Author's note: Hey, guys, thanks for the reads, & the reviews. I love getting those alerts. Please feel free to keep them coming, & let me know your thoughts as the story progresses.
Written by: SparkerLightning
Edited by: StevenBodner
Chapter 43
Remote island
Master Roshi sipped his morning glass of milk. He sat at the end of a long, narrow dock, with a bunkhouse and the ocean behind him. In front of him lay a familiar island, a second home. The stars overhead were quickly vanishing into daylight. He had counted just under two thousand while the warm breeze whispered in his ears.
As the sun rose, three silhouettes could be made out against the horizon. A man whose hair was as big as his muscles, as big as his heart, a child, and a beast. The man wore a massive shell on his back, and carried several trays, stacked high with glass milk containers. His daughter wore a similar, although much lighter, shell, and only carried one tray of milk. The beast carried only an undeniable urge to feed.
It had been ages since he had last trained on this island. Part of him felt sorry for his students. When he was last here, it wasn't nearly as populated, and the dinosaurs weren't nearly as hungry. And while there were now two grocery stores one on either end of the island, the residents welcomed him back with open arms. The temptation of a cold glass of milk, fresh from the cow, was too much to resist, and only the store owners turned down his free delivery.
At the rate they were moving these days, Roshi had to contemplate alternative training methods. The farmers didn't appreciate the noise of the fields being plowed while they were still having their breakfast with their families. No one really complained, but it was a good enough excuse to justify an additional, earlier morning study session, before the late morning study session.
All in all, these days were going by quickly and consistently for the Turtle Hermit. New students, old friends, and cold milk. While his students weren't his traditional picks, they were good, honest, hardworking people, and their goals were just as good as any other he'd heard.
Sitting on the dock, reflecting on his life, on his former students, is how Roshi spent his mornings. His afternoons were spent beside the lake, watching his students swim past the fresh-water sharks, run from an elderly dinosaur, and dodge bees. For some reason, the foreman didn't want him on the construction site, but that was okay. More laps, tighter ropes, and nippy baby dinosaurs made up for the missing training.
After an uncounted number of dawns, days, and dusks, Master Roshi had set up an outdoor table, with a spectacular view of the sunset. Oolong, who often showed up only for special occasions, special meals that is, was at the table as Launch was setting it. The father was the last to arrive, as he had been putting the finishing touches on his daughter's finest clothes, and had sent her out while he got himself ready.
"Heya." Hercule waved to Oolong as he exited the bunkhouse. "Sorry to keep y'all waiting." He approached the table as he finished the flourish of his bowtie.
"You're the last to arrive, Mark." Master Roshi clunked the butt of his staff, Korin's staff, on the ground. "But we're all early. Think nothing of it."
"Thank you, Master." Hercule bowed before taking his place at Roshi's right hand. His daughter was to his right, and Launch was across from him, Oolong to her left.
"So, Oolong, why are you here?" Videl leaned towards the pig. In her enthusiasm, she nearly placed her elbows on the tablecloth, but quickly corrected herself.
Oolong raised one of the small ridges over his eyes. Disregarding the girl's phrasing, instead hearing the excitement in her voice, he responded just as eagerly. "What do you mean? I had to be here today. It's not every day that you and your father graduate from the Turtle Hermit's training, is it?"
Hercule's head snapped towards Oolong. "HUH?" He glanced back at Master Roshi, and back to Oolong. "Graduate? No, we couldn't. We've only been here… not even a year."
"Yeah." Videl smiled. "My shell doesn't even weigh as much as I do, yet." Her expression grew firm. "You shouldn't lie like that. It's not very nice."
Roshi cleared his throat. "He's not lying, although he is getting ahead of himself." He shook his head at Oolong. "While you haven't been my students for long, he is right. You were already very capable in your own rights to begin with. I just helped fill in the blanks for the basics. As such I have nothing more to teach you."
"But Master." Hercule put his hand defensively on the table between them. "We've got so far to go. We're not even close to as strong as your former students."
He looked at Videl from the corner of his eye. "I was there. I watched the last tournament. Yamcha, Krillin, and Goku, they're all far, far beyond me."
"So? Join the club, Mark." Roshi clicked a pair of tongs before serving himself in silence. Once his plate was overflowing with a massive salad, he passed the tongs to Launch. "I never said I'd make you stronger than them. I'm not even as strong as them."
Once again in silence, he slowly poured himself a cup of hot milk, and added in melted chocolate.
"I told you I would train you, Mark." He smiled at Videl. "And I did. I showed you the path that lays ahead. I showed you how to traverse it. Now, all you have to do, and I'm sure Videl will be there every step of the way, is take that journey."
Videl raised her hand, and waited for Roshi to acknowledge her before speaking. "I'm sorry, I don't understand."
Hercule wrapped an arm around his daughter. "I think I get what Master Roshi is trying to say."
He looked at his teacher, and when he got a nod, he continued. "Remember when you were in formal school, you learned all those dates, all those names, and read all those books, whether you were interested in them or not?"
Videl nodded.
"How much of that do you think you remember, now?"
She shrugged. "Not much, but I learned when Master Roshi was teaching us. He teaches interesting things."
"Darn fast, too." Roshi smiled. "You are an extremely bright young woman."
She smiled and her father continued. "Well, the dates, the names, the books, they, they don't really matter. Not by themselves. What matters is that you got practice learning, and you learned the morals of the stories, even if you don't remember the exact details themselves. What I think Master Roshi is saying, is that we know how to train, we know how to get better. We've gotten a lot stronger."
"And smarter." Roshi interrupted. "Do not undervalue her, or your, education."
"A lot stronger, and a lot smarter." Hercule corrected himself. "And now, using the habits we learned from him, we need to go out there, and do what we've been doing, by ourselves." He squeezed his daughter's shoulder.
"Your father is right." Roshi said. "After tonight, you will no longer be students of the Turtle School. You will be representing me, and yourself, as fully-fledged martial artists. I expect you to go out there, keep working hard, keep studying well, and, as your last act as my students, continuing eating and sleeping well." He picked up his fork. "Speaking of which, let's dig in!"
"Master Roshi?" Videl didn't look up from her salad. Her father felt her shoulder shake as she spoke.
"Yes, Videl?" Roshi took a sip of hot chocolate, leaving milk in his mustache.
Videl's voice caught as she asked her question. "Can, can we come back and visit you? After we're done training?"
Roshi took a deep breath and left his seat. Walking around to be at the opposite head of the table, he pulled Videl's chair out. Getting on a knee, he brushed her father's arm off of her, and put his own hands on her shoulder. Tears were threatening to spill over.
"Videl, you're a martial artist now. You will never, ever, be done training." He shook his head, smiling at the girl. "Furthermore, I, along with Oolong and Launch would be, very, very, disappointed if you didn't visit."
Roshi saw nods coming from their side of the table.
"Often." Launch added.
"And we expect to hear good stories about what you've been doing." Oolong said.
"And of the people you've helped." Roshi added. "Can you do that for me? For us? Will you, please, come visit and share your life with us? I expect incredible things from you, and we'd all be disappointed if we didn't hear the stories of your life directly from you."
Roshi knew that neither fame nor fortune appealed to the girl, or her father. Nor did becoming a hero. When Oolong brought them to his island, they just wanted to train, to become strong, to protect themselves and their loved ones. It wasn't a normal cause he'd get behind, but for these two, he understood it. He couldn't turn them away, and he didn't turn them away. He knew the potential was there, not just for their power, but for their hearts.
Videl wiped her eyes and gave a big toothed, ear to ear, grin.
"YEAH!" She cheered.
Kame House
Black boots touched down on the sandy beach. The sound of clinking dishes and silverware rang out from inside the house as Roshi's snores filled the outside of the island dwelling. As Roshi snoozed, a large shadow fell upon him. With the sudden change in lighting, and the slight coolness brought on by the shadow, he awoke.
Sitting up quickly, dropping his issue of the latest swimsuit magazine, he looked up, and up, and up, until he met Raditz's eyes. He let out a short yelp of surprise and backed himself up his lounger, until his rear was pressed against the back rest. "You startled me!"
Raditz sighed, shrugged, and took a step back. Tilting his head he shook it and sighed again. "My apologies, old man."
Roshi jumped to his feet, still staying near the top of his seat. "Old man? I'm not even four hundred yet, you young brat."
Raditz took another step back, raising his hands.
"No offense intended." He paused for a moment. "Sir?"
"The name is Roshi. I am Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit. I worked for a living, I'll have you know." He took his turn to shake his head, and walked around to stand next to Raditz. "Now, what are you doing on my island? Last time you were here, you threw me through my house!"
"I'm sorry, Master Roshi." He ducked his head partly, momentarily. "I'm not here to fight. I'm not here to cause trouble."
Master Roshi stomped his foot as he spoke.
"I am not your master!" He gave the sand a kick towards the Saiyan, but it did not land on him. "Why are you here? I don't have anything to say to you."
Raditz ducked his head again, this time bending at the waist. His hair bounced forward before returning to his back.
"I'm here to ask for advice, if I may." He refused to look Roshi in the eye, no matter how much he wanted to.
"Advice?" He picked up his mug and took a deep sip, reflecting upon what he knew about Saiyans. He'd met Turles, and while the lad was alright, he was not the type to come to anyone, especially a human, for assistance. "Why would you come to me for advice?"
Raditz tensed his leg. He opened his mouth, closed it again, bit his tongue, and spoke. "Kakarot knows you. He trusts you. I think you'd be a good resource."
Roshi studied Raditz's body language. He was obviously frustrated, agitated, and on edge. He took another drink. His coffee was cold, and he bet his beer would be warm.
"I know my value. What kind of advice are you looking for? How to meditate? How to fly on a cloud? How to do this?" He took a deep breath, his muscles rapidly inflating, shredding his shirt, and a majority of his shorts, before returning to normal.
Raditz shook his head. "I would hope to become a Super Saiyan, someday, and that might be a good steppingstone, but no. I'm looking for advise on more, domestic things."
"Ah, issues of the heart." Roshi poked Raditz's chest. "You've heard I'm a lady's man, a player, a, a real..."
"Not that kind of issue." Raditz gently led Roshi's finger aside. "I need help understanding Goku. After seeing what Turles is doing here, and Goku has here, while… while being constantly exposed to Vegeta, I think they might be on to something here."
"Spiritual guidance? Life coaching? I did not expect that." The wise old man scratched his bearded chin.
"Neither did I, but I think so, yes." Raditz crossed his arms. "I want to understand where that is coming from. I want to know how they got there. I want to know what it's like, there."
Roshi spun the base of his staff into the sand. "I see. You want to know how to be human." He turned to face the sea. "Goku may have been born Saiyan, but he became human. Turles? Not yet, but, but he's on his way."
"I don't want to become a human." Raditz turned to stand beside Roshi, shoulder to shoulder, man-to-man. "I want to know what the appeal is, what the reason is, and, and if it's right for me."
"I didn't say become a human, I said, be human."
"I don't follow." Raditz looked over at the shorter man.
"Humanity is more a mindset than a race. I am an Earthling, but so is Oolong. He is a pig, but he embodies many human values. That is what being human means. Vegeta? He holds Saiyan values, I don't know what kind of feelings he has, but I'm certain I'm right in saying that he's Saiyan, through and through."
"You're using human as, almost as a belief system?" Raditz watched as a crab washed up on the shore, and began walking back to the water.
"That's it." Roshi used his foot to flip the crab back out into the wake. "That's what you're wanting to talk about?"
"I suppose so. What makes someone human?"
"Not all days are good days. A few weeks ago, my day started out with my flipflops breaking and I stubbed my toe. At breakfast, the milk was sour and my cereal was old. While dodging bees, one crawled into my ear. When sparring with a student, she kicked me between the legs, right in the valley of good and evil." He chuckled, and Raditz shook his head. "It, it wasn't a good day. At the end of it, I was frustrated, I was irritable, and that was okay. I came home, Launch had prepared a marvelous dinner, Oolong had dropped in, and Videl made me a birthday card. It wasn't my birthday, but it was the thought that counted."
He stuck his finger in his ear and rubbed the spot that had been stung. "When I was worn down, exhausted, ready to surrender for the day, my friends, my family, lifted me up. They supported me. They gave me, they give me, strength."
Raditz pointedly looked away from Roshi. Through the open window, he heard a dish get dropped. "Goku and Turles are changing, because it makes the bad times not as bad?"
"For those who embrace it, it makes the good times better, and the difficult times easier to bear." He turned to face Raditz, who still looked away. "Having people around you, who care about you, and that you can return such feels to, is truly the pinnacle of humanity."
"How do they embrace it? How did they start?" Raditz shifted away from the old man, but looked over his shoulder at him.
"You surround yourself with those who care about you, and those you care about. That's all there is to embracing it." He put a hand on the Saiyan's shoulder, and Raditz shrugged it off, but turned to face him. "The first step, before others can openly care about you, is to show that you openly care about them. That you care about their thoughts their feelings, and simply them as individuals. Accept that having them around makes your life better, and that you appreciate that. Not that they serve you, but that they are there for you out of genuine affection."
"How do you find those people?" He looked towards the house where a sneeze just rang out from.
"There are all kinds of ways." Roshi shifted them both to be looking back over the water once more. "Join a club, get a social hobby, or, for you, why go down the street, when you could go down the hall?"
Raditz scratched his head. "You've lost me again."
"You've dug yourself a bit of a hole with Gohan and Chi-Chi. You didn't leave a good first impression. But why not start there? Goku is a very kind, good-hearted, forgiving person. If you apologize to him, I'm sure he'd accept, and, if Gohan takes after him at all, he will as well."
"What about the boy's mother?"
Roshi chuckled under his breath. "Chi-Chi? She's a force of nature, that woman." He spun his cane and stomped it behind his back, grabbing it with both hands. "But she's a very traditional individual. If you humbly show up on her doorstep, gift in hand, and sincerely apologize, if you let her know where you're coming from, and where you're looking to go, I don't think she'd react too poorly. She may not accept your apology, but at least it would be a step in the right direction. Your first neutral interaction. You started negative, you went neutral, and, eventually, possibly, you'll get to the positive side of her scale."
Raditz took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "You think I should apologize. For taking Gohan?"
"You didn't just take him, you blinded him, you likely traumatized him. Yes, an apology is due. If you want a relationship with that family, with your family, I'd say it's required."
"May I ask for your help in apologizing? I'm not familiar with Earth traditions." He scratched his elbow nervously.
A smile crossed Roshi's lips. "I don't know if I want to know, but I am too curious. How would you apologize as a Saiyan?"
"Saiyans don't apologize. If you offend someone stronger than you, you are punished. If you offend someone weaker than you, you don't care." He looked into the sky, getting lost in the blue, before rubbing his cheek.
"You're going to have to start caring. Not just about those stronger than you, but about those who are weaker. On this planet, physically, I was one of the strongest beings. Now, I still am, even though I'm left in the dust. If you can't care about those who are weaker than you, here, then you can't care about anyone." He grabbed Raditz's elbow. "Are you capable of that? Caring about others regardless of status? Could you care about a complete stranger, simply out of respect of them as an individual? With their own lives? Their own experiences? Their own story?"
"I don't know." Raditz answered honestly. "I'm willing to try though."
"Then yes." Roshi whipped himself around to face his home. "I will help you. But first, I don't know what that woman is cooking, but it smells incredible. Come now, let's fill our stomachs, then we can worry about our hearts."
Mount Paozu
Chi-Chi took her whistling teapot off the stove. Walking around the modest table in their dining room, she filled four cups. The first cup went to her son, the light of her life, the only thing truly bringing her joy or peace these days. The second to her father, her current rock and provider. The third went to her brother-in-law, and the fourth was placed at her seat, at the head of the table. Ox-King sat across from her, Gohan to her left, next to her husband's empty chair, and Raditz was across from him.
Raditz placed his tea bag to steep and contemplated the smooth water. "Thank you for having me over." He addressed the cup.
Chi-Chi's eye twitched at the complete lack of manners, before reminding herself that he wasn't from Earth. It was clear he was trying to be polite, even if he wasn't succeeding.
"Of course." Chi-Chi looked across the side of his head, finally deciding to focus on his ear, close enough, right? "So, who's going to address the elephant in the room first?"
Raditz looked up at that, confusion evident on his expression. Slowly, he turned to face the behemoth to his right. "Thank you as well, sir." He bowed his head slightly, not letting his eyes go above his neckline.
Ox-King put a friendly hand on the Saiyan's shoulder, and slowly shook his head. "Son, what I think she meant is, who's going to address your past with Gohan first? You know." He rolled his right shoulder. "From, well, your first visit to Earth."
"The kidnapping." Chi-Chi said, steeling Raditz's attention. "I am not interested in hearing anything you have to say, until we clear that up."
Raditz's back straightened and he forced himself to look Chi-Chi in the face, not meeting her eyes, but focusing on her nose.
"That's, that's actually why I'm here." He quickly stood, lowered his head, and raised his eyes, to keep his gaze on the woman. "I am sorry. I know what I did was wrong. I knew what I did was wrong. I am sincerely sorry, and hope there is some way we are able to move forward. Turles is building a relationship with Goku, and, something my time here on Earth has shown me, is that I have no such connections. I would like to build one with you, and your family."
Digging in his pocket he pulled out a capsule. Opening it over the table, a large bowl of assorted fruit appeared. "Please accept this produce as a token of my deepest regret."
Chi-Chi's hands tensed around her cup. Fruit? He came to her planet, took her son, killed her husband, and fruit is his solution? The apology seemed sincere, but was this even the kind of thing someone could apologize for? If their lives weren't so… unique, he'd be in jail, rotting, not giving her fruit.
Gohan cleared his throat as he removed his teabag from his cup.
"Apology accepted." He smiled up at his uncle, who quickly turned his attention to the boy. "Now, please, sit down."
Gohan shifted some of the fruit around, finding a crisp red apple, before taking a large bite.
Chi-Chi sharply inhaled, hearing a small, sharp, crack from her cup. "Gohan? How, how can you… why, why would you? How? He, he took you from us. He, he wasn't going to bring you back. He, he's the one that blinded you."
Raditz did not wait to be told again and quickly replanted his butt in the seat. Before he could thank Gohan though, the boy answered his mother.
"Because it's the right thing to do." He sat his left elbow on the table, turning to face his mother. "Turles told me what it was like under Frieza, what kind of expectations were placed on you, and what those expectations will do to a person. Raditz is remorseful, and that is enough for me."
Chi-Chi's forehead wrinkled. "That's no excuse!" She smacked her open palm onto the table to drive home her point.
"I didn't say it was." He went to smack the table, but at the last moment decided to snatch his cup and take a sip instead. Aggression wasn't going to get him anywhere here. "It doesn't excuse anything, but it explains it."
Chi-Chi took a deep breath and sank back into her chair. "How does that explain anything? No one made him do those things, and if they did, no one made him enjoy them. What kind of person, or life, could lead someone to that kind of behavior?"
Ox-King looked into his cup. He reflected upon when his home was set ablaze, when his anger took over, and when he was feared. He had never intentionally hurt someone. Not someone innocent or well-meaning. But he had hurt people… and he was proud of himself when he did. Not that he punched a tree down, with a man acting as a dampener, or that he broke both of a man's arms with a single kick, but he was proud that he could do those thing. He was proud that he had that power, and he remained that way until he was steered back on the proper path.
Raditz took a deep sip and let the tea warm his mouth before swallowing. "I could answer that, if you like."
Chi-Chi's attention snapped to her husband's brother. It took him a while, but he did meet her eyes. He was nervous, scared, injured. His eyes betrayed a life of hardship, and she couldn't snap at him like she intended to, so instead, she spoke as she sighed. "Okay, let's hear it then."
Raditz glanced at Gohan, and took another sip to put his thoughts in order. Grueling assignments, pitiful meals, constant ridicule. And that was a good day. When facing failures for missions and other such assignments, the punishments were brutal and agonizing. "The first thing to know, we weren't people. We weren't treated like people, we weren't treated as resources. We were treated as tools, to be used until unusable, and then cannibalized to create the next generation."
He let his statement hang in the air, still deciding on exactly how much to share. "Saiyans were a special case in the Frieza Force, but that's only because we were born with an innate ability to fight and steadily grow as we fought." His fingers tightened around the handle of his cup. "When we were born, we were tested for our potential. That's it, that's our life. No matter what we did, we were still what we were when we were born. I, Kakarot, and by blood, Gohan, are third-class, the lowest of the low. Becoming a Super Saiyan may have changed things, but that was just a story when I was there. Our father was one of the most powerful Saiyans alive, equal to Prince Vegeta, a super elite, and far more powerful than Nappa, a standard elite. That didn't matter though, he was born trash, he was forever trash."
He finished his drink, and did not refill it. "Once our life is decided, we're sent away. No bonding, no interaction. We're put in our pod, and kept awake, kept aware. On our journey to our first planet, we're constantly bombarded by messages. Cruel, manipulative messages. Kill, ravage, destroy, grow. Kill, ravage, destroy, grow. When we land, that's what's expected of us. Kill the locals. Ravage their planet, and destroy their civilization. Grow stronger, so we can do it all again to the next planet."
Ox-King wiped fresh sweat off his brow. He didn't really think this was appropriate for Gohan to hear, but, he wasn't his son, and Chi-Chi would have to make that call. Sliding his thumb across his teacup he realized that his hands were just as moist as his forehead.
Still not breaking eye contact with Chi-Chi, he continued. "That is what a Saiyan lives to do. The only thing we value, is growth. We are not a warm or loving race. If you grow, we admire you. If we grow stronger than you, we pity you. There is nothing more disgraceful to a Saiyan than being pitied or being weak." He swallowed and slowly exhaled before resuming. "I was pitied, and I was weak. Because of that, because of the constant insults, I grew angry, and, like any Saiyan, I craved power. When I found it, I held on to it, exercised it, as much as possible. That is the source of, not just my, but all, Saiyan cruelty and enjoyment in dealing pain upon others."
"And that's just when we're babies and children." He leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms behind his back. Before cupping the back of his head in his woven fingers. "Once we're actually given to the Frieza Force, it gets worse. We need to fight for everything, and any kindness, any weakness, is brutally extinguished. If you cannot kill your oldest partner immediately after receiving the order, you are… well, it's not pretty. When you're an adult..."
Chi-Chi threw her hands into the air.
"That's enough, okay, please, stop." She looked at Gohan, who hadn't reacted in the least. "Gohan shouldn't hear this, it's not good for someone as young as him."
"With all due respect, ma'am." Raditz said. "By the time I was your son's age, I had lived it, I had embraced it. If you didn't… Well, you weren't executed, unless you were lucky."
Ox-King set his hand on Raditz's shoulder. Immediately the former space pirate tensed, before forcing himself to relax.
"Son, I'm sorry you had to go through that. No one..." He locked eyes with Chi-Chi. "...adult or child should have to live through something like that. I only speak for myself, but if you'd ever like to come by my place, there will be a cold beer with your name on it."
Raditz responded to the giant, but Chi-Chi didn't hear what he said. She was picturing her son, sitting in that chair, wearing Saiyan armor. She pictured him with Nappa and Vegeta, the three of them soaring to some distant planet, purging a distant planet.
Ox-King cleared his throat. "Chi-Chi?"
She blinked rapidly, all eyes were on her. "I'm, I'm sorry you went through that."
Raditz shrugged, fighting back a disdainful smile. "What's done is done."
She picked up the teapot and refilled his cup. "You don't want revenge? Isn't that all Vegeta wants?"
"Or just to stop Frieza." Gohan took an extra scoop of sugar. "Like Nappa, or Turles."
Raditz crossed his arms.
"Despite what he tells you, he does not speak for us all." Closing his eyes, he leaned back. "Vegeta was raised a prince. He was promised an empire, and his destiny was set since the moment he was born. Frieza tore all that to shreds." Opening his eyes, he shook his head at Chi-Chi. "Me? My life wasn't really any different. Under Frieza or under King Vegeta, it didn't matter. My treatment was the same, my future was the same."
Raditz gestured around the room with his free hand, he set a teabag in his cup. "This is what I'd like. Something peaceful, something pleasant. Or at least, something where I'm not actively fighting for my life. I'm okay struggling for food, for shelter, for purpose, but I don't ever want to fight for my life again."
Chi-Chi went to speak, but her son responded first.
"You don't like to fight anymore?" He asked.
Raditz smirked as he leaned forward, sipping his tea. "Now, that's not what I said. I don't want to fight for my life. I never wanted to, and I never will again, if I can help it. Same with fighting for conquest. It's different, and it is not something I will ever do again. I am still a Saiyan though. So, no, I do still like to fight, to improve, but, not to battle."
"So, like Goku when he was younger." It was Ox-King's turn to interrupt Chi-Chi. "While he was always on the side of good, for a while, he only really fought to get stronger, for himself. And, of course, for fun."
"Then, yes." Raditz nodded. "I, I didn't know Kakarot, Goku, to be like that. But, if that's how he was as a child, then yes."
As he took a deep sip, Chi-Chi filled the silence. "So, why do you want to get stronger, if not to fight?"
"I don't want to get stronger to fight." He set his cup down. "I'd like to get stronger, so I don't need to battle."
Author's note: Just a little breather before we get back into space next chapter.
The Rocha:
The dragon giveth and the dragon taketh away
Vegeta was a bit of a challenge, because the Namek arc for him was one of the best of the series, and I didn't really want to give it up. Unfortunately, when push came to shove, I couldn't really see him doing anything else in this situation.
With Piccolo not being nearly as strong as in canon, they really didn't have a choice to fight. It's another thing I struggled to settle on, but it was either that or death.
Yes, Loa did her fair share.
Regarding the dragon balls, who says they need to fix this in the first place? Although, you may be on to something regarding them ...
I can unfortunately tell you there will be no Trunks in this fic, or at least not that I intend as of now. I only see one way he could make it into the story, and that's universes away.
If it weren't for Bulma, Chapter 42 would have ended completely different.
Thank you for the details comment, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it, and hope you continue to do so.
Also, thanks for catching that typo.