A/N: My God, we actually made it! Over 1000 reviews! *faints* Woohoo! Thanks so much guys! You're all too kind! I'm truly grateful to each and every single one of you, even the ones that might not necessarily agree with some of the endeavours I take! ^^;

And congratulations annegoddamn, for getting 100 reviews on your story "A Thrilling Chase" and for being the lucky 1000th reviewer hehe! You know what that means! ;)

Now then, I know some of you are bored and feel that this saga is too much a repeat of the anime series, but I would have to disagree. While some of the lines are the same or very similar, I wrote most of the dialogue in here myself and I think my fights are significantly different to their canon counterparts. I also understand that you're really dying for some VegeBul moments, but it'd be utterly confusing for everyone if I just skip the entire plot and jump straight to VegeBul xD. But alas, I respect your enthusiasm. Not to worry! The VegeBul moments will come, I assure you (there's an especially MAJOR one at the end of the saga, believe me)! For now, I ask that you bear with me and enjoy the other awesome parts, my friends. :D

Lastly, a little something or two in here for my friend "Ganymede Lullaby", cause I know you're a huge Chi-Chi fan and were eager for a tender GoChi moment hehe. :D

Chapter 58: Mergers and Acquisitions

"Oh Goku." The raven-haired woman wept profusely, unable to bear the agonizing screams of the man she loved. He was always the stalwart backbone of not just her own household, but the entire planet. She'd never seen him so helpless and vulnerable before and it was almost too much to bear. Chi-Chi placed a trembling hand on his swollen, pulsating chest, tears trickling even faster down her lachrymose cheeks, as she felt his palpitating heart. Such a gentle heart it was: kind, caring, loving, forgiving. And here it was, being shredded from the inside. How could someone so selfless, ever deserve to be in such pain? What grieved her even more was that he would be willing to endure all of it and so much more, if it meant that no harm came to the world. But he was her world and her world was crumbling, right before her streaming eyes. "Please, you have to keep fighting, I beg you."

"We need to give him two tablets, every twelve hours." Yamcha informed, sitting beside Goku's futon, opposite his wife. "Don't worry, Chi-Chi. He's gonna make it through this. He's the greatest fighter I know. There's no way he's gonna lose to some virus."

"He's in so much pain." The Ox-Princess sobbed. "God, why did it have to be him?"

Suddenly the phone rang, briefly interrupting the lamenting wife's moment of sorrow.

"Stay here Chi-Chi, I'll answer it." The ex-bandit sprang to his feet and let out a heavy, dolorous sigh, before heading towards the corded wall phone and bringing it over to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Yamcha, it's me." Krillin answered. "I've got a lot to tell you, but for now, you need to get Goku and Chi-Chi out of here and over to Kame House, got it?"

"Alright, but just tell me something. Is anyone hurt?"

"No, everyone's fine." The bald man spoke in a rush. "But the Androids are heading over to Mount Paozu, as we speak! No matter what happens, they can't find Goku, understood?!"

"Loud and clear." Yamcha nodded, hanging up and relaying the news to Chi-Chi.

XXXX

The Android trio continued their rigorous search for a nearby road, one that was neither too busy nor completely abandoned.

"I can't believe I lost to Vegeta." Eighteen mumbled glumly, no longer exuding that trademark poise and confidence she carried with her, everywhere she went.

"Hey come on sis, you let your guard down, that's all." Seventeen insisted, reassuringly. "It can happen to anyone. But don't worry. I'll get him for you, the next time."

"You fought well, Eighteen." The large Android remarked, in that mechanical manner of his, much to the surprise of the other two. Up until now, it took some mention of Goku or other, to evoke a response from the burly giant.

"Uh- thanks- Sixteen." The stunned blonde awkwardly replied, not entirely sure if she'd heard him right.

"See?" Seventeen smiled. "It's no problem. Besides, the rest of those fools aren't anywhere near as strong as Vegeta. I took them out, without even trying."

"But what about Goku?" Eighteen anxiously argued. "What if he's as strong as Vegeta or even stronger? And what if they join forces? It could mean bad news for us."

"What're you saying?" The black-haired Android frowned at her.

"I'm just wondering, is it- is it really necessary for us to go after Goku?" She asked timidly, shying away from her brother's intense gaze. "We'll only end up antagonizing his friends. Let's just forget about all of them and do whatever we wanna do. There's a whole world out there, for us to explore."

"No, Goku must die." The big Android unwaveringly declared.

"I know you don't say much, Sixteen, but could you please shut up for a minute?" Seventeen rolled his eyes, before turning back towards his unnerved sister. "Come on, Eighteen, this isn't like you. Look, you've nothing to be afraid of. With the three of us together, there isn't anything that could possibly get in our way."

The blonde looked at him a moment and sighed.

"I just worry, that's all." She dejectedly muttered, face downcast. "You guys are all I have."

"And we're all you need." Seventeen solemnly replied. "No matter what happens, I've got your back, okay?"

Eighteen offered her brother a strained smile, slowly nodding her head.

"Good." He smirked. "You don't need to worry about Vegeta. Like I said, I'll be teaching him a lesson or two, the next time we meet."

"Don't underestimate him." Eighteen cautioned, concerned for her stubborn sibling's wellbeing. "He's really strong."

"That may be so, but I'm stronger." He grinned cockily.

"Do not let yourself be fooled by his power, Seventeen." Sixteen cut in, voice as monotonous as ever. "My scanners revealed that it was slightly lower than Eighteen's and yet, he was able to defeat her."

"Wait- what?" The dumbfounded female looked at him, completely baffled by that startling information. "That can't be true. If I'm stronger than him, then there's no way he could possibly-"

"He is highly intelligent and cunning, a lot more so than I'd thought possible for any organic life-form." The behemoth interposed. "Vegeta knows how to spot an opponent's weaknesses and use them, to his advantage. He waits for his adversary to attack first and once he finds an opening, he strikes their unguarded areas. This style of fighting is completely at odds with everything Dr. Gero told us about Vegeta. It requires much patience and forbearance and is nearly impossible to overcome, especially against someone who can read an enemy's movements, the way he can."

"And how exactly were you able to pick up on all of that?" Seventeen crinkled his brows dubiously. "Last I remember, you were off eyeballing shrubs and squirrels, the whole time." It was back to silence for the laconic robot. Seventeen had to wonder if the big guy was just grasping at straws or possibly more observant than he let on. Either way, he needed to keep his guard up against Vegeta. He wouldn't allow his royal Majesty to dictate the pace of their upcoming battle, like he did against Eighteen.

Eventually the crew spotted a pink van, with the logo "Lucky Foods Company" imprinted on either side, in white. Not the ideal choice, but then again, as much as Seventeen wanted nothing more than to ride off in a high-performance sport's vehicle, it would probably take an eon for one of those to come by- plus there was no telling whether or not it would be able to sustain Sixteen's humongous size or mass. 'Such a shame, but oh well.' And so, they emptied and pilfered the van, before setting off towards Mount Paozu, having to face a number of incidents with law enforcement, along the way. All in all, it proved to be quite the adventure for the mechanical trio. Eighteen had to settle for a raggedy old country outfit that she found extremely unsightly, seeing as the previous one was a ruin, thanks to that pontifical Prince.

"I hope Goku's wife has something good stashed in that wardrobe of hers." The blonde scoffed. "But, I seriously doubt it. Bulma Briefs, on the other hand, really knows how to accessorize, from what I remember."

"You think so?" Seventeen raised a brow, in amusement. "In that case, what do you say we raid Capsule Corporation, after we complete our mission?"

"You know, that does sound kind of fun." Eighteen's lips gleefully quirked up. She was starting to feel a lot better already, her near-death at Vegeta's hands all but forgotten, as she was overwhelmed with a dreamy vision of fashion galore. "Why not?"

"Alright, but just don't take forever, picking an outfit."

"I'm not making any promises." The female replied, with an impish grin that her brother recognized all too well.

'Oh God, I wish I hadn't encouraged her.' He ruefully thought to himself, not at all looking forward to the nightmare that lay ahead.

XXXX

"What do you mean 'let things play out'?!" Piccolo fumed at the old man's vague half-heartedness. "They need to be destroyed! The Androids brought ruin upon the world in Trunks' future and slaughtered every single one of us!"

"And yet these Androids have not." Kami riposted. "I seem to recall that it was you and your associates who provoked them into taking action, in the first place and yet they did not cause you any lasting injuries."

"What about Goku, then?!" The younger Namek fired back, raising a clenched fist. "Are we just supposed to leave him at their mercy?!"

"If it reaches that stage, then I will most certainly be ready to co-operate." The wizened sage frowned. "Do not forget that Goku was once my protégé, just as Gohan was once yours. He means a lot more to me than you realize. But before I decide to forsake my own existence, I need some form of certainty."

"Tch, you're a fool."

"There is something else that has been plaguing me, for some time now." Kami ominously continued, beads of sweat dappling his wrinkled forehead, as he peered off the edge of his lookout. "An obscure evil of sorts that I cannot describe, one that may be even more menacing than the Androids."

"Obscure evil?!" Piccolo narrowed his eyes, before scowling. "You're not making any sense, old man! What evil?!"

"I- I cannot say." The elderly Namek breathed apprehensively. "It was around four years ago that a strange feeling had awoken somewhere in the back of my mind. Up until this moment, I paid it no heed, but now it's almost unmistakable." A tense pause ensued. "There is an evil force at work and it needs to be dealt with, before it has a chance to grow, otherwise I fear it will be unstoppable."

"Then why in God's name are we standing around for?!" Piccolo snapped. "We need to merge now!"

XXXX

'Yes, I can feel it.' The Prince stood atop a jutting rock, overlooking the picturesque, mountainous landscape. 'A level beyond Super Saiyan. It's in here somewhere. The only question is how to spring this boundless well of power.'

'He's just been standing there for hours, like some freaking statue!' Trunks boiled restlessly. 'What on Earth is he doing?! Is he even alive, in there?!'

"FATHER!" He yelled to the top of his voice, having had quite enough of the silent treatment.

"Quiet boy!"

"You said you were gonna train!" He grit his teeth vexedly, stomping an angry foot on the ground. "This isn't training!"

"If you don't want to be here, go home to that loudmouthed mother of yours!"

"Fine, I will!" He shot back. "Anything's better than this!"

"Good, get lost then!" Vegeta growled. "You're too weak and foolish to handle my training, anyway."

"You are so infuriating!" The half-Saiyan thundered, before flying off, all the while seething to himself about what an insufferable prick his father was.

'Tch, stupid brat!' Vegeta growled inwardly. 'No respect for the elderly!'

XXXX

"He's finally starting to calm down." Chi-Chi's lips curled in a lopsided smile, eyes watering up, as she placed a towel on her sickly husband's damp forehead. "You're always putting everything on your shoulders, you big oaf." She lay her head on his chest, sighing as she felt the steady thrum of his beating heart. "You only ever think about others, never about yourself. I wish you realized how just much we need you."

"Hey Chi-Chi, as much as I hate to ruin the moment, it's probably not safe to get so close to Goku." Yamcha cautioned, timidly biting his lip, as the raven-haired Princess shot him one of her patent glares. "Look, I'm just saying. That disease might be contagious. In fact, we'd be wise to take some of the medicine ourselves."

"You're probably right." Chi-Chi released a doleful breath of surrender.

Soon enough, Gohan caught up to them and boarded the plane. He'd left Bulma and Trunks back at Capsule Corporation, a short while ago and headed straight home afterwards, only to find that the premises had been vacated. Fearing the worst, he scoured indoors until he discovered a note on the fridge, informing him about Krillin's phone call. After trashing the note to prevent the Androids from finding it, he trailed Yamcha's Ki signature over to the airplane.

The demi-Saiyan knelt before his immobile father, placing an arm around his wailing mother's waist.

"Don't cry mom." He soothed. "He'll be fine. I know he will. He's been through so much worse and has always come back, stronger than ever."

"Oh Gohan." Chi-Chi's face fell on the boy's shoulder, as she continued to bawl her woeful eyes out. She should be the one consoling him, not the other way around. She'd hardly noticed it, but as time swept past, her son had become so much stronger and not just physically. Little did she know that Gohan wanted to cry right alongside her, at the heart-wrenching sight of his sickly father. But years of toughening and hardening under Piccolo and his old man had made him more resilient than he'd ever thought possible. He needed to be strong and shoulder his courageous father's responsibilities, as Earth's hero, while he was still abed. It was his duty- his legacy.

XXXX

"In any proper match-up, those puny, pint-sized weaklings wouldn't have stood a chance against a fighter of my caliber!" Hercule furiously proclaimed into the microphone, pointing a daring finger at the camera. "That's right Vegeta, Goku and all you punks! I'm challenging you to a battle on my home turf! We'll see just how long you can withstand the infernal damnation of Satan himself, when there're no bombs in the ring, to save your phoney behinds!"

"Um- Mr. Satan, wouldn't you say that those guys deserve at least a little bit of credit?" A dubious reporter asked. "After all, they did beat some prominent world-class fighters, without using any of those 'tricks', as you like to dub them."

"Oh flapdoodle, that was just plain luck, nothing more!" The wroth wrestling champion flippantly asserted. "Anyone with a keen eye for martial-arts can see that, clear as daylight! Those guys are all amateurs! I'm the real champ!"

"Ugh- that fucking, miserable cocksucker!" An enraged Bulma shrieked, switching off the live broadcast, barely resisting the urge to hurl the remote at her LCD screen. "If it weren't for those fucking Androids, I'd go and kick his unhygienic ass myself!"

"Now, now dear, calm down." Mrs. Brief gently reproved. "You're gonna wake the baby."

"I can't believe there're people out there, stupid enough to fall for this horse shit!" The irate heiress hissed.

"No need to get all worked up over it, Bulma." The flaxen-haired woman wagged a disapproving finger at her hotheaded daughter, one hand firmly planted on her hip. "Someone like that clearly isn't worth your time."

"I know, but it still pisses me off."

Just then, the blue-haired mother received an unexpected phone call, followed by a faxed photo of a dilapidated transportation device she vaguely recognized, though she couldn't quite place where. A minute later, it hit her. That was the vehicle that the older Trunks travelled on during his first visit, only this one looked as though it'd been abandoned for years, to the point of disrepair. She was about to call Kame House and inform them of the startling discovery, until none other than her son from the future came knocking. She grinned, upon recognizing his Ki signature.

"Hey Trunks, what brings you-" Bulma opened the door and was surprised to see the morose look on the young demi-Saiyan's features. God, the sight of it almost made her burst into a boisterous fit of giggles. It was a picture perfect resemblance of his surly father- only much cuter. "What's wrong?"

"Oh- Hi- I uh- I take it you know who I am." Trunks' sour expression morphed into a bashful one.

"Of course I do, handsome." Bulma teasingly winked at him, laughing as her glamor boy blushed profusely. She gave him a brief once-over. "You know, I feel kinda dumb for not recognizing you straight away. I mean, the signs were pretty obvious."

"Well, to be honest, I'm glad you didn't." The youth let out an uneasy chuckle, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "If you knew the truth, it could've jeopardized my existence and all."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Bulma replied, a sultry gleam flashing vividly in her half-lidded, azure eyes. "I mean, considering the amount of times your father and I-"

"Mother!" The revolted teenager exclaimed, ruddier than ever, unable to believe how shameless and depraved she was behaving, in front of her own son, no less. He could certainly do without any unwanted imagery of parental sex. "Can you please not?!"

"Fine, fine." She relented, before frowning at him, arms akimbo. "But where is Vegeta anyway? And what about the Androids? Did you guys beat 'em?" The heiress suddenly blanched, overcome with a surge of panic and dread. "Oh God, is he-"

"No, no, he's alright." Trunks quickly interjected, whereby the color returned to her assuaged face. He filled her in on all that had happened. "Afterwards, he just decided to take off and isolate himself from everyone. I don't understand it. Has he gone insane or something?!"

"Oh Trunks, your father was born insane." Bulma snickered a moment, afterwards giving him a solemn look. "But seriously, you don't need to worry about him. He's done this before and come back, a whole lot stronger. If I know Vegeta, he's probably working on some crazy new technique."

"I- I see." The lavender-haired teen sighed despondently. "But if that's the case, then why can't he show me? I wanna be strong like he is, but he says I'm too weak for his training."

"What?!" Bulma snarled indignantly, hands fastened tight and jaw clenched, as her maternal instincts kicked in, full force. The demi-Saiyan jumped in surprise, at the abrupt outburst. "How dare he?! Ugh, that jerk! Don't worry, Trunks. The next time I see him, I'll be sure to rip him a new one. But for now, there's something I need to show you." She led him inside, towards the fax machine and handed him the copy of the photo she'd just received.

"It- it can't be." The demi-Saiyan gaped at the unlikely image, before him.

"The caller said he found it in the 1050th district." The heiress relayed. "You wanna go check it out?"

"Yes, definitely."

"Alright then, I'm coming with."

"Mom, I don't think that's-"

"Now don't you give me any lip young man, I'm your mother." Bulma cut him off, with a finality that reminded him of her feisty future counterpart. He couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"Alright, mom." He nodded.

Once they were outdoors, Trunks nearly fell to the core of the Earth in disbelief, as he saw his ebullient mother begin to levitate. How in God's name- Wait a minute! Now that he actually thought about it, there was something eerily different about her Ki. It was many times stronger than the Bulma he knew, back in his world. It wasn't at all like this during his last visit, three years ago. Just how different was this timeline?!

'God, I'll never get used to this.'

Not long afterwards, mother and son came across the other time travelling vehicle. It was undoubtedly the same one that Trunks possessed. The letter "Hope!" imprinted on its body, beneath a congealed layer of moss was confirmation enough.

"The only explanation is that someone from another timeline stole our machine and travelled to this world." He surmised, not sure how it was even possible. "But who? And why? And- how?"

"Gosh, this whole parallel Universe thing is way over my head." A dumbfounded Bulma muttered, closely appraising the interdimensional object. She frowned and pointed towards the top. "It looks as if something or someone melted its way through the hatch."

The demi-Saiyan hopped inside and took a look at the screen. Apparently, it had arrived here about a year before the face-off with Frieza and his father and had departed roughly three years after he had. What was even more bizarre were the twin halves of a spiky shell, sitting on the driver's seat. After following a virtually faded, gloopy trail from the time machine, he discovered the exuvial remains of the largest and most grotesque looking invertebrate he'd ever laid eyes on.

Bulma squeaked in fright, as she too, witnessed the nightmarish sight. That- thing was gigantic- the size of a freaking tiger.

"And here I thought, things couldn't possibly get any weirder." Trunks was at a total loss, blood running cold in horror and trepidation. "Whatever that- thing is, it's out there somewhere and God knows what it's doing."

XXXX

"It's horrible." Kami gasped, as he felt the countless mass of civilians perish, one at a time, each suffering the most gruesome and painful of deaths. "All those innocent people."

"Quit talking in riddles, old man!" Piccolo furiously demanded. "Tell me what's going on, now!"

"That won't be necessary." Earth's Guardian gravely replied, whirling around to face his other half. "It is time, Piccolo. Time for us to join and become one-being, time for the ultimate Namekian warrior to rise from the ashes once again and take his place amongst the living. Once we merge, not only will your power multiply, but you will acquire the centuries worth of knowledge and wisdom that I have gained. Use it wisely, for my time is at an end."

Piccolo stood speechless for a while, shocked that Kami had finally decided to give in, after hours of pointless procrastination. Still, it was an extremely difficult choice, one that he had to admire, no matter how much he disliked Kami.

"I- I will, I promise." The younger Namekian vowed, facing the tiled floor of the lookout. Kami's sacrifice wouldn't be in vain. He would make sure of that.

"Piccolo, you have changed much over the years." The old man shut his eyes and exhaled, tightening his grip around his walking stick. "The evil that once thrived, has all but receded, from your heart. Everything that I am, shall be yours, now and forever. Place your hand upon my chest."

A/N: So this marks the end of the chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it hehe. Seems Bulma's just a little unhappy with Vegeta's insensitivity towards poor Trunks. Watch out Vegeta! Bulma's wrath is coming for you and there's nothing you can do xD. And what is to be done about that prick Hercule? What of the Androids? :D

Hope you all enjoyed, 'cuz I'm really getting my writing vibe back hehe! Be sure to drop a review and I'll definitely try and update as soon as possible! Thanks again, everyone! Much love, as always! :D