Shadow Hunters Arc (Peter's Story)

## Part 1

### Scarlet Night; redux

A reunion at the Kame House reunites Goku with his old master, Master Roshi, and his friends Krillin and Bulma, who all have not seen each other in five years. Goku surprises everyone by bringing along his four-year-old son, Gohan, who is not becoming a martial artist due to Chi-Chi wanting him to keep studying and not getting himself into danger with him fighting all the time. Unfortunately, the reunion is interrupted by the arrival of a mysterious being, who identifies himself as a Saiyan by the name of Raditz. Raditz identifies Goku as Kakarot and berates him for not completing his "mission". Further complicating matters, Raditz also claims that Goku is from the same Saiyan race as he is, and that he and Goku are in fact *brothers*. Goku and Krillin understandably think that Raditz is nuts, however Roshi reveals that there may be some truth to the Saiyan's words. In a major turning point in the series, Master Roshi reveals that Goku's adopted grandfather, Grandpa Gohan, found a strange space capsule in the woods containing baby Goku. As a baby, Goku was violent and ill-tempered, though one day he fell down a ravine and suffered severe head trauma, which in turn changed Goku into the happy, amicable child that everyone came to know and love.

This new revelation shocks Goku, who refuses to believe its validity. Raditz then goes on to state that Goku's original purpose was to destroy all life on Earth, which he should have done in a matter of years after his arrival. Raditz also reveals that the Saiyans' original home planet, Planet Vegeta, was destroyed by an asteroid some twenty years earlier, and that there are only four Saiyans left, including Goku. Finally, Raditz mentions that he needs his brother's help in destroying all life on a distant planet. Goku refuses, which prompts Raditz to notice Gohan (who still retains his Saiyan tail), which leads Raditz to threaten the fate of the child. Goku tries to attack, but is quickly stopped by Raditz, who then kidnaps Gohan, and gives Goku an ultimatum; Raditz will kill Gohan unless Goku kills one hundred humans within the next twenty-four hours. With that, Raditz flies off.

Goku is clearly distressed at his situation, and vows to rescue his son; Krillin and Master Roshi offer to help him fight although Goku tells them to stay because he doesn’t want them to be killed again since Shenron can only revive someone once. Before they can depart, however, he is confronted by his nemesis Piccolo. Piccolo encountered Raditz after Raditz had first arrived on Earth and was terrified by his raw power. Aware that they now have a common enemy, Piccolo suggests that he and Goku join forces to confront Raditz, which Goku hesitatingly agrees to. Bulma offers up her Dragon Radar so that Piccolo and Goku can track the 4-star Dragon Ball in Gohan's hat, thus finding his location.

### Rescue

Meanwhile, Raditz arrives at his spaceship and locks the crying Gohan inside. Through the use of his scouter, Raditz discovers that two fighters are approaching; as they get closer it is revealed that they are Piccolo and Goku. The duo face-off against Raditz, however they find that there is little they can do against the more powerful Saiyan. Raditz gains the upper hand and soars into the air, firing dual *ki* blasts out of his hands at Goku and Piccolo. Goku is able to dodge his, however Piccolo loses his arm.

Piccolo, unhindered, reveals that he has been holding back a new technique that he designed to kill Goku, however he decides that he will use it against Raditz. In order to give Piccolo time to charge the attack, Goku distracts Raditz with his Kamehameha. Raditz is astonished that the two fighters can concentrate their power into single attacks, however he manages to neutralize the Kamehameha with ease, and then takes care of Goku with a blast of his own. Fortunately, this was all the time Piccolo needed, and he fires his new attack, the Special Beam Cannon. Despite the power of the blast, however, Raditz side-steps it. Goku takes advantage of the distracted Raditz and grabs his tail, which Goku remembers as being one of his own weaknesses as a child. Raditz is rendered helpless, however he appeals to his brother to let him go if he promises to leave the planet, which Goku does, much to Piccolo's chagrin. Raditz predictably double-crosses his brother, and pins him down, breaking bones and causing Goku much pain. At that moment, Raditz's space pod explodes.

Gohan, who had been watching helplessly from inside Raditz's pod, manages to blow the pod apart upon hearing his father's screams. Raditz's scouter detects the child's power level to be 1,307, substantially higher than that of Goku and Piccolo. The infuriated Gohan charges at Raditz, who is unable to react in time, and receives a swift head-butt to the chest, breaking his Saiyan Armor. Gohan's power level soon drops back to 1; and Raditz realizes that Gohan's power is affected by his emotions. Raditz quickly smacks Gohan aside but is still physically hurt by the previous attack.

Goku, using what little strength he has left, leaps up and locks Raditz in a full nelson. Raditz is unable to break free, and Goku tells Piccolo to try his attack again. Piccolo does not hesitate to comply, knowing that the beam will kill Goku as well; though he knows that Goku's friends will most likely use the Dragon Balls to resurrect him, he is nonetheless satisfied with killing his archenemy. He fires off another Special Beam Cannon, and Raditz, held by Goku, is unable to dodge it again, and the beam penetrates through both Raditz and Goku, mortally wounding both of them. Raditz curses Piccolo but commends his brother's spirit. Piccolo informs Raditz that Goku will be wished back to life using the Dragon Balls. Raditz, with his dying breath, retorts by saying that the scouter on his head acts as a transmitter as well, and that the other two more powerful Saiyans will come to Earth in one year and avenge his death. Piccolo, upset at Raditz's cockiness, delivers an early deathblow to him.

### Another Story

In space, the remaining two Saiyans, Nappa and Vegeta, get word of Raditz's death by the message transmitted to their scouters. Vegeta is intrigued by the Dragon Balls, and they decide to head to Earth to use them to wish for immortality (rather than wishing Raditz back to life, as Raditz had hoped).

Back on Earth, Krillin, Master Roshi, and Bulma arrive at the scene, to find Raditz dead and Goku dying. Though they can bring him back with the Dragon Balls, Krillin takes watching his friend die very hard. Shortly after he expires, however, Goku's body vanishes. Piccolo takes that to mean that the Guardian of Earth, Kami, has plans for Goku in the Other World. Piccolo then surprisingly regenerates his arm, tells the others of the impending arrival of two more powerful Saiyans, and picks up the unconscious Gohan, with the intention of training the child to fight the Saiyans. The others protest but can do nothing to stop Piccolo.

In the Other World, Kami brings Goku to King Yemma, to ask permission for Goku to travel down the Snake Way with the intention of training with the Lord of Worlds, King Kai. Goku asks if Raditz came here as well and is surprised when Yemma sent him to hell without too much trouble. Yemma also grants this request, and Goku begins his long and perilous journey down the one-million-kilometer Snake Way.

## Part 2

### Entrance Exam

Jaden Yuki is rushing through the streets. He is late to the entrance examinations for Duel Academy, as his train was late. He determines that it's simply another challenge that was presented to him, and states he's excited. As he runs, he sees he is about to collide with Yugi Muto, but is unable to stop. His Deck is scattered as he hits the ground. As he picks up his cards, Yugi asks if he's a Duelist. Jaden responds that he is, and that he's on his way to take a test for Duel Academy. Yugi takes out his Deck and picks out one card, which he calls a "lucky card". He states the card wants to go with Jaden. Jaden thanks him, and Yugi walks off, telling Jaden to do his best (in the dub, he tells him "good luck"). Jaden thanks him again, and Yugi turns slightly, giving Jaden a thumbs-up. Jaden looks at the card he was given, which is "Winged Kuriboh". The card appears to make a noise. Jaden resumes his run, throwing the card into his Deck case as he goes (in the dub, he states he can't be the next King of Games if he's late to the games; the Japanese version contains no dialogue at that point).

In a domed building, the exams are taking place. Several Duel fields are shown, with monsters such as "Gear Golem the Moving Fortress", "Big Shield Gardna" and "Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon" present. Narration explains that Duel Academy is a school for training elite duelists, and that skill exams are being held at Kaiba Land today (in the dub, a man's voice is added over a PA system, who tells those that have passed the exam to report to registration and telling those that failed "better luck next year"). Dr. Crowler sits with two other instructors (in the dub, his thoughts are heard, as he responds to the PA system, quipping "Good luck in Duel Monsters Community College"). At one of the Duel fields, "Leghul" is Summoned by the opponent of Syrus Truesdale. The exams are divided into written and practical, with only those applicants proving themselves through the written exams being allowed into the practical portion (in the dub, dialogue is instead inserted for Syrus, who states he's nervous with all the academy students watching and judging him. He wishes he was already enrolled. Then, the PA system states that this is the last call for applicants).

Outside, a man in a suit nods to two teachers dressed in white and orange (in the dub, he tells them to mark all the no-shows as no-shows). Jaden climbs over a nearby fence, covered in leaves. He introduces himself as examinee #110 (in the dub, he tells them to mark him as present). Jaden is allowed inside, where he watches one of the Duels. Bastion Misawa has "Vorse Raider", one Set card and 3200 LP, while the examiner has "Big Shield Gardna", "Gear Golem the Moving Fortress" and 1900 LP. The proctor claims that no matter how capable Bastion is, he can no longer lower his LP when playing against his "Super Defensive Deck" (in the dub, he instead gives Bastion a mock "multiple choice question"). Bastion activates his face-down "Ring of Destruction", destroying his own "Vorse Raider" and causing both players to take 1900 damage. This defeats the proctor, but leaves Bastion with 1300 LP. The proctor congratulates him on his win, and the applicant thanks him. Three male students dressed in blue talk with another. Taiyou Torimaki says that the #1 examinee, Bastion, is not half bad, while Raizou Mototani says that it was worth coming to see him after hearing the rumors. Chazz Princeton says that's nonsense, as the Duels here are set at a low level and that coming here was a waste of time. After all, Duel Academy needs only one king, not two (in the dub, he believes that they'll be better to him since they've been in "Duel prep school" for the past three years).

Jaden speaks with Syrus, saying that "number one"'s combo was amazing. Syrus responds that Bastion had the highest score on the written test. Jaden was unaware that that was what determined the numbers, while Syrus says that the final score depends on the combination of written and practical exam scores. He states he's unsure that they'll accept him. Even though he won his Duel, he's still examinee #119. Jaden tells him to relax and that he himself is #110 (numbers are omitted in the dub, and they both simply say that they "barely passed"). Syrus tells him that the Duels for the examinees in the hundreds have already ended (in the dub, Syrus mentions test anxiety, and has apparently already been accepted to Duel Academy). Two teachers agree that they need not debate about Bastion: he'll be accepted for sure (in the dub, they simply state that they have many good applicants this year). He was also the last examinee. The man from outside approaches Dr. Crowler, telling him that's one more applicant that arrived at the last minute (in the dub, he addresses Crowler as "Mr." and when Crowler questions that, he uses "Mrs" instead. Crowler then states he has a "PhD" in Dueling and has thus earned the title of Doctor). Crowler asks what his number was. Upon hearing that he was #110 and that he was late, he won't accept him; the academy has no need for dropout boys. Another teacher tells him that they have to let him take the test, since he was late due to his train being delayed (Jaden's reason for being late goes unmentioned in the dub). Crowler gets a call from Chancellor Sheppard, who tells him that he's aware of the late student. He instructs Crowler to let him take the test, low written score or not, as the school's objective is to gather a wide range of Duelists to train (in the dub, Sheppard states he doesn't want a repeat of last year-Crowler had cut one third of the applicants for addressing him as "Mr." or "Mrs."). Crowler believes the academy is built for the elite and does not understand why Sheppard is backing the "dropout boy" (in the dub, he goes so far as to call Sheppard a "furry-chinned windbag behind his back).

Crowler rises, announcing he'll Duel the examinee himself. Another professor tells him to wait and to please take an examination Deck. Crowler responds that he has no need for one - he'll use his own (in the dub, Crowler does not mention where he's going and simply says to leave the selection of opponent and Deck up to him). Bastion takes a seat in the stands, and Jaden tells him that he may be the second-toughest student to apply this year. Jaden is announced as the next person to Duel and he begins to walk to the arena. Bastion tells him to wait, and asks why he's number two. Jaden responds that it's because *he's* number one. Syrus questions why someone scoring only nine points higher than him would be so confident. Jaden arrives at the arena, and Crowler introduces himself as the acting Chief General Director of Practical Application (in the dub, Crowler is the "Chair of Department Techniques"). Jaden is honored to Duel him, and thinks Crowler must be expecting a lot out of him (in the dub, Jaden says he thought Crowler was some sort of "weird academy mascot"). The blue students from earlier wonder why Crowler would Duel him himself, and determine he must be quite talented (in the dub they are amazed at Jaden's audacity). Crowler engages his Duel Coat, which Jaden seems to think is quite cool. Jaden asks if he can buy a coat like that himself, with Crowler responded that high-ranking students have access to them, but thinking that a dropout boy shouldn't be concerned with it. The Duel begins. Jaden's opening hand contains "The Warrior Returning Alive", "Polymerization", "Hero Signal", "Draining Shield", "Monster Reborn" and "Elemental HERO Avian". Jaden Normal Summons "Avian" in Defense Position and Sets a card before ending his turn (in the dub, he tells Crowler to get "Get Your Game On!").

Crowler's opening hand is "Ancient Gear Golem", two copies of "Statue of the Wicked", "Heavy Storm", "Confiscation" and "Emes the Infinity". Crowler determines that Jaden is playing a HERO Deck, and supposes he could say Jaden was a small-town Hero of sorts. Crowler tells Jaden he'll show him how wide the world really is, and plays "Confiscation" (in the dub, he instead muses that he'll win for sure with his personal Deck). He pays 1000 LP to check Jaden's hand and force him to discard one card. The cards appears as holograms in front of Crowler, who states that this is truly a dropout boy's Deck (he calls him a "naive rookie" in the dub). Jaden wonders why he would scold the Deck he put his life into (he says nothing in the dub). Crowler chooses "Monster Reborn". Crowler Sets two cards and then plays "Heavy Storm", which destroys all Spell and Trap Cards on the field. Jaden's face-down "Draining Shield" and Crowler's two face-down "Statue of the Wicked" cards are destroyed. Jaden tells Crowler his cards were destroyed as well, and Crowler responds that that is called "being a frog in a well" (he tells Jaden not to speak out of turn in the dub). Crowler Special Summons two "Wicked Tokens". Syrus says he has no clue what happened, and Bastion explains that when "Statue of the Wicked" is destroyed, it Special Summons a token and that Crowler destroyed himself intentionally. One of the blue students says that that's no exam Deck - it's Crowler's own "Dark Ages" Deck (the term "Dark Ages" is not used in the dub). The believe that any examinee standing up to that Deck would be wishful thinking. Chazz states he thought the examinee was something special, but that he was mistaken (in the dub, he says he'll enjoy watching Jaden lose). Crowler will crush his hopes and dreams. Alexis Rhodes tells Zane Truesdale that she feels sorry for that examinee. Zane responds that thanks to #110, they may get to see the "legendary rare card" of the Dark Ages Deck.

Crowler declares that his turn is not over, and Jaden asks what he'll be shown this time. Crowler Tributes both tokens to Summon "Ancient Gear Golem" in Attack Position. Jaden says he heard rumors about that card, and Syrus is shocked to see a Level 8 monster so easily. Zane says that Crowler has never lost once he has successfully Summoned that card. He says he wouldn't have thought Jaden would have the power to make Crowler take the Duel seriously. Alexis responds that Crowler is rather fickle. She believes it's a shame that the academy's doors are now shut to Jaden, believing he has no chance (in the dub, they talk of Jaden's carefree attitude and Alexis says it's good Jaden is showing some backbone). Crowler laughs and declares his attack, destroying "Avian". Syrus says that "Avian" had no chance with only 1000 DEF and Bastion adds that that's not all - "Ancient Gear Golem" inflicts piercing damage. Syrus says that that monster defies the rules. Jaden's LP drop 2000, and Crowler asks if Jaden's lost his fighting spirit already. Jaden laughs in response, stating that he's touched that Crowler is fighting his hardest against him. Crowler's reasoning is that he never intends for a dropout boy like Jaden to enter the academy. Jaden thinks that this is where his true power will be put to the test (in the dub, he believes Crowler is impressed by him). As he moves to draw, he hears something. He draws, and sees it is "Winged Kuriboh". The picture on the card moves and winks at him. Jaden says he'll believe in him and Normal Summons it in Defense Position. Jaden Sets a card to end his turn.

Crowler says that Kuriboh may be a rare card, but it's only low-Level monster. He states that the fact it's in Defense Position matters not - it will still take piercing damage. He states that a small fry monster befits a smallfry like Jaden well (in the dub, he states Jaden made a good move, but it won't matter. Crowler is a "master technician). Crowler draws, and then attacks "Winged Kuriboh" with "Ancient Gear Golem". It's destroyed, and Jaden apologizes to "Winged Kuriboh", while Crowler questions why Jaden's LP didn't decrease (in the dub, he tells Jaden to "check his gear", implying he believed that Jaden's Duel Disk was broken). Jaden reveals that on the turn "Winged Kuriboh" is destroyed, all damage he takes becomes 0. Alexis is surprised that Crowler didn't know what the effect of "Winged Kuriboh" was, and Zane responds that there are some places that even the professors can't reach and that the Dueling world is boundless (in the dub, Zane calls the effect an "obscure technique" so it's believable that Crowler would not know it). Alexis says that that's why Dueling is so interesting. Crowler asks if that was the small fry monster's effect, and Jaden tells him he'll pay for insulting the friend who put his life on the line to protect him. Crowler asks why there would be a problem with him calling a throw-away monster a smallfry (he calls him "lame" in the dub). Jaden responds that the shriek of "Winged Kuriboh" is what will signal his other monsters to action. He activates his face-down "Hero Signal", Special Summoning what he calls his second "Elemental HERO" - "Burstinatrix". It appears in Attack Position (in the dub, he is less eloquent and simply activates the card).

Jaden begins his turn, drawing "Skyscraper". Jaden tells Kuriboh he's held on tight to the encouragement he gave him. He says that "Avian" will use his unyielding fighting spirit to come back from the dead, playing "The Warrior Returning Alive" to return "Avian" to his hand (in the dub, he simply explains the effect and plays the card). He then Normal Summons him in Attack Position. Crowler asks what good Jaden's fragile comic book Heroes will do - they're only Normal Monsters. Jaden states that "Avian" and "Burstinatrix" are only their temporary Normal Monster forms. He tells Crowler he'll be surprised to see their true form and activates "Polymerization" (in the dub, Crowler calls the Summoning of "Avian" an amateur mistake and Jaden simply says he wasn't done yet). He fuses "Avian" and "Burstinatrix" to Fusion Summon "Elemental HERO Flame Wingman" in Attack Position, which he calls his favorite card. Bastion says that "Flame Wingman" can only be Summoned via fusion and that its effect will inflict damage to the opponent equal to the ATK of any monster it destroys by battle. Syrus says that that may be true, but its ATK is still less than that of "Ancient Gear Golem". Bastion says that if Jaden is really #1, he'll work something out. Syrus responds that he'll actually be #110 (in the dub, Bastion calls Jaden and Syrus friends, and Syrus asks if they really seemed like friends). Crowler offers to give Jaden a special lecture. He states that cards like that are useless in this Duel and that Jaden would do well to remember that. Jaden says he'll be the one to teach Crowler something. Heroes have their own battle arena fit for them. He activates the Field Spell Card "Skyscraper". Skyscrapers rise around the Duel field, with "Flame Wingman" floating at the top of one of them, its arms folded. Jaden says that the stage is set and attacks "Ancient Gear Golem" with "Flame Wingman". Crowler explains that their ATKs are not even close. "Flame Wingman" dives towards "Ancient Gear Golem" and Jaden quips that Heroes always win. He reveals that "Skyscraper" increases the ATK of "Elemental HERO" monsters that battle with monsters that have higher ATK by 1000. "Flame Wingman" is engulfed in flames as it completes its dive, destroying "Ancient Gear Golem". Jaden tells Crowler that he'll now take damage equal to the ATK of "Ancient Gear Golem". Thus, Crowler's LP fall to 0 and "Ancient Gear Golem" literally falls apart on top of him. Jaden points at Crowler with two fingers and says "Gotcha!", telling Crowler that he thought the Duel was fun. Chazz's eyes pop, shocked that Crowler was just beaten by an examinee (in the dub, he states it must have been dumb luck). Alexis says that Jaden is pretty interesting, and Zane simply walks away (in the dub, she says that Jaden has a future at Duel Academy). Syrus cheers for Jaden, and Bastion thinks that Jaden may be a great rival. Jaden jumps around cheering, and then pulls out "Winged Kuriboh", telling it he'll be counting on it, and calling it "partner". Kuriboh winks in response.

### First Day

The new first year students arrived at Duel Academy via helicopter. They were gathered in the auditorium, where they met Chancellor Sheppard. Sheppard congratulated them on their acceptance into Duel Academy and told them to settle into their assigned dorms. Both Jaden and Syrus were assigned to the Slifer Red dorm, while Bastion was placed in Ra Yellow. Jaden and Syrus arrived at their dorm, with Syrus thinking that the building looks rundown, while Jaden commented that it provides a great view of the ocean. They found the top bunk of the room already occupied by Chumley Huffington, who explained that he was held back last year. He explained how the dorm system works: The Obelisk Blue dorm is reserved for "elite" students who do very well on their entrance exams and have inside connections, while the Ra Yellow dorm is the middle-ground, housing students with successful exams. Finally, the Slifer Red dorm is where new students are placed, that the Academy feels have little potential.

Afterward, Jaden and Syrus walked around the school a bit, and found the Duel arena where students can practice their dueling skills. Two Obelisk students named Taiyou Torimaki and Raizou Mototani were telling them to get lost because the arena is only to be used by Obelisk Blue students, but then one recognized Jaden as the student who beat Dr. Crowler. He called for Chazz Princeton, the Obelisk Blue who watched Jaden Duel as well. Chazz bragged that Jaden wouldn’t stand a chance against him in a Duel, but Alexis Rhodes intervened, commenting that they would be late for their welcoming dinners, which ended up occurring.

That night, each of the dorms had their own dinner. The Obelisks and Ras had a five-course meal, while the Slifers hardly had anything. They were then introduced to the headmaster, Professor Banner and his cat Pharaoh, and then ate. Jaden later received a message from Chazz on his PDA, telling Jaden to meet him in the Duel arena for an Ante Duel. Jaden, along with Syrus, sneaked out to the arena to confront Chazz. Chazz was confident that he'll win, as he was the top student at his prep school.

The Duel was interrupted by Alexis, who warned them that security is en route, as having a Duel after-hours in the arena is against the rules. The Duel ended prematurely and everyone sneaked out. Jaden revealed to Alexis he had just drawn "Monster Reborn", which he would have used to revive his "Elemental HERO Flame Wingman" and to attack Chazz's "Mefist the Infernal General" to win the Duel. He is correct, as Chazz only had "Helpoemer" and "Pandemonium Watchbear" in his hand, neither of which would have changed the outcome.

### Girls' Bath

In Dr. Crowler's class, he quizzed the first year students on game mechanics. Alexis Rhodes successfully named all of the card types in Duel Monsters, while Syrus Truesdale failed to explain how Field Spell Cards work, much to the amusement of Chazz Princeton and worry of Bastion Misawa.

Crowler commented that he wasn't expecting any more from a "drop-out boy". ("Slifer slacker" in the dub.) Syrus felt embarrassed about what he did, but Jaden Yuki defended Syrus by reminding Crowler that Jaden defeated him. Crowler was infuriated about what Jaden did. Later during Lyman Banner's class, Syrus thanked Jaden for giving him that support.

Later, Crowler wrote a fake love letter and placed it in what he believed was Jaden's locker, but turned out to be Syrus'. Syrus read the note and believed that Alexis was in love with him. The letter said to meet her behind the girl’s dormitory at midnight.

Meanwhile, Crowler hid in the bushes behind the dormitory. He planned to take a picture of Jaden trespassing and breaking school rules, so that he would be expelled. (This is because the girls were bathing.)

Alexis and her roommates Mindy and Jasmine were in an outdoor bath, discussing male students, though Alexis did not seem interested in the conversation. (In the dub she showed interest in Jaden and swimsuits are added.)

While outside, Syrus showed up and Crowler was disappointed to find out that his plan backfired. The girls caught Syrus and he explained to Alexis about the letter. It was obvious to her that someone set Syrus up, but she decided to use the situation to her advantage.

Meanwhile, Jaden received an anonymous e-mail saying to come to the girl’s dorm if he wants to see Syrus again. Jaden came and Alexis challenged him to a Duel. If he lost, Alexis bluffed she'd report them to the chancellor. Jaden agreed and was ready to duel. Although Alexis gives Jaden a hard time with her Cyber Angels, Jaden uses "Thunder Giant" to attack directly and thus win the duel.

Following her loss, Alexis kept up her end of the deal and let the two friends go. Jaden hoped to duel Alexis again sometime, especially since it was such a close duel. It is revealed in Alexis' thoughts that that she would not have reported Jaden to the chancellor even if she did win. Mindy and Jasmine begin to suspect that Alexis might have a crush on Jaden. This is not present in the Japanese version, where Alexis simply described Jaden by the ambiguous term "interesting".

### Test

A fleet of naval vessels was making its way towards Duel Academy, with the captain of the lead vessel stating that they were delivering a new batch of cards for the Academy's card shop.

It's also the day of promotion exams. Students of the same dorm duelled each other, with the winner possibly being allowed to advance to the next dorm up. A written test came first, then the practical exam. Jaden Yuki was late for the exam, and encountered an old woman attempting to push her van up the hill towards Duel Academy. He stopped to aid her. The new cards arrived; however, all but one pack was bought by a single individual. The owner of the card shop, Ms. Dorothy, gave Jaden a few cards she saved as repayment for helping her with her van earlier.

The person who bought all the cards was Dr. Crowler. He decided to give the cards to Chazz Princeton, and revealed that he will pull some strings so that Jaden and Chazz will face each other in the practical exams rather than someone from their own dorms. The Duel began with Chazz gaining an early advantage with the "VWXYZ" series, while Jaden played defensively. Ultimately, Jaden won using Winged Kuriboh (which had all the girls infatuated by his cuteness) and the "Transcendent Wings" card he got from Ms. Dorothy, which lets him evolve "Winged Kuriboh" into "Winged Kuriboh LV10". Chancellor Sheppard intended to promote Jaden to Ra Yellow for his impressive win, but he declined, preferring to stay in Slifer Red with his friends instead.

## Part 3

### The Invasion

Upon their arrival, the Saiyans Nappa and Vegeta immediately destroy the city they landed in. Vegeta, wanting to find the Dragon Balls, uses his scouter to determine the location of the strongest warrior on the planet, whom he presumes to be the one who killed Raditz. They head off towards Piccolo and Gohan. Piccolo and Gohan sense the incoming powers, as well as several smaller ones, who turn out to be Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu. The Saiyans arrive. When Krillin arrives, Nappa and Vegeta also reveal that they came to Earth to use the Dragon Balls for immortality.

The Saiyans recognize Piccolo as being a Namekian. This revelation about his true origin shocks Piccolo for a while, with Kami also realizing that his creating the Dragon Balls was some kind of racial memory from his Namekian heritage. Nappa decides to let Saibamen beat up the fighters first, and plants seeds in the ground, which sprout and become six small green aliens. Tien fights one first, and easily bests it. Upon seeing this, Vegeta deduces that the fighters are concealing their power and easily destroys the defenseless Saibaman for its incompetence. Yamcha goes after another Saibaman, and seemingly defeats it with a Kamehameha. However, it instantly stands up again and latches on to him and self-destructs, killing both of them. An enraged Krillin snaps and launches a devastating Expanding Energy Wave blast that splits off into six separate blasts, one for each remaining Saibaman and one for each of the two Saiyans.

The blast manages to kill three Saibamen immediately, Piccolo destroys one that hid from the blast and tried to attack Gohan. Vegeta and Nappa also survive the blast unscathed. Nappa then decides to step up and battle the Z Fighters himself. Vegeta tells Nappa not to kill Piccolo, as that would probably cease the Namek from revealing the location of the Dragon Balls as well (they are under the belief that he is the only one who knows of the Dragon Balls). Nappa goes on the offensive, powering up a great deal and choosing Tien at random to attack. He actually knocks off Tien's arm, causing him extreme pain. Krillin tries to rescue his friend, but Nappa stops him by firing a powerful attack straight in front of him. Nappa, distracted, fails to notice Chiaotzu coming up behind him. Chiaotzu attaches onto Nappa and self-destructs, much to Tien's dismay. When the smoke clears, Nappa remains, with no harm to him. Chiaotzu sacrificed himself for nothing.

Tien, enraged, goes into an all-out attack against Nappa, who blocks all his attacks like nothing. Piccolo tells the others that once Nappa goes to the offensive, he will be unguarded, and they will sneak up and attack. The plan goes well until Gohan chickens out at the last second and runs away. Piccolo and Krillin, pretty much the only ones left, continue to fight Nappa, but are no match, even together. Tien, who is only alive through pure willpower, however, puts all of his energy into a final attack, a one-handed Tri-Beam. Unfortunately, this fails, and Nappa survives with only his armor damaged. Tien, who literally put his life into the attack, dies.

### Artificial Krityan

Nappa prepares to make the kill on all three, however Vegeta, who had remained on the sidelines, halts him. Vegeta has deduced that "Goku" is Kakarot, and wants Nappa to wait three hours for Goku to arrive to provide punishment for the "traitor", planning to continue the fight afterwards regardless of whether or not Goku is there. Nappa reluctantly agrees, much to the puzzlement of the remaining fighters, as Nappa is much larger in stature than the diminutive Vegeta. Goku, who had been flying down Snake Way for two straight days, finally reaches the end of the road. Kami appears to transport Goku back to Earth, and on his way to the battlefield, he receives two Senzu Beans from Korin, eats one of them himself to regain his strength, and rides the Flying Nimbus towards the action to conserve energy. Unfortunately, the three hours are up.

The remaining fighters formulate a plan to weaken Nappa by grabbing his tail, as Goku had done with Raditz. This ultimately fails, when Nappa reveals that elite Saiyans have learned to overcome the weakness of the tail. He then hits Piccolo on the head when Piccolo learns that it is hopeless. Piccolo is rendered unconscious, and Nappa attacks Gohan and Krillin for a while. Piccolo regains consciousness and exclaims that Goku is coming. Vegeta's scouter picks up Goku's power level to be 5000, which shock the two Saiyans. Vegeta knows that since the Fighters have the ability to change their power as they see fit, 5000 is most likely the lowest power that Goku is exerting.

Vegeta then orders Nappa to kill everyone before Goku arrives, as a team attack might prove to be a disadvantage. When Nappa argues about the Dragon Balls, Vegeta tells Nappa about the existence of Dragon Balls on Piccolo's home planet, Namek. Gohan urges Piccolo to escape as his death would mean the end of the Dragon Balls on Earth and subsequently kicks Nappa in the head, sending him crashing into a cliff wall. However, he only succeeds in making Nappa angrier. The enraged Nappa launches his powerful Bomber DX at Gohan, but before it hits, Piccolo jumps in the way and takes the blast full force, killing him. Before his death Piccolo admits with tears in his eyes how he had enjoyed training with Gohan and how his innocence made him soft, leading up to the events of him eventually sacrificing his life for the boy. Up above Earth, Kami vanishes as well, as his being is linked with Piccolo's due to their history. Gohan's rage explodes and he fires his Masenko at Nappa, who blocks it. This surprises Vegeta, considering that Gohan's power level upped from a low 981 to 2,800. However, finishing the attack leaves Gohan helpless. Fortunately, Goku arrives just in time.

### Low Teir Rookie

Goku splits up the remaining Senzu Bean and gives a piece each to Krillin and Gohan. Nappa asks Vegeta what his scouter says about Goku's power level. Vegeta responds that "It's over 8,000!!!" ("IT'S OVER 9000" in the Ocean Dub), destroying his scouter in a fit of rage. After realizing that everyone else is dead, Goku gets angry and begins fighting Nappa. Nappa is no match for Goku, and Vegeta orders him to back down. Nappa complies but decides to take out Krillin and Gohan instead. Goku cannot catch up to Nappa and uses the Kaiō-ken technique to ram into Nappa, breaking his back and rendering him useless. Goku throws Nappa at Vegeta's feet.

When Krillin asks him what he did, Goku replies that Kaio-ken utilizes all the potential energy within him and multiplies his reflexes, speed, senses, and power. However, Goku then comments that Kaio-ken's weakness is that it damages his body if multiplied to an extent he cannot handle, and this might even kill him by causing him to explode with the pressure. Nappa begs for mercy, but Vegeta throws him up into the air, and destroys him with a single concentrated blast. Goku tells Gohan and Krillin to return to Kame House and they say their farewells as Vegeta then sets his sights on Goku.

### Fight between Natural and Artificial Krityan

Goku tells Vegeta that he wants to fight elsewhere so as to not destroy the bodies of his friends. They head off to a desert, while Gohan and Krillin fly back towards the Kame House. Vegeta implies that not many low-class warriors like Goku get to spar with the elite like Vegeta, but Goku replies that even a lower-class reject can surpass the elite if he tries hard enough. Goku and Vegeta begin to fight and appear to be evenly matched. Vegeta tells Goku to release his hidden power, to which Goku complies. He engages the Kaio-ken, however Vegeta manages to defend against it. Vegeta powers up a great deal himself, and Goku uses the Kaio-ken x2, however, he still is not a match for Vegeta. Finally, Goku concentrates all of his energy into a Kaio-ken x3, raising his power level to over 24,000, which worries King Kai.

In this form, Goku gains the upper hand, and forces Vegeta to use one of his signature attacks. Flying straight up into the air, Vegeta powers up and unleashes his Galick Gun at Goku and the earth. Unable to move for fear of letting the blast hit the earth, Goku charges up to Kaio-ken x3 again and launches his own Kamehameha at Vegeta. The two blasts collide intensely, and Goku finally gains the upper hand by stepping up his Kaio-ken to x4. The Kamehameha overpowers Vegeta, who goes flying into the air. However, this leaves Goku's body devastated.

Yajirobe, who had been hiding nearby the entire time, comes out to congratulate Goku, however when Goku says Vegeta is not defeated, he quickly hides again. Up in the air, Vegeta is enraged that Goku was able to surpass him and decides to transform into a Great Ape, however he discovers that the moon is gone. He flies back down to the ground and creates a Power Ball, that simulates a small moon at the cost of a significant amount of Ki. Vegeta then transforms into a Great Ape, however, unlike Goku or Gohan, he is able to remain in control of his body. Vegeta states that when a Saiyan transforms into a Great Ape, it multiplies their power ten-fold, and thus attacks Goku mercilessly.

### Artificial Giga Wolf

During this time, a shocked Goku has an extended flashback of his adoptive grandfather warning him of a monster outside during a full moon, Kami contemplating cutting his tail off, and finally remembers himself as a Great Ape destroying both Emperor Pilaf's castle and the stadium at the World Martial Arts Tournament, realizing that he was the one who destroyed both and crushed his grandpa to death. Goku manages to blind Vegeta with a Solar Flare and then attempts to create a Spirit Bomb, however Vegeta discovers it and shoots a Mouth Blast at him, causing him to lose most of the Spirit Bomb energy. Then he crushes Goku's legs, leaving him paralyzed and unable to fight, and proceeds to crush him in his gigantic hands. Gohan and Krillin notice the strange power ball and rush back to aid Goku.

Upon arriving, Gohan distracts Vegeta while Krillin uses his Destructo Disc to try and cut off Vegeta's tail. Vegeta senses the attack and dodges it. Yajirobe, however, proves himself to be useful by cutting off Vegeta's tail himself. Vegeta reverts to normal and is obviously upset. Vegeta decides to attack Gohan, but Krillin intervenes, and is quickly disposed of. Goku calls Krillin over to him and tells Gohan to fight Vegeta. Gohan holds his own but is clearly outclassed. Goku hands off the remaining energy he gathered in forming the Spirit Bomb to Krillin, and King Kai tells him telepathically to throw the Spirit Bomb at Vegeta when the moment is right. Vegeta backs Gohan into a corner, and Krillin is about to throw it, however Yajirobe yells at Krillin for waiting so long. Vegeta hears this and manages to avoid the Spirit Bomb, and it heads right towards Gohan. Goku telepathically yells for Gohan to bounce it off, since the ball cannot hurt those who are pure of heart. Gohan succeeds, and sends the ball hurling back at Vegeta, who, having just evaded it once, has no time to react a second time. The ball hits him squarely and he is sent back into the air again.

Gohan and Krillin gather around the paralyzed Goku. Suddenly, Vegeta's body falls from the sky. Krillin comments that he's dead, although Vegeta is indeed still alive, albeit with power greatly diminished. Vegeta attempts to defeat everyone with a giant energy explosion, but it does little and only leaves him drained. He goes after Gohan when he realizes to his horror that Gohan's tail has grown back. Fearing what would happen if Gohan were to look at the Power Ball he created, Vegeta attempts to kill Gohan.

Yajirobe attacks the Saiyan with his sword, but this only distracts Vegeta for a moment, and Vegeta lashes out at the cowardly Yajirobe, knocking him into some mountains. Goku, telepathically, tells Gohan to look at the sky, which Gohan does, much to Vegeta's dismay. Gohan transforms into a Great Ape, and, while initially attacking everything, begins to concentrate only on Vegeta with his father's voice. After a beating from Great Ape Gohan, Vegeta manages to cut off Gohan's tail with a Destructo Disc, however he has no energy left to move out of the way of the de-transforming ape and is crushed by Gohan.

When the dust clears, Krillin is the only one left capable of moving. He grabs Yajirobe's katana that he dropped earlier, and staggers over to Vegeta, determined to stop him and put him down. Barely alive, Vegeta calls for his ship using a control remote, however, Krillin gets to him before it arrives. Krillin is just about to kill Vegeta when Goku telepathically tells Krillin to spare him. In an emotional scene, Goku convinces Krillin to let Vegeta live because he had never fought someone so strong, and this made him more excited than scared. Because of this, Goku desires to have a rematch with him someday; he also expresses a belief that Vegeta may learn mercy and reform as Piccolo did. Though understandably skeptical, Krillin ultimately decides to trust Goku's judgment and lets Vegeta go. Vegeta vows to make Goku regret sparing him before he departs.