Chapter 23 – "An escalation to battle across two universes."

Moments earlier…

Barbon and Cae returned to the Destroyer's planet after they recently completed their project renovating a planetary system. Marcarita was standing by, staff in hand and greeted them with a smile and a short bow. Cae seemed to notice that her smile was rather forced and his eyebrows slightly went up.

"Welcome back, Lord Barbon and Cae," she said, bowing at them.

"Thank you, Marcarita," Cae bowed back and Barbon nodded his head down with his eyes closed.

"I have gifts for the both of you," she reached over with the tip of her staff and conjured two necklaces that hung around their necks. The jewel attached to a golden chain was a small crystal, beautifully crafted and reflected a small prism when the right angle of light shone through it. Barbon eyed it curiously between his thumb and forefinger.

"What are these?" asked Cae.

"For your protection," she went straight to the point and Barbon frowned through his thick mustache.

"Protection from what?"

"Our 'problematic' mortal has come back to our universe after a few days absence," she informed them and both Cae and Barbon exchanged looks.

"The Gardenian. Where is he currently?" Cae asked.

Marcarita projected a sphere that displayed Netfiss and Barbon's eyes widened a bit when he saw Kelerot appear, aiming a sphere of destruction energy at the city.

"To think he's mastered the ability to control destruction energy so quickly," he said, glaring at the sphere.

"A practitioner of Kinetic Delving can master a new technique in a short amount of time the more adept they are at Delving, my Lord."

Barbon extended his hand out to Cae.

"Take me there. I will end this quickly," he told them and Cae frowned, glancing at Marcarita. The two did not say anything but they knew what Barbon was implying.

"Why do you hesitate?"

"Your oath as Destroyer, unless you've forgotten?" Marcarita noted and Barbon stared at her.

"I'm aware of the oaths and knowing that this mortal is using the power of the gods makes him a credible threat to this universe that must be dealt with. Should that not warrant my involvement?"

"It's too dangerous for us to move separately now due to his knowledge of not only your abilities but mine as well. Given the opportunity, he could seek me out while you're away and kill me to destroy you, or vice versa if he was truly desperate for revenge." Cae had a hand to his chin, pondering this circumstance and Barbon wasn't sure if Cae was humoring him or not and he sighed, sitting down on a chair in front of his personal study. He poured himself a glass of his favorite drink, placing two ice cubes from the metal bucket behind the bottle in his glass and swirled the liquid inside. He downed his drink and leaned forward; elbows placed on the arm rests so that his hands brushed lightly against his mustache.

"My Lord, the Pride Troopers are engaging Kelerot," Marcarita said and Barbon stared at the sphere's display.

"Then all we can do is watch?" he asked, glancing up at her. She expanded the sphere to double its size and Barbon sat back, watching the fight progress.

Barbon's sworn duty as a God of Destruction came with the sacrifice of his mortal duties when he was once Toppo, leader of the Pride Troopers. He had spent the better part of a decade fulfilling those duties as a Destroyer without question. The sworn oath of a Destroyer meant that he would have to forgo his attachment to the mortal world, foregoing all association with the Pride Troopers and left all matters to them from the day he ascended to relinquish Belmod of his position. This was a core part of his training and it was the most difficult part to accomplish, knowing how strong a friendship he had built with these warriors over his lifetime.

Destroying planets for Cae to create new ones meant that he had to abandon his emotional attachment, a task Marcarita said would become easier as more time passed by. Gods would observe the development of civilizations and planets and decide when it was the appropriate time to destroy and rebuild to either maintain or improve the universe's mortal rating.

The fight before Barbon's eyes ended within minutes. His stomach wrenched in knots when he saw the first unfortunate victim of Kelerot's destruction energy, and it sank even more at each subsequent death. He watched the Gauntlet fall in pieces from the sky, Zoiray no doubt inside when it blew, Cocotte's neck snapped, Kettol stabbed through the back with a hand, Kahseral physically beaten to death, and both Kunshi and Dyspo erased from existence, destroyed before his eyes. Cae closed his eyes, breathing a sigh. It hurt seeing those he watched fight proudly in the Tournament of Power die one by one and he studied Barbon to see how he would react. Barbon eased back into his chair and looked like he was sinking into it completely. He stroked his mustache for a moment and noticed that both Cae and Marcarita were staring at him and he shook his head, sitting up straight.

"We cannot allow ourselves to grieve, that would dishonor the legacy of the Pride Troopers," he said, standing up. "All I can take from this is that I am the only objective in Kelerot's mind. He is more interested in finding me than drawing me out. I will leave the mourning of their loss to the fine citizens of Netfiss city. Word will eventually reach the remaining civilized planets of the Pride Troopers valiant effort to contain this new threat and that their deaths will not be in vain."

"There is still Jiren, my Lord," Cae told him and Barbon nodded. Seeing him appear on the sphere and observing the citizens carry what bodies were still on the field, Barbon watched him stare down Kelerot and a small grin appeared on his face.

"The people are all counting on you now, Jiren," Barbon said and after their conversation ended, Kelerot disappeared. Jiren took to the skies and flew out of the planet's atmosphere.

"We must use this time to relocate you to Lord Beerus's planet," Marcarita told them and their eyes shot up.

"What?" Cae was the first to answer. He expected many things from the angel but this was the first time she had ever said something that threw him for a loop.

"What do you mean by relocating?" Barbon asked. "and why Lord Beerus's planet of all places?" Cae added.

"This request is coming directly from the Grand Minister," Marcarita said, frowning a bit. Even she thought the request was odd and generally had her reservations with regards to certain siblings of hers. She never had much to like about the lower rated universes yet was never really vocal about it, even though the other angels were well aware of her feelings about them. She has been more at odds with Whis with regards to his discovery of Earth's delicacies and chided him for never bringing some of those pastries to her universe, especially this concoction he described called Chocolate mousse. She felt too proud to admit her obsession with chocolate and had to sneak some by Belmod so he would not partake in them. Barbon did not care one way or another whether she brought desserts for they held little interest to him. Their unique partnership had a few obstacles to overcome, mainly differing interests; but theirs was strictly an equal master/student relationship on top of Destroyer/angel attendant. She used any opportunity to travel abroad, retrieving new books for Barbon to read if it meant she could acquire chocolate but hated that she never found the time needed to travel to the Seventh Universe to try what Whis described as "the most heavenly chocolate desserts you'll ever taste".

"This must be serious if the Grand Minister himself is requesting this," Cae said and Marcarita nodded.

"He spoke briefly with Awamo and was advised based on a discovery he made in the Network of Fates that the two of you are to stay at Lord Beerus's planet. He spoke of the Saiyans, stating that the one called Vegeta will play an important role in the near future. He wants the two of you there to lure Kelerot so that he and Vegeta will fight." Cae opened his mouth to protest but was shut out with a hand from Marcarita. "Don't ask why this is, I haven't a clue myself. All he said was to 'trust the Network.'"

"But that could only mean…"

"That Jiren will fail to defeat him," Barbon said, frowning down at Marcarita.

"We don't know that for sure yet," she said. She still echoed a bit of Belmod's confidence in Jiren's strength. "Follow the Grand Minister's advice for now and stay with Lord Beerus until then."

She added in a flat yet ominous tone: "The Network of Fates is absolute in its assessment of all life forms: mortal, deity, even the Omni Kings themselves. Not a single entity is above the Network. Whether Jiren defeats Kelerot in battle or he dies; if the Network determines that Vegeta is the one to defeat Kelerot, then Fate will find a way to make sure that it happens exactly as it has been laid out."

"I've never been one to put anything up to Fate, Lady Marcarita," Barbon said, sounding more like the Toppo of old. She anticipated an additional comment about true justice prevailing but Barbon hadn't said a single word afterwards. He put his hand on Cae's shoulder and nodded down at him.

"He might search this planet next if he can't find us so be vigilant," Cae told Marcarita and she waved him off.

"I've warded off the planet so he couldn't sense where you were. The pendant shields you from all universes being able to sense you. My siblings are aware of the jewels around your neck and would assume that I gave you those in the event they could no longer sense your location and figured you to be dead."

"Understood. May this be over shortly. Kai-kai," Cae said and both he and Barbon teleported away.

A communication…

Returning to their ship, Glacial opened up a communication channel. There was a figure who appeared on the screen, shadowed by the low light with only the light of the screen on their end illuminating their lower half.

"Hello Glacial, you have a report for me?" said a woman's voice on the other end.

"Retrieval of the Dragonballs is proceeding as scheduled," Glacial informed the person on the other end and she smiled.

"Good to know. Continue with your mission until you've gathered all of them and destroy them as per Lord Freeza's request."

"Understood. You should also be pleased to know that we have initiated 'Project Nion'," Glacial said and she could see the smile appear on the other woman's face when she heard that.

"Ah, splendid. Nion would have been overjoyed to hear that. What have been the results so far?"

"After the first human was injected, energy corruption occurred within three hours until he submitted completely. I injected his friend and he submitted within minutes. It would seem to be more effective on the weaker life-forms of this planet.

"They can then proceed to transfer the corrupted energy onto the other lifeforms of this planet and multiply the energy virus considerably. I sent the small-fry to begin infecting the first civilized town he finds while the other will proceed to infect Son Goku's friends and family. We expect the entire population to submit to us within a week."

"That is wonderful news, Glacial. What of your brother?" she asked.

"Tundra is assessing Goku's entourage carefully. I expect he will be joined by the first infected human shortly and will proceed to engage with the rest of the mortals associated with the Saiyan. We've been monitoring a woman with blue hair who has a device able to locate the Dragonballs. We'll observe her closely to be sure she obtains all of them before we take them from her. Whether we destroy her afterwards or make use of her with the virus will be a decision made later but rest assured Uncle Freeza's orders will be carried out without fail."

"Goku will be a problem though, we mustn't allow him to intervene with Project Nion. I do however have the prefect solution to draw him away from his loved ones," the woman said on the other end.

"What do you suggest?" Glacial asked. Her tone throughout this conversation was straightforward, her mode of speech more linear and factual than her other tone. She was an android providing a report and the woman on the other end expected this.

"We have touched down on Planet Namek and are in search of their Dragonballs. We should have all of them shortly. Lord Freeza expects Goku to come, unable to resist the opportunity to help these Namekians. Whether he comes alone or with others is irrelevant, so long as Lord Freeza has him in his sights. See to it that he does, Glacial."

"Understood, Lady Berryblue," Glacial said and switched the communicator off. A devious grin appeared on her face and she took to the air to get Tundra's location before flying to him.

A fight to protect the Dragonballs…

When Goku's group appeared on the secluded island refuge, Pan lost her footing and continued moving forward until she went face first into a tree's trunk. Bulla gasped and ran over to her.

"Oww," Pan said, rubbing her nose. She fought back a couple of tears from the pain and sniffed to make sure she hadn't broken anything. She stood up and dusted off her dress. She wasn't expecting stares from Goku and Gohan however when they saw her.

"Pan, what's gotten into you?" Gohan asked. He wasn't completely angry but she could tell he was both upset and concerned by the tone of his voice.

"I decided to come with you all," she simply said and Gohan frowned, removing his glasses to put them away in its case. "And Uncle Piccolo's in danger," she added.

"I know Piccolo's in danger. But because you left so abruptly, you put your mother in even greater danger," Gohan said and Pan gulped but steeled her gaze at him regardless.

"Mama's fine with Broly and his family, isn't she? That big guy and his kids will take care of her, even though one of them's a huge stupid brat," she said, her tone going cold when she thought of Choi. I hope Uub wipes the floor with you.

"You did a very reckless thing, Pan," Goku started, staring down at her. He wasn't too thrilled to see her and she looked up at him, worried. "I was in the middle of teleporting and having you jump in like that is an extremely dangerous thing to do. I don't know for sure whether all of you was going to teleport with us or not. It could've just been the top half of ya when we appeared on here and you wouldn't know it until you saw that you were missing your legs."

"What?!" Pan cried out and she immediately felt her legs to see that they were still there and she went pale in the face. "Th-that could actually happen?"

Gohan nodded. "Possibly. Factoring in the speed at which instantaneous movement occurs with the velocity of your own movement, I'd say you had a less than five percent chance of remaining intact when you grabbed onto Bulla to teleport with us."

"Oh god…" Pan said, sinking to her knees. Bulla cleared her throat and stared at him.

"Anyway," she said, getting their attention. "My mom's still in danger and I'd like to know how close she is so we can save her from this android threat. We can worry about the science another time." Even though that does sound like something I wouldn't mind studying after this is over.

Goku searched around him on the island and spotted Goten and Trunks waving at them as they ran towards them.

"Dad! Big Brother!" Goten shouted and the two stopped. Trunks glanced down at Bulla.

"What're you guys doing here? Why are you here, Bulla?" Trunks emphasized his second question a bit more and Bulla frowned up at him.

"Mom's in trouble, okay? That's why I'm tagging along," she was straight to the point and Trunks's eyes widened a bit.

"She should be arriving here shortly. I gave her the coordinates after we found the Dragonball. Here," Trunks told Goku, pulling out the crystal ball from his front pocket. He wore a sleeveless pocketed vest over his white shirt while Goten was still dressed in full ranger garb. Bulla took the ball and studied it.

"Wow, I've never seen one of these up close before. Usually I'd only be able to stare at them behind a heavily guarded security grid at home," she said and could see her reflection on the surface. She smiled and admired her face for a moment before adding: "crap, I think I overdid it on the blush a bit."

All eyes then turned to the sky for a moment and Goku frowned.

"Dad."

"Yeah, I sense it too. Two evil energies coming this way."

"Two?" Pan asked and Goku closed his eyes, pointing towards the southwest of their location.

"Two on their way here, with a third going in a different direction. That doesn't make any sense," Goku said and Pan's face grew more worried.

"I can see Bulma coming in," Goten said, watching the skies behind them and they all turned to him. Bulma's craft landed casually on the island's open grassy area and Goten frowned when he could hear several of the wild endangered animals scurry off in fear. I hope 17 didn't see that, he'd scold me for sure.

Bulma disembarked from her ship and waited as Pilaf, Shu, and their large companion Bao exit the ship before she put it back in its capsule. She had a backpack which she unzipped in front of her.

"Hey everyone, I wasn't expecting so many of you to show up," she said and Bulla walked over to put the ball in with the other four and she grinned deeply at how shiny they were, reflected off the sunlight before Bulma zipped the bag closed.

"Mom, it's not safe for you here, we need to get back home immediately," Bulla told her, a resolute and steady expression on her face.

"She's right. Let me take you to Capsule Corps, I can get you there in an instant," Goku said, walking over to her.

"I'll be taking those Dragonballs from you now!" came a voice from above them and they stopped, staring around them.

"That voice!"

"Freeza?!" Gohan shouted and Goku shook his head.

"No, it's not Freeza. I can't sense anything, which means-"

"Up there!" Pan was the first to spot the android and he fired an energy blast down at the ground, aimed at Bulma. Bulla quickly grabbed her and threw herself holding her out of the way of the blast, which hit the earth and exploded creating a divot in the soil. Debris and rocks flew all around it as Goku and Gohan flew up to meet the android in the air. Goku got a good look at him now and wasn't sure what to make of him. He had the same physical features as Freeza yet his skin tone and exoskeletal plating were completely different. His eyes looked opaquer and dark grey in color with strange red and yellow lines that looked like wires embedded in his cranium starting from where his eyebrows would be. Similar red lines ran down along his chest and arms, connecting those strange purple jewels he was used to seeing on Freeza's body and that familiar white tail that occasionally swished in the breeze. The android smiled at the two who stared at him.

"Why are you after the Dragonballs?" Goku shouted.

"I'm under orders to retrieve them. That's all you need to know. Now hand them over."

"Pan! Bulla! Grab Bulma and the others and get out of here quickly while we handle this!" Goku shouted down at the girls.

"Right, let's get going!" Bulla shouted to Pan, tossing her the backpack and she slipped it over her shoulders. Bulla turned to the other three who were with Bulma and Pilaf looked the more freaked out of them, staring up at the android.

"You guys go and hide somewhere so you won't get hurt. Hurry!" she shouted and lifted Bulma into her arms. Bulma wrapped her arms around her daughter and gulped as Bulla took to the air. "I'm gonna go as fast as possible so brace yourself, mom."

"Hey! Why does she get a ride and not us! I don't want to be on this island with Goku fighting that thing!" Pilaf whined and was surprised to see both Shu and Bao already making a beeline to the thicket of trees behind them.

"Would someone explain to me what the heck's going on around here?!" he said and growled as he ran off after the others to hide in the thicket as well.

Pan took to the air to follow Bulla and the android fired a few energy blasts in their direction before giving them chase. Gohan deflected the energy blasts away while Goku went in for a few punches that the android blocked.

"Hurry up and get as far away as you can!" Gohan shouted at them and Bulla nodded. She powered up into her Super Saiyan form and propelled herself with a quick burst of energy, forcing Bulma to hold on tightly. Pan complied as well with her own burst of energy and followed Bulla right behind.

Goten and Trunks took to the air to surround the android and Gohan rushed back to join up. Seeing himself outnumbered, the android's grin didn't relent.

"I've been provided sufficient data on all of you from Father," the android said and glanced over to the girls escaping his sight with the bag that has the Dragonballs.

"That wouldn't surprise me," Gohan said. "It's not the first time we've had to face an android threat."

"That has also been taken into consideration. You have two of your own androids named 17 and 18. You are Son Gohan, brother of Son Goten, son of Son Goku, and friend of Trunks, son of Vegeta. It doesn't surprise me to see how often Saiyans gather together like this for a fight, it's in your very nature according to my programming."

"Since you know so much about us, why not tell us who you are and what you've done with Tien," Goku added and the android grinned. He didn't pay attention to any of them specifically but he was still in a position to defend himself.

"I am called Tundra. My sister Glacial is on her way here as we speak, and the two of us should be powerful enough to destroy you," Tundra said and both Goten and Trunks shot him a look.

"Let's see how big that statement is in a few minutes," Goten smiled and powered up, Trunks doing the same. He was still a bit reluctant in joining in but knew what was more important and put his objections to the back of his mind, racing with conflicting thoughts related to the Tournament the other day and his renewed relationship with Mai. Their white auras were flaring around them as they glanced back from Goku to Tundra.

"Father, Trunks and I can take this guy down, you should go help Pan and Bulla to make sure this guy and whoever this Glacial is doesn't get the Dragonballs," Goten told him and Goku grinned.

"Thanks, but I've been itching for a proper fight for a while now and I don't wanna feel like I've gone rusty after all these years," he boasted and Tundra chuckled a bit.

Why is he still confident if he's surrounded? Is he that sure of his power compared to ours? Gohan studied him a bit more closely and felt annoyed that he couldn't sense his energy. Not being able to track your opponent with enhanced energy sensing gave them an advantage and you hoped that your own training and strength could handle what they threw at you.

"Then allow me the privilege of giving you your proper fight, Son Goku!" Tundra shouted and he raised his hands in the air and thrust them forward at the four of them. The area around them suddenly became distorted as waves of intense invisible energy thrust down upon them from Tundra, the level of noise accompanying the attack caused them to cover their ears as the pressure bore down on them. Goku started powering through it, transforming into his Super Saiyan form and he flew out of the range of the attack. Gohan did the same, followed by Goten and Trunks, yet Tundra was aware of their movements and went on the offensive against the last two to escape his attack, firing energy blasts at the two. They were still disoriented, holding their heads a bit and struggled to deflect the energy blasts. Tundra flew in and caught Trunks in the mid-section with a kick, spinning around while his foot was still planted in Trunks's gut to roundhouse Goten in the face.

Gohan and Goku flanked Tundra and fared a little better after the initial attack, which forced the android to return their assault with another blast of his strange attack.

"What kind of technique is this?" Gohan shouted as he tried to gain some distance and Goku flew up near him.

"He's using it to keep us from a full-frontal assault so he can pick us apart one by one," Goku surmised and the two suddenly looked to the side.

"Dad, that energy-!"

"Yeah, I feel it too," Goku said and Gohan nodded, taking off. He could sense where this energy was going and had to make a quick decision. The energy was headed towards the girls.

As the fight between Tundra and the four started, Bulla and Pan were flying as quickly as they could back to Capsule Corporation.

"I gotta get in touch with home so they can get 16 ready to join us. When we drop you off we're going back to tackle that freaky android," Bulla said and Bulma gave her a look.

"Are you serious?!"

"Mom, you'll be safe back home. I gotta make sure that thing doesn't get anywhere near you and the more of us to defeat him, the better," Bulla said and Bulma sighed.

"You wouldn't know since you've never met Freeza but seeing that guy look just like him is really freaky. Why would Freeza build something like that and why send him here to get the Dragonballs when he could've come himself? None of this is making any sense!"

"I don't care if he looks like Lord Beerus, I'm not letting him anywhere near you or the Dragonballs," Bulla said and Pan nodded.

"We'll make sure you get home safe, Miss Bulma! You can count on us to-AGH!" Pan was hit from behind by a stray energy blast, powerful enough to knock her out of the air. The backpack was smoking and engulfed in flames and Pan flailed her arms to regain her mobility and patted the backpack to put out the flames. Bulla stopped and spun back around to see what had happened.

"Pan! Are you alright!"

"What do you think?! What the heck just hit me?" Pan cried out and the girls searched the area, sensing surrounding energies and spotted two coming within sight. The source of the one who attacked Pan appeared first and Pan's face lit up.

"Uncle Piccolo! Unf, damn fire, go out already!" Pan shouted as she continued trying to douse the flame and Bulla stared at him for a moment, her eyes narrowing a bit. But she quickly noticed a few shining objects falling out of the bag from a hole the fire had burned and let out a cry.

"Pan! The Dragonballs are falling out of the bag!" she shouted and Pan slid the backpack off her shoulders and finally put out the fire. Three of the Dragonballs were able to slip out and she held onto the bag flying down to get them before they landed in the ocean below. As soon as she was close to one of them a hand grabbed her by the ankle and Bulla grunted, forced to watch.

"Damn, I can't let you go but I have to help Pan," Bulla muttered, loud enough for Bulma to hear her and her mother nodded.

"Drop me, I can land in the water safely," Bulma whispered to her and Bulla's eyes widened.

"What?"
"Let me go, and I'll get the Dragonballs that fell. I have capsules to get me back. Something's off about Piccolo's face," Bulma said, nodding over to Piccolo and Bulla gritted her teeth, closing her eyes.

"Just do it!" Bulma shouted and Bulla groaned.

"I'm sorry, mom!" Bulla shouted and let Bulma fall to the ocean. She quickly fished out a capsule from her pocket and activated it, making a small one-person aircraft appear. She adjusted herself to nosedive quickly to grab it and she opened the hatch to climb in. She knew this doubled as a submarine and activated her radar to locate where the Dragonballs had fell, letting her daughter and Pan focus on Piccolo.

Bulla flew over to help Pan but Piccolo fired a few energy blasts at her to keep her away and she dodged them. He had his arm extended to grab Pan as she fell and he began retracting it to pull her back up. Pan frantically tried one last time to grab the Dragonball but as she did, more fell out of the bag until there was only one still left inside and she clutched it tightly against her with one hand, using the other to fire an energy blast back up at Piccolo.

"What's gotten into you, Uncle Piccolo?!" she shouted and fired another energy blast. All she could see of his face was a deadpan smile and eyes that had weird red lines on them, a near expressionless face that made it look like he was running on auto-pilot and she felt a bit of anxiety rise up from the look he was giving her. She tried to grab his wrist to force him to let her go but his grip was vice-like and he wasn't letting her go.

She began charging up energy to hit him with a strong attack but she felt her anxiety diminish when she sensed her father coming into view. Gohan used the force from his hand to slice Piccolo's arm clean off and he positioned himself in between Pan and Piccolo, glaring up at him.

"Dad!" Pan shouted, grabbing the severed arm to detach it from her ankle. She tossed it in the ocean.

"I got here as fast as I could when I sensed Piccolo and Tien making a move towards you," Gohan said and Pan was able to get her composure in order to look at Piccolo with a worried glance.

"Dad, what's wrong with Uncle Piccolo? What happened to him? Uncle! Get a hold of yourself! Why are you attacking us?!"

"Go to Bulma and get the Dragonballs back," Gohan told her and Pan's face protested but he gave her a stern glance. It was then that Tien showed up as well and his hands were brought up to his face. He was still smiling and his eyes looked a bit more crazed than Piccolo's but Gohan recognized the hand placement in front of him.

"Crap! Bulla! Pan! Get out of here, NOW!" Gohan shouted and gasped when he saw Piccolo put two fingers to his face and charge up energy at the tips of his fingers. He noticed something about him that threw him off a moment.

Piccolo would normally regenerate his arm right away when he loses it yet he's ignoring the blood loss from the severed arm.

He found it very worrisome that Tien was using his strongest attack that was sapping his life force every time he used it but the look on his face betrayed his body. Gohan saw a fighter with no regard for his own life and he built up his own energy to defend himself against both their attacks.

Bulla rushed down with Pan to help Bulma and Pan grumbled out of frustration.

"None of this is making any sense right now!" she shouted.

"I know, but let's focus on helping mom. I can use my radar to help speed up the recovery of the Dragonballs that fell into the water," she brought up her wrist communicator and activated the hologram of the Dragonball locator and narrowed it down to her current position using the GPS on the device. It showed the blips below them and saw that Bulma's aircraft was making its way to those blips as well.

Gohan was prepared for the dual attacks but he noticed that when Piccolo was firing his Special Beam Cannon, he aimed it below him and his eyes widened in horror.

"The girls!" he cried and gasped just as fast when Tien fired his Kikoho blast at the same time as Piccolo. No, I won't make it in time! Damn it all!

He took the full blast of the Kikoho and managed to defend himself with his own power, but it bought enough time for the Special beam cannon to shoot down towards the girls.

Bulla and Pan were about to reach Bulma when Bulla glanced behind her one moment too late and took the beam attack head on to the side of her face. The beam continued down towards Bulma's ship and pierced a hole through the hull's bottom.

"BULLA!" Pan screamed and she rushed to catch Bulla before she fell down. The beam had been strong enough to knock her out and her fair fell out of her Super Saiyan state to her normal aquatic color.

Bulma lost control of her aircraft as it was spinning wildly and she was screaming as it was careening straight towards the ocean. She pressed the eject button and the latch popped off, her seat rocketing her out of the aircraft before it spun some more and exploded. She was still spinning from the momentum and Pan flew down, powering herself up to grab the seat to stop her from spinning around and Bulma held her head, almost throwing up from her dizziness. She had to let go of the backpack, the last Dragonball falling to the ocean below so her hands could be free to grab them both.

"I got ya," Pan said, holding onto the two of them and stared back up. Her anxiety came back as she was sensing the battle above her and Bulma regained her senses to check on Bulla, touching the side of her face. There was a significant cut on the side of her face where the beam struck her and her hand came back with blood on it.

"Oh no…Pan…get us back home quickly. Bulla, she's…" Bulma was still weary from spinning so much that she almost passed out and Pan had her arms firmly wrapped around the two.

"On it," she said and glanced back up one more time. Dad, please be careful.

Gohan couldn't help but see Tien's more deranged look on his face, disturbed that the normally calm and collected face he always had gave way to this twisted face that wouldn't stop smiling back at him, eyes wide with those freaky red lines on them.

"I have to get these two back to the battle with the android so Pan can get Bulma and Bulla back home safe," he said, sensing that Bulla's energy had faded after she got hit by Piccolo's attack and he frowned at his old mentor. He sighed, knowing that he'd have to fight him now and wished this day had gone by differently. He powered up again and waited for an opening from Piccolo to attack. He factored in this strange behaviour to give him a strategic advantage since this was beyond Piccolo's normal behaviour. Piccolo and Tien began attacking Gohan and their hits were easily dodged. Gohan caught Tien's fist and kneed him in the gut to stagger him while blocking a few shots from Piccolo to elbow him in the face. They both grunted but their faces remained mostly the same and Gohan's eyes widened. What kind of energy is making them like this?

"You should have listened to my advice, Gohan," Piccolo said and charged up an energy ball in his hand. Gohan narrowed his eyes, but he remembered Piccolo's warning from earlier before he left with Goku.

"What did that android do to the two of you?! Answer me!" Gohan yelled but Tien chuckled a bit.

"Our masters will grant us life once more. In time, the great and powerful technological marvel of the Tsufurian race will be born anew," Tien said and Gohan's eyes widened.

"T-Tsufurian race?"

"Yes, we Tsufurians will return and use this planet as its vessel to help us get our revenge against the vile Saiyans that destroyed us," Piccolo added and Gohan was at a loss for what this all meant.

"What does this have to do with Freeza?" Gohan asked but the two wouldn't answer him.

"This one reeks of Saiyan filth," Tien said and his smile finally vanished. Piccolo's smile faded as well and he nodded.

"We must purge all Saiyans and infect this planet to regrow our Emperor's depleted forces," Piccolo stated and the two aimed energy blasts at Gohan who deflected them as they were firing at him. Gohan occasionally shot glances back where Pan was flying and deduced that she was at a safe enough distance for him to make a move and he began to fly back to Goku and Tundra.

"Hey, if you want me, come and get me!" he shouted and powered up to gain a burst of speed, gaining some distance from the two but they immediately flew off in pursuit. Damn you, Freeza, what did you send to Earth?!

The long-awaited rematch…

An excavation crew of half a dozen soot-faced men left a mining shaft on a planet named Pots. Several wiped their faces with already soiled rags that were covered with so much dirt and grime its original color was no longer recognizable. Their cargo was being loaded onto the back of a transport ship and they all took their hats off, breathing in the fresh air outside.

"Thank goodness we got this last load out before sunset. Who's piloting this time?"

A slender, yet athletic-shaped man raised his hand and the leader nodded. The leader was a gruff bearded man with a large gut and a complexion that implied one wouldn't mess with him on any given day yet his eyes did cast a caring nature when it came to his crew. Most of the miners thought he often resembled Lord Barbon if he had only grown his mustache but the foreman brushed it off, saying that despite similarities in the species, he never wanted to take on the responsibility of a Pride Trooper. He loved minerals, rocks, and ores too much to give up his dream job and relaxing at Netfiss's famous bar after a long day in the mine shaft was all he would ever ask for.

"Remind me when we're out of orbit to get in touch with the missus to let her know to meet me at the Trooper's Calling tonight. I've got a nice surprise for her birthday tomorrow but wanted to give it to her early," the leader told the pilot and he responded with a thumbs up and the crew all gave him casual grins.

A figure teleported all of a sudden behind him, his back facing the crew and they all stopped abruptly in a panic, eyeing him. One of them let out a yelp as he saw the man appear out of thin air and pointed behind the leader.

He turned around and almost fell on his back, losing balance as the figure glanced behind him at the crew.

"Huh? Oh, sorry about that, still getting used to this teleportation. I didn't mean to drop in on you so closely," he said and the leader cleared his throat, staring at him. It took him a few moments and the crew began to clue in as well after they got a good look at the man's face that it was the fugitive that had escaped a while ago and was still at large. His face had been littering holographic screens across the universe, advising anyone to inform their nearest Pride Trooper should they ever see him.

Kelerot's image had been drilled in their heads often enough that it took a moment for the crew to calm themselves down, only for them to panic once more as recognition set in. They slowly backed away from him and Kelerot frowned.

"This planet will not be safe for anyone still on here. You have a few moments to get your bearings together and get away on your ship," Kelerot told them and they all nodded.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" the man who said he was piloting the ship rushed to the cockpit to start it up as the rest of the crew finished loading their cargo and slammed the door, running as fast as they could to board the ship before it took to the air and Kelerot watched as it left orbit, glancing back at the mine shaft.

Planet Pots was a heavily sought planet for construction materials, some of the best in the universe. It was even in the very mine shaft Kelerot stared at that they mined raw Kachitite, something he noticed was among the cargo they had loaded onto their ship before taking off. He wanted to explore the mine a bit but knew that Jiren was on his way to engage him.

Part of him wanted nothing to do with Jiren, but his desire for fighting grew over his time spent in the Galactic Prison. He'd chuckle to himself, asking why a simple farmer would want to fight the strongest mortal in the universe and his master Daikon was partially to blame for that, fueling their dormant desire to fight. He never realized how much his fellow Saiyans got a thrill for fighting until Daikon showed up and began training them. It was even more significant after he had met the Saiyans from the Seventh Universe that the call to battle was too much to ignore. Despite his initial doubt, he stood there in front of the mine shaft, waiting for Jiren to appear.

The ground began to shake from the energy that was coming towards the planet. It rumbled softly and the air grew denser as Kelerot sensed him entering the atmosphere. His own energy climbed slowly as a smile grew on his face, his eyes closed.

When Jiren landed, he frowned as he looked around him. He was familiar with Pots and the materials mined here and he stared at Kelerot.

"You chose an interesting location for our fight," he told him and Kelerot opened his eyes to stare back at him.

"We can still avoid this," Kelerot started, getting a slight puzzled look on Jiren's face, even though much of it doesn't change often.

"If only Toppo, Dyspo, and Kahseral exercised better judgment, none of what has transpired would've ever happened. Their fates were sealed the moment they caged me like an animal with the other wild beasts."

Kelerot's power was still rising and Jiren could feel the tension mount, standing ready to engage. His anger, calm yet focused, rose considerably inside him as well. He swore he'd never live that tragedy again, those he cared about slaughtered by a monster. His friends that he had finally acknowledged and put his trust in were now gone. He was the only Pride Trooper left and he stared at the very person eluding them to kill them all. Despite his anger, he was still unwilling to deal a killing blow. He wanted to incapacitate him so that he could no longer be a threat and maybe in some way rehabilitate him himself.

"One last chance, Jiren!" Kelerot offered his hand to him. "My vendetta isn't with you. Your power and sense of justice does not need to be my anathema. We can cast this aside and work together to bring a new order of justice, one that treats matters better than the old vision of only seeing things in black and white. I've gained a lot of power and I want to put it to use to help the people of this universe. I'd rather be looked upon as a saviour than a monster. So stop treating this issue with such a one-sided view and listen to me for once!"

Jiren grinned, which wasn't helping Kelerot's pleading gaze. He was hesitant about whether Kelerot sounded sincere with his message but his smile was holding back his seething rage that he wanted to unleash.

"You continue to boast that you're not a monster. You claim you haven't done despicable acts yet the evidence you leave behind contradicts everything you stand for," Jiren said, taking a few steps towards him with his fists clenched. Each step brought with it a level of power that decimated plateaus with it, each pulse of energy generating gale force winds that would've blown away any lesser being yet Kelerot stood firm in his stance.

"Nothing you say will convince me. You're just another criminal I must subdue and bring to justice, nothing more, nothing less. You should've stayed away from this universe while you still could."

Kelerot slowly lowered his hand, staring down at the ground with a hint of sadness. "So that's your resolution, isn't it?"

Jiren stopped and grunted, powering up this time. The power he was giving off before was eclipsed by the one he was displaying now. Yet for all the power he was giving off, Kelerot was unmoved by it, staring back at him with the same look he had while staring down at the ground. When the energy subsided, Kelerot didn't see any aura surrounding him but could feel it within him. He was a seasoned warrior, well-trained and bringing with him decades of combat experience through sheer training alone. Strength training, mental training, image training: Jiren was doing that ever since Gicchin took him under his wing as a youth long ago. Kelerot felt a sense of familiarity in that strength, for he too needed that mental and image training to grow stronger while in prison. But for all the similarity in training regimen, their overall purpose were polar opposites.

He lifted his eyes and glared at Jiren, gritting his teeth. "Don't think for a moment this is going to go so easy this time for you. Because you adhere to that stubborn ideology that I've grown to loathe so much, I'll make this perfectly clear: Only one of us is leaving this battle alive."

Another smile from Jiren's mouth didn't faze Kelerot but his smile quickly vanished when Kelerot unleashed his power.

He unleashed a beastly scream to the heavens as he powered up, a dark purple aura flaring around him. His features began to change as the color of his fur shifted. What was once a darker shade of brown was now a deep purple with black at the end, as though the tip of his fur had been charred. His eyes took on a different tone as they adopted a similar shade of purple much like the aura but not as dark and Jiren knew what this could mean. He saw it happen within Barbon and knew that this was what Kelerot was embracing as well. Strange symbols began to glow on Kelerot's chest that shone an eerie crimson and Kelerot relaxed his stance as he finished his power-up.

"A God of Destruction's power," Jiren stated and braced himself for the first move. Kelerot's aura disappeared and his image became clearer for Jiren to see. He examined his hands and arms and he was a little surprised by his new look. After his brief stint admiring his new features, he glanced at Jiren and took a step forward. He vanished a split-second afterwards and appeared in front of Jiren from above him, palm stretched outward, hoping to end this fight quickly. Jiren was ready for this and responded with a flash of his eyes and an explosion rocked the area between them, pushing Kelerot back. He flipped back a few times and Jiren was immediately on the offensive, going into an aggressive fighting state as the two began their battle.