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 VI
Chapter 91: Blood
Bulma:
The last thing the camera had fed bad to her was the scanner being discarded from Vegeta's head, before tumbling to the Earth below. She saw it spinning, only seeing a glimpse of him confronting the teen from the future. She really wished he'd not done that, because not only was she not getting anymore data from the device, she had no idea what was going on. All the information she'd collected up until that point was invaluable. Scans showed how the internal power cores absorbed energy from attacks from the Androids, and had shown how their internal mechanical mechanisms worked. Their fighting style and techniques were examined, at least the fat one's, and she'd placed most of the data into a new training algorithm already. They were supposed to be working as a team, as far as she was concerned, and Vegeta had just thrown that away with the scanner.
She'd tried not to get involved in almost everything he did. When he fired the Big Bang Attack in the devastated city, she'd stayed quiet. Not because she didn't feel for anyone who might have been trapped, but because these machines were going to destroy the whole world. The worst-case scenario, was there were going to need to find out where New Namek was to fix this. But now she had no news. There were supposed to be more of those things, at least according to the future fighters.
Tarro had been crying, and she'd had to feed him. Thank goodness she was able to pass him off to her parents after she'd calmed him down. He seemed to really like his grandpa, she suspected that it was the mustache. But either way, she looked over the programs she had analysing the data one more time before sighing and getting up from her desk. Everything was going to be extremely busy today. She had to work out for the next hour, then she had to work on the new project for the training room, then if Vegeta hadn't come back by then she was going to have to deploy a drone to find him and make sure he was alive.
That part stung the most. The idea that he'd been killed had been far away, especially after he'd trashed Android 19, but she had no way of knowing at all what happened. There were some reports that some infrastructure had been annihilated west of the East City Reconstruction Zone, but that was it. She was still waiting for shots from aircraft to see what she knew was the battlefield to identify what she could.
Don't tell me you did something stupid, Vegeta. Please? Just get home. I promise I won't chew you out over the scanner.
Sighing, she looked up at the ceiling before she sighing and headed to the personal gym she'd had installed. She had a complete change of clothes before preparing to do her warmup. She listened for Trunks for a moment from anywhere upstairs, hoping not to hear any screaming of crying. Nothing came up before she sighed, heading to the treadmill. It'd become a habit while in space just to keep her body active to work out every day. It didn't exactly make her able to strong-arm Vegeta, but it helped her clear her head. The hour past more quickly than she imagined, because her mind couldn't get off what was happening.
Finishing up her last reps, Bulma took a shower before getting into a fresh change of clothes, more specifically her work outfit, because despite everything going on, she needed some normalcy.
When she looked out the window for a brief moment, she sighing before getting ready to go. It was then however, that her eyes widened as Vegeta landed in their… her… front yard. The look on his face was trying to be impassive, but he was furious. The thing she noted more was the fact his armour was annihilated, and his right glove was destroyed. The entire undersuit she'd made for him was torn, and what was left was covered in blood splatter. Was it his blood? She couldn't see any injuries, but there were always senzu beans. She didn't know what was going on.
At the faster speed she could run, Bulma took off through the pathways in the Capsule Corporation building, trying to get to the front before Vegeta did anything drastic. He was not taking the ship anywhere, and he wasn't stepping in that training room until they talked. Clearing the front door, she almost skid to a stop when he was walking towards the ship.
"Vegeta!" she shouted, running towards him as quickly as she could. "Vegeta wait!"
The alien stopped and turned his head towards her, his eyes narrowing as he did.
Don't be an asshole, Vegeta.
"What happened?" she asked, catching her breath as she closed with him. "Did you stop the Androids?"
"No," he answered bluntly. "I failed, and so did everyone else. The androids escaped."
Blinking, she was shocked that Vegeta would admit that to her, though every word she could sense the old self-hatred she'd always heard before. Somehow had badly wounded his pride, she could tell. Taking a few steps forward, she cautiously took his hand. He didn't flinch away, but clearly wasn't in a great mood.
"You are getting cleaned up. The dried blood, sweat, and torn rags aren't in fashion right now," she joked lightly. "After that we'll come up with a plan."
"I don't need your help to come up with any plans, Bulma," Vegeta said coolly, withdrawing his hand.
Internally, she sighed before nodding, before he looked at the building briefly. She had a lot of necessary data to help come up with a plan, and she was going to help come up with the plan.
"But I could use new armour…"
"And you need a shower."
When the other figure landed on the grass near them, Bulma turned her head, seeing the future warrior. His own clothing looked pretty torn up before she turned and looked at Vegeta again. The Saiyan stared at the other warrior, this time his entire mood changing to one of dismissiveness and disappointment. She really hoped this teenager wasn't responsible for the backlash.
"Vegeta," he said.
"Get lost, kid."
Vegeta briefly looked at her before looking back at the kid, his ire being apparent before he stepped away from her, walking straight towards the other fighter, getting in his face? The teenager was slightly taller, but wow, did those 2 looked similar. It took her several blinks as she almost felt like blocks were coming together. Before she could come to a conclusion however, things looked like they were about to devolve, just as she heard voices raised.
"I told you I didn't want you around," Vegeta snapped. "And I want you here even less, understand?"
Something snapped as the purple haired boy shoved Vegeta, and Bulma's first thought was to take cover. Even Vegeta seemed stunned as whoever this was stepped forward. When Vegeta rapidly regained his composure, he took a hardened stance, his hands balling into fists.
"I came here to help you, Vegeta!" the teen shouted. "The best part about coming back, I thought, was going to get to know my father, who was supposed to be a strong, proud warrior, and you're just a total bastard! You're not proud, you're just spiteful at GOKU. Nothing else matters to you because you're a small person. You can beat me all you want, but that's not going to change anything."
It all came together. That was Tarro? Her mouth dropped as she realized it in the flash of a moment just as Vegeta prepared to attack, she saw murder in his eyes and suddenly she felt frantic to make whatever this was stop. Why would Vegeta have this kind of relationship with their son? She didn't understand.
"Stop it!"
A visibly angry Vegeta turned to her as soon as she spoke. It almost had a look demanding her to somehow not cover for him, but she didn't want two people fighting and killing each other at her home, she'd had enough of that between Turles and Raditz coming here. This poor kid just looked like someone who needed a shower and probably the first good sleep he'd had in years. He was well built, but she could see the signs of someone who probably had been looking for a meal more often than they should. If this was her son, whether it be from another time or not, she needed to help him.
"Do not interfere," Vegeta shot back.
"Oh? Well excuse me, Vegeta, but I'm not about to have another fight here," she fired back before walking back over to him, staring into his eyes. She wasn't going to be pushed around for no reason. She was on Vegeta's side, but that didn't mean she was on his side without thinking.
The figure across from her stared at them in disbelief, seemingly looking like he was going to try to intervene to help her, but she knew Vegeta wouldn't hurt her. That much she had for a certainty now.
"Go have a shower," she told Vegeta. "Then we'll eat, then we'll figure something out, alright?"
He didn't budget and Bulma sighed, stepping past him, putting her hand out. The boy looked at it before looking at her, reaching out himself, taking it cautiously, looking at her and then Vegeta.
"Hey, my name's Bulma," she introduced. "Let's get you something to eat, and you definitely need a shower too. What's your name?"
"Trunks," he answered. "And thank you."
When she heard him say the name, she felt her heart pound in her chest as she recognized it immediately.
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Turles:
The world below slid past him, the horizon pulling towards him as where he had been was left behind. The familiar journey to the Son household was as per usual, permeated with silence, though he suspected that was more abnormal than usual. His nephew was flying along side of him, his face almost unreadable, though Turles could see the concern in his eyes when he bothered to turn back and look at him. Pulling himself back to be level with the other fighter, he looked to his right. This was the first time he'd really had an opportunity to speak with him without it devolving into a fight.
The 'dream' he'd experienced while dying had its own set of issues, especially with his father being silent. Who the Hell was that old Namek? That was the best question he could bring to the fore, but he doubted his nephew knew. For now, he could only look at the man his nephew had become, and was fascinated, if only because he didn't understand how his nephew became who this man was. Then again, he didn't exactly know what lead to that, outside of the death of all the adult warriors on the planet.
"What?" Gohan asked, his tone already tested.
"So, what are going to tell your mother?" he asked after a moment. "I mean, the resemblance is too obvious for Ox to work."
Their flight stopped almost immediately as Gohan froze. Halting his own flight to match him, Turles crossed his arms as he looked back at him.
"If the face wasn't the dead giveaway, the being a Saiyan is next, followed by the clothes. Not that I think this attire is in any way acceptable. I don't know how Kakarot could wear this all the time. Well, I don't know how you and Kakarot could wear this all the time…"
"Look, I don't know you, understand? And you don't know me," Gohan put up. "In my time, my dad and I never met, whatever you are. You look for weaknesses in everyone around you and exploit them to undermine their confidence. I've seen what you do now, twice. You create that chaos on purpose."
Well, isn't this kid observant? I can definitely see how this is the kid.
There was a genuine smile on his part before he clapped several times for him. It was like hopping in a time machine and seeing the future. For his counterpart, it was like seeing the past, because it was.
"Clever, you're the first one to make that observation aloud," Turles said honestly. "My interests diverge from the rest of these fighters significantly, in the long run."
He could see the disdain that came his way almost resonating from his counterpart, which was expected. Still, he was sure that it would subside in time, after all, Turles was on his side. Both the younger son of Kakarot, and the elder.
"So, you're an asshole to everyone, undermine their insecurities, and destabilize them? For what? For what grand scheme?" he asked. "Really. Insulting the dead, driving my friend to chase after Vegeta, because you're a complete idiot. What did that do?"
Smirking, he shook his finger before giving him a curved look, turning his head to the side almost arrogantly. Helping drive Trunks into Vegeta's sphere was exactly what he wanted, because Vegeta didn't want that. Insulting the humans was a pastime, on the other hand. It wasn't exactly time for him to start divulging trade secrets to his nephew however. The Namek had proven stronger than the androids, it was only a matter of time before they dealt with them, now it was down to the strategic game. For Turles, that was playing Vegeta against the others, and if that was his shameful alternate son, or Kakarot, or even himself, that didn't matter. He'd learned all too well that there was value in allies.
And there was value in dividing his enemies.
"It did what I wanted, suffice to say. But I'm not really interested in talking about me, let's talk about you," Turles said with a glimmer of cunning. "You achieved the goal on your own?"
"I don't need to tell you anything," Gohan responded bluntly.
Ah, the consequence of playing the game as well as he did was showing through. It was understandable, but he did raise his hand before smiling, almost apologetically.
"Forgive me if I'm intruding, nephew, but I'm only trying to find out because I aim to help my nephew achieve the goal, if I can."
"You don't want that, that'd be another powerful player, and I can tell you're not interested in that," Gohan fired back at him, proving he'd misunderstood the play entirely.
A dead serious configuration of facial movements took place over Turles's features while he looked at the harsh Saiyan in front of him. How much of his hand to reveal?
"Wrong," he answered. "You don't fully understand my objectives, which is fine. But let me say that blood is thicker than water, nephew. We're only having this conversation because I wanted to understand how my nephew became the powerful warrior that fought Cooler almost to a stand still, and killed Frieza."
"Pain," Gohan answered. "If you're a Super Saiyan, you know pain and power are the biggest catalysts to what turns someone into a Super Saiyan. You can guess what drove me to turn into what I am. You don't need me to spell it out for you."
"Testy," Turles responded. "Here I thought we were having a pleasant conversation."
"We're not," Gohan answered, leading to a frown on Turles's part.
"If you've survived against those things back there for any protracted period, you've proven that you are your father's son," he pointed out to Gohan. "That pain is what's given you the strength to overcome. We've all felt it. My nephew here has faced a great deal of adversity, as I'm sure you did. You were lucky to have Raditz and Piccolo for as long as you did in your time, even if I never made it to the scene…"
It wasn't flattery. It was important to reveal enough of yourself to someone you wanted to ally with. Perhaps it was being driven by emotional decision making on his part, but he trusted Gohan, even this one. Even if the kid had recently ratted out where he lived. Which he was still angry about, mind you, but not enough to not look past it.
"Raditz? That monster tried to kill me in my time," Gohan responded seriously. "Or at the very least abduct me. Piccolo and my dad killed him, and dad died in the process."
Blinking, Turles squarely looked at his blood relatively to look for the lie. No, he wasn't kidding, was he? So, he only had the Namek looking out for him? And he was guessing he was dead. That was an interesting realisation, now wasn't it? Yes, he could see it now. In his world he didn't have any Saiyan influence, certainly not from his father, and certainly not from Vegeta. A Saiyan without a people to call back to.
"In your time, neither Raditz or myself were there?" he asked without expecting an answer. "I won't pry as to what was that different."
Even the death which Bardock had shown him must not have occurred then? That was even more fascinating, wasn't it? Where did that leave him in the cosmic foosteps of life in that world? Questions were posed that he didn't have an answer to, which was more than fine. He didn't want endless questions, what he really wanted was to bring this Gohan on-side.
"It won't work, you know," Gohan responded. "I know what you're doing. You're trying to manipulate me. Just like you've been manipulating everyone, I'm sure for years."
Would he call it manipulation? In this instance? That was hard to tell, at least for him. Now wasn't the time to fight over it. Still, he had to give this one points in the brain department. He caught on quicker than any of the humans or Kakarot ever did, which was another example of how he thought this was truly Gohan when they met.
Turles wasn't one to share, not often, anyway. It was best to keep secrets to yourself, rather than spread them around, but he quietly decided to make a decision then. Even if this one was going to be pitted against him, he decided it was best to leave his options open.
"You really do have an acute vision for what some of the others don't see, but I will say this, you're not wholly correct. My nephew and his wellbeing are very important to me, and I wanted to see if I was going to extend my hand to you, if you want to know the truth."
"I wouldn't think someone like you is very familiar with the truth."
"I'm not," Turles answered bluntly.
"Then why exactly do you think you can get away with what you do? You're not a friend to anyone here. I know you're not, my first trip back confirmed that. My second trip back, now, has only further confirmed it. None of them trust you, and they shouldn't. If you're going to say we're family, I should just work with you, then you're nuts. My uncle Raditz showed me how much family is worth to you people. My life's shown me you're not worth following around."
That was enough then, nodding, Turles turned to continue their journey, disappointed, but not demoralized. Not everything worked out, not every time. He had a track record of not having things work out, even, but that never meant giving up on his broad goals.
"Why exactly do you think because you manipulated my younger self here, that you could manipulate me? I'm not a child."
"I look out for my nephew here," Turles answered simply.
"Why? Because he's a useful pawn against my father?" Gohan asked.
Sharp.
But there was one other fact that he'd normally kept to himself, one that was true regardless of his broader objectives or ideas. The kid was probably the only living thing on this planet he might call a friend. It was more than a little ironic that the Namekian and his elder brother both looked out for the kid as well. It was more than interesting to him though, that it was Vegeta who his nephew couldn't forgive, his malice had been too much when he'd tried to kill the boy.
I'm glad I beat that son of a bitch.
"If you believe that's the only reason, then you've clearly forgotten who you were," Turles said casually, before the flight resumed.
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Vegeta:
The woman of course, now knew what he knew. That had created more than an awkward scenario for him to walk to once he emerged from the shower. The boy was still picking out new clothes, apparently, but there was a look of betrayal of Bulma's face while she stared at him, clearly having waited for him to emerge. Trying his best to ignore it, Vegeta tried to walk past, but she side stepped into his path, crossing her arms as she did. There was an expectation for an explanation, but he was doing his best not to comply.
"I need to get past you," Vegeta said, briefly making eye contact before looking ahead.
"Trunks?" she asked bluntly. "And you'd met him before? You knew everything that was going to happen?"
"No," Vegeta answered honestly. "I only knew I met a Super Saiyan from the future named Trunks, who happened to lose to Frieza's family, and be so weak he couldn't survive on his own. I later found out he was my son, but that was all."
The disappointment in his tone wasn't hidden, and he otherwise gestured for her to move aside.
"Look at him, Vegeta, are you crazy? Look where he comes from. Isn't the future supposed to be a nightmare where the Androids have destroyed the world? What do you expect from him?"
"I expected him to be stronger. Worse, he's a coward, all he knows to do is run away. That's the reason he's here in the first place. He ran to the past hoping we could stop the Androids for him. Then he has the audacity to intervene in my fight, multiple times. Now he's coming here to intervene here too. I don't want him around. That boy isn't my son. Now get out of the way, Bulma."
The woman closed her eyes, seemingly irritated with him more than ever before she opened them, her expression morphing to furious.
"Well maybe you could actually teach him a thing or two, instead of shitting on him and trying to assault him on my parent's property, you idiot! That kid also happens to be my son too, if you haven't forgotten!"
"Be glad he's not our son. He's the son of some weakling," Vegeta told her bluntly.
He didn't expect her to understand at all, the humans valued family much more than Saiyans did. Family was only of value in their culture once you'd proven your strength. Despite being a Super Saiyan, Trunks had proven himself to be the lesser of every challenge he faced, both in the future, and now.
"Well I'm letting him stay here until you two go off again."
"I am not going anywhere with that fool," Vegeta stated bluntly. "I can't have him holding me back. Things have changed. There is a gulf of power between myself and…"
"Vegeta," Bulma said slowly. "Just please give him a chance. Or at the very least don't attack him. I've barely had a few words with him and even I know he's an important person. He's not just some kid, it's not even that he's our kid. He reminds me of you, Vegeta."
That was something he immediately took issue with. Leaning against the wall, crossing his own arms, he glared at her, openly. Things had been going so well between the two of them too, and then she had to bring this up. Acting as if he was somehow responsible for this brat was not something which he was interested in. Especially when the brat had thrown Kakarot in his face. Already his tolerance had been at its very limits before the kid decided he needed Kakarot.
"He's a failure," Vegeta responded back. "I am not a failure."
"Look, he's had a hard life, Vegeta…"
A frustrated snarl slowly curled along his lip as the woman tried to placate everyone. It was very human, and even if she was doing it with the intention of helping, she didn't understand, and couldn't.
"My entire family was killed," Vegeta said back bluntly, not looking for anything even approaching sympathy. "My mother, my father, my little brother. The entirety of my planet was destroyed, and then I was placed in the tender care of Frieza. I have no excuses for who I am. I am my destiny. Whatever that mistake over there says to himself, he's no son of mine. All he has to show for himself is failure. Now, I am going to move around you, I am going to eat, and then I am going to find out how to become stronger because there are still those things out here."
As if on cue, the kid had rounded on the corner. Good, maybe he'd stop being a nuisance now and realize that he didn't want him there. The only thing that Bulma gave him however, not the boy, but him, was a look of pity. He didn't fully understand why as she looked over to Trunks, as if to somehow say there was something in common between them.
That wretch has nothing in common with me.
"I think if you've never beaten Goku, and that's been your whole life goal, that lines up with failure, Vegeta."
The woman was almost waving her arms and silently mouthing to the boy as he deliberately picked the fight with him Bulma had tried to avoid. Looking squarely at him, Vegeta unfolded his arms, visibly he was calm but inside there was a storm of rage forming as he looked at his counterpart.
Pointing towards the door, Vegeta implied that the boy should head out of it. There was the implication as well that he'd not be far behind. That couldn't go unanswered.
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Future Gohan:
There it was. The home he'd left so long ago. The one he left his mother behind in, all alone, in order to try and save the world. Inside that home was the memory of his father dying in his bed, clutching his heart weakly and just… expiring. It was a homecoming he never expected to have to make, not really. It was the same as the day he left it, and the same as the days he grew up in it. It hurt to see it.
Despite not enjoying being in the company of his father's double, there was one thing he said to him that stuck. He'd forgotten who he was. He didn't know why, but it resonated within himself. Apparently in this world, Piccolo, his dad, Turles, and Raditz all were looking out for him? That was just bizarre to hear. He couldn't imagine it, even. It didn't take long for him not to have to imagine it.
Turles dropped to the ground first, zipping towards the hill outside of his home, the door opened to the house and he… well, the younger him, quickly moved out.
"Unlce Turles! I sensed what happened? Did you win?" he asked. "I sensed you and Vegeta's powers go down really far, and Piccolo!'
"I'll explain the battle itself later," Turles said bluntly while the elder Gohan made his way down to the surface. "For now, apparently we have a job."
"We need to move your dad," 'Ox' said to the young Saiyan. "The Androids are still out there, and we aren't sure what they're going to do next, but killing Goku's high on their list, and they saw through Turles eventually."
Rolling his eyes, Turles looked at him, smirking as he did before he turned back to Gohan.
"So, we've got a couple options, and we can choose either an extremely stupid set, or we can choose smart," he said. "The dumb option would be to take him to a known associate, like that old fool's island, or to Vegeta's woman's place."
That wasn't going to be where he proposed anyway, though Gohan was inclined to think Master Roshi's was definitely out of the way. Still, where else could they take him? That ruled out almost everywhere they could take him. Unless they just took him to some stranger's house somewhere, but that wasn't exactly going to be very bright either, police reports, lots of noise and attention…
"The smart option would be to take him to your place," Gohan said, taking a moment to deduce it. "You've shown open hostility for Goku, and Dr. Gero doesn't actually know who you are, or didn't, meaning that his information on you is extremely lax."
The elder Gohan blinked as he listened to Gohan realize Turles's plan, and before he did. Looking at Turles, he saw a genuine smile on the other Saiyan's face before he ruffled his younger self's head.
"Very good, that's the right play," he confirmed, while attempting to put the other item to rest, before looking up at the door. "How is your mother?"
"She's not taking it the best," Gohan confirmed with him. "I don't think dad's been doing well, he keeps screaming out in pain, even after we given him the medication he just seems to calm down before he starts spasming again."
Yea, he knew all about it. When he saw his dad die like that, it'd taken him three days as his conditions got worse. The look his mom had when he finally expired was one of the saddest things he'd ever seen in his life. It was even sadder than when he found Piccolo and Krillin… after the androids.
"Gohan!" came from inside the house. "The food's getting cold. Come get it now, I need to get back to your father."
There she was, he could hear her. He didn't even want to step inside the building. There was too much going on for this to be put on top of all of that. There were the androids, Trunks trying desperately to get something out of Vegeta other than his contempt. His father was his father dying of a heart virus he thought he'd cured for him. Then there were these other players, including this one.
He changed his scales as soon as he'd started talking to his younger self, he seemed thoughtful and attentive. So, the question became to Gohan at that moment… who was the real Turles? The cruel monster who mocked the death of Yamcha and harassed Trunks into making a terrible decision, or the one who was seemingly trying to look after his nephew, and even asked about the well-being of his mother? He was inclined to think it was the former, but he really just didn't expect to see this.
"I could use a meal before we go," Turles said before heading towards the door.
His younger self started following before he turned to look at him, and so did Turles.
"Are you coming, Ox?" he asked. "We'll have enough for everyone."
Even if it meant hiding for only a few more minutes, Gohan knew the answer to the question already. Shaking his head, he raised a hand.
"No, I'll start seeing about getting ready to move your dad, I'll see what capsules I've got on hand. We don't want to disturb him too much for the flight."
When the pair of them turned and went inside, Gohan pulled out the capsules from his gi. Going over what was on hand, he finally found a basic transport jet. It should be big enough to take everyone who wanted to fly on board, and Turles. In a puff of smoke, the vehicle appeared, and Gohan walked towards the old tree stump they used to cut wood on, carefully taking his seat on it, staring at the building.
There was a part of him that knew what would happen if his mom had much proximity to him. His cover was going to be blown, and probably quickly. He really didn't want it revealed, especially to his younger self. That was a pretty weird thing for both of them, and he'd rather his younger self not have to deal with it.
Maybe if she just focused on his dad and his health, he'd be able to skirt past without what he was afraid of.
Knowing his luck though, he doubted that was coming…
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Turles:
The look on Chi-Chi's face when she saw him was one of complete shock, obviously briefly believing him to be her dying husband. Wearing Kakarot's clothes certainly didn't help, and he couldn't wait until he could get dressed in either a combat suit, or an actual suit. It was critically important to either be comfortable, in authority, or both. Right now, dressed in this peasant's attire, he felt like a fool.
Of course, the elation and surprise on behalf of his sister-in-law turning to ash was hardly what he'd wanted either, though he expected it within seconds when she looked like she was about to round the corner from the kitchen to grab him.
"Kakarot's in his bed," he was quick to point out, noticing Gohan looking at his mother and nodding as well. "I just happen to have survived fighting the killer machines."
The was a strange pain he didn't fully grasp that quietly set in for her, before she looked back at the door which undoubtably contained the infected. There was a pause for several seconds before she turned around, looking at him with a controlled smile, even if there was some relief apparent.
"So, you won?" She asked.
"Not exactly," Turles responded, rubbing where the hole had been blown in his chest before giving a half smirk. "The Namek won, but apparently the Androids are still out there. It's not much of a concern however, the Namekian will crush the remainder as soon as he finds them."
And it was the truth, they were not match for him. The next time this fight occurred, he suspected casualties would be much higher than just some human peon. Most notably, he expected many more of the Androids themselves, to die. What was important was making sure he wasn't one of the dead, and making sure he came out the other side in a position to succeed. The Namek was someone who could be overcome, no mountain was too high, not for his kind. Kakarot would be fighting madly to get there, and he was sure Vegeta's ego was already in free fall, causing a kind of mental break where he was going to try and keep his position at the top by any means. That was the new set, the new game to be played in the post-Android world.
A world which he expected to see within a month, at most two months.
"Namekian?" she asked, before thinking for a moment. "Piccolo? Piccolo won?"
"Wow! Piccolo's power was really that big? He must have been incredible!" Gohan shouted, sounding excited, when Turles cast a glare down at him, his nephew became more muted.
"Yes, the Namekian was the one, Piccolo, as it was. Unfortunately, the Androids aren't dead, and want to kill 'Goku', so we're going to have to be moving everyone here to a safer location."
There was a gigantic man, trying to fit himself down a corridor as he fumbled towards him.
"Wow, Chi-Chi wasn't lying when she said you looked just like him!" the giant exclaimed.
For a human, he's enormous.
"Turles, this is my father, the Ox King," she said, gesturing to the enormous human.
"He really does look just like Goku, doesn't he?"
It was everything for Turles not to scowl at the remark, instead, keeping a placid look on his face.
Something clicked immediately as Turles smirked upon hearing the name of her father. Ox wasn't a very clever name for his future friend to have, it appeared. What a dead giveaway upon any scrutiny. Which also presented a new, unique issue which he'd so far not chosen to bring up. How to deal with the fact that there were two Gohans, and one didn't want to be perceived as the other? That presented an interesting challenge, and Turles knew that the woman was going to see through him in seconds, the resemblance alone was too much.
"We were just about to eat; would you like to join us? I'll have to get Goku his portion afterwards, it's hard for him, right now…"
Giving the half smile again, Turles nodded, sitting down to eat, choosing to keep his silence when possible, and choosing to not devour his food in the barbaric ways Saiyans were best known for, though he was still eating at a pace faster than most humans. Chi-Chi smiled at him while enjoying her own plate, clearly thankful for not sitting across from someone pigging out at the table. Turles preferred to strike a different pose than his counterparts. He'd seen Raditz and Vegeta eat as well, but there was something powerful about being in control. That was something he'd learned all too well given his errors when losing that control.
Ironically, the one moment he truly lost control since those lessons, Turles had manifested the power of a Super Saiyan…
Finishing his plate long after Gohan had, he looked towards Kakarot's father-in-law and gave him a forced half smile.
"By chance, Ox King, could you and my nephew see to Kakarot? I have an issue to discuss with my sister-in-law."
The giant looked towards his daughter while Gohan looked at him, his composure changed as soon as he spoke to Gohan, turning towards command, rather than request.
"Go with your grandfather, you need to prepare Kakarot for his journey," he said bluntly before putting back on his friendly demeanour. "Besides, we're heading to my place, and I doubt the Androids will find him there."
The woman looked at him questioningly before smiling at both of them and nodding. Her own friendly mask slipped as she looked at him seriously, clearly not interested in pleasantries, which was interesting. The masks the humans wore were often hard to decipher, though he'd become much better at reading them the longer he'd been on this world. He let himself be serious, keeping a friendly, but impartial look as he picked up his plates, taking them to the kitchen, much to the near shock of his counterpart.
"I'll get the dishes later," she said, blinking in some kind of disbelief before catching her words. "What is it?"
Walking back towards the table, Turles just looked towards the window before looking back at her.
"The transportation aircraft out there was created to transport Kakarot. As I mentioned, we're going to my home, as the Androids didn't know I existed, they won't know where he is, not right away," he explained simply. "There is another guest you have. You should probably meet him on your own first, without the others here."
There was a look of concern before Turles rolled his eyes.
"He's not a threat, he's weaker than me, by some degree. He's from the future, he's the one who brought the Heart Medicine."
If her father was a King, that would make Chi-Chi human royalty, which meant her lifestyle here as a homemaker was almost a kind of shame. Kakarot took a princess and put her in a kitchen? Not that he recognized human nobility, but even for him that was bizarre. Subsistence farming as a means of survival, with training all day otherwise? That was Kakarot's paradise? What an insult he'd forged to their people and even to his spouse.
Rising from the table, Chi-Chi approached the door with him at her flank. This was his good will for the week. Firstly, he was about to receive a better portrayal from his brother's wife. Not only was he going to put up Kakarot in his own home, he was going to unite her with her son from the future, and be a gentleman the entire time about it. His younger nephew was going to be under his wing, and he was about to make an ally, or as close of an ally as possible, from Kakarot's future boy.
It was all about putting the pieces into place, because while they were here, he did not need all of the other Super Saiyans rallied against him. With some luck, he might even be able to manipulate Kakarot into being the one to fight Vegeta first once the machines were gone.
Outside was colder, the sun having set in the distance, only its last glimmers of light coming over the horizon. The trees gently swayed at the hint of a breeze, and the sound of the nearby stream faintly broke any silence outside. Briefly, Turles looked to the half-shrouded sky, his eyes seeing the faintest beginnings of stars.
He noticed Chi-Chi stopped walking, looking up herself for a moment before walking towards the transport…
Then a figure emerged from the back of the transport. He was dressed in a pair of jeans? There was some strange t-shirt he had on, plus a leather jacket. Where was his fighter gi? Something was happening and Turles instinctively didn't like it. Anything that disrupted his expectations was not what he had in mind.
"Hey," the young man said nervously, walking towards them, reaching out his hand to shake Chi-Chi's hand.
She blinked, her eyes examining him from every angle, sensing the familiarity as she took his hand.
"Good to meet you, I'm Collar," GOHAN said, alarm bells were going off in Turles's mind as the other Saiyan stared at him. "Hey dad."
"I'm not Kakarot," Turles said, his voice edging on the dangerous.
"I know, you're Turles, my dad."
It was then that Turles realized that Gohan had made a play he'd not taken into account for. He'd made his own plans, and those were now interfering with his. If he called him out, he'd embarrass the boy and potentially upset Chi-Chi for doing so once she calmed down. Gohan clearly didn't want his mother to know, and burning the bridge would be a mistake. If he didn't call him out, he looked like the proud father of some human bastard from some unknown point in the future.
You little shit.
"Yes, Collar, is my son," Turles said stiffly. "I wanted you to meet him before we loaded Kakarot on the plane."
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Author's Notes:
Big Raditz Chapter coming up next, mixed with Trunks and Vegeta.
I'm posting this guy early this week, just because of the lax updates lately. Though I'm not sure if an update will come next weekend, it might come the week after, it depends on how much progress I make. Unfortunately, the cast of the Earth's Defenders in this timeline definitely seem poised to devour themselves, rather than deal with the Androids… sad, lol.
Funnily enough, even though Turles and Vegeta hold Goku in varying levels of disdain, the entire enterprise really needs Goku to work. He keeps everyone focused, and kind of acts as a rallying point. He's the only one who can really do it while Gohan's this young. Maybe if Gohan was older, he could 'rally' everyone, per say, but now there are so many opposed motivations. Hell, it's one reason poor Goku feels like he's constantly dealing with these idiots, lol.
Big responses to Reviewers this time, just due to the delays and wanting to give some clarity, have a fun read!
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Reviewers:
Pyromania101: That hurts dog, lol.
Mouse from Hell: Oh 100%. They're immediately back at one another's throats. They have a team dynamic like a pack of bears, lol. Turles is playing along with Piccolo right now, but as this chapter proves, he's internally not pleased that he's above them, and wants to work to rectify that as soon as the Androids are dealt with. He's a longer-term planner than Vegeta, who is much more short-term in his thinking.
Super Mystic Gohan: They have high expectations, given that all of the Saiyans can do it except Raditz, lmao.
Perfect Carnage: I hope I live long enough to complete these, lmao.
Ultimate Savior: I mean, mentally unwell, certainly, but that's 90% of the time, lol.
Thomas-The-TMC: I think Turles has a big role in the story because the character kind of made his own space. It's kind like Vegeta in the real story, certain personalities just being ambitious and interesting tend to carve a role for themselves. And because this can divert into it, here are some fun things that changed during the planning process for much of the story.
A Fun Few Notes for Everyone:
A lot of my plans shifted in the Frieza Saga, prior to 4th Form Frieza. I've been running on the framework I came up with during the Frieza Saga ever since, some plans have been adjusted slightly, but by and large the system's been in place since Frieza beat Great Ape Turles. Originally, Raditz was going to kill Turles on Namek, lmao. Then I planned for Goku to kill Turles. Oh, then there was a plan for Vegeta and Turles to be 'allies', and allow that to extend beyond Namek, but that was scrapped when I realized Turles was too manipulative for Vegeta to ever get along with, and because he's such a huge asshole to Bulma. Slug was going to appear on Earth before Frieza, and be weaker. Raditz was supposed to become a Super Saiyan much sooner, prior to Vegeta, though I had no justification for it. I'd originally wanted to keep Nappa alive, until I decided to kill of Violet, and realized Raditz wouldn't let that happen. Lemme think… is there any other fun trivia… Oh, the Trio were originally going to appear in the Android Saga, and Android 22 was going to be Android 12, and 21, 23, and 24 weren't going to be a thing. I'd decided to change that before FighterZ came out, but it gave me a perfect way to introduce the changes I wanted, and still use a more established character. I tend to avoid OC's for the most part, and even though 22 and 23 aren't who they were in life, they're also not fully OC's as well. Most of my Buu Saga plans remain intact, though I've changed a few vital elements, and I'm unsure if I'm going to keep one of the bigger side-plots in it, just due to casting. Oh, and Cell's arc is up in the air to how similar it'll be to the original story, I have 2 pathways I could go, but I'm not sure it'll unfold in anything resembling the same way, just due to how different everything is. Oh, also, there was going to be a fight between Cooler, Trunks, and Vegeta after the Cell Saga, which is not happening anymore, and Garlic was originally slated to become Kid Buu's master in his own Saga, and attempt to use him to get revenge (this ain't happening anymore, lmao), but Long Road Garlic was one of my favourite villains to write, so I decided to scrap that and give him something more unique. There are three major plots he might get; I've not decided on which one to choose yet. Every major Catalyst will get their moment, but King Piccolo, even if he's not the last Catalyst to be dealt with necessarily, will have a major Saga and moment built around him. He's the true villain of the story to his core.
Now then, back to reviews.
Blades of Fury: I wanted 17 and 18 to be very different, just like in the show, and it came through I think with Piccolo's fight with 17. I'd argue that 18, even at her most evil, is a bit more empathetic than 17, hence why she promised to spare the shopkeep who helped her with clothes, and 17 arbitrarily killed them.
Maximussj: Turles is smart enough to realize he can win without being the strongest, that's something that really only he and Raditz have fully clicked in. He's had to learn that since his BaseForm Bully phase ended. I'd argue that the two best tacticians in the Z fighters right now, are Piccolo and Turles, followed by Raditz. But I'd argue that Goku is the complete package. Others might excel at certain things over Kakarot, but Goku is the best at thinking on the fly, adapting, and being an overall superior fighter. Can't outthink them? He can outfight them. Can't outfight them? He can outthink them, or just have the will to go on. Vegeta's probably the best at focusing his ki. Vegeta and Goku are probably the best scrappers amongst the big players.
RedHunter87: He's not brooding yet, he's too angry at others at the moment, lmao.
Jo: Thanks!
Guest1: Raditz suspects more than anything, but he's pretty sure. Turles 100% knows. Poor Gero, he's wondering why things went so wrong, and how he ended up being almost a slave to his own creations. Turles also, knows knowledge is power. He also knows he might sound crazy, if he tells everyone he talks to his dead dad who none of them meets, and that some Namekian was holding him hostage, lmao.
Guest2/3: Ding Ding on Turles being the King Piccolo to Goku. I definitely had that mirror in mind. Goku and Turles together are the same being, that's even why I had it that Bardock had been trying to reach Goku for years, but the headtrauma changed his mind enough that he wasn't able to be contacted, no matter how much Bardock focused. Turles was unchanged, so he picked up on Bardock's messaging. Hell, in a story I was going to write called Utopia, Turles and Kakarot were going to be twins working with Vegeta, Raditz, and Nappa, and they were totally the same. But Turles is slowly changing, and changing more than Kakarot is. Trunks worldview doesn't change much… until Chapter 92, that is. :(
Zyr0TruthCanExist: Stay safe, you're on the front line. Thanks for all you do, sincerely. But also, Raditz is not beating Perfect Cell. He's not climbing to the top of the mountain, it's just not his role in the story. As a character he's not really able to. Logistically it just can't work. He's got a couple of HUGE fights coming up, and people will be shocked by what he pulls off, but he's not going to be the strongest, or first to Super Saiyan II.
DarkFalconZ: Oh neat! Well, I'm glad I ironically made that connection, lmao.
Luke: Oh yes, they all have insecurities. It makes them all so much fun to write, and totally dysfunctional, lmao. And yep, you're on the money, Turles did lash out at the others to try and shield the fact he's not the strongest, and that got his ass kicked, and if it weren't for the others, he'd be dead.
NotRob: Turles cares about the future of his species, not just biologically, but culturally. Even if he's self-interested, he wants his vision of what the Saiyans were to survive, and he sees imparting that on his family as being important, even if he hates Kakarot. Part of the reason he hates him, is because Goku isn't that, at all.
TheItchyCocoon: Two-Faced-Snake, that is pretty accurate to Turles. Every motive he has seems to be ulterior, lmao. It's more the computer onboard Violet's corpse, is learning from the memories of its host body. The only thing coming out of Violet is screams in the afterlife as she burns in Hell. Harsh, but true. Trunks has finally had enough and has called Vegeta out, probably the worst way he can.
Red Power: 1000% foolish, lol. Trunks is getting a whole new level of experience fighting not-machines. Oh, Turles would have 100% annihilated Trunks, so would Vegeta… .… .…. Yep, 22, 23, and 24 were all soldiers in some form, and are way more pragmatic in how they approach things, they're more 'machine', but there is an arc here... ;)
AquarianKing: Oh, they absolutely do, it's going to be based on circumstances if they get close or not. So much is happening it's hard to tell, these chapters really have a big focus on Raditz, Turles, Vegeta, and the Androids (of all stripes) coming up, so we'll see.
Cra: Piccolo is 100% a smart fighter, but he doesn't use Kaioken, he uses his understood adaptation of it, which is less efficient, but Goku helped him enough that he's able to multiply it now. As the story goes on, he'll have more opportunities to expand on that.
Saiyan85: I think there is a quote here somewhere...
"OH, I'm sorry. I'm usually far more composed. I'm just a little bit Absolutely livid."