Unexpected Fate: Version 2.0
Chapter 35-Training for the Tournament
For the past three months, Bardock had spent a great deal of time training with Piccolo and felt his power rising back to where it was when he fought Cell, but he was still far from ascending like he had at that time. He still lacked the motive to train seriously due to the sadness he carried deep inside. He had tried to ignore it, but there were times when it crept up without warning. When it happened, he would have to call it a day and retreat to his home to deal with it quietly.
There were days he struggled with it and the constant reminders he saw in his grandsons made him regret neglecting his son years before his death. Sometimes, he even had nightmares of his youngest accusing him of letting him die or worse, Cell returning and killing everyone he had come to care about. Those nightmares forced him to awaken in a cold sweat; his energy fluctuating wildly around him due to the intensity of the nightmares.
For a time, he thought Cell lurked in the very shadows and had no choice but to sleep in another room where the moonlight spilled onto the ground and made him feel more at peace. When he told Bulma the issue, she had labeled the problem as post-traumatic stress disorder and had given him pills to help with the issue, but he only took them after his worst nightmares.
Currently, he was standing in the kitchen raiding the refrigerator yet again to find any edible food somewhere within the finite steel box. Nothing seemed like it was any good to him and the very smell made him nauseated. Truthfully, he had spent a great deal of time outside as of late and realized that some of the food had spoiled much to his disgust.
'Maybe I should have eaten this before it went bad,' the man thought while throwing yet another plastic container into the trash. He didn't give a damn as long as it was out of his refrigerator so he wouldn't have to look at it for another second. 'Things were easier when I was training for the stupid androids.'
The sudden thought made him pause and it sent a fresh wave of sadness though him when he thought of his deceased youngest son came to the forefront of his mind again.
"Hey dad!" Goku called from the sky. Bardock had been standing on the balcony when he felt his son's landed just a few yards away from him. "Aren't we going to spar today?"
"After I get some food," Bardock mulled. He had at this point been living on Earth for a little over a few months now and was getting used to living there; however, there were times he longed for some excitement in his life.
"Oh, I forgot you live on your own now…" Goku sheepishly replied. "Have you been eating any of the food I brought from my house?"
"Not really," Bardock stated in a confused tone.
"It's probably spoiled then," Goku winced at the thought.
"Spoiled? Why would you say that? It looked fine the other day I checked."
"Dad, how many days has it been since you looked in there?"
For a moment, Bardock was at a loss to answer his son's question. He walked into the house; Goku following him with a confused expression on his face. The kitchen, albeit a slight layer of dust on the countertops, seemed to be silent and calm. The idea of a former soldier of Frieza standing before the looming refrigerator didn't seem to bother him; however, a foreboding sense of dread started to build the pit of his stomach. Opening the refrigerator, the cursed warrior nearly bolted from the sight of the rotting smell that emitted from the multitude of containers and other objects sitting in there.
"Oh my gosh! It smells horrible!" Goku covered his nose while waving his hand in a helpless gesture. "Close it!"
"What? Why should I do that?" Bardock growled. Ignoring the problem wasn't going to make it go away. He began to empty out the refrigerator despite the nagging inklings to do as his son had requested.
"I'm going to wait outside…" Goku meekly spoke with a rather awkward expression. He began to walk towards the nearest exit; however, the cursed warrior would have been damned if he was going to let his Earth-raised son escape without offering any assistance.
"Don't just stand there Kakarrot! Help me get rid of this shit! I am not going to live in this house if it smells this bad!" Bardock yelled at the man who had tried to shirk away from his obligations. It took half of the day to clean out the refrigerator and even then, the smell lingered in the kitchen for over a week.
Bardock was jarred out of his thoughts when he heard a knock at the door. Closing the refrigerator, he walked to the living area of his house and opened the front door to see Goten with a smile on his face.
"What do you want Goten?" Bardock looked at his grandson with a bored expression.
"Can you come out and spar with me today grandpa?" Goten asked.
"Fine, but you better make sure to not to include Trunks in your spar with me," Bardock warned.
"Deal," Goten smiled before running off.
Turning back inside of the house, Bardock decided to finish cleaning out the refrigerator and find something to eat. It was rare that his youngest grandson would come all this way to ask to spar, but he knew that ever since Gohan started high school, the boy had no one else to fight against besides Trunks. His youngest grandson had yet to learn how to fly and while he had attempted to teach him, he had little patience trying to show the boy how to do it. He honestly lacked the patience to show him something so rudimentary that every Saiya-jin under Frieza's ranks had to know how to do so or die brutally off-world trying to claim a planet for the evil overlord.
Soon, the cursed warrior landed in the field where his grandson was waiting for him. The boy however was drawn to the object in his hands and a part of him knew by the familiarity of the object that he knew what it was. Yet, he hoped that this wasn't the picture that his daughter-in-law had taken long ago.
"Goten? What are you doing here?" Bardock called out when he landed on the ground.
"Grandpa, I want to become this…" Goten exclaimed while proudly holding the photograph that made his heart ache in grief. It was the same photograph he had seen once before in his vision; the one that had him, Gohan and his son standing there as Super Saiya-jins with the sun setting in the background.
"Goten, you know there's a price to pay if you tried to reach that state…" Bardock told the boy.
"It's not fair… Trunks could easily do that and I can't…" Goten complained.
"If Trunks jumped off a cliff into a volcano, would you do it too?" Bardock asked his grandson in a hurt tone.
"You did it once didn't you?" Goten accused.
"That's beside the point; I was trying to die…" Bardock looked away from his grandson. 'I can't believe I'm having this conversation with Goten… he doesn't need to know my issues…'
"Why would you want to die?" Goten questioned with an innocent look on his face. How could Bardock even begin to explain his reasons? He knew he couldn't, not to a boy who had less fighting experience than his elder brother.
"You… you wouldn't understand…" Bardock growled softly. "All I know is I tried and failed to change fate… as for becoming like that, you are better off not ever having a taste of that power…"
"But grandpa, it's not fair!" Goten stamped his foot into the ground with stubbornness.
"Well nothing in life is fair!" Bardock exclaimed. "If it was, Kakarrot would still be alive…"
"Gohan told me that he sacrificed himself to save us from Cell trying to blow up Earth…" Goten explained. "Then you got so upset over his death..."
"…I did, but trust me when I say that the power is never a good thing to have…" Bardock reasoned. "The last thing I want is for you to lose control…"
"And I don't see why you and Uncle Vegeta call daddy 'Kakarrot' all the time while mommy and everyone else calls daddy 'Goku' when we're at gatherings…" Goten muttered.
"Kakarrot is his real name brat," Bardock huffed. "Then again, this is why you lack any respect to your Saiya-jin heritage…"
"I don't lack it at all grandpa!" Goten growled. He set the picture back into the box he unburied and lunged at his grandfather; eager to start sparring as soon as possible.
"So you say," Bardock glared at his youngest grandson with determination in his eyes. "You know nothing of what it's like to be a Super Saiya-jin!"
"Is that what you call that form Trunks turns into?" Goten asked.
"Yes, and I doubt you are ready to become one yourself…"
"I will become one grandpa! Even if I have to train every day!" Goten complained.
"Right…" Bardock threw a punch at Goten and he went flying back into the bushes where he crashed through various sticks and leaves. Moments later, the boy flew out; his hair briefly housing some of the loosened branches from the bushes while he lashed out at his grandfather with punches and kicks. A long-forgotten thrill filled Bardock's soul at the thought of fighting against his own flesh and blood and he couldn't help but smile softly.
The sun was setting when he carried the tuckered out little boy in his arms. The boy's head was buried in the crook of his shoulder and was fast asleep from the days' worth of training he put in. Before he could make it to his daughter-in-law's home, Bardock saw Scrix on the path almost though he had waited patiently for the cursed warrior to come by.
"What do you want?" Bardock asked. For a moment, he was tempted to try punching him, but he did not wish to wake the sleeping child in his arms.
"Easy, I come bearing no ill-will on you," Scrix answered. "I had just come to let you know the boy will soon transform."
"What? You mean…?" Scrix only nodded. Bardock looked down at his grandson. "He's too young…"
"He will need this power soon," Scrix explained.
"What for?" Bardock looked weary; the last time he saw the God of Strength was back during the Cell Games. Since then, he hadn't seen any of the gods and thought that they cared little about his well-being throughout the years.
"You should know the threat that is coming," Scrix warned. "You need to start training seriously again and prepare for the worst."
"Easy for you to say… I lost that passion the day Kakarrot died…" Bardock admitted.
"That does not mean you should let the enemy destroy everything you found here on Earth," Scrix stated.
"On top of it, I hadn't had any visions in years; so what makes you think I know about the future?"
"You know a great deal more than you care to admit," Scrix told the cursed warrior. "Even Kakarrot's ability has been hampered since his death."
"Kakarrot's been affected by this as well?" Bardock frowned before looking down at Goten. He hadn't considered his youngest son lacking the ability to foresee into the future. Then again, perhaps the curse itself was starting to lose its effect. "If there was a way to regain it, can I once more see what is to come, Scrix? Scrix?" The cursed warrior realized that the God of Strength had vanished and growled. "Stupid gods…"
Continuing his trek home through the woods with Goten in his arms, Bardock thought long and hard of what was shared with him. The idea that another threat was coming both intimidated and plagued his thoughts.
'If Scrix is telling the truth, I need to train hard again,' Bardock thought silently. 'I doubt Kakarrot's been idle all of these years, so I have some catching up to do…'
Weeks since Bardock was warned of an oncoming threat, he began to train when he wasn't sparring with Goten. The young boy wanted to join his grandfather, but Bardock knew he had to train harder than before. Reaching the ascended state of Super Saiya-jin was difficult and took a lot of him the minute he reached the level, so he focused on gaining more control over the form's limitations. He also made sure to rein in his control so he didn't accidentally slip into the state he was prone to fall into. Making the same knots in the threads he wrapped around each wrist, he trained as hard as possible to keep his focus entirely on his training.
Then one night following the long day of training, he only laid his head down when his head started to ache. He groaned in pain and rose from bed to find the vial of pills that he had on top of the refrigerator. Truth be told, he hadn't had many headaches as of late, but when they came, there were times it would be unbearable.
'Why can't I see anything?' Bardock thought while leaning his head against the cool surface of the door. 'If I had any inkling about what was to come, then I would know more about what kind of threat is looming in the darkness…'
The pain killers were taking much longer than usual to kick in. It wasn't until forty-five minutes later that he felt it working. By this point, he was lying down in bed again when he finally fell asleep.
Bardock found himself walking through a forest with a young teenaged woman at his side. She was leaning against him due to her left leg being decapitated just below the knee. Her long hair reminded the cursed warrior of Turnipa when she was younger and a part of him longed for his mate.
"I'm sorry that I'm burdening you," the woman stated. The apology felt genuine and he noted the deadened expression on her face. Whatever she had been through had seemed to traumatize the young teenager.
"It's fine Kukressa," Bardock waved off the woman's concerns. "I owe your people a serious debt."
"Still, I feel you take too much on your shoulders," Kukressa spoke with sadness in her tone.
"I should be the one apologizing to you," Bardock stated. "Had I been stronger, you wouldn't have lost your family during that attack."
"At least they didn't suffer like the others have," Kukressa sighed while adjusting her grip on his arm. The ground they walked on was scorched; hardly anything grew and they were forced to walk on the heated surface due to the blazing suns overhead. The very earth stung their feet that were covered by a thin, worn layer of fur. Without the coverings, he knew that the walk wouldn't have been pleasant in the slightest bit.
"I should have stopped him; I had the power, but…" Bardock felt her gently touch his lips with her tail.
"We should give praise to Infr for what we have," Kukressa stated with a serene expression on her face. "We are alive and thankfully, we can rejoice since the evil one's gone."
'Evil one?' Bardock thought to himself. He was about to say more when a thundering boom filled the air.
Thunder roared while Bardock awoken from the dream rather perplexed. He heard the sound of dripping falling somewhere in his room.
'Is the roof leaking?' Bardock questioned while turning on the light. He noticed a puddle near the door and a few other droplets falling upon the ground. 'Great, I guess it must have been damaged when I meditating the other day.'
Rising out of bed, he went to find a mop and a container to hold the water in. He would have to talk to his daughter-in-law about possibly repairing the roof to his home before it ended up getting worse.
The next afternoon, Bardock was sparring against his grandson when he noticed the boy's hair flickered slightly. He thought at first that Goten's hair had caught a bit of sunlight, but he noticed the aura was a golden hue compared to the white one he normally seen. Moments later, the young half-breed Saiya-jin transformed before the cursed warrior's eyes and he was forced to block the punch with everything he had. The look in his eyes became pained and he fell to his knees shortly afterwards.
"Grandpa? Are you alright?" Goten quizzically asked. The full-blooded Saiya-jin remained quiet; his eyes filled with utmost guilt before shutting them tightly to keep the tears from spilling out of his eyes.
'Kakarrot, he's just like you in almost every single way…' Bardock thought; his hands burying themselves in the grassy knoll they stood upon. 'Why do I still feel this way after nearly seven years?'
"Grandpa?" Goten spoke in a worried tone when the warrior didn't acknowledge the boy. "I… I'm sorry… I was too rough wasn't I? Mom said I have been roughhousing with Gohan a lot lately and…"
"It… it's fine Goten… just… go home…" Bardock muttered; trying to keep the sadness out of his voice while allowing his head to fall downcast.
"Oh, okay grandpa, I'll see you later…" Goten's energy fell and he ran off. Once the boy was out of his sight, the energy began to gather around the cursed warrior and his eyes flew open; the teal coloring being prominent and a foreboding sign of the wrath he was preparing to inflict.
'I'm such a fucking idiot!' Bardock slammed his fist into the ground. Spider webbed cracks spread across the point of impact and his power began to rise without warning. 'Why the hell can't I get over this? I thought by now I could forgive myself for what happened to Kakarrot, but I feel like I can never get over what happened!'
Guilt was a powerful weapon; perhaps even too powerful for a man whose strength knew no physical bounds, but for Bardock, he didn't seem to care anymore about the promises that he had seen. He had done so much damage to the universe as it was and he had no idea how he could continue to carry the burdens upon his shoulders. The only thing he knew of was despair and he knew that chasing after these dreams would only bring more ruin and chaos.
'I should have been stronger back then… I… I could have…' Bardock felt the energy crackle around his form as his hair stood on end. The power he struggled with the other day was getting easier to reach, but he knew he could push himself further if he had to. Straining his energy as much as he possibly could, he soon ran into a wall and felt the next level of power just beyond his reach. His energy rose higher and higher; however, he soon felt himself tap out; the golden aura faded away and was forced to revert to normal. 'Shit…'
Bardock felt every muscle in his body ache from the strain he put on himself. He could barely move let alone breathe in his current position without another jolt of pain raking across his taxed body. He pitched forward; falling face first into the earth and winced from the additional blow he suffered as his vision darkened.
Hours passed and when Bardock awoken, he found himself in his small house again. The sound of shuffling was heard in the kitchen and the cursed warrior felt almost though his privacy was being invaded. Walking to the room where he heard sounds, he raised a fist; prepared to strike down whoever was within when he saw Gohan coming out.
"Grandfather! Are you alright?" Gohan questioned.
"What are you doing here?" Bardock asked his now seventeen year old grandson.
"I came to make sure you were alright," Gohan explained. "Goten said that you were acting a little strange and I decided to check on you."
"I'm fine, the boy just…" Bardock was still rather uncomfortable with the idea, but he knew his grandson had the right to know.
"Grandfather, did he hurt you?" Gohan was worried.
"Goten didn't hurt me, he just surprised me," Bardock muttered.
"How did he surprise you?" Gohan questioned. "I told him not to do any cowardly tactics…"
"That's not it, he transformed," Bardock admitted.
"What? He's a Super Saiya-jin?" Gohan's eyes widened. "How did it happen?"
"I might have pushed him a little harder than usual."
"Great, I guess we should train him so he doesn't break anything," Gohan slapped his hand to his forehead.
"Agreed," Bardock affirmed.
The Halls of Unity seemed rather quiet as of late. Turnipa took notice of her youngest son's change in training regimen and noted that he was spending far more time standing before a mirror. Goku stood there with his back to his mother while he watched within the reflective surface at something he seemed worried about.
"Kakarrot, what are you looking at?" Turnipa questioned. She was concerned about her youngest son's sudden lack of training and was hoping that he would have gotten out of his funk by now.
"Mirasta, I was looking at taristo and he seems sad…" Goku admitted. "Has my death really affected him this much?"
Turnipa nodded. "He's lost the passion to fight since you died. He blames himself and has nightmares that are slowly taking their toll on his psyche. Even if you did go back for a day, I fear he might not be the same man you're used to talking to."
"Maybe I should have returned when I had the chance…" Goku looked back at his mother.
"Kakarrot, you chose to remain dead for a reason. Besides, your father's surrounded by people who are just as devoted as you are to him. Now come on…"
"Where are we going mirasta?" Goku looked at her with a confused expression.
"Isn't it about time you stopped sulking and start working out again? Besides, you only have a few more weeks to perfect your power and I'm eager to see how much you've improved. After all, you're going to see your taristo at the tournament soon…" Turnipa egged with a grin on her face.
Goku returned it. 'She's right, I can't stand here sulking. That's not what taristo would be doing if he was preparing to fight against me.'
"What's this about Gohan bringing a girl home?" Bardock questioned.
"Gohan's girlfriend found out that he's the Great Saiyaman and now he has to train her," Goten explained rather cheekily. Bardock grimaced when he heard the mockery of their race being used as a crime fighting name. If any other were to hear such a notorious name, he would bet that Gohan would have been charged for mocking their race and given a rather stiff punishment for his brazen actions. The king himself must have been rolling in his grave over such a horrid use of their species being used for such publicity stunts.
"Strange, he never mentioned anything about possibly taking a mate," Bardock stood there rather perplexed. Then again, he hadn't thought to ask his eldest grandson what he was doing at school since the boy had been spending less time at home and more time in the city. "Do you know what her name is?"
"I think Gohan called her Videl or something…" Goten chirped in a rather unsure tone of voice.
"Videl…" Bardock didn't really think much of that name, but she figured that if she found out his true identity as a "super hero", then she's smarter than most humans. "I would like to meet this girl."
"He says she's coming over today," Goten smiled eagerly. "Maybe she's going to become my sister…"
Bardock chuckled at the thought. Usually, he wondered what made his son choose a woman like Chi-chi. Was his grandson following tradition and finding a feisty woman of his own to sire his own children?
'That would make me a grandfather to their children… I don't know what the proper term is if that is the case. What in the hell is this world coming to? I don't even feel that old and suddenly, I feel like more generations are coming out of the woodwork…' Bardock contemplated silently to himself.
About an hour and a half later, Bardock heard the engine of a vehicle landing not far from the house. He glanced from where he was resting on a tree branch and noticed the petite, dark-haired female emerge from the plane. She had shoulder-length hair tied in two ponytails, a white shirt over a purple t-shirt and biker shorts. For a moment, Bardock stared at the female wondering what his grandson actually seen in the girl and noted that her power level wasn't anywhere near as high as he had hoped. He examined her carefully despite the miniscule power level and contemplated over the fact that she seemed fragile.
'If that's Videl, I'm disappointed in my grandson's choice…' Bardock mentally summarized. 'Her energy is much lower than Kakarrot's mate and I'm sure that she could easily wipe the floor without much effort…'
While his grandson had told him before she arrived that she wasn't his girlfriend, Bardock laughed at the idea. He didn't need his foresight to know that she had some power over Gohan and could easily wrap him around her pinky if need be. In either case, Bardock was convinced that if she ended up getting stronger, she could give his grandson a run for the money.
Weeks passed and Bardock saw both of his grandsons sparring in the air. Goten had mastered the ability to fly rather quickly; however, he was still a novice when it came to the veterans. Both boys were in their Super Saiya-jin forms and Gohan had Goten on the ropes.
"Block the blows before they land Goten!" Bardock barked up at the boy. "You need to read your opponent better!"
"I'm trying grandpa!" Goten choked out while trying to avoid the hits. Gohan easily overpowered the boy and sent him into the ground. Bardock didn't bother to help him up since the boy sat up moments later, no longer ascended and rubbing his head.
"You alright sport?" Gohan landed moments later back in his normal form.
"That's not fair! You're bigger than me," Goten muttered angrily.
"Size doesn't make him any better than you," Bardock commented. "Besides, you need to focus on the fighting techniques I taught you."
"Mmm…" Goten moaned. "I don't feel comfortable with those movements."
"You'll get used to them eventually," Bardock reminded the boy. Gohan began to walk away. "And where are you going?"
"I'm going to Bulma's to pick up the modified costume," Gohan replied.
"Honestly, I don't see why you're trying to hide your identity," Bardock rolled his eyes. "It's rather obvious who you are…"
"You don't understand grandpa, its part of the act of being a super hero," Gohan attempted to reason with the cursed warrior.
"Super hero?" Bardock repeated dumbfounded.
"It's kind of like those comic book hero comics I read with Trunks all the time," Goten grinned. Bardock looked at the younger grandson perplexed.
"Why would you dress up like that and proclaim yourself as a super hero? It makes no sense…" Bardock grumbled. "I'm going to go back to training. Do what you want."
With that, the cursed warrior took off into the air to find another place to train.
"So, what brings you here?" Vegeta questioned.
"I want to train with you my prince," Bardock bowed before the last sovereign of the throne.
"Hmph, you never decided to see me in the past to train with me, what made you change your mind?"
"I was bored of the challenge I couldn't find in my grandsons," Bardock admitted.
"It's about time," Vegeta grinned rather smugly. "Come. We'll use the gravity room and give ourselves a workout."
Bardock followed the royal to the backyard of the compound and saw the gravity room standing before them. For once, he was eager to find out how his prince sparred and decided that it would probably be worth the pain he was about to subject his body to. If anything, he had not had the pleasure of fighting against Vegeta and it seemed like it would be something he would enjoy.
That night after training, Bardock probably slept better than all other nights and despite the bruises and cuts, he finally felt a sense of relief getting out those pent emotions. He woke refreshed in the morning and despite the mild tenderness, he felt a sense of peace he hadn't felt in years.
'Maybe training was all I needed to get over this funk I've been in…' Bardock smiled softly. 'I think I can accept it now… I can accept Kakarrot's death easier since I had forgotten how to cope with these feelings.'
With only a few days left to prepare, he decided he was going to make each day count.
To Be Continued…