Rhyme & Reason (Dragon Ball AU)

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Currently looking for additional beta readers- if you are interested, please PM me. Comment any...
Ch. 1- Bulma

TC9078

The Super Saiyan
Location
PA-01
Currently looking for additional beta readers- if you are interested, please PM me. Comment any critiques you have of the story. I hope you enjoy.
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Deep in the forests of Mount Paozu, within a small shrine like house, a small boy slept in his bed. However, it was not a restful slumber. The boy's head was caked in sweat, and he tossed and turned all over, whimpering in his sleep. Suddenly, his eyes shot open. He sat up, panting heavily as he scanned his surroundings. His onyx eyes softened slightly upon realizing that there was no danger, and his muscles relaxed.

The boy tossed off his blankets and climbed off his canopied bed. The boy stood, before staring at the gem his Master had left him before his death. The dream had come again. It had kept coming ever since his Master's death. He didn't understand why it kept coming, or why it kept troubling him so.

"How can a nightmare continuously fool me. It's disgraceful," the boy said to nothing. He sighed and grabbed his small red pole, tying it around his shoulder, before walking out the door to see the cut of wood he had dragged home in the dead of night before he had slept. It was not a big deal, he had just planned on cutting it later. But to this boy, it only served to remind him of his failures.

"I hate this!" he yelled, tossing the wood in the air, before kicking it dead in the middle, splitting it into even chunks that fell on the ground around him. I'm twelve years old! I should be done with this by now! Raditz was finished with his first mission by the time he was four! Yet here I am, no closer to finishing my mission then when I arrived! He screamed in his mind. Yet this world was obviously much more dangerous than the one his brother had encountered. That fact was obvious by the fact that he had a minder.

She wasn't around often, at least not since Gohan had died. Whenever she was there, she was always distant, and the most frequent thing he heard from her was, "when are you going to continue your mission, Kakarot?" She refused to teach him anything, and almost never answered his questions either. Whenever she looked at him, she looked sad. He hated it most because he knew she was his mother. All of the stories that Gohan had read him, or had in his collection, portrayed mothers as nurturing figures, not distant figures who were almost never around.

As Kakarot thought on this, he came across the apple tree that he often looted for food whenever he needed it. He grabbed an apple and started eating it. He absentmindedly wondered what he would eat today. It's not like there was much else to do. He didn't really live anymore, he just existed, and went wherever life bored him into. He didn't have a benchmark to see how strong he was, and so he just kept training. It was losing it's luster. Isn't that funny? A Saiyan getting tired of training. He tossed the core behind him, laughing all the while. I really have been here too long. Suddenly, an orange blur passed in front of his face. Kakarot let go of the branch, letting his tail flip him upside-down as he watched the tiger jump over him.

Well, I guess that's my lunch. He thought, letting go of the branch and dropping to the ground. He drew his power pole off of his back and readied it for the strike. The tiger lunged at him again. Kakarot sidestepped and slammed the pole into the back of the tiger's neck. A snap sounded through the air as the beast fell to the ground, unmoving. So, that's my meat for tonight. A bit lean, but it works. He grabbed his game and began the walk home.

-R&R-
Kakarot was almost home when he heard a loud whirring sound coming from up the dirt path. He looked in that direction, and saw a dust cloud coming toward him. He tried to move out of the way, but just as he was doing so, a large metal object collided with him, sending him spinning through the air, until he landed face first on the ground.

-R&R-

A girl with braided purple hair poked her head out the car, slightly freaking out. "Oh god, is he dead?!" she screeched. Brilliant job, Bulma. You go off on a quest to wish for a lifetime supply of strawberries and you end up killing a kid. She had started her journey in North City and traveled around the Eastern Part of the continent to get here and get the next Dragon Ball, and of course something bad would happen. It's just like Tights warned her, these kinds of quests often end up going bad for one reason or another! But then again, her sister always hung out with that weird alien cop, so it's- Bulma stopped once the boy stood up again.

Oh good, he's ooo-gaaaah! What is he doing?! The boy extended a red pole and swung at the car, sending it flying into the air before landing on its right side. The boy followed up by continuing to pound away at it with his pole. Not exactly in her right mind, Bulma grabbed her pistol and shoved her head out the broken window, firing as fast as she could at the wild child. The child crashed to the ground on his back before standing up again.

"What the hell was that?!" he screamed.

"You... you shouldn't be alive kid!" Bulma yelled back.

The boy smiled, before holding out his pole in front of him. "Your weapons are useless against my might. Now I shall end your existence right here, monster!"

"Monster?!" she screamed, tossing her gun through the air and waving her arms. Might not have been safe, but she wasn't really thinking right now. "I'm not a monster! I'm a human! Just like you!"

"Human?" he asked, mostly to himself. "But your hair..." he was interrupted by a loud bang. Her gun must have landed and gone off. Bulma sighed and climbed out of her car, landing on the ground.

"See? I'm not a monster, I won't bite." she said. The boy walked up to her and circled her. He stood on her right and lifted up her dress with his pole briefly.

"Shame on you! What do you think you're doing?!" she screamed, slapping away his pole.

"Checking to see if you had a tail. I didn't think you would, but it can't hurt to check," he said, as if it were obvious. She noticed he had exactly that. "My Master told me that if I met a girl that I should be nice, and not kill them."

"Shouldn't that be obvious?" she mumbled, slightly scared. "Is your Master around here?"

"No, he died a long time ago," he said, walking over to her car. "Oh, if you're not a monster, than this is probably a piece of technology used for transportation."

"Um... yeah, we call it a car," she replied deadpan.

"So, does that mean that you're from the big city?" he asked, curious.

"If you mean Orange Star, then no. I'm from West City, on the other side of the world." she replied.

"Great!" he grabbed his tiger by the tail. "Follow me! I'll give you shelter and some food, and we may discuss your city!"

She quickly pulled out her radar and pressed the button. The Dragon Ball was located not too far in front of her, so it was easy to infer that the kid was in possession of it. If I just follow him, I can easily take my third one. I'll have my lifetime supply of strawberries in no time! I'll show you, sis! I really can do this! She followed after the boy.

"So. We're having... tiger for lunch. What's on your agenda?" She asked, continuing to look around at the heavy forest around the path upon which they walked.

"Were you not paying attention? We can eat and discuss various matters. If you wish, you can watch my exercises, I am a bit of a Martial Artist." He explained, sounding incredibly bored, even closing his eyes and slumping when saying it. Oh right, that reminds me, I need to write Dr. Norimaki to thank him for the assistance in finding out these legends. The two walked in silence for some time, occasionally having to dodge roots laying around a road that likely hadn't been used in decades.

"Hey, kid. Do you have a name?" Bulma asked. It was always possible that this boy didn't have a name, many children that grew up far from civilization either don't have one or don't remember what theirs was.

"Daikyō Kakarotto, I'm not from this planet." Kakarot replied. "However, you may just call me Kakarot. What's yours?"

"Huh... me?" she asked. He nodded in affirmative. "Bulma." Then she thougth about what he said. "Wait, what was that about you being from another planet."

The boy stopped, as if realizing his mistake. He stood in contemplation for a second, then turned around and gave what he probably thought was a menacing stare. "I'm sorry, do you reveal your deepest and darkest secrets to someone that you just met?"

"Um... no," she replied. Damn kid, don't cut yourself on all that edge. The boy nodded and continued on the path, muttering "stupid" for several seconds while shaking his head. Right as she was about to ask him what he meant by that, the trees began to become fewer and the ground was getting lighter in colour, obviously more traveled upon.

"Nice name, by the way," Kakarot stated, snapping Bulma out of her thoughts.

"Hey! Bulma happens to be quite elegant!" No, it really isn't. I'm named after underwear; there is nothing elegant about that. "It's certainly better than Kakarot." That I do mean. After walking for several more minutes, the forest finally cleared into a beautiful, flora filled field, with a small house in the middle that almost looked like a shrine. Firewood was neatly stacked off to the side of the door, and otherwise, there seemed to be very little around it. It was... actually rather nice. Out in the wilderness, away from all the hustle-bustle of the big cities... "Nice little house you got there, kid."

"Thanks," he replied, "it was my Master's." He looked at the house as if noticing something was off. "One moment." He dropped the tiger and ran over to the doors of the house, which he thrust inward. He stood there in the doorway, listening. Bulma looked around and saw a nice bed, several books, especially a large one in the middle that looked like it had lost most of the binding.

However, in the middle of the room, her eyes struck gold. Or, rather, orange. For in the middle of the room lay a Dragon Ball. A smile slowly made its way across her face. She quickly ran forward and picked up the Dragon Ball. Quickly examining it, she found it to be the Four-Star Ball.

"Oi!" Kakarot yelled, walking right up to her. "Put my Master's orange jewel back!"

"Orange Jewel?" Bulma asked, perplexed. Oh, he must mean the Dragon Ball. However, before she could voice this thought, he had snatched it away. He shot her a look of indignation. Bulma sighed and pulled out her two Dragon Balls from her satchel and placed them on the table. Kakarot looked even more confused than before. Resigning herself, Bulma began to tell him about the Dragon Balls.
 
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All in all, I find your story intriguing. You just need one or two betas to take care of all the confused words and sentences that miss crucial words.

I'm anxious for the next part, in any case.
 
All in all, I find your story intriguing. You just need one or two betas to take care of all the confused words and sentences that miss crucial words.

I'm anxious for the next part, in any case.
Thanks!

Yeah, I know I need a beta... I just never get any replies when I ask around for betas, which basically just leaves me to edit things on my own and try to notice mistakes. I've lost track of how many PM's I've sent all over the place only to never even get the time of day back.
 
Thanks!

Yeah, I know I need a beta... I just never get any replies when I ask around for betas, which basically just leaves me to edit things on my own and try to notice mistakes. I've lost track of how many PM's I've sent all over the place only to never even get the time of day back.
Well, if you can live with an irregular weekday (CET+1) schedule, and your updates aren't too big, I can look at them if you want - it'll just take a few days to get an answer from me, sometimes.
 
Well, if you can live with an irregular weekday (CET+1) schedule, and your updates aren't too big, I can look at them if you want - it'll just take a few days to get an answer from me, sometimes.
Mate, if I can get anyone to look at these things, I would be happy.

That being said, I would be happy to accept such an offer. If you have any concerns with the first update, you can PM me, otherwise I am currently working on Chapter II.
 
Mate, if I can get anyone to look at these things, I would be happy.

That being said, I would be happy to accept such an offer. If you have any concerns with the first update, you can PM me, otherwise I am currently working on Chapter II.
There are a few, but I am currently not close to a desktop PC; though I'll try to get to one before the day is out.

SV Mobile and my phone's autotype aren't conducive to editorial work.
 
Nice beginning! I wonder who is the woman? Is she really his mother? Why wouldn't she push him to complete the mission of she is really his mother?
 
As noted on the idea thread, its an interesting idea, though I can't wait for someone to call Kakarot on trying to sound to edgy/mature XD you do a good job creating mood and tone, especially int he opening and Bulma's.
 
What canon are you following? The one where Bardock and Gine sent him to Earth to be safe from Freeza, or the one where he was actually sent to erradicate all life and everyone in Freeza's army forgot about him until Raditz remembered he existed?
 
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Ch. 2- The Adventure Begins
Thanks to @Ranma-sensei for editing this!
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Somewhere in the world, a door opened, illuminating a dark dungeon, with the armour of the long dead guards acting like torches in the moonlight. Three figures stepped into the room: a black clad woman with dark hair, an anthropomorphic orange dog dressed in a purple ninja outfit, and a short blue skinned imp dressed in a colourful robe and hat. The trio calmly strode forward into the now-illuminated room and up the path leading to the altar in the back... well, mostly calmly.

"Sir... it truly is dark in here. I don't think this place has seen the light in at least the past century." said the dog.

"Quiet, Shu!" snapped the imp as he turned to look at the orange gem sitting on the altar. He carefully walked up the stairs to the altar upon which it sat, before carefully picking it up and walking back to the others. "In any case, that hardly matters now; I'm ready to make my wish!"

The woman cleared her throat. "Emperor Pilaf, sire."

"What is it Mai? I'm kinda in the middle of something here!" Pilaf yelled.

"My apologies, sire, but you can't make a wish with just one Dragon Ball. You need to collect all seven of them." Mai explained.

"You mean... we have to collect more of them?" Pilaf asked.

"Yes. But once they are collected, the Eternal Dragon will come forth for the sole purpose of granting your wish." Mai explained.

"Well, we do have a radar back at the castle. I suppose I can do a bit more searching. Then I will wish to RULE THE WORLD!" Pilaf declared. A silent "of course" sigh passed between Mai and Shu, as they followed the short little Emperor out of the room.

R&R

"I see," Kakarot remarked. "That is a very... interesting power." Bulma looked down at him and saw the smile on his face. It was the trademark smile of when someone was about to do something very bad, but they'll enjoy it. "So... you can wish for anything?"

It took her a moment to realize that he had asked her a question. "Oh, um, yes." She was suddenly getting a feeling that it had been a terrible idea to come here. Then her mind fully acknowleged his smile. I'm going to die. This kid is going to kill me, take my Dragon Balls, and probably kill a ton of people. This is the worst; I don't wanna die like this! I've never even kissed anyone! Her panicked thoughts were interrupted by the very person causing her to panic.

"You can't have it, if that's what you were going to ask," Kakarot said. That snapped Bulma out of her panicked state instantly.

"But... but why not?! You're not exactly going to use it," Bulma observed. If he doesn't give it to me, I'm gonna have a problem...

"I'm not gonna give you my Master's prized possession just on a whim," Kakarot answered. Okay, I can understand that, really. It's not like I'd give away a prized heirloom to someone just because they were collecting it. But at the same time... I really need that Dragon Ball. But what can I... no, I won't... but I really... ugh! Why do I have such qualms now?!

Resigning herself, Bulma forced a smile at the boy. "I get it, I know what you want." Here goes nothing. She pulled aside a part of her dress and showed part of her underwear to Kakarot. "If you give it to me, I'll let you touch it." Why did I say that?! Ugh, I'm a genius but I can say the wrong things at the wrong time.

Kakarot just stared, unmoved. "How depraved is this race that they're selling out their bodies for gems of dubious value?" he deadpanned.

Dubious value, my ass. "I spent a good half a year researching these things! Their value is not dubious!" Bulma shouted. I just finished explaining this to him!

Kakarot started to retort. "All you told me was a-" but then he suddenly stopped and looked to the door. Bulma looked to the same spot as him, but she saw nothing except dust from the wind. Suddenly, Kakarot shot out the door.

R&R

What is she doing here? Kakarot thought frantically as he ran into the clearing. She always showed up at the most inconvenient time imaginable. After circling around the back of the house, he looked in all directions to try and spot her. However, the signature had disappeared. Kakarot sighed in relief, hoping it was just a false alarm. He turned on his heel, only to crash directly into the last person he wanted to see.

She just stood there with her arms crossed. She wore battle armour shaped like a dress, and had her tail wrapped tightly around her waist. Her onyx eyes were locked onto his, exact copies staring at each other. After a brief stare-off, she sighed and let her arms down. "Kakarot," she began, "why are you still just here?"

He looked down at the ground. I'm about to get the standard lecture about how I'm failing, and need to get out there and start working on my mission. I understand that I'm failing, I just wish I had a good way of knowing where to start... wait a second! "I was just getting ready to leave," he replied smiling. Perfect! Bulma may be a bit annoying, but she has provided me with the perfect opportunity to start my mission!

His mother did a double-take, clearly not expecting that response. "Wait, after all this time, you're actually getting ready to leave?" Did she really think that I was just going to sit on my hands here forever? I was so incredibly bored that I probably would have left sooner or later, anyway.

"Yep, an earthling came by. She was looking for Gohan's gem. I'm gonna go with her to see this world," he said. Her normally stern face softened, and she even cracked a smile.

"Well, good luck to you, then," she said, before floating off the ground and flying off into the distance. Her calm and happy demeanor had creeped Kakarot out more than anything. If there was one thing that Daikyō Gine Onio was not, it was happy. Despite this, he ran back into the house, where Bulma was still sitting, staring at the door.

"I'm coming with you," he stated. Bulma looked at him carefully, seeming to size him up.

"Why?"

He at least knew the answer to this. "I've lived here my entire life, and never left this mountain. I want to go out and see the world." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Besides, there are many predators and other dangerous creatures that live in this area."

"W-What kind of predators?" she stammered.

"Pterodactyls, tigers, and other assorted animals like them. That's not even talking about the many bandits that inhabit the southern part of this region, many of which happen to be beastmen. Frankly, I'm surprised you even made it here at all without encountering any of them." Kakarot explained.

"Um... then do you want to come along as a bodyguard?" she asked.

"I mean, if that's what you want to call me, then sure," he said. "Just let me keep my Dragon Ball, and I'll come with you."

She seemed deep in thought for a few moments. However, after some deliberation, she smiled brightly. "Okay! You can come with me!" she said. He smiled back at her. Too easy. As thanks, I'll kill you last, Bulma. She jogged out the door and turned around.

"Come on!" she called and waved. Wow, she is eager to leave immediately. Kakarot grabbed a small bag to hold his Dragon Ball in, stuffed it in, and tied it to his belt. As he tied his power pole back onto his body, he truly contemplated what he was doing. He was finally leaving this mountain that he'd lived on for ten years, to finally begin the mission that he had been assigned. Yet at the same time... just the fact that it was a change, something new, was something that warmed his cold heart, if only for a moment.

Kakarot walked outside to find Bulma glaring at him. "Well that took you long enough!" she yelled.

"Do you really want to yell at the guy who can break your bones as easily as he can look at them?" he asked deadpan.

"Yeah, yeah. Be as histrionic as you want," she muttered.

"In any case," Kakarot said, "How are we going to find the Dragon Balls anyway? Do you have a way of finding them?"

"Yep!" Bulma said, voice clearly full of pride. She reached into her satchel and pulled out a small device and held it to him. "This is my Dragon Ball Locator. Though, I always just call it my Dragon Radar. I just press this," she pressed the button on the top, "and it shows where all the Dragon Balls are!"

There were, like she had said, seven blips on the radar. So, one is to the... Kakarot looked up at the sky to check direction, south, and three are to the west, and the rest are right here with us. "How far away is it and how do we get there?"

She studied the radar while tapping her cheek. "About 1400 kilometers to the south is the nearest one. We can't exactly walk that far." She grabbed out a small case from inside her satchel and began inspecting it.

"So... how do you expect us to get there? I can't fly," Kakarot noted.

"Of course you can't, people can't fly," Bulma said offhandedly, not even looking up. Kakarot silently facepalmed. Wow. This planet is even more of a backwater than I thought. I almost feel bad. Almost.

Bulma pulled out a small capsule from the case, pressing the button on top and tossing it. The capsule exploded into smoke, before revealing a small two-wheeled vehicle where it once was. Kakarot rubbed his eyes to ensure he wasn't seeing things. Wait... so this race cannot fly, and seems to be one of the weakest in the cosmos; yet they somehow managed to solve either atomic compression or pocket dimensions and store basically anything inside a tiny capsule?! How did-

"Come on, Kakarot! Hop on behind me!" Bulma called. Kakarot obliged, climbing onto the vehicle behind her and holding on to her. "Hold on!" she yelled as she flexed her wrist, sending the vehicle charging forward. Huh, this isn't too bad. It certainly moves faster than any speed I can run. Kakarot looked around and saw the trees slowly wearing thin as they exited the forest onto the plains. Off into the world I go.

R&R

The woman looked down as the vehicle sped away up the dirt road. Despite the fact that she could easily outpace them if she chose to, she remained stationary in the air, watching the bike go. Kakarot... please find something. I don't care what it is, but find something to love and cherish on this world. Something that will make you not want to destroy it. I hope you will forgive me for all this time, my son. I've never been a good warrior; but I know you will be just as great as your father, if not greater. Travel, learn to love, get stronger.

R&R

Bulma was absolutely on top of the world. Not only had she gotten a third Dragon Ball with little to no effort, but she had gained a ridiculously strong companion who could act as a bodyguard if things got really bad. And since they were in the sticks, it could easily get that way. He had mentioned bandits, after all. I really should have asked Dr. Norimaki to let me take his sister along, she beat up those bank robbers while blindfolded. I doubt this kid has anything that spectacular up his non-existant sleeves. But then again, he busted up my car, so maybe he co-. Her thoughts were immediately interrupted as her lack of focus led to her speeding off a hill and flying through the air for a good seven seconds. The motorcycle hit the ground as Bulma slammed on the breaks as hard as she could until the bike came to a full stop.

"Bulma, you seem to have a severe lack of control over this thing," Kakarot remarked. This kid is going to be the death of me. As she finally came to terms with the fact that, yes, she had almost crashed, and yes, she needed to pay more attention, it dawned on her that she really needed to pee. She hopped off the bike and hit the kickstand down.

"Kakarot, mind waiting here for a second? I need to make a pit stop," she said lightly. Kakarot seemed to be staring into the distance behind her, and took a few seconds to respond.

"I'm not sure that's the best idea Bulma, maybe I should-" he started.

"Oh no you don't! You stay right there you little pervert!" she screamed, running off behind the rock.

R&R

Kakarot simply stared at where Bulma had run off too. He had seen the pterodactyl swoop down behind the rock, and tried to warn her, but she thought he was trying to perv on her. Well, she'll want my help soon. Five, Four, Three, Two, O-. "KAKAROT! GET OVER HERE!" And right on cue. He ran over to the rock. Sure enough, the dinosaur had Bulma wrapped in it's claws. Kakarot sighed, and pulled out his weapon.

"Power Pole, extend!" he called, extending the pole and bringing it down on the dinosaur's neck. The snapping of the creature's neck sounded loud and clear as Bulma fell from the now limp claws. "Power Pole, retract!" The pole retracted to its normal size as he put it away. Bulma just stared at him.

"You... saved me," she said. "Thanks," she added with a smile. Kakarot felt his heart warm a bit. Finally, someone appreciated him and wasn't just trying to change him or push him into something. But at the same time, Kakarot didn't want to show any kind of weakness.

"I didn't do it for you," he said. "If you die, I have no way of finding the Dragon Balls. I can't exactly read the Dragon Radar."

Bulma's smile didn't waver one bit. "Yeah, yeah okay," she replied, clearly not believing him. That was fine with him, she didn't have to. Kakarot simply walked back around the rock to the motorcycle. About 30 seconds later, Bulma came back, and the two sped off again. This time however, Bulma was glaring at Kakarot noticeably less often.
 
It is played for laugh in the manga, but Bulma clearly just tried to buy the dragon ball by selling her body. Pretty interesting that her first way trying to gain the dragon ball is to prostitute herself.
 
I thought gine was just an apparition.
So she was with him and taught him nothing?
The only difference that is readily apparent so far is that he did not fall and become dumb.
 
I thought gine was just an apparition.
So she was with him and taught him nothing?
The only difference that is readily apparent so far is that he did not fall and become dumb.
She must have taught him something - Kakarott's obviously Saiyan knowledge of physics must have come from somewhere.

Also, she seems to not want him to go the way of the galactic mercenary, if the signs are anything to go by.
 
I always thought of it as a basic knowledge package they get alongside their mission parameters if they are sent out as infants.
Is this story a rewrite of Kakarot and the Quest for the Dragonballs?
 
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An interesting chapter, Bulma no longer taking Kakarot's theatrics seriously amuses and pleases me XD

Kakaraot's attitude raises so many questions as he bounces around the mood and planning mental scapes of decision making and his mothers presence even more-so, though wasn't she meant to have been an elite and just a pacifist?

Regardless, things have set off on their canon path, I guess we'll see what happens, would be kind of hilarious if he's a bit weaker than canon because Gohan senses some malice in him and so was more careful in his training XD Also loved the bit with Pilaf, neat world building and scene setting!
 
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