Chapter 33: Eye of the Hurricane

Sorry to tell you all this, but the next chapter won't be out this Sunday, but next Sunday. Yes, I'm going to miss two update days. Apologies, but I've been neglecting a bunch of stuff due to writing this. I will continue after that, though whether once a week or twice a week I'm not sure. Let me make it clear that I have no intention of stopping this anytime in the foreseeable future, so don't be alarmed.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The overexcited announcer proclaimed as a helicopter swooped down from above, twin spotlights focusing on an X-marked spot on the ground as cheering crowds lined the streets. "I present to you…" the announcer continued, his voice carried by dozens of speakers all throughout the city. "Hercule Satan, the martial arts champion of the world!" The cheers intensified as a tall man leapt from the helicopter, executed three perfect somersaults, landed with perfect poise and stood up straight to roars of adulation, holding up two fingers in his signature 'V' salute. "Hello, West City!" Hercule greeted his adoring public. He was large, with a wrestler's figure, sporting a black Mexican-style moustache and stubble on his rectangular chin, topped off with an afro almost the size of his head. He wore a large, gold-lined belt declaring his title as world champion, and had absolutely no ki whatsoever.

"Ugh." Bulma groaned as the night-time TV special continued. The whole procession was actually occurring only a few blocks away, but she found it marginally less obnoxious viewed on a screen. "Is this guy for real?"

Zarbon, entering the room, glanced at the screen. "Regrettably."

"Well, he's silly. Isn't he, Trunks?" Bulma held up her green-skinned, lavender-haired baby to the TV, and he waved a hand, enchanted by the flashing lights and loud voices coming from the strange box. "Yes, he is!" Bulma cooed. "Yes he is!"

Zarbon shook his head. "I sometimes wonder which of the two of you is more grown up."

"Well," Bulma muttered, "at least we're both far more mature than that clown out there!"

"Have no fear, people of Earth!" Hercule declared, talking into his microphone as he strode down the street. "Cell has challenged us—the entire human race—and I intend to meet that challenge! Who else but the world's greatest fighter should take on this alien menace?" Er… His train of thought failed to arrive at the station. Is he an alien? Ah, I don't know. It sounded cool, that's all that matters. "Yes, I, the great Hercule Satan, will defeat Cell, with my own—two—hands!" As he said this, a stack of stone blocks was placed before him by a pair of sycophantic attendants. "Observe my power!" Leaping several feet into the air, he brought his hand down in a swift karate chop, smashing straight through fourteen of the fifteen blocks. On the fifteenth, however, his hand bounced painfully, and he hopped away, hissing in pain and leaving the last block unmarked.

"Um…" the announcer made a quick recovery. "What skill! Not only does he possess the strength to punch right through solid rock, Hercule has complete mastery of his awesome power—enough finesse to carefully leave the bottom block untouched! Truly, Earth could not hope for a better champion!"

"I can't watch any more of this," Raditz complained, watching the spectacle at Kame House. "I'm going."

"Going where?" Launch (blue-haired) asked.

"I don't know. For a walk. A fly, even."

"I'll come!" Break (wearing a similar outfit to the one she'd worn when they fought Broly, only now in pink, much to her irritation—but as the owner of all these clothes, it was Bulma's choice) offered, jumping up and running off after him.

Roshi shrugged. "Have it your way. I'm finding this hilarious!"

Launch giggled. "I know what you mean. I bet that guy couldn't even take an ordinary bullet!"

Roshi shook his head. "So this is a world martial arts champion…what's the world coming to?"

Raditz glanced over at his daughter as she flew up next to him, soaring over the ocean as the sun began to sink over the horizon. "I don't recall asking you to come."

"I don't recall asking your permission," she shot back, bringing a grin to his face. She's really something…

"We are going to have to do something about that, though," he mused.

"About what?"

"That Hercule person. We can't let him fight Cell, he'll be killed. The same goes for any mundane military force that's sent to stop him."

She frowned. "It's not our problem if people want to be stupid."

"Stupid's one thing. Ignorant's another."

"You know what I mean." She gestured over at a city as they passed Amenbo Island. "Think of the bigger picture. A few deaths is regrettable, sure, but nothing compared to all the people that'll die if the real fighters let themselves get distracted by all these little concerns."

Raditz fell silent for a few seconds. "You really think so, huh?"

"Of course. It's results that matter."

"Yes, I used to think so, too…"

They landed on the edge of the island. "It's time for me to do something I've neglected so far," Raditz decided.

"What's that?" she asked warily.

"I'm going to be your father." He ignored her bemused expression, walking towards a nearby tree. "Come here. I've taught you how to fight, and you've taken to it like a natural—you've learned how to be a saiyan. Now, you're going to learn to be something much more important…human."

"But aren't saiyans better?"

"No!" His voice was harsh for a second, and he seemed on edge, but the moment passed. "No, they're not."

She followed him up into the tree, sitting on a branch next to him. "What's this all about?" she asked.

"All your life you've been dealing with the big figure. You can save this person or that person. You can only help so many. Statistics. Compromises. Death becomes a number. The androids would always kill people. A low number is good." His face grew sad. "But it isn't. The world shouldn't work like that. You should have time to notice the small things."

She sighed, already growing tired of this conversation. "Like what?" And why are we in a tree?

He continued undaunted. "As you know, because I never shut up about it, I've spent most of my life on the extreme end of that spectrum. Deaths were just a number. It didn't matter, I just got the job done. Well…you're nowhere near that. But I see traces of the old me in you, and I'm worried for you. Here." He pointed to a bird's nest. "See those eggs? They're going to hatch pretty soon."

"Yeah, so?"

"You're going to stay here tonight and watch them. Make sure nothing happens to the bird or the eggs—no predators, strong winds knocking them off, nothing. You're going to protect them."

"What?!" She spluttered. "Why?!"

"Because you don't think it matters. I'll come back at sunrise," he told her, floating down to the ground. "If anything's happened, or if you're gone, I'm going to punch you. Repeatedly, if necessary."

"Punch me? What happened to all of that nice stuff just a second ago?"

He smirked. "I'm still me." With that, he was gone, leaving Break alone in the tree. She scowled at the bird, settling into a more comfortable position on the branch. This is ridiculous. I'm going to kill him. She thought about just staying the night at Capsule Corp and coming back a few minutes before dawn. No. If this turns out to be some kind of endurance test, I'm going to pass it. And if it is as pointless as it seems, I'll just hit him.

There were two other things for Raditz to do that night. He'd already eaten at Kame House, but he teleported over to Mount Paozu for a second dinner with his family, as usual. Chi-Chi was upstairs taking Gohan's temperature, and the saiyan brothers wolfed down their food in five seconds flat, so by the time she got back downstairs Raditz was already gone. After that, he teleported over to Capsule Corp. Bulma had finished Paragus' ship (an upgraded duplicate of the ship the brothers had taken to Namek) earlier that day, and Raditz was there to see him off.

"Get out of my sight," Raditz told him. "If I ever see you again, the beating you got last time—"

"Yes, I know, it's going to seem like a picnic, et cetera, et cetera…" Paragus stood on the boarding ramp. "I still don't understand you. You're Super Saiyans—the ruthless, unstoppable warriors of legend!" Even in the controlled, mastered state, Raditz's golden hair glowed faintly in the night. "How can you be this…soft and forgiving?"

"Don't confuse merely letting you go with forgiveness," Raditz warned him.

"But nonetheless, you are letting me go. Why? Where is your pride…your lust for battle?" His one working eye narrowed. "What are you?"

"I'm a saiyan, from Earth." Raditz hit a button on a nearby control panel, and the hatch began to slide shut. "Now get the hell off of my planet."

Break groaned, eyeing the bird. "I am so hungry I could eat you. I could honestly eat this tree." She rubbed her forehead, grumbling to herself. "I swear he's psychic. He picks the one night where everything on this whole damn island tries to kill this one bird. If I ever see a hawk again in my life, I am going to murder its entire family." Stunned and unconscious predators lay scattered around the tree. Splashes of dirt and mud dotted her body, and her clothes were soaked. "Not to mention the goddamn rain. But I can't power up and evaporate it, because that might dislodge the nest and smash his oh-so-precious eggs. And I can't go somewhere else to do it, because every two seconds something else tries to eat—huh?" She sat up straight, hearing a peculiar noise, something not unlike crackling paper. "Hey…what do you know…" She leaned over as the first cracks began appearing in one of the eggs. "It really is hatching…" she smiled despite herself as a tiny beak broke through the fragile shell. "Come on, little guy. Almost there. Hey! There you go…" one after the other, the chicks emerged, their mother fussing over them each in turn.

Raditz floated up silently next to Break, who was now totally entranced in the scene. "Having fun?" he asked, breaking the silence. She did a double take, nearly falling off the branch, and hastily sat up straight, folding her arms. "Hmph! There, I watched your damn eggs! See, they're hatched now! Are you satisfied?"

"Still don't think it's important?"

"Of course not! It's just some birds! Who cares about…" she trailed off as Raditz raised one hand, forming a tiny glowing sphere of energy in front of his palm. "Oh well. I guess I've wasted your time. I suppose if they're getting on your nerves that much…"

"No!" Her face a mask of fear, she dived at him, tackling him to the ground and taking the energy blast straight to her chest. "Aagh!" They crashed onto the grass, rolling apart.

"So, nobody cares about them, huh?" he asked. "Wouldn't it have made more sense for you, as a fighter, to save your energy for Cell rather than waste it on stopping me?"

"They were…lives. I just saw a whole bunch of new lives start, right in front of my eyes." She tried to sit up, winded by her father's attack. "And you were about to wipe them all out, just like that. So…fragile…"

He nodded. "I think you understand now."

"So…we're not letting those people fight Cell?"

"Right." They stood up, dusting themselves off.

"You're insane, do you know that?"

He looked genuinely puzzled. "What makes you say that?"

"You attacked me!" She punched him on the arm.

"What, so I start caring about something and suddenly I'm not allowed to be a warrior, is that it?"

This is most curious. Cell stood at the base of Korin Tower, having remained there, motionless, since first arriving. A group of relatively high (though nothing compared to me, of course) power levels arrived on the planet from space, and took Earth's fighters with them. Shortly, the fighters returned. But one of them…his energy feels different somehow. Not necessarily higher, but…deeper? It is perplexing… he gave a mental shrug. It doesn't matter. I'll find out everything I need to know soon enough. The day is fast approaching…this is going to be glorious.

Finally, it was the dawn of the sixth day. Cell's ultimatum ran out in 24 hours. There was no official decision that everyone would meet up at Caspule Corp, they just…did, as if they were drawn to see each other for what might be one last time.

Krillin was practicing furiously, putting the finishing touches on his stance and technique. I might be no match for Cell…but if it comes to it, I'm not going down without a fight! Although…it'll probably be a pretty short fight… he gulped. I hope Gohan comes through for us…I'll just have to trust Goku knows what he's talking about.

Zarbon was finally paying attention to his son, painfully aware that Trunks' life might be cut off before it ever fully begun. For once, the baby was being held by his father, hesitant but generally relaxed in the alien ex-soldier's arms. "You can win, right?" Bulma asked. "I mean, there's so many of you, and just the one of him…"

"I don't know. Honestly." He took her hand in his. "Cell really is unbelievably strong. I think our hopes all rest on Gohan now. Well…let's face it, it's all beyond me. You've got a better chance of stopping Cell than I do!" He smiled. "Speaking of which…"

"It's almost done." She nodded. "I won't have time to test it…we won't know if it works until we try."

"Still going to keep this mysterious 'anti-Cell device' you've been working on with your father a secret?"

"Yup!" She winked. "Don't worry. All will be revealed. I mean, it's not like we're asking you to power up and show us how much you improved in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. We just kinda assume you'll demonstrate when you get to the fighting."

"All right, be that way."

"Thank you, I will."

Break was standing on her own, atop Capsule Corp's highest building. How did it come to this? She wondered, knowing she didn't have an answer. This time travel is all so confusing. In one timeline, the androids kill everyone. The best we can figure, Cell must be from further on in my timeline—he killed me and took my time machine to get back here, to a time when the androids still existed. That means in that future I was able to destroy the androids both here in the past, and in the future. But as I am now, I could easily beat Cell in his first form, the state he apparently killed me in. So in that time I must have found a way to beat the androids without necessarily getting stronger than them… she shook her head. Gah! I'm giving myself a headache! It doesn't matter, anyway. By the looks of things, this 'perfect' Cell is going to kill us all in this timeline, which means we lose in every time! Cell's future stays empty, my future is ruled by the androids, and the past by Cell! Time travel wasn't the answer to all our problems, Bulma. It just multiplied them.

Goku sat on the grass next to Chi-Chi while Gohan and Kuriza chased each other around. "I'm glad you're finally spending time with your family and friends, Goku," Chi-Chi said. "It may have taken the greatest threat to Earth we've ever encountered, but…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He kissed her on the cheek. "It sounds so strange coming from me, but there is more to life than just training and fighting…"

"Awww, you big softie!" She laughed as he blushed. "But don't worry. I've got no problem with you fighting…it's what you love."

"It brought us together, too!" Goku realised, as Gohan made a dive at Kuriza, who jumped over his grab. Gohan hit the ground, rolled and jumped to his feet, coughed and wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead, then leapt straight back into the chase.

"That's right," Chi-Chi reminisced. "Remember that tournament?" She giggled. "You'd promised to marry me, and you didn't even know who I was."

"I didn't even know what 'marry' meant!" He scratched his head. "I thought it was some kind of food…"

"You would."

"Well, call it a happy accident." He lay back on the grass. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Roshi walked over to Krillin, ducking past Launch (who was currently using Raditz as target practice after he'd made a particularly sarcastic remark). "Hey, Krillin," Roshi said, waving an amicable greeting. "Hey, uh…I know you youngsters have all surpassed me by a long way, but, uh…it seems so serious, I thought maybe—well—maybe I could help, you know?"

Krillin smiled. "You would?"

"Sure. This old dog still knows a few tricks!"

"Look…" Krillin put his hand on his old teacher's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but it really is out of your league. I'm not even sure if I should be going, and no offence, but I'm much more powerful than you are…"

Roshi brushed it off. "Oh, none taken, none taken. You've trained under Korin and Kami and King Kai, and all those people…it's only natural." He sighed.

"Hey, don't worry!" Krillin bowed to the aged master. "You've already done the Earth a great service by training this fine new generation of warriors. Oh, and Yamcha."

Roshi snickered. "Heheh…Just don't say that to his face…all right, I see your point. I'll stay out of the fighting. But speaking of generations, I'm seeing plenty of new faces around here. If, you know, if any of 'em ever look to becoming fighters…"

"I'll know where to point 'em."

"Well, if you don't want to send them to Korin or someone like that, might make a better teacher…" Roshi mumbled.

Krillin pointed down at his orange gi. "Hey—I'm still wearing your colours for a reason! And so's Goku! Don't undervalue yourself, all right?" I'd better get back to training… he thought. "Well, see ya around!" he jogged off.

"Right…see you around…"

Krillin's run took him towards Chiaotzu and Puar (Yamcha's odd, hovering, anthropomorphic feline companion) next, both looking somewhat downcast. "Hey, guys," Krillin called, waving. "How you doing?"

"Not too great." Puar sniffed. "Yamcha…Tien…"

"I know." Krillin crouched next to the pair. "But we're going to go and get the one who did it, all right? Well…Cell didn't actually kill Tien, but…he's the last android—so that counts. I guess."

"It's not revenge I'm worried about," Chiaotzu replied. "I just want my best friend back. He's like a father to me…"

Krillin nodded. "Don't worry. As soon as this is all over and we get back the Dragon Balls, we're going to wish back everyone Cell and the androids killed."

"Should I have trained?" Chiaotzu asked, out of the blue.

"Huh?"

"For the saiyans. Tien told me not to, and I haven't seriously trained since then. So I've never really been in a position to compete." The pale-skinned child looked up at Krillin. "Could I have made a difference, do you think? Would Tien have lived?"

"I don't know…" Krillin sat down next to them. "I just don't know. I mean, you're still alive, there's that…try not to think about what might have been. Here's what is going to happen. We're going to fight Cell. We're going to win. And we're going to undo everything he and his kind have done to us."

The charging, tumbling children crashed past Raditz as he snatched Launch's gun away, holding it over his head to keep it from her reach. He was so captivated by the sight that he didn't notice when she jumped up and grabbed it from his hand. Super Saiyan and frost demon…playing together. "Heh." Maybe there is hope for this universe after all.

Nail approached so quietly Break didn't realise he was behind her on the roof until he spoke. "Something on your mind?"

She nodded. "I'm just thinking…by time travelling back here to try and make things better, I've just made everything worse…now there's all these different doomed timelines, instead of just one. I've failed."

"Don't talk like that." Nail stepped forwards, standing next to her. "In your timeline, how many of these people—the ones you see down there—were dead by now?"

"Uh…" she looked around. "Most of them, I guess."

"There you go, then." Nail smiled. "You've changed things for the better. The Earth got to live in peace a little longer. And we actually stand a chance of winning this time." He hopped off the rooftop, gently floating down towards the others. "How would you like to join us?"

Slowly, her air of depression seemed to lift. "I'd love to."

The planet, thousands of light years from Earth, had been laid bare by the invaders' random, impulsive acts of destruction. Every major city had been ransacked, anything especially valuable-looking stolen before the rest was reduced to rubble in seconds. Almost no native life remained. The attackers, spotting a squadron of inbound transport ships, imagined a relief force from the former frost demon empire had been sent.

"But Lord…" one of the invaders protested, "you said the empire was in chaos—we'd encounter no resistance."

"Calm yourself!" The leader waved the objector's doubt away. "It isn't impossible that some new leader's taken advantage of the power vacuum and re-organised enough to answer the distress signal the natives sent out. Don't worry, though…they won't have anyone who's a match for us."

The four attack pods opened simultaneously, and Vegeta emerged from the lead one. "Finally, we're here…" he flexed his shoulders, feeling the perfect fit of his new, custom-made armour. Flashes of red, reminiscent of his father's colours, mixed with the royal saiyan blue and touches of gold—a symbol of his status as a Super Saiyan. He walked out onto the surface of the planet (he hadn't bothered to learn its name. What did it matter?), followed by five uniformed soldiers. Each bore the saiyan royal crest on their chestplate, a mark of their allegiance to the prince. In his travels through the galaxy, he'd handpicked these three as the most skilled and loyal warriors he could track down—some others had resisted joining him (and consequently their lives had ended abruptly).

Vegeta's eyes flicked left and right as he reached out with his mind. There. East of here…and they were every bit as powerful as he'd hoped. This one might actually be worth his time. His troops were evidently being informed of the same on their scouters. He'd tried to teach his men to sense energy at first, but they never lasted long enough to we worth the effort. Another consequence of this quick turnover was that he never took the trouble to learn his soldiers' names. Why should he? If they couldn't live long enough to stick in his memory, why did he owe them anything? "Vegeta force—move out!" Frieza had jokingly used the name on Namek, and it had grown on him (he'd inherited something of a penchant for naming things from his father).

The group flew in an efficient, defensive formation, landing in the midst of a ruined city—abruptly, the energy they were sensing vanished. "Caution!" Vegeta warned his subordinates. "They know we're here, and they know how to hide. Dumb one—reconaissance west. Pretty one—take point. One with weird powers—guard the rear."

"Yes, sir!" came the chorused response, as his minions spread out to carry out his orders. He relaxed, trying to empty his mind, focusing his ki sense. I sensed them just seconds ago…they can't have gone far. You can't hide from me…there! It's faint, but they can't hide their power completely. One slightly below ground level a few hundred metres in front…two to the left…a big one to the right…and one— Vegeta whirled as a blue streak of movement shot up from behind, the prince's combat reflexes kicking in, his elbow jamming into his attacker's throat and flooring them in one swift movement. "Incompetents!" he snarled at his underlings. "They're all around you. Stay alert!" He looked down at his would-be assailant—a tall, blue-skinned man with bright, floppy orange hair held up with a loose headband. He wore a baggy black and white outfit and carried a long sword at his waist. At the moment, he was rolling away from Vegeta, choking for air from the saiyan's brutal attack.

The being clambered to his feet, taking a deep breath and straightening up. His face hardened. "You got lucky."

"Who are you to challenge the prince of saiyans?" Vegeta demanded.

The man smiled, drawing his sword. "I am but an emissary of my master Bojack—and this world is his! Leave immediately, or we will destroy you!"

"A fine job you're doing so far." Vegeta grinned. "I call it one-nothing, my favour."

One of the prince's henchmen turned to face the attacker, when a fast-moving shape erupted from the rubble opposite him. A second figure, this one female but of the same race, materialised next to the soldier, snapping his neck with a quick movement. Incensed, Vegeta's other two minions flew off in pursuit of her, firing volleys of energy beams which she easily dodged, leading them in wide circles around Vegeta and his opponent. "See how your servants already begin to fall?" the swordsman boasted.

Vegeta laughed out loud. "Oh no, Expendable Big Stupid Guy #3, whatever shall I do without him? You think I need those idiots? Allow me to demonstrate."

"Don't you want to know who you're dealing with? Bojack the conqueror—" Vegeta leapt forwards, closing the distance between them almost instantly and kicking the swordsman in the face, knocking him back through the air. Moving quickly, he appeared behind his enemy in mid-flight, backhanding him casually to the ground. "I don't care who it is I'm fighting!" Vegeta told him, his smile widening. "I don't care about this planet, either! I'm not some liberator trying to put Frieza's empire back together!"

The alien staggered away, raising his sword defensively. "Then why are you here?!"

"I have only one desire—to be the best! The universe's greatest warrior! I cannot tolerate any stronger force! So when I heard of your little trail of destruction…it was too good to resist. A perfect opportunity to prove my superiority."

The swordsman's eyes narrowed. "You think you can just use us as practice?! You'll die for that!" He dashed at Vegeta, swinging his sword in a wide arc, but he found himself halted halfway through his swing. Vegeta was blocking his sword with the back of one hand, a large gash bleeding a red stream down to his elbow and dripping onto the ruined ground, but no pain registering on his face. Vegeta slowly smiled. "You seem very confident in that weapon. A true fighter doesn't rely on petty tools!" With a sudden shout, the royal saiyan sent out a wave of ki that shattered the sword down to the hilt. "So, I'm going to die for this, am I?"

"Kogu!" The second marauder came to a halt behind her male ally. "Do you need any help over there?"

"I can handle it, Zangya!" he shouted back. "Just watch yourself, they're catching up!"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course they are. I let them." She vanished, there was a blur and several loud impacts, and a second soldier dropped dead at her feet.

"Oh look, there goes the arrogant, effeminate one," Vegeta said in a sarcastic monotone. "One with weird powers, deal with her, all right?"

"Uh…sir!" His final remaining soldier turned back to Zangya, gritting his teeth and resuming the chase.

"You can handle it, you say." Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Not from where I'm standing."

"So you say…" Kogu chuckled. "But you have yet to witness the true power of the Hera-jins!"

"Hera-what now?"

Kogu groaned. "Our species. The race of Hera…you don't care."

"I really don't."

"Fine. Let's just…ngh…get this—over with!" With these words, Kogu underwent a sudden transformation. His muscles bulged out, shredding his shirt, and his power rose dramatically. In addition, his skin became green and his hair red. With his boosted power, he jumped at Vegeta, grabbing the prince around the neck with both hands and slamming him into the ground. "Now you know…never to underestimate your opponent!"

Vegeta gripped Kogu's forearms, one in each hand, pushing with all his strength to relieve some of the pressure on his hand. "You're about to…be eating your own words…you freak…"

"What…?"

"You see…" a mocking tone came into his voice. "You're not dealing with the average saiyan warrior…HAAA!" He felt the welcome surge of power as he transformed into his Super Saiyan state, feeling new energy flood into his muscles, letting him easily lift Kogu's hold as if it was a child he was pushing against. He swung his body around, throwing the Hera-jin away. Kogu skidded to a halt, glowering at him. "You can transform too? What are you?"

"You don't know?" Vegeta dropped his guard, not in the least bit afraid of his opponent anymore. "I'd have thought the stories were a bit more widespread…I am the legend brought to life—the Super Saiyan!"

"The Super…" fear filled the alien's eyes. "No! It can't be…not here…"

"Ah, so you have heard of me." With this, Vegeta disappeared, materialising in front of Kogu just long enough for a final pang of fear to register in his opponent's mind before he brought his hands together, messily crushing Kogu's skull between them.

Vegeta kicked his dead foe (although 'foe' may have been too strong a word for such a disappointing opponent) away, the body rolling heavily and coming to a halt at Zangya's feet as she came to a halt, gazing dispassionately down at him. "That's a shame," she murmured. "A little inconvenient, I suppose." Vegeta's 'Henchman with weird powers' skidded to a halt in front of her, breathing in deeply. "Finally, I've got you!"

"Really? And what are you going to—aagh!" She found herself encased in a flickering red field of electricity as Vegeta's minion's hands waved in the air, subtly manipulating the shocking currents.

The soldier grinned. "That's what overconfidence gets you…" There was a soft hiss, and his entire body jerked to the side, as if pulled by an invisible puppet-master. A third Hera-jin stood behind him, arms held up in front of his face, and as Vegeta watched with intent he saw the daylight reflect off…something. He's created some kind of…strings? They seem to be very durable, in any case… As the trooper struggled to escape the near-invisible trap, Zangya found herself freed. Acting quickly, she closed the distance and ripped the soldier's head off without hesitation.

"So, this is the 'Super Saiyan' we've all heard about," a harsh voice called out. "I imagined you a little…taller."

Vegeta grunted. "Funny." He turned to face the speaker, and saw another pair of aliens approaching. And that accounts for the last two power levels I sensed. The one on the right especially—he'll be a worthy challenge… "But you're hardly one to talk about appearances. The idiot I just killed was blabbering about someone called 'Bojack' who this world apparently belongs to. Which one is he?"

The Hera-jins assembled around the newcomers. All bore the same hued skin and hair, along with upward-slanting pointed ears. They sported baggy civilian clothing and, without exception, the same stupid grin. It said, 'you're no threat to me, but I'll play along until you start to bore me'. Zangya, the group's only female, he'd already encountered. Of the lot, the one who'd trapped his last soldier was the smallest, a purple turban wrapped around his head. There was a large bearded thug with a small jacket and a ridiculous mohawk, and finally the tallest of the group, a bandana partially holding in his wild expanse of hair, bearing a multitude of scars. His power was by far the highest of all of them, and it was him who spoke. "I am Bojack," he replied. "In your position, I wouldn't speak to me that way. I make it four to one, little ape."

Ignoring the jab, Vegeta returned Bojack's arrogant smile. "Then we must see things differently. As I said to your deceased comrade—and discounting those three fools who accompanied me, whose lives I don't care for in the slightest—I make it one-nothing." He indicated Kogu's body. "Your move."

Bojack shrugged. "Very well, little man. Let's make an example. Bido, if you will?"

"Going to take me on one at a time?" Vegeta taunted. "That hasn't worked out so far, now has it?"

Bido, now revealed to be the large, jacketed one, sneered. "Please. Kogu was by far weaker than any of us—with the exception of Bujin here," he nodded towards the turban-wearing one, "but his unique abilities more than make up for it. Really, you just did us a favour by removing a dead weight."

"Very well. I'll fight you one-on-one." Vegeta settled into his familiar stance, one hand down by his side ready to strike at any moment, the other held high in front of his face to guard from a frontal assault. "This won't take long." Hopefully I can get this done quickly, and move on to the main event…this Bojack intrigues me. It's been a while since I've had a proper adversary.

Bido strode forwards with confidence. "Excellent. Let's see what the legend is made of…"

The invader charged, and Vegeta leaned casually to the side, avoiding his first punch and blocking his second. "Tell me," the prince asked sarcastically, "where did you get that haircut? I've always wanted to look completely ridiculous."

"Gaah!" The comment enraged Bido, and his next attack lacked focus, leaving an opening for Vegeta to kick him straight through the only standing building left of the city. Just as Bido was standing back up Vegeta was upon him, throwing a barrage of punches designed to test his enemy's skill—which, as it turned out, was not great. Bido reacted to each in turn, never planning for the next and constantly being caught off-guard by tiny, constant alterations in Vegeta's attack pattern. He kept his blows light, treating this as a warm-up—this one obviously lacked real training.

Vegeta's attacks began to slow down further, teasing Bido with his inaccuracy as the former apartment block crumbled around them, but the Hera-jin was not entirely without fighting sense. Feigning weakness, he stumbled away, then straightened up and landed a hard punch to the back of Vegeta's hand—right where Kogu's sword had slashed it. Hissing, the prince fell back, his vision blurring. In that moment, Bido pressed forwards, another punch flooring the saiyan. Vegeta moved with the momentum of the blow, pushing off the ground, spinning in the air and throwing himself back at his enemy. "I guess you're not a total waste. I'll have to try a little harder!" He slipped through Bido's obvious, telegraphed defenses, driving him back and finishing with a spinning elbow that sent Bido reeling. The Hera-jin began to back away in fear. He's too fast!

"Stay right where you are!" Bojack ordered. "There are no cowards under my command." His eyes narrowed. "If you shame the reputation of the greatest space pirates in the universe, then you're no longer of use to me. Do you understand me?"

Bido gulped, turning back to Vegeta. "Right."

Vegeta smiled. "Let's play a little game, shall we? Three."

"Uh…three?"

"That's how many hits it'll take to bring you down." Before Bido could respond, the prince shoved his knee into the pirate's neck. "One." Dropping to the ground, he ducked under a clumsy counter-attack, launching an uppercut that snapped Bido's head back and flung him into the air. "Two." Springing forwards, he finished with a haymaker that sent Bido skidding across the ground, coming to a halt at Bojack's feet. "Three."

There was a long silence as each side weighed the other up, calculating eyes searching for weak points, opportunities to attack. Finally, it was broken—the prince stared straight into Bojack's eyes, grinning.

"Next."

And that is that. Yes, this bit with Vegeta is going somewhere. And yes, we will get back to Earth. I didn't intend for that scene to be here, but it was such a short chapter and I didn't want to rush into the battle with Cell. So enjoy the prince of saiyans versus some space pirates. Arr.

Um...nothing to say here. Moving on.

Wait, no! I do have something to say! And it rhymes with "fanart"! Check out I-Am-So-Original's deviantART page, he's done an amazing Tenkaichi edit of Break Through the Limit's Raditz! Go and tell him he's a wonderful person.

Q: it's been a while since I reviewed (I've been low on free-time recently), so here goes. I liked this chapter a lot. You gave Kuriza some significance and one can consider him sort of a foil for Gohan's character. However, there were some parts that I felt were a bit rushed.

A: Indeed. It was. Sorry.

Q: interesting that broly is apearing, are you basing him on the movie or dbm version
if movie version: how would you rank him compared to canon and your version of cell?

A: He's above Perfect Cell in power, but not skill. He is definitely not the DBM version.

Q: Well. I dont know. This chapter felt super rushed to me while i read it. The characters seemed ooc a bit given the situation, too.

Overall this chapter lacked the high quality writing ive come to expect from you.
Its not exactly bad. It just could be far better written, like you normally do.
I guess you just wanted broly to be done and gone.
Do you dislike him that much?

A: So...I'm getting mixed feedback on that chapter. There are some bits I'm unhappy with. I don't dislike Broly. It just sort of turned out that way.

Q: Oh the humanity! I do like the scene and it's tribute to the movie and it's equally brief conclusion. Gohan releasing his anger like that was a one time thing I think... But Cell knows about it now. If he wanted, he could kill Gohan first simply to avoid fighting him. It'd make sense with Cell's new efficient mindset. But then again, we already know Cell is stronger than Goku and the others at Full Power SSJ. It's also interesting to see if a zenkai from Broly laying waste affects the powers of Goku, Raditz and Break.

A: Zenkai wasn't such a big factor at this point. Indeed, Cell knows something is up-but not the precise nature of SSJ2.

Q: Well, this was good, but Brolly did need to say Kakarot a few more times. It is his thing after all.

Other than that it was good and believable, but since it was pretty much a DBZ movie, you have the excuse to be rushed.
Although, Vegeta being a villain at this point still irks me. I mean, the dude makes an awesome anti-hero.

A: Funnily enough, somebody asked me for Broly not to go all "KAKAROT". But I did it anyway. Because...um...HIS POWER IS MAXIMUM

And Vegeta...well, he was a good villain too. So...yeah. With Raditz being redeemed, I decided to balance things a little. Also, I just really like writing evil Vegeta.

Q: almost everytime i come accross something with broly, i feel such potential is wasted only because of the pycological damage caused to him by his father's mind control and being stabbed as a baby by a saiyan ;p

If Broly could control his power, like if he could fully control his power say from his lss state it becomes relaxed to a super saiyan form but with all that power unlocked in a sorta way. it would really help his character more than being some over powered hulk. In some ways I always feel for him especially when he's killed cause his potential is just wasted :(

A: Ah, so you want to see some more of the Legendary Super Saiyan...(laughs maniacally)

Q: That was awesome! I wonder how the fight with Gohan and Cell's gonna play out? I also wonder if you're gonna end the SSJ chain at SSJ 2...but I doubt it. Though I'm scared by the though of SSJ 3 Raditz. :/ XD Great chapter bro. Keep up the great work.

A: End it at SSJ2? Nah.

Q: hmm... Paragus still lives, and everyone will be counting on a 10-11 year old Gohan to save the day. It was nice how you made him look like the Vegeta of this grouping being too afraid to fight. Goku's failed Toei Sayian Spirit Punch was as refreshing as Break's implied crush on a man her uncle's age.

A: Yeah, if the 'spirit punch' was too effective, they'd have just used it on Cell, etc.

Q: Did gohan transform into ss2?

A: Um...yes.