Bab 100: Pressure

[September 9th, 749]

After three days of travel, swapping between a car and a motor boat and flying through the sky, Vahn's group was only a few kilometers from their destination, the fiery Mt. Frypan. Even at that distance, the sky was dark with smoke and clouds, and as they drew nearer, the temperature quickly increased as a mountain beset by dark orange flames gradually came into view on the horizon.

"Ugh...it's so hot, and the air is so dry. I feel like my lips are going to start cracking..." groaned Bulma, sitting slumped next to Vahn in the back seat of her convertible as Grayfia had taken over driving two hours prior.

"Mmm...how's this...?" asked Vahn, using his domain to cool things down and increase the amount of moisture in the air.

"Oh? That's nice~" hummed Bulma, closing her eyes and enjoying the cool breeze that now flowed over her and through her hair. She was curious to know how Vahn had made it cooler, but there was no need to press him at that exact moment...

...

Reaching the area around Mt Frypan, the location of an abandoned village with neglected buildings and several human skeletons lying about, Grayfia parked the car, allowing everyone to disembark and look around as Goku, after performing a surveilling pass around the flaming mountaintop, came to a stop near them atop him Flying Nimbus.

"It's no good," expressed Goku, sweating heavily and panting as he got down from his Flying Nimbus and accepted a glass of water from Grayfia, swallowing it down in several large gulps before asserting, "The fire is too hot. I can't get close."

"And that's definitely where the Dragon Ball is..." remarked Bulma, gazing between the castle atop the flaming mountain and the dark green display of her Dragon Radar.

"Grayfia..." said Vahn, the silver-haired Devil requiring no additional words or commands before she spread her bat-like wings and ascended into the sky, prompting Bulma to raise her brows and question, "Is she fireproof or something...?"

"Technically..." confirmed Vahn, refusing to elaborate as Grayfia's show was about to begin. Unbeknownst to Bulma and Goku, she had checked the mountain's situation in advance, and since the flames were magical in nature, they could similarly be extinguished using Magic or by interfering with the original spell's formula.

After reaching the airspace above the castle, belonging to the infamous Ox King, Grayfia closed her eyes and raised her hands with roughly ten centimeters of space between them, producing a series of overlapping, spinning, and revolving Magic Circles. At the same time, two additional pairs of wings unfurled from her back, creating a visible shockwave that rippled through the area, functionally erasing the magical flames as her far more potent Demonic and Magical Energy destroyed the underlying spell maintaining them.

Seeing Grayfia produce a massive, fast-moving shockwave, Bulma barely had time to open her mouth and eyes in shock before the pulse of Magical Energy washed over her, Vahn, and Goku. Fortunately, they were shielded by Vahn's domain, forming a fifteen-meter-wide hemispherical barrier that briefly came into view as the shockwave rolled over it.

"What...what the heck was that...?" asked Bulma, nearly crumpling to the ground before Vahn caught and supported her, his fiery gaze focused on the descending Grayfia as he softly proclaimed, "That's the future mother of my children..."

Though she hadn't heard Vahn's words, Grayfia glimpsed the look on his face as she touched down gracefully a meter in front of him. As usual, her silver eyes narrowed seductively, but before she could provoke him, Goku approached her, exclaiming, "Gosh, Grayfia! You're even stronger than my Grandpa, and he was super strong...!"

"Thank you for the compliment..." responded Grayfia, her smile softening into a maternal look as she revealed, "But while I may be peerless here on Earth, there are individuals far stronger across the universe. Make sure to train hard each day so you can protect the people and places important to you, okay?"

"Okay...!" responded Goku, beaming happily as Grayfia's encouragement and lessons made him feel fluttery and excited. He didn't know why she was so nice to him, but her kindness and cooking made him want to give each day his best.

"Heeeeeeey! You there! Were you the ones who put out the fire on the mountain...!?" exclaimed an exceptionally large man, standing more than four meters tall and nearly as wide as he bolted over to the group in an ox-horn helmet that covered the upper half of his face, a red cape, and armor that made him seem like an ancient Chinese warlord. His helmet had two telescopic lenses over the eyes, and he had a prominent, well-groomed beard and mustache.

"Holy crap! That guy is gigantic...!" exclaimed Bulma, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets before she hurriedly positioned herself behind Vahn, trusting that his relaxed expression and body language meant he had the situation under control.

Waiting until the giant of a man was in casual conversation range, Vahn offered a curt nod, smiled, and explained, "We came here in search of an object known as a Dragon Ball. Since we extinguished the flames around your castle, would you be willing to part with the one stored within?"

"Dragon Ball!? You can have every treasure in my vault if you want...!" exclaimed the massive man, grabbing his belly and exhaling a hearty laugh that presumably echoed for several kilometers with how loud his voice was.

"Papa? What's going on? Who are these people...?" asked a pleasant, bell-like voice, followed by the appearance of a timid-looking girl that caused Vahn's brows to rise. He immediately recognized her as Chi-Chi based on her blue and white bikini armor, ax-bladed, pale-pink helmet, pink gloves, pink boots, and blue cape, but she was much...bigger than her on-screen counterpart. In the anime and manga, she was around the same height as Goku, but the long, straight, raven-haired girl who appeared before them was roughly the same height as Asia, 156cm, but with a well-trained body and proportions closer to Bulma...in fact, her thighs were notably larger as she wasn't nearly as sedentary as the turquoise-haired heiress.

"Ah, Chi-Chi, perfect timing...!" exclaimed the giant man, gesturing for Chi-Chi to approach before placing his massive hand on the entirety of her back as explained, "These people extinguished the fire keeping us from entering our home. Introduce yourself, and be sure to thank them properly!"

"Oh, um...hi! M-My name is Chi-Chi! Thank you for extinguishing the fire for us...!" exclaimed Chi-Chi, her face flushing as she folded her hands over her stomach and offered a steep bow. It had been a long time since she had spoken to anyone but her father, but she did her best not to flub her words too much.

"It's nice to meet you, Chi-Chi," responded Vahn, offering a smile as he took the initiative to introduce everyone in their group, first gesturing to Grayfia as he stated, "And these people here are Grayfia Lucifuge, Bulma Briefs, and Son Goku."

Derailing the introductions, the giant man, Chi-Chi's father, the Ox King, adopted a broad, toothy grin and proposed, "Well, how about it, young man? As a prize for your and your friend's efforts, how about I allow you to marry my Chi-Chi?"

"Oh, Papa, what are you saying~!?" exclaimed Chi-Chi, her high-pitched voice carrying a distinct undertone of girlish excitement as she bashfully cupped her cheeks, half-turned away, and peered back at Vahn with her large, shimmering black eyes. It was apparent that she wasn't opposed to the arrangement, but even though she looked much older and presumably was, Vahn wasn't in the market for a bride.

"Though your daughter is an extraordinarily beautiful young woman, I'm afraid I must politely refuse," responded Vahn, extending his right hand, prompting Grayfia to move closer, allowing him to hold her waist and draw her closer as he asserted, "I am already blessed with several exceptional women I plan to marry..."

"Nonsense!" bellowed the giant man, famous throughout the world as the tyrannical Ox King. Then, as if the matter weren't up for debate, he firmly asserted, "The descendants of the Ox King always repay their debts. You and your friends will stay in the castle tonight. We will prepare a banquet in honor of your accomplishment and union, and then you and Chi-Chi will consummate your marriage."

"Well, you heard him~" hummed Chi-Chi, approaching Vahn and grabbing his free arm, deliberately pressing her breast against his left bicep as she appended, "Oh, wow...you must be pretty strong to have muscles like this. I bet our kids will be strong as well..."

"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing!? He already said he wasn't going to marry you...!" shouted Bulma, feeling annoyed as Chi-Chi was technically occupying the spot that should be reserved for her.

"Oh? Are you another of this boy's brides?" asked the Ox-King, crossing his arms, cupping his chin with his right hand, and sizing Bulma up as he remarked, "You seem pretty weak though...and your legs don't look very robust. Are you sure you can birth children safely?"

"That's none of your business!" exclaimed Bulma, stomping her right foot with her hands near her sides as she shouted, "Besides, just how dated is your way of thinking!? People don't just gift their daughters away as some kind of prize anymore, you relic!"

"Really? But my wife was presented to me after I rescued a village from a group of bandits..." remarked the Ox-King, scratching his right cheek with his index finger while staring at Bulma as if she were the weird one.

"Bulma is correct," affirmed Vahn, offering a slight nod before turning to face Chi-Chi, unbothered by her clinging to him as he smiled and softly asserted, "You shouldn't decide or commit to a marriage on a whim. This world is a big place. You should get out, experience more, and meet all kinds of people before choosing who you wish to spend the rest of your life with. Besides..."

Returning his gaze to the Ox-King, Vahn explained, "Even if Chi-Chi and I were to marry, I wouldn't be able to stay here or take over your domain. I prefer to live a free and unfettered life...at least for now..."

"Ah, I see..." responded the Ox-King, giving the impression he was finally going to be reasonable before promptly shattering that expectation as he determined, "Then you will take my Chi-Chi with you and keep her safe as she sees and experiences the outside world. Just make sure to visit every so often, and if you have children, I want to meet my grandkids."

"Let's have lots of strong babies..." muttered Chi-Chi, squeezing Vahn's arm like a vice and affectionately nuzzling his shoulder. As far as she was concerned, her father's decisions were law, so even if they never officially married, she already regarded Vahn as her husband...

Exhaling faintly from his nose, Vahn resisted the temptation to ask Grayfia to use her power and instead met the Ox-King's gaze, stating, "Where I'm from, men and woman can't consummate things like marriage until they're at least eighteen years old. Your daughter should also be present to assist with your domain's rehabilitation, so let's end these discussions here."

"Eighteen, huh...?" parroted Chi-Chi, continuing to cling to Vahn's arm but using her left index finger to touch her chin, her head tilted back slightly, and her eyes turned skyward as she revealed, "My birthday is next month, November 5th, and sixteen isn't that far off from eighteen."

"Then you shouldn't have any trouble waiting..." countered Vahn, causing Chi-Chi to puff her cheeks in an admittedly adorable expression of anger. As for the Ox-King, he spent several tens of seconds caressing his chin and combing his beard with his right hand, ostensibly deliberating Vahn's words before relenting, much to Chi-Chi's chagrin. However, before letting Vahn's group leave with the Dragon Ball in hand, he had him promise to be present at Chi-Chi's eighteenth birthday feast, prompting the raven-haired Princess to squeal and stomp her feet excitedly when Vahn, after exhaling in exasperation, reluctantly agreed...

...