Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or really any other property. Thank you.

The Cataylst

Act IV

Chapter 58: Recollection

Raditz:

It took forever to get the water out of his lungs. That was the first take away Raditz had from venturing to the Earth's northern icecap. He also took away that he hated cold weather. Even as a Saiyan, he'd been shivering for almost an hour after they'd found themselves on this miserable rock. With several last coughs, Raditz felt finally able to breathe. His hand leaning against the lone tree on this small hovel of a world, he could barely understand how the gravity here somehow felt more intense than the Earth's.

Turning his head towards the other three sitting down at a small table, with Goku scarfing down his 'quick meal', Raditz just sighed. They'd spent nearly two hours here… here on this "planet". What they'd been hit with by those things had been too much. Kakarot, with the Power of a Super Saiyan was nearly killed, only escaping death from his instant transmission. Both he and Piccolo were brutalized and nearly drowned. He could remember being in the frozen water for minutes, barely able to move or think anything to himself.

When the water began to fill his nostrils, filling his lungs… it became almost … peaceful. Even if it was only for a few seconds, the last seconds of his life slipping away, surrounded only by the current of the Earth's ocean was… he couldn't put it to words. It'd felt like a moment he perhaps hadn't wanted, but at the same time hadn't wanted to leave.

Because they were going to have to go back there and deal with those things again, weren't they? Kakarot was not exactly going to be able to run over this Slug. And the one that fought him ran over him. He then he ran over Piccolo. Which meant he ran over both of them in under a few hits. Then there were apparently two more of these things. They were still recovering now. They were in no condition to do much of anything for almost the first hour that they got here. Kakarot had passed out the moment they arrived.

"I'm telling you right now Goku, no chance. Slug is one of the most powerful beings in the universe. I didn't even realize he was still alive, I thought he died fifty years ago of old age," King Kai uttered.

It was remarkable to Raditz that he was… God? That was what a God looked like? A fat little man with sunglasses? Really? He certainly seemed capable of remotely rejuvenating Kakarot, but beyond that Raditz hadn't seen anything godlike about him. When he turned his head towards him, Raditz could almost swear he was reading his mind.

"Don't be paranoid Raditz."

Raditz's eyes flashed with surprise before the tubby God turned back to Goku.

"Yea, he's definitely crazy strong," Goku remarked.

"His henchmen nearly killed your family if you weren't for your brother Turles," King Kai observed, leaving even Raditz a bit stunned by that outcome. "And then they nearly killed Turles."

Blinking with a bowl of noodles in his mouth, Goku slurped up the last of the glucose rich substance before swallowing hard. The look of concern on his face was genuine, but Raditz suspected he didn't fully grasp the seriousness of the situation. They'd nearly wiped out his family, and killed Raditz's nephew. Their brother, his twin, was also nearly killed and appeared to have sacrificed himself to save them. This was something Raditz hadn't really expected.

And somehow, I can't help but think that Turles saving Kakarot's family, doesn't make him not dangerous. But… maybe we were wrong about him. Who knows anymore?

"But they're okay, right?" he asked.

"Yes… well, physically. I'm sure you'll be paying for psychologists for a while, let alone-"

Relief washed over Goku's features before he wiped his brow from sweat which had formed only a moment earlier. It left Raditz almost bewildered. Kakarot was a brilliant tactician and warrior, and clearly did care about his family… but was dismissive of their plight when they'd nearly been killed because they ended up being fine?

"Well, are you guys ready to head back and take them on again?"

"Goku, I told you, Slug's younger and stronger than the last time you fought him. And your brothers and Piccolo aren't exactly able to take out his friends either. This is infinitely worse than when you were fighting Frieza, because you don't have a mystery powerup to stop him," King Kai said, sounding exhausted.

They were warriors, that much was true, but sometimes there was such a thing as a tactical withdrawal. There were other planets out there than the Earth. They were Saiyan Warriors, with his instant transmission, they could transplant everyone necessary and come back. Admittedly, the likely genocide of humanity would be an issue, depending on where you stood, but sometimes sacrifices needed to be made for a final victory. It wasn't that he wished anything like that on them of course, but he also wasn't a complete fool. They had no chance against what was coming.

"Goku, we don't have a lot of options," Piccolo commented. "Something's wrong about all of this. If we fight this now, we'll probably die."

"We can still collect the others and find somewhere to train, no matter how long it takes," Raditz advised. "The planet was probably doomed anyway, I mean the Androids-"

Turning his eyes to both of them, Kakarot seemed to be concentrating on something before he looked up, breathing in and out once before smiling.

"You guys can make your own decision. But when I go back, I'm going to see what I can do to try and take on that Slug guy. His power is incredible, but I don't just give up on a fight. He's not just going to go away, and running from our problems isn't something I intend to do."

There was a moment where Raditz felt himself turn away. This just seemed like suicide by any other name. What was Kakarot going to do? Double in power throughout the course of a single battle? And that was provided this Slug creature hadn't grown in power, which they knew it had. Even if his own power had grown slightly from fighting that gigantic Namekian beast of a warrior, he knew that even if he and Piccolo worked together right now, at their fullest, they wouldn't stand a chance. That didn't even count the other three exceptionally dangerous Namekian warriors there.

"This is certain death," Raditz commented coldly. "You're asking us to kill ourselves, when we have options."

Sighing, Piccolo shook his head.

"No, we don't. I've never known Goku to run from a fight. Especially against someone more powerful. We overcome, or we die," Piccolo remarked. "Is that the plan, Goku?"

"Do you think this guy is just going to leave the Earth alone while we run?" Goku asked. "What's the point in doing anything if we don't try to save our home, Piccolo?"

"They'll destroy everything," Piccolo confirmed. "The one I fought said as much. They'll harvest the Earth for all of its resources, including humanity, before they move on to another world. If we don't stop them soon, they will destroy everything that matters about the Earth, including its people."

Turning to look at him, both Piccolo and Kakarot clearly had the expectation for him to participate in this madness.

With a reluctant soul, Raditz sighed before stepping forward. The compelling nature of their arguments did little to sway him. The truth was, he couldn't go back to the life of being a nomad himself, especially without being in the Frieza Force. He'd become too soft from the Earth as well, to be able to just travel from world to world knowing how the galaxy was. The blue and green rock had managed to transform itself into his home. And if they couldn't wait to save this miserable rock, then that meant they'd be fighting, and dying for it now.

Just a shame. I was hoping to die of old age, not of Namekian juggernaut.

"Alright," he said. "You've clearly chosen the course of action... We fight."

I'm going to regret this.

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Goku:

The world blinked into existence around him as Goku's feet landed squarely on the ground in the middle of the Capsule Corporation's property. This was the fifth time they instant transmissioned in the last two minutes, given that everyone was keeping their energy levels suppressed, it was hard to get an exact bead on where he was going. The technique was incredibly powerful, but not without its flaws.

"Are we actually here this time?" Raditz asked, sounding annoyed. "Being near Vegeta is already going to be a problem."

When he looked over at the giant yellow building however, Goku just gave a smile.

"Yep, looks like we're right on time," Goku announced.

Rubbing his eyes for a moment, Raditz just sighed before walking past him, moving towards the building.

Following after him, Goku looked around cautiously. He got the feeling that everyone was inside, though the lack of the ability to sense their energies was really frustrating. Especially since honestly, he wanted to sense how strong Vegeta and Turles really were. He knew that Raditz and Piccolo were powerful, but he didn't really know what was happening with the other two wayward Saiyans. There was a desire to see Gohan and Chi-Chi as well, and Krillin and Tien, but fighting and strength were always the first things on his mind… well, almost always. It was hard to pull away from that, especially given what was happening at this exact moment with the planet being threatened by a big strong warrior.

"Goku? Everyone! It's Goku!" Tien shouted.

The voice emerged from the top of the building as Goku looked up, realizing Tien was now atop the building. Giving a grin, he waved at Tien. Given that his own power was currently being suppressed, Goku was glad that someone had noticed they'd arrived. It was probably, he guessed, because Tien was on lookout for trouble. Speaking of looking out, he only noticed the sky was really off.

Weird, why is the sky so dark? Isn't it the middle of the day?

The doors burst open as Raditz almost jumped back at the unexpected motion as Gohan and Krillin came running out at full speed. Gohan leaped into his arms for only a brief second before looking around, his eyes brightening up as he saw Piccolo and Raditz as well.

"Dad, dad you're here! You're alive!" he shouted with genuine joy. "Piccolo! Uncle Raditz?! You all made it!"

"Good to have you back, Goku," Krillin chimed in.

"Good to be back," he confirmed with Krillin.

Putting Gohan down a second later, Goku just rubbed his hair before feeling relief wash over him. King Kai told him everything had worked out but- there were bloodstains on Gohan's clothing. When he looked back towards the door, he saw Vegeta, Bulma, Turles, and Chi-Chi coming out as well.

Chi-Chi was covered in blood, immediately making something in his stomach sink at the realization of the kind of battle that must have taken place near their home. The fact he wasn't there made things only worse. The weight of what must have happened made Goku's fist close tightly at the realization. The kinds of injuries that would have resulted in that kind of bleeding, on people who had no chance, were done with malice, not just out of a need to kill.

One look at Turles saw a man bathed in his own blood. That was enough to give him an idea of just what they were dealing with. Certainly, he knew how strong Slug and his Nameks were, but the mindset behind it, with the traces of battle still left on his family, Goku fully understood he wasn't just fighting this Slug because he was strong, or he'd beaten him, but because someone needed to stop this kind of torture.

Walking forward quickly, he met Chi-Chi as she ran towards him, collecting her in his arms a second later and just held her. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her hands buried into the back of his hair as she held onto him. She didn't need to say anything, the way she was holding him told him everything.

When he looked up from her shoulder, he saw Turles staring at him. It was so strange it was almost like looking in a mirror sometimes. The usual disdain Turles displayed for him seemed… to still be there, yep, it definitely was. Still, there was something else there as well, and he wasn't sure what he was even looking at. Behind him, he saw Vegeta beginning to walk into view as well.

I'm pretty sure they're the two people who want to see me least, and probably want to beat me most. Neat.

Slowly releasing his arms, Goku stepped back reluctantly. Right now, they had bigger things going on, even if he knew just how much this impacted the people he cared about.

"Kakarot," Vegeta cut in. "Is it as bad as I sensed before?"

"Probably worse now," Goku confirmed for him. "Apparently King Kai thinks he's more unbeatable now."

"Great," Turles rolled his eyes, finally speaking. "Well then, Kakarot, are you stronger now? Are you, the mighty Super Saiyan going to save us?"

Wow, Turles thinks I'm going to save everyone? He's gotten a lot politer over the last year.

"I'm not much stronger, but I'm going to try."

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Raditz:

Kakarot's mood had dimmed for several minutes after he'd explained to him that Turles was openly deriding his abilities.

The five of them were standing in the middle of Vegeta's training ship, along with Bulma, who apparently had important information for them. This was apparently going to be their little private get together before Hell got unleashed? When he looked at all of them, he couldn't help but feel that this team was going to fail. Kakarot was despised by Vegeta, and he suspected that Turles wasn't that far behind in his feelings for his twin. He detested Vegeta, and honestly would have preferred and outcome where he got killed by the Namekians. There was the fact that Vegeta hated him just as much. And of course, Turles would take advantage of anyone he thought he could exploit later.

How much trust could they really possess here? He could rely on Kakarot and Piccolo, and no one else. The plan was going to be what? Fly at them, and start fighting? That seemed like a sure-fire way to killing themselves. That was another problem with this big fight they were apparently all planning on participating in, the near certainty of death.

There wasn't a choice in fighting Frieza the last two times. They had real means of escaping this situation with their lives intact.

The Namekian was leaning against a wall, his arms crossed, while Kakarot was standing there with his hands on his hips, looking somehow excited for what was going on, even after he found out the stakes involved. Vegeta was crossing his arms, standing opposition Kakarot, and Turles was looking at himself in a reflective surface, examining all the blood he'd lost.

"So, we'll have to engage them all at once, right?" Kakarot asked.

"Or we could isolate and destroy them," Turles responded. "One by one, before we kill their leader."

"Too obvious, they'd know what we're doing and we'd lose the element of surprise," Piccolo was quick to add. "Then only the strongest ones will confront us."

"The weaker three warriors shouldn't be too hard to deal with, after all, if Piccolo and Turles were enough to stop some of them, how strong can they be?" Vegeta more mocked than contributed.

"So, they're only stronger than you then, Vegeta?" Turles was quick to add, turning from the surface he'd been looking at, a challenging grin on his face.

A cold gaze was sent back towards his brother before Vegeta turned it to Kakarot. If this all turned to them killing each other before they fought the Namekians, at least the Namekians probably already thought he was dead, and he might be able to slip past unnoticed.

"Can we lower the testosterone in here for a minute?" Bulma almost groaned, rubbing her temples. "Look, they're changing the atmosphere of the planet. That's why the sky looks strange and the temperature keeps falling. A huge satellite was launched by their ship after they beat you guys. We've got two days before most of the Earth is made unlivable. Does no one care?"

"No one cares, Bulma," Turles interjected.

"Don't talk to me," she shot back immediately, glaring with the kind of hate Raditz believed only Vegeta could display.

"Alright, I think everyone should calm down," Goku said, raising his hands.

"I think you should act like a Saiyan! I can't believe that you, you are the Super Saiyan chosen after 10,000 years!" Vegeta barked. "Calm down? What are you, a moron? Don't answer that, I already know."

"Fine, I'll tell you to quiet down, Vegeta," Piccolo snapped finally. "We're not getting anywhere-"

"Look out, the Namekian's mad. Maybe he'll join the other side," Turles rolled his eyes. "Is anyone concerned we can't trust this green freak?"

"Shut, up!" Raditz shouted.

While they'd all been arguing, Raditz felt like the only adult in the room, sans perhaps Bulma. Walking to the middle of the room, he looked over them all and realized something.

At the very least, they thought Turles was badly injured, and that Kakarot, Piccolo, and himself were wounded or killed. They really only knew about Vegeta if they sensed all the powers when they first came to the planet.

"I have a plan."

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Author's Notes:

I enjoyed writing how dysfunctional the main 5 fighters are with each other as soon as Vegeta and Turles enter the mix, lol.

My only great disappointment appears to be that people weren't quite as pleased with Chapter 57 as I was, or at the very least didn't feel the need to give me feedback, which is almost worse! Lol. To be fair, it might be the style I chose to write it in. I do genuinely try to try new things in how I write things and what happens, so that can mess with tone sometimes. Thank you everyone who enjoyed it all the same! :P

This chapter is deliberately a little slower, but next chapter we set things into motion, with one of my favourite scenes this Saga. Next week we'll have Chapter 59: He Who Dares.

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Reviewers:

Luke: In my stories, there are always people who are villains among the heroes. In The Catalyst its Vegeta and Turles, with a bit of Raditz, while in TLR its frankly Gohan. The thing is, their villainy isn't mustache twirling, its their nuance, it's their pride or unwillingness to change. So, I consider Turles a villain, and I consider Vegeta and to a lesser extent Raditz villains as well. But hell, that's half the fun of the trip. It's what makes them interesting and compelling, because they're not just struggling against the external, they're struggling with themselves.

Guest1: I thought so, but it didn't seem very popular, lol.

Guest2: This! This was my favourite review. Turles's problem is genuinely that he can't really feel pain for himself. I deliberately have written him as close to The Tree of Might that I can. The question is more is this something that's inherently in him, or is this something that's happened to him.

Perfect Carnage: Turles really doesn't like Bulma, and Bulma doesn't like Turles. I don't see that changing at all. In the original plan for this era of the story, Vegeta and Turles were going to be defacto allies, but I realized a lot of Vegeta's character was going to hinge on Bulma, so that really eliminated that storyline, and I actually think the story is the better for it. 😊

DarkFalconZ: Yea, I super enjoyed writing it. I also got to give a few glimpses of vague foreshadowing during it. So many plans. So many plans!

Super Mystic Gohan: Sadly, I don't think Bardock meant to. On another note, you'll notice that subtly over time since Turles got "infected" with Bardock, despite the nature of their comments and jabs, they've had a lot of codevelopment together. A lot of Turles's development is really intertwined with Bardock, and I enjoy that.

Karina: Really? Well I'm glad you liked it!

OuterSpaceHooker: Responded by PM.

MaximuSSJ: I produce a lot of these chapters to be only 10-12 pages, rather than the 30+ pages of The Long Road. It's a different writing format, I've tried to streamline The Catalyst to be really its own thing in writing decisions, including how chapters are made and the level of description given. If that chapter had been a TLR chapter, it'd probably have been 50% longer.