DRAGONBALL Z
Path of a Warrior
Tales from the Future
Life on earth continued as usual. There had been little word of any conflicts or crimes, so things were looking up…for everyone. The Z-fighters also used the opportunity of peace and quiet to catch up on the things they have missed. All the while, the strongest members of the group took advantage of the peace time opportunities to train some more. It was also a time where they all went their separate ways, giving each other some privacy.
Tien and Chouzu disappeared to parts of the world unknown. Before they left, they said something about training some more, and work on their skills. Only Gohan truly knew where they went. Yamcha moved into an apartment in Capsule Corp. and just kicked back to relax. He felt no need to continue training, only when it was really necessary. Master Roshi, Oolong and Turtle continued to hang in the South on Kame Island, where things weren't at all hectic but were nice and peaceful. Krillin moved in with Master Roshi as well, resting most of them time but occasionally going out to see Goku and the others or floundering in the shallows or surrounding islands to train. Kami returned to the look out with Mr. Popo to continue with guardian duties, tending to various issues and stabilizing things on their own. Piccolo didn't return to the look out. In fact, he stayed as far away from the area as possible. He decided to hang around Mount Paoz, close by to the Son household to keep an eye on things. He also found that the Mountain Area was more peaceful then any other place. It was 500 miles from any village or civilization, making it a 1000 square mile area to wander. It was perfect for him. Vegeta had taken up residence at Capsule Corp., with Bulma insisting for him to stay. Everyone had noticed that the blue haired woman had taken quite a shine to him, and would make up any excuse to hang around with the prince. It came to the Z-fighters' minds that she had a thing for him, but they may just be exaggerating the issue a bit too much. Anyway, Goku, Chi-Chi and the Ox-King remained in their sweet little homestead. Chi-Chi's dad would leave every now and then to complete errands involving the running of his Kingdom. He had his own home, and would stay there most of the time. As usual, Chi-Chi carried on with household duties whereas Goku spent his time helping her, catching up one the things he had missed as well as train to get stronger. Eventually, he was able to control his Super Saiyan form and use it at his own will. Then there was Gohan. The Saiyan child spent most of his time away from his friends and family, and always managed to disappear every once in a while. In other words, his ki would always seem to vanish. Well, there was a reasonable explanation for this.
Gohan left mostly to train by himself. Just like before, he would explore his surroundings, finding new ways to strengthen himself and master the arts of martial arts. He primarily practiced Wushu and Shao-Lin style Kung Fu. After every long day training sessions he had, he would retire to the very place he felt more at peace. Sometimes it was nature, the outside world and the mountains of Mount Paoz. There was one area near the coast where he could sit and meditate, looking out over the vast valleys and landscapes, admiring its beauty. Then there was the castle, the very place that had changed his life. It was his sanctuary, a sacred place. He felt that certain connection that had once bonded Echo…or him more like it. He retreated here, and would meditate under the light. It was as if he was gaining more of an understanding about two worlds.
The routines that followed and the lives of the others carried on for weeks on end. The Namekians found their place in Capsule Corp, where the Briefs tended to their needs and what not. They were even taught about their culture, and in kind the Elders taught their hosts about their culture. A lot of good times were had of this. It was said that Yamcha and Krillin tried dating, but they failed successfully. It worked for a while but they couldn't reach the interests of the women in which they courted. Vegeta, who was being an ass as usual, was given permission to use the GR. The determination to reach the level of Super Saiyan was over-powering for him. After seeing Goku and Gohan transform, he had the desire to reach that level too. If two Saiyans who didn't act like the true warriors from which they originated could do it, then so could he. Bulma had taken the liberty of observing the Prince's training, finding his attitude towards it quite interesting. But then again, everyone knew what was going on there…
A year had quickly passed, and as soon as everyone felt it was the time, they all gathered at Capsule Corp, minus Chouzu and Tien. The Namekians all said their good-byes to their newly made friends and, after setting up the dragon balls, Dende summoned the dragon. In a blinding flash of golden light and a rush of fierce wind, the dragon of Namek…well…uhh…lets just say the magical dragon, emerged from his confinements inside the balls and towered above the city. The skies darkened, with the dragon silhouetted against the sky's surface. His red eyes glared down at the base of his form, immediately spotting those who had summoned him. Everyone was amazed at the spectacle, and marveled at the massive beast.
"You, who have gathered the seven dragon balls, have awakened me from my slumber," the Great Parunga said in a booming, mystical voice. "I shall grant you three wishes! Speak them now so that I may go…"
The Z-fighters smiled and looked back down at Dende. The little Namekian turned to them with a bright smile. "Well, you heard the dragon! What would you like to wish for?"
Bulma smiled and glanced down at Gohan. "What do you think kid?" Gohan, dressed in his regular, traditional gi clothes with his sword tied around him, smiled and walked forward.
"I think I have something in mind that we can benefit from," Gohan exclaimed, looking up. Parunga glared down at him, Dende backing down. The young Saiyan smirked and then began to speak. "For my first wish, I wish that all people killed by Frieza and his men be brought back to life!" Parunga's eyes shimmered at this
"Excuse me…but wouldn't that be considered two wishes?" he asked. Gohan raised an eyebrow. Someone's a bit picky. Shaking his head, the young Saiyan began his explanations.
"The wish is a two part, Parunga!" Gohan shouted. The dragon nodded in understandment.
"Very well!" His eyes glowed a bright red, his body also glowing a brighter gold. Then, seconds later, as soon as the magic was initiated, it ended. The dragon glared back down in success. "Your wish has been granted. Speak your second wish!"
Gohan smiled and yelled up again, stating his second, defined wish which he had been saving. "Parunga, I wish for ten bags of Senzu beans, with each bag bearing infinite contents. Can you make the bags small and able to be carried?!" Everyone looked at Gohan in confusion and puzzlement. They wondered what the child could have wished for. Parunga nodded and gave him the thumbs up.
"Your wish shall be granted!" he said. His eyes glowed red, and he easily fulfilled the wish. Gohan held out his hand, watching as one after another, small brown bags of beans landed in his palm, he had to set one down each time, making way for the next bag. It felt as though each bag held about 30 beans, but the contents would be infinite for sure, if Parunga was true to his will. After all ten bags have been made Gohan looked up at Parunga and bowed; thanking him. The dragon nodded. "The second wish has been done as per request!"
Turning around, Gohan smiled and tossed a bag over to Bulma. "Catch!" The scientist caught it in two hands, thrown back by the young child's throw. Untying it and opening the bag, she looked into it to see a mass of green beans filled to the brim. Everyone looked inside to take a look. Seeing what they were, they all looked at Gohan in confusion.
"Beans…?" Bulma queried. "Why would we need beans for?" Gohan smiled, collecting up three more bags. He slipped one of them into his belt, claming that one for himself.
"Those beans are Senzu Beans, Bulma," the boy replied. "I wished for ten infinite bags. If you want you can take one, but we should really give two to Korin for safe keeping." Krillin, Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo and the other Z-fighters were overly satisfied and smiled. It was a pretty good wish.
"Good thinking, Gohan," Krillin exclaimed.
"We could surely use those," Piccolo continued in his place. Gohan nodded and walked over to Piccolo and the others, his left arm holding the brown bags. He held one up and gave it to his Namekian friend.
"Yeah!" Gohan said with a grin. "After seeing my dad carrying a bag with him to Namek, I realized that we may need more in the future. To limit ourselves of the restrictions of running out, this idea came to my mind," Gohan explained. He tossed one over to his father, who caught it and took measure of the contents. He threw it up and caught it, smiling. Gohan then gave another bag to Krillin, and then another to his mother. The other four he held onto, planning to give two to Korin his next trip around. The other two he would have to find another place for.
Turning back to the dragon, they saw Dende speaking with one of the Elder. They were both speaking out of ear shot, and were looking quite serious. Dende appeared to be trying to convince the Elder for something, but he was putting up a defense about it. After a moment or so, Dende seemed to brighten and he nodded in response. The Elder then gave him a brief explanation and then let him carry on. Rushing over to the dragon, Dende looked up and shouted his next wish to him.
"Parunga!" he shouted. "For my final wish, I wish that all Namekians on Earth, except Kami, Piccolo and I, be sent to a new, inhabitable planet with the same geological and atmospheric features as the old Namek!" Gohan was surprised by one of the bits. The dragon nodded affirmatively and, looking up, granted the wish. His eyes glowed red and his body radiated all the more. Then, after a moment or two, he looked back down at Dende.
"Your wishes have been granted. I bid thee farewell!" With that accomplished, the dragon flashed a bright light and then vanished into the dragon balls. As soon as he had disappeared, the seven Namekian dragon balls shot skywards and continued to fly on and on till they vanished into the depths of space. Just as the dragon balls were flying off, all Namekians except all those mentioned not to go, all turned transparent and vanished. The sky returned to normal, and the visitors to earth were gone.
As soon as all the Namekians had vanished, and that the world's ways were back to normal, everyone turned to Dende. The Namek child smiled happily and rushed over to Gohan. The youngest Saiyan was puzzled by what his friend had done.
"Dende, why didn't you go with the other Namekians to the new planet?" Gohan asked. Dende grinned.
"Well, Kami saw that I had a great gift as a Namekian, and that one day he may need a new Guardian of Earth. So he met with me in person and asked me if I would consider this as a future prospect. I was a bit weary at first, but then I realized that I would get to stay on this planet with all my friends. I had to talk with the Elder about it, and he agreed for me to stay," the young Namek exclaimed. Gohan blinked a couple of times and smiled a few seconds later.
"That's awesome Dende! But…" Gohan's expression changed to confusion. "What are you going to do till then?" The young Saiyan asked. Dende smiled and shrugged.
"As soon as the other Namekians were gone, Kami said for me to meet him up on the Look Out. I think he'll be starting my training now," Dende replied. Gohan nodded affirmatively.
"Great. Hey, do you need help getting up there?" Gohan asked. Dende shook his head.
"No thanks Gohan, I can manage. I'll have to get going now. Tasks are waiting for me!" Dende said with a wave. "See yah Gohan!" The young Saiyan waved back.
"Yeah, see yah Dende! I'll come visit you from time to time to check on you!" Gohan stated. Dende chuckled and nodded. With a final wave to the others, he took off into the skies and flew in the direction of the Look Out. As soon as he was out of sight, Gohan turned to the others to see them looking amongst each other.
"So…what now?" Yamcha asked. "That's one adventure finally over…" Krillin nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. And I tell you something else, it was one strange journey!" the monk continued. Goku crossed his arms, glancing over at Vegeta.
"Well, guess its back to training and good old relaxation," Goku exclaimed. Vegeta just turned away, his own arms folded over his chest.
"Whatever…" the Saiyan Prince replied, disinterested in what Goku had to say.
Chi-Chi, Goku and Gohan turned to each other. Before they could share a laugh or any other discussion, they heard a loud grumbling and Chi-Chi and Gohan, as well as everyone else, turned to Goku in surprise. The older Saiyan was clutching his stomach and blushing with embarrassment. He also gave them the famous Son grin and, as soon as the gurgling stopped, he straightened up and rubbed the back of his head.
"Uhh…I'm hungry," he exclaimed. "What's for lunch, Chi-Chi?" The Son mother rolled her eyes and leapt into his arms.
"Fly me home and I'll make you some fried rice…or a truck load of it anyway," Chi-Chi stated. Goku wasted no time in standing around and immediately took off for home with his wife in his arms. The Z-Team on the ground waved after them. Gohan hung back to say good-bye to everyone else before taking off. Piccolo decided to come along too, since Mount Paoz was in that direction anyway.
Man…what a day…
A Year later…
As usual life proceeded to give and receive its pleasures. The departure of the Namekians to their new home world didn't change the daily routines of the others, but only managed to create an empty gap which was filled in by work and recreation. The Z-warriors spent the months doing…well…whatever. It wasn't just to pass the time but to fill in the gaps of what they had mostly missed in their lives.
The year Yamcha, Tien and Chouzu had spent dead had been made up for in this year. Yamcha continued to chase women, at the same time trying to fulfill his career as both a martial artist and a professional base-baller. Tien and Chouzu just revisited old ways and trained together. Talk was had that the pair of them had made new friends high up in the Mountain Ranges to the North. It was also said that a new Kingdom had been established in their honor, due to Chouzu's history as a leader at one point. Still, they remained most of the time independent, departing for places unknown.
Dende had taken up a job as a second serviceman for Kami, offering help to Mr. Popo as well. It was a life he was quite enjoying. Every day Dende would get down to his duties and later on would focus on his studies with Kami. The Guardian of Earth filled him in on his roles, as well as the rules and laws lay down upon man, animal and spirit alike. Gohan, being a new formed entity of unknown origins, was ruled out as one of those needing to be influenced over. When dealing with something as new as that, it was best left alone until further research.
Piccolo has returned to his regular life of long, peaceful meditations out in the wide expanses of nature. He was never too far away from the Son house hold and would keep to the boundaries he had set up himself. As usual, he never really bothered anyone, and people rarely bothered him. On a number of occasions he would go see Gohan, or the young Saiyan child would come and see him. The two would meditate for hours on end, or would get down to some martial arts training and sparring. They would talk, like old time friends, contemplating some thoughts and questions. It was also fun to quote on life and its pleasures itself. Gohan has become famed among the group for his use of philosophy…even when it wasn't really necessary. Other then that, the two unlikely friends just meditated.
Vegeta and Bulma…well…the two have been growing closer and closer since first meeting. Although Vegeta sort of resented the extra attention from the blue haired woman, he was slowly falling into place (if you know what I mean). Bulma was always happy whenever Vegeta was around, even if he was a bit of a arrogant, pig-head. He had some reckless disregard for the use of the GR and would destroy it every time. Bulma was always there to clean up the mess. Even though she was already getting used to cleaning up after him, she would sometimes think about how more well-mannered Gohan was when he was using the GR. he was far more respectful.
Goku had gradually begun to return to his daily training sessions. However, the swift hand Chi-Chi imposed on him kept him from going out much, therefore he fell behind in terms of strength. However, as far as he was concerned, his skill as a martial artist remained. After a couple of months, he was finally able to gain full control over his Super Saiyan form. The fatigue after each transformation lessened, so he got a bit less of a headache after each time. Chi-Chi was pleased Goku was back and spending a lot more time with her. Still, Goku wouldn't pass out a free time opportunity to get out and train some more. There are some things about that man that never change.
Gohan, aside from everyone else, has continued his daily routine of alternate hard training, which took up most of his time, studying and family-friends time. Since his full turn to martial arts, Gohan hasn't changed from his outfit since because of all his training. But on the advice from his mother, he changed into something else every once in a while, to when they were going out to the nearby village, the city, to any of their friends' places, etc. Since he never needed to sleep, he would always go out to train and meditate. On most nights he headed up to his castle many states away, and would spend his whole night there before quickly zapping back to his room before his mother woke up.
It was also shocking to learn that Gohan asked his mother to train him a bit. The Son mother, pleased that her son was showing recognition of her martial arts skills, taught him Karate, Taikwondo and Ninjitsu. She had a lot of things to teach him, and whenever he wasn't studying (note that he finished every library stack she got him with 15 minutes), she would train with him outdoors. At the same time Goku would be out seeing his friends or, on a more likely idea, training himself. It was great that the family was spending a lot more time together then expected.
Outside the Son household
The backyard just yards away from any tree, obstacle, clothes line or river has, for the past few months, played host as a training ground for Gohan and Chi-Chi. The absence of Goku was marked by the faint signal of his ki in the distance, leaving the Saiyan child and his mother to spar. Skid marks along the ground, as well as the tell tale signs of upturned dirt, rock, gravel, battle patches and torn up grass, were the scars left in the wake of the furious spars that had (and were) taken place. In normal human terms, it was considered an impressive spectacle…
Flipping backwards through the air, Gohan dropped into a firm fighting stance, left hand forward and right held up, close to his cheek. Chi-Chi took a stand several meters in front of him, dropped in a familiar kata used in Karate. She glared at her son, her feet spreading out to get more balance.
Both of them had been training hard, honing in on their skills. Chi-Chi's intentions however were to train her son through use of her techniques. Gohan's task was to learn from here. The two of them were also dressed in accordance with this training session. Gohan only wore his gi pants and shoes with ankle and wrist weights. His white T-shirt, outer sash, head band and sword was folded and set up neatly under a tree not to far from the training sight. Chi-Chi was dressed in her own martial arts uniform. It was her old, blue style, tradition gi robe she had worn back in the day when she had fought Goku in the ring. Her hair had been tied back for this occasion, making sure that any of the strands of her hair didn't interfere.
Circling each other, the two remained placed at equal distances and using the same central line. Chi-Chi nodded to her son, watching hi's footwork through the corner of her eye.
"Good Gohan," she exclaimed. "Concentrate on your stances and movements. Remember, this art mostly focuses on your technique, making each blow decisive, quick and precise. No matter what your opponent might attempt, you can over-power him or her through use of good technique. The right moves can cripple, whilst the wrong moves can be costly…"
Gohan nodded in understanding. Then, the two stopped. Adjusting their stances, the two then approached, closing the gap as they shuffled towards one another. Keeping pace, Chi-Chi attacked her son, throwing quick, lightning fast blows at him; using only her fists. Her stance pivoted and moved, her body putting most of the force into her strikes. Her hand movements were really quick, with each angle, strike and hand position changing dramatically. Gohan blocked and parried each of her strikes with combinations of his own. Whenever she came in with a punch, he moved it to the side before countering with an elbow. To which she blocked and struck at him with a hook. Gohan would crouch low a bit and hold up an arm to defend, as her hook would take a turn downward. He would then punch up, countering her next attack. She parried that, after which she would return to her assault.
After a furious assault, to which the two circled each other in the centre, the two then leapt back. Dropping into an attack stance, Gohan immediately moved forward. Chi-Chi lashed out in turn, the two of them shifting and moving around. Whenever met with resistance, they would defend, but always countered every so often. Gohan used this opportunity and attacked, taking advantage on all of Chi-Chi faults. That didn't mean he received hits of his own. But as training carried on, he learnt something new every step of the way…
It was thought that these times of peace would continue on for much longer. But then…a sinister foe from the past was about to return. And when the Z-warriors sensed his familiar, cold hand extend its reaches towards earth, everything turned dark…and would remain for the next many months to come…
One day, while Gohan was meditating in his castle, he suddenly felt a cold chill run down his spine. No it wasn't from the low temperature of the Mountain Ranges; it was something more…much more. However, he didn't grow aware of this feeling immediately. Instead, he remained floating above the stone-made, crumbling platform where his sword was once impaled inside the diamond boulder (note it was also missing). His eyes were closed, legs and arms crossed, and everything around him was quiet, except for the gentle sound of a cool breeze and the constant, timed dripping of the water from the stalactite crystal onto a stalagmite crystal directly beneath it. Its mythical chime didn't disrupt Gohan's meditation.
But just then, Gohan sensed the cold reach a new level, where it was accompanied by a familiar, evil energy. His eyes flew open and he glared over his shoulder, eyes narrowing. He could feel it. It was close. After all these years, why would he decide to return now?
'Frieza…' Gohan thought.
Picking up his sword lying in front of him, Gohan buckled it and then sprinted for the exit of his home-away-from-home. Pushing his way through the door then closing it behind him, Gohan flared up his aura and then shot off into the skies at top speed. The cold whipped against him, but he didn't falter. His mind was now fully focused on the powerful ki level heading towards the planet. He was for certain that it was the tyrant. Frieza was alive…
'The thought of him surviving Namek's explosion is just crazy!' Gohan thought to himself. 'Surely he was just hanging onto a thread of life when I defeated him. There was no way he could have survived. Then again he's tough…plus he can breathe in space…'
Gohan flew on, soaring passed his Mountain Ranges and straight over valleys and hills. He broke over several villages, hoping that he wasn't spotted. People might assume he was a missile and would call in the Air Force. He didn't need that problem on his hands. So, increasing speed, he shot off above the clouds. The valleys and land disappeared, blocked out by the white fluffy masses of moisture. Soon the young Saiyan was flying above the clouds, nearly out of sight. Within minutes, he was over the sea, and still flying at an incredible rate.
He used his sense to hone in on Frieza's signal. He tracked its route through space, narrowing it down to an area several miles away. When he knew he was getting close, he dropped down so that he was beneath the clouds. He glared down, seeing that he was moving over a barren wasteland…a desert with rocky plateaus, mountains, outcrops and cliffs. Gohan furrowed his brow, sort of relieved. If Frieza's plan was to land here, then he had reason to feel at ease, seeing as that there was no one around who will get hurt.
While on flight for the landing zone, he spotted a group of people nearby. On a closer, quick inspection, he saw that it was the Z-gang and smiled. He dove down, his aura dropping. With a quick spin through the air, he landed on two feet just outside of the group. The whole gang turned to him when they heard his call and sensed his ki. Gohan straightened, waving to them. Almost everyone was here: Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, Chouzu…even Bulma and Puar. Apparently there had just been an argument between Yamcha, Vegeta and Tien. It appears that some old ties won't ever die.
"Hey there! Am I late?" Gohan asked. His father smiled and waved back.
"Hey son!"
Krillin grinned, relieved to see his old friend show up. Everyone was relieved, of course. "Don't worry Gohan, you're just in time," the monk exclaimed.
"Better late then never kid," Yamcha spoke up. "We were worried you'd never come. Without you, I don't think we'd stand a chance against Frieza…" Vegeta snorted, crossing his arms and walking away from the group. Just like Piccolo, he preferred the quiet and peace of being alone and out of social activities.
"Please," the prince mumbled. "Everyone knows that Kakarot, the Namek and I are strong enough to bring down that lizard neck, and not just that brat there!" Vegeta growled, making emphasis of Gohan's presence and glowering at him. "We're a lot stronger now then we were on Namek. This should be a piece of cake…"
"I wouldn't say so Vegeta," Piccolo said, turning around. His cape blew about in the wind, yet he remained strong as a statue despite the fierce pulls. "Perhaps from earlier experiences, we have learned that Frieza isn't so easy to beat. And I think he's also brought some more help…"
Krillin gulped and looked down nervously. "Man…now this really makes me feel bad about not being strong enough…"
Gohan smiled and stepped forward, emerging in the group's circle. "Don't worry Krillin…you can let us deal with the heavy duty work. As for the henchmen, the rest of you can freely dispose of him…"
Bulma placed her hands on her hips and stared at Gohan with a proud smirk. "Well, aren't you a great leader," she exclaimed, a bit sarcastically. "Very well organized and giving a piece of work to everyone. You know…some of us aren't really that good at fighting. What about me?"
Vegeta just glared at her, whereas Gohan answered her question. "My plan didn't really involve you Bulma. Your official role in the fight with Frieza on Namek was to provide us with a base and backbone on our search for the dragon balls. However, your presence here at the moment is quite unexpected. That means we'll have to set a guard on you," Gohan stated, glancing over at the Prince of Saiyans standing just a few meters away from her. He smirked devilishly. "I'll give the guarding duties to you Vegeta…"
The Saiyan Prince was taken aback at this. Everyone else was just shocked beyond belief. "WHAT?!"
Gohan just saluted. 'Enjoy it while you can tiger…' the young Saiyan exclaimed to the prince in perfect Latin. Everyone but Piccolo couldn't understand what Gohan had said. When the green warrior heard what his student had to say, he couldn't help but snort and chuckle in amusement. Well, Gohan sure struck the arrogant prince below the belt.
Suddenly, Just as the group had assembled in a random order, Piccolo looked up and suddenly spotted a large disk shaped-space craft burst through the clouds and flew straight down to them at an incredibly fast rate. With seconds, everyone spotted it. It was quite ironic that all those in the group sensed the ship's approach before spotting it. As soon as the ship was in sight, everyone was struck with the full magnitude of the evil power radiating from it. There was a large number of smaller ki's spread out throughout the ship, whereas there were two, larger ki's standing side by side on the observation deck. These two dwarfed them all.
The ship was a large, disk shaped vessel, kind of like your original flying saucer only built in the image of Frieza's royalty. It was mostly white with many parts making up the hull black in color. It also had yellow, orb windows that were pressurized for space travel and could resist bombardments of space rocks, debris etc. The observation deck had a forward window which was purple, whilst the main bridge was built below it. The support, landing pads, which had not been deployed yet, remained folded up and set inside the craft.
Tien, Yamcha, Bulma, Puar, Krillin, Chouzu, Piccolo, Goku and Vegeta were in solid states of shock. Gohan however was passive. He glared up at the ship, not really afraid of anything. Though Frieza's power had increased a significant amount from their last encounter, it was not at the same level it was when he was at 100 percent Final Form. It barely grazed passed 75 percent. The second ki was even lower, and wasn't as strong as Frieza's. The other's had reason to be shocked, whereas he didn't. Frieza was no different then what he was before.
The ship floated over to them, it's large, streaking hull overshadowing the entire group. It then spun, hovering above the ground before coming to a steady landing. It's landing pads deployed, and within seconds, it touched down. As soon as the engines and drivers were switched off, the ki's moved about, readying for disembarking. The Z-team backed away when the top hatch opened. An entire legion of 30 troops appeared in front of them, zapping out of super speed and scattering into formation. The Z-fighters and Frieza's henchmen stood on equal grounds, at least 40 meters away from each other. Gohan stood at the front of his friends, with Goku, Vegeta and Piccolo at his sides.
After a few seconds had passed, Gohan looked up to the top of the ship. There, he saw an energy orb with two people inside fly up and then drift down to the ground. The orb disappeared, revealing two new aliens who stood in front of the legion of henchmen. The smaller of the two stepped forward and smirked.
"Well, well, well," the familiar foe exclaimed. "We meet again brat…"
The Z-crew remained silent. Those who had power levels under a million were frozen with fear. Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta and Gohan were the only ones who were calm and collected. However, three of which were looking a bit nervous themselves. Gohan was the only one who was glaring calmly at Frieza. As he did so, he looked the two villains over, as well as the number of soldiers they were faced with.
The soldiers were the same as the ones back on Namek. Like the Ginyu Force, they wore spandex uniforms and plastic armor. As driven to the extreme, they were trained and toughened up, looking quite intimidating in the eyes of the other Z-warriors. They had power levels far lower then Frieza's, and so would be easy to handle. Frieza and the other guy however would be the hardest to deal with. There have been multiple changes made, which became quite obvious in Gohan's eyes. Frieza was back, only this time he was more robotic then pure flesh. The lower half of the tyrant below the waist line was completely mechanical. He had silver made, steel legs. The hip, pelvis and crotch area was marked by flexible joints to allow the legs and tail movement. The tail had also been modified, layers of cold hard steel applied to give the appendage more flexibility. On further inspection, Gohan saw that the left side of Frieza's head had also been modified with integrated circuits. His head must have been torn away in the planet's explosion. Then Gohan looked down at Frieza's left arm where he had blown it off before he could inflict the final, punishing attack. The arm was mechanical as well, and was built to suit the rest of Frieza's appearance and make. The modeling gone into this may have been a bit off, but it was all Frieza's scientists could scrounge up to rebuild Frieza into the killing machine he once was.
The second character also caught Gohan's attention. He was incredibly, big. It reminded Gohan of Frieza's second form, except Frieza didn't reach his height, size and weight. The guy had horns poking up and out of his cranium crown, which was crested with the same purple exo-plates Frieza had. He also wore black, plastic armor with orange shoulder guards and flexi wear. He also wore a cape, with a tail prodding out from underneath. To finish off the description, he had the same flesh and out color Frieza had in his second form, only he looked much older. Family terms for Frieza were strange…
Frieza chuckled, glaring at their opposition with his fists placed on his hips. "I must admit, it's been a while since we last met. I see things have turned out well for you. And we have some new fighters to add to the slaughter!" he exclaimed, taking note of the rest of the Z-fighters standing around. "I believe reintroductions are warranted…" the Cyborg Frieza glanced back at the large alien standing behind him. "Isn't that right father?"
The giant alien nodded with a smirk, his own arms crossed over his chest. "Of course son…of course…" Frieza grinned and gestured towards the towering alien behind him.
"Let me introduce to you my father, King Cold. He has been so longing to meet you all…" The alien, designated King Cold, nodded in agreement, but had other things to add to the picture.
"Yes, but it was my son you see…who wanted to come to earth and destroy it. I was just dragged along," the large warrior replied. Frieza turned to the Z-fighters again, tail swishing behind him dangerously.
"And so that's why we've come here," Frieza continued. His harsh grin then turned into a threatening glare, one that made Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Bulma, Chouzu and Puar concerned for their safety. "…to take my revenge on you meddlesome rats! I may have cleaned up the mess on Namek years before, but I see the cockroaches have returned. So here, I will exterminate you all, one by one…just to make it fun…"
"We'll see about that!" a voice called. Suddenly, a golden ki blast erupted out of nowhere and struck the space ship. A megaton explosion engulfed the entire ground area around it, the entire legion of henchmen getting caught within the explosion and incinerated. Within seconds, they were gone, with the fire ball slowly shrinking back and turning to smoke. Frieza, King Cold and the entire Z-gang was caught completely off guard. All the Z-fighters wheeled to their left, where as the remaining two members of the Cold Empire turned to their right, to see an unknown teenager with grey hair float down from the skies and land several meters out from everyone. The remains of Frieza's ship now lay in a smoking crater, all left forgotten.
When the teenager landed, everyone immediately began taking in his appearance. He had grey-purple hair, wore a dark blue jacket bearing the Capsule Corp logos, a black turtle neck, yellow belt, and black slacks, yellow Capsule Corp made boots and a sword fitted with a sheath flung round him and strapped up. Gohan took a closer look at the kid, furrowing his brow at him. The guy had blue eyes, and was glaring over at Frieza. His ki was normal for him, it was pretty high too. He also had blue eyes with black pupils. However, when Gohan's eyes moved over to his sword, he got a huge shock when he recognized it to be his sword.
"What the?!" Gohan thought drastically. "T-That's my weapon! But…my sword is right here!" he continued, wrapping his hand and curling his fingers around the handle. The tinge and feel of its purity flooded into him, confirming him that it was his. However, the other sword wielded by that warrior was his, no doubt. He would recognize it anywhere. "What's going on!?"
Frieza scowled at the new arrival and took a more straightened stance. Everyone had their eyes on him. "Who are you, rodent?" Frieza growled. "I don't think you were invited to this gathering…"
The warrior hardened his glare on Frieza and balled his fists tightly. Everyone felt his ki take a jump, shocking even Vegeta and Piccolo. "I don't have to pass on my identity to you, Frieza!" the mysterious youth stated. "All I'm going to say to you is 'good-bye', you're history. I'm going to be the one who defeats you today!" Frieza growled, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. His robotic arm crackled with electricity.
"Why you insolent…" Frieza reared back and took a fighting stance, his right arm cranked back and up. "Defeat me?! I don't think so! I'll make mince meat out of you! TAKE THIIIIIIIIISSS!!!" Frieza roared, a golden, sparkling ball of high energy popping up in his hand. The very appearance of the attack started up a galling force wind that made King Cold and the Z-fighters step back in shock. Sensing the very magnitude of the blast sent, Yamcha, Tien, Krillin and Chouzu into flight, with Bulma and Puar in tow. Gohan, Goku, Vegeta and Piccolo remained on the ground.
"GET BACK!" Krillin yelled. "THAT'S WAY TOO STRONG!"
King Cold turned to his son in astonishment. "NO FRIEZA! YOU'LL DESTROY US ALL!!!"
With a battle cry, Frieza flung his right hand forward and unleashed the powerful blast, hurling it at colossal speeds straight for the youth. Dust clouds parted, wind directions shifting dramatically. Gohan, Goku, Vegeta and Piccolo watched through squinted eyes to see what the boy would do. There was a titanic explosion, reaching the same power and magnitude of force as a atomic blast. It sent fire, sparks of energy and smoke hurling everywhere. The very force of the explosion, made Frieza and King Cold bite down and hold their ground. Piccolo and Vegeta were nearly knocked off their feet, whereas Goku remained barely stationed where he was. Gohan was standing normally, his long, black hair tied back thanks to his head band waving madly, just like his clothes due to the wind. He gazed at the explosion, watching the events pass by quickly. Seconds later, the scene's climax dropped, leaving a massive trench line with a huge crater at the end, smoke and fire hurling from its base.
Frieza grinned successfully, both he and his father looking to see what damage had been done. Their smiles were wiped clean when suddenly, the fire and smoke was blown away and the young man reappeared, only this time, had teal toned eyes, blonde hair and was floating with a golden aura surrounding him. The mysterious warrior, now identified as a Super Saiyan, floated over the crater, out of the burning heart and landed a couple of meters out. His feet placed themselves firmly on the ground, a slight dust cloud lifting when his aura spread itself out. After glaring momentarily at Frieza and his father, the boy smirked and began to speak.
"Come now Frieza," he said confidently. "Surely you can do better then that…"
Frieza trembled with anger, scowling at the boy with hate raging in his cold, red eyes. King Cold and the Z-fighters were also staring at the boy as well, but were more along the lines of shock and astonishment. Gohan however wasn't. He glared at the mysterious Super Saiyan, his eyes glowing a strong teal, showing some anger hidden underneath his usually calm, peaceful persona.
Just then, Frieza shifted his stance and raised his left arm up, pointing his hand directly at the boy. When it was thought he was about to unleash a ki attack, something else happened. His hand suddenly flipped back into a socket and then, his arm unfolded and then folded up once more, morphing into some sort of giant cannon. King Cold turned his attention to his son, looking a bit apprehensive. Gohan, Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo and those Z-fighters hovering above the ground also turned to Frieza, wondering what move he could accomplish from this. They were quite surprised to see the weapon appear in place of his arm. The warrior that would soon be the receiving end of this weapon lowered his smirk and scowled. This he obviously did not expect.
The cannon that Frieza's robotic arm turned into resembled that of a jet engine turbine with exterior pieces and color that matched the rest of his prosthetic limbs. Small ventilation slots appeared on both sides of the weapon, as well as a recoil absorber, and five cylinders lining his upper shoulder. Two energy absorbers also popped out of the two air hole pieces fitted in Frieza's partially artificial head, crackling and sizzling madly. To complete the weapon, a green scouter flipped over his left eye. Indicators and read outs of all sorts appeared in his sights, locking onto his target and taking a brief energy level count before a targeting system popped up. The tyrant let out a growl, gritting his teeth as he began charging up his weapon.
At the back of the weapon, what sounded like a generator powered up, an orange light appearing inside the dark barrel of the weapon. It illuminated the area ahead of it, some of it falling onto the Super Saiyan youth, who was doing nothing to even try to avoid what was to come. In preparation for the upcoming attack, Frieza takes a firmer stance, making sure he was balanced. Seconds later, the orange dim inside his weapon suddenly burst out brightly, lighting up almost everything in sight. Frieza growled lowly and then, with a loud yell, fired. The cannon on his arm unleashed a bellowing, orange blast with twice the magnitude and velocity as his last attack. The blast ripped across the wasteland, flying straight for its target.
There was a blinding flash of light, followed by a colossal explosion. A orange fire ball consumed the warriors, spreading to a diameter of 100 meters. Frieza, King Cold, Goku, Vegeta and the other Z-fighters braced themselves as the blast radius and force winds shot outwards. They got caught in the winds and heat, all of them almost getting hurled off their feet. Gohan was the only one who remained standing normally. He glared into the explosion, watching the fire form into a mushroom, like an atomic explosion. Then, after the fire had reached effective potency, it slowly cooled and disappeared; leaving a mushroom cloud that rose and dissipated. Now all that was left was a smoking crater.
Everyone looked back, seeing what had happened. The new attack had created an even larger crater, with the two combined craters making one large one. Frieza grinned victoriously and straightened himself. His left arm quickly morphed back into an arm and he chuckled evilly. The Z-fighters were still staring at the crater, but soon enough turned back to Frieza. The tyrant, laughing to himself, turned to Gohan and the others.
"Well, that was a waste of time," Frieza mocked. "Now it's time to have some more fun. I hope you enjoy pain, because that's what you're going to get! If I could defeat that Super Saiyan, then I can waste you all the same way!" he continued, turning to Gohan fully. The young Saiyan child didn't move. Goku, Vegeta and Piccolo, who had just recently gotten back to their feet, were all glaring at Frieza as well. King Cold turned to his son; arms crossed and looking a bit disheveled thanks to the various explosions that had taken place.
"You know son, you could have used that little modification to your arm at the start so that we didn't have to waste so much time and effort here," the King expressed, showing his boredom and lack of fondness for being here. The small tyrant just shrugged.
"There is absolutely no pleasing you father," he replied. His father just turned and stared at the Z-fighters, leaving his son to the gloating.
Frieza narrowed his eyes further, brow furrowing. "So lets begin…!"
"HEY FRIEZA!!!"
That voice! The echo captured the attention of everyone present in the wastelands. The Z-fighters floating in the sky turned to their right and looked up. Frieza and King Cold on the ground also looked up to see who it was that had called them. Gohan, Goku, Vegeta and Piccolo turned in kind as well. High above them, floating with both hands pointed directly at Frieza was the Super Saiyan warrior. He was glaring down at them, a high energy level growing into an attack. Frieza was shocked.
There was a loud bang, followed by a loud whoosh of energy as the warrior unleashed a powerful, golden energy ball at Frieza and his father. In response, the two tyrants leapt into the air, flying up and watching the attack strike the ground where they once stood. The explosion wasn't as great as Frieza's attack, but packed double the energy whilst only having the explosive capability of three packets of C4. Gohan, Goku, Vegeta and Piccolo, who were also in direct contact with the attack, also had to fly away. They managed to just as the attack struck the ground. Dust, dirt and debris was hurled everywhere. It was just this Frieza glared down at, blind sighted at the back.
"Argh! When I get my hands on…" he suddenly felt a presence above him and spun around. "WHAT?!" Just as his eyes turned skywards, he saw the warrior plummeting towards him, sword drawn and blade pointing straight up. The tyrant was suspended in shock, staring up at the warrior as if paralyzed.
The Super Saiyan youth wasted no time in making his surprise attack work. Falling fast, faster then Frieza would be able to react; the boy let out a warrior's battle cry before bringing his weapon down on his opponent. The blade sliced straight through Frieza, the warrior stopping with his blade now pointed down. At first nothing happened, like the two were frozen. But then, the alien tyrant suddenly split cleaning in two, his entire components and flesh now exposing itself. King Cold was shocked, as was Goku, Vegeta, Krillin, Tien, and all those who weren't accustomed to seeing something like this. Piccolo and Gohan just glared, watching as Frieza fell before the feet of the sword wielding individual.
Wasting no time in finishing his opponent, the Super Saiyan brought swords back up before mercilessly lashing out at Frieza. His blade slashed cleanly through the air, cutting his opponent up before finishing with a final strike upwards, his sword now pointed over his left shoulder whilst held in his right hand. Then, moving his free hand underneath, he pointed it at Frieza and unleashed a powerful ki blast. The golden mass of energy enveloped Frieza and incinerated his remains. Within seconds, the blast died down, a whiff of smoke floating in place of the once mighty tyrant. When it faded, there was no trace of Frieza left. The warrior quickly corrected his position, twirling the sword in his hand and sheathing it. His weapon clicked into place and he relaxed, the battle being an effortless victory.
Vegeta gawked in shock. "H-He beat Frieza…effortlessly…" Goku blinked, also in astonishment.
"Who in the world is this guy?!"
The warrior then suddenly glanced over his right shoulder, turning his attention skyward. There, he set his sights on King Cold, the last member of Frieza's line. The giant tyrant was glaring down at the blond haired warrior, teeth gritted and bared, fists trembling. Everyone could tell he was enraged, infuriated that his son had been killed. His tail lashed madly, and his ki, which was also at a high level, shook violently on the verge of bursting a barrier. Trunks turned around, facing him fully. Gohan also had his sights set on the King, eyes still glowing a hot teal and energy slowly climbing.
When it seemed to King Cold that he was beat, he then grinned evilly and held up both his hands, palms facing towards each other but spread about a meter apart. With a low chuckle, the King sent an enormous amount of energy into his palms. After which, a dark red energy ball appeared with black electricity crackling around it. It was at the appearance of this orb of pure dark energy did the Z-fighters gasp and begin to worry, even Piccolo. The blond haired warrior raised an eyebrow up at the tyrant, surprised none to say the least. Cold laughed and leered down at all the fighters.
"You may have defeated my son you dirty little Saiyan!" King Cold roared. "But I won't let you take me down! If I'm going, I'm taking all of you and this planet with me!!!"
The mysterious warrior gasped then growled, taking a stand. The energy in the ball had just reached a new level. It exceeded past his expectations of being able to stop it. If he tried attacking the giant alien, then he might risk the ball being released at the planet. He couldn't let that happen. Even at this distance he wouldn't be able to reach the tyrant in time. The Z-fighters watched and waited nervously, hoping that what was going to happen wouldn't…
King Cold's eyes flew upon, an insane expression taking over. He grinned and yelled. "YOU'RE DEEAAAAAAAD!" Rearing back, he prepared to unleash his attack. But just then, a narrow, golden beam of energy past through his chest, penetrating from the front and going straight through, punching out of his back and flying up into space. The attack was swift, silent, deadly and surprising. Cold's eyes widened in horror when he felt his heart suddenly get punctured.
As he fell, he looked down. There, he saw his attacker, a boy with long, spiky black hair, wearing a white, traditional fighting gi top and black gi pants. Blood flew out of King Cold mouth as he took his last breath, uttering the last and only word he could think of.
"I-Impossible…" his voice left him.
Everyone turned to Gohan, even the blond haired warrior. The watched him lower his right hand and two fingers, before he reached behind him and gripped his sword's handle. Then, with a loud slice and swift strike through the air, the young Saiyan fired off an energy slash up at King Cold. The blue, crescent energy attack shot up at King Cold, the attack cutting straight into him before exploding. What showered were bits of flaming flesh and ash. At the end of the attack, Gohan lowered his sword to his side, scowling up at the area where King Cold floated. His eyes were still colored teal. Strangely, the blue crystal pendant he wore was glimmering as well, as if his energy was reacting with it.
Just then, Gohan turned swiftly to the side and pointed his sword into the air. Fazing out appeared the blond haired warrior, both of them swords drawn and pointed at one another. The Z-fighters stepped back, surprised at the sudden confrontation between the two. Silence rained as they all looked between the two, not daring to say a word for fear of the two engaging in a fight. Standing straight up in shoulder width stances and swords held in their right hands, they glared and floated where they were, not moving. The Super Saiyan warrior was glaring with gritted teeth, right arm trembling with which he held the sword in. Gohan remained fixated and strong, not even shaking an inch.
Narrowing his eyes down on the warrior, Gohan moved his sword so that it grazed the warrior's weapon. The sliding cold steel against pure metal sounded, with the Saiyan child intimidating his opponent. "It's unwise to be crossing blades with me," Gohan whispered threateningly. "I'd put that sword away if I were you…"
The Super Saiyan warrior took the hint. Powering down back to normal so that his hair was grey and his eyes were blue again, the boy then twirled his sword in his hand before sliding it back into his sheath. It clicked into place, the warrior taking a normal stance and smiling down at the boy. Gohan didn't take his smile for granted and withdrew his own weapon, sliding it back into its scabbard.
"He's just how I remember him…" he thought, before nodding to Gohan. "I have no intention of fighting you or your friends. I'm just here on business. I need to speak with you and Goku," he continued in speech, turning to the spiky haired man in the orange and blue gi floating not too far away from them. Goku pointed at himself, blinking in surprise. Everyone was looking between the three, already confused.
"Me?" Goku responded. The grey haired warrior nodded.
"Yes, in private please…"
Goku shrugged and nodded, taking flight and following the boy he flew over to the other side of then craters formed by the attacks Frieza had launched. Gohan also followed a little later, wondering what was up with this. The Z-fighters floating up in the sky dropped down to ground level so that they were on their side of the crater, watching Goku and Gohan leave with the stranger. When they landed, they scattered and took up separate positions while staring over at the group.
"What do you think he wants to talk about guys?" Tien asked. Yamcha shrugged.
"Not sure, but whatever it is, it must be important…" the scarred baseballer replied. Krillin placed his hands on his hips and blinked, seeing the three warriors land a great distance away.
"Yeah. But man, did you see that fight before? Wow! I've never seen anyone finish Frieza that quickly except Gohan!" Krillin exclaimed. Piccolo nodded in agreement, extending his hearing over to the three warriors across the crater. Even though it stood mostly against everything he stood for, he wanted an ear on this too.
"You got that right, Krillin," the Namekian replied.
Goku, Gohan and the mysterious warrior landed, the three of them taking up positions so that they made up three corners of an equilateral triangle. The grey haired warrior smiled at them, turning around so that he was facing the right way. "Thanks guys, I really appreciate it…" Goku chuckled and placed his hands on his hips.
"Shoot, we should be thanking you for beating Frieza. We sure got out of that one with a clean slate there thanks to your help," Goku replied. Gohan just stared at the boy, keeping silent. Trunks just shrugged.
"It was nothing. Besides, I wanted a crack at that lizard ever since I heard about him, so I didn't miss a chance to step in," the warrior blankly replied with enthusiasm. "He's been tormenting you guys for far too long anyway. It's about time somebody put him out of his misery…" Goku tilted his head at the boy, his expression all a wonder.
"Hey, you look familiar. Have we met before?" the Saiyan asked. In response, the grey haired Saiyan's expression soured. He stared at Goku seriously and, in preparation, took a more tightened stance. This confused Goku since he didn't say anything hurtful or out of taste. Something must be wrong.
"Before I answer any of your questions, I need to gain your trust first. In return I shall give you mine," the warrior replied. Then, without any form of screaming or tensing, an aura shot up around the warrior, his hair raising, stiffening and flashing gold. His eyes also turned teal, with his ki taking a major jump. Goku was surprised to feel such a magnitude of ki at this close range, whereas Gohan just glared suspiciously.
"Transform Goku," the boy continued. "I want to see you turn into a Super Saiyan before I carry on any further…" Goku scowled suspiciously as well. However, sensing only a minority threat, he had no inclination of denying the warrior.
"Alright then…have it your way," Goku replied. Only tensing a bit without any real effort, Goku transformed. His golden aura exploded around him, appearing fast and fiercer then the other warrior's. His hair stood on end and flashed blond, and his eyes turned pure teal. When the transformation was complete, his aura evened out to become a gentle flame. Now Goku stood there in his full Super Saiyan glory. The Super Saiyan youth stared with admiration, nodding.
"Wow…man how awesome," he exclaimed brightly. "I forgot what it feels like from the outside in…" He then turned to Gohan, seeing the young Saiyan glaring up at him. The mysterious warrior smiled down at him, despite the negative expression he was receiving from the child. He had expected a reaction like this. "Can you transform, Gohan?"
Gohan furrowed his brow. But a moment later, he smirked; his Saiyan instincts kicking in. "Alright…but be warned, this will blow your mind…"
Without any effort whatsoever, Gohan transformed. At first it looked as though a hot wind was picking up underneath him. But suddenly, a huge aura exploded around him, sending a galling wind formation whipping around an area of 50 square meters. Trunks and Goku were immediately in states of shock, before Gohan even reached Super Saiyan. His power shot skywards at an incredible rate, bursting banks and barriers. He left the two other Super Saiyans stunned. Within seconds, Gohan had completed his transformation. Despite his relaxed state, his aura flared wildly around him. His eyes were a dark teal and were shining every time his aura made a warp past his nose. His hair had lengthened a bit and was standing on end, but was still held down by his head band. It didn't look much like Super Saiyan 3 hair because the points and strands were moving up and not down. To add to this, he had golden bolts of energy shooting out of his aura, with a light, radiation like glow of gold illuminating off of him. He was the only one of three with a golden, electricity formation. He looked so much cooler in Super Saiyan, but the power was far more incredible.
The Z-fighters on the other side of the crater who had been watching may have been astounded at the power they felt radiating off of Goku and the other Saiyan. But when Gohan transformed, it felt as though something had come up and smacked them clean in the face. Everyone was gaping with wide eyes at Gohan, seeing his aura shine and flare the brightest. Even Piccolo was astounded that his student was able to climb so high in power.
"What the heck!" Yamcha blurted.
"Gohan…!" Tien continued, that being the only thing he could say at the moment. Krillin gawked, blinking in disbelief.
"Look at him, hard core! What exactly are they up too?"
Piccolo's eyes wavered as he stared across at Gohan. "After all this time, he decides to show his true colors now?" the Namek thought. It was at this did a smile cross his face. "Typical Gohan. Always holding back to the right moment," Piccolo exclaimed in his head. "Guess that leaves more to be learnt from him…"
Bulma was also blinking incredulously, Puar perched on her shoulder and sort of ducking behind her. "What in the world?"
"What are they doing?" Puar squeaked.
Vegeta scowled, jealousy overtaking him. Moments before they had just witnessed the mysterious warrior transform into a Super Saiyan, and were unable to feel its exact magnitude until now. But when there were three of them all powered up, the force they felt was indescribable. He tightened his fist, sweating a bit from what he felt. "Darn it! How do they do it!? I've got to learn how!"
Goku and the Saiyan that defeated Frieza were staring down at Gohan, seeing him smirking up at them. It was just then, after recovering from their shock at sensing the child's ki did Goku turn back to the other warrior. He saw him stare back in kind, smiling. The eldest Saiyan blinked. "We're exactly the same in appearances and power output…strange…"
The addressed Saiyan's smile then dropped to a scowl. "Now it's time to see who's the strongest…" Goku's eyes widened in surprise!
Suddenly, the warrior took a quick stance and grabbed the sword from behind him, making sure the sheath didn't accidentally flip over. With a pivot and a swift draw, the warrior let out a yell and charged at Goku. His aura flared at full strength as he flew at the Saiyan, ready to strike. Everyone gasped and watched to see what would happen. It was in that split second did the sword wielding warrior bring his weapon down to bear on Goku, the Saiyan preparing to move. However, just as the sword was within contact range, it suddenly stopped; a loud clang of metal upon metal sounding. The stopping force caused the warrior's aura to expand and burst outwards due to the energy exerted. From here, his aura continued to flare fiercely, with Goku standing just an inch away from the sharp blade of his sword.
The Super Saiyan growled through gritted teeth as he applied all his strength into his forward thrust that had just stopped. His two hands gripped his sword tightly, attempting to force his blade down. But then, he realized that it was being held back and he glanced down to his left. There, where Gohan was standing, he saw that the young Saiyan had his sword drawn, it's blade connected with his and in the way of the warrior's target. Gohan held his weapon in his right hand, holding it up with ease, a serious expression crossed over his face. He glared hotly at the warrior, who trembled where he floated as he tried to force his weapon down. Gohan prevented this from happening.
Failing at getting at Goku, the warrior then turned his attention to Gohan and began lashing out at him. Gohan moved his sword about and began blocking and parrying every single strike that was swung at him. His blade locked with his opponent's, metal clanging against metal. It was throughout this small duel Gohan didn't move an inch from his spot, his right arm doing all of the work, whereas his opponent was exerting so much speed, strength and effort into his attacks. But whatever strike he administered, Gohan met it with his own cold, hard steel. After a few more seconds of this lashing, the warrior finished off by bringing his sword up and, with a final yell, brought it straight down, directly for Gohan's head. The young Saiyan held his sword up, blocking the blade as it came down on him. Sparks flew due to this, and both their aura's collided. The result was the warrior's aura being beaten by Gohan's, but there were no adverse effects to this. Just as the warrior was applying further pressure onto Gohan without any luck, he suddenly pulled off and flung himself back at Goku, thrusting his sword down on him. Gohan didn't even bother to stop his opponent this time and just decided to see what would happen. He watched the sword came within two inches of his father before being stopped when the older Saiyan caught the blade between his index and middle finger. He bit and held it tightly, preventing Trunks from moving. After a few seconds had passed, Goku released, allowing the warrior to fall back into his original position. Landing several meters away, he looked back at his last target, Goku, seeing him standing there with a glare. Gohan had the same expression in play as he held his sword toward him threateningly.
He was right anyway. It was certain death to lock blades with Gohan…
Taking his place back on his part of the equilateral triangle, the warrior grunted and flung his sword up into the sky. With the moment, he powered down, aura vanishing and color returning back to normal. When he did, he had a big smile on his face. "Awesome…everything I heard about the two of you was true. You guys didn't even flinch, and yet it looks like you didn't even have to try…especially you, Gohan!" the warrior exclaimed. Goku and Gohan powered down as well, Gohan sliding his weapon into its sheath. At the same time, Trunks' sword came down from the skies, flying point blade down first. The warrior only had to move a bit, just so his scabbard was in line with his falling weapon. He caught it easily, allowing it to slide back into place. He then casually returned to a proper standing position, hands in his pockets.
The Saiyan smirked. "Boy I tell you…those same moves turned Frieza into cold cuts. Guess it would have to take a bit more effort to bring you guys down…" Gohan nodded in agreement, allowing a smile to sprout.
"Plus…you are armed with the strongest sword in the universe…" the child exclaimed, holding his hand out to him. "Can I see it…?"
Knowing what the boy meant, the warrior unsheathed his weapon and, without a word, tossed it over to Gohan. The young Saiyan caught the sword, taking it into his grip and bringing its blade about. Laying it onto his palm, he began checking out his own weapon. There were no cracks, dents, nicks or engravings placed upon it. There was no doubt that this was his. But how did he come across this? That was the question. The same claymore blade design, silver toned in with the shine and reflection of crystals. Its grip guard and Pommel were gold plated, and its steeply built Katana handle was still strapped with the same, black leather. It also felt to belong to him, only older. Gohan glared up at the warrior.
"Where did you get this…?" he asked. The warrior sighed and glanced down at the earth beneath his feet.
"Alright…I guess this is where I should start answering questions…" Goku nodded in agreement.
"I guess it is," he replied before asking. "Who exactly are you?"
The youth looked up. "Alright, I'll talk, but I can only let you in on this information so long as you keep it to yourselves and not tell the others. This could very well be harmful for my future and your future…" Goku and Gohan glanced at each other, a little bit confused. After a shrug, the two of them turned back to him.
"You have our word on it," Gohan continued. "So what do you have to share?"
"Cool. Listen, my name is Trunks. This is going to sound weird, but I'm actually not from this time. I traveled here 20 years from the future," the boy, now known as Trunks, said. Goku raised an eyebrow, whereas Gohan nodded in understanding.
"The future…gosh…" Goku said with a whistle. "I didn't even think time travel was possible…" Trunks shrugged.
"It's the hard work that goes into it that allows you to do so. Anyway, the reason I came back in time is because I have grave news to tell you. My being here is a great risk, but if we do this right then things will flow smoothly from here on in," Trunks said, lowering his head. "Listen carefully to this, the both of you. What I have to tell you is very important. In three years from now, on the morning of May 12th, on an island nine miles south-west of South City, at 10:00 o'clock in the morning, a horribly destructive duo will arrive and lay waste to everyone and everything in sight. They have incredible power, even by our standards. They're monsters! That's the best way to describe them…they're monsters…"
Goku narrowed his eyes in response to this news, same as Gohan. "What's the deal…are they aliens? Frieza again…twin brothers…what?" Goku questioned. Trunks looked up at him glumly.
"When I faced them, I only wished it was Frieza. But it…or they're not. You're close to one thing though, they are twins…brother and sister to be precise. They are both androids, created by Doctor Gero, the master mind behind the machines and technology used by the Red Ribbon Army. Do you remember?" Trunks queried. Goku looked surprised, but was more or less along the lines of puzzled.
"Yeah…I defeated them," Goku said. Gohan looked up at his dad before looking back towards Trunks, the warrior's sword in his hand.
"So, what happens in the future? Do we stop them on first encounter?" the Saiyan child asked. Trunks shook his head sadly.
"No. When the Z-fighters went out to face them, they were all killed the very first day. Even Super Saiyan Vegeta wasn't enough to stop them. He, Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha, Krillin and Chouzu…they were all killed! After that, so many innocent people have suffered at the hands of those two beasts!" Goku was astounded, and Gohan was in more shock then he had let himself on.
"T-That's terrible," Goku said. Trunks stared up at him, still saddened.
"It gets worse," he continued, making Gohan and Goku raise both eyebrows. Trunks sighed before going on. "You and Gohan never fight the androids. Both of you catch a deadly heart virus, an infectious disease that you caught on your trip to Namek that takes a while for the deadly effects to kick in. You, Goku, died before hand; whereas Gohan struggled on for thirteen more years to train me to become a Super Saiyan. He was in incredible pain; I was surprised he even lasted as long as he did. When he died, he mysteriously vanished. His body has been missing for four years. It was after his death I took his sword. It was strange, somehow the weapon never really…felt right to me. It never allowed me to use the attacks I saw Gohan do when he trained. You know…the blue energy slash…" Trunks expressed, glancing at Gohan and the sword he held.
Gohan nodded affirmatively, Goku turning to his son in puzzlement. "Yeah, the energy slash is one of my most effective moves. The reason why the sword doesn't suit you is because you are not the warrior to wield it. The sword chose me, because I'm meant to use it," Gohan explained. He held out Trunks' sword, but didn't mean to give it back to him. He just stared at the young warrior with narrowed eyes. "Because the weapon belongs to me, I'm afraid you can't have it back. But I'll gladly make you a new one…"
Trunks blinked in surprise. "B-But…why?" Gohan scowled.
"I already answered that question. But there is more to it then just my ownership. If you wield this sword then no luck, power or strength can be gained from it. If anyone else wields this, then it will be useless and untrustworthy. Best not to have a weapon that you can't rely on," Gohan stated. With that, he brought it back to him. Twirling it in his hand, holding out his right hand, he created a second sheath. The folds were traditional made and tightly bound. With a quick slide along its exterior, Gohan slowly shoved it in. The weapon clicked into place. When it was secured and fitted, the Saiyan child flung it around him and clipped it up, so that the two swords around him formed an 'X'.
Then, holding both of his hands out, Gohan sent his ki and concentrated into a mass. There was a long, flickering light, which measured to about a meter and a third across his palms. After five seconds, there was a light pop, followed by the appearance of a long, silver sword. This one was of basic, claymore design, but was light with a black handle, standard Pommel, long sword grip guard and a sharp, strong make exterior. At the creation of this new weapon, Gohan tossed the sword over to Trunks, who caught it in one hand and examined it. After a momentary scan, Trunks smiled and shoved his weapon into his sheath.
"Thanks, Gohan!" Trunks exclaimed. Gohan nodded.
"My pleasure, but what now?" Gohan asked. "Since me and my father obviously die in the future, you must have come back to offer us a solution!"
Trunks grinned. "Actually, I did," the warrior exclaimed, pulling out from his pocket what looked to be some sort of weapon. When he approached the pair of them, they were able to see what it really was. It was some sort of injector gun, fitted with a purple, liquid substance. After loading the, thing he held it up to them and smiled. "There's no real cure in this time for the heart virus, but there is in my time! These shots are tested and tried successfully as the perfect defense and cure. There are no long term or temporary damages to the blood stream or vessels, all it does is fuse with the cells in your body and kills any viruses it detects. There's nothing that can stop you guys now! Take these serums and you'll be fine" Trunks exclaimed.
Gohan smiled and nodded in understanding, relieved that there actually was a suitable cure. Goku however was skeptical. "Why does it have to be a needle…I hate needles!"
Trunks shrugged. "My mother knew you hated needles, so she passed these words on to me to give to you: 'tough luck, buddy'. After all, she always said it's been your nature. Anyway, you can take the shots now. It allows the cells to be enhanced before the virus enters your vital points of your circulatory system. You won't even know the cure is taking effect," Trunks said.
From here the two of them were given the shots. Gohan went first, showing his father that it didn't hurt. Goku eventually took it but was very hesitant. After both shots had been administered, Trunks gave them the injection gun and two more vials of purple liquid. He nodded to Gohan after he stored it in its capsule and put it in his pocket.
"Just in case any of the others catch the heart virus," Trunks said with a nod. "Alright, I guess that's all. Just keep these to yourselves guys, because this is going to change history!" he exclaimed happily. Goku and Gohan nodded affirmatively with smiles in place.
"Don't worry Trunks. We'll be sure to beat those androids when they come, you can count on it!" Gohan stated. Goku nodded.
"Yeah. We may want to tell everyone else about the androids, but we'll keep the other parts to ourselves, alright," the Son father continued. Trunks nodded in agreement, having no objection to that. But then Goku's face turned to one of curiosity and surprise. "Hang on…didn't you say that your mother knows us? Who exactly are your parents?"
Gohan also hinted onto this and took another dive into Trunks' ki. After careful examination of his ki signature and outward appearance, he got quite a bit of a surprise. A bead of sweat ran down the side of his head, his eyes blinking, as if trying to adjust his sight. When he compared the two faces in his head, he had no doubts that these two were his parents.
Trunks chuckled and grinned, blushing a bit with embarrassment. "Ugh…you may also want to keep this information to yourself as well; otherwise I may not be born. You see…my father is Vegeta and my mother…well…" Trunks cleared his throat and then pointed over Goku's shoulder. "She's standing right over there…"
Goku immediately burst out laughing and fell over backwards, rolling around on the ground and clutching his gut. Trunks and Gohan stared down at Goku oddly, sweat drops running down from their foreheads. The Z-fighters on the other side of the crater were a little bit surprised when they saw their friend fall over and hear him laughing out loud. Piccolo nearly fell over when he heard what was said. Goku looked up at Trunks with a slight red face. "Bulma's your mother…!?"
Trunks shrugged, still a little embarrassed. "Yeah…she and my father get together sometime in the near future. I'll be born in two years from now." Gohan smirked, crossing his arms and nodded.
"Vegeta's going to be a dad…well I'll be," the Saiyan child exclaimed while Goku got back to his feet.
Trunks nodded to them and turned on his heel. "I've got to get going now guys. My mom will be worried sick if I'm gone for too long," Trunks said, waving to the two Saiyans. "You two take care, and good luck." Goku, after clearing himself up, smiled as well as nodded to him, just as Gohan had done.
"You too Trunks. Keep safe now, alright," Goku said. Trunks nodded affirmatively to the two of them. He then looked back to the Z-fighters on the other side of the crater. After one last good look at Bulma and Vegeta, he smiled, waved and then dashed away. Powering up, he took off into the distance. The Z-fighters standing some ways away saw him wave good-bye, but were surprised that he didn't have any last words to say.
Gohan smiled after the grey haired Saiyan, his two swords strapped around him securely. Before Trunks was completely out of sight, he silently spoke…
"Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The spirit is to grow strong by conflict…"
TO BE CONTINUED…