Dragon Ball Z: Alternate Timeline
The Last Son
By: ParalaxKaine
Note:
The characters in this story are the property of Akira Toriyama and Bird studios, not my own. The alternate future characters are my brain child, yet they are not of my own design. They are my own interpretation of the previously existing characters, only in a new set of circumstances. In other words, I am borrowing these characters and events to tell a story which I came up with.
Chapter 1:
Its a bright and sunny day, and all seems perfect. However, as often happens, there is an ominous tone holding over this day. Unknown to all but a few select individuals, an incredible evil is rapidly approaching the earth. This evil is more powerful than any other ever faced, and there is no one on the earth strong enough to stop it. Most depressing of all, the world's strongest fighter, and the only one with a fighting chance against this evil force, is gone with no sign of ever returning.
Within the cozy confines of his family's home in the middle of nowhere, Gohan, the young son of Goku, is sitting at his desk studying contently when he suddenly feels something. It hits him like one of Vegeta's punches. There is a sensation of immense power, the likes of which he has only felt once before. Along with the power is an aura of pure evil. Gohan can feel a chill running down his spine, and an intense fear running through his body.
Suddenly the phone next to his desk begins to ring and snaps his senses back. As he reaches for it he feels terror plain and simple. He picks up the phone and a familiar voice calls out to him in a tone equal to his feelings.
"Gohan do you feel that?"
"Yah Kuririn. I feel it. Do you really think it's him?"
"There's no one else it could be. I wish it wasn't but it has to be."
"But .. if it's really him, then that means that my father..."
"I know Gohan. But... but we still have to go."
"Right. I'll meet you on the way."
As Gohan hangs up the phone he pulls the boots, the elastic type suit, and the armor that he received on Namek out of his dresser. He throws them on, and just as his mother and grandfather open his bedroom door Gohan leaps out and through his open window. He summons his energy field and rockets into the sky before either his mother or grandfather can say anything. The yellow shoulder guards glisten with the light from both his ki and the sun in the sky. Gohan's more than shoulder length hair is pulled back in a short ponytail, and the look in his eyes is a combination of anger and fear.
As he reaches the edge of the continent, the bald flying figure of his fathers best friend Kuririn, pulls up next to Gohan. Kuririn's face is shock full of terror as he nods to Gohan. The two simply fly in silence as they mull over the possiblity that this threat brings. Kuririn is wearing his usual orange Turtle Hermit training uniform, wristbands and a pair of gray boots. As the two race to where they feel others gathering, they both wonder what ever happened to Goku. Both fear the absolute worst, that he was attacked by Freeza before he was able to get back, but neither is willing to believe that.
Simultaniously, at a spot in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by tall cliffs, two men are waiting nervously. The first man stands at only five foot three inches, yet he is one of the strongest warriors on the planet, ney, in the universe. He is wearing a pink button shirt and yellow slacks. He is Vegeta, Prince of all Saiya-jin, and he is almost as annoyed with his clothing as he is with the force approaching the planet. He is standing next to Yamucha, who hates the idea of working with the alien prince, but realizes the need for the cooperation. Suddenly, two other figures drop from the sky. Both Tenshinhan and Choutzu are wearing their usual green outfits after having decided to drop their ongoing training in the mountains for this new threat. As the four men are talking, both of Vegeta's presence and this current threat, Piccolo is standing on the edge of the cliff, face overlooking a vast valley of stone.
Soon Kuririn and Gohan arrive, and the group respectively greets each other. They stand silently at attention as they all mull over the big question brought up by this event; What happened to Goku? As they all wait for the evil energy to arrive, an unexpected visitor lands in their midst. Burma and Puar exit a small Capsule Corp. helicopter, to the dismay of all the onlookers. Burma and Yamucha exchange angry yells, until he finally gives in to her demands. As the whole group now waits in uneasy anticipation, they all miss the arrival of an additional figure. As they wait, the mysterious figure is skulking off to the side of the rocky area. The individual is using a scouter-like device in order to better view the group, and it is paying the most attention to Gohan and Piccolo.
The figure off to the side almost silently whispers "Piccolo-Sama", then quickly races off while emitting almost no energy. Piccolo almost hearing this turns to look at Gohan. He sees the boy laughing with Kuririn. He turns back to his silent watch, when suddenly the eyes of all the fighters shoot straight up to the sky. Soon, a giant, white curved saucer comes into view. As it continues it's descent, several large purple glass domes appear on it's sides, and the massive evil energy is now unmistakeably that of two separate individuals.
As the ship lands almost two kilometers away from the group, they begin squabbling over how to approach in this situation. Ultimately, they agree on using the element of surprise in order to do the most possible damage. They begin approaching slowly, while climbing over the stone cliffs and across the expansive valley. Burma complains the whole time and Piccolo takes the lead, followed closely by Vegeta and the others. Burma and Yamucha bring up the far rear due to her limited physical abilities.
At the landing site, a small army of aliens dressed in armor and suits closely matching Gohan's, as well as strange matching helmets file out of the ship, taking military stances in front of the ship. They all are standing in three patrols, and they seem to be waiting for some type of orders. At the top of the ship, a large circular doorway violently slams open. A large red energy sphere lifts up out of the opening and floats down to the ground. As it dissipates, two figures stand within it. The shorter of the two is only four feet tall and over seventy-five percent of his body is mechanical, including a long metal tail, both legs, one arm and most of his chest. The secound of the two figures stands over twelve feet tall and has large pointed horns on his head. The larger figure also looks as if he is intensely bored with this entire ordeal.
The larger figure turns to his troops and stares at them, looking for his best, yet most expendable soldiers. The short one, wasting no time, begins commanding them. He does not care who is and who is not expendable. Singling out six of the warriors with his mechanical left hand as a red electrical bolt shoots around his arm, he begins barking orders.
"You six, go out and begin destroying the cities of this pathetic world until you can lure out that monkey bastard's friends."
As the six soilders bow, they feel uneasy about their mission. They shrug off the feeling and begin to fly away. As they do so, there is a sudden and brilliant flash of blue light which fills the air. As all of the troops and the two dominant figures cover their eyes, the wretched screams of the six men tear through the silence of the day, resonating throughout the canyon. The light fades slowly, and the bodies of the six aliens litter the ground. Two bodies have shattered skulls and helmets, three have their heads torn from their bodies with intense force, and the last one has a hole through his chest the size of a basketball. His insides are also scorched and black from an intense heat, and none of the organs remain.
"What the devil just happened?" questions the giant figure, as he looks on in horrid fascination.
"Who destroyed my men!?" demands the short figure, his rage evident as even more red electricity crackels around his mechanical parts.
A single young man is standing behind the bodies. He is in his mid thirties and has relitivly short, spiked up black hair, as well as a long scar from his forehead down his cheek, almost through his left eye. He is wearing a pair of baggy black pants, which are held in place by two shining metal straps at the waist. He has a pair of thin black shoes and a thick blue T-shirt. He also has on a long black leather Capsule Corp. jacket. Overall, he looks more wealthy than imposing, yet there is also the fact that his left arm is non existant.
"That would be me, Freeza." responds the man as his eyes grow cold. "And after I finish with the rest of your men, I will destroy you and your father."
"Oh really, HA ha ha ha ha ha ha!" laughs Freeza at the sight of the man. "General, kill him."
In response to this, a large purple man pulls out of line and steps up to the challenge. He clicks a button on his scouter and suddenly the man is gone. As the purple soldier searches for him, a barrage of energy blasts strike the army, almost instantly vaporizing them. As the smoke clears, the remains of bodies litter the ground, and only the general, Freeza and his father are standing. Suddenly the scouter beeps, and the general's body is snapped in half by the force of the man's fist. As he reappears, he is holding the General's scouter and the body is laying on the ground. He looks at the read out and smiles.
"Funny. It only says 1200." exclaims the man, turning to look at Freeza. "Yet you know all about how these devices are unreliable. Now as for what I said earlier." He stands and turns just in time to see the group of earth fighters reach an overhanging cliff.
The group had believed this man to be Goku when they picked up the sudden burst of energy, but now they don't know what to think. Piccolo believes the man to be someone very familiar, yet he can't quite place it. Gohan also thinks that he knows the man, but he is equally stumped. Back down on the battle field, the wind blows, dust swishing along the ground. Both forces are staring down one another, neither one flinching. Freeza too knows this strange man, but he can't believe who it is. He was just a boy, it's not possible that it could be him.
The man chuckles out loud. "I can't believe that I ever feared you. You are such a coward." he remarks, nearly laughing. "Even on that world as you and my father fought, you were a coward."
"What are you talking about?" asks Freeza. "That little monkey brat couldn't have been you. You're too old."
"Well it was. And now I will show you the depths of the Saiya-jin power which you so feared." The man yells as an intense energy begins to emit from his body, sending rocks shooting off like rockets.
His hair begins to shoot up as best as it can, as his body seems to explode with a golden glow. His eyes flash turquoise and his hair turns gold. The body parts left from the soldiers fly up in all directions as the man's super Saiya-jin status is revealed. The man now stands calmly in front of the aliens, not only the one true defense against them, but also the most powerful being on this planet. All of the onlookers are shocked and stunned.
This strange one armed man whom they have never seen before is a super Saiya-jin. Suddenly he disappears, and then appears next to Piccolo. He looks right at Gohan, and says, "Hold this for me kid." handing over his jacket. He then vanishes again and suddenly punches Freeza in the back, sending him flying forward. After only a few feet he appears and clotheslines Freeza, sending him to the ground. He steps on Freeza's stomach and looks down at the quivering alien.
"Pathetic." he says, pulling his arm back and saying a single word which only Freeza and Piccolo can hear. "Masenko."
He then fires an intense blast of energy at Freeza, ripping him and the ground apart and making a rather large crater. The only remains of Freeza are his mechanical legs and tail. The youth then turns to look at the one remaining threat. His eyes meet King Cold's and he strikes before the ogre can react. His fist smashes through the armor and crushes the giant's ribcage. He then flash kicks the creature in the jaw sending him in to the air. After the body reaches a respective height, the man fires another blast to finish off the lummox.
In an instant, he is standing in front of the remaining group, a perfect one-armed example of a super Saiya-jin. His face softens and he transforms bact to normal, looking at the group. He grabs his jacket, swings it on and yawns. The crowd is absolutely speechless. This unknown young man just killed Freeza and a larger member of his race as if they were nothing. Vegeta is the first to respond to the youth's actions.
"Who the fuck are you? Myself and Kakarot are the only remaining Saiya-jin in the universe, and except for the kid here there are no half breeds." He responds enraged. "So tell me, who you are?"
"All in due time." responds the stranger. "Bulma, you can have that ship if you would like. There are no other soilders inside. Now if it's alright with you, I am going to go wait for Goku to arrive." The stranger back flips off of the cliff, and begins to fly away.
As the group mulls over the stranger's words, Gohan takes off to follow him, followed by Piccolo, and soon the rest. As the group follows the stranger, Piccolo and Gohan soon begin talking quietly.
"Piccolo-sama, when he fired that energy blast at Freeza, you had a weird look on your face. Why?" inquires Gohan.
"I thought I heard him say something that he couldn't have." responds the Namek, uncertain of his own words. "Besides, he is another Super Saiya-jin, and that fact alone is mystifying."
"Do you think that he really knows my dad?"
"I wish I did know, kid. But I don't. I guess that we will find out."
After several minutes of flying even deeper into the vast stone expanse, the stranger lands and looks around, determining his surroundings. As the others all congregate above him, he sits down on a small boulder sticking out of the ground. He looks up at the group and smiles to himself, "You can all land now. Goku won't be here for two hours or so."
The group cautiously lands and they stay alert while keeping an eye on the new Saiya-Jin. Gohan is the most brave as he is the first to approach him. He is soon followed by Kuririn and Burma. The man then removes a capsule case from his coat pocket and opens it to reveal several metallic colored capsules. He procedes to remove a small silver capsule marked with a dark blue "8". He clicks the top and throws it to the ground. In a puff of smoke and a loud bang, a self-sufficient refridgerator appears.
As he steps up to the fridge, he opens it and removes a can of soda. With his one hand he opens the can, sits back down on his rock perch and begins sipping his drink. He looks at the others as they stare back at him. He sets down the can and begins to talk.
"If you guys would like, you can have something from the fridge. I have plenty of different things. I'm sure there's something to interest each of you."
He walks back over to it, opens the door and removes a bottle of water. He throws it to Piccolo. "I even have something for you, Piccolo."
"Enough of these false pleasantries!" growls an obviously enraged Vegeta. "Who the hell are you and how did you kill Freeza?" Vegeta begins to power up, bringing his Ki field to a bright blue aura violently flashing around him. "You can't possibly be a Saiya-jin. Kakaroto and myself are the only ones left, unless you include the half breed here."
"That is completely true Vegeta. I cannot argue with you on that point." responds the man before taking another sip of his soda.
"Then how did you kill Freeza?" demands the enraged prince.
"It was obvious. He became a Super Saiya-jin." calmly replies Gohan. "That is how he killed Freeza."
"Well the kid is absolutely correct. I did, in fact, become a Super Saiya-jin." retorts the stranger calmly. "As for who I am, I can't really say without doing some irreversible damage. Hey Gohan." he says changing the subject. "I have plenty of cans of grape soda if you would like any."
Gohan approaches the fridge and opens it, and low and behold it is half full of grape soda. He pulls one out and tries to open it. "Hay, this tab is set up funny."
"Yeah, that's because the cans were made for me specifically. One-handed and all."
After an hour or so the whole group is growing bored, yet many of them still don't trust their strange guide. Piccolo is standing far off to the side overlooking another small valley. He is contemplating the events of today and none of it is making any sense. Gohan walks up to him, stopping next to his old teacher and he too looks out over the valley. After a couple of minutes, Gohan looks up at his mentor.
"Uhh, Piccolo-sama? Why did you stay here rather than go to the new Namek with all of the other Namekians?"
"I chose to remain here because the Earth is my home. For as long as I have been alive, I have lived here. One day, I may choose to go live with the others. But for now, my place is here." replies Piccolo with an air of respect in his voice.
Gohan is about to begin whistling when the youth places his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Hey Gohan, can I speak with Piccolo alone for a minute?"
"Sure." replies Gohan as he begins to walk toward Kuririn.
"Piccolo. I need to ask you a huge favor. I need you to promise me that if anything happens to Goku after today, that you will train Gohan until he can easily defeat you." says the man with a look of concern in his eyes.
"Why would anything happen to Goku?" questions Piccolo.
"I really can't get into that right now, but you have to trust me." responds the man.
"Alright, I promise." says Piccolo. "It's strange, I don't really know why, but for whatever reason I trust you more than myself."
"After I leave, ask Goku." replies the youth as he walks back to his seat.
Piccolo stares back out over the cliff, confounded by this stranger and the things which he senses from him. He considers confronting the youth, but without knowing more he can't risk it. In any case, if Goku really is going to return then there is no need to worry. At the same time, the others are all wondering how well they can trust the newcomer. Some are even wondering whether or not to try and take him out.
After another hour of waiting, the youth walks over to the fridge and pushes a button on the side, reverting it into a capsule. He puts it back in it's case and looks up at the sky. The others all look at the same point in the sky for several seconds. Suddenly, a small dot appears. The point of light begins to rapidly grow. As it approaches, the crowd below sees that it is actually one of the Ginyu Squad's space pods. As it continues to rocket toward the ground, it passes right over the group, sending dust, debris and even Burma flying. Before she travels too far, Vegeta catches her out of reflex.
The ship slams into the ground approximately eighty yards away from them, leaving a crater forty yards wide by twenty yards deep. Within seconds, the entire group, led by Gohan and the stranger, arrives at the edge of the crater, right in front of the solitary opening. As the group stares on in anticipation, the door's hydrolic pumps activate, slowly forcing the pod open. The solitary occupant slowly stands, stepping out into the light.
The man who steps out is in his early thirties, has an odd, spiky black hairstyle and the innocent face of a child. He is wearing a strange outfit, including odd blue chest and back armor with one matching shoulder guard that jets out about a foot from his neck. He also wears a baggy white long sleeve shirt and baggy red pants. Stranger still is the light purple duffle collar around his neck and the half hip guard coming off of his armor adjacent to his shoulder pieces. The only "normal" pieces of clothing are his trademark black boots with yellow stripe and red string.
He looks up at the crowd standing there and calmly responds. "Well, hi guys!"
"Father!" yells Gohan with joy. "It's really you! You're home!"
What no one notices is that, at the same time, the stranger's face looks almost exactly like Gohan's, showing the exact same joy. He quickly gains control of his emotions and his face once again becomes hard as stone and cold as ice.
Goku, somewhat confused by the sight of his friends and son, slowly floats out of the crater. "Uhhhh... not that I'm not happy, but how did you guys know that I was going to be here?" he asks.
"Well it was all thanks to this guy." responds Yamucha.
"Yah, he even killed Freeza and his entire army single handed." exclaims Kuririn.
"I know, I could sense the fight from my ship." responds Goku, approaching the man while rubbing Gohan's head with his left hand. "I want to thank you for saving the people of this world, not to mention my friends and son."
"Plus he even became a Super Saiya-jin to do it." exclaims Gohan with high praise.
"Wow, another Super Saiya-jin! That's amazing." responds Goku with great interest, as he reaches out his hand to shake with the stranger.
"Goku." coldly says the stranger. "I need to talk with you in private." He then flies over to the opposite side of the crater.
"Has he been like this the whole time?" asks Goku.
"For the most part." replies Piccolo.
Goku leaps up into the air and follows the youth, landing only three feet in front of him. As they stand they are almost the same size except that the youth's hair stands a little taller than Goku's. The two stare right at each other and suddenly Goku recognizes the face from Namek. It is the exact look that Gohan had when he was fighting Freeza after Goku was claimed dead by the alien menace. Goku's own face contorts in both astonishment and confusion.
"Before you begin to ask, could you do somthing for me?" asks the man. "I would like you to transform into a Super Saiya-jin."
Without even acknowledging the request, Goku's face hardens and his hair spikes up. A golden glow forms around his body and suddenly his hair turns gold, and his eyes become turquoise. The crowd across the crater all begin to exclaim how much stronger Goku suddenly has become.
"Wow. It has been a long time since I have seen that." responds the youth, softening his expression. I almost forgot how you looked." The youth then transforms as well, letting his power flow.
"This is interesting. I have never seen this from the outside." coments Goku. "You are just as powerful as I am."
"You have no idea what that means to me." replies the youth, powering down.
"Actually I do." replies Goku, as he powers down to normal. "I know exactly who you are. I just don't know how."
"Alright, I will explain. In about three years time, on the morning of May 12, two super powerful androids will appear and begin to destroy the city. Slowly, these bastards will destroy the entire world systematically." He announces. "I know this because I am from about twenty years into the future. And as you have guessed, I am Gohan."
All the way across the crater, Piccolo's jaw drops, and a look of surprise and acceptance flows over his face.
"But what about all of the others, why didn't they stop them?"
"They all tried. But they all fell. First Vegeta, then Piccolo, and slowly all the others fell until I was all that remained For the last seventeen years of my life, I have been battling them all on my own. You see, the androids were programmed to destroy you. They were built by Dr. Gero."
"I see. So they followed their programming and killed me too."
"No, actually they didn't. You see, you died of a new strain of heart disease weeks before they ever attacked. That is half of why I came here. In my time there is a cure for the disease." Gohan reaches into his pocket and removes a small medicine vile. He throws it toward Goku. "I also had to tell you about the androids."
"Wow! This is great." replies Goku. "Now I can fight against the androids!!"
"That brings back a lot of memories. And not just of you. You see, a little after you died another Saiya-jin was born. A boy named Trunks. About three years back in my time, he achieved Super Saiya-jin. And those were his exact words after he had done it.
"But when it came down to it, the first time they attacked afterward I knocked him out and fought them by myself, one handed. I held them off for a while, yet Trunks woke up and joined in. They killed him and left me for dead. Somehow I survived, and after months of recovery time and arguments with Burma about the death of her son, I was able to fight again.
"At that point Burma revealed two devices she had designed. A time machine and a synthetic arm. She didn't have the arm ready by the time I left for this trip, so I left without it."
"Wait, Burma had a Saiya-jin son?" Responds Goku. "Than that means that she and ... Vegeta?"
"Yeah. Just don't say anything to either of them." exclaims the Saiya-jin from the future. "I think that he has to be born. In the event that you guys fail again, this time he can save the world instead of becoming another casualty."
"Alright. I think we should share this with the others, minus your identity and Trunks." Responds Goku. "Remember son, you are welcome to come home. Any information you can give us will help, plus you can help train yourself."
"That's alright dad." replies Gohan. "Dad, it was good talking to you. I have missed this. I think I will come back here to help you guys. See you in three years." He leaps off of the ground and takes off, into the distance.
As Goku watches his son fly off, maybe to a place were he would never again see him, the others all approach him slowly. As the group stands around him, he says goodbye to his son. As Gohan flies away, he feels something that he had not felt in years, or more accurately that he had not let himself feel in years, the sensation of tears flowing down his cheeks.
After a few minutes he lands in the middle of an open field where a large crater sits, overgrown with grass after almost two years. He looks around and memories of his childhood come flooding back. 'This is where it all began.' he thinks to himself. 'This is the spot where Radditz landed. This is where my powers first emerged, it's all your fault.'
He removes the capsule case again from his pocket, and he throws down the golden capsule. After the smoke clears a yellow ship appears and opens its canope. As Gohan jumps in, he begins tapping keys and the canope closes. As the engine begins to humm, the ship lifts off of the ground and suddenly disappears. From within the clear control center of the ship, Gohan sees a rush of colors and lights.
End Part 1:
What did you think? Send coments, sugestions, questions, or critisisms to me at I hope you enjoyed my work, ans if enough people enjoyed it I may in fact post further chapters of it. I may even post character sketches and possible battle scene sketches.