When everyone turned their attention back to the comatose Sandra, the majority of the heroes were able to watch as Kure and Gohan proceeded to give the woman the beans as well. Though they struggled in getting her to swallow them, the pair eventually managed to do so through a little bit of coaxing and a little bit of manual assistance. This pretty much involved Kure crushing one of the beans up and feeding it to the sleeping girl one bit at a time.
Just like before, the two groups were able to watch the injuries on the young woman's body disappear in front of their very eyes. Kure was especially astonished by the development, as she used her hologram scouter to record the entire procedure for posterity.
About a minute after Sandra had taken all three beans, the Empress was looking as good as new, minus the lack of clothing and the dirt on her exposed skin. She was also still unconscious.
This wouldn't last long however. Hearing the group leader groan and mumble under her breath a couple of times prompted Gohan, Kure and everybody else to lean in. As they were attempting to understanding what she was saying, the entire group then leapt back about two feet when Sandra suddenly bolted upright with a scream of terror and a flurry of punches.
Her fists wound up striking nothing but the empty space of the stretcher around her. When her vision finally cleared moments later, the Saiyan Empress batted her eyes and took a couple of deep, calming breaths. Surveying the area to see the stunned faces of the Z-fighters and the crowd on the ridgeline surrounding her, Sandra lowered her arms and opened her mouth.
"Uuuh… what… what happened?"
Kure, relieved to see she was alive, shuffled into Sandra's line of sight and smiled, "You lost, girl."
"And what a loss it was," Maya remarked, grinning broadly while crossing her arms over her chest and wrapping her tail back around her waist. "Even when you were unconscious, you still wanted to keep fighting."
"You ended up passing out on your feet," Cal informed, keeping his arms crossed as well when he saw the raven haired female glance up at him. He then gestured back to the group behind him, "A couple of their friends had to jump in to stop you two from killing each other."
"Really?" When she saw her teammates nod and Sandra noticed the Z-fighters looking seriously at her too, the woman then stared down at her body and analyzed the damages. Seeing none and figuring she'd ended up being healed, the Saiyan female breathed a heavy sigh and let her arms drop to her sides. "I lost, huh?" Her head lowered in disappointment, "Damn. And all this time I thought… I… I…" She swallowed nervously, "I thought that I could make a difference… that if I fought and tried hard enough, and showed that I was the strongest in the universe, I could build a new world where the Saiyans of this generation could live and work together with other races in peace and harmony. And no one, not even men like Frieza, would be able to push us around and force my people… or any people, into servitude or slavery. Everything I did was in pursuit of that dream… of a free and just quadrant." Sandra then brought her knees to her chest and, inhaling deeply, pressed her chin to her legs. "I guess I… wasn't strong enough…"
At first no one knew what to say, as her friends and most of the Z-fighters could only look at the woman with pity. After watching her fight so hard against Gohan and wondering why she refused to back down, they finally understood the real reason she wanted to win so badly. If she'd emerged victorious, she would've formed a coalition with the Earth and brought the entire planet under her banner, with which she would then be able to build a society that the rest of the galaxy could follow and look to for an example.
This lent credence to the fact that Sandra and her group weren't conquerors, but just another band trying to find and build a place in the universe where they could belong. It was a desire held by many in the world; recognition as an individual, a group, a community, and a nation… and it made sense for such a mixed team to want that as well.
From the story they had to tell, the Z-fighters knew Sandra and her friends had been through a lot, fighting to survive and relying on the same dogma for the past several years. It must've been a big upset, especially for their leader, to have endured so much, only to hit a roadblock here.
Before Sandra could immerse herself further into a state of disappointment and defeat, one person amongst the crowd decided to interfere. And wouldn't you know it…
"You are."
Perking up, Sandra quickly turned her attention to Gohan, whom she could see was standing right next to her with his hands on his hips.
When the female Saiyan's eyes fixated on him, the half-Saiyan smiled, "Honestly, you gave me one of the best fights I've ever had in my entire life… by a wide margin. And I'm not just saying that because the fate of our world was at stake or anything. You fought me with an earnestness and fairness no other enemy I've met has given me before, and you didn't let up from that path. Not even once." Kana and Paprika were notable exceptions to this rule, but both had been contested under differing circumstances. "Not only that, but you're also the toughest and strongest opponent I've had the pleasure of exchanging blows with. You came at me with everything you had and poured your heart and soul into the match. The way you were able to weave in tactics into your fighting style as well was absolutely sublime." He then threw her his trademark Son family grin. "You are without a doubt, the best opponent I could've asked for."
Gazing up at the boy in awe for a moment in awe, Sandra suddenly felt a little flutter in her chest that had her draw breath sharply. However, when she saw her vision start to become a little hazy and her muscles start to tense up, the woman quickly shook herself out of her bemused state and sat up on the stretcher. "Heh. Complimenting your opponent so highly is unbecoming of a Saiyan Elite. You should feel ashamed of yourself for being so generous with your words and letting your emotions get the better of you," Sandra chuckled, looking up at the young man to see him blink a little in surprise. She then smiled back at him. "But, in hindsight, it's not the worst thing you can do after emerging victorious. As it so happens, I too feel the same way about you. You were incredible." After a moment, she then added a small amendment to her statement. "Conversely, I can also say without hesitation that you are the strongest and most honorable Saiyan I've ever encountered; a warrior worthy of the highest honors and praise."
Hearing this swelled Gohan's chest and had the boy lift his nose with an iota of pride. He then beamed back at the Empress brightly. "Even though we come from different worlds, I can see that you and I share the same hearts and values. The beliefs we follow and the principles we embody… when put together, they can stand for something greater than ourselves and help bring peace to people all around." He then tilted his head cheerfully, "I hope that in the future, the two of us will be able to fight alongside one another as equals rather than against one another as adversaries. I think both our planets could benefit a lot from an alliance."
Sandra's eyes widened a little at what the Z-fighter was implying, "Wait… you mean…"
The demi-Saiyan's grin broadened, "I would really like it if our two groups could join forces with one another… to team up." A chuckle left Gohan's lips as he reached up to massage his shoulder. "After all the battles we'd been in over the years and all the pain we've had to endure, we could really use a few extra friends on our side. I mean, I'm not saying we should do it right away, but if we play our cards right… I think we can make it work. What do you say?"
Staring at the boy quietly from her seat on her temporary bedspread, the Saiyan Empress at first didn't say anything. Even the people watching from the sidelines remained silent; some stunned by the hybrid's proposal while everybody else listened in with intent. Perhaps it was the suddenness of the proposal that was causing such a stir. However, after several moments of deep contemplation, Sandra eventually returned to the real world and nodded in understanding.
Gohan grinned, "I look forward to fighting with you in the future, Ran-chan."
At that, the Saiyan Empress suddenly gritted her teeth, a tick mark forming on her head and steam shooting out of her ears, "HEY! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME BY THAT NICKNAME!" Her exclamation had all the Z-fighters nearby stumble about in shock from the volume of her yell, while the people at the top of the crater had to clamp their ears shut.
Gohan however remained unaffected by her shout and tilted his head curiously, "Why not?" He then used his finger to start penciling the air, "It looks pretty cute when you write it out in hiragana."
His reasoning had the girl blush and look up at him in momentary alarm, "H-Huh?"
The amused half-Saiyan shot her a friendly and very dashing smile, to which he then winked for good measure, "I think you and I are going to have a great time together." His entire face seemed to light up and sparkle with an ethereal light, which seemed to come from out of nowhere. In no less than a few choice words, it was breathtaking.
The result was instantaneous. Sandra's face lit up red as her heart literally throbbed a loud ba-dump, causing her to stiffen on the spot and stare up at Gohan's face in shock. Feeling heat rush to every part of her body, particularly her face and chest, the raven haired Saiyan suddenly found it even harder to breathe and maintain composure. Gripping the sides of her stretcher uneasily, the teen then began shifting about in her seat in a clear sign of discomfort, thighs pressing together tightly, shoulders bobbing up and down, and her eyes wandering back and forth from Gohan to the floor. The frequency at which she did so increased when she realized that the boy was almost stark naked and was standing there in all his Spartan glory. To make matters worse, she was also in a less than panty clad state, which had her curl up even more. These were all clear signs of embarrassment.
In a matter of seconds, thoughts of a very impure nature began bleeding into her head, all revolving around her and the handsome Saiyan male in front of her.
For a majority of the crowd, the irregularities in the girl's movement went completely over their heads.
But for some of the others, it was all too obvious.
Videl, Erasa, and Zangya's eyes widened and shoulders slumped in disbelief as they all uttered in unison, "Oh, no."
Shaking her head to dispel her dirty thoughts and clearing her throat, Sandra suddenly stood up, stepped off of her stretcher and turned to her comrades, all of whom were listening quietly from the sidelines. "Maya… Cal… Kure… I have made a decision." When she saw them all stand at attention, the Saiyan Empress raised a finger. "As of this moment, the New Saiyan Empire and all of its states shall ally themselves with the humans of Earth and the Republic that governs them. I believe this will not only be more economically beneficial for our side, but I also feel that a union between two parties will strengthen our political position in the universe." She then threw her hands out and directed her proclamation towards the people surrounding the crater and the roaming cameras orbiting their position. "Hear me, people of Earth. Thanks to this young warrior and his comrades, who have fought and battled valiantly for you today," she said while gesturing to Gohan and the Z-fighters behind her, "we have decided to leave your planet as it is and, instead, form a partnership with it. These men and women have proven themselves worthy as both heroes and guardians, possessing honor, benevolence and strength beyond compare. And I know it will be a great honor and a privilege to live and build a world alongside them for the next many generations to come."
While the crowds on the cliff looked around at each other and clamored with uncertainty, Mr. Satan, noticing their doubts and suspicions, frowned and marched forward with a loud stomp in his step. Nudging past Cal and the others, the man stood beside Gohan and Sandra, and turned to the crowd before him. Throwing his signature cape back so that it unfurled on the wind, the afro-headed champion spoke up at the top of his lungs.
"Listen to the woman!" Hercule shouted, reaching up and wrapping one of his massive arms around Gohan's shoulders. His presence causing a massive stir within the crowd, drawing stunned murmurs and exclamations from the people, the martial arts champion used that moment to his advantage and to assert his position. "This young man, his family and his friends, have risked their lives countless times to save us and our planet from destruction! They fought for us, they bled for us, and they died for us, and despite all their hard sacrifices, they never once asked for anything in return! Not ONE thing!" He then jabbed a finger across at the rest of the Z-fighters, all of whom were remaining silent and still. "They were there when that giant monster from space came down to Earth and attacked our cities! They were there when the aliens infiltrated the International Martial Arts Tournament, murdered the contestants, and threatened to do the same to the rest of the people! And they were there at the Cell Games, where they fought against the monster Cell and stopped him from destroying our world!"
The Z-fighters' jaws dropped in disbelief, while Videl and Gohan looked up at the man in amazement. The people up on the crater's ledge, able to hear the Champ's voice loud and clear, stood baffled and astonished at what their great champion had to say.
Feeling a great weight lifting off of his shoulders with every word he spoke, Hercule's smile became more sincere as he then stepped away from Gohan and gestured the crowd towards him. "In fact… this young man standing right here, Son Gohan… was the one who defeated Cell… not me. Without him, or his father, Son Goku… none of us would be standing here today." It was these words that rang true across the planet, as well as every other across the quadrant receiving the transmission's signal.
It was an announcement that caused the entire world to stop moving for a full minute.