Chapter IX: The Great Saiyaman

Chadorick turned the shirt in his hands as he examined it. "Orange Star High?"

"Yes, Mr. Gordino." A man wearing a black jacket with the letters 'SCPD' on the back stood in front of the desk with his hands behind his back. "It was actually pretty easy to figure out. You see, Satan City High had a white shirt with a black stripe running down the left side, and Casting High's is white and blue."

"Apparently it wasn't as easy as you say if it took three weeks to finally come to this conclusion." He tossed the shirt back at the officer. "I assume you were merely avoiding detection."

"Avoiding detection, yes, but I also had to have the source photo you provided enhanced. It was a very low quality black and white shot of the mystery man. Once that was finished all I had to do was make the best visual match."

"Very well." Chadorick waved Charlie over. "He'll escort you out of the building. You'll find the funds we discussed available through the account provided to you. Try to be discrete about it. I'd hate to lose a talented mole such as yourself."

The officer bowed. "Thank you, Mr. Gordino." He turned and left with Charlie leading the way.

The door clicked shut behind them. "So we what do we have here, Tips?" Chadorick asked. "A crime fighting teen attending Orange Star High? Not all too original, Miss Satan beat him to it by a year, but he is different enough that it can be forgiven."

Tips grabbed the back of a chair, flipped it around, and sat down leaning forward on it. "Does it really matter anymore? It's been nearly a month now. Twenty days and no sign of blonde boy."

Chadorick shrugged. "Don't count him out already. Our young hero may only be keeping low so he doesn't arouse suspicion. He obviously doesn't want anyone to know who he is."

"It still might have just been a one time thing, Chad." Tips insisted.

"It may have." He tossed the shirt onto a nearby chair. "Do you still want to leave our young friend unaccounted for when the fireworks start to fly? This city is going to turn into a war zone once I begin to root out my competitors. I don't need another self-appointed hero running around making things hard for us."

"Yeah." Tips nodded. "That Videl is proving to be a bit of a pain. That Capsule Corp. hover copter of hers lets her get anywhere in the city in ten minutes. She doesn't even care if we're busting down vaults during third period English. Once the police let her in on what's happening that firecracker is all over us."

Chadorick chuckled as he opened up a laptop. "Yes, she is quite skilled. More so than her father, I'm beginning to believe. It would be most interesting to see how Miss Satan would fare in the upcoming tournament . . . if she would be alive for it, that is."

Tips' eyebrows lifted at those words. "If? You mean you're actually going to go through with it?"

The crime lord nodded. "I am." He punched the keys of his laptop a few more times before swiveling it around. "I want you to get in contact with Yuzaku and tip him off to the location of his missing drug shipment. Tell him it's here at the Satan City Storage Depot."

Tips pulled the computer towards him as he studied the screen. "This is gang territory. The Switchblades, right?"

"Indeed it is. Yazaku has been furious over that missing ton of heroin. That represented a good portion of his miserable life. Once he has an inkling of where it is, he'll unleash hell without a second thought, and Miss Satan won't be able to resist the temptation of getting in the middle of a small war. With the amount of firepower that will be thrown around there, I have little hope for her survival, and we won't be connected to her death."

"I'll get right on it." Tips closed the laptop and pulled out a cell phone. He flipped it open, but his hand hesitated before pressing the numeric pad. "Hey, Chad, why was it you destroyed the drug shipments we hijacked?"

Chadorick feigned surprise. "Don't you know, Tips? There are some things even I don't approve of."

- DBZ -

Gohan stretched his arms as he wandered the halls of Orange Star High. He had been let out early for finishing his test ahead of the class. Gohan was beginning to wonder if his academic skills would alienate himself from everyone else. Even the so called 'nerds' of this school weren't quite as intelligent as he was. It was a worry to be sure.

He stopped at a corner as he heard the raised voice of a girl just around it. She was speaking to someone on a walkie talkie or cell phone. Against his better judgement, Gohan decided to listen in.

"It's total mayhem over here. Yuzaku's completely lost his mind if he thinks he'll escape prosecution for this. There's a god damned war going on over here. I haven't seen this much firepower being thrown around since the Cell Games. We have our hands tied up just evacuating the civilian population!"

"I'll be right over, Chief! Just hang on a few minutes." Gohan knew that to be Videl's voice. Just what was she doing?

"That's not a good idea, Videl. We're talking about forty men on both sides with automatic weapons and explosives. This whole part of the city is going to go up in smoke soon. I've called in the army. Hopefully they'll be able to contain this."

"I can help!" She was borderline yelling now. "I'm coming whether you like it or not, Chief. I won't just stand on the sidelines."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "All right, Videl. Please, for the love of Kami, just be careful. If it's too much I want you to leave, do you understand me?"

"I understand. See you in five." There was a beeping sound and she began running in Gohan's direction. He looked around for a place to hide, but it was too late. She nearly hit him as she rounded the corner. "G-Gohan? What are you doing out of class?" She narrowed her eyes. "Were you eavesdropping on me?"

Uh oh. "I . . . well I was just . . . maybe a little." Gohan had winced before he even spoke the truth.

She seemed upset at that, but Videl brushed past him. "Whatever. I need to go."

Gohan grabbed onto her arm and stopped her before she could leave. "Whoa, wait a minute!" He nearly fainted at the look she threw him. "Videl, I heard what that guy said. You can't go over there, it would be suicide!"

Her strength surprised him as Videl ripped herself from Gohan's grip. "Who asked you anyway? I can take care of myself." She said not another word and jogged towards the nearest exit.

I can't let her go out there alone. Man, I had heard about the crime being bad in this city, but a gang war? I guess this falls under the definition of 'something big.' He ran to the nearest stairwell and went straight to the roof. He quietly shut the metal door behind him and took cover behind some air ducts. Confident no one could see him, Gohan pressed the red button on his watch. The same faint light returned, and he found himself in the black combat suit Bulma had created.

You know, this really doesn't seem very superhero-ish. Maybe I should have asked her to put in a cape, maybe some green, definitely a helmet with some antennae or something. That'd have been pretty cool. He was beaming at the image in his mind.

The whine of engines caught his attention, and Gohan turned to see Videl streaking off into the distance in her yellow hover copter. "Man, that thing's pretty fast. I'd better hurry so I can keep up." He quickly transformed into a Super Saiyan and flew after her. He could see people going about their day in the streets below. Apparently word of the fighting hadn't reached the news yet.

His ears picked up faint explosions, even with the wind whipping around them. Gohan could see Videl's hover copter just a short distance in front of him, and beyond that he saw smoke billowing out of an industrial area. He would not have to worry about his safety. Bullets and such would bounce right off of him. Rather, Gohan began to quietly worry about the many police officers and citizens who were caught in the middle of all that.

To his shock, Videl jumped right out of the cockpit once she was over the storage center. His first instinct was to speed up and catch her, but he controlled the urge. Just as he thought, Videl touched down in a roll and began to sprint towards the complex. She knew what she was doing. He hoped he did too.

- DBZ -

She counted four of them. They were Yazaku's men. He was a local small time drug dealer who had aspirations of taking over the city. It seemed like everyone wanted Satan City to themselves nowadays. Videl edged closer as she studied her surroundings. The four of them were in front of the gate leading into the storage center. The high fencing and barb wiring took away the possibility of jumping over. She was going right through them.

All she needed was a suitable distraction. Videl spotted a nearby piece of piping. She grabbed it with her left hand and looked for an appropriate place to throw. There were several tall crates standing just on the other side. She quickly measured the distance in her head, and then threw the pipe once the thugs turned away. Just as she planned, the pipe went in between two crates, out of sight. The four armed men wheeled at the sound and began to advance on the suspected hiding place.

That was her opportunity.

Videl sprinted from the corner and charged the backs of the four men. Her first attack was to the back of the knee of the tallest one. Her other foot came down on his head as he lurched back, and she jumped off it. The remaining three were beginning to turn around, but Videl was already sailing over them. Her two feet came together and struck the chest of the leading man. Smashing him into the ground, she stepped up to the third and grabbed his gun. Pulling on the assault weapon, she flung him over by the strap still around his neck, and did a spin kick into the last criminal's face.

Four down and a small army to go.

She ran to the gate and quickly slipped through. The storage depot was huge and a maze of oversized crates with a warehouse at the far end. Each of them were at least twenty feet high. Her best bet at finding her enemies and staying hidden would be to stalk them from above. A ladder hung on the side of one not too far away. Videl scrambled up its rungs and peeked over the edge. No one else on the roofs.

A quietly as she could, Videl raced across the edge. There was gunfire everywhere. There was no way she could deal with the dozens of armed men shooting at each other. No, if she was going to end this, Videl would have to take down the big men themselves. Yazaku would be first.

She stopped as she saw one of the drug dealer's men down below. Wherever he was going it was in a hurry and he was unarmed. Good a place as any to start. She followed him on the roof, careful to keep hidden. It was a bright and sunny day out. They'd only need to look up to see her.

There were a group of men standing at the corner up ahead. Videl slowed down and crept up on them as her quarry stopped. He was panting, out of breath, but she could hear what he was reporting.

"They . . . they're pulling out the heavy stuff now. We can't get inside the warehouse!" He was ready to collapse.

"I don't care!" One of the men pushed his way past the others and kicked the messenger in the chest. The man flew back and landed on his spine. He barely had the breath to yelp. Videl now recognized the assailant. It was Yazaku himself. "I want my stuff! It's in there, so regroup and keep 'em distracted. We're almost done planting the charges. If you so much as show your face to me again without one of my keys in your hand," he drew a silver pistol and cocked it, "I'll blow your stinking brains you!"

This was the man she had hoped to find. If Videl took him down then the rest of his pack would follow, and the police would only have to deal with the gang members holed up inside the building. Without a second thought, Videl clapped her hands together and jumped off the side of the storage container.

She landed with her knees bent and quickly straightened up. "Hello there!"

Yazaku and his four henchmen quickly turned around to face her. They were ready to draw their weapons, but Yazaku stopped them with a wave of his hand. He knew as well as she did; at this range she could take them down before they got a shot off. Videl's reputation preceded her.

"Miss Satan."

"Mr. Yazaku." She returned the courtesy.

"I suggest you leave. This don't concern you. If the police can stay out of it then so can you."

Yazaku was never renowned for his intelligence. "The police are only staying out of it because they're too busy evacuating all the civilians you put in danger with this little war of yours. The army is going to be here any time now and they're going to make short work of you."

"Is that so?" The drug dealer scoffed. "Then why is it you're here? If me and every one of those bastards is about to get it full of lead then why bother comin' in at all?"

"Because I'd rather end this without a pile of corpses!" She hated negotiating, but it came with the job. "If I take you in you'll be safe and your men can get out alive. What could be more important than that?"

The question seemed to insult him. Yazaku's fist trembled as he pounded it to his chest. "My pride! My life's work! What the hell is it all worth if this sleaze, this garbage, steals away my chance at the big time? I've worked all my life for this moment and they TOOK IT AWAY!"

He was insane. Videl felt sweat in her palms as Yazaku screamed at her. He was dead serious. This man wanted to kill and kill and not stop until he has done whatever it is he set himself on doing. Not on her watch. Videl swiftly moved into an offensive stance. Yazaku's men reached for their guns.

"There they are!" They all turned to see a group of gang members with assault rifles standing at the far end of the alley. Three of them had rockets slung over their shoulders, and they were already setting up to take aim. "Yo, Yazaku, burn in hell!" Gouts of white smoke billowed out behind them, and the rockets came streaking in.

Videl did not want to die here. She was trapped. She had to get out. She had to! There was no where to run. The rockets were coming closer. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to do something. It was all going to end.

A black clad man suddenly streaked in between them and the oncoming explosives. He held out his hand, and to her amazement the three missiles stopped dead in the air. Another moment later they exploded. The black, nauseating smoke poured over Videl and Yazaku's men. She heard frantic shouts, struggling, but she could not see a thing.

When it cleared she was still standing next to Yazaku, but he and his henchmen were knocked out and missing their weapons. She looked down at the end and saw the same of the gang members. Metallic clattering caught her attention, and Videl turned to see the stranger dropping a small armory of weapons onto the ground. He dusted off his hands and looked back at her. He had glowing teal eyes.

"I took care of the men in the warehouse." She barely heard his words as she soaked in the strange man's appearance. His eyes were striking, but he was also tall, upright gold hair, and the outfit only accented it all. "The police are starting to arrive. Just watch over these guys for a few minutes and you'll be fine."

"Y-you're the Gold Fighter. I saw you at the bank." The world was spinning all around poor Videl.

I don't know if I want the whole world calling me the Gold Fighter. Gohan thought to himself. What's an appropriate name to give? Something Saiyan maybe? Hey, that's not a bad idea at all. He gave her a wink. "Just all me Saiyaman."

Her reaction was not what he was hoping for. "Saiya . . . man? That's a pretty odd name."

"Huh? Hey I put a lot of thought into that name!" He growled.

"I'm . . . sorry?" Videl took a few steps towards him. "Just who are you?"

Man, she's nosy in and out of class. "Let's just leave it at Saiyaman."

More men appeared near the unconscious gang members. They were dressed in blue shirts, black pants, and were a very welcome sight for Videl. Though the polic were very happy to see her, they had other feelings when they saw the man standing behind her. "You there freeze!" Each officer leveled their revolvers at Gohan.

Videl was about to tell them to hold their fire, but Gohan cut her off. "Well, I think I'm pretty much done here. Time I left. See you later Videl."

"Left?" She frowned at him. "Just how the heck are you going to get past the. . . whoa!" No sooner had she spoken the words, Gohan had jumped into the air and flown away in a streak of golden light. Videl stumbled back and fell on her bottom. "Oh wow . . ."

- DBZ -

Gohan closed his locker with a wide grin. The school was abuzz. The city's newspapers had once again released a special 'Gold Fighter' edition, only with Videl's statements he had been renamed to 'The Great Saiyaman.' He was making a name for himself already. Though the entire article was entirely speculation and statements from the gang members he had taken down, it was interesting at the least.

"Hey Gohan!" Erasa, with Sharpener and Videl alongside her, waved from down the hall. She seemed to be the only one who did not care for Saiyaman. He was starting to think she had a crush on him.

"Uh, hey guys." He saw a cut on Videl's left arm. That wasn't there before. He pointed at it. "What happened?"

She rubbed at it while turning a little red. "I fell over when Saiyaman flew away. I scraped my arm on the pavement. Good enough?"

Gohan backed away a step. Man, she's really moody! "Well, uh, what did you think of him? I mean, it's kinda neat to have an actual superhero running around the city, isn't it?" He winced at the venomous look that began to spread on Videl's face.

Erasa slipped her hands around Gohan's free arm. "Only a little."

Videl rolled her eyes at her best friend's antics. Though, she had to admit, it was funny to see Gohan turn beet red. "He's pretty amazing. I mean, the last time I saw anything like that was the Cell Games. I wonder if maybe Saiyaman was one of the blonde men that fought Cell."

"Oh sure." Sharpener elbowed her. "Like that's true. Those guys were all a bunch of magicians and illusionists, like your father said. If this guy's the real deal, then doesn't that rule him out as one of the Cell Games contenders?"

Please tell me people aren't really that dense. Gohan sighed and pulled himself away from Erasa. "I need to get going. The teachers gave up a lot of homework today."

"Could you give me a ride home, Gohan?" Erasa beamed him a smile that would melt any other man alive.

Gohan fumbled for an answer. "I, uh, well that's kinda . . . my ride's actually a one-seater and it really is a long trip home." The excuse sounded lame even to him.

"Why so secretive, Gohan?" Videl took a step towards him. She was barely a foot away and looking up into his dark pupils. "You like keeping secrets, don't you? Maybe you don't want to give Erasa a ride because you're actually planning on flying home?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin at that. "What?"

Sharpener had a good laugh. "Oh please, Videl. You think he's Saiyaman? Not only is Gohan the biggest dork in the school, but he has black hair and black eyes. Just what secrets could he possibly have?"

Before Gohan could even give Sharpener a mental thank-you, Videl was beaming up at him again. "Maybe the secret that he's best friends with Bulma Briefs; the president and owner of Capsule Corporation."

Shit. Gohan clamped his hand around his mouth before he even said the word. Erasa and Sharpener both turned their eyes on him and shouted a unanimous, "What?" He was cornered now. Videl had opened up a can of worms and he had no way out of it.

"All right, fine, how did you know that was Bulma when she visited the other day?"

"How? The Briefs have attended a couple banquets my father dragged me along to. Bulma gave a speech at two of them." She crossed her arms in triumph.

That's not fair! Man, I was afraid of this. He looked around to see if anyone could have heard what Videl had said, but no one was paying any attention. "Look, I'm friends with Bulma, yeah, but it's really not a big deal! My dad knew her when they were kids. That's all there is to it, I swear!" Just get out of here, Gohan! "I got to go. Please just keep this between the four of us, okay?" He hated begging, but there seemed to be little in alternatives. Gohan absently waved to them and jogged down the hallway.

"I can't believe it." Sharpener whistled. "He's still a dork though."

Erasa slapped him in the arm. "Oh shut up. He's tall, smart, and very handsome."

"Yeah, whatever." Sharpener took a step over to Videl. "What's on your mind? You look kind of distracted."

"Just thinking about Saiyaman." She turned around and leaned against Gohan's locker. She did not notice the disappointment on Sharpener's face. "He's pretty amazing, but I wish I knew more about him. The guy's saved my life twice, and I don't even know who he is."

Erasa grinned and lightly elbowed Videl. "You don't have a crush on him already, do you?"

"No!" Videl blinked at the volume of her own voice. "I mean, I don't have a crush on him, Erasa. I just wish I knew him a little better."

"Well you'll probably get to. I mean, you're both in the same profession, I guess. I bet you'll be running into each other a lot." Erasa assured her friend.

Videl shrugged. "We'll see."

- DBZ -

Tips silently wondered when he would stop betting against his boss. He threw the paper onto the desk after skimming through it. "You were right. I admit it, Chad, you were right. Now what do we do? That's the second time this guy's messed up one of your plans, and he's official now."

Chadorick picked up the paper and stared at the headline again. "On the contrary, I'm very much glad that Saiyaman thwarted Videl's premature demise. If I'm right, these two might be connected. You think it's a coincidence that both Videl and Saiyaman were together, at a crime scene, twice in a row?"

"Does this really matter, Chad?" Charlie, who had been sitting in one of the opposing chairs across the desk, threw up his hands. "We got other things to worry about besides goldie. Yazaku is in custody, he's going to tell them why he assaulted that storage depot, and when everyone realizes it was a setup they're going to start looking for the guys behind it."

Smiling, Chadorick rolled up the newspaper and pointed at Charlie with it. "It matters quite a bit, my friend. I'm beginning to think we can use this Saiyaman to our own benefit." He laughed at their confused faces. "Let him do as he wishes for now. Let him fight crime, rescue the good people of this city, become a celebrity, but in the meanwhile we will be watching. I want to learn more about him. I want to know what limits, if any, there are to his abilities. And once we know all we need to know, we're going to put that knowledge to good use."

It was a masterful plan. Those who followed him understood that when Chadorick had a scheme in mind he kept it to himself until the time was right. Tips and Charlie said asked nothing on that subject. "So what are we going to do until then?"

"What are we going to do? Why, party of course?" Chadorick laughed. He picked up his desk phone and began dialing a number. Tips and Charlie settled back into their chairs as they listened. Chadorick began to speak to someone on the other end of the line. "Hello, Mr. Sakaro? Yes, my name is Chadorick Gordino. I am the head of the Union Foundation. Yes, that's right. Actually, I was hoping to arrange a small party for your senior students in the next few months. Yes. Why?" The smile grew. "Oh, well, I'm very interested in meeting the young hopefuls of the future."

The Author's Annotations:

Whew, am I ever sorry for being so late in putting this out today. Needless to say, I don't think any of you are disappointed. The "Great Saiyaman Saga" will run through the entire course of Gohan's school year. As such there will be time skips, so pay attention.

I'd like to take this opportunity to dedicate the next chapter to Fallen Ryu, demi-legend, smokie, Fenix, and DavidH. They're steadfast reviewers and I thank them for it.