A party of people waited around a jet parked in the middle of a wasteland just to the south outside West City. Bulma stared off in the skies above through a scoping device she placed on her head with a triplet of goggles that let her gaze a massive distance away in the horizon and see any faraway objects or entities and track them.
Muten Roshi had been just as eager to look at the sky in the beginning, but a few hours later he settled down in a folding chair and began flipping through the pages of his dirty magazines. Everyone else's excitement seemed to have similarly dwindled. Chi-Chi gripped the edges of the wrap she had over the top of her qipao dress, being just about the only one beside Bulma to maintain interest in the matters high in space.
Her care wasn't as healthy and steady as Bulma's however, as the heart of the mother and a wife filled itself with worry. Partly because Bulma, being the genius that she was, focused on rationality and problem-solving, did a rather poor job of filling everyone in on the details. Chi-Chi only knew what was the most important: that Goku and Gohan would land here and that they were both alive. Bulma didn't spare her any explanation on if their mission had been successful and what condition they would return in.
"There. I see them…" Bulma said, staring off at a fixed point in the sky. Her voice had been calm, like that of a chess grandmaster who had an entire game in their mind and saw them realize itself before their very eyes. Calculated and assured of herself.
Before long, everyone else could see the blazing dot in the sky as well. Then another, and a few more lit up. This was something that Bulma wasn't quite predicting, prompting her to slip off her scoping mask and let it slip and fall off her face as she gazed at the sky in surprise. The spring heat brought intense sweating down her forehead, though the chagrin of these numerous arrivals made Bulma too worked up to wipe it off her brow.
The spacecrafts smashed into the ground one by one, raising a messy cloud of dust that left the Earthling greeting party reeling and coughing. Chi-Chi began rushing toward the spaceships. Bulma raised her hand to stop the woman, but Muten Roshi gently touched Bulma's hand and helped to lower it, shaking his head calmly. It was only then that it occurred to Bulma that Chi-Chi sensed familiar Ki inside those ships and that while the arrivals were many–they were still friendly if Goku spearheaded them.
"Gohan-chan!" Chi-Chi cried out, bursting into the open spaceship and wrapping her hands around the incredibly confused child who, while missed his mother and wanted to embrace her more than anything else in the world, wasn't ready for his mother to barge in like that and bring the much-awaited meeting to him so quickly.
"Chi-Chi…" Goku mumbled in acknowledgment of his wife. "I brought him home. You should have seen him… He's way stronger than any of us were in his age. All that weird Saiyan stuff all over the place, he must have learned a thing or two too." The Saiyan giggled to himself.
"Your parents?" Chi-Chi looked up, wrapping her arms around Goku next and pressing her body against his. She felt a light struggle against her tight hold though it wasn't an attempt to break free, Goku was shaking his head, suggesting that they didn't make it. Chi-Chi's stare became tamer as sadness filled her eyes.
"That's okay, grandma and grandpa only died for the first time, right? We can still use the Dragon Balls to bring them back." Gohan tried cheering his mother up, but Chi-Chi let go of her husband and kneeled to her son, placing her hand over little Gohan's head.
"That's not a healthy way to look at life and death, Gohan-chan. Dying isn't just an inconvenience for the Dragon Balls to fix. Dying brings an enormous risk that at one time your friends or family might not come back. In fact, that's how dying was always meant to be. You die and that's it." Chi-Chi pointed out to her son.
"Such a weird thing to have to teach your kid." Chayote sneered. "Then again, this is the only world he's ever known. He's even seen the Afterlife before his age went into double digits. It makes sense the kid would have a different view on life and death after this kind of tumultuous upbringing."
"You came back…" Chi-Chi stood up and turned to Chayote, looking at her with a kind glare.
"Yeah, sorry if that inconvenienced you." Chayote closed her eyes, choosing to deflect the note with the shield of irony.
"No, that's not what I meant at all," Chi-Chi shook her head. "It's just… Planet Vegeta was your home, right? You always kept talking about how much you wanted to return there. By the time that Bulma built you a good spaceship, you were barely even here on Earth. I just… Didn't expect you to come back."
"Yeah, well… Planet Vegeta isn't quite the place to be right now. That's why…" Chayote was about to explain a thing or two about the aftermath of their clash with the Frieza Army when Bulma shrieked out in madness and would have kicked the door to the spaceship down had it not been open.
"Saiyans!?" Bulma bellowed. "You brought spaceships upon spaceships full of Saiyans to Earth!?"
"Yeah… Their planet got all messed up, so they didn't really have anywhere else to go. I figured since Piccolo brought the survivors from Namek all here, maybe I should bring them here until we can fix their planet for them too, you know?" Goku scratched his head.
"They're Saiyans! Not too long ago they were the ones trying to blow up the Earth!" Bulma pulled on the hair on her head. "We have two wishes on the Dragon Balls: the first one will be to bring everyone killed on Planet Vegeta by Frieza's Army back to life, the second–to bring the rest of the crew back home to Earth. We don't have the wishes to repair their planet."
"That'll be awfully cruel of you, Bulma." Goku objected. "If you bring all the Saiyans back too, you'll just be bringing them back to a burning hellhole. You should ask everyone back to Earth with the second wish so we can give the Saiyans shelter until we can restore their planet again a year later."
"Have you hit your head on the rocks again!?" Bulma went pale. "The entire Saiyan race living on Earth!? At this point, we'll have nothing stopping them from taking over!"
"Don't worry. Kakarot has become something the Saiyans won't dare defy–a Super Saiyan." Chayote interjected into the conversation. While she could have sworn to be a denizen of Planet Earth from the point she stepped up to oppose Frieza, hearing Bulma's tone and sensing her disdain when speaking of her own race made Chayote a tad uneasy. Didn't the Saiyans, as flawed as they were, deserve a chance to not choke on noxious atmosphere fumes and get scorched by magma storms and live in an apocalyptic landscape for an entire year? Didn't they deserve even a bit of dignity?
"Super Saiyan?" Bulma raised an eyebrow. She still looked suspicious, though the fact that Chayote spoke up to support Goku's plan eased the genius woman in on the plan somewhat, since Chayote was of sounder mind and judgment than her oaf of a lifelong friend.
"Yes. It is tough to describe, but the Saiyans have a legend that speaks of a legendary warrior ascending to a higher state of being and achieving titanic power. While normally I'd say that Saiyans would itch to challenge and overcome a Super Saiyan, looking to gain some of the Super Saiyan's power for themselves through Zenkai, these Saiyans are neutered and a far cry from the race of proud, battle-hungry warriors from the past. Frieza has done a number on them and their morale which will take them decades if not centuries to recover from." Chayote explained.
"Also…" Gohan butted his fingers. "If we ask everyone that Frieza has killed back to life–the Dragon Balls will revive Vegeta-san too. Vegeta-san is now the king of all Saiyans, isn't he? If we can reason with him, maybe he will keep the Saiyans in line?"
"Heh, that's my boy…" Goku rubbed Gohan's head, messing up his spiky hair crudely while he kneeled down to his son. "You don't need to worry yourself about any Saiyans. If they step out of line, we'll send them flying and make sure they behave. The likes of them won't ever threaten the Earth anymore."
"I don't know." Bulma crossed her arms, looking grumpy. "It seems to me like an awful lot of risk to take to bring an entire race of fearsome space-faring warriors here when our planet hosts the Dragon Balls that can easily make them immortal or make them more powerful. Couldn't the Dragon Balls make another Saiyan into one of those Super Saiyans too?"
"Who knows…" Chayote shrugged. "We're not sure how Kakarot got there either. Maybe they can, maybe they can't. Still, once we use them, the Dragon Balls will remain inert for an entire year so we won't have to worry about anything like that from the Saiyans. I hate the idea of sharing the same planet as Vegeta for an entire year too. Still, if we don't fix Planet Vegeta for the Saiyans, they'll ruin someone else's day. Planet Vegeta isn't the original planet of the Saiyans, you know…"
Bulma gulped a heavy mouthful of fear and worry with an uneasy look on her face.
"Appear, Divine Dragon, appear and grant us our wish!" Bulma chanted, reaching out over the gathered Dragon Balls.
"Say, say… Where is that creepy, orange-haired lady who keeps looking at me weird all the time?" Goku wondered. "Everyone seems to be here, even Yajirobe, but she's nowhere to be seen… Bulma and she seemed to be inseparable, she was Bulma's assaultant or something…"
"That's assistant, Goku-sa. And Dr. Puri and Bulma aren't on the best of terms anymore. Dr. Puri seems to have walked away from the Capsule Corp and has started a rivaling company. They're sort of rivals now. Why are you so troubled that the shrill siren isn't here anymore?"
"Oh, I'm not worked up at all…" Goku leaned back on his crossed arms. "I'm actually a bit easier. She keeps staring at me all weird like she's trying to gaze a hole right through me. It's creepy…"
A golden beam burst forth from the gathered magical orbs as they burst vigorously with energy and blasted a pulse of it out to illuminate the darkened skies. The golden beam coiled and took shape as a long, serpentine dragon with a pair of arms, horns, and whiskers. The golden coating unraveled with a spray of stardust all over the gloomy scenery as the true form of the Divine Dragon shed its ethereal cocoon and showed off its full splendor with one authoritative roar.
"Now, state your wish!" the Divine Dragon commanded. "I can grant two wishes, whatever your heart desires, if it is within my power, it shall be it."
"What is that!?" the Saiyans pointed at the massive dragon over their heads. Even if they harbored any ill intent toward Earthlings and their meddling in Saiyan affairs, they were too awed by seeing the Divine Dragon and the entire planet being swallowed in darkness before its appearance to make a move.
"Divine Dragon, we wish that you bring those killed on Planet Vegeta by Frieza's Army and Frieza himself back to life," Bulma asked.
"That cannot be done." Divine Dragon answered after a moment. "Amongst those killed, there is one who has already been brought back by the Dragon Balls and therefore cannot be brought back again. I cannot fulfill the wish I have already fulfilled. Moreover, there have been plenty of people murdered by the Frieza Army on that planet. I'll have to ask you to be more specific."
"Ah, I see…" Bulma scratched her eyelid, having feared that the reason would have been far graver and that Chi-Chi's grim teachings to Gohan would come to pass. "Then, can you revive everyone but those that cannot be brought back, let's say, in the last year?"
"It can be done…" the Divine Dragon's eyes gleamed bright red. "Now, state your second wish."
Bulma hesitated on it for a second. Chayote wondered what she'd decide if she'd doom the Saiyans, a race that has been nearly wiped out by targeted genocide to live in a ruinous wasteland and therefore sentence some nearby race living on a planet viable for Saiyan life and civilization for extinction or if she'd make what Chayote saw as the right call?
"Bring king Vegeta back to life, dragon!" a roar came from the rumbling side of the Saiyans, interrupting Bulma's hesitation and prompting a wave of shock to resonate through the hearts of everyone that had gathered.
"That cannot be done!" the Divine Dragon growled. "I have already brought king Vegeta the Fourth back to life with the first wish."
"I'll take care of it," Chayote cracked her neck once to each side and warmed up, walking off to keep the Saiyans in line. Maybe Bulma didn't worry entirely without a reason? The first chance those guys got to meddle with Earth's affairs, they took it without hesitation. Even if they'd shoot themselves in the foot, like a pack of wild animals. Even with a Super Saiyan vowing to protect the Earth.
"Stop stalling, state your next wish now!" the Divine Dragon demanded. "And make it right this time!"
"Divine Dragon, bring everyone on Planet Vegeta here to Earth!" Bulma yelled out, struggling against her own best judgment.
"W-Wait, Bulma!" Goku gasped. "Don't do that…!"
"B-But… You told me to…" Bulma muttered with a puny tone when the eyes of the Divine Dragon lit up red.
"A simple matter…" he spoke up before letting the brilliance of the golden light engulf him and turning into a beaming pillar of magical energy that gathered the Dragon Balls off the ground and began rotating them around it. With a burst of ethereal eruption, the dissolution of the energy sent the Dragon Balls scattering all across the world once more, surrounded with energy and in the process of petrifying as they flew to their resting places like tiny comets.
"What was that all about?" Bulma pressed her knuckles to her waist, beaming a death-inducing glare to Goku, who shook in his boots and sweated.
"I kinda forgot… We left Frieza on Planet Vegeta too…" Goku chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Granted, I don't think he'll be much of a threat to anyone but… Still, it might not be a good idea to bring him here…"
"YOU THINK!?" Bulma roared out, twitching her knuckles and grinding her teeth. Rabid like a wildcat about to pounce and eviscerate its prey.
"That's odd… I don't sense Frieza's Ki anywhere…" Chayote noted. "Sure, Kakarot gave him a life-changing pummeling, he'll never be the same chilling tyrant ever again but… Even in his state, someone like him should have already recovered enough to crawl and beg for help."
"M-Maybe someone from the Frieza Army picked him up already?" the Saiyan in Chayote's clutches whom she was bullying and manhandling about whined out, earning himself a rude release as the female Saiyan dropped him on the ground.
"That could be it…" Chayote shrugged. "I've been thinking about what I want to do now that I've decided to settle on Earth. I want to be a soldier and fight, just like I'd have done on Planet Vegeta if I became a soldier in the Frieza Army."
"A soldier? That won't be very fair to the other soldiers… Plus, someone like you will throw the entire military out of balance. You'll make whichever military force you join the strongest military force on Earth by default." Bulma pointed out.
"That's right. That's why I've decided to start my own military force. A private military to watch over the safety of the entire planet, as opposed to a corner of the world." Chayote replied. "That way I can also keep an eye out for Frieza and any sneaky remnants of his army that might have slipped through or snuck down to Earth."
"Do you know anything about private military? Do you have any start-up funding that will give you the financial independence from whoever is paying the biggest buck?" Bulma crossed her arms over her chest. "Now that that traitorous pit-viper left my side, you could instead become my assistant or my consultant."
"Assistant? Consultant?" Chayote scratched her head. "I'm not really all that bright, though. And when I lose my temper, I get even less bright…"
"True, but you've been around alien technology long enough to be of significant help to me in the past. Even your basic knowledge has been beneficial. Tell you what, if you work for me for a little while as my assistant, just until I feel like you're no longer useful to me, I'll ease you into the world of your own private military company. You can serve as the Capsule Corps security chief for a few months, while we introduce you to the acquaintances Capsule Corp have in the world of military and I'll personally help support your private company with Capsule Corp's funding, as long as you throw us a bone once in a while to make it look crystal clear to the board during the meetings…" Bulma winked.
"I don't really understand everything you've said but… I want to live down here on Earth, this place has become my own paradise instead of the one that the God of Destruction destroyed and I want to help protect it because fighting is the only thing I'm great at. You've helped me in the past, Bulma, if you say that's the way to go about it, I'll trust you." Chayote nodded.
"How touching…" a smug voice came in from Chayote's left, one that immediately made her blood boil and sent a twitching impulse through the body of the Saiyan female, inflating her bulk a good few pumps of blood worth in a blink. "Now is there any particular reason you brought me and my people here?"
"Vegeta…" Goku spoke up in acknowledgment of the resurrected Saiyan king.
"Of course, out of everyone we've revived, you'd the one that would be brought back here…" Bulma sighed and covered up her tired eyes with her hand, shaking her head.