I'm back with a new chapter! Finally! I am terribly, TERRIBLY sorry for the 10-month wait. I was busy with my other story, plus encountering writer's block there. Not to mention I was focused on other things. But at least I got this chapter out in the end, and hopefully, it makes up for all the lost time.
Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Three:
New Friends or Foes?
Goku crouched in a stance and tensed his arms. He focused his hardened eyes on the towering bear-like behemoth, looking to eat his new reptilian friend as he barricaded the path leading to the place Turtle called the Sea. The thief sneered down at him once the short boy dodged a searing swipe from his sword.
Goku crouched in a stance and tensed his arms. "Rock… scissors…" He began to mutter, his fists clenching.
"...PAPER!" A passionate roar finished his call as he lunged at him and swiftly punched the thief between his eyes. The impact was immense, caving a dent at the base of the snout, his eyes rolled back.
Goku gracefully flipped mid-air several times as he dropped down. "Yahoo!" He light-heartedly laughed before his feet seamlessly met the ground. The furred thief collapsed back first onto the ground.
A cheeky smile stretched across his youthful features with one arm folded behind his back and his balled hand held forward. "Okay, we can go now!" Goku cheerfully declared.
Bulma and Turtle looked at him with dazed expressions.
"He's really that strong…." Bulma uttered, in awe of how the boy effortlessly took down such a brute with a single punch. She was suddenly glad Goku was on her side. Her eyes flicked to Caulifla, recalling Goku admitting that Caulifla was the stronger out of the two. Bulma could only imagine how terrifying the younger girl was if angered, and she had no plans of finding out for herself.
"Well, I say…" Turtle added.
Caulifla sighed as she stepped forward, her arms crossed. She figured there was no point for her in dealing with him. Goku needed it more, and while he did indeed improve since she met him, worthless opponents like that bozo were constant, dulling their Saiyan potential. She and Goku were weak for Saiyan standards. There had to be someone worth a challenge living on this planet; that furball was easy pickings for him.
Goku came by to hoist Turtle up his back. "Say, Turtle, you don't really taste as good as that guy said, right?"
Turtle sweat dropped. "U-uh, no, absolutely not!"
"I thought so. You don't look yummy to me." Goku replied with a light chortle before taking off in a sprint.
Caulifla lightly scoffed at the boy's blatant forwardness. "Idiot…." She muttered before following suit with Bulma trailing behind on her bike.
Penguin Village
"We've made it, Lads! It's the sea! There's no mistaking it!" Turtle cheered, slipping off Goku's back as the group finally arrived at a seashore. The reptile's eyes flashed brightly, marveling at the soft touch of sand caressing his scales after too long of its absence.
"Obviously," Bulma sassily commented.
Caulifla's expression fell in awe as she gazed at the tidal flow of water, seemingly stretching endlessly into the horizon as it reflected the sun's glistening rays, presenting a radiant, crystalline view of the atmosphere. So places like this with so much water existed on this planet, one she could never see on Sadala. The fresh and moist air caressing her skin was pleasant.
Goku beamed wondrously at the sight. "Wow! It's like a gigantic lake!" He cheered before turning to Turtle. "Must be pretty roomy, huh?"
Sighing as he dipped into the cold comfort he hadn't felt for so long, Turtle turned and smiled gratefully at Goku. "How could I ever thank you!?" He shifted to face Caulifla and Bulma. "All of you! Such kindness and generosity should not go unrewarded."
Caulifla waved him off, "It's nothing."
"Oh, but I insist on giving you a gift in return! Wait here by the shore for a short while." Turtle suggested before turning. "Please excuse me." He finished before he swam off into the overreaching stretch.
"Oh, I can't wait to see a turtle's idea of a reward," Bulma snarky commented. She still had the right to be bitter about the fact the kids took that reptile and left her behind to fend for herself against stinking dinosaurs! She looked down at herself, still clad in her lengthy, pink pajama shirt. "Yeesh, if I knew we were coming here, I'd have brought my swimsuit."
Rolling up their gi sleeves, barefooted, Goku and Caulifla stepped and dipped their feet into the rising tide of the water. Caulifla immediately scrunched her face as she caught an unfamiliar scent from the water compared to the river and lakes from the mountain. She gripped Goku's shoulder before he could sip the water cupped in his hands.
"Don't drink that. This water smells very salty."
Goku looked at her in confusion. "Salty?" Curiosity getting the better of him, Goku refocused on the water and stuck his tongue into the water. "GLEHH!" He gagged out the water, promptly dropping the salted liquid. Somehow, he felt even more thirsty after tasting that nasty water!
Caulifla shrugged with a sly smile, "I warned ya'!"
Goku glared at the girl before a competitive smirk crept over his lips, immediately replacing her grin with a weary frown. He dunked his arms into the water before splashing water at her. She gasped with a jolt, but it was too late.
Caulifla's widened eyes inspected her soaked mess of a state. Her slit eyes then stabbed daggers at her companion's direction. "You are so dead," she cooly warned in response.
His cheeky smile was abruptly interrupted by a wave that crashed over the spiky-haired boy. Goku's mouth parted into a tiny 'o', feeling his cold, soaked gi clinging to his skin. He looked up with a playful radiating from his features. He lunged to tackle Caulifla, only for her to grasp his shoulders. Her brute strength allowed her to stabilize her footing before forcing Goku into the tiding water.
Bulma shook her head at the splashing war between the wild kids. Kids will be kids, no matter where they come from. She hoped that stench wouldn't return when the fun was over; they would have to get used to daily baths.
She looked at the horizon where the bright sky met the ocean, wondering what gift that turtle had for them. She hoped it wasn't a Pandora's Box. That reptile had better not take long; she did not have time to sit around waiting for him.
The three had sat idle as time passed. Bulma was crouching, bored, poking at the sand with a stick. The violet-haired teen gazed at the sky, frowning at the sun hanging from the west side of the bright sky. They left for the sea in the morning; it was already the afternoon. She didn't know why she allowed herself to put up with this waiting time. Whatever the turtle's gift would be, it would be worth it.
Caulifla and Goku, long finished with their splashing war, moved on to piling the sand into a mound. Their skin still glistened with moisture, while their hair and gi remained damp due to the sun drying them over time.
Bulma looked up from the ground and immediately perked at a floating speck across the sea. "Hey…what's that?" Bulma asked, pointing out to the distance, alerting her traveling companions.
Caulifla squinted her eyes at the distance. Although it was hard to register their features, she could tell it was two individuals. Her eyes perked in realization at the recognizable shape of the bottom figure drifting toward the coast.
"It's that turtle from before," she noted.
"It's the turtle, alright," Goku confirmed, his hand hovering over his eyes to block the raying blurs. "But someone is standing on top of him. Maybe he brought someone with him!"
Confusion creased Caulifla's squinting eyes. "Is that an… old man?"
Bulma looked down at them with an impressed look. "You kiddos sure do have good eyesight."
"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Turtle called out as he swam swiftly, the old man keeping balance.
Their enhanced hearing caught wind of some tune the old man sang, like a rhyme. His bald head reflected the sun's blinding rays. His eyes were masked by shades, making it hard to tell of his expressions coupled with his white goatee concealing his mouth. A giant turtle shell hung from his hunched back as he wore an orange buttoned tropical shirt with a pair of white shorts, his bare feet clad in sandals. He held a jagged wood staff in place.
Turtle landed ashore on the beach. The old man hopped off, and his sandals met the sandy surface. "Hello! Good afternoon." He greeted as he waved. "I hear you helped Kame here."
"Just what we need—a gaudy old man?" Bulma asked. Caulifla remained silent, observing the new arrival the turtle was friends with.
"Who are you, old timer?" Goku asked.
The old man frowned at him like he was living under a rock. "Who am I!? Why, I'm the Turtle Hermit!"
"Turtle Hermit?" Caulifla muttered under her breath. Yes, there was something off about him she could confirm.
The proclaimed Turtle Hermit turned to his shelled friend. "Were these three the ones who helped you?"
"It was the young ones specifically," Turtle answered honestly.
"I see," The old man stopped before Goku and Caulifla. "Well, youngins! We owe you one, and I'm paying up with a mighty nice reward!"
The group eyed the old man with interest as he turned away before swaying his staff towards the horizon. "Come to me, Immortal Phoenix!"
The roaring tides and the howling currents occupied the air. Their gazes steered to where the old man pointed, awkwardly waiting for this 'phoenix' to emerge. Goku looked at the Turtle Hermit, more curious than disappointed that his gift was nowhere to be seen.
Caulifla, however, raised an angry eyebrow at him. "Whatever this 'phoenix' is, it ain't coming. Is this a joke? Get on with it already."
Turtle sweatdropped at her demand. "Er… actually, the phoenix died of food poisoning last year after we fed it tainted seeds."
The mysterious old man rubbed his head, "Oh, that's right! We lost the poor feller."
Caulifla turned her head away, scowling as her eyes cooly closed. "Tch."
"So this 'immortal phoenix' died?" Bulma asked with a raised eyebrow, skeptical of this bird's existence.
"I was going to have it grant you eternal life," The Turtle Hermit fumbled with his beard before perking. "How about I gift you something even better?" He returned to face the clouds with a new edge of intensity in his wrinkled features. "Come to me, Kinto'un!"
Silence returned upon the group, looking at the sky with bated breath. Caulifla growled, wondering if her hunch about this old man being different from the other humans was misplaced. Before she could think of a retort, a faint whistle caught her ears. She steered her head left and right before looking over her shoulder when the sound echoed from behind.
"Over there!" Bulma caught on, pointing at a darting object in the distance. "A cloud is flying this way!"
The yellow puff whizzed at high speeds with a yellow streak trailing behind it. It halted in a suspended hover before the group, faster than anyone had anticipated. Caulifla's jaw parted with wonder as she instantly forgot her doubts; Goku studied it with innocent curiosity, and Bulma stared at it like a deer caught in headlights.
"This is Kinto'un, and I'm giving it to you youngins." The Turtle Hermit explained, not sharing his guests' bewildered reactions as if this flying cloud was a regular occurrence.
Goku hopped around its vicinity. "Wow. Do we eat it?"
A tick mark popped from Caulifla's forehead. "You idiot, we don't eat clouds!" She remarked, shaking a raging fist.
"Hmph, especially a magical one." The Turtle Hermit chimed in, seemingly offended that Goku's initial thought of Kinto'un was his lunch.
"Magical?" Caulifla asked with intrigue.
"Why, yes. You ride it. It'll take you wherever you desire!" He explained, causing Goku to look at the cloud with excitement.
"A 'Turtle Hermit' having a magic cloud? Where's the logic in that?" Bulma asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Deal with it," He retorted in a no-nonsense tone.
"Bulma, it's like your Hoi Poi rides!" Goku concluded with a laugh. "It'll really fly me!?"
"That's the ticket, boy!" The Turtle Hermit replied before shifting his head to fix Goku with a leveled look behind his dark shades. "But only if you are pure of heart. Kinto'un will refuse anyone with an impure heart to set foot on it."
Caulifla shot him a reserved frown, "Oh really?" she sarcastically added, crossing her arms.
The Turtle Hermit glanced at her, pausing as if he was contemplating before he faced the cloud. "Why yes, young miss. Here, I'll demonstrate." His words caused Turtle to sweatdrop.
He walked up to Kinto'un and hopped up to it. Just when the group thought his haunches were about to land solidly on the floating puff, he fell through the cloud, and his buttocks hit the sandy terrain with a grunt.
"Yeeooow! My hip!" The Turtle Hermit rolled onto his shells, clutching the back of his pelvis.
Bulma burst into laughter, mercilessly pointing a finger to his chagrin. Caulifla looked down at him blankly, more surprised than finding humor. Goku looked at him with mild concern as he writhed on the ground.
"Are you all right?" Turtle asked as he crawled forward and hoisted the old man to his knees
"I'll try getting on!" Goku exclaimed before jumping onto the cloud. His feet planted seamlessly onto its soft surface, cushioning it like a pillow. The old man and Turtle's jaws dropped at the sight of Kinto'un effortlessly accepting the boy to stand on it.
"Yay!" Goku cheered as he did a celebratory dance on Kinto'un. "I'm on it!"
"He's really on it!" Turtle exclaimed before turning to the Hermit. "You should follow this boy's example, Master."
He waved it off. "Feh. It must've been defective. It just fixed itself, that's all." He excused himself, earning an unconvinced look from Turtle.
The sight of Goku looking happy made Caulifla's heart swell. She tensed as she stepped forward. Since the old man did mean to include her in this giving, she might as well try this out. "Alright, make room for me!"
Goku looked at her, excited to ride with Caulifla on Kinto'un on their adventures! "Come on up!" He stepped aside for a little more space.
Caulifla breathed out before jumping, her feet looking to hit its puffy surface. She quietly gasped when her feet phased into Kinto'un's puffy surface, soon hitting the harder sandy ground underneath as puffy particles flew from the impact. Her stare froze on the sand as silence reigned upon her and Goku.
After briefly processing her inability to ride with him, Goku's excitement had damped. "Wh-what…?" He mumbled out dishearteningly, his radiating cheerful tone all but gone. Caulifla's mouth formed a straight line before wordlessly stepping out from the cloud's vicinity.
"Hm," The Turtle Hermit stroked his beard at this form of news unfolding. "So it appears that Kinto'un does not recognize any purity in the girl's heart." He muttered to himself.
"Caulifla…" Goku uttered to her, devastated.
She turned to him and flashed a reassuring smile. "It's fine. I honestly can't say I'm surprised."
'But she's taking it in stride.' The Turtle Hermit thought as he inspected her with a studying gaze. 'I suppose hope is not lost for her. Perhaps she's allowing something to cast a shadow over her, maybe her past. Caulifla is her name.'
Suddenly, Goku brightened as an idea lit up like a lightbulb. "Hey, Caulifla, how about I carry you on my back while I'm on it?" He suggested, causing her head to jolt up to him.
"Will that even work?" Caulifla questioned. She figured she could learn to fly instead. Of course, her trainers were too focused on her Oozaru transformation instead of incorporating proper training—another reason to curse her fellow Saiyans.
"I don't know, but you can try at least," Goku replied before invitingly turning his back to her.
Caulifla nodded with a hint of determination. "All right, here it goes," She said before lunging forward, spreading her limbs and colliding with Goku's back chest first, a grunt hurling from his lungs. Immediately, she wrapped her arms around his collar, her legs clinging to his abdomen.
"See, it worked!" Goku cheered, oblivious to Caulifla's blush from their closeness. "Let's go, cloud!" On command, Kinto'un rocketed into the air. "Woohoo!"
"Well, that's certainly a way around it…" The Turtle Hermit commented as he watched Kinto'un spiral across the sea.
Goku and Caulifla's hair heavily swayed against the rush. She clung tighter against him as he remained on his feet against the forces. Kinto'un shot above the water like a bullet, soon surfing onto the surface as waves splashed from its trail. It soon sprung upwards as it struck the shoreline.
"Whee!" Goku shouted against the rush invading their ears."Isn't this fun, Caulifla!?"
Caulifla's smile soon lifted, unable to hold in her incoming fit of chuckles as she watched the world flip upside down several times from her perspective. Hearing Goku's cheers seasoned her moment of joy. Even if it wasn't in her abilities, she never had thought she could feel this bloodrushing experience. So this was what flight must've felt like!
Of course, the period of fun soon had to end. The cloud ceased its flight to hover above the others. "This is amazing! Thanks a billion, old timer!"
"Y'make it look easy, boy. Could've fooled me to think it was meant for ya'!" The Turtle Hermit said with a grin behind his beard. Kinto'un then sped off and away for a second session.
"Say, nice old man?" Bulma got in his face with a polite smile. "Could you please give me one of those, too?"
"Didn't you say this girl did not have a hand in helping you?" He asked Turtle.
"Nope, not one bit," Turtle quickly answered with a shaming glare.
Bulma clenched her fists at the reptile. "Hey! Who gave you the saltwater, huh!?"
The Turtle Hermit scratched his ear. "Well, I only have one magic cloud…"
Bulma blinked as an orange shine hanging from the Hermit's collar caught her attention. "Is that…" she squinted before her eyes widened in realization. How couldn't she have noticed it sooner!? She smiled sweetly at him. "Hey, old man. Since I helped, and you have nothing else to give me, may I have that pretty little thing hanging from your neck?"
"Hm?" The Hermit palmed the orange-stared sphere. "Perhaps I could give it to you if…." He spoke suggestively, a lustful heat spreading onto his cheeks, a glint reflecting off his shades. "If you could do something for me first~."
As Goku and Caulifla continued their joy ride on Kinto'un over the sea, "SAY WHAT!?" A shrilling voice caught their sensitive ears from the beach where the group stood.
Goku craned his neck in the direction of the source. "Huh?"
"What's got Bulma all freaked out," Caulifla questioned with a narrowing stare at the beach.
"Let's go see!"
Back at the scene, Bulma blushed at the old man's bizarre suggestion, flinching back as she shyly looked down at pajamas. "M-my panties!?"
Turtle shot the Turtle Hermit a scathing glare. "Hermit-sama, this is most unbecoming of you!"
The Hermit returned his glare. "Oh, cut me some slack! Hermits can long to see panties, too, you know!"
"So now we have proof of why you can't ride the Kinto'un," Turtle mumbled.
"Oh, shut it!"
Before Bulma responded, a yellow streak whizzed past the group, fanning a rush of air against her pajamas. The hem of her shirt shot above her head, flashing the Turtle Hermit a view more than he bargained. The sight caused a shot of blood to squirt from his rusty nose, launching his head back. Turtle looked like his eyes were about to pop.
Caulifla widened her eyes at the purple-haired girl's mishap below. A regretful blue hue dusted her cheeks from the mistake she helped create. "Whoops!"
In turn, Goku gasped in horror. He spun around the opposite way and shielded his eyes beneath his hands. "Oh, I can't look! I can't look! Boys can't peak at girls!" He screamed to himself.
"AHHHH!" Bulma shrieked, shoving her pajama shirt back in place. She clutched tightly to her shirt as she glared at the kids. "Goku! Caulifla! You two are going to get it!"
Caulifla sweatdropped as Goku sunk deeper into his cover.
"Heh-heh, see?" The Hermit turned to his reptilian companion with a dirty grin. "I always say, 'If you live right, life will throw you a prize now and then."
Bulma faced away from the group, embarrassed for her dignity. Pressing her palms to her cheeks, she slowly breathed out after calming herself and turned around with a cute, polite grin at the Hermit. "So, can I have the thing from your neck now?"
"Eh? Oh, right." He slipped the necklace off his neck and handed her the orange sphere. "Pretty, isn't it? I skimmed this thing off the ocean floor about a hundred years back. I've worn it as a necklace since."
Bulma inspected the sphere at eye level, her smile slowly growing at its noticeable three stars. "So it is!" She turned at the shamed kids and held out the object. "Yo, Goku! Caulifla! Get your butts down here and see what I just got!"
Goku shyly peeked out from his palms before gasping at a familiar object in her hand. "Woah!"
Kinto'un swooped down and hovered before her, Goku approaching with a curious look. "What is it?"
Bulma showed them. "Look at this."
Goku excitedly exhaled, grasping the orb close to him as Caulifla leaned over his shoulder for a closer look. "It's a Dragon Ball!"
"Dragon…Ball?" The Turtle Hermit questioned, intrigued by his guests's knowledge of it.
Caulifla looked at him. "It's too long of a story to tell you the details."
"It has three stars on it, meaning it's the Three-Star Ball!" Goku explained
"Is it worth a lot, I wonder?" The Turtle Hermit asked, sweat dripping from his bald head. He panicked when they ignored him, Bulma offhandedly revealing that his Dragon Ball was the fourth one they found, meaning there were more of them around the world. "Uh…wait! Before you go, I never said you could get it for free!"
Bulma stuck her tongue at him. "Well, boo! You've got your end of the bargain, and I've got mine," she gave him a sultry smirk. "In fact, for good measure…"
She flashed her undies to the old man once more, shocking everyone. The old man's posture jolted as blood spurged from his nose. If he had known that the antique was valuable, he would have set a price for it!
"Feh! Fine, it's yours!" The Turtle Hermit waved off and wiped his nose. "I should've brought a camera…" He mumbled under his breath.
The time eventually came for the group to offer their goodbyes. Goku, Caulifla, and Bulma had all waved from their respective rides at the Turtle Hermit as he rafted with Turtle back to Kame House. Once the Kame duo disappeared into the horizon, the group finally rode away from the beach and backtracked to where they set base.
"So," Caulifla called from above, looking down at Bulma from her position on Goku's back on board the Kinto'un. "What did you mean by bargain back there? What did the old man want in exchange for his Dragon Ball?"
Bulma initially widened her eyes before steeling her concentration on the trail ahead with a fuming glare. "Would you believe that the Turtle Hermit is just an old pervert!? He asked me to show him my underwear! No wonder that old coot can't ride that cloud of his!"
Caulifla widened her eyes in disbelief. "Then, why did you-!"
"That's the thing!" Bulma cut her off, briefly switching her glare upwards at the Kinto'un riders. "You kids swooped in before I could prepare myself, and now you ruined my dignity! Next time I see that old Hermit, I will not be playing the sweet, innocent girl with him anymore!" She raved, her glare aiming pointedly up at the riders. "As for you, twerps, when I say you're getting it, I mean it! You both are doing house chores for the rest of the day until tomorrow."
Goku and Caulifla's faces lost all color as they listened to her rant. They did not look forward to their coming night. The silent travel back exceeded the remainder of the afternoon, and the sun was beginning to pass the horizon, leading Bulma to decide they should remain until the morning.
The heat from the campfire enveloped Goku and Caulifla, blanketing them from the night's chill. Above the flames hung a dead deer, impaled on a stick, as the flickering fire gradually roasted its meat. The pair took turns occasionally rotating the stick to cook every side of their meal.
Goku slouched on a log, wholly drained after Bulma forced him to organize the house before he could eat. Tidying the futons he and Caulifla left ragged on the floor for their morning training and fixing Bulma's bed was not too hard. But washing the dishes without breaking them set real stress upon him. Caulifla had to dump Bulma's dirtied clothes into some machine; she would've been fumbling in confusion if Bulma hadn't shown her how it worked.
Goku trailed his eyes at Caulifla, who stared blankly at the roasting venison, her eyelids heavy. The view made something in his stomach stir. He couldn't wait to eat that deer just to get rid of this stupid hunger; he didn't want to eat Caulifla! Another thing bothering him was the fact she couldn't get on Kinto'un because she wasn't 'pure of heart.' It felt wrong. Caulifla was his first-ever friend. She was amazing and helped him out a ton with Grandpa gone.
Caulifla caught him eyeing her. She turned to him with furrowing, confused brows. "What?"
"About you not getting on Kinto'un…" Goku began, leading Caulifla to shake her head.
"Like I said, forget it. I'm not surprised." She said before retracting her grim and tired gaze at the fire.
Another pause flowed between them before Goku parted his mouth. "Is this about your old home?"
Caulifla's lips twinged at that, her eyes darkening. Goku somehow hit it right on the mark. Even after she tore out the root of her misery, she couldn't just let go of her bitter past living in Sadala and then pretend it didn't have some effect on her. All her time living with Goku in Mount Paozu prevented her mind from flashing back in time too often, and when it did, it was few and far between. She had thought it would forever be a distant memory she could bury, only to dig itself out and bite her because of that magic cloud.
Her hand clenched and shook under pent-up anger. She remembered having no choice but to leave her brother in rebellion against his bosses, who made it their mission to turn her into their top soldier, being the only tailed Saiyan born in Sadala. All those tests and experiments with the Oozaru beast in the name of 'research.'
She had adopted the reputation of being the local delinquent wherever she stayed, always catching scathing looks like she was an unwelcomed pest. She kept on the move when she detected Saiyan soldiers in the area. It's been ages since she had to check her surroundings, always turning her head and constantly confirming whether this place or that was clear.
"Caulifla?"
Her head snapped up to see Goku gazing at her, concern and confusion reflecting in his dark eyes. The rage in her expression morphed into regret, shifting her gaze toward the fire. It had been a while since her thoughts raced back in time in Sadala.
"Are you okay? You looked so mad for a second." Goku said, scooting closer to his friend.
"I'm fine; I was just looking back." She spoke matter-of-factly, her gaze kept glued on the fire.
"About your old home, right?" Goku asked, receiving a grunt of confirmation from the Saiyan girl. He hummed in thought. "Now that I think about it, you never told me any stories about you. Even though you told me about all the cool places there and what the cities there are like. So different than how Grandpa told me about the cities here."
He looked down to his lap in thought before brightening. "Hey, how about you tell me some of your stories?"
Caulifla's eyes finally glanced at him. "Maybe another time."
"Aw," Goku groaned pleadingly. "Was your life really that bad? You had to have some happy times."
"I can't remember the last time I was ever happy there," She answered truthfully. "I must've been a little kid then."
Goku deflated at her answer. "I still can't see why Kinto'un doesn't let you ride on it."
Caulifla sighed. "Goku, before I met you, I was a thief who stole others' food and money. I'm pretty sure it's enough reason I don't have the pure heart to ride the cloud."
"Oh."
It hurt Caulifla to see Goku further drain because of her; it didn't fit him. She could tell he wanted the best for her, and it ignited an endearing flame in her chest. Suddenly, a new flicker lit in Goku's eyes, and he looked at her with determination.
"Well, you don't have to anymore. What's happened, happened. You're much happier here, right?"
"Well, yeah, but-"
"And that's good enough," Goku cut her off. "I don't know what happened in your past, but you're no longer in that place. You're so strong, Caulifla, and I know you can grow stronger than it. You'll be able to ride Kinto'un someday—you'll see!"
Caulifla stared at Goku in disbelief, a swirl of emotions running like a river in her heart. She gifted him a genuine smile, a light blush dusting her cheeks. "You sure do have a way with words, huh?"
Goku giggled, his hand rubbing through his palm-tree hair. "It's only what Grandpa told me or something like that." He answered.
Caulifla hummed in response, bringing her attention back to the fire. Goku's smile brightened at seeing her tenor noticeably lifted, bringing himself to join her in watching the deer cook.
A pause filled the air. It was serene and brought contentment, accompanied by the flickering cracks emitted by the fire. Caulifla squinted her eyes in thought, seriously contemplating her past. Her lips tightened when she came to a decision.
"I have a brother back home."
Goku immediately shifted his eyes to her. "Brother?"
"Yes," Caulifla nodded. "His name is Renso."
"Oh, that's cool," Goku replied with a smile. "Was he strong?"
Caulifla couldn't help but let out an amused snicker. Of course, that was the first thing he would ask. "Strong enough to be the captain of his squad in the Defense Force."
"Wow," Goku said with a drag, a tinge of admiration tied to his voice.
"What about you? Have you ever thought about your family?" Caulifla asked before frowning as a particular subject came to mind. "I know you probably don't remember them since you've hit your head."
Goku stared at her blankly. "The only family I ever knew was Grandpa Gohan."
"I know, but have you thought about ever knowing your Mom or Dad? Maybe a possible brother?" Caulifla asked, leaning slightly toward him with curiosity.
"Well, I've never thought of them since I had Grandpa." Goku contemplated in thought. "Now that you've mentioned it, I'm kind of curious about what my family was like. I never knew my Mom or Dad, especially after I fell and hit my head. I don't even know how I ever really got here."
Caulifla nodded in thought, remembering the day after she moved in with him. Goku told the story about the bad accident that happened to him when he was an infant. He even showed her the scar on the back of his head underneath his wild, spiky hair. It added to the sense of him being oblivious to his Saiyan heritage.
"The only reason I can think of is that the King banished you here." Caulifla mused, her eyes squinting at her lap in worry. "It doesn't add up, though; you're a tailed Saiyan and have lived on this planet most of your life. The Defense Force would've wanted you in their ranks."
"In fact, I'm supposed to be the one with the tail, not you. Legend says a tailed Saiyan is born once every thousand years."
Goku fondled his forehead. "This is starting to make my head hurt," he grumbled.
Caulifla couldn't say she blamed him. "You sure are a mystery, Son Goku."
The venison was shortly done. And that night, Goku and Caulifla enjoyed their nightly dinner. They soon entered the house after finishing the deer in quick succession. Bulma reminded them not to leave their futons in a sloppy mess in the morning. Sleep came fast, and the group gathered rest for the coming adventure.
Several days passed, and much had happened with the group from that period. Bulma sat on the front wheel of her boat, powering it down a streaming river. An adventurous grin was etched across her cheeks as she steered occasionally along the rapids, still on a momentous high after recently obtaining the Six-Star Ball from a small town called Aru Village.
"I can't believe we only have two Dragon Balls left! This trip is going much smoother than I had thought now that I have you guys with me." Bulma enthusiastically stated, glancing behind her at her passengers.
Behind her, on board the backseats were Goku and Caulifla, and next to them was a new companion they picked up along the way—an uneager one at that.
Caulifla glanced at the new addition with a scowl, "So, Bulma, why are we letting the pig come with us?"
The pig, named Oolong, fought back with a glare. He wore a military-like set of uniform. "That's what I'd like to know."
Their meeting with Oolong had been rough after hearing tales of his infamous reputation for terrorizing Aru Village after they arrived there from tracking the Dragon Ball. It happened to be located there, in the possession of the local respected elder, Grandma Paozu. The figure named Oolong had kidnapped girls around the village, looking for a bride to marry. Paozu promised to reward the group with her prized Dragon Ball if they helped the locals stop him and return the missing girls to their parents.
Bulma fixed them with a side gaze before focusing on her steering. "I find Oolong's shapeshifting ability to be unique. I figured he could be of use to us in the future."
Oolong flinched in disbelief. "Oh, so I'm helping you now!? No way!"
Bulma innocently looked at the sky in thought. "Gee, it's so hot! Maybe I'll only sleep in my underwear tonight…"
Oolong blinked with wide eyes before falling back deep in his seat. "On second thought, maybe going on a journey isn't so bad at all, hehe!"
"Just don't think I'm forgetting your attempt to kidnap me," Caulifla warned lowly.
Oolong flinchingly yelped at Caulifla's threatening undertone, not wanting to undergo another one of her beatings. Why did the one girl in the group younger than him have to be mean and rough? Such a strong one, too! She hit like a truck; he was sure she almost kicked his head off! He only wanted a nice, shy girl to marry.
Caulifla, curious about this mysterious kidnapper that the residents were terrified of, volunteered to see his worth for herself. It was a surprise to learn that the 'Terrible Oolong' happened to be a shapeshifting pig. An underwhelming one at that. He was not the powerful opponent the village feared him as.
Goku chuckled. "Haha! This adventure will be so much fun now that we're all together. The more, the merrier!" He commented under a radiant tone.
Caulifla lazily rolled her eyes. Leave it to Goku to have no problem with their new travel companion, who had just been their enemy earlier today.
"So…where are we heading next, Bulma?" Goku asked.
Bulma briefly looked at her Dragon Radar, "Mount Frypan! We won't get there for another three days, though."
Oolong widened his eyes in horror. Why that horrible place!? "MOUNT FRYPAN?"
DIABLO DESERT
Later, the group found themselves trudging through a desert after being forced to continue their adventure on foot after Bulma dropped her capsule pouch from their boat ride in the river. Distraught, Bulma sludged under the heat, her vision beginning to blur, Oolong struggling beside her. The two would have collapsed some time ago had they not carried sticks to support them.
"I think…I'm about to die…" Bulma mumbled, melting with sweat as her tongue hung from her lips.
"I wouldn't be here…if you didn't feed me that candy…" Oolong puffed, his head dangling.
"I…didn't shove it down your throat, did I?" She bit back through her daze.
Goku and Caulifla, however, trailed ahead of them as if they were unaffected by the scorching heat. Goku craned his head with an impatient glare. "You guys are slow, you know!"
"We can only move at their pace instead of riding on Kinto'un." Caulifla chimed in. "They are earthlings, after all." She finished under her breath, enough for only Goku to hear.
"See? At least she understands that I didn't grow up in the wild like you." Bulma said, not hearing the entire picture of Caulifla's comment. She looked across the vast land surrounding her. "Just what is this place? I see nothing but desert!"
"There's…there's no way around…it's the only way…to Mt. Frypan…" Oolong panted out, too exhausted to care about any argument.
Unbeknownst to the group, they had a watcher spying on them from a telescope of a distance. The floating cat-like figure smirked when the lavender-haired girl collapsed on her haunches and slithered under a mushroom tree. That led to everyone coming down to rest, appearing that the heat was doing a number on them.
Yes! That was their moment of weakness, the perfect time to strike them! The figure turned and floated through the gaping mouth of the rock-like structure. He flew down from the entrance and bounced towards his companion. "Lord Yamcha! Game! We got game!"
"Huh?" The young man looked up from his dinner before a sly smirk snaked from the corners of his lips, wiping his mouth with a rag. "It has been a while since our last prey."
Back to the group, Caulifla climbed to her feet and dusted her gi. "I'm going out to hunt. You guys like anything?"
Goku looked like he was about to die, clutching his stomach. "I don't care…need to eat…"
Caulifla eyed Oolong with a mischievous grin, her piercing stare making him shrink back. "Fine, pork it is."
"Oh no, no, no, no! No pork!"
Just when Caulifla turned to wander for food, her steps paused as a distant rumbling thundered from the distance. The group turned to see a cloud of sand coming dangerously close, only to spot a figure appearing out from the wall of dust.
Yamcha coldly studied his targets as he sped his hover scooter toward them with his floating, miniature friend clinging to his back. He sharply halted the scooter before them and hopped off. Yamcha stared down at them in a standoff. So it was a boy, a pig, and a girl. He inwardly sighed in relief to see it was a girl that seemed too young for him. He would collapse into a shivering mess if there were a girl his age or older.
Caulifla narrowed her eyes at the young man, tensing her body at the new arrival. His long, dark hair bounced when he landed before them. He donned an outfit similar to her and Goku's. His gi consisted of a green shirt, orange pants, and blue boots with an orange bandana tied around his collar. Her observing eyes fell onto the sword sheath attached to his gi. Unlike Oolong, this guy looked serious.
"Who are you?" Goku asked with curiosity.
The young man chuckled. "The name's Yamcha. I'm the ruling hyena who made this land his turf."
The small cat jumped out from his hiding spot behind Yamcha's leg, looking as intimating the best he could with his small stature. "And I'm Puar, his faithful follower!"
Oolong hummed at Puar's sudden appearance, struck by the familiarity that he had seen him from somewhere.
"It wouldn't be right of me to beat up a bunch of kids, so I'm gonna give you a chance. If you want to walk free without harm, I suggest you hand me all your Hoi Poi capsules and Zeni." Yamcha declared, holding out an offering hand.
"You don't mean… you're crybaby Puar!?" Oolong exclaimed in realization after a brief discernment.
Puar flinched in response, coming to a similar conclusion about the pig's identity. "Gah! O-Oolong!?"
Yamcha raised a brow at Puar. "You know each other?"
Puar nodded with a glare. "Yes. I used to attend class with him in my first year of shapeshifting school. He would pick on me all the time until he got expelled for stealing a teacher's undies!" Puar then stuck his tongue at the pig. "Weirdo! Bully! I hate you!"
Oolong fumed. "You just had to bring that up, pipsqueak!?"
Yamcha glared at the pig. "He bullied you? Heh, then how about I avenge you then, Puar?"
Oolong hid behind Goku, rattling out a laugh of trepidation. "You kids are tough, right?" He asked, his eyes darting at Caulifla. "I know you are! How about you go and destroy this guy for me?"
Yamcha sighed. "For the last time, hand me your Zeni and capsules, and I'll leave you alone."
"Why don't you take your threats and tough attitude, and shove them!" Caulifla snapped back, making Yamcha and Puar flinch.
A smirk crawled back on Yamcha's features. "Heh. Not everyone I've robbed has as much bite. That makes things fun. All right, if it's a fight you want and eager to see Heaven this soon, then be my guest." He concluded, grasping ahold of the handle of his sword and sliding it out from the sheath with a piercing pang.
After Caulifla tensed into her stance, Goku slowly stepped into her path and pulled out his Nyoibo. "Now it's my turn to fight," he smirked at the bandit. "This guy looks tough! Maybe he's different from every opponent we've faced on our journey."
Caulifla eyed Goku with a blank stare. As strong as she was, Goku probably needed this fight more than she did. She fell back, cautiously glaring at the dark-haired bandit. "Fine, he's yours. But I'll be fighting next time."
Goku nodded with an excited and determined grin, hurling her a thumbs up. "Thanks!"
"Heh, it doesn't matter if either of you are fighting me. I'll make you scream and wish you never crossed paths with me." Yamcha taunted, his foot shifting back, his knees bending as if he was ready to lunge.
"Beat 'em up, Yamcha!" Puar cheered.
Oolong quickly fled and took cover under the mushroom tree where Bulma slept. Goku and Yamcha shot daggers at each other before the bandit flung his empty sword sheath into the air. Goku looked up in confusion before gasping as a rush of air brushed his face, and he hopped to avoid a swift strike of Yamcha's sword.
Goku flipped over Yamcha and sprung off his back, forcing a gasp of surprise from the young man at the boy's swiftness. The ground inched closer as Goku descended, rolling sloppily on impact and stopping on all fours. He craned his neck to see Yamcha charging him with a battle cry, his arms raising his sword. Goku bolted away from the sword's cutting way, Yamcha gasping and stopping short of slicing Puar in half, making the chibi cat faint.
Yamcha spun around and charged at Goku once more. He swung his sword, only for Goku to sidestep the blade. The boy twirled around another strike and skillfully whammed Yamcha in the face with Nyoibo. The bandit's eyes popped open from the impact, saliva spurting through his lips. The force flung him in a short flight and crashed hard a distance away. The momentum pushed his body to divide a river in the sand, his skin scraping against the dusty grains before skidding to a stop.
Caulfila smirked proudly at Goku standing tall on the battlefield, the bandit writhing on his stomach at the end of the drawn trail. Once she saw Yamcha taking the initial charge, she was worried about Goku for a short moment. She could admit that the human moved fast, probably as quick as Goku had been when she met him. Her eyes narrowed with an excited flicker while smirking as she watched Yamcha shakily climb to his feet. It looked like he still had more fuel in the tank, too! This guy was the opponent she and Goku needed!
Yamcha spun around and angrily faced Goku, wiping the trickle of blood off his lips. Goku smiled before pointing his red staff at the bandit. "Extend, pole!" he exclaimed. Nyoibo fastly contracted to its wide-eyed target.
Yamcha had no time to act on a proper reaction from such an unexpecting action before the staff knocked the breath out of him, a throated groan forced out of him as his eyes darted down to see the staff jabbed into his torso. He hurled away once more, splitting another trench on the terrain. He quickly rolled back and righted himself in a kneeling position, clutching his abdomen as his shoulders slowly bounced in a rhythm.
"Lord Yamcha!" Puar shouted in concern, his paws held together in sheer panic.
Oolong jumped in excitement" "Whooo! That's what I'm talking about!" Puar scowled at him in pure disdain.
Yamcha could only gape at the boy in disbelief. This boy was something; he had yet to land an attack, and when he barely caught his breath, the brat was already on the offense! He eyed the weapon the boy fiercely wielded. That staff matched an eerily familiar description that had been a memory at the back of his mind, only to strike him like lightning.
"W-where…did you get that staff, boy?" Yamcha demanded.
"My late grandpa gave it to me," Goku replied.
"I've only heard of one figure who owned the weapon that lengthens on command, the legendary Nyoi-bo," Yamcha stated, his face dripping with sweat. "What's your grandfather's name?"
Goku smiled proudly. "It's Son Gohan!"
"I thought so," Yamcha concluded, eyeing the boy in a new light. "Son Gohan was said to be unrivaled in a host of martial arts disciplines. I had no idea he had grandchildren." He said, eyeing Goku and then at Caulifla to the side. He tensed his muscles. "Now I know not to underestimate you just because you're a kid."
"Sheesh, even I've heard of him," Oolong commented.
Caulifla blinked at the news. "Wait, how come you've never mentioned your Grandpa was famous?" She asked.
Goku turned to her with his 'O' surprised face before a goofy giggle erupted out of him. "I honestly never knew about it either." He replied, rubbing the base of his hair. Thunderous rumbles rattled within his stomach, causing him to look down at his belly. "But I'm so hungry…" he murmured.
Caulifla pursed her lips in thought. Of course, why wasn't she surprised by his answer? But she supposed that made sense. The techniques Goku showed her when she stayed at his crib were unlike anything she could've thought to learn, always proudly explaining how his grandpa had taught them. She could see why his name reached across the world.
"Whether he told you or not isn't important. You're still Son Gohan's grandson." Yamcha stated. He flexed his arms forward and bent into a stance. His fingers closed in and tensed into clawing motions. "Heh, it's been some time since I've faced real competition."
Yamcha stretched his right leg forward, his left remaining bent. His eyes tensed widely before charging forward. "Roga…FUFU-KEN!" He shouted and leaped toward Goku like a ravenous wolf going for the kill.
The boy looked up from his stomach in time as Yamcha hovered above him, his leg drawn back. He let fly a sweeping high kick which hammered Goku's cheek. Yamcha fiercely shouted and used this momentous opportunity to rain an unrelenting flurry of palm strikes upon his younger opponent. Goku stumbled back from every palm connecting, Yamcha giving him no time to retaliate against his strikes. The bandit slammed his wrists together, tensing his palms further before thrusting them forward with a mighty roar.
"AHHHHH!"
Goku's eyes snapped open, and he quickly rocketed forth a punch. "ROCK!"
Both attacks collided, the clash generating a small shockwave that scattered away dust from their vicinity. Goku's fist vibrated against both of Yamcha's palms in a struggling standstill. The bandit could only gape at Goku's terrifying, quick recovery.
"SCISSORS!" Goku shouted before shooting his opposite hand ahead, his two main fingers extending, jabbing into both of the bandit's eyes, emitting a raspy moan.
"PAPER!" Goku finished as he slammed his open hand square in Yamcha's face.
Yamcha once again launched into the air, a burning red handprint plastered across his face. His body slammed hard against an arching roof of a mushroom tree, breaking his flight and colliding into the dune.
Silence fell upon the desert. Goku motioned his arms inwards, reestablishing his martial arts stance. He intently watched Yamcha, who lay motionless across the battlefield. Caulifla could only whistle at Goku's dominant display. Though she had to admit, that combination of attacks was quite intense. It nearly seemed he gained the upper hand, but he still had no idea what he was up against.
Puar looked at the downed Yamcha with a frozen stare of disbelief. Yamcha was the strongest man he had ever met, with his Fist of the Wolf Fang being his ultimate finishing move that never failed to finish off his enemies. Seeing him getting beat and countered so quickly ran through loops in his mind like an endless process.
"Y-Yamcha…"
"Woah, he sure got him good…" Oolong stated in awe. His ear twitched when a faint moan emitted from the sleeping teen beside him, grabbing his attention.
Breathing heavily, Yamcha slowly sat up with the most astonished gaping look he could muster, the toll he had taken catching up. Again, with this kid outmatching him! No one he faced had thrown him around like this. Ever. He never lost when using Wolf Fang Fist! It was enough to kill any normal person, yet the kid was able to counter it! What kind of training did Son Gohan put this kid through?
Goku gritted his teeth, ready to collapse because of his low energy and hunger.
Yamcha hissed in pain as he climbed to his knees. A scathing glare soon overrode his astonished expression. "You little…!" He stood up, barely able to stable his footing.
A yawn from his left made him pause. Something about it sounded…feminine.
"H-hey, what's with this noise…? Can't sleep." That voice instantly expanded his eyes into dinner plates. It belonged to a girl, and it wasn't the spikey-haired one!
Shivering, Yamcha looked toward the source, and his heart immediately hammered against his chest when he saw her, his cheeks set aflame. It was instantly the most beautiful yet painfully gut-wrenching sight he could ever have caught. And the most horrifying thing, she looked to be his age. Her bright purple hair drew in his pinprick-like pupils.
How could he ever face that!?
Yamcha's face was steaming, and he fell flat on his back off his unbalancing leg. He sat up and turned to his trusty companion. "Puar! It's time for a tactical retreat!" He spoke, his voice reeking of desperation.
Puar could only look at him with panic and confusion. "Y-yes, sir!"
Goku, Caulifla, and Oolong could only stare at Yamcha and Puar on the escape with their scooter.
Bulma, only catching a glimpse of the young man from her awakening, excitedly jumped to their faces. "Who was that!? What a babe! Did you get his name?"
Oolong looked at her grumpily. Caulifla sweatdropped, recalling their discussion the other night about 'boyfriends'. Goku was too focused on his stomach to be concerned on the matter.
Yeah, sadly the chapter had to come to a close here. While I did make some interesting decisions in this chapter, it's just a route I wanted to take and I thought made sense. For instance, Goku is a tad bit stronger than canon with his complete dominance in his fight with Yamcha. And of course, Caulifla is unable to ride Kinto'un (Flying Nimbus). What will she do to earn Kinto'un's trust? That will make things a lot more interesting.
Now I noticed this story has grown quite a bit in my absence, and I have to say thank you for all the support. All right let's get on with answering the reviews:
theonedevin: Probably. But only when the story shows a character's power limits. It won't be fun if I just type in a character's power level immediately.
Gilgamesh50: Of course, Gohan will be the first. lol I don't know whether I'll have Goten be the second or third child, but he'll come when the story is quite far.
WyrmTheFrostDragonSwordsman: Thanks man, and I'm back! I still won't spoil anything though.
thunrady: I'm sure this chapter answers your question.
guest: Thanks for pointing that out!
Neoverna636: Nope. Not gonna happen anytime soon! ;)
Thank you all if you made it this far! I'll see you next time!