Chapter 7: Be Prepared
Stretching, Goku smiled when Vegeta landed in front of him with Tien and Gohan "hey guys, let's go two on two." He stated, looking at them "how about me and Tien against you and Gohan, Vegeta? To make it fair?" Goku asked, jumping in place "seriously? Fine, just keep up!" Vegeta stated, taking a battle stance "I'll take care of Tien. I'll leave dad to you, Vegeta." Gohan stated, cracking his knuckles as Vegeta spat.
Watching as Merus walked towards Piccolo and Yamcha, Whis turned to Broly "now then, shall we begin? Don't worry, if you feel yourself loosing control just tell me. I promise to stop immediately." Whis agreed, smiling at him "thank you. My father never gave me a choice. He made me fight until I couldn't stand. If I refused he…. He would." Broly began to explain but stopped when Whis placed his finger over Broly's mouth "that's alright, you don't have to force yourself. I'm not going to use you. I just want to show you that you don't have to be afraid of what you are." Whis explained, holding out his hand "we stop when you want, you're in control here, not me. All I want from you is to promise me that you'll try and that you will never over work yourself… Deal?" Whis asked, smiling when Broly took his hand "deal." He agreed, shaking it. Smiling with Whis.
Leaning back in in the lawn chair, Cheelai sighed as she gazed upward into the blue sky above "it's different then what your used to I assume?" Bulma asked, placing three glasses on the table "you can say that again." Lemo replied, taking a sip before leaping to his feet "what is this?" he asked, his wide eyes fixated on Bulma "tea." She replied, raising an eyebrow "it's great!" Lemo cheered, quickly drinking the rest before Cheelai stretched "it's way more peaceful here. No monsters or mutant bugs in sight." Cheelai agreed, taking her glass in hand "monsters? Mutant bugs?" Bulma asked, looking at her in complete shock "oh yeah, Vampa had all kinds of freaky monsters out of your worst nightmares. The only reason we survived was because of Broly." Lemo explained, shivering when he thought of that planet "Yeesh, what a place to call home." Bulma shuddered, passing Lemo another glass "at least you don't have to worry about any of that anymore. This is your home now." Bulma explained, motioning over at the city "how can we thank you for everything you've done?" Cheelai asked, walking over to her "what do you mean?" Bulma asked, looking down at her "you gave us one of your houses, hooked me up with a job on the police force and you've treated us like friends ever since we got here even though you had never met us before. How can we ever repay you?" She asked, clasping her hands.
Sighing, Bulma crossed her arms, a stern look covering her face "look, Broly's a Saiyan like Goku and Vegeta, that makes you family. Were all friends here and if Broly is anything like Vegeta and Goku, he'll do more for this Universe than you ever thought possible. I don't want anything from you guys. Just knowing that what I did made you this happy is reward enough. You know, we weren't always friends like this. I met Goku in the mountains when we were kids and he was all alone. The first time any of us met Vegeta was when he came here with the full intention of killing all of us. Come to think of it, he nearly did it too. When we got to the battlefield after Goku and Vegeta brawled it out; Vegeta had left the planet and Goku was laying motionless in a crater; every bone in his body was broken." Bulma explained, crossing his arms "really? But Vegeta seemed so nice." Cheelai argued, tilting her head "he is now, but he wasn't always like that. For the longest time he wanted nothing more then to kill Goku, he even let an evil wizard take over his body in exchange for power. In the end though; Vegeta and Goku came together to save the Universe. A lot of us met like that to be honest "Piccolo, Frieza, 17, 18, Tien, Yamcha, Vegeta, heck even Krillin viewed Goku as an enemy, but he just tears away at you until you can't help but love him." Bulma explained, waving at them as she walked towards the door "come with me, I know a great restaurant down the street, you should try there waffles." "what's a waffle?" Lemo asked, causing Bulma to laugh "oh, just you wait." She replied, laughing.
Dodging 18's kick, 17 chuckled "you know, it's strange." He admitted, causing 18 to raise an eyebrow "what is?" she asked, landing below him "the last few times we've fought, you've worn a tracksuit. You used to be so careless with your clothes before. I mean, when you fought Vegeta while wearing your favorite suit. What changed?" he asked, crossing his arms as he descended. Crossing her arms, she sighed "they always got destroyed, so I decided to wear something like this to fight. It's easy to move in but still cute. Besides, it's expensive to jeep buying clothes every time one gets destroyed in a fight. It was different when we just stole them." She explained, scowling when 17 laughed "what?" she asked "Nothing, you've just grown a lot. I'm proud of you." 17 admitted, smiling sheepishly when 18 clenched her fist tightly "shut up!" She snapped, punching him in the face while he laughed.
Looking at Frieza standing by himself, staring into the plain white sky, Dabura took a deep breath "wouldn't it be wise to use the time we have left to prepare for the battle that awaits us?" he asked, walking up to him.
Looking up at the large demon, Frieza chuckled "and why would I do that?" he asked, inspecting him thoroughly "do you not want to protect our Universe?" Dabura asked, crossing his arms "we'll, what kind of emperor would I be without a Universe to rule over?" Frieza asked, shaking his head.
Sighing, Dabura shook his head "would you care to spar with me?" he asked, looking down at him "well, I would certainly enjoy seeing what the legendary king of the demons is capable of." Frieza admitted, nodding "you know of me?" Dabura asked, tilting his head "my father told me stories of you and the demon realm. Though, I have never seen it for myself." Frieza admitted, tapping his chin "your father? Hmmm…. I thought you looked familiar. I met with him a few times. He and I once tested our strength against each other as well. Though he was hardly what I would call "a challenge." He admitted, chuckling "I promise that I am much more formidable then my father." Frieza promised, shaking his head "shall we prove that? Or are you just as full of talk as he was?" Dabura prodded, hoping that his words would make Frieza want to fight. Smiling when Frieza spread his arms to his side "very well, let us see who is mightier." Frieza ordered, firing hundreds of energy blasts at Dabura.
Catching Merus's punch, Yamcha gasped "man, your punches are incredible. I can feel my body shaking every time I block one." He admitted, shaking his head "I believe that you have what it takes to reach the next level." Merus stated, blocking his punch "what do you mean?" Yamcha asked, kicking at his head "I believe that if you put your mind to it, before these six years are up, you can reach Ultra Instinct." Merus announced, causing Yamcha to gasp "wait, me? Really?" he asked, pointing at himself "yes, Ultra Instinct is not a form that is sectioned to a certain group of people. Anyone with enough dedication can attain such a level of perfection. Though it is easier for some than others. Some may work their entire lives and never reach it. While some may reach it without ever trying at all. And I believe that you are one of those select few." Merus explained, stretching "really? What do I have to do?" Yamcha asked, clenching his fist "you must work, breath, eat and sleep with the sole intention of bettering not only your body but your mind. If one is not completely in synch with the other, all of your work will be for naught." Merus explained, quickly kicking at his head, smiling when Yamcha countered by sweeping Merus's leg out from under him without a second of delay "your body is already beginning to react on it's own; in only a single year, your body is beginning to rely on it's basic instinct of survival. Without having achieved Ultra Instinct prior to his training; I personally doubt that Goku would have mastered it as fast as he did." Merus stated, crossing his arms "while it is true that Saiyan's thrive in battle, they are not the only races that have unexplainable power. You shall learn that soon enough when the tournament begins. Now, shall we begin?" he asked, taking a fighting stance "sure, let's go!" Yamcha roared, charging at him.
"That's good, your doing much better with managing your anger." Whis stated, bonking Broly on the head "let's try something else. Just let me know if you start to loose control." Whis stated, placing his staff on his neck "tell me. What makes you feel safe?" Whis asked, looking into Broly's eyes "when the bad things scare me, Cheelai would hug me and sing. That makes me feel safe." He admitted, looking away from him "good, just think about that then." Whis stated, squinting as he sent electrical shocks through Broly's body, causing him to scream and convulse. Everyone stopping and looking to them.
As he continued to convulse, Broly grit his teeth, the entire chamber beginning to shake violently "here comes your greatest test, do not loose control. Remain calm and collected. Keep your helpful thoughts within your vision, force those negative thoughts away. Remain in control!" Whis stated, amplifying the voltage until Broly could no longer stand.
Falling to his knees, he began to roar, punching the floor as he began to shake. Everyone watching fearfully, expecting Broly to loose control any second.
Without warning, Broly's head shot into the air, releasing an ear-piercing roar. The electricity vanishing as a wave of power shot across the entire chamber, causing everyone to take fighting stances, expecting to have to fight Broly. Much to their surprise; he chuckled as he slapped his knee, looking up at Whis with a large ear to ear smile.
Breathing heavily, Broly rose to his feet, a large smile still painted across his face "was that good?" he asked, his face beaming when Whis smiled back "that was perfect. I never expected you to achieve such control so quickly." He admitted, placing his hand on Broly's shoulder. Looking back at the others, he crossed his arms "what's wrong with all of you? Don't you know that it's not polite to stare." He ordered, smiling when they returned to their training "now, how about we change pace from physical training to verbal training?" he asked, motioning towards the small building "verbal training?" Broly asked, tilting his head "yes, your vocabulary is quite… Lacking, don't you think that Cheelai would love to hear you speak in full, complete sentences?" he asked, smiling when Broly nodded "alright then, shall we." Whis stated, pushing Broly slightly toward the building.
Yawning, Berrus scratched the inside of his ear "Lord Berrus, do you truly believe that Goku and the others will be able to defeat Universe thirteen?" Shin asked, his hands clasped behind his back "what kind of question is that? Of course they won't. Their only wasting their time." The Elder Kai replied, shaking his head "at least their trying to be useful, unlike you two; standing here and annoying me." Berrus stated, crossing his legs "oh excuse me for being the only one here with any sense." The Elder Kai replied, sticking his tongue out at Berrus when he looked away "look, Goku and Vegeta proved themselves in the tournament of power, they defeated Morro at full power and, stopped that insane Cerelian from destroying us. What more do you want from them? If you don't have any faith in them; why are you even here?" Berrus asked, opening one eye to glare at him "they did defeat Majin Buu master." Shin agreed, nodding at him.
Sighing, the Elder Kai shook his head "fine, I'll agree that those Saiyan's are worth their weight, but it's strange for you to defend them, isn't it?" Elder Kai asked, looking down at Berrus who yawned once more "it doesn't mater, if I'm going to die in three days; I want to fill my stomach." He ordered, walking away. Sighing, they both followed, not daring to ask another question.
Shoving a large bun in his mouth, Goku crossed his arms, looking directly at Whis "hey Whis, what about if we preform the super Saiyan god ritual on Gohan, Broly and the kids. If Vegeta and me can become God's, why not the them?" he asked, shoving two large buns in his mouth "I think that is a fantastic idea. That may give us an edge against our enemies." He agreed, nodding "after we are done eating we should preform the rituals, we still have three years to help them perfect their abilities. Becoming God's should increase those abilities exponentially." Whis agreed, walking out of the house towards Piccolo "why are you not eating?" he asked, motioning back to the house "if you don't eat now, there may not be any left." He explained, looking back to see Goku, Vegeta and Broly eating enough to sustain an entire city "I'm a Namekian we don't eat. My body is sustained on water alone." He explained, sighing "would you mind sparing with me while the others eat?" Piccolo asked, looking at him "of course not, it would be my pleasure." Whis agreed, smiling "I know Goku and Vegeta are strong, and I could feel Broly's energy from the other side of the planet when they fought him. But I can't be content with just that; I won't sit on the sidelines and let them protect me. I'm a warrior as well. If I'm going to get eliminated in the tournament I want to know that I did everything that I could've possibly done to prepare." He explained, taking off his cape and hat "expertly said. I would expect nothing less." Whis agreed, taking a battle stance as Piccolo charged at him.
Standing in a circle, holding hands. The Saiyan's powered up, enshrouding them within a blue aura. The air within the chamber shifting as Bulla began to rise into the air, releasing Goku and Vegeta's hands. Becoming enshrouded in a light blue flame as everybody watched with bated breath.
Descending from the sky, the flames surrounding her dissipated, revealing her; completely unchanged "oh come on, it didn't do anything!" Bulla complained, stomping her foot angrily "how come it worked on dad and the others but not me and Bulla!?" Pan asked, poking Whis "I am unsure. Perhaps it is because you are both so young and have not yet reached super Saiyan." He wondered, tapping his chin "this is so not fair, come on Pan let's go!" Bulla stated, flying away "wait, where are you going?" Piccolo asked flying after them.
Reaching them, Piccolo extended his arms, grabbing them before they could escape any further "where are you going?" he asked, turning them around to look them in the eye "to train, we've got to become super Saiyan's." Bulla explained, crossing her arms sternly "Mr. Piccolo! Can you train us to becoming super Saiyan's?" Pan asked, looking up at him "I taught Goten, Trunks and Gohan everything they know. What's two more student's?" Piccolo asked, crossing his arms "then what are you waiting for! Come on!" Bulla yelled, causing them to follow her into the empty vastness of the chamber.
Looking up, Mr. Popo hummed "their coming." He stated, just as the doors to the chamber opened. Berrus and the others watching with shocked expressions as Goku and the others exited the chamber. Their power flowing freely from them "look at that, I can feel the power emanating from all of you, even you." Berrus mocked, looking at Yamcha "hey, watch it." Yamcha ordered, glaring at him "you've done well Whis, I think we might just stand a chance after all. " Berrus stated, smiling "you think so? I don't really feel that different." Goku admitted, scratching his head "of course you don't, you're an idiot." Vegeta explained, shaking his head "why are you two fighting?" Broly asked, placing his hands on their shoulders "their not fighting, it's just how they are." Whis explained, causing Broly to nod "I expect great things from you all. Especially you, Frieza." Berrus ordered, pointing at him.
Smirking, Frieza chuckled as he tapped his chin in thought "if I remember correctly; if it wasn't for me, we would not have won the previous tournament." Frieza expertly rebutted, swiping his tail through the air "as right as you may be, this time it's not just about you, understand. You all need to swallow your pride and work together to defeat the thirteenth, and I mean; all of you." Berrus ordered, glaring at Vegeta and Frieza as Shin stepped forward "Lord Berrus is right. If you do not all work together in this fight, it may very well end up being the last fight you ever have. Universe thirteen is like nothing you've ever fought before. As tired as you may be getting of hearing that, it's the truth. You will all have to work together; with not only yourselves, but with the other Universe's as well." He explained as Whis stepped forward "I must agree with both assessments. Right now though, I suggest that we all go home and rest. We have been training non stop for almost seven years within the chamber. Take these next 24 hours to rest your weary bones, a group of fighters exhausted from training will yield little reward. Besides, to be completely honest… If these seven years have not prepared you enough for the thirteenth I fear nothing ever will." He admitted, shaking his head "we can meet up at my house tomorrow." Vegeta stated, holding out his hand to Broly "come with me, Bulma's probably got your friends settled in. It'll be easier to find them if we go straight to her. Trunk's, Bulla!" Vegeta ordered, motioning for them.
The second they vanished, Goku yawned and picked Pan up, placing her on his shoulders "hey Dad, can I have a sleep over at Grandpa's?" Pan asked, clasping her hands and making puppy dog eyes. Laughing when Goku copied her "sure, I'll tell your mom." Gohan replied, smiling "yay!" Goku and Pan cheered together as Goten walked up to them "see ya guy's!" Goku called, vanishing.
Sighing, Piccolo walked towards Dende as Gohan flew away "I'm sure Launch is gonna have a hundred questions for me. I just hope she hasn't sneezed since last week." 17 sighed, floating into the air "wait, did you say Launch?" Tien asked, following him "right, after everything that's happened, I forgot. You guy's know Launch, right? "yeah, she was a good friend of ours." Yamcha stated, floating upward "she has been saying recently, how she misses her old friends." 17 admitted, scratching his head "she only told me about knowing you guys after I told her about the tournament and helping you fight Moro." He admitted, crossing his arms "she told me that she didn't want anyone to know where she was. Apparently, she got in a lot of trouble with the wrong people before we met and living on the island kept her hidden from the radar of whoever is after her. I think she just didn't want you guys knowing where she was to keep you away from any backlash if they found her. But, now with this tournament and it's bleak outlook waiting on the horizon, I think now's a good a time as ever. Would you like to come and visit? I'm sure she would be delighted to reunite with you." 17 asked, flying away, not waiting for their answer. Looking at each other, they followed without question.
Looking at Whis, Merus sighed "I suppose I should remain here for the time being. I wouldn't want to be far away." He admitted as Berrus nodded "a clever thought. You three can come with us, we'll be back tomorrow." Berrus stated, pointing at Frieza and Dabura "you want me to come with you?" Frieza asked, pointing at him "yes I do. I'd like to keep an eye on you until tomorrow Frieza. Wouldn't want you getting yourself killed again, now would we?" he asked as Dabura bowed respectfully "it would be a pleasure, Lord Berrus." He admitted, stepping next to Whis "see, someone knows what respect means. You would do good to learn a lesson Frieza." Berrus ordered as a pillar of light appeared. Berrus, the Kai's, Frieza, Merus, Dabura and Frieza vanishing within it.
Arriving on the island, 17 opened his door "just wait here." He ordered, walking inside, leaving Yamcha and Tien to look at each other until the door opened again, smiling when Launch stood in the door, her blue hair swaying when she gasped.
Placing her hands over her face, she stared at them for a moment "Yamcha? Tien?" she asked, tears dripping from her face "hello." Tien replied, smiling as Yamcha laughed "please, come in." she offered, standing to the side, motioning for them to enter "we wouldn't want to intrude." Tien stated, crossing his arms "don't be silly. Now please, come in. I just baked some cookies." She stated, smiling happily as they entered.
Landing on the capsule corp. balcony, Broly smiled when he saw Cheelai "Cheelai!" he cried, hugging her tightly "hey there big guy, happy to see me huh?" She asked, hugging him back as Bulma hugged Vegeta "did you get them settled in?" Vegeta asked as Trunks and Bulla ran into the building "yup, they've got a house and I even got both of them jobs with the local police department." Bulma explained, beaming with pride "let's go Broly, I'll show you our new home!" Cheelai cheered, pulling on his hand "I'll see you later Vegeta!" Broly stated, crouching over to be on the same level as Cheelai "yeah." Vegeta replied, crossing his arms "so the tournament is tomorrow, right?" She asked, looking into the sky "yeah, so what?" Vegeta asked, looking at her "well, you should get to bed early tonight so you can rest before the big fight, and I've made you a huge dinner because I'm sure the time chamber food wasn't that good." She explained, raising an eyebrow when Vegeta gasped "you can say that again, Whis made all the food with his magic but it was all tasteless and bland." Vegeta explained, turning to walk in to the building, blushing when Bulma wrapped her arms lovingly around his.
Laying on the bed, Goku looked over when Pan poked him "what is it Pan?" he asked, sitting up "what kind of people are in the other Universe's? Are they strong like you and Vegeta?" she asked, leaning on her arm "oh yeah, there's a bunch of strong fighters from all the other Universe's. Like this guy that's on our team, named; Jiren. He was way stronger than I was; even with Ultra Instinct he was still a step above me. And I can't even begin to imagine how strong Zagraeus might be. What about you Pan, are you excited? This is your first real fight after all." Goku asked, looking down at her. Smiling when he saw that she was asleep "goodnight Pan. Sweet dreams." He whispered as he kissed her forehead before falling back onto his pillow.
Arriving on the capsule corp. balcony. Everyone feel eerily silent as the weight of what was to come, descended upon them "you're all here? Good. At least this time we wont be late." Berrus applauded, walking out of the building "is it time yet Whis?" he asked, looking back at Whis and Merus "we can leave now if you'd like. There is never a bad time to be a little early." He explained, tapping his staff "alright everyone, form a circle and take each others hands. Just like last time." Whis stated, taking Merus and Berrus's hands "wait, where's Frieza?" Vegeta asked, taking Broly's and Piccolo's "oh don't you worry, I'm right here." Frieza stated, floating downward, taking Goku's and Yamcha's hands "what were you doing Frieza?" Berrus asked, glaring at him "nothing at all Lord Berrus, just enjoying the scenery." He replied, smirking as they all vanished.