Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball, Dragonball Z, or Dragonball GT, but if I did, sh*t like this would happen.

Before-You-Read Background: This BOLD, "Pre-Story Pretext," is my important, intrinsic, "Before-You-Read Background," and these "Before-Chapter-Author-Notes," will almost ALWAYS contain UPPER-CASE Letters, of SOME sort. Proper grammar, and other things are used CORRECTLY in these "Pretext Prologues," though. …And while you should know that, you should also know that the ACTUAL STORY WILL contain GREAT spelling, grammar, punctuation, usage-and-mechanics, syntax, and semantics. Reading/RETAINING the NEXT portion of BOLDED text of IMPORTANT INFORMATION is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Important Information: This story takes place AFTER the CONCLUSION/CLOSING to the "DragonBall GT Series," and although "DBGT" was NOT TECHNICALLY cannon, it will serve as such for this story, and you should know that ANYTHING/EVERYTHING that happened in ANY/ALL three series ("DragonBall," "DragonBall Z," and "DragonBall GT") has ALREADY happened here. But, the MOST, INTRINSICALLY IMPORTANT, piece of information, about this FanFic, is the fact that it takes-place a while (not TOO long, but, still a while), AFTER the END of "DragonBall GT," and the characters will-have/are/did grow-up/change, as a result of ALL that has happened, and the time that has passed. Also, when possible, I will be using the ORIGINAL MANGA written by Akira Toriyama, that these three shows were originally based-on, INSTEAD of the shows/anime, for information, such as: power-levels, character-traits, and fun-facts, so PLEASE NOTE THAT, and note that a great deal of "research" has been put into this, before it was published/posted! ENJOY!

The Mighty and Merciless Mu: Epitome of Evil

A FanFic By: D. Raj David

I. The Heroes Emerge

Gods gathered to kill their heroes. Demons gathered to avenge their masters. Saiyans gathered to stop them all.

Gohan stared angrily at his counterpart. Vegeta just wouldn't let it go. He was just as hard-headed as ever.

"You imbecile! How could you possibly think Kakarot would leave you in charge of Earth's defense?" Vegeta asked irritated and annoyed.

"Well, hmmm, let me think…Oh yeah, I know! He would have left me in charge, because I'm his son!" Gohan shot back just as angrily. "And then there is the fact that I'm the better fighter of the two of us," he spat in a viciously vehemently voice.

"Oh please, boy. Don't get me started." Vegeta stated, trying to hold back his laughter. "You know, when I first came to Earth, I was the strongest Saiyan that had ever existed. Only your father could stand up to me, and even he had to boost his own power by three times to even begin to compete with me. In fact, I remember that it took all of you to defeat me, even you…in your ape form." Vegeta proudly proclaimed.

"What I remember from that fight is that I was the one to finish you off. I also remember me being the youngest 'Super Saiyan,' ever," Gohan gazed over at Trunks and Goten as he said this, and realized that he wasn't the youngest Super Saiyan, but he cautiously continued, nonetheless. "…And I was also the first Saiyan to go beyond Super Saiyan, to reach 'Super Saiyan 2.' Also, wasn't I the one who, single-handedly, beat Cell?" Gohan argued, just as proud and powerful as Vegeta.

"That is not the point. Kakarot left me in charge, and that is final! Besides, you had Kakarot's voice helping you the entire time you fought Cell." Vegeta yelled.

"Vegeta, he is my father." Gohan said, slightly more irritated and irate.

"Your point would be…?" Vegeta commented condescendingly.

"This kind of duty, this privilege, it passes from father to son, not from friend to friend." Gohan said, hoping Vegeta would see reason.

"Listen, I admitted Kakarot was better than me, and for so long I tried so hard to surpass him, but I failed at every turn. Until finally, finally, during our last battle against Omega Shenron, my skill, my speed, my strength, it was all equal to his in every comprehensibly conceivable way, and I never imagined that would be okay with just getting my power to equal Kakarot's prowess. But I was more than just okay with it; I was proud that I was his equal, and I finally stopped trying to surpass him, to supersede him. That was the last time that I saw him, and it was the first time I became the kind of person that you all wanted me to be! That is more than just a sign!" Vegeta said, believing he was entrusted and entitled to take on Goku's role as savior.

"Look, I know, and I'm not saying you can't help, but you should focus more on building a strategy, while I—the fighter—save the day." Gohan said with a smirk on his face.

"Besides you're getting kind of old for this. I wouldn't want you to pull something, or worse: break your hip!" Gohan said, laughing.

"That's it kid. You want to settle this right here, right now?" Vegeta retorted, ready to rumble.

"I thought you'd never ask," Gohan replied, equally as confident and cocky. "Now you'll see, first-hand, just who the better fighter is!"

"Indeed you will!" Vegeta replied, not feeling intimidated in the least.

Bulma, Bulla, Pan, Videl, Chi Chi, Krillin, Android 18, Marron, Majuub, Tien, Goten, Trunks, Yamcha, and even Bulla's younger sister—not even two years of age, yet—stared at the two as they argued. All of the "Z-Fighters" were assembled atop Dende's "Lorded Lookout," much like old times, and—just like old times—Vegeta was arguing with someone.

The two of them eyed each other for moments before they both knew the fatal fight to the finish would start. Vegeta gave Gohan his signature smirk and nod, and Gohan responded with his classic full-teeth grin. That was it, the sign; there was about to be a brutally bloody battle.

They quickly and quietly lunged at each other, and they traveled at speeds far greater than any mere mortal could perceive. Just as they were about to approach each other, something stopped them both—something heavy, strong, and sturdy. Both Vegeta and Gohan ran into Piccolo at the same time, and Piccolo grabbed them both by their necks and picked them up.

"You two morons give me a headache! The planet is being attacked by a force so incredibly strong and evil that it could destroy the entire galaxy, and here you two are, arguing over who gets to fight it! I swear, I'll never understand you Saiyans, and your thirst for battle, but hey, here's an idea. Why don't you both fight!" Piccolo said sternly, releasing them.

They both hit the ground with a very noticeable noise, as they both rubbed their necks and thought about what Piccolo had said.

Several hours ago a strange—but empirically evil—force had arrived on Earth, and its power was far greater than any opponent any of the "Z-Fighters" had ever faced before, hence the reason for the mandatory meeting of the "Z-Fighters" on Dende's lookout.

Even Piccolo was released from Hell to aid them; that's how direly dreadful the situation was. They were called there so they could all discuss the situation—and find a remedy—but instead, almost instantly upon arrival, both Gohan and Vegeta claimed the creature's head and wanted to fight it first, thus the argument erupted. If not for Piccolo arriving when he did, the Earth's two best chances for survival might have just killed each other.

"We should have started the fight as 'Super Saiyan 4s,' that way Piccolo wouldn't have been able to stop us." Gohan said, regretfully rubbing his neck. Gohan, after some intensive teaching, training, and tempering—and exposure to 'Blutz Waves,'—had finally ascended to the fourth level of the Super Saiyan evolution.

"Agreed. Why must the Namekian ruin everything?" Vegeta asked, angered and annoyed.

"Ruin?!" Piccolo inquired intricately, obviously quite angry and aggressive.

"I just saved the only two idiots who have even the slightest chance of saving the Earth. You should both be thanking me!" he shouted, furiously fuming.

"Alright, alright, we're sorry!" Vegeta and Gohan said in unison. Vegeta wasn't sorry.

"Now," Piccolo said, taking charge, "where do we stand? What do we know about this creature?" he asked aptly.

"Dende knows all about that. He just left to go to the back room." Goten said, finally speaking up.

"What? Why?" Piccolo asked, slightly surprised.

"He is trying to summon Kakarot." Vegeta spat, clearly insulted.

"Hey now, Vegeta, calm down. I wasn't going to try to summon Goku. I know that you two," Dende said, coming from the back room, and gesturing to Gohan and Vegeta, "are more than capable of handling this."

"Then why, might I ask, did you go check on the Dragonballs—which by the way are still turned to stone?" Gohan questioned.

"Exactly." said Dende.

Confused and confounded expressions graced the faces of almost all of the "Z-Fighters." Everyone seemed perplexedly puzzled—except for Piccolo, which was probably because he still had Kame as a part of him and he knew all of the tricks that a "Guardian of Earth" had at his disposal.

"Exactly what?" Gohan asked, clearly more confused than before.

"The Dragonballs can't be used—not after all of that negative energy escaped and the whole 'Shadow-Dragons Showdown,' so there is no need to worry about them falling into the wrong hands because they can't be used—especially for evil." Dende eagerly explained.

"Okay, that's great…I guess. …But what does any of that have to do with th—" Gohan started, but he was stopped by Piccolo.

"Dende left the Dragonballs here at the lookout and he shielded them so that their energy could not be detected by anyone or anything—except for one Dragonball on the Earth's surface." Piccolo said stringently matter-of-factly.

"So…" Trunks uneasily urged Piccolo on.

"So, that one Dragonball is in a remote location that Dende knows, and that is where the creature will show up." Piccolo finished his explanation.

"How do you know that th—" Goten began to ask, but was cut-off by Vegeta.

"Because that one Dragonball is the only source of power on this planet that any creature with half a brain can sense—since we are all masking our energies, and the other Dragonballs' energies are masked as well." Vegeta stated.

"Okay, I understand that, but how do you know that the creature will go towards that source of energy?" Gohan asked.

"Because a creature with its level of power is looking for a challenge, a competition, so on every planet it ventures to, it must seek out the strongest and most enormous energy and attempt to fight and finish it. And since the strongest energy it can sense on Earth is that Dragonball, it's going to go straight there." Vegeta finished.

"Well that sounds good enough, but what if the creature isn't like the Saiyans and isn't always looking for a fight? What if it just wants to destroy the planet?!" Pan asked, afraid that their feeble male brains hadn't thought this all the way through.

"That's a good point Pan, hmmm…" was all Dende could muster.

"…Except that creature has been on the Planet's surface, now, for hours, and the Planet hasn't been destroyed yet. I'm inclined to agree with Vegeta. A creature that powerful has only one goal: to test its limits, break its boundaries, and get stronger. It has to be headed towards the Dragonball." Piccolo said, defending Dende's plan.

"Alright then, I suppose we know where we're going." Gohan said with a smirk. "Try not to lag too far behind, grandpa." he said with comical chuckle as he gestured towards Vegeta.

"Why you…" Vegeta started, "why don't at least try to act, at least, like half the man your father was." he finished his solemn statement plainly.

"Well, it's good to know you respected him." Gohan said half-happily.

"Of course I respected him. It's you that I don't respect. I mean you're still a child for god's sake!" Vegeta snared.

"What?!" Gohan responded in a vehemently venomous voice. Gohan was obviously angry again. "How dare you! In case you haven't noticed, I have a family. I'm a father, and I am a spitting image of my father!" Gohan yelled, clenching his fist.

The tension, once again, got heated quite quickly, and another furious fight was bound to erupt.

But before it did, though, Piccolo yelled—in loudest possible voice he could muster: "BOTH OF YOU, SHUT-UP, GET YOUR ASSSES DOWN THERE, AND DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE!"

Both of the aggressively angry Saiyans stopped what they were doing and turned to face Piccolo, somewhat surprised. They took note of what he had said, and they took it to heart. They both prepared to leave, as they put on the new "Saiyan Battle Armor" Bulma had just made and brought with her.

"Go get 'em dad!" Pan said lovingly to Gohan.

"Thanks Honey. I will." he readily responded.

"Save me its head," Pan replied with an evil smirk.

"Unfortunately, I don't think there will be any pieces of that creature left after we're finished with it." Vegeta interjected, his usual cocky, confident, self.

"Ha, well in that case, make crater big enough to see from space, so we know where you two kicked its ass!" Bulla excitedly exclaimed to her father.

"Of course sweetheart." Vegeta replied to his daughter.

"And both of you, watch your heads, and keep each other in check. Remember, we don't know exactly what we're dealing with. You two might need to fuse to finish it off." Piccolo reminded them.

"FUSE?! With HIM?!" Both Gohan and Vegeta retorted simultaneously.

"Not likely." they responded in unwavering unison, looking at one another.

"You idiots, if you have to fuse, then you will! You will not put this planet in jeopardy because of your childish pride. Do you understand?" Piccolo asked.

"Fine, fine, we understand." they both responded, once again in unison.

"However, we are the two strongest Saiyans in the known universe. We're both brutal, battle-smart, 'Super Saiyan 4s,' so I highly doubt that we'll nee—" Gohan began, but he was cut off by his old teacher.

"I was your first teacher and trainer! You owe me that much. If you need to fuse, then you will fuse!" Piccolo shouted sternly, ending the debate.

As they prepared to leave, Trunks spoke. "You two be careful and observant, and don't underestimate your opponent. Remember, he's probably masking his real power." he warned.

"Very well Trunks. It is noted." his father responded.

Vegeta and Gohan had only one thing left settle. "So who gets to fight it first?" Goten asked adamantly, actually seeming interested for a change.

Vegeta and Gohan looked at each other. Both of their eyes narrowed, and they knew what to do. "Rock, Paper, Scissors…Shoot!" they both yelled in unison while playing the childish game.

Pan and Bulla looked at each other, both boldly thinking, 'I hope we don't inherit that from our fathers,' without saying a word. Bulla looked at her younger sister—now one-and-a-half years of age—and hoped the same for her.

Gohan gave Videl a light kiss on the lips. "I'll be back soon, okay." he said sincerely. She just nodded and kissed him back.

Both of the Saiyans were about to depart when all of sudden a shrill and viciously violent voice split the silence apart.

"HEY, HOLD ON! VEGETA GET BACK HERE! I BETTER GET A GOODBYE KISS TOOO!" Bulma screamed.

"WOMAN! I told you not address me in such a fashion, especially in public!" Vegeta shot back, completely and eagerly embarrassed.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that, or I'll wipe that stupid Saiyan smirk off your face. Do you understand me?" she retorted, clearly winning the argument. "Now come over here, you." she said, addressing Vegeta.

"Ughh." Vegeta whispered very silently, feeling defeated. He was fearless—for the most part. He would walk right into a fight he knew he couldn't win, but there was one thing he wouldn't dare do: challenge an angry Bulma.

He walked over and sulkily gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"See, now that wasn't so bad, was it? See you later you big lug. …Oh, and the trash nee—" Bulma was cut off by the sound of Vegeta and Gohan taking flight.

"That's your father." she said, rolling her eyes, and addressing her infant daughter that she was cradling in her arms.

Thus, they were off to save the day—the heroes of Earth, who weren't even human.

A/N: R&R! Stay tuned for the next update!