Dragonball Z: Legacies

by ALP113

Following that fateful day at the Cell Games, Gohan quickly realizes that the role of earth's protector is filled with many great trials and tribulations. Encountering new enemies and friends along the way, the young half-Saiyan comes to learn that being a hero can be tough, but at the same time... it can be a lot of fun. AU. Gohan/Videl or Gohan/Harem.

36. Saiyan Invasion Arc - The Arrival

Dragonball Z

Legacies

The Arrival

(The next morning)

The sun was warm and the sky was clear, and all across West City the roads and buildings were glistening like well polished jewels sitting on top of a mantelpiece. The damages that'd been inflicted to the city during the Hasky crisis weren't very visible anymore and the estate that served as the frontline for the entire conflict was also looking better than ever. Maybe it was because the workers had done a bang-up job at patching things up this time. Maybe it was the way the light was reflecting off of the planet's surface like glass. Or maybe it was because the mood had shifted drastically from the last few days.

Whatever the case was, this morning felt much different from any other that'd come and gone before, and the entire planet could feel it. When the glow from over the horizon eventually fell over Capsule Corp and illuminated the windows of the facility, the sensations of warmth and life rang the alarm clocks for every single person sleeping peacefully throughout the main building.

Groaning when the sun beams danced across her face like dust over a river, Videl sat up from the bed she was lying on and rubbed her eyes. Giving a very lioness like yawn, she then squeezed the hand of the boy lying on the bed next to her, just to check and make sure he was alright. However, when her grip ended up clutching nothing but air and the fabric of the bed and her fingers attempted to seek out the hand they were supposed to be joined with, a jolt of alarm suddenly rushed through her.

"Gohan?" Looking up towards the pillows with a start, the raven haired fighter saw that the comforter the demi-Saiyan was supposed to be lying on was empty. At first thinking this was some sort of an illusion and shaking her head to clear the airways, when she looked back, she saw that the spread was still empty and the indent in the sheets was real.

Springing to her feet, the baffled Videl gasped in shock, "Gohan!" Her exclamation drew the attention of the meditating Piccolo and roused the dozing Hera on the windowsill, both of whom looked over to see their human companion looking around and appearing distressed. "Gohan! Damn it… where are you?"

Lime, having previously been enjoying a Gohan-orientated dream, sat up from her place atop the desk with a piece of paper glued to her face, where she then turned to stare groggily at her schoolmate. "What's with all the noise?" the brown haired teen mumbled.

"Did something happen, V?" Erasa also asked, sitting up from her bed with her arms wrapped tightly around a pillow.

Looking around at her friends, the startled Videl then turned to fix her gaze upon Zangya. "He's gone."

Her statement had the Hera look at the teen in alarm. "What?"

Seeing her friend hop off the sill, the raven haired girl quickly turned and dashed across the room. "Gohan! He's gone!" She ripped back the curtains of one of the chamber's cubicles and looked from corner to corner. "I… I don't know where he is."

Also expressing surprise at the announcement, the former guardian of earth took a moment to settle his thoughts and, dropping out of his meditative state, dragged himself to his feet. "Calm down, runt," Piccolo cut in, at the same time stepping away from his spot to watch the frazzled student continue searching the chamber. "No one else entered the room and there aren't any signs of a struggle, so it's safe to say he probably got up sometime in the middle of the night to stretch his legs. He couldn't have gone far."

Still, this didn't answer the question as to how the brat was able to slip away right under their noses. What? Did he pick up some sort of new stealth mode while he was in a coma?

"Right. A Super Saiyan who can teleport between dimensions and travel great distances faster than the speed of light, couldn't have gone far," Zangya replied sarcastically, brushing her hair back and throwing the Namekian an irritating smirk, "Might want to reassess your points there."

The former guardian glared back at the woman for her comment, "Cut the crap and help us out here, would you?"

Rolling her eyes, Zangya then began a very relaxed walk towards the door, at the same time Erasa and Lime finally got to their feet to join what was expected to be an interesting hunt. "Relax, green man. It's not like this is the most difficult problem to work out. Gohan's been unconscious for about ten days now, and has barely had any food, drink, or sunshine, so there are only a few places he could've gone. It's either: A, the bathroom, B, the kitchen, C, outside, or D, the gravity room. Unless you want to pick all of the above and try to multiply yourself, I'm guessing he's gone to make himself a sandwich so I'll start with B, the kitchen." She then exited the room, passing a still confounded and shaken Videl.

Quickly regaining her senses, the raven haired fighter decided to follow up on Zangya's suggestions and dashed out of the room after her. Lime and Erasa also gave pursuit with the latter not really caring that she was still dressed in her PJs. After shaking off the sardonic remarks of his second most casual sparring partner, a grumbling Piccolo also joined the four women on a hunt across the billion-zeni facility, deciding to carry it out at his own labored pace.

Before the morning shift had even begun to roll in, the hallways were already clamoring with the bodies of dotting youngsters, all of whom were trying to find the owner of another. Zangya, Videl, Lime, Erasa and Piccolo searched high and low, splitting up so that they could cover more ground in separate locations. One of them cracked down the stalls of the nearby bathrooms, not really caring it was the male toilets or not. Another one visited the kitchens, while paying particular attention to the several pantries that were built on station to feed the hundreds of employees and one very anger-prone Saiyan Prince. The third member of their group searched the indoor gardens, being sure to check every tree and furrow, while a fourth member of the team, just for the heck of it, went searching all of the rooms she came across, one after the other, alphabetically… or whatever was convenient.

The key here was process of elimination and, if fortune favored the intelligent, then it was the wisest of them that would find the demi-Saiyan first. It certainly wasn't going to be Erasa, as the dutiful blonde, bless her heart, had gone out of her way in her investigation to leave no stone unturned… literally.

Case in point, while she was searching the lounge room, the pajama wearing teenager thought it was a good idea to sequentially check underneath each of the room's incredibly expensive couch cushions. Noticing Tama was asleep on top of one of the place holders the girl carefully picked up the pillow and removed it, with Mr. Briefs' cat still snoring peacefully across it.

Ignoring the kitten's wagging tail the bubbly teenager then peered into the couch, at the same time carefully holding the seat above her head. "You-hoo. Gohan? Are you there?"

Hey, as far as she knew he could've been anywhere. That was her logic anyway.

For the next twenty or so minutes the gang continued running about the facility, with the commotion even attracting the attention of Bulma Briefs. Stepping out of her room following a long and very comfortable sleep, she immediately noticed Lime running past her in a hurry, which snapped her out of her drowsy state and had the scientist stare after the girl in bewilderment. Before she could ask where the fire was at, the brown haired teen was gone, which prompted the woman to quickly follow after her out of curiosity.

As Piccolo looked around outside and Erasa turned her attention to the cafeteria, Videl moved her search to the training facilities built for the Saiyans of the establishment. Arriving in the familiar corridor of the gym department, the girl quickly jogged into the locker room, which she proceeded to search. Her investigation soon came to an end when she spotted Vegeta standing over by the GR door, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed and arms folded. Puzzled, the poster girl of Satan City approached him.

"Vegeta? What are you doing out here?" the girl asked.

Eyes cracking open, the prince grunted and nodded over his shoulder. "Take a guess."

Puzzled by his seemingly irate response, Videl jogged over to the viewing window to see what was going on. When she peered through, her eyes instantly lit up in astonishment when she saw Gohan, alive, well, and back on his feet, standing in the center of a ridiculously powerful gravity field, sparring with the company's training probes.

Darting through the glowing red air in a blur of motion, the half-Saiyan hero, dressed in a pair of training shoes and spandex blue shorts, dodged a series of powerful, highly concentrated beams sent flying his way by the spinning robots. His form flickered as he moved through the air at unheard of speeds, grinning to himself when he finally came within range of the probe floating at the highest point of the formation. When its sensors detected Gohan's approach, the orb-shaped robot fired another beam down at its evasive target, only for the hybrid to skillfully slip it and dart behind the probe. Cart-wheeling over in midair, the teenage warrior jabbed down with his fingers and hit the button on the machine's side, switching off the droid's weaponry and forcefully putting it in standby mode. The moment he did, he then went about doing the same to the rest of the training bots.

In record breaking time, the boy shot between the robots in a barely visible blur, effortlessly avoiding their attacks and striking their off switches one by one. He ended up moving so fast between the swarm of machines that every single one he ended up tapping wound up switched off at the exact same time. The moment he charged through the entire wave, he landed straight back down on ground level in a crouched position, eyes set ahead of him and a steeled look slapped across his face. When the wind finally settled from his light speed dash, the last of the probes beeped their final chorus before the entire room's lighting faded back to normal.

The sound of electronics and engines powering down signaled the end of the gravity simulation, allowing the half-Saiyan to rise up from the floor and face the ceiling without any strain on his person.

A sigh of relief soon escaped his lips as he felt the pings of his early morning session dissipate and looked down at his hands in thought. "Even after being out of it for several days, I didn't lose a single step." He then clenched his fists tightly. "Actually… I think I've gotten even stronger than before. Kai, I love my Saiyan genetics."

He loved his alien metabolism, he loved his adaptability, he loved his superhuman strength, speed and reflexes, he loved staying up for consecutive nights without any drawbacks, and he especially enjoyed those full moon nights when his body got all tingly and his-

"Gohan!"

Having completely missed the sound of the gravity room door opening and the intercom informing him that the chamber was being accessed, the demi-Saiyan turned around just in time to see a wide-awake Videl rushing over to meet him. His surprise quickly becoming replaced by delight at the sight of his girlfriend, Gohan faced the approaching teen and opened his arms just in time to catch the laughing fighter when she leapt at him without pause or hesitation.

The two embraced, with the former comatose patient spinning the love of his life about while he held her comfortably above the tiled floor. They both smiled and spent the next few minutes enjoying one another's company, with neither caring that one of them was half-naked and covered in sweat. After the spirit hazing ordeal they'd had to go through over the last ten days, neither one of them cared how the other person was dressed, appeared or smelled. They were just happy to see each other again.

Once Gohan set Videl to her feet and the two gazed into each other's eyes, the elated crime fighter then shook her head at him in incredulity. "Idiot. Why didn't you wake me up to let me know that you were alright?"

The boy chuckled, "Honestly, I was really tempted to. But you just looked so peaceful lying across my bed with the moonlight bouncing off of your cheeks that I just couldn't bring myself to wake you." He then grinned cheekily and looked over his shoulder in a very sly manner. "Plus… there was this other girl that I really needed to see across town, so I decided to-ow!" He was cut off when Videl punched him in the chest.

A frown remained across her lips as she half-scolded, half-humored him. "Don't spoil it, you spiky haired jackass. While I'm not sure about you, I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that you're all better now. Just give me a few moments to catch my breath before you start throwing wise cracks my way," the girl stated, giving him a foul smirk before wrapping her arms around his neck. A loving gleam then appeared in her eye following her gesture, which then gave way to the raven haired firecracker leaning closer to her boyfriend and rising up on her toes. "Geez. You really know how to give your family and friends a hard time without even knowing it. Getting sick, spazzing out in the middle of class, and ending up unconscious in a hospital wing with round-the-clock doctors and nightmares for over a week… honestly, you scared us half to death."

Gohan, feeling his chest flutter at the look he saw in the girl's irises, beamed warmly, "Sorry for making you worry so much for me, Videl." He then reached over and tucked some stray hairs behind her ear. "After all the trouble you and the others had to go through over the past several days, I promise I won't let anything like this happen again." He then placed a hand over her cheek and caressed it soothingly. "The last thing I want is to cause you anymore pain."

Her stare shimmering with joy and relief, the teenager's complexion noticeably brightened, "If that's the case, then I'll work extra hard to make sure you keep your promise."

The demi-Saiyan laughed a little, "Hey. That's supposed to be my line."

Videl grinned playfully in response, "Bite me." The next thing she knew, both of them had closed the one inch distance between them and locked lips in a tender kiss. Closing their eyes the instant they made contact, both teenagers then began gently clawing at one another for extra purchase, with the raven haired beauty moving her arms further around the Saiyan's neck while her boyfriend secured his grip around her waist. The embrace was sweet and affectionate, with both expressing all their pent up emotions from the past ten days into that one gesture.

While the two of them continued to make out in the middle of the training room floor, over by the GR's blast-proof entrance, several more figures made their appearance on the scene. Stepping into view of the archway, a calm looking Zangya along with a previously frantic Erasa and Lime, made their presences known to the two warriors inside.

Panting from an obviously brisk jog, the brown haired country girl gasped. "Hey! Any luck finding him in he-oh?" It was then she spotted her two best friends embroiled in what could easily be identified as a public display of affection, despite the fact that they'd started out alone. However, after quickly grasping the fact that Gohan had successfully been found and was obviously doing alright, Lime took a moment to relax and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Never mind."

"Has he… been training this entire time?" Erasa asked, shooting an inquisitive glance across at Vegeta, who was still leaning up against the adjacent wall.

When the prince stood off of it, the group was also joined by the still drowsy, pajama-wearing Bulma, who came strolling into the room curious to find out what was going on. The Saiyan royal grunted at the blonde's innocent question, "I woke up over an hour ago to get some extra training in before breakfast. But the instant I walked into the room, I saw that it was already being occupied by the brat."

"That would be a yes, then?" Erasa responded dryly, looking on as both the gruff fighter and his wife ambled over to accompany them.

"I didn't bother disturbing him, since I wanted to see what he could do after being out of commission for over a week," Vegeta said, leaning into the doorframe with his shoulder to watch Gohan and Videl continue their private performance. "As I expected, he hasn't lost a single bit of his strength."

Lime nodded in understanding, "That's good to know." No way they could they have the strongest man in the world going slack and potentially putting all of them in mortal peril. That would be terrible.

Confused as to that little assessment, the lithe blonde standing in the middle regarded the demi-Saiyan with interest, "But… didn't Gohan just have a really bad heart attack? How is that possible?" By her understanding, anyone who suffered from cardiovascular failure of that degree would've been bedridden for weeks and practically crippled.

"He's a Saiyan… well… half-Saiyan, really. Their genetics allow every member of their race to adapt and gain strength from whatever kind of damage done to them, whether it's from a vicious beating or a deadly virus," Bulma informed, crossing her arms and smiling into the center of the GR. "Since the strain Gohan was infected with was so potent, his immune system has gotten a massive kick-start and energy boost. That means his resistance to bacterial and viral infections has increased tenfold."

It was this news that drew a sense of utter amazement from the two school girls and a curious look from Zangya, the latter of whom then smiled brightly before quickly turning her attention back to the reason why all of them had come here.

The next minute passed by at a snail's pace. In that time, every single person watching from the sidelines wondered to themselves whether or not the two love birds were ever going to separate from their little exhibit. The display becoming more passionate by the second as the pair's hands started to roam all over one another, a couple of the female audience members started to fidget uncomfortably, as seeing the two in such a state slowly began feeding the hormone overloaded group some rather inappropriate ideas. This was most apparent in Erasa and Lime, both of whom looked on enviously as their girlfriend finished making up for lost time with her boyfriend.

A few seconds later and the pair eventually separated from their tender clinch, with Gohan and Videl ending the engagement with a gasp and a look into their opposite's eyes. When they finally realized they weren't alone anymore, the pair's gazes quickly snapped towards the training room's entrance, where they saw most of their friends watching them intently from the sidelines. Noticing the offbeat expressions they were wearing, the pair separated from one another and grinned sheepishly in their direction.

"Oh, hey guys. Good morning," Gohan greeted, at the same time Videl ran her fingers through her hair and looked away in a very girlie, very bashful manner. "Check it out. I'm all better now."

"You don't waste any time, do you, stud?" Rubbing her tired eye out, a grinning Bulma then looked upon the boy proudly. "Looks like that cure for the heart virus we managed to hash out from the sample we got from Trunks seven years ago worked like a charm." She then nodded towards her former patient probingly. "How's your chest? Have you got any aches and pains anywhere?"

Propping his hands on his hips, the demi-Saiyan shook his head. "Nope. Body's as tight as a drum." He emphasized this with a quick knock to his chest. "Not a cramp, stitch or sore muscle to report."

"What about lightheadedness? Are you feeling faint?"

"Flight check…" Gohan then flicked his bang of hair back and tested his form's natural equilibrium, "Pilot's good… so is the plane." His little gesture drew amused giggles from Erasa and Lime, both from his playful puns and the boyish grin he threw them at the end. "It's alright, Bulma. I'm fine."

His answer had the blue-haired scientist nod in relief, "Excellent. That's just what I wanted to hear."

Skipping over to the demi-Saiyan while he expressed his appreciation to the world renowned inventor, Erasa skidded to a stop in front of the boy and beamed at him. Taking a moment to admire his chiseled chest and broad shoulders up close, the blonde then spoke in a cheerful and happy voice, "We're so glad to see you're doing alright, Gohan. Your mum, your brother… everyone was worried sick about you." Sparing a glance over at her best friend of many years to see her beam back in kind, the girl in the pajamas turned her attention back to her crush. At which stage she then slipped her hands behind her and swayed nervously on the spot. "And… so was I."

Nodding his acknowledgement to Erasa's concerns, the spiky haired fighter placed a hand on her shoulder and gripped it reassuringly. "I know. I sensed all of you while I was sleeping… and I could tell how hard it must've been sitting there at my bedside, making sure that I made it through every night." He then lowered his head meekly. "I don't know how I'll be able to repay you… or know if you'll ever be able to forgive me… but-" All of sudden, Gohan was cut off when the blonde in front of him stood up on her toes and pecked him on the cheek, which she immediately followed up by pulling his face around to meet her gaze.

Smile firmly in play, the beautiful, kind-hearted teen nodded to him in earnest, "Apology accepted." Before the boy could mount any sort of reply, she then gave him a big, welcoming hug, which he immediately returned to let her know how much it meant to him. Feeling his warm embrace envelop her like a blanket, Erasa sighed. "Great to have you back, nerd boy."

A chuckle followed the girl's teasing jab, "It's good to be back." When the teen finally released him, the adult hybrid was able to catch his breath. However, his moment of relief was to be short-lived, as Lime shoved her way to the front and, without warning, punched the Z-fighter squarely in the stomach. The unexpected blow damn near had Gohan double over and crash to his knees, as half the air in his body was literally knocked out of his lungs. Gasping and clutching the knuckle imprint in his abs, the Saiyan warrior then looked up to see the brown haired country girl glaring right at him. He grinned sheepishly when he noticed how mad she was. "Heh… hey, Lime."

"Don't you 'hey Lime' me, mister," the childhood friend scowled, before blamefully pointing at the dashing martial artist. "You've got a lot of nerve taking off like that and not letting us know you were cured. The five of us were looking all over the place for you."

Gohan, wincing at the volume in her voice, scratched the back of his head in his typical Son manner, "Sorry about that."

Lime grunted and folded her arms over her chest, "Unlike some of the other guys here, I'm not as forgiving as Videl and Erasa when it comes to stuff like this. People who suddenly get up and run away after being in serious, critical condition don't get a simple flyby from me. Tell me… how do you plan to make up for all the worry and trouble you've caused us over the last ten days?"

Wheezing slightly as he straightened up, the Saiyan then forced out another, weak smile, "Would you… like me to go over your math and literacy homework… and help you get started on your Ancient History report?"

Lime didn't say anything for the next few seconds as she tapped her foot against the tiled floor and carefully considered the teen's proposal of assistance. Taking into account all of the work she'd taken on over the past couple of weeks from school and the difficulty of the numeracy material she'd encountered, the brown haired farm girl then cracked a bright smile and extended her hand gleefully. "Deal." When Gohan reached out with his to take it, he suddenly had to brace himself when the girl ducked in and gave him a hug instead. Laughing a little at how enthusiastic she was about it, the demi-Saiyan felt both assurance and joy, as he knew that everything was going to be alright.

For some reason he felt a whole lot lighter. It was like a week's worth of stress and woes had been lifted clear off of his shoulders with the girls' affectionate gestures.

After all, he knew better than anyone that Lime didn't mean what she said earlier. Though she appeared mad on the surface, in reality it was just her acting out of worry for his health and safety. To put it in simple terms, she was just as relieved as everybody else that he was alright. She just had a different way of showing it.

When Lime eventually released the boy from her hold and stepped away, Gohan's gaze was then drawn towards his right due to the feeling of another set of eyes locked onto him. He then felt his insides jump a little when he saw Zangya was also staring at him intently, a serious glare drawn across her face and her arms crossed. Considering he was already receiving the usual thousand yard stare from Vegeta and had been ceremoniously punched in the solar plexus by Lime, he'd hate to think what the Hera would do to him if she was in any way pissed off.

The Saiyan held his ground, standing before the orange haired girl's ire with his arms at his sides and a pleasant look on his face. "I guess it's your turn to scold me for my insensitivity, huh?" He then sighed and closed his eyes, raising his hands ever so slightly. "Go ahead. Lay it on me. Just keep all the blows above the belt and below the hair line. It parts funny when it gets lumps."

Seeing the teen open up to her, Zangya then had a smile spread across her lips as a chuckle then escaped her lips. "Really? Keep it above the belt? That leaves out all the fun stuff." When the demi-Saiyan cracked an eye open to look across at her, the Hera then walked closer to him. "Don't worry, spike. I'm not going to beat you up." She then stopped a few feet in front of the teen and looked him right in the eye. "I'm just glad to see you're alive again. Not to mention you're looking fitter than ever."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm feeling fitter than ever too. It's a set," Gohan said, scratching his cheek with his finger and grinning nervously at the woman. "That's what I was able to figure out over the last hour, at least."

Returning his remarks with a fond look, Zangya then took a moment to check him out. Shamelessly admiring his sweat-covered body, from his big arms, to his broad chest and his tasty looking abs, the orange haired demon had to take a deep breath to maintain her composure. Clearing her throat when her breath hitched, the woman then flashed the barely dressed teen a delightful grin, "It's always good to get out and stretch your legs after being a vegetable for a certain period of time." She then tilted her head at the Z-fighter curiously. "Speaking of which, did you happen to do any lifting while you were jumping around down here? Because you look great." No. Better than great! He looked like a bona fide, professional athlete advertising the latest in men's undergarments.

It was hot.

Gohan then looked around the room they were in and shrugged, "Does over a thousand times gravity count? If it does… then yes." When he saw the woman's smile grow at his answer, the teen then stepped towards her and his gaze warmed. "Though I didn't see what was happening while I was unconscious, I was still able to feel everything that was going on around the place. You guys must've gone through hell to make sure that I was alright." He then nodded to the Hera gratefully. "Thanks for looking out for me, Zangya. I owe you everything."

Initially the Hera looked as though she was going to take the boy's compliments and words of appreciation calmly and collectedly, like she always did. However, with all the crap that'd gone on in the last ten days, combined with the teen's smile bombarding her at close range, Zangya couldn't stand it anymore. With a deep shade of red appearing in her cheeks, which prompted her to shake her head in frustration, the Z-fighter had had enough.

"Fuck it. Come here." Without even taking a moment to think about it, the orange haired beauty grabbed Gohan by the shoulders, pulled him in, and gave him a searing kiss right on the mouth.

It happened so fast that Gohan didn't even have time to gasp. The stunning sucker punch to the face had the Saiyan recipient freeze up in shock, as what felt like an electric current shot right through his body, leaving him standing there with a thunderstruck expression slapped across his mug and his back as stiff as a board. Feeling the woman's arms tighten around him as one hand moved to tangle with his hair while the other remained behind his neck and shoulder, the teen attempted to figure out why this was happening and how things suddenly ended up like this. But as Zangya deepened the kiss, all his thoughts on the matter were effectively dispelled and replaced by the unmistakable sensation of enjoyment.

The rest of the group though had different reactions.

Videl and Lime reacted in the typical gob-smacked manner, their jaws dropping and shoulders slumping in utter disbelief. Though they figured the alien woman definitely held a strong fondness for the teen hero, never in their young lives did they expect the female warrior to act on them so suddenly… and in front of the rest of their group no less. The result was shocking enough to put their heartbeats on hold and stop their breathing for a full minute.

The only exception to the group of beautiful girls currently gathered in that chamber who didn't act like the world was falling apart around them was Erasa. Though the reporter in training was initially stunted like the rest of her companions, the blonde, acting on her journalistic instincts, was quick to recover from her alarmed state, grin cheekily, pull out her smart phone, and snap a couple of pictures.

For documentary purposes, of course.

Dispelling her surprise at her own volition, Bulma, scratching the top of her head, allowed a wide smile to appear as she stood back and enjoyed the sight of Gohan's friends gaping at their boyfriend like a school of guppies. The only person who didn't seem remotely shocked by this development was Vegeta, with the prince merely looking away and exhaling in boredom.

Obviously the man had been expecting this event for some time now, which was why he appeared even more frustrated at how flabbergasted everyone was acting as opposed to incredulous.

After Zangya was done giving the half conscious Gohan mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, the woman slowly broke away from the teen and spent the next few seconds catching her breath. Once her body fully registered to the pounding in her chest, the fuzzy feeling in her stomach and the warm, pleasant glow radiating from her face, the Hera then rested her arms over the boy's shoulders and whispered, "You won't believe how long I've wanted to do that with you."

Gohan was, to put it in layman's terms, speechless. "Uh… guh…?" Those were pretty much the only two discernible sounds to leave his mouth.

Giggling at the baffled expression on her friend's face, Zangya flicked her hair around and playfully poked the boy on the nose. "What's the matter, Gohan? Alien-chick caught your tongue? Because it sure as hell felt like I did."

Biting down nervously at the woman's remarks as blood rushed to his face, the demi-Saiyan cleared his throat and smiled, "Well, umm… you could say that…" He then laughed a little at the end, making a sound that was a cross between pleased and terrified. "Then again, I probably may have swallowed it by accident… among a few other things."

Honestly, what was going on right now? Sure he knew Erasa and Kana had a thing for him, even though they were well aware of the fact that he and Videl was already a couple. It didn't even occur to the Saiyan that Zangya was also into him… at least, not in a profound sense.

This was probably because he was so preoccupied with not only building a relationship with Videl, but also working out a solution to compliment Erasa's feelings and dealing with the various conflicts that extended beyond his social calendar that he was unable to respond to other matters accordingly.

Well, sure, in his dreams he may have fantasized and teased the idea once… twice… several dozen times over a span of a couple of years, but he always chalked these occurrences up to growing pains and hormonal fluctuations. Even though the two of them got along with each other like best friends, spent most of their free time with one another, trained with each other, complimented each other, and lived in the same home across from the other's bedroom, that didn't mean any feelings could've developed between him and-

…

Stopping his train of thought on that little tidbit of information, Gohan quickly figured out how things ended up the way they had.

Memories of his talk with the not so delicate Vegeta and the wisdom given to him in confidence by the far more compassionate Aphrodite slowly began to return to him one chapter at a time. Once they did, the teen soon came to understand how deep this whole thing actually went.

He then swallowed anxiously, as he figured that he too had a similar connection and fondness for the Hera.

Seeing the boy's mind working like clockwork behind his startled gaze, Zangya giggled in amusement and tilted her head at the teen fondly. "It's funny, isn't it? Ever since you and I became best friends, the thought that I'd ever end up falling in love with you never crossed my mind. Since you were just a scrappy young kid and I was a former space mercenary on the path to redemption, the idea that I'd wind up forming a bond with someone like you was just some whacked-up pipedream." At that, her expression deepened and her gaze on the boy strengthened. "But it seems like that's no longer the case."

Taken aback by the woman's words and the look that she threw him, Gohan remained standing in place, staring back at her in surprise. Sensing the warmth and sincerity in her remarks, the teen felt his chest swell as he was effectively overwhelmed and disarmed by a tidal wave of emotions crashing down on him at once. When his mind was finally able to work out the key segments of information needed for him to fully grasp what she was saying, all he could do was take a deep breath and whisper, "Zangya…"

The Hera, pressing home her advantage, made sure that her next words rang clear and true with the man of her dreams. "I know this may seem a bit sudden for you… but… I just wanted to let you know how I really felt. Besides, since you already have Videl and the other girls competing for your heart…" She then beamed brilliantly at the teen, "What's one more?"

Hearing this little point of fact from the alien female he regarded as his closest friend, confidant and partner in crime, the teen then allowed a smile to cross his lips as a warm glow to fill his own face. "Hey, I-"

"WAIT JUST A DAMN SECOND HERE!" a loud scream suddenly bounced off of the walls, scaring the daylights out of the two warriors and drawing their gazes over to Videl, who they saw was staring at them with a red face and wide eyes. Having obviously recovered from her shock ahead of Lime and restarting her train of thought, it was now becoming glaringly apparent that she was in the middle of a ridiculous freak-out. "Where in the world did this come from?! Huh?! Who gave you permission to kiss Gohan?!"

Blinking in confusion, Zangya slowly developed an intrigued gleam in her eye and, with a cheeky grin coming into play, wrapped her arms around the demi-Saiyan's neck, and clung to him possessively. "Come on, Videl. It's not that bad." She added to this by rubbing her cheek against the confused Saiyan's face affectionately, all in an effort to tease her friend. "All I was doing was letting off some steam and confessing my love for him. There's no reason for you to get all bent out of shape over something like this."

"Only if the person making the confession decides to make out with him first!" the raven haired fighter continued shouting, all the while her two girl friends and a couple of the other people behind her were grinning in amusement. Stomping up to the Hera, the human fighter then jabbed a finger at her in a lecturing manner, "Kissing comes after the confession, not the other way around!"

To the other people listening in on the conversation, this seemed like something that would be the least of her concerns.

"Says the person who made hers on the first date several days after they kissed," Zangya retorted with a persistent, irritating smile.

"That's because we were in a very delicate and emotional stage in our relationship! We couldn't help it!" the flustered teen attempted to argue, yet failed miserably. "Plus it was during a time we were all recovering from a really tough battle!"

"Yeah? Well… so is this."

Becoming a little bit concerned, Gohan raised a hand to intervene, "Uh, girls?"

Growling as her cheeks glowed a hot red, Videl then grabbed hold of Gohan's arm and began shaking him, along with the Hera who was still firmly attached to him. "That doesn't matter!" the girl half-whined, half-cried. "As his partner and girlfriend, I simply can't accept this!"

While the demi-Saiyan's head was rattled from side to side, the highly amused Hera continued grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Why not? Gohan doesn't belong to you. In fact, he doesn't belong to anyone. He has the right to do whatever he wants, same as the rest of us." She then giggled and latched on even tighter to the boy in question, who was so besieged by what was happening that all he could do was panic and try to keep his head out of the line of fire.

Gohan's face then lit up like a thermometer when he felt Zangya hug him even more so. "Uhh… lady parts… touching places…" These were the only intelligent things he could say in regards to this crisis.

The two female warriors continued to ignore him.

"Besides, considering what's at stake here, I wouldn't mind messing around with you and the other girls if it means having a piece of him." Zangya then leaned towards the raven haired girl, giving the baffled teen a mischievous smile. "Why don't we take a few pages out of Kana's book and…'explore' our options a little? What do you think?"

Blushing to the roots of her hair at the rather dirty comment, Videl gulped and leaned away from the alien girl, who was now coming in a little too close for her liking. "H-Huh?"

Zangya, deciding to take advantage of the situation, then winked at the stunned teenager playfully, "Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I think you're pretty cute too, V-chan."

Like the wire on a guitar string, the chord inside Videl's head representing the elements of sanity and restraint finally snapped, compelling the fighter from Satan City into immediate action. "THAT'S IT!" She then took a swing at the grinning Hera, who effortlessly dodged the punch and began a long and very joyous run around the room. The frustrated and embarrassed Videl, who was unable to do anything about the redness in her face, then started a merry chase of the orange haired woman, who merely laughed and cackled at the girl's efforts as the two of them proceeded to run laps around Gohan's position. "When I get a hold of you, I'm going to shave off both your eyebrows and mop the floor with your hair, you perverted, alien, demon-girl!"

"Whatever floats your boat," Zangya sang back. She was so confident in her ability to stay out of reach of the girl's terrifying fists that she was practically skipping as she ran, which only served to infuriate her friend even further. "Oh, Videl. I just love the way your skin sparkles when you sweat!"

"Shut up and stop running!"

"Make me!"

While Gohan had a little laugh at the odd display of bickering, over by the rest of the group, Erasa and Lime were watching the scene play out with great interest and amusement. Smiling away as the performance ticked on, the pair was then approached by the intently observing Bulma, who slid up alongside the country girl and whispered cheekily into her ear.

"I bet you can't wait for him to come around, huh?"

A sly grin formed across Lime's lips at the impish question. "Oh my Kai, you don't even know," she whispered in a mischievous and shameless manner. It was only a few seconds after she uttered her response that the brown haired teen realized what she'd just admitted and, looking up with a start, turned to Bulma with her hands over her mouth. "No, wait, I didn't say that! That's not what I meant!"

Laughing along with Erasa, the president of Capsule Corp looked across at Gohan and, after seeing Zangya and Videl lap him again, spoke up loud enough for him to hear. "Between the frisky tomboy, the childhood friend, the blonde bombshell, the hot demon girl with the long hair, and the cute alien traveler that glows in the dark, you've got a pretty nice harem, kid." She then winked at the demi-Saiyan, "I'm so jealous."

When Gohan chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head, a still present Vegeta groaned and looked away.

"Ugh. Give me a break," the Saiyan prince grumbled in annoyance.

And so the antics of the group opened up the gates to a brand new day, setting the stage for many more things to come. By the time the Z-fighters got around to stopping Videl from potentially maiming Zangya for her teasing jabs and Gohan was able to settle things between the pair, Piccolo, Kana and Paprika finally rocked up to the scene to join in on the festivities. After seeing Gohan was back on his feet and doing just fine, each of the newcomers that'd arrived at the GR walked over to express their relief and share in the celebrations, saying they were glad to see their friend was alright. This really only applied to the Seirei and the Namekian, the two of them hugging and patting him on the back respectively, whereas the boy's Makyan rival merely nodded to him in a show of momentary respect.

In fact, the former of the trio was so happy to see Gohan was up and about that the moment she stepped into view and saw him speaking with Videl and Zangya, she practically threw herself at the boy.

"GOHAN-KUN!" the Seirei practically squealed, teleporting directly in front of her crush and knocking him flat onto the ground. The demi-Saiyan balked in bewilderment as the girl rubbed her cheek into his, nuzzling him with the affection only an excitable alien like her could express. "You're awake! You're awake! I'm so happy!"

Gasping under the woman's rather explosive gestures, the demi-Saiyan chuckled and placed his hands against her shoulders, "Th-That's great, Kana. I'm… really happy to see you too." He did his best not to blush at how close the woman was, since she was practically lying on top of him, but there were only so many things he could do at once.

Acting like a cat, the glowing haired woman relinquished her arms from around the teen's neck and beamed at the boy with a sparkle in her eyes, "So, so? Are you feeling all better now? Is the heart virus completely gone?"

"It definitely feels like it, yeah."

"Sweet." Hair flickering behind her like a flame, the excitable alien giggled and straddled the boy's waist, all the while completely ignoring the surprised looks on the rest of the gang's faces. "We really need to do something to make up for lost time. Wanna go out to Nimbus 5 or Zalu 1 to celebrate your recovery? My treat."

Hearing her spitfire question loud and clear, Gohan stared back at the girl nervously and spoke, "That would be awesome, Kana. But… I think… going up into space to party at an alien nightclub after just recovering from a virus might be a little too much for me right now. Maybe… next weekend or something?"

Deflating a little at the teen's response, Kana then exhaled and gave the boy a sincere look in kind, "Oh. Okay then." She then levitated off of the spiky haired warrior, while simultaneously helping him to his feet. "Given your race's biology, you're probably still a little winded from your ordeal. Better let you catch your breath first before doing anything too extreme. After all, you are an earthling before anything else."

"Yeah. It's a really nice thought though, Kana. I'll be sure to let you know the next time I'm available." It was then the cheerful alien once again caught him by surprise by playfully wrapping her arms around his neck and hanging off of him like a balloon, drawing a lighthearted chuckle from the teen.

Once all the commotion and talk over the teen's return to form had died down, the group soon retired from the Gravity Room floor and pulled into the dining hall for breakfast. Though Gohan took a couple of extra minutes to get to the rendezvous point due to an overwhelming need for a shower, all the members of the Son and Brief families soon found themselves sitting at the dining table, surrounded by their comrades and best friends, and sharing a meal together under the same roof. Mrs. Briefs even went to the trouble of cooking up something really special for her domicile's guests, in honor of this wondrous occasion. The Saiyans at the table certainly enjoyed the pancakes, waffles and the feast of egg based foods, which came to them by the truckload.

Needless to say, it was the best breakfast any of them could've asked for, and Gohan was glad to be able to share it with all the people that he treasured most in the world.

OOO

(Meanwhile)

High up in space, in an area well outside of earth's orbit, Halley's Comet could be seen drifting through the vacuum along its predestined course. Having remained completely undisturbed in its short orbital path of the Solar System, the astronomical object cut across the blackness like a brilliant knife sent by the Kais, leaving a trail of ice, rock and space dust with every parsec it managed to cover.

Seemingly acting as nothing more than one of the many pieces of debris blasting across the cosmos, it continued on its route between planets unhindered; with its ultimate destination unknown.

However, just as it was well on its way to making its next orbital pass, a shadowy figure from a distant world suddenly teleported directly into the giant rock's path. Revealing herself to be none other than Alter-Videl, the blonde witch from a now extinct universe, complete with oversized hat, eye patch, and black, skimpy, one-piece suit, the diminutive humanoid then summoned a large blue staff from out of nowhere, pointed it towards the approaching ball of rock and, without any effort whatsoever, stopped its flight with a psychic push. The comet slowed its course before stopping altogether, along with the debris floating around its hot, glowing form.

Scrutinizing the ball of fire and ice carefully, the one-eyed witch then narrowed her gaze upon its surface and, after sparing a curious glance to another part of the Solar System, quickly turned it back to the comet.

It was at that moment a bright glow began emanating from her eye as she visually began deconstructing the comet, right down to its very core. Upon several seconds of scanning the piece of debris, when her piercing red eye finally arrived at the flying object's heart, she found the very entity that she'd been searching for.

Sprawled out between the icicles and walls of the impenetrable diamond prison, Alter-Videl saw the unmistakable, eerie silhouette of a massive, muscular creature of ancient origins with grey, ivory skin, a long tail, claws, and bones protruding from several parts of its hulking body. Furthermore, on top of having a length of ghostly white hair hanging behind it, through the shadows of its face, the teenage phantom saw its eyes shoot open and stare right back at her, seemingly detecting her presence and revealing a pair of hollow, blood red eyes.

These weren't just the eyes of a monstrous animal. They were the eyes of raw, unbridled hatred, which burned hotter than the brightest quasar in reality.

The glow in her iris fading, the one-eyed witch frowned deeply at the monster now floating in her grasp. "The power contained inside this prison is far greater than any other element in existence; the embodiment of both rage and destruction. Not even the Gods of this world could completely destroy the entity sealed within this crystalline shell." Upon uttering these words, a very dark thought then crossed her mind, prompting an evil smirk to appear across her lips. "Let's put it to the test."

Through use of her blue staff, the one-eyed Alter-Videl conjured up a thick mist, which she manipulated with her lance and directed to the area directly alongside her. A split second later, the blonde in the skimpy suit created an exact duplicate of the comet she was now keeping at bay, with the same weight, girth, atomic composition and appearance to its predecessor.

Since she knew Whis's powers like the back of her hand, Videl knew exactly how to fool him and take advantage of his weaknesses. Using the same skills he taught her in her previous universe, she could effortlessly block his Divination abilities and put up an impenetrable cloak to her actions. This meant that even with his seemingly unlimited foresight, he wouldn't be able to tell that the comet containing the most powerful monster in existence had been rerouted.

As soon as the enchantress had finished creating the dummy object, the foreign fighter then floated out of the copy's way and sent the doppelganger meteor rocketing along Halley's previous course. Once the decoy had been set, she then turned her attention back to the original comet, which she continued to admire from a safe distance.

Her one eye then twinkled with obvious excitement, "You may stand against me, you may defy me, you may try to fight me… but in the end, Gohan… all of your efforts will lead you to one inevitable outcome… the complete and total destruction of your universe." She then brandished the giant rock like it was her greatest asset. "This beast will herald the end of this world, carrying my swift and terrible sword to every corner of the cosmos. Then, when the dust finally settles, the only thing living in this world… will be darkness." With one last inspection of the comet's specs, the floating woman then pointed her spear in another direction and sent the ball of fire hurtling towards the distant horizon. As she watched the glowing object fade away into the distance, her dark smile widened considerably. "Death is the fate of all things that exist in this reality… and it will be I, Orthros, who will guide its merciful hand across the eternal plains of creation."

One way or another, this world was going to meet its end, and the monster she'd just sent towards the earth was going to make it happen. However, it wouldn't be a quick ceremony. The creature would bring death to all, one planet at a time, and there wasn't a single person in the universe that could stop it once it was unleashed…

Not even her.

After seeing the comet vanish along its assigned path, which would bring it into direct contact with the earth and deposit its lethal cargo gently upon its surface, the Videl from an alternate universe, Orthros, then turned her sights to another part of space. When her eye locked onto the stars hanging beyond her reach, a smirk once again spread across her lips.

"Let's see what happens from here."

Then, without a second thought, she vanished in a flash of blue light, teleporting to parts unknown.

As of this moment, her plan to upset the balance of this world had been set in motion.

XXX

(Two weeks later)

Timetables and schedules restored to their original settings, the Z-fighters quickly returned to the lives that they'd left behind in the days of the chaos surrounding their half-Saiyan compatriot. Though tensions and stress had been high over the course of that long week and a bit, things quickly calmed down for the fighting members of the troop, allowing all of them to go back to whatever it was they did best. You know… when they weren't saving the world from evil monsters and everything.

After celebrating Gohan's recovery, Kana returned to her star system to carry out her business as an interstellar negotiator, promising to visit the group again. Since she had such strong ties to the half-Saiyan hero of earth, there was no way they were going to lose her so easily.

While the Briefs family went back to dealing with their multi-billion-dollar corporation, Vegeta predictably went back to the Gravity Room, which was basically his second home. Feeling he was falling behind at an incredibly fast pace, the man was now more determined than ever to push himself to the same level that Gohan and Zangya had both reached. Knowing that a third form of Super Saiyan existed and that even his arch rival had managed to achieve it in his time spent in Otherworld, the prince was positive that he could reach it as well. That meant cranking up the training room to its highest settings possible and abusing the fuck out of his body to get the necessary results to achieving that strength. However, after seeing the trouble his rival's son had to go through pushing himself to accomplish that state, the man knew he had to find some other form of outlet to get there in his own way.

Gohan accomplished his through a combination of both rage and an alternative power source, while the teen's father, following his boy's example, had primal instincts and good, old-fashioned perseverance on his side. Based on that history of success, Vegeta reasoned with himself that if he was able to reach the first level of Super Saiyan his own way, then what was stopping him from finding a different route to gaining Super Saiyan 3?

A Saiyan's power was limitless, as far as he was concerned. That all depended on how much one could achieve in their lifetime.

With Vegeta spending most of his hours toiling away doing continuous pushups and situps, Piccolo was back up on the Lookout, switching times between meditating, giving lessons to the new guardian of earth, and doing some planet watching just like the good old days. He tried testing out his advanced hearing by narrowing down the voices of all the normal people on the surface of his home world. But since there were so many families and local groups living in each of the many community pockets, and they all pretty much had the same ki signature as the next person, the man always found this task of focusing in on each individual to be a bit of a chore.

At least it gave him something to do when not stopping by Gohan's place for a visit.

Speaking of which, Chi-Chi, pleased to have all her children back under one roof and in one piece, was now going to great lengths to make sure that her oldest son was doing alright. Even though Bulma tested Gohan to be completely free of the heart virus strain, the mother, acting on fierce parental instincts, still felt the need to make sure that the demi-Saiyan was comfortable at home and had all the resources necessary to achieving a full recovery. Though at times it did feel like she was acting like one of her children had the flu and was going overboard with her treatments, nobody wanted to argue against her about it. After all, her chicken soups and herbal teas were amazing, and Gohan, Goten, and Zangya had nothing to complain about.

Aside from getting back to school about two weeks behind on work, Gohan was quickly able to make up for his absence in class. Though there were many apologies he needed to make to his friends and to the members on his swimming team, he was still able to get all of his affairs in order just in time for the competitions. He even made good on his promise to help Lime with her homework, which she was having quite a bit of trouble with. Furthermore, whenever he was not out in Satan City for school related purposes, he was back at home, training with his younger brother and his best friend, both of whom were glad to have him around again.

On this particular occasion, in the middle of the two week period, the residents had decided to live it up the only way they knew how.

A large explosion rocked the countryside surrounding the Son Household, sending a blast of dust high into the air and signaling the collision of the two strongest warriors on the planet. Their forms being thrown out of the cloud's radius, both Gohan and Zangya skidded to a halt, digging their feet into the ground to cut off their momentum. The instant they did, both warriors revealed to the world their ruined, dirt covered uniforms and their forms bathed in the glows of their respective transformations.

While Gohan had achieved a fully controlled Super Saiyan 2 state, his spiky golden hair waving above him and blue electricity running up and down his body, Zangya had gone for her first Super Hera transformation. Their auras gone due to the simultaneously hits they'd managed to land on one another, this left both warriors in a neutral state that allowed them to better hold their forms without exerting any excess energy. Those instances were reserved solely for when they needed either a boost in strength or speed in order to catch their opponents off guard. Nevertheless, both fighters looked as equally impressive as the other in their powered-up states and they weren't in the least bit afraid of showing it.

The only difference here was their overall difference in power, which quickly became apparent when the panting Hera acknowledged her opponent's strength with a grin. "Damn. You really are one tough son of a bitch. Aren't you even the least bit tired?"

The teenager on the other end of the field chuckled. "Just give me a couple more minutes and a few more shots to the head. I'm sure I'll conk out eventually," he teased with a straight face. Even though he did his best to hide it, the Saiyan's competitive nature was unable to suppress the smugness that was reflected in his grin.

"Oh, ha-ha. Very funny, wise guy." Zangya then stood back up and dropped into a new fighting stance, arms held wide apart with her fingers curled into claws. "While you were lying around and wasting away under the sheets in the hospital wing, I was training with Vegeta to get my skills up and to work all the knots out of my system. Not to mention I've added a new transformation to my repertoire."

"So I've heard. I'm actually really curious to see what you can do with that new form of yours," Gohan replied in earnest, stepping forward with his right and taking a southpaw stance, which prompted his opponent to adjust the position of her hands once again. It'd once again reached a point where both fighters were now testing each other out from a distance, accommodating themselves for every time the other warrior changed styles. Since the two of them had such a diverse range of techniques under their belts, even the slightest alteration in combat performance meant a big difference in terms of the result. "Do you think you'll need it to bring this Super Saiyan down?"

Zangya smirked, "If push comes to shove, maybe I will. But don't count on in. I've still got a lot more tricks up my sleeve."

This drew a nod from the golden haired warrior. "Then let the best man or woman win." His aura then exploded around him with a storm of lightning, cracking the ground under the force and shaking the countryside for over a mile.

His power up prompting his foe to do the same, only with a green aura, the two fighters then leapt off the ground and charged their adversary down. The sky soon became filled with the telltale signs of miniature sonic explosions, as the super powered pair became locked in a heated exchange of punches and kicks; their attacks impacting their quarry in a vicious show of skill and power. Their shouts and yells were drowned out by the sheer volume of their clash, as the full force of their inhuman strength was thrown into the mix in an effort to outgun the opposition. Entire clouds were blown away and had chunks taken out of them when the force of the duo's blows eventually echoed up to them, rattling the sky for hundreds of kilometers in all directions.

And both weren't even fighting at full power.

While this concert was going on, down on ground level, Goten was getting his own workout. Wanting to tear away from the kitchen for a while and join in with the rest of her family, Chi-Chi quickly found herself in the process of giving her youngest the workout of a lifetime. This pretty much involved her chasing after her son and lashing out at him with her father's style of martial arts, her hands cutting through the air towards Goten in a terrifying blur of movement. The boy dodged all of her hits as best as he could, with shouts of fear leaving his lips as the woman struck at him with lightning fast shots.

Though she was nowhere near as strong as her sons in terms of power, the mother certainly made up for her shortcomings with aggressiveness, determination, and passion. On top of that, she was definitely scary when she was serious, a trait that all members of the Son family were intimately familiar with.

"Come on, Goten!" Chi-Chi practically screamed, throwing a kick at the boy and watching him dodge with a yelp. "Keep your eyes on me! You can't expect to fight your opponent if you can't tell what they're doing!" She then charged at the boy and lunged at him with a series of palm strikes, forcing the child to weave between them.

The demi-Saiyan panicked as he dodged, "Ah! B-But mum-! Whoa!" He then blocked a snap kick that came way too close for comfort, only to then parry a swift right chop. "Wait a second! I can't keep up! Let me just-AH!" He was then forced to block an axe kick that dropped straight down on top of him, the impact causing the ground beneath him to crack.

Holding her leg in place, the normally docile housewife then leered. "Not on your life, son! If you want to survive out there fighting alongside your brother, then you have to learn to control your strength and your energy! You can't just go around using it all at once! You have to be smart and fight using your head!" She then drew her leg back in and, spinning on the spot, snapped a kick into her boy's stomach. The blow landed hard and sent her son flying, where he then crash-landed on the grass several feet away. As soon as he was down, Chi-Chi took another offensive stance. "Feel and see what the opponent is doing, and counter. Don't just stand there and take everything thrown at you."

Struggling to get back up and coughing a few times, Goten then looked up with a whimper, "B-But… you're too strong when I'm like this. C-Can't I just use a tiny bit of energy?"

Chi-Chi responded with a firm shake of her head, "Uh-uh. This training is about getting you to use your senses without using your full strength. If an enemy manages to take away your powers, then you've got nothing. You only have your fighting skills to fall back on. Not only that, you have to learn to control your strength… especially when you're dealing with other people far weaker than you." She then widened her position and hardened her glare. "Besides, out here, I'm the master and you are the pupil. If I even feel your energy start to climb, I'll make sure you only get one serving of rice tonight. Got it?"

At this, the demi-Saiyan's eyes widened in horror. "W-What?! But mum-!"

Without another word, the woman dashed forward and leapt at her son with a yell, "No buts! It's time for round two!" She then dove at him with a kick, causing Goten to leap to the side in alarm. The child moved just in time to avoid her foot, which plunged into the earth and caused a loud shockwave to fill the air.

As the pair continued to fight it out, with Goten being forced to exchange shots with his mum using the bare minimum of strength, over by the house, the Ox King could be seen sitting on a lawn chair and watching the simultaneous shows unfold before him. This being one of the rare occasions he was able to see his daughter training, the man was also treated to the spectacle of his grandson and his best friend duking it out over the distant hills. Though he could only see the pair's battle in the form of an ongoing firework display of invisible explosions and sonic booms, the man could still feel the battle through the tremors in the earth and the clouds of dust rising over the mountains. He could also see his daughter and his other grandson sparring just a few feet in front of him, which put a big smile on his face as he sipped away at his enormous mug of coffee.

"Well done, Goten. Keep it up," the big man with the beard and glasses encouraged, before then turning to the horizon and calling out, "You too, Gohan!" He then chuckled when the response he got was the sound of his youngest grandson yelping and leaping out of reach of another of his mother's kicks. When he tried to fight back, the child paid for it with a palm strike to the forehead. "Ah, it's so nice to have a good, strong family. They don't take guff from no one," the Ox King remarked, at the same time laying his hands across his stomach comfortably.

It was same-old, same-old for the people living up in Mount Paozu, and things seemed to be coasting along for them just fine. Circumstances could also apply to the rest of the group. Kame Island was still in the same place it'd been left, with Krillin doing his best to raise his family, while also saving up for a place of their own, Yamcha was currently coping with the solitary existence of a bachelor in his penthouse outside of West City, and Tien, taking a page out of Goku's book, had decided to settle down in a new village outside of Central City with Launch, where he worked as the village leader and his friend Chiaotzu ran a martial arts school for youngsters.

This pretty much summed up the circumstances of everyone to date. However, despite the quick return to their daily routines, a couple of the Z-fighters still felt some concerns.

OOO

That Wednesday, it was the day of the state swimming competition, and parents and students from schools all across the region had turned out to Orange Star High to view the festivities in person. With the bleachers and stands packed to the brim with excited spectators, every single man and woman was hyped up for the events to come. They'd already had the pleasure of watching the first two rounds of students for free style and were now waiting for the next group of kids to move up to their respective platforms. The students from the home team who'd turned out to support their side applauded as the next row of swimmers moved up to the block, with one particular group being the most vocal in their exclamations.

"Hey. Heads up, guys. It's Gohan's turn now," Touya said loudly, elbowing Sharpener in the side as he gestured towards the end of the fifty meter pool to their right.

The long haired sportsman, dressed in his usual material of singlet and jeans, grinned widely and clenched his fist in excitement, "Awesome. Our boy's totally going to roast those other pinheads standing alongside him. Their schools don't stand a chance." He then looked to his left and towards the rest of their group. "Alright, girls. The bases are lining up. It's time to show them what you've got."

While Erasa, Lime, Yukie and Sena were all more than willing to participate in the little scheme they'd cooked up, the only one out of their entourage who expressed a tiny bit of concern was Videl, and there was a good reason why. In the spur of the moment, all five of the girls had borrowed a set of cheerleading clothes from the club so that they could better support their friend during the main events of his competition. The outfits consisted of elasticized leotards with teasingly short skirts, and an orange and white color design to optimize the entire look. The school's logo was also clearly emblazoned on the front of the outfit, with the name Shooting Stars written in bold across the breast. It certainly was an eye catching ensemble, there was no doubt about that, but it was one that the most hardcore member of the group wasn't overly thrilled of being seen in.

This was made obvious by the nervous look on Videl's face and the shade of red radiating off of her cheeks. Shifting apprehensively in her seat, the raven haired girl murmured, "I… I'm not really sure about this."

"Oh, Vi. Stop being such a chicken," Erasa exclaimed in encouragement, grabbing the girl by the arm and, with the help of her friend Lime, hoisted their uneasy companion to her feet. "You're the one who said we should do something special for Gohan's big day."

"Y-Yeah. But… this isn't exactly what I had in mind," the crime fighter mumbled, at the same time gripping the front of her skirt and pulling it down. She could feel an uncomfortable draft up her legs due to the flimsy consistency of the dress, which had her shuffle about uncomfortably on the spot. "Look at me. I look like a friggin' idiot."

"No you don't," the blonde replied, waving her had dismissively at her friend's comment before patting the normally hardnosed teen on the back. "Trust me. You look great." She further encouraged her with a smile, which was as enchanting as it was heartwarming.

Her comment causing an even deeper shade of scarlet to spread over the fighter's face, Videl then looked up at her childhood friend with a blink, "Y-You think so?" She asked this while tucking some stray hair behind her ear.

"Of course," Erasa reaffirmed, at the same time picking up the four pompoms lying behind them. Handing two of them over to the shy Z-fighter, the incredibly cheerful teenager then giggled and waved them in front of her, "Besides… even if you did look funny in that skirt, then both the cheerleading squad and the rest of us would look pretty ridiculous as well, wouldn't you agree? That's the main rule when it comes to consistency." Erasa then took up the two glittering cheering tools and held them out with both hands. As soon as she did, she struck a very sailor-moon-like pose. "And even if you don't like them, you have to admit that these outfits are pretty damn comfortable."

Balking at her friend's remark, Videl then looked to her left to see Lime nod in agreement, "You can say that again. Though the skirt is a tad bit short for my liking, the waistlines on these leotards are really snug and stretchy." She added to this by placing her hands on her sides and moving her hips left and right. "The tailors they hired to design these really know how to make our school's extracurricular uniforms really well. I feel like a completely different person in these tights."

"Hmm… now that you mention it, I do feel pretty important and self-empowered," Yukie remarked, her doe's tail wagging behind her as the anthropomorphic girl beamed at the other teenagers sharing her row. "You know… metaphorically."

"And hey, as long as the five of us are dressed up like this, we may as well go out there and have some fun," Sena concurred, giving Lime a wide grin and earning one from her in kind. She then tugged on her skirt in a showy and playful manner, "If those featherbrains from Central City's Next Top Model can pull an exciting chant off the top of their heads, then the five of us should be able to do it too."

"Damn straight," Lime replied, at the same time bumping fists with the red haired girl.

Taking up their borrowed pompoms, the group of girls all stood side by side and prepared themselves for the whistle. Since a couple of them were completely new to the concept of cheering while dressed in the appropriate uniforms, they had to count on Erasa to lead them in the opening chorus. Though the boys planned on giving a holler for their local demi-Saiyan, they were more or less enjoying the sight of their gang's girls all dressed up and ready to dance. The pair of sportsmen even took a couple of moments to snap a few quick photos, much to the embarrassment of Videl and Sena respectively.

Once everyone was done ogling each other, they quickly turned their eyes back to the blocks, where they saw the next swimmers relinquish themselves of their towels and ready themselves for the event. As the line of eight swimmers flexed, stretched and warmed up for the hundred meter dash, Videl, Erasa and Lime couldn't help but do some gaping of their own when they saw Gohan step up to the front.

Though they'd seen the teen topless before on a number of occasions, including that time back at Capsule Corp, they'd never really seen him clad in a pair of swimming shorts while dripping with pre-competition perspiration. Standing there, under the light of the sun with a pair of goggles pulled over his forehead, the demi-Saiyan put on one hell of a presentation for the girls in the stands as he stood before the crowds, stretching his arms and back, and flexing his shoulders. While performing a basic arm stretch, with his right in the air and his left curled behind his neck, he gave everyone a wonderful view of his chiseled abs, chest and back, a sight that practically had Erasa's mouth watering with delight.

"Oh… wow," the blonde gasped, her unblinking gaze fixated squarely on the demi-Saiyan. She licked her lips for extra measure as they moved up and down the teen's ripped form.

"Is it just me… or does Gohan seem really, really hot today? More so than usual?" Lime asked, at the same time swallowing the saliva she had collected in her mouth. "Kami. Look at those deltoids."

"I sure can't wait to sink my teeth into that meat some day," Videl commented, earning a couple of odd glances from Sharpener and Touya at the tone the crime fighter used to say it. It was only a few seconds after her statement that the Z-fighter quickly realized what she'd just uttered on her own accord and, after blushing under the stares of her classmates, cleared her throat and nudged Erasa in the side. "Alright. Enough standing around and looking like idiots. It's time to rock this joint."

Down by the pool, Gohan had just finished limbering up with his opponents and was now taking position behind the block. Carefully slipping his goggles over his eyes, even though he didn't really need them on account of his experience, the attractive young male prepared for the call of the referee to move to the final starting point. However, just before he was getting ready for the instruction, a series of loud cheers and calls suddenly pulled his attention away from the swimming pool and his glistening reflection underneath. When he looked towards the stadium's stands moments later, the boy not only saw Sharpener and Touya cheering for him from their seats, but he saw all the girls of his group waving at him in the most bizarre display he'd ever seen.

"All together, now!" Erasa shouted, before leading the gang through a hilariously unsynchronized, unrehearsed chant that had the people in the audience closest to their row looking up at them in confusion, "Gohan, Gohan, he's our man! If he can't do it, no one can! Gee! Ooh! Haitch! An! He's the greatest of our band! GOOooo, Gohan!" When the group did a really clumsy jump at the end with their pompoms held out to the sides, the girls then gave a collective laugh as they tried to form letters with their arms to spell their friend's name.

When that failed, the girls simply waved.

"You've got this, man!" Sharpener called loudly above the clamor of the crowd. "Whatever you do, don't drown!"

"You can do it, Gohan!" Videl added at the end, being sure to stick her arm high into the air to signal her best wishes to her boyfriend. "The school's counting on you!"

Though the demi-Saiyan was initially stunned by the sight of Videl in a cheerleading uniform, considering it was the last thing he expected the tomboy to wear, he quickly shook his head, grinned back at the group, and waved back timidly. When he heard them all call out his name a second time, a comical sweat drop appeared on his forehead. "Thanks a lot guys. But… don't you think the outfits are a little bit much?" Granted, it did make the girls appear more alluring, he wasn't exactly sure whether this was the most appropriate setting to have them. Oh well. At least he knew they were out there supporting him.

A loud whistle then rang out, signaling all of the swimmers to step up to the block. Doing as instructed, Gohan and the rest of the row moved onto the diving platforms and stood straight up, readying themselves for the off. Upon assuming the positions, the referee then made the final call.

"Take your marks…!" Almost all at once, every single swimmer on the diving blocks bent over and took their stances. Then, a split second later, a loud, electronic 'beep' rang out, and all eight of them jumped.

The race was on!

A loud cheer rang out across the school the moment Videl and the others saw Gohan take the leap, performing a perfect dive into the water. After performing the standard dolphin kick in a hope of putting themselves ahead of the competition, every single one of the swimmers then surfaced at once and began to free style through the water to the other side. Hands chopping into the pool like knives as they raced towards the wall, the group of teenagers began picking up speed the further and further they went. The sprays they kicked up were tremendous and the amount of ground they covered was amazing, even for high school students. But while all the swimmers currently in motion demonstrated perfect form and superb technique, it was the demi-Saiyan of the bunch that stole the entire show.

Videl's group cried out in full support of their classmate as he shot down the swimming pool and pulled ahead of the pack, determined to finish in a leading position. Though they all knew that the boy was purposefully cutting down on speed to make the competition more entertaining, even with the minutest amount of effort, he was really tearing it up. The boy was like a torpedo; a man in his natural element that could make Poseidon himself blush with jealousy. It was only when he reached the other side seconds later that he really decided to cut loose and, after performing a spectacular flip and turn, he kicked off the wall like an arrow launched from a bow.

Gohan's kick through the water after the maneuver caused a noticeably small wave across the pool that nearly knocked a couple of the swimmers off course. However, it was still too small to be of any real notice to the officials, as the crowds watched the teenager leave every other swimmer in his mist. Under the cheers of his friends and the cries of his school mates, he barreled down the lane like an Olympic Champion. Several seconds later, his hands slammed into the wall, and the boy's head leapt out of the water with a gasp.

Flinging water over his body as he threw his head back and ripped off his goggles, the hybrid then turned his attention to the clock to get his time and place. When Gohan saw the rest of his competitors finish several seconds later, it was all the proof he needed that he'd won the leg, hands down. Turning to the stands, the victorious teenager grinned and raised his fist towards the sky, before then giving a spirited and well-earned, "Yatta!"

Sharpener, Touya, Videl and the rest of the misfits cheered loudly when they heard Gohan give his triumphant shout. This signaled for the rest of the crowd to follow, with all those who'd turned out to support Orange Star High's team giving a collective roar of congratulations, showcasing their elation at the young man's victory. Under the applause of the people and his companions, and at the instructions of the referee, the demi-Saiyan then clambered out of the pool with the rest of the swimmers. As soon as he was back on land, he then waved to the people and turned to where his friends were seated.

When the boy raised his fist towards them, Sharpener turned to Touya and banged his knuckles against his shoulder, "Did you see that? I told you he could do it."

The boy in glasses grinned, "You're saying that like I doubted him."

"Well, it certainly sounded like you did," the blonde replied, having a laugh when his friend took a playful swing at his head, which he ducked. "Hey, man. Chill. I'm just kidding. No need to go throwing punches at me just because I was right."

"Pft. Sure you were. Now stand still, you bum," the man laughed as he grabbed the man by the forearm and drilled several good punches into the one spot in his shoulder for good measure. "How do you like that? Huh? Huh?" This ended in Sharpener nursing a painful yet good-natured bruise, a few seconds before he returned the boy's punishment with a jab of his own.

The sight of them scuffling had the nearby Yukie and Lime shake their heads and thing to themselves, "Men."

As the boys scuffled and the rest of the girls continued to cheer heartily for their friend, Videl, sharing a grin with Lime, then faced the edge of the pool where she could see Gohan standing. When his gaze fell upon her, she smiled warmly at him and he threw one right back.

It was funny. Seeing him positioned directly underneath the limelight, bathed in the adulation of his fans… the girl couldn't help but think to herself how much it suited him. Had he taken the credit for Cell's defeat and the many times he did save the world from an enemy's wrath, she didn't think anyone would've been able to doubt his strength. However, that was neither here nor there, and even receiving credit for small victories such as this was good enough for her. As long as it made him happy.

And hey, he certainly looked good doing it. Hell, dressed the way he was, dripping with freshly drawn pool water, he looked even better than good. The sight practically had her eyes sparkle with desire.

The same could be said for Erasa, who couldn't help but blush as she admired every inch of the boy from a distance, standing there with his muscular arm raised in victory above the rest of his toned figure. Her hands came together excitedly as the blonde savored the sight, being sure to burn it into her retinas.

A sigh left the crime fighter's lips when she saw the boy return to the waiting area to dry himself off. "He looks really cool out there, doesn't he?"

Erasa swooned, "Mmm… yeah…"

"Once this is all over, we should definitely go out and celebrate. What do you think?"

"Yeah…"

"How about a restaurant? Do you have any suggestions?"

"Yeah…"

Hearing the breathy, unfocused responses coming back at her, Videl looked across at her best friend to see what was going on. When she saw the blonde was still gazing down at the Saiyan with a dreamy look in her eyes, a shade of red on her cheeks, a lustful grin in play, and her nostrils flared, the raven haired teen visibly balked and frowned. She was then about to give her distracted friend a good tongue lashing. However, when the blonde inhaled and licked the corner of her lips in a rather lewd manner, it was all the crime fighter could take before she decided to administer swift justice upon the situation.

Without a moment's hesitation, Videl reached over her friend's shoulders, hooked her fingers inside Erasa's nostrils, and pulled. The blonde was quickly snapped out of her trance when the raven haired girl buried her foot into her spine and, treating her nose like a set of reigns, began yanking back on them as if she was a horse. This had Erasa's body bending backwards like a bow, a sight that had everyone, including their rest of their group, cringe at how painful it appeared.

"What the hell is wrong with this nose, huh?" Videl growled, ignoring her friend's cries and flailing arms as she pulled back even further in a highly comical way. "Listen to what I'm saying, damn it!"

"AAAH! VIDEL! IT'S GOING TO RIP OFF!" Erasa practically screamed, her words all muffled due to the fingers in her face.

While the commotion pretty much went on unnoticed by Gohan and a majority of the stadium, it certainly didn't go on unacknowledged by the people in the immediate vicinity.

Nevertheless, it was all in good fun, and once Lime was able to break the two girls apart from their own squabble, things quickly returned to normal.

XXX

(Several days later)

(Omega Quadrant, Nimbus 5)

True to his word, as soon as Gohan was back in tip-top condition and had gotten all of his affairs in order, he gave Kana a buzz and asked her whether she still wanted to take him out to celebrate or not. Much to his amusement, without even a second of hesitation, the alien girl jumped down to earth, said her Christmas greetings to all the members of the Son residence she'd come to associate with over the years, and then took the demi-Saiyan on a trip across the cosmos.

The Z-fighter had no idea how many star systems and galaxies they passed. Whatever the case, about a few seconds of light speed travel later, and Gohan soon found himself and Kana standing in the middle of the seediest neighborhood the boy had ever come across.

At first the spiky haired warrior in the orange and blue gi thought he'd been dropped straight into the set of Blade Runner. The brightly lit, rustic skyscrapers of futuristic design towering all around him, flying cars and space ships choking up the skies, holographic billboards written in various bizarre alien languages, and the steamy, backwater streets stretching in all directions certainly amounted to a dystopian version of downtown Las Angeles. However, on closer inspection, the community was much more than that. Aside from seeing the typical street thugs, lowlifes and gutter dwellers the Saiyan would often see back on one of his planet's great infrastructures, what he also saw were aliens and creatures of all shapes and sizes assumed in the roles of this setting's common folk.

The diversity of extraterrestrial life around him was astonishing. To his right, gathered in front of what he suspected to be some sort of porno theatre, was a group of lizard-men gangsters dressed in nineties bikey outfits, with hot alien groupies wrapped around their arms, giggling away as two of them fought. Behind him the Saiyan saw a couple of really tall birdmen walk past, chatting away with a female cat-alien and a green woman with dreadlocks for hair and a tail, all four of whom were dressed in fashionable spandex. To Gohan's left, he saw a man in a hood making what he figured to be some sort of drug deal with a shady alien with a crystallized face in an alleyway. Furthermore, just as he was soaking in the rest of the population, the boy leapt back with a start when a large snake man, who was about three feet taller than him and had fours, claw-like arms, slithered past him.

Needless to say, the sudden change in scenery was a real culture shock to the country teen.

Clearing his throat in surprise, the bewildered Gohan spoke. "This is where you go to relax?" he asked, while at the same time taking note of a tall, humanoid male dressed in a space suit and leaning against his parked car, making out with a scantily clad alien girl with grayish skin and dragon wings.

Laughing at the boy's question, the Seirei in the glowing jumpsuit grinned and elbowed the teen in the side. "No. I said this is where I go to celebrate." She then waved for him to follow, "Come on." She then crossed the street, heading towards a large, metal building with a glowing neon sign on the outer wall just above the entrance.

Initially apprehensive, Gohan decided to shadow the freelancer out of sheer curiosity. However, just before he could cross after the woman, the boy jumped back with a start when a grey hover car suddenly came screaming down the road and blew past him. The driver, a burly alien with orange skin, mandibles around a human mouth, and scales, honked at the boy and screamed out the window.

"Watch where you're going, numbskull!"

Shaking his head, the demi-Saiyan shouted after the offender, "HEY! I'M WALKING HERE!" Not sure whether his yell reached the inconsiderate driver or not, the miffed warrior ignored the snickers from the two alien men, leaning against the wall behind him, both of whom looked surprisingly like Appule and Cui, and quickly followed after Kana.

When the hybrid eventually reached the girl waiting patiently on the other side, he heard her giggle. "Trouble with the locals?"

"That crazy guy nearly ran me over," the frazzled Saiyan exclaimed, simultaneously pointing after the vehicle that'd been traveling well above the speed limit. "Should I report him. I got his license tag. Triangle, triangle… something that looks like a square." Damn. What a weird language.

With the amount of aliens hanging around, it wouldn't surprise him one bit if he ran into somebody who spoke brail.

"Don't bother," Kana chuckled, giving the issue a flippant wave before wrapping her arms around Gohan's, hugging him tightly. "In this town, there's practically no government or law to run things. It's all done by the local crime bosses and space port companies. Just think of it as your typical, outskirt rat pit or crud bucket, where the scum of the universe gather to eat, celebrate, and party, sixty two cycles a day."

Gohan smiled when he felt the girl proceed to drag him down the footpath and towards their intended destination. "Sounds like a really charming place," he remarked, at the same time ducking under a crate being carried by a massive, red alien about three meters tall in space armor, with four eyes and four arms. "Vegeta would feel right at home here."

"He probably would," Kana replied, her glowing orange hair trailing behind them as they continued to edge their way across the neighborhood. "You can find dozens of really powerful people here… and not just gangsters. You also have exiled warriors from distant galaxies, crime lords, mercenaries, drug dealers, tycoons, and all sorts of other military types wandering around. To quote a phrase…" She then lifted her finger and, grinning up at her crush, spoke in her best old man's voice that she could, "You will never find a more retched hive of scum and villainy."

The young man laughed at the face the girl made and nodded to her, "Let me guess, Star Trek?"

Kana then slapped him in the chest, "Don't be ridiculous. I watched it from your planet's data bases yesterday when I downloaded it. It was awesome." Her nose then turned forward again as the pair continued to walk and talk. Despite the general scope of the area, from the way the two of them looked with their arms interlocked, you could swear that they were a young couple out on a date. It certainly felt like it from the Seirei's perspective, even though Gohan was completely oblivious to her motives. "Anyway… if you're ever looking for a more disgusting place, you've found it. Everyone on this planet is completely hardcore."

"You don't need to tell me twice. I've only been here for five minutes and I already feel like my life is in danger," Gohan said, watching a tall man in a high-tech combat suit similar to a SWAT uniform march by with a rifle on his back. Taking note of a tiny, spherical robot with a lone, red eye floating after the mercenary and stepping over a family of bipedal insectoid-aliens the size of boots, the cautious Saiyan then directed a smile back at his friend. "So, reckless-woman-who-decided-to-abduct-me… where is this place you've been dying to take me to all this time?"

Grinning widely, the orange haired woman then stopped in front of a set of metal doors and pointed at the sign above. "Right here."

At first Gohan was taken aback. Size of the gate aside, the damn thing was made completely out of metal and was covered in all sorts of grime, indicating that whoever owned this place didn't put much effort into making this a really respectable establishment… or at least tried to. Furthermore, besides the smell of fish and garbage water, there was also the distinct sound of party music booming loudly on the other side, causing the various vents and panels to tremble with every base note that was hit. Drinking it all in, the demi-Saiyan quickly deduced that this was some sort of night club and that it was the stuff going on inside that the Seirei was so eager to introduce him to.

Before he could even ask Kana what was waiting for them beyond the steel barricade, the glowing woman stepped forward, placed two hands against the handles, and threw the entrance open with an excited shout, "What's up, guys?!"

Almost instantly, the entire place let out a collective, booming roar, "KANAAAAA!"

And this was on top of the ridiculously loud music.

As the girl stepped in with her arms raised, basking in the collective outcry of her admirers, and the double doors closed behind them, Gohan was treated to his second biggest surprise for the day. Not only did he saw the Seirei receive high-fives from all the patrons that were there to greet her, he also saw the place that they were associated with.

In front of him, the Saiyan saw the biggest, most high-tech disco joint he'd ever come across in his young life. The dance floor in front of him and the booths surrounding the place were packed to the brim with drunk, rowdy aliens, all decked out and dressed for a night on the town. Left and right, he saw men and women of all races, shapes, colors and creeds tearing it up across the space, crying out as the music thundered from the speakers above them. All the girls, or what he could see were girls, were dressed in skimpy tops, skirts, spandex and lace, hitting it up with the most bizarre men from all four corners of the universe. Initially Gohan had to shake his head when he thought he saw Captain Ginyu, Cell and Frieza dancing in the crowd, when in reality they were just other people from their races busting moves under the light of the strobes. They certainly looked like them though… there was no arguing that.

Now Gohan would have to live the rest of his life with the image of a Frieza, with boobs, dressed in a bra and G-string, dancing on a table in high heels.

Only the most coma-inducing amounts of alcohol and a few shots to the head would be able to get rid of that memory. Hopefully this place could provide such a beverage.

Under the blazing lights flickering from lamps and spots, Gohan also saw hot alien go-go girls in bikinis dancing in cages that were hanging from the ceiling, food and drinks being served at the booths, a poker tournament taking place in the far corner, and massive television screens and holograms playing party themed recordings for everyone to enjoy. From the cheers going on all around and the amount of testosterone he smelled, it certainly looked like people were having fun, and as he proceeded to follow Kana into the sea of hormones and excitement, it became even more obvious.

"Wow. And you think you know a girl," Gohan mused to himself, smiling as he watched Kana chart a course through a path formed in the crowd.

As they walked, the glowing woman continued bumping fists and high-fiving people left and right. "Hey! How's it going? Long time no see?" the girl chirped, jabbing a large, red-haired, humanoid alien in a jumpsuit as she passed him. "Lookin' good, Zil."

"You too, Kana," the large, muscular traveler laughed, while at the same time grinning at the Seirei. "Workin' hard?"

"You know it," the bombshell mercenary replied, before raising a hand to a boney, Martian-like man in battle armor approaching her from the front. "Yo, Yin. Nice suit. Up high!" She then slapped the alien's hand good-naturedly, earning a croaky response from him when he stepped aside. The man's words earned a playful grin from the glowing girl. "Ten-four, my friend. Ten-four." After waving at the people she'd met on the way through, the girl then dragged Gohan over to the bar.

When they arrived there, they quickly found two seats between a large, bulky man with plates of bone growing out of his skin and a lizard woman in tights. Edging her way in, the glowing Seirei then slapped her hand on the bar and grinned across at the man working behind it.

"Yo, Gonz. Is the garcon in this dive still as bad as I remember?"

Hearing her voice loud and clear, the alien working behind the counter, a burly, orange alien with tusks and an apron, turned around, grinned a toothy smile at the Seirei, and raised two large pints of an unidentifiable foamy liquid. "See for yourself, firefly." He then slammed the two drinks on the counter, not even caring if they spilled as the glowing woman quickly grabbed the nearest one by the handle. "On the house."

"Thanks," Kana exclaimed, taking a seat as the barkeep moved down the line and Gohan slid into the one next to her. Pushing the second serving over to her guest and watching him take it, the Seirei then picked her mug up and held it between them. "Cheers." Clinking it against the Saiyan's when he returned her gesture, the glowing female wasted no time in putting the glass to her lips and chugging back on the beverage.

Gohan could only watch in utter amazement as Kana guzzled down the entire pint in one swig, his mouth dropping when he saw the woman slap it down a second later and belch at the top of her lungs.

Wiping away the excess foam from her lips, the Seirei sighed, "Ah. Now that's good garcon." She then glanced over at the Saiyan next to her and smiled warmly. "Try it. It's great."

Looking at his apprehensively, Gohan then brought the drink up and took a swig of it as well. At first the taste of bubbly sweet nectar danced across his tongue, filling his stomach with wonton desire. But then, when a very gasoline like taste replaced the sensation of honey, the boy's cheeks unexpectedly bloated and he spat out the liquid all across the counter. Sputtering in shock, he looked back down at his drink in bewilderment, "Ugh. Man… that's some really strong stuff."

"Well… it might not be your vintage, but it certainly is mine," Kana laughed, resting her cheek on her hand as she beamed across at the boy in amusement. After seeing him give the drink another try, this time with a little more success, the Seirei stared at him brightly. "I take it you don't come to neighborhoods like this very often?"

"Honestly, no. However, I do find a lot of enjoyment from visiting new places and trying out different cultures," Gohan quickly replied, grinning as he gazed back at his hostess. As the music continued to play and the patrons continued to dance like fools behind him, the demi-Saiyan still found the opportunity to engage with his friend in civilized conversation. "Though this isn't really the kind of setting you'd find me in, I'm still really glad you were able to take me here. Thanks."

"No problem. Live life to the fullest! That's what I always say. It's an experience you shouldn't let go to waste," the Seirei stated, tapping the bar and watching as the host, Gonzo, slid another full glass over to her. Taking it into her firm grip, she gazed at her friend welcomingly to see him casually sip away at his beverage. "After your near death experience, I figured taking you to the wildest, most jamming joint in the galaxy would be the best way to celebrate your return to the real world."

"Yeah. And what a place it is," the young man chuckled, turning to the dance floor and gesturing to the aliens dancing on the stage and tables. "I've never seen so many aliens packed into one building before. Forget about the guys that look like my old enemies, there are groups of men and women out there that I never even seen in movies."

"These are the outskirts. You're bound to run into a few familiar faces," Kana stated, earning a curious look from her companion.

"Oh? Any I should look out for in particular?"

"Let's see. Well…" Kana began, before then grinning and pointing down the table over Gohan's shoulder, "If we're looking for familiar faces, here comes one right now." When the hybrid turned around to look, the pair was quickly confronted by the individual in question.

"Kana. I thought I heard your name get called out across the club," a four foot, blue alien with yellow eyes, a human shaped body, and a purple jumpsuit recognized as belonging to the Galactic Patrolman spoke, at the same time stopping right where the two fighters were seated. Placing his hands on his hips and scowling up at the orange haired woman in the plug suit, the odd-looking alien frowned. "What are you doing all the way out here in such a dirty, disgusting place?"

The Seirei chuckled as she looked down at the serious man. "That's funny. I could ask the same thing of you, Jaco." She then raised an eyebrow at the little officer. "What could a man working for the Galactic Patrol Corp be doing on a planet way beyond the reach of his jurisdiction?"

Grunting, the short alien policeman quickly placed his hands on his belt in an attempt to look intimidating. "That, my dear, is something that doesn't concern a freeloading, freelancer like yourself. For your information, I just happen to be on a very top secret mission issued to me personally by the head of my department." He then waved his gloved finger up at the wanderer in warning. "I do not believe someone of your position and reputation has anything to gain from such an endeavor… especially since you seem to hanging around with… uhh… umm…" The alien then looked up at Gohan. Quickly taking note of his attire and appearance, Jaco scrunched his face thoughtfully and nodded, "Other… unauthorized… persons of interest."

Chuckling, the young traveler leaned back against the counter and raised her foamy drink to the man in a relaxed manner. "Cool your jets, Jaco. I'm on vacation now. You don't need to worry about me stirring up any trouble here. At least… not right now anyway." She then glanced across at Gohan and pointed the boy down at the man in front of them. "Gohan. Meet Jaco: a very close friend of mine and a frequent business associate that I've crossed paths with on a number of occasions."

"Oh. Really?" Clearing his throat, the demi-Saiyan slapped a hand onto his knee and bowed to the man politely, all the while remaining seated on his bar stool. "Um, pleasure to meet you, sir." His gesture and politeness to the tiny official had Kana snigger with amusement.

Grunting at the boy's reply, the alien patrolman waved back, "Likewise." Quickly shooting a glare back at the orange haired woman, Jaco then pointed up at her once more warningly. "Remember, Kana… I've got my eye on a very important target in this town, so don't go doing anything stupid… like blowing it up in another bar fight." When he saw the glowing girl give him the 'OK' sign, the alien adjusted his jumpsuit and stomped off, looking incredibly adorable as he vanished into the crowd of dancers.

When they saw him leave, Gohan quickly turned back to Kana with a curious look. "A policeman?"

"In a way," Kana shrugged, before smiling fondly at her friend. When he took another sip of his drink, she continued to shed some light on the identity of the newcomer, "He's part of an organization that ensures the laws and orders of the universe across the world trade territories are kept in line. He thinks he's an elite member of their unit, tasked with bringing down the most dangerous criminals and lowlifes in the quadrant, when in reality his superiors treat him like fodder and give him assignments that really don't mean anything. I try to tell him that, but he keeps denying it."

"Heh. I see," Gohan chuckled. Now he felt a little bit sorry for the guy. He seemed really nice. "If there are guys out there who hunt down criminals across the galaxy, then I'd better be careful with the stuff I do back home. Our fights haven't exactly been solar system friendly."

"Ah, I doubt you have anything to worry about. Just try not to break any intergalactic laws while you're outside of the Milky Way and you should be fine," Kana informed, giving the young man a grin when he turned back to face her. "The last thing you want is someone like Remington coming after you."

"Remington?"

"He's an armored warrior from the planet Dawn; a humanoid plant who has made a name for himself as the most ruthless, toughest bounty hunter on this side of the universe. If you've got a massive price on your head, chances are he's coming after you," the glowing alien informed, at the same time chugging back another sip of her drink. After seeing Gohan do the same thing, the girl chuckled, "I've only met him twice in my life. The guy literally looks like he kills people for a living."

"If he's a one-eyed man with a black trench coat, a five o'clock shadow and a mechanical gauntlet for an arm, then I'm totally onboard with that," the demi-Saiyan stated with a grin.

Kana chuckled at the teen's near-accurate description of the individual. "Three out of four. Well done."

After taking another swig, Gohan was about to carry on the conversation and ask his friend a little bit more about the other notable creatures in the cosmos. But before he could even proceed with his next question, the boy then noticed a little ways down the bar, past the aliens seated along the counter, and in a booth situated firmly against the wall directly in his line of sight, a person staring back at him. At first he needed another look past the bodies to see if he wasn't tripping, but after focusing on the figure in the seats, he was able to see exactly who they were.

A beautiful, fair-skinned woman around her thirties, humanoid in appearance, with very long black, spiky hair that grew down to her waist, and was done into a hanging ponytail. Aside from its style resembling his when he was a young kid, the woman was also wearing a set of armor that was similar in style to Frieza's military. Unique in its overall design, the main parts of the armor were black, with a single yellow shoulder guard on the right, a waist guard on the left, and two red pull-up sleeves and a red battle dress. On top of the boots, she also had a brown fur belt of some kind wrapped around her waist, something that struck Gohan as oddly familiar.

Blinking in confusion when he saw that the woman in the booth was still glaring at him, the demi-Saiyan then noticed Kana look over her shoulder. Obviously wondering what had him so distracted, the glowing girl then gazed back at the teen curiously.

"What's up? Something wrong?" the Seirei asked.

"No… nothing much… it's just…" He then nodded down the bar, only to then see the woman in the booth look away hastily. "It looks like that woman over there is staring at me."

"Really?" Glancing at the person that was under the Saiyan's suspicions, Kana raised an eyebrow and smiled at her hybrid crush happily. "Ah, she's probably interested in you because you're the hottest guy to enter this bar in weeks. Granted there are a few attractive men in here, you're probably the only one in this town with a nose and complexion like yours."

"Uh-huh," Gohan murmured, tilting his head back at the booth before returning his attention to his drink.

Sensing his apprehension, the Seirei grinned and, picking up her glass and finishing off her second serving, then looked at the boy mischievously. "Hey. I've got something that'll help take your mind off of her." Placing her hand against his cheek and pulling his face towards her, the glowing girl gave the surprised teen a sly grin and inched her nose closer to his. "I read somewhere in your planet's national geography that fox couples down on earth, bond with one another through boxing. It's a practice that you Saiyans and several other races across the universe excel at… trading blows as a means of showing affection for one another."

Gohan gulped nervously, watching the proximity between him and the girl close millisecond by millisecond. For a moment he thought Kana was going to do something to him that would have his hair stand on end, his cheeks reddening as expectations for the event began to build. However, just as he felt the girl's breath touch his lips and her nose gently brush against his, the boy suddenly felt the glass in his hand get yanked out of his grip. In the blink of an eye, he then saw the Seirei spin around and slam his cup across the head of the large man sitting next to them.

The hulking man with bones growing out of his leathery body cried out when the glass shattered over the back of his skull, sending him lurching forward.

As the demi-Saiyan gawked, not sure what had compelled Kana to do such a thing, he then felt the girl place the broken handle of the glass in his open hand and noticed the Seirei take a step back. When the giant alien with the chiseled face and oversized molars for teeth turned to glare at them, the Seirei cheekily held up her hand and thumbed over to Gohan, who was holding the large handle as evidence of 'his actions.'

Seeing the girl pointing at him and the giant alien snarl in his direction, the teen then put two-and-two together and looked up with a start. "What?"

Cracking his knuckles, the hulking man in the spandex shorts narrowed his eyes upon the one 'responsible' for smashing the glass over his head. A split second later, the alien gave a primal roar, charged at the startled demi-Saiyan, and tackled him with the full force of a comet. Like a rhino, the man lifted Gohan off his feet and plowed him through the crowd, before slamming the winded teen straight down onto a table, shattering it under their combined weight.

Initially the crowds were baffled by the sight of the two alien warriors beginning to duke it out across the floor, with the giant alien seemingly having the upper hand over his smaller opponent. But then, when smiles began to appear on the faces of all the men and women in the area, all hell suddenly broke loose. A loud, collective cry echoed throughout the building as drunks and partygoers began breaking tables and chairs across people's backs left and right, with every single patron beginning to engage in a building-wide slugfest. With bottles and debris flying through the air and bystanders jumping into the fray, interrupting the celebratory atmosphere of the business, almost every single person in the vicinity became involved in the scrap.

As bodies and furniture filled the air behind her, Kana decided that it was time for her to get involved as well. Grinning when she saw Gohan throw his hulking opponent off of him, the girl downed the last of her drink, wiped her lips clean and, with a bellowing war cry of her own, dove at the nearest pair of drunks she could see. "HAAAAAAA!" Grabbing the brawling pair by the backs of their skulls, she pulled them apart, slammed their faces together, knocked them out, and dove at a nearby woman with blue skin, tackling her to the floor.

It soon transformed into an all-out-war inside the outskirt club. Televisions were smashed, tables were shattered, and people began dropping to the ground like flies. The first to go were the incredibly inebriated, who stumbled about for several moments before collapsing under the weight of their own vices. The next were the faint of heart, who were easily overpowered by the more macho opponents, who didn't hesitate one bit to beat the crud out of them before moving on to their next target. Hell, the fight became so intense and so outrageous that even the go-go girls inside the cages jumped out and began clawing at the men scraping beneath them. It was great.

Over the next hour, Gohan had to contend with multiple, surprisingly powerful opponents. His hulking tackler aside, who wouldn't stay down no matter how many blows he dealt the man, the demi-Saiyan also had to deal with attacks from behind and from his sides; resulting in a very hectic exchange between dozens of opponents. Catching one particular alien when he tried to blindside him, the young warrior threw him into another oncoming foe to his left, a large slug patron who was attempting to bring him down with a charge. Managing to throw both to the ground, he then dodged a wide swing from an armored, troll-like foe, who let out a terrifying roar as he attempted to down the poor human.

Catching the man's large arm and holding it, the bruised Saiyan cringed and looked over his shoulder, where he saw Kana wrestling with a thorny man and a winged-woman several feet away. "This is insane!"

"Yeah! Isn't it great?" Kana shouted back, knocking the spike-covered man out with an elbow to the head before kicking the woman into a nearby table. After disposing of the two, she was then grabbed from behind by a giant insect-alien in a space suit, which caught her in a headlock and began lifting her off the floor. Coughing out in shock, the Seirei grinned, "Aren't you having fun?"

Punching the large troll in the gut, dropping him to his knees, Gohan stopped for a moment before looking at the woman behind him. "Actually… yeah." Grin forming, the man turned to punch his stricken adversary across the jaw, smacking him to the ground. His victory over his alien quarry was short-lived however, as he was suddenly struck in the back by a chair that sent him hurtling into a booth.

Crashing into the couches and table, the poor boy ended up buried under several feet of furniture and wall plating. The cause of his painful flight turned out to be a large, carapace alien with a face resembling an iguana, and dressed in black battle armor, complete with side-arm. Upon sending his target flying, the fit looking creature chuckled darkly and threw the destroyed chair aside, before then beginning to stomp towards the spot Gohan had wound up landing. At first he thought the young warrior had been knocked out cold. But then, much to his and everybody else's surprise, a loud clap of thunder followed by an explosion sent the pile of rubble flying off of the downed fighter, who rose up from the crash site bathed in a bright, golden glow.

From her position on top of a squirming dancer girl, whom she had pinned beneath her posterior, the raven haired woman that'd previously been staring at the demi-Saiyan from the booth looked up at the glowing young man in amazement. With her alien opponent's legs caught in her arms and the owner of the trapped limbs clawing at the ground for some sort of purchase, the armored woman whispered in surprise, "I knew it… he's…"

Head spinning from the surprise hit to the spine, the hybrid Super Saiyan panted and wiped the blood dripping from his lip. When he noticed the startled look on the hulking iguana's face, a wide grin appeared across Gohan's mouth. "So you want to play rough, huh? Alright." He then threw his hands forward and fired a powerful kiai, slamming it into the alien man before charging at him. With a loud yell of excitement and vigor, the Saiyan leapt at the stumbling man and tackled him in a manner very similar to a football player, only to feel the anthropomorphic iguana, who stood to about two times his size, catch him with his giant limbs and hold his ground. This resulted in a wrestling match between the pair of warriors. The two brawlers dug their feet into the hard ground, the effort of which prompting the carapace patron to power up through a fierce, white aura to match his estranged foe, who in turn snarled against the man's chest.

Ending in a good, old-fashioned stalemate, Gohan quickly decided to break the hold and took his opponent by surprise. Leaping off of the ground, the blonde demi-Saiyan kneed the man in the face and dropped him to the floor, where he then pinned the large man under his foot. Snarling menacingly, the lizard alien grabbed the boy by the gi and drew his fist back to meet the half-human head on.

"Bring it on, runt!"

"Sure thing, pal!"

However, just as Gohan was loading his own fist to continue pummeling his opponent into submission, on the second floor balcony above them, a large, blue man in a metal space suit, jetpack and mask, leapt over the side of the railing and, with his arms and legs held out, dove straight down towards the Super Saiyan with a primal yell. Before he knew it, the muscular, heavy alien managed to body-slam Gohan straight into the floor with the force of a meteor, ending in all three men smashing a hole down to the basement. It was here that the trio of idiots ended up crashing on top of one another in a very painful, yet very comical dog pile.

And so the epic, intergalactic bar fight continued.

Feeling the pressure of multiple opponents mounting, Kana also powered up and engaged Gohan's previous opponent. When the hulking figure attempted to get rough with her, the Seirei wound up shoulder-tossing the boney man into the massive television screen above, destroying it in a shower of glass and sparks. As a result, the platform broke and dropped to the ground, flattening a couple of patrons and knocking them out cold, inadvertently providing a perfect, king-of-the-hill space for other men and women present to wrestle over. Gohan soon rejoined the scuffle after jumping out of the hole he'd formed in the ground and, along with several other aliens who powered up to match their more powerful adversaries, ended up breaking what was left of the bar's fixtures. Even the owner of the club threw himself into the fray, pulling out a frying pan to smack the daylights out of the more rowdy of patrons.

Things soon started to pick up after Gohan thinned out another herd of would-be opponents, picking off a couple more aliens one after another. However, the moment he kicked away an alien from Frieza's race charging at him from behind, sending the carapace figure straight into another two brawlers, he was suddenly hit across the face by something hard and fast, which sent him spinning into a support beam. Slamming into it and denting the structure, the baffled Super Saiyan then looked up with a start to see the raven haired woman who'd been spying on him earlier, glaring in his direction.

Blinking at seeing this particular figure facing him down, the demi-Saiyan hurriedly rubbed off the bruise and rose up into a proper fighting stance, "That was a solid hit. Think you can do it again while facing me?" He asked this with a glint of excitement in his eye.

In response, the woman smirked back at him in a very Vegeta-like manner, something that sent a cold shiver up Gohan's spine. "I don't know. Let's see." All of a sudden, the female's expression steeled and her fists clenched. Just when the hybrid thought his new adversary was going to throw an energy blast his way and force him to dodge, in a flash of white light, a golden aura suddenly exploded around the woman, spiking up her hair and turning it blonde. At the same time, her eyes also turned a shade of green, completing her ascension.

The woman's sudden transformation into Super Saiyan had the Z-fighter recoil in shock, his eyes widening as he saw the female glare him down in her newly powered-up state. Initially he was thunderstruck when he realized that the woman he was now confronting was actually a Saiyan… and a full-blooded one at that. But what astonished him more than that was the fact that upon gauging her now open-book power level, he noticed that her energy was higher than his. This was made evident by how well-defined her body had become and the fact that her muscles were now more prominent in this state.

As soon as her transformation had stabilized, the woman then nodded towards the boy in a 'what-up' manner. "Well, kid? Do you think I'll be able to hit you now?" When she didn't receive an answer in the first five seconds and only a dumb shake of the head, the mystery Saiyan then grunted and frowned. "Thought so." All of a sudden, the woman dashed forward at blinding speed and, appearing directly in front of her opponent, elbowed him in the face just as he was raising his arms to block.

Her light speed hit landed with a sickening 'crunch', sending Gohan flying through the air to slam into the back wall. His aura extinguishing the instant he stopped, the boy dropped back to the ground and fell to his hands and knees. The moment he landed, the hybrid, with his teeth gritted and blood trickling from his nose, leapt back to his feet and lobbed a golden ki blast straight at the antagonistic Super Saiyan in the center of the room. Before it could hit, the woman effortlessly backhanded it into the stage light above her, disintegrating the piece of equipment before sprinting towards the teen with intent.

Sprinting forward as well, Gohan fired off two more blasts at the woman, both of which bounced off of her chest and shoulder when she blew right through them. Realizing blasting her wasn't going to work, the teen continued his approach at a much greater speed, before he leapt at her and landed a solid left hook across her face. The blow struck with a dull 'thud', knocking the woman back and momentarily stunning her, which caused her golden aura to dissipate. Gohan then followed up the haymaker by lifting his right arm and driving it down into her neck, connecting hard and causing the woman to lurch.

However, undeterred by the two power shots, the woman responded with a growl and slammed a right hook across the teen's face, knocking blood from his mouth before then attempting to hit him with a left cross. Gohan parried it easily enough and retaliated with a right elbow to her temple, which would've cut the skin wide open. Unfortunately it didn't, and the teen received a swift uppercut to the chin as a result. When the woman threw a right snap kick to his head, which he quickly blocked, Gohan then tried to nail her with a right hook, only for the woman to catch his wrist and twist it into a submission hold.

Growling as he resisted, the demi-Saiyan found that he was unable to break the grip when the Super Saiyan woman suddenly grabbed him by the back of his gi with her free hand, spun him around, and slammed him face first into a nearby support pillar. The teen struck the iron bar with a loud 'clang', before several more loud thuds began to ring out as his opponent drew him back and slammed him into the pole three more times, bending the frame at its base. The moment it collapsed, she then finished her vicious beat down of the boy by throwing him straight into the table next to them, disintegrating it and punching a crater into the cobalt floor.

Groaning at the concussive blows he'd received, Gohan struggled to get back to his feet, only for his opponent to grab him by the shoulders and hoist him the rest of the way up. Just as he was hooking his hands around her arms to get some kind of leverage, the Super Saiyan woman spun them again and threw him straight through a crowd of drunken fighters. The poor demi-Saiyan bowled them over before crashing through a large speaker, destroying it in a shower of sparks.

Pushing himself back to his feet, a shaken and badly beaten Gohan opted for a change of tactics. Grabbing a nearby steel pole, the boy spun around and slammed it across the head of his approaching opponent. The first hit landed with a deafening 'clang.' The second hit that followed shattered the pole and had the female Super Saiyan spin on the spot as bits of metal scattered across the floor. When Gohan threw away the dented handle, he saw his opponent turn to glare at him, with a cut over her brow and a deep bruise on her left cheek. As soon as both fighters glared at each other, they rushed forward and tackled one another, grabbing their adversary by their shoulders and attempting to push them over.

Their feet dug into the tiles and split them as the two Super Saiyans grappled, their auras bursting forth and beginning to rip the place asunder. Patrons and debris was blown in all directions from their combined force, causing the second floor walkway to collapse. But just before a winner of the wrestling match could be decided, the female Super Saiyan suddenly weaved her arms around Gohan's, knocked them away, and front kicked him straight into the chairs behind him. The couches exploded when the hybrid smashed through them, before the teen back-flipped and landed clean on the other side.

Amidst the debris and the raging battles going on around him, Gohan spat out the blood in his mouth and smirked. "You're really tough. Hitting you in the head and torso is like burying my knuckles into a block of iron."

The golden haired female chuckled. "That's what living in deep space does for you. Training on planets with hundreds of times normal gravity and no oxygen helps build a Saiyan's endurance and stamina. I'm actually surprised you've gotten as strong as you have in the conditions you must've been raised in," the woman admitted, before taking another stance and grinning excitedly. "Let's see how long you can keep that up."

"Sure," Gohan complied, a split second before running in to engage the woman once again.

Eventually, after another hour of trading punches, almost every single man and woman in the bar had been knocked unconscious. Scattered amidst the ruins of the indoor battlefield, bodies could be seen strewn about the place, covered in food, liquids, and other bodies of dozens of aliens, all of whom had fallen in the heat of battle. Those who were unable to limp away from the fray had wound up crashing wherever they were lying and were now snoring away, while the bartender switched off the lights and began sweeping up the mess. Obviously he was unconcerned with the insane amounts of damages caused to his establishment, as he knew his insurance and connections would be able to take care of it.

As for the two people responsible for the fight in the first place, they could be found standing outside on the other side of the street, nursing some serious bruises, and being shadowed by their new dance club companion, who'd decided to tag along. All three of them were now walking off the vicious beatings they'd received and given, with Kana rubbing a sore jaw and Gohan tending to a swollen left eye, bloody lip and bruised ribs, using a piece of meat he'd managed to buy from the front counter to treat the former. His opponent, the mystery Saiyan woman with the long black hair, also had her arm in a sling and a noticeable black eye, courtesy of her fellow Saiyan opponent.

Groaning as she rolled her shoulder, sitting on the bench next to her demi-Saiyan friend, Kana spoke in a strained voice, "Man… we really gave it to each other back there, didn't we?"

Cringing at the stinging pain in his face, the battered Gohan chuckled, "Do you think we got a little bit carried away? We did trash Gonzo's place pretty good."

"Nah. It's alright. This happens a lot more than you think it does," the Seirei replied with a careless wave of her hand. "Plus he's covered."

"That's good. I can't imagine the amount of paperwork and crap he'd have to go through if this only happened to him once every month," the warrior with the torn up gi remarked. After moving the steak- or what he thought was steak- away from his face and holding it out for Kana to use, he then turned his attention to the woman behind him, who he could see was working on a nasty shiner on her left leg. Upon seeing her eyes shift over to him, the teenager spoke a little more seriously. "You're a Saiyan too, huh? That's cool. The last thing I expected coming all the way out here was running into another one."

The woman standing beside him chuckled, "What's there to be surprised about? You and I are warriors… members of the most powerful race in the universe. It'll take more than some lizard in a floating chair to take us out."

Kana, the piece of meat pressed up against her swollen cheek, laughed a little at the woman's comment, "She certainly talks like a Saiyan. There's no doubt about that."

It was then Gohan cracked a smile, "Let me guess; you managed to escape Planet Vegeta's destruction and came all the way out to these parts of the universe so that you wouldn't be discovered?"

The Saiyan woman shrugged, "More or less. A lot of really intense shit went down after our home planet was vaporized. It was like a mass exodus gone mad. Those who were off world at the time on top secret missions fled their systems when they heard rumors of Planet Vegeta being destroyed by Frieza. Those who heard it'd collided with a rogue planet went to their assigned rendezvous points… only to be ambushed by Frieza's men and massacred. And others who were around at the time Frieza attacked Vegeta either stayed and died… or fled the world as fast as they could, with most of them being caught up in the planet's explosion." The mysterious Super Saiyan then raised her good hand and shrugged in a casual manner. "Dozens of us managed to survive the destruction of our planet… with a great many going into hiding. That's not even counting the young Saiyans who'd been dispatched to other planets in the days prior to the event."

It was hearing this that drew an understanding nod from the two fighters listening to the mercenary's compelling tale.

"That certainly explains a lot," Gohan commented, glancing across at Kana for clarification.

The glowing girl smiled, "The Saiyans are a resilient race… one of the greatest primate-animal species in the cosmos. Not even time has been able to diminish your bloodlines."

"I'm a freelance agent now," the Saiyan woman interjected, drawing the pair's attention back to her to see the proud smile on her face. She then poked her chest armor with her thumb. "I live on this planet as a bounty hunter and a local gun for hire, with no tyrants or bosses to rule over me."

Her statements earned a small smile from the hybrid warrior on the bench, "That's nice. Do you have a family here as well?"

A shrug followed the boy's innocent question, "In a way. I've dated a few men and women in the years since I got here, but ever since my first mate, I haven't been able to move on to anybody else. We Saiyans form incredibly powerful bonds with the first people we develop attractions towards… feelings I believe are characteristic of what other life forms would identify as 'love.' As for family… well…" She then directed a warm and very friendly smile towards the boy in front of her. After taking in the sight of his handsome face, his hair and his guiltless expression, her eyes suddenly seemed to glow like the stars around them. "It seems Kakarot has grown up well without me."

At first confused by the woman's sudden remark, it took several moments of processing her admission before Gohan eventually figured out what she meant. "Wait a second… if you know that name… then that means…" It was then his eyes widened in shock, at the same time Kana's brain caught on to what the pair were discussing. "Y-You're…"

A grin formed on the woman Saiyan's lips as she held her arm out in a shrug, "Bet that's your second biggest surprise for the day, huh?" She then gestured down to the stunned fighter. "My name is Hanasia… ex-Saiyan Elite formerly of Planet Vegeta and the second most powerful warrior under King Vegeta's command." A frown then formed on her lips as she looked away with a disgusted snarl. "That damn cannon fodder Gerkin won the title of first seat because I was fucking pregnant at the time of our last evaluation. Bastard…"

Still overwhelmed by her first bit of information, Gohan then raised a hand and dumbly pointed across at his former opponent. "So… if you're my father's mother… then that would make you-"

"Your grandmother. Yes. Kai," the woman shook her head at the boy when his arm dropped. "I knew the people on earth were slow, I just didn't realize how slow. Guess some of their little idiocies managed to rub off on you during your conception."

"B-But…" Swallowing nervously, the spiky haired Z-fighter then regarded the woman with a great amount of interest, "How did you know I was your grandson?"

Hanasia smirked, "Well, at first I was unsure. When I first spotted you back inside the club, I initially mistook you for another Saiyan who'd managed to escape Frieza's wrath. However, after seeing you sit down at the bar and begin chatting up your fetching young friend here…" Glancing momentarily at the Seirei sitting alongside him, the woman then continued her explanation, "I quickly realized who you must've been." A grin slowly reappeared on her lips. "Aside from your gestures, mannerisms and general way of fighting, you also have the exact same eyes that my late son and mate once had. There's no way I could mistake them for belonging to anybody else. The resemblance is uncanny."

"Guess it would be impossible for a mother to miss those sorts of details, huh?" Gohan chuckled, easily recognizing how the woman was able to identify him.

Hanasia chuckled at the boy's inquiry and nodded, "Obviously you couldn't have been Gine's grandson. You are much too powerful to have descended from her side of the family. Then again… you do possess a few of her traits that Bardock greatly admired, including her gentle spirit and strong heart… features that were normally frowned upon in our society." The Saiyan then placed a hand on her hip and continued her story. "Gine, Palantay and I were Bardock's mates, and all four of us lived together under the same roof. While Palantay only had one daughter, who'd gone off to fight in a massive rebellion a whole star system away, Gine had two children of her own: Turles, whom she repeatedly mistook for Kakarot after we gave birth in the same hospital wing, and Ruco, who she sent to the Southern Quadrant to live in peace, away from our planet. Since I was always away on missions for the King, she took care of Kakarot in my stead before he was sent to earth, using the information I'd uploaded into his attack pod to stimulate his aggressive Saiyan behaviors and psychologically encode the mission parameters into his brain's subroutines. It was a very efficient process."

Looking back on what Vegeta, Nappa and Raditz were like back when they invaded earth, Gohan immediately gave an uncomfortable nod of agreement, "I think I can agree with that."

Growing more curious by the second, Kana rose from her seat and moved in to get a closer look at the woman in front of her. After a moment of personal inspection, the Seirei's holographic scanner then popped up over her eye and began analyzing both fighters. Shifting between her crush and Hanasia, with the numbers on her device beeping loudly between the two figures, the girl then balked and deactivated her readout. "Damn. She's right. The two of you are related to each other." She then looked down at Gohan. "Blood type and DNA sampling aside, looking past the human characteristics, your hair styles, irises and cheek bones are almost exactly identical."

"Yeah. Not to mention both of us have the same, wicked right hook and a head as hard as a cannon ball," the teen remarked, taking a moment to look the woman over once more. After analyzing the individual aspects of her exterior, Gohan then reached a rather interesting conclusion of his own. "Now that you mention it… she sort of does bear a striking resemblance to my uncle Raditz."

"Ah yes… little weakling Raditz; a man whose name has become synonymous with the lowest form of currency on several different planets across the Northern Quadrant," Hanasia chuckled before smiling across at her grandson. "How is my oldest boy doing? I'm guessing since you know his name that he must have dropped by the earth at some point over the last few years to pay his brother a visit."

Cringing a little at her question, Gohan then frowned at the woman in an anxious and notably upset manner, "I don't know how to tell you this, but… he's dead."

Hanasia's smile quickly vanished. "Dead?"

"Yeah. You see, when Raditz came by to collect my father after the mission he was sent to perform as a child, he found out that not only was the entire population of the earth still alive, but his brother had forgotten everything about his mission and his race's heritage, on account of him hitting his head when he was still a baby. Raditz got pissed, kidnapped me, and then ended up getting into a fight with my father… after which he wound up killed." Gohan then shrugged at the end. "That's the short version, anyway."

At first the woman didn't say anything, leading the demi-Saiyan to believe she was going to blow a gasket. However, it then came as a puzzle to him when he heard the female murmur and look away with a thoughtful frown. "Raditz died, huh? Guess I shouldn't be surprised. Bardock and Gine always spoiled him rotten when he was a child, instead of pushing him into developing his fighting skills like I told them to. He was also too arrogant for his own good… a little trait he probably picked up from me." She then snorted and looked up at the teen with a half-smile. "Good thing I'd learned some humility over the past couple of decades. So it was Kakarot who did him in, huh?"

A hesitant look met the woman's question, "Well… dad and his then rival, now close friend, Piccolo. Both of them had to work together to take him down."

"Ah," Hanasia replied with an understanding nod. "That makes sense. With the genes he inherited from me and Bardock, if he'd had enough time, Kakarot would've been able to give even the most powerful warriors of our race a hard time. But since the earth has less pull on the Saiyan body in terms of gravity and hosts a primarily non-violent culture, exposure to its environment and its population probably softened him up and slowed his progress."

Gohan responded to her assessment with a pleasant smile. "Dad didn't start out powerful at first. But after Raditz came around and attacked his friends, he started training even harder to become even more powerful… to the point he could take on Vegeta head to head, and win." It was this brief recount that put a wide grin on the older Saiyan's face. Upon which the teen then waved a hand towards Hanasia in labored, circular motions. "It's a… bit of a long story."

"Well… I'm sure I'll be happy to hear all about it," Hanasia remarked, stepping forward to stand before the young man at attention. "But… that's going to have to wait for another day. With the amount of shots I've taken to the head back in that club, I doubt I'll be able to keep my attention for very long before I pass out. Plus…" She then grinned down at the Seirei standing next to her grandson, "I think you two would rather get back to your date rather than spend the rest of the night talking to me and hanging out in these Kai-forsaken streets."

"Uhh… okay," Gohan hesitantly replied, looking back at his glowing friend to see the girl look away and blush fiercely. It was with the sudden coloration to her cheeks that Kana's body started to radiate more brightly in kind, something that her companion inadvertently overlooked when he turned his gaze back to his elder. "If that's the case, then… I look forward to seeing you again." He then reached into his belt and began rummaging for something to write with. "Do you… want me to give you my home address?"

"Planet 4032-877, just off the Andromeda Pathway," Hanasia said, a knowing smile slowly forming on her face. "Your residential details won't be necessary. All I have to do is search for the strongest energy signatures on the planet and follow them back to their sources. It shouldn't be too difficult." At that, the woman's head then perked up and she stepped forward, "Speaking of which, since I'm guessing you're half-blood on account of you being earth born, what happened to your tail?"

"Oh… well…" Chuckling a little and rubbing the back of his head, the demi-Saiyan smiled, "After transforming into a Giant Ape on a number of occasions and putting my friends' lives in danger, I had to have it… uhh… cut off." He then grinned sheepishly at the woman. "My dad, Goten, Trunks and Vegeta had their tails removed too, so that they wouldn't put the rest of their friends in danger."

Hearing that there were actually more Saiyans out there had the woman recoil momentarily. After which she then shook her head. "I'm sure I'll be able to hear more about this later. But… first things first…" She then stepped around and looked down at the teenager with a notable scowl. "The tail of a Saiyan isn't just a trait that defines us as a race; it is also one of the most important organs on a Saiyan's body. It increases our sensitivity to our surroundings, stimulates our nervous system and reproductive organs, provides us extra leverage during stressful situations, and helps control energy flow through the primary nodes. Cutting a Saiyan's tail off is equivalent to cutting off one of our arms… or being castrated." Gesturing for the boy to stand, which he did without question, Hanasia then took his arm in one hand and began prodding the muscles with her thumb and finger, slowly running her digits up his limb. "We Saiyans are depended on our body's natural qualities to survive in the harsh wilderness of the universe. It's been a defining element of our people since the dawn of creation."

Blinking a little, Gohan then glanced across at Kana when he heard the beautiful Seirei speak. "She's right, you know. Your race was one of the first alien species to be born in the cosmos."

Turning back to Hanasia, the young man spoke, "If I knew it was so important… then I probably would've worked on growing it back a long time ago." He then raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. "I wonder why Vegeta never mentioned any of this before."

The Saiyan female inspecting his muscles grunted. "That pompous little upstart never even finished his basic studies. I should know, since I helped tutor the brat while he was growing up. He got it in his head that power was the only thing important for a Saiyan to survive and completely neglected all of the other important aspects of his education. All of the stuff he learned was all for the purpose of pursuing his own, selfish gains. The rest he must have picked up from that dunderhead of a General Nappa or learned it on the fly." She then peered up at the young hybrid with a smirk. "A Saiyan isn't complete without his or her tail. By having it cut off, a Saiyan can only ever fight at eighty percent their full capacity… at most eighty five."

When the woman said this, Gohan's eyes widened in shock, "Are you serious?"

"Uh-huh," Hanasia informed, before stopping her thumb at the boy's bicep and glancing at it. "And that's only one of the consequences a Saiyan suffers from losing a tail." The female then threw him a smirk. "Luckily for you, I've had plenty of time to touch up on our race's biology and know how you can get it back."

The demi-Saiyan raised an eyebrow as he and an equally surprised Kana stared at her. "Really?" They both asked in unison.

Rolling her eyes, Hanasia then instructed for Gohan to turn around, which he did. She then began running her fingers down his back. The way she did it though almost seemed like she was counting each of the individual vertebrae in his spine, which had her experimental patient glancing back at her curiously. "Normally when a Saiyan has their tail cut off, they're able to grow it back if the host body experiences sudden and intense bursts of adrenaline in response to danger, which often generates severe anxiety or stress. This in turn stimulates the nerves in the thoracic and lumbar portions of the spine, which then triggers protein and calcium deposits in the lower back. This then allows the tail to grow back in an instant. The more common cases often happen in young Saiyan children, as they have larger protein deposits that give them more energy to grow. It also raises hell for the adults tasked with looking after them. But as Saiyans grow older, it becomes harder and harder for them to re-grow their tails, due to their growing bodies and natural resistance." When she looked up to see Gohan looking back at her and listening to every word she had to say, the woman then got an evil glint in her eye. It was her change of expression that had her patient gulp nervously. "However, there is an easy way for adult Saiyans to get their tails back. You see, if I apply a little pressure to the number five and six thoracic vertebrae…"

Without warning, the woman suddenly pressed down on the middle juncture of Gohan's back, causing a loud 'click' to ring out. This was shortly followed by the sound of pants ripping and the demi-Saiyan giving a yell of surprise when his tail shot straight out of his pants and waved through the air erratically. Leaping forward, the boy gripped his lower back in shock and danced about in astonishment. It was a sight that put amused grins on both Hanasia's and Kana's faces.

"OW-WOW-IEEEE-YOW!" Gohan hollered, his cries of alarm drawing the attention of several aliens in the street, as they all turned to see the man in the orange and blue gi skipping on the spot. Once he was done running circles, the stunned teenager looked over his shoulder to see his brown, furry appendage wagging behind him. As soon as he got feeling back into it and forced his fifth limb to a stop, the teen exhaled deeply and looked across at the women with wide eyes. "Man… I so did not expect that. What a rush." Grinning happily, he then reached over and pointed at his newly grown friend. "Hey. Check it out, Kana. I got my tail back. Isn't that great?"

When both women looked at where he was pointing, they then noticed something else out of the ordinary that had their eyes fix on him for several moments. It was after processing the sight around his pelvic area that caused a bright shade of scarlet to appear in Kana's cheeks and had Hanasia cough into her hand. Seeing the odd responses from the pair quickly had Gohan stare at them strangely. That was until the Saiyan female pointed towards the issue in question.

"Yo kid, is that a second tail in your pocket… or are you just happy to see me?"

Puzzled, Gohan then looked down. It was a split second afterwards that the boy's face flashed red and his hands slapped over the front of his pants, upon which he quickly turned away to hide his big… umm… problem.

Apparently re-growing his tail had had a rather interesting and hopefully temporary side effect. He would hate to think he would have to go through the rest of his school life with a ready-made flag pole on his front twenty-four seven.

Laughing at the teenager's embarrassment, Hanasia stepped forward. "Don't worry. That only lasts for about a few minutes. My recommendation: enjoy it while it lasts." She then pointed back at the blushing Seirei standing behind her and smirked. "Besides… you have this hot young thing here to help you out. Why waste it?" When she stopped in front of her estranged grandson, the raven haired woman looked him square in the eye and finished off her wisdom with a few more pieces of sound advice. "Remember… an untrained tail can be a very detrimental asset to a Saiyan, so be sure to train it well. A strong tail equals a stronger body. This way you will be able to remove the paralyzing effects of having it grabbed from behind by an enemy and transform it into your most trusted weapon. Secondly, you have to learn to control the Oozaru state should you happen to glance at a full moon. With your stronger body and mastery over your Super Saiyan transformations, this should not be a problem for you at all." When she saw the embarrassed teenager smile and nod in understanding of this information, the woman then grinned and, raising her good arm, jabbed him in the shoulder. "Good luck, kiddo. I'll be in touch." With that said and done, she then turned and walked away.

Standing up to full height as he watched Hanasia leave, the previously flushed half-Saiyan smiled and waved after the woman's retreating form. When she finally disappeared down the street, the teen felt his Seirei companion saddle up next to him and looked over to see the glowing girl beaming in the direction of their newfound friend. Gohan then turned his eyes back to his tail, which he gave a few testing swings before wrapping it securely around his waist.

"Well… this turned out to be a very interesting excursion. Thanks so much for bringing me out here, Kana."

The glowing girl giggled and turned to gaze up at the Saiyan. "It was my pleasure, Gohan-kun. And thank you for accepting my invitation."

"Hey… any time. If you have somewhere you want to go or something you want to do, I would be more than happy to tag along. All you have to do is ask." Feeling his spirit lift somewhat and after making sure his issue had subsided, Gohan then massaged the side of his face where he'd received the hardest hits of that night. Feeling the bruises and swelling were still there, especially since he couldn't see out of one eye, the young man breathed a sigh of relief and turned his attention to the girl who'd brought him here. When he did, he saw that Kana was gazing up at him with the fondest of looks, her eyes sparkling, her cheeks glowing, and an expression of longing and affection fixated squarely upon him. "You're one of my closest and dearest friends, Kana… and I know that my life would never have been as amazing as it is today if I'd never met y-"

In the blink of an eye, Kana suddenly leapt forward, threw her arms around the boy's shoulders, and planted a firm kiss upon the teenager's lips. The act of doing so was almost like the young woman had tripped, resulting in a seemingly clumsy embrace in the middle of the street. It was here the glowing girl deepened her show of affection and the male recipient blinked in surprise, his mind quickly recovering from the unexpected maneuver. Seconds later, the searing kiss ended, and the Seirei fell back to the floor with her enchanting stare fixed upon the bewildered demi-Saiyan's mug.

"The feelings are mutual," Kana whispered, beaming at the boy as she watched his mind slowly recover from her brilliant sneak attack.

Recoiling back into reality, the warrior from earth chuckled, "Huh… I guess… this kind of thing runs in the family." Clearly referencing his late grandfather and his love experiences, the teen then gave a wide grin and looked back at the dazed alien girl nervously. "This kind of puts me on the spot, doesn't it?"

"Kind of," Kana shook her head, "But you don't need to stress yourself trying to figure this out. No matter what your decision is… no matter who you choose to be with, I will always be there for you, my hero from earth." She then stepped back and allowed her hands to glide down his shoulders and chest, where she then took a moment to admire him up close. "I know, without a doubt, that I'd never consider being with anybody else." Her hands then fell…

Only to be caught up in Gohan's when he reached up to intercept them. Looking up with a start, the Seirei saw the Z-fighter was beaming brilliantly down at her, with a warm glow in his cheeks and a sincere expression that spoke nothing but complete fondness for the girl. "Damn it… you girls are making it so difficult for me," he then laughed a little when he saw the Seirei smile in response. "I don't think I'd ever be able to choose… at least not without getting my teeth kicked in and my ears blown out for a solid hour. Even it if takes me a life time… I'll… do my best to try and make this work."

A laugh from Kana was his immediate response, "I can work with that." She then leaned forward and playfully bit him on the neck, earning a startled jolt from the teen that ended in the two of them laughing on the sidewalk. After resting against the boy and feeling his arms wrap around her lithe form for about a minute, the glowing girl then got a mischievous twinkle and leered up at the hybrid curiously. "So… want to take your relative's advice and… go try your hand at breeding?"

Swallowing his tongue at her incredibly forward offer, Gohan made a few nervous sounds as he saw the beautiful girl in front of him bite her bottom lip and begin running her hands up and down his chest. Exhibiting clear signs of yearning for the half-Saiyan warrior and his affections, all the innocent teenager could do was curl his tail up a little tighter, try to ignore her leg rubbing against his thigh, and acknowledge her veracious mood with the most diplomatic answer he could muster.

"Maybe we should wait a little bit longer," the Saiyan reasoned, before nodding towards the obviously excited girl. "It's been a really long night and, considering the kind of planet we're on, I don't think this is really the most appropriate place to procreate. Plus I'm still having trouble discerning different colors and shapes from one another, which might throw me off my game a little." He then acknowledged this by prodding his swollen eye and wincing. "After the beatings we'd taken, I doubt either of us will be able to enjoy an attempted first dance."

Though hearing his reasons had Kana deflate a little, as she was really hoping he'd use that moment to jump her, the girl eventually saw his point and smiled warmly. This in turn caused her hair to flare in approval and a grin to form across her lips. "Alright. But just so you know, at the rate this is going, I doubt I'll be able to keep myself under control for much longer. If you ever want to have some fun… the door to my ship is always open." She then winked, eliciting a warm look from the young male.

"I'll try not to keep you waiting."

XXX

(A couple weeks later)

Things picked up for the Z-fighters over the next several days following Gohan's interesting excursion. His accomplishments in the school's swimming competition and grades out-of-the-way, everyone was feeling more positive and vibrant than ever. To commemorate this new season of festivities and peacetime, the gang decided to gather everyone together for another barbeque out at Kame House on Master Roshi's private island. Normally the place wouldn't play host to so many diverse individuals packed into one place, but seeing as how insistent Krillin, Android 18 and Bulma were in regards to the event, everyone found it impossible to turn down the invitation.

After all, they were celebrating Marron's 4th Birthday, so there was no way anyone would want to miss out.

The good thing about this particular day was that all of the Z-fighters were made available, including those who were normally too 'busy' to even care; with the main players being Vegeta and Paprika. Gohan also went the extra mile and brought along his school friends to partake in his gang's little gala, which presented the perfect opportunity for his family to get to know the new faces in his life.

It was a simple fête. Aside from a cook out on the beach, which Yamcha and Krillin were overseeing with a couple cans of Hetap in hand, everyone else had scattered themselves across the rest of the island, and were reveling in the events that were being provided. Chi-Chi, Bulma and blonde Launch, all of whom were dressed in some very eye-catching swim suits ranging one-piece purple to two-piece green, were working on their tans and gossiping about their lives back at home, while every once in a while making comments about each other's figures. Zangya, who was wearing a very beautiful yellow sundress and straw hat, was sitting at a wooden table with Tien, Vegeta, Hercule and Oolong, playing a specially customized version of Cards Against Humanity… which was ironic considering three out of the five of them actually opposed humanity at one point in their lives. However, it did make for some very interesting combinations in cards.

As of right now, it was Zangya who was dealing out everyone's responses to the topic question.

"What is Frieza's guilty pleasure?" the woman read, before setting down the four cards the other players had given her. "A: Ripping into a man's chest and pulling out his still-beating heart." She snorted and looked across the table, where she saw Oolong subtly adjust his singlet and smile. "B: Jerking off into a pool of children's tears… aauuooow. Now that one's totally uncalled for." She then threw a dirty look at the group in front of her, whom she saw snicker and Vegeta crack a smile. Despite her disgusted reaction, even the Hera couldn't help but grin a little, before looking down at the card next to her. "C: Powerful thighs." A quick glance in Hercule's direction saw the man with the afro clear his throat and rub his knuckles proudly against his chest. After shaking her head, Zangya then looked down at the last one. "And finally, D: Blowing some dudes in an alley." She rested her head against the edge of the table and, giving a few pained laughs, held up the last card. "Which one of you had this?"

"Right here," Tien answered, reaching over and claiming his card in victory, which had the rest of the people around the table groan.

"What! Oh, come on!" Vegeta practically shouted, raising a hand towards the woman in disbelief, "The swimming pool of children's tears was the obvious winner! By far!"

"Yeah. Even I'm surprised you didn't go for that one," Hercule also remarked, rubbing one of his big hands against his temple in surprise.

"I guess humor registers differently for other aliens," Oolong muttered, before then shrugging offhandedly towards his companions. "That… or she knew it was you who put it down and is just yanking your chain."

Giving a wide grin as the black card was tossed over to him, the three-eyed fighter glanced across at his miserable competitors seated alongside him. "It's the quality of one's responses that inevitably wins the battle. I think one of you was a little bit over-reaching in that regard." The answer he got from the Saiyan Prince was an immediate middle-finger, which had the man roll his eyes in amusement. "Whatever. Point is… this puts me ahead."

"By one point, tri-clops. But not for long," Vegeta growled, before turning to the snickering Hera and glaring at her, "Whose turn is it?"

"That would be me, sir," Hercule spoke up, dispersing the trash cards and reaching for the black pile. The moment he began to move, the rest of the group around the table did too, with everyone adding a few extra white cards to replace the ones that they'd thrown into the pile. Humming a cheerful tune as he decided which set to choose from, the Champ eventually drew one from the far left and looked at the question inscribed. "Alright… here we go." Reading it put a big grin on his face, "Blank: kid-tested, mother approved."

"Ooh… I've got just the perfect card," Oolong laughed, sorting through his hand and picking out which one he wanted to use next. He then said in a singing voice, "You four are gonna love this o~ne."

His little giggle drew a smirk from the orange haired woman sitting alongside him, "Bring it on, pig. I'll beat it down with both hands behind my back." She then pulled out a card from her hand and offered it to the Champ, who took it and laid it face down on the table.

This then had Tien look across at her in amusement, "I swear to Kai, if you pick anymore dick ones, I'm leaving this table."

"Come on, Tien. Don't be a pussy," Oolong whispered, looking overly excited as he handed his card over to the Champ.

As the boys and girls at the table mucked around, everywhere else across the island, a lot of other events were taking place. Android 18 had found herself wrapped up in a very stimulating conversation with her brother's wife, Ami, whose stomach was notably larger than it was when she last saw her, indicating that she was pregnant. Adorned in a lovely summer dress and hat to protect her from the beating rays, the dark-skinned woman spent the majority of her time speaking with her sister-in-law, enjoying the topics that came their way and giggling when she made mention of how much the brother and sister looked alike.

"Honestly, if you dyed your hair black, I bet you'd look exactly like him," Ami remarked, gesturing towards the twin's blonde hair.

Bringing her hand up and running it through her golden locks, the female android shrugged, "Me and my brother had our disagreements. While we were traveling on the road not too long ago, he claimed that he could pull off the blonde look better than I could and I told him he could eat it. Of course, looking in the mirror, if our hair colors were the same… obviously one of us might end up looking better than the other."

"Heh. That remains to be seen," Ami giggled, placing her hand over her lips to stifle her laugh. She could definitely see the subtle competitive natures between the identical pair. Even though they weren't fighting in the conventional sense, it was still a contest of sibling superiority, which was commonplace in any family.

As the two women talked, they were also keeping a close watch on Goten, Trunks and Marron, all three of whom were playing close to the water. With all three of the kids dressed in their respective swimming attires, the trio of misfits was currently building what could only be described as the world's largest sandcastle on top of a sleeping Master Roshi. While the old man snored away, the youngsters giggled incessantly as they added more and more beach-themed ornaments to their Japanese-slash-European castle. Sea shells being the main element, the structure also consisted of miniature flags, palm trees, plants, and even a pool on top of it, showing the amount of architectural care the youngsters had put behind it.

The one who was helping them assembling all of these aspects together was none other than the resident Turtle, who also had Puar perched comfortably on his head.

"Looking good, kids. Looking good," the old sea turtle chirped, nodding his head in approval as Goten added yet another tower to the majestic piece.

"Yeah. It's really coming along nicely," the floating cat of the group also chirped, marveling at the sheer size of the structure Trunks was now patting down with his shovel.

Stepping back with his fingers forming a frame in the air, the now uncharacteristically cautious lavender haired demi-Saiyan sighed and looked across at his two closest friends, "Alright. Just a few more towers and I think we're good."

Putting down her plastic crab, the cheerful looking Marron smiled at the prince's son, "What do you think we should add this time?" She then picked up the two sand-castle buckets she had with her. "The boxy one or the cone shaped one?"

Rubbing his chin, Trunks then grinned and pointed at the one on her left, "Let's go with the boxy one and build a massive wall around the castle." He added to this suggestion by drawing a line in the sand around Master Roshi's position, "A defense around the building to stop the tide from coming in."

"Yeah. Yeah. Let's build a giant moat as well. Make it super defensive," Goten chirped from his side, poking his head around from his side of the mountain.

Feeling giddy, Marron raised her hands in the air and cheered, "We're going to make this the best sand castle ever!"

"And all of us are here to make sure that happens," a new voice cut in from the sidelines. When the kids turned, they immediately saw Paprika, dressed in a surprisingly tasteful skirt and vest, kneel down beside the castle with another bucket of shells and seaweed. Laying them out across the sand, the white haired woman with horns then beamed up at the kids with a very motherly smile in play. "I think you guys could use a little more shells along your wall." Her words earned a playful laugh from Goten and Marron as the two crawled over to see what other goodies their teenage friend had managed to grab.

Obviously the Makyan was having a blast searching the island for all the trinkets to give to the kids. It was her way of partaking in their little game.

As the youngsters got down to constructing the castle wall around the still unconscious Master Roshi, following the small beach around the remainder of the island, the rest of the gang could be seen having fun in their own respective ways. While Piccolo was standing beside the house and chatting with Android 17, on another part of the beach, Gohan and his friends were having an exciting game of volleyball.

Wanting to satisfy their personal rivalries with one another, the teens had been divided up according to everyone's desires to beat the other person down. On one side, you had Gohan, Erasa, Touya and Lime, and on the other, you had Videl, Sharpener, Sena, and Yukie, all eight of whom were wrapped up in what seemed like your everyday volleyball game between friends. There was really nothing out of the ordinary going on between them that would call for any sort of attention. They were just out there having fun knocking the ball over the net… and becoming quite competitive with one another as to how quickly the game was progressing.

All of them adorned in fashionable swimsuits that suited each of their characters, the gang of eight zigzagged left and right at great speeds, trying to keep the ball in play. Laughter and banter rang out loudly between them as Videl hit the ball up high, setting it up for Sena to leap and spike it over the net.

"Whoa!" Lime shouted, diving to the side and knocking the ball into the air just before it hit the sand. Landing on her front, the girl in the two-piece yellow and red striped bikini looked up with a grin, "Touya!"

"Mine!" the boy with the glasses and white trunks shouted, cupping his hands together and digging the fast-moving object into the air.

Seeing the ball flying towards her, Erasa grinned and sprinted forward, heading towards the area where it was going to pass. As it turns out, it was right where her crush and school's top student was now standing, with his back turned towards the ditzy player. "Gohan!"

Without needing to be told twice, the grinning demi-Saiyan dropped to his knee and braced for impact, a split second before he felt Erasa's foot land against his back and the girl leap high into the air above him. Intercepting the ball the instant it was flying past, the lithe blonde smacked the inflated sphere and sent it shooting over the net and straight towards the opposing team's boundary.

Reacting in alarm, Sharpener attempted to hit it, only for it to blow past his spike and towards the ground. Yukie attempted to dive for it, successfully managing to intercept it just before it hit the floor. However, with the angle it bounced off of her hand, not only did it fly out of bounds, it also ended up striking the water on the way out. The moment it splashed, the winners of the long volley made their victory known to the world.

"YES!" Touya shouted, hands shooting up into the air as he and Lime shared a high-ten. "Eight-to-six, baby!"

"Woo! Yes!" Erasa cheered, shrieking with laughter as she found herself straddling Gohan's shoulders and being lifted into the air. As the blonde in the green string bikini and thong shook her hands in the air victoriously, the Saiyan that was holding her, with his tail hidden comfortably underneath his blue shorts, did a miniature lap of their space and bounced the girl up and down, allowing her to properly acknowledge their score. "Now that's what I call teamwork!" She then leaned forward and grinned down at the boy she was piggy-backing. "Thanks for the setup, hot-stuff."

"Anytime," the demi-Saiyan chuckled, earning an affectionate poke in the nose from the blonde.

Once she'd said her thanks, the girl looked back up and jabbed across at the others. "In your face, Videl and Sharpener!"

Shaking her head at her best friend's antics, Videl, wearing a tasteful sky-blue, two-piece swimsuit, then pointed back at the blonde, who was using her boyfriend as a victory platform. "You'd better watch yourself, Erasa, because my next spike is heading right for your head." She said this all with a competitive grin in play.

"Bring it on, girlfriend," the blonde teenager replied, upper-cutting the air and clapping her bicep at the same time. "I'll send it right back at you, tenfold."

"Not if I get to it first," Sharpener shot back in support of his team, looking on as Sena returned with the volleyball and passed it back over to Lime on the other side. The jock then cracked his knuckles and slid into a battle ready stance, throwing a nod towards the players on the other side. "I'm coming for you, Touya!"

"Bring it on, blondie!" the glasses wearing teen hollered, throwing his hands out in a showy manner before slapping his hands against his pectorals like a primate. "You can't touch this!"

"But I sure as hell can," the boy's girlfriend, Yukie, returned competitively, cracking her neck as the doe girl then shook her hands out. "I think it's time to redeem myself for my slipup."

"You said it, babe," Sena chuckled, giving the girl behind her a high-five before placing her hands on her knees and smirking. "Let's do this."

"Hear that, guys?" Lime asked the teenagers on her side of the net, "These posers think they have what it takes to take us on. What do you think we should do with them?"

It didn't take long for one of them to come up with an answer. "Destroy them. That's what we're going to do," Gohan answered, shooting a grin across at Videl, who returned his competitive air in kind. When he looked up at Erasa on top of his shoulders, the half-Saiyan boy grinned and patted her thigh, "Are you with me on this?"

"You bet your sweet ass, I am," Erasa replied, sliding off of the teen to get back into position. When she high-fived her crush and best friend in appreciation, the blonde and the rest of her troop quickly rotated and changed spots, with Touya taking the lead at the front.

Once Lime passed Gohan the ball, the teen with the glasses grinned at his compatriots, "Alright, boy and girls. Let's bring another win back for team four-star! Who's with me?" When all of them answered in their own individual manners, Touya shook his head in a disappointed manner, "Oh, I think I heard a tumbleweed blow across a dry wasteland several miles away from here. I said WHO'S WITH ME!" This earned an even louder, more aggressive cheer from his three teammates, which drew an impressed nod from the sportsman. "Now that's more like it! Bring it in, guys!" He then placed his hands on his hips and felt all three of them take a step towards him and give him a good, old slap on the ass one after the other. "Yes. We got this. Yep. We got this. We got this. Get in there. Get in there."

"Quit slapping each other's asses and let's start the next round already!" Sharpener practically yelled, though it was clear from all four kids on the other side of the net that they were thoroughly amused by the idiot quadruples' stupidity.

Once all the kissing and bro-hugging was done and dusted, Gohan got the game restarted and soon enough, the band of eight troublemakers were at it again. The ball was soon flying over the net in a white, spherical blur as both teams began trying to decimate the other by putting in the hardest hits possible. It soon began changing hands so many times that their volleys lasted for several full minutes at a time, which didn't bother any of them in the slightest.

Their little content though soon drew the attention of the other guests at the party. Piccolo, Krillin, Chiaotzu, Launch and Android 18, retiring from their previous conversations, soon wandered over to watch the teenagers conduct their little exercise in futility and sat off to the side as their only invested audience. While the Namekian stood under the nearby palm tree with his arms folded alongside his human companions, Launch and Android 18 had taken to lying out on benches underneath the shade, enjoying the cool breeze of the ocean and the hilarious banter between the kids.

As an additional note, both women were dressed in two-piece swimsuits, with the android sporting a hot green number with string-ties and the other a white bikini with red flames.

Watching Gohan spike a shot over the net, only to be effectively intercepted by Videl, Krillin gave a hearty chuckle as the teens continued screaming at each other for more action. "Man. They're really going at it."

"Do you think they'll stop anytime soon?" Chiaotzu asked, while at the same time sipping on a mango smoothie that he'd made for himself inside the house.

The former monk chuckled at the little mime's inquiry, "With Gohan and Videl on their teams, that doesn't seem very likely."

As the two men made comments, a shadow soon fell over the women seated underneath the palm. When both tanners looked across to see who it was, they spotted Zangya, still decked out in her sun dress, setting up a chair alongside their position. When she noticed the two blondes staring at her, the fair-skinned Hera grinned, "Hey. Mind if I join you guys?"

The curly haired Launch smiled and waved, "Knock yourself out. It's a free space."

"Thanks," Zangya chirped, straightening up and slowly removing her dress. Sliding the bands off of her shoulders carefully, she then lifted it over her head and tossed it aside. Once that was done, she then slid into the chair she'd positioned alongside Launch and made herself comfortable. "So… what's the score?"

The former bandit shrugged, "I don't know. I lost count about seven volleys ago."

Willing to fill in that part, Android 18 glanced across at her friend from outer space and answered, "I believe the score is tied at fourteen to-ugh." She then stopped dead when she suddenly noticed the outfit Zangya was wearing, a reaction that also drew Launch's attention over to the newcomer.

When Tien's wife noticed the issue for herself, the woman's eyes widened just as much as her fellow blonde's.

Sensing the eyes of the women burrowing into her temple, the orange haired woman looked across at them oddly, "Something wrong?"

Clearing her throat, the startled android smiled back nervously. "N-No. It's just…" She then took a moment to look her friend over. Smooth skin and curvaceous figure being the foundational traits, the woman's outfit wasn't exactly something she would expect the Hera to be wearing. Figuring it was something new, the android drank in the purple, one-piece swimsuit, which not only had a strap design that made it resemble something a little more erotic, it also had strings crisscrossing the front part and tying it together like a shoe or a corset. Needless to say, it was quite the eye catcher of an ensemble, something that Eighteen felt she needed to acknowledge. "Your swimsuit is… pretty daring…"

"Eh?" Blinking, Zangya then blushed and looked down at her purple one-piece, "I-Is it?"

Both Android 18 and Launch nodded in perfect sync, with the bandit also giving a nervous grin, "Damn girl. Who are you trying to impress with that… Gohan?" When she saw the Hera look away with an even deeper shade of scarlet appearing across her face, the mercenary slowly sat up in surprise and her grin widened enthusiastically. "Oh, seriously? Woo! Check out the stones on this girl!"

The incredibly flushed Hera then glared back at her and hissed, "Shut up, Launch." Honestly, having her suit pointed out by the raucous woman was bad enough. She didn't need to rest of the island catching on to her motives.

Either way, the party at Kame House turned out to be a real blast for everyone. The teenagers' game of volleyball lasted all the way up to the point the food on the barbeque was all done and, as soon as the plates had been dealt out, everybody wasted no time in digging in.

OOO

(Two weeks later)

Another many days came and went, and peace and prosperity continued to grip the entire population of planet earth. With no otherworldly calamities befalling them in the wake of the chaos that'd recently been dealt to West City, the human and animal races of the world continued to live out their days as per the usual routine. But despite the warm summer days of plenty and the serene atmosphere that continued to bathe most of the parts making up the super continent, the people of the tiny world couldn't help but feel that something else was going to happen.

Something big…

With the string of random events that'd taken place following the seven years after Cell's threat upon the world, entire populations found themselves bracing for the next oncoming storm. As to what this storm would be however, they had no idea. However, after their most recent experiences with giant alien monsters and mechs invading the planet, the earth's united military force was on permanent stand-by, holding their breaths for the next big cataclysm to march in.

Whatever disaster was to befall them next, the government and their defenders were ready. Their success all depended on how much their weapons had improved over the last several months and how early they were able to act.

As for the Z-fighters, their timetables hadn't shifted in the least. Vegeta was still killing himself in the Gravity Room, Gohan had been training even harder than before to master his new assets while simultaneously attending school his friends, Bulma introduced a new line of capsules to the market, Goten and Trunks were still lively as always, and the humans who made up the rest of the team were still chilling out as always. Even the guardians up on the highest tower of earth were finding their days had become pretty mundane.

All except for Piccolo, who was right now floating above the tiled surface of Kami's Lookout and was deeply engrossed in meditation. As he hovered there, completely ignoring the butterflies fluttering around him, Mr. Popo had taken to his usual chore of watering the flowers in the garden and Dende, sticking to his responsibilities like a pro, was looking down upon the earth and keeping tabs on the population. With his fingers wrapped securely around his staff for support, the young Namekian played his part, contemplating over the events taking place around him, while simultaneously offering his support to those people who needed it most.

Though he didn't often use his far-reaching telekinesis, whenever Dende did hear of a person in desperate need, he would help them out however he could, using his influence to come to a reasonable arrangement.

Times were pretty much the same for the guardians up on the floating castle and as the night rode on into morning, it seemed as though they were in for another, long, ordinary day.

However, just as Mr. Popo was about to water his collection of tulips on the next patch, a distant rumble on the horizon suddenly drew his attention upwards. A second later, the entire lookout unexpectedly shook. It was this tremor in the atmosphere and ground that caused Dende to look up with a start and Piccolo to open his eyes, effectively cutting him off from his training.

Blinking, the young guardian quickly looked behind him. "Hey… did you guys hear that?"

His senior, frowning deeply, dropped down from his position and landed with a grunt, "I felt that." The man then quickly marched over to the edge of the lookout, determined to figure out where that sound had come from.

Before he could reach his fellow Namekian, another shockwave suddenly rang out. This one being even louder than the first, the thunderclap caused both the lookout and even the earth to tremble, as Piccolo was nearly knocked stumbling forward from the violent quiver the floating castle experienced. The trio's eyes widening in shock, the band of protectors quickly regained their balance and held their positions, their brains mentally counting down to what they predicted to be the next shockwave.

Their prophecies were right on the mark. Just as they anticipated, another loud thunderclap rang out, with this one rattling the lookout and drawing cries of shock from both Mr. Popo and Dende, the latter of whom had to throw his body onto the tiled floor to stop from falling off of the platform.

Amidst the shaking and the undulating of the tiles, the teenage Namekian looked up with terrified yell, "By the Kais… what is happening, Mr. Popo?"

"I… I don't know," the guardian's attended replied, before giving another yelp of shock when repeated thunderclaps suddenly started to echo across the sky.

Baffled by the invisible tremors engulfing their space, Piccolo gritted his teeth and stretched out his senses, despite to figure out what was causing this anomaly.

Eventually, the source of the outrageous shockwaves soon pinged on the man's radar and, when he eventually honed in on it with his full and undivided attention, the man's eyes widened in horror. The same thing happened to Dende as well who, along with his mentor and fellow Namekian, turned their attention towards the skies. Once all three people on the courtyard looked towards the heavens, they watched in utter bewilderment as a large black hole suddenly opened up in the space above the planet.

Initially terrified, thinking that this mass of gravity-defying energy was going to suck the entire earth into oblivion, the two guardians were then caught completely by surprise when, from out of the slip space rupture, they saw an entire planet shimmer into view. Looking to be roughly the same size as the earth, the large terrestrial world with the glowing atmosphere had a large, green nebula-like cloud surrounding it, which hugged against its surface like a ring and had multiple spiral arms wafting out from it. This gave it an overall galaxy like appearance, with the earthen world at the center of its mass.

The moment the forested object completely materialized into view and the black hole closed up, it then sat there, falling into orbit of the earth and, by extension, the rest of the Solar System.

Piccolo, Dende, Mr. Popo, and no doubt the entire portion of the earth facing the planet, were dumbstruck.

Eyes wide with sweat pouring down his face in a stream, the current guardian of earth could only ask one thing, "Wha-… What is that?"

Piccolo, being the most rational-minded and calmest on the balcony, gulped nervously and, with beads of sweat trickling down his face, uttered a single, irrefutable answer.

"Trouble."

(TO BE CONTINUED)

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Author's Note:

Additional Info: Because my fanfiction Dragonball Z: Legacies not only includes elements taken straight from the canon storyline, GT, and the manga, but also the movies (e.g. Bojack Unbound, Broly Second Coming, Lord Slug) and the games (e.g. Budokai Tenkaichi, Dragonball Online), there is a lot of information I researched and included in the story itself that many fans should be able to recognize.

Not only does it include game and anime exclusive characters such as Lime, Master Thief Hasky, Chico the orphan, Icarus the dragon, and Froze of Frieza's race, but it also includes technology and cultures across the broader range of the Dragonball genre (mentioned but not limited to the Dr. Slump comics and the fan comic Dragonball: Multiverse by Salagir and Gogeta Jr.). This is why I added Hanasia into the story as Goku's mother, since I thought she was cool. Gine is also in it, but in a twist is Turles' mum. This is in keeping with the original Bardock - The Father of Goku OVA.

Since we've gotten this far in the story, I think it'll be worth mentioning some of the other aspects that's already been covered so that all my readers are informed of the direction I'm taking the story.

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Super Saiyan transformations:

Super Saiyan: Mentioned as part of an ancient Saiyan Prophecy as far back in the series as the Namek Saga by Vegeta, the legendary form of the Super Saiyan is an advanced transformation assumed by extraordinarily powerful members of the Saiyan race in the Dragonball franchise. Up until that point, for the last thousand years it was considered nothing but a legend, until Goku first achieved it on Namek in his battle with Frieza.

As quoted by Goku in the manga, the transformation to Super Saiyan "comes in response to a need, not a desire." In all known cases in the canon storyline, the form has initially been triggered by either desperation or indignation. Any other conditions are unknown, and motivation between each character tends to differ. For example, Goku achieved it through anger at the murder of his best friend, Gohan achieved it through the anguish he felt from his past failings, and Vegeta achieved it through sheer frustration at his inability to achieve it, including Bardock, who was nowhere near as conditioned or as powerful as his son had been at the time of his first transformation.

In the Legacies storyline, both Sandra and Maya were able to achieve their first Super Saiyan forms on two separate occasions. This happened while they were both locked in combat with aliens from Frieza's race and a dictator from another planet, with rage and personal loss allowing them to attain their respective forms.

Furthermore, in the canon storyline, the form is primarily reached by individuals who've achieved a high level of strength and skill. As the Saiyans train over the course of the series, they discover uncharted levels beyond the first Super Saiyan forms.

Unlike in canon, in the Legacies storyline, both Goten and Trunks, being inherently strong due to the power achieved by their fathers on the days they were conceived, experienced similar sensations of anger and pain in order for them to transform to Super Saiyan. This is in-keeping with the primary elements necessary to achieve the legendary form.

Known users: Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Goten, Trunks, Mirai Trunks, Mirai Gohan, Bardock, Hanasia, Pan, Goren, Eva, Beat (Dragonball Online), Note (Dragonball Online), Sandra and Maya

Super Saiyan 2: Also known as the true Ascended Saiyan form, Super Saiyan 2 is the direct successor to the first Super Saiyan transformation. It is very similar to the original form in appearance and attainment; however, the power output is far greater, as speed, strength, and energy are all drastically increased. Gohan is the first person to achieve it in the manga in his fight against the maniacal android Cell.

Initially it was believed to be a direct result of Gohan's 'Hidden Power', while in actuality it is just the second level in the long line of Super Saiyan transformations. The transformation is triggered through the same emotions that were used to achieve the first Super Saiyan form, but to a much higher degree. While it is not specified how Goku and Vegeta achieved Super Saiyan 2 in the manga, both of them were still able to achieve it through hard work and perseverance. According to the information in the Daizenshuu power guide, a large quantity of energy earned through intense training and an intense emotional response is required to trigger the transformation.

In the Legacies storyline, Goku achieved this form training in Otherworld, Vegeta initiated his trigger through rage at his wife being harmed in the battle against the alien parasite Zeru, Sandra was prompted into it through her best friend getting injured in a battle to save a planet, and Maya achieved it through sheer frustration at being unable to cause damage to an incredibly dangerous foe, and reacted to her need for greater power.

Known users: Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Mirai Trunks, Beat (Dragonball Online), Note (Dragonball Online), Goren, Pan, Sandra and Maya

Super Saiyan 3: Officially the third form of Super Saiyan transformation; it is the successor to the first and second transformations. In the canon storyline, Goku was the very first person to achieve this form training in Otherworld, with Goten and Trunks reaching the form when they fused into Gotenks and trained to master it.

According to the official Daizenshuu guide, the form uses a Saiyan's full potential with power extracted from every drop of the Saiyan's blood. While the Full-Power Super Saiyan form was 100 percent utilization of the user's stamina, the purpose of the Super Saiyan 3 transformation is to increase the utilization of ki. As a result, energy is rapidly drained from the user's body in order to maintain its form. This notably leads to extended levels of fatigue. If the user has died and is not encumbered by a living body, the strain of the transformation is reduced somewhat, but as demonstrated by Goku a number of times in the manga and the movies, even while dead the transformation is still taxing on the body.

Though it is never specified in the Dragonball canon how Super Saiyan 3 was initially discovered, Goku was still able to achieve the transformation by pushing his body to its absolute limit similar to how the Super Saiyan 2nd Grade form was achieved.

In other series media, including Dragonball Online and the Dragonball Z games, other characters have been able to successfully achieve the transformation through a variety of different means. Vegeta was able to successfully achieve the Super Saiyan 3 form through extreme rage and vigorous training, Mirai Trunks transformed when enraged in his battle with Mirai Fat Buu, and Broly was able to achieve the form through an enormous Zenkai boost, upgrading his Legendary Super Saiyan level.

In the Legacies storyline, the characters that have achieved Super Saiyan 3 all used the abovementioned elements mentioned in the Dragonball Z media and canon to achieve their forms in a variety of ways. Gohan, being the first Z-fighter to achieve the form, came very close through vigorous training alone. It was only with an emotional push of rage at the supposed loss of Videl that allowed him to achieve it and, simultaneously, jump to a pseudo-Super Saiyan God form after absorbing Godly ki from Set's prison. Goku achieved Super Saiyan 3 the same way as he achieved it in canon in Otherworld by following Gohan's example, drawing on the power from deep within to push his body beyond its limit. Sandra also achieved the form through rage at seeing her friend being tortured while fighting as a slave in Intergalactic Emperor Mondo's arena.

Only the most exceptional of Saiyans have ever successfully achieved this form. Through Sandra's exposition in Legacies, the culture of the Super Saiyan forms is further expanded upon, as she mentions that the alternate name given to the legendary Super Saiyan 3 was called the Golden Mane Super Saiyan form, due to the incredibly long hair and regal appearance.

Known users: Gohan, Sandra, Goku, Bardock, Beat (Dragonball Online), Note (Dragonball Online), and Mirai Trunks

Super Saiyan God (Transformation to Godhood): Though it is unknown whether there are any other forms of Super Saiyan beyond Super Saiyan 3, there is an alternate form a Saiyan can achieve that can be accomplished exclusively by those who can harness the potent form of energy known as Godly ki.

A new concept officially introduced in Battle of Gods, a Super Saiyan God is a legendary form that'd remained shrouded in mystery for over thousands of years (coincidentally enough). Having never been mentioned prior to the Buu Saga, it was then brought to light when Beerus, the God of Destruction, was told by the Oracle Fish that he would meet a rival and that he would be a Super Saiyan God. When it is eventually achieved by Goku in the movie, the form allows the Saiyan to fight on par with Beerus using only 70 percent of his full power, who was previously able to defeat all of the Z-fighters effortlessly. This form also allows the user to sense and utilize godly ki, which can only be picked up by other deities.

According to canon, the ritual required to achieve this form involves five Saiyans with righteous hearts concentrating their ki and 'pouring their heart' into the body of a sixth. If successful, the Saiyan having the energy concentrated into him will achieve the Super Saiyan God form and gain control over Godly ki.

A rare form of ki, godly ki is shown to be far above other forms of normal ki. Because it is exclusively used by deity level beings, only those who use godly ki can sense other beings that use godly ki, and cannot be sensed by anybody else, including scouters. In the canon storyline, known users of godly ki include Beerus, Whis, Goku, Vegeta, the Kais (though to a much lesser degree), and Dende. Though it is not mentioned how Dende came to learn how to control godly ki, it can be assumed he learned it while taking on the role of Kami of earth over the past seven years. Because only deities can sense other deities, they must possess some sort of control over godly ki.

Unlike with the Saiyans, who use a six person ritual to enable one of them to gain control over godly ki, it is also unspecified how Beerus or Whis achieved mastery over godly ki. However, this opens the door to the possibility that mastery of godly energy can be done by anyone, with the transformation and utilization manifesting differently between races, emphasizing a much larger culture behind the concept of godly ki.

The story of Legacies expands on this culture, dubbing Godly ki as Celestial energy by other alien species due to its divine nature.

Officially, according to Akira Toriyama, Beerus's design was conceived from appearances and attitudes of other Ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, including Seth and Sekhmet, both of whom were notable figures in Egyptian mythology and contributed to the God of Destruction's final design. With Beerus's origin being deeply rooted in mythological figures throughout history, other Gods and Goddesses of various cultures have also been included in the Legacies story, including Norse, Egyptian, Roman, Greek, Celtic, Chinese and Japanese deities. Such deities include Ra, Set, Aphrodite, Thor, Odin, and Loki, all of whom come from different alien races who've mastered godly ki.

This expands on the concepts of Gods in the Dragonball Z universe, while also creating gender equality between characters by including powerful female Goddesses, as well as male Gods.

Each of these deities have used different rituals and means to gain control over godly ki. This isn't just limited to a primitive six person ritual, but also trials exclusive for the races they originated from. Gohan also demonstrated in his battle with Set an alternate means of gaining control over godly ki by unconsciously absorbing it into his body from her prison cell due to the absence of other forms of ki. In doing so, he also achieved a pseudo-Super Saiyan God form by adding his Super Saiyan transformations into the mix, thereby multiplying the Godly ki in his body several times over.

Though it is not the official ritual used by the Saiyans, this method demonstrated another means of gaining strength through godly ki for a Saiyan.

Just like the Gods of Ancient Greek, Japanese and Norse mythology, the Gods featured in Legacies also demonstrate an Achilles heel to various artifacts and elements in the universe. (This is an element I derived specifically from Homer's Odyssey, which I found to be a compelling read during my study. I just love how all of the Greek Gods have such a lively culture. I think that's what's really missing from the concept of Beerus, it's that he never experiences these kinds of conflicts. Hopefully my story amends that by adding more diversity). Mythological artifacts such as swords and spears forged from enchanted elements can be used to harm and slay Gods, with artifacts constructed from materials, such as stars, quasars and anti-matter, also serving as a resource. Much like the Rings of Gyges of Ancient Greek mythology, which were made of an unknown celestial element to grant invisibility to the one who wields them, in the same suite, an element of the opposite nature can harm one who possesses invincibility or Godhood, such as the box that sealed Pandora and the blade wielded by Perseus to slay Medusa, whose status was said to be equal to that of the Goddess Circe.

In Legacies, Beerus is one of several Gods who represent the element of destruction and maintain balance in the universe. He is also a student of the life form identified as Whis, who'd trained many other Gods and Goddesses over the centuries he's lived. The other deities that represent the elements of construction and destruction also received their training from other figures and past Gods, and have their own attendants that serve them and fulfill responsibilities in their absences.

Androids and Mechs: In the canon storyline, Doctor Gero demonstrated the ability to create androids capable of fighting against Super Saiyan and even deity level opponents. His strongest creation, Cell, is a biological android capable of using the exact same techniques and skills as the other Z-fighters, including the Saiyans, as he possesses the DNA samples of every single one of them. The android was also able to increase his strength to the point he could match a fully powered Super Saiyan 2 Gohan.

In Dragonball Online and Dragonball GT (even though it's non-canon, it's still used as part of the series like the movies), the science that went into designing the androids was further expanded on in the Dragonball universe. The androids Nico and Nimu, who were designed by Doctor Auto and possess the exact same technology and appearances as Androids 17 and 18, have demonstrated the ability to fight on par with Super Saiyan 3, Super Saiyan 4, and God level opponents. Super Android 17, who was also partly designed by Doctor Gero, also demonstrated the ability to fight on par with Super Saiyan 4 Goku, as well as absorb enormous quantities of energy to multiply his strength. Even Doctor Flapp created Arale, who possesses the innate capability to distort reality at a whim and split the earth in two with a tap of her finger.

Borrowing concepts from the androids in these media, Legacies further delves into the capacity of human technology through Kaiser. Showcasing intelligence on par with Gero's and Auto's, Kaiser was able to use the same technology used in the androids to create armored combat suits and mechs capable of fighting on par with Super Saiyan 2 and Super Saiyan 3 level opponents. Instead of having the metal frames on the inside, the mech frames are exterior and can be used by anyone, making his technology incredibly flexible in terms of their usage. However, while the androids are cell and biological based, Kaiser's mechs are core and armor based, meaning they have more limitations than the androids in terms of how much energy they can store and absorb. He is later able to correct this by modifying Hasky's design by adding the energy cells to her suit, and later Chico's.

If the idea has been used in Dragonball Z, whether it's canon, filler (including GT), a movie (not Evolution), a game or a comic, then it is guaranteed to be featured in this story. Dragonball Z: Legacies can be seen as an expansion of old and new Dragonball Z concepts, as well as a trial of ideas embedded into one story. At least that's what I'm aiming for.

For more information, consult the Dragonball Z wiki.