TRIO:
		      FIRST BATTLE AGAINST EXCALIBER

	The darkness gathered in the chamber as Eclipse Lord returned to his 
throne room.  His solid purple eyes scanned the room.  All damage 
that had been caused by the Time/Space Adaptor had been repaired and 
his three highest warriors bowed before him.

	Wait a minute.  THREE highest?

	A second glance reveled that, while Blade Bot, Seer and Lujane were 
at their usual positions, Samaron was no where to be seen.  
"Greetings master," Lujane said, "It is good to see you again.  Did 
your trip go as planned?"

	"Where is he?" Eclipse Lord asked simply.

	"Who master?" Lujane replied, sweating bullets.

	"Your husband."

	Blade Bot interjected with, "He's too busy playing with his new toy.
"

	Lujane glared at the robot briefly, turned back to Eclipse Lord and 
explained, "Samaron has finally found the sword Excaliber and is now 
testing it.  I suppose the tests have gone longer then he expected.  
I am certain that he will be with us shortly."

	"I detest waiting," Eclipse Lord growled and closed his eyes.

	Eclipse Lords consciousness floated through Eclipse Tower and 
settled on a room in the Warriors Department.

	Samaron slashed with Excaliber again and another Scarab Demon was 
cut in half, the green gooey blood splattering all over the walls.  
"Come," Samaron challenged, "Though the sword has not yet reached its 
full might, I can still feel the added power it gives me rushing 
through my veins.  I feel ten years younger and it is as if I have 
the strength of a god!"

	The three remaining Scarabs quivered in fear as they readied 
themselves for the inevitable slaughter.  Samaron roared as he 
charged, Excaliber held in front of him as he slashed downwards and 
cut off the arm of the nearest Scarab.  He kicked the one to his left 
and then turned to decapitate the one behind him.

	The one armed Scarab tried to use its other arm but then that one 
was hacked off as well before a stab to the gut killed it.  The third 
and final Scarab wobbled back to its feet and saw Excaliber was only 
millimeters away from his face when Eclipse Lords voice rang out, 
"SAMARON!"

	The blow halted and the Scarab Demon fainted in relief.

	"Master," Samaron exclaimed in surprise as he looked around, "You 
have returned?"

	"Yes," the disembodied voice growled, "I told you to expect me to 
return this day.  Why are you not here?"

	"I... I," Samaron stuttered, unable to believe that he could have 
forgotten, "I forgot.  I have just acquired Excaliber and I lost all 
track of time."

	There was a long pause as Eclipse Lord pondered this.  finally, the 
master of the Eclipse Syndicate said, "So, you have finally found the 
sword you have sought for years.  In that light, I can forgive your 
lapse.  However, you must prove your new weapons worth to the Eclipse 
Syndicate."

	"I shall," Samaron replied as he used a rag to wipe the Scarab blood 
off the blade, "Tomorrow is the day in which Excaliber reaches its 
full power.  I shall use that power to destroy the Trio and then..."

	Samaron paused as he raised Excaliber over his head, "The Eclipse 
Syndicate shall become UNSTOPPABLE!"

	"Your words are bold," Eclipse Lord said, "and you have delived on 
your promises in the past.  Very well, I shall arrange the battle you 
seek."

	Samaron grinned as he kneeled and said, "Thank you master.  Hail the 
Eclipse."

	Elsewhere....

	Gohan frowned in contemplation.  "You're sure," Gohan asked the grim 
faced Ranma, "that Samaron didn't make a mistake?"

	"I'm sure," Ranma replied, "I don't know why, but I could just... 
feel, the power radiating off that sword he had in his hands."

	"So, what do we do now?" Usagi asked.

	Gohan felt the weight of both of his friends gazes resting on him as 
soon as Usagi had finished her question.  He thought for a while and 
then scowled slightly as he said, "I know this won't sit too well but 
I think the best option would be to lay low for a while.  I'm not 
sure when, but I know the day where Excaliber becomes strongest is 
soon.  Maybe, if we can keep out of sight long enough, we can bypass 
the day and then we won't have to worry as much."

	"Heeeeey, nice plan," a voice from the kitchen remarked.

	The Trio jumped at the unexpected intrusion and then raced into the 
kitchen to see Cambot coming in through an open window.  They got 
into battle stances and reached for their transformation devices when 
Cambot yelped, "Whoa!  I'm not here for a fight!  I'm just a 
messenger!"

	"So," Gohan growled, "go ahead.  Say something."

	Cambot didn't speak but, instead, he activated his holographic 
equipment and displayed the image of Samaron.  "Greetings, my enemies,
" the image said, "I have sent this message as a challenge.  I wish 
for the three of you to battle with me, tomorrow at noon, at Shea 
Stadium.

	"If you do not accept, I will be forced to go out into the fair city 
of New York and place my challenge before anyone who will accept it.  
I realize the 'New Yorks Finest' will see me as insane but if they 
get in my way..." Samaron paused to shrug, "I will be forced to deal 
with them.  I would not enjoy such actions but that can be avoided if 
you come face me.  Good day."

	With that, Cambot snapped off his hologram and flew out the window 
before any of the Trio decided to make him spare parts.

	Gohans face grew grim as he turned to the others and said, "Then I 
guess we have no choice.  We gotta fight."

	"You realize this is probably a trap," Ranma remarked.

	"And how do we know he's not bluffing?" Usagi asked.

	"He's not," Ranma answered, "I saw it in his eyes."

	"We've got until noon tomorrow," Gohan said, "I suggest we do as 
much as we can to prepare for it."

	A development....

	The little creature was lost in the sewer tunnels.  It's hyper 
sensitive smelling abilities useless in the overpoweringly rank odor. 
 The creature walked towards what looked like light and came out by 
an opening that emptied into the Hudson River.

	The creature was fascinated by the light, but a loud rumble behind 
it made it turn around.  The little animal let out a small yelp as a 
wave of water stormed down the sewer tunnel and then pushed it into 
the Hudson.

	An hour later....

	Ranma sighed to himself, with the way things were going, Usagi was 
NEVER going to get that move right.  "Again," he said, trying to keep 
the frustration from creeping into his voice.

	Usagi nodded once and tensed her legs.  She pushed off and jumped 
into the air.  She tucked her legs like Ranma had told her too and 
leaned back.  She started to flip over but, when she reached the 
portion where she was upside down, she suddenly stiffened and lost 
her concentration.

	With a loud, "Oof" she hit the ground... face first.

	Ranma growled and snapped, "What is your problem?!  How many times 
do you have to do this until you get it right?!!"

	Usagis face fell and she sniffed as she replied softly, "I'm sorry.  
It's just that, when I try to do this, I start thinking about... 
about..." she started to blush.

	Ranma, interested instead of angry now, asked, "About what?"

	"Well... I'm probably going to have to do that move when I'm Sailor 
Moon and... well, the outfit kindda leaves me... well..." Usagi 
blushed even deeper.

	"Oh," Ranma said quietly as he blushed as well, the implication of 
what Usagi had said hitting him, "Well... why don't you add sweat 
pants or something to the outfit?"

	Usagi shook her head, "No go.  I tried putting a pair on under the 
skirt and when I changed to normal and transformed again, they were 
gone."

	"Then..." Ranma sighed, "just try not to think about it, okay?"

	Somewhere in a junk yard....

	Great Sayaman picked up ten small rocks and, using both his super 
strength and speed, tossed them high into the air.  Then, he powered 
up his ki and used it to create small, yellow ki balls, which he used 
to hit the rocks with pin point accuracy and insured that none of 
them hit the ground as anything more then a fine mist.

	He took a big breath and then powered up to his super form.  The 
ground around him shattered into a small crater and then, he sunk his 
fingers into the large broken down van next to him and heaved it into 
the air.  He cupped his hands to his side and cried, "KAAAAAMEEEEE...
"

	As the van reached the apex of its climb, a ball of energy appeared 
in the space between Sayamans hands, small shafts of energy escaping 
it, "HAAAAAMEEEEE..."

	As the van started to fall, Sayaman whipped his hands forward and 
shouted, "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!"

	The energy in his hands blasted at the van as a large cone of energy 
that atomized the boulder and kept going until it reached past the 
moon and made a small crater on the planet Mars.

	Sayaman took several deep breaths and then flew off.  He was as 
ready as he was going to be.

	He only hoped it was going to be enough.

	That night, 11:58 PM....

	Shea Stadium was filled to the rafters as Scarab Demons, Warriors, 
Magic creatures and robots, all loyal to the Eclipse Syndicate, sat 
in the seats of the baseball stadium.  Brunt and Bombard sat in the 
box seats.  Brunt was sleeping, as the hour was rather late and 
preparing for the upcoming battle had taken most of the day.  Bombard 
was still going strong however, and was even wearing a baseball cap 
and waving a little flag.  Both of which contained the mark of the 
Eclipse Syndicate.

	Samaron sat on the pitchers mound, meditating and holding Excaliber 
in front of him.  His eyes had remained closed ever since he had sat 
down, which had been over five hours ago and then, they snapped open 
and he stood.

	The dragon samurai raised the mystical sword in his hands to the sky 
and intoned, "The time has come.  Now, the true power of Excaliber 
shall be released upon the world... and let all that stand in its 
path tremble."

	The broadsword started to crackle with small, white arcs of energy.  
They grew in size and intensity, until they began to shoot off from 
the sword and blazed around the stadium.  Many of the Eclipse 
Syndicate troops dodged for cover as the energy blasts that escaped 
from the sword grew more and more intense.

	Then, as if nothing had ever happened, the light vanished and 
Samaron lowered the sword to his side.  However, there was something 
different about him.  His eyes glowed white and his arms and legs 
seemed to be somewhat more muscular, as did his chest.  His sharp 
teeth were longer and more visible and his voice sounded somewhat 
deeper as he said, "Let the Trio come.  For when they DO, they shall 
meet their doom."

	Elsewhere....

	<I miss you so much,

	I never thought that I would be saying that about you but it's true. 
 When you were here, I know I always jumped to conclusions and always 
hit you.

	But, whenever I thought that you might be hurt or killed or whenever 
you were gone, there was this ache in my heart that I didn't want to 
admit existed.  Maybe I do love you.

	It took me three hours to write that last sentence, and I also have 
to make sure that our fathers don't read this when I go to mail it or 
they'll come over to wherever you are and try to get us married right 
away.

Keep safe Ranma.

Love,
Akane>

	Setsuna sighed as she read the note and then tossed it into the 
flames of the fire place.  "It is so sad," she whispered to herself, 
"that one who has given her heart so totally to one man will only 
have it shattered."

	She reached for the plate that sat on the end table that had an 
okinomiyaki love letter on it, which she promptly ate.  She let 
herself sink into the plush chair that she was currently sitting on 
and sighed again.  Her thoughts turned inward once more as she 
reviewed what was going on.  "Excaliber has been taken.  The great 
battle will soon begin, and even that shall only lead to greater 
battles.  This is where things will start to move quickly.  I must be 
prepared."

	Her thoughts were interrupted as a blood curdling scream came from 
Trunks room.  She stood and transformed into Sailor Pluto as she 
raced down the hall.  "Trunks?" she asked cautiously as she threw 
open the door.

	In the room, Trunks had fallen out of his bed and was on his knees.  
His hands gripped the sides of his skull and a small trickle of blood 
ran down from his nose.  "The... the..." he tried to get out, "the 
power... it's incredible... I've never sensed such... ARRRRGH!!!"

	Without warning, Trunks went Super Saya-jin, zipped around the room 
to grab his clothes and sword and then jetted out of the window.  
"TRUNKS!" Pluto called after him, "Do not do this!"

	It was too late, for he was already gone.  Pluto froze for a moment 
as she thought, "I must stop him.  He plans to fight Samaron before 
the Trio.  It is not likely that he will achieve victory, but if he 
should somehow be able to do it..."

	Pluto shuddered at a distant memory and whispered, "No.  Never again.
  I vowed that it would not happen ever again."

	She opened a time portal and stepped inside.  Once she was gone, the 
portal closed with a silent pop and stillness ruled the house.

	At Shea....

	Samaron stood, going through many motions to keep loose for the 
battle that would soon come.  Lujane walked onto the field and 
watched her husband.  Everyone else had left, as they had only been 
there to see Excaliber power up.  However, they would return later in 
the day when the time for battle came.

	finally, the leader of the Inner Four spoke.  "Husband," she said, 
"Are you certain you do not wish to go to bed?"

	"I have no need of sleep," Samaron replied, "the mystic energy of 
Excaliber is more then enough to sustain me."

	Lujane smirked slightly as she said, "I thought so."

	With that, she took off the backpack that she had been wearing and 
took out the sleeping bag.  Samaron smiled and was about to say 
something when a voice from behind them shouted, "Don't get 
comfortable. Your hubby's not gonna be here very long!"

	The two of them turned and saw a man with stiff, spiky blond hair 
and wearing a leather jacket over a purple shirt and blue jeans, 
standing on one of the foul posts.  Strapped to the mans back was a 
large broad sword.  Samaron readied himself as the man leaped from 
the post, did a complete forward flip and landed on second base.  He 
drew his sword and held it up.  Samaron eyed him cautiously as he 
said, "You are quite rash young man."

	"I know that you've been waiting for a chance to battle the Trio," 
the man replied, "but that's not gonna happen.  I, Trunks, will not 
allow it."

	Samaron grinned, "You can not stop it boy.  Even your considerable 
power is nothing compared to Excalibers might."

	"We'll just see about that."

	"Interesting.  I have heard mention of you by my fellow Eclipse 
Syndicate members.  This shall be a good battle."

	"Stop talking and lets fight!"

	Samaron looked to see that Lujane had made her way to the dugout and 
growled, "As you wish!"

	Samaron charged and swung Excaliber in a downward chop.  Trunks 
dodged quickly and when he was back up to a vertical base, he took a 
swing of his own.  The swords collided and sparks flew.  The two of 
them took several more swipes, each perfectly blocking each other and 
causing more sparks to erupt from where the weapons collided.

	The two of them locked swords and attempted to use leverage to 
disarm their opponent.  "This isn't good," Trunks thought as he 
flared his aura, "I never thought that Excaliber would increase his 
strength so much."

	Trunks flew up into the air and then dived down to impale Samaron.  
The dragon samurai took a deep breath and concentrated as Trunks 
rushed towards him from above.  A white aura gathered around the 
mystic swords' blade and, when Trunks was mere inches away, he swung 
it in a tight arc.

	Trunks landed from his dive attack and simply stood there.  Samaron 
did the same, his arm still extended from his last attack.  Neither 
combatant moved for the longest moment.  Then, the majority of 
Trunks's sword broke off and fell to the ground.  The next thing 
Trunks knew, his left shoulder erupted with white hot pain as his 
body finally registered the large cut there.

	Trunks fell to one knee and bit down to stop the scream that wanted 
to escape his lips.  Samaron turned his head to look at him and said, 
"I know not why you engaged me in this battle.  However, you are not 
the one I was waiting for.  If you wish to withdraw from this battle 
now, I will let you leave."

	"A Super Saya-jin," Trunks grunted as he got to his feet and faced 
Samaron with the stump that remained of his sword and favoring his 
injured shoulder, "NEVER withdraws.  I know that you plan to take on 
the Trio.  I won't allow it.  I won't let you hurt them."

	"At the risk of sounding cliched," Samaron replied softly as he too 
turned, "you can not stop me."

	Trunks threw the sword stump at Samaron and the Inner Four member 
used Excaliber to knock it away.  Using the brief opening, Trunks 
rushed forward and went to strike Samaron with his fists.  Samaron 
was faster then the Super Saya-jin had expected however and he was 
forced to move back as Excaliber rushed towards him, cutting his 
shirt but missing the flesh underneath by a hair.  Trunks back 
flipped several times and then flew up in the air slightly.  He 
gathered some ki in his hands and let out a wordless yell as he 
unleashed a blinding beam of pure ki at Samaron.

	From the unofficial sidelines, Lujane gasped as she watched the beam 
storm towards her husband.  Would even Excaliber be able to stop that?


	Samaron swung Excaliber with the flat end facing the ki beam and 
batted the attack away.  From his position in mid air, Trunks watched 
in horror as the beam traveled up into the air and died somewhere in 
the night sky.  Samaron then aimed Excaliber at Trunks and right 
before the energy wave slammed into him and knocked him out cold, 
Trunks saw an evil smile spread across the samurai's face.

	Lujane rushed from the dugout and embraced Samaron.  "That," she 
said, "was incredible.  Excaliber was truly meant to be yours."

	"Perhaps," Samaron grudgingly agreed, "but this test is insuficiant.
"

	A look of confusion passed along Lujanes face for a split second.  
"What do you mean?  You defeated one of the ones who..." Lujane 
trailed off.

	She had turned to indicate where Trunks had been sprawled out but he 
was gone.  "Hmph," she groused as she recovered from her surprise, 
"The other one is surprisingly fast."

	"Yes," Samaron agreed, "I noticed her from the start of the battle 
but her intentions did not concern us so I decided to let her go.  In 
fact, now that she has witnessed my new power, she will surely tell 
the Trio... but that will not stop them from trying to defeat me.  
However, if they know of my power or not is of no concern.  For no 
matter what, they are doomed."

TO BE CONTINUED...