The jeep had been abandoned, shoved into a Hoi Poi Capsule in exchange for a speedy aircar. The wind caused Raditsu's hair to billow out like a cape.
"We really need to fix your hair," Bulma told Raditsu. "It looks feminine."
"We'll do that AFTER we find the last Dragonball."
"Right."
The aircar sped on over the water, angling towards the last Dragonball... and towards disaster.
-----
Taurus smiled as he produced the last Dragonball from beneath a large rock. At least THIS one had been easy to find - unfortunately, he hadn't had to threaten anyone for it. Taurus was easily amused, and he found that threatening people made him feel big.
"So what now, boss?" Apple asked.
"We set these three Balls as a trap," Taurus said with a smile. "The others will come and find them, and when they do, we'll steal them and fake running away. They'll chase us, but we'll be back here, and we'll make the wish."
"Right."
"And not a moment too soon," Taurus smirked as a twinge of ki flashed through his mind. Chuckling a bit, he deposited the three Dragonballs on the grass, then ducked behind a massive boulder, lowering his power level. Apple also hid, diving under the water.
The whir of an aircar's drive engine slowly reached Taurus' ears, and he watched as one of the sleek vehicles landed near the Dragonballs.
The trap was set, and the booby was almost snared.
-----
"This was almost too easy," Raditsu muttered as he looked down at the three Dragonballs. Suspicion gnawed at him as he examined the jewels, but he couldn't figure out why anyone would leave them out in the open.
Oh well.
"Let me set up the balls," Bulma demanded, reaching for Raditsu's pouch.
"Right." Raditsu handed her the pouch, and she proceeded to arrange the seven Balls in the shape of a circle.
And suddenly, a blackish blur flashed over the Dragonballs, sweeping them up and throwing Bulma several feet backwards. Raditsu started, mentally breating himself. [It was a trick! That was Taurus!] As he rushed to kneel near Bulma and check her for serious injuries, he couldn't help but notice Taurus hovering overhead.
"No way!" Kakarotto shouted. "Taurus!"
"Hi, boys and girls," Taurus said with a grin like Christmas. "Catch us if you can!" Laughing, Taurus turned and screamed off over the horizon, accompanied by a small purple alien. Kakarotto, Bardock, and Kiwi blazed after him.
"Hold on tight," Raditsu growled at Bulma. Without waiting for a reply, he swept her into his arms and leapt into the air, flying as fast as he could. It was IMPERATIVE that he caught up with Taurus!
"Don't let me fall!" Bulma squealed.
"I won't," Raditsu said shortly.
Then it hit him as he sent a probing thought out ahead. Taurus wasn't up ahead! A frantic probe revealed that he was back near the aircar.
He would make his wish before Raditsu could get there!
"We're doomed," Raditsu moaned.
-----
Oolong watched fearfully as the massive monkey-man stood over the glowing Dragonballs. His captors had flown off on a wild goose chase, and now, Oolong was the only one left to stop this giant.
But what could HE do?
Oolong suppressed the urge to scream as a bolt of lightning flashed through the darkening sky, striking in the center of the Dragonballs... but the bolt didn't fizzle out, instead fluctuating and bending into a coiling shape. Slowly, the coils solidified into a green scaly mass.
The alien had summoned Shenlong. Oolong knew he had to do something... And then it hit him. Taking care to conceal his movements, he turned himself into a bat and flew up behind the burly alien.
"You have awakened me from my slumber," Shenlong rumbled in an earth-shaking voice. "State your wish and it will be granted."
Oolong flapped frantically towards the alien.
"I wish for..." the alien began.
Finally, Oolong was flying over the alien's head. He quickly changed back, resisting the urge to puke as he descended feet-first at the giant. His foot hit the giant's head first, causing the massive man to stagger as Oolong yelled out:
"Women's panties!"
The look on the alien's face was one of pure rage, and it was all Oolong could do to keep from soiling himself right there on the spot.
-----
Raditsu arrived just in time to see a huge coiling dragon saying, "Your wish is granted." He had been too late! The universe was - he stopped berating himself as he saw the most absurd thing: A pair of women's panties, white and adorned with a little red bow, descending sedately from the sky to land on the head of the pig, Oolong.
"My panties," Oolong giggled.
"I knew he'd come in handy!" Raditsu congratulated himself as he descended to the ground, gently helping Bulma to her feet, then walking past her towards Taurus.
Taurus was too busy screaming curses at Oolong to notice Raditsu... until the long-haired warrior's knee smashed into Taurus' spine.
Unprepared to take an attack, Taurus flew forward, directly into Raditsu's outstretched palm, which just so happened to be firing off a blazing barrage of ki. The attack burned across Taurus' head, drawing a long howl of anguish. Not bothering to relent, Raditsu drove his right hand into a massive punch that slammed directly into Taurus' gut.
Taurus screamed as ki exploded from Raditsu's fist, engulfing his entire body. The scream continued to echo as Taurus' lifeless husk collapsed to the ground.
By now, the dragon had vanished, and Raditsu could clearly see the small purple alien cowering in fear. The Dragonballs were conspicuously not present.
Not that it mattered anymore. Bulma HAD said that the Dragonballs were unusable for a year after the wish was made.
The purple alien turned and tried to flee, but ran into Kiwi in mid-flight. Without bothering to change his expression, Kiwi tore the alien's head off and threw it into the atmosphere, dropping the body into the water. Raditsu watched as the head plunged into a cloud, beginning its journey towards outer space.
They had saved the universe from the horror of an immortal King Vegeta. Now all that was left was to go home.