Chapter 18 – "Kelerot's weighted decision; a choice between legacy and vengeance."

Choi's recovery…

Broly's family had to wait a while before they could visit Choi since the doctors and nurses were busy stitching up his nose and affixing a cast around it. When they were allowed to visit him, Cheelai was the first to rush into the room and look at her son, who was still unconscious with most of his face wrapped up in bandages. One of the doctors remained in the room as the family poured in and Cheelai turned to face him, bowing at him.

"Is he going to be okay, doctor?" she asked nervously.

"Your son's unique physiology gives him remarkable durability. Despite the damage done to his orbital bone and nasal cavity, his injuries are not life threatening. He needs rest now, but we'll need to conduct a few more tests tomorrow to ensure there is no long-term damage."

The doctor bowed and excused himself as Cheelai nodded without saying anything. She took Choi's hand in between hers and brought them to her lips to kiss it, closing her eyes as a couple of tears streamed down her cheek.

Broly walked over behind her and put his hands on her shoulders and he stared down at Choi. He felt disappointment, anger, and confusion; it was as though he lost a battle he never fought to begin with.

Lemo and Bok came in shortly and Bok ran over to the other side of the bed to look down at his brother and he sighed.

"Part of me wants to knock him out as soon as he wakes up," he said, getting a look from his mother. "But right now I'm relieved he doesn't look worse than he already is."

Cheelai nodded, then Lemo took his hat off, staring grimly at Choi.

"This whole tournament was a mistake. We shouldn't have bothered coming here if this was going to happen," Cheelai said and Bok glanced at her.

"But why, though?" Bok asked. "I'm glad we came here. We've seen new faces, met new people, I've been having a lot of fun since we arrived on this planet. That Goku guy has a really cool family and I got to fight a real fight that tested my skills. It feels great to not have to be cooped up so much on Bloss, isolated from the rest of the universe."

Cheelai and Broly eyed Bok and wanted to tell them why they didn't want to travel outside of their planet but felt it wasn't the right time yet to tell their kids the truth.

Lemo on the other hand blinked as he heard Bok's statement and chuckled a bit. "You definitely are the smarter of the two, that's for sure."

"Lemo?" Cheelai piped in.

"Hm?"

"Am I a good mother?"

Lemo and Bok were taken aback by that question. It was a heavy question which even had Broly think about it for once.

"She raises a valid question. Are we good parents?" Broly asked, looking at Lemo and he glanced back and forth between them.

"Why are you asking me? You should be asking your kids that."

"But I'm asking you, Lemo!" Cheelai yelled, setting Choi's hand back down gently.

"You pretty much raised these boys more than I have and it frustrates me that I don't know a damn thing about how to be a parent that I unconsciously let you do all the work and I feel so horrible putting that burden on you."

She wrapped her arms around herself and Lemo couldn't help but chuckle a bit, staring at the family with a smile on his face.

"You don't know me very well if that were true, Cheelai," Lemo told her and she sighed in response. She stared at Choi and brushed his hair with her hand, noticing that some of his blood had caked onto his mohawk.

"Why would you think you're bad parents?" Bok asked, getting Cheelai's attention.

"You brought us in, you nursed us, you've loved us every single day, despite how bad Choi can be sometimes. You and dad never stopped that and I don't think you'd ever will."

Cheelai blushed a bit and even Broly couldn't hide his rosy cheeks from that statement.

"Face it mom, you might be bad at cooking and cleaning, but that doesn't mean you're a bad mom. And dad, I'm very grateful that you taught us the basics of fighting that we were able to learn and grow on our own, yet you never once gave up on us. Without the three of you, Choi, Arugula, and myself would be lost."

Cheelai glanced at him when she heard her daughter's name and looked around the room.

"Where is Arugula?"

"With Bulla, remember? She wanted to go see Pan," Bok reiterated for her and Lemo cleared his throat.

"Speaking of which, are we finally going to address the great ape in the room?" Lemo asked and all eyes were on him.

"I-I don't follow," Cheelai said, looking at him, confused.

"Your daughter's abilities. This wasn't the first time we've seen this happen," Lemo said.

"I know," Cheelai sighed. "I didn't want to not know, you know?"

"Mom? What's he talking about?" Bok asked.

"Your sister has psychic abilities. I wish I could say when this all began but I could tell she's aware of someone's emotional state just from looking at them. She can also predict the future through her dreams? Remember when she said she dreamt about what was going to happen to Pan? Who knows what else she's able to do: Telepathy, telekinesis, sky's the limit with these psychic times if they get enough training under their belt."

"I wish you wouldn't talk about Arugula like that," Cheelai said, narrowing her eyes as she stared around the room.

"I'm just pointing out the obvious," Lemo stated.

"But calling her a psychic or whatever just feels wrong. She's Arugula, she's our little girl and we want to keep it that way."

Lemo waved her off as he walked out of the room. "It's not healthy to deny your kids their true potential, just throwing that out there. I'm going to get a drink, you want anything?"

As he spoke, Videl was seen outside the door dragging Gohan by the arm and she stopped when she spotted Broly's family. She let go of Gohan's arm and knocked on the door.

"Hi, sorry, may I come in?" she asked and everyone turned to face her.

"Oh, you're Pan's mother, correct?" Cheelai asked and Videl bowed. She nudged Gohan and he bowed as well.

"I humbly ask forgiveness for the damage our daughter has caused your son," Videl asked and Cheelai grinned.

"It's okay, you don't need to apologize. Come in."

The two walked in and they hovered over Choi in his bed. His breathing was still normal as they stared at him and Videl sighed.

"I wish our kids didn't get so involved in this fighting nonsense," Videl said.

"My kids are half-Saiyan, they would still find a way to fight even if I said no," Cheelai said, grinning at Bok and Choi.

"But don't you think there's a better future for them besides fighting?" Videl asked.

"Why can't they be both?" Lemo asked. Videl looked at him quizzically.

"When their dad isn't teaching and training them how to fight, I provide these kids with a good quality education. It comes from years of dedicated service to the Cold Force. So trust me when I say that your daughter can be both smart and strong without having one overtake the other. That man with you, he looks like he can handle himself in a fight, correct?"

"Well, I do what I can," Gohan said, chuckling nervously while rubbing the back of his head and Videl gave him a look. But she sighed and relaxed herself, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Maybe I did overreact a bit earlier," she said but glared up at Gohan and Lemo regardless.

"But that doesn't mean I still don't want what's best for my Pan, got it? She still needs a good education so she doesn't fall behind and become a delinquent. I hope you do something about that boy over there too because he's falling down that path a lot faster."

Cheelai reacted as her mouth dropped open and she gave Videl a look as the two mothers stared each other down and Gohan put his hands on Videl's shoulders.

"Maybe we should get going and get that tea," he said and both Cheelai and Videl glanced away, closing their eyes. Videl stomped out of the room and Gohan sighed.

"I apologize again for the unneeded stress. It was a pleasure meeting you all," he said and rushed out of the room to catch up with Videl and Lemo put his hat back on.

Cheelai glared at the door, clenching her fists.

"The nerve of that woman! I oughta give her a piece of my mind!" Cheelai yelled and Lemo sighed, glancing back at her.

"Let it go, Cheelai. Stay by your son and let tensions die down naturally. Everyone's on edge after today and we don't need another fight breaking out," Lemo said but Cheelai stalked over to him and almost grabbed him by the collar.

"How DARE that woman tell me how to be a parent?!" She screamed at Lemo and he raised his hands, sighing again.

"Cheelai, seriously, let it go and calm down. Do you honestly think Broly wants anyone fighting right now? What do you think, big guy?" Lemo said, looking up at Broly, who was blushing a bit out of embarrassment.

"I think Lemo's right. I don't want to see you fight and get hurt," he said and Cheelai scoffed at him.

"Tch, you think that twig can kick my ass? Pah! She looks like she can barely pick up a stick let alone kick anyone's ass. Check out these guns of mine and tell me I can't beat the crap out of that woman!" Cheelai said, flexing her biceps, which do show a bit of definition to them and Broly looked down, even more embarrassed and Lemo cleared his throat.

"Um, mom, I think Uncle Lemo's got a point. Please stay with dad and I until Choi wakes up again," Bok told her and Cheelai puffed her cheeks, crossing her arms. She pulled up a chair beside the bed and slumped herself down on it, staring at Choi.

"I HOPE THAT TEA'S WORTH IT!" Cheelai yelled behind her. "Crazy bit-"

"Um, excuse me?" came a voice at the door and Lemo stopped before he could leave.

"Seriously? Am I ever going to get out of this room without people interrupting me?" Lemo grumbled and the man with greying blonde hair and sunglasses cleared his throat and bowed at the group.

"My apologies for the intrusion. I'm the tournament official and emcee of the event but I also serve as the senior chairman of the tournament committee. Most people just call me Mr. Announcer," he said and Cheelai stood up.

"Oh, welcome," she said, bowing back at him. Broly waved at him and Lemo tipped his toque at him as he walked past him.

"Be back in a few," Lemo said before walking out of sight. The announcer approached the two, who gave him access to the bed and he frowned as he laid eyes on Choi.

"I've been informed by the doctors that he has sustained no life threatening injuries, which is a relief to hear," he said and Broly put his hands on Cheelai's shoulders, who welcomed the gesture.

"What's going to happen now?" Cheelai asked.

"Well, this isn't the first time a competitor has been injured to this extent and survived. However the doctors advise that he does not fight until he's fully recovered and is cleared to compete again. How much long that could take I have no idea and I'm willing to postpone the tournament finals until he gets the all-clear. There's a serious risk fighting in the finals in his current condition could cause even more damage to his face and I fear the worst case scenario if that were to happen. I'm sure as his parents you wouldn't want that to happen either."

Cheelai nodded. "Our boy's never been this hurt before."

"I've been training daily with him since we were very young and we've always been careful not to go overboard and hurt each other. Though Choi did dislocate my shoulder one time and Uncle Lemo had to pop it back in."

Bok got a look from Cheelai and he cleared his throat.

"As it currently stands: if Choi is unable to compete in the final match, then contestant Uub wins by default and becomes the World Champion with Choi earing the second-place prize. However, I am no stranger to the history of these tournaments and the unique fighters it brings. I've seen a lot in my lifetime to know of certain items and abilities that heal injuries and restore fighters back to full strength. I've seen food items that have healed people to full strength, and I've witnessed Mr. Buu heal people before. If Mr. Buu is available, I can have him come and heal your son to full strength and he would be able to compete in the final match against Uub. Of course we would consider this a violation of the rules but I am willing to let this one slide since I have been fairly lenient about rule changes in the past if it meant keeping the people entertained with a good fight. I wouldn't want to deny the contestants the ability to test their worth."

Cheelai and Broly looked at each other. While Broly did have the look of wanting this to go through, Cheelai sighed, pressing a hand to her face.

"I appreciate the offer but I don't know if I want my son to fight again. He's got a few issues he needs to deal with first before he can fight again and I'm worried about his emotional state more than anything."

She glanced up at Broly, giving him a look that indicated that she was worried how much Choi's temper mirrored Broly's and he frowned. He began to feel angry again and looked away so she couldn't see his face.

"I understand your situation, madam. I'll give you some time to think it over and come up with a decision. We're working around the clock to repair the fighting stage so there is no rush to decide how you want to proceed. Thank you for your time."

He bowed gracefully and exited the room, leaving the three of them to look at each other, then at Choi.

"Maybe we should wait and see what Choi thinks when he wakes up. He'll want to know he won his fight and I'm sure he'd want to fight Uub," Bok said and Cheelai stared at him. He can see there was a lot of worry in her eyes now.

"And then what? See him fly off the handle again if that Uub kid breaks his nose again or God forbid he does something worse? Your brother has a huge ego problem that I can't control and no matter how many times your father's tried to put his foot down and keep him from getting overconfident, he's let his own power get to his head."

"I know, mom. I feel like some of that is my own fault for not keeping him grounded. I tend to let him win our fights so often he got the idea that he's become this unstoppable force. Had the roles been reversed I'm pretty sure I would've acted the same way."

"That's not true and you know it," Cheelai said. "Choi's got a bit of my rebellious streak in him. I wasn't the nicest of people when I grew up and I hate that my worse traits have rubbed off on my baby like this."

"Mom, that's not your fault," Bok said and he walked over to hug his mother, who blushed and kissed him on the forehead.

"I love you all, but I hate how things have escalated like this."

A knock on the door drew their attention once more and Bulla stood in the entrance with Arugula hiding behind her, clutching her overalls.

"Hi, I brought Arugula with me," Bulla said and Cheelai breathed a sigh, smiling at the two.

"Thank you for looking after her," Cheelai said and Bulla walked in, yet Arugula was holding her back.

"I don't wanna go in," Arugula whined.

"But don't you want to see your family?" Bulla asked.

"I don't want to see Choi's scary face."

Cheelai closed her eyes and sighed.

"Little one, your brother still hasn't regained consciousness so he's not scary," Cheelai said and Arugula gave her a look she had never seen before in her daughter.

"He's NOT my brother! He's a scary monster who hurts people! He hurt Pan-Pan and that makes him a bad person!"

Cheelai's eyes widened and began to water as each word stung and stung hard at her heart. That she had to hear it from a little girl hurt a great deal and she covered her mouth, crying.

"Arugula, that's something you shouldn't be saying to your mama," Bulla told her. "She's having a hard time dealing with the fact your brother's hurt pretty badly and she wants to know you're okay and that you shouldn't be scared."

"But he always scares me! I hate his face every time he looks at me, he always scares me with his face!" Arugula cried and began pulling Bulla back out into the hallway out of the room.

"Arugula, does my face scare you too? My face that looks like Choi's?" Bok said to her, pointing at his face and Arugula shook her head.

"Your face is nicer, big brother. It's not scary."

"Even though we both have the same face, you don't think mine looks scary?" Bok asked again and Arugula shook her head.

"I have scary dreams where I see you both, but your faces look different. You look normal while Choi looks like a monster."

Bok sighed but could feel the uneasiness in the room as he stared up at Broly, who wasn't glancing at anyone at the moment.

"Arugula, I know Choi is a difficult brother to be around, but you can be assured that your big brother makes sure Choi doesn't do anything bad to you. I know he would never do anything to hurt you, even if you don't see it. And looking at dad right now it's making him feel bad."

Arugula blinked as she looked up at her father and her face grew pale a bit.

"Why is papa angry?" she asked. Cheelai had calmed herself down a bit before she stood up and knelt down in front of her.

"Papa's been under a lot of stress the past few days since we arrived here. I know you feel that your brother's scary, but he's still family and as family we all need to stick together. I'm pretty sure Choi will be glad to know we're always going to be there for him."

She glanced up at Broly but noticed that his fists were clenched tightly and he was struggling to contain himself. His eyes were staring directly ahead of him but at no one in particular and his teeth were grinding together.

"Broly? Hey, come back to me, come on down, okay?" She said in a soothing voice. She realized that he was starting to lose control of his emotions again and the phrase she'd always use was "come back to me" and "come on down" to bring him back to his senses and he started to relax his tense body and open his hands, glancing down at her, then at Arugula.

"I'm…sorry…" he muttered before he walked over to Arugula and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he smiled weakly, blushing a bit. He glanced down and Cheelai flashed her OK sign at him, Bok joining in. Broly returned the sign and Bok was the first to notice that Choi's fingers were starting to move on their own.

"Hey, I think Choi's finally coming to," Bok stated and everyone looked down at Choi. He moved his fingers a bit more and his eyes slowly began to open. His left eye was still bloodshot though and he blinked a couple of times before he looked around, seeing his family stare down at him.

"Wad habbened?" he muttered hoarsely.

"Hey bro, welcome back," Bok said, putting a hand on his brother's chest. Cheelai ran her hand across his hair and cheek and smiled down at him.

"Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?" she asked.

"Head hurds a lod ride now," Choi said, trying to lift his hand up but couldn't. "Why ab I speeging fuddy?"

"Your nose and face have been heavily bandaged. You nose got broken pretty badly in your fight," Bok said and Choi blinked.

"Did id?"

"Yeah. Don't you remember that?" Bok asked and Choi blinked for a moment.

"I god hid in my faig bud I dond rebember adyfig elf (I got hit in my face but I don't remember anything else)," Choi managed to say, which was a little hard to understand for Cheelai but Broly and Bok could make out most of it.

"You blacked out after you got hit. But looks like your body was still running under its own power. You don't remember getting angry and gaining a huge boost of strength?"

"Nobe," Choi said, shaking his head a bit. He stared around the room and looked up at Broly and when he saw Arugula, she stared down at him and turned her gaze away immediately.

"Dideye wid?" Choi asked.

"Wid? You mean win?" Bok asked and Choi nodded.

"Yeah bro, you won your match after Pan landed outside the ring," Bok said and Choi grinned a bit.

"Dold yew I wood wid," he said and Bok gave him a look.

"Whad?"

"This isn't a win you should be proud of," Bok told him, staring him down. "You went berserk and scared off a lot of people in the process. You're not even in any condition to fight Uub right now, let alone even move."

Choi tried to sit up but groaned and sighed. He stared up at the ceiling.

"That announcer guy said he'd go and ask Buu to come heal you so you won't have to worry about being like this for very long," Bok said and Choi grinned up at him. Cheelai gave him a look.

"Hold on. I'm not ready to have you patched up so fast like that. You have no idea how angry I am at you right now."

Choi's eyes widened a bit, looking up at his mother with a hint of fear now.

"Baba?" (he said mama)

"I'll let them heal you, on the condition that you forfeit the rest of the tournament and give Uub the victory. He's clearly earned that right."

Choi couldn't believe his ears. Forfeit? Just like that? His fingers in his hands slowly closed together to make fists.

"I hab do fyde Uub, baba. I hab do broofe do hib dad I'b drawnger den hib (I have to fight Uub, mama. I have to prove to him that I'm stronger than him)," Choi said, staring defiantly at Cheelai despite his current state and Cheelai glared right back at him.

"You will do NO such thing, Choi! YOU WILL LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

She was standing tall over him now, despite her small frame and she stared furiously at her son, tears flowing freely down her face and Choi narrowed his eyes back at her.

"Don't ever look at me like that," Cheelai spat and Choi glanced away. Cheelai could feel her hands shaking as she had to rest them on the metal bar at the end of the bed and could feel her face go flush from the anger she was feeling. Even Broly had never seen her this angry before and he was feeling a bit intimidated by her right now. Bok stared down at his brother.

"Bro, seriously, don't piss off mom. Just do what she tells you," he told him and Choi glanced up at him, then at Cheelai.

"Fyde, I'll forbet," he said reluctantly and stared down at the foot of the bed, frowning. Cheelai breathed a sigh and felt like sitting back down after all that.

"This is so exhausting," she said and grabbed Broly's hand, bringing it close to her, wrapping it around her like a scarf. Bulla had been forced to remain quiet and stayed clear of the drama and decided to approach the family, clearing her throat.

"Um, sorry to barge in like this, but I just wanted to let Arugula know that I'm going to go back to get some food with Goku and the others," she said and Bok felt his stomach growling.

"All this stress is making me hungry too, come to think of it," he said and glanced at her. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Bulla couldn't help but blush a bit. "Uh, sure, I wouldn't mind."

Bok put his hand on Cheelai's shoulder and she welcomed the gesture warmly before he left with Bulla while Broly brought Arugula back down on her feet.

"Papa, can we go join sissy and big brother?" she asked and Broly glanced over at Cheelai.

"You go on ahead, I'm going to stay here with Choi," she said and eased back a bit in her chair, crossing her arms and legs. She stared at him for a moment as they left the room.

"Cad I go do? I'b huggry do," Choi asked and Cheelai glared at him.

"You are having whatever the hospital's making. I'm not letting you out of my sight for one second," she told him and Choi sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me, mister. You're still in a lot of trouble for the crap you've put your family through," Cheelai told him sternly and Choi sighed, looking away.

A conflict of emotions…

Kelerot flew in the air for some time after he left the tournament grounds and then the island completely. He needed a quiet area secluded from civilization and found a lone uninhabited island not too far off and he landed on the beach. He began walking along the sandy area and could feel the ocean breeze kiss his face. He breathed a sigh of content from how it felt but he frowned once again when he stared down at his hands.

"What the hell happened back there? Why did I falter like that?" he asked himself and felt another flash of memories pop in his head. When he remembered seeing Choi scream how much he hated Pan, Kelerot's own memory of his outburst towards Barbon flashed in his head and his hands darted straight up to his head, grabbing it. He grunted and shook his head, clearing his mind.

"Dammit," he muttered and closed his eyes. He took in a few deep breaths and he could feel himself calming down. He opened them to stare out into the ocean and he crossed his arms.

"Seems exposing myself to a high degree of anger and stress affected me more than I realized," he said to himself and put his hand to his chin.

"Is this a possible after-effect of delving a Destroyer's energy? Is this reflective of what Toppo feels when he's exposed to someone's anger? Maybe that overblown sense of justice he's developed can't tolerate that sort of behaviour. Ugh, this plus Cae's knowledge is a lot to bear all at once that even after having my strength fully recovered there's a lot to process."

He stared up at the skies, and somehow could clearly see beyond the blue skies into the vastness of space. He could see billions of stars, colorful nebulae and surrounding planets light years away, a by-product of the sight he obtained from delving a Supreme Kai. He could see more of the universe than he ever thought possible and this made him both intrigued and nervous at the same time.

The more he kept staring at the universe, the more strain it was getting to his mind and he forced himself to look away, shaking his head.

"No, I can't lose my focus like that," he said and sighed. He closed his eyes and put his mind back towards the tournament. He sensed the energy of the strongest people currently still there. He focused on Choi's energy and opened his eyes.

"That boy. Never thought he was capable of such a jump in power. Was this somehow passed down to him by his father? Is this the power of a hybrid Saiyan? I didn't sense as much power in his twin brother, but it doesn't negate the possibility that he too might be possessed of a greater power. I could delve those two and find out more about the secrets to a hybrid's potential."

But he shook his head immediately afterwards.

"No, I've disobeyed master Daikon's advice one too many times already with what I did, but it was needed. How can I avenge you all if I don't have the strength needed to do so? How can I make Toppo pay for what he did?"

Kelerot clenched his fists but relaxed them when his thoughts went back to the twins.

"But that boy showed us all how much of a threat he's become to those around him. Where did he learn how to fight, though?"

Kelerot began thinking it over, picturing Broly's face in his mind.

"Their dad couldn't have taught them that much; his style of fighting is too basic. The mother's not a fighter, she wouldn't have been able to do anything. Maybe that other one, the one with the headwear?"

He kept picturing Broly's family in his head and crossed his arms, putting a hand to his chin again.

"Master Daikon did encourage us to pass on his teachings, though I doubt he'd want something as dangerous as delving to be taught to someone else. His style of training might help that boy learn how to control himself and avoid going berserk again."

Kelerot sighed heavily and grabbed his head, growling.

"Dammit, what do I do now?"

His sense of righteousness gave him a dilemma now. He felt strongly about his quest to avenge his people and the loss of his planet but seeing how troubled that boy looked to him and how overconfident he seemed compelled him to want to stay and teach the boy.

He closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them.

"Kai-kai," he said, disappearing from the island.

An unknown change…

Chaozu continued to fly ahead of the group of trainee monks that had escaped Tien's school when they were invaded by those two androids. Since they had no energy to sense, he wasn't sure if they were in pursuit of him or not. He tried to sense Tien's energy but it had grown faint over time and soon enough he couldn't sense it anymore and feared the worst.

Clutching the Dragonball in his hands, he reached the end of the tunnel, illuminated by a light that was reflected off the walls by the falling water ahead. He found a small alcove that was buried under several rocks and dug up a hole large enough to bury the Dragonball inside, covering the hole with dirt and rocks to keep it out of sight so it could blend in with the tunnel.

"Lord Chaozu, any news of Master Tien?" said one of the monks and Chaozu shook his head, frowning as he stared down at the ground.

"I can't sense Tien's energy. At least the Dragonball is still safe and away from their reach. If we take the path down from the waterfall, we can reach the village where you can hide while I look for Bulma."

The monks nodded in unison and bowed together before Chaozu flew behind the waterfall to a precipice that was wide enough for the monks to sidle along the wall which eventually opened up to an even wider trail that led them down the mountain. They gained a foothold of a few rock formations that served as stepping platforms so they could start climbing down to the ground. These monks weren't trained yet in the power of flight so they were relegated to moving by foot as quickly as they could. They had no time to mourn their fallen comrades and even Chaozu didn't want to grieve just yet if he assumed the worst.

As he was ready to fly down, a voice was heard in his head.

Chaozu.

"Huh? Tien?" Chaozu said, looking behind him.

I need your help, Chaozu.

Tien, you're still alive!

Yes, Chaozu. I survived somehow but I'm pretty badly hurt from their attack.

"What happened? Are they still after the Dragonball?"

I don't know, they left when they couldn't find it and they're no longer around. I need you to come back.

"Shouldn't we find Bulma, though? She might be in danger from those androids," Chaozu said. The monks looked back at him with a puzzled look but decided to continue onward, figuring he would catch up to them not too long after.

We can go find Bulma together. I'm badly hurt, Chaozu. If you don't come back to help soon, I will die.

Chaozu glanced back at the monks and sighed.

Okay, I'll come back, Tien.

Thank you, Chaozu.

Chaozu stared down at the monks and waved at them.

"Keep going to the village, I'll see you all later after I've helped Tien recover!" Chaozu called out to them and they all nodded at him, doubling their pace to scale down the mountain.

When Chaozu returned to the temple grounds, he gasped at how much destruction laid bare before him. The whole place had been levelled, leaving no trace of what was once their school. Tien was sitting back against a part of the Temple that had crumbled from its foundation. He grunted as he put his hands against the holes in his chest.

"I don't know if they hit anything vital, I've been going in and out of consciousness since they left after I hit them with a Kikoho. Their attack took a lot out of me, it was all I could do just to hit them once. I think they gave up their search and went elsewhere."

"I'll check to see if the healing supplies were damaged or not," Chaozu said and Tien grunted as he adjusted himself. He felt his vision go blurry for a moment and almost passed out again when Chaozu returned with a box and opened it. He took a vial and poured a strange liquid in the open wounds of Tien's chest when he ripped the top part of his robes off and he screamed at the stinging sensation when it hit him. He gritted his teeth and hissed as he felt the liquid seep through the wound and they gradually began to close up. Chaozu did the same with the other open wound and there was an equal amount of painful screaming from Tien as he did pass out for a few seconds, falling to the ground.

"Tien! Please don't die!" Chaozu cried out and Tien grunted a moment before he helped him back up to a seated position. He wrapped several bandages around Tien's upper body and waited patiently for him to regain some energy.

Chaozu stood up and looked around the place, sighing.

"I couldn't find anything else to help recover your strength," he said and Tien shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. We'll head to the nearest village and rejoin with the monks. Help me up, please."

Chaozu flew over to wrap Tien's arm around his shoulders and he levitated himself to help his friend back to his feet and he had to lean against the chunk of the temple to keep himself from falling again since his legs still felt like jelly to him. He put a hand to his head and Chaozu glanced up at him, concerned.

"I hope I didn't get a concussion. My head hurts a bit. It feels kind of fuzzy," Tien said and Chaozu kept the arm around his shoulders.

"Can you walk or fly yet?" he asked and Tien nodded. He began to feel the effects of the healing salve work its way into his body and a small portion of his strength returned. He felt more strength in his legs and figured that was enough to start walking again and he took a few steps forward, surveying the damage.

"We have to warn everyone that there's androids that look like Freeza out there looking for the Dragonballs. I can't imagine what kind of wish they'd want granted if they got a hold of all of them."

Chaozu flew up and scanned the area ahead of him.

"Bulma's that way," he said, pointing to the south. "I can sense Goku and a lot of our friends over there by the west."

Chaozu didn't notice something was up with Tien. Tien paused, his mind going blank for a moment and his eyes shifted slightly. Red lines faded in and out on his eyes like a cross and a sinister grin curled up from his mouth but he blinked and shook his head.

"Tien? Are you okay?" Chaozu asked as he flew back down. "You looked like you spaced out for a moment. Are you sure you didn't suffer a concussion?"

"No, no I didn't. I'll be fine, Chaozu, don't worry. Let's go find Bulma."

He could feel enough strength to channel energy and began to fly again, joining Chaozu as they took to the air and flew south.

Weighted decisions…

Choi wasn't expecting the next visitor to show up in his hospital room as Kelerot appeared before him. Cheelai was busy napping on a chair beside his bed and Choi was left in a state of both confusion and mild panic as he wanted to yell but only an audible gasp came from his mouth.

"I'm sorry if I startled you," Kelerot said as he approached the bed. Choi swallowed as he stared at him, feeling a great deal of intimidation as he stared at him, wide eyed.

"Waddoo you wand frob be?" Choi asked and Kelerot pulled up a chair, sitting down at the foot of the bed.

"The question you should be asking yourself is: 'What do you want from yourself?'" Kelerot asked back and Choi glanced down.

"I dond know," Choi said and Kelerot grinned.

"Don't worry about it. No one ever truly knows what they want for themselves until it looks them right in the face. I used to have that problem myself when I was your age."

"Leeb be alone," Choi said, trying to put on a brave face and Kelerot crossed his arms, staring down. He frowned a bit.

"I won't be here for too long, but I have been giving it some thought and I think I can help you," he told him and Choi blinked.

"Cad you heal be?" Choi asked and Kelerot shook his head.

"I don't have that kind of ability, sorry."

"Oh…"

"What I do have is the accumulated wisdom and knowledge of the fighting arts to make you a much better fighter than you already are," Kelerot said and Choi managed a grin as best as he could.

"Why wood I wand do leard fum you?" Choi asked. He wanted to laugh but he grunted in pain the moment a single bark of laughter came from his mouth. Kelerot leaned on his hand, staring at him.

"Because that girl was right about you. You've got a lot of potential, but you sorely lack the discipline it takes to be a competent fighter. If my master saw you, he'd slap you right into the next dimension."

Choi glared ahead. He still held onto a lot of anger towards Pan. The more he began thinking about it, the more he felt like she had humiliated him even though he had won that fight. He wanted to beat her on his own terms and losing himself to this power he never knew he had made him feel a mix of emotions, none of which were positive.

"Look at what overconfidence has done to you. You're a pathetic mess who can't even speak clearly," Kelerot stated bluntly and Choi glared at him even more.

"I'b nod baffedic!" Choi cried and clenched his fists but didn't have the strength to lift them up.

"Who taught you how to fight?" Kelerot asked.

"By fadder," Choi said.

"That explains a lot," Kelerot sighed, leaning forward in his chair. "I don't know how good your dad is as a fighter because I haven't tested his full power yet, but he's not that great of a teacher if he let you be as cocky as you are."

"Dond talg aboud my fadder lyeg dad!" Choi yelled and he managed to disturb Cheelai from her nap, who was shaken awake by the noise. When she saw Kelerot, she gasped, standing up and knocking the chair back behind her. She instinctively hovered over Choi, staring at him.

"What do you want? Why are you here? How did you get in here? What do you want from my son?!"

"Calm down, I'm not here to cause any trouble," Kelerot protested and Cheelai glared at him.

"When Broly comes back there's going to be a lot of trouble because it looks like you're threatening my son with that look you're giving him."

Kelerot raised his hands. "Again, I'm not here to cause trouble, miss."

"den why are you talging badly aboud my fadder?" Choi asked and Cheelai glanced at him, then at Kelerot.

"What did you say about Broly?!" she spat, stalking towards him. She was close to getting into his face but Kelerot wasn't phased by her defiance as he stared back at the both of them.

"I've seen his demeanor in and out of those fights of his and he clearly lacks a suitable teacher to provide him with the proper guidance. Unless you want a repeat of what happened earlier with a worse outcome?"

Cheelai stumbled a bit after hearing that, and she couldn't deny the veracity of the comment, sighing as she glanced back at her son. She shifted her gaze back up at Kelerot.

"So what you're saying is that you can teach my boy how to control his temper and not let his ego get in the way?" Cheelai asked.

"That is what I'm offering, yes," Kelerot stated and he crossed his arms, staring down at Choi. Cheelai went back to Choi and gently cradled his face in her hand.

"If I agree to this, when would you start?"

"baba?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, he does have a point. You need a proper teacher and your father can only teach you so much. If Lemo had that kind of power he'd help you out but this is beyond our ability. Please, I'll do anything at this point. I'll pay you if you need the money."

"That won't be necessary, miss," Kelerot said.

"Call me Cheelai."
"Miss Cheelai," Kelerot repeated. "Keep in mind that this is something I've never attempted before but I've learned enough from my own master that I can teach your boy many things that mere fighting cannot accomplish on its own."

Choi looked away, annoyed. He didn't like the sound of this and he hated the fact this stranger waltzed in out of nowhere talking badly about his father so casually. The fact that his mother is agreeing to this proposal made him feel sick to his stomach.

"I'm open to anything right now. Please help my boy," Cheelai said and Kelerot nodded.

"Very well. However, before we can truly begin, there is something I must attend to. I will, however, leave you with your first lesson."

Choi raised an eyebrow, glancing back at him.

"Add wad is dad?" Choi asked, now curious.

"Go and make amends with the girl whose arm you broke after you lost control of your anger. Show her that there is a compassionate side to you that respects the strength of your opponent."

"Whad?!" Choi cried out, even more wide-eyed.

"How you proceed is up to you. When I've taken care of what I needed to do, I will come back and train you fully. See you then," Kelerot said and walked out of the hospital room.

Cheelai gave him a look with a smirk on her face as Choi rolled his eyes, groaning a bit.

Kelerot continued down the hallway in the hospital, ignoring the staff as he passed them by. He stared pensively down at the floor with his arms crossed and he slowed his pace a bit. When he glanced up, he saw Goku and several others grouped together to exit the hospital. Goku was all-smiles as usual and a small grin appeared on his face.

"Such a carefree life you must lead, Goku," Kelerot muttered to himself and he stared at them as they went out of the building.

You're surrounded by friends and family who love you dearly, never worried about what it must feel like to be alone. Even though you lost your birthplace, it didn't seem to dampen your spirits. I wish I had that same luxury but I know who was responsible for the loss of my birthplace and everyone I ever cared about.

He clenched his hands a few times, sighing.

Is this really worth it? I have an opportunity to live a normal life now in this universe and make a difference in someone's life.

He clenched his fist tightly and growled, drawing the attention of the nursing staff around him and he let his aura cause several pieces of equipment and computers to burst and pop, scaring the reception desk. They all stared at him and backed away. Kelerot saw the looks of fear in their eyes as they stared at him and he stared back apologetically.

I can't do this. I can't get this out of my head. I can't live a normal life knowing that bastard still lives.

Kelerot ran out of the hospital. "Goku, wait a moment," he called out to him and the group stopped.

Several of them glanced at him suspiciously. Broly felt uneasy and began feeling a bit angry again as he stared at him while Bulla nudged Arugula over towards him, getting herself ready to assume a fighting stance. Videl had eased up a bit but she still gave Kelerot a glare much like she had with everyone else while Gohan stood beside Goku with a focused eye on Kelerot.

Kelerot could sense that Piccolo was also nearby, standing outside of the hospital and he felt that he was being watched.

"Hey Kelerot, why the long face? We're about to go have dinner, come join us!" Goku shouted and everyone glanced at him. Kelerot studied all of their expressions and sighed.

"I appreciate the offer but it seems your entourage has reservations about that," he told him and Goku glanced back at them.

"Huh? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Dad, are you sure this is wise? We all felt his power earlier, didn't we?" Gohan asked and Kelerot frowned but chuckled a bit.

"Right, my brief fight with Goku yesterday," Kelerot said. No one was saying anything, yet their eyes said all that was needed and Kelerot closed his eyes.

"You look at me the same way you would look at a being like Lord Beerus. Am I wrong on that assertion?"

Goku cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't see you that way. You're very strong and I'd love to keep sparring with you. I do mean it when I said I'd love to have the opportunity to train with you."

"You carry the power of a Destroyer god in you, which worries me greatly," Piccolo said from behind Kelerot as he walked towards the group. Goku frowned and glanced at the others whose faces indicated that the Namekian was right. Kelerot felt a bit nervous from that statement and turned to face Piccolo.

"So what if I know how to use Destruction energy? So what if I can teleport like a Supreme Kai? I don't feel like this is such a big secret anymore. I acquired these abilities so I could survive. The multiverse is a dangerous place and if I can't obtain the strength I needed, more worlds would fall at the hands of those who have too much power for their own good. What if you had a threat as powerful as Jiren? Who among you would have the fortitude to stop such a force?"

The air grew tenser as Goku stared at him. Gohan and Piccolo glanced at each other, knowing full well what Kelerot meant by that. They remembered Jiren's power and how frightening it was to see. If Goku hadn't did what he did during that Tournament of Power, this universe would've been erased. Thinking about that again put Piccolo on edge.

"I saw a display of anger earlier after the match between Choi and Pan. You looked like you were struggling to contain it," Piccolo said and Kelerot's eyes widened a bit.

"It's fine, I can control it. Seeing that boy lose himself and go berserk brought back a few memories I wish I could forget and it made me feel angry at myself," Kelerot said, but he knew it was only a half-truth. He didn't feel like telling his story all over again to everyone involved here but he stood in a precarious spot, all eyes trained on him.

"I heard from Whis that your special ability has a drawback," Goku stated and everyone looked at him.

"Special ability?" Piccolo asked, curious.

"Goku, I'd advise you not to blurt that out so casually," Kelerot warned him and Goku stared back.

"I think everyone needs to know. I still don't think you're all that bad of a person but I don't like keeping secrets for too long, it makes me feel all weird inside. Don't they have the right to gauge whether you're a threat or not?"

"Threat?!" Kelerot yelled. "I can't believe what I'm hearing right now. I told you no harm will come to this planet or any of its inhabitants while I'm on here. I learned a great deal from my master and keeping promises was an important one."

"But surely you must be aware of the drawback of your delving ability, right? Whoever taught it to you or however you learned it told you of the dangers of using too much of that power," Goku said, calmly approaching him and Kelerot began to feel a bit more distressed.

"I-I only did what I felt was necessary at the time! I knew the risks involved but if I hadn't delved Toppo and Cae when I did, I wouldn't have known that he was the one who destroyed my home planet and everyone on it!"

Audible gasps could be heard from Gohan and Piccolo. Gohan glanced at Goku, then at Kelerot.

"Toppo? That big mustachioed guy from the Pride Troopers? Why would he want to destroy a planet? Wasn't he all about fighting for justice?" Gohan asked.

"He no longer leads the Pride Troopers. Lord Belmod made him a full-fledged Destroyer and he goes by the name Barbon now," Goku said, glancing beside him at Gohan.

"So now you want revenge because Barbon did his duty as a Destroyer god?" Piccolo stated and Kelerot glared at him.

"It wasn't just about my planet's destruction. I was apprehended by him and the Pride Troopers because I was held captive by space pirates and they mistook me for one of them. I was forced to serve time in prison because of it and endured years of hell and humiliation, knowing that I'd never see my loved ones ever again.

"But you wouldn't understand. None of you would understand unless you were in my position. I can't let that monster roam free deciding the fates of those undeserving of their destruction!"

He stared intensely at Piccolo for a moment. "I would get the idea of interfering out of that head of yours if I were you."

Goku raised his hands. "Guys? Let's all calm down. We don't need a fight to break out."

Kelerot glanced back at Goku. He relaxed his body and breathed a sigh.

"I'm sorry. I should not put you all on edge like this," Kelerot said and walked away.

"I'd still be okay with you joining us for dinner. A good meal will help calm everyone down," Goku said, despite all objection to the contrary.

"No Goku," Kelerot said, shaking his head. "I've become an outcast to my own universe when I became a prisoner against my own will. I can't go back to that carefree life I once lived. I've already done something inexcusable before and there's no going back from that."

Kelerot turned around and smiled at Goku. "I don't belong here either, Goku. I don't belong anywhere. No matter how much you want to compromise or beg me to stay, I've made up my mind."

Goku looked a bit solemn but he nodded.

"It's not too late to change. You don't have to go down this path," Goku assured him but Kelerot shook his head.

"My path was chosen for me by Toppo and his death is the only thing that will rectify that," Kelerot said, then his face darkened as he stared coldly into Goku's eyes. "The next time we meet it will be as enemies on the battlefield."

Goku's eyes widened in surprise.

"Kai-kai," Kelerot said and disappeared in front of them. Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief when Kelerot left and Broly lifted Arugula up into his arms, then placed her on top of his shoulders. Bulla pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, while Videl tugged on Gohan's sleeve, motioning him to go with her while Piccolo approached Goku.

"So how worried should we be about him?" he asked.

"Unfortunately there's nothing we can do. Universe 11 is far away from us and only Whis or the Supreme Kai could take us there. Knowing Whis, he'd say this wasn't in our jurisdiction to act and would leave matters up to them."

"Um, mister Kakarot?" Arugula piped in and Goku glanced back but had to look all the way up since she was perched on Broly's shoulders.

"Mister Bronto says that when he looked at that man, he could see a lot of people inside him as well. I don't know what that means," she said and Goku brought a hand to his chin.

"That is strange," he said. "Kelerot doesn't strike me as the type to eat people."

Piccolo couldn't help but roll his eyes a bit at that and Arugula piped in again, holding Mr. Bronto in front of her.

"Oh, Mister Bronto also wants to know what delving means," Arugula added and Goku glanced up.

"Oh, um, Whis described it as though you can touch someone and using their energy to study them. You can look into all their fighting techniques, their memories, and all sorts of things apparently. Maybe that's what Mister Bronto means when he saw lots of people inside Kelerot," Goku informed her.

"A residual effect, like an echo," Piccolo said.

"Yeah. Whis did warn us that the drawback of delving is that it can potentially cause the user to go insane from delving too much," Goku stated and Piccolo's eyes went wide for a bit.

"What?"

"That might explain Kelerot's awesome energy control. He probably needs to train himself to control all those different powers he's seen through his delving technique. But what sort of effect will it have on him now that he's delved the energy of the gods?"

"You mean like Icarus?" Bulla chimed in, drawing everyone to her.

"Oh, sorry. It made me remember my mythology studies one time when I wasn't busy helping mom in the lab. There's this story of a man named Icarus who was given a pair of wings by his father so they could escape the island they had been imprisoned on. The father warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun because the sun's heat would melt the wax that was binding the wings to Icarus, but Icarus ignored his father's pleads and fell to the sea as a result."

"So you're saying Kelerot is gaining more power than he's accustomed to and it'll destroy him in the end?" Goku asked.

"Theoretically, these myths only serve as a reference for important life lessons, but if this guy's going through all those lengths just for revenge against one man, it'll just kill him in the end."

"Unless that's his motive from the start," Piccolo said and audible grumblings came simultaneously from several stomachs in front of him and he looked a bit dumbstruck.

"Sorry! All this talk's bringing up a big appetite!" Goku laughed and Bulla felt embarrassed because she too was feeling it.

"I've been waiting for a while to have food myself," Broly chimed in.

"Same here," Bok added.

Goku stretched his arms out. "Man, I gotta talk about that fight, you guys! Pan was awesome!" Goku's voice faded in the distance while Piccolo stared up at the sky.

Flying too close to the sun. What if he's become too powerful for even the sun to bring him down?