Chapter 1 – "The World Champion retires! Prelude to a new World Martial Arts Tournament."
Five Years Later - Age 789
All across the globe, eyes were glued to the television sets, and ears listened religiously to radio channels. The world waited with bated breath on the most critical live feed in the history of broadcast mediums. A singular podium with a microphone stood, awaiting a man's arrival who would soon speak to the world.
The man in question was Hercule, the World Champion of combat sports and revered hero of the world that saved humanity from threats of immeasurable caliber, or so the press had been led to believe. While he did live with this charade for many years, only a select few in his inner circle – Mr. Buu and his family – kept it a well-guarded secret.
When he emerged from a doorway, cameras flashed like strobe lights. The live feed followed his movement until he stood behind the podium, eyes closed within the frame of calm focus. He was never without his signature afro, which receded over the years with age. He was expected to show himself in his signature attire of a brown gi, white belt, pants and boots, but this time he was in a gentleman's business suit, tailored with a fabric that reflected light off of it with a subtle sheen. He was not without his closest friend, Mr. Buu, the large pink creature with a single antenna on his head, gloved arms with strange holes that hauled snacks and candy for him to eat. Buu was in the middle of licking a lollipop as big as his head, grinning after each taste.
As he liberally dropped several pieces of chocolate into his mouth, Hercule cleared his throat. There was now a deafening silence in the room.
He unholstered his championship belt from his waist and laid it gently before him on the podium before the press asked the first question.
"Hercule, are the rumors true that you are retiring from combat sports?" asked a journalist from ZTV. Hercule's eyes opened wide with the ferocity he had always shown the press. However, his ferocity was always for show to those who had known him personally.
"I'm afraid so. This body can't fight like it used to. While I have enjoyed giving a good show to my millions of fans and saving the world from evildoers, I think it's time I passed the torch to a new Champion who will do as good a job as I did. Maybe they'll be even better than me."
More questions were being asked of Hercule before he began going into detail about his retirement. The broadcast was playing on a radio perched on the front of Goku's tractor as he drove across his farmland, harvesting fully grown cabbages.
Typically, Goku would wear his favorite martial arts gi, but whenever he worked on his farm, he'd be in his beige farmer's clothes, using a scarf to wipe his face and neck of sweat.
He had listened to the radio play from a music station at first while driving but then found himself drifting off into sleep before the sudden live broadcast interrupted the music. While this would've caused him to lose control of the wheel and stir the tractor randomly, his arms were still moving and steering the tractor in a straight path before making a U-turn to harvest the next row of cabbages into the bed of a truck hooked behind the tractor.
A bump along the way shook the seats, causing a bundle of lunchboxes tied neatly in a box to fly off. Goku's arm instinctively left the steering wheel to grab it before placing the bag back on the seat. Even as he slept, Goku's arms moved on their own to maintain the tractor's trajectory.
It had been five and a half years since his fateful meeting at the World Martial Arts Tournament with the boy he wanted to train to become his successor. Despite some difficult persuasion at first, his wife, Chichi, and the boy's mother agreed that he could train him while he worked with Goku on the farm. Chichi adored the boy's work ethic so much that she gave him all the love and support she had given her biological sons, Gohan and Goten.
Now sixteen years of age, the boy, Uub, had left to do some light training with Goku's granddaughter, Pan, and their friend, Bulla, daughter of his childhood friend Bulma, and his competitive rival, Vegeta.
Goku mumbled in his sleep. "Could you do something with that bark for me, Chichi?" he said with a grin, drool trickling down his cheek to pool itself on his uniform. His ears twitched to a whistling sound before he quickly leapt from his tractor. Taking to the air, he pulled the tractor and truck away, just in time for a sphere of energy to crash on the ground, leaving an impact crater in its wake. Cabbages, dirt, rocks, and debris flew everywhere from the crash, while Goku was floating in the air, holding everything above his head. Despite the incident, he was still sound asleep. "Mmn, why'd ya make a big hole…?"
Seconds later, two girls landed on the field. The taller of the two, a nine-year-old girl with cerulean hair tied back in a ponytail and a shirt that read "Capsule Corporation" on the front, stifled a giggle. "Great aim, Pan," she said, nudging the other with her elbow.
Pan, who had recently turned ten, observed her destruction with a heavy sigh. She adjusted her orange bandana and red t-shirt before peering over the perimeter. She turned to Bulla. "You were supposed to deflect it, not dodge it!" Pan yelled, pointing at the crater. The girls stared at each other, ready to start fighting. Uub, the third who had joined them, eventually caught up with them to hover above the two. "Hey! What did I say about breaking off like that?" he said but gulped when he noticed the crater. "Ohh, Master's going to be angry when he sees th-eep!"
The girls paused and gasped when they noticed Goku float back down to lay his tractor and truck on the field. He unfurled a massive yawn from his mouth, stretching his arms wide before rubbing his eyes to wake himself up.
"Um, Uub, maybe you can put that instantaneous movement you've been practicing to use now?" whispered Pan, but it was too late once Goku's eyes were wide open.
"Hm? Oh, hey there. When didja come back?" he asked, then let out a high-pitched noise from his throat when he saw the crater to his left. "W-w-what happened here?!"
The three youths bashfully avoided Goku, all red in the face. "Um, I'm sorry, Grandpa," said Pan in a low voice.
"I accept responsibility for that, Master," Uub said, stepping forward. Pan's eyes widened. "I was careless with my attack and didn't anticipate that we'd be training over your farmland."
"Well, it didn't destroy everything," Goku said as he examined the crater. The diameter had to measure around a hundred meters from the looks of it. Goku picked a cabbage off the ground to inspect it, checking for scorch marks along the surface. Relieved that this one wasn't damaged, he patted Uub's head. "Sometimes, I get excited during training, too. We won't tell Chichi, though," he added with a wink. Uub and the girls both nodded with an enthusiastic "right!"
Tossing the cabbage into the bed of the truck behind his tractor, Goku perused the crater, tilting his head from side to side. "I think I can get this filled up before harvesting the rest before the sun goes down."
"We'll give you a hand, grandpa!" shouted Pan, looking to the others to join in. They both agreed and stepped forward.
"Don't let me keep you from your training, you three," he said. "You should work up a good appetite for later."
"Good enough for me! Let's get back into it," said Bulla, bumping her gloved fists together. She took to the air. "Try to keep up, slowpokes!"
"Bulla, wait!" shouted Uub. He left without saying another word, leaving Pan nervously looking back and forth between her friends and her grandfather.
"I, um, I shouldn't fall behind. Later, grandpa!" she said, flaring up her ki to catch up with her friends. Goku plucked another discarded cabbage from the wreckage, juggling it in his hand with a confident grin.
After learning how to control her ki and training to fight under Piccolo's tutelage, Pan was excited to learn that Bulla had begun to learn how to fight. Playdates no longer needed to be just about playing with dolls and playing dress-up with Vegeta and Piccolo, much to the adults' embarrassment. Their get-togethers incorporated light sparring under the adults' supervision until they were old enough to carry on without them.
When Goku elected to volunteer Uub to help with their training, the girls were apprehensive at first. Goku hadn't said much about Uub besides what they already knew from what they had seen at the Tournament five years ago, which was puzzling given that Goku wanted such a powerful kid to train with them. Bulla didn't mind having a third training partner, but Pan was more curious about the boy's personality than how well he could fight.
They didn't realize that this was Goku's plan all along. All three were respective students of different teachers. Bulla represented her father, Vegeta, Pan represented Piccolo, and Uub represented Goku. Having three varying styles clash often provided them the opportunity to learn and improve upon each other rather than staying focused on one style. Understanding other approaches to combat allowed them to uncover strengths and weaknesses from each other that they may not have seen yet.
Once Pan caught up with her friends, they hovered near Mount Paozu's highest peak. Pan ignored the chilled air as she faced Uub. "Why'd you do that, Uub? I was going to take responsibility."
"He was probably worried you'd start crying again," Bulla said. Pan began to pout and glared at her. "I don't cry over everything, Bulla!"
"Settle down. We're still doing light training, remember?" Uub said, playing the mediator.
Pan sighed loudly. "I'm not a little girl anymore, Uub! I don't need you coddling me like Uncle Piccolo does, alright?"
"S-sorry," Uub said, surprised. Pan shifted her attention to Bulla. "Let's put the toys away and get serious."
"I was waiting for you to say that!" Bulla shouted and moved into a fighting stance, ready to knock fists. Uub sighed, palming his face. "We're going to get in a lot of trouble if we start injuring each other like this."
"Whenever you're ready, Bulla!" said Pan with a grin on her face now. She was eager to elevate their training to the next level and get in some good blows this time. "You've had a lot of catching up, Bulla. I can't wait to see how good you are compared to me."
"Is that so?" said Bulla, tightening her grip in her right hand. Uub and Pan had often seen Bulla mimick her father's fighting stance when they caught a couple of sparring sessions between him and Goku. Bulla's left hand hovered above her forehead, ready to catch the first blow while readying her right hand for a counter.
Just as the girls were ready to strike each other, Uub grabbed their forearms to stop them. "Uub! What gives!" shouted Pan.
"You two want to take things seriously, don't you?" he said. Both snatched their arms away. "Yeah, we do," said Bulla.
"Then prove to me that you're both serious," he said. He began to power up and flared his ki. The shockwave of his power pushed the girls back several feet, stopping themselves to stare back in surprise.
"Wow," Pan said, unable to use any other words to describe the sensation. A white aura surrounded Uub as he stared back at them, his calm demeanor replaced with a stern expression. Was this from all the training he did with Goku, Pan wondered?
"Tch, big deal! Our dads are among the strongest in the universe! We've got a lot of power passed down from them, right, Pan?" Bulla boasted. Pan could tell there was a hint of nervousness in all that bravado, but she'd have to take her friend's word and decided to accept Uub's offer. Flaring her ki, she powered up to project a white aura of her own. Bulla did the same. Bulla's cerulean hair flowed more freely in the wind, while Pan's was shorter in length, almost like a boy's hairstyle. It was no secret to Bulla and Uub how often she was comfortable wearing more boyish clothing than frilly dresses and cute garments she'd often see Bulla wear when they were not training. As much as Bulla loved learning how to fight, she was never without taking pride in how she looked and bragged that she'd grow up to be the most beautiful fighter in the universe.
Uub grinned confidently as the girls charged forward. They attempted to strike, but his speed far outmatched theirs, dodging each blow. The girls kept their pace, increasing their output of ki to move faster. Yet, each increase in speed did little even to come close to a hit on Uub.
"Come on, you two, I thought you'd take this seriously!" he shouted as he continued dodging, frustrating Bulla more than Pan. "I'm not as slow as you think I am!" Bulla shouted back.
The girls changed their approach and switched to flanking Uub. Seconds later, that approach led to both of them connecting each other instead of Uub as the teen zipped out at the last second. Pan and Bulla reeled back, holding their faces from the impact.
"I had him, Bulla!" Pan shouted.
"I had him first!" Bulla shouted back. She quickly spotted Uub behind Pan. "Behind you!"
Pan spun to strike, but it was caught by Uub, who countered with a heavy punch to her stomach. Bulla used this moment as an opening to get in a free shot, but Uub, too, caught her hand, ready to strike with a counter from his knee. He aimed for Bulla's stomach, which would've connected had she not blocked it. She then rounded down with her leg to kick him in the face. Uub quickly blocked that attempt, which prompted Bulla to fire back with multiple punches and kicks. Her face increased ferocity as she moved in more aggressively.
Rubbing her stomach, Pan searched for Bulla and Uub's ki, which had been used to increase their speed to the point they were blurs in the sky to the naked eye. Using the basics Piccolo taught her, she quickly located the pair to go back into the fighting and joined in to find an opening to strike Uub while avoiding another mistake.
Uub realized he'd been dodging less as Bulla increased her ki to attack, something he had not done with Pan. He had been forced to block more, and the more he blocked, the more he could see specks of gold energy spark through Bulla's aura.
Pan was ready to increase her ki when she saw Bulla rocket from below, screaming toward Uub. The teen was surprised at first but then grinned in excitement.
At the apex of Bulla's flight, her hair changed. It was no longer her natural bluish-green color but rather the same golden color Pan had seen countless times in her father, uncle, grandfather, Vegeta, and Trunks. Bulla had transformed into a Super Saiyan.
Pan couldn't believe it. Bulla transformed. She let her hand drop to her side and watched Bulla and Uub's power collide. As she watched, she began forming questions she'd want to ask Bulla afterward.
"Amazing!" Uub shouted. "When did this happen?" he asked Bulla as he blocked her strikes. The excited look on the girl's face never wavered once she continued her assault before she began incorporating ki blasts in the mix. Uub chuckled as he dodged the blasts, letting them crash into the mountain range. Bulla kept firing, increasing the number without realizing that she was causing damage around her in her transformed state.
As Uub dodged and weaved through, he deflected several ki blasts back at Bulla. One of them, however, was unintentionally redirected to Pan.
"Pan! Incoming!" Uub shouted. He gasped when he saw Pan's face staring down, her body slightly limp as if she had lost interest in the fighting. He was about to put two fingers to his head when he saw Goku appear in front of Pan to deflect the ki blast skyward.
Bulla halted her assault to glance back at Goku and Pan. "When'd he get here?" she asked. She was too distracted by Goku's presence to acknowledge Pan behind him.
"I wondered what that huge spike in your ki was, Bulla," Goku said as he flew up to her. "When'd ya transform into a Super Saiyan?"
"A while ago," she said. "It's a great feeling, isn't it? Now I understand why Papa and big brother get so heated up during their training when they're like this. I feel powerful in this form. I was able to keep up with Uub this time!"
"It is a great feeling to have, Bulla," Goku said. The girl let her power drop as her spiked golden locks dropped back over her shoulders in her natural color. "But ya gotta control your excitement in that state. Otherwise, you won't notice how much damage you're causin' everywhere."
Bulla blinked, but her eyes went wide as she gasped at the smoke and debris her energy attacks left along the mountain range. She could spot a bewildered sheepherder scratching his head at a large hole in the ground that spread out his flock of sheep, one of which was bleating from the branches of a tree.
"Oh crap! I overdid it! I'm so sorry!" she said. Amidst the commotion, they barely had time to spot Pan blasting off on her own without saying anything.
"Pan!" shouted Uub. He breathed a soft sigh. The excitement of their brief skirmish caused them to ignore Pan, which was something he had not expected, nor desired. The trio decided to resume on the ground without wasting any of their energy.
Bulla's wristwatch beeped several times before she pressed a button. "Hey, Papa," she said, looking down at the screen.
"Time to come home," said Vegeta from the other end, as direct as she expected him to sound.
"Hi Vegeta!" shouted Goku at the wristwatch, but there was no response. "Did your watch suddenly stop working?"
"It's working fine, Kakarrot," said Vegeta, annoyed. "Dinner will be ready for you when you come back."
"Okay, Papa. I'm on my way," she said. Shutting off the communicator, she fished a capsule from her pocket and activated it to produce a one-person aircraft. She grunted as she stretched her limbs. "I'm beat. Thanks for all the training today, Uub! See you later!"
Once her aircraft was out of sight, Uub rubbed his arms and face. "I can't believe how fast Bulla's catching up," he said. He was proud that the girls were progressing incredibly well in their training, but he couldn't help but look back at the direction Pan flew in. "I think I messed up, Master. I was so caught up in fighting Bulla that we ended up ignoring Pan. She probably hates me for doing that."
"Eh? Why'd you think that?" Goku said. "Pan's still a strong fighter, so you shouldn't underestimate her. She ain't got it in her to hate anyone."
"I make sure not to, but I can't help but feel something made her lose interest in fighting us. I don't want it to look as if we're leaving her behind or anything," Uub said, doing his best to suppress the worry in his voice, but a reassuring hand from his master calmed him down.
"Remember the most important lesson I taught ya when we first began training together? It's also the biggest rule we have in the Turtle Hermit school. No matter how strong you believe yourself to be, there'll always be someone stronger."
Uub considered Goku's words that were spoken to him years ago and nodded in agreement. "I'm not sure whether Pan or Bulla know of that rule, Master. They learned how to fight from Piccolo and Vegeta, but I don't know what else they learned that doesn't involve fighting."
"I'll leave that up to you, Uub," Goku said. He glanced back at the sky. "Daylight's almost over. I gotta finish gathering up those cabbages before it gets dark."
"Let me help you, Master," Uub offered. Goku looked ready to disagree but could tell Uub insisted on aiding him. He took Uub's hand and teleported them to the farmland.
Before they started work, Goku stopped Uub. "Wait a moment."
"What is it?"
"I remembered why I wanted to go see you three earlier," Goku said. "I heard on the radio that they're gonna have the next World Martial Arts Tournament in a few months."
"Really?" said Uub. His face lit up as his mouth curled into a smile. "It's like the Tournament where we first met, isn't it, Master?"
"The same one," Goku said reassuringly. Uub could tell how excited Goku was to tell him the news. "The brackets are smaller, just like it was years ago when I first participated. Only eight competitors move on instead of sixteen. They said they wanted the 30th Tournament to honor the old tournaments, but it's also gonna be the first tournament that Hercule won't be participating in because he's retirin'."
Uub couldn't believe it. Hercule, the world champion, hanging up his boots for good? This must've caused a stir all around the world! "A Tournament without the famous World Champion defending his title. Wow."
Uub then looked up at Goku. "Are you going to participate, Master? You could win the prize money and make an even larger farm than this one!"
Goku chuckled at the offer, waving his hand. "These Tournaments are gettin' too small for me, nowadays. But I want you, Pan, and Bulla to enter, though. They'll hear the same news, too, so I know they'll be excited to participate."
Uub found it hard to believe that his Master wouldn't participate this time. Goku always bragged about fighting as often as he was training Uub, vowing that he'd have a proper fight with him one day once he felt Uub was ready. "But you're the only stronger fighter other than Vegeta and Gohan, Master. I don't want to ignore your teachings."
"Don't you worry about that, Uub. I've got a fighter in mind I'm sure will want to take part in this Tournament once I tell them about it," said Goku.
Uub blinked, puzzled. "Another fighter? Are they from another city?"
"Nope! From another planet!" Goku said, rubbing his finger under his nose. It left Uub bewildered. A fighter from another planet? It piqued his curiosity for a moment before he realized Goku was already in the middle of gathering the discarded cabbages from the impact crater.
Piccolo's house/Pan & Bulla
A longtime friend of the Son family, Piccolo was floating in mid-air, seated comfortably near a waterfall that overlooked his house. The outside had an odd design to it as if the one who created it thought of a snail with two horns instead of antennae. Like many houses, it too had windows, a front door, and a mailbox.
The Namekian opened one eye when his enhanced hearing picked up the sound of someone flying overhead to land near his house. His ki sense detected Pan as she approached the house to knock on his door, only to lower her hand when there was no answer. She paced around with her hands in her pockets, kicking a stray pebble along the dirt road.
Piccolo gently flew out from in front of the waterfall to touch the ground below. As he approached Pan, he could hear light sobbing from the girl. He sighed, staring up at the sky, wondering who made her cry again.
Since dusk was covering the landscape, there wasn't much light to illuminate the exterior. Piccolo could still make Pan out and noticed her face glancing up to see him. How many times has this been now? In hindsight, seeing the girl cry as much as her father did when he was her age was nostalgic, if not cause for concern.
"I thought we'd have worked on your emotional control," Piccolo told her. Pan wiped her face quickly with the back of her hands. "Sorry, Uncle," she said timidly.
"Spill it. Who did this to you?" he asked. Pan was ready to answer but avoided looking him in the eye.
"No one, really," she said after a moment.
"No one…?"
"Yes, no one," she said, annoyed. "There are some things that make it hard for me to control emotionally, okay?"
"Then what's bothering you this time?" Piccolo asked. He'd get to the bottom of this sooner or later unless Pan decided to drag this out until dawn.
"Uncle? Um…," Pan still looked unwilling.
"If you're not ready to say, that's fine. Come, let's get you home, so your parents don't worry about you," Piccolo said, ready to take to the air again.
"Are you ever jealous of not being as strong as Papa or Grandpa?" Pan asked. Piccolo glanced back at her, sighing at the problematic nature of the question.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't envy a Saiyan's power," Piccolo said, staring ahead. He acknowledged Pan's question with the anticipation of someone trying to cross a busy city street. "You're asking as if you feel the same way."
"I thought I was strong. I've been training with you and Papa for so long that when I saw Bulla transform into a Super Saiyan earlier, I realized how easy it is for others to catch up and surpass me." Piccolo could see a fresh set of tears streak down her cheeks. "Now I can't help but wonder if I'm going to be left behind by Bulla and Uub. What if they decide they can't gain anything from training with me anymore and abandon me?"
Piccolo scoffed loudly. "Who taught you how to think like that?" She looked up. "Since when did you start doubting yourself?"
"But it's not fair, Uncle! I'm a Saiyan like she is! I have their blood, yet every time I try, I can't transform into a Super Saiyan! I'm the only one who can't, and it's not fair that she gets to use more power, and I don't!"
"If transforming into a Super Saiyan is all you want to think about, then you've forgotten everything I taught you up to this point," Piccolo said. "If you're going to think with that attitude, then you've wasted my time."
He began taking a few steps forward, intentionally taking his eyes off Pan in hopes she'll bring herself out of her stubbornness and remember the lessons he taught her long ago. His hearing picked up the sounds of flight from another individual headed their way and searched the sky until he recognized another familiar face, that of Goku's pupil, Uub.
"Pan!" the teenage boy shouted before he landed. "Thank goodness you didn't go that far. Hi Piccolo, it's good to see you again," he said with a respectable bow to the Namekian. He then waved at Pan.
"You did great today! Your speed's way better than it was a few days ago. You must've worked on that the most with Bulla," he said to encourage her. It brought a slight grin to her face, but she was still averting her eyes, unable to look back.
"Everyone's at Master Goku's place for dinner," Uub said, pointing behind him with his thumb. Pan glanced back, realizing that it meant dinner was about to be served at her grandfather's house, but her eyes widened slightly at the sight of Uub's gi.
"What happened? You've got dirt all over you," she said. She began wiping patches of soil from his blue gi. "Did Bulla knock you into the ground or something?"
It seemed to Piccolo that that was enough to distract her from her demeanor. Hearing her lament and complain about what she believed was her inadequacy was pushing Piccolo to the point of imposing another harsh lesson in his training regime. He didn't want to do that to such a sweet girl like Pan, who'd visited him countless times with pictures she drew of them at her school. If she had come in to see him, either by opening the door – which was never locked – or climbing through the window, she'd see a mural with all her drawings hung carefully to preserve their quality. At the center was one that had Pan, Gohan, Videl, Goku, and Piccolo, which had become his favorite. It pained him to be as harsh to Pan as he was to Gohan at her age, but he knew she was strong enough to handle it.
"I was actually helping Master Goku finish gathering the cabbages," he said. "Bulla had already left to go home."
Pan blinked a few times, realizing she was no longer crying. "I'm sorry I left all of a sudden. I must've made you two worry, didn't I?"
"Eh? No!" cried Uub, waving his hands. "I should be the one apologizing! We got so into our training that we ended up ignoring you. We shouldn't have done that to you, Pan. I'm truly sorry!"
Uub bowed deeply, nearly touching his forehead to the ground. Both kids then looked at each other embarrassingly over who had to apologize more that Piccolo knew Pan was back to her usual self without doubts dancing in her mind.
"Don't forget you have another lesson with me tomorrow," Piccolo reminded her before opening the door to his house.
"I didn't forget, Uncle!" Pan waved back. "See you!"
Pan and Uub took their time flying over the trees to reach Goku's house. While Piccolo's house was still in the same Paozu mountain range as Goku's house, the walking distance between the two locations was still a lengthy one if one wanted some good exercise for the day.
The way Uub kept glancing at her became a little unnerving that she glared back, one eyebrow raised. "Sorry. I'm still worried about why you left," he said.
"Well, I'm fine, now," she replied. She wanted Uub to know she was fine, but Pan had more on her mind that she reserved for her chat with Bulla later after dinner and a nice hot bath.
Before she opened the door to Goku's house, she could sense that Uub was still staring at her out of concern.
"Please tell me what's bothering you, Pan. I want to help," said Uub. Pan could've said something but elected to shift her composure to a more pleasant one if she was having dinner with her family shortly. She kept her mouth shut as she opened the door with a smile.
While Pan didn't address what happened earlier, she ensured she wouldn't ignore Uub while she spoke. They chatted about things other than training or the incident at Goku's farmland. At least Uub understood how she was coming off that he did not bother broaching the subject. His smile indicated that she was glad he understood what she wanted out of this family get-together. It probably helped him remember the many times he had dinner with his siblings.
When Goku brought up the subject of the World Martial Arts Tournament, Pan sounded ecstatic at the news. The anticipation of another Tournament next May was enough to get her fired up. She couldn't wait to break the news to Bulla.
"Don't forget that as hard as you train for this, you may encounter a lot of strong opponents. But also make sure you don't get reckless and do something bad. Remember the Tournament rules," said Goku, advising both Pan and Uub. Pan waved him off. "I know the rules, Grandpa. I won't go all out and accidentally kill someone. The same goes for you, Uub. I don't want to make Mama and Papa weep over my dead body because you didn't hold back."
Uub went red in the face, causing everyone to burst out laughing. Uub eventually joined in the laughter along with Pan, which she was glad to do, making up for today.
Before leaving with Gohan and Videl, she waved at the Son family and Uub. "Thanks for dinner, Grandma! I'll try and stop by for a visit this weekend after my training lesson with Uncle Piccolo!" she said to Chichi.
"You're welcome to stop by my village too, Pan. I'll be staying with my family for a few days before I start my training for the Tournament."
"We'll let you participate as long as you make up your lessons afterward during the summer months," Videl reminded her, which prompted Pan to roll her eyes.
"I know, Mama," she said in a huff. "It's not the first time I had to catch up on my schoolwork."
"I want to make sure you're aware of your priorities, sweetie," Videl said. Pan waved back one last time before following her parents home.
After her bath, Pan propped herself against her pillow, brushing her charcoal-colored hair. She stopped mid-brush to stare at the locks, sighing that she hadn't been able to make them change color. Glancing at a board that hung on the wall near the door, it contained several photos, some with Piccolo, some with her parents, and the bulk of it with Bulla. She isolated one of the most recent photos, that of the two in their training wear, flashing victory signs at the camera with their arms around each other's shoulders.
Pan's recollection of that date brought her back to her last day of school. Bulla had already finished her studies, which was amazing since the nine-year-old was studying at a High School level. It wouldn't be long before her friend would tackle Post-secondary material.
Pan knew she couldn't be envious of Bulla's intelligence. She was always excited to see one of her friend's newest gadgets and was promised that she'd unveil her latest invention this weekend.
Fishing a yellow crayon from her art supplies, she drew spiked yellow hair on Bulla's scalp, coloring over the blue of her natural hair. When she was done, she had superimposed Bulla's Super Saiyan form over her natural look and placed the crayon back in her art bag. The touch-up gave her a nauseating feeling in her throat and a sinking feeling in her chest. Pinning it back to the board, she hopped on her bed, blowing away hair from her face.
She didn't know what compelled her to draw Super Saiyan hair on Bulla in the picture, but all it did was make her brood on her bed until her tablet began to ring, a birthday gift she received from Bulla herself.
Glancing at the tablet, Pan reached over to grab it and waited until her face was calm enough to answer it with her best smile. "Hey, Bulla!" she cried.
"Hey, stranger, you didn't call me at the usual time," Bulla said on the other end. She was still in the middle of brushing her hair.
"I had a long bath," Pan lied, which wasn't a convincing one since Bulla raised her eyebrow in suspicion. She finished brushing her last strokes before settling the brush down on her night table. Fluffing her hair back, she leaned back, eating an apple.
"So, what was that all about earlier today?" Bulla went straight to the point. Pan gulped. She knew all that fake enthusiasm wasn't going to cut it with her friend. Bulla knew her too well by now.
Pan pouted, staring at Bulla. "Why didn't you tell me you could transform into a Super Saiyan? That's like keeping the code for the next level of Dungeon Slayer from me, you cheater!"
Bulla blinked. Her cheeks went red now that she could see how angry Pan was. "I didn't mean to keep it a secret, Pan! I was eventually going to tell you, but I wanted to wait until you could transform too so we could have an awesome picture together!"
"You know I can't, no matter how often I try," Pan said, crossing her arms. "It's not fair that you can do it way easier than I could. It gives you too much of an advantage over me."
"Well, use that as motivation to try harder next time," Bulla told her. Pan could see the confidence in both her tone and smile that she wanted nothing but the best for her friend. Pan felt the warmth in her cheeks. "If you believe that much in me, then thank you, Bulla."
"I promise I won't transform while we train until you can do it too, okay? I swear on my title as Princess of all Saiyans."
"Princess of all Saiyans?" Pan giggled. "You haven't called yourself that since you were five."
Bulla joined in, and the two girls had a giggle fit for a few minutes before Pan was able to calm down. "Hey, Bulla, did you hear the news? Grandpa Hercule's retiring from fighting."
Bulla groaned loudly. "It was all I heard people talk about when I got home today. Everywhere I went, people were saying 'Hercule' this, and 'retirement' that." She took a few quick bites of her apple until Pan noticed she had already finished it. "At least I eventually heard it from mom that there would be a World Tournament coming up. She was reluctant at first but eventually agreed to let me participate with my brother. Thank goodness Papa didn't want to take part. Otherwise, I'd kiss my chances to win the prize money goodbye."
"Well, at least Mama's happy to hear the news," Pan said. The sight of that apple was making her hungry again. She'd have to sneak a bite from the kitchen before going to sleep later. "She hates it when Grandpa Hercule talks about fighting, winning, and answering questions from the press. She especially got sick of cooking extra for Mr. Buu when Grandpa brings him along to visit."
"Wait, if Mr. Buu's competing, then everyone's gonna expect him to win. Let's make sure that doesn't happen, and we send his pink gooey butt flying out of the ring," Bulla said, punching her palm with a confident smirk.
"You really think we'll have a chance against Buu? What about Uub? He's participating, too," said Pan, making her friend blink before crossing her arms. "Oh yeah, we'd have to factor him too, don't we?" sighed Bulla.
"Then you know what that means, right? We need to train harder than ever before. I'll make sure I reach that Super Saiyan level before the day of the Tournament," assured Pan, which forced Bulla to sit straight on her bed.
"And I want to make sure I can reach the next level beyond Super Saiyan like big brother and Papa can. Hold nothing back, Pan, because I won't."
Bulla held her fist in front of the lens for Pan to see. Pan did the same to simulate a fist bump between the two. "It's going to be an exciting six months, that's for sure," said Pan.