The green light faded and all those remaining stared as the older saiyans ki wave stopped glowing. Kakarot looked shocked. His young eyes sullied by the image of his dead master now tainted again by the sight of his brother committing the same thing they set out to avenge.
Kakarot swallows the lump building in his throat but couldn't shake the uneasy feeling building within him. The regret and unease, this is what Arlick had always meant by being stronger. Killing those that dare oppose you. Destroying those that pest that got too big for their britches. The young saiyan allowed for his eyes to fall upon his trembling hands. D-did Arlick expect him to do that to his opponents.
Kakarot raised his scuffed palms, his bruised knuckles, his eyes lingered on the tight flesh and strong muscle from years of training. Then he recalled a conversation he had with Gohan not long before his death.
-/-
The old man stood up and stretched, he'd been slower racers day lately, and still he refused he help of the abnormally strong saiyan children.
"Grandpa!" Kakarot called as he ran out of the house completely nude. His Johnny flapping about and he energetically ran over to the old man.
The young boy was covered in head to toe with dirt, bruises, and singe marks.
Gohan dropped the blue kettle and removed his coat before covering the boy, least Karen spy his nude form.
"Master Gohan…" Arlick Spoke up floating down from the sky, not quite naked but hardly clothed as his gi had appeared to have been burned away, "we...may have gotten carried away."
Gohan sighed as he motioned for both boys to follow. It was a swift walk to the small room Gohan occupied in the home. The man sat atop the small bed and reached for a small trunk beneath his seat.
From it he pulled out a set of violet gi's for each boy.
Arlick stripped the ruined fabric and donned his new apparel.
"Kay, thanks bye!" He yelled happily whilst running out the room.
Kakarot slumped against the wall with a huff.
"What's wrong Kakarot?"
"It's really fun fighting strong opponents,like brother. But he stopped in the middle of our soar today and asked me something that didn't make sense."
"Oh? What did he say?"
"He asked me what I was fighting for."
Gohan's eyes widened. Arlick seemed wise for his age. With crossed arms the old man smiled and sat back.
"Did he say what he fought for?"
"He said he fights for the pride of the saiyans. And for us."
Gohan held back his laugh and continued to listen.
"What should I fight for grandpa?"
Gohan stood and walked over to the lad.
"Kakarot. Strength comes in all forms. But before strength comes resolve. I cannot tell you what to fight for. I can only advise you to know why you raise your fist as a martial artist."
-/-
Kakarot snapped back to reality just in time to see Karen scream in denial. Seemingly the played out events finally catching up with her.
The steaming blue haired girl stomped over to the older, stoic, saiyan.
He looked down the hole. His body stiff and rigid, and he showed no signs of regret or even a glint of satisfaction.
She spun him around and their eyes locked. The words died upon her tongue as she looked into the cold inky blackness of his onyx orbs. In all her years she'd known Arlick to be cold, she'd known him to be mean, she'd come to know him as an unremorseful ass of a boy who strives for strength based on a foundation she couldn't quite comprehend. But this was colder than she had ever seen him before, as if some kind of revelation was supposed to occur after killing these weirdos hadn't happened leaving only the unsatisfied saiyans body as a husk.
He brought up and hand and patted her head before turning, his cloak waving in the air, his tail tightening around his waist, his long strides loved him before Kakarot befor long and the older saiyan gave his little brother a smile and head rub.
Kakarot felt a surge of reassurance come upon him. Karen, still upset at not stopping needless slaughter, stared at the display in spiteful silence.
Arlicks brought up a lazy hand and flicked the glass case that survived the collapsing roof, and shattered it with ease.
The final dragon ball was theirs. Arlick held the orange orb within his hand, and as he stared at his reflection he thought about all he could do with a wish. But those thoughts seemed so dull and hollow now, his old life and memories but a distant wisp on the horizon. He had moved on, what point was there to going back? To bringing others into a new world? Would they even accept it as their home like he had?
Arlick lazily tossed the ball with an underhand pass to Karen who clumsily caught the orb.
"Let's Get back to the others. I'm worried enough about leaving Kōbashī alone with those tools." Arlick shrugged ascending into the air and flying off.
Kakarot looked worried as he grabbed Karen and began after Arlick.
-/-
The desert bandit Yamcha, quietly tipped toed out of the bedroom, a pair of boxers his only article of clothing, the smiley faces upon the white garments accompanied by the equal parts wide toothy grin, and equally ridiculous smile.
He made his way into the kitchen and removed a carton of milk from the box and chugged down the white fluid. Not all too different from a certain blue haired girl who was currently sleeping off her fatigue. He put down the carton and smiled again, it'd been too long since he had this much fun.
"I see your enjoying yourself." Spoke the soft voice of tall woman with blue hair and blue cat ears upon her head, she resembled a mix of Karen and Bulma, except she was majorly lacking in the chest department.
"Who me?" Yamcha chuckled, rubbing the back of his head, "oh you know, maybe a little."
The blue haired girl walked over to the bandit seductively, circling him for a second before stopping behind him, her arms hugged the taller man, interlocking across his chest.
Her lips trailed across the back of his neck, and up to his ear where her warm breath went cool chills down his spine.
"I do hope your not thinking of replacing me."
The bandit turned around both arms extending so that his outstretched arms blocked her escape. He bowed his head and locked their lips so that he could deliver a heated kiss.
"I would never do that to you Puar."
The car girl smiled as she licked her lips.
"Just make sure you don't muck up the plan okay."
The bandit smiled before wrapping a hand around her waist and pulling her closer to him his lips against hers again this time he let all his passion flow through the connection as he moved against her.
Both stopped when they heard the living room door open and a particularly scary alien shout.
"Everyone get the hell out here we have the dragon ball!"
Puar had pushed Yamcha off and transformed back into her floating car form.
Bulma rushes down the steps, a pink bathrobe around her, her smile endlessly expanding as she hauled Chi chi out the door all the while calling for Yamcha to come too.
Yamcha reached into the sink and removed his gray cargo pants which had been tossed aside during the beginning of his fun time with Bulma.
The crew gathered outside, Bulma had just set down the final ball.
Everyone stopped and stared as she crouched down and poked at the balls.
Arlick too tired to care turned around and headed inside, everyone was a little preoccupied trying to summon the wish granting dragon to care what Arlick decided to do.
The gang continued prodding the glowing balls for several minutes unaware of the scowling Arlick who glared at the group from within the home, his eyes lingered on them for several minutes before he looked down at the sleeping Kōbashī, who's crib just so happen to be placed right next to the sofa.
Arlick smiling to himself laid back, both arms behind his head as he pulls himself to sleep.
-/-
The second sun set over the horizon just in time for the third to come up and give a fresh bright glow to everything. The green grass blowed in the wind and the whole world seemed to be at a complete peace.
"TTTOOOKKKIIIIII!"
Until that. Chrona opened her eyes as her best friend Toki Toki perched himself upon her head.
"Pretty sure I already told you that I am not your own personal perch!"
"Toki. Toki!"
"Yeah just hang on, I'm almost down with it and I just need to focus for one...more...minute."
And as the breath left her lungs the world around the pair was swallowed and in its place a giant bird cage had been created, it's golden bars arching toward the sky, past the bars was a clear blue expanse as far as the eye could see, hanging from the top of the cage was a gigantic perch for the rim bird and just under that was an equally massive tree and went through the roof of a dome structure or the Time Vault as Chrona planned to call it. A brick path stretched from it in a slight curve toward a glorious marble arch with a crystal like fall of energy that led to the rest of the city.
The eyes of the relatively tiny Kai opened and she stumbled onto her rear, sweat dripping from her brow.
"Ugh! So tired!" She whines as a portal of pinning gearsnipened and from it emerged her only other friend. Trunks.
"Ah, supreme Kai of time, you were right, it does look a lot better now!"
She smiled as the boy made his way over to her and sat down. His coat was a torn up mess, his sword sheath cracked and chipping, his hair ruffled and singed, but aside from that...he still looked as dreamy as usual.
Chrona sighed and slapped her cheeks before sitting up and turning around. In her time it had taken several years to get around to but it seemed like a good day. Her eyes locked into the green cube holding within it a powerful saiyan warrior who she would totally convince to become a member of her Time Patrol!
Her fingers snapped and the cube friend to water, the saiyan within fell to the ground and spat out the contents he had accidentally swallowed. His super saiyan form vanished as his eyes fell upon the two kids staring at him.
"...what fresh hell is this?" He deadpanned staring between the two, and now that he noticed it the oversized white own with a beard.
"I am the Supreme Kai of time. Chrona, and this is the first official time patroller Trunks. And this is no hell, in fact it's quite the contrary!" Chrona laughed whilst shaking a finger at Kakarot.
Trunks stood and turned to fully face the other saiyan.
"This is the newly constructed Toki Toki City! And you, are our third official time patroller!" She exclaimed both hands outs yet hung and giving off a jazzy vibe.
Kakarot stared uninterested. He'd give her another minute to explain before he'd kill them all.
Grins smiled and straitened her uniform before poking a finger out at Kakarot whose head filled with images and sprawling walls of text.
All the info on the scrolls, the bird, the world he currently stood in, and the annoying ass time breakers filled his mind.
He smiled and stared at Chrona.
"So your telling me I get to fight these strong opponents that are made by demons and all I have to do is not screw over the timeline?"
"Exactly! So are you on board?"
"Hell yes I am!"
Kakarot and Chrona screamed in excitement. A bead of sweat ran down Trunks' brow as he stared between the two.
-/-
The light had been shining through the glass for several minutes now and Arlick didn't think he'd be able to hold off getting up for too much longer.
Finally he got over himself and sat up only to see the glowing spheres outside the be the source of light and not the sun, in fact everyone was still just standing out there.
Irritated at being woken up, and the complete look of stupidity on everyone's faces had Arlick riled up enough.
He pushed passed the door, careful not to wake up Kōbashī and only after closing it gently behind him did he roar at the top of his lungs.
"HEY DRAGON WAKE THE FUCK UP!"
In a blast of light dark clouds swirled overhead and a beam of light shot from the seven balls into a long serpentine like shape.
The group had a mix of awe and annoyance as they realized how simple it was to summon the damned dragon.
Before long the crackling lightning like aura dispersed leaving only a long slender body of one green dragon with piercing red eyes and two large antler like structures upon its head.
"I AM THE ETERNAL DRAGON SHENLONG. I SHALL GRANT ANY ONE WISH WITHIN MY POWER…"
None of them missed that particular beat. Arlick was the one to ask.
"What do you mean, 'within my power?'"
The dragon did something like a sigh before his booming voice continued, "I WAS CREATED BY THE GUARDIAN OF THIS PLANET AND CAN ONLY GRANT WISHES WITHIN THE LIMITS OF HIS POWER!"
Arlick resisted the urge to laugh and then attempt blasting the dragon.
"So who was going to make a wish?" Arlick asked before Chichi shouted up at the dragon suddenly.
"Mr. Shenlong, I beseech thee! Bring my father, The Ox King back to life!"
The dragon hummed before its mouth dropped open and the words flowed out once more.
"THIS I CAN NOT DO."
Chi chi looking absolutely ruined stuttered. "A-And why the hells not!?"
"HIS BODY WAS DESTROYED BY A POWERFUL BEING AND HIS SPIRIT HAS BEEN SEALED WITHIN HELL AND IS HELD BY A POWERFUL CONTRACT. IT IS BEYOND MY POWER!"
Chichi slinked to the ground and began to cry into her clenched fist.
Arlick crosses his arm and cracked his neck.
"Anyone else want a spin?"
Bulma stared down at the sad girl upset at her loss, before looking over at Yamcha with a slight glare she needed his help in supporting the girl here.
Yamcha bit his tongue. If he didn't stick to the plan...well he didn't even want to think about what Puar would do to him…
Kakarot yawned.
"Guess it's mine then. Dragon return the martial Arts Master Gohan to life."
The dragon again hummed.
"THE ONE CALLED GOHAN DOES NOT WISH TO RETURN TO LIFE..."
Kakarot went wide eyed and Arlick resisted the urge to shout every insult he knew at the Dragon, directed at the old man of course.
"Fine! Fuck him then! DRAGON TELL ME WHAT I MUST DO TO SURPASS MY LIMITS!"
The slender serpents red eye flowed a vibrant crimson before he opened his mouth again.
"...TRANSFORM...YOUR WISH IS GRANTED!" And with that the dragon vanished and the seven balls flew into the air and vanished.
Arlick stood for a moment, he recalled the very few occasion he saw his old leader Kakarot transform and take on that golden glow...but before he ever achieved that he gained control of his Oozaru state…
"That cheap ass fucking dragon!"