Chapter Two – Goodbyes
Krillin awoke with a start. He could just barely taste the remnants of a Sensu.
"Ugh… What happened?" He mumbled. He was laying on the grass outside of Capsule Corp., surrounded by his friends. Tien spoke up.
"Well… Goku punched you into Bulma's garage. After you attacked him. We had to crush a Sensu for you- you were in pretty bad shape. Most of your ribs were in pieces." Tien held out his hand, and Krillin took it, pulling himself up.
"Krillin! I'm glad you're okay!" Goku called to him. "I'm so sorry! I had no control over that."
Krillin walked over to the white haired Saiyan. "Look, Goku, I know you didn't mean for that to happen, but you have got to get a hang of that." Goku looked at him sheepishly.
"Even I didn't know mortals could attain this form. I would have thought a mortal body could not take the stress of the biological change." Beerus said.
Whis put his hand to his chin, a contemplative look on his face. "I wish that we had more info on Saiyan biology. Not much was documented on them when they were alive. Even the gods don't know a lot."
"Maybe… It's an exclusively Saiyan ability? You know, cause their bodies are stronger and more resilient," Gohan offered. "We could find out more if we could talk to the Saiyans on planet Vegeta. Dad, do you think you can find some of them in HFIL?"
Their conversation was abruptly cut off by King Kai's obnoxious voice echoing though their heads. "Sorry for interrupting, but I noticed Goku's power spike. What's going on?" A few people jumped in surprise.
"Oh, hey King Kai!" Goku perked up. "I got a new form, Ultra Instinct, during the Tournament, and I'm stuck in it. I'm having trouble controlling my reflexes. I attacked Krillin by mistake."
King Kai gasped. "You mean… The form only gods are supposed to be able to attain?"
Goku nodded, even though King Kai couldn't see it. "Whis says it might be affecting me differently because I'm mortal, or even because I'm a Saiyan. We think that it has something to do with Saiyan biology. Do you know if I can talk to any of the dead Saiyans from Planet Vegeta?"
King Kai hummed. "No, I don't think so, Goku. Any of them that would know about something like this have already had their souls cleansed and reincarnated."
Goku's grin faded a little. "Are you sure? King Kai, I'm really worried I'll end up hurting my friends by mistake…"
He trailed off, unsure of what to say.
"Goku! You can use the time machine!" Bulma, previously quiet, interjected. "It's got a full charge. It's enough for a round trip. You can figure this all out."
"You kept that thing?!" Beerus growled. "I ordered you to destroy that, woman!"
Whis held up a hand, stopping Bulma from yelling at Beerus. "Before we all get worked up, I believe that this actually may be beneficial to Goku. For one, he knows nearly nothing about his Saiyan heritage, nor does he know much about any of his Super Saiyan transformations. His lack of knowledge in these areas may be dangerous. Perhaps his ancestors may know more about this. I do know that there are records of an ancient Saiyan legend, a Super Saiyan God. If they knew about god ki, then it is reasonable to think that they might know more about what is happening to his body."
Beerus grumbled. "You make a fair point, Whis. Very well, I suppose he can go."
Goku was about to say something, but Beerus interrupted. "On ONE condition. You must hide your identity to avoid altering the timeline and creating a branch in time. Chronoa would have my ass if she knew I was allowing this." He mumbled the last bit to himself.
Later on, Goku was preparing to depart from his time. Bulma had given him the capsule for the time machine, and Raditz' old scouter (so he could blend in). Whis approached him, brandishing his staff.
"Goku, I have a parting gift for you." A pale blue light appeared before Goku, before materialising into a pile of clothes. "It's your disguise."
Goku took the clothes from the air, a surprised look on his face. "Hey, thank you, Whis!" He unfolded the articles one by one. In the pile, there was old Saiyan armor with navy, white, and dark grey parts. It had shoulder straps and hip guards. There was also a dark grey spandex undershirt, navy blue gi pants, orange wristbands, and white boots similar to Vegeta's, with grey tips instead of yellow. Additionally, Whis had created a dark brown hooded cloak with the angel's signature on the clasp. On the very top of this pile, resting face up, was a black full-face mask with white slits for eyes and a radial grey design over the right eye.
"Oh, wow! I'll blend right in! Thanks, Whis. I owe you one!" Goku exclaimed.
"One more thing, Goku. To fully hide your identity, you're going to need your tail." Whis said.
Goku sighed. "I won't be able to get it back; the Dragon Balls are inactive for another few months. When Kami removed it, I think he said it was permanent."
Whis smiled. "It was only permanent because adult Saiyans can't regrow their tails naturally. You don't need the Dragon Balls, I am fully capable of bringing it back. I mean, if I can birth Bulma and Vegeta's daughter without the mess, I can regrow a tail."
"Oh great!" Goku grinned. "So, how do we do this?"
Whis didn't answer, he just raised his staff, and with a bright flash of light, Goku felt a prickling, sore sensation at the base of his spine. He turned his head to look over his shoulder. He was surprised to see, one by one, vertebrae appeared from his back until there was a chain the length of a tail. Muscle and flesh wrapped themselves around the bones, weaving themselves out of thin air. White and brown mottled fur grew in even patches over the new skin, and the new tailbones finally settled with a satisfying pop into place. Goku jumped at the sudden jolt of new sensation from his tail. He laughed.
"It's been so long since I've felt that!" He gave the new appendage an experimental wiggle. "It feels perfect. Thank you, Whis." He met the angel's eyes with a sincere smile.
"You're welcome." Whis lowered his staff. "When you get back, you owe me a meal I've never tried."
"You got it!" Goku said. "I'd better get going." He quickly rejoined his group of friends to say a few goodbyes. Chi-Chi handed him a rucksack filled with capsules of food.
"Be safe, Goku." She leaned up and pecked him on the cheek. "Oh! I almost forgot. Take this with you." She handed him his old Power Pole in its sheath. He gave her a hug, then tied it securely over one shoulder.
Bulma spoke up next. "I simplified the time machine's controls to make it easy to use, yet accurate in the time and place you want to arrive. I also expanded the cockpit a bit for extra breathing room. We all know how tight it was in there."
Beerus commented, "Remember, Goku, it's very important that you never show your face, even your hair. Any disturbance could alter the timeline. Please refrain from combat as well. We don't need anyone getting hurt, or worse."
"Aw, no fighting? This is gonna be so boring." Goku groaned. "I'll make sure nobody sees my face, though, Lord Beerus."
Goku pressed the button on the time machine capsule. He threw it to an open patch of grass, and it released a "BOM" sound and a large cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared, the updated time machine stood tall, with its new additions making it a bit wider than before.
After saying his goodbyes, Goku jumped up into to cockpit of the machine, throwing his stuff in the back and taking a seat in the pilot's chair. The controls were labelled rather simply, and upon consultation from King Kai, Bulma had entered the coordinates and time in which Planet Vegeta existed. Goku pulled the lever to close the dome, feeling it lock in place. He sat back, pulling the seatbelt over his shoulder and securing it by his right hip. Then, when he was ready, (not that he had to do much) he pushed the 'Engine Start' button, and the machine's rotor around the cockpit whirred to life. He turned the key to start the warp sequence.
The machine ascended slightly into the air, before breaking through the wall of time and descending into the warp tunnel with a flash of light.
