Wind blowing through her chocolate, shoulder-length hair, Gotu stood transfixed to the top of the skyscraper. Even from this height, she had felt Vegito's power. It felt like an unending black hole. The power hit the pit of her stomach, warning her very nerves of its depths. 'There's no way we can compete with a power like that…' She thought, anxiety building in her chest.
Vegito had flown off to the South not long after Vegeta had taken Bulma away. Gotu searched the area mentally, trying to sense where Vegito had gone, wishing wherever it was would buy her some time. Minutes later, she finally felt him stop in an uninhabited area. "Perfect! It seems like my wish has come true!" She spoke to herself. "WAIT! A wish! Maybe that can help us." Gotu realized, however, that while Vegito may not be committing any destruction at that moment, she couldn't afford to waste days searching for the dragon balls.
"I'll have to see if I can get the dragon radar from Bulma. Here's to hoping she isn't too skeptical about giving it to a complete stranger after nearly being killed…" Gotu sweat dropped, thinking that she would need to come up with a better way to make her request. She quickly found Vegeta and Bulma's energies near the Saiyan's five pods, and began her flight to them.
It wasn't long before she reached the empty plain, and she crouched behind a tree, taking a moment to evaluate the situation. Bulma was sitting up, still looking slightly stunned, by one of the pods. She held her hands gently around her neck, massaging it. Vegeta was several steps away, arms crossed, and facing away from Bulma. The two weren't speaking.
"Who are you?" Bulma finally asked.
"It's unimportant. I'm simply a prince from another race come destroy this planet." Vegeta responded coldly.
"But, why did you want to save me? And didn't you say something about a 'Saiyan'? What's a 'Saiyan'?"
"Woman, stop asking these ridiculous questions. Besides, I already explained that I saved you so we could force you to invent technology for us. We will leave shortly to return to my home planet, and you do not have a choice in the matter."
"Just who the hell do you think you are?!" The color was returning to Bulma's face as the heated spirit Gotu knew so well flared.
"ENOUGH QUESTIONS!" Vegeta roared.
Gotu stepped out from behind the tree, coming in to view for Bulma. "He's the prince of a race called the Saiyans. Your friend, Goku, is also a Saiyan, but he doesn't know that yet." She met Bulma's surprised stare at her appearance with a pleasant smile.
Vegeta bolted to where she stood. "Who are you? A human come to try to save the planet? Your power is pathetic."
Gotu laughed and gently shoved Vegeta on the shoulder, pushing him back a few feet. His face transformed to rage. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that." Gotu said sheepishly. "Vegeta, you of all people should know, after seeing the power my son now has, that your scouters can't detect what I choose to hide."
"Your… son? Vegito?!" He exclaimed.
"Yes. I'm Vegito's mother."
"Prove it." Vegeta commanded.
Gotu sighed and nodded. She had expected as much. Clenching her fists, Gotu began powering up her super Saiyan transformation to its fullest extent. Her hair became the characteristic blonde of a super Saiyan's, falling in large spikes that framed her face, but her eyes didn't change color. Her Irises were always the same teal color; the eyes of the super Saiyan were born into her natural genetics. As the electricity sparked around her, Vegeta huffed and shook his head, accepting that what she had said was the truth.
"Explain how you got here, then." He demanded.
"Bulma built another time machine so myself, Trunks, and… well… future you…" She pointed to Vegeta. "…Could come and bring Vegito back to our time. I used the newest version of the Saiyan pods to get here quicker than Vegeta and Trunks, and I can see that things are much worse than we anticipated…" She bit her nail anxiously.
"Wait a minute, did you just say that I built a time machine, and you're from the future? Was the monster that tried to kill me from the future too?! Can everyone turn yellow in the future?!" Bulma started listing off questions nervously.
Gotu turned to address Bulma. "Yes, you're still pretty amazing decades later. The genius of the generation, they call you." She made every effort to flatter Bulma, priming her for the dragon radar request to come. Bulma smiled widely at the compliments, fanning herself and mumbling about beauty and brains.
"Bulma, I need the dragon radar. That boy, my son, has come to the past to change the timeline. He's undergone some evil transformation, and no one can defeat him right now; that I'm sure of. But we might have a chance if I can just make a wish to Shenron…"
"And what exactly makes you think I will allow that?" Vegeta approached Gotu menacingly. She faced him, eying him with determination.
"Why wouldn't you?" She asked.
"It's with his power that the Saiyan race will be able to conquer the universe. He will teach every one of us how to transform into super Saiyans, and we will be unbeatable! I will be the prince of the perfect race!"
"You're delusional, Vegeta." Gotu glared angrily at him. "Do you really think that a Saiyan with unbeatable strength and an entirely evil heart, who has barely lived on planet Vegeta for a week, cares at all about anyone but himself? He will conquer the planets of the universe, sure, but he won't allow you and your father to rule them, I promise you that. It will only be a matter of time before he kills the two of you off to rule the race himself."
Vegeta looked at her incredulously. "You're wrong. He came back to save us, and he wouldn't dare kill his dear old grandfather." He smirked.
"Oh, yeah? Then what was he about to do to Bulma back there? He was close to you both in my time, Vegeta. She brings out memories in him. He will never allow her to stay alive while he is trying to maintain this evil heart he's attained. Do you really want her dead? If you're going to protect him like this, you may as well kill her yourself. Either way, her blood would be on your hands."
Bulma glanced at Vegeta's thoughtful face. "Why do I matter to you…? We've never met before, have we?" She asked.
"No, we haven't." He made his decision. "Give Gotu what she wants, Bulma. I won't interfere, and it may be the only way."
Bulma looked surprised as he said her name gently, but nodded and pulled the radar out of her pocket. Gotu took it, thanking them both, and used the instant transmission her father had taught her to begin her search for the balls.
Meanwhile, in a small clearing of grass, Vegito struggled internally. 'Damn. Why couldn't I just kill her? I haven't even thought about my family since taking on this form. I have to get over this before it interferes with my plans.' He thought. Maintaining this form was vital to his desire for the domination of the universe. His power in this form far exceeded the power he had held at the super Saiyan 2 level. He believed it even exceeded Goku's power at the super Saiyan 3 level because it was driven from a constant, unending source of evil energy. He knew he needed to find a way to combat these old memories before trying to confront his next victim; Goku.
Hours later, Gotu had successfully retrieved all seven of the dragon balls. She chuckled, remembering the stories she had heard about Goku and Bulma's adventures as children. Finding the balls used to be so difficult for them, and now, it was doable in under a day. Placing each shining orb next to each other, Gotu stretched out her arms and called the dragon forth. A blaze of gold light burst from the scene, and seconds later, a large, scaled green dragon coiled in the air before her.
"What is your wish?" He called out.
Gotu thought for a moment before yelling out, "Shenron! Can you make it so that my son, Vegito, never came back to this timeline?" Silence hung in the air.
"This cannot be done. It is beyond my power."
"Hm… Okay, then can you make me strong enough to defeat him?"
"I can bring your power to its full potential, but this will still not be enough. A new form must be attained, and it is beyond my power to do so for you."
Gotu's heart dropped. These were the two wishes she had planned to try, in hopes that it would help them with Vegito. She slumped to the ground, disappointed and defeated. Shenron continued to stare. She began to run through everything she knew about the situation in an attempt to find even the tiniest bit of information that might give them an edge as a wish. She recalled her conversation with Bardock and Gine before her departure.
'Find a way to get the timeline back on track.' Gine had said. 'It's worth a try…' Gotu thought.
"SHENRON! Can you guide the events of this time so that it returns to its original course?"
The silence stretched out longer this time, but just as Gotu was about to give up on this wish as well, Shenron's eyes glowed.
"Your wish has been granted."
