Dragon Ball: Altered Fates
DISCLAIMER: I don't own DBZ or Elfen Lied.
CHAPTER 14: New Ally, New Threat
Last time on DBAF, things seemed to be shaping up for Kaede and Gohan, however, their sudden peace was shattered by the return of an old enemy — Frieza had survived, now rebuilt as a cyborg, and the ruthless tyrant was on his way to Earth to seek revenge on our heroes. His mission? To exterminate every living creature on the Planet Earth, and, as if that wasn't bad enough, his father King Cold had accompanied him. Things seemed quite grim for our heroes when, out of nowhere, a new challenger appeared, but the surprises were only beginning, for this mysterious young man was revealed to be a Super Saiyan! Completely outmatched by this new opponent, this stranger made quite work of Frieza, cutting the evil being down where he stood! Now with a battle between King Cold and the stranger inevitable, who will emerge as the winner, and what will this mean for our heroes, and the future of the world! The answers, just ahead!
The Z Warriors stared in shock at what the golden-haired boy managed to accomplished.
"He... beat Frieza!" Vegeta uttered. "Effortlessly! But... who... is he?"
"I don't know, but he looks like a Super Saiyan!" Gohan said, awed at what he was seeing.
"But that's impossible!" Kaede put forth. "I mean, I think it is. Didn't you tell me that your dad, Vegeta, and you are the only Saiyans left alive?"
"I know it's hard to believe, but that's definitely a Super Saiyan, all right," Gohan confirmed. "There's no doubt in my mind. I saw my daddy transform and trust me, that's not something you forget so easy. That guy is a Super Saiyan, for sure!"
"You guys are crazy," Bulma complained, shading her eyes to try to get a better look. "They just look like tiny little dots way up there. How can you even tell who they are?" She grinned. "It's probably Goku, you guys. Mr. Super Saiyan. He has a knack for showing up at just the right time. Yeah, he's such a stud. Gosh!"
"No, it doesn't feel like my dad," Gohan muttered.
"And look, he has a tail!" Yamcha pointed out. "Gohan's right, he IS a Super Saiyan!"
Vegeta growled with fury and instantly took off towards the Super Saiyan. The others began taking off too and Gohan, seeing that he and Kaede would soon be left behind, decided to follow them, but, before he could fly away, Kaede grabbed his arm.
"Wait, Gohan, are you sure it's wise to go over there?" Kaede asked.
"I know it's scary," Gohan said gently. "But we have to help the others. If we don't do something now, then the entire world may be destroyed."
"Why prevent it?" the voice spoke inside Kaede. "Why not let the hornless apes go? It's not as if they don't deserve it."
"No, she should go!" another voice now said inside her head. This had a different feel than the first voice did; it was brash, confidence, yet cool and calculating; it seem arrogant, but almost playful in its enthusiasm. "Why pass up the opportunity for a good fight?"
I... I don't understand, Kaede whispered. Who are you?
"Does that matter?" the second voice said. "Just get going; you don't wanna be left behind!"
"Kaede! Kaede!" Gohan cried, and Kaede instantly snapped back to reality.
"Huh? Oh, sorry, Gohan," Kaede said. "Y-You're right. We should go with the others. If we don't, I'll lose you."
Gohan looked concerned briefly, then he nodded, and the two flew towards the distant specks of the others in the distance.
Meanwhile, the Super Saiyan had landed on a small, rocky outcrop. King Cold had landed opposite him, and his demeanor seemed awfully composed for somebody who had lost his son, but the young man was not fooled; he could sense the hostility and the deep, burning hatred that the Cold Emperor was working so hard to keep contained. Obviously, he was contemplating a way to succeed where Frieza had failed.
"Well, I must confess, this is an unexpected turn of events," King Cold drawled, though it sounded far less composed than usual. "I can see now we were wrong to try and conquer this planet. I'll surrender and leave in peace, but first, would you permit me to hold your sword?"
"What?" the boy asked. "Why?"
"I merely wish to hold it," King Cold said with a devilish smirk which revealed his true intentions. "I mean, after all, A weapon of such obvious quality practically begs to be admired. I promise you, Saiyan, you have nothing to fear from me.
"No," the Super Saiyan said point-blank.
"Oh, do come on," King Cold said, spreading his arms grandly, his smirk widening. "I would say you owe me the favor, don't you? Even if we were in the wrong, you didn't have to slay my son so brutally. Now just let me see it, please, and I can assure you I will be on my way."
The young man smirked. Hmm, maybe this will be fun after all.
He grabbed hold of the hilt and slowly withdrew it from his sheath, grasping it delicately in his hand, as if admiring.
"So you wanna see my sword, huh?" he said musingly.
The Cold Emperor's smirk had disappeared, replaced by complete, utter seriousness. This was the moment. It'd all come down to this — would the Super Saiyan grant the mighty ruler's request, or, would he still deny it?
"Oh, very well," the boy said. "Here, catch."
And he tossed the longsword at King Cold, who caught it effortlessly within his overlarge hands. He examined the blade very carefully, and instantly, the Super Saiyan could see that his expression had changed; it was more alert, watchful, like the gaze of a hawk.
"Yes," he said slowly, his tone loaded with poorly-concealed malice. "Yes indeed. Remarkable craftsmanship. And I have a hunch that you would not have defeated my son were it not for this sword." His eyes rose until they were level with the Super Saiyan's. "What do you say?"
The golden-haired youth shrugged. "Believe what you want to."
And the sinister ruler swung the sword, looking extremely cocky.
"All right then, I will!" King Cold challenged, sounding like the man with a winning ace up his sleeve. "I say... that without this sword, you're nothing! That's what I believe!" He smirked darkly. "And now, I'm gonna test it out on you, you insubordinate imp!"
Grasping the sword in both of his huge hands the Cold Emperor brought it back and swung it down, aiming it straight for the Super Saiyan, who simply held out his palm and caught it — bare-handed. Without warning, his aura flared around him as he powered up.
"So much for your theory," the youth said, pushing back at King Cold effortlessly, even as the feared ruler struggled and fought in vain to get a hold of it again, to drive it deeper into the Super Saiyan's skin and do some kind of damage but his efforts were just rebuked. "You should know that a weapon doesn't make the man," the boy said, pressing his advantage as he drove King Cold back to the edge of the cliff face. He held up his free hand, palm open.
"WAIT, YOU DIRTY LITTLE SAIYAN —!" King Cold snarled.
But too late, for the Super Saiyan boy shot an intense beam of ki right through King Cold's heart. The approaching Z Warriors gaped in shock as the Cold Emperor fell back, purple blood ejecting forcibly from his oral opening. He slammed into mountain and slid down the rocky surface, smearing purple blood after him all down the wall of granite. The Z Warriors froze in midair.
"First Frieza, and now him," Krillin said, stunned. "Whoa, man!"
Who is this kid? Vegeta thought, more acquainted with the others regarding how insanely powerful the Cold family was.
King Cold seemed to come to his senses long enough to see the Super Saiyan's palm had shifted, so that it was pointing down, directly at him now. Seeing his chance for survival rapidly diminishing as quickly, he spread his hands wide, struggling to speak, despite the increasing sluggishness that he felt — he needed urgent medical assistance if he was going to live but King Cold knew enough to realize that he wouldn't be allowed to get it as long as the Super Saiyan was determined to kill him.
"No... wait... you... can't. No!" King Cold rasped pathetically. "Please! I... am... defenseless. P-Please? You would not... kill a helpless... foe... would you? I'm... not... bad. My... son... was evil, but... not... I. I-I meant you no harm! I... I swear it! I-If y-you... let me... live I-I'll... give... you a planet! Three planets! A... solar system? F-Five solar systems!"
And the Super Saiyan blasted right at King Cold.
"I'll give you the whole GA —!" he managed to cry out before the blast engulfed him completely, leaving behind no traces of the Cold Emperor, and just like that, the mighty crusader's reign of terror and genocide had come to an end, the same as his son's.
"Wow, just like that. Bam! They're gone!" Krillin breathed.
"And it looks to me like this guy hasn't even come anywhere close to breaking a sweat!" Tien added.
"Is he... is he going to attack us now?" Kaede said uncertainly.
"I don't know," Piccolo said. "But keep on your guard, everyone. Maybe we can reason with him."
Gohan sent her a reassuring nod. "Don't worry, Kaede. I'll protect you."
Kaede nodded, swallowing the fear in her throat.
The Super Saiyan placed his sword back in its sheath, and then, to the surprise of the watching Z Warriors, dropped the Super Saiyan state. He turned to face them, and they all winced, terrified of him, but then —
"I'm heading off to a place near here to meet Goku!" the lilac-haired boy said. "You guys wanna come?"
It was as if a switch had been thrown — instantly, the young man's expression was kind, compassionate, one would say even friendly, a stark contrast to how he had seemed just a few minutes ago, something that took the Z Warriors, even the optimistic Gohan, by surprise, but more than that, it was his words that shocked the Z Warriors.
Kaede turned to face Gohan. "Is this guy a friend of yours?"
"No, at least, I've never seen him before," Gohan said. "This is bizarre. How in the world does he know my father?"
"Come on, it's this way!" the stranger said, pointing in another direction. "Goku should be arriving there in a couple of hours!"
Piccolo's previously gobsmacked expression now morphed into a thoughtful, slightly suspicious frown.
All right, what's this guy up to? he thought.
I don't know who this boy is, but he's no Super Saiyan, Vegeta mused stubbornly, now furiously in denial over the turn of events that transpired. Of that I am certain. Kakarot and I are the only ones left! He must be an imposter! Yes, that's it! And then the Saiyan Prince smirked, regaining his earlier confidence. Your fake "tail" doesn't fool me for a moment, boy.
"Hey, follow me!" the lavender-haired youth said. "Don't worry, I won't bite! This way!"
And he took off into the air.
"Do we... do we follow him?" Kaede asked uncertainly, her instant distrust of everyone coloring her perceptions.
"Yes, I'm going for it!" Gohan said hopefully. "He knows my dad, and he seems friendly enough."
"Don't always believe what your eyes first tell you, kid," Piccolo said wisely. "We know nothing about this guy. All we know is that he killed Frieza."
"Yeah, I gotta agree with Piccolo!" Krillin chimed in. "We've known Goku his whole life. How in the world does this kid know him?"
"Well, I'm in," Tien said with a confident smile bordering on a smirk. "He seems like a pretty neat guy to me. Plus, he saved us from Frieza! He can't be all that bad, can he? And besides, if he wanted to kill us he would have done it by now."
"Or this is all an elaborate trap, and killing Frieza was just bait," Piccolo speculated.
"Well, I don't trust that guy! No way!" Yamcha said, still clutching Bulma. "There's just something... familiar about him, and I don't like it."
"Oh, you're just a big baby!" Bulma huffed. "I say go."
"Definitely," Vegeta said, building back up to his arrogant swagger. "I've got to find out who he is."
And Gohan and Tien flew off, prompting the others to follow behind them.
"Wait, are you sure we should be doing this?" Kaede asked.
Gohan stopped briefly, went over, and grabbed her arm, pulling her off with him, but he smiled as he did so.
"Come on, Kaede, trust me!" he said. "Sometimes you just gotta believe in people! You're gonna love my dad, I just know it!"
"Okay," Kaede said.
"This is nuts," Krillin complained.
It was fairly easy for the Z Warriors to catch up to the mysterious young man, now a far-off speck in the distance, but he was apparently moving an average cruising speed, for it took them no time at all to catch up to him.
In what seemed like no time at all, the boy was landing in a totally random location, surrounded on all sides by sand-swept mountains and wind-scoured wastelands. There was virtually nothing out here! And yet, the Z Fighter all came in for a landing, keeping a respectable distance from the youth.
And then, as Kaede landed, the boy caught sight of her, and a brief look of surprise flashed in his pupils — it was very subtle, not something one would easily pick up, but the team contained experts at reading the emotions off stoic people.
He looks surprised to see her most of all, Piccolo noted. Why? Who is this kid? Does this have anything to do with the premonition Kami felt? This boy must be connected to the rising darkness around the world in some way, I just know it! He shook his head, determined to keep an eye on this strange boy. Even if he doesn't know anything about it, he IS involved, somehow. The only question is, how?
The young boy reached inside his pocket and pulled out a capsule. Tossing it away, it transformed into some kind of weird-looking box.
"Look out, you guys!" Yamcha warned. "He's up to something!"
And with that, the lavender-haired kid opened the box, revealing many soda and beer cans.
"How about a cold drink?" he offered amiably, pulling out a soda. He stood and popped the tap off it, taking a chug from it, whether to reassure them it wasn't poisoned or because he felt like it, no one knew. "Goku's not due to arrive for two more hours. It's pretty hot and dry out here in Idiot Rock."
"Oh, is that what they call this place?" Gohan said. "I didn't know that."
"Hmm, you got any heat tap there, bud?" Bulma asked the boy.
The young man pointed. "Help yourself. There's plenty to go around."
"Ooh, sounds nice," Bulma said, moving forward, with Gohan following after a moment.
"Wait, Gohan, is this wise?" Kaede asked. "What if he's poisoned them?"
And Vegeta and Piccolo both noticed how the stranger's eyes quickly darted to her upon saying that, before totally averting from her altogether.
"Does that really make any sense?" Tien asked reasonably. "If he wants to hurt us, he has more than enough power. Why waste his time with it?"
"Because there is always the possibility, however slim, of being beaten in battle," Piccolo said. "This way, victory is certain."
"Oh, just chill out, you guys!" Bulma said airily. "They're just drinks!"
Bulma reached into the box and pulled out her heat tap. Gohan came up behind her.
"Oh wow, this is a great selection!" he said. "Look! Orange soda! My favorite!"
"Is there, uh, any beer, you guys?" Krillin asked hopefully.
"Yeah, two of them!" Gohan said. "It's almost like this guy knew you'd be here!"
And Krillin pulled out the beer, taking a swig from it. "Ah, that's good stuff."
Hesitantly, seeing her friends having such a good time, Kaede meandered over. And the lilac-haired man's eyes locked onto her.
"Sorry if I didn't bring anything you like," he apologized. "Hey, I didn't catch your name."
The horned girl glanced up at the tall, light-headed young man, tilting her head to the side.
"Kaede," she said. "My name is Kaede."
"She's been living with my mom and me for six months!" Gohan announced.
"Oh, is that so?" the stranger said, and though he sounded casual, Piccolo could detect the subtle inflections in his tone which indicated confusion and anxiety, and his frown only deepened, more convinced than ever that this mysterious young Saiyan was hiding something.
"So, stranger, what's your name?" Krillin asked the boy.
"I, uh, can't say," he said, looking down. "I'm sorry."
"Oh, well, Mr. Can't Say, I'm Krillin!" the bald ex-monk joked.
"That's not funny," the boy said, glancing back up at him.
Bulma, who had been eyeing the stranger during all this, spoke up.
"Have we met?" the blue-haired beauty asked. "You look so familiar to me."
The boy just blushed and mumbled something indicating no, they hadn't.
That's two people who think he looks familiar, Piccolo mused. Once is a mistake, but twice? And those drinks... it's like he prepared them just for us, almost as if he knew that we'd be here today, and that he'd be meeting us, but that's preposterous. We've never met this guy before. Piccolo growled in frustration as all of the potential theories swirled around in his brain, each sounding more and more unlikely to him than the last. I hate mysteries.
"Excuse me, mister, but how do you know my dad?" Gohan asked him.
"Actually, I haven't met your dad before," the youth replied. "I've only just heard a lot about him."
Everyone frowned. "Then, how do you know that he's gonna arrive at this spot in two hours?" Krillin asked.
"Sorry, I can't tell you that now, but you will find out eventually," the young man said.
"And why not?" Vegeta demanded, stepping forward aggressively as his scowl stretched to both sides of his face. "I'll tell you! Because you're up to something, that's why! Tell us right now, Mr. Tough Guy. Who ARE you?"
The stranger continued staring at the ground, unable to even look Vegeta in the eye.
"Leave him alone, Vegeta," Gohan said, feeling that somebody should defend this boy since he didn't want to seem to say anything. "Why did he help us out if he's up to something? And he's a Super Saiyan, too, so —"
"Like hell he is!" Vegeta snapped. "You, myself, and Kakarot are the only Saiyans left! There's no way that he could have Saiyan blood!"
"But we saw him!" Gohan objected. "He just defeated Frieza and his father all by himself!
"So what?" Vegeta said brusquely. "I'm calling him a fraud, not a weakling."
"I saw my dad transform back on Namek and I know what a Super Saiyan looks like," Gohan insisted.
"You don't know he's a Super Saiyan," Vegeta said stubbornly. "Maybe he's Super Human. Maybe you slackers haven't been trying hard enough!"
"Says the non-Super Saiyan," Tien said, smirking so widely that it looked like it could split his mouth.
"Oh, fuck off!" Vegeta shouted. "What, did that third eye make you psychic now?"
"No, but it does help me see bullshit," Tien shot back.
Vegeta growled angrily but managed to restrain from attacking.
"But he has a tail!" Gohan said triumphantly. "Explain that!"
"Oh please, like it's really so hard to fake having a tail!" Vegeta said. Then he smirked. "There's really only one way to test this; surely you won't mind, boy, if one of us grabs your tail? If you are a Saiyan it will immobilize you."
The boy still continued to say nothing, and seeing that as a sign of confirmation, Vegeta moved forward, clearly intent on carrying it out, but Gohan moved in front of the older boy protectively, who just stared down at the half-Saiyan as he did so, a small smile on his face which seemed oddly nostalgic.
"Lay off him, Vegeta," Gohan said. "He doesn't need to prove that he is who he says he is."
"Oh, and what are you going to do to stop me?" Vegeta said, cruel amusement alive in his eyes.
And now Kaede stepped out in front of him too, face hardened as she vowed to defend her precious Gohan.
"I won't let you harm Gohan," she informed him coldly. "Not while I'm still breathing."
"Oh?" Vegeta said, charging a ki blast slowly, almost delicately, in his palm. "Then I guess I'll just have to make you quit breathing."
Before he could do anything, though, a hand suddenly laid itself on his shoulder and, enraged at the sudden and wholly unwanted physical contact, the Saiyan Prince turned to find the Namekian standing there, face drawn.
"You've made your point," he growled. "Now back off."
"Fine, whatever you say, green bean," Vegeta snarled. "Now get your hand off me."
And he roughly shrugged the hand off, moving off to the side with arms folded.
"So, hey," Bulma said suddenly to the boy, her voice soft and sultry. "Like, just gonna throw this out there, but you're really cute."
The lavender-haired teen blushed, looking very uncomfortable, as if he'd walked in on two people in an inappropriate position.
"Well, you know, my mom always said I was a cute kid," he mumbled.
"Oh, a mama's boy, huh?" Bulma said seductively, then she winked at him. "I'll be your mommy."
Even from this distance, Piccolo could practically hear a horrified scream inside the young boy's head.
Yamcha just glared at the boy. That kid better stay away from her, or else I'll — oh, who the hell am I kidding? He sighed with defeat. I'm no match for him and everyone knows it. Bulma... I-I can't lose you. But things do seem different for us, somehow. I can feel it. Something's changed. I mean, we've been going out for over ten years, but... it's as if lately, we've been drifting apart. Maybe it's time to get married. It is what we talked about.
Tien noticed Yamcha's deep state of contemplation and spoke up. "You okay there, bro?"
"Huh?" Yamcha said. "Oh, yeah, fine. Just thinking deep thoughts."
Tien nodded in understanding. Meanwhile, Bulma spotted something about the boy.
"Oh hey, you've got our logo on your jacket," she pointed out. "That's my dad's company. Are you one of our employees?"
Piccolo frowned intently upon hearing this.
"No, not exactly," the lilac-haired youth said. "Just a fan."
"Oh, I see," Bulma said. "Well, tell me your name, and I'll recommend you to Dad."
"I told you before, I can't tell you that," the boy said. "I wish I could. I'm sorry, I know it's strange."
"Oh, mystery man," Bulma said coyly with a wink that made the teen blush all over again.
"Is his shoe size a secret too?" Tien said, a bit irritated at all the secrecy.
"Yeah! Why can't I have a secret name?" Yamcha agreed. "That's not fair!"
"Knock it off, you guys," Bulma said angrily, immediately jumping in to defend the strange boy; there was just something about him that felt warm and comfortable to her, as though he were somehow familiar, that made her leap in and protect him when the other guys began picking on him. "You're all jealous. This guy just beat Frieza single-handedly. So there!
"Right!" Gohan said with a nod.
Yamcha growled, seeing his position threatened, and the stranger could only blush some more as Bulma checked him out.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of space, in a darkened chamber buried deep within a tall, majestic tower on an unknown planet in a far-distant galaxy, a hunched-over cloaked figure knelt fearfully before his overlord, his posture radiating a palpable aura of nervousness.
And then, issuing forth from the darkness, in which a shadowed figure sat, a voice spoke, filled with quiet menace and deep loathing.
It was the voice of death itself.
"And this report is accurate?" it asked the underling.
Now shaking in his boots, the underling dipped his head further, bowing in supplication before his master.
"Yes, my lord, they dispatched of Lord Frieza and his father effortlessly — it was as though they were nothing compared to them," he explained.
"I know that the Colds were hardly in their first blush of youth, but still it troubles me that a bunch of ragtag misfits were able to take them down so easy," the voice said softly and in the darkness, a giant, hulking form rose from the throne that it had been sitting on, its body and face still concealed by the shadows it stood within. "Another Super Saiyan must have arisen."
"How do we proceed now, my lord?" the underling asked, head still bowed.
The dark form within the shadows moved, revealing steadily more of its features. A simple, brown cloak covered the being. A tail poked out behind the robe, whipping around the overlord with powerful grace, and in the hood that hid the creature's face, twin glowing red eyes pierced the gloom of the dark chamber.
"For now, let's just content ourselves to watching from the shadows," it commanded. "We shall give them opportunities to test themselves as time goes on, but we must have a clear idea on what we are dealing with here. If there is another Super Saiyan, this is only the beginning. For now, though, Icheb, you may consider yourself dismissed."
"Understood, my lord," the underling — Icheb — said, nearly falling over himself in his haste to escape his master.
The dark form moved over to the large windows that accompanied either side of the long hallway leading up to the master's throne, staring out at two indigo-hued moons in a black sky with deep purple clouds. There must have been thousands of stars in the sky, and as the Emperor gazed upon it all, he knew that one of those stars was the one the Earth orbited around, and the home of the surviving Saiyans.
"For now, just enjoy the peaceful time that you have left, Saiyans," the Emperor said. "You may have defeated Frieza and his father, but soon you'll realize that they were only the start. You have no idea what you're getting yourselves into."
And as the hood lifted slightly, a confident smirk adorned the Emperor's face, a smirk that seemed very familiar...
Who is this being who apparently knows so much about Frieza and the Saiyans? Does he have something to do with Kakuzawa's organization on Earth, and what about the mysterious new Super Saiyan? How do these events tie in together? And will Goku be back in two hours? Find out next time, on DBAF!