Chapter 47: Vindication

Update on the state of my various projects at the end of this chapter.

Oh, and in case anybody's wondering, in terms of power, the top three characters in order are Goku, then Raditz, then Gohan. Because Goku's had SSJ2 for longer than Raditz, and Gohan doesn't train as much as he should.

EDIT: I forgot Vegeta! Sorry! He's about equal to Goku (Goku's more naturally talented, but he's got more distractions, like his family).

Gohan and Videl walked slowly through the main hallway, every step echoing off the stone like the crash of an enormous drum, the effect accentuated by the extravagant acoustics of the otherwise-silent building. Gargoyles leered down at them at every corner. Shafts of daylight from five-metre-tall windows pierced the ever-present darkness, and oddly enough for such a recently-constructed building, there were no electric lights to be seen anywhere.

"Can you feel that?" Gohan asked.

"Right." Videl nodded. "That giant ki...must be Turles." The energy signature seemed strange, almost artificial. "You sure you can take this guy, Gohan?"

"I'm pretty sure," Gohan replied. "I don't think he's a Super Saiyan-it doesn't feel like it-but if not, I have no idea how he's so strong."

"Well, we'll find out soon..." Videl trailed off as they approached a huge stone set of double doors, engraved with a mess of tiny, intricate carvings, depicting countless scenes of tailed, horned figures reaping mass destruction.

Gohan raised his hand to push the door open, when without warning it exploded outwards, launching slabs of high-speed debris at the two of them.

Zarbon backflipped away, handspringing off the ground as a missile exploded where he'd been, seconds before. What is this? he wondered, ducking to the right to avoid a jackhammer-like punch that shattered a pillar next to his head. I've never seen any technology produce a machine capable of keeping up with a fighter like me. This is interesting... the robotic creature Cacao lunged again, and Zarbon retreated out of its punching range. However, compartments on its back flipped open as it moved, revealing hidden jets that rocketed it forwards. Unprepared for this sudden burst of speed, Zarbon failed to raise his guard in time and the glistening metal fist cracked into his jaw, sending him reeling back. Recovering his senses, he moved with the force of the blow, spinning away from Cacao and throwing a quick energy bolt as he turned.

Cacao quickly crossed its arms in front of its face, blocking the blast with only mild scorch marks. The brief time it took to do this gave Zarbon the opening to hammer his elbow up into a join between armour plates, knocking it through a wall. Zarbon rubbed the bruise on his chin. "You hit pretty hard," he noted as Cacao emerged, unfazed, from the rubble. "You're probably programmed to just kill everything in your way, right? I mean, there's no point reasoning with you..." he received another missile in response. "I see," he continued, kicking it out of its flight path , sending it careening into the ground several metres away, where it detonated. "I'll take that as a 'no'. That's fine...I was never good at the peaceful option anyway."

Kuriza nonchalantly dodged Amond's red ki blast, landing atop a precipice a few metres above the ground, his form-concealing cloak swaying around him. "Are you done yet?" he asked.

"Stand...huh...huh...still!" Amond gasped, exhausted after having chased the disguised frost demon around for several minutes now. "Damn it!" He furiously hammered the button on his scouter, but it displayed Kuriza's power level as only 2,000, the same as last time. "How are you doing that?! There's no way you could outrun me if you were that weak!"

Kuriza shrugged. "Just a technique I picked up. Now can you stop trying to kill me? I mean, we know you aren't going to succeed, so we could just save both of us some effort and go do something else while Gohan talks to your leader. Because honestly, I'm getting bored."

"You're...what?" Amond spluttered.

"I'm...didn't you hear me or something?" Kuriza scratched his head. "I'm bored. Fighting you is boring. You just sort of flail around at the air where I was a few seconds ago while I dodge very s-l-o-w-l-y..."

"Why, you..." Amond hissed. "DON'T YOU MOCK ME!" He jumped up at Kuriza, swinging an uncoordinated fist. The adolescent powerhouse caught it nonchalantly, yawning.

"See, I don't just have to dodge either. I can mix it up if I like." He blocked a low kick with his shin. "Really? You're still trying that? You must have some kind of memory problem, or I'm not sure why you thought it'd work the three hundredth time you tried..."

"I'll teach you-" Amond was cut off as Kuriza flung his ki outwards, cracking the walls on either side and hurling Amond away from him.

"Well? Are you happy now?" Hmm...what shall I do now? Kuriza wondered. I guess I could just take him down, but I might not get to fight anybody else for a while...I could power up and break his scouter, but we've all seen that routine before, and I don't think that'd really surprise him at this point anyway...what to do...?

"Hey! Just who the hell are you people anyway?" Amond demanded, dusting himself off. "Zarbon...a saiyan...that's a weird combination. Where do you fit in?"

"You think that's weird, huh?" Kuriza chuckled. Say, there's an idea... "You haven't seen anything yet, my friend." Ripping off his mask, he lowered his hood. "Well! If it isn't the handsome devil from your history books!"

"Aaahh...uh...y-you're..." Amond took a step back, trembling. "You're Kuriza! The prince...Frieza's heir...you're dead! They said the Super Saiyan killed you!"

Kuriza smiled. "Quite the opposite, actually...he saved me. Oh, and I wouldn't refer to the 'Super Saiyan' in the singular...there's quite a few running around, now. In fact, I'll let you in on a little secret...one of them's on his way to see your boss right now."

"The kid...!"

"Right. He's the first, you know."

"The first?" Amond looked puzzled. "The first what?!"

"The first of the new breed. The galaxy is changing." Kuriza's eyes narrowed. "You saw it after the Cold dynasty, my family's empire, collapsed. They actually set up a democracy. A democracy! In this galaxy! Vegeta set things back, but you can't stop it. People like Gohan will always come. Turles and his kind have just been going through the motions, clinging to the old routines...thinking they can be the next Frieza...but that age is gone now." He took a step forwards, his tail lashing menacingly against the floor, leaving impact craters. "The people have tasted freedom, and they're not going to give it up without a fight."

"They already have." Amond snorted. "Or didn't you see how we run things here?"

"Maybe. But if it wasn't us today, it'd be so meone else tomorrow. A government like this can't last forever. And..." Kuriza tilted his head to the side as a shockwave rocked the palace. "I don't know about you, but that sounds kind of like your regime collapsing."

"But-" Midway through his sentence, Amond was silenced as Kuriza lunged forwards, ramming his knee into the burly soldier's face, dropping him instantly. Kuriza settled to the ground. "Ugh. Why is everybody so fragile?"

Raditz was bench-pressing a relatively small but surprisingly heavy block of super-dense, stasis-compressed neutron star material King Kai had magically fabricated for him when the pair of strangers appeared. It took him a few minutes to notice them, so focused was he on lifting the monumental weight. Finally, he registered the figures in the corner of his eye. Sighing, he heaved the weight over onto the ground, then powered down as he stood, sweat bucketing down his face and arms.

One of the strangers was short, pink-skinned and bearing the pointed ears and general appearance of a Kai. However, he seemed more humanoid in his proportions than most of them (the Northern Kai, for instance, was somewhat...round). He wore strange, outlandish clothing, a darker blue with red trim that accentuated his skin, replete with poofy shoulders, small yellow earrings, and a hairstyle not entirely unlike a white mohican gone mad. The second, standing slightly behind the first, was taller and bulkier, with more sensible hair, red skin, a face creased with worry (a contrast to the first's self-confident smirk) and a red-orange colour scheme on his outfit, but appeared to be of the same race, or at least similar.

"Raditz?" the shorter of the two asked in a soft, pleasant voice.

"Uh...yes?" Raditz hazarded.

"Greetings," the mysterious visitor responded, his smile widening. "I've been told you're quite the fighter."

"Well, I guess." Raditz shrugged. "Sorry if this is rude, but who, exactly, are you?"

"Do not address the Kaioshin in such a manner!" the larger one burst out, but the smaller one raised a calming hand.

"Calm yourself, Kibito. He did not know who he was addressing." He turned back to Raditz. "As my servant just informed you...in his own way...I am the Kaioshin, the Supreme Kai."

"Supreme Kai...?" Raditz scratched his head. "Is that like the Grand Kai?"

"Not at all. The Kaioshins reside on the Sacred World of the Kais, above even this higher realm. Well, they did once...now there is only me." He shook his head, trying to stay focused. "Even the Grand Kai answers to me."

"Oh. Um...I'm honoured, Kaioshin." Raditz bowed awkwardly. He'd had to grovel for Vegeta and Frieza and the like before, of course; but it'd never been sincere. The only person to ever truly command his respect had been Goku, who had never demanded it.

"You're probably wondering the reason for my visit," Kaioshin continued.

"It had crossed my mind, I'll admit..."

"Well...there exists a weapon. A great and legendary weapon, known as the Z-Sword. It is embedded in a rock on the Sacred World of the Kais, and held there by powerful magics. None now remember how it got there or where it came from, not even I with all my millions of years. But the legend goes that the one who can pull it from its prison will be able to access its powers, becoming a truly mighty warrior."

"Can I guess that this is where I come in?" Raditz asked, indicating himself.

"Indeed." Kaioshin nodded. "Try as they might, no Kaioshin has ever been able to pull it out, myself included."

"Sir...!" Kibito grumbled. "Surely you don't think this mortal could be more powerful than you, the Supreme Kai, the Lord of Lords? It's absurd..."

Kaioshin inclined his head slightly. "Perhaps it is...Raditz. Let me tell you this: the monster, Frieza, who oppressed you for half of your life, the terror of the universe...I could slay him with a single blow. Does that impress you?"

"Eh...it's not bad..." Raditz admitted. "But not really, no. I could do that myself, certainly. I might not even need to transform. If I did it would certainly be overkill, anyway."

"Interesting..." Kaioshin turned to Kibito. "You see? Perhaps there is hope. Now, Raditz, place your hand on Kibito's shoulder, and he will transport us to the Sacred World of the Kais."

With a flicker of movement and no ceremony, they were there. Raditz gazed around-the Sacred World of the Kais was hilly and grassy, flat plains spreading out for miles on end, then dropping off sharply at jagged cliffs, all dotted with the occasional tree or waterfall. Many moons hung in the sky, all forming perfect, picturesque crescents.

"What was that?" he asked. "It didn't feel like Instant Transmission..."

"Instant Transmission?" Kaioshin chuckled. "Child's play. Kibito is gifted with the technique of Instantaneous Movement. It's much more efficient-no range limit, no need to lock on to a ki signature..."

Kibito, for his part, didn't seem too pleased. "I am still not sure of the wisdom of bringing a mortal here, sir...here, to-!"

"I am aware of the gravity of the situation, Kibito!" Kaioshin snapped, betraying his inner tension for the first time. "Tread carefully, Raditz. This world is not known as Sacred for nothing."

"Right." Raditz followed Kaioshin and Kibito as they lifted off, heading for a raised point a couple of miles away. "It sounds like it's a big deal, me being allowed here to try this...you must have a reason."

"Indeed. I would not bring you here lightly." Kaioshin frowned. "You see...I'm on the hunt for a wizard named Babidi. Millions of years ago, his father Bibidi created the most terrible evil ever to blight the universe...Majin Buu." He paused, remembering time beyond mortal reckoning, the scars still fresh in his ageless mind. "One by one, the Kaioshins fell before Buu's fury and its terrible power."

"Kaioshins?" Raditz asked. "As in plural?"

"Yes," Kaioshin answered. "As above, so below. Once, as with the lesser Kais, there were Kaioshins of the North, South, East and West, and a Grand Kaioshin that ruled over all. But none could stand up to Majin Buu. Soon, only I, the East Kaioshin, remained. Bibidi was finding Buu harder and harder to control, its childlike temper making it prone to attacking its 'father'. So when he had no need for Buu, he would seal it in a magical prison until it was time to wreak destruction on some planet that drew Bibidi's ire for whatever reason. It was while Buu was sealed away that I struck-I slew Bibidi in one of the rare moments when his guard was down."

"So...you're still after the son, then..." Raditz mused, as they touched down on the hill. "Did he make another Buu, or bring back the old one, or something?"

"Not yet, thankfully," Kaioshin said. "If Buu had been set loose, you'd know about it. There is no force in this universe that can stand up to Majin Buu. But Babidi is gathering his strength...his forces grow in number, and he moves in the shadows, always a step ahead of me. Soon he will try to revive Majin Buu...he's been planning it for a long time. I fear some of his servants may be truly mighty warriors, as well, which would make a confrontation risky, even if I did track him down."

"And this is what you need me for?"

"Exactly. However small the possibility of you being superior to me, the Grand Kai spoke highly of you, and I am willing to take the chance. If Babidi's minions are too numerous and powerful for me, or if-heavens forbid-he does manage to release Buu, I will need a worthy ally...one who can wield the Z-Sword." He pointed to the left, and Raditz turned.

In the centre of the raised column of stone, a longsword's hilt and a foot or so of the blade jutted out from the ground. Raditz approached it slowly, reverently. "This is it, then? If I can pull it out, I'll get its mythical power?"

Kaioshin nodded. "Although, if you are capable of pulling it out, you must already possess incredible strength. Fear not...there is no pressure. Even I, supreme god of the universe, could not remove it. I am simply pursuing all avenues in an attempt to gain an advantage over Babidi."

"Right. Well, I'll do my best..." When a god asks you to do something, it's not exactly polite to refuse... Raditz took a deep breath, closing his hands around the hilt. It felt odd-slightly warm, as if some inner heat burned deep within it. Just looks like ordinary rock-and I can break rock easy. But Kaioshin did say it was held there by powerful magic, so I'd better be ready for some resistance...okay. Here goes... "Hhhhnnnggg..." His muscles rippled as he began to pull, straining against the embedded blade, but it didn't budge. "Heh...you were right...rrrggg...this thing is stuck pretty good..." He braced himself against the ground, trying to force himself upwards with all his strength. "Aaagh!" He gasped. "It's no good...it's not going anywhere..."

"You see?" Kibito frowned. "I told you this was folly. If even you could not remove the Z-Sword, what hope did a mere mortal have?"

"I suppose so..." Kaioshin agreed, sighing.

"Wait just a minute there!" Raditz growled. "You interrupted me. It's not going anywhere...yet." His eyes snapped open wide as he powered up to Super Saiyan. "HYAAAA!" Renewing his efforts, he was rewarded with a crunch as his feet formed shallow craters in the rock. The Z-Sword vibrated slighty, and Raditz growled. You're...coming...OUT OF THERE!

"Aah!" Kaioshin staggered back. "What is this power...?!"

"It-it is irrelevant!" Kibito muttered. "Even the Grand Kaioshin of old could not remove this blade...there is no chance of...!"

Raditz ground his teeth together as he strained against the stubbornly immobile sword. Cracks began to spider out from both the Z-Sword and his feet, which were sinking slightly into the rock as he pushed off against the column. "Move...damn...you...!" All right...looks like I need to pull out all the stops! "HAAAAAAAH!" With one final effort, he transformed into his Super Saiyan 2 form, heaving with all his energy against the sword, which finally, painfully slowly, began to move, sliding up out of the rock. Several seconds later, it was finally fully free. With nothing to oppose his pushing force against the ground, Raditz shot up into the air, the shining silver blade clutched between both hands. Panting with exertion, he looked down at Kaioshin and Kibito. "Well...hhuh...hah...how was...that?"

"It's incredible!" the Supreme Kai marveled. "The fabled Z-Sword-the weapon that has resided there since before even I was born! It's finally been freed!"

"It seems I underestimated you, saiyan," Kibito said with a smile. "My sincerest apologies. It seems we have not been following events in the mortal realms as closely as we should...I had no idea a being like you could exist."

"Yeah, I surprise myself too. So, what's this thing supposed to do?" He turned it back and forth in his hand. While he couldn't feel any great mystical power, it was certainly an interesting sensation, holding the weapon. It felt on edge, like a caged animal waiting to strike.

"I am afraid I don't know precisely," Kaioshin admitted. "The legend is very old...but it is said that the one who draws the Z-Sword will attain great power. That's all, really..."

"Well, in any case..." Raditz relaxed to his normal state, and the sword immediately wrenched his arms as the tip crashed to the ground, almost dragging him with it. "Whoa! It's pretty heavy! Wow, I can barely lift it in base!"

"Hmm...maybe that's it..." Kibito mused. "Perhaps the sword is so difficult to wield, merely training with it forces the user to become stronger..."

"Yes, that might be it," Kaioshin agreed. "Of course, perhaps some other magical property will make itself apparent with time. Until then, perhaps you should just train with it-as Kibito said, its weight will make it a challenging exercise."

"I see," said Raditz, hefting the sword with great difficulty. "Kind of like gravity training...right then. I can just about lift it in base form, so...I won't go Super Saiyan, it'd make it too easy." He looked around. "Hey, do you mind if I take this back to Otherworld and train there? I'd feel more comfortable there."

"By all means," Kaioshin said. "Kibito, would you..."

"No need." Raditz touched two fingers to his forehead, locking on to Pikkon's energy signature and vanishing.

"Instant Transmission again..." Kibito muttered. "So inefficient."

Kaioshin stepped forwards, gazing out into the horizon. "With a fighter like that to call upon-one who wields the Z-Sword, no less-when we next encounter Babidi, we will surely know victory!"

"Yes, sir. This time we will wipe out that wizard's cursed line for good."

"Let's just hope he doesn't succeed in releasing Majin Buu...I fear even our new ally, with all his might, would be no match for that creature." He shivered at the memory. That monster...I pray the universe never sees its like again.

This one took a while. Writing became kind of slow, and it took me until Saturday to finish it.

Oh, and occasionally sometimes somebody still refers to me as 'you guys' or something like that implying a creative team. Nope. Just me. (Although I do sometimes get help, but there isn't a co-writer, there isn't an editor, there isn't a separate proofreader, there isn't a tea boy...hmm. Say, that's an idea. But seriously, just me.)

"Oh" number 2: For anyone wondering what 'stasis-compressed' means, in referral to the neutron star material Raditz was lifting, it's just my shorthand way of saying 'it was created by magic, so magic is also used to hold it together and stop it rapidly decaying and annihilating all life within several hundred miles like neutron star material actually would if removed in small quantities from the star'.

Anyway, update on various things:

Thanks for all your responses to the poll. I'll leave it up because why not, but I'm pretty much satisfied with the response, so the following things have been decided:

1. Most people want me to continue Break Through the Limit, so I shall focus on that.

2. Best Served Cold chapter 2 is almost done. Seriously, I know BSC is the slowest thing to update ever (aside from Yu Yu Hakusho Abridged...), but it's almost done now.

3. Quite a few people wanted me to do the SSJ-kid-Goku idea, but I've looked around and it's been done before a couple of times. One even starts with the scene at the end of 'the Path to Power', which is exactly what I was going to do. So I won't be doing that.

4. Break Through the Limit will probably last until the end of the Buu saga, and the various movies around that time, Fusion Reborn, Wrath of the Dragon, Battle of the Gods, etc. Anything after that will go into a sequel called Even Further Beyond. Which may or may not actually happen. I'm still throwing around ideas for it. It may include something a little like GT's Shadow Dragon saga (great idea, terrible execution), and any wholly original plots/villains I think of.

5. After I'm completely done with Break Through the Limit and I don't plan on ending it any time soon, trust me) I might do the Buu-absorbs-Goku idea.

6. The possible Break Through the Limit/Sins of the Father crossover is still in the early planning stages. Do not expect it any time soon.

7. And as for DBM2, don't expect it any time soon, late or anything. It will take AGES. First we have to sort everything out, agree on the mechanics of certain forms, creatures and power-ups. Then we have to wait for all 20 fics to reach the point where they're ready-i.e. the characters are at their peak. Then we've got to hope everyone is still on board, and we will finally be able to start planning. So yeah. That is going to take quite a while.

Well, that turned into a longer list than I expected. Ah well, at least it's comprehensive. Also, another thing: Thanks goes out to Apope, who's been talking to me via PM, and I've decided that I will be using the World's Strongest (I'd previously said I wouldn't, lest it turn into another villain-too-late-to-be-threatening Dead Zone-like special or a nonsensical non-canon 'flashback', but I have an idea now.)

Q: And is the BSDB Saga included in this one? [part of a review asking me what I'll include down the line]

A: Hahaha, no.

Q: so you gonna keep gohan and when goten old training with goku and is goku training now in your story or have you made him go out and will both goku and gohan be stronger than what they was in the cannon?

A: I guess we'll see. Remember, we still haven't gone back to Earth and seen Goten yet...

Q:What would this crossover be like with Sins of the Father? Sorta like a special?

A:Pretty much. We're currently thinking of setting it during the three years' wait for the androids, so obviously it didn't actually happen or they'd have mentioned it at some point. It's going to be about as canon as the DBZ movies were to the show; it could have happened, and it sorta did, but it probably didn't really. If that makes sense.

Q: When I meant prince or princesses, I meant Vegeta having children. Maybe a prince or a princess to rival Goten or Break, or perhaps love interest for them?

A:OOOOOOH, I feel stupid now. Sorry. PERHAPS!

Q: Aw man the turles saga, I just find simply no interest in this dude ... see I don't even cap his first letter of his name. I Wanna see more about Launch training and raising of Break & Goten. I hope these two don't become weak.

A:I'll just say for now that you'll like what's coming up pretty soon.

Q:[all the people suggesting things to do with Raditz's hair if he goes SSJ3]

A: Get off my back about this! I know what I'm doing!

And now, the super duper awesome-sauce Break Through the Limit special:

Break Through the Limit Kai: Dead Zone Special

Garlic Jr. 'n' pals: Hi.

Piccolo: Die.

Garlic Jr. et al.: Bye.

THE END

Starring

Piccolo as Big Green

Garlic Jr. as Bigger Green

Disposable Henchmen as...uh...I don't know, I've forgotten them already

Gandalf the Grey as Gandalf the White

Basil Brush as Rex the Wonder Dog

Kakashi-sensei-senpai-san-sama-kun as David Bowie

Wizard and Boomstick as Some Guys who are Wrong about Goku vs Superman because they don't know Physics

Mario as Luigi

Luigi as Wario

Wario as Waluigi

Waluigi as...Waluigi isn't in the movie. Nobody cares about Waluigi.

The Bio-Broly Movie as the Krillin of the Dragon Ball franchise

Dragon Ball GT as the Yamcha of the Dragon Ball franchise

Dragon Ball Evolution as the Abomination We Shall Never Speak Of Again

Frank Miller as THE GODDAMN BATMAN

And Stan Lee cameoing as Dr. Briefs

A Captain Space production directed by Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg. Only the two of them had some...creative disagreements...and kind of killed each other. So we had to get Raditz to direct it. That went about as well as you might expect, which is kind of why it's so short. It was originally 3 hours long before we edited it to remove all the crap he pulled.

Post-production by Dr. Gero, Dr. Robotnik, Dr. Dolittle and Dr. Who

Script by...uh...I think he was a writer? He just sort of turned up, waving a script at us and rambling about change, and we had to pay him to go away, but he left the script behind by accident, so we just used it. Think his name was Chester something...

(Guest-starring Quentin Tarantino as Yusuke Urameshi)