managed to avoid the projectile from striking their ship as it turned a full 90*, the ball of fire zipping right over the railing and crashing into the ocean next to them.
The ship's small deck was soon covered with a torrential splash of water from the impact, Chiyo and Tenyu covering their heads and eyes from the salty water before looking over the side. There were too many close calls caused by the sudden crash landing, but on the plus side, at least there were no casualties in what would've been a deadly collision.
"Are you two all right?" Rodger asked as he stepped away from the captain's deck, checking out the impact.
"Heh, I think it shaved a few years off my life but I'm fine." Chiyo joked, clutching her chest as her heart continued to beat rapidly.
"What was that thing?" Tenyu questioned, looking all around the murky waters for some sign of what transpired. It only took a couple seconds before his eyes laid on something in the distance, pointing at it with great shock. "Look! Over there!" The mysterious object he was pointing to was easy to see, it's color contrast to the ocean, but they still couldn't believe what they were seeing.
Ahead of the murky waters, they saw what appeared to be a large round greyish spear of some sort with a large round semi-violet sphere like design over it's front. It was unlike anything they had ever seen before! The strange sphere bobbed and swayed on the ocean's surface, looking like it was struggling just to stay afloat. None of the three could make out what they were witnessing at the time, nor who designed such a strange contraption in the first place.
"What is that thing?"
"How would I know? Only good things around here rise from the ocean, not drop out of the sky." Rodger twisted the fuzzy end of his mustache as he remarked. "It might be a satellite of some sort, or maybe some storage unit got knocked off a passing airship."
There was only one thing on the mind of the most treasure-hungry member of the crew. "Well what are you waiting for? Get the net and bring it aboard. That thing's got to be worth a fortune!"
"But what if it's dangerous?" Chiyo warned with slight worry.
"Compared to being out here on a small boat? It can't get any more dangerous than this. Now let's bring it in!" Chiyo and the fisherman exchanged glances at each other for a bit before nodding, angling the ship as they sailed through the rough waters up to the supposed treasure.
After so many years of doing this sort of work, day in and day out, just to find something that could put food on the table, they may have finally struck the motherlode! It was just the right size to fit on the ship once brought on board, the fishing net connected to the winch didn't seem to have any trouble pulling it aboard, and it definitely had a technological design. There was no way the army occupying the island was going to ignore such a valuable looking piece of... whatever it was!
Bringing it over the railing, Tenyu opened the net carefully as he let the pod drop aboard, the boat shaking a bit from the immense weight. "Man, look at this thing. It's almost four to five feet!"
"Why would such a large thing crash land here of all places?" Rodger asked, feeling around the mysterious pod. He gave it a few knocks as he tried to listen for anything inside. He noticed something as he examined it from every corner. "There's no connection or cables or anything it looks like this thing goes in to."
"What does that mean?"
"I mean whatever it is, I don't think it fell off an airship or something. It might be a container."
"Who would design a container like this, though?" Chiyo asked, bending over a little to look at the circular purple glass in the front. "Every edge of it is perfectly smooth, there'd be no way to keep whatever was inside safe without it rolling around everywhere."
"Who cares!" Tenyu rubbed his hands eagerly. "If it's a container, there might be something even more valuable inside! Let's pop this thing open!"
"...hhhh..."
"Hmm?" Chiyo raised her head as she looked around.
"Is something wrong?" Rodger asked.
"I thought I heard something..."
"I didn't hear anything." Tenyu shrugged, still too preoccupied with the hoard in front of them to really pay attention.
"Must've been a passing bird or something." Rodger suggested. "You get the occasional one flying through the area, then it turns tail and leaves when it breathes in the smog."
"...aaahhhh..."
"Huh...?" Chiyo looked back at the strange pod again. 'Could it...?' She thought to herself as she steadily lowered an ear closer to the device.
"What is i-"
"Shhhh..." She shushed softly, trying to see if her hunch was correct, improbable as it may appear.
"...Waaaaahhhhhhh!"
"Ah!" Chiyo gasped as her eyes light up, taking a step away from the machine in shock. "There's someone in there!"
"Wait- are you serious?!" The fisherman attempted to listen to the inside of the from the same place Chiyo had listened to. True to her word, there was definitely something screaming from the inside of it.
"Are you kidding me? Ugh..." Tenyu moaned, knowing that whoever was inside of the pod most likely claimed ownership of the weird contraption.
"Well don't just stand there! Help me open it!" Chiyo ordered as she began feeling around the weird machine to find whatever means possible to unlock it.
It only took a couple of seconds of feeling around the lining of the strange machine before the head of the ship finally found what felt like a lever or button of some sort. "I think I found it!"
*click*
The three took a step back as a mound of steam hissed from the machine, most likely the result of some emergency valve that was activated upon release. The three were beside themselves with wonder of what was transpiring before them, wondering what sort of person was going to appear before them. Was it some sort of scientist? Some rich person testing out a new machine of some sort. Whatever it was, they were definitely prepared for a hundred different things as the hatch finally opened.
"Waaaaahahahhhhh!" ...What appeared before them was not one of the guesses.
"It's... It's a baby!" Rodger stammered, dumbstruck. Even with all his years of sailing and finding random things along the ocean, this was a first for him.
The kid was pretty small in stature yet definitely not a newborn. He'd estimate probably a few months old at the most. What surprised him about it was that the kid appeared to have a full set of teeth and surprisingly grown spiky hair for a child her age.
"The heck is a kid doing all the way out here?" Tenyu questioned as he bent down attempting to reach for the kid. The infant's sobs were quickly replaced by a small grumble as it noticed the approaching arm, seeing it as a threat and choosing to defend itself.
*CHOMP*
"YEOWCH!" Tenyu yelled to high heavens, shaking his arm frantically from the child's surprisingly sturdy bite. "Let go of me you little brat!" He screamed. While there was thankfully no blood, there was an onset and fully lined mouth with teeth that was biting into him with as much force as it could. It took several more seconds of shaking before his arm was free again, shaking it irritably as he rubbed the soreness away. "Cripes that hurt!"
"Hahaha, the kid's got some chompers on her, doesn't she?" The captain couldn't help but laugh at the display, looking like something he'd see right out of a cartoon. No sooner had he finished laughing did the three hear it starting to cry again as if throwing a tantrum. It was then that Rodger noticed something dangling from behind the young girl, a small fuzzy thing. "Well I'll be. I think she's got a tail."
Chiyo inspected the tail curiously from her distance. "Who do you think she is?"
"Who cares who she is?! Just throw her and the stupid machine back out to sea!" Tenyu ranted, still shaking his arm from the immense pain.
"Oh calm down, Tenyu." Chiyo waves off as she approached the small infant. "You're scaring the poor child."
"I don't care what I'm scaring, the thing but me!" Even at the best of times, he found kids to be a little bit annoying but he could at least tolerate them. What he couldn't tolerate was the possibility of being infected with who knows what sort of diseases the kid could have on her, or the new bite mark that wasn't going away anytime soon!
Chiyo casually waved him off as she undid her grey headband, unfolding it before scooping the child into her arms. She wrapped the child warmly from her chest down, covering her carefully from just underneath her armpits all the way down to her toes. Much like the first one, her attempts to pick up the child were met with resistance as the child bit at her hand.
"Chiyo!" Rodger called out worriedly.
"Get rid of the brat, it's gonna make you sick!" Tenyu added.
"Oh hush you two," Chiyo snapped back, "it's just a baby." To Chiyo, there was nothing with the child, except for the fact it was here at all, as she began to rock it in her arms soothingly. She didn't know anymore than they did about what it was doing here of all places. What she did know compared to the others was that the poor thing was most likely frightened, scared of whatever was going around her.
"Hmm hm hmhmhm hmhmhmhm hmhm hm hm~" With a soft smile, Chiyo began to hum to the young girl, patting it's stomach soothingly as it began to soften on its biting. As she did so, the intense biting the child was doing slowly lowered to a light chewing, then a nibbling, as the child's eyelids began to get heavy. Before long, the young infant let out an adorable-sounding yawn before it finally released the woman's hand from its mouth and finally fell asleep in her arms. "There, you see? Nothing but a little angel."
"PFT, it's a little something I'll tell you that." Tenyu spat rolling his eyes.
"Oh come off it," Rodger grunted patting Tenyu's back firmly, "it was just a small bite. It's not gonna kill ya." The Captain's curiosity got the better of him as he examined the child more closely, watching as it slept in Chiyo's arms. "I still can't believe a child this young is even around here. What should we do when we tell the army about this?"
"I don't know if we should..." Chiyo replied solemnly. "She came out of the air in a strange UFO. I'm sure her family is looking for her as we speak, but the Ribbons won't care about that. They'll probably experiment on her if they find out she's even able to breathe the air around here being as young as she is."
"But think of the money we'd make!" The greedy member of the bunch tried to retort. "Not only would we be able to afford a ferry to the mainland, we'd be covered for the next several years to start a new life anywhere we want! It's been 13 years of hell since they occupied the island, this is the big break we've been waiting for!"
"So you can live with yourself knowing you just sold off a young infant to be experimented on for the rest of your life?" Chiyo grumbled softly with a first to her hip, being careful not to wake the young baby.
"It's not like I don't care what happens to her, honest!" Tenyu tried to calm down the angry woman. "But I doubt they'd really do anything that bad to her. Maybe draw blood or two, see if she's sick, but that's it!"
"Unfortunately I doubt it would be that pleasant." Rodger informed rubbing his chin. "The army controls the air space around here too, so if they discovered some kid came around here via airdrop, I doubt things would end too well..."
"Oh come on, are you serious?!" This was truly unbelievable to Tenyu. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. And just when he thought he hit the jackpot out here in these crummy waters, he gets roadblocked with all this 'legal' or 'right' nonsense.
"Oh hush up!" The old woman gave the obnoxious man a slap on the shoulder. "If you're truly that desperate for money, you can have my share of the salvage."
"What, really?"
"Shut it, Ten!" Rodger warned before looking back to Chiyo worriedly. "Chiyo, you don't have to do that, we all found the salvage together. You'll get your even share too."
"Nonsense, it's the only way to keep his mouth shut by the looks of it." The woman turned her attention back to the infant in her arms as she sucked her thumb. "Besides, I have a little reward here anyway."
"So you're going to take her in?"
"Honestly, I'd prefer if we could take her somewhere safer, but there's no way we could sail to a better land from here, especially with them controlling the only dock with a suitable ferry in it."
"But how are you going to get her passed port on the way back? The army's going to be asking question over question about her sudden appearance!"
"Oh, I highly doubt that. I have a feeling they'll be too distracted fussing over the huge salvage to care about some lone infant an old woman found abandoned in the cargo hold~" She said with a knowing look. It took Rodger a moment before he came to realize what she was getting at, letting out a silent "Oh" to himself.
"Are you sure about this though?" It wasn't like Tenyu was completely heartless, he knew the woman deserved a good break as much as the island did, "I mean, you're throwing away a massive opportunity here."
"I'm not throwing away her future just to make mine a little more manageable." She snapped back. "I'll simply make do with what I have."
"You're taking a huge risk still just raising her here." The captain warned. "Are you sure you wanna do this?"
"No use trying to talk her out of it, man." Tenyu rubbed his head as he watched the old woman continuing to rock the infant gently. "Once Chiyo sets her mind to something, it's impossible to talk her out of it."
"Hmph, well..." The fisherman huffed. "If I have anything extra after I can afford a ferry, I'll leave it for you, Chiyo. Lord knows you'll need it raising a child."
"Bless you, Rodger." She thanked, still keeping her attention on the little bundle in her arms.
"You thought about what you're going to call the little one yet?" He wondered, rubbing the infant's head softly.
"Hmm... I'm thinking of a few as we speak." She commented, watching as the infant yawned again as it continued to sleep. "I think I'll go with... Amy~"
...
...
"I swear... I'm gonna... Nghhh!" Caulifla grumbled in pain grabbing her side as the ice pack was finally applied to her stomach. She was still lying against the palm tree she managed to pull herself to a few minutes ago, still no better than when she was launched through the house.
"Just take it easy girl." Bulma tried to shush softly, doing her best to keep the girl from anymore pain than she was in.
"We have... To go..." Goku also grumbled, in no better shape than Caulifla as Krillin walked him over to the front porch to take a seat and rest. The day was not turning out as pleasant as either parent would've hoped.
What started as a nice little get together was turning into a nightmare for everybody involved with the arrival of a mysterious man named Raditz. From the moment he arrived, he was divulging one piece of information from the next, from Goku and Caulifla's heritage, how he was Goku's brother, what they were, why Caulifla was sent to this planet with Goku, and the fact they were supposed to be tasked with wiping out all life on this planet for intergalactic profit.
And that was somehow the good part of their meeting!
The actual bad part of the meeting was what transpired after. Naturally refusing to partake in any mass genocide, regardless of their heritage, Raditz decided to take the next best thing from their engagement- their daughter. Both parents fought desperately to protect her but were severely outmatched by the Saiyan's speed, being taken down separately with single blows to each of them. Even Launch failed to make any impact as she attempted to blind the man, narrowly avoiding the return fire from her own bullets thanks to the timely intervention of Master Roshi. With nobody left, Gohna was powerless to escape the man's grasp.
It was then Raditz left them with a new ultimatum: either leave rejoin the Saiyan race and show their loyalty by leaving 200 human corpses on the island by tomorrow, or he would take their daughter away from them, likely bringing her to who knows where to spend the rest of her days training to be a genocidal killer like this man was implying to be.
"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Bulma commented, looking back to the resting Goku. "After all this time it turns out you have a brother... Too bad he turned out to be just a creep."
"Ngh... He'll be a dead creep... Ghhh... When I get my hands on him..." Caulifla's anger was like no other, even when she winced in pain. Not only was she humiliated with a single strike, the fact he took her own daughter as a prize was practically signing his own death warrant.
"Don't just jump head first back into that guy's fists." Launch spoke back as she continued to bandage Roshi's slightly bleeding ankle. "He struck you once and left you both completely drained. Try to rush into him again and you'll be dead in three minutes."
"Ack! Easy on the foot there!" Roshi yelped, squeezing his wooden stick to ease the pain.
"Sorry..." Launch had to admit, she was rather touched by how heroically Roshi dove right into her and tackled her out of the way of the incoming bullets, at the expense of his own ankle getting struck. It almost made her respect the old geezer.
"Oh, no, it's fine. Just take your time, darling..." Roshi muttered as he continued to stare.
What she couldn't respect was the fact that he went back to being the old creep he was by staring clearly at her chest, the image of it reflecting off his sunglasses easily enough for her to notice. It's almost as if he forgot she was the one currently wrapping a tight bandage around his ankle.
*YANK*
"OWWWWW!"
"Well we can't just sit here all day!" Cauifla tried to argue, knowing Launch had a point. "There's no way in hell we're doing what he says! And even if we did, I doubt he'd actually give Gohna back."
"What makes you say that?" Krillin wondered looking back.
There was a small look in Caulifla's eyes as she shifted her eyes away unsteadily. "Just... a feeling, alright? He came from who knows where across the galaxy, I wouldn't just leave without a souvenir either." That was the most delicate way she could put it despite what she was feeling right now.
Her blood didn't define her- that's what Goku assured her earlier when they spoke to Raditz. But even if it didn't, the persistent nagging feeling in the back of her head kept telling her otherwise. What determined how much of herself was in control because of what she wanted, and how much of it was due to what her own genes were telling her to do instead? It's a feeling that never went away, and it didn't feel like it was leaving anytime sooner.
"So what's the plan then? We gonna try to ambush him or somethin'?" Launch wondered as she helped Roshi up to his feet.
"Doubtful." Bulma rejected the proposal. "You saw that weird device on his head, it was taking scans of both Goku and Cauli. There's no telling how far that thing can scan us from."
"Well a head-on attack is out of the question, too." Roshi stated. "You two fought against King Piccolo and his offspring alike, and been training together since you got married. If you still couldn't handle him after all that, what chance do you have in a rematch so soon?"
The warriors of the group lowered their head in thought, taking the words to heart. Till now, whenever they faced an unprecedented evil that came out of nowhere, even if they did lose, they would eventually find a way to come back stronger, return for a rematch, and save the day until the next evil came around a certain amount of time after.
Then rinse and repeat.
Here now, they were met with a deadline that allowed for zero time to train or grow stronger; if they failed to meet Raditz's demands, it didn't matter to the parents what he planned to do with the Earth, he would take their daughter to the far corners of the galaxy to god knows where. And on the off chance they tried wishing her back with Dragon Balls, there'd be nothing stopping Raditz from coming back and doing it all over again! They needed a way to stop him, here and now. But how?
"... His tail." Goku finally spoke, lifting everyone's heads. "That's it. That's his weak spot." The sudden announcement caught Caulifla by surprise, almost forgetting how her little prehensile used to be a great weakness when she was younger. "If I can grab it somehow... It'll drain his power... At least that's how it worked for us." Goku winced as he stood, Caulifla struggling to do the same as she used the tree for leverage.
"But what if he grew out of his weakness?" Caulifla asked worriedly. "We managed to grow out of ours when we were kids, for all we know these "Saying-people" grow out of it on their own."
"Pretty sure he said he was a 'Saiyan'," Bulma corrected before looking back to Goku, "but she has a good point. There's no telling the plan would even work."
"It's our best shot." Goku was undeterred by the sense of doubt. "It has to work. It's our only chance to save Gohna."
"But, I mean, can you?" The youngest of the two bald heroes questioned with worry. "Can you even get close enough to grab his tail to start with?"
"I can distract him." The mother practically vowed. "I've always been a bit faster than Goku. If I can occupy his attention, it'll leave him plenty of time to grab his tail."
"Shouldn't Goku be the one distracting him then while you get the tail?"
"Not if you want him to keep al his ribs in tact."
"And what'll you do if the tail thing doesn't work?" The blonde Launch asked, taking the time to reload her ammo. "You're risking your whole gamble on whether or not it'll work in the first place. You're gonna need a back up plan though if it doesn't."
"Well... then..." Goku crossed his arms in contemplation.
It only took a full three seconds before both Saiyans looked to each other, giving the silent nod as Caulifla established, "Then we hit him from both sides." The Kamehameha. The signature technique taught down to them by their former Master Roshi, and the ace in their hole. Having spent years training in all manner of techniques, least those they knew, the Kamehameha was the surefire plan they had that would ensure their victory. "He won't be able to defend himself from both of us at once."
"Yeah... that could work!" Krillin spoke.
"Have you finished mastering it, Cauli?" Their old sensei asked. "You never did have the same level of control over it like Goku did."
"Heh, sort of..." Caulifla chuckled scratching her head. "I still can't control the output, but I've been working on my stamina so I don't feel exhausted after only one or two shots."
"Hmm... Then perhaps... We may have a shot after all!" For once there was an air of optimism as everyone looked at each other. After all the ordeals they dealt with within the last ten minutes, there was something positive to look forward to for a change.
"It's useless. You can't win." And just as quickly as it filled it began to fade by the sound of a familiar voice.
Heads turned left and right in confusion at the sound of the unattended voice before all eyes raised to the sky, many in shock, others surprised, and all voices speaking at once. "Piccolo!"
The menace from their past, the offspring of their most notorious enemy, Piccolo, Piccolo Jr. to be exact, was there, standing before them in the open sky, just barely above the damaged house in terms of height. The green menace slowly began to descend, those nearest to them running towards either Goku or Caulifla for protection, whoever was closer.
"In case you didn't notice, his power level is nothing short of extraordinary." He instigated, walking towards and passed Goku until he was behind him, never looking back. "You're fools if you think you can take him on with just the two of you." There wasn't a word of malice or ill intent behind his words. He knew exactly how things would play out. "However, if we were to team up, to combine our strength and face him together, then perhaps-"
"Absolutely not." The young Saiyan woman flat out refused as she finally had the strength to walk again, marching over to Goku's side. "There's no way we'd team up with you after-"
Goku brought her to a stop as he gently placed a hand on her shoulder before she could pass him, giving Piccolo his undivided attention. "Why would you suddenly offer to help us?"
"Don't get me wrong." Piccolo's voice was almost as resentful as Caulifla's. "This is business. I have no intention of helping you play the hero again. I don't even care what happens to your daughter." A small scowl fell over Cauli's face at the comment. "I just don't want that alien monster interfering with my conquest of this planet!" Bulma took the most out of that statement as she trembled a bit, hiding behind the large sea turtle for protection.
"So here's the deal: I'll join you as long as it takes to defeat these Saiyan warriors. But as soon as we're finished with that, I plan to crush you two like the insects you are. Then continue my plans for world domination!"
"That's not gonna happen. I'll make sure of it." Goku spoke with guaranteed certainty. "Still, the part about all of us working together is actually a good idea." It was an unusual deal to come to terms with, but not one Goku could completely argue against when he thought about it.
"Why should we trust you in the first place?" The distrustful mother asked crossing her arms. "For all we know you could be working with that guy or planning to double cross us for some sort of deal."
"You think I'd trust anyone other than myself?" His rebuttal was solid. "If I was really working for that guy I would've attacked you while you were still recovering. Besides, I can say from personal experience your power won't be enough."
"Speak for yourself." Caulifla, whether by blood or personally, proudly remarked. "Maybe you haven't trained much on your own, but Goku and I have been at it almost daily. I'm sure we can handle it just fine with the two of us-"
"And what if one of you gets injured?" Piccolo easily cut off. "The moment one of you are incapacitated, he'll use that to his advantage to take down the other."
"But-"
"Cauli, he's right." It hurt Goku to admit such a thing, but it was the truth. "We don't know what else he's capable of, and don't forget we still need to think about Gohna."
"Mmmmh..." She puffed her cheeks a little with a small grumble, losing the energy to continue the argument. As much as she wanted to get payback against the man who thoroughly beat her, there was still the fact it was their daughter they were trying to rescue in the first place. She was willing to risk a lot of things but not one of the few things she deeply cared about. "Fine, but if he does end up stabbing us in the back, you're both going to regret it! Got it?"
"Heh heh, I'll keep that in mind..." Goku laughed nervously. If there's one thing he learned over the years they've known each other, it's that if Cauli claimed he was gonna regret something, then by kami she was going to be true to her word.
"Then we're agreed." Piccolo grinned at the development. "We'll just have to deal with it."
The air went heavy as the three looked to one another. Here, right now for the first time, the three of them were going to have to work together to face a common enemy. It was one that left a bad taste in each of heir mouths', especially Caulifla's, but it wasn't one they really had a choice in the matter. If they wanted to be rid of the possible threat to their planet, then they would have to get along with one another, at least until it was dealt with.
"Hmph, teaming up with Goku and Caulifla..." The very thought alone was enough to almost make him let out a chuckle. Almost. "I only hope I can suppress my urge to vomit."
"Least then you'd have matching colors." Caulifla smirked.
"Bulma, I need to borrow your Dragon Radar for a little while."
"S-Sure, okay!" Bulma stuttered with a nod, still trembling behind the turtle given who was the closest to her.
Turning to the ocean, Goku called out to an old companion to help them with their trip. "Flying Nimbus!" In the blink of an eye, a golden cloud appeared from beyond yonder, zipping across the sky before landing just above the sandy beach's ground. Goku eagerly jumped atop it, giving a waiting hand to Caulifla, who took another uncertain glance at the green demon, before accepting Goku's help aboard the cloud. She sat behind him with one leg dangling off the end and hugging the other. "Hey Piccolo, do you think you're gonna be able to keep up with our Flying Nimbus?" He challenged.
"Don't worry, we'll try to save some of Raditz for you when you get there." The other teased as she shooed with her hand.
"Hah." It was amusing to Piccolo how even now, someone like Goku and Caulifla would still make a challenge out of a situation like this. "Your silly little cloud may work for you, but my own travel method is a bit more advanced."
And without another word, the trio were off as the Nimbus took to the air as fast as possible, Piccolo following closely behind, as Caulifla gave a small wave goodbye to the island. There was no telling what was going to transpire upon their arrival. The only thing that was for certain is that once they landed, someone was going to die.
...
...
"Get away from me, cweep!" Gohna cried as she ran behind a large truck.
"Stop running you little brat!" The invader's had just about enough of this stupid mission, his aggravation from the weeping spawn that refused to listen to him.
From the very moment Raditz landed, she wouldn't stop whining or complaining. She kept crying about pointless stuff like "I want my mommy and daddy", "you hurt my mommy and daddy", and "I wanna go home" almost every minute she had. He somehow went from a proud Saiyan warrior to a damned babysitter, something he really didn't take into consideration in the spur of the moment. And for some stupid reason she wouldn't stop calling him a creep!
What embarrassed him more was the fact that this was supposed to be a pureblood. She was a full-fledged Saiyan, a warrior who should be proud about her status and lineage and should be more than eager to join their glorious race! Instead, she was a whiny toddler who cared more about her parents than her own lineage! No doubt she inherited his brother's traits of seeming kindness and respect.
But the worst part was, by none, was that she was.
Unfortunately for him, a female.
After the destruction of their planet, with seemingly only a handful of Saiyans left in the galaxy, for there to be a female on this planet, especially two, proved to be a fruitful endeavor, and further annoyance to him. He couldn't do anything to personally harm her, given the immense value she had in keeping a pure bloodline in her genes. Even if it came from something troublesome like her father, the fact remained she was possibly one of the only few female Saiyans left in the universe, barring her mother.
And she wouldn't stop running!
"Enough of this nonsense!" Raditz yelled, trying to circle the child that was using the truck to play keep away. This would be so much easier if he could just use his heightened speed, but he couldn't risk injuring the girl. "You're part of a grand bloodline and you should be acting like it!" The one detail keeping him from going ballistic at the moment was the fact she had a slightly decent power level for her age, at a simple 37. It wasn't anything to gawk at, and was still below what would be considered average power level, but it was at least leagues higher than what Raditz heard his brother was born with- a measly 2.
"I don't cawe!" Gohna lisped sniffling. "I want my mommy and daddy!"
"Your parents are beneath you! You have a chance to be part of something greater! Someone who lives for the thrill of battle, who crushes their enemies under their heel!"
"You sound like nothing but a bully!" While she never had attended school at this point in her life, Gohna did have some concept of what a bully was based on what her other mother taught her. "You only pick on people who can't fight back!"
"Ghhhh... I've had enough of this." Raditz was finally at his wits end. Punching a hand through the sheets of metal as easily as paper, he lifted the truck easily off the ground before blasting it from the inside, destroying it in it's entirety right before Gohna's eyes and causing her to fall back in fright. There was disdain in Raditz's eyes as he stepped towards the girl, the toddler herself shaking in fear of the man's strength. "You are going to do what I say and come with me right this instant!"
Gohna shook her head in refusal as she crawled backwards a bit with every step he approached. "I don't wanna go anywhere with you! Go away!" Without thinking, she scooped up the nearest object she could, one of the few broken sheets of metal no larger than her arm, and threw it right a Raditz's right knee. Even though it did nothing to injure or hurt the man in any way, barely leaving a small scrape if that, the act of it alone was insulting to someone like him, the grown man squeezing his fist as he grumbled.
"Fine then, we'll try this the hard way!" He was prepared to teach the kid a lesson as he raised a hand towards the girl, ready to give her what would've been considered a light touch compared to the discipline he went through in training. But the moment she teared up, he quickly discovered that he would never be able to.
"Ngh-!" Her face. Her eyes. Her hair. Of all the attributes she could've inherited from Kakarot, the one thing he wished she never did was her appearance. She didn't take her looks after her mother or her father, nor did she resemble any similar haircut between the two. What she did inherit, was the looks of someone he practically loathed right now, someone that came from one of the very few people in existence that he couldn't strike against.
His own mother. Her grandmother.
The very moment she teared up, she resembled her in almost the exact way he last saw her, dead on the ground and staring at him, with that stupid absurd smile on her face before she passed away right in front of him. A smile he still to this day couldn't understand the reason behind, nor why she would disgrace herself so much before the king simply to ensure Kakarot's safety. It's a memory he loathed with every fiber of his being, one he worked hard to push away into the deepest recesses of his mind.
And this little girl just had to resurface them once more.
Even if she was the offspring of someone like Kakarot, she was still part of his bloodline as well, both in race and in family. "Why..." He grumbled squeezing his fist, wanting to strike the girl more than anything but being completely powerless to. "Why do you look like her..."
The girl titled her head as she sniffled, using her sleeve to wipe the small amount of snot and tears from her face as she noticed his strange behavior. "L-Like who?" She asked.
Raditz ignored the child as he shook his head, trying to get the thoughts out of them. She could've looked like a hundred different things yet it was his own mother that came to taunt him. To remind him of his weakness. "No one. Forget it." From the gruff hoarse tone in his voice he softened a little, simply deciding to walk over to the child as he picked her up by the scruff of her Hanfu outfit, lifting her off the ground like a feather as he made his way back to the ship.
"Let me go!" She whined again, struggling in vain to free herself of his grip.
"Hush up!" He barked, sliding down the small crater towards his pod. "You should be acting like the proud warriors you descend from, not some sniveling brat!" Without any hesitation he tossed the girl inside the pod, pressing a button on the side that sealed it up by the time she could get back to her feet.
"Let me out of heeere!" She started to cry again. She still failed to understand most of what was going on around here, save for the fact she was kidnapped by some man the very first day she went out to see the world with her parents. Was this what every day life outside their home was like? She didn't want to find out as she stared at the glass portion in front of her, possibly the most vulnerable part of the pod. Thinking briefly to herself wondering what her heroic parents would do in this sort of situation, she took a deep breath as she pulled back her fist and slammed it into the glass.
... And promptly began to cry further from the resulting pain on impact, without so much as leaving a scratch on the glass. "Let me ouuuuuuut!"
"You can come out of there when you stop whining." He replied, refusing to give her his direct attention as he turned away. With nothing else to do, he casually levitated himself out of the crater with ease, setting foot on the solid grass. There was much more peace in the air now that the child's cries were dimmed from the outside of the pod, almost non-existent once he was outside the crater. "Finally, some peace." He muttered, checking the scouter to scan the surrounding location.
At this point it was just a long waiting game between him and the next 24 hours he gave his brother and sister. "Now to find some food around here." As long as they upheld their end of the bargain, he had to make sure that Gohna was taken care of, at least to the point where she was alive and healthy. There must've been some form of wildlife around here, other than the ostriches he scared off earlier when his pod landed. And he doubted the girl would be interested in eating anything of the sort if she knew he killed it first-
*beep*
*beep*
*beep*
"Huh?" His scouter caught his attention as it went off, displaying a strange reading he never thought he'd see. "That's strange... According to this there's a power level around here of 352... Wait-!" His eyes widened as it began to grow further. "422... 501... 677?" He looked around the immediate vicinity in a small panic, trying to find the source of the mysterious reading. Where is this power level coming from?! It didn't make any sense to him. Anything of that power level should've gone off from the start the moment if it was anywhere near him.
That's when his attention returned back to the pod as the cries of the four-year-old continued to heighten. "Wha... 781?!" The brief panic that overshadowed his mind quickly dwindled as he began to relax again, sighing to himself in relief. "Oh, I get it... the stupid thing must be busted." He was sure of himself. He already scanned the child earlier and her power level was nothing extraordinary, just a measly 37. Even if she did somehow power up somehow, he couldn't imagine it being anything more than double what it previously was, maybe as close to 100 with enough effort. "I must've shook something loose when I attacked earlier... Yes, that's it."
It was the only thing that made logical sense. He got ahead of himself when fighting the parents earlier and must've knocked a wire or something from it's setting. It didn't matter if the scouter pinpointed the source of the energy as coming from the pod, it was clearly a malfunction of some sort. "That almost gave me a scare..." At least now he could return to his previous engagement of finding food, never realizing that the scouter he continued to ignore was continuing to pick up a growth in energy.
...
At the same time, the trio of 2 and a half heroes were making their way across the globe, Goku using the scouter to find Gohna's location as it tracked the Dragon Ball necklace she had. All the while Caulifla continued to observe the scenery, thinking of potential strategies while also keeping her eye on the green demon that made their life a living hell when they were kids, even if the fault lied more with his father.
"We're getting close." Goku announced reading the Radar. "We should try to sneak up on him! Catch him by surprise!"
"That won't work." Piccolo argued keeping his gaze ahead. "The direct approach is best."
"What makes you think that?" Caulifla asked curiously.
"He's wearing some sort of sensing device. It seems to tell him where his enemies are located, and even gives some indication of their strength."
"Huh, wouldn't mind having something like that on hand." She commented with a small grin. Sure, she did have the useful ability to sense someone's power to an extent, but a device that could pinpoint the exact strength someone had and their location sounded rather useful.
"So he might already know we're coming after him?" Goku looked back in wonder.
"I can almost guarantee he does."
"Okay then... I guess we'll have to attack him head on!"
"Should we try to swarm the guy from all sides at least?" Caulifla suggested.
"That's a negative." Piccolo dismissed. "If we stand together we can better defend ourselves, but if we separate he could easily overwhelm the odd one out."
"Tch, shoot away all my plans why don't ya?" Caulifla rolled her eyes in annoyance as she leaned her head on her arm sticking up from her leg. "What's the plan for rescuing Gohna then? Shouldn't we get her out of there first?"
"I don't think we should until after Raditz has been dealt with." This time Goku was the one to disagree. "As much as I'd prefer it, we'd be completely defenseless if we tried to carry her out of there while Raditz was on us."
"Hmph... Fine..." She puffed a strand of hair out of her eyes as she groaned. All the excitement that would usually well up inside of her when approaching a fight was toppled by the small sense of worry she felt. She knew next to nothing about this alien race she was a part of, and somehow less than nothing about the man they were about to take on. All she knew is that if they didn't have a solid plan by the time they reached him, all their efforts would be in vain.
...
*crunch*
The bitter fruit had a strange taste to it but at least it was edible... maybe. Raditz stepped away from the bushes where the remains of his previous meal laid, strewn about with nothing but carcass, bones, and sinew. A fine feast for a proud warrior, though he doubted the young child still crying her eyes out in the pod would have the same opinion. Fortunately there were some fruits along the nearby trees of the plains, some looking smaller than his fist, but should be more than enough to fill a young child's belly.
*beep*
*beep*
*beep*
"Stupid scouter..." And again, the device over his eye continued to irritate him as it continued to pick up on the child's power level. "Now it's reading 801... I'll have to get this thing scrapped when I-"
*beep*
*beep*
"Huh?" Now he was getting a new display as several arrows pointed off to the corner of his scouter. "Three more readings?" He exclaimed gazing at the sky. "They're all heading this way!" He lowered his brow anger, finding one irritation after the next since the mission started. "Yes, they're fast. Power levels of 617, 322, and 623- Wait!" He adjusted the scouter to ensure it was accurate. "This isn't right! Two of these readings belong to Kakarot and Caulifla. But they couldn't be here, not this soon!" He stared into the blue above him refusing to believe it.
Their strength was still minuscule compared to someone like his own. After the hits they took, they should still be recovering for at least another hour. On the off chance they did somehow recover this soon, it's still impossible to think they could reach him this soon. "There's no way it's them. Are they stupid enough to think they could defeat me? And besides, they couldn't find me if they wanted to." The planet was testing his patience as he lowered the scanner's settings to minimum, refusing to let this thing spout nothing but lies to him. "Forget scrapped, this thing belongs straight in the trash." He marched away gritting his teeth.
Of all the lies this thing could tell him, this was the least believable. His niece within the pod was nowhere near as strong as the power level indicated, and her parents were nowhere near this area, much less recovered. It simply didn't make any sense! If he took the moment to calm himself, he was sure he could either find a way to fix the scanner or find a piece of logic to this reason. And if nothing else, he was confident it would help him pass the time while waiting the next 24 hours for results.
Yet, as of this moment, he didn't even get 24 minutes as the scanner went off again.
"Impossible!" He turned around in shock, realizing the scanner was indeed reading their location given the lowered settings. "They're here!" And if he only believed what he saw, then his eyes saw wonders.
Indeed, just passing over head on the Flying Nimbus at a remarkable speed, the two parents of the beloved Gohna leapt from the golden cloud and onto the ground below a good distance away from the monster, followed by Piccolo who landed next to them. Raditz continued to scowl as he tried to piece together the other unexplained discrepancies his scouter picked up, watching as Caulifla stretched her arms a bit after landing. If the scanner was accurate about that, then... He turned briefly to the crater, questioning everything up to this moment.
At last, the 4 warriors stood upon the battlefield.
"How did you know where to find me?" Raditz asked, casually tossing the fruit in his hands. He must admit, it was rather impressive how everything was unfolding, annoying as it was.
"That's none of your business." Goku refused to reveal.
"Fair enough." His brother grinned. "Alright then, I'll try a different question. I'm curious. What exactly do you two fools think you're doing here?"
"We wanted to go sightseeing, what the hell do you think?" Caulifla spat taking a step forward. "Where's our daughter?"
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about her." He grinned, gesturing towards the crater. "She's right down there. Go on, get her. I'll wait for you right here." He taunted, earning an expected grumble from the woman who squeezed her fist.
She knew as much as he did that there wouldn't be any rescuing until after Raditz was dealt with. The moment she turned her back to him he was going to attack, a mere second being all he would need to take her down.
And she fully knew he was just as aware of that as she was.
"So, if you're here this early, I assume you already killed 200 or so people like I asked?" It was pointless to ask since he assumed the answer anyway.
"We're not killing anyone!" Goku firmly stated. "We're taking Gohna back, and you're leaving this planet right now!"
"Hahaha!" While his power level wasn't impressive, at least Raditz could give him points for his bravado. "So let me get this straight. You're refusing to join up with the rest of your kind and embrace our glorious race?"
"Yeah! That's exactly what I mean!"
"You're actually going against your older brother?"
"Like I said before- you're no brother of mine!"
Raditz squeezed the fruit in his palms, partly disappointed, and extremely glad he met expectations. "Kakarot... I always thought you'd have a little more sense than this."
Caulifla pointed to Raditz accusingly. "Yeah, well he proved you wrong, didn't he!" She defended(?) him.
"Hmph, indeed he did."
"That's enough." An annoyed Piccolo yelled, removing the weighted cloak and turban from his outfit. "I'm not interested in your little "family squabbling". Raditz noticed the solid thud sound as his clothing hit te ground, his scanner picking up something as a result.
His power level just jumped to 408.
"I see you've been wearing your training weights too, huh Piccolo?" Goku commented as he began to take off his shirt and boots. "Something tells me I'm not going to want to hold anything back for this one."
"We still got that in common." Cauli added as she removed the three 15 pound bands from her hands, and two of them she slipped off from her ankles. Each one was met with a resounding thud followed by an increased spike in the scanner's detection.
This can't be right... Caulifla's power level just shot up to 732? And Kakarot's 747?
"Hooftah, feels good to be out of those things." Caulifla said rubbing her ankles as she stood. It almost made her wish she was still wearing her weighted pants too, but after the mishap at the last martial arts tournament, Chichi practically forbid her from ever using those again out in public.
He had to admit, he was impressed by the sudden increase of power between the two. It was just barely before the point of commendable for a Saiyan warrior, something that made Raditz laugh as he noticed their newfound confidence. "You think that little increase will be enough to beat me? What fools you truly are! Coming here with just a few levels higher and assuming victory was in your grasp, that you could take me on!" Finally, he had something to laugh about. "I can see I'm going to have to put the three of you in your place!"
"Go ahead and try, I dare ya." Caulifla smirked, hopping a little for a few seconds to readjust to the new weight loss. She cracked her knuckles provokingly, continuing to grin with an irritating look. "Just don't be too disappointed when you're eating dirt."
"Besides, just because you're stronger doesn't mean we can't win." The same look of confidence was plastered over Goku's expression as well. "You might have strength, but we've got a strategy!"
"Then we'll see how long your strategy keeps you alive." Raditz firmly stood his ground without a hint of worry in is eyes. "I'm sorry Brother, but I was thinking about my offer, and I changed my mind. You'd probably just slow the rest of us down " The air began to pick up heavily, emanating from Raditz's aura, as his hair fluttered, "You're a disgrace to all Saiyans! Say Goodbye!" And with a tremendous roar, he launched an attack.
The very moment the three had prepared their stances, Raditz disappeared entirely from sight. Faster than they could blink, Raditz appeared near instantly behind Piccolo and Goku, elbowing them in the back with a firm press that knocked them to the ground. The strike was painful, but not unbearable to deal with, as the two warriors quickly threw themselves to the ground and back to their feet away from the hairy menace. They were out of his distance, save for Caulifla who had yet to turn around in full to see the attack that hit her partners.
The worst he had saved for her himself.
With a solid swipe of his fist, he struck straight at her chest with a fist, feeling she deserved the chance to get a taste of his power in full in the form of his fist. Unsurprisingly, he managed to strike accordingly as he intended, getting her straight in the middle. What did catch him off guard, however, was the pair of arms she used to cover herself with, bracing the attack in its entirety.
She blocked it? Raditz noted to himself as he pushed the fighter away, shoving Caulifla as far back as Goku and Piccolo ended up, her feet tearing against the ground as she maintained her footing. Her arms had a bit of steam to them as she lowered them again, maintaining that same look of determination as she rubbed her slightly sore arms
"I must say I'm impressed." He complimented. "I didn't expect much after our first introduction. No one has ever avoided my first attack, at least no one who's lived to tell about it after."
"Heh, you call those love taps a 'punch'?" She teased, taking a stance again. "I've taken mosquito bites more painful than that." In truth, it did hurt a good chunk, but she was too focused on her priorities and her enemy to care about it.
"Really? Then why don't I reward your impressive display with a bit of knowledge." The sneer appearing on his face sent a small shiver down the young girl's tail, subconsciously tightening it around her waist. "The other two surviving Saiyan warriors that I mentioned earlier? They each have a power level even higher than all of ours combined!"
"What?!"
"No way!"
"You're bluffing!"
Everyone was taken back by the announcement, mix of fear, anxiety, and dread filling the atmosphere welling up inside each and every one of them. Till now, they had never known of a powerful opponent quite like Raditz, and after, they thought that was as bleak as things could get. Now, he was telling them that the other two were stronger than all 4 of them put together?! It wasn't close to the unthinkable, it was the impossible! And now, they were going to risk their lives facing that impossibility in the flesh, provided they made it out of this one alive...
What new terror is this?! Even if our young heroes manage to defeat Raditz, there are still two more Saiyans on their way to earth whose powers topple even their current threat? And what dangers await them as they take on this sinister Raditz? Will Goku and Caulifla's plan work? Or does Raditz have some sort of ace up his sleeve? Find out next time on DRAGON BALL Z!
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A/N's: Ah, another day, another chapter ^^ Hope you guys are all enjoying it thus far. I know bits and pieces here are clunky, honestly im surprised it is more than anyone given how fine I was writing the last half-dozen fics (unless its not clunky in which case ignore this bit XP), hoping to get more of myself into the writing as I carry on as we'll be reaching some new twists and changes relatively soon ^^
With that in mind, IMPORTANT QUESTION for you guys: Which should I use as a reference for the fight scenes in this series? The Kai version or the original version on CR? While the kai version does cut down some of the drawn out scenes, it also ignores some certain fighting points such as krillin and piccolo using the multiform technique against Nappa, or dialogue moments such as Goku mentioning he has 3 crushed ribs while restraining Raditz at the end of their fight. It might not seem like much to ask but I wanna make sure so I know what people are more familiar with and which they prefer. I don't think it'll affect necessarily how long each fight is (emphasis on THINK, for all i know i could be losing out like 3-4k words per skip, or as small as 100 words...), but I do want to keep in touch with the story as much as possible. Let me know what you guys think in the comments ^^
So with that said, hope you all enjoyed! Leave a Like, Fave, Follow, and Review if you enjoyed, and if you have a request for a potential flashback scene that took place in the series, let me know in the reviews (that way people know i'm actually taking requests and not just lying about them messaging me or something), and hope to see you soon!