Chapter 4: New Ally, New Foe

A single man stood atop a bleak, barren cliff face, looking down on the simple planet with an air of contempt about him. After crossing the immensely difficult path to the Gates of Life he'd spent a number of weeks out here, trying to get back in touch with reality as he waited desperately for Bardock and the others to show. He'd spent eight months in that hellish nightmare that masqueraded as a holy road, and by Bardock's reckoning they wouldn't be far behind, so he'd prepared for their arrival.

As Bardock had foreseen, the Gates of Life had opened up to a random location in the universe; it was a planet that he recognised right away, and had spent days trying to pin down why before it finally hit him. Along with a few other saiyans, he'd conquered this planet years ago in the name of that purple bastard Freiza. In the aftermath of the chaos they wreaked, Frieza's men had taken it over and killed every inhabitant, though they'd fled to the far reaches of space years ago once Bardock's son had miraculously dispatched of the fiend.

Nothing lived aside from a handful of fish swimming in the planet's red water and a few boar-like, alien predators hid in the occasional patches of bluish grass that came all the way up to the man's elbows. He'd lived off them for a while, finding that the meat they produced was very edible, and so was the water despite its sickly outlook.

Upon arriving he'd scoured the planet for days until finally he'd found a small settlement that he and his crew had once used as a base whilst they took over the planet, and from this he'd retrieved six saiyan space pods and fixed them back into working order. He now waited outside the swirling, writhing portal that led back to the Gates, but he'd be damned if he ever entered it again. Here he'd wait for the others as he and Bardock had agreed whilst making sure that nothing hindered their progress.

The man was of a sizeable stature; tall enough to look imposing at a glance with his oversized muscles bulging through his saiyan armour enhancing this effect. His armour, whilst being the traditional saiyan battle suit, had been modified to suit his position; the shade of the stomach and shoulder plates were a peach-like orange, whilst his under-shirt and pants remained a charcoal black. A royal cape, pinned on by three studs on his chestplate, blew with the carefree breeze, alternating between the inner shade of red and the outer blue, with his boots being of the same colour.

He wore his hair as a brown tsunami of countless spikes, arching down his forehead to form a distinct widow's peak at a spot just above his constantly creasing frown. A thick goatee also sprouted from his face if only to make the man appear even more threatening, for this was King Vegeta, ruler of the saiyan race.

When Bardock had approached him with his crazy story, the King had dismissed him as clearly insane, but upon witnessing the incredible deeds of the man's son from the afterlife and seeing the new road for himself, the man's tale had become more convincing. Bardock had promised him that he'd be able to see his son again very soon, and even meet his family if he ever made it to the other side. This had spurred the King on, for in light of Kakarot's incredible display of courage and power he'd come to the realisation that the saiyans could be so much more than just conscienceless killers. They were a warrior race, and there'd be no changing that for as long as they still existed, but servitude to another was simply not a part of their natural instinct.

To say he'd learned a few new tricks in the afterlife would be an understatement to say the least. He'd grown powerful since his death all those many years ago, and now with life finally within his grasp once again he was eager to use it. Just as was the case with his new ally Bardock, King Vegeta had found that the younger generation had always just been one step ahead of them – his son wielded power beyond his wildest dreams, but he'd thought that for years, and whenever it seemed like he was catching up the Prince would attain a new plateau of unfathomable strength.

Rather than experience the natural saiyan response of bitterness and jealousy however, King Vegeta felt pride at his son and the legacy that he and his friends had made for the saiyan race. They'd accomplished so much more in just over four decades than those before them had accomplished in generations, and for this the King was happy beyond all measure.

Like Bardock he was eager to be a part of this battle, especially after hearing that it would be the greatest war of their time. He deemed that even to die once again in this fight would be a great honour, and so he did his best to assist whenever possible. He'd started already by utilising one of his greatest new skills: thanks to the power he'd gained from transformations, the King's greatest weapon now lay in his incredible senses - not only was he sharp as a falcon when it came to fights, but his sensory range had expanded to the point where he practically felt the whole universe when he concentrated hard enough.

He'd learned quickly that Kakarot, his grandson and their friends had congregated on Planet Earth and would be setting off shortly following the destruction of a neighbouring planet by a powerful force he presumed to be their new enemy. He sensed multiple life forms of incredible strength scattered evenly around the cosmos as he waited patiently for the others to arrive, and since then he'd not felt much of anything within his immediate vicinity. That was, until now.

As sharp as ever, King Vegeta noticed even when the source was miles away that a horrible, destructive force was approaching the planet he now stood upon. He deemed quickly that it must've been one of these new enemies that had been scattered across the universe and turned his attention to it immediately. It was powerful of course; more powerful perhaps than himself. If that was the case then he'd just have to hold out long enough for the others to arrive. But this fiend's strength wasn't what bothered him at all; what truly unnerved King Vegeta was a horrible realisation that slowly dawned upon him the closer the signal got.

This was a saiyan power he felt.


At first light of the day following the Dragon's second appearance, the Z-Fighters met at the now familiar back yard of Capsule Corporation, where seven gleaming new ships sat simply begging to be used. They'd be using only four of course, though the three remaining would be left as backups or spares should any of them break down, or if luck should have it, that more fighters arrived on the scene. Dr. Briefs and Bulma were there already, knowing that the group would settle for nothing less than heading off right away.

Trunks headed over to his mother and signalled for Goten to meet them inside their own ship: Capsule 3. She looked sad - scared of losing another family member. Trunks knew that the possibility was very real, though he never told her that out of fear of upsetting the woman. However, where there was dishonesty, there was also complete sincerity on behalf of the lavender haired saiyan.

"Mom, don't worry about me okay? I know this might sound crazy but my gut tells me that this fight is what brings dad back to us. You know him better than anyone – the guy can't resist a powerful opponent. We've never faced an adversary without him and he'll be damned if he lets us start here. So you make sure you look after those ships for when he and Raditz get here, and Goten and I will be sure to stay alive. Deal?"

Bulma smiled, her tears now fully regressed with her son's speech of comfort. "Deal."

Trunks nodded and gave a final goodbye before heading for Capsule 3 as the automated stairs closed shut like a portcullis for all the surrounding ships. He met Goten at the ship's entrance before making his way through it and down the stairs, finding that a call was already incoming from Capsule 2. Goten tapped the screen once to accept the call, finding that Gohan and Krillin now occupied one segment of the screen with the other two still unresponsive.

Ten seconds passed until the inhabitants of the two remaining ships managed to figure out how to work the simple machine. Capsule 4's lounge suddenly came into view, containing Uub and Tien, followed by Capsule 1. Goku was still tapping the screen awkwardly for a few moments before Uub yelled at him that he'd got it working already. The seven resumed their positions on the luxurious sofas.

"Alright, we need to head off in different directions so that we're not going after the same ball." Said Gohan, who then looked up to address the complex supercomputer running the place. "Dragon Radar please!"

In the blink of an eye the Dragon Radar suddenly appeared within a blank quadrant of the screen to display the familiar sight of flashing lights. Just as they'd expected, the Balls were dispersed equally across the galaxy, though Goku immediately noticed something else; something he hadn't seen until now. Five of the Dragon Balls were stationary, and had formed a convenient five pointed star with its corners posted lightyears away in every direction from planet Earth. One other Dragon Ball was on the move, heading left across the bottom of their screen towards a planet unknown to any of them. The last one on the other hand was simply nowhere to be seen.

"Figures – the One Star ball is missing." Trunks calculated, deducing it from the others. "Remember back to our Dragon Balls? Syn Shenron was the leader and the most powerful of all of them, and he was the one star ball. I'm willing to bet that it's whoever keeps talking to our planet; he's staying safe – playing the king whilst his pawns do all the work."

"But I don't get it." Figured Tien. "Two weeks ago we could see all seven of them. Where did it go?"

"Wherever it is, it's in hiding somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't come out until all the rest are dead."

"And even that'll take a miracle." Said Krillin

From Krillin's left side, the group laughed as Gohan smirked before raising his open palm and slapping the man on the back of his bald head.

"Don't talk like that!" He chastised, still grinning as Krillin nursed his head. "This is going to work!" He reassured. If this situation needed anything it was a little humour and laughter, and he received it in spades from his audience of five.

"Alright alright! Geez, you didn't have to hit me so hard!"

"Well have a little faith. Anyway we need to decide which ones we're going after."

"Oh – Oh – Can I-" Goku began

"Yes dad, you can take the four star ball if you want." Gohan sighed.

"Yippee!"

"The one star is gone and the three star is on the move, so Krillin and I will go after the two star ball." He continued.

"Leave the five star to us then." Confirmed Trunks. "Tien, Uub; you guys okay taking the six star?"

"You got it Trunks." Uub nodded his head and looked closer at the map. "And whoever finishes their fight first-"

"-Or gets killed." Krillin interjected, resulting in more laughter from the group as Gohan slapped him once again.

"The first person to finish their fight, contact the others, and if you're able, then we'll give consent to go after the seven star ball." Uub concluded.

"Right!" Came the chorus of voices.

With that, the pairs each hopped up from their seats as the call was brought to a close. They headed up the ladders and made their way to the main entrance, tapping the appropriate star of their designated Dragon Ball before taking one last look at the planet Earth. They knew they'd be out in space for months, and if the Shadow Dragons had their way then they'd never see it again. Just one last time they had to appreciate its beauty; its sense of homeliness that could never be rivalled by any other planet. Trunks knew that even his father, who was born and raised on a completely different world, had a soft spot for this place in that chilled icebox he called a heart, and he'd do anything to protect it.

Krillin let out a long sigh of relief, savouring one last look at the sky and sparing a nod Bulma, who waved goodbye to each of them through the reinforced windows of their ships. "I sure hope you know you're doing with this." He muttered.

"Yeah. . ." Gohan muttered. "So do I. . ." He took one last breath before taking a seat and strapping himself in for the inevitable rocky takeoff. "Punch it." He ordered.

Krillin slapped his hand down on the primed and ready ignition button before dashing quickly to his seat as the engines below began to rumble. The ground beneath them shook and heated up with the blaze of the four jets of flame flaring out into full force. After ten seconds they set off, slowly at first before quickly rising at a force so powerful that Gohan felt himself being dragged down further into his seat.

Out of the open window the pair glimpsed Trunks and Goten also departing, and quickly they blasted through a stream of cloud cover and out of sight, with their ship sending them off in a completely different direction towards the five star ball many lightyears away. Once the ship passed through the bumpy patch of the planet's atmosphere, the effect seemed to lessen drastically thanks to the much lighter gravity in space giving the ship more freedom. Immediately the fasten seatbelts sign that illuminated the roof of the gravity machine flipped off, allowing the two to stand up and stretch out, preparing for a brief training session to get them back in form.

"You ready for this?" Asked Gohan, throwing off his family's signature gi to bare his battle suit of the Kais.

"Oh you bet." Krillin said, widening his feet and bracing himself into a powering up position. Immediately a blueish aura flared out from him as his power ascended far past its regular limits that Gohan had known him for. Now that he was back in a younger body, Krillin now packed all the power he had in his prime along with a boost from Shenron, all in addition to the experience and tact his older self harboured. "I'm gonna have to go all out to keep up with just the least you can do!"

"Well I'll tell you what," Gohan laughed, walking over to the gravity machine as Krillin continued to scorch the tiles beneath him. "How about I make it a little more challenging?" Like the timer dial on a microwave, Gohan turned the knob of the gravity machine only slightly as the digits flared by, all the way up to fifty times the Earth's natural gravity. He saw Krillin's face contort into a painful grimace as the effects began to take their toll.

"That all you got?" Taunted Krillin through the blazing surge of his own energy. "And here I've still got more power."

"Well alright then." Gohan figured. He turned it again, all the way up to one hundred times as Krillin pushed his ki to its absolute maximum and fell into stance, still standing despite the gravity.

"That's more like it." He said. "Don't hold back too much – I don't wanna end up completely useless in this battle.

"Now that's what I'm talking about. You ready?" Gohan fell into his own fighting stance and prepared to ascend into the first level of his ultimate form before the distinct sound of a phone rang through the surrounding speakers. Krillin powered down and looked around as Gohan set the gravity back down to normal.

"And we were just getting started too – you know I was kinda looking forward to that." Noted Krillin.

"Yeah," Gohan nodded. "But we just set off. Who could be calling us?"

"Beats me. Let's go check."

"Right."

The two made their way back down the ladders once again and looked around to see that the enormous plasma screen had lit up with a green phone icon that sent high pitched rings all throughout the ship. It was labelled Capsule 1: Goku's ship.

"Wonder what dad wants?" Mused Gohan. After shrugging at one another the two walked over to the screen and Krillin hesitantly tapped the icon, revealing live video footage of Goku sat upon an identical sofa to the one in their own place, stricken with that nervous look he sported when tackling a difficult situation.

"Hey Goku – what's up?" Asked Krillin.

"Well. . . We've got a bit of a problem on board." He revealed, his voice rising in pitch as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"Is something up with your ship? Why didn't you call Bulma?" Said Gohan.

"No, it's nothing to do with the ship. . ." He looked off his left anxiously, causing Gohan and Krillin to lean in closer out of interest before a face suddenly jumped in front of the camera, taking up the full screen and making the pair hop back in sudden fright.

"Boo!"

The figure hopped away from the camera and glided back into the seat next to Goku. Of course, it was Pan. She was clad in a pair of simple cargo shorts and a matching t-shirt to go with the bandanna she constantly wore over her hair that flowed down to the back of her neck. At first, Krillin didn't recognise the girl at all; he hadn't seen her in years and she'd practically matured into a grown woman over the three years since the Grand Tour. She was much taller now, spanning up to her grandfather's collarbone and packing more muscle, kept tactfully to a minimum to avoid scaring off potential boyfriends.

"Pan! What are you doing there?" Cried Gohan.

"She must've just snuck aboard again Gohan." Goku held up his hands in apology. "I'm sorry – I should've seen her really."

"Well take her back home right now! She can't be involved in this!" Demanded the girl's father.

"I keep trying but she keeps getting away! I knew teaching her Instant Transmission was a bad idea!"

"You taught her Instant Transmission? Since when? Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"A year or two ago maybe?" Goku said, asking no one but himself and letting his eyes roll to the roof. "And I didn't think it was important! She just asked me how it was done and I showed her!" He insisted.

"You know Gohan." Krillin muttered, loud enough so that only the man sat beside him could hear. "Am I sensing a little resentment there? If I recall you always wanted to learn Instant Transmission and-"

"That's got nothing to do with it!" Cried Gohan. He grabbed handfuls of his hair and hung his head in dismay – it seemed like everyone was against him, and he knew that getting through to his daughter was like talking to a brick wall. "Look Pan, it's dangerous out there." He reasoned. "I just don't want you to get hurt is all! Now go back home, your mother's gonna be fuming!"

"No!" Said Pan. "I'm nineteen now and I'm a grown adult! I'll make my own choices thank you very much, and I wanna come on this mission. You completely left me out of the last one so I'm just making up for lost time."

"You're too young." Gohan sighed; even before Pan replied he knew exactly what she would say. It was the argument she'd used a hundred times before, and she was right to an extent – it was rather hypocritical of him.

"Oh I'm sorry, I forget, how old were you again when you fought the saiyans?"

"Five. . ." Groaned the man wearily.

"Exactly: Five! And now I'm nineteen, and I'm too young?"

"Listen Pan, these things are on a whole other level – you're talking about a mountain compared to an anthill."

"But I can turn into a Super Saiyan now!" She revealed, making her grandfather's face warp into one of shock.

"I know honey, and like I said, I'm very proud of you. But your grandpa can go up to Super Saiyan 5 and even he isn't sure whether he can take on these things."

"Well that's a risk I'm willing to take. I'm going on this mission whether you like it or not, and grandpa's the only one without a partner anyway."

Gohan breathed a prolonged sigh as his hand met his forehead. There was little he could do in this situation – they were miles away by now and heading in completely separate directions, and he could hardly ask his dad to just turn around and land. If he did she'd just sneak aboard another ship and fly off all by herself, and if she insisted on flying out with them there'd be no one she'd be safer with than Goku. Gohan's motives were sincere enough; as his little girl he simply didn't want her to be hurt, but she had saiyan blood in her after all - he'd been holding her back for too long.

"Alright. . ." He muttered at last.

Suddenly the speakers erupted in cheer as Pan jumped up and down and begun flying around the entire ship. Goku still looked nervous, as though he was about to feel the wrath of his son purely through a TV screen, though he'd given up trying to argue. If she knew Instant Transmission there was nothing he could do to stop her.

"Dad." Gohan leaned in closer to the camera, keeping his voice down as to not alert the cheering Pan.

"I know Gohan. I'll keep her safe." Goku reassured.

"Something tells me we've all got a role to play in this war whether we like it or not. Just make sure she stays away from those Shadow Dragons; I've a feeling these guys won't be such pushovers as the last bunch."

"I promise Gohan, she won't come within a hundred miles of them." He swore.

"Then that's all I can ask for. Thanks Dad."

Goku smiled and nodded in understanding as Gohan took his cue to disengage the connection. The hybrid sighed again, wondering whether or not he'd made a huge mistake in letting her go and dreading the moment that would inevitably come within the next few hours, where the screen would ring again with a call from Bulma, joined by a furious Videl.

"Hey." Krillin slapped a hand on his shoulder. "You really handled that well you know. You've grown a lot."

Gohan smiled, seeing a potential joke that Krillin had walked right into. "You know I'd say the same thing to you, but that would just be funny."

"Alright that's it! Training time!" Called the man. Gohan barely had time to throw up his defences before a powerful punch came crashing into his guard, marking the very first attack of millions in their strict regime of training.


The last two weeks had been hell for the saiyan Prince, just as the previous twenty five before that had been. As usual he raced along the golden road in a straight line with nothing but his thoughts to accompany him. He'd since forgotten about his incident of bloodlust and had dismissed it as nothing, but since that time this place had been made even worse by the nightmares he suffered.

For the last fortnight Vegeta's sleep had been troubled by barbaric, vicious nightmares that evoked a sense of fear more intense than any enemy he'd faced. The worst part was that he remembered next to nothing of these vivid hallucinations, and they constantly woke him after only a few hours of slumber, with him usually being too disturbed by the experience to get back to sleep.

As such the saiyan was left drowsy and tired as soon as he got up, and the fatigue returned hours prematurely. Out of these six months he'd never ever been the one to actually suggest stopping for sleep – his pride would never allow it, but at times now he wished for it as much as possible, and was left counting down the seconds until Novus or Bardock suggested catching a little shut-eye.

It was in one of these very moments on the brink of collapse that the Prince suddenly felt a flicker on the horizon. At first he dreaded the same presence that had assaulted him before and so slapped himself to make sure his mind didn't play tricks on him, but it was there alright. Somewhere in the distance he could feel a number of strong powers. What bugged him the most though, was that he'd felt each of them before.

At different points in his life he'd come across these energies, yet he'd experienced them either too briefly or too long ago to put a name or a face to even one of them.

He squinted upon seeing something up ahead. He thought his eyes had deceived him, like a parched soul seeing an oasis in the desert, but this was real after all. Closer inspection proved to him beyond any doubt that what he saw was true – the Gates of Life lay up ahead in the distance. Grand, imposing gates comprised of a gold and silver framework towered hundreds of thousands of metres into the sky, coupled with one of the familiar powers he'd felt guarding the entrance. Despite his weariness he prayed for a fight, or at least some kind of confrontation with this incredible power. On the other hand the holy aura radiating from this being's power told him that this would not be the case.

"Vegeta!"

Bardock suddenly appeared behind the saiyan, powering up into a respectable Super Saiyan 2 in order to catch up, and for a moment Vegeta mistook him for Kakarot once again.

"We're close!" Bardock added. "But I just had another vision – something evil is coming! We have to get there fast; we've only got about half an hour."

As Raditz and Novus closed in behind, Vegeta shook his head violently in an attempt to rid himself of his fatigue. A fight was on the way; he had to prepare himself and snap out of his drowsy stupor. With a groan he pushed himself up to the Super Saiyan 3, causing Bardock and Raditz to follow his lead.

"Make it fifteen minutes!" He insisted.

With that, the four fighters upped the acceleration of their already impressive speed and rocketed along the golden road faster than they'd ever dared in here. If he'd tried hard enough the Prince could've no doubt ascended to the Super Saiyan 5, though being on this road meant that they had to spend their power wisely as to not run out of energy within mere hours. Even though they were now at the end, Vegeta still needed to conserve his energy for fight ahead.

As the foursome got closer the gates seemed to loom higher and higher, until they were practically a mountain that cast a gold and silver hue across the road. The nearest energy signal grew stronger and stronger, allowing Vegeta to recognise it until it was right on the tip of his tongue. What troubled him the most though, was the signals he sensed just beyond the gates. Fighting had begun between two large forces – an equal battle so far with no such victor in sight.

With such an intense fight so close at hand the Prince's bloodlust begun to grow wild until he practically craved battle with a hunger equal to addiction. Humans had cigarettes, drugs, sex and alcohol, but this was his fix. Still, he'd never experienced it quite so potently as he did now. These nightmares, his sudden fatigue and that strange incident that had started it off just two weeks ago; he was undergoing some sort of change. A change, he feared, that was beyond his control.

At long last the warriors reached the Gates within the fifteen minutes that Vegeta had demanded. Pillars of white-gold sprouted from the ground for miles before they finally met the metallic structure itself, decorated on all sides by majestic statues and holy relics that made Earth's palaces look like backwater shacks.

They landed, deep in the shadow of the colossal twin gates, looking around for the life form they had sensed up until now. Eventually a figure appeared. Clad in an outfit of the sturdiest armour washed over in a holy white, the man stepped out from behind a leviathan of a statue to their right. Flowing, golden blonde hair hung down to his shoulders, and from his back a majestic longsword clung, its handle peering out over his right shoulder.

"Hyperion." Said Vegeta, being the only one out of the four who'd seen this guy up close. "I should've known."

"How've you been Vegeta?" Asked a smiling Hyperion.

"Just peachy – I'm dead remember? Plus I had to follow this stupid road of yours for the last half a year." Vegeta reminded sourly.

"If it was easy to cross I'd have thousands of people queueing up here by now. Some people don't deserve a second chance at life – something you'll find out firsthand soon enough."

Vegeta considered asking the ancient being exactly what he meant by that statement, though he skipped it in favour of other questions he had. "So when, or why did you build this place?" He asked.

"Let's just say I knew the day would come when you would need to return to the world of the living once again. After my death three years ago I used the opportunity to build this place and grant you access back there as a last resort."

"Lord Hyperion sir." Bardock stepped forwards and bowed his head in fealty. "It's an honour to finally meet you. But I have to know; did the king make it here safely?"

"Wait, the king?" Vegeta asked. The implications of Bardock's words were impossible – if he meant the king: the King of all Saiyans – could his father really be the fighter he'd sent over the road?

"Please, don't be so formal." Hyperion insisted. "And yes. King Vegeta made it here a month or two ago, but he's in danger now."

"I know! I can sense him outside!"

Of course. Vegeta's memories flashed back all the way to his childhood; to the age of only five when his father had walked amongst the living. That power outside – it was him. But if Vegeta's senses proved him right then the man had managed to ascend all the way up to a Super Saiyan 4. He suspected Bardock capable of such a feat, but his father? He'd surpassed the man in strength before he was old enough to know what true power really was.

"Alright. Then we can't waste time here can we?" Said Hyperion. The man drew his sword, resulting in a dull scraping sound echoing around the road as the blade left its sheath. "I know it's cruel to tell you this now, but I can only do this once per being. If you die again and you make your way back here there'll be nothing I can do for you."

The group nodded. They'd each suspected this would be the case, and since none of them planned on dying again any time soon there was no question. The only other option was to fly all the way back across the road to the check-in station, which was something none of them wished for.

"Then let's get on with it." Growled Vegeta.

"I agree." Said Raditz. "We've been dead for too long. I say we get out there and fight!"

"Just one last thing." Hyperion suddenly stepped through the group until he stood across from the only member of their squad who hadn't yet spoken. He put a gauntleted hand on her shoulder. "You're Novus aren't you?" He asked.

The woman looked around with a hint of nervousness before finally nodding. She replied meekly. "Yes."

"Good. You're staying."

As Novus's heart sunk into her stomach, Raditz pushed past his father and slapped Hyperion's hand away. In the three years they'd spent together Novus had never truly seen him display anything close to anger, but this time he seemed about to snap.

"Hey!" He started, squaring up to Hyperion and coming between him and the woman. "She's coming with us. She might be a Vicis but she's not like the others alright? She came all this way with us and I'm not letting her turn back now!"

"Raditz it's okay." She whispered.

"No it's not! If you didn't want her back in the world of the living then why let her start this damn road in the first place?" The saiyan was more than ready to start a fight with their only vessel back to the living. He'd seen his power back when he'd fought Chronus, and after the three years of training he'd endured Raditz felt more than sure that he could take him on if it came down to it.

"Relax Raditz, she can go back to the realm of the living." Said Hyperion. "I know she's not like the other Vices. Because she's made from me."

Novus gasped as the others eyed the man in confusion, prompting him to elaborate on his strange claim.

"Novus, you might not know this, but Chronus – the Master – he was my brother. He made the Vices from different parts of his twisted evil soul, but since we're blood related, part of my cells must've took dominance when he created one of them - you. Your power signal is similar to my own and your techniques are identical despite you never even meeting me. Effectively, this makes you my daughter."

Hyperion allowed his words to sink in as each member of the group sported an expression of stunted surprise. Novus in particular was unsure of how exactly to handle this news – she'd only ever known her creator as the Master, and she'd never seen him in person, she'd only ever lived in fear of his monstrous strength. The knowledge of having something akin to a father was fantastic, but at the same time confusing – why had she never seen him before? Who exactly was he? Was he cut from the same cloth as Chronus? There were a million questions she needed to ask him, though Hyperion cut her off before even one had escaped her lips.

"As evidenced by your last three years of training, Vices can get much stronger, just like any other being. In fact at your current level you might've even been a challenge for your superiors back in the day. But there's so much more you can learn, and I can teach you that faster than you discovering it on your own. All I ask is that you stay with me for a few weeks so that I can prepare you for this war."

"Why don't you just come out with us yourself?" Quizzed Vegeta. "I mean you've got power of your own, why pass it down to the Vicis?"

"I can't leave this place. I'm dead remember?" He revealed, mimicking Vegeta's words. "And whilst I can free others from this domain, I can't seem to apply it to myself. Or at least, I haven't yet found a way. But don't worry. Novus here has the potential to surpass even me – she'll be a great asset to your cause once I'm finished training her. So what do you say?"

Hyperion looked back to Novus for his last question. The blonde haired Vicis looked around shyly before her eyes fell to Raditz for approval. To her surprise, he nodded without hesitation. The saiyan had witnessed Hyperion's fight against his own brother Chronus all those years ago – if anyone was to be trusted here he'd be their man, and if his claim was true then Novus would come out of here far stronger than before.

"Alright. . . I'll do it." She conceded.

"Good. Now we must hurry – you three, prepare yourselves." Hyperion suddenly readied his blade into a combat stance, and before the Prince had a time to put up his guard the warrior had transferred his ki and put all his strength behind an almighty swing in his direction. The blade glowed and hummed with a surge of energy as it traced a golden afterimage through the air before connecting perfectly with Vegeta's halo.

That stupid thing – Vegeta had forgotten all about it up until now. It was a part of him – the part that reminded him that he was dead, and now Hyperion's blade sliced through it like it was nothing more than bread. His eyes rose upwards as he saw the golden ring cleaved perfectly in two, and then shatter into tiny fragments of energy that fluttered to the ground like confetti. He felt life and the entirety of his energy return to him, staring in wonder at his reborn body as Hyperion moved onto Bardock and then Raditz.

"Alright." He said, smirking with satisfaction and clenching a fist in his private moment of triumph. "Open the damn gate."


King Vegeta peered out through eyes that had turned a fantastic, royal golden upon his ascension to the Super Saiyan 4. His hair, much like his son's, flowed down and over his shoulders whilst at the same time spiking up into a vertical assortment of individual spikes. Fur covered his body of an auburn, reddish brown in colour, and his outfit had morphed into a simple pair of black trousers along with a shoulder-mounted mantle that left a gallant red cape trailing down to his heels. He'd been proud to be the ruler of the Saiyan race when he'd first discovered the secret of the Super Saiyan 4, believing no one else but the only saiyans alive capable of such a feat: Kakarot, Raditz, his son and his grandson. He'd been astounded when Bardock had exhibited the same transformation, but it never occurred to him that this monster could've attained such a power. He should've known.

Broly – the Legendary Super Saiyan, now stood before him wielding the exact same transformation, only on a higher standard. His lifeless, rage-filled eyes and radical array of hair were both coloured the same shade of his signature lime green, whilst his fur was a charcoal black in colour, stained red now with the occasional burn he'd received from King Vegeta's onslaught.

Fighting this monster was like fighting a raging bull; no matter how much he dished out – no matter how much damage the man took, he just kept coming and coming, seemingly oblivious to the pain he no doubt suffered. He made no move to block or dodge any attack, he only charged through the collateral to continue his offensive.

The King landed on both feet upon solid ground, keeping his eyes totally fixed on the seven foot monster that charged down from above. At warp speed Broly dashed out of sight, though the saiyan's sharp senses prevailed as he turned and ducked moments before the beast's blindside attack passed over his frame of hair. With Broly's defences completely wide open, King Vegeta fell into a combination of three powerful, explosive punches. On any normal being he'd have connected straight to the jaw or the temple, though thanks to Broly's enormous size he ended up hitting only a chest so solid that his knuckles cracked and bled upon contact.

Even without landing a direct hit, the King reckoned the force he put into those punches should've been more than enough to damage the brute, and just for good measure he twisted into a sky-rising uppercut to finish the combo. Broly staggered back a single step, spitting blood and one or two teeth from his mouth, though the attack had only served to incur his wrath even further. The King of all Saiyans landed with his palms aglow for a finishing move, brightly sending yellow rays beaming out to illuminate the darkened planet.

"Final!" He began, though his copied attack was cut off by the damaged saiyan striding forwards once again and seizing hold of the King's neck, almost snapping it with his iron-clad grip. He should've bought more time from that last punch, but as he'd noticed before – the Legendary Super Saiyan was a machine – a force to be reckoned with and rightly feared within the lore of his people.

He hurled King Vegeta fifty metres through the air before the man found himself crashing into a solid cliff face without even a chance to steady himself. Through a hazy field of vision the King fought against his instinct to simply lie there, and threw himself out of the cavern just in time to avoid the brute charging whimsically into the rocky grave. This was his chance; in the aftermath of Broly's missed attack King Vegeta unleashed a fearsome barrage of missiles, pumping blast after blast into the exploding cliff face and charging up a last attack to finish the fiend off for good.

"Final Flash!"

The technique he'd learned from watching his own son rocketed from his palms, shooting down in a straight line to engulf the five mile radius with an explosion more devastating than any bomb created by the people of the Earth. The King powered down at last, satisfied that his foe had met his match as the smoky collateral plumed for a few moments before eventually blowing over.

But what Vegeta saw was not the mangled corpse of his dismembered opponent. As the smoke cleared the King noticed that Broly's power had not diminished, but it had in fact begun to swell. In a few moments all became clear; the volatile cackling of chaotic beams of lightning danced around the Legendary Super Saiyan as his fur and eyes began to shift into that sickly shade of lime green. His hair thinned into more and more spikes, with each looking sharp enough to impale a man.

His physique that King Vegeta had already deemed impossibly large swelled again; his muscles bulged until the King almost thought they'd burst, and his rock solid chest was pumped up even further. His cold, lifeless eyes glowed with his own shade of green as a flamelike aura surrounded him, finishing off his transformation.

"There's no way. . ." King Vegeta mouthed. From the contented smile on Broly's face however, it seemed there was no mistake here. ". . . Another Super Saiyan 5? - But I thought my son and Kakarot were the only ones?"

The King took a closer look at Broly's finalised transformation as the key to his power presented itself. A small, compressed, three star Dragon Ball could be seen vaguely protruding from the saiyan's chest, radiating power and negative ki at a rate faster than King Vegeta had ever thought possible. In any case, he was screwed – the presence of a Super Saiyan 5 was simply too much for him, and Broly vowed to give him a practical demonstration.

At speeds faster than his eyes could follow, the hulking Goliath disappeared, leaving only an afterimage in his wake. Vegeta sensed him behind right before a fist the size of his head was hammered into his back. He lost all breath in his lungs and his vision blurred in and out of obscurity, dimming faster as Broly warped back to his front and placed a meaty hand around the King's neck, slowly squeezing the newly replenished life out of him.

The King figured his neck was about to snap like a brittle chicken bone; his windpipe was almost completely crushed and his throat was gripped so tightly that not even a single cell of oxygen could make it down. He was moments away before losing consciousness completely when the Super Saiyan 5 suddenly loosened his grip. Vegeta blinked open one eye to see that Broly was staring down back at the ground some hundred metres below, and so he followed his gaze down to a lone figure stood upon the planet's surface.

"Kakarot. . ." Broly snarled.

It wasn't Kakarot – Bardock, the man's father, had appeared, though thanks to their striking similarities the mindless killing machine had been mistaken on first sight.

"KAKAROT!" The saiyan roared again. King Vegeta finally swallowed a mouthful of air as Broly released him, and in his blind state of wrath he plummeted down as fast as he could move as a Super Saiyan 5.

"Bardock. . . Move." He croaked weakly, though thanks to the damage done to his throat he made nowhere near enough noise to alert the saiyan. Bardock simply stared up, his eyes following Broly's fist as the saiyan rushed down to meet him, fully powered up and ready to dish out his vengeance.

"Hey!"

A fierce, throaty cry slowed the rampaging brute down to an eventual halt as the Legendary Super Saiyan witnessed a flash of the deepest red spark up in the corner of his eye. He turned to the smirking face of another familiar opponent, harnessing a mighty amount of ki and focusing it to his palms.

"Remember me?" Vegeta taunted.

Broly growled before changing course and heading right for the Prince's direction, knowing that he had to stop such a powerful attack from being finished.

"Bad move. . ." Vegeta's smirk grew wider as his attack reached its prime. Broly charged faster and grew closer as the saiyan prince waited until the very last moment to hit him at point blank range with the full force of his most devastating attack, one that he'd finally mastered in death.

"CRIMSON OBLIVION!"


.


Author's Notes: Plot twist! Hi guys it's me again, real sorry this was a little late but the crazy week I've had has combined with my internet being on the blink and basically every free moment I have the internet seems to have failed, then when I'm out it seems to work perfectly. It's fixed now anyway, so let's discuss the chapter?

For those who haven't read the first entry of DBAF I'll make sure to describe Vegeta's Super Saiyan 5 in the next chapter - it's never been mentioned before, but to use the technique 'Crimson Oblivion' (the one he used to anihilate Chronus) Vegeta has to be in his Super Saiyan 5 form.

And of course onto the big change that you're all going to no doubt hate me for: Pan. Yeah she got only a cameo in the Room of Spirit and Time saga, so I figured it was time to reintroduce her properly. Don't get me wrong: I dislike her just as much as most Dragon Ball fans, but Dragon Ball AF sees GT as canon, and so I can't in good conscience ignore a character that was so vital to that show. Now I was just as shocked as you guys probably were when I noticed her chronological age (Pan being conveniently 18+ is a very common plot element in many Trunks/Pan fanfics) but no, that's actually how it works out: See, as I stated aaaaages ago, like at very beginning in '09, I use the dub's terminology, since Dragon Ball's dub is awesome and it's the version most people are familiar with.

Now here's where it gets slightly confusing: In the original Japanese version of Dragon Ball GT, there are 5 years between the epilogue of Dragon Ball Z and the start of Dragon Ball GT, making Pan 10 years of age in the original GT and 11 at its end. However, in the ENGLISH DUB of Dragon Ball GT, there are 10 years between Z's epilogue and GT, making Pan 15 in the dub GT and 16 at its end. Now I don't know about you, but I think she looks closer to 10/11 than 15/16, but rules are rules, I stick with the dub. Anyway, since there is supposed to be just over 3 years since DBGT and DBAF, Pan would now be 19 chronologically - almost 20. Weird huh?

And now onto the next one: Broly. Tsssk. . . This was a tough one since until now I just DON'T regard Broly as canon - feel free to debate with me on this, but I think he's boring, stupid and generic, he doesn't fit in with the storyline and he's not even that powerful either! (Because Krillin, Goten and Trunks are apparently stronger than him using the power of salt water! D:) I stuck him in there to fill spaces, and because him being a Super Saiyan 5 would be pretty cool (Take that Raging Blast 2!). One of the biggest clues as to the main plot of the series is something Hyperion said to Vegeta, and it's started with Broly. If you're clever you can work it out :)

Aaaand of course King Vegeta: What can I say? I think he's pretty cool - like Bardock he's not going to be a MAJOR part in this fic, but right now I'm pretty sure I've got the whole roster of fighters established. . . All save one awesome green namekian. . .

Phew, that was a long notes section - guess I feel like I have to justify EVERYTHING I do in this. Oh well. Definitely some Piccolo next week!