Son Gokuu returned home to his family, his training of the young island boy, Uubu, nearly complete. The very day he returned, Bulma and Chichi got together and used the Dragonballs to make a very strange wish.

Gokuu, Goten, Trunks, and Vegeta arrived at Capsule Corporation to discover that the two women had called upon Shenron to transform them into Saiyajin. Faced with this strange new twist in their lives, the two families attempted to take it in stride.

Uubu had been left by his sensei to jog along the serpent road in the afterlife. Uubu and Kaiou-sama were taken by surprise when the road began to shake, sending Uubu plummeting into Hell below.

The young boy fought the spirits of the damned bravely, but was killed by Toripura, who double-crossed her new legion of minions by tricking them into drinking his blood. Their lives restored at the cost of their tremendous power, the evil warriors were left with no choice but to follow their new queen into the living world.

At the mansion of Mister Satan, a joyous banquet was interrupted by the terrible news of Uubu's death and the escape of the demons imprisoned in Hell. Caught off-guard and with a situation of their own to deal with, the Theta-senshi must now prepare for the coming struggle...

Preparations For War!!
Theta-senshi Go Into Training!!

"Ha! You lose again, old man!" Oolong snorted as he scooped up a small pile of rather choice (and rather ecchi) pictures from the table. "You really suck at this, you know that?" The pig blinked as he noticed the distant look on the old master's face. "Hey...old man...what's wrong?"

The invincible old hermit, Mutenroshi, known to many as Kamesennin, rose from the table and walked to the window. The light of the setting sun reflected off his green-tinted shades, and for a moment the old pervert looked to be the venerable master he had once been. "The breeze from the ocean reeks of evil," he murmured. "I don't know what it is, but something terrible has happened." Sighing deeply, he turned, tired old body sagging...

...and pulled a video disc out of his shirt. "Anyway, how's about we watch the new Bouncy Workout video I just got?"

The mood in the dining hall at Satan Manor had grown somber rather quickly. Uubu, the innocent young boy that only Gokuu had ever really gotten to know, was gone. Demons were loose on Earth. And something horribly evil had appeared.

The peace of three years was shattered in the span of an hour.

"So are you guys just gonna sit around, or are you gonna go fight?" Bulma asked.

Gokuu shook his head. "No use right now."

"What do you mean 'no use'?" Satan demanded. "There's nothing you can't fight!"

Gokuu smiled wanly. "We have to be able to find it first." His expression became suddenly serious. "Whatever this is, it's really hiding itself."

"It's not so much hiding itself as it is flooding the whole planet with a blanket of evil ki," Piccolo commented. "Although I can't tell if all this evil is coming from one source spreading itself thin..."

"...or every single soul that got out of Hell when the gates blew," Vegeta said. "I've been there...trust me, it's quite crowded." Bulma suppressed a shudder at the reminder that her mate had actually died and gone to Hell a few years earlier.

"So what do we do?" Videl asked.

"You," Satan said archly, "do nothing, young lady. I don't know exactly what's going on, but I definitely know it sounds like it's out of your league."

Gokuu nodded. "Un...until we know what we're dealing with, nobody does anything." He narrowed his eyes. "This thing killed Uubu. It may be strong enough to kill me."

"And if it can kill you," Kuririn said, "then there's not much point in any of us going out there." Nobody paid any attention to Vegeta's snort of disgust.

Piccolo tilted his head. "Hmm...something's happening."

Gokuu blinked. "Heeeeh...you sure?"

Piccolo smirked. "You may be the strongest warrior, but don't forget I was once God, and have a direct line to my replacement." He motioned everyone to be silent for a moment. "Dende says there's a...fog of evil, you might say, spreading across the world."

"Like the Black Water Mist?" Gohan asked.

"Not quite as severe as that," Piccolo said. "It's more of a subtle, pervasive evil than a concentrated evil..."

"It's the souls from Hell," Kaiou-sama said. "When someone dies and goes to Hell, their soul is cleansed, but the machines can't remove all the evil from a tainted soul."

"Right," Piccolo nodded. "And most of the souls that came out of Hell were too old and too weak to hold together, so they..." He shrugged. "Drifted apart, you might say."

"So what's gonna happen to all that evil?" Kuririn asked.

"The nature of evil is to corrupt," Kaiou-sama said. "This fog...the remnants of the damned souls...it'll settle into the world and all its peoples, corrupting anyone weak enough to succumb to it."

"That sounds bad," Satan said.

Piccolo shrugged. "It happened once or twice, centuries ago. It caused a war or two, drove up the number of murderers and rapists...it's likely to keep the police busy, but it's not going to be our problem."

Gokuu nodded. "Right...we'll have the bigger problem." He frowned. "I still can't figure out where it's hiding."

"I can feel that fog now," Gohan said. "I can't feel that really strong power at all."

"Chikushou," Vegeta grumbled. "It's using that damned fog as a smokescreen."

Kaiou-sama gasped. "Yes...that's it exactly! We got distracted long enough by that for the main source to completely disappear!"

"Kuso! Now what do we do?"

"Maybe we should go home for the night?" Bulma suggested. "I don't know the first thing about all this stuff, but it seems to me if this thing's going to the trouble of hiding..."

Gokuu nodded. "Un. There's nothing we can do until we can actually find whoever's doing this. Let's get some rest for now."

Steam and sulfur permeated the air for kilometers around one of the largest active volcanoes in the world. On a wide rock shelf within the heart of the beast, a scattered group of figures milled about. Most of them were glaring balefully at the woman who looked right at home in the belly of a raging liquid inferno.

"How can you be sure those blasted monkeys won't be here any second now?" Freeza spat.

Toripura smiled. "I assure you, my lieutenant, we are completely concealed from detection. Nobody will find us unless I allow it."

"So what happens now?" Cell asked.

"Now, we begin phase one," the demoness said. "The shredded wisps of souls that couldn't pull themselves together are spreading their essence all around us. Hatred, anger, fear...many humans will begin to harbor ill will toward one another, feeding a steady stream of delicious human suffering to my realm."

"And us?" Korudo asked.

"You shall go amongst the humans and terrorize them. Keep it small, simple. You want to evoke fear and loathing, but you don't want undue attention before you can begin recovering your strength."

Freeza snorted. "In case you haven't noticed, this bunch is going to draw attention to itself no matter what."

Toripura flashed a rather unsettling smile. "Which is precisely what we're about to change." She stretched out her hand, and a dark crystal appeared. "Come forth, High Sorcerer of the demon realm! God of the Black Arts, thy Queen summons thee! Appear now, Rou-tao-akujin!"

The hiss of steam grew louder as the pool of lava below them began to boil furiously. A plume of molten rock shot high into the air, gouts of dark flame spewing forth, enveloping the geyser of magma in a serpentine coil of thick, oily black smoke. The pyrotechnic display slowly dissipated, revealing a shadowy figure.

"You summon me, Toripura?" a wizened, serpentine voice hissed.

The devil queen nodded curtly. "Show yourself before my selected warriors, Rou-tao-akujin."

"As you wish. Gaze upon my form and know horror."

The figure resolved itself into a hunched, aged creature enshrouded in black and red robes inscribed with various unholy runes. The ancient being's left hand was hewn from gnarled wood, and clutched an onyx orb. The right hand, red and scaly, gripped a tarnished brass staff in its taloned fingers. One half of the mismatched creature's face appeared human, creased with deep furrows and caked with ugly black tumors and festering boils. The other half resembled nothing so much as an alligator which had been beaten to death with a mountain. The wizened sorcerer's eye sockets were empty, save for twin points of angry purple flame.

"I keep telling him to get a facelift, but he never listens," Toripura quipped.

"What is it you wish of me, Toripura?" the gnarled old wizard snapped impatiently.

"These beings," the demoness replied, "will be infiltrating this pitiful human world to spread terror and hatred among its people. In order to do so, they will need to be humans themselves."

The warriors gasped. "Hey! No freakin' way, lady!" the horned purple creature known as Ginyuu protested.

Toripura leveled a dangerous stare at him. "You have a choice. Be human, or be ashes."

Ginyuu gulped. "Human isn't so bad when you put it that way."

"Good," the demoness smiled. "I wouldn't ask my soldiers to do something I wouldn't do myself, so I shall be taking my place among the humans as well. However," she amended, "I'll be doing so by my own power. You lot, on the other hand, aren't likely to enjoy this..."

Rou-tao-akujin surveyed the group before him, and nodded. "All of these can pay the toll for my spell..." He frowned. "Except these two. They are far too weak." The two indicated warriors snarled at the insult.

Toripura smirked. "I think I can spare you the trouble of bothering with them." She walked over behind the pair of disgruntled soldiers, grasping the thick, furry tails that lashed angrily about.

The remainder of the group snickered at the twin screams of pain that echoed through the volcano. Even the gnarled old sorcerer seemed amused. "Yes, that was rather effective."

"Now, my good man, if you please," the demoness instructed.

Nodding, the sorcerer banished his staff and orb in a puff of smoke, and folded his hands together, bowing his head slightly as he began to chant.

"pagowahsanfah pagowahsanfah pagowahsanfah pagowahsanfah pagowahsanfah..."

The limo arrived at Capsule Corporation without incident. As everyone filed out, Piccolo bid his farewells, then took off into the night. "Goten, Trunks, you two go change out of those good clothes and get straight to bed," the mothers instructed.

Gohan yawned. "I think I'm gonna hit the sack too," he said. "All the studying and now this too...I'm exhausted." Waving to everyone, he disappeared into the corridors of the compound.

"Ne, Vegeta," Gokuu said, "a spar in the gravity room sound good?"

Vegeta nodded, smirking. "Think you can keep up with me in one thousand times normal gravity?"

Gokuu grinned. "I can give it a try!"

Chichi rolled her eyes. Bulma tugged on her arm. "C'mon, we'll leave the silly boys to their fun."

The two Saiyajin women made their way to the kitchen, where Bulma set about making tea. Chichi noticed a certain anxiety to the other woman's movements. "What's wrong, Bulma?"

The inventor sighed. "I think you know...don't you feel it too?" At Chichi's confused look, Bulma continued, "I'm feeling...tense. Nervous, but excited...it's like..." She waved her arms around in frustration. "A rush."

Chichi nodded. "I think...I know," she said. "You feel like something's about to happen, and it's got you all worked up."

"Exactly!" Bulma agreed. "It's...I've always been a bit anxious when everyone gets so serious over some new enemy, but..."

"But something's different," Chichi said.

"Get used to it," a voice called softly from the door. The two women jumped, startled.

"Mou, Gohan-kun, you scared us!" Bulma yelped.

"Ne, Gohan-chan, what do you mean 'get used to it?'" Chichi asked.

Gohan took a step inside, leaning against the door jamb. "The fighting lust," he said. "The anxiety...your blood's burning up inside you. You know there's a big fight ahead, and it's making you lust...making you crave the fight."

The two women stared at the young man for a long moment. Gohan had always been a bright scholar, but neither of them had ever heard him utter something so profound before. And in truth, his words gave them both an eerie feeling.

He returned their gazes calmly, eyes perhaps a bit hard. "It's pretty scary, isn't it? Scary, but exciting all at the same time. And it's always going to burn, maybe not as much as it does right now, but it's always going to burn. That's what it's like for us."

"For...us...?" Chichi blinked...then gasped. "Sonna..."

Bulma leaned against the back of a chair. "So...is this what it's like to be...?"

Gohan nodded. "You wanted to understand Otousan and Vegeta-san better, right? And Goten and Trunks-kun, and me?" His eyes softened a bit. "Now you're getting an idea of what it's like to be Saiyajin."

Bulma sank into her chair, somewhat shellshocked. Chichi looked to be in much the same state.

Gohan moved toward the door...but stopped, glancing over his shoulder. "It's scary, ne? It feels terrible...but at the same time, it feels wonderful. It's hard to deal with it at first...it takes time." A pause. "And a lot of effort." With that, he disappeared into the hall.

The two Saiyajin women looked at one another, each knowing what the other was thinking. It was Bulma who finally voiced the thought:

"So what do we do now?"

"So what do we do about Bulma and Chichi?" Gokuu asked, feinting a sweep which was easily dodged, but which left Vegeta exposed to an overhand smash to the back as the taller Saiyajin appeared behind him in a burst of speed.

"What do you mean 'what do we do'?" Vegeta grunted as he traded punches with his long-time rival, easily keeping up with the pattern of strikes and blocks.

Gokuu broke out of the pattern and tagged Vegeta in the side with a kick, then backflipped across the gravity room. "You know what I mean," he said. "It's not the same anymore." He slid to his right, dodging an attack from behind, and launched into a spinning backfist which Vegeta countered with a well-timed roundhouse kick. Seizing the opportunity, Gokuu grabbed the overextended leg and flung the smaller warrior across the room. Dropping into a half-crouch and preparing to guard against anything Vegeta might do, he added, "You should know that more than anyone...you're the only pure Saiyajin left."

Vegeta snorted, assuming a similar defensive stance. "Need I remind you that you're as much a 'pure' Saiyajin as I am? Even if you are a low-class warrior and an idiot who can't even remember who he really is." The two warriors simultaneously disappeared, reappearing near the ceiling of the immense room in a flurry of kicks and punches. After over a minute of back-and-forth sparring, Gokuu plummeted to the ground, grunting as the air rushed out of his lungs.

As the prince floated down beside him, arms crossed and smirking, Gokuu grinned and stood up. "Ee, but I got brought up different. Didn't really understand what I was." He relaxed his posture, stretching. "And that's about like them right now, except it's hit them all at once. It's not gonna be easy."

Vegeta nodded, frowning thoughtfully. "Well, it likely won't be as difficult for your mate. Wasn't she a fighter some time ago?"

Gokuu nodded. "Un. Back before you came to Earth. I even fought her at Budokai. She stopped training when Gohan was born, but she taught Goten how to fight."

Vegeta snorted. "That explains a lot. I knew it sure as hell wasn't your other son, or the little brat would be at least a little better than he is." He paced a few steps, brow furrowed. "In any case, she probably knows at least as much about fighting as a Saiyajin infant should, so she'll adapt." He paused. "Bulma's going to be more difficult."

"Un," Gokuu nodded. "She never was a fighter."

Vegeta scowled. "She's going to need to learn then, or she'll be more insufferable than ever."

"I don't know if she'll like that, Vegeta," Gokuu said.

Vegeta shrugged. "It doesn't matter if she does or not." He smirked. "In any case, as you said...I know more about us than you do. Trust me. She'll learn."

Twilight settled above the volcano, casting figures already enshrouded in mist into near-total darkness, illuminated only by the hot red glow of the magma below.

"Now, my warriors," Toripura intoned. "I shall scatter you across this human world. You are my advance force...do as you please to the humans, but avoid doing anything to alert the Saiyajin you so loathe and their cohorts until I say the time is right. If you are discovered, I will not assist you, and you will most likely die again." She raised her hand, and all but two of the assembled warriors vanished.

"As for you two..." She circled the remaining two figures slowly. "You're useless to me. I may as well send you both back to Hell."

"Wait, Your Majesty!" one of them said, kneeling and bowing his head. "We may yet be of use to you."

Toripura raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Very well...explain yourself."

"Certainly you have heard of this world's legendary Dragonballs?"

The demoness pursed her lips. "Hmmm...it seems somewhat familiar."

"The Dragonballs hold immense power," the kneeling warrior said. "With them, you can have any wish granted."

"Indeed," Toripura mused. "Interesting, but I have no use for such things...my power is sufficient to gain everything I seek." She peered down at the hapless minion bemusedly. "Now, if that is all..."

"Toripura-sama, please!" the figure cried out desperately. "Hear me out! You may think the Dragonballs useless to you, but the people of this world have an annoying habit of using them to bring back the dead, restore everything that's destroyed..."

"They even restored the entire planet when Majin Buu destroyed it, and resurrected its billions of lifeforms," the other warrior broke in.

"I see," the demon queen replied, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "That would be quite irritating...so where precisely do they keep these Dragonballs?"

"They're scattered all over the world," the first minion replied. "They have to be brought together to make a wish, and once a wish is made they scatter again."

Toripura nodded. "And I suppose you wish to remain in my favor by collecting the Dragonballs for me, so the humans cannot use them?"

"Hai, Toripura-sama."

The demoness chuckled. "Very well then." A flash of fire lit her hand briefly. "Use this crystal to find the Dragonballs, then destroy them. And you had best acquire some human clothing so you can blend in." Handing the item to the kneeling warrior, she raised her hand, sending them on their way.

Floating in the steam and smoke of the volcano, the sorcerer Rou-tao-akujin rasped, "You realize they mean to betray you."

Toripura shrugged. "Of course, but it is of no consequence. Let those fools do as they wish...if anything, they'll be doing me a favor by silencing that accursed Shenron for a year." She smiled predatorially. "By the time the Dragonballs can be used again, it'll be too late."

Rou-tao-akujin grunted. "If you have no further need of me at the moment, then..."

"Yes, of course..." Toripura said absently. "Wait...before you go, I must give you something." She produced a small obsidian box from the folds of her cloak. "Take this with you and study it. It may prove most useful when the time comes for the final phase."

The sorcerer accepted the box, and opened it slightly. His eyes widened. "Is this what I believe it to be...?"

"It is," the demoness said, grinning. "Now go. I have much work to do, as do you." And with that, they both vanished.

Morning found seven Saiyajin gathered around the breakfast table, which was piled with enough food to feed an army. The pile was rapidly diminishing under the assault of Gokuu, his two sons, and Trunks. Vegeta was more restrained, opting only to eat two full plates of breakfast before settling back with his newspaper and coffee. Chichi was enjoying a hearty (yet comparably small) breakfast, and Bulma...

Bulma was never big on the morning meal. She had always been the type to simply have a cup of coffee, maybe a donut if she was peckish. This morning, she had already had two helpings of everything, and was busily drowning several strips of bacon in maple syrup. "It's funny," she commented around a mouthful of bagel, "I'm usually not even hungry until lunchtime." Everyone except Vegeta laughed. She glanced at him as she stuffed a forkful of bacon in her mouth. "Anything interesting in there this morning?"

Vegeta grunted, turning the page. "Just the usual stupid humans acting like idiots."

Gohan's watch suddenly beeped. "Shimatta!" he exclaimed, rising. "I need to get going." He stood up, gathering a few empty dishes as he did so. "I'm supposed to meet Videl in an hour."

"Ja, Gohan!" Gokuu called. He finished emptying his rice bowl, and patted his stomach. "Fuaaa! Good meal!" He stood, stretching.

The phone rang. "Ne, Son-kun, could you get that since you're up?" Bulma asked.

"Hm? Sure," Gokuu said. He was standing by the phone before it could complete its second ring. "Moshi-moshi?" A long pause. "Hontou? Okay, we'll look. Thanks!" Hanging up, he turned to the others. "That was Kuririn...he says turn on the TV. Something's up."

Videl grimaced, adjusting her helmet nervously. All around her, sirens screamed as police and fire crews raced to and fro. Across the street from the building upon which she stood, an entire city block of warehouses and offices were ablaze. There had been a brief firefight in the street earlier, but the perpetrators had eluded the police, leaving a dozen dead officers and bystanders and several wounded. When a stray shot had hit a tanker parked inside one of the warehouses, the vehicle had exploded, taking the warehouse with it and starting a blaze which had spread quickly. "I hate fires," she muttered. "I have horrible luck when it comes to fires." She tapped the emergency signal on her two-way wristwatch again, hoping Gohan was somewhere within range.

"Now, how am I gonna deal with this..." She glanced around, and spotted a small water tower on a nearby rooftop. "Well, it worked once before..." Flying across the block, she began gathering her ki. "Heh...I'm glad I saw Kuririn-san fight a while back..." Concentrating on flattening the ball of ki in her palm into a disc while mirroring the action with her other hand, she drew back her arms. As she neared the water tower, she hurled the small discs toward the supports. The structure was neatly severed from its base and began to tip over, but stopped as Videl easily caught it, lifting it above her head. Grinning at her small feat of strength, she airlifted the water tower to the burning block. Crowds gathered behind police lines and various Satan City officers and firefighters cheered at the sight of one of the city's famous superheroes.

"Okay, I just hope there's enough water in here to do it..." Hovering just above the heart of the inferno, she released the water tower, quickly flying to the side and delivering a fierce kick to its base as it fell past her. The bottom crumpled, unleashing a torrent of water onto the flames below. The roaring blaze diminished somewhat, and the firefighters redoubled their efforts, attacking the remaining flames vigorously.

Videl wiped her brow. "Phew..." Without warning, she was thrown backward as a sudden explosion ripped through the burning warehouses below, sending charred, twisted shrapnel everywhere. "Nani yo?!"

The crowds below panicked, fleeing the scene as power lines were cut down by flying debris, sparks snapping dangerously as live wires landed in puddles of water. "Chikushou!" Videl swore, lobbing several tiny ki blades at the downed wires, severing them safely before anyone could be electrocuted. "That was close." Flying higher, she watched in dismay as the blaze continued to spread, buildings in surrounding blocks starting to burn as well. "Now what do I do?"

"I'll take it from here," Gohan's voice answered from behind her. She turned, surprised, as the Great Saiyaman #1 descended, grinning. "You did good, Videl. Leave the rest to me."

"Arigatou, Gohan-kun," Videl said, blushing at being caught off-guard and at the praise.

"You might want to get back a bit," Gohan said. As Videl complied, Gohan floated to the center of the spreading inferno, dropping until the flames were mere centimeters from his boots.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

//And police in West City just apprehended the ringleader of a gang of teenagers believed to be suspects in two robberies, at least one murder, and two brutal sexual assaults during the course of the evening,// the reporter on the screen said. //Police detectives are currently investigating a fatal head-on collision with a day care bus which killed the driver of the air car and injured several passengers on the bus. Chief Inspector Menda Capra has stated that inspectors believe the crash may have been a deliberate act. Thankfully, the bus was not carrying a full load; names of victims of the accident are not being released to the public at this time.//

After the phone call, Gokuu and the others had filed into the spacious living room. The local affiliate of ZTV had pre-empted its usual programming for extended news coverage because an alarming number of crimes, disasters, and other strange occurrences had taken place worldwide during the previous night. "Well, at least no cities have been blown up yet," Gokuu said. "Still, this is pretty bad..."

//And in world news,// the announcer continued, //we've just received a breaking report from our sister station in Satan City...a major blaze has broken out in the warehouse district of the city. The fire allegedly began when Satan City police engaged in a shootout with a local gang...// He paused. //This just in. We take you now live to the scene, where the hero known as 'Great Saiyaman' has arrived, and is assisting Satan City firefighters in extinguishing the inferno, which has spread across an entire city block...//

At street level, debris was scattered, officers and firefighters scrambled for purchase, and vehicles were pushed around like litter. Videl strained to keep from being blown away by Gohan's ki. The intense wave of sheer power buffeted the burning buildings, smothering the flames with pure force. The fires farther from the epicenter were extinguished by the tremendous air pressure created by the blast.

Once the blaze died out, Gohan powered down, surveying the damage. The entire block was levelled; burned-out warehouses lay flattened on the wet, sooty ground, the structural damage from the fire rendering the buildings incapable of surviving the intensity of Gohan's aura. The damage to the surrounding buildings was minimal, consisting mainly of shrapnel from the initial series of explosions and a couple of overturned police cruisers. He dropped to the ground, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Anou...sorry about all the damage," he called to the firefighters, who were simply staring at him in shock.

"Ah...it's fine, Great Saiyaman," the fire chief said. "Just fine. Don't worry yourself about it. Good job."

Gohan grinned, and waved, rising to join his partner. As they flew off into the heart of the city, Videl sighed. "I feel so useless sometimes," she said.

Gohan smiled at her. "Ne, you're not useless at all," he assured her. "You're really strong, and you've done a lot of good."

"Maybe," Videl said, "but..."

"But?" Gohan prompted, already knowing where this was going.

"How can I compare to...to that?" She gestured behind them.

Gohan sighed and stopped in midair. Hovering in front of his fiancee, he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Videl-chan...we've been over this already. Nobody's expecting you to be anything more than what you already are."

"I am," Videl muttered. "I try to do things...I guess I do what I can, but I want to do so much more...I want to be stronger..." She looked into Gohan's eyes. "I look at you, and your dad, and your little brother...and all your other friends, and I feel so...insignificant."

The Saiyajin floated a bit away, arms crossed. "Videl, you're one of the strongest humans on Chikyuu. The only humans stronger than you are Kuririn-san, Yamucha-san, and Tenshinhan-san, and they're all more than twice your age. That's nothing to be disappointed about."

Videl sighed in frustration. "I know, I know, I just...I see kids half my age so strong they can make the whole planet shake, and then you, and..." She laughed softly. "Maybe I should do what your mother and Bulma-san did..."

Gohan fixed her with a hard look. "No."

"I was only kidding...mostly..." Videl wilted a bit under the intensity of Gohan's gaze.

The young scholar sighed. "Gomen ne, Videl." He looked off into the distance, in the direction of West City. "I just...it's hard to explain, but Okaasan and Bulma-san did something really stupid, and last night I think they started to realize how hard it's going to be on them."

Videl studied him for a long moment. "Is it really so bad?"

Gohan began to drift slowly toward their destination again. "There's a reason Otousan and the others do nothing but fight all the time." He glanced back at Videl. "That's what Saiyajin are born for. It's the only thing they live for. Every second of every day, a Saiyajin wants to fight. Everything else is secondary." With that, he took off, disappearing into the horizon. Videl stared after him for a long moment.

"Sou ka..." she said softly, before following.

"Fuaaa...! Lucky Gohan got there when he did," Gokuu said.

"The world's going crazy," Bulma commented.

They sat and watched for a while. Eventually, Trunks and Goten got bored and went off to spar somewhere. Chichi insisted on cleaning up Bulma's kitchen and preparing lunch for everyone. Gokuu was somewhat surprised when she asked him to help out. Bulma sat staring at the television for several moments before realizing Vegeta had turned it off. She glanced up at him and blinked at the odd expression on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Vegeta didn't answer, but instead walked toward the hall. Pausing for a moment, he called over his shoulder, "Follow me."

Bulma remained seated for a moment before finally getting up and racing after the prince. "Where are we going?" she asked once she caught up with him.

Vegeta stopped suddenly. "In here." He opened the green-lighted door and stepped through.

Bulma's eyes widened. "Hey, wait a sec...I'm not going in there..."

"You're coming in here whether you like it or not," Vegeta growled impatiently. "If you're worried about the gravity, don't. I won't turn the machine on today."

The blue-haired woman stepped cautiously into the room. "So...why did you want me to come in here?" she asked.

A strange grin crossed the prince's face.

"Saa, Chichi," Gokuu said as he washed up a pile of dishes. "What's wrong?"

Chichi studied the plate she was drying carefully. "Gokuu-sa," she began uncertainly. "You know...I've been thinking."

Gokuu paused. "Hai?" He watched as she set aside the plate, wringing her towel nervously. Her tail swept back and forth across the floor.

Finally, she met his gaze with her own. "Gokuu-sa...I was wondering if..." She paused. "I was wondering if you'd maybe help me start training again."

Smiling, Gokuu placed his hands on his wife's shoulders. "Ee, Chichi. Of course I will." He grinned. "You're Saiyajin now, ne? Fight's gonna be important all the time."

Chichi nodded. "That's...what Gohan-chan said. Bulma feels it too...feels what I felt all night."

Gokuu looked thoughtful. "I hope Vegeta can be patient enough to teach her."

A crowd of onlookers gathered around a large display screen above an electronics store, listening to local news broadcasts. //...on the lookout for suspicious characters which may be connected to these events. And now, a word from the savior of the world, Mister Satan.//

The crowd cheered and murmured as Chikyuu's favorite hero appeared on the screen, grinning.

//Hora minna-san, listen up! This is the world champion, Mister Satan, with an important Tenka-ichi Budokai announcement!//

A burly man at the back of the crowd chortled. "Heh, I'm lookin' forward ta that! What about you, pal?"

"Oh, I don't know," the taller man standing beside him said. "I doubt it would be much of a challenge."

The burly man glared at him, a vein pulsing in his forehead. "What'd you say, punk?"

//It is time to announce the first stop on the tournament world tour!// Mister Satan declared on the screen. //Remember, the Tenka-ichi Budokai may be coming to your city soon, so be prepared!//

The crowd murmured anxiously, awaiting the announcement. Nobody noticed as a tall man broke away from the back of the crowd, dragging an unconscious body into an alleyway.

//In celebration of the miraculous recovery of the first city to be ravaged by the demon yours truly destroyed ten years ago,// Satan continued, smoothly fudging the truth, //I am pleased to announce that the first stop on the Tenka-ichi Budokai world tour will be...// He flexed a mighty fist dramatically. //Ginger Town!//

The crowd in the street cheered, excited that the tournament would be coming to their town first.

//So all you fighters in Ginger Town, listen up! You have one month to register, and one month to prepare! We'll see you there!//

As the broadcast returned to the news and the crowd began to disperse, a tall man sporting greenish-black hair and sharp, cold blue eyes stepped out of an alley, wiping a smear of blood from his mouth and tossing aside a crimson-stained trash bag. Glancing around to ensure he hadn't been spotted, he chuckled to himself.

"Boooeeeehhhh...."

Ossu! Ora Gokuu!
Everyone's trainin' hard! Vegeta's teachin' Bulma how to fight, I'm gettin' Chichi back in shape...even Mister Satan's learnin' some new tricks! Good thing too, because with Budokai coming up, strange things are happenin' in Ginger Town...

Next Dragonball Theta: "Murder In Ginger Town?! Tenka-ichi Budokai Begins!!" Mata ne!

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