A/N: Thanks again to all the regular readers of this story. If you've favorited, followed or commented in any way, seriously, thank you. Now, here's a review of the timeline so far. Gohan beats Cell, as in canon, at the age of 10 or 11 (Biological age, not chronological). Then, in this story, the intergalactic tournament was held in the summer, nearly one year later. Gohan starts middle school and the Empire invades a few months after that. Several months later, Gohan has a birthday, which is in May, and so it has been roughly two years since the cell games as of the chapter before last. In this chapter, we bid farewell to what's left of the Jade empire. They were on earth for roughly a year.

I believe this to be an accurate timeline and in line with what I have written. If you feel like there are issues or errors with that, bring it up in the reviews. Otherwise, please enjoy as we finally start to move the plot along once more. If anyone is still curious about the sentient pancake, it was the one that Chichi threw out of the window, but I never got around to writing the adventures of Pearl and Jemima. I still might do it, just in not now. So that'll be a future omake. But I already spent to much time on the OCs so moving on!

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z

Chapter 30-A new tournament

At long last, the day had finally come for the invaders to return to their home. Most of the imperial forces where on the ship getting ready for departure. Most were in agreement that, while earth had its charm, they would be glad to put this whole experience behind them. Of course, not everyone was ready to leave just yet.

"Look, I already had to give Chiaotzu back to his owner."

"I'm not a flippin' doll!" Chiaotzu yelled from the shoulder of Tien.

"Which broke my heart by the way, and I am NOT giving up Jemima! Either he comes with us, or… Or I'll just blow the ship up again and we get to stay here for another year!" Pearl yelled angrily at her sister.

"Look, there is no way that I am letting that abomination on the ship! It's charred and slimy and it smells like rancid butter!" Alex bit back. She had put up with the stack of pancakes for a year and she was not going to let that thing invade her personal space anymore.

"You take that back!" Pearl demanded.

"No!"

"Well since when are you in charge? Let's ask Dr. Graph." Pearl turned to the grey scientist who looked like he would rather be anywhere else at the moment. The Cheerful twin looked at the doctor with big puppy dog eyes while Alex gave him a death glare.

"Um… I think that that is a question for… Esmerelda!" He quickly shunted the problem off to the large woman as she came walking up to the ship accompanied by Turk, who was wearing movie star sunglasses.

"Fine. Hey Esme, can I keep Jemima?" Pearl asked the green woman, as she somehow made her big, pleading eyes even bigger.

"Sure. Why not?" Esmerelda said with a shrug.

"Are you freaking serious!" Alex yelled.

"What can I say?" Esme smiled. "The little guy's grown on me."

Alex just folded her arms and grumbled, "Somethings started to grow on him too."

"Anyway," Esmerelda began, "Is everyone here?"

"Not quite. We're still waiting on…"

"Heeey!" A female voice yelled from the sky. A few seconds later, Gohan, Zangya, Erasa (carried by 18, though neither one seemed pleased with this), Krillin and Broly landed. "Phew, glad we made it in time to see you guys off." Said Erasa.

"Yeah, I was worried you might do something stupid and leave without saying goodbye. Koti." Zangya eyed Turk who began to sweat. "Oh, no… C'mon sis, we'd never do that…"

"But we did do that. This morning in fact." Esmerelda pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but that's only because I had that meeting with the fanclub." After the play, Turk had signed a contract for an action movie that was wildly successful. He played a space cop who plays by his own rules. As a result of his great acting and the fact that all the effect done by him were real, he amassed quite the fanbase. "Speaking of the fan club" A huge heard of people carrying signs and banners, all with something written about how they love Turk, made their way to the ship all shouting Turks' name. The blue man obliged them by taking off his sunglasses, tossing them to the crowd and raised his fist in the air. This elicited wild cheers from his adoring public, including a great number of fangirls. Zangya noticed this and whispered in Esmerelda's' ear. "Hey, how are you ok with all these girls being in his fanclub?"

The green giant smirked, "Heheh, according to the club charter, the club president gets first dibs. Wanna guess who the founder and president is?" Zangya blinked. "You?" Esmerelda nodded and grinned like the cat who caught the canary.

"Wow… That's pretty ingenious."

"I know!" Then she blushed and brought her hands to her face. "It's only a matter of time before the wedding. I'll make sure to send you an announcement when I get him to propose. Does your bakery do intergalactic catering? If so, what are your rates?"

Zangya grinned and shook her head. "For you, it's free. Just don't wait to long to make him settle down."

"I could say the same to you." Esmerelda pointed to Gohan, who was listening, confusedly, as Jemima was gurgling something to him and Pearl was crying at what she supposed was an emotional goodbye for the little pancake.

Zangya blushed at her insinuation, though this time, she didn't bother to refute it. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Maidens in love!" Esme pulled Zangya in for a bone crushing hug.

"Hey, um, I'm not really sure how to say this…" Alex was fidgeting as she spoke with Erasa. "You… You haven't been as lame as earthlings could have been and… I had fff- a not terrible time 'hanging out' with you. I'm sor- ok with the fact that I didn't kill you."

"Oh, um… Thanks." Erasa replied awkwardly. "I had fun with you guys too. You guys can stop by anytime you're in the galaxy."

"Hm, I'll think about it."

"OH COME ON!" Pearl yelled in disbelief. "You wait all this time and that's how you apologize for trying to kill her!?" Alex tried to glare at her twin but the effect was ruined by her cheeks becoming red. "Whatever."

Pearl sighed. "Ok, don't worry about Alex, she's, what was that word? Oh right, tsundere. Anyway, I had a blast Erasa, this will totally be our next vacation spot."

Erasa pulled both twins into a hug and, to her surprise, Alex didn't resist.

Turk walked over to Zangya. "Well… I guess this is it." He said somberly. "I-I just wanted you to know that I had a good time. I'll definitely become stronger, I promise and I…" He stopped abruptly as he was pulled into a hug and his big sister kissed him on the cheek. All pretense at toughness was given up as he broke down into tears. "I'm going to miss you." He cried into her shoulder as she patted his back.

"I know." She said tenderly. "I'll miss you too Koti." The two siblings held their embrace as tears flowed freely. Finally, Turk broke the hug and wiped his tears with a smile. He reached for his apple locket and pulled it off from around his neck. "Here." He held it out to Zangya. "Mom would have wanted you to have this." He said with a sniffle.

Zangya Shook her head. "Koti I can't take that from you."

"Why not? It's supposed to be passed down to the daughter." He placed the necklace over her head and stepped back. "Besides, It looks better on you anyway." He tried to laugh, and was pulled into a gentle hug. "Promise me you'll take care of yourself." She asked as she pulled away from the hug. He nodded. "Oh, speaking of promises…" he walked over to Gohan and put his face inches from the teens'.

"Listen up kid." He spoke quietly, but threateningly. "Next time we meet, I'll be the one coming out on top. For now, you gotta look after Zangya." Gohan was stunned at this but Turk continued hastily. "Now, that doesn't mean that I approve of you two. You still can't have her until I say so. But if anything happens to her, I will hold you personally responsible."

Gohan smiled. "You can count on me Mr. Turk." The Hera nodded, deeming this an acceptable response.

"Alright!" Yelled Turk. "Now that the goodbyes are out of the way, let's ditch this rock!"

"Yeah!"

"About time!"

The warriors of the Jade empire made their way up the ramp to board the ship. "Wow, this is going to be so weird without the emperor." Esmerelda thought out loud as she was halfway up the ramp. "I wonder how we're going to explain everything to the rest of the empire. What do you think Broly?" She asked her comrade. "Broly?" When she received no answer, she looked around and saw that Broly wasn't next to her. In fact, the Saiyan wasn't even on the ramp. He was still standing in the exact spot that he landed on when he arrived.

"Broly, what are you doing? We need to get going."

The Saiyan just shook his head. "Sorry, I'm not going with you guys."

""""WHAT!"""" His comrades yelled in shock at this revelation. They ran down the ramp once more and surrounded Broly demanding answers.

"You have to come!" Said Turk. "You need to train with me so I can beat the kid!"

"Why don't you wanna come Broly?" asked Pearl, nearing tears. "Is it something we did? Whatever it is we're sorry!"

"You can't just leave us!" Alex yelled, who surprisingly, was close to tears herself.

For the first time in a long time, this reaction made him feel that maybe he wasn't as alone as he thought he was. Broly may have been feared by the majority of the empire as a bloodthirsty monster, but those of the honor guard, those who knew him, truly looked up to him. Especially the more junior members of the guard, who saw him as the ultimate warrior. Somebody who embodied power, while at the same time, never abusing that power and encouraging them to strive to be better. This earned not only their respect, but also their adoration. For these four, they could hardly imagine an empire without 'the legendary super Saiyan.'

But that was just it. While their reaction had touched him deeply, Broly could never interact with them as a person. They could only ever see him for his deeds on the battlefield. He cared for his comrades, but he knew that if he returned to the empire, he would just be Broly 'the warrior' and nothing more. He had spoken many times with Zangya since their first meeting at the bakery. She had helped him realize that he needed a place to be himself. A place to figure out who he really was rather than what everyone saw him as. Adamantia was right about one thing. He never belonged in the empire. He never wanted to be the warrior. He just wanted to be Broly. But how could he tell them that? As he looked into those pleading eyes, he had no idea how he was going to explain his feelings to them.

Esmerelda had, for the most part, stood there silently. She looked at him with concern. Aside from the emperor and Adamantia, she had known Broly the longest. Unlike the junior members of the guard, she had seen the conflict in him. She had known how much he hated going into battle. How much it hurt him every time he turned super saiyan. How he yearned for the peace that he fought so hard to create. "Broly, is this really what you want?" she asked.

Broly just nodded.

The green woman gave him a look of understanding. "Well, that's that then." She smiled sadly.

"What? Esme, you're just going to let him leave?" Turk asked in disbelief.

"I can't do anything about it. Broly has made his choice. He wants to stay here." She walked over to the Saiyan and extended her arm out to him. He didn't hesitate to return the gesture and they grasped each other's forearms. "It was an honor to fight alongside you Broly. I hope you find what you're looking for out here."

He smiled. "Thank you." Then she yanked him into a hug, catching him off guard. "You're always welcomed in the empire my friend." She released him and headed back up the ramp leaving the others to say goodbye.

Alex punched Brolys arm. "I guess we can't change your mind so… Just don't forget about us, Ok?" Broly smiled and nodded. "You promise!?" she yelled.

"I promise." He replied and Pearl jumped onto him and hugged him tight. "I'll miss you, big guy. Be sure to visit ok?" She let go and the twins made their way back up the ramp. Turk put his hands in his pockets. "Well, this is goodbye then. I, uh, I wanted you to know I always admired your strength, and…" He gestured for Broly to come closer. "Keep an eye on the kid, ok? And make sure he treats my sister right." Turk joined his comrades up at the top of the ramp. As the ship started to take off, Turk had a realization. "Hey, doesn't this mean that you're the senior officer now Esme?"

"Oh, you're right Turk." Agreed Pearl. "Now that you're in charge, you need a title. How about… the Emerald Empress!"

"Nice!" Said Turk approvingly. "I just hope that's not copyrighted."

On the ground, the earthlings waved goodbye to their new friends as Broly waved goodbye to old ones. When the ship was finally out of sight, he dropped his hand and looked at the ground. He hadn't expected them to care as much as they had that he was leaving. Now that they were gone, he wondered if he had made the right choice. A hand touched his shoulder and he turned to see Zangya smile reassuringly at him. Gohan walked to his other side and said, "You want to swing by my place for dinner? My mom's making barbecue tonight."

Broly looked at the sincere face of the 13-year-old. "That sounds nice. I can't remember the last time I had good barbecue."

Inwardly, Erasa began to curse herself.

Break

"HYAA!" Piccolo yelled as he threw a kick at Gohan who dodged it, only to be hit in the back by Zangyas elbow. "Gyah!" He turned around and tried to counterattack, but she retreated and Piccolo fired a round of ki blasts keeping him from doing anything but dodging. Despite their different styles of fighting, Piccolo and Zangya actually fought well as a team. Not only that, but they were also very familiar with Gohans' fighting style and were able to capitalize on any mistakes he made, not that he made many.

He flew backwards as his mentors strafing attack followed after him. Zangya appeared at his back once again and aimed a kick, only for him to turn around to catch her foot. "Not this time!" he shouted as he threw Zangya into Piccolos' attack.

"KYAA!" She shouted before the bombs impacted. Piccolo watched as the Hera girl flew into his attack. They may be familiar with Gohans' style, but the reverse was also true. He knew both of them extremely well and lately, he never failed to take advantage of that fact. Piccolo tried to look through the smoke from the explosion to find his opponent. "Heh, not a bad move kid."

"GLAD YOU APPROVE!" Piccolo turned around to block an attack, only for it to phase right through him. "What!?" A kick to his back sent him flying upwards only for his momentum to be stopped by a hand around his ankle, which dragged him down and threw him into the smoke.

Zangya was just getting up, trying to shake of the injuries that Piccolos attack had inflicted. No sooner did she get to her feet, that a body came careening through the smoke and plowed right into her. The smoke cleared and the two pointy eared aliens were on the ground as the teenage Saiyan floated above them with a grin.

"Are you guys alright? I didn't hurt you, did I?" Gohan asked cheekily.

Piccolo got up and dusted himself off as Zangya spat out some dirt she had inadvertently eaten.

"Ptu. Man, I can't believe you got us. You didn't even have to transform."

"To be fair, you weren't transformed either. And Piccolo still has his weights on." Gohan pointed out.

Zangya looked at Piccolo. "I guess that's true. Plus, if somebody hadn't hit me with friendly fire, we wouldn't have lost."

"Look, our strategy was good. The fact that we got beat only shows how much stronger Gohan has gotten. Nice use of the after image by the way." Piccolo stated.

"Hmph, sounds like you're just trying to cover up for your mistakes." Zangya said. The two may work well together for the most part, but they still had a certain amount of friction between them. Piccolo just rolled his eyes and took out a senzu bean.

"Quit griping and take this." He threw it to her, and she caught it in her mouth.

"Mm." she crunched down on it and she became good as new. Then, when she thought piccolo wasn't looking, she stuck her tongue out at him, making Gohan laugh.

"I saw that." Piccolo said.

Zangya grinned. "Anyway, I hate to admit it, but Green bean is right. You are getting way too strong."

"I told you stop calling me that! I'm not doing your dumb superhero thing!" Piccolo yelled in frustration.

"But you already have the cape." Zangya pointed out. Piccolo was about to retort, when Gohan intervened.

"I still think green machine would have been a better name. But back to the original topic, I appreciate the compliment, but I'm still really far from how strong I need to be."

"Oh, come on." Zangya said in disbelief. "I doubt there's a warrior alive who could stand up to you at full power."

"I wouldn' be so sure. I only managed to beat Broly because of a fluke. He may not be a bad guy, but I bet there are loads of other threats out there even stronger than him. I need to be prepared to face them if they ever come here. Which they tend to do."

Piccolo smiled and nodded his head. "Hm, Well said. Now, let's get back to training." He took off his weights and threw them aside, making the earth shake.

Gohan and Zangya grinned and both transformed, causing a massive shockwave from their power. Gohan dropped to his stance and was about to start the new sparring session, only for him to be interrupted by a helicopter flying over head and descending to their position. The three warriors looked at the vehicle as it landed, and a man dressed in a suit and with slicked back hair jumped out.

"Excuse me," he addressed the group, while pulling out an envelope from his pocket. "I have a message for the Gold fighter, aka Son Gohan."

"That's me." Gohan said confusedly. Who would be sending him a message? Let alone all the way out here.

"Excellent!" The man clapped his hands together. "Mr. Gold fighter, I'm one of the parties in charge of organizing the World martial arts tournament!" He paused, hoping he would get some sort of response, but the trio just looked at him expectantly. "Ahem, well, anyways… Due to the tragic events that occurred during the invasion, I mean of course the death of our beloved world champion, we have decided that this year's tournament will be held in memory of Hercule Satan."

"That's… Great." Gohan felt a twinge of guilt. Hercule had decided it was best that the public believed he was dead so Gohan respected his wishes, but it still felt uncomfortable to lie about it.

"Isn't it though?" The man agreed. "My associates and I think that it would be great if the tournament to honor the champ, had his number 1 disciple as a participant!"

Gohan blinked. "Sounds reasonable. Who's his number 1 disciple?"

The man sweat dropped. "Why… you are, of course."

"Oh. Oh yeah, Right!" Gohan couldn't believe that he had forgotten that he had pretended to be Hercules' disciple. "Wait, you want me to participate?"

"Of course! It'll be a sensation! An ushering in of the new era! What do ya say kid? I can guarantee you a spot in the final 16?"

Gohan hesitated. The last tournament hadn't exactly turned out too well. He did eventually get the prize money from X.S. Cash though, which really helped out with the bills and plenty of zeni left over for College. That being said, he didn't really need the prize money…

"I think it sounds like fun." Zangya stated, pulling Gohan out of his thoughts. "We could get all our friends to participate, it'll be a blast!"

"Say, that's a million dollar Idea! Sensational even! The gold fighter, Red Z girl and all their pals! A super powered palooza!" Piccolo glared at the man for his blatant commercialism and that curbed his enthusiasm quite a bit.

He changed his stare towards Gohan. "What do you think Gohan? it could be a great opportunity to fight different opponents. It's your call." Gohan was silent for a minute. Then he smiled. "Sure, it could be fun. We'll see if everyone else will join as well."

"Excellent!" The man handed the envelope to Gohan. "Inside are all the details you need to know. The tournament is in about a year. Thanks a ton kid! You won't regret this!" The man hopped back into his helicopter and took off.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Gohan asked no one in particular.

Break

Vegeta sweat from every pore as he struggled to complete his last few pushups. 500 times gravity had become the norm for him as he was trying to get back in shape and reclaim his place as the top Saiyan elite. His thoughts of Kakarot, Gohan and now Broly, spurred him to reach for heights that he had never before dreamt of. When Gohan told him of an upcoming tournament, he was more motivated than ever for his chance to prove himself. He would not be made a fool of anymore! He would show those low-class nobodies who their prince was! He would-"GYAAA!" Vegeta yelled in surprise as the gravity was turned off and he crashed into the ceiling, lodging himself into the metal panels.

"Grrr." He growled as he tried to dislodge himself. "Stupid, defective, piece of scrap metal!"

"How dare you call my machine defective!" Bulma chastised him while walking into the chamber, a young Trunks following behind. She looked up to see Vegeta stuck in the metalwork. "What are you doing up there?"

Vegeta seethed. "Well, maybe if someone hadn't suddenly turned the gravity off, THEN MAYBE I WOULDN'T BE LODGED ON THE F*** ING CEILING!" Trunks hid behind his mother's leg to avoid his father's rage.

Bulma on the other hand, was far too used to this attitude to pay it any mind. "Well, maybe if someone didn't spend every waking hour in here, then I wouldn't have to interrupt your precious training time."

Vegeta just growled in response. "Listen." Bulma continued. "I have some business at Capsule corps and My parents are off on vacation visiting Tights."

"Tights?" Vegeta asked.

"My sister. Anyway, you need to watch Trunks for a while."

Vegeta scowled. "Listen woman, I have important things to do, and I can't waste my time babysitting! Take him with you and keep him out of my way!"

Trunks looked down, feeling crushed by his father's rejection. Bulma saw this and snarled. "Listen Bud! He's YOUR son And YOU are going to spend some time with him!"

"You can't order me ar-"

"SHUTUP!" The look on her face silenced the arrogant prince. "Play catch, go to the park I don't care. But if I come back and you aren't spending some quality father son time with him, then I will personally see to it that your life is filled with endless misery. Now start acting like a man and take care of our son, or so help me, I will take your manhood away and you'll be the only male Saiyan who's lost both his tails! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!"

Vegeta gulped and nodded.

"Good." Bulma knelt down to talk to Trunks. "Ok, now mommy's going to work so you be good for daddy ok?" Trunks nodded and Bulma stood back up. "Oh yeah, I'm disabling the gravity controls so don't even think about using them while Trunks is in here." Then she walked out the door, leaving the entirety of the Saiyan royal line behind her.

Vegeta looked at Trunks and Trunks twiddled his fingers. "Tch, babysitting. Ridiculous! When I was your age, I was conquering planets. Just stay out of my way boy." Vegeta proceeded to ignore his son and continued his training, even without the gravity. He started out with some shadow sparring, throwing punches and kicks into the air like Kakarot himself were standing before him. It wasn't long after he started that he heard something, like a fist cutting through the air. But the sound wasn't coming from him. He looked around and was surprised to see trunks mirroring his movements. Vegetas eyes went wide but he shook his head. Of course, the boy was trying to train. He was a saiyan after all. He continued to warm up, this time he was fighting Gohan and his moves were quicker. Out of the corner of his eye he still saw his son, trying to move with the same intensity as his father. While his speed was nowhere close to Vegetas' level, his face held all the determination of the proud Saiyan race. Vegeta stopped throwing punches to observe his son.

Trunks didn't stop and he threw out punch after punch after kick. Each blow was made clumsily, but there was undeniable power behind each one. His form could use some work but those eyes… Vegeta Looked at those eyes and with a sudden pain, remembered a boy with those same eyes, laying in the dirt, with a hole in his chest.

"BOY!" Vegeta yelled and Trunks stopped suddenly.

"Ye-yes daddy?" He replied timidly.

"What are you doing!?" Vegetas' face was stern.

"I-I…"

"Your foot is too far forward." Vegeta continued as he knelt down and corrected his son's stance. "Your stance needs to be balanced, otherwise, you won't stand a chance." He stood back up after making the adjustments and then nodded. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Trunks nodded and continued his shadow sparring. "Hey, this feels a lot better."

"Of course, it does." Vegeta smirked. "Now, pay attention. I'm going to show you how we saiyans fight. HRAAHH!" Vegeta yelled and transformed into a super saiyan. Trunks' face filled with amazement. "Woooaah! AWESOME!"

Vegeta smirked. "Isn't it, though?"

Break

Master Roshi laid in his hammock with a girly magazine over his face. Nearby, Turtle and oolong were observing Krillin and 18s training. Krillin was having trouble keeping up with his new girlfriend and was constantly on the retreat. "Stand still and fight!" 18 yelled as another one of her blows missed. "What's the matter? I thought you wanted to train!?"

"You know, when you said my place or yours, this isn't what I thought you meant." Krillin said. Unluckily, this earned him a punch directly to the face. "Oowww." Krillin rubbed his non-existent nose. "You're the one who said they wanted to join the tournament." 18 reminded the midget. "I'm just helping you get up to scratch. Now get up, we aren't done." She stood over him and pushed her hair out of the way. Krillin stared up at her authoritative figure and couldn't help but think 'Man she's hot!' He got to his feet and dropped to his stance.

"Finally ready to get serious I see." 18 praised. "Let's see how long that lasts." She lunged at him and he dodged by a hair's breadth. But instead of moving back to create some distance, he got up closer, bringing them… not nose to nose but pretty much. This move surprised 18 and she had to pause for a split second. Luckily for Krillin, this was all he needed. "SOLAR FLARE!" he yelled.

"GAH!" 18 shouted and brought her hands to her eyes. "Krillin you-" Before she could finish her sentence, she felt herself falling on her back and a weight on top of her. When she regained her sight, she saw Krillin with a huge grin on his face, straddling her. "Hehehe. I got ya 18."

'Oh, wow he's cute.'

"Nice moves." She said while he held her wrists down.

"Thanks." Krillin replied while rubbing the back of his head. But the tables turned as she reversed his grip and flipped him over and now, she was the one straddling him. She leaned in closer to whisper in his ear. "I can't wait to show you some of my mine." She said seductively and Krillin became redder than a tomato.

"You two should really get a room." The couple looked up and saw Lapis floating over them, holding a pretty brunette girl in a sundress princess style.

18 and Krillin looked at each other, then at the position they were in. They scrambled back to their feet as Lapis and his girlfriend laughed at the embarrassed couple. Master Roshi chose this time to show his displeasure.

"Dagnabit! Why'd you have to come and spoil it!? They were about to get freaky on the beach!" Everyone stared at Master Roshi. While Krillin was used to this kind of thing, 18 didn't care for it one bit. Three seconds and a dozen goose eggs later, 18 was dusting off her hands and walking back to save Krillin, who was behaving more awkwardly than normal. "Hey, so what brings you here android 17, er, I mean Cyborg Lapis?"

"Oh, you know, just checking up to make sure you don't defile my sister." The male cyborg responded casually. "I got this new targeting system installed and I wanted to try it out."

Krillin started to panic when Isabella, Lapis' girlfriend, chimed in. "Oh, don't listen to him, he's only teasing. He's glad that his sister found a nice guy like you."

18 smiled. "Likewise. So, what are you really doing here? Come to train for the tournament?"

"Nah," Lapis replied. "I don't have time for that. We gotta get back to work."

"Well, look at you, being a responsible adult. She must have really gotten to you." 18 teased while nodding to Isabella.

"Heh, yeah. She did." Lapis said making Isabella swat his arm playfully and blush. "Anyway, we just came to say goodbye. We're heading back to our island. Work keeps us pretty busy but, hey, come visit us sometime."

"Yes, we would love the company, I love working with animals, but sometimes it just gets lonely out there."

"We'll think about it." 18 said with a smile. Then, with a nod, and no other shows of sibling affection, Lapis took his girlfriend in his arm and they took off.

Krillin looked at 18 as she watched her brother disappear into the distance. "You know, he's not such a bad guy when you get to know him." Krillin commented. 18 just nodded in agreement. "So, uh, now that he's gone…" The monk blushed and started twiddling his fingers. "Do you want to, you know, continue?"

18 looked at him oddly for a second and then smiled. "Absolutely." She whispered huskily. Krillin got excited until he saw her start to charge a ki blast in her palm and aimed it at Krillin who started to panic.

"Wait no, I meant the other thingIMEANTTHEOTHERTHING!"

*BOOOOOMMM*

Break

Gohan, Zangya and Piccolo where all off training on their own. They agreed to do so for two reasons. Firstly, they thought it would be less challenging if they came up against each other in the tournament and already knew all of eachothers moves. They didn't want it to be boring so, they didn't spar with each other like they normally would. The other reason was that, while he appreciated his friends for helping him with the training, Gohan was so far ahead of them that even with the multiform technique, it was getting too easy. He thought about asking Broly to spar with him but thought better of it. Who knows what damage they would do if they both got serious. Besides, Broly didn't want to participate in the tournament and Gohan didn't want to make him fight if he didn't want to. He knew what that felt like. Aside from all that, there were still some things that Gohan felt like he needed to do on his own.

The teenage Saiyan floated serenely in a secluded cave. In addition to his physical abilities, he wanted to strengthen his spirit. So, he meditated. He understood why Picollo was such a fan of this exercise. It was peaceful. Quiet. He felt at one with all of creation. As he felt the energy of the world around him, he also felt the energy flow through his own body. Both the light, and the dark.

"Hey." A familiar voice echoed in his mind. "Long time no breaking into a bloodthirsty rage." Instead of trying to ignore it, Gohan decided to respond. "Whatever it is you want, I promise you, you won't get it."

"Oh, we'll see about that. Do you think that you can keep me under control?"

"You are an extension of my power. I don't have to fear you."

"Tch, if you really believed that then you wouldn't be training so hard to keep me out."

"…"

"That's what I thought. But You're right about one thing. You don't have to fear me this time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gohan asked with a mixture of concern and curiosity.

"It means, I'm not the only demon lurking in the shadows."

Break

"WOW! Th-that's amazin' sweet pea! You're already flyin' and shootin' lasers! I bet nobody's gotten this far this fast!" Hercules' praise of his daughter was sincere. He had been training her in all that he knew about ki. Unlike him, she was a natural. She was floating on the first day. Soon she learned how to manipulate ki in other ways. It wasn't long at all before she was shooting power beam, albeit weak ones, and flying faster than her father. If it had been anyone else, he would have felt resentful, but for his daughter? He felt nothing but pride.

"Really!?" Videl replied enthusiastically. "Even the Gold fighter?"

Hercules' face dropped. "Erm. Uh, well…"

Videls smile changed into a scowl in record time. "Tch, whatever. It doesn't matter. I'll kick that blonde A-holes' Butt when I see him!" She pounded a fist into her hand. "How much longer do you think we need to train?" She asked her father.

"Um…" He had asked Piccolo the same question when he was training and the answer was, essentially, forever. "Well, how strong do you wanna get?"

"I don't wanna just beat the Gold fighter. I want to crush him!" She said viciously, causing Mr. Satan to jump. "So, I need to not just be stronger than the Gold fighter. I need to be even stronger than you!" Her look of determination melted into a smile and she started to laugh at her own words. "Oh, man, even stronger than you. Isn't that funny? I guess I got a little carried away. Nobody's stronger than my dad." She leaned into him and gave him a big hug.

Hercules' heart sank as he returned the embrace. He knew that one day, he would have to talk with her about this. He just hoped that it wouldn't be today. 'I gotta do it. no more lying. Especially not to her." He pushed her away gently. "Listen, Videl, we need to talk." He led her toward a fallen log and they both sat down.

"What do you want to talk about dad?"

Hercule took a deep breath. "Well, I think it's time you knew… You're already stronger than me."

Videl looked at him and then burst out laughing "OHAAAHAHAHAHAHA! Good one dad! Hehehehe!" she started to clutch her sides.

"Videl, I'm serious!" Mr. Satan cried, grabbing his daughters shoulders and looking her in the eyes. "You got more talent than I ever did, and you're only a teenager. The truth is you surpassed me a while ago."

"Wait, you're serious?" Videl was stunned. Had she really surpassed her father? "YES!" She jumped up and started to fly around in circles. "YESYESYESYESYEEESSS!"

"Videl."

"Do you know what this means daddy!?" I'm the strongest person in the world!"

"Videl, there's…"

"Look out Gold fighter, here I come!"

"VIDEL!" Her fathers' stern tone finally caught her attention.

"Sheesh dad, no need to shout."

"I'm sorry, but there's more." Videl was curious so she sat back down.

"I'm not the strongest person on the planet." Hercule admitted.

Videl seemed to misunderstand. "Well, yeah, not anymore." She teased with a grin.

"No, I mean, I never was. There are dozens, maybe hundreds of guys even stronger than I am."

Videl was shocked. What was her father saying? "D-dad, c'mon, Humility's great but…"

"I'm not being humble. Sure, I'm a tough guy, but I aint nothin' compared to the real fighters out there."

"B-but you beat Cell! You beat the aliens at the intergalactic tournament. You can fly!"

Hercule hung his head in shame. "I never beat Cell."

"What? Of course you did, everyone heard you…"

"Everyone heard me lie and take the credit away from the real heroes. I didn't beat Cell. I never even fought the aliens at the tournament. I only learned how to fly recently." He looked back up at his daughter. "It's something I learned from a friend of the Gold fighter. That kid is the one who's been saving the earth all those times, not me. I couldn't even come close to the kind of man he is, and he's just a kid."

Videl couldn't believe her ears. "Y-you… You lied to me. Why would you lie to me?"

"Videl, I am so sorry…"

"No… That's not possible. It's a trick! Yeah, a trick! Just like you always said!"

"No Videl, I-"

"He must've brainwashed you or something! Yeah. He made you think he did all those things!" Videl was getting more hysterical by the second. "And then, and then when you died, he would take over and everyone would think he was the big hero. That he was your successor instead of me!"

Hercule looked with concern at his daughter. "Honey stop it. I'm tellin you…" he reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but she slapped it away.

"Don't worry dad, I'll fix this, just you watch!" Videl stood up and ran away as fast as she could. Hercule saw her go but he didn't follow. "She just needs a little time. I dropped that all so suddenly. Goh, I can't believe It! Why didn't I just LIE!?" Suddenly, he felt a powerful energy that sent chills down his spine. He wasn't very adept at sensing energy, but something this close? Even he could sense it and he felt the power in the direction that Videl had just ran off in. "VIDEL! COME BACK!"

As Videl ran, she heard a voice in her head. "Yes, that's right. Come to me my dear." The Voice was high and nasally and downright creepy, but in her distressed state, she just couldn't help but follow it. "Only I can give you the power you seek. Do not be afraid. Just give yourself to me." Videl suddenly felt a pain in her head and she dropped to her knees. "GAHH!" Her hands went up to her head, clutching it in agony. "Yes, only I can give you the power to crush your enemies. Only I can help you overcome this "Gold fighter."

Hercule finally caught up to see his beloved daughter on her knees in pain. "Videl! Sweet pea! Speak to me!"

"GRYEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The teen let out a shriek of agony as a light erupted from her, literally blowing her father away. Hercule steadied himself in the air as he witnessed violent energy swirling around Videl. When the energy finally settled down, he could see his daughter still kneeling. She appeared to be unharmed, but that didn't settle his nerves. He started to fly toward her but before he reached her, two figures landed in front of her. A short green frog man thing and what looked like the devil himself.

"Well, well. You are rather a nice find." The green man giggled out. "Tell me my dear, what is your name?"

"Satan. Videl Satan." This caused the short one to laugh uncontrollably. "AHAHAHA! OH MY! How Marvelous! Isn't it Dabura? Such a perfect fit! Now I have two devils to do my bidding!" He stopped laughing and coughed. "Who do you serve, Videl Satan?"

"Only you, Master Babidi."

A wicked crossed Babidis features. "Good. Now rise my minion."

Hercule had watched this all happen in shock and horror. What did they do to his little girl? "HEY YOU!" He finally shouted out. "GET AWAY FROM MY VIDEL!" Hercule charged towards the pair only for Videl to suddenly appear before him, blocking his path and shocking him even further. She had never moved that fast. For the first time, he noticed a stylized M on her forehead as well as the eyes of a killer. "V-Videl? It's me? You're daddy." The distraught man tried to reason with his daughter, but she made no response. "Come on, let's just get out of here. We'll get rid of that tattoo and…"

"What shall I do with him Master Babidi?" Videl spoke for the first time and, to her father's horror, it was not her normal boisterous voice. It was cold and unfamiliar. Like he was worse than a stranger to her.

Babidi delighted in the confused look of Hercule and with a dark chuckle he said, "Dispose of him."

"What! She would never…"

"As you wish, master." Before Hercule knew what hit him, Videl kicked him hard in the jaw sending him flying. She pursued and punched him, using both fists and drove him into the ground. Hercule coughed up blood as his vision went fuzzy. "V-Videl. Don't you know me?" He said weakly. She stood over him with a confused look. "Videl, I love you. Don't let him control you." Videl knelt down and offered a hand to her fallen father. He smiled at her. "I knew you'd come back to your senses." He reached up to take her hand, but rather than grabbing his hand, she lunged forward and picked him up, gripping his throat. Hercule grasped at her hands and gasped for air. "V-Videl" *cough* "Don't do this." Videl reeled her arm back and tossed her father high into the sky. Hercule smashed into a rock formation and it crumbled on impact, stones falling all around and on top of him. Videl turned around to address her new master. "The deed is done master Babidi."

"Oh, well done you little savage you! Come, come! We have much to prepare."

Dabura looked at the pile of rocks that Hercule was buried beneath and smirked. He and Babidi floated upwards, while Videl looked behind her. "I'm coming for you Son Gohan."

End chapter

Some of you may be asking. "Are you just going to kill Hercule in every arc?" To that I answer, Psh, no! This is Hercule we're talking about not Yamcha. Wait… which one's worse?

Anyway, let me know your thoughts in the reviews.