The air itself felt heavier now—charged with an invisible weight. The slightest movement sent tremors through their bodies. Piccolo collapsed to one knee, hand clutched to his chest as another cough ripped through him—more blood staining the cracked earth.
Piccolo: Can't… even breathe… *he gasped,* It's not just pressure… it's will. They're subconsciously suppressing us.
Gohan tried to power up, veins bulging in his neck—but nothing happened. No ki responded. It was like trying to swim upstream in a river of gravity.
Krillin: *Krillin fell forward onto his hands, trembling.* They're not bluffing… they could wipe us all out with a single thought…
Tami: What if... What if that cracks in the air earlier, actually punched a hole in the Ozone layer? *Tami asked in a frantic voice.*
Piccolo: *Piccolo's eyes widened in horror as the implications hit him.* Then this energy—this transformation—isn't just planetary… it's cosmic.
Gohan: *Gohan looked up at the torn sky, where stars flickered unnaturally around the massive rift.* If that tear doesn't close… solar radiation will flood Earth. Ecosystems will collapse. The atmosphere—
Tien: —will burn away like paper, *Tien finished grimly, clutching his side, still weak from the pressure.*
Vegeta: *Vegeta finally broke his stoic stance, snarling through gritted teeth.* You fools! You think I care about your fragile ozone?! That rupture could attract attention—from beyond this galaxy!
Trunks: That could be a good thing, dad, we need all the help we could get, *Trunks voiced.*
Piccolo: *A tense silence followed, broken by Piccolo.* Trunks... you really think they'd bother helping us deal with a threat we've created?
Trunks: *Trunks bit his lip—the question clearly bothering him.* I-I don't know. I guess I was just...
Krillin: *Krillin managed to get to his feet, but stayed hunched over.* Wishful thinking. I get it. But hope is dangerous in this kind of situation.
Goten: How about we play a little game, *Goten said rhetorically, as an eerie smirk plays on his lips.*
The world seemed to freeze. Goten's voice echoed—not quite his own. It was deeper, layered—like two voices speaking as one. Melody stood beside him, her eyes glowing faintly violet, a mirror of his eerie smile.
Melody: A game... *she whispered, the word curling through the air like smoke,* where you run… and we hunt.
Goten: *Goten move his index finger cockily from side to side.* Ta-ta-ta, not so fast my love. *In a flash, Goten raised his hand. Not to attack… but to point.* Goku, *he said calmly,* you're it.
Before Goku could react—A pulse. Not an explosion—a mere ripple in space—and suddenly every Z Fighter was hurled backward like ragdolls. But not randomly. They were scattered. Miles apart—instantly teleported across the globe by an unseen force: Gohan to Mount Fuji, Krillin to Antarctica's ice shelf, Vegeta slammed deep into space near Mercury's orbit (held only by a tether of golden light), Piccolo hurled into the heart of an active volcano on Mars—all bound by invisible threads tied back to Earth's core… like puppets on strings.
Goten: You have a week to find everyone, and bring them back here. *Goten laid down his own sinister rules to a game of tag.*
Melody: To make it a little easier for you, Goku, we'll wrap up the tear, *as Melody says this a dome securely held the fissure in the Ozone layer together, making breathing and gravity much better to withstand.* One week, or boom... *Melody adds with a giggle that leaves the soul cold.*
Goku groaned as he pushed himself up from the impact crater—alone, battered, and now standing on cracked earth beneath a sky slowly stabilizing. The oppressive weight had lessened… but not the dread. He looked around—empty. Just wind and silence.
Goku: Goten... *he whispered,* what have you become?
A holographic timer flickered into existence above him—burning red in midair: 6 Days, 23 Hours, 59 Minutes... And then it began to count down.
Goten: *Goten tapped the invincible watch on his wrist,* Tick tock...
Goku: *Goku grit his teeth, eyes narrowed to slits.* Alright, you wanna play, kid? *he muttered, rising to his feet, eyes on the timer.* Fine. Let's play!