Dragon Ball Z: The Catalyst

by Drakthul

Catalyst: a person or thing that precipitates an event or change. A traditional encounter is changed, and begins a series of events which will alter the fate of millions. From the beginning of the Saiyan Saga forward. Rated T for violence and themes.

64. Chapter 64: Played

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 V

Chapter 64: Played.

Raditz:

It was awkward.

That was the best way to describe it as Raditz looked at Turles who emerged from an apartment balcony in Orange Star City. This was where they'd failed to track him to for over a year. Given that he was only a fifteen-minute flight away without even putting power into movement, made it all the more humiliating.

After the climatic battle they'd just experienced, everyone's lives just started to seemingly just get back to normal.

A fresh suit, this one white with a black shirt and white vest clad the victorious Saiyan. It'd been five days since they'd defeated Lord Slug. Five days since the world seemingly stopped turning for an hour or two as they'd all worked together. They were lucky that there were at least a few Senzu Beans left, because otherwise he'd have died, and so would have the human midget Krillin. But now they were all one big happy family, weren't they?

When Turles floated off of his balcony, moving towards him through the air, Raditz got the distinct feeling that wasn't the case as he landed ontop of the roof next to him.

It was unnerving when Raditz realized that Turles's power was only surpassed by Kakarot's now… truly surpassed. As Turles had become the thing which they now seemingly all aspired to obtain. Standing next to him now was a once in every thousand generations fighter. It was ironic that it was Kakarot's twin that became this first.

Still wearing his training attire, Raditz was more than irritated at the sight of the suit itself however, as it implied that his close brother was not intent on training, at all. At least not training with them. The tension he sensed the moment Turles landed was real however. There was something different about him since that moment and Raditz had trouble putting his finger on it. The cold demeanour was still there, in fact, the cold glare was too.

"It's a suit, you should get one so that you don't look like one of Kakarot's misfits," Turles observed his stare. "Have some dignity."

Growling almost at the comment, Raditz narrowed his gaze on the brother he'd come by to pick up, Raditz closed his fist for a brief moment before looking in the direction of where they would all be going.

"Some of us have been too busy training to go out and buy a bunch of useless clothing," Raditz responded. "Besides. What do I care how I look on this planet? It hardly matters."

There was a moment where Turles rolled his eyes before gesturing to the city itself.

"You really don't understand this place at all, do you Raditz? These little humans scurrying around? That's what you live in now. You live amongst these Saiyanoids, and they assign status and power to attire. They don't care about your battle power unless they're about to be killed by you. Why waste energy constantly needing to harass and intimidate, when you can get your foot in the door by dressing as they do, and dressing for a position of power and status."

Despite there being some sense in what Turles was saying, Raditz couldn't help but feel there was a bad connotation behind it. It was really all about manipulation. Of his two brothers, Raditz's obvious preference was Kakarot at this point. Still, it was more shocking to him that Turles had saved Kakarot and… everyone by helping their brother.

"But why do you care?" Raditz scoffed. "Most of them don't matter anyway."

"You've been living with Kakarot all this time, isolated in the woods. You have no idea what it's like to live amongst these creatures, do you?" Turles asked, clearly amused. "It's much easier to be dressed for status if you want to ignore these insects. They are terrified of people above their station, especially with the right cues."

Everything is always about calculation, isn't it?

"Well, your majesty," Raditz began in a mocking tone. "He of high status. Are you going to come with me to Kakarot's as you'd implied before? Or did I waste my time coming down here?"

A smirk crossed Turles's face as he started to walk towards the edge of the high-rise build's roof, looking over it for a brief moment before straightening out his tie for a few seconds.

"And why is it that you and Kakarot are so intent on having me join your cadre of the mentally infirm? Clearly Kakarot wants to train with an equal, that much I can understand, but you? I fail to se why you would want me to head north," he observed. "Unless your hoping to find out how to change into a Super Saiyan and haven't found Kakarot overly helpful in achieving your goal."

The words were meant to sting, and they assuredly had. Raditz had been training with Kakarot for over a year, and his power had multiplied many times… but the goal had alluded him. Worse than alluding him he'd felt like he'd not even made a step towards it. Kakarot's words had done little to help him understand it, beyond telling him what the power was.

"Ah, there it is," Turles chuckled before turning towards him. "You know, Raditz, I'll tell you right now. Being a Super Saiyan is pain. Congratulations, you'll be a Super Saiyan in no time."

That was certainly a different take than what Kakarot had told him. There were always more words around it, specifically telling him it was about loss, or finding a moment of a breaking point. But for his brother Turles, all he seemed to focus on was the pain, it would seem. That was of course assuming Turles had just told him anything remotely true. But the way he'd said it, Raditz actually believe it probably was true.

I've been through so much pain and I still don't have it.

Everything Vegeta had done to him had been a source of nothing but pain. His own power was enough now, what did Turles mean by pain? It was enough to cause his chest to swell in anger. He'd seen two time-travellers who could transform, and both his brothers, why not him?

For a brief moment, he imagined the first thing he'd do with that power. Breaking Vegeta's neck was high on his priorities of course. That kind of strength could be put to good use as far as Raditz was concerned. That was the source of all the pain he could think about in that moment, but it did nothing to change him. The only thing it left him with was an open wound.

"Are you coming or not?" Raditz demanded.

"Do I look like I'm about to start training? I'll come watch, maybe I can give a few pieces of advice to the boy, but beyond that I'm not interested in training with your cadre of fools."

"Kakarot will be disappointed."

When Turles smiled again, this time it was darkly. It was almost enough to unnerve Raditz, even.

"Good."

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Vegeta:

He'd not slept in four days.

The first day he'd come back from the ruins of Coast City, he'd been unable to stay awake almost even after the Senzu Bean. From the moment he'd woken up the day later however, Vegeta didn't leave the gravity chamber. Foregoing food even, Vegeta pushed himself further and further as his anger grew with every hour. There was barely enough to restrain himself to not cause actual damage to the gravity room when he pushed himself.

The alarm blared inside the room again as Vegeta increased the gravity beyond what should have been his limit. It was Bulma, again, trying to reach out to him. Only sparing a cursory glance in his senses to ensure there were no threats nearby, again, Vegeta ignored the buzz, again.

There was coming a point where he knew his body would need nourishment, no matter how hard he pushed himself. It took discipline to withhold his need to eat. The discipline itself was born of his rage. Again, he'd been the one denied. Worse, he'd been denied by a Kakarot-look alike. The very creature who'd humiliated him when he'd come to the Earth after Frieza's defeat, and who'd been so brazen enough as to come here even while it was under his protection. The mountain in front of him seemed insurmountable, but these two third class morons had managed to climb it before him.

I won't rest until I become what I was destined to be! How can I, Vegeta, be left behind?! I WILL BE THE STRONGEST IN THE UNIVERSE! I WILL BE THE SUPER SAIYAN!

The words blared in his mind as Vegeta swung against invisible opponents in hi training regiment. The gravity was now a blistering 350 times this planet's natural gravity. The weight of the air hurt his lungs, but he drove forward with every possible attack. Even now he could feel his own energy sinking from no rest or food, but he'd not have any break, not until he made the goal. He wouldn't allow himself to pass out, or starve, because he would become a Super Saiyan long before those needs overtook him.

All he needed was a few minutes longer.

And a few minutes, turned into a few hours.

The system itself, the gravity room on the ship, was stressed to the point where the systems seemed to almost be breaking down on their own. At several points warnings came up, declaring the system was overheating. When he ordered it to press on past its override, he could barely think, all he could think about was his destiny.

Without warning, almost five full days into his experience in the chamber, the power was suddenly cut. The red lighting disappeared as the entire room's lighting system powered off. The effect of normal gravity on his body was immediate. His latest maneuver had him jump kicking forward, and instead his leg shot through the side of the space ship. Retracting his leg from the side of the ship Vegeta cursed himself as he started to walk towards the door, noticing the wobble in his step. Everything felt dizzy as his stomach came to life in a way he'd not expected.

No. I just need to get the system up and running again. I don't have time for this.

When the door hissed opened, he saw blue hair emerge from the steps within a few seconds, feeling something angering and tight moving his chest. Who the hell said she could intervene in his his training? AGAIN? The Woman knew better.

"Vegeta?" her voice asked, sounding uncertain. "Vegeta are you th- Oh thank god."

Despite how angry he was, some of it was dulled by the look of relief on her face when she saw him. It wasn't enough to stop him from being furiously angry. When she almost ran towards him, beginning to look him over as if he was concerned about his personal safety, it was more than anger now flowing through his veins, it was venomous irritation as well.

"What are you doing, woman? I have training to do."

"Are you crazy, Vegeta?! You've been in here for four days with no food or sleep. I've been trying to get a hold of you for an entire day, and you've been ignoring every message I sent. You then blew out the ship's sensors an hour ago. I'd have no idea if you died down here, you know that?"

The display of concern for his wellbeing was worse than off-putting. An angry curl came on his lip as he glared at the woman. She knew not to interfere in his training. A naïve child of a person like this had no clue what she was doing by stopping his ascension.

"Restart the room," Vegeta demanded. "I don't have time for this."

"You don't have time to train you mean. Because I'm telling you right now, we're getting you something to eat, and then we're getting you some sleep. Then I'm going to fix the hole you put in the wall, and the sensor you broke. Then you can train more."

When she grabbed his hand, he pulled it out of her grasp immediately, almost snarling as he did. There was a pause after this when he saw something closer to fear enter her eyes. For a few seconds he was almost sure she'd relent, before she looked more determined. When she shoved her finger his chest, Vegeta felt his eyes narrow on her.

"Are you crazy? Listen to me. I make all of this work, buster, so if you want to train so much, then-"

"And you will now listen to me," Vegeta cut her off. "You have no idea what your doing. How dare you come here and interrupt my training? You will turn the gravity room back on, now, and you will leave me to train! I don't care if your concerned."

Her face hardened now as well, her own posture becoming stiff as she stared back at him, her lip trembled several times, whether it be with anger or something weaker than anger, he didn't know.

"Well I've disabled it, Vegeta. I'm not turning it back on," an adrenaline filled voice came back at him.

It took all of his self control not to reach out and grab her harshly. Instead he felt an anger so raw it almost tore him apart. Any technician who'd told him anything remotely like this in Frieza's army would have been killed immediately for insubordination. That was exactly what this was as well. He was so weak this woman was willing to disobey his orders, for his own 'good' he was sure.

"First Kakarot," Vegeta breathed angrily. "And now Turles. Do you have any idea how left behind I am? Do you understand my humiliation!? Restart the room! I'll achieve it. I won't let myself die until I've obtained my birthright, do you understand woman? I don't care about your concern. RESTART THE ROOM!"

His voice boomed as he stared at her at eye level, but felt a thousand feet higher than her. She looked… scared. Now it wasn't just a cautious look. This was his ship, and his property, as far as he was concerned. People here who needed his protection from outside threats had made a pact with him. Now suddenly this woman wanted to change the terms of their deal? He wasn't injured, she was just afraid he'd get injured. It was her role, and to a lesser extent the role of the attendants here, to provide him with training equipment, food, and shelter. Anyone who required protection belonged to him, as far as hew as concerned.

That was how nobility worked. That was the social contract on Planet Vegeta. Even on this miserable Planet that was the case in its history, he'd overheard more than once.

"I-I-" she stammered, trying to hold her resolve. "Please Vegeta, stop. You can restart tomorrow please."

Her hand found his again, this time timidly as she tried to reassure him, trying to calm him down. It did little to achieve that goal. This time, instead of ripping his arm away, he took her hand roughly, causing her to wince as he did, though he'd not hurt her. There was a long pause between the two as he kept his eyes locked on hers.

"Woman," he started clearly, edging on losing control of his voice. "I am going to make myself very clear. I am going to restart the gravity room now. You are going to unlock it. I do not care if you are concerned. I do not need you to call me while I am here."

It was in her own self interest, given that the person she was most afraid of was now so far past him he wouldn't last more than three minutes against him, not without becoming a Super Saiyan himself.

"I'm just trying to keep you safe," she said to him after a moment, tears welling at the edges of her eyes. "It's just one day, Vegeta. You can restart tomorrow for as long as you want."

She's not going to turn the room back on.

The betrayal was real. That was fine. If this was how it was going to be, then his training would have to move elsewhere, that's all it meant. This was in his eyes a violation of the agreement they'd made with one another. If Kakarot and Turles could find their new form without all of this equipment, so could he. He'd push himself to becoming the Super Saiyan.

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Bulma:

She'd finally got him inside and eating, but he didn't say a word to her. She'd never seen him so angry and it was upsetting to her. Firstly, it was stupid to risk your own life training like that. He'd not been eating out of some obsession with catching up with Goku and Turles. And she wanted him to catch up with Goku and Turles. Of course, she wanted him to catch up with Turles, the fact he was just like Goku now, was even more terrifying to her. There was no way that monster was ever going to reform.

Violent, disrespectful, and lacking any kind of empathy, they had a term for that, a psychopath. Bulma was convinced after seeing him again and seeing how he behaved, that he was just a sadist. He did things to hurt other people that he knew would leave them damaged. Even the way he came into her home, he knew what he was doing. It was a constant game for him. But when Gohan was here, suddenly the whole act changed. That thing was a chameleon. Who was to say who the real one was, all she knew was that no matter how he behaved, she'd seen the kind of monster he was. The worst part of all of it was the fact that he was now, again, stronger than Vegeta.

Looking at him wolfing down the three plates of food she'd managed to pull together for him, Bulma watched as Vegeta looked almost ready to pass out.

I should just let him pass out at the table. It'll be easier than dragging him if he gets a second wind.

A part of her sighed as she watched him act like a child. Of all the stupid things she'd ever done, maybe starting a relationship… starting a relationship being a generous term, with a former evil space conqueror who she'd hired to keep her safe from a psychopath, was probably a bad idea. The only thing she could ever defend herself with saying, was that when she slept now, at least her nightmares went away. Adventure, travel, excitement, those were all things she used to crave more than anything. Namek put an end to that for her, especially after she got to Earth. Without even realizing it, she now craved security, it was almost like she was trying to hide.

Sighing, she stood up as she walked over to Vegeta, taking his hand after the last plate emptied.

"Come on, I've got a long day ahead of me to fix your ship," she offered, seeing him almost going out at the table.

Typically, he pulled his hand back again, pulling himself up.

"Stop it," he snapped, gaining the second wind she'd been worried about. "I don't need your help."

That was it.

"Alright mister Prince of all Saiyans, if that's the case, I'm not going to fix the gravity room. What do you think of that?" she fired back at him. "Especially if your going to kill yourself doing it, Vegeta."

Normally that threat at least got a response. But instead her heart skipped a beat as he just walked past her, heading towards their- his room. Maybe he'd just need time to sleep, clearly even after the last remark he wasn't buying she'd go through with it. Maybe she wouldn't fix the stupid gravity room, that'd at least give him a few days to finally relax. His body needed time to actually rest. He was killing himself doing what he was doing. Even if she actually enjoyed how driven he was, and she needed him to stay strong… she was worried about him.

Ugh. I'm turning into Chi-Chi over a guy who doesn't even really care about me.

The last thought was a sad one more than anything. This was what her life had devolved into, this was her rut. Thirty years old, working on equipment for someone who didn't appreciate it or her, and trying to get them to take care of themselves.

When she went back to her lab, she just sighed to herself, having had enough of this today. Going over her standard 'patching' equipment, she almost wanted to replace most of the hull on the ship in the vain hope it'd actually stay standing for once, once the gravity went down.

The hours passed as she worked outside, measuring the damage before putting a 'patch' over the spot for the moment. When she'd started working on replacing the sensor, a familiar figure emerged behind her, but it almost made her jump out of her skin. She'd found herself up a ladder, opening the damaged panel to replace the main lifesign reading equipment.

"Hey Bulma!" Goku announced, a cheerful grin on his face.

"AH!" she cried out in terror before falling off the ladder, hitting her shoulder hard.

AHH!

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Turles: One Hour Earlier

Watching the idiots fight again was hardly his idea of a good time. It'd be soon time for him to go to the polar caps again for his own training. Right now, he suspected he was around Kakarot's level, but he was far from completely certain in that fact. This was his opportunity to be back in the good graces of his siblings and these other idiots. For a moment, he almost expected Bardock to chide him for the thought, but as with over the last week, it was just dead noise.

Good. No more bothersome chatter from that foolish old man.

Still, he took a learned eye to watching as he kept his arms crossed, careful not to lean against anything in these cursed woods. Getting his suit dirty was an ever-constant risk out here. The Namek and Raditz were having their turn at Kakarot in his advanced form, using only a fraction of his power. Which was of course because they were training. Taking the opportunity, Turles stood next to his nephew as he watched the battle above.

"Gohan, what do you see when you see them training like this?" he asked.

"I see Piccolo and Raditz trying to find their way around someone whose clearly stronger. They're trying to lure my dad into a trap," Gohan answered, appropriately as well. The kid was a natural, but that was hardly a surprise.

The only thing he lacked was the edge of a Saiyan.

"Your missing the key component, look at your father," Turles advised. "He's certainly trying, but he's trying to spare your uncle Raditz and Piccolo their feelings. He's moving into their trap, deliberately, even though a savvy enemy would not. The Namek just noticed it, see? That's why his stance just got more aggressive, he's furious your father is toying with them."

It took the boy a moment to notice as he watched, his eyes widening. Kneeling down, he pointed up, careful to squatter then put his pants at risk.

"How would you do it differently? A fight should be ended, if they are a risk to you. And if they're not a risk, you should ask why you're fighting them in the first place," he advised. "This is just theatre."

A moment later, Gohan turned to look at him, nodding slowly before turning his head back towards the fight. There was an uncomfortable truth they shared as they watched, perhaps his own words gave him away too much.

"You'd fight a weaker fighter without beating them right away?" Gohan asked. "You'd not just go for the win?"

"You go for the win right away, when victory is uncertain," Turles said, smirking. "A weaker fighter is always good entertainment, whether it's a lethal battle or training. Your father is clearly airing on the side of entertainment, even at the reduced level he's at."

When Raditz came crashing out of the sky, hitting the ground, Piccolo landed next to him, on his feet, breathing heavily.

The look the Namekian gave Kakarot was priceless, he knew.

"Wow, that was great you guys, you almost had me," Kakarot laughed.

"Did they though?" Turles countered, clearly amused.

The laugh disappeared before Kakarot stared at him, walking over, his Super Saiyan hair still standing atop his head as he gave him a serious look. Ah yes, this was what Kakarot wanted, wasn't it? The opportunity to go head to head with him. His own lust for battle was excited at the prospect… but he could delay his gratification.

The two humans, who'd been glaring at him, rather than watching the fight for more than half of it, watched with bated breath. It was laughable to watch before he turned his full attention back to Kakarot.

"Well, maybe you'd like to try and do better than them?" Goku offered. "I mean, you're here. And you seem to think a lot of yourself."

The obvious tempt towards him getting involved.

Without even fully realizing it, he reached out to Gohan's mind in a way he didn't fully realize he could.

"Remember kid, pick your battles."

The boy's eyes widened before Turles felt himself smirking at his father.

"No, I think I'm alright," Turles answered. "As you can see, I'm not dressed for the occasion."

Pulling up his arms, his jacket pulled up slightly before he gestured to his attire.

"I wouldn't want to ruin another."

Kakarot smirked in turn.

"Well, we've got plenty of training attire. Heck, I bet I can guess your size," Kakarot returned to him, offering him the opportunity to suit up in orange and blue.

That was something Turles had zero interest in. Instead, he had his own plan forming. If you couldn't get what you wanted from the source itself, you could always get it from a distributor.

"I don't wear cheap attire. I'd not train against someone else unless I was given something of a bit better quality, Kakarot. Sorry, I'm going to have to pass for today," Turles chuckled. "It's a shame though, as I'd like to give your audience a real fight to watch."

Take the bait, you simpleton.

"Oh yea? And what attire is going to be better quality?" Kakarot asked.

Even Gohan realized that his father had just walked into Turles's hands as the Saiyan felt himself grin.

"Well, now that your asking…"

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Bulma:

"No, Goku, there is no way," her voice was intense now.

"Aw, c'mon Bulma. It's gonna be too late soon and I really wanna fight him. I promise I'll hit him extra hard for you."

"No!"

Storming back into her lab, Goku following her in tow, Bulma sat down at her work bench as she looked up for a moment. Her arm was throbbing still, and she already guessed she'd bruised it pretty badly. Pulling out a cold pack from a capsule a moment later, she attached it to her arm and just sighed with the temporary relief.

"Look, I know he broke in here… and I know he broke your arm and may have tried to maybe murder you and stuff-" Goku started, and stopped himself, beginning to redraw the calculus of what he was saying. "Okay, so he's pretty bad. But he saved Gohan twice, and he just helped me beat that Slug guy when he didn't have to. Oh! And he saved Chi-Chi. That's gotta count for something."

It was so annoying to hear him sometimes. He battered down resistance sometimes like a sledgehammer. Even if what he said was true, and she was always inclined to believe Goku, given he was honest enough to ask for Saiyan armour without pretending the suits were just for him.

Maybe this would make things safer for her, if she gave Goku just a few suits of armour. Especially considering… well… considering that Vegeta hadn't been as strong as Turles before, and now it was even worse. Her arm reached out, grabbing a capsule containing six suits and the case they were in. When she looked back at Goku, she sighed in defeat.

"Don't make me regret this, please," she said.

Excitement lit up across Goku's face as he reached out, plucking the Capsule from her fingertips like a giddy child.

"Extra hard," Goku promised.

The sentiment understood and even appreciated, but it didn't really make her feel better about the decision. She'd have to produce some more suits for Vegeta's spares, he only had 10 suits at the moment and they were going to need replacing soon. Still, that'd maybe take a day or two to work on when she got the chance.

"Bye Bulma!"

When Goku disappeared, she just felt exhausted by the whole thing. When she got up from her chair and decided that despite the fact it was only 7, she was going to pack it in. Today had been too much. She was behind on half of her projects now, and most of those were relating to Vegeta. She was going to need to take a vacation from having to upkeep all his stuff soon. Especially since he didn't ever seem to appreciate what she actually did for him.

By the time she made it upstairs the first order of business was a hot shower and basic maintenance. Then she walked past her own door, instinctively moving towards Vegeta's. It was like there was a hole in her perception of time. Especially after today, she really should sleep in her own room. He was a jerk and didn't even seem to care about what she was trying to do for him. There was something in her stomach though that told her that after today, she really should be there. Carefully she opened the door, hearing the familiar creek it made despite her best efforts.

Ugh, another thing I really should fix.

Still, Vegeta was out. The look of absolute exhaustion on his face, even as he was sleeping, left her feeling real relief. It was vindication for the big fight she'd put up over it. The way Vegeta acted like he owned her or something made her angry. The mixed feelings she felt almost made her turn around. Still, she was ready for bed herself. The throbbing in her arm didn't stop, but she knew it'd take a few days to start really recovering.

Slipping under the sheet he kept for himself, she found the familiar crook around his arm she slept in, before placing her head on his chest for a second, just listening to him breathe. It was something she'd become maybe too familiar with.

Bulma. Your thirty.

It was sometimes difficult to remind herself of that as she stared at Vegeta's face once she rested her head on the pillow. He was maybe an inch taller than her when hair was taken out of the equation. This was where life was at thirty. She was laying in bed next to an alien. This was the closest thing she'd found to 'love' in her entire life, wasn't it? It wasn't going to get better than this? The thought was… depressing.

Instinctively, Vegeta rolled over even in his sleep, resting his arm around her like he always did.

Thank you Bulma. I, Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans want to thank you for keeping me alive. Thank you so much for all the training equipment you give me. Thank you for the sex, and free things I get all the time just for being here after you broke up with your boyfriend. You aren't very smart Bulma, you should get your life together.

She mocked his voice in her head, but felt it become almost too grim for her by the end of it. Without fully realizing it, she'd wrapped one of her own arms around him as well, resting her head into the pillow and the arm beneath her. Maybe this was going to be as good as it got for her. The only thing she could think to herself, was at least Vegeta had kept his word since he'd made it. He'd kept her safe. Even now here in his arms as she slept, she felt that more than anything. Maybe that was enough to help her deal with him calling her woman and acting like he owned the place.

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Turles:

"Do you really think Kakarot is going to bring you armour?" Raditz scoffed. "Bulma would sooner cut her own arm off than give you a kind stare after what you've pulled."

Rolling his eyes, Turles felt his own self satisfaction only increasing. These Earthlings were an easy play.

"Never underestimate someone with the right motivation," Turles advised.

It was a reasonable gamble, which Turles knew was going to pay off. It was almost like he'd seen it in a dream. All the same, when Raditz seemed openly frustrated by all of this, he was even more amused. His eldest sibling was looking at it all the wrong way. The real question with any situation, was what could you get out of it? And really, he'd always had this as his backup plan since the moment of his last failure, even while in exile.

Kakarot reappeared, capsule in hand. It was enough to let Turles just smirk at its sight. Raditz looked shocked beyond recognition. Catching the capsule, a moment later, he simply nodded at Kakarot before having the audacity to further play his hand as Kakarot almost started skipping with anticipation.

"Well, it's getting late. Most of your compatriots all seem to want to finish for the day," Turles remarked, pocketing the capsule before giving another look to Gohan, seeing if he was taking notes.

"What? We usually train until nightfall? It's only what? 7 or 8?" Three eyes commented from the side.

There was a look of disbelief now on Kakarot's face as he started to realize only vaguely what Turles was doing. Now was the best time to abdicate his responsibilities. Honestly, the last thing he wanted to do right now was test himself against Kakarot, at least the thinking half of his Saiyan mind felt that way. It would perhaps reveal too much, especially as he was still learning about his Super Saiyan form. The last thing he wanted was to learn Kakarot's fighting habits.

"I'll be sure to catch you next time, Kakarot."

Blurring through the trees a moment later, Turles took off before dropping his power level below anything he knew they'd be able to detect.

The only thing he heard behind him now was the voice of his twin, asking the most obvious question in the world.

"Uhhh… did I just get played?"

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Vegeta:

Sunlight cracked through the window as Vegeta lay in bed. A warmth rested in his arms, which was a familiar sensation he'd been slowly growing accustomed to when he woke up. The woman was a deep sleeper in his experience and usually wouldn't wake up until her alarm was blaring. When Vegeta's eyes scanned around the room, he just let himself breathed in and out once before slowly starting the process of disentangling himself from her. The way she held onto him sometimes felt like she was clutching onto a life preserver.

Really, yesterday had been his last straw. The fact she'd come here and slept next to him however, did make it more difficult. It was unexpected. More than just unexpected, it briefly made him feel for the woman. But really, at the end of the day she was weak, and that was something he'd come to realize. All of her knowledge and supposed technician skills, and all she could do was try to appease him to hide behind him. It's one reason why he didn't rank her highly as an asset. The second oldest Saiyan, he understood what his father had taught him all too well. People who were under your protection, were your property, for all intensive purposes.

He even remembered the day when his father had banished a cadre of Saiyan warriors, and killed another group, for defying his rule. He was no longer the ruler of a Planet, but Vegeta knew, especially after all he'd been through on Namek, and all the battles he'd faced since then, that he was most definitely still a Prince. Having your servants talk down to you, or try to command you, was the final insult to his station.

The woman thought herself even approaching his equal, and that just wasn't the case.

While getting into his attire, Vegeta managed to pass another glance at Bulma while vacating his shower. She resembled the boy who Cooler had nearly killed, didn't she? While he noticed this, he felt himself scoff at the realization. So, he'd been stupid enough in two timelines to do this. Well, it didn't matter anyway. The only thing that matter was his own strength and power. And this woman had become a hindrance. If she ended up spawning some halfling like Kakarot's brat… or like the brat at the hospital, she'd become more demanding of his time. That was the miscalculation he'd placed when he'd allowed himself to indulge with the help.

He could only imagine what kind of commitments and other obligations this creature would feel entitled to. She didn't have any idea that he didn't care. The sex was something which had been offered and he took it. The room and board meant nothing to him. The training equipment was what she'd brought to the table, and now she was trying to dictate its use. The second he let himself get too immersed in all of this, he could imagine her deactivating his equipment to take up more of his time as if he was an object, she had a say over.

Kakarot and Turles achieved this form without the gravity chamber.

Opening his balcony, Vegeta stepped out onto the platform outside before closing the door behind him. Checking his suit for spare armour capsules, he was sure he placed them beneath his armour. Vegeta left the balcony, and didn't look back. The best thing he could do was find somewhere remote, and find the source of what it meant to be a Super Saiyan. He wasn't going to find it here.

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Author's Notes:

Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, I decided I didn't want to put this up on Avengers Endgame Weekend, as I was out watching said film myself :P

Next update should be out Friday the 17th or Friday the 24th of May.

Also, for those who follow The Long Road. I'm about 2/3rds of the way done Chapter 73. I'm about 50 pages deep at the moment. It'll be worth it. I hope. Lol

Reviewers:

Blades of Fury: I love writing Turles and Goku together. They meld so badly together XD

Luke: I promise, by the end of King Piccolo's arc, you will not feel bad for him. He's the biggest dirtbag in the story. I'd argue he's worse than Frieza 😐

Super Mystic Gohan: Turles is a big jerk. Lol

Dharshan: I hope this met your expectations 😊

xXSpades231Xx: Thanks!

Guest1: Uhhh. This fight was one of the shortest fights I've written in ages. It's so far from 80k words its not even fair. I also base their pacing off the original, non-Kai version of the show. It's unfortunate to hear your not into it. I also try to drop main fights in a single chapter, rather than releasing multiples, as I think it's a fairer way to deliver content. I think dripping out fights one piece at a time is just review whoring for the most part. I think I've done that like twice since I adopted that policy, and it was only after I had the main character die, and in another case it was just too big. This is literally the shortened fight. My Long Road fights are genuinely about x2-x6 times bigger.

Guest2: You'll be really surprised by the upcoming Saga :P

Trent: I can't spoil anything involving fusions! Lol. I try not to mess too much with certain aspects of the canon, so I can confirm Vegito is more likely to appear than Turles + Goku… … For the most part :P

Guest3: It was hard work to get them to mesh together at all! I like how both kept trying to be in charge :P

Thomas-The-TMC: Fusion is temporary for most non-Namekian mortals. If they did fuse, the being that they'd form would be a truer version of both of them, I suspect.

Jetiq: Up to Chapter 73 is Raditz's time to shine. He'll be the bigger focus for a while.

AquarianKing: Vegeta let himself be a slave. Do you think Turles is going to let him be a slave? Vegeta also had hangups about his power. Turles and Goku will have an interesting dynamic with each other, and there definitely is envy from Turles, but he covets things from Goku that aren't power. Babidi can't solve those problems for him. You also won't see Final Form Cold, not because it doesn't exist, but King Cold is too old to support it without dying. His stamina isn't what it used to be.

ILiekFishes: Thanks! I genuinely try to be on point. 😊

Kacarrot: I lol'd when I decided to use the old Ocean Dub's Turles's line about his hand getting singed. It seemed perfect to remake it. I also loved writing Vegeta just shooting Krillin anyway, lol.