Chapter II: The Prince and the CEO

 

            Boxer was at once frightened when he saw what had happened.  A moment ago, he had been standing in his living room at the Capsule Corporation headquarters, now he was on some kind of airship.  Not only that, but there were cream-colored clouds on every side of them and the sky looked to be a strange pink or orange. 

            Shaking, he examined his own hand to find that it was translucent.  His other hand, firmly grasping that of the Fighter Kai, was equally translucent.  The Fighter Kai looked and gave him a translucent smile.

            “Fighter Kai?” Boxer asked him.  “What are we doing here? Why aren’t we whole?”

            “I’ll answer,” the Fighter Kai replied.  “We are in the Next Dimension; the afterlife.  To visit here, we must assume an ethereal form.  I’m going to introduce you to a person whom I feel it is vital for you to meet.”

            There seemed to be only one man on deck; a fairly tall man with a bushy white mustache and spiky hair.  He sported a plain white shirt, black vest, and black pants.  Suddenly, the man looked up at Boxer and the Fighter Kai.

            “Kai!” he cried out, and stood up, still keeping his hands firmly on the wheel.  “What’re you doing back here? I thought you went to the mortal plane.  And who’s your friend?”

            “Boxer,” he turned to face the young warrior.  “This is my…friend, Gohan.  Remember how Piccolo told you about the Z Fighters? This was one of the most powerful warriors in the universe.”

            Boxer turned towards Gohan, and bowed as best he could.  It was difficult since he would not release his death grip on the Fighter Kai’s hand.  As Boxer stumbled to the ground, almost taking the Fighter Kai with him, the Fighter Kai finally released Boxer’s hand.

            “You don’t have to keep holding on,” he explained to Boxer.  “My job here is done.  I have brought you and now the rest is up to you.  I hope you enjoy meeting your ancestor.”

            “Wait!” Boxer cried as the already-translucent Fighter Kai began to fade more.  “Don’t go!” He made a flying leap at the Fighter Kai and bit thin air.

            “Don’t worry too much about it,” Gohan said to him.  “That guy has this habit of disappearing at very inconvenient times.  Anyway, you look familiar…do I know you?”

            Boxer shook his head.  “I don’t think so.  You’re what, like a thousand years before my time?”

            Gohan scratched his head in puzzlement.  “Why would the Fighter Kai want to introduce you to me if you have nothing to do with me?”

            Boxer shrugged.  “I am now a defender of the Earth, according to the Fighter Kai.  The five of us; Piccolo, 18, Garuda, the Fighter Kai, and myself are going to investigate the force behind the escape of Nappa and Raditz.”

            “You?” Gohan asked in amazement.  “I don’t understand.  The fiends you face now must be stronger than the fiends that I faced a thousand years ago, and you are merely a human.”

            “Hmm,” Boxer replied, ready to show Gohan something.  “I am mostly just a human, but there is something you should know that I only recently learned.” He clenched his hands into fists and let out a powerful cry.

            A blazing red aura surrounded Boxer as he continued to power up an inordinate amount.  There was a flash as Boxer reappeared with golden hair and green eyes. 

            Gohan stared in wonder for a moment and then laughed.  “Ah, now I know who you remind me of! You look just like Trunks…you must be a descendant of Vegeta!”

            “Yes,” Boxer replied.  “I think that was the name that 18 mentioned.  Can I meet Vegeta here?”

            Just then, a woman came up from the cabin.  “Hey, Gohan,” she began, staring at Boxer, “Who’s this guy and how did we pick him up? He sure doesn’t look very dead to me.”

            “Boxer,” he said, addressing the guest, “This is my wife, Videl.”

            “Oh?” Videl turned to Boxer and walked over to him, extending her hand.  “It is a pleasure to meet you, Boxer.”

            Boxer tried to shake her hand, but his hand seemed to go right through hers.  She laughed.  “No big deal then,” she shrugged and walked back towards Gohan.  “You look familiar…”

            “He is a descendant of Vegeta,” Gohan explained to his wife.  “And he has come here to meet his ancestor.”

            “Oh, I see,” Videl understood.  “Well, I suppose that I can probably rouse Vegeta from his sleep… after all, it’s not like he can kill me.”

            With that she re-entered the cabin and Gohan addressed Boxer once more.  “You know,” he said, “You really shouldn’t turn Super Saiyan unless Vegeta asks you to.  He has something of a temper.”

            Boxer nodded and decreased his power level.  His lavender bowl-ish hair-cut returned at once and he stood ethereal in a plaid shirt, jeans, and sneakers.

            “You know,” said Gohan, “You really don’t look much like a Saiyan warrior.”

            Boxer shrugged.  “I’m not sure how I would look otherwise.  What did Vegeta wear?”

            “In his prime, Vegeta wore Saiyan armor,” Gohan explained, “Although I’m not sure if any is still in existence.  You may just want to go with a jumpsuit or a gi.  What you’re currently wearing restricts your movement.  Had you been properly equipped, you may have fared better in the battle…although I’m assuming you won anyway.”

            Boxer nodded.  “Barely.  We wouldn’t have it if it wasn’t for the Fighter Kai.”

There was a sudden cry of a loud, raspy voice.

            “What do you think you’re doing, woman? I was sleeping!”

            “Would that be…?” Boxer began.

            Gohan nodded.  “That’s Vegeta.  He’s in a bad mood too.  I’d leave you two alone, but I have to pilot the ship, you know.”

            “That’s just as well.” Boxer seemed relieved.  “I’m glad that you can be a mediator anyway.”

            “Hey!” Gohan shouted.  “I can’t promise that.  I try not to mess with Vegeta.  He’s stronger than you can possibly imagine.”

            A man with spiky white hair that stood far upright came up the stairwell and stood before Boxer.  He seemed to have a perpetually peeved aura about him: his face was creased with many years’ worth of anger and frustration. 

            He was not tall; shorter even than Boxer, but he stood perfectly erect and commanded respect with every action.  He scanned the area, cautiously approached Boxer, and spoke at last.

            “You!” he rasped.  “Who are you and what are you doing here? Speak now!”

            At once, Boxer lost all of his courage that he previously possessed.  Feeling intimidated, he put one of his hands out where Vegeta couldn’t see it and began powering up, but Gohan shot him a glance and mouthed “No.” Boxer faced the angry warrior and spoke.

            “My name is Boxer,” he began.  “I am here to make your acquaintance, Prince Vegeta.  I was… born of your blood.  Now, I will defend the Earth in your place.”

            Vegeta stared at him for a second, and then his face softened up and he laughed.  “Hah! Is that the only reason you came here? Don’t waste my time, Boxer.  The Earth is no longer my concern.  I am on a quest now, so if you have nothing important to say, please do not waste my time.  Is that all you had to say?”

            Boxer was speechless.  The Fighter Kai must have offered this meeting for some reason, but Vegeta didn’t seem to care at all.  “I…uh…” Boxer stuttered, “I guess that’s all I had to say.  The Fighter Kai wanted me to meet you and…”

            “The Kai?” the prince exclaimed.  “Tell me about him, now! What do you know, punk? Tell me now!” Vegeta lunged towards him and tried to grab him by the shirt collar, impervious to the fact that he could not lay a finger on the warrior from Earth.

            With a shout of surprise, Vegeta went plummeting off the side of the airship and disappeared into the clouds below.  “Vegeta!” Boxer called, alarmed, and spun around to face Gohan.  “Are you just going to keep flying the airship like nothing happened?”

            Gohan shrugged.  “Nothing did happen.  Just watch.”

            Like a flash, Vegeta was standing back in front of Boxer.  Although he could not physically hold the young warrior, his gaze was enough to keep Boxer in place.  “Tell me…Boxer…” he said, trying to show respect enough to get Boxer to talk, “Tell me everything you know about the Kai.  I have my suspicions, but I need you to confirm them for me.”

            “What’s there to say?” Boxer replied.  “He’s a weird guy with sunglasses and a long cloak.  He seems… uh… strong, if that’s what you mean.”

            “Of course he’s strong, you moron!” Vegeta shouted into Boxer’s face.  “What do you know otherwise?”

            “I know that we’re going to take a journey to save the Earth,” Boxer kept going.

            “Gah!” Vegeta cried.  “Never mind.  You’re no use whatsoever.  Go and save the stupid Earth or whatever you want to do.  If you ever learn anything useful, come back and tell me.  This was a waste of my time.” Vegeta turned his back on the young CEO and retired back into the cabin.

            “Vegeta…” Boxer said softly, but his thought was lost when the prince returned looking just as angry as when he came.  He turned to face the less-emotional Saiyan warrior.  “Gohan?” he asked.

            “Sorry, Boxer,” he apologized.  “That’s the way he is.  He grows on ya, I guess, but his first impression leaves something to be desired.  When I first met him, he was trying to kill me.”

            “Hmm, I see,” Boxer replied.  “Well, I guess I’ll go…Vegeta was right about one thing; that meeting was a waste of time.”

            Gohan shook his head.  “I don’t know.  I’ve found that all experiences have their values.  I feel that this won’t be your last meeting with Vegeta.  Who knows, maybe he’ll even come in handy one of these days.”

            “Right,” Boxer agreed hurriedly, eager to get back to Earth and begin his adventure.  “I should probably head out now…any ideas how?”

            “Eh, nothing really good,” Gohan admitted, “But you could try to fake death.  If the Kai senses you’re in trouble, he may come to your aid once more.”

            “I’m not sure how good of an idea that is,” Boxer began shyly.  “I mean, what if…”

            Gohan suddenly veered the airship sharply to the right and tilted the deck, causing Boxer to inadvertently slip over the side.  “Whoa!” he cried, and tried to grasp the airship railing, but fell straight through.  Unable to sustain his own weight in flight in this alien realm, Boxer kept falling until suddenly…