Earth, Capsule Corp

Bulma groaned as she tied up her hair and wiped her face down with a towel, buttoning up her lab coat as she made her way towards the entrance of Capsule Corp. Sometimes, walking around the place was a chore… she had cursed her father for making it so big, but then she remembered that it was at her request that Dr. Briefs expanded the building when she was younger.

"Who is it?" The scientist questioned as she arrived at the reception, rolling her eyes at her sleeping receptionist – he was a new intern. "Oi, kid. Wake up!" Bulma shouted, clapping in his face.

The boy blinked a few times in confusion before apologising profusely. "I'm sorry Miss Briefs! They uh… your guests are in the waiting room, over there," he pointed towards a rather spacious room a few metres away. "One of them had a VIP pass so I uh, let them through."

Bulma raised her eyebrows – only her closest friends had one of those. So it had to be… Launch! Bulma smiled, eyes wide upon seeing her blue-haired friend as they ran towards each other and embraced in a tight hug.

"Launch! Hi! It's so good to see such a pretty face after the bullshit I've been through with that stupid alien tech…" Bulma complained, whilst Launch chuckled, blushing. Bulma raised her eyebrow as she peered behind Launch, seeing a nervous… Raditz? Bulma flinched, but she simply turned to Launch, who smiled awkwardly.

"A lot's happened… he spent some time with me, Master Roshi and Oolong at Kame House and he's changed. He's a good guy now!" She exclaimed, to which Bulma nodded slowly – her last interaction with Raditz had involved him kidnapping her best friend's son. That child was his own nephew. It hadn't even been a year.

Raditz was fiddling with his thumbs, a red blush present on his face as he sat there. When he had arrived back at Kame House, Launch, with a deep blush, had immediately asked him why he was shirtless and what had happened to his armour. Upon telling her the story, Launch took it upon herself to make it her problem and decided that they would pay her friend, Bulma, a visit. The reason Raditz was blushing so much was because he had carried Launch over – bridal style – as they flew through the night sky. Apparently, it couldn't wait until the morning since Bulma wouldn't wake up until mid-afternoon. They hadn't spoken a single word to each other since they had arrived at Capsule Corp.

"So, what brings you here, alien murderer?" Bulma questioned as she and Launch both sat down, Launch next to Raditz whilst Bulma sat in front of the two, leaning her face on her palm as she hunched forward. Launch winced at 'alien murderer' whilst Raditz rolled his eyes.

"Launch here tells me you're one of the greatest minds on this planet," Raditz began, collecting himself and trying not to look at Launch. "If that's the case, I need you to fix up my armour for me."

Bulma raised an eyebrow as she acknowledged Raditz's statement and his body language. She then glanced at Launch, noting that she was avoiding eye contact with Raditz and staring at the floor. A wry smile crept its way onto her face. This was going to be fun.

"Mhm. Let's say I do that, what's in it for me?" Bulma proposed, poking the bear.

"What do you mean what's in it for you? Do you want your planet to survive or not?!" Raditz retorted, raising his voice. Bulma however, was unaffected and continued to prod at him.

"Launch, could you step outside for a second? I wanna talk some sense into this buffoon…"

The timid Launch blinked in confusion – why would she need to step outside for that? Nonetheless, she agreed and found herself leaning against the wall outside, trying to listen in to the conversation.

Bulma smirked. "You," she said, pointing a finger at Raditz. "Have a crush. On my best friend. Don't you?"

Raditz immediately dropped his jaw at such a preposterous claim. He pointed back at Bulma, trying to blow up, trying to say something, but he couldn't – the big, strong, scary Saiyan brute began stammering over his own words.

"Yeah, that pretty much confirms it…" Bulma noted, mulling things over in her head. "If I do this for you, then I get to be your wing-woman! I'm going to make sure you're the perfect boyfriend for my best friend. The poor girl has never had a stable romantic relationship in her life, let alone one with an alien murderer… can't let her go through anything toxic, you see…"

Raditz groaned. "I'm assuming by wing-woman you mean you want to help me win her over…?" He asked, to which Bulma nodded. Raditz folded his arms as he thought through it. "Though, I'd hardly say it's a crush… you see, I am a Saiyan, and we are different from you pathetic humans, so I –"

Bulma rolled her eyes as she got up. "Yeah yeah yeah, whatever you say. Follow me with the armour, I'll get to work on it straight away. It shouldn't be too hard… I did upgrade the universal replicator recently…" she beckoned for Raditz to follow her as she exited the waiting room.

"You two wanna come with? I've stocked up on minerals recently so it'll take a few hours at most. I'll get someone to bring us food, too~" Bulma offered, hoping they would say yes – she couldn't handle another moment alone with that dastardly scouter. She figured she would also ask Raditz about it, seeing as it was his.

Launch blinked in confusion. She hadn't heard much about their conversation, but she did hear Raditz stammer a lot. Then, before she could respond, she sneezed. In a poof of air, a blonde, angry Launch now stood in between Raditz and Bulma.

Blonde Launch grinned as she put her arm around Raditz's neck. "'Course we do, Bulma! Tell 'em to bring some beer, too. None for Raditz though – he ain't got the tolerance for it!" She chuckled, wringing Raditz along.

Bulma smirked. "That's my girl! Besides, I've gotta ask you some questions, Raditz, about that stupid, bullshit scouter of yours…" she said, her face contorting into that of anger by just thinking about it.

Raditz groaned. This was going to be a long night.

Earth, Kami's Lookout

The morning sun shone onto Kami's Lookout as the crisp air created a small fog. It had been a tough few months for the lookout – what with the constant battles, beams and hijinks occurring atop it. Poor Korrin had been victim to the tremors – his many shelves and books had been reordered at least a dozen times by now.

Krillin yawned as he entered the dining hall, surprised to see that everyone was present. Mr. Popo was still putting breakfast on the table whilst Yamcha and Yajirobe were scarfing down some eggs. Chiaotzu ate slowly, his plate consisted of a salad. Kami simply drank some water as he observed his students.

"Good morning!" The monk greeted, taking a seat next to Yamcha and opposite Yajirobe.

"Morning Krillin! You gotta get some of these eggs man… Mr. Popo, did you change up the recipe?!" The bandit questioned, piling some of the eggs into Krillin's plate.

Yajirobe snapped at Yamcha, grabbing his wrist with his chopsticks. "Oi. Those eggs are mine."

Chiaotzu silently used his telekinetic powers to shift the eggs onto his plate, watching as Yajirobe and Yamcha continued to bicker. Krillin noticed this and chuckled to himself, flashing a smile at Chiaotzu.

Chiaotzu managed to smile back. Though he had made progress, Chiaotzu still blamed himself for not stopping Tien from facing Raditz that day – he had sensed misfortune. He knew something bad was going to happen. He should have been there with him. Before he could continue this line of thinking, Kami interjected.

"So! There are only a few months remaining until the Saiyans arrive."

Everyone looked at Kami, Yamcha putting his forkful of egg down slowly as he closed his mouth, deciding he'd continue to eat after Kami was done. Yajirobe turned his gaze from the plate of eggs to Kami.

"You have all progressed very well. I must say I'm very proud of you all. I didn't expect such development in such a short time… you men truly are amongst the strongest warriors on this planet. However! If my… let's say… visions and consultations with Fortune Teller Baba have been correct… this coming battle may be an invasion. That means, the Saiyans may have forces prepared to take over our world."

Yamcha and Krillin narrowed their eyes. They hadn't considered this possibility. Yajirobe yawned, whilst Chiaotzu continued to stare blankly at his mentor.

"Now, Krillin, how would you combat this? Surely, we can't protect all of the planet at once with what, a dozen of us? The very same dozen that are to take on the Saiyans?" Kami questioned the monk, hoping for a good answer.

Krillin nodded. "Yeah… we shouldn't split our forces amongst fodder. We've been training to take on the real threat. But at the same time, we can't ignore the innocent lives being taken if they do come with an army…" Krillin pondered, stroking his chin. As the gears turned in his head, Yamcha spoke up.

"Hey… we've met quite a few martial artists and fighters over the past few years… maybe we could whip them into shape? It'll be good training for us, too!" The bandit suggested, cupping his fist in his hand as if he had just made a discovery.

Kami smirked.

"Precisely, Yamcha! You hit the nail right on the head, as they say. Is that what they say?" Kami paused, awaiting for validation, but when he didn't get any, he coughed, continuing. "I have called upon some of Earth's greatest warriors. I will admit… some still have some evil and resentment in their hearts, but Mr. Popo and I will keep them in check. I want you all to train them."

Yajirobe groaned. "C'mon Kami, do I have to? I got enough on my plate already…"

Chiaotzu snorted. "Yeah you do, fatty. Save some eggs for the rest of us."

Yajirobe blinked in confusion. So did Krillin. So did Yamcha. Kami was the first to break the silence with a soft chuckle, covering his mouth – this broke Yamcha, and the bandit fell into a fit of laughter, Krillin soon following. Yajirobe smirked too, taking the joke in stride.

"Good to hear that side of you again, bud. It's been a while!" Krillin said, wiping tears from his eyes as he got up. Yamcha was banging on the table, still laughing.

"Man… I forgot how funny you were, Chiaotzu!" Yamcha said, in between laughs.

Chiaotzu couldn't help but smile. However, this quickly faded as he turned his head to the sudden footsteps behind him.

"Are you done? I thought this was a serious matter… not a comedy club…" spoke a rather elderly man with a long face, sunken cheeks and a thin, pointed nose. He wore the Crane School uniform, a green coat with yellow sleeves. Chiaotzu narrowed his eyes.

"Master Shen." He spoke, practically spat. They hadn't ended on good terms the last time they met.

"Chiaotzu! How good it is to see you… though, I don't see your better half. Where's Tien? Oh wait…" Master Shen teased, grinning wickedly. Kami had updated all the warriors on what had happened over the past few months, so they were all aware that Son Goku and Tien had passed. Krillin stood up, standing in between Chiaotzu and the villain.

"Watch what you say, Shen. I could kill you right now with a single move," the monk warned, completely serious.

Shen rolled his eyes. "That may be true, but you fools are far too good-natured. Let's just get this over with, I was promised a bountiful reward."

Everyone in the dining hall quickly exited, the mood soured. Yamcha and Krillin shared a scowl whilst Chiaotzu stared daggers into Master Shen's back. Kami sighed – he knew it was going to be difficult, but he hadn't expected this. Yajirobe just yawned as he followed suit.

However, upon seeing some familiar faces lined up and talking on the Lookout, Krillin and Yamcha broke into a grin.

"Upa! No way, is that you?!" Krillin exclaimed, walking over to the taller, dark-skinned man dressed in native clothing. Upa smiled upon seeing his old friend, and the two broke into friendly conversation.

Yamcha, meanwhilst, had his eyes set on a different fighter. He coughed, collecting himself and running a hand through his hair as he walked over to a rather attractive woman with a purple afro.

"Hey… uh… Ranfan, right?" He asked, holding his hand out.

Ranfan observed the hand before staring Yamcha in the face, her eyes lighting up upon recognition, shaking his hand. "You're one of Goku's friends, aren't you? Yamcha, was it?"

Chiaotzu examined the rest of the fighters that were present. There was Girian – the large, fat dinosaur beast with a rather crafty personality who was talking to Pamput – the egotistical Muay Thai world champion. He seemed to be shadowboxing as he spoke. Nam - the warrior from the desert village with a turban chatting away with the tall, dark-skinned and muscular King Chappa, who was once the world Martial Arts champion. The psychic narrowed his eyes further as he saw another familiar face – this time, an unwelcome one. The half mechanical, half biological mug of Mercenary Tao was staring into Chiaotzu's soul as his brother, Master Shen stood next to him.

The psychic sighed, turning to Kami, wondering if this was going to be a good idea. Kami returned Chiaotzu's look with a firm nod and a thumbs up, egging the warrior on, confident in his plan. Relucantly, Chiaotzu made his way over to his former masters.

At the very least, he'd be able to release some stress.

Earth, A Forest Near Mt. Paozu

"I just don't understand why I can't go get my son right now, Baba…" Chichi said as she fought against a doll of herself with a blank face. This was one of Baba's techniques.

"Because he's needed, Chichi. Whether you like it or not, your son has unmatched potential… he's going to be very important in the coming battle," Baba said, sitting upon her crystal ball as she observed Chichi's movements. "As will you. Steady your form and your resolve. That doll won't go down unless you can hit all of it's pressure points with your ki in a quick, short burst."

Chichi groaned. "Why does the fate of this planet rest on the shoulders of a boy? He's just an innocent child! He doesn't want any of this…" she said, talking back. Chichi breathed in deeply as she channelled her ki into her fingers. She jabbed them into the doll's pressure points, but fell short as it dodged her final jab. "But if that's the case then… I guess…" she groaned once again, silencing her thoughts as she focused on the task at hand.

"I'll get strong enough to protect you, Gohan…"

In a few quick, short, blows, Chichi managed to dismantle the doll. Her hands were wreathed in a destructive, black and blue energy that slowly dissipated as she exhaled.

She was going to protect her son.

Author's Note

Hey! A shorter chapter this time. I reckon there's only a few more chapters until we get to the fated battle. I loved writing all the scenes in this chapter – especially Chichi.

I hope you enjoyed the inclusion of all the human characters. Like I said, they'll a role, but it'll be a smaller one. Perhaps the invasion will be different this time.

QnA

Q: There is a story called "Old Enemy of Mine". It takes place during the Fusion Reborn movie with Roshi going to fight demon King Piccolo.
A: I'll have a look at it! It might be good inspiration for Roshi's character. Thank you for the kind reviews, coldblue.

Q: Will we see Master Roshi's techniques?
A: Yes. Master Roshi's techniques are some of my favourites, so I'll be sure to give them some screentime.

Q: Will we ever learn about Vegeta's mother?
A: There's a common trend regarding Vegeta's mother in a lot of the fics I've read. I'll probably follow it, to an extent. Thank you for your kind review!

Q: Is it ever going to be revealed to the Earthlings that Tien is an alien?
A: Yeah, I figure it'll be a huge point of development for Krillin, Yamcha and especially Chiaotzu. Also, regarding the Mafuba technique – yeah, I'll use it at some point but I'm not such a huge fan of it… it seems like a copout to me, in a way, but I'll definitely use it at some point!

Q: I wonder what Bardock and Gine will say when they meet Tien and see how strong he is.
A: Me too! I imagine Tien will be very polite with them. Thank you BlueRainbowSky for your constant support and reviews. I appreciate it.

Q: What if Dende immortal? Freakin' brilliant! Suck it Frieza LOL! Bulma as Iron Man? I think Vegeta will nosebleed. Piccolo is a pickle slug?! Yamcha as Wolfman alien?! Chiaotzu is a French mime?! Chi-Chi is a demon OX princess?! Goku as a scholar?! Zamasu swap bodies with Gine?!
A: Thank you for your review! It was a treat to read. I don't mind that it was long at all – I love the longer reviews. Thank you for your support too. Regarding those potential what ifs, I'm actually considering quite a few! You'll have to stay tuned. In regards to a future retelling, I'll keep these in mind.

Q: A question is why not bring master shen to the lookout girian, eighter, pamput nam upa bora mercenary tao, the OG dragonball characters like coldblue said in their comment?
A: I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Thank you for the continued support! Please continue to leave reviews!