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Chapter Text

Volume I: The Early Years

Dragon Ball Saga, Part 1: Refugees

Planet Vegeta

Age 737

King Vegeta, ruler of the Saiyan race, sat upon his throne, glaring at the elite warrior who had just burst into the throne room. "What is the meaning of this intrusion?" he demanded.

The soldier, a man he recognized, dropped to one knee and saluted his king. "Bardock has gone absolutely mad, sire!" he exclaimed. "He's been telling everyone that Frieza is coming to destroy our planet!"

King Vegeta's eyes widened in shock. "What? That's ridiculous. The Saiyans make up almost half of Frieza's military forces; there's no way he would try to destroy us!"

"That's what I said, sir, but Bardock wouldn't listen! He kept ranting about how his entire team was slaughtered: supposedly, Dodoria killed them on Frieza's orders! It's absurd!"

For the first time, King Vegeta actually focused on the soldier's words. "His team is dead, though?"

The lower-class warrior looked up at him. "I don't know, sir. But he did return alone; that much is true."

The Saiyan king contemplated what he'd heard. Ordinarily, he would have dismissed the soldier's report immediately… but something stopped him from doing so. There was no denying that Frieza could easily wipe out the Saiyans if he wanted to, but Vegeta had never suspected that the Arcosian would actually attack them.

But if he was coming… it would be foolish to take chances.

"Clear the room!" the king called. "Everyone except my guards, out!"

Grumbling, the Saiyan politicians and members of Vegeta's retinue exited the room. As they did so, King Vegeta turned, his mind made up, to face the soldier. "Find Bardock, and bring him here. If he's telling the truth, I intend to find out."

After a few minutes, the same warrior returned, escorting a tall Saiyan in green armor, with red wristbands and a red bandanna around his forehead. His spiky hair stood up around his head, defying gravity, and a large scar was visible on his left cheek. His armor was torn and bloodstained in several places, but he remained strong and on his feet.

"Bardock," King Vegeta greeted the younger Saiyan. "What is this I've been told about you claiming that Frieza intends to attack us?"

Bardock bowed briefly before Vegeta, but it was immediately apparent that he had no time for pleasantries. "Sir, we have to hurry. Frieza can't have been very far behind me, and when he gets here, he intends to destroy us all. He sent Dodoria to attack my team while they were out on a mission, and they were all wiped out! I managed to survive, but Dodoria nearly killed me too."

The Saiyan king raised a hand, halting Bardock. "I've always known you to be a proud and brave warrior, Bardock. But you must admit, this theory of yours sounds ridiculous. Why would Frieza try to destroy the Saiyans? We make up a significant portion of his army, and our troops are more powerful than most of his other soldiers."

"Exactly," Bardock retorted emphatically. "And as a result of that, he's afraid of us! He's worried that we'll rebel against him, and his solution is to carry out a preemptive strike and wipe us all out so we'll never have the chance." He took a step closer to Vegeta, causing the guards to glare at him, and held his hands out, arguing his case. "You have to see that! We have to raise an army, before it's too…"

"King Vegeta!" a voice shouted, as another Saiyan soldier entered the room. "We've detected Lord Frieza's ship on our sensors, rapidly approaching the planet!"

Bardock, who had whirled to face the soldier, froze in horror. Damn it… I'm too late!

Rising to his feet, King Vegeta glared at the soldier. "Gather as many fighters as you can find, and get them ready for battle!" As the soldier ran from the room, he turned to Bardock. "Seems you were right after all, Bardock. Come with me."

As the Saiyan king strode out of the room, his red cape swirling behind him, Bardock quickly followed. "Where are we going?" he asked.

King Vegeta turned back to face Bardock. "My son is somewhere in Frieza's empire, and if our rebellion succeeds, Frieza will happily use him against me as a hostage. I need you to help me get him to safety before that can happen."

As alarms began to blare throughout the capital city of Planet Vegeta, the two Saiyan warriors made their way to the spaceport.

"His ship's getting closer," Bardock warned.

King Vegeta nodded. "Indeed. All right, here's the plan: I'll signal my son from down here, so he can make his escape, and then we'll go after Frieza."

"But where can he go?" Bardock asked in surprise. "If we can't stop Frieza, this planet will be a cloud of rubble floating in space within an hour. Nowhere on this entire world is safe: he can't come back here."

"That's why I'm not planning on calling him back here," Vegeta replied tersely. "There are plenty of Attack Pods on the military base where he's stationed, all of them programmed by Saiyans. All my son needs to do is get into one and get the hell out of there."

"Again… to where? Nowhere in the whole Empire will be safe for him: he looks just like you!"

King Vegeta paused, thinking that over. He's right… there's no way my son could pass inconspicuously on a planet within the Planet Trade Organization. But where else could I send him?

As a matter of fact, it was Bardock who came up with the perfect solution. "I've got it!" He snapped his fingers in realization. "My son, Kakarot; they shipped him out today, to a Class Five world outside the empire. What if we sent your son with him? He'd be out of the way, and he'd probably be better off with another Saiyan around to help him."

At first, Vegeta was irritated by the suggestion. My son, needing another Saiyan to help him?! The notion itself is completely laughable! He paused for a long moment, mulling it over in his mind. Still… he has a point. At least this way he wouldn't be left completely alone for heaven knows how long.

"Very well," he answered. "I'll make the preparations. Find the coordinates of the planet your son was sent to, so we can relay them to my son's scouter."

Bardock nodded. "Yes, sir!"

By the time Bardock had identified the coordinates of Kakarot's destination, Frieza's ship had entered the upper atmosphere of Planet Vegeta, where it had come to a halt. The two Saiyans met up at the spaceport, where alarms continued to blare. At least a hundred elite Saiyan warriors, who had hastily been gathered to Vegeta's summons, lined up before them. Bardock, his injuries bandaged and treated as thoroughly as possible, stood beside King Vegeta.

"All right, men," Vegeta called out. "As some of you may know, Frieza is currently in orbit around our planet! What you most likely don't know is that he intends to destroy us all, and burn our world! But I have no intention of letting him do so!"

The soldiers roared in affirmation.

"Our time has come!" King Vegeta continued. "Today is the day when we will rise up and take back everything Frieza has stolen from us! Today, we strike down the tyrant and recover our planet, our land, and our pride!"

As deafening cheers rang out around him, the Saiyan king smiled. Good, they're behind us now. Now we just have to win this battle.

He exchanged a glance with Bardock, feeling a tinge of foreboding. If we can, that is.

"Now!" Vegeta ordered. "To arms!"

The Saiyans roared in response, their auras flaring up around them, burning the air with their potency. A hundred of his race's finest warriors, ready for battle.

Privately, King Vegeta hoped it would be enough.

Frieza Planet 247

A young Saiyan, five years old, gazed out through the viewports of his room, to the bustling activity outside. He leaned on the windowsill, his lips curved in a frown as he rested his forehead against the viewport, before he scowled and pulled away.

Vegeta IV, prince of the Saiyan race, sat down on his bed and let out a sigh. He hadn't seen his homeworld in quite some time, and he longed to see his father again.

Abruptly, his scouter beeped, indicating an incoming transmission. Picking it up and latching it into place on his head, Vegeta tapped a button to answer the call.

"Who is this?" he demanded.

"Vegeta? My son?" a familiar voice called. "Is that you?"

Vegeta's eyes widened. "Father? What is this? Why are you contacting me?"

"Vegeta, listen to me very carefully. You need to get off of that planet immediately. Do you understand?"

Utterly confused, Vegeta frowned, listening more closely. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "What is this?"

King Vegeta sighed. "My son… Frieza has come to Planet Vegeta. I fear that he intends to destroy it, and the Saiyan race as well. And none of us have the power to stop him."

Vegeta's face twisted in horror. "W…What? Destroy… the planet? The entire Saiyan race?!"

"Yes." King Vegeta paused. "But hope is not lost, my son. We have developed a strategy that will ensure our race's survival, and it depends on you."

Vegeta was puzzled for a moment. "On me?"

"Indeed. I'm sending you a series of coordinates to a Class Five planet, outside the empire. A Saiyan child named Kakarot, the son of a warrior named Bardock, was sent there today. I want you to take an Attack Pod and go to those coordinates. You'll be safe there."

Vegeta glared incredulously at the scouter lens. "You want me to run and hide?!"

"Listen to me!" King Vegeta snapped, silencing his son. He continued, his tone much more somber. "If we cannot defeat Frieza, the Saiyan race will be all but wiped from existence today. You will be one of our race's last survivors, and, if I am gone, you must be the new leader of our race. You are the prince of all Saiyans, Vegeta, and to uphold that, you must live. Now, get off of that planet and set a course for those coordinates immediately!"

Vegeta considered his options, but it didn't take him long to reach his decision. He'd never liked working for Frieza anyway. "Very well, Father. Send me the coordinates."

"I'm sending them now. Good luck to you." King Vegeta paused briefly, then continued, "If we never meet again, remember me… my son."

Vegeta nodded. "I will, Father."

There was a beep, and the connection went dead. A moment later, Vegeta's scouter beeped again as it received the data transmission; the coordinates for this planet that his father had mentioned. The young prince couldn't make heads or tails of the information, but he knew that he could easily upload it into the computer of an Attack Pod.

His mind made up, Vegeta nodded to himself and began pulling his clothes out of the drawers in his closet. I don't like it… but if Father's right, I have very little choice. Besides, if Frieza wins and kills my entire race, it's only a matter of time until he decides to kill me too. He sighed. Like I said: no choice.

Donning his armor and packing his meager possessions into a large backpack, Vegeta took one last look back at his empty room, and then exited, closing the door quietly behind him. As he'd expected, there were two guards outside his quarters, ostensibly there to protect him, but actually there on Frieza's orders to keep tabs on his location.

Fortunately, neither of them were nearly as powerful as he was.

A swift jump-kick knocked one of the guards unconscious, and Vegeta fired a thin but powerful energy beam from two fingers, burning a hole through the chest of the other guard as he whirled in shock. Hopping over the bodies, the prince darted off down the corridor, moving at super-speed to conceal his movement from the base's security cameras.

Planet Vegeta

With a flare of blue light, Bardock, King Vegeta, and the rest of the Saiyan warriors blasted off the ground and rose up into the upper atmosphere of their planet, heading straight for the ominous form of Frieza's ship.

"Did you get the message to your son?" Bardock called over the rushing winds around them.

"Yes," King Vegeta replied, his eyes narrowing. "He'll follow the instructions, and he should be safe with your son. Frieza would never find them on that planet."

"That's the whole point, isn't it?"

"Obviously."

Bardock's eyes narrowed as waves of Frieza's soldiers began to emerge from the ship, flying straight towards the Saiyans. "Here they come!" he yelled.

"Fire!" Vegeta roared.

The Saiyans howled in bloodlust and opened fire, sending a massive barrage of ki blasts upwards, carving into the mass of alien soldiers.

Vegeta laughed, as his forces charged headlong into the swarm of Frieza's men. "Show them no mercy!" he snarled. "Crush them like the insects they are!"

Most of the Saiyans were considerably stronger than Frieza's soldiers, which gave them an initial advantage, but more of Frieza's fighters were still rushing to join the battle. They were met, however, by King Vegeta and Bardock. Firing a furious, machine-gun-like volley of energy beams from both hands, the two Saiyan warriors blasted straight through the second wave of enemies, sending dozens of bodies tumbling helplessly away.

Finally, the pair came to a halt, facing Frieza's ship, as the waves of other fighters clashed below them. One of Frieza's men took a potshot at King Vegeta, but his blast was easily deflected and the Saiyan king countered with a ki blast of his own that blew the alien soldier out of the sky.

Bardock had barely even noticed, focused solely on the ship. "FRIEZA!" he roared at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing across the battlefield. "COME OUT AND FACE US YOURSELF, YOU COWARD!"

After a long moment of silence, the scarred Saiyan's request was granted, as Frieza himself rose slowly out of the ship's open upper hatch, seated within his personal hovercar. His two henchmen, Dodoria and Zarbon, flanked him.

"Well, well, well," Frieza called out mockingly, his red eyes flicking over Bardock and King Vegeta. "This is certainly a surprise. The king of all Saiyans, leading a rebellion against me? How unusually… stupid of you, particularly when I came here in peace."

"Nice try, Frieza," King Vegeta shot back with a humorless grin. "But I already know what you were planning to do here. Destroy my planet, would you?" He laughed. "I don't think so!"

Frieza's eyes widened a little, briefly taken off-guard by the revelation that the Saiyans had been expecting him, before he shrugged it off and forced a smirk. "Oh, I see! So you know, then. And do you two intend to stop me?"

Bardock grinned predatorily. "Actually… yeah. We do." His right hand lit up, glowing bright blue as he poured all of his energy into the growing attack.

As Bardock's attack continued to charge, he looked over to King Vegeta. "Vegeta, are you ready? Let's end this, once and for all!"

Vegeta smirked. "Absolutely." His own left hand also ignited with blue energy, swirling in his palm as he raised his arm. Bardock did the same with his right arm, the two Saiyans holding their arms parallel to each other so that the energy blasts building in their hands almost touched.

"This is for all of the people we killed in your name, Frieza!" Bardock yelled.

"And for everything you've taken from our race!" King Vegeta added.

"Here! HAVE IT!" With this joint yell, they drew back their hands – Bardock's right, Vegeta's left – and shoved them forward, launching the combined attack as an intense blue beam of ki, twice as large as it would have been from either one of them.

Frieza's reaction was not what they had expected. Instead of showing fear, his smirk widened, and he started laughing. His voice began as a low chuckle, but quickly increased in volume and tone, to an audible laugh and finally a maniacal cackle.

As he laughed, the tyrant lifted his right hand, curling his fingers into a fist and holding up his right index finger. A tiny reddish-gold energy sphere formed at the tip of his finger, and began to increase in size at a shocking speed as he held it up above his head. Within a matter of seconds, it was massive, at least a hundred meters across.

Frieza smirked, and flicked his index finger forward, launching the Death Ball directly towards the two Saiyans, the battling armies, and the planet itself.

Bardock's eyes widened in horror, as did King Vegeta's. When their combined blast collided with the Death Ball, rather than overpowering it or even slowing it down, their attack was simply absorbed into the much larger energy sphere.

"No!" King Vegeta roared, glaring wildly at Frieza in disbelief, but there was nothing anyone could do about it. It was too late.

As Frieza laughed in triumph, the Death Ball engulfed Bardock and King Vegeta, not even slowing down, before crashing into the battling armies below and plowing through their ranks. Hundreds of soldiers were incinerated instantly, both Saiyans and Frieza's soldiers alike.

As Bardock's armor shattered, an image suddenly appeared in his mind's eye: another of the psychic visions that had prompted him to incite this short-lived rebellion against Frieza.

A young man… no, two of them… stood side by side, facing Frieza on an unknown, alien world. One was taller, with spiky, tousled hair; the spitting image of Bardock, minus the scar on his face.

The other was shorter, with spiky black hair that stood up from his head in an almost flame-like pattern; except for his lack of facial hair, he was very similar in appearance to King Vegeta.

Both Saiyans were in fighting stances, and their dark eyes were firm with resolve. Despite Frieza's power, they seemed totally unafraid of their monstrous opponent.

"Kakarot?" Bardock murmured. "And… is that Prince Vegeta?" Yes, it must be! These two will succeed where their fathers failed. They'll finish what we started here.

Even through the pain, he smiled. They will face Frieza. And they will defeat him.

Simultaneously, the same thought flashed through the minds of both Bardock and King Vegeta. For Bardock, the words were filled with pride; for Vegeta, they were laden with regret at his failure.

Farewell… my son.

And, with a blinding flash of light, the intense heat and pressure of the Death Ball obliterated both proud Saiyan warriors, leaving nothing but dust, a moment before the energy sphere crashed into the surface of Planet Vegeta.

Frieza Planet 247

As Vegeta sprinted down the hallway, alarms began to blare over the loudspeakers of the base.

The young prince cursed under his breath, knowing that the bodies of his guards had been found. Putting on an additional burst of speed, he ducked around a corner and ran flat-out for the launch pad, where the Attack Pods were located.

There were half a dozen soldiers gathered at the launch pad when the alarms went off. All of them immediately went on alert, preparing for whatever might come next.

They were not there for long.

A blue-and-white blur shot out of the base and collided with the group, moving incredibly fast. In the first five seconds, two of the soldiers crumpled to the ground, unconscious or dead.

An energy blast took another man off his feet, and Vegeta slammed into a fourth, a double-footed kick sending his opponent flying. Two quick energy beams, one from each hand, struck the fifth soldier simultaneously, blasting him backwards over the edge of the platform.

The final soldier lunged, hissing, but Vegeta caught his punch and spun, slamming him face-first into the deck and finishing the job with a solid kick to his head.

The young Saiyan nodded in satisfaction, observing the fallen bodies of the soldiers, and hurried over to his Attack Pod. More soldiers would be coming soon, and while he was fairly sure he could beat another group like this one, he couldn't take on the base's entire security force. He needed to get off this planet immediately.

As Vegeta opened the hatch of his Attack Pod, he felt a chill run up his spine. Lifting his head, the young Saiyan glanced around, trying to determine the source, but nothing presented itself.

Shaking his head, the five-year-old climbed into the Attack Pod and sealed the door behind him. Entering the coordinates from his scouter into the pod's computer, he strapped himself in and pressed the button to activate the engines.

All right, Kakarot, or whatever your name is, Vegeta thought. I'm on my way.

With a roar, the Attack Pod blasted off from the launch pad and vanished into the sky, breaking through the atmosphere into space.

On the same day, in Age 737, on a nondescript planet known as Earth, two important events came to pass. A pair of small vessels entered the atmosphere, each carrying a young child.

The first child, just a baby, who had been named Kakarot by his parents, landed in a forest, on the slopes of Mount Paozu. He was taken in by Son Gohan, an elderly martial artist who raised the boy as his own son, and renamed him Son Goku.

The second child – Vegeta, the five-year-old prince of the Saiyans – was not on the same approach vector, and so landed in a very different part of the world, hundreds of miles to the south.

Fate seems to have an interesting way of working itself out, though, because this particular landing site would eventually turn out to be highly advantageous for both boys… even if it didn't have the most auspicious of beginnings.

Kame House

Planet Earth

Master Muten Roshi, the Turtle Hermit, sat on the porch of Kame House, napping in the warm sun. Wearing his ubiquitous red-and-yellow Hawaiian shirt, white baggy pants, and red-rimmed sunglasses, the old martial artist sighed deeply as he inhaled the salty sea air, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight, the cool breeze, and the gentle sound of the ocean.

A sound which was suddenly interrupted by a deafening roar and a shockwave that shook the entire house.

What the hell?! Roshi's eyes popped wide open and he shot bolt upright, just in time to see a large object skip repeatedly off of the ocean's surface and slam into the beach in a cloud of sand, dust, smoke, and steam.

Jumping to his feet, Roshi hurried down off of the porch and jogged across the beach to where the object had come to rest. As he drew closer, he could tell that a large crater, about ten meters across and two meters deep, had been blasted into the beach. And resting at the bottom of the crater was a large object.

Roshi's eyes widened when he got a better look at the "object." It was obviously artificial, as it was spherical and made from some kind of metal. An odd triangular insignia was emblazoned on one side, and the metal surface was clearly still red-hot.

Part of a plane, maybe? Roshi mused, rubbing his chin. Or maybe... His train of thought was cut off abruptly as, with a click and a hiss of compressed air, the sphere opened, a large section lifting up to expose its interior.

Slowly, a small figure, no more than three or four feet tall, emerged from the sphere, staggering and falling to its hands and knees in the sand. As it crawled up out of the crater, Roshi could see that it was actually a child: a young boy, no more than five or six years old, by the look of him. His hair was jet-black and was spiked up in a pattern similar to a flame. His clothing was quite unusual, and included a blue bodysuit, which covered everything except his hands, feet, and head; white gloves on his hands, and white boots on his feet; and, to top it off, what appeared to be white body armor covering his torso, complete with light brown shoulder pads and leg guards. To complete the look, he was wearing some kind of odd, mechanical device on the left side of his head, with a blue glass lens over his left eye like a screen.

Feeling like he should offer to help, Roshi took a tentative step forward. The boy lifted his head in surprise, apparently not having known that the old martial artist was standing in front of him.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked, his voice high-pitched and grating, as he rose to his feet and brushed the sand off of his hands and legs. "And while we're at it, where the hell am I?"

Taken aback by the harsh response, Roshi took a second to respond. "Um… my name is Master Muten Roshi. And as to where you are, well…" He gestured around. "Basically, you're on my island."

The boy sighed. "Great." He looked around, taking in his surroundings. "Have you, by any chance, seen another of these pods land recently?"

Roshi shook his head slowly. "Uh… no. I'm pretty sure I'd remember another one of these crashing in front of my house."

"Damn it!" the boy cursed. "How the hell am I supposed to find him now?" he muttered to himself.

Roshi was very confused by the situation, but the kid seemed lost, so he could sympathize with that at least. "Well… if you need a place to stay for a while, until you can find whoever it is you're looking for, you're welcome to stay in my house." He pointed to the large pink house standing nearby. "I've got plenty of guest rooms."

The boy considered that for a moment, then shrugged. "Fine. As long as I'm adjusting to this planet, I might as well make use of whatever residence I can find." With that, he turned and started off towards the house.

"Wait!" Roshi called, causing the boy to stop. "Since you're going to be staying here for a while, I should probably know your name. I mean, I told you mine, it's only fair." He chuckled slightly at his own joke, but the boy didn't seem amused.

"All right, then." The boy turned, looking back at Roshi with black eyes that seemed to carry a level of intelligence that belied his young age. "You may call me Vegeta." He smirked. "Prince of all Saiyans."

Author's Note:  Just to help everybody keep track, I'm including a little table of contents here to cover all of the individual sagas, in hopes of making it easier for everyone to remember where we are in the story. Obviously, this section will convey some potential spoilers, so feel free to skip this last bit if you're a first-time reader and you'd like to avoid any spoilers going in. :)

Table of Contents

Volume I: The Early Years

(Theme music: "Cha-La Head Cha-La", specifically the version from the Dragon Ball Super: Broly soundtrack)

Dragon Ball Saga (Chapters 1-9)
Part 1: Refugees
Part 2: Culture Shock
Part 3: Warrior's Pride
Part 4: Full Moon
Part 5: The Quest Begins
Part 6: Warriors and Monsters
Part 7: Desert Wolf
Part 8: Out of the Fire
Part 9: A Fateful Wish

Turtle School Saga (Chapters 10-14)
Part 1: Hazing
Part 2: Shell-Shocked
Part 3: Sight, Smell, and Speed
Part 4: The Wolf and the Oozaru
Part 5: Mind Over Matter

Red Ribbon Saga (Chapters 15-)
Part 1: Life on Earth
Part 2: The Two Towers
Part 3: The Climb
Part 4: Declaration of War

Chapter Text

Dragon Ball Saga, Part 2: Culture Shock

Kame House

Planet Earth

Age 737

Vegeta groaned audibly as he walked through the front door of Kame House. "You have got to be kidding me," he muttered. "This is it?"

Roshi, who'd followed him inside, looked mildly offended. "Would you mind not insulting my house?" he asked. "It may not look like much, but it's got everything you might need."

Vegeta glanced back at him coolly. "Somehow, I doubt that." He glanced around again and sighed. "Okay, fine. Is there a bedroom I can use? And a shower?"

"Ah, yeah, there's a spare bedroom upstairs," Roshi replied. "And the shower's in the bathroom, through there." He pointed to a door on his left.

Vegeta nodded. "Very well, then." Turning, he walked briskly across the room and disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Roshi stared at the closed door for a moment, his eyes wide in surprise. Seriously, who is this kid?!

It took several minutes for Vegeta to figure out how to work Roshi's shower, but once he'd gotten the hang of it, he spent a considerable amount of time washing off the assorted grime that had accumulated on his body during his long voyage to Earth.

Okay, I need a plan, the young Saiyan thought to himself as water dripped off of his spiky black hair. I should be able to pick up the signal from Kakarot's pod and track him down. But before I do… I need to know more about this planet, since I might be living here for a long time. And I'm betting that this guy can tell me everything I need to know.

Vegeta nodded in satisfaction. Okay, it's decided. I'll stay here for a while and learn as much as I can, while using the pod's instruments to find the spot where Kakarot landed. Then I'll go find him.

The young prince's eyes narrowed as he glanced around the shower. Something's missing here…

"Hey, Earthling! Where's the cleansing powder?"

"Sorry, I don't know what that is!" Roshi called from the other room. "All I have is soap!"

"What the hell is soap?"

Once he had gotten out of the shower, Vegeta dried himself off with a towel that Roshi had provided. He put on clothes that had been laid out for him – an oversized white T-shirt and tan beach shorts – and made his way out to the front room.

Roshi, who had been laying out a meal, greeted him in a friendly way. "Ah, good, the clothes fit. I hoped they would; I don't have much lying around that would fit you."

Vegeta shrugged. "Where did you put my armor?" he asked.

"I was going to wash it," Roshi replied, pointing to a laundry basket near the closet. Vegeta's blue bodysuit and white armor was visible in the basket, stacked on top of some of Roshi's shirts.

"Fine." Turning, Vegeta hopped easily into a seat next to the table. "Do you have any food here?"

"Well, I just caught some fish this morning," Roshi replied. "Would you like some?"

"Obviously."

Once Roshi had prepared some freshly cooked fish, he set a large plate down in front of Vegeta. The boy stared incredulously at the food, then looked back up at Roshi. His eyebrows furrowed. "That's it?"

Roshi was taken aback; he hadn't expected a boy this young to eat much. "Well, yes," he replied. "There's more, if you'd like some, but I figured you wouldn't need any more than this."

Vegeta scowled. "You have got to be kidding me," he snapped. "I could eat more than this as a snack!"

Roshi frowned. "Really?" he inquired, skeptical.

"Oh, forget it." Grumbling under his breath, Vegeta promptly tore into the fish in front of him, not bothering to use a fork or knife. The child's appetite was extraordinary; he gobbled down food as if he hadn't eaten in a year. Within a minute, he had cleaned his plate, and then looked back up at Roshi, a smear of grease on his face. "More," he demanded.

For several seconds, Roshi stared, dumbstruck, at Vegeta. "How the heck did you do that?" he asked incredulously. "I couldn't eat that much food anywhere near that fast!"

Vegeta shrugged. "Then our species must have different metabolisms; that much food is just a snack for me. And, considering that I've been in stasis for most of the past six months, I've worked up quite an appetite." He frowned. "How much food do you have here, by the way?"

Roshi raised an eyebrow. "Based on how quickly you ate that? Not enough."

"Great," Vegeta muttered, scowling.

After they'd finished eating, Vegeta made his way back out to the beach, where he clambered inside the crashed space pod and began working on the internal machinery. A string of muttering, metallic clangs, and muffled curses began echoing from within the craft.

Roshi sat down cross-legged on the sand near the crater, listening to the boy as he continued working. The old martial artist was trying to explore something that he'd sensed from Vegeta earlier: for a moment, when the so-called prince had become irritated at the lack of food earlier, his ki had spiked abruptly, rising higher than anything Roshi had ever sensed. He had no idea whether it had been some kind of error in his ki-sensing ability, or if the kid really was somehow that powerful, but he needed to find out.

"How's it going?" he inquired.

"Fine," Vegeta replied brusquely.

"Do you need any help?"

There was a momentary silence, and then Vegeta poked his head out through the open hatch. "Do you have any experience with alien spacecraft?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

Roshi considered that for a moment. "Ah… no, I don't."

Vegeta nodded. "I thought not. In that case, no, I don't need any help." He withdrew inside the pod and went back to work, mumbling to himself again as he checked various components of the ship.

A few minutes passed by, during which the occasional cursing that was mingled with Vegeta's muttering became more and more frequent.

"Are you okay in there?" Roshi spoke up again.

Once again, Vegeta poked his head out through the hatch, wiping a grease stain off his forehead with the back of one hand. "Fine," he answered.

Roshi looked at him quizzically. "If you don't mind my asking, what is it you're doing in there?"

Vegeta sighed, clambering out of the craft and making his way up the side of the crater in the sand. "I'm trying to fix this." He held up the device that he'd been wearing on his head when he'd exited his ship: the lens that went over his eye was cracked, and the device itself appeared to have shorted out. "My scouter broke when I crashed; I was trying to find any components in my ship's communications system that I could use to repair it. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find anything." He sighed, sitting down dejectedly on the sand. "If I can't get the damn thing to work, then I'll never be able to find Kakarot."

"Uh… sorry, who's Kakarot?"

Vegeta blinked and glanced over to Roshi again. "Kakarot is a Saiyan, like me. He's the only other Saiyan on this planet, actually; he should have gotten here at around the same time that I did, but obviously he landed on another part of the planet."

"And you can use that thing to find him?" Roshi asked curiously.

"If I can fix it, then yes, I can use it to home in on the signal from his pod." Vegeta thought for a moment. "And I'd better do it soon, because I'm going to have to live on this planet for a considerable amount of time, and if he tries to carry out his mission, that's going to make things very difficult for me."

"Mission?" Roshi frowned. "What mission?"

Vegeta sighed. "Oh, for… all right, I'm only going to tell you this once, so pay attention. Saiyans – that's the species that Kakarot and I both belong to – are a race of powerful warriors. We work for an organization known as the Planet Trade Empire, which is ruled by a powerful being known as Frieza. Our usual missions are to exterminate the populations of planets, so that they can be sold on the market to potential buyers. That's why Kakarot was sent here: his mission is to grow up on this planet, and then to destroy its inhabitants once he's old enough."

Roshi stared at him, wide-eyed and aghast. "What?" he gasped.

"You heard me." Vegeta smirked. "Fortunately for you, I need this planet intact, since I doubt I'll be leaving anytime soon. But that's why I need to find Kakarot, so I can call him off before he can begin his mission to wipe out all life on this planet."

Roshi gulped. "Ah. I see. So, is this Kakarot person as powerful as you, then?"

Vegeta scoffed. "Hardly. I'm an elite Saiyan, heir to the throne of our race. Kakarot is a low-class warrior, greatly inferior in power and status, not to mention that he's only an infant. His power is nothing compared to mine at the moment." Then he frowned, noting something odd. "Wait… how did you know how powerful I am? You don't have a scouter or another device like one, and I haven't done anything that would require me to use my real strength, so how could you tell?"

"I could sense it," Roshi explained. "When you got angry, your ki spiked higher than anything I've ever sensed before."

"Ki?" Vegeta's brow furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ah, you must have a different word for it." Roshi nodded understandingly. "Ki is the term for a living being's spiritual energy; its life force. All living things have ki: plants, insects, us. The stronger you are, the more ki you have. If people are aware of their ki, they can learn how to sense it, as I have."

So, by "ki", he's just talking about energy, the same thing we use to measure power levels… Vegeta's eyes widened. Does that mean he can sense energy without a scouter? Is that possible?

"This actually makes sense," he said in realization. "The device I'm trying to fix – we call it a scouter – does a variety of things, but one of its uses is to detect the energy of living beings; ki, you called it. When I scan someone with it, it analyzes the energy within their body and uses it to designate their power level, a measurement of how strong they are."

"Interesting," Roshi murmured. "So, technology can be used to sense people's energy?" That's interesting, but it must not be the most efficient method, considering that if you can't sense ki on your own and have to rely on those devices, you might as well be blind without them…

"Yeah, basically." Vegeta shrugged. "Another reason why I need to get this thing working." He tapped the scouter impatiently with one hand, but it remained silent.

That was when an idea occurred to him, and he looked up at Roshi. "So, you know how to sense energy without using a scouter?"

Roshi nodded. "I do, yeah."

An eager glint entered Vegeta's eyes. "Could you teach me?"

Roshi's eyes widened in surprise. "Teach you?" He stared at the boy, considering the possibility. "Well, it would take time, and it requires intense concentration…"

"That won't be a problem." Vegeta casually waved off the old martial artist's excuses. "I have yet to meet a challenge that I couldn't overcome. As for time, well…" He indicated their surroundings and the crashed pod with a sweep of his hand. "It's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon, is it?"

After a moment, Roshi chuckled softly and nodded. "All right, then. I'll train you."

"Excellent." Vegeta smirked. "Let's get started."

Roshi and Vegeta stood on the beach a short distance from the house and the Saiyan's spaceship, facing each other. The waves washed gently against the shore, the steady rushing sound echoing in their ears. Seagulls flew overhead, their cawing echoing on the breeze.

"So how do we do this?" Vegeta inquired.

"Well," Roshi explained, "first, I want to test your abilities. Then we can get started on your real training."

The young prince arched an eyebrow. "All right. What do we do first, then?"

"Show me your power." Roshi's expression was serious. "Your real power. I need to know what I have to work with here."

Vegeta shrugged. "Fine with me. You may want to take a step back, though."

Heeding his warning, Roshi took a few steps back, raising his guard and bracing himself.

Narrowing his eyes, Vegeta held his arms out to the sides and crouched slightly, clenching his hands into fists. A faint breeze whispered through the air, ruffling his hair.

"Hrrr…" he growled. "Rrrr…rrrRRAAGGHH!" His power climbed rapidly, a blue aura flaring to life around him as his ki continued to increase. A strong wind burst outwards from him, swirling the sand around his feet. Roshi staggered backwards, trying to maintain his balance.

"HRAAAH!" Vegeta yelled, bringing all of his strength to the surface as he powered up to maximum. A blast of light burst outwards from within his body, hurling Roshi backwards. For a moment, it felt as if the entire beach was shaking, before the light died down and Vegeta's aura faded as he powered back down to normal.

"So," he said. "How was that?"

Roshi picked himself up, groaning and brushing sand off of his clothes; the shockwave had flung him halfway down the beach, tumbling head over heels. He gawked incredulously at Vegeta. "You're that strong? That's insane; I've never felt anything like that before!"

"Well, that means that I'm definitely the strongest person on this rock," Vegeta muttered. "Which means I probably won't have anyone worthwhile to fight while I'm here." He sighed. "Great. This is going to be boring, on top of everything else."

Roshi frowned, approaching the boy again. "You wanted to fight someone?"

"Of course!" Vegeta exclaimed. "That's what Saiyans do, what we live for! Fighting powerful opponents and growing stronger is one of the greatest joys for us; we love the thrill of battle!" His eyes gleamed with enthusiasm, which quickly faded. "Which is why my stay on this planet is probably going to be very uninteresting."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Roshi replied. "I do happen to have quite a bit of experience with training my energy, which is why I'm so good at training people how to harness their ki." He grinned proudly. "As a matter of fact, I'm widely known as one of the greatest martial arts masters on this planet. And, as a result, I've become one of the strongest people in the world."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "You're one of the strongest people on this planet?"

"As a matter of fact, I am," the old martial artist countered. "Obviously not as strong as you, considering that I can compare the power I felt from you to my own, but I'd like to think I'm pretty strong myself."

"Okay, then." The prince folded his arms over his chest. "Show me."

Roshi settled into a crouch, clenching his own fists and summoning up his ki. "Rrr… YAAAHH!" His own power rose rapidly, and a faint white aura flickered around his body, swirling up the sand again.

To his surprise, Vegeta actually smiled. "I'm impressed," he said, raising his voice to be heard over the wind kicked up by Roshi's aura. "I can't sense your energy, obviously, but I can tell you've got some decent power." He altered his stance, clenching his hands into fists and digging his feet into the sand. "I'll tell you what: how about this? I'll let you train me, if you let me see what you're made of."

Roshi contemplated that for a moment. "All right," he decided, assuming a fighting stance. "But you'll have to go easy on me; my power's nowhere near your level."

"Agreed. I'll start at my minimum power." Vegeta settled further into his own stance, bracing himself. "Come at me."

"All right." With a grin, Roshi kicked off the sand and propelled himself forward, leaping at Vegeta with a flying kick. Just before impact, however, the young boy's arm snapped up, effortlessly blocking the blow.

Roshi jumped back, staring in shock at Vegeta. Wow, he thought. He really is incredible!

Vegeta smirked. "My turn." He shot forward, moving so fast that Roshi barely even saw him move, and swung a right hook, aimed at the old man's head for a quick knockout blow.

Before the blow could connect, however, Roshi ducked backwards, pushing off the ground with his hands and landing a full-force kick to the left side of Vegeta's head. The impact shoved the young prince's head around to the side, but didn't inflict any damage.

"Not bad," the boy remarked, before he seized Roshi's ankles, spun around once, and then let go, hurling him away. Roshi managed to regain control, powering up to maximum and turning his fall into a series of backflips, before skidding to a halt on his feet. Before he'd even managed to run back towards Vegeta, however, the young prince appeared in front of him, launching a series of kicks and punches.

While the Saiyan boy's combination of smaller size and much greater power would normally have been insurmountable, the fact that he was only using his minimum power meant that the two of them were fairly even in terms of strength. And Roshi had spent his life battling many different enemies, some of which had exceeded his own power by a wide margin. He had more fighting experience than anyone he knew, and that would serve him well here.

To an observer, the scene would have looked bizarre; Roshi was dancing backwards across the beach, dodging and deflecting Vegeta's attacks, both of them moving so fast that their forms seemed to blur. For the most part, the Turtle Hermit didn't bother launching any direct attacks, instead waiting patiently for the boy to leave an opening.

Damn it! Vegeta thought in frustration, continuing his assault without much success. Why can't I hit him? Judging by that kick, he can't be much stronger than I am at my minimum power, so what the hell is going on?!

After about thirty seconds, Roshi's moment came: Vegeta grinned, angling in for a spinning kick with his right leg, and left himself open in the process. Roshi immediately lunged forward, focusing his ki into his right fist and landing a full-force punch directly to the prince's face, just as Vegeta's foot slammed into his gut.

A resounding impact echoed over the beach, and both fighters hit the ground.

Vegeta clambered to his feet, brushing sand off of himself. He glanced over to where Roshi was groaning and trying to pick himself up. And, to the old martial artist's surprise, he grinned. "Impressive," he admitted. "How did you manage to dodge my attacks? I know you must be at least as strong as I am at my minimum, but based on the strength of those hits, you're not that strong." His eyebrows furrowed. "So how did you do that?"

"Simple; I'm several hundred years old." Roshi shrugged, sitting up on the sand. "I've been a martial artist for most of my life, and when you live to be as old as I am, you learn a few tricks. In this case, I was able to use my experience, and the fact that you don't know anything about how I fight, to make up for my lack of raw power."

The Saiyan child was actually impressed; this man had a fighting style that was unlike anything he'd ever seen before, and it had actually proven challenging. "Not bad, Earthling. How did you learn to fight like that?"

Roshi raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you want, I could teach you."

Vegeta frowned. "Really? You'd be willing to teach me your techniques, even after I've told you that my people destroy planets for profit?"

The hermit grinned. "You did tell me that, yeah. But that's your people, not you. See, I've always been able to read people fairly well, once I get to know them. And trust me when I say this, Vegeta: you could be a great man someday, if you're willing to put in the effort." His expression was open and honest, and there was conviction in his eyes. "With power like yours, if you can learn to control it properly, and use it to help people… you could be a hero."

Vegeta snorted. "If you've been alive for as long as you claim, old man, then you should know: there's no such thing as heroes." He smirked in amusement. "But I will let you teach me your martial arts, if only because your skills intrigue me, and I'll need something to pass the time until I can locate Kakarot."

Inwardly, Roshi sighed. This was going to take a while. Outwardly, however, he retained a pleasant attitude, and smiled at the child standing in front of him.

"Right, then," he decided, holding out his right hand. "Do we have a deal?"

The Saiyan prince looked at the old man's outstretched hand for a long moment, as if he was still making up his mind.

And then, after a moment, he nodded, and shook Roshi's hand.

"We have a deal," he agreed.

Chapter Text

Dragon Ball Saga, Part 3: Warrior's Pride

Planet Frieza 263

Age 738

A Saiyan Attack Pod sped through the blackness of space, rapidly approaching the planet. A fiery corona surrounded it as it entered the atmosphere, streaking towards the barren surface.

After a few minutes, the pod neared its destination: a large military installation, primarily comprised of domed white buildings with purple highlights. The spherical vessel began to decelerate, until it finally slammed down onto one of the landing pads with a resounding thunderclap that echoed across the base.

The pod's hatch opened with a hiss, and a tall, muscular figure emerged, stepping out onto the landing pad. The armored soldiers who had been waiting to greet the pod's occupant backed away nervously.

Summoning up some courage, one of the soldiers approached him. "Ah, General, it's good to see you! Welcome to Planet Frieza 263."

"Save it." General Nappa cut the soldier off with a wave of his hand. "Get out of my way." Brushing past the soldiers, he strode into the building, calling back, "I want that pod ready to fly and fully restocked with food supplies and fuel in two hours, got it?"

"Uh… yes, sir!" With that, the soldiers hurried off to begin the work. Ignoring them, Nappa entered the base, tapping his scouter to home in on the individual he'd come there to find. Within a few seconds, the scouter beeped, confirming the location.

With a satisfied nod, the bald Saiyan continued on his way, heading down several hallways until he reached the entrance to a training room. The door was closed, and the light above it was glowing green, indicating that the room was currently in use.

Nappa didn't bother knocking: he just hit the button on the wall, opening the door, and walked in. He entered the room just in time to hear a yell, and looked up as a young boy with knee-length, untamed black hair leapt across the room, swinging kicks and punches at the air. He rebounded off the wall, firing an energy blast that detonated against the ceiling and was immediately absorbed as the room's inbuilt defense systems redirected the energy to the base's power supply.

Observing the boy's continued training, Nappa cleared his throat loudly. "Raditz?" he called.

The young Saiyan reacted in surprise, whipping around to face Nappa and skidding to a halt on the metal floor. "General Nappa!" he said in surprise, dropping to one knee and inclining his head in a gesture of respect.

"Oh, get up!" Nappa waved him off with a humorless snort. "We don't need to rest on ceremony here."

"Ah… y-yes, sir." Raditz rose to his feet. "I hadn't expected to see you here."

"Well, normally I wouldn't be," Nappa replied, "but I was looking for you." He sighed. "I suppose you've heard that our planet was destroyed."

Raditz stood motionless for a moment, looking downcast. "Yes… yes, I did." His eyes closed for a moment. "My family…"

Nappa nodded. "I know, kid. But we can't let this weaken us. The two of us need to stick together, because right now as far as I know, we're the only Saiyans left. We're all that's left of our race."

The younger Saiyan's eyes widened in alarm. "We're the last? But… what about Prince Vegeta? I heard you were looking after him."

"I was," Nappa agreed, "but, shortly after we received word that the planet was destroyed… he disappeared. I've spent most of the past year looking for him, but I couldn't find him anywhere. Personally, I…" He sighed. "I don't think I'm going to find him. I don't want to think the worst, so I'm hoping that he's just on a mission somewhere, but no one I've talked to knows where he is either."

"So, you think he might be…" Raditz trailed off, a look of fear on his face.

"Yeah." Nappa nodded soberly.

There was silence for a long moment; then Raditz spoke up. "So… what do we do now, sir?"

Nappa had been turning the situation over in his mind, going over every possible course of action. When he thought about it, there were really only two options: he could return to his normal life as a soldier under Frieza and bury himself in anonymity, or…

"We train," he said firmly. "We push ourselves to the limits and beyond, and we get as strong as we possibly can. It's just us now: no planet, no prince or king looking over our shoulder to tell us what to do. We're the only ones left. And I swear to you, Raditz, we're going to honor everyone we lost."

Raditz looked up, a hint of eagerness on his face. "Do you really think we can do it, sir?" he asked.

"Of course we can." Nappa flashed a confident grin. "We're gonna get strong enough that we'll never have to rely on anyone else again."

And, he added silently, if I get the chance someday, I'll make that coward Frieza pay for everything he's ever done to our race. His black eyes narrowed. And that's a promise.

Kame House

Planet Earth

Age 738

Master Roshi woke up at sunrise, as was his custom. The old martial artist glanced around the room, letting out a sigh as he stretched and leisurely clambered out of bed, pulling on beige shorts and a blue Hawaiian shirt.

As he entered the kitchen, a sound caught his ear; a faint shout, coming from outside. He made his way over to the window and looked outside, squinting against the glare of the rising sun.

Silhouetted against that light, he saw a figure dashing back and forth across the beach, throwing kicks and punches into the air. The figure was constantly in motion; ducking, rolling, backflipping, jumping, never stopping in one place for more than a few moments at a time.

Roshi groaned. "I'm getting too old for this," he muttered.

Vegeta's dedication to training had amazed the older man. The Saiyan boy had spent the majority of his time since he'd reached the island either training, eating, or continuing his efforts to repair his damaged spaceship and scouter. Unfortunately, he still hadn't managed to get his communication systems up and running, as Kame House had very little in the way of useful mechanical tools for him to use. The island was also hundreds of miles from the nearest populated area, making it nearly impossible for them to get any other supplies.

As a result, Vegeta had been living on the island for over a year, and still wasn't any closer to finding this other Saiyan than he had been originally.

With a yell, the boy spun, shoving one hand outwards and launching a powerful kiai. The invisible wave of force slammed into the ocean, kicking up a shower of seawater that fell like rain all around him. As if this marked the end of his session, he stood motionless, gazing out to sea for a long moment. Steam rose from his body and clothes as his power evaporated the water on his skin, cooling him.

Turning, Vegeta strode back across the beach towards Kame House. He was wearing the clothes that Roshi had made for him; a downsized version of the martial arts master's custom, orange-and-blue Turtle School gi, with the addition of his white boots and gloves. As usual, everything he was wearing, with the exception of his orange pants and dark blue undershirt, contained heavy weights, designed to make training more difficult. It didn't have much effect on him, of course, but the prince was determined to get as much out of his training as possible. The lack of challenges was grating on his nerves; his Saiyan instincts longed for a battle, but Roshi's training would have to do.

"Morning, Vegeta," Roshi greeted him as the boy entered the house.

Vegeta grunted noncommittally and headed straight for the shower, closing and locking the door behind him.

Shrugging, the old human turned back to the fish he was preparing for breakfast. I swear, I'll never understand that one…

Over breakfast, Vegeta once again pressed Roshi with further questions about his fighting experiences and techniques. The Saiyan child learned extremely quickly, and Roshi was hard-pressed to keep him interested in training.

Vegeta's training had been unconventional, to say the least. His power far exceeded Roshi's, even when the old martial artist was fighting all-out, so training him to increase his strength had been a futile exercise. Roshi had initially tried his standard training method, but the weighted turtle shells he normally used were basically useless. So he'd altered his methods in this case, focusing on training Vegeta's fighting skills rather than his strength. He had also managed to teach the young prince how to sense energy, and Vegeta had spent a considerable amount of time honing that skill already.

The boy frowned. "So, what was that technique you were telling me about a few days ago?" he asked. "The Kamahame, or something?"

"The Kamehameha," Roshi corrected with a smile. "It's my most powerful technique. Took me fifty years to learn that one, but I've never regretted taking the time to master it."

Vegeta's eyes widened. "Can anyone learn it?" he inquired.

The older man considered that. "Well, I suppose so, yes… but, as I said, it's quite difficult to learn."

A grin spread across the young Saiyan's face. "Could you teach me how to use it?"

Roshi was caught off-guard. "I… well, I could try, but I'm not sure if you could learn it. I mean, you've only recently learned how to sense energy, and, as I said, it took me fifty years… but I can try."

"Excellent." There was an eager glint in Vegeta's eyes. "Let's do it."

After finishing their meal, Roshi joined Vegeta on the beach outside Kame House. The steady rushing sound of the waves washing against the sandy shore, combined with the salty sea air, created a peaceful atmosphere.

"Right, then," Vegeta said, watching Roshi expectantly. "How does this technique of yours work?"

"Here, watch. I'll demonstrate." With that, Roshi shrugged off his Hawaiian shirt and tossed it aside, before turning to face the ocean and settling into the familiar stance. He held both arms out in front of him, bringing his hands together with his right hand over his left, his palms facing each other. His fingers curved inward, focusing his energy into the palms of his hands.

"Ka…" Roshi murmured. "Me…" He pulled his hands back, holding them by his right side, and focused his energy more intensely. A faint blue glow began to flicker between his hands.

Vegeta looked on with interest. What's he doing?

"Ha…" Roshi's eyes narrowed, the blue light between his hands brightening. "Me…" He growled, his muscles flexing, and powered up to maximum, a white aura flickering around him. The loose sand around his feet was swirled around by his aura, a wind expanding outwards.

And then, with a yell, the old martial artist's muscles bulged outwards massively, and a burst of power blasted outwards from him.

The young Saiyan's eyes widened in surprise, and he actually took a step back. What the hell is this? How is he doing that?

Roshi's eyes narrowed to slits as he continued to charge up energy, waiting until his power was built up to its maximum.

His eyes opened wide. Now.

"HAAA!" With that, Roshi swung his hands forward, launching a powerful blue energy beam. The Kamehameha wave crashed into the ocean about half a mile offshore and detonated, sending a massive eruption of water bursting upwards.

Powering back down to normal, Roshi exhaled slowly as his muscles diminished back to their regular size. He glanced over to Vegeta, and was surprised to see that the Saiyan boy was grinning.

"That was impressive!" he complimented. "I didn't think you had that much power, and that's a potent technique." His eyes gleamed enthusiastically. "I have to test that one out."

"Well, all right. By all means, give it a try." Roshi smiled. "But don't be surprised if it doesn't work properly the first time."

"No problem." Vegeta turned to face the ocean and dug his feet into the sand. "Now, the attack chant is 'Ka, me, ha, me, ha,' right?"

"Right," Roshi affirmed.

"Got it." Vegeta bent his knees slightly, crouching, and held both arms out in front of him, carefully mimicking Roshi's stance. "Ka…" He began focusing his energy into the palms of his hands, concentrating it as he'd seen the old martial artist do. "Me…"

Roshi retrieved his Hawaiian shirt from where it had fallen, shook off the sand, and watched with interest as he slipped it back on. I know he's got a massive amount of power, but even so, I'm not sure if he can master the Kamehameha as quickly as he's taken to everything else.

"Ha…" Still mirroring Roshi, Vegeta lowered his hands to his side, letting his ki flow into his hands, and out into the air between his palms. His blue-white aura flared to life, a gust of wind blowing outwards from his body and whipping up the sand. "Me…"

Despite his doubts, Roshi's eyes widened in amazement. No… he can't really be about to…

Vegeta swung his hands forward. "HAAAA!"

A large blue beam of energy, at least twice the size of Roshi's earlier Kamehameha, burst from the Saiyan's hands. It carved a trench through the ocean, blasting the water backwards in a line for at least a mile, before the energy finally detonated with a distant, echoing boom. The water rushed back in, quickly filling the empty space that had been left behind.

Vegeta remained standing, his steaming hands still extended in the direction of the attack. "So… how was that?"

Roshi had been hurled backwards by the shockwave; he picked himself up, gazing incredulously at his student. "How did you do that?!" he exclaimed. "That shouldn't be possible!"

Dusting off his hands, the prince grinned. "I'm a Saiyan; it's easier for us to pick up new techniques than it is for many other races, since we're genetically built to fight and grow stronger." He turned to face the older man, a smirk on his face. "That's an impressive technique, I'll admit. I'll have to master that one; it might come in handy someday." Strolling past Roshi, he headed back towards the house.

Roshi remained standing on the beach for a long moment, gazing out at the spot where Vegeta's attack had detonated.

How could he possibly have managed to do that? he thought as he turned and followed the boy back towards Kame House. It took me fifty years to learn the Kamehameha, and he does it first try?!

He frowned. I'll have to be careful with him… he could be extremely dangerous if he chose.

Three months later…

Vegeta sat cross-legged on the beach, his eyes closed in meditation. The prince had taken to waking up before dawn to do this, as he enjoyed the cool night air.

It had been almost a year and a half since he'd landed on this planet, and he still had no idea where Kakarot was. The scouter was still broken; nothing he could find in the pod had been able to fix it. And without the homing device in it, he had no way of finding the other Saiyan child's space pod.

Other problems had presented themselves. Although he had continued his rigorous training, Vegeta had found that for the most part, he wasn't getting any stronger. The reason why wasn't a mystery: there were two very simple reasons for it. First, the fact that he was, by far, the strongest being on this planet meant that no one could give him a decent fight, unless he deliberately held back, and therefore he had no challenges and no way to increase his power. Second, the gravity on this planet, as the pod's scientific instruments had informed him, was only one-tenth that of Planet Vegeta. As a result, Vegeta felt much lighter than he did on his home planet. While this meant that flying was now much easier for him, it also decreased the efficiency of his training.

Suddenly, a faint beeping noise echoed through the air, snapping the prince out of his meditative trance. Blinking curiously, he turned, glancing around the beach. Nothing was in sight, but the noise continued. That was when he recognized the sound: it was the alarm from his Attack Pod's computer.

Frowning in surprise, the Saiyan boy dashed across the beach towards the small wooden shed that he and Roshi had built to house the Attack Pod. The sound was definitely coming from inside. Lifting the latch, he opened the shed's door and ducked inside, hurrying over to the pod and tapping the button that opened its hatch.

With the pod open, he could clearly see the source of the noise: one of the interior screens had lit up, showing an image of Earth that had been taken when his pod had scanned the planet from orbit upon his arrival. A glowing red dot was present on the screen, indicating the position of Vegeta's pod, which was still in the same place it had been since he'd arrived.

Now, however, a second glowing dot had appeared, this one hundreds of miles to the northeast. The new dot was flashing repeatedly, each flash coinciding with another beep from the pod's alarm.

Slipping into the pilot's seat, Vegeta tapped a button, silencing the alarm, and homed in on the signal's source. He couldn't get much better resolution, but it was enough that he was able to pinpoint the location.

A grin spread across his face. Yes! He clenched one hand into a fist, excitement welling up inside him.

"Looks like I've finally found you, Kakarot," he murmured. "It's about time."

Chapter Text

Dragon Ball Saga, Part 4: Full Moon

Kame House

Planet Earth

Age 738

Vegeta burst through the front door into Kame House to find Roshi seated at the table, eating an early breakfast.

The old martial artist looked up in surprise. "Vegeta? What's wrong?"

"I found him," Vegeta replied, an excited grin flickering across his face. "My Attack Pod's computer finally picked up a transmission: I have the location where Kakarot's ship landed."

Roshi's eyes widened. "Really? That's great!" Then he paused as a realization struck him. "Wait… that means you're leaving, aren't you?"

The Saiyan child nodded. "Yes, I am. I need to find Kakarot before he starts his mission; frankly, I'm surprised he hasn't already, so there's no time to lose. I'll go to that location, find him, and bring him back here as soon as he's old enough to travel long distances."

The martial artist was surprised, blinking curiously. "You're bringing him back here?"

"Of course." Vegeta shrugged. "My ship's still here, and I can't very well take that with me when I go looking for him. So I need you to keep it safely here and make sure nothing happens to it while I'm gone."

After a moment, Roshi nodded in assent. "All right," he agreed. "I'll take care of it for you. Just make sure you bring your friend back here as soon as you can, all right?" Privately, he'd found that he quite liked having Vegeta around, and he was going to miss the child while he was gone.

"I will," Vegeta agreed promptly. "Now, I'll need supplies for the journey there, if you don't mind."

The old man grinned. "You got it."

Several hours later, Vegeta stood on the front porch of Kame House, ready to depart. He was wearing his Saiyan armor, rather than the training outfit that Roshi had lent him, as he figured he should set the right example for Kakarot when he got there. However, he did have the other clothes Roshi had found for him tucked into the backpack he was wearing, as he would need a change of clothes.

"Good luck out there, Vegeta," Roshi advised him. "And you'd better come back, you hear me?"

The prince smirked. "Of course. I'll need my ship back eventually, after all. So you'll definitely see me again." He walked down the front steps and out onto the beach. Turning around, he glanced at Roshi and held up a hand in farewell. Then his blue aura flared to life around him, and he blasted off into the air with a rush of wind and a swirl of sand.

Roshi watched as the small figure vanished onto the horizon. "Take care of yourself, kid," he murmured under his breath. "I have a feeling this world may need you someday."

Vegeta soared effortlessly through the sky, his aura leaving a blue streak behind him as he flew onward. He had flown since arriving on this planet, of course, but nothing like this.

Letting out an invigorated shout, he spun, spiraling downwards through the clouds until it seemed that he was about to plunge into the ocean, and then pulling away at the last second, rising back into the sky.

Pulling a small radar scanner from his pocket as he flew, he checked the screen. He had removed the device from his damaged pod, and had altered it somewhat to make it a portable handheld rather than a ship-mounted sensor.

Confirmed that he was going the right way, Vegeta powered up and accelerated, carving through the clouds as he rocketed towards his destination.

Mount Paozu, Planet Earth

It took the prince a few hours to reach his destination. His flying speed seemed to have increased on this world, which was most likely a result of the lower gravity here. He kept checking the scanner, homing in on the signal from Kakarot's Attack Pod.

Finally, he located the source of the transmission: a large mountain, covered in dense forest. Circling above the treetops, he closed in on the signal, until he'd finally pinpointed its exact location. Readying himself, he descended feetfirst through the trees, landing lightly on the forest floor. He walked forwards, pushing through the bushes.

And that was when he saw it, partially visible among a clump of tall, cylindrical, grass-like plants: a Saiyan Attack Pod, very similar to his own. The familiar triangular insignia adorned its side.

As the young prince approached the pod, he was surprised to find that the hatch was open a crack. Pulling it the rest of the way open, he peered inside, looking around. As he'd feared, it was empty.

Vegeta sighed. "Great." He looked around, sealing the hatch to protect the pod's interior from the elements. Well, let's be realistic about this. He can't have gotten far: he is only a baby, after all. There hasn't been any damage to this pod, or to the surrounding forest, so I'm assuming he didn't transform and escape. Which leaves only one option.

He scowled. Someone else has already found him and taken him elsewhere.

Vegeta glanced around, examining the area around the pod for any signs of someone else who might have been here. It only took him a few seconds to identify a nearby walking trail that led off through the woods, and his eyes narrowed. There we go.

After a few minutes of walking, the Saiyan boy emerged out of the woods, into a large clearing. A small house was visible up ahead, at the end of a larger dirt road that led away through the trees.

"Hello?" Vegeta called out as he walked forward across the clearing. No one answered, but he could sense at least one energy signature inside the house.

Walking up to the front door, he knocked loudly. After a few seconds, an elderly man opened the door. He had a large white mustache, and was wearing a black shirt and pants under a large orange-and-white shirt patterned with yellow circles.

"Oh, hello," he said in surprise. "Um… can I help you?"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "That depends on whether you have what I'm looking for."

The old man blinked curiously. "And what would that be?"

"Have you seen a young child in this area recently?" Vegeta asked matter-of-factly. "He would be about a year old, with spiky black hair and a tail."

The old man's eyes widened in astonishment. "You… you know that boy?"

The young prince smirked faintly. "You could say that, yes." He took a step back, letting his tail unfurl from around his waist and wave behind him. "You might say I'm family, of sorts."

The old man took a step back, inhaling sharply. "Amazing!" he gasped. "How…?"

Vegeta chuckled. "Well, based on that reaction, I'm assuming you've seen him. Where is he?"

"The boy?" The old man's shock faded somewhat. "He's, ah… he's inside, sleeping." He pointed over his shoulder, and then smiled. "Where are my manners? By all means, my boy, do come in."

Nodding briskly, Vegeta brushed past him and strode into the house. It wasn't much to look at: just a small kitchen, a dining table, and a bed tucked into one corner. Beside that bed was a small wooden crib. The crib seemed to be a recent addition to the room, as the nearby furniture had obviously been moved out of the way to make room for it.

Vegeta walked up to the crib. Since it wasn't elevated above floor level, he was able to see inside despite his small stature. Inside lay a sleeping child; a young boy, no more than a year old. His spiky dark hair and the tail that was visibly wrapped around his waist marked him as a Saiyan.

"Kakarot," Vegeta murmured.

"I found him about a year ago," the old man explained without hearing him, walking up to them and gazing down fondly at the sleeping boy. "I was out gathering firewood, when I heard it. Thought it must be thunder at first, until I heard an explosion and the ground shook. I saw the smoke over the trees, so I hurried over to see what it was. When I got there, I didn't know what to think: I'd been expecting a lightning strike, but what I saw was some kind of metal… ship, I suppose is the word. I'd never seen anything like it before." He looked down at the baby Saiyan and smiled. "I walked up to it to see if I could figure out what it was. There was a little window in the side, so I looked in, and there he was. I couldn't believe my eyes: things like this don't just… happen!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. Not on this planet, anyway, he thought to himself condescendingly.

"So, after I figured out how to get the darn thing open, I picked him up and carried him home, and he's been here ever since." The old man sat on a nearby footstool, gazing curiously at Vegeta. "Now, if I may ask… who are you?" He glanced from the young prince to the boy in the crib, and back again. "Are you two related? You look very similar."

"Related?" Vegeta scoffed. "Don't make me laugh. We're the same species, but that's all. I share no relation with him." He turned up his nose, looking over at the sleeping child with disdain. It was an automatic reflex: to tell the truth, he had no reason to dislike Kakarot as yet, but he'd grown accustomed to treating other Saiyans as inferiors, so he looked down on the other child out of habit.

The old man frowned. "Well, then, who are you?"

The young prince smirked. "My name is Vegeta, and that's all you need to know about me. Now, if you don't mind…"

A sound interrupted him, and he turned back to the crib to see that Kakarot was waking up. The baby yawned, opening his dark eyes and looking curiously up at Vegeta. Other than the sound of his breathing, he didn't make much noise.

Vegeta frowned. That's odd. I've been to the nurseries back home: if there's anything I know about Saiyan babies, it's that they almost never shut up. So why is he so calm?

Intrigued, he turned around and leaned over the crib, ignoring the old man for the moment. He stared intently at Kakarot, and the baby gazed inquisitively back at him.

Okay, let's try something else, the prince decided. Carefully, he reached out a hand and gently poked Kakarot on the stomach.

The baby giggled, but made no other reply.

Vegeta's eyes widened. What? Normally a Saiyan child would have tried to bite me the second I did that! He poked Kakarot's stomach again, a little harder this time, but again the Saiyan child just giggled happily. He grabbed onto Vegeta's hand, playfully tugging at the prince's fingers, but didn't attempt to bite him or harm him in any way.

Vegeta yanked his hand away and whirled on the old man. "What's wrong with him?" he demanded.

The old man took a step back, frowning in confusion. "What do you mean?" he inquired.

The boy's eyes narrowed. "I mean that, at his age, he should be constantly aggressive, hostile, vicious… hell, he should be borderline savage! And he definitely shouldn't be this… passive!" He spat the word passive as if it was an epithet, waving at the baby Saiyan in the crib.

The old man seemed confused for a moment. "Hmm…" Then his eyes opened wide in realization, and he snapped his fingers. "Oh, yes, of course! That must be it!"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "What the hell are you talking about?"

The old man smiled faintly and sighed. "Well, for quite a while after I found him, he had quite a nasty temperament, just like what you were talking about. One day, though, I had taken him out for a walk through the woods. We were walking along the edge of a ravine, and I carried him across a large fallen tree that had fallen across it. Only, he was struggling the whole time, and when we were halfway across he kicked me in the face and I lost my grip on him. He fell down the hill and hit his head on a big rock at the bottom of the ravine."

Vegeta's head snapped around. "What?!"

"I was able to climb down and get him," the old man explained. "Fortunately, he wasn't too badly hurt, apart from a pretty nasty cut on his head. I brought him home and fixed him up, and he recovered fairly quickly." He blinked. "Although, ever since then, he hasn't acted like that anymore: he's been very playful and happy, just like a normal child. I didn't think much of it, to be honest: he healed perfectly well, and since then it's been much easier for me to care for him." He smiled fondly as he looked over at the child, who giggled again as if he knew that he was the topic of discussion.

"What… but…" Vegeta was momentarily lost for words. After a long moment, though, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

Oh, dear god, he's brain-damaged, he thought to himself as he stared back down at Kakarot. What the hell am I supposed to do?! I'm stuck on a dead-end planet in the middle of nowhere, and the only other Saiyan within hundreds of light-years – if there are any of us left at all – is brain-damaged?!

An audible groan escaped his lips, and he sank onto the floor next to the crib.

"Are you all right?" the old man inquired.

After a few seconds, Vegeta sighed. "Now, what would give you that impression?" he muttered. "The fact that you managed to mentally damage the only other member of my species on this godforsaken planet?!"

"Hang on… your species?" The old man frowned, uncomprehendingly. "You mean, you and Goku aren't human?"

"Of course not," Vegeta shot back. He indicated himself and Kakarot with a wave of his hand. "This boy and I are members of a species known as Saiyans. And no, we're not from this planet: we were sent here when our own planet was destroyed." He sighed, his posture slumping. "As far as I know, he and I may be the last members of our race in existence."

The old man was watching him with a sympathetic expression on his face. Vegeta, however, didn't want pity from anyone, especially not some weakling human.

Abruptly, however, something that the old man had said a few seconds earlier registered. Vegeta frowned, lifting his head and looking over at him. "And who the hell is Goku?" he demanded.

"Well, that's what I named him," the old man explained. "Son Goku. I named him after myself: my name's Son Gohan." He extended a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, by the way… Vegeta, did you say?"

"Yes," Vegeta replied curtly, not bothering to shake his hand. "And, for your information, his name is Kakarot."

"Kakarot." The old man, Gohan, considered. "An interesting name."

"Oh, shut up," Vegeta muttered.

Much against his better judgment, Vegeta reluctantly chose to stay at the old man's home. Ostensibly, it was indefinite, but he had every intention of taking Kakarot and returning to Roshi's home as soon as the boy was old enough to fly.

This, as it turned out, would take much longer than he had initially thought.

Kakarot – or "Goku", as Gohan insisted on calling him – was, without a doubt, a Saiyan. Despite his head injury suppressing his natural disposition, he had the same ravenous appetite, and the same desire to train and grow stronger, as a normal Saiyan. That came as a relief to Vegeta, who had been worried that the boy might grow up no different than the other weakling inhabitants of this planet. However, he had also become quite attached to Gohan, and separating them at this point might be difficult.

Vegeta himself continued to train, of course, but he didn't get much improvement, even less than he had as Roshi's student. At the very least, Roshi had known some highly useful techniques, and his power had been significantly greater than Gohan's. To his credit, though, the old man had turned out to be a decent martial artist in his own right: as it turned out, he'd apparently also trained under Roshi at some point. However, just like Roshi, he wasn't nearly strong enough to be a decent sparring partner.

Time passed. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and still Vegeta stayed, against his better judgment, with Kakarot and Gohan, and in a state of near-constant boredom.

Once Kakarot/Goku was old enough, Vegeta immediately started him on training, trying to toughen the kid up a little. While Goku immediately took to fighting with a passion, actual martial arts were still beyond him, given that he was still basically a toddler (although Saiyan toddlers were much stronger and more durable than human ones). Vegeta wasn't concerned: the boy was bound to improve with time, after all, and they had all the time in the world.

The only precaution that the young prince knew he had to take was the possibility of Kakarot or himself transforming into their Oozaru, or Great Ape, state by looking at a full moon. He had noticed on his approach to the planet that it possessed a large moon, perfectly suited for generating the Blutz waves necessary for the transformation. Unfortunately, he hadn't had much training on his Oozaru state yet, as he'd still been a child when he escaped Frieza's army, and he knew that Kakarot would have no control whatsoever. To that end, he'd made sure to avoid looking at the moon while he was on Roshi's island, to keep himself from transforming. To prevent this from happening to Kakarot, he'd deigned to inform Gohan of the potential danger. The old man had immediately agreed that they should make sure that didn't happen, and so he'd made sure that Goku understood never to look at the full moon, claiming that it would cause a monster to attack him.

For quite some time, the Saiyan child obeyed these instructions without question. Countless nights passed without any incident.

And then, one ordinary night, two years after Vegeta had moved in with Goku and Gohan, something went wrong.

Mount Paozu, Age 740…

Vegeta was sleeping peacefully in his bed, tucked into a corner of Gohan's small house, when he heard a muffled boom from outside. His eyes snapped open, just as a second impact echoed through the wall. It was followed by a thunderous roar.

Vegeta's eyes widened in realization. Oh, hell, he thought.

And then the ceiling came crashing down on top of him.

Fortunately, the prince was able to quickly raise his own power level just before the impact, thereby shielding himself from harm. The rest of the house, however, was pulverized, and Vegeta was buried under the resulting avalanche of shattered wood.

Cursing, the Saiyan flung out his aura, smashing aside the rubble, and staggered to his feet, glancing around wildly. Even at night, it was obvious what had happened: there was no mistaking the massive figure towering over him, which had just crushed the house with a single stomp of its massive foot.

"Damn it, Kakarot!" Vegeta hissed as he glared up at the looming mass of the Oozaru, taking care to shield his eyes from the light of the full moon. "I told you not to look at the damn moon!" Of course, the fact that Kakarot was only three years old had made it difficult from the start, but he'd hoped that the kid wouldn't transform until he was old enough to be trained. Clearly, this was no longer the case.

Oh, to hell with it. The situation wasn't all that bad in any case: Kakarot might be ten times stronger in this form, but he still wasn't nearly as strong as Vegeta himself. Even without his own Oozaru transformation, the prince would be able to handle this.

Even as a quick strategy flashed into the young Saiyan's mind, the Oozaru noticed him. Red eyes blazing, it let out an angry roar and swung a massive fist down at him.

Vegeta reacted instantly. Powering up swiftly, he dove and rolled to one side as the beast's fist struck the ground, smashing a crater into the dirt. Leaping into the air, he vaulted over its next backhanded swipe, then landed on its outstretched arm. Running along the arm, he kept up his speed until he reached its shoulder and then lunged forward, swinging an uppercut that crashed into its lower jaw and knocked the Oozaru flat on its back. The entire area shook when it crashed to the ground.

Struggling to its feet, the Oozaru roared angrily, rubbing at its bruised jaw with one hand. Its tail lashed behind it, knocking over several nearby trees in the process, as it turned, looking for its attacker.

There was no warning; Vegeta appeared directly in front of the Oozaru, swooping down and striking it with a full-body slam into its chest. Normally, this wouldn't have done anything, but he had powered up to a significant portion of his full strength before impact. The Oozaru was launched backwards, sent smashing through a dozen trees and carving a trail through the forest before it skidded to a halt. Roaring, it picked itself up, panting and searching again for its diminutive opponent.

This time, Vegeta appeared above and behind the creature with a burst of super-speed. His eyes narrowed as he came to a decision: this battle had lasted long enough. Clenching his fists together, he swung before the Oozaru could turn around, landing a solid, double-fisted hammer strike to the back of its neck.

The Oozaru's roar cut off abruptly. Its eyes widened, before the red glow in them faded away. Then its eyes rolled up into its head, and it toppled, unconscious. It crushed several more trees when it fell.

Vegeta descended from overhead, landing lightly beside the unconscious beast as its body began to shrink. The dark fur melted away, replaced by normal skin, as it reverted to the sleeping body of Goku.

Sighing, the eight-year-old Saiyan prince picked up the baby, carrying Goku gently in his arms, and lifted off again, floating swiftly back towards the collapsed house. It was then that a sudden thought struck him.

Where was the old man?

Son Gohan lay crumpled amid the ruins of his home. The lower half of his body had been crushed, his legs broken and his ribs snapped like twigs. Unlike Vegeta, the Oozaru's foot had come down squarely on top of him.

As he set Goku's sleeping form down and caught sight of the crumpled form amid the rubble, Vegeta's eyes widened in shock. He rushed forward, heaving the rubble off of Gohan's body with a single wave of his arm, and crouched down beside the old man.

Gohan coughed weakly, gasping for air as blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. "Ve…geta? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," the prince replied, looking down into the old man's face.

The elderly martial artist coughed again, trying to summon up the strength to speak. "And… G-Goku?"

"He's fine," Vegeta assured him, for once not bothering to correct the boy's name. He'd never particularly liked Gohan, but over time he had grown to have at least a little respect for him. It was clear that the man was a decent fighter, even if his power wasn't much to speak of, and he had taken care of Kakarot the best he could.

"Good," Gohan wheezed. Blood bubbled at the corners of his mouth, but he still retained enough strength to reach up and grasp Vegeta's shoulder. "Now… listen to me. You have to take care of Goku. That boy… he's going to be a great man someday. You two will both grow up to do great things. I can sense that, but… you have to look out for each other. Take care of each other." Despite his broken body, his eyes burned with conviction. "Promise me."

After a long moment of silence, his eyes locked on Gohan's, Vegeta nodded. "I will," he said, his voice oddly soft for a moment before he cleared his throat. "I'll keep him safe. That, I promise you."

Gohan nodded in satisfaction. "Good," he breathed. His head sank back, and he lay back, serene amid the rubble. He closed his eyes, and Vegeta heard him sigh as his body went limp.

And then there was silence.

Slowly, Vegeta walked away from the old man's body and made his way back over to where Goku still lay sleeping. Picking up the Saiyan child, he gazed down at Goku's face, frowning at the younger boy's peaceful expression. After a moment, though, his frown faded away.

"Don't worry, Kakarot," he said, his voice sounding almost gentle. "I'll look after you." He sighed. "Someone has to, after all."

Chapter Text

Dragon Ball Saga, Part 5: The Quest Begins

In the years that followed that fateful night, Vegeta never forgot Son Gohan's final words. The old man hadn't been particularly skilled or powerful, but he had dedicated his life to raising Kakarot, so the young prince had to give him credit for that. To that end, he dedicated himself to bringing up the boy as best he could.

Over the next few years, Vegeta took over the responsibility of raising Kakarot as a proper Saiyan. To his irritation, the boy seemed to be stuck on going by the name of Goku, although he didn't have any objections to Vegeta's insistence on calling him by his proper Saiyan name, and was happy to respond to both. The boy fulfilled his expectations in every other regard, though, growing in strength under the prince's tutelage. Kakarot certainly seemed to be a gifted fighter, although the finer points of martial arts would need to wait until he was older.

Vegeta himself continued training, growing stronger over time. While his power did improve significantly as a simple result of his body maturing into the physique of a young adult, his training didn't achieve nearly as much of a gain as he'd hoped, mainly due to Earth's much lighter gravity and a total lack of challenging opponents. Still, he pushed himself the best he could.

Over time, the days seemed to blur together. Days, weeks, months, all passed without any particular incident. Both Saiyans grew older, training, hunting, and eating, without anything particularly eventful taking place.

And, in this fashion, nine years wore away.

Mount Paozu, Planet Earth

Age 749

Bulma Briefs, heiress to the worldwide Capsule Corporation, sped down the mountain road, her Turbo-model hovercar being pushed to its limits as she enjoyed the rush of wind in her face. She glanced down at the portable radar unit that was resting on the dashboard, double-checking how close she was to the small golden blip on the screen.

Not far now, she realized with a grin. Only five more kilometers, and then I'll have the next one. She looked at her belt to examine the two gleaming orange stone spheres that she carried, nestled safely in a mesh pouch on her belt, before checking the radar again.

Unfortunately, she was so focused on the radar that she didn't notice the small figure crossing the road in front of her until it was too late for her to do anything about it.

WHAM!

Bulma screamed, her car bouncing wildly and veering off the road as it slammed into the figure, sending them flying. The car skilled to a halt on the side of the road, and she looked back, to see the figure – a young boy with spiky dark hair, who'd been carrying a large fish of some kind – lying sprawled in the middle of the road, facedown.

"Oh, my god!" Bulma shrieked, her eyes wide in shock, almost hyperventilating. She jumped out of the car and rushed over to the fallen kid, but was relieved to see him already sitting up. To her surprise, he didn't seem to be injured in the least. Wait, what? She hurried forwards, staring at him in shock. "Oh! Um… are you okay?"

The kid dusted himself up, hopping to his feet. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." He looked up at her, frowning. "Who are you?"

"Oh, my name's Bulma," she replied with a smile. "What's yours?"

"I'm Goku," the kid said with a cheerful grin. He paused. "Wait… Bulma? Isn't that a word for underwear?"

Bulma promptly flushed red. "Oh, shut up! I didn't pick it!" she snapped.

Goku giggled, then glanced past her at the stopped hovercar. "What's that?" he inquired, pointing to it.

"That?" Bulma frowned, turning and looking at the vehicle. "That's my car."

"That's a car?" Goku's eyes widened, and he looked back to Bulma. "Wait… are you from civilization?"

Bulma stared at him, nonplussed. "Uh… I mean, yeah? Have you never seen a car before?"

"Whoa!" Goku grinned. "No, I haven't! Vegeta told me about stuff like that, but I've never seen one before." He stared at her for another moment, and a puzzled expression appeared on his face. "Hang on… you don't really look like me. There's something… different about you."

Bulma stared at him. "Well, I mean… yeah? I'm a girl. Haven't you ever seen a girl before?"

Goku's eyes went wide. "Oh, that's it! No, actually! I've never even seen another human being before!" He rubbed his chin contemplatively. "Well, except for my grandpa, and Vegeta. Although he's a Saiyan, so I guess that doesn't count."

Bulma frowned. What's he talking about? She was about to speak up, when Goku exclaimed, "Oh, wow! You have one of those too?" She looked up with a start, to realize that he was pointing at the small mesh pouch on her belt where the two orange spheres rested. Then his eyes widened. "Wait, you have two of those? That's so cool!"

"These?" Her eyes widened in surprise. "You know what these are?"

Goku blinked. "Nah, not really, but I have one at home." His eyes sparkled. "Wanna see it? My house isn't far from here. Plus, I bet Vegeta would love to meet you!"

Bulma stared at him, considering her options, and then shrugged. "All right, why not?" If he's really got the Dragon Ball, perfect!

"Okay, let's go! Follow me!" The boy grinned, snatched up his fish again and raced off down the road. To her astonishment, he moved incredibly fast, speeding away in great leaps and bounds.

"Wait!" Despite her amazement, Bulma ran for her car, jumping back in and barreling down the road after the boy. Despite the vehicle's speed, she could barely keep him in her sights, until they burst into a large, open clearing and skidded to a halt in front of a small house.

As Bulma climbed out of the car, Goku deposited the fish off to the side and waved to her. "Come on, it's in here!" he called eagerly, beckoning her towards the front door.

"Right," Bulma replied, heading towards the house. As she approached, however, the front door opened, and she stopped short, eyes wide in surprise.

Standing in the front doorway was a muscular young man, wearing rough brown clothing that looked as if it had been handmade. He was of average height, about five-and-a-half feet tall, with pale skin, a handsome, chiseled face, and jet-black hair that was spiked up in a flame-like shape. His dark eyes were locked on her with an intensity that put her back on her heels.

"Oh, hey, Vegeta!" Goku called out happily as he scampered up to the front door. "I found a human! Her name's Bulma, and she's got two of those orange ball-thingies like the one Grandpa had!"

The young man – Vegeta – raised an eyebrow as he leaned casually against the doorframe. "Really," he drawled. His voice, a rough baritone, sent a chill down her spine, as he looked her up and down. "Well, then… what exactly are you doing here, human?"

Human? Bulma gulped, averting her eyes; this guy might be gorgeous, but he was giving off a thoroughly unnerving vibe; she swore she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. "I…" She coughed, rubbing her neck nervously. "I was looking for… one of these." She fumbled with the pouch on her belt, removing the two orange spheres she'd been carrying and holding them up. "They're called Dragon Balls. Goku told me you had one?"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, considering the human girl before him. She certainly seemed interesting, and it was nice to see another person after all the years he'd spent here with only Kakarot for company. The bright blue color of her hair was particularly eye-catching. He did recognize the orange stone balls she was carrying, though, as he'd seen one just like them among Gohan's possessions. However, if they were important, he wanted to know why.

"Well, what exactly are these 'Dragon Balls'?" he questioned. "And why are you looking for them?"

Bulma froze for a moment, unsure of how to respond. After a moment, though, she decided it would probably be best just to come clean in this case. If Goku was any indication, these two didn't seem like the kind of people who would do anything untoward, although the taller, handsome one did seem rather intimidating. "Well... they're the basis for an old legend I've heard. Supposedly, there are only seven of these things in existence, each with a different number of stars." She held up the two Dragon Balls in her hands; one of them had two reddish-orange stars, while the other had five, standing out distinctly against the golden-orange glow of the marble spheres. "I found this one in my father's storage facility, and this one in a cave in the northern mountains," she explained, indicating the two-star and the five-star in turn. "The legend says that when you gather all seven of them together, you can use them to summon the Eternal Dragon Shenron. Once you do that, he'll use his magical powers to grant you any one wish."

Vegeta's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, before he frowned, folding his arms over his chest. "Forgive me if I don't believe you. How do you know this legend is true?"

Bulma considered. "Well, I did a lot of research on it after I found the first one, before I set out to look for the rest. The legend's been corroborated in a lot of old stories that talk about mystical artifacts and that sort of thing. Plus, I was able to build a radar system that zeroes in on the specific type of electromagnetic radiation generated by the Dragon Balls. I used it to start tracking them, which is how I found the second one. Then I found the next closest one, I followed the signal here, and that's when I ran into you." She chuckled, somewhat nervously, as she glanced at Goku. "Literally, I guess."

Goku snickered a little in response. "So, you're collectin' these Dragon Ball things?" he piped up. "You want to make a wish on them?"

Bulma smiled, a little nervously. "I do, yeah."

Vegeta stepped forward, examining the two Dragon Balls in her hands. "So, you're saying that you can have any wish granted by using these things?" he asked. "What exactly are you planning on wishing for, then?"

Bulma's eyes widened, and she flushed. "Well, to be honest, I…" She averted her eyes, her mind racing as she tried to come up with something to say. She couldn't very well tell someone like this what she really wanted to wish for; he'd probably just laugh in her face if she admitted that she wanted to wish for the perfect boyfriend. "I'm not sure yet," she claimed, hoping that he wouldn't see through the excuse.

To her relief, Vegeta studied her for a moment, then grunted noncommittally, glancing away. "So, you're just here to ask if you can have our Dragon Ball?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Bulma smiled. "So… would you mind?" An idea struck her. "Actually… you two could come with me to find the rest of them as well, if you'd like."

Goku blinked, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "You want us to come with you?"

"Sure!" Bulma smiled. "I could use some help tracking the other Dragon Balls down, and you both seem pretty…" Her gaze was drawn, almost involuntarily, back to Vegeta (and particularly to his well-muscled arms and torso), and she found herself blushing involuntarily. "…strong."

"So, we'd go looking for them? Like an adventure?" Goku was hopping up and down. "That sounds awesome! Vegeta, can we go too, please, please, please?"

Vegeta contemplated the offer. It certainly sounded intriguing, not to mention that he'd finally get a chance to see more of this planet. And if these Dragon Balls were really as powerful as this girl claimed, then this could be vitally important for him. If he could really get any wish he wanted… maybe this "dragon" could help him find out what had happened to his people. At the very least, that would be worth the trip.

"Very well," he agreed, nodding. Then he stepped forwards, his dark eyes flashing as they locked on the human girl's bright blue irises. She took a step back, inhaling sharply in surprise as he approached her. "But keep this in mind, girl. If you play me false, I will not hesitate to end you. Do you understand?"

Bulma paled noticeably, but she nodded. "I… yeah, I understand."

Vegeta's lips curved in a smirk. "Good. In that case, I'm sure we'll get along just fine." He glanced to Goku. "Kakarot, grab the Dragon Ball in the house, and get anything that you'd like to bring with you." He glanced to Bulma. "You said there are seven of these things, so that leaves four more. Do you know where we need to go to find the next one?"

Bulma nodded, checking the Dragon Radar until it beeped in confirmation. "Yeah, the next one's quite a few miles from here, but I have the location. We can go as soon as you guys are ready."

Vegeta grinned. "Perfect. Then let's get moving. There's no time to waste."

Bulma gulped. I really hope I don't regret this.

Together, the unlikely trio started towards the house, beginning the first steps of a journey that would change their lives forever.

Chapter Text

Dragon Ball Saga, Part 6: Warriors and Monsters

Vegeta reclined in the passenger's seat of the hovercar, tilting his head back as he felt the wind whipping at his face. He took a deep breath, smelling a faint tinge of salt that told him the ocean must be getting close, and nodded in satisfaction. A moment later, however, he frowned in annoyance as he heard Goku's high-pitched voice yapping about something, audible even over the wind and the drone of the engine.

Why did I have to get stuck on a quest with these two idiots? the young prince thought sourly to himself.

After he, Kakarot, and the human girl Bulma had left their home on Mount Paozu, they'd headed off towards the location of the next Dragon Ball, as indicated by the girl's "Dragon Radar". Their journey had been uneventful so far, with a minor exception when a flying dinosaur had attempted to carry the girl off. Vegeta had quickly dealt with the creature, which actually turned out to be quite tasty once he'd carved it up and cooked it over their campfire. After that, the trio had continued on their way. They'd made some progress, but their mission had been delayed yet again when Kakarot had stumbled across a giant turtle that, somehow, knew how to speak. The reptile had explained that it had gotten lost and was trying to find its way back to the sea, so the young Saiyan had decided to take it upon himself to return it to its home.

Which had led to their current situation, driving along the road towards the nearby ocean. Vegeta and the girl Bulma were riding in her hovercar, while Kakarot was carrying the turtle on his back and running along beside the car. Vegeta had initially been doing the same, but he'd eventually decided that jogging along the road the whole way like a commoner was unbecoming of him, and decided to ride in the vehicle instead.

Vegeta yawned, stretching his arms over his head and clicking his neck. His keen ears picked up an abrupt inhalation from Bulma, and he chuckled inwardly. He'd pretended not to notice her sneaking glances at him throughout their walk, but his reflexes were much faster than hers, so he couldn't miss it.

As luck would have it, she chose that moment to speak up, raising her voice as she called out so that he could hear her over the engine. "So… Vegeta, right?"

"Yes, that is my name," Vegeta deadpanned, not even sparing a glance in her direction.

"Well, I was just thinking about something." Bulma looked over at him. "When we first met, you called me 'human'. Like…" She paused. "Like you're not human. So I was wondering what you meant by that."

Vegeta came to a halt, turning to face her and raising an eyebrow. "I should think it's rather self-explanatory." With a single flick, his tail unwrapped itself around his waist and waved back and forth, drawing a startled gasp from Bulma.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, glancing in shock at his tail. "You… you have a tail?!"

"Obviously," Vegeta deadpanned. "So does Kakarot: I'm surprised you didn't notice." He jerked a thumb back over his shoulder, indicating the younger Saiyan, who was still running alongside the car.

"So, you two really aren't human? Then what…" Her eyes widened. "Wait, are you saying you're, like… an alien or something?"

Vegeta snorted in amusement. "Oh, how astute you are," he deadpanned. "Truly, you must be a credit to your species."

The girl promptly rounded on him, scowling. "Hey!"

Rolling his eyes, Vegeta shrugged. "But to answer your question: yes, Kakarot and I are not from this planet. We're members of a species called the Saiyans."

Bulma's eyes widened in astonishment. "That's amazing! I mean, I guess I believed that there had to be other life forms out there somewhere, but I never thought I'd actually meet one! I've gotta say, though, I wasn't expecting an alien to, um…" To look like you, she thought, but she blushed as soon as the thought entered her mind, so she fought it down. "To… look so much like a human. I'd always thought aliens would be more like insects or reptiles, or maybe some weird creatures with lots of tentacles and stuff."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Well, there are plenty of species like that out there, but a lot of them resemble humans or Saiyans. Humanoid species are fairly common, actually."

"Huh." Bulma frowned. "That's interesting. I wonder why – oh crap!" She slammed on the brakes, sending the car skidding to a halt. Vegeta was almost flung headfirst into the dashboard, but threw out a hand to stop himself; unfortunately, this left a hand-shaped dent in the metal, as he'd used a bit too much force. The car fishtailed, almost swerving off the road, and finally came to a stop when they struck a tree.

"Okay, what the hell was that for?" Vegeta snarled. Hearing an unfamiliar, growling voice, he turned to see that Goku, still carrying the turtle over his head, was now facing off with a strange-looking individual in the middle of the road. The figure resembled a bear (albeit with orange fur), but the fur on his head was spiked up in a mohawk, and he wore samurai-style armor, including a katana.

"Oh, for god's sake," Vegeta muttered, hopping out of the car and starting over towards Goku.

"Hand over the turtle," the bear growled, brandishing his sword threateningly, "and no one gets hurt."

"No way!" Goku retorted, setting the turtle down so he could properly enter a fighting stance. "If you want him, you gotta go through me!"

The bear growled, raising the sword. "If I must, then I –"

"Oh, shut up!" a second voice snapped, a moment before a vicious impact slammed into the bear, hurling him off the road and into the forest on the other side. He bounced off a tree with a jarring thud, and hit the ground in an unconscious heap.

Vegeta landed lightly beside Goku, lowering his leg from its kicking position. "Well, that was irritating," he remarked dryly. "Shall we continue?"

"Awww, man!" Goku complained. "I wanted to fight that guy!"

"Then you should have been quicker about it," Vegeta retorted. "There's a time and place for bantering with an opponent, but not when they're as pathetic as that creature. When an enemy is beneath you, they're usually not worth your time. Keep that in mind, Kakarot." With that, he turned and strode back towards where Bulma was examining the damage to the car.

"I can't believe the car's broken," Bulma muttered to herself as the trio made their way through the forest towards the ocean. "My dad's gonna kill me!"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Your father takes his machinery that seriously?" he questioned. "My father wouldn't kill me unless I gave him a better reason than that."

"What?" Bulma frowned. "Oh, no, it's just an expression. I just meant he's probably going to be a bit disappointed in me." She grinned. "My dad's too nice to ever kill anybody, to be honest."

"Ah, I see." Vegeta shrugged. "For a second there, I thought you Earthlings might be as disciplined as the Saiyans after all. My mistake."

"Oh." Bulma was quiet for a moment, before her eyes widened in indignation. "Wait, what do you mean by that?!"

"Guys!" Goku called out in excitement, interrupting them. "C'mon, we're here!" Without waiting for a response, he dashed forward through the last of the trees, emerging onto a sandy beach. Hurrying down to the water's edge, he set the turtle down on the soft, damp sand. "There ya go!" he said cheerfully, stepping back.

"Oh, thank you so much!" the turtle replied in his nasal voice. He turned his head, taking in Vegeta and Bulma as they strolled down to join Goku. "If you three will wait here for a while, I can go find my master. He'll be sure to reward you for helping me out."

"A reward?" Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Sounds good to me! Sure, we'll wait here until you get back."

"Just be quick about it," Vegeta snapped. "I don't plan on sitting around here for a second longer than I have to."

"I assure you, my master is a very wise man; I'm sure he'll be able to find a suitable reward for you." With that, Turtle turned and scrambled into the water. Once submerged, he swam away with surprising speed, quickly disappearing into the distance.

Two hours later, quiet had settled on the beach. Vegeta had found a shady spot in the shadow of a large rock and was presently lying back and relaxing; the cool sea air was reminiscent of the first year or so that he'd spent on this planet, so he found it quite nice. Goku was practicing some martial arts moves that Vegeta had shown him, while Bulma was sitting on a rock, checking her Dragon Radar to determine where the next closest Dragon Ball could be found.

"Where the hell is he?" Vegeta muttered, rubbing his eyes. "It's been too damn long!" He scowled. "That 'reward' he promised had better be worth the wait."

Bulma barely heard him, as she was focused on the screen of her "Dragon Radar." As she rotated it in an arc, scanning the area, she paused, a frown spreading across her face. "Huh… that's weird."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, glancing over at her. "What?"

"Well…" Bulma looked up, out at the sea, then back down at the radar. "According to this, there's a Dragon Ball out there somewhere. I've been detecting its signal for a while, figured it was on one of the islands out there. But in the last hour or so… somehow, it's gotten a lot closer. It's moving towards us."

"Really?" Vegeta sat up, rising and coming over to where she was seated. "That would mean someone else has it."

"Hey, guys!" Goku's voice echoed as he jogged up the beach towards them, skidding to a halt in a spray of sand. "He's coming back; I can see him out on the ocean! And…" He frowned, scratching his head. "It's weird, but I think there's somebody ridin' him."

Bulma and Vegeta followed the younger Saiyan back down to the water's edge. By now, both of them could see the approaching figure as well: an elderly man, perched on the back of the giant turtle. Bulma and Goku had no idea who he was; Vegeta, however, was astonished by the fact that he recognized him instantly.

"Roshi?!" he exclaimed incredulously.

Sure enough, the Turtle Hermit was approaching the shore, reclined leisurely on Turtle's back. As soon as he'd gotten close enough, he vaulted over the breaking waves and landed lightly on the damp sand. "So, you three are the ones who helped my Turtle out, eh?" he asked. Spotting Vegeta, he stopped short, his eyes widening behind his sunglasses. "Wait… Vegeta? Is that you?"

"Obviously," the Saiyan prince replied with a grin. He was somewhat pleased to see Roshi again, as the old martial artist had been quite possibly the only inhabitant of this planet who had earned something approaching respect from the prince.

Bulma turned to Vegeta with a frown. "Wait, you know this guy?"

"Well, of course!" Roshi said cheerfully. "Vegeta here was the best student I've had in the last hundred years!"

Goku whipped around. "Wait, this is Master Roshi?!" he questioned excitedly. "The guy you told me about, the first person you met when you landed here?"

"That's right." Vegeta glanced back to Roshi. "Well, this is a surprise: I hadn't expected to see you here. Though, in retrospect, I suppose the giant turtle should have tipped me off."

Roshi laughed. "I've missed you, kid. It's been way too long!" He looked Goku and Bulma over, his gaze brought to a halt when he noticed Goku's tail and spiky hair. "Hang on… is that –"

"Kakarot, yes," Vegeta replied with a smirk. "I found him, just as promised. He was living with some old man… Gohan, he called himself." He frowned. "He said he knew you, actually."

Roshi's eyes widened. "Gohan? Yes, I know him! I trained him many years ago." He smiled as the memories of their many years together came back to him. "How is he?"

Vegeta and Goku exchanged a glance: Goku's face was saddened as he remembered the loss of his adoptive grandfather. "Unfortunately… he died, a few years ago," Vegeta answered, something approaching regret in his tone.

"Oh… I see." Roshi sighed, lowering his head in sorrow. "That's a shame. I'd been hoping to see him again someday." After a moment of remembrance, he shook off his gloom, returning his attention to the trio of young people in front of him. "So, not that I'm not glad to see you, Vegeta, but what brings you three to these parts?" He glanced over to Bulma, stifling a twitch of his nose at the realization that the third member of their group was an attractive young woman.

"Well," Bulma spoke up, "we're on… sort of a quest, I guess?" She smiled, a bit self-consciously. "We're looking for a set of enchanted objects called Dragon Balls." The signature she'd detected earlier came to mind, so she double-checked her radar. Sure enough, the new Dragon Ball reading that she had detected was now right on top of them. "You have one, don't you?" she asked, looking up at Roshi.

"A Dragon Ball?" Roshi raised an eyebrow. "As a matter of fact, yes, I do." He took hold of a cord around his neck and pulled, producing a Dragon Ball that had been hanging around his neck, concealed under the collar of his Hawaiian shirt.

"Oh, perfect!" Bulma smiled happily. "So... would you mind giving it to us? We're collecting them, so we need to gather all seven, and I'd take it as a personal favor if you'd help us out."

Roshi chuckled. "Well, of course. I'd be happy to give it to you…" A somewhat glazed look came into his eyes as he looked Bulma up and down. "Ah… in exchange, perhaps, for a little…"

"A little what?" Vegeta interrupted, his arms folded. "I don't have time for your driveling, old man! Are you going to give us the Dragon Ball or not?"

"Gah!" Roshi flinched, having momentarily forgotten that Vegeta was there. Hmmm… I mean, maybe I shouldn't do this in front of him… but she is gorgeous… oh, come on, Roshi! You're supposed to be this boy's master, and considering how strong he is, it's best to set a good example for him. Gulping, he shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Uh… never mind! Actually, since you were kind enough to help Turtle out, I guess I could throw this in with your reward. Least I can do, heheh." A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead as he handed the Dragon Ball to Bulma.

"Um… okay." Shrugging, Bulma placed the ball into the mesh bag that held the other three Dragon Balls they'd found. "Well, thanks! Was there anything else?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Roshi answered with a more genuine smile. "In exchange for your helping Turtle, I did have another reward in mind for the three of you." He raised one arm over his head, turning to face the ocean. "Come to me, Nimbus!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice ringing out over the beach.

A few seconds later, a small golden dot appeared on the horizon. It grew in size as it rapidly approached the shore, until it finally came to an abrupt halt directly in front of Roshi. This close, Vegeta could now see that it appeared to be a small cloud, although it was gold in color, rather than white like the normal clouds on this planet. It also seemed to be under Roshi's control, as it floated motionless at his side, occasionally rising or falling by a few inches.

"This," Roshi said with a proud grin as he turned to face the trio, "is the Nimbus Cloud. I received it as a reward for completing a great trial many years ago, and it's helped me many times since then. It can fly its rider to anywhere on the planet, without having to use any of their own energy or any mechanical contraptions to do so!" His grin faded, and he sighed. "Unfortunately, it doesn't work for me anymore, so I figured it might make a perfect reward for you. As long as one of you is worthy of it, anyway."

Vegeta frowned. "What do you mean, 'worthy'?"

"Well, the Nimbus was made using magic," Roshi explained. "The enchantment that was used to create it also means that only people who have a pure heart can ride it without falling off." He blushed. "Unfortunately, my heart seems to have become a little… less pure in recent years, so the cloud has stopped letting me ride it. However, you all seem like decent people, so it might work for one of you."

"Right." Bulma took a step forward, eyeing the cloud. Somewhat nervously, she placed one hand on top of the cloud, pushing down to test its strength… but instead, her hand passed straight through it. "Whoa," she breathed.

"Well, looks like you're not pure enough," Roshi remarked with a chuckle. As Bulma sputtered in indignation, he glanced over to his former student. "Vegeta?"

The Saiyan prince scoffed. "Oh, please. If the girl isn't 'pure' enough for this thing to accept her, then there's no chance in hell I'd be able to use it. And even if it did, I'd never lower myself to using some mystical trinket to fly; I can do that perfectly well on my own."

Roshi considered that for a moment, then nodded. "All right, then." He turned to the third member of the group, who'd been examining the enchanted cloud with fascination. "Ah… Kakarot, right? How about you?"

"It's Goku, actually," the Saiyan boy replied cheerfully. "And yeah, sure! Here, lemme try it out." With no hesitation, he backflipped into the air, landing squarely on top of the cloud. To the surprise of everyone present, he didn't fall through: instead, the cloud simply dipped slightly and then stabilized, now with Goku standing triumphantly atop it.

"All right! This is so cool!" Goku cheered, punching the air with one fist. He leaned forward, sending the cloud gliding across the beach, and tilted his body to one side, then the other, laughing as the cloud mirrored his movements by changing directions.

Roshi's mouth hung open for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "…Well, I guess that settles it," he managed. "All right then, ah… Goku… the Nimbus Cloud is yours. Take good care of it, and it'll always be there when you need it."

"Awesome!" Goku's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Thank you, sir!" He executed a somewhat clumsy bow – a bit of etiquette that he'd picked up from Vegeta over the years, as a way of showing respect.

"Quite a polite young man," Roshi remarked. "And so friendly, too!" He chuckled, glancing to Vegeta. "You're sure he's the same species as you?"

"He's brain-damaged," Vegeta replied sourly.

Some time later, the trio were ready to move on. As Bulma and Goku headed off down the beach, Roshi had kept Vegeta behind to ask him about the circumstances of Gohan's death. The Saiyan prince had explained what had happened quickly and succinctly, leaving out the gory details.

"Well, I suppose I'd better head home." Roshi stretched his arms over his head, cracking his neck, before looking down at his companion. "Ready to head back, Turtle?"

"Of course, sir," the reptile answered, crawling into the water.

Roshi nodded, following his friend to the water's edge, before he turned back to Vegeta. "Oh, before I go, I just wanted to tell you: I still have your spaceship on my island. It's safe and sound, waiting for you."

Vegeta grinned. "Perfect. Kakarot and I will be leaving this planet eventually, so I'll need that pod back when the time comes."

"Of course." Roshi considered. "Actually… once you three are done with this quest you're on, you should bring that Goku kid back to my place. I'd bet I could teach him some things that'll make him a better fighter."

"Hmmm." Vegeta appeared to be thinking that over for a moment; in reality, however, his decision had been made the moment Roshi had suggested the idea. He'd been planning to bring Kakarot back to Roshi's island for years now, ever since he'd first gone looking for him, but he hadn't wanted the younger Saiyan to grow up surrounded by humans, so he'd kept him isolated until Bulma had shown up. Still, Roshi had a point: the old man's training had been a valuable aid to Vegeta himself, both in learning new abilities and in adjusting to life on this planet. If he could do the same for Goku, help mold the brat into a real warrior, then Vegeta would definitely be willing to try it out. "All right. Once we've finished this damn quest, I'll bring him to your home so you can train him. Hopefully it won't take too long." Without further words of farewell, he promptly took to the air, blasting off after Goku and Bulma.

Roshi smiled to himself, watching his student's departure. "You'd better, Vegeta," he said softly. Gohan's dead, and I won't live forever… so I think it's about time to start training the next generation. And those two seem like a good place to start.

Several days had passed since their meeting with Roshi, and Vegeta, Goku and Bulma were now approaching the next Dragon Ball. Bulma's radar had traced it to a small, isolated village: since her car was still damaged, however, they'd been forced to make the trek on foot.

"Hopefully, they'll have someplace where I can fix up the car," Bulma panted as she clambered over a fallen tree. "I'm good at a lot of things, but trekking through the woods for day after day is not one of them."

Vegeta rolled his eyes, easily hopping over the tree. "This Dragon Ball had better be there," he muttered.

Before long, Vegeta and Bulma emerged from the trees on the edge of the village. Vegeta dusted off his hands as he glanced up at the sky; sure enough, Goku quickly came into view, swooping down from the canopy atop the Nimbus cloud. "Hey, guys!" he called out cheerily as he landed. "I flew over the village a couple of times to check it out, but I can't see anybody."

Bulma looked around. "Huh. Yeah, he's right; the place looks deserted."

Vegeta frowned, reaching out with his ki-sensing ability as he looked around the village. He'd gotten fairly good with that ability over the years since Roshi had taught it to him, although he hadn't had much practice.

"No, it's not," he responded at length. "There are definitely people here, but I think they're all hiding inside the houses." His lip curled in a frown. "Frankly, I'd like to know why." Without waiting for the others, he headed straight for the nearest occupied building. Goku followed quickly behind him, while Bulma hung back nervously.

Reaching the door of the house, Vegeta knocked loudly on the door with one fist. "I know you're in there!" the Saiyan prince called out loudly, knowing that whoever was inside could hear him. "Open the door, or I'll open it for you." Several seconds passed without an answer, and he scowled. "Enough of this." Without hesitation, he took one step back and kicked the door with enough force to send it flying off its hinges. He stepped inside, looking around… and promptly ducked, his old combat reflexes kicking in as an axe swung through the space where his head had been a moment earlier. He flicked out one hand, releasing a kiai that hurled his attacker backwards into the wall, their axe slipping from their hands. Without pausing, he caught the axe neatly by the handle, jumped across the room, and positioned the blade inches from his attacker's throat.

"Wait!" a hoarse voice cried out. "Please, don't kill me!"

Vegeta frowned, looking down at his attacker, an aging man with terror in his eyes. "Who the hell do you think you are?" he snarled, his eyes narrowed in a glare. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you."

"I'm sorry," the old man whimpered. "I just… I thought you were Oolong."

This statement was so unusual that Vegeta blinked in surprise, lowering the axe and taking a step back. "Oolong?" he asked, frowning. "Who the hell is Oolong?"

"He… he's a monster," the old man answered, groaning as he picked himself up, while still keeping a wary eye on Vegeta. "He can take on any form, and he's been terrorizing our village for several months now. He rampages through the village, destroys our homes, and he's been kidnapping our daughters one by one."

Vegeta considered that. "Interesting," he murmured. Perhaps this "monster" could provide him with a decent fight… though frankly, he doubted it.

"Vegeta!" Bulma's cry snapped him out of his thoughts, as she and Goku burst into the room. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Vegeta shot back tersely, immediately annoyed that the human girl had interrupted his questioning. "This old man claims there's a monster attacking this village."

"He calls himself Oolong the Terrible," the old man confirmed, nodding as he sank into a chair. "Again, I must apologize, sir. I meant you no harm, but I have more reason to fear Oolong than most: he wishes to take my own daughter as his next victim, so when you pounded on my door I thought you must be him."

"Oh, that's horrible!" Bulma's eyes were wide in sympathy as she hurried over to the man. "Well, sir, I assure you, we don't mean any harm to you or anyone else in this village."

"Well, that's quite good to hear. Anyone who comes to our village in peace is welcome." The old man smiled faintly, before shaking his head and changing the subject. "So, what brings the three of you here?"

"Well, we're actually looking for a mystical artifact that I think is in this village somewhere," Bulma explained. "It's called a Dragon Ball." She took one of the four they'd already acquired out of the bag on her belt, holding it up so the man could see it. "I'm pretty sure there's one of them in this village somewhere; it would look just like this one, except with a different number of stars."

While they had been talking, the rest of the old man's family had emerged into the front room. While they were understandably nervous at the sight of Vegeta – who, even though he had discarded the axe and was now leaning against the wall, still looked fairly intimidating – the presence of Goku and Bulma, neither of whom seemed threatening, was enough to reassure them that these strangers did not mean them harm. As Bulma finished her explanation, the old man's young daughter spoke up.

"I've seen one of those before," she said, looking down somewhat shyly as she pointed at the Dragon Ball in Bulma's hand.

Bulma spun around like a hunting dog on point, smiling eagerly. "Really? You have?"

"Yes, a woman who lives three houses down has one." The girl frowned. "I'm not sure if she'd just give it to you, though."

Bulma frowned, her enthusiasm dampened. "She's right… we need all of the Dragon Balls, but I assumed we'd find them all in the wilderness or whatever. I hadn't really figured out what we should do if one of them belonged to somebody. I mean, with Roshi, we got lucky and did him a big enough favor that he just gave his to us, but I'm not sure how we could do that for this woman." She considered. "Although, I am the heiress for one of the biggest corporations on the planet, so I guess I could just buy it off her… although my dad might not be happy with me if I started throwing money around on this trip."

"Hmmm…" Goku appeared to be thinking the issue over, before an idea struck him; he grinned, looking up. "Well, how about this? If Vegeta and I fight this Oolong monster guy and beat him up, to get all the girls he's kidnapped back and make sure he'll leave this village alone, I bet that lady would be happy to give us the Dragon Ball in exchange."

"That…" Bulma's eyes widened. "That might actually work! Good idea, Goku!" She paused. "But… are you sure you can beat him? I mean, the guy's supposed to be some kind of monster, right?"

"That won't be a problem," Vegeta cut in. A faint smirk had formed on the prince's face. "An excellent idea, Kakarot. There's nothing on this planet, human or otherwise, that can defeat the two of us. If this so-called monster was powerful enough to be a threat to me, I'd be able to sense him from here." He straightened up, flexing his arms, and glanced at the old man. "You said he plans to take your daughter as his next captive? Did he give any indication as to when he'll be back?"

"At high noon, he said," the old man answered. "So, he should be here within an hour or two."

"Right!" Bulma started pacing, her mind spinning as she tried to come up with a plan. "Okay, how should we do this? Even once you two defeat Oolong, we'll need to find out where he's been keeping the girls he's abducted. Hmmm…" An idea occurred to her. "Maybe we could dress one of you two up as her, so he'll take you back to his lair, and then you can beat him up and rescue the girls?"

"Not a bad idea," Vegeta deadpanned. "But I have a better one." He cracked his knuckles. "We'll just wait until he gets here, and then Kakarot and I will pummel him until we make him tell us where his prisoners are."

Bulma thought that over for a moment, then shrugged. "Yeah, that works too."

Vegeta and Goku stood out in the middle of the village, waiting for the infamous "monster" to make his entrance. Bulma and the villagers were safely concealed within the surrounding houses; they had explained the situation, with assistance from the family, and had convinced the other villagers that their plan would work.

Sure enough, after a few minutes of waiting, the sound of heavy, crashing footfalls began to echo from the surrounding forest. Vegeta tensed unconsciously, waiting for the creature to emerge; he hadn't had a real battle for many years, and he was privately hoping that this monster was the real deal just so he could have a decent fight. Goku, for his part, seemed to be both nervous and excited, as he'd never had a real battle in his life until now. Sparring with Vegeta was fun, but the prospect of an actual fight had his Saiyan instincts buzzing.

As the two Saiyans readied themselves, their opponent emerged from the trees.

"Oolong the Terrible" was not quite what Vegeta had expected. He was certainly physically imposing: about twenty feet in height and reddish in coloration, with a prominent piglike snout instead of a human mouth and nose. The unusual part, however, was that Vegeta could barely detect any energy at all from him. Either he was a lot weaker than he looked, or he had some way of concealing his energy. Since Vegeta didn't know much about Oolong, he had to assume that both options were possible, but he didn't feel threatened either way.

"Where's my newest bride?" the giant boomed, coming to a stop in front of Goku and Vegeta and glaring down at them.

"Sorry, but your wedding's been canceled," Vegeta shot back, folding his arms nonchalantly.

"Yeah!" Goku seconded, twirling his Power Pole, a red wooden staff that Gohan had owned, in a two-handed grip. Vegeta had no use for the thing, so he'd let Goku have it, and the boy had become quite proficient with it. "You won't be kidnapping anyone else!" he called out confidently.

"Oh, really?" Oolong chuckled. "So you two think you're going to fight me?" Inwardly, however, he was much less confident than he appeared. The main reason he'd been so successful with this arrangement thus far was that everyone in the village had been too afraid of him to try anything, as, despite his transforming ability, he wasn't particularly strong no matter what form he was in. Also, since his transformations came with a five-minute time limit, he was usually just in and out of the village, never there for more than a couple of minutes at a time. If this took too long, he would revert to his normal form automatically, and if that happened he wouldn't be able to scare these people anymore. Whatever the case, he needed to wrap this up fast.

"That's correct," Vegeta retorted with a grin. He'd been feeling out Oolong's energy signature, and he was fairly certain that this so-called menace was far too weak to threaten him. He was a little disappointed, but since he knew, that meant he didn't need to dirty his hands on this trash. "Kakarot? He's all yours." He stepped back, content to simply observe this fight. It would be a good way to check up on the younger Saiyan's progress, too.

Goku grinned eagerly. "Okay, Vegeta! I won't let you down!" He turned to face Oolong, holding his staff in a ready stance. "Come on!" he shouted defiantly. "I'm not scared of you."

Oh, man! Oolong's eyes widened slightly, the only sign of his inner panic. These guys are serious. I could be in big trouble here! Forcing down his fear, he clenched his fists, trying to reassure himself with the massive size of his transformed state. Hopefully, these guys were weak enough that he could overpower them in this form; if he could do that, then things should go back to normal. All right. No choice, I guess. "All right, then," he growled, keeping his voice deep. "Come at me, little man!"

"You got it!" Goku shot back, charging at Oolong. As soon as he got close, he slammed one end of the Power Pole into the soil and yelled, "Power Pole – extend!" The staff instantly grew, propelling him high into the air until he was level with Oolong's head. The giant's clumsy swipe missed him completely, and Goku pushed off the ground with his staff, leaping through the air and whirling the staff in an arc, catching Oolong on the side of the head. The blow snapped Oolong's head to the side, knocking him sprawling and sending his massive body crashing to the ground. He lay there, groaning as he reached up to rub at the rapidly-forming bruise on the side of his head.

Goku landed lightly on his feet, spinning the staff as it shrank back down to normal size. As he advanced towards Oolong, intending to continue the battle, he noticed something odd. Instead of getting back up, the monster was still rolling around, holding his head and groaning in pain.

Goku frowned. "I didn't hit him that hard…" he complained. "C'mon, are you gonna keep fighting me or what?"

What… the hell… Oolong panted, rubbing his head as he attempted to deal with the throbbing pain shooting through it. How the hell… is he that strong?! To his dismay, he felt his transformation slipping. No… can't… hold it – With a loud POP, a cloud of smoke billowed up, enveloping him, before fading to reveal a different figure in the giant's place: a small, humanoid pig wearing army fatigues, still rubbing at a bruise in the same place where Goku had kicked the giant.

Goku stopped short, scratching his head. "Wait… what?" I mean, they did say he could transform, right? So, I guess… this is what he really looks like?

Oolong opened his eyes, looking down at himself. "No…" he groaned. "Damn it, I've gotta get out of here!" He scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain in his head, and turned to run for the trees –

– and found himself staring directly into Vegeta's cold eyes as the Saiyan prince materialized in front of him, snatching him up by the throat and effortlessly holding him in the air with one hand. "Nice try," he snapped, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the terrified shapeshifter. "Now, I'll ask you one time: where are the girls you abducted from this village?"

"T-they're… they're fine!" Oolong stammered. "They're all safe in a cave near here. I can take you there… just, please, don't kill me!"

Vegeta seemed to be thinking that over… but then he casually tossed Oolong to the ground. "All right. But if they're not all there and unharmed, I will kill you. Just so we're clear." His voice was almost conversational, but there was a hard edge to it that left Oolong with no doubt that his threat was genuine.

Shivering, Oolong nodded. "R-Right."

It took less than an hour for Goku and Vegeta to retrieve all of the kidnapped girls from Oolong's cave lair. Fortunately, as the shapeshifter had promised, all of his prisoners were safe and unhurt; considering Oolong's true, fearful nature, it was unlikely that he would have done anything to harm them.

Sure enough, with all the hostages safely returned, and the threat to the village eliminated, the woman who possessed a Dragon Ball – the six-star, as it turned out – was happy to hand it over as a reward for their help. With that done, the trio were preparing to leave.

"So, what're you planning to do with Oolong?" Goku inquired, indicating the shapeshifter, who remained tied to a post in the center of the village, under guard.

"To be honest, I'm not sure," the man whose house they'd entered first answered. "We've never had a situation like this before, so we'll have to decide what we want to do with him."

"Well, if you don't mind, I have an idea," Bulma spoke up. All eyes turned to her, as she nodded towards the downcast shapeshifter. "We could take him with us."

Vegeta frowned. "We could what?"

"Well, with that ability of his, he could be useful in helping us find the other Dragon Balls. And if he got out of line, you or Goku could just beat him again; it's not like he'd be a threat to either of you." She grinned, pleased with herself for coming up with a straightforward solution. "This way, the people of this village would never have to see him again, but they also wouldn't have to figure out what to do with him."

The old man considered that. "Very well," he agreed. "As long as you are sure you can keep Oolong from causing any trouble, then you are welcome to take him with you."

"No problem!" Bulma smiled, ignoring Vegeta's glare. The Saiyan prince turned and stalked off, muttering to himself irritably. For whatever reason, he could never win an argument with the blue-haired girl, and it was really starting to annoy him.

We had better find the rest of these damn Dragon Balls soon, he thought to himself. Because if I'm forced to spend much more time with that girl, I may have to kill her.

Chapter Text

Dragon Ball Saga, Part 7: Desert Wolf

"Man, I'm starving!" Oolong complained. "Can we stop and have something to eat?"

"Oh, sure, why not?" Vegeta shot back with a glare. "Here's an idea: how about a nice side of bacon?" That shut the shapeshifter up immediately, as he promptly flinched away and hid behind Goku. Vegeta snorted, turning back to face the barren landscape that spread out before them.

It had been almost a week since the group had left the village, and things had become more complicated. They'd been able to save some time by using a boat that Bulma had been keeping in one of her capsules, until it ran out of gas, forcing them to leave the river and travel by land again. Unfortunately, the land in question happened to be a rather expansive desert, which had made their journey a bit more difficult.

Vegeta, for his part, found it thoroughly annoying. He knew that if he and Kakarot were making this journey on their own, they could easily fly across the entirety of the desert in an hour or two and be on their way to the next Dragon Ball. But since they had Bulma and Oolong with them, they were forced to make the trek on foot, which was continually aggravating.

"God, this heat is ridiculous!" Bulma groaned, fanning herself in an effort to cool down. "As much as I hate to agree with the pig, I think we ought to stop soon."

"Hey!" Oolong squawked indignantly.

"Oh, shut up." Bulma sighed, turning to Vegeta. "Sunset's in a few hours; we'll be better off traveling at night, when it's cooler."

"Good idea!" Goku seconded, wiping sweat off his forehead with one of his wristbands.

Vegeta sighed. "Fine, whatever." He nodded towards a group of tall rock formations a short distance away. "We can make camp there."

Shortly after they'd set up camp, with Bulma having decided to take a nap inside the capsule house she'd brought, Vegeta decided to use the downtime to give Goku a quick training session. He'd already informed the younger Saiyan that after they had gotten their wish on the Dragon Balls, they would be going to Roshi's home so that Goku could train under him as Vegeta had years earlier. Goku was, of course, ecstatic about the prospect of learning more fighting skills and techniques, so Vegeta planned to take some time to sharpen him up a bit.

"Right," the Saiyan prince intoned as he raised his guard, eyes focused on Goku. "Come at me, Kakarot. Show me what you've got."

"Right!" Goku kept his Power Pole slung over his back for the moment, deciding to start out with the basics. Entering one of the stances Vegeta had taught him, he readied himself.

Seated nearby, Oolong looked on with interest, leaning back against a rock in the shade. He didn't have anything better to do, so he'd decided to observe their sparring session.

A gust of wind echoed among the rocks. As if that had been the starting gun, Goku lunged, darting straight for Vegeta. Just before he reached the taller Saiyan, he kicked off the ground and vaulted straight up, throwing a punch at head height instead of going low as most people would have expected given his small size.

Vegeta, of course, wasn't most people. He easily ducked the punch, rising into a swift uppercut that flipped Goku backwards, but the younger boy didn't give up, using the momentum to add speed to his own returning kick. The blow slammed against Vegeta's blocking arm with a solid impact, and Goku pushed off the block like a springboard, jumping back to gain some distance before charging in again. This time, he went low, aiming for Vegeta's ankles, but his attack was dodged without much effort, the prince hopping over his low kick before swinging a lazy one-handed chop that Goku barely dodged.

Rolling away, Goku snatched the Power Pole off his back, extending it as he charged back in. He swung left, then right, the pole blurring as he launched several rapid strikes, but Vegeta casually dodged each of the attacks, moving the minimum distance necessary to avoid each of them, before winding Goku with an open-palmed strike to the chest that send him skidding backwards.

"Come on, Kakarot, are you even trying?" the older Saiyan mocked, grinning. He was inwardly impressed – the younger boy's strength and speed had improved since the last time they'd done this – but he wasn't going to tell Goku that, of course. As a teacher, Vegeta wasn't the type for coddling: any compliments he ever gave would have to be earned. Fortunately, Goku understood that, so he thrived under the prince's tutelage.

With a grin, Goku straightened up, catching his breath, and twirled the Power Pole, readying himself for their next clash. "Come on!" he called out, before charging again. Vegeta did the same, his fist coming far too fast for Goku to dodge, aiming to knock him away again –

And it stopped, less than a foot away, as both Saiyans skidded to a halt. Vegeta's head snapping around, his eyes narrowing in concentration as he stared off into the distance. Goku turned as well, his eyes widening as he felt the same disturbance. His ability to sense ki wasn't quite as advanced as Vegeta's yet, but he could still feel what had startled the older Saiyan.

Oolong, who had been watching the fight in amazement, was caught off-guard by the sudden pause in the battle. "Um… you guys okay?" he called from his position in the shade. "Something wrong?"

Vegeta didn't turn. "Someone's coming," he murmured. "Someone quite strong, by human standards." He wasn't exaggerating; the approaching energy signature wasn't as large as Roshi's, but it was much greater than that of Bulma or any normal human. And whoever this mysterious person might be, they were approaching the campsite at a fairly high speed.

Before long, a small cloud of dust became visible on the horizon. After a few minutes, the source of the disturbance became clear: a hovercar, similar to the one Bulma had been using before it was damaged. The car pulled up a short distance away from where Vegeta, Goku and Oolong stood waiting, and its driver disembarked, striding towards them.

He was clearly a martial artist of some sort, as his muscular physique and relatively-high power level indicated, but his clothing was quite odd: a green shirt, orange pants, blue boots, a white belt, and a sword that hung at his hip. He had long, untidy black hair, and wore a confident smirk on his lean, handsome features. The other odd thing about him was the passenger in his car: a small, blue-furred, catlike creature, which moved by floating rather than walking.

"Greetings!" the man called out in a friendly tone as he strode towards them. "My name is Yamcha: in case you haven't heard of me, I am the master of the Diablo Desert, the land on which you have trespassed."

Vegeta snorted in amusement, raising an eyebrow. Seriously?

"There's no reason for you to fear me," Yamcha continued, holding out one hand in a sweeping gesture, while his other rested casually on the hilt of his sword. "All you need to do is hand over any capsules or money that you happen to have on you, and I'll allow you to pass through here in peace."

"That's right!" his feline companion seconded in a high-pitched, feminine voice.

While Goku and Vegeta were focused on Yamcha, Oolong found himself more intrigued by the cat. Don't I know her from somewhere? He looked more closely, tapping his chin, as he struggled to figure it out. Wait… don't tell me that's… Abruptly, it came to him, and he grinned.

"Puar!" he called out with a laugh, jogging forward until he stood beside Goku and Vegeta. "I'd know you anywhere! We went to Shapeshifting Academy together, remember?" He snickered at the angered scowl on the cat's face.

"Oolong!" Puar growled, shooting a glare at the pig. "Of course I remember you, you no-good bully! You always picked on me and stole my lunch money, just because I was smaller than you!"

Yamcha's eyes narrowed, as he focused his attention on Oolong. "You don't say? Well, how would you like to be the victim for a change, little pig?"

Oolong's eyes popped open wide in terror, and he hastily backpedaled, ducking behind Vegeta in an effort to avoid Yamcha's threatening glare. "Um… you guys wanna take it from here?" he mumbled.

"With pleasure," Vegeta muttered as he stepped forward. "Kakarot, stay back. You got to fight last time; this one's mine."

"Awww, okay," Goku muttered, taking a seat on a nearby flat rock in the shade. Oolong hurried over to him, although he took up a crouched position behind the rock, making it easier to run or hide if necessary.

Rolling his shoulders, Vegeta strolled forward leisurely, coming to a halt opposite Yamcha. Stretching his arms to loosen up, he turned to face the bandit. "All right, I've had enough of this farce. You'll get nothing from us, so I'd suggest you leave now if you know what's good for you." He cracked a grin, a brief flicker of something dangerous in his eyes. "Sticking around might be hazardous to your health."

Yamcha chuckled. "Oh, really? A tough guy, are you? Well, I think I'll be the judge of that." He entered a fighting stance, one hand lightly gripping the hilt of his sword. "I'll ask nicely one more time. Either hand over your belongings peacefully, or I'll take them by force."

Vegeta chuckled. "Not a bad ultimatum. Here's mine." He dropped into his own ready stance. "Either way, you're leaving, without what you came for. But you can either leave with all your bones intact, or I can break a few first." His eyes narrowed. "Your choice."

Yamcha scowled, his previous geniality vanishing. "Okay, tough guy. Let's see what you're made of!" With that, his sword flashed out of the scabbard, and he launched himself at Vegeta with a battle cry.

In the moment before he moved to dodge, Vegeta grinned. Oh, I've missed this.

With a hiss of super-speed, the Saiyan vanished, and Yamcha's sword swung through empty air. The bandit skidded to a halt, his eyes wide as he looked around. What the hell?

"Looking for me?"

Yamcha's eyes widened, and he whipped around, sword slashing in a horizontal arc at chest height, but Vegeta dodged back out of range, narrowly avoiding the gleaming blade. "Not bad," he remarked. "Can you do better?"

"I'm just getting warmed up!" Yamcha lunged, his sword becoming a blur as he launched a rapid-fire series of slashes and jabs, but Vegeta was even faster as he dodged and weaved through the attacks with ease, not losing so much as a strand of hair. Finally, he sidestepped a particularly forceful vertical swing and ducked inside Yamcha's guard, swinging around behind him and tapping two fingers to the small of his back, shoving him away as Vegeta straightened up.

"Don't you mock me, you –" Yamcha snarled as he whirled to face Vegeta. A moment later, however, he gasped and staggered, clutching at his stomach. "What? W-when did you… hit me?"

Vegeta shrugged. "In the moment when I was inside your guard, right before I stepped around behind you. I'm a little surprised you didn't notice, to be honest; I didn't put that much speed behind it."

"Bastard…" Yamcha gritted his teeth, tensing before he sprang, his sword coming around in a decapitating arc. Vegeta flowed smoothly out of the weapon's path, ducking in close and swinging an uppercut that cracked into Yamcha's jaw, nearly knocking him senseless and landing him flat on his back. The sword slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground.

"Okay, you must have seen that one coming, right?" Vegeta questioned with a note of amusement in his voice. "I slowed it down a bit that time."

What… the hell… Yamcha gasped for breath as he sat up, rubbing his jaw in an effort to ease the pain of that last blow. I can't take another hit like that… damn it, what is he?! He forced himself to his feet, swaying unsteadily back and forth. "You're stronger than I thought," he remarked shakily. "But I'm not done yet!" Readying his energy, he focused it into his hands, letting them glow with a faint blue light. "I don't usually use this against my opponents, because it tends to end badly for them, but in this case you've earned it! Prepare yourself for my ultimate technique – the Wolf Fang Fist!"

Vegeta smirked, arms hanging loosely at his sides as he observed his opponent's moves. He's concentrating all his power into a single point, so he can hit me with all of it at once… not a bad strategy. "Come on, then," he retorted. "Do your worst."

"Gladly!" Yamcha yelled, his eyes flashing with a predatory glare. Kicking off the ground, he shot forward, bringing his hands around with a flare of light. "WOLF FANG FIST!" he roared, swinging his attack directly for Vegeta's chest.

In the moment before the attack made contact, Vegeta considered dodging or blocking it, but ultimately decided against that course of action. He wanted to see his enemy's best, and the best way to do that was to take it head-on.

WHAM! Yamcha's claw-like hands struck Vegeta squarely, raining down a furious volley of blows on the prince. Since Vegeta had deliberately left himself open, the force of the impacts knocked him left, then right, pushing him backwards across the ground. Yamcha finished off his chain of attacks by slamming both fists into the center of Vegeta's chest with a final yell, releasing an explosive shockwave that blew Vegeta backwards into the rock formation behind him. The force of the impact was so great that the rock caved in and collapsed on top of the Saiyan, burying him completely.

"Whoa!" Goku exclaimed, his eyes widening in amazement. "That was some attack!"

Oolong paled, a look of horror on his face. "W-What the hell was that?! Is this guy really even stronger than Vegeta? Oh, man, this is bad!" He grabbed Goku by the arm. "Shouldn't you go help him?"

Goku looked over to where Vegeta had disappeared; he appeared concerned for a moment, but then shook his head, a faint grin appearing on his face. "Nah," he said decisively. "He's got this."

Yamcha gasped, panting as he leaned on a nearby boulder. "Gotcha…" he breathed. "Hope you… liked that… bastard."

That was when the faint sound of crumbling rock reached his ears, and he froze. No way…

Sure enough, a moment later, the fallen rocks shook and exploded outwards. Yamcha jumped back, his eyes wide in shock, as Vegeta emerged, dusting himself off and revealing that, except for a few scuffs on his clothing, he was completely unharmed. "Well, that wasn't half-bad," the Saiyan prince remarked dryly. "But if you don't have anything better than that to throw at me, I'm afraid this is where our fight ends."

What?! What the hell is he? Yamcha inhaled slowly, pushing himself back to his feet. "I don't know… how you're so powerful… but I won't just give up." His eyes narrowed as he clenched his fists, focusing all of his remaining energy. "This is… everything I've got left! Now come at me!"

"I thought you'd never ask," Vegeta shot back. He charged forward as Yamcha did the same, the distance between them swallowed up within seconds. They each swung a punch, their attacks colliding with an explosive shockwave, blasting up the ground around them and engulfing them in a cloud of dust.

A few seconds later, there was a shift in the dust, and Vegeta emerged, tossing Yamcha's unconscious body unceremoniously to the ground. "Well, I'll give you a little credit," the Saiyan prince admitted. "You might be weak, but at least you've got some courage." With that, he turned away and strolled back over to the others, as Puar rushed over to tend to her unconscious friend.

"Wow!" Goku cried out excitedly, scampering towards Vegeta. "That was awesome! Can you show me how to do that?"

Vegeta chuckled. "Don't worry, Kakarot; you'll learn soon enough."

"What the hell is going on?!" a familiar voice yelled, drawing their attention. Sure enough, Bulma had woken up from her nap (likely due to the noise generated by the fight), and was marching towards them with a furious glare. "I get that you two love fighting, but why the hell are you setting off explosions while I'm trying to nap?"

"That was not my fault," Vegeta snapped, in no mood to put up with her usual attitude. "If you want someone to blame, blame the weakling who decided to attack and rob us." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, to where Puar was tending to Yamcha's injuries. "Although I've already dealt with the situation."

"Oh." Bulma frowned, gazing at Yamcha's sprawled form. "You didn't kill him, did you?"

"I considered it, but no." Vegeta shrugged. "He wasn't worth the effort."

"Ah…" Yamcha groaned, drawing their attention. He'd regained consciousness, though he still lacked the strength to get up.

"Yamcha!" Puar cried out, hugging the bandit's neck. "Are you okay? I thought he might've really hurt you!"

"I'm… fine, Puar," the bandit murmured. He managed to sit up with some difficulty, looking over at Vegeta with an expression of mingled anger and amazement on his face. "You… how the hell are you so strong? I've never fought anyone who could defeat me before today, especially not as easily as you did."

"Hah!" Vegeta laughed. "That was nothing. If I'd used anything close to my full power, I assure you you'd be dead right now." He raised an eyebrow. "Of course, I could still do that, if you'd prefer. But I think we both know there's no point in continuing this fight."

"You…" Yamcha seemed to be trying to think of a retort, before his head sagged. "…you're right. I might be many things, but I'm not stupid, and I know when continuing a battle is pointless." A faint, rueful grin flickered across his lips. "Although it's always been in the other direction before," he muttered, letting out a sigh. "Anyway, I know I can't beat you. You can go on your way; I won't trouble you any further." Waving off Puar's assistance, he picked himself up, staggering slightly as he made his way over to the hovercar he'd arrived in. Clambering back into the driver's seat as Puar hopped back in beside him, he stepped on the accelerator and peeled off, vanishing into the distance within a few minutes in a cloud of dust.

Vegeta nodded in satisfaction. "Well, that's the end of that." Turning away, he headed back to the capsule house, having decided to take a nap. Bulma trailed after him, taking a last curious glance in the direction where Yamcha's car had disappeared on the horizon. Goku, however, stared after Yamcha's departing car, his brow furrowed.

"You okay, kid?" Oolong inquired.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Goku nodded, but his gaze was still focused on the horizon, as if he were thinking something over.

Oolong shrugged. "Ah… all right, then." Having had quite enough excitement for one day, he turned and ambled off towards the capsule house, planning to see if Bulma had any food lying around.

.

That night, Vegeta and Bulma sat around the campfire they'd made, gazing up at the stars. Oolong had gone into the capsule house to sleep after finishing dinner, and Goku had wandered off to explore the surrounding area, leaving the two of them alone.

"So…" Bulma was the first to speak up. "That fight earlier was pretty impressive."

Vegeta snorted. "If you call that a fight. It's almost sad, actually; I think that was the first real battle I've had since I landed on this planet as a child." He chuckled nostalgically. "I'd almost forgotten how much fun it is."

"So your species… you guys are really into fighting, I guess?" she inquired.

"Of course!" Vegeta grinned. "The Saiyans are a proud warrior race, the mightiest in the universe! The love of battle is in our blood; our kind have been fighters and conquerors for as long as we can remember." He exhaled slowly, staring into the crackling fire as he remembered his father's final message to him, the one that had sent him to this planet. "At least… we were, anyway."

Bulma frowned. "Were? What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm not certain either way, because I don't know what happened, but…" Vegeta picked up a small stick, turning it over in his hands. "Many years ago, when I was still very young, I was on a mission when I received a message from my father. He informed me that Frieza – a powerful alien tyrant who runs the Planet Trade Empire, the organization that the Saiyans work for – was threatening to destroy our home planet and wipe out our entire race. My father had raised an army to launch a rebellion against Frieza, but he wanted to make sure I was safe so I could carry on our people's legacy even if he failed. He gave me the coordinates for Earth, as Kakarot had recently been sent here, so I would have another Saiyan around to help me. I made my way here, found Kakarot, and I've been living here ever since." He sighed, tossing the stick into the fire. "But… it's been over ten years, and I haven't received any messages from my father or any other Saiyans since then. Which means, in all likelihood…" He trailed off wordlessly.

"They're… gone?" Bulma whispered, her eyes wide in shock and horror. "All of them? Your whole planet?"

After a moment, Vegeta forced himself to nod. "It's… possible, yes." He scowled. "And if Frieza did wipe out my people, and is still in control of the Empire, then trying to send a message to anyone off-planet would be suicide for me. That's why I'm interested in these Dragon Balls; if this magical dragon you've been talking about can really grant any wish, I'm hoping that it can tell me what happened to my people."

"That's… wow." Bulma was staring at him with a stunned expression. "I'm… so sorry you've had to go through all of that, Vegeta. Just thinking about what that would be like if I was in your place… stranded on an alien planet for ten years, not knowing if my parents or anyone I've ever known were dead or alive… I can't imagine how terrible that must be for you." She was silent for a moment, before shaking her head. "Well, in that case, you definitely have a much better reason to use the Dragon Balls than I do. When we've gathered all seven, you can use them to find what you need to know."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, glancing over at her. "Well, that's very generous of you." He frowned. "Hang on… I don't think I ever asked, actually. Did you have a wish in mind for yourself?"

"Well, I…" Bulma chuckled softly. "Actually, yeah, I did. But compared to yours, it's stupid, so I won't bother with it."

"Well, what was it?" Vegeta pressed. "I'm genuinely curious: what could prompt someone like you to embark on such a long and dangerous journey, totally on your own, with no powers like what Kakarot and I can do to keep you safe along the way? What could you possibly want that badly?"

Bulma blushed. "Well… to be honest, I…" She looked down, averting her eyes. "Promise you won't laugh?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever."

"Okay." Bulma groaned. "God, it sounds so dumb now, but… I wanted to wish for the perfect boyfriend." She flushed, looking anywhere but at Vegeta.

For his part, Vegeta was surprised: he wasn't sure what he'd been expecting her wish to be, but it certainly wasn't that. "You're serious?" he asked. "You've been going on a journey across the planet, facing monsters and trekking through dangerous terrain, to summon a legendary dragon that possesses magical powers… just so you can ask for a suitable mate?"

"Yes!" Bulma exclaimed exasperatedly. "Yes, okay? So I couldn't think of anything better; sue me!" She slumped back against the rock she'd been leaning on, groaning. "I know, I know, you probably think that's the stupidest thing you've ever heard…"

"Actually, I was going to say that, considering that you're highly intelligent, reasonably attractive, and fairly pleasant company, I'm not sure why you would feel the need to wish for someone who would be interested in you." Vegeta chuckled softly. "I mean, surely you would have no shortage of options if that's what you're looking for."

That stopped Bulma short; she turned slowly, looking at Vegeta with something new in her expression. "…Thanks," she said with a smile. "That's really sweet of you."

"Don't tell anyone I did," Vegeta returned with a chuckle. "I don't make a habit of giving compliments." He flashed a smirk. "Even when they're deserved."

Bulma grinned, leaning back against the rock. Then her grin melted into a scowl as something else Vegeta had said clicked, and her eyes snapped back to him again. "Hang on. What do you mean, reasonably attractive?!"

Vegeta's laughter echoed out into the night.

Several miles away, Yamcha and Puar sat quietly around their own fire. The mood in their camp was much more subdued, as Yamcha was busy nursing his injuries from the fight with Vegeta, while Puar flitted around tending the fire.

"I just don't understand it," Yamcha muttered. "How the hell could anyone be that strong?" He poked at the fire with a long stick, stirring up the burning logs. "I know there are some famous martial arts masters out there – the Turtle and Crane Hermits, Son Gohan of Paozu, people like that – but I didn't think anybody that young could have that kind of power." He sighed. "Well, it doesn't matter. It's not like I'll be seeing him again."

Abruptly, the crunching sounds of footsteps on sand reached the bandit's ears. He sprang to his feet, wincing as the bruises that Vegeta had given him gave a twinge, but he still entered a ready stance, picking up his sword from the bed of his hovercar. "Who's there?" he called out, beckoning to Puar, who ducked behind him. "Trying to sneak up on me?"

"Not really, no," a young voice replied. Goku emerged from the shadows, strolling up to the campfire.

"You?" Yamcha frowned. "What the hell are you doing here, kid? I already said I'd leave you guys alone; your friend made sure of that."

"Oh, yeah, I know," Goku replied with a smile. "Don't worry, I just wanted to talk."

"…Okay…" The bandit sat down again and leaned against his car, keeping a wary eye on Goku.

The Saiyan boy sat cross-legged in front of the fire, enjoying the warmth. He stretched, yawning, and grinned. "So, I watched your fight with Vegeta, and I thought that fighting style of yours was really cool. You were actually keeping him on his toes there for a minute! I've never really seen him like that; he doesn't usually enjoy himself that much when he fights someone. Normally he just smacks people around and that's it, but against you he actually put some effort in." Excitement flashed in his eyes. "I wanna be able to do that someday, see. I'm gonna get strong enough that I can go toe to toe with Vegeta in a fight. That's been somethin' I've wanted to do ever since he started teaching me martial arts, but so far I've never been able to even hit him when he gets serious."

Yamcha nodded slowly. "Okay, so you're his student? That makes sense, I guess. But…" He frowned. "What're you talking to me for? I mean, it's not like I could beat him."

"Yeah, I know." Goku nodded. "But one of the things Vegeta's taught me is that it's important to learn as much as I can about different fighting styles. He promised to take me to train with his old teacher, Master Roshi, after we're done helping Bulma, but I figured, since your fighting style looked interesting too, I'd come find you and ask you if you could show me some of your moves?" He beamed hopefully, leaning forward to focus on Yamcha.

Yamcha wasn't sure how to respond to that, until one particular detail that the kid had mentioned clicked in his mind. "Wait… Master Roshi?" he asked. "As in Muten Roshi, the Turtle Hermit?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was his name," Goku confirmed. "Vegeta's gonna take me to train with him once our trip's over."

Yamcha's eyes widened, his mind racing. The Turtle Hermit… yes, that makes sense! If that Vegeta guy trained under him, that could explain how he's so powerful.

An idea suddenly occurred to him. If I could get power like that… His eyes narrowed, and he glanced at Goku. "All right, kid… I'll teach you."

Goku's eyes widened and he smiled eagerly. "Wait, really?"

"Not so fast," Yamcha cut him off. "I've got a couple conditions. First off, I want to come with you lot, which means you'll have to convince your friend Vegeta to let me and Puar tag along." He jerked a thumb at his furry companion, who looked up in alarm.

"Yamcha?" Puar squeaked, her eyes wide. "Are… are you sure we should do that? Oolong's a jerk, and that Vegeta guy hurt you!"

"Yes, I'm sure, Puar," Yamcha replied quickly, arching an eyebrow meaningfully to send a clear message of We'll talk about this later, before turning back to Goku. "So here's the deal, kid. Wherever you're going – frankly, I couldn't care less where it is – you've gotta convince your friends to let us come with you." His lips curved in a smile. "And when this is over, you have to take us with you when you go to meet the Turtle Hermit. If you're gonna train with him, I want in on that. In exchange, I'll teach you everything you want to know about how I fight." He held out a hand, grinning. "Deal?"

Goku eyed the offered hand for a moment, then smiled happily. "Deal!" he replied, shaking Yamcha's hand with surprising strength. "Don't worry, I'm sure I can convince Vegeta and Bulma to let you guys come along." He hopped to his feet. "All right! Just come back to our camp in the morning, okay?" With that, he was gone, bounding energetically off into the darkness.

"So… what was that about, Yamcha?" Puar inquired. "Why do you want to go with them?"

"It's pretty simple," the bandit replied, smiling at his friend before leaning back and looking into the fire. "If that fight today showed me anything, it's that there's a whole world of power I didn't even know existed. I've never really learned the ways of martial arts, since I always figured I could get strong enough on my own. But the Turtle Hermit's a legend; if I can actually get a chance to train with him, I'm not gonna miss out on that opportunity." His eyes narrowed and he held up a clenched fist, his resolve joined by a flash of anger. And if I can get as strong as that arrogant bastard Vegeta… he's gonna pay for humiliating me.

Chapter Text

Dragon Ball Saga, Part 8: Out of the Fire

"You're kidding."

"Nope."

"Seriously?!"

"Yep. The radar doesn't lie: it's definitely in there."

Vegeta groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fantastic," he muttered.

Bulma nodded, tucking the Dragon Radar away in her pocket, before sighing as she looked up at the mountain that lay before them. "No kidding."

Three days had passed since their encounter with Yamcha and Puar. The group had completed their trek across the Diablo Desert, which had been sped up considerably by Yamcha's car, and were now approaching the source of the next Dragon Ball: a tall, craggy mountain, shrouded in clouds, with a large stone castle at its summit.

The only problem was that the "clouds" were actually smoke. Because the mountain in question was on fire.

Not just the plants on it. The mountain itself. The entire thing, from ground level to the very top, was engulfed in a fiery inferno, its hellish glow visible for miles. Curiously, despite the absence of anything that should be able to burn, the flames continued to rage, swirling over the barren stone as if it was dry grass.

The most annoying part was that, according to Bulma's Dragon Radar, the Dragon Ball they were looking for was located inside the castle, at the very top of the mountain.

"Any ideas?" Bulma inquired as the group made their way through the scrubland towards the base of the burning mountain. "We'll have to get through that fire somehow if we're going to get to the castle."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, thinking it over. Well, it's fire, not a physical barrier, so I'm not sure how well blasting our way through would go… "I could just fly to the top," he murmured contemplatively, "but I'd still have to get into the castle and find the Dragon Ball. The heat wouldn't be a problem – I could use my ki to shield myself from the flames – but there can't be much oxygen up there."

"Yeah, this place looks pretty dangerous," Goku remarked, frowning. "That fire's really big."

"Not to mention the Ox King," Oolong muttered.

"What?" Goku blinked curiously. "Who's the Ox King?"

"Supposedly, he's the guy who owns this mountain and the surrounding lands," the shapeshifter explained, glancing around nervously. "He's supposed to be some kind of monster who drives away or kills anybody that trespasses within his domain."

"Oh, wow!" Goku's eyes widened and he grinned excitedly. "He sounds awesome!"

Yamcha hung back, a little apart from the others, with Puar remaining faithfully by his side. The bandit kept quiet, not wanting to provoke Vegeta's anger. The memories of the beating he'd suffered during their fight, and of Vegeta's anger when he'd found out about the deal Goku had made with him, were still vivid in his head.

"No! Absolutely not!"

"Oh, come on, Vegeta! He won't get in the way, I promise!"

"It's completely out of the question, Kakarot! Bringing the girl and the pig along is bad enough; I'm not going to tolerate bringing this weakling as well!"

"But you don't understand!" Goku exclaimed, his eyes wide and beseeching. "You're the one who's always telling me I need to get stronger. And having another sparring partner will help me do that! C'mon, please?" He turned to Yamcha, smiling. "You won't cause any trouble, will ya?"

Yamcha nodded quickly. "Yeah, he's right!" he seconded. "I don't care what you guys are looking for; I just really want to meet the Turtle Hermit, and I'd be happy to teach Goku some of my moves in exchange. And I won't cause you any trouble, I swear."

Faster than the bandit's eyes could follow, Vegeta phased into view directly in front of him, the younger man's cold eyes now locked with his own. Yamcha flinched back violently, but managed to stand his ground.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed slightly, sending a threatening glare. "For your sake, I hope not," he growled, before turning and walking back to the others. "Fine, Kakarot. You can bring him along. But keep this in mind, Scarface." He shot another glare over his shoulder, his dark eyes sending a chill down Yamcha's spine. "If you make me regret this, I'll kill you myself."

Best to just stay out of the way and avoid making him mad, Yamcha thought to himself. The kid seems nice enough, but that Vegeta guy's crazy. Not to mention… He blushed as he glanced over to Bulma, who was checking the radar again. It had always been his one fatal weakness: his damn shyness, unable to do so much as talk to a girl.

Doesn't matter, he reminded himself. You're not here to make friends; you're here so they'll take you to meet the Turtle Hermit. If training with him is how Vegeta's so strong, and you can get to that level too… He grinned a little. Then this will all be worth it. For now, though, it's probably best to avoid any confrontations.

As the group approached the base of the mountain, the heat of the fire grew even more intense. Vegeta was able to shield himself using a gentle flow of ki, but the others were sweating profusely.

"Right, then," the Saiyan prince muttered, tilting his head back and gazing up at the distant castle atop the mountain. "If no one has a better idea, I'll have to fly up there and see if I can find it."

"Sounds like a plan –" Bulma was interrupted by a sudden crashing in the bushes nearby. The group turned as one towards the source of the noise, Vegeta, Goku and Yamcha taking up fighting stances in front of Bulma and the shapeshifters, just as a huge figure emerged into the open.

"Who dares to trespass on my land?!" the giant demanded in a deep, booming voice. Easily seven feet in height, he towered over the small group. A huge axe hung from one of his massive hands, and he wore a helmet adorned with a pair of curved horns.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. Well, what do you know. Looks like the pig was right after all. Out loud, he called out, "You're the Ox King, I presume?"

"That's right!" The burly man scowled, his hand tightening on the handle of his axe. "And who are you? A gang of thieves, here to steal from me?"

"Whoa!" Bulma paled, her eyes wide. "No, that's not it! We… we didn't mean to trespass, I swear! We're just looking for –"

"My treasure, no doubt?!" the Ox King snapped, waving his axe. "Well, you won't be getting anything from me!" He charged, swinging his axe in a backhanded sweep aimed at Vegeta, who was closest to him.

Vegeta sighed. "Oh, for god's sake…" He shot a glance at Goku and Yamcha. "You two, stand back. I'll handle this." Taking a few quick, bounding steps forward, he hopped into the air and somersaulted forwards over the Ox King's head, his arm flicking out and notching a chop into the back of his opponent's neck. The mountain of a man toppled, crashing facefirst to the ground, Vegeta landing neatly behind him on his feet.

"Guh…" The Ox King rolled over, groaning and rubbing his neck. "What was that?!"

"That," Vegeta replied tersely, "was a warning." He turned to face the larger man, folding his arms over his chest. "For your information, we're not here to steal from you. We're looking for a set of artifacts known as Dragon Balls, and one of them is in that castle up there." He jerked his head towards the top of the burning mountain. "If it belongs to you, I'm sure the girl over there would be happy to pay you for it."

"Yeah, he's right!" Bulma seconded, before pausing and scowling as Vegeta's words sank in. "Wait… hey!"

The Ox King's eyes widened as he sat up. "Oh! My apologies, then. Gangs of bandits are fairly common in these parts, so I assumed that must be why you were here. Sorry about that." He rose to his feet, still rubbing his neck. "Well, if that little rock's all you're interested in, I'd be happy to give it to you; I've got no use for it. But, unfortunately…" He frowned ruefully, glancing up at the mountain. "With the fire, there's no way to reach the castle."

"Um… sir?" Goku spoke up curiously. "We were actually wondering about that. Why is the mountain on fire?"

"Well, the fire is magical in nature, you see," the Ox King explained. "This mountain was once known as Pleasant Mountain, if you can believe that: it was a beautiful place. But I wanted to help protect my castle from bandits, so I hired a wizard to create a magical fire around the castle. Unfortunately, the magic was too strong, and the fire grew out of control and consumed the entire mountain. I've spent years trying to find a way to put it out, but I didn't figure it out until very recently."

This caught Bulma's interest. "So, wait… there is a way to put it out?" she asked.

The Ox King nodded. "Yes, there should be… a magic artifact known as the Bansho Fan. Last I heard, it was in the possession of the great Turtle Hermit, Master Roshi. I sent my daughter Chi-Chi off to find him a couple of days ago, but she hasn't returned." He removed a slip of paper from his pocket, holding it up to show them a picture of a young girl, about the same age as Goku, wearing a rather revealing purple outfit that vaguely resembled a swimsuit.

His mention of the Turtle Hermit caught Vegeta's attention, as well as those of Goku and Yamcha. "Wait… Roshi?" the Saiyan prince asked. "You know him?"

"Of course!" The Ox King grinned a little. "He was my master: he taught me the ways of martial arts." He frowned. "You know him too?"

"I do," Vegeta confirmed. "I've also trained with him."

"Oh!" The large man smiled, considering for a moment. "Well, as a favor to me… would you be willing to help me find my daughter, and the Bansho Fan? If you can get the fan, we'll be able to put the fire out, and you can have the Dragon Ball."

"Sure!" Goku grinned. "Vegeta, you know where Master Roshi lives, right?"

"Obviously," the prince retorted with a grin. "All right, here's what we'll do. Kakarot and I can fly, so we're the fastest." He glanced to Goku. "Kakarot, you go find this guy's daughter. I remember where Roshi's house is, so I'll go find him and get the fan thing so we can put the fire out. We'll meet back here."

"Right!" Goku called for the Nimbus, the small golden cloud dropping from overhead and hovering beside him. "Don't worry, Mr. Ox; I'll find her!" He hopped onto the cloud and flew up and away, soaring off into the distance.

Vegeta smirked a little at the amazed reactions of Yamcha, Puar and the Ox King. "I'm off too. You lot, stay out of trouble while we're gone." He nodded to Bulma, before flaring his ki and blasting off back the direction they had come.

Goku soared through the air, scanning the ground below for any signs of life. He strained to detect anyone, but for the most part the lands below him were empty and barren. C'mon, c'mon! he thought to himself.

After an hour or so, his eyes finally fell on a small, humanoid figure far below. After a moment, he recognized her from the picture the Ox King had shown him. There we go! That must be her! He smiled and leaned forward, steering the Nimbus into a swift descent.

"Um… hi!" he called out as he approached the girl, waving in a friendly manner. "Sorry, but are you Chi-Chi?"

The girl turned, her eyes wide in surprise and amazement as she saw him dropping out of the sky. "Um… y-yes?" she answered, stammering a little. How did this boy know her name? And… is he really flying?

"Cool!" Goku smiled, bringing the cloud to a stop a few inches off the ground, right in front of her. "My name's Goku!" Remembering his manners from what Vegeta had taught him, he bowed to her. "Uh, your dad asked me to come and bring you back home."

"Oh!" Chi-Chi smiled, blushing a little. He's so polite! "Well, all right. Thank you; that's very sweet of you."

"Um… thanks?" Goku replied, smiling. He wasn't sure what she meant – Sweet? Like honey or somethin'? – but he shrugged it off. "So… let's go, I guess. Just hop on, and I'll fly us back." He held out a hand, beckoning to her.

Chi-Chi's blush deepened, but she took Goku's hand and let him lift her up onto the Nimbus cloud. She was amazed by the fact that she was actually able to stand on the cloud, but Goku didn't seem to regard it as odd, so she didn't say anything about it.

It didn't take long for Goku and Chi-Chi to make it back to the mountain; the girl stuck close to the young Saiyan once they'd returned, clearly taken with him. The group settled in, waiting for Vegeta to return. To their surprise, it didn't take nearly as long as they'd thought; within a few more hours, a dot appeared on the horizon, and rapidly grew into the form of the Saiyan prince. He touched down a few yards away, strolling up to them.

"So… how'd it go?" Bulma inquired. "Did you find him?"

"Did he have the fan-thingy?" Goku put in.

"Yes, and no," Vegeta answered each of their questions matter-of-factly. "I did find him, but unfortunately he says he lost the Bansho Fan some time ago."

"Oh, no!" The Ox King sighed, sinking to the ground in defeat. "Then there's nothing we can do?"

"I didn't say that," Vegeta corrected him. "The good news is, the old man said that he can put out the fire himself." He nodded to the horizon, where another dark dot had become visible. "So he agreed to come back with me."

Sure enough, this dot turned out to be Roshi's pet turtle, spinning at such high speeds that its momentum kept it airborne. The old master was perched in the center of the turtle's shell, crouched low to keep the wind from launching him off of its back. He hopped nimbly off of Turtle's back as the pair settled to the ground, leaning on his cane for a moment to steady himself. "Ah… so what's this about a fire, then?" he questioned, cracking a grin.

After Bulma and the Ox King quickly explained the situation, Roshi ambled towards the base of the mountain, taking up position on an elevated piece of ground. He shrugged off his Hawaiian shirt, exposing his bare torso, and took a few deep breaths as he readied himself.

"Need any help?" Vegeta spoke up, arching an eyebrow.

"Nah, I've got this," Roshi replied, waving off his student. "I've got enough in me to put out this little fire." His eyes narrowed as he cupped his hands to his side, beginning to focus his energy. A full-power Kamehameha ought to be more than enough…

Vegeta smirked, arms folded as he focused on Roshi's energy. The others were standing further back, Goku and Yamcha both focused intently on the famed Turtle Hermit. So far, the bandit was keeping quiet, not wanting to annoy Roshi and ruin his chances of getting to train with the legendary master.

"Ka… Me…" Roshi chanted. His energy began building up, slowly at first, then faster. A gust of wind whipped up around him, as his muscles suddenly expanded, bulking up dramatically. "Ha… Me…" His eyes focused intently on the mountain, and he swung his hands forward, launching the attack. "HAAA!"

Everything was light and heat and noise for about ten seconds, the entire area was lit up with a blinding flare of blue light, and the roar of the energy blast was deafening as the Kamehameha smashed into the mountain. Everyone else had to cover their eyes and duck for cover; even Vegeta had to squint against the glare.

After about ten seconds, the light and noise died down. The group turned back to face the mountain, their eyes widening in amazement as the smoke cleared.

Sure enough, the fire was gone completely. The problem was, so was the castle, along with most of the mountain. The whole thing had been leveled by the power of the blast.

Roshi's eyes widened, and he chuckled softly. "Heheh… sorry about that. Guess I put a bit too much 'oomph' into that one."

Vegeta was grinning a little. "Not bad, old man," he commented dryly. "But if blowing up the mountain was all we had to do, I could have done that myself."

Yamcha was gaping. Holy shit… what the hell are these people?! He looked from Roshi to Vegeta and back again. They're both so strong… I've got to get to that level! Somehow…

"That was so cool!" Goku exclaimed, beaming. He scampered over to Roshi and Vegeta, his eyes wide. "Was that the Kamehameha? The move you taught Vegeta?"

"Yep!" Roshi replied with a weary grin. "My strongest technique, that one." He glanced at Vegeta, chuckling. "Though this one made it look easy the first time he tried it."

Vegeta laughed. "Oh, please. Like I said, old man, I'm a Saiyan. Learning new techniques comes naturally to us."

As the master and student bantered, Goku was still thinking about what he'd just seen, remembering how Roshi had made the Kamehameha look so fluid and effortless. If Vegeta was able to learn it right away… maybe I can too! He focused on a large boulder a few yards away, one of many strewn about all over the place after the mountain's destruction. Cupping his hands to his side, he carefully mimicked Roshi's movements, focusing his energy in the same way. "Ka… me…" he murmured. "Ha… me…"

Roshi glanced over, frowning as he noticed Goku's pose. "Um… Goku?" he asked, his eyes widening a little. "What're you…"

Goku grinned, his energy rising to a peak. Got it! He swung his hands forward, aiming at the boulder. "HA!"

And, just as Roshi had a few minutes earlier, a blue energy beam shot forth from the Saiyan boy's palms. It hit the boulder squarely and detonated, blasting it into rubble with a small but powerful explosion.

Roshi's eyes were wide in amazement. Him too?! Man, these Saiyans are something else… His lips curled in a grin. Well, that settles it: I'm definitely looking forward to training this one when he's ready.

Vegeta said nothing, but his smile widened and he nodded approvingly. Nicely done, Kakarot.

Fortunately, the Dragon Ball hadn't been damaged by the explosion or the mountain's collapse, as its signal was still showing up clearly on Bulma's Dragon Radar. With Vegeta, Goku and Yamcha available to do the heavy lifting, it didn't take long for them to dig through the rubble. Sure enough, after just a few minutes, Goku called out to the others, hopping out of a hole with the shimmering sphere held triumphantly in one hand.

With the Dragon Ball in hand, the group parted ways with their new friends. Roshi and Turtle had left to return to their island, the Turtle Hermit bidding a temporary farewell to Vegeta and Goku.

Chi-Chi, meanwhile, seemed saddened by Goku's departure. "Are you sure you have to go?" she asked, swaying back and forth a bit while playing with the lining of her skirt.

"Yeah, I do," Goku replied. "We've gotta finish finding the Dragon Balls, and then Vegeta's gonna take me to train with Master Roshi." He smiled a little, looking at her. "But, um… I could come back and visit sometime, if you'd like."

Chi-Chi's eyes brightened and she smiled brightly, blushing. "Really?" she inquired hopefully.

"Sure!" Goku smiled happily. "Your dad's a really good cook, and it's nice to hang out with somebody my age for a change. Vegeta's fun, but he's usually kinda grumpy." He and Chi-Chi both giggled.

"Kakarot!" Vegeta's call drew their attention. "Come on, we're leaving!" The Saiyan prince beckoned to the younger boy, before walking off towards where Yamcha's car was parked, followed by Bulma and the others.

"Okay!" Goku called back. He shot a quick smile at Chi-Chi. "Sorry, gotta go. But I'll come back sometime, I promise!" He turned and hurried off after Vegeta, Chi-Chi's eyes following him all the way to the car.

The Ox King's daughter smiled as she watched him leave. You'd better, she thought to herself, her blush deepening.

The remote camera feed from the small spy drone tracked the small group as they walked back to their vehicle, zooming in briefly on the mesh bag full of golden stone spheres carried by the girl.

"Excellent," a high-pitched, grating voice murmured. "Those fools have gathered all six. They'll be on their way to us now."

Two other figures – a humanoid canine wearing a katana, and a young woman dressed in blue – turned to look up at the diminutive figure perched on the throne. "Uh, Emperor?" the doglike figure inquired hesitantly. "Why, um… why have we just been letting them gather the Dragon Balls? Don't we need them for your wish?"

"Of course we do, you idiot," Emperor Pilaf snapped, shooting a glare at his underling Shu. "But in case you haven't been paying attention, that group has three powerful warriors among them. Particularly that one." The imp's eyes narrowed, focusing on the image of the dark-haired young man standing beside the blue-haired girl. "His power is far beyond anything I've ever seen. We'd be no match for him in a fight." His thin lips curved in a smile. "Fortunately, we don't have to fight them, as they've been doing our job for us. They've already gathered six of the Dragon Balls, so there's only one left for them to find." He glanced over to a nearby stone pillar, where the shimmering form of the seventh Dragon Ball sat on a cushion. "And we have it. Which means they will have to come here, and they'll bring the other six right to us."

"Brilliant, Master!" Shu exclaimed.

"Yes!" his comrade Mai agreed. She frowned, looking up at the screen. "But… won't they be angry when we take the Dragon Balls from them and use the wish ourselves? If we can't fight that one, how are we going to stop him from killing us when he finds out what we're planning?"

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be quite upset." Pilaf chuckled, his grin widening. "But considering what I'm going to wish for – namely, total control over the entire world – they won't be able to do a thing to us once it's been granted. They, along with every living thing on this planet…" His eyes sparkled cruelly in the light of the Dragon Ball. "…will soon be mine."

Chapter Text

Dragon Ball Saga, Part 9: A Fateful Wish

Mushroom Forest, Planet Earth

Age 749

"Well, that's not ominous or anything," Bulma remarked dryly, gazing up at the castle that loomed before them.

Vegeta snorted humorlessly. "Relax," he replied casually. "There aren't any high power levels in there – I can sense that much from out here – which means there's nothing to worry about."

Goku grinned excitedly, hopping from foot to foot as they approached the castle. "Oh, man, I'm so excited!" he exclaimed. "Only one Dragon Ball left, an' then we can get our wish granted! I can't wait to meet the Eternal Dragon!" His eyes were sparkling as he smiled up at Vegeta. "Do you think he'll be nice?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes in annoyance, but made no other comment.

Yamcha, as usual, was bringing up the rear with Puar, keeping a careful eye on Vegeta as always. After the incident they'd had the day before, in the last town that they'd visited, he was even more wary of doing anything to provoke the Saiyan.

The previous day…

As they were on their way towards the final Dragon Ball, the group had stumbled upon another town that, just like the last one they'd visited, was being terrorized by some sort of monster. This time, however, the "monster" was much less impressive than Oolong's giant form: this one was a strange creature that looked like some sort of humanoid rabbit, accompanied by a pair of non-ki-capable human thugs.

Vegeta, to put it mildly, was not impressed.

"You've got to be kidding me!" the Saiyan prince laughed, standing boldly in front of the gang with his arms folded over his chest. Goku and Bulma were on either side of him, while Yamcha stood a couple of paces back with Oolong and Puar hiding behind him. "This is the terrible monster that everyone in this town's so scared of? You're even more pathetic than the last one!"

"Not sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult," Oolong muttered under his breath, before flinching as Vegeta's eyes flicked in his direction.

The head gangster, the rabbit-like humanoid, laughed. "That's right, little man! The name's Monster Carrot, and you're trespassing on my turf. Now hand over your possessions, including those pretty stones the lady's got there –" he pointed at Bulma "—and maybe I'll letcha off with a warning."

Bulma scoffed. "Screw that! You're not getting anything from me, or from any of us! So hit the road, asshole!"

Monster Carrot scowled. "You've got a foul mouth there, girl. I think ya need to learn some manners!" With that, he lunged at her, reaching out a hand as if to grab her by the arm, but she smacked it aside —

And then there was a flash of light, and Bulma was gone. The satchel that she'd been carrying the Dragon Balls in fell to the ground, as did a single large carrot that hadn't been there a moment earlier.

Yamcha gaped, his eyes widening in shock. "No… no way!" he spluttered incredulously.

"W-What'd you just do to her?!" Goku cried out, his expression horrified.

"Oh, yeah!" Monster Carrot cackled, snatching up the plant that had been Bulma in one hand and waving it triumphantly. "That's my special power, see: I can only do one magical trick, but it's pretty damn useful. If anybody touches me, even if it's just for a second, I can turn 'em into a carrot, just like that! And if I'm in a bad mood, I can just eat the carrot or smash it, and it's bye-bye to whoever that was! Doesn't matter how big or strong you are, my magic'll affect you just the same!" He grinned, eyes shifting to Vegeta, and drew back his free hand before charging at the Saiyan. "Now it's your turn, tough guy! This'll show you not to laugh at me!"

Most people would've stayed frozen in shock for another second or two, stunned by what they'd just witnessed. That would've been a fatal mistake, giving Carrot the moment he needed to get a grip on them too.

Vegeta wasn't most people. As soon as the gangster lunged at him, the Saiyan disappeared in a blur of super-speed, reappearing at a safe distance behind him. "Kakarot!" he yelled to Goku, raising a hand. "Give me that damn stick!"

"The what?" Goku looked confused for a second, but then his eyes lit up in realization and he grinned. "Oh, I get it! Yeah, sure!" Snatching the Power Pole off his back, he tossed it over Carrot's head like a javelin, and Vegeta neatly snatched the staff out of the air, twirling it as it extended slightly to accommodate his larger size.

"All right, little rabbit," he taunted as Carrot spun around indignantly. "Come and get me."

"Why, you…" Carrot ground his teeth and launched himself at Vegeta with a yell –

"Power Pole, extend!" Vegeta snapped.

– only to be brought up short as the end of the suddenly-growing Power Pole hit him square in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. Another flick of the staff took his feet out from under him, and he fell as Vegeta brought the end of the staff down and pressed it firmly down on his chest, pinning him to the ground while keeping him at a safe distance.

"Dammit!" Carrot gasped, coughing and wheezing as he struggled to catch his breath. "Boys, gimme a little help here!" he yelled. His thugs responded immediately, charging at Vegeta with knives in their hands.

Goku glanced over to Yamcha, indicating the pair of thugs with a jerk of his head. "One each?" he called softly, grinning.

Yamcha arched an eyebrow and returned the grin as he realized what Goku had in mind. "Sure thing, kid," he replied, and they both sprang into motion.

Vegeta didn't even twitch as the thugs lunged at him. The reason why he hadn't moved became apparent a moment later as Goku and Yamcha both appeared, mid-punch, on either side of him, knocking both men flat on their backs and out cold.

With the henchmen taken care of, the Saiyan prince's eyes narrowed and he pressed down harder with the Power Pole, drawing a pained gasp from Carrot. "Change the girl back to normal," he ordered, his voice flat. "Do it now, or I swear I'll break every bone in your body."

"I… all right, all right!" Carrot cried out. "Fine, I'll do it! Just don't hurt me!" He grasped the Bulma-carrot two-handed, concentrated for a moment, and then tossed it into the air away from him as it started to glow. With another flash of light, Bulma reappeared, sent sprawling to the ground but restored to normal.

"O…okay, man!" Carrot groaned. "I… I did what you wanted! Now lemme go!"

Vegeta considered that for a moment. "All right." He took a step back, the Power Pole retracting back to its normal length as he tossed it back to Goku, before turning back to Carrot. "I'll give you one chance," he said almost conversationally as he shot a cold glare down at the mobster. "Leave this town, and never return. If I ever see you again, I will kill you." With that, he turned away and started back towards Bulma and the others.

"You little punk…" Carrot's teeth gritted as he clenched his fists, pushing himself up to his feet. Thinks he can just beat me up and order me around like I'm some nobody, huh? Well, he'll pay for that! Snarling, he lunged at the boy's exposed back, hand reaching out to grab him and use his power again –

And Vegeta whipped around before Carrot could even get close to him, unleashing the full-force energy blast that he'd silently been charging in his right hand before the mobster had any chance to react.

There wasn't even a scream, just a flash of light and an explosion that knocked Bulma and the shapeshifters off their feet. Goku and Yamcha were both knocked off-balance too, but they quickly regained their footing and turned back towards Vegeta, to see him standing in front of a smoking, ten-meter-long scorch mark on the ground where Carrot had been. If any trace of the mobster's body remained other than ashes, it was too small to see with the naked eye.

Yamcha's mouth was hanging open in disbelief, his hands trembling. The power behind that attack… and the speed he charged it up… His eyes widened in shock and disbelief as the realization dawned. He could've killed me anytime he wanted when we fought before!

Goku frowned, seeming a little less enthusiastic than normal. "Did you really have t' kill him?" he asked.

"Yes," Vegeta replied flatly. "An enemy with an ability like that, something that could render even someone as powerful as me utterly helpless in the blink of an eye, was too dangerous for me to leave him alive. And besides… I don't give second chances. He got one warning; as soon as he ignored it and attacked me again, his life was forfeit." He glanced over to Yamcha, arching an eyebrow meaningfully, before starting off down the street towards where they'd left their car. "Now let's finish refueling the car and get moving. That Dragon Ball isn't going to find itself."

Now…

"I don't give second chances."

Those words echoed through Yamcha's mind again, and he shivered as he remembered the clear warning in the Saiyan's eyes. If I try anything again, before I'm strong enough to take him on and win, he'll kill me just as easily as he killed that Carrot guy. Now, more than ever, it was important that he get to train with the Turtle Hermit like Goku had promised, if he was to have any chance of ever catching up to Vegeta's level of strength.

The bandit was snapped out of his thoughts by a loud knocking sound, as Vegeta started banging on the large wooden doors of the castle with one hand. "Hey!" the Saiyan yelled, his voice ringing out. "Whoever's in there, open up!"

There was silence for a long moment, and then a voice, high-pitched and grating, echoed from a speaker above the doors. "Yes?" it inquired. "What do you want?"

"We don't want any trouble!" Bulma called out, stepping forward quickly to hopefully make sure Vegeta didn't start a fight with this person (unless it proved to be necessary). "We're just looking for a small crystal sphere, gold-colored with an orange star on it, that's somewhere inside this castle. If it's yours, we'd be happy to pay you for it."

After another moment of silence, the voice spoke up again. "Very well, then. If that's all, then I'm certainly willing to consider it; I'm not terribly attached to that little thing. By all means, come in, and we'll discuss it." With that, the doors creaked open automatically, revealing a long, dark corridor that led into the shadowy interior of the castle.

"Well, that doesn't sound like a trick at all," Yamcha muttered under his breath.

"Well, if you're scared, feel free to wait outside," Vegeta shot back, casually walking inside. Goku and Bulma followed him, with Yamcha, Oolong and Puar trailing nervously behind them. The bandit in particular was on the lookout for potential dangers, his eyes constantly flickering about and scanning the room for any threats. Something about this castle was really putting him on edge.

His suspicions were quickly justified. They hadn't walked more than ten yards down the corridor before, with a whir of machinery and a resounding boom, a solid stone wall dropped from the ceiling right behind the group, cutting off their retreat. As they all whirled around to look back, a second wall slammed down in front of them, sealing them in completely.

Goku, Bulma, Yamcha, and the shapeshifters all flinched back, their eyes wide and startled. Vegeta, however, rolled his eyes. "Really?" he called out, snorting humorlessly. "You think a couple of rock walls can hold me? Please." He stepped forward and casually slammed a punch into the wall that had cut off their path forwards. The entire wall shuddered from the force of the impact, and the stone cracked around his fist.

"You lot stand back," Vegeta ordered, drawing back his arm again. "A couple more of those and we'll be out of here – wait…" He blinked and frowned as a soft hissing sound began to echo through the room, before looking up and sniffing the air. "What's that?"

Yamcha's eyes widened as he realized what was going on. "Gas!" he exclaimed, covering his mouth and nose, but it was already too late: the air around them was quickly filling with a translucent haze, and he could already feel his senses getting fuzzy. "Crap…" he panted. "We have to…" His knees buckled, and he collapsed just moments after Bulma did the same. Oolong and Puar were both already out cold. Goku stayed on his feet for a few seconds longer, coughing and spluttering, but then even he passed out and keeled over.

"Damn it all!" Vegeta growled, feeling the same heavy numbness creeping through his body. His vision started to blur, but he forced himself to stay on his feet, drawing back his fist and slamming it into the wall again. He struck twice more, the stone cracking and splintering around his fist with each blow, until the wall was on the verge of collapse. Swaying unsteadily on his feet, he drew his arm back again for a final strike to break through completely… and then fell to his knees as his legs finally gave out. "God… damn it…" he hissed, before finally collapsing as his vision went dark.

"Ahahaha!" Pilaf cackled triumphantly as he watched Vegeta pass out on the monitor of his security camera. "Excellent! My plan worked!" He grinned in delight, rubbing his hands together, before turning to Shu and Mai. "Now, then, it's time to finish this. As soon as we're sure they're all totally out cold, you two go in there and get the other Dragon Balls. Then transport them all to our special cell: we don't want them getting in our way, and if that one could break through that wall, our normal cells won't be able to hold him." He gestured to the image of Vegeta on the screen, feeling nervous despite his victory as he saw the damage that the young man had inflicted on the stone wall. "And while we're at it, give him an extra dose of the tranquilizer, just in case. The others shouldn't be able to break out of the special cell, but he might, and I don't want to take any chances here."

"Yes, sir!" Shu and Mai chorused in unison, before hurrying off.

Nodding in satisfaction, Pilaf strolled over to the podium where the seventh Dragon Ball was resting. He removed it from its setting, holding it up and smirking at his reflection in its gleaming surface. Yes… my time has finally come! One simple wish… and then every living being in this world will bow to me as their new ruler.

"…geta? Can you hear me?"

"Agh…" Vegeta groaned, slowly reaching up and holding his head with both hands as he felt himself drifting back into consciousness and he felt the dull ache echoing through his mind. "Son of a bitch…" he muttered, before cracking open his eyes.

"Vegeta!" Goku was crouched over him, looking down at the older Saiyan with a concerned expression. "Are you okay?"

"I'm… fine," Vegeta grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose and rubbing his eyes. "What happened?" His body felt like it weighed a ton, and he could still feel the foggy, dizzy sensation in his mind, like his head was wrapped in cotton. He slowly lifted his head and glanced around the room, taking it in. This clearly wasn't the room they'd been in before: the walls and floor of this one were made of smooth, solid metal, rather than stone, while the ceiling was a large glass skylight that gave them a clear view of the night sky overhead.

"We got hit with knockout gas," Yamcha answered his question with a sour tone. The bandit was leaning against the wall on the other side of the room and rubbing his temples, with Puar beside him as always. "They must've brought us here after we all passed out. It's been at least a couple of hours, because the sun's already gone down."

"And what's worse is," Bulma continued, scowling and banging a fist against one of the steel walls of the room, "the guys who drugged us took all six of the Dragon Balls we had!" She sighed. "My guess is, they already had the last one, but instead of running around collecting the others like we were, they somehow found out that somebody else was doing it for them and let us bring the other six right to their front door."

"Fantastic," Vegeta growled, pushing himself up to a sitting position and leaning back against the wall. Wait… something about this isn't right. Goku, Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong and Puar were all disheveled and appeared to be suffering headaches as an aftereffect of the sleeping gas, but they were all back on their feet already despite that. He, however, still felt exhausted and dizzy, as if the effects of the gas had been much stronger on him for some reason. "What… what the hell did those bastards do to me?" he hissed under his breath, clenching one hand into a fist as he tried to push himself up. "Why do I feel so damn weak?!" He winced slightly as his left arm gave a twinge, and pulled up the sleeve of his shirt to reveal a small puncture mark on the inside of his elbow.

"Looks like they injected you with something," Bulma deduced worriedly as she helped him up, letting him lean on both the wall and her shoulder. "Probably not poison or anything like that, since you're still alive and you don't seem to be in too bad a shape; my guess is it was another sedative like the gas." She shrugged. "If they saw how much stronger you are than the rest of us, then they might've wanted to keep you asleep longer."

Vegeta growled softly, but nodded. Damn it all… that would make sense, though. His eyes narrowed as he glanced up at the glass ceiling again. "Well, first things first: we have to get the hell out of this cell. Then we can track down whoever these people are and get the Dragon Balls back."

Goku nodded, frowning as he looked up at the ceiling. "Sounds good!" he seconded. "Only problem is, I don't think we can break through the walls. Yamcha an' I tried a few times, but nothin' we tried worked." He jerked a thumb over to the far corner of the cell, where the metal walls bore several prominent dents and scorch marks. "We even tried to get up to the skylight and bust that open instead, but Yamcha couldn't jump high enough and I couldn't hover up there for long enough to break the glass."

Vegeta scowled, thinking it over. If he'd been at 100%, breaking out of this cell would be child's play, but with the drugs' lingering effects still coursing through his system and making his mind foggy, he'd be lucky if he could reach even a decent fraction of his full power.

"Let's see…" he muttered. Turning to face the nearest wall, he drew back a fist, summoned up as much strength as he could muster, and threw a straight punch directly into it. There was a loud CRUNCH of metal under stress, and a deep, fist-shaped dent appeared in the metal, but the wall didn't give way.

Crap… Vegeta's scowl deepened in annoyance as his suspicions were confirmed: it would take at least a few minutes for him to break through one of these walls, which was time that they didn't have. The glass ceiling would definitely be easier to break, if he could get up there, but he wasn't sure if he could fly up there and summon up the strength to smash the glass at the same time.

Which left only one option.

"Okay," the teenage prince murmured contemplatively. Turning away from the wall, he took a couple of steps into the center of the room, glaring up at the ceiling. "Bulma, you and the two shapeshifters get in the corner and cover your heads, now." His eyes flicked over to Yamcha. "You, cover them too, just in case." As they followed his instructions, albeit with some confusion, he turned to Goku. "And Kakarot, you're with me." His lips curved in a smirk, as he cupped both hands to his right side and started focusing his ki. "Let's break that damn glass."

Goku's eyes widened and he grinned as he recognized the pose. "You got it!" he agreed. Hopping over to stand beside Vegeta, he mirrored the prince's pose and began charging up his own energy.

"KA… ME…" Their voices rose in unison, one high-pitched and the other low. "HA… ME…" Flickering blue energy spheres coalesced between their hands, slowly increasing in intensity.

Vegeta grinned. While he couldn't reach his full power right now, adding Goku's energy to his own was enough to make up for it. "Now!" he barked.

"HAAA!" Both Saiyans flung out their arms, and the pair of blue energy beams shot upwards, swirling together into a single concentrated blast just before they smashed into the ceiling. The strengthened, tempered glass burst asunder in an instant, most of its fragments blown upwards and outwards by the explosion, as a pillar of blue light blasted out through the now-gaping hole. The sight was met with cheers from Bulma, Oolong and Puar, who had ducked behind Yamcha so the bandit could shield them from any potential falling glass.

"Come on!" Vegeta called as the blast dissipated, taking a few deep breaths as the cool night air rushed into the room, which helped to clear his head. Turning to face the others, he held out a hand to Bulma. "Let's get out of here."

Bulma grinned. "Sounds good to me!" She grabbed Vegeta's arm, wrapping both of her own around it, and he leapt off the floor with a surge of ki, carrying her up and out through the broken ceiling. Oolong and Puar quickly followed suit, transforming into bats so they could take to the air as well, while Goku planted one end of his Power Pole on the floor and commanded it to extend, propelling himself up and out through the hole. Yamcha leapt up after him, grabbed onto the pole and scrambled up it as if he were climbing a tree, before jumping up and out to freedom.

Below the castle's back wall, Emperor Pilaf had been in the process of setting up the seven Dragon Balls in a loose circle when the blast of blue light burst upwards from the roof of his fortress. The diminutive emperor's eyes widened in alarm and he spun around, gazing up at the explosion, before he turned to call for his henchmen. "Shu, get ready!" he yelled. "They'll be coming; I'm counting on you to keep them away until I can make my wish! Mai, you stay close and protect me while I'm doing it! And get the hounds ready!"

With that, Pilaf promptly set back to work, arranging the Dragon Balls as precisely as he could. Damn it, come on…!

It hadn't taken long for the group to spot the place where Pilaf was setting up the Dragon Balls, and they rushed down the hill towards him. They were only halfway down the hill, however, when Vegeta skidded to a halt as he heard an incoming, high-pitched whine. "Get down!" he snapped, whirling and raising a hand, before firing off a quickly-charged energy blast to intercept the incoming missile. Both projectiles exploded together in midair, sending a rush of hot wind billowing past the group.

A moment later, a hulking figure slammed to earth in front of them: a large, robotic suit, heavily-built and big enough to tower over the group. Its pilot, a short humanoid canine, was clearly visible through the glass window of a cockpit in the robot's head. "I don't think so!" he yelled, the robot's speakers amplifying his voice. "I'm Shu, sworn servant to Emperor Pilaf… and if you want to get to my Emperor, you'll have to go through me!" Drawing back one arm, he threw a punch at Vegeta, who was the furthest forward.

"Fine with me!" Vegeta snarled. He prepared to block the punch, but before he got the chance, there was a blur of motion and Goku appeared in front of him, catching the metal fist with both hands and holding it back.

"I got this one, Vegeta!" the younger Saiyan called over his shoulder, a bit of strain in his voice as he held the power suit's fist back. "You guys get down there an' get the Dragon Balls back! I'll deal with this guy." With a yell, he kicked off the ground and lunged forwards, shoving the robot's arm back and bowling it over. Shu cried out in alarm, and the two of them tumbled off down the hill with a series of violent crashes.

"He's got a point," Yamcha agreed. "C'mon, let's go! That guy's boss could summon the dragon any second!" He darted off down the hill in a series of bounding leaps, with Vegeta and the others following close behind.

"Finally!" Pilaf cackled triumphantly as he placed the last Dragon Ball in position, admiring the golden glow of the seven spheres as they began to brighten. At last, it's time! Time for me to become the unquestioned ruler of this world, with every being on it bound to my will! A few years ago, he would never have imagined that he could possibly succeed in achieving his master plan: he had no armies, no superweapons, nothing that could possibly bring the rest of the planet to its knees. But when he had learned of the Dragon Balls, and the magical wishes that they could grant, he had found another path to power… and now he finally had the opportunity to achieve it.

"ETERNAL DRAGON!" Pilaf yelled at the top of his lungs, tilting his head back and throwing out his arms. "Rise up, and –"

Then there was a blur of high-speed movement, and Pilaf was knocked off his feet and sent tumbling helplessly across the ground. The building golden glow abruptly faded, and the Dragon Balls, which had begun to rise into the air, clattered back to the ground.

Well, five of them did. The other two were in the hands of Yamcha, who had dashed across the circle at super-speed and yanked them out of alignment. Meanwhile, Vegeta had just sent Pilaf tumbling with a single effortless backhand, and was now standing over the diminutive emperor with fury burning in his eyes. "Nice try, you little bastard," he snapped, still a little unsteady on his feet but forcing himself to stand firm as he glared down at Pilaf. "But you won't be getting any wishes today."

Pilaf stared up at the glowering prince, rubbing his cheek as his eyes widened in a mix of anger and terror. "You… how dare you?!" he demanded. "Do you have any idea who I am? I am Emperor Pilaf, the future ruler of this world, and you will not –" His voice was abruptly choked off into a high-pitched squeak as Vegeta snatched him off the ground and held him up by the throat, the prince's fingers like an iron vice.

"Do you have any idea who I am?" Vegeta bit out, his eyes blazing into Pilaf's. "I am Prince Vegeta, heir to the throne of the mighty Saiyan race, and you are an arrogant little weakling who dared to drug us and tried to steal my wish." His glare intensified, anger helping to burn through the lingering fogginess of the sedatives, and an energy sphere flickered to life in the palm of his free hand. "I should end your miserable existence right now."

Yamcha winced a bit, remembering the unhesitating way in which Vegeta had disposed of Monster Carrot and the prince's earlier threats against him, but he didn't say anything. Bulma took a half-step forward, starting to raise her hand as she considered saying something, but she couldn't deny the fact that this guy was clearly evil and had been perfectly willing to drug them and lock them up for the sake of stealing the Dragon Balls. Pilaf, for his part, struggled frantically against Vegeta's grip, gasping desperately for air and trying to wriggle his way free.

Just as Vegeta was about to unleash the energy blast that he'd been charging, however, an explosion echoed down from the direction of the castle, followed by a thunderous roar. Bulma and Yamcha both paled as they spun around in the direction of the sound and saw what had created it. "What the hell?!" Yamcha exclaimed, his jaw dropping as he saw the massive dark figure looming above them, its red eyes burning like twin coals.

Vegeta also turned, his eyes narrowing as he scowled. "Oh, for God's sake, Kakarot," he muttered.

A few moments earlier…

Goku leapt over another missile, landing in a diving roll and coming up in time to block Shu's next punch. "C'mon, you can do better than that!" he laughed, ducking under the power suit's next swing and lunging forward to land a double-fisted swing to the side of its knee. The joint snapped out of place and the robot toppled; Shu let out a startled yelp as it crashed to the ground. He tried to roll over and kicked out with the suit's good leg, but Goku had already leapt back to a safe distance and was charging a Kamehameha. As the power suit sat up, he fired, the beam hitting it square in the chest and knocking it flat again with an explosion of blue light.

"Gotcha!" Grabbing his Power Pole off his back and twirling it in his hands, Goku sprang after the robot and landed on its chest, raising the pole in preparation to deliver a finishing blow that would shatter the cockpit glass. "You're done, buddy!" he called out, grinning down at Shu through the glass. "Give up now, or I'm gonna have to break this glass and yank you outta there."

"Aw, dammit!" Shu whined. He tried to retake command of the suit's arms, but the impact of Goku's Kamehameha had momentarily scrambled the controls, which only added to his panic. "C'mon, c'mon…"

Goku shrugged. "Alrighty, then! If you're not gonna give up, I'll just have to finish this myself!" He leaned back, raising the Power Pole over his head with one end pointed downwards, ready to smash through the glass…

And then he froze, as his leaning back in preparation led his gaze up into the night sky. To where the full moon was rising over Pilaf's castle, lighting up the night with its silvery glow.

Oh, crap.

Goku froze, unable to avert his gaze from the moon, feeling a sensation like hot water flowing down his back and out through his limbs. The Power Pole slipped from his hands and clattered to the ground, but he barely noticed. A red haze descended over the world, and a hiss of pain slipped out from between his clenched teeth as he doubled over and clutched at himself. His body suddenly began expanding and bulking up, his clothes shredding, energy pouring out of him and condensing into layer upon layer of muscle and sinew as he rose toward the heavens.

Shu's mouth fell open, his eyes wide in astonishment and horror as he stared up at the rapidly-growing monster that had been Goku. As the creature's rising form loomed over him, he did the only thing he could think of: he hit the ejection button on his control panel. The suit's escape hatch popped open and he jumped out, just before a giant hand grabbed the suit and hoisted it into the air.

Shaking the limp form of the power suit repeatedly, the Oozaru snarled and slammed the suit down into the rocky ground, before stomping down on it and crushing it flat. The suit exploded with a thunderclap, a fireball billowing up and illuminating the hulking mass of the Great Ape as it threw its head back and roared.

Now…

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Vegeta groaned, tossing Pilaf's half-conscious body to the ground as he scowled up at the Oozaru. "He looked at the damn moon again?"

"Um…" Bulma's eyes were wide with fright as she looked up at the monster. "What is that thing?"

"That's Kakarot," Vegeta replied sourly. He unwound his tail from around his waist and flicked it back and forth to draw the others' eyes to it. "These tails aren't just for show; they're part of a Saiyan's true power. When we look up at a full moon, it triggers a biological reaction that causes us to transform into a giant apelike creature." He nodded up at the Oozaru, which was now pounding on its chest with both massive fists and looking around for its next target. "The only problem is, when a Saiyan transforms into that state, they typically lose all control of themselves and are consumed by a vicious, primal rage. All an Oozaru normally wants to do is to destroy everything in sight."

Bulma gawked incredulously at the monstrous form of the Great Ape as it began lumbering slowly down the rocky slope. "So you're saying… that's Goku?"

"That's right." Vegeta's scowl deepened as his gaze locked on the approaching monster. "And if I don't stop him, he's going to keep destroying things and killing whatever he comes across until the moon goes down." His gaze flicked over to her, Yamcha, and the shapeshifters. "You four, stay here! Keep an eye on that little bastard, and keep those two Dragon Balls away from him so he can't summon the dragon while I'm dealing with this." With that, he took off back up the hill, leaping from boulder to boulder as the drugs continued wearing off and more of his ki returned to him.

"Okay!" Bulma nodded, glancing nervously over to where Pilaf was starting to pick himself up and moving a little closer to Yamcha for safety.

"Damn it…" Pilaf coughed, rubbing his neck as he tried to catch his breath. He'd heard Vegeta's brief explanation, but hadn't understood what he meant; however, what he did know was that, with the powerful young man having run off to deal with the newly-arrived monster, that left only the bandit, the two animals, and the girl behind. And he could deal with them. If we move quickly, I can summon the dragon and make my wish while he's busy fighting that thing. And then victory will be mine!

"Hold it!" Yamcha drew his sword and pointed it over at Pilaf, stepping protectively in front of Bulma after passing the two Dragon Balls that he'd grabbed to her. "You're not going anywhere, pal." The bandit's voice was more confident now: he might not be able to handle Vegeta, or whatever monster Goku had turned into, but he could deal with this little creep easily enough.

"Oh, really?" Pilaf sneered, taking a couple of steps back. "I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you. Mai!" This last part was a yell, directed back into the shadows behind him. "Release the hounds!"

Sure enough, another figure emerged from the shadows: a young, dark-haired woman in a long blue coat, wielding a shotgun. Yamcha's eyes narrowed when he saw her, and he shifted his stance to ready himself for a lunge… until a low chorus of growls echoed through the air, and his eyes widened again as multiple pairs of gleaming eyes became visible behind her. A pack of large dogs, at least a dozen of them, crept out of the shadows behind Mai, their teeth bared as they fanned out at her signal.

"Oh, crap," Oolong muttered.

"Get them!" Pilaf ordered, laughing as he pointed at the quartet. "Kill them if you must, but get those Dragon Balls back!"

To his credit, Yamcha thought quickly. His years of living as a bandit had taught him how to react fast when a situation went south, and those instincts didn't fail him here. "Move!" he yelled, passing both of their Dragon Balls to Bulma and shoving her away. "We need to get out of here!"

Bulma didn't need any convincing: she took off running, ducking and weaving through the rocks as she clutched the Dragon Balls close to her chest. Yamcha and the shapeshifters raced off after her, with the barking pack of dogs hot on their heels.

"Kakarot!" Vegeta yelled, projecting his voice as loudly as he could, as he landed on a large boulder in front of the Oozaru. "Snap out of it! You have to control yourself!"

The Oozaru turned its red-eyed glare down upon him, a deep growl echoing in the back of its throat. It took a crashing step towards him, its eyes narrowing… and then it drew back a massive fist and swung it down at him, roaring.

Damn it–! Vegeta dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the Oozaru's first punch as it pulverized the boulder that he had been standing on. Summoning up all the power he could muster with the lingering effects of the sedatives still clouding his ki, he dodged another strike and then another, while doing his best to keep his gaze down, away from the sky. While he was loath to admit it, he hadn't done nearly as much training in his Oozaru form as he should have since his arrival on Earth, as he'd been too worried about accidentally killing Kakarot if he tried it, so his own ability to control the Great Ape form was still rudimentary at best. With time to meditate and clear his mind beforehand, he might be able to handle it, but under the current circumstances he would likely be just as uncontrolled and savage as Kakarot if he transformed. Avoiding eye contact with the full moon, therefore, was of paramount importance.

With that in mind, Vegeta focused his ki and blasted straight up, hovering in the air above the Oozaru so he wouldn't have to look up at it. He continued dodging and weaving around the beast's increasingly-frustrated swipes and punches, narrowly evading each of them as he struggled to fight off the effects of the drugs. Luckily, it did seem to be working; with each passing moment, as adrenaline coursed through his veins along with the familiar rush of battle, the fogginess in his mind and the heavy numbness in his body were slowly fading away.

Now all he had to do was take Kakarot down without killing him, so he could get back over there and help the others. Fortunately, that shouldn't be too hard.

"Come on!" Vegeta taunted the Oozaru, spinning nimbly to one side as its next punch shattered one of the towers of Pilaf's castle. He leapt back and forth across the ramparts, dodging each incoming blow as the Oozaru's massive fists smashed large holes into the immense stone structure.

Finally, as his senses continued to clear, he felt like he had enough power to counter the incoming attacks. To test this, as another punch came in, he dropped back into a ready stance and, instead of dodging, threw a punch of his own directly at the Oozaru's incoming fist. They collided with a thunderclap and an impact that shook the wall… but Vegeta's stance held firm, and neither of them budged an inch.

The Oozaru blinked, visibly puzzled, as it pulled its fist back and stared at it for a moment, wondering what had just happened. Then its eyes flashed with rage and it roared again, lunging at Vegeta and swinging another massive haymaker.

Vegeta grinned. "I don't think so, Kakarot," he muttered under his breath. "Time to fight for real." Kicking off the wall, he blasted forwards and let out a yell of his own as he charged towards the monster.

Bulma and Yamcha raced around a corner and into a rocky ravine, with Oolong and Puar close behind. After running a short distance along the ravine, however, Yamcha suddenly stopped short and skidded to a halt, glancing back over his shoulder. He caught both Oolong and Puar by their arms, pulling them to a stop as well.

Bulma kept running, holding the two Dragon Balls protectively; it took her a moment to realize that Yamcha wasn't running with her anymore, so she came to a stumbling halt and spun around to look back at them. "Hey, what're you doing?!" she questioned.

"Keep going!" Yamcha called back, waving her on as the barking of the dogs reached their ears. For once, his usual shyness was absent, suppressed by the imminent danger that they were in. "We're gonna try and slow them down. Keep running, and whatever you do, don't let go of those Dragon Balls!"

Bulma frowned, momentarily unwilling to leave the others behind, but the barking and snarling of Pilaf's dogs helped to make up her mind. "I… okay," she murmured. "Just be careful!" With that, she turned and took off down the ravine again.

Nodding, Yamcha swung around to face back down the ravine, listening to the sound of the approaching dogs. "Okay, you two," he spoke up, glancing over to the shapeshifters. "You can turn into basically anything you want, right?" Upon receiving nervous nods from them both, he grinned. "All right, then! Here's what we're gonna do…"

With a chorus of barks and snarls, Pilaf's pack of hunting dogs swarmed into the ravine, tracking the scent of their fleeing quarry. But as the pack rounded the bend, the lead dogs suddenly skidded to a halt, their paws churning up sand as they let out a chorus of startled yelps and whines.

Yamcha stood in the middle of the ravine, blocking their way, his sword drawn and held ready in one hand. Flanking him, on each side, were the two shapeshifters, now in entirely different forms: Oolong had returned to the giant humanoid form that he had used to terrorize the village, while Puar was in a similar giant form with dark blue skin and visibly catlike features.

Yamcha grinned, seeing that his plan to intimidate the dogs was clearly working. "Come on, guys," he ordered, taking a slow step forwards as he let a growl of his own rumble in his chest. "Let's send these mutts packing!" With that, he let out a full-voiced yell and charged towards the milling pack of dogs, with the two massive forms of the shapeshifters lumbering close behind.

Pilaf's trained hounds might be dangerous to a normal human, but when they were confronted by a pair of giant monsters and an armed man with a sword, their natural instinct to avoid danger took over, and they turned tail and ran. Yelping and barking, they pelted back the way they had come, running as fast as their legs could carry them.

At the top of the hill, the battle raged on: Pilaf's castle was shattering and crumbling around the prince and the Oozaru as they traded a series of thundering blows. As the drugs continued to wear off, Vegeta was able to access more and more of his power, and he was now flying rings around the Great Ape, trying to wear it down without inflicting any serious injuries. For the moment, though, his attacks just seemed to be making it angrier.

Damn it all! Vegeta snarled as he jumped out of the way of the Oozaru's snapping jaws, punching it across the face and throwing it off-balance. Time to finish this. As it swung an arm up at him, he dissolved into a blur of super-speed and reappeared behind it, kicking it in the back of the head with both feet and slamming it facefirst into the wall of Pilaf's fortress.

As the Oozaru dropped to its knees, bringing part of the building crashing down, Vegeta shot upwards into the air, hovering above it as he began charging up energy between his hands. "KA… ME… HA… ME…" he chanted, his power rising quickly towards its maximum.

The Oozaru snarled, rising back to its feet and swinging around to face him, but Vegeta was ready. With a roar of his own, he swung his arms forward and unleashed his attack. "HAAA!" The beam slammed into the Great Ape and smashed it down into the ground, before detonating in a massive explosion of blue light that completely engulfed it, drowning out its frustrated howl.

Vegeta hung in the air, waiting tensely for any signs that the transformed Goku was getting back up, but nothing happened. After a few seconds, the cloud of smoke and dust that had been thrown up by the blast began to fade, and he exhaled in relief when he saw that the Oozaru was now lying motionless on the ground, its red eyes dimming as it groaned weakly and then passed out. Slowly, as he watched, its body shrank and diminished, until it resolved into the familiar form of Goku.

Once he'd dropped to the ground beside the younger boy and had taken a moment to focus on Goku's ki, Vegeta relaxed a little more. The younger Saiyan was out cold, but from the looks of it, Vegeta's attacks hadn't done any serious damage to his body, so he should be fine once he'd gotten some rest.

With the Oozaru down, Vegeta turned and gazed back down the hill, focusing on his ki-sense to determine what was happening down there. He could still sense that little rat who called himself "Emperor," down near the spot where he'd left the Dragon Balls; he could also sense Yamcha's ki, as well as the smaller signatures of the two shapeshifters, near a large group of animals that appeared to be fleeing the area. They didn't seem to need his help, so he turned back and forth, searching for Bulma's ki instead. After a moment, he found it… but his eyes narrowed as he sensed a second ki signature pursuing Bulma's.

"Not on my watch," he hissed. His ki flared to life, and he blasted back into the air.

Pilaf gaped in disbelief as he watched Vegeta dispatch the monstrous Great Ape, the ground trembling underfoot as the monster toppled. The self-proclaimed emperor was shaking, his entire body trembling uncontrollably as he realized the full extent of the power that he was facing. All thoughts of the Dragon Balls, of his quest for world domination, of all his plans and schemes, shattered like glass and fell away, leaving him stunned and shaken. Only one thought remained in his mind.

I have to get out of here.

Not even bothering to pick up any of the five remaining Dragon Balls that lay scattered nearby, Pilaf started backing slowly away, and then turned and ran, bolting towards the location where he'd prepared an escape plane just in case things ended badly.

There would be other days to pursue his goal, other opportunities to reclaim the Dragon Balls. But right now, he needed to concentrate on survival. And it would be best if he didn't give that monstrously-powerful warrior any more reasons to pursue him.

Bulma kept running, her breath now coming in ragged pants as she sprinted further down the ravine. She didn't really have a plan at the moment; right now she just wanted to get the two Dragon Balls that they'd managed to steal as far away from that "Emperor Pilaf" guy as she could. Hopefully Vegeta and Yamcha could deal with the threats while she was doing that.

Unfortunately, she'd only been running for a couple of minutes when she reached the end of the ravine and found herself facing a steep rock face. She should be able to climb it, but it wasn't going to be easy.

That, unfortunately, was when Bulma froze in place as she heard the unmistakable click of a gun cocking from right behind her.

"Don't try to run," a young woman's voice said coldly. "You won't make it ten feet. Just turn around and hand over the Dragon Balls, and I'll let you live."

Bulma shivered at the thought of being shot in the back, but she forced her fear down and nodded slowly. "All right…" She turned around, to see Pilaf's henchwoman Mai standing a few feet away with a shotgun aimed directly at her.

"Just drop them and back away," Mai ordered, motioning to the Dragon Balls in Bulma's hands and then to the ground with a tilt of the gun. "And don't even think about trying anything."

"Okay." Bulma nodded, letting both of the Dragon Balls fall gently to the sand as she took a couple of steps back. As she did so, a sudden blur of movement behind her attacker caused a nervous grin to flicker across her face, and her shoulders sagged in relief.

Mai blinked, a little confused by Bulma's reaction. "Now back up," she ordered again, twitching the shotgun to add emphasis. "I mean it."

"Oh, yeah, sure," Bulma replied, her voice noticeably calmer as she took a couple of steps backwards. "But…" She nodded towards something behind Mai. "What about him?"

"What do you –?" Mai's eyes widened and she whirled around, already bringing the shotgun up, but a hand clamped onto its barrel before she could aim it and, with a single twist, bent the barrel of the gun into a 90-degree angle.

Vegeta, who had landed directly behind Mai, shot a furious glare at the startled minion. His eyes burned with anger as he yanked the twisted and useless shotgun out of Mai's hand, tossing it aside. "I don't think so," he spat. "Now get lost." With a simple flick of his wrist, he unleashed a kiai that sent her flying; she tumbled through the air, bounced off a nearby boulder, and disappeared into the shadows.

With the threat gone, Vegeta took a couple of quick steps over to Bulma, his expression shifting from anger to concern. "Are you all right?" he questioned, resting one hand lightly on her shoulder with uncharacteristic care.

Still trembling a little, Bulma nodded. "Y-yeah, I'm okay," she replied with a shaky smile. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Vegeta returned her smile for a moment, before his expression shifted back into a businesslike one. "Come on; we need to regroup and make sure Pilaf hasn't run off with the rest of the Dragon Balls."

Taking a few deep breaths and doing her best to relax, Bulma nodded and grinned as she retrieved the two Dragon Balls from where they'd fallen, feeling a rush of excitement. We're actually gonna do it! We can finally summon the dragon!

When the team finally regrouped at the spot where Pilaf had been arranging the Dragon Balls, they were surprised to find that the other five balls were still lying where they'd been before, although Pilaf himself had vanished without a trace. Yamcha, Oolong and Puar had managed to chase off the dog pack without too much trouble, while Vegeta had retrieved Goku and woken him up. The younger Saiyan's clothes had been ripped to shreds by his transformation, so Oolong had donated his spare shirt and pants to replace them. Both Goku and Vegeta were sure to keep their eyes away from the moon, as neither of them wanted to risk another transformation.

As the group arranged the seven Dragon Balls back in a circle, the sound of a distant engine whining drew their attention to the far side of the hill, where a small plane suddenly came into view as it rose up and away from the castle.

"That must be Pilaf," Yamcha muttered, glowering after the departing plane. "Figures he'd make a run for it once he realized he couldn't handle us."

"It doesn't matter," Vegeta replied with a snort. "He's no threat to us anymore. If he ever crosses my path again, I'll happily end his life for daring to try and steal my wish, but until then I no longer have any interest in him." In truth, he'd already considered blasting the plane out of the sky, but he ultimately decided not to bother, and simply turned his back on it as he went back to setting up the Dragon Balls.

Pilaf, Shu and Mai had all survived their respective ordeals, and all three were on the plane as it took off. Shu had taken the controls, while the other two nursed their respective bruises in the passenger seats.

Pilaf glowered out the window as the plane soared away from his ruined castle. "They'll pay for this," he muttered darkly to himself. "All of those fools who dared to rob me of my wish, and to foil my grand plan… every last one of them will pay!"

Shu and Mai, wisely, said nothing.

"Okay, then!" Bulma smiled brightly as she looked down at the seven glowing spheres. "Let's do this!"

"By all means," Vegeta agreed with a smirk, before nodding to her and indicating the balls with a wave of his hand. "Well? Out of all of us, you're the only one who's studied the legend of these things. How do we summon the dragon?"

"Oh! Right!" Bulma thought back to the stories she'd heard for a long moment. "Let's see… I think it's pretty easy." Tilting back her head and spreading her arms wide, she called out as loudly as she could. "Eternal Dragon! Rise up and grant our wish!"

For a moment, there was silence… but then a thunderclap echoed across the night sky, and the Dragon Balls' glow began getting brighter and brighter. A bolt of golden lightning lanced down from the sky and slammed into the circle of golden spheres, sending a brilliant flash of light radiating out from them and forcing all the onlookers to cover their eyes. Finally, a brilliant pillar of light erupted skyward from the glowing circle, and a deep roar filled their ears. The torrent of light twisted and curved through the air in a series of graceful arcs, before it finally coalesced into a solid form, golden energy melting into flesh and bone. The night sky overhead grew even darker, the full moon's silver glow momentarily eclipsed by the unnatural darkness.

And then, with another flare of light, the energy dissipated, and the creature that had risen out of the Dragon Balls was revealed.

"Whoa…" Goku breathed, his eyes wide in amazement. "Awesome…"

The Eternal Dragon, Shenron, loomed over them, his massive bulk seeming to fill the sky overhead. His long, serpentine body was covered with dark green scales, with the exception of the yellow scales that ran along his belly and his glowing red eyes. Those eyes glared down at them with the intensity of twin crimson suns, although they also gave the impression of great wisdom and unfathomable power.

"I am the Eternal Dragon," Shenron's voice boomed, reverberating in all their ears. "I will grant you any one wish that is within my power." The dragon's eyes narrowed. "Now, state your wish and I shall grant it."

Originally, Bulma would have been happy to step up and ask for her wish to be granted. But after everything she'd experienced on this journey, the idea of using a magical wish like this just to find herself a boyfriend seemed more and more ridiculous.

And besides… Her gaze shifted over to Vegeta, and she smiled softly despite herself. I made a promise, and I'm not gonna break it now.

"Well, Vegeta?" she questioned, turning her smile to the Saiyan prince and nodding up at the dragon. "Ready to make your wish?"

Vegeta had been taken aback by the dragon's massive size; it dwarfed an Oozaru, or any other creature that he'd seen before. Clearly the stories that Bulma had told him hadn't been an exaggeration. Her words broke through that amazement, however, drawing his attention back to the matter at hand. He felt a surge of emotion, both excitement and apprehension, as he considered how best to phrase this wish. After twelve years of waiting, he was finally going to find out what had happened to his father, his people, and his planet; he would know whether their rebellion against Frieza had succeeded, and what would await him when he did eventually leave this planet.

"Dragon!" he called up to Shenron, drawing the creature's attention to him. "My wish is simple." He indicated himself. "I am Prince Vegeta, fourth of my name, heir to the throne of Planet Vegeta. Twelve years ago, my father, King Vegeta, led a rebellion against the Arcosian tyrant Frieza, ruler of the Planet Trade Empire, in an attempt to free our world from Frieza's control. That was the last time I heard from him." He spread his arms. "Can you show me what happened to him after that? What happened to my people and my planet when they rebelled against Frieza?"

Shenron considered that for a moment, then nodded his massive head. "You wish to see what happened to your father and to your planet? Such a wish is well within my power to grant." His eyes lit up, glowing a brighter shade of red. "Watch closely, and I will show you."

The air above them and below the dragon's snout suddenly began to glow with the same red light, as a large square patch of light began to form, almost like a video screen. And just like a video screen, an image began to form within it: one that Vegeta recognized instantly.

"Planet Vegeta…" he breathed, his eyes wide.

Goku's eyes widened and he stepped up next to the prince. "That's Planet Vegeta?" he questioned. "Our old home planet?"

Vegeta nodded wordlessly, his gaze fixed intently on the magical display. As he watched, the image began to resolve into a "video," and lit up with a flurry of energy blasts and explosions.

In the image, Planet Vegeta's dark red disc dominated a large portion of the display, while the swollen disc of a ship that he recognized as one of Frieza's vessels hung in the top right. Between them, in the planet's upper atmosphere, two armies were engaged in battle: one was comprised entirely of Saiyans, while the other was made up of many different species, all garbed in Frieza Force armor.

So my father actually did it, Vegeta thought to himself, his hands clenching into fists as he watched intently. He really did rebel against Frieza. But what happened next?

The image "zoomed in" to an area closer to Frieza's ship, and focused on a pair of Saiyans who were accelerating straight towards it, blasting through any soldiers who tried to attack them with ease. One of them was unmistakably King Vegeta, the prince's father, but to Vegeta's surprise, the other one was strikingly similar to an older version of Kakarot: the man's hairstyle was identical to Kakarot's, and he even had similar facial features, although this man also had a prominent scar running across his face.

Goku was also staring at the other man, his eyes wide and shocked. "Is…" he breathed. "Is that…?"

"I don't know," Vegeta murmured, shaking his head slowly. "But… he does look a lot like you. So it's possible."

They watched as King Vegeta and his companion boldly challenged Frieza, as the tyrant rose out of his ship to confront them, and as the two Saiyans launched a powerful combined attack. Vegeta inhaled deeply, his whole body tensed up as he hoped against hope that the attack would succeed.

But then Frieza started laughing, and Vegeta's hope turned to numbed shock and horror as the tyrant swiftly began charging up a colossal sphere of destructive energy. "No," he breathed. "No, no, no, no…"

But there was nothing he could do. In the video image, the two Saiyans' combined blast splashed uselessly against the massive reddish-gold sphere, a moment before it engulfed them both, swept through the two warring armies without even slowing down, and finally crashed into the planet's surface with the force of a meteor impact. Vegeta, Goku, and Bulma all watched in horror. Even Yamcha and the shapeshifters, who knew nothing about any of this, were stunned into silence as they watched the horrific sight.

Vegeta was screaming, but only inside his head; his hands, which had been clenched into white-knuckled fists at his side, had gone slack and numb. He could only watch as Frieza's Supernova sank beneath the surface of Planet Vegeta, the planet starting to shudder and buckle as shafts of dark red light and boiling lava erupted through its surface at numerous points… until, finally, the entire planet burst apart from within and exploded in a blinding flash of light, before the glowing light of the video image faded to darkness.

"Your wish has been granted," Shenron's voice rumbled. "Farewell." With that, the Eternal Dragon's body lit up with another flare of brilliant light, flesh and bone dissolving back into golden energy. The pillar of light collapsed back into the Dragon Balls for a split second, before the seven glowing spheres floated off the ground and rose skyward, propelled amid the column of energy. With a last flash of light, the column split apart, and seven trails of light streaked off across the darkened sky in all directions as the Dragon Balls were scattered across the world once more.

And then there was silence.

Bulma stared up into the sky as the light of the moon and stars returned. Despite the fact that she didn't have any personal experience with the Saiyans' homeworld, she still felt herself profoundly affected by what she'd just seen. Yamcha and the shapeshifters were also still quiet, none of them willing to say anything that might break this silence.

Goku was still staring up at the space where the dragon had been, his eyes wide and glassy as his hands trembled. Tears ran slowly down his cheeks as he tried to grasp what he had just seen. While he couldn't be sure who the Saiyan man in that display had been, or why that man had looked so much like him, he somehow knew that they were kin, that he'd been looking at someone who had been part of his family. And he knew now that whoever that man was, he would never see him again.

But their reactions, their pain and shock, were nothing compared to Vegeta's. The Saiyan prince was standing absolutely motionless, staring down at the ground and at his own empty hands. Those final, dreadful images – Frieza's triumphant laughter, his father being consumed by that blinding light and his planet erupting into a cosmic fireball – filled his mind, blotting out everything else. His hands closed slowly into fists again, clenching so hard that his nails dug into his palms and drew blood. His teeth ground together as well, and his vision turned a red that had nothing whatsoever to do with the full moon.

"Um… Vegeta?" Bulma spoke up, her voice soft and quiet as she cautiously extended a hand towards his shoulder. "Are you…"

Her voice was drowned out by an explosion of ki that sent her staggering backwards, and Vegeta blasted straight up in the air, soaring in an arc back up the hill. He landed a few seconds later atop the only surviving tower of Pilaf's castle, his entire body shaking as he glared wildly at his clenched fists. He had just enough presence of mind to keep his gaze away from the moon, as the last thing he needed right now was to transform into an Oozaru, but the rage he could feel surging through his mind was impossible to restrain. It swelled up inside him, searing like fire in his blood, until he finally dropped all restraint and let it come bursting out.

"RRRAAAAHHHH!" Screaming at the top of his lungs, Vegeta flung out his arms and unleashed the largest, most destructive energy wave that he could muster. Pilaf's damaged castle was completely leveled by the shockwave, swallowed up in a brilliant flash of light and collapsing in on itself as it was razed down to its foundations by the explosion of destructive energy. Goku and Yamcha had to shield Bulma and the shapeshifters as a hot rush of wind thundered past them, the energy of the enraged Saiyan prince momentarily overwhelming both warriors' minds.

Finally, the light and noise died down, and the still of the night returned once more.

Goku and Bulma made their way back up the rocky slope in silence, with Yamcha, Oolong and Puar trailing a safe distance behind them. Luckily there were no fires burning in the area of the demolished castle, so they were able to make their way through the rubble without being in any danger.

It didn't take them long to find Vegeta. The Saiyan prince was on his hands and knees at the center of the destroyed fortress, staring blankly at the ground as his fingers dug deep into the earth. He didn't appear to be aware of anything around him, but his head slowly came up as he heard their footsteps. Even from a distance, it was easy for them to see the tracks of tears that were tracing down his cheeks, cutting through the dust and ashes that had been left behind by the explosion.

Bulma felt like she'd been punched when she saw the look on his face. She might have only known Vegeta for a few weeks, but that expression of utter devastation on his face, as if his whole world had just dropped out from under him – which she supposed it actually had, in a way – felt like a knife in her gut. Instinctively, she rushed forwards and dropped to her knees in front of Vegeta, leaning forwards and pulling him into as tight of a hug as she could muster. Goku followed suit, almost knocking them both off-balance as he slammed into Vegeta's side and hugged the prince as tightly as he could, his body still shaking as his tears returned.

Vegeta was still for a long moment, as if he had no idea how to respond. Then his arms finally wrapped around them both, almost instinctively, and he pulled them close. One hand settled on Goku's head, as if he was trying to reassure the younger Saiyan; the other arm was around Bulma's waist, as his head rested on her shoulder.

"I know," Bulma whispered, her own voice shaky as she gently patted Vegeta's back with one hand and did the same for Goku with the other. "I'm sorry. I know."

In that moment, there was nothing else to say.

Chapter Text

Last time, on The Lost Prince…

After defeating the scheming Emperor Pilaf and his henchmen, our heroes finally acquired all seven Dragon Balls and were able to summon the Eternal Dragon Shenron! Vegeta was able to make his long-awaited wish, but his triumph quickly turned to despair when the dragon's power revealed that his homeworld, Planet Vegeta, had been destroyed twelve years earlier by the tyrant Frieza, who had also taken the lives of his father King Vegeta and Goku's father Bardock.

With their quest complete, Vegeta and Goku are planning to depart for Master Roshi's island so Goku can begin his training under the Turtle Hermit, with Yamcha tagging along in the hopes of persuading Roshi to train him as well. The next chapter of their story begins… now!

Turtle School Saga, Part 1: Hazing

Mushroom Forest, Planet Earth

Age 749

The next morning dawned clear, cool, and bright, without a cloud in the sky. The group, who had found whatever sleeping places they could amid the ruins of Pilaf's fortress, had all elected to sleep in, as they hadn't felt any need to wake up early now that their quest was finally complete.

Bulma finally drifted slowly into consciousness when she smelled the faint aroma of smoke. Blinking sleepily and rubbing her eyes, she rolled over onto her side and looked up to see Yamcha sitting next to a small campfire.

"Morning," she greeted him as she pushed herself up on one elbow and looked around, before a puzzled frown crossed her face. "Where's Vegeta?" While Goku, Oolong and Puar were all still curled up and sleeping, there was no sign of the Saiyan prince where he'd bedded down the night before.

"Huh?" Yamcha looked up at her, his cheeks flushing pink for a moment as his natural shyness around girls kicked in again. Cursing inwardly, he averted his eyes and focused back on the fire he was tending. "Uh… he's over there somewhere, I think," he mumbled, waving one hand idly in the direction of the steep hill that had been behind the now-demolished castle. "He didn't say where he was going, but, ah…" He chuckled a little under his breath. "I didn't wanna piss him off by asking."

Bulma snorted in amusement despite herself. "Yeah, fair enough," she quipped, sighing as she dug a hairbrush out of her backpack and started running it through her hair to get any tangles out of it. "I'll go check on him and see how he's doing."

Once she'd navigated her way through the field of rubble, it didn't take long for her to find Vegeta. The Saiyan was seated on the very edge of the hill behind the demolished castle, leaning back on his hands and gazing out over the countryside beyond it with a faraway look in his eyes. His gaze flicked briefly over towards Bulma as she sat down next to him, but he gave no other acknowledgment of her presence, and they sat together in silence as the sun continued rising higher in the eastern sky.

"Uh… hi," Bulma spoke up after a few minutes had passed. "Sorry, I… ah..." Asking him something along the lines of How are you feeling? or Are you okay? seemed like it would be a little insensitive at the moment, given what they had witnessed the night before, so she opted for an alternative question that would hopefully come across better and have a less obvious answer. "…What's on your mind?"

Vegeta didn't say anything for a few seconds, his expression remaining unchanged, until he finally let out a slow, deep exhale and shifted his posture slightly. "For the last twelve years," he began, "I've always had some sort of plan, a basic strategy in mind for what I needed to do." His voice was quieter and noticeably more subdued than usual. "I was going to train Kakarot into as much of a proper Saiyan warrior as I could, and then we were going to leave this planet to go find out what had happened to the rest of our species. That was always the plan. Once we'd gotten back out there and found out what happened to our people and our planet, I would know what to do next."

"But now…" He closed his eyes, trying to force down the vision from the previous night of his planet exploding. "Now I do know what happened. My father is dead, my planet is gone, and as far as I know, Kakarot and I could easily be the only two Saiyans left in the universe. Which means that if we leave this planet, and Frieza finds us, we're as good as dead. We won't have any backup, and as much as I hate to admit it, I would be no match whatsoever for the stronger warriors of the PTO." His shoulders slumped. "So… essentially, I'm stuck here now. Possibly forever. And for the first time in my life, I have absolutely no idea what my future is going to look like."

Vegeta's eyes opened again, glaring off into the distance for a moment, before becoming glassier as his fingers dug into the soil. "And… that scares me." His voice cracked on that last sentence.

Bulma's eyes were wide as she watched him, seeing the mix of anger, pain and fear that was swirling beneath his quiet façade. She'd never seen him like this, not once in all the time that they'd been traveling together, and part of her was scared… but the other part felt a rush of sympathy, the same feeling that had led her to embrace him when he'd broken down the night before. She didn't want to go that far this time, as she wasn't sure how he would react if it happened again: instead, she carefully placed one of her hands lightly over one of his, providing some small measure of comfort. "I'm sorry, Vegeta," she breathed. "I can't imagine how that must feel, but… if there's anything I can do to help you guys, please don't hesitate to ask."

Vegeta's eyes widened when he felt the soft warmth of her hand on his; that kind of gentle contact was something he couldn't remember ever experiencing before, except for when he'd been very young and his mother had tended to him after his removal from the nursery pods. He turned and looked down at their hands, before his gaze drifted up to meet hers. For a long moment, neither of them moved, their eyes locked, neither one sure how to proceed.

Finally, Bulma blushed deeply and looked away as she snapped out of the momentary trance. Vegeta's cheeks also colored faintly and he looked away too, clearing his throat. "…Thank you," he murmured, a little hesitantly. "For listening, and for your offer. I truly appreciate it."

Bulma let out a soft, breathless chuckle, as her lips curved in a warm smile. "No problem whatsoever."

Half an hour later, the travelers were all awake and gathered around the small campfire, so they could have breakfast and discuss their plans going forward. Goku tucked into the food with relish, his energy clearly still intact, while Vegeta ate more sparingly, which would have been quite odd under normal circumstances but made sense after the stress of the night before.

Most of them didn't say much as they ate, focusing on their food rather than on conversation. Once they were all finished, however, Bulma finally spoke up. "So," she addressed the group, sitting down and leaning back against a large block of shattered masonry. "Our 'mission' is finished: we found all of the Dragon Balls, and we got our wish. So… where do we all go from here?"

"Well, Kakarot and I are going back to Roshi's island, at least for the moment," Vegeta replied matter-of-factly, stirring the embers of their campfire with a long stick. "The old man owes Kakarot some training, and I intend to collect on it." He glanced over at her, arching an eyebrow questioningly. "How about you?"

"Ah…" Bulma shrugged and laughed softly. "Well, my parents were okay with me going on a vacation to try and find the Dragon Balls, but I think I should head home now that it's done, since they'll probably start to worry if I stay away for too long." She smiled as she looked up at Vegeta. "I know you and Goku have some business to take care of first, but… if you want to come and visit me after that's done, my door's always open. I'd love to keep in touch with you guys."

Vegeta's cheeks colored faintly, but he quickly shook that off and nodded. "I… would enjoy that as well, yes," he agreed.

Yamcha suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Oh, get a room already, he thought to himself, although his sense of self-preservation was more than strong enough to keep him from saying anything like that out loud. Instead, he said, "Puar and I will tag along with you two, if that's all right." He nodded to Goku, his voice becoming a little nervous as he caught a glimpse of Vegeta's annoyed scowl. "I imagine I'll have to ask the Turtle Hermit if he'll be willing to train me as well, but if he's willing then I'd love to learn from him."

Goku shrugged and smiled over at the bandit. "That's fine with me!" he piped up. "Havin' another training partner besides Vegeta should help me improve and learn new stuff, and I'm always up for that."

"Of course you are," Vegeta sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment before nodding reluctantly. "Fine, then. He can come with us. But I'm warning you now, Scarface: don't cause us any trouble, or you're going to regret ever making that request." His eyes fixed on Yamcha. "Understood?"

Yamcha flinched and nodded quickly. "Y-yeah, of course! No need to worry: I won't get in you guys' way, and I'll help Goku improve as much as I can."

Satisfied by this, Vegeta nodded, turning his attention back to Bulma. "But yes, once Kakarot's training with the old man is complete, perhaps we'll come and pay you a visit." He arched an eyebrow questioningly. "Where should we go to find you?"

"Here, gimme a sec…" Bulma dug through her backpack until she found a sheet of paper and a pen. Scribbling down an address on the paper, she carefully tore that portion of the sheet away and folded it up before passing it to Vegeta. "There you go! That's the address for where my parents and I usually spend most of our time, at the main headquarters of Capsule Corporation in West City. All you'll have to do is go to West City, show that address to a police officer or a taxi driver, and they'll point you in the right direction." She smiled brightly. "Piece of cake, really."

Vegeta chuckled softly. "Fair enough." Storing the folded-up sheet of paper in one of his pockets, he rose to his feet, rolling his shoulders and stretching out his arms. "All right, then. Let's be on our way."

Once they left the Mushroom Forest behind them, the group parted ways. Bulma took her car (which she had gotten repaired in the last town that they had visited, as thanks for their disposing of Monster Carrot) and reluctantly headed home to West City, while the rest of the group – Vegeta, Goku, Yamcha, and the two shapeshifters – used Yamcha's car to head back in the direction of Master Roshi's island, retracing their journey in considerably less time since they didn't need to make any stops along the way. In less than a day, they reached the beach where Roshi had given Goku the Nimbus Cloud, and camped there for the night before beginning the final stage of their journey.

Luckily, Bulma had also loaned her capsule-contained boat to Vegeta, which allowed them to make the trip out to the island much easier than it would have been if the two Saiyans had been forced to carry the others through the air. It wasn't a problem for most of them, although Oolong spent most of the journey curled up in the back of the boat and groaning due to a bout of seasickness.

After setting out on the sea just after dawn, it took a couple of hours for them to find Kame Island. Luckily, Vegeta's basic knowledge of the area (gained from the many flights around the islands that he had made as a child) helped them to navigate the archipelago without too much trouble. Finally, in the light of the early-morning sun, all three boys' eyes lit up when Vegeta spotted the familiar pink house on the horizon, and Yamcha altered the boat's course at his instruction to aim directly for it.

In what seemed like no time at all, they were there. Sweeping in through the gentle surf, the boat gently ran aground on the island and slid smoothly to a halt on the damp sand. Goku was first off, vaulting onto the beach and grinning excitedly as he looked around. "Oh, wow, this is it!" he exclaimed, hopping up and down. "This place looks great. I can't wait to start training!"

Vegeta smirked, some of his old confidence resurfacing as he hopped lightly out of the boat and started walking towards the house. Roshi's pet turtle was basking in the sun near the house, so he was sure that the old martial artist must be home. "Hey, old man!" he called out loudly. "I'm back, and I brought a new student for you!"

A moment later, Roshi's head popped out of the front door. The elderly martial artist grinned cheerfully when he saw the Saiyans approaching. "Vegeta!" he called back, stepping outside and waving. "Goku! It's great to see you both again." His grin widened as he leaned on his wooden staff. "So I assume you're here to take me up on that offer of some training?"

Goku beamed and nodded eagerly. "Uh-huh! We finished gatherin' the Dragon Balls and got our wish…" His cheerful expression flickered for a moment as he remembered the vision that Shenron had shown them, before he focused back on the situation at hand. "…so we decided to head back here for that trainin' you promised me." Remembering their remaining companions, he jerked a thumb over his shoulder to where Yamcha was climbing out of the boat. "Oh, and that's Yamcha! He wants to train with you too, if that's okay."

"Oh?" Roshi arched one eyebrow, regarding Yamcha curiously as the older boy approached them. He knew both Goku and Vegeta well enough by now, but he hadn't seen or heard much from Yamcha when he'd met up with their group at Fire Mountain. "Well, I'm always willing to take on new students, assuming they're worthy of learning my teachings." Taking a slow step forwards and putting some effort into keeping up the "wise, dignified teacher" persona that he'd usually maintained while he had been training Vegeta all those years ago, he looked Yamcha up and down. "So, sonny… you're interested in joining the Turtle School?"

Yamcha's eyes widened in amazement, feeling a little awestruck that the famous Turtle Hermit was standing right in front of him. "I… y-yes, sir, I am," he agreed, nodding quickly. "When Goku told me that he was going to be training with you, I knew I had to see if I could do the same. I've always wanted to learn the ways of true martial arts, but…" He shrugged. "I've never really had the chance. I've been in plenty of fights in my life, but I've never had a teacher who could really help me improve and teach me how to properly hone my skills." He bowed deeply, ignoring Vegeta's derisive snort. "Please, teach me how to be a real fighter. I would be tremendously honored if you would be willing to do so."

Roshi considered that for a long moment, before he finally nodded slowly. "Fair enough. All right, my boy: I'll train you." Yamcha's face lit up, but Roshi quickly held up one index finger to cut off his response as an idea occurred to him. "But! Before I do that, I'm gonna need you to, ah… prove yourself to be a worthy candidate for the Turtle School." He grinned, adjusting his sunglasses. "Don't worry, I've already got a suitable test in mind for you: it'll be quite a simple assignment, really. All you have to do is complete it successfully, and then I'll train you along with Goku." He raised an eyebrow again. "Seem fair?"

Yamcha was a little nervous, as he wasn't sure what this "test" would be, but he nodded immediately. "Of… of course! Whatever test you have in mind, I promise I won't fail it."

"All righty, then!" Roshi's grin widened and he beckoned for Yamcha to follow him, guiding the younger man back down towards the boat. "Vegeta, you and Goku go get settled in, all right? We won't be starting your real training today; let's take a day for you to get some rest after your journey while your friend here carries out his test, and then we can get things going properly once he gets back."

"Okay!" Goku scampered off towards the house, and Vegeta followed with both Saiyans' backpacks hanging over his shoulders. Oolong followed nervously behind the pair of Saiyans, while Puar hung back with Yamcha.

"Uh… so, anyway!" Yamcha forced a confident smile onto his face, trying to hide his nerves. "What, ah… what's my test going to be, sir?"

The Turtle Hermit's sunglasses gleamed as they reflected the sunlight, and his cheery grin widened as he clapped Yamcha on the shoulder. "Well, it's actually pretty simple, my boy! All you'll have to do is…"

As they stepped into the main room of Kame House, both Vegeta and Goku could hear Yamcha's exclamation of "You want me to do what?!" echoing from outside. They exchanged a brief glance, shrugged, and headed upstairs to begin unpacking.

Several hours had passed, and Yamcha was gone, having taken the boat back to shore to carry out Roshi's "test." Puar had gone with him, wanting to help her friend, while Goku, Vegeta and Oolong had settled into their guest quarters inside Kame House. Oolong was taking a nap to try and get over the lingering effects of his seasickness, while Roshi and the two Saiyans were outside, walking over to the smaller wooden shed next to the house. Even though the shed had been there for twelve years, Roshi had never bothered to paint it like he had for his house: its walls were simple brown wood, although the boards were suffering a little from all those years of exposure to salty sea air and tropical heat.

"And here she is!" Roshi said cheerily as he unlatched the large double doors and pulled them open. "See? Kept it nice and safe, just like you asked."

Inside the shed, Vegeta's old space pod was still safely tucked away, just where the prince had left it so long ago when he'd left to go and find Kakarot. He rested one hand on its smooth metal hull and closed his eyes, feeling a throb of phantom pain in his chest when he thought about the circumstances that had led him to this planet, the memory of his father's last message from back then mixing with the images from the vision that Shenron's magic had shown them.

"Uh… Vegeta?" Roshi frowned, seeing the pained expression on the Saiyan boy's face. "Are you okay?"

Vegeta didn't say anything, but Goku sighed as he looked up at Roshi. "We, um… we used the Dragon Balls to find out what happened to our planet," he explained quietly. "An evil space emperor named Frieza blew it up: it's all gone, and so are the rest of the Saiyans. We might be the only ones left." He looked down, remembering that brief vision of the man who had looked so much like him.

"Oh!" Roshi's eyes widened in shock, before his expression shifted into a concerned frown as he turned his gaze to Vegeta. "I… I'm sorry, Vegeta. If… if there's anything I can do to help…"

"There isn't," Vegeta cut him off curtly as he opened his eyes. "Unfortunately, there's nothing that any of us can do. On some level, I think I knew all along what must have happened; I just didn't want to believe it." He shook his head. "But there's nothing I can do to change what happened to them. All I can do is… to move forward, and hopefully make sure that my father didn't die for nothing." His eyes narrowed and he traced the symbol of the Saiyan royal crest where it was emblazoned on the pod's hatch, before lowering his outstretched hand back to his side.

Stepping up next to him, Roshi gently rested one hand on Vegeta's shoulder. "I understand," he assured the Saiyan boy quietly. "I've never been through anything that extreme, but I have experienced many losses in my life – friends, comrades, teachers – and those losses are always hard to live with. But, in time, it does get easier. And you'll have as much time as you need, I promise you that."

Vegeta was silent for another moment, before he nodded slowly. "That… does make sense," he admitted. "Thank you, Roshi."

Roshi nodded soberly, before clearing his throat and focusing back on the business at hand. "So!" he spoke up, drawing both Saiyans' attention. "While we're waiting for your friend to get back, why don't we take a little time to get your training started, Goku?" He smiled down at the younger Saiyan, tilting his head towards the visible outline of another island in the distance. "I set up a little training area on that island over there after Vegeta left, as his training could be a little, ah… destructive... sometimes." He chuckled, winking at the Saiyan prince, who snorted and rolled his eyes. "So how's about we go over there and you can show me how much power and skill you've got under your belt so far?"

"Sure!" Goku nodded eagerly. "Vegeta? Wanna come with us?"

Vegeta considered the idea, but ultimately shook his head. "No, I think I'll stay here," he replied, stretching his arms over his head and yawning. "I haven't gotten much sleep in the last couple of days, and I think a nap might help." He smirked and ruffled Goku's hair. "Besides, I already know all your tricks, so this little 'demonstration' wouldn't have any surprises for me."

"Awww…" Goku pouted for a second, but then nodded and beamed up at Vegeta. "Okay, then."

Roshi smiled warmly as he watched the two young Saiyans. Vegeta might still like to act like he doesn't really care about anyone, but it's easy enough to tell that he's formed a strong bond with Goku. And he's definitely more relaxed now than he was when he first got here all those years ago. Seems his time on Earth has been good for him. Out loud, however, all he said was "Well, come along, then, young'un! Let's get to it, shall we?"

"Hell yeah!" Goku's eager grin widened. "Bring it on."

Yamcha shook his head as he sat behind the wheel of his car, cruising along an empty desert road with steep rocky hills on either side. "I mean, come on!" he muttered, still in disbelief over the "test" that Roshi had given him. "Find me a pretty young lady who can help brighten things up around here," he griped, doing a surprisingly-accurate imitation of Roshi's voice. "Seriously?! What kind of 'legendary martial artist' asks for something like that?"

"I dunno!" Puar frowned, shaking her head. "Maybe we should just leave? An old pervert like that guy might not be able to teach you anything worthwhile anyway."

Yamcha considered that for a moment, but ultimately shook his head. "No. If the Turtle Hermit trained Vegeta, and Vegeta trusts him to train Goku, he's gotta be the real deal. I'll just have to deal with his… eccentricities… until I get what I want out of it." Which means I just have to find a girl who's interested in moving to an island so she can spend some time hanging out with an old man and a couple of kids. Not to mention the fact that I'll actually have to talk to said girl to make that proposal, which isn't something that I'm usually capable of doing in the first place. He rolled his eyes and stepped on the brake, slowing the car down a bit more as he glanced idly at their surroundings. "Pretty simple," my ass. Might as well have asked me to dry up the damn ocean while he was at it…

"Help! Somebody help me!"

Yamcha's eyes widened and he stepped on the brakes as the panicked, distant cry rang out from a short distance away, echoing off the hills around the road. He glanced back and forth from the road to the direction of the sound, trying to decide what to do, before ultimately making a snap decision. Whoever that was, it sounds like they're in trouble. Gunning the engine on his hovercar, he veered off the road and accelerated out over the desert, heading into a small nearby canyon that cut through the hills, which was where the sound seemed to have originated.

It didn't take him long to find the source. The screaming had apparently been coming from a young woman, who seemed to be about the same age as him. She was sprawled on the ground near one wall of the canyon, with two armed men standing over her. Both men wore some sort of tan uniforms, and each of them had a handgun trained on her, even though the girl was unarmed and cowering against the rock wall.

Yamcha scowled when he saw what was happening, immediately assuming that the two men were some sort of bandits. "Disgusting bastards, preying on a defenseless girl like that," he muttered from where he was concealed behind a rock outcropping, having left the car at the canyon entrance. "At least I had the decency not to take it that far when I was robbing people!"

Puar hovered just behind him, watching the scene anxiously. Neither man looked particularly strong, but they both had guns, which made them a potential threat even to someone as strong as Yamcha.

"Okay," Yamcha murmured after a moment of thought. "I've got a plan. Puar, you cause a distraction but stay out of reach, and I'll catch 'em off-guard. Got it?"

Puar nodded, summoning up her courage: they had carried out plans like this plenty of times before (although back then it had typically been for the purpose of robbing people, not rescuing them). "Right!" she confirmed.

"Okay, then." Yamcha returned her nod, his eyes narrowing as he prepared himself. "Let's do this."

Luckily, the plan went off without a hitch. Puar, having shapeshifted into a large bird that resembled an eagle, flew quickly down the canyon and soared directly over the attacking men's heads, letting out a loud screech that immediately drew both of their attention up to her.

"The hell?!" one of them exclaimed, raising his gun away from the girl and towards the false bird. The other one kept his weapon aimed at the girl, but was also prompted to look up by the loud noise.

That was all the opening Yamcha needed. With a yell of "Wolf Fang Fist!", he appeared directly behind the men and lashed out with a volley of rapid-fire punches that sent them both flying, knocking them out cold before either of them could fire off a single shot. As their unconscious bodies tumbled to the ground, he turned to face the frightened girl and tried to summon up the courage to speak to her. It wasn't easy, as his natural shyness flared up just like it always did around girls, but he did everything he could to force that anxiety down this time. Nothing was going to get in the way of his completing this test and earning the right to learn from the Turtle Hermit.

"Uh… miss?" he managed to speak up, suppressing the instinctive blush that flickered across his cheeks as he held out one hand to the fallen girl. "Are you all right?"

"Oh!" The girl looked up at him, her eyes wide and confused. "Y-yes, I'm all right." She had long, dark blue hair with a red bandana laced through it, and wore red fingerless gloves, a simple light-green tank top, and yellow shorts. "Thank you so much! Those men just started chasing me, and they wouldn't leave me alone!" She reached up and took his hand gingerly, allowing him to help her up.

"O-oh, no, it's no trouble at all!" Yamcha's blush deepened and he let go of her hand as soon as she was on her feet, but he shook his head and tried to keep his focus. "I, um… I'm Yamcha. It's nice to meet you."

The girl smiled, seeming more than a little shy herself. "I'm Launch. It's nice to meet you too!"

Yamcha returned her smile, doing his best to ignore the surges of embarrassment that his shyness always caused. "So, ah… where are you headed, miss? I could give you a ride to the next town, if you were on your way there."

"I… no, I don't think I was going there." Launch shook her head slowly and looked around, her smile shifting into a frown. "I wish I could remember where I was going, but I sometimes have some trouble with things like that." She sighed and folded her arms over her chest. "I don't really think I'm going anywhere in particular, honestly. I tend to just… wander around, I suppose. But I'm not sure if that's a good idea right now, since I don't know if more men like them will be chasing after me." Her frown deepened, her expression softening as she gazed off into the distance.

Yamcha unconsciously mirrored her frown. "Oh, I'm sorry!" he sympathized, nodding understandingly as he felt a rush of concern. Having been in that situation himself in the past, he knew how difficult that sort of life could be.

At that moment, a stroke of inspiration hit him, and his eyes widened in realization. Wait… of course!

"Actually," he spoke up, drawing Launch's attention. "I, ah… I think I know someplace where you might be able to stay for a while, if you'd be interested. I'm staying with my martial arts teacher right now, and he's got plenty of room in his house. Maybe you could come and stay with us for a bit? I'm sure he'd be happy to let you stay for as long as you need to."

Launch perked up, her eyes wide and intrigued as she turned back to him. "Really?" she questioned. "You… you would do that for me?"

"Sure!" Yamcha nodded and smiled, ignoring the usual urge to blush and avert his eyes. "I'd be happy to." He nodded back towards the canyon's entrance. "C'mon: we should get going before those guys wake up."

All right! the former bandit thought to himself with some measure of satisfaction as he and Launch headed back towards his car, with Puar following behind them. Helped out somebody who needed it, and this should definitely take care of the old man's "test." He grinned, his usual nervousness around girls suppressed by his rising excitement. And once I've mastered all of the Turtle Hermit's skills… Vegeta and I are gonna have that rematch.

And I won't be going down so easily when that happens.

Vegeta was sprawled out on the large couch in the living room of Kame House, his arms folded behind his head and his eyes closed, in a posture that was surprisingly relaxed by his standards. Oolong was also napping in one of the upstairs bedrooms, while Roshi and Goku had already headed over to another nearby island (the former riding on Turtle's back and the latter on the Nimbus Cloud) so that the Turtle Hermit could assess the younger Saiyan's skills and power properly before they started Goku's training.

Vegeta had considered accompanying them, but as he'd pointed out to Goku earlier, it was Roshi, not Vegeta, who still needed to see what the younger Saiyan boy was capable of. Plus, due to the nightmarish vision that Shenron had given him, Vegeta hadn't gotten much sleep for the last two nights, so a nap sounded like an excellent idea now that they'd finally made it here. The cool breeze and the salty sea air were also relaxing, as they brought back pleasant memories of the first year that he'd spent on this planet. He'd also finally changed from his rough, brown, homemade clothes into a different outfit, as Roshi had provided him with a new Turtle School uniform: a dark blue tank top and wristbands, with an orange shirt and pants. It wasn't really his first choice in terms of colors, but it would do for the time being, since the old set of Saiyan armor that he'd worn as a child wasn't in great shape anymore and the sets of handmade clothes that he'd been making for himself when he and Goku had been living on Mount Paozu weren't really the best quality.

As the Saiyan prince dozed, several soft sounds echoed through the open window above the couch: a series of quiet splashes that mingled with the soft rumble of the waves, followed by the grinding sound of a boat sliding onto the island's sandy beach out in front of the house. Most people wouldn't have noticed those sounds, but since Vegeta hadn't been sleeping too deeply, they were enough to spark him back to consciousness.

Vegeta groaned under his breath, rubbing his face and grimacing as his eyes slowly drifted open. Lovely, he thought sourly to himself, immediately realizing who that must be. Roshi and Kakarot hadn't taken a boat over to their training island, so this must be Yamcha and his furry companion returning from whatever "test" that Roshi had sent them to perform.

"Fantastic," Vegeta muttered. "Well, I might as well tell him where they went, or he'll just be hanging around and annoying me all afternoon until they get back." Rubbing his eyes as he sat up, he turned and looked out of the window, his usual scowl firmly back in place. Clearly, being abruptly woken from his nap hadn't done much for his mood.

What he saw when he looked outside, however, was a surprise. There was a boat on the beach outside, but it wasn't the boat that they'd borrowed from Bulma: this one was smaller, with a wooden hull and a pair of oars instead of an engine. In addition, its occupant wasn't Yamcha or Puar, but another human boy, who appeared to be around the same age and height as Goku. His head was fully shaved, with a double-line of six dots on his forehead that almost looked like burn marks, and he had a backpack slung over his shoulders as he clambered out of his boat and hopped ashore, almost face-planting in the sand as he did so. "All right!" he exclaimed, grinning as he dusted himself off and looked up at the house. "The Turtle Hermit's house. I finally made it!"

Vegeta's eyes narrowed, his annoyed scowl deepening. Another human was trying to become one of Roshi's students, right when he was trying to get Kakarot's training started?

"Oh, hell no," he growled.

Krillin grinned as he leapt onto the sandy beach of Kame Island. He'd actually found it: the famous Turtle School! His training at Orin Temple had taught him the basics of martial arts, but he'd never been the strongest or the most talented of the monks there, and he'd been constantly picked on by the more successful students for his small size and lack of brute strength. Finally, he'd had enough: after learning as much as he could at the temple, he'd slipped away in the middle of the night and headed out in search of the legendary Turtle Hermit, hoping that he could persuade the famous martial arts master to take him on as a student. With the training of the Turtle School on top of what he'd learned at Orin Temple, he was positive that he could surpass all of those bullies who had looked down on him.

And when I do, I'll meet those jerks again and show them all just how strong I can get! He nodded firmly and tightened the straps of his backpack, feeling a little nervous as he looked up at the large, pink-painted house. Not as impressive as the temple back home, but I guess the Turtle Hermit likes to keep a low profile. I've just gotta convince him that I've got what it takes to learn from him! He grinned a little nervously as he adjusted his pack and rolled up his sleeves a little further. And, I mean… based on what I've heard about the old master, if I can't convince him to train me the normal way, maybe I can do it with the stuff I've got in here.

As Krillin made his way across the beach and up to the house, he glanced around curiously, made a little more nervous by the fact that the island seemed to be completely deserted. There were no signs of anyone around: just the house and a smaller wooden shed next to it, both of which were as silent as a tomb. He gulped, but forced himself to keep going. Come on, Krillin, don't go getting cold feet now! You've come too far to back down at the last minute. You've got this!

As he approached the porch and raised one sandal to step up onto the front steps, the front door creaked open. Krillin's eyes widened and he took a deep breath, preparing the introductory speech that he'd practiced dozens of times during his trip from the Orin Temple to here… but then they widened even further and his voice was suddenly choked off, as he saw the figure in the doorway.

Leaning on the doorframe was another boy, this one at least a few years older than Krillin and noticeably taller. He was dressed in an orange-and-blue martial arts uniform, which didn't entirely conceal his toned physique, and his spiky black hair stood up in a flame-like pattern. His dark eyes were as cold as ice, his arms were folded over his chest, and his face seemed to be set in a permanent scowl. He wasn't overly tall or muscular, but he was far more intimidating than any of the other students back at Orin Temple had been. Just one look at him gave Krillin the impression that this guy could have eaten all of the bullies at that temple for lunch.

"Who the hell are you?" the older boy questioned, his voice as cold and flat as the look in his eyes.

Krillin shivered, feeling a rush of cold fear run down his spine, but forced himself to stay focused. Well, this obviously isn't the Turtle Hermit… so it must be one of his students. And this guy's definitely a fighter, so I've gotta be in the right place. "My, uh… my name's Krillin," he introduced himself, doing his best to project an aura of confidence. "I'm here to train with the Turtle Hermit, Master Muten Roshi! I've heard that he's the greatest martial artist in the world, and, ah… my old martial arts academy wasn't challenging enough for me, so I decided I should seek him out and learn from him." He did everything he could to keep his nerves from reacting as the other boy's eyes remained locked on him like a hawk eyeing a sparrow. "And, uh… who are you?"

The boy was silent for a moment. "Vegeta," he replied curtly. "Unfortunately, kid, you're here at a bad time. The Turtle Hermit isn't here right now, but he already has too many new students as it is; there's no room for any more. So I suggest you get back on that boat and either go find somebody else to train you, or come back in a year or two when he'll be less busy." He waved idly back towards Krillin's boat with one hand. "Right now, there's nothing for you here."

Krillin's eyes were wide and alarmed as he looked up at the other boy – Vegeta – before his fear morphed into a slowly-growing anger. This guy was acting just like the bullies back at Orin Temple: an overconfident jerk, looking down at anybody who seemed like they weren't worth his time and advising them to give up and get lost rather than try to keep improving themselves. "Oh, yeah?" he questioned, his eyes narrowing. "And would the Turtle Hermit agree with that? Maybe I should wait here until he gets back, and then we can ask him."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed, and he took a slow step forwards, uncrossing his arms and flexing his fingers. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he bit out. "Master Roshi is a very busy man; he doesn't have time to deal with every amateur who shows up." His lip curled in a sneer, and both of his hands clenched into fists. "Now, I'm going to ask nicely one more time. Leave now, or this conversation isn't going to end well for you."

Krillin glared at the older boy, his own fists clenched tightly at his sides. I don't care who this guy thinks he is… he's not gonna stop me! I'm gonna get my training with the Turtle Hermit, no matter what it takes! "If you're looking for a fight, big guy, that's fine with me," he spat, returning Vegeta's scowl with his own. "I'm not leaving until I get to see the Turtle Hermit. So get out of my face, before I have to make you."

Vegeta snorted, a laugh actually escaping his lips for a moment. "That's a good one, kid." He considered for a moment, and then smirked. "All right. How's this? Let's settle this with a quick sparring match: if you win, I'll let you see the Turtle Hermit, and if I win, you leave this island and you don't come back." His smirk widened, and he held up one index finger. "And I'll even give you a pretty major handicap: if you manage to land even one solid hit on me, you win." Stepping down onto the sand, he spread his arms. "So? Do we have a deal?"

Krillin's eyes narrowed, and he felt another shiver of fear running down his back, but he muscled through it. I don't have a choice. This is my chance to prove myself: all I have to do is land one punch, and I can definitely do that! He can't be too much tougher than the bullies back home, and I was always able to hold my own in sparring matches there. Training with the Turtle Hermit is my dream, and I'm gonna do it no matter what it takes!

"All right, Vegeta," he shot back, nodding firmly as he shrugged off his backpack and entered a fighting stance. "You've got a deal. Let's do this!"

Vegeta nodded, his condescending smirk actually becoming a little approving. "Very well. Seems you've got some backbone after all; I was wondering if that proposition would be too much for you." He strolled out onto the beach and turned to face Krillin, arms still relaxed at his sides as he beckoned nonchalantly with one hand. "Come on, then. Show me what you've got."

"You got it!" Krillin kicked off the ground and shot forwards, leaping up and throwing a volley of rapid-fire punches and kicks, which sped towards their target with much more speed and power than any normal human could have achieved.

Unfortunately, it wasn't good enough. Vegeta's hands blurred into motion, neatly blocking and redirecting each of Krillin's strikes without much effort. He retreated slowly down the beach before the younger boy's determined offensive, a grin fixed on his face as he deflected each incoming blow with surgical precision. "Come on!" he taunted, throwing a lazy punch that nearly grazed Krillin's jaw as the smaller boy flinched to one side. "Is that the best you've got?"

"Not even close!" Krillin yelled, leaping over Vegeta's outstretched arm and throwing a spinning kick at the older boy's head. Vegeta's right hand flicked up and he caught Krillin by the ankle, stopping his kick dead. With a single whiplike swing of his arm, he spiked Krillin into the ground like a volleyball, slamming the younger boy down with enough force to throw up a cloud of sand.

What… the hell?! Krillin's head was spinning, his ears ringing, and he tasted blood. How'd he do that?!

"Well, that was a decent try," Vegeta commented dryly. "You've definitely got more power and skill than the average human, I'll give you that. But you're out of your league here." He looked down at Krillin with one raised eyebrow. "I suggest you give up, before I have to hurt you."

"Not… gonna… happen," Krillin gasped as he rolled over and pushed himself back up. "I'm not… giving up! I came all this way to train with the Turtle Hermit…" He sprang back at Vegeta with a burst of speed, leaping into the air and throwing a furious kick at the older boy's face. "…and I'm not leaving until I get what I came for!"

But his kick hit nothing. Vegeta was gone. Krillin sailed through empty air and skidded across the sand as he landed unsteadily, his head whipping back and forth as he looked frantically for his opponent. Where'd he–

"Yes, you are." The voice was low, calm, and directly behind him.

Krillin's eyes widened and he started to spin around – but then something cracked into the back of his head. His vision flickered as a silent explosion of pain went off behind his eyes, and then everything went black.

Vegeta stepped back, nodding in satisfaction as Krillin collapsed in an unconscious heap on the sand. He'd landed a single effortless elbow strike to the back of the younger boy's head, with enough force to knock him out cold but not enough force to kill him. He'd intentionally held back, as the kid's determination had been impressive enough that he hadn't wanted to seriously hurt him.

"Nice try," he addressed the unconscious child, "but I've had more than enough of you humans getting involved with my business. Kakarot's going to have enough interference in his training with Scarface hanging around: he doesn't need another weakling butting in." His slowly-growing impatience with the various different hangers-on who had kept joining their group and getting on his nerves – Oolong, Yamcha, Puar – had finally reached its limit.

Picking Krillin up by the back of his shirt, Vegeta carried him over to the boat that he'd brought to the island. Retrieving the younger boy's backpack from where it had been left on the beach, he deposited both Krillin and his backpack safely in the bottom of the boat, alongside the oars that Krillin had been using. Then he lifted the boat itself into the air with one hand, hoisting it up as he rose off the ground and using his ki to keep it from breaking; he carried it out over the surf, before setting it gently down into the water. A casual wave of his hand produced a gentle kiai that rotated the boat in a semicircle, pointing it in the direction of the nearby coast.

"So long, kid," Vegeta muttered. "Let's hope our paths don't cross again." He drew back one hand and then flung it out, unleashing a more powerful kiai that launched the boat into motion and propelled it quickly across the ocean, back towards the mainland. Once it was out of sight, he turned and glided back to the island, touching down on the beach and making his way back into Kame House without a backward glance.

Roshi and Goku returned about an hour later, the old martial artist quite satisfied with the results of Goku's demonstration. The younger Saiyan was clearly just as quick of a study as Vegeta, as he'd already mastered the Kamehameha and had also picked up a few of the Turtle School fighting moves that Vegeta had learned from Roshi, as well as some of Gohan's old tricks that Roshi remembered from back when Gohan had been his student as well. Vegeta didn't mention their earlier visitor, as he didn't deem it worth the time it would take for him to explain what had happened (and a very small part of him felt a little nervous about the prospect of telling Roshi that he had chased off another prospective Turtle School student).

A few hours later, Yamcha and Puar also returned, with Launch in tow. Needless to say, Roshi was delighted by the rousing success of the former bandit's "test," as his eyes almost bulged out of his head when he saw Launch climbing out of the boat. "Well done, my boy!" he laughed, grinning widely as he hurried down the beach to greet them and clapping Yamcha on the back. "Superbly done! You've passed your test with flying colors, and I'll be happy to take you on as one of my students."

Yamcha's eyes widened, and his face lit up with excitement. "T-Thank you so much, sir! I'm honored." Remembering his manners, he quickly bowed, but Roshi laughed softly and waved him off.

"Ah, no need to be so formal," the old martial artist chuckled, before his cheeks colored faintly as he turned his attention to Launch. "So, ah… it's a pleasure to meet you, young lady! I'm Muten Roshi, the Turtle Hermit." He sketched a slight bow of his own, doing his best to appear dignified since he knew Vegeta was watching from the porch. "And… who might you be?"

"Oh, I'm Launch!" the girl introduced herself, smiling brightly. "Thank you so much for being so welcoming: I hate to impose, but I don't really have anywhere else to go, and Yamcha was kind enough to invite me to stay here for a while."

Roshi grinned a little wider despite himself. "Eheh, well, he's a good boy, that one! Runs in the nature of the Turtle School: all my students are perfect gentlemen, and they're always happy to help whenever a fair lady's in need of assistance! Get it all from me, of course…" Rambling on, he beckoned for Launch to follow him and led the way up towards the house.

Vegeta had arched an eyebrow skeptically when he saw Launch, before rolling his eyes as he realized why she was there. "Really?" he snarked as Yamcha walked up the beach. "That was the 'test' that he sent you out to do? Picking up a girl?"

"I don't understand it any more than you do, believe me," Yamcha muttered as he passed the Saiyan prince and ducked into the house. Puar floated through the doorway behind him, and Roshi followed soon after, still waxing on about the "lovely accommodations" that Kame House possessed as he led Launch. Vegeta snorted and rolled his eyes again, before glancing out over the ocean and turning to follow them inside.

Krillin slowly regained consciousness, to a terrible ache in the back of his head and the sound of gently-splashing waves. He opened his eyes and looked up, seeing the darkened night sky spread out above him and the moon gently shining down, before wincing as his head produced another painful throb.

"Ugh... what happened?" he groaned softly as he shifted onto his side, gently rubbing the back of his head with one hand. As he did so, however, the memories came flowing back, and his eyes widened in slowly-dawning horror as he remembered those last words and then the knockout blow that had dropped him into darkness.

Sitting up (and immediately clutching at his head with another pained groan as his movement exacerbated the growing headache), he looked around, and his heart sank as he realized that he wasn't on Kame Island anymore. Instead, his boat had run aground on another beach, this one much larger and leading up to a forest rather than a grassy island.

"No…" he whispered, as the realization properly set in.

He won… and I lost.

He couldn't imagine what he could have done differently. He'd given that fight everything he had, but that "Vegeta" guy had just been too strong and fast for him to land even a single blow. That battle had been his chance of winning a place in the Turtle School... and he'd lost.

"Damn it!" Krillin's groan turned into a furious yell as he clambered out of the boat and dropped to his knees, pounding his fists uselessly into the sand. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?!" He collapsed onto the sand and curled into a ball, squeezing his eyes tightly shut and fighting back a wordless scream.

He had been staking everything on this dream: he'd abandoned his home at the Orin Temple, run away to travel across the world, and pinned every hope he had on the goal of joining the Turtle School… but now it was very clear that his dream was never going to happen. If he went back out to Kame Island, he'd just get another beating, and that would be if he was lucky, given that Vegeta had given him a handicap and had barely even been fighting back for most of that bout. But he couldn't go back home either, as there was no way in hell that he was going to drag himself back to the temple and subject himself to more of that humiliation after failing like this. He had no options left.

For a long time, Krillin just lay there, hot tears of anger and despair leaking down his cheeks. But eventually, whether it was minutes or hours later – he honestly wasn't sure – he found the strength to sit up, as a new resolve started to creep into him.

"Screw it," he growled. That Vegeta guy had been just like all the bullies back at Orin Temple: a selfish jerk who thought that being bigger and tougher meant he was better than everyone else. If that's the kind of person that the Turtle Hermit usually trains, then I wouldn't want to learn from someone like that anyway!

"But the Turtle Hermit isn't the only legendary martial arts teacher in the world," he murmured thoughtfully to himself. "There are others out there, I know there are! I'll find one of them and train under them instead, and this time I won't take no for an answer. No matter who gets in my way, no matter what I have to do, I won't fail a second time! I'll become the strongest fighter in the whole world!"

And once I do, he vowed, all the bullies who ever made fun of me, everyone who ever looked down on me and kicked me around because they thought I wasn't worth their time… every last one of them is gonna find out just how wrong they were.

Krillin shot a furious glare back out over the ocean, in the direction of Kame House. Especially you, Vegeta. I'm never gonna forget what you did to me today. You destroyed my greatest dream. You humiliated me, and treated me like I was nothing.

And when the time comes… you're gonna pay dearly for that.

Chapter Text

Last time, on  The Lost Prince…

After completing their quest to find the Dragon Balls and parting ways with Bulma, Vegeta and Goku traveled to Kame House to begin Goku's training with Master Roshi, accompanied by Yamcha and the two shapeshifters. As Yamcha carried out a test to prove himself worthy of Roshi's training – namely, finding a beautiful girl – Vegeta encountered Krillin, another young boy seeking to join the Turtle School. Krillin accepted Vegeta's challenge of a sparring match, but was swiftly defeated and driven off of Kame Island by the young Saiyan prince.

Now, Goku and Yamcha are set to undergo Roshi's training program, the former motivated by the simple desire to surpass his limits and the latter determined to grow strong enough to one day challenge Vegeta again. Their training begins… now!

Turtle School Saga, Part 2: Shell-Shocked

Kame Island, Planet Earth

Age 749

"All right, boys, listen up!" Roshi paced back and forth on the beach in front of Kame House, the first golden rays of dawn just creeping over the horizon as he addressed his students. For once he wasn't dressed in his usual Hawaiian shirt and beach shorts, having chosen to don a black suit and hat instead. He was still wearing his trademark sunglasses, however, and his eyes twinkled with amusement behind them. It had been quite a few years since he'd last had the opportunity to teach a student, as he hadn't had any pupils since Vegeta had last lived at Kame House, and he wanted to make the most of this chance.

"Before we begin your training, I need to tell you how we do things here," he explained, his eyes flicking over each of his three students in turn. Vegeta was leaning casually against one of the house's porch railings with his arms folded over his chest, while Goku and Yamcha stood side-by-side on the front steps in a much more erect posture with their arms at their sides.

"In the Turtle School, we live by the code of all true and honorable martial artists," Roshi continued as he paced slowly along the beach. "You must never use your power or your fighting skills to harm the innocent, or to provoke an unnecessary fight. Warriors of the Turtle School are not bullies or thugs: they are protectors who seek only to help the innocent and to better themselves by surpassing their limits. If you're not willing to accept that, then I won't train you. It's that simple." He regarded Goku and Yamcha with one arched eyebrow. "Is that clear?"

When they both nodded quickly in assent, he grinned and nodded. "Excellent! However, if you face any evildoers who seek to harm the innocent, or if anyone threatens you or people you care about with violence… then you're more than welcome to give them what-for." He threw a quick jab at the air on that last phrase, chuckling as he turned back to face them and planted his sandaled feet firmly in the damp sand. "So! Are you boys ready to get started?"

"Yes, sir!" Goku and Yamcha chorused. Vegeta suppressed an amused snort at the earnestness in the former bandit's response, but he too nodded as he straightened up and dropped his arms to his sides.

"Alrighty, then!" Roshi's eyes gleamed, and he winked at the trio. "Then let's get to work."

Several hours later…

Panting and wheezing as he tried to catch his breath, Yamcha staggered up the last curve of the mountain path, hoisting several large containers with each hand. He, Goku and Vegeta had spent the last couple of hours running on foot from one isolated farmhouse to the next, performing the milk delivery runs for a local dairy farmer who lived in the area. Most of their runs had been the easy part, however, as their last delivery was to a monastery that was located atop a mountain. Normally climbing a mountain wouldn't be too much of a challenge for the ex-bandit, but after having already spent several hours running across the countryside while carrying heavy loads of milk jugs, it was extremely draining.

Goku was similarly tired, his bouncing steps now dragging as he made his way slowly up the path. Vegeta, however, was sweating and breathing more heavily due to the exertion, but he didn't appear to be anywhere near as tired as they were, thanks to his greater reserves of ki. "Come on, you two!" the Saiyan prince called over his shoulder, grinning as he strode on towards where the monastery loomed above them. Roshi, without any milk cartons to weigh him down, was already waiting at the entrance of the building.

Once the trio had finally unloaded their last load of cartons and received the thanks of the monks who inhabited the monastery, Yamcha stumbled a few steps away and collapsed against a boulder, taking deep gulps of air and fanning himself as he tried to recover his energy. "Man…" he panted. "This is brutal!" No wonder Vegeta's so strong, if he's already been through this training once.

"This?" Vegeta laughed as he sat down on a flatter boulder nearby, breathing deeply and letting the cold mountain air refresh him. "Oh, trust me, this is nothing. You'll know when the old man starts getting serious, believe me."

Yamcha's eyes widened, but before he could ask whether Vegeta was joking or not, Roshi and Goku joined them, the latter hopping up and sitting next to Vegeta while the former stopped a few feet in front of them, stretching his arms over his head and yawning. "Nice work, boys!" he congratulated them, grinning. "That's all the deliveries for today." He paused deliberately for a second, and then dropped the other shoe. "Now, once you've had a few minutes to rest, we'll get started on the rest of today's training."

Yamcha's jaw dropped. He wasn't kidding? We're really doing more today?!

Vegeta's grin widened. "I thought so."

"But before that, I wanted to let you boys know something that should hopefully give you some extra motivation to train your hardest." Roshi smiled, before raising one arm and pointing off into the distance. "In eight months' time, a great contest is going to be held on Papaya Island, quite a ways from here. It's known as the Budokai Tenkaichi, or the World Martial Arts Tournament."

That caught all three students' interest, particularly Goku's and Vegeta's. "A tournament?" the older Saiyan inquired, intrigued by the prospect. "It's a martial arts competition?"

"Yep." Roshi's smile broadened as he leaned on his staff. "Fighters from all over the world gather there, to face off against each other in a grand tournament. It's only held once every few years: it started about a hundred years ago, and the twenty-first tournament will be held in about eight months from now." He regarded them pointedly. "And, if you boys are ready by then… we'll go to Papaya Island, and all three of you will be able to participate in the tournament."

Vegeta's eyes lit up, as did Goku's: both Saiyans' battle-hunger was immediately sparked to life by the prospect of such an event. Even Yamcha seemed excited by the idea of testing his skills against other martial artists from around the world.

Plus, the ex-bandit thought to himself, an event like that could give me the chance to test myself against Vegeta again in a controlled setting… and I could use that to see just how much stronger I'll need to get in order to surpass him.

Roshi nodded approvingly as he saw the excitement in his students' eyes. "That's what I thought. In that case, let's get back to work! The more effort you put into your training, the more you'll get out of it… and by the time the tournament rolls around, I'm sure you'll all have progressed enough to give a very good account of yourselves." He jerked a thumb back over his shoulder to the path back down the mountain. "Now let's get a move on: we're burning daylight, and we've got plenty more to do!"

After spending an hour or so on a farm, digging shallow trenches into several fields with their bare hands so the farmer could plant his crops more easily, the group had a quick breakfast and made their way over to an active construction site in a nearby town. Roshi had set up an arrangement with the foreman who ran the site the day before, and he'd convinced the man to let his students help the workers out for the morning.

Currently, Goku and Yamcha were hard at work digging a sizable hole that would eventually serve as the foundations for a house, while Vegeta was zipping back and forth to get the heavy construction equipment set up. Hoisting an entire forklift into the air with no apparent effort, he strolled off across the site towards one of the half-completed buildings, his boots sinking only lightly into the mud with each step as he used his ki to keep the forklift from collapsing.

Chuckling softly as he saw the dumbfounded expression on the foreman's face, Roshi nudged the man playfully in the side with one elbow. "Well, what'd I tell ya, sonny?" he quipped. "The Turtle School puts out some damn hard workers, that's for sure!"

A couple of hours later, the quartet now stood on the edge of a large saltwater inlet, not far from the archipelago where Kame Island was located. The shorelines of the bay were high and rocky, but on this side it was possible to climb down to the water without much effort – or, if you were the adventurous type, to simply jump off the edge and dive down into the water.

"All right," Roshi instructed, indicating the water below with a wave of his hand. "For your next task, all you have to do is swim ten laps across this bay. So, you've just gotta dive into the water, swim across to the other side and back ten times, and then climb back out. Easy."

Remembering what this had entailed the last time he'd undergone Roshi's training during his first few months on Earth, Vegeta grinned as he quickly stripped down to his underwear, while Goku and Yamcha did the same. The former bandit, however, seemed a little unsure. "So, that's it?" he questioned as he glanced warily over the edge. "Just swim ten laps?"

"Yup!" Roshi smiled cheerfully, before holding up one finger. "Oh, actually, there is one more thing you should know." Turning, he ducked into the bushes for a moment, before emerging with a pair of large white buckets. Walking to the edge of the cliff, he hurled the contents of both buckets – a mixture of blood and chopped-up fish – off the edge, nodding in satisfaction as the gouts of red liquid and silvery fish rained down into the water below.

Yamcha's eyes widened in realization and alarm, and he joined the others in looking down as the dark fins of sharks began to gather, cutting across the water as they were lured in by the smell of blood.

"So, in addition to swimming the ten laps," Roshi continued nonchalantly, "all you have to do is… try not to get bitten in the process." His cheerful grin widened and he nodded to the water. "Well? Off you go."

"Uh…" Yamcha paled, glancing left and right to each of the Saiyans, but neither of them looked worried. Goku grinned and hopped from foot to foot as he eyed the water, while Vegeta responded to Yamcha's nervous glance with a smirk and a wink.

"What's wrong?" the Saiyan prince asked, his smirk widening. "Scared?" Without waiting for Yamcha's response, he turned to Goku. "C'mon, Kakarot, let's get started!" Taking a few bounding steps, he leapt off the edge without hesitation, diving gracefully into the water below with a splash. Goku raced after him, jumping headfirst off the cliff and plummeting into the water without a second thought.

"But… I…" Yamcha glanced once at Roshi, who shrugged and grinned in response, and then squeezed his eyes tightly shut for a moment as his hands clenched into fists. "Oh, screw it!" he yelled, charging forwards and hurling himself off the edge after the others.

Roshi nodded in satisfaction as he finished tying the rope around Yamcha's waist, tethering him to the trunk of a large tree. Goku and Vegeta were also restrained in the same fashion: of course, any of the trio could break free of the rope if they chose, but Roshi had warned them that if the rope broke, they would fail this lesson and would have to start over from the beginning.

"Okay, so now what?" Goku inquired.

"Good question!" Roshi replied with a grin, picking up a long wooden pole that had been propped up against the tree. "First, I have a question for you three. See that up there?" He pointed up into the tree, to where a large round object, brown in color, hung from one of the larger branches. A soft buzzing noise echoed from within it, audible even at this distance.

"That, uh…" Yamcha's eyes bulged as he recognized the strange object. "That's… a beehive, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is!" Roshi agreed, nodding as his grin got a little bigger. "So! Your final lesson for today is simple: don't break those ropes, but do your best not to get stung." With that, he gave the beehive a single resounding thwack with the end of the pole, and then ducked behind a nearby tree just as a cloud of angry bees came pouring out to defend their hive.

As the buzzing rose to a dull roar, Yamcha's voice rang out in a disbelieving yell of "Oh, come on!"

As the sun finally sank low on the horizon, Goku and Yamcha lay sprawled on the beach in front of Kame House, flat on their backs and panting heavily. Bruises, welts, and bone-deep exhaustion had left them completely drained and overwhelmed by weariness and pain, and all they wanted to do was sleep.

Vegeta, meanwhile, was sitting next to the other two boys in a cross-legged position, taking deep breaths and letting the cool, salty sea air help him to relax. He'd performed just as much exercise as they had that day, but it hadn't affected him as much due to his greater reserves of energy, so he wasn't as tired. It also helped that he'd completed Roshi's training regimen before, so he'd known more or less what to expect from each of the day's challenges and had been better-prepared to deal with them.

"Nicely done, boys!" Roshi congratulated the students. The old master was seated on the porch of Kame House, also in a cross-legged pose, with his staff resting across his lap. "Eight more months of training like that, and I'm sure you'll be more than ready for the tournament."

Goku grinned wearily, while Yamcha could only manage a groan.

"Except, to make things a little more challenging…" Roshi hopped neatly to his feet and ducked into the house for a moment, before reappearing with a pair of large turtle shells held up in each hand. "For the rest of your training, you'll be wearing these. Fifty pounds each, just the kind of added challenge that you'll need to help you get stronger. But don't worry: by the time a couple of months have gone by, you'll hardly even notice them."

Goku's eyes widened a bit, and Yamcha groaned louder. For his part, Vegeta just smirked.

Over the next eight months, Goku and Yamcha continued their training. Almost every day, they would wake up early, have a quick breakfast, and get right to work on their daily routine. Roshi usually accompanied them, making sure that they were doing everything properly and that they weren't slacking off.

Vegeta, however, did not participate nearly as much in Roshi's training program, or at least not to the same extent as the others. His reasoning for this was simple: he had carried out the same training regimen when he was younger, during his first stay with Roshi, and had found that due to his own existing strength level, Roshi's training hadn't helped him to grow much stronger than he already was. With that in mind, he had no interest in going through it again, so he spent most of the time either relaxing – a rarity for him, but one that he thought might be helpful – or training on his own to keep his power up and his skills sharp. Roshi made a habit of observing those training sessions when he wasn't training Goku and Yamcha, evaluating Vegeta and seeing how far his student had progressed since he'd left the island all those years earlier.

Kame House's other three new occupants had also settled in nicely. Oolong and Puar were quite comfortable there, and quickly made themselves at home: the latter shapeshifter would sometimes accompany Yamcha on his training runs, while the former had had more than enough of adventuring and seemed quite content to spend his days hanging out on the couch and watching television.

Launch was also quite happy, as she no longer had to worry about anyone chasing after her, and keeping the house clean was a small price to pay for a safe haven. However, the other residents of Kame Island had received an unpleasant surprise the first time she had sneezed, as it had been revealed that her sneezing would suddenly cause her to shift from her normal, shy, blue-haired self into an aggressive, blonde-haired woman with a violent temper and a penchant for guns. Interestingly, Vegeta had been the most unsettled by this development: he'd claimed that something about Launch's transformation had seemed oddly familiar, but he hadn't been able to remember why that was the case. Luckily, once Launch's blonde-haired persona had also become aware of her new living situation, she'd begrudgingly tolerated it, claiming that living at Kame House was "at least a little better than bein' on the run all the time and havin' the cops on my ass every time I make a wrong move."

Almost before anyone realized it, eight months had passed, and Roshi informed everyone that it was time to head out for the tournament that he had promised. Leaving Turtle behind to keep an eye on things while they were gone, the rest of Kame House's residents packed up their things, boarded a seaplane that Roshi had been keeping stored in a capsule, and set out for Papaya Island, the location of the World Martial Arts Tournament.

Papaya Island, Planet Earth

Age 750

"So this is it, huh?" Goku inquired, smiling excitedly as he looked up at the large stadium that loomed before them. "The World Martial Arts Tournament?"

"Yep!" Roshi grinned, adjusting his sunglasses as he led the way towards the entrance gates. "They usually hold 'em every few years, and martial artists from all over the world come here to test themselves and discover which warrior is the strongest fighter under the heavens."

Vegeta snickered under his breath. Well, after today I think it will be obvious enough who holds that title.

"So, before we get started, I've got a quick present for you two," Roshi spoke up, addressing Goku and Yamcha. He set down the suitcase that he'd been carrying with him, popping it open to reveal two sets of orange-and-blue clothing identical to Vegeta's martial arts uniform. "A new Turtle School gi for each of you: that way you'll all look your best for the tournament." His grin softened a bit as he retrieved a third, smaller bundle of cloth from the suitcase and tossed it to Vegeta, who caught it reflexively. "And that one's for you, kid. Since you've already got a gi, I thought I'd give you something to make yours a little more unique."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow as he looked down at the bundle of black-and-white cloth in his hands. For a moment he had no idea what it was, but as he pulled the bundle apart, he recognized it and his eyes widened in shock.

There were two articles of clothing in the bundle that Roshi had tossed to him: a pair of white gloves, similar to the ones that he'd been wearing as part of his childhood Frieza Force attire but much shorter, and a black belt with a symbol etched on its buckle. It was the nature of that symbol that froze him in place, however: it was the Saiyan royal crest, the same triangular insignia that had been on his space pod.

Vegeta looked up slowly, his eyes wide as he met Roshi's gaze. "You…" he breathed. "You did this?"

"Heheh… yeah, a bit." Roshi chuckled and nodded, rubbing the back of his head self-consciously with one hand. "Wasn't too hard: I've been able to see that symbol anytime I wanted for the last thirteen years, so replicating it like that wasn't a big deal." His grin became a little more sheepish. "I didn't mess it up somehow, right? I thought I got an exact copy, but I wasn't 100% sure."

"It…" Vegeta swallowed, feeling an unusual sensation of warmth in his chest, before he shook his head and focused back on the matter at hand. "No, it's fine. A perfect replica." He looked up, smiling faintly. "Thank you, Roshi. I appreciate that."

"No problem, kid." The Turtle Hermit laughed softly and ruffled one hand playfully through Vegeta's hair, provoking an exclamation from the teenage prince as Vegeta reflexively ducked and smacked his hand away. "Figured since you guys are hopefully gonna be having a lot of fun today, you should look your best for it."

Vegeta snorted as he ran his fingers through his hair to get it back into shape. "Fair enough." Donning the belt and slipping on his new gloves, he smirked and cracked his knuckles as he looked around at the stadium. "Now, then! Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

Once the contestants had all registered with the tournament officials, the preliminary rounds began: a lengthy series of matches divided into four separate brackets, with the top two fighters from each bracket going on to the tournament proper. Luckily, all three of the Turtle School's contestants had been sorted into different brackets, so none of them would have to fight each other at any point during the preliminaries.

Roshi was nowhere to be seen, having wandered off shortly before the preliminaries began after saying something about needing to use the bathroom, but Goku, Vegeta and Yamcha didn't really need his guidance for this part: the three boys breezed through their preliminary matches with ease, handily dispatching every fighter who came their way. Both Goku and Yamcha had made significant improvements during their training, and made short work of everyone they faced, while Vegeta was as indomitable as ever and made a point of defeating each of his opponents with a single blow, either knocking them out cold or sending them flying out of the ring.

After a few hours, the preliminaries came to an end, and all three Turtle students found themselves in the top spots of their respective sections. While the eight remaining fighters gathered in the main ring to officially begin the next phase of the tournament, Vegeta's eyes narrowed contemplatively as he took a moment to examine their remaining competitors. Besides himself, Kakarot and Yamcha, the other finalists were a lean, brown-skinned man sporting a red-and-orange fighting outfit and a white turban; a young, purple-haired woman dressed in surprisingly-casual garb; a hulking giant of a man, whose excessive body odor made all of the others give him a wide berth; a tall, dragon-like humanoid with a leathery, blue-and-yellow hide and a pair of batlike wings folded across his back; and an elderly man dressed in black, with tousled, dark-gray hair that contrasted with his white beard and mustache.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow when his gaze fell on that last fighter. He kept his gaze on the older man for a longer moment, studying him contemplatively. Hmmm… there's something odd about that one. I don't remember seeing his fights, so he must have been in a different section of the preliminaries from me, but his energy feels… strangely familiar.

"All right!" the blonde announcer called out, his voice ringing out through the stadium as he waved to attract the attention of the eight finalists. "Now that the preliminaries are concluded, it's time to set things up for the quarterfinal matches!" He held up a small cloth bag in one hand. "Contestants, please form a line right here in front of me. When it's your turn, take one of the eight balls that are in this bag. Each ball has a number on it: once you've each got one, we'll use those numbers to determine who will be fighting in the next round."

Vegeta was, unsurprisingly, the first to step forward, with Goku right behind him. Yamcha joined them a moment later, before the other five contestants lined up behind them. Each of the eight contestants took one of the numbered balls from the announcer, who then noted which number they had drawn.

Once all eight finalists had passed by the announcer, he checked the results of their drawing and then nodded decisively, giving quick instructions to his staff as they set about inscribing a large board with a list of the four matchups. "All right, ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to get started?" he called out, drawing a chorus of cheers from the watching spectators. The tournament staff set up the board as he continued. "We're ready to start the quarterfinals, and our match order will be as follows!" He indicated the board with a sweeping wave of one arm, showing the list that had been hastily inscribed on it:

Match 1:  Vegeta vs. Giran

Match 2:  Ranfan vs. Yamcha

Match 3:  Son Goku vs. Bacterian

Match 4:  Nam vs. Jackie Chun

"All right, then!" Vegeta chuckled as he quickly deduced what this meant. "Looks like it'll be you and me in the semifinals, Scarface," he quipped with a smirk in Yamcha's direction. "I'll be looking forward to seeing just how much you've improved since the last time we fought."

Yamcha suppressed an urge to flinch at the memory of their rather one-sided fight in the desert, before mastering his fear and nodding firmly. "Yeah," he agreed, summoning up the strength to meet Vegeta's eyes. "I'll be looking forward to that too."

"Of course, that's assuming that you'll be able to make it through your next match," Vegeta pointed out dryly, his smirk growing a bit as he tilted his head over towards Ranfan, the purple-haired woman who was standing nearby, also examining the match order. "Good luck with that." A moment later, he walked off towards the ring, as the announcer called for the first two combatants to take their starting positions.

Yamcha's eyes widened in alarm as he realized what that meant: he hadn't been paying enough attention to recognize the other finalists' names, but this meant he'd be facing a girl in his next match, something which he'd managed to avoid in the preliminaries. Crap… He swallowed as he glanced over in Ranfan's direction out of the corner of his eye. No helping it, I guess. I knew I was gonna have to get past my damn shyness around girls sooner or later… and this might be the perfect chance for me to do that.

Vegeta, for his part, took no notice of the bandit's internal conflict as he made his way to the ring. All he cared about was the fact that his match was first, as he'd been hoping that he wouldn't have to wait very long. None of the opponents that he'd faced in the preliminaries had even come close to presenting him with a decent fight, but hopefully these fighters would do better.

In one regard, Vegeta wasn't disappointed: his opponent – Giran, the dragon-esque humanoid – was certainly the most physically imposing out of all the finalists. He towered over all of the others, with the sole exception of the massive fighter Bacterian, and his fangs and claws were wickedly sharp. He sneered down at Vegeta as the younger fighter approached the ring, a chuckle echoing from his throat. "So, you're actually gonna fight me, huh, kid?" he taunted. "Well, that's fine: I wouldn't want to scare you off ahead of time and not give the audience a show."

"Oh, don't worry," Vegeta retorted, smiling widely as he stepped onto the ring. "They'll get their money's worth. I'll make sure of that."

With both fighters in the ring, the announcer took his position and activated his microphone. "All right, ladies and gentlemen!" he called out, his amplified voice echoing through the stadium. "The quarterfinals of the Twenty-First World Martial Arts Tournament will now begin!"

Amidst cheers from the audience, the announcer continued. "Up first, we have Contestant Vegeta, a new face at these tournaments – but apparently a powerhouse, given how easily he dispatched his opponents in the preliminary matches – versus Contestant Giran! Fighters, are you ready?"

Vegeta nodded firmly, his eager grin widening as his eyes locked on his opponent. Giran growled and did the same, crouching slightly into a ready stance.

"And… begin!"

To his credit, Giran acted quickly. He struck in a flash, feinting a jab at Vegeta's face before ducking and whipping his tail around in a powerful blow designed to sweep the Saiyan's legs out from under him. Unfortunately, Vegeta's reflexes were fast enough for him to see it coming, and he leapt up and over the swinging tail, front-flipping over Giran's head as the reptile finished his spin and landing neatly behind him.

Giran's eyes widened when he saw that his opponent had seemingly vanished, a moment before he felt a vicelike grip clamp down on his tail as Vegeta grabbed it two-handed. Kicking off the ground and jumping twenty feet into the air while dragging the startled reptile along with him, the Saiyan prince whirled around twice before letting go of Giran's tail, sending him tumbling helplessly off through the air.

Chuckling, Vegeta dropped back into the ring and landed lightly on his feet, smirking as he folded his arms over his chest. So much for that one.

"Incredible!" the announcer exclaimed. "It looks like that's a ringout – wait!"

Sure enough, Giran's wings flicked out and started flapping, letting him catch himself in midair without touching the ground. Swooping back towards the ring, he dove at Vegeta and pulled up just before he reached the floor, throwing a punch at the Saiyan's face.

Whoa! Vegeta's eyes widened and he dodged to one side, Giran's punch swinging through empty air as the reptile landed heavily on the ring's surface. Vegeta swung around to face him again, but Giran was already launching his next attack, swinging his head forward and spitting at the younger fighter. A jet of purple liquid sprayed out of his mouth and quickly coalesced into a rope of rubbery gum that wrapped around Vegeta, binding his arms to his sides.

Vegeta's eyes widened as he looked down at himself. "What the hell?!" he exclaimed, flexing his arms as he tested the gum's strength.

"That," Giran answered with a laugh, "is my Merry-Go-Round Gum! It sets as hard as stone, so don't even bother trying to break free; it won't work. Now let's finish this!" He lunged, smashing a heavy punch across Vegeta's face; that blow was quickly followed by another and another, driving the prince back across the ring.

"Crap!" Yamcha paled as he saw Vegeta being driven back. "This guy's good! Looks like Vegeta's in trouble!"

Goku had also been surprised by Giran's trick with the gum, but after a moment he shook his head, grinning. "Nah," he replied. "I don't think so."

Unseen by either of them, Jackie Chun, the old man in black, raised an eyebrow thoughtfully as he saw the look of absolute, unwavering confidence on the younger Saiyan's face, before turning his attention back to the action in the ring.

"And now it's over!" Giran laughed as he landed one last punch that sent Vegeta skidding back to the edge of the tiles. Ducking in close, he latched onto the gum with both hands, lifting Vegeta off the ground and spinning once on his heel before flinging the Saiyan headfirst out of the ring. "So long, kid!"

"What a turnaround!" the announcer exclaimed. "Now it looks like Contestant Vegeta is the one who may be finished!"

But he was wrong. Before Vegeta could fall out of bounds, the prince's body stopped in midair and just hung there, several feet above the ground. "Not a bad try," he commented, his body slowly rotating forwards in the air until he was floating upright. "But you're not the only one who can avoid a ringout."

"W-What?!" Giran's eyes bugged out and his jaw hung open in disbelief. "There's no way!"

"Not a bad try, though." Vegeta grinned, before looking down at himself again. "Now, about this stuff…" His eyes narrowed as he tensed his muscles for a moment, before letting out a yell as he flung his arms out, ripping through the hardened gum and completely shattering it. "Hyaah!"

"No!" Giran stumbled back, his eyes bulging as he felt a chill run through his entire body. If he's really that strong… I can't beat him! He opened his mouth to speak –

– and was promptly interrupted as Vegeta appeared directly in front of him in a blur of speed, driving home a knee strike to the reptile's gut that doubled him over. "And now we're done here," the Saiyan prince murmured, before slamming an open-palmed strike of his right hand into Giran's chest. An invisible wave of force radiated outwards from the impact and hurled Giran backwards into the wall surrounding the ring, his flying body smashing part of the brickwork before he crumpled to the grass in an unconscious heap.

"Simply incredible, folks!" the announcer called out. "A ring-out and a knockout: the outcome of a match can't be clearer than that! The winner of our first quarterfinal, and the first fighter to go on to the semifinals, is Contestant Vegeta!"

Vegeta smirked, allowing himself to enjoy the cheers of the crowd for a moment, before turning and striding out of the ring. "Looks like it's your turn next," he commented to Yamcha as he strolled past the other boy on his way to get a drink of water. "Don't disappoint me."

Yamcha gulped audibly.

Chapter Text

Last time, on  The Lost Prince…

After completing their grueling training program as students of the Turtle School, Goku, Vegeta, and Yamcha have traveled to Papaya Island to compete in the 21 st  World Martial Arts Tournament! After completing the preliminary matches, they all progressed to the quarterfinals of the tournament, where Vegeta made a dramatic impression in the first quarterfinal match by easily defeating his opponent, the reptilian fighter Giran.

Three more matches remain in the quarterfinals, to see which of the remaining six contestants will move on to the next round. The tournament continues… now!

Turtle School Saga, Part 3: Sight, Smell, and Speed

Papaya Island, Planet Earth

Age 750

Yamcha felt his pulse racing as he made his way up to the ring. C'mon, man, you can do this! he reminded himself, struggling to keep himself calm. You've spent all year training for your rematch with Vegeta, and you can't let this stop you now. Closing his eyes for a moment as Ranfan took up her position in the opposite corner of the ring, he took a deep breath and tried to calm his mind. It doesn't matter that she's a girl. This is just another fight, same as the preliminaries. She's just an opponent, an obstacle to overcome: that's all.

Ranfan, for her part, seemed much more relaxed, casually stretching a few times to loosen up her muscles. She wasn't wearing any kind of martial arts uniform, just an ordinary blue workout shirt, brown pants, and red shoes. She certainly didn't seem as formidable as the other fighters who'd made it into the finals bracket, but Yamcha didn't let that distract him: the simple fact that she was here meant that he needed to take her seriously.

"All right, let's get the second match underway!" the announcer called out. "Up next, we have Contestant Ranfan vs. Contestant Yamcha! Fighters, are you ready?"

"Ready!" Ranfan confirmed, smiling cheerfully as her eyes sparkled with amusement. She glanced over to Yamcha, looking him up and down, and winked as her grin widened.

Yamcha's face flushed and he averted his eyes, cursing internally. Dammit… snap out of it already! This freakin' shyness is gonna get you in big trouble eventually if you don't learn to deal with it, so suck it up and get moving already! Forcing his eyes back up and doing his best to suppress the instinctive blush, he nodded firmly. "Ready!"

"Excellent!" The announcer grinned, nodding over to a pair of tournament workers who were standing next to an oversized gong. "And… begin!" The gong boomed, a dull clang of metal that echoed across the entire stadium.

This fight didn't kick off immediately like the previous one had. For a long moment, Yamcha and Ranfan stayed still, the former raising his guard while the latter adopted a casual pose with one hand on her hip.

"Y'know, I saw your fights in the preliminaries," Ranfan commented, still sporting a flirtatious grin. "You're really something, aren't you? And I love your hair!"

"…Huh?" Yamcha blinked, so confused that he momentarily forgot his anxiety. "Um… thanks? Y-yours is n-nice too – gah!" He'd dropped his guard for a moment, and as a result he was caught off-guard as Ranfan launched herself at him. She threw a roundhouse kick that smacked his guard out of the way, before pivoting into a double-fisted swing that cracked into the side of his head, knocking him sprawling to the tiles.

Shit! I can't believe I fell for that! Yamcha's ears were ringing, but he still reacted in time and flung himself to one side as Ranfan dove at him with another kick, backflipping away and landing in a crouch on the other side of the ring. "All right, that does it!" His eyes narrowed. I don't care if she is a girl… nobody makes a fool of me like that and gets away with it! Kicking off the ground, he sprang back towards her, drawing one fist back to launch a strike of his own…

"Aaahhh!"

…only to skid to a halt right in front of Ranfan as she stumbled back with a terrified scream, desperately flinging her arms up in front of her face.

…what? Once again, Yamcha was left thoroughly confused. "Uh… miss? A-are you okay?" He leaned in a little closer. "I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to –"

"Gotcha!" Ranfan's terrified expression melted into a grin and she struck in an instant, grabbing Yamcha's upraised arm with one hand and yanking him in closer as she rammed a knee-strike into his gut, doubling him over and knocking the wind out of him, before she swung around behind him and kicked him square in the back, sending him staggering all the way to the edge of the ring before he caught himself.

"Oh, come on." Vegeta rolled his eyes from where he was seated casually in the fighters' observation area. "He did better than this against me last year, and that was before all of the training that he's gotten since then. How is he falling for childish tricks like that?"

"Uh… honestly, I'm a little confused," Goku admitted. "Yamcha's definitely got more ki than that girl does: he's stronger and faster than she is, so how's she knocking him around like that?"

"Clearly, that boy's still got a lot to learn about the fairer sex," an aged voice spoke up. Jackie Chun, the older man dressed in black, chuckled and shook his head as he watched Yamcha trying to get his bearings. "He's got a lot of talent, but that darn shyness of his is a real handicap. He's gonna have to learn to overcome that, and soon, or he may end up losing this fight despite having a clear advantage."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, his lips compressing in a frown. "And how do you know all that, old man?" he questioned. "Have you met him before?"

"Nah." The older fighter grinned, shaking his head. "I've just got a lot of experience when it comes to reading people's strengths and weaknesses. That's one of the benefits of age: it gives you a lot of time to hone your skills."

"Tch…" Vegeta snorted and returned his attention to the ring, but his eyes flickered back over in Jackie's direction as the older man did the same. Something about that guy seems familiar. I'm not sure what it is… but I feel like I've met him before.

A battle cry from out in the ring drew the Saiyan prince's attention, and his eyes narrowed as he saw Ranfan charging towards Yamcha. "All right, Scarface," he murmured under his breath. "Looks like this is your last chance. If you want that rematch with me, you'd better get your head on straight, and you'd better do it fast."

Yamcha was crouched at the edge of the tiles, hunched over and panting as he tried to catch his breath. In his current position, one solid hit would likely push him out of bounds and end the match, and Ranfan was well aware of that.

"Sorry, cutie," she purred, grinning as she darted across the ring. "But this fight's over!" She threw a full-force punch with all of her weight behind it: even if he blocked it, the impact should still be enough to knock him off-balance, and then one more blow would finish it. Her fist shot out –

– and smacked into Yamcha's palm with a loud impact as he caught her punch, stopping it dead in its tracks. His stance didn't waver, and his feet didn't slide even an inch further backwards.

Ranfan's eyes widened. What the…?

"Y'know… I actually owe you one," Yamcha spoke up as he rose to his feet, pushing Ranfan back and looking up slowly as his eyes met hers. "For a long time, I've always been way too nervous when it comes to dealing with girls. So fighting one seemed impossible for me. But I've just realized… all of that was really just me psyching myself up over nothing. I can't afford to let something like that hold me back if I ever want to be a true warrior. All I needed was the right challenge, one that would force me to suck it up and muscle through it." He grinned fiercely. "So... thanks for that!" Faster than Ranfan's eyes could follow, his other arm lashed out, landing a solid hit that knocked her flat on her back.

The hell?! Ranfan's head was spinning, her eyes wide in shock as she tried to recover her equilibrium. How'd he do that?!

"Whoa!" Goku's face lit up, beaming excitedly. "That's more like it! Go, Yamcha!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Finally," he muttered. "Well, after that speech, he'd better not lose this one."

"Get up." Yamcha's voice was firm, his shyness momentarily banished as he stood over Ranfan. "I'm not gonna hit you while you're down."

"Well… aren't you a gentleman," Ranfan teased as she pushed herself back upright, rubbing her cheek where his blow had connected. "In any case, since you've finally decided to start fighting with everything you've got… I hope you won't mind if I do the same."

Yamcha arched one eyebrow. I can sense her ki, and I'm pretty sure the blows she hit me with before were her full strength… so what's she got planned? "All right," he replied cautiously, nodding in agreement. "Go for it."

"Great!" Ranfan grinned playfully, hooking her fingers into the lower edge of her shirt. "Well, then! If we're going to be fighting for real, I think I'll get a little more… comfortable." With no further hesitation, she whipped the shirt off over her head and tossed it aside, before doing the same with her pants.

What the –?! Yamcha's wide-eyed blush from before returned with full force and he frantically averted his gaze, desperately trying to look at anything else.

In the stands, Vegeta's eyes widened in surprise and a bit of color appeared in his cheeks too, while Goku looked more confused than anything else. Jackie Chun, meanwhile, let out a whoop as his nose twitched repeatedly and his eyes practically bulged out of his head.

"What's wrong?" Ranfan's teasing grin widened as she rested one hand on her hip, now clad only in lacy pink lingerie but still just as calm and confident as she'd been before. "I hope this isn't making you uncomfortable or anything."

"I… uh…" Yamcha was speechless, his previous anxiety trying to resurface despite his best efforts. Crap, crap, crap… not good! I had it handled before she did that, but now I can't even look at her without that damn shyness going off again!

"Oh?" Ranfan quirked an eyebrow and laughed softly. "You're not gonna attack me? Well, that's fine: I guess I'll have to come to you instead!" Leaning forward into a crouch, she lunged in again, launching a series of close-range punches.

C'mon, Yamcha, snap out of it! Forcing his body into motion, Yamcha stumbled back across the ring, frantically ducking and dodging around each of Ranfan's attacks, but he couldn't hit back without looking at her, and every time he looked at her his anxiety came surging back. Damn it… how am I supposed to beat her if I can't look at her?!

Suddenly, his eyes widened, as an idea occurred to him. Wait… that's it! He flicked up an arm just in time to block Ranfan's next kick, but the impact shoved him back to the edge of the ring again.

"Sorry, cutie, but I think we're done here." Ranfan winked, drawing back a fist and charging forward to deliver the finishing blow. "Don't worry, this'll only hurt a little!"

Yamcha closed his eyes, focusing all of his other senses, his hands dropping to his sides as he tensed up and focused his ki. Wait for it… wait for it… now! In a blur of high-speed movement, he disappeared just before Ranfan's punch could hit him square in the face, sending her staggering forward to the edge of the tiles. Her momentum almost carried her right off the edge, but she backpedaled frantically and managed to stop herself right before she would have gone out of bounds. A moment later, however, an open-palmed strike hit her right in the middle of her back as Yamcha reappeared behind her, launching her headlong out of the ring and sending her sprawling onto the surrounding grass.

The audience were stunned for a moment, but then a chorus of cheers rang out. "And that's a ring-out, folks!" the announcer shouted. "Which means Contestant Yamcha is the winner!"

Yamcha opened his eyes, sighing in relief as he straightened up. I did it! But I really need to start working on getting rid of that damn anxiety, because chances are that's gonna get me in serious trouble someday if I don't.

"Nice work, Yamcha!" Goku congratulated Yamcha as the older boy returned to the fighters' area. "That girl was tricky, but you took care of her no problem!"

Yamcha chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Heh, yeah, I guess. I, ah… sometimes have trouble talking to girls, so fighting one wasn't easy at first, but I managed it."

"Oh, really? We couldn't tell," Vegeta remarked dryly, before giving Yamcha a faint, amused smirk. "Well, fortunately for you, I'm not a girl. So I don't want to see any of that hesitation in our match, understand? That reptilian musclehead wasn't nearly enough of a challenge for me, and I'm hoping that you'll do better after all that training with the old man."

Yamcha's eyes narrowed, but he nodded with a small grin. "Fair enough," he replied. "Don't worry, I won't hold anything back when I'm facing you."

"Good." Vegeta's smirk grew a little, and he nodded approvingly before his attention was drawn back to the ring as the announcer spoke up again.

"Now, then, it's time for the third match! Contestants Son Goku and Bacterian, please take your positions in the ring!"

"All right!" Goku enthused, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "My turn!" He beamed as he scampered out to the ring, hopping lightly up onto the tiled surface. Bacterian lumbered out after him, the heavyset fighter sporting a lopsided, yellow-toothed grin as he took up his position.

"Fighters, are you ready?" the announcer questioned. After receiving confirming nods from both combatants, he nodded and gestured for the workers to bang the large gong. "And… begin!"

Goku crouched into a fighting stance, bringing his fists up as his tail lashed back and forth behind him. "C'mon, big guy!" he called out, smiling widely. "Let's do this."

"Oh? Very confident for someone so small," Bacterian replied with a deep laugh. "All right, then… if you say so!" Without a moment's pause, he charged, thundering across the arena and throwing a full-force punch down at Goku. The smaller fighter jumped nimbly to one side, evading the clumsy swing, and leapt up to head-height to retaliate with a punch of his own, focusing his energy into the strike as he swung.

"Graahh!" Bacterian roared in pain as he was sent skidding away by the force of the impact, grabbing at his jaw and rubbing a quickly-forming bruise. His expression darkened and he scowled. "Well, then… seems you're tougher than you look, kid. All right! Let us see how you handle my more special tricks!" With that, he rocked back on his heels and swung his head and shoulders forward, exhaling a great gust of foul-smelling breath.

"What…? Gah!" Goku recoiled, coughing and spluttering, as the cloud of disgusting odor enveloped him. What the heck is this?!

"Got you!" Bacterian was upon Goku before he could react, seizing the smaller fighter by the throat and hoisting him into the air. He slammed a punch into Goku's stomach, before swinging the boy's body forcefully down onto his rising knee. Goku cried out in pain, and Bacterian tossed him away, aiming to throw him out of the ring. Luckily, Goku backflipped in midair and landed on his feet, digging in his heels and stopping his slide before he could reach the edge. Bacterian exhaled another cloud of sulfurous breath in his direction, but this time he dove out of the way before it could reach him, hitting the ground in a roll and scrambling back to his feet.

Vegeta's eyes widened in shock as he saw Goku taking several powerful hits. "What the hell?!" he exclaimed. "Kakarot's definitely stronger than that brutish oaf, and he's not dumb enough to leave himself open like that. What just happened?"

Yamcha grimaced, wincing sympathetically. "If I had to guess, I think that guy has actually learned how to use his disgusting body odor as a weapon, to disorient his opponents and throw them off-guard. Kinda similar to the way Ranfan was psyching me out, except he's screwing with Goku's concentration using his smell rather than his looks."

"Indeed." Jackie Chun nodded soberly in agreement. "A rather disgusting fighting style, but I can't deny that it's pretty effective. That fellow smells so bad that it's hard to get close to him, and the smell throws off an opponent to give him plenty of openings for physical attacks."

"What a cowardly strategy." Vegeta scowled, his hands clenching into fists as his gaze locked on the action. Come on, Kakarot… don't you dare lose to this second-rate trickster!

Goku took a few deep breaths as he straightened back up. Okay, Goku, think. If I can't get close to this guy without his stinky body odor throwing me off, how can I beat him? Unfortunately, it's not like I can fight him without smelling him… Suddenly, a mental image of how Yamcha had outmaneuvered Ranfan occurred to him, and his eyes lit up. Oh! What if I…

Bacterian grinned, rearing back and sucking in another lungful of air. "All right, kid," he grunted. "Time for another breath of fresh air!" With that, he swung forward, unleashing another cloud of foul-smelling breath.

This time, Goku didn't even try to avoid it. The cloud of breath washed over him… but he didn't even flinch. Instead, he burst into motion immediately, racing across the ring towards Bacterian and leaping into the air right in front of him, throwing a vicious upward kick that cracked into the larger fighter's chin and sent him staggering backwards.

As Goku landed, it was clear how he'd withstood the breath attack this time: one of his hands was pinching his nose tightly closed so he could breathe through his mouth instead, preventing most of the smell from entering his lungs. Even breathing with only his mouth, he could still smell the disgusting odor, but it wasn't nearly as overpowering anymore.

Bacterian's scowl deepened. "Why, you little…!" He swung a forceful punch down at Goku, who ducked under it by dropping into a crouch. Planting his free hand on the tiles, he pushed off forcefully and slammed feetfirst into Bacterian's stomach, doubling the larger fighter over and knocking the wind out of him, before leaping back to get some distance.

"How's that?" Goku panted, his voice muffled and nasal due to his plugged nose. "Can't use that breath attack if you can't catch your breath, huh?" Tensing himself for the finishing blow, he raced forward again and leapt into the air, kicking Bacterian squarely across the face with all of his strength. The blow snapped Bacterian's head to the side, sending stars flaring in his vision: he swayed unsteadily, letting out a groan, and then finally toppled to the floor with a solid thud, as Goku landed lightly on his feet and finally let go of his nose.

"Wow! What an impressive blow!" The announcer quickly started the count, but Bacterian barely even twitched. "Seven… eight… nine… ten! And the winner, by knockout, is Contestant Goku!"

"Woohoo!" Goku laughed, hopping up and down excitedly as he bounded out of the ring. "Hey Vegeta! I did it!"

One corner of Vegeta's mouth twitched upwards into a grin, and he nodded in approval. "Nicely done, Kakarot."

"And now it's time for the last quarterfinal match, with Contestant Nam versus Contestant Jackie Chun! Fighters, please take your positions in the ring."

With the defeated fighters having left the spectator area to receive medical attention, the three Turtle School students were left alone as they watched the last two contestants entering the ring. Jackie Chun seemed quite relaxed, his hands in his pockets as he glanced around the arena. Nam, a brown-skinned man dressed in an orange gi with a red sash over one shoulder and a white turban on his head, was the opposite: straight-backed and unbending, his expression was stern and serious, as if this fight was a matter of life and death rather than a mere sporting event.

Vegeta's eyes flicked back and forth between the two men as they took up their starting places. The one in the turban… he's got decently-strong ki for a human, but he'd be no threat to me. Kakarot could handle him without much trouble, and I think Scarface probably could too. All the same, each of the other three opponents that the Turtle students had faced so far had possessed some unusual tricks that had made them more challenging than expected, so it was possible that this one might have something up his sleeve too.

But it was Jackie Chun who had the Saiyan prince most intrigued. The old man's ki was eerily familiar, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. I didn't see him fighting before we drew the numbers for the quarterfinal matches, so there's no reason why I should remember him… but something about him gives me the feeling that we've met before.

"Fighters ready? Then you may… begin!" The gong rang out once more, and the match was on.

Nam made the first move, springing forward and launching a rapid flurry of punches and kicks. His speed was impressive by human standards, but in this case it wasn't enough. Jackie Chun danced nimbly through the incoming attacks, sidestepping some of Nam's blows and deflecting others, avoiding some of them by a hair's breadth but outmaneuvering everything that the other fighter could throw at him.

"Whoa…" Goku's eyes were wide in amazement as he looked on. "This Jackie Chun guy's awesome! Nam's really fast, but he hasn't landed a single hit yet!"

"No kidding," Yamcha agreed. "The old guy's got some impressive skill, I'll give him that."

Nam scowled as he swung and missed yet again, barely reacting in time to dodge around Jackie Chun's return strike as the old man finally threw an attack of his own. Damn! I'm losing ground… this is not good! He barely managed to block the next punch, before the breath left his lungs and he was knocked back as Jackie's other fist planted itself squarely in his gut.

"No offense, sonny," Jackie commented with a small grin, "but I don't think you've got what it takes to beat me. Why don't you just give up? There's no shame in admitting defeat."

"I… appreciate… the offer," Nam replied, coughing and wheezing as he tried to get his breath back, "but I must refuse. I am not merely fighting in this competition for my own sake, but for that of my people. My village is suffering from a severe drought, and the championship's prize money will help us to get the water that we need to sustain ourselves until the rains return. Therefore, I must win this tournament, so I cannot afford to surrender."

Straightening up, he pointed at Jackie with one outstretched finger. "You are a worthy opponent, however, so I will honor you by using my strongest attack! I have no wish to seriously harm you, but this should be enough to end this battle. Prepare yourself… for my Aerial Attack!" With that, he dropped into a deep crouch and launched himself off the ring's surface, leaping over a hundred feet into the air in a matter of seconds. Flipping over in midair, he crossed his arms in front of his face, clenching his fists tightly, and rocketed back down towards Jackie as he concentrated all the strength he could muster into his arms.

"Wow!" Yamcha's jaw dropped open as he gazed upwards, watching Nam's plummeting form. "That's crazy!"

Goku and Vegeta, however, were more focused on Jackie Chun. The older fighter stood motionless in the center of the ring, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he gazed up at Nam. Suddenly, his outline started to blur and flicker, the air around him warping and shimmering like a heat haze.

Goku's eyes widened. "What's he doing?"

"I don't know," Vegeta murmured, his eyes narrowed contemplatively.

"This battle is over!" Nam called out as he plunged down towards Jackie, about to hit his opponent with all the combined force that he and gravity could muster. But as he sped down, instead of hitting Jackie and driving him into the floor, his body passed through the blurred, flickering image of the older man… just as the real Jackie appeared a couple of yards to the left, a crackling buildup of ki forming between his hands.

"Sorry, son," Jackie muttered, "but you're right. This is over! Hyaahh!" Flinging out his arms, he unleashed the wave of concentrated force that he had been building up, generating a powerful kiai that smashed into Nam just before he could hit the ground and sent him flying end-over-end out of the ring. His body crashed into the arena's outer wall, cracking the brickwork, before he tumbled to the grassy ground below.

"Incredible!" the announcer exclaimed, echoed by applause and cheers from the audience. "And just like that, the match is over! Our winner, by ring-out, is Contestant Jackie Chun!"

"Wow!" Goku hurried over to Jackie as the older man ambled back into the fighters' area. "That was so cool! How'd you do that?"

"Heheh… nothing too complicated, sonny," Jackie replied with a chuckle. "It's called an afterimage: you use your ki to project an image of yourself for a couple of seconds, while moving at super-speed to conceal your real body until you're ready to strike. It's a useful little trick, but it can be rather difficult to learn. Took quite a while for me to master it."

"Quite an interesting technique, old man," Vegeta spoke up from where he was leaning against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. His eyes narrowed, looking more than a little suspicious, as he regarded Jackie closely. "I'll be looking forward to seeing what other tricks you've got up your sleeve."

"Oh, not to worry, my boy," Jackie replied with an amused grin. "I'm sure you won't be disappointed."

"And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer's voice boomed out. "All of our quarterfinal matches are finished, and it's time to move on to the semifinals!"

Chapter Text

Last time, on The Lost Prince…

The quarterfinal round of the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament has concluded, with Yamcha, Goku, and the mysterious Jackie Chun emerging victorious from their respective matches. Now, the four remaining contestants are proceeding on to the semifinals, and moving one step closer to seeing who will be crowned as champion. The tournament continues… now!

Turtle School Saga, Part 4: The Wolf and the Oozaru

Papaya Island, Planet Earth

Age 750

In the tournament's backstage area, Nam sighed heavily as he packed up his belongings and prepared to depart. I have failed, he thought somberly to himself. I did everything I could, I came so far… but in the end, it wasn't enough.

Lost in thought, the turban-sporting martial artist didn't notice that he wasn't alone anymore until the sound of a loud cough echoed through the room. "Oh!" He flinched, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment as he whipped around to face the figure who stood in the doorway. "My… my apologies. You startled me."

"Heh, yeah, sorry about that," Jackie Chun replied, chuckling as he leaned against the door frame. "Listen, sonny… I just wanted to apologize for knocking you out like that. You were fighting for a worthy cause, but I've got a reason for needing to win this tournament too, so I couldn't afford to hold back."

Nam shook his head. "There is no need to apologize, sir. We both did our best, but you were simply too much for me. I knew there was a chance that I would not win this tournament, and I hold no ill will towards you for defeating me." He rubbed his eyes as another heavy sigh escaped from his lips. "I can only hope that I can find another way to help my village. Without that prize money, I have no hope of purchasing enough water to see us safely through the drought."

"Well… I wouldn't be so sure." Jackie grinned, before pushing off the wall and beckoning for Nam to follow him. "C'mon. I've got something I want to show you."

After a short walk across the tournament grounds, they came to an outdoor courtyard that housed a large, deep well at its center. Jackie nodded to the well with a satisfied smile. "There you go!" he declared cheerfully. "All the water you could ever need." Removing a capsule from his pocket, he casually tossed it to Nam, who caught it reflexively. "There's a storage container in there, big enough to hold plenty of water. And if you ever run out and need more, all you have to do is travel to an area where there's plenty of water – like here – and refill the container." His eyes twinkled with amusement. "Best of all, unlike where you're from, there's enough water here that it's as free as the air we breathe! So there's no need to worry about paying for it."

"R-Really?!" Nam gaped as he stared wide-eyed at the well. "I… I had no idea! Thank you so much!"

"Well, I'm glad I could help." Jackie smiled brightly. "It's the least I could do after knocking you out of the tournament. This way you don't have to worry about missing your shot at the prize money."

"This is amazing!" Nam grasped the storage capsule tightly, as if he was worried that it might somehow disappear. "Thank you again, Mr. Chun. You have saved my village and my people, and I owe you a great debt."

Jackie chuckled again, shaking his head. "Think nothing of it, my boy. Although…" He contemplated something for a moment, and then shrugged. "Don't tell anyone I told you this, but 'Jackie Chun' is just a stage identity that I use for tournaments like this one." His grin became a little more mischievous. "The rest of the time, I'm Muten Roshi, the Turtle Hermit."

"Oh!" Nam's eyes widened, and he inclined his head respectfully. "Well, it's an honor to meet you, Master Roshi! I've heard great things about the Turtle School and its teachings. I even considered trying to find it once so I could train there, but my responsibility to my village came first." His smile faded slightly into a more thoughtful expression, as something occurred to him. "Ah… if I may ask, though, why do you use a stage name for such things? Is it just to keep your true self out of the spotlight?"

"Eh, not really." Jackie – Roshi – shrugged, shaking his head. "I've never been one to brag about such things when it really matters, but I don't use this disguise just to avoid drawing attention to myself. This time around, I'm using it for the sake of my students." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, back towards the arena. "The three young men in blue and orange are my most recent batch of trainees, and I'm very proud of the progress they've made as part of the Turtle School… but I don't want any of them to win this tournament."

Nam frowned. "Why is that?"

"Well, it's pretty simple, actually." Roshi smiled. "Two of them, Goku and Yamcha, are talented young fighters: as they are now, they've already surpassed the limits of what any normal martial artist could achieve. But they've still got a lot to learn, and I don't want them to start thinking that there's no point in them working to keep getting stronger. Which is why I'm planning to make sure they don't win this tournament, by knocking them both out myself if that's what it takes." His amused grin widened. "Plus, I haven't participated in one of these tournaments for a long time, so it's been a good workout for me as well."

"I see! Yes, that makes sense." Nam nodded understandingly, before his curious frown returned as another thought occurred to him. "And what about your third student? You didn't mention him."

"Ah, yes." Roshi's smile softened a bit as he remembered the child who had landed outside his house on that day so long ago. "Vegeta. He's far stronger than either Goku or Yamcha… hell, he's way stronger than me too. He's the most powerful fighter I've ever seen. But as strong as he is… he's not unbeatable. And he needs to learn that. So I'm going to use this tournament as a way to show him that raw power alone isn't all it takes to be a true martial artist."

"A wise lesson," Nam concurred, before smiling and bowing his head. "Well, I wish you luck, Master Roshi. And thank you again for what you've done, for me and for my people."

"No problem at all, my boy," Roshi replied with another warm smile. Shaking the younger fighter's outstretched hand and giving him a friendly nod, he turned and headed off back towards the contestants' waiting area.

Everything up until now was the easy bit, the old master thought to himself, feeling the tension building in his muscles at the thought of the matches that lay ahead. Now it's time for the hard part to begin.

"All right, ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer called out, his amplified voice booming across the tournament grounds again. "Please take your seats! With our quarterfinal round complete, it's time to move on to the semifinal matches!"

Yamcha took a few deep breaths as he made his way up into the ring, trying to calm his nerves. All right… this is it. I've been waiting almost a year for this moment. All my training, all the effort I put into overcoming every challenge that Master Roshi could throw at me… all of it was in preparation for this one fight. He glanced over to where Vegeta was taking his position in the opposite corner. This is my best chance to see how much I've improved… and to find out if I have any chance of beating him.

For his part, Vegeta just smirked. Let's hope that you've really improved since last time, Scarface. Otherwise, this match isn't going to last very long.

"For our first match of the semifinals, we have Contestant Vegeta facing off against Contestant Yamcha. Both of these contenders have made short work of all their previous opponents, so let's see what happens when they face off against each other!" The announcer grinned brightly and turned to face the ring. "Fighters, are you ready?"

Vegeta nodded, his confident smirk fading a little as he adopted a more serious expression. "Ready," he confirmed.

Yamcha nodded too, crouching slightly and raising his guard. "Ready," he seconded.

"Then… begin!" The gong boomed, and the fight was on.

"Wolf Fang Fist!" Yamcha went straight for his signature technique right from the start, rocketing across the ring towards Vegeta and launching a barrage of rapid-fire strikes. At first, Vegeta gave ground without trying to strike back, calmly dodging and deflecting each blow with businesslike efficiency.

"Not bad!" the prince remarked dryly, deftly sidestepping another pair of attacks. "Seems all that training wasn't for nothing: you have gotten stronger and faster since last time." His eyes narrowed as he ducked under another swing and sprang back to gain some distance.

"I'm just getting started!" Yamcha lunged after him, throwing another volley of punches, but all of his strikes were deflected again, and this time Vegeta's arm snaked through his guard, landing an open-palmed strike to his chest and releasing a kiai that launched him away. As Yamcha was still flying backwards, before he could get his feet back underneath him, one of Vegeta's hands wrapped around his throat and slammed him down onto the floor of the ring, cracking the tiles underneath them and knocking the wind out of him.

"Unfortunately," Vegeta continued as he gazed coolly down at Yamcha, "if this is the best you've got, I don't think this fight is going to end any differently than our last one did."

Damn it–! Yamcha's eyes flashed with anger and he threw a punch up at Vegeta's face, but before it could connect, the Saiyan boy's head flicked to one side, dodging Yamcha's swinging fist by a hair's breadth, and his arm blurred into motion again as he flung Yamcha bodily across the arena. The former bandit managed to backflip in midair and landed hard on his feet, sliding to a halt at the far edge of the ring. He was already panting, trying to catch his breath as he straightened up and brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Well? Is that all?" Vegeta raised an eyebrow as he turned to face Yamcha, folding his arms casually over his chest. "If you've learned any new tricks since last time, you might want to use them now."

As his breathing grew more even, Yamcha grinned faintly and nodded. "Yeah, all right," he muttered. "You want me to show you just how much I've improved? You got it!" Raising his hands in front of him, he shifted them until the heels of his palms were touching, his fingers curving inwards. "Ka…"

Vegeta's eyes widened, his confident grin flickering for a moment. Really?

Goku inhaled sharply, his eyes popping open wide as he gawked at his fellow student. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. "Is Yamcha really using a Kamehameha?! I didn't know he could do that!"

"Neither did I," Jackie Chun murmured to himself, his lips shifting in a concerned frown. I know Goku and Vegeta were able to master the Kamehameha easily enough, but they're both from some kind of super-powerful alien species, so that made sense. But Yamcha's human, so it wouldn't be as easy for him. And if he tries to focus that much ki power before he's experienced enough to control it properly, he could seriously hurt himself.

"Me…" Yamcha's eyes narrowed as he lowered himself into the ready stance that he'd seen from Roshi and his fellow Turtle School students, bringing his hands around to his side. "Ha…" A faint, flickering sphere of blue light began to coalesce between his palms, growing brighter with each passing second. "Me…"

Vegeta had been legitimately caught off-guard by the realization of what Yamcha was doing, but as he watched the bandit preparing his attack, he grinned again, this time without the condescension that he'd been displaying up until now. Not bad, he remarked inwardly, as he straightened up and let his arms drop back to his sides. For a human, at least… not bad at all.

"HA!" The final syllable burst out of Yamcha's mouth as a full-voiced yell, and he swung his hands forward and flung his arms out in front of him. Sure enough, a concentrated beam of blue-white energy burst forth from his outstretched palms, lancing straight for Vegeta.

The Saiyan prince remained motionless until the beam was just a couple of feet away from him. Then he dropped smoothly into a lower stance for a heartbeat, before his right arm lashed out and caught Yamcha's Kamehameha right before it could hit him, stopping the blue beam dead in its tracks. He held it in place for a moment, before swinging his arm upwards with a grunt of effort, launching the Kamehameha up and away from him. It shot high into the air, before dissipating several hundred feet above them with a final flare of light.

Yamcha's arms were shaking, and his breath was coming in ragged gasps as he doubled over and placed his hands on his knees to hold himself up. "Damn it…" he panted. He had tried the Kamehameha plenty of times during his training, but this was the first time that he'd really been able to make it work.

Vegeta looked surprised as he lowered his upraised arm, a few wisps of smoke rising from the palm of his white glove where he had caught Yamcha's beam. "I didn't know you could do that," he commented.

"Yeah, I wasn't sure if I could, honestly," Yamcha replied wearily. He straightened back up and looked at Vegeta thoughtfully for a few seconds, before speaking up again. "Hey… can you do me a favor? Show me your full power." An instant later, his eyes widened in alarm and he raised both hands, shaking his head. "I – I don't mean, like, hitting me with your full power or anything! Just… can you give me a demonstration, so I can sense it? I want to know how wide the gap between us really is."

Vegeta arched one eyebrow, but he ultimately shrugged and nodded. "All right. If you really want to know, I'll show you." He squared his shoulders, clenching his fists at his sides and lowering his stance, before a low growl reverberated in his chest and the ring started to vibrate under his feet. A low rumbling sound began to echo throughout the arena, and the vibrations grew more and more intense with each passing second, drawing nervous chatter from the audience in the surrounding seats. Finally, he flung out his arms and let out a yell of effort, as a surge of power exploded around him with a flash of light and an explosion of rushing wind.

"Shit…!" Yamcha was almost blown clear off the ring by the force of Vegeta's ki: he crouched down, crossing his arms protectively in front of his face as he forced every scrap of energy he had left into resisting the furious battering of the wind, until it finally faded away. His eyes popped wide open in shock as he lowered his arms, sensing the magnitude of the Saiyan prince's energy. "Holy crap," he breathed.

Vegeta chuckled as he lowered his arms, looking at the flickering blue aura around him and savoring the feeling of the energy that was coursing through his body. Ever since his arrival on Earth, he hardly ever needed to use his full strength in battle: the only times when he'd used his full power recently had been when he'd been training on his own over the course of the past few months, while Goku and Yamcha had still been working on Roshi's exercise regimen. "Well?" he questioned, turning his attention back to Yamcha as his confident smile returned. "Is this what you wanted to see?"

"Yup." Yamcha chuckled ruefully, nodding in agreement. "And I hate to admit it, but… if you're really that powerful, then there isn't really any point in us continuing this. So…" And then, to Vegeta's astonishment, he turned around and hopped lightly off the edge of the ring, landing on the grass at the edge of the arena. "I forfeit."

The announcer stared at the two of them in shock for a moment, before his reflexes kicked in and he raised his microphone again. "I… I guess that's it, ladies and gentlemen! Contestant Yamcha has chosen to forfeit and exited the ring, which means that our first semifinal victor is Contestant Vegeta!"

"You…" Vegeta's eyes widened incredulously, his flickering aura vanishing like a candle that had just been blown out as he rushed over to the edge of the ring and glared down at Yamcha. "What the hell?!" he demanded. "Why did you do that? We weren't finished yet!"

Yamcha shrugged, looking disappointed but unsurprised. "Honestly, I wasn't sure if I could beat you even before the tournament started," he admitted with a sigh. "For this fight, I really just wanted to give it my best shot and see how much more I'll need to improve before I'll actually stand a chance against you." He shook his head and chuckled softly. "So I tried my strongest attacks, and that – plus getting a look at your real power – told me pretty much everything that I needed to know. It's gonna take a lot more training for me to get to anywhere near your level, and I know I can't beat you as I am right now, so I figured there wasn't any point in continuing with this fight."

Vegeta frowned, clearly still annoyed, but after thinking that over for a moment, he nodded. "Fair enough," he replied. "I suppose you're right: you would have to be a lot stronger than you are now for you to have any chance of reaching my level." His eyes narrowed and he folded his arms over his chest again. "But once you've had some more time to improve, I'll be expecting you to make up for that stunt by having another sparring match with me. Understood?"

Yamcha cracked a faint, sheepish grin as he nodded. "Yeah, all right," he agreed. "Sure thing."

"Good. Apart from Kakarot, I barely have any decent sparring partners, so you'll have to do." With that, Vegeta turned and stalked off towards the fighters' waiting area, where Goku and Jackie Chun had been watching the match. Yamcha trailed after him, rubbing at the bruises that were starting to form on his neck and chest.

"Nicely done, boys!" Jackie complimented the pair as they returned to the waiting area. "I'm impressed, Yamcha. I've seen a couple of fighters use the Kamehameha before, but it's quite a difficult technique to master without a great deal of practice. I'm pretty sure it took about fifty years for your teacher, Master Roshi, to perfect it."

"Well, thanks, Mr. Chun," Yamcha replied, his grin widening a bit more. He'd put everything he had into his training, and even if he hadn't managed to catch up to Vegeta, he was still happy with the progress that he had made.

Vegeta, however, shot a sidelong glance at Jackie and frowned, his eyes narrowing as his suspicion deepened. So, he knows the Turtle School techniques too… but I've never heard Roshi mention him before, even though the old man loves to talk about his past students, so I don't know where he could have learned all of that.

Seriously… who the hell is this guy?

"Contestants Son Goku and Jackie Chun, please take your places in the ring!"

The remaining pair of semifinal contestants strolled out into the arena as the announcer's call echoed through the stadium, followed by a cheer from the audience. Goku hopped excitedly from one foot to the other, grinning brightly and throwing a few practice jabs at the air, while Jackie Chun was calm and collected, flashing an amused grin at the younger fighter's antics before heading over to his corner of the ring.

Now that his time as a contestant was over, Yamcha had joined Launch, Oolong and Puar in the spectator bleachers. Luckily, the two shapeshifters had been able to reserve a couple of extra seats at the start of the tournament by transforming into large, muscular forms, so there was a spot available for him between Puar and Launch. Being in such close proximity to Launch was still enough to make him nervous, but the combination of his fight with Ranfan and the fact that he'd known Launch for the better part of a year by now was definitely making it easier. It also helped that Launch was currently in her calmer, blue-haired state, which made her much less intimidating.

Vegeta was now the only spectator in the fighters' waiting area. Leaning casually against the wall, he kept his eyes locked on the two combatants in the ring, watching with much more interest than he'd displayed for any of the prior fights in the tournament. In this case, he was doubly interested: not only would this match give him an excellent chance to see how Kakarot had improved during his training over the past year, but it would also provide him with a better look at how Jackie Chun fought and could enable him to learn more about the older man.

"Fighters ready?" The announcer glanced back and forth from Goku to Jackie and back again, and then nodded decisively upon receiving confirmation from both of them. "And… begin!" The gong rang again, and the second semifinal match was underway.

Goku struck first, darting across the ring at super-speed and throwing a low kick designed to sweep Jackie's legs out from under him, but his swinging leg passed harmlessly through the now-shimmering outline of an afterimage. The real Jackie appeared right behind him, swinging a kick of his own in an attempt to launch Goku out of bounds, but to his surprise, the smaller fighter had already whirled back towards him, catching him by the ankle and stopping the kick before it could connect.

"Nice try!" Goku grinned, yanking on Jackie's outstretched leg to pull him off-balance and springing up to deliver a solid punch to the older man's jaw that knocked him backwards.

"Ow!" Jackie stumbled back a few feet before he caught himself and straightened up, rubbing his cheek. "So… you saw through my afterimage, eh?"

"Yup!" Goku nodded as his grin got a little bigger. "It's a cool trick, that's for sure, but I saw you use it when you were fighting Nam, so I was ready for it this time."

I knew he was talented, but that's almost scarily sharp… Jackie chuckled despite himself. "All righty, then. Let's see if you can see through it a second time!" His outline shimmered, another afterimage taking his place as he disappeared in a blur of speed.

"I sure can!" Goku whirled, throwing an uppercut just as Jackie reappeared behind him. This time, however, his fist swung straight through another afterimage, and a powerful kick from Jackie hit him square in the back, knocking him off his feet and sending him sprawling to the tiles. What the…?!

"See, the Afterimage technique is much more versatile than you might think," Jackie explained nonchalantly. "A true master of that technique can pull off multiple afterimages in quick succession, making it easier to distract a foe in combat and catch them off-guard. What I just showed you is a double afterimage, although of course it's possible to do more than that as well."

"Hmmm…" Goku rubbed his chin as he clambered back to his feet, thinking that over for a moment. So, it's possible to do a couple of afterimages in a row? Yeah, that does make sense now that I'm thinking about it. So what if I…? His confident grin returned, and he crouched into his fighting stance again. "Okay, then," he replied with a laugh of his own. "My turn again!" He kicked off the tiles and rocketed forward again: halfway to his opponent, his outline shimmered and an afterimage took his place, virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.

Jackie, of course, saw through it immediately. He whipped around, expecting an attack from behind, but what greeted him when he completed his turn was just another afterimage. Of course! he realized. Now he's copying my double-afterimage trick. Which means… "Gotcha!" Whirling to one side, he lashed out as a third image of Goku appeared a few feet away, one fist drawn back. But, to his shock, his fingers phased straight through a third hazy afterimage, and his eyes widened in astonishment. A… a triple afterimage?! he thought incredulously, just before a vicious blow cracked into the back of his head, slamming him face-first down into the surface of the ring.

Goku laughed in delight as he backflipped away from his fallen opponent, landing on his feet and keeping his guard up. "That's a really cool technique, Mr. Chun!" he complimented. "But it's gonna take more than that to beat me."

"Nngghhh… oh, really?" Jackie grumbled as he pushed himself back up, rolling his shoulders and rubbing the back of his head with one hand. "Well, don't worry, sonny. I've got plenty more tricks where that came from!" He straightened up and raised his guard again… but a moment later, he winced and clamped a hand to the back of his neck again, as his previous stance suddenly shifted into a relaxed, casual pose. His other arm dropped limply to his side, and he rocked unsteadily back and forth as he began stumbling across the ring towards Goku.

"Uh… are you okay, mister?" Goku frowned, taking a slow backwards step as Jackie ambled leisurely towards him. "I didn't hit you too hard, did I? I – oof!" This startled cry came as one of Jackie's legs suddenly flashed out and kicked him square in the gut, doubling him over. He was launched back a couple of yards by the force of the blow, but he kept his feet under him and leapt nimbly back at Jackie, throwing a right hook at the older man's face. To his surprise, however, Jackie simply swayed to one side, deftly avoiding the blow, and a backhand cracked into the side of Goku's head with enough force to send him tumbling across the ring again.

What the hell?! Vegeta scowled incredulously, feeling annoyed and more than a little confused as he watched Jackie's movements. The older man definitely didn't look like he was thinking clearly, but something about the way he was moving seemed eerily familiar. It took a minute to realize it, but then suddenly it clicked and the Saiyan teen remembered where he'd seen a martial artist move like this before: it had been back when he and Kakarot had still been living with Son Gohan on the slopes of Mount Paozu, before Gohan's untimely death.

"Watch it!" he snapped, raising his voice so Goku could hear him. "He's using that ridiculous fighting style that Gohan showed us when you were younger! The 'drinking box' technique, or something like that!"

In the stands, Yamcha's eyes widened too as he realized what Vegeta meant. "The Drunken-Boxing style, of course!" he exclaimed. "I've heard of that technique! It can be pretty tricky to master, so not many people know it, but it can also be very useful because it's so unpredictable, which makes it hard for other fighters to anticipate your moves!"

"Oh!" Goku inhaled sharply and smiled as he also recognized the technique. "Yeah, you're right! Grandpa did know this fighting style – Ow!" This last came as a startled yelp as Jackie suddenly hopped closer to him and swung another wildly-aimed kick that somehow made contact, catching him in the side and knocking him off his feet again. He immediately sprang back up, bounding up to head height and kicking out at Jackie's face, but again the older man just swayed his whole body to the side and the kick missed by inches. Jackie's fist planted itself squarely in Goku's face a moment later, and he fell back with a gasp of pain.

Okay, think, Goku! The younger fighter's mind was racing even as he fell back, freely giving ground and working his way around the perimeter of the ring, refusing to let Jackie trap him in a corner or pin him against the edge. Grandpa taught me and Vegeta about this fighting style, but I'm pretty sure he also taught me a few moves that could be used to counter it. But what were they?

"Heheh… not as easy as you thought it would be, huh, kid?" Jackie laughed unsteadily as he kept coming, targeting Goku with a series of off-balance but surprisingly-forceful punches and kicks. "Any time you feel like givin' up, feel free to surrender!" On that last word, he rocked back on his heels, winding up an exaggerated show-punch with his left arm, but when he swayed back forward, he threw the real punch with his right arm, aiming to knock Goku right off the edge.

But when Jackie lashed out, his blow hit nothing. Goku had dropped to the floor right as he stepped in, landing on his hands and knees, and dove head-first between the older man's legs. He hit the ground in a shoulder-roll, but he didn't get back up when he came out of it, instead staying on all fours and grinning wildly as he looked back up at Jackie. "I figured it out!" he announced cheerfully. "When my grandpa taught me an' Vegeta about that fighting style, he also taught us a style that we could use to counter it. It took me a little bit to remember what it was, but now I do!" He chuckled and shifted from side to side, reaching up to scratch his head with one hand but otherwise staying on all fours as his grin became even more mischievous. "I think he called it… Monkey style?"

Jackie's eyes widened, but he grinned despite himself. "Not bad at all, my boy! Well, let's see how it does in a fight!" Still swaying and weaving back and forth with each stride, he sprang towards Goku, unleashing another volley of off-balance attacks.

This time, however, Goku was the one with the advantage: he ducked and rolled through the incoming strikes, laughing in delight. Several times, he lunged in close and landed a couple of solid hits; as the fight raged on, his attack intensified, driving Jackie slowly back across the arena as the older man's attacks grew increasingly frustrated. Finally, they struck at the same time, Jackie's fist colliding with Goku's foot midway between them with a momentary thunderclap. They both leapt back in the same moment, backflipping through the air and landing on opposite sides of the ring.

"Not… bad… at all!" Jackie commented, his breathing noticeably heavier than it had been before. "But… let's see how much power you really have!" He dropped back into a lower stance, extending both arms out in front of him before pulling them back and cupping his hands at his side as a shimmering sphere of blue light formed between them. "Ka… Me… Ha… Me…"

Whoa, no way! He knows the Kamehameha too?! To his credit, Goku's astonishment didn't throw him off his game: instead, he mimicked Jackie's stance exactly, cupping his hands at his side and focusing his ki in the same way as an identical blue sphere formed between his hands. "Ka… me… ha… me…"

Both fighters unleashed their blasts in the same moment, with a joint, echoing yell of "HA!" Two blue-white beams of energy burst forth from their outstretched hands, lancing straight towards each other, until they collided at the center of the ring with a brilliant flash of light and a roar of crashing thunder. The two warriors were deadlocked for a few long seconds, until the building energy suddenly detonated and blasted straight up into the air above the stadium.

Vegeta's eyes had widened in shock when he saw Jackie's Kamehameha, trying to figure out how the older fighter could possibly have learned the signature technique of the Turtle School. There's no way around it, he must be one of Roshi's earlier students like Gohan or the Ox King, but I've never heard Roshi mention this guy before, and the old man loves talking about his previous students. So how is that possible?!

As the young Saiyan prince saw the two beams slam together, however, his eyes narrowed and a thought began to surface in his mind. Wait… hang on a minute. Squinting against the brilliant blue glare, he closed his eyes for a moment and reached out with his mind instead, studying the ki of both combatants.

And, sure enough, he found what he had been looking for.

"Well, well, well," he muttered, his lips curving in an amused smirk as he opened his eyes. "I have to admit… I wasn't expecting that. Well played, old man."

Once the brilliant light of the Kamehameha clash had faded away, the audience could finally see the two contestants again. Goku and Jackie had both been blown clear off their feet and knocked flat on their backs, each sliding to an opposing corner of the ring before skidding to a halt at the very edge of the tiles. They were each much more battered than they had been at the start of the fight, but neither of them were seriously injured.

"You're truly impressive, Goku," Jackie declared, smiling wearily as he stretched his arms over his head to help loosen up a bit more before adopting a fighting stance again. "I must admit, I hadn't expected you to be nearly this much of a challenge." His smile faded and he held up one index finger in a warning. "But! Unfortunately for you… this is where I'll have to get serious. I still have a couple of tricks up my sleeve that I haven't used yet, and I think this one should be more than enough to finish this match."

"Oh, really? You think so, huh?" Goku grinned and raised his fists in a ready stance, prepared to spring back into the fight. "Well, I'm game! Whatever you've got left, bring it on!"

"If you say so…" Jackie Chun smiled warmly as his hands started weaving back and forth in a complex, intricate pattern, and he began humming tunelessly under his breath. A strange pulse of energy rippled outwards from him and washed over Goku, who suddenly felt a bizarre sensation sweeping through his body. It was as if every bone and muscle in his body was suddenly infused with the heaviest of weights, pulling him down and keeping him rooted to the spot.

"You… are… growing… sleepy," Jackie murmured, his voice becoming softer and more soothing with each word. "You… are so… tired." His smile widened as he saw Goku starting to rock gently from side to side, the boy's arms hanging limply at his sides. "When… you hear… me sing… your eyelids… will drop…"

Goku tried to resist, fighting to keep his eyes open, but he'd been caught off guard by the unusual technique, and he couldn't summon up the force of will or clarity of mind that it would take to break free of the hypnotic trance. "D…Dammit…" he muttered, before his eyes drifted closed and he collapsed, falling to his knees and pitching forward onto his face.

"Hypnosis," Jackie Chun explained, flashing a sympathetic smile as he looked down at Goku's fallen form. "He's not hurt, but he can't wake up unless I tell him to. Which means, unfortunately, this battle is over."

"And Contestant Goku is down!" the announcer declared as if on cue, raising one arm over his head as he began the countdown. "One! Two! Three!"

"C'mon, Goku, get up!" Yamcha yelled from the stands, trying to break the spell. "You can do it! Wake up!"

"Y-Yeah!" Launch seconded, waving as her voice rang out along with his, sounded oddly forceful for her gentle blue-haired self. Oolong and Puar cheered as well, all four voices ringing out as a large portion of the audience cheered along with them, urging the young contestant to shake off his unnatural sleep and get back into the fight.

"Four! Five! Six!"

Vegeta, for his part, wasn't shouting anything. His eyes were narrowed almost to slits, and his hands were clenched into white-knuckled fists as he glared out at the ring. "Come on, damn it…" he growled under his breath. "Get the hell up, dumbass! There's no way you're going to lose like this!"

"Seven! Eight!"

Vegeta's fists clenched tighter, and his eyes flashed with a surge of anger. All right… that's enough!

"Nine…"

"KAKAROT!"

That single word, roared at the top of Vegeta's lungs and amplified by a surge of his ki, rang across the arena like the toll of a mighty bell. The people closest to him, like the announcer and the people who had been ringing the bells, recoiled and clapped their hands over their ears, while the rest of the audience jerked back in surprise, and even Jackie Chun flinched.

And, a moment later, Goku's eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright, letting out a loud gasp. "Ah!" Shaking his head to try and clear his vision, he looked around with wide and startled eyes. "What… just happened?"

Vegeta visibly relaxed, his usual confident smirk resurfacing as he leaned against the wall again. There we go, he thought to himself with some satisfaction. Now hit him with everything you've got.

For his part, Jackie Chun's eyes bulged incredulously and he took a step back. I… I don't believe it! How did Vegeta manage to snap him out of that trance?! Despite the problem that this presented, he couldn't help but feel a surge of pride as his gaze flicked briefly over towards the older Saiyan boy. If everything I've seen over the past few months wasn't enough, that proves it: those two have formed a very close bond over the years. And it seems like it's been good for both of them.

Having taken a moment to clear his head and focus back on the situation at hand, Goku's irrepressible grin returned as he entered his usual fighting stance again. "All right, c'mon!" he called out, his expression a bit more serious now. "That was a really neat trick. But, fair warning: you're not gonna get me with that again."

"I'm afraid you're probably right about that," Jackie admitted ruefully. Rubbing the back of his head with one hand, he turned the situation over in his mind again and again, trying to figure out what the best solution to this challenge would be. He's at least as strong as I am, and he's such a quick study that my earlier tricks probably wouldn't be very effective if I tried any of them again. Which means… He winced as the inevitable conclusion came to him.

If I'm going to win this fight… I'm gonna have to pull out all the stops.

"I apologize, my boy," Jackie spoke up after a few seconds of thought. Pacing slowly along the edge of the ring as Goku kept turning to keep track of his position, he eventually came to a stop with the main arena building behind him, facing the young Saiyan. "But it's time to finish this, once and for all. And I can only think of one technique in my arsenal that can definitely put an end to this match."

"Okay…" Goku remained tense and ready to spring: he was tempted to attack immediately, but he decided to hold back for the moment as he didn't know what Jackie was planning.

"I've only used this technique in battle once before," Jackie continued, smiling faintly as he remembered that occasion. "My opponent in that battle was someone that you may be familiar with: Son Gohan, one of the Turtle School's finest students."

Goku's eyes widened. "My… my grandfather? Of course, that's why you know his moves!"

"That's right," Jackie confirmed. He chuckled softly as he brought his hands together in front of his chest, resting his fingertips together and starting to focus his ki in the space between them. "He was a strong and talented martial artist, but even he couldn't withstand this technique. You're much stronger than he was, but I don't think you'll be able to overcome the power that I'm about to show you either… at least, not without a lot more time and training." Arcs of buzzing yellow-green electricity were crackling back and forth between his hands, and the fresh breeze that was swirling around them was suddenly shot through with an acrid tang of ozone.

Vegeta frowned, his eyes narrowing as he took a few steps to the right so he could get a better view. The hell's he doing?

"Hrrrr…" A growl echoed in Jackie's chest as he continued to pour more ki into the building attack. "This… is my strongest technique, youngster! This… is my…" His eyes squeezed shut in intense concentration for a moment, before they snapped wide open again and flashed with a brilliant yellow light. "Thundershock… SURPRISE!" He flung his arms out in front of him, discharging all the ki that he'd been building up as a surging mass of yellow-green light, crackling with electricity.

"What the –?!" Goku recoiled, but he wasn't fast enough to get out of the way and the crackling greenish-yellow beam struck him. As soon as it made contact, a surge of electricity tore into him, searing through every inch of his body and hoisting him up off the ground. His hair stood up on end, and he screamed in pain as he thrashed about, frantically trying to shake off the surrounding aura of deadly electricity without any success.

"Kakarot!" Vegeta's eyes widened in shock and he took a step forward before forcing himself to stop as he glared out into the arena. Damn it… what the hell is this?!

The rest of Kame House's residents, watching from the stands on the other side of the arena, were thinking the same thing. "Whoa!" Launch's jaw dropped when she saw the wave of electricity washing over the Saiyan boy's struggling form. "What is that?!"

"The… the Thundershock Surprise," Yamcha breathed, his eyes wide in a mix of amazement and horror. "I've heard of that technique before! It's one of the most potent attacks I've ever heard of: it takes all of the ki that its user has charged up, and converts all that energy into a blast of pure electricity, up to twenty thousand volts of it." He winced as he saw his fellow Turtle School student struggling in the grasp of the energy stream. "Goku's in trouble now, that's for sure. Honestly, it might be a good idea for him to just throw in the towel; he could get seriously hurt if he stays trapped like that for too long!"

Goku, however, showed no indication that he was planning to do anything of the kind. Instead, he kept struggling, twisting and contorting his body as he tried to wrench his way free of the Thundershock Surprise's deadly hold. But no matter how much he struggled, no matter how many times he tried to focus his ki enough to break free, he couldn't figure out how to escape.

"It's over, Goku!" Jackie yelled, his voice echoing over the crackling roar of the surging electricity. "You can't break out, and the longer I have to hold you like this, the more it's going to hurt! Just do yourself a favor and give up, and then I'll let you go."

"N…no!" Goku managed to shake his head, a strangled cry of pain escaping his lips as he kept straining against the crackling aura that held him suspended in the air. "I… I'm not done yet…!" But despite his defiance, he still couldn't figure out any possible way to escape.

"Sorry, kid," Jackie muttered, his hands trembling as he kept pouring energy into the trap. "But this fight… is over!" He let out a yell and sent another surge of crackling energy pouring into the swirling aura around Goku, drawing another pained cry from the trapped Saiyan boy as the attack went up another notch.

"D-Damn it…!" Finally, Goku's body felt like it could take no more. His struggles began to weaken, and his chin dropped to his chest as he felt his head growing heavy again. "I… okay, I guess…" He groaned weakly, his eyes flickering open again as he looked up and out to the horizon. "I… give…"

And then Goku froze. Another pulse of energy rippled through his body, but it wasn't like the numbing pulse of Jackie's hypnosis technique, or the shocking, agonizing pulses of the Thundershock Surprise. This one originated from deep within him, like a slowly-igniting fire that was rising up and burning its way through his mind, washing away everything else except the burning, all-consuming heat.

That, and the sight of the full moon rising in the distance behind Jackie Chun, just becoming visible on the horizon.

Oh, crap, not again, was the last conscious thought in Goku's head, before the world turned red and everything around him dissolved in a tidal wave of power and bestial rage.

At first, Vegeta wasn't sure what was happening. One moment, Goku had seemingly been about to give up and admit defeat; the next, he arched his back and let out a loud, high-pitched scream, howling out at the top of his lungs as his body convulsed again, even more violently than before.

Vegeta was thoroughly confused for a few seconds… until he followed the direction of the younger Saiyan's gaze, and his eyes widened in alarm as he realized what Goku was looking at. "Oh, shit," he muttered, immediately averting his eyes and squeezing them tightly shut as he felt a sudden surge of tingling energy running down his back. His tail unwound from around his waist for a moment and lashed back and forth, and he clenched his fists as he let the effects of his brief glance at the moon fade away.

Goku, unfortunately, had no such luck. His eyes had already lit up, glowing an eerie red, and as Vegeta looked back up at him, his body started to grow and expand, muscles bulking up more and more with each passing second, his clothes shredding and falling away as thick black fur grew to replace them.

Jackie Chun took a few steps back, his eyes wide and startled as he tried to maintain control of Goku's transforming body by keeping up the Thundershock Surprise, but even his strongest technique wasn't enough anymore. As Goku's monstrous transformation finally reached its conclusion, he let out a thunderous roar and flung his arms out, contemptuously ripping through the electrical field around his body and completely shattering it.

No longer suspended in the air, the Oozaru that had been Goku slammed back down onto the ring, its enormous weight cracking the tiles underfoot. It glared around at its surroundings with its burning red eyes, before throwing its head back and bellowing out in defiance as it pounded on its chest with both fists. A chorus of screams rose from the crowds of spectators in the surrounding bleachers, and most of them started rushing towards the exits from the stadium, desperately trying to put some more distance between themselves and the monster that had just been dropped into their midst.

"Crap… this isn't good!" Jackie staggered back and stared up at the beast as its massive head swung down towards him. Its lip curled in a feral snarl of rage, and it reared up as it drew back one massive fist. He had just enough time to activate an afterimage and throw himself out of the way before the fist came crashing down, smashing a crater into the ring as he dove to safety.

On the edge of the ring, Vegeta scowled, his ki swiftly building towards its maximum. To hell with this! I'm the only one who can stop him now, and if I don't, he'll trash the whole damn island. This ends now! His energy flared up, his full power surfacing in an instant, and he blasted off the ground so fast that no one else in the stadium saw it coming. Even Jackie Chun and Yamcha didn't see anything more than a blur of high-speed motion, leading from the fighters' viewing area straight up behind the towering form of the Oozaru.

A moment later, a thunderclap rang out through the entire stadium, and the Oozaru jerked in place and swayed on its feet. A deep, rumbling growl echoed in its chest, before the red glow in its eyes faded back to darkness and its eyes rolled up into its head. Then, slowly, it toppled, falling sideways and crushing part of the wall around the ring beneath its bulk as it came crashing to the ground. At the same time, Vegeta reappeared exactly where he had been before, with his aura gone and his energy once more at rest. He lowered his arms back to his sides, flexing his fingers and feeling the aftershocks of the thunderous double-fisted knockout blow that he'd just delivered to the base of the Great Ape's skull.

As the spectators' panic began to subside, the Oozaru's fallen body started to shrink. Dwindling more and more as the seconds ticked by, it kept shrinking until it had fully reverted back into Goku's normal body, lying unconscious and naked on the grass among the rubble of the collapsed outer wall. Luckily, however, he was still breathing and didn't seem to be seriously injured.

"And… that is a ring-out, ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer exclaimed. "Contestant Goku has fallen outside of the ring, so this match is over, and Contestant Jackie Chun is the winner!"

Jackie Chun, for his part, was standing frozen in the middle of the ring, staring at Goku's fallen form in disbelief. So that's the transformation that Vegeta warned me about? he thought to himself. Incredible! Although, I must say... He glanced over to Vegeta, a wry grin flickering across his lips. If there hadn't been a very good reason for him to intervene there, I'd have to report him for interference. But there's no guarantee that I would've been able to stop Goku once he turned into that thing, and people could have easily gotten hurt if Vegeta hadn't helped out, so I'll let him have that one.

"Kakarot!" Completely ignoring both Jackie and the announcer, Vegeta sprang out of the fighters' viewing area and bounded across to where Goku was sprawled on the grass. "Are you all right?" he demanded, rolling Goku over and gently jostling him to wake him up.

"…Huh? Ow, my head…" Goku groaned as he slowly rolled over and sat up, rubbing his head. "Oh, hey, Vegeta. Yeah, I… I'm okay." He blinked quizzically and glanced around at their surroundings, before his lips curled in a disappointed frown. "Awww, man… I lost?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Vegeta replied, sighing and shrugging. "But that's all right. You'll be able to learn from this and do better next time." He smirked faintly as he glanced over towards Jackie, who had come over to check on them while also taking a breather to recover from the draining battle. "And in any case, I can take it from here."

"Quite the confident one, aren't you?" Jackie chuckled dryly and nodded politely to the pair. "Well, I suppose we'll just have to wait and see about that. And I must say, you did an excellent job, Goku! I'm very impressed."

"Thanks, Mr. Chun," Goku replied with a bright smile. "You too!"

"All right, then, ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer called to the crowd. "Our apologies for, ah… that last little incident… but once we've made a few repairs to the arena, it'll be time for the final match of this tournament, between Contestant Vegeta and Contestant Jackie Chun!"

Vegeta's faint smirk returned as he glanced over towards Jackie again, watching as the older man headed back over towards the fighters' observation area. "Well, this should certainly be interesting," he murmured under his breath. "Especially since, after that fight… I think I finally know exactly what's been going on here."

Chapter Text

Last time, on The Lost Prince…

The 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament reached its semifinal round! After testing his improved strength against Vegeta in the first match, Yamcha admitted defeat once he realized that he would need much more training to catch up to the Saiyan prince. In the second match, Goku faced off against Jackie Chun, but he was ultimately knocked out after transforming into his Oozaru state, when Vegeta briefly intervened to protect the audience from the rampaging Great Ape.

Now, the final match of the tournament has arrived, with the Saiyan prince facing off against the disguised Turtle Hermit. The tournament concludes… now!

Turtle School Saga, Part 5: Mind Over Matter

Papaya Island, Planet Earth

Age 750

"And now, ladies and gentlemen… it's time for the final match!"

After an hour's recess to give the two remaining fighters a chance to rest (and so the tournament ring could undergo some hasty repairs, after the damage that Goku's Oozaru transformation had done to it), the tournament announcer's amplified voice boomed out across the stadium again, drawing a chorus of applause from the onlookers. "After a thrilling series of matches," he continued, "we're finally down to our last two contestants, and now is the time for us to find out which of them will be crowned as the strongest in the world!" The audience's cheers rose into a collective roar of approval, and the great drums began to beat once more. "Fighters, please take your places in the ring!"

Goku had now joined Yamcha, Launch, Oolong and Puar in the stands, and was bouncing excitedly up and down in his seat, while also deliberately keeping his gaze down so that he wouldn't risk looking at the moon again. "Oh, man, I can't wait to see this!" he exclaimed, his eyes sparkling gleefully. "This fight's gonna be so cool!"

Yamcha, seated beside the younger boy, wasn't so sure. He watched as Vegeta and Jackie Chun made their way out into the arena, his gaze shifting from one fighter to the other as he tried to get the measure of them both. All things considered, though, he was fairly sure that he already knew how this fight was going to go. That Jackie Chun guy put up a really good fight against Goku, that's for sure… but now that I know just how powerful Vegeta is, I don't think Jackie can win this one. Unless he's got more tricks up his sleeve that he hasn't shown so far, Vegeta's probably gonna be too much for him.

Vegeta, for his part, felt the same way. Jackie Chun's fight with Kakarot had given him an ideal opportunity to see his final opponent in action, and he was confident that it had taken everything the older man had to overpower the younger Saiyan. In addition, the time he'd spent studying the older fighter's ki during that last fight had told him everything that he'd needed to know about Jackie, and all the pieces of the puzzle that had been bothering him during the earlier matches had now fallen into place.

"All right, then, sonny," Jackie greeted him cheerfully as they both walked to the center of the ring. "Let's make this a good clean match, shall we?" The older man held out a hand, raising an eyebrow and grinning in a friendly manner.

Vegeta's lip twitched in an amused smirk, and he nodded as he took Jackie's hand firmly and gave it a brief shake. "Sounds good to me," he replied, before he tugged Jackie a little closer as his voice dropped low enough that no one outside the ring could hear him. "But before we start, you should know… the jig's up, old man."

Jackie blinked, his casual attitude faltering for a moment before he snapped back to focusing on Vegeta. "Ah… I'm not sure what you mean, my boy," he replied.

"Oh, I think you do," Vegeta retorted, his smirk growing wider. "I've got to give you credit: it took a while, but I eventually put the pieces together… and I've got you figured out." His eyes narrowed. "Roshi."

Jackie's eyes widened in shock, and he took a half-step back. He was silent for a long moment, until he lowered his head and chuckled softly. "Nicely done, kid," he finally replied, his faint grin returning as he looked back up at Vegeta. "I've gotta ask: what gave me away?"

"Your ki," Vegeta replied as he took a step back and folded his arms over his chest. "You've done a good job on your disguise, but I first learned how to sense ki by sensing yours, so there's no way you could hide that from me. On some level, I'd been suspecting it for a while, but that Kamehameha clash between you and Kakarot was what sealed it." He arched a brow, curiosity mixing with the amusement on his face. "So, I have to ask: why the whole charade of pretending to be someone else? Why didn't you just enter the tournament as yourself?"

Jackie – Roshi – chuckled and stretched his arms up over his head, arching his back and letting out a soft grunt as he stretched out his muscles. "Well," he answered casually, "I was hoping to use this tournament to teach all three of you a valuable lesson: that you all have much more room to grow." He tilted his head slightly towards where Goku and Yamcha were watching from the spectator seats. "Those two knew that already, thanks to you, but the gap between your power and theirs is wide enough that I wanted to give them a closer, more attainable goal, to keep pushing them forward." His grin widened, and he indicated himself with a small wave of one hand. "Hence, Jackie Chun. By making sure that neither of them could win the tournament and showing them that there are other fighters out there who are stronger than they are, I've been able to give them additional inspiration to keep bettering themselves in the future."

"Clever." Vegeta nodded, amusement gleaming in his dark eyes, before his smile faded and his expression became more serious. "But I should warn you: if you were planning to do the same to me by making sure that I don't win this tournament, I'm afraid that won't be happening. We both know that I'm far stronger than you are, and now that I've seen all of your hidden techniques during your fight with Kakarot, I can assure you that you won't be able to rely on any of them in this match." His arms dropped to his sides, and his confident smirk returned as he rolled his shoulders and clicked his neck. "So, which ones were you planning to try? Your fancy Thundershock Surprise? Hypnosis? That ridiculous 'drunken-boxing' technique? Because I'm sorry to disappoint you, but none of those tricks will work on me."

Curiously, however, it didn't seem like Vegeta's boast had affected Roshi at all, and his faint, knowing smile never wavered. "Oh, no, you don't need to worry about any of those," he replied casually. "Against Goku, I knew I'd need to pull out those special techniques to make sure I could take him down. But against you?" He locked eyes with Vegeta, and there was no trace of nervousness in his face. "Nah. I won't need any of my 'fancy tricks' to win this match."

Vegeta's eyes snapped wide open in surprise, as he definitely hadn't been expecting that response. He stared at Roshi in silence for a long moment, before his lips twitched upwards again, and then he practically doubled over with an explosive burst of laughter. "Oh, please!" he laughed, shaking his head as he straightened back up. "Nice bravado, but we both know that's just an empty threat. I do respect your talents as a martial artist, but you don't have the kind of power that it would take to actually compete with me. If I use anywhere close to my real strength, I'll be able to knock you out of this tournament with a single blow."

"Oh, sure, you're way stronger than I am," Roshi freely admitted, but the amused twinkle in his eyes never changed. "I don't think I could've taken Goku down once he turned into that giant ape, for one thing, but you managed it no problem. Although frankly, you're lucky that I'm the only one who noticed you attacking him – and that I decided not to say anything about that – because otherwise, you would've been disqualified for outside interference, and I would've won the tournament by default." He grinned as he saw the brief flash of surprise on Vegeta's face, before continuing. "So, yeah, you're a lot stronger than me. But that's the lesson that I'm going to teach you today, kid: strength isn't everything. So you'd better not hold anything back in this fight… or I'll have to make you regret it."

When he realized that Roshi really wasn't kidding, Vegeta's smile vanished, morphing into a scowl. "You're actually serious?" he demanded, before his eyes narrowed and flashed with annoyance. "All right. I don't know where the hell you're getting all this confidence from, old man, but it's starting to piss me off. So you know what? Fine. Have it your way." Turning on his heel, he stalked over to his corner of the ring, before glaring over at the announcer. "Well? What're we waiting for?" he snapped. "Let's get this fight started!"

As Roshi turned and made his way over to his own corner, he took a deep breath and suppressed his nerves, as his faint, wry grin remained in place. Well, you got what you wanted, old-timer, he thought to himself. Now I just have to hope that my plan works… because if it doesn't, this isn't gonna end well for me.

Goku, Yamcha and Launch were a little puzzled by the quiet conversation between Vegeta and Jackie Chun, and they were all taken aback by the older Saiyan's sudden outburst before he'd stormed over to his corner of the ring.

"The hell was that about?" Launch muttered, having shifted into her blonde form when she'd sneezed during the intermission after the last match.

Yamcha shrugged. "No idea, but based on that reaction, I'm guessing Jackie Chun told Vegeta something that pissed him off." He winced sympathetically. "And I'm pretty sure that isn't a good thing."

"No kidding," Oolong spoke up, shaking his head. "I've seen what Vegeta does to people who piss him off, and I really don't envy that guy right now."

"Yeah, unless Jackie's got some kinda brilliant strategy up his sleeve, I don't think he's gonna win this one," Yamcha admitted. He glanced over to Goku, who was fixated entirely on the two fighters. "Goku? You fought him; do you think he's got a chance?"

Goku frowned, thinking it over. "I mean… Jackie Chun's definitely pretty tough," he observed. "He beat me fair and square, that's for sure. That Thundershock Surprise was too much for me; if I hadn't accidentally looked at the Moon and transformed, I would've had to give up. But…" He shook his head. "If Vegeta's really fighting all-out, then no, I don't think Jackie can win. I know how my power compares to Vegeta's, and I'm nowhere near his level. And Jackie barely managed to outfight me, which means he isn't that strong either." His voice grew more confident, and he smiled. "So, I'm not worried. Vegeta's got this."

"All right, folks, let's get started!" the announcer called out. "Fighters, are you ready?"

Jackie Chun nodded, his hands open and loose. "Ready."

Vegeta's eyes were hard, anger clearly visible in the steely glare that he fixed on the older martial artist. "Ready."

"Then you may… begin!"

"HrrrrrrRRRAAHH!"

As soon as the starting gong rang out, a low snarl escaped from Vegeta's mouth and then rose into a full-voiced yell, as he flung his arms out to the sides and summoned up his full power. A flickering aura of blue light flared up around him, and a rush of wind blasted outwards with a thunderclap, ruffling the hair and clothing of the audience. Roshi had braced himself in preparation, but he still slid a couple of feet backwards, bringing him dangerously close to the edge of the ring until he managed to stop himself.

Vegeta's expression was cool and composed as he flexed his fingers, savoring the feeling of the energy coursing through him. He was rarely able to use his full strength, so it was always satisfying when he got a chance to bring it forth. "So," he spoke up as his gaze shifted back to Roshi. "Do you still think you can beat me?"

Roshi was silent for a long moment, clearly taking stock of the situation, but then he nodded and his calm smile returned. "Yep," he replied matter-of-factly. "I think I can."

Vegeta's teeth ground together, and his composure was lost. "Fine, then!" he snapped. "I won't kill you, old man, but I'm warning you now… this is going to hurt!" Without any hesitation, he crouched into his usual fighting stance and then kicked off the ground, rocketing across the ring towards Roshi and throwing a punch with more than enough power to send the older man flying out of the ring.

Or, at least, it would have… if it had connected. Because in a blur of movement, Roshi was suddenly several feet to one side, one arm held out in his wake, and Vegeta's fist swung through empty air as his momentum sent him flying right off the ring. His eyes widened in shock, and he lifted his legs and kicked out, releasing a surge of ki to halt his forward momentum. This allowed him to rebound off the air just a couple of feet from the outer wall of the stadium without touching the ground, and he backflipped back into the ring, landing on his feet in the center.

What the hell?! Vegeta's eyes were wide and startled as he whipped around to face Roshi, who was standing a few yards away, crouching slightly in a ready stance. How did he do that? He replayed that brief clash in his mind, and realized what had happened: just before Vegeta had reached him, Roshi had ducked smoothly to one side, acting early enough that he'd been able to avoid Vegeta's bull-rushing attack before it could get close to connecting, and had delivered a seemingly-gentle shove to his back that had propelled him out of the ring, using the Saiyan's own momentum against him.

Ah… now I get it. He knows he can't keep up with me in a straight-up fight, so he's reacting preemptively and trying to anticipate my attacks so he can stay a step ahead. Vegeta's eyes narrowed, considering his options. But it doesn't matter. Considering the gap between our powers, all I need is one good hit, and this fight will be over.

"What's wrong, sonny?" Roshi called out, grinning faintly as he kept up his "Jackie Chun" persona for the crowd. "I thought you were planning on hurting me."

"Not a bad strategy, old man," Vegeta growled, his fists clenching. "But trying to predict my moves will only get you so far. I let my anger make me sloppy on that one, but that's not going to happen again!" With a snarl, he leapt forward, throwing a jump-kick at Roshi's head… but the older man had already ducked, and the Saiyan prince's strike missed completely.

Damn it–! Vegeta skidded to a halt behind Roshi, spun around, and sprang back in, throwing a series of lightning-fast punches, kicks, knee strikes, and elbows. But, again, none of them managed to find his target; Roshi swayed back and forth, sidestepping and ducking with deliberate precision, never putting a foot wrong, although he was only evading some of the blows by inches as they hissed past him. His style this time was completely different than the moves that he'd used against Goku: this style was focused entirely on defense, but there didn't seem to be much subtlety to it, as his moves were fairly simple and straightforward. Yet somehow, as the fight raged on, he was somehow always exactly where he needed to be to dodge each of Vegeta's attacks in turn.

"What – the hell – is this?" Vegeta demanded, his attacks becoming more and more frustrated. He wasn't holding back, but somehow he still couldn't land a punch, and he was getting angrier with each passing second. "Why – can't – I – hit you?!"

"You may have… powered up," Roshi replied tersely as he continued ducking and weaving around each of Vegeta's incoming strikes, "but your fighting style… hasn't changed at all! I could… predict your movements… with my eyes closed!" He flashed a noticeably-strained grin as he continued to dodge the hurtling fists and feet, actually counting them off as Vegeta kept attacking. "Left, right, down, up… right, down, up, left…"

"Damn you…!" Vegeta's eyes flashed in rage and he leapt back, kicking off the tiles and bounding into the air above the ring. He rocketed down towards Roshi with a burst of ki, throwing another full-force punch. "I've got you this time!"

"Nope!" Roshi had already vaulted nimbly into the air, and he sailed right over Vegeta's head as the Saiyan's fist slammed into the tiles, shattering that entire corner of the giant stone block that made up the ring. Landing behind Vegeta, he immediately dropped into a crouch, just as Vegeta whirled on him with a spinning backfist that would have sent Roshi flying out of bounds. Instead, it missed again, and the younger fighter's momentum carried him into a full spin in the air before he touched down on the far side of the ring.

Roshi spun back into his previous position, raising his guard once more with the broken corner of the ring just a couple of feet behind him. All right… this should be the right moment. It all depends on how this next clash goes.

"I don't get it!" Vegeta snarled, his eyes wide in anger and disbelief. "How the hell are you doing this?! I've got to be ten times faster than you!" He hurled himself at Roshi again, swinging a right hook… but one more time, Roshi flowed smoothly out of the way. This time, however, he also used his defense to strike back: he gave a seemingly-light push to Vegeta's outstretched arm, while also notching one foot into the curve of the Saiyan's ankle.

The next second was a blur of movement, and then Vegeta was flat on his back. His ears were ringing, his vision was blurred, and he was coughing and gasping for air, rubbing at his temples as he tried to figure out what had just happened. The hell did he just do?!

After a moment, it clicked: Roshi hadn't used any kind of fancy technique. Instead, he'd just swept Vegeta's feet out from under him as he stumbled past, using the stronger fighter's own momentum against him, and had then swung him off his feet and slammed him headfirst into the hard stone floor, deepening the cracks in the broken corner of the arena.

"That's true enough," Roshi admitted. "And you're a lot stronger than me, too." His amused grin returned, as he crouched next to Vegeta and focused all of his remaining ki into a glowing blue sphere in the palm of his hand. "But I have something that you don't: experience!" With no further hesitation, he slammed the energy sphere down, and let go. The sphere detonated a moment later, and a small but powerful explosion lit up the ring, shattering the stone beneath the pair and enveloping both fighters in a cloud of dust and smoke.

The blast hadn't done any real damage, but due to a combination of his crashing headfirst into the ring and the explosion, it took a few seconds for Vegeta's ears to stop ringing and for his vision to stabilize. As soon as it did, he rolled over and pushed himself up onto his hands and knees before scrambling to his feet, remembering the timer and not wanting to risk remaining down on the ground for ten seconds.

"I've had enough of this, old man!" he yelled, his energy flaring up again as he tried to pinpoint Jackie's location through the dissipating cloud of smoke and dust. "I'm done playing around. This ends now!" Flinging out his arms again, he unleashed a powerful kiai that blew the smoke away, allowing him to clearly see his surroundings…

And then Vegeta froze, his jaw hanging open silently, when he realized where he was standing: on the strip of grass that bordered the ring.

Roshi's final blast hadn't been meant to hurt Vegeta at all. Instead, he'd managed to completely shatter the broken corner of the ring where Vegeta had fallen, while also giving the younger fighter enough of a push that he'd rolled right off the shattered stone block and onto the ground outside the ring. Roshi, for his part, was still standing inside the ring, having jumped back just as the energy sphere had exploded.

"You know… I think you're right, dear boy," the disguised Turtle Hermit chuckled. "You are done."

"Incredible!" the announcer exclaimed, regarding the two combatants in amazement. "Contestant Vegeta has fallen out of the ring… which makes Contestant Jackie Chun the winner, and the new World Martial Arts Champion!"

Vegeta was completely and utterly dumbstruck.

While the rest of the audience erupted in a chorus of thunderous applause, Goku and Yamcha were both gawking at the scene in the ring, their eyes bulging in shock and disbelief.

"He… he lost?" Goku breathed, gazing incredulously down at the older Saiyan. "But… that's crazy! Mr. Chun's strong, sure, but… how could he beat Vegeta like that?!"

Yamcha shook his head numbly, unable to believe what he'd just seen. "Your guess is as good as mine," he muttered under his breath.

Vegeta's shock lasted for several seconds, before his expression twisted and his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists, his gloves squeaking under the pressure. A low rumble echoed through the ground, and his energy flared up again. "Damn it…!" he growled, his voice rising to a roar as his aura burst to life around him again.

"Vegeta! Snap out of it!" Roshi's voice rose sharply. The Turtle Hermit leapt out of the ring and landed right in front of his student, his expression stern and composed. "I'm sorry, but the match is over! You need to calm down."

For a moment, Vegeta was sorely tempted to punch the older man square in the face, but he finally managed to rein in his temper, and his aura faded away. "How the hell did you do that?" he bit out, anger blazing in his eyes. "Explain, now!"

"Well, I honestly wasn't sure if I was gonna be able to pull it off," Roshi admitted, rubbing the back of his neck and stretching his arms as he let out a weary sigh. "And I wouldn't have been able to win like that under any other circumstances; if this hadn't been a tournament match where I could win via ringout, you would've eventually beaten me." He shook his head. "See, Vegeta… you've got incredible power. There's no denying that. You're far and away the strongest fighter I've ever seen. But I can also tell that you've got a lot of potential to keep improving… and I'm sorry, but you've been wasting it."

Vegeta's scowl deepened. "The hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"It's pretty simple, actually." Roshi shrugged. "You've gotten sloppy. Ever since we first met, thirteen years ago, you've been stronger than anyone you went up against. You've won every fight you've been in since you landed on my island as a kid. And that's made you dangerously overconfident. You've gotten so used to being able to crush anyone you face that you've let it affect your fighting style." He nodded over to where Goku and Yamcha were watching from the stands. "Over the past eight months, while I was putting those two through their training regimen and you were mostly training on your own, I kept a close eye on you to see how much you'd improved since I saw you last. But I've gotta say, I was disappointed, because even though it had been a long time, you hadn't grown much at all."

Vegeta's eyes widened in anger, but he managed to keep his emotions in check. "And what exactly do you mean by that?" he gritted out.

"You've been focusing way too much on raw power, at the expense of skill," Roshi explained. "And as a result, your fighting style's gotten lazy and predictable, to the point that after studying your techniques for the past few months, I was able to learn your moves backwards and forwards. That's how I was able to predict everything you threw at me, and how I could avoid all of your attacks even though you're a lot stronger and faster than I am: I knew exactly what you were going to do, before you even did it. If you'd worked on honing your skills and continuing to develop your fighting styles over the past few years, there's no way I could've outmaneuvered you like that."

Vegeta's anger was still simmering within him, but as he listened to Roshi's explanation, his anger slowly began to fade, replaced by surprise. Is… is he right? he wondered, looking down at his hands and clenching one of them into a fist. Have my moves really become that predictable? It was true that he hadn't been able to find any significant challenges since he'd first arrived on this planet, so he hadn't improved nearly as much as he would've liked over the years… but as he thought about it, looking back on the past few years, he had to admit that Roshi was right. He had gotten lazy, relying mainly on his advantage in power to defeat any threats that came his way, and his fighting skills had suffered as a result.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Vegeta looked back up at Roshi. The anger and annoyance in his eyes were still there, but they had been greatly tempered, and a significant portion of those emotions were now directed at himself rather than at his teacher. "You're… you're right," he admitted. "I do need to work on improving my skill as well as my power. And while I don't appreciate your method of teaching me that…" His eyes flashed with annoyance again, before he sighed and lowered his gaze. "…I do agree with your conclusions, and I'll make sure to rectify that mistake in the future."

Roshi smiled and nodded in agreement, before giving Vegeta a reassuring pat on one shoulder. "That's all I wanted to show you," he replied warmly. "I am sorry for pulling that little trick on you, kid, but I needed to shock you into realizing how much you could still improve, and showing you the flaws in your current approach seemed like the best way to do it."

Vegeta nodded, still frowning but feeling a little better about the situation.

"Oh, by the way: do me a favor, will you?" Roshi requested quietly. "Don't tell Goku and Yamcha about the whole disguise deal. I want to make sure they're properly motivated to keep getting stronger, and if they find out who I really am, it might interfere with that." His grin became a bit more mischievous, and he winked at his student. "And don't worry: I won't pull any tricks like this on you again. Unless I have to, of course."

Vegeta snorted, rolling his eyes in annoyance, but he still nodded in acceptance of his teacher's request. "Oh, don't worry, old man," he muttered under his breath as Roshi hopped back up into the ring and ambled over to join the announcer, while the crowds continued to celebrate around them. "I can promise you one thing: I'm never going to fall for that trick again." Despite his outward annoyance, however, he couldn't help but feel a trace of gratitude towards the older martial artist; after all, Roshi had just shown him an area in which he could still make some significant improvements, even if the extent to which he could increase his power was still severely limited by this planet's lower gravity and lack of decent sparring partners.

"Vegeta!" The exclamation drew the young prince's attention, and he turned in time to see Goku vaulting over the outer wall and running up to him. "Are you okay?" he questioned anxiously. "How'd he do that?"

"I'm fine," Vegeta snapped reflexively. "And he…" He trailed off for a moment, not sure how to answer that question, but then he shook his head as a small, rueful smile appeared on his face. "It was my fault. I got sloppy, and he outmaneuvered me." He looked down at the younger Saiyan with a faint smirk. "Keep that in mind, all right? Strength isn't all that matters in a fight: intelligence and combat skill can be just as important."

Goku still looked somewhat disturbed by Vegeta's defeat – which was understandable, since this was the first time that he'd ever seen the older Saiyan actually lose a fight – but after a few moments of thinking that over, he nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense," he agreed, smiling up at Vegeta. "I guess we'll just have to keep workin' on that, huh?"

Vegeta let out a brief snort and rolled his eyes, but he couldn't entirely suppress a smile, and there was still a hint of amusement in his eyes as he returned the younger boy's nod. "Yes," he agreed. "I suppose we will."

Some time later, once the tournament's closing ceremonies were complete, the group from Kame House walked out of the arena, heading back towards the local hotel where they'd booked their rooms for the duration of their time on Papaya Island. Vegeta and Goku led the way, followed by Yamcha and Launch, with the two shapeshifters bringing up the rear.

"Hey, by the way, does anybody know where Roshi went?" Yamcha spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. He frowned and glanced around at the dispersing crowds of spectators. "He said he was busy catching up with some friends or something like that, which was why he didn't sit with us, but I would've thought he'd be somewhere around here by now."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, confused for a moment, before realization kicked in. Oh, right: they wouldn't have been able to hear my little chat with the old man in the ring, so they still don't know. "I'm sure he'll be along soon," he replied casually, not breaking stride.

"Right here!" On cue, the Turtle Hermit's familiar voice called out from somewhere nearby, as Roshi appeared out of the crowd, back in his usual casual attire of a red-and-yellow floral-pattern shirt, tan shorts and sandals. "Sorry, I wound up having to grab a seat way in the back of the stadium, so it took me a little longer to get out of there." He glanced briefly in Vegeta's direction, and his lips twitched in a small grin.

Vegeta was barely able to suppress a snort, but he kept quiet. He'd been sorely tempted to tell the others all about Roshi's little charade, but due to the Turtle Hermit's request to keep his disguise a secret, he'd reluctantly followed through on his promise not to mention it.

"I did get to see all of the matches, though," Roshi continued cheerfully, patting both Goku and Yamcha on the backs. "Nicely done, you two! You've both made great strides over the last eight months, and I'm very proud of you both." He smiled over at Vegeta. "And I'm proud of you too, kid. You might not have won the whole tournament, but you've figured out where you still need to improve, and I think that's worth a lot."

"Tch…" Vegeta scoffed, shaking his head and deliberately ignoring any warm feelings that Roshi's approval might have given him. "I don't need your compliments, old man."

"Well, how about some food instead?" Roshi suggested, grinning. "I've got some extra spending money burning a hole in my pocket, and there's an all-night buffet restaurant near our hotel. After all the exercise that you three got today, a nice meal seems like just the thing to help us all get a good night's sleep." He arched an eyebrow questioningly. "Well? How's that sound?"

Goku's face lit up immediately, his mouth practically watering at the prospect of a buffet dinner, while Yamcha, Launch, Oolong and Puar also looked happy about that idea. Vegeta wasn't as visibly eager as the younger Saiyan, but his stomach chose that exact moment to produce a low, rumbling growl as his hunger fully kicked in, reminding him that he hadn't eaten more than a snack since that morning. "That works for me," he replied.

"Perfect!" Roshi beamed, taking the lead and strolling off down the street. "All right, let's get a move on! That food's not gonna eat itself."

Goku eagerly hurried after the older man, while the others trailed in his wake. Vegeta rolled his eyes and smirked in amusement despite himself, before shaking his head and following after them, as the moon continued to shine down overhead.

Chapter Text

Last time, on  The Lost Prince…

The 22 nd  World Martial Arts Tournament came to an end with a match between Vegeta and Jackie Chun. While the Saiyan prince quickly identified his opponent as the disguised Master Roshi, he was stunned when Roshi exploited his knowledge of Vegeta's fighting style to outmaneuver him during their match, leading to a ring-out victory for the Turtle Hermit. Although he was angered by his loss, Vegeta took Roshi's subsequent advice to heart, and vowed to step up his training so that he could avoid falling prey to similar tactics in the future.

Now, with the tournament completed, Vegeta and Goku are ready for a new adventure to begin. Their story continues… now!

Red Ribbon Saga, Part 1: Life on Earth

Kame Island, Planet Earth

Age 750

With the tournament concluded, the residents of Kame House left Papaya Island and made the journey back home. Vegeta was still annoyed over his loss in the final match, but Goku and Yamcha were both happy with their performances and Roshi was pleased with how much they'd improved.

As the boat that Bulma had given them ran aground on the sandy beach in front of Kame House, Goku hopped nimbly onto the sand, followed by Roshi, Yamcha, Launch, and the two shapeshifters. Vegeta climbed out last, savoring the salty sea air as he returned the boat to its capsule form before strolling up the beach to the house. He'd always felt more comfortable here than he did anywhere else on this planet, save perhaps for Gohan's former home on Mount Paozu, and it felt good to be back.

Once everyone had gotten settled in, the whole group sat down in the living room, making themselves comfortable and resting after the long trip. Goku was lying back on one arm of the couch, while Vegeta sat next to him, sipping from a glass of water and leaning back against the cushions as he took a moment to relax.

"So, what do we do now?" Yamcha eventually spoke up, looking over to Roshi. "Do you have any new training for us?"

Roshi, who was reclining in his favorite chair with a drink in his hand, chuckled at Yamcha's question. "Ah, the energy of youth is something else." He grinned and shook his head. "But no, not right now. The next World Martial Arts Tournament won't be for another three years, and you three have already completed my standard training regimen. You're all welcome to stay here and continue training with me for as long as you'd like, of course, but I don't have anything new to teach you right now. You'll have to take the next steps in your training on your own."

Yamcha nodded understandingly, thinking that over. "Well, I'd still like to stay here for now, if that's all right," he replied. "That tournament showed me that I've still got a long way to go, so I definitely want to keep up my training."

"I, ah…" Launch, who was currently in her blue-haired form, smiled shyly as she looked around the room. "I'd like to stay too. I…" Her smile flickered, and her voice became more subdued. "I don't really have anyplace else to go."

"Well, you're both welcome to stay for as long as you'd like," Roshi assured them, before he glanced over to the pair of Saiyans. "And how about you two?"

"Well, I definitely plan to keep up my training," Vegeta spoke up, "but for the moment, I have something else that I need to do. Bulma, the girl who was with us while we were finding the Dragon Balls, invited Kakarot and I to come and visit her after we were done training with you, so this is as good a time as any to do that." He turned to Goku, raising an eyebrow as he leaned back slightly on the couch. "You're coming too, I assume?"

"Fine with me!" Goku grinned cheerfully. "I'd love to see Bulma again, and I'm sure we can train there just as easily as we can here."

"All right, then." Vegeta nodded decisively, glancing over at Roshi with a faint smile. "So there's your answer, old man. We'll definitely be coming back here eventually, but for now, we've got another trip to take."

The two young Saiyans remained at Kame House for the rest of that day and spent the night there, relaxing and getting a good night's sleep so they would be well-rested for their journey to West City. Roshi also gave them some basic directions, as he'd been there himself some time ago and didn't want them getting lost. The next morning, they got ready to head out bright and early. Both boys were wearing backpacks, while Goku also had his Power Pole slung over one shoulder.

"And don't worry, I'll keep that ship of yours safe while you're gone," Roshi reassured Vegeta as they walked out of the house, grinning cheerfully and clapping a hand on the prince's shoulder. "It'll be here when you two get back, safe and sound."

"Good." Vegeta nodded, although he felt a strange, oddly-warm sensation in his chest (the same thing that he'd felt when he'd received his new belt and gloves at the World Tournament grounds) when it occurred to him that he hadn't actually reminded Roshi about that.

Shaking his head and snapping out of his thoughts, the young Saiyan focused on Yamcha, who was stretching and doing his usual warm-up exercises on the beach nearby. "You'd better step up your training," he warned, raising one eyebrow meaningfully as he regarded the other boy. "Because we are going to have another sparring match eventually, to make up for you bowing out in the tournament… and I expect you to do better next time."

Yamcha was clearly nervous about the prospect of fighting Vegeta again, but he still nodded in agreement and managed a grin. "Fine with me," he replied. "I'll be looking forward to it."

As Goku summoned the Nimbus Cloud, Vegeta walked down the beach to join him, sending a last nod to Roshi over his shoulder. Goku hopped up onto the golden cloud as Vegeta's glowing blue-white aura flared to life around him, and both Saiyans took to the air, sending a gust of wind rippling in their wake as they soared off into the distance.

Fortunately, as both Goku and Vegeta were airborne, the flight to West City only took a couple of hours, and before long, the city came into view, a vast expanse of buildings spread out below them. Having decided that they should probably keep their powers concealed for the time being, Vegeta beckoned for Goku to follow him as he dropped towards some of the larger buildings and landed on an empty rooftop. Goku swooped down after him, hopping off of the Nimbus cloud and landing lightly on his feet next to the older boy.

"We'll go on foot from here," Vegeta ordered. "Let's try to avoid drawing attention to ourselves for the time being, just so we can find Bulma's house more quickly." He glanced down at Goku, raising an eyebrow as another thought occurred to him. "And stay close to me until we find her, all right? You've never been in a big city before, and I don't want you wandering off and getting lost."

"Okay!" Goku smiled, sending the Nimbus back into the sky with a wave of his hand, and followed after Vegeta as the prince hopped off the edge of the roof and dropped into the alleyway below. Both Saiyans used their ki to slow down their falls, so that they were able to land silently on the pavement a dozen stories below without a loud impact that might have drawn attention from any passersby. From there, they made their way out onto the street.

This was actually the first time that Vegeta had been to a large city since his arrival on Earth, and he was caught off-guard by how noisy it was. He remembered being on crowded military bases and in densely-populated cities as a child, of course, after he'd been taken from his planet and pressed into service as a recruit for the Planet Trade Organization, but it had been a long time since then, and he'd spent most of that time living either on Roshi's island or in the forests of Mount Paozu, so he'd almost forgotten what it was like.

Goku, for his part, had never seen anything like this before. His eyes were wide in amazement, constantly looking around at all of the sights around them, but he heeded Vegeta's instructions and stuck close to the older boy as they made their way through the bustling streets.

"So, tell me again: how are we gonna find Bulma's house?" he inquired after a couple of minutes.

"Bulma told me that we just need to show this address to a 'police officer'," Vegeta replied, "and then they would be able to give us directions to her home. So that's what we're going to do." He'd kept the slip of paper that Bulma had given him the year before in his backpack, and he was now holding it in one hand as he led the way down the street, glancing around for any signs of someone who looked like they could help. Fortunately, since Roshi had told him what he should be looking for, it didn't take too long for him to spot a man wearing the dark blue uniform that apparently signified a police officer, and he promptly made a beeline for the man.

"Hello," he greeted the officer brusquely as he came to a halt in front of him, looking up at the taller man. "I need help finding a particular address."

The officer blinked, briefly taken aback by this strange, spiky-haired kid and by Vegeta's rather forceful attitude, but after a moment of confusion, he nodded. "Ah… of course! What can I do for you, kid?"

Resisting the urge to bristle at being referred to by the term "kid", Vegeta held out the slip of paper with Bulma's address written on it. "We're in town visiting a… friend," he explained matter-of-factly. "She gave me this the last time I saw her, and said that she lived there, but I don't know where this address is." As per Roshi's advice, he did his best to just be calm and straightforward instead of getting annoyed or barking out orders, as that probably wouldn't be helpful in this situation.

"Oh, sure! Here, let's see…" As the officer punched the address into his handheld computer, his eyes suddenly widened in amazement. "Hang on. Your friend… she lives at the Capsule Corporation headquarters?!"

"That's right," Vegeta confirmed, a faint grin coming to his face at the confirmation that the address was correct. "Her name's Bulma Briefs."

The officer's jaw dropped at that. For a moment, he just stood there gawking at the two boys, before he shook his head and snapped out of it. "I… I see. Well, yes, I know exactly where that is." He patted the back seat of his oversized hoverbike. "Both of you should be able to fit on here, so hop on and I'll take you there myself."

Vegeta rolled his eyes, but he ultimately decided to play along: they weren't in any hurry, after all, and after flying all the way to West City from Kame Island, this would give him a chance to save some energy. "Fine," he replied as he clambered onto the back seat of the bike, beckoning for Goku to do the same. "Let's get moving."

"Okay!" Goku eagerly hopped up behind Vegeta, hanging onto the back of the older boy's shirt with one hand to make sure there was no chance of him falling off, and they sped off down the street.

Fortunately, the officer hadn't been wrong: it only took a few minutes for them to get across town to the address that Bulma had given the boys. Once they got close, it was hard to miss: a complex of large buildings, more like an apartment complex or a factory than a house, with an expansive area of greenery stretching out beyond the buildings. The Capsule Corporation logo, which Vegeta remembered seeing on Bulma's car and boat during their journey the year before, was emblazoned on several of the larger buildings.

Goku and Vegeta both hopped off of the police officer's hoverbike as it coasted to a stop in front of the complex's main entrance. "All right, this is it!" Goku exclaimed cheerfully as he walked up to the front gate. He rocked back on his heels, cupping both hands to his mouth before calling out loudly. "Bulma! Are you there?!"

"Hey! Keep it down, will you, kid?" the police officer ordered, shaking his head and letting out a sigh. "There's no need to yell: we can just use the intercom." Nodding to a speaker that was mounted on a pole next to the gate, he reached up and tapped the Call button next to it. "Good day!" he called into the speaker. "Ah, we're here to see Miss Bulma Briefs, if she's available."

Sure enough, after a few seconds of ringing, the intercom beeped loudly in confirmation and a feminine voice echoed from the speaker. "I'm sorry, but Miss Bulma is not on the premises at the moment," the voice explained matter-of-factly. "She has not yet returned from her school day, but she should be home soon."

Vegeta nodded. "Fair enough." Rolling his shoulders and clicking his neck, he walked over to the outer wall next to the gate and casually leaned back against it. "Not a problem: we can just wait here until she shows up."

Sure enough, just a couple of minutes later, another hoverbike – this one painted bright red, with the kind of speed that spoke of some advanced customization – barreled around the nearest street corner and sped down the block, skimming gracefully to a halt right in front of the gate. A familiar, blue-haired figure was seated astride the vehicle: even with large goggles covering her eyes, Vegeta instantly recognized Bulma, and a grin spread across his face.

"Hey, Bulma!" Goku cheered, waving excitedly as Bulma climbed off of her bike. "It's so good to see you!"

"Huh?" Bulma pulled off her goggles, and her eyes widened as she saw the Saiyan boys standing beside the entrance gate. "Goku!" she exclaimed, flashing a delighted smile. "Vegeta! What're you two doing here?" She rushed over to them, cheerfully ruffling Goku's hair and then holding her arms out reflexively to hug Vegeta, before she stopped short and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment, remembering that he wasn't really a hugging type of person. "Oh… um… right, sorry, I forgot you're not really a hugger."

A puzzled frown had appeared on Vegeta's face for a moment, but he rolled his eyes and let out an amused snort at her apology. "Just this once, I'll allow it, since I haven't seen you in a while," he replied with a chuckle, raising his arms. "But make it quick; I have a reputation to uphold."

Bulma was still blushing, but she laughed at that and promptly wrapped her arms around Vegeta's neck, hugging him tightly for a second before letting go and taking a couple of steps back. "So, um… what brings you guys here?" she inquired, looking back and forth between them.

"Well, we finished our training with Roshi for the time being, so we decided to take you up on that offer from last year and come to visit you," Vegeta replied with a grin, fishing the slip of paper that she'd given him out of his pocket and holding it up. "I hope that's all right."

"Oh! Yeah, of course!" Bulma's eyes had widened when she saw the slip of paper; her expression softened and her smile grew wider at the realization that he'd hung onto it all that time.

"And Mr. Policeman here was nice enough to help us find your address," Goku chimed in, nodding to the police officer.

"Ah… yes, I was happy to help," the officer replied with a chuckle, before raising an eyebrow as he looked quizzically at Bulma. "If I may ask, though… are you really related to Dr. Briefs, miss?"

"Oh, yeah!" Bulma nodded with an amused grin. "He's my dad." Ignoring the amazed look on his face, she turned to the boys and nodded towards the gate. "Well, come on in, you two! I'll introduce you guys to my parents, and then we'll get guest rooms set up for you."

With Goku and Vegeta following behind her, Bulma led the way through the main lobby of the Capsule Corp building, before navigating down a series of lengthy hallways until she reached the portion of the complex where she and her family lived.

"Mom? Dad?" Bulma called out as she pushed open a door and walked into the Briefs family's expansive living room. "I brought a couple of friends over!"

As Vegeta entered the room behind her, he immediately saw the people that she'd been addressing: a man and a woman, who were seated on a couch on the other side of the room and watching television. The man had short, blue-gray hair and a large, drooping mustache, while the woman had blonde curls and a cheery demeanor, although she also gave the impression of constantly being sleepy as her eyes never really seemed to open all the way. They both looked up curiously at Bulma's call, before focusing on the two boys behind her.

"Oh?" The blonde woman, presumably Bulma's mother, smiled warmly as she rose to her feet. "And who are these two?"

"These are two of the new friends I made on my trip last year," Bulma replied cheerfully, indicating each of the Saiyans in turn. "This is Goku, and this…" Her cheeks developed a faint blush as she pointed to the older boy. "…is Vegeta." Turning to the boys, she smiled as she nodded to the couple. "Guys, these are my parents: my dad, Dr. Briefs, and my mom, Pansy."

"Oh, I see!" Pansy's smile became more playful as she focused on Vegeta, raising an eyebrow. "So this is the Vegeta boy that you've told us about, is it?" Bulma's blush immediately deepened, and she looked away as Pansy's knowing grin promptly widened.

Not noticing the more subtle tones in the older woman's voice, Vegeta stepped forward, holding out a hand in greeting. He wasn't normally interested in following human social conventions, but since Bulma was one of the few people that he actually liked, he figured that he might as well try to make a good impression on her family. "Pleasure to meet you both," he spoke up, nodding politely to them.

"You as well!" Dr. Briefs chuckled, shaking Vegeta's hand and smiling pleasantly at Goku. "Bulma's told us a lot about the trip that you all went on last year, including how helpful you both were."

"Anyway," Bulma interjected, still visibly blushing as she attempted to change the subject, "Goku and Vegeta here are gonna be in West City for a while, so they decided to come and visit me. Would it be okay if they stay here while they're in town?"

"Well, of course!" Dr. Briefs nodded, smiling warmly at both Saiyan boys. "Any friend of my daughter's is a friend of mine, and we've got plenty of spare rooms. So you boys are welcome here for as long as you'd like."

"Thank you, sir!" Goku bowed a little clumsily, demonstrating the basic etiquette that Vegeta had taught him over the years, which drew amused chuckles from both Briefs parents.

"Come along, you two!" Pansy beamed at the boys, beckoning for them to follow her out of the room and down another hallway. "Let's find a couple of rooms for you two so you can get settled in."

Once the boys had been set up in two of Capsule Corp's guest rooms, Goku had opted to stay behind at Capsule Corp so he could explore the grounds. However, Bulma had insisted that Vegeta, at least, should come with her for an excursion to a nearby mall, so she could help him pick out some new clothes. All things considered, he wasn't exactly thrilled about that idea.

"Why the hell did I let you talk me into this?" Vegeta grumbled under his breath as he trailed reluctantly after Bulma, following her down the sidewalk.

"Because you know I'm right," Bulma teased, grinning back at him over her shoulder as she led the way towards the large department store. "You're in the city now, and that martial arts getup isn't gonna cut it here." She indicated his orange-and-blue Turtle School gi. "People won't think it's weird for a kid like Goku to be wearing that, but they might think it's strange for someone your age. So for you to blend in better, we need to get you some new clothes." Her playful grin widened. "Luckily, I happen to have excellent taste when it comes to fashion, so I'm sure we'll be able to find some outfits that'll look great on you."

Vegeta rolled his eyes, but he couldn't deny that the idea of wearing something more comfortable than his Turtle School outfit or the rough, handmade clothes that he'd made for himself during his time living on Mount Paozu was appealing. So, as undignified as it was to be letting Bulma drag him around like this, he decided to play along.

Another thing about life in an Earth city that the young Saiyan prince had never really experienced before was the sheer variety of clothing that was available. Back in the Frieza Force, he hadn't worn anything besides their standard uniforms, and during his time on Earth so far, he had always worn either the clothing that he'd made himself or the clothing provided by Roshi or Gohan. But the variety of different clothes that he found inside the store where Bulma had taken him was beyond anything that he'd encountered before.

Luckily, Bulma hadn't been wrong: this was one area in which her skill far outclassed his. In less than an hour, she picked out a variety of potential items for him, all of which were decently fashionable. Despite his initial reluctance, Vegeta did take a liking to some of the clothes that she found, and they were able to assemble a number of potential options for him. He was pleased enough by the results of their shopping spree that he'd opted (at her recommendation) to change into one of his new outfits before they left the store.

Bulma had hoped that Vegeta would look good in the attire that she'd chosen for him, but when the curtain of the changing room was swept back and he stepped out, fully changed, her eyes popped open wide and her breathing noticeably hitched. Her cheeks flushed for a second, and she felt a rush of tingling like butterflies in her stomach. Whoa…

Vegeta, for his part, was looking down at himself with a slightly critical eye. "Not bad," he finally commented. He was wearing his favorite items from the haul that Bulma had collected: loose-fitting black pants, a dark red T-shirt, and a black leather jacket. The end result was comfortable but also maintained his usual imposing presence, which he felt suited him nicely. "What do you think?"

"I… um…" Bulma fought down her blush and let out a nervous chuckle. "Y-yeah… you look great! I think that outfit's perfect for you."

"Perfect." Vegeta smirked, flexing one arm and clenching his hand into a fist. You know, I'd thought that most humans weren't very advanced in comparison to some of the other species I've seen, but their fashion isn't half-bad.

Over the next few weeks, the Saiyan boys settled comfortably into a couple of the many spare bedrooms in Capsule Corp's headquarters. While Bulma continued to attend school during the week, she spent basically every afternoon and evening hanging out with the boys, giving them tours of West City or just spending time together on the sprawling grounds around her home.

In their downtime, both Saiyans did their best to keep their skills sharp. Goku continued his training, having been newly inspired to keep pushing his limits and growing stronger after his battle with Jackie Chun during the World Tournament. Vegeta did the same, although he had begun to focus more on improving his fighting style and refining his technique, rather than simply focusing on keeping his strength up while neglecting his combat skill. Having taken Roshi's lesson to heart, he had resolved never to let himself make that mistake again, and despite the lack of challenges on this planet, he was determined to do whatever he could to improve.

Fortunately, Capsule Corp had a large gymnasium where both boys had plenty of space to train. Vegeta also spent quite a bit of time outside in the expansive gardens, finding quiet places where he could meditate peacefully for a while after each of his training sessions.

On one such morning, a couple of months after the two boys had arrived in West City, Vegeta was meditating by a small pond in the garden, wearing a simple blue T-shirt and loose-fitting dark sweatpants. He sat in a cross-legged position, hovering a couple of feet in the air, listening to the sounds of rippling water and buzzing insects that echoed around him. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was slow and even as he tried to relax after that morning's training.

Abruptly, the sound of rapid footsteps approaching cut through the peaceful silence, followed by an excited voice. "Vegeta!" Goku called out as he bounded into view along the path that led back to the main buildings. "Bulma needs us to look at somethin'! She says it's important!"

Vegeta's eyes opened, and a mildly-irritated sigh escaped his lips as he rose slightly higher into the air before uncrossing his legs and touching down on his feet. "All right, all right," he muttered, shaking his head and following after the younger Saiyan as Goku turned and hurried back along the path.

Bulma was waiting for them in the kitchen of her family's building, seated at her family's breakfast table and holding a rounded mechanical device in her hands. She looked up at the Saiyan boys as they entered the room, and Vegeta frowned when he saw the clear expression of concern on her face.

"What's wrong?" he questioned, walking over towards her and taking a seat at the table next to her.

"I mean… I'm not sure whether we need to worry about this," Bulma replied with a frown, "but it might be important." She held up the device that she'd been looking at, which Vegeta now recognized as her Dragon Radar. "See, part of the legend about the Dragon Balls is that once you make a wish on them, they scatter across the planet and become inactive for one year, until their magic is fully recharged and they can be used again. And since it's been over a year since we had our wish granted…" She and Vegeta both winced at the memory of the vision that Shenron had given them, before she continued. "…I figured I'd check and see if I could figure out where they all ended up after they scattered, just for the heck of it." Her frown deepened as she held out the Dragon Radar so the boys could see its screen. "But instead of seeing them scattered all over the world, like I'd expected… I found this."

Vegeta leaned in, peering intently at the screen, and a matching frown appeared on his face as he saw what she was talking about. On the radar's screen, highlighting a particular area of the planet, he could see three of the glowing dots that represented Dragon Balls. But instead of being widely scattered, all three dots were clustered together in the same place. He was confused for a moment, until he remembered seeing a signature just like that the year before, when he and the others had all been traveling together during their search for the Dragon Balls.

"Someone else is gathering them," he murmured, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the screen.

"Yeah." Bulma nodded, leaning back in her chair. "And I don't know who it is… but since we know just how powerful the Dragon Balls can be, I think it might be a good idea for us to find out." She shrugged. "I mean, remember that creepy little 'Emperor' guy who tried to steal our wish for himself last year? He wanted to use his wish to take over the world or something, if I remember right. What if he's trying it again?"

"Yes, he did," Vegeta confirmed, scowling at the memory of their confrontation with Pilaf. "You're right. If he's the one doing this, we need to stop him before he can bring them all together." He tapped the screen with one fingertip, indicating the spot where the three Dragon Balls were located. "Fortunately, this won't be hard; let's just go there and take him down before he tries anything else."

"Well, hang on." Bulma shook her head. "Remember what happened the last time we walked straight into that guy's headquarters without thinking things through first? We all got drugged, we could've died, and he came really close to stealing our wish. So… no offense, but if it's really him, rushing in like that again seems like it might be a bad idea."

Vegeta's annoyed scowl deepened at that, but he did have to admit that she had a point. His own overconfidence had gotten the better of him twice now: first when he'd walked right into Pilaf's trap the year before, and then during his fight with Roshi in the World Tournament. He had no intention of letting it do so again. "Fine," he muttered. "All right, then: what do you think we should do?"

"Well, I think it might be a good idea if we grab a couple of the Dragon Balls ourselves first," Bulma suggested, a small, amused grin appearing on her face as she looked up at him. "That way, even if whoever's gathering them manages to avoid us, they won't be able to get their wish granted. Once we've done that, then we can figure out who's collecting them and what they want."

After considering that for a moment, Vegeta shrugged. "Personally I'd rather keep it simple and go straight for them, but that works too," he replied matter-of-factly.

"Sounds good to me!" Goku grinned and nodded in agreement. "I'm fine with tracking down some Dragon Balls again." He stretched up on his toes so he could get a better view of the radar's screen. "Are any of them near here?"

"Hmmm…" Bulma panned the screen back out, showing more of the planet, and zeroed in on the glowing dots that were closest to their location in West City. "Let's see… it looks like two of them are fairly close to us. One's up in the Arctic, and the other one is near Korin Tower." She grinned. "Ooh, that's cool! I've never been to Korin Tower before, but I've always wanted to see it."

"All right." Vegeta nodded decisively. "Let's split up, then. I'll go find the Dragon Ball in the north, since that one's further away and I can fly faster than Kakarot, and the two of you can go after the other one."

"Sounds good." Bulma smiled, pushing herself up to her feet and switching off the Dragon Radar before tucking it into her pocket. "All right, then. You guys pack your stuff while I'm at school today, and then we can head out tomorrow morning since it'll be the weekend. I'll tell my parents we're going to visit a friend or something; they'll be fine with that, as long as I'm not away for too long."

The next morning, the trio gathered on the open grounds behind Capsule Corp as they readied themselves to head out. Goku was wearing his Turtle School gi, while Vegeta was wearing cold-weather clothing – a dark blue winter jacket and matching pants, with black boots – as per Bulma's suggestion, since the Dragon Ball that he was going after was in the far north and it would likely be very cold there.

This time, Bulma had opted for a faster vehicle, as she'd managed to get a larger, faster hovercar for herself since their adventure the year before. Popping open the capsule with an explosion of smoke to reveal the car, she opened its canopy and clambered into the pilot's seat as Goku hopped into the passenger's seat next to her. Vegeta was stretching his arms and loosening up his muscles, readying himself for the flight north.

"Okay, just follow the directions that I put in there, and you should be able to find it," Bulma instructed, indicating the handheld GPS device that Vegeta was now holding. She hadn't had enough time to build a second Dragon Radar for him, but she'd put the estimated coordinates of the Dragon Ball that he would be looking for into this device, which should hopefully enable him to track it down.

"Let's hope so," Vegeta replied with a snort, using the device to confirm the direction where he should be heading. "Off we go, then. I can track Kakarot's energy, so I'll meet up with the two of you once I find the Dragon Ball, and then we can proceed from there."

"Sounds good." Bulma grinned, giving him a thumbs-up as she hit a button on the hovercar's control panel to close the canopy. "See you soon, then! Bet you we find ours first!" The car's engines hummed to life, and it rose smoothly into the air before accelerating off into the distance.

Vegeta rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help letting out a soft laugh. "So you want to make a game of this, huh?" he quipped, smirking as he watched the departing hovercar. "Fine with me." His aura flared up around him, and he blasted off into the sky.

Hundreds of miles away, in a secure office at the center of a large military base, a diminutive figure sat behind an oversized desk. Taking a last puff from his most recent cigar, he ground it out in the ashtray on the desk and sat up straighter in his chair, running his fingers through his slicked-back red hair before folding his hands on the desk in front of him.

"All right," he spoke up in a harsh, grating voice, his single eye focusing on the man standing in front of his desk. "How are things proceeding?"

Staff Officer Black, a tall, dark-skinned man in a form-fitting black suit, cleared his throat as he checked the clipboard that he held, which contained several communiques from the officers who were currently operating in the field. "For the most part, the operation is going well, Commander," he reported. "We've just received word that Colonel Violet has managed to find one of the remaining four targets, and she's on her way back here with it as we speak. Along with the two that Colonel Silver found and the one that General Blue recently acquired, that leaves us with only three more to go."

"Excellent!" Commander Red, the leader of the infamous Red Ribbon Army, chuckled under his breath. "Any progress on finding the whereabouts of the last three?"

"Well, General White is still searching for the one that our sensors detected in the north, but his men haven't been able to locate it yet," Black explained. "However, he does have some good news: the local villagers in that area have not caused any further trouble for his men, as their chief is now being held as a prisoner in Muscle Tower to ensure their cooperation. With their help, he claims that it shouldn't take long to find the target."

"Well, good." Red's eye narrowed. "He'd better be right about that, because he'll be the one to answer for it if they don't find the damn thing soon."

"Meanwhile, we've also heard back from Captain Yellow," Black continued as he flipped to another recent report. "His team did locate their target a couple of days ago, but they were cut off by a volcanic eruption before they could secure it. The target fell into a river during the resulting earthquake, so they're still searching for it now, but he's confident that they will be able to re-acquire it soon."

Red scowled at that. "Well, he'd better get it back! We haven't come this far just to lose this chance because of a damn volcano."

"Finally, we still have no confirmed location for the seventh target," Black concluded ruefully. "Our men are still searching for it, but so far no one has been able to find any promising leads regarding its whereabouts, and our detection system has been unable to pinpoint it. Some of our people have theorized that someone else may have already gotten their hands on it, and that they may be trying to keep it hidden from us."

Red frowned, thinking that over. "I guess that could make sense," he remarked. "Could be that little bastard with the flying fortress that Silver reported, maybe? He was trying to steal one of the balls when Silver's men caught up with him, so he might have gotten his hands on another one." He shook his head, his eye narrowing as he recalled the report about the clash between Colonel Silver's forces and the self-styled "emperor" who had tried to steal one of their prizes. "Have our scouts keep an eye out for him. Even if he doesn't have the seventh one, I don't want him getting in our way again."

"Of course, sir." Black inclined his head. "That's all the new information that we have at present, but I'll send messages to Muscle Tower and to Yellow's team to make sure they're keeping up their searches."

"Perfect. Keep me appraised of any new developments, and let me know when Violet gets here." Red leaned back in his chair as Black bowed and left the room, grinning and lighting up another cigar. Still got some work to do, then… but overall, it seems like things are going well overall. I do love when a plan comes together.

As the Red Ribbon Army's commander took a long drag on the cigar and exhaled another puff of smoke, he looked over to a large glass bowl that had been placed on a table on the other side of the room. Three golden crystal spheres were piled up inside, the orange stars on their surfaces glinting faintly in the lights of his office.

"Four down, three to go," Red muttered under his breath as his triumphant grin grew wider. And once we've got all seven of them, nobody's ever gonna laugh at me again.

Chapter Text

Last time, on  The Lost Prince…

After Goku and Vegeta made their way to West City to visit Bulma, they discovered that another mysterious party was collecting the Dragon Balls. As the trio headed out, splitting up to track down two of the balls, their new foe – the infamous Red Ribbon Army, led by the devious Commander Red – are eager to finish collecting all seven balls for their own nefarious purposes. The story continues… now!

Red Ribbon Saga, Part 2: The Two Towers

Jingle Village, Planet Earth

Age 750

Vegeta soared over a snowy mountain range, keeping his aura ignited to shield him from the cold. He grimaced as the icy wind swept past his face. Damn… Bulma wasn't kidding about this part of the planet being cold. I haven't felt anything like this since before I came to Earth as a kid.

As the young Saiyan sped over a snow-covered forest, a beep from the handheld GPS that Bulma had given him brought him up short, and his aura flared as he sharply decelerated, coming to a stop with a burst of ki. "This is it," he muttered, peering down at the ground far below him. Bulma said this thing wouldn't be as accurate as her Dragon Radar, but this means I'm at least in the same general area as the Dragon Ball that's up here. His eyes narrowed and he grimaced as he took in the blanket of snow that coated the surrounding landscape for as far as the eye could see. But it's not going to be easy to find it under all of this crap. Something tells me Kakarot and Bulma are going to have an easier time with their search than I will.

As he pondered his next move, Vegeta had been gradually descending towards the ground, and he was only a couple hundred feet in the air when he spotted movement on the edge of a large clearing in the forest. As he watched, a small figure wearing a hooded coat walked out of the trees and began moving along the edge of the field.

"Hmmm…" Vegeta raised an eyebrow. I suppose getting help from a local might make things easier… especially since it's possible that someone around here may have already found the Dragon Ball. To that end, he sped up his descent and swooped down towards the ground, moving as quickly and quietly as he could and touching down a short distance away from the person that he'd spotted. Once he'd managed to land without them seeing him, he started jogging leisurely along the edge of the trees towards them, the snow crunching under his boots with each stride.

As he rounded a cluster of bushes, he found himself face-to-face with the person that he'd seen, a young red-haired girl dressed in dark blue winter clothing. Her eyes widened when she saw him, and she flinched back with an alarmed gasp. "Ah! W-who are you?!" she exclaimed.

"It's all right," Vegeta assured her, holding up his hands to show that he didn't mean any harm. "I'm not going to hurt you; I'm just looking for something."

"Oh!" The girl blinked quizzically up at him, still frowning nervously. "And… you're not with the soldiers?"

Soldiers? Vegeta raised an eyebrow at that. "No, I'm not," he replied. "What soldiers?"

"Well, they…" The girl's eyes suddenly widened as a rumbling noise reached their ears, and she glanced over her shoulder towards the open field. "Hide, quick!" she hissed, before ducking into the nearby bushes.

Vegeta initially had no intention of hiding, but he ultimately decided that stealth would serve him better than openly confronting whoever was coming. To that end, he also ducked into cover behind a large tree, peering out towards the field.

Sure enough, the rumbling sound grew louder, and an armored vehicle of some kind came into view, rolling across the field on large mechanical treads. A hatch was open on top of it, and a human male wearing some kind of military fatigues and carrying a rifle was perched in the opening, looking around warily. Vegeta tensed, ready to spring out of cover and attack if the man spotted him; he wasn't worried about his own safety, of course, but if the soldier fired at him, the girl might be in danger.

Fortunately, the soldier and whoever was driving the armored tank didn't notice anything, and the vehicle carried on, cruising off down a track that cut through the forest and disappearing from view. Once they were out of sight, Vegeta stepped out from behind the tree, his frown still in place as he gazed after the departing vehicle.

"Who was that?" he questioned as the girl emerged from the nearby bushes, brushing some snow off of her fur-lined hat.

"Those were some of the soldiers," the girl explained gravely. "We're not supposed to be away from the village, so we would've gotten in big trouble if they saw us." She looked up at him curiously. "But… if you're not with them, then who are you?"

Vegeta couldn't help rolling his eyes, as he really didn't have time to answer questions right now, but he reminded himself that playing nice with the locals might help him to find the Dragon Ball more quickly. "My name is Vegeta," he replied. "And I'm just passing through." He looked around at the surrounding forest, and quickly came to a decision: going to wherever this girl lived was probably a better strategy than just blindly wandering around these woods and hoping to stumble across the Dragon Ball. "You said you're from a village, right? We should probably get you back there, then."

"Oh, okay!" The girl smiled and nodded. "I'm Suno, by the way." Turning, she headed off into the trees, beckoning for him to follow her. "C'mon, it's this way!"

Sighing and rolling his eyes, Vegeta trailed after her. This is already getting old…

Fortunately, Suno hadn't been wrong: her village was less than a mile from the spot where Vegeta had found her. Her mother, a friendly, middle-aged woman, had been surprised to see him, but she'd welcomed him in after Suno had explained that he wasn't with the soldiers who had apparently been terrorizing the village.

Now, Vegeta found himself sitting in a rocking chair by the family's fireplace, sipping from a hot drink that Suno's mother had offered him. He'd considered asking if they'd ever heard of the Dragon Balls, but for the moment, his first questions had been about the soldiers that Suno had mentioned. And he didn't like what her mother had to say about them.

"So, this Red Ribbon Army… they've subjugated your entire village?" he muttered, his features set in a grim frown as he held the mug between his hands, letting it warm them up after his hike through the snow.

"That's right," Suno's mother confirmed sadly. "They're the world's most feared and ruthless terrorist organization. We'd heard of them before, but they hadn't shown up here. Then, not too long ago, they built a fortress up in the mountains nearby, and since then they've all but enslaved us. Our chief is being held as a hostage in their fortress, Muscle Tower, to make sure that we comply with their instructions, and anyone else who dares to defy them is put down on the spot."

"I see." Vegeta's eyes narrowed, and his hold on the mug tightened a bit. These "Red Ribbon" solders were just like the Frieza Force, albeit on a smaller scale. Terrorizing, enslaving or slaughtering anyone who gets in their way… and to think I used to be just like them! His jaw clenched, and he was surprised that he actually felt sick for a second. Damn… living on Earth has changed me more than I thought. Shaking his head, he focused back on the matter at hand. "So, what is it that they want with your people? Are they taking your resources, or anything like that?"

"Actually, no." Suno's mother shook her head. "All they seem to want from us is a labor force. From what we've heard, they're searching for some sort of rare artifact in these mountains, and they're using all the men of the village as laborers to help in their search."

"Yeah!" Suno confirmed, taking a sip from her own drink as she sat on the rug next to her mother's chair. "Some kind of crystal ball, they said."

Vegeta's stomach clenched at that, and he felt a sinking sensation as he realized what must actually be going on here. "Crystal ball?" he echoed. "It wouldn't happen to be called a Dragon Ball, would it?"

Based on the shocked expressions on both of their faces, he instantly knew that he'd guessed right. "Yes, that's what they said it's called!" Suno's mother confirmed. "You know about it?"

"I do." Vegeta scowled, letting go of his mug with one hand and clenching his free hand into a fist. "There are seven of them in total, and I know one of them is somewhere in this area. My…" He considered for a second, not sure how to describe his relationship with Bulma, before settling on, "…friend… has a device that can detect them, and we noticed recently that someone was gathering them, so we decided to find out who it was. But if it's this army that's doing it, then it can't be for anything good."

"No, I'm sure it's not," Suno's mother agreed soberly. "From what I've heard, this 'Dragon Ball' is supposed to have some kind of magical powers that will help the Red Ribbon Army in their mission to take over the entire world."

Vegeta's scowl deepened at that, and his eyes narrowed. "All right, then. Those bastards can't be allowed to get their hands on any more of the Dragon Balls, so I'll take care of them myself." He looked up at the pair as an idea occurred to him, recalling how he, Kakarot and Bulma had been given a Dragon Ball as payment in exchange for saving a village from Oolong. "Tell me… if I could get rid of all the soldiers who have been threatening your village, and free your chief from them, do you think your people would be willing to help me find the Dragon Ball in exchange?"

"What?" Suno's mother sat up straight in her chair, her eyes wide in surprise. "But… you couldn't! The Red Ribbon soldiers are far too dangerous for one person to take them on alone. Even our whole village working together wouldn't be enough!"

Vegeta smirked at that. "Oh, don't worry about that. I've fought much worse enemies than a bunch of humans with guns." He held out his free hand and, with a low grunt of effort, formed a glowing yellow energy sphere above his outstretched palm. Both Suno and her mother inhaled sharply as they looked at it, feeling the warmth that it gave off even over the heat of the fire, before he closed his hand around it and popped it like a balloon, smothering the detonation without much effort.

"W-what was that?!" Suno gasped. Her mother looked equally shocked, staring wide-eyed at the smoke rising from Vegeta's unmarked hand.

"It's a long story, but suffice to say, I have access to power that no ordinary human could ever dream of," Vegeta replied with a confident grin. He leaned back in his chair, waving the smoke away and taking another sip of his drink. "So, as I said… if I can get rid of the Red Ribbon soldiers, do you think your people could help me to find the Dragon Ball? That way, I can keep those bastards from getting their hands on the ball, and your village would be free from them."

"I…" Suno's mother shook her head. "I mean, if you could do that… then I don't see why not. Our chief is a just and honorable man, so I'm sure he would be willing to help you with your search if you could help us."

"Excellent." Vegeta's smile widened, and he downed the rest of his drink before rising to his feet. "Then that's what I'll do. Now… where can I find this 'Muscle Tower'?"

In the Land of Korin …

Hundreds of miles to the south, Bulma's upgraded hovercraft sped through the air, flying high above the ground. This time, she'd opted for a personal aircraft instead of the ordinary hovercar that she'd taken on her last quest for the Dragon Balls, which made it much easier to cover long distances in a short time.

"All right, it should be just a couple more miles this way," Bulma murmured as she double-checked her Dragon Radar, before glancing out the window at the expanse of forest spreading out below them. "Finding it in all of this forest might not be easy, though."

"Yeah," Goku agreed, rubbing his chin as he looked out the window. As he scanned across the landscape ahead of them, however, his eyes widened and he pointed. "Whoa! What's that?"

"Oh!" Bulma inhaled sharply as she saw what he was looking at: a narrow stone tower, dark gray in color and so tall that she couldn't even see the top, as if it was dividing the sky itself in two. She'd never seen anything like it before, but she immediately knew what she must be looking at. "That's gotta be Korin Tower! It's really famous; it's thousands of years old, and my dad once told me that nobody's ever managed to climb all the way to the top."

"Wow!" Goku gazed in awe at the massive structure, until his eyes fell on something else: another small plane, dark blue in color, which was circling over the forest near the base of the tower. "Huh… I wonder who that is?"

"I don't know." Bulma frowned as she checked the radar again. "But the Dragon Ball's somewhere over there, so we might as well check it out." She adjusted the controls, sending their plane cruising towards the tower. As they closed in on the other plane, however, she suddenly let out a gasp as they got a better view of it. "Oh my god!"

"What's up?" Goku had been keeping an eye on the radar screen, but he looked back out at the other plane in response to her startled cry, and he shot bolt upright in her seat when he saw what she'd spotted. The pilot of the other plane, a humanoid tiger wearing some kind of military uniform, was holding what appeared to be a young child in one hand, holding them out of the plane as if he was threatening to drop them. He was yelling something and looking down at the ground below, but they couldn't hear what he was saying over the wind.

To his credit, Goku reacted quickly. "Bulma!" he yelled, snapping her out of her horrified trance. "Get above that guy's plane and then open the window, okay? I'll take care of the rest!"

Shaking off her shock, Bulma nodded. "I… okay, you got it!" She'd seen Goku and Vegeta do some seemingly impossible things plenty of times, so she didn't question his request. Accelerating and steering the plane into a sharp turn, she climbed until they were flying above and behind the other aircraft. After making sure her seatbelt was securely fastened, she hit the button to open the cockpit's glass canopy. A blast of wind hit her as the glass slid back, but she squinted against the rushing air and kept a tight grip on the controls to keep them on course.

"All right!" Goku shouted over the wind, grinning as he unfastened his seatbelt and clambered up onto the seat. "Close it again once I'm outside!" With that, he sprang up, grabbed the edge of the cockpit with one hand, and leapt out of the plane.

Despite his outward confidence, Goku couldn't help feeling a little nervous as he dove towards the other plane. Vegeta had begun teaching him how to fly during their time at Capsule Corp, but he preferred using the Nimbus cloud instead since it was faster, which meant that he didn't have much experience with flying on his own yet. Still, seeing a kid in danger had forced his hand, and he didn't hesitate in the slightest. Whoever the guy flying that plane was, no good person would threaten a child like that, and that was all he needed to know.

Fortunately, Goku had judged his timing perfectly, and he didn't even have to try and fly after the other plane, as he landed right on top of it. Clamping onto the leading edge of its canopy with one hand, he leaned forward and looked down at the pilot, whose head had shot up to look at him in shock. "Hey!" he yelled over the wind. "What do you think you're doin' with that kid, huh?! Pick on someone your own size!"

"What do you think you're doing?!" the pilot snarled. "Get off my plane!" Drawing a pistol with his free hand, he fired several shots at point-blank range, but the bullets ricocheted harmlessly off of Goku's skin.

With a swipe of his free hand, Goku smacked the gun out of the man's grip, sending it tumbling away. Jumping down onto the nose of the plane and using his ki to anchor himself in place, he grabbed the man by the collar and yanked him halfway out of his seat, glaring at him. "Last chance!" he snapped. "Let him go, or else!"

The pilot scowled, grinding his teeth. "You have no idea who you're dealing with, kid!" he spat. "I'm Captain Yellow of the Red Ribbon Army, and I don't answer to the likes of you!" He shifted his outstretched arm meaningfully, shaking the terrified young boy who was dangling from his hand. "Now get off my plane, or I'll drop him!"

Goku's glare intensified for a second, before his anger faded and a faint grin took its place, one which was almost reminiscent of Vegeta's confident smirk. "If you say so!" he retorted, before grabbing the captain's outstretched arm with his other hand and squeezing. A muffled crack was followed by a howl of pain from Yellow, and his fingers automatically went slack, releasing the terrified child.

"Nimbus!" Goku yelled, diving off the plane and catching the screaming boy in his arms. He summoned up his reserves of ki, trying to slow their fall, until a blur of yellow lanced down out of the sky overhead and cut in underneath them, the Nimbus cloud catching them neatly before they could continue falling to the ground below.

"Hang onto my back, okay?" Goku called to the boy, who had stopped screaming when the Nimbus had caught them and was now looking around in wide-eyed amazement. After receiving a confirming nod, he shifted his position so that the other child could hold onto him from behind, while his eyes shifted back to the other plane, which was now starting to veer off towards the horizon. "Oh, no you don't," he muttered, cupping his hands at his side as a blue glow flickered to life between them.

Goku was still a kind and caring person at heart, but growing up with Vegeta had made an impact on him, particularly with regards to how the older Saiyan dealt with his enemies. And, although Goku was certainly more merciful than Vegeta, as a surge of anger welled up within him, the other Saiyan boy's advice from when they'd dealt with Monster Carrot flashed through his mind.

No second chances.

"Headquarters, come in! I need backup; there's another one!" Captain Yellow cursed under his breath as he clutched at his injured arm, trying to fly and speak into his radio at the same time. He'd been so close to getting the Dragon Ball from that musclebound fool on the ground by holding his son hostage, when that random kid had just fallen out of the sky and ruined everything! But he hadn't lost the battle yet; all he needed was reinforcements, and then he could…

"Ka… Me… Ha… Me… HA!"

Huh? Yellow glanced over his shoulder as he heard the distant yell… and then his eyes bulged in horror as he saw a blue energy beam rushing towards him, a moment before it slammed into the back of his aircraft and he was engulfed in an all-consuming fireball.

Goku grimaced as the distant plane exploded, looking away as he steered the Nimbus cloud into a slow descent. He might understand Vegeta's more ruthless approach to fighting after all the time that they'd spent together, but he still didn't really like it.

"Where should I land?" he called over his shoulder to the younger boy who was hanging onto his shirt.

"Down there!" the boy called back, pointing down with one hand towards a large, open clearing in the trees, where a large teepee had been set up. A tall, brown-skinned man was standing outside of it, looking up anxiously towards them.

"Okay!" Looking up to where Bulma was circling the area in her plane, Goku waved to get her attention and pointed down towards the clearing, before he swooped down towards the ground. Skimming in over the treetops, he descended into the clearing and came to a stop just a couple of feet above the ground, letting the boy jump down easily onto the grass below.

"Upa!" The man who'd been watching from the ground bounded over, picking up the shivering boy and holding him close. The distinct resemblance between them made it clear that he was the boy's father; he was tall, muscular and broad-shouldered, with long dark hair and numerous scars dotted across his torso. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, Father!" Upa hugged him back, still shivering but gradually calming down.

Once his son had stopped trembling, the man lifted him up onto one of his shoulders, before turning to face Goku. "I thank you for saving my son, young one," he intoned, bowing his head and holding out one hand. "I am in your debt."

"No problem, sir!" Goku hopped down from the Nimbus and allowed it to fly back up into the sky as he shook the offered hand, which completely enveloped his own. "I'm Goku! It's nice to meet you."

"You as well." The man smiled, shaking Goku's hand before releasing it and reaching up to give his son a reassuring pat on the head. "I am Bora, guardian of Korin Tower, and this is my son Upa." He frowned as a shadow fell over them, looking up at Bulma's plane as it came in for a landing. "You came from that aircraft, did you not? Is its pilot also an ally, or another foe?"

"Oh, no, she's my friend!" Goku shook his head and smiled, pointing over at the plane as it skimmed in over the grass and landed a short distance away. "Her name's Bulma."

As soon as the plane had come to a stop and powered down, Bulma retracted the canopy again and jumped out, pressing a button on the side of the plane to return it to its capsule form with a cloud of vapor. "Goku!" she cried out as she snatched up the capsule and ran across the clearing to the others. "Are you okay?! You scared the hell out of me when you did that!"

"Sorry!" Goku grinned sheepishly and held up his hands. "I didn't really have time to explain."

Bulma sighed and rubbed her eyes, before tousling his spiky hair. "It's all right; just don't do that again, okay?" She chuckled. "Vegeta'd be really mad at me if I let anything bad happen to you."

Once Bulma had been introduced to Bora and Upa, she looked up to where the other plane had been. "So… who was that guy, anyway?" she inquired.

"He arrived here about an hour ago with numerous other armed men," Bora explained grimly. "They claimed that they were part of an organization known as the Red Ribbon Army, and that they were planning to establish a military base here."

Bulma paled at that. "Wait, the Red Ribbon Army?! They're the most infamous terrorist organization on the planet!"

"They would undoubtedly have been quite dangerous for most people," Bora agreed. "When I refused to let them infringe upon this sacred ground, they attempted to kill me. I was able to deal with most of them, but their leader took my son hostage and tried to force me to give him this." He held up a small object that had been in his pocket; the sunlight flashed off of golden crystal, and both Goku and Bulma gasped when they recognized it.

"A Dragon Ball!" Bulma exclaimed. "That's the one that my radar picked up!"

"And… no way!" Goku's eyes lit up as he got a closer look at the ball. "It's the four-star ball, the one that my grandpa used to have!"

"You know of this object too?" Bora questioned, regarding the ball. "I found it this morning, not long after that volcano erupted." He nodded to a nearby mountain, which was emitting wisps of dark smoke. "I assumed that it came from there. Those soldiers were apparently looking for it too."

"Wait, that's what they wanted?" Bulma's concerned frown deepened as she looked at the four-star ball. "If the Red Ribbon Army are the ones who are gathering the Dragon Balls, that could be really bad. Of all the people in the world who shouldn't get a wish granted, they'd definitely be near the top of that list."

"Well, if those men came here looking for this sphere," Bora declared, "then I would be happy to give it to you as thanks for your help." He offered the Dragon Ball to Goku, who happily took it. "I have no use for it, and if you take it with you, perhaps this land will be safe from any further intrusions by these Red Ribbon soldiers."

"You got it!" Goku grinned, tucking the four-star ball into his pocket. "We'll make sure they don't bother you guys again."

As added thanks for Goku's rescue of his son, Bora offered to treat the pair to a meal, which they were happy to accept (particularly Goku). After about an hour, they were all seated around a campfire, with stomachs full of fish from a nearby river.

"So these Dragon Balls can truly grant any wish?" Bora leaned back on his hands, frowning as he gazed across the campfire at Goku and Bulma. "Truly extraordinary. I myself have no need of such things, but I can certainly imagine how the greedy and ambitious people of this world would be drawn to a power like that."

"Yeah," Bulma agreed soberly. "Last year, a guy who called himself an 'emperor' tried to use the Dragon Balls to take over the world. We stopped him, but… if the Red Ribbon Army is trying the same thing, they'll probably be much more of a threat than he was."

Goku, meanwhile, seemed to be distracted by something else. "Hey, Mr. Bora?" he questioned. "If you don't mind me asking… what's the story with that really tall tower?" He nodded towards the center of the clearing, where the great stone spire of Korin Tower rose up towards the heavens.

"The great Korin Tower has existed here for as long as anyone can remember," Bora explained, indicating the tower with a wave of his hand. "According to the stories of my ancestors, a wise and powerful hermit known as Korin lives at the very top of this tower, high above us. It is said that for centuries, the strongest and bravest martial artists in the world have come here to seek the guidance and training of the mystical sage. If you can climb all the way to the top using only your own strength, he will give you a holy water which can magnify one's strength many times over."

"That's so cool!" Goku's eyes gleamed with excitement as he peered up towards where the tower seemingly disappeared into the sky, high above them. "Have you ever climbed to the top?"

"I tried, once," Bora admitted, a rueful grin flickering across his normally-stoic face. "Sadly, my attempt ended in failure, but that is the norm when it comes to Korin Tower. As long as I have lived in the shadow of this tower, no one who has attempted to make the climb has ever succeeded in reaching the top."

"They say that one person did manage to get up there a long time ago, though," Upa chimed in.

"True, but that is merely a story," Bora pointed out, smiling at his son before turning back to Goku and Bulma. "Our people have protected these lands for generations, ensuring that only those who were pure of intent would set foot upon this sacred ground or attempt to climb the tower. That is my sacred duty, and one day it will be my son's as well." He inclined his head respectfully towards Goku. "However, despite your age, I can tell that you possess a pure heart and have the honor of a true warrior. As long as you mean no harm to this place or any who dwell here, the two of you are welcome to remain here for as long as you wish."

"Thanks!" Bulma smiled as she leaned back, gazing up at Korin Tower. "Well, we've got one of the Dragon Balls now, so that's a start. At least the Red Ribbon Army won't be able to make any wishes, even if they do have the three that were all in one place. And if Vegeta can find the one he went to the Arctic for, we'll have two." She considered for a second. "I told him that he should meet us here, and I put the coordinates for this area into the GPS that I gave him, so he'll be able to find his way here once he's ready. In the meantime, I'll see if I can locate the rest of the Dragon Balls, so we'll be ready when the time comes for us to find them."

"Sounds good!" Goku's gaze kept shifting back towards the base of the tower, and he finally couldn't sit still anymore. "But we don't know how long it's gonna take for Vegeta to get here, right? So, while we're waitin'…" He grinned eagerly as he looked up towards the distant top of the tower. "I think I'm gonna try and climb this thing."

"What?!" Bulma inhaled sharply. "Why would you do that? You heard him; nobody who's tried to climb this thing has ever made it to the top!"

"Yup!" Goku's grin only widened. "Which means it's exactly the kind of challenge I've been lookin' for! This'll give me a chance to really test my limits and get stronger… maybe even enough to catch up to Vegeta." Hopping to his feet, he stretched his arms over his head and clicked his neck. "And if it turns out I can't do it, I'll just call for my Nimbus cloud and come back down. Simple."

"I mean…" Bulma wasn't sure if this was a good idea, but she had to admit that Goku had a point; it wasn't like there was anything else for him to do until Vegeta showed up. "All right," she conceded with a shrug. "But be quick about it, okay? We'll need to go after the rest of the Dragon Balls as soon as Vegeta gets here, so we don't have time to play around."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Goku nodded in agreement. "Okay, then! I'll go as fast as I can." Stretching again and hopping lightly from foot to foot, he made his way over to the base of the tower, with Bulma, Bora and Upa trailing behind him.

"Be careful," Bora advised him. "Climbing this tower is an extremely difficult and strenuous challenge. And be prepared to summon that strange cloud of yours if you become too exhausted to continue climbing; if you run out of stamina and fall off the tower when you're too high up, the fall will be fatal, even for someone as strong as you."

"Good idea! Thanks, Mr. Bora." Goku smiled and sank into a crouch, adjusting his Power Pole where it was slung across his back. "All right… let's do this! Korin Tower, here I come!" His eyes narrowed in concentration as he looked up at the tower, and then he kicked off the ground and leapt high into the air. He soared straight up, easily rising thirty or forty feet with a single jump, and grabbed one of the small ledges that jutted out from the sides of the tower before using it to launch himself up again. With this approach, he began rapidly gaining height, scrambling up the side of the tower as easily as a monkey climbing a tree. Before Bulma knew it, he'd climbed so high that she could barely even see him anymore, except as a slowly-dwindling dark spot against the gray stone pinnacle.

Man… every time I think these Saiyans can't surprise me, one of them pulls a new crazy trick out of nowhere. Bulma couldn't suppress an amused grin as she watched Goku's distant form disappearing from view, before she turned and headed back towards the campfire. "So, it's okay for me to stay here until he gets back down and our other friend shows up here, right?" she questioned. "I don't want to impose on you two or anything."

"Of course!" Bora assured her. "As I said, young lady, you're welcome to stay here for as long as you'd like. You can use our teepee if you need a place to rest."

"Oh, no, that's not necessary!" Bulma shook her head and smiled, fishing another capsule out of her pocket and tossing it over into an open section of the clearing. "I brought my own resting spot." With an explosion of smoke, the capsule trailer that she'd used on her previous road trip with Goku and Vegeta appeared, already stocked with everything that she might need. Knowing that this new search for the Dragon Balls would probably take a while, she'd planned ahead this time.

As Bulma walked over towards the trailer, she idly checked the screen of her Dragon Radar, hoping to see if any of the other Dragon Balls' positions had changed. Her expectations quickly turned to confusion, however, when, instead of homing in on the locations of the seven crystal spheres, the handheld radar merely let out a noncommittal beep and its screen remained blank.

Huh? She frowned and tapped the radar's screen several times, trying to make sure it was set properly, but as far as she could tell, it was working normally. Yet the screen still remained blank, devoid of any signals which would represent the location of a Dragon Ball. The one she now had in her pocket, the one that Vegeta was going after in the Arctic, the three which had all been in the same place, and the other two… not a single one of the balls were anywhere to be seen.

"Okay… that's not normal," Bulma muttered, her frown deepening as she headed for the trailer. This thing's never glitched out before, but there's gotta be something wrong with it. And I need to figure out what, because otherwise we're going to have a lot of trouble finding the rest of the Dragon Balls.

Red Ribbon Army headquarters…

"What?!" Commander Red scowled, almost biting through his most recent cigar before he stopped himself. "The hell do you mean, someone got there first?!"

"That's what Captain Yellow reported," Staff Officer Black reported, reading the message from his clipboard. "He and his soldiers had finally located their target again, and they were about to secure it when they encountered several unknown hostiles. Whoever these people were, Yellow claimed that they possessed some kind of superhuman abilities, enough to make short work of his entire squad. He requested that we send reinforcements at once, but then we lost contact with him."

Red's scowl deepened as his single eye narrowed. "You've gotta be kidding me," he growled, his free hand clenching into a fist as he held his cigar in the other. "Well, even if Yellow's still alive, I sure as hell won't be giving him another chance to get that damn Dragon Ball. He's failed to secure it twice now, and I don't tolerate that kind of incompetence."

"Fair enough," Black agreed. "So who should we send to take over in his place?"

"I can think of at least one guy," Red replied, tapping his chin contemplatively. He gestured towards Black with his cigar. "Send word to General Blue, and have him take a full strike force to Korin Tower. He's already retrieved one of the Dragon Balls for us, so he should be able to get this one too. And whoever this 'superhuman' is, Blue's unique talents mean that he'll have the best chance of taking them out."

"An excellent choice, sir." Black nodded as he made a note on his clipboard. "Also, I've arranged for that long-distance call that you requested." He produced a slip of paper from his jacket pocket and placed it on Red's desk. "According to our agents, this was his last known contact number."

"Good!" Red's anger was tempered by that, and he smiled faintly as he took another puff of his cigar. "Getting some extra muscle should help us out when it's time to launch our campaign against that ridiculous king… and there's no hired muscle that's better than him."

As Black left the office, Red picked up the note and dialed the number that Black had written on it into his desk's phone. Despite his previous confidence, he couldn't help but feel nervous as he punched in the final digits. The man he was contacting had an infamous reputation for a reason, far more so than even the deadliest and most ruthless soldiers in the Red Ribbon Army. But that was exactly why the army needed him, to ensure that nobody could stand in their way when the time came for them to carry out Red's master plan for global domination.

Taking a deep breath and bracing himself, Red hit the CALL button, and put the phone on speaker as he leaned back in his chair. He was tempted to take another puff of his cigar, but decided against it. When it comes to this guy, the last thing I want is to annoy him by having a coughing fit during my recruitment pitch.

After several rings, the phone call was finally accepted with a click, and a crisp, cold voice echoed out of the receiver. "Who is this?"

Not the kind of guy who makes small talk, eh? Red suppressed a chuckle. "I'm speaking to Mercenary Tao, right?" he questioned.

"That is correct," the other man's voice replied dryly. "But you will not be speaking to me for long, unless you explain the purpose of this call quickly."

Red's amusement was replaced by a flash of annoyance at the disrespect in Tao's voice, but he shook his head and made an effort to keep his temper in check. Getting into an argument with the deadliest assassin in the world wasn't a good idea, even for him. "This is Commander Red, leader of the Red Ribbon Army," he replied coolly, tapping his cigar against his ashtray. "And I have a proposition for you."

Jingle Village…

Now wearing a long, dark-green winter coat that had belonged to Suno's father, Vegeta set out from Jingle Village and started running towards the nearby mountains, moving along the ground in leaps and bursts of super-speed instead of flying so that he could hopefully stay under the Red Ribbon soldiers' radar. It wouldn't really matter if they saw him coming, of course, but he still wanted to catch them by surprise if he could.

Before long, he spotted what he was looking for: the distant outline of Muscle Tower, the Red Ribbon Army's fortress. The tower bore a vague resemblance to a chess rook, as it was cylindrical in shape and had larger top and bottom levels than the ones in the middle. Made of dark reddish-orange stone and bristling with defensive weaponry, it loomed tall over the surrounding landscape. It was impressive enough by Earth standards, but it paled in comparison to the Frieza Force military bases that Vegeta had visited on other planets as a child.

A tank like the one that he'd seen before was rolling towards the base, but it changed course when the soldier riding on top of the vehicle saw him sprinting across the snowy landscape towards the tower. Since they'd spotted him, Vegeta slowed down to a walking pace and allowed the tank to cut in front of him before it skidded to a halt, blocking his path.

"Hey!" the soldier on top of the tank yelled, swinging his mounted machine gun around to bear on the approaching figure. "You there! Where do you think you're –"

Vegeta didn't even break stride: he just raised one arm and fired a bolt of yellow energy that punched straight through the tank and then exploded, blowing off its hatches and incinerating the occupants in a blazing fireball. As he reached the tank, he pivoted on one foot and casually punted the burning hulk aside with a swing of his other leg, sending it tumbling away across the snow as he carried on walking towards the base of the tower.

The explosion had alerted all of the other Red Ribbon soldiers who were on guard outside the tower, and all of their guns were trained on the young Saiyan as soon as he came into view. It didn't matter, of course; as soon as he was within a few yards of them, Vegeta yelled and flung out his arm in a wide, sweeping arc, unleashing a powerful kiai in its wake. The wave of invisible force swept across the snow and plowed through the soldiers, scattering them like bowling pins and knocking them all unconscious.

"Tch!" Vegeta scoffed and shook his head, glaring at the fallen men who were now scattered across the snowy ground before him. "Pathetic." He looked up at the tower and folded his arms across his chest as he took it in. "Well, this is a nice little setup that they've got here. I suppose I may as well pop in and say hello."

Vegeta could have just gone through the door on the ground level, but he decided it would be a better idea to catch the soldiers inside the tower off guard. To that end, instead of simply breaking through the front door, he crouched slightly and jumped effortlessly up onto the next level of the tower, bypassing whatever traps or defensive measures might be in place on the ground floor. Without any preamble, he stalked forward and easily kicked open the nearest door that led into the tower's interior.

This floor of the tower appeared to be a cafeteria of some sort, as evidenced by the half-dozen Red Ribbon soldiers who were eating lunch at various tables, all of whom looked up in surprise when the door slammed open. Realizing that they were facing an intruder, they all scrambled to their feet, one drawing a combat knife and the others simply balling their fists.

Vegeta smirked as he stepped into the room and pushed the door shut behind him. "So," he spoke up, idly cracking his knuckles as his eyes flicked around the room. "Who wants to go first?"

Chapter Text

Last time, on The Lost Prince…

After their first encounters with the infamous Red Ribbon Army, our heroes are making their next moves. Vegeta has launched a one-man assault on the RRA's Muscle Tower fortress, while Goku has begun climbing the legendary Korin Tower in the hopes of training with the ancient sage who lives at its summit. Their missions continue… now!

Red Ribbon Saga, Part 3: The Climb

Muscle Tower, Planet Earth

Age 750

Sliding his hands into the pockets of his borrowed coat, Vegeta casually walked over to the stairs that ran along one of the cafeteria's walls, leading up to an opening in the ceiling where one could access the third floor of the tower. The room behind him was now occupied only by the broken bodies of half a dozen Red Ribbon soldiers; it had taken less than thirty seconds for him to deal with them all, and that only because he'd chosen not to use his ki.

As the young Saiyan began walking up the stairs, an older man's voice suddenly echoed from a speaker set into the ceiling. "Hey, kid! Who the hell are you, and what're you doing here?"

Vegeta snorted. "You don't need to know who I am," he called out. "But, to answer your second question: I'm here to kill every last one of you."

"Is that so?" The man seemed to be taken aback for a second, before he chuckled. "Well, good luck with that. I'm General White of the Red Ribbon Army, and if you do somehow manage to make it to the top of this tower, I'll be more than happy to deal with you personally."

"I see." Vegeta smirked. "I'll be looking forward to that." Paying no further heed to the general's voice, he bounded lightly up the stairs, emerging into another large, open room. As he stepped up onto the floor, however, the sight of the third level brought him up short.

This room was mostly empty, save only for a large chair in the center of the floor. Seated in the chair was a huge, heavily-muscled man dressed in military garb, with spiked-up reddish-brown hair and dark sunglasses. As Vegeta emerged into the room, he rose slowly to his feet, towering over the young prince. "Welcome," he intoned in a deep, flat voice, utterly devoid of emotion. "I am Sergeant Metallic. You will not be able to pass to the next level of this tower unless you defeat me."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow and frowned, sensing something unusual about his new enemy. That's odd… for some reason, I can't sense his energy. It wasn't like when he'd met Oolong for the first time, where the shapeshifter's giant form had been at odds with his extremely-low power level; in this case, he couldn't detect even the slightest flicker of ki from the hulking soldier before him. It's almost like he doesn't have any energy… but that shouldn't be possible. Roshi taught me that all living things have some level of ki, so no matter how weak he is, I should be able to sense something from him.

Metallic, for his part, simply glowered down at Vegeta for a couple of seconds, before his eyes narrowed slightly behind his sunglasses. "Die," he growled, before lunging forward and swinging a punch down at the Saiyan. Immediately, Vegeta knew that weakness couldn't be the reason for his lack of detectable energy: his foe was much faster than a normal human, although he still wasn't nearly fast enough to catch the prince off guard.

The towering soldier's fist swung harmlessly through empty air, as Vegeta appeared a few feet behind him. "So I just have to beat you to keep going up?" he questioned. "All right, then. Come at me."

Letting out an angry snarl, Metallic launched himself at the Saiyan again, throwing a series of jabs. Vegeta dodged each of them in turn, weaving back and forth with some interest in his eyes. Since he couldn't sense the soldier's energy, he had no way of knowing exactly how strong he was, so going on the defensive seemed like the best way to gauge the sergeant's power.

After a few seconds, though, Vegeta's interest began to wane. This fighter's lack of detectable energy was intriguing, and his strength and speed outclassed those of a normal human, but he was still far short of an actual challenge. "All right, this is starting to get boring," he decided, swaying out of the way of another heavy punch. "Time to put you down."

Faster than Metallic could comprehend, one of Vegeta's fists smashed across his face, flooring him instantly and sending him skidding across the ground. He lay still for a few seconds, not even letting out a groan of pain, seemingly out cold.

Satisfied that he'd managed to knock the brute unconscious, Vegeta nodded and turned towards the stairs that led up to the fourth level of the tower. He hadn't gone more than a couple of steps, however, before a heavy footfall on the floor behind him triggered his defensive reflexes. He ducked just in time as a fist swung through the air where his head had been, and spun around to see Metallic towering over him. Sidestepping a kick from the soldier, Vegeta swept his other leg out from under him, sending Metallic crashing down on his back. After a second, however, the sergeant just pushed himself up and clambered back to his feet.

"Okay, what the hell?" Vegeta muttered, raising his guard as Metallic rose up to his full height again. Something's definitely wrong with this guy. I was holding back, but no normal human could've taken a hit like that. But if he does have ki power, then I should be able to sense it. So what the hell is… "Huh?" His eyes widened as he saw a red glow filtering out from beneath Metallic's sunglasses. The soldier reared back on his heels, and then swung his head and shoulders forward as he opened his mouth unnaturally wide, spitting out a gray metal object that rocketed across the room towards Vegeta.

What the – is that a missile?! Vegeta realized what he was looking at a moment too late to dodge, so he flung his arms up in a cross-block just before the mini-missile hit him and detonated. A fireball blasted outwards from him, with enough force to send a tremor through the entire tower.

Metallic lumbered forward, his head sweeping from side to side as he scanned the interior of the room, looking for any sign of his target. The next movement, however, was too fast for his sensors to track it: Vegeta barreled through the cloud of smoke, the sleeves of his coat lightly scorched but otherwise unhurt, and rammed one fist into his chest, putting so much speed and force behind it that it punched straight through Metallic's torso and out of his back. He let out a strangled grunt and lurched in place, impaled on the Saiyan's arm.

"I don't know how you did that," Vegeta hissed, "but this fight is over." He wrenched his hand free of the soldier's body and stepped back, watching coolly as Metallic swayed unsteadily on his feet. For a moment, it looked like he was about to collapse… but then he straightened back up, drew back a fist, and lunged at Vegeta again.

What?! Vegeta was so dumbstruck that he almost failed to dodge Metallic's next swipe. That should've killed him! Unless… His eyes narrowed as he looked down at his arm. Although his sleeve was now stained with fluid from punching through the sergeant's body, it was black rather than red, and it didn't smell like blood. Is this… oil? His frown deepened, until his eyes widened in realization. Of course! That's why I can't sense him: he's a machine, some kind of android! The Planet Trade Organization and the Frieza Force did have some cyborgs and androids in their ranks, and he'd encountered a few in his youth – the infamous C-model assassin droids came to mind, for one example – but he hadn't seen any technology like this on Earth before.

Now that he knew he was dealing with a mechanical opponent, Vegeta promptly changed tactics. He won't stop until he's completely destroyed… so that's what I'll do. Ducking under another swing of Metallic's arm, he darted in close and placed one open hand against the towering soldier's chest. "We're done here," he snapped, grinning as he looked up into Metallic's emotionless face. "Try this on for size, android." His hand began to glow, and a moment later a powerful yellow energy blast exploded outward from his open palm, blowing Metallic's entire body apart and scattering charred pieces of metal across the room.

As the explosion faded, Vegeta looked up towards the ceiling. Interesting. If these people have the technology to build weapons like that, I wonder what else they've got up their sleeves? Dusting off his hands and chuckling softly, he strolled across the room to the next flight of stairs, which led up to the fourth floor of the tower.

"What?!" General White paled as he glared incredulously at the security camera footage of Sergeant Metallic's demise. "How'd he do that?" Who the hell is this kid?!

Shaking his head, the Red Ribbon general tried to calm himself. It'll be fine. Murasaki won't let this guy get past him, I'm sure of it. He grimaced as he watched the cameras, monitoring Vegeta's progress up the stairs. But, just in case… I think I should have Buyon ready to go on the fifth floor. Better safe than sorry.

The fourth floor wasn't what Vegeta had expected. From the echo of his footsteps on the floor, he could tell that it was a large, expansive room, just like the last one, but there were no lights whatsoever except for the light filtering up from the opening of the stairs. Raising an eyebrow, he stopped at the top of the stairs, in the patch of light.

Interesting… He closed his eyes for a second, reaching out with his ki-sense instead. There's definitely at least one other person in here… but I can't pinpoint them. Whoever they are, they're good at hiding their energy.

Snorting dismissively, the young Saiyan opened his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. "All right, I know you're here somewhere!" he called out, his voice echoing loudly in the dark space. "You might as well show yourself; you can't hide from me forever."

The only response was a sudden hiss of high-speed movement as something whistled out of the darkness, aimed for Vegeta's neck. He ducked smoothly into a crouch just in time, but the object banked in the air and flew back towards him. This time, he jumped over it instead, springing away from the lit entrance and landing lightly on top of a large, rounded object that shifted slightly beneath his feet.

"Wait…" He frowned and tapped the surface beneath him with one foot. Is this… a boulder? Looking up, he squinted and rubbed his eyes, which had begun to adjust to the lower light. His frown deepened as he got a clearer view of his surroundings: it appeared that this level of the tower housed a large indoor garden which was designed to look like a forest, with numerous trees and a small pond.

Weird. Vegeta raised an eyebrow. Who the hell designed this place? Fortunately, he wasn't too distracted to miss his unseen adversary's next move, as a trio of throwing knives hurtled out of the trees in his direction. His arm moved in a blur, neatly catching all three and dropping them harmlessly to the ground at his feet. Several more volleys of knives followed, each coming from a different direction, but all were caught or deflected without a single blade finding its target.

After about half a dozen of these attacks, Vegeta decided that he'd had enough. "All right, stop hiding!" he yelled. "Either you turn on the lights in here, or I will!" A humming ball of yellow energy appeared in his hand, and he extended it out to one side, aiming for one of the walls.

"As you wish," a voice called out, echoing oddly so that Vegeta couldn't tell where it was coming from. On cue, several lights came on across the ceiling of the large room, while a series of windows rumbled open along the walls to let sunlight filter in from outside. In just a few seconds, the darkened indoor forest was fully illuminated.

Vegeta nodded in satisfaction and extinguished the energy sphere, blinking a few times as his eyes adjusted. "That's better," he muttered under his breath, before raising his voice again. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Who am I?" the echoing voice replied, chuckling. "I am the Red Ribbon Army's messenger of death… the deadly Ninja Murasaki!" This was followed by another volley of projectiles from the trees, these ones four-pointed shuriken rather than knives. Once again, however, Vegeta's arm blurred into motion, neatly catching all of them and plucking the last one out of the air just a few inches from his face.

"Cute," the prince deadpanned, before dropping the throwing stars and letting them clatter off the boulder to join the pile of knives at his feet. "Why don't you cut out the tricks and fight me face-to-face? Or are you just a coward?"

"I can see that you are a true warrior," Murasaki replied with a note of amusement in his voice, "but I'm afraid cowardice has nothing to do with it. I'm simply using all my skills to get the job done. You've done well in progressing this far up Muscle Tower… but I'm afraid your progress ends here!" An instant later, the ninja himself – a tall, wiry man in a purple gi, with long black hair in a top-knot – sprang out of the bushes right behind Vegeta. His katana flashed through the air in an arc of silver, perfectly aimed to deliver a killing blow…

…which missed completely. Vegeta was gone, and the sword merely split the boulder where he'd been standing in two.

"What?!" Murasaki gasped and spun around to see his opponent standing a few feet away, arms folded nonchalantly over his chest.

"Nice try," Vegeta remarked dryly. "But you're going to have to try harder than that."

To his credit, Murasaki didn't waste time on surprise. He immediately leapt away, disappearing in a blur of super-speed as he blended back into the shadows, bounding from tree to tree. Finally, he came to a stop, perching on the branch of a large tree and concealed behind a screen of leaves. Perfect! I can launch another sneak attack from here, and – wait, what? His eyes widened as he looked back out into the clearing, to see that his target was gone. Where'd he go?

"Hi," Vegeta deadpanned right behind him, before a vicious blow sent Murasaki flying out of the tree and crashing into the ground. He blacked out for a second, shaking his head and trying to clear his vision, before rolling over and looking up to see the younger man standing over him.

"How…" he wheezed, panting and coughing as he tried to recover his breath. "How did you find me that fast?"

"Find you?" Vegeta snorted. "I didn't have to find you; I just followed right behind you when you ran away. I couldn't have done that when I didn't know where you were, but once you showed yourself, it was easy to keep up with you." He took a step back and beckoned with one hand. "Come on. I'm not going to kill you while you're down… so get up."

"You arrogant little…" Murasaki gritted his teeth and glared up at the dark-haired boy, his hands creeping slowly behind his back. A moment later, he sprang up, drawing his katana with one hand and hurling a razor-sharp metal boomerang at Vegeta with the other.

So that's what he threw at me the first time! Vegeta dodged the whirling boomerang, before ducking and sidestepping several rapid swings of the katana. "Interesting weapons," he remarked, "but you don't have anywhere near enough power for them to be effective against me." The boomerang came spinning back towards him, but he spun around and snagged it out of the air with one hand, before flinging it away with enough force that it embedded itself in a nearby tree.

"Damn it…!" Murasaki snarled, growing increasingly desperate. I don't have any other choice… I have to retreat and bring in the others! However strong this kid is, there's no way he'll be able to handle all of us. Disengaging from Vegeta, he leapt back a few feet, keeping his katana drawn. "All right, boy," he growled. "You've left me with no other choice. I will have to show you my ultimate technique, one that no one has ever survived! Don't say I didn't warn you." His outline began to glow with a strange purple light, and the overhead lights in the room began to flicker and darken.

"Huh?" Vegeta frowned. The hell's he doing now? Is he powering up or something?

The purple light around Murasaki reached a crescendo, just as the lights flicked off completely. An explosion of purple smoke billowed up around the ninja, before the lights came back on. As the cloud of smoke dissipated, Vegeta took a step back when he took in the sight that was now facing him. Instead of one Murasaki, now there were five, each wielding a different weapon: the original's katana, a pair of long daggers, a blade-tipped chain, a dart-gun, and a pistol.

"This is our full power: the Split-Image Technique!" the five ninjas chorused in unison, malevolent grins spreading across their faces as all five entered fighting stances. "Now, foolish child… prepare to die!"

Vegeta's eyes flicked back and forth, taking them all in. This wasn't the afterimage technique that Roshi had taught him; as far as he could tell, all five of his opponents were solid and real. One on one, he was no match for me, but five of them could potentially be a challenge. His relaxed attitude was replaced by intense focus as he raised his guard, ready for their attack. Interesting, though… all five of their ki signatures feel slightly different, like they're all separate people. "All right, then!" he decided. "I don't know how you're doing that, but I suppose the best way to find out is to take you all head-on. So come and get me!"

"If you say so!" the Murasakis exclaimed, all charging simultaneously. A barrage of throwing knives, shuriken, darts and bullets shot towards their quarry, but they all skidded to a halt as all of the projectiles passed harmlessly through a shimmering afterimage.

The real Vegeta appeared behind the five assassins, completely unscathed. "Come on!" he taunted. "Is that all you've got?"

Despite their startled reactions, the ninjas reacted quickly, bounding around the clearing in quick bursts of super-speed and landing in a loose circle around him. As soon as they were in position, all five charged again, cutting off any potential escape routes as they closed in for the kill. Vegeta's only response was a smirk as he kicked off the ground and leapt high into the air. All five Murasakis jumped after him, converging in midair as they dissolved into a blur of high-speed movement and slashing weapons.

Ten seconds later, after a series of cracks, snaps, crunches, and solid impacts, Vegeta landed lightly on his feet, with a few nicks in the lining of his coat but no visible injuries. The first Murasaki landed on the other side of the clearing, eyes bulging in shock but still on his feet. And the other four Murasakis, limp and unresponsive, hit the ground between the two of them in crumpled, broken heaps.

"N-No!" The first Murasaki paled, his katana slipping from his nerveless hand and dropping to the ground. "My brothers… you killed them!"

"Your brothers?" Vegeta raised an eyebrow, a bit of dark amusement mingling with his confident smirk. "Ah, that explains it. I was wondering why each of their ki signatures felt a little different from yours." He shrugged, waving idly towards the four bodies. "Doesn't really matter now, though. If that was your so-called 'ultimate technique', then it's time to put an end to this farce."

Murasaki's shock was suddenly replaced by terror as Vegeta took a step in his direction. "No!" he cried out, stumbling back. "Stay away from me!" A small leather pouch slid out of his sleeve into one hand, and he promptly threw it down at his feet, producing another large explosion of purple smoke.

Vegeta's lip curled in a scowl. "Oh no you don't!" he snapped, flinging out a hand and unleashing a kiai that dissipated the cloud of smoke, but Murasaki was already gone. Vegeta closed his eyes and reached out with his ki-sense again, quickly picking up the ninja's retreating energy signature. He took to the air, soaring easily over the trees and rapidly bearing down on his target.

However, by the time Vegeta caught up, Murasaki had reached his goal and was running up a set of stairs towards what looked like a prison cell set into the wall of the tower. He was unlocking the door when the Saiyan landed behind him with a rush of air, drawing a startled gasp from the panicked ninja as he whirled around to face his enemy.

"Going somewhere?" Vegeta intoned, his eyes narrowed as he stared down the terrified assassin. "I'm done playing your games, you pathetic little trickster. It's time to die."

This time, though, Murasaki didn't look as afraid. "I don't think so," he retorted, unlatching the cell door and flinging it open with a sweep of his arm. "You're the one who's going to die!"

On cue, heavy footsteps and the rattling of chains echoed out of the cell, as a hulking figure emerged from the shadows: a tall, impressively-built man, just as massive as Sergeant Metallic had been. This one, however, had short dark hair, and his facial features were somewhat unusual, with an elongated cranium and visible scars running across his forehead and down his left cheek. He wore simple, dark-hued clothing instead of a military uniform, and metal shackles connected to chains were looped around his wrists, ankles and neck. Finally, just like Metallic, he had no detectable energy.

Huh? Vegeta frowned, quickly putting the pieces together. Another combat android? How many of those do these people have?

"This is one of our deadliest weapons, Android 8!" Murasaki proclaimed, some of his former confidence returning. "He's considerably more advanced than Sergeant Metallic, and he should be more than strong enough to deal with you." He pointed to Vegeta with an outstretched hand, barking a command to the newly-emerged android. "Now, 8: destroy this intruder!"

Vegeta's eyes narrowed as he took in this new threat. The previous android hadn't been a threat to him, but if this one was stronger, it might be worth his time.

Now fully emerged from his cell, the android stared emotionlessly down at Vegeta and Murasaki for a long moment. A low, deep growl echoed in his throat, before he flung out his arms and legs, easily shattering the restraints around his wrists and ankles. Tearing off the collar around his neck, he let the broken chains cascade to the floor as he took a heavy step towards them. When he finally spoke, however, his response wasn't what Vegeta had expected.

"No."

Both Vegeta and Murasaki were caught off-guard by that, and they both stared at 8 in disbelief for a second. "…What?" Murasaki's eyes widened. "You… you can't disobey my orders!"

"I can," 8 replied flatly as he glared down at the ninja. "I know what you and your allies have done to the world, and I will not help you harm innocent people."

Vegeta was still confused, but a faint grin started to spread across his face as he realized that Murasaki's trump card clearly wasn't working out the way he'd planned. Murasaki, however, had shifted from being shocked to angry. "How dare you?!" he snapped. "The Red Ribbon Army were the ones who created you! You cannot turn against your masters!"

8 was silent for a few more seconds, before he slowly shook his head. "No matter who created me," he intoned gravely, "I will not follow an order that will bring harm to an innocent."

Vegeta's grin widened. "Well, how about that?" he chuckled. "So much for your terrifying secret weapon, little man." Cracking his knuckles, he took a deliberate step forward. "Since he doesn't want to fight me, I guess that means your turn isn't over yet. So let's finish this."

Murasaki's eyes bulged in panic, and he stumbled back, away from Vegeta and 8. "No you don't!" he yelled, reaching into an inner pocket of his gi and pulling out some kind of remote. "You will obey my commands, Android 8! Because if you don't, I'll just use this remote and detonate the bomb inside your body instead! One way or the other, you will kill this intruder!"

8 turned to look at Murasaki, his eyes widening in alarm… but that was all the time either of them had to react, before there was a blur of movement as Vegeta snatched the remote out of the ninja's hand and crushed it to pieces, moving far too fast for either of them to react. Murasaki had just enough time to gasp, before the Saiyan's other hand caught his wrist in a grip that felt like iron.

"I don't think so," Vegeta growled. "Time to join your brothers in Hell, you cowardly bastard." One swing of his arm launched Murasaki high into the air, and he followed that up with a concentrated ki blast that engulfed the ninja completely. Murasaki's horrified scream was drowned out by the thunderclap of an explosion, powerful enough that it reduced his entire body to a dissipating cloud of ash.

And that's the end of that. Vegeta nodded in satisfaction before turning to face 8, who was staring wide-eyed up at the fading explosion. "Sorry about that," he addressed the android, "but since he was threatening to kill you, I didn't think you'd mind."

After a moment of silence, 8 nodded. "I do not enjoy violence or killing," he replied, "but I thank you for saving me." He held out a hand. "I am Android 8. What is your name, and why have you come to this place?"

"Vegeta," the Saiyan prince replied with a nod, shaking the offered hand. "And I'm here to deal with these Red Ribbon bastards. After I saw what they were doing to the local villagers, I decided they needed to be taught a lesson." He jerked a thumb towards the high ceiling of the room. "Speaking of which, I should be going; I need to get to the top floor and deal with the rest of them."

"I see." 8 smiled faintly. "In that case, I will help you. What the Red Ribbon Army is doing to those people is wrong. If you are here to help them, then we are on the same side." He pointed towards the stairs that led up to the next level. "The blueprints of Muscle Tower are included in my memory banks, and there are three more levels above this one. Between the fourth and fifth floors is a maze, designed so that no one besides Red Ribbon personnel can find their way through it… but I know how to navigate it, and I can help you do so. Above that is the fifth floor, which is mostly sealed off, and the sixth floor, at the top of the tower, where General White's command center is located. That level is also where the villagers' chief is being held as a hostage, to ensure their cooperation."

Vegeta grinned. "All right, then! Let's get moving. You show me how to get through that maze, and I'll take care of the rest."

"No, no, no…!" General White watched in horror as Vegeta and 8 began climbing the steps to the next floor, where they would find the maze that separated the fourth and fifth levels of Muscle Tower. That kid… he took out Murasaki and his brothers like they were nothing! And now that damn bleeding-heart android's betrayed us and teamed up with him… this is bad! He scowled and slammed a fist on his control panel. "Damn it! Gero promised us a killing machine even more advanced than Sergeant Metallic, and all we got was a weak-willed traitor!"

As he watched the pair enter the maze, White's eyes narrowed. All right, I guess I don't have a choice. We've gotta throw everything we have left at those two, if we're going to have any chance of stopping them. He activated the tower's intercom again, this time keeping the feed isolated to the garrison on the first floor, where all of the remaining soldiers who had been stationed at Muscle Tower – those who had been off-duty when Vegeta had arrived outside – were waiting. "All troops, battle stations!" he barked, keeping his attention fixed on the camera feeds of the maze. "We have two intruders, armed and extremely dangerous, entering the maze between Levels 4 and 5. Get up there and eliminate them both, immediately! Take no prisoners!"

The soldiers on the first floor promptly sprang to attention, gathering their weapons and rushing to the stairs that would lead them up through the other floors of the tower. Even as they started climbing, though, White was already turning his attention to another portion of his control console: he entered in a series of commands to trigger a secret door built into the wall that sealed off most of the fifth floor, until all he needed to do was press a final button to open it.

"I can't risk letting Buyon out, except as a last resort," he muttered. "But if those soldiers fail, and they make it through the maze… it'll be the only option left."

As 8 had said, the level between the fourth and fifth floors was a complex maze of crisscrossing passageways and gray stone walls, with no signs or notable markings to help navigate through it. Vegeta had to admit that on his own, it would have taken quite a while for him to find his way to the exit (unless he simply went with the approach of blasting his way through the walls). Luckily, 8's knowledge of the tower's layout made things easy for them, as the android was able to lead him unerringly through the maze without much difficulty.

Sure enough, after just a couple minutes of walking, the pair came to the hallway that 8 claimed would lead them to the exit and the next set of stairs. However, when they rounded the final corner, all that greeted them was a solid wall, blocking off the passageway.

"I… I do not understand." 8 frowned, looking thoroughly perplexed as he regarded the barrier. "This wall was not here the last time I passed through this level."

"Well, if the exit is on the other side of that wall, it doesn't really matter," Vegeta replied with a shrug, grinning as he walked up to the barrier. "I can fix that easily enough… huh?" Just as he was drawing back a fist, a chorus of approaching footsteps drew his attention back the way they'd come. A moment later, the sounds of men's voices and the clicks of gun safeties being released also began to echo down the hallway towards the pair.

"More of them?" Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "I took out all the ones on the second floor, and all their friends outside, so there can't be that many left."

"The first level of the tower is the barracks where most of the off-duty Red Ribbon soldiers stationed here choose to spend their time," 8 explained, also tensing as he followed Vegeta's gaze. "General White must have summoned them to stop us from reaching the end of the maze."

"Well, too bad for him, then." Vegeta chuckled and began walking briskly back down the corridor. "Wait here," he called over his shoulder. "I'll be back in a second."

This time, the prince didn't bother with hand-to-hand combat. When he'd entered the tower, he'd amused himself by fighting the first group of soldiers without using his ki, but he'd had enough of playing around by now. As soon as he rounded a corner to see a squad of armed men rushing towards him and was greeted by a shout of "There he is! Open fire!", he flung out one hand and unleashed a powerful wave of energy that filled the entire hallway in front of him. The dozen soldiers who had just rushed into the maze never had a chance: all of them were incinerated on the spot, in a blazing fireball that charred the walls behind them.

Vegeta rolled his eyes as he turned and started back towards 8. Hopefully that's the last of them.

"Damn it!" Two levels up, General White's fist slammed against his control panel again as he glared disbelievingly at the screens. Some of the maze's cameras had been knocked out by the explosion, but enough were left that he could see the damn kid strolling away from the smoldering remains of what had been the last of his troops.

There's nothing else I can do, he thought numbly. I have to release Buyon, or I'll be finished! Despite his misgivings, he reached over and hit the final button to open the wall that separated most of Level 5 from the staircase that led up to the sixth floor, before watching on his cameras as a previously-invisible seam in the wall began to open. And… I'll just have to hope that it'll be enough.

When Vegeta found his way back to 8, the android was still staring bemusedly at the stone wall that was blocking their progress. "I still do not understand," he murmured with a puzzled frown. "This wall does not appear on the floor plan that is programmed into my memory banks. General White must be trying to halt our progress by blocking off the exit."

"Huh." Vegeta regarded the barrier for a second, before he shrugged. "Well, no matter. If they've blocked the exit, I'll just have to open it again." Grinning, he formed a humming energy sphere in one hand, concentrating his power. "Stand back!"

8's eyes widened, and he hastily backpedaled as Vegeta lunged forward, driving the energy ball into the wall and detonating it. The resulting blast punched right through the stone slab – which was actually mounted on a pivot, allowing it to turn back and forth to block off two different exits from the maze – and shattered it completely, sending rock shards ricocheting in all directions as a cloud of smoke billowed up the stairs.

"And there we go." Vegeta smirked, waving away the smoke. "Now let's get up there and… huh?" He'd been about to start climbing the stairs, but he was interrupted as a deep, rasping growl echoed down towards them. Heavy footsteps echoed through the smoke, as a massive, hulking figure came into view.

As the smoke finally cleared, 8 gasped and took a step back, while Vegeta's eyes narrowed and his hands clenched into fists. He could now see that, about halfway up the stairs, there was a large opening set into the wall, where a hidden door had retracted. And outside of the doors was a massive reptilian beast, big enough that even 8 looked small in comparison. Its scaly hide was dark pink in color, and a long green tongue hung out from between rows of jagged teeth. A pair of curved antennae extended up from the top of its head, and a long tail lashed back and forth behind it. Its luminous yellow eyes glittered evilly as it licked its lips, sneering at the pair.

"This is the end for you two!" General White's voice laughed over the speakers set into the ceiling. "That creature is Buyon, the greatest weapon of Muscle Tower. No warrior can defeat it, and by the time it's done, there'll be nothing left of you two but bones!"

"We'll see about that," Vegeta muttered, raising his guard. This thing's got some impressive power; Kakarot or Roshi would definitely have trouble with it. But there's no way it can beat me! "Stand back!" he ordered 8, not taking his eyes off of Buyon. "I'll deal with this thing."

Buyon attacked first, letting out a vicious snarl as it fired off two streams of crackling electricity from its antennae. However, all the beam hit was an afterimage, as Vegeta vanished in a blur of speed and reappeared right in front of the monster, landing a solid punch to its abdomen. To his surprise, his fist merely sank into its ponderous gut, and he had to jump back to avoid a swipe of its claws. "Why, you…!" His eyes flashed in anger, and he charged again.

8 hastily backed away, as Vegeta and Buyon began trading rapid-fire blows. While the Saiyan was easily able to block or dodge everything that the monster could throw at him, he became increasingly annoyed that none of his attacks were doing any real damage. No matter how many punches or kicks were connecting, the flexible nature of Buyon's body meant that Vegeta's strikes all seemed to bounce right off of it.

To his credit, once it became clear that his current strategy wasn't going to work, the young prince changed tactics. If just hitting him won't work, then let's try something else! In a blur of speed, he darted past Buyon and grabbed the monster's tail, easily hoisting it off the floor and swinging it repeatedly into the surrounding walls. Each impact rumbled through the tower and cracked the bricks, but Buyon was still roaring and thrashing around, trying to break free.

"Dammit, what the hell does it take?!" Vegeta growled. The open door caught his interest, as now that he was closer to it, he could tell that there was a much larger room on the other side. Maybe if I have a bit more room to maneuver, I can come up with something. Dragging Buyon bodily up the stairs by its tail, he unceremoniously flung it through the doorway, then sprang through after it.

On the other side was a large, dungeon-like room, which appeared to encompass most of the fifth level. Unlike most of the tower, it was clear that the Red Ribbon soldiers didn't keep this place clean, likely in fear of Buyon; the walls were dirty, and the floor was littered with old bones from the monster's previous meals. All Vegeta cared about, however, was that this larger space might give him enough room to fight properly.

Buyon roared and unleashed another blast of lightning from its antennae, but once again, Vegeta dodged the beam and counterattacked. This time, he didn't hold back. A devastating stomach punch doubled Buyon over, a vicious uppercut snapped its head back, and a powerful kiai sent it flying across the room into the far wall… but after a few seconds, the monster picked itself up, battered and bruised but still not seriously hurt.

"That's impossible!" Vegeta was legitimately shocked, as he hadn't expected Buyon to survive those hits. I'm far stronger than this thing, I can sense that much! It's got to be the unusual properties of his body… it's letting him absorb the force of my physical attacks without getting hurt. His eyes narrowed, and his alarm faded as a faint smile crept across his face. "But if physical attacks don't work… then I suppose I can always try an energy attack instead."

As Buyon growled and began stomping back towards him, Vegeta cupped his hands to one side and started focusing his energy. "Ka… Me…" he murmured, a glowing blue aura flaring up around him. "Ha… Me…" His eyes flashed, and a blue-white energy sphere flared to life between his hands as his full power came surging to the surface. "HA!" The final syllable was a roar that completely overwhelmed Buyon's, as he unleashed the blast that he'd been charging and it struck the unsuspecting creature directly in the chest.

8 had been watching the fight through the doorway in the wall, but he was forced to cover his eyes and turn away as the resulting explosion of energy overwhelmed his sensors. When he could look again, Vegeta stood exactly where he'd been before, his hands outstretched… but there was now a gaping hole in the far wall of the dungeon, and no sign of Buyon. A rush of cold winter air poured into the room, as the warm air inside the fifth level was rapidly sucked out through the hole.

Vegeta held his stance for a moment, before lowering his hands and letting his aura dissipate as he turned back towards 8. "Simple enough," he declared as he stepped back out onto the stairs to join his new ally. "That thing could withstand physical impacts without much trouble, but I figured that a big enough energy blast would be able to wipe him out completely." His confident smirk returned, and he jerked a thumb up the stairs towards the sixth level. "Now… let's finish this, shall we?"

The door of General White's control room burst off its hinges and crashed to the floor, revealing Vegeta behind it with one foot still extended. His features twisted in an annoyed scowl, however, when he realized that the room beyond was empty. "You said this 'general' would be here!" he snapped over his shoulder to 8 as he stalked into the room, looking around for any signs of his target.

"He should be," 8 replied, frowning as he followed Vegeta inside. "He could not have snuck past us down the stairs, so he must be on this level somewhere. The only other rooms up here are the cells where prisoners are kept."

"Hold it right there!" The by-now-familiar voice brought Vegeta up short, and he whipped around to face the exit from the room. General White – a muscular, gray-haired man wearing a green jacket, brown pants and a red scarf tied around his neck – was standing in the doorway, holding a smaller, older man in a headlock with one arm and pressing a pistol against the man's temple.

"I don't know who the hell you are, kid," White growled, anger and fear mixing in his eyes as he glared at Vegeta, "but your little winning streak ends now! Surrender, or this guy's brains are getting splattered all over the wall!" He pressed the pistol's barrel more forcefully against the old man's head, provoking a pained whimper from his hostage.

Vegeta's jaw clenched and his eyes flashed with rage. "Bastard…!" he hissed. Clearly, this old guy must be the chief of Suno's village, which meant that he couldn't afford to risk hurting him. But… I'm fast enough to deal with this. All I have to do is get him to relax and let his guard down, at least a little. With that in mind, he straightened up and lowered his hands, letting them hang loosely at his sides. "Fine," he muttered. "Just don't hurt him."

White sneered. "That's more like it! Now, you're going to do exactly as I say, or…" Momentarily distracted by his apparent victory, he let his gun shift just a little too far away from the chief's head, and Vegeta didn't hesitate. In a blur of super-speed, the young Saiyan's hand flashed in between the pistol's barrel and the old man's skull, wrapping around the gun and wrenching it away. When White realized what had happened an instant later and reflexively pulled the trigger, it discharged harmlessly into the ceiling.

White was too stunned to react, just staring incredulously into the younger man's cold eyes. "Wh-what… are you?!" he gasped.

Vegeta didn't bother replying. Instead, he calmly and efficiently separated the general from his weapon, his hostage, and his life, in that order. The village chief went stumbling across the room until 8 caught him by the arm, while General White crumpled to the floor at Vegeta's feet, his eyes blank and his neck snapped like a twig.

8 looked shocked, but Vegeta just shook his head. "He was never going to change his ways," he assured the android. "I've seen plenty of people like him over the years, and that's the only way to deal with them." Turning to face the chief, he inclined his head. "Your people sent me, old man. It's time for you to go home; the Red Ribbon Army won't be bothering you anymore."

A few minutes later, the trio were all on solid ground, outside the tower's main entrance. A few miles away, the lights of Jingle Village gleamed into the night, and Vegeta's lips twitched in a small, genuine smile at the knowledge that he had saved the people who lived there. As he, 8 and the chief started walking away, however, an idea came to him.

"Hang on," he spoke up. "You two, keep moving. I'll be right back." With that, he leapt off the ground and soared up into the cold air, until he was hovering directly above the tower. Closing his eyes for a second, he focused all his energy into the palm of his right hand, charging up a powerful energy blast, before his eyes snapped open and he let out a yell as he fired it straight down, shaping it into a concentrated beam. The blast punched straight through the roof of the tower and kept on going, drilling through each level one after the next, until it drove all the way into the ground below and detonated. Jets of fire erupted from every window and door, and Muscle Tower crumbled like a child's sandcastle, crashing to earth in an avalanche of shattered stone and leaping flames.

Just in case those bastards get any bright ideas about coming back, Vegeta thought to himself. Nodding in satisfaction, he flew back down to ground level and landed back beside 8 and the chief, both of whom were watching him in amazement. "All right," he declared with his usual confident grin. "Now we can go."

Jingle Village…

Unsurprisingly, Suno's family were delighted to learn that Vegeta had succeeded in his mission, and the trio who had returned from Muscle Tower were welcomed into the family's house to tell them what had happened.

"With any luck, the Red Ribbons will think twice before they come back here again," Vegeta explained as he leaned back in his chair. "But I can't leave until I find the Dragon Ball that's in this area, because I need to make sure they can't get it. If I can find it and take it away from here, hopefully they won't bother you all again in the future."

"That would certainly be helpful for us, young man," the chief replied with a smile. "If there's anything we can do to help, don't hesitate to ask. It's the least I could do after everything you've done for us." His smile was replaced by a contemplative frown as he rubbed his chin with one hand. "Although I don't know how we're going to find this 'Dragon Ball'. Even with the Red Ribbon soldiers forcing all of the able-bodied men in our village to help them in their search, they couldn't find any trace of it."

"Actually…" All eyes turned to Android 8, who was sitting in an extra-large armchair and now had a rather sheepish look on his face. "There is a reason why you were unable to find it." Reaching into an internal pocket of his jacket, he removed a small object and held it up in one massive hand, revealing the unmistakable shining crystalline shape of the two-star Dragon Ball. "I found this in a snowy ravine when I was sent outside on a scouting mission, shortly after I was brought to Muscle Tower. I recognized it as a Dragon Ball from what General White had told his men about their appearance, but I also knew that to keep their plan a secret, he intended to wipe out this entire village once he had it." Gasps of horror echoed from Suno and her mother, and he nodded gravely. "So I decided to keep the ball hidden inside my cell in the tower, in the hopes that he would leave your people alive and unharmed as long as he could not find it." He held the crystal sphere out to Vegeta. "Here. You seem to be an honorable warrior, and you fought valiantly against the Red Ribbon Army to protect these people, so I believe it will be safer with you."

"Nicely done, android!" Vegeta grinned, feeling a surge of relief as he accepted the Dragon Ball from 8's outstretched hand. "Perfect. Now, no matter how many Dragon Balls the Red Ribbons have found, they won't be able to make a wish on them unless they can get this one from me. And I can assure you all, that won't be happening. But I'm going to track down as many of the others as I can too, just to be safe."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck with that, my boy!" The chief smiled and clapped a hand on Vegeta's shoulder, drawing a brief look of annoyance from the young prince, before he turned to face 8. "And how about you, friend? You're welcome to stay in our village, if you'd like; I could certainly use a strong fellow like you to help me out around here."

8 was visibly surprised by that. "You… you would allow me to stay here?" he questioned, his eyes wide. "Even though I am an android, built by the Red Ribbon Army?"

"Of course!" Suno smiled warmly, leaning over and patting the towering android's leg. "You haven't done anything to hurt any of us, and you seem nice to me!"

Moisture welled up in the corners of 8's eyes, and he smiled tearfully. "T-thank you all," he breathed. "I did not believe I would ever be shown such kindness." After a moment, though, his smile flickered. "But… I do not think it would be safe for me to stay here. The Red Ribbon scientist who created me installed a powerful bomb inside my body, and I do not know how to remove or disarm it. If the rest of the Red Ribbon Army discover that I have betrayed them, they could detonate that bomb remotely at any time. That would put you all in grave danger."

"Right, Murasaki said something about that," Vegeta muttered. "Cowards. Forcing their own soldiers to fight by putting bombs inside them… it's pathetic!"

"Oh, don't worry, my boy!" the chief assured 8 with a smile. "I think we can figure out a solution for that. There's a scientist, Dr. Flappe, who lives on the outskirts of this village. He's an expert when it comes to building and repairing machines, so perhaps he could take that bomb out of you and disarm it safely."

"Yes, I'm sure he could!" Suno agreed, smiling brightly. "I've visited Dr. Flappe's laboratory before, and I think he'd be happy to help! We can take you there tomorrow morning, if you'd like."

8 was speechless for a long moment, before his eyes shone with joy again. "That would be amazing!" he exclaimed. "Thank you all, so much!"

"In the meantime, there's no point in you going anywhere tonight with all the snow out there, young man," Suno's mother addressed Vegeta with a warm smile. "If you'd like, you're welcome to stay for dinner and spend the night here, and then you can be on your way in the morning once it's a little warmer outside."

Vegeta considered the offer, and then shrugged and nodded. "Sure," he agreed. "Why not?" It's late enough that I might as well spend the night here. I can go find Kakarot and Bulma tomorrow, once it's light again. He smirked faintly as he glanced out the window into the snowy night. Although I'm sure they're not having nearly as much fun as I am.

Korin Tower…

Goku reached up and grabbed onto yet another ledge, digging his fingers into the cold stone to hold himself in place. Panting as he tried to catch his breath, he pulled himself up onto the ledge and lifted himself into a sitting position, leaning back against the stone wall so he could rest for a minute and catch his breath. The air was thin and cold, and the wind whistled past him as he tried to let his body relax. The ground was thousands of feet below him, so far down that it had become dark and indistinct, with no details visible.

It had taken several hours for the young Saiyan to get this high, but night had fallen, and he couldn't afford to try and climb any further in the dark. He could summon the Nimbus Cloud if he fell, but he didn't want to do that unless he had no other choice. He wanted to honor the spirit of this challenge, which meant making it all the way to the top with nothing but his own strength.

For now, though… I'd better stop here, he decided. It's getting too dark: pretty soon I won't even be able to see where I'm putting my hands, and that makes it too risky to keep going up. I can climb the rest of the way in the morning.

Fortunately, the ledge that Goku was now sitting on was wide enough that he could sit there comfortably. Relaxing against the smooth, cold stone, he channeled a gentle flow of ki through his body, using a technique that Vegeta had taught him to ward off the chill and warm himself up. Closing his eyes, he did his best to calm his mind as Vegeta and Roshi had both taught him, slipping into a meditative state so that he could rest without falling asleep and risking a deadly fall.

Man, this is tough, he thought to himself with a weary grin. But I bet Vegeta isn't having nearly as much fun as I am!

Chapter Text

Last time, on  The Lost Prince…

Angered by the Red Ribbon Army's cruelty, Vegeta launched a one-man invasion of their Arctic fortress, Muscle Tower. After making short work of all the tower's defenders, he destroyed it and freed the people of Jingle Village from their oppressors, before obtaining a Dragon Ball as his reward. Meanwhile, Goku is facing his own challenge: the difficult climb to the top of the legendary Korin Tower. The story continues… now!

Red Ribbon Saga, Part 4: Declaration of War

Korin Tower, Planet Earth

Age 750

Seated on a stone ledge thousands of feet above the earth, Goku had spent most of the night meditating, warding off the cold and allowing his body to rest without actually sleeping and risking a deadly fall. When the first rays of sunlight spilled over the horizon, he finally drifted out of the trance, and his eyes flickered and opened. Immediately, they popped open wide and he inhaled sharply in amazement, as he realized just how high up he was. The previous evening, when he'd finally stopped climbing, it had been too dark for him to see much, but now he could truly appreciate the stunning vista that was spread out far below him.

Of course, given the young Saiyan's personality, the view didn't distract him for long. "All right," he muttered to himself, grinning. "Time to get up there and find this Korin guy!" Pulling himself back up to his feet, he turned back to face the tower, reached up to the next available handholds, and began climbing again.

Considering what Bora had told him about how tall Korin Tower was said to be, Goku had no idea how long it would take for him to reach the top. With that in mind, he was pleasantly surprised when, after just a couple more hours of climbing, he saw something far above him. It looked as if the narrow stone tower expanded outwards into a much wider, circular shape, like a great stone disc.

It looks like… maybe that's the top! His eyes lit up with excitement, and he put on an extra burst of speed as he continued to scramble up the tower, his hands and feet easily finding ledges and gaps in the stonework. Even with his Saiyan strength, his fingers were aching from the long climb, but he ignored the discomfort and kept going.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of climbing, he reached the great stone disc at the top of the tower. Four round holes had been carved into it, providing access to whatever was above that point. Tensing up and bracing his feet on a narrow ledge, Goku crouched low and then jumped upwards, launching himself up through one of the holes. He caught the edge with both hands, and then pulled himself up and over the edge, onto a smooth stone floor. For a moment, he allowed his exhaustion to win out, and he slumped to the floor and rolled over onto his back, taking deep breaths and allowing his body to rest.

Once he'd caught his breath, Goku rolled back over and sat up, taking in his surroundings. The room where he found himself looked like the interior of a house, with a bed, a bathtub, and a set of three large stone jars lined up against one wall. Set into the opposite wall was a doorway, which led out to a staircase that rose up out of sight, suggesting that there was another level to this place.

"Wow," Goku breathed, his eyes wide. "So this is where that ancient hermit lives, huh?" His attention was drawn over to the jars, and he hopped to his feet and walked over to them. Maybe that's the Sacred Water that Bora was talking about?

When he opened the first of the three jars, however, his eyes widened and he rocked back on his heels as he saw what was visible inside. The jar did appear to have water in it, but it was the reflection in its surface that caught him off-guard. It was an image of himself and Vegeta, back when they'd been living alone on Mount Paozu, making their way back to Gohan's old house after a day of fishing. Goku was carrying a fish that was bigger than his own body, hoisting it over his head, while Vegeta was dragging two identical fish behind him, one with each hand. After a few seconds, though, the image shimmered and faded away, and the "water" inside the jar vanished, leaving it empty.

"Whoa!" Goku stared incredulously into the jar, his mind racing. Did I really just see that? He stepped over to the middle jar and opened that one, stretching up on his toes and peering down curiously. The sight that greeted him this time drew a chuckle from the young Saiyan: it was an image of Vegeta, fast asleep in a bed that Goku didn't recognize, sprawled out and snoring loudly. Again, the image rippled and dissipated, leaving behind an empty jar.

Man… this is really weird! Goku turned to the final jar and curiously opened that one as well. This time, the image that greeted him sent a chill down his spine: it was an image of Vegeta again, but this time the older boy was surrounded by crackling fire and billowing smoke. His clothes were scorched, tattered, and stained with blood, and there was a cold scowl on his face. He cupped his hands to his side, and his voice rang out as blue light flared to life in his palms. "KAMEHAMEHA!" his voice roared as he swung his hands forward, and the surface of the illusory "water" suddenly flashed a brilliant blue and exploded upwards.

"Gah!" Goku cried out and instinctively threw himself backwards, landing hard on the stone floor. "Ow…" he muttered, rubbing his backside as he clambered back to his feet. When he looked back into the jar, it was empty and the image was gone, just like the other two.

What the heck was that?! Goku replaced the lids of the three jars, and then turned to look around the room again. "All right," he murmured to himself as his expression hardened, before he raised his voice and called out loudly. "Enough tricks! Is anyone here?"

Of course! A calm, raspy voice suddenly echoed inside his head, cutting him off. Please, come up the stairs. I'm on the upper level.

Goku's eyes widened in shock, and he spun around in a circle trying to find whoever had spoken, but the room was still empty. After a moment, though, he shrugged and headed over to the exterior opening, stepping out onto the stairs. Doing his best not to look at the mind-boggling drop beneath him, he made his way up the stairs to the second level, which looked much more like the martial-arts training area that he'd been expecting: a large, circular room with a smooth stone floor, which provided perfect grip for his shoes. Unlike the living space below, there were no solid walls along the edges of this room: instead, a waist-high railing ran all the way around the edge. Cylindrical stone columns rose up from the floor at regular intervals throughout the room, holding up the curved dome of the ceiling overhead.

Okay… Goku stepped forward, still tense and keeping his wits about him. There's definitely somebody up here; I can sense them. But where? "Hello?" he called as he walked to the center of the room. "Where are you?"

"Right here," the voice from before spoke up, with a note of dry amusement. It was audible this time, not telepathic, and came from behind him.

"Huh?" Goku spun around, and was caught off-guard by the figure who was now standing between him and the top of the stairs. Ever since Bora had told him about the ancient mystic sage who lived atop this tower, he'd been picturing somebody like Master Roshi, an old, bearded man. But the person in front of him wasn't even human; instead, he appeared to be a large, white-furred cat. Similarly to other anthropomorphic creatures that Goku had met, like Oolong and Puar, he was standing upright on his hind legs, with a humanoid body shape. In one of his paws, he carried a long staff, carved from dark brown wood.

"You're pretty spry for a kid your size," the cat remarked, smiling faintly. "I enjoyed watching your climb; it was quite impressive that you made it up here, let alone so fast." He held out his free paw. "The name's Korin. I'm the keeper of this tower."

"Oh! It's nice to meet you, sir!" Goku smiled and shook the offered paw, before remembering his manners and bringing his hands together in front of him as he bowed respectfully. "Well, um… my name's Goku. I was told that if I could climb your tower, you could help me to become much stronger than I am now, with your Sacred Water." His cheerful attitude was interrupted by a frown, and he pointed past Korin towards the stairs. "Is that what was in those jars downstairs?"

"Oh, those?" Korin chuckled and let out an amused purr. "No, no. Those jars are simply a magical artifact that can be used to see through time: they show the viewer brief glimpses of the past, present, and future, depending on which jar you look into." His tail flicked lazily back and forth, and he tapped the lower end of his staff against the floor. "Anyway, kid… the fact of the matter is, it takes more than just climbing this tower to earn the Sacred Water. By doing that, you've proven the strength of your body… but one must also be worthy of its power in their mind and their heart, before they can claim that honor." He patted his chest with his free paw. "So, I'll test the nature of your heart next. That part's just a simple question: if I did give you the Water and allow you to drink from it, what would you do with your newfound strength?" His ears perked up, and he grinned. "Just to warn you, though: I can hear your thoughts and sense your ki. So, if your answer is a lie, I'll know."

"Well, I…" Goku considered that for a moment. Why did he want the Sacred Water? His first impulse was simply to say that he wanted it to get stronger, so that he'd have a better chance of catching up to Vegeta. But when he thought about it, that didn't really seem like a good enough reason. And, to be fair, he did have another reason: as he thought about it, memories of his encounters with people like Monster Carrot, Emperor Pilaf, or the Red Ribbon Army soldiers who'd been threatening Bora and Upa began to play through his mind. Last of all was a flash of memory from the previous year, when they'd summoned Shenron and used the Dragon Balls to witness the destruction of his home planet: the image of that green-armored Saiyan who'd looked just like him, standing alongside Vegeta's father as they were annihilated by that monstrous alien tyrant, Frieza. His hands clenched into fists as he recalled that memory, and his expression hardened.

"I'd use it to protect my friends, and the people I care about," he answered, and was a little surprised by the force of the conviction in his voice. "And if anyone hurts innocent people, or tries to harm this world… I'd use that power to stop them."

"Hmmm…" Korin considered that for a few seconds, thoughtfully rubbing his chin with his free paw. His eyes were closed, but Goku could tell that the old master was still fully alert. Finally, his eyes flicked open again, and he smiled. "Yes, I can sense it. You've got a pure heart, kid, and a righteous spirit to go along with it. So, with that in mind…" He pointed with his staff, drawing Goku's attention over to an ornate stone pedestal on the other side of the expansive room. Perched atop it was a beautifully-carved stone bottle. "That's the Sacred Water, right over there."

"Oh, so that's it!" Goku grinned. "Awesome! Thanks, Mr. Korin!" He eagerly bounded across the room to the pedestal, but before he could jump up and retrieve the bottle, there was a blur of high-speed movement and a sudden impact caught him in the side, knocking him off-course. He recovered his balance and flipped upright, landing on his feet, but when he looked up, the bottle wasn't on the pedestal anymore. What the… where'd it go?!

"Before you can claim it, though, there's one more test that you'll have to pass!" Korin called out, standing back over where he'd been before. When Goku turned to face him, though, the young Saiyan's eyes widened: the cat was now carrying the stone bottle, which he'd hooked skillfully onto the top of his staff. "A test of the mind… or, more accurately, of your martial arts skills." He chuckled, twitching his staff back and forth so the bottle waved about in the air. "To be precise: if you really want this water, you're gonna have to take it from me! Without breaking the bottle, of course."

"You…!" For a moment, Goku scowled, but then his irritation was gradually replaced by a mixture of amusement and excitement. Well, I wanted a challenge that would help me improve, right? Here it is. "All right," he replied, smiling as he raised his guard and entered a fighting stance. "If that's what I need to do, then I will!"

"Excellent!" Korin shifted into a more alert posture of his own, raising his free paw in front of him as he shifted the staff to point back behind him. "Then show me what you've got, kid."

Jingle Village, several hours later…

Vegeta emerged from Suno's house and stepped out into the cold morning air. He promptly adjusted the coat that he'd brought with him from Capsule Corp, grimacing and using his ki to warm himself as the snow crunched under his boots. Suno and her parents followed him outside, all smiling and appearing much more relaxed than they had been at any time since they'd first met him. Clearly, his destruction of Muscle Tower and his elimination of the Red Ribbon soldiers who had been oppressing this village had lifted everyone's spirits.

Overnight, word of Vegeta's actions had spread throughout the village, and many of the family's neighbors had come by to see him off. The village chief and Android 8, however, were absent, as the former had escorted the latter to meet with Dr. Flappe, the scientist who would hopefully be able to disable the bomb that the Red Ribbon Army had installed inside of the android's body.

"Thank you so much for all your help, Mr. Vegeta!" Suno beamed cheerfully up at the teenage Saiyan prince as she followed close behind him.

"Indeed," her mother agreed with a warm smile. "We all owe you a great debt for saving our village from the Red Ribbon Army, and that won't be forgotten. Wherever your path takes you in the future, you'll always be welcome here."

Vegeta smiled faintly, unable to suppress a warm feeling in his chest. He wasn't used to receiving this much gratitude, especially from virtual strangers, but he couldn't help enjoying it. "Well, since you helped me find this, consider the debt paid," he replied, patting the pocket in his coat where the Dragon Ball was hidden. "And don't worry, I'll make sure that you won't be getting any more visits from them in the future." Walking a few steps away, he glanced back over his shoulder and flashed his usual confident smirk. "Farewell."

With that, Vegeta crouched for a second, kicked off the ground, and leapt several dozen feet into the air. Before he could fall back to the ground, his blue-white aura flared to life around him, and he blasted off into the distance, rapidly fading from sight.

As the young prince soared through the cold morning air, he reached down into one of his coat's pockets and removed the handheld GPS that Bulma had given him before he'd flown north, setting it to home in on the second set of coordinates that she'd programmed into it: the location of Korin Tower, the place where she and Kakarot had gone looking for another Dragon Ball. With any luck, he thought to himself, hopefully they'll have found it by now. Once we've got a couple in hand, we can track the rest of the Red Ribbons down and deal with them. His smirk widened. And if the idiots defending that tower were any indication, handling the rest of them shouldn't be too difficult.

Red Ribbon Army headquarters…

Commander Red sat behind his desk, his hands folded in front of him. He resisted the urge to take out a cigar, as he didn't want to seem too casual and risk offending his guest. Based on everything that he'd learned about the man who he had contacted, it would not be a good idea to get on this guy's bad side.

On cue, the office door creaked open. Staff Officer Black, who was standing at attention behind his commander, shifted anxiously and made an effort to keep his expression calm. Red had an easier job of it, but he too felt a little nervous at the sight of the man standing in the doorway. Tall and lean, with a thin mustache and long black hair tied into a neat braid, their visitor wore a form-fitting pink robe over a dark-blue shirt and pants. His dark eyes flicked around the room with a calculating intensity, missing nothing.

"Greetings, Commander Red," he intoned in a crisp, cold voice as he strode across the room and came to a stop in front of Red's desk. "I am Tao Paipai, at your service."

"Thank you for meeting with me," Red replied, shifting a little further forward in his chair. "Now, as I said on the phone, I –"

"Before we get down to business," Tao interrupted matter-of-factly, "I must warn you that my usual fee is highly expensive. I do not offer my services cheaply."

"Of course." Red nodded, internally grimacing as he recalled just how much the infamous mercenary's services were going to cost the army. All things considered, though, he felt it was better to be safe than sorry, and Tao's fearsome reputation would be well worth the price. "That's not a problem; we're willing to pay you handsomely." He smiled, doing his best to sit up as high as possible. "Now, to business. Sometime in the next few weeks, once my scouting teams have completed their current missions, we will be launching a major offensive against King Furry and the Royal Army, with the ultimate goal of securing our dominance over the entire world. To assist us in that matter, I would like to hire you for two tasks." Raising one hand, he held up an index finger. "First, to serve as my personal bodyguard for the duration of the conflict, to ensure that there are no attempts on my life as we carry out our master plan. And second…" A cruel grin spread across his face as he raised a second finger. "Should that pitiful king refuse to surrender to us once we crush his army and march on Central City, you will be charged with infiltrating the Royal Palace and assassinating him, so that we can take over without any difficulties. That should be a challenge worthy of your skills, I would imagine."

Tao's eyes had narrowed skeptically at the first part of Red's proposal, but a faint smile flickered across his lips at the second one. "A royal assassination?" he murmured thoughtfully. "Yes, that would certainly be worth my time." He nodded. "Very well, Commander. I accept."

A knock on the door drew all three men's attention. Black hurried over and opened the door, exchanging a few hushed words with the soldier outside before accepting a slip of paper from him. He closed the door and turned to face Red, examining the paper for a moment before he smiled. "Good news, Commander!" he declared. "General Blue's strike force is now approaching Korin Tower. They should have their target within the hour."

"Excellent!" Red's grin widened as he glanced over to the large crystal bowl on the corner of his desk, where four Dragon Balls now rested. The fourth had been delivered to him by Colonel Violet, who had recently returned from her own mission. Once Blue gets back here with the fifth, we'll only have two more to go until I can make my wish. And with Tao on our side, when the time comes for us to strike… nobody will be able to stand in my way.

Korin Tower…

The large, circular room was filled with a blur of high-speed movement, as Goku and Korin darted back and forth. Bounding and weaving among the pillars, Korin's amused grin never wavered as he continued to dodge Goku's increasingly-frustrated swipes, always one step ahead of the young Saiyan. They'd been doing this for hours, and the chase didn't seem likely to end anytime soon.

Goku, for his part, was feeling equal parts baffled and impressed by Korin's martial arts skills. The cat sage moved in a blur, displaying talent and reflexes that were far beyond what his appearance would suggest. Every trick and move that the young Saiyan had tried had been countered, as if Korin was reading him like a book. Even Roshi's Afterimage technique had failed, as Korin had promptly revealed that he too possessed that ability.

The longer the fight went on, however, the more Goku was starting to get the hang of his opponent's moves. His body was gradually adjusting, learning the timing of Korin's moves and getting used to the ancient master's fighting style. For the first few hours, he hadn't even come close to catching Korin, but now he was staying right on his teacher's heels.

For his part, Korin seemed calm and confident, but inwardly he was amazed. Who the hell is this kid?! he thought to himself as he ducked under Goku's swinging arm, rebounding off a pillar and leaping across the room. He's only been here a few hours, and he's already almost caught up to me! Nobody's ever been able to learn my moves that quickly!

Come on… come on…! Goku's eyes narrowed as he raced after Korin, never letting up even for an instant. He saw the cat land lightly on another pillar, this one right near the edge of the tower, and charged straight for him. As he'd expected, Korin's outline shimmered and split, and the sage seemed to jump away in several directions at once as he generated a flurry of Afterimages. Closing his eyes for a heartbeat, Goku focused with everything he had, searching for the real Korin's energy. He's… right… His eyes snapped open, flicking to the left, and he grinned. "There!" Without any hesitation, he kicked off the ground and sprang, launching himself towards one of the images of Korin, which had leapt out into open space, dangerously close to the edge of the platform.

"What?!" Korin was caught off-guard; he hadn't been expecting Goku to predict which way he'd go, and was unable to change course while he was in mid-leap. His surprise slowed his reflexes for one crucial second, and Goku slammed into him, tackling him out of the air and sending them both tumbling across the floor to the very edge of the platform. Korin's staff slipped from his paws, and he cried out in alarm as he reached for it… but before it could fly off the edge, Goku's tail lashed out and wrapped around it, yanking the staff back to safety and right into the boy's hands as he released his grip on his opponent.

It took a couple of seconds for the realization to sink in, but then Goku's face lit up and he grinned. "I… I did it!" He laughed in delight, jumping excitedly to his feet. "I got it! I really got it!" Panting wearily, he leaned back against the nearest pillar, holding the staff in both hands and admiring the bottle that still hung from it.

"Amazing!" Korin was panting just as heavily as his student, but he dusted himself off as he clambered wearily to his feet. "You're somethin' else, kid. I've never had a student complete my training that quickly, not by a long shot. The only other person in centuries who's been able to get that bottle from me was your first teacher, Master Roshi." He grinned and shook his head in disbelief. "And it took a full three years of my training for him to accomplish that. But you managed it in a single day!"

"Whoa, really?" Goku's eyes widened in amazement. "That's crazy! I'll have to tell Master Roshi about this the next time I see him, then." He carefully removed the bottle from the staff, and then held the staff out for Korin to reclaim it. "So, ah… can I have the Sacred Water now, sir?"

"Huh?" Korin raised an eyebrow as he took the staff back, and chuckled dryly under his breath. "Oh, yeah, of course! It's all yours, kid; I'm sure you must be thirsty after all of that training."

"Awesome!" Goku couldn't suppress his excited grin as he uncorked the bottle. I wonder what it's gonna feel like? Bora said the Sacred Water's supposed to make you a lot stronger, so I'm sure that'll be really cool! Tilting his head back, he raised the bottle to his lips and drank deeply; he was thirstier than he'd thought, so he took numerous long gulps, until it finally ran dry. Exhaling loudly, he lowered the bottle and wiped his mouth, waiting expectantly for some kind of reaction or surge of energy within him. But, although the water had been cool and refreshing, nothing else seemed to happen. His ki didn't change at all, and he didn't feel any stronger than he'd been before.

"Uh… I'm sorry, Mr. Korin, but… is it working?" He frowned, looking down at himself. "I don't feel any different."

"Well, I wouldn't expect you to!" Korin laughed, enjoying the confusion on his student's face. "See, that's the secret of the 'Sacred Water', kid. What actually makes you stronger are the physical challenges that it took to get that bottle: climbing my tower improves your strength, chasing me around all day helps to improve your speed, and learning my fighting style improves your combat skill. The water itself is just ordinary rainwater; it's tasty, but that's all."

"Wait, what?!" Goku regarded the now-empty bottle incredulously, before a faint smile flickered across his face as he considered what Korin had said. Huh. Yeah, thinking about it… he's right! Even if the water isn't magic, I did improve by doing all that stuff. "Well, thank you, sir," he replied, bowing to Korin and handing the bottle back to the old sage. "I really appreciate your help. You've got some really neat moves!"

"Well, thanks, kid." Korin chuckled as he led the way out of the upper pavilion and down the outer staircase to the living quarters below. "And as I said, you're truly impressive. I think you'll go on to do great things in the future, if you keep growing and improving at this rate."

"You think so?" Goku beamed and stretched his arms over his head, before wincing and rubbing a sore spot on his side. Now that the challenge was finally over, all the aches and bruises that he'd gotten over the course of the previous day – both from his long climb and from his sparring with Korin – were catching up to him. "Ah, man… I'm gonna be hurting tomorrow, that's for sure."

"Well, actually, I can help you with that too," Korin replied matter-of-factly. Crossing to the far side of the room, he rummaged through some drawers and retrieved a bag. Reaching inside, he fished out a pair of small, light-green beans, one of which he popped into his mouth. After chewing and swallowing it, he suddenly stood up straighter and sighed loudly, stretching out his arms and arching his back. "Ahhh, that's the stuff!" With a casual flick of his paw, he tossed the other bean across the room to Goku, who caught it reflexively. "Here, eat this. It'll make you feel better."

Goku blinked as he looked down at the bean in his hand, but he ultimately shrugged. No reason not to try it, right? He slipped it into his mouth and bit down on it; the bean was pleasantly crunchy, but didn't have any particular flavor. Within seconds of swallowing it, however, he suddenly felt a rush of relief wash over him. All of his soreness and exhaustion melted away, and the various scrapes and bruises that he'd sustained over the past day simply vanished, leaving him fully healed and with his energy restored. "Wow, that's great!" he exclaimed, smiling as he looked back to Korin. "What is that?"

"They're called Senzu beans," Korin explained, slipping the bag back into its drawer. "I grow 'em up here, whenever I can. One of them is as good as a full day's worth of food, and eating them can also heal all manner of injuries or illnesses. They're a very useful thing to have around."

"No kidding!" Goku grinned and hopped lightly from one foot to the other, stretching out his rejuvenated muscles and throwing a few practice jabs at the air in front of him. "And you weren't wrong about the training; I do feel a little stronger now!" Letting himself relax, he bowed respectfully to Korin again. "Well, thank you for the training, Master Korin, but I should probably be going now. My friends will probably be waiting for me down at the bottom of the tower, and we need to get to work on finding the rest of the Dragon Balls."

"Ah, yes, of course." Korin nodded genially, setting down his staff against his bed. "Well, in that case… huh?" He suddenly cut himself off, frowned and turned away, walking over to one of the holes in the floor and looking down at the immense drop beneath them. "Hmmm… that could be troublesome."

"What? What is it?" Goku questioned, hurrying over to stand beside him at the edge of the hole.

"You'd better get down there quickly, my boy." Korin's frown deepened. "You said your friends are waiting for you down there, right? Well, it feels like someone else is down there now too… and their energies don't feel friendly."

"Huh?" Goku looked down, trying to reach out with his mind and sense what was going on, but he was too far up to distinguish any of the energy signatures far below. Who could that be? Unless… His eyes suddenly widened in alarm. What if it's more of those Red Ribbon Army guys, trying to figure out what happened to the ones Bora and I took care of? If that's the case…

"You're right," he agreed hastily. "I need to go, now!" Tightening his belt, he nodded one more time to Korin. "Thanks again for everything, sir. See you around!" With no further hesitation, he jumped into the hole and dropped straight down, plummeting alongside the tower towards the ground far below.

Goku had initially been planning to climb down the tower, but he didn't have that kind of time now. Instead, after falling for several hundred feet, he yelled "Nimbus!" at the top of his lungs. Sure enough, after a few more seconds, the glowing golden cloud came rocketing up towards him, intercepting him and breaking his fall. Without wasting any more time, Goku aimed the enchanted cloud down and continued his descent, spiraling in a series of loops around the tower as he sped towards the distant ground.

Thousands of feet below Korin's temple, Bulma was seated at the base of a tree, leaning back against the trunk as she continued working on her Dragon Radar. She'd spent most of the day working on it, but she'd yet to make any real progress. Damn it… she thought irritably as she adjusted the device's settings, trying to figure out a workaround that would let her bypass whatever was interfering with her scanner. What's going on with this thing?

As it turned out, she was so intently focused on her work that she wasn't paying attention to anything else around her, to the point that she didn't register the approaching drone of helicopter blades until it suddenly swelled into a roar. Flinching, she looked up just in time to see a pair of large military choppers sweep overhead, sending a rush of wind through the clearing in their wake. Her eyes widened in alarm as she recognized the insignia on their sides: a symbol like a red bow, with two large white Rs inside of it. Even though she'd only ever seen that symbol in news footage before, she recognized it immediately, and a chill ran through her entire body.

"Oh, crap," she whispered. If the Red Ribbon Army had sent reinforcements for the soldiers that Bora and Goku had taken out, and Goku wasn't here to deal with them…

This is bad. Very, very bad.

"Come, child!" Bora was already rushing towards her across the clearing, carrying Upa in one of his arms as he hefted his spear with the other. "We must take cover! There may be too many of them for me to handle this time!" As he spoke, two more helicopters thundered overhead, also emblazoned with the Red Ribbon insignia. This finally snapped Bulma out of her fear, and she started running for the trees.

Before the trio could make it into the forest, however, a burst of machine-gun-fire from overhead stitched a line of bullet holes across the ground in front of them, kicking up clouds of dust. Bulma skidded to a halt, gasping, and Bora stepped protectively in front of her, setting Upa down next to her and shielding them behind his muscular form as he glared up at the circling helicopters.

"Stay right where you are!" an amplified voice boomed out from one of the choppers. "Don't even think about running; we will shoot you if you try to escape!" The helicopter where the voice originated shifted into hovering mode and began to descend, while the other three continued to circle overhead like predatory birds.

"Stay behind me, you two," Bora rumbled, remaining protectively in front of Bulma and Upa as the helicopter landed. His hands tightened around his spear as the landing ramp dropped and several squads of uniformed Red Ribbon soldiers disembarked, fanning out across the clearing with rifles at the ready. At their center was a tall, muscular man with broad shoulders, close-cropped blonde hair and cold blue eyes. Bulma might have taken him for handsome under other circumstances, but the cruel, arrogant smile on his face canceled out any attractive qualities that he might have had otherwise. He didn't appear to be carrying a gun, but based on the way he looked, she got the feeling that it was because he might not need one.

"Greetings!" the blonde man called out with a chuckle as he strolled leisurely towards them, flexing his arms. "I am General Blue, the most powerful soldier of the Red Ribbon Army." His eyes locked on Bora. "I assume you're the one who took out Captain Yellow and his squad?"

Bora slid one foot back as he settled into a ready stance, glancing warily over his shoulder to Bulma and Upa. "I am," he finally declared as he returned his gaze to the Red Ribbon general. "They threatened my life, and that of my son. But I bear you no ill will, so if you leave now, there will be no need for conflict between us."

Blue smirked. "That's very kind of you, but unfortunately it's not an option. However, if you're willing to give me what I'm looking for, I might be willing to let you and your little companions live." His eyes narrowed. "I'm here for a small crystal ball, orange in color with red stars on it. I know you have it; Yellow informed us of that, before you killed him. So hand it over, and we'll be on our way. If not…" He raised a hand, and his soldiers all trained their weapons on Bora. Bulma paled, shrinking a little further into cover behind him; she wasn't sure if he could withstand bullets, the way Vegeta had claimed that he and Goku could, but she certainly couldn't.

Bora was still tense, holding his spear at the ready, but he couldn't attack without leaving Bulma and Upa unprotected. Bulma touched her pocket with one hand, feeling the weight of the Dragon Ball that was concealed there. Should I just give it to him? Maybe he's telling the truth and he'll leave us alone? Just as she slipped her hand into her pocket, however, a faint whistling sound drew her attention upwards. She looked up, just in time to see a small figure plummeting directly towards the Red Ribbon troops.

Bora's eyes widened and he took a step back as he looked up, which drew Blue's attention. "What are you…?" he started to ask, glancing upwards… just as Goku slammed to earth, right in the middle of one of the Red Ribbon squads. The force of the impact knocked all four men off their feet, tossing them to the ground.

As the soldiers all sprang back, swinging around to face the new threat and opening fire, Bora saw his chance. "Get Upa to safety, girl!" he yelled to Bulma, before he burst into motion and charged across the field, heading straight for Blue. He raised his spear, aiming to land a killing or disabling blow with his first strike; he could already tell that this was not a man to be trifled with.

Unfortunately, Blue's reflexes were faster than Bora had realized, and the general counterattacked before his enemy could get close. Whipping back around to face Bora, he yelled and flung out one hand, his eyes flashing. Even though he was still a few yards away, Bora's eyes widened as an invisible wave of force suddenly crashed into him, lifting him off his feet and holding him suspended in the air.

"Nice try!" Blue laughed, swinging his arm down as if he were cracking a whip. The invisible energy that was holding Bora did the same, slamming him into the ground with devastating force. "My psychic powers are unrivaled in our army! Perhaps you might stand a chance against me in a physical fight – though I doubt it – but against my true power, you are nothing!" He swung his arm to one side, his telekinesis smashing Bora into a nearby tree, and then back in the other direction, flinging the stunned warrior towards the base of Korin Tower. He crashed painfully against the unyielding stone, and then tumbled to the ground in a half-conscious heap as Blue finally released his attack.

Goku had just dived out of the way of a barrage of gunfire from the Red Ribbon soldiers, but his eyes widened in horror when he looked up to see Bora fall. "No!" he yelled, scowling as his hands clenched into fists. "You bastard!" He kicked off the ground and rocketed towards his enemy, but the general whipped around just in time to see him coming; his eyes widened in alarm and he flung out both hands, yelling and lashing out with his telekinesis. The invisible vice clamped down around Goku just before he could reach his target, freezing him in midair with his fist just a couple of feet from Blue's face.

After gaping in shock for a moment at the realization that Goku had managed to close the distance between them so quickly, Blue scowled. "And who the hell do you think you are, you little brat?!" he snapped, tightening his mental hold on Goku with a clench of his fists. As the young Saiyan squirmed against the telekinetic hold, trying to break free, Blue slammed him into the ground with a swing of his arms, pinning him there and bearing down with all of his mental might. "We are the Red Ribbon Army! No force on this planet can match us!"

At that moment, one of the three helicopters that were hovering above them suddenly exploded, sending burning wreckage raining down into the forest nearby. The Red Ribbon soldiers on the ground were immediately thrown into chaos, scattering in disarray. Blue whirled around and looked up at the sky, just as a yellow beam of energy lanced through the air above them and struck one of the other choppers, blowing that one apart as well. This time, the fireball that erupted above them lit up the form of the person who had fired the beam, leaving him silhouetted against the darkening evening sky: a spiky-haired boy wearing a long blue coat, floating in midair and scowling down at the clearing like an avenging angel.

Vegeta, Prince of Saiyans, had arrived.

To their credit, the third helicopter's gunners didn't waste time on shock; as soon as they caught sight of Vegeta, they locked onto his position and opened fire. Unfortunately, the resulting flurry of armor-piercing bullets never had a chance of hitting him, as he easily dodged out of the way and returned fire with another energy beam, punching straight through the chopper and shattering its engine. It promptly tilted wildly in the air, plunged to the ground and exploded on impact, killing everyone inside. Before that explosion had even started to fade, the Saiyan prince also dropped to the ground and landed solidly on his feet, surveying the situation in a single glance. Seeing that Bulma was clear of the action, which meant that he had no reason to hold back, he promptly burst into motion, hitting the remaining Red Ribbon soldiers like a thunderbolt.

Wisely, Bulma immediately fled: she snatched Upa up, carrying him protectively in her arms, and darted into the cover of the nearby trees, where they would be out of the firing line. General Blue, however, was too stunned to react, rooted to the spot in horror as he watched Vegeta tearing through his soldiers with no apparent effort, bones snapping and bodies tumbling across the ground with every strike. "How… I… what?!" he spluttered incredulously. "That… that's impossible–"

"Don't take your eyes off me!" Goku's voice called out from behind the general, a moment before a vicious double-fisted blow cracked into the back of Blue's head, instantly flooring him and knocking him out cold. The older man's shock had weakened his telekinetic hold on the younger Saiyan, giving him the chance to break free, and Goku had been quick to take advantage. As soon as the Saiyan boy was sure that the unconscious general wouldn't be getting up anytime soon, he snatched up his Power Pole and sprang into motion, bounding into the fray to join Vegeta.

Less than two minutes later, the fight was over.

A couple of hours had passed, but Bulma was still making a conscious effort to calm her nerves as she sat inside of her capsule-trailer. Vegeta and Goku had disposed of all the bodies of the Red Ribbon soldiers, but there were still scorch marks and bloodstains scattered around the clearing outside, and the thought of what could have happened if Vegeta hadn't shown up was still sending chills down her spine.

Under the circumstances, the Saiyans hadn't been in the mood to show mercy. Out of the entire Red Ribbon strike force, only General Blue was still alive, although he was still unconscious and had been securely tied to a tree near the base of Korin Tower. His helicopter was still intact, since it had been on the ground and unoccupied when Vegeta had shown up, but the other three had all been reduced to smoking piles of wreckage. Luckily, a thunderstorm had rolled in a short time later, and the rain had quenched any fires that might have broken out. Bora and Upa had taken shelter in their large teepee, the former still recovering from his fight with Blue, while Bulma, Goku and Vegeta had chosen to keep themselves dry inside Bulma's trailer.

"Man, these Red Ribbon guys are really awful!" Goku exclaimed, having just listened to Vegeta's account of what he'd experienced in the Arctic. "I can't believe they'd enslave all those innocent people like that!"

"They're nothing but cowardly scum," Vegeta muttered, scowling as he folded his arms over his chest and shot a glare out of the trailer's window, in the direction of the nearby RRA helicopter. "We were right to interfere in this business; from what I've seen of these bastards, we can't risk them getting a wish on the Dragon Balls." His scowl faded a moment later, replaced by a faint smirk. "The good news is, now that we have two of the seven, they won't be getting any wishes."

"The bad news is," Bulma put in, "whatever's going on with my Dragon Radar, I haven't been able to fix it." She shook her head ruefully as she examined the device. "It doesn't seem like there's anything wrong with it mechanically, but something's keeping me from homing in on any of the Dragon Balls, including the two that we already have. My best guess is, somebody's jamming it, probably the Red Ribbons. So unfortunately, it looks like we're not gonna be able to use this thing until I can figure out how to break through that interference."

"Well, fortunately, tracking the Dragon Balls may not be an issue at the moment." Vegeta's smirk widened, and he gestured over his shoulder with one thumb to the darkened forest outside. "Since you said our prisoner claimed to be some kind of high-ranking officer for the Red Ribbons, he might have all the information we need to find the rest of them. So, I think I'll just… have a word with him." Something dangerous flickered in his dark eyes, and Bulma felt a chill run down her spine. Under normal circumstances, the implications of that statement probably would've bothered her… but considering what the Red Ribbon soldiers had been about to do to her just a couple of hours earlier, she couldn't bring herself to feel bad.

"Agh!" General Blue was jolted back into consciousness by a boot jabbing painfully into his ribs. Wincing and shaking his head, he grimaced as he looked up, but his pain and anger were quickly replaced by terror and he flinched back, pressing into the tree and straining against the ropes that were keeping him bound in place. Rain was dripping through the branches of the tree and pattering down around him, but he barely noticed the cold.

Vegeta, who was standing over him, scowled coldly and extended one hand towards Blue. "I have some questions for you, General," he drawled, enjoying the older man's terrified intake of breath as a yellow energy sphere formed in his palm. Lightning flashed across the night sky overhead, showing the cold anger in his dark eyes, and a clap of thunder echoed around them as the hum of the energy sphere intensified. "And for your sake, I suggest that you answer them honestly."

A few minutes later…

"With a little persuasion, he was remarkably forthcoming," Vegeta remarked as he stepped back into Bulma's capsule-trailer, briefly flaring up his ki to vaporize the water that had been clinging to his clothes. Waving away the resulting cloud of steam, he made his way back over to the table where Bulma and Goku had been waiting for him.

"The bad news is," he continued as he sat down, "he doesn't know anything about the Dragon Radar being jammed. He did confirm, however, that the Red Ribbon Army have managed to build their own similar tracking system, which is how they've been able to find the Dragon Balls. Additionally, they do have at least three of them – possibly four by now, since they were apparently close to finding another one when he was ordered to come here." His earlier smirk returned. "Fortunately, he knows exactly where they're keeping the ones that they've found so far: at their main headquarters, in the possession of their commander."

"All right!" Goku grinned. "So, I guess that's where we need to go next, right?"

Vegeta nodded. "I think that's our best option. There's no reason for us to just sit and wait until they come after us again; we may as well deal with the rest of them before they can take another shot at us, and that way we can make sure no one else gets caught in the crossfire." He raised an eyebrow and glanced over to Bulma. "Do you want to come with us? It's going to be dangerous, so it might be safer for you to stay here."

Bulma was still understandably nervous after the earlier firefight, but she mastered her fear and shook her head. "No, I'll come," she replied firmly. "You might need my help, and I'm not just gonna sit here while you two face all the danger by yourselves."

"All right." Vegeta couldn't entirely suppress a soft chuckle at that; Bulma might not be a fighter, but she certainly wasn't lacking in courage. "Fortunately, since our guest knows where the Red Ribbons' main base is, he can lead us straight to them… and Kakarot and I can take it from there." He scowled, energy flickering around one of his hands as he clenched it into a fist. "I'm done playing around with this so-called army. It's time to put an end to them, once and for all."

"You said it, Vegeta!" Goku grinned eagerly, hopping to his feet. "Let's do this!"