The war room was packed. Every screen showed drone feeds from different parts of their merged world, and Victor had patched the broadcast to all 269 floating cities.
"If we're gonna survive this," Ojaga said, addressing the global audience through the comm system, "we need to work together. All of us. No more country borders, no more hiding secrets."
That's when Drone 47 found something incredible.
The Discovery
"Uh, boss?" Victor's voice cracked slightly. "You need to see this."
The main screen flickered to life. A massive stone arena, carved into what looked like a mountain plateau. Thousands of spectators packed the stands - but these weren't humans.
Some had blue skin. Others had extra arms. A few looked like walking lizards.
"Aliens?" Diana asked.
"Different evolution paths," Bruce corrected. "These might be from one of the other bubble worlds."
But what really caught everyone's attention were the two figures in the center of the arena.
The Fighters
A man in an orange gi stood calm and relaxed. Black hair, simple clothes, but something about his stance screamed "dangerous."
Across from him loomed a green giant. Seven feet tall, muscled like a bodybuilder, with antennae sticking out of his head.
"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice boomed across the arena in some alien language. Victor's translation software kicked in. "The final match! Goku versus Piccolo!"
"Goku?" Ojaga leaned forward. "That's a weird name."
Round One - Speed
The fight started so fast the drone's camera almost missed it.
One second they were standing apart. The next, they'd both vanished.
CRACK!
The shockwave hit the crowd like a slap. Dust exploded outward in perfect rings from where they'd collided mid-air.
"Holy shit," Barry whispered. "They're fast."
The martial artist - Goku - reappeared, darting left and right in the sky like a hummingbird. The green guy fired these glowing yellow blasts, but Goku kept dodging.
From the drone's view, it looked like fireworks going off while a firefly danced between them.
Round Two - Giant Problems
Then the green monster did something nobody expected.
He started growing.
And growing.
And growing.
"Okay, that's not normal," Clark said.
The guy ballooned to the size of a building. His shadow covered most of the arena floor. When he took a step, stone cracked like eggshells.
Goku looked like an ant next to him.
"This is over," Arthur muttered.
But Goku just smiled and flew straight at the giant's face.
The Skewering
What happened next made everyone in the war room go silent.
The giant's arm shot out like a spear. It punched clean through Goku's chest.
Bright red blood splattered across the white stone arena.
From overhead, they watched Goku's body bend around the massive arm piercing his torso.
"He's dead," Martha whispered, covering her eyes.
But Goku didn't fall.
The Golden Moment
Instead, something incredible happened.
A golden glow started building around Goku's body. From the drone's perspective, it looked like a halo of pure light, pushing dust and debris away in perfect circles.
The crowd below went nuts. Even with the language barrier, you could hear the awe in their voices.
"What kind of power is that?" Victor asked, his scanners going crazy.
The Meteor Strike
Goku pulled himself free from the giant's arm - the wound still gushing blood - and rocketed straight up.
From the drone, he looked like a golden comet shooting into the sky.
He paused at the top of his arc.
Then he dove.
Straight down like a falling star, aimed right at the giant's chest.
The impact was like a nuke going off.
Aftermath
When the dust cleared, the green giant - Piccolo - was flat on his back in a crater. The whole arena floor had spider-webbed with cracks.
Goku stood in the center, still bleeding, but victorious.
Every single person in all 269 cities started cheering.
"GOKU! GOKU! GOKU!"
Even though they'd never heard the name before, something about watching this guy refuse to quit had gotten to them.
The Miracle Medicine
Then something even weirder happened.
A little bald guy ran into the arena carrying what looked like a green bean.
Goku ate it.
The hole in his chest sealed up in seconds. His posture straightened. His energy came flooding back.
"What the hell was that?" Bruce asked.
"Healing magic?" J'onn suggested. "But instant regeneration... I've never seen anything like it."
The Mercy
Another green figure approached - robed, taller, but the same species as the defeated giant.
This one raised his hand like he was about to finish off Piccolo.
But Goku stepped between them.
The crowd went wild again. Here was a guy who'd just nearly died in a fight, and he was protecting his enemy from execution.
"Now that's a hero," Diana said softly.
Global Reaction
In floating cities all over the world, people were glued to their screens.
"Did you see that medicine?"
"How is he flying without wings?"
"That golden energy - is that what our heroes can do?"
"We need to find this Goku guy."
Messages were flooding in from every city. Scientists, military leaders, regular people - everyone wanted to know more about this warrior who'd just given them all a masterclass in never giving up.
Ojaga stood up, looking at his team.
"Change of plans. We're not just scouting anymore."
"We're making contact. With them."
He pointed at the screen where Goku was helping Piccolo to his feet.
"If there are people like that out there, we want them on our side when the real trouble starts."
Because watching that fight, everyone in the war room had the same thought:
If Earth was going to survive what was coming, they were going to need warriors like that.