I'm back! Here to update Gine, as well give a small confession. I've had people offer to turn this into a comic and give me art for it. I'm flattered, but usually when people offer art, they have no idea what the characters look like. I question if they even read my work. Secondly, art and especially comics are freakin expensive! I'm not made of money, especially not right now. Heck, I'm planning on moving in with my boyfriend in the future. I'd have to find a new job once I do, and during that time jobless I don't want to rely on him for money. I'd like to have some money left in my savings. Third point, I'd like to live my life, go on vacation (or several), maybe buy a house, maybe have money to publish another book.

Fourth point: recently, someone decided "I'm going to make some art, it doesn't matter if she didn't tell me what she wanted wanted, I'm just going to guess on what she might want." After a couple payments, I realized she was making art I didn't ask for. I told her to stop and she said, "I already did so much so just give me another payment." I did, and then she's like "Final payment time." Then I was pissed, yelling at her online that I never asked for art, and I told her already to stop, and I didn't want to pay her just for her to get the wrong idea again. I gave her another payment anyway, and then blocked her for good measure.

I feel like I've been traumatized by that interaction. Afraid people are going to make me pay excessive amount of money for business I don't want. Afraid all my money, given to me by my late grandfather, is going to go into fanfic art; afriad that once I make deals with artists, they will never leave me alone. That they will beg me for money when they are broke, and I'm near broke too.

Everytime I get an email from a commision artist, I get a sudden chill and feeling like my stomach has turned into a void. So for the sake of my mental health and financial stability, I've blocked everyone I've done business with in the past, even the ones I've purchased slots for. I'm not sure if I'll ever use them, but I have to put myself first.

So, for everyone who hasn't gotten the memo yet, I'm too traumatized and broke to work with any of you.

Now that that's out of the way, Gine time! This chapter we meet Chi-chi's replacement. Also, I always found it weird that Ox king and Grandpa Gohan knew each other as boys and yet Ox king has a young daughter when he meets him and he continues to live well into Z. So, it's a theory of mine that he was younger than Gohan was. Anywys, enjoy!

Last time on Dragonball: Gine, her Grandpa Gohan, and Dr. Briefs, discovered Peppermint still had a capsule on him, giving them a short respite from the harsh desert. However, that night many people tried their hand to obtain the group's Dragon balls, including Won and Ton, Bruncha the desert bandit and Peppermint himself. Luckily, Gine and her friends kept the Dragon balls safe, with Bruncha giving them a car, so she can track the group who are heading towards Fire Mountain, home of the Ox king.

Gohan, Dr. Briefs and Gine were riding in the car Peppermint was driving. There was a lovely sunset on the horizon.

"So Grandpa, what's Ox king like?"

"Well he was Ox prince when I knew him back in the day," said Gohan. "I was a bit older than him, but he was still quite a large boy. That size really did him wonders; I bet he'd be stronger than the both of us now."

"Someone that strong exists?" asked Gine, she seemed surprised. She was about as strong as her Grandpa if not more, and this guy could beat them both. "He's an old friend of yours right?"

"Yes, as I said we were friendly with each other, both esteemed students of Master Roshi, with hardly any rivalry between us."

"Great, that means we don't have to fight him."

"I don't get you Gine," said Peppermint. "You're the strongest person I know of besides Ox King and you don't want to use what you're given?"

"Well, some people enjoy it," said Gine, thinking back. "I think the world would be a better place if people didn't have to fight."

"It's still important to know how because not everyone will follow that," said Gohan.

"I know Grandpa." She pressed her face to the window. "Moreover, I don't want to beat up an old friend of yours, I just want to meet him." She then noticed something was off.

"We should be getting close to Fire Mountain and the Dragon ball," said Dr. Briefs.

"How come the mountain isn't in view?" asked Peppermint.

"It is in view," said Gohan.

"Yeah, that's not a sunset, that's a mountain on fire," said Gine surprised. Peppermint slammed on the breaks in surprise.

"Fire mountain…actually is on Fire!"

"How does anybody even live there?" asked Dr. Briefs.

"Oh yes, Ox said something about his home being on fire a lot. They had a way to deal with it; I just don't remember what he said it was."

"They must've forgotten too," said Peppermint.

"You think Ox king will be alright," asked Gine.

"Don't worry Gine," said Gohan. "This has happened multiple times, everyone knows how to keep themselves safe."

"The Dragonball is on the mountain," said Dr. Briefs, "That's what the radar says. Let's hope they're close to dousing the flames."

"Let us go meet with Ox King, maybe there's some way we can help him."

"Then he can give us the dragon ball as a show of thanks," said Gine happy.

Bruncha and Earl were hot on their tails.

"According to this, they're heading to Fire Mountain," said Earl.

"That's where the Ox King lives," said Bruncha. "One of the strongest beings alive, who rules his kingdom like a tyrant; he's known to zealously hoard his treasure."

"If he has the dragon ball, he's probably going to fight them," said Earl, smiling giddily.

"Yes, and they're probably going to get destroyed," said Bruncha also smiling.

"Once they're gone the Dragon balls will be ours!" said Earl.

"We'll also get to watch that brat get destroyed by the Ox king! Then she won't be so smug about being so strong," said Bruncha. She and Earl shared a wide smile between them. They then heard a screaming in the distance. Looking to the source of the sound, they found a lady in a nice dress being chased by a large T-rex. She ended up tripping allowing the Dino to catch up with her. On her head was a spiked Tiarra, with a large ruby gem in the center.

The lady took off her tiara and threw it at the dinosaur, it's curvature making it act as a sharp boomerang. It sliced the T-rex's neck making it collapse. The lady grabbed the small crown and put it back on her head. Before the dinosaur could crush her, the lady blasted its body with the gem stone on her head piece, causing it to vaporize. The lady was panting, overcoming the shock of what had just happened.

"I think she might be a princess," said Earl. He and Bruncha were hiding behind a rock watching the events unfold.

"Who goes there?" she said, still on edge.

"Just us," said Bruncha, her and Earl peeking out from behind the rock. "We were impressed and had to watch you take down the dinosaur."

"Really, because to me you seem like bandits and I know how to deal with people like you."

She reached for her crown. Bruncha, panicked, rushed out from behind the rock and knocked the lady unconscious with a kick to the chest, which sent her flying a few feet.

"That was close," said Bruncha. "We need to catch up with the others before the Ox king takes their dragon balls for himself."

Gine and the others had finally reached the mountain, and they could feel how hot it was, even if they weren't right next to it.

"Where are we going to find the Ox king?" asked Dr. Briefs.

"If I remember correctly," said Gohan. "Ox said his family had a shack off the mountain where they would go when the fires flared up."

"Oh Ox King!" cried Gine.

"You're actually trying to draw his attention!" cried Peppermint.

"We need to meet him, so yeah," said Gine.

"Come on out Ox King, we're here to talk about your fire problem!" called Gohan.

"As well as one the treasures you might possess!" called Dr. Briefs.

"You people are crazy!" cried Peppermint. They heard a thudding nearby.

A large shadow of a man appeared, looking to be the size of a house. On his head, there looked to be horns.

"You think just because my castle is in flames, you can take whatever you want?!" a deep voice boomed.

"Oh no, not at all, we're just here to help. Surely you recognize an old friend," said Gohan, unafraid. The man came further. On his head was a horned helmet, he wore battle armor and wore a red cape. He looked closer at the group, especially at Gohan. His eyes suddenly lit up with recognition.

"Gohan! Is that really you?!"

"In the flesh, old friend," said Gohan.

"It's so great to see you again, it's been ages!"

"You're telling me, you're the Ox king now."

"Yes I am, and I garnered up a fearsome reputation to go with it. No one crosses me!"

"I'm glad to hear it."

"So what brings you here?"

"Well," said Dr. Briefs, "I can explain that. You see, Gohan and Gine here are my bodyguards on this venture. My search for the Dragon Balls has brought us here. My radar says you have one on your mountain." The group looked at the flaming mountain.

"What's a Dragon ball," asked Ox King.

"They look like these," said Gine pulling one out of Briefs coat and holding it up; an Orange ball with several stars inside it.

"What's so special about these balls?"

"They summon a dragon that grants a wish if you gather all seven."

"Well I'd gladly give it to you Gohan, but my mountain is a little toasty right now."

"So what exactly puts it out," said Peppermint.

"Who are you, pig?"

"That's Peppermint," said Gine. "He's a bit rude sometimes so you can ignore him if you want."

Peppermint started sweating bullets.

"Alright, there is a way to put out the fire, but I don't have it on me right now. My betrothed offered to go to Master Roshi's to retrieve it as I had left it with him."

"Betrothed? You're engaged?" said Gohan smiling.

"Yep," said Ox king with a smile. "She's quite a beauty too."

"So when she be back?" asked Peppermint.

"Quite impatient, aren't you pig?" Peppermint went back to sweating bullets. "She headed out a bit ago, but I'm concerned because she doesn't know the way. She told me she would figure it out, but what if she runs into some trouble."

"I could find her," said Gine, "with the help of Nimbus; Nimbus!"

A golden nimbus cloud that was the flying nimbus appeared. Gine hopped on top.

"Isn't that the cloud that was owned by Master Roshi?" asked Ox.

"It was," said Gine. "We already ran into him, he gave us his Dragonball and Nimbus out of thanks for returning his Turtle."

"Oh Turtle, I remember him," said Ox King.

"He was lost for quite some time apparently, and Gine did our master some service and brought him home," said Gohan.

"Well how did you come across Gine?" asked Ox King.

"I found her in the mountains one day, and she's been my granddaughter ever since."

"GINE'S ADOPTED!" yelled Peppermint. "I thought she was freakishly strong because you were family, I guess strange folks flock together!"

"You want to spend some time on the mountain, piglet," said Ox king, "Get a good smoky taste."

"No sir," said Peppermint, shutting up.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Gine," said Ox king, "Any family of Gohan's is family of mine."

"Pleasure's all mine, sir," said Gine bowing.

"If you could please find my fiancée, Laita, tell her I sent you to help her collect the Bansho fan from Master Roshi."

"I've never been to Master Roshi's," said Gine, "but I can give her a ride."

"Darn it," said Bruncha, hiding a good distance away behind a rock. She had seen the whole interaction. "Who would have thought that Gohan was old friends with the Ox king? This is going too swimmingly for them."

"Yeah, and now he's just going to give them the dragon ball once the fire's out," said Earl.

"I guess our time to take their balls hasn't come yet."

"Okay, I'm off to find Laita; she's pure of heart right?" Gine asked the Ox King. "Only good people can ride the cloud."

"I'm pretty sure she is, my family made sure she was of good rearing."

"Alright, also what does she look like?"

"Here's a picture of her," said Ox king, holding up a picture of a black haired woman, in a spiked tiara with a ruby gem in the center, wearing a nice kimono style dress. Bruncha saw the picture from where she was hiding and noticed she looked just like the lady she knocked out.

"Ahh!" cried Bruncha. "That lady was the Ox king's bride! He's going to want to kill us if I ended up killing her."

"There's a chance she may not be dead Bruncha! We should go check!"

They rushed off to where they last saw Laita. She was still on the ground, and luckily for them, she was still breathing.

"Oh Laita! Thank goodness you're alive! I haven't killed you after all!" Laita began to stir, and saw that Bruncha was over her.

"You!" she cried and went to fire her Gem at them.

"Wait, Laita please don't kill us! Me knocking you out before was an accident, I did it on instinct; I didn't know it was you!"

"How do you know my name?" asked Laita, confused and still uneasy.

"Because…it's a…great name to know, who doesn't know your name? I was watching you earlier because I heard of the princess Laita, and that she was to be betrothed to the Ox King. I was thinking to myself, that man is so lucky to have a wife like Laita. I just had to see if you were this amazing up close, because I have a great deal of respect for you!" Bruncha was prostrated on the ground, and Earl had done the same.

"Oh really," said Laita. "I'm not all that great; I mean my future husband's the martial artist. This crown is a gift from him to protect, because I don't know martial arts."

As she was examining her crown, Bruncha and Earl noticed Gine flying overhead and booked it to a good hiding spot. When Laita looked back up they were gone.

"Where'd they go?"

"Laita!" called Gine. "Laita where are you?"

"She also knows my name," said Laita. "Does everyone want to see me?"

Gine spotted Laita in the open field, and flew down to meet her.

"There you are Laita, Ox King sent me to find you. He thought you might need some help finding Master Roshi's and getting the Bansho fan."

"I told him not to worry and that I'd find the way myself," said Laita with her hands on her hips. "He has a point though, I started my journey to Master Roshi's a day ago, and I still don't know where I'm going." She looked out on the horizon. "At this point I'll never get there, and my future husband will lose all his treasure."

"I can get you there superfast with Nimbus; you just have to be able to ride him. He only lets pure hearted people ride him."

"You should know that as a princess I need to have good behavior."

"Well then climb up," said Gine.

Laita began to climb up onto the cloud, of course at one moment she lost her hand hold. When she nearly fell off she grabbed onto Gine's tail for support. Gine cried out in pain and collapsed on the Nimbus. Once Laita was on the cloud she asked what was wrong.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm alright," said Gine, rubbing her butt. "It's just grabbing my tail is really painful for me. When it happens I can't think, I can't even move, if anything grabs my tail it's just the worst. I feel like all my power goes away when that happens."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'll try not to do that again."

"Did you hear that Earl," said Bruncha from her hiding spot.

"I sure did Bruncha," said Earl.

"That little kid actually has a weakness we can exploit. When we go to snatch the Dragon balls, all we have to do is grab her tail and no one will stop us."

"What about her grandpa?" They were silent for a few moments.

"We should be fine, he goes easy on girls." The two then went off to catch up with the others.

Gine and Laita flew over the Diablo desert on their way to the ocean.

"I'm Gine by the way," said Gine holding out her hand.

"Princess Laita," said Laita shaking it slowly.

"Oh I know," said Gine. "You just didn't know my name. I'm the granddaughter of an old friend of your husband to be, Gohan."

"Oh yes, he mentioned Gohan from the times he trained in martial arts with Master Roshi. He was afraid someone would steal the Bansho fan, which is why he left it with him. He also told me that Master Roshi is the one who gave his family the fan when they first settled on the mountain, all those decades ago."

"They didn't just move?"

"They were going to, but then Master Roshi gave them the fan. Every decade or so the mountain would burst into flames and the Bansho fan would be used to dispel them; the fire's reputation is one of the things that keeps away bandits and thieves."

"I guess you're lucky he lives there then."

"I sure am; Ox king is a great man, it's the rumors that make him terrifying."

"If you say so," said Gine.

Once they had crossed over the desert, they had found themselves at an ocean.

"So where is Master Roshi located," asked Laita.

"I don't know," said Gine.

"What!" Laita was about to throw Gine off the cloud.

"I'm sure we could find out where he lives," said Gine a little panicked. "Last time I saw him a Turtle brought him to me. So I'm sure the ocean animals will know where he lives, we just need to ask one."

Looking around the ocean, they tried to find an animal that could direct them towards Master Roshi. Gine stuck her head in the water a few times seeing if maybe some fish knew the way. Eventually, the two encountered a pod of dolphins frolicking through the water. Gine had Nimbus get in front of them to get their attention. They stopped their jumping as they saw Gine wave her arms around.

"Excuse us; we're looking for the home of Master Roshi. Would you guys know where we could find it?" The dolphins looked at each other, nodded and then swam around in different directions stopping at certain points. The head dolphin pointed at Gine and Laita, and then jumped in place. Then it pointed towards the shore and pointed to the Dolphin closest to it.

"Oh," said Gine. "He's going to draw us a map." The Dolphin swam away from the land dolphin, passed a few other dolphins representing other landmasses, and then stopped at a dolphin whose nose was just sticking out of the water. Gine turned to Laita.

"Master Roshi lives on a small island, we just have to head straight, turn right and then make a left."

"Well if that makes sense to you, you can tell the cloud where to go," said Laita.

"Thank you," said Gine to the dolphins. They clicked in response. The two then continued on their way to find the Master.

Ta-Da! Chi-chi's counterpart is her future mother, but we have some time before she's actually born. Her name, well Chi-chi has a lot to do with milk, so I used another word that means Milk, Lait, it's french for milk. If you want an idea of what Laita looks like, think Princess Iron Fan. Also, it seems to run a lot smoother when Gohan's there to talk things out. As for the detail on the Bansho Fan, much like in the original mythos, the fan was constantly used to put out the fire, so I threw that detail in there. Well anyways, until next time...Stay Tuned!

~AdmiringRoseBlossom11