Author's Note: Hello everyone! Hope you are all doing well these days!
Just a heads up in this chapter I'm doing a bit of perspective jumping so please let me know if everything makes sense or if there is some confusion during the action.
Other than that I honestly wanted to include more in this chapter but ultimately left it for the next chapter to give that action more space to breathe. So, if you feel like this chapter ends just as it's getting interesting then I apologize, but the next chapter will be pretty eventful.
Also, just want to say that I was able to see Dragonball Super Hero, and I was smiling the entire time.
Okay, that's it for me, thank you all for reading and your continued support! Please, enjoy.
"How?"
The question echoed through the small dark cave as Gero remained focused on the only thing that mattered to him. With Son Goku's home still burning, he had set out 14 in pursuit of the wife hoping to take her life. Yet she had somehow eluded him.
The computer screen displayed 14's perspective as he scoured the forest through his android's eyes. Searching for the orphaned ox-princess Gero searched for the woman that had been able to out-fly 14s pursuit and lose them through a sudden geyser of water. Snarling through his teeth, Gero again voiced his frustration.
"How could they have escaped again!?"
"The wife's ability of flight is greater than recorded." His computer said, providing the answer. "Combined with 14's reduced abilities due to early activation, the potential for escape had a 33% chance of possibility."
"Damn, I was too focused on the invasion to monitor her capabilities, and that large oaf was more resilient than I thought. We must kill her today before she can get word out to the others."
"… doctor," the computer continued. "There is something else you should be aware of."
"On screen," Gero said, turning to another display that survived his warpath of destruction from earlier.
There, the doctor was shown the hidden lab in the capsule corporation. He could see and hear Trunks, Bulma, and Yamcha via a small camera he had designed to look like a bug observing from a corner in the room. As 14 flew across the sky, Gero diverted his attention to the recording of the conversation that took place just a few minutes before.
"The future?" Gero said, his eyes narrowing as he followed the talk. "He's saying he's from the future?"
Narrowing his eyes, Gero tried to study the purple-haired youth for a tell to find out he was telling the truth.
"That boy, he was in the North Mountains fighting the invaders with Son Goku's allies."
Quickly typing several new commands into his display, the screen shifted from the capsule corp to an earlier recording in the North Mountains. Specifically, the start of the battle after Trunks had disposed of Cooler's soldiers and began a strange transformation. Now with a much calmer disposition, Gero carefully studied the process as the young man's purple hair shifted to a golden hue, and silently tracked the moment his eyes turned green.
"Computer," Gero said, rewinding the video back to just moments before the transformation. "Enhance the audio from this point on."
"Of course, doctor."
Resuming the video, Gero could now listen in on the conversation between Trunks and Cooler.
The video playback was a little muffed because of the distance of Gero's camera, but the audio was just legible enough to pick up Trunk's voice. "I'm going to let you in on a little secret. You're about to fight a real super saiyan, and I'm not talking about Goku."
"….a super saiyan? Then that transformation is not a martial arts technique, as I assumed. Could that power be saiyan based? If that's true, then a saiyan from the future means… does that mean I fail? And Son Goku is capable of a transformation like this?"
As the doctor's mind buzzed and processed this new information, wondering if it could be believed at all. Yet before he could listen to more of the conversation, his computer spoke up.
"Doctor, 14's sensors have picked up something."
Immediately looking back to the screen that held 14's perspective, Gero saw the android scan the area and focus on two individuals taking shelter in a cave.
"There you are," Gero said through a wicked grin.
He watched carefully as 14 landed in front of the cave and instantly located Chichi and the King's agent huddled next to each other.
"Target located."
They froze in place as Gero knew they would. What else could they do? Perhaps they believed 14 wouldn't be able to track them, but the moment they took shelter in this cave, they were doomed. 14 raised its hand at Z, intending to vaporize the agent first, then moving in to snap the wife's neck. Gero could feel his pulse race as he watched his creation follow its programming.
Yet the pleasure Gero took in this moment wasn't Chichi's horror or Z's fear. It was his imagination that allowed him to see Son Goku's expression in his mind. Perhaps he would fall to his knees in sorrow? Or would he lash out in anger and destroy something? Perhaps he wouldn't even care. Regardless of the outcome, in Gero's mind, this was only the first step. One by one he would go after Son Goku's loved ones and one by one they would die. Eventually, Son Goku would look around and realize he had no one left. Only when the saiyan understood all his strength came up short he had been powerless against something far stronger than him, just as Gero had been on that fateful day. Only then would he kill him.
And it would be perfect.
Only for that thought to come crashing down around him.
Even through the darkness of the cave, 14's eyes could perfectly capture the moment Son Goku appeared from nowhere. Through the screen, Gero's eyes widened at the sudden appearance of the man he spent years loathing. Slowly removing two fingers from his forehead, the saiyan warrior looked at the android in front of him, first with confusion and then anger.
"Son… Son…" Gero said, his voice reduced to a quiet rambling before surging again as a scream weighed down by decades of hatred roared out. "SON GOKU!"
His fingers a blur, Gero typed in an addition to 14's programming as it scanned Goku's ki signature. In an instant, the android's mission objective shifted to a new prime directive.
"Mission objective upda-"
That was as far as the machine got as a punch that rattled the cavern landed square into 14's chest.
The sudden strike blew the machine out of the cave and back into the forest, its feet scraping into the ground as the android stabilized itself. Son Goku followed up in an instant with a kick backed by years of training found purchase in the machine's side. 14's body lurched from the impact and a swift gust shook the nearby trees. Yet that didn't stop the android from speaking in a deep metallic tone.
"Mission objected updated: Kill Son Goku."
With strength that surprised the saiyan 14 retaliated with a heavy punch that smashed into Goku's cheek. The force tossed Goku upward out of the trees and into the sky. Flipping backward so his feet pointed down toward the ground, he wasted no time rushing back at the silver stranger. The two clashed above the forest, their forearms colliding against each other and generating a fierce wind that sent waves through the greenery.
"Who are you and why are you attacking Chichi?" Goku asked, his tone sharp.
"Kill Son Goku." was the only answer given as the machine broke off from the struggle before re-engaging the saiyan warrior.
Their fight shattered the peace of the open air as the two threw themselves at each other again and again. Pockets of air exploded outward as the battle's speed sped up to a supersonic tempo. Goku could match the strikes with ease, but every time he broke off for a moment to catch his breath, he watched the silver stranger charge him again, as if he didn't need to breathe at all.
Blocking a wild kick to his shoulder, Goku felt his defense give a little against the weight of the strike. Dodging a punch to his stomach ripped a small hole in his new clothes from space. Flowing through two more strikes, Goku found an opening in the silver man's guard and lunged for it. Only to watch that opening close suddenly leaving him exposed to a swift punch.
He knew I would go for that. Goku thought to himself, barely avoiding his enemy's attack. But how?
Goku backed up, hoping some distance would give him time to think of a good approach, but a dense ki blast aimed at his torso cut him off. Diving out of the way and ducking exposed the saiyan to a follow-up, forcing Goku to dodge a heavy punch that just missed his head.
With the android's arm hanging in midair, Goku grabbed it and tossed the silver machine over his shoulder, sending him tumbling downward. While the throw did not damage the machine, it spun 14 around enough that once it returned to an upright position, Goku was swinging with both hands. A heavy shout and a clean smash connected, sending another pocket of air cracking the sound barrier and the android hurtling toward the ground.
It crashed into the forest floor, tearing up ground and dirt while forming a deep crater. It wasn't until Goku scanned where his enemy had landed did he realize his mistake. Spying Chichi and another human limping through the woods were face to face with the killer machine.
"Dammit!" Son Goku said placing two fingers on his forehead.
Searching with his senses, he reached out with his senses to focus on his opponent's ki, only to find nothing.
What? This guy isn't emitting any energy? How?
Realizing he didn't anytime to wonder, he quickly refocused and located the small but familiar ki signature of his wife, just as he had from the depths of space. In an instant, he was gone. Only to reappear and stand in front of the two humans just as a ki blast was shot at them. With anger fueling him, Goku swung his fist against the blast. The back of his hand gave the beam a new direction and sent it flying deeper into the dense forest, burning and melting both trees and rocks.
With steam still rising from his hand, he turned over his shoulder to look at Chichi while his attention remained on the foe in front of him.
"Chi are you alright?"
He wasn't expecting the hug.
He felt her shaking as her arms wrapped around his waist. Her warm tears stained his back, mixing in with his sweat. Her voice was barely a whisper as it struggled to reach his ears.
"Is it really you? Are you really here right now?"
"Yeah Chi, it's me," Goku said, covering his hand over hers.
"H-how?" the ox princess asked, almost afraid the answer might take him away again.
"It's a long story, but the short answer is I learned something in space that lets me-"
Goku had to cut himself off as his opponent charged at him, ready to strike. His sudden propulsion kicked up a heavy cloud of dirt behind him as he closed the distance between him and the saiyan.
Thinking quickly, Goku separated himself from his wife's embrace and met the silver stranger's strike with one of his own. The collision sent a tremor through the forest floor, knocking Chichi off of her feet and sending a horrific throb of pain around and in her broken knee.
"AH!" she cried, clutching her leg, trying to suppress the waves of hurt shooting through her.
"Chi!" Goku shouted, spending a second to look back at the ox princess, only to allow his opponent an opportunity to attack again.
"Kill Son Goku."
"Dammit!" Goku cursed, as was forced to block a savage kick to his side. Responding with a quick flurry of punches forced the android back a few steps, but it was clear he could not stay here.
"Chichi, I'll move the fight the best I can, but you need to get out of here, okay?"
"Goku wait, you need to kno-"
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," her husband said, full of confidence. "Once I beat this guy, we can all go home together!"
"Go-"
Chichi's shout went unheard as her husband and the monster who took her father went supersonic. Their fight rocked the forest as Goku did his best to lead the battle away from his wounded wife. As the clash raged on, Z shook himself out of his stupor and ran over to Chichi's side, and offered his shoulder again.
"Are you alright?"
"No, I'm not," Chichi said, using Z to help her stand. "I didn't have time to tell him what's happened to our home."
High above the tree line, the saiyan and android slammed against each other, sending ripples of air and dirt scattering about as the fight moved from the air to the ground and then back again in mere seconds.
This guy is tough. Goku thought to himself as he realized that another punch of his had been read and dodged. And he's still reading my movements. Like he knows how I'll attack before I do. If he was a little faster and had a better aim, he might have me cornered by now.
A destructive ki blast fired at his head forced Goku to slap it away sending into a collection of trees and reducing it all to ash.
What's more, is that he's been firing ki blasts over and over despite not having any energy of his own. Where is it coming from?
Unfortunately, every moment Goku spent with a question was a second his enemy would use against him. Pressing the attack had the saiyan on the back foot, finding himself pushed back and losing ground. A wild strike from Goku was parried and grabbed by the silver man, who held his wrist firm. Pulling him down and out of the sky, the stranger slammed him first into the ground and then against a nearby tree. Feeling his back splinter apart against the bark of the magnificent tree had Goku grimacing in sudden pain. Using the momentum from the giant swing, the silver stranger threw Goku across the forest floor headfirst into a nearby rock structure.
Tucking in his legs, Goku flipped around twice and landed smoothly on his feet against the stone.
Ready, set, Goku thought to himself as he looked back at his opponent, his posture curled up and ready to pounce. GO!
The explosion of force in Goku's propulsion cut a deep crave into the side of the stone, reducing most of its mass to rubble. With the added speed from his jump, Goku slid through his enemy's defenses and drove his fist forward and into the silver-dyed nose. It was a clean strike that instantly told Goku two things. The body of the silver man was not made of flesh, and if he wanted to do any lasting damage, he would have to hit harder.
Quickly ducking low to avoid a heavy right hook, Goku rose back up with both a punch and a shout to enhance the power of his attack. The blow landed square into the stranger's chest, shaking the ground and doubling him over for a moment, which is all the time Goku needed.
Smoothly transitioning from stance to stance, Goku fell into one he practiced countless times before. One he had mimicked perfectly as a young child.
"Kamehame!" He shouted as blue ki expanded and pooled out of the openings in his cupped hands.
Without expression, the silver man recovered from Goku's heavy hit and lunged at the saiyan ready to ki, yet it was already too late.
"HA!"
An outpouring of energy lit up the forest as the blue wave smashed against and then over the silver stranger at point-blank range. Streaking through the trees cut a wide berth of space as great oaks crumbled and burned away in the wake of pure power. Eventually, Goku let the blast fade and dropped his stance to stand upright. His hands slightly smoking from his master's signature attack. Yet despite the grand display of strength, his guard was still up as his instincts told him this fight was far from over. His faith in himself was rewarded as his opponent shrugged off pounds of burnt bark and dirt while rising back to its feet and locked eyes with him.
"Damage sustained: Minimal," the silver man said, his expression blank.
"Figured that wasn't enough to put you down," Goku said with a hard scowl. "It's clear at this point you're not human, so what are you? And why did you attack Chichi?"
The man moved to speak but suddenly grew still. Its eyes seemed to glow rapidly before dying down, and the next voice that came out of the silver stranger was not metallic, but old.
"Is it not obvious, Son Goku?" the voice drawled. "I went after your family because I knew it would hurt you."
"Hurt me?" Goku said, surprised by the unknown voice. "Why? I don't even know who you are."
"But you will, Son Goku. You will know my name and my pain in due time," the voice continued, laced with absolute disdain. "My goal was your wife's life, but now, with you here, finally here, I want to see you fight against something you cannot overcome. Struggle pointlessly against something you cannot beat. I want to see you use all the power you have gained and all the knowledge you have gained in the years I've spent watching you and still lose. I want to see you fail."
"What are you talking about?"
The voice's only response was a haunting laugh.
Goku's scowl morphed into a glare as he returned to a fighting stance. "Fine then, if you're after me then here I am, but you'll pay for hurting Chichi!"
Crouching down into a fighting stance, Goku let loose his aura that rippled against his body as his growl became a roar.
His hair stood up on its end as his shout reverberated across the ruined forest. Son Goku's aura expanded in size and strength as he generated more and more power into himself. The trees that remained shook, and the ground rumbled as Goku's show of strength continued.
"KAI!"
His aura took on a crimson tint as King Kai's technique took hold. Multiplying his strength and speed to levels beyond what it had been on Namek.
"O!"
Nearby trees rattled, with some collapsing over as their roots were ripped out from the ground in a showcase of power. Animals of all kinds fled from the torrent of wind, expelling out of Son Goku as his fighting spirit continued to climb.
"KEN!"
With one last shout, a vicious gust of wind erupted out from the saiyan before settling down. Slight tremors continued to shake the immediate area as Goku's deep red aura shimmered widely. Despite the intense activity emanating from him, Goku kept his concentration trained on the silver man.
"Scanning power level," the android said, its voice returning to its metallic tone. Shifting into a fighting stance of its own as its eyes flickered with activity before speaking up again. "Subject's fighting ability within acceptable parameters. Odds of success, 87%."
"Wait… did you feel that?"
Both Yamcha and Trunks paused at Bulma's question only for their senses to redirect their attention toward a large ki spike.
"That's… that's Goku! No doubt about it, that's Goku!" Yamcha said, completely baffled but thrilled. "So, he's on Earth after all!"
"Goku?" Trunks asked, following the ki signature. "But why isn't he in the North Mountains? That's where his ship should have landed."
"His house is in that direction," Bulma said with some relief in her tone. "Maybe he wanted to see Chichi first?"
"… if that were all, then why would his power be skyrocketing like this?" Trunks said quickly, a small quiver in his voice. "No, something's wrong. He's getting ready to fight."
"Fight? But we took care of Cooler and his men." Yamcha said in confusion. "Besides, if he's gearing up this much for a fight wouldn't we be able to sense who his opponent?"
"… you can't sense them," Trunks said, his breathing growing complicated. "T… they're here."
"Here? Whos-"
Without a word, Trunks dashed towards the door before Bulma could finish her sentence. Yet moving just as fast was Yamcha, who cut off before he could leave. Catching Trunks by surprise.
"Hold up." The wolf said, putting up a hand to stop the young man. "What's the rush? What's going on?"
"Out of my way!" Trunks shouted; his eyes wild. "I have to get to Goku before they kill him!"
"Listen kid," Yamcha said, his one eye burrowing deep into Trunk's two. "Rushing in blind got you eating dirt in the first place, so how about you take a second and explain what's going on?"
"We don't have time! We-"
"Fine then," Yamcha said, cutting him off. "We'll make this quick. You answer with yes or no got it? Is Goku in danger?"
"Yes!"
"Is this danger more of a threat than Cooler?"
"Yes!"
"Stronger than Cooler? Wh-" Bulma started before Yamcha put up a quick hand in her direction.
"It'll take a bit before we can reach Goku," the wolf continued. "Is this danger something you can explain on the way?"
"Y-yes," Trunks said with another quick eye to Bulma. "Mostly."
"… okay then," Yamcha nodded. "I'd have preferred to wait for the others, but we'll leave now," Yamcha said firmly.
"Think that's a good idea?" Bulma asked. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into."
"Hey if I can trust you to be roommates with the prince of all saiyans, then you have to believe I can handle this."
"R-roommates?" Trunks said, blinking in surprise.
"With Vegeta if you can believe it," said Yamcha. "Bet you know all about him from the future too, right?"
"… in a way." Trunks said softly.
"Fine go then, but for the record, I don't like this," the scientist said before walking over to a drawer at a desk and pulling out a sheathed sword and handed it to Trunks. "Here, if the danger is as great as you seem to think, you'll need this back."
"My sword?" Trunks said, holding his weapon with both hands. "Where did you find this?"
"Krillin mentioned you had a sword when he first saw you and brought it in with the others. I'm assuming you lost this during the fight in the North Mountains?"
"I did," Trunks said, strapping it to his back. "Thanks m-"
The young man froze in place as he shut his mouth, nearly biting his tongue off.
"M? Didn't I say before that my name is Bulma?" The scientist huffed. "You've at least heard of me in the future, right?"
"Y-yeah, sorry."
"Whatever," Bulma said bluntly. "I'll contact Krillin after you leave, no doubt. He sensed Goku too, so he may have a better idea of what's going on. Hopefully, he'll be here with the senzus. Now get going and don't do anything stupid. We just won our fight, so don't lose this one."
"Got it," Yamcha nodded before looking over at Trunks. "Ready?"
Panic.
Pure panic fueled Krillin as he streaked across the sky, unable to contain either his emotions or still his mind long enough for coherent thought. He had sensed a large ki spike toward Chichi's home and instantly recognized who it belonged to. For a moment, it elated him to feel his friend's return, but that moment passed quickly, and fear pooled inside of him. It wasn't until he heard Bulma in his ear did a sound other than his pounding heart escaped from him.
"Krillin, can you hear me?" Bulma said through his communicator.
"Bulma!" the monk answered, pressing a finger into his ear. "There was a large ki surge near Chichi's house, it's Go-"
"I know, Krillin," the scientist said, quickly cutting him off. "We felt it too back at Capsule Corp. Are you still on your way here with the senzus?"
"No, I gave them to Korin. He should be there soon. I'm on my way to see what's going on with Goku."
"Alright, Yamcha woke up and he'll be there too, but there is something else you should know, Krillin," Bulma said quickly. "Trunks, that guy with the sword who showed up at the North Mountains was just here."
"What? Why?"
"He's been looking for Goku, said he would have seen him at the North Mountains earlier."
"Should have? How di-"
"If you let me finish, you'd know. He says he's from the future and came here with a warning to Goku about something. We wanted to know more, but he rushed out of here with Yamcha when we sensed Goku's energy."
"The future!?" Krillin said, unable to believe that his friend had said that so calmly. "How is that-"
"He said he would explain it all later. The important thing is whatever is happening to Goku now is clearly what Trunks is afraid of. He and Yamcha are on their way, but you'll get there first."
"So I was right," Krillin said, his fears growing worse. "Goku is in trouble."
"I'll catch the others up once they are awake, but be careful. I don't know what you're flying into."
"Got it, I'll let you-"
A heavy explosion emanating from the forest below him cut Krillin off mid-sentence. Even in mid-air, Krillin had to protect his face as a sudden blast of wind battered him.
What is that? He thought quickly as reached out with his ki sense desperate for answers.
Almost immediately, he found Goku. With his crimson aura being the only way he could follow him with his eyes, he saw his saiyan friend dashing across the sky fighting something. Despite focusing all his energy and trying to get a sense of who Goku was battling against, Krillin was shocked to find he couldn't sense any ki emanating from the stranger.
What does this mean? Every living creature has some amount of ki energy in them, but there's nothing there.
An explosion sending a gust and scattering dust silenced the monk as he was forced to cover his face to avoid bits of trees from scratching anything important.
I'm wasting too much time thinking I need to get in there now!
The android slapped away a crimson-colored fist and weaved through the two kicks that followed, giving it complete access to Son Goku's torso. Stepping in and twisting its body, the silver machine let loose a vicious punch that slammed into the saiyan's core, knocking out salvia and his airflow.
"Guh!"
Following up the strike with another aimed at Goku's head gave the saiyan precious little time to protect himself. Crossing both arms to defend against the heavy blow sent Goku skidding across the forest floor, his heels digging through dirt and rock. Gritting his teeth through the throbs of pain from his chest and arms, Goku rolled his breathing through his nose, then out of his mouth.
With heavy stomps rumbling through the ground, his opponent charged at him again, single-minded in his mission objective. Another clash resulted in Goku backpedaling again as all his strikes landed or seemed ineffective.
Son Goku was on the defense. Yet he couldn't stop a smile from taking over his mouth. With adrenaline pumping and his heart rate spiking, the thrill of the fight fueled him on. His saiyan blood boiling with excitement.
Been a while since I've been able to go all out like this. Nail's a good sparring partner, but I haven't felt pressure like this since Frieza. Goku thought to himself as he reformed his fighting stance. Feels like I can go even further with th-
Goku paused as his senses picked up a familiar ki signature. Shifting his gaze into the sky, he saw his closest friend flying toward him at a breakneck pace. The monk had been trying to fly in undetected but hadn't counted on his friend noticing him so early. The android noticed the saiyan's stare and followed it to Krillin. It was the first to act.
"Scanning power level. Threat level: Minimal," the silver man said, aiming an open palm at Krillin. "Erase."
A blast of ki energy big enough to envelop his entire body was fired at Krillin. Reacting quickly, the monk formed and threw a destructo disc, hoping to cut the outpouring of energy in half. Yet when the ki clashed, Krillin's disc was instantly wiped away exposing the small human.
This is going to hurt! Krillin thought to himself, bringing up his arms and legs and his barrier to fashion the strongest defense he could.
Yet the pain never came. Krillin saw Goku completely vanish from sight and reappear in front of him just as the blast descended on him. With the kaio-ken still pulsing around him, Goku lashed out with a strong kick that sent the blast up further into the sky where it would harm no one.
With the danger passed and a second of peace, Krillin was able to get a good look at his friend. Light burns and cuts marked both his face and odd clothing. He was panting a bit while the crimson red of the kaio-ken continued to burn and sweat coursed out from his head. Yet what caused Krillin the most alarm was the small trail of blood running out from Goku's nose.
"Krillin," Goku breathed out slowly. "It's good to see you."
"Goku! What's going on? Who is this guy?"
"Not sure, but he hurt Chichi and I'm taking him down."
"Chichi's hurt?" Krillin asked, his heart in his throat.
"Yes, I had to move the fight so they could get away."
"They? Someone was with her?"
"Yeah, figured you knew them. Guy with glasses."
"Glasses? Wh-"
The conversation died as the android launched itself back into the air, his focus still on Son Goku.
With a flaring aura surrounding him, Goku dove at the machine to meet him head-on.
With his eyes and senses open, Krillin followed the fight as best he could. Flying by its side as it moved from the ground to the air seamlessly. So Krillin silently watched Goku fight just as he had almost a dozen times before. More than once did he lose complete sight of the two as they reached speeds he couldn't keep up with. Only to locate Goku's ki signature a moment later and find his friend was being pushed back. Yet this time it wasn't fear or helplessness that kept him on the sidelines as it had with Raditz or Piccolo all those years ago. He was waiting and learning.
Calm down. The monk thought as another dense gust of wind blasted through him. Your opening is coming.
A strong right hook that connected with the side of Goku's head and sent him hurling into the branches of the forest below was exactly what the human was looking for. As the android barreled down on him, Krillin flew in between the two and placed his hands by the side of his head.
"Solar flare!"
Light comparable to the sun filled up the blue sky, completely enveloping the silver man, but it did not stop it. As Krillin formed another disc of ki, the android flew through the light unimpeded by the flare. Immediately dropping his energy disc and shifting to a defensive position was enough to stop the follow-up kick from hitting anything important but not enough to stop the attack entirely. The branches under him completely gave way as his body smashed into the ground hard to break into the Earth itself.
Okay. Krillin thought, grunting through the pain as his arms shook from the impact of the kick. Looks like solar flare doesn't work.
Feeling the ground tremble as the android landed with a deep thump had Krillin scrambling to his feet and into a stance.
"Subject's fighting ability within acceptable parameters," the silver man said, locking eyes with the monk. "Recalculating odds of success… Odds of success, 85%."
A rush of movement from the android had Krillin on guard, only again for Goku to flash in front of him to block a punch that was too fast for him to see.
"Krillin," Goku wheezed as he struggled to push back against the unrelenting machine. "I said you have to-"
A hand not made of flesh grabbed Goku by his hair before he could speak. Yanking his face down, the machine brought up his well-designed knee and jammed it hard enough to hear the slight crunch of teeth and a sharp cry of pain.
"Goku!"
Krillin's scream grabbed the android's attention. With a hard grasp still around Goku's skull, the android stepped in and whipped its arm, and tossed the entire body of Son Goku straight at the human. Planting his feet into the ground, Krillin opened his arms wide, hoping to catch his friend. Yet the speed that the saiyan rammed into him broke Krillin's stance and sent them both hurling deeper into the forest. Clutching onto Goku the best he could, Krillin felt his back smash through a tree as he tried to regain his footing. Eventually, the monk landed and skidded back several more feet before fully stopping, his breathing coming out in weak waves.
"You okay Goku?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Goku said slowly, getting to his feet. "But you need to get out of here while you can."
"That's not going to happen."
"Krillin, he's strong. I can't protect you and fight him at the same time."
"Then don't. I can handle myself. If this guy is as strong as you say, then we need to work together, just like on Namek."
Before the two could say another word, the android leaped out of the woods and landed with a heavy stomp in front of the two. Instantly, both human and saiyan mirrored each other and adopted a turtle-style fighting stance as they prepared for the fight to continue, yet it didn't.
The machine stood there staring down the two warriors as if it was waiting.
"Krillin… I smell something."
"What?" the monk asked, turning his head just in time to see his friend dash away from the fight, entirely going deeper.
"Go-" Krillin started before stopping himself short and realizing where exactly they were.
Wait… we're not that far from… oh no.
Krillin ran after Goku through several more trees before emerging into the clearing that was once home to the small house on 439 East District.
The fire had faded, yet the scars from the burn remained. The horrible blaze had reduced the house to a smoldering pile of lumber and ash, the wind taking bits and pieces of the lump each time a breeze went by. Remnants of various rooms, the kitchen, and the living room were burned and broken beyond repair. The warmth that once filled this home had faded and gone, like a body in a morgue.
Goku stood still with his back facing Krillin, dead silent. The monk could see a shaky tremor run through his friends' shoulders as he took in the sight.
"Welcome home, Son Goku."
Krillin turned toward the source of the unknown voice and watched the android step toward them.
"This is…" Krillin said softly before his anger flared. "Who are you!? Why are you doing this!?"
"For justice," the voice said calmly. "Justice for the crimes against Son Goku for what he took away from the world, and from me."
"Crimes?" Krillin repeated before shaking his head in a rage. "Goku would neve-"
A swift punch to his stomach that Krillin had no way of seeing stopped him short. His barrier shattered and broke in an instant but saved his life, as the only he lost was some digestive fluid as he fell to his knees.
"Quiet human," the android said, hurling the word like an insult. "You are unimportant."
Stepping over the monk, the android, carrying an older voice, approached Goku, who had yet to turn.
"How does this feel, Son Goku? Do you feel grief at seeing your home burned? Or are you enjoying our fight too much to care?"
The android's tone grew more unhinged as it continued, yet Goku remained silent.
"Does your alien blood boil with the idea of continuing our battle or have you been on Earth long enough to understand what despair is?"
Instead of an answer, Goku walked toward the enormous pile of ruin and bent down to pick something up. A large pair of glasses mostly melted and cracked from the heat.
"These are… Ox-King's?" Goku said "Ox-King was here?"
"He was," the voice said, its joy unmistakable despite it emanating from the stoic machine.
A breeze wafted over the area, shaking grass on the ground and the leaves off the trees. Something shifted within the saiyan as he dropped the broken spectacles, his arm falling loosely by his side.
"You killed Ox-King, you hurt Chichi, and you destroyed my home." Goku said, struggling through the words as both of his hands tightened into fists. "My grandpa's home."
The breeze shifted into a gust, putting out the embers that still burned, and a sudden pulse echoed across the forest floor.
"I… won't let you…"
The pulse became a tremor that ran through the ground and several birds took to the sky as the trees leaned away from the sudden source of power radiating in waves from the saiyan warrior.
Still clutching his stomach and holding himself up with one arm, Krillin felt when the gust radiating out of Goku's aura shifted again into a typhoon. Oh no.
The wind hurled itself at both the android and human, knocking Krillin clean onto his side and pushing the silver machine back several inches. Step by step Goku turned toward his friend and enemy with his head down, his muscles heaving as if in pain. The excitement he had been feeling from the battle had left him completely and was replaced by anger, by rage, by something primal.
Acting quickly, the android fired off an energy blast directly at the saiyan's head, but it did not connect. The pulse of power echoed out again as Goku's aura flared, splintering and dismissing the burst of ki entirely.
"What?!" the older voice from the android shouted, his voice nearly muted as another ki pulse rocked the area.
Slowly rising his head to reveal that his pupils had vanished entirely, Goku's aura swelled in size, growing large enough for a small crater to form under his feet. Before, flickering a deep golden color.
"This power is just like in the North Mountains," Krillin heard the android mutter, straining his ears to listen over the howl of the wind. "So, it is saiyan-based after all."
"I won't let you…" Goku repeated one final time, his pupils returning as a light green as his flowing black hair straightened and hardened into pure gold. "GET AWAY WITH THIS!"
Krillin could feel Goku's ki amplify itself a hundred times over and felt the memory of Gohan's transformation bubble up in his mind. Beads of sweat formed and fell off the side of his face as the heat radiating from Goku's aura and a deep sense of uncertainty enveloped him.
"Subject's fighting ability beyond acceptable parameters," the android said, his voice returning to its metallic tone. "Recalculating odds of success… Odds of success, 3-"
That was as far as the machine got before a fist connected with its carefully designed face. It was a wild swing that held more emotion in it than a practiced strike, but its strength could not be denied. Goku's wild punch crunched against the machine's nose, denting, then destroying it in an instant. The entire forest shuddered from the impact and then swayed as Goku leaned into the blow enough to take the android off his feet.
The follow-through created a backdraft powerful enough to hurl the silver machine deep into a tree with enough force to completely break it in half. Several more trees fell the same way as deep crunches rang out deeper into the woods.
The show of strength was enough to make Krillin ignore his own pain and slowly stand up onto his feet, breathing slowly.
"Goku... are you alright?"
"Get out of here, Krillin," Goku said, struggling to get the words out. "This is my fight."
"I'm not-"
"Get out of here while I still have control of myself!"
With a sudden acceleration that Krillin could not follow, Goku flew after the android. His aura by itself enough to burn parts of the woods.
Calm down, he can talk, which is more than Gohan could do when he first changed, but that power could still do more harm than good. Krillin thought to himself before looking back to the ruins of 439 East District.
Ox-King. Krillin thought to himself, unable to find the strength even to say the name of the large, loveable man. "How… how did it come to this? We did everything right, didn't we? We won, we finally won."
With no one to answer, Krillin's grief swallowed him. The fight with Cooler was the end of the road he had been on for a year and longer. Weren't they allowed a reprieve? A moment to breathe? These questions hounded the little monk until his senses picked up a familiar ki signature.
Wait, that's-
Silencing his own thought, Krillin flew into the sky and sped toward the energy he recognized. Soon he came upon Chichi still being carried by Z.
"Chichi!" the monk shouted, first happy to find her, then horrified to see how injured the ox princess was. "W-what happen-"
Stopping suddenly as he recognized the King's agent helping her walk, his confusion grew only deeper. "You? You work for the King. What are you doing here?"
"It is a long story, Mr. B," Z answered. "And we have little time to explain. Your ally Son Goku saved us but we were on our own for a while."
"You were attacked first?" The monk said, looking over in the fight's direction. "That still doesn't explain who he is fighting. They're strong enough to push Goku back, but I can't sense them at all."
"We suspect it's an android from the Red Ribbon Army," the agent continued. "Perhaps that is why you cannot sense it's ki."
Krillin looked at the man in utter confusion, unsure how the King's man knew so much and what he should do next.
"K-Krillin."
Chichi's weak voice pulled him out of his head, and his confusion was replaced with concern.
"I'm here Chichi."
"My father is dead."
He could feel his heart crack. His breathing slowed and stopped for a moment, his voice coming out weak as he spoke. "I… I know, I saw your house… was it really the thing Goku is fighting?"
She nodded.
"I'm sorry," Krillin said slowly. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here."
Chichi was quiet for a moment before her strength surged a little with her next question. "Where's Gohan?"
"He was hurt in the battle, but he's with Bulma now at capsule corp," Krillin said quickly, blurting his words out even with Z standing there. "Senzus are on their way, and then he'll be fine. He's safe Chichi."
"T-that's good," Chichi said, slumping a little lower with relief.
"The others will be here soon," Krillin added. "You'll be fine."
"Okay, okay," the ox princess nodded. "But Krillin… I need you to help Goku now."
"I… don't think I can. He's moving a lot faster than I can right now. We learned about your dad and saw your house, and he changed. Just like Gohan did on Namek."
"What?" Chichi said, her fear coming back in force. "Is he alright?"
"I think he has more control over himself than Gohan did, but I'm not sure."
"Please, just do what you can. I… I have a bad feeling about this."
"A bad feeling? What is it?"
"…. I don't know. It's j-just… just a feeling that something is going to go… wrong."
Krillin felt his heart sink as Chichi spoke, her battered body hindering her ability to talk.
"Okay then, don't worry Chichi, I'll protect him. I promise."
The ox princess seemed to light up a little at the mention of the promise and nodded solemnly.
"Thank you."
Krillin smiled sadly before looking over to Z. "I don't know what you're doing here, but keep her safe."
"Of course," the agent said with confidence. "We will have much to discuss after this."
"Yes, we do," Krillin said, his voice growing low. "With you, and the King."
Throwing himself into the sky, Krillin left Chichi and Z behind. While his mind was still racing with questions, he placed a finger to his ear to report back to Bulma.
"Bulma, can you hear me?"
"Yes, what's going on, Krillin?"
"I found Goku, and he's fighting something I can't sense. More importantly, Chichi is here as well, and she's hurt, badly. Whatever Goku is fighting attacked her first, and killed Ox-King"
"What? That's… that's terrible. How did this happen?"
"I don't know. I don't know anything right now. Someone who works for the King is here too helping Chichi get away and I don't know what that means either. They have a theory that Goku is fighting an android from the Red Ribbon Army."
"The King? Red Ribbon? What does-" Bulma started before she stopped and let herself take a breath. "One thing at a time, Krillin. What are you doing now?"
"I'm going to help Goku. When we found out what happened to Ox-King he transformed into a super saiyan like Gohan."
"What?! is he alright?"
"Not sure, but even if I can't help in the fight, someone needs to keep tabs on what's going on."
"Do you think that's a good idea?"
"I really don't have a better one."
"...alright, I'll inform the others when they get up. Trunks and Yamcha are nearly there. You'll have backup soon."
"Okay," Krillin said before he watched a portion of the forest explode in fire of ki energy. "Tell them to hurry."
Full-grown trees were flung up into the air as the fight erupted under them. Pockets of air bounced and boomed throughout the sky nearly throwing Krillin out of his flight path. Even from a distance, Krillin could feel Goku's ki energy surging higher and higher. The events of Namek echoed in his mind and he felt his nerves weaken, but not enough to falter.
To protect his friend, his family, Krillin summoned up his strength and once again flew into the storm.