Hello all! Happy Holidays to everyone. For some, maybe it is not so happy. But regardless, if you are here, then thank you for continuing to read. We continue today with more of Shepard's meddling in the past. What kind of shenanigans will he get into today? Find out on DBZ: BTG!!
Age: 737
Universe 7
Location: Other World
If one could float above the clouds of Other World, they would see an extremely long walkway, leading to a building with a massive WELCOME on top.'It sure doesn't feel very welcoming.'
Laying atop one of the clouds on his stomach overlooking the many Spirits traveling slowly across, waiting on a pair of saiyans, Shepard noticed the many ogres were steadily trying to move the spirits through the line. Some of them were from Planet Vegeta's explosion. Others were from various other parts of the Universe, all awaiting their decided fates. Every species' Hell and Heaven were different. But every single being in this Universe had their fates decided by King Yemma himself. Many different walkways combining into one massive stretch leading into the heavenly building. 'Damn King Yemma, I don't envy your job at all.'
Chuckling at his thoughts, Shepard's wait had finally came to an end, noticing 2 very animated clouds falling in line. 'Should only be a few minutes more. Hopefully the King's don't start bickering with each other.'
Dropping down to the walkway, Shepard slowly started to make his way towards the pair of clouds.
"Scuse me, excuse me, th-Thank you, let me pass, thank you, excuse me Ma'am, thank you Sir." Finally after shuffling through what seemed like a hundred different spirits, because he probably did, Shepard approached the two clouds. As he was about to greet them, a red ogre approached him.
"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but notice that you don't have a halo, if you would come with me please, King Yemma will be apprised of the situation." Narrowing his eyes at the short ogre, Shepard stepped into his space, looking down menacingly.
"I will get there when I am ready, not a moment before. These 2 spirits hovering here are special cases. Now stand aside." Stepping back and starting to tremble, the ogre started to jog away, finally sprinting towards King Yemma's office.
Within the hour, both spirits and the able bodied saiyan walked through the doors. As they stepped up, King Vegeta and Bardock were transformed back into their natural bodies.
"SON OF AN ARLIAN WHORE, THAT WAS UNCOMFORTABLE." Bardock was relieved to finally have fingers and toes. Floating around for what felt like eternity in a line was not pleasant in the slightest. Shepard nearby had fallen on his face, aghast at the Low Class' words. "Can an insect be even deemed a whore, Clown?" King Vegeta asked.
"SHUT UUUUUUUUUP," Shepard yelled, about ready to to blow himself up to get away from them. 'It's just like Vegeta and Goku, but dirtier. How the hell can I convince King Yemma to let these 2 keep their bodies? Cause if I was the King and I heard this bullshit, I wouldn't even entertain them. Then again I'm not the King.'
Stepping up with the pair in tow, he looked up at the massive table, seeing the giant ogre opening his massive book, preparing to decide the fates of his 2 companions. Looking down, King Yemma noticed that one of the 3 standing before him was without a halo. He would deal with him last.
"Ahhh yes, King Vegeta the Third, and Low Class Saiyan warrior Bardock. An interesting case, you two. I will not even go into the untold millions of innocent lives that have been taken by EACH of you, nor will I go into the fact that you don't even regret your choices in life. Many of your kind have already come through here, and have been sentenced to HELL accordingly. What makes you two any different? Could it be the fact, King Vegeta, that in the span of the last 2 days of your life, you actually GREW a heart. Compassion has never been a strong emotion for any saiyan. And yet, you knew you were going to die, and you defended your species until the end. Hmmm. Interesting indeed."
"And you, Bardock. A ruthless, cunning warrior like yourself would never regret your actions. In life or in death. I wonder if the fact that you have the Kanassan's gift for foresight was the key factor. Or perhaps...Your wife Gine... Nonetheless, I find it interesting that 2 of the strongest saiyans of their time would go to such lengths to defy the tyrant Frieza."
The two Saiyans looked at each other for a moment, before looking back up at the giant, both pointing simultaneously at the 3rd saiyan.
"It was his idea."
They both said at the same time. Shepard, having nearly choked on the air he was breathing, was not expecting to talk to King Yemma just yet. Clearing up his throat. He looked up to the giant, Ki slowly coming out.
"King Yemma, it was I who came up with the plan to save as many saiyan children as possible. However I couldn't do it alone necessarily. And I'm working within certain parameters. I was not allowed to wholly interfere in Frieza's wanton need for destruction. The best I could do was to...recruit these 2 individuals. Who performed exemplary, with nothing but the need to see their race survive. King Vegeta the Third was a ruthless, cold hearted King for many years. Yet being forced to give his son to the very tyrant who oppressed his people, only for said tyrant to proceed with destroying his people anyway, is an act no one, much less a King of any nature should have to go through. My friend, Bardock here, was like any other soldier in the Planet Trade Organization. You seen it yourself. On Planet Kanassa, yes...he killed those men, in the end he was given the ability to see the future. In his last moments in life, rather then turn in fear, he embraced destruction. And held off a planet killing ball of energy that was easily dozens of times greater in strength, along with the King. Without these 2 Saiyans my esteemed King Yemma, you would be filling out far more paperwork, for infants no less. These infants will comb through the galaxy in time, being nurtured by Saiyan Elders, most of whom I picked through myself. Bardock's wife Gine herself becoming one. These children will know what freedom truly is, and will be raised by saiyans who have renounced their ways. I ask a tremendous favor King Yemma, I ask that you let these 2 warr-heroes keep their bodies and go to King Kai's planet for training." Catching himself in the end, he wanted the ogre to judge them wholly and fairly, but he knew that that would probably not work in his favor.
"OUT OF THE QUESTION! THESE 2 warriors are 1, NOT heroes, and 2, ruthless killers who have killed innocents throughout the many galaxies, children included! One act of goodness, which I will only call it that because you forced it upon them, does not erase a life of terrible and despicable acts of violence."
Jumping up to the table in a flash and ripping the cloth that covered his face off, Shepard's ki started to skyrocket. As the building started to shake, he looked up at the now trembling King of Ogres. "THAT'S BULLSHIT! YES I GET THAT THEY DON'T DESERVE THEIR BODIES, BUT GOD DAMN YOU YEMMA, THEY GAVE UP EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING!" Starting to calm down, slowly reining his near overflowing power back in, he began to speak in a much calmer tone.
"The Other World is full of warriors who have trained, for thousands of years no less, yet in only 5, I know those 2 down there will be stronger then 99 percent of the Other World populace, with the proper training of course. The 1 percent being an extremely small group of warriors that may give them a challenge." Floating up to the Giant, he gave a small disarming smile, trying to placate the now terrified ogre. Going over to the King's ear, he whispered. "If you think about it my esteemed King Yemma, these 2 could train under King Kai, and continue to improve. Over time, if you need someone to quell conflict in the Under World, or in any domain of hell, call upon them. Especially when their sons get ahold of Frieza." At the King's shock, he smiled. Continuing to butter up the King, he added one final topping.
"Their sons will be the destroyers of the Cold Empire, they will grow to a strength never seen before, and it will be all because you gave their Father's bodies back, thus enabling them to further motivate their children to keep growing stronger, and continuing to keep the Universe a safer place. YOU would be the ultimate hero in all of this King Yemma."
Knowing he had made his point, Shepard backed away, floating past the King's massive table and back down to the pair of now shocked Saiyans.
'It-it-it-it's-it's him!'
'Th-that other saiyan in Bardock's vision. It looks just like him. I-I don't believe it.'
"What?" Shepard snapped his fingers in front of the Low Class, Bardock finally came to attention. "Y-You look like that other saiyan in my vision!"
"What the sour faced Clown is saying is that right before we died, he must have had some sort of vision, which he pulled me into. We saw what looked like the 3 Colds, as well as 4 Super Saiyans, which is impossible because it was foretold that every 1,000 years, a Super Saiyan would emerge. ONE Super Saiyan. We seen our sons and one other. The other, looked like you!"
"My sons, b-both of them were Super Saiyans. They reached the legendary status. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha, I got one up on you Vegeta."
Watching King Vegeta face plant, Shepard looked at the pair as calmly as he could, but inside he was trembling, ready to burst at the seams.
'4 SUPER SAIYANS? Have I really influenced that much, or could it be a by product of everything else that has changed.? It is good to know the Prince won't have so many reasons to harbor hatred for Goku, so long as Vegeta has the chance to kill Frieza and can actually follow through with it. This timeline is already looking better.'
"OK. OK. OK. ENOUGH!!" The pair of saiyans that were bickering ceased immediately, standing ramrod straight and looking up at the massive King of Ogres again. Shepard, also turning back, awaited the verdict.
"It would seem, that I am left with a near impossible choice. On one hand, I can just be done with this whole mess, and send both of you rightfully to Hell where you belong. However, this 'stranger', has pointed out some very...worthwhile facts in regards to you two. King Vegeta the Third, in your final moments, you had the chance to hold off Frieza by yourself. The old King would have most certainly taken that chance, damning his subordinate in the process, and ruining this being's plan. Instead, you regarded your fellow Saiyan. It was this action that guaranteed the success of this plan. 3rd class warrior Bardock, your willingness to follow in this plan was not done out of the need for a good fight. You put aside your pride, and in your final moments, your ki started to significantly lighten in darkness and malevolence. It is extremely rare, that one choice, one action , can make this much of an impact in the whole of the Universe. You may very well be the ultimate Savior, should the next generation of saiyans make it through to adulthood. With the knowledge that I've been given, it is within my power to grant the both of you a pass to Other World, and all that it offers. I will only say this once however. I expect you BOTH to train yourselves. There are always uprisings that occur in the many layers of the Underworld. You will go across Snake Way, where you will reach King Kai's planet. You will be expected to learn from him, and once he deems you worthy and have completed the trials necessary, you will go to the Grand Kai's world, where a host of many fighters, long passed, will be awaiting. I will warn you now. Stray away from the path you've been given the chance to walk on, let me find out that you sniffed at someone the wrong way. LET ME FIND OUT THAT YOU STILL DESIRE FOR NOTHING BUT SLAUGHTER AND DESTRUCTION, and I will bury you so far beneath Planet Vegeta's Hell that the other occupants there won't even see your pointy hair sticking out of the ground. NOW GO! THE LINE HAS BACKED UP ENOUGH!"
Grabbing the both by the back of their armors and using Instantaneous Movement to get outside to Snake's Way before King Yemma could change his mind, Shepard looked out on the long trail, magenta colored sky. Breathing it in, he looked at his 2 tag alongs.
"You look surprised Bardock, didn't think I would follow through with helping you?"
Scowling at the fellow saiyan, Bardock did not like being randomly grabbed and carted off everywhere like a sack of shit. "I'm starting to get really pissed at that vanishing thing you do. What is that shit anyway?" Shepard started walking down Snake Way, beckoning the two to follow. "And what was that about us training to grow stronger? Is there another opponent we need to prepare for?" King Vegeta coolly asked. Hiding a small smirk , Shepard decided to entertain the duo. 'Always right to the point my King."
"To answer both your questions. 1, Bardock, the technique is called Instantaneous Movement. I can essentially 'pull myself apart' on a molecular level, enabling me to travel at light speed. There was a form of it I used to use in the past which required me to need to lock on to a ki signature. Upon further training and meditation within using this technique, I was able to upgrade it, thus allowing me access to nearly any part of this or any Universe for that matter. And Vegeta, there are always stronger opponents out there to fight. Had you both been sent to Hell, you would've lost the ability to further enhance your strength, left to grow stagnate in the bowels with your other comrades. I didn't want to say this when you two were alive, but now that you're dead and actually have your bodies, we can speak more openly."
As the pair continued to walk after the visitor, Bardock asked the question that Shepard had been dreading. "So who was that guy in my vision? He can't be you exactly, it makes no sense. If you are actually from the future, did you know either of my sons?"
Shepard stopped in his place, King Vegeta nearly running into him, "My name is Shepard. I am a saiyan who was raised on a far off distant world. To put it simply, I am from a POSSIBLE future. My time has already came and went. The only way I could keep our whole Universe from being destroyed was to make one last desperate attempt to fix what had been broken so long ago. Several years before Planet Vegeta was destroyed, it's fate was already sealed, when you, King Vegeta, didn't give Lord Beerus the most comfortable pillow on the planet when he visited."
"WH-WHAT? A FUCKING PILLOW DOOMED MY PLANET? MY RACE? THAT IS OUTRAGEOUS!"
"But true, nonetheless. It certainly aided in his decision later to have your planet destroyed. He felt disrespected by you in the worst of ways. He seen you as nothing more then stingy, and he believed that your influence over your people in turn made them even more of savages. So he did what any lazy destroyer that doesn't feel like doing his job does, he ordered someone capable of destroying planets to do it, err go, Frieza." The pair were stunned into silence. Listening to Shepard explain the absurdity behind their genocide, Bardock started thinking back to the many innocents he had slaughtered. On one end he was not regretful. On the other end, he didn't know where to even begin to accept this chance he had been given. 'I had to kill to live, and all I did was live to kill. DAMN THAT BASTARD FRIEZA!'
Sensing a spike of energy surge upwards behind him, Shepard snapped his neck back, looking at the green armor wearing Saiyan.
"Bardock?"
Wind began picking up underneath the Low Class but he wasn't paying attention.
"DAMN THAT FRIEZA FOR WHAT HE DID TO US! WE WERE LOYAL TO THAT FUCKING LIZARD FOR NOTHING!" As Bardock started to scream in rage, Shepard pulled King Vegeta back, watching the display. "What's happening to Bardock, Shepard?" The King couldn't sense ki, but he could definitely feel a massive power was starting to build up around his fellow saiyan.
"Is he-?" Cut off immediately by a hand to his chest plate, King Vegeta scowled as Shepard spoke
"No, not quite Super Saiyan." Bardock's hair had begun spiking up, losing the black irises in his eyes. His hair had stayed the same color. His veins were noticeably protruding and it looked like his muscle mass had increased.
"FR...FRIEZA! FRIEEEEEEEEEEZZAAAAAAAAAAA!" Screaming at the top of his lungs, Bardock's energy increased, spiking immense power that was capable of destroying all of the Ginyu Force.
"NGH...NGGGGHHHHAAAAAAAAAA!" Seeing red, Bardock charged towards Shepard. "Wait Bardo-SHIT" catching Bardock's fist. Hand trembling to hold the fist, Shepard let forth more power, surging ahead of Bardock's strength, throwing him back 20 feet, nearly making him fall of Snake Way.
"CHILL BARDOCK!" Flashing over to the anger filled saiyan, Shepard put both hands on Bardock's shoulders, willing him to try to calm down. "BARDOCK! Remember?!? Your sons will avenge you! BARDOCK!" Bardock shook Shepard's hands off of him, preparing to fire a Riot Javelin.
"Sorry about this buddy." Instantly appearing in front of the raging Saiyan, Shepard unloaded a hard knee right into the Low Class' solar plexus.
Instantly, Bardock lost the transformation. Hacking up blood, he fell to his knees, hands cradling his chest. "Agh-agh...Wh-wh-wha-What happened?" He could hardly breathe, his stomach and his head was hurting. In his anger, his head had clouded up. All he could think of continuously over and over was the cackling he could remember hearing from that maniacal Lizard. Frieza had thoroughly enjoyed wiping them out. Trying to get up, he started to get angry again, but Shepard cut him off quickly this time, picking up and grabbing Bardock's by his shoulders.
"Do it again and I knock you the fuck out, I have shit I need to get done and dealing with your impatient Frieza hating ass is starting to grate on my nerves. I...COMPLETELY understand why you hate him. But you must. MUST learn the difference between HATE and ANGER. Anger is good to have, because it births motivation. All the motivation you can ever need comes through anger. Hate, does NOTHING, it drains who and what you are. Physically. Emotionally. Spiritually. Every single being in every single universe who has any kind of emotions has hate. It's up to the ones who can process that hate, who can file the hate away in the deepest recesses of their mind. I cannot teach you how to do that Bardock. It's a test every one has in their life. And their afterlife. Use the anger you have, FUEL yourself, keep it burning just below the surface. But never let it boil out, not until you are truly strong enough to take that test. You must harness that anger, for WHEN, Prince Vegeta, or one of your sons, destroys Frieza. Then he will be stuck in hell, where as a hopeful paragon of a reformed Saiyan, you will be there to kick his ass whenever you want."
Bardock looked away, frustrated at himself. He had never lost control like that before. He was one of the few Low Classes that had actually managed to control the Oozaru, but what he had felt minutes ago, was way beyond anything he had ever dealt with. 'I can't let that power control me like that again. I-I just can't.'
Continuing to walk, Shepard had a question he HAD to ask the King. Slowing down so he was equal in stride, he looked over, seeing the King looking as calm as he could be for a ruthless warrior walking down a looooooong trail with magenta colored skies and golden clouds everywhere.
"King Vegeta, I have to know, what did you do with the baby Broly, and his father Paragus?" Looking over sharply, the King tried and failed to hold in the wince that came. Shepard was dreading the answer, but he had to know to warn his younger self of any possible chance the South Galaxy, or worse, could be annihilated.
"I initially wanted the infant killed. He was a threat to the future of the throne. Even after an argument that resulted in the death of one of my subjects, I still couldn't decide. Regardless of how strong the infant was, he was still a saiyan baby. So the only option I had was to have him sent off planet. I know not where. The idea was maybe he would grow, away from Saiyan politics, and away from the throne as well. Paragus followed, getting through the guards. I didn't try to have him detained."
Shepard breathed out a huge sigh of relief. That was the GREATEST news he could have ever heard. It meant 3 things. 1. Broly would be faaaaaaaar away from everything that is going on for the foreseeable future. Even as he was, facing Broly in his future was just insane. He was strong enough to probably beat him by himself now, but it's a fight Shepard DOESN'T want. No he would rather fight Beerus. 'Definitely the purple kitty over the hulking rage monster.' 2. It meant that he could tell 'Marc' that the South Galaxy should stay relatively peaceful in the coming years. And 3. He believed, like himself, Vegeta and Goku had done, that Broly could be SAVED. Without the trauma of almost being killed by the King as an infant, coupled with his father Paragus keeping watch over the boy, as opposed to outright controlling him to do his bidding, Broly could be saved in the future. Paragus would still want vengeance for being exiled, but compared to wanting to use an insane Legendary Super Saiyan to wreck the Universe, wanting revenge was a far easier problem to deal with. Assuming they could keep that Arcosian filth away from him...
Smiling wide and walking away, Shepard started to think about his trip to the future. Just before He was supposed to show up. Shepard was very aware of who He was, but it would be so, so, so odd to meet a version of yourself that has all the knowledge, but absolutely none of the experience. Simply put, Shepard wanted Frieza dead, and wished so much that he could've just Hakai'd him. But he had to let certain events play out. Mainly, Frieza needed to feel FEAR. That was one thing he most certainly needed to handle in the future. He had to perfectly time it. If he went to early, he could wind up committing an action that would make Frieza feel like he had to train. And he knew, from watching what the Golden Form was capable of, that if Frieza achieved THAT this early, then all hope was lost for the future. If he went too late, then his message would be ineffective. He had to elicit the kind of fear that made Frieza desperate. Perhaps he should go back a couple days before his younger, far more stupid self shows up and ruins EVERYTHING, instead of only a couple hours.
'I need to have everything in place. I remember thinking that it would be sooooo easy with the knowledge I had. Until I fought Raditz and got waylaid like the weakling I was back then. I had NOTHING. Whis truly left me in a gutter. I will at least give 'Marc' the best chance to continue where I will leave off.'
"You guys tired of walking?" Bardock and the Saiyan King were following from a few steps behind.
"Well, does it really matter? How long does it take to fly there?" Vegeta asked. It would only take an hour or so, with the strength the 2 Saiyans had with Shepard keeping pace. But he just didn't feel like flying.
"We can be there in the blink of an eye." Turning around and smiling at the pair, Bardock had a funny feeling and was about to attempt to fly away. Shepard was quicker however, grabbing the King by his shoulder guard and phasing behind the Low Class, Bardock tried to yell out but was too late. "NOT AGA-" WOOSH...
Location: King Kai's Planet
Overlooking the yellow clouded skies, observing Snake Way, stood a portly, short statured figure. He was blue skinned, sported a pair of teashade sunglasses, with a pair of antennae atop his head, as well as a pair of small whiskers on the side of his mouth. Wearing a black vest over a pink/magenta colored shirt, the kanji saying 'World God' right in front. This was North Kai, better known as King Kai, and he had a sweat drop running down his forehead. His pet, Bubbles was completely unaware of the power his master was feeling near King Yemma's check in station.
'I sense 2 malevolent energies coming right this way, there is no way that Yemma would have let them through. Unless that 3rd energy is the cause of it. None of this is making sense. That 3rd Saiyan's energy feel's a lot different. Hmmm. This day just got much more interes-" 'WOOSH'-ting!'
"IN! DAMN YOU..YOU...FUCK, JUST BECAUSE YOU LIKE VANISHING EVERYWHERE DOESN'T MEAN I DO! I WILL SHOVE MY BOOT SO FAR UP YOUR ASS YOU'LL CHOKE ON IT!" The one in the middle had his eyes closed, slightly smiling. While the one on the left, who was yelling didn't seem to wanna stop anytime soon, the one on the right was looking around at the planet, walking gingerly.
"I don't think I will ever get used to that, but at least this place feels similar in gravity to Vegeta." King Vegeta said.
Nearly falling on his butt in sheer surprise. The deity looked at the 3 beings who all of a sudden appeared on his planet.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? WHAT GIVES YOU EVIL MURDERERS THE RIGHT TO COME HERE?!?" King Kai was livid. How could King Yemma fail to do his duties? He would have to really consider putting the Giant through another long training session. Perhaps walking all the way here and walking all the way back would be good punishment/training. A vein started to appear on his forehead. He couldn't beat the 2 armor wearing saiyans, but as he prepared for a fight, the saiyan in the middle opened his eyes, finally looking at the deity.
"Hello, King Kai. My name is Shepard, and the one who looks like something crawled up his ass and died over here is Bardock. That one over there is King Vegeta the Third. I was hoping to drop these 2 off with you, for the opportunity to become your first mastered students of the Kaio-Ken." King Kai was shocked. NOBODY knew about that technique. He himself had barely managed to learn it himself over many years of extreme practice and training. And CALM. These 2 saiyans? He was tempted to slam his head into the smiling saiyan's hammer.
"Umm, well I hate to burst your bubbles, but there's no way they could learn the Kaio-Ken, they don't have the mental fortitude. They would just burn themselves out after a few attempts." Moments later, a monkey came out of the deity's house and started shuffling towards the Kai.
"Oh hey Bubbles, I wasn't asking for you." The monkey looked peeved, walking back to the side of the house. "You'll excuse my pet Bubbles. It's always interesting when we get the rare visitor."
Shepard started chuckling, holding his mouth to prevent laughing so hard, but the absurdity of the monkey in response to an innocent explanation was just too much.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA," falling on his ass and holding his stomach, the Rogue Saiyan was starting to cry and his cheeks were hurting before he could finally stop.
The pair of saiyans were confounded. "Uhh Vegeta, is he about to break?" King Vegeta was just as confused. The whole time that Shepard was on Planet Vegeta, there was a deadly serious air about him. At any time, the Saiyan King felt like the Rogue could do away with him and the entirety of the Saiyan race with a flick of the wrist. "I don't think so Bardock. It seems as though being here has elicited excitement from the Clown. Perhaps we should steer clear."
After calming down and once again standing, Shepard was still chuckling a bit. He needed to get this show on the road. He still had stuff that needed to get done.
"Hehehehe...hehe.. man I really needed that. That was good King Kai, way to break the ice. So I have a joke for you, and if you find it funny, you'll train these 2 assclowns? I do not require your training. I am long passed that myself. Hey Bardock, King Vegeta, come here a second."
Walking over to the Rogue saiyan, the pair didn't know what to expect, "Ohhhhhhh no, I'm NOT going on another vanishing trip with you! Find someone else to torment." Bardock said
"Aww come on guys. Just for a quick minute. It'll move this along faster."
As they came up on either side of Shepard, he turned to the deity. "Tell me King Kai, what does a pair of hands say to the annoying faces that he's tired of looking at?" Confused, King Kai played along. "I don't know. What do they say?"
SLAAAAAAAAPPP
King Kai was stunned into silence. The Rogue Saiyan had just slapped the living HFIL out of the 2 saiyans.
"ACCCKKKK"
"ARRRGGGHH"
Falling to the ground, both Saiyans were holding their faces. They expected a lot out of the Rogue, but to literally SLAP the two of them? So hard that it felt like Bardock's jaw was broken and King Vegeta's cheek had a purple bruise on it.
King Kai was starting to chuckle at the spectacle. Here laid 2 of the strongest Saiyans of their time, on the ground holding their faces. From getting SLAPPED. 'Unbelievable. How come I never thought of that?' He stopped chuckling at the scene as the 2 saiyans slowly rose to their feet, anger boiling off of both.
"TH..THAT...THAT'S IT!"
"HOW...DARE...YOU...SMACK THE KING OF ALL SAIYANS! AGAIN! YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH IT! NO MORE!"
Charging at the Rogue at the same time, Shepard put his game face on. Bardock went high and Vegeta went low. Using a knee and hand, he caught the two and held the stalemate. Gritting through his teeth, Shepard was only being pushed back because of sheer determination on the pairs part. He let out a bit of ki, rising slightly above their strength. Pushing them back 15 feet, he sensed their strength, surprised at their sudden rise in ki. 'Damn, even King Vegeta now could take on Zarbon, did I anger them that much?'
They both charged at the same time, letting many punches and kicks go. They were not used to working together so it was sloppy,
A right fist came over Shepard's head, as he dodged Bardock, King Vegeta came in, blast charging. Before the blast could go anywhere, Shepard batted the King's hand upwards. Watching the blast go skyward, the King was unprepared for the Shepard sized handprint to come across his chest. Palming the King backwards, cracking his armor in the process, Shepard was awaiting Bardock to come hurdling in, right hand balled. "YOU WON'T GET AWAY THAT EASILY!" Catching the Low Class' fist, Shepard pulled Bardock in, nearly headbutting him.
"Oh yes I will Bardy!" Seething at the nickname, Bardock tried to pull his hand out of Shepard's but it was a vice grip. Before Bardock could put together another escape plan, Shepard did it for him. Putting his other hand out, he sent a jet of ki into Bardock's stomach, blasting him back a couple hundred feet.
"Come on you two, have I not made you angry enough? Vegeta, you do know your punches feel like the feathers off a chicken's back? I bet TARBLE hits harder then you do!" Growling at the insult, the King rushed the Rogue.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!!" Throwing a kick as hard as he could at Shepard's face, he found that his kick was caught only an inch away from landing. Before the King could react, Shepard pulled him in and grabbed his face, slamming the back of his head into the ground. A loud 'CRACK' was heard.
Standing up, Shepard looked over to the Low Class, who was in his offensive stance, but was shaking. "Ve-Ve-Vegeta, get up!" Shepard walked towards Bardock, not bothering with a stance. "At this rate, neither of you will be worth motivating your sons, they'll be stronger then you by the time they're 10 years old. In fact, I bet Raditz already hits harder then you."
Screaming in anger, Bardock charged the Rogue again. Throwing a punch forward, Shepard grabbed it well before it could reach. Expecting to be deadlocked, Bardock was ready for it this time. As he went to kick Shepard's knee ready to break the cap, the Rogue did the unexpected.
Turning himself around, while still holding Bardock's arm, he flipped Bardock over. Landing back first, Bardock was not prepared for the Rogue to flip over, landing on top of him, elbow first into his stomach.
"Aaahhhh." Hacking up a bit of blood, the winds in Bardock's sails had officially been taken out. Continuing to cough up blood and spit, he noticed as he was cradling his stomach, his armor was destroyed where his abdomen was. 'If that hit me dead in the stomach, that may have killed me. Thank you. Thank you armor. Thank you thank you thank you thank you.'
As Shepard rolled off of him, he was nearly caught off guard as the King had gotten up quite silently from where he lay, preparing a Galick Gun.
"FIRE!" was all the Rogue heard before his vision filled with purple. A massive explosion was seen, throwing up a bunch of smoke and soot.
"AT THIS RATE I WON'T HAVE A PLANET LEFT! STOP IT NOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW!" King Kai was nearly crying in laughter initially, but as the fight progressed, his face progressed as well, from laughing to slowly fuming, antennae moving everywhere on his head.
As the clouds and smoke started to part, a voice could be heard through the fallout. "Maaaaaaan, I was just starting to get excited out here King Kai."
Shepard walked through the last of the smoke cloud, smiling and no worse for wear. His gi wasn't even torn anywhere, only mildly dusty.
"I understand however, why don't you give those 2 something to do while we talk?" Before King Kai could reply, 3 loud series of gurgles were heard.
"Well first, can we get something to eat?" Shepard innocently asked, adopting Goku's signature scratch of the head and giggling to himself, the deity face planted.
"YOU WANT TO EAT NOW? How can those 2 be hungry? They don't have actual stomachs here in the afterlife."
"I don't care blue man, I'm a Saiyan, and I love to eat."
"If you could provide both myself and the Low Class with sustenance, we will be able to train harder and longer."
"Bl-Bl-Bl-" as the deity started to turn purple ready to burst, Shepard phased in front of him, chuckling a bit at the joke. "Hey hey hey, calm down King Kai, I have my own food I can eat. These 2 however will need the food. Even their appetites transcends the living plane."
2 Hours later
A couple of hours, and nearly 50 plates later, along with the Rogue who had polished off a meal he had pulled out of one of his capsules, the still gawking King Kai made his way outside, 'Do Saiyans eat like that EVERY. SINGLE. time? They are gonna put me out of food and a home. I have to think of something FAST.'
A pat on his back nearly made him fall over. "Thanks for doing that for them King Kai. I suppose I will let you in on a little secret." Whispering into the deity's ear, he pulled out one of his capsules and popped it open.
'POOF' out of the capsule came a package of some delicately wrapped boxes of food. Shepard grabbed one of the near 50 boxes.
"This was made by a combination of my wife and sister in law. My wife became a master level chef throughout her later years in life, and from my perspective, her food only got better and better. However as she got older, her ability to move food around the kitchen became increasingly difficult. So in combination with my sister in law, who became a Universe Level genius, they put this together." Handing it to the King of Worlds, the deity flipped the green colored package over and upside down. It was about 10 inches across and 4 inches high, as well as 8 inches tall. Getting ready to shake it, the Rogue snatched the box away, slight agitation in his narrowed eyes.
"DON'T shake them, can't have the food going all over the place. Every morsel of it counts. There's some kind of formula that enhances the food, no wasted nutrients. Just one of these will fill either of them up. I suggest you pull one apart and figure out what's in them sometime, you may be able to duplicate the process with magic."
As he capsulated the food again, Shepard made sure he did it in front of the king. "And this is how you use a Hoi-Poi capsule." Showing how to use the capsule properly, Shepard then handed the green capped capsule to the deity.
"But what about you? You're actually alive and need the food. Won't you starve?"
Putting his hand on his chin, Shepard let out a breath of air. "No, my wife wouldn't let me only take one of those capsules. She gave me 3 of them. Couple those packages in with actual cooked food and some of your abilities and you can make those 50 last for years. You'd be surprised."
Summoning the now belly filled Saiyans outside, King Kai and Shepard awaited them. Shepard was ready to get going. He wasn't going to use the time machine here. King Kai would be forced to report time travel to the Grand Kai, who in turn would go to the Supreme Kai, etcetera. He was trying to stay ahead of the deities. Already being back for 3 days had put a strain on Shepard's mental anguish. He didn't know if his wife and children, his grandchildren, his friends and planet were even existing in the future anymore.
Putting his thoughts aside, he watched as King Kai put his hand out, summoning 2 blocks of Katchin cubes to the ground. As Bardock and King Vegeta came out, the Katchin landed with a heavy THUD, Bardock gulped.
"Are those blocks of metal supposed to be a challenge Deity?" King Vegeta asked. King Kai held in a chuckle and smirked. He had the perfect ploy to get these 2 to work.
"Welllllll, with you two not going through my normal training routine, which wouldn't do you any good by the way, I figured you two need a good warm up. Those are not just any random blocks of metal Vegeta, those are Katchin blocks." Bardock had heard of Katchin before, but had never had the chance to touch it. It was rumored in the universe that ki blasts couldn't break open a fist size portion of it. And here he was looking at a block that was more then twice his height in diameter and size.
"WHA?" King Vegeta's eyes widened. "Oh, by the way, your pal Shepard gave me these," holding up one of the Saiyan meals. "Just one of these are capable of filling up you bottomless pits. Last thing I need is to be homeless."
"You have a whole fucking planet to yourself. Would you rather I just destroy it so you CAN be homeless Blue Man?"
"NOOOOOOOO! No no no no no, you better not Bardock, you'll be homeless too. And remember, you're supposed to start reforming. What good does it do for you to destroy my house, AND PLANET?" King Kai was getting angry, and quite terrified, at the prospect of dealing with these saiyans for YEARS. Walking up and screaming in Bardock's face.
"AND IF YOU DO THAT, I WON'T TEACH YOU MY PRIZED TECHNIQUES." As King Kai was so close to Bardock's face, King Vegeta and Shepard could see Bardock's face slowly starting to become crazed as the spit kept hitting him.
"This isn't gonna end well," Shepard whispered to the King. All the King could do was nod, eyes looking between the two.
Grabbing the portly deity, the Low Class snapped, "I DON'T GIVE A FLYING ARLIAN SHIT ABOUT YOUR DORKY LITTLE TECHNIQUES, I WOULD RATHER BE ALIVE SO I CAN AVENGE MY PEOPLE THEN BE STUCK ON THIS BALL OF MUD HAVING TO DEAL WITH YOU AND YOUR STUPID PET MONKEY. AND YOUR AUTOMOBILE THING LOOKS LIKE A RED STAIN ON YOUR CREATOR'S MATTRESS!!"
"KAIO-KEN!" a burst of red exploded from within King Kai, knocking Bardock back several feet and on his ass, where he looked up, eyes widening at the sheer intensity of the blood red aura.
"YOU DARE INSULT MY CAR!" Before Bardock could blink, King Kai had came across and leveled Bardock with a punch to the jaw. Shooting across the ground and skidding several dozen feet, Bardock was so stunned that he didn't even look up when King Kai phased behind him, kicking him into the stomach and shooting him into the air. Unaware of where he was gonna land, Bardock finally recovered, only to smash head first into the tree near the prized vehicle.
"Wha-what the hell just...happened?" Breathing in an out, Bardock lay in the bottom branch of the tree. The attack didn't really hurt that bad, but his pride sure felt insulted.
As the red aura disappeared from the God, he phased over by the tree. Letting out a deep breath, he pointed at Bardock. "Insult my car again and I send you off the planet, and THAT was the Kaio-Ken. It increased my power significantly, as well as my speed. Pretty neat right? BUT, you have to pay for insulting me. So now BOTH your's and Vegeta's Katchin are twice as heavy." Pointing his hand out to the cubes, Bardock saw the cube get a bit bigger. But it didn't change much overall. "Is that it? It doesn't look heavier. Then again, if memory serves me, Katchin is incredibly dense. So you probably manipulated the material within, expanded it internally."
King Kai started to gawk a bit, surprised at the Low Class' intelligence.
"Stop looking at me like that midget. I did have the desire to be a scientist, but I'm a Saiyan FIRST. How do you think we saiyans were able to adapt to transform into our Oozaru whenever we want? I developed a technique based off mixing our ki with the atmosphere, creating the blutz waves necessary to create a full moon whenever we were at a disadvantage. Sure we do lose a chunk of our power, but the sacrifice is well worth the reward boost, at least if the transformation can be controlled. I taught the technique to quite a few of the Saiyan squads, I'm sure even the King's son has learnt it from that General Nappa asshole by now. Even a handful of those Elders or whatever know how to do it. I taught Gine just incase she ever got in serious trouble. Raditz didn't understand the workings of it yet last I saw him. But, well. You get what I mean."
Dropping from the branch, Bardock landed. Straightening up, he saw King Vegeta and Shepard approaching.
"Are you done finally? You and The King have work to do," the Rogue said, pointing out to the cubes. "There are straps on the front that will allow you to put the cubes on your back. Good luck Gents." Patting the two fish faced Saiyans, he began to walk away, heading towards King Kai. Turning around, he added "First one to finish 10 laps around the planet gets a Saiyan meal, whoever finishes last, has to wait for cooked food." Throwing a thumbs up, he left the 2 to get started.
"I'm starting to wonder something about you Shepard." Eyebrow raising, he knew the God was very observant. He just wondered HOW observant.
"And what would that be King Kai?" Walking into the little house, Shepard sat down on a stool, the King sitting across from him. Now in privacy, Shepard felt he could tell King Kai a bit more about the situation.
"How strong are you, really? It is not everyday a mortal, one that is alive especially, is capable of using Instantaneous Movement. On top of that, my senses don't lie. I sense an enormous well of power within you. What you showed earlier out near Yemma's was a drop in the bucket wasn't it?"
Shepard had underestimated the God of World's insight. He didn't want to open up about time travel, but he felt he could give King Kai something.
"You caught me. To put in terms of how strong I am, we can't mention mortals. We must mention Gods." King Kai's eyes nearly popped out from their glasses.
"WHAAAAAT? Are you telling me that you're stronger then the Supreme Kai?" Shepard grew kind of annoyed at that. Being compared to the Supreme Kai of this Universe was like being compared to a fish that had been flipping and flapping out of water for an hour.
"Try again. Think stronger. Think..." Summoning a tiny ball of destruction, he showed it to the now terrified Kai. "Destruction!"
"STRONGER THEN LORD BE-BE-BE-BE-BEER-BE-BEERUS!?!?" King Kai was gobsmacked. There was NO WAY that Whis would let this individual run around with this kind of power.
"And now, that you know my secret, I must unfortunately threaten you not to go up the ladder with what I have to tell you, for if you do, I will have to come back and completely erase you. And I do NOT want to do that, for you are far more important than you think in the coming decades." King Kai would do whatever this guy wanted. If his senses were THAT far off in guessing Shepard's strength, then he was clearly in the minority of understanding.
"I wo-won-wo-won't tell anyone, just please do-don-don't destroy me." Shepard knew that the King would crack if Beerus woke early and came here, but he was banking on Whis being quite curious about the happenings of the Universe at the moment and letting things fall where they may. Shepard had defiled Beerus' order of destroying the Saiyans and their planet. 'And Whis knows that I will definitely be coming to have a nice CHAT with him. He will stay out of it.'
"Very well King, let me tell you my story from the beginning."
4 Hours Later
King Kai's head was about to fall off. His mind was absolutely UNABLE to process what he had been told.
'Time Travel, Universe 7's near destruction. The Mortal Level of our Universe has suffered that horribly because of inaction?'
The King had his head down in absolute SHAME. He could understand the significance of why Shepard broke Time.
"I will be waiting for those warriors to arrive." He said to no one. Shepard had left after he was done with his story, barely able to hold in the anger and almost destroying the planet itself. Reining it in, he walked out to where the pair of Saiyans were TRYING and barely succeeding in moving the Katchin blocks. They had moved about 40 feet. Shepard didn't feel like saying goodbye. It was just time to go.
Before he left, King Kai had came out of the house, walking to Shepard's side. "So I guess it's time for you to leave now?"
Looking down at the God who at one point, was a most trusted mentor. After he was killed by Raditz, Shepard had waited for Goku at King Yemma's. Going through Snake Way together had been a true bonding experience for the pair of saiyans. They had gotten there nearly a month ahead of when Goku had arrived on the show. And that extra month had benefited them both greatly. Learning from King Kai for an extra month had boosted both of their power levels over 10,000, coupled with Kaio-Ken, Goku was able to trounce Vegeta. In the ensuing battle, however, Shepard was unable to prevent Goku from getting seriously injured, recovery time being more then a month instead of the projected months from before.
"Yes, I have one final thing to do this year before I go to the future and prepare for Him. Even though I've only been here a short while, I feel like I've been here for years already. Be on the look out for the 3 Saiyans. Raditz, Nappa, And last but not least, the Prince. Raditz will most certainly come. I will be telling Him to be expecting you to pop up in his head to remind him that the saiyan will be on his way. He will need a good kick in the ass to get stronger then I was. With my measly power level of 520, I was killed almost effortlessly by Raditz in the past. It'll be a combination of efforts from all our parts that will make this Plan work out in the long run. Just think King Kai, if the saiyans of the next generation are actually kind hearted, don't have to fear Frieza being over their heads, have older saiyans that have been humbled by their near genocide to help guide them, I believe that they could potentially spread throughout the Universe, being the POSITIVE force that it needs, steadily helping to grow our Mortal Level. When the Tournament to end all Tournaments comes, we will be in a much better standing. Not to mention, just think in a century or so. Hundreds of potential saiyans from all corners of the universe, coming to Other World. It would motivate many of the already deceased fighters to start seeking other methods of getting stronger, such as Divine Ki training. Least that's the goal."
Nodding his head, the stunned God of Worlds was only just starting to see the full scope of this 'Plan' but if things played out like Shepard had described, he would most certainly play his part when the time came. "Well my lips are sealed, Traveler. Good luck in the future, and uhhh, if these 2 happen to kill me before then...well. I'll do my best to be ready."
Hearing the loud THUNKS of the Katchin blocks slamming into the ground as they were being picked up and moved, Shepard looked out with his senses. He was having a hard time sensing the weaker Prince, who was surely out in the cosmos with Raditz and Nappa. 'Hmmmm..this is harder then I thought. This is far different then when the Prince is a God and I can find him within milliseconds if I try.'
"Hey King Kai, you think you can assist me in finding a trio of saiyans out in the cosmos please? 2 of them will be children barely older then 5, while the other would be considerably older. It's hard to pinpoint the Prince, his power is so frail compared to how I remember."
King Kai pointed his antennas out and peeked into the Universe. "Hmmmmmmm, lets see, a little more to the right I believe Shepard. Oh. Oh dear. That's not good."
Donning his cover mask, he knew what was going on. "They're pillaging a planet right?" Shepard didn't need to be answered. King Kai had his head down, feeling the deaths that were steadily rising. 'No wonder Yemma hates the Arcosians.'
"Just put your hand on my back, you can find them that way," The Kai suggested. Shepard had did just that, being gentle to not put too much force in his touch and knock the portly God down. 'Hmmmm, yup that's them alright. It is truly a shame I can't pull the 2 kids from here now and put them on Earth. The problem is that they are far too unruly and savage, and if they got ahold of Goku...No. it is best to just subtly turn them towards a better way of thinking. That piece of shit Lizard would be unrelenting in acquiring his...subjects back. But I do need to put on the Scouter Breaker. Thank you Bulla and Vegeta. With this handy piece of equipment I'll appear as a random being with an unimpressive power level on those toys. I do NOT want Frieza thinking there is someone who is more powerful then him running around.'
Grabbing his facial covering and putting it on, he also pulled out said device that he had brought from the future and strapped it to his arm, he was ready to go. Looking down, waving to the Kai, he said one final thing to get on his way.
"Thank you, Old Friend." WHOOSH
Location: Planet Uelea
Looking on this particular grey colored planet from outer space, one would think that a storm of sorts had passed through and decimated most of the surface. 'If only it could be that good of news. Damn you Frieza.'
Using Instantaneous Movement, he appeared before the planet in the upper atmosphere. It reeked of ozone. 'Clearly ki blasts have been fired, probably by the thousands at this point. Hope I'm not interrupting.'
Vanishing again, this time he came down to the surface. The stench of death was clearly apparent. Dead bodies was pulled up in blood EVERYWHERE. Looking down on the alien species, he could see they were of a humanoid kind, orange skinned with green hair. They were clearly not prepared for super powered aliens to come invading. Floating up to the sky, he scoped out the planet with his senses.
'Hmmm, it would seem there are still quite a few warriors left fighting. But their power is so weak compared to the 3 malevolent ki signatures I'm sensing. Best to steer clear and let them do their job. Once they are done I will speak to them. As much as it pains me, it is too late for this race.' Putting his head down and saying a silent prayer for the race of unfortunately unprepared civilians and soldiers alike, Shepard prayed that Frieza wouldn't be so merciless to break the Prince over the years, but he knew it was a futile attempt at trying to find peace for these aliens. Dropping his ki down to zero, Shepard began jumping, bounding across the planet, easily crossing the distance he felt the trio. Using a small boost of ki, he dropped down behind a rock cropping, listening to the fighting. Appearing around the corner, he could see the tiny Prince looking up at the sky, watching his subjects work...
"BOMBER DX!" Firing the yellow blast and incinerating another group of warriors, the General Nappa was truly at peace with his job. Looking over, he saw the small saiyan runt with hair longer then his body gasping for air. "Come on Runt! These warriors don't even have a fucking power level of 500, surely you don't need to take a break so ya can let me finish them off do ya?"
Raditz was trying to recover from using most of his ki to push back a group of alien warriors who had came after him. His power level right now was barely at 700. He could handle 2 to 3 warriors at a time. But a group of 10 was just ridiculous to the saiyan cub. "I'm trying General Nappa, it's just hard to recover from using all my energy so quickly." Putting his hands on his knees, he failed to see the alien warrior coming up, blade in hand and ready to take the child's head off.
"WEAKLING GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Nappa yelled, too far away to get to the boy. "VEGETA!"
The Prince had watched the entire thing. Though he had seen his same aged weakling 3rd Class about to die, his mind was too caught up in other business. 'Planet Vegeta...Gone? By a stupid meteor. My father? Dead? My people gone. Am I even worthy of being a Prince any longer?'
"VEGETA!?" Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked up, only to see one of the Uelean warriors going for Raditz.
"Hmm, if he dies he dies. It's his fault he got caught." Snickering as he said this, he didn't see a green rope of ki shoot past him, latching around the Uelean warriors ankle, stopping him short. His blade coming within an inch of severing Raditz's head from his shoulders. Raditz had been waiting for the pain, closing his eyes ready for a warrior's death. When it never came, he opened his eyes, shocked at what he saw.
Shepard had lassoed the Uelean, dragging him over. Flipping him on his back, the alien looked terrified, eyes wide. Beginning to tremble, he started to beg. "Pl-pl-pl-plea-please don't kill me, why ha-ha-have you in-i-invaded my planet?" Shepard was hurt down to his soul. He would NOT do any of Frieza's bidding. Taking an emergency capsule out of his pack, he popped it open.
"Do you see this pod?" Walking the alien over to it, the alien shook his head. "Go ahead and sit in it. I'm going to send you to a planet, there will be more of my kind there. Like these guys," pointing to the trio, Raditz now fully breathing and still wide eyed. The General looking a bit peeved, while the Prince looked intrigued. The orange skinned alien looked fearful.
"Bu-b-bu-But they're destroying my people. I have to stay, please let me out." As the alien began to unstrap the buckle, the Rogue pushed him back into the chair. Looking at the alien, his eyes narrowed.
"Your people are dead young warrior. The least you can do is SURVIVE." Getting down to his level, he cupped his hand around the alien's ear, whispering so as not to alert the trio of what he was about to say.
"The mad tyrant who is responsible for this has destroyed their home already," pointing to the 3 Saiyans , he continued. "I am truly sorry about your people. However I must insist that you leave in this pod. When you arrive to the destined planet, tell the saiyans that are there, that you were saved by the same who had saved them. These saiyans, unlike those 3 over there, have renounced their savagery, humbled by the very genocide that nearly took them. I wish I could save your people young warrior, but unfortunately it is too late. Seek out the Saiyan named Kallabash, he will take you in. Embrace survival. Staying here doesn't help that."
The now teary eyed alien was at a loss of words. He wanted to hate the saiyans for what they did. He wanted revenge. But staying here would only make things harder. "Wh-What about you sir? Won't that tyrant come after you as well for doing this?"
The Rogue had to hold in a chuckle after that question. He was NOT worried about Frieza coming after him in the slightest, cuz if he did, Shepard would shove his size 13 shoe so far up the little Tyrant's ass, it may get stuck. Looking over, he saw the General fuming, beginning to walk over towards the two.
"HEY, YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT, THAT BUG RIGHT THERE NEEDS TO BE DESTROYED, PER LORD FRIEZA'S ORDERS!" Nappa had gotten within 3 feet of the stranger, who had stopped pointing at them and had been whispering to the alien. "HEY I'M TALKIN TO YOU!"
"Go ahead and take off, and good luck." The alien had finally strapped in. Seeing the coordinates, the device said it would take 17 months to arrive. It would be pretty lonely. Seeing the frightened look on the young Warrior's face, he pointed upwards, "there is a hibernation device within this pod, it will put you to sleep for the trip. You may wake up beforehand, but most likely not. Goodbye." Making sure the door was sealed, it prepared the countdown for takeoff.
The trio of Saiyans had observed the spectacle. Raditz had fully recovered his energy, and was scowling at this individual who had interrupted their assignment. Walking up to the Prince, he asked, "Hey Prince Vegeta, this guy's power level is sitting at 2,300, are you gonna let General Nappa take care of it?"
Prince Vegeta had been slowly observing the stranger. He gave off a very confidant air, like he had nothing to worry about.
"Something is not right with him Low Class, go see what it is." Nodding his head quickly so as not to piss off the Prince, the long haired Saiyan flew over next to the now angry General, who had been ready to rip the stranger's head off.
"ARE YOU FUCKING HARD AT HEARI-GAHHHH," a palm to the gut had silenced the General, sending him careening back into a boulder. He was out cold. Raditz's jaw dropped, while the Prince gained a very curious look on his face. Walking up to the huge stranger before him with no fear, the Prince of all Saiyans could see the tell tale signs of a saiyan. He saw no tail however so he couldn't be sure.
"Are you one of the surviving saiyans from the meteor?" Vegeta didn't believe for one second that his people could be destroyed by a piece of rock, but if this person who had interrupted their assignment could shed light on the situation, he didn't care if it got done right away. He wanted ANSWERS.
'So they've already spouted out their lies. Frieza has already begun to tie the noose around his neck. Damn it.' Answering cautiously in case anyone on the other side of the scouter was listening, he dropped down to eye level with the Prince so he could speak.
"Prince Vegeta, for me to tell you anything, you must let me take care of something important." Confused at the words, the boy didn't catch on until the stranger had taken the scouter off of his eye, faster then he could blink.
"HEY, give it back, NOW! I am your prince and I demand you do what I say!" Standing to full height so the tiny Prince couldn't reach, he was unprepared for the other short Saiyan to run over and try to jump up and take it.
"HOW DARE YOU TAKE WHAT BELONGS TO PRINCE VEGETA."
Shepard was hardly paying attention to the 2, snatching Raditz's scouter off his face as he had jumped. Grabbing a little utensil from one of his inner pockets he had prepared for this very thing, he maneuvered the pair of devices with a deftness that had clearly eluded the small pair. 'Tinkering with these things became child's play after Bulma got ahold of Frieza's ship, these are even more obsolete. Got to grab Nappa's as well.'
After he was done, he dropped the 2 scouters near the small Saiyan's feet, walking over to the still knocked out Nappa, grabbing his scouter and doing the same thing. He was putting a virus within the scouters, another thing that Bulma had shown him. It would enable him to speak about whatever he wanted without the scouters actually being able to listen in. It would come off as interference more so than a virus. It would self implode after a couple hours, causing the scouters to reboot completely. By then, The Rogue would be long gone, hopefully well into the future before the mad Arcosian could catch wind of it.
After he was done with Nappa's, he put the scouter next to the brute's face. Looking over at the 2 children, he didn't know what kind of resistance he would get from the Prince, but now was the time to talk. The planet was near barren, and no one else from the Planet Trade was anywhere close to it.
"Fly with me you two, we have much to discuss. Do not worry about your General. He will be fine after a couple of hours. You will wake him up la-"
"HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY KNOCK OUT NAPPA WITH YOUR PATHETIC POWER LEVEL OF 2300?" Vegeta had exploded. He would not be bullied around to do anyone's bidding. It was bad enough he had to work for Frieza, he would not do what this random speck of scum wanted as well.
"Enough of this, I am not going anywhere until you tell me what you did to my Guardian." Crossing his arms and holding his head up, Vegeta looked like every bit the petulant child that Shepard remembered on the show.
"I knocked his balding ass out, speaking of which," walking to the laid out General, a small ball of ki appearing in his hand, he pointed it at the tuff of black hair. It wouldn't cause any damage, but it would permanently destroy his hair.
"Try not to tell him, ya? Don't want Curly to get any idea until he looks in a mirror, or better yet, his own pod right when it puts him to sleep." Raditz started giggling, but the Prince was not amused.
"You still have not answered my question. There is something about you that tells me you're a Saiyan. I demand to know. AT ONCE, what you've done with my scouter?" As the Prince was starting to over boil, the Rogue needed to ice him down. Putting his hands up, he decided to play it fair.
"I gave the scouters a small virus. They won't be able to pick up anything that's being said, and it erases anything that's been said the last 1 hour prior. It will even travel to wherever it is picked up and will destroy the transmissions. The person who made it is a Universe Level Genius." 'And your future wife of all things. Funny to think that a few of the things I've utilized, the Worm actually helped with creating, for the sake of his wife or children of course.'
"I will require that both yourself, and Raditz come with me. We will talk over there," pointing to a mountain peak a few miles away. "Leave your scouters here anyway. What I have to tell you, should not be heard by anybody but yourselves. Not even your General will have a right to know."
Vegeta had started to calm down a bit. He didn't like being without his scouter, and as useless as Raditz would be to him in the given situation, he would oblige.
"Why would you want anything to do with that Low Class garbage ove-HEYYYY," being snatched up by his hair, he felt like he was being pulled somewhere.
"HEY LET G-GO OF MY HAIR ASSHOLE!" Vegeta heard from his near worthless subject. Obviously this stranger had weird intentions and he as the Saiyan Prince would defend the Low Class even if he wasn't worth much in his eyes. Preparing a ball of energy in his hand, he was completely unprepared to feel like he had just vanished.
Using Instantaneous Movement to reappear on the mountain peak, Shepard dropped his 2 passengers unceremoniously on the hard rock. Raditz fell hard, turning over and beginning to throw up. That was not a pleasant experience "AWGGHH! Th-That was the worst thing I-I-I ha-have ev-AWGGGGGHH!"
As they had went through the time space, the blast Vegeta had prepared had vanished in the process. He had completely lost his concentration at the feel of the foreign move. Coming out of it, Vegeta fell over, incredibly dizzy.
Looking over to Raditz, who was still spitting up a bit but was slowly starting to come through, Shepard placed his hand on the Prince's chest, sending ki through him. Much faster then before, the Prince was starting to regain his focus. After another minute, he felt like he was back to normal.
Shepard had gone over to the Low Class child, getting him off the ground and turning him over so he wouldn't throw up in his hair any more. Placing his hand on Raditz's back, he sent warming ki through him. Slowly, but surely, the long haired saiyan started to recover. Getting up, he scowled at the Rogue.
"What did you to my Prince, and me for that matter? And the Prince's question from earlier. How did you do that to Nappa?"
Putting his hands up, Shepard started to calm the boy down. "Whoa whoa whoa. To answer, your questions, now that we have privacy. I must ask first, what all were you told about Planet Vegeta."
Raditz started growling, clearly not wanting to talk about it. So the Prince spoke. "I had refused to return to Frieza when he ordered me to come back. Staying here, we have only received word within the last 2 days that Planet Vegeta had been destroyed by a meteor, Zarbon told us."
Putting his hand on the child's head and ruffling the already spiking hair, Vegeta was about to protest. But the sensation felt...Fatherly. Like something his own Father would have done. Looking up through the hand, he seen the stranger with his head bowed and eyes closed, shaking his head. Opening his eyes and letting go of the Prince's head, he bent down so he was eye level with the 2 boys.
"I am sorry that they lied to you, young Prince. No meteor could truly best a planet filled with ki users. Your emperor, Frieza, fears the Saiyans Vegeta. He fears the strength you possess within you. Within Raditz." Looking at the long haired Saiyan, he noticed he perked up with the mention of his name. "He fears the Saiyans because of our ability to keep getting stronger through fighting. He destroyed your home planet. But fret not Cubs."
Pulling out King Vegeta's final speech and recording to his son, as well as Bardock's message for Raditz, he held the Prince's first. "What I have in my hands Vegeta, Raditz, are both of your Father's final words. Vegeta, your father at one point was considered by many to be truly heartless. A savage. But in his final moments in life, I watched him go from a King that many feared, to a King that even I could respect. His actions in his final moments in life are what I want you to take from all of this. Go ahead and go to that side of the cliff. Listen to your Father's words first. Not even I know of what he said. Then I want you to listen to his final speech. Soak it in. Never. Forget."
Handing the recordings to the Prince, he stood up, putting his arm around the tiny Prince and walking him over to the private side of the Peak. Raditz had watched all of this, very surprised that his Prince had not gone ballistic in being handled by a stranger like that. He never let Nappa handle him in any way.
'Why does he show such...such...what does it mean when one shows those kind of feelings? I wish I had listened to my Momma... I miss her.'
"Raditz?" The boy looked over, seeing the stranger walk up to him.
"Uhh, yes?"
Kneeling down again, Shepard had the recording from Bardock. "Now Raditz, I want you to be aware of something. I know that Bardock came off as cold, even hard towards you. Remember that your Father was the strongest 3rd Class Saiyan alive, and he wanted only what was best in regards to your strength. I do not know what he said in this recording. But I know in his last moments in life, he didn't fight for the planet just because it was about to be destroyed." Getting close to the boy's ear, he whispered, "your father and the King, together, held off Frieza's planet killing energy blast for MINUTES, long enough for your mother and many other saiyan children to escape. You will know not where these children are until you are much older, so do not worry about that right now."
Raditz tried looking away. He had believed his father was nothing more then an asshole. Yes a strong asshole, but an asshole nonetheless. "My...my mother is alive?" Starting to tear up, thinking about how hard it was to hear the news, to believe that she was gone, along with everybody. "Wait. Yo-You mean that-that we're not the only ones left? Please. Where are they? Where is my Mother?"
This next part was extremely hard for Shepard to say, but he had to break Raditz's spirit now, instead of letting Frieza sink his nasty little Arcosian hooks into it instead.
"I'm sorry Raditz. It may be decades before you see her again. Right now, you need to hang TOUGH. Now I'm gonna walk you over to the other side of the peak. Listen to what your Father has to say." Standing up and doing the same thing with Raditz as he had done with the Prince, he walked the long haired boy to a point where he wouldn't be bothered. Walking back to the middle. He waited for the 2 boys, getting into a meditative position. Rising 3 feet in the air, he patiently waited...
Shepard knew Raditz would eventually seek out Goku, so he kept the little bit of info out about him. If the boy asked, he would feign indifference. He did NOT want Raditz going to Earth too early to pick him up. Hearing small explosions in the distance, he knew the Prince had heard the messages, probably extremely livid that his destiny to rule was taken by the Arcosian.
'Just let it out son. There's light at the end of the tunnel.'
Nearly a half hour later, the Prince, red faced and still looking dejected, was making his way back. He approached the meditating Rogue. Before he could speak, Shepard beat him to it. "I take it you've heard everything?" Still hearing him sniffle, he waited for the Prince to speak.
"There are still saiyans out there? Truly?" Vegeta asked, still uncertain if he had heard his Father's messages correctly.
"Yes, very much so. Unfortunately, I must ask for the recordings back. They will be made available to you at a later time. If Frieza ever found those, you know what that could mean?" Vegeta knew exactly what it meant. Frieza was the EPITOME of relentless when it came to wrecking civilizations, down to the last civilian. He wanted to keep the recordings, but he also agreed tactically that it would be best if Frieza NOT find them.
Shepard decided to placate the boy. "I do have something you can hold onto. Your father gave it to me personally." Pulling out the Saiyan King's crest, he noticed the Prince's eyes nearly bulge out of his socket. "M-m-my Fathers Crest." Looking up and seeing the stranger handle the artifact with care, he had to respect the stranger for holding onto it for him.
"It is yours now, future King." Shepard handed the Crest to the boy, making sure Vegeta had it securely before releasing it. "There is something I want you to know about Saiyans, right now. You have the line of the Royal blood within you. That is guaranteed. However, even the weakest of saiyans, if they put in the effort and work, can ascend past the Roy-"
"NO! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT! My father always told me that I would be the strongest! Are you calling him a liar?"
Starting to seethe, the Prince had had enough of the shit the stranger was saying. 'There is no way. NO WAY, that any Saiyan could ever be as strong as me!'
As he finished his thought, he froze. Looking at the stranger, who he could just tell was a Saiyan, he started to think less of what he had thought.
'Whoever this guy is. He is definitely stronger then me. That scouter was bullshit. I just have this feeling that he is.'
"Now you are finally starting to understand Prince. That's good. Even a Low Class, even Raditz, could surpass you if you don't put in the work. It is not about killing off those who grow past you in strength. It is about accepting that they did more work then you did. Hard work will beat talent, if talent doesn't work hard. Do you understand that young man?"
Letting the words sink in. He was starting to get what the stranger was saying.
"So you mean that I shouldn't kill those who are stronger then me, because I could use them in fact to grow stronger from it. Like a Rivalry?" Shepard smiled, really smiled since he had shown up on Planet Uelea.
"That is exactly what I mean. Killing off those who can and will challenge you, does not benefit you in any way. Then there are those like Frieza. Fuck that Lizard piece of shit. He will want you dead for the sole purpose of avoiding that challenge. When it comes time, no matter how strong you may get Prince, do NOT toy with your opponents. Your arrogance will only drive you to death. Your arrogance should go hand in hand with confidence."
As he finished his conversation with the young Prince, he noticed Raditz coming back. Standing up to greet him, Shepard noticed he was puffy eyed. Handing the recording to the Rogue, the long haired boy looked up, trying to smile, but failing miserably. "Th-th-tha-thank-Thank you for that. I needed to hear that." Smiling, Shepard took the device. "You are welcome young Saiyan. Whatever your father may have said, I want you to know something Raditz," putting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You are strong enough to survive, you can be strong enough someday to thrive. But when it comes time, you will have your chance to shine. Do not let that Lizard bog you down. Your life can be a good one, a STRONG one."
Receiving the recording devices from the Prince, Shepard looked down at his space resistant watch. 'Good, not even an hour has passed. Should leave me enough time to get to a distant barren planet and get in the time machine. Age 760, here I come!'
"So, with all that has been said, I hope that you two will benefit from this knowledge. As a precaution, I have not told you where the planets are or which ones the surviving saiyans are on. I will tell you that Frieza will never find them, nor will the Cold Empire. And Vegeta, I know of your sister, Sarada. I am sorry that I could not save her. I know for a fact that she is within Cooler's ranks. Tarble will remain free. I ask that you not pursue the saiyan children. You may someday meet them when you are older. When WE are all free from the tyranny that is the Cold Empire. One final thing." Pulling off his massive hammer, he pointed it to both of the saiyan boys.
"Remember this hammer. If you deviate from the path that has been set before you..." He slammed the hammer into the ground, causing cracks to appear around it for several hundred feet. "That was a love tap, I could've cracked this planet in half with the BanHammer if I wanted."
Shocking the 2 saiyans, they took in the weapon, familiarizing themselves with it. They definitely did NOT want a piece of that.
"Well, anyway, it is time that I go. Before I get out of here though," taking one of his capsules and popping it open, he pulled out 2 of the Saiyan meal packages, heating them up from underneath with his ki. "Take these and eat them up before Curly wakes up over there."
Taking the packages, the boys opened them up. It didn't look impressive, but as they pulled the food out of the package, they set on it.
Getting 4 bites in, Raditz noticed something off. His stomach could normally handle much more then this little tray of food, but after another 5 or 6 bites, he was hitting a wall. "What is going on with this food? I shouldn't be getting full like this so quickly."
"I agree," the Prince said, "it is like I can only eat a handful of this stuff before I feel like I'm going to burst."
Smiling at this, Shepard kept his secrets. "Eat up you two, and dispose of the packages with ki blasts when you're done. It is time that I go. Raditz, Prince Vegeta, whatever happens, remember that you are saiyans FIRST."
Standing up, along with the now 2 filled up children, he waved at the pair. "So long Cubs," WOOSH
As the two looked at the now empty spot, Raditz spoke up, "so, uh, ummm, Prince Vegeta? Do you think we should get General Nappa up or should we try to finish these things?" Vegeta didn't know which answer was best, but food always took precedence over just about anything. Looking at the now bald saiyan, then looking back to his meal, he came to a quick decision.
"He can sleep if off Raditz, let us eat."
Location: Unknown
WOOSH!
Landing on both feet, as Shepard was going through the Stream and wanted to find as barren a place as he could to go ahead and proceed to the future. He could have went back to Earth, but he figured he could save that trip for 23 years in.
'I will have to go in a couple days before He arrives instead of only a few hours. I have to drop off this Kachi Katchin to the Briefs and show them how to use it. I must also hope that the dragon balls have already been collected. When I arrive, it should be after the World Martial Arts tournament but well before Raditz will arrive. The assignments that the saiyans will get shouldn't change. I wouldn't be surprised however if Raditz and Vegeta may be stronger from the affect of my visit. Maybe even Nappa. I don't predict much. But I could always be wrong.'
Pulling out the infamous capsule for the Time Machine, he threw it, letting out a large POOF. There it stood, as brilliant as ever. Hopping in, he set the coordinates. He would ride the same Time Stream through this timeline so he wouldn't get mixed up in another. With Bulma mastering the ideals of time travel in the far future, it was not a problem anymore. Setting the date , he figured in the time he would be there, then after he was done, he would destroy the Time Machine, completely.
'September 13, 760. Raditz arrived in November of 761 when Gohan was 4 and a half. I arrived on September 16 of 760. With the tools I will give my younger self. He will have a good amount of time to get stronger. There is of course the problem of him getting used to the body Whis crafted for him. But that shouldn't take too long.'
Plotting his course, he set himself through the familiar Time Stream once again.
Location: Unknown
Age: September 13, 760
As Shepard had come through the Time Stream, he was unaware of another Time Machine, hot on his trail.
He only noticed it when he was coming down. It looked different. Bigger for sure. More advanced even. 'Damn it. I hope that isn't who I think it is. It was coming down next to him, and in it, were what looked like 4 very determined people. 'Definitely warriors, then that means!'
Jumping out of the Time Machine and getting it back in his capsule, he was nearly caught by an orange ball of energy exploding where he was.
Landing a few hundred feet away. He was quickly surrounded by the quartet. 1 was definitely a saiyan, indicative of the tail wrapped around his waist. He wore a black saiyan style armor with blue straps, black pants and black boots. Another was clearly Namekian. He was taller then Shepard by nearly a foot, wearing an outfit similar to Piccolo's, except it was blue. The 3rd was a human female, her blond haired tied in a ponytail, pink gi with a blue shirt underneath. And last but not least, the one who started walking to him was clearly their leader.
'He feels like he will be a bit of a handful. I'm glad that he has trained that hard.' He had lavender colored hair that was tied back in a ponytail. A big gleaming sword strapped to his back. Wearing a black jacket, a black shirt underneath with green pants, finished by black combat shoes. He stood within 10 feet, looking Shepard up and down.
"Stranger, whoever you are, stand down and surrender, at ONCE. You have broken too many laws of Time. The Surpreme Kai of Time requests a meeting with you. If you will not stand down, we WILL put you down."
Snickering at this, Shepard figured they would catch up with him soon enough. Unfortunately for the quartet, he didn't feel like speaking to Chronoa.
"Not gonna happen. And you 4 don't have what it takes to stop me either."
Power started erupting all around him, the only one who did not start raising his energy was the leader. Shepard did not even flinch.
"I will only say this one last time. Stand down, and come with us at once. This fight does not have to happen." Putting his hand back on the handle of his sword and beginning to release it from the sheath, the Rogue countered, pulling the BanHammer from his back. Pointing it at the leader, he drew the line.
"I won't be going anywhere with you or your team. Maybe you should stand down instead, Trunks."
Power Levels
Bardock: Death- 13,000
Post Zenkai-16,000
False SSJ: 400,000
Angered by Shepard: 36,000 and climbing
King Vegeta- Death- 10,000
Post Zenkai- 14,000
Angered by Shepard- 34,000 and climbing
King Kai- 3,500
Kaio-Ken- 5,250(Quick Burst)
Bubbles- 1,000
Raditz- 700
Nappa- 3,800
Prince Vegeta- 5,800
Shepard- 2,300-500,000 (Heavily Suppressed)
Time Patrol Warriors- ?
Xeno Trunks- ?