THWACK!
The sound made from certain impact resonated through the land of Korin. The once peaceful and quiet area had been disturbed.
A blur rushed- colliding with the mile-tall tower, almost as if it was thrown there.
Ghhk
A young masculine voice spat out. As the residue dust gradually cleared, a young boy came into view.
The child possessed unique features, such as his spiky black hair, orange martial arts Gi with a Japanese Kanji, and, most bizarre of all, the brown tail growing from his posterior.
He had been engaged in combat for a while, and his opponent was one he took too lightly, resulting in his current state. But he was far from done.
"Is that all? Piece of cake."
The boy looked at the source of the mocking voice, a man who seemed to be in his fifties or so. He had braided hair and wore a pink martial arts Gi.
GRRR The boy charged towards the old man, who simply let out a smirk and prepared for the oncoming assault.
"I see, so you're a glutton for punishment. Fine by me."
The boy ignored his statement as he prepared for a kick but was countered with a knee to the chin from the old, experienced man. Not giving the boy time to think, he was faced with another kick to the neck, sending him back to the pillar-like structure.
Not yet…
Swiping the blood from his chin, he stood up and charged once more at his fellow martial artist. He had overcome all trials so far; this would be nothing. He wouldn't lose no matter how many blows he took.
The ideology of the young Son Goku.
Ever since the conclusion of the 21st World Martial Arts tournament. He spent his time travelling around the world on his flying nimbus, with the guidance of the dragon radar – courtesy of Bulma Briefs. He would travel in search of the four-star dragon ball.
Dragon balls, mystical golden orbs with numbered stars engraved on them. There were seven in total, and it was said that gathering all of them at once could summon the eternal dragon to grant a single wish.
Actually, 'It was said' is a strange phrase because it was proven true. The wish-granting orbs were gathered at the behest of the infamous Pilaf army to aid in the mad leader's quest for global domination.
Fortunately, his plans were thwarted, and the dragon balls became dormant for a year. Three years had passed since that incident as Goku sought out the object of his desire, the four-stared ball. That ball in particular, since it was a keepsake from his deceased grandfather. Along the way, he made new friends, fought new enemies, and eventually found himself the target of the Red Ribbon Army.
Goku had faced them countless times and won. His victories against General Blue and his forces, General White and the Muscle Tower, and Ninja Murasaki were all easy.
But this time… It wasn't like the others.
Mercenary Tao, a famous assassin and brother to the master of the Crane Hermit school. A man so vicious, so powerful he could kill people with merely his tongue. Not long ago, he brought down Oopa's father, a very powerful warrior who oversaw the land of Korin, without difficulty.
He had been tasked with retrieving the dragon balls in the young Goku's possession.
So far, the boy had held his own against the experienced martial artist, but he slowly began to understand…
…The large gap in power between the two martial artists.
He's bad news. Can I even beat this guy?
Maybe giving up now was the wiser choice; he could always come back next year to find-
"I'm not done yet!"
Shaking away the discouraging thought, he charged once more at the man who wore a sly, mischievous grin. The two exchanged deadly blows, but with each clash, the mercenary had the upper hand.
Tao quickly pinned the tailed toddler by the feet and held his hands in place, preventing Goku from momentarily dodging his next attack.
No way-
KRACK
A headbutt sent the child flying towards the tower once again.
"Hmph," a soft chuckle escaped the old mercenary's lips as he turned his back on the defeated opponent. "It seems you can take a beating better than most people."
He'd probably make a good Crane School student, too
"Gahhaa~"
Tao's eyes widened slowly at the groans of an undefeated Son Goku, who gradually regained his balance.
"Hey, ouch!" he rubbed his forehead in agony
The assassin narrowed his eyes
"Up again? While I commend you, it would be wise to stay put."
"That hurt dammit!"
Elsewhere, a young boy observed the scene. He had light brown skin, and his outfit was similar to the ones worn by Native Americans. This boy was Oopa, a friend of Goku who recently lost his father and was rooting for the boy to defeat the evil mercenary and avenge his father.
His face lit up as he saw that Goku had survived that impact.
The two fighters exchanged murderous glances. While Son Goku had a look of pure determination and fury, Mercenary Tao's was cold and silent.
"My turn!"
The young boy reeled his arms back and formed them similar to a cup.
"Ka… me…"
Oopa bore a confused look, curious to see what move his friend would pull. Tao simply remained unfazed but also curious nonetheless.
"…ha… me…"
Blue light began forming at his two cupped hands.
Ki. Energy that is found in all living things in the universe. To control this, you'd need a certain mastery over both your physical and mental self. Once done, you'd be given abilities like flight, heightened perception…
The ability to shoot out energy blasts as well.
Goku brought his cupped hands forward in a dragon-style pose.
"-HAAAA!"
The energy he had gathered up was released in the form of a great blue beam, charging directly towards the unsuspecting Tao.
This technique, the Kamehameha…
He saw his instructor, Master Roshi, use this to calm a great wildfire plaguing a castle. From then on, after imitating the old man, it became his last resort in a fight.
It's bound to work; I know it.
Bright blue light engulfed the base of the Korin tower. Oopa quickly shielded his eyes to avoid getting blinded.
Soon afterward, the light dispersed.
Goku let out a sigh of relief.
It's finally over, I can finally-
"Quite impressive, young man."
"!"
In shock, Goku's eyes widened at the display in front of him. Tao had gotten into a defensive pose right before the Kamehameha could even hit him and successfully blocked the boy's attack. Sadly, his clothes couldn't survive, and he was left in the buff. No matter, a quick visit to the tailor's should do
N-no way Goku stammered in disbelief.
"How did you-"
"DODON RAY!"
Before the young boy could finish his sentence, a yellow beam hit him on the chest. It was quick and sharp, leaving the poor Goku on the floor in true defeat. His power pole beside him, he just laid on the ground helpless with his pupils nearly dilated.
"Agh ahhh…"
Groans came out of his mouth. Oopa stared in horror at the condition his friend was left in.
"So, this is what that fool wants so badly?"
Tao questioned in disbelief as he examined the contents of the pink backpack Goku had kept aside during their match.
A collection of five, two, and three-starred dragon balls gained through his encounters with the Red Ribbon Army.
I've spent more time than I should have
The old mercenary let out a frustrated sigh, The boy was quite resilient as he stood his ground multiple times. Give him time, and he'd be a threat later on, both to him and the Martial Arts society.
It'd be bad for me if I were to let him roam around, just for safety measures, of course.
He walked over to the semi-conscious Goku's body. The desperate look on the boy's face as he clung onto life. It pleased the murderer in a way.
…love…
Tao slowly raised his index finger, energy began building up at the tip as he prepared a second Dodon Ray.
I love you…
"Hmph, good riddance"
I love you… love you…
Goku's near lifeless face remained the same as the beam from the old man launched towards him to finish the job he started.
I love you
Before the attack could even reach him, a bright flash of light engulfed the entirety of the Land of Korin. In shock, Tao turned his head rapidly at this strange phenomenon. It was nearly impossible to discern the source of the light. Could it be the work of some otherworldly power?
Oopa, who was also at the scene but with a scared look, quickly held on to his deceased father's body. If anyone or anything were to take his life, then he'd rather be at his father's side.
Meanwhile, at Kame House
Bulma Briefs sighed.
Simply put, the teenage girl was bored.
She had gotten the peace she so desperately needed ever since she settled down with her boyfriend Yamcha at Roshi's island.
But something wasn't right.
In the past, she'd be running for her dear life, trying to escape monsters or fight crazy queer generals. All those scenarios were possible whenever Goku was around.
Such an innocent boy who attracted all the world's dangers in his adventures, should she be worried now that he's on his own?
No, she quickly shook her head, she recalled his fight with the Red Ribbon Army's General Blue in the cave from before. It was certain he could survive out there.
She had faith in him.
CRASH
The sound of glass shattering could be heard across the room. She was prompted to go check it out and see the cause.
Walking across the living room, she found a shattered picture frame on the floor. Bulma blinked in sudden realization as she recognized the photo.
"It's the photo everyone took at the World Martial Arts Tournament."
She picked up the remains of the frame along with the photo.
Krillin was on cleaning duty, so he must have forgotten to place this back on the wall.
Her attention was caught by Goku's bright smile in the picture. Although he didn't win in the finals due to a certain Jackie Chun, he still seemed happy. Something about 'motivated to get even stronger and fight other powerful opponents' or whatever martial arts lingo he used.
"Please… be safe, Goku."
Her eyes peered outside the window.
Those bright amethyst eyes she possessed were always dressed optimistically, no matter the situation.
But this time was different.
Her silver hair flickered in the cold wind as her gaze remained fixed on the scenery from the window in her room.
Not like she had lost anything or was having a bad day.
Emilia was just bored
"Hah~"
She let out a soft, cute sigh.
When she first entered the Mathers' Mansion, she expected a huge turnaround in her life, especially when she was made a candidate for the Royal Selection. Maybe it would be better than life in the forest?
Alas, such wasn't the case, mainly due to the fact she resembled the dreadful witch of envy. She had faced discrimination countless times.
She hardly stepped anywhere outside the Mansion except during occasional visits to the Royal Capital.
'Just go see a friend then!'
If you look at the half-elf's definition of a friend, only Puck fell under such criteria, though the Great Spirit was more of a father figure than just a friend. Even so, he was already past his curfew and wouldn't be seen till the next morning.
'What about the residents of the mansion?!'
The maids, Rem and Ram, were best left to their duties, she felt she'd be a nuisance. Beatrice, a Great spirit, remained in her solace in the mansion's library. Roswaal… and not to mention the Head maid, Frederica, who had taken a long leave of absence.
She looked at the small clock across her room
Exactly 7 Lunartime
Time and day worked differently in this world; rather than A.m. or p.m. systems, they simply used Solartime and Lunartime. The day was divided into four quadrants: fire and earth for the Solartime and water and air for the Lunartime.
A weird system, but who was she to argue?
Knock, knock
"It's open," Emilia answered from her desk.
The furniture slowly turned open, revealing a girl in a maid uniform. She had short pink hair that covered the left side of her face. The maid lowered her head down in a greeting fashion.
"Miss Emilia, dinner will be served soon."
Short and straight to the point, no need for the pleasantries.
"Yes, thank you, Ram."
The pink-haired maid bowed once more as she began to take her leave.
Emilia watched as the maid took a few steps from the entrance; if she didn't make up her mind now, she was bound to die from boredom.
"H-Hey Ram!"
The Oni turned her attention towards her mistress.
"Anything you need, Miss Emilia?"
The silver-haired girl bit her lip. "No, it's just… I'd like to take a stroll outside."
Taking her request into brief consideration, Ram responded, "I see. I'll ask for your dinner to be placed aside-"
"Ah, that won't be necessary, just a walk around the garden."
Ram blinked but later agreed along with a proposal.
"I see. Would you like me to escort you then?"
Emilia took a brief pause to consider, It'd be wiser if she kept someone by her side outside since Puck had retired for the night.
"I'll be fine."
She gave her maid a reassuring smile. Ram bowed politely
"I see. Then, if I may be excused"
The half-elf gave her an affirmed nod as she finally took her leave.
The moon looks as beautiful as ever tonight.
Walking frantically through the gardens of the Mathers' mansion, Emilia kept her captured gaze at the bright full moon and thousands of stars that lit up the dark skies of Lugunica.
It feels a bit lonely watching them alone, though
She painfully admitted with a quick nod but quickly shook off the sorrowful thoughts right after.
No, shove those thoughts away. Think ve~ry positive thoughts, Emilia…
Her lonely, shallow feelings were clouded by ones of optimism.
Besides, I'm not lonely, there's Puck and everyone at Roswaal's place. I think…
Coming to an abrupt stop, she fixed her eyes on the countless stars that shone brightly, then suddenly, a flash of light zipped past them. It became all too familiar to the half-elf as her mouth was left wide open in awe.
"A shooting star…"
She heard from someone, someone she couldn't remember for some reason. A shooting star had the power to grant any wish, no matter what. Probably a fantasy that shouldn't be taken so seriously, the sweet and childish Emilia couldn't help herself.
"I wish…"
It wasn't anything extravagant, just plain and simple.
Nothing too big, nothing too small.
"…someone I can talk to freely and not get bored. Someone who'd turn every day into a grand mystical adventure…"
She remained fixated on the shooting star, and a soft smile formed on her lips. What she was asking for it was very much implied she was asking for the very equivalent…
"…Yes, a friend would do nicely."
BOOM
Emilia quickly became alert at the sudden explosion.
"That was…"
She looked around a bit before seeing a bit of smoke in the air. Telltale signs of a much recent explosion.
It's not too far from here, I should go and see…
Meanwhile, at the Mathers' Mansion
Ram's alert look pointed towards the sound of the sudden boom that had interrupted her night cleaning.
"Sister, I'll go fetch Miss Emilia."
A sudden cute voice had caught her attention, it came from a girl who looked like a mirror copy of Ram but with light blue hair, eyes and a pink ribbon adorning her. Ram affirmed her request with a nod.
"Yes Rem, please do."
Meanwhile
From the center of the library where she usually sat. A young girl with blond hair decorated in drills narrowed her eyes as she averted her attention from the mysterious big black book she was reading.
She should also go investigate, were her thoughts, but it'd be pointless.
She could only act between the confines of the mansion, and besides, it wasn't that much of a threat she couldn't handle by herself.
Who knows, it might be that person she'd been waiting for.
Emilia kept up a fast pace as she raced through the forest outside the manor, occasionally taking breaks to catch her breath and observe the surrounding area before resuming immediately.
I need to get to the bottom of this, and fast, before something rea~lly bad happens.
She narrowed her eyes as she kept moving.
It probably wasn't safe outside by this time without Puck to back her up, but that didn't mean she couldn't hold her own in a fight. She could still rely on her spirit arts and her magic.
Plus, it'd be irresponsible of her not to be aware of what goes on in her surroundings and to not take precautions, quite unbefitting of a Royal Candidate.
"Miss Emilia-"
"Huh, Rem?"
Her attention turned towards the blue-haired maid who was directly behind her.
"Forgive me for following you in your suit, but I'm simply doing my job of taking out a potential threat to the household."
"No, it's fine, really!"
Emilia reassured the maid. Soon after, another question bothered her.
"And Lord Roswaal?"
She was curious to know what steps the noble had been taken against this sudden event. After all, it was his estate.
"He hasn't made any further comments on the matter."
"Eh…"
"But worry not Miss Emilia. Should the need arise, I'm certain he'll take necessary actions to ensure your safety."
Emilia gave the maid a warm smile at that reassurance before facing forward as they kept moving.
Hopefully, it's just some minor accident.
The two members of the Mathers' mansion finally came to a stop as they slowed down. Looking around the area uncontrollably for anything that might seem out of place.
Rem called her mistress's attention as she pointed at a medium-sized crater at the center of the forest with smoke coming out from it. The half-elf's curiosity further deepened as she took a few more steps towards the crater before being held back by a cautious Rem who shook her head.
Though Emilia wasn't a mind reader, she was well aware Rem was just advising her to be vigilant.
They went deep down with care as they drew closer towards the massive hole, the silver-haired girl's right palm emitting a blue light ready to cast a spell at first sight.
"Huh?"
Cluelessness clouded Emilia's face as she looked deep into the heavy smoke that gradually dissipated. She was expecting some Ulgarm or any other of the mabeasts to immediately jump out and launch an offensive.
Her expectations were lowered as the smoke cleared, revealing it was just a boy.
However, the boy seemed strange to her. Spiky black hair, wearing some strange orange clothes with a blue belt. She examined the boy further, she noticed a tail from his backside, a demihuman perhaps?
Though whoever this boy was, he seemed heavily injured as he had blank white eyes, which were signs that he was unconscious, or even at the brink of death.
He won't make it, I need to.
Her thoughts were cut off by a still alert Rem, who very well could guess what the half-elf was trying to do.
"I strongly advise against that, Miss Emilia, healing the boy, that is."
"Rem, we can't just… Look at him!"
She pointed towards the boy who was slowly losing his life. Even if he were a potential enemy, leaving a child out in the woods to die a cold, painful death was just out of the question. Rem let out an inner sigh as she turned towards a worried Emilia.
"I never said you shouldn't, I was merely just advising you. Whatever decision you make, I will follow without question."
Emilia blinked at Rem's statement, though she did feel a bit embarrassed about coming to such a conclusion before. She let out a relieved sigh before pumping her fists up.
"I see. Well, in that case, we should take him back to the mansion and get Betty to heal him."
"Yes, I agree."
Both their gazes remained on the boy as they were now directly in front of him.
He looks so strange, Emilia commented as she further observed him. However, something caught her attention as she averted her gaze from the unconscious boy.
In his left hand was a large sized orange colored ball with four stars at its center. He seemed to be holding on to this ball desperately, not letting go like his life very much depended on it. How important was this ball for him to hold onto it even in near death?
"Miss Emilia, I found these just beside him."
She turned her gaze towards Rem, who held in her hands A red pole which seemed to be held by a knotted rope in a strange fashion, and her other hand, some strange silver disk with a green screen on one side.
A metia?
These were items that allowed people who couldn't use magic to perform certain tasks; after all, in this world, magic was everything. However, such a device was expensive and was rare to find.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
"Eek!" Emilia leaped back in shock at the sudden noise. Rem couldn't help but chuckle at her mistress.
Regaining her composure, Emilia examined the strange metia. It had straight green lines decorated in a cross pattern both horizontally and vertically, and at the center was a small green triangle.
"It seems the sound must be coming from this."
Rem pointed at a green dot that kept blinking with each beep sound it made.
It's almost like it's pointing at that weird circle. Emilia pondered for a bit; she then turned towards the golden four-stared ball in the spiky boy's hands (she had made up her mind to call him that since she didn't know his name)
"Could that be it?"
"Miss Emilia?"
"Oh, it's nothing Rem. I'll hold onto those while you carry him."
She assured; the blue-haired maid nodded without objection as she handed over the strange objects to her mistress.
As she crouched down, Rem gently scooped up the mysterious sleeping beauty in her hands. After she placed the ball in the boy's hands on top of his stomach in a careful manner as well, she gave Emilia her signal that they were ready to head back to the mansion.
"I think we should keep a fast pace this time Rem, we need to make it so we could get Beatrice to attend to him."
"I agree as well."
They nodded at each other as they took off. Time was a very important resource they couldn't afford to waste.
As they raced through the forest on the way back to the estate, Emilia had a lot on her mind about the new face she had met.
Who was he? How'd he end up in the forest like this? He seemed to have been attacked on the chest; at least, that's what the torn vest meant. What or who put him in such a condition? Please don't die. Just hang in there.
"-rry"
Both girls turned towards the boy who had muttered something.
"Hey, are you-"
"Oopa… I-I'm… so so-rry…"
*sigh* where do I even begin.
It's been ages since I could actually sit down and type a story (this took me a week at most) without getting sidetracked. Shit came up, I still got school. Stories which have been *temporarily* pushed to the side
Blanked Soul and Special Grade Regressor: Are we a joke to you?!
Fairy Tail OFA: I've given up on an update at this point, you haven't even caught up to MHA since the School Festival.
I apologize, I can't even stick to a story to save my life- Wait actually why am I even apologizing, no one wants to hear all that!
This is simply a crossover story I had in mind ever since watching Season 2 of Re: Zero.
The canon of this story takes place exactly five months before Subaru's arrival and in the middle of the Red Ribbon Saga right after Goku looses to Tao before Korin's training.
Why I wrote this? I just thought Goku and Emilia would have a cute dynamic.
Why DB Goku? Why not Z, or Super, or GT, or even some SI OOC Goku which is basically fanslop and goes against Goku's entire character? I simply like the DB series, plus not too many DB fics around these days. Also where's the fun if you threw in planet destroying characters in the Re: Zero world *ignores Roshi blowing up the moon that one time*. Plus there's a lot I want to see.
Since this is Pre-Arc 4 Roswaal, what would he do with knowledge of the Dragon Balls?
How would Goku change this world and it's people?
Could Goku help stop Rem and Crusch from being attacked by Gluttony?
What could Goku do against monsters like the White Whale or Sloth?
And so much more.
Note, this isn't some power fantasy fic. If you came here for that, then I'm sorry.
I simply liked the vibes of the OG series and want to use it in a fic.
Also I have little to no understanding of anyone's character's so please bear with me