"Hmm..." Gohan looked at the Dragon Radar. "Seems like it's just a little further north of here," he informed.

"Who knew the fourth Dragon Ball would have been so close to your house, Gohan," Kat stated. "Maybe we should have met up there."

"Met up where?" Trunks mumbled sleepily, his head resting on Kat's lap.

Kat smiled at him. "Don't worry, buddy," she told him. "Just go back to sleep; we'll be at the next Dragon Ball soon."

"Really?!" the small boy cried, springing up and began bouncing up and down in excitement. "How close are we?!"

The older kids laughed. "I'd say about 10 minutes from here," Gohan said.

"Awesome!" Trunks shouted. "Then we'll have four of them!" He stopped bouncing abruptly and frowned. "I missed getting the third one, though."

"Eh, it wasn't that exciting," Kat brushed off with a shrug.

Gohan rolled his eyes, remembering how scared the Pilaf Gang had been. "Anyway, let's-" Suddenly, he noticed something in the distance. "Hey, is that..." His companions looked at him curiously. Then Gohan grinned. "Yeah, that's Chazke Village!"

"Chazke Village?" Kat repeated. "Have you gone there before?"

"Only once," Gohan replied. "But I liked it, and I met some really nice people while I was there."

"That's pretty cool, Gohan," Kat said. "Well, we need to stock up on supplies, since it has been more than a week since we were at 17's house, so maybe we can try and find them so you can say hi."

"I'd like that," her friend admitted.

With a game plan, Nimbus flew towards the village and let the riders off at the entrance of the village. Trunks waved goodbye to the cloud as it took off and then ran after the two older Saiyans, who had already passed through the gate. All three of the kids marveled at how many people were bustling about despite the small size of the place.

"When I was here, it was the days before the Cell Games," Gohan explained when Trunks brought up that he shouldn't be surprised. "Everyone was gone, save for a couple of people, and luckily they were the people who ran the shop."

"But now that I'm here, they're going to be the only people who aren't," Kat joked dryly.

"Oh, shut up," Gohan chuckled, slightly shoving her. Kat giggled.

Suddenly, Trunks gagged, and the two looked at him in shock, thinking something was wrong. But the small boy was only making a face. "Seriously, stop that," he requested. "It's really gross."

Realizing what he meant, the two blushed, with Kat scowling for added measure. "You don't have the arm excuse anymore, brat, so I'd watch your mouth if I were you," she warned.

Gohan led them to the small general store, and while Trunks was enamored by the village around him and the oldest Saiyan was focused on their destination, Kat noticed that the three of them were turning heads. At first, she figured it was because they were new faces in the village, and people would want to see who they were. But when she realized that their eyes would linger for an extremely long time, she started to second guess that theory.

But if it's not about being new faces, what is it? she questioned.

They finally made it to the store, and Gohan opened the swinging doors. Kat looked around, and then she looked at Trunks. "Alright, we're not going to find everything here that we would find at a large supermarket," she stated. "So, if there's something specific you want, don't give me attitude if we can't find it, understand?"

"Yes, Kat," Trunks replied before he took off, most likely looking for candy.

"No way, it can't..."

The two teens turned to find a girl with wide forest green eyes and chestnut-brown hair, her bangs tied in braided pigtails while the rest of her hair fell to her shoulders. She was wearing red-and-white sneakers, pale red capris, a yellow t-shirt, and an impossibly wide grin.

"It is! Oh my gosh, I can't believe it!" she cried as she ran up and hugged Gohan. "It's so great to see you!"

He laughed and hugged her back. "It's great to see you too, Lime," he said.

Lime giggled before she let go. "What brings you back to the village?" she asked. "You haven't been here since the Cell Games."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Gohan apologized with a small, slightly nervous chuckle. "My friends and I were in the area, and we realized we need supplies. Then I noticed we were close to Chazke Village, so we decided to come here, especially since I haven't seen you and your grandpa when I promised I would."

"Aw, you're so sweet," Lime cooed, and Gohan blushed. "So, who are your friends?"

"This is Kat," Gohan introduced, the girl waving as he said it. "And the one currently searching your candy jars is Trunks."

"Somehow I figured he was with you, considering he keeps looking back here like he's trying to be sneaky," Lime giggled.

"He's sharper than any four-year-old you'll ever meet, but he's still four," Kat chuckled. The three snickered. "So Lime, do you think you can help us find what we need?"

The two girls studied the list, and then Lime began to show them around the store. It didn't take them long to find everything the store had to offer (and it surprisingly turned out to be a little less than two-thirds of the list), which was made up by the time Kat argued with Trunks over how much candy he could take.

"Two pieces, Trunks," Kat hissed.

"But Kaaaaaat-"

"TWO. PIECES. If I have to say it one more time, don't expect me to be nice tomorrow morning." The small boy pouted, and Gohan chuckled nervously before getting out his wallet to pay for all of their supplies.

"Oo, that's right, I wanted you to meet someone," Lime piped up, stopping him mid-grab. She pointed to the dark red haired man behind the counter. "This is my dad, Myles."

"Your dad?" Gohan repeated happily.

Lime nodded her head with an ecstatic grin. "Even though he and Mom were gone because of Cell, one day they just came back," she informed.

"That's awesome, Lime," Kat stated while Gohan smiled knowingly.

"Sure is," Myles agreed as he scanned some items. "I like living, especially if it's with my little girl."

"Dad!" Lime whined, but she continued to grin. Kat and Gohan laughed, though there were hints of somberness. "Hey, once you guys are done here, do you want to come to our house for lunch?"

Kat and Gohan looked at each other, and after a few seconds they smiled. "Sure, Lime, we'd love that," Gohan replied. "If your dad is okay with it, anyway."

"Of course it's okay," the man stated. "I love meeting Lime's friends."

"Cool, just let us- TRUNKS!" The small boy's hand froze from its place over the counter and cautiously eyed Kat. "For the last time, only two pieces!" she ordered.

"But-"

"Trunks, pick two or you get none!"

He grumbled and looked to Gohan, hoping to try and get him to help persuade the female Saiyan. "Come on, don't you think she's being unfair, Gohan?" he asked.

Gohan would have responded, but then something strange happened.

"Wait, your name is Gohan?" Myles inquired, his hazel eyes glowing.

"Gohan?" someone else in the store asked, sounding excited.

Soon the whole store was repeating his name, and somehow some people outside heard it, too. The three Saiyans began to hear multiple voices getting louder and louder, and Lime suddenly grabbed ahold of Gohan's wrist.

"We gotta run," she said seriously before yanking Gohan towards the back of the store. "Put it on their tab, Dad, they can pay later!"

Not exactly sure what was going on, Kat and Trunks quickly followed them. "So, why are we running again?" Kat questioned.

"I'll explain once we get away from the village," Lime replied.

"Are we going to your house?" Gohan asked.

"That's the first place people will look," she answered. "But I know a place they won't go."

They decided to trust her, and for a while the four ran through the woods. Lime weaved a way through the tall pine trees and up a steady climb. Eventually they came across a river next to a huge forest filled with apple trees. Trunks immediately forgot the strange urgency in favor of climbing one of the trees to obtain some of the fruit.

"Why won't people come here?" Kat questioned. "I'd rather be here than cooped up in a house."

Lime took a minute to catch her breath - glaring at the three Saiyans for being completely fine - before she stated, "No one knows about these apple trees. People would rather take the beaten path than run blindly through the forest."

"Guess that makes sense," Gohan agreed. "But... Why did we run in the first place?"

"You're popular, Gohan," Lime said.

The three travelers looked at each other questioningly before looking back at Lime. "Why would I be?" Gohan asked. "I've only been to the village once."

"But that doesn't mean you weren't on TV," the chestnut-brown haired girl countered.

"During that tournament where Bojack appeared? He didn't do anything special," Trunks muttered, shrugging his shoulders and nonchalantly eating one of the apples he grabbed. "The cameras broke before he started beating him up... Guys?" The small boy tilted his head in confusion at the older halflings' wide-eyed expression. "Guys? Uh, hello? What's wrong?"

They were silent for many, many seconds until Gohan finally stuttered, "Y-you mean...t-the Cell Games?" Lime nodded.

"You're not joking here... Right?" Kat clarified.

"Anyone with half a brain could tell Gohan killed Cell," Lime huffed. "Seriously, it's amazing how gullible the world has become. None of us fell for Mr. Satan's lies, I can tell you that. I mean, all you have to do is look at the shelter you destroyed and it's pretty clear you're some kind of amazing."

Their mouths gaping, Kat and Gohan couldn't believe they had found a whole village that didn't buy into the last three years of tall tales and hype. "But if you guys know, how come the whole world doesn't?" Trunks questioned, the only one who wasn't that amazed at the revelation.

"Gohan could have easily proved he was the one who beat Cell, but he never did," Lime explained. "And after we saw all of the ridiculous attention Mr. Satan was - sorry, is - getting, we figured he didn't want it. So we kept it to ourselves."

"Uh... Thank you," Gohan finally got out.

"Well... Congratulations, Gohan, you have a fan base," Kat said, slapping his shoulder. He jumped at the sudden action. "Just don't let it go to your head. And I mean it. I really despise the trope of the overly nice guy suddenly getting an inflated ego."

Gohan glared at her, snapping out of his funk, but then he smirked. "Like there's an ego that could rival yours or Vegeta's," he teased. Kat slapped him again, this time upside the head, but he just laughed it off.

"Anyway, that's why the whole village was beginning to buzz about you," Lime piped up. "I'm sure we can convince them to treat you normally, but don't be surprised if they come to you singing your praises."

"So, does that mean there really isn't a place for us to stay?" Kat inquired.

Lime shook her head and grinned. "You can stay at my house," she offered. "My parents are thankful, but not that crazy. And you've already met Grandpa; he knew you could beat Cell from the start, so he wasn't surprised."

"That's good," Gohan sighed. "But, is there enough room?"

"It may be just a bit tight, but I think it can work," the girl stated. Gohan smiled.

She led them through the woods to her house (after Trunks gathered a few more apples, forcefully giving some of them to the older kids), and along the way Lime decided to explain how the villagers had been doing for the past three years. It was nothing interesting, she reported (and it really wasn't), but Kat and Gohan found it intriguing that all of the citizens had come closer together because of Cell rather than more selfish like the rest of the world.

"Here we are!" Lime announced as they approached the log cabin.

"It doesn't look that much different," Gohan noted.

"Why fix what ain't broke?" the human giggled. Her visitors couldn't argue with that. Then she led them to the front door and opened it up. "Grandpa, I'm home!"

"Ah, Lime, back from bothering your father, are you?" an old man chuckled from the kitchen. Lime laughed nervously while Trunks snickered. Kat glared at him and Gohan sighed. "Hm? Do you have visitors?"

"Yeah, and you won't believe who it is!" Lime exclaimed. Earth's hero blushed.

Her grandfather made a noise of interest. "Let me put these plates away and I'll be right out," he said. There was the sound of ceramic gently clanging against one another, and then a cabinet door closing. Kat set her backpack down as the old man walked into the room, and besides the fact that his dark blue eyes lit up, she also noted he looked familiar for whatever strange reason. "Gohan! What a pleasure it is to see you again."

"You as well, Mr. Lao," Gohan replied politely.

Suddenly, Kat realized why she recognized him, and she gasped. "Shea Lao?" she clarified, excited.

"NO! No, no, no, you're not!" Trunks shouted. "If this is going where I think it's going, you're not him!"

"Do you even know who Shea Lao is?" Kat asked.

"No, but if it's about the World Martial Arts Tournament, then you're going to go crazy," Trunks snapped.

Mr. Lao laughed gently. "I don't mind," he assured. "But how would you know about the 18th Tournament, young lady?"

"I've studied every World Martial Arts Tournament up until the 24th," Kat explained, ecstatic that she was right and that there was truly, seriously a tournament fighter (that wasn't one of the Z Warriors) right in front of her. "The 21st through the 23rd are my absolute favorite, but the 18th is close behind. I was rooting for you because you were really good, so I was really mad at Falkoman when he clearly cheated in the semifinals." She shrugged. "But Colby Weiser ended up kicking his butt to next week, so I guess I can't complain too much."

Once again, the old man laughed. "You're quite knowledgeable," he observed. "And opinionated. Though I suppose that's not necessarily a bad thing. However, I'm not upset. There's no point in being hung up on the past." He walked over to Lime and put a hand on her shoulder. "We should look to the future and what it can hold." Lime grinned, and the three travelers nodded.

When Lime remembered she had invited her friends to lunch, she told everyone to sit at the table and went to make some. Kat tried to offer her help, but she was absolutely forbidden to do so by Mr. Lao, and she frowned. While Trunks tried to cheer her up, Gohan explained the truth about what happened at the Cell Games (or, at least, most of it; just from Gohan's face, Mr. Lao told him not to say anything he didn't want to, much to Lime's disappointment). It then spiraled into a conversation about what Kat and Gohan actually were and why they were traveling around the world.

"Wow, I can't believe you guys are actually half alien," Lime brought up when Gohan was done. Kat cleared her throat loudly. "And full. You guys all look human."

"I bet there are some aliens out there who don't," Kat pointed out. Then she thought about it. "Hmm... Vegeta might know."

"Dad doesn't talk about space, though," Trunks stated as he took a sip of his juice. The black haired girl sighed silently, realizing he was right.

"Kat, will you come back and tell us about your parents and your other race when you learn about them?" Mr. Lao requested.

She smiled. "Sure!" she agreed. "If only to give Gohan more of an incentive to visit more often. I am appalled he dared to break a promise."

"Very funny, Mom," Gohan joked dryly. Everyone laughed.

Soon, Lime finished making lunch. Trunks made it clear he liked Kat's cooking infinitely more (to which Kat scolded him for being rude), but lunch was given the thumbs-up. The table was soon filled with conversation and laughter from the stories everyone told about their lives and adventures, and it was only interrupted when the door opened again.

Myles and a woman with light brown hair entered the house, their eyes wide as Myles closed the door. The five around the table stared at them before Lime smiled. "Would you guys like lunch?" she offered. "I made it myself!"

"Oh no..." the woman gasped before she rushed to the kitchen.

"H-hey!" Lime shouted as she shot up. "Mom, I didn't destroy the kitchen! I promise!"

Her mother popped her head into the living room. "I can see that you're right," she replied. "This time."

"This time?" Kat and Gohan repeated.

"You don't have to say it at the same!" Lime snapped, embarrassed. Trunks snickered.

"So, are you actually Gohan?" Myles asked.

Gohan looked at him and nodded. "That's me, sir," he confirmed. "B-but I don't need your praise, really! I just wanted to beat Cell so everyone could live in peace."

"That is worthy of praise though, young man," Lime's mother argued, walking over to him. "That you went out into very frightening circumstances not for yourself but for others... Well, I'm sure you can look to the TV to find the example of the selfish side of this situation."

"The point Willow is making, Gohan, is that you're very commendable," Mr. Lao added. He smiled softly. "I bet you make your father proud." Gohan blushed but smiled and nodded.

No one bothered to tell Lime or her family that Son Goku was dead.

Lime's parents joined lunch, with Willow voicing her slightly negative opinion of the food. Trunks tried to claim he had said it first, but Kat glanced at him with a look that reminded her fellow travelers of a certain prince, so the little boy shut his mouth. Lime's parents chuckled before they asked what the kids were doing in Chazke Village. Kat took up the explanation, though she left out the part about her and the boys being aliens. The adults wished them luck, and they all went about their lunch.

Trunks finished and, eager to see exactly where the Dragon Ball was, rushed off to get the Radar. The others ignored him, content with continuing their conversation about how summer was going for the preteens and work was for the adults. Just as Kat was about to bring up her auditions for the dance team, there was the sound of something breaking, and everyone turned to Trunks to find...

Oh boy.

Everyone felt the immediate tension as Kat's wide eyes studied the broken Dragon Radar. Trunks, meanwhile, was staring at the mess he clearly made. He leaned down and clicked the button on top before finally looking at Kat and pointing at the cracked radar.

"It broke," he reported.

The back of Kat's chair splintered a bit from her holding it too tight, and Gohan gulped, fearing the wrath she would inflict on the four-year-old. "Clearly," Kat growled, her voice tight. "And how exactly did it break, Trunks?"

"I dropped it," Trunks explained nonchalantly. "Now the screen doesn't work. But the fourth Ball is about 5 miles north of here."

"That's not the point, Trunks!" Kat yelled, jumping out of her chair. "You just broke the Dragon Radar!"

"So? Mom can fix it, easy," Trunks countered.

"Because that just makes everything a-okay," the girl snapped. "You're not even going to apologize? Not going to acknowledge how long it might take for her to fix the Radar? Or how long it's going to take for it to reach her?"

"Everything'll work out, stop being such a worrywart," the boy huffed.

"You inconsiderate-"

"Alright, Kat, settle down," Gohan intervened. "Trunks didn't mean to break it. We'll call Bulma and tell her what happened." Kat snorted. "Trunks, apologize. I know you didn't mean to, but you know how important this is to Kat."

Trunks looked annoyed for a bit before he sighed and looked away guiltily. "Sorry, Kat."

Kat sighed as well, calming herself even more. "I forgive you," she replied, realizing Gohan was right. "And at least you were able to figure out where the Dragon Ball is."

The four-year-old smiled in satisfaction. "Guess you better thank me, huh?"

Unfortunately for him, that only made Kat tack on two extra hours to their morning training.

"So guys, do you want to explore the village?" Lime asked while Trunks sulked in the corner.

"I think I'm prepared for any onslaught," Gohan stated. "Sure, I'll explore with you, Lime."

"We need to pick up our supplies, so I'll go, too," Kat chimed in.

"I'll just stay here," Trunks mumbled from his corner.

"If you expect me to pity you, you're sorely mistaken," Kat snorted. Mr. Lao chuckled, and everyone else laughed nervously.

The three kids left the cabin, making their way down the path into the village. Kat was at first drawn to the scenery, but as they got closer, she noticed Gohan's ki waver nervously. She turned to look at him, noting that he at least looked calm.

"Gohan, are you sure you're prepared?" she questioned.

Lime looked at Gohan as well and then raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? He's not nervous," she observed.

"He's actually hiding it surprisingly well for once," Kat stated.

"Ha ha, very funny," Gohan retorted. Then he sighed. "I thought I was, but maybe I'm not."

"You wanna go back, then?" Lime offered, surprised that Kat had been right.

Gohan shook his head. "It's going to happen sooner or later," he replied. "No use holding off the inevitable."

"Well, I hope you have some sort of nerve," Kat said, "because it's show time."

Oh boy.

When they entered the village, all of the hustle and bustle stopped the moment people realized Gohan was there. He gulped as he followed the girls, who expertly ignored the civilians. It was really quiet; no doubt you could hear a pin drop from the other side of the planet. Just as Gohan was about to contemplate if he actually could, a small girl ran up to him and shouted, "HI!" Being the bundle of nerves he was, Gohan jumped back and crashed onto the ground.

"Gohan, are you alright?" Lime cried as she ran to his side.

"Eh, give him a minute," Kat replied, kneeling next to her friend. "He's just being overdramatic."

Gohan glared at her. "You're a terrible friend," he grumbled.

Kat simply grinned, but she held out her hand. The black haired boy smiled and took it, letting her help him up. He almost turned to keep going towards the store, but then he remembered the little girl, so he looked at her and smiled a bit bigger.

"Hello," Gohan finally addressed the girl.

The villager beamed. "You're a funny guy, mister!" she proclaimed.

"Yep, he's definitely adorkable," Kat snickered. Gohan pushed her, which only made her laugh louder.

"Then how did he beat Cell?" an older boy asked, sounding slightly skeptical.

Hearing the tone, Kat shoved her friend away and leapt for him with a punch. But Gohan recovered quickly, and he was able to block her. He smirked.

"Really?" he questioned. "You want to fight here?"

"The village will be fine," Kat assured, smirking back since she enjoyed the prospect of a spar. "Besides, you know I take any and all opportunities to challenge you."

Knowing he wasn't going to worm his way out of it, Gohan conceded by grabbing her fist and throwing her hard onto the ground. Kat grunted from the impact, but that didn't stop her from rolling out of the way of a kick. She got to her feet and smirked even wider, adrenaline flowing through her veins. Gohan's smirk matched hers quickly, and after staring at each other for a couple of seconds, they shot off into the sky.

The villagers looked up into the sky to try and follow the action, but both Saiyans were moving too fast. They knew it, too, but neither of them slowed down since they were so caught up in the spar. They zipped about, each of them trying to find an opening when they clashed. Of course, when their shins collided with their elbows or their fists slammed into the other, they found no way past their defenses.

And yet...

"Looks like someone's slacking off," Kat taunted in a sing-song tone as they struggled.

"Says the girl who hasn't landed a single hit," Gohan shot back, though he was still smirking. "Come on, has Vegeta taught you anything?"

A glint appeared in Kat's eye, the one that always foretold that she had a plan. Gohan was immediately on edge, and the black haired girl was pleased by the reaction.

"He told me to never let my guard down," she stated, confusing her opponent.

Gohan didn't get it until it hit him in the head.

Literally.

"Mr. Son," Kat continued as Gohan recovered from the sudden blow to the right side of his head, "meet Mr. Hammer. He's gonna teach you some manners."

With one more shake of his head, Gohan looked at what she was talking about, and he was surprised to find a brown hammer with a stick about three-feet and an insanely big head. He was about to ask where it came from when he remembered Kat was an illusionist. Gohan had noticed she had been practicing a lot lately, and he was going to congratulate her on making the most solid one yet, until he realized something else.

"You know, for a girl who goes to school, gets all A's, and trains with Vegeta, you somehow have time for video games. And clearly way too much," Gohan noted in a deadpan.

"Well, you knew what I said was from a video game, so what does that say about you?" Kat shot back with a smirk.

She was right, he guessed.

For the rest of their spar, Gohan was wary of the disappearing/reappearing hammer that added as a sixth limb for her in a way. She would kick, he would block, and then he had to duck out of the way of a hammer swing. Or she would grab him in her tail, try an upward swing, and follow up with a punch. The illusionary hammer became second nature to her, it seemed, as - even though she had never used it before - Kat wielded it with ease. Up, down, side to side, even throwing it like a boomerang, Gohan figured her power tripled simply by her willing it to be.

But neither of them noticed how much ki it drained.

At one point, Kat caught the other half-breed off guard and slammed him to the ground with the weapon - creating a small crater in the process - and while he groaned and tried to get off his back, she zoomed for him. But as she was flying, her hammer disappeared without her wanting to, and she realized that she wasn't flying. She was falling. Desperate to win and not show her weakness, Kat continued on down the way she had been.

Unfortunately, Gohan noticed.

Reacting quickly, he sprung to his feet, jumped up, grabbed her, and threw her to the same place he had been, making the crater just a bit larger. Then, not giving her a second to use, Gohan shot back down and pinned her to the ground.

Being who she was, Kat struggled, even though she knew there was no winning. "Get off, Gohan!" she ordered.

"Not until you say you give up," Gohan replied, grinning. "That hammer was pretty cool, but it drained all the ki you had. Just admit that you lost."

"Never!" Kat declared before struggling even more.

"Please do."

Kat immediately stopped, and the two looked up to find that the village had gathered around them. The kids were amazed, but some of the adults looked...exhausted.

"You might end up destroying the village if you keep that up," a man stated. That got their attention rather quick. "So if this could maybe come to an end..."

The friends stared at each other before scrambling out of the crater to see the damage they had caused. Thankfully, the crater was really the only thing, but the houses did look a bit shaken up. Still, it had the two a bit guilty, so they turned to the village and said, "We'll fix this! We promise!" The adults assured they didn't have to go that far, but they insisted.

"Besides," Kat added with a cheeky grin, "we get to stay here a bit longer. I like exploring, and Gohan should meet his fans, after all."

Immediately, the kids (especially the girls) were on top of Earth's hero, asking him a gazillion questions at once. "Kat, I hate you!" Gohan shouted over the noise.

In return, Kat's grin widened, and she ran off to help the flabbergasted yet slightly amused adults.

...

"You sure it's around here, Trunks?" Lime asked, apprehensive.

He nodded. "Five miles north," he repeated. The local hummed nervously. "Why? What's wrong?" Lime pointed a minutely shaking hand through the trees, and the three Saiyans looked. "That? It's just looks like a big broken dome."

"Wait, the Protective Dome's still there?" Gohan questioned.

While the other half-breeds were confused, Lime nodded. "We never got the chance to take it down," she explained. "Now there are nothing but ghost stories about it. I didn't believe them, but then I went there myself. It felt like something was watching me."

"Awesome!" Trunks exclaimed before taking off.

"Trunks!" Kat yelled, running after him. The other two kids were quick to follow. "Don't go running off on your own! We don't know what's out here!"

They finally made it to the broken white dome, which had all sorts of vegetation growing around it after the years of neglect. "It looks like something out of a movie!" Trunks cheered.

"A horror movie, specifically," Gohan added, shuddering a little. "I hate horror movies."

"You just hate that Yuki showed us Blood for Dracula that he stole from his brother's room before we all realized exactly why it's rated R," Kat pointed out.

"Yeah, and it's not horror and violence," the thirteen-year-old sighed. Then he shook the horrible mental images out of his mind and quickly wondered where the Dragon Ball could possibly be.

"Maybe it's in the dome!" Trunks cooed, stars in his eyes.

"That would be our luck, wouldn't it?" Lime muttered. "Seriously, why can't we just wait? We sent the Radar to Bulma yesterday; it won't be long before it gets back."

Before Kat brought up that they wouldn't know how many days it would take and that she just wanted the Dragon Ball now, Trunks ran into the destroyed building. "Trunks, what did I say?!" Kat shouted as the three followed him.

When the four entered, they marveled at the jungle that had grown inside, blocking most of the sunlight from the two giant holes in the ceiling. "Why is this even here?" Trunks inquired loudly, hoping for an echo.

"Keep your voice down!" Kat hissed, hating how the noise rang in her ears.

"Mr. Borbonne thought something like this would protect us from Cell," Lime stated. "Obviously, it wouldn't, and Gohan proved that." The boy blushed.

The four began to walk around the barely-lit dome, with the two older Saiyans using their ki to light up the areas they searched and Lime with a flashlight since they decided to leave the greenery intact in case animals had made home in it. Trunks was annoyed that he had to be paired with Gohan, but he said nothing once Kat gave him the look. They search every inch of the dome, and when Kat got close to the center, she heard a hiss. Curious, she pointed her ki towards the noise.

It was a miracle she didn't fire.

But she did still let out her loud, girly shriek, much to Gohan and Trunks' immense discomfort.

"What? Saw another snake?" Gohan asked, exasperated as he watched Kat cling tightly to one of the exposed rafters.

"Y-y-y-y-y-you know I hate their beady black eyes!" Kat stuttered.

Gohan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Come on, Trunks, let's go defeat Kat's arch nemesis," he told the boy.

"Sounds like fun!" the purple haired boy cried.

"Hate you. Hate you both."

They ignored her and went to where Kat had seen the snake. But when Gohan shined his ki on it, he snatched up Trunks, flew over to Lime and grabbed her as well, and - as Lime yelped at the suddenness - then flew up to where Kat was. "Hey, what's the big idea, Gohan?!" Trunks protested.

"Kat had every right to be scared this time," Gohan revealed. "That was an eastern brown snake."

"Eastern brown snake?" Lime repeated.

"The second most poisonous snake on the planet."

The others looked at him with wide eyes before they heard more hissing. Wanting to know exactly what was on the floor, Kat forego the original plan and shot at the vegetation blocking the sunlight. Once it was cleared, they were shocked to discover there was a whole pit of the deadly snakes.

"How is this even possible?" Gohan muttered while Kat whimpered. "Eastern browns live in arid areas. And the only type of forest they gather in is eucalyptus forests."

No one had an answer for him, and if things couldn't get worse, Trunks noticed something in the middle of the large knot. "Hey, I think I see the Dragon Ball," he noted.

"I hate summer," Kat whined.

Gohan called for Nimbus, and once the cloud was in the dome with them, he told everyone to stay on it. "I'll go get the Dragon Ball," he decided.

"But Gohan, what about-"

He interrupted Kat with a smile. "Hey, don't worry about it," he assured. "I've got this. I'm the guy who defeated Cell, after all."

Kat sighed despite herself. "You promised you wouldn't let it get to your head," she pointed out.

"And it hasn't," Gohan replied. "It's just a fact. The point is, I'll get the Dragon Ball no problem. Then we can all head back to the village, tell them about the snake problem, and hang out for a few more days before we move on."

She wouldn't have argued even if she got the chance. Kat just watched as Gohan floated down towards the pile, and once he was a foot above the snakes, he let out a loud shout and a burst of power. The unfamiliar force scared the group away, and that left the Dragon Ball to be easily picked up.

"See!" Gohan shouted to the group, holding up the Four-Star Ball. "Easy as can be!"

"Alright!" Trunks and Lime cheered while Kat exhaled.

Gohan grinned and went to join his friends, but then he felt a prick at his ankle. He looked down see that one of the snakes had returned and bit him. Being Saiyan, though, Gohan wasn't afraid of being affected by the poison. So he simply smiled at the reptile and coaxed it off his ankle, holding it gently by the neck.

"Sorry to disturb you, little guy, I just needed to get this for my friend," he said. "Now, I'm going to the village and making sure you get in your right habi-" The snake hissed harshly and tried to lunge for him. "Whoa, aggressive guy, aren't- Urk!"

Looking at the back of his calf, Gohan saw that yet another snake had bitten him. He still wasn't concerned, but this wasn't going to get him anywhere. The half-Saiyan shook the snake off, but when it was off, two more took its place. Surprised, Gohan dropped the one he had been holding, and it was joined by four others.

"Gohan, get out of there!" Kat ordered as snakes continued to pile on him. "Even you wouldn't be able to handle that many bites!"

Nodding, he blew the snakes away and went to jump into the air. Unfortunately, when the snakes were off him, about twenty more lunged at him. They bit all over his legs and forearms, and Gohan grunted at the constant pricks to his skin. Figuring out a new plan, he flew up and then got the snakes off him before he returned to the travelers on Nimbus, all of whom were concerned for his safety.

However, Gohan simply grinned and showed them the Ball despite feeling a tingling sensation. "No worries," he told them. "Just a bit of a road bump. I'm surprised we're not used to... Ugh..."

"Gohan?!" all three of them gasped when he held his head.

"It's... It's nothing," Gohan tried to convince them, panting a tad. Then he chuckled lightly. "Must have...used more ki than I thought to push them away. Haha, they're persistent..."

Kat didn't believe him, and she frowned. "Gohan, we may be Saiyans, but I don't think that much venom in your system is a good thing," she noted. "Let's get back to the village right away."

"Yeah, Dr. Anderson can take a look at you, just in case," Lime agreed.

"Guys, it'll pass, don't worry..." Gohan panted lightly.

"You're starting to look pale," Trunks observed.

"Just a...nerve-wracking experience...s'all."

The black haired girl didn't like the way his speech was slurring slightly. "Gohan, we're taking you back to see the doctor," she proclaimed with no room for argument in her voice. The other halfling tried to shake his head, but the act made him groan and wobble in the air, and he looked like he was about to vomit, making the others wince.

What made matters worse, though, was when he tipped, on the verge of plummeting to the ground.

Kat grabbed him and pulled him into her chest. "Nimbus, to Chazke!" Lime yelled.

"Gohan, stay with me!" Kat ordered as the cloud flew. "Keep your eyes open! Breath as regularly as you can! I'll try to keep you as stable as I can, okay?"

He chuckled weakly and smiled at Kat with droopy eyes. "We keep...getting sidetracked...huh?" he choked out. "Sorry... We'll...get...back..."

Then, he fainted.

...

Dr. Anderson hummed as he cleaned his equipment. Another slow day meant good news, since no one was in serious trouble. Of course, it had been like that for the past few years, but while the man liked to help others, he was happier seeing them healthy.

Suddenly, from the room he was in, he heard the door to the lobby fly open. Some of the nurses gasped while footsteps rapidly approached. "Dr. Anderson, Dr. Anderson!" he heard Lime shout.

Thinking it was the girl's usual accident-prone self, he chuckled. "Ah, Lime. Come in for your daily appointment, have you?" the doctor teased.

But she didn't reply with a huff like normal. Instead, she flung the door open and cried, "Please, we really need your help! It's Gohan!"

Alarmed at her desperation, he spun around to find the boy passed out in the arms of the black haired girl, who was crying silently.

"It's Gohan!" the visitor repeated, showing Dr. Anderson her friend's multiple obvious snake bites. "He's been poisoned!"