~Goku vs. Gaito~

After an entire night of swimming to the Pacific Ocean, Lucia, Hanon and Rina, along with Hippo, Nicole and Madame Taki in her clam form have finally arrived to Lucia's kingdom. Much to everyone's relief, the kingdom was perfectly intact since the day Lucia left to the surface. It was still peaceful, yet majestic realm, shining with gold and pink constructions, with an enormous castle residing at the very center of the kingdom.

"So, this must be where you live, Lucia?" Hanon smiled. She had never seen Lucia's kingdom before and she was honestly surprised at how beautiful it is.

"This place appears to be untouched." Rina frowned, a little concerned that it won't be the case any time soon.

"Home, at last." Lucia smiled, relieved that her home was not attacked after all this time.

"Welcome back princess Lucia." the first shieldmaiden guarding the gate greeted her as she bowed her head down.

"Good to see you again princess Lucia." The second shieldmaiden said as she too bowed her head.

"Thank you." Lucia smiled before the group entered the main gate leading inside her kingdom. When they did, the mermaid citizens greeted their princess with utter joy as they cheered loudly, both womena and children alike. But even though she was tremendously happy to see her people again, at the same time, from the moment they departed from Pearl Hotel she was troubled by one thing for this whole time: Goku. More specifically the one question that kept repeating in her mind ever since she departed: Once this ceremony is complete, will she truly stay there forever and say goodbye to Goku in the process?

Meanwhile, in the dark halls of Gaito's castle, Gaito caught the wind of the mermaid's plans for departure as he is mustering his strength to prepare for the attack. He chuckled evilly as he gazed at the two mermaid princesses who are confined in the isolation chamber in his throne room.

"Well now, I see that you two are alone and in need of company. Don't worry, your friends will join you soon enough." Gaito smirked as he folded his arms. Then a short alarm was sounded as a coral pool appeared in his chambers. He approached it to see the message that his agents bring.

"My lord, we have discovered the whereabouts of the three mermaid princesses. It would appear that all three of them have arrived in the kingdom of the North Pacific." A servant within the pool grinned evilly.

"Excellent work." Gaito smiled, pleased by the news. Then he snapped his fingers, summoning all four of the Dark Lovers. "Prepare for the pearl hunting, let's go and capture all three of the mermaid princesses at once. Rise up, my Dark Lovers!" Gaito proclaimed in a dark, yet inspiring speech that boosted his servant's morale.

"Yes my lord!" The four Dark lovers said simultaneously before they all departed to their destination.

After the mermaids arrived inside the castle, Lucia went to her private quarters, while the others waited outside for the pink mermaid princess to get ready for the ceremony. As for Hippo, he was walking along the large hallway, with the castle's handmaidens lined up to greet their princess, but they only found her guardian instead.

"Ladies, please, I know I have missed you, but there is no need for a welcoming committee." Hippo rubbed the back of his head, believing that this was all made for his arrival, but all of the servants looked at him in confusion.

"Hippo, where is princess Lucia?" A handmaiden with an upright hair asked.

"Oh, Lucia, of course. How silly of me, I thought this reception was made for me." Hippo chuckled nervously before he quickly composed himself to answer her question. "Miss Lucia entered from the other side of the entrance and went to her private quarters. But…" Hippo then stopped, making the other mermaids curious.

"But?" the handmaiden asked.

"Hippo, did something happen to Lucia?" A servant with an upright hair said.

"Actually, something did." Hippo looked down, folding his arms.

"Please tell me. Is she excited for the ceremony?" A servant knelt down, anxious to know the answer.

"Actually, it's the opposite. She is too quiet and obedient." Hippo said, with the other mermaids falling down on the floor in a comedic fashion. "In all honesty, this kind of behavior is very unusual for a cheerful girl like Lucia. But don't worry, I'm sure she will appear soon enough." Hippo reassured the handmaidens.

Meanwhile in Lucia's quarters, the pink mermaid princess was sitting on her chair in front of the mirror without moving an inch, staring sadly on the table. She has been like this ever since they all arrived and this was something that worried Hanon and Rina a lot as they looked at their dear friend from the entrance doors. They have never seen Lucia so sad before. She had her sad moments before, but never to this extent, which made even Nicole worried about her.

"Lucia is not herself today. Usually it's very difficult to shut her up, but look at her now. That's not the Lucia we know, she was always so cheerful and happy." Hanon looked at Nicole with a worried expression. This was definitely not the Lucia she knows and she didn't like it one bit, she wished she could do something to cheer her up, but she didn't know what.

"Well yeah, usually." Rina said. Even though she found it annoying at times, she was just as worried as Hanon about Lucia, even to her Lucia's behavior is a bit worriesome.

"Well, this is her rite of adulthood after all. She is probably nervous because she realizes how important this ceremony is." Nicole smiled a bit.

"Yeah, let's hope that's the reason why she is so down in the dumps." Rina said in slight doubtful tone, realizing that there was something more to her sad behavior then what meets the eye. Soon after, Nicole entered the chambers to inform Lucia of the ritual.

"Princess, the ceremony will soon commence." Nicole smiled, trying to be optimistic and lighten Lucia's mood a bit. But Lucia merely smiled sadly while turning her gaze to Nicole.

"Okay. Please inform me when everything is prepared." Lucia smiled sadly before it disappeared a moment later, returning to her sad pondering.

Nicole really started to worry now. In her mind, it may have something to do with her strict behavior back at the hotel, how she so bluntly said that she may never return to the surface world, unintentionally shattering her hopes and dreams, which made her felt really bad. She knew that she hanged out with a boy named Goku that Lucia wouldn't stop talking about and she was really glad that she had so much fun with him, along with the other friends from school. But this was something that couldn't be ignored or postponed any longer, she knew this was a priority if Lucia is ever to be a mature mermaid, both in age and in personality. However, she could have been less direct with her words back then, then Lucia wouldn't be so sad as she is now.

"This is bad Rina. This sad and depressed Lucia is not her at all." Hanon said worryingly, though Rina remained silent as she merely frowned seriously, realizing what truly troubled Lucia the longer he stared at her.

After the three mermaids have informed Lucia of the ritual, they departed to meet up with Madame Taki and Hippo to talk about Lucia's behavior.

"Miss. Nicole, how does Lucia fare?" Hippo asked.

"She is in a very bad mood Hippo." Nicole said in slightly worried tone.

"Hmm. That could have a negative effect on the ceremony." Hippo said as he was troubled by the news.

"Well, i realize that she is nervous and somewhat afraid about the event as important as this one, i can sympathize with her on that. But when you think about it, she's still the normal Lucia that we all know, so she'll be fine as she is now." Nicole smiled.

"Are you seriously that ignorant?!" Rina exclaimed in frustration, drawing everyone's attention. "The Lucia we know has always been cheerful and upbeat. She had her moments of sorrow, that's true, but the Lucia you saw in that room is nothing like Lucia that you think you know! What did you tell her that night Nicole? Because from what I've seen, she looked as if she is drained of every drop of hope she had in her entire being." Rina said in angry tone. Nicole's eyes went slightly wide in shock as she remembered what she told to Lucia. And the reaction that followed from Lucia herself, which sent a sharp pain in her heart.

"Well i told her that she may never return to the surface world after this ceremony." Nicole said in slight regret.

"You told her WHAT?!" Rina shouted angrily.

"What would you had me to, lie to her?!" Nicole retorted.

"That would have been merciful both to her and for us! Right now for all we know, her negative emotions could damn us all!" Rina said angrily before she leaned in closer to Nicole as her anger started to rise. "You ignorant fool! You do realize that she is an emotional girl, especially towards Goku! You knew that this birthday party meant to her above all things and yet you had the audacity to break her spirit! I realize that this ceremony is important, but you could have lied to her back then, at least until the ceremony was done and over with!"

"Rina calm down, please." Hanon said as she held Rina in place.

"Please Miss Rina, steady yourself." Hippo pleaded. After a few moments Rina's anger started to subside, mostly because she noticed that Nicole doesn't say anything as she stared at the ground sadly in deep regret. Nicole remembered how Lucia was through the roof with happiness when she realized that Goku will be making a birthday party for her. Her heart started to ache immensely because she was so blind, blind to the fact that she put Lucia's duty and responsibility above her happiness. And that mistake might indeed cost everyone in this kingdom their lives, something that she couldn't bare to even think about.

"Everyone calm down, there's no need to concern yourselves." Madame Taki smiled, drawing their attention as Hanon, Rina, Nicole and Hippo looked at her curiously. " Everything will be alright, you can rest assured that the worst will not come to pass." Taki smiled before departing to her own quarters, leaving the others in a big surprise from her statement.

"What do you mean Madame Taki? Wait!" Hippo followed her, along with Nicole, who was also very curious by her cool composure, leaving Hanon and Rina alone.

"So it's about the botched up birthday party, isn't it?" Hanon asked curiously.

"Yes. But it could be also that Goku said something to hurt her feelings. I know he has good intentions, but sometimes he can make such blunt statements." Rina said seriously.

"If that's the case, then Lucia will not be cheering up anytime soon." Hanon said worryingly.

At the same time, within Lucia's chambers, Lucia was still sitting on her chair, not moving an inch as she still had that sad look on her face, her eyes closed as she remembered her conversation with Goku back then at the beach.

"Why Goku? Why did you had to go and say that? I might never see you again after this ritual." She thought sadly, having a flashback of Goku's blunt statement back at the beach that pierced through her heart like a dagger.

'"Things would sure be quiet around here, that's for sure."

"Goku." Lucia said, her voice filled with sorrow, almost on a verge to cry on the spot. Lucia believed that Goku said that out of spite, just so he wouldn't see her again, but she didn't know that Goku said that just so he could see her smile again, because he hated when she was sad. Sadly he didn't get to explain that to her as she immediately ran away after what he said. But she will never know, because they are now far away from one another, with a possibility to never reunite again, which made her regret her impulsiveness all the more.

Meanwhile, back in South City, Goku decided to go to the Pearl Hotel to find out the answers to Lucia's rather odd behavior that confused him to no end. But as he peeked through the door's window, he noticed that sheets covered the furniture inside.

"So, they left after all, huh?" Goku said to himself, a little sad that she actually left. He then went around the building to see if he will find them by any chance, but when he reached the beach, he found no one. He stared towards the horizon, contemplating on Lucia's question that was extremely off.

"Why was she so sad? I don't understand." Goku thought, rubbing his head in confusion as he tilted his head to the right, having a flashback of Lucia's question.

'"What if we never see each other again?"

"She said she went to see her relatives. That means she will come back, right?" Goku thought. He thought she was just being dramatic about her departure, but he had this strange feeling that there was something more to it. There was something that she was hiding from him, but what? But a few minutes later, he decided to take his Flying Nimbus and go train, this whole thing is just making his head hurt and the only way he can relax himself is with the good old, intense training session.

At the same time, Nicole entered Lucia's chambers again.

"Lucia my dear, are you ready?" Nicole smiled gently, hoping her mood brightened a bit.

"Yes, I am." Lucia smiled sadly as she glanced at Nicole for a second before she looked sadly at the table again.

"Come on, please cheer up. Today is a big day, you will finally become an adult mermaid, remember?" Nicole smiled gently as she tried to comfort her. But this time Lucia didn't say anything as she closed her eyes, her sad expression not changing one bit, which made Nicole even more nervous that she was previously.

"Princess Lucia, we should commence the cleansing ritual." A handmaiden with an upright hair said as she and two other handmaidens entered the room.

"Lucia." Nicole thought, getting more worried by the minute as she remembered Rina's words during their argument. "Aqua Regina preserve us. I truly hope that i didn't make a fatal mistake back at the Pearl Hotel."

Meanwhile, in Madame Taki's quarters, Hanon and Rina were sitting in the chairs from the other side of Taki's table as the oracle remained confident in the success of this ritual.

"How can you be so sure that she will be alright, Madame Taki?" Hanon asked curiously.

"Despite her current behavior, she is still a true mermaid princess successor. When the time comes, she will fulfill our expectations." Madame Taki smiled. Hanon merely looked at Rina, trying to get a different response, but Rina stayed silent as she knew as much as Hanon did.

Meanwhile, striding his monstrous fish, Gaito and his Dark Lovers were drawing near Lucia's kingdom.

"So master Gaito, how will we deal with the kingdom this time?" Maria smirked.

"Shall we tear it apart like we did with the other kingdoms?" Izure grinned wickedly.

"No, i am in no mood for wanton destruction today. Nor do i have the patience for another prolonged slaughter." Gaito said seriously with folded arms before he turned sideways towards his servants. "Today we will be doing this nice and quick. Our focus are the three mermaid princesses residing in the castle, for they have the prizes we seek." He then smirked with malicious intent. "Make sure that you not kill any mermaid that stands in our way. I want you to merely wound them, show them that no matter how hard they try to stop us, it will avail them nothing."

"Yes master Gaito." The Dark Lovers said in unison.

At the same time, far away from South City, Goku was training diligently for a good while, pushing his fighting abilities beyond its limits as he was doing backflips, then throwing a flurry of punches and kicks in combination with acrobatic moves in midair. Afterwards he landed on the ground and dashing forward, darting from one boulder after another at fast speed before landing back on the ground while flipping forward. But even with all the intense training, his mind was unfocused as he couldn't forget about Lucia's sad look, even more so the words she said that felt like being blasted by Dodon Ray straight through his heart.

"I hate you, Goku!" Lucia shouted sadly.

After that flashback, he hurled himself onto a large boulder, kicking it and shattering it into small pebbles. He then landed on his feet, panting a bit as he tried to catch his breath. He wasn't physically tired, he could endure much more than this, but her sad and teary face and those words kept repeating in his head, dampening his concentration. He simply couldn't put in words on why he was so troubled that he couldn't focus on his training, but he knew that he had this feeling in his heart that he couldn't shake off even if he wanted to. It felt painful, but at the same time, he had this urge to help her out in any way he could, just so he could see her smile again. He couldn't understand the emotional chaos that grips in his mind, this was really something he never experienced in his life before. He knew one thing for sure, he needed to solve this rather confusing problem before it gets any worse.

But then, a familiar squeaking was heard from the sea. Goku noticed that it was a pink dolphin named Momo, an infant whom he and Lucia had freed from the Aqua Park.

"Hey, it's Momo!" Goku said cheerfully as he went near the water, jumping onto a shallow rock to get close to the dolphin. "Hi Momo. It's great to see you again, how is your mother?" Goku smiled brightly. This reunion brightened his mood greatly as he was so glad that little Momo was free and with his mother again, about as much as he was with the other animals he helped out back at Mount Paozu. But Momo was squeaking repeatedly for some reason, trying to tell Goku something, but Goku only tilted his head in confusion, staring at him with blank expression.

"What's wrong Momo? Did something happen?" Goku asked curiously. Momo continued to squeak as he motioned to Goku to follow him, though it took Goku a few seconds before he picked up on what he is trying to say.

"Oh, you want me to follow you? Okay." Goku smiled before he stood up and looked to the sky. "FLYING NIMBUS!" he called for his faithful cloud. Almost on cue, the cloud descended from the sky in front of Goku before he jumped on it as soon as it landed.

"Alright Momo, lead the way." Goku smiled. Momo turned around and swam towards the open sea, with Goku following him at the dolphin's speed. The little guy was surprisingly fast for an infant.

Meanwhile, back in Madame Taki's quarters, Hanon questioned Taki's confidence in Lucia's ceremony, but decided not to ask her about to it. Instead, she turned her attention to Rina.

"Maybe we can hope that Lucia's bad mood will be gone during the ceremony." Hanon said in hopeful tone.

"We can only hope that will be the case Hanon." Rina said seriously.

Then Taki pulled out a large shell that looked like an ocarina and started blowing on it, playing a melody that was very familiar to Rina, but not for Hanon.

"Goodness Madame Taki, you are as silly as ever. What are you doing?" Hanon sweat-dropped, believing that Taki is doing another one of her silly antics, but Rina turned her attention to Hanon for explanation.

"No, I have already heard this sound before, she is playing a magical ocarina." Rina said. Hanon never heard of it before, since it wasn't a part of her own coming-of-age ceremony at all, but it seemed important if Rina knew about it.

As Taki played the ocarina, a vortex appeared in front of Goku as he followed Momo into the open sea. He raised his eyebrow in confusion, wondering on what it could be.

"What the… " It was all that Goku could say at that moment before Momo merely jumped inside, like he was doing it every day, which made Goku even more confused. He took a step forward on his cloud and leaned in closer to inspect the vortex, pondering on whether he should jump in there or not. But since Momo so casually jumped in, that meant that it's safe. Probably.

"Oh well, here goes." Goku shrugged before he jumped inside the vortex, hoping that it won't lead him into some kind of trap.

In that moment as Goku jumped in, suddenly the doors were slammed wide open.

"Miladies!" A shieldmaiden rushed inside.

"What is it, why are you so rattled?" Hanon said in alert.

"Did something happen?" Rina asked seriously.

"Miladies, we have a problem." A shieldmaiden said seriously.

At the same time, Lucia was still preparing for the ceremony as the two handmaiden have given her a royal, double layer pink dress to wear with three pink bows in the front, and her golden hair was now glowing with faint sparkles, her two pigtails wavy and curly, decorated with flowers, longer and with additional pigtail from each side. After a few minutes, Lucia heard a familiar squeaking noise from the distance.

"Momo." Lucia said to herself before she stood up and darted to meet with the infant, much to to the surprise of her handmaidens.

"Princess Lucia!" One of the handmaidens called out to her while Lucia turned her head to face them.

"I'll be right back." Lucia said before she departed to meet with Momo, leaving the handmaids in her chambers.

"Momo, where are you? Momo." Lucia called out to him as she was looking left and right through the hallways, but he was nowhere to be found. Then she saw a vortex opening from the watery entrance, with a very familiar person falling unceremoniously facefirst on the ground. The newcomer was none other than Goku, feeling dizzy from traveling through the passageway.

"Ouch! That really hurt!" Goku covered his face with both of his hands, rubbing it for the pain to subside, though he winced every time he tried to rub his face.

"Goku!" Lucia gasped in utter shock and surprise. She never thought she would see him again in her own kingdom, though she was very glad for it. She immediately went to meet with him, not wanting to miss this opportunity. When Momo saw her coming he departed back to the sea, while Goku slowly got up, still rubbing his face with his right hand.

"Man, what a crazy trip that was." Goku said before wincing from the pain on his face but is slowly subsiding. Then he looked around the area he found himself in. "Wow, what is this place? Everything is so shiny and pretty." He smiled brightly before his expression was now that of confusion as he was rubbing his head. "But why is everything pink? It's so weird." He said as he never seen in his life a huge room with pink color.

Then he looked to his left to find a mermaid wearing a rather odd dress. But it took him a few seconds to recognize the mermaid in front of him, realizing that it was his mermaid from a few days ago. There was no doubt about that, because she had two long pigtails and crystal blue eyes.

"Hey, it's you! I'm so happy to see you again, where have you been this whole time?!" Goku said cheerfully, glad to see his mermaid again. But she said nothing as she merely turned around and swam away, much to Goku's confusion.

"Wait, where are you going, i…" He said before she gracefully turned around and placed her finger on his lips, silencing him before he could say more, leaning in closer to him and smiling gently.

"I missed you too, my dear Goku." Lucia said gracefully, believing he was going to say that. But Goku only wanted her to stay so he can talk to her and have fun without her going away the moment he sees her. But the longer he stared blankly into her beautiful crystal blue eyes, for some reason she greatly reminds him of a certain girl he hangs out with in school.

"How bizarre. Why does she remind me of… Lucia?" Goku thought as her gentle and loving look was almost too familiar. Lucia had that same expression from time to time when he hangs out with her at school, it's strange that this mermaid and Lucia look so alike with that expression.

But the moment was interrupted when they heard the screams of women and children echoing from outside the castle.

"What the... What is that noise? That doesn't sound good." Goku asked seriously, now being on full alert.

"Not good at all, it sounds like the people screaming for their lives." Lucia said seriously.

"Milady! Milady!" A shield-captain shouted loudly.

"What is it, what is happening?" Lucia asked seriously.

"What?! A human?!" A shield-captain gasped in shock.

"Never mind him right now, tell me what is happening out there!" Lucia demanded.

"The Panthalassa, milady, we're under attack!" A shield-captain said urgently.

"What?!" Lucia said in shock.

"The prince and his servants are attacking as we speak, they are headed straight towards the castle!" The shield-captain said.

"What of the people? Don't tell me that they were harmed." Lucia asked worryingly.

"No milady, they are not. The prince went through our forces like we were nothing, but it would seem that he is set on capturing you and the other princesses to claim your pearls." A shield-captain said.

"Take our people to safety and tend to the wounded, i don't want a single mermaid to be left to their mercy." Lucia said seriously.

"But what of you princess?" The shield-captain asked curiously, feeling uneasy leaving her princess with an outsider.

"I will be fine, take care of our people! Go!" Lucia commanded strictly as she waved her hand for the shield-captain to leave.

"Yes milady!" The shield-captain bowed her head before she left.

"Goku, will you please help me fight off the invaders?" Lucia asked seriously.

"I have no idea what is happening, but it looks like someone wants to take you down and i won't allow that." Goku said seriously before he smirked confidently and pumped his right fist. "So yeah, you can count on me mermaid."

"Thank you." Lucia nodded with a gentle smile before both of them departed.

At the same time, Gaito was nearing the castle, but was stopped by a large group of shieldmaidens.

"In the name of Aqua Regina, you shall not pass!" One of the shieldmaidens proclaimed boldy as she and her sisters-in-arms barred Gaito's way.

"I beg to differ." Gaito smirked arrogantly before he waved his hand, sending a strong, black current that struck the shieldmaidens with an intense force, knocking them back and out as they slammed onto the stony roof. With the shieldmaidens disposed off and the people in panic, Gaito decided to now proceed with the main event as he breached through the roof with his giant fist.

"At last, the kingdom of the mermaid princess of the North Pacific." Gaito smirked before he jumped down on one of the stairs leading down the hallways, with the Dark Lovers doing the same, taking their positions at the stairs. "And now, my servants, while I play a tune that will render all of the mermaids immobile, you will search for the mermaid princesses and bring them to me." He ordered. He then pointed at Yuri with his ornamented staff. "Yuri, you will play the tune by my instructions." He said, much to Yuri's great delight.

"With pleasure." Yuri smirked mischievously, ready to set the plan in motion.

"Now bring those mermaids, along with their pearls to me." Gaito ordered the water demons to move out and they happily obliged. But while Yuri was playing Gaito's tune, all of the mermaids inside the castle felt an unbearable pain in their heads, crumpling on the floor, trying to fruitlessly fight the pain. Yuri and the other Dark Lovers watched with delight as their plan is slowly working.

"What a beautiful tune, these mermaids don't appreciate a true masterpiece." Yuri mocked he mermaids as she searched for the mermaid princesses.

"Now we have a chance to capture a few more mermaid princesses." Izure said.

"Where did the princess of the North Pacific go?" Maria asked while searching around for any sign of the princesses, but nothing so far.

"Oh boy, I was so taken in by Gaito's music that I forgot to fly." Eril said, flailing her arms and legs before she spun around and assumed her menacing persona. "I'll be damned if I let them capture the mermaids before me." She said before she darted to hunt them down.

In Taki's quarters, Hanon, Rina and Taki herself were all in severe pain, with the oracle knowing that painful tune all too well.

"Ahhh, my head hurts!" Hanon exclaimed in pain.

"What is that tune?" Rina asked, also in excruciating pain.

"It's as I feared, it's them." Taki said, going through so much pain that she had to assume her clam form for the pain to subside, much to Hanon and Rina's complete surprise.

Elsewhere, Nicole and Hippo were also in terrible pain, with Hippo writhing on the floor in agony, while Nicole shut her ears so the pain would stop, but to no avail.

"It's Gaito, only he could do something like this." Nicole said, trying to fight the pain.

"I can't take it anymore!" Hippo exclaimed, the pain that he is experiencing was too much to bear.

"Ugh. It sounds like Master Roshi's turtle is trying to play a piano or something." Goku cringed at the awful sound, but he snapped from the cringe when he noticed that the mermaid crumpled on the floor in immense pain.

"What is this noise? It feels like my head is gonna explode!" Lucia thought, barely being able to fight off the pain, but it just wouldn't stop.

"Hey, are you alright? What's wrong, tell me!" Goku exclaimed worryingly as he grabbed her arms, anxious to know the answer of her severe pain, but it was too much for her to give him the anwer. Goku wasn't affected at all by the tune, but the mermaid was in so much pain that he just couldn't bear to watch anymore. But then he frowned and gritted his teeth in alert as he sensed sinister energy to his right.

"I sense four power levels that are coming here. And all four of those energy signals are… familiar somehow." Goku thought curiously. It took him a few seconds before he noticed four familiar figures hovering above him. "It's those Dark Lover girls, what are they doing here?" Goku said sternly as he clenched his fists on his sides, ready to fight them should they decide to attack him, which they probably will.

Eril was the first to arrive and notice Lucia below, but was too excited to notice Goku as she switched back to her cheerful persona.

"Look, a pink pearl mermaid princess, finally I have found her." Eril said cheerfully, she couldn't wait to bring her trophy to her master.

"Stand aside, I saw her first." Izure protested.

"What are you talking about? I saw her first!" Eril retorted before she was shoved aside by Yuri from behind.

"No, she is mine!" Yuri exclaimed.

"Huh?" Goku sweat-dropped and raised his eyebrow in confusion by their bickering. Apparently, they didn't notice him as the three of them started an argument on who is going to get the mermaid. Then Goku frowned seriously because no one will harm the mermaid as long as he is around.

"Stop it, all of you! Haven't you noticed someone else standing next to the mermaid princess?" Maria pointed at another figure standing next to Lucia, who was all too familiar to the four.

"Oh no, it's that human Goku, how did he get here?!" Eril panicked, shocked to find him here of all places.

"Great, now we have to deal with him to get to the mermaid." Izure growled, sweating nervously as her opportunity is now squandered because of that spiky haired freak.

"But how are we going to deal with him?" Eril asked, frightened to confront him again and get beat up in the process, just like Izure was the last time they fought him.

"By combining our powers, of course." Maria said, making the other three Dark Lovers turn around to her, staring in confusion. "We all know he is too strong to fight head on alone, so we will attack him together and capture the mermaid princess for our master. Are we in agreement?". Yuri, Izure and Eril merely nodded in response, determined on making their master proud. "Good, now let's move out."

All four of the Dark Lovers charged at Lucia and Goku. Lucia has now recovered from the pain, but was now startled and surprised to see the Dark Lovers right in front of them.

"Oh no, it's them!" Lucia exclaimed in surprise.

"Great, here they come." Goku frowned sternly as he assumed his fighting position, ready for a fight. But to his surprise, they did not charge at him. They merely flew above him in circular motion, flying faster and faster until they made a watery tornado. In a split second, he carried the mermaid in his arms bridal style and dashed forward to evade the tornado. Lucia blushed a bit for being in his arms, but she couldn't dwell on their moment because the Dark Lovers were on their tails.

"You cannot escape us!" The four water demons said simultaneously.

"We'll see about that!" Goku shouted defiantly as he dashed from one pillar after another, trying to outrun them, but they were too fast to avoid. He could still sense their energy though, right at the center of the tornado, which was something that gave him the idea.

"I know." Goku said to himself before increasing his speed that he appeared like a blur. He made some distance from the moving tornado before he landed and dropped the mermaid, turning around to face the water demons afterwards.

"Listen, I need you to get out of here and go somewhere safe. It would seem they are focused on you, so i will hold them off and beat them here." Goku said seriously.

"But what about you?" Lucia asked, worried for his wellbeing.

"'I'll be fine, don't worry." Goku smiled confidently to her, giving her a thumb up before he returned his gaze to the water demons. "Now go, hurry!"

Lucia looked at him with a worried expression on her face before she hesitantly obliged.

"Be careful Goku." Lucia said to herself silently before she departed. She was worried about leaving Goku by himself against all four of those Dark Lovers, but she had to find Hanon and Rina, so they could help Goku and stop them together.

clenching his fists on his sides, crouching slightly as he readied himself to take that spinning vortex on.

With the mermaid gone Goku growled as he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists on his sides, crouching slightly as he rooted himself on the ground, ready to take that spinning vortex on. Then before he knew it, the tornado was right on top of him, trying to pull him in with great force, but Goku managed to stay on the ground. Then he looked above him, locating the water demons who were moving at an impressive speed, but not fast enough as he waited for a moment to jump up quickly and dispatch one of them, so that the tornado may dissipate. It took him a few seconds of patience to jump at the right time, but also an increasing effort as he tried to remain rooted. The longer he waited, the more of a chance for him to be carried away.

"Now." Goku thought before he jumped up at an incredible speed and punched Izure in the face, sending her flying through the tornado and pinning her on the wall.

"Why… me?" Izure barely asked herself in severe pain before she was knocked unconscious, disappearing on the spot. Goku spinned backwards and took his fighting position, ready to finish off the rest of the water demons. Maria, Eril and Yuri hovered above in complete shock. He caught Izure completely off guard with that furious attack and now there are only three of them left to stand against him.

"This is going to be a lot more difficult than I thought." Maria growled.

"I will not be humiliated by a human, not when Gaito is here!" Yuri screamed, simply having enough of that spiky haired freak keep standing in their way.

"Then let's finish him off before he pulls off another one of his attacks and finish us." Maria suggested, with Eril and Yuri nodding in agreement. Then the three of them hovered down on the ground, clenching their fists and gritting their teeth, ready to finish Goku for good.

"Let's go!" Goku shouted as he clenched his fists on his sides, ready to fight. The three water demons extended their arms and fired their signature attacks simultaneously. It was no big surprise as Goku nimbly dodged their projectiles. He evaded Yuri's and Eril's attacks first, jumping from one place to another. Then he pulled out his power pole and spinned it in front of him, shattering all of the incoming ice projectiles in the process. He then sheathed it and took up his fighting stance again.

"It's no use, our attacks have no effect on him at all." Eril frowned, sweating nervously as she dreaded the moment that Goku will take the offensive and finish them.

"How can any human be that strong and fast?" Yuri gritted her teeth, now starting to get nervous by the progress of this battle that seems to go in Goku's favor. Then Maria got an idea.

"Yuri, Eril, this time we attack him with our combined might and I mean with a single, powerful attack. That should be enough to at least incapacitate him so we can bring him to our master." Maria suggested. Seeing there was no other choice, both of them nodded in agreement.

Maria then fired large ice shards at the young warrior. Goku raised his eyebrow in confusion as to why they are not trying a different tactic, since their usual attacks will not work on him no matter how hard they try.

"Can't you come up with anything new?!" Goku exclaimed in annoyance as he jumped high in the air to evade the attack. Maria smirked as the moment for a combined attack has come.

"Now!" Maria shouted. All three of the water demons jumped high in the air, surrounding Goku and extending their arms, aiming at the young warrior. Goku was caught by surprise by their sudden change of strategy. The Dark Lovers' arms glowed with dark energy, charging up their combined attack and ready to unleash it on him.

"Panthalassa's Retribution!" The three of the Dark Lovers shouted, unleashing a dark beam filled with lightning on Goku and paralyzing him. He screamed in severe pain as he was caught completely off guard by their technique, not being able to move an inch.

"Well, that's different." He thought, trying to free himself from their trap, but so far he didn't even budge.

"Excellent. And now, with you out of the way, we will capture the mermaid princesses and bring them to our master." Maria smirked, satisfied that their plan was successful. But Goku opened his eyes wide by her statement. He even had flashbacks of the time when he first reunited with the mermaid, the next one being when she was singing on the rock with a large moon shining behind her that night, and lastly a kiss they shared in the pool. These Dark Lovers plan to harm that mermaid and everyone else who probably reside in this place, and that is something he won't and can't allow to happen.

"NO!" Goku shouted as he gritted his teeth to resist the pain, slowly starting to move his head before he tried the same with the rest of his body. He slowly clenched his fists and moved his arms and legs closer to him, much to the water demon's complete shock.

"What?!" The water demons shouted in shock that he is able to resist their combined might, even though when their attack should have immobilized him.

"HAAAAAAAAAA!" Goku screamed as he spreaded his arms and legs wide, with a short, white burst of energy suddenly appearing around him, breaking him from the trap and sending a shockwave that knocked down the water demons. Goku spinned down and landed on the ground, panting a bit as his entire body felt numb from that attack. The water demons also descended on the floor, panting heavily as their combined attack took most of their energy. Then Goku gave them a battle-ready smirk.

"Well, I have to admit, you caught me by surprise. I never thought that attack would make me feel so numb." Goku chuckled confidently until his expression was serious. "But I will not let you harm the mermaid or anyone else, its wrong." He clenched his fists from his sides and was ready to charge at them. The water demons could only watch as he was about to attack and finish them off.

"This guy is not normal!" Yuri screamed, gritting her teeth.

"Who… is this guy?" Maria sweated nervously, now awed by Goku's tenacity and sheer power to overcome their combined attack.

But as for Goku, he had enough as he decided to finish them off quickly and then search for the mermaid. He disappeared in a blur and reappeared behind Yuri, knocking her out with a chop to the back of her neck. As soon as she was down, she disappeared, just like Izure. He then turned his attention to Eril as she fired desperately more of her volleys of dark bolts, but he managed to dodge them and quickly reappeared in front of her, lightly punching her in the gut. The pain was so severe to Eril that she only stood for a few seconds before she too was knocked out, disappearing on the spot as well. And lastly, he turned towards Maria. But the water demon will not go down without a fight as she fired multitudes of ice bolts at Goku, but it was pointless since Goku already got used to her attacks, nimbly dodging her projectiles before jumping behind her. She then quickly turned around and conjured ice spikes on the ground, so she would hopefully damage him. It would have worked if Goku wasn't on guard as he narrowly dodged it, leaping for a rush attack as soon as he evaded her spikes, elbowing her in the gut and finishing this fight in the process.

As soon as they all disappeared, Goku inhaled deeply and exhaled, trying to subside the slight numbness from his body after their surprise attack.

"Good, that takes care of that." Goku smiled before he frowned seriously as he turned around to face the opposite direction. "Now to find the mermaid." He then closed his eyes as he tried to sense the mermaid's energy. As he did, his eyes went wide in surprise as he sensed something else.

"Whoah! I sense an enormous power level from that direction. Its energy feels the same like with the Dark lovers, only a lot more powerful." Goku thought as he was slightly impressed by the amount of power that he sensed, almost in comparison to elderly King Piccolo. "I sense someone else near that enormous power. But why does it…" His eyes then went wide in shock at the realization at whom does that signal belong to.

"Is that… Lucia?! What is she doing here?" Goku said, his mouth open and eyes wide in complete shock and surprise to find his friend from school here of all places. Then he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists on his sides. "I don't know how did she get here, but it seems she is very close to that enormous energy I sensed. And that means she is in grave danger." He growled before he ran as fast as he could to get there on time. "Hang on Lucia, I'm coming!"

Meanwhile, Lucia tried to find Hanon and Rina before anything bad happened to them.

"Hanon? Rina? Where are you?" Lucia called out to them, searching left and right, but there was no answer since no one was around, assuming that her servants probably looked for a shelter when the Dark Lovers attacked. Then she noticed a shadowy figure near one of the pillars. Lucia sighed in relief and smiled brightly as she believed she had found her friends.

"Oh thank goodness, I have… huh?" Lucia's joy was now replaced with confusion and slight fear as she saw a pale and sinister person standing in front of her, having a striking resemblance to Kaito, but it couldn't be him.

"So, I have finally found you, mermaid princess of the North Pacific." Gaito smirked, satisfied to find a lone mermaid princess to capture. Lucia backed away a few feet in awe of this terrifying person.

"What? Who is this man?" Lucia thought in slight fear. She then tried to run away from him, but Gaito grabbed her by her hands and pinned her on a pillar.

"You are mine little mermaid. And now I will take you to my castle." Gaito smirked maliciously.

"Let me go!" Lucia exclaimed, trying to squirm out of his iron grip, but it was no use. Since she was trapped now, she started to get increasingly frightened by his menacing gaze.

"I will take a good care of you, just like I have with the mermaid princesses of the North Sea and South Pacific." Gaito said as he caressed her right cheek before he looked at her pendant. "Oh and… I will take your pearl as well." He said as he ran down his hand down her cheek and neck before reached for her winged pendant with the intention of taking it from her and the power of the pearl within.

"Nooo!" Lucia shouted in hopelessness as she tried again to free herlsef. Gaito merely snickered menacingly by her futile efforts.

"My, aren't you a feisty one? How about I put you sleep, so you won't be of any resistance?" Gaito grinned maliciously, ready to end this childish game and return to castle with his prize.

"Who is this guy? He looks like Kaito, but he is not, he looks evil and creepy." Lucia thought before tears started to form in her eyes out of desperation, thinking of her loved one. "Oh Goku, where are you? I miss you." She thought sadly. Then a lone tear fell on her pendant. Even Gaito did not expect for what came next as suddenly, a flux of energy emanated from her pearl, imploding in a short, but powerful burst of pink energy that knocked Gaito down, much to the complete surprise of both Gaito and Lucia. After several seconds Gaito slowly got up unharmed, but still surprised by the sudden burst of energy from her pendant.

"What was that? That was something I did not expect." Gaito thought, caught a bit off guard by what happened before he frowned seriously, realizing his mistake. "Ah yes, I remember. Those pearls have a devastating, yet uncontrollable power if it's mixed with the mermaid's negative emotions. I must seize that pearl before that ignorant mermaid brings down a whole castle on our heads."

"Lucia!" Hanon and Rina called out to her friend, coming to aid her. Much to their relief, she was completely unharmed, but they were still on their guard as a hated enemy stands before them. Rina growled in anger as she recognized her adversary.

At the same time, Goku was still running through the hallway, getting closer and closer to the source of the two power levels he sensed, but then he felt two more, yet familiar energies.

"I sense two more power levels, next to Lucia and that massive energy. And if I didn't know any better, those energies are…" Goku thought curiously before he stopped in his tracks, yet again surprised and shocked as he recognized those energy signals. "What is going on? Why am I sensing not only Lucia's energy, but also… Rina's and Hanon's energy?! How did they get here? I don't understand it." Then he frowned as he couldn't dwell on that at the moment. "Oh well, I guess there is only one way to find out for sure." He said to himself before he continued to run.

With his enormous speed, he reached the end of the hallway leading to a chamber where four figures were standing within. When he did, he noticed that there were three mermaids facing a slender, pale man with grey hair and black robes.

"So, he must be the one emanating that enormous energy. And judging by the look on his face, he doesn't seem friendly." Goku thought as he examined the man. Not only does his malicious energy confirm that fact, that look on his face was all too familiar. He had seen that expression on many enemies he faced over the years, especially his hated enemy from three years ago, King Piccolo.

But, he had a blank expression on his face and he raise his eyebrow, completely confused that those other three energy signals were coming from those three mermaids.

"It's the mermaid!" Goku smiled brightly, glad to see her alive and well before he turned his gaze to the other two mermaids. "That's weird. Those other two mermaids look very familiar. Especially their faces, their hair too. They look almost like…" He thought before he gasped loudly, his eyes and mouth wide, more shocked then before. "Wait a second. If I sensed Hanon and Rina before and those two mermaids look like them, then that means… They ARE Hanon and Rina! He thought loudly before he turned his gaze to the pink mermaid. "And that third power level was coming from her. And if I'm not mistaken and those two mermaids ARE Hanon and Rina, then that pink mermaid must be… " He thought before starting to have flashbacks of his moments with the mermaid and Lucia from school.

The first one was when he first met Lucia at the beach when he was training.

"Umm, hi." Lucia said hesitantly "Have we… met before? Umm…"

His second flashback was when he met with the mermaid for the second time that night when she was singing on the rock, with a large moon shining behind her, how she approached him and kissed him on the cheek before she left with those cryptic words.

"Search for me. Search for me and you will find me."

His third flashback was that time when he first shared a kiss with the mermaid in the pool. And lastly he thought about Lucia's bright smile and laugh that always warmed his heart. He then returned to the present, finally realizing who that mermaid was this whole time.

"Lucia." Goku said in utter realization. All this time that mermaid was actually Lucia from school. They are one and the same. But even though he had many questions that needed to be answered, he needed to deal with the threat that was right in front of him.

"So it's you after all Gaito!" Rina growled angrily, simply couldn't stand to see him after what he did to Noel.

"Yes. I allowed you to escape me once, but not this time." Gaito smirked.

"His face looks familiar." Hanon said before she gasped as she found the resemblance of this man. "He looks like Kaito!" Hanon said in shock, while Rina nodded in confirmation.

"Three mermaid princesses. How fortunate." Gaito smirked evilly, ready to take the mermaids with him to his castle. But Lucia will not back down. With her friends by her side, she will defeat this strange man.

"We will not let you harm our home and the people we love, so you better back down now." Lucia frowned seriously before she turned her attention to her best friends. "Hanon, Rina, Let's go!" Lucia said, with the two mermaids nodding in agreement.

"I don't think so." Gaito grinned wickedly, realizing what follows after that bold proclamation.

"Huh?" The three mermaids said simultaneously.

"As much as I would love to stand and watch how you fail to defeat me, I don't have the time." Gaito said as he extended his arm and aimed towards the mermaids. "There is a whole of the sea world just waiting to be conquered and I need your pearls to do it." He then charged a powerful ball of dark energy in his hand, ready to unleash it on his target. "And now…" His face was now dead serious. "…die." He then fired the dark ball of energy. The mermaids screamed in fear as that attack was about to destroy them.

"Gokuu!" Lucia screamed desperately as she closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands, bracing herself for an inevitable death, but also hoping that her loved one would come to save her.

"Oh no!" Goku growled, gritting his teeth as he charged at maximum speed towards the mermaids. Then in a split second, he crossed his arms in front of him and took the full brunt of the energy attack. As the ball exploded, a large cloud of smoke followed after the explosion echoing through the hallways. Gaito grinned in satisfaction that he will now take those pearls from their carcasses and take his next step towards his conquest. But to his surprise and shock, someone was standing in smoke.

"What?!" Gaito said in shock. As the smoke cleared, there was a man with spiky hair and strange fighting uniform standing in front of the mermaids. Goku lowered his arms, without having a scratch on him and stared at Gaito sternly as he arched upright and clenched his fists from his sides.

The mermaids opened their eyes to find a familiar figure standing in front of them. Hanon and Rina smiled brightly, while Lucia blushed a bit as she looked at his broad shoulders and back. But then she too smiled brightly as she couldn't have been happier than now, because Goku saved her again.

"Goku!" The three mermaids shouted simultaneously, immeasurably happy to see him in time of need.

"Hey girls. I'm glad I made it on time, the three of you are without a scratch." Goku smiled as he turned his head slightly, looking at them from the corner of his eye. Now that he knows the truth, he will protect his friends with everything he has, especially Lucia.

The three mermaids looked at him blankly for a few moments. He talks to them like he recognized them, even though they are in mermaid forms. Lucia was more astounded of the three. Could it be that he finally realized that she is Lucia from school?

"Please leave now, you are all in severe danger. If you stay here, you will only get hurt." Goku said seriously as he locked his gaze sternly at Gaito.

"Please Goku, let us fight with you." Lucia said in great worry about Goku fighting the leader of the Dark Lovers. Rina and Hanon were also very concerned, Rina most of all, since she knew how dangerous Gaito can be and Goku fighting him by himself seems suicidal.

"No, this guy is a lot more powerful then all of you, take Hanon and Rina somewhere safe Lucia." Goku said seriosly. These words shocked the mermaids to the core, especially Lucia as she looked at him with eyes wide and mouth open, her heart skipping a few beats as her troubles have finally come to an end.

"Did… you just call me… Lucia?" She asked, her voice trembling a bit as she couldn't believe that goofball actually realized who she was, with tears of joy starting to form in her eyes as she didn't have to hide herself any longer.

"Yes. I understand everything now, Lucia. I can't believe it took me this long to realize that it was you all along." Goku smiled gently before he glanced from Lucia back to Gaito. "We will talk later. Now go, and hurry." he said seriously before he started to walk slowly towards Gaito.

Even though Goku was rather serious when he told them to leave, Lucia was paralyzed in place out of pure joy and Hanon and Rina were astounded how he casually challenged the ruler of Panthalassa to a fight. Gaito smirked arrogantly, believing that the fool was merely lucky when he beat the Dark Lovers and he won't make the same Goku was close enough, the two fighters had an intense staredown for a while.

"So, you must be a human who is giving my Dark Lovers so much trouble. Goku, was it?" Gaito said in a calm tone.

"Yeah. And judging by your power, you must be their leader." Goku said sternly. Gaito was rather surprised at how he can sense his power, but he kept his calm composure as he folded his arms.

"I am Gaito, king of Panthalassa, the future ruler of the sea world." Gaito smirked arrogantly before he tilted his head to the right in amusement. "You know, it's hard to believe that a mere human like you would stand a chance against my powerful servants."

"They wanted to harm innocent people and they had to be stopped." Goku said sternly before gritted his teeth and clenched his fist in front of him in anger. "And it seems you want to do the same. If you want to get these mermaids, you are going to have to go through me." He proclaimed. Gaito said nothing as he laughed out loud in mockery of his bold words.

"What's so funny?" Goku growled angrily.

"You are. Not even the mermaid princesses can stand against me and you, a human, dares to challenge me? You must be a bigger fool then all three of those pathetic mermaids behind you if you believe you can stop me from fulfilling my destiny." Gaito smirked while he walked towards Goku, eventually stopping a few steps away from Goku's face. "You are simply not worth my time. Now step aside whelp." he said arrogantly, but Goku continued to glare daggers at Gaito, not moving an inch from his spot.

Now Gaito started to be annoyed by this defiant human as he threw a right backhand to smack Goku aside, believing he can be swatted aside as if he was an annoying fly. But he was in for a big surprise as Goku nonchalantly caught his arm without even flinching, much to Gaito's shock and surprise of the mermaids. Gaito nudged himself back and forth, trying to free himself from Goku's iron grip, but he couldn't even budge.

"Let... go of... me." Gaito gritted his teeth in anger as he fruitlessly tried to free himself, but in response Goku threw a hard right knee to the gut, making Gaito cough out a chunk of blood, forcing him to back up as he grabbed his stomach to barely endure the pain. The mermaids were shocked and surprised further by Goku's display of strength especially Gaito as he was the one to witness it firsthand.

"You better start taking this fight seriously Gaito, or i will knock out all of your lights before you even get a chance to fight back!" Goku said, angered by Gaito's remark of calling Lucia and her friends pathetic.

"You will pay for that with your life human!" Gaito growled angrily as he slowly propped himself upright while rubbing his gut for the pain to subside.

"Go ahead, make me pay. I'm ready when you are." Goku smirked confidently as he took his fighting stance.

Gaito shouted in fury as he threw his right fist. Goku did the same as their fists collided before the two fighter threw a flurry of punches and kicks, moving about the room at fast speed. After the fast and furious flurry of attacks, Gaito headbutted Goku in the face, knocking him back and continued in his assault. Goku recovered just in time as he raised his hands in defence, blocking a flurry of punches and kicks from Gaito. Then he caught Gaito's right fist and threw right hook, followed by left knee to the chin and flurry of punches to the gut. Afterwards he finished his combo with a left uppercut, turning about and throwing a right power kick, sending Gaito flying backwards, with Goku in hot pursuit.

"He's quick." Gaito thought. Goku was about send a bone crushing punch to the face, but on instinct, Gaito raised a dark barrier around him and knocked Goku back. Goku was caught by surprise by his sudden defensive maneuver, but he flipped backwards repeatedly before he landed on the ground. As soon as he landed, Gaito fired powerful balls of dark energy at his opponent, but Goku managed to dodge them on time as he dashed left and right. Gaito continued to fire for a while, until Goku jumped high in the air and landed behind him. Gaito then fired a large dark ball of energy at Goku. Having only moments to react, Goku crossed his arms again in defensive position and took the brunt of the attack again. On contact, the dark energy ball exploded in large cloud of smoke and occasional sparks of lightning where Goku stood.

"Gokuuu!" Lucia shouted sadly in shock that Goku didn't even try to avoid Gaito's attack, while Hanon and Rina only gasped in shock.

"Huh, now that's disappointing." Gaito grinned, believing that the fight was over before it started.

"Nope, I'm still here." A familiar voice suddenly said from the smoke.

"What?!" Gaito shouted in shock, noticing that as the smoke cleared, Goku indeed survived the attack as he lowered his arms, having a confident smirk on his face. The ruler of Panthalassa was indeed surprised that this human can endure his powerful attack that not even the mermaids would survive.

"That was a good attack, you almost caught me off guard." Goku smiled with a toothy grin, scratching his nose before he crouched and clenched his fists. "Time to show you some of my techniques." He said before he moved so fast that he left a blurry image of himself on the spot, signifying the use of the Afterimage Technique, something that Gaito never witnessed.

"Why you… What trickery is this?" Gaito growled as he was encircled by Goku's illusions, each one making funny poses, some sticking tongues out in a mocking manner, some upside down and other ridiculous poses.

As Gaito tried to find the real Goku, the mermaids were amazed at how Goku is so casually making games against a terrifying opponent like Gaito.

"Just when I thought I saw everything, Goku keeps amazing me. How is he making so many illusions of himself?" Hanon said in a trembling voice, awed at his incredible techniques and fighting abilities.

"I'm not sure Hanon, but it seems to be working. Goku has Gaito on the ropes, he can't find the real him." Rina frowned seriously. Things are going in Goku's favor for now, but still, she had this chilling feeling that it won't last for long. Gaito is a rather cunning adversary and he won't be defeated so easily. Still, they were astonished how powerful Goku is. He is running circles around a foe that destroyed their kingdoms and forced their people to flee for their lives. It would appear that there were more benefits to Goku being Lucia's crush than they thought.

As for Lucia, she didn't utter a word as he merely smiled in amazement and pure joy at not only at Goku's fighting skills, but also that he finally realized who she is. After this fight, she just can't wait to finally tell everything she held inside her heart for far too long.

Meanwhile, Gaito's anger was rising as he had enough of this childish game. He fired one blast after another, but he was only hitting Goku's illusions, which irritated Gaito further.

"Show yourself, coward!" Gaito shouted in outrage, having a tick mark on his head, but almost on cue Goku appeared behind him.

"I'm back here." Goku smirked confidently before he kicked him in the head, sending him flying before he quickly ran at the direction he was kicked. He then delivered a crushing uppercut to Gaito as soon as he came into contact with Goku, sending him flying to the ceiling. Goku then darted up before Gaito crashed onto the ceiling. Cupped his hands above his head before he slammed Gaito on the back, sending him plummeting to the floor with a loud crash, leaving a small crater after the impact. Goku spun forward and landed near the crater with a stern expression on his face.

"Alright Goku, that was so incredible!" Lucia cheered happily, waving her hands in the air as her loved one was winning, accompanied by Hanon, while Rina remained silent. She knew that the fight was not over, but then so did Goku, as he seems like he's still on his giard, waiting for Gaito to get back into the fight, knowing he was a lot tougher than that.

Gaito was slowly but surely starting to get up on his feet, but his entire body felt numb and aching from the powerful blows dealt by Goku.

"How is this possible? I have never encountered a human who possessed such an enormous strength." Gaito thought furiously as he glared at Goku, who was gazing at him sternly while standing upright with clenched fists. "He moves so fast I can't even hit him. And his fists felt like being hit by solid steel." Then Gaito smirked. "Well, if I can't fight him head on, then I will have to resort to a special curse of my clan."

Goku raised his eyebrow in confusion as he watched Gaito stand up with a confident smirk on his face.

"Hmm, what's he up to? His power level is still the same. Either he has some hidden technique or he is about to power up to his maximum. Whatever it is, I have to be on guard." Goku thought cautiously.

"Well Goku, I have to admit, your power is surprisingly astounding. I have never thought to see the day when a human race would produce a powerful warrior like yourself." Gaito said in a calm tone, having a cocky grin as he wiped the blood from his lips before then chuckled maliciously. "But, you are facing the king of Panthalassa himself and you will soon enough learn the true meaning of pain. You see, my clan was very proficient in the dark arts for many decades and I have learned many of them during my reign." Gaito then clenched his fists from his sides. "Now, allow me to show you one of my favorites."

Gaito then gritted his teeth as he was radiating with dark aura, readying his deadly spell that will seal Goku's fate. Goku, on the other hand, crouched slightly and clenched his fists in front of him, ready to counter the technique that Gaito is conjuring for him. Gaito's aura was slowly increasing, with purple lightning sparks forming around him. As Goku stood fearlessly in front of his opponent, the mermaids watched in awe at their fight, increasingly frightened by Gaito's next move that could potentially harm Goku. Lucia was the most concerned of the three, but there was nothing she could do to help him. If Gaito was as powerful as Goku said, she would only worry Goku by being in harm's way.

Then Gaito's eyes started to glow red. Goku was about to make his move, but Gaito extended his arms towards Goku, instantly paralyzing him in place as he glowed in purple energy, unable to move a muscle. He realized this is a similar technique that General Blue of the Red Ribbon Army used against him when he fought him, but this paralysis was far different. Not only he couldn't move even an inch, but his power was also slowly slipping away from him for some inexplicable reason.

"What is going on? Why am I getting weaker and weaker?" Goku thought, couldn't find the explanation for his sudden loss of power. But he knew he can't waste a second as he gritted his teeth and growled loudly, trying his best to break out of Gaito's trap, but it was no use as he couldn't even budge. Gaito smirked as his own power was increasing, his muscle mass slightly increasing the more power he absorbed.

"Not good. Gaito's power level is increasing, while mine is slipping away. He is feeding off of my energy." Goku gritted his teeth as he couldn't do anything to stop his incantation. Then he screamed in pain as unknown runes started to form on his body in a searing pain, carved on his flesh like someone seared a hot metal on his skin. He kneeled on the floor with his hands down, trying to fight off the pain, but it was useless. The mermaids could only watch in horror as the tables have turned on Goku. Gaito laughed defiantly by these turn of events as his incantation was finally over.

"Ahh yes, I can feel the power coursing through my veins, making me stronger." Gaito clenched his fist in front of him in satisfaction before he turned his gaze towards the weakened Goku. "Now, let's try this once more." Gaito said before he charged at the young warrior, giving him a crushing punch to the face that sent him spiraling towards the wall up above. Gaito then jumped up and kneed him to the stomach before he backhanded him back down on the floor. He then fired a volley of dark energy balls at him while he was pinned down on the ground.

"Gokuu!" Lucia screamed in utter shock and fear, tears forming in her eyes as her heart skipped a few beats, seeing that Gaito is actually holding his own against Goku and even overpowering him. Hanon and Rina also gasped in shock, fearing that Gaito will now turn his attention towards them with Goku seemingly down for the count.

After that volley, Gaito landed on the ground, actually surprised by the amount of energy he absorbed from Goku as he looked at his clenched fist.

"This human has an amazing amount of power. I only managed to absorb half of his energy and yet, it's so overwhelming. In addition to my own strength, I feel like I can accomplish anything with this power." Gaito thought before he smirked maliciously. "If I am this powerful after absorbing half of his energy, once I absorb all of it, no one can stop me, not even the almighty Aqua Regina."

Suddenly, Goku got up from the crater. His arms were burned a bit as he barely managed to resist the volley that Gaito threw at him. He stood upright with clenched fists, panting a bit as he found himself in a troublesome predicament.

"Darn it! I never thought Gaito would be this powerful after absorbing half of my energy. To make things worse, the other half of my power is also slipping away." Goku thought as he gritted his teeth, looking at the runes that are now etched on his body. "And it's all because of these things that he placed on me, somehow they drain my energy. I have to finish this fight quickly before he manages to absorb all of it. If I don't, then I'm done for." He thought grimly, sweating nervously because the fight will not be as easy as he thought.

"Still alive? Impressive. I thought a weakling like you would die after that attack." Gaito smirked as he folded his arms defiantly.

"Hey, you stole my energy and added it to your own! You call me a weakling and yet you can't fight me with your own power." Goku shouted angrily as he pointed at Gaito, but the king of Panthalassa merely chuckled in amusement by his statement.

"Yes, that is true. But I will do anything to accomplish my goals, human." Gaito said in a cocky tone before he smirked arrogantly. "But, I am willing to tell you a little secret behind the curse that I placed on you. You see, the only way to break the curse is if you power exceeds my own after the absorption."

"Why should I believe you?" Goku growled.

"I never lie. I am simply telling you because at this point, there is nothing you can do to prevent me from achieving my goals. Once I absorb your power completely, no one in this world can stop me from claiming my rightful place as the ruler of the sea world. All who oppose me shall die." Gaito smirked.

"That's not going to happen while I'm here. I'm going to stop you!" Goku shouted boldly as he took his fighting position, but Gaito briefly laughed hysterically before he smirked again.

"You are quite a comedian. Come then and face me in my empowered state." Gaito said as he clenched his fists to his sides again. He was actually surprised by the fact that not only his power was increased, but also his physical attributes. Strength, speed, endurance, agility, all of them dramatically increased, which gave him the necessary tool to finish Goku off and then proceed with his conquest.

Goku charged at Gaito and tried to punch him, but Gaito caught his fist and slammed him on the ground. But Goku kicked him in the gut with both of his feet before he jumped up and delivered an uppercut. Gaito recovered and delivered a crushing backhand to his face and kicked him in the gut, but Goku grabbed his leg and slammed him also on the ground. The young warrior then threw a left fist, but Gaito tilted his lead to the left, making Goku punch and drill through the ground before immediately retaliating with his own left punch that Goku blocked. Gaito then headbutted Goku, staggering him backwards and allowing him to get up on his feet and attack his opponent. Goku quickly recovered and attacked as well, throwing a flurry of punches and kicks at each other for a while. But even though his power was cut in half, Goku still had a slight advantage as he managed to throw solid attacks at Gaito, due to him being a trained martial artist and Gaito never had any real training.

The mermaids watched in astonishment at how their battle scaled to greater heights as they are now moving like a blur around the hallway, occasionally hearing crushing blows from both sides.

"Impossible! How is Gaito able to keep up with Goku?!" Hanon shouted in shock

"It's because of that curse Hanon. Somehow, it empowered him in more ways than one." Rina gritted her teeth in frustration, infuriated that Gaito had to resort to theft to be on par with Goku.

"I only hope Goku will find a way to get back the advantage he had before." Hanon said as she feared the worst. As for Lucia, she didn't utter a word as her eyes were wide and her mouth open in awe and worry as watched Goku fight this terrible foe. She hoped with all her might that he will stay alive, because she has yet to confess her feelings for him.

"Please stay alive, my dear Goku." Lucia thought, holding her chest in fear of his well being.

Goku and Gaito continued their flurry of attacks until Gaito managed to give Goku a blow to the stomach before he punched him in the face, sending him flying to the wall. Goku jumped right back to Gaito and was about to deal a kick in his face, but Gaito dodged the attack and delivered a flurry of punches on him, one crushing blow after another. Then Gaito kicked him in the gut and knocking him back. As he was about to crash onto a wall, Goku gritting his teeth and growled in determination as he bounced back and headbutted Gaito in the face, followed by an uppercut before he threw his own flurry of punches in Gaito's stomach. He then spun sideways and kicked him in the face, sending him flying. He quickly came behind him and cupped his hands, slamming him down on the ground, but in a split second Gaito recovered as he landed on his feet. Goku also landed in front of him, panting as he tried to catch his breath. Gaito was also breathing hard, never expecting that the fight would be this difficult even with the obvious advantage he got.

"This can't be happening. Despite the power I absorbed from him, he is still able to keep up with me. It's time to put a permanent end to his defiance." Gaito thought as he gritting his teeth in anger, having enough of Goku's insolence.

"Amazing. Even though his fighting techniques are sloppy, he still punches hard. And that means I gotta be on edge. My power is slipping away by the minute making him stronger. If I don't end this now, it's over." Goku thought as he sweated nervously a bit. Even though his blood boiled for a good fight, the lives of the mermaids were at risk and he can't hold anything back.

"Alright, here we go." Goku said before he cupped his hands in front of him and put them on his right side, charging up his ultimate technique. Gaito raised his eyebrow in confusion by his odd maneuver.

"Kaaa… Meee… Haaa… Meee…" Goku chanted the words for his energy attack as his hands glowed with blue and white rays, signifying that the attack was ready.

"HAAAAAAA!" Goku shouted loudly as he unleashed the energy wave on his opponent.

"What?!" Gaito shouted in shock as he didn't expect that kind of attack. He barely had time to react as he crossed his arms before the blast hit him. As the Kamehameha Wave made contact with Gaito, it exploded and created a huge cloud of smoke engulfing the hallway and sending a shockwave that shook its foundations. The mermaids screamed as she shockwave knocked them down, closing their eyes to shield themselves from smoke and dust. But soon they opened their eyes and looked at Goku, who was the only one standing. Or so they assumed.

"Is it over?" Hanon asked, hoping that Gaito was finished for good. But Rina had a feeling that it wasn't, not by a long shot.

Goku panted heavily as he spent most of his energy into the Kamehameha Wave in hopes of finishing Gaito off. But after several seconds of silence, someone was still standing in the smoke.

"What? He survived the blast, but that's impossible!" Goku shouted in complete shock, couldn't believe that the attack didn't work. The mermaids also gasped in shock and horror, while Rina gritted her teeth as her fears have come true. Gaito was still alive.

Gaito wasn't down for the count, but he was pretty torn out by that blast, having bruises and bloodied cuts on his entire body, his pants ragged and his robe disintegrated into bits, leaving him with nothing but jagged necklace. He growled angrily as he lowered his arms, glaring daggers at Goku.

"You insolent wretch, now you have really made me angry! It's time to die!" Gaito shouted furiously as he started to glow with dark aura. Goku took his fighting position again to defend himself, but this time, Gaito charged so fast that he didn't even see him. Gaito gave him a crushing blow to the stomach before he threw a flurry of punches on his face. After a while, he elbowed him to the back of his head before he kicked him, smashing through the pillars and pinning him on the wall. Then Gaito placed his hands together and fired a powerful beam of dark energy at the fighter. Goku never saw it coming as he was hit directly by the blast, creating a large explosion.

"Gokuuu!" Lucia screamed as tears flowed from her eyes, unable to bear the immense pain that she is experiencing from watching Goku getting thrashed now. Rina gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, for the first time she felt so helpless, like a newborn child who can't even defend himself. Hanon also trembled in fear, unable to do a thing to help Goku out, knowing that Gaito was more powerful then all three of them combined. Lucia was about to charge in to save Goku, but was caught by Rina.

"No Lucia, don't, it's suicide!" Rina shouted as she tried to restrain Lucia from killing herself, but after a few seconds of squirming from Rina's grip, she knelt down in defeat as sorrow started to overtake her.

"I… I have to help him, Rina. I have to." Lucia said as she looked at the cloud of smoke where Goku was. But their attention was drawn by the sound of falling rubble within the smoke. When the dust cleared, they gasped loudly in immense shock as Goku was lying in the rubble seemingly unconscious. The three of them stared at him silently for a few moments, waiting for him to get up, but he continued to lie motionless beneath the rubble. Gaito smirked victoriously as he was approaching his battered body, ready to finish him off. Lucia cried loudly on Rina's chest, believing that Goku is down for the count when she saw him in such a wounded state.

"No. You can't be dead Goku, you can't!" Lucia thought as she sniffed and sobbed loudly. But all three of them gasped in surprise as Goku slowly started to awake, catching even Gaito off guard.

"That hurt." Goku gritting his teeth in pain as his entire body felt limp after that attack. But he must get up and get back into the fight or else Gaito will finish him off.

"What? Impossible!" Gaito shouted in shock before gritting his teeth as he knew that this battle would be difficult to win, but not by this much. Goku dashed forward a bit and landed away from the rubble, glaring daggers at his opponent and clenching his fists to his sides, panting heavily as he struggled to recover his strength. His shirt was destroyed, leaving him with undershirt while the rest of his uniform was torn up and ragged.

"I… will not… quit… ever!" Goku gritted his teeth as he growled in unwavering determination. He knew within his aching body that he was reaching his limit, but he can't give up. He must win, or else Lucia, Hanon and Rina could get hurt or worse. Gaito's anger started to boil as he decided to go for the kill this time.

"RAAAAAGHHH!" Gaito screamed as he conjured powerful electricity on Goku, lifting him up in the air slowly. Goku screamed in severe pain as he couldn't move an inch, his entire body felt completely numb, preventing him from retaliating. It was like Jackie Chun's technique when he used it against him at the World Martial Arts Tournament when he first competed, only Gaito's technique is a lot more painful.

"Gokuu!" The mermaids screamed simultaneously in shock and worry. This time Gaito is not kidding around, he is going for blood this time.

"For all the trouble you cause us this whole time, I will end your miserable life." Gaito gritted his teeth before he grinned evilly. "And when I'm done with you, your friends are next, especially the pink mermaid princess." He chuckled maliciously.

Goku's eyes went wide in shock as he gritted his teeth, looking at Lucia who had a sad and teary expression on her face, completely frightened for his wellbeing. Goku even had flashbacks of all the fun times they both shared, remembering her cute laughs and giggles that always make him feel happy. And all of that will be gone because Gaito will harm Lucia. It was at that point that his anger and rage reached its breaking point, Goku was so furious that his eyes started to glow red, almost as if he was transforming into a Giant Ape, but the actual transformation was not occurring, but something different. Instead, he somehow tapped into the huge energy supply that the Giant Ape transformation brings, his power level skyrocketed to incredible heights at that moment and he clenched his fists so hard that they started to bleed.

"Impossible!" Gaito shouted in shock, shaken to the core that his attack has no effect on him. Then Goku roared so loud that even the mirage of a Giant Ape appeared behind him, adding its beastly roar to his own. And as the mighty roar echoes throughout the hallways, a blinding flash of light engulfed the entire area, stunning both the mermaids and Gaito, but Gaito was knocked back as for some inexplicable reason, the runes on Goku's body disappeared and his curse has been broken, losing all of the power he gained from Goku in the process and restoring Goku's energy.

But during Goku's dramatic comeback, Madame Taki was completely shocked as a beastly roar of a Giant Ape sent chills through her entire body, making her tremble by the raw power she just experienced.

"What a… great power." Taki said in a trembling voice. "But where did it come from? It couldn't be from the Panthalassa, this power felt massive, but wild." Taki then looped around her crystal ball to reveal a spiky haired fighter in it. "Who is this young man? He can't be a human. Never before I have seen a human being with such a wild and uncontrollable power residing within." Taki frowned seriously. She knew that this young man was something else entirely and she needs to keep a close eye on him. She is only relieved that he was on their side and not the Panthalassa.

At the same time, Goku slowly got up on his feet, looking at his hands and realizing that all of his power has returned again.

"Alright, I'm back at full strength! Yeeahhh!" Goku said cheerfully as he raised his fist high in air out of joy. He then had a blank expression on his face as he remembered about his opponent, frowning seriously as he looked at Gaito, who was currently knocked down.

"I almost forgot. I need to finish him off before he can pull off another one of his energy stealing techniques." Goku thought seriously before he clenched his fists on his sides, ready to finish this fight.

"How can this be happening? It's impossible that this human's power is superior to mine. It's infuriating!" Gaito growled, utterly frustrated and shocked at how Goku managed to break the curse he placed on him.

"It's over Gaito. You had your chance to defeat me and you failed. Now, give up." Goku said sternly.

"You filthy human! I will never surrender to one of your kind!" Gaito shouted, his anger and rage boiling in his veins for shrugging him off like he was a trivial problem.

"Then it's time to finish this." Goku said before he clenched his right fist tightly and leapt forward to finish his opponent. Gaito raised his barrier in defense, but Goku continued with his assault as he punched the barrier without being knocked back like he was before.

"You fool. You will never breach through my barrier, it is useless." Gaito smirked, believing he is safe inside his dark bubble. But Goku said nothing as he gritted his teeth and put more energy into the attack to break the barrier, slowly pushing inside, much to Gaito's shock. Electricity started to spark as he continued to push inside until he eventually breached it, shocking Gaito further. Goku punched Gaito in the face, knocking him back in the air before he charged behind him and gave him a crushing right knee to the stomach, followed by a flurry of furious punches and kicks. After a while, he finished his assault with an uppercut that sent him spiraling towards the ceiling. In a split second, Goku jumped up and bounced from the ceiling. Gaito never saw it coming as Goku delivered a power kick on Gaito's face, kicking him hard towards the nearby wall in a big crash, leaving a big hole in the wall and a crater.

"Woohoo, alright Goku!" Lucia cheered happily.

"Yes, he did it, he did it!" Hanon shouted cheerfully as well as the two mermaids hugged each other in joy that Goku regained the upper hand. Rina sighed slightly in relief and smiled at their savior.

But Goku was not finished as he backed up a bit and cupped his hands in front of him, ready to deliver a final attack and end this fight before it gets any worse.

"Kaaa… Meee…"

As Goku was charging his Kamehameha Wave, Gaito gritted his teeth in defeat as his entire body felt completely limp and he couldn't move a muscle, closing his eyes as he knew that he was completely outclassed this time around.

"This… can't be happening. Who… is he?" Gaito glared daggers at Goku, breathing hard as he tried to catch his breath from Goku's furious assault. But Gaito gasped loudly as his eyes widened in shock, noticing that Goku is performing his attack again, and this time in his weakened state, it appeared to be a finishing blow.

"Haaa… Meee…"

In that moment, albeit begrudgingly, he decided ot retreat and live to fight another day. And that's precisely what he did as he teleported like dark matter back to his giant fist monster.

"Huh?" Goku said as he cancelled his Kamehameha Wave, surprised that Gaito ran away. Goku immediately searched around to find his defeated foe, only to locate him on some enormous monstrosity that he never saw in his life.

"This… isn't… over… Goku." Gaito spat at his name, panting heavily as he held his hand on his gut in pain, barely being able to stand up. Then a giant fish started to leave the kingdom, retreating to Gaito's castle.

But Goku was not fazed at all by his statement as he merely frowned silently. In his current state, there was no need to chase him down. The mermaids were safe and so were everyone else in this place and that's what was important. He knew that if he were to return to fight him again, he will be ready. Then Goku inhaled and exhaled deeply as he relaxed his tense muscles and faced the mermaids sincerely, especially Lucia as he started to walk towards them to check them out. He was kinda frustrated that they didn't ran away like he told them to, but he admired their bravery. Still, he didn't want them to be hurt and that was the reason he tried to send them away, but they decided to stay and give him the support for his fight. He appreciated that a lot, especially from Lucia, for her support was all that he needed for Goku to get a second wind and beat Gaito.

"Hey, are you girls okay?" Goku smiled cheerfully.

"Wow Goku, that was amazing!" Hanonsmiled happily.

"Yeah, congratulations on your victory, I'm truly impressed." Rina smiled, happy that Goku won against her hated enemy. Goku snickered childihsly with a toothy grin as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Thanks, I'm just glad that all of you are alright." Goku smiled as he put his clenched hands on his hips.

Then Goku turned his attention towards Lucia, who had a loving expression on her face. Tears of joy formed in her eyes and she smiled lovingly at Goku, who returned his joy with a wide grin that she always loves so much.

"Goku." Lucia thought.

"Lucia." Goku thought.

But suddenly, much to everyone's surprise, an enormous white light appeared from a giant pearl fountain that was nearby, the light shining so brightly that it illuminated the entire area. Then a faint figure started to appear, soon revealed to be a blonde woman with long hair, dressed in royal white- turquoise dress, wearing a crown and a winged staff with a blue jewel on its base, the hilt ornamented with leaves. The specter then descended closer to Goku and the mermaids. Goku had no idea who this woman was, but the mermaids knew who it was all too well as they were yet again surprised, this time enormously by her sudden appearance.

"Impossible." The mermaids said simultaneously, the only word that could come out of their mouths at that moment.

"Yes, it is possible. I am the goddess of the sea, Aqua Regina." The deity introduced herself with a gente smile before she turned her attention to Lucia. "You must be the princess of the North Pacific, Lucia?"

"Umm… Yes, mistress Aqua Regina." Lucia said hesitantly, a little intimidated to meet the deity in person. The goddess then turned her attention to all three of the mermaids.

"Do you tend to the sea world?" Aqua Regina asked sincerely, with the mermaids silently nodding in agreement. "And the surface world?" . Rina and Hanon stayed silent while Lucia blushed a bit, turning her attention to Goku, who was looking innocently at the goddess with a hint of amazement of seeing a deity in person. Aqua Regina smiled gently at Goku before she turned her gaze back at the mermaids.

"Listen carefully, my dear mermaid princesses. Many years ago, there was an evil tribe who tried to conquer the sea world and bring chaos to our peaceful lives. The threat that they posed back then was too great to be held at bay for long, so I had no choice but to use all the power at my disposal to stop the threat. I succeeded in quenching the rebellion and banished them to the bottom of the sea." Her expression was then sad, regretful that she couldn't wipe the threat out completely. "But their dark powers are returning and don't have the strength to stop them once more. The only way for me to be summoned again is if the mermaids of the seven seas unite the power of their pearls and summon me to this realm once more." Then she smiled again. "However… I must congratulate you on your victory. The ruler of Panthalassa is very powerful and I must commend you for stopping him in conquering this peaceful kingdom. But before I depart, I will grant you a newfound strength in your quest to restore the peace in the seven seas. Our music is love and love is strength and so I grant you a new music."

Her staff then glowed in purple light. The Mermaid's pearls radiated with respective colors, feeling the power that is coursing through their veins, giving them the necessary strength to combat the other threats in the future. When she was done, Goku could sense that their power levels increased moderately.

"We are immensely grateful, mistress Aqua Regina, but it was Goku who stopped Gaito, he was the one who fought him fearlessly and defeated him." Lucia smiled gently while holding Goku's hand. Goku smiled brightly at her, while she was looking at him with a loving gaze.

"So, you must be the hero of the surface world, Goku?" Aqua Regina asked sincerely.

"Uhh yeah, Miss Aqua Regina." Goku said nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. The goddess was well aware of his exploits, even his victory against King Piccolo from three years ago. But she decided to remain silent about that, because it would only further burden the mermaids.

"My deepest gratitude for aiding the mermaids in defeating Gaito, your strength and power is truly astonishing. Your heroic deeds are well known, even in the sea world." Aqua Regina smiled before she looked at him with a slightly serious expression. "But, even though you have saved this kingdom and all the lives who reside within, the events of this day… must be erased from your memory."

These news shocked Goku and Lucia to the core as their eyes widened and gasped loudly. They couldn't believe that this is happening, especially Lucia. After all the waiting for Goku to realize who she is, after all the troubles, it will all be taken away just like that? Even Goku didn't want this to happen in the slightest, for he at long last realized who Lucia actually was.

"No, no! Please, Aqua Regina, don't do it, I beg of you! Please!" Lucia exclaimed desperately as she grabbed Goku's hand firmly out of desperation., tears of sorrow starting to flow from her eyes, her heart aching from severe pain. The goddess bowed her head down and closed her eyes as a sign of compassion. She understood her pain, but in her mind it has to be done.

"I am sorry princess Lucia. I realize that you really care for this young man and he would most certainly be a mighty ally…" Aqua Regina said before she opened her eyes. "… But it has to be done. The human race must not be involved in the war that rages in our peaceful seas. If they were to interfere, then they too would feel Gaito's wrath."

"That's not going to happen! I'm going to stop Gaito, just like I have today." Goku proclaimed, clenching his right fist in front of him. He was too against the idea of erasing his memories, especially now that he realized that Lucia and the mermaid are the same person. The goddess would want nothing more than to return the peace to the seas and Goku is definitely the one who would stop Gaito and his schemes, but she dreaded that humanity would suffer the same fate like they had at the hands of King Piccolo and that is a scenery she never wanted to be repeated. For that reason, she must keep Goku and the rest of the humankind out of their troubles.

"Your courage is admirable and there is no doubt you have the strength to stand against the evil forces of the Panthalassa…" She smiled gently before her expression was slightly serious again. "… But the human race is not prepared for this war, nor do they realize that we even exist. They are aware of neither the Panthalassa nor the mermaids and that is the secrecy that needs to be preserved." She then pointed her staff at Goku, much to their increased shock. "Farewell, Goku."

But before Goku could say anything or react, the staff glowed brightly, blinding him.

"Nooooo!" Lucia screamed desperately, trying to prevent this from happening, but it was futile. With a flash of blinding light, Goku was gone and he was teleported back to the shore where he was training, with a sun setting on the horizon, his wounds healed and his clothes restored. With his memories erased, the goddess said to him a few words telepathically before she too departed.

"Protect the surface world, young warrior. Humanity is counting on you."

"Huh?" Goku raised his eyebrow in confusion, not knowing who said that. After a while, he gave up on it and returned home, for some reason feeling really tired.

After Aqua Regina was gone and the blinding light subsided, Lucia's pupils went thin in horror and utter shock, her body shivering uncontrollably and her heart stopping a few beats in those horrible moments, aching in unbearable pain. She couldn't believe that it actually happened, everything she ever hoped for… gone. Despite his heroic efforts and his victory against Gaito, this was his reward? His memories wiped out, and her with it? His realization that she and Lucia from school are one and the same? It was simply… unbearable for her to even handle such a pain. This made Rina and Hanon extremely worried as they looked at their shocked friend.

"Lucia?" Rina asked, hoping Lucia doesn't snap.

"Are you okay?" Hanon asked, frightened that she might go berserk after what Aqua Regina had done. Worse, to allow her pearl to go wild and destroy everything around her. But Lucia said nothing. She merely stood there for a few moments, her face stained in tears, with more flowing from her sad eyes. Unable to bear the pain any longer, she ran as fast as she could into her private quarters, crying loudly as she reached her breaking point.

"LUCIA!" Hanon and Rina called out for her, but it was useless to chase her as looked at each other sadly before they looked back at Lucia, fully understanding her immense pain. She desperately wanted for Goku to know who Lucia is and the goddess had to take it all away. It was all unfair and they both realize that it will leave a tremendous scar on Lucia's heart. They were afraid of how will she be now that the deed is done. But there was nothing they could do or say anything to cheer her up, the damage was too severe. They sighed slightly as they went to search for Hippo and the others to see if they were alright, hoping that Lucia won't do anything foolish.

Meanwhile, in Gaito's throne room, Gaito was sitting on his throne, gripping his fists by his utter humiliation by a simple human.

"How did this happen? How can a mere human possess so much power?" Gaito growled in a low voice, gritted his teeth as he had flashbacks of him being thrashed by Goku. "No, he is not a human. He is something else entirely. That power he unleashed when he was at death's door…" He then had a flashback of Goku's furious roar and the mirage of a Giant Ape behind him, who added its beastly roar to Goku's, increasing his power tremendously and breaking his curse in a flash of blinding light. "It's hard to imagine that he would be that powerful. If I didn't witness it myself, I never would have believed it. His power might surpass even Aqua Regina." He growled before he settled down a bit after a few moments, getting up from his throne and clenching his fist.

"No matter. I have tasted the power that he possessed firsthand…" He then had flashbacks of his furious battle against him after he absorbed his powers with his curse. "… and now I know how to obtain it." He then grinned maliciously and started to chuckle a few seconds, fully aware of what he must do to win against Goku in their rematch and he won't make a single mistake when that time comes.

"You will not survive our next battle, Goku. Next time… you are dead!" Gaito said before he started to laugh hysterically, his evil and ominous laughter echoing through the hallways, foreshadowing the day when he will stand triumphant and at long last fulfill his destiny. Nothing will stand in his way this time, not even Goku.