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Disclaimer: DC and the Dragonball Franchise belong to their respective owners; I own nothing.

Chapter 32: Aurora IV: Sentinel

December 18th

Age 762 (2012), Namek

"So this is planet Namek huh?" Vegeta said as he exited his ship, his eyes gazing at the vast expanse of land before him. "It seems quiet, too quiet for my liking, but at least I finally escaped Aka's clutches. I need to figure out my next move quickly. I may have left the base but Frieza's goons will still be hot on my trail." Vegeta scowled as the events that had taken place just hours earlier flooded his mind.

He had nearly died on that godforsaken planet. If Aka hadn't taken off he would've never managed to escape. It still perplexed him why the fusion warrior had done that. After all the damage he'd done to the base, coupled with the number of deaths he'd caused, letting him leave made no sense whatsoever. On top of that, he'd disobeyed a direct order from Frieza. The galactic overlord had issued his death warrant, so why did Aka let him go?

All of this was making no sense! He was sure there was a greater scheme at work, one that he was completely oblivious to. It frustrated him to no end how he was slowly losing control over his life. First his humiliating defeat on Earth by that low-class Saiyan Kakarot and now he was wanted for execution by Frieza. Things were not going as he'd envisioned them.

In his original plan, he was supposed to have had the Dragonballs by now and Frieza was supposed to be dead. He was supposed to take over the Planet Trade Organization and bring the Saiyan race back to prominence. He had failed on all accounts.

"Curse you Kakarot! You and those stupid Earthlings ruined all of my plans! If I ever see you again I'll make sure to kill you!" The prince's voice boomed as it echoed across the wasteland. Raditz brother would one day feel the full fury of his wrath. "It's all your fault! Yours and Frieza's! If I had the Dragonballs none of you….." Vegeta paused as a thought suddenly entered his mind. How could he have been so stupid? There were Dragonballs on Namek too! His plans for domination weren't thwarted just yet.

If the Namekians on Earth had managed to create a pair of Dragonballs, their homeworld had to have some too. But Vegeta's plans and hopes were dashed as he noticed a spherical orb sparkling in the sky.

"What was that?"

The Saiyan's question was quickly answered as more orbs coursed through the Namekian landscape, raining down like meteors. Squinting his eyes the prince peered in closer.

"No! That's impossible! How could Frieza's men have followed me here so quickly? Damn it! Just when things are looking up those fools have to ruin it!" Vegeta's fist tightened as he grit his teeth, straining to control his anger at the situation. He would not let Frieza's men get in the way of his plans no matter what.

"It doesn't matter, those weaklings won't hinder me. I'll get the Dragonballs if it's the last thing I do!"

With that, Vegeta blasted off into the sky, heading towards the direction of the newly arrived ships.

December 18th

Age 762 (2012), Namek

"So what happened with the reinforcements Bulma?" Gohan and Krillin turned, facing their lavender haired companion as they eagerly awaited her response.

The Capsule Corps heiress sighed deeply before responding.

"I just spoke with Batman and Superman back on Earth and Goku has already left the planet," There was no way Gohan's father would turn back now. "They also told me that they couldn't leave the planet to help us. They have their own problems that need to be taken care of first. It looks like we're on our own until Goku arrives."

The diminutive duo sat in silence for several seconds until Gohan decided to finally speak up. His dad would be much-needed help, but there was a brand new crisis on their hands.

"We have bigger problems than just Vegeta."

"Huh?"

Gohan frowned as he spoke to Krillin.

"Did you sense the other power levels that just started popping up all over the planet? They don't have the same Ki signature as the Namekian's do and wherever they spike, the Namekian's power levels disappear."

Bulma and Krillin took a step back as they instantly realized what that meant.

"Wait, are you saying someone is attacking the Namekian's and wiping them out?" Bulma asked for certainty.

Gohan's face scrunched as he responded. "I'm not sure but their power levels are just vanishing. It seems more than likely that someone is killing the Namekian's."

"But who and why?" Krillin asked as he scowled. They'd only just arrived on this planet.

"I don't know who and I don't know why Krillin, but whatever is going on doesn't bode well for us."

The trio remained in silence, thinking it over until Bulma finally decided to speak up.

"Do you think we…!"

"Bulma get out of the way!"

Gohan abruptly tackled his Godmother to the ground as a Ki beam suddenly flew overhead, crashing into their ship. A large explosion followed as the spaceship promptly exploded into millions of shattered fragments. As the flames from the explosion died down, Bulma gasped as she examined the scene.

"No! No! After all the hard work it took just to get here! You'll pay for that!"

Bulma's enraged shout voiced the thoughts of everyone present; something had to be done.

Looking skyward Krillin and Gohan found their attackers floating just meters above them with proud grins etched on their faces.

"Who are you?"

A purple reptilian with purple horns chuckled as he answered.

"I'm Private Banan and my partner here is Private Sui." The man's partner was a humanoid fish-like alien with a large fin atop his skull.

"Why did you attack us?" Krillin asked as he got straight to the point.

The horned soldier replied. "You're an unidentified group, you're neither Namekian nor one of Frieza's soldiers and per our orders, anyone not associated with either group shall be terminated."

The trio shared a collective gulp at the mention of Frieza's name. That was the person the Green Lantern had warned them about.

"Don't you think that's a little extreme? We've done nothing to harm you!" Gohan tried to reason with them before things went any further. He would have preferred not to exert any unnecessary Ki here.

Sui simply chuckled as he turned and aimed his arm cannon at Krillin. "It doesn't matter, anything issued by Lord Frieza will be followed with conviction - prepare to die!"

The humanoid-fish attempted to fire a blast but was halted as Gohan appeared beside him and kicked him in the face. He was sent tumbling several hundred yards away. Banan instantly attempted to attack the hybrid but was stopped midway as a Ki beam slammed into his chest, sending him rocketing off into the distance.

Lowering his hands the Demi-Saiyan descended back towards the ground.

"Thanks for the save Gohan."

Goku's son simply responded with a smile. "It was no problem Krillin, I know you would've easily taken them out if you weren't caught off guard."

Krillin grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "True. But who were those guys? I've never seen them before."

"They attacked us for no good reason too." Gohan scowled as he faced what was left of their ship.

Bulma paused as she took a moment to gather her thoughts. "They wore the same type of armor as Vegeta did so they are all connected. Remember, the Green Lantern warned us about how dangerous Frieza is. We need to tread lightly."

Gohan and Krillin both nodded in agreement.

"He's more powerful than anyone we've ever faced." Gohan mumbled to himself. What were the chances they could survive an encounter with him?

"Did you hear what they said about the termination?" Krillin asked. This wasn't something that had been mentioned to them back on Earth.

"He said that if you're not a Namekian or one of Frieza's soldiers that you must be terminated."

"Is Frieza really going to commit genocide?" Gohan asked the question out loud to the others. They had been told of the tyrant's potential power, but could he really be so cruel?

Krillin was about to answer the question until Bulma abruptly cut him off.

"As big as those problems are we have more pressing matters on our hands."

A quizzical expression appeared on Krillin's face. "What?"

"THE SHIP IS GONE THOSE SOLDIERS BLEW IT UP!"

The former monk whimpered as Bulma towered over him, shouting loudly as she pulled the strands of her hair.

"I don't see why this is such a big deal though." Krillin uttered in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

"Would you care to repeat that a little bit louder Krillin?" Bulma demanded as a large tick mark appeared on her forehead.

"Umm, how is that a big problem?"

Bulma's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as she attempted to choke her friend.

"How are we supposed to get back home?"

"We can always hitch a ride back with Goku when he finally arrives on Namek." Krillin managed to squeeze the words out in-between breaths. Bulma was surprisingly strong for a woman with no fighting experience.

His response seemed to snap her back to her senses as she released her hands his vocal cords. He was right.

"You're a genius!" Bulma's face brightened. "We can always get back to Earth using Goku's ship when he finally arrives."

Krillin slumped to the ground wheezing as air finally returned to his lungs. "Sheesh, Bulma, when did you become so violent? It's no wonder you haven't found a man yet."

Bulma's neck snapped as she heard Krillin's snide remark. "What did you say? Don't make me choke you again!" Gohan strained as he attempted to restrain Bulma from physically harming Krillin again.

"Can't you two ever stop arguing?" Gohan sweatdropped as he continued pulling on Bulma's shirt, separating her from her victim.

"It's not my fault Gohan, he always has something smart to say!"

"Hey, it's not my fault you always start it." Krillin pouted back in response.

Gohan face palmed, he would never get anywhere at this rate.

"You guys can fight all you want once we get out of here. I beat those two guys but they could be back at any moment, possibly with reinforcements. Let's get out of here while we still have the opportunity."

Bulma's squirming stopped as Gohan finally released her from his grasp.

"I guess you're right, we can put aside our differences until later," The Capsule Corps heiress dusted herself off. It would give her more time to figure out what do to Krillin anyways. "Right now we need to focus on moving as far away from here as we can. I'll gather what's left of the ship."

Gohan simply nodded and reached down to help Krillin get back onto his feet.

"So what do you think of our chances?"

His father's best friend frowned as he responded.

"Things aren't looking too good so far. There are too many unknown variables for this mission. Hopefully, when your dad gets here we'll be able to handle anything that may come our way."

Gohan nodded in agreement. No matter the situation, his father always managed to pull them out of the fire.

"I've got everything guys, we're good to go." Bulma returned from her scavaging with multiple capsules in hand. That was all they would have to rely on for now.

December 18th

Age 762 (2012), Otherworld, King Kai's Planet

"So this is the King Kai's planet? It doesn't seem like much." Piccolo said with a scoff. The Namekian was not impressed.

"Lighten up Piccolo, after the long walk it took to get here I'm just thankful we arrived." Yamcha said with a smile.

"I'm surprised we managed to beat Goku's time. Snake Way is no joke." As a former assassin, Tien had gone through numerous hardships, but nothing had prepared him for that.

"I guess it's because we're stronger than Goku was when he did it." Chiaotzu theorized as he floated beside his best friend.

"Where is this King Kai anyways? After all the stories of his power and grace, I expected him to be here." Piccolo was growing more impatient by the second. He hadn't traveled with these fools for no reason.

Yamcha and his companions shrugged, they had no idea who or where King Kai was.

"I don't know Piccolo he could be busy, he might have other people to train." The lone wolf offered.

Piccolo's neck twisted as he turned to face the ex-bandit. "Other people, to train? Where? Do you see how small this planet is? Who could he be training? In fact, I don't care, all I know is he's going to train me or else he'll face my wrath."

"Sheesh Piccolo, don't you ever calm down? Being so angry isn't good for your health."

A large tick mark throbbed on Ma Junior's forehead. "Health? We're dead you idiot! You're almost as dense as Goku!"

Yamcha shrank under the Namekian's imposing tone, Piccolo could be absolutely terrifying when he wanted to be.

"Can you two calm down? I'm sure King Kai will be here any second. What we don't need is you two fighting and possibly getting us kicked off his planet." Tien shouted as he stepped in front of Piccolo, stopping him from assaulting the poor Earthling.

"Hey, what's that over there?"

The trio's bickering stopped as they turned and faced what Chiaotzu was pointing at.

"A monkey?"

The group was perturbed as to what was going on. Did animals even have souls? Deciding to break the staring contest Tien slowly walked towards the primate.

"Are you King Kai?"

Tien received his answer in an array of chimp noises. After several oo's and ah's the monkey descended back into his silence.

"Well, that didn't solve anything." Tien's brow furrowed as he attempted to engage the animal once more but to no avail.

"Man this is getting nowhere! This monkey can't possibly be King Kai." Tien groaned as he threw his hands into the air.

"Move out of the way Triclops let me try." Tien was promptly shoved to the ground as Piccolo pushed him to get to the chimp.

"Now listen up, I don't know if you understand a single thing that I'm saying, but if you don't tell us where King Kai is I will shove this down your throat." The monkey squirmed as he stared at the Ki blast that was forming in Piccolo's right hand. Though he didn't understand what it was, he knew it didn't bode well for him.

The primate couldn't verbally speak but his whimpers communicated his fear.

"Hey, green guy, there's no need to get violent here."

Looking up at the sound of a new voice, Piccolo met gazes with a massive grasshopper.

"What the hell is going on? When did animals and bugs begin to have souls?" His shared knowledge with Kami had never informed him of this.

"Hey that hurt, we're just like you! All animals have souls."

Palming his forehead Piccolo released a guttural growl. "Can someone just tell me where the hell King Kai is?"

The grasshopper's face brightened at the mention of the northern deity. "If you wanted him you should have just asked."

"I have been asking you stupid grass….."

Grabbing a microphone out of thin air, the grasshopper began speaking into it. "Introducing the Lord of the Worlds, the ruler of the northern galaxy, the North King…King Kai!"

A wave of clapping and cheers erupted from thin air, leaving Piccolo and the Earthlings completely confused.

"Oh you shouldn't have, all this for little old me, I feel so special."

Out of the sky descended a blue being dressed in royal clothing.

"Well aren't you guys going to clap and cheer, you are my guests after all?"

Piccolo and the rest of the Earth's fallen warriors exchanged befuddled stares.

"Sheesh aren't these guys a little slow Gregory." King Kai said as he whispered into the grasshopper's ear. "I don't understand how they expect me to train them if they're this slow."

Shaking from their dazed stupor the group decided to finally speak up.

"Are you King Kai?"

"Of course, the one and only." The Lord of worlds said with a smile.

"Who are those two?" Chiaotzu asked as he pointed to the monkey and the grasshopper beside the Kai.

"That's Gregory," King Kai said as he pointed to the large bug. "And this is Bubbles." He said, pointing to the monkey.

"Where the hell have you been for the past hour? We've been waiting for you."

Before King Kai could respond to Piccolo Gregory cut him off.

"That's no way to talk to the Lord of worlds, he could destroy you all in an instant if he pleased."

Kami's evil half simply chuckled. "If this buffoon is King Kai then we've wasted our time. I'll figure out my own way of training then." With that Piccolo began to march off in the opposite direction.

"Hold on Piccolo, if you doubt my abilities then why don't you test them for yourself?"

Piccolo stopped mid stride upon hearing the challenge. How could he possibly refuse? "I guess I can, but it's your own fault if you get your ass kicked."

"Hey, you can't….."

King Kai waved Gregory off before he could begin.

"Let him talk, it doesn't matter anyway, my power will speak for itself. I am surprised though, Goku said you were a wise warrior and that you moved with caution," His former pupil had boasted about Piccolo's prowess during their numerous training sessions. "But you're not living up to any of his claims. I guess I'll just have to teach you a lesson then."

"Whatever you say, old man, just shut up and fight already." Piccolo promptly threw off his cape and slid into a fighting stance.

"Do you really think Piccolo stands a chance?" Yamcha asked his friends as they huddled together to watch the fight.

"If this really is the guy that trained Goku then no, his power eclipses all of ours combined! I don't understand why Piccolo can't see that." Chiaotzu could sense a dangerous energy behind the Kai's warm smile.

"It's not that Piccolo doesn't see it, he just refuses to accept it. He doesn't want to believe a being so powerful could be so relaxed and laid back." Tien added as King Kai remained impassive as ever. He didn't display a warrior's temperament.

"If you three commentators are done talking I'd like to begin the fight now."

Yamcha, Chiaotzu, and Tien immediately hushed as Piccolo's power began to spike.

"You have good form and your power is pretty impressive, but you still don't stand a chance though. I don't understand why you can't recognize this." The Lord of worlds didn't even bat an eye as the ground started to tremble.

Piccolo growled as his aura continued to surge. "Just shut up and fight!"

Piccolo gave King Kai no forewarning and suddenly sprang into action, launching forward with his right fist cocked back. There was no one there to greet Piccolo as he arrived though, save for the passing breeze. The Namekian scowled as he immediately began searching for his missing foe.

"Behind you."

Snapping his head around, Piccolo aimed a quick upper cut at the Kai's face, only for it to be easily avoided as King Kai ducked underneath it.

"Too slow."

Piccolo growled at the deity's taunting and attempted an ill-advised roundhouse kick to his abdomen. It landed, though not in the manner Piccolo had envisioned it. His strike bounced harmlessly of the Kai's chest, evoking a laugh from the Lord of worlds.

"Hahaha. That tickled! Do it harder next time."

Piccolo's frustration began to mount as he attempted a combo of jabs, kicks, and punches that all failed to connect with their target. Though King Kai was a heavy set man his body easily moved to avoid his blows.

King Kai's movements were swift, switching from various fighting styles to evade all of the Namekian's strikes. Piccolo had never seen anything like it before, even when he'd fought Nappa. The Saiyan had at least struggled to parry his attacks, but his opponent did it without breaking a sweat. Even though he'd managed to land one blow, Piccolo knew it had only been because his opponent had allowed him to do so.

Finishing another combo off, Piccolo paused to catch his breath.

"C'mon don't tell me you're tired already? I'm not even fighting back. You're basically losing to yourself. What happened to all the power you had before?"

Piccolo panted as he contemplated his opponent's words. Never before in his life had he been so thoroughly embarrassed. His attacks had all been seen through and evaded before he could even fully unleash them. If this man truly was King Kai he understood why he was so revered.

"I'm….not….done….yet!" On the last syllable, Piccolo lashed out, assaulting King Kai with newly found strength. His overhand punch was easily sidestepped, which left his body open for attack. King Kai capitalized and instantly went on the offensive for the first time during the entire fight.

He quickly dispatched a set of attacks that were too quick for any of the onlooker's eyes to see clearly. The only thing Piccolo saw was a blur as his left side was rocked with numerous blows. The pain that followed was immense, but brief, as King Kai quickly back peddled away.

"Are you satisfied yet? Have I proven my strength to the mighty Piccolo yet?"

Hacking up a pint of blood, Piccolo spat onto the ground. "I'm not finished yet! It's going to take a lot more than that to defeat me."

King Kai sighed. "Have it your way. It's hard to believe you and Kami are the same person. Kami would have already quit by now."

Piccolo's face darkened at the mention of his other half. "Don't mention that weakling I'm twice the warrior he is!"

Piccolo once again lunged at King Kai with a punch he had held back for too long. Before Ma Junior could even react his fist was caught in the hard confines of the Kai's grasp. The former demon King screamed as the hold began to tighten around his knuckles.

"Just concede now and I won't have to take it any further."

Though the pain was immense Piccolo retained his prideful attitude. "Never!"

King Kai sorrowfully shook his head. "I don't know whether you're the dumbest or the most courageous person I've ever met. You're probably a mixture of the two."

Releasing the Namekian from his grasp King Kai followed up with an elbow to the jaw. Piccolo staggered back in shock at the speed and the force of the blow. His head throbbed as he attempted to compose himself, only for King Kai to appear before him with his fist dug deeply into his stomach.

An eruption of spit and blood flew forth from Piccolo's mouth as his insides were pounded into jello.

Looking up at his bleeding opponent King Kai decided it was time to finish the battle.

As he retracted his fist, King Kai began pouring Ki to it.

"Do you guys feel that power?"

"It's ridiculous and it's radiating from one hand!"

"This guy's incredible!"

A sly grin formed and expanded as King Kai heard the Earthling's words. Glancing at his awestruck opponent, King Kai realized this was the moment he had been waiting for. Thrusting his right hand forward, the deity slammed his fist into the Namekian's face.

A shockwave ensued and reverberated, knocking the onlookers to the ground. Piccolo's eyes rose to their extremities as King Kai's fist pulverized his body. Painful cracking noises were heard, followed by a terrified scream before the Namekian promptly fell unconscious.

As Ma Junior slumped to the floor King Kai turned and faced the Earthlings.

"Any more questions?"

The group gulped and apologetically shook their respective heads.

"Good. We'll begin training when your friend wakes up."

A big thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter 31!

A/N: Another fast update? I keep surprising myself lol. I made this story's version of King Kai a little stronger than he was in canon. It never made sense to me how he was supposed to oversee a portion of the Universe, but was so weak.

Q/A:

Justaquestion12: That is true but I already have a pairing in mind for Gohan.

darkmist111: I will probably use SSJ4 and SSG. Yes, you will get more DC/DB pairings in the future. I can't give an exact number on the Saiyans. I can't really answer who's the most dangerous genius either. Lex is probably more dangerous than Gero just due to his wealth.

masoliki1: I've stated numerous times that Zeno is not a part of this story. I'm not including DBS in this story either.

Gokublackgodofdestrucion: I have no plans for Janemba at the moment.

Diana: I don't write lemons. I already have Gohan and Trunks pairings figured out. Diana will be back in time for the Cell saga.

dirtyShoes: It's always nice to get a review from another author whose works I enjoy. I hope your comeback is very successful.

Sailor Dragonball 87: Thanks for the kind words. A Gohan/Donna pairing isn't possible considering the fact that Donna is basically his aunt lol. I already have someone in mind too.

chris2828: Thank you for the kind words. I intend to keep Beerus the way he was shown in BOG. There was no way I could have let Superman go to Namek lol.

God Ki: I appreciate you trying to explain God Ki, but it all conjecture. Dragonball itself has failed to explain much of anything. All anyone at best can do is come up with their own theories and explanations which may or may not be true.

Team Soda: I haven't even decided who the final Fury will be so idk lol. In the comics Velocity 9 has no relation to Starro, I'm just combing two different plots. I actually have a storyline centered around the dangers of the Dragonballs planned. After we get past Namek all the really fun stuff will start happening.