Chapter 30

Reunion in Hell

A month passes and it's peaceful, Piccolo makes no attempt on Kakarot's life. Kakarot is healed enough to move on his own; however, he isn't at full strength yet. He notes that he's recovered roughly half of his full power. While Kakarot has eclipsed Chichi's and Chiaotzu's full power, he's still behind Krillin and Tien which puts them at ease. Chich is in the middle of re-applying his arm bandages. At first Kakarot protested at being coddled since he was now healthy enough to move around. However, Chichi was too stubborn, even for him. The last time he did it on his own he didn't do it properly and his wounds almost got infected.

While in the middle of unwrapping Kakarot's old arm bandages she stopped. She wore a worried expression as she examined his horrible arm scars. For a couple moments she touched the scar up and down while looking at Kakarot's face. Kakarot chose just to let her do her thing which is when she suddenly jabbed her finger into it. Kakarot frowned but not out of pain or discomfort, Chichi spoke with a serious expression, "When were you going to tell me?"

Chichi sounded angry but she was more concerned than anything. Kakarot rubbed the back of his head with his other arm while saying, "You didn't need to know."

Chichi then said with a scowl, "You can't feel anything in both of your arms, can you? Is it just your scars or is it your whole arm?"

Kakarot heaved a deep sigh before saying, "It got worse after the fight with Freeza, I figured I'd handle that problem later."

Chichi immediately said in a scolding tone, "I'm not a doctor but I know someone's arms going so numb you can't feel pain isn't something that "just heals". With something this severe you'll either need surgery or… or…"

Chichi trailed off, which is when a third, more aggressive voice joined the conversation, "We're not giving him a Senzu Bean."

Chich turned toward Tien who was standing in the corner of the room with his arms crossed. He had a serious look in his eye as he fixed his gaze on Kakarot. Krillin was wary of him too, but Tien never let him out of his sight, especially if Chichi was in the same room. Kakarot disliked the cold shoulder, but he understood why Tien was so cautious of him. He did kill Yamcha after all, or at least in Tien's eyes he did.

Chichi knew better than to argue with Tien right now. Even Chichi understood Tien's viewpoint, Kakarot was indeed dangerous, and the truth of the matter is he hasn't done enough to gain their trust. It was mostly because he was bed bound but still. Kakarot released the tension by saying, "Don't worry about it, we've got better things to think about. Like what to say to this fortune teller of yer's."

Tien relaxed his posture as he added, "If she's stubborn she'll either make you pay for the request or make you fight some people for it."

Chichi chimed in, "I'm sure if it comes to a fight, you'll win."

Kakarot flexed his other arm as he said, "I'm roughly at half power… which means I'll be fine. Unless you were holdin' out on me."

Kakarot directed that last sentence at Tien who said with restrained agitation in his voice, "...No, if Baba had anyone on your level, she probably would have brought them to us."

Kakarot simply said, "Right, well I'd better get dressed. Did you manage to clean my armor?"

Chichi answered immediately, "Yes, I'm glad you told me they needed to be hand washed, otherwise you would get stuck in earth-wear. Imagine you in a pink shirt."

That last sentence was intended as a joke, but Kakarot replied seriously, "I… might not mind some human clothes."

Chichi grew silent for a moment and a question had come to her, she asked, "Kakarot, why do you want to wear that armor? I-I figured after what you were told you would be… more hesitant…"

Kakarot gave it some thought before eventually answering with, "I'm… still fighting over whether I believe what he said or not."

Kakarot lightly shook his head before saying, "I need to wear the right stuff when I meet "him" anyway. Even if it's in pieces, it's better than showin' up in clothes he's never seen before."

Kakarot then said, "I'll find out after the meeting. I'd better get ready."

Chichi and Tien left the room after bringing in his broken but now clean Saiyan armor. After a short while, Kakarot emerged from the house in the armor he escaped Freeza in. It was in roughly the same condition; the top left half of the shoulder and left chest plate was destroyed. His blue undersuite was missing its sleeves and gloves. The leg sleeves had long, stretched out holes in them but the boots were in working condition. Kakarot noted that wearing it again felt weird, like he was wearing a hand-me down, something that didn't fit. For some reason, to him it didn't quite feel right, he disregarded this feeling as Krillin and Tien with Chichi in tow flew away. Kakarot followed close behind but soon enough he saw above him, slightly lagging behind was Tien while Krillin took the lead. Chichi stuck to Kakarot's side; he was happy to see she finally mastered the flying technique.

After an extended period of time, they finally make it to a lake with a house built on it. Stranger yet, it was in the middle of the desert. Making this a house built on an oasis, it was a circular design. The house was connected to several other brick platforms with other houses on them. Aside from a circular platform with no houses, the others had medium sized pyramids on them. They land at the entrance where a light pink ghost stands (figuratively). It has a cone shaped, straw hat on. It spoke in a high tone, "Hello, everyone! Fortune Teller Baba has been expecting you. Come this way!"

Kakarot was a bit confused by the pink floating balloon but followed her anyway. He took note that he hasn't seen anything like it before. Eventually the attendant led them to a short old woman with purple hair, wearing a witch outfit. She was standing on top of a light green crystal ball which was floating on its own. In all of his years of space travel Kakarot has never seen anything as strangely non-scientific as this place and those who lived here.

Baba immediately greets Chichi, "Oh, hello deary, how've you been?"

Chichi smiled back before saying, "Good, how are you?"

Baba let out a cheerful laugh before saying, "Good, dear, anyhow it seems you brought me a guest."

Kakarot gave her a sheepish wave, unsure how to interact given her strange nature and his otherworldly origins. She broke the ice immediately, "No need to feel skittish, I know why you're here. You'd like me to arrange a meeting with your long dead father."

Kakarot gave her a wide-eyed expression after which Krillin said, "You never cease to amaze me Baba."

Baba looked at Krillin and said, "Yes, yes, how's that old coot doing?"

Krillin let out a chuckle and said, "He's fine, I threw him for a loop yesterday but he's doing good."

Baba smiled at the response before looking at Kakarot and saying, "Before you ask, it is possible."

Kakarot with a smile explained, "It is!"

Baba immediately said back, "Calm down, yes, it is. It took some time to convince the big guy, but I had time on my side and a good reading into the future."

Kakarot looked pleased to hear this, though he didn't understand who she meant by big guy. Chichi had a question, "Baba, have you found out anything else about the big fight you told us about."

Baba asked back, "You mean the one that foretold Piccolo assisting you? No, afraid not."

Chichi gave her a dejected look, Baba said in response, "Don't go lookin' so disappointed. Seeing the future has gotten harder and harder ever since this fella showed up."

Kakarot pointed at himself with his index finger as he said, "Me? What did I do?"

Baba immediately answered him, "Nothing in your control, it's just that high levels of Ki seem to interfere in my seeings. It proved just as difficult when you left, it seems seeing future events involving people with strong Ki interferes just as much. It's why I was so unclear on how or why we needed Piccolo. All I know is that he's alongside you two in the battle and he's helping."

Baba pointed at Tien, Krillin and now Chichi who gave her a surprised look. Chichi pointed at herself in confusion after which Baba said, "Yes, I tried to give that seeing another go and I spotted you fighting alongside them as well."

Kakarot interjected, "But you don't see me."

Baba shook her head before saying, "No, you're either not there or heading that way. You might not even be alive for all I know, that's just how much your Ki interferes with this process."

Kakarot had a grim look after which Baba gave a good stare before saying, "Feeling protective are we?"

Kakarot scratched the back of his neck as he quickly said, "Uh, nevermind that. How's this visit work anyway?"

Baba snickers for a moment before finally explaining the process, "Alright here's the whole process. When someone dies, they normally lose their body, they then go to the Check In Station where their past deeds are judged. If you're nice, you go to heaven, if you're really nice and maybe are given a glowing endorsement by the likes of Kami then you get to keep your body and go to heaven. Yamcha got that privilege when he took an attack meant for Chichi here."

They all wore a grim expression now, especially Baba who then said, "If you're bad, then your soul is sent to hell where it's wiped of memory and cleaned of negative energy and impurities built up by committing sins and then you're reincarnated. You get a second chance, do better next time, King Yemma says."

Kakarot already knew where the next part was going, which is why he asked, "And if you're particularly bad…?"

Baba answered after a brief pause, "Then you're thrown into your own personal hell. Just getting an instant second chance isn't enough for these vile individuals. They are put in a special room that uses your worst memories and your fears to create a looping series of scenarios which torment you for your misdeeds."

Baba's face brightens as she says, "But don't worry… or do, given your request. After a set number of years, varying from the degree and quantity of your sins, you get your soul cleansed and you get reincarnated just like every other soul in hell."

Baba finished her explanation by saying, "While experiencing this personal hell, they get to keep their body but only, so they don't go completely crazy. Turns out not having a physical body to express oneself makes it easier for your mind to break under all the torment they'll be going through."

Kakarot asked, "If I hadn't revived Raditz when I did, then would I have lost the ability to revive him later?"

Baba answered, "When it comes to the Dragon Balls and reviving people in general, you need a soul. They can recreate your body just fine but if your soul is erased or in a new body, after having your memories cleansed then it won't work. On the topic of your brother, he was particularly troublesome."

Baba shook her head in irritation before continuing, "Did you know he tried to fight King Yemma at the check-in station, even without a body? What a nutcase, but don't worry. He was so sinful that he had at least another thousand years of suffering before his soul would be cleansed. Just don't lose him again, I know from past experiences with these guys that the balls here can't revive someone more than once. If your brother dies again, then that's it for him."

Chichi supported Baba's claim, "That's right, Master Gohan and father both died two times and afterwards they couldn't be brought back."

Kakarot scratched the back of his head before saying, "I think Piccolo said somethin' similar, but I can't remember, I'll take yer' word for it."

Kakarot finally asked, "So has "he" been cleansed yet?"

Baba smiled and said, "Don't you worry, I already checked to see if the request was even possible before I talked to Yemma bout it."

Baba grimaced before saying, "Your father was particularly terrible. He's still got at least another hundred thousand years give or take."

Kakarot frowned at that before saying, "I guess I should feel grateful for that."

Baba waved him away saying, "Oh don't you worry about that, my father was a disappointment too. Granted he wasn't a mass murder; he was a pervert but still."

Somehow that didn't elicit a relieved response from Kakarot, who continued to frown. Chichi suddenly asked, "W-what about your mother?"

Kakarot gave Chichi a surprised look, when she saw this, she nervously said, "W-well I thought if you were uncomfortable with talking to your father, then your mother might be a better choice."

Kakarot thought about it for a moment before turning to Baba for answers. Baba said in response, "Even if she was still in hell, she isn't. She got cleansed a long time ago. I talked King Yemma into giving you time with your father, he won't go for a second option on such short notice."

Chichi frowned and hesitated before saying, "Sorry."

Kakarot waved her away before saying, "Don't worry about it, I needed to talk to him anyway. I'll get straighter answers from a warrior. From what my brother said, she was a butcher after being taken off of my father's squad. Still… it's strange that someone with my father's reputation would get with someone who was no good at fightin'."

Chichi gave him a small smile before saying, "I'm sure you can ask him yourself. You better get going."

Kakarot nodded and then waved goodbye without looking to everyone as Baba led him inside. After a few more steps Kakarot blinked, and his surroundings suddenly changed. Baba had teleported them to a large dark red hallway. Kakarot didn't ask any questions, he simply examined his surroundings as Baba led him deeper into what he thought might be actual hell.

As they went down the hallway they passed several large circular shaped glass doors. Above each door frame was a plaque, each had a capital letter and a set of numbers which every now and then would be reduced by one. Red and black humanoid guards were lined in the hall, clearly here to guard this section of hell. Kakarot asked Baba, "What's with the letters n' numbers?"

Baba explained without delay, "The letters grade how bad the offenders are. From A-F from Mass murderers to purse snatchers. Then there are the S variants, those are where the real "demons" are held."

Kakarot commented, "You can steal and make it in hell?"

Baba replied with, "If you do it too much, yes. Though it's not a long sentence. Anyway, the numbers are the number of years they have before being cleansed."

After this Kakarot realized what these doors led to, each room was another person's personal hell. Kakarot thought to himself, "Someday, I might wind up in one of these rooms. Wonder how long I'll be there."

Right then they stopped at a door with a plaque with A–490,100 written on it. Baba finally said, "Here we are."

A guard approached Baba and asked for a "permit". Baba took a red piece of paper and handed it to the guard. He read it before taking a stamp out of his pocket and pressing it against the paper. He turned to Kakarot and said, "You may enter, please behave inside unless you want to join him."

Kakarot gave him a glare before brushing past him, the guard flinched. Baba let out a sigh before saying, "Please, don't put him in a bad mood, he's a troublesome one."

The guard stuttered, "R-right, sorry."

Inside a man who resembled Kakarot stood inside a black, round room. The man had a cross shaped scar on his left cheek, he also had a dark brown tail wrapped around his waist. He wore a green and dark blue battle jacket with no shoulder pads, instead he had metallic straps. His battle skirt only had the two flaps on his left and right. His battle suite had already taken serious damage. Just like Kakarot's, the left shoulder of his was blown off along with most of his left chest plate. He didn't have a Scouter, but he did wear a red bandanna around his forehead. He also wore a red leather cuff on his right arm, he didn't have a second one for his left arm. He didn't have an undersuit either, but he did wear dark blue pants, though his pants sleeves were torn all the way above his knees. Lastly, he wore green and dark blue lace less shoes with a similar red cuff design that he wore right above his shoes.

He had an intense gaze as he examined the room around him, he spoke in a rough and deep voice, "What the hell's going on now? What other crap do they plan to send my way?"

He dropped into a fighting stance as he prepared himself for whatever was to come. He then said, "Well, bring it on. You can't surprise me at this point. I'll take anything other than seeing that bastard's face every day."

Right then the man heard a pair of footsteps behind him, he twisted his body but froze upon seeing something unexpected. He saw someone who was identical to him aside from his large forehead and jagged arm scars. He wore a torn-up piece of old gen Freeza gear. It had clearly seen better days, then again it was no worse than what he was wearing. He straightened his stance and then he admitted to himself, "Alright, that one I wasn't expecting. Can't say it's worse than that bastard though."

The man in front of him, his expression was surprised at first, but it soon turned stern. The first man copied his expression and after a short moment both of their body language changed to a more rigid posture. The man in the green armor looked up and down at the other until his eyes rested on his tail. The one in the green armor thought to himself, "Alright, let's see."

An instant later and both men launched a swiping kick at each other. The kicks collided with each other, grinding against each other but neither won. Right after they both threw a right hook which connected with each other. No winner again and lastly, they both dashed forward and gave each other a head butt. After a second the green warrior pushed the white armored warrior back by a foot.

However, the green one didn't launch another attack, instead he smiled and let out a chuckle. He rubbed his head before saying, "Well that settles it, you gotta be a Saiyan and a living one to boot."

The man looked up at his yellow halo and compared it to the other man's lack of a halo. The white armored Saiyan rubbed his own head before saying, "Figured you'd be this tough, he wasn't exaggeratin'."

The green armored Saiyan then said, "There ain't many people with my hair so I have a pretty good idea who you are."

The white armored Saiyan said back, "Same here, you're my father, Bardock."

The Saiyan Bardock smiled and said, "Guess you're my youngest, Kakarot."

Kakarot then said, "Before anything else, I'd like ta' know why you sent me to Raditz's squad. I was supposed ta' go to Earth but you changed that."

Bardock paused for a moment before saying, "It's what your mother wanted."

Kakarot repeated the word "mother" after which Bardock elaborated, "She was worried you wouldn't make it."

Bardock then raised his tone by an inch before saying, "I thought she was worrying over nothing. The planet had a base Power Scale of five. It shouldn't have been an issue so long as you played it safe the first couple years. Pick off small fry while waiting to attack bigger settlements at night, would have been easy."

Kakarot asked, "If you disagreed then why'd ya' do it?"

Bardock shrugged before answering, "She doesn't ask for much, I figured I should follow her instincts."

Kakarot then asked, "Why'd you get with her? Saiyans usually go for strong women, right?"

Bardock gave Kakarot a stern, almost threatening look before saying, "Don't go underestimating your mother. She may not have a thing for battle, but she had a fire in her you wouldn't believe. She could be scary."

He then said, "You don't seem to know a lot about our species. We don't get together just to make runts like you, companionship is as important to us as it is with any other race."

Bardock then shook his head before saying, "Nevermind this crap, a Saiyan doesn't go to actual hell just to have a father-son reunion."

Kakarot paused and after a half a minute Bardock asked, "What happened? You had to go through some serious hell to tear up one of the Freeza Empire's battlesuits like that, even if it's an older model."

Kakarot crossed his arms and said, "You could say that. First off an asteroid destroyed Planet Vegeta, I'm guessing it's what got you."

Bardock's expression darkened before speaking in an ominous tone, "You could say that."

Kakarot ignored the serious tone he used and continued, "Only my squad survived, Freeza took us in, and we did jobs for him fer' a while."

Bardock then added, "Until…?"

Kakarot grimaced and said, "Until he betrayed me, fer' whatever reason he wanted either me or Raditz gone. He armed the planets he sent us after, even told em'Our weaknesses. In the end I defied him to keep Raditz safe, what you see here is the result of that fight."

Bardock huffed before saying, "Well that's not abnormal, Freeza's always feared us."

Kakarot blinked out of surprise, he then said, "Why would he? I fought him already; sure, I was beaten to hell but he's well beyond even Vegeta."

Bardock let out a chuckle before saying, "You sure about that?"

Kakarot raised an eyebrow before giving him a serious look. Bardock then said, "It wasn't a damn meteor that killed Vegeta, or me. It was Freeza."

Kakarot flinched at that revelation he stammered through his next sentence, "W-what, why? I've seen how strong he is. What does he have to fear from us?"

Bardock smiled and said, "He fears the legend, he fears that one day one of us will become a Super Saiyan and overthrow him."

Bardock then said, "He might rationalize fearing our numbers but let's get one damn thing straight. We might have hated him, but we were loyal. It was a good deal, even if there was some tension here and there. We might have wanted to overthrow him, but the King knew that was a pipe dream. I only realized how vast the difference between us and him was when he threw something as big as a sun at Planet Vegeta. Me, your mother, the King, it swallowed everyone up whole. All with one finger, your story only furthers that fact. Why would he go after the sons of a low-class warrior if he didn't fear us at least a little?"

After absorbing all of that information Kakarot finally asked, "The reason I came here is cause Raditz lied to me, he told me the stories mom told him. Nappa never told me our true history and when Freeza couldn't break my spirit, he told me this "true history"."

Kakarot put a clenched fist to his chest and said, "He took my resolve, but it helped me see things clearly. I never liked killing people for the hell of it, I just did that because I was under Freeza's thumb."

Kakarot gave Bardock a look of determination. He then swiped his hand to his right before saying, "No more, I'm my own man now. I don't care about the Saiyans, I don't care about Freeza but I need to know if it's true. That will determine what I want to do in the future."

Bardock gave Kakarot a long stare, trying to deduce how serious he is. After a long moment of staring he said, "What did he tell you."

Kakarot gave Bardock a quick rundown of what Freeza told him. After going over all the information, Bardock said, "It's more or less true."

He then crossed his arms and said, "What Freeza's "reports" didn't say is that Vegeta the first and his son fought over being King because Vegeta the first disagreed with the Tuffle extermination. Vegeta the first just wanted more territory, he wanted to scare the Tuffles into retreating further from our borders. Vegeta the Second thought it would be better to just kill them all. It's his family line that normalized genociding other planets. Doesn't make up for what happened but it's important to know that not all Saiyans are blood thirsty."

Bardock then put a hand on Kakarot's shoulder, surprising him. He then said, "There are those like your mother who were more at home with her family, rather than on the battlefield. It's why she wanted you with your brother, she wanted you two to grow up together. She thought Saiyans grew more rabid all alone, she hoped companionship would help you. That's why I liked her, she wasn't crazy, unlike me. You can hate me or the rest of us all you want, but at least consider what you have to lose before disregarding all that you are. Don't abandon your brother either, he might be safe now, but no Saiyan is safe with Freeza still breathing."

Kakarot took a step away from him, Bardock's hand slipped off his shoulder. Kakarot had a look of hesitation and uncertainty on his face. It hardened right after as he came to a conclusion. He grabbed the only remaining strap to his armor, located on his right shoulder. He gripped it and then yanked it off. Kakarot then pulled his battle jacket off and threw it at Bardock's feet. Bardock froze while giving Kakarot a stern expression. He waited to hear what Kakarot was about to say.

Kakarot finally said, "I ain't a Saiyan any longer, I want nothin' to do with 'em. I'm going ta' find my own path on Earth. I'll become a warrior in my own right, not because of a dead lineage."

Kakarot turned away from Bardock before saying, "I will reject everything I used to be in order to become somethin' greater."

He then glanced at Bardock and said, "I won't hate mother, I didn't know her. I don't have the right to judge her since she gave me this opportunity."

Bardock gave him a serious look and said, "What about Freeza, you just gonna leave him be?"

Kakarot scoffed and said, "Don't be ridiculous, I'll kill Freeza for enabling the Saiyans to do what they wanted and for the pain he inflicted on every other world he touched. He's going to pay, not for the Saiyans but for the others suffering for his ambition."

Bardock paused before approaching Kakarot. Kakarot turned to him, unsure what Bardock was going to do. Bardock reached for his bandana and then removed it from his forehead. Bardock handed it to Kakarot and said, "I know you despise us; I can't say I blame you. But at least keep a piece of us with you, at least to remind yourself what became of those who served Freeza faithfully,"

Kakarot looked at the bandana before slowly reaching for it. When he gripped it, Bardock didn't immediately let go, he said, "This might just be a replica but when I was alive it was soaked in the blood of my fallen comrades. If you see Dodoria, give him a good thrashing for me."

Bardock then released his grip allowing Kakarot to take the piece of bloody fabric. Kakarot said, "I'll keep it, just to remind myself that I'm not blameless. I killed people, in the same way my ancestors did, I won't be so self-righteous that I forget that."

Kakarot turned around and began to leave but before that Bardock asked one last thing, "Before you go… is your mother still going through all of… this."

Bardock gestured at his surroundings, Kakarot paused and then said, "She did her time, she's already gone."

Bardock looked relieved but Kakarot didn't see his face to realize that. Kakarot walked forward a few more steps and then disappeared. Kakarot appeared in front of the door, facing the opposite direction. Baba saw him and asked, "Are we done?"

Kakarot nodded but Baba stopped him, noting the fabric in his hand. She said, "I see he gave you a memento, it should be fine."

Kakarot nodded again, Baba then put her hands out and said, "Give it here, it won't last long outside of his personal hell."

Kakarot handed it over after which Baba put both of her hands on it. It began to glow as it did this she said, "The prisoners here have temporary bodies. They only last so long outside of their room, that goes for their clothes too. It's a good countermeasure against escape attempts but down here caution saves lives."

After a moment the glowing stops and she gives the bandana back, she then says, "Here you go, now it's as physical as the clothes on your back."

Kakarot retrieved it and they left hell, after a moment they reappeared at Baba's Palace. Kakarot wrapped the bandana around his right arm and tied it tight. Kakarot and Baba left the palace and stopped at the circular platform. There Tien, Krillin and Chichi were still there; however, now Master Roshi was present. Tien and Krillin placed themselves far from Kakarot's sides. Roshi and Chichi approached him, and Chichi was the first to ask, "How did it go?"

Kakarot glanced at the bandana on his right arm and said, "Better than expected."

Roshi smiled and said, "I can tell, there's a new look in your eye. Something good happened, didn't it young man."

Kakarot gave him a smile before saying, "Yeah, you could say that."

Kakarot then gave him a frown and said, "It's the first time in my life I got ta' make the big decision. No Freeza, keepin' me leashed. No Vegeta around to reign me in. No overbearing pride, dictating what I should and shouldn't do."

Kakarot then sniffed the air and then paused as he felt a light gust of wind blow against his body, brushing against his hair. He then said, "I only felt like this when I first got here, didn't have time to enjoy it then, I do now."

A gleam showed in Roshi's eye he then said, "Right you are my boy, catch."

Right then Roshi tossed something tiny at Kakarot, who caught it easily. Kakarot opened his palm and saw a tiny green colored bean resting at the palm of his hand. Kakarot gave Roshi a slightly surprised look, the reactions of those around him were far more extreme. Chichi put a hand over her mouth in shock. However, Tien exclaimed, "Master, what are you thinking!? We can't trust him!"

Krillin spoke with more control in his voice, "Are you sure Master? I want to trust him too but isn't this jumping the gun?"

Roshi continued to smile and said, "Oh, I know what I'm doing. I've seen this look before; it's never driven me astray."

Roshi removed his sunglasses, Kakarot looked into his eyes, Roshi then said, "It's the look I had as a young lad. There's no mistaking it, you want to grow stronger the right way."

Roshi then turned to Krillin and Tien as he said, "You two had the same look once upon a time, as I recall. It's the look of someone who yearns to grow beyond their years."

Kakarot looked uncertain but his expression turned serious as he put the bean to his mouth and swallowed it after a few seconds of chewing. A half a second after it went down his throat Kakarot felt all the small aches and pains around his body disappear. Most noticeable is that he could feel his arms again. The scars remain but the numbness disappeared without a trace. Right after this Kakarot could feel his Ki flare up. In response to this unrestrained Ki, he gripped the top of his blue undershirt and began to yell continuously.

What was once a light purple aura was now a light blue aura which enveloped the whole platform. Everyone was pushed back; Tien and Krillin took to the air while Chichi and Master Roshi were pushed back by ten feet. Kakarot pulled the top half of his undersuite off, tearing it to pieces. He let it fly away as he then tore apart the bandages around his stomach and chest. After a long moment Kakarot let his aura dissipate allowing the others to return to the platform. Roshi had a pleased look on his face, while Chichi's was full of surprise.

Tien glared at Kakarot, clearly ready for a fight while Krillin had an uneasy expression. Tien noticed something and said, "I don't know how but you're even stronger now than you were last time. How's that possible? You said you were locked up the whole time you were gone."

Kakarot immediately explained the reason for that, "The Saiyans have an innate ability to ascend past their limits after recovering from near-fatal injuries. Freeza nearly killed me, he'll come to regret that."

Roshi approached him and said, "So this "Freeza" is your goal then?"

Kakarot spoke as he examined his newly recovered arms, "Yes, I'm a long way off from him but sooner or later I'll catch up to him."

Roshi then said, "Good, how about learning a thing or two from me?"

Krillin and Tien had another shocked expression, Tien said, "Do you really trust him Master, t-to teach an invader your way of the martial arts… its… its."

Kakarot glared at Tien and said, "No, not an invader. I'm a warrior of this planet now, I won't stand to be grouped with them any longer."

Tien looked Kakarot in the eye, he continued, "You can hate me for what I allowed to happen, but I won't accept being compared to those bastards, not now, not ever again."

Roshi frowned at this and thought to himself, "He's chosen to reject what he is. That may work for him in the short term but in the long run it will stunt his growth. I'll have to guide him carefully, he's an earthling now regardless of his origins."

Roshi then spoke with a more commanding tone as he pointed his walking stick at Tien and Kakarot, "Enough! I've made my decision, I will trust him. Please take some time to cool off Tien."

Tien spoke with surprise in his voice, "Master…?"

Roshi then said, "I might not be your actual master but I am wise enough to know when someone needs a break. Please return to Kami, all of this worrying will make you go bald."

Roshi snickers at his bad joke but Tien listened anyway, before leaving he said, "If you say so Master."

He turned to Kakarot and said, "Don't make me regret not putting you down when I had the chance."

Kakarot didn't reply, he just watched as Tien flew off. He then turned to Roshi and said, "I'll take you up on that offer. If you taught them then I want to be your student."

Roshi smiled again and said, "Good, I would like us to start but you should probably get into something more comfortable."

Kakarot looked down at his body and saw that he was technically half dressed. He turned to Chichi who was still stunned by his display of power and physique. She noticed he turned his attention to her and so she said in response, "Y-yes?"

Kakarot then said, "Could we stop by your place? I'd like something like last time."

Kakarot motions to his attire, Chichi blushes for a second before nodding. Roshi stopped her, giving her a couple pieces of papers. Chichi gave the papers an odd look. Roshi elaborated, "It's the design of the Turtle School Gi, it might be more appealing to him if you made it."

Chichi smiled and thanked him before flying off with Kakarot in tow. Before they left Roshi said, "Come to my house tomorrow with your new Gi. It might take some time and I'd rather my new student get some rest before we start your first journey in the world of Martial Arts."

Kakarot smiled and nodded and they were soon off to Chichi's house. Roshi then turned to Krillin and said, "Alright Krillin, that's enough excitement for today. Take me home."

Krillin said with a dumbfounded look, "Ya know Master, you wouldn't need me to act as a taxi for you if you'd actually learn to fly."

Roshi said back with an annoyed tone, "Don't be ridiculous, I'm too old for that kind of exercise."

As Krillin carries Roshi back to his house he mumbled, "I think you're just being lazy."

Meanwhile in Bardock's personal hell a few minutes after Kakarot left. Bardock turned around and walked to the middle of the room. As if on command the room darkened and soon Bardock found himself flying over Plane Vegeta. It was a large red and orange colored world and across from Bardock there was Freeza. He was sitting in his hover chair and just behind him was his ship, floating a ways behind him.

Freeza glared daggers at Bardock who said to himself, "Ya know, I didn't think this could give me such peace of mind. The first few times I was angry, I hated being damned to see your ugly mug over and over again until the bastard up top decided I've repented."

Bardock then smiled and said, "But now all I want is to memorize your face, so I can perfectly imagine what it looks like consumed by fear and anger, just like in my vision."

Bardock let out a short laugh before saying, "I cursed that last Karnassian when he gave me these damn visions but now I know they were a blessing in disguise. I might not have been able to prevent Vegeta's destruction but I take solace in the fact it hasn't gone away."

Bardock looked Freeza in the eye and said, "I see it now, you looked different but it was definitely you."

Bardock closed his eyes as a familiar vision filled his mind. He saw a red world, bleeding lava as it was consumed by a deep black sky. There stood Freeza in a strange, softer looking form yet it was covered in bulging muscles but his face was anything but. It was full of rage and fear the likes of which Bardock never imagined when thinking of the calm and collected Freeza. Freeza yelled, "No, this isn't possible. It cannot be, I'm the emperor of the universe!"

Across from him is what Bardock looked most forward to seeing after each rotation in his personal hell. A golden warrior floated across from him with deep blonde hair, glowing green eyes and a fiery golden aura which put Freeza's own to shame. The man that Bardock saw, there was no mistaking it, it was Kakarot. He wore severely damaged armor with a blue undersuit underneath it. Kakarot said with rage in his voice, "You're done Freeza, It's been a long time coming but I'm glad I'm still around to give you what you deserve."

The warrior's aura exploded further after which the two collided and there the vision ended. Bardock's eyes opened wide as he yelled, "It will happen, I already foresaw his visit, I thought it was a dream but it came true!"

He then yelled while powering up a Riot Javelin, "My son will become the stuff of legends and you will be consumed by that legend! The mighty Freeza will fall to the Super Saiyan! Oh, I can't wait to see you in hell Freeza!"

Bardock threw out a large Ki ball but it was consumed by a massive Ki ball Freeza conjured up with nothing but his right index finger. Even as the Death Ball threatened to consume Bardock and then Planet Vegeta whole, Bardock's manic laughter filled the void as he finally yelled out, "Kakarot!"

And like that everything went silent, at least until the next cycle began.

Author's Notes: Hello, this chapter might be one of my favorites I've written. I didn't exactly plan it all the way, it's a long process but I feel Kakarot's development here is very reminiscent of Goku's initial mindset after learning of his origins in the anime/manga. I hope that Hell was explained clearly enough after all, like I explained in the last chapter. Hell has been very inconsistent in Dragon Ball, from the Buu arc to Super, (even Kai threw a wrench in there by keeping the filler part of the villains in hell where they see the Kid Buu Fight) it's changed a bit to allow certain characters to come back to life. I've fused the two systems in a hopefully coherent manner that allows for both to exist together. After this chapter we will be going over some of the history that went on without Goku being on Earth. Anyway, thanks for reading, if you feel like it please leave a review talking about what you liked and disliked about the chapter. Getting feedback always helps with the writing process. Anyway, onto the new Power Levels.

Power Levels:

Kakarot (Half Power): 2,500

Kakarot (Post Zenkai): 5,000

Chichi: 2,000

Krillin: 3,500

Tien: 3,000

Master Roshi: 650

Freeza (Hell): 530,000

Bardock: 10,000