Chapter one- The Prince and the Deadly Crane

King Vegeta, before being called by Freeza, witnesses his second son's continuing disappointing failures as his power is nothing more than a lower class saiyan. The embarrassment is too much for the king and demands he be sent away to a far planet and exiled tell he can prove himself by becoming stronger. Tarble's planet picked at random and given a defective scouter. The defective scouter does not have a proper transmitter, making it difficult track and impossible to listen into conversations. The king wanting no one to seek him out and find him, so that the embarrassment could not return to be flaunted in front of his face. Unknowingly, he was saving his son from the fate of the saiyans, only to die himself to Freeza's betrayal. As his pod not detected leaving the Saiyan, just like Goku's. Both young boys sleeping in the pods sleep cycle, the two pods close (at least compare the mass of space).

A month following the destruction of Planet Vegeta, the two balls scream through the atmosphere of earth. The two turning away from each other. We know what happened with Goku's ship, crashing in mount Paozu and soon to be raised by Grandpa Gohan. But Tarble's pod goes to another place completely.

Mercenary Tao stands in an open field, a man he was sent to kill not far away and ready to fight. The younger mercenary just smiling. "I truly am glad you chose to fight, though I am already bored with you." He says mocking his target. But then a moment before he planned to close the distance, he took notice to a strange sound. Giving him just barely enough time to leap back, the Pod crashing into the mercenary's target and crashing to the ground. Grumbling as he needed to find a way to make the death look like his doing. Wondering why and what had come so quickly and stolen his kill. Stepping toward the new crater and inside finding a sphere, gray and uninteresting at first. But soon the ball would open, and a small child would step from the unidentified object.

Tarble, groggy from the hyper sleep the ball put him in, places his scouter to his ear and turned it on. Remembering him being exiled to this planet for being weak, and his scouter soon chiming in as it detected a power level slightly higher than his own. Turning and seeing the face of Tao looking down at him.

"Boy, I do not know who you are… but you took away my exercise partner and pay day." He said with a sneer, not able to sense Ki power himself and does not knowing that Tarble is just a little weaker then himself (But enough to also mean something in this timeframe). He is not surprised though as Tarble takes a fighting stance, the young saiyan did not have the same aggression as a normal saiyan would but it is not like he cannot defend himself. Mercenary Tao just smiling as he takes a position himself. "I was hoping you might oblige. Keep me entertained boy, and I will let you live!"

Tao soon charges Tarble, moving quickly but not as quickly as Tarble had to deal with on his home planet. That and the weaker gravity allowed Tarble to leap away without any issue and lead Tao away from his ship. If Tao was the weakest creature, Tarble may need it to escape if he did not perish trying to get stronger as his father demanded. Tao, catching the young boy distracted by his own thoughts, collides with the young saiyan. A knee to the child's stomach and making Tarble lose his air, unable to think for a moment too long. A cascade of blows landing into onto his body before being spiked to the exposed earth from the crater. "Come now boy, you show great promise… if you're not dead." Tao called down with a sneer, expecting him to not survive his attack. But soon felt his expectations being crushed as Tarble did stand and looking up at him.

Tarble deciding it was his turn to attack back, focused his energy to his feet and suddenly flew straight into Tao's still falling body. Tao not having learned the Sky Dance (BukuJutsu), or at least not having shown in the anime at the time of Dragon Ball to have known it, is unable to dodge. Instead he blocks the blows of the young boy, feeling each heavy impact that would easily overwhelm a weaker opponent. Tarble seeing his skills were still not enough, Tao grabbing hold of Tarble's wrists. Smiling as he found a new possible student for the Crane School's teachings. Tarble struggled to pull away, Tao releasing one and began making quick jabs into Tarble's still held arm. Tarble wrenching away, only to feel his arm go limp beside him. His eyes shifting from his arm to Tao.

"You look surprised boy, never heard of Pressure Points? Allow me to show you how effective they can be in a fight!" Tao said landing on the ground, Tarble still in the air and looking down at the man. He was confused on what the man meant by show him. Tarble thought he was fighting for his life, but this man seemed to be focused on something else.

"You win… I am not match for you." Tarble said, hoping that it would be enough to end the fight. Tao instead had a face of disproval.

"That is not for you to decide boy, you are not dead or unconscious. Now get down here, or do I have to kill you while you're up there." Tao said growling. Tarble knowing of energy blasts and techniques that use energy very well, decides to oblige Tao in hopes it will leave him alive as well as hoping to gain a Zenkai boost from the battle if Tao is going to take it to such lengths.

Tao glad that the boy saw reason, no matter how dastardly his reasoning was. Tarble lifting his one good arm, his other still limp and tingling as it refused to move. Tao dashed forward, Tarble trying to focus on dodging and evading. Tao's blows just missing their marks to keep Tarble active, his endurance being his current driving point to make the fight difficult for Tao. But the battle does end when Tao is able to make a direct impact to a pressure point to cause Tarble to become dizzy, opening himself to another pressure point attack to lead to a knock out. Tao watching the boy's unconscious body, a smile on his face that soon returned to the hard assassin.

"You have great potential… one that could rival and surpass me." He said lifting his hand and slowly lowering to the young boy. "It would be safer to remove you now." The hand moving closer and closer to his throat as he spoke. But his hand soon grabbing the collar of his armor and lifting the boy to the air, putting the unconscious boy over his shoulder. "There is no money in killing a child for free, it is your lucky day."

Tao returning to Tarble's pod, unsure of what it was but figuring that it might keep the boy complacent and willing to follow directions. Closing the pod and lifting it up over his head. He then tosses it into the air, leaping on top of it to ride it toward the Crane school. Deciding that Shen would be better off training the boy then he would.

Next Chapter- What if Tarble went to Earth: The Prince and the Crane Hermit

Power levels (For those who care)

Tarble- 100

Tao- 130 (Slightly less than his power level when he meets goku in 12 years.)