Hell has been unleashed upon Chikyuu. The souls of the damned have spread their evil like a fog, and the most powerful warriors of evil have been reborn. The peace Chikyuu has known for three years has vanished overnight.

The demon queen Toripura has given the reborn warriors human guises, in order to spread terror among the people of Chikyuu. Unaware of this, the Theta-senshi remain on guard, the apparent lack of an enemy to fight causing unease among them.

As the Tenka-ichi Budokai in Ginger Town is announced, the Theta-senshi turn their attention to the task of training the two new Saiyajin, Bulma and Chichi, while an unseen evil lurks in the shadows of Ginger Town...

Murder In Ginger Town?!
Tenka-ichi Budokai Begins!!

"N-NANI YO!?"

Vegeta smirked at Bulma. "You heard me. As of today, you will train to fight."

Bulma planted her hands on her hips and glared at Vegeta. "Who do you think you are to order me around like that?"

"You are my mate, and in addition, now I am your prince." Crossing his arms, he added, "In any case, you are Saiyajin now. I'm sure even an idiot woman like you can appreciate the implications of that." He fixed her with a piercing gaze.

The blue-haired woman backed down a bit, looking away. "I..."

Vegeta snorted. "I thought so."

"But that doesn't mean you can just order me around...I mean...what if I don't—?"

"Bulma." It was spoken in a harsh tone, as most everything was with Vegeta, but there was an underlying softness to his tone that only those who knew him best would detect. That softness, coupled with the harsh warrior's actual use of her name, brought the Saiyajin woman's rambling to a halt. She watched her mate in rapt fascination as he seemed to struggle with himself, all the while keeping his eyes locked firmly on hers.

"I'm not asking you to do what I do. Or what Kakarotto does. All you have to do is learn enough to be able to cope with what you've become."

Bulma stared at him, speechless. "Vegeta..." she whispered after several moments.

The Saiyajin prince turned away, face hardening. "Besides, I won't have you becoming more insufferable than usual, and that's what would happen if I didn't force you to learn to fight."

"I see..." Bulma said, smirking. "So this is purely selfish, right?" She pursed her lips. "Alright," she agreed pensively. "I'll do it...but what about the company?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Your company can get along fine without you for a while. It's not as if Capsule Corp is going to go bankrupt from you not spending twenty hours a day in your lab."

Bulma nodded. "I suppose so." Letting out a breath, she asked, "So when do we start?"

She shrieked as a gloved fist appeared a millimeter from her nose.

Two Saiyajin stood in a clearing not far from their home, facing each other as warriors.

"Okay, Chichi! Show me what you can do!"

The long-time housewife cracked her knuckles and smiled. "Yosh'...here I come!"

For a full two minutes, Chichi went through her full repertoire of techniques, fists and feet pummeling Gokuu, who calmly stood there absorbing the blows. Finally running out of breath, Chichi staggered back, hands on her knees, panting heavily.

Gokuu grinned. "This is kinda like our first date, ne?"

Chichi frowned. "Mou...why didn't you fight back, Gokuu-sa? Aren't you supposed to be training me?"

The orange-clad warrior's eyes softened. "Ne, Chichi...I want to help you as much as I can, but if I hit you now, it'd hurt bad. You know how strong I am..."

"No I don't," Chichi said. "Not really. I've never seen you really fight since we were kids..." She stood, stretching and popping her neck. "I mean, I do know, but..." She trailed off, sighing. "I've been on the sidelines too long to really understand it all."

Gokuu rubbed his chin. "Sou ka...gomen yo, Chichi." He began to pace. "I want to help you, but it's gonna be hard because there's so much difference." Spotting a large rock, he turned to Chichi. "First I need to show you something."

"Okay..." his wife said, nodding hesitantly.

"Yosh'...look, right now I'm pushing my ki down far as it'll go. I can't make myself any weaker than this." Walking over to the rock, he threw a light jab. The surface of the stone ribboned with cracks before finally shattering, raining dust and pebbles all around.

Chichi shrugged. "I could break that too."

"I know you could, Chichi," Gokuu said. "I'm just trying to show you something." Pausing, he glanced around. "Now, I'm gonna show you about half of my power, okay?"

"Alright, Gokuu-sa," the Saiyajin woman said, tail curling and uncurling around her waist impatiently.

Gokuu gradually began to power up. Dust and debris began to rise into the air as his aura flared. After a few moments an intangible force buffeted everything in the clearing, causing the surrounding trees to rustle and bow. Chichi planted her feet more firmly, bracing against the press of the expanding aura.

A primal scream ripped from Gokuu's throat as his eyes blazed green and his hair flared from black to gold; the ground began to tremble as his battle cry rose in pitch and volume, and the very earth at his feet buckled, a shallow compression crater spreading rapidly outward. The Saiyajin woman staggered, finding it difficult to maintain her footing in the face of this awesome power.

The shaking became more intense, rocks shattering and trees uprooting as even the sky began to react to the blazing golden tempest below. Gokuu's body seemed to double in bulk as his ki continued to build, arcs of electricity crackling across his body. A compression crater a meter deep and three meters wide abruptly appeared around the Super Saiyajin's feet; Chichi cried out as she was finally thrown from her feet, crashing into the trees behind her.

The earth finally stopped trembling, the intense winds dying down. The dark-haired woman looked up to see the golden warrior standing above her, looking down at her with blazing green eyes that were at once harder and sharper than any blade, yet kind and gentle. He reached down and lifted her back onto her feet. Her body tingled from his touch, the static charge of his aura flowing into and through her.

Chichi looked at her husband with wide eyes. "Gokuu-sa..."

"You see why I can't risk hitting back, Chichi? Not for a while, anyway. I don't want to hurt you, and if I lose myself in the fight..."

The Saiyajin woman nodded mutely. "I understand now..." There was fear in her eyes, as well as a vague hint of something Gokuu was hard-pressed to figure out.

A voice from above broke the tableau. "Mou, Touchan! You know Kaachan hates when we do that."

Gokuu and Chichi both blinked, looking up as Goten and Trunks lowered themselves into the clearing. The muscular Super Saiyajin immediately powered down, a whispering wind marking the departure of his earthshaking ki. He grinned at the two kids. "Ossu, Goten, Trunks. Whatcha doin' here?"

"We felt you power up and thought maybe you found the bad guy," Trunks said. "You don't usually even power up that much to spar with Papa, so..."

Gokuu chuckled. "Gomen na, didn't mean to scare anyone. I was just..." He trailed off, looking apprehensive.

"Gokuu-sa is teaching me," Chichi said. "Now that I'm a Saiyajin, I've got to learn how to fight like one."

"Hontou? Sugee!" Goten cheered. "That'll be cool! Ne, Trunks, won't that be cool?"

Trunks frowned thoughtfully. "Ne, Gokuu-san, is Okaasan...?"

Gokuu nodded. "Ee, with Vegeta. I think, anyway. Me an' him talked about it when we sparred."

The purple-haired boy scowled. "Chikushou...I'd better get back there and keep an eye on him. I've been through his 'training'." He grabbed Goten by the arm and took off, calling out a farewell as he did so. In an eyeblink, the two kids were long gone.

"Those kids..." Gokuu chuckled. "Ne, Chichi—" He broke off as he noticed the worry in his wife's eyes. "Chichi? Daijoubu ka?"

"Gokuu-sa..." Chichi looked down, twisting the end of her tail around her fingers absently. "Gomen...it's just..." She sniffled. "I wanna train again now, but how can I? How can I learn without someone who can hit back? And...and I don't know about...all that..."

She looked up as Gokuu hugged her, his dark eyes gazing deeply into hers. "Saa, Chichi...it's gonna be okay. There's plenty of ways to learn, ne? I can still train you, don't worry."

Chichi smiled, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "And...what about...all that Super stuff...?"

"Super Saiyajin?" At his wife's nod, Gokuu shrugged. "You don't have to worry about that, Chichi. It's not somethin' you hafta do..." He chuckled. "There used to be a whole planet of us, you know? And none of 'em could do it." He paused. "But...it's not so bad, you know."

"It isn't? But..." Chichi wrapped her tail around her waist and fidgeted. "The first time I saw...you and Gohan...like that..."

The orange-clad Saiyajin smiled gently. "I know, I know...you thought we looked like punks." He chuckled. "Maybe we do, I dunno. And it is a little scary sometimes. Makes you kinda crazy, but..." He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. "Once you get used to it, it feels good. Feels right. It's pure energy, Chichi. Fire in the blood. When you're a Super Saiyajin, you're pure fight. It's the joy of the fight, it's purpose, it's energy, it's rage...it's so much, and your whole body sings with it." He spread his arms. "Makes you feel free...makes you feel alive. It's not a bad thing at all."

Chichi smiled nervously. "It...sounds...nice," she said. "Scary, but..."

Gokuu flashed his trademark grin. "Anyway Chichi, don't worry about it now, okay? First we gotta get you strong. Super Saiyajin comes later, and it's up to you whether or not to try it." Clasping her hand, he added, "Now, we're gonna go see about some weight clothes for you..."

Far to the west, the sun had just begun to rise over a small tropical island with a house in the middle. The first rays of morning light silhouetted two figures locked in combat just above the waters near the island's shore.

"Heh...it's been a while since the last time we sparred like this, hasn't it?"

The taller of the pair was silent, save for a small smile. Sand and water parted in their wake as the battle waged on, skirting the circumference of the small island several times in mere minutes.

At length, with a loud shout and a tremendous burst of energy, the shorter fighter found himself embedded in the fronds of a coconut palm. "Iteeee..." Kuririn grimaced, rubbing his head.

Juuhachigou chuckled softly, brushing a few strands of cornsilk hair out of her face. "Bakabakabaaaaaaaka," she teased. "I've let you get too out of shape."

The diminuitive monk grinned sheepishly, extracting himself from the tree. "I guess I have been slacking off lately," he admitted.

"Then we'll just have to get you properly motivated." The blond cyborg smiled impishly. "Catch me if you can."

Kuririn blinked as a denim jacket suddenly landed on his head, obscuring his vision. By the time he'd removed it, all he could see of his wife were her bare buttocks and legs disappearing beneath the waves. A rather lecherous grin crossed his face. "Yosh'...ikuze!" A pile of clothes fluttered to the beach as the short, stocky fighter rocketed off into the ocean depths.

Lunchtime found Gohan and Videl in a small diner near Wukong University on the north side of Satan City. Once she had caught up with him, Gohan had apologized profusely for his earlier outburst, and Videl had reassured him, shrugging it off as Gohan having a lot on his mind. Nevertheless, the Saiyajin had been rather silent, eating his oversized lunch quietly as he studied his notebook.

After a while, Videl remembered a bit of news she had neglected to tell Gohan. "Papa finally asked me to start training him," she commented.

Gohan blinked, looking up from his studies. "You're kidding!"

The short-haired girl giggled. "It surprised me too...I'm glad, though, because it means he's finally starting to let go of that horrendous ego of his a bit."

"He'll do fine," Gohan said, stuffing half a hamburger into his face. "And if he can start living up to the legend he's built up for himself, it's all the better." Chewing thoughtfully, he asked, "So what made him change his mind?"

Videl grimaced. "A couple old tapes. That embarrassing movie ZTV made of his 'victory' over Cell, and..." She paused.

"And?"

"The tape of what happened when I fought Supopobitchi at the Budokai three years ago."

Gohan blinked. "Nani!? I thought all the cameras were destroyed...nobody got any tapes of the tournament."

Videl shrugged. "There was one camera that survived. It was the officials' camera, and it was hidden and shielded just in case something happened. It wasn't even in the arena, for that matter." She sipped her soda. "After all the weirdness that happened, the officials decided it'd be better if the tape was never seen by the public, so they gave it to Papa for safekeeping."

The Saiyajin's eyes widened in realization. "Sou ka...so Piccolo-san missed one after all..."

The short-haired girl blinked. "Eh? What do you mean 'Piccolo-san missed one'?"

Gohan laughed, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I mean, ah...eheheheh." He cleared his throat. "So the official record survived...that's what made Satan-san decide to start training again?" At Videl's nod, Gohan smiled. "Your dad's a good guy after all. I'm sure you'll do a good job teaching him."

Videl smiled.

//We interrupt this program for a special news bulletin.// The television near the counter, which had been providing mere background noise before, was suddenly turned up loud enough for all present to hear. The engaged couple turned to watch the news anxiously.

//Police in Ginger Town have made a disturbing discovery. Investigating an anonymous tip, officers searched an alley in the midtown area. They discovered the remains of a body stuffed into a plastic garbage bag covered in blood. Although an autopsy on the remains has yet to be performed, investigators at the scene reported that the victim's body was severely mutilated.

//The detective inspector and the police chief advise all citizens of Ginger Town and any visitors to exercise caution until the person or persons responsible for this violent crime are apprehended. We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.//

Videl's hands flew to her mouth. "Hidoi!"

Gohan frowned. "I hope this doesn't have anything to do with the Budokai..."

"May I have your attention, ladies and gentlemen!"

An unruly crowd milled about in a roped-off area in front of the Ginger Town Exhibition Center. Banners fluttered in the breeze and silk-robed men rushed to and fro with stacks of papers and miscellaneous other equipment. The man who had spoken was stocky, bald, and wore a sash that marked him as the registration official for the Tenka-ichi Budokai.

"I've been in conference with the Budokai Commission, and they've decided that we will continue signups for the tournament here in Ginger Town regardless of the murder. The police are treating it as an isolated incident, and we assure you that nobody is in any danger here!"

A small knot of Budokai hopefuls stood in one corner, eyeing a tall man across the way nervously. "I don't know what to make of that guy. He gives me the creeps."

One of his comrades glanced at the fighter in question. The tall man was clad in a camouflage jacket and pants with brass-toed boots; his hair was greenish-black and oddly styled, an immaculate close-cropped dome flanged by longer back-swept bangs. His cold blue-grey eyes radiated arrogance and contempt for everyone else around him. "Eh, it's pretty normal for there to be somebody creepy at these things. Besides, somebody probably thinks you're creepy too."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hai, minna-san! May I have your attention please! We are now going to commence signups for the tournament! Please sign up swiftly, and don't lose the registration number you're given!"

The assembled fighters began to form a line, much jostling and pushing ensuing. Several of the warriors glared at the back of the tall man who somehow made his way to the front of the line. The group who had been talking found themselves in the middle of the line, and one man clad in blue whispered to his comrades, "Something about that guy's eyes..."

At the registration desk, a pudgy man with glasses inked his brush carefully. "Your name and age?" he asked of the man at the front of the line.

The tall man in camo spoke in a surprisingly cultured voice. "Kaniba Saibou. Age..." He paused, as if considering. "Thirty-one," he finally stated.

The official spent a moment writing in his book before handing the fighter a sheaf of papers. "Alright...here are your registration forms, Kaniba-san. We'll see you in one month."

"I'll be looking forward to it," the tall man said, cold blue eyes gleaming. As he turned to leave, the blue-clad fighter standing in line watched his retreating form, noting the stylized red bow design on the back of his jacket with two 'R's emblazoned on it.

"No doubt about it," he said softly. "Something about that guy isn't right at all."

Time passed swiftly, as time is wont to do, and life went on for everyone. In Ginger Town, five more bizarre murders were reported in three weeks, but no suspect was ever identified. Meanwhile, the training of Bulma and Chichi progressed slowly but steadily, with Gokuu training Chichi in the ways of the Kamesen-ryuu and the Kaiou-ryuu, and Vegeta training Bulma using nothing more than the Saiyajin method of instinct, survival, and gravity. Gohan easily achieved perfect scores on his college entrance exams. Videl had difficulty in teaching her father the concept of ki control, but a breakthrough seemed imminent any day. The children, Goten and Trunks, kept up their daily routine of 'playing fight', and Kuririn and Juuhachigou continued their daily sparring sessions. No sign of a greater evil presented itself, and the only consistent reminder that things were not normal was the rising crime rate.

Two days before the beginning of the Ginger Town Budokai, Vegeta found Bulma in her lab. "Dammit, woman! I told you to keep your monkey ass out of—"

"Calm down, you brute," Bulma huffed, tinkering with a rectangular device on her workbench. "I'm not slacking off on my training. Actually, I'm doing something important in regards to that."

Vegeta crossed his arms. "Oh, really? What, may I ask, is that?"

The blue-haired woman held up the object she was working on. "It just so happens that I still had the essential circuitry from those old scouters of yours lying around in my workshop, gathering dust." Tightening a screw, she continued, "It just occurred to me that until Chichi and I get good enough for some more advanced training, it might be nice for us to have some way of measuring our progress, so I've been building a sentou-ryoku monitor."

The Saiyajin prince raised an eyebrow. "You rebuilt the scouter?"

"Not rebuilt, exactly," Bulma shook her head. "More like adapted. A scouter doesn't do the person wearing it any good when it comes to measuring their own power, so after I rebuilt the important circuits, I created a completely new sensor out of them." Pointing to an LCD display on the surface of the device, she explained, "See, I've designed this so I can attach it directly to the wall inside the gravity room. Whenever I'm training, I can use this to read my sentou-ryoku so I have some idea how strong I'm getting." She grinned. "And since Chichi's thinking about trying the gravity room, she can use this too."

Vegeta grunted. "I'm impressed. Is it functional?"

The inventor tapped a button on the device, minimizing it into a capsule. "I haven't calibrated it yet," she said. "It works, and it tells me I have a sentou-ryoku of 35 right now, but I have no idea how accurate that is."

The shorter Saiyajin shrugged. "Sounds about right, from what I've seen."

"Maybe so, but I need to test it on someone else first."

"Try it on me," Vegeta suggested.

Bulma shook her head. "I don't think so," she said. "For one thing, you've gotten way stronger since the last time anyone took a scouter reading on you. For another thing, your power would overload the circuit and it'd blow out again."

The prince laughed. "That's true, I suppose. My power is immense and awe-inspiring." He made a show of barely dodging the pair of pliers his mate lobbed at him. "So how do you plan to test it?"

"I'm taking it over to Kame House," Bulma replied. "Mutenroshi's sentou-ryoku should be about the same as it was all those years ago. Wanna come with?"

Vegeta snorted, jamming his hands in his pants pockets. "No thank you. I think I'll see how Kakarotto and his mate are faring."

The blue-haired woman shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll be home later."

"Yosh'" Gokuu grinned as he dodged a rapid succession of kicks. "You're lots faster than you were a month ago! I'm impressed!"

For the past month, Chichi had been wearing heavily weighted tanktops, bracers, and slippers in addition to the loose-fitting silk tangs and trousers she'd taken to wearing in lieu of her usual dresses. Every week, Gokuu had increased the weights by five kilograms, and Chichi stuck to a rigorous regimen of her usual chores, warmup exercises, katas, and a few extra activities Gokuu tossed her way. Today, he had instructed her to remove all the weights and jump as high as she could. She'd been surprised when her first jump carried her almost into the clouds. When she'd landed, Gokuu had commanded her to attack him, and she was still amazed at how much faster she'd become.

"Stronger too," Gokuu added. "Just a little bit more and you'll be ready to learn ki stuff."

Chichi flashed her husband an odd smile. "Well, actually..." Suddenly, her hands lashed out, sending a blazing yellowish energy ball at the taller Saiyajin.

Gokuu blinked, casually swatting away the low-level ki blast. "Sugee..." He whistled appreciatively. "I wasn't expecting that!"

"I've actually known how to do that for a while, but I didn't have the power for it," Chichi admitted. "I figured it out from watching Goten and Gohan train for the Tenka-ichi Budokai."

"Sou ka..." Gokuu grinned. "In that case, just a few more weeks of what we've been doing, and you can start learning buukujutsu!"

Chichi beamed. "Gokuu-sa, do you think I should start sparring with Bulma?"

The tall Saiyajin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Might be good," he said. "Go easy on her though, she's not gonna be up to your level yet even with Vegeta training her." He grinned. "She does have an edge on you with the gravity, though."

"Not for long she won't!" Chichi giggled.

Two stomachs growled in unison. The couple looked at each other, nodded, and raced for the kitchen, where a picnic lunch was already waiting for them.

"ITADAKIMAAAAAAAAAAAAASU!"

Neither of them noticed the scowling figure floating just beyond the trees. Once they were out of earshot, the Saiyajin prince snorted and flew away.

"Okay...let's try it again. Empty your mind...calm your thoughts, and focus on drawing out your ki."

The middle-aged martial artist grumbled, clenching his hands into fists. "I just don't get all this ki stuff!"

Videl sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "You're not trying hard enough, Papa! Come on, you've got to be able to do this! If I could do it, surely you can do it too!"

Gohan looked up from the book he was reading. "Ne, Videl...don't lose your cool, or you'll forget your own training." He smiled gently. "It's gonna be hard to do this, because he didn't learn anything about ki from the start...it's harder to learn new things as you get older."

Mister Satan glowered up at the young Saiyajin. "Watch your mouth, boy," he said.

"Ahh...gomen, gomen!" Gohan held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

"I just don't understand," Videl said. "Before I met you, I trained in the same style Papa did...I learned it right off!"

"But you were stronger than he was already," Gohan said. "You'd surpassed him, so it was easier." He winced at the glare he received. "It's true, or I wouldn't say it."

The man with the afro sighed. "Yes, I suppose you're right. I had suspected Videl had surpassed me even before she started flying." He glanced down at his hands. "I want to understand. I want to learn. It's just..."

Gohan hmmed thoughtfully, setting his book aside. "There might be a way to jumpstart you...give you a bit of a boost. I don't necessarily think it'll work, but it may help."

"Really? How's that?" Videl asked.

"Satan-san, do you remember the day my father killed Majin Buu? When you helped him get the people of Chikyuu to give him energy for the Genkidama?"

The elder man nodded. "Hai...it's hard to forget a thing like that."

"Yosh'..." Gohan grinned. "You felt some of that energy too, right? I know some energy passed through you before it got to him."

Satan rubbed his chin. "Now that you mention it, it did feel like some kind of warm light passed through me."

"Right...good. That was the ki of all the people on the planet. Everyone has ki...most people don't even know it, but anyone can learn how to channel their ki." A ball of energy formed in his palm, and he idly commanded it to float slowly around the room. "Martial artists often channel their ki to strengthen their bodies...like when you punch through a stack of tiles, your ki keeps your hand from getting hurt."

The afro-topped fighter's eyes widened. "So that's how it's supposed to work..."

Gohan nodded. "Martial arts isn't just about physical strength, it's about inner strength. That's where you've been going wrong all these years. Since you haven't worked on inner strength at all, your ki isn't as high as it should be." He paused, tilting his head a bit. "Now, your body is physically powerful enough to handle a lot more ki than you actually have...so there might be a way to help you learn how to deal with ki."

"Really? Please! Tell me!" Mister Satan said, trying hard not to look like he was begging.

The young Saiyajin stepped forward, beginning to glow softly. "Let's try a little experiment. The first thing I want you to do is relax yourself completely. Loosen up your body and clear your mind."

The older man nodded, closing his eyes and settling into a lotus position.

"Since you're having difficulty calling up your own ki, what I'm going to do is give you a little of mine. When you feel it, don't tense up, and don't try to do anything with it...just stay loose and steady. Feel it, let it flow through you, concentrate on the energy. And whatever you do, stay focused, because if you lose control of what I'm giving you, it might cause a backlash."

"I—I'll try..."

Gohan stepped forward and place his hand on Mister Satan's shoulder. A warm, soft white light gently spilled from the Saiyajin's hand, diffusing though the older man's body until he too shimmered with a gentle aura. Videl watched in rapt fascination.

Gohan stepped back, crossing his arms and watching Satan meditate, the aura around him gently swirling and rippling. After a few minutes, the middle-aged fighter opened his eyes. "This power...this is amazing..." he whispered in awe.

The younger man grinned. "I gave you about two-thirds of what your body can handle right now. Once you get used to it, it'll be up to you to increase your own ki." He fixed Satan with a stern gaze. "I have to warn you—what I gave you won't stay with you permanently. You'll be able to use it, but it's borrowed energy, so once it's used up, it's gone. Then you'll have to strengthen your own ki to get back up to this level."

Satan nodded. "So what do I do with it?"

"Just get used to the feel of it," Gohan said. "Focus it into your hands, learn how to make it into a ball. When you can do that, you'll be ready to try drawing on your own ki."

Satan nodded, standing. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, and the aura slowly dissipated into his body. "Arigatou, Sensei." He bowed.

"Use it in good health," Gohan said, chuckling.

Just then, a voice called out from the parlor. "Gomen kudasai!"

Videl blinked. "Who's that?"

A tall, attractive woman with fiery red hair, deeply tanned skin, and sparkling violet eyes walked into the room. Clad in a smart, well-tailored deep maroon business suit with a knee-length skirt and a black blouse, her image and attitude conveyed a professional manner and a sharp mind as much as it conveyed dazzling beauty. "Satan-san? Did you forget the meeting?"

"Ahh...of course! My apologies."

Videl crossed her arms. "Papa, who is this woman?"

Mister Satan laughed. "Suman na...Videl, this is Lucinda Amazan. She's the new coordination assistant for the Tenka-ichi Budokai. She's a master planner, and her ideas have helped us prepare everything from scouting fighters to gathering sponsors."

Lucinda bowed. "It is a pleasure to finally meet the daughter Satan-san speaks so highly of."

Videl nodded tersely. "Amazan-san."

Satan glanced back. "Gohan-kun, thank you for your help. I'll remember what you said. And now, if you kids will excuse me, I have a meeting to attend."

"Mata ne, Satan-san!" Gohan called as the elder man and the red-haired woman left.

As soon as she heard the muffled sound of the front door closing, Videl moved closer to Gohan. "I don't like her."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "Really? She seemed nice enough."

Videl glanced up at him. "No...there was something not quite right about her. I can feel it."

The Saiyajin remained silent, but mentally, he was furiously trying to make sense of what he'd just felt. *Videl's right...there is something weird here. That woman's ki was abnormal...it felt like anyone else's ki, but it felt...faked.* Shrugging it off, he put an arm around his fiancee. "Ne, why don't we take a quick trip to Kame House? I'll race you!"

As he took off out the window, Videl gave a cry of protest. "Hey! No fair getting a head start!" Rocketing off after the Saiyajin, she continued to mull over the strange feeling she'd gotten.

A Capsule Corporation plane landed on the shore of Kamesennin's island, distracting Kuririn and Juuhachigou from their afternoon session. "Ya-ho!" Bulma called out cheerfully as she disembarked, encapsulating her vehicle.

"Oi, Bulma!" Kuririn greeted. "Good to see you!"

The blond cyborg eyed the blue-haired woman, raising an eyebrow. "Well...if I didn't see it for myself, I'd never have believed it. You really did turn yourself into a Saiyajin." Her eyes flashed for a moment. "Not a particularly strong one, but..."

Bulma laughed. "I'm working on that part." She glanced around. "So, where's the old pervert? I'm here to see him, actually."

The diminuitive monk stared at her. "You want to see...are you insane or something?"

"Baka," Juuhachigou cuffed her husband lightly on the head. "The old lech is inside...what do you want with him?"

The blue-haired Saiyajin pulled out a capsule and expanded it. "I built a new power sensor and I need to calibrate it."

"Is that Bulma's voice I hear?" The wizened old master ambled out of the house, eyes widening. "My old eyes must be playing tricks on me! Bulma, is that really you?"

"Un!" Bulma said, waving.

The ancient pervert zoomed across the sand. "You look so young and sexy! How about letting an old man have a ki—" Before he knew what hit him, he was buried head-first in the sand.

The blue-haired Saiyajin scowled. "Mou...you're still a lecher as always."

Kamesennin pulled himself out of the groud, cackling. "Well, it keeps me young and virile!"

Kuririn shot a sideways glance at his former master. "Keeps you old and perverted, you mean."

"So, what can I do for you, Bulma?" the old lecher asked.

"Actually, I just need your help calibrating my new power sensor." Bulma activated the device and tapped a couple buttons.

"Ahhh, is that so?" Kamesennin's sunglasses gleamed. "Well, I'd be delighted to help. That's a master's obligation, you know!"

Bulma nodded. "Okay then, just stand right there and show me your power."

Juuhachigou folded her arms and watched, interested. Kuririn just leaned against a tree.

"Here I go!" The old man assumed a stance, gathering his power. The device Bulma held beeped several times, its display lighting up with a series of flickering numbers. Finally it steadied, a bright "139" flashing on the small screen.

Kuririn chuckled. "That's exactly the same as it was fifteen years ago!"

"Yosh', it's perfectly calibrated then," Bulma said.

The ancient pervert reddened. "What do you mean perfectly? That can't be right if it says exactly the same thing it did fifteen years ago!"

Bulma waggled a finger. "Of course it's right. You never train anymore, do you?"

"Well...errr..." Kamesennin became even redder, and Kuririn doubled over laughing. Even Juuhachigou snickered.

The power sensor emitted a beep, and Bulma glanced down at it. The display flickered, displaying a directional vector with two moving circles, each labeled with a number. One of the readouts held steady at 212, while the other couldn't seem to lock down a number. "Ara?" The blue-haired woman peered at the device, frowning. "What are these two readings?"

Kuririn glanced up. "Gohan and Videl," he said. "Wonder what's up?"

A moment later, the engaged couple landed on the beach, waving. "Oi, minna!" Gohan greeted.

"Hey, Gohan, how's it goin'?" Kuririn asked.

"Pretty good..." the Saiyajin grinned. "Bulma-san? Didn't expect to see you here."

"Just calibrating a new power sensor," Bulma said, brandishing the device. It flickered as its sensor locked onto Videl, displaying a flashing "212". "Wow, Videl's getting pretty strong," she commented.

Gohan blinked at the display. "A scouter? I haven't seen one of those in years!"

Videl, for her part, looked confused. "What are you two talking about? What's a scouter?"

"Measures fighting power," Gohan said. "The Saiyajin used to use them, and so did Freeza, but nobody we've fought since we came back from Namek has had them."

Juuhachigou raised an eyebrow. "I'm 'nobody' then?"

"Whatever you have that does the same thing as a scouter doesn't count since it's built-in," Bulma said with a shrug. The Jinzouningen snorted.

Yeah, not to mention Juu-chan can scan a Super Saiyajin without exploding," Kuririn said.

"Exploding?" Videl asked, blinking.

"Yeah, the scouters Freeza's men used to have tended to blow up around Gokuu."

"Anyway, it reads your sentou-ryoku and displays it as a number," Gohan explained.

"Oh..." Videl nodded, only half-understanding. "So...212? Is that good?"

"That's about how strong I was when I was your age," Kuririn commented. Grinning, he added, "and you're stronger than the invincible old pervert here."

Gohan nodded, brow furrowed in thought. "That means it's probably a good time to teach you how to hide your ki, and how to sense ki too."

"Hide it?" Videl echoed, confused.

The other fighters nodded. "We all know how to do that," Kuririn said. "Not only does it conserve energy for when you really need it, but it's not a good idea to go around advertising how strong you really are to anyone who happens to be able to sense you or has a scouter." He shrugged. "You never know when being able to hide your power might save your life. Right, dear?"

Juuhachigou nodded in response. "It certainly annoyed the hell out of me and Juunanagou, back before Cell absorbed us."

"Sou ka..."

Once again, Bulma's sensor broke the tableau. Beeping rapidly, it reported yet another pair of relatively weak power readings, moving steadily to the east. "Nani...?"

Gohan blinked. "That's funny, I don't feel anything. Kuririn?"

The ex-monk shook his head. "Nope, nada."

"Don't tell me this thing is already on the blink," Bulma groaned. Taking a few more readings on the small group, she sighed. "Ah well, at least it'll work well enough for what I built it for." Waving, she tossed her plane capsule a few feet away. "I've gotta get back and set this thing up. It was nice seeing all of you!"

As Bulma left and the two couples began chatting, Kamesennin adjusted his glasses. *I felt it,* he mused. *Oh, I felt it alright. I just hope to Kami-sama it wasn't what I thought it was.*

Dende sneezed suddenly. "Hmmm. Nice to know people still believe in me."

Two days later, parades, fireworks, and all manner of festivities made the people of Ginger Town forget the city's recent troubles momentarily. Crowds surrounded the arena anxiously, with police working control to keep everyone behind the lines. Television crews were everywhere, setting up for the parade as well as inside the arena. A great cheer rose as a line of floats moved into view, carrying huge balloons depicting past winners and second-placers in the tournament. The grandmaster's float was, of course, occupied by none other than Mister Satan himself, accompanied by Lucinda Amazan and the oversized pink creature known only as Mister Buu.

In one roped-off area in front of the arena, all the registered fighters stood, eager to proceed to the eliminations. As the float bearing Mister Satan drew near, the champion leapt high into the air, seeming to float slowly to the ground. The minute he touched down, he began a complicated series of poses. "Ladies and gentlemen!" he boomed, savoring the roar of the crowd, the excitement in the air.

"LET THE GAMES BEGIN!"

Ossu! Ora Gokuu!
Sugeeee! There's some strong people fighting in the Budokai! I can't believe it! This is a good fight even without any Saiyajin in it! But what's with that weird guy? Matte yo...he's wearing a Red Ribbon jacket! I don't like how this looks, but one thing's for sure...things are just starting to get interesting!

Next Dragonball Theta: "Round One Start!! Red Ribbon's Kaniba Saibou!!" Mata ne!

POWERED BY DREAMHOST