(Sometime later)
The climax of Gohan and Sandra's battle across the greater part of the Solar System marked the end of the Z-fighters' gladiator match against the New Saiyan Empire. With the two groups now resting at the finishing line of their epic race, all limbs present and accounted for, there were far worse ways the fights could've ended compared to the way they did. Thankfully things had more or less stayed within the realm of contest friendly and didn't result in any deaths whatsoever.
Yes, despite the fact that a majority of the planet's landscape had been permanently reshaped and several towns had been trashed along the way, there were no human or alien casualties to speak of. This wasn't even counting the fact that Pluto had been utterly annihilated, Mars had been turned into a cloud of rubble, Mercury had been pushed into the sun, and Saturn had a 38,000 kilometer wide gaping hole in it. After all the chaos that'd boiled over since the beginning of the gladiator match, this was all fixable collateral damage. Nothing that the dragon balls couldn't fix. Although… there was a very good chance that Shenron was going to be incredibly annoyed at having to fix a whole bunch of planets for the third time in a row, something that the Z-fighters weren't all that comfortable in explaining how and why.
In hindsight, it was a hell of a lot better than having to bring one of their friends back to life… again.
The damages made to the Solar System however paled in comparison to the big dent that'd been formed in the center of Satan City, which now stood as the ending point for the epic, planet-wide tournament. Here, surrounding the crater in the heart of the square, thousands of people were being held back behind police and military barricades, as officials and leaders were now trying to sort through the mess.
The only people who were permitted beyond the yellow lines and obstacles were King Koku and his staff, Hercule Satan, the Z-fighters, and the delegates of the New Saiyan Empire.
It wasn't like many of them had a choice. While the majority of the Z-fighters were there to support Gohan, the members of the Saiyan Empire had to tend to the unconscious Sandra, who was lying at the bottom of the fissure atop a stretcher. Among the other contestants who couldn't really move due to fatigue and broken limbs included Videl, Maya, Vegeta, Yamcha, and Kure.
About forty minutes after Sandra had been knocked unconscious, Tien returned from Korin with two big bags of Senzu Beans. His arrival was a Godsend for the tired and exhausted heroes, who wasted no time in consuming the miracle vegetables when they were passed around. For Gohan however, his recovery was going to take a little bit more effort.
Sitting cross-legged atop a partially unburied cement pipe, a still visibly beaten yet grinning Gohan was having a short, albeit exhausted, word with the people who were gathered around him.
"I think I-ow… I think-ow… there is a-ow…" Gohan said and yelped between the dabs of disinfectant being applied to the throbbing bruise and cut to his face from the still armor-clad Bulma, who'd accessed the medical pack on her belt to help the injured members of her troop. "Ow… I think there is a really important lesson to be learned here. Ow."
While Videl and Zangya, both of whom were standing next to him, giggled at the pained sounds he was making, and Erasa, Sena, Yuki, Sharpener and Touya laughed quietly in the background, the blue haired scientist performing the treatment on the half-Saiyan hero shook her head in amusement.
"Let me guess: is it to not get punched in the face by a woman who is just as strong as you?" Bulma asked, pulling back the cotton ball and dipping it in the disinfectant bottle in her other hand. She then brought it back to his bruise and continued dabbing.
"Ow. No. Ow," Gohan said before chuckling, "Don't mix too much pork with the fermented vegetables. It spoils the flavor. Ow."
Bulma sighed and smiled, "You're an idiot." Disposing of the cotton, the woman stood up and stepped to the side, watching as Tien walked over with the bag of Senzu. "Okay. He's ready. Kai knows if what I did helped in any way."
A smile graced Tien's lips as he got his first good look at the state Gohan was in. "You feeling alright there, buddy?" he asked while pulling out a handful of beans. "You look like hammered shit."
The demi-Saiyan shrugged, "Well… both my legs are numb, I've lost all color in my vision, I have a splitting headache, an aching pain in my torso, and this strong taste of copper in my mouth… but all in all, I'm feeling pretty good."
"Oh. Okay," the human martial artist replied in a cheerful tone, before turning around and starting to walk away.
"Hey! Hey! I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" Gohan comically freaked out, waving both hands towards the warrior, "Come back!"
Letting out a laugh, the three-eyed fighter walked back over and dropped three Senzu beans into one of Gohan's open hands. "Don't worry. I'm just messing with you, man."
Bringing one bean up, the teenage Saiyan grinned at his comrade through his thoroughly bludgeoned face, "Thanks." He then popped it into his mouth, then the other, and then the other.
As Gohan downed each of the Senzu in turn, his collection of friends, Bulma and Tien included, watched in fascination as the bones in the teen's body popped back into place and his face steadily returned to normal. The swelling subsided, the cuts and burns faded, the breaks in his bones and organs mended, and the bruising slowly vanished. By the time the third bean was downed and digested, every single wound the boy had sustained was gone, leaving him looking as good as new, save for his lack of a gi and the dirt and dried blood on his skin. Once all the pain and stinging from his resetting frame and muscles subsided, the young Saiyan was back on his feet and skipping on the spot.
"Woo. I feel a lot stronger than I was at the start of the day. This is awesome," the young Saiyan chirped, before stopping moments later when Bulma walked up to him and gave his head a scan with her suit's gauntlet.
Once the computer was done breaking down the three-dimensional rendering of the teen's brain, zooming in on all the microscopic portions it was able to dissect digitally, Bulma then lowered her computer and looked at the screen. She then nodded and typed away at the buttons, filing away the images for future diagnosis. "No trauma, bleeding or any other abnormalities detected. All your brain cells and nerves are perfectly intact."
"Seriously?" Touya asked, having overheard what the woman had to say from his spot.
"After all the head shots he received?" Sena asked, looking over at the spiky haired teen cautiously. "Shouldn't Gohan have gotten, like… a dozen concussions or something?"
"We all watched his battle and saw the amount of punishment he took," Sharpener said, keeping his arms crossed as he eyed the president of Capsule Corp seriously. "Honestly, I'm worried he might develop a… brain tumor or an aneurism or something."
"Believe me… it's not that easy to physically incapacitate someone of Gohan's background and caliber," Bulma responded, turning her attention back to the hybrid in question. "He shares the same genetic advantages as my husband and son. Due to his body's reinforced bone structure, self-regenerating cells and healing factors, he is naturally immune to all forms of degenerative brain diseases, including dementia, Parkinson's and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, which a lot of contact sport players often suffer from. Considering the amount of blows he and the others sustain on a weekly basis, this is an incredibly useful biological asset to have." She then grinned at the boy standing in front of her. "Guess you have your genes to thank for that."
Gohan grinned proudly and placed his hands on his hips, "Damn right." While his posturing had Bulma roll her eyes and Zangya shake her head, the demi-Saiyan then directed his attention to where Sandra was lying, surrounded by her friends and teammates. The sight of the worried visitors prompted the hero to speak up. "What about them? Are they okay?"
Realizing who Gohan was referring to, Tien then held up the bag of Senzu Beans he was carrying, "All of them are alright, but Sandra is still unconscious and bleeding all over herself. I wasn't sure whether I should give them any of these." He was quickly cut off when the demi-Saiyan walked up to him and held his hand out expectantly. Glancing at the boy's palm quickly told the human what Gohan wanted to do. "Huh? Are you sure?"
"Yes," Gohan answered with a firm and serious nod.
"Okay then," Tien replied, plopping the bag of beans into the teen's hand and watching him march over to Sandra's troop.
The Z-fighters, all of whom were scattered around the crater along with the few people who were invited into their area, watched the half-Saiyan curiously as he made his way to the other side of the pit.
When Gohan arrived at the visitor's circle, he was immediately greeted by Maya and Cal confronting him, assumed in defensive stances, which had him stop in his tracks and raise his hands. "Whoa, now. I come in peace." He then nodded down at their leader, who he could see was being tended to by both Kure and Mobi. "Is your friend doing okay?"
Frowning, Maya spared a glance down at her battered friend. "She's still alive, thankfully. But after all the damage she's taken, it may be a while before she regains consciousness. Even Mobi is having trouble healing a lot of her injuries." She then looked warily back at Gohan, whom she could see was still standing there with his serious expression in play. The face he wore had Maya rub her arm anxiously. "You're… one hell of a warrior."
"Thanks," Gohan answered gratefully, giving the woman a smile and causing her to shirk slightly in discomfort. Approaching the ring formed by the group, the teen nudged his way past Cal and knelt down next to Sandra's stretcher. When he did, he then held up three Senzu Beans and showed them to Kure. "Here. Get her to try and swallow these."
Puzzled by the sight of the beans, Kure slowly reached over, picked one up, and looked at it closely. "What is it?"
"It's a Senzu Bean," Gohan informed with a warm smile, "It's a medicinal herb grown only on this planet. It'll help her get better faster."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I mean…" He then leant back and gestured at his body, "Look at me."
When Kure inspected the half-Saiyan, she quickly noticed through her sharp eye that all of the wounds and bruises he'd sustained had been wiped clean. Gaping momentarily in shock, the woman then began analyzing the bean in her hand. Sniffing it, rolling it around, and scanning it with a small device from her pocket, she then whispered, "Fascinating. Are you telling me that a person can recover from even the most grievous and life-threatening of injuries by consuming only one of these agricultural pits?"
"That's right," Gohan answered, reaching into the bag and rummaging about for another one. "Though it can't cure bacterial infections, it works wonders on physical wounds and starvation." He then proceeded to give each of the members of Sandra's crew a Senzu, "This bean is a real life saver. Here. Try them."
Though skeptical at first, Maya, Cal and Kure ate the beans. After chewing and swallowing them, the trio initially felt nothing for the first couple of seconds. But then, just as they were in the process of becoming restless, a rush of energy suddenly shot through them and the group of travelers from another galaxy looked down at their bodies in shock. Their reactions drew a collective grin from most members of the Z-fighters, as this was probably the first time the alien team had ever experienced such a miraculous recovery.
"W-Whoa!" Maya yelped in shock.
"My vitality… it's restored," Cal exclaimed, clenching and unclenching his fists, before then moving to pat his abdominals down. "All of my wounds have healed."
The spider tank San, who was standing off to the side, raised her arms and waved them above her fervently. "Wow. All of your energy and vitality levels just took a big jump, you guys. They're back to normal."
Gohan chuckled when he saw the astonished fighters look one another over, at the same time tossing the bag he was holding up into the air and catching it. "Told you. These little things have been around for hundreds of years and saved our lives more times than we can count." He then took a step over to Maya and tapped her on the shoulder, drawing the young woman's attention to him. "Not only are they easy to carry…" Pointing over her shoulder, he had Maya turn towards the edge of the crater to look at a random wall. A mischievous grin then crossed Gohan's face as he drew his hand back and aimed his fingers at the lower vertebrae of her spine. "They're also handy to have for a quick fix!" He then swiftly jabbed her spine.
"KYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Maya shrieked as she literally leapt fifteen feet into the air, gripping her backside. Her friends, the Z-fighters, and the crowd followed the woman as she ascended into the sky and dropped back down to the floor, to which she then spun around with her face red and fangs bared. "What the hell, dude?! You trying to cop a feel or something?"
The demi-Saiyan beamed back at her with his knuckles resting on his hips, "Nope. Just lending you an extra hand." He then unraveled the tail he had wrapped around his waist and waved it teasingly at the long-haired Saiyan.
Blinking in confusion, Maya looked down at the spot where she'd been hit. When she did, she saw that her own brown appendage, which had been sliced off in her battle with Zangya, had grown back. "Oh?" Bringing her tail about, she then gave it a few testing waves of her own before smiling nervously at the hybrid. "Thanks." When she received a warm one in kind, she then blushed and looked away. "Great. Now not only do I have my tail back, but I'm incredibly aroused." She emphasized this by pressing her thighs together and shuffling uncomfortably on the spot.
However, while sitting on that particular high note, Maya quickly glanced in Zangya's general direction and, after sizing her up from a distance, licked her lips with a devilish smile.
This inadvertently caused a cold chill to run up the Z-fighter's spine and her orange hair to stand on end, which led to Zangya looking around and wondering where that feeling had come from.
It was by this point Vegeta noticed something off about Gohan's appearance. "Wait a second… BRAT!" His shout had everyone standing near him jump. "When the hell did your tail grow back?!"
Thanks to that, everyone had now become aware of Gohan's newly acquired asset.
Glancing behind at him at the offending piece, the young warrior used it to wave cheekily at Vegeta, "About a month ago."
"HOW?!"
Gohan chuckled, "It's a… bit of a funny story. You see, Kana took me out to this planet on the other side of the quadrant for a date and showed me this awesome watering hole she regularly visits. When we got there we had a couple of beers, got a little tipsy with each other, talked about some stuff, started a massive bar fight, met my grandmother, and ended up limping home feeling better than ever." When he saw Vegeta and everybody else staring at him in silence with strange looks on their faces, the demi-Saiyan gave an anxious laugh and scratched his head sheepishly. "I'll… tell you more about it later."
His response drew a shrug from Yamcha, "Fair enough." Considering everything he knew about Gohan, all of it seemed to add up.