I'd really like to take this time to thank all of my reviewers. All of your reviews have certainly kept me busy. Keep on reviewing and I'll keep putting the material out there. So far this fic has primarily been about the introduction and interaction between the Sailor Scouts and Z Fighters, with the humorous situations that I believe would happen should they meet. The serious plot will kick off from here; so this is going to be quite a busy chapter.
Shin and Antares locked eyes as they passed each other- Shin on his way to the back, Antares out to the ring. Two seconds of tension passed as Shin's obsidian eyes crashed into Antares' orange ones, both men wore suspicious frowns.
"…Do we know each other?" Antares' eerie voice finally broke the silence.
"No." Shin calmly answered. He then walked to the back, pausing once more to take a look at Antares' back, black hair flowing down it.
The crowd began to chant for Videl as Antares calmly stepped into the ring. She stepped into her position and stared up into Antares' eyes, putting on her best frown. Antares stepped into his own position.
"I don't like the feel of this…" Amara trailed. "There is something very strange about that guy..."
"Agreed." Trista stated.
"That Videl girl should not fight this Antares…" Michelle trailed in concern. "She doesn't stand a chance."
"The wind is changing direction…" Amara stated, blinking her dark green eyes, intensely focusing on Antares. "Something is going to happen, and soon."
Goku, Vegeta, and Rei all looked at Shin suspiciously as he returned to the waiting area. Krillin and the rest of the Scouts all widened their eyes in curiosity as the purple man made his way toward Piccolo standing in the back. Rei wanted to get in on their staring contest, but she had intuition enough to know that it was a private affair. Besides, she was getting just as weird vibes from that Antares person as from Shin, so she would focus on the upcoming match.
"ALL RIGHT SPORTS FANS!" The announcer beckoned. "LET THE THIRD MATCH OF THE WORLD MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT BEGIN!"
Videl rushed forward, and with a leap, smashed Antares' check with a right hook, then followed it up with a kick to his left temple, sending him flying across the ring.
"Wow, she's pretty good!" Serena declared.
"A lot better moves than your fight anyway!" Mina teased.
"Hey!" Serena pouted.
"Antares is struggling to his feet." Ami observed. "This won't take much longer."
"I'll give him one more minute tops!" Gohan cheered, eliciting a bit of jealousy from the girls.
Antares finally got up to his feet at the count of seven. Like a panther, Videl immediately pounced. She kicked Antares in the gut and then sent a backspin elbow to his nose, again sending him flying across the ring.
"Antares is down again! What perfect form!" The announcer complimented as the crowd cheered. Videl continued to observe her opponent as she was catching her breath. "Time to begin the count! One!"
Antares sat up with a serious frown on his face. He floated up above the ring, then calmly floated back down until he was on his feet, stunning the audience. Videl grimaced and once again got into guard.
Goku frowned in the back, turning toward Vegeta who had the same look on his face. Rei walked in between them and frowned as well. All three nodded at each other.
Darien and the cat's faces instantly turned into suspicious frowns.
"Something is not right with this Antares." Darien stated.
"I don't like this…not one bit." Luna muttered.
Videl was stunned as Antares landed a few feet in front of her.
"You're nothing." He spat. "Fighting you humans is so dull."
All of the Sailor Scouts looked toward Antares with suspicion. Goku and Vegeta glanced at one another again.
"Gohan, tell Videl to forfeit." Goku ordered.
"Your father is right Gohan." Serena agreed in a rare tone of seriousness, eliciting shock from even Vegeta. "She can't win this match, I just know it, and I don't want to see anyone get hurt!"
Gohan nodded. There was no way Videl could win.
"VIDEL! YOU NEED TO FORFEIT THE MATCH!" Gohan shouted.
Videl shifted her eyes toward the back to see a shouting Gohan.
"No!" She was insulted.
"Please Videl!" Mina stepped forward. "This man is dangerous!"
Videl glared daggers at Mina, remembering their previous encounters of the day. Did that little hussy think she was better than her?!
"You should listen to them."
Videl turned toward the calm voice of Antares.
"You're pathetic. I don't really want to hurt you, but you're wasting my time, and I am a professional."
"And you mean I'm not a professional?!" Videl seethed. She rushed forward, and leapt into the air, throwing a kick toward Antares' right cheek. She was shocked when he easily blocked it with his wrist, not so much as moving his eyes. Videl's eyes widened as she attempted to knee Antares in the face, which was blocked by his other wrist.
Antares slammed his fist into Videl's stomach, sending the girl flying back to the edge of the ring. His calm, controlled expression had not changed. Videl struggled up and coughed up a bit of blood.
"Videl is up!" The announcer cheered along with the crowd. "And she's ready to get right back in the fight!"
"VIDEL!" Gohan shouted with his hands cupped to his mouth for better amplification. "YOU CAN'T BEAT HIM, YOU NEED TO QUIT!"
The Sailor Scouts were also begging her to forfeit, Serena most of all. It was in her nature to care for the well-being of others, even if she just met them. This only served to make Videl angrier. Did those girls think they were better than her?!
"Please Videl…don't fight." Serena whispered, her eyes beginning to tear up. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Goku, a serious gaze on his face. He gave her a reassuring smile, which she returned with her eyes sparkling.
Videl flew up into the sky, eliciting 'ooohs' and 'aaahhs' from the crowd. She growled a war cry and attempted to implant her foot right in Antares' face from a downward trajectory. The mysterious fighter however, easily blocked it like it was the foot of a toddler. Antares promptly kneed her in the gut, sending her flying up into the air, and he quickly took off after her. Videl's beaten face displayed its shock and anger as he grabbed her arm and threw a straight punch right in between her eyes, causing the girl to scream loudly. He then kicked her in the gut and sent her crashing into the ring.
"Oh…and Videl is down…!" The announcer shouted in worry for her. "I guess it's time to begin the count…one!"
The announcer's voice rang distantly in her ears. 'Two, three, four, five.' She fluttered her eyes and glared at Antares hovering high above her. She struggled to her feet between the count of seven and eight.
Antares smirked and floated back down to the ring.
"And it appears that the match…will continue…" The announcer trailed, knowing full well Videl was far outmatched.
Even Videl was forced to gasp as Antares dematerialized and reappeared right in front of Videl, sweeping her off her feet and planting a kick right in her gut. There was an audible crack of her ribs breaking under the mysterious fighter's pressure. She screamed, filling the entire stadium with her pain.
"Videl!" The Sailor Scouts all shouted in concern.
"All right! That's it!" Gohan shouted in anger. He grunted and a golden aura began to surround him. The Sailor Scouts widened their eyes as Gohan's hair towel flew off his head and they could have sworn they saw his entire head of hair flash gold. Rei especially widened her eyes as she felt the very air around them begin to crack.
"Hey! Cool it!" Goku shouted, ending the odd display just as quickly as it came. The Scouts looked at the two men in bewilderment, while Vegeta merely leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed.
"G…Gohan?" Mina asked in an expression of both curiosity and deep concern.
Gohan came back to his senses as he looked into Mina's worried eyes and heard his father's commanding voice. He widened his eyes behind his shades as he stared into Mina's eyes- he felt their brightness shining onto him, instantly calming him down. The girl's eyes sparkled at the prolonged eye contact, causing Gohan to widen his eyes even further, but his father's voice broke the contact off.
"You'll get him later." He stated. "In the meantime, Videl looks like she might have broken some ribs, I'm gonna go over to Korin's to get some Senzu Beans. You, Vegeta, and Piccolo can hold the fort while I'm gone."
"Right, good idea dad." Gohan nodded.
The Sailor Scouts all had shocked looks on their faces when Goku disappeared.
"Uh…Senzu Beans?" Mina finally asked.
"Who's Korin?" Lita asked with bulging eyes. "And Mina, you just back off, Gohan is
mine!"
"Hey!" She seethed.
"Guys, there's no need to argue!" Serena tried to play peacemaker.
"SHUT UP!" They both screeched. "YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND, SO IT'S EASY FOR YOU TO SAY!"
"Hey!" Serena shouted and got in on the argument, arguing that they shouldn't argue.
"Guys please, stop!" Ami beckoned.
Gohan toppled to the ground at hearing them argue.
Vegeta grimaced and kept his back to the wall, eyes on the match. Annoying! He scoffed. He then turned to Rei, who surprised him by not saying a word, only focusing intently on Antares. So maybe, and this is a big maybe, there's at least one professional amongst these brats! He spat in his thoughts.
Videl screamed in pain as she attempted to get up.
"Videl! I must stop this match now!" The announcer yelled.
"No!" Videl shouted as she actually managed to step up on her feet. "I can still beat this guy!"
Antares huffed, annoyed. "You humans are so stupid. You simply don't know when to stop fighting. This emotion you call hope- it's so irrational. The New Era will put a stop to such stupidity. Now, I have no further time for you, goodbye." With that, Antares raised his hand and a black bolt of lightning flashed from the sky, crackling into Videl and knocking her out of the ring and into the wall accompanied by her electrified wail.
The crowd was once more stunned to silence.
"Antares is the winner…" The announcer trailed as paramedics put Videl on a stretcher.
"You needn't worry yourself." Antares said as he turned his head back to the announcer. "She'll live, for now."
The announcer was stunned as Antares calmly stepped out of the ring and began to walk to the back.
"I'm pretty sure I've seen that style of attack before!" Rei declared in nervousness.
"Yes…" Serena trailed, remembering their last encounter with…him. "You think he could be…?"
"I don't know…I can't find any data on him." Ami stated while searching frantically on her computer.
"What are you guys talking about?" Krillin asked in curiosity.
"We're trying to find out who this guy is." Lita answered.
The Sailor Scouts' breaths hitched in their throats as Antares came back into the waiting area. He smirked at them all, laughing inwardly, causing all of the Scouts to backtrack. Vegeta merely gave a haughty chuckle at all of them, still not moving from his spot.
"Hey! Antares!"
He turned his attention toward the fighter in green as he was making his way back to the lockers.
"After my match, it's you and me!" Gohan said angrily. "And I promise you, I'm taking you down!"
The Sailor Scouts widened their eyes in shock at Gohan's boldness. The tension between the two was clear as they sized one another up. Antares smirked and laughed, then headed to the back.
"Gohan…you don't really mean to fight that guy do you?" Rei asked in concern. "He is very powerful."
Vegeta huffed. "That guy is a weakling!"
"You are so arrogant!" Rei shouted. "Didn't you see what he did to Videl?!"
Vegeta laughed even louder.
"Gohan, we know you're strong and everything…but don't take that guy so lightly!" Lita advised. "I'd give the same advice to you Vegeta…but you won't listen to anyone!"
Vegeta flashed a toothy smirk.
"I'll say, trying to give advice to Vegeta is like trying to stop a train with your hands!" Krillin joked, trying to break the tension.
"Don't worry guys; I'll be fine, really." Gohan insisted.
"Like I said, that guy is a weakling! He's just lucky I wasn't out there!" Vegeta declared.
The Sailor Scouts all had curious expressions on their faces, not the scoffs they usually showed when Vegeta boasted.
"Is there something you haven't been telling us?" Serena finally asked, stepping forward. "You guys speak as if that powerful fighter we just saw was nothing, and you sure didn't display shock earlier when you knew that Sailor Saturn could destroy a planet, and how do you know so much about us?! Just who are you guys, really?"
Vegeta, Krillin, and Gohan glanced at each other, Gohan was about to talk when Goku suddenly reappeared, once more causing shock amongst the Sailor Scouts.
"Gohan, go give one of these to Videl." Goku ordered. "We really lucked out, Korin only had three left."
"All right! Way to go dad!" Gohan complimented. He took a bean and began to run toward the infirmary, running into Kibito. "Oh! Hey big guy, I'll be right out, just wait a minute!"
Kibito's hard face peered at Gohan's retreating form as he made his way toward the infirmary.
Goten and Trunks ate like madmen, eliciting curious stares from Rini and Hotaru, who had barely begun to dig into their meals.
"Wow, you guys eat even more than Serena…" Rini muttered.
"That's not to be taken lightly, Rini." Hotaru whispered in her ear, causing both girls to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Goten and Trunks both asked with their mouths full and wide eyes, causing the girls to laugh even harder.
"Hey, the tournament is still going on you know, don't you think we should get out there? Our friends are all competing!" Hotaru said.
"Nah, we all know my dad's gonna win." Trunks stated, causing Goten to frown as he sucked up his noodles.
"No way! Gohan or my dad are gonna win!"
The two young half-Saiyans gritted their teeth and got in each other's faces.
"Guys, don't fight!" Rini insisted.
"Sure! I won't fight, Rini!" Goten instantly said with a closed-eyed smile as he let go of Trunks' collar, causing the lavender haired boy to fall out of his chair.
Rini widened her eyes in curiosity at Goten's reaction. Hotaru had a bored look on her face, only casually munching on an eggroll.
"Hotaru, can I have the rest of your eggrolls?"
Hotaru widened her eyes at Trunks.
"…Well, ummm, since you don't seem to be eating them."
"Sure."
"All right!" Trunks shouted in excitement and began stuffing his face.
Hotaru giggled as she watched Trunks shovel the food down his mouth. He really was just like Serena!
Gohan ran past Goku, Krillin, and Piccolo and out to the tournament grounds, exchanging a reassuring look with his father along the way.
"Good luck Gohan!" The Sailor Scouts yelled with smiles and waves.
Gohan ran up to Kibito. "All right, thanks for waiting for me!"
Kibito merely nodded with his stiff face and got in the ring, followed by Gohan.
"All right fans, sorry to have kept you waiting, but let's start the fourth match! It's Kibito versus the Great Saiyaman!"
"So…there's this Great Saiyaman person that the girls are so gaga over." Amara smirked.
"Hey, he looks nervous." Michelle said as she saw his expression. "Looks like some people from the crowd are noticing him." Michelle smiled as she saw him take off his sunglasses. "Well…he is cute, I'll give them that." She giggled.
"You're drooling Michelle." Amara smirked.
"Well I'm allowed to look aren't I?" She continued to giggle. "You know I don't do boys anyway!"
The two shared a rare full-blown laugh.
"WOW!" Serena, Mina, Rei, and Ami all shouted when Gohan took off his glasses. "WHAT A HUNKY GUY!!!!" They shouted in jubilance, hearts in their eyes.
"Hey, back off Serena, you already have Darien!" Rei glared.
"But Darien's not here!" Serena corrected. "Besides, I can ogle all I want as long as nothing becomes of it!" She narrowed her eyes.
"GRRR!" Rei growled.
"GRRR!" Serena growled back.
The two then proceeded to stick their tongues out at each other and pinch each other's cheeks.
"Wow…he's so dreamy!" Mina said with hearts in her eyes and hands on her cheeks.
"He looks like my ex-boyfriend." Lita said with a blush, causing Mina to narrow her eyes at her friend and then topple over.
"Looks like Gohan's a real ladies' man now, Goku!" Krillin exclaimed.
Goku laughed, while Piccolo stood there with a stare.
"Women…how completely idiotic!" Vegeta seethed.
"Gohan, I am curious to see your Super Saiyan powers, show them to me, we may be able to use them." Kibito stated to Gohan in the ring.
"Hey, how do you know I'm a Super Saiyan?! And what do you mean by we may be able to use them?!"
"You'll know in time, show me your Super Saiyan powers now!"
"I'm not gonna transform out here!" Gohan objected.
"What are they doing? They're just talking!" Krillin described, bewildered. The Sailor Scouts still hadn't moved from their ogling trance, except Ami.
"Kibito wants to see him become a Super Saiyan." Goku whispered to Krillin.
"Super what?" Rei asked, breaking the Scouts' trance. She curiously turned her head in Piccolo's direction, seeing that he was looking at the mysterious Shin.
"Gohan!" Piccolo got his friend's attention. He then nodded to the young man, telling him to do as Kibito said.
"What is it Piccolo? What's happening out there?" Goku asked.
"Yeah Piccolo, what's going on?" Mina seconded.
"I'm not sure, we'll see." He whispered.
The Scouts all widened their eyes as Shin joined the group.
"It's time. You do not need to worry about Gohan, he will be fine, but no matter what happens I want all of you to promise me you'll stay out of the ring, do you understand?"
"What?! No way!" Krillin responded.
"What do you want with Gohan?" Goku asked suspiciously.
"He wants to see his power." Piccolo answered.
"If Gohan is in trouble, I need to help him! Why would he go out with me if I didn't come to his aid?" Mina asked, dramatically putting a hand over her heart and staring at the ceiling.
"Who says he's gonna go out with you?!" Lita and Rei both glared.
Their bickering was broken by Vegeta's voice.
"I don't know you and you're telling me what to do?! Who do you think you are?!"
"Yeah! You're definitely up to something!" Rei seconded. "For all we know you could be a capital C creep!"
"YEAH!" The other four scouts followed, even Ami.
"Vegeta! Girls!" Piccolo said in a scolding tone. "Show him some respect! That is no way to be talking to the Supreme Kai!"
Everyone gathered was stunned, even Vegeta.
"I heard stories from King Kai but I thought they were just stories! Shin, you're the Supreme Kai?!" Goku asked in shock.
Rei's eyes buckled. Here she was, being rude to god! Even the noisy Serena was stunned to silence.
"Isn't Gohan dreamy though?" Mina finally managed to break the silence.
"You know it!" Lita agreed, and soon enough the four Sailor Scouts minus Ami gawked at the young half-Saiyan in the ring.
"Listen, all of you." The Supreme Kai said, especially to the gawking girls, who haphazardly shifted their gazes to the purple being. "The minute Gohan transforms out there, I'm certain that Antares and whatever company he's brought will try to attack him. But as I've already told you, you must not try to help him."
"Transforms?" The Sailor Scouts asked in unison.
"I don't know what you're after, but Gohan can take care of himself!" Krillin countered, ignoring the Scouts. "He doesn't need any help from us!"
"Yes, of course." The Supreme Kai answered Krillin, not elaborating on the Sailor Scouts' question. "Antares is not yet aware of it, but Gohan is what he came for. Don't worry; he doesn't want his life, just his energy."
"Energy?!" The Sailor Scouts again asked in unison.
"Excuse me, Mister Supreme Kai, sir." Rei beckoned, eliciting a glance from him. "Is Antares going to attempt to steal Gohan's energy? I'm sure you're aware of it, but we've run into a lot of energy stealers recently!" The other Scouts nodded at the end of their friend's monologue.
"That's precisely what he's going to do, and the process will certainly be familiar to all of you Sailor Scouts, but you must promise me to remain calm when it happens, is that understood?"
The girls nervously nodded at his command.
"So uhh…what's this transformation we're about to see?" Serena asked, pointing her index fingers together.
"Hey!" Vegeta broke the dialogue, shouting at Videl who rejoined the group and vaulted on the sign to see Gohan.
"Whatever Kibito is goading this Saiyaman to do, he's doing it for a reason." Trista said to her companions. "Keep focused on the ring. I think we're getting very close to something!"
Amara and Michelle nodded and cast a serious gaze toward the two fighters.
"Last chance for requests." Gohan stated to Kibito. "Do you just want to see a Super Saiyan, or should I take it up to the next level?!" He frowned.
"What's that? There's a level beyond a Super Saiyan?!"
Gohan nodded, and then began to gather his power.
"HAAAAHHH!" He shouted, causing the ring to shake and electricity to crackle around him. His eyes turned blue and his hair sparked gold. The surge of sheer power caused the sky to darken and the white tiles of the ring to actually float around him. Finally, a golden aura surrounded him, promptly lighting up the entire arena.
"WHAT IS THIS GUYS?!" Serena shouted.
The Scouts' latest swoon was instantly broken.
"I DON'T KNOW!" Lita answered in complete gape-mouthed shock.
Videl, Rei, Mina, and Ami all stood in the same bug-eyed, gape-mouthed shock as the tiles pounded back into position, and Gohan emerged with blonde hair and green-blue eyes, with a golden aura and electricity surrounding his body to match.
Amara, Michelle, and Trista were at a complete loss for words.
"Oh wow…" Amara whispered with her eyes as wide as the sea. "Do you feel his power? It's incredible! I've never felt anything this enormous before!"
"I know!" Michelle agreed. "A true Super Saiyan in the flesh, that's for damn sure…!"
"I know who that kid is!" Trista stated. "You guys most definitely remember that kid who fought Cell!"
"…Of course!" Amara managed to say. "That little kid with the golden aura that killed Cell! I still remember that, and I was only ten back then! It's gotta be him!"
"Yes, of course it must be! All the other Z Fighters are here! What is going on here?!" Michelle asked.
Darien and the cats stared at Gohan, completely stunned. Luna finally managed to gasp.
"Oh no! Artemis! That kid is a…Super Saiyan!"
"You're right! But I thought the Saiyans were all gone, finally suffering the same fate as the Lunarians!"
Darien pondered. "It's that kid…that kid that fought Cell! I still remember that like it was yesterday! He's a Saiyan…a kid that saved the world is one of those barbarians I was told about?!" He asked in disbelief.
"Super Saiyan?" Diana squeaked out, unsure of what they were talking about.
"There, now you know what I can do, is this good enough for ya?!" Gohan shouted to Kibito in confidence. "What happens now, should I start fighting?!"
What enormous energy! Kibito thought in surprise. He is far stronger than I expected!
"Hah!" Vegeta scoffed. "Gohan had a lot more power when he fought Cell! I think your son has gone soft in these peaceful times Kakarott!" He huffed.
The Scouts' already wide eyes grew even wider as they shifted their glances toward the men.
"You may be right, but he is still the strongest fighter at this tournament." The Supreme Kai stated. "The only question is…will it be enough?"
"For what?" Goku asked.
"Uhhh…guys…Gohan fought Cell?!" Serena managed to ask.
Rei suddenly had a flashback to the cheesy movie they had seen earlier that day, and then to the broadcast of the Cell games. Her eyes widened even further.
"YES!" Rei answered. "Gohan was that kid! And you guys were the ones that were at the Cell Games! I recognize you!"
"Yep, that would be us." Krillin answered. "Hi I'm Krillin, it's nice to meet you." He reintroduced himself.
"So…Gohan is the kid that killed Cell…" Mina trailed.
"Yes, he was." Goku answered. "I'm sorry we haven't been completely honest with you. But hey, you were curious about the halo earlier, that's where this comes from! Cell blew me up!" Goku laughed.
The Scouts smiled at the humor.
"I have seen plenty of transformations in my day, never one like this!" Ami said as she shifted her attention back to Gohan, her blue eyes reflecting the yellow fire and sparks of electricity that Gohan was emitting. "What is it, if I may ask?"
"That's Gohan's Ascended Super Saiyan state." Goku answered.
The girls' faces went white.
"…Super…Saiyan?" They all asked at once.
"You guys are…Saiyans?" Serena trailed in fear.
"No, just Goku and Vegeta." Krillin answered. "Their sons, Gohan, Goten, and Trunks, are half human, half Saiyan. Hey…how do you know about Saiyans anyway?"
"Well…" Serena trailed.
What the hell? Rei thought. The Supreme Kai is here, I don't have to be afraid. "We were told by our Guardians and other sources that the Saiyans were a savage race of barbarians that thirsted for nothing but war and personal glory. They were perpetual fighters, and not civilized compared to the Lunarians of the Silver Millennium." Rei gasped and covered her mouth when she realized she said the last bit- very Serena-like.
"Silver Millennium?!" Vegeta scoffed in anger.
"Silver Millennium…?" Goku asked in curiosity.
"Of course…I recognize you now!" Vegeta laughed. "You all must be reincarnations of those blasted Lunarian Princesses! I thought the whole reincarnation thing was just a damn myth!"
"That explains why you're such a haughty piece!" Rei seethed. "It's the Saiyan way!"
"Yeah!" Mina and Lita scoffed.
"Spoken like true LUNARIAN WEAKLINGS!" Vegeta seethed. "It's no wonder that your species was wiped out by such a puny force like Queen Beryl and the Dark Kingdom, when it was we Saiyans that kicked their rear ends!"
"Hey, who are you calling a weakling!" Serena finally entered. "Your kind neglected and ignored our treaty, only acting when you thought it was convenient!"
Vegeta laughed. "Why waste valuable and scarce time pulling weaklings out of the fire?!"
This only made all of the Scouts even angrier.
"Uhh…" Goku scratched his head. "How come I don't know about any of this?"
"Because you don't know your proper Saiyan history, Kakarott!" Vegeta scoffed.
"Please!" The Supreme Kai's commanding, yet calm voice halted the argument. "We've no time for this. You must set this bickering aside, for the moment at least."
"So Gohan is a…Saiyan…" Mina trailed.
"Hey, Mina, if you're interested in going out with Gohan, don't worry, he's a real nice guy!" Krillin spoke up for his friend. "I don't know what you're all arguing about, but your thoughts about Saiyans certainly don't apply to Goku or Gohan."
Mina shifted her eyes to Krillin and then back to Gohan, his golden aura and electricity sparkling in her eyes.
"Well, he did save the world from Cell!" Serena took her usual route, finding the good in everyone. "Saiyan or no Saiyan, that counts for something right?"
"That is exactly correct." The Supreme Kai said. "All of these last remaining Saiyans are true heroes who have saved the galaxy time and time again, even Vegeta. So please, I want all of you to leave your preconceived notions aside."
The Kai's words calmed the tension, except with Vegeta, who continued to scoff.
"What's the matter, come on, fight me!" Gohan challenged. "What are you waiting for, a written invitation?!"
Antares peered at him from his prone position on the roof. He was quite surprised at the huge amount of power this young man was emitting, but maintained his professionalism.
"Girls, it's him." He communicated telepathically.
The four Sprite Sisters appeared near him and immediately took cover.
"Whoa! That guy is majorly cute!" Charybdis squealed upon setting her eyes on him.
"He's so hot he cracks electricity!" Scylla swooned.
"SHUT UP!" Antares said through gritted teeth. "Need I remind you we have a job to do?!" He sighed. "Now, are you and the Numba all ready?"
"Check." Chimera answered.
"Then let's do this." Antares said.
Medusa snapped her fingers and a bugle appeared in her hands. She brought the horn up to her lips and blew it, making the sound echo through the stadium. A chorus of low, yet hyper voices began to fill the air, followed by the sight of brown forms flying all around the stadium, landing and terrorizing people with their disgusting bodies.
"Hey!" Rei shouted. "It's those creatures!"
"And it looks like they want to beat people up again!" Lita shouted.
"Come on guys, we need to get out there!"
"Stay where you are Sailor Moon!" The Supreme Kai ordered.
Her deep sapphire eyes bulged at him in curiosity, and then anger.
"No! We have to go and help!"
The Supreme Kai was stunned that she would defy someone even of his status for what she felt was right, eliciting a smirk.
"Do as he says, Serena." Goku asked, putting two hands on her shoulders as she watched the scene helplessly.
"There!" The Supreme Kai said as he saw Antares and four companions rush toward Gohan.
"THE SPRITE SISTERS!" The Scouts all said at once.
"Looks like we've got company!" Gohan frowned as he saw Antares and four women flying right at him. He turned around, fully ready to pound them all into oblivion.
"HAAAAH!" The purple kai raised his hands and emitted a blue glow.
"What did you do?!" Goku asked.
Gohan was stunned as he felt himself unable to move. Antares appeared right in front of him, grinning snidely. The four Sprite Sisters all stood behind him in a circle, joining their hands together. He kneed Gohan painfully in the gut, sending a yellow flash of energy into the circle that the four sisters had created with their hands.
"Did you see them?! The Sprite Sisters are all here!" Michelle said as the three ran along with the crowd, for cover.
"And those creatures! We better find a place to transform!" Amara said.
"Look, there's Darien!" Trista pointed. "Darien!" She called.
He and the cats turned toward the three, all of them met while still running.
"You guys didn't say you'd be here." Darien stated.
"We didn't say we wouldn't." Amara corrected. "And it looks like it's a good thing we showed up!"
"Agreed, we must stop those creatures!" He answered.
"There's such a panic, there's lots of victims for those things!" Artemis said. "You better hurry up!"
The four people and three cats ran out of the stadium and into one of the local bathrooms.
"Outer Scouts, transform!" Luna beckoned, all three nodded at the cat.
"URANUS CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"
"NEPTUNE CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"
"PLUTO CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"
All three went through their transformations and emerged as Sailors Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Darien once again became Tuxedo Mask.
"Let's go!" Uranus beckoned.
She, Neptune, and Pluto ran out of the bathroom and took off into the sky, flying toward the stadium. Tuxedo Mask and the cats were shocked.
"Since when did they learn how to fly…?" Tuxedo Mask asked.
"No time for that!" Luna exclaimed. "We need to get to the other Scouts!"
Gohan's screams continued to fill the arena as Antares continued to land hit after hit on his body, sending more yellow flashes of energy to the sisters. His weakening eyes observed the panicked crowed helplessly as those disgusting creatures continued to run amok. Eventually, Gohan's hair faded back to black, and his skin grew pale.
"Gohan!" Videl and all the Scouts shouted in concern.
Serena began to cry as she felt so powerless to help Gohan and all the other people that the creatures were terrorizing- not everyone had evacuated yet, it was difficult to do in such a panic. Goku's hands were still on her shoulders.
"Don't worry." He said. "We'll go get them."
Eventually, the beating stopped, and Gohan collapsed. The Sprite sisters broke formation and took to the sky with Antares. After a brief conversation, all four flew away from the stadium.
"Now!" The Supreme Kai ordered. "All of you, go and dispense of those creatures! Do not worry about Gohan, Kibito will take care of him, he does not need your assistance. Go! Quickly!"
"Right!" The Sailor Scouts, Goku, and Krillin answered, while Vegeta and Piccolo merely prepared for battle.
All nine warriors ran out to the ring.
"RAINBOW…MOON…HEART…ACHE!" Sailor Moon shouted, going through her motions. Out of her Kaleidomoon Scope came multiple pink hearts, all of them smashing into the brown creatures, shattering their forms to liquid.
"LOVELY!" They screamed.
"Hmph! What an absurd attack for a warrior!" Vegeta seethed as he took off into the air. "RAPID FIRE!" He screamed, sending blast after blast of yellow energy directly into his targets.
"I'll show you, Saiyan!" Sailor Mars challenged.
"Mars Celestial Fire SURROUND!" She shouted and shot her rings of fire, charring the creatures that they hit to ashes.
"MAKOUSEN…HAAA!" Piccolo shouted as he formed a sphere in his hands, which were conjoined in a ball type shape. What resulted was an astonishing flash of yellow and then a huge blast which vaporized many multiples of the creatures.
"Wow…" All the Sailor Scouts trailed.
Vegeta laughed. "I suppose you girls aren't used to being in the presence of real fighters."
"We'll show you!" Venus seethed. "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SHOWER!" She shouted and pointed her finger, sending a shower of yellow beams through the creatures.
"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Sailor Mercury shouted, sending a wave of water at her targets, crushing them.
"Destructo Disk!" Krillin grimaced and send his attack at one of the creatures, slicing it in half.
"Look boys! We gotta attack those people!" One of the creatures shouted.
"Yeah, they're killin' us!"
As soon as the second one opened his mouth, he was hit by Sailor Jupiter's Sparkling Wide Pressure attack, being electrified and gritting his teeth in shock before he died.
Soon however, the monsters swarmed, and one of them kicked Sailor Moon painfully in the gut, sending the girl colliding against the wall.
"SAILOR MOON!" The other Scouts cried.
Goku quickly took care of the offender with an energy blast, but was dismayed at the number of enemies.
"Shouldn't you go and help them?!" Videl asked the Supreme Kai.
"No." He answered. "They can take care of themselves, and I am curious to see how they all fight together."
Videl looked up at him in wonder as the sounds of the chaos outside continued to ring in her ears. What was he up to?
Vegeta's eyes widened as the numbers of creatures approaching him was huge, even with his blasts. They widened further as they began shooting their own energy attacks at him, with him dodging and returning fire. He could see that Piccolo was under the same stress on the ground.
"Oh no!" Sailor Moon shouted as she finally recovered, seeing a swarm heading toward the Supreme Kai and Videl. "Supreme Kai, watch out!"
"URANUS WORLD SHAKING!"
"NEPTUNE DEEP SUBMERGE!"
"PLUTO DEAD SCREAM!"
In flashes of orange, blue, and purple, the enemies heading toward Vegeta, Piccolo, and the Supreme Kai were all destroyed. Sailor Moon's eyes lit up as she saw the outers land in the ring.
"Sorry we're so late, Sailor Moon!" Uranus smiled.
"No problem!" She replied.
"I never asked for your help!" Vegeta scoffed at Uranus, who only distantly narrowed her eyes at him.
"Hi Piccolo, it's great to see you again!" Neptune greeted.
"So, you guys showed up, I'm not surprised." The Namek grinned, eliciting smiles from Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.
"You know him?!" Serena asked in curiosity.
"Piccolo, you know some of the Sailor Scouts before today?" Goku asked in the same tone.
"No time to explain right now." Piccolo's low voice resounded. "SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!" He shouted, sending the bright red spiral-straight beam through five creatures stacked behind one another.
"All right Piccolo!" Amara complimented.
Serena was in shock at the tone of admiration in her voice, Amara had never shown such a tone to anyone before! She then saw a huge creature standing right in front of her, widening her eyes and those of the other Scouts.
"AAAHHH!" She yelped.
A rose impaled his head, causing him to backtrack.
"TUXEDO MASK!" She shouted with hearts in her eyes.
"This tournament is supposed to have been for the world to enjoy! The world loves to watch the enduring human spirit, of these competitors giving everything they have toward achieving their goal, and you all ruined it! Punish this one, Sailor Moon!"
"Right!" She agreed. "Moon…Gorgeous…Meditation!" She shouted and charged up her attack.
"Noooo, I loved this partyyyyy!" The creature shouted as he broke up in shards.
How ridiculous! Vegeta thought as he floated back down to the ground.
"I'll get the last of them!" Goku volunteered. "KA…ME…HA…ME…HAAAAA!" He yelled, releasing a huge blue-white wave of energy, engulfing screaming creatures in its glow, vaporizing them to nothing.
"Wow…" The Scouts again gawked, except the Outers.
"Very well done." The Supreme Kai complimented. "Now, Kibito, heal Gohan. All of you, I must follow Antares and his companions. I could use your help. If you come with me, I promise I will give you the answers that you seek about these creatures, and Mordred."
This caused the Sailor Scouts to go bug-eyed in curiosity, even the Outers.
"Mordred?" Goku and Krillin looked at each other.
"You guys…fight beautifully!" Serena complimented as Tuxedo Mask came beside her. "Saiyan or not!"
"These guys are all legends, Serena." Amara complimented as Kibito began to heal Gohan. "When it comes to saving the world, compared to these guys we're all beginners. Goku, it truly is an honor to meet you."
Goku smiled as he shook Sailor Uranus' hand.
"Yes, Piccolo told us some stuff about you, but not much, fortunately, we did some deducing while we were watching the competition." Sailor Pluto seconded as she walked up to them.
"So, you guys are Sailor Scouts too?" Krillin asked.
"Yep, I'm Amara, otherwise known as Sailor Uranus."
"Michelle, otherwise known as Sailor Neptune."
"Trista, otherwise known as Sailor Pluto."
"Great…more brats to deal with!" Vegeta spat.
"GOHAN!" Lita, Rei, Mina, and Videl all shouted at once when he was revived.
"Hey…what happened? Who are the new girls?"
"Are you feeling all right, Gohan?"
"Yeah Mina, I feel even better than I did before! Thanks Kibito!"
"I must be going now, are you coming with me?" The Supreme Kai asked.
Everyone nodded. The purple being nodded back and took off to the sky, followed by Goku, Krillin, and Vegeta, who audibly shouted at Goku concerning their upcoming match.
Piccolo, Kibito, Gohan, and Videl began to float off the ground next, followed by Amara, Michelle, and Trista.
"HEY! HOW COME YOU NEVER TOLD US YOU COULD FLY?!" Serena asked the Outers in jealousy.
"You never asked." Amara answered, causing Serena to have a bewildered look on her face.
"Piccolo taught us, do you like it?" Michelle giggled, seeing the jealous looks on the Inners' faces.
"YOU BETTER TEACH US HOW!" Serena pouted, causing them to laugh.
"For Trista and I, it was really easy, but Michelle had the worst time in the world learning how!" She laughed.
"Hey, that's not nice!" Michelle gave a rare pout.
"We don't have time for this!" Piccolo shouted. "Carry the others! We need to catch up now!"
"All right." Gohan assented as he floated back down. His eyes widened when Mina and Rei instantly zipped over to him, their eyes sparkling while looking into his.
"Carry me Gohan, I'm a helpless maiden!" Mina's eyes sparkled as she put her hand over her heart. Rei merely gritted her teeth as he took both girls under his two arms and lifted off into the air.
"Hop on, Serena." Amara beckoned, and Serena obliged by hopping onto her back and putting her arms around her, Ami doing the same with Michelle, and Lita holding onto Trista, still grumbling how she was beaten to Gohan.
"Tuxedo Mask, I would advise that you stay here." Kibito ordered. "We will come for you later, make sure everything is all right."
"Yeah, you can go and meet our group!" Gohan seconded. "Just look for people named Chi Chi, Bulma, and Yamcha."
Tuxedo Mask nodded. "Good luck everyone! I'll see you later!"
With that, the group took off, quickly catching up to the ones ahead.
"I'm glad you all decided to come!" The Supreme Kai smiled. "And thank you! Without your help I would not be able to defeat them!"
"You need us to beat them?!" Goku asked.
"No, it's not Antares or his companions that I'm worried about." The Kai answered. "It's their Master."
"MORDRED!" All eight Sailor Scouts stated at once.
"Yes." The Supreme Kai agreed. "Piccolo, you no doubt know of him as well."
"Piccolo?" Amara asked.
"Do you know about Mordred?" Serena asked the Supreme Kai.
"I told you that if you followed me, I would give you the answers you seek, and that's precisely what I'm going to do. To begin with, your Guardians have not told you everything concerning your past lives or the fall of the Silver Millennium, bits of crucial information were deliberately left blank by Queen Serenity."
"Deliberately blank?" Serena asked.
"Yes, Princess Serenity." The Kai called her by her proper title. "Your mother and I had an agreement, that certain things would never be spoken of or remembered unless the Darkness reappeared, unfortunately, that time has come."
"Darkness?" She asked. "You knew my mother?"
"What do you know about Mordred?!" Rei asked with grit.
"I was about to get to that." The Supreme Kai answered. "Yes, Princess Serenity, I know your mother very well. Let's begin. Sailor Scouts, all of the enemies that you have been facing were in fact nothing more than Mordred's minions."
The Sailor Scouts' eyes widened in shock, even the Outers.
"For the first five years after the defeat of Cell by Gohan, the planet Earth entered another time of peace and prosperity, but then, the Cult of Darkness reappeared."
"What Cult of Darkness?" Goku asked in seriousness.
"Girls, Mordred is the man behind Queen Beryl, this is the man that sent the Wiseman to manipulate the Negamoon. Mordred was the force behind Pharaoh 90 and the Heart Snatchers, and Mordred was Queen Nehelenia's true master. All of them were his lieutenants."
"Piccolo, you mean to tell me that villains have terrorized the Earth since Cell?" Gohan asked.
"Yes. I'm sorry Gohan, I just wanted you to have the opportunity for a normal life, I didn't think they were serious enough to warrant our direct involvement, including Mordred."
"WHAT?!" All of the Inner Scouts asked in anger.
"We could have used your help you know!" Lita scoffed.
"I'm sorry. I wanted to develop another line of defense for the Earth beyond us." Piccolo continued. "That's why I worked with Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto."
"Thanks Piccolo…good idea." Gohan complimented.
"So, Supreme Kai, sir, who exactly is Mordred?" Amara asked.
"Mordred is the last remaining Lunarian. He is the only one left that was alive in the Silver Millennium. He was a Baron in the Moon Kingdom."
"No!" Serena objected. "If he was truly a Peer in my mother's Kingdom, why would he be doing such terrible things?" She asked with tearing eyes.
"Because Mordred betrayed the Moon Kingdom and his mentor long ago." The Kai answered. "Princess Serenity, your mother never told you about the Duke of Tranquility."
"Duke of Tranquility?" All of the Inner Scouts asked in wonder. Even Vegeta's eyes were intensely focused on the story.
"Yes. His name was Robert Neville, the nineteenth Duke of Tranquility." He explained. "He was your mother's first cousin, your first cousin once removed, Princess Serenity. Besides your mother, he was by far the most important and powerful Peer of the Silver Millennium. His duchy over the Sea of Tranquility was a commercial and political hub of the Solar System. But he was more than just a power in the political and economic realm of the Kingdom. He was a very mysterious man, your mother never truly knew her cousin well."
Serena's eyes displayed curiosity and sadness over the course of events the Kai described- and that her mother would keep such information from her.
"Duke Tranquility was withdrawn; he didn't care much for politics, though he would always use his position for his advantage. Your mother was always doubtful of him- whether he truly cared for the Kingdom, or merely his own position. To further confuse her about his loyalties, one time, a few nobles who disagreed with your mother's economic policy planned a coup d'état." The Kai explained. "They planned to kill your mother, kidnap you, you were merely a small infant at the time, and place the Duke on the throne, then marry you to him when you came of age. They disagreed severely with your mother's economic policy- they thought she raised too many protective tariffs for goods originating outside of the Solar System. Duke Tranquility was always a champion of open markets everywhere, so naturally, he was the choice to ascend the throne."
"And what happened?" Gohan asked.
"Duke Tranquility exposed the rebellious peers, had them crucified, and cut their throats. The only time your mother even knew of the planned coup was when the Duke sent their severed heads to her."
Vegeta laughed as the Scouts gasped. "Sounds like this Duke would have made a good Saiyan!"
"What does this have to do with Mordred?" Piccolo asked.
"Yes, I was getting to that." The Kai answered. "So you see, his loyalties were very puzzling indeed. But the Duke was even more than that. He discovered that reality was a fabric, that a warrior could manipulate it in almost any way he desired if he trained hard enough. His magical powers were enormous. The Duke also came across Saiyans in his lifelong desire for a galactic common market. He became very good friends with them and learned their fighting style. He combined both the ethereal fighting style of the Silver Millennium with the physical, raw, energetic fighting style of the Saiyans to create the Hybrid Fighting Style. Simply put, the man's power was enormous. He was the most powerful mortal man to have ever lived."
This shocked Vegeta.
"The reason why Mordred is so powerful is that he was a very good friend of the Duke, and one of the Duke's own Barons. Naturally, Mordred trained under Duke Tranquility and learned the Hybrid Fighting Style."
"Ah!" All of the warriors raised their eyes in shock.
"Of course!" Rei shouted. "He's used both our fighting style and…your fighting style!" She said to the Z Fighters.
"Precisely." The Supreme Kai said. "I'd also like to mention that…there is a reason why Sailor Saturn is so much more powerful than the other Sailor Scouts, with the exception of Princess Serenity herself."
"Why?" This caught the Outers' attention.
"In her past life, she was the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Tranquility."
"What?!" The Scouts shouted.
"Duke Tranqulity was a handsome man, which, combined with the amount of power he possessed in all walks of life, made him a natural ladies man." The Kai continued. "The Queen of Saturn's consort was a bumbling idiot, and she desired the Duke badly. On one of his many galactic voyages, he made a stop to Saturn, and spent several nights with the Queen. When her consort found out, he cursed Sailor Saturn, placing her in the role of the Scout of Destruction, causing her to die if she ever used the full extent of the enormous power she inherited from her father."
The Outer Scouts were especially shocked, but the others were no exception.
"So Mordred was this immensely powerful man's good friend…" Lita stated.
"Exactly, so now you know why he is so strong."
"But what does he want here on Earth?" Goku asked. "And Why are you telling us so much about this Duke of Tranquility?"
The Supreme Kai sighed as he looked at the curious shock displayed on everyone's faces. He would soon tell the story he agreed to never say again.
"Because, as powerful as he is, Mordred himself is but a mere servant of the Real Enemy."
Whoa! What a chapter! I hope it wasn't too long or combined too many plot twists at once, but I said it was gonna pick up! Hope you all review, and I'll have the next section out soon!