Chapter 18: Two Sets of Dragon Balls!
A group of small islands littered the sea just to the east of Kami's lookout. There was a tall red skinned man standing on the shore of the largest of these islands. Looking out at the sea, he appeared to be waiting for something. Minutes passed and at last what he was waiting for finally happened. Not far away from him a young boy appeared out of nowhere. Walking up to the boy, the red skinned man saluted. "Greetings, Lord Arlic!" Looking towards the man, Arlic responded. "Greetings Cacao. How did your task go?"
Waving his hand toward the ground, the [Storage Ring] on Cacao's right thumb, shone with a white light. Seven [Dragon Balls] appeared on the ground, as the space in front of Cacao fluctuated. "What of Daiz?" Hearing Arlic's question, Cacao responded immediately. "He has completed his task and is on his way back know, my lord." Nodding his head, Arlic knew that everything had gone according to plan. He wanted to confirm the existence of the [Black-Star Dragon Balls], that was why he instigated Kami. Their existence meant that the events surrounding [Dragon Ball GT] were a possibility, it also gave him an opportunity. While the [Black-Star Dragon Balls] were likely still stone, as Kami and Piccolo were still separate beings, that didn't mean they held no value.
By studying them, Arlic believed he could create [Dragon Balls] of his own. As for the [Black-Star Dragon Balls] themselves, he could grant authority over them to another. With that in mind, he didn't intend to use them, as he did not yet possess the ability to amend their faults. The [Black-Star Dragon Balls] would literally destroy the world they were used upon, sure it would take a year, but screw that. And as if that wasn't enough, they would scatter all across the universe after use. He didn't have time for that, no, the only thing he could do, was take authority over them. That way they would not return to Piccolo's control when he and Kami merged. He would acquire the knowledge and ability for the rest soon enough, he had seen to that.
Sensing an energy signature approaching, Arlic and Cacao turned their heads to the west. Seeing Daiz land not far from them, Arlic walked towards him. Seeing his lord approach, Daiz saluted. "Greetings, Lord Arlic! I report my task's success." Following his words, he waved his hand in similar fashion as Cacao had done earlier. Soon after, seven more Dragon Balls sat upon the beach shore. These were slightly different, and they were indeed stone. "Well done! Both of you performed adequately." Pausing briefly, he looked at Daiz. "Daiz, you placed the fakes in place of the real ones, yes?" Arlic had given Daiz two sets of fakes, one made from stone, the other similar in appearance to when the balls were active.
Arlic did this to compensate just in case he was wrong somehow. That was also the reason he needed Kami to answer his question, even if he did have to be a little forceful. Arlic took the [Black-Star Dragon Balls] into his own [Storage Ring]. Walking over to the other set, he prepared to summon [Shenron, the Eternal Dragon] of Earth. He paused, as his scouter relayed to him a message from afar. Looking towards the sky, Arlic smirked. "It seems Rasin and Lakasai are close to finishing their task. Earlier than I anticipated, no less." His smirk becoming a smile, he continued. "Excellent! Phase-two can begin sooner than we planned. We might as well wait for them. They will definitely want to see this!"
It only took three minutes of waiting for a portal to open and a floating golden disc to fly out. Stopping the disc twenty feet away from Arlic's group, the two flew themselves the rest of the way. "Reporting, Lord Arlic! Phase one is complete." The two saluted and awaited his orders. "Good work, you two! This puts us ahead of schedule. We can begin the next phase shortly, then we can leave this world. Hopefully for good." Arlic didn't want to change anything with Earths timeline, but both now and in the future, there would be things he needed from this world. As such, he took a page from Dr. Gero's playbook and manufactured his own, slightly more advanced [Micro-Bots]. This way he could collect blood and tissue samples from all the enemies that would soon start appearing here. He was also going to collect samples from plant and animal life, for cloning purposes.
That way he could try and replicate Earth's many delicacies. Personally, Arlic was looking forward to trying dinosaur meat. He was drooling just thinking about it. Shaking his head, Arlic cleared his thoughts. Walking up to the [Dragon Balls], he raised his hands high. "Eternal Shenron, by your name I summon you forth!" The wind howled, as the sky filled with dark clouds and the [Dragon Balls] began to glow. An intense pressure began filled the air, as a massive green dragon straight out of Chinese mythology, appeared in the sky. Looking down at Arlic and his subordinates, [Shenron] spoke. "I am Shenron, I shall grant you any wish. Now Speak!" As Shenron's voice resounded throughout the small chain of islands, Arlic's men were shaking in fear behind him.
Looking up at the massive form that had filled his childhood with such grandiose dreams, Arlic smiled wholeheartedly. He then made his wish. "I wish for a pouch possessing an endless supply of [Sensu Beans]!" Hearing his wish Shenron replied. "A simple enough wish!" A medium sized pouch fell from the sky, stepping forward Arlic caught the pouch. As the sky cleared and [Shenron] returned, as the [Dragon Balls] scattered across the world once more. He commanded Cacao and Daiz to regather them and return them to where they had first been found.
This would prevent any errors from occurring in the timeline. He also had Daiz, who was headed towards [Capsule Corp.] bring him a sample of [Hoi-Poi Capsule]s for his own research. Arlic could create his own version, but there was no guarantee that they would be the same technology. That was another downside to wishing for knowledge, Arlic was bound by his own interpretation. That was why he couldn't copy the [Transport Cube] used by the gods. Possessing knowledge was not the same as understanding it. That was something he learned the hard way; he would need to fix that eventually.
Issuing a second command to Rasin and Lakasai, Phase-two began. Roughly three hours later, they had all finished with their tasks. Gathering aboard the [Transport Disc], Arlic and his men returned to [The Salvation]. They opened a portal directly to [The Institute of Scientific Advancement], Arlic intended to remake his own body. The [Sensu Beans] played a part in that plan. Arlic had built a large medical pod, one with the purpose of tailoring a living being's genetic structure. It was incredibly advanced technology, so much so that not even Arlic could say how well it would work.
Cacao, who happened to be a cyborg, made from both organic and mechanical parts, would be its first occupant. He intended to test it on Cacao first and then use it himself later. He still had something to acquire on his own end though, so he needed to retrieve it. Passing the [Endless Pouch of Sensu Beans] to Rasin, who received it eagerly, he and his brother Lakasai began the trail test. Watching Cacao lay down on a metal table, he turned his head to Daiz and issued him an order. "Daiz, take us to what remains of Planet Sadala!" Turning back to the Test as Cacao had his armor removed by Lakasai, Arlic paid Daiz no more attention. This was the beginning of the final phase of his current plan and it had to succeed.