Chapter 39: Status Quo

Goku stood at the top of Mount Paozu, early the next morning, staring into the mists. I killed Cell. Why is that bothering me?

He was evil. Absolutely irredeemable...he was designed to be the engine of our destruction. I shouldn't feel anything. And it's not remorse, really, but I do feel a certain...sadness. Hate him though I did, he was a great warrior. I can't help feeling I might not ever meet a challenge like again that in this life. It's more than that, though.
He looked up and nodded, realising. That's it. When I was a kid...I didn't have much self-control. Some of my opponents ended up dead. I didn't choose to kill them, it was always circumstances-like kicking General Tao's grenade back at him on instinct, or using the last of my strength to finish King Piccolo...but even given that, I still killed some people. And yet, since I've grown up I've never taken the life of an intelligent being. I even defended Vegeta, and the Cell Juniors. But once more, I've had no choice but to act as God and choose who gets to live or die. I hope that never has to happen again.

He took a deep breath, using a ki-sharpened fingernail to open a small cut in his forearm and letting the blood soak into his right wristband, the red stain covering the blue. He held up the bloody saiyan tradition to the sky. Raditz...I'll never agree with your warrior's pride. But I do understand it. Have fun out there, bro.

Launch was staring out into the ocean from the beaches surrounding Kame House when Break approached. "Hey. You got a minute?"

"This is where I was standing," Launch said quietly, fondly. "And he appeared out of thin air, right...right over there. We hadn't talked much, before he left. We weren't...sure. About us."

"Left? For Namek?" Break walked up to stand next to her mother.

"Yeah. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I don't like sayings, but...in those days apart, I knew. I think that was when he knew, too."

"Hey, you're embarassing me!" Break laughed. "You're my parents...hearing this is kind of weird."

"Ah, I'm sorry." Launch turned, patting her daughter on the arm. "Hey, I'm proud of you, kid. Your father is, too."

Break sighed. "I know...I'm not sure if I earned it, though."

"What do you mean?"

"After all I did...I didn't beat Cell, or the androids. It came down to Goku in the end, to be the strongest. I helped, but others still achieved so much more than I did." Abruptly, Launch punched Break across the face. The half-saiyan didn't flinch, but noticed the fluidity of the motion. She's been practicing.

"Don't you talk like that." Lowering her fist, Launch leaned closer. "Now listen. None of this would be possible without you. You're the catalyst, you changed everything. We've got hope now, and a future-thanks to you. And now you can go back and save your time, too."

Break shrugged. "I guess so. You're right. Yeah, you're right. I just..." she searched for the words. "I don't know. I guess I just imagined myself riding in from the future, the great hero coming to save the day at the last minute. Not to be a messenger and help out every now and then."

"I know what you mean." Launch stepped back and sat down on the sand, indicating the spot next to her, which Break sat in. The older woman continued. "But don't try to be a hero. They always have so much pressure on them to make everything right. Gohan was the hero of your particular story, yes?"

Break shuddered, remembering. But... "Don't be a hero? You're saying I shouldn't help people?"

"By all means," Launch said, "be a good person. Be the best you can be-which, in my experience of you, is pretty damn good. Just don't let yourself become a symbol, or people will start asking the world of you."

Silence fell for a while, Break finally speaking as dawn broke, sweeping away the mists. "So...sorry if this is a difficult question...you're one person now. What's up with that?"

Launch lay back, half closing her eyes. "Honestly? I'm not sure. My gut instinct, though, is that both sides of me were finally starting to meet in the middle. The good me was getting angry an' determined, and the bad me was feeling compassion...and regret."

"Was this how you were born, then? If the two halves are genetic, was the split activated by a childhood trauma?"

"Don't remember. Maybe it was. My early life's pretty vague...Our minds are pretty good at supressing that kind of thing, y'know. Maybe something did happen...and that's why one half of me was so bitter all the time. Maybe..." echoes of memories, shadow images played across her mind, but were gone as soon as they appeared. "...maybe we'll never know."

"...All right, fire it up!" Bulma realised she was speaking to herself. Her second realisation was that she'd been up all night working on the time machine. The third was that she'd already been sleep-deprived for several days before that, working on the anti-Cell device. Ah well. I'll sleep, uh, that thing. Thing. Comes after now. Later. Right. Sleep later. She shook her head to clear her vision, focusing on the machine. "Hmm...should be set to the right timeline, if I know my temporal probabilities. Which is a field of science I invented yesterday, so I should." She powered up the machine, and the targeting mechanism located Break's future timeline, a row of lights down the side of the control panel going green. Well, that works, at least... It had also been modified to carry several people, given the androids' intention to accompany Break. Now, let me just go find our time travelers, and we'll be done with this whole thing.

Porunga was growing irritated. It couldn't be done. This wish, it was impossible. Well. It seemed impossible. But the dragon wasn't entirely, one hundred percent sure, and it was physically incapable of refusing to grant a wish within its power, so it had to eliminate all doubt.

There.

Something sparked on the edge of its world-spanning consciousness. Its omniscient senses whirled, homing in on Earth, detecting some kind of link between this world and the world of the future-the one it had been asked to affect. Porunga worked quickly, seizing on the pathway and pouring its energy through.

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED," it grumbled. "FAREWELL, AND DO NOT TRY MY PATIENCE IN THIS MANNER AGAIN!" The Namekian left to watch it glanced up in surprise, scrambling to his feet and running back to the village to inform the others.

Bulma was on the verge of passing out, so completely missed the crackle of red sparks that ran up and down the time machine as Porunga used it as a gateway for its power. Besides, Break, Seventeen and Eighteen were just walking into the hangar at the time, and shortly took to inspecting the machine.

"Hey, nice work!" Break said, tapping on the side with one finger. "Looks good as new!" She turned to face the woman who, in the future, had practically been her mother. "Hey, uh...I guess I won't be seeing you again. Not this version of you, anyway."

"I know..." Bulma sighed. "You sure you can't stay a week or two?"

Break shook her head. "Sorry. I'm afraid all I can think about is going home, finding out who survived...and finally fixing things there."

"You said goodbye to everyone? Launch?"

"Yeah. You're all great people, you know? I'm glad to have finally met everyone you used to talk about."

"You're not so bad yourself. Look after yourself, all right? Thanks for everything."

Break nodded, started to speak, and found herself lost for words. She nodded, smiled, and climbed into the time machine.

"And you two..." Bulma turned to the androids. "Well, I guess I'm glad you came around in the end."

"I'm not going to become like the future version of me," Eighteen said firmly.

"Well, I think you're crazy," Seventeen told her. "We don't owe those people in the future anything. But you're not going without me."

"Hold on a second!"

Everyone turned to see Krillin, slightly out of breath and wearing a backpack, standing in the doorway. "Let me come with you!" he said.

"Krillin?" Break leaned out of the time machine. "Why do you want to...?"

"I..." he glanced around nervously. "I care about you guys. I want to help. Look, there isn't much for me here. I've never had that much of a full life. I mean, all my stuff fits in here..." he held up his bag.

"Hey now, that's a bit sudden!" Bulma put her arm around him. "You've got friends, what are you talking about? Of course you have a good life! I've never known anybody to have more fun than you!" She patted him on the back. "Maybe you're comparing yourself to Yamcha or someone. Don't. Just because he wakes up with a hangover on somebody else's couch every other morning doesn't mean he's doing better than you are."

"I know, but I..." He looked torn.

Bulma groaned inwardly. "I know what you're feeling," she whispered to him. "I know you care for Eighteen, and you want to help her out. But those two really haven't had a life so far. There's nothing for them here, and they're doing something incredibly selfless by going. You'd just be making us all miss you. There are so many people here who couldn't bear to see you go."

"I...I guess so..." He hung his head as the androids got into the time machine.

"Hey, I know it's hard," Bulma said. "But they say, if you love something...let it go."

A large crowd awaited them in Central City, and Goku and Gohan arrived with flair, pure white auras blazing around them as they landed in front of several important officials. "The King makes his apologies, he's taken ill this morning," the prime minister informed them. Goku nodded-he'd met the king before, but couldn't really remember it very well, it having been a long time ago. The prime minister was accompanied by Dr. Briefs, as the world's leading scientist (his work unparalleled in practically every field), and the previously-seen General Ripper. The crowd's reaction to the father and son duo was mixed, but mostly one of apprehension, and anticipiation.

The prime minister shook Goku's hand awkwardly, Dr. Briefs gave a half-hearted wave as he scribbled down an idea for perfecting the experimental flux capacitor he'd just had on a notepad, and the General saluted. Goku smiled and waved to the crowd. "Hi!" Gohan lurked behind him, remaining quiet. News helicopters swarmed around like angry insects. After a couple of minutes, the crowd was motioned to silence, microphones were brought forwards to all on the 'stage', and the conversation began.

"Thank you for responding to my invitation," the General began.

"Oh, sure," Goku replied. "To be honest, I didn't even know it was a big secret. I mean, I've been able to do this stuff for years."

"I see," the prime minister, whose nametag read 'Erics', said. He was a thin, smiling man with messy hair and round yellow sunglasses. "So I by 'this stuff', you mean the superhuman abilities you used in the battle with Cell, among other times?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so."

"Are they, though?" Dr Briefs cut in. "Superhuman. If anybody can learn them, and I have it on good authority that they can, then is 'superhuman' really accurate? Does that make being good at music or sport 'superhuman', then?"

"I, uh...I guess so, hahah!" the prime minister replied with a nervous grin. "But I hope you, uh, know what I mean..."

"If I may get back to the point..." General Ripper turned to Goku. "Sorry about that. Anyway, how, exactly, do your powers work? Where do they come from?"

"Uh...hmm." Goku thought for a minute. "Well-"

"Hey." Gohan spoke for the first time, still looking uncomfortable. While his father had remained in his ever-present orange gi, the eleven-year-old boy had changed into more casual clothes, with a specially-designed belt for hiding his tail. "Dad, why don't I explain this? Not to put it too bluntly, but I've had, y'know..."

"An education?" Goku laughed. "Yeah, go ahead, kid."

"All right." Gohan frowned. "It's like this: There's an energy, a force, that flows throughout the entire universe. We call it ki, or sometimes just 'energy' or 'power'. It's in every living being, which is how we sense people's locations, by feeling for their ki signature. And you can train to increase your ki, and then channel it..." he held out a hand, producing a small white energy ball. "...while we tend to focus on fighting, it's often just handy in life to be able to generate energy. For instance, having a larger ki makes you stronger, faster and tougher, or as we put it generally 'more powerful', plus you can learn useful techniques, like flight." Extinguishing the energy ball, he hovered a couple of feet above the ground, cameras tracking his movement and broadcasting to the world. "You see? It's actually not that hard when you get used to it." He settled to the ground. "Honestly, it wasn't some big secret that all this was possible. People like the Turtle and Crane hermits have been teaching ki use for hundreds of years."

"I...see." Ripper frowned. "And...at a certain level of power, a ki-trained fighter is above the level of conventional weaponry? Guns, tanks?"

"Sir." Gohan looked him straight in the eye. "With all due respect, your entire army could attack me and I'd be capable of disarming them all before a single shot was fired. However, not wishing to boast, I count myself as exceptional, and perhaps most children would not be able to overcome them quite so easily, no matter how much training they had." He smiled a little. "It'd take them a couple of minutes, at least."

"And..." Ripper scratched his head. "What if the army deployed nuclear weapons? Just to extend that hypothetical scenario...not that we would, naturally..."

"Then, hypothetically, it would depend." Gohan shrugged. "King Piccolo had about the equivalent power of a nuclear bomb, I suppose. But we're way past his level at this point. Right now I'd be fully capable of destroying a planet."

"Y-you could destroy Earth?" Ripper gulped. "I, uh..."

"You don't feel safe with us here?" Goku asked. "Listen...you're a trained soldier, with years of experience. You're probably capable of killing most men fairly easily. I don't think that should be a reason for your friends and family to fear walking into a room with you, do you? Don't worry. You've got nothing to fear from us. All we've done is protect this planet."

"Hey, all right..." the prime minister began to pace back and forth. "...nobody's afraid of you. The General's just jumpy-it's his job. But you have the intention of making this power available to everyone?"

"Anyone who wants it." Goku shrugged. "I mean, not everybody has to be a fighter. But sure."

"So who will spread this knowledge?"

"Uh...hmm." Does Master Roshi still teach? Surely he can't deal with thousands of new students. "You know, that's a good point. There aren't enough teachers, and I can't see myself spending every waking minute just teaching all this...hmm."

Gohan grinned. "Got it."

"What?"

"I know what we'll do." He stepped forwards. "You always wanted me to develop my power, right? And mom always said I should study more. Well, how about this? I'll write a book. Everything about ki, how to train it, all about what we do. I'll even include explanations for our battles with Cell and so on. How's that sound?"

"Hey, now that's a good idea!" Goku grinned. "Then people can just get one and not have to run to one of only a few teachers...yeah, that sounds great!"

"All right." Gohan turned to the cameras. "It might take a couple of years, so sorry about that, but I want to make sure it's done well."

"Uh...all right then." the prime minister said, feeling that events had left his control. "I guess we'll have all the answers we need soon, people!" he tried to speak towards the cameras, but they were focused on Gohan.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

Goku turned around, seeing a familiar figure, and groaned. "Oh, not again..."

"NO MORE OF YOUR TRICKS!" Hercule yelled, somersaulting off the top of his car and landing in front of Goku, one finger extended in a challenge. "I, the Martial Arts Champion of the World and the man who defeated Cell, challenge you! Do you think you've got what it takes to face the champ?!"

Goku sighed. "You've got to be kidding me..."

Vegeta fell back from another blow to the head. He'd had his second wind, and more, but it wasn't any good. This opponent was like a wall he just couldn't climb no matter how hard he tried. Why...? Why is this happenning? I am the universe's greatest warrior, am I not? I have risen to the top...thrown off Frieza's oppression, surpassed all my limits...is it not my right to be victorious? Is it not my right to live to claim revenge on the renegades on Earth? I...I am an elite of the highest calibre, and this lowlife scum is picking me apart! This cannot...I will not... another punch sent him tumbling away, rolling over and over on the broken ground. And staring into the dirt, watching his lifeblood seeping into the uncaring earth, hearing his executioner's heavy, approaching tread, a dawning realisation hit him.

It didn't matter.

None of it mattered. He was the prince of all saiyans, the greatest of his kind, a pure-blooded fighter and what's more, a Super Saiyan. So? What did it matter, when some pirate from who-knows-where could just come along and beat him into the ground? What was the point? Suddenly all his boasts, his pride at being from such a privileged warrior breed seemed empty. "I am the prince of all saiyans...I am DEATH!" The words rang hollow in his mind. What did it mean, anyway? His royal blood...It meant that his ancestors had been great warriors. It said nothing of him. All that mattered...all that ever mattered in this life...was strength. The ability to back up your claims. To stand on your own two feet, and defeat your enemies. If you were beaten, if you were weak, it didn't matter who you were. This battle was testament to that. His pride, his standing hadn't saved him. He had always thought that it was his birthright to be the greatest...how blind. Kakarot had surpassed him with apparent ease. Raditz had beaten him to becoming a Super Saiyan. And now this...nobody, this scum...was about to kill him.

He shoved himself off the ground, vision blurring as he faced Bojack. How could I have spent my whole life spouting that garbage about being born superior? That's been proven wrong more than enough. All that matters...the only thing that matters is the here and now. And I will win this battle...and I will kill those traitors on Earth. "Y-You..." he hissed.

"Hmm?" Bojack grinned. More of the same, no doubt. Prince this, saiyan that.

"Get out...of my way..." It's the only thing...that matters. I have...to be...stronger than him. I have to get past him.

Bojack chuckled. "Get out of your way? I thought you wanted to fight me."

Vegeta fell forwards, stopping just in front of Bojack. He gasped, catching himself, trembling as he raised his guard. No, I won't lose here...I can't...die...here! "I said...GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

Okay...that's that. Can't think of anything to say, sooooo...

Q: If Goku is still alive, I can't imagine him not making sure Gohan trains at all. And at the moment who's the strongest between the two?

A: Probably, and I'd say Goku, though for quick reference, it's something like (on an arbitrary scale, which is not necessarily linear, proportional or accurate at all beyond 'this person is stronger than that person'):

Gohan (both versions) SSJ: 2.5

BTtL Goku SSJ: 2.75

Canon Goku SSJ: 3

Break SSJ: 3

Gohan SSJ2: 5

BTtL Goku SSJ2: 5.5

Q: I really enjoyed the 'I Am' speech being incorporated into this chapter. Music literally FORCED its way into my head as I read this amazing scene. Unfortunately, this leads me to resent Krillin even more than I normally do. Seriously, he stopped Goku from saving the world to save an android who he knows can be revived?[ And it cost Raditz his life... I'm interested to see how Raditz will play into the fic now; he's dead. Perhaps I see a one-day pass in the future...

A: He was...under some emotional stress at the time. And perhaps! Though if so, I will handle it...in a possibly-slightly-different way than canon.

Q: Are you going to do the Buu saga?

A: Yes.

Q: Not a fan of the idea where the wish is used on Porunga to affect the other timeline. If anything why not wish Break learn Instant Transmission (unless she already learnt it from her father) and have HER go to New Namek in her timeline and use THOSE dragon balls to start fixing her world? Would see more practical honestly.

A: New Namek got blown up/devastated in the future timeline. Meta-Frieza and Vegeta and stuff. I didn't really have much to say, so I kind of skimmed a little. But I did say it.

Q: A close worthy of the effort to build it. The development of seventeen was a bit odd. He never really developed as a character so his following eighteen's lead seems a bit... Surprising?

A: He's just kind of tagging along, he doesn't want to be separated from his sister.

Also! I will do the Dead Zone special pretty soon. But don't expect a full chapter. It's pretty short.