CHAPTER 57:
Plan B

Pan frowned as she sluggishly emerged from the cave she and Piccolo had been sharing for the past several months. It felt painful to leave, and at the same time, it tore her apart to be there without her sensei. There were a lot of memories bottled inside that threatened to tear her apart when she thought of everything she'd lost since Baby arrived. Although she had become better at masking her sadness, it still found ways of luring her as she'd nostalgically look to her past.

She had come back only for several things, one of which being the collection of spare gis Piccolo had provided for her; the other was the photograph she had borrowed from Capsule Corp. so long ago. She looked down on it now with a hard expression. As she looked at it, she realized her view of it had changed. She no longer was looking at the people she wanted to save, but rather, the friends and family Baby stripped from her, and she vowed to avenge them, even if it took her own life. They truly were dead now, as her father had proven to her two weeks ago. There was no way to save them… so she would put them out of their misery. And she would do it because she once loved the people in this photograph, and she knew they would rather die than live as slaves to Baby.

"Got everythin'?" Hercule approached her as Buu and the young man sat by one of the trees Piccolo had used for meditation.

Pan stopped and looked back a moment before looking up to the gray sky above them, "Yeah, sure."

Other than one spare gi she found by the bathing area and adopted to keep Piccolo in her thoughts, Pan had decided to leave Piccolo's things behind, including his dragon model which had turned to a hard stone. It wasn't that she didn't want them, but she couldn't bring herself to touch them. In life, he told her to stay away from his things, and even after he passed, she felt it would be improper to handle any of his belongings. Perhaps after the battle with Baby, she'd come back and figure out what to do with the cave. Perhaps it would be best if she one day were to seal it up, as a tomb in his memory, since his body no longer was in this world.

When she looked down from the sky, her eyes focused on Hercule standing before her and then her eyes shifted to the young man, who was looking at the ground and twiddling his thumbs with a humble expression.

After she had come back to the capsule house last night, her grandfather had tackled her in tears, saying how he thought she'd gone and killed herself; but after the whole incident, she had been introduced to this guy who was several years older than she. He had said that his name was Uub, but she had not been interested in making his acquaintance. As long as they were on the same side, then fine. But that didn't mean she had to be on good terms with the stranger, even if he did save her life.

Now was not the time to make new friends. In these times, friends and their loss just lead to heartbreak, as Pan had learned the hard way. She'd rather keep her distance than have to watch someone else fall under Baby's control.

Apparently, the young man had felt those vibes and kept his distance from her, but from what she could tell, he was masking his ki, a technique known only among the Z fighters. She had her suspicions about the guy, but kept her mouth shut as she watched him continue to twiddle his thumbs.

"So what now?" Hercule frowned as he ran his fingers through his balding curly hair.

"We move on," Pan looked hard at him and then unfocused her eyes as she stared off to some dying trees.

The day was bright, even through the gray skies. In the light, Pan was able to fully see how brown the world was truly becoming. In a slight way, it confused her, because she could have sworn that she had just gone through the winter season a few months before. However, it seemed to be autumn now, but that would be impossible.

Pan walked a few steps in the dying grass and then turned around to look back up at the clouds, ultimately bringing her gaze back to Hercule. "What month is it?"

"Ahh, month?" Hercule blinked and scratched his head as he frowned, "Ah'm not sure. Ah think some time in mid-December. Right, Buu?" He looked to Buu and shrugged his shoulders.

Pan frowned as a breeze gently passed by her face. She instinctively rose her hand to brush away a strand of hair, but was met with just air, as her hair was now so short. It would take her a while to get used to her new haircut, but she had never been so happy and confident about her new look.

"It should be almost summer here." Pan turned to look back at the cave, not really focusing on it as her mind turned its gears. She wondered a moment, pondering the effects of the world, as she stood there. After a moment, she came up with the only solution that would explain this discrepancy.

She turned back to them and said in a low voice, her eyebrows turned low, "The world is dying."

"Huh?" Hercule frowned.

"It was February…" Pan looked to the ground and walked forward, toward Buu and their new addition to the group, Uub. "It was February 2nd when we returned home."

"Okay…?" Hercule rose an eyebrow.

Pan shook her head and looked sternly to him, "You don't understand." She clenched her fists, "This planet is going to explode in a month and a half."

"W-What?" Uub jumped to his feet, his eyes wide, "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, the world is going to go BOOM!" Pan dropped her things and spread her arms wide as she glared at the young man. "And there's going to be nothing left!"

"Ahhh!" Hercule stepped back and clawed at his hair, "What are we gunna do!"

"I'll tell you what we're going to do." Pan left her things in a pile as she stepped forward with her right hand to her chin. "We're going to go to the Planet Tuffle."

"The WHAT?" Hercule bounced back as if he had just hit a wall, "We can't do that! That's suicide!"

Pan spun to Hercule with a glare and spit out, "Well would you rather stay here and die?.!" She rose her hand and pointed to him with a flexed finger, "Either way, we're going to have to face the music, Gramps!"

"How are we going to get there?" Uub approached her with a frown, "Did you have any ideas?"

"No." Pan dropped her hand and looked away with an angry face. "No, I don't."

"There's a Tuffle ship…" Hercule brought his hands to his sides and began to walk toward Buu, who was playing with some twigs in his gloves. "There are two, act'ally. Me and Buu saw them with our own eyes."

"A ship?" Pan raised an eyebrow, "You mean that large cruiser that we saw before?"

"Yeah, but there is anoth'r one." Hercule frowned to her, "The big one is on Planet Tuffle. They were sayin' som'thin' about rebuildin' a civilization there. But," he scowled, "There's anoth'r one; the small'r one. That one takes off from the port ev'ry few weeks. It's the express line."

"Good." Pan nodded, "We'll take that one. Do you know when it next leaves?"

"How should Ah know?.!" Hercule scowled and he raised his right fist, "Ah decided to give 'em a break, ya know? Ah knew, if Ah went by there, Ah'd pummel 'em. Ah'd give 'em the old Hercule Hammer! Or the Knockout Brigade!" He threw his fists into the air before him and did a mock spar with himself, "Just like that."

Hercule continued to spout out names, and more he pumped himself up, the louder and more obnoxious he got, getting carried away with his own vanity.

Pan stood there, watching him as her eyes continued to narrow more and more. She could feel a ticking time bomb about to erupt within her if she didn't shut the guy up, grandfather or not. She was sick and tired of his ego, and the last thing she needed washim to make a mockery of himself, pretending this whole war against Baby were just some game.

She'd lost too many friends to Baby. She lost too much family. She was just sick of it!

Before anyone could react, Pan snarled and brought back her right fist, and with one powerful blow, she stepped into a giant punch that went CRACK against Hercule's ribs.

The air whistled as Hercule flew back in a wild scream. He soared through the air like a rag-doll and smacked against a tree, causing it to erupt in an explosion of dead, dry leaves. Debris and soil flew everywhere as the leaves catered down around Hercule and scattered in the wind. Hercule just sat there against the cracked tree trunk with stars around his head and a dazed look in his eyes as his mouth hung open in incredulous shock.

Everyone was silent a moment as Pan stepped back, her eyes closed as she huffed and dusted her hands, "Anyone up for Plan B?"

Uub had watched this with his eyes bugging from his face and mouth gaping open. He turned his eyes slowly to her and gulped as a bead of sweat rolled down his temple, "Wow, you're pretty serious, aren't you?"

Pan just looked at him blankly as she took a few steps back to stand by her clothes. Her eyes then drifted to the grass and her pile as her mind continued to work. She frowned a moment as she thought intently.

Buu then sat up and dropped the twigs he had been playing with. His smile faltered a moment as he squeezes his eyes to think harder. He opened them slightly as he gave a small frown, "Buu beat people up! Mr. Satan comes with Buu on ship!"

"No." Pan shook her head as she looked to Buu, "I don't want to start a scene."

Uub frowned as his eyebrows furrowed, "But how can we get on the ship without starting a scene?"

Pan's eyes darted back to her clothes for a minute before she felt a light bulb go off in her mind. Suddenly, her eyes brightened as a smile played on her lips, "I know!" She looked to Uub and smirked lightly as a trace of mischief danced in her eyes, "We'll go incognito!"

Uub raised his eyesbrows, "In..cognito?"

"Yeah!" Pan ran and jumped up on a boulder by the cave, standing upon it as if she were the reigning queen. She excitedly brought her hands before her and gestured as she continued, "I know just the place!"

Uub frowned, "For what?"

"For clothes, stupid!" Pan grinned, feeling a spark emerge within her as she thought of a brilliant plan. She hadn't felt this in over a year, since she concocted plans for her Grandpa and Trunks back on the Grand Tour. She could feel a tinge of her old self slipping into her mindset as her smirk became a full smile and she raised her hands. "It's a brilliant plan!"

Uub wasn't convinced, "What plan?"

"Okay, get this." Pan jumped down from the rock and continued to gesture as she talked, her voice becoming more excited as she approached the young man, "What do you think the best way for us to travel incognito would be?"

"Uhh," Uub looked at her dubiously as he faltered for words.

"Inside Buu," Hercule came out of his daze and began to stand up by the tree. "We've done it b'fore. We kin just hide inside him."

"No!" Pan shook her head and crossed her hands in a wave, "This is even better!"

"Better?" Uub raised a brow.

Pan smirked and looked brightly to Uub, "You can travel inside Buu if you like, but this plan is going to work like a charm!"

"What?"

Pan stopped and brought her right hand before her with her index finger pointed up to make a point as she winked, "The best way to be incognito…" She grinned as her eyes darted between all of them, "… is to stand out like a sore thumb!"

"What?" Uub crinked his nose in confusion.

"Don't you get it?.!" Pan rubbed her hands together excitedly, "If we dress in the wildest colors ever, we could be so flaringly bright, it would be rude for people to stare at us!"

Uub scowled, "That's a terrible plan."

"No, no, no!" Pan shook her head as she grinned, "You don't understand. I mean, we would be so gaudy that nobody could look at us!" She stopped and clenched her fists in anticipation while smiling, "Whaddaya say?"

Uub continued to raise his eyebrow further as his nose crinkled even further, "I say you're nuts."

"It's perfect." Pan grinned as she looked to Uub and then to Hercule and Buu. "But I need a volunteer."

Hercule frowned, "To do what?"

Pan's grin grew to a mischievous smirk as she brought her hands together and cracked her knuckles, "To go for a nice long swim."

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"No, no, no!" Ancient Kai raised his fist and shouted aloud, "You baka! I said to the left! The LEFT!"

Goku groaned again as he picked up the flower pot and moved it to be in perfect alignment with the other 376, or 77 – or whatever amount of – tulips. "Is my training done yet?"

"No!" Ancient Kai huffed, "Augh, I get no respect! No respect at all!"

"Elder Kai…" Kibito frowned to Ancient Kai as he communicated via telepathy, "You've been training him for almost eleven Earth months now…"

"I KNOW that, Kibito. But it just isn't GROWING!"

"The Earth only has one more month until it explodes. His granddaughter is going to make a confrontation before that. I really suggest you send Goku down –now-."

"I know what I'm doing, Kibito, and we just have to have patience."

Kibito Kai sighed as he watched Goku wipe his forehead with his left arm, dampening his pink wristband.

"Well, that's all of them." Goku stepped back with a frown, "Unless there are any more flowers you want me to plant…"

A low gruff voice huffed, "I never thought I'd see the day when Goku became a pansy."

Goku frowned deeply to Piccolo as he scratched his tailbone, "That's not funny."

"Yeah well, sitting around and doing nothing isn't funny, either."

Goku stood there a moment, his bottom lip pouted in a small frown as he blinked blankly toward Piccolo. Then, as if a sudden idea came to him, Goku stepped back and beamed a smile, "I know what could be fun!" And without waiting another moment, he brought his hands to his mouth and whistled loudly, "Hey Shusugoro!"

"Yeah?.!" A small child's voice came from behind a hill.

"No, no!" Ancient Kai stomped his foot, "I shall not permit play time!"

"Give him a break, Elder Kai." Kibito frowned to his elder, "He's been working day in and day out non-stop."

"Hrmmph."

"I mean," Kibito frowned as he gestured to their right side, "He installed a pool, jacuzzi, water fountain, artificial waterfall…" He pointed upward to a pole with speakers, "… and an atmosphere generator," he frowned, "not to mention your new garden."

"Hrmmph."

Kibito raised an eyebrow, "One may begin to assume that you may be…" he brought his voice low as his right hand covered the side of his mouth, "exploiting him."

"Oh BAH!" Ancient Kai huffed as he narrowed his eyes, "Fine. He can have a break."

"A break?" Goku jumped up as he heard the word, "Really?"

"You get TEN MINUTES!" Ancient Kai brought up his finger and huffed, "TEN."

Goku cheered as he rubbed his hands together, "That's wonderful!" He jumped and then ran to meet Shusugoro halfway up the hill.

"Gokoku!" Shusugoro chirped as he bounced around Goku, "Let's play!"

"Okay," Goku grinned as he followed the boy with his head, "What do you wanna play?"

"Let's play Ping Pong!"

Goku stopped as his eye twitched, "Whaaa?"

The boy laughed, "I wanna be the ping pong ball!"

"And I'll be the ping pong table!" Sugoro hiked up the hill, grinning.

Goku blinked in confusion "Whaaaaaaa? What's ping pong?"

"I'll teach you, Goku." Kibito stepped up beside him and placed a gentle hand on Goku's head, "You'll enjoy it."

"Nine minutes…" Ancient Kai huffed with his arms crossed, looking away as he began to pace.

Sugoro grinned and suddenly, with a POP, became a rather large professional-size ping pong table. His son followed suit with a POP and became a ping pong ball that bounced several times and then made a leap onto the table, rolling about excitedly.

Ancient Kai stopped pacing a moment as he blinked at the two aliens' shapeshift transformations.

Kibito Kai manifested two ping pong paddles and handed one to Goku as he began to explain the Kai's version of the rules. Ancient Kai, however, was lost in thought as he continued to blink at the transformations.

He had already known that Sugoro and Shusugoro were lazy little shapeshifters, but he had not been aware of how well they shapeshifted. This came as a slight surprise to him as he furrowed his gray eyebrows in thought.

"Kibito!" Ancient Kai grumbled through telepathy.

"Yes, Elder Kai?"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Kibito stopped in mid-instruction as he rose his head to frown at his elder. "No…?"

Ancient Kai smirked haughtily to himself as he brought his right hand to his chin and stroked it. His eyes lit with a brilliant plan. "Yes…" He mumbled to himself as his lips curved to a mischievous smirk, "Yes… Yes indeed…" He grinned as his eyes darted to Goku, " It just might work…"

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–6/4/05–