Piccolo watched with interest as they fought. He noticed that the chains which held the...echidna were literally stretching. It was only minutely, but the stretch was there all the same. They were on the verge of breaking. Piccolo was shaken out of his reverie when a familiar voice spoke to him;
"What strange company you keep Piccolo...too bad you won't live long enough to enjoy it!!!" Piccolo growled as he too lept from his seat and struggled against his bonds.
"Grrr....Vegeta...if I weren't tied down like a dog, I'd kill you right now!" He continued to pull on his chains; "If she was able to stretch them that much, I must be able to break them!!" Minutes passed, but nothing happened. Frustrated, he slumped back on the cot and ignored Vegeta's taunting laughter. Soon, after the two villans left, Piccolo noticed that the echidna also grew tired of pulling against the chains that held her. She sat down in silence for a moment, but then her face brightened. Almost immediately, her hands began to glow, as did her chains. They glowed to such an intensity that Piccolo had to turn his face away. When he returned his gaze towards her, she had melted the bonds from her wrists and ankles using her powers.
"Hmmm....she has enormous power." mused Piccolo. The echidna turned to Piccolo and spoke;
"I already know who you are, so I'd better introduce myself; I'm Sparx. I've been accidentally transported here from my homeworld...." She turned towards Piccolo and began to melt his chains too.

***

Sparx looked at Piccolo with great curiosity; he seemed trustworthy, but she had an eerie feeling that tried to warn her that there was something dangerous about Piccolo. Nevertheless, she was going to give Piccolo the benefit of a doubt.
"Any ideas on how to get out of here...my powers can only do so much..." she asked Piccolo after she had completely freed him.
"Of course," replied Piccolo, "stand back!" He walked over to the middle of the room and closed his eyes. He raised his arms and began to concentrate very hard. After a few tense moments, a golden spiraly energy beam shot from his hands and through the ceiling. In its wake, it left a gaping hole, through which they could escape.
"Grab ahold of me, and I can fly us out of here." Piccolo said to Sparx. She grabbed ahold of his shoulders and held on for dear life as they flew through the hole in the ceiling. Once they were high enough in the air, and a respectable distance away from Vegeta's temporary headquarters, Sparx jumped off of Piccolo.
"Huh? What are you doing?" he asked Sparx, alarmed. Instantaneously, she began to glide alongside him.
"Heh. I can glide in the air once I catch a proper air current!" she replied, "I didn't want to burden you!!"
They continued to fly through the air for a while, and Sparx reflected on what had happened moments earlier; Piccolo was immmensly powerful..."perhaps that is why I got that eerie feeling earlier..." Eventually they arrived at their destination, which was a small circular island that had a small house in its center. Sparx looked around it, and was impressed. It reminded Sparx of her old hut hear the Mushroom Hill Zone.
"This house belongs to Master Roshi." Piccolo explained, "It's usually where I can find Goku...an acquaintance of mine. He'll be able to help us fight Vegeta and...who's that robot?"
"Her name is Mecha Sparx." replied Sparx, "She's a real pain in the butt...any help that you can get would be great!" Piccolo nodded. He walked towards the house, followed by Sparx.
"Goku!!!" called out Piccolo. Within seconds, Goku appeared out of the sky, flying on a small orange cloud. His black spiky hair was whipped about by the wind as he landed.
"Oh..hi Piccolo...got some more bad news for me this time?" joked Goku as he slapped Piccolo on the back in a friendly gesture.
"Heh...actually Goku, I do have bad news." Piccolo gestured towards Sparx who was standing quietly in the background, "Her nemesis, Mecha Sparx has allied herself with Vegeta...they have proven to be quite the formidible team...they have already captured us once." Goku took a moment to reply as he took in the information.
"Great...just what I needed...ah well..." Goku 'sighed' and turned towards Sparx, "And you are?" He extended his hand towards her. Taking his hand in a handshake, Sparx replied; "Oh yeah..sorry..I'm Sparx!"
"Nice to meet you!" Goku replied.
"Enough with the pleasentries!!!" grumbled Piccolo, "We have to figure out how to defeat them...once and for all...any ideas?"
"What about a sneak attack? They wouldn't expect one...not so soon...maybe we should try going back to where they had imprisoned me and Piccolo." suggested Sparx.
"Good idea, but they can sense us coming at least a mile away...what is in order, is a good 'ol trap...somewhere secluded." replied Goku.
"That may work...but we would need some bait.." mused Piccolo. Suddenly, Goku had a smile that spread all the way across his face. "I can think of two people perfect for the job..."

"I just had to open my mouth, didn't I?" Piccolo growled in frustration. He and Sparx were tied shoulder to shoulder to a tree. They were in a remote location, somewhere, where no one could get hurt if something went wrong. Their plan was to lure Vegeta and Mecha Sparx out in the open using Sparx and Piccolo as the bait. When the villians got close enough, Goku would attack from behind as Sparx and Piccolo freed themselves. Piccolo found it grimly amusing that things didn't go as planned. The two fiends flew in from the south with the sun behind their backs, making it difficult to see them. They came in very fast too. As soon as they landed, Mecha Sparx let loose a barrage of missiles that headed directly for Piccolo and Sparx. Luckily, the missiles missed. The missiles shattered the tree above their heads, sending a fine powder floating down upon the 'prisoners'.
"HA! Incompetent weakling!" laughed Piccolo. He began to pull on the ropes, but they didn't budge. Pulling harder, he met with the same thing. Looking to his side, Piccolo saw that Sparx was having similar difficulties.
"Um...Piccolo, weren't these ropes supposed to come loose when we tried to free ourselves?" Sparx queried nervously. Piccolo's eyes blazed as he saw that Vegeta and Mecha Sparx were now walking towards the two prisoners.
"That was the plan...." replied Piccolo "Hey...where'd Goku get off to?"
"Right here Piccolo." replied Goku as he landed in front of them, "Allright, push on the ropes when I pull...NOW!" Goku proceeded to pull as Piccolo and Sparx pushed with all their strength. Under all that pressure, the rope smashed. As Piccolo and Sparx flexed their sore muscles, Goku examined the rope only to find that it had been turned to metal.
"Hm...that's it! The powder that landed on them...it made the rope, and only the rope, turn into metal!!!" Goku realized with a shock. They then turned and faced the oncoming villans who were still walking at a leisurly pace. Piccolo gave the group the signal to advance.

Sparx caught a quick flash of movement coming from Mecha Sparx. Squinting, she realized what the robot was about to do.
"Stop her!!!!" she screamed, "She's activating her teleporter!!!" The heroes quickened their pace. They were moving very fast, and the trees, rocks and the entire landscape flew by in a blur. Mecha Sparx and Vegeta stopped walking, and stood there for a moment. Sparx jumped into the air and was about to land on Mecha Sparx when there was a flash of bright intense light that blinded Sparx. Everyone disappeared.

When they reappeared, Sparx hit the ground really hard and got a mouthfull of grass.
"P-tooie..." she spat it out. It only took her mere seconds to realize where she was, "Uh-oh..." Goku and Piccolo, who had also been transported, asked in unison; "What's wrong?"
"That bi***...she teleported us to Mobius..." replied Sparx in alarm.
"To where? What are you talking about?" Goku asked, just a bit confused.
"I think, Goku, that she's trying to tell us that the robot has teleported us to her home planet...we're no longer on Earth." Piccolo stated bluntly. Suddenly, from above, a menacing voice said, "Right, you Namek freak..and now, I'm off to rejoin my ex!" Vegeta and Mecha Sparx flew off in different directions. Quickly, they were mere specks on the horizon. Sparx watched them go with a sinking feeling growing in her stomach.
"What's this?" growled Piccolo. Sparx turned her attention to him, only to see the Namek holding a photograph, "Seems as though Vegeta dropped this...you might want to take a look." Piccolo handed the photo to Sparx. She took a good look at it and, with horror, saw that it depicted a much younger version of her mother...at least 16 years younger.
"W-what..." stuttered Sparx. She turned the photo over and found a note scrawled on it. It read;

Soon, Sparx found herself in a grassy field. The light breeze whipped the grass around, creating the illusion that the grass was alive. Her dreadlocks flew in the wind, gently caressing her face. Directly ahead of her was Vegeta, his wild black hair gave him a very menacing look. Sparx felt a chill go down her back.
"Maaan...this is going to be the toughest fight so far...I hope I can handle this one.." she thought nervously. Goku and Piccolo were standing off to her right side. They were the mediators of the fight; they'd make sure the fighters followed the rules that had been set for the fight. Right now, Piccolo was arguing quietly with Goku. Sparx could make out some of the conversation.
"...musn't go through with this..."
"...can't interfere...personal..."
"...we should help...the three of us..." Sparx was jolted back to reality when Vegeta called out to her.
"Are we going to fight or what?"
"Let's do this!" Sparx yelled back as she assumed a fighting stance. Vegeta did likewise.
"Good luck Sparx!" Goku whispered.
"Give it to him!" growled Piccolo. Sparx began to run towards Vegeta, hatred blazing in her eyes. Laughing, Vegeta met Sparx mid-run and swung his arm in a wide arc. Sparx tried to block, but was unable to do so in time. The back of Vegeta's hand smashed into the side of Sparx's face. Reeling, she staggered backwards. Sparx regaind her senses quickly. She lunged at Vegeta and managed a quick punch to his mid-section. This attack had left Sparx wide open, and Vegeta grabbed her arm and swung Sparx in the opposite direction. Unable to glide, Sparx smashed hard into a small rock outcropping.
"Damn...that smarts..." mumbled Sparx as she got up. Scanning the area, she couldn't find a trace of Vegeta.
"Where-?" she asked herself.
"SPARX!!!!! Behind you!!!!" Piccolo yelled.
"Huh?" Sparx turned around to recieve a well placed fist to her jaw; had she not been half saiyan she would've been knocked out cold. Getting a little pissed, she leaped into the air and landed behind the Saiyan warrior, delivering a nice roundhouse kick that sent Vegeta flying. He quickly recovered and came rushing towards Sparx. Dodging his fist, she jumped out of his reach. Vegeta was quick though, and managed to punch Sparx in the nose. Now, Sparx could feel blood gushing forth from the wound. Wiping it with the back of her hand, she grimaced.
"Ha, ha, ha! Had enough? Or shall I continue this little lesson?" chuckled Vegeta.
Spitting blood from her mouth, Sparx said in a voice that indicated she was having breathing difficulties; "*pant* Teach on...I'm a fast learner." Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that two more people had joined the sidelines; her boyfriend Ace, and one of her best friends, Amerz. The latter had a dreamy look on her face as she stared at Vegeta. Ace looked worried as hell. The saiyan came at her again, but this time Sparx was able to block him and got in a hit of her own. She held her hands in a double fist and swung hard at Vegeta. She hit him squarely in the jaw, drawing blood.
"Heh...seems as though her saiyan heritage shows more than I thought..." mused Vegeta, "What?!?!" Almost immediately after the blow to his jaw, Vegeta found himself on the ground.
"Heh, heh...have a nice trip?" laughed Sparx. Vegeta roared in fury as he flew into the air. For a moment, due to blood loss, Sparx's head began to spin. Taking advantage of this, Vegeta flew towards her at maximum speed. Once the world had stopped spinning, Sparx had a brief repose before she was knocked off her feet by Vegeta's powerful bodycheck. She skidded along the ground for a bit, then crashed into another rock face. Goku had to hold Piccolo down otherwise the Namek would go and interfere.
"I want to help too...I just..." Goku stammered, "Holy sh**" Sparx had made a huge dent in the rock face. Her body was battered, her clothes torn and she was bleeding all over. Her breathing came in short ragged gasps.
"I told you!!! We shouldn't have let her do this..." Piccolo was seething.
"You know the rules...she issued the one-on-one challenge...if we had interfered, Vegeta may have used his powerful blasts against her. We'd be able to block it, but it'd probably kill her..." Goku replied.
"Oh...and this isn't killing her?" Piccolo retorted. Goku looked just as mad as Piccolo. Ace and Amerz just stood there, stunned.
"Hahahaha! I've practically won! Now, all I have to do is put you under and I can be on my way!" bragged Vegeta. He brought his hands high into the air. A blue energy began to crackle around his hands. His muscles became taut as all of his attention was placed into his attack.
"Hey!! That's cheating!" Goku yelled. This time when Piccolo charged forward, Goku joined him as did Ace and Amerz. All four ran as fast as they could. Ace pulled ahead of all of them as the adrenaline rush kicked in.
"Aaaaaaaaaah! Take this!!" Vegeta yelled as he brought forth his hands and let loose a giant ball of blue energy. Sparx was too weak to move, so she just laid there waiting for it to come. The ball flew at incredible speeds, but Ace managed to shove Sparx out of the way. He wasn't so lucky, though. He was caught directly in the path of the energy ball.
"Augh!" Ace screamed as his body was wracked with pain. He was covered in an intense blue glow that made everyone turn away. Once they were able to look, Ace was lying motionless on the ground, a few feet away from Sparx. Sparx raised her head and looked at the still form of her boyfriend.
"Ace...dead? No...NO!!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Somehow, she managed to get to her feet. She was really shaky and required Amerz's assistance to keep up.
"You ok, Sparx?" her friend asked, really worried.
"I...don't...know.." Sparx replied, still weak. Goku and Piccolo stood alongside the two girls.
"Still want to fight, Vegeta. You can't defeat all four of us!" taunted Piccolo.
"Hm..." Vegeta murmered. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a little remote control and pressed a button on it. Instantly, Mecha Sparx appeared.
"You called, master?" she asked, bowing as she hovered in the air.
"Yes. Since I freed you from the control of the sorcress, you have allied yourself with me. I am in need of your assistance once again." Vegeta said, "It seems as though things haven't gone to plan...bring me back to earth. Listen up everyone! You can keep Sparx, for now...but I will be back for her...someday!" In the blink of an eye, Vegeta and Mecha Sparx disappeared from view. Once they were gone, Goku turned to Sparx; "Are you going to be allright?"
"I'm not sure, Goku...this took a lot out of me. It was a lot more that I had expected." Sparx replied. With Amerz's help, she turned to face everyone "T-thanks for your help guys. Your being there, even though you didn't fight, gave me the strength I needed to last that long."
Piccolo nodded, "You did well considering he had a great advantage over you." Piccolo conceeded.
"Thanks...but, oh! ACE! Help me to him, please!!" Sparx was taken over to Ace's limp form by Amerz. Piccolo and Goku followed.
"Oh Ace...don't worry...your sacrifice will not be in vain. I will get him back for this...I promise!" Sparx murmered softly. They sat there for a while, mourning the loss of Ace. The sun began to set.
"Sparx, let's bring Ace's body back to your city...we'll set up a funeral procession for him there." Amerz said softly, placing a hand on Sparx shoulder. Goku and Piccolo stood in the background uncomfortably.
"*sob* Allright...someone will have to help me there...oh...I can't believe my soulmate is gone!!!" Sparx began to cry. Amerz held Sparx in her arms, and let the echidna pour her heart out.
"Oogah...reality check, hon! I'm alive and feeling great! That energy blast knocked me out, but it restored my magical powers!" Ace replied as Goku helped him to his feet.
"ACE!!!" Sparx pulled away from Amerz as she hugged her soul mate even though it sent spasms of pain throughout her whole body.
"Sparx, since Vegeta has most likely returned to earth, we need to go back. Sorry we couldn't have been more helpful. I do have a suggestion for you though. Since you're part saiyan, it wouldn't be a bad idea if you took up martial arts. Saiyans excel at it." Goku said, extending his hand. Sparx returned the handshake.
"Thank you, Goku! I'll take you up on that suggestion once my body stops hurting so much!" Sparx replied, laughing. She turned to Piccolo and shook his hand aswell, "Thank you too, Piccolo. I believe we all will meet up again, and very soon."
"I look forward to that time." the Namek replied.
"As do I!" Goku added, "But how do we return, when we don't even know how to get back?"
"I can use my magic to teleport you guys back!" Ace suggested. Goku and Piccolo nodded their approuval. It took great effort, but Sparx bowed to Piccolo and Goku in a gesture of thanks. She signaled to Ace who raised his hands and sent them on their way. The only trace of their exit was a small *poigt*
"Guys, take me to Echidnapolis." Sparx exclaimed, "I'd like a nice chat with my mother."