Author's Notes: What happened if Shenron did a better job granting the revival wish during the Namek Saga? What if the ripples from that made Gohan more proactive and obscured events further? This first chapter will have a good bit of dialogue and events taken from the series' dub itself until the ripples from the change become large enough. I will try to tone down the more overt '90s slang though. This may well become Gohan x harem eventually.
I've also made two edits: One to correct Piccolo and Nail's power levels to 1.8 million, and another to make Gohan facing Nappa Piccolo's idea. As such, the end of the chapter has been extended and improved. Please re-read.
Dragon Ball Z: Divergence
Chapter 01: Home from Namek
December 24, Age 762
A Forest Clearing on Earth
It had been a taxing day for the members of the Dragon Team and for the Namekian race. The deaths of the latter had been reversed by the former with some assistance from King Kai, Kami, Dende, and the Grand Elder Guru. Everyone killed by Frieza and his henchmen in the past year had been revived, and everyone alive on planet Namek save for two combatants had been brought to Earth. The Super Saiyan had risen against the galactic tyrant and even now they battled on the dying world that was Namek. Now safely on Earth and close to his natural death, Lord Guru had called for the whole of his children to join him. He and various others were surprised when several Namekians ran to the assembled group with urgency. "They're not here!" The leader of the group stated with worry.
"Who's not here?" Moori asked of the approaching group.
"W-We've looked everywhere and we can't seem to find anyone from Guru's village!" The first Namekian from the returning group stated.
"But, that can't be..." Another Namekian said in concern as the group became confused.
"Are you talking about those pathetic villagers I defeated?" Vegeta said in response to the query, all eyes shifting to him "I believe the Dragon Balls brought back everyone who had been killed by Frieza or his henchmen. Isn't that right? Well that doesn't include me. How very sad." Vegeta said that sarcastically, knowing that he'd cast aside Frieza fully when he rebelled on Frieza Planet 79. He hadn't considered himself serving Frieza in any capacity after that point. He didn't truly care about the sadness of the situation, but he relished the glares and clenched fists of the Namekians.
The focus Vegeta had brought upon himself was diverted from by the Namekian Dragon Balls falling from the sky. "Ah. The Dragon Balls have followed me to this place. They too feel the time is right for me to go." Guru noted, aware that his time is near. He started having a coughing fit, alarming his children.
"Wait, Guru! We need you now!" One of the Namekians called out. Guru smiled, however, breathing heavily.
"Aww...no...You are all so much stronger than you realize. It is a tough road ahead, but we are a race of survivors. You will make it." He said with a smile. "M-Moori." He called to his first-born son. The village elder in in question stepped forward obediently.
"Y-Yes?" Moori inquired in puzzlement.
"Please. Give me your hand." When Moori obliged, a golden aura was transferred to him and the crowd stared in awe. "You...are the eldest now. Please take good care of all our people. Soon, the Dragon Balls will sparkle again. Use them, but use them wisely. Watch over them. Guard them like children."
Gohan pondered the matter as he watched and sensed Guru weaken, feeling saddened that the kind Namekian would die with a measure of grief. He could sense East City having returned and even sensed Nappa's presence, so why hadn't the Namekians come back? All just because of an oversight with the wish's wording? There had to be a way to solve this! The boy analyzed the situation as Guru leaned forward with labored coughing. Getting an idea and knowing he had to act quickly, he urgently turned to Bulma.
"Bulma, please! How long is a Namekian year? I need to know before Guru passes on!" The urgency made everyone look to him in a bit of surprise, not just the blue-haired scientist.
"Huh? About 130 Earth days. Why do you need to know that, Gohan?" Bulma asked, wondering what the kid was thinking.
Gohan smiled widely. "Well, if their Dragon Balls are coming back and recharge that fast, I think we can bring back the Namekians that Vegeta killed too!"
Bulma looked puzzled, the woman showing confusion before getting a sad expression. The kid was getting ahead of himself trying to find hope in the situation. "That's a nice thought, Gohan, but their Dragon Balls can only bring back one person at a time, right? That'd work, but it'd take them years to wish them back one at a time." She'd been listening to the conversations playing out and the telling of lore very carefully. This limitation was why only Piccolo had made it back out of their group thus far.
"I know, but listen! Our Dragon Balls were used to bring back Dad, but Porunga recharged them before the year was up when Piccolo and Kami were brought back to life, right? So if we recharge Earth's Dragon Balls again with one of the wishes to Porunga in 130 days, then we can wish back everyone Vegeta killed with Shenron!" Bulma had listened with her eyes widening gradually as Gohan spoke. The implications of Gohan's idea clicked in her own mind as being sound.
"Hey, you're right! We can still wish back all the remaining Namekians that way! Great thinking, Gohan!" Bulma beamed at the clever child. Normally Gohan would have looked at the ground shyly at Bulma's praise, but there was a sense of urgency as he turned and looked up to Guru. This nice man who had helped unlock his power and make all of this possible. Guru was, in spite of the front he was putting up, still grieving.
"I'm sorry if I'm intruding, sir. I just wanted you to know before you go...things will be okay. Even for the ones you've lost. We can still save them!" Gohan tried to be respectful but felt it important for Guru to pass on without mourning his lost children.
The elder pondered the child's words before giving him a weak but earnest smile. "Thank you, young one. You are indeed correct. They can still be revived in that manner. However...your idea will only work with some preparation. As for your own lost ones, Porunga is capable of bringing back a person from death many times as long as it was not a natural death. You have done much for us and promise more...we should be more than willing to respond in kind." Gohan's more determined expression became a very wide smile, but this quickly faded when the elder leaned over and started to cough. This alarmed his children, but he soon started speaking once more. "Dende, please come here. I need your healing gift to buy me...just a little more time. I must speak with this world's Guardian. I need to see Katas' other son. The one they know as Kami."
"Y-yes! Of course, Lord Guru!" Dende said, approaching and laying his hands on the patriarch of the Namekian race. After a healing light washed over Guru, he seemed to improve marginally. Reaching out with his telepathy, he spoke to the Guardian of Earth.
'Guardian of Earth. Son of Katas. Please come meet with me before I pass on. I wish to confer unto you knowledge of our people and the Dragon Balls, and unlock your hidden potential. I must also ask for aid from you...'
In a wasteland 30 minutes away from the remnants of East City by air...
"Nnngh...w...what?" A bald, mustached man in horribly damaged armor inquired as his eyes opened. Sitting up, he looked around himself and took note of the place he'd died. He hadn't even recognized the area immediately due to the massive damage to the area caused by Goku and Vegeta's fight and the subsequent Oozaru battle. Doubts were finally dispelled when he noted the remains of Saibamen on the ground as well as the crater left by that one Saibaman's self destruct. None of the other fighters' corpses were still here, though. It was surreal and strange.
He attempted to make sense of the situation, having last been in Hell. A number of Frieza's best men, including four members of the Ginyu Force, had been sent there and made mention of heavy resistance in their efforts to obtain some Dragon Balls from Namek. Mention of Vegeta, a Saiyan child, and others had been made. And now this? Just what was happening?
"Keh-KEH?" Nappa was distracted from his musings by the sound of a single Saibaman's confused vocalization. The creature, the same one Vegeta himself had effortlessly destroyed, looked around itself at the scene of the battle. It reached down to pick something up in its clawed hand, lifting up a brown appendage which stood out amongst the carnage. It was a Saiyan's tail. Nappa hurriedly checked and found his own in its proper place, and knew that it was too large to belong to the kid. When the realization hit Nappa on what this meant, that Vegeta had been pressed hard enough to lose his tail and thus access to the Oozaru form that had clearly ravaged the area, his response was initially slack-jawed disbelief.
"...Just what did we miss?" Nappa asked, the simplistic Saibaman unable to provide an intelligible answer.
Back in the forest, relatively close to the clearing of Namekians...
Private Namole opened his eyes, laying in a clearing. Sitting up and looking around, he found himself in a very strange place. His last mortal memory was of reporting to Lord Frieza on the bridge and being killed for not being overly enthused about the Ginyu Force being called in, only to be sent to Hell. It was strange and surreal, to say the least. Without a scouter, he didn't have many options. He did, however, take note of a strange sound.
"Ribbit. Ribbit. Ribbit!"
Looking to his right, he took note of Captain Ginyu. Or at least it had the appearance of the Captain he feared. It was wounded, squat on all fours and squaring off against a local reptile of some sort.
"...What...in King Cold's name..." The human-looking soldier inquired, staring in surprise.
"Hey, Namole! What's happening around here! Where are we?" A voice to Namole's right inquired, looking over to a yellow alien with red eyes and fangs for teeth. His attire was that of a Frieza soldier as well and Namole recognized him quickly. Namole had been the one to clean up the corpse after Frieza killed him over a minor screw-up, after all. The alien's eyes widened and took note of the purple being in Namole's company. "Is that Captain Ginyu? Why is he..."
"Not sure, Orlen." Namole said, shrugging. "All I know is that after Zarbon was killed, Frieza killed me because I didn't respond exactly like he wanted over the Ginyu Force being summoned. Then I was sent to Hell, then suddenly I'm back on Namek, and then I'm in this place with Captain Ginyu acting like a frog. Since I remember the rest of the Ginyu Force arriving in Hell though, my best guess is that everything went even more south. None of us even had scouters except the higher ranked soldiers, so I can't even find out what planet we're on or communicate with other survivors. Well, assuming we're even alive again. Can't even be sure about that much."
Orlen crossed his arms, not liking the report. "Tch. So things are absolutely FUBAR. Well, I guess I'd best do some scouting. Maybe we can find a sign of civilization or some communications equipment-" A beam of blinding light chose that moment to descend from the sky, parting the clouds and heading toward a nearby clearing. They had no idea that Earth's Guardian was the cause.
"Huh...guess I'll start there. You watch the Captain, Namole. I'll go take a look at this." Orlen said, the yellow alien flying low as he headed to the source of the light. Namole didn't like being ordered around by someone who was the same rank, but Orlen had seniority and Namole really preferred hanging back right now.
"Fine...come on, Captain. Let's try to find some shelter while we wait." Namole groaned in resignation. Ginyu stared blankly at the man, before ribbiting again. This was a long day, and showed no signs of being over yet...
With the accompanying flash of blinding light, Kami descended from the sky and found himself among his surprised people. He looked around himself at them before approaching the eldest of his race. "It is nice to finally meet my people. I am a nameless being known by the title of Kami. My apologies for my absence, but my duties as the Guardian of this world only allow me to descend to Earth for brief periods, sometimes for mere moments at a time."
"This world's guardian is one of our own?"
"That explains why they have Dragon Balls. He must be of the Dragon Clan..."
"To hold the same standing as Lord Guru..."
The Namekians regarded the stranger with awe, as much as they had Piccolo before him.
"I understand, Kami. I will try to make this brief. First...Nail. Please come here." Guru said, beckoning Piccolo to approach. Placing two hands upon his head, Guru set to work, performing two actions at one time. Focusing, he worked to unleash the merged warrior's hidden potential...even as he pulled his hands apart with some effort. In a flash of light, Nail and Piccolo stood next to each other and raw power erupted from them both. The locals were stunned as their auras radiated from them, while Vegeta realized that he was no longer the strongest. He sneered when he calculated each member of the pair to be stronger than Frieza's 1% form by half again.
To think that having a power level of 18,000 was something he was proud of not two months ago. Now these Namekians each stood a literal hundred times stronger. Vegeta felt a further sting to his pride.
"There...Nail, Piccolo, I have unlocked your hidden potentials. While doing so, I initiated fission to split you from one another. Now each of our peoples have a protector stronger than the one over there who murdered our people." Vegeta glared at Guru for his statement, but the latter continued. "Not only should Nail have his own life to live, but his presence would interfere in any future re-fusion of Kami and Piccolo. Removing them from one-another is for the best."
"How could that be?" Nail inquired, while Piccolo glared slightly at the mention of a reunification.
"Should Kami and Piccolo ever re-integrate into the complete son of Katas while Nail was a component within the process, his Warrior Clan nature would prevent the resultant being from sustaining the Dragon Balls. The balls would be inert from that time forward unless passed to another member of the Dragon Clan or unless Nail were removed from the fusion. Now...it is time to give these children knowledge of their history and people, as well as of the Dragon Balls linked to their lives." Guru smiled at the trio before him and moved one of his hands from Nail's head to Kami's. With his hands on the two halves of the son of Katas, he focused. Memories and knowledge flowed into the pair of Namekians, provided a context the pair had never had. They even learned the face of their progenitor, Katas.
"And finally..." Guru let go of Piccolo, but kept a hand on Kami's head as he breathed heavily. In a burst of white aura, Kami's power rose notably. Stunned at the burst of energy, the Guardian of Earth found himself much stronger than he ever was before. He wasn't to the level of the senior members of the Dragon Team, but that wasn't the point. Guru coughed again, having almost expended the time bought for him by Dende.
"There...now you are stronger...and can make your own Dragon Balls stronger as well. Should you and Piccolo merge once more, you and they can even be stronger still...but that is your choice. I merely...give this world the option. Please...you have connections with the Earth Check-in Station due to your duties. All those Namekians killed on Namek by the one called Vegeta, along with the human called Krillin and even the Saiyan called Goku if need be...move them there once Porunga recharges Earth's Dragon Balls in one Namekian year's time. Let young Gohan's idea to save the remainder of our people with your Dragon bear fruit, and use our Porunga bring back your allies who fall outside your dragon's power." He gave a series of deep coughs, alarming his people.
"Please...my sons...I hope...all of my children, and their descendants, will enjoy peace and harmony..." With this, Guru starts to fade from sight. "Not only with each other...but with our friends on Earth, and your cousins of Katas' line...I am...so very proud..." With this, Guru finally faded, and the Namekians cried in grief. Tears flowed from many, including from Bulma, while Gohan stayed focused as he recalled what Guru had done for him. Vegeta and Nail also remained stoic.
"You need not fear nor lament." Many blinked away tears, and looked to the voice. Kami remained standing there, wearing a smile. The true eldest surviving Namekian regarded his mourning cousins kindly. "He faded in that manner because I have sent him to the Earth Check-in Station with his body. Because of his selflessness and his pure heart, he will be given the honor of retaining his physical body in the prime of his youth. This decision was already being made by King Yemma while Dende briefly extended his life." Kami closed his eyes, his smile staying on his face. "He now goes to your fallen brothers to greet them and soothe their passing, as well as to inform them of their imminent return."
Tears continued to flow, but with them, more than a few smiles manifested. Guru's story wasn't over, and they'd meet him again one day.
"If that is the case, then it is even more important that we follow his example." Moori said, looking from Kami to his younger siblings. "One day, we will rejoin him. Whether we are able to keep our bodies or not is not our decision to make, but to stand before him having honored his wishes and his teachings...to reflect the love and faith in us he has given...that is something each and every one of us can strive to do." Moori then looked to the his youngest siblings with a smile. "...as well as to pass all of that on to those who live in the peaceful future we will create."
With that, Kami gave a sage nod and vanished in a bolt of light once more. The other Namekians were grateful to him for helping guide their leader and father's passing, and Kami noted that this was one of the days that made the job worthwhile. He would certainly assist with Guru's final request to process those from the Namekian check-in station through the Earth one for their imminent revival. It would help for Krillin's case as well and Goku's if it came to that.
"Well, well, well. It must be nice. To be able to get your planet back and everything you've lost. A happy little ending. You even got a Super Saiyan and a new set of Dragon Balls out of it." Vegeta said with sarcasm. He smirked at Gohan, Bulma, and the Namekians as he readied his taunt. "Of course, you haven't realized just how much death you've caused."
Elder Moori's eyes narrowed slightly, curious. "What do you mean, Saiyan?"
Vegeta's grin simply widened. "Oh? Did you really think Namek was the only planet that was destroyed and had their population slaughtered by Frieza and his henchmen in the past year? It's been ten Earth months since Nappa and I destroyed the planet Arlia and its population for Frieza. So tell me...what do you think happened when you wished back the populations of billions of people...without restoring the planets that they were killed on?"
The eyes of everyone present widened in realization as Vegeta chuckled...only to build his laugh to one of a maniacal nature. "That's right! They appeared in the depths of space, alive and exposed to hard vacuum! Even in the rare cases where they didn't need pressure or air to survive, they'd still be trapped in space! You just revived and slaughtered untold billions for the sake of your own skins!"
Stunned Namekians clenched their fists as they struggled to wrap their minds around the sacrifice stated, Vegeta only resuming his laughter. It wasn't until Gohan rushed Vegeta and punched the smug Prince in the face did the man stop. Vegeta recovered quickly, rubbing his cheek as he looked to the rebellious upstart.
"King Kai would never do that! He had to have thought of that ahead of time and fixed that problem! You're just trying to tear us down because Dad became a Super Saiyan instead of you!" Gohan exclaimed, a comment which made Vegeta's eyebrow twitch. Of course, Vegeta had a response to this that made him regain his smirk. He launched into a counter attack, punching Gohan, who managed to dodge and counter with his own. Vegeta blocked with his forearm and continued to get under the halfling's skin with his words.
"Oh, it doesn't stop there. Think of every person executed by Frieza and his henchmen that was on a planet that didn't get wiped out. You think they'll just live peacefully? Of course not. Some will just be executed again where they fell! Others will stoke civil wars and spread the suffering all over the worlds Frieza controls! Cutting off the head doesn't wipe the organization out of existence...it just makes it thrash about madly until his father takes control of it again." Vegeta grinned. "People you brought back are being killed en masse as we speak. All for what, just over a hundred of you?"
While this happened, however, a voice rang out in Bulma's head and distracted her from the fight.
'Hey, Bulma?' Bulma looked around in shock, hearing the voice. Worrying for her own sanity, she was more than a little shocked.
'Bulma, you're not losing your mind. It's me, Yamcha!' The voice called out. Indeed, it was Yamcha's voice.
"Huh? Yamcha? Where? I don't see you...I can hear you though. Did someone shrink you or something?" Bulma's verbal response distracted Gohan and Vegeta. The latter still managed to punch Gohan in the stomach and through a tree before his body hit the ground, digging a ditch before he finally came to rest. Piccolo and Nail both stepped forward to stop the altercation cold, Vegeta clicking his teeth and standing with his arms crossed with a glare to the recovering child.
'No, nobody shrunk me! I'm full size—Look, Bulma! I'm communicating with you telepathically! King Kai arranged it. I'm relaying a message from him.' Yamcha clarified, easing Bulma's confusion. It was an understandable mistake though, since Master Roshi had managed to shrink in the past.
"No way..." Bulma managed, her voice cracking slightly in sad surprise.
"Bulma? Yamcha's talking to you?" Gohan grunted as he rose, starting to realize what was going on. "It's King Kai! He must have a message!" The boy started to get excited, the quarrel with Vegeta temporarily forgotten.
"Hey, that's what he said! Telepathy, huh? So it's true, then! It is Yamcha!" Bulma's voice rose and she got a smile on her face. "Hi, Yamcha! What's happening up there?" She spoke as if on the phone to him rather than being telepathically linked. Her suspension of disbelief was clearly satisfied.
'Not much. Just hangin' out with the other guys. You know how it is. Tien and I are alive again though! We just haven't left King Kai's world yet. We've been able to watch the fight from here thanks to him.' Yamcha replied casually. 'But hey, I have to hurry because I'm sort of calling long distance. It's about Goku, Bulma. The fight on Namek is over.'
"You're kidding! Who won?" Bulma asked, eagerly.
'Goku did! He beat Frieza! But...uh-' Yamcha never got to finish, thanks to the interruption of his ex-girlfriend.
"Goku won? Alright! That's our Goku!" Bulma cheered and called to the others assembled. "Hey guys! Goku won!"
"Wow, Dad really won?" Gohan asked, excitedly as hope flowed through the Namekian people present. Finally, Gohan began to cheer, and he and Dende began to dance. Vegeta took in the victory, with both surprise and irritation that it wasn't him.
'Bulma, please, listen! That's not the end of the story! There's more! After Goku defeated Frieza, he tried to use Frieza's spaceship to hightail it out of there. But the darn thing broke on him! He was stuck! With no way out! When Namek exploded, Goku went with it! He's gone...' Yamcha informed Bulma, whose expression shifted.
"Hold on, guys, there's more!" She said, before bluntly delivering the news. "Goku didn't make it off of Planet Namek before it exploded. He's dead." Yamcha's expression turned to one of horror as Bulma conveyed the message with bluntness. Quite a different tone from what Yamcha had delivered the news with.
'Bulma! What are you doing? Are you nuts? You're not giving a weather report or announcing the score of a football game! The kid's dad just died! I could have done a better job than that!' Yamcha exclaimed, only to be met with Bulma's laughter.
"Hey! Now listen up, Yamcha! I'm the one with the real inside scoop, not you! What would you say if I told you that with the Dragon Balls from Namek, you can wish people back to life more than just one time? That means we can wish everybody back!" She exclaimed, raising her arms happily in glee. Goku, Krillin, and Chiaotsu can all be wished back! You're all coming home! How do you like that? It's not gonna take that long, either! So just relax and let the brains of the operation handle things!"
'Oh man...same old Bulma.' Yamcha thought.
Another voice chimed in though. "Using Namek's Dragon Balls is a great idea, but I'm afraid it won't help Goku and Krillin..." King Kai finally interjected sadly, commenting on the plan.
"Why not?" Yamcha inquired.
"Well, when the Dragon restores someone's life, he brings them back to the place where they died. But Goku and Krillin died on Namek." King Kai conveyed with regret.
"Oh, I get it now...Namek isn't there." Yamcha comprehended the point the Kai was trying to make.
"Yes, you hit the nail on the head! Namek's gone. What a shame. It was a great idea." King Kai said with concern, only for Bulma to weigh in again.
"Actually, we're already working on that. Gohan thought of a way to use Namek's dragon to recharge ours to get around certain limits. Kami's gone off to arrange for Namekians that Vegeta killed, Krillin, and Goku to all go to the Earth's Check-in Station when the time for the wish comes. Grand Elder Guru thought that'd work and Kami seemed to agree..." Bulma said, her excitement hindered... "The problem is that Vegeta pointed out that our wish would have brought back everyone else Frieza and his men killed within the past year. Billions of people. Even those on destroyed planets like someplace called Arlia. G-Gohan said you wouldn't have made the wish unless you solved the problem, and I agreed, but...it sounds like you...didn't...I...I think I'm going to be sick..."
This melancholy was broken by Vegeta's laughter before he leapt up from his seated position and landed among the villagers. "I told you, didn't I? It looks like my prophecy came to pass after all! It was nice of your dad, kid. Getting rid of Frieza like that for me? But that good deed pales in comparison to the lives you goody toe-shoes gave back and brutally took away to pull this all off. Imagine, the Kai drenching the galaxy in blood to save a mere hundred people! No wonder I didn't believe in him until now!" Vegeta's laughter reached a crescendo, the cosmic joke quite amusing to the man.
"Jerk!" Gohan growled out in irritation. "You're one of the people he saved!"
"Then he shouldn't have been so forgiving, should he?" Vegeta started to walk close to confront Gohan, but the Namekians glared at Vegeta, who cockily smirked and held back...for now. "But I guess he no longer has a place to condemn others for mass murder now." The Saiyan laughed again, gleeful at the lethal contradiction.
It was then that King Kai spoke up to everyone present. 'Oh, you're such a big know-it-all, aren't you? I may not have seen that particular option, but don't think that I'd just let billions of people die! I planned for that already, I just couldn't do it for Namek alone. I've got this, so let me do my job already. Back seat drivers, the lot of you...'
With that, an angered King Kai disconnected the call.
Otherworld
"Wow, King Kai! You even thought that far ahead? I guess that's a Kai for you..." Yamcha said after the communication with Earth was broken. King Kai laughed hard, soaking in the praise, but thought to himself.
'This sure is a blunder, isn't it? I'll have to give the Supreme Kai of Time a call for help! Going back a year to add a flag to the paperwork to move the dead to a different check-in station should give us all the setup we need. I just hope she doesn't take my car as a punishment!' King Kai pondered, only to be distracted by Yamcha.
"Uh, King Kai? I can still hear you, you know...what's a Supreme Kai of Time?" Yamcha asked, making King Kai twitch and whip around, smacking Yamcha's arm with his antennae.
"D-Don't read my thoughts without permission, Yamcha! And that's a question way above what any mortal should be asking! The cosmic hierarchy isn't something so open to mortals, you know?" King Kai cried out, embarrassed at being caught. Tien and Chiaotsu simply stared, dumbfounded at his response. The Kai sighed. "Well, I guess there won't be any hiding it soon. The fact is that I messed up. When planning for Namek's salvation, and reviving all the people who were killed by Frieza and his henchmen, I failed to consider all the people on other planets that have been destroyed in the past year. Vegeta was rubbing it in everyone's faces to destroy their hope."
Tien and Chiaotsu's eyes widened at the revelation. "H...How many people?" Tien asked, with concern.
"I don't know, Tien. But if I check, it'll be harder for the Supreme Kai of Time to make a stable time loop. Ignorance is wiggle room for things like this. I don't dare tell you what a Supreme Kai is, just know that she is well above me in hierarchy and that I don't call on her aid easily. It's a confession that I've messed up badly and need to tinker with time in order to fix it." King Kai sighs. "You might just be the first mortals to see the demotion or removal of a Kai in millions of years..."
The members of the Dragon Team couldn't help but be nervous at that statement. Chiaotsu spoke up, however, tilting his head. "Wait...Goku didn't just pop up where he died and neither did Piccolo, Tien, or Yamcha. They needed Kami's help delivering them. So...what you just said about appearing in space wouldn't happen to someone who was allowed to keep their body after death anyway, would it?"
King Kai heard the martial artist's reasoning, and couldn't help but facepalm at this additional oversight.
The Forest Clearing on Earth
"Excuse me, Miss Bulma. We have a request we'd like to make." The new Grand Elder Moori said as he approached Bulma. "We plan to use our Dragon Balls to relocate to another planet after everything else is resolved, but finding a suitable home is going to take time. Do you know of a place where we can stay temporarily until we make other arrangements?"
Bulma pondered only briefly before she blurted out, "Hey, I know! Just stay with me!"
Moori nervously tried to decline. "No, we mustn't impose."
Bulma, however, wasn't having it. "Hey! It's really no big deal! It's the least I can do for you all! Besides, you need a major credit card to stay in a hotel." The Namekians, not understanding those words, looked at each other in confusion. "Hey, no worries! My Dad's compound is huge! There's enough room for everyone!" She then spoke scarcely above a whisper, wanting to spare some dignity for them. "It's not like you guys have a lot of options. Green men from space aren't a common sight around here."
"Oh, my! I see your point!" Moori said, realizing there wasn't much that could be helped. "We...accept."
Bulma then looked to Vegeta. "And what about you? You'll need a place to crash too!" Sure, he was a jerk, but Bulma figured that she could at least be hospitable.
The surprised Prince looked away with a scoff, but Bulma pressed forward. "Hey, why don't you drop the tough guy act and live a little! Let it all go! Your boss is dead now, so think of it like a vacation! Who knows, maybe you'll even get a girlfriend! You're actually kind of cute!" Bulma said, teasing the man. She couldn't fight him, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy watching him squirm.
The Prince was a stunned, trying to process this bizarre comment as he clenched his teeth. "What! I'm not kind of—shut up!"
Bulma simply smirked. "It's not like you're going to find any interstellar spaceships on this planet that aren't made by my family anyway. Might as well stick around for a while and have some fun! Besides, you're the one lamenting the death of your race. Gohan's living proof that it doesn't have to be that way here!" Vegeta was stunned at the woman's audacity. Telling him to sow his wild oats here to rebuild his race? Did she really think that little about his pride-
"Alright, it's aaaalll settled! I'm going to call my Dad and have him pick all of us up!"
"Thank you so much." Moori says, in gratitude, while Gohan bashfully approaches.
"Bulma, do you think I could stay at your house for a little while?" He brings his fingers together, embarrassed, but Bulma responds with a giggle.
"What're you talking about, Gohan? You have your own beautiful house with a wonderful mom who is probably worried sick about you!" Bulma observed in response.
"Well...yeah...but...it'll just be for a short time. Please? Just until I finish my homework?" Gohan asked, making Piccolo chuckle and Bulma laugh a bit.
"Well, let me call my Dad first, and then we'll talk, alright?" Bulma asked, before getting on her phone. She'd need to call for the large transport. It was a bit slow, but it was better than nothing. After a conversation that was longer than Gohan expected, Bulma finished her phone call and looked to the young hybrid. "Sorry, kid. Your mom was at Capsule Corp, about to blast off in our new spaceship with Yajirobe, Master Roshi, Oolong, and Puar to Namek. I canceled their launch just in time, but there's no way she won't be on the transport picking us up. She'll probably be here in about four hours. Sorry, Gohan!"
Bulma felt for the child, well aware that his mother was very strict. It was only because he was absolutely determined to save Piccolo that he came to Namek at all. Gohan's shoulders slumped. "Aww, man! It'd take me that long and half again that long to do all of my homework...hey, wait!"
Gohan looked to Piccolo with hope in his eyes, and the Namekian wondered just what's on the kid's mind. He responded to the gaze after a moment of stoic confusion. "...I know I trained you, kid, but I've never had the opportunity to do any book learning. I can't really help you there."
"N-no, not that, Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan corrected, "I was just thinking...the Tri-Form Technique might cut down strength, but does it cut down intelligence or focus?"
Piccolo pondered the matter, and gave a smirk when he hit on what Gohan was trying to do. "Heh. Using a martial arts technique to do your homework faster? I can't tell if your mother would be disappointed or ecstatic. No, each clone is as smart as the original or it'd be a useless skill. I'll give you a quick run-down on the technique. You've got the ki control for it now. Dende!" Piccolo called to the nearby and now surprised Namekian child. "You should learn this too. You could have used this to heal more people at once and survive Frieza's initial surprise attack."
Gohan gave an eager nod and wore a determined smile. "Thank you, Mr. Piccolo!" While Gohan thanked his mentor, Dende approached obediently. Nail didn't raise issue. He was far less wary of Piccolo than he might otherwise have been, having been fused with him. Piccolo's assessment was quite correct as well. Dende could only benefit from the technique.
"Right, I'll show you how it works. It could be considered a lesser and temporary form of Namekian fission, so you should be able to pick this up pretty easily too, Dende. We should go over a bit away from the others, though...I don't want just anyone learning the technique." Vegeta gave a grumble but did not move as Dende, Bulma, and Gohan walked to another part of the forest and got a lesson in the use of the Tri-Form technique. Bulma paid close attention, curious as to how such an apparent impossibility worked. Piccolo went into detail not only about how to make either two or three clones, but also how to modulate the power distribution between them and other nuances. In the end, Gohan and Dende each managed to make three clones of equal power. They'd need practice to regulate their energy.
"But...where did the mass come from?" Bulma kept asking herself, the scientist in her not comprehending how this obeyed the laws of physics. Of course, Goku's eating habits had caused similar questions without appropriate answers for years now.
"Good. Send two of your clones back to the clearing to work on your assignments and help keep an eye on things. Leave a third behind though. I have a mission for him." The trio of Gohans looked to each other before obeying, two leaving while the third felt Piccolo's hand on his shoulder. "Gohan, there's something I'd like you to take care of. Think of it as a mix of a training exercise and...clean-up duty." The child looked up to his mentor, curious.
"What is it, Mister Piccolo?" Gohan asked, puzzled.
"The Saiyan who killed me before. Vegeta called him 'Nappa'. He was killed by Vegeta before he abandoned Frieza, so that one's alive again too. He's too close to East City and its own wished back people for my liking." Gohan's face took on a worried expression as he remembered the fact. He'd sensed Nappa when Guru was dying, after all. That reminder of the injustice of it all was what compelled him to act to help ease Guru's passing. "I'd like you to go deal with him and protect East City from him if necessary."
That snapped Gohan out of his thoughts and his eyes widened. "T-that big guy?"
Piccolo's eyes narrowed and he nodded. This very response was why he wanted Gohan to take care of it. "Gohan. Calm down and sense his power. Compare it to your own. He's no match for you now, even with your energy split into thirds like this. Those people there need protecting and I need to stay at full power. If Vegeta tries something, Nail can defend while I attack. After the three of us, you're the next-strongest being on this planet."
Gohan paid closer attention. After some analysis, he realized that Piccolo was right. Nappa's power level now felt like a mere blip compared to some of Frieza's men or even the weakest of the Ginyu Force. It was nothing like the overwhelming power it felt like before. It was actually weak compared to Gohan's current power, and that was already reduced to a third of normal. "You're right! He feels so...small now, Mister Piccolo!"
"Yeah, kid. He's more experienced and likely has tricks up his sleeve, but I'm sure you can pull through. Just remember what you're fighting for and not to use any more power than necessary. We don't need him getting a huge Zenkai boost from fighting you." Piccolo smiled, but this put things into perspective for Bulma. It was a fight for everyone's life just against that one enemy less than two months ago, and now Gohan could fight him alone? Namek had really pushed the bar for everyone. Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotsu had better have increased by leaps and bounds at King Kai's, or they'd be left behind. Still, this was uncalled for.
Gohan departed into the sky while Bulma looked at Piccolo. The man greeted her obvious irritation with stoicism. "You've got something to say? Say it."
Bulma's irritation became a glare. "I may not be able to sense power levels, but I do have basic reasoning skills. You could probably handle this using just 1% of your power and still beat Vegeta easily. Why send out poor Gohan? Hasn't he endured enough?" While an exaggeration, Bulma's estimate was closer than she realized.
"You're right. I could do it myself One percent would put me right around Vegeta's power when we fought here on Earth. Five percent of my reserves would probably be better, just to be absolutely sure." Bulma balked at that comment as the Namekian focused, straining slightly before he split off a clone at 5% power. A maximum power level of 90,000 should be more than leeway to take whatever Nappa could dish out if Gohan needed support. Said clone then suppressed its power and took off to shadow Gohan. Before Bulma could recover from the revelation, Piccolo continued. "But Gohan needs a win. Desperately." The genius' expression shifted from shock to confusion at this statement.
"Listen. Most of us chose martial arts. I failed to give Gohan that luxury. First he was kidnapped, then I kidnapped him to train for a year, then he was thrown into life or death fights against a revolving door of far stronger opponents. He's never had a victory. It's always been either support or stalling until someone stronger can come along to carry the day. The kid never even noticed how strong he became, even when fighting alongside us against Frieza before Goku came and finished the job." The blue-haired woman started to realize what Piccolo was getting at.
"The kid needs perspective. He needs a benchmark from his past to notice his own growth. And more than that, he needs more confidence in himself. I always intended to observe just in case, so don't worry. I'm not abandoning him." Piccolo saw Bulma's expression shift to a knowing smile, and he couldn't help but find it confusing and a little uncomfortable. "What is it now?"
"This isn't just atonement for what you did before. You've changed, haven't you, Piccolo? It's like Gohan's your own son!" The jovial woman drew an awkward blush from the otherwise stoic Namekian, who crossed his arms and retreated into silence. Bulma, however, didn't need a response. "Oh, you don't need to say anything. One more former enemy, brought into the light by the old Son family charm. They tend to do that just by being them, don't they?"
The trio of Dendes simply observed the interaction with a happy smile before going off to rejoin the other Namekians and Gohan. Piccolo was more kind than his silence and stoicism conveyed. He was much like Nail in that way.
Nearby, Orlen observed from a bush. He didn't know about power level sensing, but he was obscured by the various Namekians around from detection in case one of the enemies had a scouter. His eyes were wide. 'Lord Frieza is dead? Unthinkable!' Crossing his arms, he started to piece things together. This was Earth, where Vegeta first sought Dragonballs. Apparently there were now two sets of Dragonballs on this planet, both inert with their own different rules. The locals also looked like Namole, so scouting duties might need to be shifted to him.
Orlen's thoughts were interrupted when he perceived movement in a bush nearby and looked over, seeing a frog of sorts that was also observing rather intently. He was still, quiet...and wore an odd expression. Initially, Orlen thought he might be local, but the antennae looked too...Namekian. The frog looked over to Orlen, and there seemed to be a look of pondering. Suspecting that Captain Ginyu wanted a body change if he was indeed inside that frog, Orlen tensed up quickly and his eyes widened before quickly responding in an awkward whisper.
"I-if you're Captain Ginyu, your old body is alive and nearby...my power level is nothing compared to yours, Sir. Just trying to get intelligence." Orlen waited nervously, seeing if the Frog responded. Standing on its hind legs with effort...the creature then dabbed and started to perform simplified dance routines. Orlen recognized it as interpretive dance, a prerequisite for the Frieza Force to at least be able to interpret.
"Ah...yes...of course, I can take you there. Another survivor of Lord Frieza's forces is watching your body as we speak, sir." He whispered. He lowered his hands to the ground, and the irritated frog hopped into them after a moment of thought. Orlen moved away from the assembled group, back toward where Namole was located. At the very least, their odds of survival increased with the Captain around.
And said Captain had learned of an interesting technique...