DISCLAIMER: DBZ, not mine.

CHAPTER 3: SUPER FLY

Goku woke up on a cot in what appeared to be a cafeteria. It was crowded with a bunch of hungry Saiyans waiting in line for their food.

The walls were a dull gray color, the ceiling was low, and there were twenty rows of tables each having roughly fifty tables in them. Randomly spaced columns supported the roof and black tile covered the floor.

Laughing and belching from eating Saiyans filled the air and it was so loud that Goku could barely hear himself think.

Needless to say, the Saiyans ate just like he did; without any manners whatsoever.

Goku sat up on his cot and visually scanned the area, looking for one of the few people he actually knew. He eventually caught sight of his father and Tatalia waiting in line with trays to get their food.

He was still very hungry and he wanted to get in the food line with them but they were across the cafeteria, separated from him by the crowd of Saiyans eating at the tables. So he gathered up his remaining strength and brought his right index and middle fingers to his forehead. Then he closed his eyes and instant transmissioned himself over to where they were standing.

"Whoa!" Bardock yelled as Goku appeared in a flash of static. "When did you wake up Kakarot? And what was that you did just now?"

"Uh… heh-heh, long story," Goku said rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I'll tell you after we eat. Do you mind if I cut in front of you?"

"Go ahead son. It's the least I can do for you getting us upgraded to elites."

"Yeah," Tatalia said, "That was so cool. You were almost on par with the Prince."

"Hey Kakarot," Bardock said, "You should have told me you were planning on taking a mate so I would've had time to expand our living space."

"What can I say," Goku said, laughing nervously, "I just saw her and I had to have her." 'If only they knew I had no idea what I was doing…'

"Yeah, well don't go reproducing just yet Kakarot, you haven't reached you're prime. Don't want you having any weak offspring."

"Are you crazy? I'm not gonna reproduce, I'm too old- I mean too young!" Goku exclaimed, waving his hands in front of his chest. 'This is insanity! I'm too old and too young at the same time! Please god, let me get home soon.'

"Just keep an eye on this girl and make sure she doesn't try anything. Saiyan females mature much quicker than males after all."

'Just when I think it can't get any worse…' Goku thought.

"Don't worry Bardock," Tatalia said, already latched onto Goku's arm, "I'll be a good wife to your son."

'Why me, what did I ever do to deserve this? I just wanted a new pupil not a spouse.'

They waited in line for another fifteen minutes until they got their food and then they found seats. All three of them stuffed their faces, Goku more so than the others due to his loss of energy, and then they left the tournament stadium to go home.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Goku was somewhat nervous about going 'home' because he had no idea of what to expect. All he knew of Saiyan lifestyles was the constant fighting and pursuit of strength. He couldn't picture them doing anything else so he never imagined what a Saiyan home would be like.

The planet was at least nice looking. The sky was not polluted with smog like Earths' was and it had a faint orange twinge to it due to the sunset. There were also lots of Mountains and canyons. And the trees in the forests were a mixture of gold, purple, and red.

When they arrived at Bardock's home it was already night time and as a result the purple trees around his house were giving off an ambient glow. It was positively the most beautiful landscape that Goku had ever seen. He was surprised at how isolated from civilization Bardock's house was. It was surrounded by miles of glowing forest and a waterfall fell from a nearby cliff. Goku had expected Saiyan residences to be crammed together for some reason.

The house itself was simple enough. It was one huge concrete and glass dome.

Goku guessed it was about three-thousand square feet if you counted the first and second stories together. 'What was he talking about when he said he needed more space for Tatalia? This looks like plenty of space to me.'

One thing in particular that Goku noticed about the house was that it had no front door. He wondered how they were going to get inside.

"Okay we're here," said Bardock flying down to the roof with Goku and Tatalia right behind him.

"How do we get in?" Goku asked.

"You must've taken a few too many hits to the skull son," Bardock said, stepping on a glowing white panel.

A glass section of the roof slid open after Bardock stepped onto the panel and he jumped down.

"Oh" Goku said, following his father and wife in.

As soon as they got in, Goku's questions about the living space issues were answered.

The house was littered with computer equipment and stacks of binders that were presumably Bardock's research notes. It didn't stop there however, dirty clothes were scattered across the floor and what little furniture he had.

Bardock led the two kids downstairs and into the kitchen which was the most organized room, compared to the rest of the house, if not slightly cluttered. It probably had to be kept clean because it was used a lot, and the way Saiyans ate clean dishes were always needed. It also had a nice sliding glass door.

"Have a seat, son, I want you to tell me why you've been acting so strangely today. When you fought Vegeta I sensed an energy I've never felt before and it was coming from the both of you. I didn't say anything earlier because I thought that you might come out with it on your own but I'm not going to wait anymore."

Goku could tell that Bardock was serious and knew he wouldn't take no for an answer.

Tatalia looked back and forth between Goku and Bardock, not having the slightest clue what was going on.

"Okay," Goku said in a serious tone. "You both had better sit down for what you're about to hear."

Both Bardock and Tatalia pulled up chairs to the Kitchen table and sat down awaiting Goku's explanation.

Goku proceeded to tell them a vague and summarized version of his life, all the while not divulging too much information. He told them about Frieza blowing up the planet after he was sent to Earth and how Frieza held Vegeta hostage and forced him to serve under him. He left out the part about fighting Frieza because he didn't want to have to explain his reasons for sparing his life. Instead he simply told them that Frieza was defeated by a Super Saiyan.

He left out all details about the Dragonballs and his life on Earth. Then he skipped all of the Earth battles and just said that he had faced many enemies in his lifetime that were stronger than Frieza. And, finally, he told them about the accident in space that brought him and Vegeta there.

When he was done they stared at him in disbelief, having a hard time accepting what he had just told them.

'I can sense no deception in his voice, but he's got be insane. That's just too absurd to be true. But then…why would he go to all the trouble to make up such a story?' "You mean another Super Saiyan was finally born after a Millennia of absence?" Bardock asked skeptically.

"Yeah, but not before Frieza blew up Vegeta-sei" Goku added.

"He destroyed all of us?" Tatalia asked.

"Well, he blew up the planet, yes. But a few who were off-world at the time survived. I was one of them."

"Well, the part about Frieza wanting to kill all Saiyans is believable," Bardock said. "He didn't blow us up though. Man, if getting destroyed by a Super Saiyan isn't irony enough then I don't know what is."

"Wait a second!" Tatalia said. "Where's you're proof? I don't want to be married to some loser who lives in a fantasy world."

Goku had made sure to not say anything about his family in his story so as not to upset Tatalia.

"Well…" Goku said, "The only proof I have is my strength I guess. What do you say I give you a demonstration of the Super Saiyan transformation?"

"Y-you're a S-super Saiyan?" Tatalia stuttered out.

"Yep" Goku said.

'Impossible…' "That energy I sensed at the tournament…" Bardock began, "Was that Super Saiyan?"

"Actually, not quite, that was right before Super Saiyan."

"Are you kidding me? That wasn't even Super Saiyan? Man, if you were that strong normal, than how strong are you as a Super Saiyan?"

"I'll show you."

Goku got up and told them to hold onto his shoulders, then he instant transmissioned them all outside onto the cliff with the waterfall.

"Whoa!" Bardock yelled, "It's that thing again!"

"It's called instant transmission. It allows me to transport anywhere within my ki sensing range instantaneously. You have to find and lock onto familiar ki to travel long distances though."

"Awesome!" Tatalia exclaimed. "Can anyone learn it?"

"Well, you have to have finely tuned ki senses for it to work."

"Oh…" she said disappointedly.

"Hey, don't worry about it. If you train with me, you'll become more than capable of learning it."

"That's proof enough that you were telling the truth, Kakarot. Now show me a Super Saiyan. I've been trying to unlock the secret of it for years and have yet to succeed."

"Alright, I'll do it slow so you can see how it's done."

Goku took to the air and moved a safe distance away from Bardock and Tatalia.

"Okay guys! Here goes nothing! HHHAAAAAAAAAA!

He screamed and ignited his white aura. The wind picked up and grew steadily fiercer. Goku tightened his fists as his muscles bulged slightly.

Bardock could sense Goku's ki growing immensely and although Tatalia could not, she knew that it was far more powerful than anything she had ever encountered before.

His hair started to defy gravity and spike upwards. He gritted his teeth and hunched over as he felt the rush of Super Saiyan energy approach. His eyes flashed teal first then his aura flashed golden. Finally, the dam of energy burst and his hair became blonde.

Goku descended to the ground and walked over to the two awe-struck Saiyans.

Bardock and Tatalia both marveled at Goku's Super Saiyan form.

Tatalia grabbed one of Goku's biceps and felt it twitch from the energy pulsing through it, while Bardock ran his hands over Goku's blonde hair.

"Incredible…" was all that Bardock could get out of his mouth.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Dumbass," Vegeta said after sensing Goku's transformation. 'He's probably showing off to his new mate.'

Vegeta sat back on his throne in the palace hall reviewing data on significant occurrences within the past decade. He had stacks of electronic data pads to go over and it was trying his patience.

After six hours of reviewing he wasn't even a third of the way through. Nothing so far had mentioned anything about Frieza trying to destroy the planet. He started to wonder if Frieza even existed in this timeline. He laughed at the thought but shook it off as he realized that Frieza had to exist here because he was the one that forced the Saiyans to do his bidding in the planetary trade industry. And there were plenty of data pads that had mentioned visits to worlds which had previously been marked for population purging.

From what Vegeta could tell, all of the planets that had been selected for purging were on a 'cancelled' list. And all of the off-world missions were to diplomatic summits on the planets of the 'cancelled' list.

Vegeta gathered that his father must've been preparing for something big; otherwise he wouldn't have forged so many alliances. Especially with worlds that had been intended as targets.

'He must be preparing to fight Frieza,' Vegeta thought. 'It's nice to know that we're not under the thumb of that disgusting salamander anymore. Father's going to need more than a huge alliance if he expects to challenge the Kold Empire, though. It'd take an army of Super Saiyans to overpower an entire race of stupid lizards. Kakarot and I could easily subdue any of Frieza's planets, but we can't be everywhere at once. And how come Frieza didn't just destroy Vegeta-sei as soon as we became a threat? That's what he did last time…'

Vegeta yawned and decided to sleep on it for now and question his father if the data didn't turn up what he was looking for. But that was a last resort.

He got up and made his way to the East wing of the palace where his bedroom was. Along the way he saw female guards bowing there heads to him and checking him out. He chuckled in his head. He missed the good old days of being a Prince with people to serve under him.

He didn't want to see his people destroyed again so he made up his mind that he would do what he could to ensure their survival. The Saiyans in his timeline may have been wiped out, but here in this time they could thrive.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Back at Bardock's house all three Saiyans sat at the kitchen table in discussion.

"Hey dad," Goku said, "You never told me why this planet isn't space dust right now. Did Frieza ever come to blow it up? And if he did, why are we still here?"

"It's difficult to explain son. You see, on the last planet that my crew and I ravaged, I came into contact with one of the native species before it died and it did something to me that made me have visions."

"What kind of visions?" both Goku and Tatalia asked in unison.

"I'm getting to that, let me finish. So where was I…? Oh yeah! So, after I got up from the vision I had, I replayed it over and over in my head. It didn't make sense; it wasn't a memory of mine. Nothing like it had ever happened…it was then that I realized that it had to be the future."

"The future?" Tatalia asked.

"Yes, the future."

"What did you see?" Goku asked.

"I saw, in my vision, the destruction of our planet by the hand of Frieza and I rushed back to warn the king. Luckily, he listened to me and we devised a plan to thwart Frieza's attempt. Me and some royal scientists came up with a way to fool Frieza into thinking we were already as strong as he was."

"Really? How'd you do it?" Tatalia asked.

"Well, we equipped all of our soldiers with scouters that reflected power signatures. So when Frieza scanned the army that confronted him he got his own power signal sent back at him. To him it looked like every single man had a power as strong as his and no matter how much he raised his power level they were able to match. Fortunately, he didn't call our bluff and he immediately retreated seeing as he was outnumbered by a bunch of Saiyans with his kind of strength."

"Ingenious!"

"Yes, I know, but it was only a temporary fix. Since Frieza got the impression that we had warriors as strong as him, he retreated to his home world and we haven't heard anything from him for years. He has no doubt been training to become even more powerful than he already was. Seeing as we didn't have that kind of power in the first place, we decided to abandon nearly all other activities in favor of world wide training. We suspended our planetary trade dealings and allied ourselves with our former targets in hopes of amassing a force formidable enough to wage war against Frieza."

"Hmmm…" Goku thought out loud. "It would seem Frieza is much more powerful this time around. No offense, but I don't think all that is going to help you. The best chance is for you all to be Super Saiyans. Then fighting his empire would be easy."

"I see what you're saying, son!" Bardock said excitedly. "The way to beat an entire race of super beings like Frieza is to fight them with an entire army of Super Saiyans!"

"Yep," Goku said.

"But how are we gonna get the entire planet to transform? Can't you and Vegeta just take on the empire yourselves? You guys are Super Saiyans. Besides, we've been training twice as hard for over a decade straight and still have yet to produce even one Super Saiyan!" Bardock said in frustration.

"Give a man a fish and he has food for a day. Teach a man to fish and he has food for life."

"Kakarot, what the hell was that?"

"It's an old Earth saying and it is completely relevant to this situation. If Vegeta and I do the work for you, then you'll be minus only one problem, but what about the next time, and the time after that. If another serious threat comes your way you'll be too weak to defend yourselves. Vegeta and I won't be here to protect you forever; we already have a planet to look out for. We protect those who absolutely can't take care of themselves. But you are Saiyan, you have infinite potential, and if you work for your strength instead of having someone hand it to you then you can repel any force that threatens you."

"So you want us to fight our own battles without any help?" Tatalia asked.

"Of course not, everybody needs help at some point. You just need to do some of the work yourself, that's all. You can't get stronger if you don't participate in the fight."

Bardock sat in silent contemplation of Goku's words. He felt like an idiot for even considering letting someone protect him; a Saiyan warrior. There was no reason that he couldn't become as strong as his son. Everyone should be able to open up their inner strength, especially in time when it was so desperately needed. He spoke again, but without frustration, impatience, or any doubt in his voice.

"Son…"

"Yeah?"

"What does it take to become a Super Saiyan? I want to become strong enough to fight as you do, so I won't be defenseless whenever Frieza returns. I'll endure whatever type of training it takes."

"It's not all about training," said Goku seriously. "In order to break the barrier you have to have the proper motivation. Super Saiyan emerges from necessity not desire, though it sometimes varies from person to person. When I first transformed, it was to fulfill a purpose that only a Super Saiyan could. I was overcome with emotions for the ones that I cared about and I felt a powerful rage burn within me at the thought of the person who hurt them." Goku was trembling and sweating now, his hands were fists. "When I could no longer contain it, I transformed."

Goku relaxed after a few deep breaths and continued. "I…used to have to relive the pain in my mind to call out the transformation. But now transforming is as natural as breathing. The more you use it, the easier it gets."

Bardock had been listening intently and absorbing the information. He was aware of the need, but didn't yet have the emotional kick to complete the requirements.

Goku finished his speech with a sentence that struck a chord within Bardock.

"You have to learn how to harness your pain and channel it to the surface where you can use it against those who are evil."

Bardock nodded with a look of understanding on his face. He had plenty of pain bottled up inside, almost every Saiyan did.

Goku got up from his chair and stretched out a bit. Then he walked over and stood between Bardock and Tatalia.

"Dad, Tatalia."

"Yeah?" both asked.

"You have nothing to fear from Frieza. He can train a hundred times harder than any Saiyan if he wants, but he'll never reach the heights that we are capable of."

There was a moment of thoughtful silence as Tatalia and Bardock absorbed his words.

"Thanks."

"Man, I'm freakin' tired," Goku said, trying to lighten the mood. "I think I'll call it a night."

"Your room is down the hall and to the right, across from Raditz'."

"Hey where is he anyway?"

"He's at the capital hospital with his mate. His first offspring is due any day now."

"Oh." 'Let's hope he's not as bad as the first time I met him,' Goku thought.

"Your mother is also accompanying them. She loves to be around babies."

"My mother?" Goku shouted, "I have a mother?"

"Duh!" Bardock said. "What, did you think you were cloned from me or something?"

"Well, I don't know…"

Bardock started to laugh hilariously. "You…hahahahahaha… actually thought…HAHAHAHA…that you… were cloned? Man, you crack me up!"

"HEY!" Goku shouted, "What else was I supposed to think? We look exactly alike!"

Bardock just continued laughing until he fell out of his chair and onto the floor.

"I'M GOING TO BED!" Goku yelled over the laughter.

"Goodnight Bardock!" Tatalia said, dragging Goku to his room, with a perverted smile on her face.

Bardock immediately stopped laughing and called out to Tatalia who was holding Goku.

"Hey! Remember what I said girl, no funny business with my son! Weren't you listening to his story? You have to wait until your age is appropriate for him, and he has to grow up. Don't touch him!"

Tatalia's face turned from happiness to disappointment. 'Why don't you hurry up and mature already? I want to be the first to have Super Saiyan children,' she thought while glaring at Goku.

Goku shuddered a bit and continued on to his room, while Tatalia went to the couch.

Bardock remained at the kitchen table for a while and thought about what lay ahead for his people.

For over ten years they had trained in hopes of getting strong enough to face Frieza. All the while, the knowledge that he could return at anytime loomed over them casting a shadow over the entire planet. Now, finally, they had a real hope of succeeding in their struggle against Frieza. Bardock's son was proof that Super Saiyan was within reach of anyone who was willing to work for it.

The only thing that worried Bardock was how long it would take to start turning out a decent number of Super Saiyans across the planet. No one could be sure when Frieza would reappear to declare war against them. It could be five days or even five years. All that they could do until then is try to surpass their limits of strength and hope everything works out.

'The day will come Frieza,' Bardock thought. 'The day will come when you finally get to be on the receiving end of the pain.'

With hope in his heart, Bardock shut off the lights and went to his room. He planned to get as much rest as he could because tomorrow he was gonna train like he'd never trained before.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Vegeta got up early the next morning to catch up on his data reviewing.

When he got to the throne room he found that his father was already sitting there going over his data.

He stomped right over to King Vegita and slammed his foot hard on the floor to get his attention.

"What the HELL are you doing with my things father?" Vegeta said through clenched teeth.

"Your things? This is common knowledge you have piled up here. What exactly are you looking for?"

Vegeta had two choices. Attempt to tell his father the truth and hope he had answers for him about Frieza and a way for him and Goku to get home. Or withhold everything from his father and postpone a long boring explanation.

Knowing his father's level of incompetence, he decided to avoid explaining something that he wouldn't understand anyway.

Vegeta walked up the steps to his father's throne, grabbed everything out of his father's lap, and wrapped it up in his cape.

"It's none of your business! Now leave me alone!"

Vegeta flung his cape full of data pads over his shoulder and carried it like a sack of dirty laundry. Then he promptly turned and walked out of the throne room.

Once the door was shut, King Vegita stood up and motioned for one of his royal guards to come to his side.

The guard kneeled as soon as he approached the King.

"What does my lord wish of me?" the guard said, still on his knee.

"I want you and your men to keep a close eye on my son. I want to find out what he's up to. Don't let him out of your sight!"

"Yes sire," the guard said, getting up.

The guard and some of his men gathered up and immediately left the throne room in the direction of Prince Vegeta. They had equipped themselves with unique scouters designed to home-in on a selected person's ki without interference from any other power signatures. With the scouters tuned to Vegeta's frequency they'd be able to keep track of his movements.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Vegeta made his way to the palace courtyard to review his data in peace and quiet. He had always found the sound of the running water in the fountains soothing.

He sat on the edge of the nearest fountain and began reviewing the data.

All of the data pads had been disorganized since he took them from his father, so he just picked up random pads and skimmed over them trying to identify dates. He was looking for the date that the Vegeta-sei in his timeline was destroyed. If he could find the same date in this one then he'd find out what stopped it from happening. He skimmed for a few minutes more and then got lucky.

"Yes! Found it!"

He pulled it closer to his face and read it slowly. His eyes widened as he read further and further into the document.

He grinned as he got to the part about Bardock making a fool of Frieza.

'Hahahaha… It seems Frieza was finally put in his place. And by a low-level no less.'

Vegeta continued reading until he heard movement. No one was supposed to be there except him. The palace courtyard was reserved for the royal family only.

He put down the data pad and looked around suspiciously. He could sense some people watching him. Their ki was familiar but he couldn't remember their names. Then it hit him, he was being spied upon by his father's personal guards.

'I thought I told that blasted man to leave me alone!'

The thought of his father distrusting him angered him greatly. Vegeta stood up, blasted the data pads to bits, and then disappeared.

The guards glanced at each other, looking confused. The tracking function of the scouter told them that Vegeta was everywhere, but they could not see him.

The leader and the two men he was with turned when they heard one of the other guards at the end of the courtyard yell. They jumped out from behind a bush and ran towards the guard that had shouted. When they found him he was under a pile of rubble next to a crumbled wall.

A couple of seconds after they found the first man downed another yelled and was silenced. They were being picked off one by one and there was nothing they could do about it.

Vegeta was enjoying his target practice but they were too easy so he quickly grew bored with them and took off in the direction of Goku, leaving a few guards still conscious.

"Sir," one of the leaders' subordinates said.

"What is it?" asked the lead guard.

"Sir, the tracker is registering again. He's flying out of the capital city, heading southeast."

"Excellent. We won't let the King down."

They moved the unconscious guards away from the rubble and then took off after Vegeta.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The clouds dispersed as Vegeta rocketed through them.

The cool touch of fresh air was even more refreshing than a swim. This was the first time in almost a year that Vegeta had been able to fly through any sky. He and Goku had never left the spaceship the whole time they were training so they had to adjust to the constant feeling of claustrophobia. If there was one thing that Vegeta really disliked, it was being boxed in. He would only put up with it if he had good reason to.

Vegeta cleared his mind of all thoughts and absorbed the warmth of the morning sun as he zipped through the sky. His peace was cut short when an alarm went off in his head. He could sense that he was being followed again, by the same guards.

'I thought they learned their lesson,' he thought. 'Guess I was wrong…'

He turned onto his back while still flying forward and caught sight of three guards. With his right arm outstretched, he released three blasts and sent them on an intercept course.

The first two guards evaded and the third was knocked out of the air. The two who remained flared their auras and accelerated toward Vegeta.

'Persistent bastards! Don't they know when to quit?

Vegeta flared his own aura and, with a burst of speed, left them in the dust. He flew like that for about ten minutes straight before setting down in a forest a couple of miles from where he sensed Goku. He wanted to take care of the guards for good before continuing on.

A few minutes later, the two guards set down in the same forest and walked up to Vegeta who was sitting on a rock waiting for them.

"It took you guys long enough," Vegeta said, tapping his foot. "Has the royal guard training academy really lowered its standards to accept the likes of you? How pathetic. At this rate my father could have been assassinated a multitude of times. Next time I see him, I'll tell him to hire better help."

The lead guard and his underling bit back their anger, but it was still apparent to Vegeta. They addressed him with false respect.

"Sire, the King wishes that we accompany you from now on."

"Me? I'll not be babysat by a couple of halfwits who can't even take care of themselves. You two bosom buddies can go on home now."

He could sense the anger rising within them now.

"I'm afraid that's not possible sir," the lead guard said through clenched teeth. "The King's orders were very clear."

Vegeta just chuckled, "You wish to hit me don't you? I'll tell you what, stooge number one, if you can hit me even once, then I'll comply. But none of that ki blast stuff, those don't count. You actually have to touch me, are we clear?"

"Sir," the underling whispered to the lead guard, "I don't think that we should"—

"Shut up!" the leader cut him off. "This royal pain-in-the-ass needs to be taught a lesson! Let's go!"

The lead guard, dubbed 'Stooge number one' by Vegeta, launched himself at the Prince with his fists ready.

Vegeta leapt up from the rock he was on right before being struck by 'Stooge number one', whose momentum carried him straight into the rock.

"Hey stooge number two," Vegeta called from the air, "I think stooge number one needs your help!"

'Stooge number two' took to the air and furiously punched at Vegeta, hitting nothing but air.

Meanwhile 'Stooge number one' pulled his face out of the rock Vegeta had previously sat on. He looked upward and glared at Vegeta who didn't seem to be moving but was still untouchable. It was embarrassing not being able to hit a kid and he knew if he didn't succeed he'd be made fun of. He put those thoughts aside and pushed off of the ground and into the air.

Both 'Stooges' combined their efforts in the fight with the Prince and, had it been anyone else, they might have pulled off a win. This was not just anyone, though, it was Vegeta; the only man whose power was as big as his ego.

In a narrow canyon that the fight had moved to, they flew at Vegeta from both sides and performed aerial sweeping kicks intended to catch and hold him in place.

Vegeta allowed them to think their plan would work and then phased out just in time to watch them collide with each other.

Both guards got close-lined by each other's kicks and flopped to the ground like rag dolls, unconscious.

Vegeta laughed and then flew away. 'Looks like they did my work for me.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Vegeta got to Bardock's house he was surprised at how much land he had acquired. Then he mentally slapped himself, 'Duh, he must've been rewarded for helping thwart Frieza's plot.' He passed the dome house and kept going towards where he felt the energy spiking.

At a clearing near a pond where the waterfall broke, he saw Goku and Bardock sparring with each other.

Goku was at SS1 and Bardock was at his max power trying to keep up. Bardock was no match for him, but he was doing better than most people on the planet could have.

Goku sensed Vegeta's approach first and stopped mid air.

Bardock kept going and took this opportunity to sucker punch Goku in the jaw and send him flying into the pond. Goku hit with a giant splash and Bardock landed on the edge of the pond with a look of triumph on his face.

Vegeta walked up clapping his hands in applaud of Bardock's feat.

"Congratulations, you've managed to take advantage of Kakarot's ineptitude, welcome to the club."

"Oh! Prince Vegeta!" Bardock said, kneeling. "It's an honor to be in your presence."

"Rise," Vegeta said, rolling his eyes.

Goku floated over to Bardock, soaking wet, and flung him into the pond.

"There! Now we're even dad!"

Goku ignited his aura to dry himself off, and then landed in front of Vegeta. He was still an SS1.

"Kakarot, do you have to stay in that form?" Vegeta asked. "Someone will pick it up on a scouter eventually and they'll come to investigate."

"Relax, Vegeta, there's nothing to worry about. They won't pick up anything from here, right dad."

"That's right," Bardock said, pulling himself out of the water. "I have an electronic dampening field surrounding the perimeter of my property. Except for in my house, nothing electronic can work out here. No radio waves can penetrate the field, which means were invisible to scanners."

"You continue to surprise me Bardock," Vegeta said.

"Thank you sir," Bardock said before shaking the water off.

"So where's your brat's wife?"

"Tatalia's at school," Bardock said. "It's a required course to learn the history of our planet's involvement with Frieza's affairs. Kakarot told me what happened in your timeline and how things went pretty badly for us there. We don't want that to happen here so we've been training to reach Super Saiyan."

"I know what you've been doing; I've seen the imperial records. It seems the planet has finally found a purpose worth shedding the old ways for. And it's because of you that we have that chance. Tell me, do you still have visions?"

Bardock's expression became a grim one. His answer came after a long period of silence. He spoke in a serious tone.

"I've tried to develop control of them over the years, but they've been fading for a while now…"

"I see…" Vegeta said.

"Hey guys, lighten up," Goku interjected, "What's the big deal anyway?"

Bardock turned to Goku, still holding the grim expression, "He wanted to know if I could see it."

"See what?"

"The outcome of the imminent war."

"Oh…" Goku nodded in understanding.

"Well," Vegeta said, changing the subject, "Since this place is shielded from scanners, I might as well get some exercise."

He immediately popped into SS1 and began doing handstand pushups while balancing on his left pinky finger.

Bardock and Goku left Vegeta alone and went to another area to continue training. They walked in silence for a while and Goku was the first to speak again.

"Dad, it's important for you to become a Super Saiyan as soon as possible. You have to be the one to introduce it into the population. Vegeta and I couldn't do so without arousing suspicion. Besides, people will be more inclined to believe that you discovered it since you are a scientist."

"I understand. I'll do my best."

"I'm going to remain in my Super Saiyan form until you can transform at will. Hopefully, the constant presence of a Super Saiyan will accelerate your progress. And when you finally reveal your 'discovery' to the public, Vegeta and I won't have to disguise our power from everybody anymore."

"You can really remain in this state for that long?" Bardock asked in disbelief. "I plan to try hard, but I think it'll be well over a year before I even graze the surface of Super Saiyan power."

"I'll be alright. I once stayed like this for almost a year straight back on Earth. It'll be a good challenge to see how much longer I can go."

"Whatever you say son, but I wouldn't push that small body of yours to hard. And what do plan to do about getting back to where you belong? You can't do anything about that if you spend all your time here training me, can you?"

"Relax dad, I'm sure Vegeta will cover that. Besides, he hasn't got the patience to be a teacher. I'll do my part for you and he'll do his part for us. Everything will fall into place, don't worry."

'Don't worry?' Bardock thought. 'That's easy for you to say, you're a Super Saiyan. I don't think there's anything capable of worrying a Super Saiyan. I just hope I feel the same way when I become a Super Saiyan.'