Dragon Ball Z Dynasty

by Feraligreater328

When travelling along Snake Way, Son Goku suddenly finds himself plummeting down to Hell. There, he meets a surprisingly familiar ghost from his past that promises to change everything about his life going forward. How will the Saiyan react to this sudden, positive change in his life? Find out in Dragon Ball Z Dynasty.

178. Chapter 176: The Hatching

Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Authors: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

A/N: Unless I get really studious with the next chapter, this will probably be the last one for the year. I just wanted to take the time to say thank you. I love being able to entertain people and that fact that so many of you came back, after everything, means that absolute world to me. To my frequent reviewers, I just want to say that I look forward to hearing from you every time I post. You all know who you are.

I can't wait to take you to the places I've been imagining for so many years. Next year is going to be nuts for Dynasty. I hope you're all looking forward to it. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Let's all try to survive 2025. :)

Chapter 176: The Hatching

In a wasteland, 3 miles from Babidi's ship...

The metal claw holding Majin Buu's cocoon retracted the rest of the way into the Planet Cruiser. The moment the hatch closed, the ship swung a full 180 degrees in the air and pointed in a direction that made the dismembered Babidi flinch. A hatch on the front of the ship opened and the barrel of a massive cannon slid out. Booming out from speakers on the ship, a computer voice called out. "NOW FIRING T.U.R.S.A. CANNON."

Babidi screeched in panic. "NO! DON'T! STOP!"

A massive beam of energy fired from the cannon and sliced through the Earth's crust like butter. About 3 miles away, a massive explosion rocked out and made it rain debris for miles around. Babidi whined. "MY SHIP! NO!"

The shockwave from the exploded ship ripped across the battlefield, blasting Babidi and Dabura atop a rocky ridge and nearly making Piccolo drop the semi-conscious Gohan. Piccolo snarled, a vein bulging from his head. "Damn him! What the hell is this?!"

Shin cried out. "They're getting away with Majin Buu!"

Goku, visibly angry, quickly grabbed onto Piccolo and the Supreme Kai and pressed his fingers to his forehead. "NO HE AIN'T!"

And then, the four Z-Fighters disappeared in an instant.

At the rocky plateau, Babidi screamed in frustration. "WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT?! THE?! HELL?! HOW IN THE WORLD DID BARDOCK TRICK ME?!"

Next to Babidi, a ghastly cough rang out. Looking over, his body limp and his eyes milky, Dabura groaned. "Master..."

Babidi glared at the Demon King, watching as blood began to pool again from the massive hole in his chest. Babidi snarled. "SHUT YOUR MOUTH, YOU IDIOT! I HAVE NO USE FOR A DYING FAILURE!"

Dabura moaned. "F-Forgive me, Master... I am so sorry to have failed... you ..."

Babidi snapped, lifting his remaining hand and preparing to make Dabura's head explode. "I SAID SHUT-"

"MASTER BABIDI!"

Babidi looked up and, to his surprise, the ten Zoonians that Bardock had mentioned before all landed and quickly gathered around their master. Babidi groaned. "And your names are?"

They all saluted and announced in sequence:

"ACCIO!"

"AGUAMENTI!"

"ALOHOMORA!"

"AVADA!"

"CRUCIO!"

"DIFFINDO!"

"HORCRUX!"

"IMPERIO!"

"KEDAVRA!"

"LUMOS!"

Babidi nodded, and then he turned to his dying Demon King. "Dabura, I might have use for you yet..."

And then, Babidi unleashed a type of magic that he hadn't before. A wave of blackened death fogged over his remaining hand and, with one sweeping gesture, he ripped the lifeforce from all ten of his soldiers. And then, he thrust it all at Dabura. "I'm not nearly as skilled at lifeforce magic as my father was, but this should extend what's left of you a bit longer..."

Dabura screamed. His body was still in agony from the mortal wound he was dealt, but he felt the peace of the grave slipping further and further away. Vitality filled the Demon King's body, and with that vitality came fresh and almost overwhelming pain.

As Dabura writhed on the ground, clawing at the hole in his chest, Babidi snapped. "QUIT BLEATING LIKE A DYING LAMB AND GET OFF YOUR LAZY BACK!"

With difficulty, and a massive spray of blood from his throat, Dabura got shakily onto his legs. Babidi yelled again. "PICK ME UP! CAREFULLY!"

Dabura obliged, putting every bit of effort he could manage into not falling flat onto his face. From the demon's arms, Babidi glared up at the once more rotating Planet Cruiser. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned the Supreme Kai's siphoning sphere and snarled. "FOLLOW THAT SHIP!"

And so, the dying Dabura obliged.

On the Planet Cruiser...

Bardock marched onto the deck of the Planet Cruiser with an exhausted groan. To the dismay of his aching head, he was met by thunderous applause from all of Turles' lesser troops. "Dammit all. I feel like beaten shit. I don't think I could feel any worse..."

Slug rolled his eyes. "Well, don't go saying that. I have to give you back what you had me take away..."

He turned and shouted. "GYOSHU! KAKUJA! FETCH MY PENSIEVE!"

The two wrinkled gremlins both nodded with deference to their master and father, rushing toward the galley to retrieve the requested item from Lord Slug's private quarters. Zangya, meanwhile, walked up to Bardock and thumped him on the back. "Nice work. Played that little bastard like a fiddle!"

Bardock nodded. "Yup. Easier than it sounded. Babidi's a dumb, self-absorbed child. I hate Dabura, but I'm surprised even brainwashing would make him put up with that petulant little shitstain."

"So, what you're saying is...you owe Slug an ice cream cone for all that weird Namekian stuff he did to your head~?"

Turles walked out on deck, trailed behind by Bonyu, Hisho, and an entire crowd of young children. Slug sneered. "You could just call it magic. No need for... that word."

The Saiyan scientist blew a raspberry. "Magic ain't real. That's just what hillfolk and rubes call science."

Turles smiled wide. "Engines are restocking a charge from firing the T.U.R.S.A. Cannon. Once we have enough energy saved up again, and once we're clear of the Earth, we can fire up the warp drives and go put this whole sordid affair to bed! Changing the future, baby!"

Bardock cringed. "Knock on wood. Right now."

Turles snorted. "You ever think of how dumb that phrase is? I mean, what the hell is smacking your knuckle against a piece of wood even gonna-"

In an instant, Goku, Piccolo, Gohan, and the Supreme Kai all appeared in the middle of the crowd. Her eyes going wide, Zangya mumbled a series of swears under her breath and dived behind the nearest hiding place before Shin had a chance to see her. The lesser troops, following in the lead of Angila and Daiz, all moved to pounce on these sudden intruders, but Turles raised a hand to quell them. "Hold on! Don't be so quick to attack! This guy has my face!"

Turles leaned in close, making Goku flinch back in surprise. Gohan and Piccolo observed this new person warily. Immediately, a look of recognition bloomed on Shin's face. Where had he seen this person before? Turles took two steps closer and Goku took two steps back. He pursed his lips. "Bardock... is this guy..."

Bardock spoke dryly. "He is very obviously one of my kids, little brother. The younger one, Kakarot."

Turles nodded, and then adopted a beatific smile. He thrust his organic hand into Goku's face. "Heya there... slugger. My name is Uncle Turles. I think I owe you about forty birthday presents, give or take, huh?"

Goku did a double-take, still genuinely angry but now also very confused. Piccolo quickly pushed past him. "We need an explanation for what is going on! Right now!"

Gohan was silently seething, glaring at Bardock from across the deck. Bardock stared back at him, dead-eyed and emotionless. Turles, still sounding giddy, turned to Piccolo. "Hey now! Come on. We're all friends here. We're only a few years away from all this just being a funky memory!"

Gohan snarled, grabbing Turles by the collar. "A FUNKY MEMORY?!"

Once more, the Demon Crushers moved in to attack the intruder. And once more, Turles raised his hand to order they stop. He called out. "Bardock?"

Bardock responded. "That's my grandson, Turles."

Turles beamed. "Oh! H-Hi! Nice to meet you! I don't like to boast, but I'm your Great Uncle Turles!"

Gohan's eyes were hard. Turles' smile dropped just a little. "Uh... maybe Okay Uncle Turles is a better description? Y-You seem angry. Or... is Great Uncle Turles just a mouthful? We could probably shorten that up... just a bit..."

With a look bordering on disgust, Gohan shoved Turles aside and started marching toward Bardock. "YOU! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?! ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT YOU WERE FAKING THE ENTIRE TIME?! Th-That you... you..."

"Hold your horses."

Turles quickly recovered and waved. "Hey, Slug~"

For the first time, the four new arrivals turned their attention to Slug, who was pushing his way through the crowd with a cart carrying a massive, ornate stone basin. Within the basin floated dozens of silvery-purple wisps, looking somewhere between a liquid and a gas. Amidst those silvery-purple wisps was a single wisp of dark green, with a glowing red sheen to it. Piccolo flinched in shock at this ancient being's face, instantly recognizing him for what he actually was.

Slug glared out of the corner of his eye at his younger counterpart and immediately glared away with a distasteful snort. He spoke aloud, directing most of his words at Gohan. "Before you yell at this damned fool, let me make sure he cares about what you have to say."

Gohan glared at Slug. "What do you mean?"

Slug dipped his finger into the basin, swirling it around. "Boy, you have a Glind serving as the Kai for this universe standing next to you. Much like my kind, they are incredibly long-lived. Even a young Glind like that one. Haven't you ever asked yourself, even once, who such a long-lived being copes with remembering so much information?"

Gohan, his anger taking a backseat for just a moment, cocked his head. "I... guess not? I mean, I suppose it's interesting to think about how ancient minds might cope with so much filling them up..."

Slug briefly smirked. "Well, boy, the answer to that is surprisingly simple. Long-lived beings such as ourselves all make use of magic... shut up, Turles... to cope. We all have different methods. Mine is this basin you see here, my Pensieve. Using it, I can rip undesirable memories or useless emotions from my brain and store them away. I can also use this for other people, taking things out that they either have no use for or require being rid of for certain tasks..."

The Namekian dipped his finger in and pulled out the green wisp. Piccolo frowned. "And you're saying that this artifact will provide an explanation for everything that's happened today?!"

Slug nodded, approaching Bardock and wrapping the green wisp around his index finger. "Yep. Being blunt, we knew that Bardock was going to have to act the part to fool that half-assed little clone he was pretending to work for. So..."

The ancient Namekian rammed his index finger into Bardock's temple, watching dispassionately as the green wisp swirled back into Bardock's head. "In addition to creating a false copy of Bardock's mind for Babidi to think he had brainwashed, I removed his conscience so that he would be able to do what was necessary."

Slug ripped his finger from Bardock's temple and the older Saiyan slumped over. Slug shook his head. "Told him that the result on my mind wouldn't be pleasant once he resynced. Everything that he did is gonna hit him hard. But..."

Slug shrugged. "... not my problem."

Gohan clenched his teeth. "S-So... everything that happened today... is YOUR fault?!"

Slug glared. "Don't take that uppity tone with me, stripling. If you idiots were more observant, this whole situation could have been avoided."

Gohan, Piccolo, and Goku all flinched. Goku shouted. "What's that supposed to mean?! How could we have seen this coming?!"

Slug spat back. "The King of the pissing Demon Realm was on that miserable ball of mud you call a planet for 2 years prior to today! You ignorant children could have noticed him at any time. You could've noticed Bardock at any time. But you didn't. You were too busy playing grab-ass during your school days, or taking near-year-long naps, or getting up to whatever perverse nonsense the Saiyan Prince and his mate were getting up to. No gumption among you Earthlings. Wastes of blood and bone and muscle and power."

Gohan snarled. "Why you-"

Piccolo cut between the two. He pushed Gohan back and stared his counterpart in the eye. "Pretty aggressive for a Namekian, Grand Elder Slug. I guess the rumors I've heard are true that you've simply cast aside the Namekian way?"

Slug's eyes glowed with death. "Can't say. Why don't I see how quickly I can skin you alive so we can find out?!"

As the two seemed ready to come to blows, Turles quickly intervened in the situation. "Okay, okay! No need for a flaying! We can all get along! We're all friends here and we all have the same goal at the end of the day! We just wanna stop this whole Majin Buu thing from happening, right?! By the way, Gohan, you can call me Grunkle Turles if that makes it easier!"

Goku looked annoyed. "Okay, seriously! You seem like a nice guy, but who the heck are you?!"

Turles beamed at him. "Like I said, I'm your Uncle Turles~! Bardock's long-lost, shortly found twin brother! And, boy-oh-boy, have I been waiting to meet the two of you~"

He frowned. "I wanted to meet Raditz too, but I don't think the green guy is him. That's a shame..."

Moving quickly, Turles snaked his way behind Goku and Gohan. He wrapped one arm each over their shoulders. "Kakarot! Er, uh... lil' buddy! I've been watching so many videos on this sort of thing and I am all prepped and ready! I need to know when your birthday is! And what you like to eat! And I wanna sneak you a beer! But you can't tell your mother I did it..."

Goku looked so confused. "I've drank beer before. I have three kids..."

Turles continued. "Oh man, I owe you so many birthday presents! Christmas too! And I wanna take you fishing! And I wanna play a game of catch! And I bought a whole lotta dirty magazines at the last rest port and hid them under my bed so you can 'steal' one! And I also hear that you go by a different name, so I was watching videos on that too and I don't wanna be the intolerant type of uncle, so you just tell me if Kakarot is your... uh... DEADNAME! Yeah! You tell me if Kakarot is your deadname and I'll make sure to never say it again, okay?!"

Turles turned to Gohan. "And you! I didn't find as many videos about being a great un... GRUNKLE! I didn't find many videos about being a Grunkle, but I have some stuff for you too!"

The Saiyan scientist quickly pulled a coin from behind Gohan's ear. "I learned this sleight-of-hand trick so you'd think I'm cool! And I'm trying to find a reality destroying interdimensional demon for us to slay together!"

Gohan cringed back. "WHAT?!"

Turles forcibly turned them both. "Oh, and let me introduce you to your Aunts/Great Aunts and your cousins/second cousins!"

He pointed them all out. "These are my wives! Bonyu is the red one! Hisho is the one with glasses! Zangya is the one hiding behind the bulkhead for some reason! I've made sure their pants pockets are all full of butterscotch to give you!"

Bonyu reached into her pocket, looking perplexed as she pulled out a handful of candies. "When the bloody hell did you-"

Turles smiled down at the small crowd of kids. "And these are my kids! The girl with red skin is my oldest. Her name is Oatmilk and her mother is your Aunt Bonyu! My oldest little fella with blue skin is Watacress, his mother is your Aunt Zangya! And the two little ones, the twins, are Daikon and Mooli! Their mother is your Aunt Hisho~"

Goku and Gohan were both frozen, watching Turles talk a mile-a-minute. Gohan was still emotionally exhausted from his long day and had little in the way to offer this strange, unhinged person holding onto him so tightly. Goku, however, saw things for what they were once the initial shock had worn off. Turles had a smile on his face, but his voice was cracking. He was trying his best to be cheerful, but he was genuinely nervous if not outright terrified. And, twitchy and deranged though he was, Goku didn't feel an ounce of malice from him.

Turles turned to Goku and smiled. "So, uh... weird situation to meet in, but... can I call you family?"

Goku glanced from Turles, to Gohan, to his slowly stirring father across the deck. He took a deep breath, taking the entire day into account, and then sighed it out and offered a small, friendly smile. "Sure thing, Uncle Turles. It's nice to meet ya~ Call me Goku."

Turles made a noise that would have made most dogs begin to howl and pulled his arm from Gohan, hugging Goku close and tight. Goku gave a small chuckle and gave the new weirdo a friendly pat on the back. On a roll, Turles turned to Piccolo and flashed a friendly grin. "Hey, Namekian friend! Have you met our Namekian? His name's Slug!"

Piccolo and Lord Slug glared at each other again, Slug looking livid, and remained silent. Turles chuckled. "They're so alike!"

He turned his attention back to Gohan. "By the way, kid. I understand that have the Alpha Saiyan power, just like Cassava did! I'm so curious about how that works, so... can I have a liter of your blood~?"

Gohan cringed back. "N-No!"

Turles nodded. "Okay, okay! Step too far! I getcha! Um, follow-up question: where do you live and what's your sleeping schedule like?"

Gohan shuddered. "I... I live in the center of the Earth... and I never sleep..."

Turles slumped over. "Oh... well, rats..."

After a moment's pout, however, Turles quickly sprang back to his more excitable mood. "Hey! Hey, hey! I think I have something that you Earth guys are gonna like!"

Motioning to his men, Turles shouted orders. "Bring 'em out! All four of 'em! And make sure you're careful!"

Everyone waited as twelve of the Demon Crusher grunts marched down into the ship's hold. As they were waiting, behind them, Bardock's body began to stir with a small shudder. Soon enough, the grunts returned. In teams of three, they were carefully carrying the petrified forms of Tien, Chiaotzu, Krillin, and Goten.

Immediately, Goku and Gohan started to panic. Shoving Turles back, they both ran up to the petrified Goten. Goku cried out. "WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?!"

Gohan turned to Turles. "What is this?!"

Piccolo, meanwhile, was far more pragmatic. "Why on Earth are they all still petrified? Didn't we just kill Dabura?!"

The Supreme Kai, meanwhile, remained silent and contemplative. He was sure that he recognized Turles, specifically Turles, from somewhere.

Turles took no notice that he was being watched. He simply walked over to Angila and took a rifle that the demon was holding, sliding the bolt on the side of it forward and then down a different shaft. "Bardock going deep cover into Babidi's little cabal did us a few favors other than allowing us to steal that cocoon. One thing we decided to do, the moment Dabura revealed the ability, was to work out how that spit of his works. And that wasn't easy, let me tell ya! It took forever for Bardock to steal some of the special cutlery that Dabura used and smuggle it out via Babidi's trash chute. Hoo boy, that poor Zoonian they had working in the kitchen screamed for hours before Dabura finally killed him for real..."

Turles sighed, holding the rifle up and aiming at Goten. "Anyhow~"

The Saiyan scientist pulled the trigger and fired a gob of liquid right into Goten's petrified face. Goku and Gohan's eyes both went wide and Goku immediately rushed to stop his uncle. "Wait a minute! What are you doing?!"

Before Goku could stop him Turles fired three more shots at Tien, Chiaotzu, and Krillin. The Saiyan from Earth, looking angry once more, snatched the rifle out of Turles' hand. "I swear, if you hurt my friends or my son-"

"OW!"

Goku turned at the sound of Krillin's voice and stared in awe. Slowly, the petrification freezing the four former statues in place was fading away. Tien blinked slowly. Chiaotzu laid flat. Goten stumbled forward into Gohan's arms. And Krillin, lying on his back, hissed in pain and gripped the arm he had cracked in his earlier panic, blood now gushing from a massive gash. Overcome with relief, Goku dropped the rifle and rushed forward, tackling into Krillin and Tien both, hugging them both tight, and sighing in relief. "Oh, thank Kami."

Turles smiled, picking up the rifle and disengaging the bolt. "Took a couple years to break down what was in Dabura's spit that allowed for petrification to occur. Once I isolated that, I was able to replicate a synthetic version of the spit. That's what I used to petrify the little fella and the pale guy. And once I made a synthetic version of the spit, it was nothing to create a counter-saliva."

Goku looked shocked. "Whoa! Are you some kinda genius?!"

Turles puffed out his chest, looking smug. "Kinda~"

The four restored warriors groaned as they slowly regained their wits and Piccolo brought them all up to speed on what was going on. Once they were all informed, Krillin was lost for words. Tien and Chiaotzu were shooting looks of outrage and uncertainty at Bardock, respectively. And Goten was simply left looking around between these two new people that shared his face, his apparent grandfather and great uncle. The boy smiled. "Okay, so why'd you guys play so much pretend to steal that cocoon, Grunkle Turles?"

Piccolo snapped. "Yes, that really does bring us to the point, doesn't it?! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

The humor in the air immediately died. All the notable warriors, Earthling and Demon Crusher alike, settled down for one final summation of everything that had occurred involving Babidi and Majin Buu. Goku shot a harsh glare. "Well, Dad?"

Bardock was silent, mumbling to himself. He had a far off look in his eye as if he was just realizing the full depth of what he had done. He gripped both hands over his ears and doubled over, mumbling to himself as he mentally went over everything from the past years to the past day. Bardock was lost. Turles frowned. "Let me start things off. I'm sure Bardock will chime in once he figures everything out up in his head meat, there..."

Turles cleared his throat. "This is a bit of a mouth full..."

He took one last look at everyone, their eyes locked onto him. "So, from what Bardock told me, this whole thing began with a vision he had after he fought Bojack."

The mention of that name made the Supreme Kai shudder. He glanced over at Turles again, his eyes going wide as every little detail in his head fused into one clear image. Off to the side, still hiding, Zangya flinched as she realized her former employer was quickly becoming more aware. Turles continued, unknowing. "After that vision, he left the Earth and went out into space to go and try to prevent it from happening and also to come and find me. We had a ton of awesome adventures and fought a golem powered by hate and spite on a planet called M1. During that fight, I found the first lead connected to Bardock's vision. It was a defective door from the construction of Babidi's ship. We traced the order for that ship as being connected to Pui-Pui and we eventually found them in a black sun solar system wrangling that Lucavore of theirs."

Turles jabbed his thumb toward Slug. "When Slug saw Babidi, he identified him as a clone of some asshole named Bibidi who terrorized the universe a long time back. We also observed Babidi's ability to brainwash people when he took over the Lucavore-"

Goku grumbled. "His name was Yakon..."

Turles continued. "... so Slug said something had to be done. Making a long story short, Slug essentially produced a replica of Bardock's mind inside of his brain that Babidi could think he took over. Slug also removed Bardock's conscience, making it to where we could keep him on our side, but have him constantly act in a way that would keep Babidi fooled. Bardock served Babidi for nearly a year, getting jobs done and earning his trust, until they finally came to Earth 2 years ago. Since then, we've been steadily gathering info, keeping tabs on things to work them to our advantage, and just pushing toward our ultimate goal that we carried out today."

Piccolo sneered. "Pointlessly convoluted. Why not just use this legion of yours to kill Babidi?! Why have Bardock murder so many humans?! Why not just tell us what's going on?!"

Turles frowned. "Babidi is a skittish coward. If we would've come at him or if Bardock didn't play the part, the little bastard might have opened up that cocoon early. And, from what Bardock told us, that would've been really bad. And, as for not just telling you... I agree with Slug, kinda. How did you not notice all of this?"

Goku and Piccolo glanced at one another and Goku groaned in the back of his throat. And then, finally, Bardock spoke. "...oh my God."

Everyone flinched and looked over at the older Saiyan, who was doubled over with his hands pressed over his face. Bardock's shoulders began to shake. "Oh... my... God..."

At that same moment, Gohan spoke up again. His voice was cold and bitter. "Okay, Turles. I suppose breaking Grandma Gine's heart was part of your plan too?"

At this, Turles' face sank. His single pupil shrank and he stared at Gohan, stricken almost completely dumb. "Hunh?!"

Gohan flinched. He had only known this Turles for a few minutes, but it was quite evident that the man was incapable of faking his emotions. And right now, spreading across his modified and slightly scarred face, was a look of such sickened horror that it almost knocked Gohan off his feet. Turles spoke in a hoarse whisper. "Gine?! What happened to Gine?!"

Turles surged forward, grabbing Gohan by his battered jumpsuit. "ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!"

He glared over at his brother. "BARDOCK! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Bardock was pressing his thumbs against his eyes so hard that he was almost gouging them out. "OH... MY... GOD!"

Slug sighed and rolled his eyes. "Everyone, calm down. The Saiyan woman isn't dead. Her feelings are hurt. She'll get over it."

Gohan scowled. "You son-of-a-"

Finally, having recovered enough, Tien rose up and placed a hand on Gohan's chest. The three-eyed warrior was stern. "We're starting to argue in circles and that's not going to do us any good. We might not be calling ourselves allies later on, but we've at least confirmed that we're not enemies. In some way or another, we all seem to be working toward the same goal. So, why don't we just call bygones be bygones for now?"

Tien turned to fully face Gohan. "I understand you're upset, Gohan. But let's finish dealing with this Majin Buu before we move on to other matters. Okay?"

Gohan's face scrunched. But he nodded and deferred Tien the proper respect. "Yes, sir."

Tien clapped a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Good man."

And so, everyone turned and faced one another. The Z-Fighters stood on one side, all of them confused about how they should feel. The Demon Crushers stood on the other side, most of them deferring to Bardock and Turles, both of whom looked lost. Slug groaned and cracked his neck. "Right, so-"

Shin interrupted. "I don't think I can promise that, at the moment."

Everyone turned their attention toward the deity. Slug grunted. "Damn."

Zangya lowered herself behind a bulkhead again. The rest of the Demon Crushers all struggled to look anywhere but at Shin. Turles lazily turned his head. He and Shin locked eyes and the Supreme Kai frowned. "I know you. You're the one who took advantage of the Holy Gate on Hera. You invaded Core World. You stole a fruit from the Kaijuu Tree!"

Turles recovered a bit of humor, adopting an uneasy smile and scratching the back of his head. "O-Oh... was that me? I... uh..."

He nervously giggled. "R-Refresh my memory...?"

Shin marched across the deck, grabbing Turles by his collar and shockwaving a dozen minions away. He yanked Turles down to his level and, for the first time since the Z-Fighters had first met him, Shin managed to be genuinely intimidating. "WHERE IS IT?!"

Turles' face faltered. He swallowed a lump in his throat. The Supreme Kai was on edge, this entire day having run him down just as it had everyone else present. Turles had watched the little fellow's attendant get burned alive on the surveillance when Dabura attacked. Turles adopted a positive smile. "I... would be happy to show what I've done! It's a scientific marvel on my part, I think~! I'm sure you'll think it's neat!"

In the Planet Cruiser atrium...

Shin stared in gape-mouthed horror up at the massive, gnarled tree planted in front of him. With twisted bark, visibly rotten fruit, and leaves that looked like death, Turles' so-called "Tree of Might" was almost as horrible in the deity's eyes as the prospect of Majin Buu. Ignorant of the Kai's disgust, Turles turned toward the gathered crowd and motioned to his pet project. Everyone, minus Bardock who remained on the deck in a stupor, watched with curious attention. "This thing took so many variables to grow! After we managed to take a fruit from the Kaijuu Tree, the first thing that we did was head to a nicely vital planet and steal some nutrient rich land to grow it in! We've been rationing chunks of soil from Planet Pokebowl. And let me tell ya, that wasn't easy to get either! The Paiku were pissed that we were stealing from them..."

Goku flinched. "W-Wait a minute... YOU KILLED PIKKON?!"

Turles cocked his head, looking confused. "I don't recall killing anybody..."

He waved the idea off. "Anyway. The next step was getting the water to nourish the tree. Luckily, Bardock happened to capture someone who drank a dose of the sacred water of the Kaio-Spring. So, once I managed to extract the water from her, it was simple to finally grow a Tree of Might! And now, once the gestation period ends, I'll have everyone on my ship eat a diet of them for a few months and then the entire universe will be ours!"

Shin shuddered. "E-Eat them?!"

Turles turned to the Kai. "Yeah. Eat 'em. I mean, they're fruit. Right? What's a fruit for if not for snackin'?"

Shin was silent for a long moment. He turned to Zangya, who had no place in this room to hide behind, and just stared at her for a moment. Zangya flushed and averted her gaze. Shin turned back to Turles. He looked sick. "You're... going eat them?"

Turles beamed. "Ayup. That's the plan~"

There was a long, long pause that filled the room as Shin stared at Turles and Turles smiled at Shin. Everyone else present, from Z-Fighter to Demon Crusher could feel that something was wrong. Like the words were building up in Shin's throat and waiting to burst out like a hairball or a mass of improperly chewed food. Finally, in a voice so small it was almost inaudible, Shin spoke. "Fetuses..."

Turles flinched. "Huh?"

Shin took a step forward. "They're fetuses..."

Turles frowned. "What are fetuses?"

A dam broke in Shin's brain and, with what must have been centuries of pent of rage, he roared forward and wrapped his hands around Turles' throat, shoving him into the trunk of the Tree of Might and screaming in his face. "THAT FRUIT YOU STOLE! THE FRUIT YOU'RE GROWING! FETUSES! GLIND FETUSES! YOU STOLE AN UNBORN BABY FROM THE CORE WORD AND CHOPPED IT INTO PIECES AND USED IT TO GROW A TREE OF ABOMINATIONS!"

The Supreme Kai began to slam Turles as hard as he could, again and again, into the trunk. "AND! YOU! WERE! PLANNING! TO! EAT! THEM?!"

Turles took a moment to process this new information. And then he gasped. "W-WAIT! THOSE FRUIT ARE THE FETUSES?! WHAT?!"

He snapped his attention over to the steadily shrinking Zangya. "D-DID YOU KNOW THAT?!"

Zangya flinched. "I... I mean... there was just... never a good time to bring it up, Turles. We're always either working or making love! Was I supposed to interrupt the four of us doing our thing to say that your master plan involved eating babies?!"

Turles snapped back. "NO! THE FOUR FINISH MAKING LOVE AND THEN YOU TELL ME THAT MY MASTER PLAN INVOLVED EATING BABIES!"

At that moment, something inside Shin snapped and he unleashed a roar of pure fury, summoning a massive Ki blast and blowing the Tree of Might to pieces. Blinded by anger, the Supreme Kai thrust his hand into Turles' face and summoned another Ki blast. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS, YOU SICK FREAK!"

Turles' eyes went wide as he was suddenly staring severe injury, if not outright death, in the face. The death of Kibito and everything having to do with Babidi and Buu had scraped Shin down to the very bottom of the barrel. He was going to pulp Turles' head for all of this. But then, the Supreme Kai felt the heat of two shimmering energy blasts radiating against the back of his head, on either side of his mohawk. He slowly turned that there stood Bonyu and Zangya, both staring at the Kai with cold fury in their eyes and both imminently stronger than their husband. Bonyu snapped. "Drop him. Now."

The Supreme Kai sneered. Zangya snarled right back. "I will put Lord Whis out of a job, Shin. Let my husband go."

Seeing another situation about to start up, Goku quickly moved in to break things up. "Hey, Supreme Kai, can't we just let this one go? Uncle Turles didn't seem to know what those fruit were and was genuinely horrified to learn about it. Also... I mean, you destroyed it. Can't we just call that a win and finish things up?"

Shin grimaced. Behind them, the flaming ruins of the Tree of Might crashed to the ground and smashed a giant hole in the floor. With a sigh, the Supreme Kai dropped Turles from his grip and stood. Bonyu and Zangya both walked around him, bending down to check and dote on their poor husband.

Shin marched toward the exit to the atrium. "I will call this even for Turles' part in stopping Buu's revival. That is all."

Goku nodded, watching as the Supreme Kai quickly exited the room. He turned and offered his hand to Turles, which the scientist gratefully took. Goku hauled Turles to his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. "So, I guess with everything else explained, that just leaves one big question. Seems like you went through all this trouble to help my dad get rid of Majin Buu, so what's the plan to get rid of 'im?"

In spite of everything, Turles managed to produce another smile for his nephew. "Glad you asked~ Let's head out to the deck and discuss. It's an entire scheme and, if the projections on my electronic eye are correct, we're nearly ready to leave Earth's orbit and jump the ship to where we need to go~"

Krillin flinched. "J-Jump the ship?! Are we leaving Earth?!"

Turles nodded. "Yep. Don't have a way to easily replace your Sun."

Chiaotzu's eyes went wide. "Wait, what?"

As everyone cleared out of the atrium, Slug glared back at the ruined Tree of Might and groaned. "Well, that was a waste of 10 years. I wonder what the next, asinine..."

Slug's one good eye locked onto the flash of an outfit sneaking through the atrium's rear door. The swish of a pencil-skirt just barely avoided getting caught in the door as it gently pulled shut. Slug frowned. "What the hell are you doing, Hisho...?"

The elderly Namekian moved to follow, to catch up to the Turles wife and question her, when a sudden noise made his sensitive ears prick up. There was an out of place noise echoing out from deep below the deck. Slug stared into the hole that the Tree of Might made and thought back to the crowd gathered just a moment ago. All the officers, all of Bardock's ilk, and all of the nameless grunts were gathered around listening to Turles. Bardock himself was despondent on the deck. Slug glowered down into the pitch blackness of the hole and growled. "I have to do everything on this miserable tub myself..."

And then, without a second thought, Slug leapt into the hole.

Back on Earth...

Bulma planted her fists on her hips, looking consternated. "Come on, Mom! Why don't you and Dad get out of the house for a while? Dende wouldn't mind if we brought you and you'd get to see the dragon again..."

Panchy shook her head with a smile. "Oh, I can't dear. I have so much laundry to do! And there's a movie airing on the Hallmark Channel that I've been dying to see~! Hey, maybe when you get done with this silly ol' dragon stuff, you and the girls could all come back and we could have one big face-masks party~"

Bulma closed her eyes, considering it for a moment. "A face mask and a bottle of wine does sound pretty good after the way today has gone..."

While Bulma and her mother continued to chat back and forth, Erasa and Videl each held a Dragon Ball. Erasa blinked twice at her reflection in the One-Star Ball. Videl rubbed her index finger over all four stars on the Four-Star Ball. She cocked her head. "So, these things really have the power to perform miracles?"

She looked over at the slumbering Androids, 17 and 18 leaning on 16, who had the satchel with the Two, Six, and Seven-Star Balls sitting in it. Master Roshi nodded. "Indeed. We just need the two that Yamcha and that friend of yours went to grab. Then, you ladies get to see a real treat~"

Videl glanced from the old pervert back to the ball in her hands. "Nifty."

Erasa's eyes were sparkling. "And a dragon really shows up?!"

This time, Chi-Chi nodded. "Yep. Big ol' scary thing, it is."

Erasa turned to Gohan's mother and nodded. "Wow. Sounds wiggy."

Videl's eyes flickered from the ball in her hands to the belt on Chi-Chi's shoulder, and then back to the ball. She had only really noticed that belt when they were all searching underwater for the orb in her hands. "Yeah..."

Blowing a kiss over her shoulder at her mother, Bulma marched back into the Capsule plane, smiling at her reflection in the Dragon Balls and glancing in concern at the grim visages of Raditz, Blonde Launch, and Gine. She flopped down into the pilot's chair and pressed the button to close the back hatch, so lost in pre-flight set-up that she did not notice a certain robot escape this ship with a soft murmuring of "Giru Giru Giru..."

Bulma gunned the engine and the plane took off. "Okay, let's head to the Lookout and fix this whole mess!"

Back on the Planet Cruiser, just outside of Earth's atmosphere...

All three of Tien's eyes narrowed as Turles struggled to catch his breath. He had just finished an over-the-top explanation of his plan to get rid of Majin Buu and Zangya was studiously working to put out fires from the end of the presentation fireworks display. Tien shook his head. "...what?"

Turles sighed. "Okay, I'll explain one more time. Essentially, once our dark matter hyperdrive is charged, we're going to move a bit farther from the Earth. Then we're going to jump to an empty solar system. Then we're all going to write a thank-you note to Frieza so Kakarot can deliver them to him in Hell later. Then we're going to use the ship's T.U.R.S.A. Cannon to blow up that solar system's Sun to create a black hole. Then we're going to toss Majin Buu's cocoon into it. And then, bonus thing I just thought up, we can have the Supreme Kai seal that black hole up with his godly powers so we never have to think about it again!"

The Saiyan scientist turned to Shin. "Can you do that?"

Shin shot Turles a spiteful glare and then curtly nodded. Turles beamed. "Excellent~"

The Saiyan sighed. "Then...we go to Earth and I spend the rest of mine and Bardock's lives apologizing to Gine that she got caught in the crossfire of all of this..."

Turles glanced over at his brother, sad to see that Bardock was still just sitting there with his head hanging down. For the most part, Bardock's family avoided dealing with him, some out of genuine anger and some just for a lack of anything they could think to say. As everyone gathered on deck cordoned off into their own little cliques, Turles watched with some interest as Goten marched over to where Bardock sat. Curious, Turles casually walked toward the two just in time to hear Goten ask a question. "Are you my grandpa?"

For the first time since getting his conscience back, Bardock looked up. The older Saiyan's face was haggard and still pretty banged up from his fight with Gohan. He stared at Goten, standing in front of him and unconsciously suckling his thumb.

Bardock nodded. "Yeah, kid. I'm your granddad..."

Goten nodded. "Gohan always told me a lot about you. He's always said you were pretty cool."

Bardock glanced over at Gohan, seeing nothing but the boy's back. His face nearly crumpled, but he quickly collected himself. "I'm sure he did."

Goten turned and saw Turles standing there. The Saiyan scientist stared down at his older brother and felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He had helped carry out this plan, not bothering to try and argue how all of this might affect Bardock's relationships on Earth. He was just as much at fault in this mess as Bardock was. Goten cocked his head, looking from Bardock to Turles and back and forth at least a dozen times. Then, Goten spoke. "Are you two twins?"

Bardock and Turles both flinched. They stared at Goten who stared back with curious, young eyes. In his heart and his mind, Bardock was ruined. Crushed and shattered by the revelations of what his plans to defend the Earth had cost him. But looking at Goten, with his earnest face, the older Saiyan couldn't repress a small, sad smile. "Yeah, kid. We're twins."

Turles chuckled and pointed to his missing arm. "Formerly conjoined twins, actually."

Goten looked confused. "What's conjoined mean?"

He plopped down on the bench next to Bardock and glanced up at Turles. The Saiyan scientist stood there for just a moment, and then he squatted down and smiled. "So, basically...your grandpa and I were attached to each other when we were born. It was an accident..."

Bardock sighed and lifted the corner of his broken armor, showing a prominent scar on his side. "... His incomplete arm used to be attached to me right here."

Goten gasped in wonder. "NO WAY!"

This sudden outburst drew the attention of a few people on the ship. Goku, Piccolo, Tien, Krillin, Chiaotzu, and Gohan all turned and watched as Goten listened, utterly enthralled as he talked to his grandfather and great uncle. In spite of the bitter feelings, most of the Z-Fighters couldn't help but smile as Bardock spoke gently, but not childishly to the youngest of Goku and Chi-Chi's kids.

Goten laughed. "I'm a twin too! But I don't think Chika was attached to me when we were born!"

Bardock sighed and shook his head. "She wasn't."

Turles gasped. "This is one of the twins you told me about?! Where's the other one?!"

Gohan, meanwhile, watched Goten get to know Bardock for the first time and he felt, deep in his heart, a small pang of jealousy lost in a sea of sorrow and rage. Deep in Gohan's head, a familiar voice rattled out. "FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT-"

Gohan pressed his palm in the space between his eyebrows and made the voice stop all at once. And then he turned his attention away from Goten, Bardock, and Turles and back toward the Earth. He really wanted to go home.

Below deck...

Dabura's breaths were weak and wheezy as he stumbled through the bowels of the Planet Cruiser, the only slightly healthier Babidi barking orders the entire time. "FASTER, IDIOT, FASTER! HURRY!"

Dabura coughed, a wretched hacking noise that would normally have been accompanied by a gout of blood if there were enough blood left in Dabura's body to spit up. He had the pallor of a corpse, his eyes bloodshot and his vision increasingly blurring. Dabura was so lightheaded he wasn't sure which direction was up, nor down. All he could feel was pain, pain and magic from his cruel master helping to push him along.

"Master... I... hurt... please..."

Babidi snarled. "MUST EVERYTHING BE ABOUT YOU, YOU SELFISH SULFUR-BREATHING COW?! KEEP WALKING!"

Dabura continued to lumber along, feeling a horrid gust of wind tickle his exposed ribs and shredded innards. The Demon King could feel his brain going blank. He rounded one more corner, seeing something pulsating and vaguely red at the end of a hallway. And then, his will almost entirely spent, Dabura collapsed onto his face. Babidi glared at the Demon in disgust, briefly moving to remove the last bit of stolen life from Dabura but deciding that the more important matter was in front of him. Knocking on death's door himself, Babidi gave an exhausted cackle and used his magic to hover closer and closer to his stolen property. The sealed prison of Majin Buu was sitting right in front of him.

As Babidi hovered closer, some racket rang out from above and the wizard shivered in panic. He dropped the siphoning sphere of energy and it went crashing into a pile of crates, nudging them and making several things stacked atop shift. The wizard quickly flew over to the sphere and picked it up. But then, as he started to fly toward the sphere again, it began to rain some form of liquid from above. It wasn't a deluge by any means, but it was enough drops to be annoying.

One of the droplets plopped onto Babidi's head and he hissed in pain as it sizzled against his skin. "What the hell?! Acid?!"

Behind him, Dabura groaned as several of the droplets fell into his wound, another couple falling into his mouth. To the dying demon's dismay, he felt suddenly just a tad more vital. "Ugh..."

Babidi turned to yell at Dabura to be quiet, but then the pattering of droplets caught his attention. He turned and saw several of the hideous, burning drips splatter against Buu's cocoon and soak into the surface. Unknowing of what the liquid was, Babidi yowled and rushed forward. "NO! DON'T YOU DARE HARM MY BUU!"

Quickly, Babidi reached into the sphere and pulled out a massive handful of the energy, pressing it against the sphere containing his monster and watching it soak in. Several more of the droplets splattered against Babidi's skin, burning it. The wizard had no idea what this sticky sap was, nor why it burned him. He was well-aware that he was a clone made from his father, Bibidi's, DNA and that he had been tainted by the same dark magic as his sire, but Babidi had no idea what this fragrant, sticky drippings were, nor of the abominable tree that Turles had produced above.

As the wizard frantically shoveled energy into Buu's sphere, and as the droplets of juice from the fruit of the Tree of Might continued to rain down on the sphere, the arrival of a new guest went unnoticed. "I don't recall inviting you onto our ship."

Babidi turned and Slug's fingers pierced into his face, impaling one of the wizard's eyes as the other four sunk into the meat of his face. Slug smirked and summoned a Ki blast. "These damn Earthlings need to learn pragmatism."

Slug levied the blast right at Babidi, but Dabura leapt between the two at the last moment and cried out as the blast disintegrated one of his ears. Before Slug could react, Dabura tried to spit and found his mouth drier than a desert. He flinched and Slug, seizing the moment, rammed Babidi into the hole in Dabura's chest and hammered the Demon King over the head with both fists.

Dabura screamed in agony as Slug started beating him mercilessly and Babidi began to wriggle in his shredded viscera. Slug was ruthless, taking out Dabura's other eye, busting his nose, breaking an arm and kneeing Dabura in the face. The Namekian, caught up in his cruelty, drew his foot back and kicked Dabura in the chest wound, sending Babidi through the other side and flying across the room.

The wizard moaned, dragging himself back to his monster as Slug worked to finish off Dabura. "I heard my kind came from your world, Demon! You've been tending the Ajisa on Old Namek?! Huh?!"

After a laborious minute of frantic dragging, Babidi reached the energy sphere and grabbed the last morsel. He pushed the last of the energy into the sphere and a change was immediately apparent, the deep red skin of the cocoon suddenly became molten fire. The entire surface began to wriggle and writhe.

Slug turned and called out. "HEY!"

He dropped Dabura and began to sprint. Babidi cackled, his remaining eye going wide in triumph. Without a second thought, he began the magic incantation that he had been waiting to recite for eons. "BIBBIDI!"

Slug grabbed Babidi and started to squeeze his head. He felt the little imp's skull starting to crack. "BOBBIDI!"

The old Namekian wrapped both hands around Babidi's head and began to squeeze. "Shut your trap, you little-"

A final, muffled word rang out from beneath Slug's grip. The Namekian had enough time to think. 'The throat. I should've crushed the throat.'

And then, the fleshy prison in front of Slug burst open with a pressurized pop and pink smoke began to billow out in waves, engulfing him, Babidi, and Dabura all. A shrill voice rang out through the guts of the Planet Cruiser, more or less matching the word that both had mumbled out from between Slug's withered hands.

"BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

On the deck...

The feeling hit them all like a truck all at once. The sheer force of the power that suddenly engulfed the Planet Cruiser was enough to nock most of the lesser grunts off their feet. Bonyu cried out at the top of her lungs. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS THAT?!"

She looked over to Zangya, wanting confirmation that she wasn't the only one feeling this, and found herself staring into eyes as wide as dinner plates. Zangya stared down at the floor, as if feeling a force she had been only partially aware of for the first real time. And then the Heran woman turned to glance at the Supreme Kai and got confirmation of her own. Shin looked as if the world had just fallen apart right in front of him. "... No."

And then, everyone on the ship became aware of the source of the dreadful feeling all at once.

"BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Goku, Tien, Krillin, Chiaotzu, and Piccolo all gasped in shock. Gohan was at a loss. "H-How?!"

Everyone was silent for a moment, Bardock and Turles both rushing over to join the Z-Fighters. Bonyu, Zangya, Goten, and the Turles kids all quickly joined with the group as well, all of the Turles kids huddling with their father for security. Hisho came running out from the quarters, a new shoulder bag hanging from her arms. "What was that shout?! Turles, what's going on?!"

Finally, Shin joined the group and spoke in a wheezing, horror-stricken voice. "We're all doomed. The universe is at an end. We're all going to die..."

The kids all tensed up against Turles and, for the first time, the Saiyan scientist looked angry. "Hey! None of that! Nothing is doomed! Not so long as we have the ability to think and strategize! Now, where the hell is Slug?! Once he's here, we can-"

From a speaker on Turles' arm, the voice of the aged Namekian called out. "Tur...les..."

The signal was garbled, weak and breaking up, but Turles quickly answered with a smirk. "See? Not dead yet. Slug! Where are you?! We have a situation!"

Slug's voice sounded desperate, wounded. His tone was dire. "RUN!"

Slug's scream echoed out from Turles' arm loud enough that the speaker shrieked from the feedback. And then all was silent. Turles held up his hand. "Slug?! SLUG!"

Turles directed his gaze to the floor and began to fiddle with his prosthetic eyepiece. "Dammit, Slug! Breaking your earpiece at a time like this! I know you suck with technology, but..."

The Saiyan scientist went quiet, staring at the floor with his finger pressed to the corner of his eyepiece. He slowly looked around, taking just enough time to scan every inch and angle of the ship for Slug's power reading. And then, Turles' hand fell limp to his side and his eyes went nearly blank. For just a fraction of a second, Turles' lower jaw began to quiver and everyone around him moved to comfort him. Even the Supreme Kai started to offer a hand.

But then, Turles bit his lip hard enough to draw blood and he motioned his children to their mothers. "Everyone, follow me. Angila and Daiz, hold whatever that thing is off for as long as you can, but grab Lakasei and Raisen and retreat when you start to get overwhelmed!"

Turles turned to them and locked his eye piece on each one of them, registering them as part of his artificial sight. "I mean it! I'd better see you again!"

Neither Angila nor Daiz looked confident as they felt whatever the hell had just been unleashed stalking up toward the deck. But they both nodded and shot their captain and friend a smile. Angila affected a confident tone. "I won't be joining until I give this thing a proper thrashing for Lord Slug!"

Daiz nervously chuckled. "Don't worry, Turles! I'll drag him if I have to!"

Lakasei and Raisen called out in unison. "SEE YOU SOON, CAPTAIN!"

Turles nodded, turning and motioning everyone else to follow. "Come along! I need to adjust something in the ship's bowels and then we're getting outta here! Goku! You can teleport, right?!"

Goku nodded and followed along. "Yup!"

As the other Z-Fighters and the children followed Turles' charismatic lead, Bonyu, Hisho, and Zangya all stopped and gave a forlorn look to their four comrades, all facing in the direction of the approaching threat. Hisho's eyes welled and she had to reach beneath her glasses to wipe away the tears. Keeping their faces hidden, Bonyu and Zangya each locked an arm into hers and the three of them followed the group.

Within the ship's inner workings...

The entire fleeing group continued down the corridor leading toward the stern end of the ship, Turles leading the way and marching with conviction. Goku groaned, the weight of what they were leaving those other guys behind to face pressing down on him harder and harder by the second. He cast a look back over his shoulder. "Why aren't we sticking around to fight it?! Send the kids back to Earth, and then-"

Piccolo was blunt. "Because not one of us stands a chance against that monster's power. My question is, why did we not simply grab those others and leave for the Earth?!"

Turles answered quickly. "If we were to just leave right then, that thing would have followed us right back to the same planet we've given so much to save. I won't let that happen, dammit!"

Tien grimaced. "And you think you have a way to stop that thing?"

Turles responded. "I have an idea..."

But then, an explosion from above made the entire ship shake. Two seconds later, Turles' prosthetic eye beeped. His shoulders went stiff. It beeped again. He gripped his fleshy fist hard enough to slice open his palm. It beeped once more and Turles whimpered. And then, it beeped the final time and he started to shake.

Everyone fell quiet until they reached their destination, feeling an ever-approaching power and a wave of death nipping at their heels.

Finally, they reached the place that Turles had been leading them. It was a mid-sized, spare room with not a single decoration to be seen. In the very center of the room sat a device that made the uneducated Z-Fighter stare in awe. It was like a massive snow globe, but in the center swirled what appeared to be its own miniature universe. An inky black mass starred with the occasional twinkling spark.

Turles immediately went to work at a console attached to it, pushing lever after lever up as high as it could go. Turles spoke in a blunted, terse voice. "Close that hatch behind us. It'll buy us a few seconds. Hurry."

Goku and Tien both nodded and got to work, pushing the giant circular hatch while Krillin pulled from the other side. Once it was shut, Chiaotzu used his telekinesis to twist the entrance valve and set the locks. Turles continued to work. Bardock turned to his brother. "Turles..."

Turles snapped. "Not now."

Still bitter, still resentful of the hand Turles had played in everything that happened today, Gohan sneered at the scientist. "So, seeing your true colors, huh? Buncha pawns you left to die back there, right? To come down here and fiddle with whatever the hell this is, right?! Just another day in the life of a man who grows trees from unborn babies, right?! Heartless bastard!"

Bardock shoved Gohan. "ENOUGH!"

Gohan growled. "You..."

Before a fight could break out, before anyone could even rush to intervene, Turles spoke. "He came to look for me."

Gohan flinched. Turles continued to shove levers as high as they would go. "After years... decades... he heard one hint that I was out there and he came to look for me. He found me. He still called me his brother after all that time. After he found a new family, he still came for me. He helped me. He supported me like no time had passed at all."

Turles' voice cracked. "... and he told me that he saw his new family was in trouble. That he wanted to save them. To make sure they and their planet were okay. And I promised him I'd help. For Gine. For his sons. For his grandchildren and his friends. I promised him I'd help him..."

Turles shoved the final lever up and then twisted a dial. He turned toward Gohan and gave the same smile he had given so many times before. "... my brother came to find me and I told him that I would help him keep that planet safe. No matter what it cost me."

Gohan stayed silent. Turles snorted and sighed. "And I guess it's gonna cost me my ship. I've overloaded the dark matter drive. It's no longer stabilizing, so the reaction going on inside there is already expanding. When it pops, it'll create such a massive explosion that not even a monster that powerful could survive."

The Saiyan scientist reached down to his belt and pulled his energy cutlass from his hip, running his Ki through the hilt and producing a blade. "Goku. I'm not sure how your teleporting works, but please gather your family and mine and get going."

Goku nodded, but then flinched. "W-Wait a second... what about you?!"

Turles shrugged, glaring at the hatch and feeling heavy, plodding footsteps rumbling from the other side. "Someone has to stay until the drive pops or I'll have blown up my ship for nothing. I'll catch up... just like Angila and Daiz and the others..."

Oatmilk gasped, pushing away from her mother and calling out. "B-But Dad... Why do you-"

Watacress snapped. "This is so dumb! You're gonna die here!"

Both the twins, Daikon and Mooli, began to whine, unsure why their siblings were suddenly yelling at their father. Turles turned to his children and gave them a dorky smile and a big thumbs-up. "Are you kids losing faith in your supercool dad~?! When have my plans ever gone wrong~?!"

Zangya shoved the kids back. "They aren't, but I am! Are you crazy, Turles?! You think I'm just going to let myself be taken away and leave you here?!"

Bonyu shook her head. "Not a chance. Til death do we part, Turles. Hisho can take the tots and totter off with Bardock and his family, but we're here til the end!"

Bardock took a sad look back at his family, and then turned his attention back to his younger brother. "Turles... I am not leaving you to die again."

Turles sighed. "No arguments, huh?"

Bardock, Zangya, and Bonyu all shook their heads, speaking in unison. "No arguments."

Turles sighed. "Fine. Last stand. Together."

Zangya stepped forward. "Together."

Bonyu did as well. "Together."

Bardock marched forward, clapping a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Together."

The footsteps of the monster drew ever closer. Turles turned around, smiling at Goku. "Hey, nephew, do your Uncle Turles a favor and take care of your Aunt Hisho and your cousins. Okay?"

Goku looked like he was going to say something, but then he looked down at the kids. At Turles' kids and his own. The Saiyan from Earth gripped his fist tight and nodded. "Yes. Of course I will..."

Goku pressed his fingers to his forehead and motioned for everyone to grab onto him. Very gently, Krillin grabbed hold of Hisho's hand and she told her kids to hold hands with her. Once everyone was linked together, Goku sighed. "Best of luck, Uncle Turles. Dad."

Bardock nodded without looking. Turles continued to stare. Goku concentrated, finding it rather easy to find his destination with so many notable power levels standing atop it. Without further adieu, Goku activated his Instant Transmission.

And then, at that same instant, Turles shoved Bardock, Zangya, and Bonyu into the others. He stared at all three of their shocked faces and laughed as he gave a final wave of his hand. "Bye, guys~"

Bardock started to scream. "TUR-"

At that same moment, the hatch door crashed inward with a single blow and Turles went flying across the room. He smashed chest first into the dark matter drive and slid down to his knees, grunting and gripping his chest. In his head, as Turles stood up, one final thought flickered across his mind. He pictured Gine, her smile, and getting to hug her for the first time in decades. Just getting to see one more friend one more time. Turles didn't shake, his jaw didn't tremble, but a single streaming tear did streaking down from his single organic eye. He turned, the tear still streaming, and groaned in disgust at what he saw.

Turles paid no mind to the monster itself, but at the source of all of this woe. He glared at Babidi, beaten and battered and bisected, sitting on his monster's shoulder. "How are you still alive?!"

Babidi cackled. "Is that all you can think to ask, fool?! How the great Babidi still lives?! Wouldn't a more prudent question be why didn't you flee with your pathetic comrades?! Or, perhaps, why are you crying like that?!"

The wizard hissed and cackled, his pallor no less deathly than his demonic subordinate's had been earlier. He stared Turles in the eye. "Did you realize that you made a mistake remaining here? That you're about to die~?"

Turles pictured his entire imagined life on Earth one last time, and then he wiped his face and chuckled. "That tear wasn't for you, asshole. And as for why I stayed, the reasoning for that would be that I am a scientist. And I'm curious to see how a reaction might occur. You seem like you've had a single deep thought in your life. Maybe. So, maybe you'll appreciate the experiment I'm about to run?"

Babidi sneered. "And what would that be?"

Turles chuckled, and then chortled, and then broke out into his full-on megalomaniac, conqueror-of-the-universe laugh. Babidi was taken aback. Next to him, the monster started giggling and then let loose its own high-pitched laugh. Babidi snapped. "WHAT ARE WE LAUGHING ABOUT?!"

Turles held his energy cutlass aloft, a scientist and pirate captain through and through. "YOU EVER WONDER WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU PIERCED OPEN A DARK MATTER DRIVE WHEN IT'S AT CRITICAL MASS?!"

Babidi yelped, but didn't have time to respond as Turles stabbed his blade into the containment vessel, and then everything inside went from pitch black to bright white.

On the Lookout...

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED, FAREWELL!"

And then, in a golden flash, the illustrious Shenron disappeared and the seven orbs that summoned him went scattering to the winds. On the Lookout below, Videl, Erasa, and Sharpner all stood in awe. Whatever the three teens had been expecting, none of them had been expecting that. Sharpner was breathless. "Holy crap."

Erasa clapped her hands. "Incredible~"

Videl crossed her arms over her chest. "There are so many wonders in the world, huh?"

Yamcha chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "You get used to it, after enough times. At least your first wish was for something cool. Mine was watching a pervert wish for women's panties."

Videl cringed. Erasa sniffed. "Was it the old man or the literal pig?"

Yamcha pointed at Oolong. "The pig."

Oolong snapped. "I have a name, ya know!"

Bulma blew a big breath from her mouth. "Okay. Dead people restored. Now we just need the others to drag him back..."

She walked over to one of Popo's carefully tended palm trees. Under it sat Gine, Raditz, Blonde Launch, and Chi-Chi. Bulma crouched down and gently brushed Gine's hair from her face. "How is she...?"

Raditz frowned. "Still unresponsive."

Bulma turned to Blonde Launch. "Are you okay, chick?"

Blonde Launch's voice was unsteady. "Ranch still ain't answering me. I don't know what's going on with her, but I'm worried..."

Chi-Chi sighed, tossing her belt to the side and pulling out her phone. "I'm worried about Goten and Chika too. They've been gone almost as long as Ranch..."

Bulma frowned and stood. "Where the heck are the others at?! Shouldn't they be back by now?! I mean, this is starting to get a bit-"

In an instant, Goku and his teleporting group all appeared at once. Bardock, still mid-scream, finished his earlier cut-off thought. "--LES!"

Everyone was on their feet at once, fighters and civilians alike at the sudden appearance of what they had come to know to be an enemy. All the gathered Z-Fighters glared at Bardock with mistrust if not outright hostility, but the older Saiyan paid none of them any mind. He rushed forward, panic in his voice. "We've got to get back up there before-"

And then, there was an explosion so large that, for just a moment, the entire planet trembled. Every Z-Fighter gathered on the Lookout all turned their attention up to the sky and stared in awe at a massive corona of an explosion steadily spreading across the heavens, looking like the very stars of the Milky Way spreading across the blue backdrop of the sky.

Bardock heard two shrill screams behind him as, falling from the outer atmosphere, the burning wreck of what remained of the Planet Cruiser fell like a comet from above. Bardock fell to his knees. "No..."

At the same time, the sources of the two screams went flying right over Bardock, streaming across the sky and both bellowing their husband's name. Bardock turned, looking back at his confused Earth family and the frantically weeping Hisho, being comforted by her children. Bardock then turned his attention back to the rushing streaks and screamed. "BONYU! ZANGYA! GET BACK HERE, DAMMIT!"

Filled with more fury than he had felt in years, Bardock chased after his two sisters-in-law, bloody vengeance boiling in the back of his mind.

Up in the outer atmosphere of Earth...

Dabura floated, his vision was milky, clouding out the starry blackness of outer space. And then, to his fury, a familiar palate crossed his gaze. Purple skin. White hair. THE KAI!

The Demon King weakly reached his hand up, even close to death he desired to smite his master's enemy. Dabura growled in his throat, but then a distinctly feminine voice gave a chuckle. "Silly. You can't die yet. But don't you worry, the doctor is in~ And I will make sure that you safely return to your precious master's side~"

Somewhere, in the wastelands...

As Bardock descended toward the burning wreckage of the Planet Cruiser, he heard two shrill screams and felt two power levels immediately vanish. His eyes went wide. "NO! NO! DAMMIT!"

Bardock landed and, like Turles, his gaze first locked onto Babidi. The wizard was lying on a rock, mostly injured and nearly dead. He spoke in a wheezing voice at his monster. "M-Majin Buu... what did you just do?!"

And then, Bardock's eyes shifted from the hated wizard to the brand-new foe, and the Saiyan gasped as he flinched back. This monster towered over him, a solid, rotund mass of bright pink with a curled peak at the top like a soft-serve ice cream cone. The demon cackled as it stuffed its face, a cherry gelatin dessert with whipped topping in one hand and an orange and teal lollipop in the other.

As the monster ate, crunching the lollipop in two bites and eating the gelatin, bowl and all, right after, Bardock took stock of the outfit. Puffy white pants, almost like a diaper. A massive belt with a monogrammed belt buckle. A flowing periwinkle cape that fluttered in the wind with matching pairs of bright yellow gloves and boots.

Majin Buu giggled like a child, clapping his hands together. "Yay! New friend! You wanna play with Buu?!"

Bardock snarled, gripping his fists. He pictured Slug, Angila, Daiz, Lakasei and Raisen, Zangya, Bonyu, and Turles. And then, Bardock's Saiyan rage broke through and he activated his Super Saiyan 2. "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Majin Buu smiled and flashed his teeth. "Buu love that game~"