"All right, let's see what we have. How about this?" Bell asked, picking a dress off the rack. It was yellow with patterns of flowers all over it. Brussa winced.

"That's completely impractical. All that fabric would just get in the way," Brussa said.

"Aww, I think it's cute!" Vuvu said, "You'd look like a summer day."

"No, I think she's right. You live in the woods, right? You need something a bit practical, but that doesn't mean you can't look good doing it," Bell said.

"What's wrong with my armor?" Brussa asked.

"I meant, if you want to look like some sci-fi geek, sure," Kaz laughed, "Where did you even get that, anyway?"

"My father gave this to me for my tenth birthday. Said I was a true Saiyan warrior when I got it," Brussa said.

"Well, there's no reason you have to give it up. But let's get you something more comfortable," Bell said, putting the dress back, "Something rugged, comfortable...Hmm...What about denim?"

"Get something that will hang a bit, she's gonna hit a growth spurt any day," Kaz insisted, "My mom made that mistake with me. I got this really comfortable jacket, and then three weeks later it was two sizes too small."

"Oh, right. How about this, then?" Vuvu asked, digging into the rack and pulling out a jean jacket.

"What are you all doing?" Brussa asked, crossing her arms, "I am a Saiyan Warrior, not a doll!"

"Doesn't mean you can't look kicking a little ass, Brussa," Bell insisted, "If your brother's any indication, do you all wear that armor? It never hurts to stand out a little."

Brussa grumbled, and took the denim jacket from Vuvu, putting it on over her form-fitting shirt. It was soft on the inside, but seemed rugged enough. Brusa pulled on the sleeves a bit to confirm. It wasn't her armor, certainly, but it was comfy.

"Looks good! You look fierce, like nobody's gonna mess with you," Bell said. Brussa smiled.

"They shouldn't."

"That's what I'm talking about! Like a real, uh, what was it you said? Saying-Warrior?"

"Saiyan."

"Gotcha. All right, now, let's get you some pants to go with it. It's a little loose now, but you'll grow into. Now, you can't go wrong with a good pair of jeans, so try these on," Brussa handed her a pair of pants and a belt. Brussa started taking off her clothes in the middle of the shop.

"Um, we have curtains for changing," the shop owner pointed.

"...Okay?" Brussa stared at her.

"For privacy?"

"Oh. Sorry," Brussa shuffled behind the curtains, and started to change. When she got the pants, she called out, "There's no room for my tail!"

"Just put the pants on best you can, we can sew a hole for it after," Bell said.

"Oh, all right," Brussa said, shimmying into them. She walked out from behind the curtain with her new outfit.

"There you go, rockstar!" Kaz gave her a thumbs-up, "Spin around, show us the whole thing."

Brussa spun in place, arms out, looking down at the clothes.

"Yeah, that looks uncomfortable for the tail Can we do anything about that?" Vuvu asked the shopkeeper.

"Sure. I'll cut a hole, and then sew some fabric on it for a little sleeve, so the hole won't show what's underneath," said the shopkeeper.

"I guess it's okay. It makes me look tough?"

"The toughest!" Vuvu said.

"Then I like it!" Brussa declared.

"You should get a few pairs of pants, just in case something gets damaged or dirty," Kaz pointed out, "And some shirts to go under your jacket, just so you can take off the jacket if it gets hot or something."

"Let me take your measurements, is that okay? It'll help me with the tail," the shopkeeper asked. Brussa let her, then changed back behind the curtain so the shopkeeper could make modifications. While the shopkeeper started cutting at the pants, Kaz beckoned Brussa over.

"Now I know you said you want to look tough and wanted something practical, but I really think you should get something cute, too," she said.

"Why? I'm a warrior, not a decoration."

"Yeah, but if you look pretty while kicking butt, you'll make them think, 'Oh no, I got my butt kicked by a flowery little girl! I'm so ashaaaaamed!'" Kaz explained, putting her hands to her cheeks and squeaking her voice, mocking Brussa's theoretical enemies.

"Hmm, I hadn't thought of it that way."

"And you've got to learn to wear stuff, just because you like the way you look. There's no shame in wearing stuff for you. In fact, that's the whole point! What's your favorite color?" Kaz asked. Brussa blinked.

"Oh, favorite color? Huh, I never thought about that. Why would I need a favorite?" she asked.

"You don't need one, but maybe there's one you just like. There's no reason, it's just the way it is."

"Well, hmm. I hate yellow. And purple. Purple is the color of Lord Freeza. Um...Hmm...Well, my mother's armor has always been green. But I remember, this one time, when I was little, we passed by this exploding star. My mom took me to the observation deck to watch it. It was all kinds of reds and blues, mostly, but it was all kinds of colors. I think about the blue center of that explosion, and the bright white light in the center. It made me feel...Small. But, like, in a good way, like there's so much to see and explore and do. So much stronger to become."

Brussa looked to Kaz, "Does that help?'

Kaz smiled at her, "You've got the heart of an artist, Brussa. Something like an exploding star, hmm. Put out your arms like this for me? Dang, girl, you've got some tone! We've got to show that off. C'mere, let's see if any of these speak to you."

Brussa looked through the racks of clothes, most of which didn't interest her. She didn't really understand any of this; why were there so many different kinds of shirts? Brussa thought about some of the women she'd seen or met in the Freeza Force. Mostly they wore the same armor as everyone else, but there were a few exceptions. Her father rarely wore much other than his armor. Her mother had that armored skirt...But did she like the way it looked?

"Show off my tone…" Brussa muttered to herself, picking through the outfits, "What about this?"

Kaz put the tube-top and miniskirt back, "Maybe after you've hit your growth spurt."

"Okay, what about this one?" Brussa pulled out a sleeveless blue Cheongsam. The dress was cut so that she would have full range of movement with her legs while still remaining modest. She particularly liked the blue fabric with the white lining.

"Oh, that's a good pick. It's a bit fragile, so you've got to be careful with it, but you'll look great. Go try it on, see if it fits!" Kaz encouraged. Brussa took a little extra time to figure out the dress, and asked for a bit of help, but came out with it. It fit a little tightly, but she'd never worn anything like silk before.

"Now we're talking, Brussa! That's perfect. Prettiest star in the sky!" Bell said.

"It's a bit tight," Brussa admitted.

"I can make some modifications, but you'll probably outgrow it either way," the shopkeeper warned.

"I won't hit my big spurt for a couple of years, so it'll last me until I'm about fifteen anyway," Brussa said, "Can you make it fit?"

"Until you're...Fifteen? Huh?" the shopkeeper muttered.

"Yeah, I can get a few years out of all of this. Can you modify it like the rest of it?" Brussa asked. The shopkeeper nodded.

"I'll have the jeans done before the end of the night, but can you come back in a couple of days for the dress?" the shopkeeper asked.

"I guess so," Brussa shrugged. She changed into the denim outfit, with the first of the jeans being completed already. They spent a little while in there, picking out clothes for the other three, while waiting for the rest of Brussa's jeans to be modified. They paid, giving Brusa context for just how much money they had made off the T-Rex.

"Wow, I guess we really made a lot of money off that monster…" Brussa admitted.

"Yeah, it was an intact T-Rex, Brussa, what did you think?" Bell asked. Brussa shrugged.

"I'm not used to using Zeni, I guess you could say? I never really handled money at all before…" Brussa admitted.

"I guess that makes sense. Especially if you live in the woods with just your family," Vuvu said.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing with the rest of your money?" Kaz asked.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Meys wanted to buy some tools for the spacepod!" Brussa cringed.

"You would be out of this world," Bell laughed.

"Oh, I smell food!" Vuvu called, rushing ahead. Brussa took in a deep whiff, and outpaced her to where people were congregating, eating, and drinking.

"There you are, Brussa. I figured you'd be here the moment we started cooking," Meys said when she appeared.

"I was avoiding it because I knew you were cooking," she teased. Brussa offered him the cash box. He wrapped his tail around it to carry it.

"Brussa, what is it that you're wearing?" he asked. She held the edge of her denim jacket, trying to think of an answer.

"...Human clothes?"

"Why?"

She looked over to Bell, and then back to Meys, "They told me to? I don't know. Coming here was your stupid idea."

Meys grinned at her, and offered her a plate, "C'mon. Let's eat some Earth food."

Brussa took the plate, and walked over to the other girls, stuffing a whole steak in her mouth as she walked. The girls stared at her as she ate.

"...What?" Brussa asked when she noticed.

"Okay, new plan, let's see how much steak Brussa can stuff in her mouth at once," Vuvu said. Meys rolled his eyes as Brussa went off with the Earthling girls.

"So, did you hear about the attack on Orange Star City? Some kind of terrorist attack a few days ago," Pops asked, "Haven't heard of anything like that since King Piccolo."

"Did you say Piccolo?" Meys asked. Pops nodded.

"Yeah. I fought the Red Ribbon Army for ten years, but those months with King Piccolo was the worst campaign I've ever fought in. I sure hope we don't have days like those again," Pops said.

"I heard there was a green man just like him when it happened," Dice said, "I sure hope there aren't more like him."

Meys crushed the ceramic cup he was holding.

"Woah! Easy there, Meys! That's quite a grip you've got," Pops said, inspecting Meys's hand.

"Tell me about this King Piccolo," Meys demanded.

"King Piccolo? How could you not know about that? This was eight years ago!" Pops asked. He saw Meys's gaze, and swallowed, "Right. King Piccolo. Three hundred years ago or so, he came out of nowhere, and started the Piccolo Wars. He's this green devil with pointed ears, antennae, yellow arms. He takes over the world, until this hero, a Martial Artist named Mutaito, and his students finally make a stand against him. They sealed him away.

"Eight years ago, though, Piccolo came back and took over the government, overthrew the king and everything. He destroyed half of Central City and much of the military. I got hurt, and spent the end of the war in a coma, but when I woke up, King Piccolo and all his monsters were gone. We spent the next few years hunting down all the criminals he released. Five years ago, I was done with the fighting, left the Army, and moved back home out here. Been selling vegetables ever since," Pops explained.

"Piccolo was the name of the creature that killed Raditz," Meys said. Pops and Diced stared at Meys. Meys took a deep breath, "If I'd known that Piccolo was trying to take over the world...He played Kakarot. He died for that monster!"

Pops rest his hand on Meys's bicep, "Piccolo's dangerous, Meys. You can't blame yourself. He turned a lot of people to his side. Stay away from him."

"No. I can't. This is all the more reason to put him down! We failed to kill him then, but we're going to be ready this time," Meys vowed.

"Wait, were you who Piccolo was fighting in Orange Star City?" Dice asked. Meys nodded.

"If we'd planned better, been more prepared, we might have been able to destroy him once and for all. We wouldn't need the rest of the family."

"A lot of people died in that battle, Meys," Pops said.

"We could have won!" Meys insisted.

"At what cost? A whole section of the city was destroyed! Hundreds of people died, Meys! You're a soldier. The only person you should be concerned with killing is your enemy, and only until the job's done. Any more than that, you're not a soldier, you're just a murderer. You lose your honor, your pride, and all you're left with is blood on your hands," Pops said, "I know you have a lot at risk with the way your people live your lives. But I've seen a lot of combat. I've seen a lot of bloodshed. The ones who go about slaughtering people because they're in the way, or just because it's fun, they were always the greatest cowards."

"You'd better watch your tongue, human."

"You think I'm scared of you? Scared of dying, Meys? Not if it means doing the right thing. Protecting people from monsters. You want to kill Piccolo, go right ahead. But if you hurt people while doing it, you're no better than he is. Just another monster," Pops said.

Meys looked at his hand.

Monster.

He clenched his fist, "Monster…"

"Woah, Meys, take a breath," Dice said.

"A...Monster...I am…" Meys ran his hand through his hair, "I am a monster…"

Meys ran short of breath, and took steps back, "That's all I am, isn't it? After what Freeza did to my planet, all we've done is kill people. Wipe out whole civilizations, just like ours…"

"Meys?" Brussa called out, walking towards him.

"How are we any better than him? What, because you're weak? Freeza killed our entire people in an afternoon, what does that make us? We're nothing, just like all of you!" Meys shouted. Pops stepped forward.

"Meys, listen to me," he said, "Look at me. You do things in war you're not proud of."

"What we do isn't war! It's not even fighting! It's just death! No different than...Than what happened to my brother...Oh, Beets...He'd just had his first kid, a daughter, and they were...Vaporized! How many times have I done that? How many times have I laughed about it?" Meys shook his head.

"We're Saiyan warriors! We conquer, it's what we do!" Brussa insisted.

"No, we don't conquer. We're lackeys. Butchers, every one of us. We feed Freeza's gullet because he's taken everything from us and we cower from him. We're supposed to have pride! We're supposed to be warriors! When was the last time we fought a planet that put up anything resembling a real fight?" Meys demanded.

"Mom says we do it to survive, because it's all we can do until we're ready!" Brussa said.

"Brussa, your mother is wrong. We're not surviving, we're being toyed with like mice! I am not a mouse, I am a warrior. Slaughtering the weak is not the business of a Saiyan with any real pride," Meys said.

"You are my pride!" Brusa said, repeating her mother's mantra.

"No, Brussa. Some things are beneath us, even if the reward is survival. I will kill Piccolo, but after this, I will kill no more worlds," Meys vowed. He pulled his scouter off his face, dropped it on the ground, and flew off, leaving the cash box behind.

"Meys!" Brussa started to fly after him.

"Brussa!" Pops called after him, "Let him go. You can't stop him."

"Piccolo will kill him if I don't!" Brussa said.

"Piccolo will kill you, too, if you try," Pops said, "Believe me. I've fought his minions."

Brussa failed to fight back tears, "I can't let Piccolo kill him, too! I have to try! We can't keep losing people!"

"Would Raditz want you to die trying, too, Brussa?" Pops asked. Brussa floated down, hanging her head.

"I don't want to lose him...I don't want to lose anyone…" Brussa sobbed. Bell wrapped her arms around Brussa.

"We'll be here when he gets back, Brussa. It's going to be okay," Bell assured her. Brussa picked up Meys's scouter.

"I really hope so…"