Sol System, Approaching Earth
Flitting through space was a large craft, a craft that had flown through this star sector only a year prior. Inside, the pilot was looking outside the glass window of the cockpit, and could see a blue sphere looming in the foreground. A smile crossed the face of the pilot; he pressed a button to his left, activating the intercom.
"My Lord Venga. We are approaching Earth. Please mobilise the forces."
The message reached Venga, who was sitting in the shadows of his own quarters, attempting to sleep, or at the very least, pretending to sleep while mulling over his own thoughts. Grinning in the dark, only the whites of his teeth were visible, fangs outlined in the dim lighting of the room. Shifting into a standing position, he chuckled. "Finally; the time for our revenge is about to commence."
It took the craft only ten minutes to reach the planet. After the turbulent descent through the atmosphere, the cooling ship deployed its landing gear; spindly legs which crashed into the dirt, firmly grounding the ship along a cliff-face. An exit opened within the side of the ship, and a ramp was deployed, crashing into the ground with a resounding thud.
"All members of the Ranges, please report to the surface," A cool, female voice sounded this time throughout the ship. The sound of stomping feet was heard as the forces moved throughout the ship, filing themselves out of the spacecraft. The first to file out were six figures, dressed in armor that resembled the Combat Jackets worn by Freeza's army. The differences were in the colour; each wore a Combat Jacket that was primarily jet black, with dark-green abdomen guards. The neck was built akin to a raised collar, and each soldier wore a jumpsuit underneath, also jet black.
Heading the pack was Raditz, taking in the scenery. "Earth...it's hard to be believe it's been two decades," The Saiyan warrior's eyes scanned the barren wasteland. He could feel everything now; the ki signatures buzzing around on the planet like flies. And yet, off in the distance, several strong powers were gathered in one area. "Of course, Kakarot wouldn't have laid waste to this planet. Pathetic."
"Kakarot..." A woman, Sera, stepped up next to Raditz; she was beautiful, for a Saiyan. Her eyes were sharp and narrow, with her skin a tan tinge. Her hair, spiky and black like all Saiyans, was combed back with only a single bang hanging down over her right eye. Her armor, in addition to the normal plates, had a cloth sash worn from the waist down. "That's your little brother, isn't it? The traitor?"
"He's the one we're here to kill," interjected another Saiyan; a male, with a long mane on shaggy black hair, as well as facial hair that made it resemble a legitimate lion's mane. Shaking his disheveled hair, he sighed. "All of this work to put down a rat."
"It's necessary, isn't it, Rambu?" A younger male Saiyan, with shorter hair spiked towards the side, replied, placing his hand on the shoulder of the taller Saiyan. "After all, these Komuians gave us the power we're going to need to claim our stake in the universe. The first step is to wipe out other threats like these; this dirtball is just a stepping stone."
The other two Saiyans, a burly, bald-headed one with a scar extending from his cheek down past his collarbone — the rest obscured by his jumpsuit — and another woman, who wore her hair long to her waist, remained silent.
Venga stepped out of the spaceship after the members of the Ranges, followed by Pacul. He stepped forward, his cloak billowing behind him once more. Unlike his first visit to the planet, the sunlight beaming down made his figure less imposing and bat-like and now simply made him stand out. But this was what he wanted; he was the head of this group, and he wanted them to know that.
"We've returned," He mused, looking out over the wasteland that they hand chosen to land in, far from the prying eyes of any Earthlings. "We've waited so long now, I don't see any reason to wait further. My valued members of the Ranges, our revenge upon the Saiyans inhabiting planet Earth begins now!" He knew the direction they were in; his scanners picked up the strongest life forces as they entered the atmosphere. His hand snapped in the direction of their targets, and all six Ranges took off without a second thought.
"Let's follow, Pacul," Venga ordered. Neither one of them could fly on their own, but the Komuians didn't need the ability. Their technology was more than up to the task of at least attempting to keep pace with the Saiyans that had already vanished well onto the horizon. With a flickering blue-hued light enveloped their bodies, the two dissolved into energy particles and followed Raditz and his group.
Mt. Poazu; East District 439
Momentarily unawares of the impending danger, the Dragon Team was blissfully continuing their party. Ignorant of the peril headed their way, the group was enjoying a rowdy song and dance number; Piccolo, against his better judgement, participated in the singing at the behest of the young Pan. After his very bad performance, the entire group couldn't help but laugh, further irritating the Namekian, who sauntered off in irritation.
As he tried to put the shameful display of karaoke behind him, the former God of Earth felt a sharp chill down his spine. This feeling...a feeling only associated with the coming of evil. And to make matters even worse, it was approaching, very fast.
"Everyone!" The panicked Namekian called out to the party guests, desperately trying to make his voice heard over Kuririn now belting out a very bad rendition of a song by the popular idol An Azuki. "Stop what you're doing, now! I can feel five enormous powers approaching us quickly; each and every one of them laced with evil!" Piccolo couldn't keep the edge to his voice out of it. He hadn't felt strength of this magnitude in quite a long time; not since the battle with the Majin Boo.
The effect was instant. The entirety of the group dropped what they were doing, but panic hadn't swept over them entirely. It was Yamcha who spoke first.
"H-He's right...! I can feel it! Five of them! And each and every one of them feels like Goku!"
"Saiyan energy?" Kuririn jumped off the soap box he was standing on; this only had the effect of reducing him back to his diminutive height. "You're right...five Saiyans...and there's two other energies trailing behind them. Guys, we're in trouble!"
"Bulma, Videl, take your children!" Piccolo shouted, and without any hesitation, Bulma and Videl rushed to bring their daughters to their sides. A bead of sweat slid down Piccolo's skull; as the five powers closed in on them, he felt something off about the situation. Something worse. "Dammit! Why did this have to happen when Son was away!?"
However, they had no more time to lament their current predicament. A bright light appeared in the sky as the figures touched down. Despite moving at immense speeds, and the strength they radiated, the figures landed without causing a single disturbance to the ground. However, it soon became clear that there weren't five individuals that had come to pay the Son resident a visit.
There were six.
And at the head of the pack was, to several at the party, a very familiar face.
"Y-You...!" Kuririn stammered, pointing at the long-haired Saiyan heading the group.
"Raditz...!" Piccolo growled. This was impossible. He'd been the one to levy the finishing blow on Raditz; he'd felt the beam connect, and watched the Saiyan's body crumple to the ground with a gaping hole.
"I-I-I-Isn't that Son's brother!?" Bulma stammered, pointing shakily at Raditz, who was surveying the group with mild disinterest.
"It really has been quite a long time since I last arrived on this planet," The Saiyan mused, ignoring the group's mutterings almost entirely. He remembered some of these faces, because to him, he'd seen their younger counterparts no more than a year ago. The memories of his arrival were left fresh in his mind during his time in Hell. And yet several of them seem to have aged. "It would appear that bastard Komuian hadn't lied after all..."
"Look at all of these Earthlings," Sera smirked. "Even without those scouters, I can feel we've got quite a few sizable power levels here. Nothing too impressive, but more than you'd expect from a backwater world like this." Her narrow eyes scanned the area. There was another power level, stronger than the ones present here, lurking only a few feet away in one of those houses. Why hide?
"W-Who are these guys?" Goten asked, looking at the new arrivals from his mother's side.
"They don't look like new guests to me..." Trunks muttered; something about these guys felt off.
"Goten, let's just say the long-haired one in the center is your uncle, and leave it at that," Kuririn said quickly. "You don't want to know the rest of it."
Piccolo, however, was already growing tired of the banter. These five — six now, how could he have lost track? — weren't here to join the party, that was obvious to anyone with half of a brain. His black eyes centered on Raditz. There was nothing emanating from him. No intent, no ki. Had he simply suppressed it until there wasn't anything traceable? The Namekian chuckled darkly; that was the positive possibility. It was simply possible they were in for something far worse.
"Why are you here?" Piccolo formed the words with difficulty, directing them at Raditz. "I won't even ask how you were revived; I've got a sneaking suspicion about that. What do you want?"
"Allow me to answer your question with one of my own," Raditz replied, and there was none of his usual bravado, his arrogant attitude wasn't present anymore. With his face set, he was all business. "Where's Kakarot? That alone should answer all of your questions."
"...I should have figured," Piccolo grumbled. The same reason Freeza had arrived. He wanted to fight Son Goku. "If it's revenge you're looking for, why aren't you targeting me? If I recall, I was the one who had the pleasure of striking you down."
"We ain't here for you, Namekian," Rambu interjected before Raditz could reply. "We're after the traitor, Kakarot. And even 'Prince' Vegeta, while we're at it."
"So they even know Vegeta is with us," Piccolo thought to himself. "They've certainly done their homework..."
"I can feel a strong power coming from the house over there," the long-haired female Saiyan pointed over towards one of the round houses that rested behind the party. "Is Kakarot perhaps hiding from us in there?"
"You're a little off the mark," as if on cue, a voice from the doorway sounded as a figure moved out of the shadows and into the light. It was Son Gohan; still wearing casuals, with his glasses, a reddish brown shirt, khaki pants, and laced-up shoes. He hardly looked fit for battle, and yet he wore an expression of anger and determination. Lifting himself off the ground, he floated quickly over towards the crashed party, landing neatly by his wife and child. "If you're looking for my father, you're visiting the wrong planet." As he surveyed the entire group, he was cursing himself internally for being so slow at picking up their ki. And then his eyes rested on the familiar face staring in the center.
Raditz registered the sharpening of Gohan's expression; the anger etched in the lines of his face. It seemed like this young man recognized him. "You...what are you just staring at?"
"...I guess you don't recognize me..." Gohan replied icily. "I am Gohan. You're looking for my father, aren't you?"
'Gohan'. The name registered in Raditz's memory quickly. The shout of a crying child, a surprise attack from his space pod, and the shattering of several ribs from the impact. "Oh...you're Kakarot's boy. How nice of my nephew to come out and greet his uncle. You've grown well. I don't suppose you'd consider telling me where your father is? It's long overdue for a family reunion, Gohan."
"Not a chance," Gohan replied, stepping forward as if to conceal Pan and Videl from sight. "I thought you would have learned last time you were here; we don't comply with demands that easily."
And a smile crossed Raditz's face. "Of course, I should have figured we wouldn't get what we came here for so easily."
Rambu cracked his knuckles menacingly, a grinning from ear to ear. "Good. It's about time we get to bust some heads."
A bead of sweat slid down Piccolo's forehead again. This was bad. They needed a plan and it was clear they weren't going to be afforded the time to form one.
Kneeling down, Gohan whispered to Videl, "Take Pan, Bulma, Bra, and my mother and get inside the house. Have Dende try and get in contact with North Kaiō...if we're lucky, he can patch you over to Dad."
"What are you going to do, Gohan?" Videl asked worriedly, clutching Pan close to her.
"We're going to hold them off, at least until Dad and Vegeta can get here," Gohan replied. He was confident he could handle any of these five Saiyans alone. Raditz on the other hand...Gohan had a feeling they were going to need his father.
Everyone quickly evacuated, leaving only Gohan, 18, Piccolo, Goten and Trunks, and Tenshinhan and Kuririn who volunteered to stay and fight. The Ranges allowed this without much interest. The only ones they were after where Goku, Vegeta, and the remaining Saiyans. Fleeing Humans didn't mean anything to them.
"Gohan, I hope you know what we're getting into," Piccolo muttered to his former pupil. "Their powers are immense. And what's more, I can feel two others lurking in the background...weak but malevolent. We may be biting off more than we can chew in this situation."
"I know..." Gohan nodded. "But I don't think we have much of a choice." Casting a wary eye at their opponents, he frowned. "I think we're going to have to split them up; they're all far too strong for us to take on in the same general area, and I'd be willing to wager they've learned to work as a coherent unit. Fighting together could be more of a risk to us than to them."
"Everyone!" Piccolo immediately rounded on them to bark orders. "Split up, now! It's obvious they're after us, they'll follow us regardless! Move!"
The group didn't need telling twice; there was a blinding flash of white light, their auras erupting from their bodies as they each flew up into the air before launching themselves off into different directions. The Saiyans followed suit, each one of them following after an opponent they were designating as their target.
Meanwhile, on the ground, multiple orbs of light materialized into two beings. Venga and Pacul had arrived, just in time to see the bursts of light flicker off in multiple directions.
"And so it begins," Venga watched the sky as the lights flickered from sight. With the combatants off on their own, he would be content to watch from here. Possessing no combat abilities of his own, the Komuian had no other choice. But it didn't bother him; he was content to be an observer in this final destruction of the Saiyan race.
Piccolo was the first to land, being followed by the quiet female Saiyan. He hadn't strayed too far from the East District, and as he could feel from the ki signatures of his friends, they were taking the same approach. Piccolo wanted to be within arm's reach if something happened to Gohan, Goten, or if one of the enemies was to double back to their house and endanger Pan.
Hoping to buy as much time as possible, Piccolo immediately opted for an interrogation as he disposed of his weighted armor. "Who are you? Why are you after Son!?"
"My name is Aki," The woman replied, her long hair flowing in the wind. "Our business is our own. If you intend to stand in our way, then you are an obstacle."
"I get that a lot," Piccolo smirked, cracking his knuckles. "I didn't lead you all the way out here simply to send you back there. If you think I'm just an obstacle, I'm going to be a damn good one." Flexing his muscles, the Namekian began to let out a violent cry; an aura, bright and flashing white, enveloped him, causing the ground to shake as he began to raise his power.
"It seems you intend to be an obstacle after all," Aki sighed. "Any obstacle is for killing."
"C'mon, catch me!" Goten crowed, with Trunks flying eagerly alongside him. They were being pursued by the younger of the male Saiyans. When they landed, Goten and Trunks immediately turned to face their opponent. The son of Bulma and Vegeta stuck out his tongue, blowing a raspberry at the Saiyan.
The younger Saiyan growled, his gnashing his teeth in irritation. "Out of all the opponents that weren't taken, I get stuck with the two brats!?" He sighed, trying to steady his breathing. "Fine; I'll make short work of you two!"
"That's what you think!" Trunks replied as he and Goten jumped apart from each other. They began to perform a series of mirrored, symmetrical poses, ending with their bodies bent towards each other, index fingers touching. Throughout the posing, they recited the words "Fu...Sion...Ha!" and both of them began to glow with blinding light, before the two lights began to converge, increasing in luminescence and causing the Saiyan to shield his eyes from the glow.
When he was able to open them again, he saw a single child standing in front of him, primarily black hair with a streak of lavender in the back and sides, wearing a blue-yellow vest with white leggings, a blue obi-sash tied to the side, and black shoes. Grinning, the child took a pose. "Yeah! Gotenks is here on the scene!"
"That must have been some kind of fusion," the Saiyan thought, neither surprised nor disturbed by the dramatic increase in power the two boys had received from their fusion. "'Gotenks', you call yourself? I'm Ramu and I'm going to beat you down!"
"That's it. Come after me you fat lump of meat," 18 thought as she shot across the sky, making sure she was quite far away from her comrades; in turn keeping her pursuer from the rest of his own squad. Without sensors, she could only hazard a guess at his own strength, but her confidence in her own limitless stamina put her at an advantage. With her cyborg enhancements and knowledge of many fighting styles, she knew that getting to this alien would be easier than if he had help.
When 18 suddenly decelerated, she turned around and did a quick plowing of the earth beneath her heels. Priming the Infinite Reactor energies into her palms, she raised her palms up and took aim at her assailant. Before he could reach her entirely, she unleashed a two-in-one fissure of golden photon particles, streaking across the sky. With the intent of blowing him up without resistance, she could only hope that her attack did some significant damage.
The burly Saiyan was impacted by the photon spheres; the collision of energy onto his body created an explosion. As the smoke cleared, however, his expression hadn't changed, and was virtually unscathed. "So you do have some fight in you."
"A Saiyan again...and after so long..." Tenshinhan was flying full pelt away from Son Goku's home, all three of his eyes peeled, not that he needed it. He could sense the presence of his opponent following him, and he knew one thing that was certain. He was in quite a bind. "...I can't let it end the way it did last time!" The Earthling took a nosedive, and his Saiyan opponent followed him.
"What's this!?" Rambu shouted wildly. "Do you intend to keep me occupied by simply running the entire time!? Do you really think that will work!?"
"Do I look like I'm running!?" Tenshinhan cried out, pulling a complete u-turn and charging right at Rambu. The move was so shocking the lion-maned alien wasn't able to counter properly as Tenshinhan slammed his palm directly into his stomach, and then elbowed him in the side of his face, sending him staggering back.
Blood trickled down Rambu's jaw, red and fresh, causing him to grin as he rubbed the ichor away. "A feisty one, aren't you? Alright, tri-clops, let's get this started!"
Fleeing hurriedly at a pace that would put cheetahs to shame, Kuririn looked over his shoulder to see the violent female Saiyan following him at high speed. Now that he got a closer look at her, he was reminded irresistibly of a female Vegeta; this didn't improve the situation in the slightest.
"Come on, shortie!" She called out. "Give it a rest already, I don't think it matters if I kill you here for ten meters from here, this isn't gonna take that long!"
Kuririn gulped; he had to admit the woman had a point. He could feel the depth of her power, and comparing it to his, the results weren't favourable. "Even worse, I can sense this is just a fraction of what she's capable of...these Saiyans never have a ceiling, do they!?" Kuririn sighed. He didn't have a choice in the matter; he could keep running and she'd simply catch him, meaning he'd die later. Or he could fight now and die sooner. It would sit a lot better with him in the Afterlife if he'd taken the latter route. Finally settling, he stopped dead, and Sera mimicked him.
"So...finally decided to face me?" The Saiyan asked, looking slightly irritated.
The former monk placed his index and middle fingers of both hands to the middle of his forehead. "Taiyōken!" With his ki, he emitted a vibrant blue-white light from his forehead and fingers, filling Sera's vision and stunning her. As the woman was clutching her eyes in apparent pain, Kuririn vanished, moving forward to kick her in the jaw, adding more to her irritation than causing her pain.
"Okay, I can do this!"
"It would appear our comrades are finally getting down to business," Raditz cast a casual glance over his shoulder, his senses spreading to feel the ki of every combatant. It was an ability he was beginning to appreciate greatly. Raditz turned to Gohan, cracking his knuckles as he casually let out a breath. "While we wait for your father...why don't you show Uncle Raditz just how far you've come in twenty years?"
Discarding his glasses, Gohan clenched his fists at his side. He would have go unleash all of his power at once, and perhaps he could hold his own until they managed to make contact with his father. He felt power surge through his body, reaching every muscle and inflating them slightly, swelling with ki. A vibrant white aura surged throughout his body, flaring up around him, cracking the very ground beneath his feet. Every ounce of his potential was being released with this power-up, and it was beginning to show in its detrimental effects on the environment itself.
"Let's take it a little higher!" Gohan crowed, letting out a battle cry. His power began to spike, and clouds began to form, obscuring the sky as Gohan's ki amassed as a giant pillar of golden light. His hair began to flicker from black to a pale gold, and his eyes changed from their onyx hue to a vibrant emerald. An electric current began to form, crackling and snapping around the golden light, bouncing off Gohan's body and hitting the ground. With a colossal scream towards the sky, the clouds parted and Gohan was draped in a flashing golden aura, his hair spiky and rigid, electricity crackling around his body. "It's been awhile since I've needed to go beyond a Super Saiyan. So...are you impressed yet?"
"The legendary Super Saiyan," Raditz had crossed his arms during Gohan's impressive display of power, and continued to watch the figure that so resembled a holy deity from long gone folklore with an expression of boredom. It wasn't that he hadn't heard of the transformation before; every Saiyan had heard the legend before they could walk. Stories told on the battlefield...whispers of rumors from the past...even his father would speak of the legend on occasion, though, like all Saiyans, they regarded it as superstition. "I must say, I didn't think you had it in you, Gohan." Raditz spread his legs into a squat, with his right arm held out into a tight fist while the left formed a clawing motion perpendicularly in front of his forehead. "But show me if that form of yours isn't all bark and no bite."
Gohan took a stance, leaning forward towards his right leg, with a clenched fist bowed parallel to his leg. He lifted his other arm up in the opposite direction, balling his fist up, forming a straight line from one set of knuckles to the other.
There was a silence, the tension palpable. With an explosion that caused the ground to shatter from the point of their take-off; Gohan was the first to strike, landing a blow square to Raditz's jaw, forcing the Saiyan's face back. Confident from the first strike, Gohan pulled back, levying his knee upwards to deliver a crushing blow to his uncle's abdomen, sending Raditz staggering back from the force of the strike.
"Haaaaaaaah!" With a yell, Gohan thrust his palm forward, only to be shocked when his balance was thrown off entirely by Raditz blocking the strike with the back of his hand. With a twisting of his wrist too fast for Gohan to see, the Super Saiyan felt himself lifted off his feet, and spun upside down as a palm connected painfully with his chest, winding him as he felt himself flying backwards at an incredible speed.
Crashing violently through several trees — snapping them at the speed with which he was flying — Gohan released an Explosive Wave to disrupt the force of his flight, allowing him to come to a steady halt. Trying to recover himself, Gohan was stunned to see he had no moment to breathe; Raditz was floating before him, looking down at Gohan with a cold expression.
"I suppose this is the most I could expect of you, boy," Raditz mused. "You may be the tallest mountain on the planet, but you're nothing compared to the vastness of the sky that sits above your head."
Raditz jabbed Gohan sharply in the stomach, and he immediately felt his power drain out of him. His hair lost its vibrant shine, and he fell to his knees, clutching his stomach. His eyes flooded with blackness as consciousness left him.
"The various quakings have stopped, Lord Venga, sir," Pacul noted; the fights, especially some of the stronger ones, had been causing the ground to tremble from just the clash of their blows. But as Pacul had duly noted, the quakes and quivers within the air and ground had ceased. Which could mean only one thing; the fighting had stopped.
"Now...let's see who are the victors," Venga replied dryly. He wasn't too curious; he knew without the false suspense who would be returning to claim victory. Five figures soon appeared on the sky, barely visible to Komuian eyes. And then they came into view; the six Saiyans, holding the unconscious bodies of their opponents. Landing on the ground softly, they throw the bodies to the ground with a equally muted thud.
"That was certainly quick," Venga noted, looking at the unconscious bodies. "But why are none of them dead? Particularly," he gestured as Gohan, Goten, and Trunks, "these three?"
"Why kill them now?" Raditz replied conversationally. "I want them alive, at least until Kakarot arrives. I'd prefer to see the stunned expression on my little brother's face as he watches his family and friends die before his very eyes."
Venga had to agree there was a certain merit to that line of thought. Saiyans, ever refined in their cruelty. But they were stuck with one minor problem that was derailing their plans. "It would appear Son Goku and Vegeta, the stars of the performance, are late to the show..." He sounded, if anything, disappointed. With all he knew of Goku and Vegeta, it was hard to imagine them as cowards who would turn tail and let their families pay the price.
"Give him time, Venga," replied Raditz easily. "You don't know Kakarot like I do. He will show."
Beerus' Temple, A Few Minutes Earlier
Son Goku was standing off to the side, watching with a bored expression as Vegeta and Whis were sparring at impossible speeds high in the air. It was he who had been sparring with Whis just a few moments ago, and now that he was standing on the sidelines, letting Vegeta have his turn, Goku had to admit it was boring to be a spectator. After their run-in with Freeza, and their shameful performances in handling an enemy they should haven't dropped their guard around, the two Saiyans had redoubled their training, recommitting themselves to Whis' harsh regimen so they could make up for their mistakes. The prospect at getting stronger only furthered their drive as Saiyans, and perhaps it was this that made Goku feel like watching was especially dull when he could be training.
Oblivious to his training partner's growing lethargy, Vegeta was high in the air, exchanging furious blows with Whis. "This power...this speed...all of it is still so far above my own...!" To Vegeta, it was remarkable just how far the gap between himself and Whis' still was, and it showed in how the Saiyan prince was responding to the deity's own physical strikes compared to how Whis was responding. Casually, Whis moved the palm of his hand within the trajectory of Vegeta's punch, using what he considered a light push to move the arm well out of his way before responding with a strike in kind.
Vegeta, more on conditioned reflex now than conscious decision, frantically raised his wrist to block, the crushing power behind Whis' blow offsetting his balance and send him staggering backwards.
"Ho ho ho...!" Whis' elegant, feminine laughter escaped his throat as Vegeta tried to regain his composure. "You're doing splendid, Vegeta. It's taken awhile but I can see your ability to read my moves is improving! I'm most impressed." He raised a hand towards Vegeta, his other free hand resting over his bicep, and beckoned the Saiyan closer. An obvious taunt...
...and Vegeta took the bait.
Flaring out his aura, the Saiyan prince launched himself forward towards Whis, releasing a flurry of violent, angry punches. Whis, however, simply slid to the left and right when appropriate whilst backstepping, none of the blows finding their mark. Unseen by Vegeta, Whis vanished, before reappearing, standing on the back of Vegeta's outstretched fist. The surprise caused the Saiyan to stop, long enough for Whis to send him hurtling down towards the lake with a well-placed chop.
There was a violent eruption of water, much like a geyser, as Vegeta hit the surface was was forced deep beneath the reflective pool. Whis floated in the air, waiting, until Vegeta surfaced again, dripping with water and fuming, but otherwise intact.
"My my..." Whis said with an air of slight exasperation. "It appears we have another thing to add to the list of things you'll need to work on, Vegeta. When the bait is obvious, don't take it."
Vegeta growled, obviously irritated at this reprimanding, but said nothing. Whis was right, after all. Rather than take the moment to plan out his attack, he'd fallen for Whis' goading. Ironically, this was the exact opposite of what Whis had lectured him on before; thinking too much. Vegeta still had yet to find that middle ground.
"Alright, gentlemen! I believe it's time for a lunch break!" Whis eagerly announced.
"Woohoo! Time for some grub!" Goku crowed, eager as always to eat anything put in front of him short of a still breathing creature. As the two Saiyans and Whis were about to make their way over to a table laden with food. Before any of them could even take a seat, the entire party present heard a loud voice shouting frantically in their head.
"Goku! Goku! GOKU!"
Pausing in the action of taking a seat, Goku recognized the voice immediately. "Kaiō, is that you!?"
"Finally!" North Kaiō practically groaned in frustration inside Goku's head. "I've been trying to contact you for the past five minutes, Goku!"
"S-Sorry, Kaiō!" Goku apologized immediately. "I was kind of caught up in training!"
"Idiot, you were dozing off!" Vegeta barked at him, wishing he could ignore the conversation going on inside his head. "Enough banter! What is it now, Kaiō?"
"I've got some really bad news, actually!" Kaiō shouted frantically. "Your wife just contacted me through Dende, Vegeta — she was rather angry, apparently I took a little too long to receive the message — but Earth is under siege again!"
"Again!?" Goku and Vegeta gasped simultaneously.
"My my..." Whis looked over at Goku and Vegeta, having already started eating despite being privy to this discussion as well. "Earth certainly does have its fair share of problems, doesn't it?"
"To make matters worse, Goku, the threat this time is six Saiyans — and one of them is your brother!"
A/N: The second 'chapter' is up! Again, this was meant to be a one-shot so I an binge uploading those the best I can! I don't have much to say, again, my real author's note is reserved for the end of my final chapter. But when it comes right down to it, this was a fun chapter to write. To anyone who wanted to see the minor characters do something, I apologize. Again, this was originally conceived as one giant story, so I had to keep their own fights down to a minimum. Gohan I gave a little more time to due to my fondness for him (I do write a story around him), and to anyone who didn't know, Gohan is capable of stacking his Super Saiyan power on top of his 'Mystic' Form.
As always, let's thank Demod20 for a fantastic job at proofreading and reviewing my stories before I release them to the public.