10-22-2005, 08:41 PM
"Aha! Deactivated!" Falling like an angel from above whom wings had given out, the canister fell with its explosive innards. The opening in the metal womb bore two figures that instantly disengaged their positions to take flight into open air again. Another pair hovered above, next to his elder brother as they consisted of being 'wingmen' rather then the task force which had been assigned in secrecy to the bug and Saiyan below.
From below an eruption of flaming waves whipping upward licked the sides and torso of the two retreating warriors, the gentle caress of the fires leaving singe marks upon their bodies which remained in motion in an escape.
Eyes turned to watch the duo leave for but a second before the next blast touched the air with a devastating ripple effect, the containment unit had settled in the flowing sea of molten rock just as the hybrid was turning in mid air for an escape of his own. The rush, the flames, followed by utter silence and speeding of the mind occurred while Goten frantically looked about... the boy had suffered a minor case of shellshock. An additional resistance was put into play as the scorching hot pieces belonging to the bomb's metallic frame shot up, scrapping past a white hot line of pain along the Saiya-jin's arms and cheek. Goten might have been able to take a punch, but Mother Nature always found a way to be a bitch when it came to using the environment to her favor.
At this moment, his brother had left his mind entirely. Not knowing which way to turn, the hybrid began to climb in altitude before his hand was seized suddenly. All about him a thick smog had begun to lift from the formal introduction between heat and certain chemicals released by the bomb's detonation, obstructing the view of the teenager for the time being. With this in mind, there was an agreement to where he was being pulled, allowing himself to follow where he was being tugged.
Suddenly the area about him darkened and there was a crashing of rock and debre from behind, a lifting of dust and dirt that seem to stick to his skin from the perspiration of being so close to the flames. There wasn't anything else he could do from here... there was one power level nearby, though he couldn't be sure if that had been the one whom had brought him here, either way he was thankful... and so he began to rest a bit...
Hard gravel flooring wasn't the easiest thing to sleep on, though in a way he considered it a 'bedrock' if anything. Pain ran amuck amongst the limbs of the hybrid as his mind had became clear once again thanks to the forgiving shadows that surrounded him, giving a cool feeling over the halfling's overcooked body. Groaning slightly as he lifted his body up from the horizontal position upon the floor he had been in, bringing a hand up to the back of his head as the hybrid recognized injury again almost instantly.
"So much for my brilliant idea.? Nearby there was the shuffling of dirt where the voice had come from, breaking the silence that shrouded about the small group.
Holding for a moment as the drifting of voices ceased, relaxing with the veil of his eyelids till another began speaking. Not really giving too much a care till the unaccounted for person of the trio began, bringing the demi-Saiyan's attention back to the matter at hand.
"We?re separated from the others.? A female's voice now picked up in response to the deeper toned one, echoing off the empty shades of black before reaching a destination. "I think there?s a larger cavity ahead, should we move?? There was silence. ?We?ll need to find our way out of here?I have no idea where ?here? is either, just that we?re deep below the surface but above that lava. I?ll scout ahead, I should be safe considering no one can really sense me?but just in case, I?ll have my Q-Wave on, Raditzu.?
"Raditzu." Whispered the half breed under his breath, placing the 'Itzu' in with what he had been told what seemed like years ago. One of the figures knelt down and entered in exploration of a small entry way while the other larger form brought a hand out in a light swipe. Only after did he ease back did a small follow up growl come from the Saiya-jin full blood.
?Ugh? Cell??
The room they resided in hadn't been very big at all, Goten barely scrapping the cold damp ceiling with his fingertips in a stretch after rising from his seated position upon the ground. Giving a little more of a clue as to size after listening to how quickly the echoes had bounced to and fro before reaching their points of contact.
?RADITZU!!? That female's voice again.
?18!? Came the almost automatic response to the shrill call as the bulky Saiyan dove down into the small opening in the wall, becoming instantly enthralled in a battle against... himself? Rad shook violently as the 'oh, that's right' section came back into play. Goten's eyes having adjusted to the small demeanor of light given as he now saw the dilemma that had plagued the warrior in the wall.
"Rad, maybe I should go first." A half decent suggestion, considering what was going on at the moment had little to no progression even after several minutes of work.
"Maybe next time, kid." Again the hulking fighter pushed on inward, scratching the shoulder guards mounted upon his armor so that an irritating grinding noise issued up from the hole. Barring his teeth as the struggle between the comedy of this and the over all annoyance that something was going on and he had no way of getting to it. After a moment it appeared as though Raditzu had become a clump of hair stuck in a shower drain, the half breed almost biting his tongue to surpress laughter at the sight of it.
"Yeah, like there will be another time to debate whose ass'll fit in a hole." Kneeling down to put an arm on his knee, the halfling rested his chin within his palm in wait for Rad to break his way on through. At this rate the Saiyan would have broken so much of the tunnel that Goten could simply stroll on through.
"Of course 18 could fit... she weighs 80 pounds..." Scuffling and low slung remarks filtered up from the small opening as the hybrid sat in wait, rolling his eyes slightly as soon as a few mentions of his name were made. "Tch... stupid darkness... stupid caves... I freaking hate these things..."
Finally the presences of a being on the inside of the tunnel vanished, leaving way for the Saiya-jin youth to bend down and slip in himself. The noticeably larger opening almost brought a smirk to the hybrid as various small pieces of rubble decorated the area he crawled through, finally emerging from the rock tubing with but a few seconds before stopping dead in his tracks. Here the massive beast was squaring off with all six pounds of raging furry fury... a feline formally known as Raditzu. The Saiya-jin had become a vicious ball of fuzz as he attacked the beast head on, claws glistening as they slashed furiously against the blackened skin the beast was coated in. With little more then a turn, the creature sent one of its limbs around to bat away the cat who was flung away into the darkness with but a smack against the wall to accommodate where the Saiya-kitty had landed.
Flames of ivory color whipped across and inhaled the hybrid's body as a yell luminated both silence and shadow alike, burning away as he had become a sunspot in the darkness about. The fear installed by the beast and its way of hunting was suddenly suspended as the familiar air of battle flushed over the spirits residing in the cave, metallic and organic alike.
"Let's pick up the slack." Goten said plainly as his eyes were trained upon the creature whom had struck down the transformed Saiyan, something the female android didn't even have to respond to as her burning aura igniting to further decrease the shades of black suspended within the cavern. The ground quickly becoming a memory as either of the two shot forth from their positions, the hybrid's mind tracking over to the more in depth casing... keeping distance, speed, mass, everything of his enemy to a reasonable guess as these small bits of information may be vital.
18 was the first to make contact, her agile form swaying in motion away from the darting jaws as her target was a more direct assault upon the body. Not far behind had been the hybrid who had the self appointed task of keeping the attention set upon him... which he thought he did quiet well. Slamming an opened hand against the muzzle of the beast while his other hand took point at the lower jaw, keeping the two separated as bursts of strength fought to close the massive fang lined trap down upon the demi Saiya-jin. The struggle began to grow as Goten began losing grip, a growl issuing forth from his lips as this creature's bite was indeed worse then its bark till finally the hybrid was able to make a break. Opening the jaws wide enough to place his boots down after kicking in a few teeth for footholds, altering the way he held on with his hands as the teeth dug down into the skin of his palm before a quick jerk of his wrist snapped the fangs off to form handles upon its muzzle.
Actions unto which were unknown to the hybrid occurred as suddenly the beast lost flooring and tumbled down, the androidess having preformed something enough to shatter legging beneath the beast. Goten's back aligning as he extended the full height of himself on the inside of the creature's mouth, arms raised high till a noticeable sound of flesh and bone breaking was heard... a spew of liquid flew forth from the beast's mouth splattering against the hybrid who jumped out of the monster's gullet, the lower jaw swaying sickly back and forth from its head as a mixture of horror filled yells broke forth from within the bleeding cranium... drops of black substance falling from the wound as Goten's arms reared back, glistening white spheres of energy forming within his hands that luminated the sight of what he had done. A pair of pale eyes staring at him as the blood covered flesh hung loosely as he allowed the blasts to fly, bolts flying down into the throat of the beast, tearing away from the inside out as holes began forming within its hide from which oozed forth more of the strange substance.
Less then several heartbeats later it was done, the carcass and organs of a once living creature was no more. Shattered into pieces all over the cavern, whatever Eighteen had done it was without notice from the half Saiyan who had been caught up in the onslaught a little too much to realize anything more...
Nearby curled up in a small ball was the thing of fuzz that had battle so full of courage only to be smacked away with ease, hybrid and android taking place around the small feline for a second before the whole concept of the bulky warrior being transformed into this small animal finally hit them, causing the two to break down into uncontrollable laughter. Obviously it was enough to wake the Saiya-jin kitten who looked up with wide eyes of disbelief... this was too good.
"Here... look." Speaking between bursts of laughter, Goten managed to pick the cat up by its mane and walk on over to the large pool of water. His aura kicking up about his body once again to show both the hybrid and stray, the cat struggled for speech but all that it managed was a few short mews. Finally in a burst of smoke the Saiyan had returned to his towering height as the halfling held on still to the locks of hair the full blood wore, his head turning with a glare against Goten that was entirely lost in appeal as he fell back into laughter. This warrior of a great race had given him a look of death... after meowing.
After finally submitting to the pains in his side, Goten ceased laughter, Rad obviously not too appreciative of it as his words were very direct and serious.
"So let me get this straight," Rad began, "I just came out of that hole and I was... well... I had changed??
"Yeah... heh... that about covers it.? Goten answered simply.
All the time in the world couldn't be enough to stop the laughter from the two as Rad had retreating into a corner of the room, speaking under his breath till they were able to concentrate long enough to answer any sort of questions.
"And neither of you thought to say something?" Rad's eyebrow cocked itself up at both of them questionably.
"But you were so cute." Eighteen admitted through a suppressed giggle.
"I was a freaking cat-"
Not a second had passed after the word 'cat' was said before the Saiya-jin vanished in a veil of smoke, reappearing after the dust had settled as the small feline again... Goten thought his side was going to split open from all this laughing.
The Saiya-jin had reformed himself into the toughly built fighter he was again, and after a half hour long discussion of rules and regulations regarding "Kitty-cat Mode" they were able to begin again.
"You sure?" Rad looked at the two curiously.
"Yeah... yeah, we?re fine." 18 responded.
"And we promise we won?t use the 'c' word," Goten confirmed, secretly joking to himself. "Oh man, blackmail can't get any sweeter then this."
"We need to focus here." Raditzu began. "Now we have no idea where we are and we?re even further away from finding that clue than we were before. We need to get out of here and either get back to that base, or find somewhere else that might have a clue."
"Sounds good to me." Goten stood, strolling to the far end of the cavern and out of the length the make shift streetlight Rad had fashioned was able to shine in. Behind him words were exchanged between the fighters before a puff of smoke sounded against the walls of the cave, a sigh filtering past the hybrid's lips. "This is gonna be one looong night..."
Group XTREME, move out!
Hours seem to crawl by as the group search through the endless twists and turns of the caverns, some points the hybrid began to think maybe they had been one way or another already yet the thought of going in circles never met with the feline upon 18's should as he continued barking (or rather meowing) out orders. Sometimes forgetting of his speech impairment and attempting to speak instead of a telepathic link.
"Rad?" Goten said aloud, not bothering to turn around to make eye contact with the diminished warrior.
"What's up?"
"You were there, weren't you? At Dante's Abyss... you know... when I died?" The halfling thought he might as well busy himself with something, considering any sort of conversation among the group had vanished almost entirely. "You too, 18, I remember both of you."
"Yeah, we were." Came the response from an unlikely source of the android, Goten didn't think the female cared much for talking to him considering there wasn't much of a response between phrases.
"Why do you ask?" Rad wondered.
"After I was in Heaven I remembered what had happened and I started blaming people for what went on. Hell, I even thought Burter was in on it... I felt him there, but he didn't do anything." Goten explained what had been troubling him since the beginning of this thing, why he didn't really like talking to Rad... Or 18... Or Bojack. All of them were connected in some way, but for some reason it felt as though the hybrid shouldn't hate the Saiya-jin, as if there was another reason why he knew his ki signature almost like his father's.
"Sometimes you just gotta fend for yourself. We were in a tournament and besides, I'll be damned if I was going to help my kid nephew think he needed help from me to kill. You're a Saiyan, so start fighting like one."
"The hell?" Goten realized suddenly, no wonder Rad knew his Dad... he was his Goku's brother. It was all so clear that the hybrid could've kicked himself for not recognizing it sooner, it made sense now. "But Burter-"
"Fought against me, I know. He tried to jump into your fight, but that lesson was too important to have you fail it."
And in that moment, everything Goten thought had now been reunited. Now there was a new feeling within him... that 'lesson' was a failure of his, considering his uncle had been watching as well. The hybrid secretly promised himself to do whatever he could to make Rad, and hopefully his father too, see what he had become. No longer a child at heart, but a warrior by soul...
After another several hours of orders, twists, and turns the group came upon a break in the rocks. Light poured in through a crevice which was only magnified after the hybrid's fists made quick work in forming an exit for them all leading outside... finally. An endlessly rolling field of rock and dirt met their eyes now, dead and uneven as the trio stepped outside the cave's covering to breath in the scent of moving air instead of the stale breaths they had been breathing from within the gravel crypt they had almost come to accept. For a moment they stood out in the vastness of it all, taking in the free breeze before the hybrid in led turned about with his question.
A smirk crossing his appearance as he spoke jokingly to the small feline still resting upon the android's shoulder, "So where to now, Captain Cat?"
They were free again, less the bounding of their collars, but still without an thread to go off of for their clue. Below rolling skies and above empty plains they remained, a destination now was all downhill from here...
From below an eruption of flaming waves whipping upward licked the sides and torso of the two retreating warriors, the gentle caress of the fires leaving singe marks upon their bodies which remained in motion in an escape.
Eyes turned to watch the duo leave for but a second before the next blast touched the air with a devastating ripple effect, the containment unit had settled in the flowing sea of molten rock just as the hybrid was turning in mid air for an escape of his own. The rush, the flames, followed by utter silence and speeding of the mind occurred while Goten frantically looked about... the boy had suffered a minor case of shellshock. An additional resistance was put into play as the scorching hot pieces belonging to the bomb's metallic frame shot up, scrapping past a white hot line of pain along the Saiya-jin's arms and cheek. Goten might have been able to take a punch, but Mother Nature always found a way to be a bitch when it came to using the environment to her favor.
At this moment, his brother had left his mind entirely. Not knowing which way to turn, the hybrid began to climb in altitude before his hand was seized suddenly. All about him a thick smog had begun to lift from the formal introduction between heat and certain chemicals released by the bomb's detonation, obstructing the view of the teenager for the time being. With this in mind, there was an agreement to where he was being pulled, allowing himself to follow where he was being tugged.
Suddenly the area about him darkened and there was a crashing of rock and debre from behind, a lifting of dust and dirt that seem to stick to his skin from the perspiration of being so close to the flames. There wasn't anything else he could do from here... there was one power level nearby, though he couldn't be sure if that had been the one whom had brought him here, either way he was thankful... and so he began to rest a bit...
...
Hard gravel flooring wasn't the easiest thing to sleep on, though in a way he considered it a 'bedrock' if anything. Pain ran amuck amongst the limbs of the hybrid as his mind had became clear once again thanks to the forgiving shadows that surrounded him, giving a cool feeling over the halfling's overcooked body. Groaning slightly as he lifted his body up from the horizontal position upon the floor he had been in, bringing a hand up to the back of his head as the hybrid recognized injury again almost instantly.
"So much for my brilliant idea.? Nearby there was the shuffling of dirt where the voice had come from, breaking the silence that shrouded about the small group.
Holding for a moment as the drifting of voices ceased, relaxing with the veil of his eyelids till another began speaking. Not really giving too much a care till the unaccounted for person of the trio began, bringing the demi-Saiyan's attention back to the matter at hand.
"We?re separated from the others.? A female's voice now picked up in response to the deeper toned one, echoing off the empty shades of black before reaching a destination. "I think there?s a larger cavity ahead, should we move?? There was silence. ?We?ll need to find our way out of here?I have no idea where ?here? is either, just that we?re deep below the surface but above that lava. I?ll scout ahead, I should be safe considering no one can really sense me?but just in case, I?ll have my Q-Wave on, Raditzu.?
"Raditzu." Whispered the half breed under his breath, placing the 'Itzu' in with what he had been told what seemed like years ago. One of the figures knelt down and entered in exploration of a small entry way while the other larger form brought a hand out in a light swipe. Only after did he ease back did a small follow up growl come from the Saiya-jin full blood.
?Ugh? Cell??
The room they resided in hadn't been very big at all, Goten barely scrapping the cold damp ceiling with his fingertips in a stretch after rising from his seated position upon the ground. Giving a little more of a clue as to size after listening to how quickly the echoes had bounced to and fro before reaching their points of contact.
?RADITZU!!? That female's voice again.
?18!? Came the almost automatic response to the shrill call as the bulky Saiyan dove down into the small opening in the wall, becoming instantly enthralled in a battle against... himself? Rad shook violently as the 'oh, that's right' section came back into play. Goten's eyes having adjusted to the small demeanor of light given as he now saw the dilemma that had plagued the warrior in the wall.
"Rad, maybe I should go first." A half decent suggestion, considering what was going on at the moment had little to no progression even after several minutes of work.
"Maybe next time, kid." Again the hulking fighter pushed on inward, scratching the shoulder guards mounted upon his armor so that an irritating grinding noise issued up from the hole. Barring his teeth as the struggle between the comedy of this and the over all annoyance that something was going on and he had no way of getting to it. After a moment it appeared as though Raditzu had become a clump of hair stuck in a shower drain, the half breed almost biting his tongue to surpress laughter at the sight of it.
"Yeah, like there will be another time to debate whose ass'll fit in a hole." Kneeling down to put an arm on his knee, the halfling rested his chin within his palm in wait for Rad to break his way on through. At this rate the Saiyan would have broken so much of the tunnel that Goten could simply stroll on through.
"Of course 18 could fit... she weighs 80 pounds..." Scuffling and low slung remarks filtered up from the small opening as the hybrid sat in wait, rolling his eyes slightly as soon as a few mentions of his name were made. "Tch... stupid darkness... stupid caves... I freaking hate these things..."
Finally the presences of a being on the inside of the tunnel vanished, leaving way for the Saiya-jin youth to bend down and slip in himself. The noticeably larger opening almost brought a smirk to the hybrid as various small pieces of rubble decorated the area he crawled through, finally emerging from the rock tubing with but a few seconds before stopping dead in his tracks. Here the massive beast was squaring off with all six pounds of raging furry fury... a feline formally known as Raditzu. The Saiya-jin had become a vicious ball of fuzz as he attacked the beast head on, claws glistening as they slashed furiously against the blackened skin the beast was coated in. With little more then a turn, the creature sent one of its limbs around to bat away the cat who was flung away into the darkness with but a smack against the wall to accommodate where the Saiya-kitty had landed.
Flames of ivory color whipped across and inhaled the hybrid's body as a yell luminated both silence and shadow alike, burning away as he had become a sunspot in the darkness about. The fear installed by the beast and its way of hunting was suddenly suspended as the familiar air of battle flushed over the spirits residing in the cave, metallic and organic alike.
"Let's pick up the slack." Goten said plainly as his eyes were trained upon the creature whom had struck down the transformed Saiyan, something the female android didn't even have to respond to as her burning aura igniting to further decrease the shades of black suspended within the cavern. The ground quickly becoming a memory as either of the two shot forth from their positions, the hybrid's mind tracking over to the more in depth casing... keeping distance, speed, mass, everything of his enemy to a reasonable guess as these small bits of information may be vital.
18 was the first to make contact, her agile form swaying in motion away from the darting jaws as her target was a more direct assault upon the body. Not far behind had been the hybrid who had the self appointed task of keeping the attention set upon him... which he thought he did quiet well. Slamming an opened hand against the muzzle of the beast while his other hand took point at the lower jaw, keeping the two separated as bursts of strength fought to close the massive fang lined trap down upon the demi Saiya-jin. The struggle began to grow as Goten began losing grip, a growl issuing forth from his lips as this creature's bite was indeed worse then its bark till finally the hybrid was able to make a break. Opening the jaws wide enough to place his boots down after kicking in a few teeth for footholds, altering the way he held on with his hands as the teeth dug down into the skin of his palm before a quick jerk of his wrist snapped the fangs off to form handles upon its muzzle.
Actions unto which were unknown to the hybrid occurred as suddenly the beast lost flooring and tumbled down, the androidess having preformed something enough to shatter legging beneath the beast. Goten's back aligning as he extended the full height of himself on the inside of the creature's mouth, arms raised high till a noticeable sound of flesh and bone breaking was heard... a spew of liquid flew forth from the beast's mouth splattering against the hybrid who jumped out of the monster's gullet, the lower jaw swaying sickly back and forth from its head as a mixture of horror filled yells broke forth from within the bleeding cranium... drops of black substance falling from the wound as Goten's arms reared back, glistening white spheres of energy forming within his hands that luminated the sight of what he had done. A pair of pale eyes staring at him as the blood covered flesh hung loosely as he allowed the blasts to fly, bolts flying down into the throat of the beast, tearing away from the inside out as holes began forming within its hide from which oozed forth more of the strange substance.
Less then several heartbeats later it was done, the carcass and organs of a once living creature was no more. Shattered into pieces all over the cavern, whatever Eighteen had done it was without notice from the half Saiyan who had been caught up in the onslaught a little too much to realize anything more...
...
Nearby curled up in a small ball was the thing of fuzz that had battle so full of courage only to be smacked away with ease, hybrid and android taking place around the small feline for a second before the whole concept of the bulky warrior being transformed into this small animal finally hit them, causing the two to break down into uncontrollable laughter. Obviously it was enough to wake the Saiya-jin kitten who looked up with wide eyes of disbelief... this was too good.
"Here... look." Speaking between bursts of laughter, Goten managed to pick the cat up by its mane and walk on over to the large pool of water. His aura kicking up about his body once again to show both the hybrid and stray, the cat struggled for speech but all that it managed was a few short mews. Finally in a burst of smoke the Saiyan had returned to his towering height as the halfling held on still to the locks of hair the full blood wore, his head turning with a glare against Goten that was entirely lost in appeal as he fell back into laughter. This warrior of a great race had given him a look of death... after meowing.
After finally submitting to the pains in his side, Goten ceased laughter, Rad obviously not too appreciative of it as his words were very direct and serious.
"So let me get this straight," Rad began, "I just came out of that hole and I was... well... I had changed??
"Yeah... heh... that about covers it.? Goten answered simply.
All the time in the world couldn't be enough to stop the laughter from the two as Rad had retreating into a corner of the room, speaking under his breath till they were able to concentrate long enough to answer any sort of questions.
"And neither of you thought to say something?" Rad's eyebrow cocked itself up at both of them questionably.
"But you were so cute." Eighteen admitted through a suppressed giggle.
"I was a freaking cat-"
Not a second had passed after the word 'cat' was said before the Saiya-jin vanished in a veil of smoke, reappearing after the dust had settled as the small feline again... Goten thought his side was going to split open from all this laughing.
...
The Saiya-jin had reformed himself into the toughly built fighter he was again, and after a half hour long discussion of rules and regulations regarding "Kitty-cat Mode" they were able to begin again.
"You sure?" Rad looked at the two curiously.
"Yeah... yeah, we?re fine." 18 responded.
"And we promise we won?t use the 'c' word," Goten confirmed, secretly joking to himself. "Oh man, blackmail can't get any sweeter then this."
"We need to focus here." Raditzu began. "Now we have no idea where we are and we?re even further away from finding that clue than we were before. We need to get out of here and either get back to that base, or find somewhere else that might have a clue."
"Sounds good to me." Goten stood, strolling to the far end of the cavern and out of the length the make shift streetlight Rad had fashioned was able to shine in. Behind him words were exchanged between the fighters before a puff of smoke sounded against the walls of the cave, a sigh filtering past the hybrid's lips. "This is gonna be one looong night..."
Group XTREME, move out!
...
Hours seem to crawl by as the group search through the endless twists and turns of the caverns, some points the hybrid began to think maybe they had been one way or another already yet the thought of going in circles never met with the feline upon 18's should as he continued barking (or rather meowing) out orders. Sometimes forgetting of his speech impairment and attempting to speak instead of a telepathic link.
"Rad?" Goten said aloud, not bothering to turn around to make eye contact with the diminished warrior.
"What's up?"
"You were there, weren't you? At Dante's Abyss... you know... when I died?" The halfling thought he might as well busy himself with something, considering any sort of conversation among the group had vanished almost entirely. "You too, 18, I remember both of you."
"Yeah, we were." Came the response from an unlikely source of the android, Goten didn't think the female cared much for talking to him considering there wasn't much of a response between phrases.
"Why do you ask?" Rad wondered.
"After I was in Heaven I remembered what had happened and I started blaming people for what went on. Hell, I even thought Burter was in on it... I felt him there, but he didn't do anything." Goten explained what had been troubling him since the beginning of this thing, why he didn't really like talking to Rad... Or 18... Or Bojack. All of them were connected in some way, but for some reason it felt as though the hybrid shouldn't hate the Saiya-jin, as if there was another reason why he knew his ki signature almost like his father's.
"Sometimes you just gotta fend for yourself. We were in a tournament and besides, I'll be damned if I was going to help my kid nephew think he needed help from me to kill. You're a Saiyan, so start fighting like one."
"The hell?" Goten realized suddenly, no wonder Rad knew his Dad... he was his Goku's brother. It was all so clear that the hybrid could've kicked himself for not recognizing it sooner, it made sense now. "But Burter-"
"Fought against me, I know. He tried to jump into your fight, but that lesson was too important to have you fail it."
And in that moment, everything Goten thought had now been reunited. Now there was a new feeling within him... that 'lesson' was a failure of his, considering his uncle had been watching as well. The hybrid secretly promised himself to do whatever he could to make Rad, and hopefully his father too, see what he had become. No longer a child at heart, but a warrior by soul...
After another several hours of orders, twists, and turns the group came upon a break in the rocks. Light poured in through a crevice which was only magnified after the hybrid's fists made quick work in forming an exit for them all leading outside... finally. An endlessly rolling field of rock and dirt met their eyes now, dead and uneven as the trio stepped outside the cave's covering to breath in the scent of moving air instead of the stale breaths they had been breathing from within the gravel crypt they had almost come to accept. For a moment they stood out in the vastness of it all, taking in the free breeze before the hybrid in led turned about with his question.
A smirk crossing his appearance as he spoke jokingly to the small feline still resting upon the android's shoulder, "So where to now, Captain Cat?"
They were free again, less the bounding of their collars, but still without an thread to go off of for their clue. Below rolling skies and above empty plains they remained, a destination now was all downhill from here...