Chapter 14: Lessons...?

There was much that Sailor Mercury accepted about the Universe with her expansive internal library of scientific expertise, and even with all of her knowledge of the Old Era, living through a cataclysm that could've potentially wiped out all life on Earth made almost any phenomena worth considering and investigating. That's what she loved so much about Crystal Tokyo – there were limitless possibilities, and her powers had always aided her well in quenching her thirst for new knowledge.

But there was one singular notion that even her tolerance forbade.

The stout, cackling, catfish-like entity proudly standing before them could not have been a master of martial arts. It just wasn't conceivable. He didn't have the sufficient build of anything resembling a warrior, he certainly lacked the focus and solemnity that she'd seen out of greater martial artists, and most of the energies he did have were directed toward his alleged sense of humor.

One ex-stream to another... She shook her head in revulsion.

No, this was only a prankster, and a lousy one at that – she assumed that this current stance of his was another of his 'jokes.'

Apparently, her comrades echoed her internal sentiment; Jupiter looked ready to lunge forward and strangle the creature.

"Okay, ha, ha, ha, how amusing, what a comedian, blah, blah, blah," She gave him a dismissive wave of his hand. "Cut it out already, we're being serious. If you don't know where he is, just say so!"

That stole some wind from the creature's sails, and his protruding girth sagged a bit, his maw drooping in an incredulous gape.

"You...don't believe me?" He gasped at first, but he suddenly straightened himself up, looking as proud of himself as he'd been moments earlier. "Bwa ha, I understand! They didn't tell you much about me down at Lord Enma's station, did they?"

"Wait a second, how did you know that...?" Venus began before the creature guffawed again.

"That's the problem down there these days...whenever wars break out at the same time in the Universe, it's a nightmare for Lord Enma. He never has time to share details anymore, it's a shame – then again, any job without sick days or paid vacations is bound to be troublesome..."

"Wars?" Mercury said, drawing the would-be martial arts master away from his rambling. "Are you referring to the war on Earth as well? You know?"

He tapped his spherical head as he approached Sailor Mercury.

"Ah, there isn't much that I don't know – I told you," He motioned again to his antennae. "I get all kinds of great reception with these things. I've been eyeing the war on Earth for some time, though I was hardly ever expecting to cross paths with beings from that world again, after that last excitable bunch."

"Would you..." Sailor Mercury tried to act friendly, putting on a cheerful smile as she activated her visor. "...mind if I did something? You know, just for us to be sure?"

The creature studied the instrument carefully before giving a curt nod to the Sailor Soldier.

"As long as it's not an x-ray visor, it's fine by me if it proves my identity to you," He informed her. "After all, you'd be searching this planet for a long time unless you accepted that I am the one you're looking for."

Mercury brought the visor's internal circuitry online and activated the scanners. The creature gazed curiously at the flashing gold characters that zipped by on the blue-tinted instrument.

"I was never one for technology," He adjusted his glasses. "And I've certainly never heard of a computer being able to work without a keyboard or something like that."

"I used to have one connected to this thing, but time and study have given me better advantages," Mercury explained as the visor's scanners swept the creature's body. That caused him to jump a bit; he recoiled as the soft light from the device covered every square inch of his girth. "My powers and our technology have developed enough over the years that I can input the various commands with my mind..."

She trailed off as the data readouts came pouring through the visor's viewing screen. Mercury narrowed her gaze – the scanners had picked up enormous quantities of unknown energy, and the equipment was apparently so unfamiliar with the pattern that it couldn't even discern how potent it was. Sailor Mercury reported as such to her comrades, and they all shared a sigh of disappointment.

Even the creature seemed to be growing impatient, shaking his head as Mercury deactivated her visor.

"Bah, technology is no way to measure skill, technique, or prowess," He chided. "You can do whatever math equations you want on someone's muscles, speed, and size, but no amount of data in the world can map how well a fighter uses those attributes. I know this from experience!"

"Hang on, we're not through yet," Sailor Mars stepped in front of the creature, looking down at him. "You said yourself that I had the power to read minds. Can I discern your internal attributes with my skills?"

"If you're good enough, I suppose; and truth be told, I did say that your mind-reading skills were nearly unmatched."

He effortlessly lifted himself into the air, floating at eye level with the tall Sailor Mars.

"However, if you dive inside my mind, stay out of the right side of my brain, eh?" He guffawed again. "The creative juices in there are trade secrets – you'll find all the information you need in the left side."

Mars lowered her eyes at the boisterous laughing, wordlessly raising her hands and touching them softly to the creature's temples. She tightly squeezed her eyes shut, and she remained motionless as she attempted to delve into the squat entity's mind. Minutes began to pass, stretching onward from five, to ten, to fifteen. Sailor Mercury folded her arms anxiously – a normal being's mind wasn't difficult to penetrate at all according to Mars, and she was beginning to wonder if the fire soldier had ventured too far inside; Mercury was tempted to rush over and pull her off if she began showing signs of strain.

Jupiter and Venus were whispering to themselves nearby as Mars continued to work, and Sailor Pluto was observing the scene carefully, almost with a faint glimmer of hope that this would be the deciding test. Finally, as nearly twenty minutes passed, Sailor Mars released her grip, letting out a long breath. She bent down, panting heavily as beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. Mercury was quick to hurry over to her – from what Mars had told her about her mental probing abilities, they could wear her out just as easily as a physical fight.

"What's the verdict?" Jupiter asked impatiently. "What did you see?"

Mars took a second to answer, gazing up at the smirking creature with sheer wonder.

"A lot...more than I expected," She wheezed. "But it's him...this is Lord Kaio."

"Ta-da!" He burst out. "You're as good as I suspected, Sailor Mars! But I think you were probing for more than just my identity – you made a few unnecessary detours while you were driving through my mind." Mars looked momentarily embarrassed, but Lord Kaio helped her to her feet. "You know, I don't know how you can combine your fire powers with mind-reading."

"What's so special about that? I've been doing it since I was little."

Mercury heard some chuckles escaping from Lord Kaio's sealed jaw.

"Well, you know, smoke and dynamite...they really blow your mind! Bwa ha!! That was perfect!!"

As more ceaseless laughter erupted from Lord Kaio's maw, Mercury felt a collective groan from the remaining Sailor Soldiers, the nonsensical atmosphere returning to them.

"Listen, ahem, 'Lord Kaio,'" Sailor Venus, still looking irritated beyond belief from the martial arts master's initial puns, brushed some of her blonde hair out of her face and stood with a defiant expression. "I don't know whose time you think you're wasting, but we were sent up here to train under you, not spend time sharing stupid jokes!"

At this remark, Lord Kaio immediately halted his laughter, his round face reddening as he glared daggers into the Sailor Soldiers. Venus recoiled – the jolly creature looked immensely offended.

"Stupid jokes, eh?" He retorted. "Well, it's my time that's being wasted if all of you are as bland as I'm seeing now. Besides, do you think I just dilly-dally around here all day waiting for a solemn bunch such as yourselves to come falling from the sky? I'm a busy man, and my schedule won't allow the likes of you!"

He spun on his heel, appearing ready to storm away.

"My point being, I absolutely refuse to train anybody without a sense of humor!"

Oh, no, he's starting to walk off, think, think, think...

Before Lord Kaio could move, Mercury burst out with the fakest laughter she'd ever conjured up. She quickly motioned with subtle facial expressions to her bewildered comrades – none of whom had ever seen the water soldier act so raucously – to follow along, lest they lose their opportunity to train under the great master.

"Ah, smoke and dynamite, haha, I get it now!" She had succeeded in getting Lord Kaio to stop his departure, and Mars, Jupiter, and Venus were beginning to chime in with laughter of their own; as Kaio began to turn back toward them, Jupiter even gave Sailor Mars a hearty slam on the back for good measure. The ploy seemed to work, as Lord Kaio's friendly smile returned.

"Ah-hah, that's more like it!" He said to them. "Very well then, I believe I will give you the chance to train under me after all. I have nothing better to do for a while anyhow!"

Mercury was about to comment on the discrepancy, but she wisely kept her mouth closed.

"Now then, in preparation for this, I have already learned much about your unique abilities and your histories as protectors of Earth," He explained. "I've also been acquainted with the fighting techniques of your current enemies, as well. And while your powers have served you well in the past, I believe that the most effective way of increasing your skill is to learn how to accustom yourselves to their style of warfare."

"Wait, wait, wait..." Sailor Venus objected. "Are you suggesting that we abandon our powers for the sake of theirs?"

"Certainly not!" Kaio replied as he held up a chubby finger. "Your greatest powers come from your alternate forms and the planets attached to them – it simply would be asinine to wipe the slate clean and start anew. It would take years of retraining before you could be as potent as you are now."

Sailor Mercury noted the compliment; she despised the alien style of war – its entire purpose was nothing but destruction and unmaking. No other benefit could come from it; what more, it seemed to require a baser, primitive mind to control it. The balance being tipped toward raw power grated Sailor Mercury – how could a warrior function without complete control over their mind?

"What I was suggesting," Lord Kaio was saying. "Is that you'll need to integrate their prowess into your magical skills. I'm certain you've admired their blinding, faster-than-light speed? Perhaps you've seen them deliver high-powered blows in one quick instant. These tools will be necessary for engaging the massive armies attacking your world."

Mercury shuddered uneasily, recalling the awesome speed and power of Tridyx. It didn't seem possible for a giant like him to be so agile.

"You think just hammering down extra speed and precision will be enough?" Jupiter looked a little disappointed, giving a nonchalant shrug of her broad shoulders. "Geez, it all sounds so simple..."

"Not as easy as one may expect," Lord Kaio replied sternly. "Depending on the environment and the attitude of the fighter, it could take months to master super-speed alone. Besides, I told you – these are merely essentials. Once mastery of these elements is complete, you may be able to build upon your current powers as well."

Jupiter still looked eager despite the warnings.

"Well, let's get started; there's no time to waste, right? Show us what to do, Lord Kaio, and we'll do it!"

Mercury leaned over to Sailor Pluto, who'd been oddly quiet during the discussion.

"Quite a change from when she wanted to tear his head off, eh?" Sailor Pluto didn't reply, looking far more tense than usual. "Setsuna, are you okay?"

"Perhaps his mannerisms were just a ploy...his energies are growing more intent as he speaks." She observed. "Intriguing..."

"Well, before we get to the actual training portion, I have a small test for you," His mouth expanded into a devious grin; Sailor Mercury began feeling uneasy. "Now, anybody can take a good joke, especially from the master of them all. But it's quite different to know how to give a joke as well!"

"Meaning...?" Sailor Pluto seemed surprised at the suddent attitude switch, confusion appearing on her face.

"That'll be your first lesson under me," Lord Kaio simply said. "Make me laugh!"


As the population of the Old Era certainly wasn't accustomed to flight-capable humans, Sailor Neptune had decided to safely land a short distance away from the heavily-trafficked residential section that Piccolo's energy signature was currently emanating from.

She moved leisurely down the bustling sidewalk, deciding to make the great warrior stew a bit in retaliation for abandoning her at the top of the shrine. Besides, she was genuinely interested in taking some time to observe the culture of the Old Era humans.

How things have changed... She recognized some of the elements and customs from her days in the Old Era, though it struck her as strange that mannerisms she'd been doing for so long before the Cataclysm seemed so alien to her now.

In actuality, the city itself wasn't much different than Crystal Tokyo before the onset of the current war, at least in terms of the mundane routines. People was hurrying about their business along the crowded walkways, intersections, and sidewalks; some of the more leisurely ones had taken some time to window-shop along the bustling venues, and despite all of the noise from the vehicles and passers-by, it was a peaceful kind of noise, not the kind from explosions and dying screams that she'd become used to as of late. Even if she and Piccolo would be spending a decent length of time in this world, she wanted to soak in as much of a more carefree civilization as she could. Once they returned, even with the revival of their lost comrades, there was still the good possibility that she wouldn't get a chance to hear this sort of tranquility again.

Eventually, she let out a sigh and started walking; despite the rudeness of her partner, she didn't want to hold up the mission for too long. By now, he had almost certainly lost enough of his temper on her tardiness for her to enjoy.

Now, all he has to do is deliver on this Dragonball promise... Neptune was still somewhat skeptical that such relics existed even after Piccolo's word, and despite the assurances from the Earth's guardian, she couldn't bring herself to get her hopes up – she'd done that often enough lately and had been met with disappointment. Kami's warnings about the Dragonballs' effectiveness in the far corners of the future had been the latest instance of that.

It took her several more blocks of weaving in and out of cars and crowds for her to reach the place where Piccolo's energy signature was radiating from. It was an immense and well-kept estate – the biggest she'd seen in the city – with the main building rounded in the form of a dome and possessing a brilliant polished orange shade along with a gigantic pearl-white 'C' on its curved frame. The garden areas surrounding the dome were well-trimmed and a perfect hue of green, stretching along for quite some distance. Compared to the surrounding mid-sized skyscrapers and apartment buildings, this place could've been a district unto itself. That the simplistic Piccolo could be acquainted with such grandeur was surprising.

Neptune crossed over the grass onto a small stone path, stopping at a large white door that served as one of many entrances to the facility. She was about to politely rap on the solid door when it suddenly whooshed open, a friendly musical sequence chiming in her ear at the same time.

"Welcome to Capsule Corporation Corporate Headquarters," A friendly female voice said through a pair of loudspeakers embedded in the door frame. "Please enjoy your stay."

Neptune lowered her hand and nodded, impressed – they didn't seem to be as far along as Crystal Tokyo's standard architecture, but they were close for being a so many years younger.

She stepped inside, following a small hallway down for a few dozen meters before walking into a high-ceiling reception area with overly extravagant waiting accommodations.

"It's about time," A low voice growled as Neptune moved into the center of the room. Glancing over at the far wall, she smirked at Piccolo's stoic face as the robed warrior was leaning next to a larger doorframe, this one completely made out of unpolished steel. "I was wondering if I overestimated your senses."

"Such a crime, leaving me to fend for myself in such a strange world," She coyly laughed as she sauntered over to him. "Kami was correct – you are the evil half."

Piccolo mumbled something under his breath before beckoning for her to follow him through the door. As before, it opened automatically, and a cooler voice informed both of them that they were entering the research and development area.

"For the record, why exactly are we here?" she asked. "I don't suppose that this had anything to do with our search for these Dragonballs of yours?"

"You would be correct," Piccolo dryly replied. "The woman that owns this facility is in possession of a device that will help us locate our prizes."

"How well hidden are they? Before, you made it sound like it would be easy to find them."

"I can't say for certain. They could be in plain sight or buried deep beneath the Earth's surface. Once the Dragonballs are used to grant a wish, they separate and fly off to different parts of the Earth where they remain dormant for a year. By now, they'll have regained their power, so all that we need to do is track them down using the woman's radar device."

"And you're so certain that this person will be willing to part with it?" Sailor Neptune hurried up alongside of him, shooting him a skeptical look. "Such an invention is invaluable – the last thing I'd want to do with it is give it to someone with a face like yours."

"I'm not on familiar terms with the owners, but Gohan and the others are," He explained as they turned a corner. "Don't worry yourself – once they realize our purpose, they'll be more than glad to assist us. It's simply the way your people are."

"My people?" Neptune was intrigued a bit. "Aren't you generalizing our mercifulness a bit, Piccolo? You haven't seen much of my darker side yet."

"My experience with humans is somewhat...limited. Gohan and his family along with the remaining members of our group are my closest links to showing me how the human culture operates and grows. I've yet to come to a general conclusion...there are too many discrepancies that I'm unable to understand."

"You can't grasp our culture, yet you're eager to defend us from being annihilated by an other-worldly army? That's quite a discrepancy in itself, teacher."

Piccolo was silent for a bit as they stepped out into a wide corridor lined with doors. Bright neon yellow letters stenciled onto the cold, plated floor identified the area as an entryway to the research and development hangars. She still followed the Namek's lead as he moved up the hall to one of the doors. She didn't know how he knew he was going in the right direction; she assumed that he could sense the woman's energy as Neptune had sensed his.

They passed through the door as easily as the others, no security measures to stop them. The two walked into a vast arena that stretched at least a story above their heads. The room was made completely out of fresh, undecorated steel, and the brisk gusts of air flowing into the stadium from large ventilation ducts in the ceiling made it almost uncomfortable for her. As they moved forward, she observed several large workstations scattered throughout the room, all of them attached to expansive and complex-looking computer consoles. Workers and technicians were busily glancing over data-sheets and clipboards as they were commenting to each other on whatever piece of hardware or building component was sitting in front of them.

Geniuses of the world hard at work. Ami would be in heaven here.

The workers were so enraptured in their studies that they didn't so much as even notice the pair as they wove in and out through cluttered terminals and stepped gingerly over thick black industrial cables until they came upon a particularly huge device at the back of the room.

"Here she is," said Piccolo.

At the base of a gigantic spherical pod that had been spray-painted a brilliant hue of white, a young woman in an orange layered work-suit and a pair of thick black goggles was busily attempting to weld a piece of loose plating to the bottom of the device. Neptune couldn't tell what purpose the enormous sphere served, but from the stacks of labeled fuel canisters neatly lined up next to the machine, she guessed that it was some type of aerial transport vessel. She retracted her earlier internal remark about the Old Era being behind in terms of technology – with that much fuel, that craft could've been propelled into outer space, a step ahead of the kingdom's current aviation plans.

As Piccolo approached the woman, his looming cloaked shadow danced along the bright hull, and she whirled around with a fright, nearly dropping the thin welder. After catching a glimpse of the Namek, she thrust out a sigh of exasperation as she deactivated her equipment and removed her goggles. Her eyes possessed a purposeful flare to them.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" she barked. "And what are you doing back here so soon? Have things gone well?"

Piccolo stifled her questions by raising his arms.

"Things are still proceeding – circumstances have arisen that required me to return here. I need something of yours."

"Excuse me, teacher," Sailor Neptune ducked her head under one of Piccolo's armored shoulder-pads and slipped around in front of him. "But aren't you going to introduce me? Or do the names of your students matter to you?"

The woman's gaze faltered as she examined Sailor Neptune, but she approached the water soldier with a friendly smile, gazing her up and down with a bit of mysticism.

"You're with Piccolo?" She inquired. Michiru politely nodded. "It's nice to meet you; my name's Bulma Briefs." She extended her hand, and Neptune shook it with equal confidence. "Are you from the future era?"

"Yes, my name is Michiru Kaioh, princess of the planet Neptune," she cordially said. "It's a pleasure. I serve as one of the primary battle commanders within the Crystal Tokyo Special Forces. I've journeyed back to this age with Piccolo to search for these Dragonball artifacts."

"Dragonballs?" Bulma gave a worried glance to Piccolo. "Don't tell me something like that's happened already?? Is Yamcha okay??"

Yamcha...? Considering the sizeable amount of alarm in Bulma's voice at the mention of the chauvinistic fighter, Neptune concluded that the two were special to each other. She found herself smiling mischievously – she didn't expect a brash loudmouth like Yamcha to be hooked up with the technological mastermind that Bulma seemed to be. Then again, from the angry scowl and sharp greeting she'd given Piccolo when he'd surprised her, she did see one trait both had in common. She'd remember that the next time she caught Yamcha eyeing up either her or any of the other Sailor Soldiers.

"Calm yourself, Bulma," Piccolo was saying. "None of us have been hurt as of yet, but five of the kingdom's finest warriors had perished in battle by the time we arrived at the palace. We need to find the Dragonballs in order to revive them, and to that end, we need your Dragon Radar."

"I see..." Bulma scratched her chin, and as Neptune suspected, she was having doubts about handing over such a powerful device to the stoic warrior. Before she could respond, Neptune spoke first.

"Those soldiers...they were some of my best friends – to have a chance to bring them back to life would mean so much not only to me but to our people. That's what they meant to our world – without them, I fear the morale and spirits of those still left alive..."

Bulma was listening, but it didn't take her long to give a friendly nod to Sailor Neptune.

"I'm sorry for everything that happened. I was there when they discovered the message pod that your queen sent back to us. I'd be more than happy to help in any way I can."

"Thank you," Neptune smiled back at her, relief sweeping over her. While she definitely knew that scouring the entire planet for the mystical orbs wouldn't be easy, at least their goal was in the realm of possibility. Now, it was not a matter of hope, just a matter of time.


Even in the midst of battle, Gohan found himself smiling, relishing the ease with which these grunts were going down.

He'd acted as a human battering ram, plowing his way through a dozen warriors at the entrance to the basement level and sending many of them crashing to the floor. Fortunately, his wits had been clearer than his opponents' – before any of the marauders could recover, he'd launched a strong ki blast that had vaporized a good portion of their ranks.

However, that hadn't been the end – the explosion had caused alarms to start blaring all over the level, and from several of the doors scattered around the expansive, lavishly decorated hall – obviously a renovation by the casino executives that had once occupied the building – more armored soldiers had come charging through, some armed with gun-packs and the more muscular ones choosing to fight bare-handed.

The first wave of about fifteen that had charged up the western stairwell toward him had gone down after another well-placed blast, but they were quickly replaced by reinforcements; twenty more had rushed the stairs to the terrace. There had been a slight chance that they could've overwhelmed him had Sailor ChibiMoon and Sailor Saturn not made their own entrance. The princess had repelled a few of the enemies with powerful flying kicks, and Sailor Saturn had unleashed a powerful energy attack from her glaive that had given them enough breathing room for Gohan to finish the job.

Even that hadn't been enough for them, and a third wave of soldiers was currently at their throats as the trio attempted to hold their ground on the terrace near the elevator entrance. The strategy had worked so far – none of the soldiers had considered aerial attacks, instead choosing to charge up the narrow staircases at them. The steps acted as a natural choke point, and only a handful out of the bunch could launch attacks at a time.

Underestimate us, will they...

Gohan delivered a powerful headbutt to the carapace of a particularly large goliath, knocking the wind out of him. He bounded up and finished the attack with a quick spin-kick to the jaw. The beast stumbled backward, tripping over himself and barreling down the staircase, leveling an oncoming contingent of gunners like bowling pins. Gohan laughed smugly as he surveyed his victory.

"Almost too easy," He commented to Sailor ChibiMoon and Sailor Saturn. "Almost."

"This is no time for swaggering!!" Sailor Saturn had impaled one of their gunners on her glaive, but doing so had left herself open to an attack from her left side. ChibiMoon's well-placed flying kicks – which were improving greatly in form the more she used them – were the only thing that saved Saturn from being blasted. She withdrew the glaive after some effort, kicking the bleeding soldier over the railing of the terrace. "We can't keep this up forever, you know!!"

As Gohan booted away another oncoming gunner, he did notice that the enemies were beginning to stack up against Sailor Saturn and the princess on the opposite side of the terrace, which struck him as unusual. After all, there were two of them and only one of him, and after several minutes of fighting, they were beginning to look tired, breathing heavily and throwing a lot of effort into their attacks while he was still relatively fresh and full of energy. It was just like ChibiMoon's failed scepter attack earlier – they were exhausting their powers too quickly while their enemies were still fresh and crisp.

By now, some of the marauders were getting into position at the bottom of the terrace, mounting cylindrical tubes - perhaps some kind of missile launchers - onto thick metallic tripods. As some of the enemies at the bottom of the staircase were beginning to withdraw for cover, Gohan could tell what was coming.

A faint gust of wind brushed by him, and Gohan glanced up to see a trio of aerial soldiers swooping down on their location. Perfect – they would pick this moment to finally smarten up.

Ah, geez...help the others, wreck the launchers, or wipe out the flies up there...choices, choices... He mused uneasily as the airborne grunts took a quick dive at him. Forced into a decision, Gohan braced himself.


Sailor Uranus was beginning to grow aggravated – these alien bastards were trickier than she had imagined. While they had come across a few minor supply caches and communication posts, nothing even remotely resembling a command structure was anywhere close to the point of the enemy ambush. It had been nearly half an hour since she'd joined the search for it – reinforcements from the northern squads had arrived to help clean up the western garrison – and not even the great Z Warriors had come across anything suspicious as of yet. Tenshinhan had elected to scour the ground with her while the others patrolled the skies.

"I say we try one more street, and we head back," Tenshinhan suggested as the two approached a crosswalk.

"Agreed," Uranus led the way, darting around the corner and keeping her Space Sword up and ready as they hurried down the quiet, desolate corridor. After about five minutes of scanning the area and perusing through the hollowed-out structures along the road, Uranus let out a slight sigh of disappointment – this area was as dead as the rest of them.

"Hey, over here!!" Tenshinhan called from further up the road. Uranus hurried over to him; she'd been expecting for him to be standing in front of a building, sensing for enemy 'battle powers,' or whatever the group called them, but the tall, muscular fighter was instead reading a small piece of tattered paper in the middle of the road. He pushed it in her direction as she came within arm's length. "Take a look."

Uranus snatched the note from him, wondering how such a wrinkled scrap of garbage could've drawn Tenshinhan's attention out of the entire, debris-ridden street.

As her eyes scanned the first few lines, she felt her knuckles tightening around the sheet – the fine handwriting had detailed the capture of the princess of Earth; the soldier who'd done the deed had been sent off on other errands, but as the princess was nowhere to be found out in the open, Uranus was nearly sent into a panic as she mulled over the implications.

"They...They've taken her!!!" She torn a scrap of the paper off, letting both pieces float gently to the ground. "Damn those two...they weren't careful enough with her...especially Saturn of all people...Dammit..." She whirled toward Tenshinhan with blazing eyes as horrifying images stirred within her mind. She could already see the sadistic alien tormentors dragging the princess off to some remote corner of their base, planning who-knew-what with her. She could've been vaporized into atoms already, even after all that boasting from the little Saiyan kid. "Your comrade said that he would look after both of them, so where is he!! Did he abandon them?!"

"Calm yourself already, I wasn't finished yet!!" Tenshinhan backed down from the fuming Sailor Soldier, picking up the note and thrusting it back into her hand. "This hand-writing is what concerns me the most. I'd recognize it anywhere – this is Gohan's!"

"G...Gohan??" Uranus froze, balling her fists as even more uneasy scenarios passed through her mind. Had the seemingly innocent boy led both Saturn and the princess away from the battle group just to deliver them into enemy hands? The note would certainly imply that...and it would also explain Gohan's disappearance. Her mind also flashed back to their chance encounter earlier that morning – her blood boiled all the more she thought about how the boy's naiveté had seemingly fooled her...

Apparently, her emotions were showing too much, as Tenshinhan was quick to quell her rage.

"Hang on, before you start," He raised his hands in defense. "There's got to be some kind of explanation for this."

"Can't you warriors read??" Uranus shoved the paper into his face. "What else can this message mean?!"

"As I said before, if we were going to backstab you, there would've been better opportunities to do so!" Tenshinhan pleaded his case. "Come on, put that sword down, this is not what you think!!"

"He's right, you know," An iron voice chimed in from atop one of the nearby boutiques. Uranus stopped her advance against Tenshinhan and spotted the great Saiyan prince calmly roosting on the angled tile surface, looking more than anything like he was sun-tanning with his relaxed, outstretched arms and his smug, leisurely grin. "As entertaining as the thought may be, you are jumping to conclusions, scout."

"And how would you know?!" Uranus screamed at the insult. "Maybe you were his accomplice in this conspiracy!!"

"Believe what you want," Vegeta nonchalantly shrugged, not regarding the threat at all. "The children have some brains, there's no doubt about that. The boy used your princess as the worm on the hook – two of Damos's grunts picked her up a bit ago, and the kid and one of your fellow scouts tracked them back to their base. Very clever, for a hybrid."

Uranus nearly laughed at that one – surely, even a Saiyan could've fibbed better than that.

"And if you're so certain of that, then why didn't you track them? Considering that you're supposed to be helping us throughout this whole mess--"

"Once again, you confuse me with the others," Vegeta turned his head away and leaned back, closing his eyes. "My objective is simply Damos now, and you are one of the means by which I can get to him! Track the kids' energy signatures to the north if you're curious – they're probably battling it out with the alien commanders all by themselves right now. It would make for an interesting viewing..."

He let out a relaxed sigh and said nothing further, seeming content to bathe in the afternoon sun rather than participate in the battle. How such a lay-about prince ever would've ruled over an entire planet, Uranus would never know.

"Well, Sailor Uranus?" Tenshinhan floated up into the air a bit, stretching out a long arm to her. "It'll be faster this way, unless you'd prefer to stay here and try to skewer me."

Grumbling to herself for her attitude and the returning dishonor of serving as baggage in Tenshinhan's arms, she allowed the broad-shouldered man to help her into the air. He quickly zoomed up and forward, in the direction of Yamcha, Chaozu, and Krillin.

Her bitterness toward Gohan still remained unchanged despite the revelation – if Vegeta was telling the truth, how dare the boy use the princess as bait for a trap, no matter what the potential payoff? She had a good mind to impale his smiling face onto her Space Sword when she saw him again, no matter which story was true...


Sailor ChibiMoon's legs were beginning to burn and ache with so many flying kick attacks, but it was her best arsenal against the aliens – she couldn't take a chance on her Pink Sugar Heart Attack failing her anymore, not in this tight spot.

Another of her kicks had sent the closest of the brawlers spiraling over the edge of the terrace, and she finally thought they had gotten a breather – no other soldiers were charging up the stairs at them.

She let out a heavy, fatigued sigh.

"Huh...finally," She smirked. "Guess we sure showed--"

"Look out!!" She felt Sailor Saturn snaring her from behind, and the two of them lurched forward as ChibiMoon thought she heard an irritating whine echoing through the chamber. Before she could think further, a concussion wave followed by a rush of heat engulfed both Sailor Soldiers as they crashed hard into the wall. Sailor Saturn seemed to get the worst of it – her shoulder hit the solid concrete material first, and she clutched at it with a grim, painful expression as they hit the ground.

ChibiMoon's back had impacted as well, and she rubbed her sore spine as she groggily stood up, taking a glance at what had necessitated such a hasty and nearly unsuccessful evasion.

The back wall of the facility – along with their entrance and exit – was now in shambles, chunks of smoldering plaster and metal burying the elevator shaft and a good portion of the terrace. Small bits of shell fragments were still burning with a brilliant white ruddiness near the rubble, leading ChibiMoon to believe that Saturn had saved her from some type of explosive projectile attack. She hadn't even considered that to be the reason for the withdrawal of the ground forces.

"H...Hotaru...?" She squeaked as she clutched at her aching back. "Are you--"

"I'm...okay..." Sailor Saturn was still nursing her injured shoulder, using her long glaive to pull herself to her feet. Her vision looked a bit glazed over. "This is too much, we've got to get out, find reinforcements..."

"Gohan...where's Gohan...?" ChibiMoon frantically scoured the terrace, but the miniature Saiyan was nowhere to be found. "Did they...?"

Her question was soon answered as a pair of bodies crashed onto the terrace, not dead ones but Gohan and a particularly quick-looking aerial fighter that had locked arms with the Saiyan and was grappling for control. The heavier alien was on top of Gohan, nearly choking him.

"Saturn, take cover!!" ChibiMoon hurried over, drawing out her scepter as the armored air fighter noticed her out of the corner of his eye, turning slightly in order to possibly intercept her. A quick fist from Gohan drew his attention back. "Please work this time...Pink Sugar Heart Attack!!"

Thankfully, her powers responded to her command, and the tiny wand spat a stream of hollow hearts out toward the burly alien. The attack battered his faceplate, distracting him long enough for Gohan to flip him into the air. The brawny alien sailed forward for several dozen feet, crashing into the wall and dropping down into a heap.

Gohan sprung to his feet, breathing a bit heavily.

"Tougher than I thought..." He wheezed as ChibiMoon lowered her scepter. "Are you guys okay? I would've destroyed those missiles, but those guys kinda caught up with me."

"We'll make it, but--"

"Silence Wall!!" Saturn's pained cry erected the magic forcefield around them just in time – in the commotion, ChibiMoon and Gohan had forgotten about the missile launchers possibly having more rounds to fire. The Silence Wall had nicely stopped the projectiles, the explosions from the contact belching back out and roasting another trio of air attackers. Gohan and ChibiMoon weren't so much as singed.

Sailor Saturn, standing nearby with her glaive shakily raised, was looking worse after expending her energy for the maneuver. Her legs were trembling and she was breathing heavily as she stumbled over to them. The missile backfire had distracted their opponents for the time being, but they would be on the offensive once again in a matter of seconds. ChibiMoon could already hear footsteps clattering up the stairs, fresh bodies beginning to pierce the smokescreen.

"Maybe this won't be as easy as I thought..." Gohan was in a defensive position as more soldiers rushed up the staircases at both ends of the terrace; there were untainted, and full of vigor. "Can you guys keep going?"

"Do we...have a choice?" Saturn straightened herself and hurried back to her position against the eastern stairwell, ready to meet the closest of the soldiers head-on.


Damn...fools...how dare...they use...ki missiles...

Sub-Commander Silvars had regained consciousness by the time the deadly projectiles had been released from their launchers. They'd been ingenious products from the R and D department – they were packed with pure stabilized ki energy that provided double the blasting power of normal explosives and were cheap to produce to boot. Unfortunately, the launchers hadn't been aware of his presence within the wreck of the elevator shaft...either that, or they had known and were just trying to off him...such cretins, every last one of them.

He'd lacked the energy to blast his way through the debris that had buried the shaft entrance (and almost him), so he'd decided that his only beneficial course of action outside of physically digging through the mess was a tactical retreat. With his scouter ruined, he'd have to find his way to the closest security checkpoint within the city to call for reinforcements and to explain this incident to Commander Bortyx or his subordinates. Silvars shuddered at the thought of displeasing the Horde berserker twice in a matter of hours, and his only other possible scapegoat had been offered up as a result of the failed assault on the western garrisons. But even still, Bortyx couldn't have punished him for leaving his troops to face down the combined forces of the Sailor Soldiers and their new mercenary companions – since his horrific injuries in the initial ambush, what good could he have accomplished? He could barely walk, let alone fight...besides, he had full confidence in the soldiers under his command – they had surely absorbed his superior and noble leadership skills during their tenure under him. And if they hadn't, then Damos's army wasn't losing much – a soldier that couldn't pick up on marvelous leadership and performance skills when they lay right in front of them was a sack of dead weight that was better used as fodder anyhow!

He was currently hovering up the darkened shaft as more explosions rocked the complex. After several minutes of shaky flying and attempting to ignore the internal pounding in all of his limbs, Silvars was overjoyed to grasp onto the rim of the lobby elevator entrance, gasping and wheezing as he pulled his broken body onto the carpeted floor. He let himself sink into it, the soft fibers briefly soothing his aching muscles.

"Got to...leave..." He grumbled, forcing himself to his feet and staggering toward the entrance. Before he could get far, his limbs froze as he caught a glance of several forms dropping down outside. They weren't Damos's men – Silvars recognized all of them from the Priority Listings: four of the new mercenaries, and one very enraged Sailor Soldier.

Oh...bloody cruel fate...why do you torture me?

Before they could spot him, he stumbled over to the incinerated remains of the reception desk and tumbled over it, collapsing in a heap behind the charred wood remains. Seconds later he faintly heard footfalls where he'd just been standing, the group of interlopers pausing briefly. Silvars held his breath and silently ordered his muscles not to tremble in the slightest, and even still, he was certain that they'd detected him...but instead, he heard the Sailor Soldier growl lowly before saying something to her comrades.

"Dammit...where could they be?" She scowled. "You were certain that it was this building, right? Could your senses have been skewed at all?"

"Gohan's battle power flares up like a volcano whenever he's in a fight; I know I felt it coming from here," A higher voice replied, and Silvars could hear a lightweight form scurrying across the carpet toward the elevator shaft, toward the battle. "Whew...how far down does this thing go?"

"The casinos are almost as expansive as the information network under the palace," The Sailor Soldier informed him. "If the enemy has taken possession of this place, they could've squeezed dozens of their soldiers down there..."

"In that case, let's get moving; they could already be in trouble!" Another brash voice reverberated throughout the broken hall as all of the forms hurried to the elevator shaft. They must've all dropped down in a matter of seconds – within half a minute, Silvars allowed himself to release his breath. He was alone again, an open door within arm's length.

"Got to...get free...report back..." He grabbed hold of the splintered wood, slowly pulling his battered body up and jogging toward the door before anyone else could blow his stealthy escape. Aching as he was, it was going to be an aneurism traversing the ruined city and staying out of sight of any Crystal Tokyo resistance until he could make his way to the nearest checkpoint. From there, he could get medical attention and deliver his 'report...'

"Sailor Soldiers and their new pawns..." He murmured to himself as he spilled out onto the sunny street. "That's what it was – they were everywhere, attacking from this way and that way...the cowards under my command broke ranks and fled...they couldn't function once I was taken out of the picture..."

He was hoping not to have to share that particular version with the invasion commanders, but it was always good to be prepared!


The fight had seemed to be going in their favor at the onset, but as Gohan blinked rapidly to restore his vision - he'd been momentarily blinded by the explosion of another powerful warhead against the rear wall - even he had to admit that perhaps he'd been a bit too headstrong in this infiltrate-and-destroy plan. As adept as he was in hand-to-hand combat, he was not experienced thoroughly in battle involving such a massive horde of opponents, let alone ones with such a clear technological edge. If any more of those missiles struck the terrace or the area around it, their safe haven would be reduced to ashes in no time. The only good news was that the recent missile attack had collapsed the western stairwell Gohan had been defending, cutting off ground forces from advancing up that direction. While squads of organized aerial soldiers still littered the high-ceiling chamber, it was a silver lining, however small it was.

Thick smoke now coated the terrace, clogging Gohan's lungs and making his eyes itch and water. He could still hear the sounds of combat close by - ChibiMoon and Saturn were still in the thick of the fight, but for how much longer, Gohan was afraid to guess. Saturn had especially been worn down; he'd seen the bloody and disfigured mess her shoulder had become from the first missile barrage...

He energized himself, the coalescing white aura shredding the black cloud of smog and finally giving his belabored eyes some clarity. His gaze darted left - the two princesses were nearly being overwhelmed by a crushing mob of alien troops; ChibiMoon had been knocked to the ground after a particularly hard uppercut from a squid-like humanoid creature, and Saturn had somehow lost her grip on her glaive, the weapon lying several feet away as the dark-haired Sailor Soldier was trying desperately to fend off half a dozen other assailants with her bare hands. To make matters worse, more gunners were taking up firing positions at the top of the remaining staircase.

For crying out loud...There's got to be some limit to their numbers... What these aliens lacked in individual strength, they made up with their relentless mob tactics. Gohan ventured that if Damos had inherited a portion of Frieza's army as Vegeta had hypothesized, he'd also taken after the warlord's style of warfare.

He ignited a quick burst of speed that carried him into the path of the gang attacking Sailor Saturn before they could do any further damage. He flared his already potent aura, the radiance and force of the energy throwing the soldiers off-balance; Gohan seized the moment and launched several smaller ki blasts outward. Most of them found their marks; as the closer soldiers dropped to the ground in a heap, Gohan volleyed a stronger blast toward the gunners. The fireball was ill-aimed, however, and Gohan instead disintegrated the upper section of the stairwell instead. He achieved the same result - the screams from the targeted soldiers left little doubt as to their fate - and he smirked in realization that he'd effectively cut off their ground forces from reaching them. Why hadn't he thought of that approach sooner?

His confidence boost didn't last long - seconds later, Gohan noticed that the aerial brigades were consolidating into a tight mid-air formation, their ranks stretching nearly a dozen across and a dozen back with several heavily armored and well-decorated officers taking point at the front. Gohan could feel all of their malicious glares focusing on him as one of the lead officers shouted an order that Gohan could only assume was an attack command.

"Well, if dad could do it..." He glanced back at Sailor Saturn, who'd stumbled over to help ChibiMoon up from her nasty spill. The princess's lip was busted open from the blow she'd taken, and her eyes were glossy. "I don't suppose you have any more energy left for that shield wall? I think we'll be needing it..."

The first few ranks of attackers were already diving toward them, their battle powers rising as they closed the gap. As they soared, Gohan noticed that they were fanning out across the width of the chamber, defeating any possible chance of evading or slipping through their strike. While Gohan felt that he could weather the first line's assault, dealing with twelve ranks of fighters was stretching things quite a bit...the Saiyan hybrid felt his stomach twisting as he realized any potential escape from the terrace - whether by the elevator shaft or the stairwells - had been cut off.

"I...can't command my powers...at a flick of my wrist like you can...!" Saturn wheezed as she snatched up her glaive from the floor. "I lost a lot of energy just creating my Silence Wall the last time!"

"We're about to lose more than that..." ChibiMoon was backpedaling slightly as her eyes darted back and forth between the approaching mob. "Any suggestions while the floor's still open?"

"Let me provide a diversion," Gohan nodded as he sized up the first wave, judging which of them he could've potentially taken out first. "Perhaps you two can make a break for the ground level, find some cover somewhere while I hold them--"

"While you take on an entire battalion?" Sailor Saturn spat angrily as her injured arm hung limply at her side. "I've had enough of your gallant strategizing, Gohan!"

The injured Sailor Soldier shoved past the boy while putting her blood-covered glaive high into the air. Gohan couldn't imagine what kind of attack she could muster up to use against such a massive horde, but another sudden crashing noise from behind them interrupted the momentum.

Perilous as it was, the trio whirled about as they observed the wall of rubble clogging the elevator shaft disintegrating in one quick burst of energy. Gohan deflected some of the smaller pieces of shrapnel away from his eyes and readied himself for another attack from the other side of the wall. He was about to launch another energy blast through the gaping hole at whatever new threat was present, but he held back at the last second as a familiar lanky form emerged from the shadows.

Yamcha's fiery eyes landed on Gohan first, but he barely gave him a nod of acknowledgment before noticing the swarm of soldiers descending onto their position. A wild grin sprouted on his face as he cracked his neck and loosened up his arms.

He did catch Gohan in the eyes momentarily and boasted in an almost obnoxious tone.

"Last big party of the summer; let's make it memorable!"


Sailor Venus crossed her arms with frustration as she watched the plump creature flail about on the grass, guffawing so loudly that he would've died of it had he still been alive. Hovering above him with a small smirk of triumph was Sailor Pluto, the third of their group aside from Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter to successfully get the catfish-like Lord Kaio to laugh, much to Mars's annoyance - she had already had her hand at it and failed miserably. She would probably need assistance if they wanted to move her into the first levels of training with them.

Sailor Mars was grumbling under her breath as she seethed at Sailor Pluto from a short distance away.

"I can't believe he laughed at that..." She fumed. "How could he find that nonsense funny when he didn't even crack a smile at my joke?!"

Jupiter shook her head piteously as she patted Mars on the shoulder.

"'You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish?'"

Mars huffed indignantly as Venus offered her own sentiment.

"Hey, you would've had him if hadn't heard it before...though he'd probably be the only one to laugh at that non-joke."

"Amazing that he actually heard that one before," Mercury was sitting on the grass, smiling at her friend's frustration. "To think that two people could think up the same bad joke--"

"Shut up!!"

Venus didn't imagine that Setsuna would be the type for joke-telling, though considering how much she was around the princess, it shouldn't have been a total surprise. Venus herself had elected to go last out of the bunch; considering her admitted penchant for botching one-liners, she'd needed plenty of time to concoct a good enough joke.

Sailor Pluto finally stepped away from Lord Kaio, mildly sauntering back to the rest of them.

"That wasn't terribly difficult - it wasn't even my best one," She quietly marveled, drawing the ire of Sailor Mars even further.

"What's with this stupidity anyway..." The raven-haired fire soldier grumbled. "I hardly think that mastering puns will help us against the alien army..."

"Hey, if it means earning all of that power, he could bronze me and put me up on his roof for a lightning rod!" Jupiter contested. Since the master's introduction, it had been impossible to contain her energy - Sailor Venus didn't think she'd seen Jupiter stop pacing for the last hour.

"Must you continue with the lightning puns..." Mars spat. Venus did concur with that point - Jupiter's joke had followed up on the affinity that Lord Kaio had for relating her with her element. She hadn't heard the entire joke, but she knew it had something to do with an orchestra director getting struck by lightning...horrid indeed.

"Well, fearless leader," Jupiter patted Venus on the shoulder. "The spotlight's on you!"

Lord Kaio had finally pulled himself up off the ground, wiping small tears away from his beady eyes. He was still attempting to catch his breath as Venus finally settled on her joke.

"Alright, if this doesn't get him, nothing will! Wish me luck, you guys!"

She stepped toward the martial arts master, attempting to appear confident. Hopefully, the momentum from Sailor Pluto's joke would carry over into hers - she certainly didn't want to get left behind on account of bad story-telling.

"Ah, such brilliance..." Lord Kaio was still panting slightly. "Procrastinating before it's too late...fabulous!"

Venus processed the punchline and rolled her eyes - she would hope that it wasn't Sailor Pluto's best joke.

"Now then, Sailor Venus," Lord Kaio folded his arms behind his back. "I've been watching you prepare for this with tremendous intensity - I'm sure you've crafted the perfect joke for me!"

"You could say..." She said with a wry smile, gathering her energy. Okay...here goes nothing... "Whether you have a baseball team or pancakes, the secret is to start with a good hitter!!"

The delivery was perfect, each syllable perfectly annunciated with perfect pitch and flow; it should've been the homerun she was looking for...but the reaction was less than what she had expected. Lord Kaio sat there momentarily with a puzzled look on his maw, and as he stitched his brow in thought, Venus felt her confidence dissolving.

"Sorry," He shook his head almost mournfully, waving her away without a second thought. "I think you may be a tad confused...better luck next time. Next!"

Venus was crestfallen - how had that failed to ignite his overly flammable sense of humor? If he could find humor in Sailor Pluto's horrid joke...

She expressed such sentiment once she tromped back to the others. When she repeated the one-liner to her comrades, each one of them shook their heads, except for Jupiter, who offered a pity chuckle.

"See! You at least got a laugh out of it!" Venus hissed as she pointed an almost accusing finger toward Sailor Jupiter.

"Minako, Minako..." Jupiter placed an arm around her friend's shoulder calmly. "A good hitter?"

"Yes, a good hitter!!" Venus shouted. "What else would it be?"

"Oh, I don't know; I just can't remember the last time I made pancakes from hitters..." Jupiter drolled on.

Venus froze, realizing her error and simultaneously feeling like kicking herself because of it. Downtrodden, she dropped onto the ground, motioning toward Sailor Mars.

"Batter up, Rei..." She nonchalantly motioned toward the master as she inwardly cursed at herself for butchering the joke so horribly. "Setsuna?"

As Sailor Mars trudged toward Lord Kaio with her own determined

look on her face, Sailor Pluto stepped over to the blonde soldier with subtle mirth.

"Yes, Sailor Venus?"

"Would you be so kind as to run some of your better jokes by me?"

Sailor Pluto laughed.

"Certainly."


With a loud cry, Sailor Uranus thrust her Space Sword into the maw of the last surviving enemy commander, a well-trimmed officer with what appeared to be numerous colorful commendations on his chestplate. The miserable alien squirmed wildly for a few moments before letting out a couple of mild death spasms.

Breathing heavily, Sailor Uranus dropped the officer's bloodied corpse to the floor as she surveyed the remains of the basement level of Le Fin. During the heat of the melee, it had been easy to lose track of how many soldiers the alien army had crammed into the casino complex, but a close estimation had to be at least in the early hundreds. She couldn't say how much of a blow this victory would be against the enemy, but it would at least give the alien commanders something to think about.

Gohan, Sailor Saturn, and the princess had done a considerable job of holding back the onslaught of the facility's defenders, but seeing Saturn's wounded shoulder and ChibiMoon's fatigue had made her realize that they had arrived just in time. Yamcha and Tenshinhan had led the charge against an impressive aerial regiment; she, Krillin, and Chaozu were close to follow, surprising the ranks with a combination of powerful attacks. Facinf such stiff resistance, the lines had buckled, some of the enemies regrouping elsewhere, others panicking and soaring for cover, and still more that blindly charged against them.

In the midst of the chaos, Sailor Uranus had first seen to the safety of the princess. Sailor ChibiMoon was fairly roughed up from the carnage, and despite vehement protests, Uranus had seen her to the sanctity of the elevator shaft before joining the battle. She'd been too fatigued - favoring her swollen back and her head - to assist in such a melee anyhow. Sailor Saturn, on the other hand, even with her badly injured arm, had offered to assist in the counterattack against the aerial brigade. While both Sailor Soldiers had taken out a good share of the aliens during the course of the fight, Uranus had been observing each of the Z Warriors at every turn, seeing how capable they could be in such circumstances. Though it begrudged her to admit it, she had been almost mesmerized as she'd witnessed each of them deftly weave and duck out of the enemy ranks with such blinding speed. At one point, she'd watched Krillin somehow split into three copies of himself before rushing a legion of fliers by himself. She'd also watched Chaozu use some kind of telekinesis to reverse a volley of ki beams back on their attackers. Considering that it had only taken a handful of them to dismember such a vast force, Uranus was finally feeling pangs of confidence, albeit small ones, stemming from the hired help.

The horde of enemies had eventually shrunk to smaller swarms, and the bigger the swath they cut into their ranks, the less aggressive and more defensive they'd became. The final few that they'd killed had almost been begging for their lives, including the officer at her feet.

"No mercy for enemies of Earth..." She spat onto the alien's crimson body. She hadn't imagined that so many enemies could've been crammed into Le Fin, even as big as it was. Fortunately, the abundance of enemies simply meant more targets for her World Shaking and Space Sword Blaster attacks. At one point, one World Shaking had taken down an entire squad of a dozen gunners.

Now that the battle had concluded, the weight of the injuries she'd sustained during the battle was catching up with her. She'd taken a few hard punches in the ribs from the brawlers, and several ki beams had sliced across her exposed limbs, lacerating her skin deeply.

Still, things could've been worse.

Stepping over broken, burning corpses and dismembered limbs, Sailor Uranus made her way back to the base of the disheveled terrace, where the Z Warriors were attending to themselves and Sailor Saturn.

"...Can you move your arm?" Tenshinhan was saying to Saturn as the girl was seated on the floor. Uranus pushed past Yamcha and Krillin - who were piling up the battered remains of the aliens into large piles if for nothing else than to provide some walking room - and muscled Tenshinhan over.

"Can you make it back to the palace?" She asked quickly.

"Yes, I believe so..." Saturn answered uneasily.

"I left the senzus back at the palace," Krillin offered as he tossed aside the broken remains of a gunner. "We'll have her fixed in no time."

While silently registering the uplifting comment, Uranus knew that more business remained on Sailor Saturn's end - indeed, things could have ended up much worse, especially if the princess was harmed, captured, or perhaps killed by the very soldiers Gohan had brought them to assault. While Gohan's barbaric gung-ho attitude was inexcusable, Sailor Saturn should have known better than to endorse such a suicidal tactic.

"Stand up," Uranus commanded her smaller comrade.

Saturn's eyes were lowered slightly, still keeping her healthy arm on her wounded one as she stood before her commander.

"Shall I ask your involvement in this debacle, or shall I simply tell you that you will be disciplined accordingly upon our return?"

Saturn didn't wince at the sharp bite; instead she resigned herself to an apologetic bow. It didn't soften Sailor Uranus's demeanor, but she was pleased that the girl hadn't become a total rogue.

"I am sorry for my rashness," She began. "It just seemed like a perfect opportunity to--"

"To what? Deliver the princess to the enemy on a silver platter? Had we not intervened, you and the boy very well might have, and then where would we be?"

Silence hung over the group momentarily as Uranus continued casting a reprimanding scowl at Saturn. Finally, the one Z Warrior among the current group that Uranus didn't want to see stepped in between them. Uranus's anger spiked as the dirty and bruised face of Son Gohan stared up at her.

"This was my idea, Sailor Uranus," He admitted, motioning back to Sailor Saturn. "I forced her to go along with it; if it weren't for me, none of--" He hesitantly motioned to the heaps of corpses cluttering the war-torn chamber. "--none of this would've happened. She saved both of us on a few different occasions - she doesn't deserve to be punished for this; I do, if anyone."

Sailor Uranus didn't answer his request at first - she hadn't even registered some of the words. She was too busy attempting to restrain herself from driving her Space Sword into his gut, and it was taking some considerable effort. Some of the nearby Z Warriors seemed to believe the pressure may have been too much as Uranus caught Krillin approaching her sword arm out of the corner of her eye.

Taking a deep breath, she waved the stout monk off, retracting her weapon and bending down to Gohan's level. The remorseful tightness in Gohan's round eyes didn't alleviate her boiling anger. As words began to exit her mouth, all of her pent-up frustration toward the boy went with it.

"Be thankful, then, that she was here to protect the two of you - had something happened to the princess, your body would be lying here with the corpses of the enemy!" Gohan winced noticeably at the scolding, but Uranus wasn't finished. She shook her head with pure exasperation, not caring that Gohan's friends and comrades were right in front of them. None of them were offering resistance to her outburst. "I mean, really, what the hell were you thinking?!! Do you think you're invincible, trying to take on the world!! You may not fear death, but those of us with regard for our comrades' lives do!!"

Gohan faltered, stumbling backward and blurting out streams of babble in an attempt to offer an explanation. Uranus wouldn't let him out of arm's reach, snaring the Saiyan hybrid by his collar and yanking him back in her direction. She pulled Gohan up so close that they were practically nose to nose. She reduced her voice level, but the intensity remained.

"I don't care how powerful you may think you are - your stupidity more than compensates for it. I'm going to recommend to the king that you be removed from front line combat. I won't have you leading our princess into a deathtrap despite her wishes."

Gohan looked crestfallen at the sentencing, but before he could protest, Uranus shoved him away.

"And if you possess a simplistic brain, you'll stay away from the princess and Sailor Saturn as long as I'm around. You may be only half-Saiyan, but you carry the same bloodlust as the great prince. You were lucky this time, but one day it'll catch up to you; I'll be damned if you're taking any of us with you when it does!"

Still fuming, Uranus motioned for Saturn to follow her to the elevator shaft - it had been a long day already, and between cleaning up their ranks from the ambush and now having to meet with the king about the raucous Saiyan child, it was only going to get longer.


As Gohan's glance darted about to his teammates, all of them seemed momentarily numb after Sailor Uranus's tirade. While the words had been sharp and at some points had struck a deep personal chord within the boy, he was accustomed to such berating - living with his mother, very few screaming fits from anybody outside of superpowers such as Vegeta and Frieza did much to faze him. Despite the woman's fury, he did feel confident that he could make her take back the insults at an indeterminate point.

What he was truly concerned with was the current fate of Sailor Saturn, who Sailor Uranus had seemingly regarded as a co-mastermind of the attack. Had the enraged soldier been in more of a listening mood, he would've gladly pointed out Sailor Saturn's exact objections to Gohan's plan and her eagerness to return for reinforcements. He just couldn't let her take the brunt of her superior's rage.

"Hotaru, wait a second!" To his shock, the soldier didn't stop, instead actually accelerating her pace as best as possible and not casting her eyes back toward him. Desperate to make his point known, Gohan zipped in front of Sailor Saturn, cutting off her exodus even as Sailor Uranus had already bound up the elevator shaft.

"Hotaru, I..." Gohan wanted to sound as candid as possible with the soldier, but Sailor Saturn returned his benevolence with a pair of icy eyes. She wiped a dab of blood away from her cheek as Gohan began to nearly blubber at her. "I...I didn't think...I mean, I didn't want for any of this to--"

"Save it," She grumbled, again gripping her throbbing shoulder. Gohan moved to offer some assistance to her shaky balance, but Sailor Saturn harshly shoved him away, nearly causing Gohan to fall. The boy glanced at her with disbelief. "It was foolish of me to trust your bravado over my own war experience, I realize that now. I will take my reprimand in full; I don't need a knight-in-shining-armor to plead my case."

"But..."

"Uranus is right about you in a way," Saturn pushed her way past Gohan toward the elevator shaft. "Despite your gallant promises, in the end you are as vicious as your prince. I'll be watching you as vigilantly as she will from now on. Watch your step around our princess."

Without another word, she moved into the elevator shaft and floated up toward the lobby, leaving Gohan shell-shocked and speechless. He let out a defeated breath - while such venom was common in Sailor Uranus, Gohan had never expected the same to come for Sailor Saturn. After all, this had been the same person who had been so intrigued at hearing his story about Namek only hours earlier, the same person who'd told him how much she'd appreciated being looked after by him.

"I think she's been hanging around Uranus too long," Yamcha's voice came from behind him. "She's just a kid - nobody should be that much of a hardass at that age."

"Duty can do such things," Tenshinhan replied as the remaining Z Warriors joined Gohan on the remaining piece of the terrace. "They do have a point though, Gohan, and I think you realize it."

"Ah, come on, Ten; don't tell me you're going along with Captain Blood up there!" Yamcha retorted.

"I don't like it either, believe me..." He shook his head, glancing down at Gohan. "You've got a lot of your dad in you - he always thought he could take on the world, too. They just don't understand that much yet, and like it or not, we're not just random bodies out here anymore; we're part of a cohesive army, their army. Their rules."

"And what about the king?" Gohan asked feverishly. "I mean, I don't want to be kicked out of this after one day on the job!"

"We'll just go with it for right now," Tenshinhan responded. "Resisting whatever judgment Endymion passes down only makes us all look worse, agreed?"

The heads of the others nodded silently, all of them disappointed in the choice but understanding the logic. This wasn't going to be as easy as any of them anticipated; winning battles against the enemy army was one thing, but converting hearts and minds toward their presence was an entirely different war altogether, arguably a tougher one to win.

Hovering over Tenshinhan's shoulder, Chaozu did offer some consolation for Gohan.

"I wouldn't worry so much about the Sailor Soldiers, anyway, Gohan," He said. "There's still a lot of war to fight - plenty of time to show what we're really made of."

Considering that he didn't want to lose out on two new friends, Gohan certainly hoped so.


It had been a long trip through the bustling Capsule Corporation Headquarters to get to the executive wings; Bulma's personal belongings were scattered throughout the offices she had, and she'd informed them that she'd always kept the Dragon Radar there, within close reach.

While Piccolo had been as conversational as ever (which is to say, not at all) during the trek and simultaneous tour of the building, it had given Michiru - who'd chosen to revert to her normal state for the current moment - time to get to know Bulma. After speaking briefly about their respective time eras and past experiences, Michiru had been impressed with the way the Capsule Corporation heiress had conducted herself over the years. Multiple quests for the Dragonballs in the past had almost ended her life on several occasions; being stuck in the middle of the packs of brutal fighters that warred over the artifacts wasn't the easiest experience to live through. If it weren't for her fiery temper, she would've figured her as a perfect match for Ami.

Eventually, as they'd entered the executive wings, the subject had drifted to Capsule Corporation's technological advances and unique style of development. Bulma's curiosity for technology rivaled Ami's penchant for written knowledge - when the layout of Crystal Tokyo itself had been mentioned, Bulma had seemed ready to burst as Michiru had spoken about their own unique advancements in engineering. On the other hand, even after living with the scientific advances of Crystal Tokyo for what seemed like a dozen lifetimes, Michiru couldn't deny the genius of the capsule technology - while Bulma hadn't demonstrated many of the more advanced models to her, she had boasted that they'd perfected the capsules to the point where they could encase multi-leveled buildings inside their tiny shells.

While she didn't want to call the accommodating Ms. Briefs a liar, she'd believe that when she saw it.

The search through Bulma's cluttered belongings had been painstakingly long, however - she'd angrily stormed through twelve separate cubicles of disorganized gadgets before finally happening upon the Dragon Radar in a closet-sized workroom.

"Here it is," Recollecting herself after a few frustrated shouting fits, the Capsule Corporation heiress handed Piccolo a small circular device. Michiru gazed upon it with anticlimactic intrigue - it seemed to be more of a gigantic stopwatch than a radar. Its surface was a pine green viewer with neon yellow gridlines streaking across its scratched and weathered surface; a large knob protruded out of its top. "It's been a while since it was used, but it should still work."

Michiru took the Dragon Radar from Piccolo's hand, studying the simplistic contraption.

"How could something like this trace such powerful relics?" She wondered aloud.

"I found my first Dragonball years ago, out of sheer luck," Bulma explained as she moved around the small office, replacing the mess she'd created during her search. "After studying it, I managed to build that little gizmo. It can track the energy of the Dragonballs anywhere on Earth!"

Michiru fiddled around with the button on the radar, noticing that clicking it each time reduced the size of the gridlines. After the second click, a tiny yellow circle blipped onto the northern portion of the screen. A third click brought up another one close by.

"Looks like we're in luck," Bulma commented as she noticed the change. "Two of the Dragonballs are close by...not that far from each other."

Excellent. Michiru felt her confidence and excitement building. Fortune was still favoring them for the moment.

"Can you pinpoint the exact locations?" Piccolo asked.

"That could take time," She shook her head. "If I cross-examine the coordinates listed here with maps, I could get you pretty close to them, but not to the exact--"

"Fine, then let's not waste anymore of our time here," Piccolo snatched up the radar and marched toward the doorway, beckoning to Michiru. "We'll make our own best guesses."

Bulma instantly darted after the stoic warrior, cutting him off from the exit. As Michiru saw her flared expression, she smirked at the verbal berating she knew was coming. She would think that Piccolo would've learned after the first time.

"How about 'thank you, Bulma?' 'Good work, Bulma?'" She hissed. "That's something I would expect from Vegeta - being around Gohan so much, I thought you might've picked up some manners!"

"I'm more capable than most of the rabble that hangs around you," Piccolo shot back. "Be thankful that I at least asked you for the radar instead of simply taking it."

"And how exactly do you plan on getting there without food, water, supplies, etcetera?" The Namek's steel voice didn't deter her, which impressed Michiru considerably - even some of Piccolo's own teammates had been more intimidated by him than Bulma was.

"We will manage. The five-year-old I brought out to the wilderness made out quite nicely, if you recall."

"And what about me, teacher?" Michiru coyly crept up to Piccolo, placing a hand on his shoulder and preparing to flex some of her acting muscles. "I've hardly had any experience living off the land, let alone a land that isn't my own. After seeing your lack of sympathy for it--" She fell upon his arm in a dramatic pose, causing the Namek's rigorous stance to buckle significantly. "--what, I wonder, will ever become of me? Will you leave me in the wilderness like an orphan?"

"Now wait just a minute..."

Before Piccolo could react, Bulma snagged the bulky Dragon Radar from his hand. She stomped out into the hallway.

"I certainly wouldn't put it past him. That settles it - you're not going anywhere until I put together a package of capsules for you and Ms. Kaioh."

"Bulma, we don't have time for--"

"No excuses! I'm not about to leave an emissary from my future in your green hands. If you still want the radar, you'll stick around until I prepare everything," She walked across the wide corridor to a small intercom. "And I've still got a lot of company business to take care of today. Since Ms. Kaioh is here, feel lucky that I'm having housekeeping settle you into the guest wing!"

Piccolo looked ready to burst, pushing Michiru aside and storming over to the blue-haired woman.

"If you think that I'm going to tolerate--"

"We're done here for now - if you want the Dragon Radar, you'll have to give some regard for the safety of our guest. She is royalty, after all - now, be a gentleman for once and help her get settled. I'll meet with you later tonight."

"Tonight?! We can't just--"

It was too late; Bulma had already turned on her heel and marched up the hallway, casually tossing the precious Dragon Radar up into the air as she moved. Piccolo's protests died in his throat, and he let out a heave of anger as he tromped back into the office, where Michiru was waiting with a vexing smile.

"I rather like Ms. Briefs," She warmly said to him. "She's a credit to humanity - such concern for others' protection is quite a nice change of pace."

Piccolo looked ready to scream at her, bearing his teeth.

"The only person you'll need protecting from is me when this is all over."

"Is that a threat? I could just ask her to prolong things a bit more - she's more willing to smile at me than even look at you."

Piccolo huffed indignantly, storming out of the office and bellowing something in a harsh language that Michiru couldn't understand. She smirked with satisfaction - while she certainly wouldn't want to delay the search for the Dragonballs even more, it did help to solidify a mental victory for her against the titanic superpower. Aside from obtaining a source of provisions, she considered it as payment for...other insults.

And that, boys and girls, is how you deal with the schoolyard bully. She demurely remarked to herself as she brushed away some of her wavy sea-green hair. More methods will follow.


It had taken more than enough tries - and if Sailor Mars had fouled up anymore, she probably would've considered forgetting the whole thing altogether - but it had been some inadvertent commentary from Sailor Jupiter that had finally allowed the fire soldier to topple Lord Kaio.

"Gambling using mental bets and losing your mind, eh?" Jupiter patted her on the shoulder in congratulations as Lord Kaio rocked back and forth boisterously. Mars stepped back to avoid the spittle that was being flung from the creature's gigantic maw. "Sounds like you, Rei."

"Great...now it's just up to me..." Venus murmured to herself as all eyes began to focus on her. She turned to her would-be tutor with slight trepidation. Sailor Pluto had been trying to hammer out a perfect plan of attack for Venus's next attempted joke while Sailor Mars had repeatedly tried her luck against the master. "...Are you certain that this will make him laugh, Setsuna? I mean, it just sounds so...so..."

"Cheesy?" Pluto finished, receiving a nod of agreement from Sailor Venus. "That's precisely why this will work. The princess told me this herself - bear that in mind. Are you prepared?"

Venus took a deep breath before kipping to her feet, readying her nerves.

"I'm ready," She cracked her neck and knuckles, psyching herself and striking a defiant stance toward the fighting master. "He's going down this time! You hear me, Lord Kaio? You're going down!"

She received no response except for more of the raucous laughter - the bulky entity still hadn't recovered from Sailor Mars's well-placed joke. Venus fumed angrily as Lord Kaio hadn't even taken notice of her perfectly executed one-liner. Holding back anger, Venus stood silently in place until Lord Kaio was ready.

"Now then," A few moments later, he inhaled heavily, wiping more tears away from his narrow eyes.

Welcome back... Venus chided. Glad you could join us.

"You've all done masterfully well - I don't think I've heard such good jokes in millennia! All of you have passed into the program with flying colors except for your leader - Sailor Venus, have you decided to try again?"

"Have I?" She motioned for the others to move aside, giving her good enough space for a stand-off with the eccentric martial arts master. He was preparing himself for the incoming joke as well, clasping his arms behind his back and replacing his mirth-encompassed grin with a stone mask. He was treating this test as if it were an actual battle. So much the better; it would be more satisfying when he did fall! "I'm ready for you this time; I challenge your sense of humor to withstand this irresistible joke!"

"Somewhat over the top..." Mercury was murmuring in the background. Jupiter and Mars were both nodding in agreement, but Venus didn't let that deter her.

"Make certain that this is a worthy challenge!!" Lord Kaio bellowed back, steeling himself. "Hold nothing back!"

Here goes...

"People who talk about false gods are engaged in...!!" Venus froze, nearly mortified - what was that blasted punchline again? "Engaged in...err..."

"She's gonna blow it..." Mars whispered.

Oh, god, he's losing it, think of something... Lord Kaio's enthusiasm was beginning to dampen, his face growing longer as the delay increased. Venus sputtered a few random sounds to keep her voice going, but a few seconds more and Lord Kaio would wave her away again, potentially leaving her in the dust while the others moved upward to train under him, getting all of that untold power for themselves...

"A memory like a sieve..." Jupiter was muttering to Mercury. Frustration abounding, Venus whirled around and nearly screamed at them.

"Will you please shut up!! Here I am, trying to keep up with you guys, and all you feel like doing is sitting there in idle gossip!!!"

"Idle...gossip?" Lord Kaio repeated, drawing Venus's attention back around. He stood still momentarily, mulling the joke over; a smirk soon sprouted on his face, and a small chuckle slipped out. Sensing victory, Venus belted the entire joke out in as over exaggerated a form as she could muster.

"People who talk about false gods are engaged in idle gossip!!"

That put him over - Lord Kaio began sputtering laughter, this particular pun sending him rolling along the ground. Venus threw up her arms, dancing around triumphantly as her teammates hurried over to congratulate her. She literally jumped into them, overly elated at her success.

"Bwa ha, did you see that!! He laughed at my joke the hardest out of all of you! Take that, Ms. 'Memory Like a Sieve!'" She taunted Jupiter in particular. The thunder soldier shared her pride, though she did pass her a wry smirk.

"You can thank us for saving you the embarrassment at some future date, 'kay, Minako?"


Lord Kaio spent the better part of two minutes in stitches from Sailor Venus's idle gossip joke. Sailor Pluto had gone with that joke for Minako because she figured it would hit close to home with him - given the strange energies around Lord Kaio, she wouldn't have been surprised to learn that he was also some kind of supernatural being.

By the time the martial arts master had recovered from the latest of his laughing fits, he pulled himself up, catching his breath and gazing proudly upon his newest students.

"Well done, all of you!" He marveled. "You've already taken a tremendous step on your road with me! If I teach you nothing else, always remember the value of a good joke! It can save you even in the darkest of situations!"

Sailor Pluto couldn't completely condone that line of thinking, but she nodded in agreement along with the others, attempting to stay on the master's good side.

"Okay, now that all the formalities are taken care of," Lord Kaio clasped his fingers to his mouth, giving a tremendous whistle that reverberated throughout the grassy plain. "Let's move onto our first level of training!"

Jupiter was shaking her head, her ears rattling from the high-pitched squeal.

"Umm...excuse me, Lord Kaio, but, what was that for?"

"I'm simply calling out your first training partner," The portly creature motioned back toward the grand palace sitting behind him, and from the interior, a small, furry animal came bounding out toward them. It took a few moments for the moving object to penetrate the glare of the sun, but as it drew closer, Pluto was still surprised at what it was - Lord Kaio had evidently summoned...a monkey?

The quick-moving animal scurried across the grass toward Lord Kaio like a simple pet, his face beaming as he caught sight of his owner. It finally stopped in front of the Sailor Soldiers, observing them all with a cautious eye.

"Didn't...know that you were an animal-lover, Lord Kaio," Mercury commented uneasily as the oversized chimp began to scratch itself.

"This, my students, is my pet monkey, Bubbles," As Lord Kaio provided the introduction, Bubbles waved one grubby hand at their group. Silly as she realized it was after the fact, Sailor Pluto caught herself waving back. "Don't be fooled by his girth - he's actually much faster than he looks. I'm going to give him a head-start, and it will be up to each of you to capture him. Simple enough?"

"Almost too simple!" Sailor Jupiter pounded her fists together, bracing herself. "Give me thirty seconds and this ape's all mine."

"Ah, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait..." Lord Kaio held up a chubby hand, and he momentarily seemed lost in thought, scratching his chin and muttering to himself. "What was the catch for this portion of the training...I seem to have forgotten after all these years...ah, yes, of course!"

Sailor Pluto felt her senses heightening - whatever his revelation, she knew there was going to be some other kind of obstacle thrown in their path to interfere with the chase. She didn't suspect that there was much that all five of them couldn't handle together; then again, for all of his oddities, Lord Kaio did seem to possess some amount of guile beneath his thin sunglasses.

He casually held up both hands, and a small orb of energy sprouted on each one, hovering slightly above his trimmed fingernails. As the Sailor Soldiers watched on with caution and mysticism, Lord Kaio suddenly began counting slowly down. For each finger he dropped, an energy orb vanished, and each time that happened, Sailor Pluto felt more and more uneasy.

"Ten...nine...eight...seven...six...five...four...three...two... one..."

He held the last finger aloft for all of them to see, and with one exaggerated motion, he brought it soaring downward toward the ground. Before Sailor Pluto could imagine what the extravagant conclusion was meant for, she felt her entire body collapsing on itself, and she found herself face-first in the grass, her entire frame immobile.

"What...the...hell...?!!!" Sailor Jupiter cried out from nearby. Sailor Pluto found that she wasn't paralyzed; she could move about, but as she attempted to crane her neck toward her comrades, it felt as if a crushing mass of weight had been thrust onto her, making her muscles work many times more than they should have for even simple movements.

The others had been forced down onto the ground as well, each of them having their own degrees of difficulty in resisting the incredible influx of invisible weight that had been dropped onto them. Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus seemed to be having more success, each of them struggling onto their knees to fight the spectral force. Their exposed limbs were rippling under the strain, and Sailor Pluto imagined that if they'd been alive, their tendons and tissue would've been shredded almost instantly.

"There is your catch!" As Sailor Pluto painfully jerked her head back toward Lord Kaio, she was amazed that he wasn't suffering in the least bit from this new phantom force. For that matter, neither was Bubbles. "A catch of gravity, that is! This force you're feeling is ten times the gravity of Earth; my old training planet had this much force to it. Training under these circumstances can increase your power many times over, but you must adjust to it first - until you can move about easily in this terrain, you won't be ready to start anything that I have planned. Hence, catching my precious pet!"

"No...problem....." Sailor Jupiter flashed the master a wicked grin as she pulled herself toward where the plump monkey was still standing. Though she appeared to be suffering greatly under the strain, she was gradually making progress toward the furry critter. Within a minute, she'd pulled herself practically to his feet. "Hah, nice try, Lord Kaio, but this monkey is--"

She made a desperation lunge for the monkey's foot, but Bubbles not only evaded her grasp, but he zipped forward with a speed a monkey shouldn't have possessed. He bounded off the back of Sailor Jupiter, causing her to splat painfully onto the grass, and darted forward and off to the distant horizon in a matter of seconds. Sailor Pluto blinked, unable to believe her eyes. Bubbles had the speed of a cheetah, in this gravity.

"–m...min...e..." Jupiter croaked, her face buried in a heap of mud.

"Well...Bubbles seems a bit sluggish - too much soft living these past millennia," Lord Kaio mused to himself. "In any event, best of luck to you! Don't feel too discouraged...it took some of my former disciples weeks to finally catch Bubbles! So, I wouldn't worry yourselves over time and all of that..."

"Did...did he say...weeks???" Mercury was having the most trouble out of all of them, collapsing onto her back just as she'd made it to her knees. "Oh, Sir Isaac Newton, if only you were here to see this..."

Sailor Pluto concurred as she finally managed to force herself up onto her feet. With her height, her center of gravity was quite high, and thus maintaining balance was a battle within itself. As she painstakingly stumbled after the quick-moving monkey, she found it hard to fathom that she was even going through with such ridiculous nonsense - joking was one thing, but she was Guardian of Time, mistress of the ages! And yet here she was...dead, without the aid of her staff, and chasing a brainless monkey that belonged to a catfish martial arts master who happened to possess the secret to some ultimate power.

Somehow...it put everything in perspective.


It was around seven that evening when Bulma finally returned to the private guest quarters with their provisions. The sliding of the automatic door created a squealing noise, arousing Michiru from her light doze on a thin couch in the living room. She sat up with a start, rubbing her hazy eyes as the blue-haired woman stepped through the narrow doorway with a warm smile. A thin carrying case was tucked under her arm.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Bulma said as she set the silver case down on the table.

Michiru swung her legs around, standing up and blinking away the last bits of grogginess with slight embarrassment as her eyes landed on the clock hung against the far wall. She'd intended to only stay off her feet for a few minutes when she'd first laid down, but that had been four hours ago.

"Don't mention it," She attempted with futility to cover a yawn. "Sleep...has been a luxury for us, as of late."

"I can relate, believe it or not," She motioned for her to sit down again. "The last sleepless time I had, an entire planet was blowing up around me...but that's a long story."

"I imagine so," Had they had more time, Michiru would've been curious to hear it. As Bulma unlocked the latches on the carrying case, Michiru turned to her. "Again, I must thank you for your help. You have perhaps been the most civil out of all of your friends. They are all...interesting characters, especially that Yamcha."

Bulma paused at that, her demeanor hardening.

"Exactly what do you mean by that?"

Seeing the jealousy sprouting almost immediately, she decided that she didn't have the heart. Bulma obviously wasn't the teasing type as Haruka was. Besides, she'd been too generous a hostess to insult in such a way.

"A true cavalier," Michiru replied decisively, still remembering the occasions during the joint meetings when she'd caught his roving eyes. "Dashing and brave; you're lucky to have someone like him."

The stone-face softened, and Bulma's cheeks reddened in slight embarrassment.

"Well, I...sorry, I didn't mean to insinuate anything."

"Don't be - it's a beautiful thing, isn't it? Being in love, finding someone you can be secure with," She continued. "If you had said something like that about mine, I would react in the same way."

Bulma's relaxed attitude returned as she opened up the case; Michiru was relieved - she'd struck a common chord with her.

"To be honest, the first time I searched for the Dragonballs, I wanted to wish for a boyfriend like that. Instead, I found Yamcha along the way. He has his moments...but I do feel that way about him, secure and everything. I hope you and your boyfriend are the same way."

Michiru stifled a small chuckle.

"Ah, you could say that."

Turning her attention back toward the contents of the case, Bulma pulled out one of many cylindrical, battery-sized capsules, presumably of the same variety she'd been mentioning earlier. Three rows of seven capsules were neatly packed into the case, the top row consisting of red-tinted capsules, the middle row of blue, and the bottom row of yellow.

"I've tried to put together enough of a set to last you for some time," She explained. "I can't see Piccolo touching these with a ten-foot pole, so you'll be able to keep all of these for yourself."

"What does the difference in color mean?" Michiru wondered.

"These red ones," Bulma flipped the pill into the air. "Activate them and you'll get a decent-sized cooler packed with food, twenty to thirty meals worth depending on how frugal you are. All the different food groups are included, a bunch of different drinks, too..."

She replaced the capsule and motioned to the blue ones.

"These contain a fully-fueled hoverbike, in case you need to get where you're going in a hurry," Bulma explained. "There are some instructions in each one; I know it's not the best type of transportation around, but--"

"Don't worry," Michiru shook her head. "I've had plenty of experience with motorcycles in the past."

"These last ones here," Bulma indicated the shining yellow capsules at the bottom, and Michiru noticed that they were slightly bigger than the others. "Be extremely careful with these, setting one off releases a small one-story house with all of the fixings, bath, kitchen, shower, bedroom..."

Michiru was boggled at the very idea as she stared into the tiny capsules.

"This will be more than enough...Bulma, this seems like entirely too much; it must be costing your company significantly for all of this."

"Hey, whatever I can do for the future, right?" Reaching into her pocket, she extracted the Dragon Radar, activating it and showing her the same two golden blips she had observed earlier. "Now, I checked out the locations of these first two Dragonballs. They are pretty close - one of them is in the Japanese city of Tokyo. My best guess would be the Nerima district...but I can't be certain. The other Dragonball is somewhere on the outskirts of the city, just at the foot of a low-level mountain range."

Tokyo? In this era? Michiru was surprised at the mention of the name - before the great Cataclysm that preceded the rise of Crystal Tokyo, Old Era Tokyo had been the site of the prolific battles between the Sailor Soldiers and the most vile monsters to threaten Earth. Michiru could still remember the conclusion of the wars against the Death Busters and Sailor Galaxia as if they had occurred yesterday...but the Z Warriors certainly hadn't existed at that particular junction in time, nor had Capsule Corporation or its remarkable technology been remote thoughts. Michiru supposed that a lot could've happened between this particular point and the Cataclysm depending on how far back in time she and Piccolo had gone...for the moment, to avoid a potential headache, she decided to remain pleased at the coincidence - a visit to a past version of Tokyo was a welcome surprise.

"Is something wrong, Ms. Kaioh?" Bulma had noticed her eyes drifting, and Michiru shook the daze off.

"Sorry, it was nothing; please continue."

"That's about the size of it - as for the exact locations, you're on your own; just remember: wherever the blip is, the Dragonball is somewhere in that area...oh, and here."

She reached into her pocket, witdrawing a small wallet.

"If you're passing through Tokyo, here's a little bit of spending money, just in case."

Michiru again conveyed her thanks to the woman; she considered refusing such generosity, but at the very least, she could pick up some souvenirs for Hotaru and the princess.

The door suddenly whooshed open again, the brighter lighting of the hallway obstructed this time by an imposing figure. Bulma and Michiru remained silent as the hulking Piccolo squeezed into the chamber, his face tight and his mood obviously vile.

Michiru was tempted to pass some commentary in his direction, but the green fighter's wits seemed to detect the sarcasm, and a malevolent glare from her partner kept Michiru to simply passing a wry smirk in his direction. Wordless, the Namek stalked into the next room, closing the door behind him.

"More of a morning person, I assume," She remarked. "I'll put a smile on his face one of these days."

"Best of luck to you," Bulma closed the carrying case, laying the circular Dragon Radar on top. "Not even Gohan can do that very often, and he's the closest one to him out of all of us."

Standing up from the couch, Bulma stretched her arms and moved over toward the closet.

"Well, I've still got to close up shop for the day down in the labs; let me just get some extra sheets for you."

"That's not necessary, Ms. Briefs, I can--" Bulma was opening the narrow closet near the entrance and reaching up to the top shelf for a set of pearl-white sheets when something in the cubicle's corner caught Michiru's attention. Hurrying forward almost like a small child, Michiru nearly shoved Bulma aside to get a closer look; she was pleasantly surprised as she withdrew a beige violin case from the corner of the closet. The weight of the case told her that the instrument was still inside.

"So that's where that old thing got to," Bulma marveled as Michiru blew a thin coating of dust off of the case's surface. Her heart racing slightly, she undid the brass latches, flipping the top open to reveal an old but relatively unused violin resting in the plush interior.

"Nothing personal, Ms. Briefs, but I wouldn't suspect you to have an affinity for music," Michiru commented.

"You would actually be correct - when I was really little, Mom got that for my birthday; I had to suffer through two years of practice before she finally let me quit. I just couldn't get into it; have you had some experience?"

"Not to brag, but I am quite renowned for my ability in my era," Michiru was already taking the violin back toward the sofa before her etiquette caught up with her. "...Err, that is to say, if you don't mind."

Bulma shrugged nonchalantly, setting the sheets down on the nearby table and heading back toward the door.

"If you're that good with it, then you can keep it; you'll be getting much more use out of it than I ever will."

Michiru felt herself beaming, as if she was receiving a coveted birthday present. She hadn't been able to sit down and actually play in so long a time.

"If Piccolo decides to whisk you off in the middle of the night," Bulma extended a hand toward Michiru, who gladly returned the gesture. "It's been a pleasure - I hope I can get to see you again before you return to the future."

"I must thank you again for everything...I wish you well." Michiru smiled warmly as Bulma turned and exited the living room, leaving the water soldier alone. Excitement re-energizing her, Michiru took a seat, straightening her posture as she took the violin in one hand and its bow in the other.

I'm probably a bit rusty...let's see... She cycled through her memory at some of the easier pieces she'd learned, trying to recall any names whose notes and measures she knew by heart. Bach sounds nice...Partita Number One...what was it...oh, right, B Minor.

Positioning the butt of the violin underneath her chin, Michiru closed her eyes and began to play. The first few measures were shaky as she adjusted to the new instrument, but as her comfort level grew, so did her playing quality. In less than a minute, the chords and dynamics began to flow out of the instrument, the pitch perfect. It was such a relieving sensation for her; for the first time in what seemed like forever, she felt herself relaxing, drifting away from the world...


The chamber provided by Capsule Corporation's Housekeeping Authority had been more than adequate for human tastes and overly extravagant for his. The bedroom he had chosen was well-tended and furnished; not a speck of dust spoiled the room. The chairs, tables, pictures, and the gigantic bed easily told Piccolo that these rooms were meant for the highest elites of humanity.

While the gesture was nice - to be fair, Piccolo suspected that Bulma had arranged these lavish accommodations for Michiru's sake only - the Namek still felt his blood boiling from the earlier exchange. Even though Bulma had indeed given them the promised Dragon Radar, Michiru was too exhausted to begin the search at this particular junction. One night of light sleep would revitalize her, but it was more time lost, six or seven hours that could possibly be used for fulfilling a quarter of their quota.

Fuming, Piccolo crossed his legs and seated himself on the crimson carpet, using his power to propel his body upward. He felt his balance wavering slightly, and for a moment, he realized that it was taking some effort to concentrate his ki on keeping his body steadily afloat.

Then again, when was the last time you truly had any sleep? His inner consciousness chided him. By general nature, Namekian anatomy was able to carry on bodily operations longer than human cells, thus allowing him to go without sleep for hours longer than any typical human. What more, by Piccolo's nature, he wasn't much for extended slumber - too much sleep led to lethargy during the waking hours, something a warrior like himself could not afford.

Still, the extensive amount of combat along with his personal overnight vigil during their first night in the future era had left his cells particularly drained - stopping dead cold at the end of today had only allowed the fatigue to catch up with him.

Perhaps some meditation could--

As a slight noise pricked at his large ears, Piccolo's eyes snapped open. The walls of the guest quarters were quite insulated, nearly soundproof to human ears, but his keen auditory senses caught something, a faint melodic tone coming from the living room.

He listened a bit closer, the smooth, graceful tone soothing to his ears. He hadn't noticed any type of radio in the living room; perhaps, his traveling companion had found a way to keep herself occupied. So much the better: the more time she wasted in her own pleasantries, the less he had to deal with her.

He breathed out slowly, attempting to maintain his even temper. It had been bad enough that she'd humiliated him on a few different occasions, and as much of a superior warrior he was to her, her sultry wit had found its way under his skin in ways he couldn't describe. After the instances today, his pride had taken as much of a hit as it would have if he had lost a physical battle.

Still...she does keep things interesting.

Piccolo remembered when she'd charged back into the fray against the alien commanders the previous evening, how she'd completely ignored his warnings and actually swept him onto the ground in a rare moment. He also recalled one of the few times he hadn't heard sarcasm in the woman's voice: when she'd defended her abilities against Piccolo's lecturing during the trip toward the time portal.

All of it did prove one useful thing - she was staunch as a defender of Earth, willing to go to any lengths for king and country. Even further, she was hungry and fiercely independent, eager to serve alongside the lesser humans of her society on the same battleground, and if necessary, she was ready to die with them as well. Considering the unwillingness of some members of the elitist class to fight for their world, such as Vegeta or even Kami to an extent, Piccolo did have to respect Michiru's resolve...it reminded him of himself to a degree...

He felt his thoughts beginning to trail off in his mind as the smooth music was beginning to sink into him. As his head began to droop, Piccolo allowed his feet to touch the ground, sighing as he blinked his weary eyes. Annoyed as he was at her snobbish attitude...

He pressed the switch next to the door, causing it to whoosh open loudly. Glancing out into the living room, he saw his partner seated firmly on the couch, smiling with her eyes closed as she was playing a slightly worn violin. As his tall frame appeared in the open bedroom door, she ceased her music, glancing up at him with slight surprise.

"Is something wrong, teacher?" She inquired.

The nickname still irked him, as before, but Piccolo wasn't in the mood for arguing. Instead, he passed her a small smile.

"Nothing," He turned around. "Just felt like sleeping with the door open."

He thought he heard Michiru chuckle a little bit as he resumed his floating position in the bedroom. Moments later, the violin music started up once again; Piccolo closed his eyes and began to meditate, letting out one last deep breath before letting his mind slip away.


"And he led them down into the gullet of the alien garrison!!" Sailor Uranus was nearly shouting at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing off of the curved walls of the palace study as King Endymion attempted to maintain an even tone. There was no sense in both of them becoming so blinded with fury that rationale was impaired - whenever Sailor Uranus became passionate about anything, such an occurrence was bound to happen. But as the veteran commander paced back and forth across the carpet, angrily laying out the details of the recent counterattack against the alien command outpost, the king was forced to agree with much of her infuriation. "Were it not for our interference, they would've been slaughtered, chopped to pieces!!"

Endymion nodded his head silently as he rested his arm against the ornate cushioned chair he was seated in. Uranus continued to fume, shaking her head as she observed her king.

"Your Majesty, I understand your willingness to placate these warriors, but this recent episode is inexcusable! You must take Gohan off the front lines!!"

Endymion sat up slightly and passed a stern look to Sailor Uranus.

"First of all, I suggest that you restrain yourself; you are in no position to judge me at the moment."

Uranus breathed outward and relaxed her tense muscles, though the fire under her eyelids was no less diminished.

"Sailor Saturn was grievously injured, the princess to a lesser degree..."

Endymion raised a hand and halted her ranting.

"And dozens of their warriors were killed in the process," He pointed out. "You did say that the piles of corpses were up to your knees. Aside from the repulsion of the palace assailants last night, we have not achieved this much success against the enemy's forces until now."

That point caused Sailor Uranus to stop her relentless pacing, her anger giving way to trepidation and confusion.

"You can't honestly be implying that this was a sound strategy...with all due respect, your Majesty, he used the princess as the worm on the hook to execute this maniacal plan. He was so quick to wager the future of our kingdom...your own daughter...for the sake of what might not even be a major strike against the enemy in the long run."

Endymion listened closely to Uranus's words, but internally, he had already come to the same difficult conclusions. When the dutiful commander had first given him the full story on the battle within Le Fin, he had felt the pangs of anger toward the miniature warrior for putting his only daughter at such risk. But with Usagi becoming involved with the military end of royal duties - even more with the invasion of the alien army - Endymion had promised himself that he would not let fatherly intuition interfere with her development as a soldier. Painful and difficult as that choice was, coddling his daughter from the darker sides of her responsibilities would hinder her in the long term.

Incidents like Le Fin almost forced him into reneging on those decisions, even if - according to Sailor Uranus - Usagi had voluntarily went along with the unstable infiltration plan. As he leaned forward in his chair, he did remember the infatuated glances that the princess had been casting toward Gohan during the meetings in the throne room and the central intelligence chambers. While he'd silently hoped to himself that she wasn't being charmed by the innocent banter of the boy, he did have to consider that Gohan's somewhat overly joyous attitude and great strength had placed a pall over her judgment, however unintentional it may've been.

He stood up from his chair, stepping calmly over to the nearby shelf to replace the tome he'd been perusing. He was still wordless, the small pieces of armoring he wore under his regal attire chiming slightly as he moved. Great as the victory was against the enemy contingent - the morale boost it had provided the Crystal Tokyo Special Forces had been exponential as the story had spread through the ranks - Endymion still had to keep his fighting forces in line. He still had to be king.

"My apologies for not appearing more sympathetic about the situation," He finally replied as he put the large volume away and turned back toward Sailor Uranus. "I agree with your stance. As zealous as Gohan is about fighting this war, he is...inexperienced."

He thought he saw Uranus breathe a sigh of relief.

"Then he will be removed from combat?" She inquired. "And kept away from the princess?"

Endymion eyed the tan-haired woman carefully - she certainly was a major proponent of that hands-off strategy, as were the rest of the Outer Soldiers. While a little fear could be healthy, division among their strongest ranks would not bode well for the future.

"I will trust my daughter's intuitions in her personal life," He decreed with a confident tone as he seated himself again. "But I will grant your request that the boy be remanded to the confines of the palace for the moment, at least until we can find a better use for his enthusiasm."

"Your Majesty," Sailor Uranus looked slightly alleviated, but her relief was not as absolute as Endymion would've liked. "I must say that granting only half of that measure is not enough. The princess loses her head whenever she's around the Saiyan boy. Considering this latest episode, there's no telling what type of--"

"So, his heritage still bothers you?"

Uranus stopped momentarily - she hadn't noticed her slip. Nonetheless, she put her arms up, looking willing to defend herself.

"Doesn't it disturb you in the least? The prince would not participate in the fighting today, and now this."

Endymion chuckled a bit.

"You forget, you shunned most of my race in the same manner and for similar reasons as you did Vegeta's people during those days on the Moon, and unlike the Lunarians, Earth never came into direct contact with the Saiyan race. I only know of their barbarism and brutality through the surviving members of the Silver Millennium."

"Nevertheless..."

"I wouldn't concern yourself too much with Vegeta," Endymion continued, putting on an assuring smile to ease his subordinate's nerves. "His arrogance will suffice in keeping him on our side but not in our way. You'll be glad to know how relieved I was that he found a common enemy in this Damos character."

"And you trust his word that this warlord even exists?" Uranus incredulously asked.

"Even if he doesn't, it gives Vegeta reason to support our cause for survival, or at the very least, to keep from turning against us. As he considers us useful to him, we may do the same--" He raised his hand again as Sailor Uranus opened her mouth. "--and, your objections to his continued presence are noted."

"His Majesty is most gracious in acknowledging his loyal warriors," She stood completely erect as she spoke, a particular bite behind her words. Endymion didn't reprimand the sarcasm but was dangerously close to doing so. "And might I ask the future plans for Son Gohan? Should he be confined to the royalty suites, I have an awful hunch that he may start...looking for trouble, or perhaps making some of his own."

"No doubt..." Having Usagi for a daughter and Serenity for a wife, Endymion was quite accustomed to dealing with self-perpetrated trouble. Having Gohan around Usagi would be the proverbial fire and fuse...unless...

Sailor Uranus's voice chimed back in a few moments later, and Endymion blinked in slight embarrassment; he'd lost himself in his musings.

"Tell me what you're thinking, Your Majesty," She asked with anticipation.

"I was just remembering back to the introductions of the Z Warriors. There was one thing I hadn't noticed until now."

"And that is...?"

"With the exception of the rogue prince and Piccolo, each of them was a student of a prominent martial artist of their time. And with apprenticeship comes the ability to teach others one's ways. The success within Le Fin has proven that their knowledge and techniques would be a perfect foil for our enemies..."

Sailor Uranus leaned in with an inquisitive gaze, and Endymion straightened himself, realizing that he was talking with himself more than with his commander.

"May I ask your impartiality on this next question, Sailor Uranus?"

The woman's cheeks sagged a bit, her instincts obviously wary, but her silent nod of acknowledgment allowed the king to continue.

"In your expert opinion as not only a commander of the Special Forces but as one of my champion vanguards..." He tried to choose his words carefully. While Sailor Uranus hardly reneged on her word, this next statement was about to test her steadfastness. "...Do you believe that our special forces could benefit from such knowledge?"

Uranus lowered her eyes, stifling a shudder. As the king patiently awaited a response, he could tell by her shifting that she wanted to deliver an emphatic 'no' to the request; she'd already seen these warriors beginning to turn the tide for their forces in the war - more reliance on their prowess was perhaps an insult to her ability as a commander, but Endymion had to chance it; in his judgment, a few hundred bodies trained to resist the alien army's brutal style of war was much better than a handful.

The fuming woman finally glanced sternly at him, her mind set.


Grateful as Piccolo was for the brief rest period within the safe walls of Capsule Corporation, he was glad that he could finally get back to pursuing their objective – considering the amount of distance that they might've had to cover in the search for the Dragonballs, it was wise not to waste any time dawdling in luxuries while their comrades were still entrenched in the war zone.

Sailor Neptune – once again in her transformed state – was currently securing a small leather carrying case on the front lawn of the facility as Piccolo examined the Dragon Radar. Normally, he would've objected to the extra baggage of the cumbersome violin on such a long journey, but he did have to admit that her skill with the instrument was superb – it had done much to alleviate his churning senses of concern the previous evening. Having it along could've made the trip more pleasant, and even if he commanded her to leave the violin behind, she more than likely wouldn't have listened to him anyway.

Let's see...

The nearest Dragonballs to the Capsule Corporation building were remarkably close to each other, only separated by several dozen miles, and for that Piccolo was very thankful. It was another sliver of good luck in a miniature series of it as of late. He didn't mind it, but he feared that too much of it would've made it doubly disappointing once worse karma found its way back to them.

As he studied the locations carefully, Neptune sauntered over to him, the loaded beige violin case clutched in one hand.

"Well, teacher?" She piped up; Piccolo didn't look up. "What brilliant course of action do you advise?"

He sighed a bit – her cynicism was truly beginning to grate on him. Fortunately, he did have a decent plan in mind.

"Considering the proximity of these two, it would be best if we separated, one of us going after each," He showed her the blipping gold dots on the circular device. "With the one in the mountains being closer, I suggest that you take that one while I fly to the north, into the city."

Neptune faltered, shooting him an annoyed look and putting a free arm on her hip.

"And what makes you qualified to take the easy road out?" She grumbled.

"I'm faster in the air than you are," he explained dryly. "I can reach Tokyo in a matter of a few hours. And besides..." He passed her an almost malicious grin. "...you can use the experience. It may be a welcome change from the soft life within the safe confines of the Crystal Tokyo Palace. It'll harden you a bit, add to your effectiveness in battle."

"Oh, thank you for the genuine concern for my well-being," Neptune shook her head with exasperation, sarcasm oozing out of her voice. As seconds passed however, a mischievous grin crept onto her face. "Not that it matters in the long run; I'm no stranger to the rugged outdoors as you would believe. You on the other hand..."

"Excuse me?"

She chuckled a bit.

"Well, considering your appearance and mannerisms, I don't think you're quite accustomed to life within a city like Tokyo, am I right?"

Piccolo paused at that one; true, his primary living grounds had always been the natural world, far away from the overly tangled web of civilization that the humans had spun, but that much was not about to dissuade him. If nothing else, his plan would save their journey time, and that was what mattered.

"...You would again be correct, but we have no time to be picky about this. We can have nearly a third of our quota within the next few days if we proceed. Besides, how different can human culture be within the walls of a place like Tokyo? You forget that a number of my comrades come from similar backgrounds, and I have had more than enough patience for them in the past."

"True...but I think you're going to be in for a surprise," Neptune chided him with a sly smirk. "As one who doesn't understand much about human culture from what you say, you may be the one who gains more out of this than me, and not all of it will be pleasant, I guarantee it."

Piccolo simply tossed the Dragon Radar to her, ignoring the commentary.

"Take it," He said. "I have enough of an idea where to look for the Dragonball."

"You're certain?" Neptune looked a bit surprised.

"If something unexpected occurs, I can always find you without much trouble," Piccolo reasoned. "Though I doubt it will be necessary. Let's meet back here once we locate our targets."

"If you insist; you're the teacher," Neptune pulled out a small object, volleying it in his direction. Piccolo deftly caught the sqaure shaped projectile, realizing that it carried a large amount of human currency. Before he could inquire, Neptune spun on her heel and started away from him, throwing back one childish glance. "Have fun, and don't take candy from strangers while you're in Tokyo!"

If only I didn't need her, I'd close that mouth of hers... Putting the wallet away, he wondered how Sailor Uranus dealt with the woman's excessive witty chatter considering her fiery temper.

He shook his head before propelling himself into the air and rocketing away in the early morning sky. Once he arrived in Tokyo, his search couldn't have taken him too terrible long – he was willing to bet that he would have the Dragonball by nightfall depending on circumstances. Bulma's generous monetary donations to both him and Sailor Neptune would help him provide himself with sustenance just in case.

Sailor Neptune's childish warnings kept echoing within his head despite his best efforts to banish them. As far as she was concerned, he would be as helpless as a frail child within Tokyo, which only annoyed him further. How inept and incapable did she take him to be? He'd been there during the battles between their forces and some of the most powerful overlords in the Universe, he'd transcended life and death, and he'd dealt with more chicanery from Lord Kaio, Yamcha, and Krillin alone than he would've liked. What possible harm could a series of hours within a human settlement be?

He picked up speed, mulling over the exact section of Tokyo that Bulma had pointed out to him prior to their departure. She'd said that the Dragonball rested there somewhere.

Ah, yes...the Nerima District. This is going to be too easy...


While the Z Warriors and Sailor Soldiers had already had their share of awkward moments during their brief alliance, this particular episode had to be the most vexing for both sides so far in Krillin's humble opinion. Even if he hadn't been the target of the day for Sailor Uranus's wrath during the aftermath of their recent battle under Le Fin, he had felt his muscles cringing as the Sailor Soldier commander's voice had boomed throughout the chamber at Gohan. He'd been close to stepping in and attempting to restrain the woman's rage, but such an act probably would've been futile at any rate.

Besides, as much as he hated to cast a downer on the good-hearted Saiyan hybrid, Krillin had silently agreed with Sailor Uranus's assessment of Gohan's unorthodox battle tactics once the details had been learned. Typical as it was of Gohan - Krillin's experiences on Namek with him made such a daring strategy seem tame - they had spent a lot of energy altogether during the vicious melee, and Krillin very much doubted that even Gohan's freakish endurance could've held out forever had they not arrived to back him up.

The downtrodden attitude among them remained even after they'd returned to the palace grounds to clean up the mess of that afternoon. While he hadn't reacted pleasantly at first, Gohan had come to understand his error as well; his silence and reserved expression during their current meeting with the king and the remaining Sailor Soldiers revealed that much. No arguments, no excuses, not even a single word of defense. He looked genuinely sorry for the incident.

"Do you understand our aversion to your actions, Son Gohan?" Endymion - unlike the hot-tempered Sailor Uranus - still spoke in a calmer tone as he stood from his throne. That surprised Krillin as well - he'd always figured a father for protecting a daughter more than he would a son. "And do you understand that while under our service, you are subject to the rules of our army?"

Gohan straightened himself, though he didn't let his glance waver away from the king. He seemed eager to dodge the gazes of Sailor Saturn and Sailor Uranus.

"I do, sir."

"Then it is my decision that you be removed from front-line combat indefinitely, until further notice."

That proclamation caused a stir among their group; Krillin and Chaozu both exchanged concerned looks - the punishment did indeed seem harsh, even considering the circumstances. Survival was still key, and now one of their toughest scrappers had been benched for the duration. The level of calm had escaped Endymion's voice when he pronounced the decision, leading Krillin to believe that the call wasn't easy for him to make either.

Yamcha seemed ready to burst out against the verdict, but he was promptly cut off by Tenshinhan, who whispered something quick to the fiery warrior. Yamcha pushed the bulkier three-eyed fighter away slightly but remained silent before the king could inquire what was wrong.

Gohan himself looked crestfallen by the decision, and Krillin could understand why - it had been him that had convinced them to come here to fight in the first place, and he possessed more passion and heart toward winning this war than perhaps the rest of them combined. Even further, the fresh battle seemed to act as a magnet for any type of Saiyan blood - now, he had been reduced to a spectator, a civilian.

Endymion paused briefly, studying the reactions of his hires with a careful eye. He always seemed to be taking mental notes whenever he gazed at them, Krillin had noticed. A slight whisper, even a quick movement of an arm hadn't escaped his attention during their meetings.

"Now, before we adjourn, I do wish to make a request," The king announced to all of them as he reseated himself. "Do not believe that the results of this latest skirmish were entirely negative - after all, a mere handful of you were able to best a legion of enemy soldiers. Strong as you are, this is no easy feat, and I commend you on your work."

Gee, that's comforting. Krillin had suffered several close calls while being mobbed during the casino battle. As Chaozu's mental powers of telekinesis and telepathy along with Gohan's tough reserves had kept many enemies from advancing on them, they had gone after the next smallest of the targets - him. It had been almost sheer luck that Krillin hadn't gotten more than bruises and a heavy case of fatigue out of the fight.

"However, I do believe that these skills can be more valuable if they are practiced within greater numbers. With your permission, I wish to use all of you - including Son Gohan - to integrate some of these more basic techniques of yours into our regiments."

A small hush fell over the Z Warriors as they glanced back and forth at one another, some with confusion, others with trepidation. It was Tenshinhan who regained focus first. As he responded to the king, Krillin noticed for the first time that Endymion always seemed to be staring in his general vicinity whenever making statements or inquires to their faction. True, Tenshinhan had been more vocal in the decision-making since Piccolo's departure...maybe it could've been that third eye drawing the attention as well.

"What exactly do you mean by 'basic,' King Endymion?"

"Sailor Saturn and Sailor Uranus informed me of some of your tactics in dismantling the enemy garrison - excellent speed and precision, quick and accurate attacks, and the tenacity to repel physical attacks and energy blasts without loss of stamina."

"In other words, you want us to open an academy here, I presume?" Yamcha replied, the sarcasm obvious but not pointed out by the king.

"My soldiers are quick studies, and teaching the field commanders first would allow them to transfer the skills to the underlying squads. I don't expect perfection, don't get me wrong. But I do believe that every little skill taught to our forces will aid against our foes - perhaps this will also allow our soldiers see you more on a personable level. They can see you as fellow warriors instead of revering you as freakish mercenaries...nothing personal, of course."

Point. Krillin conceded. Endymion was certainly craftier than his pleasant facade let on - it would've been nicer to have the Crystal Tokyo defenders backing them in a battle as well - training the squads in countering energy techniques would only make the enemy body count grow.

"Well, I think I'd speak for everyone here when I say that we accept the challenge," Tenshinhan replied. "It won't be nearly as perfect as what a lifetime of training would provide, but I do agree - every little bit helps."

"May I..." Gohan stammered a bit, still somewhat in his shameful mode from earlier. "May I make my own request?"

King Endymion passed him an acknowledging nod, which brought a smile back to Gohan's face.

"If we are going to help with the army, then I ask for permission to help teach these skills to the Sailor Soldiers myself."

Ooh, big mistake, little buddy... Krillin cringed within as he saw Sailor Uranus's eyes lighting ablaze at the very idea. He just couldn't get on her good side...if she had one, that is.

"I think you're overstepping yourself, Gohan," She spat with a condescending tone. "We can get along just fine on our own, and we have proved that!"

"Well, no offense, but..." Gohan looked intrepid for a moment, as if searching for the right words. "...You were looking a little sluggish towards the end of that fight. And your reaction speed's not that good to begin with."

"...E-Excuse me...??"

"Your peripheral vision seemed kinda lacking...you kept getting blind-sided from the left. Plus your sword strokes were pretty wild - a lot of wasted energy there..."

Geez, Gohan, you never learn, do you? Krillin was tempted to provide protection for his friend in case Sailor Uranus charged down the steps and attempted to strangle him, but the king stifled her with a quick wave of his hand. The princess quickly covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to cease potential laughter. Saturn was rolling her eyes and shaking her head, though Krillin could see a small amused smirk creeping onto her face as she observed Sailor Uranus's reaction.

"Well, you did say that every little bit helped," Gohan dutifully pointed out. "It wouldn't be much of a big deal - besides, I do want to make up for the trouble I caused earlier...please give me this chance to redeem myself a bit..."

Endymion considered the point himself, nodding approvingly a few moments later.

"I have no objections to the idea, though I will leave the level of training of the Sailor Soldiers to their own particular discretion. My main concern is the front-line infantry that has suffered the brunt of the enemy offensive."

"By the time we're done with your boys, they'll be able to chew up nails and ask for seconds, king," Yamcha boasted. "And Gohan here learned from one of the best - you hang around Piccolo long enough, you become as much of a master as he is."

"Despite the offer, I must agree to Sailor Uranus's stance," Sailor Saturn interjected. "We can certainly train well enough on our--"

"I accept!" ChibiMoon cheerily interrupted her counterpart. "When do we start?"

Gohan smiled back at ChibiMoon, his warm mood quickly gaining ground on his temerity.

"Tommorrow morning? Is there some kind of open space around here for some sparring?"

"The barracks, where the soldiers are stationed. We can use Alpha Battalion's; Captain Benson wouldn't mind--" She seemed to catch herself, timidly turning back to her father. "--with your permission, of course."

Endymion nodded proudly toward her.

"You always did land on your feet, my daughter," He commented. "And Sailor Uran--"

"I decline," She spat at first, causing Gohan to wince, but she finished after a deep breath. "Respectfully...of course."

"Are you sure?" Ever persistent, Gohan walked up to her and extended a welcoming hand in her direction. "I used to use a hunting sword; I could probably improve your tech--"

"I said I decline...respectfully." Through gritted teeth, Sailor Uranus forced a smile, though her response came more vehemantly than before. Gohan seemed willing to pursue the matter, but Krillin gingerly stepped between them before the dam holding back the tall woman's temper disintegrated completely. He made an exaggerated gesture in the direction of the remaining Sailor Soldier.

"Sailor Saturn!" He cried. "Will you, uh, be joining us as well?"

The girl seemed unwilling to argue, though her response was plagued with an annoyed tone.

"Well, somebody's got to keep an eye on you around the princess, Gohan," She replied with a stinging voice. "I accept."

"Heh, not quite the reason I was looking for, but..." Gohan scratched the back of his head sheepishly as King Endymion stood up.

"I'll inform Captain Benson of the agreement," He said. "You may coordinate the efforts with him. We are adjourned!"


The dusky air felt cool and refreshing against Piccolo's scaly skin as he descended onto the grounds of Capsule Corporation. He paused momentarily as he realized that he was alone on the expansive lawn of the facility, and he allowed himself to sit down onto the soft, inviting grass. He certainly wasn't winded from the flight back from the city – he could've easily gone a substantial distance more without breaking a sweat – but his mind was still buzzing from the events that had taken place in town over the past few days. The discovery and retrieval of the Dragonball that was safely clutched within his left fist had been a bit more than he had bargained for, and now whatever knowledge he'd possessed concerning the human race was in danger of being banished from his mind after what his eyes had beheld in the city called Tokyo.

It had been bad enough having the locals giving him strange glances and provided murmuring gossip about his odd form – all of which his sensitive ears managed to pick up – but the youths that had come into possession of the Dragonball had acted strangely enough to make even Son Goku scratch his head had he been there. They'd given the Namek enough frustrations to overwhelm even his sturdy patience with their childish bantering. The only redeeming value about the kids who'd eventually conceded the ball to him was that they were surprisingly skilled in the fighting arts, which may've been useful someday.

For the moment, however, he decided to write them off as the 'fringe' of the human race.

"A man who can turn into a woman...girls with the barbarism of Saiyans...how my comrades ever grew up in such an absurd culture is baffling..."

Why Piccolo even considered going back to that cluttered confusion of industry at some point boggled even his logical mind, but a promise was a promise. And despite his reluctance toward the strange group, if he returned from this mission alive, he would have yet another protégé...he seemed to be collecting them as of late.

A few minutes passed as he closed his eyes and attempted to relax his nerves. The breeze helped to assuage his bitterness, though his recuperation was disturbed shortly after by the sounds of footsteps approaching from the building. Piccolo glanced up and spotted the smug face of his partner, who'd opted out of her transformed state and into a set of street clothes, probably on loan from Bulma.

Piccolo was surprised to see her – she'd either been forced out of her hunt by some unknown circumstance, or she'd been more resourceful than the Namek had given her credit for. When the water soldier silently produced a glittering golden orb from her hand, Piccolo felt his shoulders sag – she was never going to let him hear the end of this one.

"Evening, teacher," She tossed him her Dragonball, which he caught with his free hand. He still maintained a neutral expression to keep from giving her the satisfaction, but she still looked incredibly smug. "I've been waiting here all day – I figured your sophisticated wit and obvious superior skills would've gotten you the Dragonball by now. Mine was a bit tricky, but all it took was a little exploration, and there it was."

He silently held up the artifact, rising to his feet and walking away without paying her any mind.

"What happened..." She said in a mocking voice. "Was the big bad city too much for the great Piccolo?"

Piccolo slowly turned and stalked back toward Michiru, her fair face still possessing an uncomfortable degree of smugness. She innocently gazed at him, her attitude grating his already agitated nerves severely. "I told you it was different than the world you grew up in. Perhaps the student has taught the master something for a change?"

He leaned forward as Michiru began to giggle.

"I'm going inside."

Spinning on his heel, he trudged back toward the house as Michiru burst out laughing.

Side Story 1 featuring Piccolo's trip to Nerima coming soon if anybody's interested...