Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, and their respective franchises are the property of Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV and Akira Toriyama.

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Dragon Ball Saga, Part 6: Warriors and Monsters

Vegeta reclined in the passenger's seat of the hovercar, tilting his head back as he felt the wind whipping at his face. He took a deep breath, smelling a faint tinge of salt that told him the ocean must be getting close, and nodded in satisfaction. A moment later, however, he frowned in annoyance as he heard Goku's high-pitched voice yapping about something, audible even over the wind and the drone of the engine.

Why did I have to get stuck on a quest with these two idiots? the young prince thought sourly to himself.

After he, Kakarot, and the human girl had left their home on Mount Paozu, they'd headed off towards the location of the next Dragon Ball, as indicated by the girl's "Dragon Radar". Their journey had been uneventful so far, with a minor exception when a flying dinosaur had attempted to carry the girl off. Vegeta had quickly dealt with the creature, which actually turned out to be quite tasty once he'd carved it up and cooked it over their campfire. After that, the trio had continued on their way. They'd made some progress, but their mission had been delayed yet again when Kakarot had stumbled across a giant turtle that, somehow, knew how to speak. The reptile had explained that it had gotten lost and was trying to find its way back to the sea, so the young Saiyan had decided to take it upon himself to return it to its home.

Which had led to their current situation, driving along the road towards the nearby ocean. Vegeta and the girl Bulma were riding in her hovercar, while Kakarot was carrying the turtle on his back and running along beside the car. Vegeta had initially been doing the same, but he'd eventually decided that jogging along the road the whole way like a commoner was unbecoming of him, and decided to ride in the vehicle instead.

Vegeta yawned, stretching his arms over his head and clicking his neck. His keen ears picked up an abrupt inhalation from Bulma, and he chuckled inwardly. He'd pretended not to notice her sneaking glances at him throughout their walk, but his reflexes were much faster than hers, so he couldn't miss it.

As luck would have it, she chose that moment to speak up, raising her voice as she called out so that he could hear her over the engine. "So… Vegeta, right?"

"Yes, that is my name," Vegeta deadpanned, not even sparing a glance in her direction.

"Well, I was just thinking about something." Bulma looked over at him. "When we first met, you called me 'human'. Like…" She paused. "Like you're not human. So I was wondering what you meant by that."

Vegeta came to a halt, turning to face her and raising an eyebrow. "I should think it's rather self-explanatory." With a single flick, his tail unwrapped itself around his waist and waved back and forth, drawing a startled gasp from Bulma.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, glancing in shock at his tail. "You… you have a tail?!"

"Obviously," Vegeta deadpanned. "So does Kakarot; I'm surprised you didn't notice." He jerked a thumb back over his shoulder, indicating the younger Saiyan, who was still running alongside the car.

"So, you two really aren't human? Then what…" Her eyes widened. "Wait, are you saying you're, like… an alien or something?"

Vegeta smirked. "Ah, how astute you are. Truly, you must be a credit to your species."

The girl promptly rounded on him, scowling. "Hey!"

Rolling his eyes, Vegeta shrugged. "But to answer your question, yes; he and I are not from this planet. We're members of a species called the Saiyans."

Bulma's eyes widened in astonishment. "That's amazing! I mean, I guess I believed that there had to be other life forms out there somewhere, but I never thought I'd actually meet one! I've gotta say, though, I wasn't expecting an alien to, um…" To look like you, she thought, but she blushed as soon as the thought entered her mind, so she fought it down. "To… look so much like a human. I'd always thought aliens would be more like insects or reptiles, or maybe some weird creatures with lots of tentacles and stuff."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Well, there are plenty of species like that out there, but a lot of them resemble humans or Saiyans; humanoid species are fairly common, actually."

"Huh." Bulma frowned. "That's interesting. I wonder why – oh crap!" She slammed on the brakes, sending the car skidding to a halt. Vegeta was almost flung headfirst into the dashboard, but threw out a hand to stop himself; unfortunately, this left a hand-shaped dent in the metal, as he'd used a bit too much force. The car fishtailed, almost swerving off the road, and finally came to a stop when they struck a tree.

"Okay, what the hell was that about?" Vegeta snarled. Hearing an unfamiliar, growling voice, he turned to see that Goku, still carrying the turtle over his head, was now facing off with a strange-looking individual in the middle of the road. The figure resembled a bear (albeit with orange fur), but the fur on his head was spiked up in a mohawk, and he wore samurai-style armor, including a katana.

"Oh, for god's sake," Vegeta muttered, hopping out of the car and starting over towards Goku.

"Hand over the turtle," the bear growled, brandishing his sword threateningly, "and no one gets hurt."

"No way!" Goku retorted, setting the turtle down so he could properly enter a fighting stance. "If you want him, you gotta go through me!"

The bear growled, raising the sword. "If I must, then I –"

"Oh, shut up!" a second voice snapped, a moment before a vicious impact slammed into the bear, hurling him off the road and into the forest on the other side. He bounced off a tree with a jarring thud, and hit the ground in an unconscious heap.

Vegeta landed lightly beside Gou, lowering his leg from its kicking position. "Well, that was irritating," he remarked dryly. "Shall we continue?"

"Awww, man!" Goku complained. "I wanted to fight that guy!"

"Then you should have been quicker about it," Vegeta retorted. "There's a time and place for bantering with an opponent, but not when they're as pathetic as that creature. When an enemy is beneath you, they're usually not worth your time. Keep that in mind, Kakarot." With that, he turned and strode back towards where Bulma was examining the damage to the car.

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"I can't believe the car's broken," Bulma muttered to herself as the trio made their way through the forest towards the ocean. "My dad's gonna kill me!"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Your father takes his machinery that seriously?" he questioned. "My father wouldn't kill me unless I gave him a better reason than that."

"What?" Bulma frowned. "Oh, no, it's just an expression. I just meant he's probably going to be a bit disappointed in me." She grinned. "My dad's too nice to ever kill anybody, to be honest."

"Ah, I see." Vegeta shrugged. "For a second there, I thought you might come from a strong bloodline after all. My mistake."

"Oh." Bulma was quiet for a moment, before her eyes widened in indignation. "Wait, what do you mean by that?!"

"Guys!" Goku called out in excitement, interrupting them. "Come on, we're here!" Without waiting for a response, he dashed forward through the last of the trees, emerging onto a sandy beach. Hurrying down the beach, he set the turtle down on the soft, damp sand near the water. "There you go!" he said cheerfully, stepping back.

"Oh, thank you so much!" the turtle replied in his nasal voice. He turned his head, taking in Vegeta and Bulma as they strolled down to join Goku. "If you three will wait here for a while, I can go find my master. He'll be sure to reward you for helping me out."

"A reward?" Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Sounds good to me! Sure, we'll wait here until you get back."

"Just be quick about it," Vegeta snapped. "I don't plan on sitting around here for a second longer than I have to."

"I assure you, my master is a very wise man; I'm sure he'll be able to find a suitable reward for you." With that, Turtle turned and scrambled into the water. Once submerged, he swam away with surprising speed, quickly disappearing into the distance.

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Two hours later, quiet had settled on the beach. Vegeta had found a shady spot in the shadow of a large rock and was presently lying back and relaxing; the cool sea air was reminiscent of the first year or so that he'd spent on this planet, so he found it quite nice. Goku was practicing some martial arts moves that Vegeta had shown him, while Bulma was sitting on a rock, checking her Dragon Radar to determine where the next closest Dragon Ball could be found.

"Where the hell is he?" Vegeta muttered, rubbing his eyes. "It's been too damn long!" He scowled. "That 'reward' he promised had better be worth the wait."

Bulma barely heard him; she was focused on the screen of her radar. As she rotated it in an arc, scanning the area, she paused, a frown spreading across her face. "Huh… that's weird."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, glancing over at her. "What?"

"Well…" Bulma looked up, out at the sea, then back down at the radar. "According to this, there's a Dragon Ball out there somewhere. I've been detecting its signal for a while, figured it was on one of the islands out there. But in the last hour or so… somehow, it's gotten a lot closer. It's moving towards us."

"Really?" Vegeta sat up, rising and coming over to where she was seated. "That would mean someone else has it."

"Hey, guys!" Goku's voice echoed as he jogged up the beach towards them, skidding to a halt in a spray of sand. "He's coming back; I can see him out on the ocean! And…" He frowned, scratching his head. "It's weird, but I think there's somebody ridin' him."

Bulma and Vegeta followed the younger Saiyan back down to the water's edge. By now, both of them could see the approaching figure as well: an elderly man, perched on the back of the giant turtle. Bulma and Goku had no idea who he was; Vegeta, however, was astonished by the fact that he recognized him instantly.

"Roshi?!" he exclaimed incredulously.

Sure enough, the Turtle Hermit was approaching the shore, reclined leisurely on Turtle's back. As soon as he'd gotten close enough, he vaulted lightly over the breakers and landed on the damp sand. "So, you three are the ones who helped my Turtle out, eh?" he asked. Spotting Vegeta, he stopped short, his eyes widening behind his sunglasses. "Wait… Vegeta? Is that you?"

"Obviously," the Saiyan prince replied with a grin. He was somewhat pleased to see Roshi again, as the old martial artist had been quite possibly the only inhabitant of this planet who had earned something approaching respect from the prince.

Bulma turned to Vegeta with a frown. "Wait, you know this guy?"

"Well, of course!" Roshi said cheerfully. "Vegeta here was the best student I've had in the last hundred years!"

Goku whipped around. "Wait, this is Master Roshi?!" he questioned excitedly. "The guy you told me about, the first person you met when you landed here?"

"That's right." Vegeta glanced back to Roshi. "Well, this is a surprise; I hadn't expected to see you here. Though, in retrospect, I suppose the giant turtle should have tipped me off."

Roshi laughed. "I've missed you, kid. It's been way too long!" He looked Goku and Bulma over, his gaze brought to a halt when he noticed Goku's tail and similar spiky hair. "Hang on… is that –"

"Kakarot, yes," Vegeta replied with a smirk. "I found him, just as promised. He was living with some old man… Gohan, he called himself." He frowned. "He said he knew you, actually."

Roshi's eyes widened. "Gohan? Yes, I know him! I trained him many years ago." He smiled as the memories of their many years together came back to him. "How is he?"

Vegeta and Goku exchanged a glance; Goku's face was saddened as he remembered the loss of his adoptive grandfather. "Unfortunately… he died, a few years ago," Vegeta answered, something approaching regret in his tone.

"Oh… I see." Roshi sighed, lowering his head in sorrow. "That's a shame. I'd been hoping to see him again someday." After a moment of remembrance, he shook off his gloom, returning his attention to the trio of young people in front of him. "So, not that I'm not glad to see you, Vegeta, but what brings you three to these parts?" He glanced over to Bulma, stifling a twitch of his nose at the realization that the third member of their group was an attractive young woman.

"Well," Bulma spoke up, "we're on… sort of a quest, I guess?" She smiled, a bit self-consciously. "We're looking for a set of enchanted objects called Dragon Balls." The signature she'd detected earlier came to mind, so she double-checked her radar. Sure enough, the new Dragon Ball reading that she had detected was now right on top of them. "You have one, don't you?" she asked, looking up at Roshi.

"A Dragon Ball?" Roshi raised an eyebrow. "As a matter of fact, yes, I do." He took hold of a cord around his neck and pulled, producing a Dragon Ball that had been hanging around his neck, concealed under the collar of his Hawaiian shirt.

"Oh, perfect!" Bulma smiled happily. "Would you mind giving it to us? We're collecting them, so we need to gather all seven, and I'd take it as a personal favor if you'd help us out."

Roshi chuckled. "Well, of course. I'd be happy to give it to you…" A somewhat glazed look came into his eyes as he looked Bulma up and down. "Ah… in exchange, perhaps, for a little…"

"A little what?" Vegeta interrupted, his arms folded. "I don't have time for your driveling, old man! Are you going to give us the Dragon Ball or not?"

"Gah!" Roshi flinched; he'd momentarily forgotten that Vegeta was there. Hmmm… I mean, maybe I shouldn't do this in front of him… but she is gorgeous… oh, come on, Roshi! You're supposed to be this boy's master; considering how strong he is, it's probably best to set a good example for him. Gulping, he shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Uh… never mind! Actually, since you were kind enough to help Turtle out, I guess I could throw this in with your reward. Least I can do, heheh." A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead as he handed the Dragon Ball to Bulma.

"Um… okay." Shrugging, Bulma placed the ball into the mesh bag that held the other three Dragon Balls they'd found. "Well, thanks! Was there anything else?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Roshi answered with a more genuine smile. "In exchange for your helping Turtle, I did have another reward in mind for the three of you." He raised one hand, turning to face the ocean. "Come to me, Nimbus!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice ringing out over the beach.

A few seconds later, a small golden dot appeared on the horizon. It grew in size as it rapidly approached the shore, until it finally came to an abrupt halt directly in front of Roshi. This close, Vegeta could now see that it appeared to be a small cloud, although it was gold in color, rather than white like the normal clouds on this planet. It also seemed to be under Roshi's control, as it floated motionless at his side, occasionally rising or falling by a few inches.

"This," Roshi said with a proud grin as he turned to face the trio, "is the Nimbus Cloud. I received it as a reward for completing a great trial many years ago, and it's helped me many times since then. It can fly its rider to anywhere on the planet, without having to use any of their own energy or a mechanical contraption to do so!" His grin faded, and he sighed. "Unfortunately, it doesn't work for me anymore, so I figured it might make a perfect reward for you. If any of you are worthy of it, anyway."

Vegeta frowned. "What do you mean, 'worthy'?"

"Well, the Nimbus was made using magic," Roshi explained. "The enchantment that was used to create it also means that only people who have a pure heart can ride it without falling off." He blushed. "Unfortunately, my heart seems to have become a little… less pure in recent years, so the cloud has stopped letting me ride it. However, you all seem like decent people, so it might work for one of you."

"Right." Bulma took a step forward, eyeing the cloud. Somewhat nervously, she placed one hand on top of the cloud, pushing down to test its strength… but unfortunately, her hand went straight through it. "Whoa," she breathed.

"Well, looks like you're not pure enough," Roshi remarked dryly. As Bulma sputtered in indignation, he glanced over to his former student. "Vegeta?"

The Saiyan prince scoffed. "Oh, please. If the girl isn't 'pure' enough for this thing to accept her, then there's no chance in hell I'd be able to use it. And even if it did, I'd never lower myself to using some mystical trinket to fly; I can do that perfectly well on my own."

Roshi considered that for a moment, then nodded. "All right, then." He turned to the third member of the group, who'd been examining the enchanted cloud with fascination. "Ah… Kakarot, right? How about you?"

"It's Goku, actually," the Saiyan boy replied cheerfully. "And yeah, sure! Here, let me try it out." With no hesitation, he backflipped into the air, landing squarely on top of the cloud. To the surprise of everyone present, he didn't fall through; instead, the cloud simply dipped slightly and then stabilized, now with Goku standing triumphantly atop it.

"All right! This is so cool!" Goku cheered, punching the air with one fist. He leaned forward, sending the cloud gliding across the beach, and tilted his body to one side, then the other, laughing as the cloud mirrored his movements by changing directions.

Roshi's mouth had hung open for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "…Well, I suppose that settles it," he managed. "All right then, ah… Goku… the Nimbus Cloud is yours. Take good care of it, and it'll always be there when you need it."

"Awesome!" Goku's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Thank you, sir!" He executed a somewhat clumsy bow – a bit of etiquette that he'd picked up from Vegeta over the years, as a way of showing respect.

"Quite a polite young man," Roshi remarked. "And so friendly, too!" He chuckled, glancing to Vegeta. "You're sure he's the same species as you?"

"He's brain-damaged," Vegeta replied sourly.

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Some time later, the trio were ready to move on. As Bulma and Goku headed off down the beach, Roshi had kept Vegeta behind to ask him about the circumstances of Gohan's death. The Saiyan prince had explained what had happened quickly and succinctly, leaving out the gory details.

"Well, I suppose I'd better head home." Roshi stretched his arms over his head, cracking his neck, before looking down at his companion. "Ready to head back, Turtle?"

"Of course, sir," the reptile answered, crawling into the water.

Roshi nodded, following his friend to the water's edge, before he turned back to Vegeta. "Oh, before I go, I just wanted to tell you; I still have your spaceship on my island. It's safe and sound, waiting for you."

Vegeta grinned. "Perfect. Kakarot and I will be leaving this planet eventually, so I'll need that pod back someday."

"Of course." Roshi considered. "Actually… once you three are done with this quest you're on, you should bring that Goku kid back to my place. I'd bet I could teach him some things; that kid could be a hell of a martial artist with the right training."

"Hmmm." Vegeta appeared to be thinking that over for a moment; in reality, however, his decision had been made the moment Roshi had suggested the idea. He'd been planning to bring Kakarot back to Roshi's island for years now, ever since he'd first gone looking for him, but he hadn't wanted the younger Saiyan to grow up surrounded by humans, so he'd kept him isolated until Bulma had shown up. Still, Roshi had a point; the old man's training had been a valuable aid to Vegeta himself, both in learning new abilities and in adjusting to life on this planet. If he could do the same for Goku, help mold the brat into a real warrior, then Vegeta would definitely be willing to try it out. "All right. Once we've finished this damn quest, I'll bring him to your home so you can train him. Hopefully it won't take too long." Without further words of farewell, he promptly took to the air, blasting off after Goku and Bulma.

Roshi smiled to himself, watching his student's departure. "You'd better, Vegeta," he said softly. Gohan's dead, and I won't live forever… so I think it's about time to start training the next generation. And those two seem like a good place to start.

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Several days had passed since their meeting with Roshi, and Vegeta, Goku and Bulma were now approaching the next Dragon Ball. Bulma's radar had traced it to a small, isolated village; since her car was still damaged, however, they'd been forced to make the trek on foot.

"Hopefully, they'll have someplace where I can fix up the car," Bulma panted as she clambered over a fallen tree. "I'm good at a lot of things, but trekking through the woods for day after day is not one of them."

Vegeta rolled his eyes, easily hopping over the tree. "This Dragon Ball had damn well better be there," he muttered.

Before long, Vegeta and Bulma emerged from the trees on the edge of the village. Vegeta dusted off his hands as he glanced up at the sky; sure enough, Goku quickly came into view, swooping down from the canopy atop the Nimbus cloud. "Hey, guys!" he called out cheerily as he landed. "I flew over the village a couple of times to check it out, but I can't see anybody."

Bulma looked around. "Huh. Yeah, he's right; the place looks deserted."

Vegeta frowned, reaching out with his ki-sensing ability as he looked around the village. He'd gotten fairly good with that ability over the years since Roshi had taught it to him, although he hadn't had much practice.

"No, it's not," he responded at length. "There are definitely people here, but I think they're all hiding inside the houses." His lip curled in a frown. "Frankly, I'd like to know why." Without waiting for the others, he headed straight for the nearest occupied building. Goku followed quickly behind him, while Bulma hung back nervously.

Reaching the door of the house, Vegeta knocked loudly on the door with one fist. "I know you're in there!" the Saiyan prince called out loudly, knowing that whoever was inside could hear him. "Open the door, or I'll open it for you." Several seconds passed without an answer, and he scowled. "Enough of this." With no further action, he took one step back and kicked the door with enough force to send it flying off its hinges. Without further delay, he stepped inside… and promptly ducked, his old combat reflexes kicking in as an axe swung through the space where his head had been a moment earlier. He flicked out one hand, releasing a kiai that hurled his attacker backwards into the wall, their axe slipping from their hand. Without pausing, he caught the axe neatly by the handle, jumped across the room, and positioned the blade inches from his attacker's throat.

"Wait!" a hoarse voice cried out. "Please, don't kill me!"

Vegeta frowned, looking down at his attacker, an aging man with terror in his eyes. "Who the hell do you think you are?" he snarled, his eyes narrowed in a glare. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you."

"I'm sorry," the old man whimpered. "I just… I thought you were Oolong."

This statement was so unusual that Vegeta blinked in surprise, lowering the axe and taking a step back. "Oolong?" he asked, frowning. "Who the hell is Oolong?"

"He… he's a monster," the old man answered, groaning as he picked himself up, while still keeping a wary eye on Vegeta. "He can take on any form, and he's been terrorizing our village for several months now. He rampages through the village, destroys our homes, and he's been kidnapping our daughters one by one."

Vegeta considered that. "Interesting…" he murmured. Perhaps this "monster" could provide him with a decent fight… though frankly, he doubted it.

"Vegeta!" Bulma's cry snapped him out of his thoughts, as she and Goku burst into the room. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Vegeta shot back tersely, immediately annoyed that the human girl had interrupted his questioning. "This old man claims there's a monster attacking this village."

"He calls himself Oolong the Terrible," the old man confirmed, nodding as he sank into a chair. "Again, I must apologize, sir; I meant you no harm. I have more reason to fear Oolong than most; he wishes to take my own daughter as his next victim, so when you pounded on my door I thought you must be him."

"Oh, that's horrible!" Bulma's eyes were wide in sympathy as she hurried over to the man. "Well, sir, I assure you, we don't mean any harm to you or anyone else in this village."

"Well, that's quite good to hear." The old man smiled faintly, before shaking his head and changing the subject. "Well, anyone who comes to our village in peace is welcome. What brings the three of you here?"

"Well, we're actually looking for a mystical artifact that I think is in this village somewhere," Bulma explained. "It's called a Dragon Ball." She took one of the four they'd already acquired out of the bag on her belt, holding it up so the man could see it. "I'm pretty sure there's one of them in this village somewhere; it would look just like this one, except with a different number of stars."

While they had been talking, the rest of the old man's family had emerged into the front room. While they were understandably nervous at the sight of Vegeta – who, even though he had discarded the axe and was now leaning against the wall, still looked fairly intimidating – the presence of Goku and Bulma, neither of whom seemed threatening, was enough to reassure them that these strangers did not mean them harm. As Bulma finished her explanation, the old man's young daughter spoke up.

"I've seen one of those before," she said, looking down somewhat shyly as she pointed at the Dragon Ball in Bulma's hand.

Bulma spun around like a hunting dog on point, smiling eagerly. "Really? You have?"

"Yes, a woman who lives three houses down has one." The girl frowned. "I'm not sure if she'd just give it to you, though."

Bulma frowned, her enthusiasm dampened. "She's right… we need all of the Dragon Balls, but I assumed we'd find them all in the wilderness or whatever. I hadn't really figured out what we should do if one of them belonged to somebody. I mean, with Roshi, we got lucky and did him a big enough favor that he just gave his to us, but I'm not sure how we could do that for this woman." She considered. "Although, I am the heiress for one of the biggest corporations on the planet, so I guess I could just buy it off her… although my dad might not be happy with me if I started throwing money around on this trip."

"Hmmm…" Goku appeared to be thinking the issue over, before an idea struck him; he grinned, looking up. "Well, how about this? If Vegeta and I fight this Oolong monster guy and beat him up, to get all the girls he's kidnapped back and make sure he'll leave this village alone, I bet that lady would be happy to give us the Dragon Ball in exchange."

"That…" Bulma's eyes widened. "That might actually work! Good idea, Goku!" She paused. "But… are you sure you can beat him? I mean, the guy's supposed to be some kind of monster, right?"

"That won't be a problem," Vegeta cut in. A faint smirk had formed on the prince's face. "An excellent idea, Kakarot. There's nothing on this planet, human or otherwise, that can defeat the two of us. If this so-called monster was powerful enough to be a threat to me, I'd be able to sense him from here." He straightened up, flexing his arms, and glanced at the old man. "You said he plans to take your daughter as his next captive? Did he give any indication as to when he'll be back?"

"At high noon, he said," the old man answered. "So, he should be here within an hour or two."

"Right!" Bulma started pacing, her mind spinning as she tried to come up with a plan. "Okay, how should we do this? Even once you two defeat Oolong, we'll need to find out where he's been keeping the girls he's abducted. Hmmm…" An idea occurred to her. "Maybe we could dress one of you two up as her, so he'll take you back to his lair, and then you can beat him up and rescue the girls?"

"Not a bad idea," Vegeta deadpanned. "I have a better one." He cracked his knuckles. "We'll just wait until he gets here, and then Kakarot and I will pummel him until we make him tell us where his prisoners are."

Bulma thought that over for a moment, then shrugged. "Yeah, that works too."

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Vegeta and Goku stood out in the middle of the village, waiting for the infamous "monster" to make his entrance. Bulma and the villagers were safely concealed within the surrounding houses; they had explained the situation, with assistance from the family, and had convinced the other villagers that their plan would work.

Sure enough, after a few minutes of waiting, the sound of heavy, crashing footfalls began to echo from the surrounding forest. Vegeta tensed unconsciously, waiting for the creature to emerge; he hadn't had a real battle for many years, and he was privately hoping that this monster was the real deal just so he could have a decent fight. Goku, for his part, seemed to be both nervous and excited, as he'd never had a real battle in his life until now. Sparring with Vegeta was fun, but the prospect of an actual fight had his Saiyan instincts buzzing.

As the two Saiyans readied themselves, their opponent emerged from the trees.

"Oolong the Terrible" was not quite what Vegeta had expected. He was certainly physically imposing: about twenty feet in height and reddish in coloration, with a prominent piglike snout instead of a human mouth and nose. The unusual part, however, was that Vegeta could barely detect any energy at all from him. Either he was a lot weaker than he looked, or he had some way of concealing his energy. Since Vegeta didn't know much about Oolong, he had to assume that both options were possible, but he didn't feel threatened either way.

"Where's my newest bride?" the giant boomed, coming to a stop in front of Goku and Vegeta and glaring down at them.

"Sorry, but your wedding's been canceled," Vegeta shot back, folding his arms nonchalantly.

"Yeah!" Goku seconded, twirling his Power Pole, a red wooden staff that Gohan had owned, in a two-handed grip. Vegeta had no use for the thing, so he'd let Goku have it, and the boy had become quite proficient with it. "You won't be kidnapping anyone else!" he called out confidently.

"Oh, really?" Oolong chuckled. "So you two think you're going to fight me?" Inwardly, however, he was much less confident than he appeared. The main reason he'd been so successful with this arrangement thus far was that everyone in the village had been too afraid of him to try anything, as, despite his transforming ability, he wasn't particularly strong no matter what form he was in. Also, since his transformations came with a five-minute time limit, he was usually just in and out of the village, never there for more than a couple of minutes at a time. If this took too long, he would revert to his normal form automatically, and if that happened he wouldn't be able to scare these people anymore. Whatever the case, he needed to wrap this up fast.

"That's correct," Vegeta retorted with a grin. He'd been feeling out Oolong's energy signature, and he was fairly certain that this so-called menace was far too weak to threaten him. He was somewhat disappointed, but since he knew, that meant he didn't need to dirty his hands on this trash. "Kakarot? He's all yours." He stepped back, content to simply observe this fight. It would be a good way to check up on the younger Saiyan's progress, too.

Goku grinned eagerly. "Okay, Vegeta! I won't let you down!" He turned to face Oolong, holding his staff in a ready stance. "Come on!" he shouted defiantly. "I'm not scared of you."

Oh, man! Oolong's eyes widened slightly, the only sign of his inner panic. These guys are serious. I could be in big trouble here! Forcing down his fear, he clenched his fists, trying to reassure himself with the massive size of his transformed state. Hopefully, these guys were weak enough that he could overpower them in this form; if he could do that, then things should go back to normal. All right. No choice, I guess. "All right, then," he growled, keeping his voice deep. "Come at me, little man!"

"You got it!" Goku shot back, charging at Oolong. As soon as he got close, he slammed one end of the Power Pole into the soil and yelled, "Power Pole – extend!" The staff instantly grew, propelling him high into the air until he was level with Oolong's head. The giant's clumsy swipe missed him completely, and Goku pushed off the ground with his staff, leaping through the air and whirling the staff in an arc, catching Oolong on the side of the head. The blow snapped Oolong's head to the side, knocking him sprawling and sending his massive body crashing to the ground. He lay there, groaning as he reached up to rub at the rapidly-forming bruise on the side of his head.

Goku landed lightly on his feet, spinning the staff as it shrank back down to normal size. As he advanced towards Oolong, intending to continue the battle, he noticed something odd. Instead of getting back up, the monster was still rolling around, holding his head and groaning in pain.

Goku frowned. "I didn't hit him that hard…" he complained. "C'mon, are you gonna keep fighting me or what?"

What… the hell… Oolong panted, rubbing his head as he attempted to deal with the throbbing pain shooting through it. How the hell… is he that strong?! To his dismay, he felt his transformation slipping. No… can't… hold it – With a loud POP, a cloud of smoke billowed up, enveloping him, before fading to reveal a different figure in the giant's place: a small, humanoid pig wearing army fatigues, still rubbing at a bruise in the same place where Goku had kicked the giant.

Goku stopped short, scratching his head. "Wait… what?" I mean, they did say he could transform, right? So, I guess… this is what he really looks like?

Oolong opened his eyes, looking down at himself. "No…" he groaned. "Damn it, I've gotta get out of here!" He scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain in his head, and turned to run for the trees –

– and found himself staring directly into Vegeta's cold eyes as the Saiyan prince materialized in front of him, snatching him up by the throat and effortlessly holding him in the air with one hand.

"Nice try," the Saiyan prince snapped, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the terrified shapeshifter. "Now, I'll ask you one time: where are the girls you abducted from this village?"

"T-they're… they're fine!" Oolong stammered. "They're all safe in a cave near here. I can take you there… just, please, don't kill me!"

Vegeta seemed to be thinking that over… but then he casually tossed Oolong to the ground. "All right. But if they're not all there and unharmed, I will kill you. Just so we're clear." His voice was almost conversational, but there was a hard edge to it that left Oolong with no doubt that his threat was genuine.

Shivering, Oolong nodded. "R-Right."

.

It took less than an hour for Goku and Vegeta to retrieve all of the kidnapped girls from Oolong's cave lair. Fortunately, as the shapeshifter had promised, all of his prisoners were safe and unhurt; considering Oolong's true, fearful nature, it was unlikely that he would have done anything to harm them.

Sure enough, with all the hostages safely returned, and the threat to the village eliminated, the woman who possessed a Dragon Ball – the six-star, as it turned out – was happy to hand it over as a reward for their help. With that done, the trio were preparing to leave.

"So, what're you planning to do with Oolong?" Goku inquired, indicating the shapeshifter, who remained tied to a post in the center of the village, under guard.

"To be honest, I'm not sure," the man whose house they'd entered first answered. "We've never had a situation like this before, so we'll have to decide what we want to do with him."

"Well, if you don't mind, I have an idea," Bulma spoke up. All eyes turned to her, as she glanced towards the downcast shapeshifter. "We could take him with us."

Vegeta frowned. "We could what?"

"Well, with that ability of his, he could be useful in helping us find the other Dragon Balls. And if he got out of line, you or Goku could just beat him again; it's not like he'd be a threat to either of you." She grinned, pleased with herself for coming up with a straightforward solution. "This way, the people of this village would never have to see him again, but they also wouldn't have to figure out what to do with him."

The old man considered that. "Very well," he agreed. "As long as you are sure you can keep Oolong from causing any trouble, then you are welcome to take him with you."

"No problem!" Bulma smiled, ignoring Vegeta's glare. The Saiyan prince turned and stalked off, muttering to himself irritably. For whatever reason, he could never win an argument with the blue-haired girl, and it was really starting to annoy him.

We had better find the rest of these damn Dragon Balls soon, he thought to himself. Because if I'm forced to spend much more time with that girl, I may have to kill her.

.

Hello, everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to update, but I have the rest of this story arc all planned out, so it shouldn't take me nearly as long to get the next chapter up.

Shout-outs to RHatch89, ShadowLDrago, Nwandu225, nataku2709, DBZfanLou, Takai-taka, BaltaineShadow, Writersblock42, Guestyguest, Gokuu the Carrot, Chikara-san, Guest (1), Guest (2), and Fenix Maxwells for reviewing; you guys are awesome!

As always, I love getting feedback from you all, so if you have any questions or comments regarding this chapter or the story as a whole, please review! (No hate, please).

Review Q&A:

Q: [concerns about Vegeta's power, how that might affect the story by making things less challenging for the heroes, etc.]

A: Patience! While it's true that Vegeta's power will initially make things easier for the heroes, I can assure you that I do not plan to just have him KO all the Dragon Ball villains or something like that. Yes, he is by far the most powerful character in the heroes' group at the moment, but that doesn't mean that the others won't have their times to shine. Not to mention… well, Vegeta's presence may be making things easier for the heroes at the moment, but keep in mind that he's not nearly as strong as his canon counterpart right now. So, in the future, things may not be so easy for him…

Q: I'm betting that they may see Roshi next chapter. Are the chapters gonna be longer since they're starting their adventure?

A: Yep, here's Roshi! I've been looking forward to his reunion with Vegeta for a while. And yeah, the chapters will hopefully all be decent-length going forward; I'd say we probably only have two more chapters to go before the end of this saga, and then we'll have a bit of a time skip before the next one.

Q: I must say, I love this so far. How far with it do you intend to go? All the way through Z, or maybe even through Super? It will be interesting to see how this will work, and I wonder who will become the Super Saiyan, if not both of them, in the Frieza Saga, when and if it comes around.

A: Well, I plan to take this as far as I can, so at the moment, pretty much everything is on the table as far as future possibilities go: Dragon Ball, Z, Super, the movies, and maybe even some elements from GT (I know, I know, GT is mostly terrible, but I think there are some salvageable elements from it that I might use at some point in the future).

And for the Frieza Saga question: we'll have to see how that plays out when we eventually get to that portion of the story.