Giblet raised his hand flatly, beckoning Rhuda to come at him. She grit her teeth and thought on what strategy she could possibly use with such little time. The Ki Burst had a time limit of five minutes, so she couldn't perform it again just yet. That left her Divine Sword attack.
Her Stamina bar was back at full.
This is my chance! She thought.
"Haarah!" She thrust her left hand outwards and energy formed, creating a pink sword. After tucking it closer to her face, Rhuda summoned the nerve and dashed towards Giblet.
He waited until the last possible second to avoid her strike to his neck, rearing away with a confident grin. "So close," he taunted. With a finger wave he tutted her. "Not fast enough, Rhuda! Are you a saiyan or a mouse?"
"S-Shut up!" She growled, swiping towards his stomach.
He was gone.
Where--? Rhuda frantically thought, glancing around but unable to see him.
He came from above, kicking her spine.
Spit and blood drizzled down her chin as Rhuda spiraled headfirst into the dirt, debris flying away.
Her Health Bar dropped to 30%.
I've only got one time to heal, she recalled. If I do it too soon, I might regret it. But if I do it too late...
Rhuda stood up shakily and wiped away the blood from her mouth and took one ragged breath after another. To say she was injured was an understatement, and a better comparison would be that she'd hit a bullet train at full speed.
She staggered, righted herself and thrust her hand back out.
"That again?" Giblet crossed his arms. "What makes you think it would work a second time?"
"...Because..." she grit out, "...Good triumphs over evil."
"Oh? Do tell. As far as I've learned, evil wins in the end. What a pipe dream you have." He chuckled. "...But I'll entertain you."
I won't be able to hold off for long, she thought. If Trunks doesn't come soon...
All of a sudden Giblet snapped his head up. Rhuda followed his eyes and saw someone green flying around them before swooshing down. It was Nail. He got between her and Giblet and said, "...What an evil creature you are."
"I'll take that as a compliment." Giblet smirked. "You're in my way, namekian."
Nail leaned forward, ready to spring at any moment. To the injured saiyan girl behind he said, "Rhuda. Elder Guru wanted you to use that power."
"Power?"
Nail nodded. "Yes. He said you must become angry. Hurry!"
Rhuda watched as Giblet took off for Nail, too fast to see as the helping hand was taken blow for blow until he landed beside Rhuda on his back, dust flying up. Purple blood speckled his face and shoulders.
"Nail!" She cried.
"You must...not waste time," Nail grit out. He stood back up. "I'm not strong enough."
"R-Right."
Rhuda shut her eyes and thought on how to become mad. She wasn't truly the type of person to become irate at the drop of a hat, but this wasn't a time to worry if someone would snap back at her or not. She needed to draw on that saiyan power inside.
Think, think, she demanded herself. There must be something that could work!
Her eyes opened as the first waves of anger filled her body. It was slow work, like uncracking a tightened lid, but when she finally allowed herself to feel anger at all the wrongs she'd faced---the lid loosened.
Her body began to hum and burn as waves of power rolled off her body, tickling her shoulder blades.
Just in time too, as Nail took another hit and fell back. He lay still.
Rhuda growled at Giblet, slowly stepping towards him. "You'll never get your hands on the Super Dragon Balls, Giblet!"
Giblet stilled. He sensed Rhudas new surge of power, at least quadrupling her initial amount. He smirked. "That's where you're wrong. Good work on funneling your power level higher, but it's still...lacking!"
He vanished, aiming to punch her jaw. Rhuda's green eyes saw his attack and she backed away, grabbing his forearm and slugged him in the stomach as hard as she could.
"Guh!"
***
Trunks re-watched the PQ mission over and over, trying to figure out something. "...That capsule...contained a Worm Hole..." he mumbled.
"Yeah, we established that," came Shallots' aggravated voice. "The main question is how we get to where she went."
Trunks nodded. "Yeah. It would be easy if all I needed to do was enter the 'same' PQ. But seeing as she wouldn't be there, it's pretty useless. My only option is to figure out how to connect to the same worm hole."
"Well do it then!"
Shallot was beginning to get on Trunks' nerves. He grit his teeth, "If it was that easy I would have already done it. What do you think I've been doing this entire time?"
"Looks to me like Mr. Perfect...isn't so perfect," Shallot retorted. "You've watched it ten times now."
"I never said I was Mr. Perfect." Trunks turned back to the robot displaying data. "...Is that a nickname you've made up for me?"
When Shallot went quiet Trunks looked over, seeing how tense Shallot had become. Trunks slowly said, "...Or is that what Rhuda calls me?"
"Tch. What does it matter?"
Trunks realized he'd struck a nerve. Rhuda was a touchy subject, and there could only be one reason for that. "It matters because I'm her boyfriend," he replied calmly. His blue eyes went back to work reading Data, adding, "...You seem close to her."
"Of course. She and I have way more in common other than being saiyans and partners." Shallot said smugly.
He's trying to make me jealous, Trunks thought. If I keep losing focus I'll never find a way to rescue her.
"That's good, I guess." Trunks smiled kindly at Shallot. "I've got work to do here. Why don't you let the other Elites know what's going on?"
"Fine."
Shallot flew away and Trunks let out a sigh of relief. Having someone like Shallot peering over his shoulder was nerve wracking. Now he could properly assess the coding and see if there was a way to reproduce the same data the Worm Hole displayed. It would time time to decrypt the data and send the results over to Capsule.
"Rhuda...hang in there," he said.
***
Giblet backhanded Rhuda to the dirt.
20% Health remained.
It was time for her to use a Healing Aid and hope for the best.
[Menu]
[Items]
[Healing Aid: Use? Yes / No]
"Yes."
She was refreshed once more as everything filled to MAX.
Rhuda channeled as much anger as possible. Her thigh length dark pigtails began to lift at the edges. With a sharp foot she took off for Giblet again, punching him so fast his hands couldn't parry all her attacks.
She grinned. I've got him on the ropes!
But her confidence waned as soon as Giblet jumped away. His energy soared, and she hadn't been able to see his Health Bar until now.
It had four bars.
Red, Yellow, Green and finally Purple.
There would be no way to get past it. Her hope died out as she sank to her knees in awe. "No way...so much..."
Giblet cocked a brow and chuckled, "Rethinking your attack? It's a little too late. Don't worry; I won't kill you."
"Ano--can I ask you a question?" Rhuda wondered.
"How about I ask one instead..."
He appeared to her and grabbed the top of her hair, lifting Rhuda again. Giblet's dark eyes grew darker, "Where are those Super Dragon Balls?"
"...I'll never tell you..."
"WRONG ANSWER!"
His fists were like being hit by an entire house. Rhuda's healed ribs began breaking one by one again, and her Health sank down to 70%, 69%, 68%...
"L-Leave the girl alone," said Nail from the ground. He got up slowly until standing. "She's done nothing wrong."
Rhuda couldn't see how Nail was faring for being punched viciously, but when Giblet yanked her by the tail and jumped away to avoid a blast from Nail, she could see that the namekian was on his last legs.
"Nail....go..." she grit out.
"I will protect our peoples treasure!" Nail shouted. He charged his power and white energy left his skin.
Health at 60%, Stamina drained, and no healing aids left Rhuda with little option but to rely on Nail.
Giblet flew away and up to the green sky above. Rhuda dangled by her tail helplessly, straining to move but unable.
Just as Nail came for Giblet a purple blast shot out from down behind a mountain side. Rhuda looked as did Giblet and Nail, seeing a purple portal open.
Out stepped two booted feet. Tan legs, blue saiyan armor, with gloves and a brown tail confirmed the newcomer was of saiyan origin. He wore a fuschia scouter over his right eye and looked keenly like Goku.
"Giblet. Come on, now, you're taking entirely too long."
[System: Turles]
Turles flew up to Rhuda. He put his hand under his chin and playfully smiled. "So she's the vessel. Didn't think I'd see you again, dearest."
"...Guuh..." Rhuda grit out. She wanted to push him away.
Giblet tossed Rhuda to Turles who caught her over his shoulder.
"She won't tell me where they are," Giblet said.
"That's not a problem. We go way back, don't we, Rhuuuda?" Turles drawled her name and ruffled her head. "Ha! To think, it was you all along."
Rhuda had little knowledge of what Turles was talking about. She glared up at him and grit out, "Let..me..go."
"Why would I do that?" Turles pretended to be shocked. He waved her around in the air like a hanging lantern and added, "I haven't seen my little servant in so long!"
****
Conton - Time Nest
Goku and Vegeta were discussing the current situation when Broly suddenly smacked the long table. Scrolls rolled off of it and hit the ground as he growled out, "She could be hurting. Send me in!"
Chronoa gave Broly a sympathetic look. She sighed a little and replied, "I understand how you feel, Broly, but right now we're clueless where they've even taken her to."
Goku nodded. "As soon as we know, we'll all go in together."
A shadow entered the Time Nest. It was the Kai, Zamasu. He stood just within the Vault and looked at them in turn, eyeing them with disdain.
Chronoa and Elder Kai walked over to him. "Zamasu," Chronoa said, "Have you heard the news?"
"I'm a Kai. Not deaf." He answered coldly.
He looked at the scrolls on the floor, then remarked, "They're outsmarting your little records."
Everyone present was wondering why it was that Zamasu--who had never joined them before--would choose now to check in with the Time Patrol.
Zamasu took a slow time in talking but began with, "...Those...time villains, as you so often call them, must have a way around the time rift. Perhaps they've managed to use a more...natural form of time manipulation."
Chronoa nodded. "I think you're right. If they brought Rhuda to the past or future it would show up here. But the fact is, with it being a Parallel mission..."
Zamasu finished, "...it means they don't need to create a rift. Rather, they're utilizing the simulations' to travel through time."
Elder Kai stroked his chin in thought. He nodded a few times to himself and piped up, "It makes sense. So, what you're getting at is that scoundrel who took her away only needed to go through a simulation. But that doesn't make sense."
A growl came from the corner. It was Vegeta, and he bared his teeth. "It does if you look at it in terms of data. I'm sure if you were to check, the portal they concocted would be only suitable for a simulator."
Everyone gasped.
Goku, who knew nothing about data or whatever, gave Vegeta a impressed look. "Wow Vegeta! I didn't think you knew so much about computers and stuff."
"Hn. I'm married to a genius," Vegeta said by way of answer.
Goku chuckled. "Got me there. I guess you would pick up a thing or two, being around Bulma."
Chronoa began to pace back and forth. She looked very deep in thought, thin brows lowered and hand under her chin. "I see what you mean Vegeta. If you think of it like data, then it's possible to make something to alter that data. Like a...virus."
Trunks burst into the Vault--
--He was out of breath and holding up a Capsule. "Here! It took awhile, but this will take us right to Rhuda!"
Broly clenched his fist tightly. "Sister."
Elder Kai wanted to know what the heck Trunks had discovered, and why it was a tiny capsule. "Hmm, and what did you create, Trunks?" The old man asked.
Trunks bowed. "Elder Kai, what you're looking at is a portal made of data. All I need to do is pop this open once we're in the PQ Rhuda was, and it should follow her trail...kinda of like a worm hole, only instead of making a time rift it will open into another PQ. I think this is our best shot of finding her."
The Supreme Kai of Time took the Capsule from Trunks and gave it a long stare. She turned it over in her hand and said, "Alright then. Since there isn't a rift in time, we have to assume they didn't go through time, but to another parallel mission."
Trunks nodded. "Exactly. I couldn't find the one he took her to, but this should follow any bits of data leftover and give us a trail to follow."
Vegeta and Goku looked to Broly, who nodded. "Let's go find my sister."
To Be Continued...
A/n: I tried to explain the Data portals as best as I could, but if you have any questions let me know.