Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or Dragon Ball GT. These ideas and entities are owned by FUNimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, and Akira Toriyama. Please support the official release. I DO, however, own the main antagonist. :)
The sun is strong, set just short of apex in the deep blue sky. He looks up and sighs, shielding his eyes from the torrent of heat baking the ground around him. Leaning over, he glares at a beetle struggling to navigate the arid soil that used to be his crops. He wells spit in his mouth and lets it slide out between his parched lips, splashing the passing beetle aside and onto its back. He grabs hold of his belt and pulls up against his rotund form, grunting a laugh as he turns back and starts toward home.
He only takes a few stumbling steps before a deafening snap, much like the crack of a colossal whip, echoes in the field behind him. With a hint of agitation, he turns towards the sound and immediately freezes in his tracks. Not more than twenty paces from him is a glowing, ethereal figure of indistinct form. Swirls of uplifted soil spiral around the figure and slowly settle to the ground. The farmer adjusts his stance and faces forward, his mouth gaping as his thoughts race to explain what he's seeing. After a few moments, the glowing subsides and shapeless mass begins to take a defined form. As the last of the misted soil is blown aside by a strong gust, the farmer takes an unconscious step forward and eyes the strange humanoid standing before him.
He is no taller than an average man, brown hair at a medium length with a slender, sinewy form. He wears what looks to be a hex-patterned matte gray uniform, lightly padded at the shoulders and abdomen. A dark, crimson stripe runs from his right shoulder, down his chest and side, trailing over his thigh and ending at his right ankle. He wears flat bronzed rings on each wrist and ankle, and adorns a thin, golden halo shaped vaguely like a laurel wreath that hovers around his head, wrapping back from each temple.
The figure begins to take in stuttered breaths, and turns around to examine the scenery. On his back, golden brackets cap each vertebra down to his lumbar. Two large, sloped bronze slabs rest upon each shoulder blade. The farmer can't help but chuckle in amazement, but his amusement quickly turns to apprehension as the figure snaps his gaze towards him and locks eyes. The farmer gathers just enough courage to whisper a greeting before the uniformed stranger begins to walk towards him.
Taking a clumsy step backward, the farmer manages to sputter out a sentence; "H-hey, who are you?"
The figure doesn't respond, continuing forward as he comes within a few feet of the frightened man. With his last ounce of courage, the farmer reaches behind him and grasps the hay hook lodged in his back pocket. Just as he's about to pull it forward, the figure stops and cocks his head slightly to the right, inspecting the farmer pensively. His eyes search over the man's plump body, from his bald, tanned head, over his wrinkled, splotchy face, down his faded blue overalls and ending at his tattered, dusty boots. The figure's eyes shoot back up to meet the farmers'.
Much to the surprise of the farmer, the strange figure speaks comprehensibly; "Where is Goku, known in prime as Kakarot?"
The farmer, still stunned, shrugs and forces a feeble, "Dunno." The figure, still wearing a lax expression on his lean, youthful face, maintains his glare and begins to slowly raise his hand, palm down, up to the farmer's chest. Very slowly, the farmer releases his grip on the hay hook and cautiously raises his hand underneath the outstretched one in front of him. He cups his hand and smiles, expecting some otherworldly token of greeting from this strange, uniformed man. His eyes widen as a faint white glow begins to emit from between their hands. The figure retracts his arm as the farmer grins in astonishment at the tiny pebble of light hovering just above his hand. Before he can mutter his thanks, the figure steps backward and seems to disappear into ethereal space.
The farmer laughs to himself, still amused at the heavenly glow settling into his hand. A strange calm washes over him as the light, drifting ever so slowly downward, comes into contact with his skin. In an instant, the glow expands and shatters outward, as shards of light explode in every direction. The farmer jumps nervously, and begins to feel faint as his left eye fades to red and a thousand tiny wounds begin to seep blood all over his body. He falls to the ground as his lungs fail to take in breath. Fear and confusion sweep over him as he struggles to lift his head from the dirt and examine his broken body for the last time. As his vision blurs and darkens, he resigns himself to his fate.
The last thing he sees is a familiar beetle, slickened with spit, crawling over his chest.
Polaris, Chapter 1. Age 774, April 28, 4:48 pm.
A pair of vociferous grunts rises above the woods near Goku's home in the East District. Two fists, excelled at nearly the speed of light, collide in the midst of the tranquil forest. Leaves, shaken from impact, fall to the forest floor and are swept aside by recurring rings of small sonic blasts. In a clearing of trees, Goku and Vegeta hold fast at each others' shoulders. Brief sputters of electrical discharge seem to dance around them as they exchange glares.
"Family life has softened you, Kakarot," Vegeta smirks.
Goku shifts his right foot forward and twists his wrists inward, pulling Vegeta past him and throwing him into a nearby tree. With a thunderous crackling, the tree shatters as Vegeta passes through it. As he rolls on the ground coming to settle on one knee, Goku yells to him, "Speak for yourself, Vegeta."
In typical fashion, Vegeta grunts to himself, and, still smirking, jets forward leaving a burst of dirt and leaves in his wake. Goku barely has time to dodge, bending backwards as Vegeta's fist passes only millimeters from his face. But before he can launch his counter, Vegeta rotates his body and connects with an aerial backfist to Goku's chest. As his body impacts and ripples the ground, Goku deftly raises his hands to form a Kamehameha just as Vegeta, rotating once again to face him, unleashes a powerful flash blast from his right hand.
In a brilliant burst of light, the forest is threaded with a soft blue glow. As the dirt and vapor clears beneath his hand, Vegeta's smirk contorts into a frown. The singed ground beneath him is barren.
"You almost got me that time," Goku bellows from above, his hands still readied for a Kamehameha wave. Vegeta sighs and settles his feet on the ground.
"That technique is cheap and you know it," he replies, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Goku laughs and lands next to Vegeta holding his chest. "That feign caught me off guard. I guess it's just reflex," he chuckles.
As they both walk towards the edge of the clearing, Vegeta turns his nose to the wind; "Mmm… smells like the food's done. I'll race you the—" Before he can finish, Goku cries out in excitement and places two fingers on his forehead and disappears instantly.
"You f***ing cheater!" Vegeta blurts, sprinting into the forest.
West City Commerce Bank, 4:12 pm.
A teller counts her drawer down following a large transaction. As she shuffles through a pile of paper notes, she hears grunts and protestations coming from the line opposite the teller window. As patrons are pushed aside, she can see a slender young man wearing a padded gray uniform and bronze bracelets approach the counter. He stops at the window and presses his finger to the glass. Just as a disgruntled customer approaches from behind, the young man's finger begins to pulse light as it passes clean through the pane of glass as if it weren't even there. As the teller and customers look on in disbelief, the mysterious man starts to carve a circle into the window, streaming molten glass onto the teller's desk. The teller jumps from her chair as the half-molten disc of glass from the center of the window tumbles off her desk and shatters on the ground.
The young man leans forward and in a smooth, baritone voice, asks the teller, "Is this a repository of civil information?"
Still dumbfounded, the teller simply stares at him. The mysterious man leans in just a little farther and repeats, "Is this a repository of civil or public information?" The teller swallows, and replies, "Uh, this is a bank, sir… can I help you?"
With a noticeable tone of frustration, he simplifies his request; "Can you give me information on Goku, known in prime as Kakarot?" Glancing to her left, she can see a guard gesturing her as his hand rests on his gun. She wags her hand beneath the counter and motions for him to stay where he is.
"Well, sir," she continues, "we do have client information on record here, but only if you're family. What's your name, sir?" The young man sighs heavily, ignoring the question.
"Where is the domicile of Goku, known in prime as Kakarot? I must see him," he adds. "Sir, I can only give you that information if—"
Without warning, the young man raises his hand once more and presses his palm flat against the glass, sending a pulse through his fingers that shatters the entire window. As frightened patrons scream and flee, the guard stutters forward and pulls his gun and draws a bead between the young man's eyes.
"Hold it right where you are, buddy," the guard shouts. With only a passing glance, the mysterious man in gray flares his eyes as the barrel of the gun glows white and begins to melt.
The frightened guard drops the gun and backs against the wall as the young man leans further towards the teller, and in a stern, agitated tone asks, "Would you please give me the location of Goku, known in prime as Kakarot?" With a nervous nod, the teller types furiously and pulls up a file on her computer.
"Uh, it says here he lives at 439 East District," she replies. "Why do you want to know?"
Wearing the faintest look of satisfaction, the young man raises his hand and holds out his index finger, creating a marble-sized ball of light. He tilts his head and flashes the teller an eerie smile before seeming to fade into nothingness. As a sense of calm returns to the bank, tellers and patrons alike start to come out of hiding. The teller, still standing at what used to be the window, stares fixatedly at the glowing orb hovering a little more than a foot from her face. As curious patrons gather around, she smiles in wonder and reaches out to touch the light.
At the edge of town, the young man in the gray uniform approaches a sign reading, 'Mt. Paozu, East District." Behind him, a brilliant burst of light gives way to an explosion at the center of the city. Before he fades into dimensional space, a serrated grin flashes across his face.
