Commander Red laughed and danced in the air. "RED RIBBON ARMY VICTORY! NOW, WITH THAT OUT OF THE WAY, I'LL GET OUT OF HERE… AND REBUILD! ALL THOSE FOOLS? THEY'RE IDIOTS, THEY MESSED UP, I'LL KILL THEM IF ANY ARE ALIVE AND I'LL START AGAIN!"

The smoke cleared, revealing a crackling dome of ki. The fighters were on their knees or collapsed, unconscious from spending so much energy on the shield. PaoPao for her part struggled to remain standing.

"NO! THEY CAN'T BE ALIVE! NOOOOOO!" Red charged down towards them.

Yamcha stepped forward, he turned to Krillin. "Throw me!" Krillin complied, gripping Yamcha and spinning on the ground rapidly. The bandit was launched into the air, he breathed deeply, spreading his arm to the sides, breathed in and out, then slammed them into the scratch he left in the robot suit. "BEAR PALMS!" A visible dent in the shape of a bear's paw caved in the chest area of the robot, causing its flight to go haywire. It crashed to the side and began to sparkle with energy.

"Oh no!" Krillin ran forward, attempting to lift the robot. "It's going to explode!"

"We don't have the energy to toss it!" Roshi stepped forward, pumping up his body. "Run my students! I can hold back the blast slightly!"

Commander Red, in the confusion, sprinted off towards the smoldering remains of his tower.

"No!" Krillin charged forward to block the blast instead, but Roshi had conserved more energy, knocking the fighter back. "Grab him and go!"

Yamcha grabbed the struggling Krillin. "No! Roshi!"

"Remember well my students! You must Train Well, Eat Well, Sleep Well, Live Well! That is the Turtle School-"

A power pole stabbed into the robot.

"Huh?!" Roshi shouted.

"Hey! Turtle Grandpa!"

They turned to the voice.

"Goku!" Chi-Chi was the first to shout. A smile hit her face.

"Hey, guys!" He turned to the robot, "oh! I've seen this before!"

They watched as their tailed friend landed on the ground. Pushed onto the robot, then lifted it easily above the ground. "Bo! Extend!" They watched as the power pole extended the volatile machine beyond the cloud cover.

The explosion was strong enough to blast down pressurized winds, bowling over the Tsukimi ninja.

"Is everyone alright?" Roshi said after the shaking stopped.

"Y-yeah…" Yamcha looked around, "we're alright."

Krillin grinned and ran up to Goku. "I'm glad to see you!"

"Krillin!" Goku wrapped his friend in a bear hug and then ran around the group giving everyone a bear hug.

"Good to see ya!" Yamcha pounded his back.

"It's wonderful to see you're still well," Roshi smirked.

"G-Goku…" Chi-Chi stuttered, face red,

"Oh! Sorry! Are you feeling sick?" Goku asked, placing Chi-Chi down.

"N-no!" Chi-Chi shook her head, "it's good to see you!" She tackled Goku, hugging him some more.

Goku looked around, then his eyes landed on PaoPao, immediately, an embarrassed look hit his face.

"Um… I punched Jazz cause I thought…" Goku looked down.

"It's okay Goku." Krillin began, "Bulma was the one to jump the shark."

Bulma smacked the bald monk. "Wanna repeat that!?"

"No fair! I'm exhausted!" Krillin retorted.

As the group began to mingle with each other, Chi-Chi was the first to notice. "Hey, guys, where's Hercule?"

…

"Huff...huff...I'll... I'll take the treasure! Then… then we'll rebuild!" Commander Red half limped half staggered towards the secret treasure room of the Red Ribbon Army, it was designed to survive a nuclear blast, with a layer of high impact and heat resistant titanium alloy, a 2-foot layer of lead, and an additional layer of stainless steel and tungsten carbide. He limped towards the entrance to the treasury, preparing to enter the code.

"Going somewhere?" Pain overwhelmed Commander Red's senses as a powerful punch knocked him to the ground.

"Aaargh!" He screamed, rolling on the floor. With his eyes still closed, he turned to the voice, "Staff Officer Black?! How are you still alive?!"

"He wasn't alone." A deep voice stated.

"No… he wasn't" An older voice echoed.

Red Snapped his eyes open in fear. "D-dr. Gero?! G-general Gold?!"

Standing before him was Staff Officer Black, supported by General Gold, and standing next to the pair was Dr. Gero, lead researcher and engineer of the Red Ribbon Army.

"I'm disappointed Commander Red, as we put in the evacuation sequence, Gold decided to check on the main console to see if you escaped. Instead, he found a dying Staff Officer, who told us some interesting things."

"You don't understand what it means to be short!" Commander Red growled.

Black growled angrily, causing Red to flinch in fear. "You lack so much sense you'd continue to harp about such bull?!" He raised his fist. "Even if I had to crawl, I'd get over there and wring your neck like a turkey!"

"Please, Staff Officer, no need for such… gauche imagery, we are all disappointed in Commander Red."

"You bastards are nothing without me!" Red roared, "Nothing!"

Gold took out a pistol, "maybe before." He smiled, "but not anymore."

"Dynamic Rescue!" Someone grabbed Commander Red, yoinking him out of sight from Gold.

"What the?!" Black growled, "reveal yourself!" He shouted, looking around.

From behind some tall rubble, Hercule revealed himself. "Here comes the Hero of- aaah!" He leaped out of the way as Gold fired off several shots. "Hey! You've gotta let me say my peace first!"

Gold continued firing his pistol, getting dangerously close to Hercule. Running out of ammo, he reached into his pocket to pull out his second stock, only to finch as a tossed stone knocked away his pistol.

Hercule charged forward, "dynamite kick!"

"What a ridiculous name." Gold said, only to shout in pain as Hercule's kick smashed into the back of his chest. He was flung 15 feet back and smashed into a wall.

"Woah!" Hercule glanced at his hands and feet. "I… I'm strong."

"Interesting." Gold smashed is fist into Hercule's face, flipping him over with the force of the blow. "So am I."

Gero smirked, "Staff Officer Black." He helped the injured man to the treasury. "Let us escape with the fruits of our research."

"Of course." Black nodded.

"I'll be right with you." Gold turned around and began to enter the treasury.

"Dynamic mess em' up punch!" A flying kick caught Gold in the jaw, as he reeled from the force, Hercule leaped towards him once again and began striking with a flurry of punches, kicks, and elbows. "You're all Washed up!" He finished with a one-inch punch, knocking Gold back once more. Gold retaliated with a counter strike, kicking the World Champ down.

"You're skilled." Gold growled, "too skilled to be left alive." He took out a capsule.

"Gold!" Gero shouted, "we're leaving!"

"Not before I eliminate our traitor and this interloper." Gold launched the Capsule, revealing a robot similar to Commander Red's. Getting unto the robot, he turned towards Mark.

…

"Miguel! That was a brilliant performance! What inspired your new song, Tears of Longing?"

"Miguel? The rumors that you are in a relationship with one of your two young security detail? Which one is it?"

"Miguel, what's your opinion on today's political events? Are you a fan of King Furry?"

"Miguel!"

"Miguel!"

"Over here!"

"Miss!"

Miguel smiled and waved to the camera crew and paparazzi. It was exhausting having to deal with them, her goal in life was to be a singer, and she had made it, but if she had known how much attention the public would give to her, she might have not wanted to get into the limelight.

"Miguel I love you!" Cheers and statements like that could be heard throughout the crowds whenever she finished one of her songs. Sometimes, it was flattering, other times, it was creepy. She waved to the crowd, eliciting even more cheers. There was an image they had gotten of Miguel, as a cool, collected, elegant singer who would gently smile from the distance. The country girl "aesthetic" according to her first producer, was too boring. She didn't think her life was boring, and she didn't think her dad was boring, but he seemed to have been right, as she rocketed up the charts.

"Can you sign my record?!" A little girl smiled and handed Miguel a CD cover.

Miguel smiled brightly and signed her name. "Thank you for supporting me!" The girl giggled as she received the signed memorabilia.

"Hey!" A fan jumped past the security detail and ran towards Miguel. "You can't cross the tape!"

He sported a psychotic look in his eyes and brandished a pair of scissors. Miguel froze in shock as the man approached her.

Suddenly, Hercule appeared before the man and knocked him over. Almost immediately, several guards bearing the Capsule Corp logo tackled the man, grabbing and binding him. He glared at Miguel maniacally, grinning like an idiot. "You… I want you… heheheehehahahahahaahaha!"

"Get this psycho out of here!"

Hercule ushered Miguel into her limo, where Jazz was in the driver's seat. Miguel entered the limo and Hercule seated himself at her side.

As they drove from the crowd, Jazz disappeared in a cloud of smoke, revealing Oolong. "Crap, that was too close y'know." The talking pig turned to 'Hercule', who also disappeared into a cloud of smoke, revealing Puar.

"Unlike some people, I'm actually training" Puar retorted, "and I wouldn't have had a hard time if you actually did your job."

"Hey! Only one of us can drive!" He turned to Miguel, "you alright?"

Miguel smiled sadly, "y-yeah… I'm alright. What was wrong with him?"

"Probably mental, some people go crazy, I heard some actor got stabbed a few years back, the dude jabbed out their eye."

"Oolong!" Puar shouted reproachfully.

"O-oh… sorry!" Oolong stuttered, focusing on his driving.

Miguel bit back her tears.

"You made her cry!" Puar shouted.

"Hey! What are you piling on me?!" Oolong growled, "I'm not the psycho who-"

Miguel began to full-on cry. "N-no!" She choked out between sobs. 'I just miss, Hercule!'

…

"You slippery little bastard!" Gold swung the robot with expert force, attacking with greater precision than Red had managed. Despite that, Hercule was able to dodge and dive out of the way with relative ease.

"Hiyaaah!" He cocked his fist back and struck with all his might, a dull thud rang through the air and Hercule gripped his reddening arm. "Oww!" He growled.

"What, do you think yourself beyond human?" Gold laughed. "Every being is born with a natural limit in this world, my father was brilliant, as he discovered how to bypass that limit. Humans are…"

Gero continued, "fallible, cruel, ignorant, misguided, cowardly, idiotic, and stupid."

"That's not all humans!" Hercule growled, "humans aren't all bad."

"Certainly, you can find traits like love, respect, bravery, honesty, and integrity, but don't you think it's sad that those traits are lauded only because of the existence of the former?" Gero smirked, "humanity needs a strong hand to guide it to a better future, and the Red Ribbon Army is its key."

"That's nice and all, but…" Hercule smirked, "I think you're thinking about stuff way too hard, there are good and bad people, and you guys kill anyone who disagrees with you!"

"No, no, not at all." Gero shook his head, "just disagreeing with me? No, I only eliminate threats." He got into the escape vehicle. "Gold, finish him off quickly, we need to kill Red and leave."

Hercule grit his teeth, "you think you can get rid of me that easily?" he cupped his hands together. "I'm not weak, I ain't a loser, I'm strong! I've trained, and I won't lose to an ass like you!" Ki began to flow through his body for the first real time. He felt his energy build, it was a rush. Jazz had always described ki as a warmth, a warmth that filled you as if you had spent hours in the cold just a little while ago. Hercule's blood ran hot as he fired off the Kamehameha, the signature move of the Turtle school.

Gold dodged past the blast, but it ripped off one arm from his robot. "What the hell… what kind of technique?!" He smacked the exhausted fighter, knocking him away. "Father, have you seen that before?!"

"Ka..."

Gero grinned, "he's like that young boy, Son Goku, collect his body, he'd be useful more my experiments. I'll create a new Android from him. And send those fools a present."

"Me…"

Gold walked forward, "as you wish father…"

"Ha…"

Gold frowned, "what is that?" he turned towards the cave.

"Me…"

Gero frowned, "Gold, come here."

"But, Dr. Gero."

"Gebo! Listen to my orders!"

"Yes… fat-"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

A beam of ki, dwarfing Hercule's first Kamehameha, engulfed Gold and his robot.

"NO!" Gero screamed out in fury.

"Dr. We must leave!" Staff Officer Black pressed a button, closing the door to the treasury.

Goku charged in and raised a flying kick towards the treasury door. It did not dent even slightly from his attack.

"Hercule!" The others ran towards their injured friend.

"How are you bud?" Yamcha asked.

"Well…" Hercule began, "my arm is broken, and I feel like a failure…"

"No, you weren't a failure." PaoPao walked over to one of her ninjas, who revealed the pitiful Commander Red. "Looking at his wound, I'm assuming you stopped a bullet from killing him."

Hercule nodded, "he seemed like someone important, but they were about to shoot him."

"He's their commander." PaoPao smiled, "the intel he must have."

"Good job man!" Krillin patted Hercule's shoulder.

The young man just smiled, "heheha! Thanks!"

Roshi walked over, "you're quite talents young man." He sighed, "that so many of my disciples already know the Kamehameha… it feels so…" He sighed with melancholy. His musings were cut short by the sound of another Kamehameha. The group turned to see that Goku blew a hole in the vault.

"They took the dragon balls!" He shouted.

"Do… do they have your Grandpa's Ball?" Bulma asked.

"No! But I wanna revive someone's dad, he was killed by the Red Ribbon Army!"

"Oh, admirable," Roshi said.

"Oh no…" Bulma looked at her radar, "I don't see the dragon balls! Only yours, Goku."

Goku took out his radar, eyes widening. "No way!"

"Wait…" Roshi said. "My sister, she should be able to help you. She's a legendary witch and Fortune Teller."

"Baba-Sama?" PaoPao asked.

"You know my sister?" Roshi asked in surprise.

"She helped me refine my witchcraft and talisman making." PaoPao smiled, "but she's very expensive."

"If you can't pay, you'll have to fight her 5 strongest opponents." Roshi continued.

"I won't be able to fight for you, unfortunately," PaoPao admitted. "As her student, I swore an oath to never compete for a fortune."

Yamcha smirked, "well, that's okay there's still Krillin, Me, Chi-Chi, Goku…" he patted Hercule's head, "and you, Hercule."

"M-me?" Hercule got up, "but… I didn't do anything when you guys blocked the bomb."

"To be fair…" Bulma admitted, "you'd been so quiet the entire time I don't think we noticed."

"W-well, yeah… I only know you guys cause of Jazz…" Hercule said, "b-but you guys are all so tough, it's amazing, y'know?!" He held his head down, "I used to think I was the best ever… then some guy came and killed my Master, I vowed to never fight anyone unless I knew how tough they were, but… the girl who helped me, she was in trouble, and I couldn't do nothing…" He closed his eyes, "if not for training, I'd be the same arrogant coward. But… since I know who I am, and how strong I am, won't I be holding you guys back?"

Yamcha laughed, "hell no, are you scared of fighting?"

"No!" Hercule shouted, "not anymore!"

"Then it's settled." Yamcha grinned, "the most important part of a fight isn't just here." he poked Mark's bicep, "it's here," he poked his forehead, "and here," he poked his chest. "And I should know, I've fought people stronger than me all my life, but I'm still standing, aren't I?"

Goku ran over, "I'd love the help if you guys wanna help me!" He grinned.

"Then it's decided!"

…

"Oh wow, it's May 12 already." Jazz crossed off the day in his calendar.

"What's so significant about this day?" Z asked.

"You already know the answer, it's the day Goku and co. head over to Fortune Teller Baba."

"Will things end up the same?" Z asked, "Goku is definitely stronger than he was in the 'original', he might not need Korin to have defeated Tao."

Jazz shrugged, "true, but… well, it doesn't really matter." He sighed. "This is the universe I know, but these are real people. And I've got no choice but to be a part of it. I just want to be able to send my mom a message, or at least, check on my family and friends, if I can't leave yet. I might as well make sure I don't die."

He wrapped up the last of his luggage.

"I can't believe you're leaving already."

Jazz chuckled, "of course I am, I just really wanted their scrolls, there's nothing they can provide really. I don't think I can pretend to enjoy murder and assassination with a straight face"

"What about the training with Tien?"

"Tien's not going to train with me." Jazz replied, "he obviously dislikes and distrusts me. And I was interested in training with the Namekians."

"I'm still surprised Kami agreed to that all."

"I'm not." Jazz replied, "and it's better this way, everyone grew and developed in their own way during the three years. So I might as well improve and develop my own way."

"You mean after you already gave Tien a boost?"

"Well, he'd lose to Goku really easily, win or lose, his mental shift came from understanding that there was another way to live one's life, and he chose to dedicate his life to martial arts. If the fight was too one-sided one way or another, he wouldn't grow and develop as a character."

"And…?" Z asked, "We know that's not all…"

"Okay… Tien's one of my favorite characters, so it'd piss me off to see him get his ass handed to him cause of me." Jazz chuckled. Glaring at his desk, he activated his psychic powers. He raised his hand and caught a flying apple, catching it.

"Only a nose bleed this time, you've improved."

"Well, only if it's less than 100 or so pounds." Jazz sighed. He took a bite from his apple. "It's almost time to go."

"What makes you say that?" Z asked

"My intuition told me." Jazz laughed. "And I don't want to keep Kami waiting."

…

...

Jasper(Jazz) Duncan

Age: 16, physical appearance: 16

Hair color: Red

Skin color: white

Race: Quarter Caucasian(White American of English-Irish descent), Quarter Asian (Korean), Quarter Black(African-American), Quarter Hispanic (Cuban)

Height: 5ft 10inches | 177.8 centimeters

Weight: 161 lbs | 73 kilograms, Wearing 44 lb weights on wrists and ankles, and 100 lb weighted shirt, alongside a full body tension harness.

Skills: Decent Sports Talent for Age, Semi-Above Average Intellect for age, intermediate martial arts skills, average ki control, good pain tolerance, trap building, intermediate weapons mastery, basic boxing, basic MMA, street fighting skills, bullshitting, and trickery

Powers: Magic Materialization (Fire) (Advanced Understanding), Magic Materialization (Water) (Basic Understanding), Telekinesis (beginner)

General magic: Basic Understanding

Max Power/ Pump Up (1.5x (mastered), 2x (capable),

Shapeshifting, Mastered Skill level (indefinite)

Noble Werewolf. Juvenile Awakening, 1.5x, currently possible only under a full moon

Powerlevel: 87, will raise to 130 temporarily when using Pump Up/Max Power 1.5, or 174 when using Pump Up/Max Power 2x, if using Juvenile awakening, power will be 195 or 261 respectively

…

…

Afterword:

While Jazz's stint with the Crane School will be short, to be fair, once you've seen a little of what they teach, you might see it all. Jazz's main desire was technique, which the Crane School had in abundance, while he can't have the technique judged by the Crane Master himself, any suitably experienced elder should be capable of pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of his techniques.

Oh, and also, to answer a question left in a review on Chapter 42. I plan to cover Dragon Ball Z, and hopefully beyond.