Empire's Expansion
Summary: The Z warriors and Sailor Senshi must fight the invasion of an interdimensional empire.
Timeline:
DBZ between Freeza saga and Cell saga
SM between R and S
Legal disclaimer (long version)
1. Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon are owned by Akira Toriyama and Naoko Takeuchi, respectively, and such other persons as they have seen fit to grant rights to (collectively Owners). The Author of this work makes no claim of ownership or right to reproduce.
2. This work has been produced without the knowledge or consent of the Owners.
3. This is a work of parody, and should not be taken as a factual account of the source material or of the Owners. All sections of the work which do not contain previously copyrighted material are copyright of the Author and are his sole responsibility.
4. This work is not intended to generate a profit, nor to interfere with the commercial interests of the Owners. This work may not be reproduced without the express consent of the Owners and the Author.
Legally, I can no longer be sued! *does the 'just try and sue me now' dance* Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the main event.
Introduction part 1: Studies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gohan was bored.
His eyelids hung heavily in a valiant attempt to stay open. The single arm assigned to hold up his head gradually began to slip before failing entirely, dropping his head to the desk with a resounding crack.
Muttering, Gohan stifled a yawn and brought his head back up. Awareness gradually returned as he looked over his desk. Papers, pencils and books were strewn about haphazardly, covering the entire surface (though fortunately not the place he had hit his head.) He groggily surveyed the mess, trying to figure out what he had been working at before drifting off.
The answer was right in front of him. Or more accurately, a question with no apparent answer. A math book lay open in the center of the desk. Next to it, a page covered with cryptic symbols and full of hasty hand written corrections.
Gohan frowned in concentration. Even now that he was fully awake, the answer to the last algebra problem still eluded him. He carefully reviewed each step he had previously put down, trying to make sense of the problem. He spotted the error and sighed. There was a misplaced term in the second step. A simple mistake that cost him twenty minutes of frustration. He crumpled the paper up, threw it into a nearby wastebasket, and slammed the book shut. Gohan considered the rest of the pile of papers, then sighed.
'I need a break.' Gohan jumped down from the chair. He started across the room toward his closet when a thought struck him. His foot paused in midair as his whole body froze. 'Mom's not gonna like it if I don't do my homework. Maybe I shouldn't go out.' Chichi had threatened to fix nothing but cabbage for a month, and he wasn't too interested in discovering whether she was serious.
Rationalization came swiftly. He was never going to finish if he kept falling asleep. He would go train for a while, and then he'd be alert enough to do the rest of his work. Mom wouldn't be upset then.
Satisfied, he continued toward the closet. He pulled off his school uniform, carefully placing it on an empty hanger, and pulled out his training outfit. Thoughts of homework vanished as he donned the blue jumpsuit. With the last knot set in his belt, Gohan confidently stepped out his room.
"Hey dad!" Gohan called out as the he entered the living room. Goku was doing his usual exercise routine, doing endless sit-ups with remarkable speed. "Can I go out for a while?"
"Okay," Goku said without breaking pace. "Be sure to tell your mother."
"Thanks dad," said Gohan through a forced grin while a bead of sweat formed on his forehead. He had hoped to avoid this. Carefully, he edged toward the kitchen door.
Chichi hummed quietly as she worked in the kitchen. As Gohan approached she picked out a large knife and started chopping up what looked like a round, green vegetable.
Bravely facing such ominous signs, Gohan drew in a huge breath. Surprised at the sudden sound, Chichi looked up and started to turn. He summoned all of his courage...
"MomI'mgoingoutforawhileI'llbebackfordinner," he gasped out in a single breath. Courage satisfied, he bravely turned tail and fled the scene.
"Gohan? Gohan!" Chichi took two swift steps out of the kitchen, knife still in hand. She arrived in the hallway just in time to see the front door slam shut. The sound of powered flight burst outside and faded within seconds. She pouted for a moment before assuming an angry expression and swiftly rounding on Goku.
"That boy of yours! Always shirking his responsibilities!" She crossed her arms. "I bet he hasn't even finished his homework yet. I won't have him becoming a delinquent!"
Goku continued exercising, unfazed. They had this discussion a thousand times before, and he knew the right responses by heart. "Come on, dear, you know how hard Gohan has been working at school recently. He deserves some time to himself."
Chichi softened. "I suppose. But still..."
Goku took the opening. "Besides, you remember what Trunks said. We all have to train as hard as we can to be ready for the androids."
That stopped her. She had always known her husband was a fighter. It was why she married him, and it was part of the reason she loved him so much. Goku had put his life on the line again and again to protect the weak. He had even been killed once. Yet he met each day with cheer and boundless energy. Ever since Gohan was born, Goku had shared this joy with him. It was clear that he loved his son deeply; and as much as she might not like it, her son seemed to share his father's destiny. She had to be strong for them, so they could be strong for others.
"Well," she continued after a slight pause, "be sure you clean up for dinner. Bulma and Vegeta are coming over." She turned and fled back into the kitchen.
"Ok dear," Goku called after her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A wind blew through the plain, rippling through the grass, bowing the heads of wildflowers, rasping along exposed earth and whistling among the rocky spires. The fierce summer sun blazed overhead, pounding down on any animal foolish enough to expose itself. Only the insects remained active, zipping happily from flower to flower, gathering nectar while inadvertently helping the flowers to reproduce. Even mice had long since retreated to their burrows. A giant saw-toothed lizard lay asleep, basking on an exposed rock ledge, and none dared dispute his claim.
Piccolo looked down upon the plain with cold eyes from atop one of the spires. A sudden gust hit the spire, flowing past his scaled forearms and snapping his white cape. Satisfied that he was alone, Piccolo tucked his feet into his knees and secured his cape. Fully entering his meditative stance, he closed his eyes.
Even with his eyes closed, the Namek still saw a green tint through his eyelids. As he concentrated, the subtle glow diminished. It finally vanished, leaving only a deep darkness behind. Piccolo continued to concentrate, and gradually his other senses began to respond. The heat of the sun, the smell of the flowers, the feel of the wind on his bare skin all began to fade. Soon his mind was floating in a calm, dark void, free from all sensations. Piccolo gazed into the darkness for a single, eternal moment. He turned away and then opened his other senses.
A burst of light came into the void. Instead of mere light, however, Piccolo opened himself to the shining luminance of power. He could now sense all the life about him. He felt the grass take in the energy of the sun and convert it to shimmering life force. Bees became points of light, drawing life from the flowers and giving in return. He could see the bright sparks of slumbering animals in their dens. Even the earth itself held an aura of power; diffuse, slow, but extremely potent.
Suddenly, Piccolo felt his senses being drawn upward into the sky. A brilliant beacon of power rose over the horizon, shining even more brightly than the sun. It moved rapidly toward him, becoming clearer with each moment. A familiar presence emanated from within the locus of power, and as Piccolo struggled back to consciousness, a named bubbled up from the recesses of his mind.
"Mr. Piccolo!" a joyous shout rang out from overhead. The fiery aura of flight dissolved from Gohan as he settled down to float in front of Piccolo. "Hi Mr. Piccolo!"
"Hello Gohan," Piccolo rumbled out with his gravelly voice. "What do you want?"
"Can I train with you for a while Mr. Piccolo?"
Piccolo opened his eyes to consider the boy in front of him. Gohan had a wide smile and wide-open eyes, and seemed as if he didn't have a care in the world. The scars of his past were nowhere to be seen.
When his own father had died, Piccolo had adopted the young child. He trained Gohan without mercy for an entire year, forcing him to fight or die. This mere child had seen battle, seen his friends die helpless against seemingly unstoppable opponents. He had been forced to grow up much too quickly. Yet somehow, he remained innocent and carefree.
Piccolo had dedicated his life to power, to becoming stronger and to defeating his opponents. He had let power rule him, controlling his actions and forcing him to fight. Power had made him bitter and angry, blindly attacking everyone he thought of as a threat. He was now the strongest member of his race who had ever existed. Even so, this mere child in front of him burned with a power that Piccolo could never hope to possess.
"I'm sorry kid. You've learned all you can from me. I can't train you any more."
"Awww! Please Mr. Piccolo!"
"Tell you what," Piccolo grinned. "We can spar for a while."
"OK!" Gohan chirped enthusiastically.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The spar continued for a half hour without a single blow landing. Every punch and kick was dodged or blocked as fast as they came in. Gohan faked a stomach kick, and finally landed a right hook across the jaw of Piccolo. A line of purple blood ran down his lip. Gohan looked concerned, but Piccolo just grinned before launching a flurry of jabs at the stunned Gohan. He managed to divert most of them, but several made it through his guard and struck his chest.
Gohan reeled under the attack for several seconds. When an opening presented itself he disengaged and decided to open the range. Using a trick he had learned from his father, Gohan continued to back flip until he was several meters away. Piccolo pressed his advantage and hurriedly followed.
"I order you to stop that immediately!" came a shout from out of nowhere.
The warriors complied, more out of amazement than anything else. They had been so intent on the fight that they hadn't noticed anyone approaching. As they scanned about for the owner of the mysterious voice, it rang out again.
"What kind of vile creature are you?" A slim figure stepped out from behind a spire. The voice became clearer, taking on a distinctly feminine tone. "How dare you attack a defenseless child!" A girl stepped out of the shadows.
Her long raven hair flapped in the breeze. She wore a white leotard, covered by a red bow across the chest and a barely decent short red skirt. Gohan was taken aback for a moment, but reacted quickly. "I'm sorry miss." He spread his hands and smiled. "It's really not like that. You see, Mr. Piccolo and I were just..."
The girl ignored Gohan while moving to point at Piccolo. "I will punish you!" Her hand clenched into a fist as she lunged.
Piccolo stood his ground. He had taken the measure of the intruder's power while she talked and wasn't concerned with her. The strength of the attack was surprising. It was far beyond what any human female could have produced. Her lunge would have killed any ordinary man; but Piccolo was hardly ordinary. At the last moment he held his arm up, and the killing blow ricocheted off his natural armor. The girl followed gamely with series of strikes at the head, all of which Piccolo dodged. With a feral grin, Piccolo delivered his first punch right to the torso. The girl was caught squarely and sent flying towards Gohan.
Gohan had watched the attack with increasing rage. When the attacker was sent toward him, he jumped up to intercept her. "Leave Mr. Piccolo alone!" he shouted angrily, and delivered an immense backhand which drove the girl to the ground between him and Piccolo.
She struggled to stand. Once on her feet, she pointed one arm at Gohan and one at Piccolo. Energy began to collect in her cupped hands as she started to chant. "Mars Burning..."
The two targets weren't about to let her finish. They copied her earlier move and both dove in fists first. Two fists impacted on opposite sides of the girl's chest. Popping sound signaled ribs snapping under the tremendous strain. Her arms dropped, the power vanishing. Gohan and Piccolo stepped back gasping in relief.
The girl's arms continued to fall, shoulders sliding down the sides of the torso. Her outfit seemed to melt, sloughing off the quivering form. As the two watched in horror, the body lost all consistency and reduced to an amorphous blob. Then, impossibly, the blob began to flow toward them. They quickly gathered their own power and launched a volley of ki blasts into it, producing a cloud of smoke and heat.
A stiff breeze came across the plain, blowing the cloud away within moments. When they could finally see where they had blasted, nothing remained but a hole. Whatever it was, it had been disintegrated.
Gohan cast a worried look towards his mentor. "What was that, Mr. Piccolo?"
Piccolo frowned, his eyes never leaving the crater. "I don't know."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What mysterious force threatens the Z warriors? How are the Sailor Senshi involved? Keep reading to find out!
A/N: "She blew up good!" "Yep! She blew up real good!" Errr... old Canadian TV aside, all is not as it appears. We'll be meeting the Senshi (all of them ^^) in the next section, which should be up next week. In the mean time, pls make an old fogy deliriously happy by telling him what you think. Ja na!
Summary: The Z warriors and Sailor Senshi must fight the invasion of an interdimensional empire.
Timeline:
DBZ between Freeza saga and Cell saga
SM between R and S
Legal disclaimer (long version)
1. Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon are owned by Akira Toriyama and Naoko Takeuchi, respectively, and such other persons as they have seen fit to grant rights to (collectively Owners). The Author of this work makes no claim of ownership or right to reproduce.
2. This work has been produced without the knowledge or consent of the Owners.
3. This is a work of parody, and should not be taken as a factual account of the source material or of the Owners. All sections of the work which do not contain previously copyrighted material are copyright of the Author and are his sole responsibility.
4. This work is not intended to generate a profit, nor to interfere with the commercial interests of the Owners. This work may not be reproduced without the express consent of the Owners and the Author.
Legally, I can no longer be sued! *does the 'just try and sue me now' dance* Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the main event.
Introduction part 1: Studies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gohan was bored.
His eyelids hung heavily in a valiant attempt to stay open. The single arm assigned to hold up his head gradually began to slip before failing entirely, dropping his head to the desk with a resounding crack.
Muttering, Gohan stifled a yawn and brought his head back up. Awareness gradually returned as he looked over his desk. Papers, pencils and books were strewn about haphazardly, covering the entire surface (though fortunately not the place he had hit his head.) He groggily surveyed the mess, trying to figure out what he had been working at before drifting off.
The answer was right in front of him. Or more accurately, a question with no apparent answer. A math book lay open in the center of the desk. Next to it, a page covered with cryptic symbols and full of hasty hand written corrections.
Gohan frowned in concentration. Even now that he was fully awake, the answer to the last algebra problem still eluded him. He carefully reviewed each step he had previously put down, trying to make sense of the problem. He spotted the error and sighed. There was a misplaced term in the second step. A simple mistake that cost him twenty minutes of frustration. He crumpled the paper up, threw it into a nearby wastebasket, and slammed the book shut. Gohan considered the rest of the pile of papers, then sighed.
'I need a break.' Gohan jumped down from the chair. He started across the room toward his closet when a thought struck him. His foot paused in midair as his whole body froze. 'Mom's not gonna like it if I don't do my homework. Maybe I shouldn't go out.' Chichi had threatened to fix nothing but cabbage for a month, and he wasn't too interested in discovering whether she was serious.
Rationalization came swiftly. He was never going to finish if he kept falling asleep. He would go train for a while, and then he'd be alert enough to do the rest of his work. Mom wouldn't be upset then.
Satisfied, he continued toward the closet. He pulled off his school uniform, carefully placing it on an empty hanger, and pulled out his training outfit. Thoughts of homework vanished as he donned the blue jumpsuit. With the last knot set in his belt, Gohan confidently stepped out his room.
"Hey dad!" Gohan called out as the he entered the living room. Goku was doing his usual exercise routine, doing endless sit-ups with remarkable speed. "Can I go out for a while?"
"Okay," Goku said without breaking pace. "Be sure to tell your mother."
"Thanks dad," said Gohan through a forced grin while a bead of sweat formed on his forehead. He had hoped to avoid this. Carefully, he edged toward the kitchen door.
Chichi hummed quietly as she worked in the kitchen. As Gohan approached she picked out a large knife and started chopping up what looked like a round, green vegetable.
Bravely facing such ominous signs, Gohan drew in a huge breath. Surprised at the sudden sound, Chichi looked up and started to turn. He summoned all of his courage...
"MomI'mgoingoutforawhileI'llbebackfordinner," he gasped out in a single breath. Courage satisfied, he bravely turned tail and fled the scene.
"Gohan? Gohan!" Chichi took two swift steps out of the kitchen, knife still in hand. She arrived in the hallway just in time to see the front door slam shut. The sound of powered flight burst outside and faded within seconds. She pouted for a moment before assuming an angry expression and swiftly rounding on Goku.
"That boy of yours! Always shirking his responsibilities!" She crossed her arms. "I bet he hasn't even finished his homework yet. I won't have him becoming a delinquent!"
Goku continued exercising, unfazed. They had this discussion a thousand times before, and he knew the right responses by heart. "Come on, dear, you know how hard Gohan has been working at school recently. He deserves some time to himself."
Chichi softened. "I suppose. But still..."
Goku took the opening. "Besides, you remember what Trunks said. We all have to train as hard as we can to be ready for the androids."
That stopped her. She had always known her husband was a fighter. It was why she married him, and it was part of the reason she loved him so much. Goku had put his life on the line again and again to protect the weak. He had even been killed once. Yet he met each day with cheer and boundless energy. Ever since Gohan was born, Goku had shared this joy with him. It was clear that he loved his son deeply; and as much as she might not like it, her son seemed to share his father's destiny. She had to be strong for them, so they could be strong for others.
"Well," she continued after a slight pause, "be sure you clean up for dinner. Bulma and Vegeta are coming over." She turned and fled back into the kitchen.
"Ok dear," Goku called after her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A wind blew through the plain, rippling through the grass, bowing the heads of wildflowers, rasping along exposed earth and whistling among the rocky spires. The fierce summer sun blazed overhead, pounding down on any animal foolish enough to expose itself. Only the insects remained active, zipping happily from flower to flower, gathering nectar while inadvertently helping the flowers to reproduce. Even mice had long since retreated to their burrows. A giant saw-toothed lizard lay asleep, basking on an exposed rock ledge, and none dared dispute his claim.
Piccolo looked down upon the plain with cold eyes from atop one of the spires. A sudden gust hit the spire, flowing past his scaled forearms and snapping his white cape. Satisfied that he was alone, Piccolo tucked his feet into his knees and secured his cape. Fully entering his meditative stance, he closed his eyes.
Even with his eyes closed, the Namek still saw a green tint through his eyelids. As he concentrated, the subtle glow diminished. It finally vanished, leaving only a deep darkness behind. Piccolo continued to concentrate, and gradually his other senses began to respond. The heat of the sun, the smell of the flowers, the feel of the wind on his bare skin all began to fade. Soon his mind was floating in a calm, dark void, free from all sensations. Piccolo gazed into the darkness for a single, eternal moment. He turned away and then opened his other senses.
A burst of light came into the void. Instead of mere light, however, Piccolo opened himself to the shining luminance of power. He could now sense all the life about him. He felt the grass take in the energy of the sun and convert it to shimmering life force. Bees became points of light, drawing life from the flowers and giving in return. He could see the bright sparks of slumbering animals in their dens. Even the earth itself held an aura of power; diffuse, slow, but extremely potent.
Suddenly, Piccolo felt his senses being drawn upward into the sky. A brilliant beacon of power rose over the horizon, shining even more brightly than the sun. It moved rapidly toward him, becoming clearer with each moment. A familiar presence emanated from within the locus of power, and as Piccolo struggled back to consciousness, a named bubbled up from the recesses of his mind.
"Mr. Piccolo!" a joyous shout rang out from overhead. The fiery aura of flight dissolved from Gohan as he settled down to float in front of Piccolo. "Hi Mr. Piccolo!"
"Hello Gohan," Piccolo rumbled out with his gravelly voice. "What do you want?"
"Can I train with you for a while Mr. Piccolo?"
Piccolo opened his eyes to consider the boy in front of him. Gohan had a wide smile and wide-open eyes, and seemed as if he didn't have a care in the world. The scars of his past were nowhere to be seen.
When his own father had died, Piccolo had adopted the young child. He trained Gohan without mercy for an entire year, forcing him to fight or die. This mere child had seen battle, seen his friends die helpless against seemingly unstoppable opponents. He had been forced to grow up much too quickly. Yet somehow, he remained innocent and carefree.
Piccolo had dedicated his life to power, to becoming stronger and to defeating his opponents. He had let power rule him, controlling his actions and forcing him to fight. Power had made him bitter and angry, blindly attacking everyone he thought of as a threat. He was now the strongest member of his race who had ever existed. Even so, this mere child in front of him burned with a power that Piccolo could never hope to possess.
"I'm sorry kid. You've learned all you can from me. I can't train you any more."
"Awww! Please Mr. Piccolo!"
"Tell you what," Piccolo grinned. "We can spar for a while."
"OK!" Gohan chirped enthusiastically.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The spar continued for a half hour without a single blow landing. Every punch and kick was dodged or blocked as fast as they came in. Gohan faked a stomach kick, and finally landed a right hook across the jaw of Piccolo. A line of purple blood ran down his lip. Gohan looked concerned, but Piccolo just grinned before launching a flurry of jabs at the stunned Gohan. He managed to divert most of them, but several made it through his guard and struck his chest.
Gohan reeled under the attack for several seconds. When an opening presented itself he disengaged and decided to open the range. Using a trick he had learned from his father, Gohan continued to back flip until he was several meters away. Piccolo pressed his advantage and hurriedly followed.
"I order you to stop that immediately!" came a shout from out of nowhere.
The warriors complied, more out of amazement than anything else. They had been so intent on the fight that they hadn't noticed anyone approaching. As they scanned about for the owner of the mysterious voice, it rang out again.
"What kind of vile creature are you?" A slim figure stepped out from behind a spire. The voice became clearer, taking on a distinctly feminine tone. "How dare you attack a defenseless child!" A girl stepped out of the shadows.
Her long raven hair flapped in the breeze. She wore a white leotard, covered by a red bow across the chest and a barely decent short red skirt. Gohan was taken aback for a moment, but reacted quickly. "I'm sorry miss." He spread his hands and smiled. "It's really not like that. You see, Mr. Piccolo and I were just..."
The girl ignored Gohan while moving to point at Piccolo. "I will punish you!" Her hand clenched into a fist as she lunged.
Piccolo stood his ground. He had taken the measure of the intruder's power while she talked and wasn't concerned with her. The strength of the attack was surprising. It was far beyond what any human female could have produced. Her lunge would have killed any ordinary man; but Piccolo was hardly ordinary. At the last moment he held his arm up, and the killing blow ricocheted off his natural armor. The girl followed gamely with series of strikes at the head, all of which Piccolo dodged. With a feral grin, Piccolo delivered his first punch right to the torso. The girl was caught squarely and sent flying towards Gohan.
Gohan had watched the attack with increasing rage. When the attacker was sent toward him, he jumped up to intercept her. "Leave Mr. Piccolo alone!" he shouted angrily, and delivered an immense backhand which drove the girl to the ground between him and Piccolo.
She struggled to stand. Once on her feet, she pointed one arm at Gohan and one at Piccolo. Energy began to collect in her cupped hands as she started to chant. "Mars Burning..."
The two targets weren't about to let her finish. They copied her earlier move and both dove in fists first. Two fists impacted on opposite sides of the girl's chest. Popping sound signaled ribs snapping under the tremendous strain. Her arms dropped, the power vanishing. Gohan and Piccolo stepped back gasping in relief.
The girl's arms continued to fall, shoulders sliding down the sides of the torso. Her outfit seemed to melt, sloughing off the quivering form. As the two watched in horror, the body lost all consistency and reduced to an amorphous blob. Then, impossibly, the blob began to flow toward them. They quickly gathered their own power and launched a volley of ki blasts into it, producing a cloud of smoke and heat.
A stiff breeze came across the plain, blowing the cloud away within moments. When they could finally see where they had blasted, nothing remained but a hole. Whatever it was, it had been disintegrated.
Gohan cast a worried look towards his mentor. "What was that, Mr. Piccolo?"
Piccolo frowned, his eyes never leaving the crater. "I don't know."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What mysterious force threatens the Z warriors? How are the Sailor Senshi involved? Keep reading to find out!
A/N: "She blew up good!" "Yep! She blew up real good!" Errr... old Canadian TV aside, all is not as it appears. We'll be meeting the Senshi (all of them ^^) in the next section, which should be up next week. In the mean time, pls make an old fogy deliriously happy by telling him what you think. Ja na!