Chereads / Dragon Ball Re:Birth / Chapter 5 - Flash Forward

Chapter 5 - Flash Forward

After some time, the dragon balls are ready once more to grant a wish, and with the dragon balls' appearance unleashed, Goku begins his journey to find the four-star ball.

As Goku floats off on Nimbus he looks down, shouting to all of us at Kame House, "Thanks for all your help Master Roshi, Adder, see you soon!" Goku says as he whizzes off on Nimbus.

He really is something else, crazy to think in the future he's going to rival the gods, I thought to myself.

Turning to face the forest of the training island, Master Roshi grabs my attention, "Adder."

Spinning to face him I respond, "Yeah?"

"How about another match, let's see how those beasts are helping shape your development," Master Roshi comments.

Look's like I'll get to fight sooner than expected, I thought to myself.

Assuming Baki's stance I stand focused, a silence only broken by the occasional hustle and bustle of animals in the nearby forest.

Rushing forward, I throw a jab toward Master Roshi but I quickly vanish from my location, leaving an afterimage, soon appearing behind Master Roshi.

Tucking my arm into my chest, I hurl the back of my fist toward Master Roshi's left side, however, he quickly ducks.

Jumping backward he slams his turtle shell in my face, causing my eyes to water.

Suddenly, I feel a strange sensation, it feels like it's coming toward my feet.

Jumping up, I throw a straight kick at the location, impacting Master Roshi's hand.

Grabbing the heavy turtle shell, I spin around quickly, shooting the shell towards Master Roshi, but like a skilled dancer he grabs it, spinning around, and hurls it towards me.

Throwing my palm out, I take the brunt of the attack, pushing me back a foot or two.

Master Roshi slips out of my line of sight, forcing me to hone my senses, but it's not my eyes that save me this time, it's the same strange sensation from before.

Flipping backward, midair I see Master Roshi kicking where my legs would've been, instead it's now empty air.

That's ki sense, I get it now, I thought to myself.

Landing on my feet, I hurl the turtle shell to my side, it embedding itself in the ground from its own weight and the force of the throw.

"Seems you've finally done it," Master Roshi comments.

"That it would," I say in kind, slowly catching my breath.

"But…" Master Roshi says before vanishing, leaving an afterimage.

Feeling his presence behind me I spin towards him, planting a kick into his chest, but my foot goes through one of his afterimages, instead, he is directly to my right, planting a kick into my abdomen.

Sending me flying into a tree, I smash through it with little resistance, landing on the other side of it.

"Ya' gotta hone it, just feeling a vague direction won't cut it!" Master Roshi berates me.

That stung, he's starting to take this more seriously, that's good, I thought to myself.

Chuckling to himself, Master Roshi continues, "Let's call it there, Launch is cooking us some dinner, as well as a little something else," Master Roshi says with a haze above him.

"Sure thing," I respond.

Before Master Roshi leaves, I decide to ask him, "Actually Master Roshi, I need to ask a favor of you."

***

Over three long years, Goku battles with many foes, including the red ribbon army, demon king piccolo, and many others. Eventually, Goku finally begins his trek to the top of the lookout to meet with Kami in order to resurrect his friends.

Upon arriving at the summit, Goku spots me training with Mr.Popo, "Adder!"

Running to me Goku jumps with excitement, "What are you doing here!"

Stepping backward, I disengage from Mr.Popo, looking at Goku I say, "Hey Goku, happy to see you again, it's been a while."

Suddenly I struck with a blow to my face, sending me tumbling backward, Mr.Popo scolded me, "Don't look away during fights."

Holding my cheek, I rub it to soothe the pain, "Damn Popo, think you can learn to pump the brakes."

"You're training to fight, making such a basic mistake could cost you your life you know!" Mr.Popo scolds me intently.

Jumping to my feet, I put my hands to my side before turning to Goku, "So, what brings you to the lookout Goku?"

Training obviously, but I kinda forgot what exactly he does here, I thought to myself.

Kami emerges from the lookout, approaching us, "You must be Goku, I've heard much about you from your friend here."

Chuckling as Kami approaches, I say, "Just got here and he's already seeing the top dog, I guess the kid's like that."

Goku looks at Kami as he exits the shadows, enraged upon seeing him, "Piccolo!" Rushing forward he yells as he throws a punch toward Kami, "Give me back my friends!"

With a mere flick, Goku is sent flying, and Popo quickly catches the boy.

Yeesh, so that's what happens here, forgot about that, to be honest, I thought to myself.

"He isn't Piccolo!" Popo explains loudly to him.

Soon Kami goes on to explain everything, from his origin, to how he plans to resurrect Goku's friends and the conditions of such.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you Mr.Guardian!" Goku says in an elated tone, excited to meet his friends again.

Turning to face me, Goku quickly asks, "Let's start right away!"

***

Over the course of three more years, Goku and I spend our time training on the lookout, pushing each other farther with each passing day. As we grow in strength our training is increased in difficulty, until finally, the day arrives.

"We're off Kami! Thanks for everything, we'll make sure to visit from time to time," Goku says as he calls down Nimbus.

"Adder…" Kami says to me as Goku stands on Nimbus, waiting for me.

"Don't use that technique, your body can barely handle it, only use it in emergencies," Kami informs me.

Walking towards Goku, I throw a thumbs up to Kami, before Goku and I rocket off toward the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament.

While flying there, I ask Goku, "Why aren't you flying, you learned how to do it?"

"Haven't rode the Nimbus in a while, wanted to give it a spin," Goku explains.

Ah, a sucker for nostalgia, gotcha, I thought to myself.

Arriving shortly after, we both land, with Nimbus flying off into the horizon, we approach the front entrance.

Gathered at the front, Goku's friends gather around us as we approach, failing to recognize Goku, but quickly recognized me.

Yamcha speaks to me quickly, "Holy crap Adder, you've bulked up again, it's hard to recognize you!"

"Whose this?" Tien asks.

Yamcha answers Tien, "Oh yeah, you've not met Adder yet, he never came to the 22nd tournament."

Putting my hand forward, I move to shake his hand, "Nice to meet you."

Shaking my hand, he introduces himself, "Likewise, my name's Tien."

Krillin and Goku's reunion is fun to watch in person, but I'm transfixed on Yamcha, his appearance differs from that of the show, he has fewer scars and his gi is a bit different.

Approaching Yamcha, I comment, "I heard you stopped by Korin's some time ago, if I'd known I'd have come to visit."

Yamcha apologizes sincerely, "Sorry, we were pretty busy… Wait you were on the lookout?" Yamcha asks.

"I've been training there for the past six years," I respond.

Yamcha is taken aback by this, "You must be pretty strong by now!"

"Let's fight in the tournament, don't lose early you hear?" I declare.

Seemingly invigorated by the declaration, Yamcha motions for a fist bump, "You can bet on it!"

Giving Yamcha a fist bump I respond, "Happy to hear it."

The preliminaries provided an enjoyable selection of fighters, with Mercenary Tao being beaten by Tien before even making it to the quarter-finals.

Soon after, I am placed against Tien as part of the opening match for the quarter-finals.

Entering the ring, we are face to face, I say in kind, "Happy to hear that you got to fight Mercenary Tao."

"Thank you, but our fight is about to begin, so let's focus on that," Tien replies.

I forgot he was so serious, I thought to myself.

Rushing forward Tien and I exchange several blows, clashing with each other several times, until Tien steps backward. Lunging forward I grab at Tien's wrist, throwing him up into the air before I jump above him.

Throwing an axe kick toward his back, he is sent rocketing into the arena, cracking the ground, and kicking up dust. Dropping to the ground I keep my hands up, assuming a defensive stance, and soon Tien blasts out of the dust shooting a blast from his third eye.

Swatting it away with my hand, I dip forward, before lunging to his right, then finally vanishing to his left, leaving behind an afterimage. Tien strikes at the afterimage as I knee him in the stomach, forcing him to his knees. Stepping backward, Tien suddenly divides himself into four separate bodies.

"Tien, don't use that," I say calmly.

Not hesitating, Tien rushes at me from four angles.

I tried to warn him, I thought to myself.

Pulling my arms into my chest, I raise my energy, before throwing my arms outward, sending a powerful surge of wind all around me, blasting his body doubles out of bounds.

The solar flare technique isn't the only way to win that, I thought to myself.

"A rousing finish!" The announcer declares loudly.

Dropping down to the sidelines, I offer a hand to Tien, "That was a good fight."

Taking my hand I lift him up and we exit the arena together.

What follows next is Goku facing off against Chi-Chi and his subsequent proposal. After this comes the first we see of Piccolo Jr, facing off against no less than Krillin. The match ends quickly, despite Krillin's clever strategies, netting Piccolo the win.

However, something peculiar occurred with Yamcha's match, something I didn't anticipate.

More quiet than usual, Yamcha enters the ring with a serious look on his face, spectators underestimating Hero.

As the announcer declares the start of the 4th match, Hero begins to warm up, striking stances and poses that cause laughter among the crowd.

Yamcha takes great care in his guard, as Hero stumbles past him, he lunges backward, dodging his kick.

What's up with Yamcha, if I recall this fight was essentially a joke, but he is treating it with respect, I thought to myself.

"Good thing Yamcha dodged that," Goku comments.

Glancing at Goku I say, "Noticed it too huh."

Staring intently, Goku watches the fight proceed with great interest.

Totally absorbed, that focus of his is incredible, I still need some practice myself, I thought to myself.

Yamcha lunges in to kick Hero, but at the last second Hero trips, elbowing Yamcha's shin. Leaping backward, Yamcha is grinning, but not a grin of smugness, but as if a sudden realization had just struck him.

Taking a deep breath, Yamcha puts his hands up, preparing the Wolf Fang Fist. Rushing forward a wolf-like apparition manifests itself through Yamcha's aura, soon after Yamcha begins to unleash a volley of strikes at Hero, each attack a little faster than the last.

No way, Kami is on the defensive, I thought to myself in shock.

Quickly, Yamcha begins to overpower Hero, forcing him to fight more seriously until eventually Hero is soon realized to be Kami by Goku. With one swift strike, Hero breaks through Yamcha's Ultimate Wolf Fang Fist, striking him in the solar plexus, instantly forcing Yamcha to his knees.

Despite all of his effort, Yamcha couldn't surpass him, but surprisingly Yamcha is still happy.

Walking past me as I move to the arena for my match with Goku, Yamcha puts a hand on my shoulder, telling me with frustration in his voice, "Sorry… I was too weak."

Stopping, I motion for a fist bump, "That was a damn good fight, don't stop now, keep pushing."

Bumping fists, I walk on, now face to face with Goku.

"Been a long time since we were face to face in a tournament like this," I reminisced.

Limbering up, Goku responds, "Last time we were here you gave up if I remember."

Not this time Goku, this time we're fighting for real, I thought to myself with excitement.

"Don't worry about that, because this time," powering up, I unleash my energy, "We get to fight to our heart's content."

Goku looks on with excitement, as do I, my heart beating something fierce.

"Begin!" The announcer yells.

Rushing forward our fists crash against one another, shaking the ground. Both kicking, our legs clash together, throwing a surging wind outward. Dropping below me, Goku tries to sweep my legs from under me, but a quick leap thwarts that.

Soon after Goku lunges upward, propelled by a swift push off the ground, smashing into my torso with a swift kick, and throwing me backward. Stopping myself in midair, I rush to the ground, bringing my leg down on Goku's forearms, cracking the ground beneath him.

Pushing my leg aside with one hand, Goku throws a punch with his other. Wrapping my left leg around his right arm, I narrowly avoid the punch, before flipping backward, slamming him head-first into the ground.

Rolling away from him, I flip back onto my feet, standing several feet from him.

Jumping up, he lands on his feet, now both of us looking at each other.

Glancing around, I look back to Goku, asking, "How about we give these folks a show," I say as I tap my shirt.

Smiling, he begins to take off his weighted clothes, "Sure thing."

Obliging, I pull off my weighted clothes alongside him, tossing our clothes over to Krillin who comes to pick them up, straining to hold them all.

"That feels much better, haven't had them off since forever ago," I say, jumping in place freely.

Putting my fists up, I smile as I say, "Let's go."

Vanishing from where we stand, we smash against each other like raging tides, each attack shaking the stadium little by little.

Charging ki into my fist, I rush forward, vanishing from in front of him, I reappear beside him hurling my fist toward him, Goku narrowly guards the attack, getting thrown backward.

Stopping himself before he falls out of the ring, Goku zips towards me, crashing into my stomach with tremendous force. Unable to guard in time, I resort to an almost forgotten moment.

Relaxing completely, I am thrown backward by the attack but managed to halt my crawl toward the outside of the arena.

Feeling pain in my stomach, I chuckle, saying, "Good thing I fought Master Roshi all those years ago, he reminded me of this technique, but it's a bitch to use."

It's not perfect, but it'll have to do, I thought to myself.

The announcer yells loudly, thunderously commenting on the proceedings, "Despite taking an attack from Goku head-on, Adder is still standing, how is this possible!"

Taking a deep breath, I relax further, feeling my body go slack, before I rocket forward with explosive speed, drilling my fist into Goku's chest, and sending him flying into the ground.

Shock and awe spread through the spectators as the dust settles until Goku is left standing on his shaky legs.

I've gotten strong, but I can't settle here, come on Goku, fuel my growth to even greater heights, give me more! I thought to myself vigorously.

Barely able to stand, Goku stares on with a dazed look on his face.

"Goku! You can do better than that, you're not a weakling," I yell passionately.

Seemingly snapping out of it, Goku takes a deep breath, before steeling his resolve.

Looking me in the eyes, Goku responds, "Thanks Adder."

Don't mention it, I thought to myself.

Running forward we exchange blows again, with renewed vigor Goku defends with all his might.

Show me what you got Goku! I thought to myself.

Pulling my arm back, I pool my energy into my fist, Goku follows suit, and both of us launch forward, crashing into one another, sending a blinding surge of energy outward, cracking the arena floor.

Thanks for the fight, I thought to myself.

As everyone scans the arena for us, I am left standing, with Goku collapsed on the arena floor.

Crouching down, I throw Goku over my shoulder and walk back to the main room, walking past Hero and Piccolo Jr

Shooting a glare at Piccolo, I say, "Get excited."