Dragonball ZT RPG

Central Conflict

Opening
Last time on Dragonball ZT, after finally arriving on Namek, the heroes began their journey to collect the Namekian Dragonballs. Travelling to the northeast village nearby their landing site they were met by the Elder Eskar, who dispatched the heroes to a nearby lake in the south, where a seaweed delicacy known as Fadeleaf was under guard by Steeltooth Piranhas. These piranhas were all too eager to take a bite out of anything that might come their way, and the Namekians were unable to bypass them on their own.

With the added difficulty of lack of oxygen, the heroes were able to take on the fishy threat with some difficulty, not only battling three ever-growing schools of the menace, but the fog of war and friendly fire as well, all in order to recover enough Fadeleaf to satisfy Eskar.

Upon return to the village, they were granted the 5-Star Dragonball as their reward. With his parting words, Eskar noted that two villages on the central continent each housed a Dragonball for the heroes to collect.

Now, it's onwards to the central continent and the new challenges that await!

Episode Summary
It had been several days since the expedition in to the village near the landing site. Since then, the 5-Star Dragonball had been secured in the ship's hold, and a small cap had been established with the capsules provided to Jamaros all that time ago on Earth by Bulma. The tent and healing chamber provided some level of comfort, while the food processor were a handy backup in case something happened to the ship's internal systems; the food packs would provide a last ditch effort it all else failed.

As Eskar mentioned when he granted the heroes his Dragonball, there was a central continent, estimated roughly four thousand kilometers to the west, which had two more villages with Dragonballs in them. After a short discussion, the group decided to depart, with Vulcan bringing both his Vulculites - now dubbed Janos the Arlian and Bartholomew the Namekian - along with him. With Dragon Radar in hand, they departed from the camp and headed west, crossing the landmass with Eskar's village and then hitting open ocean. A few islands could be seen dotting the waters, with one island roughly the same size as the one they landed on. The Dragon Radar picked up a northern Dragonball as being slightly closer than the one directly west, through the difference was minimal. Eventually they reached the edge of the central continent, spanning north-by-south with a great inner sea separating its western and eastern parts.

Kukem didn't consider using the Dragon Radar to scout beyond the central continent, and while Jamaros got the impression that something was amiss since they landed, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Nonetheless, the group decided to head to the northern village first. Eventually they came to the sight of the small village hugging the northern coast of a lake feeding into a river running west. Landing, they spotted a few Namekians tending to their farmland patches, while others relaxed. From one larger building in the center of the village a tall, skinny Namekian exited and looked at them with his hand shielding his eyes from the daylight, wearing the same clothing as Eskar had been. "Greeting, travellers, I am Shiel, the village elder here. What brings you this way?"

The group quickly updated Shiel on their plans to collect the Dragonballs, while Vulcan and his Vulcunites separated and began to proselytize amongst the locals. "A hunt for the Dragonballs, you say?" Shiel nodded as he looked everyone over. "Your cause does appear to be noble enough, and from what I can sense, you are all telling the truth. Hmm..."

Several of the younger-looking Namekians approached the elder, "Elder Shiel, allow us to test the travellers! It will be a challenge of friendly combat to see if they are skilled in battle!" Unlike the elder, they wore only a white cape with a brown sash and dark pants, and their traditional brown boots.

Shiel chuckled and looked back at the heroes, "What do you say, travellers? Do you accept the challenge?"

Jamaros nodded with a smile, "Always happy to test my mettle."

Shiel clapped his hands together in excitement, "Excellent! There is plenty of open ground to the north here where you can fight without risking damage to the village. Good luck travellers!"

As Vulcan continued to go building-to-building preaching Vulcunism, the remainder and the four young Namekians all departed for the northern plains, and after arriving, the Namekians all lined up into their combat positions. "We won't go easy on you," one said, grinning wryly.

Everyone powered up, then Kanch beckoned the Namekians with an open palm upwards, raising a Deflection as he did so. Kukem continued to power up, while Jamaros launched into his Speed of the Hunt, striking the first Namekian and knocking him backwards fifty meters. The third Namekian responded by using his Great Namekian form, growing ten times as large. The fourth Namekian launched into a flurry of punches at Jamaros, all striking but doing no noticeable damage, and the second Namekian did as well, but increasing his strength threefold as well; his attack similarly could not make a dent. The first Namekian, now fairly far back chose the energy route, launching a decent-sized energy blast at Jamaros and striking him, but the Saiyan only grinned. "I thought this was friendly!" Kukem yelled out, slightly disgruntled, before launching a small Heaven's Reign into the air, striking both Jamaros and the two Namekians who had attacked him up close.

"Next time, wait for me to get out of the way!" Jamaros retorted, before lunging in his Strength of the Pack at the second Namekian, knocking him back towards the first.

In response to the growing Namekian, Kanch decided to try his own Great Namekian form as well, while Kukem launched his Devastation Cannon at the large third Namekian, who grunted but otherwise wore it. Jamaros then turned to the fourth Namekian, again using his Strength of the Pack and knocking him back with the other two at a distance. The third Namekian using his size and a threefold increase to his strength to drive his fist hard into Kukem, while the other three all channeled their energy together into a large tri-blast directed at Jamaros, scoring a direct hit and causing considerable damage. Kanch struck at his comparably-sized opponent, but the third Namekian's large fist came around and connected directly with Kanch's, blocking his strike. Kukem, becoming more aggravated, began to charge a larger Devastation Cannon.

Kanch struck at the third Namekian again, this time landing his punches, and Kukem's Devastation Cannon continued to grow larger with more charge. Jamaros dusted himself off and powered up once again, while the third Namekian used his size, with another threefold strength boost to uppercut Kanch under his chin. The other three Namekians again channeled their tri-blast attack, this time at Kukem, who countered with his charged Devastation Cannon, along with Jamaros adding more ki with his Lone Wolf Bite, for a counterblast. The two massive beams collided and the center immediately pushed back two dozen meters towards the three Namekians. Jamaros then launched forward, attacking the first Namekian and knocking him into the fourth, before bouncing off into the dirt. He then attacked the second Namekian, knocking him away. Finally he lunged for the fourth Namekian, but the Namekian was able to lift his leg and avoid the strike.

Kukem maintained the beam struggle, pushing the center to only meters in front of the remaining Namekian and Jamaros. The fourth Namekian tried in vain to add more ki into his attack, but couldn't push the blast any further away. Kanch, increasing his own strength threefold, grabbed at the third Namekian and held him firm, while Jamaros attacked the fourth Namekian once again, this time hitting him and knocking the Namekian away; in doing so, he wore the potentially planet-destroying combination of all the energy blasts together as they struck him in the back and knocked him reeling into the dirt, most of his own ki now burned away just to keep him alive. Seeing the amount of raw power that hit Jamaros - and both sensing that his power level was now under five hundred and the fact that he was still alive - the first and second Namekian were paralyzed in place, while the large third Namekian struggled fruitlessly against Kanch's hold.

Kukem launched towards the first Namekian, punching him squarely in the mouth, while the fourth Namekian struck back at Kukem with threefold strength, but doing no damage. Kanch then suplexed the large third Namekian into the dirt. Jamaros powered up with what little ki he had in reserve, asking, "Are you guys alright?" to the Namekians. The first and second Namekians nodded and grinned, utilizing Great Namekian forms themselves, while the third Namekian attempted to uppercut Kukem in the groin, though Kukem was able to block the strike.

Kukem powered up once again, while the large Namekian somersaulted over Kanch, landing and turning around to strike him from behind with a decent energy blast. Kanch simply powered up in response, while Jamaros, angered at the defiance the Namekians showed to his mercy, erupted in a Saiyan Rage and activated his Kaio Ken x5. The first and second Namekians, now quite large themselves, both launched a fist from opposite sides of Kukem's head, connecting one as Kukem ducked below the first, and yet still unable to make any significant impact on the stubborn Saiyan. The fourth Namekian, seeing nothing was getting through Kukem's defenses, was staggered and unable to act.

Kukem then finally snapped himself, his own Saiyan Rage taking over as he used the opportunity to begin charging a Devastation Cannon with fourfold reflexes and a homing element. The fourth Namekian did what he could and began to charge his own energy blast in return, while Kanch turned around and erupted his Makouhou Beam from his mouth into the third Namekian that had attacked from behind. "We tried to warn you!" Jamaros screamed, before pulling out his Wooden Hammer and striking the fourth Namekian mid-charge, knocking him into the dirt, his pupils vacant and only the whites of his eyes showing. The first and second Namekians acted in unison, using threefold strength as the first gut-checked Kukem with a fist, while the second roundhouse-kicked Kukem in the head, but the Saiyan remained unphased. The third Namekian ran forward towards Kanch, jumping high in the air and cupping his fists together, bringing them down with force on Kanch's head and dropping him to the ground, although unharmed. Finally, Kukem finished charging his attack, and launched his immense Devastation Cannon at the second Namekian, knocking him back fully within the blast and dropping him to the ground, the whites of his eyes and his shrinking size betraying his unconscious condition.

At this point Jamaros had had enough, and his hair erupted upwards in golden hue as he transformed into a Super Saiyan, his Wooden Hammer now connecting with the first Namekian and sending him reeling into the dirt unconscious and resized. Kukem launched another, smaller Devastation Cannon at the third - and last remaining - Namekian, dropping him to his knees. Kanch asked for him to yield, but the Namekian only grunted, so Kanch used a downward strike on the kneeling Namekian's head, driving him into the ground like a sapling. The Namekian spat out dirt and muttered, "Yield…" as he shrank in size back to normal.

Digging himself out of the dirt, the third Namekian then helped the others up from the ground as they coughed, though some were unable to stand. Another muttered aloud, "How could you have possibly gotten so strong... we need to train much more to be able to protect our villages if this is what the galaxy has to offer..."

While the fight was ongoing, Vulcan had several doors slammed in his face for trying to push Vulcunism too strongly. He then noticed the village's Dragonball in the elder's building, and began to make his way towards it, remaining undetected as he did so, until he finally entered the building and was spotted by Shiel. Using his wits, he was able to convince Shiel that he was simply lost, but as Janos and Bartholomew entered, the rest of the villagers began to grow suspicious. Vulcan eased their minds by beginning to perform various flashy techniques with his longsword, and convinced Bartholomew to grab the Dragonball for him. Bartholomew agreed reluctantly, beginning to second guess his fit with Vulcunism. He finally grabbed it, however Shiel became alarmed, and Vulcan was just barely able to talk his way out of the corner he painted himself into, as Shiel allowed Bartholomew to continue to hold onto the Dragonball until the others returned.

Everyone else made their way back to the village, where Shiel awaited to hear how they fared. The young Namekians didn't hold back in their descriptions of what happened, and Shiel's eyes grew wide with a look of surprise. "Most impressive, travellers. Your strengths are truly incredible." He headed into the larger building briefly, returning with the Namekian 2-Star Dragonball he took from Bartholomew. "You are indeed worthy of this village's Dragonball. Please take it in peace, and may your journey continue to bring you good fortunes."

Vulcan came out from behind and accepted the Dragonball on everyone's behalf. With the 2-Star Dragonball firmly under Vulcan's arm, Shiel bowed his head in recognition before waving goodbye to the heroes as they turned to depart.

After a short debate over whether to head back and recover first or carry on, the heroes agreed to go as one group together onwards. They arrived at the village in the center of the continent, running along the southern side of a large river that fed east into the inner sea. As before, the Namekians appeared friendly and unconcerned about their appearance. A couple Namekians in front of the larger central building raised their hands slightly as one spoke, "Elder Whelka is just inside, please wait while we announce your arrival. he'll want to greet you."

They ducked their heads inside the central building for a moment, and a short, thin, lightly-toned Namekian exited between them. He approached the group, and upon seeing Kanch, his expression grew fond. "My dear Conch, you finally returned! It has been so many years since you departed as a young child, there is so much to discuss! Tell me, what did you learn of the Nameless Namekian? Where did you end up going?"

"Well, I went to Earth, grew up and trained with him, eventually absorbed him ,and as such the Earth Dragonballs were all turned to stone permanently." Kanch responded, rather matter-of-factly.

"It might be a lot to take in all at once," Kukem offered.

"Where are my manners," Whelka caught himself. "Please, you and your friends must be here for a reason?"

"Dragonballs." Kanch stated simply.

"Yes, well, we are looking to revive a friend we lost, as well as the people of our own planet whom were killed," Kukem paused, stating the rest under his breath, "Which may or may not have been on account of us..."

Whelka nodded, either not hearing or choosing to ignore the last part, "A noble cause, indeed. I cannot refuse such a request from one of Guru's children, let alone one who lived in this very village. Give me a moment, child, and I will be right back."

As Whelka turned, everyone noticed a low power level suddenly blip into existence nearby. After a moment it was gone, then back again instantaneously a few hundred meters closer. While Whelka entered the building, as fast as the power level appeared it was gone again, to reappear even closer.

Jamaros and Kukem didn't pick up on it, but Kanch and Vulcan were able to see out the corner of their eyes a greenish blur. Before Kanch could focus on it, it was gone again, but Vulcan was able to focus in time, identifying a short, chubby green four-eyed alien in Battle Armor breathing heavily. He took a large breath and suddenly was gone. His power level appeared immediately inside the central building. A scuffle could be heard inside the building, and suddenly the alien burst out of the door, the 7-Star Dragonball in hand.

Whelka could be heard screaming from inside, "Stop him, he has the Dragonball!"

Looking around, the alien spotted the four of them and tensed up, "This isn't good..." A strange symbol could be seen on his Battle Armor's left breast. The alien - identified by Kukem as Guldo - immediately held his breath and brought his hands up, using his Time Stop to freeze Vulcan in place. Kanch used a sweeping kick on Guldo, connecting and tripping him, while Jamaros tried to attack with his Wooden Hammer, just barely missing. Similarly, Kukem's quick Devastation Cannon launched over the small alien's head as he fell to his knees.

Guldo stood back up, brought his hands up, held his breath... and suddenly he was gone. As if he never existed, his Time Stop on everyone in the village allowed him to escape relatively unharmed. In the air the heroes could just catch the sound of a nefarious giggle and the words, "The Ginyu Force is victorious yet again!" fading away.

"The Ginyu Force?" Vulcan asked, perplexed.

Kukem coughed, "The Ginyu Force are the elite arm of Frieza's army, I've worked with them before in passing."

Jamaros arched a brow, "Frieza? Isn't he that changling you and Tnsumi mentioned before?"

Kukem nodded, "Yeah, and he's way stronger than anyone else, though no one knows just how strong he can possibly get... clearly he has an interest in the Dragonballs if he sent the Ginyu Force here. The good news is Guldo is their weakest member, but the bad news is they get a lot stronger than him..."

Whelka finally exited the building, a bruise on his head clearly visible from the scuffle within. "What happened? Where did he go? And how did he get inside?" All of the questions simply brought a collective shrug from everyone. "This is no good. If they can steal Dragonballs, then who knows what else they could be up to... Travellers, please, you must try and stop them if you can! Conch, there may still be villages that have not yet been raided. Please help them!"

"We will do what we can," Kanch responded. Whelka nodded sagely, holding his head, while the heroes departed the village with haste.

With one Dragonball in hand, albeit awkwardly, they group took the time to make their way back to camp to refocus, rest, and prepare for the next leg of the journey. There were still several villages with singular Dragonballs to be collected, but a second collection appeared to be growing to the southeast. Whoever they were, their less-than-honorable means of gathering the Dragonballs were unsettling, and eventually their paths must cross again.