Co-written by SuperSaiyan2Link.
It had been some time since her very first mission as a Time Patroller. As far as she was aware, only Trunks, the Supreme Kai of Time, and herself knew of what she had done.
These past weeks had been her getting back to her routine in the academy, donning her Time Patrol track suit from before and keeping her newly acquired jacket and cape with her belongings in her housing unit.
Alongside her other recruits in the 10's, she kept up as their training slowly increased in difficulty.
On one of the days, before their session could begin, Commander Hale's voice informed her and a few others of something:
"Umiu, Amura, and Pan. Please report below to the training chamber."
The three of them proceeded onward, going down fleets of stairs to deep below the academy, where Hale was waiting for them.
"You three have done exceptionally these past weeks. For your efforts, I grant you the opportunity of taking an advancement test."
Umiu seemed surprised at this.
"A test? But I thought we advanced by fighting others."
Hale confirmed his thesis.
"That is normally the case, yes. However, I realize there is much more to prepare you for the ensuing ranks than just battle with your fellow recruits."
He pointed at a doorway.
"This is a training chamber, designed to push patrollers to their brinks. It is in here where you will be tested."
Amura raised her hand as Hale nodded, awaiting her inquiry.
"So... any hints on what we're up against?"
"You will be facing various villains. They aren't the real thing, but they fight like them."
Pan raised her hand as well.
"So are we talking... holograms?"
"Partially. Their presence in the room will feel no different from a real person inside. They take hits... and deliver them as well."
The door to the chamber opened as the three waited to see which of them would be willing to enter first.
"Bear this in mind before you enter: they will not kill you... but do not take them lightly for that. If they do not knock you unconscious, they will beat you within an inch of your life if given the chance."
Hale made his way to an elevator.
"I will monitor everything from another room. If anything goes wrong, I'll pull the plug. Good luck, you three."
As Hale exited, Pan, Amura, and Umiu tried to decide who would go first.
"Rock, paper, scissors?" suggested Pan. "First two decide third, then the last two decide first and second."
"Sure, let's go with that," stated Amura, who got her hand ready.
"1, 2, 3!"
Pan had drawn paper and Amura scissors: not the outcome Pan was hoping for.
"Alright, I'll be third."
From there, Amura turned to Umiu, his hand already drawn.
"1, 2, 3!"
Umiu had paper and Amura rock.
"Shoot, I'm second."
The Namekian had a mix of emotions on his face: being excited that he was going first, but also nervous at what was to come. But he tried to cover it up as best as he could.
"Don't worry: I won't be long, ladies."
Both saw Amura enter and after the door closed, they couldn't see or hear anything going on inside: it would remain a mystery to them until Umiu came out.
To pass the time, Pan and Amura conversed about a plethora of topics, eventually leading to Pan's lineage.
"So... you're the granddaughter of Son Goku, huh?" asked Amura.
"Right," answered Pan.
"What was he like?"
"I never got to meet him. He died in the Cell Games."
"The tournament Cell hosted? That never happened on my Earth."
"If there was no Cell Games on your Earth... then Goku was..."
"Goku was still around. Famous fighter. Won the 25th world tournament when he fought Hercule. Rung him out in one punch."
Pan could barely believe what Amura had told her: she had grown up hearing how Hercule had managed to defeat Goku in spite of being a human against a Super Saiyan.
"Strange. Hercule rung out Goku in one punch on my Earth."
Amura was certainly struck by this, but also saw how sincerely Pan believed it. Pan also considered what this would mean for her mother and father's relationship.
"What about Gohan and Videl, my parents?"
"Well Pan, I don't think they got together on my Earth. I think when the 25th tournament went on, a blonde haired girl was dating Gohan."
"Huh. Guess this was one of the timelines I wasn't born in."
"As for Videl, I don't recall, but..."
Finally, the door had opened. Umiu began to step out.
"I finally did it... I'm a part of the 20's now..."
But Pan and Amura saw him injured, a few cuts on his face, his hands covering a wound to his side as he slowly approached them. He lost his footing as he exited the room, Amura catching him, but finding he could barely stand.
"No, no... I'm fine... just..."
"You're not foolin' me..." answered Amura, whom kept him on his feet.
Pan certainly didn't like seeing him in such condition and offered to help him.
"Amura, what can I do to...?"
"It's alright, Pan. I'll take him over to medical. You go on ahead and take the exam."
She still wasn't sure about this.
"If we take him together, we'll make it faster, then you can go next."
"Times a'wasting, Pan. Go for it and when I get back, I expect the room to be ready for me. Got it?"
Pan nodded, then watched as Amura began to lightly float upward to help Umiu over the stairs.
"Okay, don't panic, Pan. Whatever in the room just seriously hurt him, that's all... this isn't helping."
Finally, she took a deep breath and took her first step into the room, seeing that it was massive with a high tech ceiling, floor, and walls.
"Come on already. Amura'll be back in no time."
Once she was inside, the doors closed and the room began to change: everything was becoming covered by bits that slowly formed new surroundings...
In this case, a narrow rectangular room with no exits. If Pan wanted to back out of the exam, it was too late for that now.
Hale, standing at a console, watched as Pan stood waiting for what was to come. On a screen was various indicators, including the number of combatants remaining and Pan's vital signs.
Pan heard a sound in front of her, then saw red text emerge on the walls, spelling out "Warning".
"Well, at least it's being up-front about the danger."
As she stood battle-ready, she saw what looked like a shadow of a man forming from the shadow of the wall. As it came closer, a body began forming from it, revealing...
"There's no cheating in a fight to the death..."
A blonde haired man in a brown uniform and hat, blue pants, and black boots: General Blue.
"...only the last one alive."
She already knew this exam wasn't to the death, but even then, as Hale had informed her, it would be as close as they could get to the real thing.
Just then, Hale's voice over an intercom.
"Begin."
From there, Blue charged at Pan, throwing out punches as she stood in place, swerving her head and torso left and right to avoid them.
"He's pretty quick, though I've fought faster..."
After hopping over a sweeping kick, Pan brought her fist towards his face, only to see him sidestep it.
"Okay, how about we compare him to past opponents AFTER this is over!"
She turned, seeing him dash forward, his fist aimed right for her head. She ducked, seeing his strike go through the wall of the arena and causing small pieces of it to scatter. His arm wasn't stuck, so he would probably tear it back out at any moment, so Pan acted quickly, rising upward with an uppercut to his jaw.
Blue's forehead hit the ceiling, then as he fell back downward, Pan struck him in the gut. As the general rolled across the ground, then got back to his feet...
"How could you?!" began Blue. "You actually hit me!"
Pan certainly wasn't expecting a villain to react in that manner. Since this was a physical projection based on someone, she figured it wouldn't do much of anything to converse with it.
"Fine then."
Blue waved his hand at her, then hopped backward into the darkest corner of the room. Pan pursued him, but saw and sensed no sign of General Blue anywhere.
"Did he just bail on the fight after two hits?"
The walls were covered in red warning text once more.
"Is he back?"
From the shadows entered a mustached man with black hair in a ponytail, donning a pink Chinese longcoat. The kanji in the upper left...
"Does that seriously say 'Kill'?"
She didn't need to know his background to know what the kanji represented regarding his occupation. During all of this, this man kept his eyes on her, not a hint of emotion on his face.
"Fancy yourself a trained fighter, do you?" he asked, moving his ponytail to his opposite shoulder. "The name is Tao. Pleased to kill you."
Instead of charging at her like Blue before him, Tao simply waited for her to make a move, not even taking on a proper fighting stance: just standing with both arms behind his back.
"Don't want to keep Amura waiting..."
Pan ran to him, swinging and alternating between hands, only to see Tao stepping backward while avoiding each almost casually. She switched to kicks, still seeing him as carefree and unphased avoiding them.
She jumped upward, descending upon him with a punch only to see her hand striking the ground...
...and feeling a hit to her head, forcing her face-first to the ground. Did he use one of his hands? She took just a moment to glance at him, but Tao's hands were still behind him. All she saw was his ponytail hanging idol. As crazy as it seemed...
"He did that... with just his ponytail?"
She didn't ponder on that for long as she saw Tao running for her. She got back up and, not able to get out of the way of his kick, put her arms in blocking positions. It didn't break her guard, but she flew back regardless.
Pan stopped herself from colliding with the wall full-force by putting her hand out behind her to catch herself. It was a success, though she saw she left small fingertip-shaped dents in the wall as a result. Just as she recovered, Tao covered the distance and struck at her with rapid claw-like strikes. She moved her arms quickly, managing to intercept or redirect them, though noting how strong the force behind them were.
"...is Tao even human?"
Just as she thought of moving to the side...
"Huh? I'm stuck."
Pan saw her feet pinned to the ground by Tao's own. She threw a punch to get Tao off her, but he caught it, as well as gripped her other hand before she could ready it.
"If he's only my second opponent of many more... this could be bad."
Tao moved his head backward...
"Oh..."
...and struck Pan with a headbutt, causing her to fall backward, though still in his grip, her back touching the wall. For a normal human, it'd be like being struck on the head with a bowling ball.
In spite of his feat, Tao still kept the same demeanor, no doubt an attempt to keep him true to the historic version.
"Is that all?" he inquired, seeing that Pan was in no position to make eye contact with her head hanging backward.
But just then, he saw Pan's head coming back up and her body flying forward. She headbutt him back, dazing him just enough for her to free her left foot. She used that freed foot to trip him, getting enough of Tao's attention to allow her right hand to slip free of his left.
With her right hand gripping his right arm, whose hand still held her left, she stomped the ground with her left foot, then swung both arms over her, lifting Tao off his feet and slamming him back-first through the wall behind her. Her hand still holding him tight, she swung in the other direction, throwing Tao in the direction of the other wall upon releasing him.
Tao managed to land on his feet, brushing some debris from the wall off his shoulder before hopping backwards.
"Oh no, you...! ...don't."
And he was gone, having disappeared in the same manner as General Blue earlier. So far, she had only taken hits from Tao, though she figured whoever followed...
"Warning" on the walls once more, though it looked as if the hole from before had healed over, no doubt due to the environment being a construct. Another shadow...
"Another human villain?"
This one emerged from the ceiling instead. It had a humanoid shape, but had sharp nails on its fingers, two wings on its back, and what in the shadow almost looked like a thin mohawk...
...but upon taking physical shape, turned out to be a part of this green scaled creature's head. His only attire was martial artist pants and shoes, and a red sash wrapped around his waist.
"A Namekian."
Tambourine grinned at her, standing on the ceiling without effort.
"I'll kill you just for fun," he gleefully announced to her.
With a flip, Tambourine flew down with a flying knee towards Pan, whom hopped backward, avoiding a strike that left an indent in the floor. She jumped forward with a kick, but he turned his torso, swinging his right wing into her.
She blocked, but was sent rolling as Tambourine flew in with rapid kicks. She controlled her rolls to avoid them, each kick able to pierce the ground, until she used a ki blast to push herself out of range. Once able to get back on her feet in peace, Pan zoomed after Tambourine, throwing punches, only to hear him cackling with each miss.
"Oh, humans... all the same..."
Pan saw her fist caught, but also a yellow glow from across Tambourine's entire body...
...a continuous electric shock went through Pan's entire body.
"Weak... and pathetic."
Tambourine was so caught up in demeaning his opponent he didn't even care to notice a faint blue glow going across her body.
"At least the sounds you make when you die are most enj..."
With a shout, Pan channeled ki through her whole body, then unleashed it in an explosion around her. Tambourine was pushed back and lost his grip, then, as he tried to hurry back to her, was met by a punch to his jaw with Pan's left hand followed by a kick to his side with her right leg.
As he began to reel, an upward kick to his chin left him exposed long enough for a strike to his chest, flooring him with his front on the ground. She ran to him, another punch headed his way, as he floated upward quickly thanks to his wings and span in place, disuading her from attacking at that moment.
Once he stopped, he simply remained off the ground, the only damage appearing to be some purple blood falling from his lip. He wiped it off with his wrist, then smirked before floating backward...
"Oh come on... really!?"
For the third time in a row, Pan could only watch as her opponent vanished out of the room. She kept her eyes open for "warning" to appear at any moment, but instead...
...a sound and a flash of light. She walked over to its source, seeing something floating above her...
"A ring... like in the maze."
It would appear the room had nothing more to offer her, and that whatever else remained for her lied wherever the ring would take her. She put her arm through it, then slowly made her way through it, exiting the room elsewhere.
Pan emerged in what seemed to be a cityscape, though it revealed itself to be an empty metropolis. Not old and decayed, but not exactly shiny and brand new either.
It wasn't long until she saw "Warning" in the sky. Shortly after from above, she could see two figures flying in. It was hard to distinguish them due to the artificial sunlight getting in her eyes...
"I can see them... but I can't sense their ki..."
Even the other holograms from earlier still gave off a similar signature to ki to come as close to their real counterparts as they could, but these... they couldn't be sensed no matter how hard she tried.
At last, they both landed hard on the ground:
What looked like a towering man in blue and brown with red hair and wearing sunglasses over his eyes. But the metallic sound upon its landing told her it was not human.
Next to it was a purple robot suit with a logo akin to a red bowtie with two white R's. Inside, she could barely make out the pilot: only that he wasn't wearing anything close to combat attire.
"I'm not just Officer Black anymore. Now I AM the Red Ribbon Army! Metallitron..."
The large man turned its head towards Officer Black's Battle Jacket as he pointed it in Pan's direction.
"Attack!"
Metallitron threw a downward swing at Pan, whom hopped backward. From there, he stepped forward and threw another, finding his attack once again only hitting the pavement. He then switched to a jab, nearly striking Pan as she sidestepped it and threw a punch to his side.
He stumbled into the side of a building as Pan then turned to see the Battle Jacket going for a downward two-handed swing. Pan hopped backward, then jumped atop its hands before leaping towards the cockpit door. With another punch, she struck the see-through dome, not breaking through it entirely, but cracking it and sending a few pieces inside towards Officer Black.
The large machine stepped backward, then positioned both its hands in her direction, where Pan saw the palms glowing.
"It's not ki, but..."
Dual beams fired, forcing Pan to retreat with the Battle Jacket's arms tracking her. More beams fired, Pan ducking or jumping as they struck windows and other obstructions before she found herself being grabbed by Metallitron's massive hands. She pushed back with her hands, but found both his pushing against her was like stopping two weight machines at once.
She could see that the Battle Jacket was aiming once more, Officer Black's face looking eager to take advantage of her struggle to finally land a blast. With a kick to Metallitron's chest, she managed to break out of his grip, then flew upward, just barely avoiding the next beam that struck Metallitron dead-on. Officer Black was getting frustrated.
"Stupid machine! All you had to do was keep her in place!"
He began firing more and more beams as Pan swerved across the cityscape avoiding them. Unlike before, Pan now had plenty of space to maneuver around her opponents.
"You won't get away! I'll see to that myself!"
Pan saw the Battle Jacket flying off after her and decided to keep climbing upward, see how far she could lead him...
...then she felt a bonk on her head, as if she had hit it on a ceiling. She looked up and saw a small glimpse of a teal field, which slowly dissipated: it must've appeared upon her touching the highest point.
"Figures the range here isn't unlimited."
Once the Battle Jacket had caught up to her, the two clashed, with Pan managing to guard against the giant robot's swings with her wrists. They certainly still struck hard, but so far, Pan wasn't about to let that stop her.
The two then flew into each other with a shoulder charge, the two trying to overpower the other. Instead of seeing Officer Black panicking or gritting his teeth at her, she instead saw him grinning at her. She looked behind her...
...and was struck by a punch by Metallitron, whom aside from a hole in his jacket and part of his chin revealing a grey hue underneath, was still in working condition. She saw herself falling towards the ground fast and quickly grabbed hold of the top of a stop light's bar to stop herself from crashing. As she then allowed herself to gently land, she saw both robotic opponents hovering above her, as well as something in the sky...
"Warning!" once more appeared. She looked to her left and right, but then saw something flying right towards her from above: a pink pillar and what looked like someone standing atop it.
"That's..."
She hopped back, barely avoiding it crashing into the ground, now seeing the figure was Mercenary Tao.
"Him again?"
Behind him, General Blue and Tambourine both landed to the left and right of him.
"So Tao," began the general. "What say you to us working together for a change?"
Tao didn't even comment back to him, but seemed to accept Blue's gesture. Tambourine looked at both of them, not hiding his disgust of them, but slowly showing a smile.
"I suppose just this once, I'll work with you pathetic humans. Just as long as we kill that one."
Pan had gone from fighting one-one-one to one-on-two, and now one-on-three...
"Enough dawdling!" exclaimed Officer Black, him and Metallitron hovering downward slowly. "Finish her off!"
"One-on-five... well that's just perfect."
Against each alone, she could hold her own against them, but now she had to find a way to combat all five of them at once. First, she flew past them, trying to get them to pursue her and hopefully break formations.
"You can run, but you'll still die!" shouted General Blue, whom watched alongside Tao as Tambourine flapped his wings to pursue their target.
She fired off ki blasts, seeing Tambourine swerving to avoid them, only to bump her head into a metal structure...
The Battle Jacket, which could only mean Metallitron wasn't far behind. Officer Black took advantage of this by trying to strike with his robot knee. Pan guarded against it, but then saw Metallitron about to land hard into her with his feet.
"Gotta pay attention to my surroundings!"
She flew between the Battle Jacket's legs, leaving Metallitron to leave a small crater and force the Battle Jacket to fall onto its back.
"Come on, come on!" shouted Officer Black at the controls. "Get up, get up!"
Pan saw the Battle Jacket exposed, but before she could act, Tambourine flew in with a kick aimed for her forehead. She ducked, only having her bandanna dragged off her head, as Tambourine then turned around and swung at Pan with his nailed fingers. Pan ducked, then saw Metallitron throwing another punch at her, and was forced back in Tambourine's direction. She blocked with her wrist, but received a few scratch marks for her effort.
The fresh wound on her mind, she fired off an angry blast with one hand, one that Tambourine was more than happy to hop over, then, as she surveyed her surroundings, saw General Blue, having caught up to her and staring at her with a blue glow to his eyes.
"I... I can't move a muscle!"
Left frozen in place, she could only watch as General Blue ran in and kicked her akin to a football punt, launching her backward. Just then, she saw the Battle Jacket hovering overhead and free to punch her back downward. Upon hitting the ground, Mercenary Tao landed on her with both his knees.
Pan coughed after the fact, watching as Metallitron grabbed her by the back of her jacket.
"If I don't get out of this now..."
With his own punch, Pan struck the back of a wall, embedding her back into it. Tambourine walked up to her calmly, taking his time as he readied one of his hands, which took on a red glow.
"Wait..."
She thought back to the wound that Umiu had on his side when he exited earlier: it looked like a claw strike as well.
"He must've been struck by that."
If she couldn't get out of the way, this would be the end of her run. Not fatal as the simulation would not allow fatalities, but not something she was going to walk off anytime soon.
"If I could just... move."
She couldn't move her limbs, but she could still use her ki. But she looked back at General Blue, who continued eyeing her to prevent her escape. He chuckled at Pan's gesture.
"Are you so eager to continue taking on my psychic powers that you'd look into my eyes?"
He didn't suspect a thing. That was good.
As Tambourine got ready to finally swing his superheated hand at Pan, he saw something from the corner of his eye: thin blasts that would be invisible to a normal human eye. Before he could register this, General Blue was struck on the face by them and gripped it with both his hands.
"My face! My beautiful face!"
Now that he had broken eye contact with her, Pan finally burst free from the wall. Tambourine tried to recompose himself and threw his swing at last, but Pan hopped over it, then struck his forehead with her foot, sending him onto his back.
Metallitron went for a kick, but Pan grabbed hold of his boot, then swung as hard as she could, sending him off his feet. Mercenary Tao was the closest person to her, so she let go, throwing Metallitron in his direction as Tao simply hopped over him.
"Now where is...?"
Something struck the back of her head: General Blue, a few scratches on his face, having swung a payphone at her.
"That's what you get, you brat!"
Before she could turn to face him, she was slammed into at high speed by the Battle Jacket, which slammed her into another building's wall. He flew backward afterward, then signaled Metallitron and Tambourine.
"Altogether now," rallied Officer Black. "FIRE!"
A missile fired from Metallitron's mouth.
Two beams fired from the Battle Jacket's hand.
A blast fired from Tambourine's mouth.
*BOOM!*
The explosion collapsed the building Pan was stuck to, leaving a gigantic crater in the aftermath.
General Blue, seeing nothing left of Pan, laughed to himself with his hand near his chin in feminine form.
Major Metallitron simply put out his left hand with his middle and index fingers up in a v-shape and said "Victory" repeatedly.
The Battle Jacket hopped upward repeatedly with both its mechanical arms up in the air.
Tao and Tambourine didn't celebrate, instead turning their backs on the destruction left behind.
"Amatuer."
"Weakling."
Unknown to all five of them, Pan peered over a few buildings away from the carnage. She looked to see who was the most distracted, and ran as quickly as she could towards them.
She made it to Metallitron first, whom tried to turn his bulk around upon hearing her, only to receive a kick to the chin...
A kick that knocked his head right off to the shock of the other four. Upon seeing Pan not only still alive, but having beheaded Metallitron, Tambourine couldn't hide the fear on his face or his body's shaking.
"That's... that can't... how did she...?"
General Blue lunged at her with a punch, but saw him striking through what looked like a holographic image of her. Just then, Pan kicked him in the chest through a nearby building. She then saw Tambourine's tongue launching towards her.
"His tongue... really?"
She flew upward to avoid it, though still found her legs grabbed by it. He swung his tongue downward, knocking Pan to the ground, then began spinning it rapidly as Mercenary Tao took aim with one finger.
"Is that...?"
"DODON RAY!"
"That's Tien's move... and Kani's!"
With a ki blast, she struck Tambourine's tongue, causing him to release her. Still feeling a burn, he tried treating his tongue and began reeling it back into his mouth as saw the Dodon Ray coming right for him. He narrowly ducked it, but felt a burn in his wing.
"Cursed human!" growled Tambourine, looking at a hole in his wing before being punched into the ground.
Pan then zoomed over to the Battle Jacket, punching it several times while flying after it, pushing it back several feet as Officer Black tried to get it to grind to a halt. But a sound from behind caught her attention...
She saw Metallitron's hand in a fist... but it was flying right for her. She moved to the side, but still felt it striking her cheek. But during this, Officer Black saw it coming for him as well.
"To the right, to the right!"
Finally, the Battle Jacket did as he wanted, though only narrowly as the rocket-propelled fist still tore a chunk out of its shoulder before flying into another building.
After getting back up, Pan saw that even without its head, Metallitron still seemed able to track her.
"Guess its head was just for show."
He slammed his fist downward, forcing Pan back, then stomped on the ground to force her off-balance. It worked and she fell onto her back, then watched as he prepared to step on her with his massive boot.
"Destroy! Destroy!"
It only muttered that word repeatedly, perhaps saying it with an internal speaker of some kind. If Metallitron's head wasn't the center of him, then it had to be his chest.
With a beam of ki, she struck the boot before it could stomp her, pushing it back just long enough for her to fly backward. She peppered him with ki blasts, seeing Metallitron cover himself with his arms before firing off his only remaining hand.
This time, Pan saw it coming a mile away and swerved with ease to avoid it, then began accelerating as she charged ki in both her hands. Metallitron tried to step backward, but by that point, Pan had build up so much speed that his bulk couldn't sidestep her oncoming attack even if he wanted to.
Flipping and aiming both her feet for his chest, she didn't just slam into him, but tore right through him. As her upper body began to enter the hole she had created, she fired off the ki she had stored at his internal systems. In a flash, Pan stood nearby, Metallitron hunched over as the inside of him glowed.
*BOOM!*
The mechanical major exploded shortly afterward, Pan remaining standing until she felt a piece of his jacket brushing against her face. She blew it away, then turned to see where her remaining four opponents were. Tao and Tambourine were out of her sight, as was the massive Battle Jacket. But from above atop a crumbled building top as a result of the dodged rocket punch from earlier...
"Now you've really done it, girl!" shouted General Blue, his brown uniform top in tatters as he tore it off of him. "Why don't you come up here?!"
She flew upward to him, knowing to avoid eye contact with him after the thrashing she went through earlier. From behind a nearby building, Officer Black saw an opportunity and pressed away at the Battle Jacket's controls. Above the jet boosters on his back, a hatch opened revealing a missile. He took aim and tried to lock on to Pan on a screen.
"Stay still, you two."
As she blocked a chop from Blue with her wrist, she tried to use her wrist to provide cover from his eyes like a warrior using a shield to keep from glimpsing a medusa's gaze. It was then a loud sound fired off from below them...
A rocket, one much larger than the one Metallitron fired from his mouth, zoomed quickly towards them. Blue was in disbelief.
"What disloyalty..."
Taking advantage of her opponent being just as shocked as she was, Pan grabbed hold of him by his left arm, then threw him forward before hopping to the side. By the time General Blue saw himself heading right for the missile, it had already struck him, pinning him to it as it flew further upward. The two reached the highest point of the barrier's ceiling, dragging against it before the two finally collided with the corner.
*BOOM!*
The explosion was far more massive. Even while this far from it, gusts of air still pushed Pan back hard...
...to which the Battle Jacket finally landed a blast against Pan, hitting her in the back. The TP logo on the jacket was almost entirely gone thanks to a seared hole. He flew up after her, believing it to have been a critical blow.
"That will teach you to stand against the Red Ribbon Army's ambitions!"
He flew in for a hard clap with both mechanical hands, but by the time they collided together, there was no impact with Pan at all.
"That really stung!" Pan shouted.
Only suffering some burns to her back as a result, Pan flew around to his back and saw the jet boosters clear as day. With a ki-enhanced punch, she tore into it, soon causing the monitor in the Battle Jacket's cockpit to flash with warnings.
"Boosters disabled?! No, no, NO!"
Pan then saw Tambourine flying in her direction. It seemed he was far too afraid to fight Pan alone at this point, but thought with her facing the Battle Jacket that it'd be the perfect time for him to strike. With sheer desperation, he flew for her, his superheated hand ready to strike once more.
"Die!"
She grabbed hold of the Battle Jacket by its arm and swung downward as hard as she could, managing to flip it over. The momentum of the slam struck Tambourine and his hand head-on. Officer Black was panicked after seeing Tambourine's hand tear through the back of his seat, nearly striking his head.
With the momentum of the swing, the two of them were now falling fast towards the ground. As they slammed into it, Tambourine basically crushed underneath the Battle Jacket now, Pan formed a cup with her hands.
"Ka...me..."
Inside the cockpit of the Battle Jacket, Officer Black panicked at the sound and glow of the attack in the making.
"What's the matter with this thing!? It has everything but an ejector seat!"
"Ha...me...
He saw the hole Pan had made earlier to punch him, but knew the reinforced material would be too hard for him to break bare-handed.
"...unless..."
He moved a lever for one of the arms, then ducked immediately as its right arm punched through the side of the dome.
"Haaaa!"
It flew towards the Battle Jacket and Tambourine at a high speed as Officer Black hurried through the new opening to escape. Tambourine, however, knew he was trapped under its weight and screamed as the Kamehameha neared him.
The beam tore through the Battle Jacket and struck Tambourine dead-on. The ensuing explosion reduced the Battle Jacket to scraps, as well as left Tambourine defeated for good...
...but to her surprise, Officer Black stood, rolling up his sleeves.
"Tao was it?"
"Hmm?"
The mercenary leapt down next to Officer Black after having disappeared earlier.
"I'd be more than happy to pay you handsomely for your assistance."
"Very well, but it'll be double the cost."
Pan kept eyeing them as it looked as though Officer Black was waiting for Tao to make his move towards her. Instead, Tao stood appearing uninterested.
"Well...?" taunted Tao.
"Okay, fine, you'll get your money," shrugged Officer Black hesitantly. "Now earn your keep!"
Both ran at Pan, swinging their fists as she blocked or ducked them. With a sweep, she tried to trip them, but Officer Black jumped high into the air while Tao only hopped slightly just enough to go to a kick. Pan guarded with her wrist, only being pushed back slightly, when she saw Officer Black falling downward for a chop.
She then caught Tao going for... a poke with his finger?
"If his ponytail could floor me..."
Her other hand gripped his wrist before he could strike, only his fingernail partially poking her forehead. A burst of ki knocked Tao backward, then Pan fell onto her back and booted Officer Black in the stomach, boosting him back upward. Before Tao's lunging punch could strike, she guarded against it with her knee.
"My death punch... with your knee?"
A poke to the surprised Tao's throat left him exposed enough for Pan to dropkick him a good distance from her. She then turned to Officer Black, having landed and throwing a barrage of punches.
"You will not be the end of MY army...!"
As he went in for a more powerful kick, Pan flipped backward.
"And you will you not be the end of ME!"
Pan made her move, Officer Black beckoning her forward and readying himself for a counter-attack. He jumped over his charging opponent, swinging his hand into her neck for a chop. But when he did, he touched only air...
Followed by a chop to the back of his neck, rendering him unconscious and leaving him to fall onto his front hard.
"Guess that wraps up the Red Ribbon Army, huh?"
Now Mercenary Tao was the only opponent still standing, cracking his neck.
"Any last words?" he inquired.
Pan simply put up her arms, responding with only her stance.
"I'll annihilate you."
From above, it looked as though two streaks of motion were colliding and running past each other repeatedly. Their fists repeatedly clashed with each collision, neither landing a blow just yet.
"I'll crush you!"
Finally, Tao had landed a punch to Pan's face, then kicked her upward. She caught herself on a building, then repositioned herself to launch off of it back to him.
"Come get me!"
Tao waited for Pan's approach, then swerved to avoid a flying kick from her. Pan then found herself flying almost uncontrollably back down and swung her arms to regain control in midair. By the time she did, almost running into a building, she saw Tao swinging both his arms at her, rocketing her to the ground.
He landed, surprised to see her getting right back up and brushing off bits of pavement from her hair.
"A glutton for punishment, I see. Well... at least you take a better beating than most."
In mid-taunt, Pan had already thrown a punch his way, then Tao responded with his own. Both pairs of legs were in place, the two vying to get past each other's arms. Bits of their sleeves began to tear off as their fists failed to strike their arms.
"When I'm done, you'll be dust in the wind!"
Managing to grab onto both of Tao's arms, she hopped upward and kicked him in the face. Upon letting go, she then slammed him back down to the ground. She hopped backward afterward, firing off a blast of ki at him.
Tao still stood, seeing his outfit's sleeves tattered, rendering his long coat sleeveless. Realizing he had some blood coming down his lip, he simply licked it with his tongue before reaching for a capsule in his pocket.
Pan ran at him, not wanting him to get away with using it, but he tossed it high upward, then leapt after it. Once Pan caught up, she saw Tao catching the item that the capsule released: a sword.
"Sure could use that power pole right about now."
She managed to catch a one-handed swing from the blade with both hands, clapping them together to keep it from getting her. Tao then struck her side, forcing her to let go, allowing him to swing once again. As they fell back downward, Tao swung as hard and as quickly as he could at Pan, whom tried desperately to avoid each one.
"Hale won't let me die in the simulation... and he wouldn't let me lose a limb... would he?"
Pan wasn't about to chance it and upon her feet touching the ground, tried to get as much distance as she could from Tao until she figured out a plan.
"Oh come now. I'm just taking a little off the top."
She found her back against a wall and ducked under a horizontal slash, seeing the blade cut into the wall behind her with ease. A horizontal slash she sidestepped left the wall with a plus-like mark.
"If I can't block it..."
Tao saw what looked like Pan running around him rapidly... almost like she was splitting into two.
"Are there... two of you?"
He swung at each of them, seeing his blade touch nothing at all, and the images of her running still there.
"Good. Just have to keep avoiding them."
Tao began to lose patience with Pan's tactic, and each of his swings became less precise and more frantic. Pan kept avoiding them, but saw a few hairs off her head from the last swing.
"He's losing it, but he's also getting closer to getting me. Gotta get that sword away from him... or..."
At last, one of the images of Pan stopped moving and instead stood in front of him. Tao aimed right for her as he then recognized a technique...
"SOLAR FLARE!"
Tao had shielded his eyes with his wrist and partially with his sword. After having seen Tao use the Dodon Ray earlier, Pan had to at least anticipate the possibility that he would know of the Solar Flare as well. Even then, it still worked to her advantage. With her hand not only charging, but overflowing with ki, she threw a punch aimed right at the sword itself.
*CLATTER!*
The top half of the blade shattered, turning the bottom half into little more than a blunt-looking dagger.
In spite of this, Tao quickly threw the blade downward towards Pan's leg. She moved to avoid it, but found that it had gone through the bottom of one of her track pants' legs, pinning her to the ground. He jumped high into the air, then unveiled a grenade.
"Sayanara!"
He threw it downward at her as hard as he could as Pan tugged her leg as hard as she could, knowing the sword was deep embedded in the ground. As the grenade got closer, she finally kicked upward, tearing part of the pant leg's bottom while knocking the grenade away from her.
Tao saw the grenade coming back to him, but also saw Pan leaping upward after him. He knocked the grenade back down, but also towards where Pan would be, leading her to kick it back up to where Tao was headed.
At this point, the two were playing a game of badminton with the grenade, her striking it to him with kicks and him swatting it back down to her. Both knew the fuse didn't have long now and each strike was now desperate to be the last one. Tao almost look frightened with his last hit, lucky it didn't go off on him then, whereas Pan thrust her hand forward, a gust of air pushing the grenade so she didn't have to touch it herself.
*BOOM!*
After the grenade detonated, only a short distance from this Tao suffering the same fate as the true Tao, he saw Pan flying right for him as he began descending. He tried to recover in midair and even took aim with his finger...
"DODON RAY!"
...only to find Pan using a hand covered in ki to stop the blast. From there, before Tao could act, Pan flew into him and the two slammed straight downward into the ground.
The dust settled and by the time she saw him in the aftermath, Tao was lying at the bottom of a crater. Tao slowly began to lift his upper body upward, but his legs were buried under the rubble. Instead of trying to get out of the hole he was in with his freed hand, he took aim at Pan. Even now, this mercenary would try to accomplish his mission.
"DODON...!"
A punch to his face forced him back down, then, as Pan stood at the ready, saw he was out like a light.
"...is that a wrap?"
Green font emerged in the air spelling "Finish!" With the five defeated, Pan had succeeded. As each individual pixel of the environment began to disperse, revealing the original chamber, Pan saw her bandanna flowing in the artificial air and caught it.
Having exited the chamber and putting her bandanna back on her head, she saw Commander Hale waiting for her.
"Congratulations, Pan. Like your comrade Umiu, you are now a member of the 20's."
Just then, Pan turned to see Amura returning as well.
"Amura, is Umiu okay?" asked Pan.
She nodded back to Pan as Hale walked closer to both of them.
"Rest assurred, I won't allow any of you to be killed in the simulation."
Amura, however, still had a few drops of Umiu's blood on the side of her uniform from carrying him, didn't seem so sure.
"Umiu barely walked away from that. How do I know I won't get ripped to shreds?"
Hale, whom was much taller than Amura, knelt down to her eye level.
"The job of a Time Patroller always involves a threat to one's life. This simulation comes as close as it can to the real thing to best prepare you all for it. After Umiu suffered that wound, I offered him the chance to end the simulation and try again, but he told me he wanted to see it through to the end."
"Umiu took that clawed attack... but he didn't stop until the battle was won."
Amura finally began to understand.
"...because when the time comes, we have to be able to fight on, even in the face of death... for time's sake."
She no longer had doubt on her face, but instead determination to see this through. She tapped Pan on the shoulder.
"Good job... but I'll catch up with you soon."
Pan nodded back to Amura as Hale placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You've more than earned your rest for today, Pan. We'll resume training tomorrow."
Now with his say to leave, Pan left the two, intending to get much rest and relaxation after all the fighting prior.
That night, Pan's dream left her recalling a time when she, her father, her mother, and her grandmother went on a trip to a forest area. Young Pan wasn't sure what they were doing there, but throughout the way there, marveled at all of the wild life they encountered, including a small deer.
Gohan, Videl, and Chi-Chi kept a careful eye on Pan as she interacted with it, gently patting its head with a smile on her face.
After a long day of traveling on foot, they came across a village filled with tents and at the center of it a large tower.
"Pan..." began Chi-Chi. "This is Korin's Tower."
"How do you know of the tower?" asked a voice unfamiliar to Pan.
The four turned, seeing a dark-skinned man with braided black hair with a feather atop it, a tan vest and pants, and two painted lines on his cheeks. Upon seeing their faces, the man began to smile at them.
"...Gohan?"
He turned to see Gohan's mother.
"...Chi-Chi?"
Finally, he looked over at Videl and Pan, the latter of whom didn't know what to think of him.
"...I don't believe I've met these two, Gohan."
"This is my wife Videl and our daughter Pan."
Upa put out his hand to shake Videl's hand.
"A pleasure to meet you, Videl."
He then turned to Pan.
"As well as you Pan, the granddaughter of Goku."
"You knew my grandpa Goku?" inquired Pan.
"Long ago, Goku saved my life... and my father as well."
From behind Upa, an even taller man with grey-white hair approached them.
"Telling the tale of Goku again, are you?" this man asked Upa.
Pan looked to him, almost nervous at his stature.
"Pan, honey..." began Videl, putting her arms around her daughter to comfort her.
Upa gestured his hand towards the large man.
"This is my father, Bora."
After being reaquainted with Gohan and Chi-Chi, he saw Videl and Pan, as well as the latter almost hiding from him.
"Any family of Goku's is ours as well."
Bora sat down in front of Pan and Videl with his legs crossed.
"It's okay, Pan." said Videl.
"Bora's a friend." added Chi-Chi.
"He and Upa have known Goku before I was even born."
"Really?" asked Pan.
Pan was finally starting to relax and not only approached Bora, but even sat down with her legs crossed like he was.
"Your father was a great fighter and it was thanks to him that I'm still here."
He reached out his hand to Pan, whose hands could barely cover his palm.
"His legacy is safe in your hands, little one."
Pan woke up not from the dream ending, but from loud knocking on her door. She stumbled out of bed to greet whoever was there. Upon opening the door, she saw Trunks, whom looked panicked.
"It's an emergency, Pan! Get dressed and meet me at the Time Nest right away!"
While still waking up, Pan understood the distress in his voice and got into her usual attire, as well as the Time Patrol jacket and cape she had been given last time.
Upon her and Trunks getting through the gateway, they ran towards the library.
"Toh?"
The large owl from nearby stood on a perch, looking over at the two.
"Whose that?" asked Pan.
"I'll tell you another time!" answered Trunks, whom pushed the door open.
As Trunks finally slowed down, picking up a scroll from the table, Pan waited to hear what the emergency was.
"This'll be a lot to take in, so be ready for it."
Pan nodded, understanding that Trunks was choosing to give her the full truth.
"This scroll covers the fateful day in which Goku and Piccolo teamed up against Raditz... Goku's own brother."
"Hold up..."
Pan put out her hand, needing to take a moment to take this new information in.
"Goku has a brother... and I have a grand-uncle?"
Trunks was about to answer when Pan put her hand out once more.
"...and wait, what are my grandpa and Piccolo doing fighting together after what happened last time?"
"Oh, that? Goku made the decision to spare him so that he could have a rival to fight."
"So... was he a good guy then?"
"Not quite. He still had world domination and revenge in mind, but he and Goku found a common threat in Raditz."
"And back to Raditz... no one ever mentioned my grandpa having a brother. Where was he all this time?"
"Raditz was a vicious Saiyan warrior who kidnapped Gohan and tried to kill your grandfather, Piccolo, and your father."
"Guess that's why my dad never brought him up."
"...and even then, he was killed and never returned after the fact."
Pan paused for a moment, then thought back to how Trunks had described Raditz.
"So when you say Raditz was a vicious Saiyan, you mean he was one of the bad ones?"
"What do you mean?"
"I was always told the Saiyans loved fighting. So if Raditz was threatening his own family, he was one of the bad ones... right?"
Trunks took a breath, then readied himself for the explanation to come.
"Raditz' viciousness was actually in keeping with Saiyan tradition."
"How so?"
"Saiyans were... well..."
"Tell me."
Trunks could tell Pan wanted the full version, even with how much it would flip her world upside down.
"The Saiyans were a brutal and militant race of warriors that sought to prove themselves the strongest in the universe. They not only conquered planets, but often cleared out their entire populations."
There went Pan's childhood image of Saiyans being heroes like Goku and Vegeta fighting against villains, now replaced by those same aliens committing genocide. And it was then she recalled learning of Frieza wiping them out.
"...so then why did Frieza wipe them out?"
"At first, the Saiyans were subjugated under Frieza, clearing out planets for him to sell, but upon believing them to be a threat, he destroyed the planet and nearly wiped them all out... except for you grandfather, my father, and a few others."
Pan was conflicted: on one hand, Frieza wiping out the Saiyans sounded like an injustice to her, but considering all they committed...
"How come my grandpa was so different from them?"
"A nearly fatal injury to his head as a baby, after which he was the man my parents knew."
"...and if it wasn't for that..."
"He would have followed in the footsteps of his father and his older brother and may very well have wiped out all life on Earth."
Trunks saw Pan crouching down for just a moment, deep in thought.
"To think what my grandpa would've done..."
"I'm sorry, Pan... but Goku and Piccolo need your help. I have the feeling after your last success, whoever's doing this may try something else to throw us off."
Pan got up, seeing Trunks with the scroll in his hand for her to grab.
"It's fine. Gotta protect history and my family... even if it is from a relative."
She began to grip the scroll when Trunks put his hand out for her to wait.
"One last thing, and this is critical: both Raditz and your grandfather died to an attack of Piccolo's."
Pan had heard of her grandfather dying in the Cell Games... but not before... and not by Piccolo, who at this point was a villain...
"...but Goku sacrificed himself to ensure Raditz was defeated. And he was brought back to life a year later with the Dragon Balls."
As much as he wanted to be nurturing to Pan, who was taking in so much information that was shaking the very cores of her person, he knew he had to be strict here.
"Which is why you absolutely cannot interfere with Piccolo's killing blow to both of them. Ensure Goku, Piccolo, and Gohan survive against Raditz, of course, but you have to maintain Goku's death by Piccolo to stop Raditz, no matter how much it will hurt to see."
Before, Pan was protecting her grandfather, making sure he survived his battle, and now she had to protect him until the right time for him to die. History depended on her, so she knew she had to do it...
...but could she really bring herself to just sit and watch when the time came?
"It's for history... it's for my dad..."
"Got it."
She closed her eyes and gripped the scroll as white light covered her person before she vanished.
Age 761
Goku and Piccolo stood before Raditz, both having taken off their weighted clothes to best stand a change against their fearsome opponent who oozed confidence.
"Last chance, Kakarrot," Raditz offered. "Join me and the remaining Saiyan race... your real family."
"My family's right here," answered Goku.
"Do as your brother says. These Earthlings are beneath you and me."
"I don't care if I'm an alien and I don't care if you're my brother. I'm not going to let you take my son."
"This would've been avoided if you had just given me a hundred bodies... but if you won't join me... then you will..."
He was interrupted by a white glow next to Goku, which then revealed itself to be Pan. At first, Goku and Piccolo looked at her like she was a total stranger...
But then a flash went on in both their heads: of their prior battle during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament.
"Hey, I know you..." recalled Goku. "You were the one that helped me in the tournament."
"And I remember you were that brat that stood in my way," snarled Piccolo, though this slowly morphed into curiosity. "But it's been five years and yet... you look the exact same."
"I don't know about that, Piccolo. I think that cape and jacket's new."
Raditz didn't know what to make of this.
"What's this? An Earthling has come to watch your defeat?"
Seeing Pan remaining in place, he pointed to her.
"If you know what's good for you, you will not interfere."
Goku and Piccolo weren't confident, but they felt some relief at having another person with them.
"Maybe you're stronger than all three of us..." admitted Piccolo. "But I'd say the numerical advantage is ours now."
"You really think one more body will make a difference? Another piece of trash... is still just trash."
He still didn't see any of the three quivering in fear of him.
"Underestimating me, are you?"
He began stepping forward slowly, a faint purple aura forming around him.
"You think of me as a joke like my comrades do, is that it?!"
Now a red glow was over his eyes.
The Supreme Kai of Time had entered the library, seeing Trunks looking over the events unfolding.
"What's going on, Trunks?"
"Something's not right. Raditz is acting out."
She looked over, noting the evil Saiyan's glow.
"That aura..."
"Is it the same as before?"
"No. This is..."
Raditz not only saw the power flowing around him, but felt it through his being.
"I'll show you... and I'll show you with suffering!"
All three moved toward Raditz, ready to strike first, but then...
Goku and Piccolo lost sight of him, then were each struck by an elbow to the back of their heads. Pan could hardly react to his movements either.
"Piccolo was fast... but this..."
By the time she perceived Raditz coming right for her, a knee struck her in the stomach. The impact sent her flying backwards onto her shoulder, grinding against the dirt before she finally came to a stop. She tried getting up...
And spat out in pain. The day before, she had taken hits from five villains... but Raditz's hit struck harder than any of them.
"He's not just stronger than me... he's..."
As the Supreme Kai of Time and Trunks listened in to Pan's thoughts, they knew something was terribly wrong.
"Last time with Piccolo, he was simply restored to full energy. But this..."
"Is Raditz now far stronger than a Saibamen?"
"Raditz doesn't just have a power boost. Whoever's doing this... they've given him far more power than he should be able to possess."
"You mean he's..."
"His power's greater than all four of them."