Val flew back over to the others, Tien right behind her. She landed next to Bulma, sitting down next to her on the ground. Tien went over next to Chiaotzu. He seemed to sulk a bit, but was less pale than he had been. She put the bag down in her lap gingerly, opening it up and pulling out one bottle. She looked up, feeling eyes on her.
"That was fast," Bulma said, breaking the silence. Val looked up at her, seeing her wink.
Val shook her head slightly. "This was all that was worth stealing," she said, holding up the one bottle, a bottle of antiviral medicine. "The rest of the files on the ship were either duplicates from the flash drives Vegeta got or unimportant, so I destroyed the ship completely."
She shook the bottle, and then read the label. She wondered how she or another researcher at Capsule Corps could adjust the formula to work for humans. She saw the fighter look over at her, eyes on the bottle in her hand intently. She looked over at him. He looked away from her and down to his watch on his wrist. She put the bottle back into bag and pulled out another bottle to look at, busying herself while they waited longer for Goku to return. Bulma looked over the medicine and supplies as well.
After some time, the fighter looked at his watch again and stood up. "Goku should be here soon," he informed them all.
Val felt a chill and then a thrill go through her when she sensed him. She heard the others cheer about sensing him as well. A small, round ship high in the sky became visible, a straight for Earth in a fast pace, but better controlled manner than when Vegeta had landed his ship. The ship landed not far where they all were. Val watched the others take off towards him. She hung back just long enough to tie the bag and its contents tightly before flying after the others. She landed, watching Goku emerge from the small ship in the crater it created. She allowed herself a small smile while the others cheered at his return.
Goku flew up, hovering over the crater. Val studied his clothes, wondering how he would have managed to get ahold of clothing from Yadrat of all places. "What are you guys doing here? And how did you know I would come back today?" he asked.
Bulma answered for them all, pointing over at the fighter, "this was the person who told us."
"Dad, you know him right?" Gohan asked.
Goku looked over them and then over at the fighter. "Who's he?" he asked.
Val loosed a small, confused huff, hearing she was not the only confused by that statement. "You don't really know him?" Bulma asked for everyone.
Goku shook his head. "Um, no..."
"But he knew when and where you would arrive," Bulma shared.
Goku looked more confused than usual. "Really? That's weird! But Frieza discovered my ship and somehow knew that I was heading for Earth- Oh yeah. Who defeated Frieza and his gang? I felt a very large ki. Was it Piccolo or Vegeta?" he rambled.
Piccolo answered for them this time, cocking his head over at the fighter, "he was the one who instantly destroy them. And he's a Super Saiyan like you."
"Super Saiyan?" Goku asked, looking confused on another level. "You're really strong for you age! I didn't know there were any other Saiyans!"
Vegeta entered the conversation, repeating, "it's impossible! Besides you and me, there can be no other Saiyans."
Goku crossed his arms and shrugged. "Oh, who cares?" he dismissed. "He is a Super Saiyan."
Bulma muttered, "You've always been careless."
The fighter stepped over to Goku, saying, "Goku, I have a few things to tell you." He cocked his head towards behind Goku before flying off that way.
"Why can't we know about it?" Yamcha asked.
Goku shrugged and gave them a small wave. "Sorry, guys. Please wait here for a moment."
Val watched on with the others, surprised when the two went out of hearing distance and then sparred in Super Saiyan form. Both dropped it soon after. Val squinted, watching the two of them talk far off in the distance. She at one point heard Piccolo grunt. She looked over at him on the other side of the others, but he when he met her gaze, he shook his head slightly. He looked back over at the two, so she did, too. At one point, Goku shouted, looking shocked, but Val could still not hear him, even with straining her ears. He looked over at them and she could have sworn his eyes passed over her first and then over at Bulma and then nodded. He looked somewhat amused.
Not long afterwards, the fighter flew off and Goku flew back over to them, mumbling to himself.
"Goku, what did he say?" Krillin asked.
Goku suddenly looked nervous, bringing his hand up to rub the back of his own head. "Uh... nothing, really..." he stuttered out.
Piccolo cut in, "tell them! This is very important to us."
"Eh!? You hear us!?" Goku asked him in shock.
Piccolo moved his ears up and down in emphasis. "My hearing is a lot better than you humans'," he explained.
"What's so important?" Bulma asked.
"If you don't know what to say, then let me do it," Piccolo offered.
"But..." Goku started to protest.
Piccolo nodded down at him, promising, "don't worry, if it would effect his existence, then I'll leave it out. If we don't train hard enough, we'll all die."
Val felt her ears draw back nervously at that proclamation. "Die?" Krillin gaped.
Val looked at him briefly and then back over at Piccolo as he told them the fighter had come from the future, where two androids terrorized the Earth. They would appear three years from now and kill all but Gohan, but they would eventually get him, too. Goku would die before that from a heart virus. The fighter gave him medicine from the future to fight off the virus. Val tightened her grip on the handles of the bag in her hands, finding the contents potentially so vital and yet so heavy. She recalled how the fighter had stared at her holding up a bottle of antiviral medicine. She looked down at the bag. She knew exactly what she would be working on for the next three years.
"It's a bit hard to believe," Yamcha breathed out.
"That kid was from the future?!" Tien asked, shocked.
"A time machine?" Bulma mused.
"If you don't believe me, fine! But I'm going to train. I don't want to die," Piccolo concluded.
Suddenly there was an odd noise in the sky. Val looked up, seeing the fighter in a strange vehicle. "What's that?" Tien asked. It blinked away in an instant. "I'm going to train," Tien decided.
"Me, too," Krillin agreed.
Val glanced back down at the bag in hands, biting her lip. These plus the flash drives... a lot to go through in three years...
"Tell me, Kakarot," Vegeta interrupted her thoughts. "How did you get off of Namek alive?"
"Yeah, wasn't Frieza's ship completely busted?" Yamcha asked. "Even Kaio-Sama said there was no means of escape."
Goku answered, "um, I also thought I was dead for sure. But luckily, there were four or five small ships nearby."
"Of course, the ships that the Ginyu Squad used," Val blurted out the realization.
Goku nodded over to her and kept explaining, "anyway, I got out using one of those ships. Later, I landed on Yadrat."
Vegeta scoffed, "Ginyu must have wanted to attack Yadrat next, so he set the ship's coordinates there. So those strange clothes of yours are from Yadrat."
Goku nodded. "Yeah, the Yadrat people were really nice to me. Even though these clothes are weird, mine were all torn, so..." He looked down at the clothes he was wearing and shrugged.
Vegeta said, "let me guess. You stayed on Yadrat and didn't come back because you wanted to learn their techniques, right?" He sounded almost jealous.
Val hummed to herself, remembering when Raditz paraded a trio of Yadrat before her and how she felt nothing but curiosity at the sight of them before the three of them took hands and disappeared unexpectedly. She laughed to herself at the memory of his shock when they were gone, searching for them, but never finding them again.
"Absolutely correct," Goku confirmed. "You know me."
"So that's why you didn't return to Earth right away," Krillin realized.
"What did you learn? Tell us," Bulma asked curiously.
"Because there wasn't enough time, they only taught me one technique, but it took me a lot of effort to master it. It's something called 'Instant Movement,'" he explained.
"Instant Movement?" some of the others asked.
"Really? Show us!" Tien asked.
"Okay," Goku said with a nonchalant shrug. He raised one finger up in front of his face. "You see, it's not to a place, but to a person you know. All you have to do is feel their ki, and you will instantly go to where they are. Uh... where should I go... Hmm..." Val gasped, seeing him suddenly disappear in front of them, only to reappear wearing Master Roshi's trademark sunglasses. "I'm back," he cheered.
Vegeta clicked his teeth. "Hmph. Stupid Instant Movement. You're only fooling us by moving fast," he accused.
"Then what's this?" Goku asked, fiddling with Master Roshi's sunglasses on his face.
"Uh those are Master Roshi's sunglasses," Krillin voiced.
"That's right," Bulma agreed.
"We're over 10,000km from Kame House. Wow," Yamcha said.
Val bit her lip to keep from laughing at the sour look Vegeta now wore as he went quiet for a change.
Goku stepped to Krillin. "Krillin, please return these for me," he requested.
"Okay," Krillin agreed taking the sunglasses as they were passed to him.
Tien crossed his arms over his chest. "All right," he said, "everyone gather on location. Where and when will this happen again?"
"Uh.. Now that you mention it... I forgot..." Goku admitted, sounding embarrassed.
Piccolo remembered, reminding them all, "three years from now. May 12th, 10:00 A.M., on an island southwest of the Southern Capitol. It suffices to meet an hour earlier at 9:00."
"It's a good thing you remembered. Thanks, Piccolo," Goku said, sounding relieved.
Piccolo nodded before warning, "I'm going to say this beforehand. Those without confidence don't need to come! This time the enemy is very unusual. If you can't fight, you'll just get in the way. Also, no one goes after them alone."
Val bit her lip, feeling nervous. She heard Krillin give a nervous laugh. "That's true," Yamcha muttered.
"What are you laughing about?" Vegeta scoffed not at Krillin, but at Piccolo. "Aren't you the one with the least confidence?"
Piccolo growled at him, "what did you say? Do you want to try me?"
Goku stepped in between the two of them before Val could even left a foot up to take a step forward. "Okay, okay," he eased.
"Guys, I have a great idea!" Bulma suddenly piped up. "Why don't we get rid of the inventor of the Androids, Dr. Gero, now? All we have to do is ask Shen Leung for his whereabouts, and that's it! It'll save three years of hard work!"
"Yeah, you're pretty smart!" Krillin said in agreement. "That way we can solve things without fighting!"
"You shouldn't waste wishes on such selfish things," Piccolo growled out.
"If anyone tries to do that, I'll kill him! Did you hear that?!" Vegeta shouted, half drowning out Piccolo's voice.
Bulma rounded at him, unabashed and unafraid. "Why not?!" she yelled right back. "This isn't a game! This is the fate of the Earth we're talking about!" She rushed over to Goku, tugging on his upper sleeves. "Don't you think so?"
Goku pulled away hesitantly. "Sorry," he started. "To tell you the truth, I want to fight." Bulma hung her head and backed off from him. "Besides, that scientist hasn't done anything wrong yet, so to kill him now would be mean."
Bulma turned from and looked around at Val and the others. "Guys! We don't have to listen to these Saiyans!" she pleaded. "All they want to do is fight! Remember, if you die this time, you won't be able to be wished back to life!"
Val stayed quiet, hand fidgeting with the handles of the bag in her hands. Bulma was right, even she would not be able to wished back by the dragon balls as she already was wished back to life on Namek after Frieza killed her. Yet when Bulma tried to catch her eye to get her to agree with her, she looked purposefully away. The idea of the fight, perilous as it could be, was kind of tempting.
Tien huffed next to her. "I want to fight, too," he admitted. "As a test of strength. Even if I die, it will be without regrets."
"I can't stand you guys," Bulma groaned.
Krillin pointed out, "Bulma, I was thinking. All of us here were once enemies more or less once. I hated Goku myself at first. But because of a common enemy, we had to team up together, and slowly became friends. Usually, this wouldn't happen, but the enemy is too strong."
Bulma crossed her arms over her chest. "So what's your point?" she huffed.
Krillin stepped over to Bulma, whispering something to her so quietly that Val could not hear what he had to say. Gohan asked him, "Krillin, the first half was very good. Why did you get so quiet all of a sudden?"
Krillin shook his head and griped, "shut up! I'm not wrong! It's the truth!"
Bulma huffed louder, "all right, do what you want! I, like the rest of the civilians, just have to let you move us around like pawns."
"Let's fight for a peaceful future!" Goku cheered, with some of them echoing his sentiment.
"He's just like a dictator. Even though he's wrong. I have no choice but to go along with him," Val heard Bulma grumble.
"Then three years from now, on May 12, at 9:00, we'll meet at that place! Really, only those with confidence should come!" Goku reiterated.
"Kakarot," Vegeta snapped his name, drawing his attention back over to him. "Don't let a Super Saiyan get to your head. Some day, I will defeat you. And don't forget that I am the strongest of the Saiyans!" After that statement, Vegeta flew off in a rush. Val watched as almost winked out of sight.
Tien exchanged a look with Chiaotzu and then nodded over the others. "We'll be there in three years," he ruled. He looked over at Val, catching her eye. "Chimera, do you want to train with us at our village?" he asked her.
It took her a second to realize he was calling her by the fake name Piccolo had called her to get everyone off her back earlier. She looked up at him and down at the bag in her hand, with it feeling suddenly heavier. She shrugged, half shaking her head. She took a steadying breath, answering, "this medicine, this future virus coming, I have to see if I can change to work for humans, and Saiyans, and then maybe-"
"You train, too," Piccolo instructed her.
She blinked up at him, frowning slightly. "That virus," she reminded him simply.
"Divide your time. Train somewhere that is best for you," he nodded down at her, the look he was giving was heavier than the bag felt. She felt tempted to shrink back from it. She felt like he was expecting an answer or something from her, but she had no idea what to say back. He looked away from her and over at Tien. "You're not Namekian, don't call her that," he stated directly.
"It's fine. If she says it's fine," Tien responded back.
Val felt her ears draw back at the potential argument about to start. She looked over at Tien, saying simply, "don't." She hoped it would keep any fighting from happening.
He huffed, but thankfully let the matter drop. "Train with us. A few days a week if you must research so urgently," he requested again.
She looked between Tien and Piccolo, feeling like she was floundering. "I'll train, I just..." she hummed out, not sure what to do or say. She wanted to research first and worry about training afterwards. She could train with Tien and Chiaotzu in their village, but the thought to go to Kami instead to train came to her mind. There might be better for her, but he might ask her to become guardian was the only risk. She would never be able to keep up with Vegeta. She was not the biggest fan of Master Roshi and his leering gazes. Yamcha was not strong enough to keep up with her anymore either now. "I'll figure it out," she answered noncommittally.
"Ah, just let her train where ever she wants," Goku cut in. "Oh yeah, that's right. You two are dating now!" He looked between the Tien and her, throwing them both a goofy grin.
She looked over at him now, confusion coming to the forefront of her mind. "How do you know that?" she asked. "You haven't been back on Earth since you left for Namek, and he was wished back to life months after that. There's no way you could know that."
"Uh..." he started, bringing his hand up to scratch his head. "Well, you fight like it," he excused.
She blinked at him, wondering if it was even possible for him to figure that out so quickly. She looked over at Tien, seeing him standing there, arms crossed and waiting. She figured it would help him dissipate his jealousy if she trained with him rather than Kami. Especially if she was going to stay living at Capsule Corps with Vegeta. Kami might be a better choice to train with though. She sighed, knowing she needed to balance the relationship with both Tien and Vegeta, and figured dividing her time between the two of would be for the best. She nodded up at him. "I'll research at Capsule Corps for three days, rest for one day, and train with you two for three days a week," she decided, hoping the compromise would be balanceable so she would not have to give up any connection with either man.
She heard Piccolo growl under his breath near her. She realized she left him out with her in her decision, forgetting to try to balance him into the equation as well. She looked over at him, feeling like she had somehow made a wrong decision, but with no idea which part of her plan was wrong. She looked away from him, not saying anything back, nor recanting her decision.
Tien stepped over to her, with her feeling nervously drawn to him when he did that, looking at her like that. She looked up at him. "See you next week, then?" he asked. She nodded shyly. He bent down and kissed her briefly. "See you next you next week then," he said straightening up and stepping away. He nodded at the others. "Bye," he said to the rest of them.
She felt her blush when he and Chiaotzu flew off, with her half wishing she had gone with him right off the bat. She brought her hand up to her lips, half listening to the others make plans as to where they were going to train. She found it half interesting to hear Piccolo planning to train with Goku and Gohan. She did throw Goku a weird look he wished Bulma a healthy baby, even though much to Val's knowledge, Bulma was not pregnant and had been a bit distant with yet again Yamcha the past few weeks. She looked down at the bag in her hands again, giving it a determined shake. Training was going to be important for her, but the contents of the bag were going to be even more important.