Vee: All the...small things...true care...truth brings...I'll take...one lift...your ride...best trip...

Reda: Vee...not...now...

Vee: ALWAYS...I KNOW...YOU'LL BE...AT MY SHOW...

Trunks: Be quiet, Vee.

Vee: ...SAY IT AIN'T SO...I WILL NOT GO...TURN THE LIGHTS OFF...CARRY ME HOME!

Reda: Vee, seriously...you can't sing.

Trunks: Vee, I said be quiet.

Goku? Now all three of you are against Vee??

Reda: Of course.

Trunks: Uh...well...uh...yeah

Goku: Trunks, I didn't know you hated Vee just as much as Reda...

Trunks: Well, um...see...

Reda: He's against Vee because I'm against Vee.

Vee: Great, who's on my side then? Goku, you're on my side aren't you?

Goku: Yes. (Notices the glares Reda and Trunks give him) I mean no. (Now Vee glares at him) I mean...yes...no...Uh...I don't know! Can we just pull the connection and get on with the story?

Reda: Oh! Right! I forgot about that...

(Everyone falls over as Reda pulls the connection)

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Chapter 27: A Secret

I wonder what this chapter name means. Who has the secret? Is it just one secret? I wonder who has a secret and what it is? Something very interesting lurks underneath all secrets; will these be any different?

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Vee clambered through the many hallways of Psyfoam's lair. Where is she? His first guess had been the prisons where her father still sat alone in the dark with his men. Then he had checked the room in Tower5, running all the way up those long and twisting stairs. After that he had just begun running through the place mindlessly, opening almost every door and closing it back when nothing but echo or silence answered him. Where could she be? The one time I actually want to talk, she's gone and disappeared.

Vee, I'm in Tower17, Room 318. What seems to be the problem?

Just as he closed another door, Vee scowled as Reda's voice entered his mind. I'll tell you when I get there. His reply wasn't very cheerful, and he began to ask himself why he hadn't thought of the mind-connection before. He should have remembered it above all else; it was because of their connection that the two of them managed to survive life with Psyfoam.

Together they were—well, for lack of a better word—awesome; together they had power like nothing Psyfoam could imagine; he didn't know the half of what they had discovered; together they lived through the torturous hours under Psyfoam's rule; together they survived.

Alone, neither one of them would have made it; alone, they would have both given up and died a long time ago; that was a mistake Psyfoam had made...or was it?

Finally, Vee reached the room with the #318 on Tower17—jeez, Psyfoam had a huge place—and when he stepped in he was instantly entranced. The room itself was huge: wide and tall; it would have made the perfect bedroom. Each wall was like a computer screen, a special scene on each one.

The one which held the door was full of space: planets rotated just like real, exploding star chips sent several shooting stars all over the wall; it was just incredible! The wall to his left was an ocean: fish swam about, sharks attacked, rays almost flew through the water; this was quite a sight as well. Vee turned to his right. This wall looked like it came from a fantasy book: a glorious castle stood, a moat surrounding it, a black-armored knight waited on his horse for the draw bridge, and there was even a dragon roaring and billowing fire on the castle heights; this was marvelous, too!

But when he walked to the back where Reda had to be, he realized that this wall was the best of them all. It was like the picture of a child, and it reminded him of life outside in the world without Psyfoam, without Frieza, with a normal, happy life. A tree stood in the middle of a clearing in a forest, draping over the large, flat boulder placed beneath it. The sky overhead was dark as night, sparkles of stars shining through with their bright light.

He looked back at the tree, and nearly fell backwards from shock when Reda jumped out from the branches and walked toward him. She reached a hand through the wall and Vee shied away. Uh-uh...Too weird. No way am I going in there!

"Come on, Vee. There's nothing to be scared about," she teased with a smile as she grabbed his wrist and forced him in.

The feeling that went through him as he passed through the wall was strange, terrifying, and almost electrifying. But when he came out into the open area that looked so real he didn't want to accept the fact that it wasn't, the feeling of content and safety lowered onto his shoulders and made him like it. He knew he liked it, and for once since being under Psyfoam's rule he was happy, truly happy.

For a while Vee just stood there underneath the tree, letting the happy and content feeling stay with him. All thoughts of Psyfoam left his mind as he smelled the clean cool air of the starry night, actually heard the nightingale, and felt the crispy bark of the tree as he leaned against it.

"It's lovely, isn't it?" Reda asked, having found a place to lie on her back against the rather smooth boulder.

Vee nodded as he stared at her lying on the boulder with her hands behind her head. He stared for a little while longer, admiring the rather beautiful form of his close best friend, his emotions taking over his thoughts for just a moment, but then his senses came back to him in a rush.

What the hell just happened? It's like I have hidden feelings for Reda...No way! It can't be! She can't be...Vee studied Reda with his thoughts active. No, we're not meant for each other. I'll admit, I do have feelings but they're not strong enough to be...well, love. There's someone else out there that's truly meant for me; I know it! I also know that not by a long shot will I ever get caught making out with Reda

Vee looked toward his best friend again; she was staring at him with a raised eyebrow, and he knew exactly why. "Damn it Reda! When it comes to mind-reading you're worse than Psyfoam!"

Those words and the breeze that tugged at the black cloak Psyfoam had given them, reminded him of why he came looking for her in the first place, but he kept silent in order to allow her to speak first. "Vee, this is my secret, so keep it a secret and don't even think about it when we leave, okay?"

At first he was confused, but slowly it dawned on him. "Oh...this...wait...You made this place?"

Reda nodded, "It took several years and several glimpses at scientific labs, but I finally got it completed. All four walls have a different world and the other three are good for training. I just finished a nice adventure in the fantasy world as 'the one, who could ride dragons,' and now the wall is ready for a new adventurer even while I rest in this area."

"Wow! Cool! Can I use them, too?" Vee almost pleaded.

Reda closed her eyes and laughed, "Sure you can, but on one condition. Whatever you do absolutely no ki; it would ruin the realistic making of the walls and you'd probably become part of a picture on a wall."

The silence that followed gave Vee the chance to change the subject, and he took it. "Reda, I have something to tell you about Psyfoam's plan." She immediately gave him her full attention. "It's about Goku..."

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Psyfoam walked into his hidden basement, bored with Goku and Vegeta's fight and knowing they wouldn't be done for a while yet. His footsteps echoed in the almost-empty basement, but the sound barriers stopped the echoes form traveling elsewhere.

The evil being walked to the middle of the room where an ugly green monste floated in blue liquid. He typed some things on a keyboard sticking out from the huge tube. The little keyboard/mini-computer gave him the answer he wanted to hear.

BACKUP—READY FOR DEPLOYMENT

Psyfoam grinned evilly as he tapped on the glass. "We will see if you are needed, Sadiran, my creation, and if you are I'm sure you'll show those monkeys that I do not need them to make sure I get what I want; I always get what I want no matter what, and no monkey brain idiots are going to stop me!"

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Goku and Vegeta landed on opposite ends of the arena; they were both in SS2 and tired as heck, but still they gave it their all. Goku charged forward, running along the tournament floor prepared to ram his fist straight into Vegeta. Instead, once Vegeta put up a block, Goku zanzokened behind his rival and rammed his foot into Vegeta's back.

The Prince of the Saiyans went flying across the ring, and barely flipped around and stopped in time, just above the grass. Instantly, Vegeta charged forward with his own attack, but he zanzokened in front of Goku before his rival could even put up a block.

Goku went flying backwards over the grass, blood on his chin. Before he could think, Vegeta appeared above him, fist out, ready to pound him into the ground. However, just as Vegeta shoved his fist down, Goku zanzokened above, an energy beam in his hand. He shot the energy at his opponent and saw it explode on the ground below, kicking up dust just in front of Goten and the unconscious Trunks.

Goku's next move took him way up in the air to meet Vegeta's rather large energy ball. The SS2 held the ball and then heard Vegeta's voice beside him.

"Kakarot, shouldn't you transform again? You do want to make this even, right?"

Goku turned his head to his right, and almost let go of Vegeta's energy ball, blinking in surprise. Vegeta stood staring at him in the air in his usual position with his arms crossed and his mouth in that famous smirk. The thing that had Goku so surprised was the power and new looks his rival had put on. Vegeta, the Prince of the Saiyans, had become a Super Saiyan 3.

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Vee: Blah, blah, blah...Vegeta's a SS3. OMG! It's so unreal! (He says it in a mocking voice)

Reda: Vee...look...we all know that you don't like Vegeta and Vegeta doesn't like you. So, give it a break, ok?

Trunks: Now I have a reason not to like Vee.

Reda: Oh, but don't take that reason, Trunks. It's just normal, full-blooded Saiyan, arrogant, brother rivalry.

Vee: Arrogant? Arrogant! I am not arrogant, Reda!

Reda: Yeah, I'm sure you're not. ( ---Sarcastically) Do you even know what the work arrogant means?

Vee: No...

Reda: (sighs) No wonder...Ok, time to pull the connection, Goku. Goku?

Vee: Ha! He's gone!

Reda: Goku!

Goku: (comes running in with a humongous plate of food) Anyone know how to cook this?

Reda: Is that all my food?

Goku: Well, yeah...

Reda: Goku! I'm not like Trunks's family! Money doesn't grow on trees, you know!

Goku: (looking confused) Yeah, I know that. I've never seen a money tree before...

Reda: Never mind. Just pull the connection, somebody.

(No one moves)

Vee: I didn't know there was a somebody in this room, Reda. Is he invisible?

Reda: Vee!

Vee: (laughs and then runs out the door to get away from Reda's temper)

Reda: Trunks, could you do it? Please...

(Trunks pulls the connection and...Well...get ready for the next chapter.)