Author's Note: I sense a pattern developing here…again, sorry for the late update; college hasn't given me much of a chance to get back at this, so what can you do? Anyway, I think I have a solution: due to a seemingly general consensus from the reading base, I'm going to try and cut back on the chapter sizes from this point forward. This'll keep the updates coming more frequently, hopefully. Also, the change of the rating from K+ to T was more or less me adjusting to the new rating system. Content level's pretty much staying where it is, so don't fret.

Chapter 16: Passing the Test

Sailor Neptune hadn't graced the great outdoors of Crystal Tokyo in some time, not necessarily because of the war but because of the mundane yet time-consuming businesses of royalty that kept her contained within the borders of the city.

Even so, as she stared out the domed window of her Capsule house over the rolling hills of the valley, she realized that very few places of natural growth and life remained on her planet Earth – the Cataclysm had impacted every ecosystem on their world, leaving much of the landscape surrounding Crystal Tokyo a desolate, arid plain. And while the familiar natural settings like parks and gardens had been duplicated in abundance within the city to compensate, it had never felt the same as it had been in the Old Era. Here, with Piccolo, she'd been able to escape the racket of civilization and she now felt comfortable with the murmured quiet of the natural world; in her era, hardly anything thrived in the rugged plains outside Crystal Tokyo. The quiet there was of a different sort – it reflected the absence of life instead.

What more, the fields would abruptly end in a matter of two miles, grass and weeds giving way to sloping sand dunes that dove headlong into the ocean. Most normal humans wouldn't hear the breaking of the waves from such an expansive distance, but Sailor Neptune had long since established a bond with the sea, and she could feel the continuous thrumming of waves crashing against the shoreline, and if she concentrated hard enough, she could hear the pounding of the surf; it would have been enough to relax her to sleep.

Once this was over with, she reminded herself to ask Setsuna to send her and Haruka back here for a few vacation days. She was certain that her beloved would be just as enamored as she was with it.

For the moment however, there was work to be done – they'd set up camp there only a few hours before, with the bulky Dragon Radar telling them that the third Dragonball was close by, perhaps in the vicinity of the beach.

But instead of retrieving it immediately, Piccolo had invited her out to a small mount about a quarter mile in the opposite direction. Why the sentinel would choose some other unnamed activity rather than seeking out their prizes baffled her beyond belief – he had, after all, been the one to suggest that they split up to retrieve the first two Dragonballs, something that Neptune had accomplished with a little help from her Capsule box.

He had been exigent enough for her to comply, but his stubborn refusal to explain the detour had nearly been a slap in the face as far as she was concerned – who was he to treat her like an idiot savant, to keep her in the dark about anything? She would've imagined that winning the Dragonball race back to Capsule Corporation would've been enough to convince him of her abilities, but this was the stone-faced Piccolo after all...

Neptune stepped away from the window, trudging across the plush interior of the Capsule house toward the door. It had been a pleasant surprise for her when she'd first activated the tiny pill with a large amount of trepidation of its effectiveness. But after recovering from her initial shock of a modernized two-story house appearing out of a large screen of smoke, she'd grown to like the accommodations inside – a king-sized bed with a feather mattress, a shower with hot water, enough food to feed all of the Sailor Soldiers for several weeks...it had been better treatment than what had been available at the palace during the war. She was almost sorry to leave it behind, albeit temporarily.

Shutting down the power and locking the door behind her, Sailor Neptune proceeded across the nighttime meadow, sidestepping a few snakes in the taller grass en route to her meeting point with Piccolo. It wasn't long after she'd departed the Capsule house that she could feel her mentor's energy, which struck her as odd – it was elevated considering what she'd been accustomed to from Piccolo.

After fifteen minutes of navigating through the grass, she trudged up a small hill, stepping gingerly across some large stones before arriving at the top of a sizeable mound. Sure enough, the warrior was waiting for her, his back turned toward her and his pearl-white cloak standing out against the dark landscape.

"You're late," He simply said, not turning around.

Neptune snuffed. She hadn't made a sound on her ascent; he'd likely been following her energy all the way from the Capsule house.

"You know, some of the time, I wonder about how much you're spying on me," She chuckled at him as she noticed his apprehension. "As fast as you are, it wouldn't surprise me to find you outside my shower one of these nights."

"Excuse me...!" His tranquil aura was ravaged in an instant as he whirled.

"Why not?" Neptune folded her arms. "You've already surprised me and Haruka in bed before – your track record speaks for itself."

Instead of becoming flustered as he usually did, Piccolo seemed to catch himself, a smile crossing his face and his eyes lightening. He chuckled lowly, and Neptune realized that his energy level was raising steadily, a thin aura coating him.

"It must be nice, all the comforts of home fitting right into your pocket..." He said. "Tell me, have you enjoyed your accommodations?"

Neptune narrowed her eyes uneasily – it wasn't like Piccolo to be this deviously cryptic. She gotten used to his singular blunt honesty by this point.

"Well, yes, I have," She admitted. "What's wrong, teacher? Are you still fuming about Bulma's attitude toward you back in the city?"

"I'm glad to hear that," He ignored the question, stepping past her and eyeing the distant Capsule house from the edge of the mount. Before Neptune could wonder about the Namek's peculiar behavior any further, a sudden burst of energy rocketed out of Piccolo's mouth, skating across the tall grass and detonating right against the side of the metal structure. Neptune gasped in horror as the sturdy frame of the Capsule house caved in on impact, the entire building collapsing in a burning smoldering mess of metal.

She shot an insidious glare toward the Namek – the rest of the capsules that Bulma had given to her had been in the house as well; he must've known that. He'd simply called her away from her dwelling so he could burn it to the ground. And now she was left with nothing, not a bed to sleep in or a scrap of food to eat.

"...Is this your attempt at a sick practical joke?" She rumbled toward Piccolo and the Namek nonchalantly turned away from the smoking debris. He paid her no immediate response, which only angered her further. She stomped toward him; with a quick movement, she snared one of his armored cloak's broad shoulder protectors and spun him back around. "Answer me, what were you thinking! Is this your revenge for all of those arguments you lost!"

Piccolo still appeared indifferent, pushing her hand away.

"I was thinking that I didn't want you growing too soft during our voyage," He replied. "You've already gotten complacent enough living in lavishness for so long – it's the first step to toughening you up for the battles ahead."

Neptune shook her head, breaking into a dry laugh.

"I might have guessed – you still think I don't have what it takes to hold my own," She turned away, fuming as she crossed the mount. "What gives you such arrogance to assume you understand everything there is to know about combat?"

"I could ask you the same question," He replied. "You amaze me, you future humans; as high as you place yourself, you don't understand simple logic when it is staring right at you. You claim I have nothing to offer you; then how is it that I was able to best that weakling Tridyx single-handedly while all of you threw your best at him and failed?"

"Excuse me...?"

"I think you heard me well enough," Piccolo continued. "He was so inexperienced and brash that I could've butchered him with a blindfold on. Had you even been remotely familiar with their combat styles, perhaps you could've gotten lucky and beaten him."

Sailor Neptune poised herself sturdily – cynicism and verbal jabbing was one thing, but she'd seen her friends, her family being slaughtered during that vicious fight; nobody, least of all Piccolo, had any right to trample on their sacrifice.

"We have survived as a team and as a family for much longer than you've even been alive," She defiantly snapped toward him. "Were it not for us, this planet wouldn't have survived into the thirtieth century!"

"How surprising," Piccolo stepped toward her, not backing down in the slightest. "What kind of two-bit trash were you battling during your time? If they couldn't match up to a low-level grunt like Tridyx, then I suppose Earth could've lasted with a group of frail brats as its vanguards."

"You ignorant, murderous...! How dare you...You have no idea what we've been through!"

"And you have no idea what you're about to go through!" He suddenly roared. "If you think the same feebleness you showcased against Tridyx can last against the elite of Damos's army or against an entire column of soldiers, then you, brat, are the ignorant one! Earth will be nothing but dust and ash if we continue following your lead!"

"And what makes you think you're the one to lead us!" Neptune found herself inches away from Piccolo's solid chest, his thick frame towering over her. "You think that every challenge has to be conquered your way, by your rules! There's nothing more arrogant than that! I expect that of the Saiyan prince, but not from you! But then, maybe I should; you are after all, just as alien and freakish as our opponents!"

"Then show me!" Piccolo suddenly energized himself, a burst of power enveloping his body so quickly that Neptune was nearly thrown off her feet. "If you believe yourself to be superior and worthy of following your foolish course, the least you can do is prove it to me!"

Neptune paused briefly, remembering Piccolo's gargantuan strength that he'd unleashed full force on Tridyx. But she knew that she was healthier now, better prepared than she was when they'd joined the Inner Soldiers against the alien behemoth in ragged shape. She would hardly waver against even Piccolo, especially after the heated words.

"Very well, 'teacher,'" She scowled, readying herself and drawing out her Aqua Mirror. "You'll regret this challenge!"

She bolted right for him, forcing her power forward and swinging heavily with her free hand. Piccolo blocked easily with a thick scaly arm. Neptune almost instantly felt her limb stinging from the impact – spongy and flexible as his body appeared, it was still as hard as concrete.

She clenched her teeth, willing her way through the pain as Piccolo retaliated with a fast hook of his own. Neptune tore away as a solid fist flew past her face. The Namek followed up quickly, launching a small combination of punches that she managed to parry and dodge.

"Quick..." He threw a sudden kick forward as she was off-balance. The heel of his foot caught Neptune almost flush on the jaw, and she flew backward, banging her back hard against the edge of the mount. "But still too slow. When I was first training Gohan, when he was practically an infant, he was faster."

"Submarine...Reflection!" She commanded the mirror to act, and it readily obeyed, unleashing a deluge of enchanted water toward the warrior. He apparently sensed the danger coming, bounding upward to avoid the sweeping attack. Neptune was quickly up and moving, charging a Deep Submerge attack as he was still sailing upward. "Who's slow now!"

The aquamarine orb sailed off of the tips of her fingers moments later, arcing toward Piccolo at such a speed that she was certain it would find its mark.

But as impact seemed imminent, Piccolo suddenly vanished from her sight, and the Deep Submerge attack kept sailing up into the atmosphere. Neptune froze; how had he--

She was suddenly seized from behind by a pair of powerful arms, clamping onto her wrists like vices. The pressure was so great that she dropped her Aqua Mirror, the artifact tumbling into the nearby weeds. As she attempted to fight off her opponent, she felt Piccolo jamming his knee into her spine, stretching her arms back toward him at the same time. She screamed out as her sockets began to throb and strain against the pressure.

"I could snap them off with a small burst of power," Piccolo's razor voice was in her ear, low and menacing enough to convince her that he would do it, that he would tear her arms right off of her body.

But he relented, thrusting her forward and hammering his elbow into the small of her back. Neptune pitched forward, her face skating across the dirt and grass before she came to a stop. She forced herself to her knees, her arms still aching and her spine sending a jolting pain through her limbs as she moved.

"You see! Injured and fatigued already!" Piccolo stepped toward her, yanking her up by her neck and tossing her over toward the far side of the mount like a rag doll. The momentum carried her over the edge, her waist and legs dangling precariously as she attempted to force herself back up with her injured arms. A quick glance down revealed a steeper slope than the side she'd traversed on her way up – a fall wouldn't have been too grievous, but it had potential to cause injury if her bare limbs were pierced by the thick, jagged rocks below.

Before she could pull her weight onto the mount once more, she saw Piccolo standing right over her, his face still like iron. Neither smugness nor anger was apparent in his visage as he stared down at her.

"I can think of twenty different ways to kill you right now off the top of my head," He informed her. "And I'm not very creatively inclined."

He bent down, snorting at her as she struggled to keep from slipping off.

"Why am I even wasting my time? If you're this pathetic, I doubt that Lord Kaio will be able to do much with any of your friends. If they're anything like you, I wouldn't be surprised if they called it quits already – he is a trainer of warriors, not toddlers. And that renders our little excursion for the Dragonballs quite pointless. I certainly wouldn't want to waste a perfectly good wish to revive such trash."

"You..." Finding momentum within, Neptune launched herself upward, crashing into Piccolo's chin on her way up. She soared back onto the mount as the Namek crumpled to the ground. Maneuvering her energies, she somersaulted back into the center of the mount, snatching up her lost Aqua Mirror and whirling to face Piccolo again. "Nobody degrades me or my family like that! Now, get up!"

Piccolo obliged, springing to his feet and smirking toward Sailor Neptune as he wiped a bit of dirt from his face.

"Excellent!" He chortled. "That's more like it!"

Neptune launched forward again, punching and kicking at Piccolo and trying her hardest not to allow him any recovery time or counterattack opportunities. He parried and weaved away from some of her blows, but the fierceness of the flurry had caught him off-balance. She drove him back toward the edge of the cliff before Piccolo finally snared both of her fists in a quick movement. He pushed down on her with all of his weight, his upper body strength causing her to nearly buckle under the pressure.

"If I were Damos, I would commend you before burning you down right here," He snapped at her, his confidence restored after Neptune's sudden offensive. "Yield, brat; or I might do the same."

"I...will...not!" She forced herself upward again, pushing back with a strength she didn't even know she possessed. She made little headway, but she was able to maintain her position. "I'll never yield, not to you, or to Damos, or to anybody!"

As the words exited her mouth, Piccolo was being forced upright, and before she knew it, she'd gotten back to her feet. Words echoed through her mind, Piccolo's words, continuous and somehow...encouraging.

"Yes, that's right! Envelop yourself in the rage! Fuel yourself with it! It's the only way you're going to beat me!"

Neptune felt herself collecting strength, and she barely realized that the gemstone within her tiara was radiating soft sea-green energy as she somehow managed to break out of Piccolo's death-grip – the green warrior was thrown back, losing his balance as his heels teetered on the edge of the mount.

"Deep...Submerge!" With a high-pitched scream, the attack erupted from her hands, more forcefully than she'd ever managed to her recollection. A glowing orb nearly twice the size of a normal Deep Submerge attack exploded toward Piccolo and hammered him in the chest. The force blew off him clear off of the mount, and it would've carried him much further had he not righted himself in mid-air. Neptune, breathing heavily, glaring at him as he floated back toward her with his arms folded as he observed the noticeable tear at the front of his purple gi.

After several seconds of silence – Neptune had been unable to attempt a follow-up and needed to re-gather her energy while Piccolo was frozen in the air – the Namek glanced back toward the flustered Sailor Soldier and nodded approvingly.

"Well done," He said, his tone calm and even once again. "It's as I suspected all along – just as I can raise my battle power by focusing my energy, your heightened emotional state drastically increases your power. It's just like Gohan used to experience...maybe it's simply something with you humans...but your potency..."

Neptune blinked, suspecting that it could've been a ploy on Piccolo's part to get her to lower her guard. But the Namek reached into his cloak, withdrawing another of the sand-colored senzu beans that had revived them all after the battle with Tridyx. He casually flipped it to her.

Sailor Neptune automatically snatched the senzu, almost fearing that she had blundered by doing so and leaving herself open for attack. But as she glanced at Piccolo's stone face, she realized that his hostile energy had diminished – he was done battling her.

"...Why...?" Her gaze shifted back and forth between the senzu and the Namek, confusion running rampant across her face. Finally though, after mulling over his words, she added the equation together. "...You did that to me deliberately – blowing up the house, all of the insults, the challenge...you were trying to anger me?"

"I am sorry for the outlandishness of my behavior," Piccolo said as he landed next to her. "I needed to test my theory; after recounting the details of the palace battle with Tridyx, I came to the conclusion that your emotions played perhaps a larger role in battle than even ours. It shows potential, a vast amount of potential, in fact."

Sailor Neptune was still somewhat shell-shocked at what had transpired, gazing at Piccolo in awe.

"All of this...to prove a theory?"

"Make no mistake – eliminating your luxury accommodations was a goal of mine. Believe me, you can stand improvement, and getting rid of the cushiness of your position is an excellent start. Increasing your strength will only add to your emotions in the middle of a battle. And for the remainder of this trip, you can expect me to attempt to strive for those improvements, whether you like it or not."

Neptune frowned as she chomped down the senzu bean; as before, she felt the weight of fatigue and soreness wafting away from her like a passing breeze; she was healthy again.

"Are you going to force me to defend myself?" She demanded.

"Well, I certainly know that you won't run and hide or cower before me should I present myself as an aggressive opponent. And trust me, if you can hold your own against me, you will go a long way when we return to the battlefront. You're strong, Michiru – but as your 'teacher,' I'll only make you that much stronger."

Piccolo lifted himself into the air again, motioning for her to follow.

"Now, the Dragonball is somewhere near the shoreline – let's go."

Neptune wordlessly floated upward to join him, staring into his coal-black eyes and shaking her head. The patronizing tone of his offer certainly annoyed her – how could Piccolo be so certain that Damos himself wasn't ten times stronger than he would ever be? It was still so arrogant, thinking himself a god...

She smirked – he was a god that she had thrown him back, dislodged, and scored temporary wins over during their little scuffle. While he probably hadn't been fighting with his full strength, the idea of out-finessing and out-doing the stoic warrior was quite appealing. And while it would take time, it was certainly possible...perhaps she'd even surpass her beloved...and wouldn't that infuriate Haruka...

And after all, hadn't she always prided herself as being exceptional at everything, at being a true renaissance woman?

She finally smirked, hooking her arm around Piccolo, much to his discomfort.

"Lead the way, teacher."

---

Piccolo tore his reddening face away from Sailor Neptune as he rocketed forward, solidly gripped onto her. He supposed it was the least he could do after his little experiment, but her gloved hands caressing his scaly skin completely unnerved him – it didn't feel natural.

This womanly affection – mocking as it was – was still such an alien concept to the Namek. Even when she was providing it to her mate in true sincerity, Piccolo still wasn't able to grasp the reasoning behind it. While he could understand a parent attending to its young – he'd lived in the wilderness long enough to see entire life cycles of animals – he'd never thought of mates showing each other such attention. Perhaps it was because of his species; after all, Nameks, he had learned, didn't need biological partners to procreate...

He pushed his musings away, realizing he was using them to distract himself from Neptune's playful affection. Besides, considering what had happened only moments ago, his thoughts should've been analyzing something else...

As usual, his instincts had been proven correct about Neptune – her power had nearly exploded from his verbal and physical assaults. While she had been significantly worn out by the end of the exchange, it had been the last great attack she'd executed that really kept his attention on the matter.

During their travels, Neptune had told him of their new enemies' ability to block their mystical attacks; Tridyx, in particular, had thwarted their powers with nauseating ease. But that last Deep Submerge attack...he'd put up an effective energy defense around himself to absorb the brunt of the attack. Piccolo had become so experienced in such a technique that it was almost automatic...

While Sailor Neptune hadn't realized it in her anger and subsequent exhaustion, the attack had done more than just knock him off the mount and put a hole in his gi, but it had seemingly negated his energy defenses and gone clear through him. It had been all he could do to redirect all of his energies to regenerating the lost body parts – had she seen the true results of her handiwork, she never would've let him live it down, and her defiance to his suggestions of training would only increase.

So, if their attacks are strong enough...not even conventional ki can deflect it... It was an interesting result from his experiment, one he'd never expected despite the stark differences in their powers. Perhaps he should've been better prepared for such an occurrence.

Not that it was a quick fix to her weaknesses – she'd only managed one such attack, and she'd done it at the pinnacle of anger and determination, a state that Piccolo had deliberately driven her to. Even more, she'd been thoroughly wiped out after the attack – she wouldn't have been able to manage another...

Despite the prodding reminder that Neptune was latched onto his arm, Piccolo grinned to himself. Perhaps she was more than just a frail maiden after all – if he could mold her to the point where she could execute such malevolent attacks automatically, who knew how useful she'd be in the end.

And if such results could've been produced from any of the Sailor Soldiers, he could only imagine how well Lord Kaio's training with Neptune's deceased counterparts was progressing...

---

"It'll soon be time," Kaio mused as he observed his pupils from the pearl gates of his estate – Bubbles was becoming frantic as he fled from his pursuers, and the old master could tell that he was nearly giving it everything he had to stay out of arm's reach of the remaining four Sailor Soldiers. He glanced over to the first of them to pass the speed training, a wry chuckle escaping his maw. "Ah, I'm sure you get that one a lot, you being the Guardian of Time and all!"

Sailor Pluto shook her head, a slim smile still on her face as she observed her companions with optimism.

"Our princess and my daughter are mostly responsible for my library of jokes – guarding the Gates of Time for so long leaves one without much of a sense of humor."

Kaio shuddered.

"I wouldn't wish such a terrible fate on anyone! Nobody deserves to exist without a sense of humor. There's just no point to doing anything without being able to laugh about it every once in a while!"

Pluto turned to him inquisitively.

"Even the greatest villains of our time? You wouldn't even wish that on them?"

"My dear Guardian of Time, I have seen fiends and despots pass through our Universe's history, and I tell you, all of the most successful and eccentric of all of them had tremendous senses of humor, even if they needed to slaughter innocent living things to produce a raucous laugh..."

Pluto nonchalantly chuckled – she never thought of it like that. She had experienced some humorously-inclined villains in her battles. Though she'd never been around to meet the leaders of the Death Busters in the Old Era, Haruka and Michiru had told her of the eerie, ghost-like grin of their puppet leader.

"You may laugh now and call it nonsense, but my experiences have taught me something about the way conquerors and heroes think! I've trained the best fighters in this Universe, and I've seen them battle the most nefarious creatures ever created, but do you know the underlying reason for all of their exploits, why they strive so hard to destroy or defend?"

"I suppose you're going to surprise me with the answer..." Sailor Pluto ventured as she folded her arms.

Kaio pulled her closer, nearly whispering in her ear like the response was some great galactic secret.

"Because after all of their battles, after all of their goals have been achieved, good or evil, they all want to do one thing," He spoke slowly, as if he were carefully opening a present. "They want to look back on it all...and laugh, am I wrong?"

Sailor Pluto had proven herself correct, as her expression seemed baffled at first, but as Kaio gave her several seconds to absorb his response, her bewilderment softened.

"You see? I'm certain that should you prevail, even through the death and mayhem that these aliens have brought to your world, you'll be able to look back on the in-betweens and lowlights of the fighting and smile a bit."

"The in-betweens…" She mused leisurely. "During the past few weeks, I've realized that those moments are all the humanity and civility we have in war…It's a different feeling, having a conversation with someone about something mundane, knowing that it might be the last one you could have…"

Kaio blinked.

"A bad type of different?"

"No, not at all!" Pluto replied. "It's a good type of different, one that brings you closer to friends and makes friends out strangers and acquaintances."

Kaio grinned, his smile stretching across his entire face.

"And this coming from a person who once claimed she was bereft of humanity after guarding the Gates of Time for so long…"

Pluto whirled toward him in surprise.

"What…? How could you know that?" She demanded.

Kaio glanced upward, adjusting his sunglasses and spotting something against the pink backdrop of the sky.

"Ah, the mail has come!" He chortled. "It's about time…I haven't gotten a letter in weeks!"

The rectangular leaflet floated on a wafting breeze, and it neatly settled itself on the grass in front of the master. Sailor Pluto didn't think the letter's trajectory was coincidence – while some of the cosmic forces of Heaven were obvious, others were less so.

With his grubby blue hands, Kaio eagerly snatched up the sealed envelope and ripped it open. A small piece of stationery was inside, which he perused while mumbling the words to himself.

Finally, after some seconds, Kaio's face ballooned in disbelief, and he let out a guttural growl.

"What does he mean he's not coming back!" He shouted so loudly that Bubbles and the other Sailor Soldiers across the plain froze in their training, casting their attention toward the distraught master.

"My lord…" Pluto was equally baffled. She hadn't seen Lord Kaio this beside himself since Venus's dressing down of the joke contest. Since then, nothing had seemed to catch his worry – even when she'd mentioned the potential lack of time needed to complete this rigorous training to Lord Kaio, he'd waved it off with a smile and a joke. He'd seemed in control over everything until now.

"Err, it's nothing!" He babbled suddenly, realizing his outburst. "I just need to make some other arrangements…please, continue!" He called to make sure the others heard him before spinning on his heel and stomping inside his palace. As he marched, Pluto could see him crumpling the letter and spewing out spit-laden obscenities under his breath.

"Yeesh, didn't think that even great masters were able to get away with losing their tempers…" Sailor Pluto was startled by Sailor Venus's voice. Turning, she noticed that the Inner Soldiers' leader had zipped over from her position in the field to the entrance to Kaio's palace in a quick blink of an eye. Indeed, they were growing faster, as Lord Kaio had indicated. "What happened?"

"Minor change in plans, it seems…" Pluto gazed after the fuming lord with concern. Whatever had come up, she hoped it wouldn't set them too far off their course.

But as time passed, it was apparent that the lord wasn't returning for the moment – the training soon resumed. Pluto occupied herself with her own meditations while keeping a close watch on the progress of her friends.

---

The ape was a bit on the heavy side, which was amazing considering his blinding speed, but Sailor Jupiter was able to tow him back to where the others were waiting with cheers and whoops of triumph.

Dropping the harried monkey to the grass nearby, Jupiter planted herself firmly, smiling proudly at her applauding friends. It had been quite a mountain to climb, one of her toughest ever, but she'd done it.

Bubbles, as always, had been a quick step ahead of her, and that pattern had persisted during the latest capture attempt until Jupiter had finally decided to fall back upon another strategy. By then, the immense gravity was almost a nonfactor – she'd been moving with the same speed and grace as she would've in Crystal Tokyo. When Bubbles had been a short distance away dodging Mercury and Venus, Jupiter had pumped all of her energy into her legs and did what she'd only recently been able to do during the war thanks to observing and learning from their alien enemies.

"You flew!" Mercury was marveling, her eyes bright with astonishment. "In all this gravity, you were able to fly just like that! Makoto, you're incredible…"

For once, Jupiter afforded herself a boastful moment, stretching her arms out and flexing them leisurely.

"Yeah, well, you want the job done, you do it right!" She beamed. "Now, where's that master of ours; how dare he not be here for our moments of glory!"

"I have a feeling he was watching, Makoto," Sailor Pluto had wandered over from her position in front of Lord Kaio's lavish estate, looking equally pleased with Sailor Jupiter's performance. Jupiter returned the smile – it may've been more overt and demanding than Setsuna's method, but the results spoke for themselves. "He's simply away, preparing for our next stage of training."

"Wait a second," Venus suddenly paused, confused as she panted through her words. "Doesn't he know that only two of us have even grabbed the stupid monkey?"

"He's confident in us…" Mars surmised, pounding her fists together. "If he's already arranging the next step, then he must know of our progress! He knows we'll be able to pass this test soon!"

"Rei, I don't actually think that Lord Kaio is a prophet of any kind…" Mercury interjected. "Strong as he is, he hasn't displayed any abilities to read into the future."

"Well, who needs to be a prophet if you can be a god instead?" Sailor Mars shrugged her shoulders.

"A god?" Even Sailor Pluto was surprised at that one. "What brings you to that conclusion, Rei?"

"When I dove into his mind," Sailor Mars explained. "I saw so much; it nearly overwhelmed even me. He's existed as part of this Universe for so long, I just couldn't stop exploring his incredible knowledge."

Pluto folded her arms.

"So that's what he meant when he said you'd taken some detours through his mind…"

"I couldn't help it!" Mars jumped to the defensive. "I saw him watching things with his telepathy…extraordinary things…only a god could possibly contain so many answers to so many questions…"

"Hey…" Venus batted Mars's shoulder. "Read us the history of the cosmos later – we've got a monkey to catch!"

"Now there's a call to battle for the ages to remember…" Jupiter murmured.

---

He shouldn't have had to deal with this. He was the greatest teacher of the Kaio fighting style throughout the generations; this was inexcusable, even by his standards.

As he ascended the marble steps of his estate, Kaio tossed the small piece of stationery aside with disgust. He was beginning to wonder why Gregory hadn't responded to his summons before this letter arrived, and if he suspected such treachery out of any of his subordinates, he supposed that the speedy little cricket was the prime choice.

The letter had told in him in no uncertain terms that Gregory wasn't dispensing his services to Lord Kaio any longer. He'd been in the middle of visiting his relatives several planets away from Kaio's world, and he certainly had no desire to return and "get his head smashed in by more barbarians."

"Of all the nerve…" He grumbled to himself as he passed into the grand hall of his palace. "Is that any way to show respect to the master who cared for you?"

Kaio's halls were normally bustling with prospective students who normally made pilgrimages to his planet, looking for training and enlightenment. He'd closed his planet off once he knew of the arrival of the Sailor Soldiers, and it was proving irritating because he now had nobody to vent his frustrations to.

He took a deep breath, recollecting his thoughts. This wasn't a small setback; Gregory's style of training was still crucial to the progress of his new students – while Bubbles would improve their speed to a competent degree, being able to catch the quick, small Gregory and smashing him with a gigantic, two-ton hammer would've served to mix their speed with strength and muscular endurance. It was absolutely critical…how could they proceed under such circumstances…

"If you're that concerned about them, Lord Kaio, then why don't you let me train them instead?"

Kaio let out a frightened yelp, spinning around and growling toward the figure that'd surprised him.

"I thought I told you: don't sneak up on me like that! And what've I told you about peeking into my thoughts for that matter!"

The tall man relented, backing away with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, I just couldn't help myself. I can't understand why Gregory would mind getting beaten on the head by such a soft hammer. But then, he always was a big baby…"

"And this coming for you, the man with the granite skull…" Kaio grumbled. "Now, if you don't mind, I need to work out some other arrangement for when they complete their training with Bubbles. If I can't move them up to the next level right away…"

"Like I said, why don't you let me?" The man eagerly proposed. "C'mon, I'm getting bored just sitting around here with nobody to spar with. You did promise me, after all…"

"Oh, I know…" Kaio pondered it briefly. He supposed he could let his disciple educate the Sailor Soldiers on the finer points of battle; the man certainly possessed a wealth of knowledge, perhaps even more than him on the secrets to becoming a perfect warrior. The master had hoped to save him for later, but considering circumstances... "Very well…as soon as Bubbles is done with them, I'll grant you free reign to train them as you see fit. I'm certain they'll be dying to receive your instruction…especially that Sailor Jupiter…"

"All right!" He pumped his arms in the air, that familiar twinkling returning to his eyes. It happened every time he went into combat, no matter who his opponents were.

"Just remember!" Kaio pointed out sternly. "Nobody doubts your abilities to beat them in combat. Your objective will be to improve them, not to demolish them – no pyrotechnics, understand?"

"I'll give it my best shot!" He was almost giddy with excitement, but before he could hurry on his way, Kaio held up his hand one more time.

"One last thing…you realize that if they find out your connection to their allies that are fighting in the Crystal Tokyo, there could be complications to the timeline."

The man shrugged his shoulders, his look nonchalant to the potential dilemma. Sailor Pluto certainly wasn't the only one concerned with keeping things from getting too out of hand. Interfering with the fabric of time too much could've had reproductions in the spirit world as well. That had been the reason that the suits and underlings running the show with Lord Enma hadn't been allowed to fiddle with it. Sailor Pluto's noble spirit had been sufficient enough to keep time guarded and out of the hands of intruders, both living and otherwise.

"Eh, time travel puzzles give me a headache; I've had enough experience sorting through them," His disciple replied. "What would I have to do?"

Kaio felt the cheery smirk returning to his face. He'd planned for this occasion with his own sense of humor in mind.

"A small little disguise…would you come with me for a moment?"

---

It had been tricky - then again, throughout the entire ordeal, Sailor Mars had found catching the speedy little ape had been nothing but an exercise in trickery and strategy.

However, as she held the wriggling Bubbles aloft by his tail, she felt an immense satisfaction. While she hadn't utilized the same gung-ho, never-say-die approach as Sailor Jupiter, the result had been the same.

It had been a success in an experiment she'd fiddled with since the start of their training - as she'd grown adjusted to her surroundings and the immense gravity keeping them grounded, she'd attempted something with which Sailor Pluto had remarkable success - using her mental abilities as a source of energy. The only difference between her and Setsuna had been Mars's ability to get a solid bead on Bubbles's spirit. From there, she'd done something that she hadn't fully expected to work - Sailor Mars had called upon her spiritual energies, and they'd been so forceful that she'd managed to inflict her personal muscle-binding curse on the monkey from over a hundred yards away and without the traditional seal, no less.

The rest had been academic.

Amid the ecstatic congratulations of her teammates, Sailor Mars had been more preoccupied with her developing powers. Just being in the midst of such potent spiritual energy of the souls of both the Seat of Judgment and the planets of Heaven had affected her state of mind - she had since been able to expand upon her understanding and interaction with the spiritual forces around her without the corporeal mortal barriers of Earth in the way.

As she dropped the chubby ape onto the ground, she made a note to herself to approach Lord Kaio during the next levels of training - after all, who better to teach her about spiritual forces than a god?

"Three down, two to go," Sailor Jupiter commented as Sailor Mercury and Sailor Venus resumed their attempt to capture Bubbles. The monkey, still apparently bewildered by Sailor Mars's tactics, was distracted during its evasive maneuvering between the two Sailor Soldiers. "That was a neat little trick you pulled off - don't tell me you could freeze any of us by doing that?"

"I'm not really sure," Sailor Mars admitted, stretching out on the grass. "This is a pretty ideal spot to use my binding techniques - we are in Heaven, after all. Once we're reborn, I don't know how much of an effect it'll have on Earth."

"Just don't use that on me if we're sparring together, okay?" Jupiter laughed. "It just wouldn't be a fair fight otherwise."

"And your brute strength is fair?" Mars countered. "You'll be able to lift mountains by yourself once this training's finished."

"Hey, I'm not stopping at such a low point," Jupiter said. "Setsuna was saying that some of these Z guys had enough power to blow up entire planets if they wanted to. That's where I want to be!"

Mars raised her head.

"And when do you think you'll be in a position where you need that kind of power? Do you want to blow up Earth once we get back?"

Jupiter's enthusiasm froze, and she mulled it over briefly.

"Well...you never know!" She stammered. "Besides, I wanna look my best for those Z fighters. If they're that strong, I want to be even stronger!"

The two watched for another fifteen minutes as Mercury and Venus came within inches of snaring Bubbles. Mercury, especially, was looking particularly determined. The one who had once been the smallest and most reserved of all the Inner Soldiers was the one who'd shown the most physical improvement since the training had begun. While she'd always kept her body trim with her rigorous swimming regiment, she was looking noticeably toughened and more confident than Mars had ever seen her.

But then again, they all were to a large degree - at first, she hadn't thought it conceivable that they could've improved so much in such a relatively short span. But yet, here they were moving about easily in gravity ten times that of their home planet. Even she was excited to see how much more these benefits would carry over onto Earth...

---

After another hour of close but ultimately fruitless attempts, Sailor Mercury finally decided to take a cue from Sailor Mars - after all, Rei had utilized her greatest strengths with her training to catch Bubbles; why couldn't she?

As Sailor Venus dashed about in circles attempting to snare Bubbles, Mercury activates her visor, mentally feeding it commands as gold text spilled across the transparent device. Thus far, Bubbles had moved totally erratically; not even her advanced computer could detect any patterns or weaknesses...

...or had it?

Bubbles accelerated away from Venus yet again, and Mercury noticed the readings on his spiritual energy increasing with his speed. But as he got to a safe distance, it dramatically dropped...so much so that the computer could barely tell his spiritual energy apart from the surrounding ambience.

The mathematician side of her kicked in.

So, his kinetic energy used for running is exponentially increased by his spiritual residue...I wonder, could this be the secret of our enemies' powers? It was an interesting theory - after all, she'd seen the alien soldiers perform feats that normal muscles simply couldn't accomplish...the spiritual residue was still an unknown factor, but--

"Hey!" Sailor Mars's voice from the sidelines snapped her back to reality. "Are you going to stand there counting numbers all day? You're so close, Ami, just a little closer, and he's yours!"

She smiled bashfully back in her friend's direction - Rei had done the most consistent job of keeping Mercury motivated even during the toughest parts of the training. She supposed she couldn't disappoint the fire soldier now.

But the data had given her a plan - if she could expend her energy in one great burst when Bubbles's spiritual energy was at a low...it was her best chance!

She crept around the width of the field as Sailor Venus continued to give chase. She kept tracking Bubbles's energy with her visor; he was able to accelerate from a stand-still to a full sprint in a matter of a few seconds, but he was still easily distracted, turning to sniff the flowers whenever Venus was safely away. His spiritual energy dropped dramatically during that period...

Determined, she summoned up a Shine Aqua Illusion attack - if flowers caught his attention so easily, a dancing column of water would do just as well.

Sailor Mercury sent the attack sailing toward - but not directly at - Bubbles. Sure enough, the watery diversion did its job, and the monkey's beady eyes widened at the enormous column of water sent his way. Mercury saw the figures on her visor dropping to a new low, and she seized the opportunity.

Dashing forward with a speed unknown to her, Mercury quickly closed the gap, and she made the winning grab before Bubbles even knew what hit him.

Yes!

Her comrades immediately saw the grab and began cheering her on. Bubbles, while a bit more than surprised that he'd been grabbed, was still a good sport about it, smiling as Mercury gently let him down. She confidently faced her teammates as she deactivated her visor. Once again, science and analysis had proven to be her saving grace.

The only one seeming a bit downtrodden was Sailor Venus, who was frozen in mute shock at the recent turn of events. Mercury walked over toward her.

"Hey, are you alright?" She asked the dumbfounded leader of the Inner Soldiers. Realizing what she was probably thinking, Mercury suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. "S...sorry, I...I know you probably didn't want to be the last one to..."

Venus lowered her head, her blonde hair covering her dirtied face. She remained silent for several seconds longer.

"...I'm okay...really..." She lifted her face, and Mercury was surprised to see an almost comical smile of confidence on her face. "I'm proud of you, Ami; you did really good! Just give me a few minutes longer; I don't want to keep you guys waiting for the next step!"

Mercury breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, we'll wait for you!"

As Venus braced herself for another go as Bubbles, Mercury sauntered over to where Mars and Jupiter were waiting with congratulatory smiles.

---

As Sailor Venus watched Mercury trot away with her victory, she felt ready to scream and tear the surrounding landscape apart. While she was proud of Ami, Venus was the leader of their group! If there was any righteousness in this so-called Heaven, she should've been first in line to capture that damned ape! At the very least she could've been second or third to accomplish the task, but here she was, bringing up the rear.

The leader of the Inner Soldiers, dead last.

Bubbles didn't seem to have much sympathy, hurrying on his way as if he'd forgotten about her. Venus felt depression caving in on her - she'd been one of the most ardent workers throughout this exercise; it just wasn't fair, she felt so...so...

Weak.

Bubbles was gradually getting a further lead on her, but Venus found herself lost in her thoughts. She felt as sickened as she did when Tridyx had turned her own attack back on her and Sailor Jupiter, using it to effectively annihilate them. That had never happened to her before, not ever...it was as much humiliating as it was disheartening. No leader was ever this far behind her teammates...even now, the others had to be wondering about her...

No.

She forced the images away from her - the constant negativity had distracted her for too long. Ever since they'd arrived, she'd been unable to expel Tridyx's grinning face from her mind. At every failed attempt, she envisioned him and his two allies raucously jeering her weakness.

Staring up at Bubbles, she saw a new face - Tridyx, the smirking barbarian. She imagined he was beckoning mockingly to her, shouting depraved insults in her direction. From all around her, she imagined his boisterous laughter echoing in her ears. It spurred her, bringing out a new fury that previously had been despair.

With a determined shout, Venus rushed Bubbles, adrenaline and rage carrying her faster and faster. While the panicked monkey began sprinting in the opposite direction, Venus still retained the image of Tridyx fleeing from her but still egging her on. But even as his arrogant smirk persisted, Venus felt herself closing in on him, and she reached back, throwing all her power in her fist.

Take this...!

The swing struck the grinning oaf on the chin, and he stumbled backward - Venus sprung forward, tackling him to the ground and gripping his neck tightly. Somehow, Tridyx was still smiling, seemingly unaffected by her wrath.

"Damn you, I'm not weak! I'M NOT WEAK!" She cried, her grip tightening.

"Venus, stop!" The next voice was Sailor Jupiter's; somehow it pierced through the enraging visions and brought her back. The laughter faded into the wind, and as she glanced down, she saw that her hands were wrapped around the back of Bubbles's neck, and the ape was gagging for air.

I...I got him...! I got him!

The sound of footsteps hurrying over to her barely registered as she got up from pounding Lord Kaio's pet. Instead, she glanced down at the patches of fur that Bubbles had left on her gloves. For the first time in a while, she felt herself smiling. She'd done it; she'd beaten him...

Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter seemed harried as they halted in front of her.

"Venus, what in the world happened...?" Jupiter asked her close friend. Her eyes were filled with concern at seeing Venus so out of control. "You were just--"

The Inner Soldier leader smiled at her.

"It's fine...I'm sorry," She said calmly. "I kinda lost my temper..."

She picked up the dazed Bubbles, who looked up at her as if nothing had happened.

"Thanks, Bubbles," She pet his head. "I needed that."

---

The armored sentinel that had cut Vegeta off definitely carried a different aura about him than the cannon fodder that the Saiyan prince had dispatched thus far. His confidence was easily apparent as Vegeta examined his chiseled face and solidly built body; the neon sigil emblazoned on his upper left chest plate was the same he'd seen on the aerial platoons that had led him to the Siege Wall. From the general look of his opponent and the speed and deftness with which he'd caught up to Vegeta – which had been an irritating surprise – the prince gathered that he was a high-ranking officer of that regiment if not its leader.

"Greetings..." He simply said.

Vegeta made no move at first except to tuck his stolen energy core from one of the Siege Wall's tanks under his arm. The precious treasure would not be wrenched from him except from his dead body, and he had no intention of letting that fate befall him.

The soldier studied Vegeta carefully, his face stoic.

"I am Jinryx, commander of the aerial brigade of Seeker-killers. Tell me, which Class Twelve officer did you kill to get that set of armor?" He wondered aloud.

Vegeta responded with nothing more than a smirk. It hadn't been the first occasion that Damos's soldiers had mistaken his attire for theirs. The vest-like battle jacket that Vegeta had donned for some time before this adventure had come from the armory of the spaceship that Frieza had taken to Namek. Even so, the assumption made by Damos's lackeys was a bonus that he could easily play to his advantage - it made him that much deadlier in their eyes.

The soldier seemed to gather that he wasn't going to receive a response for that question, so he shifted his focus to the radiant canister tucked under Vegeta's arm.

"I see...you were sent to retrieve one of those energy cores for your kingdom," He determined. "I must say, your boldness to storm such a fortified stronghold impresses me. Nevertheless, I can't allow you to deliver that to your superiors - return it."

Vegeta nearly laughed. This man spoke to him like he was a child; how ignorant.

"First of all, don't equate me with the humans; they're not my superiors, and I'm certainly not their lapdog," He retorted. "They're a means to an end, just like this little treasure. And if you're anything like those worthless grunts guarding the city, you're not going to be the one who takes it from me."

Jinryx seemed pleased at Vegeta's defiance, folding his arms and smiling.

"Oh, trust me, my friend, I'm quite superior to those under my command," He motioned to his attire proudly. "I haven't become a member of the general's elite forces for nothing."

At first, Vegeta thought he was referring to the neon sigil, but the emphasis seemed more toward the jet black armor he was donning instead. Besides, the feebleness of the similarly marked grunts Vegeta had observed earlier ruled them out of any contingent of elite forces.

"If you're the best that Damos has to offer, then I don't have that much to worry about," Vegeta countered, drawing the attention of the soldier as the warlord's name slipped out of his mouth. The prince noticed his alertness to the name right away.

"...You seem well-educated on us," Jinryx observed as Vegeta silently made note of the confirmation. While he'd been sure of Damos's hand in this invasion before, hearing it from the mouth of one of his closest fighters was reassuring. "I'd certainly be interested in knowing where you obtained such information. Hardly any of our enemies learn the identity of the general even in their last hours."

Vegeta gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

"Sorry, it's slipping my mind at the moment," He paused, considering an option. The energy core he held was one thing, but if this fool was one of Damos's elites, there were even more possibilities. "But...since I like being educated on my enemies, perhaps I can learn more on the scouter of yours."

"My scouter?" Jinryx removed the implement from his ear. "It will do you no good - nobody outside of our army can access our databases."

Vegeta slowly began to raise his energy; the enemy officer's scouter immediately noticed the power-up, and Jinryx glanced at the numbers with a bit of uncertainty.

"Well then, perhaps you could assist my efforts, warrior to warrior," He proposed in a bit of mock-diplomacy. "I don't suppose that would be possible without a few broken bones? I truly despise having to soil my hands against your scum."

Jinryx appeared hesitant, but with a quick grin, he tensed his arm and crushed the device to pieces in his hand. Vegeta scowled as the soldier tossed away the broken bits of glass and circuitry, but he ultimately didn't care; he'd considered that to be a potential gift anyway. It wasn't as if he'd lost anything.

"I'm never too careful," Jinryx informed him. "You're as tough as they say; my men have grown fearful of encountering you or your allies. I, on the other hand, welcome this. I haven't sparred with a truly decent opponent in years. Certainly, a man like you can appreciate a challenge."

By the gods, this fool was beginning to sound like Kakarotto…

But even the bad memories of his Saiyan rival didn't intimidate Vegeta as he continued to stare down his eager opponent. Fast as the armored man was, Vegeta didn't foresee any difficulty in beating him back - Jinryx had seemingly used up the bulk of his ki chasing the Saiyan prince down. Despite his instincts invoking caution, he couldn't imagine the humanoid roadblock packing anything substantial after expending such energy.

"Whatever, you're all the same," He scoffed at the soldier, eyeing up the dark armor once more. "As a matter of fact, I believe one of my associates dealt with someone like you when we first arrived here."

The man arched an eyebrow in a bit of surprise.

"You must be referring to Tridyx," He correctly surmised. "His loss was regrettable, but it's nothing that we can't replace. Besides, he was new to the elite ranks of our forces, and I assure you, I'm a far greater master of the arts than he ever would've been. You might be interested to know that nobody has ever defeated me in hand-to-hand combat!"

Vegeta laughed, mockingly bowing toward Jinryx.

"Well then, my apologies, good sir," He snickered. "But it lifts my spirits – now I can inscribe my own name in the legend of your illustrious army as the one who not only beat you but also as the one who killed you."

"Your arrogance is ill-advised…" Jinryx paused momentarily, and Vegeta suddenly wondered if he'd simply stumbled over his words. But as the prince was about to retort, his senses were pricked by a large upsurge of ki from the armored soldier, and before he could react, Jinryx vanished before his sight. Vegeta gasped in sudden bewilderment; suddenly, he was seized from behind by a pair of steel-like arms.

The sudden hold caused him to lose his grip on the cylinder in his arms. Cursing as it plummeted downward and out of his reach, Vegeta watched helplessly as the canister shattered into pieces on the rooftop of a nearby building. Whatever internal forces that kept the ki ball inside stable were eradicated in an instant, and the orb quickly dispersed, its power gone.

But there was no time for worrying about the lost treasure; Jinryx was stretching his arms out in an unnatural direction, causing Vegeta to clench his teeth in pain.

Damned freak…!

In desperation, Vegeta exploded his energy outward in a bright luminescent field. The ki wouldn't have killed anything, but the shock and suddenness of it was enough to force Jinryx backward several yards. Vegeta quickly righted himself and whirled to face him – that certainly wouldn't happen again.

Jinryx remained stationary, folding his arms and nodding.

"Not bad, but I got what I needed from you," He informed Vegeta. The Saiyan prince was a bit surprised at the declaration; his astonishment must've been evident because Jinryx continued. "It's amazing what one can discern from simple movements."

"What do you mean?" Vegeta demanded.

Jinryx simply held up a finger.

"The body of any warrior of our caliber is finely honed and coordinated. Each muscle, tendon, and nerve knows one another. Even slight gestures can require multiple muscle commands – I've made it a habit to single out the internal areas of my opponents that might hesitate or move erratically because of past injuries…including yours!"

"Hah! What nonsense are you babbling?" Vegeta folded his arms, his amusement with this eccentric character returning. "I'm not even of the same fodder race as you; how could you possibly--"

"Your heart…" Jinryx pointed an almost accusing finger in the direction of Vegeta's upper left chest, giving the prince some pause. The soldier's eyes bored into the spot as if he could see past the armor, jumpsuit, and skin. "My…to have that part of your body damaged so badly, you must've been at Death's door."

Vegeta made no reply, his voice catching in his throat – indeed, his heart had been pierced fairly recently by Frieza during their battle on Namek. The wound had ended up being a deathblow; the only reason he even existed in the mortal world now was because of a wish made from the Dragonballs.

"Still don't believe me?" Jinryx directed his finger upward and over. "Your right eye…you've injured it more than once. It's one of the worst disadvantages for a warrior to have bad eyesight."

At first, Vegeta refused to believe it, but he realized that Jinryx was right about that one as well – his right eye had been blasted away by Kakarotto on Earth, and the injury was aggravated again on Namek in the battles against Frieza's Ginyu Force. How was this possible…he couldn't have been guessing at this…

"You seem worried," Jinryx informed him. "I wouldn't be – you have fewer weaknesses than most of my opponents. It's going to be fun breaking through you…"

Vegeta cracked a sneer. The soldier may've been a phenomenal analyst, but except for one sneak attack, his strength certainly hadn't impressed the prince.

"If you're through pointing at me, we can get to business," He spat. "If you think you get to me with just two minor bits of--"

Vegeta caught Jinryx's ki boosting again, but he was prepared for him this time – he quickly spun with an energized fist and clobbered Jinryx right on the nose as he appeared behind where Vegeta had been standing. The blow threw the soldier backward; blood spurted a bit from his left nostril.

It didn't deter Jinryx for too long – he burst his speed again, charging Vegeta head-on. The prince was prepared to meet him – he could already read Jinryx's movement, and he spotted the shifting of his body toward Vegeta's left. The fool was attempting to target his heart, his supposed 'weak point.' As if a Saiyan elite would have such an abominable thing…

He maneuvered his arms upward in a defensive parry move, angling his body away so as not to leave his heart exposed. If he thought Vegeta was that dense…

But Jinryx's target wasn't as the prince expected – instead of attempting to break through his defenses, Vegeta found the soldier snaring his right arm instead, twisting it downward and inside so quickly that he nearly snapped the bone. In the same instant as Vegeta recovered from the sudden burst of pain and surprise of the attack, Jinryx's armored fist sailed into his exposed right eye, snapping Vegeta's neck backward. Just as quickly, Jinryx jerked Vegeta back into him with his own ensnared arm and proceeded to jam his hardened elbow straight into his upper left chest plate, right into his heart.

It took several quick thrusts from Jinryx's elbow before Vegeta finally had mustered his wits and launched a ki blast with his free hand in the direction of Jinryx's face. The soldier saw the counter-attack coming, and rather than take a direct hit from a ki blast, he relinquished his hold on Vegeta's arm and sailed backward on his own power. The blast flew right past Jinryx's left ear, almost grazing it. Vegeta swore under his breath – he'd been outsmarted in that exchange; he'd been caught in a counter-attack like a rookie recruit. He resisted the temptation to clutch at his throbbing heart and eye, realizing at the same time that the pain from those two areas was manifesting itself in the surrounding parts of his body; his neck began to tighten slightly, and his left arm and chest were stinging. There couldn't have been any truth to this type of nonsensical fighting style...

"Again!" Jinryx bellowed as he swooped toward Vegeta for a second time. The prince tensed himself, deciding to start first this time. As Jinryx dove into arm's range, Vegeta took a quick uppercut at the soldier's thick jaw. The maneuver caught Jinryx off-guard; Vegeta was certain he'd seen through him this time.

But this result was just as disappointing as the first - Jinryx somehow blinked away from the incoming punch, forcing himself back just a few feet out of Vegeta's range. As the punch carried through to impact nothing but open air, Jinryx seized the opportunity to counter. He blasted forward, ramming his forehead into Vegeta's face at a considerable speed. Vegeta cried out, his aerial stance faltering after the quick blow. Jinryx easily followed up, clubbing Vegeta's heart again with a fierce double fist. Still dazed, Vegeta could feel the soldier snaring both his arms by the triceps, and the prince felt more jarring pain shooting through him as the soldier drove his head repeatedly into Vegeta's heart.

After half a dozen shots, Vegeta felt warm fluid seeping up through his throat, and seconds later, blood began exiting his mouth along with his spit.

Not...so...easy...!

Turning both fists upward, Vegeta discharged a pair of ki blasts toward Jinryx. This time, the soldier could not back off to dodge them. The energy for the blasts had been quickly gathered, and as they struck Jinryx's chest, they did little more than surprise and distract him long enough for Vegeta to get his legs up and slam his feet into his enemy's midsection. The force drove the soldier backward once more, but Vegeta was still feeling the effects of the recent barrage - his upper left chest ached and burned, and his eyesight was slightly blurred from the initial headbutt. But Jinryx had succeeded in enraging the Saiyan prince - Vegeta wouldn't sit still like a sack of rocks while the soldier attacked again.

He energized himself and soared forward with a bloody scream.

Jinryx had managed to recompose himself in time for Vegeta's strike. He faded from the first punch, then the next one and the third. Vegeta continued to swing angrily at the soldier, nearly scraping Jinryx's skin on a number of occasions. He was succeeding in keeping the soldier on the defensive, but nothing more.

Finally, after a particularly hard swing that nearly singed Jinryx's nose, the soldier surprised Vegeta by snaring the prince's passing arm and jerking him forward. Simultaneously, he jammed his elbow back into Vegeta's right eye. As the prince stumbled, Jinryx slammed his fist in his heart yet again, sending him sailing downward.

Vegeta managed to steady himself before he came close to crashing into anything, but his temper was flaring hotter than ever - he considered himself quite a grizzled veteran in hand-to-hand combat, and he certainly hadn't fallen out of practice. How was this fool capitalizing on him so easily?

"Not bad!" Jinryx called down to him. "You've got spirit and resolve! At this rate, it may take six more strikes for me to fell you!"

Vegeta defiantly spat a glob of crimson fluid out of his mouth.

"Six, eh?" He tensed his muscles, charging himself with brilliant energy as he blocked the nagging pain out of his mind. "Too bad, I'll only need one!"

As he rushed in for an attack, however, Vegeta found himself foiled again as Jinryx somehow managed to slip behind him in an instant, clubbing his back and sending the Saiyan pitching forward. Vegeta rebounded and bolted for Jinryx again, but as he locked hands with his foe, Jinryx surprised him with a quick headbutt to the eyes, which reignited the fiery pain from the earlier blows. Jinryx broke the grapple and pounced on Vegeta's chest with a flurry of punches. He finished the combination with another hard elbow that repelled the prince.

This time, the Saiyan paused in flight, wiping away fresh fluids from around his right eye and trying not to let his overwhelming frustration show. Jinryx remained cool and stationary, obviously waiting for Vegeta to attempt another foolhardy charge. That alone was a mocking insult – he didn't even consider Vegeta threatening enough to pursue and finish off.

He quickly ran the patterns through in his mind - surely, this fighting machine had a chink in his armor. His battle power wasn't that high - even Frieza's lowest, most conservative form had possessed a significantly greater amount. It was only when he utilized his super-speed skill and delivered physical blows that his ki spiked.

But Vegeta wondered - why go after his heart and eye with only punches and martial arts? Both areas had been more severely impacted in the past by energy attacks - Kakarotto had blown out his eye with a moderate blast of energy during their battle on Earth, and a ki ray from Frieza's fingertip had been what punctured his heart and ended his life before...

He smirked - perhaps he had found a weakness.

"You seem confident all of a sudden," Jinryx noticed, folding his arms. "Too confident for a fighter who has yet to land a solid blow on me."

"And you've only seen an inkling of my power," Vegeta began shifting his ki into his fists, a fierce purple glow surrounding them as Jinryx took up a defensive stance. "Eat this!"

He cupped his hands together in front of his chest, releasing a torrent of violent purple energy that streaked toward Jinryx. For the first time, Vegeta saw fear in his eyes as he barely managed to duck away while the blast sailed past him.

As the soldier remained a bit off-balance, Vegeta made his move, super-speeding behind Jinryx and releasing another orb of ki directly into the soldier's back at close range. The orb detonated on contact, throwing Jinryx away.

"Let's see how good my aim is..." Vegeta smirked as he leveled his fore finger at the tumbling adversary. He took a bead on Jinryx, wondering where he could target first. His head? Perhaps...but this clown had spilled Vegeta's noble blood and wounded his pride - he hardly deserved a quick death. His chest and back had been hit already by ki blasts, but that black shell protecting him was tough to penetrate; not even his most recent attack had done much damage to the soldier's armor. Jinryx's arms and legs on the other hand...

Taking careful aim and waiting for the wind to calm down, Vegeta formed a small ki orb on the tip of his finger. As soon as Jinryx had righted himself, Vegeta let fly with a dart of energy. The blast stung the soldier on the left kneecap, and Vegeta could see the pain visibly on Jinryx's face. He quickly fired another ki dart that flattened against the joint between Jinryx's right elbow and forearm. Again, the impact was evident by Jinryx's reaction.

Vegeta took his time, repeatedly puncturing Jinryx with needle-thin ki rays on his extremities as he casually floated closer to his stunned opponent. By the time the prince was a stone's throw away, Jinryx's arms and legs had been bruised and bloodied quite liberally.

"What's the matter?" Vegeta mocked him as he kept him pinned with his short energy bursts. "A fighter with outward control of ki would be able to counter these easily. I see how you've gotten so adept at hand-to-hand combat - you can't project energy away from your body. Imagine that - even when I was a boy, I could do this!"

"Damned...wretch!" Jinryx shouted through Vegeta's continuous ki barrage. "The strongest is not just the one who can form the largest collection of energy!"

With a determined shout, Jinryx powered forward through two or three more ki needles, nearly crushing Vegeta's jaw with a roundhouse if the prince hadn't ducked out of the way. Vegeta sailed backward as Jinryx pursued; as the soldier got close enough, the prince flashed a pair of ki orbs in his attacker's face, blinding him. Finally, Vegeta took some physical revenge, clubbing Jinryx in the stomach and booting him in the jaw. The soldier tumbled away as Vegeta sent another barrage of larger ki rays in his direction. Jinryx regained himself too soon, however, and zipped out of their range before they could do their damage.

He stood his ground as Vegeta ceased fire; while the alien lackey was battered and bleeding all over, there was still a lot of fight left in him.

"Strong as you are, you're nothing without this skill!" Vegeta showed off, forming ki orbs over each fingertip and manipulating them in a circular pattern around his hands. "You're a tough brawler, it's true, but an elite fighter? I think not..."

"It'll still be enough to beat you..." Jinryx spiked his ki again, zipping toward Vegeta as he dissipated his energy show. The prince scowled outwardly at the soldier's persistence, but at the same time, he was back in control again - it would only be a matter of time before he dismantled this vagabond...

---

Despite the dangers all around them, Sailor Uranus was glad to be back on the field. Languishing in the palace for so long made her wounds ache - the recent combat with enemy patrols had restored her vigor easily; their group had steamrolled over more than three dozen low-level troops on their way to the edge of the city, and they'd all been dispatched without injury to her or her teammates.

They passed quickly and quietly through the empty, disheveled streets; she had placed herself on point with Sailor Saturn while Yamcha, Chaozu, and Krillin followed close behind. There were now only mere miles from the city limits, where the enemy's fortified defense perimeter awaited.

An hour-long discussion with the king and Captain Benson had confirmed her earlier fears: despite the persistent training of their soldiers in the enemy's ki techniques - training that was being continued by Tenshinhan and Son Gohan during their mission - estimates of remaining squad members had left a bitter taste in their mouths. While their kingdom had regained momentum in recent days, they still lacked the manpower necessary to maintain a consistent counterattack. Even with an army of soldiers with adequate knowledge of the enemy's abilities, Damos still had a bigger, better trained army suffocating them from without. If they decided to launch an all-out offensive against the palace, the chances for mustering an effective defense would be slim at best.

She'd grudgingly passed Tenshinhan's idea on to the king and the captain, and while everybody was in agreement that there was a major risk in attempting to reach those still waiting beyond Crystal Tokyo's borders - in reality, there was no guarantee that there was anybody still left outside the capital - they had decided that it was worth the risk.

"Keep your energy down," Krillin was muttering to Sailor Saturn as a few aerial soldiers high overhead passed by them. "If those scouters sense us..."

As the party broke up and tried their best to hide themselves among the broken street, the aerial party paused in their flight path. After a glance down onto the cluttered roadway, they resumed their course. Sailor Uranus breathed a sigh of relief - they could've handled a few grunts, but engaging in too many skirmishes would only attract more enemy soldiers to their location.

"You're getting much better at that," Krillin commented with admiration toward the young Sailor Soldier.

"It's something Gohan's been teaching me," Saturn explained. "I'm still practicing a bit…"

"Let's get a move on!" Uranus barked as she motioned for their infiltration party to continue on its course up the boulevard. If they could avoid trouble for the next few blocks, then they stood a decent chance of slipping through the border defenses. Getting caught now would likely alert those heavy fortifications, making their mission all but impossible.

They proceeded silently for a bit longer, the empty streets providing a cautioned relief. If there was one thing that Damos's patrols didn't seem to comprehend, it was how to travel without drawing attention to themselves. It could've been incompetence, but Uranus gathered that it was more out of arrogance. Their enemies didn't even consider the humans to be worth preparing for.

They finally reached a crucial crossroads – behind several disheveled skyscrapers, Uranus knew a horde of alien soldiers would be waiting to obliterate anything that attempted to pass through to the outer country beyond the city limits. It had been the sight of several heavy defeats for the Crystal Tokyo Special Forces before; even with Yamcha, Krillin, and Chaozu now accompanying them, they were still severely outnumbered.

"So…" Krillin looked to waver slightly, his oval eyes trembling slightly and his muscles tense. "…How do we go from here?"

Uranus ran through the possibilities – Krillin and Chaozu had been elected to escort Sailor Saturn outside the enemy defenses while Uranus and Yamcha provided the necessary diversion to draw the soldiers away; the small size of each of the exiting party gave them some added benefits to infiltration and sneaking around cover. While Gohan had dutifully reminded them of the princess's advantage over Sailor Saturn in terms of smaller stature, Uranus had flatly countered his argument with the idea that she'd almost been killed once already under Gohan's watch – they wouldn't take that chance again.

Saturn would do just as well – as long as one of Crystal Tokyo's own was present to vouch for the current state of the kingdom, any survivors beyond the city limits would've listened wholeheartedly and without suspicion of Krillin and Chaozu's identities and loyalties.

"We'll head in first," Sailor Uranus determined as Yamcha's face lit up with eagerness. "They're sure to recognize both of us; if we drop enough energy on top of them, it may be enough to spur them long enough for you three to slip through."

"I've got just the bag of tricks for the job," Yamcha boasted. "Just follow my lead, Uranus."

The Outer Soldier commander passed the fighter a stern gaze.

"How about we stick to an organized plan?" She scolded him. "Don't get too out of hand; this could easily backfire if you're too over-the-top."

"Sorry, Uranus, but I don't think Yamcha knows any other style," Krillin noted with a smirk. Sailor Uranus frowned – she wished she'd taken the more focused Tenshinhan over this brash thug. At least the three-eyed warrior was intelligent enough to know what strategy applied to what circumstance. Had she not been as strict, she knew that Yamcha would've started tearing apart everything he could get his hands on without regard for the consequences.

"Okay, give us five good minutes to get their attention," Uranus stated. "I'll leave the rest up to the three of you."

"If we find anybody out there, I'll contact you," Saturn said to Uranus. "How far should we expand our search?"

"Don't take more than a day to cover your ground," Sailor Uranus replied, reinforcing the time limit for Krillin and Chaozu with a stern nod. The two Z Warriors acknowledged the order. "We still need you three back here to help with the defenses. Be ready to return at once if something goes wrong."

"I can sense a lot of their energy concentrated along the central highway a few blocks east," Yamcha reported. "If there's a good place to start, it would be there. They'll all probably come running if they think we're trying to break out on the main road."

Uranus was surprised at the logic, but from the glimmer in Yamcha's eyes and the smile on his face, she was willing to bet that he made the point because he wanted to strike where the most potential targets would be; it would've been more of a melee for him to enjoy.

She raised her Space Sword, charging it with energy. Yamcha began to power himself up, his ki energy blazing around him like a transparent fire.

"Here goes nothing…" Uranus steeled herself. "Wish us lu--"

"Wait!" Krillin shouted, his head jerking back in the direction from which they'd come. He paused, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the area. "…There's a massive energy clash back that way…two huge kis…"

"A battle?" Uranus guessed, confused. "It couldn't be from any of our soldiers, except…"

"Vegeta," Yamcha finished. "It could only be him…I wonder why these guys aren't detecting the kis on their scouters and heading after them?"

"They're fading in and out, as if they're fighting only a few minutes at a time," Krillin hypothesized. "That's a good question though; it would help our distraction job quite a bit…"

"We should go get him!" Saturn suggested. "He'd be the perfect candidate for this type of fight!"

Uranus passed her subordinate a disapproving glance; for Saturn to even think of utilizing the arrogant Saiyan prince as a positive in their plan should've been well beneath her.

"There's no guarantee that he would come even if we asked," She protested.

"He'd never pass up a chance for wholesale destruction," Krillin pointed out. "Besides, somehow I have a feeling that he's already acquainted himself with this place considering the battle he's gotten himself into…"

"He makes a good case…" Yamcha mused. "We do need all the help we can get."

Uranus grumbled beneath her breath.

"Fine," She spat. "But the two of you can go retrieve him – we'll scout ahead for possible entry points through their lines. Now get going!"

The two martial artists recoiled from the biting command, both of them shooting off into the air toward Vegeta's position.

"If we're lucky, they'll get Vegeta to give us a hand out here," Chaozu piped in cheerfully.

If we're lucky, they'll maul each other to death… While Uranus meant the thought as sour grapes, she was beginning to tire of the sidelong glances that Krillin and Yamcha had been passing in her general direction whenever they were around her. While Minako or Makoto would've found that flattering, she did not – it was a relief to be rid of them momentarily.

The remaining trio held their position while awaiting their return, keeping a vigilant lookout for patrolling enemies.

Saturn took the free chance to practice some of her fighting technique. Setting down her glaive, she began punching firmly at the air, throwing in an occasional kick or parrying maneuver. Uranus smiled – to his credit, Gohan was a decent teacher of the arts; he knew a tremendous amount for his age, and he had a way of keeping the sluggish princess and self-conscious Saturn motivated and determined.

"Hotaru…" Uranus called her over after a few minutes. The tall woman extended her arm, opening up her hand as a target. "Try hitting it."

Saturn looked a bit timid at first, but she readied herself after a nod of encouragement from Chaozu. After eyeing up the target, Saturn let fly with her fist; it was a quick blow, but Uranus managed to catch it with her fingers. She smiled with a satisfied nod.

"Good, keep practicing!" She replied to her surrogate daughter. Saturn took the compliment well, her eyes widening and a smile crossing her face; she continued her warm-up session with greater vigor than before.

"She's a quick learner," Chaozu commented.

"She has a decent teacher," Uranus replied, albeit grudgingly.

---

As they approached the gates of Lord Kaio's palace, they noticed the martial arts master was waiting beaming at them. Seeing Bubbles perched happily on Jupiter's shoulders seemed to be all the evidence he needed to know they'd passed the test.

"Well," Sailor Jupiter smirked toward Sailor Pluto, who was standing next to Lord Kaio and looking equally as pleased. "Have the doubters been silenced?"

Pluto nodded without a word, but Lord Kaio chimed in for her.

"Ah, yes, you all performed splendidly," He chortled. "While your methods were a bit unorthodox, you were wise to play to your strengths to accomplish your task. You have my admiration!"

"You knew?" Sailor Mars seemed surprised. "But how, I didn't see you anywhere near the fields."

Lord Kaio motioned with one chubby finger toward his antennae.

"I've been observing from here this whole time; I must say that your progress is nothing short of remarkable. Even some of my best students have taken more time to catch Bubbles than you did!"

While Mercury, Mars, and Venus seemed content to bask in the praise, Jupiter couldn't stand still for very long - she very much wanted to quest onward; every second wasted was a second where she wasn't getting stronger.

"Alright, now what do we have to do next? Come on, Lord Kaio, out with it!"

"My, you don't let the grass grow under your feet do you, Sailor Jupiter?" He snickered. "Well, there's been a slight change of plans. Your next opponent was...err...unable to join us. Luckily, I've found a suitable replacement. I believe you'll get along with him just fine! Allow me to introduce you!"

Standing aside, the group noticed the glittering gates of Lord Kaio's estate opening. Out stepped a lone figure.

Jupiter stood mutely in the presence of this new challenger. While he appeared human enough from his appearance - he was also just as dead as they were, as the golden halo over his head indicated - his choice of facial-wear was questionable; his face was completely obscured by a tight-looking cat mask. Jupiter noticed that he bore the same insignia as Lord Kaio on the upper left part of his gi.

"Is he a student of yours?" Mercury ventured a guess.

Kaio laughed as the man silently stepped forward.

"Long ago, he was, almost longer than I can remember," The master informed them. "He's completely mastered my best techniques - with his expertise, you can't possibly go wrong!"

"What's you name, sir?" Sailor Mercury politely asked.

The man attempted to answer, but the mask was strapped so tightly to his face that the words were impossible to decipher. Kaio attempted to speak for him; he glanced back with a bit of concern as the fighter began tugging at the ridiculous mask.

"He's, he's, uh...err...ah, well, his name is not rightly important!" Kaio stammered. "What matters is his knowledge of fighting. This man's a veritable walking library of it, I tell you...He's seen evils and enemies that--"

"Err, Lord Kaio?" Mars inquired. "No offense, but how can we learn from him if we don't know what he's saying?"

The man seemed to brighten as the problem dawned, and without hesitation, he tore the mask from his face, coughing and sputtering for air. His face was beet-red from the tight implement, and he seemed more than glad to toss it away.

"Boy, was that thing itchy; I don't understand how Grandpa was able to stand it for so long…"

Lord Kaio, however, was less enthusiastic, crying out loudly as his disciple's face was revealed.

"No! You fool, what did we agree upon?" He cried out as the man took in a grateful breath of air and sprouted a large, almost child-like smile.

"I don't think it'll matter that much if they know who I am, Lord Kaio," He said nonchalantly. "It's not like I'll be going back with them anyway; besides, all that time travel stuff gives me a headache anyway."

"So you've said..." Kaio dropped to his knees, suddenly appearing very much gloomy and distraught.

"S...sir?" Mercury chimed in again as the man attempted to console the master. "I...it's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for accepting us as students!"

The man bowed politely in return.

"Nah, don't mention it; I was getting so bored just talking to Lord Kaio anyway!" He exclaimed. "It's nice to meet all of you; I'm Goku!"