The Three Legendary Saiyans

Chapter 4: Bulma's Experiment

Having a tail once again after so many years felt strange to Raijin; just the simple act of sitting down had become a new challenge as his tail kept whipping around and hitting him in the back of the head each and every time he went to sit in the couch.

Even Trunks had become even more hostile towards his father since witnessing the regeneration of Raijin's tail; opting out of their father/son time of playing card games, video games or simply watching tv or a movie together and instead running off with his new friends to do god-knows-what.

"Teenagers… they grow so fast" Raijin lamented; seeing that his son was already moving onto a more independent path where he would no longer need his father; even though he had only recently turned thirteen.

"Indeed they do; I first met Goku when I was sixteen… he changed my life forever" Bulma spoke; sitting in an armchair just across from Raijin, she'd been keeping a fair distance between them since Whis has restored Raijin's tail, "Raijin… can you promise me something?".

Raijin's line of sight had been fleeting from watching Trunks and Goten chatting with Mai, Pilaf and Shu out on the balcony; as well as looking to Bulma while they talked, but now he trained his eyes solely on Bulma and devoting his full attention to her.

"Promise me… you'll never look directly at The Moon" Bulma spoke; the unmistakable look of fear filled her eyes and tone of voice as she spoke her requested promise.

Raijin looked deep into Bulma's eyes and saw the fear; he did not know why Bulma would make such a request but he deeply felt he had to accept her wish, "Ok… I promise you this".

Bulma smiled as she crossed the living room and sat within Raijin's lap; wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders and giving him a tender kiss of thanks for his promise despite what was to come.

Night had fallen before the couple had noticed it; the time for The Experiment was nigh and Bulma was already dressed in a white lab coat along with a pair of safety goggles, Bulma looked to Raijin with concern for what was to come; speaking in a soft but worried tone. "Please; just remember that promise when we're working on The Blutz Waves"

Raijin gave a brief nod; leaving Trunks and Goten to their friends and following Bulma to the lab, the walk from the Briefs Family Apartment to Bulma's Experiment Lab was quite a long walk; following down long hallways and taking Hover Vehicle through an underground tunnel to an isolated research and experimental facility only a couple miles outside of West City.

"It would have been faster if I flew you there" Raijin mentioned as he sat in the vehicle; taking note that the vehicle was self-driven, that fact stunned Raijin and made him excited for what else he'd discover within the walls of this facility.

"We're not only experimenting on Blutz Waves but several other sensitive subjects; including self-driving hover cars" Bulma spoke; keeping her eyes down on a tablet during the entire trip.

The vehicle soon arrived; within a docking station lined with other identical vehicles most of which were in pieces or being assembled by men and women in Capsule Corp uniforms.

"Good Evening Mrs Briefs; you're right on time for the next session" a thick-glasses wearing man spoke though he kept his attention purely on a tablet of his own.

"Thank you Ewan; I've brought my husband here tonight to see what we're doing" Bulma replied; patting Ewan on the shoulder before walking out and waving to many of the other men and women who were hard at work.

Raijin felt like all eyes were on him; not only was this his first time inside this facility but his tail kept flicking around and drawing attention to it.

A number of projects caught Raijin's eyes; other than the self-driving vehicles there were New Space Pods the strongly resembled the Ship that Bulma, Gohan and Krillin had used to travel to Namek; of which He'd only seen in framed photographs, newer model Recovery Chambers with much more clear designs and holographic displays for patient's internal status that were being tested on terminally-ill patients but what caught Raijin's eye most was the large Pod that strongly reminded him of the Unit that had once housed Android 16 back at Doctor Gero's Mountain Laboratory.

"Bulma… is that what I think it is?" Raijin asked; unable to suppress a smile as he gazed at the large containment unit.

Bulma glanced at the unit; but sadly shook her head, "No; we're not rebuilding Android 16… there wasn't enough pieces or parts to recover after The Cell Games were over".

"Then… what's inside?" Raijin further asked; his smile fading after hearing the unhappy news that it was not what he was thinking.

"It doesn't matter right now; but it is based on Doctor Gero's work on The Androids as well as Cell" Bulma spoke; bringing up the latest reports on the aforementioned project.

Raijin turned his line of sight back on the Containment Unit; his gaze lingered on it as he sensed something living within, "Are you sure that's safe?".

"It's certainly safer that anything Doctor Gero was doing… we all know how his work turned out" Bulma remarked; disregarding Raijin's concerned tone almost entirely.

"Then… what's it called?" Raijin asked; sensing that whatever was inside that Unit was indeed alive and very aware of where it was.

Bulma glanced at the unit again; taking note of the display screen that showed a stable condition and containment status was secure, "Project Bio-Warrior".

Raijin kept walking just behind Bulma; only stopping when another project caught his eye, projects including a newer Orbital Dragon Rader for pinpoint scanning the whole planet instead of just a set radius, prototype versions of new battle armour made from harder fibres to better resist damage, and new satellites being prepared for launch.

"Is the Blutz Wave Station close?" Raijin asked; suddenly aware of how childish his question sounded to anyone other than himself.

"We're nearly there Raijin" Bulma spoke; her tone of voice having shifted from the usually carefree and light-hearted tone to a more serious tone of voice.

Raijin remained silent for the duration of their walk; knowing that this was a place of work and not a place for Bulma to be her normal self, the corridors followed down with Florissant LED Lighting that trailed along the ceiling; coloured lines indicated for turnings for branching corridors to unknown locations within the facility.

"We're here…" Bulma spoke; the earlier tone of worry returning to her voice.

Bulma and Raijin both stood on top of a security panel; a red light shining down on them from above, "Mrs Bulma Briefs… Sir Raijin… Access Cleared" spoke a computerized voice just as the doors slid open.

"How come this one had extra security when the others don't?" Raijin asked; suddenly stunned when he saw the machines laid out before his eyes, dozens or maybe even hundreds of multi-pronged antennae pointed directly up into the exposed night sky; each and every one was attached to a large power battery complete with heads-up-displays for reading the energy levels from The Moon.

"This is the Blutz Wave Experiment… it needs to be secure so it can't be damaged or destroyed" Bulma spoke proudly; his gaze sweeping over the layout of equipment for sourcing energy from The Moon instead of The Sun.

Bulma began walking towards a Control Station; the station itself was shielded from the experiment's radiation when in progress and she'd had it built solely for the safety of Raijin and herself.

Raijin knew that the open ceiling exposed The Full Moon tonight but due to his promise; he swore to never look directly at it, walking after Bulma and entering the control station with her.

Bulma turned and met Raijin's concerned eyes; giving him a smile before speaking into a microphone, "Begin the Experiment!".

To each one of the antennae stood a scientist clothed in a full radiation suit for their protection; each and every one of the men and women activated the apparatus all at once causing the prongs to light up with a turquoise radiance.

"Blutz Wave Levels… Normal; sustaining energy levels at optimal capacity" spoke multiple scientists at once; all reading from the displays on each of the antennae devices as they lit up by assorting new energies from Moonlight.

Bulma listened to each one of the reports in turn; so far the experiment was turning out a good result, "Good; let me know as soon as it begins to spike" Bulma spoke into a microphone; her smile wide and happy for the favourable results.

Raijin felt his breathing becoming heavier as every single hair on his body stood on end; even his tail tough normally flicked around wildly stuck out at an upwards angle.

Bulma turned to Raijin and instantly understood what was happening; a look of fear filled her eyes as she turned back to the microphone, "Abort the experiment! ABORT!".

Several scientists looked to each other in confusion before Bulma's voice bellowed out again, "I SAID ABORT DAMN YOU!".

A flurry of running white-suit wearing scientists ran about; cancelling and shutting down every single one of the equipment used for tonight's experiment.

Bulma stared directly at Raijin with fear in her eyes; her hands shaking as Raijin's hands clenched into fists and his eyes flashed bright red, Raijin's face contorted into an expression of pain.

"Raijin please… don't transform" Bulma pleaded; tears budding in her eyes from fear of Raijin's nearing transformation into a Great Ape.

Raijin let out a loud roar that every single scientists amongst the machines looked up in reaction to the resonating scream; the resonance had such a high level of decimals to it that the shielded glass of the control station shattered outwards leaving Bulma unharmed but the scientists hide behind machines for cover from the razor sharp shards of glass.

As soon as Raijin's glass-shattering scream ended; he fell to his knee's as his eyes had returned to normal, sweat stained and dripped off Raijin's body as the sudden changes quickly died down and left him in his normal physical form.

Bulma let out a sigh of relief just as Raijin fell to the floor and into a fit of unconsciousness.

Raijin opened his eyes only to find himself back inside of his and Bulma's bedroom; pictures of their wedding and Bulma's adventures during her teen years as well as on Planet Namek decorated the walls, Raijin slowly rose back up to his feet; his left hand clinging to the bedpost while his tail remained flicking around and hitting him in the backs of his knees.

Raijin didn't say a word to himself; he remembered how it felt back inside that control station, He'd felt an unknown rush of power when exposed to The Moon's energies; the power had been too much for him to control at that moment and he'd felt his body undergoing an entirely new transformation that was nothing like any of his Super Saiyan Forms... and it felt more primal and animalistic.

When Raijin finally walked from the bed and into the Apartment only to find Bulma, Trunks as well as Doctor and Mrs Briefs waiting for him.

"Good morning my son… we heard about your little incident" Doctor Briefs spoke; his cigarette hanging from between his lips as he spoke.

Raijin had no words for his Father-in-law; he felt ashamed that he'd put his own wife in danger.

"Dad; I don't know what you were doing but you could have killed Mom" Trunks remarked; a scowl on his face for how unimpressed he was for his Father's actions.

Raijin hung his head in shame after his only son's cutting words.

Bulma rested her hand on her Mother's; though Mrs Briefs was only there to support her daughter, "Raijin; I made you make that promise because I know what happens when a Saiyan when they stare into a Full Moon… they become a Great Ape… a monster; and I never want to see you become that monster like I have with Goku and Vegeta".

Raijin didn't even register the shocked look on his face; he realised what those sensations were now and realising that he was indeed on the brink of transforming into a Great Ape, but was it a power he needed? or was it the path to the power he desired?.

"I need to talk to Goku… or Vegeta… or both" Raijin finally spoke after what felt like an eternity of self-reflection; a look of resolve falling over his face and eyes.

A silence fell over the family; all silently contemplating Raijin's request though Bulma knew what Saiyans were like all too well, Bulma's eyes holding that steel-like resolve that she always got when she became serious; opening her mouth to speak in a calm but resolute tone, "Fine; I'll call Whis".

Raijin looked confused as to how Bulma was going to contact Whis of all people; though he had a suspicion that she had called him the other day when Whis had extended the offer of training him in using God Ki.

Days went by before Raijin heard anything from Goku or Vegeta; Bulma had made trips to the Research Labs every day but that wasn't what concerned him, Raijin had felt uneasy ever since he'd seen That Pod containing Project Bio-Warrior; he'd sensed something living inside of The Pod though he felt nothing on its moral alignment or whatever its state of being or mind was.

More than a week passed before Goku and Vegeta returned; returning within the same pure-white orb that Whis and Beerus travelled around in, only Goku's and Vegeta's clothes had been reduced to tatters and both sported full beards after days of constant training, Beerus and Whis calmly just stood to the side; waiting to observe Raijin's intentions.

"What is so important that you call us away from our Training?!" Vegeta demanded; his eyes narrowing as his brow furrowed in his blatant irritation towards Raijin and his requesting of their presence.

"Vegeta; allow him to speak" Whis spoke calmly; his eyebrows raised towards Raijin.

Raijin slowly recounted his near-transformation into a Great Ape much to Vegeta's, Beerus' and Whis' keen interest; though he left out sensitive information such as The Pod and the Blutz Waves.

Goku merely stared at Raijin; silently trying to figure out what Raijin was trying to achieve.

"You got your Tail back! and you instantly try transforming into a Great Ape? What the hell is wrong with you?" Vegeta demanded; his brow further furrowing as his face turned red in anger, "I have no more interest in whatever it is you are trying to achieve; I have my own training to complete!".

With those harsh words spoke; Vegeta stormily turned his back on Raijin with an eager intent to return to Beerus' World.

Whis stood with an enigmatic smile; his eyes never leaving Raijin's pained expression, "Do you have any words for your friend… Goku?".

Goku glanced at Whis for only a split second as his name was spoken; walking over and placing a hand on Raijin's shoulder, "Raijin… I don't know what you are aiming for; but I'm sure you'll find your way… you always do".

Goku turned his back on Raijin and walked to join Vegeta; only then did Raijin pick up on the vile stink emanating from Goku's and Vegeta's unwashed bodies.

Beerus closed his eyes and sighed after listening to Raijin's predicament and Goku's and Vegeta's total rejection of giving any kind of hint for their friend, "Whis… take them back while I speak with this Saiyan".

"Very well My Lord" Whis spoke; tapping his staff on the ground as He, Goku and Vegeta vanished into a flash of white light just as they did when arriving.

Raijin stood stunned; this was highly unlike The God of Destruction and yet he was standing before him alone and without Whis to accompany him.

"Walk with me… I advise that you should present something delectable as compensation for my time" Beerus spoke without turning so much as his head or eyes to Raijin while he walked out further into the Gardens.

Raijin knew this was coming; he'd prepared something for Beerus and/or Whis for their arrival that he knew they'd enjoy, "I have already done so Lord Beerus; please have a seat and partake of this offering".

Raijin offered Beerus a seat at a stone-carved garden table and seats; taking one of the same Pudding Cups from Bulma's last birthday party and presenting it to Lord Beerus.

Beerus' eyes widened at the Pudding Cup; his pink tongue licking his cat-lips in anticipation before lifting up the Pudding Cup and breaking the seal, "Ahh finally… Pudding!".

Raijin calmly took a seat across from Beerus; watching the purple-skinned humanoid cat devour the Pudding Cup in a single swallow, "May I ask… why did you want to speak with me".

Beerus' yellow eyes stared at Raijin as if he was staring directly into his soul, "When you three Saiyans stood up against me as Gods; you showed your potential… but you rejected God Ki… why?".

Raijin stared down at his hands; not realising that he'd clenching his hands into fists, "I want to find my own power… to ascent beyond my limitations without becoming a God".

"And what will you do if this power you seek does not exist?" Beerus posed the obvious question; his tone of voice sounding as if Beerus was accusing Raijin.

Raijin looked Beerus in the eye; a fire of determination burning within his irises, "I know it does; I felt it when I was nearly changing into a Great Ape… I will find a way to ascend further even without God Ki!"

Beerus' mouth curled into a smile; licking the remains of the pudding from his lips, "I have noticed that you Saiyans expel your energy outwards when your transform into a Super Saiyan… rather wasteful if you ask me".

Raijin's eyes widened; what Beerus had just said was exactly right, Saiyans did spend a great deal of energy when transforming into any of The Super Saiyan Forms.

A blinding white flash lit up the Gardens as Whis returned; still twirling his staff in one hand, "My Lord; are you ready to return?".

Beerus let out a sigh of relief; rising to his feet and leaving Raijin to his inner thoughts, "Yes… I am done here for now"

Raijin jumped up to his feet and bowing deeply, "Thank you Lord Beerus!".

Beerus turned back to Raijin; scowling as he received thanks, "For what?! I haven't done anything for you and I never will!".

Whis smiled as if he already knew full well what Beerus had said to Raijin; the pair vanishing into another white flash of light, Raijin standing alone in the Gardens with only his thoughts.

Minutes passed before Raijin moved; a new resolve lighting a fire in his eyes, igniting the golden light of his Super Saiyan aura as he kicked off the ground and flew out into the skies; his intent to meet with the one person who could help him take the next step… Piccolo.