The Legendary Super Saiyan Saga

Chapter One: Shards

Toki Toki City-The Time Nest...

Toki Toki City was as busy as ever. Trunks surveyed the Time Plaza, amazed at how many people, of various species and genders, were lining up at the registration counters to join the Time Patrol. Had it only been just two months since the epic showdown against Demon God Demigra? It seemed much longer to him. Since Demigra's defeat at the hands of Frost and his team, new recruits were pouring in, eager to help safeguard the Time Stream. Still, Trunks wondered just how many of these recruits would make the cut. After all, there were many dangerous time periods, full of powerful beings. And then there was the threat of Towa, a woman from the Demon Realm. There had been no sign of her since the destruction of her companion, Mira, but Trunks and the others were convinced they had not heard the last of her. No doubt she was out there, plotting, biding her time.

Trunks wasn't too worried. If and when she made her presence known, they would be ready for her. Frost and his team were among the strongest patrollers in the Time Nest, and they would continue to get stronger. No, Trunks wasn't all that worried. He and the Supreme Kai of Time had great confidence in Frost, Scarlet, Belias and Sorbet.

At that very moment, the patrollers in question were enjoying some time off and had gone to West City to catch up with Goku and his friends. In fact, one of their first stops had been Gohan's home to see his and Videl's baby. In the living room, Sorbet and Scarlet were seated on the couch, Sorbet holding the infant.

"Ohhh, aren't you just a cutie," Sorbet cooed. "Yes, you are."

Pan gurgled happily, a smile on her face.

"Isn't she cute, Scarlet," Sorbet asked her friend.

"Yeah, yeah, real cute," Scarlet said. She had been listening to Sorbet go on and on about how cute Pan was and frankly, she was getting just a bit tired of that word.

"Here, why don't you hold her," Sorbet offered.

"Ah, no thanks," Scarlet said. "I don't really do well with kids."

Her protests fell upon deaf ears as Sorbet deposited Pan into her arms. Scarlet held her, staring at the infant, unsure of what to do. Pan gazed up at Scarlet, reaching a tiny hand up towards her.

"I think she likes you," Videl commented from across the room.

Scarlet didn't know how to respond. She felt awkward holding Pan, and yet, as she gazed at her, Scarlet actually felt a stirring of maternal instincts. She smiled.

"Well, I guess she is kinda cute," she admitted. "And I'll bet she'll grow-up to be a strong fighter, won't you, Pan?"

The baby cooed in response. While Scarlet fawned over Pan, Sorbet turned to Videl.

"So, how is everything going for you," she asked.

"Quite well," Videl replied. "It's nice things are a bit quiet, especially after all that business with Majin Buu and Beerus. How about you guys? How are things going with your patrols?"

"Things have been pretty quiet for us, too," Sorbet said. "And, frankly, it worries me."

"Why," Videl asked. "You guys took out that Demigra guy, right?"

"True," Sorbet replied. "But, there is the matter of Towa. She's still out there."

"I say bring it on," Scarlet spoke up. "If that witch is looking for trouble we'll show her. Won't we, Pan?"

"Well, if anyone can stop her, it's you guys," Videl said. "After all, you managed to stop Demigra, and I'm sure he was much stronger than Towa."

"Yes, but we shouldn't underestimate her," Sorbet cautioned. "She's very devious and resourceful."

Outside, Frost and Belias were visiting with Gohan while the girls were talking.

"Sounds like everyone's getting along alright in there," Belias commented.

"It seems Scarlet has a soft spot for your daughter, Gohan," Frost remarked.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she insists Pan call her Auntie Scarlet down the road," Gohan laughed. Then he turned serious. "By the way, Frost, your visit here was fortunate. I found something that I think you should look at."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crystal shard and handed it to Frost. He studied it closely, wondering just why Gohan thought it would be something of interest to him.

"I found it a week ago," Gohan explained. "I just found it lying on the ground and picked it up."

"I don't understand, Gohan," Frost said. "Why show it to me?"

"Because, I think it might have something to do with the time stream," Gohan replied.

That got their attention!

"Why do you say that, Gohan," Belias asked.

"Because when I was examining it, I saw an image within it," Gohan said. "It showed a man that resembled my father. And yet, I'm pretty sure it wasn't him."

Frost peered closer at the shard. It remained blank, but he knew Gohan wasn't the type to make things up. Then he suddenly realized something.

"Belias, take a look at this shard," he said. "Does it look familiar?"

Belias examined the shard and after a moment he nodded.

"Yeah. This shard resembles the crystal pillars we saw in the Crack of Time, where we fought Demigra," he said. "In fact, those pillars shattered after we destroyed him. Do you think this could be a fragment of those pillars?"

"Perhaps," Frost mused. "But, if it is, how did it get here? And, are there anymore out there?"

"Maybe you should take it to the Supreme Kai," Gohan suggested. "She might know."

Frost nodded. "Good idea, Gohan. If anyone might have some answers, it would be her."

"Hey, there you guys are," Scarlet said, as Frost, Belias, and Gohan joined them. "So, who wants to hold Pan next?"

"Perhaps another time, Scarlet," Frost said. "We need to get back to the Time Nest."

"Aw, so soon," Sorbet asked.

"I'm afraid so," Frost said. "We need to go speak to the Supreme Kai. It's important."

Sorbet and Scarlet glanced at each other and then stood up, Scarlet handing Pan over to Videl.

"Sorry to have to leave so abruptly," Sorbet said.

"It's alright," Videl said. "A patroller's work is never done. Be sure to drop in again some time."

"Will do," Scarlet said. She tickled Pan. "You gonna miss your Aunt Scarlet, Pan? Yes, you will."

Frost glanced at Gohan. "Looks like she insisted a lot sooner than anticipated."

After they had said goodbye and were outside, Scarlet turned to Frost.

"Okay, fearless leader," she said. "Just what is so important that we have to hurry back to the Time Nest?"

Frost held up the crystal shard for the girls to see. "Gohan gave this to me. Both Belias and I think it may have come from the Crack of Time. Gohan also mentioned that he had seen an image inside the shard, one that showed a man bearing a resemblance to Goku."

Scarlet peered closely at the shard but saw nothing.

"You sure about that," she asked.

"I doubt Gohan would make it up," Frost replied. "At any rate, we should take this to the Supreme Kai and let her have a look at it, just to be certain."

"Hm. Better safe than sorry," Sorbet agreed.

A few moments later, they were back at the Time Nest. Immediately, they made straight for the Time Vault. As they approached the Supreme Kai's house, Tokitoki swooped overhead, trilling at them in welcome. The bird landed on Frost's shoulder.

"Hello, my friend," Frost said. "We need to speak to the Supreme Kai. Is she in right now?"

Tokitoki took flight and flew towards the Time Vault, indicating that the Supreme Kai was in there. They rushed up the stone steps and entered the vault. Inside, they found Trunks and the Supreme Kai. Both turned as the door opened and Frost and his team entered.

"Hey, guys," Trunks greeted. "Back so soon?"

"We found something," Frost said. He approached the Supreme Kai and handed her the shard.

The Supreme Kai took it and looked it over. "Where did you find this?"

Frost explained how Gohan had given them the shard and how he had seen the image of the mysterious man resembling Goku. Frost also mentioned how he suspected it was from the Crack of Time.

"Well, you're right on the money, actually," the Supreme Kai said, after Frost finished. "This is from the Crack of Time. It's a Time Chasm Crystal shard."

"Time Chasm Crystal," Sorbet said. "What's that?"

"No doubt you noticed the crystal pillars in the Crack of Time, correct," the Supreme Kai asked. "Well, those pillars are connected directly to the Time Stream. They show events that take place within the past, present and future. That's how Demigra was able to view events outside his prison. When the pillars collapsed, it's possible some of the shards were scattered. This is one of them."

"So, then, Gohan really did see something in this shard," Scarlet asked.

"It's quite possible," the Supreme Kai replied. "I imagine some residual energy still resides within, allowing brief glimpses into certain time periods. You say that Gohan had seen a man that bore a resemblance to Goku, right? Well, either he saw an event involving Goku, or..."

Suddenly, the shard lit up and everyone saw an image playing inside it. The scene depicted a man that looked like Goku and he was fighting a massive army all by himself. Then the image faded. For a moment, everyone was silent.

"What was that," Belias asked. "Is that what Gohan saw?"

"That man certainly looked a lot like Goku, alright," Frost mused. "And, yet, there was something different about him."

"It's just as I thought," the Supreme Kai said. "The man you saw wasn't Goku...it was his father, Bardock."

"B-Bardock," Scarlet exclaimed.

"You're familiar with him," Frost asked.

"I've never met him, if that's what you're asking," Scarlet replied. "My father told me about him when I was just a kid. Seems Bardock and my old man were friends. Apparently, Bardock tried to warn everyone about Frieza's attempt to destroy Planet Vegeta. How he even knew is a mystery. Even my father couldn't figure out how he knew. Fortunately, my old man didn't trust Frieza one bit and took Bardock's warning to heart. If he hadn't listened to him, I might not be here today."

"I wonder," the Supreme Kai said, studying the shard. "I don't know why, but I get the feeling we were meant to find this shard. The fact that we're seeing this event from the past makes me think something may be wrong with that time period."

"But how can we find out for certain," Trunks asked. "And, if something were happening in the past, then why haven't any of the scrolls changed?"

"I don't know," the Supreme Kai replied. "But I suddenly have a bad feeling. Something just doesn't feel right. I think we need to find more shards to piece this puzzle together."

"But there's no telling where any shards might be," Scarlet said. "How would we find them?"

"Fortunately, these shards are connected to each other," the Supreme Kai explained. "With this one, I can pinpoint the location of the remaining shards."

The Supreme Kai brought a blank scroll over to the pedestal and opened it up. She placed the Time Chasm shard on the paper and then held her hands over the scroll. The parchment began glowing and soon a map appeared on the scroll, revealing the locations they needed.

"Looks like there are four more shards to find," the Supreme Kai said. "One is located on a small island that's the home of the Turtle Hermit, Master Roshi. The second is somewhere on Kami's Lookout. And the last two are in West City: one at Capsule Corp and the other is somewhere in a residential area."

"We'll split into two teams," Frost said.

"Hey, Frost," Scarlet spoke up. "Mind if Sorbet and I take the first two. I'd like the chance to meet Master Roshi. After all, he was Goku's teacher. And, we haven't seen the Lookout either."

"Very well," Frost said. "Belias and I will go to West City and locate the remaining two shards. We'll meet back here once they are all found."

"Got it," Scarlet said. "Let's go, Sorbet."

She turned and exited the vault. Sorbet followed after her, waving to Frost and Belias.

"We'll see you later," she said. "Good luck with the search."

After they were gone, Frost turned to Belias.

"Well, Belias, looks like we're heading back to the big city," he said.

"Looks like," Belias replied.

They departed, leaving the Supreme Kai and Trunks alone in the vault.

"I wonder what this all means," Trunks mused. "Do you think Towa has something to do with this?"

"Hard to say at the moment," the Supreme Kai replied. "We'll just have to wait until they retrieve the other shards to find out for certain."

Trunks nodded. Then, "Oh, no! I just realized something!"

"What," the Supreme Kai asked, alarmed by his tone.

"I forgot to warn the girls about Master Roshi," Trunks said.

The Supreme Kai looked puzzled and then realized what Trunks was implying.

"Uh-oh," she said. "This won't end well."

End of Chapter One...