Omg! I feel so bad that it has taken me so long to update! Especially, since this story will have more than 10 chapters! I will try to do better! I'm sorry! Now, let's get to it lol!

"Speaking"

'Thinking'

The Z Fighters skimmed over the crystalline waters, as they made their way towards a beach. They flew with such speed, that the towering wave left behind seemed to barely keep up with them. Gohan looked at the radar. The Dragon Ball was somewhere on the shoreline, and they were getting close. So many things were running through Gohans' mind at this time. Thoughts of his father, and whether or not this would be where they found him, or even if this whole plan would work.

'Maybe he just decided to go to the beach and meditate. He could've lowered his energy enough to keep us from sensing him.' Gohan thought, trying to make things seem ok. 'But what if we get there, and he's lying there, dead on the beach… I don't think I could stand to lose him like that…'

They finally caught a glimpse of land. As they approached the beach, they noticed an unusual glare coming from one area, and they headed straight for it. They landed one by one, in a circle around the Dragon Ball. The reflection of the sun was pure and clean on its surface. The small orange orb was somewhat buried in the sand, and it radiated with a warm, almost enticing glow. Gohan kneeled down to pick it out of the sand, sighing heavily, with a mixture of sorrow and relief. He had wished that he found his dad with this ball, but he was glad that he didn't find his dad, dead with it.

"Well, that's one out of the way. Only 6 more to go. We're sure to find your dad soon, Gohan." said Krillin, trying to keep Gohan in good spirits.

"Yeah." Gohan responded, as he cracked a smile.

Just then, Piccolo jerked his head in another direction, and seemed to stare forever. He stood firm, and searched the never-ending stretch of beach, for what looked to be nothing After a moment, he gave up and turned to the others, who only stared at him with similar quizzical expressions.

"What's wrong, Piccolo?" Tien asked.

"Yeah. You scared us for a second." Yamcha added.

"I don't think we're alone out here." Piccolo responded.

"What? I don't see or sense anything. You're just being paranoid." Krillin said.

"You don't have to believe me, but I suggest we move with more caution from now on." Piccolo advised.

Gohan pressed the button on top of the radar, and began tracking the next Dragon Ball. They slowly lifted from the shore, still in a circle, stopped just above the palm trees, and started their hunt once again. As they left, they failed to notice the dark figure standing on a nearby cliff. It watched them leave. It had been watching them ever since they arrived at the beach. Even in the light of day, the creature's cloak seemed to emit a darkness that made its entire figure appear as nothing more than a shadow.

"So, these are his friends." the creature muttered, "They are searching for him, no doubt. They seem to be on the right track. I must return, so that I may properly greet them."

The creature quietly laughed to itself as it walked away.

~~~~~~~~Meanwhile at Goku's and Chi-Chi's House~~~~~~~~

There was a knock on the front door just as Chi-Chi had finished washing the morning dishes. She dried off her hands and made her way to the door. She pulled it open to reveal Bulma and the others standing outside. She lit up and quickly invited them in. She was happily surprised that they had dropped by to help her through this. She tried not to show that she had been crying all morning, but the soaked tissues in every random place gave it away.

"I can't thank you guys enough for coming. Had I known, I would have had something prepared for you." Chi-Chi said.

"It's ok, Chi-Chi. We know this is a rough time for you. We just want to keep you company while Gohan and the others search for Goku." Bulma replied.

"Say, mind if I check and see what's on TV? There's a… Uh, important… Um, newscast that I wanted to see." Master Roshi stuttered.

"Sorry, but I don't get your female aerobics channel." Chi-Chi answered, already knowing what the old man was after.

"Oh, that's a shame. Ya know, I think I left my oven on. I had better go back to the house and check on it." Roshi quickly explained.

"Yeah right, old man. The day you know how to work an oven, is the day I start flying." Oolong responded.

"QUIET YOU!" Roshi flared.

"Hey, you two, we are supposed to be helping Chi-Chi here." Puar reminded them.

"Ya know, Chiaotzu is a good cook. He has cooked for us before, and definitely knows his way around the kitchen." Oolong announced, hoping he might get a meal out of it.

Chiaotzu blushed and said, "Well, there is a new recipe I've been working on. I could give it a try, if you have what I need."

"Use whatever you can find. My kitchen is yours." Chi-Chi responded.

And so, Chiaotzu begins to make his latest creation in the kitchen, while the rest of the group moves to the living room. They sit and talk about the things the happened, and what Chi-Chi had missed at Capsule Corp.. All the while, Chi-Chi couldn't stop thinking about Goku and Gohan.

'I hope they're ok.' she thought.

~~~~~~~~Back To The Z-Fighters~~~~~~~~

Gohan was getting anxious, as they closed in on the next Dragon Ball. They were flying high, over grassy plains, with short mountains not too far away.

"The radar detects the next one just over those mountains!" Gohan reported.

They increased their speed until they reached the peak of the mountains, where they stopped in complete awe. Before them, was a massive spaceship. It was cylindrical in shape, but much longer in diameter than it was tall. Yet the ship was still a towering structure from where it started at the base of the crater it had crated upon landing.

It was the biggest ship they had ever seen here on Earth. Looking down from the sky, they were able to spot a small porthole on the top near the center of the ship. They looked at each other and nodded as they knew that this was it. They glided down to the porthole, and jumped in, one by one. The room was completely dark, except for the beam of light coming through the opening in the ceiling. Once everybody was in the ship, they stood together within the circle of light, as they prepared for whatever was about to happen. Then, it happened.

"H-Hey guys, do you feel that?" Krillin asked.

"Yeah. It feels like there are a hundred fighters in here. Some seem rather weak, but others might rival, even Gohan." Tien answered.

"Oh man… Maybe this wasn't such a good idea…" Yamcha said.

"It seems that Goku is among them, somewhere. I can definitely pick out his energy pattern." Piccolo stated.

"DAD!" Gohan called out.

Just as soon as the words left Gohan's mouth, a resounding voice echoed throughout the room.

"So, you have come for your friend. I'm glad to see that you could make it. However, I'm afraid you won't be leaving. So, you might as well enjoy your stay. I'm sure you're wondering where you are. Let me introduce you to my humble abode."

"Welcome…" the voice boomed.

The ship suddenly became filled with light. The entire room was a huge, flat, dirt colored floor, that looked much like some type of arena. There were tiers of doors encircling the floor that climbed up all the way to the ceiling. It looked almost like a stadium. To one side of the room, at the very top tier, was a boxed area where the cloaked creature stood firm, with its hands outstretched, as if it commanded the lights to come to life. There was a lone door directly beneath his box with a strange emblem on it, obviously reserved for the elite fighters. The sheer size of the room had the Z-fighters awestruck, and they could only stare in wonder.

"…TO THE COLISEUM!"

Well, that's chapter 3! I hope you all liked it! Please Read and Review! Hopefully chapter 4 will be coming soon! Kami bless! :)