Chapter 20: Risk, But What Reward?
To everyone's disappointment, no one managed to find any trace of trouble on the first day of searching. Despite this, the team headed out again the very next day. Chichi gave Goten and his grandfather a week to sort out the problem, after all, so they wanted to be right back on the task and get it all over and done with. The Z Fighters rocketed into the sky, their scouters online, capsules stocked, and determination still running high as they split up.
Goten flew just above into the wooded forest of Mount Paozu - the place where they first ran into trouble with the poachers of the underhanded Zoodobu. He figured that they probably wouldn't try the exact same area where they took Icarus, so Goten ventured to the opposite side of the whole area.
Lo and behold, after just an hour of searching, Goten struck it lucky, spying below him a whole pride of sabretooth tigers being zapped with electric spears and trapped inside tiny cages. They were surrounded by familiar-looking armed poachers, who had seemingly not decided to use too many darts this time around.
The more Goten watched over their actions, the more he understood why they were looking everywhere around them - it was probably in case Goten and the rest of them jumped these guys. It was possible they were saving their darts for the four of them instead.
Goten gracefully and silently landed atop a tree, performing a long-press on his scouter to let everyone know about his find.
Soon enough, the rest of the team converged on Goten's location, each seeing for themselves what was going on right below them.
Trunks whispered loudly, "Grandpa said to follow them to their base real silent-like, so let's go!"
"Load those onto this truck. That batch go in there," a supervisor instructed. The yelps and whimpers of caged animals resounded the area as they were loaded onto said trucks, set to be transported who-knows-where. The trucks weren't quite full yet.
"Put your backs into it! Move it! Don't want to disappoint management, now, do we? We've got a lot of catching up to do, y'know!"
Moments later, the supervisor was kicked sharply in the back, and knocked out. The coworker who was heeding his instructions looked over when he heard a noise, but now stood frozen in shock at what had just happened to his supervisor.
The offending figure with golden hair approached the lone coworker slowly. "Oh, yeah, wasn't "management" havin' a bit of an investigation problem at the moment? That'd explain the rush."
"N- No! Stay away! P- Please don't-!" He was hand-chopped on the back by the newcomer and slumped to the ground like the supervisor.
Bardock nodded at Yamcha as he landed next to him, and the two looked at their scouters. "Four incoming on the left. You take the three approaching from the right," Bardock told his human ally.
The human laughed. "Making it easier for me just so you can have more fun? You reek of Saiyan, dude!"
"You only just figure that out?" Bardock shot back somewhat jokingly.
Yamcha said no more, dashing rapidly towards the workers on the right to attack. Bardock then did so on the left. As soon as they dispatched their targets, the two kids descended from the air.
"Okay. What now?" Trunks asked a little excitedly.
"I feel like making a grand entrance this time." Bardock cracked his knuckles.
Trunks interrupted to no avail, "But what about what Grandpa said-?"
"This is gonna be fun!" Goten jumped up and down, his own Saiyan battle drive kicking in. "I wish Dad was here to join in!"
"If Goku was here, the fight would be over way too quickly!" Yamcha laughed. Bardock rolled his eyes.
"Well, I guess what if we do it really quick, then we could have lunch early…" Trunks considered.
"Mmm… Now you're making me hungry!" Goten exclaimed.
"If you buffoons were paying attention to your surroundings, which is what the scouters and your damn ki sensing can be used for, then you'd realise we're getting ambushed from different sides," Bardock commented, annoyed.
Everyone's heads darted left and right except Bardock, who remained firmly in place, reading his scouter. "Trunks."
"Yeah?"
"Deal with the ground units converging to your left on the far side," Bardock ordered.
"You're right," Yamcha noted, "There are some heading this direction from way over there!"
"You wanna help him?" Bardock asked.
"Sure, why not?" Yamcha replied.
Bardock looked at his grandson. "You're coming with me, Goten. This'll be a lesson in the field for ya - We Saiyans, as you know by now, are pretty damn strong compared to your average Earthling. However, I've come to learn that Earthlings are one of the craftier species in the cosmos. In some cases, you can't focus on simply overpowering your opponent's physical strength; you gotta get the upper hand over their tactical strength too. And as I've told you - it's strength AND tactics combined that make ya win battles."
'The average Saiyan brute only cared to learn the first half, thinking that their might alone would win 'em the day - tch, the fools,' Bardock thought to himself. 'Most times, when they underestimated the weaklings who had a shred of intelligence, they'd come back bloody and tailless if they were lucky; many didn't come back at all. The healing tanks were definitely taken for granted by those chumps.'
Bardock's team had performed superbly in the Saiyan Army's ranks for a reason. Being a band of Low-class soldiers meant almost nothing once they proved themselves.
The mind was just as much of a weapon as the whole body, and that was something years of experience had taught the scarred Saiyan. Over time, he had improved his ability to adapt his strategies.
He told Goten, "I'm attackin' the ships up there. You can take down the infantry - and use your brain, got it?"
"Okay, Grandpa! I got it!" Goten acknowledged with a salute. His new grandfather was certainly growing on him by the day.
The two rushed forwards and around a corner and were met face to face with what Bardock had described. "Yaaaah!" Goten turned Super Saiyan and shot a couple ki blasts at the men. Bardock shot up to the jets and pushed them firmly into the concrete floor with his hands. He blasted off the turbines that made them fly and smashed the glass into the cockpit.
He yanked the men from the safety of their jet and tossed them onto the hard ground outside. Goten noticed them and threw them onto the pile of men he had accumulated.
"I call this… Soldier Hill!" Goten proclaimed with an arm raised, showing off his proud work to Bardock.
When Bardock noticed it, he had a flashback to his old career, seeing all the dead bodies he created not only piled up like Soldier Hill, but also scattered everywhere. He shook his head to get back into the moment and took off after another jet.
Goten thought it was a little strange when Bardock simply stared at the pile he made without acknowledging him, but shrugged it off. He knew his grandfather could be stoic at times. Maybe he was just worrying about the mission?
"Want some more?!" Goten dashed back into the fray, knocking out a dozen more soldiers. He wasn't completely satisfied since these ones couldn't really fight back at his level. The other ones had certainly put up a better fight back when Icarus was being captured. It was like their arms were made of lead. He supposed he could spar with Trunks or his Grandpa later - maybe Yamcha too, to whip him into shape.
His train of thought was cut short thanks to a near miss of a bullet going past his neck. He gasped and stumbled back a bit, nearly falling on his backside.
Bardock noticed Goten's fumble. "Kid! You better be takin' this fight seriously!"
Goten frowned and set his focus on the fight. His enjoyment of this whole battle decreased a little. Why couldn't all fights just be fun?
He sent a fierce kick to another soldier's chest, but the soldier didn't fall over. "Oh, you're another android!" Goten smirked. "You might be a fun opponent!"
The android said nothing as it fired blasts from its hands. "Whoa!" Goten said as he dodged the blasts easily, "What else can you do?"
The android shook a little and recklessly charged forwards to swipe Goten's legs. Goten hopped around his leg strike and vaulted onto the android's head.
Goten whistled. "Look up!"
As the android moved its head to do just that, Goten slipped down the android's back, gripped both the android's shoulders, and then he kicked both his legs into the back of the android before hopping off. "Ha! Score one for Goten!" He pointed to the sky.
"Reevaluating database. Target name change: Son Goku to Goten."
"So you can talk!" Goten blinked at this revelation. "Your database must be pretty old if you thought my dad was my size still!"
"Updati-" The android didn't get the chance to speak further as Goten kicked it in the head, sending sparks flying.
"Ooh! Must've hit ya a little too hard." Goten patted his sleeves, not even bothering to spare a glance at the struggling machine. "Don't sound so dull either. You're falling into the stereotype of an evil robot underling - I've seen it on TV!"
The android rose to its feet and uncovered a dozen shurikens hidden in its arms.
The blades zipped so quickly through the air, that Goten was forced to fall to the ground to try to dodge them all.
But unfortunately, one of the shurikens had successfully cut deep through his left wrist. He went out of Super Saiyan.
"G… Gah…!" Goten could barely yell in pain as he lay on the ground with his mouth and eyes wide open. He froze in pain and fear as he slowly turned his head to his wrist.
The next moment, all he could see was a huge golden flash followed by a deafening explosion. The ground rumbled for a moment, before it became still again. He felt his severely cut wrist being handled, which gave him more pain. He squirmed and quivered.
"Stay still, Goten. I'm bandaging your hand," Bardock's voice spoke. He sounded serious and a little angry, making Goten's eyes moisten with brimming tears. "Didn't you remember anything I just taught you?"
"I'm s- sorry, Grandpa! I should've focused mor-"
"You're right, but no more talking."
"Okay…"
Bardock removed his red bandana from his head, wrapping it tightly around Goten's gravely injured wrist. He inspected his handiwork, then he held a button on his scouter to contact the others. "Goten's got hurt. His wrist was nearly cut off."
"Goten!" Trunks shouted in worry, and soon enough the others could hear louder sounds coming through their scouters on his side, indicating that Trunks was trying to defeat his opponents as quickly as possible now.
"Nearly-?!" Yamcha blurted out in alarm, before keeping his cool as he came up with a solution. "O- Okay. There's something I might be able to get real quick to help him," Yamcha informed them, "It's not too far from here! I'll be right back!" Yamcha cut the transmission and blasted into the sky as fast as he could.
"We might wanna pick out another CD. We've been listenin' to Cha La Head Cha La on repeat for weeks," Yajirobe muttered idly.
"That's a huge exaggeration, but I agree," Korin said. "Go and fetch Dan Dan Koko-what'chacallit - I've been wanting to hear that one after so long." There was silence. "Well? What're you waiting for, Yajirobe?" Korin wondered. Korin's expression changed in an instant as he noticed someone approach.
Yamcha soon landed on the platform with a serious look plastered on his face. Korin looked surprised for two reasons, one being that it was Yamcha of all people and the other being that he was stronger than ever. He must have been training very hard.
"Korin, please man, I know it's been a minute since I last saw you but it's really important! Do you have a senzu bean? Goten's really hurt!" Yamcha asked Korin hastily.
"Yamcha! Goten's hurt? Er, uh, well, I think we do, if lazy guts over here hasn't eaten the last one yet!" He gestured to Yajirobe.
"Relax, think I got one in here…" Yajirobe rummaged through his clothing, soon revealing one single bean in his belt. As soon as he gave it to Yamcha, Yamcha dashed to the edge of Korin Tower.
"ThanksKorinandYajirobe, I oweyouguys!" Yamcha blurted out before shooting into the sky back to the group.
"That's weird. Two visits in the span o' two days. Think he's hangin' out with Goku's dad?" Yajirobe asked.
"He might be." Korin stroked his chin. "There was something Bardock mentioned yesterday, about looking for some group taking animals. Maybe they found those people, and perhaps Goku's youngest son is involved too."
"Huh," Yajirobe uttered.
Korin stared at his companion. "Are you gonna get the CD now? I'm not getting it for you! You need to start exercising more!"
"Rah!" Bardock blasted any soldiers daring to approach them as he sat beside Goten. Trunks was defending their perimeter punching soldiers left and right. "On your left, Trunks!" he yelled.
Trunks blasted a group of soldiers from that direction. "Thanks, Bardock!" Trunks said hastily.
Goten was still sat on the ground, his bottom lip quivering not just from the pain but also from shame. "Where'd Yamcha go…?" he asked, trying to hold back his tears.
"He went to get you something. Not sure what. But he said whatever he's getting ain't too far away," Bardock explained. "Sit tight. I've been in this kind of situation a dozen times before."
"You have?"
"Well, obviously. This is what happens when you underestimate your opponent. They might get lucky with-" Bardock blasted a soldier to his right. "-cheap shots. Which is why your reflexes have to be as sharp as steel, or you're screwed."
He thought of all the times he'd had to rescue his wife Gine on the battlefield, and he thought of the cheap strike to the back of his head from that Kanaasan, and the cheap shot from his first encounter with these Earthling poachers.
Goten nodded slowly and abashedly. Bardock continued his lecture. "Unfortunately, fights are almost never fair when you're up against an unknown enemy. Take those blades he shot out at you - You've never fought someone who uses those, so it took you by surprise." He blasted a couple more soldiers. "That's why, Goten, you gotta train until you're confident you can beat any opponent. This planet… I thought it was full of weaklings. I was wrong; it's full of weaklings with powerful equipment."
Goten watched his grandfather closely as he spoke further. "Goten, you can't allow yourself to grow weak. Sure, you might have Trunks, or your father, or me now to aid you in battle, but you gotta master how to hold your own." Bardock smirked. "Otherwise, that bandana o' mine's gonna be comin' off a lot more than necessary."
Goten managed a small smile at his grandfather. "I understand, Grandpa. I'll be better! I'll be as strong as Dad an' Gohan!"
""As strong as"?" Bardock eyed him with a hint of dissatisfaction.
"Uh… you want me to be stronger than my Dad and Gohan? I can't be as strong as Dad!" Goten retorted.
Bardock looked annoyed at Goten's lack of belief in himself. "Tch. Are you listening to yourself? You're a child and yet you're stronger than someone who's fought his entire life." He said as he pointed to himself. He added, "You even went Super Saiyan before you could fly. Your father started off weak as hell for a Saiyan - Who knows what your power level was when you were an infant. What I'm trying to say is, you've got so much more potential in you than you realise."
"Oh. I didn't think of it like that. I guess I could become stronger than them both in the future if I train hard, but that would take forever," Goten uttered in response, not completely convinced since he almost lost a hand just before.
It was the best Bardock was going to get out of him for now. "Well, kid, training hard is what it's all about, because it helps you avoid situations like this. Now sit tight just a little longer." Bardock tilted his head up. "Seems Yamcha's comin' back."
Yamcha soon descended from the sky and landed by Goten's side. "Here's a special delivery from Korin and Yajirobe! Eat the senzu bean, Goten!" Yamcha placed it in his mouth and a couple seconds later after he ate it, Goten's face lit up.
"Ooooh! The pain's all gone!" he exclaimed, sighing in relief. "Thanks a lot, Yamcha!" Goten beamed.
"No problem, kiddo! What's the situation here now, Bardock?" Yamcha turned to him.
"Their numbers are thinned out, thanks to Trunks and I. What did that bean do to Goten? Was it pain relief?" Bardock asked.
"Oh, right, you probably wouldn't know about those, huh…" Yamcha mused. "I gave him what's called a senzu bean! It can heal any injury!"
"Any injury…?" He looked at Goten's bandaged wrist. "You're tellin' me he's now completely healed?"
"Yeah, he sure is! You can take off the bandage and see for yourself." Yamcha gestured for him to do so. Bardock unwrapped his bandana from Goten's wrist to find no trace of a deep cut, except the dried blood surrounding it.
"How… How can such a thing exist?! If the Frieza Force had ever learned of these beans…" Bardock trailed off in disbelief. "This is one special planet."
"Yep. I totally agree with you there." Yamcha chuckled with a smirk. "Though, I oughta mention that senzu beans are always in seriously short supply. Most times, you can't rely on having one handy to heal you up. It's always worth talking to Korin and Yajirobe to see if they've got any ready to eat, just in case. I got lucky this time!" Yamcha explained.
"Korin and Yajirobe…" Bardock shot another soldier down from behind him. "I've met 'em already."
"You… when?!" Yamcha asked, perplexed.
"Never mind that! We've got a battle to win here." Bardock got to his feet and watched Goten get up and pass him his bandana, soaked in the kid's blood. He wore it around his upper arm for now. He would concern himself with it later.
"Trunks!" Yamcha called out.
"What's up? Is Goten okay?" he asked.
"He's completely healed! I gave him a senzu bean," Yamcha told him.
"You got a senzu bean?! They're crazy hard to get, aren't they?" Trunks looked astonished. "Thanks, Yamcha! I'm glad he's back to normal!"
As Bardock and Goten approached, Bardock stated, "Let's not chat for much longer. By now, they're definitely on high alert-"
A nearby explosion caught their attention. Through the smoke, a large bipedal creation emerged. And Bardock's favourite Earthling was seated inside.
"Look! It's Yaroff!" Yamcha yelled. Everyone got into battle positions, faces stern.
"It hasn't even been 48 hours since I last saw you lot! You're attacking us again?! Didn't you get the hint the first time?!" the foreman shouted at them.
"Didn't you?" Bardock retorted, wondering what the hell this stupid idiot was on about. "You're showing your face to all four of us at once, again, and alone this time! What makes you think you're gonna come out on top, weakling?"
"For your information, you primate…" Yaroff sneered, "I've been granted full access to our security division across all our sites! And this bad boy I'm operating…" He moved the two bionic arms of the mech and sent a flurry of punches to the air to demonstrate. "…can deal out punches with a force of 24,000 Newtons!"
Bardock was unimpressed. Because he had no idea what a Newton was.
"So what? I can take down some mecha!" Trunks boasted.
The mech reared its arms, crouched and tried a jumping stomp attack on him. Yaroff missed, but he cracked the stone, sending up lots of smoke.
"That's it!" Bardock exclaimed as an idea struck him. "Smoke screen! Now!" he yelled to the team.
They all began to send volleys of ki blasts down onto the floor surrounding Yaroff who was beginning to lose track of them. He looked every which way for them. "Rgh…! Where are-" He saw a silhouette through the smoke and fired lasers from one of the mech's hands. The figure batted away the projectile.
Yaroff gasped in shock, "No… That was… a red hot laser…! The real deal, dammit! It's supposed to be able to cut through twenty metres of pure lead!"
"Now!" Bardock shouted.
Yaroff still couldn't see any of them. "Wha-?"
The kids stomped on the arms from above in a perfectly synchronised attack. But the arms didn't fall off. The smoke screen dispersed, and Yaroff spun the arms in a 360 rotation at high speed, making the two break off their assault. "Fire!"
A dozen rockets shot out from the back of the mech, hurtling towards Goten and Trunks. Trunks weaved through a couple before grabbing some and using their momentum to divert them away. Goten was paying very close attention, and he dodged every rocket with a determined face.
"Nice going kids!" Yamcha praised. "Now it's my turn to have a piece of him!" Yamcha set into a low battle stance, and charged forwards, hands set in front of him. "Wolf Fang…" He vanished behind the mech at the last moment. "…Fist!"
The mech toppled onto its knees, and Yamcha celebrated, "Take that! Haha!"
Bardock noticed a soft glow begin to emanate from under the mech's feet. He swivelled to Yamcha. "Yamcha! Look out, you fool!"
Yamcha noticed the feet suddenly glow very bright so he jumped up into the air quickly to evade what turned out to be two super hot booster engines under the feet, now granting Yaroff's toy the ability to fly.
"Thanks, man!" Yamcha called out as he regarded the mech with more irritation than before. "Yaroff, you're never gonna come out on top! Just tell that Musuka lady to stop taking innocent animals from the wild! And release the ones you got cooped up in your warehouses!"
"Damn you…" Yaroff spat, "Why do I have to contend with you tricksters? Rrragh! I've no other choice; it's either I put this thing into maximum overdrive or I fail her!" Yaroff pressed a few buttons and levers from his console.
The mech began to transform much to Goten's intrigue and the rest's annoyance. The legs extended, revealing more tubes and synthetic muscle and the arms readjusted to resemble more humanoid ones. They also had dark slits under the hands that Goten suspected might accommodate blades of some kind.
"Watch out. We don't know what else this moron is planning," Bardock warned the team.
Yaroff suddenly closed in on Yamcha, bashing him in his midsection with a sharp punch. Yamcha was launched quite a distance away, making Bardock roll his eyes and Trunks glare at the mech. He aimed for its shielded head area where Yaroff was sat inside.
"What did I just say to them…? Does anyone bother to listen to me?" Bardock grumbled, and lobbed a blue energy ball at one of the mech's arms. The arm recoiled from the hit with a jolt and became thoroughly scorched at the elbow joint. Bardock thought up a new idea with a smirk. While Yaroff was distracted by Trunks, Bardock flew to the side of the mech, grabbed onto the arm and yanked it off from the weakened elbow.
Meanwhile, Trunks managed to land a heavy hit on the shield, smashing his fist straight through it. Yaroff looked fearful and held an arm up to block the glass from reaching his face. The foreman's mech lost its balance from the combined attacks of the two Saiyans, and toppled over once more. The mech's other arm shot out a shuriken at Goten, who blasted it in two with his hand outstretched, sporting a sour expression.
Yamcha returned to the battlefield and he nodded at Goten who nodded back. They both flew high up and sent twin blasts down onto the mech's chest area.
"Gaaah!" Yaroff screamed. There was a small explosion of black smoke, and Yaroff hastily climbed out of the mech. He tried to make a break for it until Goten picked him swiftly up by the collar and dragged him back to the others. He dumped him in front of Bardock and Yamcha. Bardock gave a hateful look at what he deemed a pathetic creature.
Yaroff returned the gaze to the two men, then reached a hand towards one of his brightly coloured shoes. Trunks grabbed his hand with a frown.
Yaroff growled. "…So you got me. What're you gonna do then, huh? Hand me over to the police? I'll have you know that this could be deemed defending one's property!" Yaroff ranted.
Trunks ignored that. "Hey, so can you contact that Musuka lady for us?"
"She wouldn't speak to you thugs. Besides, she's a busy woman!" Yaroff huffed, hoping he wouldn't have to get her involved in his failed attempts to apprehend these guys.
Trunks shrugged smugly. "Oh, she'll totally wanna hear from us. 'Cause if she doesn't, then-"
A beam of yellow light suddenly shot out of nowhere, aiming straight for Trunks' back.
The attack was deflected, but not by Trunks.
Goten stood in between him and the direction the beam came from. He then saw two bright red dots from the shadows.
The figure emerged, wearing a long pink cloak and sporting a braided ponytail. The figure walked calmly and intimidatingly closer, until he stopped all of a sudden. He started sweating… He recognised those hairstyles…
Goten yelled over to the figure, "It's kinda low to attack someone from behind in secret, y'know!"
"Who the hell's this chump?" Bardock asked in annoyance.
The figure gave no response, until… "Please, forgive me!" The figure bowed sharply but cordially, cutting down the nearest tree with a hand chop. He then chucked the tree log into the air and rode on top of it into the distance.
"That was… Mercenary Tao! The guy who fought Tien in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament! Wow. Didn't think he'd up and leave just like that," Yamcha commented with a baffled expression.
'She should have told me my targets involved those spiky haired freaks. I would've taken a different job! Maybe I ought to retire at this rate…' the Mercenary Tao thought to himself as he sailed off into the horizon.
"Damn it, even he failed…" Yaroff muttered in anger.
Yamcha glared at him. "You hired an assassin to kill us? And you told him to kill a child? What's wrong with you?!"
"I didn't plan to." Yaroff narrowed his eyes. "She did. To dispose of you all. You're just nuisances to her."
"The Musuka lady did?!" Trunks' eyes widened. "You gotta tell us where she is! She's our main target, as well as you!" Trunks shouted.
"And completely ruin my life by taking my well-paid job away from me?" Yaroff retorted.
Bardock grabbed him by the front of his collar, meeting each other closely eye-to-eye. "You don't tell us, and maybe somethin' worse'll happen to you," Bardock said. Yaroff began to sweat at the implications.
"Foreman Yaroff? Are you there?" a female voice spoke through the walkie-talkie on Yaroff's belt. Yaroff was now sweating pools.
"M- Madame Musuka!"
"Oh, is that the woman we're after?" Bardock smirked evilly at Yaroff. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to tell her about your pathetic attempts to defeat us," he said as he snatched the device. "You that Musuka lady who owns the whole of Zudoku?" Bardock asked in a casual manner.
"It's Zoodobu! Who is this?"
"Someone you're overdue a visit from." Bardock clicked a button on his scouter, obtaining the frequency to communicate with her himself, whilst also starting a recording of the exchange.
"You're one of the thugs who ransacked my other site…!" she deduced in an offended tone. "I knew that foreman wasn't up to the task of dealing with you."
Yaroff knelt in front of the device in Bardock's hand. "Madame Musuka! I used everything at my disposal! They were simply too strong-"
"Excuses. You've failed me one too many times, Yaroff. You're fired," she declared.
"N… No…!" Mr. Yaroff gasped in despair, punching the floor, "Damn you all…"
"You're rather eager to see not just me, but also my grandson dead, woman," Bardock told her. "Wanna give me some reasons why?"
'"Grandson"? He looks around thirty!' Yaroff thought.
"I don't have to respond to you!" she countered.
"I think you do," Yamcha spoke up, "'Cause either way, Bardock here's gonna find you and make you talk."
"He's right," Bardock added, "As I said, you're overdue a visit from me."
"…What do you want from me?" she snapped.
"Stop this whole operation you're running. You've disturbed the lives of me and my grandson, and that's puttin' it lightly. In fact, the first scuffle we had with your men… let's say it pissed me off, greatly," Bardock growled, "Wounding a warrior's pride never goes unpunished."
"A warrior, are you?" she spoke with a haughty and mocking tone.
"Wanna say that to my face?" Bardock gripped the device harder.
"Oh, hardly. But you would never be able to reach me, "warrior", even if I bothered to tell you my address," Musuka boasted arrogantly.
"What she doesn't know could hurt her…!" Yamcha remarked suspensefully for her to hear.
"Oh, so you do know where I live?" Musuka wrongfully assumed. "Well then, do come on down to Highgrove Mansion… See if I care when you're taken away by my security forces!" she huffed.
Yaroff actually seemed concerned by her response. "Madame Musuka! You are underestimating these people! They-"
"I require no further comments from you, Mr. Yaroff," she interrupted him dismissively.
"Thanks for tellin' us where you live," Bardock said gruffly, "I'll be sure to bring a welcoming present."
"Hmph. See you never, thugs. I'll be sure to hear about your arrest outside my estate on the news!" She cut the connection.
"Oh Kami…" Yaroff groaned in despair, "My life's ruined!"
"Hey, you listen here," Yamcha spoke, grabbing his shirt. "I'm gonna hand you over to the police." He pulled him to his feet. "Then you can tell them just exactly what you've been up to!"
"Madame Musuka, you… you fool…!" he growled before he was knocked out by Bardock. He stopped recording the exchange from his scouter.
"Thank whatever powers that exist that I don't have to see him ever again…" Bardock exhaled, stretching his arms as he walked down the halls of Capsule Corp with the others minus Yamcha, who was talking with the police about what happened. He told them the gist of it. No need to get into the details involving the team's… special tricks. He examined the red cloth around his left arm and proceeded to tuck in the ends of it.
"So she's really thinking we'll never reach her? She thinks we're stupid idiots," Trunks snorted.
"I don't think she was watching us fight. She isn't gonna see us coming!" Goten grinned.
"Can't wait to see the look on her face," Bardock smirked evilly. Then, he had a thought. "Hey. S'there any chance I can get some more armour just like this?" He pointed to his armour that he only had one set of, therefore he had been wearing the exact same clothes every day.
"Yeah, I'm sure we can! I mean, we've already got that style of armour in stock 'cause of my dad. All we'd have to do is paint it green and dark blue," Trunks confirmed.
"Why not have lots of different ones with different colours? Like, uh… like a white set? Or brown? Or orange?" Goten suggested.
"I once wore beige, and so did many others, but I decided to change into my older armour because of, let's say, nostalgia, before I went to stop Frieza," Bardock said. "But orange? Count me out. I'd stick out way too much, and besides, that's what my son seems to wear a lot, judging by what I've seen of him. I'm not willing to copy him."
"If you say so," Goten replied, tugging at his own orange gi.
Bardock turned to Trunks. "Your grandfather wants us all to meet here in two days to… visit her. I'll be seein' you around this place." He did his regular two-finger salute and turned, walking away from the two.
"See you later, Bardock!" Trunks called.
"Bye, Grandpa!" Goten called.
The two boys looked at each other, and ran into Trunks' room to play video games.
Meanwhile, Bardock had three tasks to fulfill.
One: Ask about the new armour.
Two: Browse through his son's scouter.
Three: Update Kakarot's wife.
Scratch that - make it four:
"I'm starving…" Bardock thought, wanting to get some grub.
No, make it five:
"I will be using that gravity room again…"
"I'll have the armour ready for when you go visit Mrs. Musuka in two days," Dr. Briefs informed Bardock.
"Hm. Thanks." Bardock turned away and walked out of the room.
He made his way to his temporary room and sat in the armchair by the window. He looked through his son's scouter which had many old mission logs still present inside the files. Bardock saw the conquered planets count. It was a little more than his own count had been… and yet his son's power level over the years appeared to have had much less growth than his own. Raditz had been put to work, alright, but something about that power level confused him, and he couldn't fathom why.
'Just what kind of man did you become?' Bardock wondered, his expression pensive.
He read the information about the last recorded file on the scouter. "I see - He was transmitting his whole Earth visit to Vegeta and Nappa," Bardock discovered. It was uncommon practice to send full audio recording feedback to team members for small solo missions, but he assumed that Raditz did this because he was going to try recruiting another Saiyan to help them. This device held a significant event in his sons' lives. He played the transmitted audio file, and an audible beep sounded.
"You look just like our father…" the raspy voice of his eldest son remarked. "I can still remember the day when you were first sent to this planet as a toddler. We had high hopes for you then, Kakarot, why have you not carried out your mission? Kakarot!"
Although Bardock had only heard Kakarot's adult voice in visions, he knew that it was he who spoke next. "Who are you? Who's this Kakarot? And… sent to this planet? What are -"
"You have got to be kidding me… You really don't remember? You're a Saiyan, born on Planet Vegeta! We are a warrior race. And I am your brother, Raditz!"
"What?! I don't believe that! You're lying!"
"Am I now? …What happened to your tail?" Raditz questioned, sounding a little alarmed when he failed to spot it.
"My-? How could you know I had a-?"
"All Saiyans have tails. It is our greatest asset. So I'll ask you again. What have you been doing all these years?"
"I don't like where he's heading with this, Goku…" Krillin uttered warningly.
"Let me remind you of our heritage and purpose, since you appear to be a little forgetful… You were sent here to exterminate all life. We Saiyans go planet to planet, wiping out the inhabitants and make a fortune by selling to the highest bidder. The weakest of us, such as yourself, were sent to conquer the weaker planets to grow stronger, all the while raking in profit for us. What I just don't understand is how you could possibly fail, given there's even a moon here that becomes a full one every 28 days. Perhaps you are just that weak and pathetic."
'Raditz… I should've been much clearer on why we were sending Kakarot away… but I knew that our transmission would've been tapped into.' Bardock thought with regret. 'Gine and I tried to save him from the whole regime we were subjected to. But you just had to go and try dragging him back into it, didn't you?'
"What does the moon have to do with anything?" Kakarot asked.
Raditz responded with incredulity, "What are you, a complete and utter moron? Every Saiyan knows that we transform under a full moon, unleashing our full power!"
Gasps could be heard on the other end of the scouter.
"What are you talking about? My name is Son Goku, and I'm from Earth! Leave us alone, and get outta here!"
"Well, I couldn't possibly do that. Our home world Planet Vegeta was blown to dust by a meteor-"
Bardock's hand swiftly went up to the scouter, almost destroying it in anger. "You… goddamn fool! Is that the lie you were fed to keep you loyal, son?! Frieza… you bastard!"
"-Practically all Saiyans were wiped out by it. There are only four of us left… including you. We found a planet that would fetch a high price, but the three of us would be hard pressed to take it over. But… then I remembered you, brother. With you aiding us, we would surely conquer the planet and make a fortune! Think of it, Kakarot! The battles you could indulge yourself in! All the fun we could have… Does it not make your Saiyan blood boil with excitement?" Raditz offered, getting a little excited himself just thinking about it. Or was his own enthusiasm just for show? The prince and his other lackey were listening in, after all.
Kakarot refused. "If you think I'd even consider joining you, then you're the complete moron here! What you've been saying… it… it's more despicable than anything anyone on Earth would say!"
"Fine then. Be that way… If not you, then that Saiyan child of yours may suffice instead. I can see his tail from here!"
"Hell. Never have I been so… disappointed. What the hell are you doing?" Bardock scowled, his teeth bared. "I'd die just to smash your thick skull into a solid wall before I would eventually come back to life again. I couldn't imagine what your mother would do to you if she was aware of what you did, son."
"You come any closer to us, and I'll send you back where you came from!" Kakarot warned.
"Oh, ho! Do try your hardest, if you're brave enough."
There was a period of silence before someone struck.
"Gah…!" Kakarot cried out in pain.
"Don't you worry, Kakarot. I'll take real good care of my nephew. If you want him back, then do as your older brother says."
"Give… him… back…" Kakarot begged.
"Here's a simple ultimatum. If you finally feel like cooperating, then I want you to kill as little as one hundred Earthlings by tomorrow. Just stack the bodies in a pile over there! Heheheh…"
"G… Give…"
"If you have a shred of common sense, you'll avoid trying to be some hero! See you in 24 hours, Kakarot! Hahaha!"
"Crap... Couldn't I have been sent to that point in time instead?" Bardock groaned. He fast forwarded the footage and stopped it at around ten minutes later, much to Bardock's surprise. Because somehow, his younger son thought it would be best to play the hero right after getting beaten in one hit.
"What brings you chumps here?" Raditz asked, already sure of the answer he'd receive.
"I'm takin' my son back, obviously!" Kakarot said angrily. "Where have you hidden him?!"
"His constant wailing was giving me a headache, so I locked him in my ship. But forget about that! You seriously think you have what it takes to beat me?! Hahahaha!"
"Gh…!" It sounded like Kakarot was getting ready to face this unfair fight.
"You're no Saiyan! Prepare to die!" Raditz yelled, commencing his assault.
"I could strangle him…" Bardock was thinking of ways to punish his son in the afterlife, since he had been told it was a real place everyone went to when they kicked the bucket. "Maybe that wouldn't work… Can you even hurt someone if they're already dead? Would they even need to breathe? Hm…"
"Even with your combined strength, you're nothing compared to me! Even less so since you didn't heed my offer or my warnings! But still, since you're about to die, I'm might as well tell you this - The two other Saiyans I mentioned to you earlier… They are over twice as strong as I am!"
"T- Twice…?! …If you've got any new attacks up your sleeve, now's the time to use them, Goku!" a deeper voice spoke.
"Sorry, Piccolo, I'm fresh out!" Kakarot responded to Piccolo.
"Good thing I've created a new technique these past few years," Piccolo said.
Kakarot's tone sounded more hopeful. "Really? Alright…"
"Pffft. You're making a plan? It'd be easier to just give up and die already. Just accept your fate!" the raspy-voiced Saiyan gloated.
"You gotta buy me some time to charge it up," Piccolo told his temporary ally.
Kakarot replied, "Gotcha. I'll do my best."
Raditz huffed indignantly as they ignored him. "Hey! Are you even listening to me?! Come at me, brother!"
Bardock only heard the whole fight and wished he could've seen it for himself. "Hm… maybe if I… Would firing a dozen blasts even work…? Do I get to use my power when I die? …I wonder if I could at least cut his hair off… assuming he still has it that long."
Raditz helpfully commentated, "His… His power level just reached 1330! He's focusing it into his fingertips! He can control his energy that well-? Gaugh-!"
"…You let your guard down. I got your tail!" Bardock's youngest spoke.
"Holy crap. How'd he manage to do that?! Saiyans in combat usually have their tails around their waists. And hold on a minute - Raditz never trained his tail to be resistant to grabbing, even while in Prince Vegeta's unit?" Bardock was impressed by Kakarot's resilience; the duo had it in the bag now.
Raditz stuttered as his movements were all halted. "H- How did you…?! Ugh!"
"I'm almost finished charging, Goku! Keep him like that!" Piccolo's voice spoke.
"W- Wait! Let me go! I… I'll leave this planet in peace…!" Raditz pleaded.
"Don't listen to him Goku! He's trying to trick you!" It seemed Piccolo was a smart fighter.
Raditz pleaded once more, "Brother… I swear… No, I'm begging you! Don't do this to your own family!"
He heard his younger son gasp, before a moment of silence passed. Suddenly, a whack sounded through the scouter, making Bardock lower his brows.
"GAAAH!" Kakarot yelled.
"You moron! I can't believe you actually fell for it and let go! You're the biggest buffoon I've ever met! How are we related? Seriously! I do what it takes to survive with no hesitation, even if that means killing my own brother! I won't show you mercy!"
Raditz began to beat up his own family.
"AAAH!"
He wouldn't stop.
"HUAAAAGH!"
Bardock frowned deeply. Doing what it takes to survive… No hesitation… That was what he told his eldest son the last time he spoke to him! Talk about a misinterpretation!
And talk about a coward. Raditz used un-Saiyan-like trickery to get out of that predicament. Sacrificing his Saiyan pride so easily gave Bardock an insight into how Raditz had interpreted his words of wisdom, and how he'd behaved in his fights across the cosmos.
Raditz seemed to have frequently been a desperate man, resorting to pleading to the enemy just to stab them in the back. 'Did Nappa teach him nothing once I disappeared?! Selfish asshole. It's a wonder Vegeta didn't kill Raditz for his cowardly tactics after all those years serving in his squad.'
Raditz's violence was still going on and on. "Ohoho, yes! That's it…!"
So Raditz really enjoyed what he was doing. Bardock turned Super Saiyan as he listened further.
"Rest assured, it'll be all over soon! And you over there… you're next in line for the same treatment!" Raditz halted his abuse momentarily to glance over at the Namekian.
"Damn it…" Piccolo cussed in frustration. "He'll just dodge it if I hit him now…!"
At that moment, Raditz's scouter beeped like crazy.
"His scouter's soundin' off. What for?" Bardock wondered.
An explosion nearby caused everyone's heads to sharply turn in its direction.
"LEAVE MY DADDY ALONE!" a child's voice screamed, which Bardock deduced was a young Gohan.
With a thud and a crack, Raditz's midsection had been pummelled by the child's head rocketing towards him at top speed. "Aughhhh!" the elder Saiyan yelled out in pain.
"What the hell…?!" Bardock chuckled.
Raditz's voice evoked disbelief. "What is this kid…?! He damaged my armour!"
Kakarot took advantage of Raditz's distracted state, latching onto his shoulders from behind, locking him into a Full Nelson.
"PICCOLO! DO IT NOW!" Kakarot screamed.
"Kakarot?! What do you think you're doing?! You'll get skewered by this as well!" Raditz's tone sounded panicked, and in this one instance he actually seemed concerned about his brother's lack of value over his own life.
Kakarot merely chuckled, accepting his fate. "Heheh… I know."
"…WHAT?!" Raditz's panicked breathing could be picked up from the scouter.
Kakarot elaborated with a tired smile of resignation on his face, "I wish there was another way, but this works just fine!"
Piccolo spoke gratefully, "I must thank you, Goku, for this precious chance to end both your life and that of your rotten brother's! Special… Beam…"
Raditz was flailing about, trying with all his might to break free. "Kakarot! I- I swear I'll leave-"
"You're not fooling me again... Heheheh." Kakarot's tone of finality had sealed both of their fates. Raditz had never felt so regretful, his face sweating profusely.
Piccolo finished charging his attack. "…CANNON!" The swirling attack zoomed straight towards the brothers, striking right through their stomachs.
"A- …a! Agh…" Raditz uttered in shock and pain as he fell, the scouter briefly making contact with the ground, scuffing it.
"Damned Cerealian dragon. Why did this happen? It's clear my wish wasn't granted entirely." Bardock leaned back in his chair, fuming. "I wanted both my sons to end up thriving. By that, I meant live peacefully and preferably detached from Frieza. To think I should've been even more specific…" he said, now feeling his own sense of regret.
"I- Impossible… Beaten… by scum like this…?" Raditz somehow still had the energy to talk. He always was a stubborn one.
"Yes… Yes you were, you oversized hedgehog," Piccolo taunted.
Raditz coughed. "Tch… Can't believe… that Kakarot would throw… his own life away like that…"
Piccolo corrected him, "He won't be dead for long, you fool…"
"What?!"
"Didn't you know? On Earth we have things called Dragon Balls. They can grant any wish you can think of, including bringing back the dead."
Raditz's demeanour shifted from completely upset to somewhat amused. "Dammit… Heh… At least…"
"At least what?"
"At least my comrades… will be happy to… h- hear about this," Raditz answered in a strained voice.
"You… What do you mean?!" Piccolo questioned.
"They will have heard… everything… through my s- scouter… and they will come here…"
"Wh- When will they… get here…?" Kakarot asked, also still clinging onto life.
"In just… a year's time…"
Piccolo cursed. "Dammit. Just one year until even stronger foes arrive…"
It was then that Bardock heard his eldest son's last words. "You… will have no chance at b- beating them. Enjoy… what little time remains." He let out a final cough and a small chuckle. "…How… do you like your sweet v- victory now…?"
"Could the wish's effect only go so far? What if the dragon could only grant, say, a chance at thriving?" Bardock wondered. "I mean, I wasn't there when Monaito made that supposed wish."
He shook his head with a scowl on his face. "I suppose it doesn't matter now. It's been a couple decades by this point," he spoke with immense disappointment. He could at least be satisfied with one thing, though - "At least my youngest son has thrived more than I could have ever thought it possible to."
Despite this, Bardock's Saiyan pride towards his eldest son bothered him due to his failure. 'He actually died to two people who knew nothing of other civilisations and their power. He was with the Prince all that time, travelling from planet to planet, conquering… How had he still been such a weakling? Maybe I'll only get to find out when I ask him, after I die.'
Bardock decided to turn off the scouter, and got up and stretched as he powered back down to base form. "I wonder how Monaito is doing on Cereal with that kid. Hm, wait, he'll be an adult now, older than I am. I should check that place out again someday... if it's not been destroyed for some reason or another."
Bardock placed the scouter by the armchair. He turned to leave, but before he did, he glanced back at the scouter, imagining his eldest son wearing it.
'Someday, I'll make you understand, Raditz. When I see you in Hell, I'll give you a Super Saiyan welcome you won't forget.'
He then left to train in the Gravity Chamber.
[Author's note: Uh oh, this chapter became over 8,000 words after editing… Hope you enjoyed it!]