Book 4: The Dissonance of The Earthling Saiyan

by Espeon804

Book 4. Humanity has proved itself a threat. Their ultimate creation backfires and becomes their worst enemy. A Bio-Android goes by the name of Cell - an insect like organism who absorbs anyone it can get to... but for what purpose? Saiyan, Human, Namekian, and Android are forced to join forces. This is indeed a dissonance. It seems that Goku is struggling with himself.

20. Kneel, or face the consequences!

Chapter 20 Plot:

Chapter 20: "Kneel, or face the consequences! Countdown for the final battle!" The cards were set long before anyone noticed, and now the best hand was played! Prince Tarble stands in a position that not even Prince Vegeta would have predicted! Warriors of every type are set to prepare for the battle against Cell, but it won't be so easy now that they have no choice… but to trek carefully under a watchful eye. The word was kept firm… to not cross the line that was drawn. Future Trunks realizes he is about to relive his dreadful present again! And Karot finds himself caught up in the mess! And now… it appears Kakarot is no longer the main threat among the Saiyans, because that throne was taken!

THERE IS STILL A CHANCE…

That Tarble can be kept in a brighter light! While the prince had picked up a harsh attitude, his intentions are not cruel towards anyone else. At least, not yet. The preparation for the Cell Games are back in movement. There is unfortunately one major problem that may just effect the results of the fight. There are no second chances.

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A/N: Espeon804 here with another great chapter!

Challenge: Take a shot every time Kauli swears.

Wait.

Don't do that.

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PUBLISHED: SEPTEMBER 15, 2020!

WORDS: 21,510

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So… my mother keeps listening to this song, and it helped me write a scene you'll see in the chapter. :)

She made me like this song.

Take a listen. (Wattpad readers, the video is already posted at the very top of the page!)

Add to YouTube URL:

/watch?v=QyIXefoepOM

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Sooo… when everyone starts fighting Cell, I might die because I have the worst short-term memory EVER.

I had to read over chapters 11-19. IT WAS NOT FUN.

"But Espeon, you wrote this story! I thought you would enjoy it!"

Yes. True. I do enjoy the story, but my memory is just as bad as Dory from Finding Nemo sometimes, okay?

Help.

Anyway…

So uh, I try not to speak too much of my personal life. But the reasons why I haven't uploaded this long was due to a few personal issues.

And recently, I lost a family member. So yeah...

But, as I took a break from Wattpad, I find myself writing a lot more than normal. It's a pretty good way to cope, I guess.

These long-awaited updates... I kinda feel like Camilia, the creator of Glitchtale. These stories do take time, and so much thought is put into them.

That episode was siiick. Yooo Gaster.

But yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I post updates on my Wattpad page if you are curious.

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DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DB, DBZ, DBGT, DBZKAI, OR DBS! Akira Toriyama does!

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Key:

"Talking"

"Foreign Language"

'Thoughts'

"Telepathy"

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It's been pretty rough.

-Espeon804

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- Chapter 20: Kneel, or face the consequences! Countdown for the final battle! -

After Tarble left, everyone silently agreed to not say a word to him for some time. He is rather… unpredictable.

He was angry. His tail continued to lash for the rest of the night, knocking down any unlucky items. Most didn't survive the fall. For once, he didn't care that anything broke inside the ship.

That wasn't a good sign.

Everyone ate in silence. Vegeta kept his distance from Tarble, and Nappa stood between them… acting as a much-needed barricade.

As for those who took quick glances at Gine, the mother hasn't touched her food. She sat in complete silence. Her tail was heavy on the floor, unmoving. The expression on her face was hard to read, but there was no doubt she was troubled with her own thoughts.

Her son's pleaded for her to eat, but they were not successful. At the very end, she pushed her plates to them and left the table.

Nappa requested for her to rest in the healing chamber, but she declined. Instead, she retreated to the sleeping quarters. She said she needed time alone.

It's understandable.

Everyone probably did.

It was like this for the rest of the night.

…

By morning...

It's heavily storming outside.

No one has really bothered to repair the door. No one really had time, so it just lies against the doorway it's meant to seal shut. The entrance is soaked with rain, and it doesn't appear that the storm would end anytime soon.

Mostly everyone sits in the lobby. Gine is yet to come out. Baby Trunks is hopefully still asleep, and the royal brothers aren't present. Kakarot and his brothers picked a table to sit alone. Nappa stands near the doorway, watching the rain from the ugly gap the door is exposing.

Aside the dull rain, there is at least a faint smell of freshly baked pie in the air.

The Humans are having a nice conversation among themselves at the very back of the main room. It seems the blue-haired Launch is welcomed. They can speak to her without worrying about having bullets decorating their body.

As for Karot, he's still rather distant. It seems only Icarus is the only thing on the planet he cares about.

However, not everyone is relaxing at the moment.

Kauli stands near the door, concentrating while holding her hands close together. Her eyes appear dull and nearly grey as they narrow. Blue specks of light begin to cluster. Grunting, she pushes her hands closer. It begins to gather, forming into a small sphere...

The loud crack of thunder breaks her concentration. Screaming, she jumps from her feet, and the sphere shoots from her hand. It flies through a door, and a loud crash is heard, followed by a scream.

She is frozen, holding her awkward position. Her eyes dart around to identify if anyone saw her. While everyone else is confused, Nappa had clearly seen the entire thing. She folds her arms behind her back, trying to look less awkward than she already does. "My bad…"

Strong footsteps confirms someone is not happy. Stepping out the room with smoking hair is Gine. The woman wears a snarl, and her tail is restless. Her eyes land on Kauli.

"I said, my bad…" Kauli knows deep down this woman is very capable of killing her.

Gine takes a deep breath, and her tail settles as she speaks. "Zhè shì shénme? If you are going to practice, do that outside?"

"O-outside…?" Kauli stammers. She glances at the door. "I thought we could train inside…"

"I thought we had a training room?" Kakarot asks.

"Tarble is in the training room," Raditz says.

Kakarot says nothing else. A silent agreement to not even go near the area is immediately made.

"There's hardly a difference. You just don't have much control over what you are doing," Gine says. "I was taking a nap."

"Don't you uh… want to use the healing chamber or…?" Her voice trails off as she earns quite a long stare.

Okay, so not an option.

"Uh, right. Outside…" Kauli waits until Gine heads to the other side of the room. Growling, she leans against the wall. "Shit…"

She takes notice of Nappa staring, and she turns away.

"You would think no one would try to go out there when it's raining so damn hard…"

Another crack of thunder erupts. Kauli bends down as if the entire ship is about to collapse. As soon as it settles, she rises and growls again. Looking at the table, she snarls at the many eyes watching. "Who are you staring at?!"

"You," Turles answers bluntly. "What are you doing?"

"Minding my business, and leaving yours the hell alone," Kauli answers in the same manner.

Turles is bothered by this. "I can't ask a question?"

"Boy, go back to whatever you were doing."

"I was doing what I was until you started sounding like a startled bird," Turles says, crossing his arms.

"You know what…?" Kauli almost has no idea what to say to him after that. She takes a few seconds to look at him before twirling a single finger towards the trio of brothers. "Every time I look at your mother… my head tries to wrap around how you three came out all jacked-up in the head."

"They get it from their father." Gine is heard from the distance.

"Hey!" Kakarot quickly stands, looking back at Gine. "Mom! Raditz told me I was a lot like you!"

"Personality, yes. The looks, not so much. The way you like to fight so recklessly, not me at all." Gine heads to the kitchen, and she looks at the counters. Letting out a scoff, she nearly pouts. "He ate nearly all the pie I made- Raditz!"

"It wasn't me!" Raditz immediately responds, waving his hands out of fear.

"It was probably your son," Turles suggests.

Kauli nods in agreement. "Yep. That baby is something else…"

"... Give me a minute." Raditz rises from the table and sprints for the back. "Seleriak! Seleriak!"

"Yes, father?" Future Trunks is heard answering.

"Not you! The baby you! The- bah! Damn! You actually ate the whole thing?!" There is a loud crash followed by giggling. "Hey! What are you doing?! Get down from up there- MOM! HE'S FLYING!"

The Humans stop talking at once.

Did Raditz say…?

"There's that," Kauli notes.

"He's what?!" Kakarot is in disbelief.

"What the- Wait! Did I do this when I was this small?!" Future Trunks is heard shouting.

"MOOOM!" Raditz is heard screaming again.

Gine keeps her focus on her task. "That's for you to deal with, dear."

"What do you mean?! He climbed things before! He never flew- dah!" Raditz is panicked now. "Stop! Stop! That's my candy jar! Give that back!"

There are a series of crashes and giggling. It carries on for several seconds, coming closer and closer…

… until the baby zips from the back. Several eyes are on Baby Trunks now. He clings on to the jar, laughing endlessly as his father chases him by foot. His future counterpart is right behind him, appearing fearful for the life of himself.

"Oh, no!" ChiChi sounds panicked. "Someone catch the poor baby before he runs straight into a wall!"

Baby Trunks zig-zags around, dodging the many hands that try to grab him. Tien was almost successful. Chiaotzu closes his eyes to attempt to concentrate. His psychic abilities prove useless as the baby pulls his hat from his head. It's thrown towards Launch, but Yamcha jumps in front of her out of fear, and snags the hat before it could hit her face.

It seems catching this baby requires wits.

Setting her things down, Gine bends her knees as her eyes lock on the mischievous child. With a wave of her tail, she lunges from the ground and catches the baby in her arms. Landing softly, she watches him gnaw at the lid.

Krillin is impressed. "Wow. She's a natural."

Raditz staggers over to his mother, clearly out of breath. He raises a finger to say something, but he grabs hold of a chair to sit himself down.

"Father…?" Future Trunks is a bit concerned.

Raditz lowers his head. "There is a clear difference between fighting… and raising a child…"

Baby Trunks coos as he drools on the lid. He's not so successful with opening it. Everyone watches him with interest, excluding Yamcha. The expression on his face isn't easy to make out.

"If you wanted some candy…" Gine gently takes the jar from the baby's hands. "You could have just asked."

The second the jar is opened, Baby Trunks dives his little hand inside. A little tap from Gine is enough to make him pull back. He watches her take a single piece out. Once offered, he gently takes it from her hand and looks at her.

"Go on. It's yours."

Those are the only words he needed to hear. He pops it in his mouth in an instant.

"She… she tamed the little monster," Yamcha grumbles, now frustrated in more ways than one.

The others are mostly in disbelief. ChiChi is the most surprised. No one else knows how to handle the unruly child.

"So…" Turles turns to his mother. "This… doesn't surprise you?"

"No. He's half human. Saiyan hybrids have proven to have hidden pottiental," Gine answers. She allows Raditz to quickly take the jar back. Baby Trunks is far too distracted to try to claim it again. Once the jar is put away, she hands the baby back to Raditz.

Raditz is hesitant to take him, but after seeing how calm he is, the baby is in his arms.

"Besides. We should be glad the baby taught himself how to fly," Gine adds.

"What about you?" Kauli asks.

Gine crosses her arms. "My mother dropped me off a cliff when I was three."

"Oh, my!" Chichi gasps.

Kauli opens her mouth. For a few seconds, no words come out as she presses her hands against each other. Finally, she mutters a soft, "Okay then…"

Gine gives Kauli a small smile as she turns to the oven.

Kakarot can sense Kauli's discomfort, so he tries to change the subject with a cheerful question. "Hey, mom. So, you taught big brother how to fight, huh?"

"That's right," Gine answers with a smile.

"I bet that was fun," Kakarot says, interested. His attention shifts to Raditz. "She was probably the nicest teacher ever, huh?"

Turles scoffs at this.

"What?" Kakarot is confused.

Raditz shakes his head. "You think my mother was a kind teacher?"

Kakarot was expecting to hear more from Raditz but… that's it. Kauli is growing uncomfortable now.

As for Gine...

She is already taking down flour and sugar. It appears she is willing to bake another pie. "By the way, Kauli…"

"Um… yes?" Kauli is alert.

"Your eyes…" Gine taps near her eyes. "What happened to them?"

The question catches Kauli off guard. Kakarot himself is confused at first, until he takes a longer look at her puzzled face.

It appears her vibrant blue eyes had lost a lot of its hue. It's nearly grey now, which is… very concerning.

"Oh…" Kauli places her fingers against her cheek. It had slipped her mind, apparently. "Yeah. It will take a week until I can do that again. Healing him from a fatal wound was… draining."

"Then why try to practice energy manipulation?" Turles asks.

Kauli frowns at the question. "Ain't nobody should be sitting around. We have to prepare for Cell, remember?"

"That is true. That Paragus really threw us off," Kakarot says, rethinking the chaos he brought. He had the feeling there was something suspicious about him. Everyone else just pushed it aside… but can it be blamed? They didn't exactly trust Kakarot, did they? The demonic events made everything terribly complicated. He just got out of the murderous haze.

Where is that monkey, anyway?

"You know…" Nappa finally rises from his seat. He slowly makes his way over to them, looking at each and everyone until his attention is strictly on Kauli. "You have a lot of questions to answer."

"I… had my reasons," Kauli says.

"You kept this from us for a very long time," Nappa says. "I honestly understand why. What you can do… how long have you known about it?"

For several seconds, Kauli is in her own thoughts. She pulls a chair and takes a seat.

"I… found out about it when I was a child." Kauli shakes her head, blown away by the mere statement. "Shit. How old was I? Four? Five. It doesn't matter. I was little, and that's all y'all need to know."

"Understood." Gine nods.

What she just said brings up a new question for Kakarot. "Then… why did you join the Resistance Army if you knew about this?"

"I didn't think about that," ChiChi notes. "Why did you?"

"That's a good question," Kauli says with a light nod. "To be honest… after hanging around y'all for a while, I have an idea on why."

"I doubt it was because of the firearms," Tien says, glancing at the curious Launch.

"No." Kauli shakes her head. "Sure. I learned how to be good with a gun, but the real reason was because I got into a lot of fights when I was young. I mean, I punched people even if they looked at me funny. I was hell."

"Not hell. Saiyan instincts," Nappa corrects her.

"The crazy disease." Kauli gives it her own name.

"Saiyan in-"

"The. Crazy. Disease." She almost shoots him a glare. "And it got worse. So, my daddy figured me joining him in the army would help me learn to control my strength. He had no time for any of that kung-fu or karate classes since he was always working. Momma was already dead so… yeah. You get it. That Chille signed me right up. Basic training was nothing."

After saying his name, disgust is written all over her face.

"Chille. Ugh. I hated that man. Always whining like a little bitch. It's like: Dude, grow the hell up. The world ain't gonna bend to your will. Get over it."

Yamcha is curious. "Did anyone even like that man?"

"No one except Nomlas. I hated him, too!" Kauli is aggressive with the mere mentioning of his name. "They… took advantage of my power."

"What? They actually found out…?" Gine is surprised.

"You know what? Now that I think about it…" Kauli's eyes harden. "I really am a part of this mess. Perhaps this was all my fault as well…"

"How so?" Kakarot wonders. He picked up not just anger, but frustration. Disappointment. Bitterness. It's mostly towards herself. She… appears very hesitant now.

"I'll keep the story short. My daddy arrived… mortally wounded. He would had died if I didn't save him," Kauli says. "Chille was so fascinated. He took me aside and the next thing I knew, he was taking my blood without my damn approval. In fact, he took my blood once a month. It didn't make sense back then. It really didn't. Fast forward to the future, they used it to identify me as a Saiyan. But… before that… now I see. The reason why… they can heal from their wounds…"

"It was because of you?!" Kakarot blurts this out, nearly startling her. Everyone looks at him, apparently preparing for things to turn bad. However, and thankfully, he doesn't get angry. Maybe he would, if Youzi was in his head. Maybe Youzi would demand for him to kill her on the spot.

Seeing Kauli's expression slowly lose the hardened glare, she must be blaming herself.

"Kauli.. don't be so harsh on yourself," Gine says, looking up from mixing a bowl. "I honestly believe Chille is the Human version of Frieza."

"Ruined my brother…" Raditz grumbles.

"He killed my father, remember?" Kauli narrows her eyes. "If I somehow die from this, I probably won't give a damn. I get to see Chille's ugly ass again."

"Sounds like you have a plan," Nappa says.

"Hell yeah. I'll beat his soul so hard, that even the damn devil would want to send his sorry ass back to purgatory."

Her statement amuses the Saiyans, but the Humans appear a bit disturbed. Yamcha speaks softly towards his friends, "I'm glad we never personally met that guy. He sounds like a psycho."

Krillin nods in agreement. "He wasn't fair to his own allies. After hearing everything he did… it makes these Saiyans appear more Human than him."

"I'm sorry…." Launch interrupts. "Who is this Chille? He sounds like a horrible man…"

"It's a bit of a long story," Tien replies. He looks at her strangely, still trying to comprehend her… split personality.

"Did we really mess up?" Kakarot wonders aloud. "To cause all this…?"

ChiChi frowns at this question.

After listening to everything… it is clear that a single man had managed to change everyone's lives forever. A man's terrifying brilliance collaborated with another… and they created a threat that may just destroy them for good.

Humanity wanted to wipe the Saiyans out from the face of the Earth. Even if it took a few years… they might just finally get their wish. The drawback?

The Earthling's have no control of their own weapon. Ironically, now they have no choice but to rely on the very thing they have been trying to destroy.

At the moment, every potential warrior is too weak, and would be killed in a heartbeat. They had the chance before Cell reached his perfect form. The leader of the Saiyans - the arrogant prince - allowed his pride and ego to turn against him. And what does he do? Pin the blame on everyone else.

His brother has had enough once again, but only this time around, it's different. Whatever he has planned, it cannot be good. No one can shake that feeling away.

The casual talk they just had during the ugly storm isn't much of a distraction. It's still deep in everyone's minds. What can they say as soon as Vegeta or Table walk in the room? What if it's the both of them at the same time?

In fact… who is the real blame to this threat that is walking about?

Is it Vegeta, for allowing Cell to reach the peak of his power?

Is it Tarble, for not killing Vegeta when he had the chance?

Is it Nappa, for not keeping Vegeta out of trouble?

Is it Trunks, for giving Cell access to his time machine?

Maybe it could be Kauli… who is the reason why the most powerful soldiers could regenerate.

Perhaps it goes as far back as Raditz, for making Kakarot turn against humanity in the first place.

Or… is it truly is pinned on Kakarot, for meddling with The Red Ribbon Army back when he was a child…? Dr. Gero put his hand into creating the Androids just for revenge…

Who is the blame? Who could possibly take the blame?

"Everyone might be the blame…" Kauli decided, turning her attention to the ground. After thinking so heavily… the reality sinks in. "We keep pointing fingers, but we never bothered to point to ourselves. When you think about it… all of us are a part of it. We just refuse to accept that."

There are no responses. The only sound that is heard is the heavy rain from outside, and the ruffling of paper bags and plastic Gine is tending to.

Kauli takes a seat, not comfortable with the atmosphere. It doesn't get better. The lights flicker as lightning flashes. She is stiff as she braces herself, and she still isn't prepared for the loud crack of thunder that makes her leave her chair in an instant.

"Uh… are you okay over there?" Krillin voices his concern. He isn't used to seeing her acting so jumpy.

No one is. Kauli becomes aware of the many eyes on her. Quickly, her expression hardens. "Who the hell are y'all staring at?! I'm not that pretty!"

"No one ever said you weren't," Turles grumbles. "You're just jumpy."

"I am not jumpy!" Kauli defends herself. "I was about to get up!"

"Yeah, sure." Turles shrugs.

Nappa isn't easy to fool, unfortunately. He brings up a question he had been wanting to ask. "You're afraid of thunder?"

"Uh, no." Kauli crosses her arms. Her calm demeanour is thrown away as a loud crack of thunder makes her scream and jump from her feet.

"Oh! That's rich!" Turles begins to laugh. "She's allergic to cats, and afraid of a loud noise? What kind of warrior are you? I do hope we never face some powerful feline who can make a lot of noise!"

"Boy, don't make me go over there," Kauli warns him through clenched teeth. His laughter is pressing against all her nerves.

"You can come. I'll just stand by the door where the thunder is the loudest." Turles is smirking, knowing he had just saved himself.

Or maybe, he hasn't. Kauli doesn't bother with taking any steps towards him. Instead, she points a finger and nods. "That's okay. Don't worry about it."

Her words silences the mockery, replacing it with confusion. Turles looks at his brothers for an answer, but all they do is give him a shrug.

Kauli shakes her head and walks for the resting area. A tap from a spoon against her shoulder makes her turn around, meeting the eyes of Gine.

"Thunder isn't so bad," Gine says with a comforting smile. "Hearing it after a long period of dry days is refreshing. You shouldn't be afraid of it."

Kauli sighs. "Don't… make me feel any lesser. I just don't like it."

"You know, I personally like thunder," Gine gives the woman a small and sympathetic smile. She clearly knows her words aren't much of a help, but she goes on anyway. "It is quite soothing to me. If you ignore the noise, you can appreciate just how stunning the patterns are that jump across the clouds."

For once, the mother isn't much of a support. Kauli doesn't mention it, though.

"Well," Gine tries to find something else. "thunderstorms could be your friend this time around."

"What…?"

"Let's just hope it gives us just the luck we need. Things can peak and turn the tables."

Kauli shakes her head. The woman's interest in the weather…

The Z-Fighters are confused. They glance at Raditz, but he is no help this time around.

It seems they know where Kakarot gets his weirdness from.

Seeing her words did nothing, Gine changes the subject as her eyes lock on something else.

"Here, sweetie," she says, handing Kauli a plate. On top is a tiny slice of pie. "I saved this one for the baby but… you can have it. He sorta stole the entire pie for himself."

"What?! He did?!" Raditz shouts.

Kauli stares at the offering. "Are you sure I can have this?"

"It's okay. I'm making another pie. Besides, this should help you relax a little."

"Thanks…" Kauli doesn't really know what to say. Gine's display of kindness is genuine, even after what she just endured. She heard about it, and one can only wonder how well the mother is holding up.

Maybe everyone needs a sweet treat today.

"She gave me the last slice," Kauli realizes as she walks away. "I'm not even her kid."

Raditz is quick to catch up to her, holding out his hands. "Hey, give me a piece."

"Nah. This is a piece," Kauli says with emphasis, waving a single hand around the treat. "and I ain't giving you a piece of my piece."

"But-"

"Bye." She walks a little faster now, until she's in the back rooms.

"Looks like Raditz will have to wait, like the rest of us," Kakarot says. It's a bit satisfying, since Raditz always managed to get the last bite of anything sweet. Now, he gets a taste of his own medicine.

"Well, while we wait for the pie to finish baking…" Gine speaks up after a while. "How about someone go hunting? Lunch will be here soon."

ChiChi claps her hands. "I'll go grab an umbrella and pick the vegetables."

"All by yourself?" Kakarot is concerned. He doesn't like the sound of that.

"Goku, I'll be fine," ChiChi assures. "I'm stronger now. Perhaps I'll bring Karot along. He needs to learn the importance of hard work as well. I just hope he'll be a bit cooperative."

Karot looks up from Icarus. He didn't expect to be brought out in the rain.

"If you bring him… I guess it will be okay. As for me, I'll catch a big fish. They should be active right about now," Kakarot says, already looking forward to lunch. The simple thought of it has his stomach growling. His plan will be simple. Catch the biggest fish possible… and the result is… more food for him to eat.

"I might as well look for something." Raditz shrugs. He sets his baby son on a chair. His future counterpart is quick to stand next to him.

This is… confusing to Kakarot. "Don't you hate getting your hair wet?"

"Kakarot, I am very positive I can find a tiger and drag it back to the ship in less than five minutes," Raditz says.

"I can bring back a fish in four," Kakarot counters.

Raditz takes a second to think about what he said. Giving his youngest brother a funny look, he says, "I bet you can't even tell time, and you are challenging me?"

"I'm not that stupid, Raditz!" Kakarot is nearly offended. "Besides. I was only saying that I can bring back a fish sooner."

Raditz growls lightly. "I can bring a tiger back in three!"

"I'll be here before you in two!"

They stare each other down as they both crouch. In sync, they shout; "I'll get back here first!"

Everyone quickly shields their faces as the pair rockets from their places. What is littered on the floor is blown around. They ram the already damaged door down, and they take off to the skies that now roar like a jet. A distant boom is enough to confirm they are being serious.

"Wow…" Future Trunks doesn't know what else to say. His baby self is laughing, entertained.

"There they go." ChiChi shakes her head at the childish display.

Gine smiles a little brighter as she pours diced fruit in a pan. "They are certainly my kids…"

"Since when did hunting become a racing contest…?" Krillin can only wonder.

"They made fighting us into a little game, remember?" Yamcha asks. He shrinks a little, not enjoying the memory. "These Saiyans turn everything into a competition…"

"You know we can hear you, right?" Nappa looks at them, and the pair are quick to step away.

"Well then," ChiChi picks up a few baskets that were lined against the wall. "Gohan, let's go see what we have. Your father had grown a new crop field to pick from so-"

"I'm not going," Karot quickly denies.

ChiChi sets the baskets down just to place her hands against her hips. "I ask you to do one thing. It's not even that difficult. Don't play stubborn with me today!"

"Keeping dad on a leash shouldn't have been difficult, either." Karot doesn't even look at her anymore.

ChiChi is taken aback by those words. She pushes it aside as she responds. "Bring up your father like that again, and-"

"And what? You can't ground me. I'm stronger than you. I can easily overpower you." Karot cuts her off, earning a look of disbelief. "Your punishments will only be in vain. Just leave me alone and get it yourself."

"Gohan! I am your mother!"

"Pulling the mother card only because you know I'm right? Wow. You really are pathetic."

It's like a lightning bolt struck ChiChi head on. The mother screams, and now she's as stiff as a statue. In seconds, she falls back and hits the ground, unconscious.

Future Trunks quickly bolts to the fallen woman.

"Oh, no! ChiChi's down!" Krillin immediately panics.

"D-don't just stand there! Someone grab the smelling salts!" Yancha shouts as he bounces on his feet. "Otherwise, Kakarot will have our hides!"

"I'll grab them!" Launch immediately volunteers.

"N-no! You stay here so you don't sneeze- I-I mean, trip!" Yamcha is already halfway down the back hall. "Hey! Oolong! Puar! Pass me the smelling salts!"

Turles and Nappa watch all the chaos, somewhat confused. Gine sets the pie in the oven and sets the timer before quickly shuffling over to ChiChi.

Future Trunks looks at his grandmother. "I already have her. It's okay."

"She merely fainted, right?" Gine extends a single finger, and static crackles around it. "A simple jolt-"

ChiChi is pulled from her range. Future Trunks looks at Gine, alarmed and nervous. "N-no! That's okay! Krillin's idea is just fine!"

Gine shrugs.

It doesn't take long for Yamcha to return. Behind him are the two shape-shifting animals. They stay near him as he snaps what appears to be a white stick in half. One half is hovered over her nose.

Gine has never seen anything like it before. It's clear from the look on her face. She takes the other half, studying it carefully before dabbing it with her tongue.

Instant regret. She spits as she throws the half aside. Yamcha moves back thinking she might have gotten sick out of nowhere.

"Did… you just try to eat that…?" Oolong had seen it all. "You realize that's not the kind of salt to be eaten, right?"

"I just realized that. Thanks," Gine grumbles as she rubs her tongue.

"Are all the Saiyans like this…?" Krillin asks.

"They get curious about anything that sounds edible…" ChiChi's soft reply is unexpected. All eyes are on her as she slowly rises, pushing Yamcha's hand aside.

"She's awake. That's good," Future Trunks says.

"Thank goodness… she's okay," Launch sighs. "You had us worried there. Your son was a moody thing, wasn't he?"

"Go-" Chichi turns back to the child, who had been watching everything silently. Placing a hand near her heart, she is clueless on what to even say.

What is her son becoming?

"Child…" Gine is back to her feet, approaching Karot, who takes a step back out of disgust. "We just need to tolerate things until Cell is dealt with. You've been terribly rude. While I'm no Earthling, I have a feeling talking to your mother that way is frowned upon here. Am I wrong?"

"Why are you even here? You couldn't even hold your own against Paragus," Karot says. "Not until he pushed all your buttons. You are hiding something. You're a monster too. I see where my dad gets it from."

Gine sighs. "I am no monster. Maybe I was in the past, but… anyone can turn their life around. Just like your father… and yourself. Holding on to these bad things… they don't solve anything. Giving into temptation… only makes things worse."

She studies the child carefully.

Karot replies bluntly. "Running away from your past doesn't help, either."

He almost had her. Gine had to catch herself, and her tail. "I am only here to assure no one else falls into madness. Everyone, including you. Your negativity may make your parents step back, but I am not going anywhere."

"No one ever asked for you to come back to life," Karot says. "You couldn't fight the Androids. You couldn't fight Cell. You couldn't control my demonic dad. You're utterly useless, just as you always were, right?"

Gine huffs.

"When you were good, you were a monster. Paragus made that clear. I felt it. Just go back to the Hell you came from."

"I already told you. I'm not leaving," Gine reminds him.

"I don't want you here!" Karot snaps at her. "Why can't you get that?!"

"I get it. Your yelling alone won't be enough to make me go any-"

All in a blur, a heavy punch pierces through the cracks of her armor. More pieces fly off as her mouth hangs open in absolute pain. Slamming against her back, she skids across the floor until her head hits a wall.

"Mom!" Turles is alarmed. Everyone else has to take a double-take with what just happened.

Karot huffs. "You are still wounded from that fight. You should have stayed away."

"H-hey!" Turles glares at the kid. "Listen here, you little-"

"Son Gohan! What has gotten into you?!" ChiChi shouts at the unruly child. She is ignored this time, but she doesn't stop. "She's your grandmother!"

"I don't claim that freak as my grandmother!" Karot shouts back. "Stop lecturing me already! Worry about Cell instead of me! You're wasting your time!"

"You can't train with Raditz with that attitude! You might try to kill him!"

"Good idea! I didn't think of that!"

"Gohan!"

"Hey!" Turles growls. "I get that you are mad, but you didn't have to do that! She was only trying to help you!"

"I don't care..." Karot snarls.

"Kid, that's enough!" Nappa rises quickly, not liking where this is going. He marches his way over there. "You are out of control!"

"Says the man who lost his own cool and ended up with a hole in his chest!" Karot shouts back.

"Listen you!"

As ChiChi stands helpless, Future Trunks makes his decision to check on his grandmother. The Z-Fighters make their way there as well, but only to get away from the new wave of chaos.

"Are you alright?" Future Trunks lightly grabs her shoulder. A tight and painful grip around his arm makes him release her in an instant. His eyes meet with Gine's, and now, he feels a bit intimidated.

Gine is wheezing. Her body trembles as she struggles to get to her feet. Future Trunks once again tries to assist her, but he is shoved aside, nearly losing his balance.

Turles breaks his attention from his nephew, noticing his mother on her feet. "Uh-oh…" He takes several steps back, with fear taking a hold of him. "She's pissed…!"

"Anyone would be in her position," Nappa says.

"No… you don't get it. I know that look!"

Karot isn't the slightest bit afraid. He can't fathom why Turles - who is far stronger than Gine - could be frightened. Maybe it's because he's her son, which could be reasonable. Even so…

"What are you about to do? Put me in time out?" Karot challenges her.

Gine stands her ground. Spreading her fingers, her hair begins to rise in response to the building static.

"Mom… that's not necessary!" Turles shouts at her. "That's a bit much, don't you think?!"

"What is she about to do?" ChiChi is terrified now. "Is she going to hurt my baby?!"

Karot growls, and his energy bursts and engulfs him. He's at the brink of transforming, but he sees it as unneeded. "If she wants to fight, she'll only die trying!" Overlapping his hands above his head, a yellow sphere of condensed energy forms in front of the palm.

"Are you crazy?!" Future Trunks screams. "You're going to destroy the ship!"

"He'll destroy my mother!" Turles is prepared to jump in.

"He'll kill us!" Oolong shrieks. "I don't wanna be on tonight's menu!"

Nappa's eyes widden. "Kid! Don't do it-"

"HAAAAAA!" Karot fires, unleashing the massive yellow and glowing blast. It illuminates the entire room.

Gine plants her feet on the ground as she throws her hands out in front of her. She creates a translucent pink shield. The yellow blast slams against the surface, which begins to crack. Speaking through clenched teeth, she says;

"I've grown tired of all this drama. Nǐ ne?"

She swings her arms down in a circular motion. The very shield unleashes bolts that strikes the child's arms, making him cry out and stop. The blast finally stops, and with a powerful push, the shield flies forward and engulfs Karot.

Karot is frozen at first. He takes a look around, seeing he is trapped inside a buzzing sphere. Snarling, he throws a punch and regrets it instantly as bolts of electricity engulfs his arm. He screams as he tries to pull back.

Gine's eyes narrow as she nearly grins. "I finally caught you, you little brat!"

"The hell…?!" Nappa actually takes a step back.

This is bad.

"Gine! Let him go!" ChiChi screams, but she is ignored. "Gine…! GINE!"

"Mom! What the hell are you doing?!" Turles screams at her. He sprints forward, frightened for the life of the screaming child. He has no idea what has gotten into her.

Then again, he should have been more careful since she returned to the ship. She's been acting aloof since she got back.

Joining in is Future Trunks, who soars in with his eyes locked on Gine. He refuses to lose Karot twice.

Gine doesn't drop her position. Her eyes shift towards them. A single wave of her tail redirects electrical bolts towards the limb. A powerful whip, and a wicked bolt of lightning tears through the ground just a foot in front of them, forcing them to stop as it roars powerfully within the ship.

Turles stares at the massive and smoking rift it left behind. Tiny bolts jump across the edges. His eyes are locked on the swaying tail.

"Mom…" He speaks carefully now. The wrong words might just kill Karot faster. "Don't do this to us…"

Future Trunks stares at the woman. He catches eye contact, and as much as he wants to tear it away, he remains firm. "Grandmother, listen to us! If you kill him, think about ChiChi! And Goku!"

"You're both just as naive as a puppy…" Gine's response earns her looks of horror.

Her attention turns back to the child.

"I've grown sick of your tricks."

Gine steadily moves her hands closer to each other, as if she is fighting to squeeze an object between her hands. The resistance is strong, and her arms have countless bolts jumping around them.

The sphere is shrinking. Karot's shoulders are touched, and now he's being engulfed by the tiny bolts. His screams carry out.

While it's not as nearly as abusive as what she had done to Paragus, Nappa isn't liking the sight of it. He takes a few steps to put an end to it, but he catches sight of purple fog from inside the sphere itself.

"What the…?" Future Trunks can't look away from the sphere.

No one can.

It's being engulfed with a cloud of fog. It flies around, desperately trying to escape.

"Turles!" Gine shouts.

"Y-yes!" Turles turns to her.

"I need you to reach in there, and snatch the child out!"

"Wh-what?!" Turles is dumbfounded. That came from nowhere! "Mom! I can't do that! I'll get electrocuted! Besides, I only have one working arm right now!"

The mother doesn't look at him, but her tone is filled with frustration. "Turles, you are my son! No one else here right now can resist it! Raditz merely inherited it! All three of you have some form of resistance! Now reach your hand in there, and get him out!"

"I-If you say so…" Turles' mind is racing. He thought for sure she had every intent to kill the child.

But this is his mother.

Turles has to trust her. As crazy as it seems to him, he had seen the reason behind this.

He sprints over to the child. He is hesitant, watching the fog and flying bolts. Shutting his eyes, he shoves his hand right through the surface, easily piercing through and snatching an arm.

Bolts run up his arm, and he bites back a scream as he fights against freezing up. He pulls Karot out, and he falls to the ground with the child in his lap. Karot lies slump, unresponsive.

"That's it!" Clenching her teeth, Gine pushes her hands tighter, and the fog is being relentlessly attacked by the bolts. As soon as her palms touch, the sphere collapses against itself and bursts along with the screaming fog.

Everyone is clueless, and silent… excluding ChiChi. The woman races over to Turles and shoves the man away from her son, pulling the child into her arms. The mother begins to sob as she cradles him.

Gine lowers her hands, breathing hard as she rocks on her feet. Her hair and fur continues to defy gravity. Her eyes are focused outside now. She speaks, well out of breath. "He'll… he'll be fine. He should be… feeling better when he wakes up…"

"What… what did you do?" Nappa asks.

"That demon… has gotten stronger…" Gine mutters. "He can… influence even when he's not… here…"

"What? Youzi is- Wait…" Turles frowns. "Are you feeling okay…?"

"No big deal… I just think… I used the last bit of energy I have left… to free the poor child…" Gine leans back. "I need a medic…"

Future Trunks is quick to catch her before she could hit the ground. Looking at her, he notes she is unconscious. "Someone get the healing chamber ready! She needs help!"

"Does it even work on the dead?!" Turles asks.

"I… I don't really know!"

"We'll just have to test that theory."

The voice of Tarble had silenced everyone. He stands near the door to the medical room. Unlike everyone else, he isn't panicking over it.

"I leave all of you alone for fifteen minutes…" He shakes his head. "Bring her here."

Quick footsteps end with a screech. Standing at the edge of the hall, Kauli appears furious. All eyes are on her now. "Are you fools trying to bring the whole ship down, or what?! I just about choked on air!"

Her eyes fall on Gine, and they widen.

"What the actual shit?! She was just up!"

- 0000 -

It was only supposed to take 1 minute to find a lousy tiger. 5 minutes at most. Kakarot probably beat him to the ship by now. How many minutes had passed already?

No matter. He hardly cares about the race anymore. He's wet, and he's starving. He hates having an empty stomach, but feeling the weight of his hair pressing against his back is just… disgusting.

He looks like a mutated hedgehog. He despises getting caught in rain, next to being denied a good meal. Being soaked and hungry is a horrible combination.

He might as well eat the tiger from the moment he catches it-

Bad idea. His mother would surely know. Speaking of… did her energy just drop earlier? Along with Karot? What's going on?

He should go back. Just to make sure everything is okay.

If his mother is okay, she'll merely scold him for a few minutes since he wasted her time. He'll take that over what she would do to him if he dared to eat before anyone else.

He abandons the hunt, turning around and preparing to take flight.

A few steps in, he stops right in his tracks.

Something is out of place here.

He is completely still, as if the slightest movement would cost him his life. Whatever it is… his body doesn't like it one bit. He can't see who it is just yet, but he knows they are nearby.

His nose twitches as he sniffs the air. It's not until the fifth sniff that his eyes fill with shock. He steps back with a low growl, but the look on his face is a dead giveaway that he isn't angry.

He's nervous.

He steps back and turns his head in several directions. His eyes finally lock on to something. Cautiously, he steps forward, he immediately throws his hand forward in time to catch the barrel of a gun, and crush with a single squeeze.

There is only silence hanging in the air now.

Raditz dark eyes widen as he seems to hold his breath. They meet with a pair of blue that wears the same expression.

His hand is yet to leave the crushed gun. His tail is completely still, but not stiff. The gun's possessor is frozen, sitting and leaning back with her other hand supporting her weight. Dirt covers her clothes and hair, as if she buried herself.

Bulma.

Raditz's tail finally moves, moving like a wave as he leans closer, sniffing at her like a curious dog. Seeing her flinch and hearing her whimper, he stops. He steps back once, then twice, but he goes no further. He is without words.

Is… is that her? She's there. It really is her. Strangely, Raditz can't decide if he should be angry or afraid. He's angry because the troubling scientist was never truly rid off, meaning she will bring trouble. Her brain is what makes her so dangerous. How long ago was she brought back? Could she have possibly gained the abilities 17 and 18 have? Brain and brawn together is an ultimate weapon… one he should have gotten rid of a long time ago.

Then… that means the mischievous little Trunks wouldn't even be around-

Curses.

The reason why he is afraid, is this reason alone. He's afraid of what she may try to do with him, and the baby if she gets her hands on him again. The better question should be... How well would he be able to restrain himself?

Not well at all.

He wanted to deny what Cell said before, but it is true. Bulma is alive. Not with the Dragon Balls. Dr. Gero did something to her…

Right. She's an Android.

There is no way she could be the same as she was back as a mere human.

But… she had a gun. Does that mean she still can't fight? It is very confusing to him.

"Where is he?"

Raditz wasn't expecting a question. Oddly enough, he knows exactly who she is referring to. He snaps out of his thoughts and releases the broken gun. "Far away from you."

The answer came out of his mouth before he could say anything else. He can't deny it for much longer. He really cares about his kid.

His… hers…

Theirs.

The reminder makes him mentally hit himself. He hates the fact that she got into his skin, or maybe he made the first move? He hardly remembers what happened before. They were just talking. He would have killed her himself, but she just had to pull off that stunt…

"You give him back to me. He doesn't belong there!"

Raditz growls. There's no way he will just hand over the baby like that. His expression makes that very clear. He doesn't care if she threatens to destroy the world. He refuses to let Trunks go.

"You heard me." She narrows her eyes. "He was stolen from me. Goku took him, and I want him back! How long do you plan to stand there?!"

She's demanding as usual, but Raditz is in no mood for it. "What can you possibly do? You should know by now that you can't do anything to hurt me."

"The last time you said that… you were vulnerable."

Raditz's eyes slightly widen, and he grits his teeth. "What happened back then... is in the past."

"Is it really?" Bulma challenges him. "I'm sure you have heard of what happened to me. Anyone else would have tried to kill me by now, but you always hesitate. Always. You Saiyans are finally realizing your mistake now that Cell is on the prowl."

"Oh, sure. Rub it in our faces, why don't you-"

"But now… we are just now learning ours…!" Bulma's voice cracks, which catches the Saiyan by surprise. Her eyes started to water as her voice trembled. "All we wanted to do was to destroy you Saiyans… but it all backfired, and now we will only destroy ourselves! Cell is going to kill everything we have left! If you Saiyans can't even beat him, then we really are doomed! Why did I ever listen to Chille?!"

Raditz has no idea what to do. The woman is crying now, which is new to him. He doesn't do well when others are emotional. It's just… awkward.

And here he is, standing by a woman he was convinced was dead. This is the same woman who stood by Kakarot at the beach the day. The same woman who was crazy enough to go to Namek. The same woman who fought back against the Saiyans. The same woman who stood up against Raditz several times, even knowing that she stands no chance.

And she's crying.

He can't take it very well

He can't.

He hates it so much. It annoys him. After a few seconds, he growls and shouts angrily; "Would you just shut the hell up?!"

Surprisingly, it works. She looks at him with her glazed eyes.

"Don't look at me like that," Raditz snarls. "You brought this upon yourself! No one ever told you to foolishly try to fight back. You didn't have to do all that, and none of this would have happened! Kakarot just wanted to be left alone!"

"If I never fought back, you would have left me alone!"

"Left you alone?! You're the one who kept messing with me! I tried to keep my distance, but you like to toy around like it's a game! I warned you to stay back, didn't I?"

"Don't act like you never ran into me on purpose!"

"Don't act like you are innocent! You and your little tricks, I had enough of it!"

"And you thought it was okay to go along with it?"

"Go along? You pushed it!"

"What else was I supposed to do?! I didn't want to die!"

"Oh, sure. Or maybe you were desperate! Regardless of which, this was all your mistake! You played with the wrong man! It's your fault you lost a baby that should have never been born!"

Bulma just stares at him, clenching her fists.

Raditz realizes what he just said. He lightly growls as he breaks eye contact with her.

He feels a bit of guilt. After being around Trunks for so long… and seeing his future counterpart… those words actually hurt. He basically said that the child should have never existed.

The baby's happy nature…

"... Damn it." Raditz grumbles. "Looks like I really do like the kid."

They stay in silence for several seconds.

"He's safe. That's all that matters. But, you won't be. Not when they find you." Raditz growls.

"I doubt you would worry." Bulma says. "You could kill me right now."

"I probably wouldn't. Despite what you've done… I doubt my mother would be pleased if I killed the mother of my son."

He looks into her blue eyes, with an expression that is hard to read.

She doesn't seem afraid. In fact, it is confirmed due to her not moving as he leans closer. "My death didn't bother you, I guess."

"Don't know. When I saw your body… I didn't know how to react. All I knew was that my little brother changed." Raditz says. "And you came back, changed as well."

"Not everything." Bulma says.

"Not everything." Raditz agrees. Bulma remains frozen as he reaches for her face. Once touching, his fingers brush against it, as if he is trying to confirm that she is real. His eyes hold a familiar look. A yearning for something. The longer he stares into those eyes, the more drawn to her he feels. He finds himself moving on his own, almost entirely, as his tongue sweeps across his lips.

Bulma finds her voice after a while. "This is how you greet me? You threaten my life and then you spoil me."

"Mmm…" Raditz steps closer to her. "Do you remember the last time we met like this? Only you were against the tree."

Bulma tries not to be intimidated. "I thought you would have killed me."

"Either way… in the end…" Raditz's voice drops a level deeper; "You were still desperate for air."

Her face turns crimson in seconds. She shuts her eyes and pushes his chest. "What do you want?"

"Answers. As always," he replies. "Like… Why did they turn you into an Android? Is part of you still a human…? Can you fight, or did they waste their technology for no reason?"

"I don't have all the answers to that, Raditz," Bulma replies. "All I do know… is that I can take a lot more of what you Saiyans can throw at me."

"Even me?" Raditz is curious. "I do wonder… if you would last even longer…"

Bulma smirks. "Why don't you find out?"

Taking in her scent, his lips brush against hers…

… but he is quick to move back.

He growls and shakes his head as he forces himself to step away further. Just as he expected, nothing has changed between them.

"What's the matter?" Bulma almost mocks him. Her smile fades, seeing the annoyed look on his face.

"You should… run away or something," Raditz says as he turns away. "There's a lot going on. You being out in the open will kill you this time around. Vegeta and Tarble will destroy you in a heartbeat."

"Wait…" Bulma is confused as he begins to walk away. "Why are you asking me to hide? You're… actually trying to protect me?"

"Honestly… I don't know. This is… complicated, to say the least." Raditz looks back. "Seeing you alive again… it's not easy to describe."

He shakes his head.

"Anyway, I have to prepare to fight Cell. I wasted enough time."

Bulma watches as he leaves the ground. As soon as he flies away, she sighs.

"Just… don't be a moron and kill yourself, will you?"

- 0000 -

A long beep breaks the silence. Immediately, Tarble presses a single button. The fluid inside the chamber begins to drain.

"Hard to believe it actually worked…" Turles is impressed. He steps away to give his mother room to stretch as soon as she steps out. He doesn't really know what to say to her. Her mood can be rather unpredictable.

"I'm glad she's okay…" Kauli is relieved. "I swear, someone gets hurt everyday. It's annoying…"

"Nobody would be getting hurt so much if there were order here. Vegeta clearly doesn't care about anyone. He just wants us to kiss his boots," Tarble says. "As if."

"What? Ew." Kauli is disgusted by the very thought of it. "No thank you. I would rather kiss a frog."

"Really? A frog?" Turles huffs. "Those things are hardly even close to being as bad."

"Their bodies are coated with mucus," Tarble says. "They absorb things through their skin. Of anything, kissing a frog would hurt the frog, not you."

"Y'all are unreal," Kauli grumbles. "You never heard the story about a princess and a frog?"

Gine had been listening to all of it, and Kauli's question makes her face twist, along with the others.

Turles isn't sure what to make of that. "Princess and… a dumb frog?"

"You know…" Kauli begins to explain. "Princess finds a frog. She kisses it. It turns into a prince. They get married-"

"Wait." Tarble has to stop her there. "She marries a frog that turned into a human?"

"The prince was actually cursed. He turned back into a human with that kiss-"

"What kind of shit stories do you Earthlings make up?!" Turles has to ask.

"Hey! It's a classic!" Kauli counters. "And it's a children's fairy tale! It was passed down for many generations!"

"Why would you want to teach your children to go around kissing frogs?" Tarble is even more confused.

"It's called a fairy tale, hello?!" Kauli sneers. "Were you expecting me to just waltz over to you and kiss your problems away?! It doesn't work that way in reality!"

The pair only stare for a few seconds. Tarble speaks up carefully. "Has… that theory ever been tested?"

Kauli throws her hands up in the air. They drop as she turns and walks away, "I quit. I quit at talking to people. I quit at life. I hate people. I'm gone. Don't follow me. Adios. See ya."

They watch her leave the room.

"... I don't get it." Turles scratches his head. "What did we do?"

After a few seconds, he can't help but chuckle.

"She gets worked up whenever we don't make sense to her. It's not our fault she was raised so differently. This is quite amusing."

"Amusing, hm?" Tarble is a bit annoyed now. He has finally figured Turles out, and he hardly likes it. 'You best keep your distance from her. She has no interest in a fool such as yourself.'

Gine is the most confused out of everyone. What did she just wake up to? Well, it hardly matters. She's better now. Taking a look at her hands, she flexes her arms and stretches her fingers to assure everything is doing well.

Tarble turns to face her. "You have made a full recovery. I wasn't sure if it would work with you, so this is a good thing."

Turles takes a step towards his mother, but he moves back, having second thoughts. He isn't sure what could be on her mind right now.

The room door opens, and Raditz walks in. He slows down as soon as he sees what is happening. "I had the feeling something went wrong. What happened?"

Bulma really slowed him down. What if his mother was actually dying? Well, more like… fading from existence. The simple idea makes him feel horrible.

"Well-" Tarble is interrupted due to Kakarot rushing inside, dragging a massive fish behind him.

"Whoa. What did I miss? Mom! Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," Gine says. She shakes the liquid dripping from her head. "Gah… I always hated going in there…"

Kakarot would ask why. It's not too bad. Then again, he wonders how many times she had to use them during her fighting days...

Gine feels around the hole in her armor. A small frown forms on her face. "I just need to replace this. It's useless now."

Kakarot smiles. "Tarble can make you another one that looks just like that!" He looks at the mentioned prince with a smile. "Right? It shouldn't take you too long, right?"

Tarble huffs at the question. "You expect me to keep replacing armor every time it is asked? I have so many other things to do… such as repairing that door you fools keep abusing."

"Technically, Cell kicked it down-"

"I didn't ask for your input." Tarble interrupts Kakarot. "Besides. If she had fought seriously from the start, she wouldn't have gotten as hurt as she did."

Kakarot's smile drops at that comment. He turns to Turles, who is not liking Tarble at the moment.

Gine frowns at his comment. "I'm sorry, but I'm not exactly fond of-"

"Don't bother finishing that sentence. I heard how you practically cooked Paragus alive with no remorse," Tarble says. Everyone's attention is strictly on Gine now. "From the way Nappa described it… you're just as brutal as any other Saiyan."

Gine's jaw hangs open. Didn't Nappa say he wouldn't say a word of it? Or… is she remembering it wrong? Tarble casually bringing it up makes her feel sick to the stomach. Her rage got the best of her, and she just…

"Nappa tried to be… kind enough to leave out the details. But, I am not tolerating anything withheld against me anymore. I made myself clear the other day, did I not?" Tarble crosses his arms, chuckling small. "If you think I am blind to everything that's been going on, then you're in for quite the rude awakening."

He strikes the wall with the side of his fist. Walking inside is Nappa, who appears somewhat disappointed.

"Though, I will admit I am impressed that you kept such power hidden so well for so long," Tarble says.

Gine sighs. She is in no mood to go into details about it. It's clear on her face. Tarble hardly cares. He can't see it, anyway.

She's not angry with Nappa. There is only so much he can do against the princes regardless.

He tries to lighten the mood a bit.

"I've never seen anyone manipulate energy like that before," Nappa says. "I'm starting to see why Bardock's crew was so successful…"

His comment doesn't make Gine feel any better. She shakes her head, not exactly proud of her past accomplishments. Most were not by her hand anyway. Especially after she started to fall out.

"I guess Raditz will easily mirror what you can do, huh?" Nappa leans against the wall.

"What?" Raditz tilts his head.

Gine shakes her head. "Raditz wasn't taught everything…"

He wasn't? It's a bit of a surprise for most to hear, even for Raditz. He gives his mother a puzzled look. However, Nappa appears to have the hunch on what Gine is referring to.

"Your ultimate technique? Why didn't you teach it to him?" Nappa wonders.

"Ultimate technique…?" Raditz echoes. He steps closer, confused. "What's this all about, mom?"

Gine sighs, hating that she is practically forced to give an answer now. "I promised myself I would never use it again! That technique… it's very difficult to pull, first of all. Secondly… I did… horrible things using it. Things I want to forget. Things that kept me awake at night…"

While everyone appears to sympathize, Tarble listens, silently judging.

"Paragus made me break that promise."

"What's the name of that technique?" Tarble asks, trying to pull more answers. He can hear Kakarot shuffling. It appears her sons were blind to all this. Not anymore, will they be.

He wants to expose everyone. Just to show that no one is as perfect as they want to be. To show everyone their biggest flaws…

"I asked you a question." Tarble pressures her on.

"It's called Endless Thundercrash," Gine answers quietly.

"If it's endless… why did you have to stop using it against...?" Nappa is curious.

The question makes Gine flinch. "My body… can only handle so much. Using that technique too many times leaves me stunned and vulnerable… but… there is an exception. The conditions have to be right for…"

"For what?" Nappa asks.

"It to be… at its best. Either way, it was designed to disable multiple vehicles and…"

She lowers her head. She caught a glimpse of her sons appearing a bit shocked. She really doesn't want to carry on.

"And what?" Tarble asks.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Well, you started. You might as well finish it. Or… would you rather me read out your records for your sons and all to hear?" Tarble narrows his eyes. "Better yet, I can display it on the big screen. Paragus sparked an interest for me when he mentioned Planet Mineral. I've read everything about it."

"Wha-" Gine's eyes are wide with horror. "Where did you even get that information?!"

"Our friend left a parting gift," Tarble holds up a small chip. "It's filled to the brim with records on many combat squads. Bardock's has some very intriguing tales. You're not as pure as you want your children to think. How long have you been lying to them?"

"Lying?" Gine nearly growls. "You think I would lie with a straight face to my own children?!"

"You lied to everyone here," Tarble says, lowering his hand. His eyes harden as he bears his teeth. "You had the power to kill Cell before he reached his perfect form."

"What…?" Turles turns to Gine. "I don't understand how that is possible. Even Raditz struggled against the likes of him-"

"It's not about her strength," Tarble says. "After Nappa told me about your fight against Paragus… I realized you were just standing on the sidelines this whole time knowing you too… could have prevented this chaos from expanding. Explain to me why you did nothing?"

"Is that true…?" Raditz asks Gine. "If you could have stopped this, why didn't you?"

Gine doesn't try to look at anyone at this point. "I told everyone before. I came here to keep anyone else from falling into madness. I'm not supposed to jump into your fight. I was supposed to help all of you learn to cooperate-"

"Stop lying. Just admit you were afraid of fighting, knowing what you are capable of," Tarble says. "Explain to them how you could have stopped Cell!"

"You already-"

"I know how. They don't. Explain it to them, or would you rather me do that for you?" Tarble says coldly. "Such as… how you effortlessly struck down a school filled with sheltering-"

Gine covers her ears, nearly screaming. "Quiet! Don't… don't finish that sentence! I'll explain myself… just… just don't do that…"

The younger prince nods as he steps back. "You have the floor now."

Nappa glances at Tarble. He doesn't like the way the prince is making her talk. Gine looked genuinely horrified. Whatever happened back then must haunt her to this day.

Gine glances at her three boys. As much as she would like to leave the room, running away isn't an option.

Not anymore.

"That technique…" she begins. "It was designed not just to disable or strike down multiple vehicles. It can… kill a vast area of soldiers at once. It… was very effective. Using it multiple times ensures coverage… and…"

She notices Tarble waving his hand for her to carry on.

"It can leave a stronger target paralyzed for a period of time… making it easier to finish them if necessary."

"Basically… while she was not as strong as Cell before he reached his perfect form…" Tarble adds to the explanation. "She could have stunned him long enough for us to finish him off. His body wouldn't be able to heal if he is paralyzed, either."

Gine grits her teeth.

"You were holding back on all of us, and that makes me very upset," Tarble tells her. "But you had no problem frying Paragus with such a gruesome technique. Does Cell have to kill one of your children for you to go all-out?"

"He won't get the chance," Gine snarls. Her tail is lashing now. "Are you happy now? For making me feel lesser than dirt?"

"I wouldn't say happy, but that's exactly how I wanted you to feel."

"What has gotten into you?" Gine bites back a growl.

"I've grown tired of lazy and arrogant people, that is what," Tarble answers. "If you weren't so lazy, we wouldn't be in this mess right now, would we? Stop running away, will you?"

He turns on his heel and leaves the room, taking some of the tension with him. Nappa takes one last look at them before following the prince.

Kakarot hates to see his mother appear so defeated. The woman stares out the door, with no words to say. However, looking at Raditz and Turles… Kakarot is worried about them, too.

They thought they knew their mother so well, but it seems there is so much Gine had been hiding from them. It all had to be for a good reason, but Tarble twisted it and made it seem like a cowardly thing to do.

"I'm sorry…" Gine finally says.

"Don't… don't apologize," Raditz replies. He appears a bit grim, but he's not angry with her, thankfully. He has a form of understanding. "Though… why didn't you teach me if it was that effective?"

"Sorry, Raditz. I simply refuse to teach it to you. Even if I did… you have to be careful about using too little or too much. Release too little, you'll fry yourself. Too much, and you'll immediately burn yourself out. It takes… a lot to master it. I don't even want you ever using it."

Raditz nods slowly. He won't push it anymore.

"Don't look so beat down, mom," Turles says. "I mean… I think it's best we don't know exactly what went down between you and Paragus, or anything about your past. There's a ton of things father refused to talk about anyway."

"But, Tarble is right. I could have prevented this… but I wanted to have faith in everyone. Maybe that was a mistake…"

"Mom… don't say that…" Kakarot mutters.

"My pie didn't burn, did it?" Gine ignores Kakarot's words, turning her attention elsewhere.

"I took care of it," Raditz says. "And I didn't eat a single crumb. I swear it."

"And… how is Karot?" Gine asks.

Kakarot smiles small. "He's fine. He got knocked out, but he recently woke up. That fog made him very aggressive… how did you know it took him?"

"I… just did."

Kakarot looks at his brothers. They don't really know what to say.

"Thank you. I'll finish cooking now." She leaves the room, and the others follow along. They stop tailing her as soon as she enters the kitchen.

Everyone is present in the main lobby. Karot sits silent on a corner with his dragon accompanying him. He avoids eye contact with anyone.

Does he feel bad? Or maybe he's afraid?

Kakarot would check on him, but maybe it's still too soon to do that.

Tarble is near the monitor as usual. He thankfully doesn't try to confront anyone else.

His words were harsh.

"Bummer. I wish I can find a way to cheer her up," Kakarot finally says, taking a seat at the table. "Tarble really struck her down. He didn't have to do that."

"Vegeta has pushed so many of his buttons," Raditz says. He hears the cooing of Baby Trunks from underneath the table. He reaches underneath and picks the baby up. Once Baby Trunks sat down on his lap, he looks at his curious face.

Just by looking at that baby's face, he finds himself worried. They know Bulma is out there. They just haven't seen her personally yet.

Why isn't he surprised he sas the first to see her? At least, that is what he thinks.

Bulma already reached her breaking point… which led to the production of Cell. Now she sees her mistake, and all she asked was to see her baby again.

He's not letting him go. Not to her, or anyone else.

Raditz has one more reason to fight Cell.

"Everyone has a breaking point somewhere."

"Everyone is just tired at this point," Turles says. "I myself am tired of waiting for my new arm."

"Wasn't Tarble working on that?" Raditz asks. "Did he have a few spares sitting around?"

"I'm sure he does. I think he's leaving me like this on purpose, though I can't see why," Turles grumbles.

"Yeah. It's not like you did anything to upset him recently. Not like I did, or Vegeta," Kakarot says. "Maybe you did it in your sleep?"

"I don't sleep walk."

Gine has listened to their conversation as she begins to open up the gigantic fish. A part of her wishes they would be quiet for a while, but that's not possible. She also feels terribly exhausted on the mental side. The healing chamber didn't do her brain much justice.

Her thoughts are interrupted at the sound of rapid thumping. Pinpointing the source, she sees Oolong lying on the ground with spilled apples littered around him. They had broken into pieces somehow, which annoys her further.

She needed those.

Oolong notices Gine immediately. His eyes are on the massive knife she is using.

"Uh… you were done with these, right? No? You were not…?" Oolong forces a smile on his face as he quickly piles the fruit back inside the basket. He stands and chuckles nervously.

Gine isn't in the mood for this.

"I'm sure you can still use these somehow. A little dirt won't hurt-"

Gine growls as she stabs the knife through the fish. "Wǒ huì zài zhèlǐ zhǔ nǐ!"

Oolong nearly shrieks as he bolts behind Yamcha's legs. The Z-Fighters stare at the woman, a bit stunned.

"Uh… what did she just tell him?" Raditz asks Kakarot.

Kakarot chuckles small. "It's something Oolong was told many times before. No shocker there."

A distant hiss of a door silences everyone. Stepping out from the information room is Vegeta. He takes a quick look around to account those who are present. "What are you looking at?"

Many eyes look away.

"What are we doing just sitting around? We've wasted enough time. Then again, I care less about what any of you do. I'm going to that time chamber."

The mentioning of the place brings all eyes on him again.

"Oh, yeah!" Kakarot remembers now. "Speaking of the place, I just remembered! We haven't seen Piccolo in a while!"

"Piccolo isn't here? That's odd… and annoying…." Tarble sighs. "Fine. Fine…"

"Oh, that's right!" Krillin realizes. He looks back at his friends. "He missed the whole Broly fight. Maybe he had the feeling he stood no chance?"

"Or maybe he took advantage of the confusion and spent his precious time in the time chamber," Vegeta suggests, more irritated with the idea. "It's time that someone else uses it, and that someone else is me. I'll come out strong enough to handle Cell on my own, and get my revenge for that humiliation!"

"Who ever said you would go first, Vegeta?" Tarble turns towards his older brother. "I already established the order. You simply cannot change it."

"I say what goes. You cannot tell me what I can or can't do," Vegeta snarls. "We are not having this conversation again, are we?"

"No. We're not."

Tarble's response catches Vegeta by surprise. He said that so casually. The older prince can't make out what his brother could mean by that. Considering the fact that he had an outburst yesterday, there is no way he would just drop out like that.

"What the hell are you plotting?" Vegeta asks.

"The plotting was over since yesterday, dear brother," Tarble replies. "I don't feel like repeating myself. I already said what I wanted to say. Your words will do nothing to me. Your threats will become empty. I have the throne now."

"What are you going at? Cut to the point." Vegeta narrows his eyes.

"I won't waste yours or anyone's time then." Tarble turns from the monitor. He crosses his arms behind his back. His tail sways in a relaxed manner, but there is something about the prince that is making everyone wary.

Kakarot can sense something is off. It doesn't take long for him to pin down why. The massive cloak of energy he is sensing informs him and everyone inside the room about one thing.

"You went against my word, and brought him here?" Vegeta takes several steps forward.

Those who were sitting are quick to stand. Future Trunks is quick to pick up his baby counterpart from his father, joining his side. They all turn to the same direction, watching Broly walk through the doors, entering the ship.

It seems he doesn't mind the rain.

"Broly will be staying with us from now on," Tarble says. "I want everyone to welcome him without any hostility."

Kakarot is glad Tarble gave the Saiyan a form of mercy. He knows many are questioning this, considering the fact that Broly can't very well control his own temper.

But Broly is innocent. He is a very kind-hearted person. It was just his father who made him a monster.

"Tarble… get him out of here. He doesn't belong here," Vegeta snarls. "That Saiyan is a freak of nature! He has enough power to destroy the entire galaxy if he so pleases!"

"We had this discussion yesterday as well," Tarble says. "Let's not debate over this again. Though… truly, I have the final word."

"You don't have the final word. I do. I said for you to get him out! He and his father brought a massive delay! We already got rid of that traitor! We are not-"

"You got… rid of father?" Broly asks him.

Vegeta growls. "I wasn't talking to you-"

"It seems Vegeta did the deed," Tarble cuts his brother off. "At least, that is what most would assume."

"What?! I did no such thing-"

"Broly… do you think Vegeta is fit to tell you what to do?" Tarble asks. "He is named after the king who threw you out… and they share so many traits on looks and personality. Vegeta likes to toss or hurt others when he doesn't get his way. He is quite a bully, you could say."

"I… do not trust him," Broly says.

Vegeta has heard enough. He steps forward quickly. "Keep doing that, and I'll-"

"You'll what?" Tarble raises an eyebrow. "What can you possibly do to me right now? Go ahead. Humor me."

"I don't like where this is going…" Yamcha whispers.

Who would disagree? The tension is slowly rising. It's a typical stand-off between the royal brothers. This time around, Vegeta is more cautious. He clearly knows something is amiss, so he can't afford to ram his way through as he always did before.

"I will be taking full control now. It's for your own good," Tarble says.

"Who do you think you are?!" The words Tarble said were enough to make Vegeta furious. "You think you can just strip me from my own power?! You already know that is not possible! You've lost every fight! Just because that freak says I am not fit, does not mean anything should be changed!"

"I don't think I can. I know I can. Change is happening, and it is happening right here, right now." Tarble steps back. "Come at me, Vegeta… if you do oppose the idea."

Vegeta rockets from where he stands, and immediately, Broly steps right into his trail. Vegeta is forced to stop, but he slows down too late. Broly has a firm hold of the collar of Vegeta's armor. The prince finds himself looking into his eyes.

"You've hurt a lot…" Broly narrows his eyes. He doesn't even budge a little despite Vegeta's thrashing. The prince is forced to stop as green energy gathers to Broly's free hand.

"We'll kill him when he steps out of line…" Tarble casually says. "Which may happen an hour from now if he doesn't watch his mouth."

Vegeta looks at his brother in disbelief. "What?!"

"Hey!" Gine is alarmed. "I get that you hate him so much, but you don't have to take such extreme lengths! Let's think about this for a second-"

"You can't possibly be defending him." Tarble is disappointed. "Goodness. This is a cycle that has to break. Gine… you don't want me to tell Broly about your gruesome fight, do you?"

Gine falls silent in an instant. She doesn't know what to say anymore. What she does know… is all it takes is for the story to go out. Then, Broly would surely rampage against her, right?"

"Does anyone else wish to defend Vegeta, and make themselves look like a fool?" Tarble asks.

No one says a word. Nappa appears to want to say something. From the look on his face, he knows a lot more than anyone else does in the room. Spilling any information might just cause him his life.

Tarble shakes his head. "You know, it's sad. It takes such a harsh tactic to make everyone stop being so damn stubborn and finally listen to what I have to say. I don't know if I should find this amusing or disappointing."

He walks over towards Vegeta, and he motions Broly to let him go. The older prince is thrown to the ground.

"Is anyone going to…" Yamcha's voice trails off as Tarble turns towards him. He says nothing else, and is relieved as the prince returns his attention to Vegeta.

No one knows what to do. If they try to step in, will Tarble send Broly to deal with them? They don't stand the slightest chance.

They got lucky.

"This is it?" Vegeta asks angrily. "We are using a monster as some sort of tool?"

"A tool? Oh, no, no. I would never. I refuse to do what Paragus did. We just made an… arrangement." Tarble crouches down and grabs his brother's chin. "Of course you would never understand. Between us… I am the brains, and you are the brawn. And brains always win over brawn, Vegeta."

Once Vegeta is released, Tarble speaks up for all to hear.

"I'll make this very clear. Whatever Vegeta tells you to do, it doesn't matter anymore. You may look at this and think I've done something terrible… but you'll soon appreciate this change. From now on, all of you will answer me." Tarble raises a single finger as he adds; "You better hope Vegeta behaves himself. I actually want him to slip up, just so I can kill him. Any objections? You're free to speak up."

No one tries to.

Why does it feel like trying to oppose it would lead to something terrible?

"Tarble…"

Who does speak up is Kauli. She holds a tone of concern. The look in her eyes, it's not easy to identify if she is saddened or a bit frightened. Regardless, she has his attention now.

"You're not going… insane or anything, are you? I get that you want what's best but-"

"Allow me to assure you that there is nothing to worry about."

Tarble heads straight out the door. Broly glances back at Vegeta before following in a hurry.

Vegeta remains seated on the ground. He is seething, glaring at the ship's opening. For once, he appears stumped. But, for how long? Vegeta has always worked around obstacles before.

But… he couldn't work around Cell or Broly.

And now… Tarble has Broly on his side. What did he say to him? Or maybe is Broly that naive…?

"Can you talk to him?" Raditz asks Nappa.

"I already tried." Nappa frowns. "But I learned recently he surpassed me in strength. He beat me down in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Look. I'm not afraid of Tarble because of how strong he is. He worries me because of the way he thinks and operates. He's clever… too clever. To the point even Vegeta had to step back."

"He has Broly as his strength," Gine realizes. "I don't know… what to think of this. This could only make things worse… but I don't know how he operates…"

"I liked him a lot better when we were on Planet Namek…" Kakarot is honest. Despite Tarble being a massive pushover back then, at least he was so kind. Vegeta made him turn bitter towards everyone.

He basically hardened Tarble… made him grow a backbone.

"Why can't we just be sane all at the same time…?" Krillin asks. "We won't even make it to The Cell Games at this rate. Goku isn't the main Saiyan I am worried about anymore."

Kakarot never imagined he would hear those words. Not once.

That… is a bad thing.

From the corner of his eye, he catches sight of Future Trunks staring off into space. It had slipped Kakarot's mind until now… but of course, the teen would be frightened about this.

Is the future becoming the present?

"Hey… Uh…" Kakarot faces the teen now. "Is… it happening?"

"He's… not like Tarble I know." Future Trunks says.

That's a relief to hear.

"Right now, this Tarble here has a chance," Trunks goes on. "He still has a heart… and a great deal of compassion. The one in my time lost all hope. When he did… Well, according to Master Karot… his heart filled with an incurable darkness."

He shakes his head.

"The second Tarble stops caring for anything… he's a monster. We have to help him before it's too late."

"Oh my… that does sound horrible…" Launch voices her concerns. "Can't we make him a food basket? Will that make him feel better?"

"... Does her mentality change along with her personality when she sneezes?" Raditz wonders aloud. He still can't figure her out.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Tien sighs as he steps forward. "He wants us at The Lookout. I don't want to test and see what happens if we keep an angry prince waiting."

Yamcha isn't looking forward to it at all. "Do we really have to go? I mean… I know we have to train but…"

"We have no choice." Nappa shakes his head. "As insane as he may seem right now… he isn't wrong. Until this is over… we may have no choice but to listen to him."

"Promise all of you will be careful," ChiChi says. "And make sure Gohan is well."

"Don't worry," Kakarot says. "My brothers and I will look after him. We'll just give him a little space until he's up for things."

- 0000 -

Future Trunks stands at the edge of The Lookout. There isn't much to see, other than the fluffy white clouds that float down below. He wonders just how anyone could keep watch of the entire world from such a massive distance.

"Yeah. It's pretty high, huh?" Kakarot joins his side, impressed with the sight as always. "Not even a flying nimbus could reach this height."

"I wonder if this place still exists in my time…" Future Trunks looks back. The other warriors have gathered to their own groups. There's still no sight of Piccolo.

"Odd…" Kakarot looks back at the Z-Fighters. "Has anyone seen Kami?"

"Kami? Oh, no…" Krillin scratches the top of his head. "Kami and Piccolo are missing?"

"Maybe they are inside the time chamber." Yamcha makes his guess.

"Why would he do that? Isn't Kami supposed to watch over everything?" Tien wonders.

"If that Namekian really does see anhthing, then why didn't he send Piccolo to lend a hand, I wonder?" Nappa asks.

"There better be an explanation for this," Raditz says.

"I'm sure he has his reasons," Gine says.

Future Trunks sighs as he turns away.

How is nearly everyone so calm about all this? Did they forget about Tarble's situation? What if Broly suddenly goes Berserk when they need him most? Tarble didn't think this through, did he?

He leaves Kakarot's side to join the other Saiyans. Looking at Vegeta, the Saiyan had distanced himself and sat alone. It's hard to get an idea on what could be going through the prince's mind, but Trunks is sure it is directed towards Tarble.

Tarble…

The younger prince… it's difficult to get a read on what his true intentions are. Is he keeping Broly solely to stay in such a high position? Or maybe, he could be keeping them as a way to protect him? This is nothing Trunks had predicted. This timeline is entirely different. It mostly doesn't benefit his own.

He should have anticipated the possibilities of a multiverse. He got lucky arriving at a timeline that is similar to his own. He could have wounded up in an entirely different setting.

How would that play out?

His attention turns to Karot. The kid… appears troubled, but mostly agitated. Maybe he should try talking to him? Is that even a wise idea at the moment?

"Hey. Kid."

Future Trunks immediately turns to his older uncle. The way he looks at him, it's hard to determine if he is being judged or not.

"Don't think too much of it. As much as I worry about it as well…" Turles glances at Karot. "Well… Cell is still our biggest priority. We have a lot to prepare for."

"Things aren't supposed to be like this, is it?" Future Trunks shakes his head. "What if the training does nothing good for us?"

"Stop being so afraid of the results. If you keep hoping everything will be perfect, you will drive yourself insane," Turles says. "You focus on what we already have, and take that. Use that to your advantage. So what if Karot is having mood swings? He's having a bit of an identity crisis. So what if Tarble is becoming a great concern? At the end of the day, we know not to kill each other. Trust me. Vegeta would have died a thousand different ways if Tarble was allowed to take his life. Despite all the threats, Tarble knows we need Vegeta alive."

"What if he becomes as corrupted as-"

"You said it yourself that he won't, as long as he has something to care about." Turles nearly rolls his eyes. "Stop thinking about the what ifs. Spare me from your endless concerns for one day. Your counterpart has more of a backbone than you do."

Trunks doesn't know how to feel about that.

"I have to train you, remember? Well, technically, we will train each other. But, if you think for one second I will tolerate your constant whining, I'll give you something to cry about? Understand?"

"Uh… r-right!" Future Trunks nods once.

"Listen. I get it. You are afraid of being alone. You're afraid of a repeat of history. Raditz and I… we relate to that more than you think. You don't see us heavily thinking about it all day. Hell, I am without an arm right now, but I am doing just fine."

Future Trunks shakes his head. "No you're not."

Turles sighs. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm not."

There is a few seconds of silence. The pair silently agrees that Turles' situation isn't very ideal right now.

"Right. I was supposed to give you a spare arm, wasn't I?"

They didn't expect to hear Tarble's voice. Was he listening in? Judging from his expression, it's hard to tell. His hearing is surely much stronger than everyone else's. Maybe they should have spoken a little quieter…?

Tarble slips a hand inside his pocket, and he pulls out a capsule. Tossing it to the ground, it bursts and reveals a silver long case. He crouches down and pulls it open. Sitting comfortably inside a soft cushion is a shiny new prosthetic arm.

"I never liked this part…" Turles grumbles.

"It's not about what you like." Tarble positions the arm against Turles' shoulder, and he jams it in place with far more force than usual.

His scream rips through the air.

Gine spins around and slips into a fighting stance, believing Turles had been attacked. It takes a few seconds for her to realize that is not the case.

"Damn, he can scream!" Kauli bangs one of her hands against her ear.

"Are… you okay?" Trunks asks his uncle.

Why does Turles feel like he did that on purpose?

"I'm fine…" Turles mutters. He hopes Cell doesn't break his arm again. The replacement process feels like it gets worse each time.

Tarble steps away to give room. He stands patiently as Turles tests his new arm with several motions and punches.

"Alright…" Turles finally has some form of control. "Seriously. Does anyone know where that so-called Kami is? I think we've waited enough."

Vegeta huffs. "I'll break down the door and get inside the chamber myself."

"Are you sure you want to try that?" Tarble challenges him. "Suppose breaking down the door disables the chamber's effects from the inside? That wouldn't end so well for you. This would be the perfect opportunity to help Broly learn to keep his instincts in check."

Broly points at himself. "Me?"

"Tch." Vegeta turns away. "How long does it take for a Namekian to show up?"

Nappa is a bit concerned. Does Vegeta recognize his position? He realizes there's not much he can do.

"I don't know much about Namekians aside the fact they created the Dragon Balls…"

"Oh, yeah!" Krillin smiles. "If we do win against Cell, but not everyone made it out, we can always bring them back with the Dragon Balls!"

"How can you say that so casually…?" Kauli wonders. "What is with you?"

"Didn't all of you die fighting us?" Raditz asks him.

"Uh… well, they can bring back anyone who hasn't died before…" Yamcha is disappointed with the limits. "But… maybe we can wish Cell away!"

"What is wrong with all of- wait. That can work?" Kauli blinks. "Because I have a new book I want to finish."

"The Dragon Balls are limited to how strong Kami is. I don't know how well that will work in our favor," Tien says.

"Welp. There goes that," Kauli grumbles.

"I hate to say none of that matters anymore."

Walking from inside the palace is one of the two Namekians everyone is looking for. His cape flows behind him with every step. As usual, he wears a scowl on his face.

"Oh!" Kakarot speaks up before anyone else could try. "Piccolo! I was wondering when you would show up! I guess I'm not surprised. You would be the one to get a head start."

Raditz caught on what the Namekian said. "Hold on. What do you mean by none of it matters?"

"Is it me or… has Piccolo gotten a whole lot stronger?" Krillin asks. "Something feels different about him. I just can't figure it out."

"He was inside the time chamber. Is Kami taking a day off or something?" Kakarot wonders. He can't shake the feeling off either. What happened after they left before?

"Hey, Piccolo. Where is Kami?" Krillin asks.

Piccolo crosses his arms, shaking his head. "I am neither Piccolo nor Kami. We have fused to become one. I am the Namekian with no name-"

"Don't be so dramatic. You're look like Piccolo. You sound like Piccolo. You're still a Piccolo," Kauli says, pointing and waving a single finger at the Namekian. "Save the fancy titles for another time."

"Saiyans…." Piccolo grumbles to himself.

"Okay, that explains why your energy feels so different. I didn't think they could combine again," Kakarot says. After a few seconds, his eyes widen.

He just realized…!

"Wait! Kami was the one who created the Dragon Balls!"

"Okay…? What does that mean?" Raditz asks him.

"If Kami and Piccolo became the same, does that mean that basically, Kami no longer exists? The Dragon Balls are alive as long as he is!"

"Wait." Vegeta sits up quickly. "So what you're saying is because they fused bodies, the Dragon Balls are basically gone forever?!"

"I wouldn't say gone," Piccolo replies. "They turned to stone, never to revert back again."

"And you knew this?!" Vegeta snaps. "Why would you do something so reckless knowing the consequences?! What if we actually need those?!"

"I mean… it's not like we could had used it any time soon anyway. They were stone regardless…" Kakarot rubs the back of his head. He had recently summondd Shenron.

"That's not what matters right now, idiot! This planet had its worth because of the Dragon Balls! Now fate probably has us destined to be stuck with whatever we end up with!"

"Can't you just make more?" Gine tries to stay on a positive light. "You are a Namekian."

"Unfortunately for you, no. I am not capable of creating anymore," Piccolo answers. "When we fused, my mind took control. I was never able to create the Dragon Balls. Do you honestly think I would be standing around if I could?"

"This is bad…" Yamcha mutters.

"I'm sorry… I'm lost." Kauli says. "I believe I was told about the Dragon Balls before? They have some sort of genie inside them or…?"

"They are seven magical balls that are scattered across the face of the Earth," Yamcha explains. "Find them all and bring them together, Shenron will appear to grant you a wish."

"So, basically a genie." Kauli nods.

"Shenron is a dragon," Tien corrects her.

"Then it's a dragon genie. Enough said."

Tien nearly face palms at this.

"Wait!" Kauli sees the situation now. "You're saying you basically killed it since the Dragon Balls don't exist anymore?!"

"You traded that for power?" Tarble says. "You've practically doomed us all."

"It's not like we can just fly to Planet Namek." The more Kakarot thinks about this, the worse it seems. "Frieza destroyed it. The other Namekians are most likely dead. There is no other way to revive the Dragon Balls…"

Everyone stands in silence.

"We can't linger on this," Kauli says. "What's done is done. There's no going back."

"How can you be so okay with this? Out of all people?" Turles asks.

"Maybe because I'm not afraid of dying. At least, not this time around. As we said times before… Cell is a priority. If we fight him with the mindset that we are done for, because we lack Dragon Balls… we will be done for. I hate to say it… but imagine the Saiyan race if they knew dying was temporary. How seriously would they, or anyone take a fight?"

"Not seriously at all, huh?" Kakarot replies.

"Saiyans fought life or death battles everyday, I am assuming," Kauli says. "If they return from a harsh battle that nearly killed them… they can feel proud of that. If they died fighting a powerful being, that is respected, right?"

"Well… yeah. As long as you didn't run away as a coward…" Nappa agrees.

"Exactly. We aren't going to hide behind the Dragon Balls. Not this time. It looks like shit, I will admit. But why the hell are y'all having a hissy fit with Piccolo? He did what he had to do, and so should we. Forget about the damn Dragon Balls. We deserved this to happen anyway! We might as well face our own consequences! If we die, we are dead! No ands or buts! At least we died fighting! Ain't no way in hell I'm gonna stand around biting my nails because we lost the genie dragon!"

Turles chuckles. "Well, well. Usually, it's Kakarot who likes to give those speeches. Or… is that an Earthling thing? Didn't you tell Piccolo not to be dramatic? Look at you."

"Don't make me come over there."

"Easy." He holds his hands up. "I'm not trying to mess with you this time around. You got a point."

"Right. Y'all can kill each other after this is over," Kauli says. "But right now, we have more things to worry about."

"Well, she's not wrong," Krillin agrees. He turns to his friends with a smile. "What do you say? We'll train twice as hard, and think of the perfect strategy to strike down Cell once and for all!"

"I'm all for it!" Yamcha nods.

"You can count me in," Tien says.

"Well, there's little to do in one day, but so much to get done in one year," Raditz says. He looks at Karot. "Kakarot. You can trust that I'll have your son figured out by the time we are done. Maybe he just needs a break from you after all. Don't take it personal."

"I won't." Kakarot can see that maybe… after all those months of torment, his son does need time to clear his mind. Especially after getting the fog out of his head… Literally.

How did Youzi do that in the first place? He'll figure it out soon enough.

Turning to Kauli, he gives her a hard pat on the back that nearly knocks her down. "Kauli! I'll teach you everything I know," he promises her. "Just… try not to shoot me?"

"I can't even bring weapons to the tournament. What are you so worried about?" Kauli steps away from him, just in case he tries that again. Rubbing the back of her shoulder, she adds; "I need you to not end up killing me."

"Yes. Don't do that," Turles says.

Kakarot smiles. "Aw, c'mon guys! I'm not that careless! I was taught to be careful around girls anyway! You don't have to worry so much about her, Turles!"

"What-" Turles growls as he steps back. He is nearly flustered. "I-I'm not worried about that annoying woman! I'm glad she's going to be away from me!"

Kauli crosses her arms, smiling small. "Y'all are a mess. But alright. I'll see you in a year, Goku-wannabe."

"Stop calling me that! I was born first!"

"Alright, that's enough." Tarble steps in between them. He ignores the snarl from Turles as he faces Kauli. "I'll be kind enough to let you go first. You have much to learn… and I have a feeling Kakarot might be a better teacher than he seems."

"Might?" Kauli echoes.

Tarble steps closer to Kakarot, making the Saiyan a bit uneasy. "Don't accidently kill her. Understand?"

"I… I promise…" Kakarot forces a smile, even with knowing Tarble won't be able to see it. He waits until the prince moves away to drop it completely. "Oh, man…"

"So the order remains as it was afterwards…" Future Trunks nods. "Me and Uncle Turles. Then Father and Karot. After that, I believe Nappa and Tarble train together, leaving Vegeta and the Humans on their own… wait."

"Who will train with Vegeta?" Raditz realizes.

"Not us. No way." Yamcha shakes his head.

"Certainly not Broly…" Kauli says.

Tarble thinks to himself. "Honestly, Vegeta would rather train by himself regardless of what we do. That leaves the Humans uneven unless one is willing to train with Piccolo…"

Piccolo huffs. "I'll see if I can tolerate it. I just won't enjoy it."

"Maybe Krillin?" Yamcha asks.

"What?! Me?!" Krillin quickly waves his hand. "No way! I had a bad history with Piccolo! I don't exactly what to relieve those memories!"

"I say it could be fitting," Kakarot says. "If you can face well against Piccolo, then you'll surely figure something out when you face Cell."

"I… I guess so…" Krillin gulps.

Piccolo looks at another direction, not enjoying Krillin's cowardness at the moment.

"I'm glad things are settled then," Gine says. "Though that leaves Broly all on his own. He can't possibly be in there by himself."

"It's not like you can possibly help him," Tarble says. "You might as well sit this entire fight out. You'll only get in the way."

"No. Not this time," Gine protests, narrowing her eyes. "I came here to fix things, but I only made it worse, because all I did was stand in the sidelines. Well… those days are over!"

"Mom… are you sure?" Kakarot is deeply concerned. "What if you get killed? I mean… your very spirit will…"

He doesn't want to see that again. After witnessing it happen to his grandfather…

He just...

"I know it's risky," Gine says. "But running away won't solve this problem. We need everyone's help… so I'll join in as well! You can't change my mind!" She looks at Tarble. "Can I request a few changes?"

"Like… what?" Tarble is surprised. Is she only doing this because of what he said to her earlier?

"Have Karot train with Nappa instead. I think Karot trusts him more than any of us right now. I've seen how they interact. Besides. Nappa has handled much worse."

"What are you trying to say?!" Vegeta growls.

"Hm. Good point. Then that's done," Tarble says. "But what about Raditz?"

"He will train with me."

"What?!" Raditz wasn't expecting this. Well, perhaps he should had, but the thought never crossed his mind. He can only wonder how it would go. Sure, she taught him fighting techniques, but this is different.

He can understand why she would want to train him, since they understand each others energy. The chances of her teaching him her ultimate technique is zero, on the other hand.

"Just like old times, huh Raditz?" Turles asks him.

"I guess," Raditz agrees. "I'm not sure what to expect. Spending a whole year with mom?"

"What are you saying?" Gine frowns.

"Nothing!"

Gine smiles before continuing. "That leaves you, Tarble, with Broly. I honestly don't know who could be a better suited teacher. All I can ask is for you to be careful… but you already know that."

"I see. Fair enough." Tarble agrees.

"Mom… what are you doing…?" Turles whispers to her. "This is risky. He already has Broly under his clutches. What if he corrupts him or-"

"He won't bother, I am sure." Gine isn't worried one bit. "Tarble needs a break from Vegeta. His head will be cleared as soon as he steps out."

It can't possibly be that easy. That is wishful thinking.

"I hope you're right…" Kakarot says. "But… will going in the time chamber hurt you?"

"I'll be alright. Besides. Being inside the chamber for one day one hurt. I'll be going back as soon as everything is settled," Gine says. "That was the deal."

"What did she do to him…?" Krillin isn't sure of what to think of Gine at the moment. He's just glad she's not their enemy.

Future Trunks is amused by all this. "Looks like I might had jinxed things, father."

"You probably did…" Raditz says. "But honestly… I have no problem with the change. Not because I get to learn so much more about myself. It's because…"

Looking at Karot.

"Yeah…" Kakarot smiles. "This is the best thing for him."

"Well… what do you say, Nappa?" Tarble asks. "Any objections?"

"None at all. I'll train the squirt." Nappa chuckles as the child looks at him. "You'll feel like yourself in no time, kid. I have years of experience to share with you."

Karot opens his mouth, but loud and rapid clapping cuts him out.

"Alright, alright! What are we standing here for?!" Kauli shouts as she walks towards the palace. She keeps clapping, acting like an instructor. "Let's go people! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!"

Future Trunks glances at Kakarot before looking back at her. "Good luck, Goku."

Kakarot smiles. "Good luck to you, too. We'll both come out stronger. I can promise that much."

"See you tomorrow, moron!" Raditz waves as Kakarot keeps walking. "Try not to eat all the food that's in there!"

"I will do my best!"

Turles, Gine, and Future Trunks all wave as Piccolo follows them to the door. He opens it slowly, and allows them inside before shutting it back.

Raditz slowly lowers his hand. "I'm relieved he's doing so much better now. Though, I know he still has a lot weighed on him."

"He'll feel a lot better once he's back out," Turles says. "I'm sure of it."

Gine nods. Despite all that has happened lately, she is glad that something is working out for once. She can only hope Tarble doesn't become power hungry… or that Cell decides to break his promise and ambush them.

She won't deny it. She is afraid of possibly exploding again. Perhaps her training will help her with that…

Regardless… she's going to fight.

"Well… Bardock… the training has officially started. I'll do my best… and I'll see you again soon."

"Mom…?" Raditz looks at her, puzzled. "Did you say something?"

"Nothing, dear."

She pauses, and her eyes are wide in horror.

"OH NO!"

"What?!" Everyone is alarmed.

"The food!" Gine slams her hands against the sides of her head. "I completely forgot about it! It's probably burned by now!"

"You did what?!" Nappa shouts.

"I am such a fool! Oh, Gine! Why can't you do anything right?!" Gine sprints and jumps into flight, and she dives from the lookout.

"Wait! You don't even know where you are going!" Raditz is quick to follow.

Tarble sighs. "Now I see who Kakarot gets his bad memory from…"

Vegeta watches the pair vanish before crossing his arms and closing his eyes. "This is all a mess."

…

…

Meanwhile, inside the ship, ChiChi sets a freshly cooked loaf of bread on the counter. She steps away as she removes her mittens.

The food set on the table looks like a massive buffet.

"There is no way we can eat all this…" ChiChi takes a seat, feeling a bit intimidated by the numbers.

"But we get to have the first bite!" Oolong excitedly climbs on a chair. He has a fork ready. "Do you have any idea on just how hard it is to get food around here?! This is the best thing ever!"

"I guess so, huh?" Launch is amazed by the sights.

"Don't over-stuff yourself, Oolong!" Puar warns him.

"Are you kidding? I'm a pig!" Oolong jabs the fork through the giant fish.

A little hand shoots from under the skin and snatches the fork. Everyone screams as they quickly move back.

The skin rips open, and Baby Trunks pops his head out with a mouthful of fish.

"What the-?!" Oolong rubs his eyes.

ChiChi is horrified. "How did he even get in there?!"

Baby Trunks winches, and he takes in a deep breath before sneezing, blowing a cup of spices in the air. Pieces of fish fly from his mouth and splatter all over ChiChi.

The mother drops her arms in defeat. That's not the first time that happened.

"Ah… ah…!"

Alarmed eyes turn to Launch. The woman is holding back a sneeze.

"Oh, no!" Oolong shrieks. "Don't do it, Launch! Please stay blue! Please stay blue! Please!"

Puar hides behind ChiChi in an instant.

"Ah…! AAAA-CHOO!"

Launch's entire body rattles as her hair goes from blue to blonde. She stands there awkwardly at first, until she notices Every one staring.

"What are ya staring at?!" Launch snaps.

"She's back…!" Oolong whispers.

The transformed woman turns to the curious baby. "Hey! You! You little brat! Don't you know it's rude to hide inside a fish?! Other people want to eat that, you-"

A plate of mashed potatoes is thrown at her face. Slowly, the plate slides from her face and hits the ground, leaving her with layers of potatoes acting as a face mask.

Baby Trunks points and laughs.

"No! Bad Trunks!" ChiChi quickly picks him up. "You don't throw food at people!"

Launch clenches her fists and growls. The potatoes seem to be melting from her heated face.

She turns away and storms off. It gives an air of relief for everyone.

Baby Trunks turns away and looks over ChiChi's shoulder. He coos and tilts his head, staring at the cluster of spider web layered over a hole in the wall.

He hasn't seen Zhanshitao in a while...

- 0000 -

Through the purple and foggy depths, a bus slows down to a hissing stop. The doors slide open, and a pair of boots step down to the ground.

Immediately, the doors slam shut, and the bus takes off with a loud screech from the wheels. It blows up a cloud of smoke, which results to heavy coughing.

Once it settles, he begins to walk.

Paragus is nearly dragging his feet. If his boots end up stained purple, he'll find it rather irritating but… it's not like it's the end of the world. He's already dead.

He was sentenced to hell on top of that. According to a massive red orgre, he has commited far too many crimes to be allowed to step foot in heaven.

He keeps walking, ignoring the stares from several crestures of all shapes and sizes. He assumes this happens every time another Saiyan drops in. He isn't surprised. The Saiyan race is near extinction, after all.

Still… the way he died…! He is furious by just thinking about it!

"That sly snake…!" Paragus snarls. "I can't believe he did that! Now he has a hold of my son! Everything we prepared for, ruined! Destroyed! If he ever drops down here, I'll-"

"Well, well. Look at who finally dropped in."

Paragus looks up. His eyes catch sight of a flickering tail before they land on the smug face of a short-haired woman. "Wha- Fasha?! I wasn't expecting to see you-"

"Oh, cut the bullshit," Fasha says, wearing a small snarl. "Just about every Saiyan is down here. You were expecting to have a dumb halo over your head?"

"Touche." Paragus grumbles. "Alright. What could you possibly want from me? I'm already stuck down here. So what? You're going to mock me? Spit on me? I've been through that enough. Anything you do won't have an effect on me."

He takes a look behind her. No one is there except the distant inhabitants.

"Where is everyone else?"

"My buddies decided not to see you, because they assumed you'll be wiped from existence," Fasha says.

"What the hell are you going on about?!"

"It's not me you should be worried about."

Paragus is a bit confused. After a bit of thought, he has an idea. "What? Frieza? Cold? Are they here?"

Another voice replies instead. "Honestly, I can't blame you for favoring them in your case, Paragus."

That voice…!

Paragus whips his head around. He looks up, and he holds his breath as his eyes lock onto a pair that are hardened and cold. He finds himself taking several steps back as the possessor jumps down and lands feet away from him.

With every step he takes, Paragus moves back. He is nearly trembling now, knowing just why he personally came down to see him.

"B-Bardock…!"

"I want you to answer this question very carefully, Paragus." Bardock spreads open the palm of his hand. Blue light gathers and compresses to a growing blue sphere of energy. It grows as large as a basketball, but it's packed with enough power to cause unmeasurable damage.

Paragus takes a look back. However, landing in the distance - acting as a barricade - are three Saiyan men. The taller one is wearing a dark grin.

He can't run.

"Tell me…" Bardock's lips pull back as he speaks with a harsh tone. "What should be your punishment for hurting my Gine?"

---

A/N: Finally finished!

I swear if I go several months without an update here, imma throw my phone in the toilet.

Wait… bad idea.

Anyway, so the reason I haven't updated in so long, I already explained.

Also because Pokémon Sword and Shield is about released its expansion pass, and my favorite Sinnoh Pokémon Luxray returned.

And I have Animal Crossing now...

Another topic, this is how I know my writing has changed. Every time I look at book 3… I die inside a little.

It's so freakin' edgy, and I hate it.

At the same time, the writing is really good in a way. But god, I can't stand what I did in chapters 30-32. What was it? 2017? I was 18 at the time.

So stupid.

Also, I've lost motivation on other works. I pretty much gave up on my PMD story because of this one reviewer who absolutely hated it, so it killed it for me.

Urrrrgh. I feel like I'm slipping from my writing skills.

Oh.

OH YEAH!

So like… there was this person who was really inspired from my story and made their own version of the "Goku joins Raditz" AU. It's very dark compared to mine.

And it takes a different turn. So if you wanna check it out, I won't stop you.

It's called "The Return of Kakarot" by rimera. Available Fanfiction.

---

Chinese Translations:

"Zhè shì shénme?" - "What is this?"

"Nǐ ne?" - "What about you?"

"Wǒ huì zài zhèlǐ zhǔ nǐ." - "I will cook you right here."

---

Possible Questions:

PQ1: How hard is it to write these chapters?

A: When I was 16… it was so easy and fun.

Now at 21… sometimes I question why I torture myself with these long chapters. :(

I really want to finish this...

PQ2. Is Tarble becoming a Kakarot?

A: He's not there yet. Everyone is doing what they can to assure that won't happen. His case is different. He didn't become corrupted until he stopped caring.

Right now, he basically has Vegeta at his mercy due to having Broly nearby. Is he abusing his position? No.

He believes what he is doing is right, but he is rather harsh about handling it. We'll see how it goes.

PQ3: Raditz and Bulma?

A: A part of me died when I wrote their interaction. I actually wrote that a year ago, so when I stumbled across it while working on this chapter… I was like;

"Oh… okay then…"

"Why did I write this?"

But I kept it since they were going to see each other at some point anyway. People were asking about it.

I told you my memory is bad.

PQ4: What about Youzi?

A: How he will be handled in future chapters is already determined. I have plans for that monkey.

PQ5: Are we going to see Gohan fight Cell?

A: What kind of question is that?!

PQ6: Who are your top 3 favorite Saiyans?

A: I'm sure you asked. I try not to be bias with them in the books, because everyone deserves a spotlight.

My top 3's are:

-Raditz

-Gine

-Kauli (Y'all made me like her more. Haha)

---

Question Time:

Q: The dialogue of this series never fails to amaze me. Everything flows so neatly, so naturally, and is just flat out entertainingbet you waited chapters JUST for that "You can't make any choices if you can't even SEE the problem" line. Touché)

Also by chance, do you have a discord?

A: The dialogue just comes along as I think. Some were indeed planned. I'm glad you enjoy it.

As for discord, I am actually working on one right now. :)

Q: (Ch. 1) Maaaaaaan this story is stressing me ooooouuuutttt! Just get rid of the damn bone necklace! It's obviously a huge part of the problem! I'm frustrated

A: Well, they finally got rid of it chapters ago. That's the good news.

Q: Aaaaand I'm done. Even if this continues I will not be picking it back up. Too damn stressful, also Vegeta pisses me tf off

A: Oops. Looks like I dragged that out too long. Perhaps I overdid it with the whole Vegeta thing. This habit is the main reason why people had dropped the series in the past. I'm sorry I stressed you with the plot so much. But I'm glad you gave the series a chance. That's all that matters to me.

I'm sure you'll find something better to read out there. Thank you! :)

---

Next Time:

*Insert DBZ Kai's episode preview theme here*

Kauli: (Cheerful) Hey y'all! It's just me, Kauli taking the floor!

Kauli: I learned a lot while hanging around with that greedy-fool Kakarot. As for everyone else, well, why should I care? They better had done something, or our ass is grass!

Kakarot: (laughing) Easy, Kauli! Everyone had a shot and did their best! Now it's time for the moment we've been waiting for.

Kauli: (Annoyed) I hate cockroaches so much. Why did they choose to make Cell a giant mutated bug of all things?

Turles: (Annoyed) Tell me about it…

Gine: (Concerned) Well, this is it, everyone. We just need to plan out how this will go, and cross our fingers.

Nappa: (Determined) We can't afford to mess up! Not even a little!

Raditz: (Confused) Hey! Has anyone seen Zhanshitao?!

Kauli: Next time on; "The Dissonance of The Earthling Saiyan!" Chapter 21! "What it means to stick together! Power comes in numbers!"

Kauli: (Annoyed) Who comes up with these corny-ass titles?!

---

REVIEW! REVIEW!

---

To be Continued in Chapter 21!

---

Upcoming Chapters: (Read at your own risk!)

Chapter 21: "What it means to stick together! Power comes in numbers!" The deadline is due to end! The warriors all brace themselves, taking in the training they endured to heart. But Kakarot isn't too shaken, and neither is Raditz. It's questionable, but the two brothers always seems to know what is going on. Knowing how powerful Cell is, they should be at least a little nervous? After what occurred for the last few days, Prince Vegeta finally came to a conclusion. And Prince Tarble seems to come to some agreement. There is no reason to play around anymore. Everyone has the dreadful feeling that not all of them will walk from the upcoming fight alive.

Chapter 22: "Show us your power, Trunks! The Tournament has begun!" The Cell games has finally started, and who is Cell's first pick? It's Trunks! No one ever said Cell would do the picking, but there can't be any complaints. No weapons means no swords, but the half-Saiyan warrior proves he doesn't need it to fight! It's clear on why Cell wanted to fight Trunks first. And it's also obvious on why he would want to fight Kakarot last. Maybe this was all due to personal grudges?

Chapter 23: "Human warriors, prove your worth! It's time to go all-out!" Cell so far shows little signs of being taken down. The hope next lies on the Z-Fighters who most of the Saiyans find a bit… unhelpful. However, Kakarot knows they aren't to be underestimated. The Humans learned a lot since their defeat five years back! Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien work together to fight that terrible threat! It seems they truly learned a lot. Humans learn from their mistakes better than anyone else, after all!

Chapter 24: "Time for the elites to take the floor! Incredible display of power!" Cell had decided to make things more interesting. After his battle against the Humans, he finds a thrill to fighting more than one opponent. He demands all three of the "higher ranking" Saiyans to take a stand. Surely, they can overwhelm him… right? It's hard to say, but they didn't train for nothing. The only concern is of Vegeta and Tarble can even work together properly during this intense fight!

Chapter 25: "Relentless Brothers, do your best! A reason to stay alive!" Cell has finally made to call to battle Kakarot, but sooner than expected. Seems he decided to bend his own rules due to his own boredom. Fight like Saiyans, he says! Go all-out, for the sake of Planet Earth! It's not a good sign when combined efforts doesn't do as much as hoped. Cell has all the techniques. He knows every counter. They can only keep their fingers crossed. Just how powerful is he? When things seem to turn sour, one Saiyan is terrified of losing it all. Their action leads to an unseen consequence!