Super Dragon Ball: Paradise Hysteria

No Future

Videl and Trunks hovered above a vast land of lively plains, untouched by the heavy machinery of warfare or the taint of the Destron Gas and the destruction of the Ghost Warriors yet. It was a far-off corner from the Orange Star City, near the very center of the globe, not too far off to the southwest of West City. Giru flew in between the two, riding the jet flame of a missile sticking out from the center of its body.

"So... Giru... I've noticed you keep making missiles appear from your body. You even ride them to fly, what's up with that?" Videl spoke up with a level of discomfort in her tone. It was odd seeking the final Dragon Ball alongside someone they just met and someone who openly threatened to blow Trunks' mother up with a point-blank missile blast as an icebreaker. A bit of friendly banter and familiarity may have helped the hostile atmosphere in the air somewhat, or so it occurred to Videl.

"Giru-Giru... Correct!" Giru pointed out, kicking its thin mechanical legs in the air as if attempting to jog across the skyline. "A missile is a primitive combat apparatus. Most Machine Mutants eat one. Machine Mutants learn and adapt to technology by ingesting it. That way, obsolete technology never weakens the Machine Mutant race as a more advanced model simply eats the obsolete one, freeing up space for more innovative models while acquiring all the old model's functions. In addition, it's a great way to understand the technology of other species and adapt it to our society, Giru-Giru!"

"So... Eating a missile is like learning the fundamentals of martial arts to your kind? Like... Learning to throw a punch?" Trunks scratched his chin. While initially, this round Machine Mutant repulsed him and Trunks couldn't stop viewing it as an enemy, either the type that threatened to blow up his mother or a slippery scout trying to infiltrate the Earthlings' ranks and destroy them from within, learning a few things about Giru and the Machine Mutants made Trunks' inner sense of scientific curiosity and childish wonder spike up.

"Giru-Giru... Suppose you could say that..." Giru replied after a brief pause. Videl couldn't stop glancing at the orbicular Machine Mutant scout. He had the strangest way of talking. Whenever Giru spoke, his bright red eye flashed corresponding to the patterns of Giru's speech and an artificial voice came from somewhere inside Giru, but there was no orifice to spread that voice and no mouth from which the tiny robot scout could speak. "It's an oversimplification, but then again, Earthlings are one of the less intelligent species in the universe and you are a mere youngling, so the instinct to dumb even the most basic scientific facts down is understandable, Giru-Giru!"

"I changed my mind, I think I wanna blow it up," Trunks pouted and gave Videl a look that browsed Videl's expression for even the tiniest excuse for him to misinterpret it as permission to do whatever he wanted to. "Mom said she could build another radar in less than an hour from her lab. We can have soda and all the grilled meat and beef jerkies we want while we wait."

"You know, normally kids your age would be into cotton candy, cakes, or whatever... Your obsession with barbecue is weird. In any case, if we stray from the plan, the Machine Mutants will get ahead and find the last Dragon Ball first. Everyone's Ki is staggering, we can't be sure that we can protect our Dragon Balls against the Machine Mutants and everyone might need Chayote-san's help," Videl tried disciplining Trunks to the best of her ability.

"Giru-Giru... Earthling young enjoy... Cotton candy..." Giru recorded with a mechanical tone out loud all to himself. "Also, something called... Cake..."

"That's what Giru told us!" Trunks raised his voice with a passionate objection. "He told us that because it serves his goals to have us believe that. He didn't show either me or my mother any of his calculations, so we can't say if his logic is sound. All we have to go with is his word. He's recording intelligence on how to defeat Earthlings as we speak!"