Chapter 16 - Fortuneteller Baba

(In an abandoned basement)

A tall lanky man was dragging a short stubby older gentleman through his arms.

"Why are you doing this? Goku will come and get you...you saw how strong he is."

When Goku's name was mentioned, the lanky man shivered from the horror that name brings.

"I-I-I didn't mean for this to happen. That monster was too powerful. Y-You, say that he will come for me and kill me when he sees that I have a hold of you, but he will already come for me after what I already did. So instead of you being another cause for him to kill me, you are now a chance for me to live as long as I have you hostage"

"You b*stard. You will not get away with this, my daughter and Goku will remember me and you will suffer a horrible death.

---

(Meanwhile Back to the Dragon Crew)

'I can't help but feel like I am missing something.'

Goku looked around to make sure everything is accounted for. He couldn't shake the uneasy feeling but chalked it up to the threats that he still feels unprepared for.

Everyone climbed back onto the plane while Chichi and hopped on with Goku to make more space on the plane.

Traveling for a couple of hours was mind-numbing, to say the least in the airplane. At least for with Chichi with Goku, there was more space. But Yamcha couldn't help but whistle in a tune in defiance to the awkward silence.

Finally landing next to an elongated line leading into a building, the entire crew milled out of the aircraft.

Soon after they arrived, a strange-looking spirit passes next to them.

"Are you all here together for the fortune of the Fortuneteller Baba?

"Yes ma'am, er sir, oops, uh, person, sh*t...ghost?"

Laughing quite creepily, the wisp didn't respond to Bulma's blunder and just told the crew to stay in line and wait.

All the people in the line were exaggeratedly muscular with intimidating gazes etched across their brow. They looked like trained bodybuilders the way the started to flex their muscles when new arrivals came in.

"What's with all these muscular guys waiting in line? Are you sure this isn't a bodybuilding gym or something and not a fortune-telling shop?"

"Yeah, everyone here is like muscular peacocks ready to show their muscles on a moment's notice."

Krillin and Yamcha felt like they were waiting in the line of the World Martial Arts Tournament just by feeling the heavy pressure that was asserted by the people in front of them.

Before they could indulge in their worries more, a rich-looking couple walked out of the house looking quite smug and happy.

"So that's where I left my solid gold, diamond-embroiled Gucci purse with a Belle Delphine engravings on it. I might have just killed myself if I couldn't find my ancestral heirloom let alone what our friends would have done if they found out we lost it."

"I know right? They would have ghosted us and called us fake! My reputation would not be able to stand it!"

The couple laughed at their fortune for knowing a fortuneteller and left to find their family heirloom.

"I don't know, those people don't seem like fighters to me. Although I do question their sanity."

Everyone couldn't have agreed more, even Roshi and Oolong would not refute that fact.

"Alright, next in line."

The soft whispers of the wisp entered everyone's ears telling the next group to come. The soft voice was instantly drowned out by the vigorous yelling that the fighters in the front were proclaiming.

No sooner than 5 minutes, they walked back out looking like they were involved in a brutal murder scene.

No one was spared as they all had gauzes or canes to help them with their injuries as they left the house with an extreme look of injustice.

Everyone in the crew started to sweat profusely, instantly regretting their life choices. Oolong even started to pee in his pants but no one really noticed it with the grotesque amount of sweat he leaked out.

"Next!"

The previous soft voice now sounded like a voice from hell that was calling upon their doom to enter hell.

Everyone's legs were stiff, scared to move one more step thinking that they were going to though the gauntlet and wind up beat up like those that came before.

Of course, the only ones that were more nonchalant were Master Roshi and Goku. They nodded to each other before dragging the rest towards the entrance.

They soon were presented before an old granny levitating on a crystal orb.

The instant that they had eye contact with each other, Roshi and Baba could be seen having sparks flying through the air like they were tangible.

"Brother, I see that you are still the old bag of bones of pervertedness incarnate."

Roshi, to prove her point, was staring at the bottom of the blue Launch that accompanied them halfway through the journey to Baba's shop.

Looking back at her and her establishment, he instantly fired back.

"You are still the old hag that will haggle people of their money with your greed."

The sibling relationship was as great as one could hope for.

"Alright Lust and Greed, enough of your antics, can we go back to the matter at hand? Locating an object?"

Goku's words awoke everyone from their fear. They felt quite ashamed that they were showing fear in front of an old granny like Baba but were quite thick-skinned about it.

"You want me to locate an object? 10,000,000 Zeni up front!"

"10,000,000!"

Everyone jumped in fright at the price tag that was offered. Everyone except Bulma of course.

"I can pay for it, but how do I know that you are real and not a scam?"

"Hmph, doubting my abilities in my own establishment? If your rich just test me then!"

Bulma's skeptical nature towards the mystical arts got the better of her. She reached into her back pocket to grab her wallet. Inside it, she took out a silver card and gave it to the floating granny.

"Sorry, I don't accept card. Only cash." Baba was rubbing her two fingers in a money-grubbing motion.

Grumbling, Bulma rang up her household so that her dad could deliver money to her. Rang after rang, Bulma suddenly remembered something. Her face instantly transformed into one of shock and disbelief.

"Goku! I JUST REMEMBERED MY FATHER! DID YOU SEE HIM?"

It was Goku's turn to feel regret and shame. He was so focused on the 'timeline' that he completely forgot the changes that he made. In fact, he didn't even check who he killed in the buildings.

"We need to go back and check, he probably was sent to a special facility because of his status so he has a high chance of being alive. Looks like we will have to postpone getting the final Dragon Ball."

"Not necessarily, we can split into two teams, one who can get the Dragon Ball and the other to find Dr. Briefs. For all we know, Dr. Briefs might be also in the hands of the person who has the other Dragon Ball."

Master Roshi refuted Krillin and suggested going to two teams.

"But we will waste a lot of time going to get the money needed in the first place!"

"You don't only need money to get clairvoyance reading from me."

This time, Baba refuted Chichi's reasonable claim and pursued her own agenda.

"You will fight against 5 fighters, if you win all of them I will give you a reading on what you need."

Everyone took her words into consideration and the risk of splitting the team would hold. Goku saw his chance to redeem himself.

"I will stay and fight alone, you guys are going to need all the eyes and fighters you need in case the enemy is stronger than expected. On the other hand, could fail an still try again later or pay later."

"Are you sure you can do this? I doubt that this will be a walk in the park."

"Goku himself is enough. I will stay and help him."

Oolong voiced his concern but Roshi again voiced his opinion. Everyone looked at Roshi in surprise, including Baba. She was having an increasing interest in the young man before her.

"A-Alright we will go our separate ways. Good luck Goku."

Everyone said goodbye to Goku and Roshi and left in their airplane. Baba led the Turtle Hermit practitioners to the stadium to face his new adversaries.

"Fall into the lake and you lose. Since it is you by yourself, you will face opponent after opponent until you drop or die."

"You don't have any confidence that I will win?"

"Nope."

She popped the P in an aggravating manner to really show her stance.

She called up her first fighter to the stadium by the name of Dracula Man. A bat flew into the stadium from the castle.

He then transformed into a very skinny man with boxing gloves and sharp teeth. His bones that show and pale skin made one skin crawl just by looking at him.

"Battle begin!"

"Goku, Dracula Man could transform into a bat increasing his speed and can suck your blood!"

Roshi was giving Goku advice so he wouldn't get blindsided. After all, this was a 5v1 so it was only fair.

Goku got into an aggressive stance and threw a flurry of punches towards Dracula Man. As if the boxing gloves were just decoration, Dracula Man only dodge. Soon enough, he couldn't take the pressure anymore. Once he saw an opening, he retreated and turned back into a bat.

With his enhanced speed, he flew circles around Goku who was trying to keep track of him.

Dracula then appeared behind Goku with his mouth wide open and ready to suck some delicious blood. Just as Dracula clamped down, the figure of Goku faded out of existence. The forcefulness of Dracula's chomp came back to bite him as his teeth vibrated from the harsh impact.

Goku took this chance and swung behind him to launch a fist to Dracula's head. Dracula flipped a few times before landing on the lake face first.

"Next."

Goku felt the impatience well inside him. He really wanted help in the search to find Dr. Briefs and he felt like it was his responsibility to take care of him.

Baba only snorted at Goku's 'arrogant' attitude.

'Let's see him keep that attitude at the last fight.'

Calling in the next fighter, Goku could only hear footsteps approach him and it came to a sudden stop a short space in front of him.

"Battle begin!"

"Goku, this is the Invisible Man! Don't rely on your sight as you fight him!"

Knowing that this was another way to hone his senses, Goku closed his eyes. Roshi silently approved Goku's decision to make this fight another way to get stronger.

Goku could hear the very soft footsteps of the Invisible Man as he approached to attack. Each fist sent out followed a small gust of wind that disturbed the air around him. Moving in discretion to these small irregularities, Goku dodged his first punch.

Everyone stood still for a second not believing what they were seeing. The Invisible Man was beet red from the embarrassment that his attacked missed...not that anyone would know.

Invisible Man then did a sweep kick followed by another kick toward Goku's sternum. Goku dodged both attacks and sent a fist of his own landing it squarely on the opponent's chest.

Seeing that her fighter is at a disadvantage, Baba started singing. All the class in the vicinity started to break from the horrible singing that was projected from her mouth.

What Baba didn't know that Goku wasn't only using sound to perceive the movement of his enemy.

He was actually using a form of ki sensing to 'see' the Invisible Man. Baba's horrendous voice was shoved in the back of Goku's mind as he jumped and accurately landed a kick right on the Invisible Man's chest. He flew passed the lake and skidded across the dirt.

Opening his eyes, he stared straight at Baba with determination in his eyes,

"Next."