Akira Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction / Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Chaos Academy ❯ Yugi & the 7 Cells ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Disclaimer: All characters belong to their respective owners.

Author's Note: Due to popular demand, the next installment is here.

<...> are thoughts.

Chaos Academy 2: Yugi & The 7 Cells


Vegeta woke up feeling grumpier than usual. Something about the air was wrong, and it didn't suit him.

He considered staying in bed, but once Ryoko began to snore again, he sighed and forced himself to his feet. Only then did he hear the voices. Two merry, childish, somewhat annoying voices. Normally, he wouldn't care, but Vegeta was already pissed, so he figured the annoyance required at least some investigation on his part. If he was lucky, he might manage to ruin someone else's day in the process.

Vegeta frowned and slowly made it to the bathroom, only bumping into the wall once or twice along the way. He threw some ice-cold water on his face and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Then he headed for the kitchen.

The mixture of several scents hit him just before the reached the doorway. Pancakes. Bacon. Eggs. Chocolate. Leftover Chinese food. That brown substance Washu had sworn wasn't fit even for Saiyan consumption. And soy sauce, of all things.

Then there was the singing.

Vegeta closed his eyes, muttered a silent wish that he wouldn't scream upon facing the impending terror, and stepped into the kitchen.

The first thing he saw was the table. It was mostly hidden in a pile of empty Chinese food cartons, egg shells, pancake mix boxes, syrup bottles, candy bar wrappers, and other things.

<It's her. I KNOW it's her.>

He turned slightly.

<I knew it.>

The source of the mess suddenly became very clear. Yugi was standing before the stove, cooking...something. That was the best word he could think of. Naturally, since she was too short to reach the stove, she was standing on a stack of phone books, which were piled in a chair. The chair was being held in place by Sabrina, or rather, her telekinetic powers. Sabrina herself was actually busy attempting to scrape a dripping substance from the ceiling. Although she wasn't standing on anything, unless you counted air itself.

Vegeta sucked in some air, trying to think of what he should say first.

Sabrina glanced at him, offered a quick grin, and then tapped Yugi's forehead with one of her bare feet. She had a habit of going shoeless, something that annoyed most people to no end. Vegeta just thought it was weird.

Yugi stopped singing and finally looked up, giving him one of her irresistibly cute and undeniably precious smiles. "Vegeta, you're up!"

Vegeta's reply was a grunt. His eyes shifted to whatever she was cooking.

"Oh, this? It's a new experiment. You get to help."

That, of course, meant he got the unfortunate pleasure of actually TASTING whatever was in the pan. Lately, Yugi was treating him more like a guinea pig than Washu ever had.

Not wanting to think about it, he glanced at the mess Sabrina was cleaning up.

Yugi followed his gaze. "That? It's the funniest thing, y'know."

Somehow, whenever Yugi messed up, it was always..."funny."

"I was flipping the pancakes, and one of them hit the ceiling!" Yugi said this with her usual childish innocence, as if the idea of pancakes hitting the ceiling was totally impossible in her mind. "Anyway, Sabrina's getting it off."

"All done!" Sabrina announced. She floated to the floor and threw the wasted pancake mix in the trash.

"A question," Vegeta said slowly.

"Yes?" Yugi asked sweetly.

"What is it exactly that you're...cooking?"

"Wouldn't YOU like to know?" she teased.

"...you don't know, do you?" Vegeta guessed, a hint of fear slipping into his voice.

Yugi smirked. "Sabrina, tell him what's on the menu."

"Right!" Though not as powerful as Yugi's, Sabrina's smile was still good enough to make even Vegeta consider being nice for a change. "We have pancakes, bacon, and...um...omelets."

Vegeta arched an eyebrow. "Omelets," he repeated slowly.

"That's right," Sabrina confirmed.

He noticed that she hadn't mentioned the chocolate, the Chinese food, or the brown substance, which only made him more suspicious. "What's in the omelets, besides eggs?" Vegeta paused. "There ARE eggs in them?"

"Of course, silly!" Yugi replied. "I just added some things."

"Like?"

"Chicken-fried rice, and a little soy sauce for flavor."

Vegeta considered that for a moment. It didn't sound THAT bad. "What about the chocolate?"

Sabrina held up a plate of pancakes. Upon closer inspection, Vegeta could see what he hoped were chocolate dots in them.

Yugi frowned at him. "Honestly, V-Man. You act like we're trying to poison you!"

Vegeta stared at her for a long moment, then decided that he might as well die on a full stomach. With another grunt, he cleared a place at the table and sat down.

Sabrina instantly placed a plate in front of him. There was a stack of the chocolate pancakes, bacon, and an omelet, all of which actually smelled pretty good and looked edible enough.

<I suppose I could get Washu to pump my stomach later...>

"Hey, we made that stuff for eating, not staring!" Yugi stomped her foot, looking something like an angry pixie in overalls.

Of course, that only made Vegeta want to laugh, and he would have, if he wasn't so worried about her breakfast shortening his life span considerably. With a slightly trembling hand, he slowly raised a strip of bacon to his mouth and bit down on it.

* * * * *

Ryoko was slowly accepting the idea that no, Yugi was not just some bad dream, and yes, she was going to be staying, no matter what a certain girlfriend of Vegeta's thought.

However, ever since she'd first seen Yugi with Vegeta, Ryoko had sensed a slight...attraction between the two. Hardly on Vegeta's part, of course. He was as cold and unfeeling as he had always been. Towards everyone but Yugi, anyway. The girl was friendly to just about anyone, especially when it came to her Saiyan savior. She was getting a little too close for comfort in Ryoko's mind.

The only times Yugi left Vegeta's side was when she attended her Psychic Club meetings, or when she went out with Sabrina, and even then, Ryoko KNEW that the topic of most of their talks was Vegeta. Sabrina obviously had a huge crush on Vegeta, but this had yet to cause any friction between the two girls. If anything, their shared affection for the Saiyan only made their friendship stronger.

At any rate, Ryoko was extremely jealous of the girls, especially Yugi. She knew Vegeta only put up with Sabrina for Yugi's sake, but she still couldn't figure out why he cared so much about Yugi. Though he would never admit it to anyone, not even Yugi herself, Vegeta would protect the girl with his dying breath. Whether he would do the same for Ryoko, or anyone else, for that matter, was questionable and sometimes laughable.

So it was easy to see why Ryoko was upset when she walked into the kitchen. There was Sabrina, in her usual spot at the table. She appeared to be eating some sort of pancakes. Ryoko could handle that easily enough.

What she couldn't handle was the fact that Vegeta was also eating the pancakes. It wasn't that she hated breakfast foods or anything like that. It was that Yugi was sitting in his lap, actually feeding (or forcing) him the food.

"See?" Yugi said as Vegeta swallowed another bite. "It's good!"

Ryoko barely suppressed the urge to blast anything that moved. "Vegeta."

Vegeta looked at her and started to speak, but Yugi shoved more pancakes into his mouth before he could form a syllable.

"Would you like some breakfast, Ryoko?" Sabrina asked. "We have bacon and-"

"What do you think you're doing?" Ryoko interrupted, staring directly at Yugi.

"Making sure Vegeta stays healthy," Yugi replied, barely even looking at her. "He can't protect me if he doesn't eat right." She paused. "You can have some, too. There's plenty in the oven."

Ryoko hesitated, then pulled open the oven and grabbed a plate. Shooting another glare at Yugi, she sat across from Sabrina and began to eat.

Vegeta finally convinced Yugi that he was full and asked, "What happened to that brown stuff?"

Yugi made a face. "You mean the thing Washu-"

"Yes!"

"Oh, that. I made Sabrina throw it away."

Sabrina looked up from her plate. "Uh...about that. I...um..."

"What?!" Vegeta asked, his eyes widening in horror.

"I might have kinda sorta dropped it in one of the pancakes."

At that moment, Ryoko took her first bite of a pancake. She turned green, then collapsed to the floor.

"That's not going to make her like me much, is it?" Yugi asked, giving Vegeta a worried look.

"No, Yugi, I don't think it will."

* * * * *

Professor Washu was prepared for an incident, to say the least. After all, science and students just didn't mix well. At least, not at the Chaos Academy. Tetsuo was a perfect example. His last science project, "The Effects of Dark Matter on Hazardous Chemicals," had been fatal for anyone sitting too close. The more complicated the science was, the more destructive potential there was. So when Washu noticed that it was time for their study of time fluctuation, she took three aspirin just before her class began. That turned out to be a good idea.

Halfway into the class period, someone raised their hand. It was Yugi.

Washu closed her eyes, counted to ten, and slowly walked over to Yugi's desk. "What is it, Yugi?"

"Um...Professor Washu?" Yugi nibbled nervously on her little finger. "I messed up. Big time."

"How big, dear?" Washu asked, resisting the urge to scream.

"Well, you know how I was working on a time machine a second ago?"

Washu had figured that while Yugi was bright enough to construct a model of a time machine, she wouldn't be able to create a working one, so she'd approved the project. "Yes, Yugi, I remember."

"Um...it's gone now. What should I do?"

"What do you mean, it's gone?" Washu asked.

"It just...is," Yugi replied, shrugging helplessly. "I don't know where it is." Suddenly, her bottom lip began to tremble. "Am I gonna get an F?" she asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

Washu stroked the girl's hair reassuringly. "No, honey. Calm down. I'm sure we can work something out. Now, what were you doing when it disappeared?"

Yugi sniffled a bit. "I had just rewired the console, and I think I crossed the wrong wires."

Suddenly, the time machine reappeared, landing on the desk with a loud thump.

"Hey, it's back!" Yugi squealed, giving the machine a big hug.

"But where has it been?" Washu asked.

"That's a good question." Yugi pressed a button on the side and waited.

Nothing happened.

"That's funny. It's supposed to open when I do that."

"I keep a crowbar in my office in case of emergencies. Come on, let's go get it."

After Washu and Yugi left the room, the time machine gave a loud hiss as it slowly opened. A small, pale hand emerged and gripped the side, and a sinister, inhuman giggle came from within.

* * * * *

"So when you came back, it was open?" Sabrina asked.

"Yeah, but nothing was inside." Yugi closed her eyes.

The five wooden boards in front of her suddenly snapped in half.

Sabrina checked her watch. "Three seconds. You're getting faster."

"I could do better," Yugi muttered.

"And you will," said a voice behind her.

Yugi gasped as a thin hand came to rest on her shoulder. She looked up, then sighed in relief. "Oh, it's just you, Tetsuo."

Tetsuo smiled. "I see you're still practicing with wood."

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked.

"I expected you to be on solid steel by now."

"Steel?" she repeated, a blank look on her face.

"Shall I demonstrate?"

"No, that's okay!" Yugi said quickly. "I believe you. I just...um...need more practice."

Tetsuo nodded and vanished.

"Maybe you should move on, my friend," Sabrina suggested. "We can start with spoons, just like I did."

Yugi shook her head. "I can't concentrate right now, Sabrina.

"Would a snack help? I think I can find where Ryoko hid the cookies."

"I guess," Yugi muttered with a sigh.

The two girls walked into the house.

"Hey, Yugi? Why is it whenever we come to Washu's house, we end up in Ryoko's room?"

"Oh, that? Washu said she had some kinda portal hooked up to Ryoko's room. She's got one hooked up to Vegeta's room, too, but he doesn't sleep in there anymore."

Sabrina stared at her friend. "So...even though their dorm rooms are in two different buildings...we can get to both of them by coming here?"

Yugi nodded. "I know it sounds weird, but Washu's really smart and she can do stuff like that."

"Oh. Well, I'll go look for the cookies."

As Sabrina headed for the kitchen, Yugi wandered into the living room, where she found Vegeta sitting on the couch. He was watching something on TV. Not having anything better to do, Yugi climbed into his lap. "What are we watching?"

"The news," he replied.

Yugi turned her attention to the TV.

"This is John Johnson, live from the WUSS newsroom, where we have continuing coverage of the strange but destructive events happening all over town. Now we go to Don Donaldson, who is in the field. Don?"

"Thanks, John! I'm standing here outside what used to be Sadistic Stadium. Police are saying that around 10:35 this morning, the structure collapsed because of weak supports. However, witnesses say that the destruction was caused by, believe it or not, seven green midgets!"

"Midgets, Don?"

"That's right, John! Midgets!"

Vegeta glanced at Yugi. "Have you been committing random acts of violence without permission again?"

"No, of course not! I was still in class with Washu at 10:35. You can ask her when she gets home."

Vegeta grunted. "Well, you are pretty short, but you aren't green...although that friend of yours has green hair."

"Sabrina didn't do it. Besides, she's only one person."

Vegeta didn't say anything else, but he kept giving her suspicious looks.

* * * * *

Around 1:15 AM, Vegeta was awakened by a series of frightened screams. As soon as he recognized them as Yugi's, any sort of grogginess instantly faded away. He flew from Ryoko's bedroom like a man possessed, charging down the hall with a speed he'd never known before. Within seconds, he reached his old room and ran inside.

Yugi was lying in the center of the bed, curled up in the fetal position with a blanket wrapped around her body. Her blue eyes were wide with fear, and large drops of sweat rolled off her forehead. She was shaking like a leaf in the wind.

Vegeta walked over to the bed and carefully lifted her in his arms. Yugi instantly clung to him, burying her head against his chest as if she was trying to burrow through him. Vegeta gently stroked her hair until she calmed down. "What happened?" he asked quietly.

"N-Nightmare," Yugi muttered, starting to shake again.

"Tell me about it."

She hesitated, then whimpered. "The voices. They kept calling my name!"

"What did they want?"

Yugi shook her head. "Don't know. They kept asking for my help, but they were so scary!"

"You just had a bad dream, Yugi. That's all."

"NO!" she cried. "They were REAL! I heard them! You have to believe me!" Her eyes locked on his face, as if trying to express her desperation.

Vegeta smiled thinly and held her close. "It only seemed real. It was just a dream."

"But-"

"A dream," he insisted, pressing a finger to her lips. "You'll be fine."

"No! Don't leave me alone, Vegeta! Please!" Tears started to form in her eyes, and Yugi threw her arms around his neck. "Please don't leave me!" she pleaded. "I'm scared!"

Vegeta hugged her tightly. "I have a championship game tomorrow, Yugi. I can't stay up with you all night."

Yugi whimpered again and sniffled.

Vegeta closed his eyes and sighed. "What if I called Sabrina and convinced her to stay instead? Would you like that?"

She nodded.

"Good. You stay here while I call her."

"NO! I can't be alone!" Yugi nearly screamed.

"Fine! Just be quiet before you wake Ryoko!"

Yugi piped down, and Vegeta quickly made the call. Ten minutes later, Sabrina walked in with a large pillow. Vegeta then detached Yugi from his neck and attached her to Sabrina, who didn't seem to mind Yugi's death grip as much.

Sabrina led Yugi back to the bedroom. "I've never seen you like this, my friend. Could the dream have been that bad?"

"I don't care what Vegeta says. I heard those voices, Sabrina. They're real!"

"Yugi, I really don't think so. It sounds like you had a-"

Suddenly, there was a giggle from the corner of the room.

"Did you do that?" Sabrina asked.

Yugi shook her head.

Both girls looked at each other, then dove under the blankets.

* * * * *

Ryoko smirked. "I say you're both crazy."

Yugi glared at her from Vegeta's lap. "I know what I heard, Ryoko. Sabrina heard them, too!"

"I have a theory," Washu said. "I think Yugi's time machine, the voices she heard, and the chaotic events all over town are related."

"How?" Sabrina asked.

"Maybe Yugi's time machine actually worked. Maybe it traveled into the past and/or future, where some creature climbed inside and made it back here. Maybe that creature ventured out and destroyed anything in its path. Maybe that creature was in Yugi's room last night."

Yugi's eyes widened, and she clung to Vegeta's neck tightly.

"Don't give her any ideas, Washu," Vegeta muttered, losing some of his circulation.

"But what does it want from me?" Yugi asked.

"Guess we'll have to find out," Washu replied, a mysterious look on her face.

Yugi whimpered and buried her face in Vegeta's shirt. "You won't let it eat me, will you, Vegeta?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Maybe you should give it one of your killer pancakes."

"Nothing living deserves that kind of cruelty," Ryoko muttered.

* * * * *

"And you say they called your name?" Tetsuo asked.

Yugi nodded. "Vegeta said it was a dream, but Sabrina heard them, too!"

"I did," Sabrina agreed. "They sounded scary, but they were asking for Yugi's help."

"Interesting," Tetsuo said. "Well, I think Washu might be right. Perhaps you should ask Professor Tomoe to examine the time machine for traces of foreign DNA. It might be possible to identify the creature...or creatures."

"We thought of that," Sabrina replied. "He's analyzing it right now."

* * * * *

Prof. Tomoe frowned. "There's good news and bad, Vegeta."

"Good first."

"Well, the good news is that so far, I've identified several traces of DNA, all of which I'm familiar with. I've found Namekian, Saiyan, Human, and Changeling, among others. The bad news is that I can't figure out what it all means."

"So it's possible that four or more creatures were in this time machine?" Vegeta asked.

"Either that, or whatever was inside is going through a serious identity crisis."

* * * * *

Sabrina was just leaving the girl's bathroom when something grabbed her wrist. She turned around to stare into a pale face surrounded by what appeared to be an army fatigue helmet.

"You," it whispered. "You have her scent!"

"Excuse me?" Sabrina asked.

"Are you...The Cutie Pie?"

Sabrina blinked. "...no?"

The creature growled in frustration. "But you have her scent! You have been in contact with her!"

"WHO?" Sabrina asked.

"The Cutie Pie!"

Sabrina gradually put two and two together. "OH! Um...follow me, then."

"Hold it right there, you two!"

Sabrina looked up to see Mistress Nine, Professor Tomoe's teaching assistant, leaning over them. "Oh. Hi, Miss Nine."

"Sabrina, I do believe we've talked about your tardiness before."

"Yes, but I have a good excuse this time!"

Mistress Nine noticed the thing behind her. "What...is that?"

"Him? Oh, he's...my second cousin! From Mars! Exchange student!" Sabrina smiled hopefully. "I was just showing him around."

"I see. Proceed."

Sabrina sighed in relief and started to pull the creature away.

"Oh, Sabrina? What's your cousin's name?"

Sabrina froze. "Um...what?"

"His name. What is it?" Mistress Nine repeated.

Sabrina drew a total blank. "I...um...his name? It's...uh..."

"CJ," the creature growled.

"CJ?" Mistress Nine looked fairly suspicious. "You're from Mars, and your name is...CJ?"

"It's short for...um..." Sabrina looked at the creature helplessly.

"Cyclatorian Janissiper," it replied.

"Right!" Sabrina grinned. "See?! A Martian name!"

Mistress Nine didn't look too convinced. However, she quickly walked away, intending to head straight to the class rosters. She'd never heard of any Martians enrolled in the academy. Mostly because there were none, but she wasn't sure of that. At least, she wouldn't be until she'd gone through every single file. But by then, of course, it would be too late.

"I don't like her," CJ muttered. "Now, take me to the Cutie Pie at once, female!"

"Okay, calm down, CJ. And my name is Sabrina."

"Quickly, Sabrina-female! This matter is of great importance!"

Sabrina rolled her eyes. "I hope you're not really a Martian, because you're giving them a bad name if you are."

CJ frowned a bit, but resisted the urge to blast her. First, the Sabrina-female would lead him to the Cutie Pie. THEN he would blast her, and it would be fun. Very much fun, indeed.

* * * * *

Yugi was eating her lunch when a strange...person appeared across the table from her.

"Are you the Cutie Pie?" he asked.

"I've been called that a few times," Yugi admitted. "You are?"

"CJ," it replied. "I have been searching for you."

"Okay." Yugi offered him half of her sandwich. "It's tuna."

CJ took the sandwich and stared at it.

"You eat it. Like this." Yugi finished the rest of her half.

CJ watched intently, then did as she did, only much louder, and with crumbs flying out of his mouth.

"You're a weird kid," Yugi said. "But at least you're nice. What planet are you from?"

CJ hesitated. "Earth," he said finally.

"No offense, but you don't look anything like an Earthling."

"I was born on Earth," he explained. "I'm actually an android."

"Cool!" Yugi grinned. "Can you shoot lasers and stuff?"

CJ raised his hand. Instantly, the back wall of the lunchroom vanished in a huge explosion.

"Forget the time machine! YOU'RE my new project!" Yugi grabbed CJ's hand and dragged him towards Washu's classroom. She had just reached the door when she bumped into Sabrina, who was doing the exact same thing.

"Yugi, this guy's been looking for you. His name is CJ." Sabrina pointed to the creature behind her, who looked exactly like Yugi's CJ.

"This just got weird." Yugi stared at the two androids. "Which is which?"

"I am CJ7," the one next to Yugi replied.

"I am CJ1," the other said.

"So where are the other five?" Sabrina asked.

There was a crash inside Washu's classroom.

"I think we just found them." Yugi peered inside, where Vegeta, Ryoko, Washu, Garlic, and Tetsuo were trying to control five more CJs. They weren't having much luck.

"Can't you do something about them?" Sabrina asked CJ1.

CJ1 walked into the room and whistled. The other CJs quickly lined up in front of him.

"That was easy," Yugi muttered. "So you guys are brothers?"

"Yes," CJ7 replied.

"And you're all named CJ?"

"Correct," CJ1 answered.

"How can you tell who is who?" Sabrina asked.

CJ1 raised his foot. There was a large 1 stamped on the bottom.

"You know these things?" Vegeta asked, looking more confused than angry.

"We just met," Yugi replied.

"So these are the things from the time machine. I thought they'd be...bigger," Washu said.

"Just be glad they aren't." Ryoko frowned. "Little punks are tough enough as it is."

"At least they're not destroying things anymore." Yugi turned to the androids. "So why were you guys blowing up stuff?"

Six little android heads dropped in shame, and CJ7 spoke up, his voice trembling. "Papa was mad at us. He said we had to learn how to become real bad guys, so he sent us back here to find the Cutie Pie. He said she would teach us how to be truly evil."

"Hate to tell you this, guys, but I'm just learning myself," Yugi admitted. "Right now, you're about as evil as I am."

"You mean...you can't teach us?" CJ1 asked in disbelief. "But you're the Cutie Pie! You MUST teach us! We can't go back until we're evil!"

"Hold on," Washu interrupted. "Maybe she can't teach you, but this is the perfect school for anyone who wants to be evil. You boys should enroll here."

CJ7 looked at Yugi questioningly.

"She's right. You could even stay with me while you're here."

Vegeta's eyes widened in alarm, and Ryoko frowned.

"She makes an interesting point, brothers," one of the CJs said. "We have nowhere else to go."

CJ1 nodded. "Very well, Cutie Pie. We will live with you and learn the ways of evil."

Yugi giggled. "You can just call me Yugi, guys. Though I don't mind the other name so much, either."

"So what's the CJ really stand for?" Sabrina asked.

"Cell Junior," all seven androids replied at once.

"Our father is the great and terrible Cell," CJ1 said. "He sent us into the past so that we would gain knowledge of all things evil."

"So you're from the future?" Yugi asked. "Maybe that's why I don't know who he is."

"Papa said you were his protégé in the future," CJ7 added. "He has much faith in your abilities, and said we should find you as soon as possible."

"All I know is they aren't sleeping in MY room," Ryoko muttered.

* * * * *

The score was tied up at 39. The Heralds only needed a touchdown to avoid an overtime they probably wouldn't do well in. All eyes turned to Vegeta for the miracle play.

"So what do we do?" Tetsuo asked, adjusting his helmet.

Vegeta thought for a moment. "We're going to try the Dragon's Breath."

"But that never works! We always screw it up!" one of the linebackers said.

"Well, look at it this way," Vegeta replied, grabbing the boy's helmet and yanking it forward. "If it doesn't work, you won't have to worry about losing. Just worry about what I'll do to you."

The boy gulped and nodded.

"Good." Vegeta led the team back onto the field and went into position. He couldn't help remembering the linebacker's concern, though. The Dragon's Breath never had worked. It required a large amount of stamina, strength, and ki energy. If executed correctly, it was supposed to be fatal to the opposing team. However, in the Heralds' successful history, misfires had resulted in the loss of their own star quarterbacks. Of course, none of them had been Saiyans...yet, anyway.

Vegeta was so absorbed with setting up the play that he didn't notice seven green figures creeping onto the turf. Since they were green, neither did anyone else.

To Vegeta, everything seemed to move in slow motion. The ball was tossed into his hands, and he faded back, looking for someone to throw to. Then, just like that, Vegeta vanished. At least, to everyone watching.

The truth was quickly realized as Vegeta reappeared, racing towards his sixth touchdown of the night. Tetsuo was directly behind him, his body already in flames. He grabbed Vegeta by the waist and zoomed towards the end zone, surrounding them both in blue fire. As he crossed the thirty yard line, the flame extended outwards, keeping the weaker defenders away. However, the Wraiths had their three biggest defenders racing toward the duo.

Suddenly, five glowing figures seemed to erupt from the turf, slamming into the Big Three from behind. Two more latched onto Vegeta & Tetsuo, increasing the flame tenfold. For a few seconds, the entire end zone was covered in blue flame.

When the smoke cleared, a horrific picture was painted. It looked as if every one of the Wraiths that had been on the field had somehow spontaneously combusted. The seven figures has vanished as quickly as they had come, and Vegeta was unconscious behind the goal line. Tetsuo was in slightly better condition, though it was clear that even he couldn't believe the Dragon's Breath had worked so well.

Only a select few knew right away that Yugi was indirectly responsible for the Heralds' victory.

* * * * *

When Vegeta woke up, he was greeted by seven green blobs and one yellow mess. Then his vision cleared, and he could see that it was only Yugi and the CJs.

"Guess what, Vegeta?!" Yugi asked, bubbling with excitement.

"This is all a horrible dream and they're not really here?"

"Of course they're here! They helped you win the championship!"

Vegeta blinked. "What?"

"Right after Tetsuo made that psychic illusion of you, I had two of them grab you and Tetsuo and extend the flame outwards. The rest of them took out anyone the flame didn't get."

Vegeta looked at the seven CJs, then back at Yugi. "Oh."

"I named them, too!" Yugi continued. "There's Brainy, Wimpy, Moby, Eany, Meany, Miney, and Moey!"

Vegeta blinked again.

"Okay. Brainy's the smartest, Wimpy's the scarediest, Moby's the fattest, Eany's the littlest, Meany's the meanest, Miney's the selfish one, and Moey's...well...the last one."

To his credit, Vegeta kept a straight face through it all. "I see."

"But there's more! Professor Tomoe wants us to perform 'Snow White' for the school. And guess who gets to be the handsome prince?!"

Vegeta turned pale. "Tetsuo?"

"No, silly! YOU!" Yugi grinned and hugged him. "And guess who gets to be the lucky girl you have to kiss?"

"Ryoko? Sabrina? Washu???"

"NO! Me!" Yugi frowned. "I can't believe you said Washu!"

"Try to understand, Yugi. I have an image to uphold."

"Are you denying the Cutie Pie?" Meany asked warily, his eyes narrowing. "Because THAT would be stupid of you."

Vegeta growled. "Look, you little-"

"Listen up, Saiya-man, man," Moby interrupted. "I'm gonna make youse an offer youse can't refuse."

Vegeta blinked, trying to think of a reply.

"Either youse kiss the Cutie Pie," Moby went on, pinching Yugi's cheek, "or youse gonna swim with the little fishies. Youse got me, Saiya-man, man?"

Vegeta was still trying to think of an answer when Brainy spoke up.

"I say, brothers. Perhaps we should draw up a physical contract, so Vegeta can't go back on his word."

"Word?!" Vegeta snapped. "I haven't promised anything!"

"Fishies, Saiya-man, man," Moby reminded him with a cold look. "Remember the little fishies. They hungry for you. No, I'm hungry. Anybody got a sandwich or something, man?"

"Vegeta, you're already a prince," Yugi said. "Why won't you be MY prince?!"

"It wouldn't be right," he said at last.

"But why?!"

"It just wouldn't, Yugi. Trust me on this."

Yugi pouted, but finally left the room, followed by the seven CJs.

Vegeta sighed and tried to get some sleep. But then he heard a voice.

"Fishies, Saiya-man, man. They coming for you. They hungry for you... Mmm, this pimento loaf is divine... Fishies, man...with tartar sauce and...shrimp cocktail... Oh, YEAH, that's the stuff, man..."

"MOBY, GET LOST!"


The End.

Up Next: Graduation day for the Chaos Academy students! The search for their first evil jobs! The end of Vegeta & Ryoko (for now)! The CJs are reunited with Cell! Sabrina says goodbye! And more! (hopefully, anyhow...) ^_^