Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or really any other property. Thank you.
The Long Road
Chapter 59: Two Became One
Piccolo:
So far, he'd been in this chamber for days. The room was entirely dark for him, leaving him with nothing to focus on but his own thoughts. If that was the purpose of this room, maybe Vegeta was right in calling it a complete waste of time, because he spent much of his life already in this state of meditation. Before any real training, he spent much of his time mastering himself, and even part of the evil that had been left in him from when his father, if you could call his previous self that, had embodied all of the evil inside of Kami. Unlike his previous incarnation, that was under his control, and barely was more than an annoying itch in his mind at the worst of times.
Still, he remained motionless in his chamber, keeping his eyes closed as he felt himself trying to sense something from within, or even without. This place was seemingly cut off from the outside, he couldn't sense anyone else's power but his own, which was in and of itself impressive. The only problem he was facing was the fact that the Supreme Kai had said they'd be facing off against themselves, and against their past... but so far he had spent days here, he had to have, and experienced nothing beyond his normal meditation.
Was this place just much like his journey of inner self normally? That couldn't be true, because that would have meant that few of the warriors in this realm had an understanding of inner self, which wasn't possible given their extensive power levels. So then that begged the question, of how long this process took?
If Goku is already getting some kind of adventure through his history and a reflection of his darker nature, and I'm just left here meditation, I think I'm actually going to be annoyed.
Normally he wouldn't feel so frustrated, but there were monsters out there that were going to destroy his home and kill his friends. If everything that they were told by Trunks, the Supreme Kai, and the Supreme Kai of Time was true, they were going to face a monstrous reckoning when these Saiyans arrived. In its own strange way, it felt like when they'd been told that Raditz was going to return with Nappa and Vegeta, and how much stronger the Saiyans were over Raditz himself. It was just as grave to them, and he felt just as powerless, if not more.
Because those Saiyans had been a stepping stone for him and the others to overcome. From them came Frieza and his armies, and they were struck down. After him came the Androids, and then their ultimate incarnation, Cell. After him came Bojack and his pirates. Threat after threat was overwhelmed, and even when Gohan first appeared, he was nothing. It was odd to think, but he was weaker than Frieza, if only just, when he arrived on their world, and they thought he was a nobody. Only what? A little over a decade earlier, his arrival would have doomed the Earth. Turles, Broly, and Garlic Junior's return all followed Gohan in his wake, and now they were here again.
Here again, training to stop three Saiyans of untold power. Here he was again, trying radical training methods to increase his strength, but unlike the last time, this time he knew he was going to come up short. Ever since Turles, his power had begun to decline in respect to how close it was to Vegeta and Goku. Even with the power Babidi had awoken in him by tapping into his evil side he was still inferior to them. Worse yet, that was well before the latest round of battles against Garlic Junior, where Vegeta, Goku, and Gohan all showed just how much stronger they'd become. Right now even that gap was growing bigger even now.
But part of him was alright with that, at least in terms of his partners and allies gaining strength at such a rate, even if it was faster than his own. Perhaps it was Nail and Kami, but their influence in their personality had changed him just as radically as his reform from wanting to exercise his father's will. As long as the Earth could be protect, his being the most powerful wasn't necessary.
But right now, the Earth couldn't be protected, and he was sitting here, in an empty, dark room, for days, waiting for some experience that was going to help him achieve some new level of strength, or change how he approached battle. It was just an odd approach.
"The others are having more dramatic adventures," a voice cut in through the darkness. "They've got a lot of adversity to face for themselves, but the Saiyans thrive on that from what I was able to see."
Turning one eye towards the noise, something his ear had zeroed in on immediately, Piccolo was surprised to see someone very much from the outside. Standing there in her short form, was none other than the Supreme Kai of Time.
His legs uncurled from their position in the air, before his feet touched the hard ground which made up the surface of this chamber. Staring towards the Goddess who oversaw the very essence of space and time, Piccolo tried to sense if this was the encounter he'd waited for in this room for so long, or if this was just some kind of test this chamber had made for him.
"I'm not an illusion," she was quick to remark. "Your chamber was made inert when you entered it, Shin and Kibito did me a favour and disabled it. I was drowning my problems for a few hours longer than I thought I would be though."
"I've been here for several days," Piccolo commented, his annoyance unable to be hidden. "I could have been training, or doing something more productive."
"I know, and I'm sorry, but with so many multiverses it was really hard to find anyone who could help me out. But I found someone finally who can, and wants to help, and you're going to be part of that," she explained. "I watched what your friend, the Prince, said about how to beat them-"
"Vegeta," Piccolo cut in. "That if we learn how to fight differently, than we may have a chance to surprise them and put them off guard-"
"Or knowing exactly how they fight," she responded to him. "To have knowledge and experience on your side. Like when you faced Frieza."
Narrowing his eyes on her, Piccolo was quickly reminded of his merging with Nail. Not only did his strength increase, but almost as importantly he knew how Frieza fought. It didn't matter much in the end, after Frieza reached his final stage the power difference was too great, but even while he fought Frieza's 3rd form, he could still use what he knew to try.
"So, you know about-"
"I know really anything I want to look in on, Piccolo," she told him. "I can look at you from birth until potential death," she answered.
"Is that death coming soon?" Piccolo asked. "What are our actual odds stopping these three Saiyans?"
That was where there was an uncomfortable silence in turn.
"I don't know, when they arrive, the timestream will split into multiple outcomes again, so you may survive, but more than likely-"
"Yea, I get it," Piccolo finished. "So, you were going to show me how they fought? I think I'd have preferred to have experienced this room, and started training-"
"You can't keep up with them," she then responded. "You can't keep up with the Saiyans who are going to defend this world, let alone the monsters that are coming. You could train for twenty years and you'd still be behind."
Hearing it was something Piccolo didn't think he'd ever really hear, especially so boldly. Crossing his arms, the Namekian tried not to brood as he stood there, a frown coming over his face.
"Then why am I wasting my time here?" he shot back, his face finally twisting into a scowl.
"Because she's expecting you to merge with me," a new voice came from the darkness behind her, as someone walked into view. It took a second for Piccolo's eyes to recognize the mirror reflection staring back at him.
Because standing behind her, was... him.
"Well, that spoils the surprise," she sighed, before turning her head. "I'm not done talking with him yet. I didn't bring you here to-"
"Quiet," the other Piccolo silenced her, before stepping forward. "This is between him, and me. You're done here."
"Alright," The Supreme Kai of Time conceded, slowly stepping back. "But remember, I'm gonna be watching. I know you two will get along."
As soon as she blinked out of the world itself, both Piccolos were left regarding one another, their arms crossed.
"I don't like this," Piccolo grumbled.
Both of them.
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King Cold:
Watching Frieza die, even in Hell, used to enrage him, and often. But the truth was death followed them at every step in this cursed realm. Every few days a firestorm would simply roll over the horizon and kill most of them anyway, even himself, despite he and Frieza's inherent ability to survive extreme environments. Of course, it'd been several "days" since he'd observed the rather catastrophic encounter between the unified forces of so many, and the Saiyan. It'd been surprising to say to least, watching the monkey overwhelm warriors of the quality of Bojack and Cell, individuals whom Cold himself had observed, and was thoroughly impressed by. The power of all those involved, save Frieza, were many fold his own. But it wasn't hard to determine that watching the Saiyan fight, was watching a special king of warrior, very similar to the one who'd killed both Frieza and himself on the Earth.
Now it was time to meet the Saiyan properly, in person. The other monkey, the surprise in all this, Turles, was going to be something to be watched as well. Largely because of his violent demeanour, he presumed that the other monkey would attempt to kill him on sight if provoked. That wasn't to say that the monkey, Gohan, who worked for his son Cooler would not, as he demonstrated just how viciously he was willing to kill his enemies, but he did so when much more forcefully provoked.
A liveless breeze blew past him as he floated above the pair of Saiyans however. This place was as tasteless as ever, of course. The bleakness of his own existence in this barren wasteland of empty and hollow experiences, had one thing he was curious about. Even if he was going to spend the rest of eternity here, here in this void of anything meaningful, he could find out what his legacy was. It was a legacy of destruction and power, which was all but snuffed out by the Saiyans. In truth, he never imagined Cooler would be the one who survived him, and he also didn't believe he could have run the entire Planet Trade himself.
But that was the last bit of influence he'd left behind with his own destruction, and that of Frieza's. Was the son who he'd never anticipated to amount to much. True, Cooler was a powerful warrior and capable executive, but he always paled in comparison to Frieza, in power, ambition, and in most other respects.
Slowly, his body began to lower from above.
"Hey kid, look, target practice," he could hear the older Saiyan remark. "I got to have the fun of killing Frieza, if you wanna take the old man-"
"I'm good," the younger monkey commented. "Don't kill this one. I made him a promise. He's here to talk."
"Oh great, about what?"
"Cooler," Gohan remarked.
"Oh, so the King of the Lizards wants to know how his dearest still living boy is doing? Oh how touching, it can feel."
"How is it that I'm the mature one here, and-"
"Excuse me," King Cold's voice finally overtook the two of them. "I do hate to be the one to break up this... charming squabble, but I am afraid that I am not wishing to be here so long as to be killed by either of your tempers changing, or an impending firestorm."
Quietly, the younger Saiyan, Gohan, stood up on his two feet before staring back at him with a professional stance. It was always charming to watch the monkeys be formal and official, showing that even they could learn to be cordial.
"So, you were wanting to know about Cooler," Gohan commented, crossing his arms as he did. "The last of your family, if I'm not mistaken. So, where did you want me to start?"
That was a good question, even Cold would admit that. Of course, barring immediate concerns such as his son's health, he was even more concerned about the status of what he'd left behind.
"What has become of my organization? Has Cooler managed to maintain the corporate and military empire I'd established? What became of it?"
The Saiyan seemed to pause.
"My intelligence is a few years behind, but from when I was last involved, which was about what? Six years ago? Man, time flies. Anyway, Cooler had managed to reign in any factions or rogue groups he knew about, within a few years of Frieza's death. Without Frieza around, a lot of people needed to be addressed because they didn't fear the company in the same way. So, Turles, myself, and a series of others were given more contracts than before."
"Oh? You worked for my son as well?"
"I took early retirement and went into working for myself," Turles commented, smirking as he did. "Working for your boy was a painful exercise for me. I'd use less polite words to describe that weakling-"
"Cooler replaced Frieza as the head of the organization in almost ever respect, and is usually looked on with fear or admiration. I, along with Salza and the rest of the Armoured Squadron, acted as his primary emissaries, at least by that point in my career. Staff levels were higher under Cooler as of four years ago, than they were under Frieza over a decade ago. Lots of reasons, mainly logistical, but it did mean that the boss- Cooler, took a very hands off approach to a lot of issues pertaining... sentient resources."
It was all a very nice way to say, that the Saiyan acted as someone who often killed incompetent officers and disciplined unruly staff. Even Cold could see the awkward mixture of pride and disdain. Of course, there was little doubt that it was these activities which earned this particular Saiyan at least part of his eternal sentence here, and he was most definitely sure he had a great deal of experience with the lower ranking contracts as well. It was fascinating to hear him even refer to Cooler as his "boss", despite clearly no longer being employed by him.
"Oh, how very fascinating. I was hoping the company would have met growth targets-"
"Oh we did. Cooler managed to increase the company's growth to around 4.2%, which is staggering when you factor in the size. I remember when we had a board meeting before that, and it was a big push. Growth doesn't factor in profit however, the last year I was... on duty, I remember there being an issue regarding cost due to a lack of resources for engine parts for the craft. Increased our new ship costs by almost 70%. Cooler however, didn't slaughter anyone over it, because it was a genuine cost overrun, the Melonins increased their prices for independant operations almost double that. We always got priority pricing of course-"
"A Saiyan Board member! My, Cooler clearly like you. Any particular post?"
"I was Executive responsible for logistics for the most part. I was always good with numbers, and being able to calculate times of arrival for-"
"You know, this may sound shocking, but I may kill the lizard right now if only to stop this nonsense conversation regarding what kind of profits a company was making seven years ago, when it was run by a bunch of spineless weaklings. If I'd have been smart, I'd have killed Cooler before coming to Earth. I was too greedy and-"
"Turles," Gohan's voice cut through. "Look, you don't need to be here, I promised the Arcosian some answers and-"
"You're talking like a board member. Didn't you ditch that on Earth? If I remember correctly, you killed me because of the whole new you, remember?" Turles shot back, sounding irritated.
"I was hoping of course to know how powerful Cooler had become as well-"
"I killed you because you were going to destroy my home and kill my family. You know that already. Look, I got out of the business. I was much happier, and you could have gotten out too-"
"Lots of good getting out got you," Turles remarked, crossing his arms.
The younger Saiyan was now visibly annoyed, his eyes glaring intensely towards the older, more powerful one.
"Yea, because despite being stuck here, I'm not stuck here while stewing in my own hatred, or arrogantly trying to bully everyone else down here. I tried to get out of being here when I first got sent here, this place is worse than I thought it would be. But you know what Turles? I'm still happy that I chose the higher road before I died."
Now it was the other monkey who appeared frustrated, sneering back at his younger colleague. This was becoming increasingly awkward, given truthfully he just wanted to know how powerful his son had become beyond his little empire, and now the two primitive simians appeared ready to begin to beat their own chests any moment. Unable to stop himself from pursing his own lips, the gigantic arcosian slowly began to back up, looking between the two Saiyans.
"Are you trying to say something, boy? After I pull you out of the cold depths of Hell, after I save you, again, you want to talk to me like this?" the other Saiyan said dangerously. "You owe me, Gohan."
"Perhaps I should leave the two of you to-"
"No, we're finishing the conversation," Gohan snapped, glaring at him now.
Immediately the Arcosian sighed, feeling his shoulders slump. This was going to end badly for him, it was very predictable what would happen next. They were after all, Saiyans. Already Cold could see the motions underway.
"Finish this," Turles spat, pointing his hand out towards him, King Cold. The one who had the least to do with this conversation. He saw the other Saiyan look towards him with a shocked expression for the briefest of seconds as well, before things unfolded.
Not again.
In a flash of purple light, the once tyrant of much of the north galaxy, felt his body almost dissolve in a wave of light.
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Vegeta:
Miserable.
That was what best described almost every one of these other worldly warriors. They had been fighting and training, in some cases for thousands of years, and they had nothing to show for their pitiful experience. Not one of them was a match for his Super Saiyan form, let alone an ascended form. This was how the Kais trained? They were pathetic if that was the case, but then again these fools saw the Kais and Supreme Kais as strong. He'd seen exactly how strong these creatures were first hand, and they were left wanting in compared to the power he had. And if he was nothing compared to the power these inter-dimensional killers had, then it was no wonder that the Kais across all of space and time were utterly impotent to do anything about them, even early on.
Even now he stood with his arms crossed, staring down at five of the warriors of the afterlife, each one of them groaning on the ground. He turned his nose up in disgust before turning towards the Kais themselves again.
"Is this it? Is this the afterlife for these warriors? To come here hoping to get strong, and to be no stronger than many warriors I faced in space? Frieza would have destroyed almost all of these warriors. They are hardly worth my time. How am I supposed to learn anything? I would be better off in my gravity chamber back on the Earth."
"You're so smug," one warrior breathed. "There is more to being a warrior than power... and you prove that."
Immediately Vegeta's brows narrowed before he glared at the alien creature laying on the ground, who was gasping for breath at this point. His gloved fist tightened as he felt himself almost snarl at the tiny red shelled alien, feeling his anger boiling. He'd not even bothered transforming for these pitiful creatures in days, and now this one was arguing he didn't know how to be the warrior?
Raising his hand, his fingers flat, he sneered at the undead creature.
"Oh really? Well allow me to demonstrate what that power can do, even if its not wielded by a 'warrior' like you claim, alien," he sneered. "Big BangAt-"
"Vegeta!" Shin's voice cut through the air.
Below him, the alien was trembling raising his arms to defend himself as the Saiyan spat to the side.
"What? Are you going to complain that your little project warriors are as pitiful as the rest of you are?"
"You came here to learn how to fight differently, and instead you've been squandering your time beating on inferior opponents," Shin was quick to add. "You know this is nothing but a waste of your time and talents-"
"And that is where you are wrong," Vegeta responded. "You're acting as if I'm not learning how to move differently, or adjust my style against new opponents. I simply want opponents worth my time. An adversary who I do not know who I can test my new talents against. These backwards little 'warriors' of yours are hardly that challenge."
"These are some of the most storied and powerful warriors in the history of the universe, Vegeta," Shin shot back, his voice sounding furious, which Vegeta immediately smirked to. "Just because a Saiyan can overwhelm them-"
The immaturity of the remark made Vegeta's smirk turn into a sneer. A Saiyan like himself was overwhelming them, than how were they going to fight against these three newcomers with that attitude? It was accepting the mediocrity of the stock of warriors he had at his disposal, and then protecting it all in the name of their feelings. It was absolutely abysmal.
"If I can overwhelm them, than I am not going to learn much from them-"
"If you are looking for a worthy counterpart, Vegeta," a voice carried over the air all around him. "Than perhaps we should test your metal against a real warrior. A warrior who has even defeated you before."
There was a pause from everyone as the woman's voice died down from above. The Supreme Kai's eyes were widened with abject horror as he stared up towards the sky.
"T-Towa!"
With a flick of her hair, the demon just chuckled lightly.
"How adorable, you Kaios are always so concerned over just an appearance. I'm simply here to help Vegeta," she commented. "After all, we're going to need him to help dispatch those nasty travellers when they arrive on this world. He's very important in their final destruction, and if he isn't prepared, we'll all face our doom. Son Goku, and that miserable creature Trunks, are keys to this as well, but they won't falter from their current path. Vegeta needs a guiding hand."
The way she spoke about him was almost like she was training some kind of pet, rather than a warrior. It made him sneer all the more, only this time towards her. Who was he going to train with who defeated him before? From the sounds of it, it certainly wasnt' going to be Kakarot. Which left who? Frieza? What a joke of an idea. He wasn't so easily defeated, especially by noteworthy opponents.
Before he could properly answer however, there was something strange. His senses detected a large ki shifting through the building behind them before a single door opened. Something immediately made his senses sweep open before he could feel the ki and its origin. When his eyes flashed towards the doors of the supposed reflection chambers which Kakarot and the others had entered, his mind sought to rapidly identify who it could be.
Slowly, a single door opened as a figure emerged.
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Piccolo:
"So, who exactly are you?" Piccolo remarked. "And I don't mean that by you obnoxiously saying me, what I mean is where did you come from."
The other Namekian, the copy of himself, continued to keep his arms folded but lowered his head reluctantly.
"A failure. I am the Piccolo from the timeline which these three Saiyans come from. The universe is dominated by Vegeta and Turles, both of them sucking the life out of every planet they find wanting to gain more power to kill the other, but neither is sure they can overcome the other yet," he explained. "Its a world built on the wanton lust for more and more power, and its dominated by two monsters."
So, that explained where he came from. But in all honesty his counterpart's power felt very lacking. He was most definitely inferior to his own, he could sense how far behind his counterpart was. This was as strong as he was perhaps when they fought Perfect Cell, and he'd long since surpassed that.
"And the Supreme Kai of time brought you here why? You failed to protect your own world," Piccolo commented.
"I failed to protect three worlds. Raditz and myself were the only survivors-"
"Raditz?" Piccolo asked in shock. "As in, Goku's brother? The one I killed?"
"Yes, that Raditz," his double confirmed. "It's a long story and I don't need to explain it all. Look, I survived because Turles had intended to use the Dragon Balls to wish for immortality, this was before Vegeta had become a Super Saiyan as well and-"
"We're getting ahead of ourselves-"
"LISTEN!" the other barked back. "I'm not going to put it all into context for you, because I'm getting to why I'm here. I used the Dragon Balls instead of Turles, Kami and I used them to take ourselves to another plain of existence in order to find someone who could stop the legendary Super Saiyan. We quickly realized how hopeless the idea was once Turles and Vegeta's powers dramatically rose in a short period of time. That was the first time we were approached by the Supreme Kaio of Time."
"She took us to a world, two decades later, that was being invaded by Turles and Vegeta's offspring. I tried to reason with Brass, he seemed to be the most reasonable, the most like Gohan, but it didn't go well. I barely got out of there with my life, even after having merged with Kami. The next time I met them on another world, I'd tried to help the local warriors unite and train. I died along with them."
Looking up, Piccolo noticed the halo hanging over his double's head before staring back towards him. There was a point to all of this, and he knew what it was.
"I'm here because the Supreme Kaio of Time is giving me one last chance to try and stop them, even if its too late to save the timestream and stop the breakdown of the manageable timestream, at least the one's responsible for all of this will be stopped, and maybe this world will be saved," his counterpart said.
"So what are you proposing?"
"You know what I'm proposing," his counterpart said bluntly. "When we unite, you will take on all of my memories, of not only me, but one other Piccolo and our Kami. You'll have all of our memories and differences in fight experiences. But most importantly, I've fought Taro, Brass, and Junia, twice. I know how they move, I know how they fight."
"I don't like sharing," Piccolo remarked. "I've already got Kami and Nail in here, and it's getting kind of full-"
"You know they've already bled into the background of your consciousness," his double shut down his remark. "And you know this will be the right thing."
Taking several steps forward, Piccolo reached out his hand, looking at his double in the eyes, noting the self assurance he saw in them.
"All of the friends I've lost, all of the people I've seen them kill, even if this doesn't fix the damage that's been done, this will be the moment we give something back to those monsters," Piccolo's double affirmed to him, before grasping his hand in turn.
The barrier between their skin began to glow with energy as both of them began to focus. Namekian Fusion wasn't easy or inherently natural. What was more strange, was how the energy flowed around him as a while light expanded over the emptiness of the room around him. His double began to glow in a blue-white flame as he felt his essence, his energy beginning to warp around them. The discharge of energy caused the frame of the room to begin to crack as the building rumbled for a moment. An intense hum rolled over the room as Piccolo felt himself struggling to hold on.
But even as he did, he felt the other Piccolo's hand grip his tighter.
"We failed last time," his voice echoed through him. "We're not going to fail this time."
In a flash, suddenly the light disappeared, leaving Piccolo alone in the dark. His hand was familiar, hanging in the cloud of smoke where his other self had been only moments earlier.
The first time he'd fused, it'd been with Nail. The sensation had left him feeling alive, powerful, energized and prepared to face anything the world could throw at him. That union had made him strong enough to help his friends, and it'd given him a new perspective on life and his own people. It'd helped complete him, and it'd helped bring him a step closer to being the Namekian he could be.
When he merged with Kami, it was to stop Cell and the Androids, but the reunion had created in him something... new. But more than anything it'd given him a sense of purpose, and lifted something off his shoulders that he'd never realized was there.
But this time, this time it was all wrong. The power was there, but it was burdened by something far worse. The knowledge, the memories, and the reflection they posed to this world. In both of his counterpart's lives, everything had gone differently from the moment they met Raditz. It spanned wildly in both cases, save for one thing... they'd raised Son Gohan as their own, and seen him grow to be a respectable, good human being, and they were responsible for him just as much as Goku. And in both cases, they saw him die, along with the rest of their friends. Worse, he saw lives that seemed to be fuller compared to his own, and he could sense the differences between them.
Everything about this world seemed to be a grim reflection of the worlds they came from, all before the arrival of the trio... the only thing more grim. Instead of bringing him a new energized self, Piccolo felt the burdens of his other selves just as much as he felt their memories and power. When they said this time they weren't going to fail, they meant it with every fibre of their being. The most important people to them had died, and they'd been killed by these monsters.
Breathing in and out, Piccolo turned towards the door, his cape sweeping up behind him. Resolve overtook his depressed, overwhelmed senses before he pushed the door open. He was met by the image of Vegeta, Shin, and two demons he knew to be Mira and Towa.
Already, he knew they were trying to manipulate this to their own gain, even if their own existences in this time line relied on a victory.
Vegeta is a major key. A voice whispered in his mind. We need him, and we need him to be strong. Only he can be the one to stop Junia.
"Namek?" Vegeta asked, sounding almost astonished. "Well, those rooms certainly get better results than I imagined. You're not nearly as weak as you were before."
Walking forward without any break in his stride, Piccolo stopped in front of Vegeta.
"If you want to be able to stop the one whose coming to kill you Vegeta, you're going to have to drop the attitude," he said bluntly. "Because she's not going to let you do what you normally do. Well, maybe she will, if by letting you do what you normally do, I mean lose."
The Saiyan's eyes narrowed as his hair turned to gold and his lips broke, letting out a furious snarl as he summoned energy to himself. Above them, the demons reluctantly wisp away and to the left the Kaios look on in astonishment.
But in truth, the only thing Piccolo heard echoed through his mind by his own voice and others was one he expected.
Training is in session.
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Author's Notes:
I actually got this done a bit quicker than I thought. Not a 10,000 word Goliath like usual, but a lot of these development chapters only need one strong point to follow on, in this case focusing on Vegeta and Piccolo, with a bit of King Cold and the Hell crew to break it up. Next chapter may have a more villainous tone as we turn our focus back towards the trio for the first time in a long while. After that I wanna get back to Pan and 17 for a chapter more, before things we get to Goku and Trunks. After that? Then things get interesting, as I'll be making one big flashback chapter for the trio, and then its on to the big confrontation.
The big battle centred around this Saga is going to be really, really difficult to write, given the number of enemies, and the breakdown of the fight. Normally I like to post one big fight chapter, but I can guarantee that won't happen for this Saga, if only because there is just too much happening, and too many fighters. It could be as long as six chapters, and thats with me breaking things up in a lot of ways and narrowing focus. After this, things get a lot easier thankfully. I really look forward to this saga going over, if only because there is a ton of fun development coming after it and its aftermath.
Also, thanks for the large number of reviews last chapter. It was nice to see people jumping on after my long update period. You guys'n'gals are the best. Remember the golden rule, more reviews = more writing, lol.
Reviewers:
LightningBlade49: Three surprising characters? Who? O.O
Ronden Kiagre: I aim to represent characters the way they are portrayed as best I can. So Beerus in this, is just how I see Beerus in general. Hopefully people think its authentic. I also enjoy the fact that Beerus and Whis are a little less serious at times, despite how unimaginable dangerous they are.
PizzaGuy: It's been a rough while, but things happened the way they did. Nothing can change that, and remember, we all die. That is the common thing we will share with every other person and animal on this planet. Its just the way it is.
Hek'UnnSkipper: Dark Knight Shiva, your new name is harder to write damn it. Lol
RaijuBlue: 17 isn't evil, ay least not anymore. I expect a very interesting series of events to come out of this, and especially once Piccolo is back into the mix as well...
MalikJamalTimberlake: I hope everything continues to get better of course. Things are already looking up in a few respects, so just trying to keep positive, which is not in my nature, lol.
Luke: Thanks! And if you have any wine, remember, the Supreme Kai of time could use it XD
anonymous: Trunks isn't SS3. Though also, Gohan's peek power is .44 of Beerus's strength. Imagine him like a speaker, its advertised as say a 200 watt system, but it hits peaks around 400. Gohan still has those moments where his power expands within and overwhelms him based off desperation and emotion. But if you average him out? He's basically going to be a .31%er. He can't rely on that, and it can't guarantee him any fight wins. Also, the Trio didn't start by taking on Buu-level worlds, they started small, where they could. Frieza-Saga level, Androids level environments, and built up their grizzly totals from there.
Jaymunoz90: I appreciate the kind sentiment and words. :)
FirenFnBrimstone: I'm glad to hear it. I actually reread it from time to time as well, I genuinely enjoy going over it and remaking it in my mind. Only a couple times do I cringe at what I wrote, which is always great. Lol
Dbz fan the first: Thanks.
Sekhelmet: Well, things probably won't. The poor old thing is 14 and doesn't have a lot of time left, so I'm trying to enjoy her company while I can, its not gonna be too much longer.
Guest1: I try to. Genuinely I wasn't all that impressed, and his power wasn't all that impressive either when stacked up to the Saiyans in the show. Its really tragic, but that's just how they write him. He's green Tien now.
Pyromania101: 17 is clearly a responsible, and reasonable person. I'm sure he'll help Pan out in a good way. Maybe. Probably not.
Guest2: Again, I don't know how many times I need to explain this in the story, or in this area, but Taro isn't by himself anywhere near as strong as Beerus, or even Brass. Taro gains his power by basically absorbing his alternate reality selves power and memories, in essence he soul steals them. He is basically like 100+ Super Saiyans all wrapped in one. Of course his power is going to be impressive, and even with that factored in, I still made him much weaker than Beerus overall. I'm not trying to overhype the guy, I'm just keeping with the concept I built him on.
G: I think we all rest in peace, regardless of how we get there. :\
ThePolishSausageRoaster: Thanks :D
Super Gohan: The loss wasn't unexpected. In a lot of ways, outside of how... poorly, the end went, the writing had been on the wall for almost a year. The fact that it ended actually really lifted a lot of my worries, if only because she wasn't suffering so severely anymore.
Tomorrow4eva: Pan's smart, and I think she's starting to get tired of random strong people coming over and just dictating things to her, lol.
Saul of Romulus: Think I answered this by PM. I think.
ShadowFFD: You mean it'll be crazy when I've gotta write it. Ugh. Why do I make such problems for myself? Lol
Vishwakarmarahul735: Think I answered this one on PM as well. On a side note, no Humans will ever transform, just to clarify for everyone. Ain't gonna happen.
Tsukinopen: Its just them trying to build up new threats. To a lesser extent even I do the same thing. I can't fault them for that, I'm genuinely just not all that interested in Super. It seems really unnecessary.
Super Mystic Gohan: Only a few more to go before we start approaching the battles of this saga. But we're not there yet!
Brelic: I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Error: I don't like Demigra, and he's already defeated, so sad day for him. He got beat in Xenoverse. I'm also really glad you're telling me, again, that I handled Garlic poorly. I love how the anon reviews just keep harping on this. Don't like it? Well, that sucks. Too bad its in the story. Too bad I actually liked it. Yep, that definitely sucks for people who didn't enjoy it and are harping over it for only what? 15 chapters? Man, think about that for a second. Over a year, and 15 chapters, and it still keeps coming up. It almost makes me want to write a Garlic junior fic, stop this one, and have it entirely about how Garlic Junior beats up Vegeta every chapter, and laughs while doing it.
*Too bad Vegeta actually played the role he does in the series in my story. Vegeta is the try-hard who never gets the job done, and leaves the door open for Goku. There, I said it. Vegeta fans get mad hearing it, but I used Vegeta just like he's been used in nearly every saga. This isn't me making this up, this is how he's used, as part of storytelling, in Dragon Ball.
I like Vegeta for what he is. I don't dislike him for what he isn't.
DarknessRising: I hinted a bit this chapter how strong they are, but let's just say that I'm not convinced that Taro could beat either of them right now, as they rampage across their universe basically devouring all life in order to become the "strongest".
Jorge: Thanks!
Guest3: I doubt the Catalyst will get much love anytime soon. I just don't have the time sadly. I may just write out all the plotpoints and events that were supposed to happen in a broad summary and post it, but I'm not 100% sure the project is gone yet. It doesn't get much traffic, and any time I do add to it, I don't get much response from the community. Its just the way it is, sadly.
Frost: UHHHHHH *confused*
xxxpossessedforlifexxx: That's probably happened, and whatever version of the trio has done that, has almost universally gotten stomped but even then there would be a few advanced enough to overwhelm Goku. It's just not likely.
LeColonel: I'm just not into SSG, honestly. As a concept I dislike it even. So probably not?
Blades of Fury: Canon timeline is alive! ALIVE! The Xenoverse warrior, unfortunately, has probably died however. He probably shut down a few of these trios before he ran into one he couldn't deal with.