Chapter 2196: Shortsighted
Bypassing the Diablo Desert, it wasn't long before Vahn, Sarina, Bulma, and Goku found themselves in an area filled with lush green plateaus, small mountains, and sparsely forested terrain. There were also a number of villages present, but, even from a distance, it was obvious that each and every one of them was abandoned.
Unlike Aru, which merely resembled a ghost town, the villages surrounding Mount Frypan had been abandoned shortly after Mount Frypan, previously known as Pleasant Mountain, became enveloped in perennial flames.
With the regional temperature shooting up by several tens of degrees, the local flora and fauna had been devastated. To make matters exponentially worse, the flames had created a perpetual pressure differential that caused all sorts of disastrous weather phenomena. Things got especially bad during Winter as the rapid cooling of nearby bodies of water contributed to hurricane-like conditions that would devastate the surrounding regions for upwards of four months...
Running through the region on foot, Sarina was able to witness the devastation wrought upon the region firsthand. Her expression became progressively gloomier, and, were it not for the fact Vahn was running alongside her, she may have had to take a break. The sight of innumerable skeletons, many belonging to humans, weighed heavily on her mind.
"How could things end up like this? I understand it was caused by an accident but why didn't the people just leave before things got out of hand...?"
Reaching the ruins nearest the base of Mount Frypan, Sarina couldn't help voicing her concerns. In response, Vahn guided her head to chest, gently combing through her hair as he explained, "People can be remarkably stubborn at times. For many, this area would have been the place their ancestors settled after the devastation wrought by King Piccolo. They would have worked tirelessly to rebuild, and, in the process, several generations of their family would come to be buried here. Abandoning their home wouldn't have been an easy decision for them to make...there is a reason people readily take up arms to defend their countries, communities, and homes..."
Though Vahn's words didn't drastically improve her mood, Sarina felt more at ease after hearing his explanation. The warmth coming from his body also helped, and, were it not for the fact she could feel a distant tremor rapidly approaching, she would have liked to stay with him for a while longer. Instead, she gave him a quick hug before reluctantly separating to say, "I'm guessing that's the Ox-King...?"
Wearing armor vaguely reminiscent of a Chinese warlord, the Ox-King was a mountain of a man at 428cm in height and nearly 370cm in breadth(shoulders). Each and every one of his steps shook the ground beneath him, and, despite appearing as a harmless, fun-loving individual later in the series, he was currently running towards the group like an enraged bull.
"Hey! You there! This place is a restricted area! Leave at once or suffer the consequences...!"
Without waiting for the group, consisting of Vahn, Sarina, and Goku to respond, the Ox-King threw his monstrously oversized ax like a boomerang. He didn't actually aim for anyone in particular, but the wind pressure generated from the momentous projectile was enough to knock Goku on his butt while Sarina was forced to shield her eyes from the veritable dust storm kicked up in its wake.
In a very obvious attempt to scare them off, the Ox-King followed his assault by raising his arms up like a bear and roaring, "This is your only warning! Leave at once...!" in a booming voice that echoed off the surrounding mountains.
Creating a pair of goggles for herself using the [REquip] System, Sarina rushed towards the Ox-King with seemingly reckless abandon. This surprised the giant fellow quite a bit, as, for a brief moment, he wasn't even able to follow Sarina's movements as she planted her heel into his chest, shouting, "Calm down...!" as she sent his massive body sliding backward.
Touching the area where Sarina had kicked, Ox-King was surprised to find a foot-shaped imprint in his reinforced, carbon fiber breastplate. The material was durable enough to withstand point-blank shelling from tanks, yet, without so much as a single sign of damage to her heels, his opponent was able to leave an imprint in the material with a simple kick.
Realizing his opponent was no simple woman, Ox-King extended his hand towards the ax that had embedded itself in the terrain, asking, "Who are you? Why have you come here?" as the enchanted armament came flying back to him.
Though she was a little surprised when the massive ax came flying past her, Sarina did her best to quell the tumultuous beating of her heart as she stood tall and answered, "My name is Sarina. My companions and I have come here to help extinguish the flames of Mount Frypan. In exchange, we were hoping you could help us find a crystal ball that resembles this..."
Pulling out the faux Dragon Ball Vahn had given her, Sarina's body tensed when the Ox-King moved close enough that his body nearly blocked the view of the mountain behind him. The series she was familiar with hadn't done his size justice. He was far from the biggest person she had seen but that didn't make him any less intimidating.
Bending down, the lenses on Ox-King's helmet appeared to zoom in like a telescopic camera as he remarked, "I recognize this ball. There's one just like it in my treasury."
Raising his head, Ox-King shifted his attention from Sarina to Vahn and Goku before adding, "Very well. So long as you can extinguish the fire surrounding my castle, the orb is yours...?"
Noticing the cloud Goku was standing on, Ox-King's words gained a bewildered inflection towards the end. His massive, bearded head promptly tilted to the side, and, despite radiating a frightening aura moments prior, he suddenly gave off an impression reminiscent of a harmless teddy bear as he asked, "That cloud and that staff...where did you obtain such things?"
Without even considering whether or not he should keep it a secret, a carefree smile developed across Goku's face as he unhesitantly replied, "Master Roshi and my Grandpa gave them to me...!"
Recognizing the former and intuiting who the latter must be, an ecstatic grin developed across Ox-King's face as he promptly ignored Sarina to make his way over to Goku. Roshi was the person who had trained him years prior, and, despite their past rivalry, Goku's Grandfather had been one of his best and closest friends.
"That must mean you're Gohan's boy! Come, let me get a good look at you!"
Though he was a bit taken aback by the Ox-King's drastic change in behavior, Goku maintained a friendly smile as he answered, "That's right! I'm Goku...!" before following it up with asking, "How did you know my Grandpa?"
Adopting an even wider smile, Ox-King remarked, "Goku? That's a fine name!" before answering, "As for how I know your Grandpa, well, we were like brothers when we trained under Master Roshi. We fought and trained together every single day and even went on a few adventures together. Tell me, what has that old rascal been up to? I haven't seen or heard from him in more than ten years."
Similar to when Master Roshi had asked him the same question, Goku's smile became noticeably more melancholic as he revealed Gohan's death. This caused a somber expression to appear upon the Ox-King's face, but, moments later, he was all smiles again as he stated, "Well, knowing Gohan, I'm sure he died with a smile on his face. Now, tell me, what brings you here? Is it true you came to help this old man extinguish the flames surrounding my castle?"
While he had no clue how they were going to help, Goku didn't hesitate to nod his head, smiling as he answered, "That's right! Me, Uncle Vahn, Sarina, and Bulma are currently on a journey to collect the Dragon Balls. If there's one in your castle, we'll be happy to extinguish the flames for you!"
Using his massive, oversized hand to pat Goku atop his head, Ox-King remarked, "Good lad." with a toothy grin on his face. Then, as if he had just realized something, he asked, "If you don't mind my asking, how old are you this year?"
Without having to consider his response, Goku immediately replied, "I just turned twelve this year. Why do you ask?"
Though he assumed Goku would be younger due to his size, the smile on Ox-King's face widened as he said, "That's great! You're the same age as my beloved daughter, Chi-Chi. Why don't the two of you get married? She's a bit of a coward but the two of you would make an excellent couple...!"
Tilting his head to the side, Goku asked, "A couple of what...?" before Sarina stepped in to say, "You shouldn't go arranging your daughter's marriage like that! At least let them get to know each other before you think to propose such a thing. I mean, how do you even know they would get along...!?"
Shifting his attention to Sarina, the smile on Ox-King's face faded away as he explained, "Gohan and I agreed that we would marry our children if one was a boy and the other was a girl. Goku might be Gohan's Grandson but he's the perfect age for my little Chi-Chi. Now that Gohan has passed on, it's my duty to ensure his Grandson is able to live a happy and healthy life. With my Chi-Chi at his side, he's guaranteed to be happy."
Like most fathers, Ox-King saw his daughter as an absolutely flawless little angel. He couldn't even fathom someone refusing to marry her, so, even though Sarina hadn't directly insulted Chi-Chi, his fatherly instincts had kicked in.
Refusing to back down, a hazy aura began to exude from Sarina's body as she asserted, "You don't know that...!"
Though they were concealed behind his helmet, Ox-King's brows furrowed deeply as his gigantic maw formed into a frown. Before he could lash out and challenge Sarina to a deathmatch, however, Goku chimed in to ask, "What's marriage?"
Believing Goku was asking him, Ox-King turned to face the boy only to find him looking toward the man who had been standing off to the side since the start of the encounter. This caused Ox-King's eyes to squint, but, recalling that Goku had referred to Vahn as 'Uncle', the smile promptly returned to his face as he asked, "Are you one of Gohan's kids...?"
Blinking in surprise, Vahn opened his mouth to speak only for Ox-King to approach him with a wide smile on his face, asserting, "I can see the resemblance! Your features are a little different but you have the same calming aura as old Gohan. How about it, kiddo? Will you marry my darling Chi-Chi and help fulfill my promise with your father?"
Without waiting for Vahn's response, Ox-King pulled out a relatively recent photo of Chi-Chi before shoving it into his face and saying, "Take a look! Isn't she just the more adorable thing you've ever seen?"
Resisting the urge to point out that a twelve-year-old girl shouldn't be running around in bikini-like armor, Vahn forced a smile as he answered, "I'm flattered, really, but there is quite a substantial age difference between your daughter and myself. I'm-"
Slapping Vahn on the back, Ox-King's thunderous voice echoed off the surrounding mountains as he shouted, "Nonsense! Things like that don't matter. Why, Chi-Chi's mother was more than thirty-eight years younger than me when we got married. So long as you take care of one another, things like an age gap don't matter in the slightest!"
Ignoring the slack-jawed expression on Vahn's face, Ox-King followed his words by cupped his hands around his mouth and shouting, "Chi-Chiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-!" in a booming voice that caused dust and debris from the surrounding ruins to kick up and quiver. Immediately thereafter, an equally loud but considerably more feminine voice answered, "Coooming~!" before a young girl wearing blue bikini armor came bounding over a building like in a teal cape...