Heart of the Adventurers

By LastationLover5000 & Demod20

Chapter 39 - The Price of Hatred

There were a great many things that the Kaiō of the northern galaxies has seen in his lengthy lifespan. Civilizations achieving zenith, creatures spawning out of primordial ooze and the fall of entire worlds. None however compared to his recent spectating of the Saiyans invading Earth, or the desolation of Namek; save for his own personal role in the defeat of Bōjakku, the evil member of the Herā clan who was sealed along with his crew of the Unbound.

But now, his prized pupil, a one of a kind born prodigy was suffering at not an external force, but an internal one. Son Gokū lost the love of his life, his wife Bulma, and in his grief bore an unstoppable fury that burns even now. Unrecognizable in his cruelty and hatred, he performed savage acts of violence in order to torture his wife's killer.

His own uncle, no less.

He had always known Saiyans for their evil and love of violence, but even was taken aback by what he saw unfold on Namek. Vegeta and his cohorts, then Tullece, and now Gokū himself.

Worse of all, he could tell if the fighting escalated, the Nameccians wouldn't have a planet left to call home.

And then, someone spoke behind him. One of the Earthlings who came to train under him while awaiting Namek's Dragon Balls to be used. Piccolo had already been wished to life, but decisively stayed; meandering between meditation, training and focus on the situation on hand.

Currently it was the latter, though he wasn't the one to speak.

"What's happening, Lord Kaiō?" Tenshinhan asked, having patiently awaited word since finding out the news about Bulma. "You've been deathly quiet this entire time. Did something happen?"

"Tullece, the evil Saiyan related to Gokū and Raditz, has once again eaten a Shinseijū fruit," He spoke with a grave tone, turning round to address them all. "Goku has an advantage in power, for the moment, but it is clear that his foe will exceed that threshold."

"Tch, so much for millennia old prophecies!" Piccolo spat angrily, looking incensed that he had been no help apart from bringing back his other half.

"But it's Gokū, guys!" Yamcha exclaimed, looking to all of his friends with a nervous smile. "He's gone up against the impossible before and always came on top! There's no way this uncle of his will make a monkey out of him, right?"

"He's right," Chaozu piped up, his quaint form floating at shoulder level with Tenshinhan. Despite his near emotionless face, his smile and voice emphasized enough to be understood. "Gokū has always made sure to come through. We can't give up hope yet!'

"If only Tullece was the only problem," Kaiō interrupted, though his voice sounded less melancholic than before and just alarmed as he relayed his concerns. "The planet was completely gutted by the Shinseijū. By destroying the tree, Gokū has doomed the planet to instability. If his fight with Tullece escalates any further, then the globe will begin to crack and soon be left in a complete ruin; something even Saiyans can't survive."

"No way!" Yamcha exclaimed, his eyes wide and mouth agape. "Then…is Gokū really done for?!"

"You're forgetting something," Kaiō heard from a voice only he could hear. "Lord Kaiō, this is the God of Earth speaking. I wanted to inform you that Mr. Popo has finished collecting the Dragon Balls. He's about to summon the Dragon."

"T-That's great news!" Kaiō suddenly burst out happily, shocking everyone at his tone shift. "There's hope yet! We can still use Earth's Dragon Balls to wish back all those people who were slain by Freeza and his men!"

Everyone present felt a rush of joy surge, realizing what this could mean. The keeper of Namek's dragon balls would be among them, as well as the Nameccians and anyone else they called friends.

However…

"Can we count Tullece as being among Freeza's men? After all, he did betray him before turning on the others," Tenshinhan pointed out.

"Hmmm," Kaiō hummed in thought. He knew Shénlóng was fickle, sometimes demanding specifics before even doing a wish. However, he smiled and looked back to reassure the Crane Fighter. "Fear not. Since Tullece had pretended to work for Freeza, he still did his bidding until he moved to kill him. Even after that, he is still one of Freeza's men, so even Vegeta and Bulma can be wished back on technicality."

"What about the people Vegeta killed?" Piccolo asked with a stoic tone.

"He had already betrayed Freeza before arriving on the planet. Too much time has passed that Shénlóng won't acknowledge him as a subordinate of Freeza," The Northern Realm God sagely shook his head. "I'm sorry, Piccolo. But not everybody can be saved."

Piccolo hissed and turned his head away, "Why should I care about people I never met? I'm just trying to make sure you understand that this wish isn't a complete win for us," he turned to glance at everyone harshly for emphasis. "After all, they are being wished back on a doomed planet."

"You're wrong!" Yamcha exclaimed with a jubilous motion of his hands. "They have a way out. Raditz and Gokū came on a ship. They should all fit, even if it's a tight squeeze."

"Yeah, that's right!" Tenshinhan said with a smiling affirmation, shared with his pale skinned companion. "Everyone can get offworld before it blows!"

"If the fighting stops," Piccolo added with a huff, looking at Kaiō critically. "As a god, how much time do they have to stop Gokū and Tullece before it's past the point of no return?"

"It's difficult to say," The Northern Realm God replied with a shrug. "If the fight stopped immediately, they would have days, a week tops before the planet is completely uninhabitable. If they carry on for too long, we may have an hour, possibly less."

"Then make sure they're wished back and moving!" Piccolo exclaimed. "Cause if I know Son, there is only one thing that can stop his path of hatred."

Gokū could feel it.

The pounding in his head, the throbbing in his chest and the burn in his pumping blood. Every fiber of his being pulsed with extraordinary power and his mind had only one goal filtering him from complete madness.

Kill Tullece.

They currently were locked fists high above where the stump of the molten bubbling Shinseijū was from before. Thanks to the fruit, this was no longer a one sided brawl, but an actual fight. The decades older Saiyan takes advantage of his biological trait of growing stronger in battle along with the fruit pushing his strength to nearly burst at the seams.

Still, despite it all, Gokū was proving to be the better fighter of the two.

A fist embroiled in yellowish light cracked against his uncle's jaw, following up with a rising knee kick to his chin and a spinning heel kick to the temple. Each blow brought out thunderous impact, producing blood, spit and bile to come from each attack he made contact on.

Through savage tenacity, the uncle retaliated through a momentum fed spin and a kick straight into Gokū's exposed side, making his body lurch. He even heard satisfying snaps of ribs quaking at the vibration of his boot.

Thrown across the air, Tullece let out a demented laugh as he gave his nephew chase. An amethyst streak blitzed the throttled Super Saiyan, the streak of light crashing repeatedly against his flanks while his momentum continued to carry him across the planet.

Tullece thrust a palm full of violet light into his nephew's chest; unleashing a salvo of kikoha, that detonated and pushed the Super Saiyan into a dried up lake bed in a shower of shooting star fed explosions. They seemed unending, delivering shockwave after flash of purplish light, further shaking the dying world beneath him and his foe.

Grinning to himself, he continued to shower his relative in fiery death. He could feel his blood flow like a rushing river inside of him, hot and violent. Eyes aglow of violet hue, his spiked black tresses whipping about in the high altitude winds as he focused on unleashing the wellspring of power within him.

An explosion of pain gonged his skull. A flicker of swift movement in the corner of his eye was all that was given to his nephew's quick return from his impact site, now hammering a boot into the back of his head. Twisting around, he was caught by a backward flip kick by the toes of a boot, staggering him across the air.

Gnashing his teeth, the elder Saiyan leaped forth and delivered a right hook, a left elbow which spun his nephew into a counterclockwise elbow into his own jaw. He punched several more times, each one deflected by rising biceps, leaving him open to a vicious headbutt into his face; nearly breaking his nose.

A follow-up kick to his side brought out an angry wheeze, feeling his own ribs rattle upon impact. Biting down on his lip hard enough to draw blood, the older Saiyan grasped the shin of his nephew, holding him in place to deliver a hundred instant jabs to his nephew's visage. Though most could be repelled, he felt solid connections bruise and bloody the Super Saiyan. It made his heart race and his eyes dilated with excitement.

Finally! I can put you down for goo-!

So distracted by this bout of powerful euphoria did he fail to notice a palm thrusting into his face, blasting him with a hail of kikoha. Throttled to the planet wrapped in burning roots and bubbling magma bursting to the surface, Gokū charged after in a comet trail of gold hot on the heels of his target.

Tullece snarled, flaring his violet-white aura after three kilometers of plowing through the dying world of Namek, he rose up in a meteorite of motion and spiraled around; fly-kicking into Gokū's chest. The pair meeting created a massive fissure in the sky, lightning crackling from contact and further drums of thunder cascaded across the dimmed planet. Pushing and throwing him back across the sky with his feet repeatedly pounding his boots against the face and chest, Tullece bared his teeth with furious tenacity on stomping his obstacle into pieces.

But amidst the hail of powerful thrusts of his legs, the uncle failed to see Gokū's head smash back against one of his soles, sending a painful spasm up his limb and quake in his knee. Halted in the air, his other foot whiffed over the golden haired man's shoulder, getting caught by a vice grip by the younger warrior.

Gripping both heels, Gokū spun himself and his uncle around, becoming a whirlwind of golden-purple reminiscent of a fiery twister in the blackish skyline of Namek. Ending with a violent toss to ground below, Tullece sailed in an indiscriminate blur of violet as he himself shimmered in a bout of superspeed, appearing below the falling Tullece. Time slowed to a crawl, the Saiyan empowered by the Shinseijū barely had time to see the Legendary Super Saiyan pull his foot back-

KRRRRAAAA-KOOOOOOOOOOM!

-and lashed out in a lightning erupting kick at Tullece's head with a golden flash of ki imbued force. The older Saiyan's crown spurt out blood, his mouth agape and his whitened out, complementing the fierce stoic glare Gokū showed to him. An instant after the flaring contact was made, Tullece fired off like a bullet, and the ground around Gokū erupted in magma and ash with a rippling cacophony of smelting blasts that geysered to the surface.

Watching his uncle hit a distant mountain that exploded in fiery impact, Gokū lowered his leg and glared ahead. Steam wafted off his exposed wounds and bruises, an indication he could not feel the state of battle-weariness due to his rage and heightened battle senses. Numbed to it all, the Super Saiyan rose up into the air and skimmed across space to arrive in a flash of gold overhead of the debris.

Raising a hand to the rocks, a golden sphere formed around his palm and expanded, discharging out in a shrieking blast. Colliding into the ground, he watched the last place he saw Tullece lie get turned into an erupting pillar of magma and fire.

A fire that a silhouette swung arms about and separated the column in a biblical act of defiance against nature. Hovering in the air was Tullece, a gash of blood burnt dry on his scalp and threatening to blind his left eye. Despite his other injuries, he looked on with a fierce smile with a challenging glint in his violet-black eyes.

"You'll have to do better than that to kill me, Gokū!" Tullece hissed out in a jeer. "After all, I am an Apex Predator as well. The rush of your legendary blood flows just as mine does. While your power is from prophecy, I ripped it out of this doomed planet," he chuckled darkly, eyes closing as he nearly whispered. "At this point, you could say I am Namek."

"Then Namek dies twice," Gokū rasped harshly.

Before his uncle could respond, the elder Saiyan looked on to see the blonde fighter swinging his arms in front of himself in a deliberate way. Clasping the wrists in front of his face, he began to speak, his aura roaring to life in a bright Sun glare.

"KA…ME…!"

"You really are a glutton for punishment," Tullece sneered, waving a hand around the burning horizon. "You fire that, and this planet really will explode! Or have you forgotten your other attachments are still here?"

"HA…ME…!" Gokū growled out, bringing his wrists back, creating a swirling maelstrom of bluish light. It overtook his own golden glow, spinning overcast over the sky and ground below, casting the azure outlined white like a flashing star.

Gnashing his teeth, Tullece clapped his hands together and his own aura transferred to the space of his separating palms. There, one could see a familiar golden ring of his signature attack - Killer Ring - though this time it possessed a burning core of bright purple-white.

"There's no reasoning with you," The Uncle sighed, lifting his arms up and shouting in anger. "LET YOUR RAGE BE YOUR UNDOING, NEPHEW!"

"HAAAAAAA!" Gokū howled out, his body shunting forth an immense Super Kamehameha. The sheer scope of it collided into the Super Killer Ring, the smaller dense ki halting fast against the veritable wave of light.

At contact, golden-purple crackled against bluish-white, a ferocious gale screaming across the heavens and beating down the severely degenerating landscape of the world below. Tullece, a mere dozen meters away, held his hands out to keep applying ki to force his bomb forward. Gokū on the opposite side lied at the heart of his own technique, pouring out his life force in a stream of rushing light.

Uncle and Nephew were fixated on this being the final blow. Neither source of power moved, the planet ripped asunder from the pressure and all those still alive had to fight just to survive the Hellscape. Torrential rivers of burning magma and giant decaying roots ripped through the horizon of Namek, ash flowing in the air and lightning showering the sky from constant negative energy sparking across the globe.

Unrelenting emeralds glared into the near invisible outline of Tullece, just as purplish black orbs returned the sentiment. Sparks flashed violently between the bleeding veil that ate away at the ground far below them, forming a seemingly bottomless pit filled with magma and burning charcoal for soil.

Grinding intensely, space bled into a seamless white, the howl churning into an eerie quiet. Roiling together, the core in the ring collapsed in on itself before releasing a purplish-black tidal wave; dragging the Kamehameha with it.

Both fighters disappeared in the rays of light, elliptically painting the horizon with its boundless explosive energy. Ballooning out even to space, one could see a rolling half-formed sphere of deep blue fire. Boiling the sky and the Namek soil crumbling below with magma awash by the hot wind pushing it aside, two pairs of burning light twinkling down to the ground.

Hitting with a blinking impact on the ground, both fighters emerged covered in blood and steam. Gokū's arms up to his face were covered in burning gashes up and down, his hair standing up with a tinge of red staining the roots of his blonde hairs. His tail slumped down, twitching to and fro to show fatigue was catching up to the Super Saiyan.

Tullece himself was less injured from the blast, but sufficiently winded from the battle's duration to this point. Steaming over his body with a reddish tinge outline over where the blast struck him, he heaved heavy breaths while looking on with wide eyes of shock.

Gokū continued to move towards him, the hatred not once dimming from this collision of near death.

How can any Saiyan be this stubborn?!

Those were Tullece's thoughts as he lamented in running pell mell to throw himself back into the fray. Even as his fists clenched and muscles coiled, he knew this much as the pair struck elbow to elbow in another thunderous impact that ripped the ground apart around them.

He is going to win!

Namek, Son Goku's Ship

Raditz was without words. He'd witnessed his fair share of battles - both in person and through the Scouters he'd used to wear - but it was entirely a separate thing to feel combat strengths of this level going at it. He almost wanted to laugh at how liberally Vegeta would throw around the declaration of destroying a planet in their younger days. It wasn't that Vegeta was unable to back it up, any Saiyan with a combat reading of 10,000 or higher was certainly able to destroy a planet - and even lower combat strength readings could blow up relatively average satellites - yet this battle was on an entirely different scale.

Kakarrot had been on the advantageous side for the bulk of the battle, utterly dominating their uncle. During the one-sided portion of the exchange, everything was fine. The planet wasn't happy, as the tree Tullece had planet was draining it with every second. But it could bear it. Moments ago, however, Tullece's combat strength screamed to a new plateau; while he wasn't equal to Kakarrot, he was very close. Raditz grit his teeth, peering out of one of the round windows of the craft he'd shared with his younger brother. He could see the sky darkening, the not-so-natural disasters sweeping the globe.

Two combat strengths, each with over enough power to destroy the planet...and they're giving it everything, Raditz thought. No wonder Namek is buckling under the pressure. The long-maned Saiyan looked behind him, at the corpse of his sister-in-law and his unconscious niece. I can't keep stalling for Kakarrot. It's time to get off this rock. You'll make it back somehow, eh, Super Saiyan?

Heading back towards the console, Raditz was preparing to punch in the coordinates for Earth, when he felt something that once again gave him pause. He wouldn't have even noticed it normally, but Kakarrot and Tullece's combat strengths had dropped significantly in that moment, and the powers they were masking were coming to life. He meant that literally. Ki signatures that he was almost certain were slaughtered by Freeza and company were stirring, all across the planet. Nameccians were popping up across the planet hither and thither, robbing Raditz of words again.

Wait...does this mean... Raditz ditched the console immediately, and saw his assumption as confirmed. The hole in Bulma's breast, left by Tullece, had been entirely healed over, leaving only skin. He could feel her ki beginning to flow through her body. "She's...alive?"

"That's right! She's alive!" A slow, calm voice sounded in Raditz's head. The Saiyan looked around in abject confusion, before shouting out.

"Who goes there?! Show yourself!"

"Calm yourself, Raditz!" said the voice. "I go by the title of Kaiō, and I preside over the northern galaxies of our Universe. You're the older brother of Son Gokū, correct? He was one of my students."

"So you're the one who taught Kakarrot that strange Kaiōken," replied Raditz tersely. "What do you want, and why are you speaking directly into my head?"

"The God of Earth and I have been patching up all the damage caused by Freeza and his men," said the North Kaiō. "But we've overreached. Namek is dying, and everyone who we just revived is going to need your and Gokū's ship."

"Do we look like an interstellar taxi service?" Raditz growled. "Listen here, you, I waited long enough for Kakarrot to finish off that bastard, and now you expect me to ferry a whole race of good-for-nothings?"

"Why shouldn't you?" asked the deity. "You've got time before the planet collapses, and I know full well you're capable of getting everyone to your ship. There's even someone who might be willing to help you."

"I believe you'll find I'm short on allies at the moment," said Raditz snidely. "Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to take o—" Raditz's hand was moments away from the ship's console, when his attention was caught by a sudden intake of air, and the rustling of a body. Behind him, Bulma had sat bolt upright, her slow and steady breathing being replaced by the rough gasp the man had heard only seconds before. She looked disheveled, however, as rigor mortis had not yet set in, was able to move without issue.

"I'm...alive...!" Bulma was astounded to see something semi-familiar; the sky of Namek, and an interior of a ship. It was starkly different from what and where she remembered; she had been devoid of form, standing a line along a gargantuan pathway. It seemed to lead to an office of some sort, but she hadn't cleared the queue before being whisked away, along with the other wisps who had been with her. Now she was here, alive, again. Frantically glancing around, Bulma knew what she was searching for. "Pen! Son!" Her hand struck first, landing on the smaller hand of her unconscious daughter.

Bulma paled.

"Is she—?!"

"She's alive, just knocked out," said Raditz, somewhat irate at the sudden increase in noise. "You weren't so lucky, but it appears your Dragon Balls have brought you back to life."

The scientist made that necessary connection on her own, without needing the information. She steadied her breathing, relieved to know her daughter was alive and well. This, however, didn't alleviate the other concern. Struggling to her feet, fighting the feeling of tiredness creeping through her, Bulma walked over to Raditz. "Where is my husband, Raditz?!" Her blue eyes peered directly into Raditz's black ones, and the Saiyan began to wonder if the most dangerous person on the planet was not, in fact, his Super Saiyan-turned younger brother, but the mad woman glowering at him.

"He's fighting Tullece," Raditz said quickly. "When you were killed, it...it triggered something in him. My brother has become what our people call the Super Saiyan. An unstoppable warrior of rage. He won't stop until our uncle is dead." There was a mix of pride and bitterness in Raditz's voice.

Bulma ran towards the door of the ship, and was horrified by what she saw outside. The planet clearly looked as if it was dying. She didn't need supernatural abilities to tell that; the sky was darkening, and she could see multiple natural disasters beginning to form in the distance. If Son was going to fight without any regard for himself...he'd be caught up in the destruction of Namek. She fumbled in one of her pockets, fishing out a case. Popping it open, the grabbed a capsule numbered "7", and tossed it outside the door.

BOMF!

A single-person plane popped out of the capsule's smoke, and Bulma boarded it without a moment's hesitation. Glaring at Raditz, who had taken her place at the ship's entrance, his hair whipping in the torrential winds of the dying planet, she shouted. "I'm going to get him! Keep my daughter safe, and don't hesitate to leave if you need to! I don't want her caught up in this!" Bulma's hands were at the throttle before Raditz was even able to swear at her, and the plane shot into the sky, trailing flame and exhaust.

In the back of Raditz's head, he could hear distinct laughing and swore loudly.

"It looks like you just got some extra time, don't you? After all, you're not going to leave your brother's wife stranded here?" The Northern Kaiō inquired.

"She'd kill me if I did," said Raditz, thinking not about Bulma but of Tights. Sighing, Raditz turned to re-enter the ship, consigning himself to babysitting until the two idiots in his family made it back to the ship. An incoming power tipped hIm off that he shouldn't quite go back inside. Raditz turned to see a burly, bald man crash land just outside their ship, looking utterly panicked and bewildered.

"Nappa?!" Raditz cried in disbelief.

"And your help has arrived," said the Nothern Kaiō, not even bothering to hide the smugness in his voice that usually accompanied the punchline of a joke.

The planet was dying. Both combatants knew this. Even as they exchanged fierce blows, it floated in the back of their mind. Gokū was prepared to die with this planet if meant killing Tullece. His daughter was with Raditz. They were safe. He could kill this twisted aberration of a family member and pass into the Afterlife, having avenged Bulma.

Tullece was not prepared to die. He had plans, aspirations, and goals for the future. He, who had clawed his way to this point on nothing but his own ingenuity, was meant for than a death on this backwater world.

"I...will not...lose to you...ghost of Bardock!"

These words were followed by a sharp rasp. Gokū had lunged forward, slamming his chest into Tullece's chest. He watched the man stagger backwards, stumbling, and raided his hand to pool a portion of his remaining ki into his palm. It coalesced into a sphere, Gokū thrusting it forward.

"No!" snarled Tullece harshly. His survival instinct moved him, and he struck his nephew's palm to the ground. The sphere struck Namek, but it was volatile and exploded on contact. Both Saiyans were forced back in different directions ragdolling through the dirt.

If... only...I still... Tullece was seething internally. His tree had been destroyed. He had no fruits left to devour. Trying to regain his composure, he felt his hand fumble across something. It was a portion of Shinseijū fruit, scattered in the trees demolition. Grinning, he picked up the flesh and, removing a stray seed, devoured it. The effect was not as strong as a full fruit, but the rush of ki felt like a man dying of thirst taking his first drink in days.

"Fortune favours me, nephew," said Tullece, seeing Gokū return to his feet as he did. "You will not best me!"

Gokū inhaled. He had no words left for this man. He didn't want to speak to him anymore. All that matters was killing him. Gokū cupped his hands at his sides, taking a firm stance. This Kamehameha would use up everything - no, more than everything, he was already running on fumes.

"Is that how you want to go, boy?!" cried Tullece, seeing Gokū take the familiar stance. "One last stand against your dear uncle?!" Tullece spread his arms wide, a ring of ki forming between them, crackling with lightning. This was the gift of the Shinseijū. The might of himself and of Namek.

Gokū ignored him. Tullece clearly was goading him. "Ka...Me..." The ki sphere sprang to life in his palms, swirling into being and emitting a staggering vivid blue glow. Bathing Gokū and the area around him in light, he poured every ounce of ki he could muster. "Ha...Me..."

"GOKŪ!"

Both combatants stopped. A voice, calling for Gokū, rang out like a bullhorn. Gokū recognized it, but that voice had never called him Gokū before. Looking around wildly, his Kamehameha fizzled out, as the Super Saiyan tried to look for who was calling out to him. It was to the sky that he found his answer. Quite literally falling towards him, devoid of even a parachute, was Bulma.

"B-Bulma!" Gokū abandoned any intention of attacking Tullece, who was as bewildered as he, and took skyward to catch his wife. Coated in ki, Bulma found herself cushioned in the arms of a tattered, blonde, Son Gokū.

Tullece found himself at a loss. He knew that woman was dead. He'd slain her himself. Yet he didn't have the time to wonder. Something was headed his way too. Focusing his vision on it, he saw a strange craft whizzing towards him. Tullece's vision was filled with the hue of the metal, and then—

BOOM!

An explosion rocked the air, engulfing him in fire and shrapnel. Gokū, who was descending with Bulma, paid no mind to his uncle's unique predicament. His attention, whole and undivided, was on Bulma. His body shook, not from exhaustion, but from holding back happiness, and disbelief. These emotions flooded him all at once, mixed with a relief he hadn't felt since he knew Kuririn had been revived after he defeated Piccolo.

"G-Gokū..." Bulma stared at him, not quite sure of who she was taking in. "It really is you...I can tell...even with this strange hair and these muscles and bruises...you still have that face underneath everything." Bulma placed a hand on his cheek. "You're my Son Gokū."

Gokū blinked. He hadn't slacked his hold on Bulma, but it was the words coming out of her mouth that confused him the most. "You used my first name..." Gokū felt strange in spite of himself. "You've never called me Gokū before."

In surprise, Bulma realised he was right. "I guess it just...happened in the rush. Falling from a plane and all that. Should I keep calling you Son?"

Gokū shook his head, and before he could even get out more words, Bulma threw her arms around his neck, kissing him. The Saiyan kissed her back, his own emotions magnified by his Super Saiyan transformation, and to his surprise, he found himself crying, all at once.

They broke apart and Bulma stared at him, bewildered. "Gokū, why are you—'

"I thought he killed you," replied the Super Saiyan, the words leaving his mouth without his thought "I wanted to rip him to pieces...to make him pay for it...and I still do...but..." He was never eloquent. Finding the right words here, to describe the miracle the Dragon Balls had given him, was difficult. "But you're here, and—"

"Yes, nephew, she is here," snarled the voice Gokū had become acquainted with over the course of the planet-shaking battle. Gokū and Bulma had largely ignored the impact of her plane onto Tullece's body, thus the sight of the plume of smoke billowing upwards from a roaring fire had gone largely unnoticed. Unnoticed, until it spoke to them, until the flames split apart and the smoke cloud dispersed entirely. Standing, alone in a crater, was Tullece. The explosions had given him new wounds, and he looked more furious than ever, but he was alive. "She's here just in time for me to kill her again! I can send you to hell alongside her!"

"S-Shit!" Gokū threw himself in front of Bulma, ready to protect her from the maddened Tullece. Cupping his hands together again, Gokū braced himself to annihilate his uncle with the Kamehameha he'd been preparing before. Tullece wasn't going to give him the time to gather that same amount of ki, rushing towards him in a fury. Off-balance, with his attention half-focused on Bulma, Gokū wasn't able to protect himself from the sledgehammer Tullece brought down on his head.

The blow was harder than any that Tullece had delivered before. It was a lucky shot, crashing directly into the scar hidden under Gokū's hair.

The very same scar that he'd acquired from hitting his head under Son Gohan Snr's care all of those years ago.

Gokū reeled back, his entire body rocking with pain, and his head spinning like a drunkard's.

"Kakarrot!" snarled Tullece furiously, seeing he'd finally dealt true damage. "No matter what happens, I must survive! I won't let you stand in my way!"

No matter what...survive...

These words rang in Gokū's head, bouncing back and forth like the ringing of a gong. The voice was familiar...warm and friendly, even though it was rough around the edges. He recognised it from somewhere, even though he couldn't remember having heard it. Gokū gripped his head, fighting with the pain of having his scar struck and the words rushing back from the depths of his memories.

Kakarrot...no matter what...you must survive!

Faces swam in front of his closed eyes, viewable was if through a glass screen. A man, who had both his and Tullece's hairstyle, though with a scar on his face and a strangely pained expression. And a woman, with a kind face and shaggy hair. Both were looking at him with immense sadness, though there was happiness in their eyes too. They were looking at him.

"Who...are you...?" Gokū was no longer focusing on Tullece or Bulma at all. He was somewhere much farther away now.

Here he is...!

He's a small brat, isn't he?

He's a baby, Bardock! But look! He's got that crazy hair of yours!

Look at you, Kakarrot...

"G—Gokū, what's the matter?!" Bulma rushed to Gokū's side, reaching out a hand. The Super Saiyan, swerving in movement, avoided her. His eyes forced open, and he stared Tullece down.

"I can still fight...!"

"Can you, nephew?" inquired Tullece, looking perturbed by Gokū's strange behaviour. "It seems you've got a weak spot in that thick skull of yours! I'll end it here!"

Hastily, Gokū placed both hands in front of his face. "Taiyōken!" Light, undiluted and brilliant, rushed from Gokū, filling Tullece's eyes. It was the older Saiyan's turn to roar in pain, grasping at his face, a mixture of confusion and pain stunning him entirely. This seemed ideal as an opening, but even blinded, Tullece was no fool. He swept his arm around him in an arc, cleaving a giant gash through the land. It was all Gokū could do to rush his wife out of harm's way, desperately looking for an opening to take Tullece out.

Damn... Gokū thought. I can't fight him and protect Bulma all at once...and my head...its still throbbing. His focus was shot entirely. Between protecting Bulma, focusing through the pain, and genuinely curiosity at the memories rushing through his head, Gokū had entirely lost the single-focused drive to kill Tullece he'd had moments ago.

The evil Saiyan's eyes began to stabilise, and he could scarcely make out the blurred outlines of Gokū and his Earthling mate through squinted eyes. Tullece clenched his fist, coating it in ki: this would end it.

Or so he thought. An aura rushed past Tullece,.slamming its knee into his head along the way. This new arrival landed neatly in front of Gokū, crouched protectively in front of the man, black eyes locked fiercely onto Tullece. The Saiyan staggered to his feet, utterly, sublimely enraged. His vision, recovering more than ever, could now fully make out the shapes: the new arrival was a Nameccian, tattered, ragged but alive and whole.

"Greetings, Son Gokū," said the Nameccian slowly.

"P-Piccolo?!" Gokū's mouth was agape. The Nameccian in front of him was identical to Piccolo.

"No, my name is Nail," replied the man. "I am acquainted with you through my children. The Northern Kaiō has sent me to aid you." The Nameccian was still wounded from his battle with Freeza, but it was clear he had patched himself up a considerable degree. "So, Saiyan," said Nail, addressing Tullece. "Do you still fancy your odds against us both?"

"Aren't you arrogant," snarled Tullece. "I could swat you away easily, even if I'm not at full power."

"You could," replied Nail. "But if I am serving as back-up to Son Gokū, he will kill you." Nail drew himself up to full height, both fists clenched at his side. "What will you do? Stand and die here...or flee?"

Tullece eyed them both. He wasn't entirely sure if the Nameccian was bluffing. Kakarrot l, alone and on the defensive, he was sure he could handle. A Kakarrot with back-up and a mind free from distractions, he didn't like his chances. Stepping back, Tullece felt the bed of sweat slide down his face. A warrior knew when to retreat. He knew this.

"Fine," he spat. "I will withdraw. But I will come for you again, Kakarrot. Make no mistake of it." He raised a hand towards the distance, but even as Nail and Gokū braced themselves, no attack came. Instead, Aspara's unconscious body whizzed towards her father, who tucked the girl under his arms like luggage.

"I will erase Bardock's legacy from the universe. Until then, you and your brother enjoy this reprieve."

His aura igniting, Tullece burst skyward, heading in the direction of Freeza's ship. Nail exhaled deeply, and relaxed.

"Why did you let him leave?" Gokū asked, sounding affronted. "I–"

"We could not truly have taken him," replied Nail simply. "I was bluffing. My energies are being focused largely towards repairing my body. I don't have the strength for a drawn out battle, and you are exhausted. If he'd taken me out, all he would have needed to do was take hostage the person you're protecting and the loss would have been ours." Nail smiled. "Besides, I can see your heart. It is confused, and hurt, but underneath all of that, is a man loath to take life when it can be spared. I would not have you sully your hands."

Gokū slumped to the ground, finally feeling the weight of his exhaustion hit him. He didn't know if Nail was right. After all, Gokū usually spared those who could come back for a stronger fight next time. If they happened to become better people in the process, that was just a bonus. But he didn't really have the energy to argue the point. His blonde hair, rigid and spiked, slowly slid into its normal shape again.

Son Gokū's eyes closed, and he fell unconscious in the arms of his wife.

A/N:
LastationLover5000: Holy fucking shit! Namek is finally nearing its end! With the battle against Tullece concluded, our heroes can finally begin to make their escape from a dying planet! I can't believe it, but the Namek arc has been nearly twenty chapters, but it feels so much longer! We appreciate everyone dealing with the delays and the absolute madness of our personal lives - both of which have only gotten crazier in the past two years. When this arc started, Tullece was a side idea. We never originally intended to take him this far. But not only did he become the main villain of the arc: he's actually making it off Namek. He's alive, he's not dead! This chapter, let me tell you, was an absolute treat. My coauthor handled the battle portions extremely well, giving chilling lines and action sequences to both parties, while managing to handle the intricacies of dealing with Shénlóng. Meanwhile, I got the last section, with an emotional moment between Bulma and Gokū; the first time, in fact, that she's ever used her husband's first name since they've met. This was actually a concession. A lot of our audience disliked Bulma calling him "Son" - even if it isn't pronounced the same as the English word - and while I was all for it, once my coauthor and I decided Bulma had to die, we decided what better way to shake up the name usage than for her to call him "Gokū" when they reunite?

But I think I had the most fun with the sudden resurgence of memories; Gokū not knowing his identity has always been a thing in the series, until Super finally addressed it. And anyone who follows the Erased Chronicles knows I am a huge fan of Minus. This will not be the last time this comes up, so keep it in mind! And Nail! I bet you all forgot about him! Truth be told, so did I. But that's why my coauthor is largely the brains here. Regardless, this entire chapter shaped up to be so much better than I expected, and is a great pentultimate chapter to the Namek arc!

Demod20: This was a truly great chapter in the making. I had to rewrite to make sure it was the way I wanted it to be. Being a fan of this finale, I think this is one of my best Goku moments I ever wrote. Not to mention I enjoyed my co-author's half, delving into Goku's origins even if slightly while Bulma reunites with her husband. All in all, I hope this is the chapter you all can enjoy.