Dragonball Z

Alter Age

The Recruit

(A couple days later)

Gohan, eyes flickering open as a dim light filtered through his lids. Squinting and groaning from the dizziness that came over him, the child took a moment to regain his equilibrium before slowly sitting up. When he looked about to see where he was currently sleeping, he found himself inside of another space ship- similar to the one that his uncle had thrown him into and then used to travel across most of the known galaxy.

Not quite remembering how he managed to get stuck inside of it, the boy then looked up at the seat he was lying beside, where he immediately found himself staring at the smooth, bare legs of his female captor. This person took the form of the beautiful and athletic Hera-seijin- Myra- who currently had her thighs crossed and was gazing out her vessel's window as her Attack Ball tore across the cosmos at speeds well over that of light.

When she heard the child shift, the orange-haired adolescent looked down and beamed when she saw his surprised eyes staring back up at her. "Oh? You're awake. That's good." She then leaned forward and propped an arm over her legs for support. "Did you have a nice sleep?"

After several seconds of gaping, Gohan suddenly remembered exactly what'd happened before he'd blacked out. Realizing he'd been knocked out by this girl, the boy's expression immediately became aggressive. "You!" Scrambling to his feet, he then leapt at the female inside of the confined space with a growl, only to get clotheslined on the back of the woman's arm and effortlessly held back.

Myra laughed when the boy attempted to punch and kick out at her, her free hand blocking his strikes when they came in close. "Hey! Hey! It's okay. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you, little guy. Relax." When she felt him settle down a little, yet continue to glare at her through bared canines. Her scouter activating, the teenage girl was able to get a good readout of his current power level, which had her smile happily. "As I thought. Your power level is incredible. 13,120. That's impressive for a kid your size."

Once she was certain the youngster wasn't going to attack her inside the spaceship, she then slowly and carefully lowered him down to the space on the pilot seat next to her. When he was comfortably on his knees, Myra then leaned back and looked at him. Seeing his body was covered in recently healed scratches and dirt, with his only piece of clothing being his green, ruined pants and white belt, the adolescent then tilted her head.

"What's your name?" the Hera asked.

Expression relaxing and becoming one that was a bit more aggressive, the still cautious-looking hybrid responded. "I'm… Gohan."

"Gohan, huh?" Myra repeated before beaming. "That's a nice name. Certainly not an ordinary one." She then scrunched her face up thoughtfully. "How old are you?'

"I'm four and a half… going on five," the child corrected, not holding up his fingers this time as he had before.

"Wow. So young," the fighter remarked as she looked him over. "And you have so much power already? You must be extremely gifted. Where exactly do you come from?" When she saw the boy's expression immediately stiffen in a clear sign of suspicion and distrust, the female chuckled. "That's okay. You don't have to tell me. I already know that you're a Saiyan, so that's more than enough." She then pointed up at herself and towards her teal skin. "My name is Myra. My people come from a planet called Hera, but my family and I were born on CP-23- a world owned by Emperor Cooler." Lowering her hand, she then began to inspect the youngster's face further as the look he took on became more curious. "I'm curious… how the heck did you end up on that planet we found you on? Surely you weren't living there."

Blinking a couple of times when he saw the pretty girl smiling kindly at him, the four-year-old considered whether or not he should tell her. After some inner debate, he eventually relented. "I… was stuck inside my uncle's spaceship and tried to get out of it. When I damaged the computer, I was blasted off into space and away from my world." Seeing the girl nod, Gohan then carefully recited back the rest of the events that followed. "After a few days of flying across the stars, the ship crash-landed. I then spent the next few days exploring the planet… which was a lot of fun." He then grinned at the Hera. "I got to fight a lot of strong and cool-looking animals."

Hearing his story, Myra couldn't help but giggle at how cute his smile looked at the end of it. "Boy, you're a tough little runt, aren't you? Being trapped on that isolated hunk of rock all by yourself without anyone to look after you and grappling with all kinds of monsters. I don't think I would've been able to do that at your age."

Gohan's tail wagged happily as he beamed back at the friendly alien girl, who he started to see as someone who wasn't a threat to him. "It's okay. I'm used to running around a lot on my own. I'm not scared of anything."

"I can tell," Myra chuckled, remembering when she first saw the kid bust out of the stomach of the colossal centipede monster that he'd killed. "But still, I'm sure you must miss your home and your parents quite a lot."

Visibly thinking for a moment, the child looked away for a moment. "Kind of. I miss my mum, my dad and my grandpa… but I don't know where they are or what they're doing right now. Maybe they're still trying to fight off my uncle when he came to visit. He was very strong." He then looked back at Myra to see the surprised and slightly saddened look on her face, as it was clear she thought the boy had family problems. Of course, the situation was a lot more complicated than she realized, but Gohan didn't give her any specifics- partly out of tact. "I bet my parents are really worried about me too, since I've never been this far away from home for so long before."

"Hundreds of light years away from any habitable planets? Yeah… I certainly would be if I was them," Myra responded, before then cracking a smile and looking at the youngster fondly. "But honestly, I don't think they should have anything to worry about. Since you're so outrageously strong for a boy your age, you can practically fend off and crush any danger that comes your way with ease." She then put on a broad grin. "Tell me, do you like to fight?"

Gohan laughed and clenched a fist confidently. "Oh yeah. I love to fight! Especially when I'm up against someone really tough and can hit back just as hard as I can! It really gets my blood pumping!" His eyes then took on a bit of a shine to them, before he leant forward and grinned at the young girl. "Hey, hey! Are you good at fighting, onēsan?"

"Hmm… well… I am a member on Cooler's most elite fighting group, a ranked officer in his army, and arguably the second strongest warrior in my squad next to Neiz. So… yeah… I guess you could say I'm a good fighter," Myra chuckled, responding to the boy's query with amusement and a touch of pride.

The boy's grin widened enthusiastically as he gazed up at the teen. "I thought so. I can sense how strong you really are. It's amazing. You're… like… a thousand times more powerful than my dad."

His sincere compliment put a warm smile on the girl's face and in her cheeks, which in turn had her reach up and ruffle his hair. "So you can tell how strong I am without a scouter, huh? That's a neat little trick. Can you use that skill to track and locate people too?" When she saw the child nod her head eagerly, Myra then leaned over and whispered into his ear. "Hey. Maybe you can teach me how to do that sometime, yeah?"

"Yeah. Okay," Gohan exclaimed, grinning as he then scrambled over the teen's lap. Surprising her with his brisk movements, the boy then looked out the side of the window and pointed towards the other pod he can see flying next to them. "Is that your teammate in the ship over there?"

Myra nodded when she saw where he was pointing. "Uh-huh. That's Dore. He used to be a professional wrestler and champion grappler back on his home planet- defeating every single opponent that stepped up to face him with only a handful of moves. When Captain Salza saw him in action, he immediately noticed the incredible skill and strength that he had in combat, and enlisted him on the spot." She then stuck her nose into the air proudly and grinned. "Although, in my own humble opinion, I'm a lot stronger than that blockhead. Not to mention a hundred times more attractive."

Almost immediately, the radio in the ship crackled before the angry voice of her comrade came shouting back over the radio. "Hey! I heard that, Myra!"

"I know you did," the Hera chirped back over the com with a grin, "Why do you think I said it out loud over the radio?"

"Grrr…" came the warrior's irate growl. "The next time we hit the ship's gym, I'm gonna suplex you through the floor."

"In your dreams, green boy," Myra chuckled. "Remember the last time you tried to do that to me? I busted your nose and broke three of your ribs."

Blinking curiously at the girl's interaction, especially how she giggled playfully at the end, Gohan turned about in his seat. "Are you guys… soldiers or something? You're both wearing the same armor as each other… and you also mentioned that you were part of some kind of elite force." A squad to be exact. It certainly sounded important to him, especially with how eloquently worded her statement was.

The question drew a warm smile from Myra. "Yeah. But my companion and I are not just part of any ordinary fighting group." The girl stuck her chest out proudly and performed one of her group's impromptu battle poses in the seated position- sticking her right arm up in a flourish while her other arm crossed over, the latter's hand forming a 'Peace Sign' over her forehead. "We're part of the renowned Cooler's Armored Squadron- the most efficient and deadly attack squad in the galaxy, specializing in open combat, stealth, tactical, and frontline assault." She then grinned at the odd look Gohan threw her, which prompted her to drop her arms. "We are officers employed by the Cold family who answer directly to the illustrious Lord Cooler- and are his most trusted guards. You could say we are his right-hand men and women."

"Wow. That… sounds… really cool," Gohan whispered, his expression showcasing his amazement. Following the girl's rather awkward display in such a cramped space, the child then placed his hands on his lap and beamed brightly at the girl. "Guarding a ruler. I bet that's a super important job. Is this Cooler guy nice?"

"Oh, Lord Cooler is a wise, just, and powerful man. There isn't a single lifeform in the universe capable of matching his might and mercy, save for members of his own family," Myra informed, resting her arms back on her seat while watching the youngster's reactions with intent. "We serve at his leisure and do his bidding without question. It is through his generosity that our group is even capable of acting out and performing missions at our own discretion- otherwise we would be nothing but mindless slaves."

Gohan tilted his head. "That would be very bad, huh?"

"Indeed," Myra chuckled, crossing her arms and leaning back comfortably in her seat. "Cooler-sama is a very astute and shrewd individual- renowned for his intelligence and superb martial arts prowess. With his interest in power, I'm sure that he will be very delighted to meet with you and assess your latent abilities for himself. Who knows, he might even see your potential and offer you a position in our forces- where you'll be able to fight and train till your heart's content."

"Really?" Gohan asked, before grinning broadly at the girl. "That sounds awesome."

The adolescent chuckled at the youngster's eagerness, before then raising a hand and making a 'shushing' gesture with her finger. "A few words of advice before you meet him though. Because you will be meeting one the foremost rulers of the galaxy, you have to remember to stand up straight, address him as Lord Cooler or sir, do not speak unless spoken to, and keep your sentences short and to the point. Are we clear?" When she saw the child stiffen and nod, Myra grinned. "Good."

At that moment, they heard Dore chuckle from the other side of the radio. "Don't you think that's a bit too much for the little twerp to remember? I doubt he'll be able to make a good first impression."

"I'm sure he'll be fine, Dore," the Hera said back, at the same time reclining into her seat while Gohan listened in on the pair, before proceeding to crawl over the girl's bare thighs on his hands and feet. "Even though he's energetic and wild, he seems like a really bright kid. I know he'll be able to make the right choices."

Not to mention she had a really good feeling about this one.

OOO

(Meanwhile)

(Somewhere in deep space)

Shooting across space alongside one another, the two Attack Balls carrying the Saiyans Vegeta and Nappa, were tearing a clear path towards planet Earth.

It hadn't been that long since the pair had left the world that they had previously conquered. But even after just a few minutes into their flight, the pair of warriors were feeling incredibly restless. They wanted to get to their next destination as soon as possible, so that they could meet and fight the warriors that Raditz had encountered, and track down these so called wish-granting dragon balls. Thus, the two of them had set their ships at top speed- their gravity drives blasting at full power, and sending them shooting out of the galaxy in a very short time.

However, they had millions of more parsecs to cover before they could get within spitting distance of the solar system. So, choosing to use up the time that they had constructively, the pair, sat, waited, meditated, and contemplated all of the issues that they were likely to encounter along the way.

While Vegeta was busy having a nap- his arms folded and eyes closed in their signature, brooding manner- the voice of his companion suddenly crackled over his scouter's radio.

"Hey, Vegeta," the gravelly voice of Nappa echoed into his midst, rousing the Saiyan Prince from his slumber. "I just had a thought."

The flame-haired male frowned. "What is it, Nappa?"

"That half-Saiyan brat that Raditz tested- Kakarot's kid. The one with the freaky high power level that wouldn't stop climbing," the former general replied, his tone sounding both serious and concerned. "What do you make of him?"

Quickly being reminded of the fight that they'd been monitoring through their units weeks before, Vegeta focused his gaze downwards for a moment before giving off a mumbling sound of thought. "He was certainly impressive. That much is clear. A half-breed child able to take on both a Saibaman and Raditz one after the other, and beat both of them down with relative ease. That definitely speaks volumes about the amount of potential he has."

In fact, the boy's power level spikes had gone up to such a high level that it had both Vegeta and Nappa worried for a moment. They only reason that they two of them didn't make such a big deal about it was that they played it off as just a malfunction in their scouters or something.

However, after thinking back on the transmissions they got back from their former comrade, they slowly realized that it probably wasn't a whole load of bull after all.

"That child has the makings of a great Saiyan in him," Vegeta answered finally, his expression remaining firm and unperturbed.

A grunt from the other end of the scouter sounded Nappa's response. "That's high praise coming from you, Vegeta. I guess the boy really did manage to peak your interest somewhat." He then sighed while considering the location upon which they were approaching. "But what do you think will happen if we run into him down on Earth? Think the brat will make for a good challenge?"

Vegeta, narrowing his eyes a little, then scoffed and looked across to the side. "Please. A half-breed child is nothing compared to a full-blooded Saiyan royal like me. You can't even put us on the same level. Besides… I don't think I'll be able to get a chance to face off against that runt, even if I wanted to. Apparently the kid took Raditz's ship for a cruise across the galaxy and left the long-haired idiot stranded on Earth. No doubt we won't be running into him anytime soon."

"Ah. Yeah. Now I remember," Nappa responded, his brain clicking on that little note before the man resigned to relaxing back into his seat again. "Shame. But if it makes our hunt for the dragon balls even easier, then I'm all for it."

Hearing this, Vegeta smirked and closed his eyes once again. "Indeed."

OOO

(Sometime later)

(Cooler Planet 113)

Orbiting above a large, blue planet covered in thick layers of white cloud and multiple green islands, floated a very large and unique spacecraft. Saucer in shape, covered in white and black metal plates, and multiple circular yellow and blue viewing windows running around the entire perimeter of the vessel, this large craft served as the base of operations of one of the universe's most revered tyrants.

Accompanied by a large number of smaller vessels consisting of supply transports, scout ships and assault craft, all of which were floating around the massive saucer in no particular formation, it was clear that the leader of this great, intergalactic armada was not one that was easily approached or waved off. As the ships carried on with their routine patrol of the space surrounding the blue world and its three moons, over on the giant capital ship, any and all visitors to the area would be able to spy a glimpse of the leader's enormous power and influence.

Aliens of multiple races, sexes and species, dressed in the same style of white and brown RIT battle armor, many of which also sporting helmets with full face visors, could be seen marching up and down the halls- either in pairs or as individuals- performing their regular duties. The environment of the capital ship, though uniformed and hectic, showed how well the aliens were working alongside one another. Obviously efficiency and discipline were key principles practiced in this organization.

Of course, despite the militarized system in place, the soldiers and staff working under this banner were still allowed to have their free time and fun. Further along the vessel's main hall and standing by one of the ship's main windows, the highest ranking officer in this military and Captain of Cooler's Armored Squadron- Salza- was currently enjoying one of his regular work breaks in the usual manner.

Adorned in his group's signature gear, consisting of lime-green chest armor with accented left shoulder guard, full-length purple bodysuit, and white gloves and boots, the effeminate looking, turquoise skinned alien with the athletic build, short blonde hair curled to the left and hanging over his green scouter, was leaning against the hall's support pillar and giving a very dashing smile to the person he was currently speaking with.

From the tone he was using, it was clear the Captain of the Elite Guard was really charming the pants off of the figure in question.

"You are the wildest… most gorgeous thing I've ever seen. Not even the morning sunrise over the mountains on Raisa can compare to the sheer breadth and majesty of your splendor. Nobody deserves you. Nobody," Salza spoke, his voice deep, passionate, and laced with a foreign accent so sublime it would've melted the pants off of any girl. "But at least I know our children will be beautiful."

As it turns out, the person that Salza was spouting all these cheesy lines to was, in fact, himself… in the reflection of one of the ship's many viewing windows. He was making such a big display of it that every single soldier and guard walking down the corridor, comically kept their distance by walking around the man in a big arc, while he continued to shamelessly flirt with the glass.

"If I could propose to you, I would," Salza whispered with a smile, at the same time waving his hair back arrogantly. "But if I did that, then who would I have left to tease during my moments of levity?"

"Salza. What are you doing?" the familiar, nasally voice of his friend Neiz suddenly spoke up from behind, causing the blond alien to snap out of his trance-like state.

Spinning around, the Brench-seijin immediately laid eyes on his teammate- a tall, amphibian-humanoid with brown skin, pointy ears, and wearing the exact same uniform as his, save for a pair of spandex shorts, staring back at him with an odd look on his wide face. Realizing he'd been caught, a startled Salza shook his head before standing more upright and clearing his throat.

"N-Nothing. Nothing at all, Neiz," the Captain stuttered, before regaining his composure and quickly coming up with a hasty, plausible response. "I was just thinking out loud about a new strategy that the team could practice during our next training session together. Yeah. That's it. Stuff that we can incorporate into our squadron formations before our next assignment. Hahaha." Smiling broadly at the end while keeping his eyes closed, Salza then slowly cracked open a lid to look across at Neiz- who he saw was staring at him with his arms crossed and a disbelieving look in play. "How… long have you been standing there… exactly?"

The Zalt-seijin cocked a brow, "About five minutes." A wide grin then stretched across Neiz's lips. "You seemed…*snicker*… pretty preoccupied with yourself, so I decided not to interrupt." He then pointed a thumb over his shoulder towards a couple of female soldiers whispering to each other and looking across at them just down the hall. "Although, I think you might want to dial it back a bit. You're scaring some of the crew."

Appearing somewhat embarrassed, Salza gave a low groan and nodded in understanding. "Ugh. Very well." He then turned around. But before he could walk off, he looked across at his reflection, stared at it, before whispering under his breath, "I'm not done with you yet." Upon which he then started to march off, with a thoroughly amused Neiz following close behind.

When the much taller elite eventually came up alongside his captain, the pair continued following the corridor looping around the entire perimeter of the vessel. During which time the warrior from Zalt then realized why he'd come around to grab his commander in the first place and promptly hurried his pace to move into his comrade's peripheral vision.

"By the way, Myra and Dore just called. They said that they found the source of the distress signal. It was coming from an Attack Ball that came down on a remote planet on the edge of Lord Frieza's territory- a world inhabited by countless dangerous animals and wild beasts," the warrior informed in his usual, croaky and high-pitched voice.

"Oh? And did they find out who activated that signal?" Salza asked, glancing across at his teammate. "Was it one of Frieza's men, King Cold's… or ours?"

The amphibian male chuckled. "No. Myra said it was some random kid. Apparently he took a scouting pod out for a little joyride and crash-landed it on that world, which triggered the emergency transponder. They're bringing him in right now to introduce him to Lord Cooler."

"Hm. Interesting," Salza remarked, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I'm actually quite curious to see what kind of prize those two managed to reel in."

Taking a right turn, the pair of Cooler's elite proceeded towards the docking bay. About five minutes after arriving at the vessel's main hangar, which was already housing a couple of other transport vessels and escape pods, the pair saw the bottom hatch open and the two Attack Balls belonging to their comrades float up into the room. As soon as they were caught by the large cranes, carried over to the landing pads and lowered, the hatches opened.

Hopping out from their ships, Myra and Dore appeared on the scene, with the former escorting the young, shirtless child that they'd recovered on the planet. She's also leant him a spandex shirt, which she had stowed away inside of her ship to cover him up.

When the pair walked over to their companions waiting patiently by the hangar's entrance, passing by the naval officers in charge of the area, Salza and Neiz took immediate note of the child with their female companion.

Glancing down at the raven haired youngster, the captain of the armored squad blinked when he noticed the brown tail swishing behind him. "A Saiyan? You two managed to find a living, breathing, Saiyan child on the outskirts of the neighboring galaxy?"

"Weren't all the Saiyans killed when Planet Vegeta went up in smoke?" Neiz asked, at the same time tilting his head down at the youngster when he saw him looking around the hangar- completely in awe at everything he was seeing.

"Apparently not," Dore remarked while folding his arms and looking down at the runt as he studied the various spaceships and aliens walking around him. "We found this one when he busted out of the chest of a centipede the size of an entire country that'd tried to eat him. It was rad."

Salza crinkled his nose when he leaned in to get a better look at the youngster, only to then recoil at the stench coming off of him. "Ugh. I wouldn't say the same thing about the smell." Waving his hand in front of his face, the blond then turned his glare towards Myra. "So you brought this little monkey back to the ship to introduce him to Lord Cooler?"

The orange haired Hera nodded affirmatively. "That's right."

"Any particular reason why?" Salza asked, with a look that said that he really wanted to hear his subordinate's reasons for bringing the child with her. "I highly doubt that Cooler-sama would want to trouble himself with the matter of a lost child that you happened to find wandering out in the wilderness." Not to mention one that was so filthy.

Myra frowned at her superior's statement, before reaching over and patting Gohan on the head, who she noticed had started listening to the four incredibly tall and large warriors now talking about him. "He may not look it, but this boy is incredibly resilient and powerful. When we scanned him, he displayed an energy level of over 13,000."

This statement had the Captain and Neiz appear taken aback, with the latter also stumbling out of shock.

"Thirteen-thousand?" the Zalt-seijin gawked.

"Impossible," Salza replied, while glancing down at the boy with a frown. "A child… and a Saiyan child no less, boasting a power level of that size? Surely you jest, Myra."

"No, I'm not. See for yourselves," the Hera replied confidently while gesturing to the young man beside her.

And that's exactly what they did. Both Salza and Neiz tapped the main switches of their scouters and scanned the youngster in order to confirm their teammate's statement. While Gohan simply stood there with an innocent look on his face and his arms at his sides, both men saw the child's numbers blow past their initial expectations, with the two of them balking when they saw his count stop at just over 13,000. They then cleared their screens and looked at the kid with clearly impressed expressions on their faces.

"You're right," Neiz said, in a voice that was part stunned and part disbelieving. "That's… incredible."

A sigh left the leader's lips as a bead of sweat ran down his brow. "More like highly irregular," Salza remarked.

"See?" Myra replied, smiling as she stepped closer to the boy and beamed down at him proudly- clearly very fond of her discovery. "Though I have no idea where he came from or why he ended up on that accursed planet, I can tell that this kid is something truly special. Maybe even special enough to make Lord Cooler want to enlist him into his personal guard."

Hearing this, Dore's eyes widened in alarm. "Whoa. Hold on a second, Myra. You mean to tell me that you want this little pipsqueak-"

"-to join our squad?" Neiz finished in place of his friend, his own jaw becoming slack with disbelief. "Our illustrious fighting team? The strongest warriors in Cooler-sama's empire?"

Myra nodded affirmatively to the pair's stunned responses. "I do," she said, beaming brightly while turning her attention towards her silent squadron leader. "There are few beings in the universe who are born with a power level over one thousand. A child of only four years old with this kind of raw strength definitely has the potential to grow up to become someone incredibly powerful in the future. Someone I'm positive our venerable lord will greatly desire to have as part of his military."

While Neiz and Dore continued to appear shocked at what their comrade was proposing, Salza- considering the female's words for a moment- made a murmuring sound through his lips before glaring down at the child. When he saw Gohan look up at him with his wide, innocent eyes and tail wagging behind him, the blond-haired male narrowed his glare for a moment before nodding.

"Very well," Salza finally answered, drawing everyone's gazes towards him as the Captain then turned and beckoned his group to follow. "We'll present this child to Lord Cooler for assessment. After that… well… I can't promise you anything." The boy's fate would be left entirely up to their leader, who the captain knew would either enlist him or kill him. "Don't be disappointed if this meeting doesn't go your way, Myra."

The Hera-seijin, frowning a little, bowed her head nonetheless. "Understood, sir."

With varied levels of enthusiasm, the rest of the squad fell in step with their captain, and proceeded to follow him out of the docking bay and into the main halls of the ship. As a unit, the team moved through the well-lit corridors of the vessel with clear purpose in their strides, passing by multiple doors, open rooms, and armored soldiers patrolling the decks. When the naval personnel noticed the group of intimidating warriors marching towards them, they quickly stepped aside and saluted them, giving the strongest fighters and highest ranking members in Cooler's armed forces their due respect.

While all this was going on, the ever-curious Gohan found himself becoming fascinated by… pretty much everything around him. The sights. The smells. The sounds. The atmosphere. All of these elements were completely new sensations to the young Saiyan, who up until a month ago had never even set foot outside of his mountain home.

Going on a fly across the continent with his father.

Being kidnapped by his uncle.

Fighting him.

Being shot up into space.

Crash landing on a far-away planet.

Then exploring said planet and fighting the animals living on it.

Upon recalling everything that'd happened to him in the last several weeks, the hybrid could say without a shadow of a doubt that they had been the most fun and interesting times he'd ever experienced in his entire life.

And considering what was happening to him now, he could tell that it was about to get even more exciting.

While the squad was ambling along at the pace set by their captain, Neiz, noticing Gohan staring at a couple of green aliens in armor guarding a door, smirked down at the child and decided to get a little word in with him. "So, little snot. What do the people on your home planet call you?"

Glancing up at the tall man that was addressing him, the innocent, wild demi-Saiyan blinked. "Uhh… Gohan."

"Gohan, hm?" the amphibian repeated, testing it a couple of times in his head before scrunching his brow. "Doesn't sound like any Saiyan name I've ever heard before. Then again… I haven't really met many other Saiyans before, so I wouldn't really know what most of them would be called."

The child looked from Neiz across to Dore and Myra. "Why is that?" he asked curiously. "Aren't there any Saiyans living around here?"

Myra smiled back at the youngster. "Saiyans don't live in our area of space. They originated from a planet on the far side of the Milky Way galaxy, which is a system owned and occupied by Lord Cooler's brother, Frieza." The adolescent smiled and pointed down at the floor. "Cooler-sama owns and controls the entire Andromeda galaxy, along with several others right alongside his younger sibling."

"Oh?" Gohan replied, before quickly using the information he'd been given to form a picture in his head of the current political structure. "So these kings… Lord Frieza and Lord Cooler… they rule over different galaxies across the universe?"

Dore smiled and nodded, "Bingo. Although… I wouldn't really call Lord Frieza and Lord Cooler kings. They're more like… young emperors or princes, tasked with governing and managing two different halves of the known universe." The Beppa-seijin then grinned at the kid. "The one who really calls the shots though is their father, King Cold."

"He was the one who originally decided which parts of space his sons were allowed to control," Neiz stated, putting his head up as he contemplated the current dynamic that shaped the world that they lived in. "The great king split up and divided his territory between the two of them, and informed them which parts of the cosmos they were allowed to command and conquer, before then stepping down into retirement."

"Salza originally worked for Cold-sama as one of his top lieutenants, before being enlisted over to our lord as the leader of his most elite squad in the Cooler Force," Myra informed afterwards, drawing Gohan's attention back towards her and to the Brench-seijin walking in front of them. "He was in charge of our team long before I even joined. That means he has seniority over most of the entire armada."

Gohan, looking up at the blond haired male marching in front of them, was then hit with a sense of realization. "Oooh. So… he must be, like… super old? Right?" He then tilted his head. "Shouldn't he have more wrinkles on his face though? Why does he look so girlie?"

While the child's comment caused a listening Dore, Neiz and Myra to nearly burst out laughing, with the latter cupping her mouth and the former snickering, a listening Salza found his eye twitch and teeth grit irritably. When the giggles behind him continued, the blonde captain turned around and glared down at the child gazing up at him inquisitively.

"Watch it, you little smart aleck," Salza said with a sneer.

After wiping away a tear, the amphibian Zalt looked down at the boy as he looked between the members of the group in confusion. Clearly he didn't realize that what he'd said had irked the captain. "I think I'm going to like this kid."

"Me too," Dore chuckled while placing a hand on his hip. "He's alright."

OOO

(Meanwhile)

(Otherworld)

Goku could practically feel his heart pounding in his ears as he continued to sprint along the concrete road that made up the back of Snake Way. A seemingly endless, ridiculously long super highway that made up one of the trials the Saiyan father would have to overcome in order to meet with the great King Kai, the surveyor of the northern galaxies. His meeting with his grandfather, as well as his mother- Gine- had helped to give the man an extra spark as he sprinted down the twists and turns of the winding, perilous footpath.

Despite being dead- his spirit confined to a physical body that could never age or starve- Goku could still feel the burn in his legs and chest as he continued his brisk jog along the serpent's solid back. He'd passed over hills, gone round twisting bends, leapt over terrifying gaps between winding stretches, and went for entire straight lengths without any rest. And yet the horizon of golden clouds laid out before him didn't seem to want to end. It was almost like being stuck inside a hamster wheel beside a moving wall, only the routes he was taking at least had some alterations to it.

However, no matter how many hours passed or how many legs he covered, his scenery just did not change.

"At least that stop off at Princess Snake's castle was interesting," Goku thought, trying to look on a brighter note by recalling that large, oriental building he'd pulled over for a break. Though the owner and resident of the palace had blatantly tried to seduce him, the man's fortitude and faith in his family and friends was unbendable, and he was able to shake off the God of Snakeway's advances.

Putting aside the danger he'd faced with that meeting, the encounter with the beautiful woman had proved to be one of the Saiyan hero's most interesting stops on his seemingly infinite journey.

After looping around a mountain jutting up out of the clouds and stopping on the road's peak, Goku slowed down for a moment and came to a shaky stop. Dripping sweat and panting hard, the man set his hands on his knees and stared down at the road for a moment, before then glancing up to see how much further he had to go.

When he saw the lower back of the snake continue looping over the horizon, the tired warrior gave a low groan of disbelief, before then straightening up and taking another deep breath.

"Well… I wouldn't want this to be too easy," Goku chirped to himself, putting on his usual smile again before continuing on sprinting. His footsteps clapped against the stone road as he ran on, determined to reach the end of his route and, hopefully, a new martial arts teacher.

Until then, he would just have to keep on going.

Hopefully things back in the real world were turning out a lot smoother than his quest.

OOO

(A few minutes later)

(Back on Cooler's Ship)

On the ship's main bridge, in front of the main viewing window looking out into the depths of space, a rather odd looking black chair with a white hover jet at the bottom of it, could be seen floating several feet off the floor- with its one and only occupant staring intently out across the cosmos. With his back turned to the handful of men and women who were also on the viewing deck with him, tail hanging lazily over the edge of his seat, and his cheek resting against the knuckles of his right hand, the leader of the vessel and chief overseer of this entire sector of space kept a watchful eye on the horizon, all the while leaving an ear open to the chatter he could hear echoing behind him.

Watching a couple of Attack Balls cruise by and towards an unknown destination, the intimidating alien's meditation was suddenly interrupted by the female voice of his father's former aid and current attendant.

"Dore and Myra have returned from their scouting mission to young Frieza's sector, Lord Cooler," the soft, confident voice of Berryblue filled the air as the purple-haired alien floated into view from the entrance. "They have brought with them the person responsible for activating the distress beacon."

Gaze remaining unbroken, the alien in the seat extended his left hand and waved it. "Very well. Bring them in."

The blue, levitating alien in the formal black and greet armor and robe, bowed her head to the young ruler. "As you wish, my lord." She then hovered about and beckoned the aforementioned group in with a nod.

A short few seconds later, the four members of Cooler's Armored Squadron and the boy that they were escorting marched in, with the former group quickly getting to their knees and bowing low. This left Gohan standing upright for a moment, until Myra quickly hissed across at him and prompted him to do the same as them. Hastily, the young child in the tattered shorts ended up just bowing his upper body forward- keeping his eyes down so as to at least mimic what the adult warriors were doing.

"We have completed our objective, sire," Dore informed, keeping one arm set over his torso while the other fist remained pressed to the tiled floor. "We tracked down the location of the distress signal and investigated it, as you and Captain Salza ordered."

Following a few moments of tense silence, in which the four members of the squadron waited nervously for their lord's answer. It was only after he'd allowed his subordinate's words to resonate for an appropriate amount of time that the alien in the seat decided to turn around.

"Good. And who exactly was responsible for sending out that call for assistance?" the lord's deep, well-mannered voice spoke back, putting his subordinates at ease. "Surely not one of my brother's men."

Smiling when she sensed their ruler was in a good mood, Myra- along with her other squad members- craned their heads upward to see their boss staring back at them. "No, Lord Cooler. It was this young boy right here," she said, while at the same time gesturing towards the youngster bowing next to her. "A Saiyan child that we found alone and stranded on that planet."

"A Saiyan, huh?"

When Gohan slowly looked up to see who was addressing him, the child found to his surprise another alien sitting in the floating seat. However, unlike the other humanoid figures gathered around him, this extra-terrestrial being boasted an imposing presence and appearance. A tall, masculine figure with an incredibly long tail, covered in deep purple skin, and sporting armor-like carapaces on his chest, arms, and over his entire head. Beneath the purple gem plate that went up the center of his headpiece, the figure also had two red sclera around his eyes and went over his cheeks, with a small nose, purple lips, and red irises.

Based on the way everyone was bowing towards him, Gohan could tell that he was the leader of this fleet and everyone on board.

However, as soon as he got a good look at the figure and saw his eyes staring back at him, when his senses got a full flash of his spiritual presence, the boy felt his insides recoil and stomach tighten at how much power he felt radiating from the individual. The alien lord sitting in the floating chair, appearing both calm and poised, was emitting a ki signature so strong and with such overwhelming potency that it quite literally rattled the child to his core. For a moment, Gohan swore he felt his knees tremble and hands shake with fright.

The sheer breadth and magnitude of energy blasting him in the face was so great that it nearly bowled him over. But being the strong, spirited child that he was, with a pride that matched any trained fighter, Gohan was able to bite and hold his position. All the while his stunned expression slowly transformed into a serious glare, allowing him to face down the enormous ocean of power bearing down on him from above.

Myra- along with the other squadron members- noticed the sudden change in the child's expression, which in turn had the female officer glance across at him in momentary concern. But when she saw him remain where he was, holding his own before the presence of their ruler, the female Hera was slowly put at ease.

Cocking an eyebrow at the sight of the child standing amongst his men, the serious-looking Cooler narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Hmm. I thought my brother wiped out most of the Saiyan race when he blew up their home planet. Looks like he missed a few." Including that one that got away to Earth. But that was a problem for his sibling- not him. Upon inspecting the child from a distance, the alien lord raised his head off of his hand and glanced down at the Hera amongst his group. "So… why exactly did you bring this little cretin back to my ship? Care to explain yourselves, Dore? Myra?"

Gulping nervously, the green alien with the thick mane of black hair stuttered, "W-Well… the thing is, sire-"

Standing up, the adolescent girl with orange hair smiled back at her leader. "My lord. When we saw the child bring down one of the remote planet's top predators and scanned his bio-signature afterwards, we discovered that he had an extraordinarily high battle power for his age. 13,000 to be exact. I deduced right then that there was more to his strength than meets the eye, and that with the right care and training, he would most likely become a fine and effective warrior in the future. That is why we brought him back to your ship, so that you could assess for yourself the true extent of his potential." She then placed a hand over her chest and bowed her head to her boss, who she noticed blink when she mentioned the child's power level. "I believe that given his heightened level of ability and natural instincts, this boy- Gohan- would make an excellent addition to your forces."

"Hmm? You think so?" Cooler breathed, turning his gaze back to the youngster with a bit more intrigue and interest than before. "Fascinating. I'll admit, it's incredibly rare to come across a sentient being- let alone a Saiyan- with an energy count exceeding the eight-thousand mark. Especially from a child so little." His curiosity actually prompted the alien to suddenly rise up from his chair and float out of it.

When the rest of the members of his squadron stood up and stepped aside to make some space, with Myra and Gohan remaining firmly in the center, the boy was able to see for himself the full height and scope of the alien overlord. As he suspected, when the lizard alien touched down on the floor, the demi-Saiyan saw that he stood at almost exactly the same height as his father, had three toes on his feet, and white carapace plates around his shins too. Since he moved closer as well and had chosen to exert some more of his energy, the child was able to get a better read of his power level.

It was completely off the charts. And worse still, Gohan could feel that what he was feeling at the surface was only a fraction of what he guessed was underneath.

"How… can a living creature… possess so much energy?" the child thought as alarms and warning bells screamed inside his head, telling him to run for it. But the boy was resolute- choosing to hold his ground, remain calm, and see how things played out.

Besides, he knew that if he tried to escape now, not only would the four aliens surrounding him get in his way, but he was pretty sure that the main one- their boss- would vaporize him on the spot.

Upon looking the child even closer and seeing the fire burning in his eyes despite his precarious position, the calm-looking Cooler cracked a rather intrigued smile. "This is turning out to be a rather auspicious day for me. You said your name was… Gohan, was it?" When he saw the hybrid nod, the alien tyrant chuckled. "Even without a scouter, I can tell through my trained eyes that this child has a tremendous amount of untapped power and potential… perhaps even exceeding that of my own. I wonder…" The man then glanced across at his guard captain, who he could see had stepped aside along with the others. "Tell me, Salza. How strong is Frieza's subordinate Zarbon?"

The blonde warrior blinked before bowing. "Uhh… I believe around 20,000? Why?"

Without another word, Cooler suddenly raised his finger and fired a sharp, pink blast, which shot right through Gohan's torso and into the floor. The child, having not expected such a sharp and sudden attack, stood frozen in place for several moments in shock before, with a gasp of pain, he collapsed to his knees before keeling over.

Myra and the other members of the squadron gaped in shock, while Berryblue floated nearby with an intrigued smile on her face.

Freaking out, the female Hera stepped towards the fallen Gohan, before looking back at her leader in disbelief. "L-Lord Cooler? Sire? W-Why did you-"

"Quiet," Cooler replied, lowering his arm and letting it hang at his side while looking down at the fallen child. "Just watch."

From there, the squadron and their leader stood, watched, and waited- looking down at the boy as a pool of red blood formed around him. After several seconds of remaining in place and seeing nothing happen, the scouter on every single alien present suddenly started to go off, alerting them all to a sudden rising power level.

While Salza and the others were initially distracted by the reading, the group surrounding the fallen, wounded boy unexpectedly saw a white mist start to waft off of his body as his fingers and feet started to twitch. A few short seconds later, Myra, Dore, Neiz, and Salza stepped back in shock when they saw Gohan slowly stand up.

Struggling at first, the child eventually managed to push himself onto one knee, before- with a mighty heave- he managed to struggle back to his feet. Cooler and everyone present then saw the gravely wounded child peer up and, through the mists of the white aura simmering off of him like heat and the bangs of his wild black hair, they saw an incredibly angry boy glare back at his attacker.

His face twisted in fury, his fangs bared in anger, and his eyes wide and pupils dilated, the feral-looking youngster gave a deep snarl as blood trickled out of the corners of his mouth and his abdominal wound. As he did, the mists blasting off of him intensified, until a full-on aura exploded around him and began sending a fierce, hot wind blasting across the room.

As all this was happening, Myra, seeing the numbers on her scouter rising at an alarming rate, could only gape when she saw the levels the boy was registering at now.

"H-His battle power… it's… twenty one thousand…" the girl stuttered.

"That's… that's even more than what he was before," Neiz exclaimed, watching the number continue to grow as the boy stood before them, hunched forward and growling with rage as he glared back at the man that'd attacked him. "This is crazy!"

Cooler, unfazed by the winds whipping at his face, grinned broadly when he saw the child snarling at him. "I knew it." As he watched the boy's energy billow around him, the alien could feel his excitement growing. "This primal fury… his true nature… it's remarkable…"

After a few seconds and hearing their scouters continue to beep, Dore balked when he noticed that the number on his screen was still rising. "Whoa, whoa. Hold on! Why isn't the counter stopping?!"

"Battle power 24,000… and climbing?!" Salza choked out, stepping away a bit when he saw the youngster give another burst of wind as his aura intensified, filling the room with a hot, white glow. "That can't be! How can this child… be hiding so much power inside of him?!"

Myra, quickly growing alarmed at the rate the child's vitals were going through the roof, stepped forward and extended a hand. "G-Gohan! Stop! Please!"

Snarling one last time as his eyes- his irises hollow and appearing as nothing but outlines in the whites of his gaze- stepped forward before leaping at Cooler with a roar. He took off with a blur and swung at the man with a clawed strike.

His attack and speed was impressive. But the moment he lifted off, the young emperor casually swung his tail up, whipped it in front of him, and smacked the child out of the air. The sound of a loud clap filled the room as Gohan was knocked flying back, passing the four members of the Armored Squadron before slamming into the far wall. When he eventually dropped to the ground and landed on his face, his aura dissipated- leaving him lying unconscious on the ground.

And just like that, the show was over.

After Dore, Neiz, Myra and Salza gaped at the fallen child for several moments, they then turned back to their leader to see Cooler swing his tail back, with his smile remaining ever-present on his face.

"Have the child sent to the medical bay immediately," the alien tyrant said, glancing across at Salza to see his guard captain straighten up into attention. While Myra and Dore quickly rushed over to where Gohan was lying to collect him, Cooler addressed his right-hand man promptly on the matter. "As soon as he's healed up, I'll be sending him to you and your squad mates for training. I expect him to be well taken care of, taught, and in proper fighting form by the end of the month. Is that understood?"

Appearing incredibly stunned, Salza nodded and bowed affirmatively to the alien emperor. "Yes, sire. As you command."

Cooler then turned his attention to his attendant, who he saw float towards him with that all-knowing smile on her face. "Berryblue… I would like you to have a uniform made up for that boy as soon as possible. Have him assigned a bunk as well... preferably with Myra."

The purple-haired alien nodded. "Right away, my lord." She then looked up to see the tyrant step away and walk back over to the window, his hands moving behind his back and setting themselves there. All the while the members of his squadron quietly dismissed themselves, with a concerned and terrified Myra carrying Gohan straight to the medical bay just down the hall. "If you don't mind me asking, just what exactly do you have planned for that young Saiyan?"

Stopping before his reflection, the young Cooler chuckled as his tail waved behind him in delight. "My brother is a very proud, big-headed, yet paranoid person. He believed that one day a great warrior- a Super Saiyan- would one day rise up to overthrow him and destroy everything he'd built. It's a tale that has stuck out in his mind since the day father put him in control of their race's home world... and it was that very same legend that compelled him to wipe the Saiyans from the face of the universe- so that their prophecy would never come to pass." The alien's eyes then narrowed as a sinister smile crossed his mug. "My dear little brother feared the legend of the Super Saiyan… so I'm going to give him one."

TO BE CONTINUED…