Namek Saga - Part 1: Grudges
He hadn't known for how long he was out for, but he cursed himself for it all the same. The tall, scarred bandit rocketed through the air at a dangerous velocity, the winds whipping against his crestfallen face. Yamcha was depressed and enraged; a dangerous combination of emotions when applied to many situations.
Why? He questioned himself. Why am I always so damn weak? I couldn't even protect the world from Piccolo when Gohan—the son of the man who protected the world countless times—needed help…but this isn't over yet, Piccolo! No…if anything, I'm just getting started!
Curving upwards in flight, Yamcha ascended the mighty Korin Tower; the wind blew vivaciously against his face—as if a test to prove his determination. Brazenly, he traversed the atmosphere as the air began to grow thicker and less in molecule count; hands in fists at his hips as he gathered his power in the core of his body. Higher and higher he went, until ultimately he saw a small palace flicker in the sky.
He had done it—he'd made it to Kami's Lookout. While this wouldn't be an ordinary achievement to someone of Piccolo's power, Yamcha felt proud of himself for mustering the courage to make it here. He wasn't used to flying—he found it astounding that he could make it to the Lookout and only feel slightly out of breath.
Suddenly, he felt a power level ZING through his mind; his head lifted and turned to see a man dressed in a turban and unique clothing walk towards him.
"Hello. I am Mr. Popo. Who are you, human?" The genie-like being queried. Of course, he was happy that he'd found a new person of whom to socialize with- it grew quite lonely on the Lookout when Chiaotzu was off taking lessons from Kami—but he had to ensure that the Lookout would be safe from harm. He couldn't risk the possible outcome of maliciousness harming all of his hard work at cultivating and sprucing up the lookout.
"My name is Yamcha." The redeemed bandit raised his fist in a sign of determination. "I'm here to receive training."
"Of what sort?" Popo inquired, continuing to look at Yamcha's determined mien.
As he directly stared at the organism's eyes, Yamcha silently noted that he didn't blink much—how creepy. "In all honesty, I'm not sure…I need something that can make me stronger, faster—I need to be more powerful. With Tien gone and Piccolo less than a hero, I can't run the risk of a threat running rampant across Earth without someone powerful to protect it." Each word that spilled out of Yamcha's lips sounded more and more uncharacteristic of him—yet he meant every single word of what he said.
"All right. You have convinced me." Popo's stare never broke Yamcha's eyes. "Popo will begin your training."
"Yes! All right!" Yamcha pumped a fist in the air in excitement. "I'll finally get to—"
"Popo sees that you're having trouble with your energy and flight. Might we start with cleaning that up?"
"Let's do this!" Yamcha drew back into his fighting stance; left leg and arm outstretched—the opposite side of his body mirrored its counterpart. Across from him, Popo stood, arms behind his back as he sized up his opponent.
"Well? Am I gonna have to make the first move or—"
Yamcha's head snapped back as he was directed backwards by the force of Popo's lunge, sent freefalling downwards as he connected hard with the forest ground.
"Enjoy the fly back up!" The genie called, waving towards his non-visible new friend.
The rogue Saiyan crossed his arms in thought. "Well…this is quite an interesting scenario." It was true that the fruit had revived Nappa to a semi-conscious state, but his severe injuries had prevented his full recovery.
Turles scrutinized the fallen Saiyan closely, inspecting him like an animal would do its prey. After all, Nappa would be of no use if he was rendered incapable of fighting. "We're going to have to take you to Planet Trawlfa; a planet that's known for its scientific expertise. If we don't hurry, you may never be able to walk again." And reviving you will have been a waste of my time… "Luckily, the planet's only about ten minutes from here. We've got to move."
He threw Nappa over his shoulder before making his way into his ship, thanking the heavens that Vegeta was foolish enough to provide him with some means of transportation—he'd be stranded on this barren, desolate planet otherwise.
"What do you mean, he won't ever recover?!" Turles slammed his fist furiously through a piece of technology. "I wasted my fruit for nothing?!"
"Sir…" spoke a Trawlfian, clothed in a mystic blue cloak with red skin. "If we attempted surgery now to repair his bones, it would prove to be redundant—the Saiyan's bones have been shattered into shards; they're not able to be mended like such breaks. If he'd been injured in a fight, I could easily fix his body with no problems whatsoever. However, with such injury, it's improbable I'll even be able to get him to speak again."
Turles was cursing himself; he found his current predicament foolish. If only he hadn't been a fool—hadn't tried to lessen his own handiwork. Was this the pride of a Saiyan, wanting to act alone and be revered as a powerful warrior? He didn't know, but this sensation filled him nonetheless.
Just then, another Trawlfian appeared, wheeling by some unidentifiable parts. Since Turles knew he was stronger than everyone on this mudball anyway, he lunged forward and shoved the alien away from his cart; the Trawlfian fell backwards into a piece of machinery.
"If you can't fix him... then re-build him." Turles said, staring intently at the machinery parts.
"What?!" shouted a Trawlfian. "Are you mad?! We can't add technological machinery into a living, breathing organism!"
Turles had a crazed gleam in his eye as he turned to stare menacingly at the alien who dare spoke against him. "I shall be leaving for precisely an hour. You have exactly that much time to determine how to get him back in pristine condition with that technology."
With that, Turles walked off, seemingly following his word. However, about five pacings into his walk, he paused and looked over his shoulder. "Ah, yes. One small detail I forgot to mention. For every extra five minutes you are granted, I shall slaughter one of you. Carry on."
Vegeta walked through the hallways of Frieza's starship with a stoic expression, but internally his feelings were those of joy and elation. He couldn't believe he'd been able to best someone more powerful than him all on his own and by following the Saiyan code of honor. It felt beautiful to have earned such a clean victory—however, his lust for revenge hadn't been sated in the slightest… he still had Frieza to contend with. His victory against Turles had pushed his power level to heights he couldn't even imagine gaining in such a short period of time, yet he knew Frieza wouldn't be as easy to dispatch. Of course, this drastically high Zenkai boost had not come without pain, as evidenced by his bloody armour and boots.
Suddenly, a lavender hand was laid on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. "And where do you think you're going, Vegeta?"
Vegeta—despite what Cui might've thought—hadn't paused because of the asexual alien's superior strength; he'd halted from the lack of pressure that he felt from Cui's grip. He smirked before turning his head to the left, giving his face a primal and feral look. "You have exactly five seconds to remove your hand from my shoulder until I snap your neck. Five…"
"I'm supposed to be scared of you, Vegeta?" The fish-resembling creature voiced. "You fool! We were equals… but due to the training Lord Frieza's put us all through, I far surpass you in both speed and strength!"
The Prince's eyes widened, and he unconsciously let out a small gasp. "What did you say?!"
"Lord Frieza thought we were all slacking too much; he put us through only the most brutal training the Planet Trade Organization could offer. That's right, Vegeta! I far outclass you! My power level has increased in stature to the twenty-seven thousand mark! What do you think of that, "Prince" Vegeta?"
I think you're an even lazier bastard than I thought you were, Cui… "Impressive. By any chance, would you happen to know where Lord Frieza is now?"
Cui jerked his head to the side. "Where he almost always is; the briefing chambers. I'd hurry; he doesn't seem in the best of moods… seeing a monkey like you won't help his attitude much."
The Prince would have responded by lunging at Cui, but this time he only smirked—he knew he'd be able to kill Cui with little effort now. As much as the lanky alien had improved, Vegeta had improved twice as much since their last encounter. Instead, he slapped the alien's hand off of his damaged shoulder-guard before walking in to confront Frieza about his latest mission's success.
And of course, as soon as the Prince of his forgotten race stepped into that dark and depressing chamber, he was reminded how insignificant his own power was when compared to the tyrannical, unsurpassed Frieza.
However, unlike previous encounters with the Arcosian that he despised, only one of his lackeys—Dodoria—accompanied the pale-skinned creature.
"Ah, Vegeta…" Frieza paused to let out a rancorous chuckle. "How pleasant to see you again. How did you and Nappa fare on your excursion?"
Throughout Frieza's obvious attempts to intimidate Vegeta, the flame-haired Saiyan kept an impassive look—neither of fear or cowardice. "Nappa was murdered on Planet Delos."
"Oh?" Frieza casually leaned forward, intrigued by one of his "favorite" races being brought ever closer to complete and utter extinction. "Whoever could've done that?"
Vegeta internally cursed himself for not having thought up a plausible lie to appease his master; he'd been too pre-occupied with his incredible power increase to even remotely consider doing so. I'll have to act on impulse and hope that fool finds it feasible. "He was killed by a native—he never saw it coming. A spear through the heart from behind could take out anyone, especially with enough force. Needless to say, I took care of the situation shortly after."
Suddenly, the Arcosian slowly began to clap; a nonchalant clap that—even unconsciously—struck fear into Vegeta's heart like a Death Beam would. "Well done..." The Arcosian's mind was racing at the moment, though his chilling demeanor would never allow it to be shown. The last time I clocked Vegeta's power level, he was at eighteen thousand; with his monkey form, he'd be more than a match for Ginyu. If the banter Vegeta and Cui exchanged outside was true, that monkey would be around the three-hundred thousand mark with that form… far too close to my liking. If he grows much further, he'd be able to outclass my First Form!
His eyes widened with that realization, and Vegeta didn't fail to pick up on it. The two seemed like they were tensed for quick action; their gazes never adverted from each other, not even for an instant.
Then, Frieza curtly and swiftly nodded towards Dodoria, whispering a faint message:
"Destroy his tail."
Vegeta's ears—enhanced by his Saiyan heritage—received the message just as Dodoria's spiky cranium lodged firmly into his stomach, driving him back against the wall; the Prince nearly felt his back crack from the brutality of the unexpected attack. Chubby mitts soon swiped furiously against Vegeta's already battered body, causing the Prince to bellow out in pain. Suddenly, Dodoria reared his fist back for one last powerful blow, but he connected with nothing but the dusky wall, clumsily smashing a hole through it.
The Prince had rolled away from the impact, dashing back with a headbutt of his own that struck Dodoria's core, which forced him back a few steps, groaning in pain. Vegeta didn't waste his opportunity; he dashed forward and phased out of Dodoria's sight.
"Wh-Where'd he go?" The brute questioned, his head whipping from left to right. Never had the Prince displayed such incredible power before; it worried him. What if Frieza was impressed by Vegeta's display of power and promoted him to his right-hand man? He didn't want to think about what would happen to him.
Lord Frieza watched in his hoverchair, amused by the Prince's feeble antics. Of course Frieza could see him, sneaking stealthily behind Dodoria. Well… if Dodoria can't finish the job, perhaps I shall. In fact… that might prove more enjoyable…
Warping behind Dodoria—as Frieza had easily predicted he'd do—Vegeta landed a firm cross-legged kick to the back of Dodoria's skull, forcing the pink organism to tumble forwards and land directly on his face. Silently, he raised his left palm, preparing an azure-colored concentrated sphere of energy.
The Prince then averted his gaze from Dodoria to Frieza, in order to gauge his reaction. However, the Arcosian tyrant was only smirking maliciously. "Keep your eye on the target, Vegeta. I thought I'd taught you that trick ages ago."
Irony would be delivered not even an instant later; Dodoria crashed into Vegeta in a style akin to that of a freight train, pinning him down on the ground before breaking his jaw with a swift punch.
"Gwah!" spat Vegeta as fresh blood spat out from his mouth, dirtying Dodoria's armour. However, Dodoria paid it no heed, turning the Prince over and firmly gripping his ankle. Smirking maliciously, Dodoria lifted him up by said ankle before firmly latching his other hand with the flame-haired Saiyan's tail; he then dropped the Prince's ankle—and when Vegeta fell to the ground; his ankle broken…
He found himself tailless before suddenly blacking out.
Precisely an hour after his departure, Turles landed neatly on the Trawlfian soil, walking with his arms crossed through the medical bay. The barely audible whispers of fear and panic were music to the Saiyan's ears; it made him feel invigorated and truly alive. However, there was more on the Saiyan's mind than such weaklings' fear—he wanted to know if the Trawlfians had been able to revive Nappa to fighting condition.
"Where is he?" asked the armoured Saiyan. "Did you fix him up?"
"S-Sir, I believe you will be more than satisfied with our results!" The alien said, visibly cowering in front of the tall humanoid. "We-we weren't able to fully repair him organically, b-but with the use of cybernetics we were able to—AHHHH!"
Turles lowered his palm, not bothered by the fact that he'd just incinerated the creature where he stood. "Anyone want to explain, in perhaps more concise detail?"
A near spitting image of the alien he'd just vaporized walked up; he had a lankier build than that of the deceased Trawlfian. "You see sir, using cybernetics and only our top technology, we were able to restore your comrade into pristine fighting condition."
The Saiyan closed his eyes, chuckling to himself. "Now that's what I wanted to hear. Show me him."
A blind was moved, and on a stretcher was a completely new Nappa, infused with cybernetics. While his muscular build remained the same, just about everything else of his appearance changed. His skull was now covered by metallic plating, leaving spaces for his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. His neck, once completely organic, now was covered by the same design as his shoulder-guards; this would allow for tougher protection against blows that could severe his spine. The former Saiyan General now had what appeared to be spare parts engraved in metal forcibly infused into his chest, while his legs and arms were covered by the same metallic substance as his skull.
Yes… Turles smirked deviously. He'll be perfect for a henchman…
Nine months passed since that day, and life couldn't have been more grueling and exhausting for nearly everyone in the universe.
Goku, Raditz, and Vegeta kept up their training, in hopes that they would one day be able to surpass Frieza. However, with the way Frieza had ordered his henchmen to push their limits as well, it didn't seem likely anytime soon.
While first unstable with flight and actual martial arts, learning from the wisdom of Kami greatly benefitted Yamcha's technique and strength. While he hadn't made such a dramatic increase in strength, Chiaotzu had worked closely on developing his psychic abilities and telekinesis further, in hopes that his mental strength would be able to make up for his lack of physical power.
Frieza continued to hear about a specific race known as the Namekians—apparently they were the ones who had created the Dragon Balls. Of course, much more research would have to be conducted to actually find its location, but the tyrant didn't mind—soon enough, he'd have all the time in the universe…
"Now, now Chiaotzu, don't grow hasty with your techniques. Remember—although you have a noble heart, your style of attacking is much different when compared to most fighters… don't tire yourself out quickly."
Suddenly, something ZINGED through Kami's mind, and he let out an audible gasp.
"What's wrong, Master Kami?" Yamcha rushed to his side, gently grasping onto his arm. "Are you okay?"
Kami chuckled. "I'm fine… Tien has returned."
Salutations to everyone on this fine Tuesday! If you've read my summary, I apologise for this being a day late, and I also apologize for the chapter content not being as large. However, I was focusing the majority of my time yesterday cleaning up my prologue; it's much improved compared to the original. Please feel free to check that out!
Yes, you didn't imagine that; Sins of the Father is committed to a Monday update schedule and will be until further notice. The prologue author's commentary should fill you in on that a bit more. Rest assured, next Monday there WILL be an update.
Also, with this release, we're in the Namek Saga! I've been very excited to write this, and I hope you're all excited to read it!
Vegeta(Zenkai): 36,000
Nappa(Tree of Might): 10,000
Nappa(Mecha augmentation and Tree of Might, aka Mecha Nappa): 40,000
Turles(Tree of Might and Zenkai): 53,000
Piccolo(9 month timeskip): 6,500
Tien(9 month timeskip): 6,500
Cui: 27,000
Dodoria: 31,000
First off, Frieza's "maximum power" was 120,000,000. However, the power that Frieza can exude normally in Form IV is 100,000,000. Since he isn't confirmed to be in his 100% bulky state when he receives inorganic augmentations, his estimated power level after said robotics is about 130,000. Therefore, I stuck with what I estimated for Frieza and tacked on 30,000 for Nappa. Fairly simple.
Vegeta's power level of 36,000 isn't that hard to deduce either from the text evidence; he said he'd improved his power twice over since his last encounter with Cui. 18,000 x 2 equals 36,000—simple enough. On Namek, Cui said that he and Vegeta were equals, topping out at 18,000. That proves my statement correct.
Another question I can see arising from this chapter's power level chart is Piccolo's power of 6,500. First off, I'd like to address why I put him at 3,200 after the three month mark in the first place. Why did I make him so powerful after only three months? That's easy; he felt more of an obligation to train himself and Gohan due to the fact he had no idea when—or if—the Saiyans were ever going to return. In SotF, Piccolo never left Gohan to train in the wilderness; he immediately started training with him. There was no time to waste.
And lastly, I'm sure you're all wondering why Tien is only at 6,500. That's another question I can easily answer for you. Without Zenkais and the natural power gains of a Saiyan, Tien had a tougher time increasing battle strength after a while.
Q: I've been reading on for about a month now, and I've been thinking about publishing a Dragon Ball Z fanfic. As such, I've started asking around on tips for writing a story. Do you have any tips or advice for a fellow fanfiction writer on how to map out a story and write it?
A: Um…wow. Quite honestly, I think this is one of my favorite reviews in…ever. I'm honoured that you'd ask me for advice. This response might be rather long, so I apologise; I just feel like answering this question as honestly as I can.
First off, what I did with Sins of the Father is I mapped out the beginning and end plots of the story—this gives you your general idea of where you're going to go with your story and what you want to accomplish with it. In fact, I've only planned for two Sagas ahead(the very next two), and that motivates me to write. However, don't be fooled; that could work both ways. Sure, it's important to know where you're taking the story, but a REALLY bad thing that could result from mapping out the story is the thought, "Man… I REALLY want to write that Cell Saga" when you've barely scratched the surface of the Saiyan Saga.
Then, I recommend that you brush up on the main characters of your story—usually, when people read your fanfiction, they're going to want to see those characters portrayed in an authentic and realistic manner. Of course, it's essential to know your supporting characters as well; without them, you don't have a story. The key to a good fanfiction is to have other characters have a chance to shine without letting it take away from the main character(s)'s significance. Studying these characters also helps a lot with writing out character dialogue and narration—which are both important aspects of writing as well.
Finally, my last piece of advice is to have fun with your writing. We're here to have fun, so don't pressure yourself to have the "best chapters ever written" every time. I hope you enjoy writing your fanfic!
Q: Krillin going to the Grand Kai's Planet? Interesting. I wonder what kinds of techniques he'll manage to learn there. And he definitely has some sort of inferiority complex.
A: While I'm writing SotF—a story that mostly revolves around Goku and Gohan—I feel that it's important to give the other characters some sort of role in the story. This unique plot twist with Krillin will be able to elevate his character to heights rarely seen in a Dragon Ball Z fanfiction.
Q: I'm loving what I'm reading. And the Saiyan saga was my 2nd least favourite saga in Z to boot. Can't wait to see the Frieza saga in this.
A: Seeing that I've officially planned out the events on Namek in its full entirely, I'm positive you're going to like the end result. I won't lie; I was shocked when I saw you comment on this story and it's an absolute honour to write a fanfiction liked by you and so many of my other fans. I hadn't expected to say much here, but thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing; your comments and enjoyment of the story have been absolutely amazing. We have officially passed the 600 review mark with the release of last chapter, and here's hoping we can someday hit 1,000 reviews.
Q: Major development for Piccolo, major. Will Yamcha's knowledge that Piccolo 'killed' Krillin drive him farther in training I wonder? And Krillin is going to train with the fighters on Grand Kai's planet. Wow, that's going to give him a major training opportunity, obviously. Lots of new techniques, styles, fighters, etc. but, it might actually make his inferiority complex WORSE. His power level is currently 1,000. Many of the fighters in the fighter's paradise have had a significant amount of time to train, with people who are definitely well above 1,000. I'd imagine that most of them are far stronger than Krillin is. This is something that you might have to address.
And wow, the Tree of Might can revive people, and potentially work as a Senzu bean. That is incredibly dangerous with the power boost. One hell of a christmas present. And now that Nappa might just have a grudge... Vegeta better watch out. Does it only work to resurrect the recently dead?
A: That's a very bright and insightful opinion there, and rest assured I plan to explore this concept entirely. However, I see no need to rush this story, and so I'm afraid I can't address the Krillin comment now. Rest assured this will be brought up again in the future.
Now, that's an interesting question, but one that I can easily answer. My reasoning for Nappa being able to revive from Vegeta's bone-shattering punch is because his brain was NOT affected in any way; it merely shut down from the extreme pain. Since Saiyans have high metabolisms, they're able to consume substances at a much faster rate, and this is what revived Nappa. Don't worry, he won't be completely unscathed, even if he has cyborg augumentations…
Q: First off,Great Chapter(although I didn't understand a thing,due to not having read the Other ones,apart from the 1st one :P),but,could I have Summaries of the Chapters or something,'cause you know...
Anyway,in the Pic,is a Planet crashing against another one O.o?!
A: I believe you'll have a greater reading experience if you actually read through those chapters yourself. Also, I can confirm that two planets aren't colliding. I'll be keeping that one under my hat for now.
Q: I wonder if Coola will be in this fic
A: Cooler has been confirmed a member of the SotF cast. How he plays a role is to be revealed…
Q: wait, so Gohan is ok with Piccolo killing everyone, and finally king Piccolo is really dead, great chapter
A: Um…I never said Gohan was okay with it…in fact, the whole point of this was to NOT have him find out.
Q: Good chapter, but reviving Nappa is a bit of a stretch to me. How many fruits did Turles have anyway? He just keeps coming out with more and more and more. Also, I noticed that you didn't give Piccolo's power level for some reason.
A: Turles only had one fruit on him(which he bit into). He had to crawl to the Tree of Might to get more. As for Piccolo's power level, he's 3,200. I forgot to mention him.
Q: It(Piccolo's character) fluctuates wildly in this scene. At first, Piccolo is respectful towards Yamcha. Helping him off the ground, saying that Krillin died on an "honorable death", and all of that was fine. Then, he suddenly attacks Yamcha for no reason and then begins to insult him and Krillin; after just respecting the monk's death moment's ago. I know your trying to say that this is Piccolo simply "acting" evil, but it's too much of a shift for him and that was never really Piccolo's style even when he was evil. As I said before, I don't think the whole thing of Piccolo taking the blame when it's not neccesserary isn't in character. If he was too do this though, I feel like Piccolo would have gone the Majin Vegeta route of a quick, unsuspecting knockout and then leaving since he plans on letting Yamcha live to tell the others what happened.
A: I did mean to make his character 'fluctuate,' so to speak. As I said before in our discussion, King Piccolo had an influence on his consciousness, which drastically altered Piccolo's character. While I know that we have differing viewpoints, I'm glad you were able to see my point as to why I did what I did.
Q: (Various writing critique)
A: Thanks very much for your comments, and I hope that you see the added effort in this chapter. I didn't take any liberties with it.
Q: No Goku this chapter, but the action was awesome all the same. I'm liking the focus on the smaller characters like Krillin and Yamcha; that kept me interested with the story. I dislike how Tien hasn't been mentioned in a while though. I feel like you set him up to be the next protector of the Earth only to knock him back down to his canonical position. While I realize the story is about Gohan and that he will become the next protector of Earth, I was really hoping you wouldn't mature him so quickly and that Tien and Piccolo would get their chance to shine.
A: To be quite honest, I differ from your viewpoint entirely. I may not have featured Tien in quite a while, but that doesn't detract from his significance. Regardless, I think I'll wait until the Namek Saga to see if you feel differently.
Q: To join the debate on how Guru and Elder Kai's(I'm of the opinion he only boosted Gohan's base form getting it's power to rival Goku super 3 at the time which is why they stopped the transormation before it started, but that'd make all those games that say MysticGohan is a seperate form wrong) potential reveal trick works, I never really thought about it 'till I just saw that 1 theory this chapter, but maybe it removes some kind of subconsouis block keeping them from using there full power. Like in Krillen's case it was selfdoubt or something, while Gohan fears his power.
A: While I'm a fan of Gohan being the strongest at the end of Z, I heavily disagree with your logic. What if Mystic Gohan transformed into a Super Saiyan? I believe he would've done so in canon if he could, and since he was waging a life and death battle against Super Buu(Gotenks Absorbed), it wouldn't be in his nature NOT to transform if he could. I also find myself disagreeing with your Mystic theory; I don't believe that there's any lift from a subconscious block. I'm assuming you got that theory from canon when Gohan acts far more confident and arrogant against Super Buu.
Q: Excellent update, and I particularly enjoy the greater significance the Earthling Z-Fighters seem to have taken on in Goku's abscence. I'm interested in how Piccolo intends to explicate that Krillin and Yamcha are dead, without antagonzing Gohan against him. After all, only himself or Gohan in Great Ape Form are reasonably capable of killing the two. In addition, I'm curious why Vegeta failed to exploit what appears to be a golden opportunity to drastically elevate his power. He witnessed the Tree of Might's fruit in action, so why did he not take some of it himself? Regardless, it was a quality chapter in all, and I eagerly anticipate your next update.
A: Well, now you'll be having weekly updates! I'm looking forward to the challenge of producing a chapter every week, and with the additional fun of writing this story, I believe you'll be more than satisfied.
Now to answer your first question; I'm of the belief that Saiyans are a warrior race that'll take on the most arduous task whenever they can. However, I cannot see Vegeta taking a fruit from the Tree of Might; I believe someone like him would frown upon that. As I tried to establish in the beginning of the Turles mini-arc, SotF Turles doesn't view himself as a true Saiyan warrior; he completely accepts foul play to get what he wants. I think this little 'backstory' helped to give him a personality, or at least somewhat of one. Nappa wouldn't accept such a fruit, but since it was do or die, he would take the opportunity to live because he feels the need to exact revenge on Vegeta.
I'm also very glad you're enjoying the Earthlings' roles in the story. This was a main point I wanted to illustrate in SotF. Gohan's only 4 years old; he can't carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. The Earthlings will have to pitch in to help out. I don't recall I narrated Yamcha as dead, though; I believe I said "unconscious."
Q: Does the Grand Kai know Kaioken? I never knew that and it feels like he would considering that he's higher than King Kai in the whole ranking system.
A: To the best of my knowledge, I'd say he wouldn't know it due to lack of training. Remember that Grand Kai states he's been out of action for a long while; I doubt he'd taken the time to remotely learn anything.