Chapter 5

Not again. He hated these stupid flashes. Oh look, the tournament was showing. This was going to be good. Well, there they are, watching Yamcha and Krillin fighting. Shin was back and Piccolo forfeited again. If he was back, that meant…great, so Babidi was here.

Who was that kid fighting Tekka? No, not Tekka. He's just a regular human. He's not strong enough to take this fighter on. Leave him alone.

The one who fought Tekka, he must've been a replacement for Spopovich which meant he was working with someone else. Kibito was on the tournament stage with Trunks. Damn, Trunks was taking his dad's place. They all had to stand there while Trunks got his ki taken.

He groaned, gazing miserably when he saw the familiar faces of Babidi, Dabura, and…who were all of these people? These weren't the same people Bardock and the others fought in the original timeline. These aliens were completely different. Wait, was that guy a human or an alien? His face, his hair; he could almost say he was a Saiyan.

Oh no, Buu was back again. But wait, if they were able to talk him down, just like Hercule did in the other timeline, they might get him onto their side. Besides, he was stronger than he was all those years ago. He could take Buu on if he needed to.

The mysterious villain, the one who could be a Saiyan; he was strong. Almost too strong for them.

No. He was fighting them. They weren't going to last.

Now he has Buu. Stop. No!

No! Not his dad! Not Trunks!

Stop it! STOP IT!

"STOP!"

"Bardock!"

Bardock panted raggedly, sweat dripping down his forehead and coating the rest of his body, causing his clothes to stick to him uncomfortably. His eyes darted around the room, taking in the unfamiliar white ceiling and bright lights that weren't great for the headache that kept making his head pound.

"Where am I?" He croaked out, wincing when his throat protested, making his eyes water. He could see the blurry figures of his sister, Gine, Tekka, and his parents who he assumed rushed over when they heard he was in the nurse's office.

Pan, who had called out to him, sighed heavily in relief, "You're in the nurse's office. Gine said you collapsed. We brought you here when you started having spasms. The nurse said you had a fever."

Bardock lifted a hand, touching his sweat covered forehead. He sniffed, wiping the sweat off his face. "I don't know what happened. I just…I just hit the ground before I could even take a step anywhere."

He glanced at his parents and locked eyes with his father who gazed at him worriedly though he could see the inquiry in his eyes. He gave a subtle nod before turning back to the others. "I'm sorry I worried you guys. I was 10 the last time something like this happened and I always thought it was a one-time thing."

"We're just glad you're okay," Tekka smiled, scratching his head. "P-Pan was really worried and if she was worried then something must've been wrong, and you're a tough guy, B, and I know you can't fall down so easily but Pan was freaking out a bit and I was getting worried so…so…" His smile turned sheepish when Bardock and Gohan gazed at him with narrowed eyes.

Gine stepped forward, concern swimming in her dark eyes, "You sure you're okay?"

Bardock nodded, "Yeah, yes, I'm fine." He lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck. His hand halted, his finger caressing the scar that took home there after he destroyed the androids.

"Okay," Videl exhaled. "Why don't you kids go on home? We'll take care of Bardock and he'll call you when we get home."

Tekka and Gine nodded in agreement. Tekka clapped Bardock's shoulder and made him promise to call him the minute he got home. Gine gave Pan a hug and gave Bardock a quick one as well, her arms going around his shoulders for only a moment before she bid goodbye.

Once they were gone, Bardock stood from the nurse's bed. "Do you want to go home now or do want to continue questioning me? I don't think I fake another collapse even if I wanted to."

"Bardock," Pan scolded, punching his shoulder lightly. "Let's just go home."

"Okay," Bardock mumbled, putting two fingers to his forehead. He smiled reassuringly when his mother gazed worriedly. "Mom, it's not like I'm out of ki. I can get us home no problem."

He put his hand on Videl's shoulder while Pan and Gohan held onto him. One moment they were in the nurse's office and the next they were gone. That might've startled a certain someone when they went back for their belongings.

Gohan was the first to speak up when they were all settled in the kitchen, "The last time this happened was when you defeated the androids. A few months after that, you told Bulma you needed to go to the past to help them fight this enemy you saw in your visions."

"More or less, yeah," Bardock replied, his hands fidgeting on the table.

"All I'm asking is do you need to go back to the past?"

"No," Bardock shook his head.

His parents sighed in relief at that. "Thank Kami," Videl said lightly. "I don't think I could've handled it if the two of you went away again."

"Last time it would've only been me like it was supposed to be had Pan not followed me in the time machine."

Pan stuck her tongue out indignantly at her brother's comment. While her parents were glad that Bardock wasn't leaving, she knew that there were more important matters in the visions than Bardock's maybe leaving this timeline again. He had the visions for a reason after all. "Who did you see in this timeline then?"

Bardock sighed heavily, licking his dry lips, "I saw Babidi and Dabura again. Buu was there too, but it didn't seem like he was the threat."

"Majin Buu?" Videl inquired. "Is that the one that killed Vegeta?"

"Vegeta sacrificed himself but it didn't do any good. Majin Buu, the fat version, couldn't be killed by certain techniques. It was why when he turned into Super Buu, it was much easier to fight him," Bardock informed.

Pan scoffed, "Please. You could barely lay a hand on him. Don't even get me started on Kid Buu. That one kicked yours and Dad's asses." She squawked when Bardock smacked her head playfully.

Gohan waved his hands, bringing them back to the matter at hand. "If Buu was the reason you had the vision the first time, who was the reason this time if not Buu? Who else did you see?"

Bardock exhaled, his mind trying to dig deeper into the vision, "Well, the people we first fought weren't there. Pui Pui and Yakon were replaced with some other aliens. Even Spopovich and Yamu were replaced with younger versions. Some things were the same like them stealing someone's ki and beating someone brutally. But the strongest one, that one that caught my attention, was this skinny tall guy standing next to Babidi."

His brow furrowed as he tried to remember the man's features. "I couldn't tell if he was human or an alien, but I could feel his power. It was unlike any other. Buu's was like an evil well that was endless but this guy; it was like he had all the power in the universe just living under his skin. He was powerful. I could sense it. If I had to guess, I'd say he might be a Saiyan."

The news shocked them. Gohan shook his head slowly, "No way. Vegeta said there were only few survivors and most have been killed."

"He must've found a way to survive," Bardock responded. "But it's just a guess. I'm not saying it's true. We can't tell Vegeta either. He'll go crazy if he hears about this."

"That's true." The rest of them nodded in agreement.

A beat of silence passed before Pan spoke up again, "The tournament is where it always starts, right?"

Bardock nodded, "Just like last time. Some roles may be changed but it happens almost exactly like it did in the past." He smiled sheepishly at his parents, "We're going to need to take the next couple months of school off to train for the tournament and for whoever's with Babidi and Buu."

"That can't be helped," Gohan chuckled. "Your mom and I will call the school tomorrow to excuse you. I'm sure your teachers won't mind."

Videl frowned thoughtfully, "If it's just like last time, can't you just go and find where Babidi's hiding and stop Buu from being hatched?"

"I don't know," Bardock sighed heavily. "They might have changed their location and I haven't been able to sense them at all which is crazy since that guy in my vision seemed really powerful."

He shook his head as he gazed at his family, "We…we shouldn't worry so much about it, guys. The androids were the toughest beings we fought in this timeline, but we're stronger than we were 7 years ago. I'm stronger than I was when I first fought Buu and so is Pan. We'll win this fight and no one will die. I'll make sure of it. We'll be fine."

"Let's hope we are," Gohan stated.

Though Bardock had said the tournament was when everything was going to start just like in the past, Pan didn't think anything would change that. She was proven wrong when Gine and Tekka showed up at their door, Tekka looking frazzled and Gine indifferent.

What happened next truly showed that things were repeating themselves in this timeline, albeit with different roles for everyone.

"You have powers!" Tekka exclaimed, both frantically and excitedly.

Bardock raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence, "What are you talking about?"

Gine rolled her eyes, "Tekka says he saw you guys disappear from the nurse's office when he went back for his backpack. He came running to me after. Now we're here in hopes that you'll teach us your 'ways'."

"Please, please, please, please," Tekka pleaded.

"Sorry, Pan," Bardock sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I didn't sense him."

Pan patted her brother's shoulder, silently telling him she didn't blame him. She locked eyes with Gine, the reason why she was so adamant on hiding their powers, and spoke, "Guys, we have something we have to tell you; something we should've told you a while ago."