Sky-Kaiser has got to speed things up!

OK, now... so my laptop is still under maintenance, so I'm gonna try and move things forward with what I have now. And it's time to get through this saga, as I'm going to be getting into this 3-year gap and working on character development between that time.

I didn't get as much comments as I did on last chapter because apparently, it doesn't wholly count as an update if I replace a chapter. But I did get some kind words...

FreakyFox20, I'm glad you like what you're seeing so far. Stick around, because this is just the beginning.

Now let's get down to business.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Z Kai, Dragon Ball Super, or Dragon Ball GT. That is the property of Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, and Akira Toriyama.

Chapter 7: Resolution and Revelation


BOOM!

The Attack Pod crashed upon the top of the blackened cliff, causing the ground underneath it to buckle and crack, forming a sizeable crater within the obsidian ground.

The Z Fighters, the Frost Demons, and the unknown Saiyan watched with full focus on the cloud of minerals that had been kicked up by the Attack Pod's impact. Though it was now obscured from view (due to how the congregation was now below said cliff), they still sensed a familiar power level from where it had landed... only... bigger?

The unknown man and the Frost Demons quickly flew up to the cliff to find the pod wedged in the ground, and only then did they realize it was an Attack Pod for special forces. It had a familiar insignia painted on the side...

"Wait a minute..." Frieza murmured. "This is the Attack Pod that belonged to Jeice of the Ginyu Force. I should know, it's the second to smallest one..."

"You informed me that the Ginyu Force was completely dispatched on Namek, correct?" inquired King Cold.

"Yes, Father," Frieza replied, sneering. "So that is how he escaped Namek... certainly more intelligent than he let on, the simian bastard..."

From below the cliff, the Z Fighters looked on with apprehension, unsure how to proceed.

"Well, if it's Dad, we shouldn't worry," said Gohan in a chipper tone. "Let's go see him take those guys down!"

Gohan flew off first, which prompted Piccolo to go after him. Krillin, Tien and Chiaotzu quickly went after them as well, as did Vegeta. Yamcha came last, as he had to carry Bulma with him. They landed on the exact opposite of the cliff, too wary to come close to the nameless Saiyan and his adversaries.

The hatch door on the front suddenly swung open. And as everyone had expected, a certain Saiyan clambered out of the pod looking harried. He was dressed in very... foreign attire, consisting of a white shirt with a frilly collar, and two dark blue, sash-like articles with yellow lining upon his chest and around his waist. He also wore baggy, crimson pants and boots that matched his sashes.

"Guys!" cried out Son Goku as he jumped out of the pod in a hurry. "Guys, Frieza's here, and he-!"

He trailed off at the sight of the very alien he had just mentioned staring at him. Accompanying him was the towering form of King Cold, observing him with a raised eyebrow.

"Well," said Goku, making a slight chuckle. "I guess I spoke too soon..."

From behind him - Goku probably had noticed them due to power levels, but was focused on the aliens - the Z Fighters watched with bated breath. It was certainly Goku, but stronger than before... apparently 2 years in space had certainly done favors for his strength, but would it be enough?

But the Z Fighters were more focused on the fact that Goku had returned. After being gone for longer than they would've wanted, he had finally come back.

"DAD!" cried out Gohan, instantly bolting forward to hug his dad.

Krillin, Yamcha, Bulma and Chiaotzu were next to meet up with him, and Tien and Piccolo made up the rear. Vegeta was the only one who stayed behind, not being one for heartfelt greetings.

"Huh? Gohan?!" Goku reacted in surprise as Gohan instantly leaped into his long-lost father's arms, on the verge of crying.

"Dad...!" Gohan cried, trying to fight the tears. "Dad, you came back...!"

"Gohan, you're here!" exclaimed Goku, returning the hug his son had given him, somewhat thrown off that his only child was here... and then he saw his other friends rushing towards him. "You're all here?"

"Hell yeah, we are!" said Yamcha, voice filled with relief. "Two years of you gone was enough!"

"We can't tell you how good it is to have you back, man," Krillin told him, almost overwhelmed by emotion.

"Where were you all this time?" Bulma inquired.

"Please don't go away again!" pleaded Chiaotzu.

"Don't worry, you guys..." Goku chuckled. "I'm here now... and I'm not leaving again..."

"You better not," said Tien, reaching the group. "Everyone was worried sick about you after all this time."

"You have a lot of explaining to do regarding how it took 2 years for you to return," added Piccolo.

"Well, I'll be glad to tell the story!" Goku chuckled. "I just hope Chi-Chi isn't too mad with me about it..."

"Oh, Mom has to be furious with you..." Gohan told him, still trying to keep ahold of his emotions as he embraced his dad. "But you're here... that's all I care about!"

"I'm sorry, son..." Goku told him, now taking time to return the embrace.

"Yes, take time to reunite with your loved ones, monkey!" called a snide voice. "It is the last you will ever see of them before you are reunited with them in Hell."

'Frieza...'

Goku's contentment faded as he remembered that two hostile aliens were nearby, one hell-bent on killing him, and the other without a doubt here on the former's behest.

"Stay back, everyone..." Goku told his friends quietly, as he let go of Gohan and looked to stand up. "I'm gonna handle Frieza by myself..."

"Maybe I can assist..."

Goku got up to see the Saiyan from before, having fallen out of his own Super Saiyan state.

"I don't think we've met..." Goku said affably.

"We haven't," replied the teen.

"Dad..." Gohan said aloud to his father. "He can go Super Saiyan like you! He was just toying with Frieza and his father a minute ago!"

"Whoa, really?" Goku looked back to his son in surprise before turning to the youth with a strange excitement. "So you were the strange power I sensed? Huh! I sensed a power defending my friends, but I didn't expect another Saiyan! And you... have the same power I do?!"

"I was looking to kill them," the unknown told them, glaring over at the Frost Demons. "But they had a lot of help, and Frieza nearly destroyed the planet. Not to mention they endangered your friends..."

"It's true!" Bulma piped up. "They even tried to kidnap me! I... I don't even wanna know what they had planned for me, but this man... he saved my life..."

"And that's all I need to hear."

Goku's kind voice had faded. Now his caring demeanor was gone, replaced by a very serious and unamused glare over at Frieza and his father. He turned to the unknown Saiyan.

"Can I trust you to help me out with this?" he asked.

"Yeah, can we?" added in Yamcha. "I mean, we don't even know this man..."

"It's fine," the Saiyan answered, looking over to the Z Fighters, Yamcha in general. "Part of the reason I came here was to stop Frieza from killing you all." His eyes returned to Goku. "That... and I came here because I need to talk to you personally, Son Goku."

"Then we'll make this quick," said Goku, nodding. "Obviously, Frieza will never learn right from wrong, no matter how many times I try to spare him... so I guess we'll just have to take him out for good."

"I'll be happy to help," the unknown said in agreement.

Side-by-side, the two Saiyans marched forward towards their adversaries. One was very much impatient, his metal tail swaying back and forth and his eyes narrowed. The other more reserved, hand on his chin and tail still.

"Son, this is..." King Cold began.

"Yes, Father... this is he," Frieza answered, teeth grit. "That imbecile is the one that dared to humiliate me."

"He appears... familiar," Cold mused.

"I am aware," Frieza agreed. "He bares a painstaking resemblance to another Saiyan... one that had the gall to stand up to me when I was about to wipe his filthy race from history..."

"You mean when you destroyed Planet Vegeta..." Goku spoke up. "I wasn't able to keep the promise I made when I said I'd make you pay for all the lives you destroyed. Obviously, reducing you to... whatever the hell you are now..." - He made an obscure gesture to Frieza's mechanical parts - "...wasn't enough."

"And because you lacked the ability to finish me off," snarled Frieza, "I will have the pleasure of reducing you to mere atoms for your offense!"

"Wrong, Frieza..." Goku growled back, taking a step forward and flaring his aura dangerously. The simply outburst of power actually caused both Frieza and his father to step back! "I've had it up to here with you... your refusal to see the error of your ways... your indifference towards the people you've killed... and the mere fact that you brought the fight home to Earth. You've already gone too far, Frieza... NO FURTHER!"

With a resounding cry to the sky, Goku's power rose to astounding heights, reaching a climax with a burst of golden light. Goku's hair stood on end, gleaming golden as his eyes turned a brilliant emerald. Besides him, the teenager had snap-changed into his own Super Saiyan form once again, and both were cloaked in golden energy that manifested around them like a beautiful, golden flame.

"What happened on Namek will not repeat itself, you dirty little monkey!" spat Frieza, the veins in his head throbbing. He too began to draw from his deepest wells of power, absolutely desperate to have any means to run the Saiyan in front of him down with his power.

Yet...

Frieza's synthetic eye was giving him alarming readings. He had neglected them earlier, but now he was paying attention to the rising numbers on the HUD in that one eye..

Frieza had 165,000,000.

The Saiyan who wounded his pride... 200,000,000.

'No...' Frieza shook his head. 'No, deny the readings! They are moot! I am stronger than him! I will not be seconded again by his nonsense...!'

But the more he looked at their power levels, the less sure of himself he felt... so he chose precaution over throwing all his power out at once...

"Father!" Frieza called out to King Cold, who seemed to snap out of a trance to acknowledge his son; he was apparently captivated by the golden aura. "That one is mine! He must die by my hand alone!"

"Then this will be an enjoyable experience," King Cold mused, smirking. "It is only a pity that your brother will not be here to witness the death of the legend."

"Hmph..." Frieza sniffed. "Whether he is here or not to see history be etched into time, it matters not. This is the end of the Saiyan ra-!"

BAM!

And suddenly, Goku was there, his fist having sunk deep into Frieza's gut. His expression was the same one that he had once given the tyrant when he had crushed his hand.

Before Frieza could even retaliate, Goku removed his fist and jumped onto his hands to kick Frieza into the air with both of his feet! As Frieza flew into the air, yelling in surprise, Goku flipped and took off after Frieza at a frightening speed. He no longer sought to grant mercy to Frieza; he'd already tried to on Namek, twice. Now he looked to kill the Frost Demon with his bare hands.

"Frieza!" King Cold yelled after his son, watching with surprise as the newcomer proceeded to assault Frieza with a series of lightning-fast strikes. He would ensure that Frieza was not left one opening! Cold made to assist his son, but it was them that the other Saiyan, the one with the sword, stood in his way.

"You should be more concerned with me," the young Saiyan growled as he unsheathed his sword yet again.

King Cold grit his teeth as he knelt down on his left knee, hand on the ground in front of him before launching himself at the unknown...

The nameless Saiyan sidestepped an oncoming punch from King Cold, his massive fist almost catching his nose. The Saiyan youth slashed at the massive tyrant, who turned around while making enough distance so that the sword did not touch him. His cut tail proceeded to strike the boy's arm, dislodging the blade from his hand and causing it to land at the edge of the cliff. Cold now looked to take advantage of the boy's surprise, whirling around with a kick to the young man's chest, who had to raise his forearms to block the huge leg's impact. The force of the strike made the Saiyan slide back to the cliff's edge, where his sword lay.

The unknown took an annoyed exhalation as he uncrossed his arms and noticed his sword next to his foot. He reached for it, yet he had no sooner outstretched his hand than King Cold had closed the distance: he slammed the brunt of his shoulder into the Saiyan, who blocked yet again and engaged him in a lightning-fast melee as they took to the skies, the sword now forgotten.

As the youth and the former tyrant engaged in fierce melee, the combat pairing of Goku and Frieza were revisiting their earth-shaking battle 2 years ago. Back then, their catastrophic battle led to the destruction of Namek. But now they fought on the home turf of one party. And said party was not pleased in the slightest that his adversary had dared to threaten his home.

"You cannot fathom how much I've anticipated this re-match, Saiyan," Frieza spat as he exchanged powerful blows with whom he now considered his arch-nemesis. "The fact that you would even have the gall to humiliate me... tricking me into being hit by my own attack... sparing me... it was beyond anything I could've tolerated in 1,000 lifespans! No more! I will rend your head from your shoulders... then I will skin your disgusting ape-ish hide and place your skull on a silver platter!"

"Wrong, Frieza!" shouted back Goku as he caught a punch from Frieza's synthetic arm, holding him back. "I'm not letting you hurt one more soul!"

Dragging Frieza by his hand into one of his punches, Goku sent Frieza sailing back. The irate Frost Demon landed on the ground beneath the cliff, skidding to a halt and leaving tracks in the ground... and he looked up just to see a boot-clad foot slamming into his jaw. Goku drove Frieza's head into the ground with his foot, taking hold of the tyrant's arms as he held him down.

"I wanted to give you a chance to change your ways," Goku seethed, applying more strength to his pull as he seemed to want to pull his arms out of his sockets! "I tried showing you mercy... twice! I gave you my energy and you still tried to shoot me in the back! I was hoping that if you survived, you'd have taken something from it... but now it's clear to me that all you'll ever care about and delight in is causing misery to others. That's finished as of now! This time, I'm sending you to Hell!"

Then, with a resounding yell, he placed both of his feet to Frieza's back, still grasping the alien's arms. Then there was the sound of metal and wires coming apart as the force of Goku's pull tore Frieza's metal arm apart! Frieza's shriek of agony could be heard from a mile as a bloody stump was left in place of the metallic appendage.

His organic arm stayed on his body, however, still being gripped by Goku. The Saiyan used the momentum of his tearing the other arm off to twirl on his heel sideways, and spin Frieza around in a violent throw. Goku directed his foe into the air, causing the Frost Demon to spiral into the air as he attempted to regain his bearings. Goku, simply being too fast to let Frieza recover, bolted into the air above him and somersaulted in mid-air before clasping his hands together and slamming them into Frieza's back, spiking him down towards the ground.

The evil Emperor of the Universe twisted his body as he fell to the ground so that his feet would meet the rocky terrain first. Hitting the ground, the ground buckled into a small, circular indent around him.

"How dare that ape attempt to dictate my fate yet again...!" Frieza growled, trying to ignore the loss of his metal arm. "He will die for this... he must... die...!"

Leaping off the ground, Frieza screeched like a banshee as he took towards the Super Saiyan with killing intent!

The Frost Demon closed the distance between himself and his foe, readying a violet orb of energy that he proceeded to thrust at Goku's face! Goku blocked the blast with his hand, but it still exploded in his face, and he was unprepared for Frieza's tail coiling around his neck.

Pulling the restrained Goku towards him, Frieza used his only arm left to uppercut the Saiyan directly in his chin. Goku, not to be outdone, however, caught Frieza's following elbow and lowered it, using the small window of time to headbutt Frieza hard enough that some of his metal parts noticeably shook, as if giving in to damage!

While Goku seemed to have already won his fight with Frieza, the battle between the nameless youth and King Cold was still very much even. This changed as King Cold managed to strike a precise knee to the jaw of the young man, and then he grasped the boy's neck, looking to choke the life out of him.

"This has been an entertaining experience," King Cold informed him as he began to apply more pressure to the Saiyan's neck. "But now I grow weary of these games."

But the youth would not be outdone. His power surged, and he forced himself downward, taking King Cold with him! The tyrant kept his grip on the Saiyan's neck, even as they slammed into the ground, but then something besides rubble entered the air, and it was the sword that had apparently been abandoned! The youth grasped the blade and projected it at King Cold's horns!

KACHINK!

"ARRRRGH!"

The young Saiyan watched as the sharp tips of King Cold's angled horns slid off, leaving him without his most striking feature! The teen chuckled before advancing on King Cold yet again and skidding to his side before leaping off the ground to kick the reeling king to the side, before flying over to retrieve his sword.

Sheathing the blade, the unknown smirked as King Cold returned to his feet yet again, his temple bleeding from the kick, which placed an indent in the cartilage of his skull. His mouth bled, and he was also missing a tooth in the back of his mouth, which he spat out. He grit the remainder of his teeth menacingly.

"You ignorant... how dare you deface me!"

"Take my breath, I take your horns..." the youth seethed, his patience obviously running thin.

The enraged King Cold now raised his palm, bending the fingers into a fist as he conjured something within his palm. From within his fisted hand gleamed purple energy. Then he raised his hand, a sphere of power growing bigger and bigger, until it reached the size of a volleyball. Roaring, King Cold moved his hand to align with the distance between him and the youth, and the energy sphere exploded into a magenta beam, rocketing for the Saiyan's face!

"HAAAH!"

The unknown rushed at the blast, proceeding to impact it with his palm! The beam came back at King Cold, who moved sideways to avoid it, ensuring that it would sail harmlessly into a cliff a few miles away, blasting off a section of rock.

When the tyrant turned back, his chin was met by the youth's leg, sending him on his back sliding across the ground and kicking up granulated dust.

Meanwhile, Goku found himself still faced with something of a challenge against Frieza, despite the tyrant being literally disarmed. Slowly he was dismantling Frieza little by little, and Frieza struggled to keep up, desperately attempting to inflict any measure of pain he could against his Saiyan foe.

Even so, Frieza was still getting some shots in. Resolving to fight with his legs instead of his hands (a method he had once used as a method of toying with Goku during their first fight), he now looked to use such an unorthodox approach to defend against Goku's onslaught.

Down one arm, and Frieza was still fueled by hatred. His metal foot brutally impacted with Goku's skull at one point, while his tail followed up that kick to bash him in the back of the skull!

"Your mere existence vexes me," snarled Frieza. "I thought I told you on Namek that mercy is meaningless if your foe benefits from it. Your gall to show mercy to me... I don't require it, nor do I need your pity!"

Another kick, this time to the ribs, made Goku flinch. But he could only anger his enemy for so long.

"You wouldn't be on Earth if it weren't for me, Frieza...!"

With that statement, Goku's palm slammed into Frieza's mid-section, rattling the armored plating grafted into his skin!

"Gah-!"

"In fact, if it weren't for me," Goku continued, "my friends - everyone on Earth - they might've died because I was stupid enough to think you'd change!"

Clasping his fists together, Goku sledgehammered Frieza in the temple - just underneath his photoreceptor eye - with his joined fists, sending him back, and then Goku burst forward with a kick that left an imprint in Frieza's gut, just underneath his ribcage!

"Guh...!"

A wad of purple blood rose from Frieza's throat, and out of his mouth as the kick forced his own life essence out of him; the attack must have ruptured several vital organs. Due to his Frost Demon anatomy, he could certainly survive for long amounts of time with these injuries until they slowly healed. But this would not mean he would surely be left with searing injuries should he survive this...

But Goku was set on ensuring Frieza's death. Flipping above Frieza as the alien reeled from his past strike, Goku kneed him directly in the synthetic eye. The glass shattered, leaving him once again without two eyes. Screaming from his vision lost half-way yet again, Frieza was unable to defend as Goku grabbed his metal tail and started to tug him around in a circle!

This was an all-too-familiar scenario from Frieza, who had also been subject to been grabbed by his tail and flung around like such...

"LEEEEEEEEEEET GOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Goku obliged, but not before aiming him at the ground. Goku released his grip, sending the tyrant in the earth-bound direction. With a resounding crash, Frieza was slammed into yet another crater made by his dangerous contact with the ground.

Back to the teenage Saiyan, who stood over the battered King Cold, he stood over his opponent with a piercing glare. King Cold slowly managed to stand back up, wiping some blood from his mouth. Then he smirked.

"How interesting..." King Cold mused. "Obviously, Frieza's story of the Super Saiyan was very much accurate, given your astounding strength. You impress me."

The youth stood silent.

"Never in the many centuries I have lived, have I encountered such a fierce warrior," King Cold continued. "In fact, I see how it was a mistake for my son to oppress your people. I saw your value, whereas he did not. In fact... I see enough potential in you to join our clan."

He outstretched his hand with a respectful smile.

"Ignoring my son's constant rants on your species, you have what is necessary to rule the galaxy amongst the universe's most powerful. Imagine such a life. A baron with his own small section of the universe, with countless, beautiful planets in your care. You could be so much more than you are now."

The unknown huffed indifferently.

"Even if I wasn't focused on killing you," the boy stated, "that still sounds pretty lame."

King Cold's smile faltered slightly, but it was now more an angered smile, as if now having resolved to kill the man in front of him.

"So you reject my offer? Shame..."

His hand stayed outstretched, however, as he bent his fingers to imply that he wanted something from him.

"Well, seeing as we are no longer locked in mortal combat," he said, "perhaps I could respectfully inquire to have a look at your sword? It must surely be a piece of exceptional craftsmanship, for how else could it cut through my most elite soldiers and not be cracked or even dulled?" He bent his fingers again. "Might I... inspect it?"

The young swordsman did not instantly respond.

"Come now," said King Cold in a semi-friendly tone. "You are not afraid of being free of your weapon, are you?"

The boy stared, narrowing his eyes as if expecting deceit. Then he released the Super Saiyan form and unsheathed the blade. Idly, he tossed it to King Cold, who caught the sword by its hilt and inspected it quietly.

"As I suspected," King Cold concluded, his tone indicating that he was further impressed. "This weapon was most certainly forged by a master, and it has incredible sharp edge and build." He looked back to the sword's owner. "However, I believe the only plausible explanation on how you so easily felled my men was that you had this sword on hand."

"Is that what you think?" inquired the boy, now expecting the tyrant to use the blade against him. He would be right.

"Indeed," replied King Cold, an evil grin curling his features as he clasped the hilt in a two-handed grip. "It all adds up. Truly, without this sword in your hand... you're nothing."

Then the tyrant, despite all his wounds, raised the sword above his head to bring the sword down on the youth's head...

...only for the boy to catch the blade in-between his index finger and his thumb The tyrant's eyes widened in shock as his attack failed to do what he had intended, as the boy's hair flashed gold yet again.

"Please," the boy huffed, giving a prideful smirk. "I only carry this sword around because I got good with it. But there's an old proverb... 'a weapon doesn't make a man.'"

And with his free hand, he placed it to King Cold's exposed chest, and the palm began to glow gold!

"WAIT! NO! DON'T-!"

But he had begged far too late, as the youth projected from his hand a blast of golden energy that burned through King Cold's chest, knocking him backwards! Letting out a strangled cry of pain, the tyrant flew backwards towards the opposing cliff, slamming into it and sliding down to the foot of the cliff, a trail of dark purple blood streaking down the side as he hit the ground.

The teen stayed where he was, hand still outstretched as the father of Frieza moved feebly, having no more strength to return to his feet. He looked up at the Saiyan who defeated him, and fear was in the former monarch's eyes.

"Wait...!" King Cold rasped. "No, please spare me...! Ahhhh, mercy...! I... I surrender... I can no longer fight...! I am defeated...!"

The teen was still glaring into his soul with those pupil-less emerald eyes, which scared the dying alien even more.

"Please...!" King Cold gurgled, blood pouring from his mouth. "I beg of you... if you let me live, I... I will relinquish one of my... finest planets to you! In fact... I will even... allow you an entire... solar system... no?"

No response. King Cold raised his hand weakly in defense, though it was hopeless.

"If... if you want..." King Cold's voice was building with desperation, fearing the boy's response. "I'll leave... I'll change my wicked ways... convince my son to do the same! I'll give my word that-!"

Another blast came from the young man's hand as he begged on. King Cold only had enough time to scream for his life before the blast tore him to pieces, blowing him into hundreds of gory chunks, mixed with the fragments of his cartilage, horns, armor, and large quantities of blood and fluid.

"You'd never change," the boy growled, placing his sword within his sheath.

With one battle over, another battle was drawing to a close as a beaten, battered Frieza rose out of the crater, having heard his father beg for mercy before being silenced. And up above him, Goku was staring at him. The same damned emerald eyes that drove him insane...

"I gave you a chance, Frieza..." Goku breathed as he pulled his left hand back. "You wasted it... you fool."

And his hand glowed gold. He looked to kill Frieza with the same attack he used when he tried to take his life last time: the Angry Kamehameha.

"Kaaaa... meeee... haaaa... meeee..."

Recognizing this attack, Frieza pulled his remaining hand back, as it glowed with scarlet energy seething around his fist...!

"I... I WILL NEVER LOSE TO YOU!" screamed Frieza, his composure so broken that it could never be healed. "THIS TIME, YOU WRETCHED FILTH... YOU WILL PERISH! BY MY HAND ALONE!"

And he thrust forth his arm, causing a jet of blood-red power to surge forth, hoping to wipe Goku away once and all...

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

...only to watch as, in a repeat of their previous fight, Goku's one-handed blast of rage pushed his beam back, and Frieza had no power to move as he was once again swallowed in ki, being slowly disintegrated by the massive beam.

"DAMN YOU, GOKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

The last words of the Frost Demon, the vanquisher of the Saiyan Race, murderer of so many, destroyer of countless people across the universe... they echoed across the Northern Wastelands as the last particle of his matter was incinerated...

Silence followed.

Goku floated over the spot where a massive crater now lay in the blackened rock, plumes of smoke billowing into the air. The Saiyan breathed out, closing his eyes and looking away. Despite all that Frieza had done in life, Goku had not wished to take a life. And yet this was the extremity he had been cornered into because of his now deceased foe.

Another explosion followed behind Goku, and he turned around to see the mystery Saiyan blasting a hole in the alien spaceship. It combusted from its fuel supply catching fire, and it was soon obliterated, decomposing into a huge ball of flame.

Deciding that the danger was now over, Goku floated over to the nameless Saiyan, giving a thumbs-up.

"Thanks for that, whoever you are," he told the young man.

"Anytime," chuckled the young man, smiling back. "I was told a lot of things about you, Son Goku, but it's hard to believe a legend until you see it in person."

"Heh..." Goku chuckled, now sensing the ki of his friends drawing close. Below them, Goku idly waved to his son, his oldest friends, and Vegeta. The prince predictably scoffed, shaking his head.

"If you don't mind me asking, who are you?" Goku inquired to the boy.

The young man averted his blue eyes, apparently unwilling to reveal this.

"I'm sorry, but I can't say..." he told Goku in a hushed voice. "Not in front of your friends, anyways. It's rather important that they not know certain things I'm about to say. I can tell you, but we need to talk about this in private. My mother, the person who sent me here... she told me I can only trust you with what I'm about to say."

"Hey, I can promise to keep a secret!" chuckled Goku brightly. "And I keep my promises!"

"Thank you, Goku," the boy replied. "This... this is really important. It really is, the fate of Earth is probably hinging on this. So... you need to know."

"Wow, that bad?" Goku's brow furrowed. "Nothing's ever really calm these days, huh?"

"Yeah..." the boy murmured. "I'll be over here, out of earshot."

And he moved about a couple of miles away, easily a good distance to not be heard from. Goku watched him leave, then turned to his friends below.

"Hey, I'll be back in a second!" Goku called out. "The stranger needs to talk to me about something private! I'll be back in a few minutes!"

"Private?" wondered Yamcha aloud.

"What's so important?" Bulma mumbled.

"I hope he's not trying to kill Goku," grumbled Krillin. "Remember all the other Saiyans we met?"

Vegeta harumphed, rolling his eyes. Tien, Chiaotzu and Piccolo were mostly silent.

Goku now joined the youth at their spot. Confident that they were far enough from everyone else, Goku decided to speak up.

"I don't think my friends will hear us over here," Goku told the youth. "Except for Piccolo. Y'know, Namekian hearing... but you can trust him, too! He's better at keeping secrets than me, arguably."

"I can trust Piccolo, too," agreed the youth. "So... how to start off with this... guess I can start by telling you who I am. My name is Trunks."

Back over with the Z Fighters... somehow, Yamcha heard this. He cocked his head to the side.

'Huh?' He shook his head, but he still heard the youth talking. 'That's weird... I know I don't have super-hearing...'

But he was hearing it! He heard the young man declare his name was "Trunks." Yamcha, out of nowhere, bopped the side of his head, but he still heard them talking across the plain.

"Trunks, huh?" Goku outstretched his hand to shake, which the young man took. "Glad to see there's another friendly Saiyan out there. Most of the ones I met wanted to kill people. Usually me."

"Well, I'm half-Saiyan, actually," the boy named Trunks told him. "Much like your son, Gohan. And I owe my Saiyan genes to my father... the only other pureblood Saiyan who lives here."

It didn't take long for Goku to put two and two together. And when he did, his eyes went wide with surprise.

"Whoa! You're the son of Vegeta?!"

When Yamcha heard that, he nearly laughed, but he kept it in. Vegeta, a father? He knew what kind of monster he was... how could anyone like that have a kid? Maybe he was an accidental kid... he apparently "relieved some stress" with some woman, and they had no protection, resulting in a pregnancy. No way would someone like Vegeta want to be a parent.

Goku, over where Trunks was, was flabbergasted. Curious, he looked back between the Saiyan over there and the half-Saiyan talking to him now.

"Oh, yeah, I see it now!" Goku laughed. "Same facial features!"

Indeed, Trunks seemed to be eternally stern in the face, much like Vegeta, but not as extreme as Vegeta's scowl, due to lighter, kinder features.

"Well, that's kind of the reason I don't want him hearing this," said Trunks. "At least not yet. Obviously, Vegeta has no son. Not for the next few years, anyways..."

"So, what, you're from the future?" Goku wondered, almost jokingly.

"Actually, yes," replied Trunks bluntly.

Goku lost all of his humorous air when he heard that. This was a time traveller? And he had come back... why? To ensure his father lived? Or was it something bigger?

"You're... from the future?" Goku repeated blankly.

"Exactly," answered Trunks. "The present 'me' has yet to be born in this timeline, so I want you to not tell Vegeta. At all. If he found out he'd be a father, I'm sure he'd distance himself from everyone just to make sure I was never born."

"Hey, like I said!" Goku chuckled. "I keep my promises, and I keep my promise to keep your secret!"

"Thanks," said Trunks. "But that's not the only reason I came back. My parentage can't be known, but there are other things I need to tell you about. Things that have to be known so the world can have a future unlike my own."

"Unlike your own? What, did something happen?"

"Something terrible," said Trunks. "The future I'm from... it's Hell on Earth, and nearly everyone is dead. Humans, beast people, any living thing... just about almost gone."

"What?!" Goku was breathless.

"Tell me..." Trunks spoke. "What do you remember about the Red Ribbon Army?"

"The Red Ribbon?" Goku remembered well. "Oh, yeah. I took 'em down when I was just a kid! My friend Eighter... he was made by them."

"Yeah, that's them," Trunks said, nodding. "Yeah, you were instrumental in defeating them all those years back... but you didn't fully destroy them..." Trunks cleared his throat and continued. "There were still some RRA supporters left after you defeated the main organization. One was their top scientist: Doctor Maki Gero. A mastermind on Android technology. He was responsible for creating a deadly pair of Androids. A pair of half-man, half-machine hybrids that only care about death and destruction. When Doctor Gero activated them, they rebelled and killed him. Then they lay waste to Earth. They attacked at 10:23 AM on May 12, Age 767... pretty much decimated South City." Trunks closed his eyes, his fists balling up as he grimly added, "In my future, 70% percent of humanity has been exterminated, and those who still live hide in fear. These Androids... they killed everyone. Krillin, Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, Piccolo... even my father."

Goku tensed. Everyone... gone? What happened?

"Wh-What about my son?" Goku suddenly looked back over to his boy, standing on the side and looking oblivious. "Gohan... isn't he still alive?"

"Gohan..." Trunks repeated tremulously, looking away.

"Don't... don't tell me...?" Goku feared the answer, but he had to know...

"He is... was... my mentor," Trunks said quietly. "He taught me almost everything I knew. I'll always be grateful to him. He lost an arm to the Androids so that I could live... but he kept going after the Androids. Kept thinking he'd eventually get strong enough to beat them, even after he gave up an extremity for me. And one day... the Androids got tired of that. They ganged up on him one stormy night, and..." He stopped himself, not wanting to reveal anymore. But Goku had figured it out.

"They... killed my son..." Goku was suddenly enraged. "Dammit, where was I when that happened?! I should've been there, I could've stopped it!"

"That's just it, Goku..." Trunks cut in. "You never made it to the Androids. You ended up catching a virus you caught during your time on the planet Yardrat: a disease unlike anything on the planet. It attacks the heart, and you died from it six months before the Androids arrived."

"A virus?" Goku slapped the side of his head. "Wow, not the way I'd prefer to go out, but that a germ stopped me from saving everyone from... from Androids?!" What do I do?!"

"Nothing," Trunks answered, pulling out a small Dyna-Cap. "A big reason why my mother sent me back here was because she made a medicine for you. One tailored to deal with the virus." He placed it in Goku's hand. "It should slow down the effects of the virus, so that when it attacks, your body will be ready for it, and your immune system will deal with it fast enough. It's a quick killer, so this should be what you need to live through it."

"Man, thanks!" Goku chuckled, observing the Capsule with reverence. "Glad you could come back here just to make sure we can fight Androids three years from now! Should be fun!"

Yamcha, still listening on, shook his head. Typical Goku, looking forward to a challenge.

"I believe that saving your life will prevent the future I've experienced," Trunks concluded. "My mother always told me great things about you. And I have every reason to believe that the future will change with you still around."

"Yeah, you keep mentioning your mom, Trunks," Goku observed, placing his finger on his chin. "Do I know her or something?"

Trunks lowered his voice. "Yeah... you could say she's your oldest friend."

And it was at this moment that Goku started to grind the gears in his brain and put the puzzle pieces together.

"Wait, hold on, now..." said Goku slowly. "Your mother made a medicine for me... she found a way to transport you back in time... and she's an old friend... you don't possibly mean...?"

"Yeah," said Trunks quietly. "My mother's right over there with your other friends."

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

There was a loud thud, and the next thing Trunks knew, Goku had fallen on his back in surprise, staring up at him in surprise and gawking at him!

"YOU MEAN VEGETA AND BULMA?!" Goku screamed increduously. "YOU'RE THEIR KID?!"

"Shh!" Trunks placed his finger over his lips. "Shush! Don't be so loud, they might hear!"

While they had heard Goku scream, none of them had picked up what was said besides Piccolo, who had shifted in slight surprise, looking between the Saiyan Prince and the Capsule Corp heiress.

"Ugh..." grunted Vegeta. "What are they talking about over there? What did that boy say to make Kakarot fall flat on his ass?"

"I could've sworn I heard Goku say my name," Bulma added. "But I didn't hear anything else."

The only one besides Piccolo who had heard was Yamcha... and in the split-second that it had taken him to hear of this mystery Saiyan's parentage, his world had simply collapsed.

'Vegeta and Bulma's... son?!'

The words in his mind rang in his head like a bad earworm. His worst fears had been realized, manifesting in the form of this half-Saiyan boy from the future, claiming that he was the son of Bulma and his murderer. His heart felt like it had been hammered into a pancake.

He had feared that Bulma may like Vegeta that way, and now he knew he had feared correctly. Now there was no question that he and Bulma weren't meant to be anymore, and she would move on the next thing.

Never in his life had Yamcha felt so... defeated.

'I... I didn't want to believe it...' Yamcha thought mournfully. 'I wanted to pretend it wasn't true... and then life just spits in my face.'

Unable to keep his tears in, Yamcha turned back and began to run. Away from Bulma, away from that boy named Trunks, away from crippling reality. Tears stung his eyes as he took flight, just wanting to escape from everything.

"What the-?!" Bulma was the first to see him flying away. "What-?! Hey! Yamcha! Where are you going?! Who's gonna take me back home?! Yamcha, get back here!"

But Yamcha was out of earshot by that point. Off he flew, out of sight.

"Whoa!" Krillin exclaimed, completely confused. "Where's he off to?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" Bulma snapped, furious. "That jerk! What's so important that he's gotta abandon me here?!

"Maybe Baseball practice?" Tien suggested. "The season is a month away..."

They were all completely oblivious. Yamcha was far away by that point, headed to West City and wanting to be nowhere near Bulma or thar boy. He cursed life, wondering what he'd done to deserve losing his girlfriend, the woman who would bear the child of that Saiyan...

Alone with his sorrows, Yamcha allowed his tears to fall free as he sped back to West City, to wherever his depression would lead him.


And the Future Trunks Saga concludes, and I'm left with a bad taste in my mouth. My poor boy, Yamcha...

It will get better for him. I promise.

As for why I had Goku kill Frieza instead of Trunks, I always had an issue with how some nobody with no history with Frieza killed the intergalactic tyrant. So I rectified that. At least Trunks still get a kill in, as I have less problem with King Cold being dispatched by someone new, especially since he had been uninvolved with the Z Fighters until now.

Now for power levels...

* Bulma: 2

* Chiaotzu: 40,000

* Yamcha: 100,000

* Tien: 120,000

* Krillin: 150,000

* Gohan: 1,700,000

* Piccolo: 2,400,000

* Vegeta: 3,200,000

* Future Trunks: 3,800,000 (natural), 195,000,000 (Super Saiyan)

* Goku: 4,000,000 (natural), 200,000,000 (Super Saiyan)

* Mecha Frieza: 165,000,000

* King Cold: 180,000,000

And that's all for now! I hope you can forgive me for the hiatus. I'll be updating faster when I get my laptop fixed, but for now, be satisfied with this chapter. Again, big thanks to Childhood Enigma for being my writing partner!

That's all the time I got now, so see you next chapter! Hopefully my next update will be soon! And I hope the COVID-19 isn't getting you down. So I'll be praying you stay well!

Alright, see you later!

Sky-Kaiser out!