The Heart of the Adventurers
By LastationLover5000 and Demod20, edited by Firegod20
Chapter 10 - The Path to Power
The trip home was one of uncomfortable silence. The moment Bulma's Capsule Jet touched down she was racing madly to Goku's side, wrapping him in a fierce embrace full of concern and anxiousness. Painful as it was, he returned it with all the strength he could muster at the moment. But when she asked about Pan, he told her an explanation back home was necessary.
While it took a great deal of stubborn will and negotiation to get her to transport his unconscious brother, the others who had accompanied his wife -including her sister, Tights- had remained adamantly silent. With Bulma containing her fury, brewing it for a brutal reprisal, they returned to not Kame House but Capsule Corp. There she had the proper facilities to not only examine the tech and material of their invader but also withdraw their meager Senzu stash.
Having kept a spare bag from Karin over the years, they ordinarily didn't need it but the emergency was having Goku on standby while a less than stellar sibling was still unconscious. When everyone was gathered around the Turtle Schooler did Bulma finally rear her head to look expectantly at Goku. When he explained in a brief summary of his battle with his awry brother and how Pan was taken to be trained by Piccolo did he see it didn't make things easier.
If anything, the tension had escalated.
"So, let me get this straight, Son," Bulma rang out, her brow visibly twitching like her foot was impatiently tapping against the floor. "Not only did you let OUR daughter get kidnapped by your worst enemy-"
"He's not so bad anymore," Goku tried to assure his wife, having healed up but still winced at the idea of being smacked in anger. There was nothing scarier to him than a livid Bulma. "And he didn't leave me much of a choice. I was kind of too beat up to stop him after Raditz kicked the tar out of me."
"ALSO THAT!" She shrieked, much to everyone present's discomfort. They all looked awkwardly away as she pointed at the makeshift cot placed in the middle of the room, housing the bandaged Saiyan. Apart from the head injury, he had only a scathing mark on his shoulder from Piccolo's new move. The only thing removed from his person was the fancy Scouter, currently lying on a desk in the workshop they all collaborated in. Pointing at him specifically, she continued to rant at her shrinking husband. "THAT MURDEROUS ALIEN BASTARD MAIMED YOU AND KIDNAPPED OUR DAUGHTER FIRST! By all rights, he should be DEAD! So, why did you beg me not to put a gun in his mouth and blow a hole big enough for the Sun to shine through?!"
"I...I can't just let him die," He weakly began, only spurring the lavender haired woman's wrath to crimson flushed proportions. Raising his hands he spoke more urgently. "I mean, he's the small fish, right?! We don't know what the rest of them are capable of. We were caught so off guard Piccolo and I barely won, with Pan's help too! If there are guys who make him look like a pushover, we need to know how they think, how they fight and more importantly just what we're up against. Killing him not only would be a waste but also our biggest mistake to avoiding unnecessary death."
It was incredibly insufferable to the lavender haired woman how right her husband was. Though she outwardly exuded outrage and exasperation, inwardly she couldn't help but admit there was truth in his actions and his words. Petty revenge couldn't extract any information on this extraterrestrial threat.
"Come on, go easy on him," Tights urged her sibling, placing a hand on her shoulder. They met eyes and she smiled back in a calmer manner than the younger sister felt. "The important thing is that Pan's okay and Goku won. We can't cry over spilled milk so what's done is done."
"I swear, you'd spoil him if you had the chance."
"Haha, maybe," The blonde sister replied with a laugh, sticking her tongue out teasingly at her sister.
"So, Bulma," Kuririn piped up, being among the many who were looking on with nervous silence at their captor and their host couple. Turning his head towards the table he reached out to grab the scarlet lens device the Saiyan was wearing. "Have you figured out how this gadget works?"
"Mostly," Bulma replied, snatching it away from the dwarf with a frown. Attaching it to her face for emphasis, she began adjusting the switches and red dial from where most of the controls presided. A myriad of alien text flew over the screen as readings came over each person she laid eyes upon. "It seems to act as a transceiver of data. From what Goku could tell me, he seems to know how strong a person is, I just don't know how. Perhaps it reads thermal levels inside living beings and actually can calculate Ki into a numerical setting? I'm still working out the kicks, maybe I can translate it into something I can understand if I'm given more time."
"The time for that is over!" Jaco yelped out, seeming to hide behind a purple-white trash can at the far end of the lab. If his voice could emulate what his facial features couldn't, it was the evidence of his sheer terror of a particular person's movement. "He's awake!"
Sure enough, everyone seemed to flinch at once to see the Elite Saiyan Warrior grimacing upright. Rising upright from the cot, he clutched his bandaged head in reflex and found himself stopping outright. When his vision corrected the glares, he realized he wasn't dead or at the ruined battlefield. He was at an Earthling facility, full of his enemies; with Kakarrot being chief among them.
"You-!"
"Heya," Goku replied cheerily, trying to keep an amiable display to cool his hot-headed sibling. Even though his wife shot angry darts of defiance, the rest followed Jaco's example to cower or take up defensive positions. Despite all of this, their savior looked none the worried.
Raditz, on the other hand had moved to stand aggressively from the bed. The result had him almost teeter onto the floor, his body barely kept upright. Clenching his crown, he looked up with eyes barely able to fixate on him.
"Kakarrot," He sneered, his teeth bared like an animal. "I hope you understand the consequences of sparing an enemy. Your loved ones will pay for it!"
"You banged your head up pretty good," The Earth born Saiyan replied, tilting his head to the side while blinking with an innocent look on his face. "I'm all healed up and yer barely able to stand. Do you really wanna go, right now?"
The elder brother flinched at such blunt accuracy the younger of the two stated. While the surface logic was that Goku could fight better that he's healed and the other couldn't because of his head injury, Raditz knew there was more to it than that. The backwater raised child indeed has now a power much greater than their last encounter and the results of a rematch, especially in his current state- will be much less fortunate.
Visibly twitching he sat back on the cot, stewing as he growled out a simple inquiry, "What do you want, Kakarrot? I'm not tied up but with your brat destroying my ship, it's likely I'm stuck here. That is, unless I can call someone to pick me up, as doubtful as that is..."
When he trailed off, Goku was about to open his mouth but Bulma actually piped up ahead of him.
"Actually," She huffed, relieved that the monster who assaulted her family was less wrathful than she feared him to be. With a ray of safety permeated by her husband she raised up the Scouter while frowning at her brother-in-law; much to his visible alarm. "I've been tinkering on this little doo-dad you got stuck to her face when you were KO'd. While I can't understand the text I was able to decipher it was feeding information to someone else. Is that your pals you mentioned?"
Raditz paled.
With cold sweat cast across his body the fear of what had transpired much to his realization damned any idea of calling for help. His vision swam as he almost passed out from the stupor that he was under. The sight of Goku approaching him -out of concern or pity he didn't know- made him snap out of it, and gestured with a sign of repulsion.
Still, he looked around the room and finally spoke in a tone more grave than anyone pictured him to speak, "It is likely in my carelessness that I have let my Scouter open for outgoing and incoming transmissions. My partners in space heard everything that happened. Even now, they could be listening in and are likely headed this way."
"W-What?!" Kashiko cried out, looking frightened as she exchanged glances with an almost equally terrified Kuririn. "Why would they do that?"
"The Prince doesn't tolerate failures. I was already on thin ice with him as it stands," Raditz explained, his eyes looking down, not bothering to address the couple. "My last effort to impress him was to bring my long lost brother into the fold, and increase our ranks with a potential elite warrior. Instead, I lost outright. He's coming to make me a public example in front of all of his men."
"Th-Then, are we screwed?!" Yamcha questioned, stepping forward with arms waving frantically as he looked at the attacker with renewed panic. "T-They aren't that much stronger than you, right?!"
"They're all stronger than me," Raditz laughed sardonically, turning to fix a dark eye with a morbid sense of humor at the scarred faced ex-bandit. "I'm the weakest among them."
The statement made even Goku almost fall onto his back.
"W-W-Weakest?!" He questioned with a stuttering start, finding it almost harder to believe. Before his statement about partners made him think only two people stronger than him. The way he said it, it sounded like there were even more of them and he didn't even compare. "You beat us, Piccolo and I, outright! Made it look easy! Just how many of these guys are we talking about?"
"Look," Raditz growled, his head turning with a shake, his hand not leaving his throbbing skull. "I can't think see straight, let alone think, with this head wound. If its possible if your fledgling planet's equivalent of medical equipment can patch me up better than a simple dressing, I'd appreciate you fork it over. I'll be happy to spill my guts so long as I can get rid of the pounding drums in my skull!"
"Oh, sure," Goku shrugged as he fished into the brown bag tied to his martial arts gi sash. Much to the aghast of his present company, he pulled out a Senzu and flicked it over to the Saiyan. He caught it, and looked at the tiny green bean suspiciously, looking back up at his awry brother with a raised brow. "It's a Senzu! Eat it, and your wounds are gone, along with a full belly haha!"
"Never took you for the magic type, little brother," He muttered, observing the green substance between his two fingers with an eye squinting at it. Popping it into his mouth, he grumbled as he chewed it. "This seed tastes of fish. I wonder if that bump to your head has made you lose your ability to-"
Swallowing, he felt a sudden strange sensation. The burned skin on his shoulder suddenly knitted back fresh skin, his subtly grumbling belly was sated and the pounding in his head disappeared. Blinking with perplexity, he pulled the head-dress off his crown and felt for the gash. With a slack jaw mouth, he even felt even better than he had since he got on the water filled rock of a world.
"What sorcery is this?" The Saiyan sputtered out as he stood to his feet, able to see the laboratory clearly. Turning to look at Goku who just smiled cheekily, the Saiyan also noticed the blonde sister of his brother's wife. Sharply glaring at her he had half a mind to tell her off but just rolled his eyes. "You know what? That's not important, but handy to have.
"You want to know about my coworkers, Kakarrot?" He phrased sarcastically, a common in-joke he and the others passed around for being under a particular tyrant's thumb. When he saw that Goku's countenance had hardened, he was content to cross his arms over his chest, ready to begin debriefing the closest chance he had to surviving the prince's reprisal. "We're a motley crew but established a particular reputation in the galaxy. Our boss is named Vegeta, the last heir to a dead world thanks to its untimely destruction and most of our people gone. With him is Nappa, our general, and second only to our head honcho. Underneath them is Aspara, the Squad Captain, with Gula, Bocho, Coll and Kuka as her subordinates."
"So, they're weaker than the other two?" Goku asked directly.
"Yes, by leaps and bounds," Raditz expressed with a slight lean forward. "But that doesn't make them less of a threat. Aspara's battle power is closer to our general's which means she could easily way waste to your world on her own. The others are possibly twice if not three times stronger than me. They could kill you and your green friend in the blink of an eye."
"If you don't mind me asking?" Bulma interrogated with a questionable cross-armed glare of her own. One that made the Saiyan nearly gawk at her brazen tone to him, a physical superior. It boggled his mind how fearless she acted. "How come you've lived for so long if you're supposedly weaker than them? What's kept them from just discarding you?"
"They nearly have, on a number of occasions," He intoned with a sneer, turning back to look at his brother again as he calmed down. "That's why they're coming here. To finish the job left undone and put me through a humiliating execution in the process. I've only lived for as long as I have as the prince's shadow, his bodyguard. I've never been through as many life threatening situations as the others, thus they've reaped the benefits of surviving through them. I, however, remained stagnant yet unharmed."
"Coward."
"Maybe," The Saiyan darkly replied, furrowing his brows as he clenched his fingers across his broad arms. To everyone's eyes he was near the point of shaking, his visage gnashing with indignation. "But I'll be damned if I die like my parents; our parents, Kakarrot! They died without even given the chance to fight! I don't know about you but I'll do everything in my power to survive, even if it means I have to side myself with you backwater cretins!"
Bulma felt the urge to snap at being called such, but her advancement was halted when she felt her husband's hand grip her shoulder. Soft but firm, she turned to look at him, noticing the stoic look so unlike him was kept. Everyone as an audience engaged with rapt attention as the strongest among them took vested interest in what Raditz said.
"You keep bringing them up, but I have no memory of them," Goku plainly spoke, his breath hitched as if he was nervous of even asking. But, with his eyes closed, he opened them to ask straight out. "What were they like? Our parents, that is?"
The first emotion to cross Raditz was infuriation. He was already on his wit's end of how disrespectful to anything Saiyan that his amnesic brother had, but his lack of memory of anything regarding his past made him want to strangle him. Yet, when he asked with such a serious tone, he couldn't help but feel himself become a bit sobered.
"When was the last time I thought about them?" The elder Saiyan questioned himself as he blinked hard at his sibling. Inhaling through his nostrils, he exhaled with a growl. "Our parents are perhaps the least Saiyan of all our race. At least, that's what my boss kept telling me, even as children.
"Our mother, Gine, was a loving woman who adored her children and her mate. She doted on me to the point of it being insufferable and she lacked any talent in fighting. Yet our father, Bardock, loved her...truly. We Saiyans rarely bond with anyone beyond camaraderie as combatants in tight knit groups. Yet they genuinely shared that emotion, something they were despised or mocked for. They never did it openly, for our father was a stout warrior and one of our race's strongest for its time.
"The last I heard from them was when that meteor hit our planet and killed everyone on it. They were counted as among them," He finished with a hardened look, while his brother's had unraveled to near disbelief. The surprise colored his features like paint on a sleeve, something that Raditz couldn't blame him for. No one would believe that a Elite Warrior such as himself could be considered parented by such uncouth parents, regardless of their genes. "It is just one more disappointment added to my name. Imagine, my brother never carried out his mission of purging this world's populace and ended up protecting it while our father and mother didn't even retain their own pride as Saiyans. I am part of a cursed bloodline, one doomed to roll over dead underneath the boots of someone greater."
Silence rang like a gong when he spoke. There was genuine pain in his voice, even if the reasons weren't fathomable to them. To incur his wrath by calling him out would only fan the flames he buried beneath the surface needlessly. Goku sighed, unsure if saying anything was the right thing to do. Scratching his angular scalp, he looked over to Bulma for what to do.
Instead, her sister walked up to Raditz, seemingly unafraid of his steely gaze that turned to her approach.
"That's no good," She piped up, a simple smile spread across her face. "You can't beat yourself up for what's happened. Just focus on the here and now. If you always go around blaming yourself for everything that's gone wrong, you can never move forward. Goku got strong not because he pitied his lot in life. Perhaps if you looked to the future, maybe you can get strong enough that you'll never feel so down about being weak?"
It was like being hit by an asteroid in his blind spot. He had not asked or expected someone to come up and give him encouragement. This Earthling woman came up to him with kindness in her eyes and compassion in her voice. It wasn't even simplicity like his brother, but just a nonchalant attitude that spoke years of experience through tribulations and personal hardships.
Shaking his head, he cleared his throat as he tried to forget the dark eyes that had bored into his own confused orbs, "Kakarrot, if we're going to plan out a strategy for standing up to the others, we must bring the green man and your spawn here. Where are they?"
"Oh, Piccolo and Pan? They're out training," He answered lackadaisically, chuckling as he rubbed his nose with a sheepish smile that earned his wife's visible ire. "I think he realized how strong she was and wanted to get started on an invasion. That guy's always thinking one step ahead of me."
"Right," He huffed, unfurling his arms to get a look at Jaco. The mere stare sent shivers down the lidless Galactic Patrolman's spine. "You. Bug eyed one."
"Excuse me-?!"
"Yes, you," The Saiyan interrupted, his hand raised to point at him then thumbing over his shoulder. "I've got a job for you. Go get somebody to gather your planet's strongest warriors. Get them started on training right away and tell them that it's bigger than anything they've ever faced. Understand?"
"But-But-But," Jaco stammered, his body waving with exasperation with his mouth agape. "I don't even LIVE here!"
"Oh just DO IT, Jaco," Bulma chimed in, shooting daggers from her eyes that made the diminutive patrolman's body recoil in fright. If there was one person he was more scared of than the Saiyan in the room, it was Bulma. "I'll direct you to Karin's Tower. Yajirobe is most likely hanging out there and he'll track the others down quickly."
"Eh...fine," He submitted with a arm-crossed sign of reluctance. "Not like I can just leave Earth as is. The paperwork would be too much..."
"Training, huh? It's been awhile since I've had to do that," Kuririn chimed in with a broad grin, getting excited despite himself. Turning to Yamcha, he raised a closed an upraised fist to his scarred friend. "What do you say, buddy? Ready to get back into the thick of it?"
"Hell yeah!" The taller scraggly haired man punched an open palm with visible eagerness. "Wanna get some payback but hitting the big guy's friends will be enough. I wonder where we should go to do this."
"Why not train under me?"
A sudden new voice made everyone go still. When everybody looked to see a green skinned, antennae adorned visitor stand next to Goku, everybody jerked with surprise. Even Raditz stepped back at the sight of somebody teleporting into their midst. He had almost half a mind to strike him just for startling him, was it not for Goku's casual turn and greeting to him.
"Hey, God!" Goku piped up with a raised wave of his hand. "Nice to see ya! How's life been treatin' ya?"
"Same as always, Goku," He replied mirthfully with a slight smile. Holding his cane tightly in his hand he turned to observe all of the beings huddled in the room, his eyes looking suspiciously at his student's brother looming behind him. "It seems you keep acquiring newer and stranger company every time I look. You sure its wise relying on him?"
"The better question is, are you smart enough to realize I'm one of your only hopes of surviving a Saiyan onslaught?"
"It's fine," Goku answered, ignoring his brother's challenging grin that goaded his master into confrontation. "He's with us for now. Piccolo is too."
"Hm, that much I could sense," The God of Earth affirmed with a grunt. Looking at the fighters in the room, he smiled as he acknowledged them. "Yamcha, Kuririn, it's good to see you in good health. As I asked before, would you like to train under me? My palace is a bit empty and with this crisis on our hands, the more prepared you are, the better."
"Ha! Sounds great!" Yamcha answered readily, feeling even more thrilled. The place where Goku gained tremendous strength that enabled him to beat Mao Junior, a spectacle he could still remember to this day.
"I'm sure Tenshinhan and Chaozu will want to come too!" Kuririn exclaimed with readiness.
"All the more reason our world's guest should hurry in his errand," He turned to look expectantly at Jaco. His stare intimidated the overwhelmed patrolman even more, as if he was staring into a legend itself past the wrinkles and unearthly bags underneath his eyes. "That is, if he doesn't mind..."
"I'm going, I'm going!" He shouted impatiently, rushing out of the lab. "Tights, contact me with directions! I'll start up my ship to make this an easy task!"
With the patrolman gone, the others excused themselves from the laboratory of Bulma and Goku's house to get their things ready. They knew that Goku's master didn't desire tardiness so they made the utmost effort to grab what they needed for the training required of them. Tights was told by her sister the longitude and latitude for which to locate Karin's Tower, thus leaving the sibling, her husband and one last look of curiosity at Raditz.
Everyone dispatched left only Bulma with Goku, his brother and his master.
"I understand the magnitude of our threat after a little talk with my other half," He intoned, his words growing quiet and somber with Goku looking at him likewise. "Our threat is even more dire than the era of Piccolo Daimaō. If your brother is but the tip of the iceberg, we cannot hope to win by ordinary means; you cannot win by what is normal for you."
Sighing, Goku smiled sloppily as he scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, I was thinking the same. I mean, Piccolo could make a great sparring partner and it'd help me keep an eye on Pan but I don't know if we could be ready in time. Speaking of which," He turned to look at his brother over his shoulder with a curious expression. "When do you think they could get here? You said soon, but I kinda need to know."
"From where I last had contact with them, it could take the equivalent of one Earth year," Raditz answered bluntly, twitching as he looked to the side with worry. "Possibly less...I don't know."
"A year? That's going to be cutting it close," Bulma grumbled with a hand stroking her chin. "Not even dad's toughest prototypes could give you the workout you'd need. I don't even think a year with Piccolo could be enough to match someone many times your strength..."
"Not unless you trained under Kaio," The older deity intoned with a sly grin.
"Who?" Goku asked with an owlish blink, something even Raditz shared with visible perplexity.
"He's a god above my station, overlooking the northern galaxies and keeping an eye on them. He also happens to be one of the strongest martial arts teachers you'd find," He explained with a wave of his free hand. "The only catch is that his domain presides in the Afterlife. If you had died valiantly against your brother, I'd have brought you straight to him. But seeing that you survived, I can recommend you based on your merits in life of being a righteous hearted warrior. I'm sure Enma won't deny such claims as being worthy enough to make the journey."
Raditz had to hold back a scoff. Gods? He knew of no such omnipotence but the unforgiving harshness of fate has dealt him. War was all he knew and what he considered family was cast to the ashes and obscurity. Still, the fact that his brother was a "chosen one" made him sneer with disgust of how unlike a Saiyan the awry sibling continued being.
"Wow! The Afterlife?! Boy, I didn't think I'd go there so soon!" Goku laughed giddily, already shaking with excitement. Another adventure awaited him, and for a moment, he almost wanted to insist on bringing his wife with him. But he knew...that she couldn't follow where he'd go.
Sobering up, he cleared his throat and politely bowed to his master with clapped hands, "Master, I'm honored to join you, but I have to say goodbyes to Bulma. Is that alright?"
Nodding with affirmation, God took a few steps back to give them space. There he'd witness Son Goku and Bulma turn to embrace tightly, something that made the aloof elder Saiyan turn away with crossed arms. The annoyance was there but he tolerated it if only he knew he had little say in the matter.
"I wish I'd come with you, but I don't think the Afterlife is a place for me just yet," Bulma whispered, nuzzling into the crook of Goku's neck. Rubbing his back she felt her eyes water, a sense of loneliness creeping up with fear of the worst transpiring in her beloved's departure. What if he didn't come back in time? What if something happened to Pan? These questions raced in her mind but her husband sensed it and responded accordingly.
"Bulma, I'll come back, stronger than I am today," He spoke with confidence, smiling softly as he relinquished his hold on her. With his eyes meeting her watery ones, he felt compelled to wipe the tears away. A swipe over each eye led to cupping her face, bringing both to unite in one long kiss goodbye.
Leaving her side, he'd come up to Raditz, staring him hard in the eyes. An unusual intensity was about his dark orbs, similar to the kind he had when Pan's life was threatened. Speaking in a soft voice that carried just as much danger if he screamed, he warned his brother quietly, "Raditz, I spared you because not you're my brother, but that I think you're my family and planet's greatest hope. But if you do anything to harm my friends, my world or my family be ready to accept the consequences; I won't be sparing you again."
"Heh, sure," Raditz grinned broadly, his eyes enticing his brother to make good on his promise. "Then again, compared what I'd have done will seem like a mercy to what my friends will do. They tend to play with their food more often than eat it."
"Don't worry," Goku breathed out, turning around to walk back to his master while eyeing him over his shoulder. "They'll get what's coming to them too."
"I love you, Son," Bulma called out to her husband as he touched God's shoulder. When he looked back at her, she conveyed an expression between hope and apprehension. The thought of them separating after years of being together now scared her far more than it had years back.
"Yeah," The martial artist responded with a reassuring smile, just moments before he disappeared into thin air, whisked away into the next world. "You too."
The Afterlife
Whatever Goku had thought the afterlife would be like, a busy office-setting would certainly not have come to mind. When God arrived with him at their destination, the martial artist was shocked to see blue-skinned individuals with horns rushing around, wearing collared shirts with ties, spectacles in some cases, and carrying documents. He distinctly heard among the shouts mentions of 'deadlines' and 'unique cases' and something about a glut of people from planet 877 of 4032, whatever that meant.
Looking around further, he craned his neck behind him to see what appeared to be a veritable line of clouds; they were all uniformly white and similarly sized, and the line extended well outside the door of the building that God had brought him into. It was only when Goku focused his full attention in front of him that he realized he was standing in front of an immense wooden desk, far taller than any building he'd seen outside of the center of the Western Capital.
"Whoa!" The Saiyan gasped, taken aback by the presence of the massive desk. "It's huge!" If he craned his neck further, he could even see there was a gigantic figure looming over him, stamping papers with an almost bored expression on his face. He was possessed of red skin, beady black eyes, and shaggy black hair and beard. He wore a purple suit and a cap of matching colour with horns jutting out of either side. It was only after the man noticed that the line had stopped moving that he bothered to look up from his work, and his beady eyes widened at the sight of God and Goku.
"Well now, just what brings you here, God?" When the man spoke, his voice was loud and booming, more so due to his stature than any conscious effort on his part to be loud. "It isn't often that you visit Devil Realm!"
"Ah, yes; forgive me for not announcing myself, Enma Daiō!" The green-skinned deity replied hastily. "My arrival here was a bit unplanned, but allow me to introduce you to my companion: Son Goku."
Goku looked over at the towering man, and with a grin, waved cheerfully. "Yo! I'm Son Goku!"
"Goku, that isn't how you greet someone of Enma Daiō's station!" God hissed fearfully, but Enma merely laughed.
"Now, God, don't chastise him; I haven't met someone with this kind of audacity in three hundred years!"
"B-But—"
"See, he's a swell guy!" Goku replied, grinning, and God could only hang his head in resignation.
"Now, why don't you tell me why you're here?" Enma continued, resting his cheek on his fist with a cheeky grin. "Forgive me, but it doesn't appear as if Son Goku is dead, nor is he dead but has kept his body." Looking through his book, the ogre frowned. "It seems as though he was supposed to die today; this is certainly unique. However, just bringing him here has shattered several of the afterlife rules; you know this, don't you, God?"
"P-Please forgive me," replied the aged deity with urgency. "However, I would like to make a special request for Son Goku using my position as the God of Earth. There are a group of Saiyans heading towards Earth, and should they arrive, they will kill each and every last Earthling. Next year, from their arrival, you will have the entire population of Earth at your desk within a week, Daiō."
"The...the entire population!?" Enma thundered.
"Y-Yes, sir," replied God meekly. "That is why I want to propose that we allow the young man to train under Lord Kaiō, after crossing the perilous Snake Way!"
"A mortal on Snake Way..." Enma muttered, flipping through his grade-book. "Goku, you have quite a few meritorious achievements to your name, it would appear — in fact, someone of your prestige would simply be awarded the privilege to see Lord Kaiō. And yet, God, you want the young man to journey along Serpent Road — in a living body no less — to meet Lord Kaiō?"
"Y-Yes, that's correct," replied God once more.
"Say, God, does everyone come over here when they die?" inquired Goku. "Even aliens an' things like that?"
"Well...I brought you here, did I not, Son Goku?"
Goku began to laugh, scratching the back of his head. "I guess that's true an' all. So I'm comin' here when I die. Whaddya know?"
"Alright, if you're so keen to go train under Lord Kaiō, then go ahead," replied Enma, stamping firmly under Goku's name in his book. "I shall mark it as a 'special exception due to extraneous circumstances'. As a final aside, remember that management bears no responsibility for anything that happens on Snake Way. Go see the ogre next the exit and he'll take you there."
"Thanks!" Goku grinned, making his way towards the exit.
"Good luck, Son Goku," said God as the Saiyan was leaving. "You will truly need it in this coming year."
It didn't take long for Goku's guide to arrive in the form of a blue ogre with glasses; the wiry ogre invited him into a car, and they drove a fair distance towards Goku's final location: Snake Way.
"Heya, what's this 'Kaiō' like?" Goku inquired suddenly, either out of actual curiosity or just to break the monotony.
"Lord Kaiō?" repeated the ogre. "He's one of the Universe's higher ranking gods, and is in fact one of several 'Kaiō'. For our section of the Universe, the North, he is one of the most revered and respected gods, as well as a venerable master of martial arts. Even Enma Daiō and your Earth's God hold Lord Kaiō in great respect!"
"Oh...so he's super impressive, ain't he?"
"Bingo!" replied the ogre, as the car came to a stop. Stepping out, Goku saw 'Snake Way' in all of its glory; a literal snake shaped road that stretched and curved into the far distance, vanishing into the horizon. He squinted, trying to see further, but even his impressive eyes could only see so much of the road before Goku had to give up. "It's...how long is it!?"
"According to the legend, about a million kilometers," replied the ogre cheerfully.
"A million!?" Goku trilled. "Has anyone every reached the end of this thing!?"
"Just one person. Enma Daiō, and it was just in the past hundred million years!"
"W-Well..." Goku looked down the mouth of the Snake Way, paling slightly. "Hey, if one person can do it...two people can do it...right? But...what am I gonna do for food?"
"Ah, that's right, you aren't dead, are you?" the ogre smiled, walking back to the car and pulling out a bentō wrapped in cloth. "This is a gift from Enma Daiō; within the bentō are two fruits from the mystical Enseiji, grown specifically for him. Eat one of them, and you'll be able to stave off hunger for one hundred days, and it'll give you a massive power boost. But please; do not eat them both at the same time."
"Don't eat both at the same time...okay..." Goku mentally tried to store this information away as he took the bentō and slipped it into his gi — the only way he had to store it.
"One last bit of advice? Don't fall off into the clouds; Hell is down there, and if you fall in, you'll never be able to get back out."
"Don't eat both fruits...don't fall into Hell..." Goku kept muttering, as if the information was too much to keep up with. "Alright...I can do this..." Revving himself up, the Saiyan grinned. "I gotta get there in a hurry...so I'll book it in the air!" Launching from the mouth of the snake, Goku flew down Snake Way, yipping and cheering like a child, leaving a stunned ogre in his wake.
Wastelands, Earth; Earlier the very same day
Descending from the sky, Piccolo's cape billowed behind him as he made contact with the soft grass of the wasteland. He'd landed next to a large body of water, carrying the small unconscious body of a child. With a sadistic grin on his face, he held the body of Pan aloft, just over the surface of the water. The child was breathing steadily, and she almost appeared to be sleeping. But the Daimaō was not taken in by adorable childish appearances, and tossed the half-Saiyan into the pond.
Pan hit the mirrored surfaced with a splash, and there was a moment's silence as Piccolo merely watched the ripples spread out. Then, with a gargantuan gasp, the lavender-haired girl emerged from the water, freshly awoken and trying feverishly to fill her empty lungs with air. Her gi, so identical to her father's that it made Piccolo irritated, was soaked to the core, and catching a cold was now definitely an option.
"Look who finally woke up," remarked Piccolo snidely as Pan looked around frantically, trying to gauge the situation.
"Y-You!" She gasped, her onyx-eyes widening; even shivering, she glared at Piccolo. "You're that Piccolo guy! But...where's my Papa!?"
"Oh him?" He scoffed with a look of irritation on his face. "He's going to be gone for about a year. Apparently he's going to train with some god called Kaio."
"R-Really?" Pan stuttered out with amazement. But quickly following this, she looked down at the water with a reflection mirroring her downtrodden demeanor. "Papa went to go train? But, why didn't he say goodbye?"
"If you ask me, he's more likely going to hide when the Saiyans show up," Piccolo sneered with a feral smile that made the sorrowful Pan suddenly look up with a start. "Yeah, your mean uncle Raditz had buddies and they're a whole lot meaner. I guess if he knows what's good for him, he'll hide out with that god of his and never come back because of how cowardly he is."
"Hey, stop that-!"
"But what can you expect of Son? He's such a pitiful fighter that he got beat up by his weakling brother. If you ask me, it's a wonder you're as strong as you are with how pathetic he is," He continued to mock, almost with a leering grin on his face.
"STOP!" She shouted, her hands balling up at her side and her eyes glaring onyx holes through Piccolo's own challenging glare.
"Or what? You gonna cry? That makes me want to laugh!" Piccolo bellowed out, laughing with an exaggerative tone in his voice with tears flying out of his eyes.
In the middle of his guffawing, he felt an enormous power suddenly rise up to insane levels. Looking down he'd see a curtain of white wrap around the silhouette of what he assumed was Pan, moving faster than his eyes could read. Before he knew what happened something rip his insides open and tear out through his back. His eyes bulged and blood spewed out of his mouth. A hole tore through his abdomen out the other side straight through his cape, sending him flying back in a titanic wave of pressure. Flying across the landscape he'd tumble, crashing through hills, rocks and trees till he bodily slammed into the side of a mountain.
"What enormous power," He thought with a weak look of amazement, blood trickling down the side of a half smiling visage. "So this is the child of Son's inner power? Huh...she did more damage than I thought. Perhaps I should've thought this through more than I..."
Spreadeagled out against the splintered surface his body was wedged into, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he passed out from the attack.
What seemed like hours later, he'd suddenly feel himself waking up and his natural regeneration restoring his ruptured organs and shredded tissue. The only thing he didn't expect, however, was the sudden sensation of a campfire nearby. Sitting up with a start, he looked down to see crudely wrapped pieces of his cloak was wrapped around his waist. Examining it, he turned over to see Pan by a the source of light and warmth, cooking what looked like the limb of a dinosaur; one of which was lying dead not far away from them.
"Oh, so you're awake," A familiar voice breached the quiet of the air, making Piccolo flex nervously and rise to a wincing readied posture. His eyes saw the Saiyan, leaning against a boulder, having been formed from his impact into the mountain they were camped out by. He had a piece of roasted dino bone hanging lazily out of his mouth. Looking at him dryly, he almost grumbled at seeing the look of killing intent sent his way, dismissing him with a wave of his hand. "Relax, green man. I don't intend to kill you as you are more than likely aware of."
"Yeah, but I can never be too careful against the likes of you!" He sharply yelled out, holding his waist as the pain of the regeneration hadn't gone away.
"Ha! Good instincts; but irrelevant, because I need your help as much as we need that girl's," Raditz nodded to Pan, whom was contentedly eating away at parts of the dino in her hands. Looking up with a greasy face, she suddenly looked concerned and shuffled herself up from a squat all the way up to Piccolo's place. The movement made the Daimaō nervous, and backpedaled a bit till he saw her touch his bandaged side.
Locking eyes with hers, she bowed apologetically to him, gawking at the girl's sudden genuinely sorrow towards him, "I-I'm sorry I hurt you so badly, M-Mister Piccolo! You were saying awful things and I-I couldn't help myself when I got mad...!"
"Tch, whatever kid," He dismissively shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked back at Raditz. "Here I thought you'd do the same the moment he showed his face to you. What, are you buddies now?"
"He's not so bad," She drawled out, smirking mischievously as she placed hands on her hips and grinned towards the amused uncle. "He said that you were just trying to get me angry to show off my power. When I realized why he was out here, I didn't think he was that bad. Papa may be right; you two may not be that different after all!"
"I'M NOTHING LIKE HIM!" They both seemed to copy each other with angry denial, making the small half breed laugh childishly.
"You're both silly. No wonder you both were beaten by my Papa," Pan dismissed them with a giggle, going back to her food before they could even object. Among the sound of the crackling fire and a feasting child they sat in stewing silence over what had been said. It wouldn't be long before she'd curl up and sleep by the small glow of the fire, without a care in the world with a smile on her face.
Sighing, Raditz finally looked to the Daimaō once more, spitting out the bone as he leaned forward from his seat.
"Listen," He began with a look of seriousness on his face. "This girl may be a half breed but she has an insane amount of potential. I heard the Prince once say that the limits of a Saiyan mingling with that of another compatible race's could yield an incredible warrior. We both know she has no control over this but she has talent for a fighting. If we both put our differences aside, we can make her the ultimate trump card against Vegeta and his cohorts."
"That was my plan from the beginning," Piccolo snorted, unimpressed by what the Saiyan told him. "Before I was knocked unconscious by the brat, my other half informed me that there was a greater impending threat lurking on the horizon. Given what you said, I guess have no choice but to trust Son's insane plan to use his child as our hope of survival. Provided that you don't go off trying to use her to conquer the Earth before I do-"
"Don't worry," Raditz grinned broadly, waving a hand disarmingly. "I want to live, same as you. In fact, while we show her how a true Saiyan fights we can be good sparring partners. Given that you may have been a small bit stronger than Kakarrot, I think you'll be a nice partner for the moment."
"Ha! Don't take this the wrong way, Saiyan, but I don't need help getting stronger-"
"Says the green man who got punched into a mountain?" The Saiyan Elite asked with a raised brow.
"S-She just caught me off guard, that's all!" He answered with a flustered expression.
Chuckling with amusement, Raditz leaned his head to one side, placing both hands on his thick muscular thighs, "Come on. You really couldn't hope to match them with a year's training on your own. If the two of you couldn't stop me without that miracle child, you can't hope to reach a height of power you sorely need. The Earthlings that champion here are hopeless. Without me, you're going to die without putting up a fight at all. It'll be a massacre, through and through.
"So are ya going to just stubbornly reject my hand out of stubborn pride or are you going to realize you got no other better option?" He finished with a dark smile. It had a hint of cheekiness that Piccolo swore resembled Son Goku's if only a great deal twisted by the man's brother.
Rolling his eyes he let out a relenting moan, as he palmed his face, "I'm going to regret this but...sure, whatever. But once this is over," Piccolo lowered his hand from his visage, now glaring menacingly back at the Saiyan with a surprising intensity. "I'll be coming for you before I kill Son Goku!"
"Heh, sure," Raditz smugly grinned, laying back against the stone as he closed his eyes with a bit more confidence in his chances of surviving. Maybe, just maybe he could survive this hopeless scenario.
"Whatever you say, big green."
A/N:
Demod20: Okay, so, me and my big mouth are partly responsible for this tardy delivery. I wish this got out sooner but one thing led to another that ultimately delayed this update. A thousand apologies! But beyond that, I had a lot of fun writing this if only because I got more than before to experiment with. Between writing up Pan's firsthand reactions to Raditz and Piccolo, I enjoyed just the straightforward dynamic between Goku and his brother. He's not stupid, he knows he'll die if he just hides out on Earth without anyone to save him from Vegeta's wrath. The fact that a whole squad of Saiyans are coming for him just makes the stakes THAT much higher than before. So, with Goku departing from his beloved Bulma to go train at Kaio's, it's a race against time to see if either those on Earth or their hero can get strong enough for the coming invasion. I'm psyched, you're psyched, I can't wait to see how this all unfolds over time!
LastationLover5000: Okay, so, yeah, this one was later than promised. Granted, that was on Demod20 — I had no original intention on an October update schedule. Regardless, this chapter only got delayed further when Dragon Ball XenoVerse 2 came out, and then even further when I got sick. The FINAL NAIL IN THE COFFIN was the release of Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon came out, because I knew my productivity was going to crash. And I'm still sick so that doesn't help. Regardless, it is finished now, so woohoo! I do hope you like what was presented; Demod and I HAVE been brainstorming and we've got some good ideas. To anyone who recognizes the fruit I gave to Goku, it was shown in filler, and I figured, since it was based on something from the Journey to the West, I could include it. Anyway, we'll see you all in the next update, and I hope you really enjoyed this chapter!