Saga One:
Buckeye Bulma
And God saw the light, that it was good;
and God divided the light from the darkness.
-----Genesis 1:4
The devilish Maijin Buu has been thwarted. Several months have passed since the epic struggle, and the Z fighters have been taking it easy. The comfortable silence is soon to be broken, though, by a new threat to the universe. The Z fighters aren't going to have it easy going up against their new challenge.
Dende's Lookout
"Huh," Piccolo sighed, putting his head in his hands. "I wish there was something going on." The Namek stood at the edge of the Guardian of the Earth's lookout, reminiscing.
Piccolo reached into his pocket and pulled out a Scouter he'd stolen from Bulma. This particular Scouter was one that Bulma referred to as a "Heavy Scouter." It could read power levels up to two-hundred-million, as opposed to a normal Scouter, which would explode if the person's level exceeded one-hundred-thousand or so. This particular Scouter could also read the fighter's maximum strength, not just the strength they emanated at the moment. Piccolo placed the device on his eye and looked around the Earth.
Gohan's power was over eighty-million, which was not a surprise, as he was relaxing with Goku (whose was a hundred-million). Krillin was at about one-million as he golfed with his wife, who was at thirty-five million.
Piccolo found Vegeta flying towards America from Japan. Vegeta's was a bit over fifty-million. Not too shabby. His own was a little over forty-million the last time he'd checked.
Suddenly, Piccolo's eyes grew wide. No, he thought. It can't be! How...? He almost fell off the lookout as he stared down at the target, a very small young boy in Pittsburgh, walking along with a couple of friends. Piccolo had to read the Scouter again. It read that the kid's power level was at over fifteen-million.
"What?!" Piccolo cried. "He can't be that strong! Wait a minute... What's this...?"
An obese man, probably a crackhead or hobo or something, jumped from behind a dumpster holding a pistol. His power level was at seven, exceptionally weak compared to Piccolo and his fellow warriors. The other two kids with the powerful boy, though, were at three and four respectively.
The big man appeared to be saying something. One kid, the weaker one, took off for a side alley. The trigger on the pistol was pulled, and the kid fell to the concrete.
The other kid, the four-leveled one, tried to jump the big guy. The much larger man threw the kid off easily, and stuck the end of the gun in the kid's mouth. Piccolo closed his eyes as the man emptied the gun into the kid. He looked again in time to see the big man wipe off the end of the gun on his shirt.
The big man clicked open the gun and reloaded, then pointed it at the strong kid again. Piccolo wanted to really see what happened, or step in if necessary, so he teleported into the shadows of the alley.
Alley in Pittsburgh
"You killed my friends, Martin!" the kid cried. The man laughed at the boy.
Piccolo got a good look at the man with the gun. He was a short, fat, balding man wearing navy blue work clothes and tan work boots, which were blackened with soot and tar and who knows what else. He had a sloping nose and squinty eyes behind horn-rimmed glasses. In a way, he reminded Piccolo of the Penguin from Batman comic books.
"I've told you brats before," the man, Martin, chuckled. "Don't come into my alley, or I'll make sure you don't ever come back." The boy was furious; the guy began to walk off, but he stopped. Piccolo felt it, too: the ground was shaking furiously. The man turned back around. The boy's hair had turned blonde and stood on end, and a yellow field of light began to surround him.
"Huh?" Piccolo gasped silently. "He's a Super-Saiyan?!"
"What the-?" Martin cried. "What are you?"
"Why did you kill them?!" the boy asked. "Why, Martin?!" Piccolo almost fell out of his hiding place, but he caught himself.
"I asked you a question!" the kid yelled. "Why did you kill them, Martin?!"
"I like it," Martin replied. "Now, for you, whatever you are." He lifted the gun to shoot the kid. He emptied an entire clip, but every shot simply bounced off of the boy. The fat man's jaw dropped almost to the ground.
"Ballistic Blast!" the boy screamed. He held up his hands and a huge bundle of energy, big enough to fill the alley, rocketed out of them. Martin shrieked and Piccolo dived out of the way. Before he could do anything, the energy smashed into Martin. When the dust settled, he was gone, a smoking pile of ash in his place.
Piccolo finally stepped out of the shadows and looked the child over. He was wearing black jeans, hung pretty far down. He had a matching jean jacket and a red Fubu jersey with the number '05' on it. His shoes were red retro Nikes; the Pittsburgh Steelers cap pulled low over his face hid his eyes, which had dulled from jade green back to brown as he left his Super-Saiyan state. The cap had flown off his head in the process of turning a Super-Saiyan, but he'd replaced it quickly.
"Wow, kid," Piccolo said. "I'm impressed. What do you call that move?" The boy took a step back and prepared to attack Piccolo, who threw up his hands.
"Whoa, kiddo," he stated. "I'm not the bad guy here, even though I may look it. I'm just here to help you out, son." The boy considered this, and relaxed.
"I call it a Ballistic Blast. It's pretty effective at close range, because the target can't get out of the way. Who are you, anyway?"
"Oh, sorry," Piccolo chuckled. "My name is Piccolo. I saw your trouble from the Guardian of the Earth's lookout. But you didn't need any help, it would seem. Now, what's your name, kid?"
"Desmond," the child replied. "Desmond Allen."
"Desmond Allen," Piccolo repeated, "now that we've got the pleasantries out of the way, I'll tell you this: I have a thing called a Scouter in my pocket. It's a device put on the eye and is used to measure the power within the body of the target person. When you crossed in front of it, you registered a fifteen-million. That, my boy, is not too bad, and, in my honest opinion, I believe we could hone your skills and make you a very powerful warrior. Can you take me to your parents so that I may ask to train you?"
"Okay," Desmond conceded. "I've always wanted to be a warrior, like my father, so my mom has been training me a bit. I just hope you're a better trainer than she is."
"Hahah!" Piccolo chuckled. "Moms." The Namek took off and looked back to see the boy there, flying right behind him.
A Suburb outside Pittsburgh
Miss Brittany Allen sat on her sofa, watching television. She was tall and skinny and gorgeous, with jet-black hair hanging down past her shoulders. Her eyes shone brightly for being brown, the image on the television reflecting in them. She was just shapely, to put it mildly; she was perfectly proportioned everywhere. She wore a beige shirt and khaki pants. Her shoes were off, discarded in the corner.
Her living room was rather spacious. It housed a couch, two recliners, a love seat, big screen TV, and assorted shelves of many kinds. All the items in the room were brand new; Brittany went to great lengths to keep her house modern.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the oaken front door. She arose and, walking so beautifully she appeared to float, went to answer it. It was Piccolo and her son. Piccolo had opened his mouth to speak but she beat him to the punch.
"Are you a Namek?" she asked. Piccolo's mouth froze open.
"Uh... Yes," Piccolo muttered.
"I've seen you on the news. You were there during the Cell Games, weren't you?"
"Ah!" he said, chuckling nervously. "The Cell Games! Yes, I was there. My name is Piccolo. You are Saiyans, am I correct?"
"Shhh!" Brittany startled the two on the porch, then pulled them in and closed the door. "Someone will hear you!" Quieter, Piccolo asked it again. Brittany, against her will, told it all.
"Yes, we are Saiyans. His name is actually Desmond, but my name is Maijer. Don't go telling everyone we're Saiyans, though: it's not the best way to stay unknown in this day and age."
"Mai---Brittany," Piccolo corrected himself, "were you aware that your son could turn Super-Saiyan?"
"No," Brittany replied, crinkling her eyebrows. "Why? Did he?" A huge grin appeared on her face, and she snatched a surprised Desmond up in a tight embrace.
"Oh, yeah," the Namek responded, nodding. "Unfortunately, he couldn't control it; we're gonna have to teach him how."
"By 'we,' you mean…?" Brittany inquired.
"The others that you witnessed at the Cell Games," Piccolo explained. "Goku and Gohan and those guys."
"I hope you guys can help him," the woman encouraged the Namek. "If he can control all that power, he might be able to beat his father."
"His father?" Piccolo inquired. "What's the trouble with his father? He abusive or something?"
"Well," Brittany explained, "his name's Gozin and, quite frankly… He's evil. We met before he became a bad guy and were married. It was nice for a while there, but all good things come to an end: Gozin turned evil and wanted no child because he thought that a child would one day pose some kind of a threat to him. I can't see how: Gozin's too powerful for that.
"Unfortunately, Desmond was born, and Gozin was mad. He decided to allow the boy to live on, though; he said that as long as the boy was not trained to become a warrior, he would leave Desmond and me alone because he wasn't that cold. I couldn't do it, though; let Gozin walk away, after killing so many poor people. He had to pay, so I started training Desmond. There was one problem: I'm a laughing stock as a trainer, and Desmond hardly improved. I got scared.
"We moved around, Desmond and I, trying to confuse Gozin if he was trying to keep up with us. We lived in San Francisco, Denver, Houston, Detroit, and now Pittsburgh. We were about to go to Miami, but it seems I don't need to do that now that you're gonna train my son. Like I said before, I really suck. Thanks for helping out, Piccolo."
On the contrary, Piccolo thought, looking into his Scouter. Your power level is a little under a million. Not Super-Saiyan just yet, but she's pretty close to meeting the requirements.
The show she'd been watching before had ended at this time and the BBC World News was on.
"This just in," the anchorman suddenly stated. "Reports of the total devastation of San Francisco Island have just arrived." The trio in the room all looked at the television in awe. "One witness in California says the whole island looked like it was 'blown up with an atom bomb'. Let us take you to the terrifying sight, as seen from our news helicopter. Charles, what's going on out there?"
The picture changed to a view of a giant smoking pile of rubble in the water. A little caption appeared at the bottom of the screen reading, 'Site of San Francisco Island'. There was no more island.
"It's horrible!" Brittany cried. "All of my old friends... Gone!"
"Another eyewitness," Charles began, "a pilot en route to Hawaii, said he saw a man, 'hovering over the island before it blew up.' This hovering man supposedly, 'shot a huge beam of light out of his hands,' and the island, 'just exploded.' A man in the plane was filming the scenery and caught this madman on tape. Let's look at the footage."
Instantly, a crude view of the island bordered by a plane window appeared on screen; distraught voices screaming and crying could be heard in the background. Suddenly, the back of somebody floating in the air came into view in the window. The person was big, wearing a blue martial arts uniform. His hair was standing up straight and was glowing blonde, and the same yellow glow that had surrounded Desmond when he'd turned Super-Saiyan was present. It was an obvious Saiyan.
The man raised his left hand. Suddenly, a huge beam of power fired from it and smashed into the island. People screaming could be heard as the island was destroyed almost instantaneously.
The Saiyan that destroyed the island turned and saw the camera as it zoomed in on his face. The Saiyan smiled and waved jovially at the camera.
"It's Gozin!" Brittany cried. "He knows we used to be there!" Gozin suddenly disappeared and reappeared in the cabin by the man with the camera.
"Brittany, I told you," Gozin declared. "I told you not to train the kid, but you did anyway. What's that all about? Well, I've had enough: send him along, out here to Denver, and I'll spare all these people. Adieus, ese!" Gozin disappeared and was outside once more. He laughed, and the footage abruptly ended.
"Now he's going to get Denver, too!" Brittany cried. "Oh, Piccolo, you have to stop him!"
Piccolo whispered, "I am unsure of exactly how much power he has, but I'm almost one-hundred-percent sure it's greater than what I have. Your son must come and help me, or Denver is doomed."
Above Denver
The evil Gozin floated above Denver. His hair was back at its black color; he wasn't Super-Saiyan at that moment. He still wore the same blue martial arts uniform he had worn in the videotape.
Gozin looked like all the other Saiyans: Muscular, handsome, and powerful. There was a difference, though. He had a long, ugly scar running diagonally from his left eyebrow to his right cheek. He'd gotten that from Frieza, after Gozin had failed to destroy Vegeta's father.
Gozin smiled, looking off southeast. He could see Piccolo and Desmond flying right for him. He decided to make it convincing, and turned Super-Saiyan.
"There he is!" Piccolo hollered over the torrent of wind coming from Gozin's power. "We've got to stop him!"
Gozin raised his hands in a mock Masenko and aimed it at Denver. Piccolo reached the evil Saiyan and punched him hard in the stomach. Gozin feigned surprise.
"Piccolo!" he faked a gasp, holding back a laugh at how easily the Namek was fooled. "It's you! How'd you know where I was?" Piccolo's Scouter displayed Gozin's potential at fifty-million.
"We saw you on the news," the Namek replied. "Why did you destroy San Francisco? Those people caused you no harm!"
Gozin explained, "How else did you expect me to draw you guys out? Calling you on the phone and saying, 'come out here so I can kick your asses,' would probably have been a little silly." Gozin chuckled, put his wrists together, and fanned out his hands. "Kaaaah..."
"No..." Piccolo gasped. "Not a Kamehameha!"
"Maaaay..."
"Get out of the way, Desmond!" Piccolo hollered.
"Haaaah..."
The Namek rocketed toward the child, who was frozen with fear. "Move, kid!"
"Maaaay..."
"MOVE!" yelled Piccolo. "He'll kill you!"
"HAAAAH!" Immense energy was released from Gozin's outstretched hands. It slunk towards Desmond, who began to scream.
"No!" Piccolo flew in front of the blast and took the damage.
"Piccolo!" Desmond cried. "No!"
"Get out of my way, stupid Namek!" Gozin snarled. "I'll kill you in an instant!"
Piccolo was wailing, trying to save the stunned boy. "M-m-move D-Desmond," he choked out. "Or you'll d-die. I can't l-last much l-longer... G-g-go..."
Desmond copied something his mother had taught him: He flew behind his father and reappeared so fast the attacking Saiyan didn't see his son.
"Stop it, Daddy!" the boy commanded. He kicked his father in the head and the startled Saiyan ceased his Kamehameha.
Gozin glared up at his son, who kept cycling between Super-Saiyan and non-Super-Saiyan, unable to control it. Gozin, generally damaged this time, bared his teeth.
"Insolent boy!" Gozin muttered. "I'll get you for that! Rapid Fire!" He shot a whole bunch of energy waves at the unsuspecting boy, who somehow managed to dodge the blasts.
Gozin quickly lunged and punched Desmond down toward Denver. The boy caught himself after about a ten-foot drop.
Gozin suddenly launched another Kamehameha; the blast bolted right past Desmond, harmlessly missing him.
"You missed me, Dad!" Desmond pointed out.
"I wasn't aiming for you!" Gozin laughed. Desmond realized the truth as he heard all the screams and the explosion: Gozin had been aiming for Denver.
"No..." Desmond whispered. His distraction allowed for Gozin to tackle him from behind, dragging him with amazing speed to the ground, toward Aspen. Father and son struck the ground at a velocity that would kill any normal man. Desmond had the wind knocked out of him and was nearing unconsciousness due to a severe concussion; Gozin was unharmed, having landed on his son.
A light snow was falling in Aspen, and skiers were staring at the smoking remains of the Mile High City. Others were staring at the three fighters.
"Uhrrr..." Piccolo groaned. He fell to the snow-covered grass below. Gozin went over and got on top of Piccolo, pinning him down.
"Well, Namek," Gozin growled, "looks as if you are outmatched. Tell you what: I'll give you the lowdown about me, and then I'll kill you. You like?
"The android Doctor Gero spent a while in his lab making androids Sixteen through Twenty; he also developed me there. Yes, I am an android. My design is in the same ballpark as Cell, because I've got to absorb some people in order to get energy. How predictable was that geriatric old poot?
"The genius called me 'The Lady Killer,' as if you can't figure it out by yourself. My objective is to copy Bulma's intelligence and to sap my wife's energy, making me an exceptionally clever assassin. After Gero released me into the world, I went straight for my other self, the real Gozin; I was designed to look like him because Gero had some beef with him and wanted him dead. Eventually I found the real Gozin, killed him, and took his place.
"So, there you go, Namek: the story of my life. Now, if you don't mind, I have an appointment with Houston." Gozin got up and pointed at Piccolo, who was in no shape to get up anyway. The Saiyan smiled an evil smile and his hand began to glow.
Suddenly, from behind Gozin, somebody shouted, "Nice story, Gozin. You should write it in a book!" Gozin shot a look back, expecting to see his son. But it was not his son: it was Vegeta!
"Why don't you leave that puny Namek alone," Vegeta suggested, "and go a round with me? Or are you too weak, android?" Gozin crossed his arms over his chest and laughed.
"Me? Too weak?" Gozin asked. "Please."
"Yes, you!" Vegeta hollered. "You are called the 'Lady Killer,' so you can kill a lady. How about a man, Gozin? Can you kill a man, you milksop?"
"I am not complete yet," Gozin admitted, "so you are right; I cannot defeat you. Maybe we'll cross paths again when I am complete. I must go and destroy Houston now, so here's a little present for you!"
"Scampering off with your tail between your legs, I suppose?" Vegeta mocked. "I thought you were a milksop."
Gozin leaped into the air and floated between Vegeta and the sun. He held his hands up to his forehead and spread out his fingers, shouting, "Solar Flare!" There was a flash of light and Vegeta, along with anyone else looking, was temporarily blinded. Amidst the chaos, Gozin flew away to do his business with Houston.
A few minutes later, Vegeta had recovered his sight and looked at the downed Namek (whose right arm and left leg were missing) and the unconscious boy. He shook his head and chuckled.
"Never send a boy (or a Namek for that matter) to do a Super-Saiyan's job," Vegeta muttered, walking over to Piccolo. "They just wouldn't stand up to the challenge." He picked up the Namek and slung him over his shoulder.
"Come on, Namek," Vegeta grunted, "or are you too weak to even walk by yourself? And who's the boy, anyway? Too hurt to speak, eh? Here's a Sensu Bean, weakling. Don't ask for another one, either, because that was my emergency one you just ate." Piccolo got off of Vegeta's shoulder and regenerated his missing limbs.
"The boy is a Saiyan," Piccolo murmured, "believe it or not. He did turn Super-Saiyan, but he couldn't control it. We have to train him so he can surpass his 'father' once the android is finished and whole."
"We?" Vegeta demanded. "We? Heh, I don't think so. I could disable that machine in a heartbeat."
"Well, you think that," Piccolo replied. "Let's get this kid up to Dende's Lookout and train him."
Dende's Lookout
"Mister PoPo!" Dende cried, watching the whole incident from the skies above in his lookout. "There is another threat to the Earth down there now. It is an android named Gozin, a false Saiyan-Saiyan. He killed the real Gozin and took his place. The android is here to fight his son in a battle to the death. He is also supposed to eat the real Gozin's wife and Bulma, and he will destroy anything and everything that tries to stop him!"
"Dende," Mister PoPo tried to calm him, "whatever it is I'm sure that Goku can handle it. It can't be anything stronger than Majin Buu, can it?"
"This robot, if not stopped, will combine the power of a Super-Saiyan Level 2 and another Saiyan, and also the intelligence of Bulma. Can Goku equal that?"
"I'm not sure," Mister PoPo stated calmly. "I am worried, now that you put it like that."
Dende explained, "Piccolo used his Scouter to read Gozin's wife's power level. It read one-million."
"This is not good," Mister PoPo lamented. "Not good at all."
From below, four beings floated up to the Lookout. It was Piccolo, Desmond, Goku, and Gohan.
"Hey, guys!" Goku said cheerfully. "How's it going?"
"Great timing, Goku!" Dende cried happily. "Listen to this!" Dende told Goku and Gohan what was up. Piccolo and Desmond had already told the other Saiyans what they had heard while conscious. Goku stood there, listening intently. His face hardened, and his cheerful smile vanished.
"Great," Goku grumbled. "I can't even relax for a while without another stupid bad guy coming along. I guess I'd better get over to Bulma's place and keep an eye on her." The Super-Saiyan flew off in the direction of Bulma.
Bulma's House
Bulma had moved into a house in New Orleans with Vegeta about two years before (she had wanted to escape the other Z fighters, who always seemed to lead her to trouble); she didn't like the house much and was trying to buy one in Cincinnati, where her mother and father had moved. She stood on her front porch, watching her neighbor to the left, a boy named James Dawkins, toss the football with her neighbor to the right, a boy named Johnny Helsmley.
James was very tall, as tall as the Piccolo that towered over everyone. He was jacked-up, as well, and it was obvious through the triple-extra-large Kurt Warner jersey he wore. His brown hair was big, too, a sort of toned-down afro with a toned-down mullet at the back. His jeans were actually on right, unlike other kids around the country, and he had Newbalance 602s on his big feet.
Johnny wasn't nearly that tall, but he wasn't a dwarf, either. His shirt, which read, 'I see dumb people', was tight across his chest. His jeans were not secured at the waist, and his hair was just a bowl cut. His Nikes were old and decaying.
"Okay, Johnny," James spoke in his deep voice. "Run down about twenty yards and cut across. I'll hit you the second you cut." Johnny, who didn't talk much, nodded. James said, "Hut!" and Johnny did as instructed. When he cut, the ball was there, right on target. It was a hard pass, and almost knocked Johnny's wind out. Bulma clapped.
"Good throw, James!" she called out. "Do you play quarterback?" The boy looked up and smiled.
"Hey, Bulma!" he called back. "I didn't see you there! How are you doing?"
"Just fine, James," she responded. "Thanks for asking!"
"Yeah, I quarterback," he answered her previous question. "I can throw about seventy yards, you know."
She nodded and said, "Not bad." She liked James; he made her laugh and was very smart. He spoke clearer and had more structured thoughts than most of the kids she'd ever met. James liked her, too: she was nice to him, and she told his girlfriend and him stories of her escapades with the Z fighters.
"Hey," he toned in, "is that invitation for watching the Saints game still on? It's starting in about five minutes, and I was wondering if you'd let me drop in and watch it with you."
"Sure, James!" she replied. "Come on in! I'll fix us some lunch."
James sat on the navy-blue couch and watched the pregame show for the Saints-Buccaneers game as Bulma went to prepare some lunch for the two of them. He knew just as much as the guys talking, if not more.
"I don't understand it," he muttered. "Why in the hell didn't Brad Johnson do this good last year when I had him in the Fantasy Football League? Come on now, man…" He looked back at Bulma in the kitchen, frying some bacon for BLTs. "I suppose it's just fate…"
"Ouch!" she cried out. A grease bubble had popped and burned her hand. She waved her hand around, trying to cool it off. "Shoot!" James looked up.
"You okay?" he called. "You should put some ointment on that, you know. That must have hurt." Continuing to shake her hand, she walked into the bathroom to put some cream on it.
"Oh, darn!" she muttered. "That's gonna hurt in the morning!" She opened the mirror/cabinet and took out some medicine to put on the burn, which had already begun to turn red. She closed the mirror---and she saw Gozin standing behind her, sneering.
"Hello, Bulma," Gozin snickered. His black eyes flashed. "I'm sure you don't know why I'm here. Do you remember what Cell did to the androids? That's exactly what I'm going to do to you!" James heard the woman shriek and ran as fast as he could to the bathroom to check on her.
Bulma's feet were sticking out of Gozin's mouth. The maniacal machine jerked his head toward the recently-appeared boy. He quickly swallowed the helpless woman, her muffled screams disappearing.
"What the-?!" James hollered.
"Stay out of my business, insolent boy!" Gozin hollered. The android shoved the kid away, who stumbled back. Gozin started for the door, but James stepped into the android's path.
James exclaimed, "Who are you, and why did you eat Bulma?"
Gozin said, "I'm Gozin, and I was just about to ask you the same thing."
"I didn't devour Bulma, what are you talking about?"
"Not that question, fool: Who are you?"
"My name is of no concern to you! Spit Bulma out: she's had a rough life."
"Okay," Gozin replied. To James's astonishment Gozin opened his mouth, made some hacking noises, and Bulma tumbled out onto the floor!
"Huh?!" James mumbled. "What was the point in that?!"
Gozin looked smug. "I have all I need. She knows everything that all the Z fighters can do: every one of their speeds, powers, attacks, and weaknesses. I spit her out because I copied her knowledge, and didn't need her body because she has no physical strength to speak of. And now I know who you are… James."
"What the---?!" James declared. "You know my name?! You cloned her knowledge?! How in the...?!"
James couldn't hide it any longer. He squatted slightly and screamed, and his power increased. His hair became blonde and opened like a flower in bloom. Gozin gasped.
"A Super-Saiyan?!" the android hollered. "What the hell? How did I not sense it?"
"I compressed my power," James explained. "What else?" He reared back and let one fly. The blow caught Gozin square in nose, and the android was knocked right through the bathroom wall. Gozin gathered himself and stood staring as James teleported behind the Super-Saiyan robot.
"I'll wipe you out in a heartbeat," James explained angrily. "C'mon, you worm; Give me your best shot!"
The android disappeared in the blink of an eye. He reappeared directly in back of James, and threw a big punch; James moved so fast he was out of the way of the cyborg and off to the side before Gozin could react. A tremendous elbow from James to the side of the head sent Gozin flying.
While Gozin was still traveling through the air James appeared behind him again and held out a foot. Gozin crashed into it and stopped dead.
"You suck," James snickered. He performed an ax-handle slam on the stunned robot. Gozin rocketed straight down, traveling a hundred feet in a half-second, smashing Bulma's plants.
"Oh, boy," James murmured. "When Bulma comes around, she's not gonna be happy."
James appeared where Gozin crash-landed. Gozin squinted up at the boy and groaned in pain.
"How come you weren't in my memory banks before...? You are... Too strong... For Gero… To be unaware of... Why did I not know you?"
"The 'Z fighters' don't know about me," James replied. "At least, they don't yet." James lifted the debacled cyborg off the ground and stared at it in the face. "Why are you wasting my time?"
The android forced a smile through his bruised and battered face. "Wait 'til I'm complete," said he. "Then you'll be sorry!"
The defeated robot raised his hands up to his forehead and spread out his fingers.
"Solar fl-!" the devilish android began, but he was cut off by James, who backhanded Gozin across the yard. Gozin smashed into a small shed in James's backyard.
"Don't use that pansy light-shine shit on me," James snarled. "You won't last long enough to be complete, whatever, 'complete,' means" James teleported to the cyborg's side and kicked the villain into the air.
"This ends now!" James hollered. He put his wrists together and opened his hands, but before he could say Kamehameha, Gozin yelled, "Renzukou Shine!" A multitude of shots emerged from the flying-out-of-control Saiyan's hands. James used Instant-Transmission to appear in the air behind Gozin and avoid the attacks.
"Uh...?!" Gozin groaned. James kicked the unsuspecting robot in the groin, and then brought his fist down upon the android's head. The android again rifled downward and banged into the earth below.
"All too easy," James muttered. "I wish this guy was stronger; at least he'd be more fun to fight than he is now."
The beaten android lay there on the ground, in apparent pain. He could hardly move; most of the microchips in his body were scrambled about.
I don't understand, Gozin thought. How can this boy be so fast? It... It just can't be! This is impossible! There's no record here of his moves... Why not?! There should be: he's an excellent fighter! If I could only get away... Suddenly, Gozin remembered a maneuver Doctor Gero gave him during his construction.
Gozin held his hand up and pointed to James, who was hovering ten feet in the air, waiting for Gozin to do something.
"Counterfeit: Now!" Gozin hollered cockily. There was a flash, and James used Instant Transmission to get out of the way. That was exactly what Gozin wanted James to do.
The boy Super-Saiyan had appeared next to Gozin, so James lifted the android up egotistically with one hand. James said, "What do you call that? Whatever it was, it sucked, which means it's the perfect move for you."
Gozin faked a laugh. "Funny, child. But I will get the last laugh."
The diabolical machine raised his index and middle fingers to his brow and, in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
"Wha-?" James choked out, his hands now empty. Then, he realized. "Oh, shit! He copied Instant Transmission! I should have known!"
James hurried back to Bulma's demolished bathroom. She was lying on the floor in shock, staring at James's Super-Saiyan hair and glow. She pointed, her mouth open in alarm.
"Yeah," he responded, "I'm a Super-Saiyan and I've been compressing my power. If you're wondering, after learning that I was a Saiyan, I trained by watching the show Cartoon Network airs chronicling you and the other, 'Z fighters;' I guess I'm pretty strong. I'd like for you to introduce me to the others, if you don't mind. I think I could be pretty helpful."
"Wh-why didn't you tell me before?" Bulma asked quietly.
"I was afraid you wouldn't believe me. Sorry." At that time, Goku alighted nearby. His eyes grew large, and he prepared to attack James.
"No, Goku!" Bulma cried, stepping between them. "He saved me from that… Thing." Goku looked at James.
"You're not the android Gozin?"
"No, sir. I'm James."
"So that's another Super-Saiyan?" he gasped. "That's four in one day."
"You're Goku?" James asked.
"Yeah," the Saiyan responded. James took his hand and shook it.
"I've always wanted to meet you, ever since I started watching the television show about you. It is truly an honor."
"Well, you might end up doing more than just meeting me today: you may be able to help out me and my friends in a little dilemma we've got. Follow me."
Brittany's House
Goku had called all the Z warriors together to give them the skinny on Gozin. Gathered in her living room were Krillin, Goku, Piccolo, James, Gohan, Trunks, Goten, Vegeta, Desmond, Tien, Choitzu, Yamcha, Bulma, Eighteen, James's girlfriend Stefani, and the now thoroughly-protected Brittany. Goku was the first one to speak.
"All right, guys. I don't believe you have heard what's going on right now, so I'm going to allow Vegeta to tell the first half and our new-found friend James will tell the second half. Go on, Vegeta."
Vegeta rose from the couch and Goku used Instant Transmission to steal the spot. Vegeta scowled at Goku, who was grinning devilishly, but began his story nonetheless.
"I'm only going to say this once," Vegeta began, "so don't expect me to repeat it. I was flying from the Caribbean where I saved one of those pitiful islands from an asteroid, and was coming home. All of a sudden, I sensed a huge power somewhere in the north; I investigated and found an evil Saiyan named Gozin. This guy was very weak compared to me, of course: he could probably whip any of you girls and kids and non-Super-Saiyans, however. He saw that I was indeed the mightier of the two of us, and sped off. Before that, he revealed his origins and plans.
"Gozin is a Super-Saiyan, but a robot one made by Doctor Gero. He's actually a copy of the real Gozin, whom the android killed early in its existence. The android is stronger and faster and smarter and better equipped than the original living version, and will only get better when his goals are reached.
"One: He must copy Bulma's knowledge of all of our maneuvers. That's done. Two: He must devour his wife and take her power and clone her intelligence as to what her son is capable of. We must prevent that, but he knows all of our skills. How can we beat somebody that knows everything about us? New kid, if you will finish the story." James hopped up off the couch and Vegeta teleported to the vacant spot.
"Hi, everyone," James nervously began. "I'm James."
"Hi, James," the congregation stated in unison. The boy felt silly, but he gained confidence nonetheless; he cleared his throat.
"As Vegeta has said, Gozin is now aware of all that you guys can do, and will know what his son can do if we mess up our protection of Brittany. However, I had never fought before this day, and Bulma was not conscious at the time. This means she doesn't know what I can do, and that I am a legitimate threat to Gozin, and I volunteer to fight him."
Gozin, at this time, had compressed his power level and was hiding outside the open window near where James was standing. He was intently listening to everything that was being said inside, and slowly becoming more dangerous because of it.
"The only one of you in this room that knows what I can do is Stefani, and Gozin doesn't know anything about her." You are wrong, my stupid boy, thought Gozin. I do know of Stefani now… Stefani… Hmmm... Sounds delicious.
"If Gozin gains access to Brittany or somehow finds out about Stefani," James went on, "all hope is lost."
Eighteen said exasperatedly, "Well, duh. Can't some of you Saiyans merge with those weird earring things? I mean, they should be able to beat that guy."
"I'm afraid not," Goku cut her off. "The earrings are gone now. Vegeta destroyed his after we split apart."
"There's another way," Piccolo spoke for the first time. "There is a dance, and, when used, the two will become one for half-an-hour. No earrings, just a dance."
"Does anybody know this dance?" James demanded.
"Yes," Goku responded. "I learned it when I was in the Other World, but it would take too long to teach anybody. Plus, Gozin knows what it looks like and could just stop us." Right, Goku, thought Gozin. You're actually using that head of yours in a way other than hitting people with it.
Yamcha had a question. "Hey, who's the kid?" referring to Desmond.
"This kid," Piccolo answered, "is a Super-Saiyan."
All eyes were on Desmond. He made a slight nervous laugh, and the war plan went on.
"Okay," Goku explained, "here's what we're gonna have to do: I'm gonna split us up as to who guards who. Now, James will guard Stefani; that's a given. But who'll help him?"
Krillin raised his hand. "I'll help him."
"Goten and I can lend a hand," Gohan stated.
"So can we," Tien added, pertaining to Yamcha, Choitzu, and himself.
"Okay," Goku said. That settles it, then. James, Gohan, Krillin, Goten, Tien, Choitzu, and Yamcha will guard Stefani. That means Vegeta, Piccolo, Desmond, Trunks, Bulma, Eighteen, and I will protect Brittany."
With that, Stefani and her seven guards separated from Brittany and hers. Gozin followed close behind.
Stefani's House
James and Stefani lived very far away from all the rest of the Z fighters, which could have been a bit of a hassle. However, James knew Bunkai Teleportation, which involved leaving one's dimension, then reentering one's initial dimension wherever they wanted; this all took place instantaneously. The technique was similar to Instant Transmission, but the person teleporting didn't need a person's Ki to lock onto in order to teleport. Also, the user doesn't simply disappear immediately upon activation of the technique: their being would become thousands of small cubes that disappear individually over a half second or so. To make travel to New Orleans quicker, James teleported to his girlfriend's home through Bunkai Teleportation and Goku teleported the others after by locating James's Ki and Transmitting.
Stefani sat in her living room and watched her favorite cartoon, The Powerpuff Girls, with Tien, Yamcha, and Choitzu. Tien and Choitzu felt silly, but Yamcha didn't mind because he felt he stood a chance of stealing Stefani's favor from James.
Stefani was also a Saiyan, which means five new ones in one day instead of four. She was beautiful in James's eyes, with red-streaked brown hair, belly-revealing top, Playboy jeans, and earth shoes. Her eyes were green normally, and they were always watching. She was a little on the thin side, which made her favorable regions appear even larger.
Krillin was in the bathroom, showering. James, Goten, and Gohan were in the back yard. Gohan reached into his pocket and pulled out a Scouter.
"Is that a Scouter?" James inquired.
"Yeah," he explained.
"Okay," James decided. "Check my power level; I've always wanted to know it." Gohan placed the Scouter on his eye and looked over at James.
"Seventy-million?" Gohan said, raising an eyebrow. "How did we not sense you before now?"
"I compressed my power," James responded.
"Oh. Scan me now," Gohan demanded. He clasped his hands into fists.
"Surely," James replied. "Let me see this thing." The boy put the Scouter on, looked over at Mystic Gohan, and read the very high reading on the Scouter. "Eighty-million."
"Wow!" Goten cried. "You're really strong, brother!"
"Damn it, you're stronger than me," James frowned.
"All right, then: Check mine," Goten piped up. James handed the Scouter to Gohan. It read thirteen million from Goten.
"Thirteen million, Goten," Gohan stated. "Pretty good."
"I'm almost as strong as Daddy!" Goten cried. Gohan chuckled, knowing Goku had reached much higher powers than he had mentioned.
"What's it like here in New Orleans?" asked Gohan, changing the subject.
"It's actually pretty boring, other than Mardi Gras," James decided. "All I do is play video games and watch that show about you guys. And it's about to get even worse, because Bulma and Vegeta are going to move to Cincinnati."
"Buckeye Bulma, huh?" Gohan chuckled.
"Yeah," James replied. "How'd you get so strong, anyway?"
"It's just a way to get Super-Saiyan-like power without using anger; Elder Kai taught it to me. It doesn't have a name, but I just call it Mystic. Sometimes, it can be better than Super-Saiyan." James's muscles grew and his eyes turned turquoise. His hair stiffened up and stood on end, as if he'd used a whole bottle of hair gel in it.
"You're power has increased to eighty-million, too!" Gohan declared, eyes wide. "How did you go Mystic so quickly? You didn't even learn it!"
"One day," James went on, "I found a Dragon Ball out in my backyard. I gathered 'em all together after a while and wished to know all techniques and powerups and attacks in the universe. It's really cool having that ability to do anything. I had never heard of that powerup, but I knew it, I guess, in my subconscious.
"Here's something for you!" James hollered. He yelled, his power level growing.
"James, no!" Gohan cried out in horror. The boy ceased powering up.
"What is it, Gohan?"
"Do not go Super-Saiyan while you're Mystic!" he commanded. "I repeat: do not! That's too much power! The Earth would explode if you did that!"
"Damn it," James frowned. "I wanted to feel that power so bad."
"You could do it in the Other World, however," Gohan gave James some hope. "Other World isn't a planet, so it wouldn't be obliterated."
"Other World?" James frowned again. "Crap in a hat."
Meanwhile, Gozin sat up in a tree in the front yard. He had repaired himself, using Bulma's knowledge of machinery.
Okay, he thought, this is it. This is the moment I've been waiting for. I see Gohan, James, and Goten back there, so the muscles leave the target isolated. That leaves Krillin, Tien, Choitzu, and Yamcha guarding my prize. If my calculations are correct, they, together, are no match for me. Here we go.
He teleported into the kitchen, unnoticed. So far so good. He stooped down below the counter and waited.
James sensed Gozin. "Did you feel that?"
"Yes," Gohan replied. "I think it's… Gozin!"
"Gohan," James cut in, "is it true that Saiyans are stronger after healing from injuries?" Gohan nodded.
"Yeah, James. Why?"
"Put all of your energy into a blast and hit me with it!" the boy hollered. "Now!"
"What?!" Gohan cried. "Blast you?"
"Do it, goddamn it!" James yelled. "Do it or Gozin will be too powerful!"
Gohan shot an attack at James, who deflected it. "All of your energy! Now!" Gohan put his hands behind his back, slowly powered up a huge ball of energy.
"Kaaaah..."
Gozin looked up. What is that?
"Maaaay..."
What is that strange energy?
"Haaaah..."
A Kamehameha! Where?
"Maaaay..."
Not behind me, huh? Where is it coming from?
"HAAAAH!" Gohan screamed, thrusting the ball at James, who opened his arms to it. The energy smashed into him, engulfing him in power.
When the smoke cleared, James lay almost dead on the ground. He coughed blood out onto the ground.
"Gohan, what did you do?!" Goten yelled. "Why did you blast James?!"
"I-it's okay, G-Goten..." James muttered. "Gohan, g-give m-me one of t-those bean th-things..."
Gohan pulled a bag out of his pocket and gave James one of the sacred healing Sensu Beans. In moments, James was back on his feet.
The young Super-Saiyan commanded, "Gohan! Put on that Scouter!" This was done, and James groaned, powering up.
Gohan's eyes grew wide as James actually swelled up with power, his muscles doubling in size. The groan of energy continued. Gohan's Scouter clocked James at seventy-million, his strongest power at Super-Saiyan before, and continued to climb.
Finally, after five minutes, James stopped. His was twice as big as before (that is to say, not at all taller, but twice as brawny). His power level was different, higher now: Eighty-million. He was only being Super-Saiyan, and his power level had grown to the same as when he was Mystic.
"Yes!" James cheered. "I knew it would work!"
Gozin muffled a scream. He sensed a huge power level somewhere nearby, much stronger than that of his own and stronger than the Saiyan he fought earlier, James. Who could it be? He decided to strike immediately and not allow whoever it was any time to find him.
He crawled over behind the sofa that Stefani and the others were sitting in. Suddenly, he heard the bathroom door open, so he teleported back to his former hiding place in the kitchen.
"Ahhh," Krillin sighed, "I needed that shower."
"C'mon, Krillin!" Stefani called.
"Yeah, Krillin," Tien echoed. "If I have to watch this ridiculous cartoon, so do you!"
"All right," Krillin replied. "But I've got to get my clothes out the dryer first! I'm not coming in there in a towel!"
Gozin teleported back to the sofa before Krillin entered the kitchen to get his clothes from the back washroom. When he was done, he walked by the sofa after Gozin had gone back to the kitchen.
What is wrong with me? Gozin thought. Why am I taking so long? I must strike this minute! He teleported back to the sofa. He slowly rose from off the floor and moved his arms towards Stefani.
The girl stopped laughing at something Mojo Jojo said because she saw the reflection of Gozin in the television. She swallowed hard, and teleported behind him the instant Gozin lunged. She kicked him in the side and knocked him away. Tien, Krillin, Yamcha, and Choitzu all looked up and saw the struggle.
Stefani turned Super-Saiyan and began attacking Gozin. He dodged all of her punches and kicks, then grabbed one of her flying fists. He smiled smugly, teleported behind her, and wrapped his arms around her, preventing her from punching him.
"Nice try," he gnarled, "but all for naught. You will be incorporated into me, whether you like it or not." He opened his mouth wide and stuck her head in; he was forced to release her, though, when Krillin careened into him screaming, "Let her go!"
James teleported into the house. He saw Gozin hit the floor after Krillin caught him off guard. He saw Stefani as she breathed a sigh of relief.
"GOZIN!" James snarled. His bulky body was still extremely fast as he ran up to the bewildered android and threw him out the front door.
He's even stronger than before! Gozin contemplated. That was the incredible power! He wasn't even trying when he fought me!
James appeared where Gozin landed. He lifted the surprised robot up as the others hurried out of the house.
"Don't even think about it," James snarled. "If you eat my girlfriend, you won't be happy."
Gozin thought quickly, Aha! Cell used the same ploy when he absorbed Eighteen! Let's see if it works for me!
He teleported up to the sky, in the way of the sun, and fanned his fingers out on his forehead. He howled, "Solar Flare!" Before anybody could cover their eyes, the glare occurred. Everyone was rendered temporarily sightless.
Gozin teleported by his prize, Stefani. He grinned at his unprotected prey. She felt his power and attacked blindly. He seized her, opened his mouth as wide as the girl, and in she went. She was consumed in seconds.
Once everyone's sight was back, Stefani had become a part of Gozin. Everyone stared at him as he lit up with the power he was sapping from the helpless Super-Saiyan that was in his belly; they were stunned.
"NOOO!" James shrieked. Gozin jerked his head around and stared at the boy. Gozin's eyes slowly grew large.
Oh, damn it! Gozin thought. Stefani's assimilation has made him grow even stronger! It's a good thing I know what he can do now, with this delicious little treat's knowledge in me!
James did some stylized body and hand movements, balled his fists tight, and put them together. "Thunder-Flash!" he yelled. A huge jet of flame shot out of his fists. Gozin stepped back in shock: Stefani's knowledge did not know that move.
The flame beam smashed into Gozin. He was banged into the ground as the flames licked at him. James poured it on. More flames pranced about on the downed android. Gozin's realistic flesh began to melt.
Then, just as quickly as it began, the attack stopped. Gozin struggled to his feet, some of his skin having actually melted off and fused to the ground. James was nowhere to be seen.
Gozin suddenly felt a great pain in his back and he was knocked down. James had sneaked up on Gozin and given him a swift kick.
"Let her go, or I'll make you!" James snarled. He put his foot on the back of Gozin's neck. The other Z fighters, who had moved closer, could hear a circuit crack in the neck. "Now," James demanded.
"T-too late, k-kid," Gozin stuttered. "She's in m-me now."
The foot applied more pressure. "So you say," James grunted. "But I don't care. Release her, or die."
"You c-couldn't destroy m-me without destroying h-her," Gozin snapped weakly. "You c-cannot win."
"Oh, no?" James sneered. He aimed his finger right at Gozin's head. "I see a place where I would do her no harm." Gozin's hand went unnoticed as it slunk towards his forehead.
"Y-you m-may still be m-more powerful than m-me, but th-that won't last l-long," Gozin added. "F-farewell." Gozin disappeared. James was beaten again, without being touched.
"ARGH!" James roared. He got down on his knees and pounded his fists onto the grass. Tears began to flow from his eyes. He let it all out. "I've lost her... Forever..." James's body shrunk back to its original size. His eyes were again blue.
Krillin walked over to the crestfallen teenager and put his hand on James's back. "Hey, buddy!" he whispered. "Don't feel that way. You showed that he was still no match for you, even with the knowledge of your every move in his brain and the strength of your closest friend in his muscles. You are still better than he is!" James glared up at the bald man.
"It's not enough!" James cried. "It never will be enough! I must find some way to get her back!" He continued to weep.
Brittany's House
Brittany sat in a chair with four chairs surrounding it. In those chairs were Vegeta, Goku, Eighteen, and Trunks. Piccolo was in the front yard with Desmond trying to coax out the hidden power within the boy. Bulma was in the living room, along with the Saiyans and Eighteen, trying to guard the beautiful wife of Gozin. Gozin himself was out in the garage repairing the damage done by James's unlisted attack.
I don't believe it! Gozin thought. It's the same thing that happened with Cell! Doctor Gero stopped gathering cells from the fighters when he felt it was all he needed, and he actually needed more! If only I had been created after this guy showed up... Then he'd be sorry!
Gozin discovered that the repairs were done. He couldn't fix the partially-melted skin, but everything else was okay.
He rubbed his stomach, knowing that he had a great advantage over his opponent: His opponent's girlfriend was now a component of himself. He knew his rival would not destroy him for that reason and that reason alone.
Gozin sat down on the workbench to ponder his plan of attacking Brittany. Goku and Vegeta were stronger than he was. How could he isolate Brittany?
He looked through the window in the door leading into the house. He saw Brittany being guarded by all those ridiculously-powerful warriors. James hasn't arrived yet to screw up this plan, Gozin thought happily. Thank God.
Gozin drummed his fingers on the door. Hmmm... Nothing came to his mind, except getting Brittany alone. Suddenly, it came to him. Gozin teleported onto the next block. He looked around and saw a pay telephone; he had no money, but there was somebody there already.
Gozin teleported to the phone booth and punched out the man that was in it. He stole a couple of dollars in change from the man's pocket and called Brittany's house, using Bulma and Stefani's knowledge (Goku had given the Z fighters the number in case anything happened).
"Hello?" the voice of Goku said on the other end.
Gozin disguised his voice. "It's Gohan. Gather up the others and get over here as fast as you can: we've got Gozin here, Dad!"
"Okay, Gohan," Goku replied gladly. "Don't let him out of your sight!" There was the sound of a phone clicking, and the conversation ended.
Gozin teleported back to his spot by the door in the garage. He watched the Saiyans, Eighteen, and Bulma file out of the house, leaving Brittany alone. Gozin heard Goku say to Brittany through the door, "You stay here: you may get hurt. Don't worry: it'll be okay." So he thinks. After a minute, Gozin opened the door, and stepped into the house.
The look on Brittany's face said it all. She was in a state of pure terror. Gozin smiled a most evil smile and slapped his wife across the room.
"Please, Gozin!" she pleaded. "Don't eat me!" He grabbed her and threw her into the wall, making a big dent in it. Before she could slide down, he was there, holding her against the wall.
"You are too grand a prize to pass up," he explained. "I have to assimilate you."
Suddenly, Brittany began to cry, and she continued cycling between Super- and non-Super-Saiyan. "No..." she murmured. "Please... Don't do it, honey..."
"Ha!" Gozin laughed. "Honey?!" He kissed his wife on the lips; a long, evil kiss it was. "Honey that." She cried even more.
"Stop it!" she whispered. "Why are you so hateful to me? We were married!"
"It's my design," Gozin concluded. "My only objective was to defeat Goku, but I do not care. I have met somebody stronger and faster and more worthy of my immense power than Goku. And with your power, honey, I will be unstoppable." With that, he disclosed his mouth and stuffed her inside. She went down quickly, and without struggle. Gozin laughed a malicious laugh that rang out throughout the empty house.
Piccolo and Desmond, both whom Goku had told about leaving Brittany, came in from their practice to a horrible sight: The completed Gozin.
"Hello, son!" Gozin snarled. "How are you?" Desmond's mouth fell open and he shook his head in disbelief. His hair slowly began to billow...
"No..." he trailed off, too shocked to react. "Not mom... No..."
"Yessir!" Gozin rejected his son's doubt. "She's now an intricate part of me. I guess that makes me both of your parents!"
Desmond turned Super-Saiyan, his anger having taken control of his actions. The anger suddenly erupted in a terrifying explosion of power that shot off of Desmond from all sides. Wind tore through the house as Desmond's power grew to fifty-million, by Piccolo's Scouter. Piccolo was dumbstruck.
"ARGH!" bellowed Desmond. "You MONSTER!" Piccolo turned to Gozin--- And almost fainted in horror. Gozin's true power level was eighty-million.
"You don't know what you're dealing with," Gozin pointed out. "You have no idea."
Abruptly, Desmond charged. He directed his full power into a big punch that hit Gozin square in the face. The robot Saiyan was knocked through the wall of the house, into the garage, then through the wall of the garage into the yard.
Piccolo switched his Scouter to current power levels and saw that Gozin was only fighting at fifty million. Desmond set up to attack again.
"Let's take it up a notch," Gozin chortled. The power on the Scouter suddenly read seventy-million, and Gozin didn't even break a sweat powering up.
Desmond put a lot of energy into a punch he threw at Gozin. The android caught it, and kicked the boy high into the air.
"Don't mock my power!" Gozin chuckled. "You shouldn't even be wasting your time!"
In an instant, everyone else was at the scene. Vegeta, James, Goku, Gohan, and all the others looked shocked beyond belief.
"He tricked us!" Goku yelled. "He got Brittany, and we were too stupid to realize it was him on the phone!"
"Fools!" Gozin laughed. "I am now beyond all of you, even James! Go ahead, Piccolo: Tell them my true power!"
The helpless Namek was forced to reveal the extent of the monster's power. "Eighty-million. He's unstoppable." Everyone shared a collective gasp.
"Eighty-million?!" Krillin screamed. "Are you serious?! That can't be!"
"Wha-?" Tien, Choitzu, and Yamcha all yelled.
"He's bluffing," Vegeta declared. "He's not that strong: I'm not even that strong."
Gozin laughed, and his power grew to its fullest. "Am I still bluffing, Vegeta?"
"Eighty-million?" James inquired. "That's still not as strong as I am."
"WHAT!?!" Gozin shrieked. "What are you talking about!?!"
"My power level, Gozin, is ninety million. Hell, Goku's is a hundred-million."
"NO!" the android Saiyan hollered. "No matter how hard I try, this mere boy will always be stronger than I am!"
Desmond, who had landed a few feet away, struggled to his feet. He suddenly had an idea of how to defeat the robot of his father. It's a wild idea, Desmond thought, but it may just work. There was one tiny flaw in his plan, though: he had not heard James.
"Father!" Desmond called. The android turned, along with all the other fighters, to the boy. "I have decided: I want to join my mother inside of you." Everyone took a step back and screamed in surprise.
"Desmond, are you insane?!" Piccolo hollered.
"What in the fuck are you thinking?!" James shrieked. "I can beat his sorry ass!"
"Please absorb me and make my energy yours. Then you will be perfect, as you so seek."
"Well, son," Gozin said triumphantly, "that will make me very contented. So why don't you come over here and let me feast upon you."
"NO!" Piccolo yelled. "I will not let you!" He leaped at Gozin, who backhanded the unsuspecting Namek. The Namek went flying and landed on the picnic table about ten feet away.
"Anybody else wanna try?" Gozin inquired gleefully. When all he got was silence, he said, "I thought as much." A shadowy shape appeared behind the corrupt cyborg. It was James, and he wasn't going to let Gozin get away without a fight.
"Going somewhere?" James demanded. Gozin gasped out of surprise and bolted around. The Saiyan was gone.
"You'll have to move faster than that if you want to catch me," James taunted. Gozin snarled and threw a punch at the voice. Once again, the boy had moved.
"That's it!" Gozin roared. He appeared behind his son and gobbled him up. Everybody was stupefied.
"Check your stupid Scouter now, Piccolo!" Gozin ordered. It was done; his power had eclipsed one-hundred-and-thirty-million.
"Well?" Gozin snapped. "How much stronger am I than James now, eh? Twice as strong?"
Piccolo said, defeated, "His power is unmatchable by any of us. We are beaten. Just leave us alone, you monster!"
"Not yet!" Gozin declared. "I must still complete my mission: I must kill Goku." The mechanized maniac sauntered towards Earth's great defender, his only intent to kill. Goku took a frightened step backward.
"Leave him alone!" James screamed. The boy gallantly assaulted the stronger android wildly, and with no care for his own life. He landed a few hits with his superior speed, but didn't do much damage.
"You are trying my patience, James," Gozin remarked. "Give it up now before you die!" Gozin grabbed the boy's swinging left hand and took advantage of James's stall by kicking the boy hard in the side. The boy was knocked awry.
Gozin obtained the initiative and attacked the off-track Super-Saiyan with a barrage of furious and lightning-fast blows. James appeared to be a little woozy, and couldn't fight back.
"Fight me, you coward!" Gozin yelled. "Not so tough now, eh?" Gozin smacked James with a huge slap that knocked the boy high into the air. As the boy rocketed upward, Gozin appeared there and stuck out his foot. The boy could not stop, and crashed into it. James's mouth flew open in a scream of pain that went unheard. Spit and blood from James was splattered all over with the force of the attack.
"You guys, we've got to do something!" Eighteen declared. "Are we going to let James get whipped like this?" The other fighters were too afraid to speak, let alone move.
"She's right," Bulma agreed, "but what can we do?"
James had fallen violently to the ground. The only movement that came from his lifeless body was the slight up and down motion of his inhalation; his rapid, raspy breathing was the only sound he made. Gozin alighted beside the ravaged boy.
"Anybody else want some?" Gozin interrogated. He seized the boy around the neck and lifted him up. James made a few sputtering and choking noises, but that was all.
"I guess nobody wants any of this," Gozin lamented disappointedly. His grasp around the boy's neck tightened. Bones snapped and crackled beneath the android's fingers. A frightening hacking noise emitted from James's open mouth. His hair had stopped 'blooming' out, seeing as he didn't have enough energy to sustain his Mystic form, and it was matted to his head with blood. A bead of saliva trickled down from James's lips.
"Oh, well," Gozin sighed. "I guess they're gonna let us have fun alone, James. What a shame." The fingers gripped tighter. James's mouth opened wider. Blood dripped down his lip and his nose. More blood escaped from multiple wounds about his face.
All of a sudden, when it seemed all was lost, Gozin exploded from the waist down. He let out a yelp of pain and surprise as he released his hold of James's neck and fell to the ground. The area below his torso was gone; a gaping hole was all that was left. Desmond emerged from the hole, carrying Stefani and Brittany.
"Desmond!" Piccolo cried. "Is it really you? What happened?"
"I put all of my remaining energy into a Ballistic Blast," Desmond explained. "I planned it all along. That's why I allowed him to eat me."
James and Gozin both lay on the ground; neither of them was too much better off than the other. Krillin tried to help in the cause by giving James a Sensu Bean. The boy was healed, and stronger than before.
"You will pay!" Gozin groaned. He stood up on his hands as if they were legs and closed his eyes. "I have a surprise." Suddenly, a new set of legs shot out of Gozin's stumped body, as if nothing happened.
"No!" Piccolo screamed. "He's got my regeneratory cells within him, too: Just like Cell did!"
"What---?!" Desmond shrieked. "That was all for nothing?!"
"Yes, son!" Gozin chuckled. He was standing there, as if he had never assimilated Desmond at all! "Doctor Gero said that I might need that skill at some point; and he was right! I thank the good Doctor for adding that ability to me!" He raised his finger and pointed it at Desmond.
"Now, you die," Gozin stated flatly. A beam of energy no wider than a pin shot from his pointed finger. It bolted at Desmond, who dove out of the way. The beam struck Stefani in the heart, piercing her through-and-through. She let out a grunt of agony and fell to the ground.
"NO!" James screamed in terror. "You son of a bitch!" The boy, who had actually gone back to his original skinny form, bulked up in the blink of an eye, now almost three times bigger. Piccolo's Scouter, which listed Gozin at seventy-five-million with the energy he'd sapped from his captives, now listed James at one-hundred-million.
"Huh-?! What the-?!" Gozin gasped. "He's a monster! I can't beat him!" The boy teleported right into Gozin's face and ax-handle slammed the android to the earth. James brought his foot down upon Gozin's stomach and held him steadfast there.
"THIS ENDS NOW!" James roared. "KAMEHAMEHA!" A tremendous deluge of energy poured from James's hands, right at Gozin's chest. Earth was lit up with the light of a thousand suns as the sheer power blasted into Gozin. The pure potency of the Kamehameha whacked the Z fighters almost a hundred feet from where they were standing prior to the firing of the attack. The whole planet rocked from it, threatening to drop from the heavens.
Finally, when the dust settled, all the Z fighters were paralyzed with dread. They didn't know whether James had killed the beast or had killed everyone.
"Everybody all right?" Goku pondered out loud. Scattered responses in the affirmative reached his ears.
"Where's James?" Krillin questioned. "Is he okay?"
"I dunno," Goku responded. "Let's find him, if he's still alive."
The Z fighters had lost their sense of direction in the blast, so they split up to locate the boy Super-Saiyan. Krillin and Eighteen found him, but kept their distance.
"There he is!" Krillin whispered to his wife. "Look at him! He seems different."
"Of course he does," Eighteen replied. "He's pissed."
There was a large crater, about as wide as a kiddie-size pool and twenty feet deep. Gozin's arms, head, and legs were all that were left. His tongue dangled out of his mouth and his eyes were rotated up, into his head.
James hovered over the fallen android. One of the fingers twitched, and James's foot instantly stomped on the charred head. There was a pop and sizzle of circuitry, and Gozin was no more.
"Go tell the guys!" Krillin quietly asked his spouse. "Quickly!"
In a few moments, the gang was rounded up. They all hid behind a shrub about fifty feet away.
James's eyes moved toward the body of his succumbed girlfriend. The fighters all caught the look in his eyes: they could tell that those eyes were not his own. They were no longer a deep, beautiful blue, but were an evil light crimson. It was another side of James they were all witnessing, an evil side. James's lips moved, but his own voice did not come forth.
"What a shame," the voice of Cell said. "Such a beautiful and innocent life she was, too." He floated over to the silenced girl and got down on one knee. He cradled her head in his hands.
"It sure is a good thing that James is corralled and shelved; he wouldn't be happy." He kissed her forehead and placed Stefani's lifeless head back down. He turned and walked back to the crater where the remnants of Gozin lay.
"Thank you very much, you wimp," Cell's voice poked fun at the mangled android. "Without your abysmal accuracy, I would not be standing here at this moment. I am forever in your debt."
To Goku's sheer dismay, James turned around--- And stared right at the shrub the fighters were concealed within.
"Come out, Goku, and face your death like a man," Cell's voice growled. "I know you are there; I'm not as stupid as you think I am. I will kill you again, along with all of your friends and you will not come back this time."
"You coward!" Vegeta yelled. "You weren't satisfied with losing to Gohan, but now you somehow steal this boy's body and hide behind his monumental power, just to come back and try it all over again?!"
James sneered a nasty sneer not his own. "Shut up, Vegeta. If you're so strong, get out here and face me yourself!" Vegeta's ego was struck hard. He morphed to Super-Saiyan, and stepped out from behind the bush.
"If I could give it all, my strength, my heritage, my history, and my skills to defeat you this once, I would do it!" Vegeta snarled. "Chew on this!" Vegeta blasted at James with a blitz of energy attacks. James stood stock-still and took the damage; his power was so high, it didn't hurt anyway.
"Yawn!" Cell mocked the Saiyan Prince. "Why are you even seeking victory? You will never find it against me." Vegeta continued his assault anyway.
"I will beat you!" Vegeta vowed. He raised his power higher. "I don't care what you say: I will win!" The attacks became fiercer, and faster. Smoke began billowing up, and many explosions were heard throughout the yard.
"You'll have to do better than that," Cell's voice stated flatly. Vegeta was offended again.
Vegeta shrieked, "FIGHT ME, YOU CRAVEN!"
"If you value your life, Vegeta," Cell replied, "I suggest you stop your feeble attempt to defeat me and go away." Vegeta's attacks abruptly stopped. The smoke cleared, and James stood in the center of the crater with his arms folded.
"I don't care!" Vegeta hollered. "I will not lose!"
"If that is the case," Cell growled, James's body striking a battle stance, "then prepare to die." Vegeta's attitude instantly changed from anger to confidence. James's eyebrow rose.
"What's got you so sure of yourself all of a sudden?" Cell wondered aloud. The Saiyan prince actually chuckled.
"Don't think this is going to be easy," he responded. "There's something that my wife and son don't even know."
"And what might that be?" queried Cell.
"I've eclipsed Kakarot."
"Huh?!" Goku cried. "Vegeta---!?!"
"Yes, Kakarot," Vegeta cut him off, "I am at a level of Super-Saiyan 2 of unspeakable power; it is so high, not even your Super-Saiyan 3 can eclipse it." Cell/James was dumbfounded, but he still assaulted Vegeta.
"Wow!" Trunks whispered. "Dad's step-for-step with that other guy! I didn't know Dad was that strong!"
Cell/James and Vegeta ended their battle in a stalemate. The war was not yet over, however.
"Well, Vegeta," Cell remarked, "you have vastly improved since I fought you last. But I have news for you: I am just playing with you. I haven't yet reached the depths of this boy's power."
"Oh, really?" Vegeta acted startled. "I haven't been going my fullest either."
James's eyes twitched in surprise. "I thought you had improved, but not that much." He grabbed Vegeta's shoulder and Bunkai-ed the two fighters away from the innocents in the neighborhood; Goku sensed their powers far away, and directed the other fighters to grab a hold of him. Once everyone was grasping him, he teleported them after the sparring Saiyans.
Somewhere in Arizona
By the time the others had gotten there, Vegeta and James had already picked up where they'd left off. They were smashing each other with blistering punches and kicks, absorbing the damage and continuing.
"Goku," Piccolo spoke up, "why don't you intervene?"
"I really don't want to," he decided. "This fight is much too good to break up! Besides, I'm watching to see if Vegeta is stronger than I am."
All of a sudden, Cell/James began moving much faster. Vegeta began to lose control of the fight.
"James is so fast…" Goku trailed off. "None of us can match it…"
"It can't be!" the Saiyan prince told himself aloud. "How can he be this fast?!" He grunted loudly, and picked up the pace.
"Both of them will die if they keep fighting at this pace," Piccolo stated. "Neither of their bodies can handle it much longer. They are using too much power and too much speed at the same time to survive."
Sure enough, Vegeta suddenly stopped fighting. He dropped about twenty feet to the ground on his hands and knees; he was beginning to lose his power. He and James were moving too fast and using too much strength. Vegeta's opponent dropped to his feet beside the Saiyan prince. James, too, was short of breath.
"Give up now," Cell growled, "or you shall perish. I may not even have to kill you; you may just die from exhaustion!"
"You... will... not... win!" Vegeta said slowly, through clenched teeth. He leaped to his feet and grabbed James's shoulders. He head-butted the boy right in the face, driving him back a few feet. The Saiyan prince then somersaulted and kicked James right in the chin. The boy took to the air from the assault. When he'd regained control, he glared down at Vegeta.
"Now you DIE!" Cell hollered. He aimed both palms at Vegeta and fired a monstrous energy blast at him. The Saiyan prince threw a small ball attack at the possessed boy, which not only dispersed the mega blast James had fired, but kept going and struck him. Even though the ball was small, it contained all of Vegeta's power, hate, and lust to beat Cell. It was a move Vegeta had been practicing for years to perfect: a modified Spirit Bomb he'd dubbed the Galik Grenade. The sky lit up with the absolute magnitude of the blast, and James vanished within the light and smoke.
"NO!" Cell shrieked.
After many long minutes, once the smoke cleared and the dust settled, the fighters saw that the whole fissure where the fight had occurred was now a huge crater. They all stood motionless, waiting to see exactly what kind of damage Vegeta had done. James's body, burnt and singed, fell to the center of the great chasm, some of the flesh actually melted and blown off. There were no signs of life from the body at all. The Saiyan prince, holding his left shoulder, stared down at the boy's body.
"Finally," Vegeta chuckled. "I was able to defeat Cell properly." Vegeta powered down, fell to his knees, then laid face-down in the dirt; he'd used all of his remaining energy in that attack. The boy's body moved slightly.
"What the---?! He's not dead?!" Gohan yelled. "But how---?!"
The scorched body sat up slowly. The burned, featureless face looked about in wonder. The lips parted, and a wonderful sound emitted forth.
"Where am I?" James's voice wondered out loud. "Arizona?"
"You got that right, kid!" Bulma exclaimed.
"I guess that attack Vegeta used was pretty strong," Piccolo declared. "It was enough to free James from Cell's power."
"I guess we'll never know," Goku cleared it all up. "Hey, Krillin: You got a Sensu bean on you?"
"Sorry, Goku," the bald warrior turned the bag containing the beans inside out. It was empty. "I gave the last one I had to James so he could blow up Gozin."
"Oh, well," Goku sighed. "We'll just have to ask Dende, I suppose."
The fallen Vegeta, lying next to James, quietly began laughing. It was a long, joyous laugh, at that. The Saiyan prince thought, Yes... I have done it! I have finally beaten Cell one-on-one! I showed him... I am now the strongest warrior in the universe!
James chuckled, "It sure is a good thing Cell didn't know how to use my power fully! He would have demolished Vegeta!" The prince's eyes bulged.
This boy is still stronger!?! How can that be!?! He balled his hands into fists and closed his eyes. Someday, he decided. Someday, James, I will show you! You will not always be the best! Just you wait! Vegeta's anger and new-found hatred for James ballooned to the point of popping.
