Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

By Feraligreater328

A/N: By somewhat popular demand, this chapter is going to start a string of five chapters focusing not on intense battles or villainous threats, but on slice-of-life interactions between the various characters in Dragon Ball Z. This is something that I've wanted to do for a while now, but didn't feel tonally appropriate up until this point. So, I hope you all enjoy my take on what is essentially anime filler.

Chapter 54: The Training Begins

At Capsule Corp...

Bulma tapped her chin as she examined the latest readouts from one of Bardock's future vision episodes. The scientist tapped her pencil against the screen at one particular point of Bardock's brain-scan. "There it is. That particular spot, rooted into your brain stem, growing into your cerebellum, and transmitting to your cerebrum...that's what's causing all of these visions..."

Bardock rubbed the back of his neck. "Damned Kanassan bastard..."

Gine looked worried, her hand rested atop Bardock's. "C-Can you remove it?"

Bulma sighed, plopping into her chair. "Gine, I wear a lot of different hats...but I'm not a brain surgeon. Not yet anyway..."

She leaned back, grabbing a bottle of water from the minifridge under her desk. "I've been examining your husband for three days. I've watched that thing become hot enough that his grey matter was convulsing like eggs in a frying pan. It looks like it's rooted in there so deeply that removing it would kill him. The only thing I can suggest is the Dragon Balls, but those are still months away from returning. So that's out for now..."

Gine spoke up. "What about Planet Namek?"

Bulma shook her head. "Do you know where they are? Because I don't..."

Gine gripped her fists tight. "Maybe we could ask King Kai to-"

Bardock spoke up. "Can't you just make something that makes them stop happening at random? Huh Bulma?"

Gine and Bulma both looked over at Bardock. There was a strange sort of resigned look on his face. "I don't wanna get into it, but I don't want it removed. Having the ability to see threats coming like that is, basically, the only reason I'm sitting here right now. As much as I hate that Kanassan bastard that put it there without my permission...I don't wanna have it taken away..."

Gine mumbled to herself. "Bardock..."

Bulma stood. "Fine. Gimme a minute."

She began to dig in her drawer, finding several bits and parts to put together some kind of device. Bulma walked over to Bardock, snatching the bandana from his head, and moving back over to her desk. "While I'm working on this, I have a question..."

Bardock narrowed his eyes. "What?"

Bulma began to solder parts together. "How old were the two of you when you died?"

Bardock and Gine looked at each other and then back at Bulma. Bardock spoke. "33."

Gine crossed her arms in front of her. "28...w-why?"

Bulma reached into her bag, pulling out a needle and thread. "I've been examining certain aspects of Gine's body over the past months, bone marrow and stuff. Been doing the same to Bardock for the past three days."

Bardock cocked his head. "Why...?"

Bulma scratched the back of her head. "I've been curious about how being dead for so long would impact you guys. And, from what I've observed, Gine has been rapidly aging over the past few months. Like, not to any detriment. It just looks like all of those years' dead are applying themselves now that you're alive again. I don't know why...I'm guessing it's because Shenron is just recreating your bodies from before Frieza incinerated them and the due course of time lost is taking its toll..."

Bardock shook his head. "You lost me."

Gine nodded. "Me too."

Bulma sighed. "Basically, you two have had the entirety of Goku's life on Earth applied onto your bodies all at once. That would make you 53 and Bardock 58. It's...amazing that you both still look so young..."

Gine smiled. "Saiyans age different from humans. We stay fighting fit for the first 70-80 years of our lives!"

Her smile faded slightly. "...and then we crash hard."

Bardock glanced over at Bulma. "Why exactly do you know this anyway?"

Bulma turned, now brandish a newly modified bandana for Bardock to wear. "I've been looking into theoretical physics recently. Time Travel and stuff. Time law would suggest that all beings living within the space-time continuum are bound to a standard flow of how time works. It would theorize that the only way time wouldn't affect you was if you were to battle against the flow of time or if you were to step out of the normal space-time continuum altogether. That would-"

Bardock groaned. "Enough, enough. You're starting to sound like my brother. Gimme the short version."

Bulma rolled her eyes. She knotted Bardock's bandana tight around his head. "Big tough Bardock not tough enough to fight time! That clear enough for you?"

Bardock adjusted the bandana. "Crystal. Thanks."

Gine examined the bandana. "What did you do to it?"

Bulma poked a small bulge on the right side of Bardock's head, just behind his ear. "That device I made it a signal jammer. It's going to constantly transmit a benign signal into Bardock's brain that runs counter to the signal that that growth is sending out. It won't prevent the growth from acting, but it will prevent it from exciting all of Bardock's brain matter at once."

The scientist bent over, whispering into Bardock's ear. "Hey Bardock. How about those Androids slaughtering us all, huh?"

Bardock winced, feeling a pinch at the base of his neck, but nothing followed. Bulma smiled. "There! Problem solved. Now you can live another ten decades and be a pain in my ass the entire time."

The older Saiyan stood, scratching the back of his head with a smirk. "Don't act like you wouldn't miss me~"

Bulma drank more of her water, and then she shot Bardock a genuine smile. "Stop in every so often, okay? I wanna make sure that you stay healthy."

Just outside of Bulma's office...

Launch, her hair a golden as a field of wheat, had a stunned Raditz held tightly by the collar of his shirt, pressed against a wall. The Saiyan could force her off of him anytime he wanted to, but something in his chest prevented him from doing so. Raditz was blushing from ear-to-ear as Launch shouted in his face. "DON'T YOU TRY TO SKIP OUT ON ME! I NEVER FORGET A FACE, BUD!"

She poked her finger into Raditz's chest. "You promised me a dinner date. And I've already made and paid for a reservation! You'd better show up tonight or I'll come and find your hair-metal ass and drag you to dinner, got it?"

Raditz swallowed a massive lump in his throat. He didn't have it in him to say no. Not because he lacked a backbone...but because this woman, this bold and brash human woman, was supremely attractive to him. The door to Bulma's office clicked open and Bulma, Bardock, and Gine filed out. The three of them paused and stared over at Raditz and Launch. Raditz glanced over at his parents and Bulma. Launch glared.

A long silence played out, and the Launch turned back to Raditz. "Well?!"

Raditz spoke in a quiet voice. "Yes ma'am. I would be honored to go out for a meal with you..."

Blonde Launch chuckled. That chuckle quickly turned into a massive sneeze, and then Blue Launch came back to the forefront. She smiled and giggled. "Here you go~"

Launch pressed a card into Raditz's hand. "That's the address of the restaurant. Our address is for 8:00 pm. I'll call you when I'm ready! See you tonight~"

The four of them watched as Launch went skipping off and Raditz breathed a sigh of relief. Bardock shook his head. "Earth women..."

He turned to Gine. "So, how is she going to call for Raditz anyway? Do the three of us have a communicator? Or even, like, a house?"

Gine glanced away. "W-Well...I've just been living with Chi-Chi and Gohan since we got to Earth. So, I suppose..."

Bardock shook his head. "Hell no. Not even a fraction of a chance. I'm not going to mooch off of my youngest son! I'll sleep outside first!"

Gine sighed. "I mean...we have to think of something different. Chi-Chi is hospitable...but her house is meant for four people at best..."

Raditz didn't speak, his mind clearly elsewhere. Luckily, Bulma spoke up. "You three don't have to worry. I've already worked out where you guys will live~"

The next day, Mt. Paozu...

Goku and Gohan were both pressed into the kitchen window, watching what was happening outside with childlike wonder. Bulma's workers from Capsule Corp had arrived early that morning. They were careful, taking the utmost care to gently uproot and relocate each and every piece of plantlife, moving them out of the way until only a cleared-out field remained.

Once that was all finished, Bulma walked up and gave one final inspection. Satisfied, she reached into her shirt pocket and produced a Capsule. And, with a click and a toss and a massive, Bardock and Gine's house was now in place, mere yards away from Goku's house.

It was a basic home, Bardock would accept nothing more than that. Two bedrooms, a single bathroom, a den, and a kitchen. Chi-Chi and Gine both cheered as the house appeared in front of them, rushing as a Bulma followed, chuckling to herself.

Goku turned to Gohan and smiled. "Now you have your Grandpa Ox and my parents both close by. Ain't it exciting?!"

Gohan smiled wide, nodding with excited fervor. "Uh-huh~!"

Goku and Gohan both chuckled and made their way back over to the dining-room table. Gohan immediately got back to his schoolwork, scrawling down math problems and working them out with great speed. Goku sat as well, across the table from a meditating Piccolo. The Saiyan from Earth leaned his head onto his open palm and smiled. "I can't wait to start training! The four of us are gonna have such a blast! It's exciting~!"

But then, Goku's trademark impatience began to bubble up just a bit. "So Gohan...how close are you to being done...?"

One of Piccolo's eyes cracked open. "Your wife is going to kill you if you mess up his studies."

Goku groaned and smacked his head against the table. "I knooooooooooooooooooooow! But I just wanna get started! The Androids are going to be here any minute!"

Piccolo rolled his eyes. "Three days have passed since future boy came by. I think we have time, Goku."

Gohan, seeing his father's eagerness to get started, began to work through the math even faster. "Don't worry, Dad. This won't take long!"

With a flush of a toilet, the bathroom door flew open and Bardock came out, whistling a jaunty tune. He looked over at Gohan and spoke in his normal, blunt manner. "Yo, kid! Don't rush through your book learnin'! Your Mom'll kill us all."

Goku sighed a long, ragged sigh. As Bardock sat down, he lifted his head from the spot on the table. He looked from his father, to Piccolo, to his son. Gohan glanced up at him and smirked. With one last pencil stroke, the boy was done. He closed his workbook with aplomb, and the competitive fire sparked in Goku's eyes. "Hehehe~"

As the four of them stood, ready to head out and begin training, the front door opened and Chi-Chi, Gine, and Bulma stepped through. Bulma marched up to Bardock and gave him a slap on the back. "Your house is all set up, big man! I think you're going to like it when you get inside~!"

Bardock sighed. "It'd better not be too fancy. I can't stand handouts."

Bulma waved his concerns off. "Don't worry. It's the basic model...with option to augment in the future should Gine want a bigger house..."

She shook her head. "Don't get bent out of shape, Bardock. If you're that upset about the house, just think of it like this: you brought me a one-of-a-kind piece of uber-advanced alien transportation tech that was stocked to the brim with countless other technologies; I gave you a standard model house that my company makes for coins to the Zeni. I'd say we're even."

Bardock shrugged. "Whatever. Thanks for the house, I guess."

As the Bardock and Bulma had what had become their standard, sarcastic interaction, Gine and Chi-Chi celebrated in the corner. The two of them were neighbors! They could do all sorts of neighborly things: borrow cups of sugar, complement each other's gardens, complain about their husbands! The world was their mundane oyster and that made both women very happy!

Everything was peaceful within the entire Son Clan.

As their jubilation continued, Raditz finally emerged from upstairs. The elder brother looked quite uncomfortable, dressed in a bespoke suit that was normally meant for Goku to go to important educational meetings involving Gohan. It didn't exactly fit the slightly taller Raditz and it showed when he walked, but it was the only piece of fancy wear available to him on short notice.

Bulma cocked her head. "Are you sure you don't want me to ask Launch to hold off until tomorrow. I could have you a suit made by then."

Raditz shook his head. "N-No thank you. I did make a promise to her that I would go out for dinner with her when I got back from Namek. It would be a mark against my honor as a Saiyan to keep her waiting any longer."

Gine sighed and shook her head. "Son. You need to relax, okay? You look so tense. It's nothing to be worried about or get excited over. It's just a date."

Blonde Launch and her seemingly endless supply of guns flashed through Raditz's mind and he groaned. "I'm not sure that this can count as something to not be worried about..."

Goku spoke up in his normal, cheerful way. "You could always just not go! Come train with us instead!"

Chi-Chi slapped her husband across the back of his head. "Goku! Be quiet!"

Raditz sighed. "I'll make sure to come and join in on the training when I can..."

He looked around. "Speaking of training, where the hell is Vegeta?! Why isn't he here to train with you?"

Bulma sighed. "Vegeta is currently at Capsule Corp. My father is letting him train in the stationary gravity chamber in exchange for Vegeta allowing him to observe his training. So, Vegeta's jumping around in 150 times Earth's Gravity and my dad and his friends are watching and taking notes."

Goku gasped. "He's already at 150?!"

Bulma shrugged. "Last time I checked. He might have gone up since then. I haven't really been paying attention."

Goku chuckled and rubbed his finger under his nose. "Wow! I bet everyone is getting a lot of good training in to prepare for the Androids! We need to get started so that we aren't all left behind!"

Raditz shrugged. "I wish you the best. And I swear I'll join you soon. But, for now..."

Raditz chuckled at his younger brother. "You have a relationship with an Earth woman Kakarot...any advice for your older brother?"

Goku shrugged. "I dunno. Chi-Chi and I fought each other and then the next thing I knew, I was married. Maybe...try punching Launch and see what happens?"

Raditz's shoulders sagged, the bags under his eyes seemingly becoming deeper. "I... don't know what I was really expecting you to say there..."

He turned to leave, but flinched at seeing Chi-Chi in front of him. With a sigh, Chi-Chi reached up and grabbed the band holding her hair bun in place. Her hair cascaded down to her shoulders. Chi-Chi blew her bangs out of her face and reached up, grabbing Raditz's long, shaggy mane into a bundle and tying it into a semi-contained ponytail. Chi-Chi smiled and whispered. "Your brother is an idiot, but I fell in love with him because he had a good heart. You do too, Raditz. So just show that to Launch and I'm sure everything will be fine~"

With that confidence boost, some of the doubt clouding Raditz's mind cleared away. He smiled gently at his sister-in-law and nodded. "Thank you, Chi-Chi."

Raditz took off out the front door, flying in the direction of West City. Bulma sighed and turned. "Guess I should be headed out too. I'll catch you guys around!"

She threw up the peace sign and then walked across the yard to her Capsule Plane. Once Bulma was gone, the others were finally ready. Goku cried out, his voice light. "Training time! I'm so excited!"

He ran from the door and took off, followed by Gohan, excited to train with his father, Bardock, eager to get into a fight, and Piccolo, who abandoned his weighted cape and turban a few feet in front of the front door. As the four of them flew off, Chi-Chi ran out after them. "Hey! Make sure you're keeping an eye on the time! Don't be late for dinner!"

Chi-Chi sighed as the four of them vanished into the distance. "None of them heard me, did they?"

Gine smiled, speaking honestly. "Probably not."

Chi-Chi groaned and reached down, picking up Piccolo's weighted cape with some effort. "Damned, green bastard...just leaving his heavy clothes lying about..."

Gine picked up the turban, twirling it carelessly on her finger. "So, what are we going to make for dinner?"

And thus, the training of the Z-Fighter began!

At Kame House...

Yamcha and Krillin sparred back-and-forth, hitting each other with all they had. For once, rather than paying attention to the TV or one of his girly magazines, Master Roshi was paying close attention to his two pupils. As they continued to hit each other with all of they had, the Turtle Hermit took careful note of each, individual move. He marked each and every imperfection that he saw. Krillin and Yamcha both leapt back from each other, and then they charged forward to strike.

However, they both came to a stop when Master Roshi slammed his staff against the ground. Both students immediately kneeled for their latest lesson.

Roshi pointed his staff at Yamcha. "Yamcha! Your shoulders are too heavy! A sign that your mind is not totally focused on the fight at hand! Clear your thoughts when you go into battle!"

Yamcha nodded. "Y-Yessir..."

Roshi pointed his staff at Krillin. "Krillin! You aren't being careful enough with your leg movements! As a result, your footsteps are loose and sloppy! A subtle sign that you are showing fear towards every attack that comes at you! That will cost you in a serious fight!"

Krillin nodded his head. "Yes, Master Roshi."

Roshi was stern, glaring at his two students. But then, a smile spread across the old man's face. "My, oh my. This takes me back. I remember when you both showed up to me, asking for martial arts teachings. It warms my heart to see that the students of my Turtle School are still reaching for even greater heights~"

Yamcha smirked. "Yeah. It certainly takes you back, huh?"

Krillin smiled. "If only Goku were here, it would be a full-on reunion..."

Roshi chuckled. "You boys just missed him when you first came over here. Goku used that Instant Transmission of his to bring me back my sunglasses. And when he did he asked me for a lot of advice! I tell ya, that boy is going to leave you two in the dust if you don't keep cracking at it!"

Yamcha stood up, gripping his fist. "Wh-What?! No way!"

Krillin stood as well. "I'm not just going to sit by and let that happen so easily!"

And then, taking Roshi's criticism into account, the two of them went back to sparring with even more ferocity than before. Roshi chuckled as he watched them fight, pulling out a pipe and lighting it. The Turtle Hermit thought back onto the advice Goku had asked of him when he came: nothing about how to get personally stronger, but a lot on how to draw out more and more of his young son's potential!

In the mountains...

Tien and Chiaotzu were both focused hard on the raging fire within. Just as they had done when they were but novices, the two former students of the Crane School meditated on their bid for even greater strength. They looked deep within themselves, drawing for power yet unrealized.

Chiaotzu was exerting himself as hard as he could. He remembered all of the teaching that he had received in his life: King Kai, Kami, Master Roshi, and even Master Shen to some extent. He knew that, even if it was just a shred, there was more in there that he could dig up. More that he could offer to help his friends stop the threats that kept coming to attack the Earth.

In his mental plane, Chiaotzu envisioned the fire that represented his spirit. He held his hands up to it, feeling its warmth and taking it all in. He reached his hands into the fire and gripped it tight, drawing from it and pulling it all out.

Chiaotzu's eyes snapped open and he shouted at the top of his lungs. With all of the effort his could muster, the little human managed to reach a new level of Kaioken. The Kaioken Times Five!

With the red aura surging around him, Chiaotzu turned to look over at Tien, ready to brag at his new gain in strength. But, what Chiaotzu saw made his jaw drop. Tien was hovering there, a veil of energy surging around him: Kaioken Times Twenty!

Chiaotzu could barely speak. "T-Tien..."

And then, to Chiaotzu's even greater surprise, Tien's aura flared out even more, to Kaioken Times Twenty-Five!

West City, Terrace to the West Café...

While Raditz's date with Launch started out tense and overly formal, it did not take long for Launch's cheerful, bubbly personality to break through the shell that kept Raditz quiet and subdued. The elder brother was actually starting to enjoy himself as the date continued on, eating his meal with gusto and happily obliging when Launch offered to split a dessert with him.

The dessert didn't take long to arrive, a piece of chocolate cakes with two cups of coffee accompanying it. As they ate the dessert, Raditz spoke up. "This...this has been nice. It has been quite enjoyable to...spend an evening with you, Launch..."

Launch smiled. "I'm just glad that a busy man like you kept his promise to come out on a dinner date with lil' ol' me. I mean, you're Goku's brother. I imagine your life is pretty exciting~"

Raditz chuckled. "W-Well...to a fault, yes..."

Launch chuckled as well. Raditz took a sip of his coffee. "So, I hope that it is not rude of me to ask but...when you sneeze..."

Launch sighed. "She wasn't mean to you, was she?"

Raditz flinched. "O-Oh! No! Of course not..."

A brief pause. "You're...aware of her?"

Launch nodded. "Yeah. Bulma made me aware of her once I started working for her. It made a lot of sense when I heard about it. It explained so much about all of the weird things in my life. The police always being mad at me, waking up surrounded by strange money and stolen property, having just blanked out for six months and joined that army..."

Raditz nodded. "Oh! You were part of an army? That's neat. So was I."

Launch blushed, a smile spreading across her face. "Y-Yeah. I was always a good shot, even when Blonde me wasn't in control. I had always wanted to go and try to join the Royal Army or something...but I guess Blonde me just found the Red Ribbon Army more appealing or something, I dunno..."

Raditz and Launch both ate a bite of the cake. Raditz smiled. "So, uh, what rank did you make it to before you left?"

Launch nodded. "I was a Sergeant, First Class in the Red Ribbon Military Police. Or...she was, at least..."

She smiled. "I stuck around for a bit after Blonde me sneezed and I came back. It was fun until I saw all the terrible things that the army was actually doing..."

Launch looked over to Raditz. "What about you? You have the look of a soldier in your eye. What was your rank?"

Raditz cleared his throat, sipping his coffee. "Oh, uh...Vegeta likes to call me a low-class, because he's Vegeta, but I actually made it all the way to mid-class warrior rankings in the Saiyan army. Not as good as a Lesser Elite like Nappa or a Royal Elite like the previously mentioned royal pain in the ass, but I'm proud of it for the most part..."

Launch chuckled. "That sounds cool. I think you could have become an Elite, or whatever, with more time."

Raditz smiled. "That...means a lot. Thanks..."

The two of them finished their dessert. With Launch having pre-paid for the meal, the two of them stood and left, Launch leaving a 30 Zeni tip behind on the way out. Stepping out from within the café, the two of them stared up into the night sky, at the twinkling stars above. Raditz smiled a small, hopeful smile. "I think I could get used to this planet..."

Launch giggled and leaned her head against Raditz's arm. "There are a lot of nice things here. We have good movies and lots of great TV shows."

She glanced up at him. "If you'd like, we could go back to my apartment and watch some things together. Unless you're busy..."

Raditz smiled, reaching down and gently grabbing Launch's hand. "I think I can spare some time to get to know you a little more. Who knows, we might even discuss a second date."

Launch chuckled as she and Raditz started walking down the sidewalk. "Well aren't you just a charmer~?"

At Capsule Corp...

Late into the evening, far beyond the time when her employees had gone home to be with their families, Bulma was still hunkered down in the Capsule Corp garage, spending away her hours by stripping the former flagship of King Cold to pieces. A playlist of her favorite songs rang through the once mighty vessel as she worked.

Each panel she removed produced another surprise for Bulma, tech nerd that she was, to fully enjoy. It was truly a golden egg that Bardock and the others had brought her on their return trip home. And it was nice for her that they had. Anything to keep her mind busy.

Bulma reached over and grabbed an open, half-empty bottle of red wine. She brought the spout to her lips and chugged down three or four gulps of it before grabbing her rivet gun and removing another massive wall of paneling.

Within the walls of this particular room, Bulma found yet another gravity stabilizer, an extra module for maintaining equilibrium when stopped in dead space. Her mind buzzed at all of the potential innovations she could make with this. And then, Bulma stumbled over to a power mecha, most likely used for moving cargo, and leaned against it. "M-Maybe I drank just a bit too much..."

As she slumped there, a song suddenly started playing from Bulma's playlist that had fallen out of her favor long ago. "Dammit! Why haven't I taken that one out...?"

Bulma pulled out her Capsule Phone, opening the lock screen and seeing a picture of her and Yamcha together at one of his first baseball games. Bulma grimaced and changed the song. "Not drunk enough for this shit..."

She lifted the bottle of wine to her lips and finished it off. And then, deleting the hated song from her playlist, Bulma went back to working on tearing the ship to pieces.

In the Capsule Corp Gravity Chamber...

Even late into the night, Vegeta could not force himself to stop training. His previous limit of 180 times Earth's normal gravity had stopped having the desired effect the Prince wanted, so he bumped it up to 190 times for that extra pressure.

Vegeta swung his hand, forward and launched a spate of ki blasts. Those blasts quickly made their rounds in the circular room and Vegeta turned to face them. Moving as fast as he could muster in the hostile conditions, Vegeta swiped at each blast, missing two and allowing them to collide into him. Vegeta withstood, in spite of the pain, and roared in fury. The golden light of his Super Saiyan form shined bright and Vegeta continued to output power. This time around, he managed 20 seconds of maximum Super Saiyan output in 190 times Earth's gravity before the form gave out and he fell to his knees.

Sweat poured from Vegeta's face, but the Saiyan Prince merely laughed it off. "No. Not even close. I can still do more. I know I can!"

Vegeta stood and put up his fists. In front of himself he pictured Kakarot and Bardock and that Namekian. Vegeta threw three punches and dispelled each image. "No! You will all know the great Prince of all Saiyans as Number One!"

Vegeta threw a massive blast, allowing it to circle the room before catching it and holding it. Vegeta strained against the force of the blast, but he did not give ground. In the months since they had left Yardrat, the Prince had managed to fill in the gap between himself and Kakarot by quite a bit. He would not be caught slacking now, not when he was so close!

Vegeta screamed at the top of his lungs and dispelled the massive blast. "Let the Androids come! I will scrap them all personally! I am the strongest warrior this Universe has ever known!"

On Kami's Lookout...

Kami stood on the edge of the Lookout, dour and silent as Mr. Popo continued a carefree existence behind him. The attendant to the Lookout was happily frolicking among the butterflies, watering the plants as he went along.

Kami would normally appreciate his comrade's joy, but these were dark times. Ever since Trunks and his companions had come from the future bearing that dreadful message, Kami had been observing the planet he watched over with even greater focus.

In his gazing, the elder Namekian had managed to locate Dr. Gero. He had tried to talk Piccolo into going and handling the matter immediately, but the stubborn, younger Namekian vehemently refused to do that. Kami sneered. "Damned arrogant fool..."

He wished that he could go and handle the matter himself, but Dr. Gero had already built up creations that far surpassed the mere God in power level. And the creations to follow these were going to be even stronger than that, by Kami's estimations.

But, in spite of all of that, it was not Dr. Gero's work that bothered Kami. It was something far more sinister than that. He hadn't noticed it prior, due to the Saiyan attacks keeping him distracted, but an oddity had managed to sneak its way onto the Earth, ducking Kami's normally all-encompassing gaze.

He could feel it now, buried deep within the Earth, far out of the Guardian's reach. An even greater evil was festering below the Earth's crust, writhing and waiting for its chance to emerge. And Kami feared that this feeling that he was suffering was simply the calm before a uniquely destructive storm.

Back at Goku's House...

Chi-Chi and Gine both slaved over the hot stove, sweat pouring down their faces as they prepared that evening's meal. It took a lot of effort to prepare enough food for four Saiyans and a human. Gine chuckled as she began to chop the beef for the Paozu Rice Bowl. "You know, we should thank Piccolo for not being the eating type. He's technically making our jobs easier~"

Chi-Chi rolled her eyes, but laughed regardless. "So, a lot is going to happen within the next couple of years, huh?"

Gine nodded. "Sounds like it, yeah."

Chi-Chi pulled out a handful of leeks, chopping them fine and adding them to the pot of gravy she was stirring. "So, are you going to join the fight against the Androids? Gine?"

Gine sighed and shrugged. "I... honestly don't know yet. If I'm needed, then definitely. If I'm not needed, then probably not. I'm with everyone else in the opinion that we should just find that Dr. Gero and put a stop to him now, but you know Saiyan men and their desire for a greater challenge. Bardock, Kakarot, and Vegeta thirst for a fight. I could genuinely never be involved in a real fight again and be satisfied for the rest of my life..."

Gine smiled, turning to Chi-Chi as she fluffed the rice. "So, what about you tiger? You plan on following everyone else into the fight?"

Chi-Chi solemnly chuckled. "I really want to. I think it would require more training than I have time for though. I'm really far behind everyone else. But I plan on sticking be my family regardless of the threat! I want to help wherever I can!"

With a sigh both women set down their utensils, Chi-Chi her knife and Gine her wooden spoon, and then they through a strike at one another. Chi-Chi's fist struck against Gine's palm and the two women struggled against one another. Chi-Chi confidently smirked. "I know you're holding back."

Gine winked. "And I know that if you keep at it, I won't have to someday~"

Chi-Chi stared out into the dark, night sky. "Well, I think it's safe to say they won't be coming home anytime soon..."

As she walked across the room, Gine gave the meat a final searing. "So, what do we do? It would be a waste to let all of this go cold."

Chi-Chi returned with several large container and a duffel bag. "We'll just have to do like I did when I was pregnant. If they're all too busy fooling around to be home on time, we just bring the food to them~"

Far away from Goku's House, on the Mt. Paozu outskirts...

Goku, Bardock, Piccolo, and Gohan were embroiled in a four-way brawl for supremacy against one another. It was an intense affair, with each of them striking at the other three as hard as they could. Not a single strike was held back on in this fight.

Goku and Bardock were both shining, golden beacons in the sky. Their light complemented the stars, the golden glow adding onto the luster of the celestial bodies. The two of them were locked in a rather intense exchange. Goku went for a punch, but Bardock leapt over it, ramming his fingers into his son's mouth and overhead tossing him across the sky.

Piccolo appeared behind Goku in a flash, kicking the Saiyan from Earth back towards Bardock and giving chase. Bardock slapped Goku out of the way and he and Piccolo started going at it. Goku recovered and chuckled, rubbing his aching jaw. "Man, I knew that Dad hit hard but Piccolo certainly hasn't been slacking..."

With a shout, Gohan appeared behind Goku. The child kicked at his father, but Goku dodged and grabbed Gohan by the ankle. "Hey son!"

Goku whipped Gohan in the air and tossed him towards the ground. But, Gohan was able to catch himself and halt his fall. He looked up to his father and started to charge a blast, but Bardock appeared out of nowhere and jabbed the boy across the face. "Focus up, kid! You're not paying attention to your surroundings!"

Gohan skidded across the ground, but stood up unharmed. He wiped his mouth and charged at his grandfather again. The two of them prepared to fight one another, but both dodged away when Piccolo started spamming destructive energy blasts at them. Goku chuckled. "Looks like you both-"

A blast smashed into the side of Goku's face and he yelped in pain. And then, he quickly joined his father and son in hiding behind a tree. Goku looked over at Bardock and shot him a big, goofy grin. Bardock rolled his eyes. "Damned fool."

Bardock charged an energy ball into his hands. He counted in his head, waiting until he felt the time was right, and then he tossed it from behind cover. The orb of energy bounced across the ground, ricocheting off of anything it touched until it reached Piccolo up in the sky, and then it exploded right in the Namekian's face.

Goku nodded. "Nice attack."

And then he cocked his head. "But hey, I've noticed something. Why don't you use your Riot Thingy anymore?"

Bardock grumbled. "Shut up Kakarot. I-"

Piccolo appeared out of the massive cloud of smoke that Bardock's attack made and tried to kick the older Saiyan. Bardock blocked it with his forearm and then he and Piccolo started to fistfight across the forest. Goku stretched his shoulders as he watched this fight play out in front of him. "Man, I'm starting to get hungry. We've been doing this for a few hours now, so we...should..."

Goku looked over to see Gohan struggling to push himself up. He walked over and knelt down next to the boy. "Hey Gohan, maybe you should take a break. You aren't as used to this sort of stuff as me and Piccolo and your Grandpa."

Gohan glanced up at Goku, and then responded to him by lunging and throwing a punch. Goku dodged, but Gohan managed to hook his tail around Goku's and bring himself to a halt. He and Goku stopped for a moment and stared at one another. Gohan had a determined smile on his face. "I don't wanna fall behind everyone else. I can still train!"

Goku stared intently at his son, seeing that same, seemingly invisible to everyone else, glimmer that he had before. Goku chuckled and smiled. "You're going to be so great once you get older, son~!"

Gohan struck a fighting stance. "Only if I keep training!"

Goku struck a stance right back. "That's my boy!"

Father and Son sparred with one another for a brief time. It was not as intense as before, just an affectionate exchange of blows between two fighters. Their fight eventually carried them into the air where, in a stroke of luck, they collided with the other fight going on between Bardock and Piccolo. The four warriors all scramble, regrouping on opposite sides into teams of two: Gohan and Piccolo on one side, Goku and Bardock on the other.

The boy nodded to the Namekian. The older Saiyan nodded to his youngest son. And then the four of them all charged at one another once more.

Eventually, as this fight continued, Gine and Chi-Chi both arrived, toting a massive dinner with them. Chi-Chi stared up into the sky with a sigh. "Hey! Everyone get down here an eat!"

They either couldn't hear her or didn't care to at the moment. An annoyed vein popped up on Chi-Chi's head. Gine gave her a calming pat on the back. "Don't worry, I'll fetch them."

The sparring match continued in the sky, punches and kicks being thrown hard enough to make miniature sonic booms. But, it was all quickly broken up by a third, golden visage flying into matters. Gine, in her Super Saiyan form, caught Goku and Bardock's fists and forced them both back. "Enough fighting for now! Chi-Chi and I spent hours on this dinner, we expect you four to come and enjoy it."

She glanced over to Piccolo. "We brought water for you."

Goku stared in awe at his mother. "M-Mom! Nobody told me that you were a Super Saiyan!"

Bardock was absolutely stunned. "What the hell happened on the Earth while we were all gone?"

Piccolo pressed his hand to his chest, restoring his clothes to their normal condition as well as summoning a cape and turban. "Lots of things happened while you all were gone..."

Gine smiled wide. "Yep. Come and join us for dinner and I might just tell you about them~"

Gine and Piccolo, along with Gohan, descended down to the nearby cliffside where Chi-Chi was setting up the dinner picnic. Goku and Bardock exchanged confused looks and then followed.

On the ground, it was dinner time. Chi-Chi laid out a bowl for each and every guest, even Piccolo just to be polite, and ladled in the various parts of that evening's meal. "Just keep in mind, we made a lot. So feel free to eat your fill."

As they ate, Bardock had so many questions he now wanted to ask. He stared over a Gine, remembering the golden luster that Gine's hair had taken just a few minutes prior. He glanced from her, up into the sky, and saw that the Earth's Moon was nearly full. "So..."

Bardock sighed. "What are we going to do about that? We'll have to all plan to stay inside on Full Moon nights, right?"

Gine shook her head, dishing out what would be her third bowl. "Nah. Garlic Junior took care of that for us. The Moon here doesn't produce Blutz Waves anymore."

Bardock nearly choked on his meal, punching himself in the chest to clear it up. "Garlic Junior?! Makyan Garlic Junior?!"

Goku cocked his head in confusion. "What's a Garlic Junior?"

Gine chuckled at her son's naivety. "How about this, Kakarot. I'll agree to tell you everything about our long history with the Makyans. But you have to tell us what all happened on Planet Cold. Deal?"

Goku smiled wide. "Deal!"

And so, that's how the evening was spent. The Son Clan sat there, enjoying a meal under the stars, regaling one another with various stories or battles fought and adventures had. In two years' time, the Androids would strike and, once again, the Earth would not know peace. But, for now, the family got to spend time on a rather novel concept with one another, one that various intruders and catastrophes had robbed them of for so long: actually being a family.

Proofreading: StevenBodner