A/N: I was informed that there is a grammar problem with my writing. Thanks for telling me. I was actually aware of it a long time ago, but it's just so hard to change your writing style, especially if you don't know how to do things properly. So sorry to those who had trouble reading due to the grammar problem. I will try my best to fix it, but no promise. I've always had issues with tenses, so expect it to be some time before I get my grammar under control. J
Disclaimer: (Reading from paper in a monotone) I do not own Dragonball, Dragonball Z, or Dragonball Gt.
A/N: Did I put a disclaimer in every chapter? You probably won't mind if I forgot because everyone gets tired of reading them eventually. It's hard to remember sometimes.
The Next ChallengeRunning outside quickly, Goku's first instinct was to find Pan and protect her from whatever dangers was coming their way. She was easy enough to track down, although her power level had been pushed down so as not to be detected. He had been told to leave her alone, but this is not exactly the best time for that. First things first, and this is an emergency.
Preparing to take flight, Goku realized that he was still holding onto the viola and bow. At the push of a button, the instrument was once again safely back in its capsule. Finally, he took to the sky.
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Pan sat at the foot of a large tree, its leaves and branches draping, resembling her hunched over figure. It was a weeping willow, but Pan's pride would not allow the tears to fall. Also, she was strong, right? And those who are strong never cries. Her grandfather, for one, never did. 'You're thinking about him again! Why?!' Frustrated that she can't stop thinking about Goku, Pan's anger rose even higher still. She was unaware that her energy level is no longer hidden. In fact, it's become all too obvious to anyone who has the slightest of detecting abilities, not to mention two scouters…
"Pan, what are you doing here?" a concerned Goku asked as he landed softly beside his granddaughter.
Focusing her gaze abruptly to a cloud in the distance, Pan mumbled, "Mind your own business."
"We've got to get out of here," Goku hissed fiercely. At the same time, he slipped the viola's capsule into Pan's pocket without drawing her attention. She did felt a slight tug at her pants, but ignored it thinking it's probably just her imagination. However, Goku's demand did capture her interest.
She turned to look at her grandpa. "Why?" she demanded coolly. Suddenly she caught the worry in Goku's eyes, but didn't interrogate him about it, since she's not exactly in a talking mood. Besides, she's still very mad at him.
"Just do as I say, and you will not be sorry," Goku explained briefly.
It was an unsatisfying reply. It reminded Pan of just how annoying this "kid" really can be. Slowly but surely, she felt the rage surge through her again. For a short moment, all coherent thoughts deserted her mind, and she fired a large ki blast at the unsuspecting Goku. Pan watched in horror as his body was thrown backwards by the impact, as though in slow motion, and hit the ground with a thud which echoed in her head, over and over and over again.
All was motionless, then Goku got back up on his feet, the concern previously in his eyes replaced by controlled fury. He wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth and stared intensely at Pan. Fortunately, he was a pretty strong guy, so the ki blast didn't do much damage. Still…
Time stand still as the two stared unmoving at each other. Then a voice cut through the hanging silence. "Do you really hate me that much?" Goku inquired. His voice carries a bitter tinge.
Recovering from the surprise attack, Pan allowed her answer to be guided by her unending ferocity. "Yes I do! I hate you grandpa! I HATE YOU!!!" She was about to fly off elsewhere when her senses kicked in: two giant powers, one weak. What is going on?
Goku turned around and prepared for the arrival of the three. Confirmative: the dwindling one belongs to Vegeta. As for the other two… Goku's eyes widened in fear as he recognized one of the massive powers…Radditz… He could still remember that day, long ago, when his saiyan brother dropped in for a surprise attack and murdered his best friend… Goku stood immobile as he waited patiently for the dreaded encounter.
After what seemed like hours, a strong gust of wind whizzed across the open valley. Goku shut his eyes to avoid being blinded by the sand picking up. When he opened them, the scene before him was quite a sight. Rendered speechless, all Goku could do is stare frozen at the threesome before him.
"Hello, brother," Radditz's voice cracked tauntingly. "It's been a while since the last time we met, hasn't it?"
Goku diverged his attention from Radditz to study the other saiyan, and gulped. Bardock… A long-ago memory returned to him, one developed while travelling to Earth in a space pod, forgotten in an accident, and retrieved in an attack. His father's voice had spoken to him, thanking him for the courage gathered in order to take a stand against Frieza. Unbeknownst to Goku, Bardock's spirit had always been inside of him. Bardock's cause of death was from standing up for something he truly believed in, and he died with a good conscience. So why is he here, alive, and teamed up with his evil older son? Wait a minute…why is Radditz alive? Goku couldn't believe he overlooked that last time.
Then there is Vegeta. No harm done really. Or, at least nothing that the eye can see. However, the saiyan prince was unconscious, wearing a bewildered and alarmed expression. He probably got knocked out, Goku assumed. Afterall, he knew for a fact that Radditz is superior in strength compared to himself, for some mysterious reason. So how strong does that make Bardock? All he recalled was that Frieza was "unhappy" about Bardock's strength, so he must have been a pretty strong guy to start with. But did he improve as much as Radditz? Goku hoped not. As if an answer to that question, their energy levels rose dramatically, as if preparing for battle. Bardock is even stronger than Radditz…
A whimper from behind him brought Goku back to reality. Turning around he saw his granddaughter backed up against the tree in horror. Yep, the two saiyans' strength sure is fear provoking. No doubt about that.
Goku stood protectively in front of Pan, though he was aware that this could only provide her with some comfort, and nothing else. He was no match for those two. Hang on…Pan did say that she hated him, didn't she? Goku worried about that possibility, then decided that it was false. Pan doesn't know what pure hate is, and is unaware of the passionate feelings emitted by it. She'd never experienced it, and hopefully never will.
"What do you want from us?" Goku summoned his courage and asked, in the process indicating Vegeta with a nod in his direction. There were so many more questions he wanted answers to. So many more…
"I'm glad you asked," Radditz smirked at him. That smirk…is it the saiyan signature smirk or what? Goku shuddered inwardly, and glanced briefly at Vegeta. He must have been training when interrupted, considering he was clothed in his saiyan "uniform". Bardock held on to the back of Vegeta's collar and let Radditz do all the talking.
As Goku returned his attention to the longhaired saiyan, a surprised yelp, cut off short, came from behind. Whipping around quickly, he was shocked to find Pan dangling in the air…by her throat. Bardock's expressionless features now show a smirk as he suffocated the girl in one hand.
"Let her go!!!" Goku screamed desperately as fear clutched at his heart. What if she dies? He has to do something, and soon, but he's just so powerless to help… Bardock was so fast that he wasn't even aware of his actions!
"Your's growing frantic," Radditz teased jeeringly, and his smirk grew wider with the growing satisfaction. He could almost taste Kakarot's fear on his lips… "Now listen carefully if you want her to live," he ordered in a demanding tone. When Goku remained silent and merely nodded, Radditz commenced his explanation.
"Our Sire, Lord Ice, had the ability to revive our entire saiyan race. All those killed by Lord Frieza or met death some other way was restored." Out of the corner of his eyes, Goku saw Bardock let go of Pan. She dropped to the ground with a soft thud and lay there motionless. Goku felt propelled to move forward and see to her, but his brain screamed at him to stay put and listen to what Radditz has to say.
"Lord Ice was the father of King Cold. In other words, he is the grandfather of Frieza. Our race has been reborn, Kakarot, and all those who function under Lord Ice will be granted power like none you've ever seen before."
Pan stirred and slowly raised her head, regaining her bearings.
"Father and I have been summoned to recover the last two stray saiyans from Earth. You see, Sire's objective is to have every last saiyan working under him."
"But that leaves you with a choice!" Goku protested. "You were all once loyal subjects of Frieza, and look what he did to your race!"
"Quiet!" Radditz roared. "Our soul purpose in life is to serve our lord and master. And listen to yourself talk. If you recall correctly, Kakarot, you are a saiyan yourself. You're one of us. It's an undeniable fact." Radditz regained his composure, once again having a cool attitude, and smirked evilly at Goku.
"So what are you going to do if I won't go?" Goku interrogated bravely, though he already knew the answer inside.
Radditz laughed, but it was not a pleasant sound. It sent shivers down Goku's spine just hearing that noise. "Very well then. I suppose we'll have to resolve to brutal force then."
Goku gulped. Man, was he ever nervous. He'd long ago lost his confident fighter composure.
"I can see that you're tense, Kakarot. That's okay, you can begin as a spectator." Radditz nodded his signal to Bardock, and immediately Goku saw Pan being lifted up into the air. Except this time, Bardock has no intention to chock her yet. Instead, he just stood there smirking at Goku, Vegeta in one hand and Pan in the other. Goku's gaze met Pan's, and he saw the pleading look on her face. 'Poor child,' Goku thought guiltily. 'My granddaughter is scared to death. She's even pleading me to help her, and yet, I just can't…'
"Perhaps more friendly persuasion is all it takes," Bardock spoke for the first time. His voice is indifferent from what Goku remembered, although there is an ominous undertone lingering long after he finished speaking.
This time Goku reacted instantaneously. "No don't!" The two saiyans looked at him, waiting to hear what he has to say when given no choice. "Please don't hurt her. Leave her out of this."
'So the little rascal is willing to beg despite his saiyan pride. This girl is family. No wonder he cares so much.' Both Bardock and Radditz shared a similar thought and planned along those lines. This should be interesting…
As fast as lightning, Goku felt himself being scooped off the ground and into Radditz's arm. However, he did not protest. For now he has to concentrate on keeping Pan safe. The rest, well, he'll have to sort out the details later.
Radditz wrapped his arm tighter around Goku's waist, and he felt his back press against the taller saiyan with crushing force. "Seems to me the dragonaballs can backfire when in the wrong hands," Radditz commented. "I have my way of knowing, little brother. In fact, I know everything about you. Don't try to pull a fast one on us. I can assure you that it won't work."
A hand was pressed flat against Goku's stomach, and he froze as realization came to him of what is about to happen. In accordance to his predictions, he felt the scorching pain as Radditz concentrated his ki in that hand…and gradually burnt a large hole right through him. Goku screamed painfully through the ordeal, but the two saiyans merely savored the delicious sound.
Pan watched her grandpa writhe and breathe with much difficulty. Gradually he stopped moving completely, his breathing shallow and uneven. Is he dead? He can't be…he's Son Goku. Besides, she loves him to bits, so he can't just leave her like this. 'I love him to bits,' she realized. 'yet I insisted that I hate him. I'll never be able to apologize…' With that insight, she sobbed quietly and let the tears flow freely.
Although Goku was severely injured, he was still hanging on by a thread. There is absolutely no way that he will leave Pan behind with those two. No way. His vision had become blurry from the incredible blood loss, but he could still hear quit clearly. However, all the words seem to be mixed up in an incoherent jumble. Whatever he heard did not register in his brain.
"It's time to take you back," Radditz announced menacingly. "Lord Ice will be pleased with our performance, Father."
Bardock nodded in agreement, and dropped Vegeta on the ground. He reached inside his shirt and pulled out something. Pan couldn't make out what it was at first. It looked like tiny white medication bottles. Capsules. Pan stared wide-eyes at the white bottles as Bardock released five saiyan space pods. He caught her astonished gawk.
"It didn't take a whole lot of persuasion from the prince's wife to develop such ingenious creations for us," Bardock commented and chuckled coldly. "Seems to me Capsule Corps. can fit any object into capsules."
After Radditz opened the door to each space pod, Bardock threw Vegeta into one. Pan shut her eyes tightly when she was tossed into another one. When she opened her eyes, everything was swirling around and around. She actually saw stars. Before she got her bearings straight, the door closed in front of her and she was trapped in the circular object. Then there was a loud noise as the gigantic weeping willow got smaller and smaller. She is being blasted off to some alien planet, and all she could do is stare at the shrinking planet in sight. Then, with surprising speed, Earth, her home planet, was out of sight.
A/N: I am really starting to have a hard time with this fic. It seems as if the words just can't be molded in sentences that make sense. Also, I'm running out of synonyms. Man oh man. I must be going crazy, for some unknown but probably bizarre reason. Anyway, review, or you'll be ninety-three when the next update comes by. I need encouragements desperately!!!