Silver Linings of a Distant Sky:
The Wish That Changed it All
~ Chapter Ten ~
After the success of the completed gravity chamber was revealed, the employees of Capsule Corp. moved indoors into one of the banquet rooms located in the business wing to continue their celebration and share fond memories of the departed Briefs heir. Vegeta left the humans to their own devices while he hastily prepared for his departure. The Doc and his wife were hindering him – only slightly – with a few last minute contributions.
"Take these two capsule cases with you, sweetie," Kiki practically shoved the wallet-sized metal containers into the saiyan's hands. "In each one there are twelve capsules, each capsule holding enough food for a month. I know how you boys love to eat! I'm sorry that most of it is ready-to-eat and instant food... I didn't have enough time to make home cooked meals to last for two full years. But you will find that I was able to make and freeze a few things for you. Those microwaveable meals can become tiresome after a while."
Vegeta accepted the cases silently.
"I've got something for you as well, my boy," the Doc said. He pressed a single capsule into Vegeta's free palm. "Inside are brand new and improved sets of armor for you, Goku, and the boys. I've been working on them for quite some time. I had intended on giving them to you all this upcoming Christmas, but... now seemed just as appropriate."
The prince nodded his appreciation. He pocketed their gifts, as well as the capsulized gravity chamber, and then launched into the air. He raced as quickly to the Lookout as was within his ability to do so. He made record time. When he arrived, the Weakling, Baldy, and the Tin-man were showing off their newly gained strength. Kakarot and the others were fawning over them, showering them with compliments and congratulations.
Vegeta admitted that Baldy and the Tin-man had made great strides since that morning. The Weakling, too, had made much progress. But they couldn't allow themselves to become overconfident. The arcosians were powerful, crafty, and devious. The Earth's defenders would have to keep their wits about them if the ten of them were to successfully fight off an entire army of invaders. The flame-haired saiyan made his presence known with an exaggerated clearing of his throat. The group turned to face him.
"Do you wish to continue stroking their egos, Kakarot, or would you prefer to begin our session in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?"
A mirthful grin spread across the Earth-raised saiyan's face, his eyes lit up with the thought of his eminent training period. "Ready whenever you are, Vegeta!"
"Let's get moving then. The rest of you," the prince's eyes passed over the other fighters, "keep practicing."
Goku and Vegeta entered the Time Chamber just as the lower edge of the sun kissed the horizon. The next time they would see the red orb would not be for an entire year... twelve months... fifty two weeks... three hundred sixty five days... The question was, would it be enough?
The giant, heavy double doors shut behind the pair with a hollow 'thud' that echoed off of the nearly vacant inner chamber. As soon as the portal was closed, Vegeta felt a sudden hollowness fill his core. It took him a moment to realize what it was. Over the past few days, he had been subconsciously keeping tabs on the dormant link he shared with his bonded. Although he had neither felt nor heard anything from Bulma through the tiny thread in several days, he was still very aware of its presence.
But within the chamber, it was as if it didn't exist at all. The barrier between dimensions had acted to temporarily sever the link. He might have been concerned with its absence if he hadn't experienced this same situation before. When he had used the Chamber for the first time in the Before timeline in preparation for the Cell Games, he was not prepared for the sudden and unexpected absence of the bond.
The living quarters within the pocket of extra-dimensional space was just as Vegeta remembered it. The room was sparsely furnished. There was a small kitchenette off to one side. A table with a chair on each of its four sides sat nearby. The corner opposite from the kitchenette served as an area to relax; two armchairs occupied this space. There was a small archway on their left which led to a sleeping area and a bathroom. To their right were three large archways that reached almost to the ceiling. Beyond these archways was the never ending expanse of bright white oppressive space.
"So, Vegeta..." Goku began, breaking the silence. He wore a ponderous look on his face as he surveyed their surroundings. "Do you think the guys are strong enough to save the Earth from the aliens?"
Vegeta didn't immediately answer. When he did, it wasn't a bleak outlook, but it wasn't completely positive either. "Most of them will be able to hold their own... for a while anyway."
This only led Goku into a series of questions, full of concern and a bit of anger. He turned to face his fellow saiyan. "So, you plan on using my friends as a shield against the first waves of attack? Are you saying that you don't plan on them surviving? Are you going to sacrifice them just to reduce the number of arcosians for us to fight?"
The prince sneered at the accusations. "Don't be ridiculous, Kakarot! What do you take me for? A coward? I would take on the entire arcosian fleet if it was within my power to do so. But even someone as naïve as you can understand that one man alone can only stave off so many enemies at a single time.
"No, I'm not going to utilize your comrades as fodder. I intend for them to protect the population and maintain a front line against the arcosians. To limit the extent of damage that the ice lizards will inevitably create, they will need to be contained to the area or areas in which they land. You and your sons will be the ones to eradicate the bulk of their forces. And don't look at me like that, Kakarot. You will be required to kill the arcosians. Do not offer them any mercy.
"They are a parasitic race. They have a thousand year long history of purging planets, stripping them of their resources, and enslaving or eradicating entire races of beings. You will be doing no one any favors by sparing them. If the defeated are not first killed for their failures by their own kind, then they will be returned to their ships where regeneration tanks will restore them to full health. Within a matter of hours they will be able to return to battle. How long do you suppose your friends will last against a never ending army?"
"I see," a more solemn Goku replied. "So how do we become super saiyans?" he asked in a more chipper tone that immediately changed the subject.
Vegeta grinned knowingly as he pulled out one of the capsules from his pocket. "With this," he answered. "Within it contains a complete and functional gravity chamber. This is what has kept me occupied since last night."
Goku's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Really? You mean, it's finally working! No kidding! I can't wait to try it out!"
He didn't have to wait long. After taking time to settle themselves in – there wasn't much they needed to settle since the food rations and a few changes of clothes were all they had with them – they began their training.
Their days were spent in repetition. They woke early. They ate breakfast. Their morning training was spent lifting weights to build their strength. Then they ate lunch. They spent their afternoons sparring against each other, stopping at dinner time. After dinner, they did cardio exercises to build up their endurance. They trained until late into the evening. When weariness began to hinder their training, they turned in for the night. And then they would do it all over again the next day. The first week went by at a steady pace. The second was a little faster. The third one passed quickly. Before they knew it, an entire month had passed.
Vegeta had never spent so much time alone with Goku. Not in this timeline and not in the Before timeline. It was very difficult to get used to at first. The earth-raised saiyan frequently attempted to engage the prince in redundant and benign conversation. His table manners were atrocious. He often attempted to devour more than his share of the rations. He took exceptionally long showers. He snored... all... night... long. The only thing that made Goku's quirky habits even worse was the fact that Vegeta had known all of this before he willingly embarked on this year long isolated training session with him.
Despite all of these annoyances, Vegeta had to admit – albeit to himself only – that Goku had many redeeming qualities. For starters, Goku wasn't a terrible house keeper. The younger saiyan kept his clothes and bed tidy and shared in dish washing duty. It was likely that Chichi had ingrained these habits into him over the years. Goku wasn't as immaculate as the prince's own cleaning habits, but he was neat enough where Vegeta couldn't object. The taller saiyan was also fairly decent at preparing meals. Albeit, ninety percent of their meals required very little culinary skill. But Vegeta appreciated the fact that he didn't have to fix every single one of their meals.
Goku's positive traits hadn't ended there. He had an infinite eagerness to improve his strength and skills. But Goku didn't think only of his own abilities. He was equally invested in Vegeta's training. The earth-raised saiyan was gifted when it came to battle skills; he often offered his observations of their spars and shared suggestions for improvement. Vegeta may not have liked hearing about any flaws in his own fighting style, but he appreciated the honesty. In a huge demonstration of trust, Goku even revealed weaknesses that he was aware of in his own fighting style and he would ask the prince for advice to fix these faults.
By the end of that first month, both Vegeta and Goku had become acclimated to two hundred times Earth's gravity. At this rate, Vegeta figured that they would max out the gravity simulator to its capacity of one thousand g-forces before they reached the six month mark. He was not disappointed when at just barely into their fifth month, they had reached that mark. They used the remainder of the fifth month to acclimate themselves to the insane level of pressure until the point where it felt natural to them.
On the first day of the sixth month, Vegeta ventured out into the vast nothingness beyond the living quarters on his own. He hadn't forewarned Goku of his planned departure. On that morning, he had risen before the Earth-raised saiyan. He had a quick breakfast and packed a month's worth of supplies. The prince left a brief note for Goku, informing him of the needed time in isolation and not to seek him out. Vegeta had left the gravity room for Goku's use. Other than food, the only thing he took with him was the memory sphere.
After having adapted to the maximum force of the gravity simulator, Vegeta had decided that it was time to relearn the transformation into super saiyan. Having exercised for an entire month under one thousand times Earth's gravity, he was satisfied that he had exceeded the necessary physical strength and endurance to achieve the transformation. Now, he needed to master the mental and emotional aspect. And to do that, he needed time alone to focus and channel his concentration.
Vegeta flew for hours away from the Time Chamber's living quarters before finding himself a place to settle down. There were no features to distinguish this particular spot from any other. The only factor that played into his decision was when his gut told him that he had flown far enough and long enough.
The prince had almost forgotten how extreme the conditions were this far away from the living quarters. The endless white atmosphere was blinding, causing his pupils to constrict almost painfully. It was an immeasurable brightness that would never succumb to darkness. Only the most extreme exhaustion would enable sleep in this white void. The gravity was intense out here as well. To the unaccustomed, the pressure would be crushing. Fortunately, if felt infinitesimal compared to the gravity under which Vegeta had most recently been training.
The climate here was hot, humid, and oppressive. It reminded Vegeta of the weather on his home world during the summer season. However, Vegeta had not been on his home world in quite a long time. Whether it had been ten years by the calendar of the After timeline or over seventy years if calculating the years during the Before timeline, the saiyan had grown unused to these conditions. Merely standing still was enough to cause a light sheen of sweat to form on his brow.
Vegeta sat down on the ground, folding his legs Indian-style. In his hands, he held the memory sphere. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He knew that the trigger to the super saiyan transformation was an overload of emotion, a surge of sentiment, a climax of passion so great that it burned every pore and cell in one's body as it clawed its way to the surface with the need to be free. All that stood in Vegeta's way was rediscovering that trigger.
During the Before, this trigger had been despair. Vegeta had spent months chasing his dream to achieve the legendary status. When even the most extreme environments and deadliest situations failed to bring about the desired outcome, the prince had become despondent. Faced with his inadequacies – failing to surpass Kakarot and failing to become strong enough to protect Bulma and their unborn child – he had become overwhelmingly distressed. Ironically, it was this anguish over his self-perception of incompetence and failure that had pushed him over the threshold.
Unfortunately, Vegeta doubted that this trigger would work in this timeline. For starters, Goku had yet to make the transformation in this timeline, leaving the prince with no competition – yet. Quite frankly, Goku hadn't even come close to matching Vegeta's strength until the two of them began training together in the gravity room.
The second reason that he felt this trigger wouldn't be successful was because Bulma of this timeline was in no danger – to the best of his knowledge anyway. As far as he knew, she was tucked safely away on Planet Vegeta, among his people, surrounded by his family and their pack. She currently wasn't in any situation requiring his protection.
That night that he had momentarily made contact with her through their bond, he could decipher that she wasn't experiencing any fear or pain. In fact, she was extremely irate with him. And understandably so. He had disappeared on her about ten years ago without a word. She likely assumed that he had perished. And when he suddenly made himself known through the link after all these years... Of course she would be upset.
Vegeta breathed in deeply, trying to relax once again. He was allowing his thoughts to run away from him... So if he couldn't use that memory of all-consuming despair to trigger his transformation, then what could he use? His immediate thoughts went to Frieza and his time spent serving in the ice lord's army. In both timelines, the Before and the After, he had been abused, humiliated, and tortured. He focused on the events of the Before. During that timeline, he had spent many more years as Frieza's slave. Many more years subjugated to the lizard's beatings, psychological trauma, and assault.
The prince could feel his anger rising as he continued to dwell on the torment Frieza had wrought upon him. With his anger increasing, so too, was his ki. His energy swelled, creating a visible, flame-shaped, blue-white aura around him. Sparks of electricity crackled around him. He gritted his teeth, furrowed his brows.
He concentrated further. He thought back further into the Before when he had first come under Frieza's care. When he had learned of his father's death. When he had been informed of the destruction of his home world. He used the memory sphere to conjure the emotions he had felt at the time. The shock that they were all gone. The grief that he'd never see his family again. The anger that they'd all been stolen from him. The desire for revenge.
Vegeta could feel that he was at the brink of the transformation. The power of the super saiyan was almost in his grasp. He just needed to push himself a little further and he would become the legendary once again.
The saiyan found himself robbed of his success. A distracting pulse from the memory sphere side-swiped him so severely, he felt as though his stomach had risen and then plummeted. His disbelief, his loss, and his wrath had washed away and in their place he was comforted, relieved, and content. The super saiyan transformation slipped away from him before he could latch onto it. Vegeta relaxed, allowing his ki to settle.
The sudden one-eighty in emotion had left him momentarily bewildered, but he quickly knew the reason for this bizarre transition. His memories had become befuddled just like they had done while he was inside the gravity room during its test run at Capsule Corp. As he concentrated on the demise of his planet in the Before, the knowledge of his planet's continued existence in the After had wiggled its way into his consciousness. How could he force himself to feel distraught over the loss of his home world during the Before when he felt relief with the knowledge that it had escaped destruction in the After?
Vegeta had to find another means to provoke the transformation. He spent several days in meditation. At least, he assumed it had been several days. Without any distinguishing features in his surroundings, especially those that would indicate the passage of time, he could only guess at how much time had passed. And because he hadn't thought to bring a watch with him, he had only his biological needs to mark how much time had passed. He ate when he was hungry. He slept when he grew tired – often having to cover his eyes with his training shirt in order to block out the unmercifully bright light.
The saiyan spent his time in meditation recollecting events from both his lives, choosing incidents that he hoped would elicit extreme emotional reactions. At first, he focused on the most traumatizing events. Usually these were wrought by Frieza and his lackeys. Anger, shame, and fear were the emotions associated with his years of slavery. But in the Before, that had been so long ago and Bulma of that timeline had helped him immensely to heal from his psychological wounds. Recalling Frieza's crimes against him simply didn't stir the same emotional intensity as they once did. Therefore, they did nothing to bring him closer to the legendary.
The prince again attempted to use grief as the key to unlocking the transformation. He thought of his mother. He had been very close to her in his early youth. So it was devastating when, in both timelines, she had died while birthing his brother. But again, the passage of time had eased this wound. He shifted his thoughts to later events in his life – in particular, events of the Before timeline. He concentrated on the death of Trunks of the Future during the Cell Games. He dwelt on the deaths of Bulma and a young Trunks when the evil Buu had destroyed the Earth. Again, this grief was unsubstantial. Not only had time served to heal him, but they had all been wished back to life using the dragonballs. There was nothing permanently consequential to trigger his suffering.
If painful emotions weren't the answer, then perhaps positive ones were. He tried elation. He recalled the first time he had finally become a super saiyan in the Before. He remembered when, for a short while in the Before, he had surpassed Kakarot in strength. In the After, he recollected the moment when he had officially become the strongest saiyan alive. He thought of the first time in the After that he had, as a young man, defeated his father in a spar. From both timelines, he relived his greatest battles and triumphs. But none of these served to unlock the transformation.
Vegeta experimented with joy. He conjured up the memories of his bindings to Bulma in both timelines. The bond he created with her in the Before had been a private and low-key event. The one in the After had been the reason for a planet-wide celebration. Both had left him feeling happy, content, whole. But now, inside the Time Chamber, he could only feel the absence of the bond. This knowledge was forcing his emotions away from joy, so he shook it away and moved onward.
In the Before, in addition to bonding with Bulma, Vegeta had eventually agreed to succumb to Earth customs and married her. Trunks had been four at the time. Although the ceremony held little sentimental value to himself – to him, he and Bulma had already been 'married' in the saiyan sense for six years – he realized on that day how important the event had been to her. Her happiness had been immeasurable. And he had found joy that he could elicit such happiness in her.
When joyful memories weren't enough to trigger the transformation, the saiyan tried pride. He recollected the births of his children in the Before. When Trunks had been born, he had been born with a ki that was thrice as powerful as Vegeta's had been at his own birth. The prince had felt pride swell up inside of him, knowing that his son would grow up very strong. Likewise, he had felt pride for Bulma, a human who was so physically frail, for having birthed such a strong brat. He had again experienced this pride when Bra had been born. And many times more, several years later, when his grandchildren had been born.
But recalling the births of his children and grandchildren hadn't conjured the feeling of pride that Vegeta had hoped to relive. Yes, he was still proud of them, but there was another emotion that had risen up inside of him while thinking of his family. Loneliness. For the first time since coming to this timeline of the After, he truly realized how alone he felt. Out in the middle of this nothingness, far beyond the living quarters in the Time Chamber, with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company for several days, he felt isolated, separated, abandoned.
Vegeta missed his family terribly. From his perspective, it had been six months since he had arrived in the After (most of this had been spent inside the Time Chamber). Another six months would pass before Goku would be swapped out for his sons. And then another year would pass, totaling two full years without his family. After those two years had passed, there was no guarantee that Vegeta would be able to return to them. The weight of this realization crushed him.
Despite knowing that here in the After, a version of Bulma still existed, it wasn't enough to comfort him. Because Trunks did not exist here. He had never been born. Vegeta had come to Earth before Trunks had been created. That bleak reality couldn't have been more obvious with Goten's existence in this timeline. The two boys should have grown up together. Should have been each others' best friends. Should have shared adventures together and gotten into trouble together. They should have been pack mates. It was too late for that now.
Since Trunks hadn't been born in the After, what fate awaited Bra? Was her birth still a possibility or would it, too, never come to pass? And what of Vegeta's grandkids? Trunks's children would certainly never be born. And Bra's child... Vegeta felt like he was going to be sick. His family had become the world to him. And without his children and grandchildren, he realized that he had nothing.
Fuck this reality. Any temptation Vegeta had had to remain in this timeline were destroyed. He couldn't bring himself to throw away his family to pursue his selfish desire to have a second chance as the ruler of the saiyan people. Certainly, he could reunite with the Bulma of the After, could start a new family with her. But that thought disgusted him. How could he replace the children and grandchildren that he had raised with another set of offspring? He likened the idea to replacing a deceased pet by adopting a new one. The original would never be forgotten. The new one would be loved, but it would always be compared to the first. And in many ways it would never live up to the expectations that the first had created.
But again, Vegeta had no idea if he would ever be able to return to his original timeline. The dragonballs proved unable to do so. North Kai was convinced that he couldn't. What if he was truly stuck here? What if he could never see Bulma – his Bulma – ever again? What would he do if he couldn't see his kids again? How would he cope with never seeing his grandchildren grow up?
The prince dropped his face into his open palms. In that moment, as these dreary thoughts swirled through his mind, the careful control that he held over his emotions cracked. He succumbed to his feelings. His breath hitched and his eyes welled with unshed tears. Hopelessness overcame him as he continued to convince himself that he would never return to the Before to be reunited with his family.
As Vegeta's feelings overwhelmed him, he was unaware of his ki rising to match his wrought demeanor. His aura engulfed him. Electricity cracked around him. He lost all control of both his emotions and his energy. His ki spiraled higher and higher. He plummeted so deeply into the depths of this psychological pit that he didn't know if he could ever dig himself out. And then something snapped inside of him. He gasped as he felt a sudden surge of power rip through him. It pulled him out of his emotional entrapment, bringing him back to the present.
When the saiyan pulled his hands away from his eyes, he was left in awe. Through blurry vision created by the water in his eyes, he took in the sight of his fiery aura. A brilliant, gold aura. In disbelief, he cautiously brought his left hand to brush his hair, and found the strands were coarser, choppier, and stiffer. He pulled a lock into his line of sight and was bewildered to find that the strand was golden blond. He had done it. He was a super saiyan.
Vegeta couldn't believe it. When he had ceased trying to activate the transformation, it had come to him of its own will. As it had done in the Before, he couldn't force himself into becoming a super saiyan. It was when he had given up and lost all hope that he had had the necessary emotional surge required for the transformation. And also as it had happened in the Before, that necessary emotion had been despair. The situation had been different, but the emotion had remained the same.
Perhaps there was more to the secret than everyone in the Before had initially assumed... It was more than an emotional breakdown. It was the invocation of a specific emotion, one that was specific to the individual. And said individual couldn't force him or herself into the transformation. It had to come naturally. Finally, Vegeta suspected that the situation needed to evoke such an emotional outburst had to be real and current – or the individual had to believe it was real or current – because none of his memories had served to create a strong enough emotional experience for him to transcend.
After achieving his super saiyan form, Vegeta didn't immediately return to the Time Chamber's living quarters. He remained in his self-appointed isolation for several more days, utilizing this time to master the transformation. As he had remembered in the Before timeline, activating this elevated form was difficult. But with practice and time, each transformation grew easier and easier until the point where he could summon the golden power at an instance's notice. Only when he ran out of food rations did he return to the dwelling.
When the prince arrived at the white stone building, he found that the lights inside were off and the gravity chamber was silent. He had assumed that it was 'morning' but apparently his sense of time was a little off. Checking the clocks above the heavy double doors that served as the portal between dimensions, he discovered that it was just after three in the morning – or the equivalent thereof. The center clock – the one that indicated how many months had transpired inside the chamber – revealed that two hundred and seven days had passed. And the final clock, the one on the right, indicated that they had spend about thirteen and one half hours, real time, inside the Time Chamber. With that knowledge safely tucked away in the back of his mind, he decided to get a few hours of sleep.
The next thing Vegeta was aware of, he was opening his eyes to see Goku's face hovering over him, a goofy grin plastered across his lips. Startled, the prince leapt out of the opposite side of the bed, the sheets wrapped around his legs served to ensure that he plummeted to the floor. And just when he thought his days of waking up on the floor were over...
"Damn it, Kakarot! What's the matter with you?" he yelled angrily as he untangled his legs from the blankets.
Goku rose to his full height, bringing his left hand to the back of his head. "Uh, sorry, Vegeta... Didn't mean to startle ya! I was just surprised to see you were back, is all. I'm sure glad that you are back, too, 'cause it was getting really boring around here. Push-ups and lifting weights are okay 'n' all, but I like sparring better..."
Vegeta rose to his feet, half listening to the other saiyan ramble. "You are an odd creature," he muttered under his breath.
"So how'd it go?" Goku inquired. "Did you remember how to turn super saiyan?"
A large, mischievous grin slowly spread across Vegeta's face. He made eye contact with the taller saiyan. "Watch and learn, Kakarot."
The prince led the Earth-raised saiyan out of the dormitory and into the main room where there was more space and less furniture. Once there, Vegeta closed his eyes and concentrated, gathering his ki. His light blue aura immediately flared to life as his energy skyrocketed. In an instant, his aura snapped from blue-white to gold. His hair flashed to blond. He calmly opened his teal eyes and saw Goku's expression of wonder.
"That's amazing!" Goku grinned. "And you say I'll be able to do that too?"
Vegeta nodded. "That is my plan."
"Let's start right away! I can't wait!" the spiky-haired saiyan said with eagerness. His excitement was interrupted with the sound of his stomach growling. Giggling sheepishly, he amended, "Well, perhaps after breakfast..."
For the next several weeks, Vegeta pushed Goku to his physical limits. Their previous training regimen was swapped out for a new one; they sparred from the moment they woke until the moment they went to sleep, pausing only for meals. Vegeta was unmerciful against Goku, hoping to push the younger saiyan beyond his tolerances for pain and frustration. He hoped that eventually, Goku would snap and that would cause him to break through the barrier that prevented him from making the transformation.
More often than not, Vegeta utilized his super saiyan form while sparring against Goku. He would fight the spiky-haired man until he could no longer fight back and then the prince would fight him some more. Only when Goku passed out from his injuries did Vegeta back off. As soon as the younger saiyan had recovered enough to rouse from unconsciousness, the older saiyan would press his attacks once again. Despite this relentless training, Goku hadn't yet figured out the transformation.
Vegeta hypothesized that the reason for the other saiyan's failure was due to his carefree, pure-hearted nature. Never during these ruthless sparring sessions did Goku ever suspect that Vegeta would seriously hurt or injure him. And the third class saiyan was confident that the prince would never go so far that it would literally kill him either. Goku hadn't even gotten upset or frustrated with his inability to keep up with Vegeta's strength. Goku knew that he would eventually gain the same power, and therefore, was very patient. With nothing at risk – aside from several painful cuts and bruises – there was no reason for Goku to become angry enough to trigger the transformation.
Vegeta, on the other hand, was growing very annoyed with this lack of progress. Sure, Goku had grown further in strength with each beating, but it was nothing compared to the power he would have once he obtained the ability to become a super saiyan. The prince had to figure out a way to put Goku into a situation where he would experience the emotional extreme that would push him over the edge.
But how? Perhaps... just maybe... the memory sphere would succeed with Goku where it had failed with Vegeta. At this point, the prince was willing to try, lest he become so angry with the other saiyan's inability that he would lose control and cause Goku severe harm. It would not be easy to pull off. What sort of memory could he use that would create enough emotional duress that Goku would become a super saiyan? And how would Vegeta utilize the orb without alerting Goku to the fact that it was just an illusion? He would have to be convinced that what he was witnessing was real, otherwise he wouldn't be traumatized enough to transform.
The prince spent the duration of the "overnight" hours considering his options while the third class saiyan loudly snored in a blissful sleep. Vegeta poured over his memories of the After; in particular, the conflict he had had with Kakarot and the Earthlings upon his arrival on this world. It was the only incident of the After that he recalled Goku being in a heightened emotional state. He quickly dismissed that memory. The younger saiyan would easily see through a projection of those events.
Perhaps memories of the Before would suffice? As North Kai had said, Vegeta's memories of the Before had never happened to those who dwelt in the After timeline. Goku would have no knowledge of these memories and no forewarning that they weren't actually taking place. It would have to be a very powerful and traumatic experience from the Before. It was common knowledge amongst Goku's family and friends that the first time he had become a super saiyan was when he was fighting Frieza on planet Namek. If Vegeta were to succeed, he believed that this was the incident that would push Goku over the edge.
But therein lie a problem. Vegeta had been dead when Goku had made the transformation. The prince had learned later on that it was Krillin's death and a threat on Gohan's life that had angered Goku so greatly that he had transformed. But knowing and experiencing an event were two completely different things. Just because Vegeta was aware of what had happened didn't mean he'd be able to recreate the incident with the memory sphere.
Having hit a road block with that idea, Vegeta began to consider other options. But it was then that a vague impression, a hazy image began to infiltrate his mind. The image was brief, unclear, and disjointed. He could almost make out a blue, barren landscape. A glimpse of Frieza in his final form. The Earthlings, battered and wartorn and exhausted from battle. Himself, on the ground, bleeding out from fatal wounds. And it dawned on him – this was one of Kakarot's memories from planet Namek.
Of course! Why hadn't he realized it sooner? During the Before when Goku and Vegeta had fused together to create the being known as Vejito, not only had their abilities and personalities combined when they had become one entity, but so too had all their past memories and experiences. After they had miraculously defused, an impression of Goku's memories had remained behind in Vegeta's mind. However, these lingering memories were hazy, vague, and unclear because they weren't Vegeta's own recollections.
Would Vegeta be able to use the memory sphere to recreate the memories of Goku from the Before since they were not his own memories? Would these obscure impressions be enough to create a convincing projection of the event? Would the memory sphere be able to compensate where the details were lacking? There was only one way to find out.
Vegeta rose from his bed and grabbed the memory sphere from his bedside table. He exited the dormitory, leaving a snoring Goku behind in the darkened room. The prince crossed the main living space and out through the archways leading into the vast white expanse. Clutching the orb in his right hand and shutting his eyes, he began to concentrate on the dreamlike memories he had acquired from Goku of the Before. Vegeta decided to focus on the image of himself, broken and bleeding and defeated, lying on the ground at Frieza's feet. He figured, that since he had still been alive at this point in the Before, that it'd be easier to recreate this incident from Goku's point of view.
The prince opened his eyes. In a golden haze, his surroundings took on the image of planet Namek. The blue grass. The hazy green sky. Kakarot stood tall and proud, having just returned to the battlefield. Baldy, Kaka-spawn, and the Earth-raised namekian stood off to one side. Frieza stood to the other side, wearing a smug and vile smirk on his face. And Vegeta, on the ground, near death. It brought the spectating Vegeta some degree of shame to witness himself pouring his heart out, pleading to Goku to end Frieza as tears streamed down his face. It hadn't been Vegeta's proudest moment. He had been so full of grief at that time. Grief for his planet. Grief for his father. Grief for failing to avenge his people. He didn't have long to dwell on his shame before the image of Frieza lifted a single finger and fired a shot – a relatively weak shot – through Vegeta's heart, instantly ending his life.
With the replay of this death, the image suddenly ended. Vegeta blinked with confusion. The projection shouldn't have just ended there. Goku's memories should have continued past that moment. And the prince hypothesized the reason for the abrupt ending; while witnessing the event, he had unknowingly switched from Goku's recollection to his own. Thus, when he had died, his memories naturally would have ended there.
Vegeta tried again. He thought of his death, detaching himself from his own thoughts, opinions, and recollections and instead focused on the impression of Goku's feelings, experiences, and reactions to the event. He felt Goku's sympathy for the fallen warrior. His gratitude towards the prince for protecting his son while he was recovering from his injuries. His respect for his fellow saiyan. Frieza lifted his finger and fired. Vegeta's body spasmed briefly before falling still.
The memory continued onward this time. Vegeta felt Goku's regret for having lost a potential friend and ally. He felt the younger saiyan's need to honor him in death by burying his body in the Earth tradition. He watched as Goku blasted a shallow hole in the ground and lay his body to rest. Oddly, Frieza allowed the spiky-haired saiyan to bury the prince unmolested.
Vegeta ended the projection there. He was satisfied that he could utilize Kakarot's memories with the memory sphere, even though it may be somewhat difficult. He hoped that it would work. If not... If Kakarot failed to learn and master the transformation within the next three months... then Vegeta would have to dismiss his dependence on Goku to oppose the stronger arcosians they were likely to face. He continued to practice with the memory sphere, devising a plan, while he waited for the younger saiyan to awaken. In order to successfully deceive Goku, Vegeta knew he would have to splice together pieces of the encounter with Frieza on Namek.
A few hours later, Goku rose from his slumber. Vegeta was ready for him, waiting just outside the building, his ki suppressed. He could sense the younger saiyan's confused reaction to the prince's absence. As Goku made his way through the dwelling, Vegeta projected the image of the namekian landscape. He placed himself out of sight behind a pillar just beyond the memory sphere's area of effect. Goku emerged from through the archway and unknowingly entered the projection. The taller saiyan betrayed an expression of bewilderment as he took in the strange landscape.
A sinister chuckle sounded from behind the saiyan. Goku turned one hundred eighty degrees to find that the building he had emerged from was gone and in its place stood a white and purple skinned creature with red eyes. The monster's black lips curved upward in a wicked smile. Goku visibly shivered.
"Who are you?" the third class saiyan inquired. "What is this place? How did I get here?"
The image of Frieza ignored Goku's questions. As a matter of fact, he seemed to be ignoring Goku completely. His gaze was fixated on something behind the saiyan's left hand side.
"Kakarot," the image of a dieing Vegeta choked out. "I have failed... You must... stop him..."
A beam of ki pierced Vegeta's heart, silencing him, stilling him. Goku's eyes widened with the shock of witnessing the murder of one of his best friends. He quickly went to Vegeta's side, kneeling by his body. His hands hovered hesitantly over the corpse, helpless to save the older man. The true Vegeta could sense Goku's shock. He could feel the younger man's ki expand as it sought out Vegeta's life force. The spectating prince pushed his ki so low that it was almost nonexistent in order to make sure Goku wouldn't feel it. He had to make sure Goku truly believed what he was experiencing.
The body of the false Vegeta suddenly disappeared. Goku stumbled backwards, not expecting his friend's corpse to simply vanish. He spun to face the prince's murderer, but instead he saw Krillin. Oddly, the bald man was wearing torn saiyan armor. Goku was about to ask the vertically challenged man how he had gotten there when he was suddenly lifted off of the ground by an unknown force.
Krillin winced in pain as he struggled against his invisible bonds. "It hurts! Goku! Help me!"
Goku moved to help his life long best friend. But he was too slow. Before his very eyes, Krillin just... exploded. Not even the smallest bits of flesh remained of the short statured man. Goku froze in place, immobilized by his grief. Again, the spectating Vegeta could feel Goku searching for a life force, this time Krillin's. Of course, the younger saiyan wouldn't find it. Another dark chuckle broke the silence. The spiky-haired saiyan turned to see the pale-white creature again.
"Oops," Frieza sneered gleefully with false sorrow. "Seems I popped the little weasel."
Goku gritted his teeth, visibly angry at this offensive creature. His ki rose, his red aura engulfed him, lightning arced around him. He launched himself at the lizard lord, his fist cocked and ready to deliver a blow to the creature's smug face. The attack didn't connect. Frieza disappeared before Goku could strike him. He whirled around, searching for his target, irate that the beast had escaped him.
The sound of battle from above drew Goku's attention. Looking upward, the third class soldier took in a sight that filled him with dread. Above him, the monster was fighting against a young boy... a young saiyan boy. Vegeta could feel the fear ripple off of Goku. The taller saiyan had just witnessed the ice lord make short work of two people who were among the strongest on Earth. How could his son survive against such a powerful foe?
And Goku quickly had his answer. The boy could not. Although the child had been able to hold off against Frieza at the beginning of their skirmish, it was not long before he was overpowered. The boy took blow after blow, too weak to defend himself. And then the lizard delivered a blow so powerful that the child was sent careening into a nearby lake. He collided with the surface of the water with a sickening slap before submerging into the murky depths. Goku raced towards the lake, rushing to save the boy.
"Goten!" he yelled out to his son. (Having failed to obtain a clear view of the boy earlier, he assumed that it was Goten based solely on the child's size.)
Before Goku could reach the body of water, a massive energy blast collided with the water, obliterating it and everything around it. Most of the water and all life within it had been evaporated by the heat and energy of the blast. What little water didn't evaporate on contact had sprayed upwards into the air only to come falling down on the saiyan's head. He stared in shock at the newly formed crater. He breathed heavily with the brutality that he had just witnessed. His son... was dead.
Vegeta could feel the grief pouring off of Goku in waves. He pushed harder into the projection. The image of Frieza cackled maniacally. The sound proved to further infuriate the younger saiyan. The saiyan prince could easily feel Goku's unchecked emotions spiraling out of control. He could feel the other man's pain and suffering. Vegeta could feel an impression of the younger saiyan's thoughts.
He was just a boy! Not even ten years old yet! How could someone be so cruel? How could that creature murder a child? Goku thought of his young son; how beautiful he was, how his laugh was always filled with joy, how he bravely explored the world around him with wonder in his eyes. And all that was gone now. Would he ever see his son again? Be able to hold him? To laugh with him? The thought that he might not ever get to do these things again filled him with a very powerful emotion.
Anguish. Complete and utter anguish.
Vegeta's eyes widened slightly as he watched Goku succumb to this emotion. That was it! That was Goku's trigger! It wasn't simply anger as everyone of the Before had all presumed. Certainly anger had a lot to do with it. But it was anguish over Krillin's death in the other timeline that had pushed Goku over the edge. And Vegeta was certain that it would be anguish that would cause Goku to become a super saiyan in this timeline.
Vegeta quietly cheered his fellow saiyan on. 'Do it, Kakarot. Give in to your pain. Embrace it. Become the legendary...'
And then it happened. A brief flash of gold painted Goku's hair. His eyes flickered to teal and then back to black. He screamed. He unleashed his pain and sorrow in one long wail of sorrow. Goku's ki flared to greater heights as it bathed him in a golden aura. His eyes and hair shifted once again to the colors of the legendary and settled there. He was unaware of the transformation he had just made. As he regained control of his emotions, Goku shifted his focus on finding the abomination that had taken his son away from him.
It was then that Vegeta allowed the scenery of Namek to fade away. Goku's expression was confused once again as he watched his surroundings melt away into an endless white expanse. The only landmark was the Time Chamber's single structure reappearing in sync with the disappearance of the alien landscape. Vegeta stepped forward from the pillar he had been standing behind, revealing himself to Goku.
"Wha- what's going on, Vegeta?" the disoriented man asked. "I thought you were dead!"
"It was an illusion, Kakarot. A farce. It was necessary to get you to transform."
"Transform?" Goku asked as he inspected himself for the first time. Realizing that he had finally done it, that he had finally become one of the legendary, a huge grin spread across his face. "I- I did it! I'm a super saiyan!"
"And it's about damn time, too," was Vegeta's way of congratulating the younger saiyan.
But Goku's grin quickly morphed into a frown as he looked back up to make contact with the prince. "But... you lied to me, Vegeta. You made me think that you and Krillin and Goten were dead."
"That was actually supposed to be Gohan," Vegeta corrected while avoiding the true issue.
"That doesn't matter! You let me think that they- you- were all dead! I thought we were friends, Vegeta! Why would you... why would you do that to me?"
The prince was growing irritated. "I told you why. It was a necessary means to an end. Yes, it was cruel and heartless. But it had to be done! And given the choice, I would do it again if it meant success."
In the next instant, Vegeta found himself suffering from the wrong end of a sucker punch to the jaw. He was sent careening across the barren landscape. With no distinguishing features to otherwise stop him, Vegeta was forced to power up into his own super saiyan form and use his energy to counter the momentum of the strike. He stopped in mid-air just in time to see Goku attempt to deliver another blow. Fortunately, Vegeta was prepared to block the attack this time.
"That's it, Kakarot. Let it out," the prince taunted, knowing that the younger saiyan needed an outlet to vent all the pent up emotion and energy that had come with the process of the transformation.
The two saiyans fought brutally against one another for hours. It was a fierce, bloody combat where neither party held back. It was the most invigorating battle Vegeta had experienced in years. And he relished it. He could tell that Goku had felt the same. After some time, the taller saiyan's snarl of anger had eventually shifted into a thrilled grin. It wasn't until both men were bloodied and bruised and exhausted before they gave it a rest.
As the remaining few months rolled by, Vegeta and Goku trained and sparred only in their legendary forms. The prince helped the third class master the transformation until it was no longer a strenuous and time consuming transition. The flame-haired saiyan taught the spiky-haired one how to control his strength and movements while in the legendary form. And Vegeta assisted Goku with manipulating the larger ki pool that came with being a super saiyan.
Finally the magic hour had come. The three clocks chimed as one as they each indicated in their own way that training time inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber had expired for the two men. The heavy double doors opened, revealing a beautiful sunset and Kakarot's friends and brats eagerly waiting for them outside.
Author's Notes: I apologize for any inaccuracies with the description of both the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and with the scenes depicted with the memory sphere. I haven't watched the episodes in years and don't have a strong recollection of the precise details.
Also, to appease any questions, the sequence of memories that Vegeta showed to Goku are: Vegeta's death, Krillin's death, a fight between Frieza and Gohan, a ki blast fired by Frieza (but not necessarily at Gohan). These snippets were shown to Goku out of sequential order, but in an order that would elicit extreme emotional duress. I hope that was clear.
Oh, and one more thing. 100 reviews! Thank you all so much for your feedback and support. Even those who choose not to review but read, favorite, and follow... I appreciate it and I'm glad that so many are enjoying this story.