Chapter 7

Bardock released a deep breath, wiping the sweat from his brow. Sparring in general was one thing, but all out sparring with his dad, Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks was on a whole different level. A level he missed. The only thing that nagged at his mind was the fact that the only reason they were training this intensely was because of Majin Buu and the other massive threat he saw in his visions.

"You okay, B?" Goku asked, stretching his arms above his head. His hair was still upright and blond since he was still in his super saiyan form. All of the Saiyans, minus Bardock, had gone into their super saiyan forms; as if it was going to help them.

"I'm fine, Gramps. Never been better," Bardock nodded. He placed his hands on his knees and breathed deeply, feeling his muscles finally relax.

His body had been tense these past few months and sparring was the only thing that helped him clear his mind and relax his body. No matter how many times he got punched in the face or in the gut, he loved being able to go all out with his dad, Trunks, and his grandfather.

And hey, add Vegeta to the mix too. He wasn't all that bad once you get used to him; despite the fact that he still had the whole 'I need to defeat Goku' shtick which made him a bit more annoying than his counterpart from the past timeline.

He had trained with Pan and Gohan for a few weeks while Goku trained Goten and Vegeta trained Bra during that time. Pan knew she wasn't going to win the tournament or be able to go toe-to-toe with Buu, so she just sharpened her regular fighting moves before she took the last 2 weeks off to relax and maybe help Gine train.

His thoughts were brought back to the present when Goku grunted in his stretching and asked, "So, is there anything you can tell us about Majin Buu?"

Bardock cracked his neck as he pondered on his old enemy. "Well, when he was in his first form, he was immensely powerful and any physical hit would just rebound off of his. It kind of felt like he was made of rubber and pillows."

"That's the stupidest comparison I've ever heard," Vegeta commented with slight irritation. "You're telling me that this Buu was only strong because none of us could get a single hit on him?"

"Not necessarily. He was powerful in his own right. None of us were able to beat him in his first form but when he changed into Super Buu, though he was more powerful, it was easier to land hits on him since he wasn't a balloon."

Goku raised an eyebrow questioningly, "So all we have to do is make him transform?"

A chuckle escaped Bardock's lips. "You'll have to take a pummeling of a lifetime first before he even thinks about it." He shrugged, "I don't know how it happened last time. Piccolo from the past just told me that Grandpa Hercule had something to do with it. When I asked G-pa, he said he couldn't remember much of what happened."

Gohan ignored Vegeta's scoff of disgust and tilted his head in thought, "Maybe something happened to Hercule that brought out another side in Buu."

"That sounds like it could've happened." Trunks panted lightly and took a sip of the water in his water bottle.

"Probably," Bardock replied before he stretched out again. "Alright, let's get one more round of sparring in before dinner. The tournament's tomorrow so don't be surprised if you're beaten in a spar and in the actual tournament." He inhaled deeply and turned into a super saiyan.

Vegeta rolled his eyes though he got into his fighting stance, "As if. I'm going to show you all how much stronger I've gotten these past 7 years."

"Not that strong," Gohan muttered, smiling a bit when Bardock snorted amusedly. He got into a fighting stance as well and readied himself.

The fighting stopped an hour before dinner. Chi-Chi and Bulma scolded their husbands for trying to steal food while they stunk up Chi-Chi's house. The Saiyans quickly took showers and piled in the kitchen when the food was ready.

Everyone had a fun night, laughing and joking, but in the back of Bardock's mind, and neck, he knew that this was the last day they could have for this before they had to fight against one of the strongest beings they had ever faced.

Bardock gazed around with a small smile on his lips. The crowds were cheering, the participants were signing autographs, and the food stands smelled delicious. Almost everything was the same as the tournament they went to in the past except these people were celebrating the death of the androids, not the death of Cell. One thing was for certain though…

"I sure am glad I'm not dead this time," The half saiyan commented.

Had he been paying attention and listening closely, he would've heard a record being scratched somewhere. Pan winced as her parents, grandmother, and Bulma shouted at her brother in shock and a bit of anger, "You were what?!"

Bardock swallowed, his eyes wide as he sputtered, "Wha-I-I thought you knew!" He glanced at Pan nervously, "Pan, you didn't tell them?"

"It wasn't my place," Pan shrugged, only to flinch when Bardock glared at her. She waved her hands, relenting, "Okay, okay. I wanted to see their reaction when you told them. If I told them, I would've gotten yelled at again."

"You would've deserved it," Bardock grumbled. He heaved a sigh and turned back to his family, putting on a placating smile as he explained, "When I went to the past, I visited King Kai like Grandpa told me to so I could train. I did not think that Grandpa was going to bring a fat Cell there only for it to blow up King Kai's planet. That was how I died. I didn't get to come back because when they wished for everyone who had died before the Cell Games to come back to life and they didn't know I was dead."

Trunks shook his head exasperatedly as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Goku, why?" He held up his hand when Goku stared at him confusedly. "Not you." The rest of group began walking again though he stayed behind with Bardock, Pan, Videl, and Gohan. "If Cell had hit me closer to the heart, maybe they would've changed the wish to everyone who Cell killed."

Bardock dropped his head back with a groan, following the rest of the group, "If only. Maybe then I could've spent some more time with Goten and seen Dad grow up like Pan did."

A hue of pink came onto Gohan's cheeks. He shook his head, "I don't like to think about that. It must've been awkward."

"It was," Pan responded bluntly. "From 11 to 18, Dad. I'm so glad I didn't have to see that with Bardock. I would've had war flashbacks."

Once they got to the entrance, they were surprised to see Hercule waiting for them by the sign-in booth. The champ laughed boisterously and rushed over to his daughter. He gave her a big hug before turning to the camera crew that followed him. "This right here is my daughter Videl and her husband Gohan. Next to them are my grandkids; Bardock and Pan. They obviously came to see their grandpa win. Right, kids? Say hi to the folks at home!"

The twins waved awkwardly while Gohan tried to walk away. Videl gave a sigh though a small smile tugged at her lips, "Dad, come on. Let the kids and Gohan sign in before the cameras hound them."

"Oh, alright," Hercule said, slumping his shoulders. He then perked up once more, "Now, let me show you what my finishing move is going to be…"

A sigh of relief left the Son family once they walked away. After they signed in, they walked over to where the contestants and the spectators met their end together before they had to go on different roads.

The Son family exchanged hugs with everyone while Vegeta and Piccolo continued to walk towards the dressing rooms. Videl hugged her kids tightly, inhaling deeply as if she was trying to memorize their scent.

Bardock chuckled lightly, patting his mother's back, "Come on, Mom. We're not gonna be that far from you."

"I know, I know," Videl sniffled as she pulled away. She placed her hands on their cheeks, her blue eyes shiny with unshed tears. "It's just that after this, it's going to be a rollercoaster that we didn't sign up for."

An exhale. "Yeah, I know what you mean," Bardock replied. He gave his mother one last hug for good measure. "Okay. Once everything settles for a bit, I'll see you guys on the lookout, alright?" He pulled away and waved to the rest of the gang that wasn't participating.

Once he fell in step with Pan, he could hear Krillin's conversation with Goku and Yamcha. "…so, Tien and Chiaotzu aren't competing?" Goku asked, scratching his head.

Yamcha shook his head, crossing his arms, "Nope. I tried to persuade them, saying it would be like old time sakes, but Tien had to be a downer and say that the last time we were all together, we died by the androids and this time wouldn't be any better."

Krillin shuddered at the thought, "Hey, Goku, you guys will take care of this big bad Buu guy, right? I mean, I'll help if you need it, but you pretty much have everything set, yeah?"

Goku barked a laugh, patting Krillin's back a bit roughly since the man still didn't know his own strength, "Oh, don't worry, Krillin. I'm sure this thing will all blow over in a couple of days. Besides, we have Bardock here and he beat Majin Buu in the past." He sent a wink to his grandson when he caught his eye.

"Don't put everyone's faith in only me, Grandpa," Bardock hissed behind his grin. He turned away from the adults and rolled his eyes to himself, "Let's just hope this timeline doesn't turn out to have some kind of sick twist to it."