Dragon Ball Z Dynasty

by Feraligreater328

When travelling along Snake Way, Son Goku suddenly finds himself plummeting down to Hell. There, he meets a surprisingly familiar ghost from his past that promises to change everything about his life going forward. How will the Saiyan react to this sudden, positive change in his life? Find out in Dragon Ball Z Dynasty.

155. Chapter 153: Prom Night, Pt 2

Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Written by: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

Chapter 153: Prom Night, Pt. 2

The Temple of the New Crane School…

A heart emoji appeared on the screen beneath a picture of Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu. Beneath it, a text bubble popped up as the person on the other end typed.

Foxheart1852: sup qt?

MifanKing: heyyy

Foxheart1852: lookin thru your prof

Foxheart1852: like what i see

Foxheart1852: 3

MifanKing: thnx

MifanKing: how u doin 2nite

Foxheart1852: doin good

Foxheart1852: lonely

Foxheart1852: hint hint

MifanKing: okay

MifanKing: dinner?

Foxheart1852: so forward

Foxheart1852: i love men who are forward

Foxheart1852: id love to do dinner, as long as those three eyes are all on me

MifanKing: oh!

MifanKing: this is awkward

Foxheart1852: awkward?

MifanKing: im not the one with three eyes

MifanKing: thats my best friend

MifanKing: im the shorter one with the white skin

Foxheart1852: ew

Foxheart1852: arent you a child?

Foxheart1852: creep

Foxheart1852: reported and blocked

MifanKing: wait please dont report me!

MESSAGE FAILED TO SEND.

ACCOUNT HAS BEEN LOCKED WHILE INVESTIGATION TAKES PLACE.

TO DISPUTE THIS MATTER, PLEASE CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK TO REACH OUT TO CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Chiaotzu growled in frustration and tossed his phone onto the couch. "Damn it! That's the fourth account this month! Argh!"

Slumping down onto the couch, the shorter martial artist sighed and turned on the television. As he flipped through channels, he groaned to himself. "Maybe I'm meant to be lonely?"

He sighed. "At least I'm never lonely when Tien is awake..."

As he wished he had a relationship with someone else and deeper than with his best friend, Chiaotzu turned to look into the room adjacent to his and Tien's den. He stared sadly at his long slumbering friend. Tien had been out for over nearly 6 months at this point, off on whatever adventure King Kai had whisked them away on. When Tien began growing a beard, Chiaotzu kept considering shaving it off. But that would just be weird.

Looking back at the TV, Chiaotzu continued to channel flip. "Would it kill them to put something interesting on? Just back-to-back sitcoms! Why can't there be something good? I miss event television. Like The Stand or Who Shot Mr. Burns or The Day of the Doctor or-"

A flash of pink caught Chiaotzu's eye and he stopped clicking. It only took him a second to fully absorb what he was looking at. It was Master Tao Pai Pai and Master Shen. And between them was some poor young girl all bound up in rope. Shen spoke in that wretched, raspy voice of his. "Let it be known that this is the official comeback of the Crane School of Martial Arts! The public's fear and respect for us has dropped, but shall be reborn afresh after Tao slaughters that fool, Mr. Satan!"

Chiaotzu gripped the remote so hard it shattered in his hand. "Son of a..."

He stood and ran to the door, yanking it open and pointing to the first New Crane disciple he spotted. "Zenitsu! Watch Tien! I'll be back!"

The disciple turned, shocked at the unchecked fury in Chiaotzu's voice. Before he could utter a response, Chiaotzu took off through the sky, flying as fast as he could.

Mt. Paozu, Gine's House…

Gine, Chi-Chi, and Blonde Launch all sat on Gine's couch, tears sparkling in their eyes and glasses of wine gripped in their hands as Urusei Shinichi and Marusame Wataru each drew their blades. Slumbering peacefully, Goten and Chika laid curled up in their grandmother's and mother's lap respectively. On the screen, Princess Kiyoko gracefully kneeled under the peach tree in the middle, tears flowing afresh from her own eyes. Why in heaven did it have to come to this?

Shinichi spoke in an even, but deeply miserable voice. "You are my brother, Wataru."

Wataru snarled, his hands shaking on the hilt of his blade. "I have no brother. Not anymore! Any man who would stand between me and my beloved must taste the bite of my father's blade!"

Shinichi gripped the hilt of his blade tightly. "I swore myself to Kiyoko when our marriage was arranged. There will be nothing to stay my attack. Once more, Wataru, I bid thee yield!"

Wataru squeezed his eyes shut, a single tear streaking down his cheek. "All of this. The wicked lords we've vanquished, the bandits we've slain, the good memories we've made along the way-"

Shinichi's voice broke. "Rendered in twain in a single, bloody stroke!"

The two warriors charged. Shinichi cried. "WATARU!"

Wataru howled. "SHINICHI!"

Their blades came crashing down toward one another, and then-

The image cut and a Z-TV anchor quickly replaced it. "We interrupt this broadcast of the series finale of Samurai of Olde: Brother-Brother to bring you this breaking news story!"

Blonde Launch's face turned crimson and she smashed her wine stem against the floor. "ARE YOU FUCKIN' KIDDING ME?!"

Chi-Chi flinched. "L-Launch! Don't shout like that. Goten and Chika are both sleeping."

Gently placing Goten on Chi-Chi's lap to not wake her grandson up, Gine knelt over and began to gather up the broken glass. "It'll be okay. I'm sure the broadcast will pick up right where it was cut off. We just have to be patient."

Blonde Launch rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, pouting. Chi-Chi looked at the TV and frowned. "Oh dear. A hostage situation in Satan City? I swear, if Orange Star didn't come so highly rated, I would never let Gohan near that wretched hellhole..."

Gine looked up. "Satan City isn't that bad. What you see on the news... is..."

Gine's blood ran cold as she saw a familiar photo flash across the screen. Chi-Chi and Launch both gasped. Of course, Gine recognized the photo because she herself was in it, standing next to her classroom full of youngsters at that year's kindergarten commencement ceremony. The news anchor on screen dispassionately read off names. "... the following students from Hope's Peak Academy: Makoto Naegi, Leon Kuwada, Saiyaka Maizono, Chihiro Fujisaki, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Mondo Owada..."

Finally, Blonde Launch managed to speak. "Hey, Moms, ain't those your-"

There was a brief flash of gold followed by a loud, splintering crack. Blonde Launch and Chi-Chi both looked up to Gine's ceiling and caught a lovely, crystal-clear view of the night sky above. Chi-Chi frowned. "Should we contact Raditz to help?"

Blonde Launch grabbed a couple brooms and handed one to Chi-Chi. "To help who? Cuz seriously, I don't think Moms is the one we gotta worry about."

Chi-Chi nodded as she began sweeping with Blonde Launch. "Hope it doesn't rain tonight..."

Blonde Launch crossed her arms. "I'll have to get Raditz to fix this tomorrow morning..."

Mr. Satan's House…

The image on the television was paused on poor Videl, bound up tight to a steel beam. There was blood running from the wound on her shoulder, what remained of the stitches hanging limply against the tatters of Videl's prom dress. Hiki Komori was almost hyperventilating, her unwavering, watery gaze stuck on this poor girl who she had known for over half a decade. A sob broke from between her quivering lips. "... Videl."

Mark's hands were gripped on the armrests of his chair. Not only was he absolutely furious at the sight of his little girl in such a state, but he was also terrified at the sight of the pastel pink ghoul next to her. Why in the hell was Tao Pai Pai, of all people, rearing his ugly head again?!

Mark shuddered at the memory of his master, Di-Emna, hanging limply and lifelessly from the iron grip of that monster. He scowled and thought to himself. 'My full training. My sibling disciples. My master. My fond memories. That m-m-monster took it all from me.'

In most situations like these, Mark's immediate thought would have been to turn and run. He wasn't hot-blooded, not anymore. And the miserable experiences of life had taught him just how fragile people could be. Mark looked at his family portrait hanging over the fireplace, looking from himself to baby Videl to the beaming face of Miguel. He looked from that image and back to the image on-screen of his unconscious daughter slumped there, looking just as limp and lifeless as Master Di-Enma.

Then he rose up. "Hiki..."

Hiki turned to Mark. "Sir?"

Mr. Satan stared at the TV screen, his gaze one of utter fury directed at the smug, robotic face of Tao. "Go start the car."

Orange Star High School…

Gohan, Erasa, Sharpner, and Stencil all stared down at Erasa's phone screen in silent horror. No matter how much each of them wished it, the image didn't change. There was Videl, helpless in the clutches of some robotic monsters. Immediately, Erasa began to tremble, pressing both hands over her mouth and stifling back sobs as best she could.

Stencil gently wrapped his arms around her. "It's gonna be okay, hon. It'll be okay."

Gohan, meanwhile, was boiling with rage. Simultaneously, he felt the urge to burst into Super Saiyan and to let a much more sinister power erupt out. He shook his head, shoving both Super Saiyan and Cumber down as far as they would go as he stood up and immediately headed toward the door. Sharpner's eyes widened and he followed. "G-Gohan! Wait a minute!"

Sharpner caught up to Gohan right at the door. "Gohan! Stop! What are you-"

On reflex, possibly not even noticing Sharpner, Gohan shoved his friend aside and sent him crashing into Monty Cash. Then he continued his march out into the warm, night air. Sharpner called after him. "Gohan! Don't do anything crazy!"

Before Sharpner could get up to give chase again, Erasa ran right past him to chase down Gohan herself.

Outside of the gym…

Erasa rapidly looked around, trying to catch even a brief glimpse of Gohan before he ran off and got himself into even worse trouble than Videl was in. She cried out, her voice desperate. "GOHAN!"

No response. Erasa began to hyperventilate. What was she going to do?! It was bad enough that Videl was in such a tough scrape, but if Gohan were to join her. Then what would she do?! What could she do?! What?! WHAT?!

A hollow, plastic clatter caught Erasa's ear and she turned just in time to see the Great Saiyaman taking off toward downtown Satan City. Erasa walked over to the source of the noise, watching Saiyaman become smaller and smaller on the horizon. "Saiyaman? What is he doing out here...?"

Erasa bent down and picked up the plastic object, an empty bottle of cranberry juice. "...this is the same brand that Videl drinks."

The gears began to turn in Erasa's head. She remembered Hiki offering Gohan a drink back at Videl's house. And this bottle fell out of the sky as Saiyaman went flying off. So, what would that mean...?

Erasa turned the bottle over in her hand and then her eyes went wide. "Oh my god, I'm so stupid."

Then, without missing a beat, Erasa turned and ran back toward the gym, screaming at the top of her lungs. "SHARPNER!"

At the Satan Agency construction site…

Videl groaned as reality hazily came back into view. She heard some mumbling and a door outside of her field of view latching open and then shutting again. She moaned and, soon after that, all the pain came flooding back over her all at once. Seemingly, it came from everywhere. Her head was throbbing, her eyes were burning, her ribs felt hot and terribly tender, her shoulder was in so much pain she almost couldn't feel it, and her wrists felt both achy and raw. Had she been hit by a truck?

Videl grimaced. "Nope. Just all your stupid crime fighting crap jumping right back in your face..."

Videl looked around, her eyes adjusting to the semi-dark. She was in a bathroom. Most likely an executive washroom meant for employees of higher prominence. There were several toilets housed in half-constructed stalls, a spot drawn out on the wall to show where they were to put a combination of wall-attached waste receptacles, paper towel holders, and one of those noisy hand-drying gizmos. Videl looked to her left, a sink. Her right, another sink. Then she looked up and saw her hands, held tightly together by a pair of police-grade steel handcuffs, and the lighting sconce they were wrapped around.

Videl gave the cuffs a tug and sighed. "Not breaking those quite as easily..."

Though she did make note that the lighting sconce itself might be a more giving target. Before Videl could move on that thought, however, the door to her right opened and she saw two familiar faces cast in shadow. She smirked. "Oh, hey! How's your nuts?"

The larger of the two thugs that she had initially surrendered to started to charge, but the smaller one held him back. "Hey! Calm down! We don't wanna waste our private time with the stuck-up little princess~"

Videl rolled her eyes. "You dipshits seem like the type of people who normally pay to be in the presence of a woman, so where's my money?"

The little one scowled, the "M" on his forehead dully glowing. "You know, we all want you dead. But that robot freak that Master Babidi put in charge says we can't kill ya. Even though you embarrassed us, he said that you need to be alive right up until we're finished with ya!"

Videl was unmoved "And? What's your point?"

The shorter goon smiled a greasy, uneven smile. "My point, bitch, is that alive and maimed are two very different things~"

Videl snorted. "You read that one in a book?"

He sneered. "No, I-"

Videl smiled. "Course not, you probably can't read, huh?"

There was a cold silence. Then, the shorter goon smiled and pulled out a handheld blowtorch. Adjusting the nozzle, the torch was sparked to life and a sickening, blue flame lit up the tight space. "Guess we'll have that in common in a sec~"

Taken aback, Videl flinched. Both goons chuckled and stalked closer. The taller one snarled. "You're the one who said we should blind ya, 'member? We decided to take ya up on your generous offer~"

Roughly, the shorter goon grabbed Videl by the jaw and jerked her head to the side.

The bigger one's smile slightly faltered. "H-Hey man, you think this is really a good idea? W-Won't that Tao guy kill us for this...?"

The shorter one turned to his colleague. "I don't give a shit! I'm taking this stuck-up little bitch's eyes! I'm gonna burn 'em right out!"

Watching the two of them argue, Videl closed her eyes and gave a long, deep sigh. "God this is tiring. My shoulder and head are killing me..."

They both turned to her. The shorter one adopted an even more hateful grin. "Well, that's-"

With a heavy crack and a dry-sounding rip, the shorter goon was immediately felled by a wall sconce and a set of police-grade handcuffs smashing into the back of his skull. Both he and the blowtorch hit the ground with a heavy thump. The larger goon gasped and flinched, Videl glared and punted the still sizzling blowtorch into his face. The hulking brute screeched and batted the blowtorch away, pressing his hands to a searing burn mark slashing across his nose. Videl wasted no time, charging forward and leaping into the air, kicking the thug across the jaw and sending him smashing into a nearby sink. The sink shattered and the thug landed in a heap, totally unconscious.

Videl grabbed the blowtorch from the ground and turned the jetting blue flame to the steel keeping her hands bound. It took a couple minutes, but soon the metal was weak enough for her to pull them apart with a mighty snap. Videl turned and looked at herself in the mirror, groaning at just how wretched she looked. She walked up to an unbroken sink and turned the cold-water handle, staring wearily as no water came dribbling from the spout. "... I suppose a drink was too much to expect."

Cracking her neck, Videl turned toward the bathroom door and half-strode, half-limped out. Upon opening the outer door, Videl rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. "Welp..."

Every goon that she had delivered a beating to on the way to this point was staring right at her. For just a moment, there were looks of surprise. But now, it was burning hatred. Several of them stood up, taking a break from nursing their wounds.

Videl cracked her knuckles and glared at them all. "Round Two?!"

The thugs all started to charge, but then the wall behind them exploded. A huge plume of dust filled the room and Videl shielded her eyes, hearing screams of outrage and cries of pain as bodies thudded and flopped to the floor. The dust slowly settled and Videl squinted, seeing a flash of green. Once her view was clear, Videl gasped. Standing amid a huge pile of unconscious goons was the heroic silhouette of the Great Saiyaman.

Videl was too tired to be angry. "Y-You...?"

And then Saiyaman was on her. "Videl! Thank God! Are you okay?!"

He gently placed his hands on both of her shoulders. Videl was dumbfounded. The voice she was hearing wasn't the usual Saiyaman shtick, this person fretting over her with a nervous waver and a desperate tone was undoubtedly Son Gohan. She mumbled to herself. "... Damn it. It was so obvious..."

Saiyaman leaned in closer. "What's going on?! Are you okay?!"

Videl started to speak. "Go-"

Then she stopped herself. This was not the time to confront this. Saiyaman flinched, but Videl quickly adjusted herself. "Go... upstairs. The hostages must be upstairs. They wouldn't take them closer to the cops."

Saiyaman nodded, reaching down to Videl's wrists and, with no effort, tearing the stiff metal away and dropping it to the floor. Nothing else seemed to be on his mind, he gently squeezed both of her hands into his and asked in a soft, vulnerable voice. "Are you sure you're okay?"

All at once, Videl was overcome. She almost burst into tears right then, right there. A lump built up in her throat the size of a grapefruit, but she swallowed it back down with a small sob. "I'm fine. We have to hurry. The kids, Saiyaman. Those monsters still have those kids. We gotta save them."

Saiyaman nodded. "Right. You get out of here and get some medical treatment. I'll take care of this."

Videl shook her head. "Hell no. That's Tao Pai Pai. He was one of the Famous Eight from the 23rd Tournament. He's next level and you need backup!"

Saiyaman's voice hardened. "I'm well-aware of who that monster is."

Videl nodded. "Good. Then drop it about me leaving. We're finishing this together. I know it's reckless with my bad shoulder, but those kids were kidnapped to lure me here. I refuse to leave until they're safe."

The angry look slipped from Saiyaman's lips and he gave a genuine smile. "You really are amazing, Videl."

Videl smiled back. "I'll have to introduce you to my super-cool boyfriend, sometime~"

Saiyaman then stepped forward and grabbed Videl's bad arm. She winced at this. "What are you doing?"

Saiyaman didn't let go. "Don't worry. This'll help."

As the superhero began poking his index and middle finger into multiple spots about Videl's shoulder, she winced harder. She was about to complain, but soon enough, Saiyaman finished his efforts.

Saiyaman backed up. "Feel better?"

Videl blinked as she realized how much the pain had let up. She flexed her arm and twisted it about, noticing it was much smoother now. "Yeah! The hell did you do?"

Saiyaman smiled. "A friend of mine named Tien taught me quite a bit about pressure points. I struck the key areas to improve your energy flow. It's not the same as being healed, but your arm should be less of a hindrance for you now."

Videl smiled. "Thanks. Now let's get to work."

The two of them turned to the stairwells. It was back to business. Videl glared. "They gotta be upstairs. Which means they could be at the top of either tower. We're each going to have to explore one to save time."

Saiyaman was still for a moment longer. He regarded Videl in the moonlight, the blood trickling down her head combined with the almost traumatic haircut was enough to make him wince, but the furious indignation on her face as she stared up in the direction of villains like Tao made all of that seem inconsequential.

She was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.

Saiyaman nodded. "Fine. I agree. But you don't try to fight Tao or Shen in your condition, okay? You're tough, but you're also very badly injured, Videl. And I would never be able to live with myself if you died."

As Saiyaman stepped up next to her, Videl smiled and offered him a fist bump. He returned it and the promise was sealed: both of them were making it out of this evening alive. And then, Videl sprinted off toward the Eastern Tower. She knelt over and grabbed a saw, jumping into the elevator shaft and grabbing on the cable. She cut the other side and shot into the air as the weight of the elevator car crashed down. "RACE YOU TO THE TOP!"

Saiyaman chuckled. "She's crazy~"

He then sprinted into the stairwell of the Western Tower and shot up the floors like a bolt of lightning.

Down below, with the police…

Mr. Satan's car screeched to a halt and he was out the door before Hiki even shifted it into park. Akai Tomato flinched, hearing marching footsteps approaching her from behind. She turned just in time for a burly fist to wrap around her shirt collar and yank her into the air.

Her officers all reached from their firearms, but Mr. Satan didn't seem to notice or care. He sneered. "I'll have your job and your ass for this, Tomato! You hear me?! JOB AND ASS!"

Tomato waved her men off. "Take them both. But wait until we get all of this resolved."

The two of them stared each other in the eye for a long, long minute. Then Mr. Satan dropped Tomato and turned to the building. He was already decked out in his gi and well warmed up. Mr. Satan cracked his knuckles. "I'm goin' in there and I ain't comin' out until I got my baby safe in my arms! Your men can follow or they can gawk out here, I don't care!"

The police all flinched, but then they looked at each other and nodded. Mr. Satan was here. With him leading the charge, they'd be able to get those kids out without any of them getting hurt. The officers all lined up behind Mr. Satan and prepared to follow his lead, but then one of them looked up into the air and gasped. "What the hell is that?!"

Everyone, including Mr. Satan looked up to the sky and the world champ gasped in shock. "Oh... my god. How many ghosts are gonna haunt me today?!"

All of the people on the ground stared in awe as a sharp twinkle quickly became a golden streak, the same shimmering gold that Mr. Satan recognized from the Cell Games. And that golden streak was crashing right down toward the Western Tower.

Mr. Satan did not have long to reflect on this, however. Tomato's voice cut into his thoughts like a hot knife as she cried out. "HERE THEY COME!"

Mr. Satan refocused in time to see an army of criminal scum rushing out the front door of the building. Readopting his fierce glare, Mr. Satan motioned to the officers behind him. "Don't let any of these bastards get away!"

At the top of the Eastern Tower…

With a heavy thud, the thinner metal doors of the service elevator bulged out. Then, with a second thud, they came flying out and crashed into the wall. Videl sighed and stepped out from the elevator shaft, taking a weary look around and then beginning her search. It did not take long to search the top floor, as only a couple of rooms had even begun to be zoned out.

Soon enough, Videl found herself standing in the middle of a large, empty chamber full of power tools and construction materials. No kids. "Shit."

She took a deep breath. "Either they're being stored lower... doubtful. Or..."

Videl peered over to the Western Tower, regarding its mirror-reflective windows with an annoyed tick. "Damned modern architecture. If only..."

As if she was finally heard by the gods above, a small cloud rolled in and blocked the moonlight shining on the Western Tower for just a moment. It didn't give her a clear view, but it allowed her to observe the silhouettes hiding within the other tower. A small mass of tiny shadows with a taller shadow looming over them. Videl shook her head. "Yup. Wrong side. Damn!"

Videl turned and ran for the stairs. "Gotta hurry. Gotta go help Gohan!"

She went down the stairwell like a lightning bolt, taking them two at a time with the sure-footedness of a girl who had lost much less blood. In her haste, however, Videl had just missed the extraordinary sight of a golden comet shooting toward the side of the Western Tower.

At the top of the Western Tower…

Shen chuckled as he peered down through the reflective windows of his looming perch. "There he is, Tao! Mr. Satan! Once he comes up here, we can steal his precious energy and deliver it to Master Babidi~! Just think how truly our benefactor will be pleased with the raw power of the man who vanquished Cell~"

Tao scoffed. "Small potatoes. Once we deliver the power from that gibbering, Satan School chimp, I'm sure the master will grant us even greater strength. Then we can hunt even greater prey: Tien Shinhan and Son Goku!

The two wicked men shared a hearty laugh, drunk on the thought of further power being handed to them. As their screeching laughter echoed off the walls, their infantile hostages huddled together and sobbed. It had been a long day, and an even longer night. They were exhausted and scared and even the thought of Mr. Satan racing up to rescue them didn't set them at ease.

The children cried until one of them caught a glimmer out of the corner of his eye. He turned and the tears immediately dispelled, a broad grin stretching across his face. "MS. GINE!"

Tao and Shen both turned just in time for the glass of the far windows to explode inward, flying over the heads of the smaller children and of the insectile Shen and crashing right into Tao. Tao snarled. Shen cried out. "What the hell?! Who dares attack us so flippantly?!"

A massive roar, in a distinctly female voice answered back. "A KINDERGARTEN TEACHER!"

Tao charged forward before the dust had a chance to settle. Five deadly knives slid from the tips of his fingers and he drew them back for a furious swipe, but a much faster foot struck out from the haze and smashed into Tao's gut first. The mechanical martial artists went flying back and smashed into a wall and the resulting shockwave blew away the dust, revealing a crowd of now freed kindergarteners and a slender woman glowing an ethereal gold.

Gine grinded her teeth and her aura flared, making the entire building subtly shake. Behind her, her students cheered and celebrated. Some were smiling from ear-to-ear and others were weeping with relief that their true hero was here.

Tao shakily stood. "A woman?! Any last words?!"

Gine responded, mostly ignoring him. "Those are pretty pathetic last words given everything my son and Tien have ever told me about you. Normally, I'm a pacifist. And I certainly don't want to show these students of mine the wrong thing, but I think it might do the Earth a lot of good if I were to vaporize you... Saiyan Incursion style!"

The kids cheered. "YEAH, MS. GINE! GO, MS. GINE! KICK THAT UGLY MONSTER'S BUTT!"

Tao took on a fighting stance. Gine didn't back down, taking a stance of her own. The two of them were sizing each other up. Gine was more than confident she could humble this fool with ease. Right as they were about to charge at one another, however, Saiyaman suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs.

Saiyaman looked from Tao and Shen, to his grandmother, to the now former hostages, and then back to Gine. "GRANDMA?! What are you doing here?!"

Gine stared at Saiyaman, completely forgetting her previous rage at the sight of her grandson. Quickly, her emotions switched direction as did her absolute best to stifle back a laugh at her grandson's ridiculous outfit. With heroic strength, she managed to swallow it down to the very last giggle and then sighed. "Well, kids, looks like you don't get to see your teacher throw down now. A real superhero is here!"

Gine's Super Saiyan aura dispersed and her hair went back to its normal, ebony black. She shook her head and the few hints of gray shone in the moonlight. "Let's all give the Great Saiyaman a great, big cheer!"

The kids all cried out in unison. "YEAH! SAIYAMAN! SAIYAMAN! SAIYAMAN!"

Gine nodded at Saiyaman with a smile, and then turned back to her young charges. "Now, while the big boys fight, let's get out of here! You kids are all out way past curfew!"

A vein bulged from Tao's head. "You damned wench! I WILL NOT BE IGNORED!"

Tao leapt into the air and tried to swing his claws once more. Gine didn't even bother to turn and look, merely smiling as Saiyaman intercepted Tao and sent him crashing into the ceiling with a heavy palm smash.

Gine chuckled. "Thank you, Great Saiyaman~"

The superhero blushed. "Y-Yeah! Y-You're welcome, Gran... citizen!"

Gine could do nothing to stifle her chuckle that time, blowing a small raspberry with her lips and then shaking her head as she quickly snapped the ropes binding each of her students' hands. She raised her hand up to the hole she made crashing in and then blasted it to be even wider with a small Kiai. "Everyone join hands! Come on! Lunch Line formation!"

The children obeyed and, once they were all locked hand-in-hand, Gine grabbed onto the line leader and sent a small pulse of her Ki through the whole class, linking them tightly together. Taking to the air, Gine lifted all the kids out of the window and then gently started floating down toward the ground, using the Western Tower to hide their descent from the onlooking police officers.

Watching his hostages and the main target of his fury escape, Tao stood up like a bolt and began to scream at his brother. "SHEN! DID YOUR SPIDER SUIT LOCK UP?! WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE?!"

In truth, Shen was so totally dumbfounded by what was playing out in front of him that he had totally forgotten what he was doing. But he quickly managed to recompose himself and snapped right back at his younger sibling. "Forget the women and children! Let us instead focus on dealing with the helmeted freak that's attempting to oppose us!"

Both the wicked Cranes locked their cruel gazes onto Saiyaman. Underneath his helmet, Gohan's eyes blazed with fury. He had suffered quite enough from these two. "I'm going to make sure you two don't do anything like this ever again! You're both going down at the same time!"

Both mechanical martial artists leapt at Saiyaman with animal-like screams. The superhero shook his head. "Just give it up!"

He dodged a stabbing strike from Shen's spider-like legs and caught Tao's wrist. "Your cybernetic parts look like you cobbled them together from the nearest dumpster! They won't help you! Surrender! NOW!"

Tao sneered. "It's not our mechanical enhancements you need fear, boy!"

The pink-clad mercenary snatched his wrist from Saiyaman's grip, leaping back and then lunging forward again in the blink of an eye. He lashed out with an air-snapping kick and Saiyaman lifted his own leg to block. The force of Tao's strike actually caught the disguised teenager off guard and he went sliding back. Shen didn't allow a moment for counterattack, skittering across the ceiling at top speed and stopping right above Saiyaman. Shen opened his mouth wide, and his tongue exploded into some kind of metal appendage. The writhing metal slug began to glow a bright rainbow of colors and fired off a massive beam of energy.

Saiyaman feinted to one side, gasping in shock at the beam sliced through the red fabric of his cape. He looked at Shen, confused. "That's new! From everything I've ever been told, a beam that powerful seems like it wouldn't be in your wheelhouse!"

Shen grinned. Behind Saiyaman, Tao cried out. "SUPER DODON RAY!"

Without thinking, Saiyaman held up one hand to block the oncoming attack, gasping once again as the sheer power of the beam incinerated his glove. Moving quickly, Saiyaman brought up his free hand as a fist and volleyball served the beam directly upward through the ceiling and roof and into the night sky.

Saiyaman snatched the burning fabric off his hand and tossed it aside. "What the hell is going on here? Since when do you two bozos have this kind of power? Neither of you have been threats of this caliber even before I was born!"

Tao smiled wide. "The benefits of joining a great, new order! As we rise through the ranks, even this power will seem little more than paltry showboating!"

The mercenary launched forward and brought down a heavy chop toward Saiyaman's shoulder. Saiyaman leapt back and watched as Tao's attack cratered the floor beneath him. Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Saiyaman turned and just barely avoided a barrage of Ki bolts from Shen.

The disembodied head cackled. "Did you enjoy my Dodon Gattling Gun?!"

Saiyaman sneered and immediately vanished from sight, appearing right behind the dumbfounded Shen and kicking him hard enough that his spider-like carapace cracked. Saiyaman attempted to follow up with a second strike, only for Tao to rush in and punch him in the mouth. Gohan went flying back and landed hard on his feet a small distance away. He could taste blood in his mouth.

For one small moment, Gohan could feel his tail hairs go up and he almost went Super Saiyan right then and there. But then, he remembered how even Gine's power had made the building shake. "No. I can't. I'd end up bringing this entire cheaply constructed heap down on my own head..."

Tao rushed in again, tossing multiple punches and kicks that the now more-focused Saiyaman was able to effortlessly dodge. As a misaimed fist went flying over his head, Gohan responded with a hefty punch of his own that left a massive dent on the center of Tao's torso. The mercenary opened his robo-skeletal mouth as if to gag, but then fired a cheap Dodon Ray from his throat and right down onto Saiyaman's head. Saiyaman took the brunt of the initial blast but managed to duck out of the way before eating the full force of the beam. His helmet was singed, but otherwise unharmed.

Saiyaman tackled Tao's legs, lifting the cybernetic fighter into the air and then slamming him into the floor.

Watching his younger brother get manhandled, Shen began to seethe. "Worthless brat! I'll atomize you!"

Shen opened his mouth wide and his metal slug of a tongue began to shine again. Saiyaman was taken aback by what he felt. 'What the hell?! That attack feels about as strong as Jeice is! How is he producing such absurd levels of energy?!'

Saiyaman cried out. "Stop! Now! You'll kill yourself and your brother, not to mention bring down this whole building!"

Shen snarled back. "Quiet boy! I care not for such mortal concerns! MASTER BABIDI HAS MADE ME A GOD ON THIS PUNY PLANET! NOW D-"

A lashing kick crashed into the side of Shen's face and sent him and his spider-like carrier crashing out of a nearby window. Shen spiraled in the air, firing off his attack on accident and slicing a diagonal cut through the half-constructed tower. Shen plummeted to the ground below, screaming in panic until a loud, metallic crash cut him off.

Saiyaman and Tao both turned to see that Videl had arrived on the scene. The girl knelt, rubbing a black burn mark slicing across the top of her foot. "Ow! That burned! What the hell was that?!"

Tao scowled. "Bah! The same irritating fledgling from before?!"

Saiyaman quickly cried out. "Videl, get out here!"

Videl shook her head, ignoring them both. "Nah. Kids aren't here. Assuming they're safe. So, it's time to hand out ass-whoopings to the appropriate parties."

At his wits end, and not particularly caring about the Saiyaman guise at the moment, Gohan called out. "This isn't the time or the place for your obsession, Videl! Leave now before you die! Please!"

Videl glared at Saiyaman and he immediately fell quiet. She, herself, was quiet for just a moment. Then, she took a deep breath and spoke in as calm a voice as her worn out body and mind could muster. "This isn't about that. Not about me, or my grief over my mother, or my frustration with my dad, or even about the friggin' Golden Fighter..."

Saiyaman cocked his head in confusion. "Then... what...?"

Videl limped up to the Great Saiyaman, to Gohan, and slapped him on the cheek. She held her hand there and stared right into his eyes through the visor. "I will not leave someone I care about in a situation where they might get hurt. In all the dangers I've ever been involved in over the course of my life, I've never been abandoned. Not by my mom while we watched the Cell Games, not by my dad in all his grief, not by the Golden Fighter on Gyosan Mane, and not by my boyfriend the entire time he was spying on my crime-fighting! Do you expect me to do any different from them?!"

Gohan's mouth opened to speak. Videl hardened her gaze. "I love you. You know that, right? Do you expect me to turn tail and leave you to fight all alone?"

Not a single syllable managed to tumble out of Gohan's mouth. Tao let loose a roar of utter fury. "SHUT UP! DO YOU EXPECT A MASTER OF KILLING SUCH AS I TO STAND HERE AND PLAY AUDIENCE TO SOME VAPID TEENAGE ROMANCE?! I AM A TRAINED KILLER! AN ASSASSIN! I AM MERCENARY TAO PAI PAI AND I HAVE SUFFERED HUMILIATION TO LAST LIFETIMES! NO MORE!"

The fabric of the chang pao covering Tao's metallic frame quickly shredded off as the grotesque machinery underneath began to unfold itself. The metal chassis underneath was the same shade of pink as the fabric scraps drifting to the floor, the kanji for "Satsu" embossed on the chest right next to Gohan's fist dent, the words "KILL YOU" painted onto the back in blood red letters.

Tao's mechanical eyes swiveled and zoomed in on his targets. "Prepare yourselves, brats! My master's magic not only enhanced my inherent power, but it has also charmed all the killing tools hidden within me! You will leave this building in two cups each!"

Videl closed her eyes and sighed. "Good god, this guy never shuts up..."

Gohan took on a fighting stance. "The worse they are, the more likely to rant."

Videl looked at her disguised boyfriend and quickly studied his fighting stance, taking on a stance of her own to compliment him. "Noted."

Two extra sets of arms unfolded from Tao's inner framework, two of them producing flame-spewing jets, the other two producing shrieking drills, and the original set each summoning a sword made of hardened Ki. A serrated saw blade emerged from the space between his lower back and his butt and flipped around like a scorpion's tail. The cranial cap atop his head popped open and began to glow with a faint, but powerful light.

Tao reared back and then lunged forward with a psychotic scream. "DIE!"

Gohan and Videl shouted at the top of their lungs and charged right back at him and the fight was immediately renewed.

The battle couple got off the first shots, each attacking with all their strength. Gohan's fist slammed into the center of Tao's metallic face and the metal rippled like water. Videl, seeing that she couldn't match that level of raw strength in her condition, went for the more subtle approach of slamming her heel into the cinch of one of Tao's elbow joints. The attached arm locked up in response and Tao shot a jet of flames at the ceiling, making it erupt into a sea of fire.

Tao snarled in response, lifting his legs from the ground and wrapping them both around Gohan, pinning his other arm to his side. Videl was quick to respond, whipping around Tao and trying to attack him from behind, only for the serrated tail to smack her up into the burning ceiling with its broader side.

Gohan cried out. "VIDEL!"

Tao cackled. "Worry about yourself, fool!"

The two sword-wielding arms dispersed their Ki blades and instead formed Ki knuckles. Then, with the speed and fury only usable by a master of Crane Martial Arts, Tao began to pummel Gohan right in the face, drawing blood from a split lip, and cracking and denting the Saiyaman helmet. Gohan was totally uncaring of the beating, however. Instead, he was more concerned with Videl who lay smoldering on the ground. Seeing his girlfriend laying there, on fire, was enough that the first golden sparks began to appear around Gohan.

Those golden sparks immediately ceased as a burning shroud suddenly wrapped around Tao's face and yanked him back. Tao cried out at his sudden blindness, accidentally letting Gohan go free. The Saiyan teen fell to his knees and looked up, watching as Tao whipped around and revealed the now dressless Videl hanging from his back. The human girl's jaw was set, her teeth grinding, and her knuckles a pale shade of white as she held onto the burning remains of her prom dress. Tao whipped around again and Videl and Gohan locked eyes.

Videl called out. "SNAP OUT OF IT AND HIT HIM!"

Gohan didn't have to be told twice. He rushed forward and slammed his fist into Tao's mechanical gut. Then, with a spinning roundhouse kick, Gohan broke off both the flamethrower arms, sending them shattering to the ground and watching as the fuel from within began to harmlessly spurt out onto the floor. At least... it seemed harmless until the sparks from the burning ceiling rained down and caught the floor ablaze as well.

Gohan flinched at the sight of the now roaring fire. "CRAP!"

Videl snapped. "What are you waiting for?! Hit him again!"

Gohan turned toward the thrashing Tao, wondering how he hadn't managed to shred through the deteriorating fabric, and more importantly how the thoroughly battered Videl was still hanging on.

Gohan charged forward and punched Tao in the chest. "Why are you still hanging onto him like that?!"

Videl cringed. "I'm holding down that damned serrated tail with my body so he doesn't try to saw us in half with it! Now-"

Finally, Tao managed to tear through the burning prom dress with his face and lunge forward. Videl began to fall, but Tao quickly whipped around and tried to stab her with a whirling drill. Reacting quickly, Gohan grabbed the offending arm and yanked it back, pulling it out of its socket and using it to pin the serrated, saw-like tail to the floor. Reacting in kind, Videl fell back-first to the ground, kicking up and catching Tao's other drill arm at the elbow, briefly paralyzing it. She sprang back up and grabbed the remaining drill, stabbing it into the joint of one of Tao's mechanical knees and using it as a pry to pop off one of the robotic assassin's legs.

Tao fell to the ground in a heap and Videl backed up to stand next to Gohan, wiping a greasy film of sweat from her brow. "It's getting hot in here..."

Gohan chucked. "... At least you've taken off all your clothes~"

Videl shot him an exasperated glance. "Is this the time to be quoting old-school hip-hop?! How do you even know that song?!"

Gohan nervously chuckled. "My Aunt Launch was listening to it while she was washing her car..."

Videl sighed, looking down at her bra and the pair of boy shorts she was wearing underneath. "That sucks. I didn't even get to use that prom dress properly..."

But then, Tao came erupting back up with a beast-like howl, his entire body wreathed in flames. He thrust his remaining, flaming drill right at Videl's face, but Gohan shoved it away, rearing back his helmeted head and smashing it dead center into Tao's metallic nose. Videl slapped both of her hands onto Gohan's shoulders, doing a handstand on her disguised boyfriend and backflipping over both him and Tao. Videl landed onto the middle of the robotic assassin's back and began fiddling with the joint from whence the tail emerged. "Hold him steady! I'm going to try and remove this thing next!"

Tao snarled and his middle set of arms raised up, dispersing the Ki knuckles and summoning a pair of Ki axes. He swung them with all his might and Gohan just barely caught the wrists in time. He growled under the force Tao was managing to put into his swing. "It still doesn't make sense how you're this strong! Even Capsule Corp grade cybernetics shouldn't have given you this much extra strength!"

Videl was trying to pry up one of the panels on Tao's back with her fingers. "Where did a washed-up has-been like this guy ever find the money to afford stuff like this?!"

Tao flinched. "Has-been?! You little bitch!"

The assassin's head turned a full 180 degrees, and he aimed the glowing barrel in his forehead right at Videl. The port began to shriek and then a high-intensity beam of Ki fired out: an Ultra Dodon Ray. Videl yelped and just barely managed to roll out of the way, watching with a satisfied smirk as Tao not only severed the tail she was trying to disconnect, but managed to blast off his other leg as well.

Videl hit the ground with a thud and Gohan nodded as he followed up, taking the opportunity given to him to crush both of Tao's wrists in his grip and then twist off the arms. Gohan enjoyed a satisfied smirk of his own, but then immediately shrieked in pain.

Videl pushed herself up and snapped her attention toward her boyfriend, gasping in horror at the sight in front of her. "OH SWEET GOD!"

The remaining drill had managed to hit a mark, spiraling as it dug deeper and deeper into Gohan's tender side. Videl cringed from the memory of all the times some thug had hit her there. That was definitely a kidney getting shredded apart. Not wanting that drill to pierce any deeper, Videl charged forward and drop-kicked Tao in the side of the head, sending him crashing across the room.

Gohan fell to his knees, a rather large trickle of blood running from his mouth, and Videl was immediately attending to him. "Shit! That looks bad! Are you gonna be okay to finish this?!"

Gohan coughed, sending a red splatter to sizzle on the burning floor. "Super."

Videl nodded. "Okay then! Let's finish-HOLY CRAP!"

Gohan jerked his head up to get a good look at what was going on, but before he could get a clear image, Videl had grabbed him by the cape and yanked him out of the way. They both tumbled to the side, but then were sent flying by a massive building rocking explosion. The two teens both hit the ground hard, bouncing along the burning floor and skidding to a stop just short of the broken window that Gine and the kids had gone flying out of.

Gohan and Videl both shook off the cobwebs in their heads and then glared out at Tao. The robotic menace was still somehow going strong, his chest having popped open to reveal a dozen miniature missile batteries.

The assassin let loose a psychotic laugh. "Thought you'd won just because you disabled most of my arms?! I'll blow you brats to bits!"

As another battery prepared to fire off, Videl quickly turned to Gohan. "Do you trust me?!"

Not noticing the feeling of the building shifting beneath him, Gohan nodded without hesitation. "Of course I do!"

Videl immediately got to her feet and started to run toward their foe. "Then take whatever shot you can when you see an opening! A rock! A screwdriver! A piece of burning wood! It doesn't matter!"

Gohan wasn't exactly sure what Videl meant, so could only watch in shocked silence as she ran into the now firing volley of missiles. Gohan's mouth was dry. He was sure he was about to watch Videl get blown to pieces, but was somehow much less shocked to watch her dodge and weave around the missiles with ease. Videl bobbed and weaved and flipped and jumped and then knee-slid under the last of the missiles before springing up with a determined fire in her eyes and kicking Tao right in his.

The assassin robot buckled backward, his missile-filled chest now exposed. That was when Gohan saw Videl's proposed opportunity. Without thinking, he thrusted his finger forward and shot a beam at the rest of the deadly weapons. The Ki beam pierced one of the missiles, but that was enough. The single salvo exploding set off a chain reaction that made the rest explode right alongside it. The resulting combustion was so intense that all of the rest of the windows went shattering out in the resulting blast.

Hours seemed to pass. What snapped Gohan back into it was the feeling of everything shifting beneath him. He hazily thought back on what all had happened this evening, picturing Videl kicking Shen and the beam slicing the building in half. Gohan sat up, ears ringing and side bleeding and mumbled to himself. "Building... falling apart..."

"...elp!"

Gohan cocked his head.

"...lp!"

He still couldn't hear well. It was all one sharp ringing sound.

"-han help!"

Gohan shook his head, then finally a very familiar voice broke through at the top of its lungs.

"-AN HELP! I DON'T WANT TO DIE HERE!"

Gohan cried out. "VIDEL!"

The half-Saiyan teen got to his feet and stumbled to the window on the opposite side of the room. It still sounded very muffled, but he could tell that Videl was arguing with someone. Without thinking Gohan stuck his head out over the edge. At the same time, Videl called out. "WAIT! HE'S CHARGED UP ANOTHER-"

The moment Saiyaman's head appeared over the edge of the broken window, Tao fired off another one of his Ultra Dodon Rays. Watching from his position, hanging onto one of Videl's ankles, the assassin cackled in triumph. The attack hit the helmeted hero square in the face and he started to stumble back. Angling his remaining drill arm up, Tao went to fire a standard Dodon Ray to finish the job. Seeing this, Videl's unthinking response was to let go of her handhold.

Tao cried out. "Are you crazy?! We're going to drop!"

Videl was defiant. "I'd rather splatter against the street than let you attack him again, you bastard!"

Tao screamed in panic. Videl closed her eyes and braced for impact. "Well, this sucks. At least I'll get to see Mom again. That'll be-"

A warm hand wrapped around hers and Videl stopped falling. Her eyes popped open, and she found herself staring right into one of Gohan's. Tao's previous attack had done its damage, but it had only really damaged the Saiyaman Helmet. A big chunk of the headgear had been blasted away and now Videl could catch a view of the right side of her boyfriend's smiling, weary face.

Gohan chuckled. "I can't just let you fall like that. Are you crazy?"

Videl couldn't help but smile back. "Still keeping up the superhero shtick?"

Gohan nodded. He then heaved Videl and the attached Tao back into the building. The weight of the two of them crashing onto the floor made the building shift over just a little bit more. It wouldn't be much longer before the severed half totally slid off. Gohan and Videl were both gasping for breath, both exhausted and running almost purely on adrenaline. The two of them just laid there for a moment, in the midst of the burning hellscape surrounding them, more listening to each other than themselves.

Gohan knew that Videl was hurt badly and was afraid that she might keel over at any moment. Videl winced at the memory of the drill digging into Gohan's side, wondering just how long he'd be stuck in the hospital for such an injury or how he even planned to explain it.

After what was definitely too short a time, the two fighters were drawn out of their restful stupor by the sound of Tao's maniacal cackle. Gohan groaned. Videl rolled her eyes in disgust. The two of them sat up just in time to see the shining beam fire from Tao's forehead. "ULTRA DODON RAY!"

Videl braced herself to be hit, too tired to even realize that such an attack would vaporize her instantly. Gohan narrowed his eyes and drew his hand to his side. Then, with all his strength, he slapped the beam right back at Tao, smashing him in the throat with it and blowing the assassin's head clean off. The hunk of metal hit the ground with a clatter and laid still. The remainder of his body flopped lifelessly to the ground.

Gohan breathed a sigh of relief. Videl's shoulders slumped. "Well, at least he's-"

Tao's head rolled over and his prehensile tongue snaked out of his mouth and shot toward Videl like a missile. "SNAKING TONGUE PRESSURE POINT ATTACK!"

At the very last moment, Videl managed to jerk her head out of the way. The tongue went shooting by her and embedded itself into a concrete pillar. The girl's eyes went wide, a massive gash splitting open on her cheek and blood pouring out. Then, a blistering fury locked into her features and she snarled. "Oh, hell no! That's where I draw the line!"

Standing up, Videl grabbed a nearby chunk of concrete and heaved it onto her shoulder. She marched over to Tao's head and raised the concrete high above her own, bringing it down as hard as a hammer and sending it smashing through the floor.

Videl peered down into the hole she had made, looking for the remains of Tao's head on the floor beneath. "Did I get him that time?!"

"HAHAHAHAHA! CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR, LITTLE GIRL!"

Videl looked into the air with a mixture of fatigue and disgust. Gohan's gaze followed hers and they both saw Tao hovering in the air, his hair braid acting as a helicopter rotor. The much-reduced assassin glared down at his opponents.

Tao snarled. "I concede that I might have lost the battle, but the war is mine brats!"

The remainder of Tao's torso beeped and clicked, and then the panel with "KILL YOU" painted on it slid back to reveal a digital countdown clock. It was at 30 seconds and counting downward.

Tao smirked. "I hope, when you two get to Hell, you are able to happily brag about beating the great Mercenary Tao Pai Pai in a match! Farewell!"

Tao's cackling head didn't stick around any longer. It quickly swooped out of the broken windows and rapidly rose into the night sky.

Videl shook her head. "Son of a bitch! Now we have a bomb to handle?!"

She rushed over to it, ripping away at the paneling on Tao's back until she came across wiring. "I think I can disable this! Find me pliers! Hurry!"

Gohan shakily got to his feet. "Videl, move!"

She looked up. "Huh?"

Turning to face him, Videl saw Gohan that was already charging toward her and the bomb. Videl barely lunged out of the way as Gohan reared his foot back, and then kicked the ticking time bomb sky-high, all the way through the ceiling and the roof and straight up into the air. That seemed to be the last shock that the building could take and both of the weary teenagers felt it begin to rumble and slide beneath their feet.

Without asking, Gohan picked Videl up into a secure bridal carry, and then took a running leap out of the nearest window.

Up in the air…

Tao cackled and laughed as he flew further and further away from his hated foes. "Now, I just have to make it back to the Southwest Forest and Master Babidi will-"

Suddenly, the smoking pink heap that was once Tao's torso shot up right in front of him. He flinched back, the horror of the situation dawning on him, and screamed his final words. "NO! NO NO NO! NOT AGAIN!"

And then the 00:01 on the back of the torso shifted to 00:00 and, in a dazzlingly bright display, Tao Pai Pai was no more.

In what remained of the Western Tower…

Even with the ringing in his ears having died down, Gohan couldn't tell whether the thunderous boom he heard was the result of Tao's torso exploding or the top of the Western Tower crashing to the street below. Nor could he honestly say he had the strength to care. He didn't feel any lifeforces on the street below. Nothing important had been lost.

Laying there in the quiet, beneath the stars, the borealis of an explosion shining overhead, Gohan and Videl turned to each other and smiled. Gohan sighed. "What now?"

Videl shrugged. "Get down to the ground before the cops come up and start asking questions?"

Just then, the smoking remains of Tao's cybernetic cranial cap clattered onto the floor between the two tired teens. Both regarded the smoking wreckage with only a moment's interest, and then Gohan nodded. "Sounds good."

On the ground below...

It didn't take long for Gohan and Videl to sneak their way out of the construction site. From what they could tell, Mr. Satan was leading the charge in capturing the remaining criminals out front. The two of them quickly hopped a construction fence and looked to their left, seeing a reporter from Z-TV interviewing Gine as she was crowded by her adoring students. Gohan heard the reporter say the words "Hero Teacher" and adopted a small smile. Videl tapped his shoulder and he turned to her. She asked. "Are you wanting to appear on the news?"

Gohan shook his head. "N-No."

She motioned to the right. "Then hurry up. Let's move."

Briskly, the two teens walked to the end of the block, and then rounded the corner to get out of sight. Now they found themselves on an abandoned stretch of street lit up only by the overhead arc-sodium streetlights.

Videl breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally, we're-"

Immediately, Videl and Gohan were both washed over from behind by headlights. Gohan flinched in shock and turned around. Videl shook her head. "Oh, what now?!"

She turned as well, and was immediately tackled into a tearful, sobbing Erasa. Videl didn't have any time to properly assess what was going on before she heard a frantic whispering in her ear. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I love you. I love you so much. I am so sorry, Videl. I'm so, so sorry..."

Videl felt something warm leaving streaking trails down her cheeks. At first, she thought it was blood. Then, she realized it was both cheeks, not just the one with the cut. And then Videl began to sob as well. "OH, ERASA!"

The two girls squeezed each other tight, crying their eyes out and falling to their knees, just relieved to be holding each other again. Both just relieved that somehow, some way, after such a long and frightful night, that Videl was alive. Sharpner and Stencil both hopped out of the car as well, casually walking up and smiling at the sight of Videl and Erasa making up.

It was a quiet, touching moment until one of Mr. Satan's piercing battle cries rang out through the night, followed by the sound of a thug crying out in pain. Videl wearily looked up as Erasa kissed her on her uninjured cheek. "Ugh... I really don't wanna have to deal with my dad or Hiki right now..."

Seeing his chance to escape, Gohan cleared his throat and put on his Saiyaman voice. "Well, now that the day is saved, I would say that it is time for us all to go have a nice rest! The Great Saiyaman will now be taking his leave, citizens!"

Sharpner, Erasa, and Videl all looked at Gohan utterly dumbfounded. Stencil enjoyed a small, but intense chuckle. "Oh, honey~"

Saiyaman cocked his head, still doing the voice. "Is something the matter?"

Stencil scratched his right cheek. "You have something on your face~"

Saiyaman raised his hand to his cheek. "My... face...?"

And then it dawned on him. "Oh! Oh no!"

Sharpner smirked. "Guess the proper thing to say is you having something 'missing from' your face."

Gohan pulled the ruined headgear off his head and cried out in shock. "TAO DESTROYED MY SAIYAMAN HELMET!"

In a nearby alleyway…

Staring out from the shadows, Shen seethed with rage as all of Gohan's friends enjoyed a hearty laugh. "Fools! Even with Tao dead, you shouldn't laugh! I will get my revenge! I swear it!"

His spider-walker had lost two legs but Shen didn't notice or care. He scuttled away, mumbling curses and guarantees of revenge under his breath. He would get them all. He swore it. Master Babidi would grant him more strength and he would get them all. Every last one of them. If it was the last thing he did. The "M" mark on his head pulsed with every vile word.

Standing next to a trash can, a new figure spoke. "Sup, Shen?"

Shen snarled as he kept scuttling along. "Not now!"

The disembodied head scuttled a few more feet and then came to a screeching halt. He turned and there was Chiaotzu, looming over him with what Shen almost swore was a furious look on his face. He had no idea Chiaotzu was capable of looking furious. "Ch-Ch-Chiaotzu! Wh-Wh-What are you doing h-h-here?"

Chiaotzu shrugged. "Ya know. I'm lying on my couch, trying to score a date on one of the apps Yamcha and Krillin recommended. And then, lo and behold, I turn on the TV and see a couple of old friends on the news. So, I figured why not come to Satan City for a night on the town? I'll pop by, say 'hi', get an ice cream, and rent a movie. Sounds like a nice, fun evening to me."

Shen nodded. "I-Indeed! A nice, wholesome evening? T-Tien isn't here, is he?"

Chiaotzu shook his head. "No. No, no. Thank sweet, merciful Dende that Tien is in a coma. I would have hated for him to have to see what I saw on the news. Cuz I don't think he'd be happy if he saw you two taking 7 years of his hard work, and ripping it into shreds on the worldwide news... I think he might have actually cried over that. And as much as I'm there for Tien, I don't know what I'd have done if he started crying. I'm still not used to that coming from him..."

Shen put on his sweetest smile, stepping a nervous tick backwards. "T-Tien wouldn't cry~! He's strong! I taught you and him both to be that way, remember?"

Chiaotzu nodded. "I remember the abuse, yeah. It wasn't... pleasant. Looking back, even if it was brief and we were never officially Master Roshi's disciples, even if he never taught us any new techniques or skills, he was a far better teacher than you and Tao! He taught us how to be true to ourselves! Not what he wanted us to be."

Shen's fear was obvious as Chiaotzu continued his rant. "Of course, I will admit that you did teach us how to steel our resolve and keep our emotions in check."

Shen nodded. "Exactly~"

Chiaotzu's frown deepened, genuine rage filled his eyes. "But, then again, you haven't been watching him work for the past near decade. You haven't watched Tien work his fingers to the bone getting stronger, you haven't watched him press that third eye, a symbol of enlightenment, to the ground again and again and again begging for forgiveness for every wretched thing the Crane School has done! You haven't watched him take tongue-lashings, have drinks thrown on him, have widows and orphaned young adults wish him dead for things he didn't even have a hand in! You have seen him break his back to give reparations to those people! To try and heal a wound that you and Tao left festering!"

Shen shuddered. "Ch-Chiaotzu! Let's stay calm, and-"

Chiaotzu's voice got very quiet. "You didn't see his eyes go hollow when he realized that you and Tao's way had inflicted such a wound onto Goku's wife. You didn't see his face like I saw his face. I don't even think Chi-Chi did. It looked like he was about to have a stroke when Chi-Chi told us what the Crane School did to her mother..."

Shen tried to tick back another step, Chiaotzu fired a Dodon Ray and blasted the twitching leg clean off. Shen yelped. Chiaotzu sneered down at him. "And then I turn on the TV and see you bastards out here trying to ruin every bit of Tien's hard work. And I realize that I have to kill you now, or it's never going to stop. I owe Gohan an ice cream for getting rid of Tao. And I owe his girlfriend and ice cream for helping. And I plan to deliver both in just a moment, once I'm done with you!"

Shen snarled. "Y-YOU THINK I'M SCARED OF A FLEDGLING LIKE YOU?! SUPER DODON RAY!"

Shen fired the beam from his mouth, smirking as it flew right toward Chiaotzu's heart. Chiaotzu made a diamond with his hands, right over his heart, and caught the attack. Then, melding it with his energy, he returned fire. "NEO TRI-BEAM!"

Shen yelped. "CHIAOTZU! WAIT! STOP! STO-"

Back with Gohan's group…

Gohan grumbled, his face shining bright red as his four friends continued to laugh and make jokes at his expense. He was about to tell them to cut it out when a shining, Ki-like flash of light appeared out of a nearby alleyway. Sharpener, Stencil, Erasa, and Videl turned to see what was going on and Gohan took on a fighting stance. Whatever was about to step out of the alleyway, he was prepared to fight if it was hostile.

And then, to Gohan's genuine confusion, Chiaotzu stepped out from the alleyway and waved toward him with a beatific smile. "Hey, Gohan! Long time no see, buddy! You and your friends want ice cream? My treat~"

There was a long silence. Sharpner turned to Gohan. "Do you, uh... know that guy?"

Gohan gave a nervous chuckle. "H-He's basically an... an uncle."

Videl nodded. "Cool. Cuz a chocolate milkshake kind of sounds like heaven right now..."

All of the teenagers looked at one another and nodded, then Erasa waved Chiaotzu over. "Come on! If you're serious about the ice cream, I'll give ya a lift!"

Chiaotzu nodded and marched over, climbing into the backseat and sitting on the armrest between Gohan and Stencil. With everyone in the car, they were off in search of ice cream.

At the nearby Twisted Treat…

Gohan lifted a spoonful of his chocolate caramel nut sundae to his mouth and cringed as he felt Chiaotzu messing around with his injured side. He heavily swallowed the mouthful of ice cream and cringed. "How bad is it, Chiaotzu?"

Chiaotzu licked a gob of strawberry syrup off of his twisted cone and grimaced. "Uh... being blunt, it looks like Tao pulped your kidney. Saiyan or not, you're probably gonna need a Senzu or Dende's help first thing tomorrow. Cuz, like... renal failure. Know what I mean?"

Gohan nodded. "R-Right. Thanks, Chiaotzu. And... for the ice cream too."

Chiaotzu nodded, forming a small Ki sphere in his hand and gently pressing it to Gohan's wound. The young half-Saiyan flinched, but held still as the little warrior seared the wound shut. Once Chiaotzu was done, he smiled and took a big bite of his ice cream. "You Saiyans are resilient. You'll be fine."

Gohan nodded. "Leaving already?"

Chiaotzu nodded back. "Uh-huh. I hate leaving Tien alone while he's still in a coma. Going to rent a new release from Video Village and then fly back up north. I'll see you at your birthday party in a couple weeks though, kay?"

Gohan smiled. "Looking forward to it. See ya, Chiaotzu."

Chiaotzu waved. "Later."

And then, Chiaotzu flew off.

Gohan sighed and stood, pulling down his dress shirt and wincing at the feeling of the fabric dragging against the tender wound. He would have preferred to keep on the Saiyaman tunic to avoid such discomfort, but he couldn't risk anyone else discovering his secret. Gohan limped around the ice cream shaped building and over to Erasa's car, crashing into the back seat and groaning. Sharpner clapped him on the shoulder. "Your side okay?"

Gohan nodded. "My Uncle Chiaotzu is... a doctor? Yeah, a doctor. I got him to look at it and he said that, surprisingly enough, Tao missed my kidney."

Sharpner raised an eyebrow, licking his butterscotch bar. "That's... unbelievable, to say the least."

Videl shook her head, sipping her chocolate milkshake. "Say more than the least. That's a flat out lie. You're hurt badly. Get to the hospital."

Erasa's nose wrinkled, she bit into her waffle cone. "Hey, uh, Videl. Is your arm, like... still attached?"

Videl shot a corner-eyed glance at the ruined stitches in her shoulder and groaned. She stood up from the front seat. "I think I'm done with my milkshake. Gonna go... throw away the cup."

Stencil took a bite out of his frozen choconana and sighed. "Poor thing's had a rough night."

Erasa frowned. "Wasn't she wearing a dress the last time we saw her?"

Gohan nodded. "Yep. It caught on fire, so she used it as a weapon."

Sharpner chuckled. "That's our Videl~"

Erasa reached her hand into the back seat and waved it at Gohan. "Front seat. We need to talk."

Not questioning it, Gohan slid between the front and passenger seat and plopped down next to Erasa. She took another bite of her waffle cone, eyes staring forward at the light, passing traffic of Satan City.

Erasa sighed. "It's safe to say that I've lost, right?"

Gohan was silent. Erasa looked over at him. "Not even gonna try to deny it? There's such a thing as letting a girl down gently, you know?"

Gohan spoke in a near inaudible voice. "I would never lie to you. I care about you too much for that."

Erasa thought about making a snarky comment, just to try to lighten the mood. But every bit of snark she could muster in the moment lodged in her throat next to bits of chewed up waffle. She swallowed hard and he turned to look at her, a genuine but final sadness in his eyes. Not meaning to in the least, the two of them spoke simultaneously. "I love you."

Erasa gave a sad smile. "But loving someone isn't the same as being in love with someone."

Knowing this was truly over, Erasa grabbed Gohan's cheek tenderly and leaned him down, giving a gentle kiss on his cheek.

The car was fully silent for a moment, Sharpener and Stencil barely even breathing. Then, the radio speakers attached to the outside of the Twisted Treat crackled to life and blared out a late-night deejay's voice. "Good evening, folks! This is DJ Keeks giving one final sign-off for the night for all those lovey-dovey couples leaving the Satan City prom! This one goes out to all you crazy kids with those hearts in your eyes! Stay safe out there and enjoy Giri Giri!"

As a familiar tune started to beat out on the cheap Twisted Treat speakers, Erasa smiled at Gohan. "You've danced with me all night. Now, go give her one she won't forget."

Gohan nodded and turned to go. Erasa grabbed his arm and turned him around. He looked into her eyes and she smiled. "And remember, make her unhappy and I'll kick your butt!"

Gohan smiled. "I wouldn't expect any less."

And so, Erasa watched as Gohan ran up to meet Videl. He offered his hand and she flinched back. But then, as she stared into Gohan's eyes and the beat of the song got going, she took his hand and they started to dance.

YEAAAAAAAAAH~

Getting closer to the moment I make you mine~

Let this dream become reality~

Ignite all the lies~

Now I'm serious~

I wanna dance forevermore~

Cause I just can't hold back anymore~

Your love~ Your love~ Your love~

Just confess it to me~

Gohan and Videl danced around the parking lot together, at first embarrassed but quickly becoming totally lost in the moment. Videl leaned into Gohan's chest and Gohan held her tight as she twisted and turned back and forth. And then, to Videl's surprise, Gohan whispered something. "B-Back in the tower, when you said you loved me... you weren't talking to Saiyaman, right? You were talking to me?"

Videl was a bit taken aback at first, but then she smiled. "Why would I ever say something like that to a dork like the Great Saiyaman? I prefer my dorks to be more Gohan-shaped, I think."

They fell silent again as they continued to dance. Then Videl spoke up. "Did you mean it when you said you thought I was amazing?"

Gohan gripped her tight. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I've met a lot of people out there in my short, eventful life. I think you're the most amazing person out of all of them~"

Gohan dipped Videl back, getting a good look at her face in the moonlight. Videl got an equally good look at Gohan's face backlit by the same moon. The two of them smiled at each other. And then, they kissed.

The smile of yours~

I cannot resist~

Feel my soul so tightly wound up~

I'll always persist~

You're not an angel~

This much I know~

Dancing around me but it's getting old~

Chances are it'll work itself out~

Cause the more I crave your lips~

There's no need for me to doubt~

As I hold you just right, you give me quite a fright~

Staring with such intent in yours eyes~

I want to get to know you more more more more more~

Getting dazzled by this sparkling dream of mine~

Possibilities turn into stars and open new doors~

Don't you play innocent with me~

I want to see more~

And I just can't take the wait anymore~

Your love~ Your love~ Your love~

Just confess it to me~

As Gohan and Videl danced in the parking lot of a dumpy little ice cream shop, and as his boyfriend watched on with shimmering tears in his eyes, Sharpner sighed and climbed into the front seat. He didn't say a word, simply reaching over and grabbing Erasa's trembling hand and giving it a firm squeeze. "You okay just surrendering like that?"

Erasa's voice was level. "Love is weird. And it's not smooth either. Everyone in the world likes to pretend they're suave and they have it all figured out while they're swiping fragile things onto the floor with all the grace of a three-legged horse. No matter what, the fact stands and the evidence supports that I love Gohan and Videl, in every way a person can."

Sharpener nodded. "Very grown-up. Very lawyerish. That Lazuli lady must be a hell of a teacher."

Erasa nodded. "Mhm."

Sharpner turned to her and then, as gently as he could, he wrapped his other arm around Erasa and pulled her into a tight hug. Erasa didn't weep or sob, but Sharpner felt huge, hot tears stream down her cheeks and puddle onto his shoulder. "There, there, Erasa. There, there."

Later that evening…

Gohan picked up the cup of soothing Sleepytime Tea his mother made for him and took a grateful sip. After the dance with Videl and a surprisingly upbeat car ride to Mr. Satan's mansion, all five teens had to stand there and take their medicine as first Hiki Komori and then Mr. Satan read them the riot act. And then came the even more uncomfortable moment of watching a frail woman with a limp and the "Strongest Man in the World" both break down into tears as they hugged Videl as tightly as they could.

Soon after that, Mr. Satan's personal physician made a house call and the world champ refused to let Gohan, Erasa, Sharpner, or Stencil leave until the doc had looked them over. Of course, Erasa and the rest were fine. So, the three of them just stood there and made conversation while the doctor looked over Videl and Gohan. Gohan had managed to get away with just a few bandages and the doctor warning him about the nasty burn on his side. One lie about hip-checking a hot oven later and Gohan and the others were all free to go.

They each gave Videl a hug goodnight, reminded her that she wasn't allowed to do anything that stupid again (at least not without backup) and then went their separate ways while Videl was shepherded back to the hospital care of Hiki.

Once returning home, Gohan gave a call to Dende and made plans to meet him the following morning for a proper treatment. He then sat at his kitchen table, watching his mom digest his version of the evening's events. Of course, he'd left out the part about the situation between himself, Erasa, and Videl. He wasn't sure he was ever going to let her in on that whole situation.

Chi-Chi sighed and put down her teacup. "So, did you end up choosing the blonde or the brunette?"

Gohan sputtered, nearly choking on his tea. "Y-Y-Y-You know about that?!"

Chi-Chi shot her son a withering look, a sharp sheen sliding down her horns. "Do you think I'm an idiot, Son? You are aware of who carries the romance burden in mine and your dad's relationship, right?"

Gohan flinched. "How long?"

"With Erasa, since the night you came home with glitter gloss on your lips. With Videl and Erasa, when you came home smelling like flowery perfume and athletic body spray. Most girls don't usually mix those two and I know you use stick deodorant."

Gohan nodded. "Ah. Aaaannnnd... you're not angry?"

Chi-Chi smiled at her nervous son. "Well, can't say I approve of dating two girls at once, but that said, it's not like you were getting too serious with either one of them during the whole triangle. I trusted you to make the mature decision on your own."

As Gohan sighed in relief, Chi-Chi reached over to the counter and grabbed the remainder of the wine from Gine's place, pouring a healthy dose of it into her tea and taking a strong sip. She waggled the bottle at Gohan. "Want some? I'm giving permission."

Gohan considered, and then nodded. Chi-Chi drained the last little bit of the bottle into his cup and then set it aside. "So, which one?"

Gohan took a sip and smiled. "Videl~"

Chi-Chi smiled back. "You seem happy. Good for you."

Mother and son looked at one another and laughed, then they toasted their teacups and finished them off. As they were finishing their beverages, a familiar man lumbered into the kitchen with a dazed look in his eyes. He opened the fridge and grabbed the orange juice carton, popping off the cap and drinking down three hearty gulps.

Chi-Chi sighed. "Goku, I told you not to drink out of the carton."

Goku roughly cleared his throat. "Sorry, Chi-Chi. Mouth is really dry. Won't do it again."

And then, as quickly as he came in, Goku lumbered back out of the kitchen and toward his bedroom. Chi-Chi continued. "Anyway, Gohan, I'm glad you figured that out. Now, you should invite Videl out sometime. I can cook a dinner and-GOKU!"

Chi-Chi stood up so quickly she knocked the kitchen table over and ran as fast as she could toward her bedroom. Once more, Gohan heard his mother yell his father's name followed by the sound of her jumping into their bed. He heard his father say something as well, but it was so quiet he couldn't make it out. Soon after that, he saw Goten and Chika run by, crying out for their father. Following that, the sound of two more people jumping into the bed.

Gohan smiled, opening the fridge and grabbing the orange juice carton. He finished it off with two big gulps and then tossed it into the trash. It was about time for him to go to bed as well, after such a tiring day. He had to get up early in the morning to go see Dende. And then probably Jeice too. And then he'd have to ask his father what he had been doing in the Otherworld for 6 whole months.

Gohan peaked into his parents room, finding a sight that made him smile wide. His father was lying in the center of the bed, snoring like a lawnmower. His mother was on the left-hand side, her head pressed into her husband's chest. Chika was lying on her father's stomach, thumb in her mouth, and Goten was using his father's foot as a pillow.

Gohan sighed. And then we shuffled over to the open space on Goku's right hand side, laid down, and closed his eyes. Soon enough, the entire Son Family was all asleep in the same bed, all of them happy in knowing that their precious Goku was back with them once more.