Meys found a nice, solid rock to land on. His Scouter tracked the Earthling woman carrying Brussa away; he really only had one chance to get away from them. His hand slid to his belt as the three-eyed Earthling approached with the other two bald ones. The Namekian was not far behind. This would have to be quick.

"It's over! We have you now!" Tien called to him. With one hand, Meys blasted at Tien, and with the other, he flung his knife at Krillin, having charged its special functionality with some of his Ki. The knife was unexpectedly fast for Krillin, who caught it in his shoulder. The momentum and pain sent Krillin falling out of the sky, giving Meys the opportunity to jump towards his pod.

Quickly switching the pod to manual and shutting the door as quick as he could, Meys got it floating in the air just as Piccolo blasted where it had landed. The pod zipped past the warriors, easily catching up to Chi Chi, who was still flying away with Brussa tucked under her arm. Meys pulled at a tube inside the pod and sucked at it, getting a mouthful of disgusting gruel that nonetheless was high in calories and nutrition.

"Blech," Meys smacked his lips, and pushed for the door to open. With one hand on the roof of the pod, Meys stepped out onto the door.

"Give me Brussa, or I won't hesitate to kill you!" Meys ordered her. Chi Chi shot him a glare that almost sent a shiver up his spine, if he weren't serious in his threat.

Chi Chi lowered her head to Brussa's face, "I'm sorry it all had to go like this. We should be family."

"Wh-what?" Brussa asked, trying to focus on Chi Chi. With a yell, Chi Chi tossed Brussa to Meys, who caught the Saiyan girl. Chi Chi gave a feint in her flying before falling behind the pod and letting it go past her as she flew back towards the rest of the team. She peeked over her shoulder, watching the pod close up and fly away towards the mountains. The second pod hovered out of its crater, before flying after the first.

Chi Chi flew towards the others, who quickly caught up to her, "I'm sorry. I had to give her up."

"It's okay, Chi Chi. He caught us off-guard. You'd have made it if we'd been paying closer attention," Tien said. He was helping Krillin fly, having wrapped up Krillin's shoulder.

"At least we know we can beat them," Piccolo said, "They just barely got away from us."

"Yeah, but with their ships, they can go anywhere on the planet. We'd never be able to catch up to them if they were to strike. We'll have to find a way to shoot down their pods," Tien said.

"Well, all I know is I could use a Senzu bean and a nap," Krillin remarked, "Can we go do that, and then go on a wild monkey chase?"

"Yeah," Chi Chi said, "Let's do that."

XXX

"They're so POWERFUL! How did they get that STRONG?!" Brussa pouted, "Raditz would have crushed the Namekian one-on-one! He DID! But now I couldn't land a punch without help?! What IS this?" Brussa demanded.

"They said they'd been practicing," Meys said, "Maybe they know of some kind of training we don't? It's the only way they could have gotten so strong in such a quick amount of time. Any one of them, aside from the Namekian, we could have taken, one-on-one."

He scowled, remembering.

"Hell, if we'd stuck together, we could have taken any three of them! Probably their whole team, but you ran off to play with the green man!" Meys chided.

"HE'S THE ONE WHO KILLED MY BROTHER!" Brussa screamed, tears running down her face, "Now I'm stuck here, with YOU, and these people I can't beat, and I don't know what to do! Why did I do this? What am I doing?"

Brussa lumped against a tree, grabbing at her hair and crying. Meys sat on the ground in front of her, rubbing at his face where he'd been punched a few times by the Earthling woman.

"We're doing what's right. You don't kill one of us and get away with it. Shive should be with us in a few days, a week at the most. When he's here, we should be able to take all of them, and have our revenge. Then, we can gather the Dragonballs in time for your parents and Vegeta to arrive. Does that sound like a plan?" Meys asked.

"Hiding in the woods like a bunch of cowards. I'd rather keep fighting," Brussa said.

Meys smiled, "Maybe we'll get lucky, and catch one of them off-guard and alone, and we can have some fun. In the meantime, let's get some food, and we'll do a little training. That should help keep our minds off things, okay?"

Brussa wiped away her tears, "Okay, but I'll cook, you're terrible at it."

"Hey, your mom's taught me a few things!"

XXX

"Did you get them, Mom?" Gohan asked while Chi Chi brushed his hair. His face was, dutifully, in a math book, and he was doing his multiplications. They were at Capsule Corp, where Yamcha and Krillin were having their injuries tended to. The Senzu beans would probably do the job, but the alien knife might have unintended side effects, so Bulma had insisted on having their injuries studied.

"Almost, honey. We should get them next time."

"Okay! I miss dad."

"I do, too. Gohan, honey, would you like someone to play with once in a while?" she asked. He nodded.

"I like all your friends, they're nice, but none of them are my age, so it would be nice."

"I'll see if I can find you some playmates, then, Gohan. A boy your age shouldn't be alone," she decided. He nodded.

"Thanks mom!" he said, and he went back to his textbook. A cat purred and crawled on Gohan's lap on top of his book. Gohan carefully picked up the cat, placed it under the book, and kept working, one hand petting the cat, and the other going at his homework.

"Well, I've got a clean bill of health!" Krillin said, rubbing at his shoulder, "Good ole Senzu bean surgery did the trick."

"I'm glad you're okay, Krillin," Chi Chi said.

"Yeah, sorry, about what happened. If you'd gotten away, we'd be done with this already. I didn't even see the knife coming at me…" Krillin said, "By the way, did you see that Saiyan's moustache? Corny, huh?"

"I couldn't imagine you with a moustache, Mr. Krillin!" Gohan laughed with him.

"Yeah, that'd be weird, that's for sure."

"If this was just the second wave, we've got a lot more work to do," Piccolo said, "We should pick up our training right away."

"I just got stabbed by an alien knife, and Yamcha got blasted into concrete. I think we could do with one day off to recover," Krillin said.

"We don't have time-" Piccolo began.

"Piccolo, he's right," Master Roshi interrupted, "Our bodies might be back to full, but our minds aren't. We've learned and dealt with a lot today. We should process what's happened, and be ready for whatever tomorrow brings us. We have the advantage of being able to sense them, wherever the Saiyans are."

"Hmm. I could do with a bit of meditation," Piccolo conceded.

"We have a garden in that building over there with a stream you might like," Bulma gestured, arriving with Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha.

"Thank you," he nodded, and left.

"Is it just me, or did Piccolo really go out of his way to protect people today?" Yamcha asked.

"I noticed that, too," Tien said, "He took some nasty hits he didn't have to."

"Maybe we're rubbing off on him," Krillin chuckled, "Who knew Piccolo might have a soft side."

"Hmm, I hope so," Master Roshi said.

"So, I have a question," Bulma said, "What's stopping us from gathering the Dragon Balls and wishing back Goku so he can train with the rest of you?"

"I've been holding off on this one," Roshi admitted, "But bringing back Goku is the plan."

Chi Chi and Gohan looked up.

"That was the plan the whole time and you didn't tell me?!" Chi Chi snarled. Gohan clutched the cat and pet it, trying to make it feel safe.

"Now hold on! I didn't want everyone slacking off because they thought Goku would come along and save us!" Roshi said, "And look what our training's gotten us! Those two were almost as strong as Raditz, and we took them on! Kami told me we had almost a year before the Saiyans arrived, and we're four months in. So, with eleven months before they get here, we still have seven to go! Imagine the gains we can make in that time!"

"What about Goku?" Krillin asked, "We'd be leaving him behind!"

Master Roshi shook his head, "No, that's the secret kick of it all. Kami says that Goku's going through some kind of intense training in the Otherworld. He assured me that when we're done, and Goku gets back, he'll be stronger than any of us! That's why we need to wait, to give Goku as much time as we can. The longer we wait, the stronger he'll be."

"In the meantime, we train, and get stronger," Yamcha said, "Maybe we won't need Goku by that point."

"Even if we don't, we'll be able to handle whatever comes next!" Krillin cheered, "I like the sound of that!"

"There's always something stronger," Master Roshi nodded, "Always be getting better."

"That's all well and good, but I'd feel a lot better having the Dragon Balls on hand before we need them anyway," Bulma said, handing each of them a small box, "So I'm gonna give you all training. I'm going to give you each a Dragon radar, and I want you to get a Dragonball each before the end of the year. That way, we can gather them quickly, and get Goku back lickety-split when we finally need him."

"That's a great idea, Bulma!" Yamcha said.

"Of course it is," Bulma winked, "Think you all are up for it? Or, uh, will be?"

There were nods all around, except from Chi Chi, who stared at her radar. Bulma saw her expression, and stepped into the nex lab.

"Hey dad? Do you mind babysitting tonight?" she called.

"Hmm? Babysitting?" Dr. Briefs asked.

"Yeah, we need someone to look after Gohan," Bulma explained. Chi Chi looked at her.

"We do?"

"Yep. I'm calling Launch, we're finding the best bar in town, and having a girl's night out, because you definitely need one."

"Go ask your mother!" Dr. Briefs said.

"Nu uh, she's coming, too!" Bulma said.

"Oh, all right, fine," Dr. Briefs walked into the room, "Gohan, why don't you come with me? I'll show you the wonders of SCIENCE!"

Gohan's eyes lit up mad he looked up to his mom.

"Go on, have fun with Dr. Briefs," Chi Chi said, and he gleefully chased after him, math book in one hand and cat in the other. Chi Chi looked to Bulma, "So, your mother?"

"Trust me, you get two Appletinis in my mom, and she's a party animal. I'm gonna see if Launch's old number works. I wonder what she's been up to lately?"

XXX

"So then Goku says… 'I thought 'Bride' meant something to eat!'" Chi Chi said, and the four women burst into laughter. Chi Chi leaned against Launch, who was wiping away the beer shed spilled from laughter.

"Chich, you made me spill my beer!" Launch laughed, "Ah-AH-CHOO!"

Launch swapped from blonde to blue, "Oh! I'm sorry, did I spill some on you?"

"It's fine, Launch," Chi Chi snickered, wiping off some of the beer. Launch switched glasses, having ordered two different drinks because of different tastes between the two Launches.

"Oh you should hear about when Brief proposed to me for the first time," Panchy said, "He gave me this puzzle box, but I thought it was a cute coaster. When he asked me if I'd solved it, I had no idea what he was talking about! He moped for a week before showing me how it worked!"

There was another round of laughter.

"Wait, is that the metal coaster in the TV room that looks like it's from a sports team?"

"That's the one!" another round of laughter. An older woman approached, holding a pair of drinks, one in each hand. Her hair was dyed pink, and she wore a blue blouse and white pants.

"Mind if I join you ladies? It sounds like you're swapping proposal stories, and I've got one I've got to share," she said.

"Of course!" Bulma gestured to the open seat at their table. The woman placed one of the drinks in front of Chi Chi, and the woman leaned on the table, sipping at the other.

"All right. So I met him at a marine after a party on some guy's boat. Some bozo who'd won the Tenkaichi Budōka, I don't remember who it was. King Chappa, that's who it was. Anyway, the party was totally lame, so when we got back, I ended up getting some drinks at the marina, and hit it off with him while he was working.

"Long story short, he's an absolute sweetheart, but always changes the subject when I talk about getting married. So, one day, years after we met, I talk to his buddy at the Marina, and ask him to help me out with painting my boat. Now, my Heston, he gets all kinds of jealous that I asked his friend to help me out, not me. Even challenges his friend to a fight without me knowing. So, when I'm ready, I take out my boat for a spin along the marina. I see these two fighting on the dock, so I shout out, 'Heston! Look over here!' Heston punches his buddy in the face, looks over his shoulder, and guess what I had his buddy write on my boat?"

"Oh this has gotta be good!" Bulma leaned in.

"It says 'Marry me, dumbass!' on the side of it," she said. The table erupted with laughter.

"Wait, that's not even the best part of it. He drops his buddy, who falls in the water, and starts BEGGING me to forgive him for being so dumb. So I shout, 'Only if you save Giovanni from drowning, you dummy!'"

"Stop it, I'm gonna pee!" Launch yelped, laughing.

"My name's Nectreen, by the way," the woman said.

"I'm Bulma."

"I'm Lau-Lau-LAUNCH!" Launch sneezed, turning blonde again. Everyone stared at her, and Launch came up laughing, "'Marry Me, Dumbass!' Oh, that's rich, I gotta remember that one!"

"I'm Panchy, I'm Bulma's mother."

"And I'm Chi Chi," she bowed slightly.

"Well, thanks for indulging an old lady's stories."

"Oh, it's no problem, the more the merrier!" Bulma insisted, "If that's okay with the rest of you?"

With no objections, another round of drinks were ordered.

"You look pretty down there, Chi Chi, for someone with two and a half drinks in them," Nectreen said.

"Oh, it's just that...My husband is...He, uh…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Chi Chi, I won't pry."

"It's okay, I think I need to talk about it," Chi Chi admitted, downing the drink that Nectreen had given her, "He's...Incapacitated, so it's been four months without him. I guess you could say he comes from a...Troubled family? And now they're in town, and I don't have him around. And it's only going to get worse, and I don't know what to do. His friends are helping, but…"

"Listen, Chi Chi, take it from me. I spent forty years with my Heston. I love him to pieces, rest his soul. But your man can't be the only thing in life that you love. You gotta find what makes you love life, beyond your love life. Beyond kids, crappy in-laws, believe me, I know crappy in-laws. Because if love is all you have in life, you forget how to live."

"Wait, I've read that somewhere," Panchy muttered. Nectreen grinned.

"Sounds like someone reads 'Dear Miss Peach' in the paper."

"You're Miss Peach?" Panchy gasped.

Nectreen tapped her nose.

"Oh my goodness!" Panchy squeaked, and she offered to clink glasses, "Drinks with Miss Peach!"

Nectreen clinked glasses, and turned back to Chi Chi.

"I know it's hard being apart from your-Goku, was it? That name sounds familiar. Anyway. Being apart can hurt. But the best part is, you get to be with friends, your friends, and with yourself. What is it about yourself that you love, Chi Chi?"

"Love about myself? Hmm...I love...My dedication."

"Yeah?"

"How...Much I care...And...My work ethic…"

"More than work, though, what do you love?"

"I love...I love being the strongest woman on the planet!" Chi Chi stood up.

"There we go!" Bulma cheered.

"I love being a martial artist, better than almost any man!"

"Sing it!" Launch called out.

"And I…" she sat, and took another drink, "I love my little boy, Gohan."

"Awww!" cooed Panchy.

"And...And my history, and my people...And...Um...This drink!" Chi Chi gulped it down.

"To this drink!" Bulma toasted.

"To drink!"