DragonBall GT: Revised

By Kaboom Krusader

Chapter 12: “For Every Action...“

I just remembered,

Haiku should involve nature.

I just saw a bug.

Oh right, disclaimer.

I still don't own DragonBall.

Go sue someone else.

Planet Namek's position among the heavens was an odd one. It was part of a triple-star system, which was uncommon enough in itself. But normally, such a system consisted of some combination of one or more planets orbiting the multiple suns, which in turn often orbited each other. Namek, however, was unique. The stars orbited the planet, or at least, that's how it appeared at first glance. Planet Namek hung suspended in the middle, the pull from the three stars rendering it totally motionless save for it spinning on its own axis and its own pair of moons arcing gently around it.

The days and months were still measured by the suns' movements, though mostly in their relative positions to each other rather than their arc across the sky. But because of this odd astronomical arrangement, there was no such thing as “night” on Namek. Only brief, recurring periods of the day during which the skies were slightly brighter or dimmer than others.

But today, the sky was uniformly dark, and only the Namekian people knew why.

To the public, there only existed three major groups in Namekian society. First and foremost was the Seer Clan, with Bosa at its head. They were the peacemakers, the politicians. Matters of diplomacy and government were their specialty, and the wise and kind elders were seemingly bred for it. Then there were the Warriors. They were the peace-keepers and the police force. They kept a dedicated and constant watch over the planet, protecting its citizens, Namekians and aliens alike. They were set apart from others, because they truly were born and bred for such a purpose. In stature and power, across the board, Warriors were worlds apart from other Namekians. Then, there were ordinary citizens. Farmers, businessmen, workers, and the like. Born for any specific purpose or not, they led their own lives. But, there was one more class: The Dragon Clan.

To the rest of known civilization, they were nothing more than whispered rumors and subjects of fantastic old stories. The gossip told of a third sect of the Namekian special orders, ones with a mystical secret, holding some sort of great significance that the Namekian race held dear. The rumors were completely right. The Dragon Clan was a powerful and important part of Namekian heritage, yet it was kept hidden away from the rest of interplanetary society. Promising Namekian children were taught from a young age how to create and bring life to the heirlooms known as Dragon Balls.

Always in a set of seven, the balls themselves were a gateway for the Dragon they heralded. The method of learning their creation was a long one, requiring constant, strict, and extensive meditation exercises from students. Everyone's dragon was different in appearance, and it was up to the student to give it its form. Nobody knew for certain what the nature of the dragons was. Where they heralded from, or if they were even already in existence before being "created," were facts ultimately unknown even to the most insightful Namekian scholars in history. All that was for certain was that with the right training, the proper form of the Dragon would come to the student on its own, as if by divine revelation. It was at that point that the connection was made.

Thereafter, the student gave the dragon's form a physical representation. Namek's purest, richest clays were molded into the shape of the dragon by the student, who formed it calmly and naturally, as if in a trance. At the same time, the group of seven spheres that would become the Dragon Balls themselves was crafted out of stone, and when the creator infused the dragon with his own energy, a bond was formed between all three. The creator was linked to the Dragon Balls. The Dragon Balls were a beacon to the Dragon. The Dragon derived its power from the creator. It was a cycle that became second nature to members of the Dragon Clan.

But if one were to think the mere creation of the Dragon Balls was a marvelous feat, then to witness their actual use would surpass all their expectations. When the Dragon was summoned, it appeared in a spectacular fashion, taking form from a brilliant pillar of light. In contrast, the entire sky of the planet was cast in a deep, ethereal shadow.

All the Namekians, from the civilian farmers and workers, to the warriors, to the Dragon Clan students, to the elders who oversaw the ceremony, understood these phenomena well, and they appreciated the miraculous nature of them. They were a central part of their life and their culture.

But to any non-native of the planet, the darkness would certainly be a confusing and bewildering sight.

“What the hell is this?!”

Some distance away from Makigai, a confused and bewildered Saiyan gazed out over the landscape. He had just emerged from a small, inconspicuous cave on the side of a cliff, off on an outlying island, within which he had been captivated in a rather deep and unnatural nap. He had awoken just moments ago, expecting to be greeted by a dark sky... But not this dark. Rather than the dim evening-esque shadows he'd expected, Beat was greeted by a uniformly pitch-black sky, which was distinctly lacking in eclipses and natural satellites.

“Where... where's the damn moons?!” Beat's heart rate skyrocketed, and his legs wobbled in protest, prompting him to sit down cross-legged on the rock ledge and take a deep breath. He looked out on the whole unwelcome situation and scowled. Whatever was going on, it was seriously screwing up the plan.

“You've GOT to be kidding me!”

“No, I'm not,” Pinach replied. “This was the best plan I could manage.”

“You disappear for FOUR days with no word at all,” Beat protested, “and now you magically show back up saying you're going to put us all into a COMA?!”

Kale reached over and slapped her overly-agitated mate across the back of his head.

“Shut up and let him talk.”

“Thanks,” Pinach replied, reaching into the bag he carried and beginning to pull out the several devices it contained. They were medical instruments, each looking like some sort of metal cuff with a few extra fixtures installed on it. He tossed one to each of his present compatriots, who all looked them over curiously as he explained.

“They're injection devices. Custom-modded for what we're going to use them for.” He motioned to the ring. “They go around our upper arm. On the inside of the cuff, there are needles.”

Kale shivered a bit. “I don't like needles...” she lamented.

“They're small. You hardly even feel them. Now,” Pinach continued. “There are two substances that get injected. The first is a drug called Jaracite. It's a powerful suppressant that actually induces a coma.”

“Wonderful,” Kob remarked. “I've always wondered what it feels like to be dead.”

“So what's the point to this again?” Beat inquired, his arms crossed sternly.

“The point being that when we're in this state,” Pinach continued, as he brought the thumb and index finger of his free hand close together, “it will cause our ki to shrink to a minuscule level.”

“Aha,” Kale commented. “I see where this is going.”

Kob nodded. “That's right. These Namekian warriors can somehow sense ki on their own. No matter how good of a hiding spot we find, they'd be able to track us if they really wanted to.”

“Which they won't be able to do once we're indistinguishable from the planet's wildlife. Now, this is just half of what the device does. There's also a timer built in which can be set to inject the antidote after a certain period, waking the user up.”

“Are you sure these things are safe?” Kale wasn't quite convinced.

“As safe as anything of this nature can be,” Pinach assured her. “There've been reports of Arlians having fatal reactions to the antidote, but nothing aside from that.”

“I'm not sure there's much that doesn't kill Arlians,” Kob quipped.

Barus piped in. “How did you get these?”

“Persistence, and a good amount of snooping,” Pinach responded. “As you might guess, devices like these are quite illegal. Finding a dealer dealer was the hard part. But then, he was actually eager to hand them off. Said it would be a pain to get them through customs during the evacuation.”

“So we use these to stay on the planet. Then what?”

“It gets simpler. We make a beeline for Slug, transform, and then beat him.”

“... Try that again?”

Pinach knelt down and began drawing out a diagram in the dirt consisting of several circles, obviously meant to represent Planet Namek and its various suns and satellites.

“I did a good amount of research, and I found out exactly what's going to be happening with this eclipse,” he remarked. “This is Namek in the middle here. At this time every year, the suns end up in a certain strange pattern. The farthest one is completely eclipsed by the larger of the two moons. Their orbits actually match up for an entire day, casting the entire hemisphere below them in a warm, evening-like twilight, while the other two suns cruise along on the opposite side of the planet.”

He drew little circles to represent the moon and sun's orbit.

“During this event, the other moon should not only be clearly visible, but brightly illuminated, shining down more than enough Bruitz Waves for us. The eclipse itself may put out even more.”

A smile crept onto Beat's face.

“Excellent.”

A few hours later, Beat's quest for a good hiding spot finally led him to a small cave, situated in the side of a cliff on an island a good half-dozen miles from the city. The group had decided to split up and scout out separate locations. Even with their ki shrunk, there was still a slim chance of being discovered, and better it only be one or two of them than all five in the same spot. Satisfied with this locale, Beat ducked down inside, taking note of a small family of tiny, beaked, bat-like animals who were hanging upside-down from some roots and eying him curiously.

Beat reached the back end of the cave and lay down, then glanced at the tiny creatures.

“If I wake up to find that any of you little bastards have pecked off my ear or something, I'll personally scour the entire planet and make you all extinct.”

With that, he turned over to face the wall, pressed a single button on the device fixed to his arm, and drifted off to sleep.

Shio couldn't help but notice how odd the city felt when it was empty. This creepy darkness cast over the entire landscape only added to the uneasiness. With how fast she was moving to keep up with Slug, though, she couldn't really take in much of the sights. While the festivities were happening off over the horizon, she and the monstrous Namekian were swiftly moving their way through the inner parts of Makigai. With their ki suppressed, they couldn't fly, and were thus traveling by running down within the streets and making swift leaps onto and across rooftops. Shio wasn't used to this, so it was hard enough for her to concentrate as it was.

They came to an intersection, where Slug stopped suddenly, and Shio followed suit. From here, it was finally visible. The capitol tower loomed above the city, and further down the street, the entrance to the Ajissa Gardens that surrounded it was waiting.

“Ready to climb?” Slug inquired. She nodded in response, and the two took off again. They bounded down the street and took a flying leap over the wall. They landed just shy of, then darted around, the large fountain that decorated the main walkway. This they traveled through, crossing the short bridge that arced over a modest river running through the garden, and at last they came to the large main doors.

Shio glanced around.

“How are we getting in?” She asked.

“Not here,” Slug replied, looking upwards. He darted over to the right, coming over to one of a series of small, bulbous structures that surrounded the main tower. Each one was mushroom-like in appearance, and they were connected in sequence by steadily inclining tunnel walkways to each other and then into the main building at about just over the structure's halfway mark. Shio followed, and the two sprung across the suspended passages, eventually balancing on top of the last tunnel. Directly across from them, protruding from the back side of the tower and also suspended by a stalk-like support, was the Elders' platform which contained and served as a launch and landing pad for their own private space ships.

This platform was evidently their next destination, as Slug crouched down at an angle and pushed himself off into a flying leap at it. He arced across and landed solidly on the level surface, then stood, turned around, and motioned for Shio to follow.

Shio swallowed hard, a little nervous about pulling this off. One gained a whole new respect for gravity once they weren't allowed to defy it anymore. Nevertheless, she was confident. She too crouched down and launched herself in the platform's direction. She soared over, hundreds of feet above the forested ground, and despite her more appropriate build, she wasn't quite skilled enough to make an equally impressive landing. She had to roll once and ended up stopping on one knee.

By the time she righted herself, Slug was already moving again. He briskly walked up a sloping ramp towards a door leading into the main structure. He looked upwards, focusing in the direction of the upper floors, and then turned to Shio.

“Concentrate,” he commanded. “There's a single ki up there. Can you detect it?”

She'd never detected him coming.

There she'd been, lying in the bath, finally starting to really relax after her nerve-wracking experience from earlier in the day. She'd been in that same spot for several hours, and for not a single second of them had she regretted spending some extra cash to get the self-reheating model tub. She'd had her head reclined and eyes closed for at least the past ten minutes, and she was just starting to drift off to sleep... when suddenly his voice resonated through the washroom.

“Comfortable, are we?”

Her eyes darted open, and her vision whipped around to see Slug, standing there against the doorway and wearing a sly smirk on his face. Shio panicked, quickly standing up in the shower, and after almost slipping and falling, going into a defensive stance. A split second after this, her nervous system promptly reminded her that she wasn't wearing anything, and her face became flush as she swiftly attempted to cover her sensitive bits. Slug laughed in amusement.

“Don't worry,” he chuckled.“There are many ways in which I'm distinctly un-Namekian,” he remarked. "But Fortunately for you -or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it- having a sense of sexuality isn't one of them. We don't even possess the 'hardware' for it, if you will.”

“...”

“But if it will make you feel better, then by all means get dressed,” Slug suggested. “And be quick about it. We've got work to do.”

“You've come up with a plan already...?” Shio meekly inquired as she began to re-don her loose clothing, simultaneously rummaging through the pile on the floor looking for something.

“It's still in the works,” Slug answered. “But there's one key part of it that we need to start preparing for now.” Slug noticed what she had been looking for and had now found: a small, round electronic Battle Power sensor. A simple, widely-used device which could be set to react to a powerful Ki signature, and light up and make noise when it was approaching. Sure enough, Shio was looking it over, bewildered as to why it hadn't warned her of Slug's presence. The large Namekian chuckled, reached over, and swiftly snatched the little device out of her hand.

“You won't be needing this anymore,” he said, and he promptly crushed it into a hundred pieces in his hand. He tossed aside the broken scrap and addressed the stunned and confused Shio.

“That thing is useless against me. And before long, it will be useless on you, too,” he said. “I'm going to teach you how to do what I just did. Naturally sense ki, and control your own.”

Shio shut her eyes and concentrated, letting her mind take in the energy around her. In a few seconds, she had a bead on the ki signature. A fairly strong one from above shone in her mind's eye like a candle in a dark sanctuary. She nodded in response to Slug's question.

“Good,” he replied. “Now our friend Irik here is actually a lot stronger than this. But since he's only on patrol in a big empty building with nothing to actually be wary of, at least that he knows about, he's keeping himself at this 'resting' level to conserve energy. But,” he continued. “That ki is about to get a LOT smaller.”

Shio opened her eyes and looked worriedly at Slug, who only smiled smugly and continued to speak.

“So what you need to do is get a good sense of just how strong he is now, because in a few short moments, your ki is going to be immediately replacing his to anyone who might be paying attention. Understand?”

She bit her lip and nodded grimly. Slug grinned.

“Good. Follow me.”

He pressed a combination of buttons on the wall and casually walked through the now-opened door. Shio remained close on his heels as they navigated a short series of impressively arched hallways, eventually coming to a central lobby area. Three large doors could be seen all surrounding the area, each one leading into the living chambers of one of the Elders, and across from them lay a large passageway immediately opening out to a grand balcony. Casually pacing around in the middle of the lobby was Irik. He was a stout but well-built Warrior who commanded a lot of respect from his peers despite his small stature. He was easily excitable though, and if asked, he'd tell you that being all alone in this building was making him a bit nervous.

So it was understandable that he'd jump a bit when Slug suddenly entered the room. Once he saw who it was, though, Irik relaxed just as quickly as he'd reacted and sighed.

“Oh, it's you, Slug,” he said in casual greeting as Slug approached him. “Though I don't know who else I was expecting, since you're on patrol and all. Well, all is quiet around here. Too quiet, if you ask--”

At that moment, he noticed Shio turn the corner and come into view behind Slug.

“Who's that?!” Irik was surprised again. “What's she doi — RRHMMPH!”

He was interrupted when Slug abruptly whipped his hand forward and grappled Irik firmly across the face. Irik panicked as Slug easily hoisted him up a few feet above the ground and let a vicious, sadistic sneer come across his visage.

No... This isn't good! Got to spike my ki, signal Sir Thorgas for help, Irik thought as he hyperventilated. But something was wrong. His ki was somehow being steadily drained as he tried to raise it, preventing his overall level from heightening at all.

Irik decided to try letting his ki drop to practically nothing, as this would serve the same purpose, but it was a split second too late. Before he could do anything, Slug's gripping hand flashed with a surge of ki. Before Irik could react to this, that flash took form as a quick but powerful blast, and his head was gone.

Slug let the twitching corpse drop to the floor and turned around to face Shio. Her fists were clenched and she was shaking a bit, but she had followed through and matched her ki to what Irik's had been.

Far off to the East of Makigai, the Dragon Clan student named Miushi had just completed his summoning. The whole process had gone splendidly, with Miushi's wish being a standard but benevolent one for a good harvest in the coming year. The crowds of his fellow students and elders applauded as the dragon departed, receding back into the now-resting Dragon Balls. With this, the entire ordeal would move farther East for the next student's summoning, following the steadily arcing eclipse. Eventually, the procession would reach Makigai where it started, and the official business portion of the ceremony would give way to a party.

As he rose from his seat to prepare to help, something caught Sir Thorgas's attention. He fixed his gaze due westward, and the adjacently-seated Bosa noticed.

“Is something wrong?”

“I felt,” Thorgas mused, “Irik's ki fluctuate for a moment.”

“Is he alright?”

“... Yes, he seems back to his resting power now, “Thorgas assured the both of them, shaking his head. “Likely something just surprised him. He's easily excitable.”

“Very well, then,” Bosa replied. The two of them continued with their business, the matter already gone from their minds.

Katatz's living chambers seemed unsettlingly large and empty when the two intruders made their way in. All manners of windows and a gigantic dome-like sky roof would normally keep the room beautifully and naturally lit, but due to the partially-visible eclipse off over the horizon and the recurring magical darkening from the Dragon-summoning, there was currently very little light permeating into the room. Shio glanced around and studied the area. It was cozy and rustic, with enough woodworking and pottery equipment around that one might mistake it for a workshop, yet just enough luxuries and comfort to positively identify it as a home. Another small doorway led into what appeared to be a bedroom.

In the dim light, she noticed Slug proceed over to a large closet, wherein lay a sturdy-looking safe. It was protected by a small computerized lock, which was evidently new to the large Namekian.

“Blast,” he muttered, as Shio walked over to him.

“What's wrong?” she inquired. “Are there Dragon Balls in there?”

“Undoubtedly,” he replied, visibly annoyed. “But this was never so adamantly secured before, at least not since I was last here. In addition to his Dragon Balls, there must be something else in there he must want to keep particularly safe. Unfortunately, I don't know the code.” He folded his arms in frustrated disgust. “If only I'd known, I might have stopped by the festival to see the old fool and get the code.”

“Is he so trusting that he'd tell it to you so easily?”

Slug shot her a quick smirk. “Who said anything about him telling me?”

“...”

“Regardless,” Slug continued. “That's out of the question now. Not enough time. There is one other Namekian who might know the code, but unfortunately I have no idea whe--”

“Slug?”

Both were startled by the young voice, and they turned around to see a Namekian child standing in the bedroom doorway. He stared intently at the two visitors, greatly confused.

“Kuji!”

“Slug, what's going...” the young one stammered, looking back and forth between the two. “Who's she? What's she doing h-”

He was quickly interrupted when, faster than he could track, Slug had moved behind him and delivered a swift knee to the child's stomach. He keeled forward onto the floor, unconscious.

“That was too close,” Slug commented. “He was suppressing his power as well, but I should have expected him to be here.”

Evidently, Kuji really wasn't there. The small form suddenly lit up and morphed into a mass of red energy. It dissipated and warped towards the outside hallway. Slug and Shio's panicked attention followed it.

“Damnit!” Slug exclaimed as he bounded out the door, with Shio in pursuit. There in the center of the atrium, Kuji stood in catatonic shock over the decapitated body of Irik. Just as the energy from his doppleganger re-merged with him, he looked up and stared at the intruding pair. His eyes were wide and tearing with a combination of fear and disbelief.

“Slug,” he whimpered. “Did you... why? What...?”

Suddenly, he interrupted himself, his expression shifting to one of frightful determination. He closed his eyes, clenched his fists down at his sides, and focused, quickly spiking his previously-suppressed ki up to as high a level he could muster. It remained there for barely a fraction of a moment, before Slug closed the distance between them and delivered a quick chop to the back of Kuji's neck. The youngster's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the floor. There were no more sudden, surprising movements from his limp form, indicating that in fact the real Kuji had been knocked out this time.

“Damn,” Slug remarked again, as he knelt down over Kuji. “We don't have much time left now.”

“Who is he?”

“He's Katatz's own son,” Slug answered. “He must have been hiding here so as not to have to go to the ceremony. He always did find them boring.” Slug removed his own glove and placed his hand flatly on the child's head. “Though if we're lucky, this may be a blessing in disguise...”

A moment later, Slug smiled.

“Sure enough,” he remarked, standing up and replacing his glove, “he knows the pass code. Let's go.”

While the small change in Irik's power had been subtle enough to ignore, the sudden flaring and disappearance of Kuji's ki was noteworthy enough to startle and catch the attention of most Namekians paying attention, most notably all three elders.

Troubled words were exchanged. A message from a concerned father was spoken into the minds of his friends. A strong and wise leader departed to investigate.

They were magnificent in appearance, but something about them gave her chills.

Within seconds, Slug had accessed the compartment and removed a small case containing a set of odd glass orbs. There were seven in total, each barely the size of Shio's fist and all a deep reddish-orange in color. Each one had an increasing number of crystal-like fragments that seemed to resemble stars. They were pitch black, almost unnaturally so, and seemed to float ominously like trapped ghosts. An inner light from the Balls glowed in a soft, strobing pattern, almost like a heartbeat.

“An interesting-looking set,” Slug commented, examining the comparatively tiny three-starred ball in his massive hand. “I wonder why Katatz would take such effort to secure them like this, but,” he replaced the orb and began to carry the small case out into the hall, as Shio meekly followed. “It's no matter. They'll serve their purpose.”

The two quickly made their way out to the balcony. Slug hastily but carefully removed the orbs from their container and laid them gently on the floor, where they continued to hum and glow in unison. He stood and addressed Shio.

“Watch closely,” he said. “This will be something you'll likely never get to see again.”

He turned to the Dragon Balls, spread out his arms, and issued them a command.

“Dragon! Come out and grant my wishes!”

The tremor happened without warning, and it knocked Kale right off her feet.

Along with it came the third wave of mysterious sky-enveloping darkness that she'd been witness to since she'd woken up. Despite the onslaught of unexpected phenomena, she'd managed to safely make her way from her hiding spot, some few miles from the city in a large tree, to the small island plateau which the group had chosen as their meeting spot. Beat and Barus had already arrived, and the Saiyan trio could do little more than stay hidden and freak the hell out.

“An EARTHQUAKE now?!” She panicked, desperately trying to regain her footing. “What's going on with this stupid planet?!”

“Damned if I know!” Beat was desperately clutching to a tall rock for balance. “This didn't happen with any of the other blackouts!”

“Look,” noted Barus, who had decided to simply sit down and ride it out. “Even the darkness is different this time.”

His two compatriots followed his gaze to see that he was right. While the previous cases of the shadow had been calm, even serene, this instance was more violent in nature. The blackness seemed to warp and contort itself, and bolts of otherworldly lightning arced across the sky. If the earlier examples were like the trail ends of a sunset, this was more akin to the windy overcast before a typhoon.

As the Saiyans' stupefied attention was focused at the sky, none of them noticed when the earthquake subsided after a few more moments, until a familiar voice emanated from over the edge of the rocks.

“Ooof,” it said, as a chubby figure wobbly heaved itself up onto the level ground. Kob rolled into a clumsy sitting position, a few scuffs visible on his person. “What the hell was that all about? I was climbing up here and suddenly, WHAM, the whole landscape starts shaking! Knocked me on my ass and I rolled all the way down!”

“We're as confused as you are,” Kale said, brushing him off a bit. “It's got something to do with their ceremony, probably.”

“Well, we're just waiting for Pinach, now. If he were here yet, I'm sure he'd probably be able to explain it,” Beat sarcastically noted. “Brainiac seems to have an answer for everything.”

“Afraid not,” Pinach answered from the other side of Beat's rock.

“AAAGH!” Beat recoiled in surprise. “Stop doing that!”

“When'd you get here?” Kale asked.

“Right before the earthquake started,” he answered, continuing to gaze at the sky. “Whatever's going on, it's definitely not natural. No simple eclipse could have an effect like this.” He turned and spoke to Beat. “Is something wrong?”

The leader was standing there, repeatedly clenching his fists and looking over himself, as if for some reason he had to become familiar with his own body.

"Beat?" Kale inquired. "What is it?"

"My power's starting to come back, but," He looked up and asked. "Is it just me, or does anyone else actually feel stronger than before?"

“Well,” Slug commented. “This is certainly unexpected.”

Biggest understatement in the universe, Shio thought to herself. There's an actual creature involved with these things? I suppose it makes some sense. They're called dragon balls after all, so no surprise that there's an actual dragon, but...

Well, the thing was huge.

As soon as Slug had summoned the creature, it was like the entire planet had spasmed. First, the sky had taken on a pitch black hue far more ominous and chilling than the previous cases. A shock wave had then seemingly exploded from the Dragon Balls and shaken the entire globe, before forming into a massive stream of energy which arced upwards and around through the sky. After a few seconds, the stream began to take a physical form.

Now before Shio's very eyes, there was an enormous dragon. Its vast and mighty tail stemmed from the now intensely radiant Dragon Balls and transformed into a monumentally large and long body covered in blood-red scales and a pale white underbelly. It whipped and coiled through the sky, lengths of it stretching out to the horizon.

Its head was almost as immense as the capitol building itself, and it came to hover downwards to face its summoners. It was adorned with long, flowing, river-like whiskers and devilish bone horns, and eyes that glowed a bright golden yellow.

“REFLECT UPON YOUR DESIRES, MORTALS, AND I WILL GRANT YOUR WISH.”

Shio was awestruck to the point she could barely stand, much less form a coherent sentence. Slug, however, seemed far more confident, as if being face-to-face with such monstrous creatures were just another facet of everyday life.

“The same standard greeting, eh?” He chortled. “Somehow I get the feeling your size isn't your only special point.”

“CORRECT,”it answered. “MY POWERS ARE NEAR LIMITLESS. THEY FAR OUTSTRIP ANY OTHER OF MY KIND KNOWN TO THIS WORLD.”

“Good to know, good to know,” Slug responded. “Well then, dragon. We have wishes for you.”

“BE AWARE,” it suddenly informed them. “I CAN GRANT ONLY ONE.”

Both his hosts were taken aback. This was unexpected indeed.

“Are you kidding me?” Slug complained. “The most powerful dragon on the planet, created by the head Dragon Clan Elder himself, is only capable of granting ONE wish?”

“CHOOSE WISELY.”

“Very well, it's all the same.”

Shio blinked. “...What?”

He turned around to her and displayed his usual malevolent smile. “It appears our partnership has come to an end,” he sneered before turning back to the dragon. “Now if you'll excuse me...”

No. No no no, she wouldn't let this happen. She'd come too far, sacrificed too much. She'd spent precious years of her life away from her home world, keeping herself going through low-level bounty hunting, all the while searching for something, anything that would let her accomplish her goal. Even if it resulted in the end of her life here, there was no way she would let this chance, however slim, go to waste.

It was this desperation and determination that gave Shio the burst of adrenaline she needed. She launched herself forward in front of Slug and made her plea to the dragon before he could react.

“Please,” she shouted. “Return to life the Sodian named Zault!”

“What?!”

“AN EASY MATTER,” the dragon's mighty voice boomed. Its monstrous eyes brightly flashed, and a sound like a sonic boom resonated from it. “IT IS DONE.”

Both present mortals were awestruck, each for their own reasons.

“R-really? He's back?”

“SUCH A FEAT IS WELL WITHIN MY CAPABILITIES. HE WILL ONCE MORE WALK AMONG HIS OWN PEOPLE.”

Shio dropped to her knees and expelled a sigh of relief that she felt had been held for years.

“Thank goodness...”

“FAREWELL...”

“N-no,” Slug stammered. “NO!”

But it was far too late now for him to do anything. The dragon slowly faded away, his gargantuan form slowly disappearing into smoke. Illuminated, it focused and contracted itself, and in one fluid motion, all funneled back down into the Dragon Balls. As the now-inactive glass spheres lay there, steam rising from them, the sky steadily faded back to normal, the eclipse visible off to the East.

Both parties remained motionless for a few moments thereafter, each perfectly aware of the present situation. The wish was done. Thorgas could be sensed well on his way, rapidly closing in on the capital, and there was no more time for another summoning.

Slowly, Slug turned his head to face Shio. His expression was a stern one, appearing calm on the surface, but undoubtedly masking an immeasurable amount of rage beneath it.

“That,” he said, “was very foolish of you.”

Shio raised her head to face him. She wore the bittersweet smile of one who had contentedly accepted her fate.

“The man I revived was, or is again now, a man who once made a big difference on my home planet, before his life was ripped away from him and it all went to waste,” she explained. “I'm sorry for deceiving you... no, actually, I'm not. But this was the only way. Now he'll be able to make that difference again. An even bigger one, since he's literally come back from the dead...”

Slug only continued to stare, the scowl never receding from his face.

“I only wish,” Shio said, barely holding back tears. “That I got to see him one last time.”

“So it seems you do understand,” he continued, “just what is going to come of this.”

“From the moment I first spotted you, and witnessed how brutal you were back at the tavern,” she answered, “I expected I wouldn't survive dealing with you. But,” she sighed again. “I've finally done what I set out to do. What happens to me now doesn't matter...”

“Damn straight it doesn't!” Slug suddenly and violently thrust forward an arm and clenched his fist around the front-most locks of her hair. “You think I give a damn about you? About your pathetic little world? NO!” He raised her up above the ground. “That dragon... THAT DRAGON... do you know there are usually strict limits to what they're capable of? But that one... it was far more powerful than any I've ever seen. Odds are, it had no such limits! I could have been granted power beyond even my wildest dreams!

“But you,” he pulled her face in close. “You ruined it. Wasted the singular wish on something so stupid and trivial! Robbed me of my rightful power! You were little more than a scapegoat to begin with, but now I see I would have been better off just breaking in on my own. Nobody would be able to contest me anyway!” And now, for your interference…” he forced her back down onto her knees, and she offered no real resistance. “I will end you.”

He extended his free hand squarely in front of Shio's face. His hand began to crackle and glow as he gathered energy within it, preparing to deliver a lethal blow.

But he was suddenly cut short. Thorgas had arrived. He rocketed in at top speed from far overhead, his flight aura dissipating as he came to a sudden halt only a short distance above the balcony. He quickly looked over the situation and called out to his son.

“There you are, Slug!” He began to slowly float down. “What's going on? Who's she? Are Kuji and Irik alright?”

As his father landed, Slug took one more glance at Shio before roughly heaving her out between them.

“She's responsible,” he said. “She's evidently able to mask her ki. It appears she killed Irik and came after these Dragon Balls.” He pointed to them. “I'm afraid I was too late to prevent her from making her wish. But I've caught and apprehended her, and I'll be more than happy to conduct an interrogation.”

“I'm sure,” Thorgas responded, still taking in the scene. He then closed his eyes, concentrating on the life forces around him. “Kuji... appears unconscious, yet not seriously harmed. But Irik is gone.” He opened his eyes again, studying Shio. “You say she killed him?” He received a nod from Slug in response.

Thorgas calmly approached her and tenderly spoke, to ease her clearly visible fear.

“I remember you, woman. From the tavern,” he said. As he reached her, he gently extended an arm, lightly placing a hand atop her head and closing his eyes again. “Remain still.”

A long moment passed.

“She could not have killed Irik,” Thorgas finally announced. “I've probed her ki, and even within her deepest reserves, she lacks the power to do so.”

He removed his hand and placed it on her shoulder, turning back to his son.

“Slug... What really happened?”

“...”

“Oh no...”

All eyes turned to the newcomers. Floating at the edge of the railing was Katatz, accompanied by two younger Namekian warriors. The Elder was staring intently at the silent Dragon Balls which still lay together on the balcony floor. He made a careful landing and then quickly hobbled his way over to them, addressing Thorgas as he passed.

“Is Kuji alright?”

“He's been knocked out, but he's no longer in any danger,” Thorgas responded. “Is something wrong?”

Katatz reached the orbs and knelt down to examine them, a cold sweat breaking out over his brow.

“Oh no, it's true,” he lamented. “I was afraid of this...”

“What is it, Katatz?” Thorgas repeated as he moved over to his fellow elder's side. Shio stuck close beside him, all the while keeping a vigilant and nervous eye on the brooding Slug.

Thorgas spoke again. “Those Dragon Balls, are they yours? They look... different than usual.”

“Yes, they were... an experiment. But I sealed them away... I never meant for them to be used, because they were so dangerous.”

“What do you mean, 'dangerous?'”

“Every set of Dragon Balls operates under a balance of Positive and Negative energy,” the old Namekian explained. “Positive energy is what the dragons use to grant their wishes. It is a wonderful, creative force. However, use of this energy leaves a destructive and void-like energy in its place called Negative energy. Normally, Dragon Balls turn to stone for some period of time, so that they can re-absorb the Negative energy lest it build up.

“But these were a test of a new method. A normal dragon is limited by the power and spirit of its creator. But these... these Dragon Balls are not so. I created them, but they hold no connection to me. They are independent and self-sustaining. I thought this would be a way to create a wonderful new set that could be used by generations to come even after my passing. They were meant to be my masterpiece. My last great contribution and gift as the Dragon Clan Elder...

“But soon after their creation, I could tell that something wasn't right. Without the connection to me serving as a threshold, the pent-up power within the Dragon Balls only kept growing. It manifested itself as something ominous. Something frightful. It was too powerful; it scared me, and I knew why.”

“The amount of Negative energy released if they were ever used would be massive, and these Black-starred Dragon Balls would never re-absorb it. They would simply reset themselves and begin amassing Positive energy again. Small amounts of Negative energy are relatively harmless, at least until they are nullified by the balls. But the amount which has now been released by these Dragon Balls...”

Katatz turned his head to face them all, his face stricken with fear and disbelief. “...Will destroy this entire world.”