The time machine flew through a dimension whose relationship to the normal fabric of space was entirely unclear to its occupant. The one piloting it brushed his purple hair out of his face, staring at the controls. A burgeoning sneeze suddenly unleashed itself, causing the pilot to accidentally hammer down on the STOP button.
As we all know, stopping a machine that operates on principles you cannot even begin to understand is a bad idea. Which is why King Yemma's desk suddenly exploded. Before the red ogre deity could figure out what had happened, the pilot hurriedly slapped the target date back in and hurried back off.
Thirty seconds was all it took. Just thirty seconds. Had a team of workers not been busy repairing the Check-in station, Kami would have been able to contact Piccolo and tell him Goku was on the way.
Who in turn would have told Gohan telepathically.
Who in turn would not have gone berserk...
A butterfly flaps its wings, and changes a million things.
Some big, some small, but through them all...
Thirty seconds changes everything.
Kooler's face was a mask of poorly concealed pain. He wasn't like Frieza. He knew when people were trying to deceive him, and these were not. He felt unsteady, the ground wobbly beneath his feet.
His father...was gone...
The blood rushed to his head and rage nearly overtook him. Had it been Frieza standing there, it would have. But a wave of sadness crashed over the bonfire of fury, quenching it.
Hollowed.
Gutted.
The pain was unbelievable.
Goku, not the best with emotional matters, decided to stay out of it. He tapped his erstwhile opponent on the shoulder and said, "Hey, um...I'm gonna go get your guys and bring them back to the ship. You uh...look like you've got some thinking to do..." he trailed off, knowing he'd probably screwed up even that pathetic attempt at consolation.
"...do as you wish, Saiyan, but leave me be." The danger in the tone was evident, and Goku sheepishly backed off, taking to the air in the direction of the low ki signatures near where Vegeta was.
Salza woke up in his crater, mainly because a red crab had decided his nose looked interesting, and had promptly clamped its claw on it. Making an undignified, french-accented honking noise, he slammed the crab off his face and about three miles into the distance, where it hit an unsuspecting Namekian child named Cargo in the face.
Goku landed just as the leader of the squadron was climbing out of the hole. "Man, he really did you guys over, but at least you're not dead. That's a plus...oh, um, I'm pretty sure bones aren't... supposed to bend that...way..." Goku trailed off, seeing the injuries of the bulkiest Armored Squadron member.
"What's it to you?!" snapped Salza irritably.
Goku grinned sheepishly yet again, something that was fast becoming his signature move on this planet. "Aw, c'mon now, no need to be angry, I'm not going to punch you unless you start punching me. Listen, your boss is kinda upset right now, and I think it'd be a good idea to go back to your ship right now, okay? You need any help with that or...?"
Salza spat some blood out of the side of his mouth. "I can handle carrying Neiz, but in my condition I'm in no shape to carry that big lunk over there." He gestured to Doore, who had regained a semblance of consciousness and was currently making a light groan of agony, almost squeaky in its timbre. Goku walked over to the green-skinned fighter and shouldered him, the movement eliciting something akin to a quack from Doore.
"Alright, let's go," Salza said. The two lifted off with their twin loads, careful not to jostle them.
"I was led to believe your kind survived only on water! How in the name of all that is holy did your Elder become so large?!" Vegeta gawked.
"Show some respect!" Nail shouted, aghast.
The Elder chuckled. "Nail, worry not, my child. This one means no disrespect." He turned his head to Vegeta. "Vegeta, the Prince of Saiyans. Welcome to Namek, young warrior. I am Grand Elder Guru, the leader of the Namekian people. And of course, as you can see, fairly immobile." The kind face of the Elder broke out in a smile as he chuckled again. "The ones of my line, the Elders, are predisposed to this condition. Perhaps it is as a sign of our connection to Porunga, or as an anchor to his power. Whatever the case, yes, I am fat."
Vegeta, suitability embarrassed, bowed in apology, as royal custom dictated when one made an offensive remark to another leader. "Accept my apologies, Grand Elder Guru, as the last sovereign of the Saiyans. My time as Frieza's subordinate has apparently made me forget my manners and duties as a royal. Forgive me."
The Elder smiled warmly again. "There is nothing to forgive, young one. Merely a trifle. Now, I can hazard a guess as to your reason for visiting our planet, but to ensure no mistakes are made, I would ask to clarify your request."
Vegeta sighed. "Where to begin... First of all, I shall make no pretenses as to the cause of this visit. I lost myself in the pain I caused as Frieza's underling to avoid facing my own pain. This led me to kill the child of the other Saiyan who is here with me, Son Goku." The prince heard and felt Nail suddenly tense, ready to leap to the defense of the Elder. "Calm down, Nail. Believe me when I say...I was punished severely for my folly."
Nail still kept a ready position. "How am I to know it was enough? For all I know, you're just biding your time!"
Vegeta turned to face nail, black eyes locked in a piercing stare. "Every bone in my body was pulped and turned into powder. My internal organs were made into jelly, and every bit of sinew was shredded. I experienced catastrophic internal bleeding and would have died within thirty seconds had Kakarot not seen fit to allow his friend to give me something called a senzu bean, which healed me. Rest assured, it was an experience I have no wish to repeat. Not even Frieza caused me that level of pain." The prince shuddered in memory of the state of complete and utter agony the "fight" had left him in. He turned back to the Elder. "Does that answer your question, Namekian?"
Nail was left in shock at the description of the damage wrought upon the person before him.
"May I continue, or will I be interrupted again?" Vegeta asked, somewhat bitingly. Without waiting for a response, he resumed. "During the fight, many of the other fighters died by my subordinate's hand, including a Namekian who was, I am told, one half of a whole soul that split when their progenitor landed on Earth. The other half created a set of Dragon Balls for the Earth, a limited set, but one still capable of reviving people. When the Namekian my subordinate killed died, so did his other half, and thus the Dragon Balls were rendered inert."
"So...the son of Katas has passed...how unfortunate. The last scion of the greatest of us. So you wish to resurrect the one who died?"
"He and one other, who apparently cannot be revived with the Dragon Balls of Earth," answered Vegeta.
"A simple matter, then. Nail, please accompany him. But first - I sense you have great potential, Vegeta, prince of the Saiyans." An eye cracked open, fixing the Saiyan in its gaze. "I also sense great pain in your past, and your guarded nature. Take care of yourself, in body and mind, or you will never find true peace. Come here, young one, and I shall unlock your potential." Vegeta did as he was asked, and a gentle hand was placed on his forehead. A surge of power flowed through him, like clear, cold water over his skin. He inhaled sharply as it tingled across his body, filling his mind with a sharpness he had not previously felt.
"This will serve you well, young prince. Take care to use it for the betterment of yourself," the Elder stated.
Vegeta bowed in response. "You have my gratitude, Elder Guru."
To Nail, Elder Guru now spoke. "My child, accompany this one to his companion. Take my Dragon Ball with you." Nail bowed in respect and carefully took the Dragon Ball from its spot above the Elder, cradling it reverentially in his arms.
"Take care, Prince Vegeta."
Blood dripped from Dabura's hands as he fell back into his favored battle stance. The downed forms of Zangya, Bido, Bujin, and Kogu lay scattered about, and only Bojack himself remained to deal with. Groans of agony were heard as the Hera-jins tried to recover their energy. Bido had a hand clamped over a gaping wound in his side that the demon monarch had opened up with savage ease.
"Well, this is quite interesting. I've never met someone strong enough to best my crew before. Maybe you'll be the one to finally give me the fight I crave," grinned the pirate. "It's been so long since I've had a good fight..."
Dabura, showing no sign of fatigue from his (admittedly short) fights with the rest of the Hera-jins, smiled cruelly as well. "I've heard of you, Bojack...you are known for your cruelty even in the Demon Realm. I applaud your confidence, but unfortunately for you, it will do little for you in the face of the true King of Demons."
Bojack raised an eyebrow. "What's this, then? You're the king of the demon Realm, is that what I'm hearing? And you're serving *this* little runty thing?" He gestured at Babidi, still ensconced in his bubble of energy.
"Take care you show respect to Master Babidi, now," growled Dabura.
"Pfft! And what if I want to call him a shriveled old bag of bones that should have been dumped with the trash centuries ago?" laughed Bojack.
A vein pulsed in Dabura's eyebrow. That was all the warning Bojack had before he was punched with incredible force across the face. The blow sent him spinning like a top across the landscape, his arms whirling like the blades of a helicopter. He rolled onto his side and backflipped away, quickly righting himself and charging at Dabura.
The king of demons grinned with venomous evil and swiftly rose above his opponent, coming back down with an axe kick. Bojack barely dodged the hit, attempting to counter with a punch of his own, but missing entirely. He was rewarded for his efforts by a swift punch to the gut that forced blood out of his mouth and left him gasping. He fell away from the violent strike, clutching his injured abdomen.
"Underwhelming. Entirely disappointing, Bojack, even for a showing against one such as I," rumbled Dabura. "You're not even a challenge."
"Heh...hehehe..." laughed Bojack.
"What are you laughing about, weakling? Is there some joke I missed?"
"Heh...yeah, you missed the joke entirely," cackled the pirate. He tossed his head back and laughed maniacally.
Utter confusion etched itself onto Dabura's features.
Without warning, the pirate suddenly stopped laughing and shouted at the top of his lungs. He began to glow brightly and his power rose sharply. Before Dabura could react, the space pirate changed colors to a vivid green and his clothes shredded as his muscles bulked up immensely. His voice cracked slightly as he powered up more.
As soon as the strange transformation had finished, Bojack leaped at Dabura with a savage strike. The king of demons was taken entirely by surprise and the punch connected with his cheek, taking him to the ground. A cloud of dust spat up.
"Hehehe, see what I mean? You missed the joke completely... because it's you!" laughed the killer pirate. Dabura rose to his feet quickly, dusting his clothes off.
"Is it? Or are you still the joke yourself?" countered the king. The blow hadn't hurt as much as one might think it would have; Dabura hardly felt where it had landed now.
"Rrrghh... we'll see how cocky you are when I force you to wear your own entrails as a noose!" screamed Bojack as he shot back towards Dabura. The demon king met the blow with his forearm, shoving back with a mighty push. The enraged Hera-jin didn't let up, though, and lashed out with his other arm, trying to slip past Dabura's guard. He succeeded in clipping his opponent's shoulder, resulting in a grimace of pain from the mighty demon king.
"Hmph, so you aren't entirely without merit," said Dabura. Telepathically, he said to Babidi, *Sir, these may be worth recruiting. Especially this one. He is not quite my equal, but is the closest I have yet seen...and that is including the power your spell has given me.*
Babidi's eyes gleamed with glee at the thought.
"Oh hey, um...Kooler, right?"
The last son of Kold turned his head to face the Saiyan, who smiled affably at the icy frost demon.
"Yes, Saiyan?"
"Your guys are in the healing tanks, so um...yeah. Two have some broken bones, and the guy with the blonde hair's got a busted up nose. So, um...I'm going to go talk with Vegeta now..." He trailed off, acutely aware of the eyes boring into him.
"Do as you wish, Saiyan. I, however, have more pressing matters to attend to. Namely, the management of an entire *galactic empire* which I now find thrown at me without any warning...now that my father AND brother are dead..." He trailed off, one eye threatening to become overly moist. He took a shuddering breath and stood. "Saiyan. I did not care much for my brother, and only familial duty made me fight you...with my father dead, that reason is as well. I am nothing if not pragmatic. However, I should like to see this...Super Saiyan that so outclassed my brother."
Goku cocked his head. "I mean... alright, if that's what you want. Kinda a weird reason but ok, sure." Goku's eyebrows knot themselves together, as if attempting to become a cardigan. Power swirled round him, a vortex of energy, bright and yellow. His hair flashed, several times, and with a roar, the Super Saiyan was revealed. His aura wreathed him like a living flame.
Kooler released a breath he had not realized he was holding. "Lords above...so the legend was true." Unlike his brother and father, Kooler knew how to sense energy, and he knew without a doubt that this Super Saiyan was far beyond him.
"To think that my brother missed killing the single deadliest member of your race. The irony is absurd..." Kooler shook his head. "I thank you for your indulgence, Saiyan...I will say this: we do not part as enemies, but all the same, not as friends either. I shall place your planet on a list of its own, I think," he chuckled somewhat blackly. "Perhaps 'Do Not Trespass under Pain of Super Saiyan,' or some such silliness..." With half a humorless grin on his face, he turned and re-enrered his ship, the gangplank soon retreating behind him.
Goku watched as the ship took off, soaring into the distance. "Man, I can't get a read on that guy..."
He shrugged, leaving it to be thought over later, and released his hold on the transformation, casting his mind out to locate Vegeta. He found him quickly enough, flying with the other high power level on the planet. Ignoring his aura, he took off toward them.
With no small amount of confusion, Vegeta noted that Kooler's power level was retreating from the planet, and Kakarot's was now shooting towards himself and Nail. He turned to the Namekian. "Kakarot is on his way. Apparently he managed to scare off Kooler and his lackeys...as I said, too soft by far," he chuckled.
It wasn't long before the orange-clad Saiyan caught up with the pair, each of whom was now carrying one Dragon Ball. "Oh hey, you look just like Piccolo!" said Goku cheerily, waving at Nail. "Whoah, those Dragon Balls sure are big!"
"I am called Nail, not Piccolo, but I can understand the confusion. Those of the Warrior clan often look quite similar," said Nail.
"Kakarot, can you explain why Kooler is retreating and not dead?" interrupted Vegeta gruffly.
"Well, uh...So, you know Frieza and Kooler had a dad, right?" asked Goku.
"Yes, Kakarot. That is how living things generally reproduce," deadpanned Vegeta.
"No, I mean, his dad went to Earth," Goku said.
Vegeta went pale. "Why...what?" He felt his heart sink, and his palms became almost too sweaty to keep proper hold of the Dragon Ball in an instant. "Kakarot! We must go back now! Kold is just as strong as Frieza, and rumor has it he is only in his second form for day-to-day use - "
"It's fine, Vegeta," said Goku calmly. "Bulma called me while I was fighting Kooler. Kold's dead. A guy named Dr. Gero made an Android that killed him. That brings me to another point. We gotta include another guy in the wish."
Nail took the opportunity to interject. "Porunga is capable of granting three wishes at a time."
He was met with blank stares. "What?"
everyone: you can't bring TWO movie villains into a story!
me: haha broly go brrrrrrrr