Jan-ken PUNCH!

By Reid M. Haynes

Disclaimer: Dragon Ball/Dr. Slump are the properties of Akira Toriyama, TOEI ANIMATION, and various other companies, as well as all characters within. I am using them without permission, and I am making no money off of them.

Legend:
( ) Denotes thought.
{ } Denotes sound effects.
\ / Denotes written text.

Tale 4: The City With Sight Within! Part 1

*****

A Capsule Car rides noisily through,
It's cloud of smog a gift for you...

{Vroom!} the vehicle left a huge trail of exhaust, choking both the lungs and the eyes of daring pedestrians walking their way. After the rancid air has subsided, there could be seen many more cars, zooming around maniacally throughout the many streets that interconnected the bustling metropolis.

Surely, the Western Capital was a cultural landmark, sporting huge domes of every size, some on stilts and others ground-bound. All sorts of creatures traveled the highways and walkways that crisscrossed between, everyone from furries to roadies. Most notably a weird monkey-tailed boy and a nearsighted purple haired girl.

"Whoa..." Arale held down her hat as a gust of wind threatened to knock it off. "Those hovery things go really fast."

"Hold your nose, Arale-chan," Goku suggested, following his own example. "They also spit smelly, egg-rot stuff from their butts, and its real bad."

But she, once again, was no longer listening, instead inching closer to the edge of the sidewalk. She peered as far as she could into the chaotic traffic, and her eyes widened in awe. "Hoyo..." As far as her head could turn, Arale could see an infinite wave of vehicles, red hotrods and green tow-trucks, zooming every direction allotted by the pathways that stretched far between the buildings. Like they were intertwined in some sort of strange, exotic game.

"Yay, a game!" the girl called out, raising her hands in the air. "I'm gonna play too!" She took off for the street.

"Wait!" Goku called out, reaching out in vain.

Despite his warning, Arale, blind as she was, continued to dash off into the street, right in the middle of the intersection. Intent on making new friends, she ran up to each of the cars, trying to ask them what game they were playing. But alas, her attempts only disturbed the busy players, too caught up in their business to pay attention to the friendly girl. In fact, they were quite unnerved.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing, you idiot?" A man hollered out of his sports coupe, shaking his fist at the minute child. "Get out of the damn road!"

"Hoyo?" Arale raised her eyebrows. "But you're in the road, too," she reasoned, confused to why this man was so angry. "So why can't I play your game?"

"Didn't you hear him?" Arale turned her head to view another angry person: a middle aged woman with curly, dyed hair. "Stop blocking the way, moron!"

"Yeah!" agreed a motorcycle mounter, looking down at her with scorn.

Before the situation could get any worse, Goku stepped into the road and grabbed her arm. "We probably should go," he said softly, dragging Arale back onto the sidewalk and away from the disgruntled mob, who were resuming their hurried path to wherever they were going.

After they were clear from the disorder, Arale turned to the boy again. "I guess it must've been a private game," she reasoned, her voice a combination of realization and disappointment.

"Don't let it getcha down," Goku replied back to her, a trace of disapproval in his voice. "City people are kinda uptight about things."

The two reached the next crossing and turned right with the sidewalk, moving further into the Western Capital. As they moved down the street, both took small glances at the various buildings adorning either side. Many different stops and shops stood proudly by, crowds of people waiting to purchase their goods. There were souvenir stands, department stores, ice cream stops, and pet shops. (the third getting the most attention from our duo)

"Oooh, ice cream!" Arale cheered, moving over to the ice cream stop. "Oooh, action figures!" Arale peeped, dashing to the figuring stall. "Strobe lights!" "Plungers!" "Ooooooh!"

"Hold up!" Goku cautioned, tightening his grip on her wrist. "We don't got zenny!"

"'Kenny?'" Arale queried, shifting her eyes towards him.

"Yeah," he growled, so caught up in his own frustration that he missed her mistake. "'Seems like when you're here, y' need money need money for just about everything."

"Hoyo!" The girl was aghast. "They don't letcha do anything fun!" Then, a thought came to her, and she clutched her chin. "I wonder if that's why those people wouldn't let me play their game? 'Cause I didn't have money...?"

"Maybe," Goku lowered his eyes. "But don't worry!" he looked up with a grin, giving Arale's arm a squeeze. "We can have fun without money!"

She gave him an odd look for a moment, then returned his smile. "Yup!"

Suddenly, her face lit up with knowledge recalled. "Oh, I forgot!" she said, shifting her gaze into space. "I was supposed t' get somethin'!"

"Hoyo?" Goku asked, unconsciously adopting his friend's verbalism.

"Uh huh, that's the reason why I'm all the way out here," Arale explained. "See, the doc told me t' go out and find this thing for him. But it wasn't in Penguin Village, so I hadda go away. And that's when I smashed inta you, yes I did!"

"Really?" The boy let go of her arm, and examined her. "What were ya tryin' t' find?"

"I d'know," Arale said.

{WHUMP!} Goku facefaulted.

"I mean, I kinda forgot," she restated, as the chibi-martial artist flattened on the ground. "With all this weird stuff happenin', y'know."

"Well," Goku began tiredly, stumbling slowly back up to their feet. "We c'n worry about that some other time. Right now, we gotta find your glass thingies."

"Okie dokie," Arale responded, looking back towards the streets ahead. He then reinstated his grip on her arm, taking her on a brisk pace down the Western Capital. And the two began the arduous task of obtaining some new glasses.

Slowly walking the streets, Goku did his best to pick out any object that looked like eyeglasses, while keeping his charge straight. He checked on the sidewalk, the trashcans, and the awnings of roofs for the desired object. However, he made no attempt to ask any of the people around him where such a thing could be found. After all, the thing was so insifnifigent looking, one would probably be lying around anywhere.

And if it wasn't, why would they know?

He continued trying his best to search for glasses, glancing about every which way. Arale, though, was less helpful, as she was relying on Goku just to find her way around. Leaving the bulk of the work up to him, that is, until...

"Hey, hey!" she cheered, pointing up below a building's awning. "Lookie lookie!"

"Wha...oh!" Goku widened his eyes at the referred object. Beyond Arale's fingertips stood a rundown, smallish structure that was dwarfed by many of its brothers. Like all the other buildings, it bore a roundish, annular shape, with white stripes cutting along its hull. However, broken windows and tavern-style swing doors suggested that it was of less reputability than most.

But nothing spelled out the establishment more than the small, wooden sign hanging right above the doorframe.

\GLASSES!/

"Gee, this must be the place," he said cautiously, sizing up the building. "Well, let's get to it!" Goku walked up to the front steps, taking an eager Arale along with him. With his free hand, he pushed on the double doors, sending then arcing backwards. With a casual air, he proceeded into the frame.

"I can't wait 'til I c'n see!" the girl said as both Goku and her entered the building, disappearing from outside view.

*****

"Alright, buddy, move 'er off!" the worker called to his friend, cupping his hands over his mouth. "We gotta show this thing before the lunch drunks pile in."

The man growled silently, refusing to look at his partner. (Work, work, work, that's all it ever is to him.) Instead he set upon his current task: putting up the sign to the bar. Apparently, someone thought it a good idea to smash their beers against the old sign, staining it to the point where one could hardly make out the words. In fact, if you were really nearsighted and raised in Penguin Village, you probably couldn't tell there were any words at all, other than the small part that escaped damage.

Well, he'd take care of that. Putting his hands on the drenched sign, he lifted the board off its perch and tossed it behind him...making sure to "accidentally" startle his partner with the loud clack. After that was through, he readied the new sign up from under his armpit, maneuvering it carefully up to the perch. He fiddled around with it a bit, not quite knowing where the catch was that the board fit in. Then once it was found, he clicked it firmly into place, horizontally aligned and looking good as new.

"You done up there?" the other called out, to which he nodded too. "Well then let's go!" he snarled. "We got three more to do this afternoon. Hurry it up!"

"Yeah, yeah..." he responded sarcastically, carefully climbing down the ladder and back to the sidewalk, where his partner waited to take him to another boring job.

And behind him, the new sign stood modestly below the business's awning, finally displaying its message clearly: \Taurus's Tavern: FREE REFILS FOR ALL 8 OZ GLASSES!/

*****

Inside the "glasses place," things seemed disturbingly different than one would expect from such a place. Instead of sterile, serene feelings, one could gather that the interior decorator never really cared what went into the atmosphere. The lighting was seedy and low, creating odd shadows where they shouldn't be. And the smell was that of vomit and alcohol, carrying scents of a hundred people's dumped lunch.

Everything inside was either rough wood or waxy countertop, from the broken down tables and chairs to the stainless bar to the back. Behind the bar lay a rack of various beverages, most of them rather hard, and over to the corner, a jukebox played a slow, western tune. But what gave the scene its real attitude were the dingy bottles of sake littered the establishment, next to which soggy, drunken men nursed their glasses like first first-born children.

"This dosen't look much like the glasses place from my town," Arale commented, squinting her eyes at the miscellaneous depressants.

"Well, city glass stores must be different from the stuff in your village..." Goku argued, although he too was rather skeptical of whether he had the right place. Looking all around him, he could see none of the people them wore the things the girl had. Although, viewing their sunken eyes, he supposed they could a little help in seeing.

The strange thing was, almost all of them had some sort of chip on their shoulders. Whenever Goku would look at one, he would return the stare with a venomous aftertaste, as if they were somehow intruding in on their lives. (I wonder what they could be so mad about?) the boy thought carefully to himself. (We're just trying to get some glasses...)

He took a look around the place, trying to find someone who would be willing to help, and finally set upon a slightly more sober fellow behind the bar. "Hey, maybe that guy will help us!" Goku told Arale, who nodded her consent. Carefully, he took his friend over to the man, being careful not to bump into any of the guys sitting around. The funny thing was, he could almost feel the animosity from their glares, but he did his best to ignore it. They didn't seem ready to fight and, oddly enough, he had better things to do right now.

Once reaching the bar, Goku let go of Arale's hand and {DWIP!} hopped up onto one of the stools. He tapped the man on the shoulder. "Hey dude."

The bartender turned his head slightly to the boy, regarding him apathetically, then resumed sorting the drinks behind him.

Goku was confused by this strange behavior. Usually, when he tried to get someone's attention, they usually responded in some manner, even girls. He tried again, "'Xcuse me, mister?" putting a little bit more politeness into his voice, (something he still wasn't accustomed to) but the man continued to ignore him.

He motioned to poke his shoulder again, but suddenly the bartender whirled around with a cross frown. "Look, kid, if ya wanna drink, then order it," he snapped out with a snarl. "I usually don't serve brats, but you already seem to be screwed up, especially with that hair."

"Well, actually..." Goku started, then reconsidered upon seeing his annoyed look deepened, he changed his statement. "Uh...just give me a milk, please," he said, giving him a nervous smile.

The bartender's face became a curious smirk, then he shrugged. "Whatever floats yer boat," he said, then proceeded to pour the drink.

Goku kept up his false grin for a moment more, then slumped down onto the counter, defeated. Well, that went pretty bad. Now how was he going to get those glasses? The boy lowered his head and kept his gaze down, even after the bartender slid him his milk. He just grabbed the glass and ignored it.

The boy felt the cold condensation run over his mitt; sweaty, yet somehow inviting at the same time. He eased his eyes towards the drink, then sighed. (Might as well drink it.) Goku lifted the glass up to his face, and took a stiff. The aroma suggested that it was both fresh and flavorful. Satisfied, he took a sip.

But before he could swallow the creamy liquid, a large {CLONK!} jolted him from his reverie. He turned his head upward, and found the intruder: a blond, muscular man, holding both a foamy beer and a foamy look on his face.

"Hey, arencha a lil' young to be slurpin' the hard stuff?" he asked with a leer, clearly not caring about the answer. "Drinks like this can mess up a kid your age."

"Naw, that's just milk," a dark skinned man cracked, walking up to his buddy. "He's too much of a 'boy next door' type to be curious."

"So why's a lad like 'im hangin' around blarnies like us?" A third, orange haired one commented, putting a hand on Goku's shoulder. "How 'bout it?" he asked, increasing the grip. "Care t' tell us what you're doin'?"

"I'm trying to find some glasses for my friend," The boy said honestly, hoping these people were trying to be friendly. They weren't.

"BWAHAHAHAH!" The blondie cackled wildly, joined quickly by his friends. "That's the most doped up comment I've ever heard!"

Goku remained silent, wondering if he should try laughing with them.

"You said it, buster!" the black man said, missing his anxieties, or more like "not caring." "So where IS your little buddy?"

"She's right here," he said matter-of-factly, motioning to the vacant area next to his stool. He then did a double take. "Arale, oh no!" Goku cried out at the absence of his charge, glancing all about for her. "She must've wandered off somewhere. I've gotta find her!"

"Heh heh, looks like your girlfriend's found a new pal to play with," the blondie chuckled, folding his arms. "'Course, with handsome guys like us around, who c'n blame 'er?! Ha ha!"

Goku ignored the man's jeers, though, instead quickly stepping off of the stool to search for Arale. But he was quickly cut off by the redhead. "Where d'ya think you're steppin', laddie?" the man queried, an ugly smile adorning his rosy cheeks. "Just afta we've gone and become good friends?"

"Yeah, come on," the black man joined in, walking to the two. "Come stay 'n' talk for awhile."

"Yeah," the blondie said, joining the others.

As the three burly, drunk men moved closer and closer. Goku felt a sickening feeling clog up his stomach. He took a good look at each one. All smiling. All drinking. All out of control. His body stiffened up, and he swallowed.

(I don't think these guys want to be friends...)

*****

"Now where are those glasses?" Arale said to herself, scanning the carpeted floor of the small room. "Over here?" She checked in a pot. "Over here?" She checked on a stool. "Hoyoyo, I can't find them anywhere!" she exclaimed, shrugging in confusion, while setting down on said stool, trying to think things out.

When Goku had received the milk, she was going to ask him if he could see about getting new glasses. But then those friends of his appeared, wanting to play, so she decided to search for them on her own and not to interfere. Of course, finding them would be a lot easier with her friend's extra set of eyes. But she was sure she could find them on her own easily enough. This was a glasses store, right?

Arale continued her sightless search for sight. With her hands as her only guidance, she made full use of them to search every object thoroughly, running over any object that could conceivably be glasses. Like pots, trashcans, paper weights, a glass sculpture of a banana...

"Hold on a second, I gotta get somethin'." Arale jerked off the ground at the sound of a male voice. With her bad vision, she squinted at the door she came through, and spied a tall man walking in.

The man moved over to the desk and opened a drawer.

"What are you doing?" another voice called from outside, the bar area.

Although Arale couldn't see well enough, she could've sworn that the man had cracked a grin. "Don't you see what's goin' on with the kid?" he called out, while searching through the desk. "A fight's brewin' down there, and I'm gonna get in on the action!" He pulled a few small somethings from the drawer and smiled, staring at them within his hands. "I just gotta get m' contacts."

She then saw the man take some roundish things from his face, wiping them off on his sleeve. He placed the objects on the desk, then took the smaller ones and brought them closer. Pressing them into his eye sockets, blinking a few times, then, he was set.

"Now we're pumped!" The man beat his fist into his palm and walked back to the door. He started to move through the frame, then stopped, as an object appeared in the corner of his vision.

He turned right to Arale. "What're you doing here?" he snapped at the weird visitor. "You shouldn't be...aw, forget it." The man turned back to the open door and ran through it. "Brawlin', here I come!" His cheer rung out through the room as he left to the downstairs pub, ready for battle.

And the girl just stood there, looking oddly at the escaping man. Then, she turned around to the desk. Slowly, cautiously, she creeped towards the desk. More particularly, to the objects placed onto the desk.

She grabbed onto the small chair and hoisted herself up to it. Then, her hands brushed against the desk's mahogany surface, searching for it. Finally, fingers touched against them.

And Arale's eyes widened with realization.

The objects removed from the man's face were actually one object, connected by a small, steel band. Composed of glass lens, it featured hook-like appendages that seemed designed to hold it onto something. But any further elaboration of this paragraph is unnecessary. You know what they are, I know what they are, and Arale knows what they are. All that's necessary is to say the word.

"GLASSES!!!" Arale's hands instantly flashed towards the Holy Grail of this long quest, snatching onto them as if she thirsted for them. "AlrightglassesI'vebeenlookingsolongbutnowIgotthemandtheyreperfectthey'rejustmysizeandit'scoolcoolCOOL!!!"

Then they slipped from her hand and broke.

No, that's cruel.

Scratch that last sentence. They didn't break.

"Finally, I'll be able to see!" Arale cheered, slowly bringing her new glasses to her face. She moved into position...then...

Loud noise emitted from beyond the doorway. They were indistinguishable, but it sounded awfully like arguing. When listened to carefully, it could been separated into three different voices: one scratchy and rough, another low and modulated, a third with a roughly Irish sound to it..and the last sounding like a young boy, protesting rather pathetically.

Arale blinked, holding the glasses in place. "Hoyo?" she burbled, looking at the door. "Goku-kun?" Slowly, she moved over to the exit, and put her hand to her ears, trying to make out the voices. Her eyes widened with curiosity. "I wonder what's goin' on down there?"

What, you thought we were done? ^_^

*****

Goku: "Part 2 will be comin' soon."

Arale: "Don't go bye-cha!"





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