[Intro.]
High over the horizon, a long, serpentine-like dragon, Shenron, soars through skies. Upon his head were the likes of Gohan, Goten, and Trunks enjoying the ride. Moments later, a portal opens. Flying past the dragon, Vegeta, and Piccolo enters the portal first as the trio looks on in awe. Shenron lets out a roar as he follows the two through it. The scenery quickly changes from Earth to Equis.
Celestia was enjoying a cup of tea on her balcony with her sister Luna as Shenron exits the portal in the background. Fluttershy was busy tending to the animals in her sanctuary as Angel bunny frantically points to the dragon above. The yellow pegasus looks up and gasps at the sight. Over in Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack hauling in her product before a large gust of wind from Shenron's passing blows her hat off. The farm mare puts down her produce and gives chase. In Ponyville, Pinkie gasps as she hovers in the air while Shenron passes. A moment later, the party mare disappears, leaving behind an outline of smoke. At the carousel boutique, Rarity struggling on a new line featuring the combat Gi's Spike and Scootaloo wore before Shenron passes by her window. A look of inspiration hit the fashion mare as she quickly stretches something out before running outside. Rainbow Dash was resting on a cloud when she spotted Shenron in the skies. Looking at their destination, Rainbow shot off her perch with her signature sonic rain-boom. The trios of Saiyans leap off the great dragon while landing in front of the castle. There, Twilight is standing at the entrance, waving them over. The rest of the elements of harmony, Piccolo and Vegeta were there to greet them.
Elsewhere, Dragonlord Ember was walking through a hellish landscape. The silhouette of a massive dragon was reaching toward her. She closes her eyes only to open them again as Spike looks at her with concern. In a coliseum filled with cheering spectators, Scootaloo walks in with the E.A.T. belt around her waist. Her opponent was a man in a brown and white Gi that sported an afro. She shots her opponent a confident grin as the two charges one another. A second later, Scootaloo sends her rival out of bounds as two announcers - one blond human and Earth pony of similar features - declare her the winner. High above the castle of Friendship, the Great Saiyaman floats above the structure as the sun rises. He smirks as he flies off into the rising sun.
The sunsets as the moon rising over a statue of Goku. Spike and Scootaloo stood there wearing somber expressions at the loss of their beloved mentor. However, the transparent image of Goku puts a reassuring hand on Scootaloo's and Spike's shoulders. They turn around in shock at his appearance. He smiles at his pupils before he fades away, with the two of them chasing after him. They don't get far as several figures cloaked in shadows appear before them. Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta, Trunks, and Goten land beside them as they all take combat stances. There was a staredown between the two factions before they collide in an explosion of light. Finally, the ponies and dragons stand next to the Z fighters in front of the School of Friendship. Goku lands between his wife while draping his arm over Gohan's shoulder. They both share wide grins that for their friends and family.
[Capsule Corporation - Bulma's office - Gohan's POV.]
Bulma had a coffee mug in her hand while the other one rubs her temples. Piccolo took my mother and Goten back home. He offered to watch over them, which was a load off my mind. The rest of us went to Capsule Corp. Spike and the others left before we got here. I have to make an effort to talk with when I'm back on Equis. Bulma brought us to her office with Dr. Briefs. We told her everything about what happened - from Spike's fight to the base's destruction - as she grew annoyed. She sat down on her chair with a mug of coffee. She took a slip before rubbing her temples. She looked at us with tired eyes. "Ok, run this by me again. After the fight, General Tao runs back into his base, you all went after him, and Gera activated the base self-destruction feature, right?"
"Yep," Scootaloo said with a smile. I could she's excited to tell her side of the story. "There were seconds to spare. The whole base had blaring alarms and flashing red colors. I jumped into the air and grabbed everyone - bringing my fingers to my head - and teleporting out of there! We appeared on a hilltop and watched in silence as the Red Ribbon base exploded. The goods save the day again!"
Scootaloo finishes with a smile and thumbs up. Videl, however, smirks at her. "Oh yeah, it was a page straight out of a comic book. And if we're following comic book, then it's safe to assume the bad guy got away,"
That remark earned Videl a glare. "She right, you know," Bulma said. "Why would she warn you of an imminent explosion if the intention was to kill you,"
"Hmm, I venture a guess that she knows using explosive against you lot would be useless. Perhaps it was her way of saying she concedes defeat for now," Dr. Briefs speculated.
"Having someone like her still roaming around could be problematic. If she can upgrade General Tao to that extent, then we can't wait for her to regain new forces," Tien stated.
"You got any ideas on where she could've gone?" Yamcha asked.
Bulma sighs while taking a drink. "None what's so ever. That's the frustrating thing about self-destructing protocols. They tend to make it hard to find the ones that activated it,"
"That's perfect..." Krillin sighs as he crosses his arms behind his head. "Looks like we're stuck waiting on the sidelines again..."
"Looks like it. I've notified President Gruff on the other Red Ribbon outpost. They'll be sending some specialists to dismantle them. I've also enacted a program to scan for any more of those isotopes from our satellites. There won't be anywhere on Earth Gera can hide," Bulma said.
"I've updated the security of our systems. Gera will have a hard time hacking into our network again," Dr. Briefs stated.
"So, do we call this a win?" Yamcha offers.
I shook my head at that. "It's more like a stalemate for now. We should keep a constant vigil for her nefarious misconduct!"
'Ha! Nailed it!' Scootaloo groaned from my side while Krillin and others tried not to laugh. I don't get what was funny. The only one who was quiet was Videl. I would catch eyeing me with that same look, only more focused than usual. Before I could ask what was wrong, she went to leave the room. "Ms. Videl?"
Videl stops and looks back at me. "What is it?"
"Where are you going?"
"Back to Equis. Seeing as how Gera is either dead or bidding her time, I don't see a reason to stay. Besides, I bet the princesses would love a report," Videl gives me that same look again. "Besides, I got some friends I want to catch up with back at the school,"
"Oh, that's right!" Scootaloo said. She turns to Bulma.
Bulma waves her off. "Go ahead, you three. Give princesses my regards and tell them they won't have to worry about any illegal weapons on their borders anymore,"
"Then I guess I'm out of here too," Yamcha said. He points to himself with a confident smile. "This guy's got a hot date with a total babe tonight,"
I saw Krillin close his eyes slightly while leaning to Scootaloo. "We better keep an eye out for Yamcha's new girl. She might be another villain in disguise," Scootaloo laughs into her hand while Yamcha frowns.
"Hey! This time will be different!" Yamcha exclaims.
Tien chuckles while shaking his head. "I'm afraid that's one battle you may never win, Yamcha,"
"Oh, yeah?" Yamcha smiles as he crosses his arms. "How's Launch?"
"Hrk!" Huh, it was weird seeing Tien's cheeks turn red. He's always stoic like Piccolo. "Ahem. We, uh, worked out an agreement,"
"She's in the village tending Tien's farm," Chaoztu said. Tien looked spooked at that.
"Wait. Did launch find you again?" Bulma asked before smiling. "How is your favorite stalker? It seems you two tied the knot after all this time~,"
Tien coughs into his hand as he turns away. "I assure you our relationship is purely platonic. Let's go, Chaoztu,"
"Platonic, my flanks. I bet the three of them are in a herd," Scootaloo said out aloud.
That remark got both Tien and Chaoztu to flinch and whip their heads back. They appeared before Scootaloo - both of their faces being as red as those dots on Chaoztu's cheeks - and screamed at her. "I.T. "S NOT LIKE THAT!!!"
All of us laughed as Scootaloo hunches away from the duo. "Jeez, it was a joke,"
"I don't know. I don't think I ever saw Tien without Chaoztu tagging along," Yamcha grinned.
Tien stares at Yamcha blankly before turning to Chaoztu. They both nod to each other as Chaoztu holds out his hands. Yamcha found himself constricted by Chaoztu's telekinetic grip. Tien steps up to Yamcha as he struggles to free himself. "Bulma. Do you happen to have a permanent marker? Launch tells me that one must look their best when dating,"
"Whoa, h-hang on a second!" Yamcha said nervously.
"I wholeheartedly agree," Bulma said, hand Tien the marker.
"C-Come on, Tien. This date might be the most important night of my life," Yamcha said nervously.
"I know. I merely want to help you prosper, Yamcha," Tien said.
"Yeah, buddy, we all want what's best for you," Krillin said with a marker of his own.
At the corner of my eye, Videl shakes her head and leaves the room. I gestured to Scootaloo to follow along. The last thing I heard from Yamcha was a high-pitched scream. "NOOOOOOO....!"
[Equis - Canterlot lower district - Gera's POV.]
"This place has far too many pastel colors," I groaned.
Seriously, it was like I stepped into a children's coloring book. But at least my teleporter performed as expected. A shame the general failed in my last experiment. Oh well, no time to lament the past. My new order of business was finding the ones responsible for the disappearances. Since I'm not here through the proper channels, I decided to work my way through the slums. The plan was simple: Attain the E.A.T. fighter registry. Having a complete list of fighters will work wonders for finding my target. Turning into an alley, I caught sight of a unicorn pony gesturing towards me. A small smile worked its way on my face. I could hear eight pairs of hooves clopping behind me as I stopped at the dead end. Deciding to play the role of a damsel in distress, I looked back and forth in a confused fashion. I even made small whimpers to sell my position.
"Are you lost, ma'am?" The unicorn asks.
"Oh dear, oh my! I seem to be lost!"
The ponies chuckle at my tone. "Canterlot is a big city, miss. It's easy for non-ponies like yourself to get lost. Where you headed?"
He likes to play with his prey, huh? "I'm looking for the E.A.T. sign-in stand. I want to fight in the tournament!"
"You're a fighter from the human world?" I nodded. The group looks at me for a few seconds before breaking out in laughter. "What is it with humans thinking they can hang with Equestrians? I doubt you could take any of us, let alone our prizefighters. But, I'm a gentle colt. We can help you to the registry for the right price,"
Now it was my turn to smirk. "Actually. I need one of you boys to go in my stead. I am a bit of a criminal myself," They looked surprised when I called them, but I continued, dropping my innocent facade. "Don't look so shocked, boys. You're not the pinnacle of the law-abiding citizens. I blind person could see how rotten you are. A bit surprising given how pure this world seems. Now then..." I appeared before the leader - grasping by the unicorn by the horn - and slamming onto the ground. He bounced up and gasped from the force of impact. His henchmen - hench ponies? - stood in shock before coming to their leader's defense. I spun and backhand one of them into the alley wall. The pony left a large hole with his legs hanging out. Rushing forward, I kicked another pony into his friend onto the opposite wall. The pony I kicked was out cold while the other sat on the ground dazed. The last remaining pony took out a knife and threw it at my face. I turned my head enough to let fly by as if it hit me. Turning back, I saw the pony's expression go from smug to horror. I twiddle my fingers at him while the knife was in between my teeth. The pony finally wised up and ran away. I shrugged my shoulders and to the leader. He just got his head off the ground, only to have a knife aimed at the base of his horn.
"H-hey, Hey! No need to do anything untold to me! I-I was testing you, you know! The competition is stiff this year, and I didn't want a pretty lady like yourself getting hurt! I-"
"Quiet!" I hate groveling. "I believe earlier you said that you were a gentleman, that right?" The unicorn did expect smiles at me. He probably thought I forgot about his remaining ally. I squashed those delusions by backhanding the pony over my left shoulder. He crumbled to a heap as I turn back to the leader. "ready to cooperate?" The unicorn nods very enthusiastically. "Good. You better hurry back here with a complete list of all the fighters thus far - or else I'm going to lop off that horn - haha,"
[School of Friendship - Gohan's POV.]
"Gohan," Diamond Tiara whined. "Why aren't you paying attention to me?!" The other girls shot her a glare as she nuzzled my shoulder. We were sitting outside the school in the park for lunch. The girls wanted to catch up while we talked about the mission.
"Oh, sorry, D.T. I'm still thinking about Gera," I said.
"Thinking about a human mare while neglecting your herd? Gohan, how could you!?" Sweetie Belle said in a Rarity-like fashion. She even put her hand across her forward for the dramatic effect.
"We let go back to the human world for a day, and this happens. It looks like we might need to reign him in for house training," Silver Spoon joked.
Thankfully, Applebloom was on my side. "Why Ya worried about her? From what Ya told us, she's as rotten as a maggot filled apple,"
I cross my arms as I took a thoughtful expression. "The base exploding was an obvious ploy for Gera's and General Tao's escape. I'm wondering where they could've gone too,"
"I'm going with a secret tunnel," Scootaloo said, sipping a drink. "We spent some time watching the other dragons, not to mention..." I could tell why she stopped as a flash of sadness went over Scoot's face. "Spike's fight with Tao,"
Applebloom pats her shoulder while Sweetie squeezes her hand. "It's alright, Scoots. Spike was probably just worried about their eggs. He didn't mean to act like a - well - a..."
"A Jerk?" Silver Spoon says.
"A Flankhole?" Diamond Tiara stated bluntly.
"Stubborn as a mule?" Applebloom offers.
"Yes," Sweeties said simply. "He's might be under a lot of stress,"
"Hmph. Who cares!? If he wants to act like my mother when she's hoof shining to the elites, then I say let him," D.T. said. Everyone stares at her in silence from that oddly specific rant. "What?"
"Haha, It's nothing," I said with a sigh. "I guess I don't like the idea of a dangerous pair like those two roaming free,"
"Whose roaming free?" Videl's voice made all of us jump. We turned to see her standing behind D.T. and Silvie. What was different about her today was that she didn't give me the mare glare. It's a name Sweetie came up with on the spot. Instead, she was sending me a confident smile. "Hey, Gohan,"
"H-hey, Videl, how's it going?"
"Fine. I was catching with Elisa and the others. They told me some interesting things during our absence,"
I looked at her in confusion. "Our absence?'"
"Yeah, you were out sick yesterday,"
I felt a hoof kick my shins as I grunted. "Y-Yeah, it is flu season after all, hehe. My mother was a big help,"
Videl tilts her head to the side without losing that smile. "That's funny considering my mission yesterday. We had to save a pair of hostages..." Videl went rummaging through her backpack and pulled some papers. "Do you recognize them?"
She put a bunch of photos on the table. Sweetie Belle gasps at the arrangement. "Oh! Are you making a collage?"
"No," Videl simply said. "Every student at this school submits a photo of those closest to them as a way of showing that no one is different from each other-- despite being another species entirely. Here's Elisa's family. There are Sharpner and his two kids' siblings. I even brought a picture of myself with my dad. What was yours about again?"
Seeing no harm, I answered. "I gave two pictures of my family. There's one of me with my mother and father, then, one with my baby brother and mother,"
Videl's smile seems to grow wider as she points to the photos in question. "These two, right?" I nod in response.
"Urgh! Is there a point to this interrogation?" D.T. asked, aggravation clear on her voice. Looking around, Silvie and the C.M.C.'s felt the same.
"The point is our mission was to rescue a pair of hostages from a terrorist organization," Videl said. I started to feel a rising pit in my stomach. "I was able to see what the hostages look like before they vanished. There's no mistaking the resemblance,"
"Why do you keep saying our mission? I was sick at home," I said nervously.
"Yes, you were - and that's what I can't figure out. Are you saying that the flu was enough to stop you from saving your family members?"
"It wasn't the normal flu," Silvie stated frantically. "It was blu flu! It makes your entire body blu and makes you dizzy!"
Videl nods her head in agreement. "Yep, that's the nurses told me. But then they pushed me out of the office when I tried to find out more about it-- saying it was a royal decree, that tells me that the royalty is also involved. The princesses seem very invested in your health,"
Applebloom slams her hands against the table. "The princesses care about every creature equally!!!"
"I'm not saying the equestrian royalty is playing favorites. I'm saying it's odd that Gohan got sick at the same time I went on my mission with the Great Saiyanman. And that both you and Great Saiyaman are never in the same space at the same time," I felt that pit growing bigger. "It's weird that a group like the Red Ribbon Army would kidnap your family members - and not anyone else - while leaving you behind. I'd call that sloppy not to gain as much leverage over your enemies as possible. But, I think they were leverage against you!"
"C-come on, that's rid-"
I tried to come up with some kind of excuse, but Videl cut me off. "President Gruff told all about the Red Ribbon Army. It was the usual spiel. How they were so dangerous and how they nearly conquered the world. But then..." She pulled out another picture of my dad this time as a boy. "He told how the entire Red Ribbon Army got beaten by this boy. He sure looks like your baby brother, doesn't he?"
I looked at the girls for help, but all of them were as nervous as I was right now. "...Um..."
"This boy - the who beat the Red Ribbon Army - went on to fight against the demon king Piccolo. The president had front row seats for that one. He wouldn't stop talking about it. Then, he defeated Piccolo Junior to win the twenty-third World Martial Arts Tournament. The same Piccolo that was with us on the mission!" Videl slams her hand on top of all the photos she mentioned. "He was your father - Son Goku- which means your the Great Sayaman!!!"
I could feel mouth opening and closing several times. Scootaloo was able to speak on my for me. "So what? Gohan's dad was amazing. That doesn't mean he could do all those his dad did!" She flares out her wings for added measure.
It was a direct challenge, but Videl thought of everything. She looks over to Scootaloo, never losing her confidence, as she spoke. "We all heard you chew out for his methods - Saying how Goku would be disappointed at him - how did Goku teach the to of you anything if the portal officially opened a few months back?"
"...Uh..." Scootaloo deflates at that. Videl was on a roll.
"Don't even try to deny it!" She took out one more picture. There was no denying her claims when it came to this one. "At the Cell Games Tournament, a group of mystery fighters showed up to fight Cell. Are you going to tell me that it's a coincidence that four of the guys on this picture were with us the other day? Sure, his hair is different, but not his outfit. I'm willing to bet that Gruff will recognize him. And that boy here is you!"
I looked up at Videl, then back to the girls, and finally the pictures. She was right. There was no point in denying anything. "...Yeah, that's me..." I said with a sigh. "Everything you said is the truth,"
Videl crosses her arms at that. "Go on,"
I closed my eyes tight as the words escape my lips. "I'm the Great Saiyaman..."
"So, what now?" Applebloom asked. I don't think I ever say her frown like that before. "Are Ya going to blackmail our colt friend!?"
"You bet, but I'm not an extortionist. I still have questions, but those can wait. I want to see how far the apple fell from the tree,"
"Really," Applebloom droned out.
"You want to pick apples?" I asked.
Videl rolls her eyes at me. "No. The next E.A.T. tournament is coming up soon. You're entering as a contestant along with me!"
"You want to fight in the E.A.T.?" Scootaloo asked. I buried my head into my hands and let out a groan.
"It's perfect. The former champion's son versus the current champion's daughter," Videl said, gather all her evidence before leaving the table. "Oh, and one more thing,"
"Yeah?" I asked.
"It's not a big deal. I just want to learn how to fly. Later,"
The girls and I watch her leave as I took in everything that happened just now. How am I going to participate without blowing my cover? "You know," Silvie said. "We could always ask Twilight to wipe her mind,"
"Hey, yeah, maybe we can make forget her name!" D.T. added.
"I'd say we play along," Scootaloo said with a smirk. "Beating her at the tournament might be the wake-up call she needs!"
Slamming my head against the table, I groaned. "When did things get so complicated?"