Arena Stadium

"Haaaa....!"

Goku flopped onto his face first thing. He'd only narrowly won by showing off his new power from training for a year in the HTC, and even then it had been using everything he had to do so. As he lay there, he glanced up at his daughter, best friend, and gave them a tiny thumbs up.

The crowd, full of Time Patrollers and deities, erupted into an applause that didn't stop for quite a while. The entire battle between Jiren and Goku had been the most exciting of fireworks, what with their blasts clashing over and over. Luckily their Arenas where in a time space distortion or that amount of energy would have decimated pretty much everything in it's path.

Grand Priest looked down proudly at Goku, then at Jiren, who lay without moving beside him on the stadiums transparent flooring. The wise Angel chief waved his hands and both warriors rose up completely healed. Goku dusted off his tattered rags that used to be clothing and stuck his hand out for Jiren to shake. Jiren looked to that out stretched hand, but instead of shaking it he bowed to Goku. "...You have shown me such great inner strength. Son Goku, never lose that spark inside."

"It took all of my energy to win, and even then it was a lllllittle iffy on my side. But, you know Jiren, whenever you want a rematch, just come find me!" Goku said.

The air cleared as those two stood and smiled at one another.

Finally the first match had ended. Goku and Jiren parted ways, going to their respective Universe areas, and Belmond clapped his top fighter on the back, proud and amazed at his finiest warrior, whom had come so far from his shell of seclusion. Goku waved to them both and grinned up at the twin rulers watching with sparkles in their eyes. He then hopped up to Vegeta and giggled, "Eh heh he! Did you watch all that, Vegeta?"

"Hn! It took you long enough. I was beginning to think you'd lose." Vegeta said.

"Aww, have a little faith in me. You believed in me, right Chisato?"

His daughter smiled and nodded. "Mhm! Never a doubt, Dad! But, you know..." she pouted, "You never fought ME that hard."

Goku rubbed his neck. "Well, I didn't think the Time Chamber could handle BOTH of us at our full power."

Rhuda nibbled her lip but didn't comment on that, instead raising to her adopted father and giving his chest a squeeze. "...You were amazing. I hope I can be like you one day."

Goku lifted his saiyan daughter into his arms as if she were a child instead of nineteen and ruffled her spiked bangs, squishing her tan face to his peachy one. "You will. Keep at it. I'm sure one day I'll be the one wanting to be like you, instead!"

"Pfft." Rhuda thought that was funny and both sat down, talking about the battle and it's many ups and downs, until Grand Priest announced the next fighters. "Planet 02! Please come forward!"

As they looked on to see who would be fighting next, it was Matt and Van, Shallots human friends, facing off against two...girls? At least, they looked young, one with green hair and the other with blue, and both beautiful.

"Not THOSE two..." Vegeta grumbled.

"Ha ha, look Vegeta, it's your favorite!" Goku said.

"Shut up Kakarot."

Rhuda leaned on her Dads shoulder, happy to have him there. Any time that she was worried over things, Goku had a way of making the world seem brighter.

*

*

*

Gohans Home - Orange City

"Goku really adopted her?" Yamcha asked Gohan.

"Yeah. Dad took a shine to her from the beginning. He said she reminded him a lot of me when I was younger," Gohan said.

Android 18 gave Gohan an inspection. "Maybe the hair."

"It goes deeper than that," Gohan argued. He finished his beer and cleaned his glasses with the edge of his shirt sleeve, "We think alike. Well, mostly. Chisato came from a background where she had to do a lot of things early on, like me. Of course it was totally different...but you get the idea."

"Hmmm..." Roshi nodded his head. "I think I see what you're talking about. This girl isn't a true fighter?"

"I wouldn't say that." Gohan put his glasses back on but they were still blurred. "She's a great fighter. But...it's not like she wanted to do it."

An understanding came over the room. Puar piped in, "I see! So she's peaceful and smart like you, but only fights when she has to!"

"Err...yeah." Gohan could feel his face getting hot. "I'm only smart because mom made me study all the time. Whereas Chisato....she didn't get the chance to."

Android 18 scoffed and propped her long legs on the coffee table, brushing aside a strand of platinum hair. "Hm! So you're saying she's an idiot?"

"No! Not at all! Ah...that's not what I mean at all. She's uh...w-well, Chisato can't read very well. But she does know lots of other things that have nothing to do with studying."

"What's so good about studying?" Oolong asked. He snorted his pig nose, "It's not like acing a math test will help when you're fighting guys like Jiren."

Gohan sighed. "...True. But you also have to have good strategy sometimes. Knowing the trajectory of someone's aim can help a long way too for example, and give you the upper hand. Those things can be learned by training, and it's easier to read an opponents moves if you use a few sequences of data and measurement..."

"You lost me kid." Oolong said.

"Same," Yamcha said.

"I was lost from the very beginning," Master Roshi said. He stroked his beard, "Say, you're good at math. What's the numbers on her curves? Eh? Eh?"

Gohan grew red in the face. "I-I wouldn't know that!"

"A shame." The old man sighed. "It's hard to find good help these days."

"Can it old man!" 18 said. "Watch the fight like the rest of us."

Yamcha snagged a bag of chips from Krillins lap and ripped the bag open. He popped a crisp potato into his mouth, saying around it, "I'd like to know her number. Does she have one?"

18 sighed in disgust, not amused by the perverts she was surrounded by. She was about to give them all a good scolding when something floated past her head. One by one the Z warriors looked up, seeing a baby in a diaper flying around the room.

"Does anyone else see a baby?" 18 asked.

"Kolard!"

Gohan jumped up and began chasing the flying infant around, having to hop over furniture to do so. When it became apparent that he wasn't able to keep up with the random zig zagging, Krillin and Android 18 also began chasing the baby around the room. The scene went on for a few moments before Oolong the pig jumped up and snatched Kolard from the sky, transforming into a bat, holding him by the back of his diaper in his bat mouth. "Got him!"

"Phew." Gohan wiped away sweat. "Little guy is missing his mom."

"His mom?" Krillin asked.

*

*

Real World - Shallot

"Did you guys sense that?" Shallot asked.

Xeno Vegeta flicked his eyes left. "...That Ki."

"Definitely Freiza." Shallot said. "....Trunks' energy shot up too."

Bra watched as a woman in the hallway eyed them. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, with wide hips and shoulders. The lady walked over and crossed her arms. "Excuse me! This is school grounds! Just what are you doing here?" She asked with an accent.

Shallot smirked a little and wedged past Bra, giving the woman a coy smile. "We're a little lost. You see, we heard that Matsuri-sensei would be here today. She's been expecting us at her office."

"Matsuri-san?"The woman asked. Her blue eyes tightened. "...She said something about that. Follow me, please."

The woman with no name took off down the hallway and the group of saiyans followed behind. One, two classrooms they passed until their destination. 'Student Guidance Counselor' read the sign hanging from the door. The woman turned the knob, entered, and as the others came in, the woman had pulled a strange metal device from her desk. "...Let's get one thing straight." She said, showing a much more confident and cool disposition. Her teacher facade fell away, as did her entire body, which began shifting and swirling until they were looking at a new person.

Tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was muscled as well, and wearing a black hoodie and pants. Shallot froze on the spot, for despite the younger appearance, he recognized that person--

"--You!" Shallot yelled.

Bra, Vegeta and Goten saw how Shallot had grown pale. Their leader, once a smirking saiyan full of power had been reduced to a quivering mess. "You know this guy?" Goten asked.

"...He...was the one..." Shallot tried to say. Even his voice was changing, going up and down with tremors.

"My name is Richard." Said Richard.

'Richard' tilted his head, still holding that device in his hand. "...You remember my face. How nice."

X. Vegeta brushed past Shallot and went to attack the man, whom clearly knew they were coming and seemed to be working for the enemy, but Richard pressed a button on the device and Vegeta crumbled over, holding his stomach in pain. "Hak! W-What the hell!"

"Dad!" Bra shouted. She ran forward but was struck, too, and fell to her side. "Hya!"

Shallot still hadn't budged an inch. His cheek dripped cold sweat down it. His tail had fell between his legs, no longer cocky or confident.

"This is a data transmission disruptor," Richard explained. "Of course it's all I need to take your tiny group down."

"No..." Shallot backed away and hit the door. "...Why? What did I ever do to you!"

Richard sighed, as if annoyed that his enemy was quaking in fear. His hand slid down the desk beside him, stroking it. "I'm sure you can guess. Sticking your nose somewhere it doesn't belong. You were our guinea pig, Shiroui Yuusuke."

As if all the hope had died from his eyes, Shallot slid down the door to his knees. He panted for air, as if seeing something quite terrible. "I was--I was only trying to help her. She--she was too tiny--"

"A noble act." Richard said. "Yet here you are again. Sticking the same nose in our business. Those files were our life's work. Collecting all that intelligence slowly...deciding the best candidates...yet we couldn't find a perfect Vessel. Then you came along and gave us exactly what we were hoping for. From our Team at Aspire...we thank you. But this is as far as you get."

Richard struck Goten, who was about to jump at Richard, and the half saiyan fell on his face. "Argh! Dammit!"

Only Shallot remained able to fight. He gulped and shakily stood. "You...shot me three times. I--I didn't have a chance..."

Bra squinted up through pain filled blue eyes, watching as the Shallot she knew to be proud, cocky and sarcastic resembled a weakling. She didn't quite understand everything those two were saying, but remembered the words Shallot spoke before they'd left Conton.

["The real world isn't like this place at all. There's only death."

Her blue eyes widened. "Death?"

"...Yeah. The guy you're looking at right now, well, he used to be there. Once." His brow tilted in a mocking way, "...Shallot never existed. My name was Shiroui Yuusuke there."

"Shiro...ui..." she said, as if it were a strange name.

"Don't call me that!"

"Why?"

"He's dead! Didn't you hear that part?!" Shallot shoved her shoulder, glaring down. "Not all of us had some extravagant life. Who you met and who I am are two different people."]

The words spoken at that time caused Bra to piece together bits of Shallot as she had never done so before. When they'd met months ago, Bra had been head over heels for the handsome and boyish Shallot, whom had stolen her heart quite easily. Perhaps she had been fooled--no, she knew she had-- but the saiyan standing there, shivering as if reliving a nightmare, gave the princess of saiyans a new understanding. While the Shallot she knew had been a proud warrior with maybe too much gumption, the real him was showing through, and Bra could see that he had forced himself to be such a way to survive.

She slowly raised herself up until on her hands and knees, looking up at him. "...S-Shallot!"

He tore his dark gaze from Richards cruel and sadistic face to see her, and she chose that moment to act. "You...you aren't him! You are Shallot now!"

"I--I--," Shallot shook his head, dipped it, and clenched his hands to his sides. "...You're...right. I AM Shallot..."

"Yes!" She said, reaching out to touch his hand. There she peered up at him, hoping her voice carried through to his spirit. "You're the most stupid and...reckless guy I ever met. And--that's why I--I have always liked you."

His eyes widened. Within them the black iris shook. "B-Bra?"

She coughed, feeling the pain from her body as though tearing apart. "...Win..! You--you idiot.."

Richard clicked his tongue at Bra and her speech and thrust the disruptor her direction. "That's enough of that."

"HYAA!" Bra yelled and fell to her face, unconscious.

Vegeta and Goten shouted her name out and attempted to get to Richard, but it was too late. He only had to press a button and they, too crumpled down. "D-Dammit..." Vegeta growled.

Shallot looked from Bra and her touching confession to Richard. His lips pulled back, growling. His shoulder lowered. His tail flit around angrily. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Oh? I'm supposed to be scared of a boy turned monkey?" Richard chuckled and pointed the machine to Shallot.

It didn't work.

"What?" Richard tried again and again, but he eventually gave up and stared into the eyes of a saiyan warrior who had righteous vengeance on his mind. "L-Let's make a deal. I'll tell you where Game Master is hiding if you'll let me go.."

Shallot stepped forward; he stepped back. The wall caged Richard in. "Then say it."

"He's at the--HUK!"

Richard chest burst with bright blood. The man fell forward in a heap, dead on the spot.

'W-What the hell?'

Shallot looked beyond the fallen Richard, seeing a hole in the room wall. Smoke was blocking the view but as it faded away, a shadowy figure stood there.

*

Real World - Tokyo Gaming Tower

"NOW!"

Trunks yelled and blocked the next death beam which would have killed tiny Pan behind him. Just in time. Freiza chuckled and wagged his finger in the air, "I shall make the two of you beg for your lives. The Time Patrol will be no more, and when I'm through with you...the entire cosmos will be at my beck and call!"

"Not on your life!" Trunks said.

He charged his energy, short hair lifting and turning teal, eyes a matching set. "I'll hold him off. Get to Goku! He should have been here by now."

Pan nodded. "Don't lose, Trunks!"

"..."

Trunks faced his enemy. He didn't have the necessary power to take down Freiza with his new level, and sensed the battle wouldn't end in his favor. Still, he had to give it his all. At least that was the goal of things. But when Freiza saw Pan attempting to leave he blocked her path. "I don't think so."

As Freiza's hand rose to strike Pan, she cowered and screamed, but the attack never landed. Her dark eyes opened to see a person standing there, having coiled a dark purple, diamond pattern over Freiza's arm. "...I'm a little late," the female said, "but it looks like I came just in time."