This story takes place about seven and a half months after the heroes left Earth
The past few months on Earth were eventful, especially for a future guardian of the planet like Poboy. People around the world were recovering from the Genmajin attacks, trials had started for various leaders of the Silico government that led the attack on other nations, and the ever-growing calls for a unified, democratic world government were gaining a lot of support. Every day, Poboy would watch over the Earth alongside Okome, discuss history with Joma, and learn more about the many secrets and artifacts hidden in the Temple of the Kami. The Temple had stood for centuries, the oldest standing structure on the planet, and was a repository for some of the planet’s most important and dangerous items.
Though there was a lot of change in the air, nothing smelled like conflict to Poboy. Peace was enveloping the land, and soon positive change would grace Earthlings, as well. He would sometimes talk with Svenex, who had become a starring figure in the movement to unite the world. The two shared their rosy outlook on things, which were developing much more smoothly than ever imagined.
Poboy had adopted a hobby, one he planned to continue, even after succeeding Okome: Unraveling the secrets of the Earth. His first mystery was the location of the Earth Namekians, which Okome had thought were long gone. The Grand Elder searched the world for them, making use of the Temple’s doorway, and Poboy would speak with her about it and provide tips he gleaned from the library.
One morning, Okome was looking across the seas. Poboy entered the grand hall. “Come, watch with me,” Okome invited his apprentice. Poboy approached, and put a paw on Okome’s shoulder, allowing Okome to share his far-seeing eyes. Pods of whales rose from the depths of the ocean for a long-awaited breath of fresh air. Many thousands of tuna rushed to their spawning grounds. The coral glittered in the light that filtered to their clearwater beds. It was a beautiful day.
“Seeing things like this always remind me how important protecting life on this planet is,” Poboy said.
Okome nodded. “The planet should be preserved until its judgment day. Every life holds a spark that could lead to the greatest joys or the deepest sorrows, and everything in between. As guardian deities, it’s our job to preserve the entire sacred tableau.”
Poboy marveled at the waters a moment longer, and then removed his paw. “I will continue my readings in the library,” he said. On his way out of the grand hall, he saw Joma meditating in front of her crystal ball. “What visions lie on the horizon?”
“Dark clouds, but none that spell disaster,” the old seer said.
“You could say that any day,” Poboy remarked.
Joma smiled. “True, no sky is every still or fully serene. As a Kami, it’ll be your job to judge those skies for yourself.”
The rest of the day, Poboy kept his snout in the books, focusing on the history of the Temple itself. He had recently read about how and why the pocket space was first formed around the Temple, and how this change affected the type of travelers that would find it. The texts in front of him told the story that the Trials of Kamiland helped ensure that potential successors to the Kami became increasingly worthy of the honor of divinity, and allowed for longer apprenticeships before ascending.
Poboy read well into the night, and soon it was time for him to go to bed. He yawned and looked up at the great jewel which stood at the head of the library, smiling at the way its multifaceted surface glittered in the torchlight. He smiled. “Good night, jewel!” he said as he got up for his quarters.
From her post in the grand hall, Joma was lost in vision, and soon her brow furrowed. Something was amiss in the Temple, and yet there was no sign of outside forces entering the pocket space that protected it. She was troubled by what this meant for the Earth. “Okome, something’s wrong here,” she told the Kami. “I can’t say what.”
“That is very troubling,” said Okome. “Please, take shelter.” Joma nodded and made her way to the reinforced shelter at the back of the Temple. Okome stood alone in the grand hall, and calmly moved to the center. He took up his staff and looked to the shadows. Perhaps he was assuming too much, but they seemed the most likely weak point for the enemy to infiltrate. With a tap of his staff, light shined to every nook and cranny in the hall. No hint of presence was betrayed to the light.
A voice echoed through the hall, a laugh. “You really think I’d send them after you?” the voice asked. “You think they’d be qualified?” Okome was tense, and searched the hall for the source of this voice. Soon enough, it became apparent, as some invisible hand swooped down and took hold of Okome. While Okome protested and made attempts to free himself, he was dragged through the various chambers of the Temple and into the reinforced shelter that Joma had gone to for protection. Once inside, the doors of this shelter were locked from the outside, trapping both Okome and Joma within.
“Is it him?” Joma asked.
“It is,” Okome said grimly. “I only hope Poboy survives the night.”
Poboy heard the commotion of Okome being dragged to the shelter and left his quarters to investigate. He saw Okome being placed into the locked shelter, and quickly made attempts to remove the blockade. Unfortunately, the mystical guards placed on the door were beyond his power. He heard a strange laugh behind him. “I’ll be returning for you some day, bear,” the voice said. The bewildered grizzly kept searching the dark chambers of the Temple for signs of activity. Whatever sorcerer was attacking them must be of great skill and power. He smelled no person, heard no heartbeats, and felt no chi. The air was still, but somehow betrayed an unknown presence.
With no other leads, Poboy began making way to the artifact hall, suspecting that a theft could be underway. As he walked through the halls of the Temple, he began to feel eyes staring daggers into his back. He became paranoid that every step would invite attack from invisible assailants. Indeed, just such an attack came for him before he could enter the grand hall. A sharp claw struck him across his shoulder, emerging from the shadows. Or rather, the shadow itself appeared as a claw and struck him. Poboy recoiled and turned to the corner which assailed him, briefly finding eyes in the shadows. Another claw struck him from behind, causing him to collapse. Poboy got up and searched the area around him. The shadows looked still, but this meant nothing to him anymore. He began to panic as his eyes passed over every corner of the Temple he could see, trying to find another set of eyes in the shadows waiting for him. Several more strikes hit him as he did so, and when he turned to them, he found nothing but darkness.
Taking a deep breath, Poboy calmed himself down. He would get nowhere by panicking in the face of the enemy. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the stares he felt in his skin, and could feel the eyes circling around him. He was sure there were three sets of eyes. One claw struck out at him, and he blocked it. Now more confident, he dodged and parried his way through a series of attacks, as the intruders did everything they could to keep him at bay. He made his way through the grand hall and then into the chambers on the other side, where the artifact hall was located.
Poboy noticed that one of the stares left him, and only two were attacking him. The third must have gone ahead to the artifact chamber. They could be after anything in there, which, in the hands of someone dangerous enough to pull off a theft in the Temple, could spell death for many thousands of lives. He was not about to let that happen. Two claws came from his front, so Poboy flipped over them and dashed ahead to the artifact hall. As claws came for his legs and back, he jumped across the walls and eventually made it through to his destination.
There was definitely another presence in that hall, though he could not ascertain its goal. As it was, he had no way of actually stopping the shadowy assailants, so Poboy worked to devise a strategy to counter that. Then an idea hit him. The third presence attacked from the front, so Poboy dodged to the side. Another shadow came from above him, so he rolled forward. Almost into the third claw, but he kicked up just before it struck his face. As he spun to the ground, he grabbed a necklace, the Eye of Gelato, and place it around his neck. With it, a person was granted sight beyond the physical.
Now equipped to deal with his attackers, Poboy searched the artifact hall. In front of him were not malevolent shadows, but humans wearing dark cloaks, equipped with clawed gauntlets. The bear smiled and attacked one of the intruders, successfully striking their physical body. The true battle began. Poboy was swarmed by the three intruders, who attacked much more viciously now that they didn’t have the anonymity of the shadows guarding them. Poboy was able to keep up with the trifold attack, but noted that they were all individually on the level of Conch’s soldiers, a power typically not seen on Earth. Someone of great power was clearly training them in secret.
One of the intruders broke away again, and went for the Friand Dagger. This surprised Poboy; it didn’t have the raw power of most artifacts in the room, and was mainly used to undo seals. These intruders were planning something more than what he could see, and theories did not come to mind. As far as he knew, this was where the most dangerous items were kept. The Friand Dagger was taken out of the hall. Poboy kept trading blows with his two remaining opponents, and found them surprisingly agile. He tried to get to the side, so that he was no longer between both assailants, but they were able to outmaneuver him.
Growling, Poboy decided he would end things right away. He grabbed the Sword of Linzer and started slashing at his attackers as he swiped his claws at them. Agile as always, they kept dodging his strikes, smirks on their arrogant faces. Once he had lured one of them into the trap, Poboy tapped the guard of his sword, and the delayed slash he stored in that spot released, cutting them through. While the other attacker was shocked by this initial reveal, they moved into another trap. With three taps, Poboy cut this attacker into multiple pieces. He then set the sword down and left.
Searching through the Temple, Poboy found the final intruder in the library. The great jewel which hung on the wall had been removed, and the intruder was busy looking through obscure history tomes. With a tap of the Friand Dagger, the intruder split the volume into two books, one of which Poboy had never seen. Charging up, Poboy managed to get the better of this one, grabbing them by the neck. “Who are you?” Poboy demanded. “What do you want? What’s going on?”
The intruder laughed. “You don’t even know what you’re guarding in this Temple!” they remarked. “The secrets of the Kami are not protected by a pocket space from outsiders; they’re protected by spells from insiders!”
“What does that mean? Tell me what you’re doing here!”
“He asked for our bodies in exchange for power. The price we agreed upon was the key to a certain weapon the Kami of old lost.”
“Who is ‘he’?”
“He is the one who knows all the secrets of the Earth, even things the Kami does not know! He was the one who told Munster how to find those who could tell him about the Dragon Balls! He has far greater plans for the Earth, and this Temple holds the key! That is all I know.”
Poboy was shocked by the implications of what the intruder told him. “Who is ‘he’? Who is your master?”
“His name is Long, and he used to be in your position. The previous apprentice to Kami Okome. He has a certain deal with an Earth Namekian. Yes, Long knows where they are! And they’re all hiding from the Kami. Even if I fail at this one job, his plan will continue to fruition.”
Poboy’s ears rang, and he could not believe the words he heard. Before he could ask any more questions, the intruder started to gag and cough. Poboy released him, and the intruder burned and bubbled, as if being consumed by shadows. Soon enough, they disappeared completely. The bear mourned the senseless loss of this poor soul. He then looked over the strange book uncovered by the Friand Dagger. It was a history of the Earth, detailing the arrival of Namekians to this planet. Later pages described how they had made many of the magical artifacts the Kami would confiscate and collect, that the Kamis of old hadn’t made them as Poboy was told, and how disaster fell on the Earth Namekians with the birth of a demon.
Okome and Joma, having been released by the binding spells on the shelter, entered the library and found Poboy. “Are you alright, Poboy?” Okome asked. He saw the removed jewel and Friand Dagger.
Poboy turned to him and showed him the book he was reading. “Who is Long?” Poboy asked. The apprentice caught the master up on what he had learned. “I see no reason to doubt this intruder’s words, especially when a hidden history book is sitting in my paw. You’ve been lying to me outright about a few things, and hiding who knows what else!”
“…It is true, what the intruder told you,” Okome reluctantly said. “The Earth Namekians were the most skilled forgers of magical weapons in the universe. Kamis of old thought these weapons were too dangerous to leave out in the world and collected them in the Temple.”
“With the consent of their makers?” Poboy asked.
“Sadly, no. My predecessors were often untrusting folks, and thought that their position meant taking active measures to shape the direction of life on Earth for its betterment, and that of its inhabitants. I am not of that mindset. Their actions caused only war, until the seat of the Kami became an enemy of the Earth Namekians. I have researched this ‘demon’ spoken of in the histories, though I cannot say what that truly means. The full details remain lost to outsiders. Until recently, I truly believed the Namekians of this world were all gone, as our history details; I have no idea where they could be located.
“As for Long himself, I had once seen potential in him. He is truly a bright and visionary mind. The problem is that his vision for the world, of a more active Kami, is merely dictatorship for the planet. That’s why I cast him out. Ever since, he has sent attackers like these, though the last time was quite a while ago. However he learned about the Earth Namekians, it can only mean he’s become far more knowledgeable and dangerous than ever.”
Poboy was disgusted by the duplicity of his master. “Knowledge is dangerous? You say you’re not of the mindset to control the Earth by force, but you are willing to control my view of the world through manipulation and lies. Why do you do this to me, your loyal apprentice?”
“I haven’t lied to you! I may have held back some truths, until you were ready, but I have never lied. The Kami’s duty is to protect the Earth at all costs. Long taught me those threats can come from anywhere.”
Poboy was not satisfied with this. He felt he had done everything to prove himself a worthy successor, and had loyally served Okome for years. He risked his life against Conch and the Genmajin. He could not imagine what secrets the Kami held onto that were too terrible for him to know. What he did know was that if Okome did not fully trust him, he could not fully trust Okome, either.
A call came in on Poboy’s phone. “Hello?” the bear answered.
“Poboy, I’m so glad you were available!” Svenex said excitedly on the other line. “The world could very well fall apart if things get out of hand!”
“Please, calm down and explain yourself.” Poboy feared this concerned Long’s plans.
“Ok…It’s just a touchy situation. We’re going to try to keep her presence a secret. A long-lost political figure from Silico has suddenly reappeared. I read all the reports, too; I saw the records and the autopsy report. She’s supposed to be dead. For now, she’s laying low, and we’re going to help keep it that way, but rumors will spread. If the world knew about her, it could really mess up our plans for a unified world government.”
“I don’t think I understand what you’re saying.”
“Neither do I, yet. I’ll figure it out and call you when we have more details and a plan.” Svenex sighed. “I hope our friends get back home soon. If this woman is back to life, then she had to be wished back with Dragon Balls, and there’s only so many people who would make that wish. Anyway, talk to you later.” Svenex hung up.
Poboy turned to tell Okome what Svenex said, but Okome raised a hand. “I heard, and after checking on things, I see what she means. Things could certainly become…eventful.” Poboy could tell he knew more about what was happening, and seeing that look on his face now, a look he had seen so many times, felt like a real twisting of the knife to Poboy. The Earth held many secrets, more than he knew. But none that he would not know, no matter what Okome wanted.
All original story, all original characters! Check out Dragon Ball ‘Redux’!
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Life in the Gutters 