Author's note: Hey, guys, thanks for the reads, and the reviews. I love getting those alerts. Please feel free to keep them coming, and let me know your thoughts as the story progresses.

Chapter 25

Dead Zone

Kami floated through the black void of nothingness. His only anchor to his former life as guardian being his body. Without the stars, his eyes were nothing. Without matter for sound to travel through, his ears were nothing. While he could feel his body, he could feel nothing else. He floated like this, through the void, for an unknowable amount of time.

At first Kami was not alone. He knew he had entered with Yamcha, and he used to feel Yamcha. The two of them couldn't speak, but using telepathy they could communicate, but that was before. The two had came up with a plan, and it was a good one.

This place, it wasn't natural, it wasn't a true dimension. They had thought they could cut through it, with Yamcha's natural power. It wasn't enough though. He said he could feel something when he powered up, when he cut through the void, but he couldn't grip the fabric of reality, not yet.

Kami was familiar with Kaio-Ken. He knew it was a technique of the gods, and he knew how it was supposed to work. Yamcha had been training to learn it, but he hadn't been able to yet. If Yamcha would learn it, he could multiply his power, his influence over the technique, and hopefully rip them out. The training had backfired though, Yamcha went too far, too soon. His power burst, and Kami was forced back.

When they were close, Kami could barely feel Yamcha's spirit. Now, now that they were apart, he couldn't feel anyone, couldn't hear any thoughts. All he could do was spread his arms, spread his legs, and focus on remaining sound of mind. Hopefully Yamcha would be able to find him again, hopefully he could be dragged back to Earth, but as time passed immeasurably, Kami found himself losing hope.

Kami knew he slept, but he didn't know when it happened. One moment he'd be visualizing the training he gave to Goku, every day, every hour, every minute, the next he'd be back in the void, trying to recall how many hair spikes Goku had. He'd revisit conversations with Mr. Popo, recite every word, from both sides, and then he'd try to remember what the attendants red vest looked like. Sooner rather than later Kami began to feel at peace in the Dead Zone, as if this was okay.

He knew he should leave. He knew that people would be trying to find him. He didn't know if he wanted to be found. While he was here, he was incapable of performing his duties, but while he was here he had no duties. It wasn't ideal, but it wasn't as horrible as he had first thought.

He knew what was held behind the gates of heaven. He had personally visited both it, and hell. He hoped he would qualify for heaven, but if he was judged on his life, his complete life, judged on both sides of his soul, he knew it was unlikely. Hell wasn't awful, not compared to what some expected, but it still wasn't good, and at least this was somewhat under his control.

He couldn't really relive the moments that mattered to him, and in time he was certain he'd lose them, but that was okay. For now he'd enjoy what he could, and he'd not worry about what the future held. After all, at this point, he couldn't do anything about it, could he?

An invisible spark of life pinged off his mind. "Yamcha?" Kami reflexively spoke, but no voice came forth, from him or the other. Using muscles in ways he had nearly forgotten, Kami reached out to where he detected the spirit, and the spirit reached back.

The sensation was foreign to Kami. He had plenty of memories of physical contact, and he knew it was pleasant, but that was before. Now, in the void, the actual sensation of touch was unreal beyond his own, overly familiar, form. Kami was overwhelmed by the presence of, well, anything, and reflexively brought his hand back in.

Fortunately for Kami, not that he would think so yet, the being he had touched was not as fearful as he. A hand grabbed his wrist as he pulled it back, and whoever it belonged to came in close, and stayed connected. Kami panicked. He summoned his ki and shot a powerful, for him, blast at this being, and it was unharmed. He felt the energy leave him, but no light was formed, and his target did not react.

Piccolo pulled himself to Kami and readjusted his orientation. He kept a hand on the elder Namekian, not daring to risk losing him after struggling this long to find him. With a twist of his wrist Piccolo effortlessly rotated until he felt himself on the same level as Kami, and felt he was facing him as well. He reached out and touched Kami's scalp with two fingers.

Kami's mind was racing. He had adopted the darkness, but now, the Earth was back. He hadn't been there, he hadn't lived it himself, but the events at Korin's Tower, the battle with Garlic Junior, the leap into the Dead Zone, he had seen it. He knew the memories were borrowed, not his to claim, but they were enough, enough to anchor himself back to reality.

Kami reached out and grabbed Piccolo's wrist in return. The pair floated there, arm in arm, exchanging their experiences. "How long has it been?" Kami asked telepathically. "On the Earth?"

"A few days." Piccolo responded. "You went missing, we had to escape Garlic Junior, and then we counter attacked."

"How long were you in here, before you found me?" Kami asked.

As Piccolo loosened his grip, Kami did the same. They were no longer treating each other as life boats, but more as long lost friends.

"I don't know." Piccolo said honestly. "I remember entering the Dead Zone, but I don't remember much after that, not until now."

"I see." Kami frowned. "I had hoped you were holding back memories, for my sake, but it appears we're in the same situation."

"It appears so." Piccolo said. "Except I have no intent to stay here any longer than I have to."

"You know of a way out?" Kami asked, excitement clear in his mental voice.

"Yes?" Piccolo asked. "Did you already forget the memories I shared?"

"I, I didn't see anything like that." Kami tightened his grip slightly. "This place, it muffles us. I don't think it stops us, but, but I can't use my normal abilities."

"I can tell." Piccolo pushed memories through their link. Feeling Kami in the distance, trying to fly, but only moving at the slowest possible pace that still qualified as movement.

Kami sent back memories of Yamcha, how he knew he was close, but couldn't reach him, and eventually, couldn't feel him either.

"He's near." Piccolo said. "I can still feel him."

"We need to get to him, so we can all escape." Kami said. "We can not leave him here."

"He can break himself out." Piccolo growled. "He's close, far closer than us."

"What?" Kami asked. "We decided to try ripping our way out, but there must be more to it than that?"

"According to King Kai." Piccolo pulled closer to Kami. "That is all there is to it. Garlic Junior escaped due to the Makyo Star giving him a massive power increase, and if we can get our power that high as well, then we can escape too."

"You're not that powerful yet?" Kami asked, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice, but failing.

"I'm close." Piccolo said. "The technique Yamcha has been working on would be enough for me to escape, but that's not enough for you."

"What do you mean, for me?" Kami said.

"Yamcha will get himself out. Not yet, but eventually." Piccolo sent Kami memories of their training on King Kai's planet, of Yamcha's struggles, of his set backs, but also of his unstoppable progression. "I don't doubt I could escape as well, if I put my mind to it." He reflected upon his own training, the small bursts of energy Kaio-Ken granted him, and the extreme recoil it had on his body, beyond that of any human or divine user.

Kami studied the injuries inflicted by the technique. The benefit was there, just as with Goku, and just as Yamcha was working on. The drawbacks were far worse though. Piccolo's body, his own body as well, was not suitable for such a technique. Their unique biology meant that they would recover from injuries, both severe and minor, at an extremely rapid pace, but the mechanism seemed to invert with Kaio-Ken active.

"Our bodies reform to their natural state." Piccolo explained. "With Kaio-Ken, our natural state becomes self destructive, and instead of healing me, my body attempts to tear itself apart, burn itself to ash. It's a powerful technique, but obviously one I don't want to rely on."

"You can use it for a moment though." Kami stated. He didn't ask, as he knew from what Piccolo shared that he could reliably use it in short bursts. Not long enough to fight a battle, but long enough to launch a single attack capable of destroying their prison.

"Yes, but that wouldn't help you." Piccolo said. "This isn't a physical place we are in. If I escape, you could not follow me."

"Then, then why did you come in?" Kami asked. "Surely it wasn't just to share the events after my capture with me? I appreciate the knowledge that Garlic Junior was stopped, and I truly do believe you are capable of incredible good, but I don't believe making me happy would be enough reason for you to join me in this prison, even if just temporarily."

"I'm here." Piccolo sent memories that he himself had borrowed through to Kami. Namekian warriors joining in combat, both as brothers in arms, and when that failed, as singular beings. "I'm here in defiance of every strand of my father's DNA screaming of my failures. I'm here because." He took a deep, empty, breath. "I'm here because you showed me that not everything I do is wrong, and that while you ejected your evil, my father, you did not send him alone."

"What do you mean?" Kami asked. He felt he knew where this was going, but he wanted to hear it himself ,even if it would just be in his mind.

"He was still part of you, and as much as you'd like to believe that you only cut the worst parts of you out when you created him, you know that's not accurate." Piccolo said.

"You think your father had light within him?" Kami asked, no longer confident in his prediction.

"No, but he had the potential." Piccolo said. "That potential was realized, despite his best effort, with me."

"So..."

"So I concede that you were correct, I am capable of good, of having a positive impact on the world around me." Piccolo would have spat, if he thought it possible. "I'm here to make you an offer."

"What's the offer?" Kami was intrigued by the unknown opportunity.

"We are not perfect." Piccolo stated as a matter of fact. "My father wanted me to be pure as he was, and I am not. You wanted yourself to be pure as well, in a different way. You, in your act of purification, corrupted yourself, releasing pure evil upon the world. We have this in common. Two tarnished sides of the same coin."

"Go on." Kami encouraged.

"I propose we rejoin." Piccolo said. "Neither of us are perfect as individuals, and we won't be as a joint being either, however I believe we'd be a lot more balanced if we were to return to our original state."

"Piccolo." Kami said. 'There is no original state anymore. That possibility died when your father did. While you are, while you are an incredible person, merging with you would not bring us back to where we, your father and I, were."

"It will push us beyond." Piccolo said. "While I have been influenced by him, a large part of him was lost, lost forever, when he created me. We may not be the original namekian that landed on Earth all those centuries ago, but we would be better than either of us individually, and better than we, you and him, were."

"I'm not disagreeing." Kami said. "But, in what way would we be better? You said more balanced, but how?"

"You're useless." Piccolo said. Not insultingly, but as yet another matter of fact. "You watch over the Earth, but you do not take an active role in its protection."

"This, this is true." Kami said. "As Earth's guardian, I can not take too active of a role."

"It pains you to sit back. You want to take a more active role." Piccolo stated again.

"It is forbidden." Kami said in the same tone.

"Join me." Piccolo said. "You would lose your seat as Earth's guardian, but you could actually guard the planet."

"As long as people such as Goku..."

"Goku can not act alone." Piccolo said. "If I were not there to assist when his brother came to Earth, he couldn't have stopped him. If I wasn't there to train Gohan, then who knows how the battle with the saiyans would have gone."

"He isn't alone." Kami said. "He has friends, both in and out of combat, he has people he can rely on."

"And you were one of them." Piccolo said. "It wasn't direct interference, direct aid, but you did help him. What can you offer him now?"

"Guidance, wisdom, advise." Kami said.

"King Kai has far, far more knowledge then you do." Piccolo said. "He has more experience and more wisdom, and more resources to draw upon in Goku's aid."

"Earth needs a guardian." Kami said. "The seat can not be empty."

"It is empty." Piccolo said. "While you are in here, no one is out there. No one watching the planet."

"If I join you, that will remain true." Kami said.

"You'll go from unable to watch, unable to aid, to being able to do both those things. You wouldn't be, you couldn't be, the official guardian of Earth any longer, but you, we, would be her protector." Piccolo said. "Either you can not be the guardian in here, or you can not be the guardian out there, where you can still make a difference."

"What will happen to me?" Kami asked. "If we merge."

"You'll remain." Piccolo said. "We'll use my body as a base, but your mind would continue. I imagine it would be like a state of deep meditation, you are aware of the outside world, but you couldn't directly influence it."

"Would I still be able to communicate?" Kami asked. "If I could still communicate with Goku, Krillen, the rest of the team, then the sacrifice wouldn't be nearly as great."

"I don't think so." Piccolo said. "There may be some level of telepathic communication available, but you wouldn't be able to openly speak as you were."

"Would we be able to communicate?" Kami asked.

"Yes." Piccolo said promptly. "I'm not excited to have another voice in my head, another mind, but you will be there, constantly."

"What if we disagree on a course of action?" Kami asked. "Will my opinion be listened to?"

"My body is not a democracy." Piccolo responded just as promptly. "If you do not trust me, do not trust in us, then do not accept. However, if you believe what you said, about the good within me, and within you, then the choice is clear." Piccolo said.

"I can either be trapped in here for an eternity, or I could be trapped in you for an eternity." Kami said. "In here I feel as if I could melt away, become part of the void. In you, I don't know if I could be at peace."

"You're wrong." Piccolo said. "You could not be at peace knowing you left the world behind. A guardian may step down, but I don't believe for a moment you could abandon the Earth like that. Not a chance."

Kami chewed his lip for a moment, the sensation both oddly familiar and foreign to him. "Is it reversible?"

"Does it matter?" Piccolo asked.

"No." Kami said. "It would be nice if I could merge into you, and exit once we were free, but even if that is not an option. I know what I must do."

"Good." Piccolo said. "Let's begin."

"How is it done?" Kami asked.

Piccolo adjusted his grip once more, resting one palm on his partners shoulder, and his other on his chest. "You know how it feels to give energy? From your hand, to the body of another? We do that, but in somewhat of a reversed manner."

Kami thought for a moment. "You pull the energy out of me?"

"Not quite." Piccolo disagreed. "You'll still be giving your energy, but not through your hand to my body, but from your body, to my hand, to my arm, to me."

"What will happen to my body?" Kami asked, not nearly as concerned as Piccolo had expected.

"It will be gone." Piccolo said. "Your mind will be in mine, your body will no longer exist."

Kami reached up and grabbed Piccolo's hand in his. Piccolo squeezed his shoulder, and Kami squeezed his hand. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, and you?"

"Yes." Kami said.

Kami closed his eyes, and nothing changed. He released Piccolo's hand, and returned to his previous, spread state. He focused his vision inward, and felt his energy. It was limited, not just due to the Dead Zone, but more due to an overall lack of physical power.

The elder namekian pulled his energy in. His fingers and toes grew cold, and soon after Kami lost sensation in them. As the density of energy increased in his core, he opened himself up to Piccolo and allowed it to flow freely into him. Kami continued the process, losing his forearms, his lower legs. Oddly, he felt as if he was a warming sensation as he lost himself.

Soon his arms were gone, and shortly after his legs were as well. He tried to flex his muscles, but no action occurred, furthermore, the lack of movement felt natural. He took a few breaths of void and took the first truly irreversible step. His antenna grew cold, followed by his ears, and shortly after the fusion had taken a life of its own.

Kami no longer controlled the siphon. His torso was the last to cool, but soon it was no warmer than the absent ambient air. Piccolo floated in the void, physically alone, but more confident than he had been in, well, he couldn't remember a time he felt this comfortable.

Piccolo pushed his senses out. The distance between him and Yamcha wasn't much, but in the Dead Zone it would still take a while to get to him. He locked onto the ki, rotated backwards about 30 degrees, and began willing himself that direction.

As he flew Piccolo sifted through his new mind. He was still himself, and there was no break in mental continuity for him, however there was an entirely new being inside himself to explore. He scanned backwards, starting with the ambush that sealed Kami, back to training the humans, and training Goku, when Korin first met him, and how Mr. Popo was.

He visualized Kami's life as a large library, and he was walking down the main corridor. Shelves were labeled, and basic information was easy to obtain, but that didn't really interest him. He kept walking, seeing how far he could go. Kami and his father were cut from the same cloth, ripped from the same fabric, and they shared a common life. When Piccolo reached Kami's first awakening after casting out his evil, he hit a wall. Those memories were lost to him as they were his father.

Piccolo went through again. This time he started with Kami's birth, and ended moments ago with the fusion. As he walked down the hall he felt several tomes pull towards him, but he didn't have time yet. He was closing in on Yamcha.

To what would assuredly be Kami's relief, Piccolo reached Yamcha without being effected by the Dead Zone. Piccolo reached out and touched the warrior's ki, finding himself touching the bandit's foot. With a few oddly aggressive movements, the pair was face to face. Yamcha was struggling to be free, but even before the fusion he couldn't have resisted, not as he was.

Piccolo flicked Yamcha's forehead, and in the brief moment of contact he had shared his most recent, surface level, memories.

Yamcha didn't respond immediately. He reviewed what he had seen, the loss of Kami. "So, what do we call you now?"

"I am still Piccolo." Piccolo asserted.

"Why didn't you leave?" Yamcha said. "You're more than powerful enough to escape now, aren't you?" He chuckled to himself. "If you can't do it now, I don't think I'd ever stand a chance."

"I can leave whenever I like." Piccolo said. "You can't though. You're still struggling with Kaio-Ken, aren't you?"

Yamcha scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, nothing gets past you." He sighed. "I am having trouble hitting the higher multipliers. I feel I'm close, but I can't quite get it."

"Well, let's see if we can fix that." Piccolo said. "Were you involved in the pendulum room? Do you know what image training is?"

Yardrat

Deep in the blue mountains of Yardrat a cave penetrated deep into the planets crust. In this cave sat a tall, round, Yardratian man. A woman served him tea, and he drank it with one hand. He sat cross legged, in the complete darkness. Lava was close, but due to a series of corners the light did not reach him, although the heat did.

The Yardratian held two fingers to his forehead. His senses were sharpened, although his ki was suppressed as much as he could manage. As a black haired man appeared in front of him, he vanished.

High in the tallest building on the planet, seven stories up, that same man appeared. Several other of his species sat around a table, and all but one was surprised by his appearance. Before he could explain his intrusion a shorter golden man, a child, appeared, and he was off again.

Atop a moderately sized mountain, not far from where the alien ship landed, Pybara appeared once more. "Greetings, Erbil." He smiled at the yellow Yardratian.

"Pybara, hello." Erbil responded. "What brings you here?"

"The aliens are learning quickly." His smile grew. "They've almost caught me several times now."

"Really?" Erbil asked. "That's incredible." He broke eye contact with Pybara for a moment, before returning his gaze to him. "Do you think you could..."

Goku and Gohan appeared on either side of Pybara, and Pybara was gone. Goku's grabbing hand had went through empty air, before knocking Gohan to the ground. Gohan bounced back up, nodded to his father, and they were gone again.

Erbil sighed and brought two fingers to his forehead as well. "Come on, guys, I need some help." As he searched for his elder, and his new friends, his concentration was broken.

Pybara had reappeared, a saiyan in either hand. Unfortunately for the saiyans, they were upside down, and quickly hit the ground. "I'm sorry, Erbil." Pybara apologized. "What were you saying?"

"Hey, we almost got you." Goku dusted himself off as he stood up. He didn't choose to drop Kaio-Ken, but he couldn't stop it from happening. His hair settled to his head, and his aura vanished. His son followed suit moments later, releasing super saiyan..

"Goku." Erbil nodded at the elder saiyan. "Gohan." He smiled at the younger. "If I could borrow you, or at least Pybara, for a moment?"

"Oh, sorry." Goku laughed and helped Gohan to his feet. "Of course, how can we help you?"

Erbil cleared his throat. "I've been having dreams." He said gravely. "A planet, equal size to our own. Coming from between the stars, and colliding with our own planet."

"Dreams?" Pybara asked. "Or premonitions?"

"I spoke to the elders, and they watched over me last night." Erbil said. "They have determined just that. There is a planet coming to Yardrat."

"That's not good." Goku said. "But, why are you out here?"

Erbil's face sank. "I was attempting to retrieve your space ship." He said. "In hopes of allowing our scientists, limited as they may be compared to those of the engineers of the device, to attempt to duplicate your ship. If our planet is doomed, then we must leave."

"Erbil." Pybara placed a hand on his friends arm. "Why did you not speak to me sooner?"

Erbil broke eye contact once more. "I know I will fail. The elders have predicted that as well. Even if I were to retrieve the pod, it couldn't save us all."

"That is a predicament." Pybara said. "Goku, Gohan, do you see a solution?"

"A planet drifting through space." Goku rubbed his chin. "Could we teleport it away?"

"It's far, far too large." Erbil said. "Even if every one on Yardrat got together, it would be far too big."

"Could we blow it up?" Gohan asked.

"What if someone is living on it?" Goku asked. "They'd die."

"If the planets hit, everyone dies." Gohan said. "If we blow up the rogue planet, then Yardrat will survive."

"Pybara?" Goku asked. "Can we find out if the planet has life on it?"

"The visions were foggy." Erbil answered for his elder. "But yes, I believe there were a few people alive on it. I've seen them fly off it though."

"So." Goku said. "The issue isn't really a planet. It's just a big chunk of space rock?"

"That's correct." Erbil nodded. "Well, it's still a planet, just what would appear to be a dead one."

"Then, my plan?" Gohan asked.

Goku nodded, and Pybara and Erbil followed suit.

"When will it arrive?" Pybara asked. "Do we have time to prepare?"

"Tomorrow." Erbil responded. "If you can prepare before then, then yes. Otherwise..." He shrugged.

"That's plenty of time." Goku smiled. "There's just one thing I need to do." Flashing back into Kaio-Ken he swung a light, fast, chop at Pybara, and again he struck through nothing.

(The next day)

Goku and Gohan stood side by side before Pybara. The rogue planet was closing in, but still wasn't visible. The trio had left from Pybara's home early that morning and hovered near the southern pole of the planet. They weren't out of the atmosphere, but they were as close as they could get while still being able to breathe. If Erbil and the elders were right, the planet should be visible any moment, and that would be the time to strike.

They didn't discuss strategy, knowing that if they failed it wouldn't really matter anyway. The three kept their heads on swivels as they waited. Gohan cupped his hands to his eyes focused in on something just above the horizon.

"THERE!" Gohan pointed and the others followed. "Let's go!"

Goku didn't see what his son did, but that didn't matter. Gohan was already vanishing into the distance, and Goku accelerated quickly in an attempt to catch up. Pybara didn't react. Gohan flew all out for several minutes, only stopping when he had figured out that the planet wasn't going to score a direct hit, but only a glancing blow. This meant at no point would it be directly above them.

Goku caught up with his son a few moments after he had stopped, but just after Pybara had appeared. Pybara cupped his eyes and looked at the small spec in space, studied it for a moment, and nodded.

"Is that it?" Gohan asked, surprising himself with the small, but existent, level of doubt in his voice.

"I believe so." Pybara said. He touched his fingers to his forehead and focused on the object. "I can't sense anyone on it."

Goku closed his eyes and tried sensing the planet for himself, but came up empty handed. "Good." He said. "Let's begin." He pushed his chest forward and took a deep breath. When his lungs reached their capacity he let out a small part of his breath, and sucked in just as much air as before. He punched his right hand into his left palm and screamed.

Reaching inside Goku quickly found the ball of energy he'd been working with for weeks. His hand glided gently over the surface, close, but not quite touching. He took another deep breath, let out a victorious scream, and plunged into the power.

Goku felt his body ignite in power as it crushed him from all directions. His scream went from voluntary to uncontrolled as it penetrated into his body. He tried to breathe, but the energy was too dense and all he accomplished was nearly equalizing the pressure inside and outside of his mental form. Unfortunately it wasn't equal enough, and he was flung from the ball.

Gohan caught his unconscious father before he could fall, and handed him to Pybara. Looking into his own mindscape Gohan found the same power his father had. He touched his open palms to it, and the energy flooded into him. His hair turned golden, his eyes turned green, and his blood boiled.

As Gohan triggered his transformation Pybara went to work on Goku. This wasn't the first, and wouldn't be the last, time that he had attempted the transformation for himself, and he had long ago figured out the best way to aid him, and thankfully it was easy. Pybara pushed his ki into his palms, and through to Goku. It wasn't much, but he didn't need much. All he needed was a kick in the pants to get back to normal.

Goku woke up miles above the surface of Yardrat, and let out a little chuckle. "Guess I'm still not there." He pushed his ki down and began flying once more. "Thanks, Pybara. Sorry, guys."

"Do not apologize." Pybara said. "That wasn't the best time, due to current circumstance, but if I had that kind of power within, I would be trying to do the same."

"Thank you." Goku bowed his head to Pybara. He turned back to his son, and winced at the glare he was receiving. "You're ready?"

"Yes." Gohan tried to keep his voice steady. "Whenever you are."

Goku took another deep breath, and slowly let it out. "Kaio-Ken, times twenty." He spoke evenly as his aura burst to life, crimson red. "Kamehameha?"

Gohan didn't answer, but did assume the pose. One foot slid forward, and his knees bent. He drew his hands back to his side, interlocked his fingers, and spread them about two palms lengths apart. Goku mirrored his son.

"Ka, me." The pair spoke in unison. Goku pushed far more energy into the attack than normal, and it still felt small compared to his sons.

"Ha, me!" The father son duo spoke louder now, a pair of blue lights spawning between their hands. Beams of light radiated from each ball.

"HA!" The saiyans shouted. They thrust their hands forward and massive rays of energy shot forward from each. Gohan's was twice the thickness as his father's, but as they shot forward they came together, blended, and grew beyond the sum of their parts.

Seconds after the attack was launched, it struck. Based on past experience their expectations were high. They had turned mountains to dust, and spread them to the wind. They had created balls of energy the size of small houses, who's blasts could be seen for miles. They had, well, they had high hopes for the big boom they had caused, and were disappointed to see that not much happened.

The small spec had grown several times larger, and brightened momentarily, but quickly dissipated. Eventually a majority of the debris would be captured by Yardrat, and condense into a beautiful ring, and finally a new moon, but that would be untold eons in the future. For now, they had a little burst, and nothing, well, almost nothing.

Pybara was the first to sense something was wrong, but Gohan wasn't far behind him. A large power had come from the planet, for no longer than it took for the planet to shatter, but it was there, and it was alive. Pybara closed his eyes again and threw his senses out. Now, after feeling the unusual energy, he didn't miss it again.

"There was someone on the planet." Pybara said. "A few people, actually."

"What?" Goku turned on him. "You said it was empty. Erbil said the natives had left."

"I didn't feel them earlier. They, they must have been hiding their energy? Or, or, maybe they were hibernating?" Pybara kept his eyes closed and threw his mind out. His body went slack and Gohan went to catch him, but his reflexes kicked in and he stayed, hovering, at the edge of space.

"We need to help them." Goku said.

"We just blew up their planet." Gohan said.

"If we didn't, both their planet and Yardrat would have been destroyed." Goku said. He dismissed Kaio-Ken, and Gohan let super saiyan fall as well.

Pybara jerked slightly, and his eyes reopened. "They are safe, aboard a ship. We should make contact with them."

"How?" Goku asked. "Without a ship of our own, how can we get to them? Or are they coming this way?"

"No." Pybara answered. "I don't believe they're moving, not yet. We, you, need to go to them. While you are still mastering Instant Transmission, I am confident you can use it to get there and back safely."

Goku looked towards where the planet was, and could barely feel the energy coming from whoever was on it. "That's a long ways." He said.

"The beauty of Instant Transmission." Pybara started. "It does not matter how far you need to go. If you can find your target, you can get there."

"I can barely sense them." Goku said. "They're there, but their energy is barely there."

"Gohan?" Pybara asked. "Can you sense them?"

"I couldn't before, before we shot that is, but yes, I can sense them." Gohan pointed a pair of fingers into space, and Pybara nodded.

"Are you comfortable with the technique?" Pybara smiled at his youngest pupal.

"Yes." Gohan nodded. "I can reach it."

"Perfect." Pybara said. "Goku, trust in your son. He will not disappoint." He took Goku's hand in his own, and sat it on his son's shoulder. "Just hold on, and when he goes, you will as well."

"Do I do anything different?" Gohan asked. "I mean, both for having someone with me, and due to the distance?"

"Just a little, for the passenger." Pybara smiled. "Focus on your target, focus on your location, and who is with you, and bring the two spaces together."

Gohan did as he was told. He didn't know where that energy was, not exactly, but he could feel it compared to his own, his fathers, and Pybara's. He put the energy in a bubble, put himself and his father in the same, and with a (pop) they were somewhere new.

The room Gohan and Goku found themselves in was large, in diameter and height. They found themselves on a metal deck, looking through a semicircular array of triangular windows, interlocked to provide a nearly 120 degree view of space. The space between them and the windows was open to a lower level, and a number of consoles acted as a guard rail. A variety of aliens sat at the consoles, each as unique as the next, but all fairly humanoid.

A pair of large gloved hands clapped both father and son on the shoulder. "I don't suppose either of you know what that was, do you?"

Both saiyans turned in place. Goku came face to chest with a massive, green, alien, wearing a variety of yellow, orange, and red, heavy clothing. Gohan came face to pelvis with the same creature.

"Yes." Goku said, blowing slightly. "My name is Goku, this is my son, Gohan." He put a hand on Gohan's other shoulder, and with a half step back broke the contact. "I apologize. It was us who blew up your planet. If possible..."

"Think nothing of it." The alien leaned over them. "The world was dead, and we were going to do the same if you didn't do it first."

"Really?" Goku asked. "I'm, I'm sorry to hear about your planet."

"Oh, don't apologize." The alien stood back to his full height. "It wasn't our planet, and we can simply take yours from here."

Gohan looked up to his father, and back to the alien. "Um, excuse me?"

"Well, you see." The alien smiled. "While we do have this ship, and while we can travel from place to place on it, it's really not that comfortable."

"And?" Goku asked skeptically.

"And, we find it much more comfortable to modify planets to act as our ships. It's really a simple process." He smiled. "We use terraforming technology to focus all the planets heat, energy, into powerful engines, and we turn them into our new ships."

"And, and you want to do that to Yardrat?" Gohan asked.

One of the aliens at a console stood and faced the group. "Lord slug, the planet is a nearly perfect candidate. Suggest standard procedure."

Lord Slug nodded at his underling. "Perfect." He turned back to the saiyans. "Well, if we can, and you can't stop us, then yes, yes we will be doing just that."

"I won't let you." Goku stepped forward again, touching his toes to Lord Slug's. "Yardrat is a peaceful planet. You will not disrupt that."

The first thing Goku felt was the smack of a triangular window into his back. Shortly after he felt the pain from the punch that sent him into it.

Gohan retaliated for his father with a quick punch to the creatures stomach. Lord Slug did not react the way he wanted though. He reached down and grabbed Gohan's arm, and with a quick flick of his wrist sent him into the window next to his father.

Hearing his son yelp in pain Goku was able to refocus on the here and now, and reached inward. The sphere of energy was still there, but when he went to touch it, he hesitated. His son did not.

With little effort Gohan had transformed into super saiyan and eyed up his opponent. "Bad move." He growled.

"Gohan, stop." Goku stuck out a hand. "I, I want to do this myself."

"Why?" Gohan had let his anger out, but tried to contain it when addressing his father.

"He's strong." Goku said. "Stronger than me. I want, I want to see how strong he is, for myself."

"I'm stronger than him." Gohan said. "If you want to fight, we can spar, but ..."

"But we spar all the time." Goku said. "This is someone completely new, and I want to see what he's like."

"Excuse me." Lord Slug said.

"SHUT UP!" Gohan shouted at him. To his surprise, the large alien actually stopped speaking. "You want to fight him? Fine." Gohan pointed at Lord Slug with his chin. "He's all yours."

"Thanks." Goku smiled as he floated back to the platform. He didn't realize when it happened, but the deck was empty. "Get ready." He said. "Here I come. Kaio-Ken, times ten!" Almost leaving his aura behind, Goku pounced.

Goku hit Lord Slug fast and hard, several punches to his stomach, causing the large alien to buckle over slightly. A uppercut corrected his posture and sent his head into the ceiling.

Lord Slug bounced off the incredibly durable metal and fell to the ground. He caught himself in a low three point stance, and swept his rear leg around in a hurricane speed leg sweep, knocking Goku into the air. Continuing to use his spin's momentum he brought his leg around for another kick, and sent Goku towards the back wall of the room.

Spinning quickly Goku got his legs between him and the wall, and performed a lightning quick squat. As he sprung up he recoiled like a rocket towards Lord Slug, aiming a swinging fist at his head. Lord Slug sent it off course with a swept arm, and stopped Goku with an open palm chest strike.

The saiyan bent forward over Lord Slug's hand, but quickly regained his whits. He struck out with his other hand, and was blocked on that side as well. He attempted a kick, and Lord Slug counter attacked. Before they knew it they were a blur of fists and feet, and neither warrior was giving an inch. Goku was giving it all, and Lord Slug was actually trying.

Gohan looked away from the match, knowing that if it got out of hand he could step in. He looked around the observation deck, admiring the architecture. It was extremely imposing, but shouldn't be too hard to break. He sent a good amount of his ki into the tip of each finger and formed 10 energy balls. He swept his arms in two tight arcs, flinging the energy into apparent weak points of the room. They didn't explode, but they did stick there. Looking up the close combat was still going on, so he repeated the process, and planned on doing so until his father was ready to leave. This was going to be good.

Goku wasn't gaining any ground, and at this level, he wouldn't. He blocked an overhead swing and tried to step back, but Lord Slug followed immediately. He tried spinning around the much larger fighter, but for his size, he was agile, and again Goku couldn't disengage. Knowing it was risky, but not seeing another way out, he let himself take a heavy blow in the ribs, and was sent back to the windows.

Goku tried to catch himself in a three point landing, but he wasn't quite quick enough, and he hit the window in a heap. The stars outside were pretty, the stars inside were beautiful. He turned to face the captain of the ship, and smiled at him. "You're strong."

"This is nothing." Lord Slug said. "You don't want to see my true power."

"Don't say that." Gohan sighed. "Now he won't leave until he..."

"Yes, yes I do!" Goku said. "Do it, show me."

"You're not worth it." Lord Slug sneered. "You're strong. I'll give you that much, but you're not even strong enough to beat me like this." He gestured to his thickly clothed body.

"I'll get serious, if you do." Goku said.

"You're bluffing." Lord Slug chuckled. "If you could beat me, you would have already."

"Nuh-uh." Goku said. "This is half my power, at most. Just watch." He floated shortly away from the window and retook his fighting stance. "Kaio-Ken, times, twenty!"

In a red flash Goku was on Lord Slug again, and with little effort planted him into the back wall, this time leaving a dent. "Told you." Goku said, touching down on the deck. "Now, get serious."

Lord Slug pulled himself out of the wall. He looked back at it for a moment. It was dented, actually dented. This would need addressing. Turning back to Goku he cracked his neck. "Remember, you asked for this." He pulled off his gloves, and with his wrinkled green hands he removed his large cap, revealing a pair of antenna.

"You're a namekian!" Goku shouted.

"I'm a super namekian!" Lord Slug shouted in response. He was already half again as large as Goku, and over twice as large as his son, but he grew even larger. As he grew he sluggishly charged Goku with an open palm strike.

Goku dodged the attack easily, and Lord Slug didn't stop. He jumped over the command stations, and turned his back to the windows. He hovered over the lower deck as he continued to grow.

"How do you like this?" His voice boomed in the confined room. His feet were likely touching the lower level, and his head nearly scraped the ceiling. He swung a massive fist towards Goku at incredible speed, and yipped in slight pain when it was caught by Gohan.

"That's enough." Gohan said. "Dad, he's twice as powerful as you, this will not end well." He released his latest collection of small ki balls into Lord Slug's flesh, and forced them to burst. The giant's hand fell to the ground, and Gohan grabbed his father's shoulder. "Good bye."

Gohan touched two fingers to his forehead, and immediately he and Goku were back by Pybara's side. He brought his other hand up, feeling Lord Slug's energy, and his own, in the void of space, and closed his fist. His energy exploded, and Lord Slug's vanished.

Dead Zone

"Kaio-Ken, times, twenty!" Yamcha called into the vboid, not that anyone could hear it.

"That's it." Piccolo thought to him. "Now, do it!"

Yamcha threw his hand back. Pushing as much energy as he could, both natural, and Kaio-Ken, he sharpened his fingers. Swinging them in a wide arc he saw energy trail through the darkness. As he watched the energy spread, turning from blue ki to blue sky. The blackness around him gave way more and more. Before he knew it, he was falling backwards. Within a second he hit solid ground. Jumping to his feet he took in his surroundings. He was back, on the lookout.

Feeling his skin begin to burn Yamcha dismissed the Kaio-Ken. "Piccolo?" He turned in place. "Piccolo?"

"I'm here." Piccolo said from nowhere.

Yamcha jumped and turned around. "Where are you?" He asked.

"Ikea."

Author's Note: So glad I was able to get this one done. From here out, Saturday uploads may not be the norm. I'll keep trying, but Sunday is more likely.

Also, to a particular guest reviewer, good catch ;)