(Sometime later)
(Back on earth)
While the population across the rest of the planet gradually descended into a nervous clamor, in the regions surrounding the Mount Paozu area, the locals were still carrying on like they would any other morning. In fact, due to the alien world appearing thousands of miles to the west of the continent, here on the eastern side, the people residing in the multiple villages and towns were pretty much oblivious to the chaos that was now taking place in their world's respective capitals. The same could be said for the resident super heroes who, on this beautiful, crisp, late Saturday sunrise, were enjoying a pleasant day out in the woods, appreciating one another's company the only way they knew how.
With Goten still gorging on jam toast, eggs and bacon at the kitchen table, Gohan, Zangya, Icarus, Lime and Videl used that opportunity to sneak out several minutes earlier to have a brisk stroll through the fields, which they quickly hoped would lead them to some place exciting. This eventually ended with the group stopping by one of the enormous lakes dotting the mountainous region, which also happened to be the very same spot the males of the Son family often came around to do some fishing.
That being the case, since they had so many people over today, the half-Saiyan male and leader of their little troop decided to do the honorable thing… and catch them a couple of tuna for lunch.
So, upon depositing his stuff on the bank, the ever adventurous Son Gohan wasted no time in diving in and going for an aquatic hunt. Icarus, not too comfortable with being underwater, had taken to sleeping on the cool ground by the lake's edge, guarding his best friend's training gear and keeping an eye on their surroundings. The women meanwhile, stripping down to their undergarments, opted to have some well-earned fun of their own. This took the form of a free-for-all splash war in the shallows, in which all three of them did their best to try and one-up the other in an old-fashioned, pond slugfest. It started off as playful and tame at first, but had now started to escalate into something a little bit more competitive.
"Eat this!" Lime shouted while digging both hands through the water and hitting Videl in the face with a wash of perspiration. The full-frontal shot from the girl in the green lace underwear had the raven haired teenager stumble back with a laugh.
"Oh yeah?" the crime fighter yelled back, at the same time returning fire with a few, one-handed splashes of her own. "You want to test me, girl? Take this! And this! Ack!" While the teen in the black spandex shorts and white gym bra was bombarding her friend with splashes, she was suddenly struck from behind by a separate wave of water. This had Videl look over her shoulder to see Zangya, with her hands cupped in front of her, grinning impishly in the pair's direction.
"Come on, Satan. Bring it on!" the orange haired woman in the purple lace underwear goaded, before beginning to send huge arcs of water flying at the pair of teenagers. Both Videl and Lime stumbled backwards when they were hit by the salvo of heavy streams, which the Hera scooped out of the lake and sent flying at them by the pale load.
Feeling the equivalent of tidal forces hitting her over and over again and blocking out her vision, a thoroughly amused Videl grinned and cocked back her right leg. "You think I can't take that sort of punishment? Well… how about this?!" She then kicked at the shallow water in front of her and sent her own wave back at the overconfident Zangya, who caught the blast right in the face and had her cough in surprise.
Shaking off the hit and wiping her hand over her mug, the Hera laughed. "Oh-ho. So that's how you want to play it, huh?" She then slapped her hands together directly on the lake's surface and, holding them up, took aim with her thumbs. "Surprise!" She then fired a high-pressure stream of water, which shot towards her friend like a round fired from a water pistol.
Gasping, Videl ducked it at the last second, which ended in Lime getting hit in the face instead. The farm girl yelped in shock and sputtered when the attack ended, which then had her glare back at the Hera competitively. "You are so dead." She then returned fire by putting her own hands together, cupping them in the water and, adding a little ki for extra measure, scooped up a mass of water and sent it blasting towards her opponent.
Seeing the attack approaching her at great speed put Zangya on the defensive. Waving both hands outwards, the Z-fighter caused a ripple in the air that separated the approaching wave and dispelled it. The Hera then used her telekinetic energy to conjure up a ball of water from the shallows beside her and, after setting it into a spin, pitched it towards Lime's position like a softball. This ended up leaving her wide open for a second torrent of water, which was thrown by Videl from her right-hand side and ended up blindsiding Zangya like a speeding truck. The orange haired alien gave a shout of surprise as she was dropped into the water, at the same time Lime ended up barely dodging the sphere sent at her from the front.
As soon as she avoided the attack, Lime prepared another blast, only for Videl to thrust her right hand towards the shallows and send a mini-tsunami at her rival. The poor farm girl had no clue how to respond as she was hit headlong by the wave and dropped back into the lake with a big splash. The wave itself ended up crashing harmlessly against the rocks of dry land in the background.
Being the only one left standing, the short-haired fighter from Satan City looked around to see all of her opponents lying on their backsides, drenched, and floundering in the pond. Upon taking their waterlogged states into account, the victorious fighter smiled and returned to a proper standing position with her hands on her hips. "Well. It seems like the best girl won."
Shaking out her dripping locks, which were hanging off of her like wet towels, the orange haired Hera flicked them back and chuckled, "For now."
As the alien girl stood up, Lime followed suit, being sure to brush away the droplets cascading down her face, "You really like to play rough, don't you V?" She then leered at the raven haired girl standing in the center, a glint of mischief in her eye. "Man. It's one thing to throw your weight around on the battlefield. I'd hate to see what you're like off stage and behind the curtain."
"Hey. I know where you're going with this," Videl said in a low voice, at the same time pointing across at the teenager in warning. "If you start saying anything weird, I'm going to begin slapping you over the back of your head until your tone changes."
Lime shrugged back cheekily, "Whatever floats your boat, girl. I'm not one to judge." Her little remark had the nearby Zangya snicker as she casually squeezed out her lengths of bushy hair.
Before the raven haired fighter could respond to her friend's comments, the trio was then interrupted by Gohan surfacing in the middle of the lake. Clad in only his orange gi pants, the spiky haired fighter flicked his hair back and slowly drifted towards the shore. As soon as his feet waded into the shallows, he dragged with him a still alive and kicking tuna. Literally about the same size as a car, the giant, freshwater animal flailed and splashed about as it was unwillingly pulled onto the shoreline by its tail, its demi-Saiyan captive then holding it up for all his friends to see.
"Check it out girls. I got one," the drenched hybrid said loudly.
Awed by the sight of the giant fish the demi-Saiyan had managed to snag, Videl grinned and waved back at him, "Wow. Great job, babe."
Icarus, head perking up from his front legs, crowed happily as his best friend waded towards him. Soon enough, the oldest male of the Son family then dropped the fish on the floor directly beside the pink dragon, the latter of whom stood up and waddled over to sniff the abnormally large creature.
As his reptilian friend inspected his prize, the thoroughly saturated Gohan ran a hand back through his moist locks, completely unaware of the three girls ogling him from the shallows. "Well… that's our lunch for today. Though I know mum has something else planned for all of us, I'm pretty sure she has some room for a couple of tempura fillets and sushi rolls." He then turned to beam at the group, only to then balk in shock when he finally noticed that all of them were standing in the water, dripping from head to toe…
In their underwear.
Marveling at the teen's successful catch, as well as the demi-Saiyan himself, Zangya straightened up, placed her hands on her hips and smirked, "Nice going, handsome. That guy will definitely make a terrific side dish." She then waded forward, only to stop when she saw the boy look away with a nervous expression on his face. "Huh? What's wrong?"
"Something the matter, Gohan?" Videl also asked, moving towards her boyfriend in genuine concern.
Swallowing anxiously when he saw the three girls move within jumping distance of him, the half-Saiyan then looked in another direction and, massaging his head in his usual way, spoke with a noticeable stammer in his voice, "N-Nothing. Nothing's the matter. It's just that… well…" He then tried to find the right words to explain what the problem was, mustering up whatever self-confidence and tasteful words that he could. "You guys aren't exactly-"
However, before he could even begin to speak what was on his mind, the ever sharp-eyed Lime quickly realized what the problem must've been and, grinning from ear to ear, moved even closer to the boy. "Ooh… I think I know what's gotten under our boy's skin." She then leant over, putting her face just a few inches away from Gohan's while simultaneously giving him a breathtaking view of her ample cleavage. "It's because we're showing off so much of ours. Isn't it?"
Backing up a little and holding up his hands, the now brightly blushing teenager babbled, "N-No. That's not what I was…"
Quickly catching onto the teen's distress, Zangya also gave a mischievous leer and, deciding to play along, struck an alluring pose in front of the half-Saiyan teen, which did not improve the boy's situation at all. "What's wrong, Gohan? Can't handle so much stimulation so early in the morning?" Her question put an enthusiastic grin on Videl's face, who then gave her boyfriend a predatory glare.
Icarus, tilting his head at the sight of the three girls advancing on his friend, chirped teasingly from where he stood beside the giant catch. It was his animalistic comment that earned a distasteful scowl from the half-Saiyan.
"Not helping, buddy." Gritting his teeth in panic, the anxious young warrior backed up even further, until he was practically nudging the shore with his heels. "Look, guys. I don't think now's a really good time fo-gah!" He reeled forward in surprise when he suddenly felt a pair of slender arms wrap around his neck and a familiar chin bury into the side of his neck. When he looked to his left, he saw a confident looking Videl hanging off of him with her generous chest pressed firmly into his back. The proximity was enough to have his face light up like the end of a thermometer.
"Now, Gohan, you know I don't like you shamelessly ogling the other girls while I'm standing right next to them," the raven haired teen said in a half-warning, half-playful tone. "I'm in my underwear too, yah know. As long as you're making more passes at me, then I don't have any-… hey?" She then pulled back a little and looked down in surprise, as she felt something long and fuzzy rubbing against her belly. When she caught a glimpse of the culprit wiggling between her and her boyfriend's hips, her eyes widened. "Gah. What the heck?" She then sprang away and looked down at the teen's backside in surprise.
Her sudden retreat had the Saiyan look at her in worry. "Huh? What's wrong, V?" Gohan asked. When he turned around to investigate the problem himself, the other two women behind him also spotted the thing that'd caught Videl's attention.
Honestly, what the three girls saw protruding out of the top of the man's gi and waving behind him was the last thing they expected to see on him.
The sight literally had Lime do a double-take, "Gohan! Y-You have a tail?!"
Zangya blinked in amazement, "Whoa. That's a first."
"Oh. This?" Gohan asked, doing an about-face and showing off his derrière. After waving his monkey-like appendage through the air a few times, at the same time giving it a good stretch, he then turned towards the two females gaping at him across the shallows and grinned. "Yeah. I've been meaning to tell you guys about this for a while now. I just thought I should train it up a little before pulling back the curtains."
Shaking her head in amazement, Videl then pointed down at it, "But… I thought you said you had it permanently removed when you were six? That was not long after your first battle with Cooler."
"Well… as it turns out, the tails can't be permanently removed," Gohan replied, giving his girlfriend a shrug while running his appendage over his shoulder to wipe off some moisture. "It just takes a bit of effort to re-grow them."
Blinking and moving around so that she could get a better look, a fully entranced Lime murmured curiously, "How did you manage to get it back?"
"It's actually quite an interesting story," the hybrid said, at the same time placing a hand on his hip. "Basically, Kana dropped by and took me out to this awesome pub on a planet in a star system outside of our district. While we were there, we got into a bar fight, met my grandmother and, long story short, she showed me how to get my tail back." He then gave another chuckle when he saw Zangya raise an eyebrow at him. "I… haven't told any of the others yet since I figured Vegeta would want to have a few choice words with me."
The Hera in front of him scoffed, "That's a nice way of sugarcoating it."
Turning back around to see his girlfriend step in closer, Gohan then gave her a half-smile and a shrug. "This… isn't weird to any of you is it? I mean…" He then gestured to his tail timidly, which responded to his emotions in kind. "I know it may look a little strange and out of place, but considering I'm half-Saiyan-"
"I don't mind," Videl interrupted, cutting the boy's stammering short.
The teen blinked, "R-Really?"
Shaking her head, the raven haired girl gazed cheerily at him. "Not at all. If you hadn't told me about it years ago, I'd probably be a little bit more surprised than I am now. But since it is part of your race's heritage and genetics, then I have no problems with it whatsoever."
"I don't either," Zangya also said, at the same time throwing the boy one of her fond smiles.
"Me too," Lime spoke, voicing her support for the boy. "Actually, I think it looks really cool."
When he heard the unanimous vote from the three girls he considered the closest people in his life, Gohan then allowed a warm smile to break out on his face. Just before he could thank them all for their support, an electric current suddenly ran up his spine when a pair of soft hands latched onto his tail and began to stroke it, which had the teen look behind him to see Videl staring at his extra appendage with great intrigue.
Giggling in a very girlish manner, the raven haired fighter looked up at her startled boyfriend with a mischievous gleam in her eye, "Hey, the fur on your tail is really soft. Have you been using conditioner on this bad boy?" She then wagged her eyebrows at the demi-Saiyan, who smiled back in a sheepish manner.
"I don't… really know how to respond to-"
"Ooh. Can I try?" Lime asked excitedly, quickly skipping her way forward and moving to where Videl was standing, alerting the spiky haired boy to the sudden change in atmosphere. "Please, Gohan. Can I rub it."
Showcasing the same enthusiasm as the other two girls converging on the spot behind the hybrid warrior, Zangya also moved in for the attack. Raising her hands up, the Hera cheekily clawed at the air through a series of very obvious 'honking' gestures, which had her crush and training partner stare at her uneasily. "Hey. That's not fair. Let me cop a quick feel too." She said this while grinning lecherously in his direction.
"Uhh… girls… I… I don't think that's such a-gauuoogh… good id-…" Unfortunately he was unable to finish his protest. Before he had a chance to fend off his attackers, he was unexpectedly tackled from the front by Zangya, who then proceeded to violate his personal space alongside the other two by pressing her cleavage into his chest and wrapping her arms around him playfully.
As the teen's startled yelps and exclamations of surprise echoed over the surrounding forests, startling some of the still sleeping wildlife, the still present Icarus craned his head and squawked at the unusual performance now taking place in front of him.
Seriously, what was so interesting about a tail?
XXX
(Twenty minutes later)
(Many miles away)
Out on the oceans to the east of the mainland, where the tiny island serving as the foundations for the familiar wooden domicile of Kame House lay, the members of the household were experiencing their own wake-up call. Though it wasn't as fun as Gohan's, it was still as equally stimulating. After hopping out of bed early to make breakfast for their respective families, Krillin and Launch worked side by side at the kitchen counter, stirring ingredients and setting pots of rice-porridge over the stove. The first hour went by in a breeze and after laying out the table for all the people who were present, Master Roshi, Android 18, Tien, Choutzu, and Oolong were also up and about.
After the mother went to fetch Marron, the entire group gathered at the table for a delicious morning meal. They even switched on the television to check out how the rest of the world was doing. It was the moment they switched over to the local news channel that the group of human fighters was soon informed of the commotion unfolding across the continent thousands of miles away. From satellite footage to live footage on the ground, the entire collective gathered around the table, and were quickly brought up to speed on the alien planet that had appeared just outside of their orbit.
Needless to say, this was the last thing any of them expected to hear when they woke up.
"So far the terrestrial planet has situated itself approximately four hundred thousand kilometers away from earth. That places it just outside of the moon's orbit. Though experts have yet to determine exactly where this strange new world had come from, the information they've managed to collect so far suggests that it must have originated from a system very similar to our own,"the female reporter in the red suit informed, addressing the camera with a serious and unwavering expression. "The tropical climate and lush vegetation growing on the alien planet indicates the presence of a thriving echo-system. Professor Yamada from the North City University commented earlier that such a terrestrial body sporting such a wide variety of plant life, along with numerous stretches of water, has the innate potential to sustain other forms of life. In other words: extra-terrestrial life. Suspicions of alien life existing on this planet were later confirmed when just an hour ago a transmission from the alien planet was broadcast over the planet's media and internet feeds. Despite this startling development, authorities have yet to determine exactly what the aliens' true intentions are." Adjusting her papers and the position in her chair, the woman slowly turned towards the screen behind her. "We'll now go live to Jack Bryan outside of NASTA headquarters in Cape Dune, South City, for an update on the situation. Jack?"
As the feed switched over to a raven haired male television reporter, the group of human fighters watching the television from the dining table could only stare in dumb silence as more and more information on the situation was relayed directly to them. Despite their vast amount of experience, knowledge, as well as having the situation spoon fed to them in bite-size pieces, including all the scientific nonsense designed to explain the baffling phenomenon, the group of human warriors was still finding it incredibly hard to believe that a planet of unknown origin and scope, had deliberately parked itself right next door to theirs. When Oolong stood up to go splash his face with water to wake himself from his stunned daze, the only remarks the group could make were murmurs of disbelief.
"Damn," Tien groaned.
Master Roshi nodded in agreement of the young fighter's remark, "You can say that again."
Blinking curiously, the four year old Marron looked up at her mother seated beside her and gave her an innocent, yet slightly scared look, "What do the aliens want with us, mommy?"
The blonde woman in the jeans and black top with striped sleeves, shook her head at her daughter sincerely, "I'm not sure, sweetheart. But don't worry… I'm sure nothing bad is going to happen." She then turned to see what her husband was doing, and noticed that the man had switched out his orange shirt and green cargo shorts for his red and blue gi. Blinking, Android 18 straightened up and fixed her usual, curious gaze upon her beloved. "You're gearing up already?"
"Yep." Tightening the belt around his waist, the short fighter with black hair smiled at his gorgeous wife and gave her a reassuring look. "If my years of fighting have taught me anything, it's that whenever a space ship or meteorite happens to drop by our solar system, you can bet it's carrying something big and terrifying on it that's itching for a fight."
Processing the man's words quickly, the blonde bombshell acknowledged his words of wisdom and rose up from her seat, "In that case, I'm coming with you." When she sensed Tien and Chiaotzu do the same, the cyborg fighter quickly turned her attention to her blue-haired friend from the mountains and gave her a serious stare. "Launch, look after Marron for me while we're gone."
Placing a finger to her chin nervously, the woman in the green sundress and apron gave the blonde an understanding nod. "O-Okay. Just… be careful out there you four."
"Don't worry. We will," Chiaotzu replied, while simultaneously smiling up at his friend.
After Android 18 made sure Marron's face was clean and whispered to her one last time that things were going to be okay, she and her husband then proceeded to put on their outdoor shoes. However, just as they were preparing to form up with Tien to begin organizing a plan of defense, a nervous stammer from the other side of the house quickly drew their attention over to Oolong.
"Umm… guys," the pig squeaked, turning towards the able troop from his stool at the kitchen counter and pointing out the window, "You… might want to take a look outside."
Puzzled by their friend's nervous direction, the fighters instantly chased up his instruction and moved to the front porch. As soon as Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu and Android 18 spilled out onto the front lawn, they immediately recoiled at what they saw waiting for them.
Standing on the sand, casting a really long shadow across the house's veranda, an enormous, rotund man with stubby legs and massive arms, dressed in black, high-tech battle armor and matching helmet, was staring at the wooden house with an unflinching, emotionless gaze.
It seemed as though the aliens the news casters were talking about, had finally decided to pay them a visit.