various practical items such as ropes, hooks, suction cups and a number of sticks that were equipped with energy cells and glowed like torches. She turned one on and threw it down through the hole. The light stick fell quite low and in the case illuminated a single, wide area, in the center of which was a golden cuboid.
<br />
<br />
"He didn't even bother to build a second maze?" Wondered Bulma. "That's funny, he won't want to make it that easy for us."
<br />
"We'll find out later," said Vegeta. He looked at Bulma. "You can't fly, can you?"
<br />
<br />
She shook her head, put the box back in the capsule and put it away. A little hesitantly, he approached her. She knew what he wanted and wrapped her arms around his neck so that he only had to put one arm around her waist to float down with her.But no sooner had they landed at the glow stick than countless lamps flickered on the ceiling and illuminated the plain. Perhaps a good eighty meters separated them from the cuboid.
<br />
<br />
"So you figured it out," said Phelesen's voice from a dozen or so loudspeakers. "Not bad, but just don't think you've won yet."
<br />
<br />
"What's the crap, Phelese?" Vegeta shook his fist. "Your stupid cuboid is up there. If we touch it, we'll be the winners."
<br />
<br />
"The wrong word, my cute Saiyan," laughed the Phelese. Vegeta ran cold down his back and the hair on the back of his neck rose. "It's not" if "- it's" if ". I hate to damage your well-built body, but I'm a bad loser."
<br />
<br />
Bulma pressed against Vegeta's back and nestled her head on his shoulder. "Don't be unsettled, Vegeta," she whispered to him. "There are mics hidden everywhere here, so don't say a word about the ship and if you can, make sure the cameras blow."<br />
<br />
The Saiyan nodded briefly, to show that he understood. Her warmth was good for him. He could feel her through the overalls. How soft it felt. Her hands wrapped around him and under her left palm she felt his heart beating. There was so much strength in it, Bulma allowed herself this moment of indulgence, pressed even closer to him and briefly closed her eyes.
<br />
<br />
"Do you want to stop like this?" He asked, slightly uncertain. It felt good, but he could hardly fight that way and the Phelese still had some devilry up his sleeve, he was sure of that.
<br />
<br />
Bulma smiled. "No, I would only be in your way. Do it your way but be careful not to damage the golden cube or the side wall."
<br />
<br />
She pulled away from him, but couldn't resist the temptation to give him another hot kiss on the neck. "Good luck!"
<br />
<br />
Vegeta struggled in vain against the pleasant shiver that ran through his body.As soon as they were on the road again, he would have to do something, she couldn't irritate him forever without feeling the consequences. The anticipation made his heart beat faster.
<br />
He remembered the cameras and since he didn't allow the Phelesen to have fun, he began to collect energy, lightning flashed through the air. Bulma had dug a hollow in a sand dune and lay flat so that she would not be hit by the discharges. The cameras, however, which were partly hidden, partly openly embedded in the walls or hanging from the ceiling, were fully caught and gave up their ghost.
<br />
<br />
Satisfied, Vegeta lowered his energy level again. Out of the corner of her eye saw Bulma crawling out of one hollow, keeping a safe distance from him and beginning to dig in the sandy ground elsewhere. Whatever she was up to there, he couldn't help her, all his concentration was on the shadow that emerged from behind the large gold cuboid. Freezer?No, the figure just looked like him. It was a bald-headed lizard with shiny white-blue skin and narrow, golden eyes. The lipless mouth was twisted into a malicious grin and a gold stamp was clearly visible on his scaly cheek. Nose and ears were missing, but two holes on the right and left of the head were probably the replacement for the second.
<br />
<br />
"All right," Vegeta posed. "You must be the ace up Phelesen's sleeve, aren't you?"
<br />
The lizard bowed its head briefly. "I'm Gyrrin and I'm supposed to kill you. I haven't been forbidden to kill you, especially the girl, but if possible I should deliver you in a repairable condition."
<br />
<br />
"How kind of your Master," Vegeta laughed, trying to get Gyrrin's attention to keep Bulma out of the line of fire. "I'm curious what you can do."
<br />
Gyrrin did not take long to ask. He was as fast as Freezer. At least.Before Vegeta could even blink an eyelid, Gyrrin had rammed his scaly fist into his stomach. Vegeta doubled over, groaning in pain.
<br />
<br />
"Weak, you Saiyans are really weak," Gyrrin hissed contemptuously.
<br />
Vegeta recovered surprisingly quickly and when Gyrrin wanted to follow up, Vegeta struck even faster than he had before and his blow threw the small figure of the lizard man across the large room.
<br />
<br />
"Obviously you've never fought a Saiyan yourself," Vegeta said, brushing the sand off his overalls. "We're not weaklings."
<br />
<br />
Gyrrin got up again and grinned even wider. "That's better. It's a lot more fun to win this way." He shot at Vegeta again.
<br />
<br />
But he was armed and blocked kicks and blows without any problems. "You said it."
<br />
Then Vegeta went on the offensive, but Gyrrin's defense was top notch. The fight rocked back and forth without either of the two being able to land a decisive hit.<br />
<br />
Bulma had given up trying to follow the fight with her eyes. She pushed the sand aside and felt the metal floor underneath. Nothing. So she hurriedly started digging elsewhere. Again nothing. Only the third attempt was successful. She could feel the panel under her fingertips. A quick glance showed her that Vegeta didn't give his opponent time for detours in her direction, so she slid down into the hollow and after some digging and shoveling finally found the groove she was looking for.
<br />
<br />
Vegeta realized that it would take him far too long with conventional methods and shot a series of small energy balls at Gyrrin. He had already expected something like that and dodged quickly. But that, in turn, Vegeta had foreseen and he increased the speed, and even more and Gyrrin had to take the first hits. He was spun in the air and landed face first in the sand. Coughing and spitting he pushed himself up again and before Vegeta could react, Gyrrin shot red energy needles at him.Vegeta didn't evade, he tried to take out the needles with small, precise anti-aircraft guns. His training on the cliff paid off and he caught almost all of the needles. The few who made it through Vegeta's fireworks didn't catch Vegeta off guard and he only suffered a few superficial burns.
<br />
<br />
Bulma had meanwhile uncovered the entire door set in the floor and with the help of her improvised remote control she cracked the opening code after a few attempts. With a low hum it slid. As calculated, underneath was one of the regularly distributed maintenance shafts. Bulma crawled out of the hollow and only a few steps away saw the light stick she had thrown down. With this between the teeth climbed down into the maintenance shaft. Here she was protected from prying eyes and micros and could leave her tool case out of the capsule. The required line interface was found quickly. Bulma unscrewed the cover, fished the notebook out of the case, and connected it to the ship's internal cables."So," she muttered. "now let's see what we have here ..."
<br />
<br />
Vegeta had noticed very well that Bulma had suddenly disappeared somewhere after her digging, but his opponent kept him very busy. If he could have let go of one of his great energy attacks, things would have been decided quickly. But the risk was just too great and the weak attacks seemed to be inefficient with the lizard being.
<br />
<br />
In addition, it kept getting hotter and hotter in the large room. Vegeta was sweating and breathing became harder and harder for him, while Gyrrin seemed to enjoy the change in climate.
<br />
"Damn! What's that supposed to be? Why this monkey heat?", Vegeta yelled at the speakers.
<br />
"You are welcome to take off your clothes," said the loudspeaker as soft as silk. "Did I mention that Gyrrin comes from a planet where 40 degrees are cozy at the moment?"
<br />
"That's unfair!" Shouted Bulma, who had climbed out of her hole to see why it was getting hotter and hotter.<br />
<br />
“But why?” She could hear the Phelese having a great time. "Nobody demands that you two stay there for long, either you touch the golden cube within the next two qui or you use the communicator and give up!"
<br />
<br />
"Never!" Vegeta grunted. "I'd rather fight in an oven than accept your bloody blue stamp!"
<br />
<br />
"Have fun!"
<br />
Gyrrin hopped up and down on the spot. "Are you done talking now? Can we go on?"
<br />
<br />
“Anytime!” Vegeta ran the sweat in rivulets down his face. It must have been 40 degrees here and every breath burned in his lungs, because the air was also dry as dust.
<br />
Gyrrin was already up and gave him a quick hit combination. Half-blind from her own sweat, Vegeta could hardly defend herself and fell more and more behind. It was only after a tremendous all-round blow that Gyrrin was somewhat distanced again.<br />
<br />
Bulma bit her lip. There was only one way to get back at this devious Phelesen. She climbed back down the shaft and, to her relief, the program she had previously loaded had meanwhile finished working. The counter was three hours. She affirmed and started hacking into the life support systems.
<br />
<br />
Meanwhile Vegeta kept the lizard creature at bay with great effort and a lot of energy. Since Gyrrin apparently could not extinguish his aura, Vegeta