Life had never felt so good, especially for one formerly dead, damned, and resurrected. The journey had been notably rougher than he anticipated while still dead, but other than the squabble with Zuko, and the usurping of Azula, Cooler's long and complicated plan was perfectly realized. There he was, with his new living body, relaxing in his imperial hot tub, eyes closed, left hand folded behind his head, and enjoying another well-earned hard lemonade.
He wasn't sure of the last time he had left the moonbase, since breaking the bad news to his Fire Nation underlings, if he had at all. He was too busy basking in his overwhelmingly cathartic victory. Planet Avatar was his to rule once more, and its adolescent protector was either going to serve him or die. He didn't sweat the small stuff such as the presence of an actual Super Saiyan and failure to remove him from the equation; when the comet came, he could rely on Cell to deal with that nuisance; any motion Vegeta made against him until then was utterly pointless. Seriously, what would he do? Show up during the Avatar's invasion that was obviously going to occur during the eclipse? Any of his soldiers could kill him on sight, forget Cooler himself; There was no complication, no rush, and no need for more time or further planning. Everything was going to solve itself; and all Cooler needed to do was show up to reap the rewards. His life was more perfect than Cell...
Just behind him, his phone vibrated. He casually reached for it and answered."Lord of the void speaking," he greeted casually.
"Are those bubbles I hear, Lord Cooler?"
The frost demon was startled out of his lethargic stupor upon realizing that the voice was Azula's.
"You're not taking this call in the tub, are you? How irresponsible of you," she teased.
Cooler let out a frustrated snort; in place of his nonexistent smartass little brother was now a smartass little sister to crawl under his skin."What do you want, Azula? Your presence here is not needed until the eclipse."
"I just thought I'd inform you of a potentially unforeseen stumbling block in your brilliant master plan, brother," Empress Azula said, sitting in Frieza's chair.
"Oh, of course," Cooler retorted sarcastically," Any meaningless excuse to get a rise of frustration out of me. You play the role of the younger sibling beautifully."
"Why thank you, I've had so much practice,"Azula smiled."My scouts have detected the arrival of an unidentified spacecraft that-"
"...Crash landed on Planet Avatar," Cooler finished; he chuckled."Oh, I wonder what sorry fools have washed up to my shores this time?"
"Whoever they are, two of them have power levels that, at the very least, amount to one million. And based on their trajectory, they came here purposefully."
"How interesting," the uninterested Cooler responded,"Whoever they are will likewise not pose me any problem, thank you for the update, bye," Cooler hung up, put away the phone, and regressed into his relaxed state...
...the phone vibrated again...
Cooler growled quietly and answered.
"Aren't you even a little curious as to their identities?" Azula asked.
"It. Doesn't. Matter," Cooler reminded,"My forces will hunt them down and bring them to me; if they're fortunate, I will allow them to leave alive."
"Well, I should think it does matter," Azula replied."How many people do you know with such powerlevels? Aside from the two of us, that only leaves two others."
Azula heard a bit of laughter from her speaker."And what do you know of my enemies?"
She rolled her eyes. All this victory was dulling his reason."I know that, based on the knowledge of Cell and the Ginyu Force, on a certain unremarkable planet, there lives another Saiyan named-"
"Son Goku is dead!" the frustrated Cooler."That only leaves his son, who was not nearly at that level last I saw of him!"
"The last you saw of him," Azula said,"You were an eyeball fused to a supercomputer. And in that span of time, according to Cell, became a Super Saiyan and, in fact, was the one who killed him in the first place..."
This caused Cooler to crunch the ice from his drink in his mouth. He took a moment to think...which made him unhappy."Just be direct with me, girl: has Goku's son landed on Planet Avatar or not?"
"By process of elimination," Azula estimated."It simply has to be. I am also en route to Planet Avatar to assist you in this matter. No need to thank me."
"You're right, they're isn't!" Cooler barked and hung up. He threw his phone through the metal wall."GODDAMMIT!" he jolted out of the tub, floating above it and powered up in anger. He wasn't ready for this; now there were very likely two Perfect Cell-tier Super Saiyans on his planet. Cell could not be expected to fight both of them when the comet came, let alone himself!
"SALZA!" Cooler howled.
Instantly, the soldier in question after-imaged into the room and saluted (no need to wait for an always naked man to dress up).
"Mobilize the squadron!" Cooler glared." We have a f%$#ing problem!"
Gohan and Krillin traded blows rapidly. Ironically it was Gohan who was falling short, with Krillin checking each punch and kick; he caught Gohan extended foot and slammed him onto the dirt. Gohan grunted in legitimate pain.
Krillin simply folded his arms."Pretty tough having to fight like a human, huh?"
Tough it was. The effects of the void were so strange. He could feel the pain of his body hitting the ground, without even making a crater in the dirt; yet, he had no bruises, but it hurt all the same. It wasn't like training in extreme gravity, he felt light as a feather, but he found himself expending the kind of effort sparring with Krillin as when he sparred with his father. He was so tempted to try going Super Saiyan, but that was tempered by the fact that he no longer could. It truly was as if he was not even a Saiyan anymore.
Master Roshi, sitting on a mat and observing in the background, laughed and clapped his hands."You look just like Goku did when he started training on my island when he was your age! Give it three years or so, and you be able to fight me!"
"Don't worry, that's a good thing, Gohan," Krillin said, helping the boy on his feet."It means you're giving it as much effort as Goku must have back then."
Tien was also watching, resting against a boulder."Even back then, your dad was pretty scary to go up against."
"Just out of curiosity," Gohan blinked,"How strong was Mom when she used to train?"
"Never really found that out," Krillin looked at the sky in contemplation,"Still pretty deadly with that frying pan, though..."
"Hey guys, we got a friggin problem!" the voice of Yamcha called out.
They turned to see Yamcha, with the arm of a struggling stranger wrapped over his shoulder. It appeared to be a white man, wearing purple gi quite similar to Gohan's.
"Who is that?" Gohan asked.
"Yamcha!" Tien chided."You can't just bring complete strangers into the camp!"
Yamcha chuckled awkwardly."Yeah, that's who I thought he was, before I got a better look..." Yamcha removed the stranger's turbin to reveal something quite shocking. The team all gaped in bewilderment at the figure."Yeah, apparently...this is what Namekians look like when they get sick..."
Gohan's eye twitched."mm-Mr. Piccolo!?"
The albino-skinned Piccolo hacked and breathed loudly."Gohan...whatever you do," he coughed,"Don't drink the water!"
The Spirit World rang with another exasperated groan.
"We are so...f&$ING...LOST!" Raditz complained yet again.
The three ghostly Saiyans had found themselves whisked away into the other side; Goku, Bardock, and Raditz were wandering aimlessly through the spirit wilds, not that Bardock would admit he had no aim.
"I told ya to shut up!" Bardock barked."We're not lost, just inconvenienced!"
Goku scratched his head." I mean, we know we're somewhere in the spiritual plain of Planet Avatar, so we're not totally lost..."
"Because that makes SO MUCH of a difference!" Raditz yelled, pointing to a large mushroom."That is the exact same spirit mushroom we've passed by for the last three days!"
"No it isn't!" Bardock argued.
"Yes I am," the mushroom suddenly spoke, giving the Saiyans pause...
Bardock slapped his face."Dammit, fine! We're lost, okay!?"
Goku felt his chin."Maybe we should ask the mushroom how to get to the living world?"
"Oh, there's no way you can go there," the mushroom said."You guys're dead."
"Yeah, that's what I thought!" Raditz crossed his arms."Now we're trapped here just like Vegeta!"
"Don't be so negative, bro," Goku said."There's always a way out."
"Oh, Forgive my 'negative attitude', little brother." said Raditz sarcastically,"I've only been suffering in hell for the last seven years, while you were training with gods!"
"I've only trained with one god," Goku said, then looked down,"But now that you mention it, I sure wish King Kai could hear us..."
"You could try reincarnation..." the mushroom suggested.
"That sounds delicious!" Goku smiled. Radits smacked the back of Goku's head.
"That's when your soul is reborn into a new consciousness!" Raditz growled.
"Yeah, definitely don't have enough time for that bullshit..." Bardock crossed his arms."Look, we're not asking to be brought back to life. Listen, fungus, if you know of any way we can interact with the living, tell us right now!"
"Well, I wouldn't know anything about that..." the mushroom admitted."But you could try asking Wa Shi Tong, the all-knowing owl. He lives in a big library."
"Sounds good, now give us directions," Raditz ordered.
The spirit laughed."direction? No such thing as that in the Spirit World! Everything is wherever you want it to be!"
Just then, the entire landscape morphed before the Saiyans' eyes. The glowing trees were swept away; the distance objects of the horizon were suddenly vaulting into view, revealing to them Wa Si Tong's library.
Raditiz stared at it with wide eyes."What the actual hell?"
Goku bowed in respect."Thank you for your benevolence, mighty mushroom god."
"Anytime!" the shroom nodded.
The ill Piccolo was brought back to the ship, his sweating, breath heaving form on a sleeping mat, surrounded by the group.
"What in Dende's name happened to you!?" Chi Chi demanded.
Piccolo groaned."urrgh...I drank from the river; was okay at first, a little salty, then I got dizzy, and fluids started spraying out of my mouth."
"That's called throwing up," 18 deadpanned.
"Hurry! Go get him some bottled water!" Gohan yelled to Krillin.
Krillin shrugged."I would, but we're all out of fresh water; Piccolo drank most of it during the trip."
"Greedy bastard even took all the Kambucha..." Master Roshi complained.
"Ah, crap..." Yamcha slapped his temple,"Guess we gotta go into town; there's this fishing village on a lake close by," he pointed his back.
"I'll come!" Gohan insisted.
"Calm down," Krillin patted Gohan on the shoulder."We'll get some fresh water, and Piccolo will be back to his old mean green self again."
"Fresh" was not a word that could be applied to any beverage, meat, or produce sold in this filthy market, except perhaps for the mold and fungi festering within. Yamcha had neglected to tell them that this village was a disgusting dump, hanging over the very murky, polluted water that made Piccolo sick in the first place. The villagers were malnourished and afflicted, a few vomiting into the lake as Piccolo was. Yamcha was accordingly prying pan'd by Chi Chi for this mistake. He, Tien, Chi Chi, and Gohan were decided to head to the town; Tien wore his own turbin to conceal his extra eye, and 18 was advised to stay behind, behind the only blonde, blue-eyed woman on the entire planet. Chi Chi was holding hands with Tien, greatly preferring for him to pretend to be her husband than that whore Yamcha.
"This town is revolting..." Chi Chi exhaled.
"And the locals look like they're dying," Tien noticed.
"How could a place end up like this?" Gohan wondered.
"Glad you ask, friend!"
They were frightened by the voice of a fish salesman, whose market they were passing by.
Gohan's brow creased at the familiar face."Wait, were you the person who ferried us into town?"
"Oh, you must be talkin' about my brother, Dock!" the old man beamed, leaning on the counter."Anyway, this lake used to be a pretty beautiful place full of pretty healthy people! But then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked!"
Gohan and company stared silently...
Dock blinked."...by which I mean that the government built a big 'ol factory upriver, thoughtlessly releasing toxic byproducts into our poor river and transforming it into the thing you see now!" he related, never losing his upbeat attitude.
"What the hell do they make in that factory to turn the water into this!?" Yamcha pointed downward.
"It's not about what they make, more like how much they make." Dock explained," Gotta have lots and lots of weapons and armor for the war effort."
"Really?" Gohan asked."I thought the war was already won."
The man shrugged."Hey, I'm not the Fire Lord, I don't poke around and ask stupid questions. Anyway, would' ya like any fish?" he raised a wooden plank full of slimy mutant fish."Buy three, and I'll throw in a free clam!"
Yamcha hesitantly tapped the clam, which sprayed green bile into his face."...I'll pass..."
Chi Chi gripped Gohan's wrist."We are leaving immediately! You people should be ashamed to let your children live in this cesspool!"
"Great!" Dock greeted."I'll go get my brother Dock to get you guys back ashore!" the old man dipped under the counter, and popped back out with a different hat."Hey guys, it's me, Dock! My brother Xu told me you need a ride!"
They blinked...
"It's gotta be the fumes..." Yamcha reasoned.
"Hellooooooooo!" Goku called out."Wa Shi Tong-Sama! Where are you!?"
"Would stop calling everything a god!?" Raditz spat.
"It's been workin' out for me so far!" Goku beamed.
The three Saiyans wandered through the so far empty library of Wa Shi Tong; they had long yet to meet the great spirit in question. In his place, they found treasure troves of manuscripts, artifacts, and scrolls, containing vast and immensely valuable knowledge that could potentially hold all the answers to all their questions...how unfortunate that it was Goku and his relatives to have carelessly walked passed them...
"There is absolutely nothing of use in here!" Raditz complained, angrily kicking over a stack of scrolls explaining in detail how to escape the Spirit World."Where is that damn spirit!?"
"The shroom said this was his domain..." Bardock felt his chin."Hope he wasn't trying to trick us."
"What the hell could a supernatural shroom that can't move have to gain by lying to the first mortals he sees!?" Raditz demanded.
"Watch your tone before I kick your ass!" Bardock barked into his son's face.
Something caught Goku's attention, raising his eyebrows."ooh! I found a thing!" he pointed in said direction.
The other saiyans followed his finger to see something off: a dryed puddle of old blood, leading into another room.
"Okay," Raditz blinked."This library finally has my interest."
The three followed the blood into a huge chamber, in which was a beautiful illustration of the known universe grafted along the celling and walls, with an intricate mechanism used to chart the patterns of the stars...but, again, this was Goku.
"Cool, a dead bird!" Goku smiled at the sight of the huge, headless, feathered, festering corpse, from which the dried blood originally pooled. He rubbed his stomach."Just when I was gettin' hungry too."
Bardock crossed his arms, scanning the rotting avian form."mmm, looks a little old, but I can work with it."
Raditz blinked as something clicked in his brain."You gotta be shitting me!" he exclaimed, rushing in between his father and brother, grabbing their shoulders as he stares at the body in shock."Didn't that shroom say Wa Si Tong was an owl?"
"What's that have to do with anything?" Bardock eyed his son apathetically.
Having predated the mysterious virus, Raditz did not immediately fall to the floor anime-style."Oh my Beerus! This IS HIM!" he flung his hand to the body.
Goku's lips tightened as he scanned it for himself."Wa Shi Tong is dead?"
"How can a spirit die?" Bardock asked skeptically.
"What I wanna know," Raditz fumed," is who was the dumbass who killed him!? Who would kill the only one who knows anything about what to do with all this useless knowledge!?"
"Ah man!" Goku whined."Now we're never gonna figure out how to leave the Spirit World...unless," Goku tapped his chin in deep contemplation."...Hey, what if we read the books for ourselves?"
"Pass," Raditz grunted.
"Laaaame," Bardock went. But then, something set off his scouter."Oh, shit, we got company!" he spun around, and took a fighting stance, as did his sons. Waited for the source of the energy out through the entrance to reveal itself.
"What does the scouter say about his powerlevel?" Raditz whispered.
Bardock watched the beeping number take form on his tiny screen."It's over nine...'ety nine thousand, nine hundred ninety-nine?"
"That's really specific," noted Goku.
"No, dumbass, that's what a scouter maxes out at!" Radtitz barked."It means his powerlevel is immeasurable! You know, like Frieza's?" he hissed.
Then, Bardock's scouter exploded in his face."Ow!" he grunted."Ah, hell, get ready, kids!"
They saw a humanoid figure descend into view; it was shrouded in an aura of dark green ki, which obscured the full body. They could tell the silhouette had their hands clenched in fists; red eyes peered through the dark ki shroud. With a shock wave, they dashed for the three.
"DIBS!" Goku cried, forth dashing as well; his elbow shielded the incoming punch from the figure, causing a shockwave, that blew Raditz and Bardock off the ground, and into the opposite wall. Goku stared down his mysterious opponent with unblinking determination and a smile on his face."Bring it on!" His knuckles clashed with the next punch; Both Goku's arms struggled against the figure's pressure. Goku yelled, making a ki burst that sent the figure flying out of the chamber. Goku flew after them. He scored a right punch to their face, they spin-kicked Goku in the chin, sending him flying through rows of priceless artifacts, kicking up large plumes of dust. They instantly zipped after Goku, moving into the smoke; strikes and the sound of destruction could be heard as the whole library rocked in the wake of their combat.
"I thought high powerlevels were nullified in the void!" Goku said as he threw and blocked his share of punches."What's your deal!?" This instant of hesitation allowed for Goku to be decked right in the nose, causing him to fly through several walls; the figure appeared beneath him, and thrust their palm into his stomach, stunning Goku, and launching him out of the library altogether. The discombobulated Goku soared into the sky of the Spirit World. Just when he caught his breathe, the figure appeared in front of him again and boxed Goku's ears. Then they delivered a flurry of Wing Chun jabs into Goku's stomach, flipped, and swung an axe kick onto Goku's head, knocking from the sky, and explosively into the spirit forest with more smoke clouds.
Goku grunted, struggling to open his eyes; when he did, he screamed like a child at the incoming fist of the figure, vanishing at the last second as their fist slammed into the ground with explosive force. Goku appeared behind them, and locked his arms around their neck."Don't wanna talk? Great! I'd preferred to know you based on how you fight!" He grunted happily until the figure blasted off backward, ramming Goku through a mile's worth of spirit trees. They pinned Goku to the ground, just so happening to land right next to the talking mushroom from before.
"So how'd it go?" the shroom asked nicely.
"He wasn't home!" Goku yelped, before being punched by the figure; they continued to literally pound Goku's head into the ground. The happy mushroom looked unfazed as it watched (?) Goku's body vanish into the deepening crater. Goku's vision blurred with each punch from the silent but ferocious foe. Bardock appeared behind them, grabbing them by the legs, and flinging them into the sky; he snatched his son and blew off as fast as he could.
He, Raditz, and Goku were flying through the sky, fleeing the mysterious fighter.
"We don't have time for this crap!" Bardock complained.
"What happened to the Legendary Super Saiyan, Kakarot!?" Raditz complained to his brother with a loud mocking tone.
"I killed him," responded Goku genuinely, confusing his brother."Also, I can't go Super Saiyan anymore!"
Bardock looked behind him, still seeing the figure chasing them."We gotta shake that guy off! If Kakarot can't take 'em we don't stand a chance in hell!"
"I can fix that!" Goku said, holding his fingers to his hand."Hold onto me, Daddy!"
"Will you stop calling me-!" Bardock was cut off, as he, Raditz, and Goku vanished instantly. The figure flew passed where they were and stopped in mid-air. They scanned the land and sky for them, but saw no one. They flew off, likely to keep hunting for the Saiyans.
Gohan was unable to sleep that night.
It wasn't as if He or they could fly to a different village for more fresh water, both in part to them hiding their presence as aliens from the locals, and because they were unable to fly such distances in a short span of time. The only solution was filtering and boiling the river water for Piccolo, but even this only barely treated his symptoms. It was all the water they had to drink for now, and they were gonna leave anyway, so at least they didn't have to get used to it.
With that temporary solution given, Gohan wasn't as worried for Piccolo as he was worried for other reasons. He snuck out of the ship, walking all the way to the shore. He looked at the fishing village. He thought about the villagers and how they must suffer living with such tainted water. He wished he could help them somehow. Before leaving, he had heard a little fairy tale about a spirit named The Painted Lady, who visits the village at night to heal the sick and give them fresh food. At least it gave the people something to hope for.
But Gohan knew the real problem was that factory, forging excess material and polluting their lake in the first place. He didn't want to actively attack the Fire Nation though, as he knew better. After all, they apparently were continuing their heroic crusade against the evil Earth Kingdom, just he learned in the Fire Nation school. He hoped when the war ended, the factory would be shut down, so that these villagers wouldn't have to suffer like this.
Gohan sighed, and turned around. But then, he felt something, which was something he had not felt since he entered the void: he felt someone's ki rising, it was not the ki of any of the Z Warriors. He turned around, and in a little surprise, he could see a feint blue light terminating from one of the buildings in the town. This was alarming, as only one with a high enough could do this, yet this planet is supposed to prevent that. He had to investigate.
...Of course, that left him with a slight issue, the issue of flying, which he hasn't pulled off since landing. But this time, he actually had to, not just for practice. So he mustered up all the ki in his body, clenching his fists, and closing his eyes. His feet became slightly separated from the ground - this was good enough for him. Gohan carefully and clumsily floated across the gross lake, all the way to the town, where he just barely touched down on the roof where he saw the light. He wobbled his arms to stop him from falling off; then he quietly knelt down, and peered into a hold in the roof. There he saw the source of the ki: the room was filled waist-high with mist, and in the center was a feminine figure with a wide hat and red dress. Gohan could see her kneeling down and laying her hands on various sick people. He saw the blue light come from her hands with each person she touched.
Gohan saw this power before: it was just like Dende's healing technique! Then another thought hit him, recalling the local myth and the statue built for her. This must be The Painted Lady! Gohan then thought about Piccolo and how she could heal him. He carefully watched her exit the building, the mist following her. He saw her slide through the street. Gohan shrugged: it was now or never.
He readied himself, and jumped high off the roof; he landed right in front of her, giving her quite a startle. She gasped, and made sure to keep her face conceal under hat; she also turned away from him. Gohan raised his hands passively."Don't worry, I'm not here to fight you, Painted Lady. My name is Gohan, and I need your help."
The Painted Lady coughed before speaking."...uh-greetings, dear child. What can I assist you with?" she exhaled in a spirit-y kind of way.
"Well, Ms. Painted Lady," Gohan said,"My master, Piccolo, got sick drinking this dirty water, and I was hoping you could heal him."
She coughed again."Yes, uh...Yes I can do that for you, dear child; please point me to your house so that I may visit him."
Gohan shook his head."Oh, no, I don't live here; I'm traveling in a ship."
"A ship, you say?"
"Yeah," Gohan nodded,"it's a special kind of ship you probably have never seen before. I mean, no disrespect to you, spirit, I know you're incredibly wise and all, but I'm just saying that-"
"Han?" the Painted Lady cocked her head, her voice completely different.
Gohan paused."What?"
Katara pulled her disguise right off."Han!?"
"Jun Fire!?" Gohan reared back in shock.
"What're you doing here!?" they pointed to each other.
Katara stumbled over her words."duh-uh-er-I...was just visiting this quaint village and-"
"You have the power to heal!?" Gohan exclaimed.
"No!" she flipped her hands up."Nononono, I was NOT healing those people! They-uh-they were, uh, already glowing when I found them!"
"No, I mean, that's great!" Gohan smiled."I have a friend back home who could do that!"
"You know a waterbender?" Katara raised a brow.
Gohan shrugged."Sure why not..." he scratched the back of his head: yes, she could heal Piccolo, but now that he knew she was a normal Fire Nation girl, he couldn't just let her into the spaceship. Not to mention he'd be letting her interact with the least human-looking member of the team."dangit..." he cursed. Turning around.
"What's wrong, Han?" Katara asked.
Gohan felt his arm."...nothing...look, I'm just gonna leave..." he said as he walked away.
Katara raised a hand."But wait, you said something about someone you needed me to heal!"
Gohan shook his head."He's not that sick, he'll get better."
Katara tilted her head, leering inquisitively."But you said he got sick drinking the water, right?"
"Yeah..." Gohan said.
Katara crossed her arms."See, that's the real problem here: this water is horrible, and it's all because of that factory."
Gohan turned."But, the Fire Nation needs that weapons factory to fight the evil Earth Kingdom."
Katara glared at him."Han, you are from the Earth Kingdom, and you have a waterbender as a friend, how can you say that?"
Well, obviously, it was because he was not from the Earth Kingdom, but Gohan couldn't tell her that.
"I know you love your nation, but you have to admit, that factory is too much; something has to be done about it."
Gohan spun around."What do you wanna do? Destroy the entire factory?
At this, Katara smiled with fire in her eyes.
Gohan froze."...oh Dende, you really wanna destroy the factory, don't you?"
Gohan had studied everything he could about Fire Nation history; he was confident that based on what he was taught, they were the good guys in this war. But as he and "Jun" snuck along the small shoreline, glancing at the blobs of slime emitting from the giant tubes into the river, then up at the dark, ominous monolith emitting smoke so black it could corrupt one's soul, this place was looking extremely, even comically evil.
"So, quick question," Katara started."Are you a firebender?"
Gohan was stunned by the question, but regained his composure."Uh, yeah! I'm a great firebender." he fibbed, hoping he could actually bend fire with his ki.
Katara nodded."Great, you're gonna need it. Come on!" she flung her arm forward, and ran into the entrance. Gohan gulped and ran after her.
They stood on a walkway and split up. Katara shot her water out to slice the chain holding metal barrels of molten steel. While Katara wasn't looking, Gohan grabbed the barrel nearest to him, and with all his effort, yanked it off the chain and let it fall. Then he jumped to a lower level and started chopping steam pipes apart, rendering the furnaces useless. Katara readied herself, and hurled water from the river itself through the windows and flooded the base of the factory. During all this mayhem, Gohan was surprised that they didn't encounter a single guard in the building; surely such an important and over-productive facility would have swarms of personnel monitoring this place. But there was nobody. He was rather impressed how a steam-powered could run on auto-pilot like this, and at the same time, marveled at their stupidity for leaving it all entirely unprotected.
They ran away, as the factory exploded in the distance.
The lost Saiyans managed to start a fire in the middle of the spirit wilds; they huddled around the spiritual fire, after having gathered spiritual fruit, spiritual nuts, and spiritual berries from the spiritual woods.
Raditz bit into a spiritual apple."Am I the only one who is aware the Spirit World is exactly like the physical world and is utterly pointless to have a distinction between the two?"
"Shut up and eat your spiritual vegetables, boy," Bardock dismissed, munching on a spiritual carrot.
"What I still wanna know," Goku said," is who what that spirit that attacked us. He was so strong!"
"Pretty sure it was a she..." Raditz replied.
"How would you know?" Goku wondered.
"You were watching her fists," Raditz said."I was watching her ass."
"Why would you do that?" Goku's brow creased,"Was she preparing an attack with her butt?"
"No, but if she were; I wish she would use it on me..." Raditz mused as he rested his chin on his palm.
"Well we have a problem," Bardock said, pointing to the sky," because that ass is what's stopping us from finding a way to the living world."
"We could try jumping her at once from behind," Goku offered.
"Guys, this conversation is startin' to feel uncomfortable to hear..." the talking mushroom noted.
"We're not talking to you!" Raditz barked," And how are you here!?"
"I'm a spirit-shroom, bro; I can be wherever the hell I want," the entity replied.
"Good, then since you're here," Bardock said,"Care to enlighten us as to who that woman was?"
"I o'uh..." the shroom shrugged, if shrooms could shrug."She popped outta the Fog of Lost Souls around 50th time you walked passed me."
"How jolly," Bardock crossed his arms," it sounds like she literally climbed her way out of hell just to reach us."
"But why us?" Goku asked.
"Maybe she felt our strong ki, and it coaxed her to follow us." Bardock speculated.
"Probably," Raditz nodded,"But that's still far from her identity."
"There's only one explanation," Bardock crossed his arms, looking at the night sky."She must be one of the Saiyans that died during the last invasion of Planet Avatar. Feeling our Saiyan energy must have driven her out of hell and fight us."
"Then why'd she fight us?" Goku asked.
Bardock and Radtiz shrugged."It's what Saiyans do." Raditz answered.
Goku sighed."Man..." he lay down on his back, arms folded under his head."I've never met a lady Saiyan before," Goku looked at his more Planet Vegeta-culured member,"Are all Saiyan ladies a bunch of relentless bloodthirsty monsters?"
To this, Bardock snorted."I can certainly say your mother was, in bed at least..."
"Ew..." Raditz's eye twitched.
"But seriously though," Said Bardock,"I've never seen a Saiyan like that before; I'll bet that being trapped in that hell for a thousand years has stripped her of all reason; she prolly' doesn't even remember her own name."
The shroom nodded."Yeah, her aura was totes' dark, my guy,"
Radit's raised his brow at the spectral fungus."Oh, what, are we friends now? Don't talk to us like you're part of the team."
Goku flipped his hand up."I vote that he becomes part of the team!"
His family raised their hands." And we vote that he doesn't," replied Raditz,"You lose, Kakarot."
"Nu-uh!" the shroom disagreed,"I had my hand raised to vote yes!"
"That's not how this works!" Raditz barked."You have to have been part of the team to make that vote! And you don't even have hands, so how the hell do any of us know if you even wanted to vote yes until after we took said vote!?"
"Cause your hair is dumb, that's why," was the mushroom's argument.
"You've got us there," Bardock felt his chin, "His logic is flawless. We have no choice to keep him as part of the team."
"WHA!?" Raditz jumped to his feet and clenched his fists."But that's...! He didn't...!" he swerved his face at the other Saiyans, who appear as though they didn't understand what he was talking about. Raditz fell to his knees."Why was I cursed with such a family..."?
"Okay!" Goku pounded his fist,"With our new team assembled, there's no way that crazy Saiyan lady can stop us now! Time to come up with a plan."
The two found themselves laughing about their victory in the early morning, walking on a dirt path between the hills. Gohan made explosion noises with his mouth, making Katara laugh more.
"Thank you so much for helping me, Han." Katara smiled.
"Don't mention it," Gohan beamed,"That factory was way too evil to let it keep running."
They stopped walking.
"Guess this is goodbye," Katara noted,"...again..."
"heh, yeah..." Gohan folded his hands behind his head,"I'll try my best not to bump into you again," he giggled.
"Say hi to your crazy mom for me," Katara joked, and snickered.
"He won't have to..."
The two youths were bombarded by a presence of raw, immeasurable malice. Behind them was a lone figure wreathed in a black aura. They dared to turn around to see the source of unbrilded rage; and in that moment, Gohan finally knew the horror of running into one's mother at 6 am.
"Our deaths will not be swift, will it?" the wide-eyed Katara muttered weakly.
"They will not..." Gohan conformed.
"SON GOHAAAN!" Chi Chi fumed."Where WERE YOU LAST NIGHT!?" she thundered, stomping toward her petrified child.
"Mom! I can explain!" Gohan tried, going through all the motions.
"I was up ALL NIGHT looking for you! And WHO is THIS!?" she threw an accusatory finger in the also petrified Katara's face."Did you do something inappropriate with my son!?" Chi Chi grabbed Katara by her necklace and shook her violently."DID YOU PUT MY BABY'S BEEF INTO YOUR TACO!?"
"I DIDN"T DO IT, I SWEAR!" Katara cried."All we did was destroy a factory!"
"THAT SOUNDS LIKE A METAPHOR FOR SEX!" Chi Chi frightenly misenterpreted."You had sex with my son, didn't you!?"
"NO! PLEASE, I SWEAR TO HEI BAI!" Katara begged.
"SWEAR TO ME!" Chi Chi roared.
"Mom, how'd you even know to find us here!?" Gohan wondered.
"How indeed..."
Gohan and Katara's eyes was finally freed from Chi Chi's burning eyes as she turned."Toph!?"
"Krillin!?" Gohan shouted.
To their shocks, Krillin, Aang, 18, and Toph were standing side by side, all staring at the delinquents with their own flavor of unhappiness.
"While we were in the woods looking for you, 'Jun Fire' "," Toph started,"this oni-baba over here stalked us and roped us into combing the entire forest for both of you!"
"So you get to go to one party, and you suddenly think you can go wherever the hell you want?" 18 glared."Talk about entitled..."
"Guys, it's not like that!" Gohan tried.
"How could you do this to me!?" Aang erupted, with tears streaming from his eyes."I thought we had something special!"
"Look, there is clearly a great big misunderstanding here...!" Katara also tried.
"That's what I said to my mother," Krillin said flatly, "before she kicked me out, and I became a monk."
"WE DID NOT DO IT!" Katara shouted."Toph, you KNOW I'm telling the truth!"
Toph clicked her tongue."You know, Sugerqueen, I wasted a lot of time and effort tracking you down, when I could have had breakfast: you. made me. miss. Breakfast, 'Jun', so frankly, I don't feel very obligated to vouch for you."
"THIS BITCH IS ABOUT TO KILL ME!" Katara shrieked.
"That's okay," 18 said," we can wish you back later."
It was then they overheard the sound of engines filling their ears; they saw a whole group of motorboats zoom down the river and head straight for the fishing village.
"What're they in such a hurry for?" Krillin wondered.
"THERE!" Katara pointed out."Those are the soldiers tracking us down for destroying their factory!"
"She's telling the truth, Mom!" Gohan pleaded."That's what we were doing last night. We destroyed the evil factory that was polluting the river, not whatever you think we were doing!"
Chi Chi's eye twitched...
...she dropped Katara."My son is incapable of lying to me," she crossed her arms and closed her eyes.
"Oh, thank the ocean!" Katara exhaled as she held her neck.
Chi Chi turned to her son, and sternly placed a hand on his shoulder,"Son, I am glad you have moral convictions, but you should have informed me for consent prior. Now, we are leaving..." Once again, she took her son by the wrist and yanked him away, walking past the confused Aang.
Toph flung her finger skyward."And I am getting breakfast!" she said, walking away.
Aang went to help the shivering Katara onto her feet."It's alright, Katara, you're safe." He took advantage of this moment to console her, and in doing so, implanting the sentiment within her that would cause her to fall in love with him.
Krillin gave the boats another scan and became confused."Uh...are you sure they're lookin' for you two?"
"Of course," Katara answered.
"Did they see you do it?" 18 followed.
"As weird as it sounds, no," Katara said,"There was nobody in the factory at the time, which I guess was a good thing, because now, they have no idea who did it."
Gohan heard all of this, and the ding of a dinner over timer rang in his brain."Oh no! Mom, wait!" Gohan stopped in front of Chi Chi.
"What is it?" Chi Chi asked naturally.
"They don't know it was us!" Gohan padded his chest."Which means they think it was the villagers!"
Aang's eye's widened at this information."Oh, monkeyfeathers, he's right!"
"Don't be ridiculous," Chi Chi put her hands on her hips,"They can all testify that none of them committed the crime. As long as the government's justice system is fair and balanced, none of those innocent villagers will be held accountable."
Aang and Katara exchanged glances...
"Are you gonna tell'em?" Katara asked.
"I just thought you already told'em," Aang looked away and scratched his head.
The air was filling with Toph's frustrated groan."Fine, I'll tell'em" she turned around and walked for Gohan.
"Tell me what?" Gohan's eyes shifted between whom, as far as he knew, were just other colonists.
"Lemme spell it out for you, Sun Wukong or whatever your full name is..." she pressed her finger against his chest."The Fire Nation...is...EVIL!"
This answer took the boy's breath away."What...?"
"She means the government is evil!" Aang raised his hands."The people so far are pretty cool!"
"I 'mean' that everything you learned in school about the war is a lie!" Toph persisted to prod Gohan with her finger."The airbenders never had a military, they were peaceful nomads and monks that the Fire Lord wiped out to prevent the Avatar from reincarnating into an airbender!"
"Wha!? No, no!" Gohan shook his head."The Avatar cycle was broken after Avatar Roku refused to help Fire Lord win the war!"
"Wrong," Toph dissmissed,"Remember those colonies you said you were from?"
Gohan blinked."...the ones that the Earth Kingdom sold to the Fire Nation...?"
"No, stupid, the ones that were plain old Earth Kingdom villages that the Fire Nation invaded and THEN turned into colonies! Some of 'em aren't even colonies!" Toph continued,"The military just extorts them for money while wrangling any earthbenders they find and take them to work on metal rigs where they can't earthbend!"
"No, everyone is treated equally in the colonies, regardless of element!" Gohan stood his ground.
"Wow, the colony you're from sounds like stinkin' paradise," Troph crossed her arms,"Too bad I can't say the same for Omashu, Ba Sing Se, or anywhere else the Fire Nation touches!"
"You're making this up!" Gohan defended himself.
Before she answered, she took a wif of the air and smelled something burning."Is that what I think it is?"
"Alright, you got me," Krillin looked away,"I've been wearing the exact same pair of shoes on and off without socks for years now."
"She meant that!" Katara pointed outward.
Krillin and other warriors turned and became shocked, as they saw the Fire Nation soldiers gradually setting each of the village's buildings on fire.
Toph crossed her arms."I'm gonna assume that you guys are watching the soldiers burning down the village - something else Fire Nation soldiers love to do."
"Toph is right, Han," Katara interjected."The military is all like this; the Fire Lord just encourages them to be as cruel as possible who anyone who doesn't fit their version of perfection."
"Please don't say 'perfection', it triggers me..." 18 said, her fingers tweaked out.
"It's still true, though," Aang agreed."They're gonna destroy that village, and everyone will be sent to the coal mines - at least the school got that part true..." he remarked.
"We have to stop them!" Katara announced, gesturing to Gohan and his friends."You should help us!"
Chi Chi zipped between her and Gohan,"Don't you try to entangle my son in another one of your acts of eco-terrorism!"
Krillin sighed, rubbing the back of his head."You know, Chi Chi, 'terroism' is just another word for 'revolution'. I think these kids on to somethin' here."
"We all heard what Gohan told us!" Chi Chi protested."Whatever my boy is taught in school cannot be wrong!"
At this, the blind girl snickered."Okay, so all you know about your own nation is what your son tells you?"
"Don't antagonize her!" Katara hissed in Toph ear.
"No, yeah, I'm callin' her out," Toph.
"Why should any of us take anything a repugnant little delinquent like you says to be serious!?" Chi Chi loomed over the unfazed Toph."You probably skip school all the time! What would your parents have to say to you!?"
Toph lunged in her face."MY parents would tell me to stop talking, stand still, and be a good little doll while not giving a single thought to how the hell I feel! And if Han is actually willing to put up with you BULLSHIT, he can go right ahead! But as for me, I'm not your daughter! So quit looking down on me and SHUT YOUR F%#ING FACE!" the mountains around them resonated with the echo of her last word, causing thousand of birds to scatter into the sky.
Dawn broke in the Spirit World, Goku yelped awake, alerting his family, and the shroom.
Bardock noted that his son was shivering out of some kind of deathly fear."What's gotten into you, Kakarot?"
The strongest man in the universe quaked in his boots as his trembling eyes stared into nothingness."My wife has been triggered."
Krillin hid behind 18 while she shielded him protectively, as had Aang with Katara.
Never had Gohan seen such a terrifying standoff in all his few years alive. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would ever see someone instigate his mother's rage without regretting it. Nay, this girl was, in stunning defiance, inviting the woman's ire and meeting it with her own - this girl felt like the strongest being the in the universe...!...what was this odd feeling between his legs?
But then, an explosion rang out; in the distance, everyone else could see the village structures were blown to bits, small pieces of wood raining into the dirty water.
"Hey, guy! Look, an explosion!" the anxious Krillin pointed out in exaggerated excitement with both fingers." Nothin' like a good ol' explosion to get rid of an awkward situation, right!? Let's change the subject and go save the village, right!?" he attempted."...off I go..." he slinked away with this convenient excuse to leave.
Goku's wife's burned over the blind girl."...We are not done..."
"I'd be disappointed otherwise..." the Blind Bandit taunted.
Then they all left.
Goku breathed a sigh of relief."Okay, I think she's focused on something important now..."
"Good, now let's take care of the psychotic female trying to destroy us," Raditz rolled his eyes.
The dark-aura'd Saiyan sailed over the spirit wilds, patrolling the area for her targets. It was then that a ball of ki flew passed her face; she immediately halted and dashed for the ball. She mindlessly pursued the ki ball into the woods, swerving passed a blur of trees, until flying out of the woods and right into Goku as he performed his move.
"Solar Flare!" The Saiyan announced, letting out an intense flash is light that stunned the dark Saiyan; Bardock and Raditz came from above and kicked her in the back, sending her flying into the gorge she did not know was there.
"FIRE!" Bardock shouted as he and his sons unleashed barrages of balls that showered the Saiyan, and created a storm of dust that filled the spirit gorge. But the gorge was then rattled by an explosion of ki that did not come from Goku's family; as the dark Saiyan's aura expanded to block the ki blasts.
"Don't fight her head on!" Bardock yelled,"Just wear her out!"
"I remember the plan alrigh-sweet Beerus!" Raditz was cut off as the dark Saiyan zoomed for him, forcing him to yank his head out of the way of her incoming uppercut. Raditz responded with a ki blast to her face, both to stun her further and propel himself away. Bardock grabbed her by the hair and flung her across the sky; Goku appeared above her and fired a quick Kamehameha that blasted her again into the ground.
She seemed to have endured the blast, holding herself up with her hands and knees against the ground. In the next beat, the spirit mushroom popped out of the ground next to her."Hi there!" the shroom greeting before ducking under her swing and sinking into the ground."Missed me!" he said as he popped out the other side, then having to avoid another strike."This is fun!" the shroom popped out before evading her kick, which Goku caught in his hands spinning her around like a tornado before launching her into the wall of the canyon.
The three yelling Saiyans dashed for her and assaulted her with a barrage of strikes while she was still pressed against the wall, all of which she blocked.
"You can't last forever!" Raditz taunted before he and his brother were punched in their faces in the same instant Bardock was kicked in the stomach. All three of them tumbles along the ground; they struggled to get up.
"Damn, we're not even hurting her!" Goku realized."What kinda Saiyan is this?"
Then the woman unleashed her own scream, which was dark and distorted as her aura as it exploded from her body, then she dashed for them, fist cocked.
"Hahahaha!" Mung, the leader of the band of clearly evil Fire Nation soldiers, sounded as he blew the children's hospital to smithereens."Burn, baby, burn!" It was then that his ears were struck by the sharp sting of a shrill battle cry, and then struck literally by Chi Chi's heel against his jaw.
The man was sent rolling along the wooden street. The other soldiers turned to see Chi Chi, followed by Krillin and 18.
"Who dares!?" Mung demanded.
"We do!" Chi Chi announced."WE destroyed your factory!"
"You what!?" Mung glared, as he got up and was back by the other firebenders.
"That's right," 18 followed,"We're an outside party that has no connection to this village. If you wanna blame someone, blame us."
"Uh...Yeah! What they said!" Krillin played along."The villagers had nothing to do with this! In fact, we don't even care about this village! Screw this village!" he said as he picked up a barrel and threw it at the statue of the Painted Lady.
"HEY!" Dock complained from behind a building.
"...sorry..." Krillin muttered.
"I don't care where you came from," Mung growled,"You're gonna burn all the same!" he announced as he and his squad blasted streams of fire at the supposed offenders. Krillin dove into 18, knocking them both out of the way as Chi Chi slid under the stream and used her legs to ensnare the legs of Mung and trip him onto the ground; Chi Chi flipped onto her knee and knocked Mung out with a swift jab.
The shockingly functional couple crashed into a barrel of mutant fish. "Krillin!" 18 complained.
"What was I supposed to do!?" Krillin reasoned."We dunno how weak you are without your ki or whatever powers you up!"
18 patted her boo on the shoulder."You're a sweet guy," she rose off her feet,"But I wouldn't have come with you if I thought I couldn't help," she said as she fixed brass knuckles over her right hand.
Chi Chi deftly weaved past the incoming fireballs, leading with s straight punch into the first soldier's gut; she grabbed her arm and flung her into the soldier in her left, as 18 socked the soldier on the right.
"I love that woman..." Krillin muttered in a dreamlike state; but then, he heard another soldier from behind coming at him with a spear. Krillin spun around and caught the shaft with both hands, and used the opponent's grip against him by lifting him overhead and slamming him onto the ground like a hammer, and kept the spear for himself. He used the spear to block the sword strikes of the next soldier, then clubbed the blunt end of the spear against the soldier's temple. He then paused as a shadow crept over his shiny head; he turned with a fright to see a large man heaving a sledgehammer over his head to crush Krillin's. This man was quickly elbowed in the kidney by Yamcha, and backfisted by him in the same motion.
"Yamcha?" Asked Krillin reflexively.
"Don't tell me you were fighting without me?" said Yamcha."If I can't beat up normal people, then what good am I!?"
Then Krillin and Yamcha huddled back to back in order to fend off soldiers coming at them from either side of the street.
Tien (wearing a fedora to conceal his extra eye) sprinted along a rooftop like a ninja and leaped off the edge with a yell; this was the only warning to a soldier in the center of the group as he looked up just in time for his face to meet Tien shoe; Tien kicked off the soldier's face and landed elbow-first onto another. He moved faster than the firebenders could fire, striking their pressure points with the rate of a machine gun, and kicked another soldier in the face, which ended up sandwiching the man's contorted face between his and Chi Chi's kicks.
The Dragon Team pushed the soldiers back to the dock; while this was happening, the "Painted Lady" descended from the sky; the citizens, fighters, and officers alike looked up in awe as she sent a wave of mist into the village, putting out all the fires. Believing the "spirit" to be real, the soldiers jump on their motorboats and drive away. The citizens cheered.
Gohan saw all of this from the land, as he stood next to Toph, looking through his binoculars. Being just a kid, he didn't want to look suspicious taking down grownup foot soldiers; but he felt happy, knowing he had such an important role to play in this.
Toph gave Gohan a friendly jab in the shoulder."You did good, Han."
The dark Saiyan continued to exchange blows with the good Saiyan and kind of dark Saiyans in mid-air. No matter what angle they struck her, she either blocked or dodged, with zero sign of getting tired.
"How are you so damn strong!?" Raditz yelled as he threw his next big punch, which landed squarely against her cheek; but this had no effect, except to prompt her to grab Raditz's head with both hands and knee him in the face repeatedly; Bardock and Kakarot pulled against her arms but they refused to budged as she continued the beating unfazed.
But then, idea struck Bardock, giving him pause."...Duh!" he zipped behind her, reach into her dark aura, and managed to snag her Saiyan tail; he pulled on it with all his might, yanking her off of Radtiz, but she had no reaction beyond that. As she turned to Bardock, he was stunned with surprise."It doesn't hurt her! She's an Elite Saiyan!" he said , before receiving a kick to the forehead, sending him flying back.
Goku yelled, powering up as best he could, and tackled the woman out of the sky; as they both spun in the air, she grabbed Goku's arms, and forced him to break the landing onto the ground. Goku braced himself, his heels making a trail of dust along ground, as he pushed back against this seemingly unstoppable force. He was being figuratively and literally pushed to his limit. He dug his boots into the ground, stopping them both, but putting an agonizing strain on his muscles. "I don't get it! How can she be this strong? The void should be sucking her power, just like everyone else who comes to this planet!" But his thoughts were cut off by another stong of pain, as the other Saiyan's grip squeezed his hands, the pain forcing him down on one knee. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth."Dammit, she might actually destroy my spirit body! I can't let this happen! My friends need my help! Gohan needs my help! Chi Chi is actually counting on me! I can't go out like this now! I CAN'T!" his eyes sprang open, ignited with a spark of passion he had not felt in years."I WON'T!" Goku growled loudly, getting back on his other leg and standing upright, pushing back against the other Saiyan. The ground broke apart around the two. Goku's veins bulged, and his hair waved like fire; his pained growl shifted into an explosive yell as his body was engulfed in a flash of golden ki, and turning back into a Super Saiyan.
The sight stunned his father and brother as they looked down at the Super Saiyan Goku, his aura of equal size to his opponent. But something strange followed: the golden light of Goku's aura seemed to blend in with the other Saiyan's dark green aura; green aura's egdes which met Goku's was steadily changing from a shroud of dark green to a light of gold just like Goku's. The dark Saiyan's posture changed, becoming less aggressive and almost drowsy, her red eyes twitching and losing their intensity. Gradually, the golden light peeled the darkness right off her hands, splitting apart along her arms, and up along her legs.
The woman released another yell, but this one was similar to Goku's; instantly dissipating the dark aura and replacing it with her own golden ki, revealing herself to be a Super Saiyan.
"WHAT THE!?" the other three Saiyans gawked as the young woman continued to yell mindlessly. particles of earth swirled around her, mixing with her aura, and forming a spiraling rainbow of sparkling colors. Goku immediately let go of her and back away, letting her stand there and scream into the sky. Every spirit in the realm shifted their gaze toward the golden light in the distance.
In the sanctuary of the Southern Air Temple, the statue of Avatar Kyoshi glowed with the same golden light.
On Kyoshi island, the monument to Avatar Kyoshi also glowed, shocking the surrounding villagers.
"Is it the Avatar?" a child asked.
The chief shook his head."No...this is something else..."
The Fire Nation soldiers in Ba Sing Se were still tasked with the demolition of the temple of the local goddess. As they were busy chipping away at the foundation of the statue, they were caught completely off guard as sparkling dust particles swirled around the statue. The indoor storm caused them to flee out of the temple, as the statue itself glowed more golden than it had ever been.
The woman continued to yell with this new surge of power, until her eyes shut, and she fell over to the ground.
Radtiz and Bardock landed; the three loomed over her with their own curious and silly expressions. She was wearing a green tanktop, a pair of amored braced around her wrists. Her lower half was covered in samurai-like armor over her knees and boots. But what really stood out for the three was her hair.
"Holy shit..." Raditz breathed, pointing down at her."There's only one elite Saiyan bloodline that has this shape of hair!"
Goku blinked."You mean...she's related to Vegeta?"
With the evil factory dealt with, the villagers were able to clean their lake. Over time, it would return to its former condition; but for now, at least there was just enough fresh water to treat the illness of someone in particular...
Piccolo gulped the clear water down without a second thought. He exhaled in relief, rising from his sleeping mat and stretching; his skin was changing color already. The Dragon Team cheered for him.
Much further away and closer to the village, Gohan once again exchanged his goodbyes with who he still assumed to be an odd bunch of children from the colonies, and from their perspective, it was likewise.
"Thank you so much for your help, Han," Katara shook the boy's hands.
"Thank you, Jun," Gohan smiled. but he looked down the river with a frown."I can't believe something like this would happen in the Fire Nation."
"As I said," Toph crossed her arms,"evil."
"Sorry you had to get wrapped up in our business," Aang apologized."But, well, this is kind of why we came to Fire Nation; this place is corrupt, and its own people are suffering for it. The only way to bring peace to the world for me to master all four-" he coughed."I mean...tell other people about it, like you."
Gohan looked at the ground."So everything I studied at the school..."
"It was all lies," Katara affirmed."They have done so many terrible things to the other nations that they will never tell you or your family."
Gohan scratched his head."Jun..." he paused, "...did the military do something to your colony?"
Katara looked away; she had clearly mourning expression."You're better off not knowing what they did to me, or Kuzong."
This gave Gohan a ping of dread; after all the monstrous people he's met, he could still make a could guess but did not want to.
Katara shook the sadness off."But anyway, I guess this is goodbye again...again..." she noted.
"I swear, if we run into you and your crazy family a third time, you're joining the team," Toph affirmed.
Gohan giggled."I'll take you up on that. If so, then maybe we can all meet the Fire Lord and tell him about this injustice."
Team Avatar had their lips curled inward. But Toph just snickered."Oh yeah, when we get to the capital, we're givin' the Fire Lord one hell of 'peaceful protest' "
"Good luck with that then,"Gohan shrugged, turning away,"But I gotta get back to my camp. Bye, guys!" he ran off.
Team Avatar waved back.
"We're totally running into him again..." Toph blurted.
"I know," Aang rolled his eyes," I think Vegeta's luck is rubbing off on us..."
The Gaang themselves were quite fortunate to have been away from their own camp when "Han's" eccentric mother rounded them up to find him. They didn't want to think of what would have happened if those Fire Nation citizens stumbled upon Vegeta's spaceship, within which the owner was still sealed. Tarble was content with sitting near the campfire, cooking ramen, and going no-where near any village, as per his brother's advice.
"Whew!" Toph stretched."Another crazy day," she turned her face to the ship,"Hey, Vegeta! You're not gonna believe what-!"
"Don't care!" Vegeta voice instantly rang out from the ship.
Aang raised a brow."You don't even want us to tell you about it? You weren't involved at all!"
"And I wish to continue this trend!"
Katara scratched her head."Vegeta, are you sure you don't want to-"
"HELL. YES."
The Gaang looked at each other and shrugged.
"Guess he doesn't have to know," Katara reasoned.
"Not like he'd be at all interested in meeting Han anyway," Toph surmised.
Tarble looked up."You meet that boy again?"
"Oh yeah," Toph nodded."We watched his family take on an entire group of soldiers, before Sugerqueen flew in disguised as a spirit and scared 'em away; it was pretty awesome."
Tarble blinked, and felt his chin thoughtfully."That's...peculiar..."
"That's our adventure," Aang shrugged.
"No, your adventures are one-off episodes with little continuity between eachother," Tarble pointed at them,"But in this instance, you've bumped into the exact same people twice? The ones who claimed we're also Earth Kingdom colonists, yet have nearly blown our cover each time we meet them? Not to mention that highly advanced audio technology Han had that surpassed anything else we've seen in the Fire Nation anywhere else?"
"What are you getting at, Tarble?" Aang raised a brow.
Tarble paused...then lowered his finger."I'm not going to jump to any conclusions yet; but if it so happens that you run into this Han again, I highly doubt it will be a coincidence."
"What would it be then?" Katara asked.
Tarble sighed."...trouble..."
Salza strutted through the training room, passing all the human recruits. He headed for the gravity chamber; as he did, he could hear a rhythmic thud reverberating from inside the chamber. These days, the gravity chamber was reserved for one occupant, and very few were brave enough to interrupt his training while in there. Salza casually tapped the buttons next to the door to open it. He could see said occupant beating the latest training droid to a sparking pile of scrap.
Lu Ten, shirtless and wearing weights around his joints, turned around to see Salza with the usual scowl.
"My boy," the blue alien smirked."We 'ave, as Lord Coolair put it, an effing problem. It's high time you took a step back into zhe field."