He couldn't be following them.

Chi-Chi didn't want to think about him when she had other issues to attend to, more important than some cruel bastard she'd slept with. But this was where her thoughts seemed to linger, obsessing about him since she'd returned fully dressed in her armor, to the bridge where everyone else was gearing up for finding Brolly on Pzaa. Chi-Chi thought she'd covered her tracks well enough. She'd left early. He wouldn't have known where to pursue her, let alone have any reason to. But someone was following her, and the likeliness that it was him was eating away at her.

Chi-Chi berated herself for ever mentioning Brolly's name. That was the one slip up that might've clued him in to where to go. She worried the Saiyan might've known exactly where Brolly was throughout their entire interaction last night while he'd seduced Chi-Chi into his bed. He really had pushed those drinks on her, without which she never would have entertained his suggestion. And he had to be so damn handsome with that heartbreaking, irresistible smile. His ruse had seemed so genuine at the time. Now Chi-Chi knew his contagious smile was only the manipulative smile of an asshole.

Maybe the Saiyan woke up and decided to head for Brolly, knowing Chi-Chi would be destined for Tukee, though Chi-Chi didn't know why he would bother. Maybe it was to toy with her. He did seem like the type to toy his with prey. Chi-Chi shivered before massaging her brow with agitated fingers. The stress of the what-if was overwhelming. If he was following them, and he caught up, not only would they all be in danger, but it would be Chi-Chi's fault if it happened. After everything they went through to save themselves from a Saiyan, they were going to be killed by one anyway. Fate was catching up to them.

"Maybe it's the same Saiyan from Earth." Dr. Brief's voice caught Chi-Chi's ear, pulling her back into the ongoing conversation with his alarming suggestion.

Mrs. Brief gasped, clapping a hand to her cheek. "You think he finally found us?"

"Who says he's been looking for us?" Oolong said, crossing his arms and kicking his feet up on the white lacquer table.

"That's right," Master Roshi said. "He should've presumed us dead - if our wish worked."

"It worked," Yamcha said. "We're living proof of that."

"So why?" Ox King said with a glance at the holographic radar over which they'd been having this conversation since landing on Pzaa. "Why would any other Saiyan follow us here?"

"I don't know," Yamcha muttered. "I'm just glad Cui didn't catch on to us."

Puar's beady eyes bulged. "Yamcha! It could be that same Saiyan. He could figure out it was us!"

"What are you talking about, Puar?" Oolong said.

"Outside our ship," Puar said, "he can see it from space, right?"

As wide eyes filled the bridge, Oolong sputtered and pointed at Bulma. "You! You had to write that stupid inscription outside the ship, didn't you? Now look what you've done!"

"Me?" Bulma said as she bared her teeth at Oolong. "Why you little - what's wrong with having a little hope?"

"Puar's right," Master Roshi said, humming as he looked through his dark lenses at the blue blip moving toward their location on the screen. "But it isn't 'Hope' that the Saiyan would recognize."

"It's," Yamcha said with a gasp, "the CC logo."

"Shit," Bulma breathed, plopping into the chair by Chi-Chi's side. "Of course. He saw Capsule Corp – right before he tore through West City."

"But," Yamcha said with a rub of his neck. "The chances of it being him-"

Chi-Chi's throat went dry, but she somehow managed to speak. "We - we have to - Brolly."

"Right," Master Roshi said with a nod. "We're wasting time."

"Stick to the plan," Bulma said. "Remember our end goal - Namek. We need to get there at any cost."

"Bulma's plan should work to take out this Saiyan and Paragus along with Brolly," Master Roshi said. "So no need to worry ourselves over who's following us."

Yamcha nodded. "The bastard'll be dead soon enough, no matter who he is."

"Speaking of Brolly," Dr. Brief said, nodding toward the camera panning across their ship's surroundings, "there's the young fella now."

All eyes shot to the viewscreen discreetly located on the side of the control panel. Chi-Chi saw the rocky terrain of Pzaa's surface littered with the devastation of its recent purge. When Chi-Chi caught sight of a body - young and childlike, the green skin singed with burns, the eyes a hazy white - she clasped her hands over her eyes. Immediately, Yamcha's broad arms encircled her, drawing her back into his warmth and comfort before she sank too deep into the memory of what had been done on Earth. She could practically feel the roar of a distant monster vibrating through her soul. The sight of the bodies surrounded by the ruins of Pzaa's crushed buildings had brought her back to that horrible time. It was only the gentle squeeze from Yamcha that pulled her back to the present.

"Just look for Brolly, Chi-Chi," Yamcha whispered.

With a settling breath, Chi-Chi pulled her hands away and set her eyes on the screen again. Careful not to let her eyes linger on the mutilated body she couldn't help noticing again, Chi-Chi found Brolly. Standing among the debris, beside a ship with steam jutting from the engine still hot from its journey, was the outrageously tall Saiyan she'd been seeking in Tukee's marketplace. They were so close. They just had to kill him now and get away before the pursuant Saiyan thwarted their plans and caused inescapable trouble.

"He's leaving the ship," Bulma said as Brolly turned to leave with another figure whose features were obscured by distance. Paragus. "Perfect. We need to move fast, guys. I think I should pilot Brolly's ship."

"Bulma," Chi-Chi said with a gasp, "are you sure you want to do this?"

"Do we have to do this?" Oolong said. "I still can't understand what's wrong with blowing the planet from space."

"Brolly and Paragus might use their ship to escape, Oolong," Master Roshi said. "Just like Bulma said. The only way to ensure that won't be a problem is to take the ship first so they can't escape the blast."

"I'm not willing to take any chances," Bulma said with a nod. "Chi-Chi and Yamcha might not know how to use the controls in there as well as I can. You guys are still a little weak on Saiyan readings."

"Who are you calling weak?" Chi-Chi asked with her hands on her hips.

"I'm just saying we can't risk wasting even a second. I need to be the one to do it. I'll do the honors of the detonation -right from their ship," Bulma said as she tossed a capsule in the air and caught it in her tightening fist.

"You're not going without me."

Bulma smiled at Chi-Chi. "I'm counting on that. Don't think I'd go this alone." She laughed. "I'm not crazy. I believe in self-preservation."

"I'm coming with you," Yamcha said, putting his hand on Bulma's shoulder.

"Thank you, Yamcha," Bulma said before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "But no, you're not."

"What?"

"It's just me and Chi-Chi this time. We need you here."

"Bulma, you're going up against Saiyans," Yamcha said. "You don't even know how to fight!"

"The ship might be in danger if anything goes wrong," Bulma said. Chi-Chi saw Bulma try to hide a grimace. She knew Bulma didn't want to think of the plan going awry, but Bulma was always one to be prepared, and there was a very strong chance of failure here. "Stay with the ship, Yamcha. Protect it and everyone here. That has to be your first priority, because without the radar or our ship, we'll never be able to make this wish happen. I'll come back to you."

"Bulma," Yamcha breathed, meeting her gaze.

When Bulma cupped Yamcha's cheek in her palm and drew him in for a kiss, Chi-Chi turned away. Her eyes lit on Master Roshi down on his hands and knees, gawking up at the smooching couple like some crazy old coot, and Chi-Chi shook her head. When her eyes met her father's, Chi-Chi gulped. Every time she had to leave the others to do something dangerous, Chi-Chi was acutely aware of the fact that it could be her last time seeing them.

With her mother gone before Chi-Chi could remember and everyone else she knew back on Earth killed by that hateful Saiyan, her father had been all Chi-Chi had during the later purge years – and when they left Earth. Now, this group had become her family. Her loving father and everyone else on this ship - a desert bandit and his furry comrade, a dirty old martial artist and his turtle, a shape-shifting pervert, a family including rich geniuses and ditzy women – they were Chi-Chi's family now, every one of them. With her previously tyrannical father, Chi-Chi fit right in with this motley crew making up the last of humanity. It was only the ironic coincidence of one rare possession linking them all together which had saved their lives all those years ago. Hopefully, this alternate set on Namek would do the same for the rest of humanity. They had to wish back those fallen on Earth, or at least die trying. The thought of those left behind enabled Chi-Chi to say goodbye to her father's weary, heartfelt look at times like this.

"Come on, Bulma," Chi-Chi said, narrowing her eyes as she tugged her friend's arm. "Let's steal that ship."

With a holler of surprise, Bulma stumbled out of Yamcha's arms to follow Chi-Chi. Chi-Chi kept a firm hold on her friend as she stormed to the hatch, which hissed with the release of the airlocks. She knew someone had opened it for them, clearly recognizing that Chi-Chi was in a no-nonsense mood.

When Chi-Chi marched out the door, Bulma was no longer behind her, but marching right alongside her. This might've been a scary endeavor for Bulma, but for both of them, this was the chance for action they'd been waiting over a decade to seize. Chi-Chi felt no fear as she crossed the threshold of the ship's hatch, into the chill of Pzaa's windless air. The stillness and quiet were unsettling. Chi-Chi paused when her boots hit the gravelly terrain with a crunch, which seemed to echo through the vast quiet which was plagued with the smells of fire and charred materials, but mostly rotting corpses.

Chi-Chi exhaled, trying not to breathe through her nose. "Let's do this as quickly as possible."

Bulma pinched her fingers over her nostrils. "You'd think they'd at leasd clead up after the job before deemeeg the purge fibished."

Shaking her head, Chi-Chi waved Bulma forward. "Come on. Brolly's ship is this way."

As they raced forward, the gravel crunching under their feet, Bulma's hand fell from her nose. She shot Chi-Chi a glance. "If the stench is this bad for us, this must be torture for a Saiyan. It should work in our favor if we see Brolly."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Chi-Chi looked around and spotted the familiar landscape of Brolly's landing site they'd seen on the view screen. "We should slow down. We're closing in on Brolly's ship and our footsteps are too loud."

"Right," Bulma said as her feet drew to a halt. "Okay. Weapons."

Bulma's hands trembled as she pulled a capsule pack from the pocket of her puffy yellow vest. With a fluid movement, she selected a capsule and threw it to the ground. Chi-Chi cringed as it exploded open in a cloud of dust likely to draw attention if anyone was nearby. When the dust settled and the weapons stored within the capsule were revealed to them, Chi-Chi wasted no time stooping to grab the ray gun which had become a favorite of hers. She'd never learned to manipulate ki the way many of the strongest PTO soldiers did, but she'd become a master of weapons over the years - and she'd honed her strength well enough to hold her own against many ki-manipulating enemies. She felt comfortable with the ray gun in her grasp. She felt ready - perhaps moreso than she should prior to potentially facing an enemy as powerful as Brolly. She'd risk everything in order to take that ship from him and accomplish this goal.

Chi-Chi looked at Bulma, whose determined glare only further bolstered her confidence. They were going to do this. Chi-Chi could trust that Bulma wouldn't back down if things got rough, because Bulma knew she had Chi-Chi behind her. Chi-Chi wouldn't let Bulma fail to pilot that ship off this planet without Brolly or Paragus onboard.

A loud eruption tore through the atmosphere, causing Chi-Chi to bend her knees and raise her hands, readying herself for an attack. When nothing came and the ground stopped shaking beneath her feet, she relaxed and exchanged a look with Bulma. Bulma looked alarmed with her eyes wide and mouth gaping. Something had happened. Chi-Chi didn't like this. Their ship could be in danger or Brolly could be coming back for them. They had no time to waste with stealth.

"Run!" Chi-Chi shouted.

Bulma sprinted forward, her handmade ki-bomb dropped strategically as she ran into a fissure torn through the earth by the recent purge. It looked like a deep enough crevasse Bulma had chosen. Chi-Chi hoped it was as she ran past without hearing it hit bottom. Her heart pumped harder in her chest as she sprinted forward, determined to see Bulma safely to the ship. There was no sign of Brolly or Paragus. As they rounded past a jutting rocky cliff, the rounded silver edge of Brolly's ship came into view. Chi-Chi's breath caught in her lungs as she prepared to whoop a celebration, but it caught like a rock in her throat as she whirled toward the ship.

A figure stood at the ship's entrance, glaring at them. Bulma gasped as if her lungs hadn't captured air in a while as Chi-Chi seized her hand to stop her from moving any closer to the man. Bulma's feet flew out from under her as she swung toward Chi-Chi, whose jaw fell as she stared at their glaring roadblock.

"You," Chi-Chi breathed.

He was even more handsome than he'd looked last night as he shot her a smile. Chi-Chi grimaced at her first thought about seeing him here being that, to her own surprise and disappointment. Chi-Chi's heart thudded in her chest as her mind raced, thinking how he could've beaten them to Brolly's ship. He had followed her. He wasn't going to let them in Brolly's ship, either. Chi-Chi met Bulma's gaze. The understanding that crossed Bulma's blue eyes was a massive relief and painful to Chi-Chi at the same time.

Like Chi-Chi, Bulma knew it was him, but she also knew this was the end of the line.