The Three Legendary Saiyans.
Chapter 100: Last Stop Before Earth.
An Uninhabited Planet out in Space.
On the dark crimson sand of a desert world; four pairs of feet struck the ground hard as four Saiyans materialised out of thin air, amongst them one of the four dropped to one knee and gasped for air on the strange world but breathing was hard for there was little oxygen on this particular world for the plants of the desert world were shrived and dried up from few resources to provide life.
"Goku! You've been teleporting us for hours, you need to rest" Raijin shouted; kneeling down to help Goku to his feet but Goku was drenched in sweat from teleporting from one world to another for hours on end.
"It's a lot harder to teleport now with those tears in reality behind us…" Goku spoke through his deep breaths even with the hostile and life-resistant atmosphere of the world they'd landed on, letting his other knee drop into the sand whilst his fellows stepped back to let him breath the thin air all the while one of the dimensional rifts tore itself open in the skies overhead.
"You're being drained too quickly, even with us sharing our energy fuelling your Instant Transmission, those rifts are interfering with your ability" Vegeta scolded Goku for his rapid teleportation; having planet-hopped for hours on end with barely a chance to blink on each world before being transported to the next world.
"I can keep us going for two or three more worlds, I just need to breath for a few minutes" Goku spoke with struggled effort to keep breathing in the thin oxygen present within the present planet's atmosphere, his skin soaked with sweat from spending so much energy on teleporting in bursts through Space.
"You're barely standing right now Kakarot, continuing now and we risk dying in the vacuum of Space" Vegeta scoffed with annoyance; berating Goku's desire to keep going when they might not even reach the next planet with Goku's physical limit reached.
"I'd hate to say it but I'm on Vegeta's side" Raijin spoke up again; having been staring over a rock formation that resembled a mass gravesite by the placement of each stone, turning his back to it but the sight earned a second glance due to the haunting image of the grave-like stones.
"As am I" Broly muttered; speaking very little as the present surroundings reminded him greatly of Vampa with the dunes of orange sand, the orange skies, and few signs of life.
"Goku?! Goku? Can you hear me?" Called a calm yet urgent voice in the minds of all those present, a voice that was spoken through telepathy though Broly began looking around for the source of the speaking voice.
"King Kai?" Goku stammered through panting breaths, smiling upon hearing a voice he'd not heard in the longest time.
"Goku! You're still alive! I've been trying to track you but its so harder than counting grains in a sandstorm with reality coming apart at the seams and your rapid and excessive use of that convenient teleportation" King Kai shouted with glee that he'd finally caught up with Goku and his friends.
"Sorry about that, but we're in a rush to get back to Earth, but it's been too long! How have you been?" Goku chimed with his typical cheerful tone of voice; scratching the back of his head as he spoke when recalling that he'd promised to restore life to King Kai.
"It's been too long indeed… but thanks for not reviving me by the way!" King Kai shouted; his tone instantly changing from gleeful and joking to an insulted and irate tone of voice.
"I'm sorry King Kai, things just keep coming up and we can't spare a wish for you…" Goku spoke as a large droplet of sweat slid down his face when visualising the angry expression on King Kai's face.
"You mean you just forget…" Raijin remarked under his breath but King Kai would still take notice of the muttering comments, knowing full well that King Kai had been killed by Semi-Perfect Cell's self-destruction and that Goku had consistently forgotten to return life to the deity.
"It has Goku, but now is not the time to play catch-up! Earth is under attack by Frieza!" King Kai spoke carefully before revealing the news of the invasion currently being fought on Earth much to the shock and anger induced in The Saiyans.
"What?! I fucking warned him to not do that" Raijin snapped with instant fury; his black hair raising with his temper, even Vegeta seethed with anger at Frieza's audacity to invade Earth with they were off-world.
"Watch the language; It was him that's causing these rifts in reality" King Kai reprimanded the use of curse-words while on his telepathy channel; furthering his need to contact The Saiyans by informing them that it was in fact Frieza who caused the rifts in reality.
"But how did he do it?" Vegeta scoffed; The Dragon Balls having been used to trigger the rifts but the power to grant such a wish was an unknown to him.
"I'm not quite sure but Shenron was summoned and this catastrophe began not long after" King Kai reported with a twinge of sadness upon preparing to inform The Saiyans of the losses being inflicted back on Earth in the battle between The Military and The Z Fighter's against the sheer might of The Frieza Force.
"But Shenron isn't strong enough to influence reality on this scale" Goku shouted; knowing the limits of Shenron all too well with only Bulma, Piccolo, Dende and Mr Popo knowing better than him of Shenron's limitation.
"That is true, but his powers have been greatly amplified by an external source" King Kai continued to report on what he had gained through observation of Earth, though the rifts were still many hours away from reaching Earth but every second counted in reversing this crisis.
"Bulma's secret project… she was gathering all seven balls for something but never told me what she, Ewan and Hedo were doing" Raijin spoke mournfully upon hearing that Ewan was dead; the fact that he'd died proved that whatever Bulma had been secretly worked on the past year was the cause of his disaster but it would still be some time before the rifts opened in Earth's skies.
"Speaking of Ewan, I was informed by King Yemma that he tried to stop Frieza in your place but died" King Kai informed Raijin of Ewan's fate, the news of Ewan's death struck Raijin hard to the point that a single tear rolled down his cheek for the fallen friend but steeled his own resolve to fight and avenge the fallen.
"King Kai! I need to ask you something" Raijin shouted; staring up at the orange skies of the harsh planet they'd stopped on upon snapping out of his thoughts of Ewan; the cloudless skies and harsh sun glaring down on them along with the thin oxygen reinforced that living on this world was indeed difficult.
"It's rare for you to talk to me Raijin" King Kai chimed up; being cheered up by Raijin request for aid when he'd had so little to do with Raijin's training and progression as a Z Fighter.
"Well I know you can get what I need done with your divine status" Raijin spoke with a sly smirk spreading across his face; even Goku and Vegeta noticed Raijin's sweet talking of King Kai to proceed with his own plan to overcome their current predicament.
"Such praise, very well, what do you need?" King Kai spoke even more cheerfully upon being praised for his divine stature; his ego being stroked into giving Raijin aid for whatever he had in mind.
"Can you contact New Namek, convey my request to summon Porunga as quickly as possible, and with the first wish: transport us to Earth, and the second wish; restore our energy and stamina" Raijin spoke with a urgent tone of voice; giving quick instructions without taking time to breath, noticing an approving nod from Vegeta for he too had requested one of Namek's Dragon Balls during the battle with Kid Buu and now that plan needed to be repeated.
"That can be done now that you've travelled a far distance from Beerus' World, and what of the third wish?" King Kai remarked with an impressed tone that they'd managed to travel so far inside several hours and outran the rifts to a small degree as King Kai observed a rift opening up a few worlds away from The Saiyans present location.
"Don't know yet; we'll see if we need it once we get to Earth" Raijin smirked as he'd laid out a plan for the first two out of three wishes; giving Vegeta, Goku and Broly a wink as the trio all smiled back at him for coming up with the plan to do so now that they'd already achieved half their journey back to Earth.
"It'll take some time to get this plan done with the rifts interfering so much, maybe the third wish can be used to slow the fabric of reality's destruction?" Goku suggested; smiling to himself with the hope that another wish on The Namekian Dragon Balls could slow or stop the rifts spreading across the Universe.
"I'm afraid that's very likely not possible to grant; it's beyond the power of Porunga but the enhanced Shenron might be able to slow the rifts if you can get there fast enough" King Kai regretfully informed The Saiyans; vanishing quickly to recommunicate with The Namekians into granting the first two desired wishes.
A long silent pause passed between The Four Saiyans, Broly continued to stare out at the uninhabited landscape, Goku continued to take in controlled breaths from his seat on a flat rock, Vegeta just stood beside Goku with his eyes staring at the man in abject silence, and Raijin paced back and forth in wait for the first wish to be granted.
"Raijin, do you really think Shenron can slow down those rifts?" Goku posed his question; knowing full well how powerful a Dragon that Shenron was and the extent of his wish-granting abilities but he still wondered if Shenron was capable of reversing such a devastating calamity.
"Honestly… I don't know but we have to try something drastic as soon as we arrive on Earth" Raijin shook his head, unsure if Shenron could grant such a wish nor if he was even still present on Earth after so many hours had already passed since the initial wish to tear reality apart.
"Whatever is waiting for us, our power is far greater than any of the soldiers and The Elites will fall at our feet" Vegeta scoffed with a great degree of confidence that they'd conquer The Elites, speaking that they'd win together rather than just himself.
"But your line of thinking is correct, if Shenron caused this disaster then Shenron can reverse it" Vegeta spoke up; getting in on the train of thought, having been quiet for a period of time to conserve his own energies for the coming battles.
"Raijin? Can you hear me?" King Kai spoke back out via telepathy but now he was only speaking to Raijin.
"Yes; I hear you" Raijin answered; glancing up as if speaking to someone directly above him but just stared out at the orange skies as another rift began opening judging by a black tear split across the skies above.
"I have good news and bad; Grand Elder Mori had already gathered the Dragon Balls in preparation for use in this emergency and Porunga has been summoned, but slowing down the rifts isn't possible… so the bad news is in the pits" King Kai regretfully spoke the news that they'd already figured out on their own, though on King Kai's Planet; the otherworldly king stared up at a rift looming over his own planet.
"And what's the good news?" Goku spoke through his exhausted breathing; the thin oxygen on the world causing him to get light-headed as he swayed in his seating posture.
"The good news is that you can be sent to Earth via a wish, and some old friends will be waiting for you once you get there" King Kai reported his good news; smirking to himself as a surprise was indeed waiting for them once they'd arrive on Earth.
"What? What do you mean by old friends?" Raijin questioned with a sense of curiosity as to what King Kai meant, shouting into the orange sky above while Goku, Vegeta and Broly remained silent.
"You'll soon see for yourself" King Kai sniggered to himself as per his jester personality; his telepathy cutting off before giving any further details before the transportation wish was granted.
"How long do we have to wait?" Broly asked bluntly; even though he too had been magically transported by a wish on Shenron but had no recollection of the occurrence due to the blinding rage he'd been undergoing at the time.
"Just a few minutes" Goku remarked with happiness; remembering how King Kai, Guru and Kami had used a wish to transport everyone on the original Planet Namek to Earth, and then Vegeta had orchestrated wishes of The Namekian Dragon Balls during the battle with Kid Buu in order to restore and repopulate Earth so they could use the entire population to fuel The Spirit Bomb.
Within moments; all four Saiyans felt revitalised; like all their lost energy and stamina was instantly returned to them as all fatigue, hunger and stress all melted away in a single instantaneous moment leading Raijin and Goku to both leap to their feet with their newly restored vigour.
"We've recovered, the first wish is a success!" Goku yelled at the top of his lungs, leaping to his feet with the freshness of a fully rested and fed fighter, the sweat dripping from his body vanishing leaving him fresh, fit and ready for combat.
"Don't waste your energy Goku! We'll need every drop once the fighting begins" Raijin threw up a hand to stop Goku from wasting his energy; a soft white light gathering around him and quickly extending to his fellow Saiyans.
With his arms crossed; Vegeta smirked with pride as he too felt his energy and stamina returned, Broly stood staring at his hands as he felt all his strength returning to him after giving so much energy to Goku to fuel his repeated teleportation's, Goku having calmed down stood in wait as they all became clad in a soft white light; only seconds away from being transported to Earth.
Earth.
The soft white light fizzled out around the group of Raijin, Goku, Vegeta and Broly as they stood in a dense forest with the familiar sight of Korin's Tower in the distance, their arrival on Earth led Goku to leap into the air with joy and take in a deep breath of the fresh air.
"We're here" Goku spoke with a sense of accomplishment; his efforts to outrun the rifts in reality having been successful to the point that they could be transported by wish but he sensed three other energy signatures as these more people were teleported into the forest clearing they stood in via the same soft white light that accompanied the transportation powers of Porunga.
"Hello Raijin, it's been a very long time but you've not changed in the slightest" Spoke a voice from behind Raijin's back; a voice that felt familiar but from the distant past, Raijin turned to meet the source of the voice to find three Namekians standing before his eyes all with smiling faces as they beamed at Raijin.
"Are you… Cargo?" Raijin answered as he recognised the Namekian who'd spoken to him, he'd known Cargo as Dende's Brother back on The Original Planet Namek who was now standing before him fully grown and radiating a new strength unknown to Raijin's senses along with two other Namekians that he didn't recognise.
With a sudden burst of laughter and the widening of arms; Raijin and Cargo embraced each other akin to brothers who'd been apart for a considerable amount of time, with The Saiyans and the other two Namekians standing by and letting the two hug out their moment.
"So you're the old friend that King Kai referred to?" Vegeta remarked with a surprised expression; recalling how The Namekians had done all they could to try to hold off Frieza in the past only to fall to his soldiers, but after so many years he felt surprised that three had returned to challenge the tyrant again.
"Yes; I volunteered to come to Earth to help defend it" Cargo responded with a calm demeanour; having been a child during the invasion and destruction of the original Planet Namek but the memory remained vivid enough to force him into action.
"Well we're glad to have you with us; we need every pair of hands we can find, but who are your compatriots?" Raijin couldn't suppress how happy he was to have his old friend back and ready to fight alongside them; turning his attention to the two Namekians he didn't know.
"Oh, pardon my manners, this is Kaji and Sitar, two other Warrior Clan Namekians who volunteered to accompany me into battle alongside our brother, they were born not long after we settled on New Namek" Cargo spoke with a grin; introducing his fellow Namekian brothers who'd agreed to come to fight, though the pair were younger than him having been born on New Namek and regaled with tales of the old home world.
"Well may I be the first to welcome you to Earth" Raijin extended his welcome to Kaji and Sitar; extending his hand to shake hands with the pair of whom gladly accepted the invitation, even Goku and Broly extended their greetings to the new comrades while Vegeta stood steadfast in resisting welcoming The Namekian Warriors until they'd proved themselves.
"What are you doing here? Was this King Kai's doing?" Raijin asked; his excitement getting the better of him and grabbing Cargo's hands when asking him if it had been King Kai who'd sent them reinforcements.
"Actually it was my decision; the entire universe is in danger and I couldn't just hide away, after leaving Earth I along with my Namekian Brothers to fight by your side" Cargo spoke with honour and respect for Raijin; his eyes beaming with pride at the opportunity to fight alongside Raijin.
"So what is your plan for the conflict?" Sitar questioned; looking to The Four Saiyans for a plan of attack rather than just blinding running into battle.
In that moment; Raijin saw it fall upon his own shoulders to lead their group into the warzone and enter the battle to not only save Earth but also Namek and all the other worlds in Universe 7, floating up to the top of and standing atop a fallen tree to gain some higher ground before he began speaking.
"Goku, Vegeta, Broly, Cargo, Kaji and Sitar… we're going for Frieza, cut the head off the snake and the whole invasion by destroying the fleet ships so the enemies have no escape route! Then we deal with The Elites and finally… Frieza himself" Raijin stood on top of a rock to give himself a platform to stand on, laying out a simplified battle plan for the group, intending their first move to be a shock and awe assault now that they all were present on Earth and nobody knew they had arrived.
"What about that Bojack person?" Cargo asked and brought up Bojack's name after having been informed by King Kai of who their foes were; having little knowledge of the foes they were to face except for that the villainous Frieza had returned and he'd volunteered to come to Earth to fight for not only his own people but also to do what he couldn't as a child.
"If he continues the invasion then we kill him too!" Raijin declared; though he dreaded facing him once again, the last time he'd faced off with Bojack none of his attacks had an impact and it felt that Bojack went down on purpose to test him.
The comrades gathered around Raijin all wore widening smiles and nods of approval in Raijin's declaration, in the past: Goku had defeated Frieza on Namek, Future-Trunks had killed Frieza in his first invasion of Earth, Vegeta killed Frieza after he'd exhausted himself using his then-newly acquired Golden Form and halted the second Invasion of Earth, and this time the kill-shot belonged to Raijin.
"Pardon my intrusion but you still have a third wish that Porunga is waiting to grant; do you have anything you'd like to wish for while the opportunity is now?" King Kai interrupted the battle strategy meeting; requesting a third wish if any was to be made now that the first two of Raijin's wishes were granted.
"You know what… since Goku keeps forgetting, use it for the revival of King Kai; I think he's waited long enough" Raijin thought for the moment before figuring the only suitable wish left to be made was one that benefited King Kai himself.
"OH THANK YOU!" King Kai's gleeful voice screamed into everyone's minds; his uncontrollable glee and appreciation conveyed in his screams before vanishing to relay the wish.
"Well, you can thank me when we've averted this crisis Goku" Raijin spoke with a smirk; giving Goku a darting stare out the corner of his eyes while Goku just grinned happily back at him for making the wish he'd routinely forgotten about.
"So have you learnt any new tricks in all the years you've been away?" Cargo turned to Raijin and asked his question; eager to see what Raijin had learnt in all the years he'd been on Earth.
"Oh, watch this!" Raijin grinned widely; with his energy replenished via a wish he felt he could spend a little to give his Aura Form another try, letting his flames burst into life in front of the eyes of his Namekian Brothers, his flames shimmering and forming feathers akin to a pair of wings but quickly faded into flames again before another form emerged out from the fire: a form akin to feathered wings but totalling four though half-formed in the flames but vanishing as quickly as they came.
Even Goku and Vegeta stared at the new development in Raijin's Aura Form with keen interest, the presence of Cargo and his Namekian reinforcements had had an effect of the development of the technique, even though the formation of a tangible shape was still unstable; it was still developing at an extraordinary pace.
Just as Raijin's half-complete Aura Form burst into life; another person emerged seemingly from out of nowhere, donning the white cloak of an Elite but nobody sensed any life signs from the foe as a metallic clamp-like arm shot out from under the cloak and grabbing Raijin by the arm before teleporting away leaving no trace behind.
"Raijin!" The Namekians called in unison; all stunned that their brother had been taken right before their eyes by the white-cloaked foe.
"What happened to him?" Cargo cried out as he'd reached out to grab Raijin before he'd vanished; his former brother having been snatched out right from under their noses by an unknown foe with no life energy.
"Leave him be, we need to keep moving!" Vegeta remarked; unfazed by the sudden attack and dispatching of one of their own.
"How can you be so heartless to your own comrade?" Cargo demanded an answer out of Vegeta and Goku, acting out of frustration that they didn't protect their own ally from being taken right before their eyes; even Kaji and Sitar looked annoyed at the indifference being shown by The Saiyans.
"It's not that we're heartless, we just…" Goku began to speak in an apologetic tone, his vocal delivery being cut off by Vegeta's bellowing voice.
"Whatever that thing was; it was clearly a machine, Raijin can handle a bucket of bolts alone; we should get moving! You Namekians too!" Vegeta yelled upon cutting Goku off; launching off the grass with Goku, Broly and The Namekian Reinforcements in tow as they made a beeline for the outskirts of West City where Frieza's Forces were combatting Earth's Military.