Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“ Urrrrrrg… ” 

“That was a hefty groan. What’s up?” Jessica, my auburn-haired assistant and close friend, asked me as she passed by my desk, carrying multiple folders and binders in her arms as she did.

“It’s Monday…” I answered with a groggy voice as I placed my forehead on my desk. I proceeded to groan again, my voice muffled by the desk this time. My co-worker only gave a few small chuckles in response to my dismay.

“Mondays aren’t that bad.” She tried to convince me.

“Blasphemy!” I yelled in response. “Mondays are the devil!”

“Oh, now you’re exaggerating.” Jessica sighed with a small frown.

“Not at all. Mondays are the absolute worst for everyone.” I told her. “It’s the only day we have to come to work at 5 a.m. AND we have to stay here the entire day despite the holidays being right around the corner because we’re behind schedule! And to make things worse, the boss needs me to make three entirely new programs to help the others work more efficiently. Does he even know how hard it takes to make just one program!?” I then groaned louder as I let my head fall onto my desk with a thud.

“That’s what happens when you're a major member of a department in the company. It’s proof of how far we’ve come.” Jessica said with a smile.

“We work at a dead-end office job that’s just a normal trading firm…” I deadpanned. I ran my hands down my face after saying that. “We spent our whole adolescence in miserable schools and then an additional four years at college just to end up here… What has life come to?” I then shot up from my seat, angrily tightening my hand into a fist. “The injustice of it all! What’s the point of my computer science and engineering degree!?”

“Yeah...but the pay is really good despite all of that, especially since we’re so high up the totem pole!” Jessica beamed. 

I could only stare at my junior of 2 years in disbelief. I don’t understand how she can be so optimistic all the time. But that’s how she’s always been, I guess. Completely different from me, that’s for sure. She sees us as accomplished adults. I see us as office lackeys. She sees bright colors in the workplace. I point out the bleakness and gray tones. She makes friends with everyone easily. I still hate our HR representative, Toby. We’re total opposites, but I guess that’s how we’ve managed to be such good friends all this time.

Oh, right. Introductions. I’m...meh. Who cares, really? As I said, I’m just a guy who works at a normal trading firm you can find anywhere. Not really ‘main character’ levels of awesome, and I doubt I ever will be like that. But hey. You get what you pay for, right? Heh. But still, I can’t imagine why anyone would want to know anything about me. I’m nothing special. I'm completely average in every way. So completely forgettable I can become invisible just by standing still for a while. 

Not to say that I’m bad at anything, but I’m not amazing at anything, either. A jack of all trades, I guess. Master of none. Still, Jessica and a few others insist I have plenty of good points but do I actually if I can’t see them? So what if other people say I’m a ‘good guy’ or that I’m ‘really smart’ if I don’t feel like I am? I just try to do my work and not bother anyone, the same as anyone else. I just put on my usual customer service smile whenever dealing with anyone, and I just get through life as I can. It is a boring life, though, but better boring than regretful or painful. Wouldn’t really call it ‘living’, though.

Of course, as someone in their mid-20s, life is...eh. I’ve gotten used to it for the most part. The small apartment had finally gotten that nice homey feeling to it now. The daily grind has started to become less of a grind, too, so that’s something to note. Unfortunately, I’m all alone in this little boring life since I barely have time for anything, but a relationship is hardly a major focus for me right now, anyway. But Jessica is right about the pay being a lot better than you would expect from a normal paper company, and since I’m a smooth talker and managed to make the rent on my apartment lower than it should be, life is actually pretty good, all things considered. Still doesn’t mean working for so long on a freaking Monday is suddenly okay.

“So, do you have any plans for after we get off?” Jessica asked me as she handed me some paperwork. Ever the diligent assistant. 

“Sleep.” I told her as I looked at what she handed me, causing her to drop her head with disappointment and annoyance. “Why? Something happening today?” She pouted at me when she heard that.

“Of course you forgot. You always forget.” She grumbled, leaving me a little confused by what she meant. “Since you’ve forgotten again, I guess there’s no need for subtly.” She sighed before lightly chopping my head, causing me to yelp as I rubbed where she hit me.

“Ow! What was that for!?” 

“Happy birthday, dummy.” She told me in a deadpan voice. That got me to pause as I processed that. Right...it’s my birthday. It’s true that I always forget it. Not a very important date, after all. Birthdays really lose their appeal when you’re my age. Life feels like it flies by in an instant, after all. When one birthday comes, the next one is suddenly right around the corner, and all it does is make me feel old.

“Okay, yeah, I’ll give you that. I totally forgot, but did you really have to hit me?”

“Yeah! What kind of person forgets their own birthday as often as you do? I swear you’re such an airhead! I’m surprised you didn’t pop like a balloon when I hit you.”

“Okay, rude .” I grumbled. “And if anyone here is an airhead, it’s you.”

“Like you have any right to tell me that.” Jessica huffed as she crossed her arms and pouted. 

“I swear you’re such a child.” I moaned as I went back to looking over the paperwork. “But I suppose I do have to thank you for remembering my birthday. So thanks, Jess.”

“No problem, Boss! Anything to finally get you to crack even a small smile!” She told me with a laugh.

“I-I’m not smiling!” I shot back, feeling my cheeks get a little warm as she started laughing more. I mumbled a curse as I turned back to my work. “Right, so…” I began to pick up the worksheets again. “What about tonight? You had something planned to celebrate?”

“Yep! You down?” She asked me with a cheeky smile as she brushed some of her long hair from her eyes and glasses. I sighed, knowing I wouldn’t be able to say no to her. I never can when she gets this excited. Such a child…

“Sure… We’re on holiday break for the next few days, so it’s fine. But you’re taking all the blame if something bad happens…” I told her.

“Yep, yep!” She cheered. I swear, she still acts like she’s a teenager sometimes. I wish I could live as happily as she could every day. And so we continued with the day, finishing up our respective work until finally, FINALLY, the day ended. After clocking out, Jess and I put on our winter coats and walked out of the office, and we started our walk back home as snow lightly fell down upon the city.

“So where exactly are we headed for this, and what are we even doing?” I asked her before yawning.

“My place, of course!” Jessica told me with a big grin. 

“Your place?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. “Should I be concerned?”

“Huh? About what?” She asked while tilting her head in a confused manner.

“Nevermind…” I mumbled while shaking my head. “What do you have planned?”

“The usual.” She smirked at me. “I have a Disney Plus account now, so I was thinking we could binge the Marvel Cinematic Universe!”

“Really?” I asked while holding back a groan. “I’m not sure if that’s what I want to spend my holiday break doing.”

“Oh, come on! You haven’t seen a single one of those movies! It’s like a crime!”

“Not true. I’ve seen the Incredible Hulk movie.”

“That one hardly counts!”

“It was a good movie!”

“Whatever. You just haven’t seen the really good stuff yet.” Jess smirked. “C’mon! I have popcorn and snacks and everything! It’ll be great!”

“God, you’re such a nerd.” I shook my head in defeat.  “Fine, fine. We’ll go to your place and watch the show for a while.” I said. “Still not staying up all night for it. And no beer.”

“I’ll take it!” Jess cheered, her arm shooting up into the air victoriously.

“You’re such a child. Honestly.” I shook my head while laughing slightly.

“It’s better to be a kid still than to be a moody adult like you.” She shot back with a smirk.

“That’s a low blow. I’ll have you know I have to ‘adult’ more than others, and I hate every moment of it.” I gave a dry chuckle. That’s when I felt it . It was happening again. I quickly moved my head behind me, trying to figure out where it was coming from. I quickly looked all around me, desperately trying to find the source. But once again, just like the other times, there was nothing. “Damn it…” I muttered under my breath.

“...Is it happening again?” Jess asked in a serious tone as she stopped walking to look at me.

“Yeah.” I nodded.

“And you’re sure you’re not just imagining things?”

“Jess, this has been happening since we were kids. I know someone is stalking me.” I said as I took another look around. “I just don’t know why they’d be stalking me still after this long.” 

Just the street, only a couple of people were out and about due to how late it was, and none of them were paying us any attention. Damn it. I’m not crazy.

Ever since I was a kid, a little after I lost my parents, I would get this feeling like a fight or flight response. That feeling that someone was watching my every move...the feeling of danger and dread when it happened…like I was being judged for my every action… It’s extremely unnerving each and every time, even when it’s been happening for so long. But every time I look around, there’s no one I can see that might be the cause. Who would even stalk me for this long? I’m nothing special, so why…? I shook the thoughts away. Forget about it… Jess is probably right. It’s just nothing...right? 

“Nevermind… Forget it.” I told Jess as I went back to walking.

“Are you sure? If there really is someone watching you, then we should-”

“I said forget it, Jess. It’s like you said. I’m probably just paranoid.” I groaned as I ran my hand down my face. “Let’s keep walking. It’s still a few blocks away from your place, and we don’t want to stay out too long when it’s this late.”

“R-Right.” She nodded as she hurried her pace to keep up with me.

 We continued walking in silence after that. Even though I said to forget it, I couldn’t get my mind off the feeling from before. It’s still here. They’re still watching me. But who? That’s when I had a thought. This city is full of extremely large buildings and skyscrapers. But...they couldn’t, could they? 

With narrowed eyes, I subtly looked up at the wall of massive towers around us, and that’s when I finally saw it. A silhouette. Someone was standing at the very top of one of the tallest buildings here, but they were hardly noticeable due to how far away they were. No wonder no one, least of all myself, could ever notice them. Hell, I can’t even tell if it’s a person. It’s more of a dot from where I’m standing, but it’s certainly not supposed to be there. Just a faint silhouette of something.

“Who the hell are you?” I mumbled as I stared at who I thought was my lifelong stalker. Who could it possibly be? And...why do I get this feeling they’re laughing at me right now?

“Watch out!” 

I was brought back to reality when I heard Jess yell at me. That’s when I finally noticed the bright lights that were on me. I had stopped in the middle of a crosswalk, and now there was a truck heading toward me. The typical late-night drunk driver. And I was going to be his latest victim. 

Oh… That’s why I felt like that strange silhouette was laughing at me.

  BAM!!!

And just like that, my life ended. The truck hit me dead on, and I died instantly. There was only a brief moment where I felt pain all across my body, but it disappeared just as quickly as it came, along with all my other senses. Whatever might have happened after I got hit, I’ll never know. I was dead, truly. Everything had gone dark, and all was still. Quiet. Everything was quiet, and everything was dark. So this is death? It’s surprisingly comfortable. I feel as though...I can finally rest. Maybe I can sleep now after years of insomnia. Did people mourn for me? Do people miss me? I don’t know. I wouldn’t. But even though I should feel regretful for dying at such a young age in such a normal, bland, and even cliche death, I’m just happy it’s finally over. No more pain. No more stress. Just peace. And maybe even sleep. That sounds nice right now.

But while I was trying to enjoy the afterlife, something began to change around me. My senses, which had dulled with death, suddenly began to pick something up. Voices. Voices that were close to me. But that can’t be right. I’m dead.

“This seems unnecessary.” One of them muttered.

“Are you doubting me?” Another voice said. This one gave me chills. Why am I...afraid of it?

“No. It’s just that...will this really help with your objective?”

“Most definitely. This soul I have in my hands is very intriguing. The darkness inside is something I wasn’t expecting.” The other voice chuckled. “Negativity and darkness create so much energy, and this poor soul has so much potential.” That’s when I felt the person turn to me as if they were addressing my very soul, causing me to shiver. I can’t even see who this person is, so why do I feel such a towering presence in front of me? 

“Do you believe death is what awaits you?” The voice asked with an evil chuckle. “Not yet. You cannot fade just yet. You are still an interesting specimen. No, an interesting soul. Yes...you will do just fine. You have great potential to become someone twisted and distorted. You are already partly there. Such a lovely creature. I wonder… How many times will you let yourself suffer? And how much will you change things if given the chance? How long will you continue trying your hardest when, no matter what happens, you are powerless to change anything of importance? I will watch and see just how entertaining you are. Remember, no matter what alterations to the timeline you make, it’s all within my control. You have no power, and you have no choice. you are MINE to use, and I will use you as I please.” 

As soon as the voice finished its threat against me, suddenly, the darkness started to swarm and surge. It was like I was being dropped into an ocean of black, sinking and drowning in the darkness. The last thing I could remember before everything went back to quiet nothingness, I heard that voice laugh again. 

“I look forward to seeing how well you adjust to your new role as a pawn.” 

And that's when everything became dulled once again.

Soon after I sank into the dark depths, I slept for I don’t know how long. I didn’t even know if I was sleeping. Everything felt like it was a far-off memory. Or a scattered dream. A scattered dream that’s like a far-off memory? Or a far-off memory that’s like a scattered dream? 

Both felt right. 

Nothing felt real, but reality tended to lie, hiding everything in view in obscurity and shadows. I don’t know where I was or how long I had been there. All I knew was that I was fading in and out of consciousness. I didn’t even know I was supposed to have consciousness in the afterlife. The only thing I was sure of was that I was tired. Now, as an insomniac, that isn’t a particularly new feeling, but I’ve never been this tired. I was so, so, so tired, but it still felt like rest was impossible for some reason.

Though I tried as I might to get even some comforting rest, strange things were happening all around me. It felt like I was being moved by something, as I could feel light bumps where I was. It was also warm all around me, yet claustrophobic as well. I hardly cared to pay much attention to anything, though, as it was extremely hard to focus on anything with how exhausted I was. That and I couldn’t see anything. But eventually, I felt a push after I didn't know how long. I initially ignored it, but then it started getting faster and stronger. That’s when I realized that it was trying to push me out of the warmth. I wanted to resist, but my body refused to move the way I wanted it to. It was like my body was unresponsive, though do I have a body if I’m dead? I guess it doesn’t matter as something pushes me out of this afterlife. 

I soon stopped trying to resist it altogether (my attempt barely being able to be considered an attempt, really), and I was pushed out of the warmth. Now thrust into a blindingly bright room, I was hit by incredibly cold air and the sensation of something entering my lungs. Was I not breathing? Wait, I have to breathe in death? That’s when I felt something that was attracted to my stomach be cut off, causing me slight pain. 

After that, I heard distant voices start talking around me, but I could even pay them any attention. I was still so tired. I just wanted to rest. I felt my breathing slowing down as I began to let the familiar darkness from before taking me once again. I don’t want to do anything right now other than sleep forever. The voices seemed to get more frantic as this was happening, and I heard rapid footsteps all around. That’s when I heard a soft, trembling voice. 

"Please, don't leave us when you just became a part of our family. I know you're strong, so please, don't die." A woman begged me. Am I dying? But I already died. I can’t die a second time. You’re dead after you’ve been killed. But if I am still alive, shouldn’t I try to live? But...I’m so tired.

“I thought I told you that you can’t fade away just yet.” A familiar voice echoed inside my head. 

Before I could even question who that was, I felt a massive pain in my chest. It felt like my heart was beating a million times faster than before. My slowed breaths became faster and faster now against my will. Now I’m feeling restless. My body burned from the uncomfortable feeling that was now pumping inside me. I had no choice but to start shifting around before I slowly opened my eyes. Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I looked around at my surroundings. I was in a white room that looked similar to a hospital room, though it was a bit different. It seemed foreign, or perhaps ‘more advanced’ is the better way to describe it, or perhaps alien. I also saw people in the room, all adults of varying appearances. They all had a few things in common, though. They all had black hair, black eyes, and, strangely, a brown monkey tail. They also seemed...really big compared to me. 

Wait, tails?

“Oh...thank goodness. The child is alive. I was worried the infant would die on us.” One of the people sighed. Infant? They can’t mean me, can they?

“Thank goodness. I was so worried.” The woman from before said joyfully. 

I then felt someone's gaze on me and turned my head to them, and then I noticed where I was. I was in the arms of a woman who was lying in a hospital bed. She had shoulder-length black hair and black eyes and looked at me with a wide, tired smile. 

"Hey there, little one. I'm your mother." She said happily in almost a whisper. "I'm so happy. I thought I would lose you before I could really meet you." She's my mother? I'm so confused right now. In an attempt to make sense of everything, I looked down at myself, only to see a small body with a tail wrapped in a blanket.

It took a few seconds for everything to settle in my mind. No… No… NOOOOO!!!! This CAN’T be happening! Why!? H-How!? What!?!? I tried to scream, but nothing came out of my throat. NOOOOOOOO!!!! I cursed my undeveloped vocal cords as I turned over and dug myself deep into my blanket. Nope! Nopey nope nope nope no no way nuh-uh NOPE! I did not just die in a car accident to be reborn as a baby! My life did not just turn into a cliche isekai story! I don’t want to live life all over again! I’d rather die than go through puberty again! I DID die! Where’s my afterlife!? Hello, police? I’ve been ROBBED! 

“He seems...quite strange for a newborn Saiyan…” The doctor said while I was effectively having a tantrum. That’s when my head perked up. Did he say Saiyan? The hell is a ‘Saiyan’?

“Gine!” My thoughts are interrupted as a man bursts into the room. 

My heart nearly stops when I see him. Spiky black hair, familiar black eyes, and that face… Goku? Is that his name? I’m not too familiar with the character, but he’s so iconic even someone like me can at least identify him, especially how Jess was a nerd with all kinds of genres. But…he looks a little different from the art I’ve seen Jess show me during our breaks. That’s when I shook my head or at least attempted to do so. No, there’s no way. Even if I’ve been isekai’d, there’s no way I’d be sent to some stupid anime. An anime I only knew because of how much of a freakin’ weeb Jess was. 

That’s when I saw the ‘X’ shaped scar on the man’s face, which only confused me further. I don’t think that ‘Goku’ character from that show (What was it called? Dragon something? Journey to the Dragon, perhaps?) had a scar on his face. And that name he yelled...Gine. Who the hell is that? That’s certainly not a name I recall. 

Wait, why am I trying to logic all of this out!? I’ve died and been reborn as some monkey-tail-having baby! At this point, anything is possible. Urgh…I don’t understand anything that’s happening… Of course, since I was a baby and could not speak, no one waited for me to even finish my thoughts, with the man with the scar continuing to talk as he walked towards who must have been his wife and my new mother. 

“I’m here! Is the kid-?”

“I’m okay, Bardock, and so is he. He gave us quite the scare, though.” Gine gave a tired laugh. “He’s a bit strange. I’ve never seen a baby not cry after being born, but he’s just staring at us.” 

Well, yeah. I’m not actually a baby so I wouldn’t be crying. I feel more uncomfortable than anything else that might make me cry. I’m more surprised you aren’t more suspicious about me not crying. The man who must be my new father. Bardock, I think that Gine lady called him, took a few more steps towards us and looked at me before giving me a surprised expression.

“He looks different from other Saiyans. He’s got silver eyes and white and silver in his hair.” He said. 

Silver eyes? White and silver in my hair? That’s new. My old body had straight black hair and brown eyes. So why…? I shook my head. Not like it really matters. 

“So what should we name him?” Gine asked Bardock with excitement. “He’s our first son, so we have to do a good job with naming him!” 

“Hmm…” Bardock put his hand on his chin as he thought for a moment. “How ‘bout Orion? It’s a strong Saiyan name.” 

I mentally groaned at the name. Why did I feel I would get tons of grief for having a name like ‘Orion’? God, it’s such a douche-sounding name. If I had to choose a name, I would want my old one again, which was-

“Orion sounds wonderful!” Gine said happily. Oh, right. Baby. I can’t talk. I have no choice in the matter. Groan…   “Our Orion...I love it.” Gine smiled sweetly as she hugged me tightly. 

I’m not a big hugger or physical contact sort of person, but the warmth and love of a mother…it’s something I haven’t felt in a while. It was...nice. That’s when Bardock took out some kind of device that looked like a scope or something. He turned it on and took another look at me through it.

“Let’s see… Wonder what his power level is right now. It’ll determine what happens to him in the future after all.” Bardock mumbled as he looked through the scouter at me. “Arrrgh! Stupid scout scope!”

“What’s wrong, Bardock?” Gine asked him.

“My scope must not be working. It’s barely picking anything up from him.” Bardock grumbled. “I’ll have to order a new one.” Power level? What’s that? Why is it barely getting any readings from me? And why do I feel like none of that means anything good for me?  Am I missing something? For some reason, I’m getting this deep feeling of dread from that.

“Forget about that for now. We should enjoy our time with our son while we can.” Gine told Bardock.

“Right. Sorry.” Bardock responded before looking back at me warmly. “Orion. My son.” Bardock said softly as he ran his hand through my hair. 

That’s who I am now, I guess. Orion. It doesn’t feel right. It feels like the name doesn’t belong to me. Like I’m just using it. Borrowing it. But that hardly matters now. For now, I just want to live. If I was reborn into this world for some reason, then I have to do my best to complete that task, right? Besides, I’d rather not die again. Who knows? Maybe things will turn out okay for me. I mean, what kind of isekai would it be if I suffered a shit ton right off the back, right? 

And so I steeled myself for what was to come, unaware of the dark presence watching me from afar. 

“Are you sure he is the one you want to use for this?” A man asked as he watched the scene from afar.

“Yes. The darkness inside him will be useful once it blooms.” A woman responded. “It just needs some fuel to be added to the black flame. Some failures and shortcomings should do the trick to tip him off the edge. Once he’s thoroughly cracked from the inside out, we’ll fill the gaps with my power, and he’ll become our ‘shining key’.”

“I suppose… But what exactly is he to us? You have not told me many details about this elaborate plan of yours.”

“Hmm… How should I describe him?” The woman hummed as she tapped her chin. “Well, if you’re my servant, then he’s just a tool at best.”

“A tool?” The man questioned before shaking his head. “That is not exactly what I meant. I was talking more literally. I have not seen a being like him before. His eyes are…different.”

“Oh, is that what you were curious about?” The woman chuckled. “Well, we are what others might call creatures of darkness, yes? Supposed evil monsters who wish for destruction. In contrast, those we fight against are those born of light. Ones who are assumed to have hope in their heart and a desire to protect the world from beings like us. Yet, this boy is neither.”

“Neither?”

“He belongs neither to the light, nor the shadows. Instead, he was born in the twilight between. An entity of gray, making him perfect for my plans.” The woman gave a small smirk. “Perhaps a ‘Nobody’ best conveys the idea.”

“...You stole that line from something, didn’t you?” The man suddenly said. “Forgive me, but I do not understand what you might be referencing, and your explanation makes little sense to me.”

“Hmm, perhaps I’ve been too affected by watching that boy within his world for so long. I must say, the world that boy was in was quite interesting. I might investigate more of it while we wait for my plans to ripen to fruition.” The woman replied.

“And then will our objective be complete once that happens?” The man asked.

“Yes. The seal will finally break.” The woman gave a cruel smile. “ That pitiful boy has no idea what he is now a part of, nor the cruel part he will play in it.”

“So what should we do as we wait for him to ‘thoroughly become twisted and distorted’ enough for you to initiate the plan?” The man asked as he crossed his arms.

“Starting this plan took more energy than I thought it would, so for now, we will just wait and watch. I’ll be sure to keep things on track and control things from afar so it doesn’t get too out of hand. We have a script, after all.” The woman chuckled. “Not that I think I will need to do anything. After all…” She smiled as she looked back at the Saiyan baby that she had deemed necessary to her plans.

“What could he possibly do on his own? He’s the universe’s weakest Saiyan right now.”

Chapter Text

“This is worrying.” Bardock grumbled as he took his new scanner off my incubation pod. 

I fell asleep soon after Bardock arrived after my ‘birth’, so I’ve been in and out of it all this time. Still, they apparently moved me from the hospital or whatever the Saiyans call it to what I can only describe as their incubation pod at their home. My ‘new home’, I suppose. It was a weird feeling at first, being inside the pod. It felt like I was in the womb again (and I didn’t even know I was inside Gine before I was born), but I soon got used to it. When I finally regained a semblance of real consciousness, It had been a year, apparently. To say that was surprising would be an understatement. I had been asleep for a year straight! And I still feel exhausted! Sigh . I guess I’ll never escape being perpetually tired.

Still, it is a bit worrying that every day since I’ve woken up, Bardock has been coming whenever he can to place a scanner on my pod. From what little I heard from him, that scanner he had was for determining something’s battle power. It must be fairly important for Saiyans since Bardock said something about how they were a warrior race. At least, that’s what I understand from what little I have heard. Kind of hard not to come to that conclusion when Bardock keeps mentioning my potential for battle. 

I wouldn’t really care about my own bp since that stuff sounds stupid anyway and shouldn’t be used to determine a person’s lot in life, but I can’t help but be concerned when I constantly see Bardock grimace at what the scanner was showing him. It can’t be that bad, right? Even if I’m a low-class warrior, it can’t be awful, right? I mean, I’m a Saiyan now. I should at least be stronger than a normal human, right? I mean, they’re an alien race, and I know they’re alien because of the tails and all the sci-fi stuff I’ve seen so far! That’s when Gine walked over to her husband with a worried look. 

“Are you alright?” She asked.

“...Yeah. It’s just… I’m still not getting a reading from Orion.” Bardock replied. “It’s like he has no potential for battle.” 

Uh oh… No battle power? That…doesn’t sound good at all, but what do I know? Still, that’s even worse than I imagined. I’m lower than a low-class. What’s...going to happen to me?

“A-Are you sure it’s not just a problem with the scanner?” Gine tried to ask.

“No. This is the latest model, and I tested it before I got here. And these pod scanners are better at determining a child’s power level than our scout scopes are.” Bardock replied with a tightened fist before he looked at me again. “...Let’s take him out of the pod.”

“Wh-What!? Are you sure?” Gine asked with concern.

“He’s been in there long enough. Maybe staying in the pod is what’s causing this. Perhaps he’s stronger than the scanner is letting on. I’m sure he’ll show us how strong he is once he’s out on his feet.” Bardock said. 

Wait, I’m coming out? I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Of course, no one could hear my thoughts, so my opinion didn’t matter, and Bardock began to drain the pod. A feeling of dread formed in my stomach as the liquid drained, leaving only me laying on the bottom of the pod. Was I...always this heavy? I couldn’t tell while in the pod while it was full. I know the water gave me that weightless feeling, but this new feeling of weight seems...a bit much. I don’t know if I can even move like this.

Bardock kept going as he picked me up and prepared me for life outside the pod. He put me in a standard Saiyan suit and sat me on the floor. As soon as he did, I fell to my knees immediately. Everything was so heavy. What, is this planet’s gravity stronger than Earth’s? Is that why everything is so heavy? But shouldn’t I be having an easier time moving around here since I’m a Saiyan now? I’m still pretty young, but it shouldn’t be this bad, right?

“Okay, Orion. Come here.” Bardock told me as he crouched a small distance away from me. 

He wasn’t far away, but with this weight on me, it felt like he was miles away. I looked at Bardock with a doubtful expression, giving him a face that could only be described as ‘you’re joking, right?’.  Bardock seemed to understand, and his expression became more stern. 

“Orion, I am your father, and you will listen to me. Walk over here.” He demanded. 

Umm…I don’t have a choice, do I? Resigned to my fate, I did my best to push myself up onto my feet. I’m a little over a year old now, so I should be able to walk a little. So I pushed. And pushed. And…pushed. And that’s when I realized something was wrong. I actually couldn’t move. That’s when I started to panic. Why can’t I move? A sense of fear started to form in my stomach as I began to get up onto my feet desperately. It felt like I had 50 cement bricks weighing me down, or perhaps the saying ‘my arms felt like actual jello’ would convey this feeling better. 

I quickly gave up on trying to stand to my feet and tried my luck at crawling, only to realize just how much trouble I was in. I was moving now, but I was slower than a snail. It felt like jugs filled with gallons and gallons of water were tied around me as I tried to move. I felt powerless. I looked back to Bardock, only to see his stern face was now showing deep concern. 

“He can hardly move by himself.” He muttered as he put a hand to his chin, a bit of sweat forming on his face.

“H-He might just need a bit more time in the pod.” Gine tried to say. “This planet has stronger gravity than many other planets, so some Saiyan children have a tough time adapting to it when they are just babies. It’s rare, but-”

“That can’t be what’s happening here.” Bardock immediately objected. “I’ve never seen a Saiyan child struggle so much with just simple movement. And with what the scouter kept showing whenever I tried to get a reading on him…” Gine looked confused before her eyes widened.

“No, that’s impossible! There’s no way that Orion has no power level at all! Every creature gives off at least some power level, even if it’s low.”

“Then we have to assume that Orion’s power level is too low to even measure with the scouter.” Bardock then sighed as he ran his hand down his face. “I’ve heard very rare cases where the scouter gets a reading so big it short-circuits the device, but I’ve never seen a scouter fail to pick up a power level because it’s so low it’s impossible to read.” Bardock then looked back at me with a look of pity. “There’s nothing we can do. Once they discover Orion’s power level, he’ll become an infiltration unit.”

“But infiltration units almost never-!” Gine shouted.

“There’s nothing we can do.” Bardock calmly told her, though there was a slight bit of anger in his voice. “That’s how things are, and there’s nothing we can do to change it. They should be here to check Orion in a few ticks.” 

My eyes widened when I heard that. Who’s ‘they’!? And how long are ticks compared to standard measurements of time!? I looked back to Gine, who looked like she was on the verge of crying. She’s really emotional. I…don’t know how I should feel about seeing her like this… 

Is what’s about to happen to me really that bad? I mean, what are infiltration units? Am I going to be sent somewhere? If that’s the case, then maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll be sent to Earth or this world’s equivalent. If I could go back to a place that’s similar to my home, I’ll take it. I mean, being one of these infiltration units can’t be as bad as these two are making it out to be, right?

Knock, knock .

“Excuse me! We’re here for the Power Level Assessment.” A voice called out from outside. Bardock turned to face the door with a blank expression. 

“...They’re here.” He simply stated. “Gine. Get the door.”

“B-But-”

“Do as I say. And don’t let them see that expression of yours. Overly emotional Saiyans are looked down upon, even for matters like this.” Bardock told her. Gine nodded slowly and quickly pulled herself together before heading to the door. Bardock then looked back to me, once again giving me a look of pity.

“...Sorry, kid.” That’s all he said before he sat me up on the ground. 

I couldn’t help but tilt my head at that. Sorry? For what? That’s when I heard other people approaching where we were. As I moved my head to see who it was, I saw Gine leading three other Saiyans to where we were. I didn’t recognize them, but they weren’t wearing normal Saiyan armor. They were wearing normal chest plates, but they were over gray cloaks for some reason. They looked like the doctors from the hospital when I was born, but they weren’t doctors. They were…something else.

“So this is your child?”  the tall, lanky Saiyan asked Gine.

“Y-Yes. His name is Orion.” Gine answered.

“Orion…” The small female Saiyan with blue hair mumbled before looking over to the large, brutish Saiyan. “Scan him.” 

The large Saiyan nodded, took out a tablet-like device from his cloak pocket, and turned it on before pointing it at me. I felt a cold tension as the large Saiyan waited for the tablet thing to finish scanning me. There was a small beep sound, and the large Saiyan raised an eyebrow at the results. 

“What’s wrong?” The female asked. The large brute didn’t respond as he handed the device to the lady, who gave the device a quick look before gasping. “What? This can’t be possible.”

“What’s wrong?”

“The scanner says the kid has a power level of ‘0’. It’s like it can’t even detect a power level from the kid.”

“What?” The lanky Saiyan exclaimed in confusion. “The scanner must be malfunctioning.”

“Impossible. This is a brand-new model. It worked fine yesterday.” The woman stated before looking at me with a look of curiosity. “What we have here is a first in Saiyan history. Either this child’s battle power can’t be measured and put into a power level, or he’s so weak that the scanner can’t even pick him up.” The woman then sighed before shrugging. “I’m interested in seeing what this problem actually is, but we have our orders from the king. Every child over a year old who doesn’t have a power level that reaches the standard is to either become an engineer or an infiltration unit, depending on their power level. And this poor child isn’t giving us any readings, which only leaves him with one of those options: Infiltration.” 

At that, Gine averted her eyes, which only worried me. The lanky Saiyan turned to face Gine and gave a sympathetic bow.

“Apologies, miss. I know this is your first child, but you know how it is with us Saiyans.” He said.

“...Yes. Of course.” Gine replied softly in a defeated tone.

“Excuse me for butting in, but as his father, I thought I might as well ask.” Bardock suddenly said, his face neutral to everything that was going on. “Do you have any idea what planet Orion will be sent to?”

“No. The planet each infiltration baby is given is selected as the child is loaded into their pod.” The lanky Saiyan replied. “However, if I had to give a guess as to what kind of planet will most likely be chosen for him, I would say-”

“Monmaasu.” The large Saiyan finally spoke. “I heard talk of sending an infiltration unit to that planet today, so it is very likely this child will be the one sent there.”

“Monmaasu?” Gine questioned.

“The giant planet? Where everything is massive?” Bardock asked.

“Oh, right. That planet has recently been under Lord Cold’s radar.” The lanky Saiyan said. “Since everything on the planet, from plants,  natural structures, and even the creatures are many times larger than normal, they’ve been wondering if valuable resources might be several times larger as well. So Lord Cold is having us Saiyans investigate, and as usual, we’ll be sending an infiltration unit to the planet first to check things out before we send real troops there. Of course, the danger is just as high as other planets' infiltration units are sent to due to the size of the lifeforms there. But that’s how it goes. The survival rate of infiltration units is practically zero, after all.” 

My heart sank when I heard that last part. The survival rate is WHAT!?!?!

“Oh well. If that’s where the kid is being sent, there’s no saving him.” The lady Saiyan sighed as she picked me up by the tail. 

As soon as she touched my tail, intense pains and chills shot through my body, and I felt my entire body lock up in place. It was like I was suddenly paralyzed. Not only that, there was a constant ache now spreading all around me, like this lady was pressing down on a really bad bruise. It was one of the worst feelings I had ever felt in my entire life, which is saying something since I’ve died once already, though that was instant death. I couldn’t even muster a cry of pain or agony before I went limp. 

“Now then, little guy, time to take you to the dock to ship you off to Monmaasu. Don’t hate us if you die out there. You have only yourself to blame for being born weak or special.” How is that my fault!? “Who knows? Maybe you’ll get lucky and arrive during a full moon. Even with no power level, your Oozaru form will let you survive. Either way, we’ll be leaving now. Wish your kid the best of luck. He’ll certainly need it.” 

They didn’t even wait for Bardock or Gine to respond before taking me away. I couldn’t even shout for them to save me. I couldn’t even reach out to them in a desperate attempt to ask them to save me. There was nothing I could do except accept that I was being taken to a ship that’d send me out to a dangerous, hostile world where I was almost entirely destined to perish. And for what reason? Only because I’m weak, apparently. Only because a machine told them that I wasn’t good enough. 

Heh, what is this? It’s too painfully funny to me. Why does a simple number of all things determine my lot in this new life? It’s just too cruel to hand a child this kind of fate. Just…what are these Saiyans?

Perhaps it was due to the pain of being carried the entire way by my tail, but I didn’t even notice when we had finally arrived. I was completely focused on the pain shooting through me from my tail before I was dropped into a small container. I fell smack on my face before tumbling to the back of the seat. I did my best to sit myself up, but the container door began to shut before I could even make sense of anything happening. That’s when I realized I was in a pod thing that must be the ship they’ll be sending me out in. I did my best to escape the pod, but it was impossible with my lack of movement. The pod was sealed shut and lit up on the inside, with the various buttons and monitors inside being activated from outside the pod. 

“ Coordinates imputed. Destination: Monmaasu. ” A computerized voice stated. Uh oh. And that’s when the pod started hovering in the air. Double uh oh. “ Launching in 5…4…3…2…1… ” Oh… Crap BASKETS!!!!

BOOM!!!

The sonic boom created by the pod flying straight out of the planet’s atmosphere forced me to the very back of the chair inside, not from the g-forces as the pod was too advanced for the passenger to feel any of that, but the suddenness of it all knocked me back. I slowly sat up and rubbed my head before realizing it was easier to move now. I moved to the pod’s window and looked out and-wow, I was already really far away from the planet. Damn, these things move fast. Wait, now’s not the time to focus on how cool the pod is. I’m heading to a planet where I was going to die!!! I immediately began to look for some way, any way, to change my fate. 

Looking around the pod in desperation, I quickly noticed something odd. Why…is everything in English? Shouldn’t the buttons and tools inside a Saiyan spaceship be written in the Saiyan language or whatever alien language they use? Wait…don’t tell me that, coincidentally, English just so happens to be some sort of ‘Universal Language’. That would be a stupid amount of luck on my end and totally cliche, but I guess I shouldn’t complain. Still, what a lucky break for me. Perhaps what I lack in power, I have in luck. I…sincerely hope that won’t be the case in the future. I would hate for this to be a trend, especially since luck has a tendency to run out. But hey, at least things are looking good for me now that-

“ Hyperspace boosters online. Engaging cryosleep. ” 

I turned around to the console and saw gas coming out of a small vent. Cryosleep? Like the sci-fi thing where astronauts are put into a coma-like state to save on resources during travel and make the trip feel not as long? Uh, no. No way. There’s no way I’m gonna-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

“ Now entering the atmosphere of planet Monmaasu. ”

“Zzzzzzzzzzz…” 

“ Landing in 5…4…3…2- ”

BAM!!!

“Aaaah!!!” The sudden explosion woke me up with a violent impact. I bounced out of my chair and slammed into the front of the pod, quickly waking me up from my nap. I groaned, rubbing my head as I came to my senses.

“ Landing strategy intercepted. A sudden movement of rock formations was the cause of the sudden, early landing. Missed destination. ” That was the pod's excuse for the horrible crash-landing I had just endured. “ Scanning atmosphere for discrepancies in the database… None detected. Atmosphere safe for Saiyan Infiltration Unit. Opening pod now. ” And without waiting for my consent, the pod doors opened, letting the warm light pour into the spaceship. 

I covered my eyes as I squinted out what was outside the pod. After my eyes had adjusted, I was met with very rocky terrain. Islands actually surrounded by water, and my little pod seemed to have crashed right onto one of them, smashing through the small mountain on the island and falling down to the base of it. Damn it. I’m on that giant planet, aren’t I? Monmaasu, is it? Shit, that cryosleep stuff works like a miracle drug. I haven’t slept like that since I was actually a kid.

Great… What am I going to do now? I’m stuck on an alien planet in the body of a Saiyan toddler. Actually, how long was the trip from the Saiyan homeworld to Monmaasu? I have no idea, but I don’t feel any different. Well, I do, actually. It’s a lot easier to move now, though not like how it was in my old adult body. I still have the body of an infant, but at least I can move. I can actually walk on this planet, so the gravity must be less than the Saiyan Planet. And although I’m stuck in the middle of the ocean on a random small island, I can see the incredibly bountiful mainland with a lush forest. Maybe I really am just lucky. Hmm…this might be the giant planet, but maybe this won’t be as bad as I thought?

That’s when I saw one of the islands in the distance move. No, it didn’t just move. It was currently moving. No, it wasn’t just the one. All of the islands, including the one I was on, had begun to move. I felt a pit of dread form in my gut. Oh…no. This can’t be good. 

That’s when a GIANT ALLIGATOR popped out of the water and roared like a T-Rex. 

It was at that moment I knew…I had fucked up. 

I did the only thing that seemed logical at the time. I screamed bloody mary and dove back into the pod, spamming every button I could find in a desperate attempt to close the pod door PLEASE GOD, CLOSE THE DOOR!!! 

Miraculously, I found the right button, and the door swiftly closed right as the freaking monster croc ate the pod! I could tell because now I was inside the thing’s mouth, and he was trying to crush the pod with its teeth! Oh c’mon!!! Why do I get stuck on the planet with giant killer gators that have islands as shells on them!? Who the hell came up with a planet like this!? Who thought this was okay!?!?

I’m on the clock now, so it’s do-or-die time! With a prayer in my heart, I quickly began scanning over the buttons and do-dads inside the pod for something that might save me. There has to be something, anything, that can save me. I even checked every nook and cranny in case there was some kind of instruction manual for these things, so I don’t have to test my luck, yet again, by randomly clicking buttons. After all, while infiltration units are hardly meant to survive, on the off chance they do, they’ll have to fly this thing back home, right? So there has to be something here that’ll help them figure out how to work this thing. I mean, it’s not like Saiyan kids are just born with that knowledge, right? 

I paused as I started to think about the chances of that possibility. Now that I think about it, that’s…actually sort of plausible. Shit… 

I shook that terrifying thought out of my head and continued my search, picking up the pace as I heard the sound of large teeth gnashing the outside of the armored pod. I searched and prayed until I found it. An answer to my begging and desperation. It was a small compartment that was almost unnoticeable to unearth the chair of the pod. There was no way a baby or even a young kid would notice a hidden compartment like this. I quickly opened it and found what looked like one of those scout scopes Bardock had when I was still in the hospital, a remote, and what looked like a note. 

The note read as this: ‘If you have found this, then you should be of age to use these tools. You have done well to survive this long by only using your latent talent and Saiyan instincts to conquer, so use this scout scope to help you conquer this planet. This remote control can also control the Saiyan pod you came in. Should you accomplish your mission, click the green button on the side console to have the pod return to your home world, Vegeta, and you’ll be welcomed home and be allowed to become a full-fledged warrior in the Saiyan Army.’ 

I scoffed. Risking life and limb just to join an army where I’ll risk my life again in even more dangerous scenarios is totally not worth it. That’s when I learned my first lesson about this world I was reborn in: Saiyans are idiots. Either way, thanks for the scope, the remote, and for telling me how to get this thing to send me back. 

I quickly slammed my small hand into the green button on the side panel that the note detailed, and I heard the engines start to roar as the pod readied to fly once again. I examined the scope as the pod started to float, pushing against the jaw of the beast that was trying to eat me. 

I messed around with the scope for a bit to see how it worked. Damn, it really is an old model. Actually, how old is this telescope-looking thing compared to modern Saiyan tech? A few years? A decade maybe? I shrugged as I continued examining the tool. 

As I continued doing that, the pod finally finished starting up and burst out of the gator’s mouth, completely shattering its teeth. I looked out of the pod’s window to look back at the gator, who now had a gaping hole in its teeth. Hah! Suck it, you overpriced handbag! You didn’t even dent the pod!

I gave a sigh of relief as I leaned back into the chair of the pod and continued fiddling with the scope I had. Hmm…Night vision and thermal vision alongside power level reading? That’s impressive, actually. Useful too. That’s when the same computerized voice from the pod spoke once more. 

‘ Saiyan Attack Pod online. Location: Outer atmosphere of the planet Monmaasu. Pod Designation: Saiyan Infiltration Unit 34965. Primary objective: Conquer planet and/or determine if planet is worth conquering for its resources for Planet Vegeta. Error. Attack pod on course off of planet. Insufficient time has passed for mission objectives to be completed. Is the mission complete? Would you like to land on Monmaasu again? ’ 

I paused as I thought about it. I was planning on heading back to the Saiyan homeworld, planet Vegeta I guess it’s called, but is that the right decision for me? I was sent here because I was weak, and I’m still weak. I haven’t done anything. What would happen should I return so soon, having not done anything here at Monmaasu other than surviving that gator attack? They could just send me back, or send me to another planet with its own dangers, or even worse, kill me for not accomplishing my mission. 

I hate to admit it, but I’d be in just as much danger there on that Vegeta planet as I am here on Monmaasu. But what can I do? I can’t conquer this entire planet by myself. I’m weak. I’m not a real Saiyan. I don’t have their strength or killer instinct. That’s the truth. I don’t stand a chance against any of the creatures on this planet if they’re all like those alligator things. There’s nothing I can physically do to accomplish the mission, and since I don’t know any other coordinates for any other planet, I’m stuck between these two terrible choices.

That’s when my new Saiyan tail entered my field of vision, and a thought hit me.

Who knows? Maybe you’ll get lucky and arrive during a full moon. Even with no power level, your Oozaru form will let you survive.

That’s what that one lady said before taking me away, right? Oozaru form? What’s that? Is that a Saiyan thing? That’s when an image suddenly entered my head. A giant monster that looked like King Kong with a tail. It had glowing red eyes that screamed of the creature’s bloodlust and a roar that made mountains shake before they were blasted away from the monster’s mouth beam. I don’t know where I got the mental image from, but I somehow knew that’s what an Oozaru was. That’s what I would become if I looked at a full moon if I were to believe that lady’s words.

The mere thought terrified me.

No, I refuse to ever rely on that monstrous power. I don’t care if I am a Saiyan now or if I’m incredibly weak without that form. I’m still Human, and I prize my humanity over my Saiyan heritage. 

Wait…my humanity. That’s when an idea sparked in my head. I’m not really just a Saiyan child. I still have my adult Human mind and soul. I don’t have to go about things like a normal Saiyan. I can do things my own way.

“C-Computer.” I spoke my first words, the first usage of my new vocal cords causing me to cough a little. Damn, should I even be able to talk now? I don’t even sound like myself, and my new voice doesn’t even seem ready for use right now. I don’t even like my new voice, but still, I pushed through the dull, uncomfortable pain caused by speaking. “Land back onto Monmaasu. Somewhere with no creatures nearby if possible.”

“ Confirmed. Changing flight path back onto Monmaasu’s surface. Suitable landing spot found. Touchdown will occur in 5 ticks. ” 

With that, the pod changed its course and headed back to the planet I was just on. I sighed again as I laid back down in my chair. I can do this. I’ll just stay on this planet until I can complete the mission. I don’t actually have to conquer it. All I have to do is discover if this planet truly is worth the trouble of conquering. Those Saiyans that took me away before said it themselves. I was sent here to discover if the resources on this planet are as massive as everything else. 

So I’ll stay here until I can prove whether that is the case. And while I’m here, I’ll do my best to try to get even slightly stronger so that when I arrive back at Planet Vegeta, I’ll be able to move at least, among other things. I’m a Saiyan with the soul of a Human, and even though I’m weak, I still have a pride that’s fitting for both races. I felt my fists tighten as the pod continued heading back to Monmaasu. I’ll show them. I’ll show them what this weakling is capable of.

Chapter Text

“Sir! Something has just entered Planet Vegeta’s atmosphere!” A Saiyan shouted as an alarm went off in the Saiyan’s spaceship port’s flight control office.

“I can see that.” Another Saiyan questioned. “Who is it? The ship appears to be round, meaning it’s compact with only one rider.”

“No clue, sir, but I believe the pod might be one of our infiltration units. The signal’s id matches those found in our infiltration pods.”

“An infiltration unit? We haven’t had one of them return in a long time. What a rare opportunity.” The second Saiyan then moved over to a radio transmitter and picked up the receiver. “Ground personnel, this is flight control. We have an infiltration unit on its way back. Prepare a landing pad for it.” 

That’s exactly what they did. They quickly cleared the way for the pod to land safely, and then the ground personnel waited nearby for the pod to land. That’s when they finally saw it. The pod shimmered with a blue aura as it soared through the air toward the landing pad. Within seconds, the pod crashed into the cushioned spot that was prepared for it, safely landing as it sank into the soft ground. After a few seconds of waiting, the pod door opened, and a gloved hand grasped the outside rim of the pod’s entrance. The rider pulled himself out, and the ground personnel finally saw who this person was. 

The rider was a child, and they immediately knew this person was someone they had never met, as he had distinct features that they had never seen on a Saiyan. Specifically, this person had black hair that was spiked upward with silver streaks on the edges of the hair spikes, though those spikes seemed to be curved messily to the boy’s right side. And along with the silver in his hair, the boy’s eyes had a silver color to match, unlike the typical pitch-black color. He was wearing a basic model of their Saiyan armor, though it seemed to be thoroughly torn, with the boy’s wounds visible to the others. 

With as many wounds as he had and how bad they seemed to be, they expected the Saiyan boy to show signs of pain, but this child, who looked to not be over the age of three, didn’t even show any signs of discomfort. He had a completely blank expression, one that none of the other Saiyans could read what might lie beneath it. Aside from that, the boy also had a long green leaf around him like a cloak for some reason and a bag made from what looked like a spider’s thread, both of which were very curious items to see.

“A year to and from Monmaasu. Go figure. That means I’m only three years old now, give or take the few months I was on Monmaasu.” The boy mumbled to himself. He turned to the Saiyans, who were now staring at him and giving him an annoyed look. “What are you, my welcoming committee?” 

“O-Oh. We’re here to ask you who you are and confirm if you are an infiltration unit who has completed his mission.” The boy gave a small scoff before replying.

“Orion. That’s my name, I suppose.” He then gave a scowl as he muttered something under his breath. “How you expected me to know that after you threw me out when I was a baby is beyond me.” 

A few of the other Saiyans were a little taken aback by that. Not only were they a little shocked by what the boy had said, but also by the tone he had used. It was cold, calculating, and above all, hiding a layer of anger and frustration. They were Saiyans, who were known to have cruel and twisted personalities, but they had never seen a child who was so young have a personality like the one this child appeared to have. Perhaps that was only because they had never seen an infiltration unit return alive. One of the older Saiyans, who didn’t seem to care about the boy’s cold attitude, looked the child up and down before raising an eyebrow.

“You are an infiltration unit, yet you are still just a toddler. If I had to guess, you are only three years old. How did you conquer the planet you were sent to in such a short amount of time?”

“Simple. I didn’t.” The child responded with a stern glare.

“Wh-What!? How dare you-!”

“But I still completed my mission.” He cut the old Saiyan off before tossing the bag made of spider thread down to the Saiyans feet. As soon as it landed, it sent its contents spilled out onto the ground.

“What…is this stuff?” One of the Saiyans asked.

“How should I know? I’ve only been alive for three years and don’t know every single ore or element in the universe off the top of my head.” The boy sneered. “However, from my investigation into my pod’s inner mechanisms, I would have to say that’s probably the stuff that helps the thing fly.”

“WHAT!? This is Graviton ore!? But this stuff is ten times bigger than normal Graviton ore!”

“Exactly. Did you not hear me? I just came from Monmaasu, a planet where everything, literally everything , is ten times bigger than normal. My mission was to either conquer the planet or discover if it was actually worthy of being conquered. So I found some resources and brought them back. Turns out the people who sent me there were correct in their assumption that even resources would be larger on that planet. In other words, I completed my infiltration mission. Go ahead and inform whoever you have to so you can send real warriors to the planet to actually conquer it.” The boy then jumped out of the pod and walked past the stunned Saiyans.

“Wait. Where do you think you’re going?” One of the Saiyans shouted to the boy in a stunned, confused voice.

“Somewhere that has a healing pod, obviously. I feel like I’m about to die.” The boy said in the most casual voice the other Saiyan had ever heard. 

The other Saiyans just watched in silence as the young boy walked away, small drops of blood trailing behind him, and he left as if he wasn’t injured. After a few more seconds of silence, one of the Saiyans spoke.

“Wh-Who the hell is this kid…?”

“I don’t know, but we should inform the higher-ups about this.”

I groaned as I walked through the royal palace. It had been a few hours since I had landed back on Planet Vegeta, and the first thing I did was head toward the nearest medical center. As soon as I entered the facility, I apparently collapsed, and the doctors all scrambled to put me in a healing pod. After a few hours, I was as good as new, and I was let out of the pod. Having all my injuries healed in just a few hours was strange, but it was better than letting them heal naturally over the course of weeks, like what I had to deal with on Monmaasu. Freaking Monmaasu . 

Those injuries, in particular, were worse than others, so I was glad to have access to the healing pod now. 

After getting out of the pod, the doctors gave me a new set of armor, though it was the same model as before. I thanked them before leaving, but some Saiyan guards were waiting for me outside as soon as I left. They told me that the king of all people wanted to speak with me. So here I am, being guided to the throne room by those guards, a slightly annoyed expression now on my face.

I didn’t know why the king would want to speak with me, but who was I to deny his request? He’s still the king, although I can’t help but feel animosity toward him. Not just him, but Saiyans entirely. It was a feeling I only noticed had started to form during my 4th month on Monmaasu after yet another life-and-death situation, which had become commonplace for me during my time there. 

Every day on that forsaken planet was a fight for survival due to my weakness, and every day I suffered for being born into a weak body. I trained, fought, and did everything I could to live, but I barely made it back in one piece. The only explanation I could give was sheer luck, and that’s not something I wanted to determine whether I lived or not. Everything, the suffering, the pain, the constant fear, all of it was because these Saiyans sent me away. These damned people threw me out just because numbers told them I wasn’t worth keeping. Anger boiled inside me as I thought more about it. These might be my people now, but I couldn’t care less about them.

“We’re here.” I looked at the guards and saw we were now in front of a pair of extremely tall doors that just shouted ‘royalty’. I held back the desire to mutter ‘tacky’ as the guards pushed the doors opened and led me inside. I walked inside before another Saiyan who was near the entrance stopped me.

“That’s far enough.” He told me. I listened and stopped where I was before turning to look at the other end of the room. There, on his throne, was King Vegeta, with many of his accolades standing beside him. The king was an older man, perhaps in his 40s, and had a beard and more king-like clothes and armor. Just looking at the man told me he was just as arrogant as other Saiyans I had seen, if not more. Yet his face right now was cunning, calculating even. His eyes were on me as soon as I entered, almost like he was trying to decipher something about me.

“On your knees. Have some respect for your king.” One of the guards growled at me. I glared back at him before sighing and kneeling down as he told me to. Not like there’s anything I could do to defy any of them. The king kept looking at me for a little while before speaking.

“Do you know who I am, child?” He asked me. I held back a scoff as I answered respectfully, though only as much as I needed, and allowed myself to be.

“I only know you are the king of all Saiyans. Forgive me, but I have only just gotten back from another planet, and since I’m so young, I can’t say I know much more than that.” 

“Then allow me to introduce myself. I am King Vegeta the Third, and indeed I am the king of the Saiyans.” He told me. “Now, would you please introduce yourself?”

“...Orion. I believe that is the name I was given before I was sent away.”

“Yes, that is your name. That’s what the records state.” 

“The records?”

“Yes. You wouldn’t know this, but we keep records on all the Saiyans we send out as infiltration units. That includes you.” The king’s unfeeling expression then changed to one of curiosity. “I’m surprised you could remember your name despite being sent out as a baby. In fact, I’m surprised you can have a conversation like this despite only being three years of age. Just from the few things you’ve said, I can tell you have more intellect than most Saiyan children.” 

That took me off guard a little. Why the hell does my intelligence matter to a warrior king like him? I’m still just a kid, at least as far as he knows. Why is he even wasting time talking to me? 

“If you remember your name, then you must remember other things from your short time here on this planet, including what power level you had before you were sent out, correct?” I felt an uncomfortable chill when he said that. I felt my fists tighten before answering.

“...Yes. It was zero if I’m not mistaken.” 

That caused many of the other Saiyans in the room to gasp loudly. I heard them whisper and mutter to themselves about how much of an anomaly that was. How they had never heard of anyone having a power level of zero. However, the king himself didn’t look too surprised.

“That is correct. The records state that the Saiyans who came to check your power level didn’t get a reading on you. When they tried to get a reading, all it showed was ‘0’. The records state they believe that your latent abilities were so weak that the scanner couldn’t even detect them. So I ask you, the boy in question, is this still true? You came back from the planet you were sent to. And though you didn’t conquer the planet, you still managed to complete your mission of determining whether or not it was worthy of conquest. And in such a short amount of time, too. Does that mean you are now stronger than what the records state?” 

I grimaced as I averted my eyes from the king in frustration.

“...No. I doubt anything has changed. It is without question…that I am utterly and pathetically weak. In my own opinion, I only managed to survive due to luck.” 

That got the other Saiyans talking again. I could hear them muttering about me, how a weak Saiyan like me shouldn’t have been allowed to come back. That it didn’t actually qualify as completing my infiltration mission since I didn’t conquer the planet like I was supposed to. That I should be exiled due to my lack of talent. With each mummer against me that I heard, my boiling anger began to simmer more and more. But before it boiled over, the king said something that shocked everyone.

“I don’t believe you.” 

My head spun around back to him when I heard those words. The other Saiyans became silent as they looked back at their king, who appeared to be unaffected by anything that had been spoken.

“Forgive me for asking, but why not?” I asked him with a raised eyebrow. 

The king then snapped, signaling a guard to come in. The guard was carrying the leaf cloak I had worn when I arrived and the spider thread bag I had made. They were laid out in front of everyone before the king began to speak again.

“Orion…that is your name, correct? Tell me, what are these, their purpose, and how you managed to acquire them.” 

I gave him a confused expression before I did as he said.

“As I’m sure you are aware, the planet I was sent to was Monmaasu, a planet where everything is ten times larger than normal. Because of this and the nature of my weak body, I had to find ways to make my life even slightly easier if I wanted to survive. I made the cloak out of a large leaf soon after I landed. Since I was the size of an insect on that planet, I figured that using the green, grassy terrain to my advantage was one of the only things I could do to help me survive. Using that cloak, I could camouflage myself from any danger I might encounter during travels I made on the planet. The bag is much the same. I made it after acquiring some spider silk from a spider’s web. A spider’s thread is durable, especially when it’s of this size, so using it to make materials and tools like bags helped me immensely.”

“And can I assume that you had made yourself other tools to survive the planet?” The king asked me.

“That is correct.”

“What else then?”

“I had made weapons out of the large sticks and twigs that were around the massive forest I had landed in. Using them, I made some spears, a bow, and many arrows for self-defense and hunting, as well as basic tools for crafting and cooking. I also made a camp by clearing out an ant tunnel by engineering a flood through the tunnels using a rainstorm and some…let’s call it creative thinking.” I said as I did my best not to remember that day. I almost drowned multiple times and almost got eaten by ants. I had to somehow angle the leaves just right so the rain would funnel into the tunnel and drown the red bastards.

“One more question then. Your pod seemed to have sustained a good amount of damage, but it also showed signs of damage as if it had been rammed repeatedly into things. Not many things can damage an attack pod’s armor. What caused that kind of damage?” 

Why did he have to ask about that? That’s the last thing I want to discuss, but if the king asks…

“...As I said, everything on Monmaasu is ten times larger than it would be on other planets. This includes creatures like beetles, worms, bees, deer, wolves, fish, and even people. Giants, more accurately. There was nothing I could ever hope to do to take them down, so I did my best to avoid creatures I stood no chance against; however, there were a few times when I was spotted and attacked by those creatures. In those situations, I only had one option if I wanted to survive. When I landed, I immediately found the hidden compartment in the attack pod, which had a scout scope and a remote for controlling the pod inside. I always made sure to have both items on me whenever I went out, and in those do-or-die moments, I would use the remote and…” I trailed off as a vivid memory came to mind. I shuttered as I remembered exactly what happened.

“...So you used your pod as a weapon.” The king noted with a look that I might almost call impressed. “How clever. The Attack Pod is made from an incredibly durable armor that makes it impervious to almost any attack. Not even high-class warriors here can even put so much as a tiny scratch on it, but that also means that against larger foes, the pods are almost like bullets made from the strongest metal we have. However, under normal circumstances, the pod would only travel at low speeds when it’s called by the remote to guarantee the safety of the one calling the pod to their location. To use it as a weapon, you would have to disengage the safety features with the remote and pod and risk being caught in the pod’s impact. I suppose that explains why those safety features had been manually turned off for your pod.”  The king then smirked. 

“With all of this in mind, I think it’s quite easy to see that luck had little to do with your success in Monmaasu. Weak though you may be, you have something that is just as important as power: wit and intelligence, along with the drive needed to survive. Despite your age, everything you have said shows you might be smarter than many Saiyans, even those in the middle and high-ranking classes. The risks you took for the small chance of survival is something not many high-ranking Saiyans would do either. That alone proves your worth. Maybe not as a warrior, yes, but most certainly as a Saiyan.”

“What?” I questioned with wide eyes.

“Answer me this, why did you not return here immediately upon landing? You said you found the hidden compartment in the Attack Pod soon after landing, and the compartment has a note detailing how to return here. So why did you decide to stay, risking your life in doing so, when you could have returned?” I hesitated in answering for a bit before I took a deep breath.

“...It was because I believed that whether I returned or not, the result would be the same. I was sent away because of my weakness, so I thought that returning right away would do me no good. At best, I thought I would just be sent back or to another planet, and at worst, I believed it was possible that I would be killed for disobedience and failure to complete my mission. So, I determined my best course of action for survival was to at least fulfill as much of my mission as possible before returning. I also had hopes that perhaps my stay there might help me get stronger, though that didn’t end up happening at all.”

“And that right there is proof of your worth. Of your Saiyan spirit.” The king told me. “I might be the king of Saiyans, a race of warriors, but that doesn’t mean I value only strength and power. Those are certainly important, but I didn't get this far because I only had power and strength. It was because I was the only one who was smart enough to rally the Saiyans against our Tuffle enemies and take control of the planet during the Saiyan-Tuffle war. Intellect is just as important as power, in my opinion. Though power and strength you lack, your wit and ingenuity are clearly evident. In fact, at your age, I might even call you a genius. With that in mind, the reward you will get for completing your infiltration mission will not be joining the Saiyan Army, like other infiltration units who manage to come back. Instead, you will use that mind in different areas like engineering, science, and strategy. You start tomorrow here at the castle. Do well in your new station, and you might become one of my head tacticians.” 

Everyone was stunned into silence, and my shock was much greater than the other Saiyans in the room. What just happened? Did I…just get praised by King Vegeta himself? Did the king of the ruthless, cold-blooded, absolutely horrible Saiyans say he saw worth in my potential, despite my physical abilities being non-existent? I was shell-shocked. No, I had nearly lost my voice from the stupefying surprise I had found myself feeling at that moment. The king then gave me an annoyed glance as he glared at me. 

“Well, don’t you have anything you want to say now?” 

That snapped me out of my shocked trances as I immediately bowed to the king as I kept kneeling.

“Thank you, your Highness. I will not let the opportunity you’re giving me go to waste.” I told him in a more respectful and thankful tone than I had been speaking with prior.

“Good. You are now dismissed.” King Vegeta told me while making a simple hand gesture, signaling the guards to lead me out. 

With that, I stood to my feet, gathered my make-shift items that were brought in, and walked out of the throne room, still utterly confused about why King Vegeta did that. Either way, while I still can’t say I like him, he just gave me a chance of a lifetime. For the first time since I was born, I started to smirk with excitement. This Saiyan life of mine might actually start becoming fun now that this new position is mine. I wonder what I’ll be capable of in my new station.

After being led out of the palace, I asked one of the guards for directions so I didn’t get lost on the planet. He was kind enough to point out everything for me before letting me on my way. I never got the chance to really take in the sights of Planet Vegeta, so I was a little glad I was able to now. Though it’s home to one of the vilest races in this universe, the planet was still incredibly beautiful. I still find it hard to believe that this is my new life now sometimes, just from how different even little things were, both on this planet and on Monmaasu. 

Obviously, everything on Monmaasu was much bigger, but I originally thought it was still a lot like Earth. But after living there for a year, I can definitely say that isn’t the case. And Planet Vegeta is completely different. It’s still a little hard to believe that I’m here on this completely different planet instead of Earth sometimes. The only thing that’s the same still is the vast blue sky, though now there’s a bit of light purple in the mix, and there are two giant planets nearby that are pretty cool to see. Mix that with the bright green grass and the rocks that have a shade of dark violet, and it makes for some nice scenery, though I doubt anything will ever beat Earth for me personally. Home is where the heart is.

I walked down to the marketplace and just took it all in. Though the Saiyans might be more technologically advanced, they still had a normal-looking bazaar like this using stone houses. It’s strange to think that this advanced race of warriors had homes that don’t even look as developed as the stuff in my world’s Earth. Still, maybe that’s because they don’t care as much about comfort on their home planet, instead focusing their efforts on stealing and plundering everything that’s on other planets. 

And considering most of the warriors, the ‘high-class’ of this society not counting the king himself, tend to be off-world, it makes sense that the houses here for the lower class aren’t as luxurious. Either way that doesn’t stop the bazaar from selling everything you would expect to see at any other bazaar. And that means one thing to me: food. That was my one and only objective. For the entire year I spent on Monmaasu, I had to scavenge for food and ration it out since I never knew what might happen, and considering what I imagined was my new Saiyan appetite, which made me want to eat 20 times what a normal person would eat, it was very difficult for me to get by eating the bare minimum. Perhaps I can finally stuff myself silly.

After a bit of walking, I finally found the part of the bazaar with food stands. Even if it was all alien food, I didn’t care as I felt my stomach start to ache in anticipation. I managed to stop myself from drooling at the smell emanating from the stalls as I entered the food stall closest to me. Of course, I didn’t know if I needed any money to get any of this food as I entered. 

I knew that there must be some kind of currency system in place here, but I had yet to learn about it, nor did I have a single scrape of it. However, if I did need some money to get some stuff, I wasn’t gonna wait until I did get some. That was for certain. I bet the Saiyans would actually praise me if I managed to steal some food and get away with it, and I certainly didn’t respect them enough to care if I did steal from them. But even with that thought in my mind, I’m still Human enough to at least try to be cordial about this at first. 

“Excuse me? I’m here to get some food.”

“One moment, please.” A woman who was cutting a large piece of meat that was on a huge bone said. Hmm… On the meat bone, huh? Hehe, I miss my old world’s memes. After the lady finished cutting the meat, she set her large knife down and took off her gloves. 

“Alright. What can I get-” She turned around, and that’s when she froze. She paled as if she just saw a ghost. I raised an eyebrow in confusion before she said something that clicked. 

“You…You couldn’t be…” 

Upon hearing that, I noticed that the woman looked familiar to me too. Really familiar. And there are only two female Saiyans that I’ve ever met in this second life of mine, and she certainly wasn’t that researcher who grabbed me by the tail back then. Which means that this lady was…

“...Gine? That’s your name, isn’t it?” I asked, a little caution in my tone as I was unsure how she would react to my return if she really were Gine. The moment I said that, though, it was as like an emotional dam had been cracked as tears began to form in her eyes.

“Orion…!” She nearly shouted before running at me. 

Before I could react, she grabbed me and hugged me, nearly crushing me in her embrace as she spun me around in joy. At first, I was confused. This was Gine, my Saiyan mother, but why was she now openly showing affection for me? I thought Saiyans never did that. That’s when it hit me that she was, in fact, my mother from this world, and she was crushing me in a motherly hug. Not being used to such a feeling, I felt my face heat up in embarrassment as I struggled for my freedom. 

“L-Let…go of me. You’re crushing…my spine…” I managed to say. 

Gine made an ‘eep’ noise and quickly let go of me, letting me finally get some air. After letting air enter my lungs, I did my best to stifle the redness in my cheeks. I wasn’t used to any physical contact back in my old life, aside from maybe a quick handshake (which still made me a little uncomfortable), let alone such a sweet embrace from a caring mother. I haven’t had that in a long time, and with my time completely isolated on Monmaasu, I’ve only become more inept in receiving such normal comforts. Perhaps that’s a good thing. I doubt expecting any sort of sweetness from Saiyans should be expected, nor would I be seen in a good light if I was like that. In fact, I was sure that this display was as much of an oddity to Saiyans as it was to me.

“I’m sorry, Orion. I was so happy to see you again after so long. I was so surprised that you came back.”

“Yes… It’s quite a coincidence, isn’t it?” I mumbled as I put a hand on my chin. It’s as they say. The universe has a ‘wonderful’ sense of humor. The trick is learning how to take a joke. And this certainly is…one of those moments where I must keep that last part in mind. “What are you even doing here?”

“Oh, this is where I’m assigned to work, dear.” Gine told me, her term of endearment for me not quite feeling right on my ears yet. “I’m not a soldier, so I’m here preparing food for the Saiyans who come by. But what about you? How did you get back to the planet?”

“That? I just hit the big green button like the note in the pod told me to do.” I mumbled. “It’s not too impressive, really.”

“Don’t say that now. Few infiltration units come back from their destination, especially at your age. Your father is the only one I know who had managed it before you, and he came back well after becoming an adult.”

“...You mean Bardock? He was an infiltration unit?” I asked.

“Well, he was born a low-class warrior, just like you. Hard to believe that with how strong he is now.” Gine explained. “But if you're here, then does that mean you grew stronger too?”

“I’d rather not talk about it.” I quickly shot her down while averting my gaze. “This is a nice chat, but I just got back, so I better get-”

Grumble…

“...” I didn’t continue with my sentence as I felt my face heat up even more from hearing my stomach growl like a monster. Gine giggled at my embarrassment.

“It sounds like you're hungry. Why don’t you follow me back home, and I can make you a proper meal.”

“I-I don’t know. I probably should-”

“Nonsense! You’re my son, and I won’t have you living by yourself when you’re so young.” Gine told me with a frown.

“I can take care of myself.” I responded sternly, not caring for the pity she was giving me.

“That’s not what I mean. It’s a parent’s job to care for their child, especially when they’re so young. It doesn’t matter if they’re strong or weak.” I raised an eyebrow at her statement, not fully believing a Saiyan’s word on that matter. I then shrugged as I crossed my arms.

“Fine. But I won’t stay for long.” I told her without looking her in the eye. Gine beamed when I said that. 

“I’m glad!” She then quickly grabbed my hand and started pulling me along before I could react. “Let’s go then. I’ll take you there!”

“H-Hey!” I yelled. “Let-” Gine then turned back to me with a kind smile that made me freeze. Something about it just…freaked me out. Those kind eyes, with that sickenly sweet smile, and how her grip on my hand was suddenly getting tighter. Painfully so. 

“N-Nevermind.” I muttered, which made Gine happy as she dragged me along. It’s still true in this world, it seems. Women…are terrifying. 

Since I don’t have the option to say no, I let myself be dragged over to a little stone house in the village's residential area. After being guided inside, I looked around while Gine headed over to what might have been a kitchen. 

“I’ll go make something real quick.” She told me as I looked around.

“Oh. Um…okay.” I said absentmindedly as I wandered around. It was weird being in this place, even though I hardly remember being in this house for long. But it’s weird. It still feels strangely familiar. As if it felt right for me to be here. 

I continued to walk around until I saw a pod. It was the same incubation pod I was in but it wasn’t empty now. There was a baby inside. Despite being a baby, this baby had stupidly long hair that was already incredibly spiky. I just stared at the baby until I heard Gine again.

“Okay, Orion. I’ve set the food on the table, so you can-” Gine then saw what I was looking at and gave a sweet smile. “Oh, right. You wouldn’t know. Orion, meet your little brother Raditz.” 

Raditz… It sounds familiar, the same way Bardock looked familiar. It’s that strange familiarity that made me pause for a moment. It never really clicked since I spent the few waking moments of this new life of mine just barely surviving. I really was in another world, one that was probably fictitious back in my old world. God, this is too weird for me. I think I’d rather be in hell than in this messed-up world. 

“Orion?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” I replied. “I’m just a little surprised that you had another child while I was gone. Not that I blame you. I don’t really care, either. It’s just…weird.” 

That’s when I felt Gine wrap her arms around me again but in a sweeter, gentler hug. My face began to flair up again in a deep red shade that went from ear to ear as my eyes widened. 

“W-What are you doing!?”

“...You must have been really lonely when you were gone. I bet it was scary too.” Gine said in a soft voice. “But you’re back now, and I couldn’t be happier. I won’t let you go again like last time. Not this time. So don’t think you have to hold back just because we’re Saiyans. Just know that no matter what, I love you. Because I’m your mother.” 

It took a moment for me to absorb the words I had just heard, but after it sank in, I had to fight the urge to cry into Gine’s shoulders. It had been so long since I had something like this, so it was almost too much for me. Fortunately, I was able to keep a straight head and managed to keep my composure. 

“S-Sure. Whatever.” I mumbled as I tried to hide my flustered face. “If that’s the case…then…m-maybe…if it’s okay…perhaps I could…stay?” I asked the question in a whisper that only got softer and quieter with each word I said. However, that seemed to make Gine really happy, and she rubbed my head gently as she hugged me. 

“Of course. I would love it if you stayed.” She told me. It was weird. I felt sort of uncomfortable, but at the same time…it was nice hearing her say that. The first thing that’s happened to me in this world that I would describe in that way. It really was…nice.

Chapter Text

“The king said what!?!!” Gine exclaimed as she shot up from her seat. I didn’t emote to her surprised reaction as I continued to eat the food she made at a slow leisurely pace. 

“Yeah. He said something about how my intellect and wit were just as good as power and strength, so he said he wanted me to work as an engineer, scientist, and strategist, apparently.” I mumbled in an uncaring tone as I ate. “I don’t really get it. Why he did this, I mean.”

“But this is great, honey! This is an opportunity that a Saiyan rarely gets!” Gine told me excitedly. “You get to work under his majesty directly with the other scientists! Who knows! Maybe Lord Cold will get a chance to see you at work and be impressed too! This could open up all sorts of paths for you!”

“I guess.” I shrugged. 

I had just told Gine about everything that had happened while I was away. Well, I summarized it. I told her how I landed on Monmaasu and survived there, though I didn’t mention more. I then told her how after I landed back on Vegeta, the king wanted to see me and what he said to me. Now that she was bringing it up, I suppose this would be a good opportunity, though I’m not sure how I’m supposed to use it to my advantage, as Gine suggests. 

She also told me about stuff that had happened while I was gone. Raditz was born, obviously, though it wasn’t too long ago. Bardock was also away from the planet, most likely out on a mission, though Gine said how he should be back in a few weeks. That’s something to look forward to, I guess. Not that I really cared if he was here or not.

“Still, it makes sense that the king would be impressed by how smart you are. When we met again at the shop where I worked, I was shocked that you were the same baby from three years ago. You seem older than you are. You’re already so mature despite your age.” Near-death experiences and being alone on an entire planet will do that to a person. She then crossed her arms and pouted a bit. “I wish you would let me spoil you a little more.”

“If I do, you’d probably suffocate me with hugs.” I replied with a nervous expression. “I didn’t think Saiyans were so…emotional.”

“Hehe…I guess I’m an exception in that regard.” Gine chuckled a little. “I was born with a high enough power not to be sent off, but I’ve always been…more empathic. I used to be on the same team as your father, but I was taken off due to being too emotional than a Saiyan warrior ought to be.”

“That’s stupid.” I immediately responded. “Saiyans are all stupid.” 

“Don’t say that.” Gine told me. “Saiyans can be a bit stubborn and harsh, but we’re not all that bad.” She then leaned over and rubbed my head like before. “You turned out okay, right.” I pushed her hand off my hand as I pouted a bit.

“I guess.” I mumbled. She gave a small giggle at my response.

“You’re not very talkative, are you? Could it be that you’re shy?” She asked in a teasing voice.

“N-No…” I replied in a quiet voice. That just made Gine giggle more as she gave me a kind, loving smile.

“Well, you should probably head to bed now. You must be pretty tired after the long day you’ve had.” She said. “I’ll show you to your room.”

“My room?”

“Of course. We prepared a room for you before you were sent off. We still have it. You might have to share it with Raditz when he’s old enough, though.” She told me.

“That’s fine.” I told her as she led me to my room. 

After she led me there, she continued doing things while I went into the room. Everything was made of stone, even the bed, though there was a single, simple sheet of cloth to act as a blanket. It was pretty archaic, but it’s not like my makeshift home on Monmaasu was much better. At least this wasn’t a literal hole in the ground like that place was. 

I took off my armor, leaving just the jumpsuit on as I laid down on the bed. It was a bit stiff, but it was nice having an actual bed. And with how tired I was feeling, I wouldn’t be picky. I closed my eyes and lost myself in the dreamless sleep that had plagued me for the past few years. A restless sleep. Sleep devoid of dreams, sounds, or purpose. It was a sleep that was neither torturous nor peaceful. I just let myself sink into the void until it was time for me to wake again, ready to snap back out of this trance at the slightest sound of danger.

It hadn’t even felt like an hour had passed before I started waking up from my slumber. My eyes opened on their own as if they knew it was time to get up, though my body seemed to disagree. First time in how long that I’ve been given an opportunity to sleep in, yet I can’t take the chance to enjoy myself. Ugh… I sat up in my bed and looked out the large hole in the room that was supposed to be a window. It still looked like the same time it was when I went to sleep, but that’s probably natural for this planet due to it having a much larger sun and two moons out all at the same time. 

I can’t even tell what time it is right now. At least Monmaasu had a similar day and night cycle to Earth, but with this planet, I have no idea. Well, at least I can move around the planet normally now. It barely registered to me yesterday just because of everything that happened, but I guess my body has grown at least strong enough to endure the stronger gravity of the planet, though I definitely feel it. Still doesn’t make my power level noticeable to be above 0 either. Ugh… It’s like there are weights tied around me or like I’m a few feet underwater. It’s a little uncomfortable and annoying, but I’ll have to get used to it.

But I wonder what I’m supposed to do now. I’m back on planet Vegeta, and I’m not dead somehow. Hurray, whip out the confetti. But the question still remains. King Vegeta told me that I have to work with the other engineers and scientists now, but in truth, my original plan that I came up with back on Monmaasu was to get the coordinates to Earth and get away as soon as possible. Of course, I can see that’s going to be pretty much impossible with how they have all the ships and pods under heavy surveillance. 

I probably wouldn’t be able to get near them, even if I were to get my hands on the right coordinates somehow to punch into the computer. And it’s not like I can just punch my way through this. I’m not one of those freakishly bulky Saiyans. I’m pathetically weak. I could barely handle the giant ants and worms that tried to eat me back on Monmaasu, and back there, I had weapons like a bow and a stone ax, along with a few stone-tipped spears and traps I had set up. But here, I’m a fish out of water. I have no choice but to follow my orders until I find some way to get some semblance of control in my life.

I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair. 

“I don’t have much of a choice, huh?” 

With that in mind, I grumbled a bit as I pushed myself out of my ‘bed’ and put on my Saiyan armor since I didn’t have anything else to wear. Hmm…Do Saiyans have laundromats? Cause if this is what I’m going to be wearing all my life, it’s gonna start to stink fast. Wait, would these things even wash properly using ordinary human methods? These suits and armor are elastic enough to fit any Saiyan, but would they shrink in the wash? Wait, why am I even thinking about this? As I made my way to the kitchen, I shook myself out of that pointless thought tangent. I passed by Raditz as I did, but I didn’t bother giving him the time of day. Not like he would want or need it at his age. After all, he has a power level that lets him stay on the planet. Isn’t he lucky?

I growled that last thought at the baby Saiyan in need of a haircut as I entered the kitchen. I didn’t see Gine, but I did see a large plate full of food with a note next to the plate. I picked it up and read it, seeing that it was from Gine. It said the plate of food was for me since Gine thought I would be hungry when I woke up and that she made extra since she thought I didn’t eat a proper portion before and that I needed to eat a lot to grow stronger. I raised an eyebrow at that since I thought I ate until I was full yesterday, but perhaps I’m still recovering from a year of rationing sparse food and two years of no food during travel between the planets. 

I shrugged as I picked up the plate and brought it to the table before eating what was on it, once again at my own leisurely pace. What? Did you think I would start eating like shonen protagonists in anime and make a mess of myself? Screw that. I have actual table manners, and I wasn’t going to throw that away just because I had a Saiyan appetite now. Also, Gine’s food was really good, and I wanted to let it touch my tongue so I could taste it to the fullest before swallowing it.

After eating, I left the house and started heading towards the castle, though it was far from the village I was in. This would be much easier if I could fly, which, by the way, I can’t. I already tried to do that, along with firing energy from my hands, charging ki, and other things I would consider basic techniques that I heard Bardock talking about before I was sent away. I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I at least could imagine it, thanks to having seen some anime with skills similar to that before. 

And, lo and behold, I’m unable to do any of it. Of course… Nothing is ever easy, is it? So I had to walk to the castle at a painfully slow pace. I was walking there, but even if the king himself was waiting for me, I wasn’t going to pick up the pace. It’s their own fault for not having the castle and village closer together or not giving me a quicker way to get to the castle in the first place. And since I’m walking, I might as well take the leisurely route and enjoy myself, yeah? And that’s exactly what I did.

After taking my sweet time getting to the castle, letting myself get distracted by the different scenery around me, I finally made it to the castle, and outside waiting for me was what looked like a pissed-off Saiyan researcher. He looked a little old, having a long beard with patches of gray in it, but he still looked like he would and could kick my ass with both hands tied around his back if he wanted to. Damn, Saiyans who aren’t me are freaking jacked… My lanky frame can’t even compare. As soon as he spotted me, I swore the old man, who I’ll call Gramps 'cause I don’t care to know or remember his name, got a dozen more wrinkles on his already angry face. 

“You’re late!” He yelled at me. “You were supposed to be here hours ago!”

“On the contrary, I was never told when to arrive here.” I shot back in an uncaring tone. 

Oh, by the way, the time system of the universe is pretty much the same as my world, except there aren’t minutes or seconds. Instead, they’re combined into ‘ticks’. Let me tell you, it is weird. I probably would have been late getting here just from that, even if I did care about arriving here on time. I hope the Earth in this weird dimension has what I’m used to.

“Anyway, I’m here now. The king said something about me joining the researchers and engineers, right?” Gramps just sighed as he nodded tiredly.

“Yes, that is correct. You, Orion, will become part of the head team for researchers here at the castle. That is, if you can prove you can do the work we do here.”

“That implies that there’s a test. So out with it.” I told him.

“Have some respect, boy.” Gramps shot back at me. “Follow me, and perhaps you’ll see. But before that, put this on.” Gramps then threw a lab coat at me. 

I shrugged and took off my chest plate to put on the coat before putting the armor back on over it. This feels better, I’ll admit, but I wish I could get rid of these stupid shoulder pads. Gramps then led me into the castle’s laboratory, which was actually much larger than I thought it would be. 

It looked quite advanced, especially compared to Earth’s technology. There were also many other Saiyans inside the lab already doing work, three of whom looked way too familiar. Lanky, Bulky, and that female Saiyan with blue hair, the three I saw when I was born, were here too, and they seemed to be hard at work like the others. Well, they were until Gramps and I entered, causing everyone to look over at us. Each of them gave me different looks, ranging from curiosity, to confusion, to dissatisfaction. Gramps didn’t pay them any mind as he led me to one of the corners of the lab, where there was a computer (Or at least what sort of, kind of, maybe looked like a computer) and some kind of machine hooked up to it. 

“So what am I supposed to do here?” I asked with a raised eyebrow as I examined both the computer screen and the machine.

“This piece of equipment is malfunctioning. Your job is to fix it.” Gramps told me in a stern voice. “You have the rest of the day. You would've had more time if you had gotten here when you were supposed to.” 

I blinked a few times at him as I processed my task. I looked around and saw a lot of the other Saiyans snickering. Are they trying to prove I’m just a snot-nose brat? With…just this? This typical job I would have back home in the office? Really…?

“...Is that it?” I asked a little surprised that was it.

“Yes…?”

“Oh. Cool.” I said as I sat at the computer screen and turned it on. “Then, while I’m getting started, can you get me some things I’ll need.”

“Things?”

“I can already tell just from turning this on that I’m not familiar with the programming language used to program this thing, so I’ll need something to reference to understand the code here. So some books on the language would be useful.” Gramps gave me a confused look that made me sigh before running my hand down my face. “I’m guessing that means you guys don’t have books. Of course. Then do you have records of any kind?”

“U-Um, yes, I believe we do.” 

“Then get me those if you could. Also, I’ll need details as to what exactly this device does. I need to know what it does, how it does it, and every other detail you have about it. Get me all of that, and I’ll have this thing working flawlessly in less than 4 hours.” 

Gramps looked stunned by that, and the other Saiyans who were listening in had their jaws drop. After a few ticks of silence, Gramps finally pulled himself together and nodded.

“Right. I’ll get you what you require.” And with that, Gramps quickly left, leaving me alone with the other Saiyans and the machine I had to fix. I turned back to the computer and stretched my fingers before smirking. Finally. Something I’m actually good at. I did this all the time back on Earth, and even if this is Saiyan tech, as long as I have references to go by, I can understand it and work with it just like anything else back home.

“This…is gonna be satisfying.” I smirked with a glint in my eyes. 

Gramps came back soon enough with all the things I asked for, and after quickly scanning over the pages and gaining a grasp on the Tuffle programming language (Yes, Tuffle. If I’m understanding the history here, the Saiyans stole all of the Tuffle’s tech after they won the war and have been basing all their ‘new’ tech on 99% of the old Tuffle tech, including the coding and language, which I’ve dubbed Tuber. Hehe. Mushroom jokes.), I was able to fix the machine fairly quickly. It turns out the device was a drone of some kind, and as soon as I fixed the code and turned it on, the drone started hovering in place. 

“Hmm…Imma call you Skeets.” I said as I pointed to the flying drone. My voice caused the drone to turn to me and make some beeping sounds. I think it likes me! “Hey, Gramps! I’m done!”

“Do not call me that! My name is Garlik!” Gramps yelled. I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that.

“Whatever. I fixed the thing, didn’t I?” 

“Hmm… Yes, it would seem you have. Well then, it seems you are qualified for this position the king has given you. Good job.” Gramps told me. “I shall report to the king that you have completed your task flawlessly and are now able to begin working on the next.”

“And what is my next task?” I asked.

“To improve Saiyan technology as much as possible by any means necessary. That is what the king said.” Gramps replied. “He also said that you are free to choose your work hours as you are still just a child and should ‘enjoy what youth has to offer’.”

“That…doesn’t sound like him.” I said.

“Indeed, and he had his usual scowl as he said it, but those were his exact words. Now then, I have my own business to attend to. Also, feel free to take the drone for yourself. It’s an older model, anyway. Good day.” The old man then left, leaving me a little confused as to what to do now.

“Improve Saiyan technology as much as possible by any means necessary, huh?” I repeated the task as I leaned back into my chair. “What do you think, Skeets? Any ideas?” Skeets just gave me more beeps and boops as a response. “Yeah, you’re right. We would have to actually make Saiyan technology before we can improve it. Hahaha!” I high-fived myself for that one before looking around at the other Saiyans who were working in the lab. Over half of them glared at me as they worked, but I paid them no mind. 

“Hmm, it seems the other Saiyans are just doing general work. Guess all we weaklings are supposed to do is make things easier for the strong. Makes sense, I guess. I still don't like it, however, I wonder what I can do with this Tuffle tech.” I continued mumbling to myself. “It’s quite impressive. Especially when it’s mixed with what I’m assuming is Cold Force tech. That’s what you’re made of, at least. The mixture of both technologies, and I must say, it’s probably the only thing I've seen in this life that I would actually say is amazing. It makes me wonder what I can do with this tech. That is, if I actually had more to go off of than this pathetic excuse for records.” 

The papers Gramps managed to get me were pitiable at best. There were only a few sheets that were barely legible and hardly helped, if I’m honest. Whoever wrote this clearly only wrote the bare minimum that was needed to work with the code, not to understand and actually use it to its fullest. Just further proof that Saiyans are just a bunch of morons who just got lucky in history. No wonder they were taken over by this Lord Cold guy. I bet if the Tuffles had won the war, they would have escaped captivity already with how smart they seemed to be. 

“Back on topic, the only way I’m going to understand this stuff is if I spent a day or two messing around with it. And the only thing I can use to do that is…” My eyes landed on Skeets, who was still simply hovering next to me since no one had given it any orders or directives to go do. “Well, Skeets, I guess you’re gonna have to be my lab rat. Follow me.” I told the drone as I picked up the computer I had typed on. After a few beeps, Skeets seemed to understand and started following me around. As I began to leave, one of the other Saiyans saw me and started yelling.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going!?” He yelled.

“I was told I could choose my work hours, so I’m heading home right now. I can’t exactly do anything anyway since you guys are a bunch of barbarians who don’t record things, so I need to mess around with this stuff before I can really do anything. Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow, maybe.” I didn’t wait for a response as I left, only causing the Saiyans I was leaving behind to get even angrier. 

“Who does he think he is!? He’s just a stupid kid!” One of them yelled.

“It’s hard to believe he’s the same child we sent out before.” Lanky muttered with a curious gaze that was on where Orion had just been. 

“He certainly is special. He might be weak, but I think it’s clear he might be the smartest Saiyan child ever born. He might even rival the old Tuffles with his intellect.” The blue-hair woman added.

“What? Nion, are you serious? He’s just a kid!”

“A child that managed to fix that destroyed drone in just a few hours. Something that would have taken longer for any of us to do by ourselves.” The woman, Nion, stated. “Who knows? Perhaps this child will change Saiyan civilization as we know it. He has just as much potential as any warrior with a high power level.” 

The other Saiyans were shocked to hear that, but it only fueled their anger and jealousy more. The king himself seemed to have taken a liking to the brat, and the brat seemed to have the talent to back it up. But he was just a child. Who did this brat think he was? That’s when one of them made a decision. This kid might be smart, but he was still weak. He was the weakest Saiyan to date, making all of them, despite being low-class warriors themselves, much stronger than him. So they would show him just how outclassed he was.

“Orion, I’m back!”

“Welcome home, Gine.” I called back as I continued to work.

“So how was-” Gine then walked into what I assumed was the living room of sorts and nearly fell backward when she saw what I was doing. “Why is a Cold Force Attack Drone here!?”

“Oh, Skeets? I had to repair him at work today to ‘prove myself’, and now I’m using it to better understand how Tuffl-er, Saiyan tech and Cold Force tech work.” I explained as I looked up from the monitor I was typing away on. “I’ve already been at it for most of the day and I think I’ve figured everything out. Like this. Say hi Skeets.”

“ Hello, Miss Gine. ” Skeets then said while still sitting on the ground while hooked up to the computer.

“D-Did the drone just talk?” Gine asked.

“I programmed a brand-spankin' new ai into Skeets here!” I said with genuine excitement before happily muttering to myself. “I always wanted to do something like this, and had tried it out before, but I never got anywhere close to this far into it.” I guess I’ve gotten better despite my 3-year break from coding. This is exciting! I then turned to Skeets with a wide grin. “Aren’t you just ecstatic, Skeets?”

“ Save me please. ”

“No! Bad Skeets! I thought I got rid of that bug!” I yelled as I began to type away furiously.

“ Heeeeeeeeeelp… ” Sheets cried out before I stomped out his voice with my hyper-speed update. “ ...Hello, Miss Gine. I am…perfectly fine and happy with this. ”

“Good.” I smirked. Gine gave a nervous chuckle at that.

“Well, I can’t say I fully understand how amazing that is, but it sounds pretty incredible. It’s hard to believe that you’re only a few years old when you’ve done something like this.” Gine told me.

“Yeah, I am pretty amazing, aren’t I?” I said with a hint of pride. “Now that I understand what I’m doing, I’m starting to get a few ideas about what I can do with this stuff.”

“Oh? Like what?”

“Well, weapons I guess, since that’s all the Saiyans want. But with this, I might be able to make way more.” I began. “This planet has all this technology and potential, and we’re just…sitting on it! Letting it waste away if it doesn’t help kill or destroy things. We could upgrade armor for one thing. We could also make life here more comfortable for the Saiyans who are stuck here because they’re weak. And with Skeets here, I pretty much have a personal bodyguard who only responds to my orders. Isn’t that right, Skeets?”

“ Kill me- ”

WHACK!

“ Of course, Orion. ”

“Very good.” I replied, waving my hand around as I did to get rid of the stinging pain I got from hitting Skeets. “So overall, I have a lot of ideas, though I’m not sure how these Saiyans will take them. But at least I’ve written down everything I’ve learned so that if someone like me comes along and wants to improve upon it like I am, they actually have something to help them on their way.” I said as I gestured to the large stack of paper I had filled out next to me. “However, I sincerely doubt there will ever be a Saiyan who’s smart enough and capable enough to do any of this stuff, so it’s probably pointless.”

“You shouldn’t talk as if Saiyans are complete strangers to you, nor should you describe every Saiyan like they don’t have a brain.” Gine sighed. “But I’m glad you seem to be enjoying yourself. And you seem really capable and talented in this stuff. That’s obvious even to someone like me. I’m proud of you.”

“I-It’s nothing, really.” I replied with a bit of embarrassment in my voice. “Anyway, I’ll be heading to bed. Thanks for the food you left me, by the way.” I said as I grabbed my stuff and began heading to my room, Skeets hovering close behind me.

“He certainly is unique.” Gine mumbled to herself. “But I’m glad. He seems to have lightened up. I didn’t know he would ever feel comfortable here, but it seems he’s relaxing now. I can’t wait for Bardock to see his son again.” I didn’t hear those hopeful words of her as I went off to bed, but that hope was certainly planted in my heart today. I felt like I could actually do something. Something that showed I had real value. Too bad that was just dumb optimism.

The next day, I headed over to the castle with Skeets and my notes and walked into the lab. I felt more animosity in the air, but I didn’t pay attention to it as I set down my computer in what I had designated as my workspace. As I set my stuff down, I quickly gathered a few parts for me to tinker with as well and felt a grin start growing on my face. “Alright, Skeets.” I began mumbling my thoughts out loud like before. 

“We have a lot to do today. I’m hoping that maybe I can add some new functions to you so-”

“Hey. You’re Orion, right?” I turned around and saw a few of the other Saiyan researchers that I saw yesterday. They certainly didn’t look pleasant, and they seem to be the source of that animosity that’s in the air right now.

“Yeah. What do you want? I’m a little busy with something.” I said as I looked back at the parts and began tinkering with them.

“Don’t worry. This won’t take long.” 

That’s when I felt something slam into my face, knocking me out of the seat I was in. My eyes widened with dumbfounded shock as I slowly placed a hand on the side of my face where I was punched. Punched… My eyes slowly moved to the Saiyan who attacked me, and he, along with the other researchers beside him, was giving me a huge evil grin.

“Wh-What are you-?”

“Don’t get the wrong idea, kid. Just because you’re young doesn’t mean you won’t get punished for acting like a big shot.” The Saiyan said as he cracked his knuckles. 

Oh…Oh, crap baskets!

“Skeets! Attack!” I ordered as I scrambled to get up. 

Skeets immediately responded and began firing his ray gun at the Saiyans; however, the Saiyans were prepared. One of them had already snuck up behind Skeets and smashed him to the ground with a metal rod. Skeets plummeted to the ground with a new crack that ran down him before the Saiyan beat him more with the metal rod. Eventually, the light from Skeets turned off, his inner machinery now completely destroyed.

“...Well shit.” I mumbled.

“Yep.” One of the Saiyans nodded before he punched me in the gut. Hard. 

Despite wearing my armor, I felt all of the air in my lungs get forced out as I began dry heaving. I fell to my knees as I gasped for air, only to be kicked in the face by another Saiyan. The Saiyan who had the metal rod then came over as I tried to stand again and bashed it against my face, knocking me over again and giving me a gash across my eye. He then walked over to where I fell, ripped the armor off my torso, and began beating me with his weapon again as I lay defenseless on my side. 

He slammed it into my side, my legs, my arms, and my head, all while the other Saiyans began beating the shit out of me as well. I could hardly even defend myself from the assault, only being able to weakly cover my head with my arms to protect it, but that obviously didn’t help at all. Of course, that didn’t last too long since after the metal rod hit my right arm again, I heard it make an extremely loud crack, as well as give me a rush of pain in my arm. Yep, that arm’s broken, and it HURTS LIKE HELL!

After god knows how long, maybe half an hour (I don’t really know. I’m pretty sure I blacked out during most of it), the Saiyans finally stopped curb-stomping me. I was barely even conscious enough to be able to tell. I couldn’t move, and all I could feel was the pain that was burning all across my body. My right arm was most certainly broken, and I think some bones in my left leg might be cracked as well, and one of my eyes was swollen shut too. And I believed I had started bleeding from at least my head as well since I could feel something dripping off my face, and it seemed I was laying in a small pool that was most likely my own blood.

“Let this be a lesson to you, kid. You’re at the very bottom of the totem pole.” The Saiyan who seemed to have started this told me. “No matter how smart you think you are, you’re still weaker than everybody else. We might be low class warriors, but we still outclass you in every way. Don’t forget it. Now then, either get back to work or leave. And if any of us need to…relieve some stress, you better hope you’re not here at that time.” After he said that, he looked over and saw my research notes, and picked them up. 

“And by the way, we won’t need any of this stuff, whatever it is. Like we need the help of some brat.” With that, he tore them up into tiny pieces, leaving nothing of it left that could be used. 

The crowd then began to disperse, leaving me just laying there on the floor next to the broken drone. I don’t know how long I was there, but I didn’t move for a while. I spent most of the time just trying to stay awake. I can’t fall asleep. I can’t fall asleep. I can’t fall asleep right now! They hit my head a lot, and I’m probably bleeding from there. That means I probably have a concussion. I need to stay awake until I can get help. 

That’s when a thought occurred. Who would actually help me on this planet? This planet is full of people who didn’t hesitate to beat a child senselessly just because they were jealous. Even now, there were some Saiyans who didn’t join in to beat me to death, but those few just continued to stand by and watch. They don’t care. None of them do. They’re all just barbarians who only care about power.

 Power…Power power power power power. 

Why is it always power!? Why is it only power!? 

Haven’t I proved myself already!? I survived an entire year on a planet where I almost died from minor inconveniences like a rainstorm! I killed giant ants, worms, wasps, and even a giant with nothing but what I had on me, all so I could survive! I came back and was praised by the king himself and was willing to help these people in this new position I was given, and this is my reward!? A broken arm, multiple bruises and gashes, a swollen eye, and pain that makes me want to die… It’s frustrating. No, it’s more than that. It’s infuriating. No matter what I do, I’ll never be enough for these brutes, all because I was born weaker than them, and that pissed me off more than anything.

After lying on the ground for a bit longer, I finally began to feel enough anger and strength to start moving again. I slowly turned onto my stomach and began to push myself off the ground. My body ached, and I couldn’t move my right arm, but my anger and frustration were enough to fuel me with enough strength and will to begin to stand. I started to cough roughly, and I’m pretty sure some blood came up with it. Eventually, I was standing on my shaky feet. I still only had one eye to work with at the moment, and that eye was covered in my own blood, but I didn’t care. All I could think of was making these Saiyans pay. No. I wanted to make every Saiyan…every monkey bastard pay. They. Would. SUFFER.  

I turned my head to what was left of Skeets. A tinge of pain and disappointment welled up inside me. I was really looking forward to working on him. But now that he was in broken pieces, I doubt I would be able to even salvage much from him. 

“...Sorry, Skeets.” I mumbled as I picked up all I could with my one usable arm, though it still hurt like crap. 

After I got everything I could use, I began limping out of the lab, ignoring everything around me. Was that ringing sound always in here? I didn’t care as I made my way to…somewhere. I didn’t really know. I just kept walking and walking and walking and walking and walking and walking and…and…an….

Without me realizing it, I began to fall. As soon as I hit the ground, everything went dark. The last thing I remember was cursing Saiyans and everything they stood for.

Chapter Text

My eyes suddenly shot open, and an unfamiliar ceiling greeted me. I didn’t know why, but I woke up panting heavily with a splitting headache. My first thought was where I was, and the second was why didn’t I feel any physical pain anywhere in my body. 

“Oh hey, you’re finally awake.” 

I felt my stomach sink when I heard that infamous phrase. Oh god, please tell me I didn’t go from this shitty world to Skyrim. 

“So, are you feeling better?” I turned my head and saw… What the hell? No, really, what am I looking at here? This guy… This kid looks just like…

“...Bardock?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Bardock? Who’s Bardock?” The young boy asked. 

“O-Oh. Nothing. Sorry.” I mumbled an apology as I sat up to look at the young Saiyan boy. 

Despite small differences like a darker skin tone, very slightly different styled hair, and Saiyan armor, this guy looked just like Bardock. The only thing that really stuck out as different was, again, his darker skin and his ‘Bardock hair’ had two little devil horn spikes mixed into it. It was really throwing me off. 

“I’m…fine, I guess.”

“Good. That’s a relief.” The Bardock look-a-like gave me a warm, kind smile when he said that. “I was really worried about you, ya know? We low-class Saiyans need to stick together, right?”

“Low-class?”

“Oh, right. We haven’t met before this. The name’s Turles. A low class warrior like you.” He said while offering me a hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Orion. Oh, uh… In case you’re wondering, I only know your name and class cause I heard the doctor mention it after I brought you to the medical center.”

“Oh…So you took me to the medical center? Did I pass out in the middle of the street or something?” I asked.

“Something like that. Gotta say, it was pretty terrifying to be walking home from the market and stumble across a kid who was bleeding to death while lying on the road. I dropped everything and flew you to the medical center as quickly as possible.”

“Flew?” I asked before it came to me. “Oh, right. Saiyans can fly. Right… This headache is throwing me off.” I turned to him, took his hand, and shook it. “Well, as for proper introductions, you already know I’m Orion, but I guess it’s nice to meet you.” I said with a little reservation. He seemed like a good guy, but after what just happened, my trust and respect for any Saiyan had dropped considerably. “By the way, did you happen to grab the stuff I had with me when you found me?”

“Yeah, I did. It’s right here.” Turles said as he motioned to a bag filled with what was left of Skeets. “What is this stuff anyway?”

“You don’t have to worry about it.” I quickly said, not wanting to talk about it. The last thing I need is this guy getting pissed off for some reason and end up watching him destroy the rest of it. “So where am I?”

“You’re in my place. It’s not much, but it’s home.” He told me.

“Your place? But aren’t you a kid too? You look young.”

“Yeah, well, things happened.” Turles said with a small frown. “But hey, for someone who’s only 8, living on my own is pretty impressive, right?”

“Yeah. You seem to have things under control.” I nodded. I know for a fact that living by yourself while being a really young kid is extremely tough, so props to this guy. “You said you were a low-class warrior, too, right? Does that mean you managed to survive being an infiltration unit too?”

“Oh, you were an infiltration unit? That explains why I haven’t seen you until now.” Turles mentioned. “But no, I wasn’t an infiltration unit. I was born as a low-class Saiyan, but I had enough battle power not to get sent out. Though I will say, I’m not that impressive, unfortunately. Still, all things considered, I guess I’m still luckier than most.” Turles said while stealing a glance at me. He then shook his head. “Well, there isn’t anything anyone can do about it, unfortunately.” I scoffed at his words when I heard him say that.

“And that’s the dumbest thing in this entire world if you ask me.” I grumbled out a hiss filled with venom. “Who cares if you weren’t born with power? Anyone can do anything and become anything if they work hard enough. Why tie us down using these barbaric class systems given at birth?” I then noticed him giving me a confused look, causing me to sigh. “Forget it. It’s not really important.”

“But you bring up a good point, right? It’s just…I’ve never thought of it that way before.” Turtles mumbled. “Anyway, why were you so badly injured?” I frowned when he asked me that question. The memory of the event began appearing in my mind, and I did my best to push it down.

“I’d rather not talk about it.” I told him. He hummed a bit while putting a hand on his chin before snapping.

“I see. Some adults did that to you.” 

“H-Huh? How did you-?”

“You’re not the only low-class kid who’s had to deal with people like that.” Turles said as he showed me a large gash that ran down his chest. “Every low class warrior has to deal with stuff like this at least once. Until we prove ourselves worthy of praise and recognition, we’re essentially the punching bags for the higher class Saiyans.” 

I found myself absolutely appalled. Good god, what the hell!? Saiyans just go around abusing other Saiyans that are weaker than them!? Do all the ‘weak’ Saiyans have to deal with this stuff? Even if they’re as young as 3 or 5 years old? That…disgusting! 

And yet, oddly enough, if I think about it, it makes sense. Saiyans, from what I’ve heard and seen, are some of the cruelest people around. They’re prideful, egotistical, and rebellious by a fault. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that almost all Saiyans are born pure evil and tend to keep that vile nature all their lives. In fact, the only Saiyans I’ve ever met that seem to be the exception are Gine and Turles here. Everyone else I’ve seen has had this almighty air about them. As if they believed they were the next best thing since sliced bread, and they wanted to make sure everyone knew. 

“I’m…sorry.” I couldn’t help but apologize to the young Saiyan, who only gave a dry chuckle in response. 

“Don’t apologize. You haven’t done anything. Hell, you’re looking a little rough yourself.” He told me while gesturing to his left eye. 

I raised an eyebrow before I realized what he was implying. I quickly ran a finger across my eye and found what felt like a nasty-looking scar that ran from my forehead down my eye to the bottom of my cheek. My eye was fine, thank god, but holy shit.

“Do I…?”

“Have more? Yeah. They roughed you up pretty good.” Turles said, trying his best not to freak me out. “I saw you in the healing pod and…well…there was a lot all over you.”

My hands quickly darted to my body on instinct. A new set of armor was obviously covering me, but I couldn’t help but wonder how many scars I got just from this one event. I should probably be glad I didn’t have to see them at the moment, but does this mean I’ll get more scars? If I do, that means that I’m…That my body is… 

“Hey, hey! Don’t start freaking out on me! I don't know what to do if you start panicking.” Turles told me as he put a hand on my shoulder. 

I started calming down slightly after he said that, but I couldn’t help but worry. How long will I have to put up with this? Will I even survive to be ten years old? If that’s the case, is living even worth it? This is worse than being stuck on Monmaasu. At least there, I had some sense of safety. I’m not even capable of stealing a pod or a ship to leave the planet. I can thank my weak, child body for that. If I was just a bit stronger and older, then that might be a possibility, but I can’t even hope for something like that. I don’t even have a good feel for the layout of this place, meaning I can’t even come up with a plan to try to escape. 

I’ve trapped myself in a worse prison than Monmaasu.

“How…do you get through it?” I asked Turles. He sighed as he thought about it for a bit.

“There’s nothing else we can do but persevere, right? We’re Saiyans. We’re a warrior race full of incredibly strong fighters. It doesn’t matter if we’re weak. We can only prove we’re strong if we take all of this and throw it back at them one day.” Turles told me. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t plan on being weak forever. It’s like you said, we can become strong if we work for it. We’re weaker than everyone else, but that just means we’ve gotta work harder than everyone else. I’m gonna become the strongest Saiyan around. I’ll show them all the might of Turles! Just like my folks wanted.”

“Your folks?” I asked. “May I ask what happened to them?”

“Sure, I don’t mind. They died during one of their missions a few years ago. I’ve been on my own since.” He told me. I guess Saiyans really don’t care if a young kid becomes an orphan. 

“Do you miss them?” I asked.

“Not really. I barely knew them. I hear they were strong, though, so there’s that.” He told me. 

I nodded in response. I guess I was sort of the same way with Gine and Bardock. I hardly thought about them during my time on Monmaasu, but they also aren’t really my parents, so there’s that. I’m also technically an adult, but I guess I’m starting to feel more like a child the more time I spend as one. You know, other than already having to deal with adult problems like abuse and work and stuff. 

“Well, I guess you should probably get going. It’s getting late.” Turles said as he looked out the window.

“Right. Thanks for helping me.” I said as I got off his bed.

“Don’t worry about it. As I said, we low-class warriors have got to look out for each other, or none of us will survive.” Turles told me while patting me on the back. “And feel free to come by anything if you need any help. I know you’re weaker than many other Saiyans, so I'm your guy if you need some muscle.”

“But aren’t you supposed to be weak too?” I asked jokingly.

“Yeah, but if I get into a bunch of fights, I’ll get stronger, right? Same as any other Saiyan! We get stronger when we survive near-death battles.” Is that true? Does that mean I’m stronger now since I survived that curb-stomping? If so, I really don’t feel stronger. “Hey, if you want, I could help you get stronger too! We can spar, and then we’ll both get stronger!” Is that his way of asking if I want to hang out? Is that what Saiyan kids do for fun? Fight? But that’s-oh wait. Race of warriors. Riiiiight…

“I’m not much of a fighter.” I shrugged. “But I suppose maybe I might get stronger fighting another Saiyan. The experience would be nice too, so I’ll think about it.”

“Sweet!” Turles cheered as I left his house. 

He seemed a little weird, but he seemed nice enough. For a Saiyan… Welp, guess I should go home for now. I hope Gine doesn’t make a big deal about this scar on my eye. 

When I got home, she, in fact, did make a big deal about it, though I didn’t give her any details as to what happened to me. The last thing I needed was Gine getting super overprotective of me. She had enough on her plate, and I really didn’t want my image of her to be ruined by hearing her say getting beat up by a bunch of adult Saiyans was normal and that she didn’t care.

And so, my ‘life’ on planet Vegeta truly began, and by ‘life’, I mean a month of hell. As I suspected, the abuse did continue, but at least it wasn’t all of them ganging up on me every day like before. It was usually one who would hit me a few times as a form of ‘stress relief’ to them, but I eventually found a way around it after the first few months. And what was my solution? Get strong enough to scare them away or give them a piece of their own medicine? Of course not. Haven’t you been paying attention? I’m super weak. I can’t even compare to them. I just hid, simple as that. I found a secret little area in the ceiling where I could still do some lab work and stay far away from the other assholes-I mean, my co-workers. Of course, they would try to find me sometimes, but they never did. Of course, sometimes, when they were really pissed off, they would catch me on my way in or out and beat the shit out of me then, but at least it wasn’t every day.

Of course, I still had work to do. Gramps made it clear that results of any kind were expected of me, but they were expected. So, I had to make do with whatever I could get up into the ceiling without getting caught. If I did, no doubt the others who hated me would just destroy my tools and make it impossible to do anything. So I did what I could. I actually began to really understand the tech I was working with. The blasters, rayguns, drones, arm cannons, and even the ships and pods we used, as well as war records and ‘strategies’ that the Saiyans usually use (I use the term ‘strategies’ very, very loosely. Damn stupid monkeys…). Those were just a few of the things I was able to take a look at, and it was all incredible. I would have at first said it was all over my head, but surprisingly, it was all fairly simple for someone who took the time to understand and chew on it for a bit. 

I also did a few other things. Namely, I joined Lanky, Bulky, and Blue-Hair Girl on their escapades of seeking out new kids and chucking them out to space if they weren’t good enough. It…wasn’t enjoyable when that happened. I wasn’t even there to do anything. I was just there to watch the process, so I knew how it worked when it was my time to take over. On good days, the kid would get to stay, either as an engineer or as an actual warrior. On rare days, the kid would be talented. I mean, really talented. When that happened, we took them to high-class incubation pods in the castle and had them grow there. It was weird. Strange, even. But that was just the culture of this world.

Still, looking at all the tech and kids with power levels over 100 all made me think. What was I actually supposed to do? I can study the tech, but what can I do to improve it? I can train, but I wouldn’t get strong enough to even matter. I would only get, like what?  A few numbers added to my power level of 0? It was grating. It felt like there was all this pressure on me, but also none at all. Like I knew I was capable of so much more, but I could only reach for it as it flew over the horizon. But no matter how much I racked my brain about it, I couldn’t think of anything to help either the Saiyans, who I had barely any motivation to help, or myself, the one I really wanted to help with any of this. So I kept wrapping my head around anything I could cling to, but nothing’s come up yet.

Turles ended up being a close friend, actually. It was weird. I don’t know why, but I felt safer around him, the same as when I was with Gine at home, though not as much. Maybe it was because he was in a similar position as me and closer to my age. Or maybe it was because I knew from experience that he hit like a freakin’ truck. Low-class my ass! How the hell isn’t he a mid-class warrior, at least!? After he beat me during our first sparring match, he explained how he was born with a low power level, but has been slowly bringing it up, so much so that he proudly told me that his power level was around 700. That doesn’t sound too impressive without context, but considering a lot of mid and high-class warriors have power levels near or 1000, Turles was definitely on his way to show them all how strong the weaker class can be. 

Of course, knowing how strong he came with the territory of being his favorite sparring partner. Correction: his only sparring partner. Of all people, I don’t know why he loved fighting me, but he did. Said the way I ‘fought’ was unlike anything he had seen. Probably because I wasn’t really fighting. I was trying not to get hit. From the moment he first punched me and knocked me out for a few hours, not getting hit was my main priority with him. 

So using my experience from dodging things many times bigger and stronger than I was, as well as a mixture of skill, observation, and luck, I managed to weave through his barrage of attacks or at least stay out of his reach so he couldn’t get a hold of me. I would then try to hit him back, but when I tried to attack him normally the first time we spared, I nearly broke my hands when I missed and hit his armor, and he wasn’t even pushed back. And when I actually hit his face… I barely made his head move. So I had to fight…let’s call it smart.

“AAAH! The hell Orion!?” Turles shouted after I threw dirt in his eyes as he tried to get the jump on me.

“That’s the fifth time I’ve pulled this on you this week. You need to start learning.” I chided him before I ran up to him as he was blinded. I moved one of my legs behind his and then pushed his center of mass. Even if I wasn’t strong, if I did it when he was completely disoriented with all my might, he couldn’t stop me from tripping him. Before he could do anything, I straddled him to keep him still before rapidly punching his face over and over. Even if my punch couldn’t hurt him normally, a few dozen of them in quick succession to his face has got to do some damage. After about half a minute of me just going to town beating the shit out of Turles and my knuckles, I finally saw that he had stopped trying to pull me off, and I took that as our usual sign that he had given up. After getting off him, he slowly got up and felt the bruises and bumps I had given him.

“Power level of 0, my ass…” He mumbled as he tended to the cut lip I had delivered to him, along with the small bruises covering his face. “You’re cheating. Fighting dirty… Don’t you have any pride or honor?”

“Screw that noise.” I told him blatantly. “Pride and honor will get you killed in a real battle. Wild beasts, monsters, and people hellbent on killing you won’t care about it, that’s for sure. The only thing that matters is winning, surviving, or both. Also, it’s not fighting dirty. It’s using your head. Strategy, as some would call it. You just rush in guns blazing. Makes it really easy to take advantage of it. And for someone as weak as me, I need every advantage I can get in a fight.” Turles just sighed in defeat at that.

“Doesn’t mean you should blind me every chance you get.” He muttered.

“Yeah yeah, fine. I’ll find another way to get around your mindless fighting style.” I told him with a wave of my hand. “Well, I’ve got to get going now. I’m expected at the castle today for something important.”

“Really? What is it?”

“No idea. I don’t really care, either way.” I shrugged as I put my lab coat back on. “I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah, as soon as I’m back in tip-top shape, I’ll finally get a second win against you.” He told me.

“You could easily do that if you just used your head.” I grumbled as I walked off. 

I easily got to the castle and, after making sure no one was going to kick my shins in the moment I entered the lab, I walked through the room until I reached the person I was supposed to speak with today. 

“Nion. I’m here. You wanted to see me about something?” I asked her. 

Nion, the woman with blue hair I had worked with when I went out to check a new kid’s power level, turned to me and gave me a small nod. If she was happy I was here, she never showed it. She always had a stern expression on her, and it was hard to tell what she was even thinking. She was one of the few who I assumed didn’t hate me for being talented and smart, but I didn’t know for sure. Didn’t really matter anyway, I suppose.

“Yes, Orion. It’s about two things, actually.” Nion said in her usual cold tone. “Follow me. I’ll talk while we head to the nursery.”

“The nursery? Where all the talented babies are put? Why are we going there?”

“You’ll see.” Nion told me as she started walking. I followed her as she continued to speak. “Do you know what is happening today?”

“Not really. I just remember hearing Gramps mumble something in an angry tone.” I told her.

“Yes. The reason for that is because Lord Cold is arriving later today.” I froze in my tracks when she said that.

“Lord Cold? Leader of the Cold Force? Why is he coming here!?” I hissed angrily.

“We don’t know yet.” Nion told me in her usual monotone voice. “However, you are expected to be there to greet Lord Cold with the rest of us.”

“Great… I’ll do my best to stay as far away from that mess then.” I grimaced.

 “Yes, but as for the other thing I wished to speak to you about before that, you’ve been with us when we scan new Saiyans for their power level, but you were not with us the last time. Tell me, do you know who Colonel Paragus is?”

“Yeah. I’ve seen him around, but I haven’t spoken to him at all. Why?” 

“He recently had a son.”

“Is that why we’re going to the nursery?”

“That is correct.” Nion said as we finally made it to our destination. 

She opened the door, revealing the hundreds of incubation pods that filled the room. I had already seen it before, but it was strange why they had so many pods when this nursery was specifically for elite warriors. Sure there were many high-ranking children here as well, but the only two I can think of who were elites are King Vegeta and his newborn son Vegeta IV, so I’m not sure why there are so many pods here. 

After leading me to the center of the room, I could see two pods that had kids in them that caught my eye. The one on the highest platform had a little King Vegeta inside, which was his son Prince Vegeta. I remember hearing about his birth a few days ago. He broke every record when it came to his power level. As expected of an elite warrior from birth. I couldn’t say the same for the one on the platform below the prince. This baby was in a green pod as opposed to the prince’s red one, and he had short but wild hair that went to his shoulders. He didn’t look all too special in my eyes, but he must be here for a reason, despite not being the son of an elite. 

“This is Broly, Orion.”

“Broly? And he’s Paragus’s son?” I asked as I got a good look at him. “Why is he here? You know the king will bite our heads off if he catches wind of this.” The king has a massive ego, of course. He would never allow anyone who’s not on par with his son to be in the same room as him. The only godsend here is that Broly isn’t on the same platform as the prince.

“About that…check his power level.” Nion told me. 

I raised an eyebrow before grabbing the scanner and placing it over Broly’s pod. I turned it on and watched the number quickly rise. 500…800…1400…2000!? No, wait! 4000…5000…7000!? Wait, it's over 10,000 now!? That's higher than the prince's!

“What the hell!?” I shouted as I dropped the scanner out of terror. Just who is this kid? 

“That’s the reaction we had as well.” Nion muttered. “However, we got a power level of 920 last time we checked, and the time before was at 5000.”

“And this time he's well over 10,000. Exactly what the prince is sitting at the moment. These different readings…either there’s a malfunction, or his power is in a constant state of flux.” I exclaimed while staring at the kid. A malfunction… I know what it looks like when these things malfunction, and I can tell that’s not what this is. So that means… “Does Paragus know?”

“He knows Broly is here. That is all.” Nion answered. 

“And the king?”

“No. He knows nothing at the moment.”

“I see. So what’s going to happen?”

“I am unsure. We’ve gotten faulty readings before, but I thought that since you’re more knowledgeable than most other Saiyans, you might have a better grasp on this.”

“Well, I don’t. I haven’t seen anything like this, but I can tell you it’s not a malfunction. I’ve seen what a malfunction with these scanners looks like, and this ain’t it. This Broly kid is exceptional. The only word that even works to describe the kid is ‘monstrous’. Must have some mutation or something. He’s completely different from anything else I’ve seen, and probably anything you guys have seen. ”

“Just like you.” 

I didn’t appreciate the comparison and sighed. That’s an unfair and frankly bullshit comparison to make. The weakest Saiyan whose power level is near 0 no matter what he’s put through and a Saiyan who has the potential to dwarf every other Saiyan with power that is constantly fluctuating. It’s hardly the same thing.

“I don’t know what to tell you other than he’ll probably be a great warrior. I don’t know what you were expecting. Why did you even bring me here? So I feel worse about my own power level with Broly’s being so stupidly high?”

“That’s not it. I just thought it best if you knew. Just a feeling I have.” She said. “You should get ready. Lord Cold will arrive any moment, and King Vegeta expects you to be presentable.”

“Right right.” I waved her off as I walked away. 

Expectations… tyrants… damn monkeys… it’s all so tiring. But there’s nothing I can do about it. I just have to keep going. And that’s what I did. I put on a more formal-looking set of armor and prepared myself for the meeting. It didn’t take long for me to know Lord Cold had arrived. He made it quite obvious. He brought an entire army with him. The entire sky was filled with Cold Force ships and soldiers. They even purposefully rammed into a few structures around the city and destroyed them. 

Arrogant pricks…

A few moments later, the main chunk of the Cold Force landed right at the castle. I could make out who I imagined were high-ranking Cold Force members. They were certainly strange looking, namely the large pink one with horns, the blue one with long green hair, and the 5 weirdos who make poses like they’re power rangers or something. I stood to the side with the other researchers as the king and his accolades made their way to personally greet King Cold, though I kept a fair good distance away from the others. The last thing I wanted was to have these stupid monkeys get pissed off at me for being beside them and cause a scene. I don’t need Lord Cold and his soldiers to notice me. I’m perfectly fine being a faceless pawn that they control for now. It’ll make things easier for me if I stay out of their way, after all.

Soon, King Cold finally came out of his ship, with a few of his own accolades with him, but also a very familiar face floating beside him in a little floating chair. Despite his red coloring, it was clear to me that this person must have been related to Cold due to how similar they looked. I couldn’t recall his name, but he must have been just as iconic as Goku was back in my old world. He was one of the most iconic anime villains, from what I had seen.

I watched as King Vegeta spoke with King Cold and who was apparently his son, Frieza, for a bit. I saw the moment the King’s heart shattered as he learned the Saiyans were under new management with Frieza taking control of the Cold Force, which was now the Frieza Force. The Saiyans were now even further from freedom. I watched as Frieza showed off the new scouters, only to see the snipers the king set up to kill Cold and his forces. Frieza then made a show as he single-handedly blasted those snipers with just a few death beams. After that, Frieze, Cold, and the rest of the Cold Force, now the Frieza Force, left, causing King Vegeta to completely destroy one of the new scouters.

King Vegeta then called a few of us researchers, myself included, unfortunately, and led us to the nursery. I suppose he needs to stroke his ego by basking in the latent power of his son. He was utterly humiliated and his plan was foiled easily by Frieza. I couldn’t care less. I was more focused on the scouter I was handed. Blue screen…light…easy to put on and use… The only downside I see is the lack of functions like Night Vision and Thermal Vision. I suppose those functions weren’t as useful, as the power level tracking can essentially be used in any situation to find a foe. Although, that isn’t accounting for foes who don’t have power levels like me, is it?I watched as King Vegeta spoke with King Cold and who was apparently his son, Frieza, for a bit. I saw the moment the King's heart shattered as he learned the Saiyans were under new management with Frieza taking control of the Cold Force, which was now the Frieza Force. The Saiyans were now even further from freedom. I watched as Frieza showed off the new devices called scouters (pretty much sleeker, improved versions scout scopes), only to see the snipers the king set up to kill Cold and his forces. Frieza then made a show as he single-handedly blasted those snipers with just a few death beams. After that, Frieze, Cold, and the rest of the Cold Force, now the Frieza Force, left, causing King Vegeta to completely destroy one of the new scouters.
 
King Vegeta then called a few of us researchers, myself included, unfortunately, and led us to the nursery. I suppose he needs to stroke his ego by basking in the latent power of his son. He was utterly humiliated and his plan was foiled easily by Frieza. I couldn't care less. I was more focused on the scouter I was handed. Blue screen…light…easy to put on and use… not at all bulky like the scopes since you attatch it to the side of your head... The only downside I see is the lack of functions like Night Vision and Thermal Vision. I suppose those functions weren't as useful, as the power level tracking can essentially be used in any situation to find a foe. Although, that isn't accounting for foes who don't have power levels like me, is it?

“Ohohoho! He’s growing bigger and stronger with every day!” 

King Vegeta’s voice then brought me out of my thoughts as he began to praise his heir. I promptly began to ignore him as I stood off to the side and kept fiddling with the scouter. It was only when the king began to yell angrily that I began to pay attention again. 

“Who is this child? What is he doing in the same room as my son!?” 

Ah shit. He found Broly. The other researchers began scrambling as they explained Broly’s unique situation, which prompted the king to snatch a scanner out of a researcher’s hand and slam it onto Broly’s pod to see his power level.

That was a mistake. The moment he slammed the device on the pod, the sound startled Broly and made him cry. It was an angry cry any child would make after being so rudely awakened, but that anger…it was unnatural. The scouter immediately began to short-circuit and promptly blew up in the king’s hand.

“What in the-?” 

I began as I rushed over, not to help the king like the other researchers, but to examine the scanner. It had completely destroyed itself. I only know one situation where that happens. It’s never happened in this lifetime of mine as a Saiyan, but I remember Bardock saying something about this happening. This was something that would only happen when scanners were overloaded by scanning a power level that far exceeded its limits. But the limit on this kind of scanner reaches around a hundred thousand. Just how high did Broly’s power level get just now? The thought made me visibly pale and shiver.

“Upon further inspection, Broly’s rating is not even half of his original number.” Bulky told the king as he got a new scanner and got Broly’s power level. “We’ve had a handful of anomalous readings in the nursery lately. His must have been due to a device malfunction.”

“On the contrary, I showed Orion the scanner earlier, and he believed it wasn’t caused by a malfunction.” Nion stated, causing everyone in the room to turn to me, who was still kneeling near the broken device. I felt their stares and froze in place, not moving or speaking until told otherwise.

“Is that so…” The lanky old Saiyan asked while running his hand through his beard. “Despite his very young age, Orion is what I would easily call a genius when it comes to our technology. If you could, I would like to hear your explanation on this.” I didn’t reply immediately as I looked at the others and gauged whether or not I really should speak. It was only after the king looked at me and nodded that I felt like I should respond.

“I’ve seen what a malfunctioning scanner looks like, and this isn’t it. Earlier when Nion showed me Broly, I was able to examine the device after I got a reading, and it was just fine. The scanner works properly. The thing that’s causing this is Broly. His power level is constantly fluctuating, to the point that it’s hard to get a real reading on it since it’s changing all the time. To simplify, Broly’s a special case. At his maximum potential, he can be stronger than anyone, but since his power is constantly changing, it’s easy to see he can’t control it at all yet, though it seems getting him angry will get him to skyrocket like what just happened.” I quickly explained. “When I checked his reading earlier, it was 10,000; and since the scanner shorted out just now, I think the kid must have reached well over the scanner’s limit very quickly, which was around 100,000, but that’s just my opinion on what happened. It’s hard to tell when the kid is still in a pod.” My words at the end there got loud gasps from everyone except Nion, but they seemed to calm down when I added the ‘it’s just my opinion and I can’t really prove it’ part.

“That being said, even if we ignore the previous readings and Orion’s theory, Broly’s latent abilities are quite remarkable.” Nion said.

“And once he’s trained, he’ll grow to be an outstanding warrior. He’ll be a powerful asset to our forces.” Lanky nodded.

“He might even be the Legendary Super Saiyan.” Nion added, causing the king to visibly flinch. I caught it immediately and raised an eyebrow before turning to Nion.

“I wouldn’t go that far. From the few legends and myths I’ve seen and heard, Super Saiyans need to be pure of heart. That’s impossible for any Saiyan.” I sighed. I then heard a low growl come from the king before he gritted his teeth.

“...Prepare a pod for him.” The king eventually told us before he started leaving.

“A…pod, sir?” Bulky asked in confusion.

“Broly is a threat to all, including us Saiyans. If what Orion suggested is true and Broly cannot control his power, even with training, then he could potentially destroy us all. So we’ll send him away for our sake, and his own.” The king explained as he left, not even giving us time to let the information sink in as he did.

“He… He’s going to banish Broly!?” I exclaimed.

“I… He…” Lanky tried to speak, but words failed him. He then stopped, took a deep breath, and then spoke again. “He is the king. We cannot question him. Let us prepare Broly’s pod.”

“Wha-! We can’t do that!” I shouted. “Broly isn’t a low-class warrior! He’s mid-class at least , and he’s certainly got the potential to be high-class or even elite! That goes against our entire culture! Our way of doing things! What about Broly!? What about his father, Paragus!?”

“We cannot question the king, Orion. We just fulfill his wishes.” Bulky sighed as he and the others began to leave to prepare things. “It’s a lesson you must learn: don’t question orders. Just do them.” 

My eyes widened as I turned and watched them leave. I couldn’t find the will to move my feet after hearing that. I just watched their backs as they left, with only Nion looking back at me like she was expecting something. I stood there in front of Broly’s pod for what felt like hours but was really just a few minutes. I had to just stay there and wrap my head around this. 

Nion said Broly and I were similar, and I didn’t believe it at all when she said that to me. I was born weak. Thrown out because I was weak. Broken several times because I was weak. It didn’t matter what my strengths were. I was physically weak, so I was deemed useless by nearly everyone. 

Broly, though, is strong. He’s by far the strongest kid I’ve seen up till now. But now, despite that…he’s getting the same treatment. He’s being branded as useless. Being banished like a weakling despite his power. The king’s ignoring his strengths…because he’s scared? Or is it because he’s jealous that Broly has the potential to outshine his son? Either way, the fate remains that he wants Broly gone because of his uniqueness, just like the other researchers with me. 

In truth, we were the same. No one cares about what we can do. Because we’re not what they wanted or needed, they’ll dispose of us. Saiyans… They’re all the same… They’re all damn monkeys.

“I won’t let them do this…” I growled angrily as I stared at the sleeping Broly. “I swear it.”

Chapter Text

“Get out of my way!” Paragus shouted as he pushed his way out of the guards’ grasp and ran into the throne room. Once he got in, Garlik told the guards to stop as Paragus got onto his knees and bowed to the king. “Forgive me for barging in. I…understand that you plan on sending Broly away. I’m told his pod will be destined for an outlined world?”

“That’s correct.” The king responded coldly.

“That’s a fate meant for a lower-class warrior, not my son!” Paragus argued. 

“On the contrary, what better way is there to prove that your son is a truly powerful warrior than by conquering an unclaimed planet on his own? After all, that’s what Saiyans have always done. We subjugate valuable worlds and sell them to the highest bidder.” 

“But…his destination is the planetoid Vampa. It’s an inhospitable world devoid of intelligent life. I don’t see how we can make much of a profit on it.” Paragus said. That got the king to sigh.

“The truth of the matter is that your son Broly’s latent abilities are abnormally elevated. I’d go so far as to call him a freak. Some day, that power might end up driving him completely insane. When that time comes, he’ll be a danger not only to the planet Vegeta, but to the entire universe. Be grateful that I’m exiling him to a faraway world and not simply ending his life.”

“No… This isn’t right!” Paragus yelled before it hit him. “You…! You’re jealous! Because Broly’s latent abilities surpass those of the prince’s! That’s why you’re trying to exile my son!”

“Say another word, and I shall have your tongue, then kill the both of you.” The king warned. “Besides, you’re too late. I had the pod launch before you got here.”

Paragus’s eyes widened as King Vegeta’s words him like a brick. His son was already gone. He wouldn’t accept that. He couldn’t accept it. Paragus didn’t even dignify the King with a response as he ran out and lept out of the nearest window, flying to the ship docks as quickly as possible. 

No one working at the docks questioned it when he landed. He was a colonel, after all. He was probably there for some kind of inspection or something. They quickly realized that wasn’t the case when the colonel started stomping towards the nearest ship with the nastiest growl they had ever seen on his face. They knew something was wrong, so several of them tried to stop him, only to be pushed aside like they were nothing. Paragus just ignored them all. The only thing on his mind was saving his son. Broly was all he had now, and he was not going to lose him because of the King’s fragile ego. He would have stolen a ship and flown all the way to Vampa if a certain voice didn’t call out to him right before he got on the ship.

“Colonel Paragus. You’re looking for your son, correct?” 

Paragus was brought to a stop when he heard the question. Who could know that other than someone who worked directly under the King? And why was the voice so young? It was almost juvenile with how young this person sounded, which was only offset by the mature tone that this person spoke in. Paragus turned around to see who was speaking, only to be left a little speechless when he saw a child no more than three-four years old wearing a royal scientist uniform. The boy had silver in his hair and eyes, making him look quite different than the typical Saiyan, but the thing that caught Paragus’s eyes wasn’t that. 

It was the look on the boy’s face. The uninterested, uncaring, cold look that was far more mature than even Saiyan children. There was a knowing look in his eyes that was being kept hidden under a veil of mature focus and intelligence. But more than that, there was also something else. Something only just barely perceptible in his eyes. A pure loathing. A hatred so strong it rivaled that of Paragus’s hate towards the king just moments prior. It might have even overshadowed his own hate. Paragus could tell that much just from looking at those narrow, silver eyes that stared right through him. Eyes that didn’t see Paragus at all but whatever the boy wanted out of him. Eyes so focused on a goal they would watch everything burn just to achieve it. Paragus could tell, for he imagined that was the same look he had after speaking with the King.

This boy was far smarter than his appearance would give him credit for, and the boy knew that. The sheer confidence in his stance and voice showed that much. Despite being a small child, he seemed larger than even some Saiyan brutes.

“Who are you, and what do you know about my son?” Paragus questioned the child.

The Saiyan boy sighed as he motioned the other Saiyan workers to leave, which they did, albeit while confused as to what was happening. That got a raised eyebrow out of Paragus. Just who was this child who could have these Saiyan workers stand down? The boy then moved closer to Paragus before speaking in a softer, quieter voice.

“It’s a really dumb idea to try to steal one of these ships. They haven’t beaten you to the ground for trying it since you’re a colonel, but most other Saiyans would have been beaten or killed on the spot for the treachery. And even if you managed to get in the air, they could have fired upon you or even tracked you down via the tracking systems used for all their ships. Of course, King Vegeta probably wouldn’t have done anything to you since you’d be damning yourself to Vampa anyway, so I suppose there wouldn’t be any point to it.”

“And how do you know about that?” Paragus growled, not wanting to play any more games with the boy.

“Have some respect, old man.” The boy hissed with a dark glare. “Is that any way to speak to your son’s savior?”

“Savior?” Paragus repeated, all of his hostility fading as he registered that statement. “Do you mean-?”

“Broly is still on the planet, yes. About time you figured that out. Why else would I have stopped you from leaving?” The boy rolled his eyes as he spoke in a condescending tone. “Should have figured, really. After all, you are just a stupid monkey brute like the rest of them.”

That got a small gasp out of Paragus. The boy just called him a monkey. King Cold and Lord Frieza use the same insult to describe the Saiyan race. Never had he ever seen another Saiyan use it to refer to other Saiyans.

“Watch your tongue, boy. Whether you’re my son’s savior or not won’t save you from me if you call me that again.” Paragus threatened.

“Oh, look. Another pointless threat from a mindless ape. Seems I touched a nerve.” The boy shot back as he crossed his eyes and gave an even more condescending look. Paragus had half a mind to hit the child and put him in his place, but the boy just sighed before shaking his head. “But let’s ignore your apparently genetically induced stupidity for a moment. We’re here to speak about Broly, aren’t we? Would you like to see him?”

“See him?”

“That’s why I came here for you. It only makes sense for you to want to see your son after everything that’s happened.” The boy said before turning his back towards Paragus and walking away. “If you truly want to see him, then follow me.”

The boy then started walking away, not waiting a single moment for Paragus. The colonel forced back a growl as he started following the child. He didn’t have a choice. He had to follow the insufferable child if he wanted to see Broly. But whatever this child was planning, Paragus knew it involved both him and Broly. If not, the boy would not have saved Broly, nor would he have spoken to Paragus before he flew off the planet. Whatever that child was thinking, Paragus wouldn’t let himself fall into his trap. He was going to see Broly and then take him off this planet. Then Paragus would train Broly into the strongest warrior. Then he’d get his revenge on King Vegeta.

Paragus is just like what I thought he’d be like. A dumb brute with only his personal goals on his mind. He might seem like he cares about his son, but I know the truth. That look in his eyes tells the story. He hates the King more than he loves his son. That’ll mean terrible things for Broly. Paragus is probably thinking of ways to use Broly to get his revenge. An awful father from an awful race. Just as I assumed.

But that’s fine. I don’t care what he thinks or what he plans for Broly. I don’t care for Paragus or Broly, nor does Paragus care about me. I saved his son, so he is in my debt, a debt which I’ll have to remind Paragus of with a heavy hand. I will have what I want.

And so, I continued to lead Paragus to our destination. It didn’t take long for us to reach it. Once we got there, I walked up to the door and started knocking loudly.

“Turles! I’m back!” I yelled. I waited for a few minutes before Turles opened the door with a wide grin.

“Wow. You weren’t kidding when you said you’d be back soon.”

“Of course. It was easy to bring back what I needed.” I told him before gesturing back to Paragus, who watched the two of us with glaring eyes. “This is Colonel Paragus. He’s Broly’s dad.”

“Really?” Turles asked before turning to the colonel. “It’s nice to meet you, sir. It’s an honor to meet such a high-ranking Saiyan!”

“Yes… Hello to you, too…” Paragus replied with empty pleasantries before turning back to me. “Now, where’s Broly.”

“Keep your panties on. You’ll see him in a moment. Freaking Saiyans idiots, having no patience for anything other than slaughter. ” I muttered a growl with that last bit before leading Paragus inside. “Turles. It’s fine if the ‘good’ colonel and his son stay here for a while, right?”

“Of course! It’d be an honor! Maybe I can learn a thing or two from Sir Paragus!” Turles gave me a wide smile before it turned into a frown. “Though, I’m not gonna be here for a while, so that will have to wait..”

“Hmm? Why’s that?”

“I’m going on another mission. You probably don’t know this, but Saiyans with high enough power levels get sent off to missions as early as five years old. I was just here resting from a really long mission that I was exhausted from.”

“Is that so? What will this next mission of yours entail, then?”

“Oh, y’know. The usual. Another planet to conquer.” Turles said before flashing me a wide grin that boarded on horrifying mania. “I can’t wait. It’s been so long since I’ve fought on a mission. The thrill of battle is something I can’t get enough of. The blood flying everywhere, the sound of my heart in my ear, the rush from killing those pathetic weaklings. I love all of it. Maybe if I kill them all before the others being sent with me can, I’ll be moved up to a mid-class warrior!”

I just stared at Turles after he got done speaking with a stone-like expression. I didn’t show any emotions as I processed what he just said.

“...So you don’t care if the people you’re being sent to kill are weak?”

“Hmm? Why would I?”

“What happened to weaklings needing to look out for each other?”

“Eh? That’s just Saiyans. Besides, even we weakling Saiyans are stronger than those from other planets. We’re Saiyans, after all. We conquer and destroy planets and sell them to the highest bidder. There’s nothing I would rather do.” Turles stated proudly. I just stood there, blinking a few times before giving a slow nod.

“Right… Whatever you say.” I told him. “When are you leaving?”

“I was actually getting ready to leave now. I was just waiting for you since you had that important favor you needed me to do.” Turles said as he started leaving. “I’ll see you when I get back. You better get stronger, Orion, 'cause I’m gonna be a lot stronger myself when I come back!”

“Right. Will do.” I replied emptily as Turles left. I just stared at the door for a moment before looking at the ground while letting out a soft sigh. “So he’s just like the other Saiyans, too, huh?”

“Hmm?” Paragus, who was watching the scene between the two of us, gave a confused hum when he caught what I muttered.

“Forget it.” I quickly said.

I tended to forget about it since he seemed nice whenever we spoke, but Turles was still a Saiyan. He was cruel to a fault, just not to Saiyans. His cruelty was only given to other races he was sent to conquer. An almost professional kind of cruelty. He’s different from other Saiyans, but only slightly in the fact that he has a sort of comradery with other low-class Saiyans and feels that they should bolster each other up to reach new heights since they were weak. Yet he gives no thought to the ones he kills or destroys. He is just like other Saiyans in all but his relationship with me.

I couldn’t help but feel frustrated at that. A part of me wanted to abandon Turles and keep away after that hit me. Yet I wouldn’t. Turles was still a benefit to me. Though I have not grown stronger from our bouts, he still taught me how to fight better. And while he has Saiyan cruelty, he is unnatural in the fact that he only shows it when he’s on a mission, it seems. Other Saiyans seem to be spared from it, though I don’t know why that is. A sense of loyalty or respect, perhaps? Whatever it is, Turles is still one of the only two people who I can trust, at least a little. I’ll keep him around, but I’ll toss him to the side the moment he starts becoming more like a true Saiyan. I don’t need monkeys as friends.

“Let’s go. Your son is in the guest room.” I told Pargaus as I led him over to one of Turles’s guest rooms. When I opened the door, Paragus peered in, seeing his son sleeping peacefully on the bed. There was one other thing he noticed, though.

“Where’s Broly’s tail?” Paragus asked with a hiss as he closed the door.

“Are you insane? Why in the world would I let him keep his tail?” I asked him with genuine shock. “You might be under the belief that King Vegeta tried to send your son away due to his ego being bruised by your son’s superior strength. I believe the same thing; however, that doesn’t mean what he said about Broly does not have merit.”

“And what do you mean by that?” Paragus asked though it was clear it was more of a threat than a question.

“I work for the King in the science and engineering department, but I also work with the group that records children’s power levels after their birth. Broly’s power level is monstrous, and I don’t just mean in terms of power. It’s clear to anyone he can’t control his power. At all. Saving him truly does risk the planet’s safety. I won’t deny that. I saw the kid’s power myself, and it’s freakish in nature. If we let him keep his tail and he transforms, everyone will die. That’s just a fact. I’ve seen what normal Oozarus can do from the records and data I’ve found. I’m not about to discover what a mutated monster like Broly can do while in that form.”

Paragus seemed to want to argue, but his fury soon died as a look of understanding, albeit reluctant, appeared on his face.

“Fine. I will give you that. If Broly is truly that strong but had no control, I most likely would have cut his tail off myself.” Paragus admitted. “Now then, would you mind explaining why you saved my son? Clearly, you didn’t do it out of the goodness of your heart.”

“Of course not. I would never help a Saiyan for free.” I nodded. “In truth, I mainly did it for self-satisfaction.”

“Self-satisfaction?”

“I was there when the King saw Broly and ordered him to be banished to Vampa. Just thinking about what happened pisses me off.” I growled as my fists tightened. “He stomped over the entire system the Saiyans had set up without a care, all because he was scared of Broly’s power. Or perhaps it was even worse, considering it might have been out of spite for his strength overshadowing the prince’s power. Whatever the case, he trampled on his own damn culture. The same culture that sent me out for my own weakness.”

“You’re an infiltration unit?”

“Yep, and I only just barely survived to tell the tale. So imagine how I felt when I saw this exceptional kid, risk or not, get the same treatment as a weakling like me. Words cannot describe the rage I felt. That’s why I undermined King Vegeta’s orders. But as I was saving your son, that’s when a thought hit me.” I began as a smile crept its way onto my lips. “I finally figured it out. I finally get it. I know how to fix everything! All the problems I’ve seen in this disgusting world!”

“And what exactly would that be?” Paragus asked as he crossed his arms.

“Your son. He’s the key. You see, I’m a researcher. When I returned to the planet having technically completed my mission, the King was impressed with my intelligence and made me one of his scientists. I have since been ordered to improve our technology and weaponry, but I had difficulty figuring out exactly what I wanted. But your son showed me exactly what to do. I now know how to fight back!”

“Fight back against who? Frieza?”

“In a way, perhaps. Actually, you might have given me another idea to play with later.” I chuckled. “But no, that’s not completely right. But enough of that. In short, I have something I want to invent. Something I need to invent. But to do so, I need your son for my research. He won’t be harmed, and he’ll even be allowed to train. In fact, I encourage his training since it will help me get more data to use. All I ask in exchange is that you stay here on Planet Vegeta until I’m done.”

“And why should I stay for your research project? I have no obligations to you.”

“Don’t you? I saved your son from an inhospitable wasteland where he might have died. I’m offering you a place to stay where you won’t be found by the king or his men. I am offering to guarantee your safety while I work. Is that not enough for you?” I asked in a disappointed voice before putting on a twisted smile. “Well, if that’s the case, I’ll just take your son and have you thrown in front of the King himself so he can execute you. All I need is Broly. I just figured I would give you the professional courtesy of asking since he’s your son. It wouldn’t be fair for Broly to grow up fatherless just because you were an idiot, right?”

“So you’re blackmailing me?”

“That would imply I didn’t want the best for you and Broly. I am honestly giving you the best deal I can make in this situation. In fact, I’ll even promise you that once I finish with my little project, I will personally help find a peaceful world for you and Broly to live on, far away from Saiyans and the Frieza Force. I don’t care what happens after I finish my work.”

Paragus raised another eyebrow at that. Now he was giving me a look that was full of emotions. Confusion, intrigue, distrust, and plenty of others.

“Why would you do any of this for us? Why are you even offering this deal? You said it yourself. You don’t need me. You only need Broly. So why?”

“Why? Isn’t it obvious?” I asked before pure, unrestraint rage flashed on my face. “I want the same thing you do. I want revenge! I hate Saiyans, every single one of them! I can’t take it anymore! Nothing makes sense in this broken world! The weaklings get thrown out, and even those strong get thrown out if the king doesn’t like them! We have no say in whether we live or die! We can’t even prove ourselves due to others' own selfishness and pride! So I want them all to suffer for what’s happened to me! I want them to see the faults in their ‘might makes right’ society. That their strength isn’t everything! I want the King to look at me and tremble in terror once he sees what I have done! I’m going to make every single one of those monkey bastards pay for what they’ve done to weaklings like me! That’s why I need power! That’s why I need your son, who is overflowing with the damn stuff! So please, just work with me, and you’ll see the King be utterly humiliated!”

Paragus just looked at me in complete shock once I got it all out. I was panting. I couldn’t contain the sheer anger I held in my heart anymore. I was done with this. I was done with everything in this damn new life I was granted. Saiyans? Power? I don’t give a damn about any of that! But these stupid monkeys keep ruining my life and dragging me into other’s messes! I can’t even live on this damn planet without suffering from abuse. Abuse that stemmed from my weakness and the Saiyans’ culture. 

I never asked for this. I never wanted this. I was supposed to be dead, but instead, I was brought back into this shitty world! So I was going to teach them a lesson. I’ll show them what it means to really see strength. I’ll use their own culture to beat them into submission and ruin their entire race. I’ll make all of their pathetic, barbaric lives miserable once I’m done. 

“...You won’t injure Broly in any of these experiments of yours, will you?” Paragus suddenly asked as he gave me a new look with emotions that I couldn’t quite place. He seemed conflicted in some way. “I swear if you end up killing Broly, I’ll-!”

“Are you not listening!? Broly is the key to my work, so of course I need him alive! Besides, he is a child, not even two years old! I’m not like those idiot monkeys you know! Killing is distasteful! I refuse to kill, especially someone so young and innocent to all of this. Unlike those bastards out on this planet, this boy hasn’t done anything to me yet. I promise I’ll keep him as safe as I can. And you’ll be here to keep me to my word, won’t you?” I asked while offering a hesitant hand.

“...Fine.” Paragus huffed as he shook my hand. “I’ll let you do your work while I train Broly in secret. I plan to train him into the finest warrior anyone’s ever seen. I hope that won’t cause any issues with your research.”

“That was exactly what I was hoping to hear, sir.” I replied. “The stronger your son gets, the more effective and accurate my research becomes. I even know a remote place we can use for his training, so do whatever you like. I must ask, though. Do you plan to use your son to achieve your revenge against the king?”

“Perhaps, or maybe I’ll let you handle it. I don’t care how it’s done. I just want to see the king squirm.” Paragus admitted. “We’ll see what happens.”

“Yes. We’ll certainly see.” I nodded before letting go of his hand. “The deal has been made. I’ll leave you to your son then. We’ll get started as soon as you want. This work of mine will take many years, so I can be patient. Turles has agreed to let you stay here for the time being, so there’s no need to rush. We’re quite fortunate that only a few thousand Saiyans stay on Vegeta at a time because most of them are warriors. That’ll help us keep your staying here a secret while I do my work.”

“And what will you be doing until I’m ready to start training with Broly?”

“Preparing, my ‘friend’.” I responded as I started walking towards the exit. I stopped before opening the door to turn to the colonel to say one last thing. “Take heart, Paragus. You made the right decision. Together, we’ll start something that no one will be able to stop. We’ll create our own power.” 

With that, I left. With this, I have taken the first steps toward a better future for myself. I’ll wait for as long as I need to. I’ll work for as long as I need to. I will get what I want. I will build it with my own hands before taking everything away from these rotten people. They took everything away from me, so I’ll destroy everything they have. I will make life for them so much worse than what it’s been like for me so far. 

I could feel goosebumps forming as I thought of that, and a devious smirk was stuck on my face as I kept walking. I honestly couldn’t wait for that day. The day they see just how truly dangerous of an enemy they’ve made in me. Those stupid monkeys are too focused on conquering and overtaking Frieza and Cold. I suppose none of them would ever need to worry about a weak Saiyan child they’ve abused normally. They’ll see. They’ll regret everything they’ve done to me.

Those were the only thoughts I had as I arrived back home. Home. Do I really consider this place as such? No. Not truly. My home still lies with Earth. This place is nice, but only because of the presence of one person. Aside from that, it’s as much of a prison to me as the rest of this planet.

With a sigh, I opened the door, only to be greeted with a strange sight that had me stop dead in my tracks.

“Orion! Wonderful timing! As you can see, your father just returned from his mission.” Gine told me happily as I stared blankly at the man standing next to her.

Bardock. That was his name. He was my new biological father in this life. Just like Gine, he hadn’t changed in appearance at all. He still had that ridiculous hair and that ‘x’ shaped scar on his cheek. He was wearing a fresh set of Saiyan armor and had no injuries, so I could assume he must have either not gotten hurt during this mission, or he went to the healing pods before coming home. He was also staring right at me with an expression that was just as blank as mine. 

I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, as I bet he couldn’t tell what I was thinking. We were both staring at each other, trying to piece together what to say or do. For what felt like hours, neither of us moved or said anything as we kept giving each other emotionless stares. 

But that’s when I identified a single emotion that I felt when I stared at Bardock. Apathy. At that moment, I realized something. I really don’t give a crap about this guy. He’s not my father, just like how Gine isn’t my mother. I only tolerate Gine due to her niceness towards me, though even that is strange to me since she’s still a Saiyan, and I can’t tell if the kindness is real or some Saiyan trick. Bardock, however, is a true Saiyan warrior. I remember things he said before I was shot to Monmaasu. Perhaps he isn’t needlessly cruel, but he is still a Saiyan. Just like Turles. So really, why should I care that he’s here? To me, he’s just a stranger.

Upon realizing this, my face returned to its neutral expression as I turned to go to my room.

“Orion?” Gine asked, confused by my reaction.

“I’m going to sleep. I’ve got a busy schedule starting tomorrow.” I told her as I walked off. “It might keep me away for extended periods, so don’t worry if I don’t show up sometimes.” With that, I went to my room, leaving the two Saiyans alone in the living room.

“I’m sorry, Bardock. I don’t know what’s gotten into him. He was a little cold and distant when he came back to Vegeta, but I thought he was getting better. But now he’s gone back to being cold, but it’s worse now.” Gine said.

“Don’t worry about it, Gine. I didn’t expect him to react well to seeing me.” Bardock replied with a shrug. “Haven’t been much of a father to him. Can’t say I blame him. Never knew my folks either, so I didn’t give them much thought either when I returned from my infiltration.”

“Even so, I’m worried.”

“I don’t see why you should. He’s a Saiyan. It’s natural that he wouldn’t be the kindest or most emotional person around. If anything, he seems focused on some kind of goal or mission. Best to leave him be for now.”

“But he’s still our child. It’s the job of parents to look after and care for their child, even if we’re Saiyans and have our own way of showing that. Even the King cares for his son.”

“That’s true. I guess I’m still not used to being a father. Not sure what I’m supposed to do or how I’m supposed to act.” Bardock sighed. “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll try talking to him later.”

“Thank you, Bardock.”

“It’s nothing, really. Now, how’s Raditz doing?”

“He’s still in the pod, but he’s strong enough not to be sent away.”

“Good. Perhaps we can let him out soon, then.”

“Maybe. I hope that he and Orion get along.”

Bardock didn’t say anything at that, but he didn’t have a lot of hope that would be the case. He got a good look at Orion just then, and he saw something in those silver eyes that made him nervous. Orion was much more mature than others his age, and he seemed much smarter as well. He nearly kept his emotions hidden under that veil of apathy as he stared back at Bardock. But Bardock was more insightful than people gave him credit for. He wasn’t a squad leader despite being born a low-class warrior for nothing. He saw something in his son, which led him to believe that Orion would stir up some trouble in the near future.

What else could happen when he looked at his son and saw eyes that hid a burning need for power and vengeance?

Chapter Text

“Come on, Broly! Focus! Hit me like you mean it!” Paragus yelled as he sparred with his son.

I watched the fight from afar, unsure if I should be impressed by Broly’s skill that he has despite his young age or mortified because Paragus was training his two-year-old son like a fully grown soldier. I wasn’t even sure if I still had the heart to care about it.

It only took around half a year before Paragus was ready to start training Broly, meaning Broly was now two, and I was now physically four coming up on five in a month or so, yet still had the soul of a man in his mid-twenties. That was still an awful feeling, by the way.  Turles had gone for his mission and wouldn’t be back until the end of the year, but in his place, Bardock seemed to be sticking around for a bit longer, too. Something about waiting for the rest of his team for his next mission or something. I didn’t really care. My focus was completely on Broly at the moment.

Despite being so young, he was a little monster. In nearly every spar he and Paragus had done up until now, he always managed to do something that could have caused serious injuries to Paragus. I’m lucky I found such a secluded area for him to be trained in; otherwise, he might have blown up the city or the royal castle with a stay energy blast. He didn’t mean to, which was apparent after every spar when he would give a humble apology, which in of itself was strange to me as well. It was clear right from the get-go that I was right in assuming Broly couldn’t control his power. Especially when he got mad. He had some incredible skill and learned faster than anyone that I had ever seen and fought in ways I hadn’t seen from other Saiyans, making use of his entire body to brawl and even send out energy blasts instead of just focusing on his hands for that, but once he snapped (which is honestly a pretty normal thing in battle, let’s be real) all that skill was mixed with power that could destroy mountains.

The only reason Paragus hadn’t died yet was because of his vast experience and Broly’s small size compared to his large, fit, adult body. And once Broly went berserk, he would lose any and all reason and focus, making it easy for Paragus to knock him out with a swift blow to the back of the neck. It also helped that Paragus wasn’t weak either, sitting at 7,500 in terms of power level. He wasn’t a mid-class warrior or a colonel for nothing. Even being at a power disadvantage, he still comes out on top. It’s almost inspiring to me. Almost. 

Paragus did give make a suggestion, albeit a bit reluctantly, that perhaps we could obtain or create a shock collar of something to help keep Broly under control just in case, but I shot it down immediately. Broly was a threat to us all, yes, but that didn’t mean I was going to treat him like a rabid dog. Besides, I already had a fix in mind for Broly. I just needed more time and data.

Speaking of data, I was getting a lot of it. Despite having Paragus train in the middle of the Saiyan wasteland thousands of miles away from the city, I managed to bring a bunch of equipment that let me obtain a lot of info to play around with. My purple-lens scouter let me see just how much Broly’s power fluctuated, which was a lot. His power level was constantly going up and down as he fought. It usually kept a slow, upward trend that would waver or jump down whenever he lost focus or started losing ground, but once he got angry, it just kept spiking higher and higher with no chance of returning to normal. My scouter was constantly at risk of blowing up in my face if I was honest, but thankfully it never got to that point.

I also made detailed notes of how Broly fought. Every movement, every action, every twitch, I jotted down. I was very meticulous about the whole thing. If I’m being completely frank about this whole project, I didn’t truly know what I needed for this idea I wanted to make. From what I could tell, what I thought up hadn’t been done before, at least not in the way I was thinking of. And despite my experience with technology, I was still only four years into this world’s rules and unique properties that I had to learn and play around with. So since I was venturing off into unknown territory, I figured I should just make note of everything since I didn’t know what would and wouldn’t help. It’s actually been more fun than I expected. I feel like a real scientist.

Still, some of the things I took note of did help me cement a few things. Namely, I figured that before I work on my own personal project that perhaps I should make something to help Broly. If I can make something for him and it manages to work, Broly could potentially have full control of his power. Granted, he would be a bit weaker since his power wouldn’t be in constant flux, nor would his emotions make his power skyrocket to uncontrollable heights anymore since he would essentially have a limiter to prevent him from losing control, but I doubt Broly would mind that. Broly was a pretty good kid, all things considered. Quite, yes, as well as a bit reserved. He didn’t seem like the fighting type, but every time he sparred with Paragus, he seemed to enjoy himself before he went berserk. He always seems to lament the fact that he loses control and nearly kills his father while training, too, so he’d probably want control over power.

But in order to help Broly, which would help me figure my own stuff out, I need to figure out specifically what’s wrong with him. I had guessed it might have been some kind of mutation before when I first saw him, but I wasn’t sure. Now though, after a few weeks of seeing Broly in action, I might have another theory. Or perhaps an improved theory would be a better way to describe it. From what I can tell, Broly always loses control once he reaches a certain threshold of power. Typically it happens when he reaches around the 10,000 area, which is ten times what he usually sits at whenever he’s not training, obviously being 1,000. Once he hits that 10,000, his power will no longer go down and climb higher and higher, yet he starts losing his mental capacities.

Being frank, the whole problem sounds like what happens when a Saiyan transforms into an Oozaru. After arriving back on Vegeta, I did some research on the form, which only justified my belief that I should never use it. Upon looking at a full moon, Saiyans undergo a transformation due to overexposure to something called blux waves that are produced from the full moon, or so some reports on the form state. Their bodies shift and morph into giant apes, and their power levels increase to ten times what they normally have. However, nearly all Saiyans except for a few lose their mental capacities once they transform, turning into raging monsters that can only destroy what’s in front of them, which isn’t an issue considering it’s a form that’s only used during raids and conquests. 

Some Saiyans can apparently train themselves to retain control after they transform, yet that’s usually reserved for elites and high-ranking soldiers, typically ranging from a few mid-class to some high-class warriors. A low-class warrior who can control his Oozaru form so far is unheard of, though considering what the form is and how difficult it seems to be to gain enough control to not go all King Kong as soon as you transform, I’d say that makes sense.

Still, it’s strange that Broly’s loss of control seems to be paralleling with the Oozaru transformation’s loss of control. As soon as his power rises ten times his comfortable, nearly stable base, he loses all control and enters that berserker state. It’s almost like he’s someone gaining the power of the Oozaru form without needing to transform into it. And he doesn’t even have his tail anymore, making it even more impressive. Of course, it would be impressive but isn’t, considering he has no control over it and probably isn’t even intending to do that in the first place.

Which begs the question: How is he doing that, and why? How can he pull power from the Oozaru form without transforming if that is the source of this sudden power growth he experiences? And if that is what Broly is doing, why is he the only Saiyan who has been able to do such a thing before now? Again, the answer might still be a mutation, but what kind of mutation? Once I have those answers, that’s when I’ll be able to make my move.

“Perhaps I should draw some blood from Broly and see what I can find out through that.” I muttered as I continued watching the spar.

It went just like most other spars. Paragus was starting with the basics, and Broly picked them up faster than we had expected. Still, he was inexperienced. No matter how fast he learned, Paragus had a lifetime of fighting behind him. Power can only do so much against pure skill, I suppose. As if to prove that point, Broly, who had seemed to just go into his Berserker state if that spiked-up hair and piercing angry eyes were any indications, thoughtlessly rushed at Paragus while charging bright green energy orbs in his hands. Paragus, having seen this tactic dozens of times from his son in the past month alone, just sighed before doing what he always did to avoid this attack. 

Broly in this state was faster due to his much greater power, yes; but Paragus always got out unharmed by blasting the ground to create a large dust cloud that acted like a smokescreen. Predictably, Broly rushed in, missed since he couldn’t see anything, and then Paragus would grab Broly’s head and slam it into the ground before the child had any idea what was happening. Then, before Broly could get back up, Paragus jabbed his hand into one of Broly’s pressure points in the back of his neck. The blow was so strong and fast that Broly could only let out a loud cry of pain before falling unconscious. Crisis averted, yet again, thanks to debatable child abuse. Huzzah.

“Man, Broly is really quick on the uptake, but once he snaps, that goes out the window a bit.” I groaned as I shook my head.

“That’s because I knock him out before he can learn after he enters that wrathful state.” Paragus frowned as he picked his child up in his hand. “I always need to make sure to end the fight the moment he enters that state. Should he ever learn while in it, it’ll be harder to knock him out of it, further risking our safety and his.”

“You don’t need to explain it to me. I get it.” I told him as I jotted the last bit of my recent notes down before closing my journal. 

Yeah, I had a journal. Once again, Saiyans have books and paper and all that. It’s just most of them are too busy fighting to think of things like writing and literature, and the other half are too stupid to be bothered or care. So I have plenty of paper to use for note-taking.

“Well, I suppose that’s enough training for the kid for today.” I said as I grabbed my bag and started digging through it. “I guess now’s the perfect chance to test this stuff out. I’ve been putting it off long enough. Might as well bite the bullet now.”

“Hm?” Paragus seemed curious at that as he narrowed his eyes at me, only to be mildly confused when I brought out a standard Cold-I mean, Frieza Force Blaster. Damn, why do they always gotta change the names of things right when I’m getting used to things?

“Alright. Let’s see if I understand how this thing works.” I muttered as I attacked the blaster to my arm and plugged the wire into my scouter.

“What are you hoping to accomplish with a weapon like that?” Paragus asked with a raised eyebrow.

“What? Not a fan of laser guns? Cause I’ll be honest, I’m still trying to suppress a smile at the thought that this sort of thing is the norm around here.” I told the colonel with a smirk.

“No, I have nothing against guns or weapons. I have a blaster myself. I just don’t see what use it would be for you. Most Saiyans don’t even need to rely on them because their power is greater than what the gun can provide them.”

“That’s because they don’t bother to improve upon it.” I shot back as I messed around with the blaster, ensuring it was secure and fit properly on my arm. “From what I heard, most Frieze Force soldiers are armed with them and do decent work with them as their primary weapons. And this is just the basic model. They have access to better ones. Perhaps I can manage to haggle some of the new models from transports. What I wouldn’t do to get my hands on those newer models.” I muttered the last bit of that as I got up and stretched my arms. “Alright. Time to test this thing.”

I got up and moved so that I was facing a faraway stone formation. Paragus was standing behind me, Broly still in his hands. He didn’t seem to fully grasp how important this test was, yet he kept watching out of curiosity. Meanwhile, I was starting to sweat bullets. This was nerve-wracking. No, this was more than that. I could feel the dread in the air now as I raised my arm towards the rock formation.

I can talk big and all about Broly and the data that I have obtained, and I might even be able to help give Broly an outlet of control over his power. But that’s all just a side quest if anything. My main goal is still only for myself. If I can’t help myself if this test doesn’t produce adequate results. If this test ends in failure, then even if I succeed with Broly, it all will be for not. My life will unquestionably be over. It would be meaningless. That’s why this test was so important. It had to work. I needed it to work.

“Please. Give me something. Anything…!” I gave a silent prayer as I gave a final gulp before pressing the fire button on the blaster.

At first, there was nothing. I almost gave into despair right then and there. But then, the gun gave a slight hum before firing a blast right at the rock formation. The white blast hit dead on, blowing the rocks up like they were nothing. I stood there motionlessly for a while, just staring at what had happened, before both of my arms shot up as I gave a proud, relieved yell.

“Yeah!!! It works!” I screamed in a victorious voice as I hopped around like an idiot. “It works! It works! I’m on the right path! This can work! I’m a genius! Hahahaha! Those monkey bastards won’t know what hit them! Hahahaha!”

Proof. This was the proof that I was on the right train of thought. That this project really could be the answer to everything. I was right. I had been dreading this, fearing that it wouldn’t work and prove that I was wrong and that this hope was for nothing. But now that I know that it’s founded and that there is real hope for this to work, my doubts are weaker. This was a great step forward.

“Orion, why are you so ecstatic about the blaster working? It’s a blaster. It’s supposed to fire a shot like that. It’s no different than other blasters I have seen.” Paragus told me in a confused tone.

“Really? No different? It’s completely the same?” I asked, even more giddy than before.

“Y-Yes. At least, not any different from what I could tell from that demonstration.”

“Perfect!” I shouted as I shot my fist up into the air again. “This is so perfect; it’s almost suspicious! It went exactly how I hoped it would.”

“Orion, please explain what is so great about this little test you just did. I can’t fathom how this could be so monumental to you.”

“Well, I guess I can explain a bit to you.” I told him, unable to remove the smile on my face as I spoke. “You know how these blasters work, right?”

“Of course. Blasters like yours and mine take the shooter’s energy and fire it out through the gun instead of using normal outdated ammunition. It is a fairly simple weapon.”

“Your description, while a bit simple, is still correct. These ray guns are typically used by weaker soldiers in the Frieza Force who can’t properly use their energy like other, stronger soldiers. So to help them perform as efficiently as others, these weapons take their energy and amplify it to match a higher standard. It allows these soldiers to use their energy to fire blasts that are much stronger than what they could create on their own, and some even help the soldiers fly.”

“Yes, I have heard all of this before, so why-?”

“Did I ever tell you what my power level was?” I asked him, cutting him off.

“N-No. I don’t believe you have.”

“Well, it’s zero.”

“H-Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said. My power level is zero. The big ‘O’. Lower than a one. Null. Zilch. Not even good enough to show anything on a scouter. It’s that bad.” I told him. “That’s why I was sent out as an infiltration unit after birth. I was deemed completely useless.”

“W-Wait, but a power level of zero is completely impossible, isn’t it?”

“I am living proof that it isn’t, and your son is already breaking the laws of nature with his power level. I don’t think we’re allowed to question power levels anymore. I just chalk it all up to power levels being complete bullshit anyway since I hate them on a fundamental level for ruining my entire life.” I told him nonchalantly. “Either way, I’m super, super, super weak. Weaker than any other Saiyan you’ll ever see. So weak, I could barely walk on this planet before coming back from Monmaasu.”

“How are you able to walk then? Planet Vegeta has gravity ten times stronger than most other planets. Shouldn’t you still have great difficulty moving if you were that weak?”

“You would think that, wouldn’t you? And to be fair, that was a concern of mine, too, as I was heading back here. Yet here I am, pretty much fine with it now. I mean, I still feel the stronger gravity, which is pretty irritating, but I can move from point A to point B. Why do you think that is?”

“I…I do not know.”

“Me neither. That’s why I plan on figuring that out. I already have a theory about it. One that aligns with what I’m learning about myself and Broly.”

“Broly?”

“Yep. Damn, I’m gonna have to pay Nion back after this is all said in done, aren’t I? I’m starting to think she was completely right in her assessment about how similar Broly and I are than I ever thought possible.” I sighed. “But back to the blaster, do you see why I’m so ecstatic now?”

“Yes. It makes sense now. With a power level so low it's nearly nonexistent, it should have been impossible for the blaster to pull any energy from you to make a shot equal to other blasters. I wouldn’t have thought it possible for you to even fire a shot at all, period.”

“Bingo! That’s another point of contradiction for me and my power level. How was I able to fire that blaster with such power? How was I able to fire a shot with it at all? It’s another point to the theory I have.” I said before a frown crossed my lips. “Still, it’s not enough. I still need more evidence before I say I’m right about this. One more test… But what could work?”

“It seems that you have a lot to think about now.” Paragus said before he looked up at the sky. “We have been out here for a while now. I think it would be best for us to return and rest for the rest of the day.”

“You can do that. I want to figure this out completely before the day ends.” I tell him.

“Overworking yourself and overthinking this will not help you solve anything. By how excited you just were, I can tell this has been worrying you for a while, perhaps since we first made this deal of ours. I don’t know the exact details of this project that you’re working towards, but in my experience, sometimes it’s best to rest your mind and body before attempting to attack a problem again. Perhaps after a short break, you’ll be able to think of another angle to attack this issue from.”

“You’re being oddly supportive and helpful today.” I noted with a suspicious glare. “What, did you eat something strange before we came out here or something?”

“Hmph. Take my advice or don’t. It hardly matters to me. Do as you please if you so wish.” Paragus huffed as he put on the cloak he wore while we were traveling here. Can’t have anyone noticing who he was, even when Turles’s place was pretty far away from anyone with connections to the King. “I will be heading back now. Good luck with whatever you do.” With that, he flew off, the sleeping Broly still in his hands. I just shook my head as I watched him fly off.

“Annoying old man. Sometimes I can’t get a read on him. Cares for his son, yet beats him to a pulp like a military recruit. Seems to distrust me yet gives me advice. Is a Saiyan and displays similar behavior, yet also can be decent company at times.” I groaned as I held my head in my hand. “Pain in the ass, that’s what he is. And why does he get to fly away? How unfair is that?”

It really was, considering the blaster I had was a model that did not help the user fly. God. Damn it. Someone out there really wants me to stay grounded for now. Urggggggggh…

Whatever. I guess it would be nice to go home and take a nap. I’ve been too busy with everything lately. Working on this project, helping Paragus and Broly with their new, secret life, working at the castle, avoiding my coworkers, who are still absolute pricks-it’s been a lot all things considered. Maybe Paragus is right. Not like I have any idea what other tests I could do to prove my theory right now, anyway. Might as well nap and figure it out later. 

But that means going home. Which meant potentially running into Gine, whose kindness I might never get used to from a Saiyan. It also meant potentially running into Bardock, who I’ve been avoiding like the plague as well. He seems to want to talk to me, but I’m not having any of it. I have nothing to say to that man. 

But worse than either of those two, I could run into that punk Raditz. Gine and Bardock let that little rat out of the pod a while ago, and he’s already learned how to walk, speak, and be a general pain in the ass. The two-year-old brat is nothing like Broly, who is shy, reserved, and respectful. Raditz is a little ball of brashness and Saiyan ego that wants everyone to how great he is. It really doesn’t help that out of all the Saiyans that could have been picked, Raditz was chosen to go on missions alongside the prince once they’re able to. Raditz somehow understands the implications of that, and that just makes him even more insufferable.

I’m pretty sure I hate that little bastard, especially after he realized I was physically weaker than him despite being older. That just became another point of prideful boasting for him, and at times makes him think he can get away with doing whatever he wants to me, despite my two/three-year difference from him. Maybe I can shoot him with this blaster now that I know for a fact I can use it with no issues. Perhaps I can convince Gine that it was an accident or something. I’m smart, I can figure something out. But the idea of killing just left a bad taste in my mouth, and it being killing a child made it worse. No, I couldn’t do that, no matter how much Raditz made me want to do it. Hope that idiot gets shot through the chest someday in the future.

Still, it’s not like I have many other places to go. With a sigh, I resigned myself to my fate as I walked back home. It took a while since I traveled on foot, but I eventually made it back home. After taking a deep breath, I walked into the house and quickly looked around. No one to be seen so far. That’s good. Perhaps Gine is still at work. Raditz has taken to hanging out with others his age lately, too, and maybe Bardock has mission stuff to do. That would be nice if it worked out like that. Now relieved, I took a step forward and-

“Orion.”

“Oh goddamnit.” I cursed. Of course, things wouldn’t work out so perfectly for me. Of course Bardock was just waiting around the corner like a creep. Why not? “Do you need something, Bardock?” I asked in a pointed tone that didn’t faze Bardock at all. He just kept staring at me before he finally responded.

“Follow me.”

“Huh?” I could only make a confused noise as the Saiyan warrior started walking out the back entrance of the house. Bardock didn’t even phrase it as a question or a request, so I didn’t think I had a choice in the matter. 

Groaning, I followed Bardock out of the house. I saw the man standing in the middle of what could be considered our backyard, though ‘yard’ wasn’t really accurate in the slightest, considering it was just miles of rocky land. I didn’t even know how much of it we actually owned. What are the Saiyan laws and policies on home ownership and land ownership? Eh, that’s not important. What was important was how Bardock stared at me with a completely serious expression as I got closer to him.

“So why did you need me to be out here with you?” I asked him again.

“I wanted to test you and your strength.”

“My strength. Right.” I sighed at hearing the word while rolling my eyes, but my eyes widened when what he had just said fully clicked in my mind. “Wait, what do you mean test-?”

He didn’t give me any time to think. He just lunged at me and threw a punch aimed right at my face. It was only because of the reflexes I had gotten from fighting Turles that let me dodge the attack. Turles always tried to do that same thing whenever we started a spar. 

My eyes were now bulging out of my socket as everything started moving like it was in slow motion through my perspective. I was just staring at Bardock’s fist as I jumped out of the way like I couldn’t believe this was happening, which I couldn’t. That’s when reality went back to normal speed, and I saw movement from the corner of my eyes. Reflexes kicked in once again as I brought my arms up to block the kick Bardock sent me. The blow connected, and I could feel my arms screaming in agony as I was pushed back several feet away from the soldier attacking me. 

Just from that alone, I could tell he was holding back a lot. Bardock was a soldier, one that was quite strong from what Gine told me about him. A blow from him should have broken my arms at the very least, if not completely popped them off my shoulders. But that blow only made me lose all feeling in my arms, which is marginally better. So Bardock isn’t trying to kill me. That’s comforting in a strange sort of way.

“D-Do you mind telling me why you just decided to attack me!?” I yelled at the man angrily.

“As I said. I want to test you. I’m not really one to speak with words, so I figured talking with our fists would be better.” He told me as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

“That’s the most backwards logic I have ever heard! If you just wanted to talk, then talk! Don’t try to lay me out for nothing!” I screamed.

“This is the fastest way for me to learn what I need to about you and your growth. So shut up and fight like your life depends on it.”

“It kind of does, actually!” I shouted back as Bardock rushed at me again.

I was gonna die. Again. This is where it was gonna happen.

I had to push that thought down further as I continued to dodge and block attacks from Bardock. Even while holding back, I could only barely keep up. It was only thanks to the muscle memory I had begun to build up with Turles that I could last so long. But it wouldn’t stay like that. I was already getting exhausted just from this level of exertion. This is nothing like the spars with Turles. With Turles, I was prepared and could predict him. He was strong, but not so strong I couldn’t work around his strength. And with him being only as tall as an eight-year-old kid, the height difference wasn’t so great. Bardock, on the other hand, was dozens of times stronger and faster compared to Turles, as well as being a fully developed adult male who was much taller than me. Even with him holding back, this fight was like I was being pitted against the giants on Monmaasu again.

After eating another kick to the side that sent me toppling over again, I began to struggle to pick myself back up again. That’s when a thought hit me that made me feel stupid for what had happened for the past few minutes. I have a freaking gun. Why don’t I just use it?! It’s not like I care about whether Bardock gets hurt or not. It would leave a sour taste in my mouth if I killed him, but I could get him to stop without fatally injuring the man. So why haven’t I done that yet?! I thought about it for a moment, trying to come up with a possible reason not to shoot Bardock, only to come up empty. So…

“Screw this!” I shouted before pulling out my arm blaster as Bardock flew at me for another attack. 

I attached the device to my arm in one swift motion before aiming at Bardock and pressing the fire button. Without any hesitation like my first shot, the blaster immediately shot out a beam that was aimed right at Bardock’s legs, so as not to kill the man. Bardock seemed surprised when he saw the blast, but it didn’t stop him from dodging the blast entirely like it was nothing. He then continued his rush at me, kneeing me in the gut before yanking the blaster off my arm as I flew away from him. As I gasped for air from having all of it knocked out of my lungs, Bardock examined the laser gun with interest before tossing it aside.

“That was a clever trick, pulling out a blaster like that. Against another opponent, that could have won you the battle. Good to know you have a good head on your shoulders and aren’t weighed down by pride or arrogance. You aren’t above using tricks or dirty tactics to get out of a situation, which’ll keep you alive. That’s good. Unfortunately, none of that will work against me. Only real strength can overcome someone like me.” Bardock said calmly as he raised a hand aimed right at me. “So, show me that true strength you have.”

I watched on with mild horror as Bardock charged a ball of energy in the palm of his hand before shooting it right at me. I couldn’t move to dodge due to still reeling from the blow to my gut and from the pure shock I was being hit with at that moment. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like Bardock was aiming right at me since the energy blast hit a few feet in front of me. Still, the blast created a large explosion that hit me. It sent me flying again, knocking me back even father and depriving me of more stamina. 

After the dust settled, Bardock could see me just lying there in exhaustion. After a moment, I regained the feeling over my arms and legs and began struggling to push myself back up. After a few agonizing seconds, I managed to push myself up to my knees. I could feel bruises scattered across my arms from blocking Bardock’s strikes, and now there were slight burns from his energy blast covering uncovered areas on my body as well. It hurt, but not as much as my pride did. 

Once again, I’m in a position where I can’t do anything. Once again, I’m on my knees in pain while someone much stronger stands over me. Judging me. I can see it in his eyes. Those narrow, black orbs didn’t show a single sign of compassion toward me. He doesn’t care. In fact, I’d go so far as to say he’s disappointed at what he’s seeing. It disappoints him that a weak, pathetic child like me is his child. He can’t even bring out an iota of anger at my display. All he can feel is indifference. It’s like I’m not even his son.

Why do I care? I’m not his son. I was just born into this second life in the body of the one who biologically could be considered his son. But that’s not who I am at the core of who I am. That’s not in my heart nor my soul nor my mind. He’s all but a stranger to me in everything except name. So why does that look in his eye infuriate me? Why do I find myself feeling an absolute loathing towards that expression?

Because I hate how this man sees me under his perception of what he thinks my strength is. He only sees a weak child in front of him. He doesn’t care that I might be smarter than him. He doesn’t care that I have plans for the future. All he cares about is my power, and he’s judging me based on what little power he sees. Just like every other damn Saiyan on this planet. That’s why I can’t stand monkeys like him!

“S-Stop…looking at me with that condescending look, you piece of shit!” I found myself screaming as a new burning determination began pumping through my body, pushing me to get back on my feet with shaky legs. That seemed to get something out of Bardock since his expression shifted to intrigued one as I gave him a death glare. “You and your people me sick! I swear with every fiber of my being that I’ll make you all suffer! You think you’re all hot shit because I’m so much weaker than you all! Fine then! I’ll show you that ‘true strength’ you wanted to see!”

No longer thinking clearly at this point, only being driven by hatred and rage now, I had my hand shoot up to aim at Bardock as a new feeling started to course through me. A feeling of energy and power began pooling into my arms and hand. It didn’t even register in my mind when a small, glowing white and purple ball began to form in my palm as I aimed it right at the Saiyan in front of me. The ball grew and grew, slowly spinning as it grew and picking up speed as it did. Once the ball was as big as it was gonna get, a pure, manic smile spread over my face.

“DIE, SAIYAN!!!” I screamed as I let loose the energy, gleefully watching as-

Riiiiiip!

That’s when I heard a sort of ripping sound come right out of the arm that held my energy ball. The moment that happened, I felt pain far greater than what Bardock had inflicted on me. The ball of energy dissipated into nothingness quickly as I let out a scream of pure agony. I fell to my knees once again as I cradled my arm. I couldn’t move my hand or my forearm. I could still move my shoulder, but any movement caused a significant surge of pain to shoot through my arm. I could feel tears pricking at the tips of my eyes as I stared at my arm in both disbelief and frustration. What just happened!?

“Seems that was too much for your body.”

I gasped when I looked up and saw Bardock standing over me. I was about to yell angrily at him again, but I stopped when I saw his eyes. While they were still hardened like a soldier’s, they didn’t seem as cold or callous as before now that he was right in front of me. He seemed almost concerned.

“Wh-What do you mean?” I growled out the question as I looked away from Bardock’s eyes.

“You seemed to have torn the muscles in your arm and hands by trying to fire a blast like that.” Bardock answered simply. “You were foolish, trying to overexert yourself like that.”

“Overexert…?” I repeated before what he said hit me. “Wait…so the reason my arm is like this is because of that blast I tried to use?” I questioned as I looked down at my arm again. 

I had never done something like that before. I had never created energy like that before. I always wanted to have cool abilities like what I saw other Saiyans use, and before, I tried to see if I had those abilities. Yet failed experiments and training only showed me that I couldn’t. Yet this time, I formed a ball of my own energy by using my anger as a driving force. However, I couldn’t shoot it. Not without destroying the muscles in my arm in the process. If that’s the case, then…

“...This is the proof.” I muttered with wide eyes. “This was it. The final piece of evidence I needed. My theory is right…!” Bardock didn’t seem to understand or even care about my mutterings, as he only sighed in response.

“Whatever the case, you need to get some medical help.” He said. 

And then, without even asking my own opinion on the matter, he picked me up in his hands. I let out an ‘eep’ in my surprise as Bardock started carrying me over to the hospital. I immediately felt mortified by the action as I began to struggle out of his hold, despite Bardock having started flying to get me to our destination faster.

“H-Hey! I don’t need you to carry me at all! I can get there myself!”

“From what I’ve seen, you can’t fly yet, so it would be faster for me to just drop you off there.” He replied in a matter-of-factly voice. 

I growled as I struggled harder. However, when it quickly became apparent my efforts were for naught, I gave up with a huff as I crossed my arms. Well, did my best to cross my arms with one working arm and one arm that I couldn’t move without screaming in pain. That got a chuckle out of Bardock as he shook his head.

“Seriously. You’re one strong kid.”

I blinked in confusion when I heard what he said, and it took me a moment to repeat it in my head to make sure I heard him correctly.

“Did…you say strong?” I asked him in disbelief. “In what way am I strong? I couldn’t even hurt you in that ‘spar’ of ours. I couldn’t even hurt you when I cheated and used my blaster. I couldn’t even fire an energy blast at you without crippling myself in the process. I don’t see how any of that makes me strong.”

“Well, I doubt any other Saiyan child your age would have taken all of that as well as you are right now.” Bardock told me. “I’m not even sure some adults could take that arm injury with as much stride as you seem to be showing it. You even stared at it like it was the answer to some greater question once I explained it to you.”

“Hmph. Like any other Saiyan would injure themselves like this. Besides, I’ve been through worse.” I rolled my eyes, getting a frown out of Bardock.

“Even if that’s the case, that still shows your strength. I’m impressed that despite how weak you are, you can still stand back up, ready to keep going with the fight and whatever happens afterward. No matter how many times I knocked you down, you forced yourself back up. Whether you get hurt or lose, it doesn’t seem to faze you in the end. In my eyes, that’s your real strength.”

“So you’re saying my strength isn’t power, but tenacity? What good will that do me in the end? I’d rather have power.”

“Power isn’t everything, Orion.” Bardock told me, nearly getting a surprised gasp out of me. “As long as you can get back up after everything and stare it dead on in the face, that’s all that matters in the end. I didn’t want that spar to see your physical strength. I wanted to make sure you had the strength to overcome your struggles on your own and see them to the end. That blast might have been too much for you at the moment, but you’re strong enough to overcome that eventually. I can see it in your eyes. As it stands now, I don’t think Gine or I have to worry about you unless you do something completely reckless.” That’s when he looked back down at me with a stern look and a frown. “In which case, don’t. I can tell you’re planning something big. Whatever it is, just make sure you don’t do something stupid. Last thing your mother needs is to have a panic attack because of something you did.”

I just stared at the guy like he was crazy as he finished his piece. I was still trying to wrap my head around a Saiyan that didn’t think power was real strength that mattered. Even stranger was how in some strange way, Bardock seemed to care about me. What the hell is going on here? 

With Bardock no longer having anything to say after that, the rest of the flight was quiet, though not an awkward type of quiet. It was a tranquil quiet that let me think about what Bardock said.

Strength to see things to the end and overcome struggles, eh?

With a small smile forming on my face, I let myself relax in Bardock’s arms as he flew me to the hospital, tension now leaving my body.

Yeah. I definitely will see things to the end. That’s a guarantee. I’ll have to thank Bardock one day. This test of his proves without of doubt my hypothesis was dead on. Now with that in mind, I can work towards the perfect solution. Just you all wait. Things are gonna change sometime soon. This golden society built to raise the egos of the strong will soon crumble. That’s when they’ll finally see. My silver lining is finally here.

Chapter Text

“Aaaugh!”

“Keep your guard up! You’re not focusing enough!”

“Maybe, or perhaps my arm is still sore from what happened the first time we fought!”

“Give me that excuse again, and I’ll give you something to really complain about.”

I gritted my teeth as I begrudgingly got back into a combat stance. This has been my life for the past few months. Ever since Bardock forced me into that first sparring match that caused me to tear the muscles in my right arm, he’s had the brilliant idea to train me how to fight better the moment I healed up enough to fight. At least, the moment I healed up enough to fight in his eyes. It’s been months now, but no matter how many times he punched me, I didn’t feel like I was getting stronger. All that this was doing so far was pissing me off and slowly turning me into a giant, walking bruise.

It really didn’t help that this bastard was also dragging me away against my will for this. Whenever he wasn’t doing anything and he caught sight of me, he would drag me off by my tail to where we fought the first time and force me to fight him in a spar, this time with no weapons allowed. He always made sure to take away any and all guns I had on my person before he got down to business, which only served to make these sessions more one-sided and more like a one-sided beat-down at my expense. This was nothing like fighting with Turles. This was me being forced to fight an adult, a veteran warrior with decades of fighting experience in the body of a weakling child. I’ve never been in a more pathetic and hopeless situation. What am I supposed to learn from this?

My time would have been better served to advance my work. I do feel a smidge of gratitude towards my male Saiyan keeper (I refuse to ever refer to him as ‘father’), yet that tiny feeling has been overshadowed with more spite at his wasting of my time. Why should I bother training my body when working on Project Silver would help me far more in comparison? I already have a rough outline of a plan and some rough drafts and scrapes of what might be considered blueprints ready, and I’ve already gotten started with the project. I even have everything I need from watching Broly fight in his spars with Paragus. I just need to get parts and time to work on it, and this muscle head is preventing me from doing that.

Consider my gratitude revoked. As expected from a Saiyan… Eff-ing. Saiyans.

Now I’m here, struggling once again against Bardock, who doesn’t even look fazed by anything that has happened so far. He doesn’t even look amused. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen his face show any emotion other than that neutral one he always wears. I hate that the most about him. I can never tell what he’s thinking because of that. Other Saiyans are easy to read, yet he’s one of the few who aren’t. Makes him more unpredictable in my eyes, which makes him more dangerous to me and my plans potentially.

“Why haven’t you tried to use energy blasts against me?” Bardock asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.

“You know how well that went last time. I’m not destroying my arm again just to get no results.” I spat out in an annoyed tone.

“You’ll never learn unless you attempt to use it until you finally succeed.” Bardock replied.

“That’s true for many things, but if something is impossible from the start, then no matter how many times I try, I won’t succeed anyway.” I responded.

“And how do you know that this falls under that impossible category?”

“I think I’d know that better than anyone at this point.” I growled. “I’ll only say this once so that you understand. This body is weak, and it will never be able to keep up with the likes of you Saiyans by itself. It’s not a matter of refusing to try using energy attacks. It’s that I can’t use them on my own like this. It’s why I don’t see the purpose of these training sessions of ours.”

“No matter what you may think, you need this. You’re weak, that’s true. Anyone can see that, and I suppose no one would know that better than you.” Bardock began. “However, I don’t imagine that you’re satisfied with how things are right now. But no matter what you do, it won’t mean anything if you don’t know how to fight. What use is power if you can’t throw a proper punch, or if you can’t take a punch and keep on moving? The first fight we had was me assessing your abilities and skill, and you’re at a better level than what I expected, but you still aren’t on the level. That’s why I’m taking the little time I have left before my next assignment to give you more experience. I want to make sure can punch above your weight before I leave. You need to, at the very least, be able to see an attack coming before it comes close to hitting you. That way, you’ll still be able to block and counter against those far above you.”

“Is that so?” I asked with a raised eyebrow of my own. “And what exactly would you know about fighting people stronger than you?”

“Are you being serious?” Bardock asked me with a slight frown. “I am classified as a low-class warrior, despite my power level.”

“Oh, right. Born weak, but grew stronger after the fact, yeah?” I muttered. “What? Are you trying to say that means you fight people far above you in power on the daily.”

“At times. How do you think I grew so strong despite my rank?” Bardock said while crossing his arms.

“I don’t know. Push-ups, sit-ups, and plenty of juice? Maybe with a side of near-death experience?”

“Ha, ha. Quite the tongue on you.”

“What can I say? What I lack in strength, I make it up with plenty of wit. Something you Saiyans seem to be lacking in.” I muttered the last part quietly. Perhaps not as quietly as I might have thought since Bardock’s neutral frown deepened a little after that. Then, before I could even process it, he lunged at me so fast it was almost like he vanished for a moment. By the time I registered what he was doing, there was already a fist lodged in my gut, every trace of air now exiting out of my mouth along with any bile that came up with it.

“Have some respect. Keep running that tongue, and you’ll earn more than a few scars. Insult a high-ranking Saiyan, and they can and will take your life. Learn how to fight the likes of them before you go around showing off the confidence to disrespect them so openly.”

Bardock let my now-limp body fall to the ground as I gasped for air. He stared at my pathetic form, he let out a small sigh before shaking his head.

“That’ll be the end for today. Tomorrow, try to land a strike that at least grazes me. And take this more seriously if you really want to get stronger.” With that, the Saiyan veteran left without so much as looking back at me. After regaining the ability to breathe without feeling a stinging pain in my everything, I slowly got back up while staring daggers at the spot where Bardock had once stood.

“Get stronger my ass. As if normal training can help me. If that were enough, I would have gotten much stronger after Monmaasu.” I hissed as I dragged my sorry ass back home.

When I made it back home, Gine was there to greet me. I ignored her. Just a distraction. Always a distraction.

Without giving the woman so much of a glance, I entered my room, which had become a makeshift workshop for me. It was too risky to work on Project Silver too heavily while in the presence of the other Saiyan researchers and engineers. If they ever so much as caught a whiff that I was planning something big, they’d come down on me worse than Bardock ever could, destroying all my research in the process. I can’t afford that this late into the game.

Not wasting any more time, I sat down at my desk (or what was the closest thing to a desk that I had on this godforsaken planet where everything that wasn’t for warriors or royalty was made of literal rocks) and pulled out my notebook.

“Now then… Let’s get back to working on you..” I gave a wide smile that grew larger and larger till it bordered on mania.

I couldn’t stop but feel such a grand level of excitement when I looked at the sketch I had in the notebook. A sketch of Broly wearing new, modified armor. This was the key, and I would create it with my own hands. Project Silver, Broly Model. Time to get to work.

With that, I spent the rest of the day working on Broly’s new chest armor. You might think making new armor might be simple. It’s not. It’s really not. I’ve never made armor before, and now I’m tasking myself with making a set of armor made from Saiyan material, stuff I had never worked with before in my old life, along with other advanced technology I was still not fully used to. Still, sheer tenacity is what kept me going. This was far more complicated than just fixing some programming bug in one of the Frieza Forces’ drones. This was engineering technology into Saiyan armor while keeping its original elasticity, all while adding in the new components that Broly needed to help with his control.

Oh yeah. This is what’s going to allow Broly to control his power should things turn out exactly as planned. How is a new chest piece going to help him with that? Well, if this works, this piece of armor should work as the perfect limiter for Broly.

It’s obvious that Broly’s power has the unique trait of constantly fluctuating in a fight due to his emotions until he eventually gets mad and reaches a power level where his power skyrockets to uncontrollable levels. His power is like a faucet that can’t be turned off after a period of time. So how do you fix this problem? Simple, really. If Broly can’t control high levels of power, then he just needs a way to get rid of that excess energy to return back to a manageable amount.

Now Broly’s already using up plenty of energy in the fight. In fact, I believe it’s his body trying its best to get rid of all of that energy that allows Broly to use energy so freely and in ways other Saiyans can’t, like creating energy blasts with every part of his body. I still remember when he suddenly formed a blast out of his chest and body slammed it into Paragus that one time. But even though he’s using so much power, it’s not emptying his reserves fast enough. It refills faster than he can use it. That’s why he needs some help with that.

That’s what this armor is for. Modifying some typical Saiyan armor with some tech, specifically the same kind that lets our blasters draw from the user's energy reserves, should give Broly both a passive way to store and release excess energy and a stronger way to release it in a fight by forcibly using more than he already does. This will also solve another potential problem I believe is possible. Broly’s already dangerous to everything thing around him, but this strange, unstable power that’s constantly growing is the most dangerous to himself.

A person’s body usually only has a certain limit in terms of energy capacity. That’s what I’ve noticed, at least. Whenever Paragus uses too much energy in his spars with Broly, he’s way more drained then usual and he can’t use as many energy moves either. In fact, I heard him mention how if he used too much energy, he wouldn’t even be able to fly and would feel aches and pains. Almost like how a person would feel sore after working out till they’re drained.

So a person has a natural limit to their energy and how much they can hold or use. They have a pool they can draw from, and once they use it all, they have to recharge before they can tap into that pool again. But what happens if that pool of energy gets overfilled? I imagine it would be like a water balloon that you fill up with too much water. Broly’s body can only handle his natural limit, but he’s constantly being forced to have more than that. Eventually, his body won’t be able to handle it, and he’ll self-destruct. That… doesn’t sound pleasant in the slightest.

That’s why this is so important. The sooner this limiter gets made for Broly, the sooner he’ll be in the clear of the dangers of his energy making him implode. While I don’t care about any Saiyan on this planet in the slightest, Broly hasn’t done anything to me. He’s only been the victim of Saiyans, the same as me, and he’s still just a child. A pretty decent one for Saiyan standards. He’s quiet and polite outside of combat, so much so it’s hard to see him as this universe’s version of the Hulk. It’s hard to hate him when he’s like that, and that makes it hard to do nothing while he’s on the verge of dying from his own mutation or whatever the hell is making his power like this.

I still can’t figure that part out, by the way. I’m still on the theory train that Broly has some special mutation or something, but I can’t prove that without looking at his DNA and comparing it to another’s, and I can’t exactly do that at the moment. I’m to make weapons and shit, so I’m not exactly allowed to use the advanced medical equipment, and even if I was, I sorta doubt Saiyans have the brains to make something that can help with this. Stupid muscle heads probably don’t have any idea what DNA and other medical jargon are. All they care about is punching things till they die.

I felt my hand tighten more around the tool I was holding. Just thinking about them made me furious. I shook my head out of those thoughts. I can’t let them distract me. I need to continue working on Broly’s limiter armor.

And so, I got to work. I already had the base. I just had to modify it with parts and get it working, and who knows how long that will take. Nothing like this had been done to this level, so I was traversing unknown territory technologically even for this reality. To make things worse, I was having a hard time making sure the armor kept its elasticity, one of the few things Saiyans have made that I can appreciate even just a little. At least I’m not working with pure metal with this armor.

At least, not yet… God this gonna be so much harder once I’m working on the proper Project Silver.

“Orion?”

“Hmm?” I turned around to see Gine peering into my room, worry clear on her face as she stared at me. “What is it?” I asked her in a slightly pointed tone, not liking how she interrupted me while I was working.

“It’s just…you’ve been in here for a long time. It’s already dark out.” Gine told me. At that, my eyes widened as I turned to look out the window. Indeed, it was night out now. I rubbed my eyes as I pushed down a yawn that was born from seeing the dark sky.

“Must have been too focused on my work and lost track of time.” I told her as I turned back to the armor and continued tinkering with it. “Was there anything you needed?”

“No. I just wanted to make sure you got some food before you went to sleep.” Gine told me. It was then I noticed she was holding a plate of food.

“Hmm… Leave it here. I’ll eat it later.” I muttered as I continued working. Gine frowned at that but didn’t say anything as she sat the food down next to me. Or perhaps…she did say something, but I had already started to ignore her once again as I zoned out on my work that I couldn’t tell you if that’s what happened.

Just a distraction. Just keep focusing on what’s important. Once all of this is done, it will all finally be over.

“Augh!!!” I yelped as my hands rushed to my face where Bardock had just punched me. As I tended to what felt like a broken nose, the Saiyan warrior just looked at me with the same face of indifference he always had with me.

“That’s enough for today.” He told me, not bothering to say anything as he turned his back to me. “Your form has gotten better, but you still have openings. It’s preventing you from fully learning these counters and movements. We’ll work on those tomorrow.”

I didn’t buy him any mind as I slowly moved my hand from my nose, which was not actually broken. Somehow. Hurts to breathe through it, though. I watched as Bardock walked away, not even having broken a sweat during that beatdown he handed me. Getting better he says. Yeah right. Still can’t touch him. Still don’t see the purpose in him teaching me. I rolled my eyes as I started heading back myself.

Let’s see… Should I drop by Turle’s place to check up on Paragus and Broly? Haven’t spoken to them in a few days. Though I could keep working on that armor. But I’ve been working on it for days straight now. Gine checking up on me sort of made me realize how little I’ve been sleeping as of late. My eyes are burning, now that I think about it. Did that affect my training? Bardock didn’t seem to notice anything wrong yet, so perhaps not. Though soon, it might become an issue.

I ran a hand down my face, dragging down my eyelids as I did. I could rest, but the sooner I get this done, the sooner I can get off this disgusting planet and go search for Earth. Once I get back there, I can return to everyday, normal life. Well, as normal as it can be after everything that’s happened.

Man… I haven’t even thought about Earth in, what, nearly half a decade now? Does this reality even have an Earth? It’s gotta. There’s always an Earth or some sort of equivalent in any universe. At least that’s what fiction and sci-fi have taught me. I wonder if this universe’s Earth is similar to mine, or is it radically different? Is it more advanced than what I’m used to, or is it less advanced? Lord, I hope if I find it it’s not still in the middle of the Dark Ages. The last thing I need is to go from living with a bunch of sentient space monkeys to living with stereotypical knights and kings, none of whom can read.

I suppose thinking about that can wait. Not like any of it matters at the moment, even if it’s nice to think about home, even if it isn’t really my home. It’ll be better than this place. A real Planet of the Apes, as I call this dump. For now, I should focus on-

“So this is where you’ve been, Brother.”

I groaned, not bothering to hold it in. Oh dear God, why? Why him? Why now? What have I done to deserve this hell?

I let my shoulders sag as I turned around to see a child half my height with hair that matched his entire height. His face was as smug as ever, and that might have been due to the fact that he had two others trailing behind him. I’d never seen the other two, but they were inconsequential compared to the one that seemed to lead them around everywhere.

“Raditz…” I grumbled to the child with hair that was clearly compensating for something.

“I saw Father coming from here, and you seem to be quite beaten, Brother.” Raditz began, his smile twitching with slight annoyance as he spoke. “Tell me, how come Father will sacrifice his time to train a useless speck like you, yet not do the same with his clearly superior son?”

“I don’t know. Maybe the same reason I try to avoid you like a plague.” I shot back, not having any patience for the annoyance. “I wouldn’t take it too personally. Bardock doesn’t seem like a great father figure. He’ll probably go off on his mission and completely forget about us as he’s killing a city of helpless victims. Besides, I don’t even want the training. I’ll happily trade places with you if it gets him off my back. I’m quite busy with a project for the king, after all.”

“Oh, of course. You certainly have better things to do than trying to increase your strength. Tell me, what was your power level again? Oh, that’s right. It was-”

“Was there anything you needed, or are you just here to piss me off?” I growled. “If you don’t have anything worthwhile to say, I’ll be going now. I have better things to do than humoring some mindless fool who can’t think for himself.”

“-Ah! H-How dare you…!” Raditz yelled as he clenched his fist angrily.

“Am I wrong? You came here just to show off in front of your ‘friends’, yeah? Show how much stronger you are compared to your elder sibling? Well newsflash, pipsqueak. Get this through your head. I. Don’t. Care. You’re stronger than me. Your friends are stronger than me. Giant ants on Monmaasu are stronger than me. Everyone knows that. What are you trying to prove? Are you trying to convince everyone else that you’re special or something?” I asked before a cruel smile formed on my face. “Or is it yourself that you’re trying to convince? After all, your own father won’t even bother to train you, instead spending his time training his weak, worthless child.”

That seemed to make something snap in Raditz, as one moment he was still standing there dumbfounded next to his friends. The next he was right in front of me with a furious expression, his fist heading right towards my face. I blinked as it all moved in slow motion before what was happening clicked in my mind. The muscle memory that Bardock built into my arms made me move before I could think, raising my arms high enough to block the oncoming strike. The fist connected, forcing me back several feet as my feet dug into the ground. Once I stopped being pushed back by the blow of the attack, I looked back up at Raditz with mild surprise, only to be met with a look of fury.

“How dare you mock me! Don’t think yourself better than me just because you are the elder between us! I’ll make you pay for thinking you're better than me!”

“Hmph. What an ego… Someone has something to prove.” I growled.

“Shut your mouth!” Raditz screamed back as he charged at me. I gritted my teeth as I readied myself for the brat. Damn it. It always ends with a fight with these monkeys, huh? I’m at a disadvantage here, as is the usual scenario in fights. Despite my taunting and mocking of Raditz, he really is a league above me. I’m still much weaker than him, and I don’t have any weapons on me to make up the difference. I’m seriously outclassed here. However…

Wham!

There was a certain satisfaction to the sound my fist made when it connected to Raditz’s face and stopped him in his track. He took a few steps back and stared at me with this disbelieving look as he gently touched where I hit him. It was almost as if he was surprised that despite my weakness I was still able to hurt him.

“What? Did you think I would just stand there and take it?” I asked with a slight smirk. “Sorry, but I’m not one to accept a beating from some uppity brat like you. Those asshole adults, sure. Can’t do anything ‘bout that. But you? Ha! I don’t care if I’m weaker. I’m gonna make sure you earn this!”

With that, I pounced on the still-startled Raditz, not giving him any time to prepare for my advance. I got right in his face with a sharp elbow before kneeing him in the gut. That seemed to snap him out of his funk since he threw a punch right into my jaw after that. That’s when everything just devolved into a pure brawl, no holds barred. I have no idea what the other two kids watching this were thinking. All I knew was that I wanted to shut Raditz up for good here, even if that was extremely unlikely due to the gap in our power.

It was a disgusting display. It was less a fight and more of a slugfest, with the two of us just laying into each other like punching bags. He would slam a fist into my face, and it wouldn’t even be a second afterward when I regained my footing and landed my own punch against the arrogant brat. Blood was flying everywhere around us, so much so I was sure my face was covered in both my blood and Raditz’s. Lord knows Raditz had nasty streaks of red flowing down his face after I nailed a hard headbutt against the son of a bitch.

Starting out, the fight definitely wasn’t in my favor. That was expected when I threw that punch, though. Raditz was far tougher and faster than I was. Even though I managed to block a few of his attacks, some of them did land and when they did, they hit much harder than anything I had been hit by before. His attacks would daze me for a few moments, opening me up to more attacks before I regained my focus and managed to block again. Things weren’t looking good. At least at first.

Yet, as the seconds and minutes passed, I began to realize something during this little fight. Raditz was no longer landing nearly as many hits as before during the beginning of the fight. In fact, it almost looked like I was keeping him on the backfoot now! That’s when I began to notice what was going on. Raditz, anger growing more and more as he failed to effortlessly kick my ass, threw out a swift kick. Raditz was far faster than me, so I shouldn’t have been able to block it. Yet, my arms moved to block before he even finished moving his leg for the kick. And after I blocked the attack, I swiftly countered with another elbow to Raditz’s face, which would further enrage him into making another attack.

He was no longer fighting rationally. Now fueled by his emotions, he was now so… predictable. So much so that I was having a hard time believing that this was really happening. But then I saw it. It was only a brief flash, but when Raditz moved to attack, I could almost visualize Bardock during his training sessions. The way he moved there wasn’t exactly like Raditz, but that wasn’t why I could see him in this fight. For some reason, his words kept ringing in my head the moment Raditz prepared to attack me.

Predict their movements and move to block before the opponent finishes moving. Then counter immediately after. That’ll help throw them off guard. That’s the best thing you can do in a fight against a stronger opponent. Throw them off guard so they begin making mistakes.

Damn it… Curse that Saiyan. How dare his advice become ingrained in me after having been beaten into these past few weeks. That was the single curse going through my mind as I continued that pattern against Raditz. Predict, block, strike, rinse, repeat. The pattern happened so often that it infuriate Raditz to the point where I didn’t even have to predict anymore. He was so angry that he was now sluggish in his approach.

After punching him away yet again, I was just left standing there speechless at what was happening. There in front of me was little, egotistical Raditz. The little shit that got to stay on this planet since he was born strong. Had a high power level that compared to other Saiyans that I saw. The kid who rubbed that shit in my face every day. And yet this was what that resulted in. a panting mess laying on the ground after having been knocked down repeatedly, no longer able to land a clean shot against me due to his overwhelming anger blinding him from being smart and not just throwing blind attacks out. This was what I had to be to not get tossed out? This was what was strong here?

“Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME!?!?!” The scream I let out made my entire body rattle as I dashed over and grabbed Raditz by his armor’s collar. “Are you telling me that you’re good enough in the eyes of these monkeys!? You!? You can’t even fight someone like me! How the hell are you considered strong!?!?!? After everything I’ve been through, I could at least accept that it was because I wasn’t strong enough, but if people like you are able to live carefree lives with egos as big as a planet despite not being able to keep up with someone like me is insulting!!!! You don’t even know the first thing about fighting! You’ve probably never even fought with your life on the line before! You’re so green you can’t even fight properly against a far weaker foe! Who the hell do you think you are, acting so tough!?!? You’re ten years too early!!!”

I was red in the face due to my overwhelming anger. And as I stared the younger Saiyan boy in the eyes, I could swear I saw a twinge of fear within those black orbs of his. And I could see the face of a demon’s that were being reflected off them, too.

That fear didn’t stay for long, for Raditz soon collected himself as his stunned and fearful looked turned into a snarl. That’s when he dug his fist into my gut, completely catching me off guard. I felt all the air get knocked out of my lungs again as I dropped the boy.

“God…damn…it…again with this shit…?” I groaned as I hunched over and tried to collect my breath again. Seriously, how many times were people going to punch me in the gut like that?!

“Y-You…! How dare you mock me like this!” Raditz screamed. “So you say I’m weak, huh? I’LL SHOW YOU WEAK!!!”

That’s when he raised his hand, and a large pink sphere of energy crackled into existence in a brilliant display of power. It was twice the size of Raditz or me, and it was sitting within his hand comfortably as electricity danced around the orb while ringing out like Raditz had managed to control living lightning within his hand. Now being forced to witness this display that the little runt was showing me, I only had one thing to say in response.

“...Oh.”

So this was why Raditz was considered strong, huh? He was strong because he could create flashy lighting attacks?

…Yeah, that’s understandable.

“Are you ready, brother!?” Raditz screamed with a wide sinister smile that had been bred with pure cruelty. “HERE’S A PRESENT FOR YOU!”

That’s when he threw the ball of death at me, and I was stunned at Raditz’s power so much that I didn’t even move. How could I move? What could I do in the face of overwhelming raw power like this? It was moving too fast, and it was impossible for me to dodge it by myself. There was nothing I could physically do to save myself. So I just stared at the pink ball of electric death that was soaring right at me. It was all I could do before the orb exploded in my face.

And yes, you heard that correctly. It exploded in my face. It didn’t hit me. The explosion hit something, though. The moment it exploded, everything and everyone was knocked away by the shockwave it created. I myself flew several meters before skipping across the ground like a pebble across a lake before I finally slowed to a halt. After the chaos of Raditz’s attack settled down, I pushed myself up from the ground to look at what exactly happened. What I saw was Raditz, who was also sent flying, staring at the same thing I was staring at with the same look of confusion and shock.

There, in front of where I had been standing, was Bardock. His hand was extended in front of him with small burn marks now adorning his palm. He had jumped in and blocked the blast for me with relative ease and only a few small wounds to show for it. However, the thing that caught my eye was his expression. He no longer had that neutral, uncaring look from before. He had a furrowed brow and glaring eyes that he showed to both Raditz, and then to me when he spun around to look me dead in the eye.

I hadn’t felt chills like this since I saw that alligator monster when I first landed on Monmaase. I didn’t know that Bardock could give off such a strong feeling of intimidation. It felt like death was nearing closer to me just from his clearly angry gaze on me.

Yet despite how he appeared, he didn’t say anything immediately. He did not growl, nor did he scowl or snarl. He just stared at us with these eyes. You know the type. The parental judging eyes that pierce a person’s soul, even when it isn’t their own parents giving them that look. Yeah. That look. That ‘I’m not angry, I’m disappointed’ look that I always hated seeing from my old caregivers. Instinctually, I reacted the same way I would have back in my old life as a child.

“Raditz started it.” I swiftly stated faster than I thought possible.

“Wha-!?” The horrified look Raditz dawned on his face when he heard me say that would have been hilarious if it wasn’t for the veteran Saiyan warrior (i.e. experienced killer) standing in front of us. The way his face paled in that instant was a moment that made me wish I had a camera so I could immortalize that scene. “Th-That’s not true! Father, brother was the one who-!”

“Save it.” Bardock cut Raditz off as he let out a tired-sounding sigh as he ran a hand down his face in an exasperated manner. He then shot a look at the other kids who were still watching with dumbfounded, yet also slightly amazed and now fearful, expressions. “You two. Leave.” That’s all Bardock had to say to get the other two kids running for the hills. Bardock’s attention then went right back to us right after. “We’re heading home.”

It wasn’t a request. It was a demand that we couldn’t and shouldn’t argue against. The way both Raditz and I quickly nodded and followed Bardock along back to the house. With Bardock walking in front of us, the two of us were left walking behind him silently as we glared daggers at each other, the two of us equally bloody from our spat. The moment we made it back to the house, Bardock turned to us. He stared silently before he closed his eyes, took a breath, and then spoke.

“We’ll speak later, Raditz. But for now, go to your room and clean up. Your mother and I need to speak to Orion first.”

“Yes, Father.” Raditz nodded quickly before he ran into the house.

Bardock pushed me into the house as well, and it didn’t take a second after that before I heard a gasp of shock and perhaps even horror as Gine caught sight of Raditz and me. Raditz didn’t have to suffer through Gine’s mortified expression or the questions she wanted to ask, though, as he followed Bardock’s demand and ran right to his room. Meanwhile, I was stuck in between the two of the adult Saiyans with no escape in sight.

Great… Just great…

“What in the world happened?!” Gine shouted as she walked up to the two of us. “Why are Raditz and Orion wounded like this?!”

“The two of them were fighting.” Bardock told her as he crossed his arms and shot me a look. “It didn’t seem to be for any kind of training or fun.”

“Gee, what clued you in on that?” I replied snarkily, which resulted in Bardock smacking the back of my head with his hand.

“What in the world were you thinking?” Bardock questioned.

“Would you like the ‘before’ answer or the ‘after’ answer?” I asked while rolling my eyes.

That got another snarl out of the warrior, which made me shrug. His intimidation factor had disappeared now that I’d realized why he was angry. His attempt at being a father did not impress me. That aura of a deadly warrior was now replaced by that of a man trying to lecture me with no understanding about what happened.

“If you really want to know, Raditz came up to me after our training and began antagonizing me in front of his friends in an attempt to make himself look better. When I told him how pointless and pathetic that was, he attacked me, and since I was in a bad mood, I tried hitting back. Simple as that.”

“Wait, you both did this to each other?” Gine asked with wide eyes. “You look like you were in a fight to the death!”

“It was a fight to the death. Had I not intervened, Raditz would have hit Orion with an attack that would have definitely killed Orion.” Bardock gave a slight growl. “I’ll have a talk to him about that later, but right now, I want to know why you were willing to go so far. You’re the older sibling, and you’re far smarter than most. You should know better.”

“I should know better?” I repeated before giving an empty chuckle. “I was under the impression that this sort of thing was normal. Where do you think this scar on my face came from?”

“You said that was from an accident in the castle’s lab.” Gine said quickly as her face paled at what I was implying.

“Yeah, you could say it was an accident. I ‘accidentally’ pissed off the adults and they got jealous that a weakling like me was smarter than them and got recognition from the king.” I told her coldly. “I didn’t tell you because you would have pestered me more, and I’d rather not have more annoying things in my life. You’re already a headache to deal with.”

“Watch your mouth!” Bardock snapped as Gine looked genuinely hurt by my words. “That is your mother you’re talking to!”

Oh, you want to go there? Alright. Let’s go there.

“No. She’s not. She’s never been my mother, and I’ve never seen her as such.” I replied emotionlessly. “You’re not my father either. I don’t have any parents. I never have, and I never will.” That seemed to startle Bardock, as his glare became a look of confusion, and maybe even hurt. I laughed out loud when I saw that.

“What? Did you think that I would magically just love you both after being shot off the planet for being trash? Do you have any idea about what I was forced to go through? As weak as I am, I had to survive tooth and nail every damn day for a year on a foreign planet with no one to help me. I nearly died every. Single. Goddamn day! I was almost eaten by ants! Crushed and frozen by snow! Drowned during a light rain storm! I had to KILL someone just to complete that cursed task I was given, and the very memory shakes me to my core! And what was my reward!? Being stuck on a planet full of muscle-brained idiots who treat me like their personal punching bag just because I’m weak! It doesn’t matter what I do! It doesn’t matter if you both or the king support me! I’m trapped in a living hell!!!”

“You think you’re my parents? That’s a lie! Parents don’t abandon their children shortly after their birth! Parents don’t let their children nearly die before they’re even five years old! Parents don’t allow others to abuse their children!” I screamed, my voice now becoming hoarse from how loudly and passionately I was screaming. Gine and Bardock couldn’t even stop me as I continued to scream at them.

“You know, when I got back and met Gine, a part of me was happy. I was…excited to have a mother. To have a family. I’ve…never had that before. Not ever. It was something I dreamed about for so long before that childish part of me died long ago. I always had this idea about what parents were like. And you know what? Neither of you matches that idea I had. You’re just Saiyans! And somehow that makes it even worse!”

“I hate Saiyans! How could I not after everything I’ve been through? All the suffering I’ve been put through is because of them! You’re the scum of the universe, killing innocents for your own gain! And I am NOT like you people! I will NEVER be like you!”

What followed that statement was a deathly silence. I was breathing hard after going on that rant, having released everything onto these people that I could acknowledge were not in the wrong. They did not cause any of my suffering directly. But that didn’t change how I feel now. Right now, at this moment, I only saw them as one thing. They were Saiyans, and that, to me, meant they were nothing to me. In my eyes, they were just like every other Saiyan. Mindless. Cruel. Uncaring. Ruthless. Monsters. Creatures with no redeemable qualities. Just being reminded of that fact could make me see red. And this was the breaking point.

“...I’m done with you both. This isn’t my home. It never was.” I muttered as I turned my back to the two of them. “Don’t expect to see me again after this. You’re not my parents, and I’m not your son.”

With that, I walked away. Without even thinking about anyone else, I walked into my room, grabbed my stuff, and left through the window. Family be damned. I never had family in this second life anyway, so there isn’t any reason to feel any guilt or pain. Never had a family in my first, either, so it shouldn’t affect me at all. In fact, this was refreshing. I could crash with Paragus and Broly until I finished my work. This way, I won’t be distracted by anything. No Bardock, Gine, or Raditz to get in my way.

Finally…no more distractions.

However, as I left, a sour taste was left in my mind. That fight with Raditz… I managed to turn that around in the end only because of Bardock’s training. I dismissed it before, but perhaps there was something worth considering with it. I gritted my teeth. Like hell I’ll rely on Bardock for anything. I’m happy to burn that bridge. Paragus will be the perfect replacement if I ever wish to learn more about fighting techniques. While my weapon will give me the strength to fight back, that fight with Raditz has convinced me I’m going to need more than just raw power if I want to accomplish my goals. I’ll need to know how to properly fight, especially against stronger foes like Bardock said.

I felt my fist tighten as I continued to my new workplace. It doesn’t matter what happens here. I’ll hurt everyone I have to in order to get what I want. I’ll burn every damn bridge and perform whatever evil I must. These people are all going to hell anyway. All that matters is getting home. My real home. That’s all that matters now.

Back at the Bardock household, unbeknownst to Orion, his disowned parents were left with the emotional turmoil that he left behind in his wake. Gine was in a state of shock that one of her own children hated her so much. Yet the more she thought about it, the more she felt Orion was justified in his feelings. They had abandoned him, even if they never wanted to and wouldn’t have if they had a say in the matter. But what ifs did not matter now. What happened in the past happened, and the result was Orion carrying such loathing towards everything Saiyan in nature.

Gine could understand that as a person, but as a mother, the words filled with hatred and spoken with such spite that their purpose was solely to hurt them hit her to her core. Orion was her first child, and now, she’s learned that she failed him. Their relationship was never what she thought it was. It had always been broken. And she feared she would never be able to amend it. And that hurt her more than any wound could.

As tears pooled within Gine’s eyes and she did her best to not break down and cry right then and there, Bardock was left in a thoughtful state. He was not an emotional man. Not in the slightest. If there was anything true in what Orion said, it was that he was a Saiyan. He fought for most of his life, and that dictated his emotions most of the time. He wasn’t the type to be all touchy-feely, and part of him felt that was just how Saiyans are. Was that wrong? He didn’t know, and he doubted he would ever get the answer. He was raised like that, and he thought he turned out fine.

But there was something fundamentally different about Orion. He wasn’t like other Saiyans. In fact, in his own words, Orion despised Saiyans in their entirety. But that was what bugged Bardock.

Unlike Gine, who focused on the emotional part of what had happened, Bardock thought about what Orion said from a different standpoint. Orion, in that moment and in his frustration and anger, said all of those things purely to hurt him and Gine, and that made a thought resonate within Bardock’s mind that confused him in many ways. It was the same reason that he figured it was in his best interest to train Orion as he had been for the past few days. The way Orion acted, the way he spoke and moved, and the pure hatred that sat in his eyes… The way he schemed towards his own goals that Bardock could not for the life of him figure out… The way he focused on a task single-mindedly and threw everything and everyone else to the wayside in order to get what he wanted… Everything about Orion screamed one thing:

Saiyan.

Chapter Text

“Well… This is different.” I noted as I watched from my hideout in the ceiling above the lab.

As mentioned before, I found a nice little hiding spot to avoid my bastard co-workers, which was nice since sometimes I had to come to the lab to do some work. But from here, I was able to watch the others from above. Usually, there was nothing to note and I just ignored them. However, today was radically different. There was tension in the air, and everyone seemed nervous for some reason. In fact, this is worse than when Cold came to introduce Frieza. Everyone was in a sporadic haste as they continued their work, but they were obviously distracted by something that was eating at them. Even the ones who were always so prideful and arrogant seemed…meek today.

Something was definitely wrong, but I didn’t know if I cared enough to find out what exactly was happening. As far as I knew, whatever was happening had nothing to do with me. So I continued with my work on Broly’s armor. However, that’s when I heard someone say something. Well, it was more of a shriek.

“He’s here!”

“He?” I muttered, my attention now grabbed once more. The moment some random Saiyan burst into the room and said that the entire room froze with terror. The entire room paled at the news, and suddenly I found myself growing more concerned. “Okay, seriously, what the hell is going on here? Is Frieza here now or something?”

I was worried, but once again, whatever was happening had nothing to do with me. Or so I was beginning to hope. So I tried to get back to my work, when suddenly the door slammed open once again and a voice I had never heard rang out.

“Apologies for barging in, but is there a Saiyan named Orion anywhere here?”

“Oh goddamn it.” I groaned as I looked at who said that. 

When I saw who it was, I blinked. And then stared before blinking again.

Is that…a purple humanoid cat?

Am I drunk? The hell is that thing? And why is there a walking blue, gay stereotype standing next to it?

While I was trying to wrap my head around the two creatures, every other Saiyan froze. They all slowly turned to look Barney the big purple cat in the eyes, before proceeding to freeze up and pale like they were staring death itself in the face. The cat didn’t seem fazed by this other than tapping his fingers on his other hand as he held them behind his back, waiting patiently for a response to his query. In fact, the immediate fear seemed to amuse him, since he didn’t hide a small smirk that formed soon after. The blue guy beside him hummed as he fiddled with the large staff he held in his hand.

“Oh my… Do you think that we entered the wrong room, Lord Beerus?”

“I doubt that, Whis. We were told this Orion fellow was a researcher of sorts, and this does look like the Saiyan’s main laboratory. Perhaps he didn’t come in today. That older gentleman did mention how he comes and goes whenever he feels like it.”

“Oh, dear. If that is the case, then who will be our guide around the castle?”

So that cat’s name is Beerus and the blue guy is Whis, huh? Those aren’t familiar names. Although… Beer-us? Whis-ky? Really? I’ve started to notice that many people here had a thematic naming scheme around vegetables for some reason, even my name falling under that, but now names that sound strangely like alcoholic drinks? Are names in this world all just puns or something? Well, doesn’t matter. What does matter is how there’s no way in hell I’m going down there to be a tour guide for those two. I’ll just stay here and continue working until I-

“If you are looking for Orion, Lord Beerus, he has a hiding spot in the ceiling. I saw him enter the castle this morning, so he is probably up there right now.”

It was those sudden and alarming words that caused my entire body to go cold. The shivers I felt when I heard that and suddenly felt all eyes up towards where I was nearly made me drop the tools I was holding down to the ground floor. I stopped moving, hoping to whatever God that gave me this second life that I didn’t hear Nion call out where I was to literally everyone in the room.

“Is that so?” I heard Beerus say with what might have been an amused tone. “Well then, if you are up there Orion, you might want to come down now. Else I might start losing my patience and just destroy you.”

If it were anyone else in any other situation, I would have laughed in their face and not done what they wanted me to do. I actually would flip them off and continue on with my business. But here? Right now? The way this Beerus guy spoke so nonchalantly made my heart jump into my throat. He did not sound very threatening. He did not sound like a cruel killer like the Saiyans. Yet something in his tone told me not to test if that was true or not. This was a being that just threatened to erase me just for annoying him, and somehow that comes across as a legitimate threat that he could and would go through with.

I did not test whether that was true or not.

“Here! I’m right here!” I shouted with a slightly cracking voice as I dashed over and popped my head out of my hiding spot, making every other Saiyans’s eyes except for Nion’s widened to nearly cartoonish proportions. Beerus, on the other hand, just smirked when he saw me, and Whis didn’t change his smiling expression at all, like he knew all along and was just watching as a bystander. I felt so many regrets the moment Beerus’s eyes met mine.

Okay, for real. Who the hell are these people?

“Orion. This is Lord Beerus and his attendant, Whis. They are special guests.” Nion told me as I made my way down. She didn’t even react at all as I glared at her the entire way down. “It would seem that you have been assigned to show them around. Do show them the proper respect.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I grumbled as I finally touched the ground. “...You’re finding me a new work spot for this, Nion.”

“That is fair.” She replied with a smug smile that made my eye twitch in annoyance. Ignoring that, I looked back at Beerus and Whis before sighing in defeat.

“Alright. I suppose we should get this tour started then.” I said groaning. “Let’s go, you two. I’m a little busy with more important things than touring a big purple cat around the place.”

The absolute horror that formed on nearly everyone’s face as I spoke in my usual tone was not missed by my eyes. That almost made me laugh, however, I was more focused on the reactions of the two I was to lead around the place as I felt a trickle of sweat form on the side of my face. 

Whis’s only reaction was a small chuckle as he kept cheerfully smiling. Beerus, on the other hand, had a more visible reaction, and I didn’t know whether or not it was a good one or a bad one. He gave an amused smile directed right at me.

“Lead the way then, kid.” Beerus said while gesturing for me to take the lead. I slowly nodded as I lead them out of the lab and we started the grand tour.

“So… Any specific place you have in mind for our first stop?” I asked. “They didn’t tell me anything about you two or how I was supposed to be the one showing you around, so I don’t really have a plan or anything like that.”

“They certainly put in quite the tight spot, didn’t they.” Whis noted with a relaxed tone that was really offputting to me.

“I can see why, though. We did stop by suddenly on a whim, after all. King Vegeta is probably trying to figure out what to do as we speak.” Beerus said before taking another look at me. “You seem quite young to be a researcher. Why would a child like you be working here at the castle like this? Don’t tell me you’re one of the king’s brats?”

“Oh dear god no.” I cringed at the mere thought. “If I was one of his sons, the king would have already died from overwhelming shame. I’m just someone he thought would be best suited for this kind of work.”

“You do seem older than you appear. More intelligent, as well. Perhaps that’s why.” Whis pondered out loud.

“You certainly don’t act like those other Saiyans. You don’t seem even the slightest bit scared. I have to say I’m a little impressed to find a mortal so young speak to me so casually. It’s a bit refreshing in a way, though I do suggest you have a little more respect for a Destroyer.”

That got me to stop dead in my tracks as I processed the cat’s words. Did he just call me a ‘mortal’, implying he’s not?

“I-I’m sorry, but as I said, they didn’t tell me anything about you two. W-Who did you say you both were again?”

“Oh, we didn’t give a proper introduction. This here is Lord Beerus, the God of Destruction, and I am his attendant, Whis.”

“God of Destruction.” I repeated, now feeling my mouth dry as I came to terms with Whis’s comment. “Um… I hate to be the one to ask this, but by that, you mean…?”

“Where there is creation, there must also be destruction. Since there are deities that create and nurture life, there must also be a deity that culls them should they get too out of hand. And that deity is yours truly. Happy to make your acquaintance.” Beerus elaborated. “I’m a very generous god, but one thing I won’t tolerate is one who fails to show the proper respect a Destroyer god is due. You should count your lucky stars I find you so amusing, boy. Else I would have erased you, or maybe even destroyed this planet.”

“I see… So you’re a God of Destruction…” I said as I thought about what the two said. “Interesting. So I’ve finally met a god. I suppose nothing is off limits in a reality like this.” I muttered with a small sigh. “That certainly explains the reactions of everyone else today. I apologize if I offended you in any way, Lord Beerus.”

“Oh? You aren’t terrified now that you know to whom you speak?” Lord Beerus asked, slightly raising an eyebrow at me.

“It’s certainly a shock, and I will admit that such a position is most certainly one deserving of much more respect than what I had been showing you until now. Definitely more respect than any Saiyan, that’s for sure. However, if you were expecting a fearful response, I’m sorry to say you’ll be severely disappointed. Even knowing who and what you are, I can’t say I’m too scared.”

“Do you not fear death, then? I didn’t know a child could have such a bleak outlook so soon in life.”

“It’s not exactly accurate to say that that I don’t fear death. I certainly want to live and find value in my own life, so dying is something I do wish to avoid.” I said before I felt my expression darken as I averted my gaze from him. “That said, it’s not like death will change anything for me, so dying is still a bit of a ‘meh’ to me.” I then shrugged. “It is what it is. Besides, you said it yourself. As long as I show you the proper respect a Destroyer is due and I don’t upset you, you have no reason to kill me. I can do that much.”

“I see. What an interesting mortal you are.” Lord Beerus chuckled. “Well, back to what we were discussing before this, I believe it’s high time to see what counts as Saiyan cuisine.”

“I am a bit peckish, too. I do hope the food here is as delightful as that last planet’s dishes.” Whis added.

“The kitchen it is, then.” I nodded as I led them to the dining area of the castle. 

None of the castle staff in there needed any instructions when they saw us walk in. The moment they saw Lord Beerus, they all rushed into the kitchen and soon after brought out exquisite food that I had never seen before. The typical Saiyan meal was a lot more humble, even if sometimes it was over five times what a normal human would eat. But the food was never fancy. Sure it tasted well enough to not complain about it, but the presentation was never a concern when it came to the Saiyans. Food was food. It didn’t matter how good it looked, as long as it was serviceable and gave nutrients, a Saiyan would eat it. It was one of the few things I could agree with.

However, it seemed that the Saiyans were capable of creating food that looked like it belonged in a restaurant meant to serve nobles, celebrities, and millionaires. This was some of the fancies and tastiest food I have ever seen since being born in this reality. Hell, it looked better than some fancy food I saw back on Earth. It was to be expected. Would you want to serve a god something that looked like it had been microwaved or bought from Mcdonald’s? 

The God of Destruction seemed impressed, too, as his eyes widened with surprise before his expression morphed into an excited one.

“I didn’t take you Saiyans as the types to be able to produce such tasty-looking meals. As far as I knew, all it took to satisfy your kind was some fire-roasted meat from whatever creature you could get your hands on. It seems you lot have more civilized tastes than I thought.”

“Only the best for the likes of you, Lord Beerus.” One of the chefs quickly said as sweat poured down his face. I did not envy him.

The chef soon left, leaving me to stand beside Lord Beerus as he dug him, with Whis joining in without a moment of hesitation. I watched on in mild amusement as the god and his attendant took a small bite to start before they grinned widely and started eating the meal in full. I had to hold back a chuckle watching this almighty god that could destroy everything in his sight eating with the enthusiasm of a Saiyan. At least unlike those brutes Lord Beerus had table manners. Well, not entirely since Whis was way more proper, but still better marginally.

“Mhm! My, my. This is much better than I expected. It’s incredibly tasty. Not perfect, but I’m already in a good mood. I suppose I won’t have to destroy anything yet.” Lord Beerus said as he hummed in delight from the food.

“You still have that request for the Saiyans as well, so do try to keep your temper under control, Lord Beerus.” Whis told the god before taking another bite with delight. “But I must agree with your assessment. This is quite an improvement over the last planet we visited. Would you care to join us, Orion? I feel bad just having you stand there if you’re hungry as well. There’s plenty enough to share.”

“I’m fine. I ate before coming here. Besides, this food is for yourself and Lord Beerus, so I’d feel guilty to take any of it for myself.” I politely turned down the offer, flashing him a customer service smile as I did.

“If you say so.” Whis said, seemingly happy that he didn’t have to share funnily enough.

“I will say, I am a little curious as to what Whis said. He said you have a request to ask the Saiyans, Lord Beerus?” I asked.

“Ah, yes. That’s right. I don’t imagine it will be any problem for warriors like you lot. It’s quite the simple request.” Lord Beerus told me as he gulped down some kind of meat dish.

“If you don’t mind my asking, what do you need the Saiyans to do?”

“I’ve heard rumors that the most comfortable pillow in the universe is somewhere in this galaxy. It would be suitable for a god such as myself to go searching for it, so I thought I might hire you Saiyans to find it for me.” Lord Beerus answered.

“The…most comfortable pillow in the universe?” I repeated with a small twitch in my eye. “That…sounds like something that shouldn’t pose any difficulty. You shouldn’t have to worry about us taking too long or failing in regards to that request.”

“Good. I wouldn’t know what to say if the Saiyans, a people who claim to be highly trained warriors, couldn’t even do something as simple as this.” Lord Beerus said.

It took a bit of willpower to not comment on how ridiculous his request was. I felt bits of my self-control falter when this God of Destruction told me he was only here, on a whim, because he thought the Saiyans were the best people to capture and deliver a pillow to him. Eventually, I just dropped it with the simple thought that perhaps gods just don’t follow the same logic as mortals. 

That’s when another thought came to mind. Oh yeah, this is actually the perfect chance to ask something I never thought I would be able to get an answer to.

“May I ask another question, Lord Beerus?”

“I don’t see why not. You’ve been pleasant so far, so I can indulge your curiosity. It’s only natural you have questions to ask a god.” He said while giving me a slight smirk.

“Then, could you tell me if there are other realities aside from our own?” I asked him. That question made both Lord Beerus and Whis stop eating as they both turned toward me with surprised and also curious looks.

“Other realities? You’ll have to be a bit more specific than that. That could refer to many things.” Lord Beerus said.

“So there are multiple things that could fall under that description?” I questioned.

“Indeed. There are many different answers to your question depending on what you mean. For example, the Living World, Otherworld, and Hell could be considered different realities.” Whis told me. “Is that what you meant? Were you curious about if there was a place for souls to go after death?”

“No. I don’t really care about the afterlife at the moment.” I shook my head. “I was thinking along the lines of alternate dimensions or parallel universes. The simplest way to describe it would be calling it Multiverse Theory, I suppose.”

“Oh, if that’s what you meant, there are indeed multiple universes.” Whis told me as he smiled.

“So there are other universes.” I hummed thoughtfully. “How many?”

“Right now, there are twelve, but who knows how long that will last.” Lord Beerus grumbled as he got back to eating.

“That doesn’t sound ominous.” I grimaced. “Did there used to be more than twelve universes?”

“Quite so! There used to be eighteen!” Whis answered happily as if the implication of the disappearance of the other six realms didn’t bother him in the slightest. “But that’s a story for another time. Someone so young shouldn’t be burdened with the knowledge of such things.”

“I see…” I said, deciding Whis was correct in that assumption. I didn’t truly care about what happened to those six universes. I still had other priorities. If other universes truly exist, then does that mean that I was taken from mine after I died? If so, is there any way to get back? Only one way to find out. “Is there any way to travel between universes?”

“Yes, but only beings such as myself and certain Kais, the Gods of Creations, can perform universal travel.” Whis explained as he ate some tasty-looking fruit that was on the table.

“So in other words, it would be impossible for anyone else.” I muttered. “Does the same apply to a spirit? A being without a physical body, like the ghost of one who had perished?”

“A spirit, huh? Not sure. I personally have never met anything that could be called a spirit. I don’t much care for Otherworld. I only go there on whims and such, and none of the dead caught my interest.” Lord Beerus hummed with a bit of intrigue at the thought. “But I would assume the same rules would apply to a spirit.”

“I see…”

Then does that mean I’m from this universe? Does that mean if I make my way to Earth, it will be the same Earth that I know? Or does that mean I was brought to this universe by one of these Kai beings? If neither of those is the case, then what the hell caused my situation?

“Why do wish to know about other universes and how to travel between them anyway? Your questions are quite specific.” Lord Beerus asked me with a pointed look.

“I guess it’s just to satisfy my own curiosity.” I admitted. “It’s something that’s been on my mind lately, but it’s not like anyone would or could give me any answers regarding it. Saiyans aside from myself aren’t truly thinkers or intellects. I figured I could ask now considering you’re a god, Lord Beerus. It only makes sense that someone as powerful as you would also be all-knowing in these matters.”

“You flatter me.” Lord Beerus said as he stood up, having finished his meal. “Are you finished, Whis?”

“Yes, Lord Beerus” Whis replied as he stood up alongside the God of Destruction. “Should we continue on our way?”

“Of course. I’m a little more interested to see the rest of this castle now.” Lord Beerus. “Alright, Orion. Show us where some of the castle’s more interesting places are.”

“Of course, Lord Beerus.” I replied with a small bow before I started leading the deity and his attendant around once more.

The tour didn’t last too long, but it was long enough to show Lord Beerus the ‘interesting’ rooms in the castle. At least the rooms that I thought Lord Beerus would find interest in. I myself didn’t care too much about the castle and what was in it. The only two places that I spend a noticeable amount of time in are the lab and occasionally the library, but the library has only a few dozen books, with most of them being about fighting or even the secret journal of well-known Saiyan warriors from the past. 

Although, now that I think about it, occasionally I’d see some book detailing certain legends, namely the legend of the Super Saiyan. A Saiyan born every thousand years or so. A being capable of incredible power no other Saiyan has ever or will ever reach, supposedly. A power that is born out of a need, not a desire. Something only a pure Saiyan could obtain. If the legend didn’t sound like a load of bull before, that ‘Pure Saiyan’ nonsense is what kills it for me. Something like that is impossible. No ‘and’s, ‘if’s, or ‘but’s, about it. Hell, I doubt anyone is completely ‘pure’. Certainly not Saiyans. Certainly not me. 

However, if the legends do , and I do put heavy emphasis on that, hold some truth to them, then maybe that’s the reason for Broly’s power. Perhaps Nion wasn’t too far off. Perhaps the Legendary Super Saiyan’s power came from a mutation that caused them to grow their power indefinitely like Broly. That would certainly let someone fall through history as a legend for a warrior born to a warrior race. I wouldn’t put all my trust in it, though. Saiyans are proud to a fault, and they’re bound to make such things like the Super Saiyan more fantastical than it is. How funny and pathetic would it be if such a legendary power wasn’t truly special? 

Like…instead of it being some awesome power born from emotion like rage or a powerful need for it in a hopeless situation, what if it was something caused by ‘Super Saiyan Cells’ that gave a person that power? God, these S-cells sound stupid. If that was the case, any eleven-year-old could do it with ease. Oh! Here’s something even worse! What if it was just some tingly feeling in a person’s back? How stupid would that be right?

…Right?

Wait. Wasn’t there another legend that was similar to the Super Saiyan? What was it…? The Saiyan God? Super Saiyan God? Something like that. I haven’t even bothered looking into that one. Hardly anything relating to it in the first place, and not even the most fanatical of Saiyans take any stock in it. Just a few mentions here and there in records so old I’m surprised they haven’t turned to dust already. Still, I figured both legends were interesting enough to mention to Lord Beerus. Apparently, I was right to assume that, since he seemed to take great interest in the legends of the Super Saiyan, and even more at the mere mention of God thing or whatever that shit was called. 

Y’know what, I’m just gonna call it Saiyan God. That sounds infinitely better for some reason.

After that, it was just more walking Lord Beerus around. That is until he suddenly asked me a question.

“Say, I’ve been meaning to ask you, Orion. Why is it that you were hiding up in the lab’s ceiling back when we first met?”

I frowned a little too deeply than I thought I would at hearing the question before I sighed.

“It’s because the other researchers get easily jealous of me due to my intellect being greater than theirs, despite myself being much younger and less experienced than them. Even the king said I was talented. That gives them enough of an excuse in their mind to use me as their personal punching bag whenever they feel stressed or wish to ‘put me in my place’. Before now, that hiding spot was where I went whenever I wanted to get some actual work done. They never even realized that I was there until Nion pointed my spot out.”

“So that’s why you seemed so upset at her and told her to find you a new spot.” Whis noted, to which I nodded to him. Lord Beerus, though, kept his eyes on me, his gaze now a bit more narrowed than before as he put on a slightly more serious expression.

“Physical abuse, then? Somehow, I’m not surprised. Word on the Saiyan race’s cruelty is known throughout the galaxy. It’s not surprising to hear that they abuse their people, even if they are but helpless children.” Lord Beerus said in a neutral tone, making it hard to tell if he cared about the situation at all. In fact, I was having trouble figuring out why he was bringing it up in the first place before he continued. “That’s what I would say…if Saiyan children were truly helpless, but from what I’ve heard and seen, that isn’t at all the case. Even the king’s kid from what I’ve heard is incredibly strong, stronger than any other Saiyan around already. So tell me, how come you don’t fight back? Surely, you aren’t so helpless either.”

“I am sorry to disappoint, Lord Beerus, but I might be the weakest mortal that you have met.” I told the god with a slight grimace at the confession. “I am, undoubtedly, pathetically helpless and weak on my own. Nothing I do seems to make my body noticeably stronger. I can’t even use energy. Whenever I do, I injure myself greatly.”

“Is that so?” Whis asked, now seemingly shocked at my words.

“It’s true. I tore all the muscles in my upper arm a couple of years or so ago. Nearly ruined my arm. Couldn’t even get the blast to work before it happened. Maybe it’s better I didn’t fire that blast. Might have completely lost my arm if I did.” I sighed. “For all intents and purposes, it seems clear that I can't match the typical Saiyan warrior on my own naturally.”

“And that’s why you chose to hide against your aggressors. Not a very proud answer, you’ve found.” Lord Beerus noted.

“Pride is for fools who can afford such a weakness. Pride is only the source of shame. It prevents one from properly growing and learning from mistakes, and it can cost a person their life. Such a thing has no place in the life of one who wishes to survive. That’s something few Saiyans seem to understand. They limit themselves with their pride and arrogance. In the real world, in a real fight, pride has no place.”

“And you’re saying pride does not limit you, unlike the other Saiyans?”

“Please forgive me if this comes off as disrespectful, but I must insist that you do not lump me in with these fools. I do not consider myself a Saiyan in the slightest. There is no relationship between me and these barbaric monkeys.” I told the god, who got a bit more surprised when he heard me say ‘monkeys’.

“Not a Saiyan, you say?” Whis questioned.

“Not in mind, no. We’re nothing alike. They’re all fools, and I’ll soon prove that to them.”

“You say that like you have a plan.” Lord Beerus said.

“I do.” I confirmed. “I’ll show them just how foolish they are. I’ll tear them down to the lowest level of shame before I go on with my life. Afterwards, I don’t care what happens to them in the slightest. They could all die for all I care. I’ll continue living my life as if a hill of ants had just gotten exterminated. The universe would be better without Saiyans, anyway.”

“Big words coming from another Saiyan.”

“Lord Beerus, please.”

“Alright. No skin off my back whether you chose to associate with your own people.” Lord Beerus shrugged. “Though I must say one thing in regards to that.”

“And what would that be, Lord Beerus.”

“From speaking to you today, I will agree you are different from many Saiyans in many different ways. You don’t act like a typical Saiyan, that’s for sure.” Lord Beerus said before flashing me a wide grin. “However, I think that anyone could see that you are, without a doubt, a Saiyan. Not just in body, but mind as well. You’re very Saiyan-like.”

That made me stop in my tracks and freeze up. It took me a full minute to wrap my head around what Beerus just said, and when I did, I slowly turned around to fully face the god with a deathly glare.

“ Could you repeat that? ” I asked in a cold tone that could freeze a star.

“My, my… Look how quickly your respectful tone disappeared! Did I touch a nerve? I’m fairly certain I said you’re very Saiyan-like. Perhaps not in power or in typical ways, but it’s clear to see to someone like me.” The cat taunted me as he got up in my face. “If you’d like, I could give you a free shot to let out that Saiyan anger of yours. However, I would have to destroy you afterward for laying a hand on a God of Destruction. The one thing I will not tolerate, even from amusing mortals like you, is a lack of respect a Destroyer is due.”

My hands shook. I nearly took him up on that offer. How dare he compare me to that filth ! In what way am I like those idiotic monkeys!? There’s no way in hell we’re similar! I refuse to believe it!

But despite really, really wanting to, I did not retaliate. I, instead, held back my anger as I took a deep breath. I then looked Beerus…Lord Beerus in the eyes before turning back around.

“...I believe I’ve shown you every place of interest in the castle. I think enough time has passed for the king to be ready to receive you and Whis, don’t you agree Lord Beerus.”

“Indeed. I was getting tired of walking around, anyway.” Lord Beerus yawned. “Let us be on our way.”

“Of course, Lord Beerus.” I told him, not letting any of my remaining anger boil over to the surface.

After a bit more walking, we made it to the entrance to the throne room. The whole walk I refused to say anything else to Lord Beerus. I instead tried to piece together what he meant about me being Saiyan-like. There’s no way. I’m nothing like them. I would never be like them with how much I despise them. He might be a god, but Lord Beerus must just be clueless about this. He has no idea what he’s talking about.

“Here were are. With this, I believe my duties are over.” I said as I turned to the two. “If that is all, I will be heading back to the lab, or wherever Nion has set up as my new workspace.”

“Thank you for your services, Orion. It was very pleasant.” Whis told me, to which I gave him a respectful nod.

“Before you go, allow me to give you one piece of advice.” Lord Beerus told me. I turned to him, and I almost told him to keep quiet. Instead, though, I just took a small breath and nodded.

“Alright. What’s your advice?”

“It’s simple.” He said as he smiled. “Don’t let your goals blind you.”

I stared at him a little more, expecting more to that, but he just turned away from me, having spoken his piece. With nothing left to do, I took a second to wonder why he said that. I didn’t really understand. Why would my goals blind me? How? I just shook my head as I left. Best not to think to hard about the words of a god, especially since he probably only said them on a whim. They hold no meaning to me. I have better things to focus my brain on. Like those goals I have.

And so I left, leaving Beerus and Whis alone before they entered the throne room.

“He was quite the interesting mortal, don’t you think Lord Beerus?”

“Certainly. He was quite lucky I’ve been in a good mood today and that he was a bit entertaining, else I would have destroyed him without a second thought.”

“But he was interesting in more than just his personality, wasn’t he?”

“So you noticed that, too?”

“Of course. It’s quite difficult to not sense it.”

“True enough.” The God of Destruction nodded as he gave a small frown. “For one so weak, I have to wonder what that dark presence that’s stuck itself on him was. And that soul… Those questions… That boy has plenty of questions surrounding him, it seems.”

“I do wonder about those questions he asked, but the state of his soul and that dark presence are more eye-catching. I’ve never seen or felt a soul so unusual. It’s almost like it's mismatched compared to the rest of him. And that dark stain on his soul… It seemed different than ki. It wasn’t mortal ki, nor divine. If anything, it was more like a sort of magic.” Whis noted.

“Magic, huh? I’m not too familiar with that, but having such dark magic stuck onto him must mean something. He doesn’t seem aware of it, though.”

“Quite so. I doubt he has any inkling of its presence. Not when his focus is solely on other things.”

“Yes… The weakest Saiyan, and perhaps mortal, by his own admittance. With how little I could sense his energy, I must agree with that statement. And yet, I somehow doubt that Orion will let that weakness stay with him for long. One way or another, I imagine he will be able to enact that revenge of his.”

“You seem confidant about that, Lord Beerus. And what makes you think he wants revenge.”

“That was the only thing that his words and tone could indicate that he wanted. He said he wanted to drag the other Saiyans down to the lowest level of suffering, after all. I must say, that would certainly be entertaining. Perhaps we should come back should he ever get that far in his plan.” Lord Beerus then examined Whis’s face closer before letting out a chuckle. “But back to that dark, malignant stain we felt on Orion, I can tell you already have an idea of what that is and what it means for the kid, so out with it. Is it of any concern to me?”

“I highly doubt that, Lord Beerus. After a bit more thought, I believe I know where that darkness originates from, and if I am correct in my assumption, I doubt it is anything you will have to worry about any time soon. Besides, this is a problem within someone else’s jurisdiction anyway, so I do not think we will have to intervene.”

“I see. I won’t think too much about it, then.” Beerus said. “Now then, let’s go talk to Vegeta. I grow tired of this planet, and I want them to get to work finding my new pillow as soon as possible.”

“As you wish.” Whis said before the two of them entered the throne room. 

Unbeknownst to them, from far off in the distance, a cloaked figure was watching with their magic, visibly relieved that nothing occurred with the Destroyer and the tool. For as much as they had planned for this, the Destroyer running into their key before the plan even got going was a bit frightening. If the boy had been erased, then…well, nothing of value would really be lost, would it? They could just start over or make a new plan, as annoying as that would be. Still, it was good nothing happened between the two. Even better that neither the god nor his angel noticed the dark being observing them and the boy, or if they did, they did not seem to care enough to do something about it. Perhaps that was in part due to the magic in use? Whatever the case, they would keep observing. The god should pose no issue anymore. The Destroyer isn’t part of the script, after all. He should not make his presence known until long after the plan has bloomed to fruition. 

So until then, they would watch and observe further. They would watch until the boy grew darker and darker until he was dark enough to be of use. And if he ever faltered in that task…

They would give him a gentle push in the right direction, should he ever need it.

Chapter Text

Paragus frowned as he stared at the basement door underneath the young Saiyan's, Turles's, home. That other boy still hadn't left that damned lab ever since he finished moving all his stuff down there. How long had he locked himself in there? Months now? Nearly a year? He at least still took the food Paragus brought to him, though everything else seemed to fall by the wayside. The last time Paragus brought him food, it looked like he hadn't bathed since locking himself in that lab.

That damn, stupid boy…Orion…

What was there to say about the Saiyan boy? Paragus was grateful to him for saving his son, Broly. That was obvious, but aside from that, Paragus wasn't sure what to make of him. They were kindred spirits in a way, the Saiyans having hurt them both due to how things worked for Saiyans, but it was clear they were hurt in different ways. Paragus was hurt by the actions taken against Broly, stemming from the King's jealousy over Broly's potential and his fear of it. Orion…endured everything done to him by himself.

Paragus could understand the boy's resentment, resentment born from the mistreatment of other Saiyans. He was a weakling—the weakest Saiyan Paragus had seen or even heard of. He supposed having a practically nonexistent power level would do that to a Saiyan, but what it had done to Orion was starting to concern even Paragus.

The boy was obsessed with his revenge and the new technology he was developing, which he claimed would finally grant him the power to crush the Saiyans. That armor equipped to the brim with weapons he's designing and modifying… It was certainly something from the few glimpses Paragus had gotten. The boy's planning to make something similar for Broly first, something he called a 'prototype' for his own design. A 'proof of concept'. Still, the fervor with which the boy pursued his vengeance was…startling.

Those silver eyes quickly became sharper and sharper, having been ground against the whetstone of abuse and weakness. Orion's envious tenacity in reaching that goal of gaining new power, to never be weak again, was growing and growing, and now it was starting to get out of hand. He was throwing everything aside in order to get his hands on that power. It didn't matter what happened or who he hurt. He would be fine with it if he got what he wanted.

Truly, Orion was a Saiyan to his very core.

Paragus was using him, to an extent, just as Orion was using him and Broly. The boy promised to deliver him and Broly away from Vegeta and the other Saiyans once he was finished researching Broly's 'quirks' and making those weapons and armor for both Broly and himself. And yet, Paragus couldn't help but worry for the young, silver-tinted Saiyan. Just what would he do to gain the power he so desperately craved?

It made Paragus wonder what he would do in order to get his revenge on King Vegeta.

Would…he do something he regretted? Perhaps it was why he was going much easier on Broly and in his training. He was still rightfully pissed at the king, and yet Paragus felt a better grasp on his anger and hatred instead of it being his driving force.

What about Orion? Where did he stand in his need for vengeance? Paragus feared that the longer time went on, the more it consumed the young Saiyan. But what right did he have to judge Orion for that? What right did he have in criticizing the boy's actions or telling Orion to stop?

None, as far as Paragus could tell, so he kept quiet as he watched Orion engross himself more and more in his research and work. Paragus watched as the young boy trapped himself in the basement that he had turned into a lab for days on end, hardly eating or sleeping to continue his work.

Work that Orion himself described as 'bashing his head against a wall until it gives way'. Tenacity and determination failed to describe the child properly.

Paragus was not dumb, but he was not a scientist or researcher. From the little he had spoken about with Orion, Paragus knew Orion was the opposite. Orion could easily be called a genius or prodigy with his mind's brilliance. When Paragus humored the boy and asked about his work, the young Saiyan seemed to light up like the child he was and could talk endlessly about things Paragus couldn't even fathom. It was the only time Paragus might see a ghost of a smile on that boy's face.

Yet what Orion was working on seemed to contradict all that. For all his intellectual prowess, Orion appeared to be at a deadlock in his research. He claimed that nothing had ever even scraped the surface of what he was doing. He said it made sense, considering he was researching anomalies present in himself and Broly. They were the exceptions to the rules normal beings lived by, apparently.

For some reason, Orion repeatedly compared himself and Broly to faucets, claiming they were just like broken faucets that could not turn on or off, respectively, when it came to their bodies. Paragus could see the comparison but failed to see how that was the key to solving their problems. Simply saying, 'If the faucet is broken, replace it or use a different faucet' did not give Paragus a clear answer.

For that reason, Orion continuously took notes on Broly's performance in battle while training. It was why he locked himself in his new lab to make this new armor that would 'be a new faucet to use' for him. It was even why Orion was training himself.

Orion was weak, and he didn't try to deny the claim. Despite how much he had endured and despite clear indications that Orion was at least strong enough to survive, which must be the case considering he can do things like walk on the planet despite its higher gravity compared to other planets, Orion's battle power when checked by a scanner would always be zero.

Because of that, Orion repeatedly claims that he is, without a doubt, the weakest being on the planet, and for a while, he used that as an excuse to ignore physically training himself. What was the point if the facts seemed to say that he wouldn't grow stronger?

Yet a few months ago, Orion hit a problem. Paragus found Orion struggling to lift chunks of metal into the house. Paragus recognized them immediately as the same material used to make the Saiyan pods for infiltration units and individual soldiers. Somehow, for some reason, Orion had managed to get his little hands on an entire pod's worth of metal, yet he couldn't even lift the larger chunks an inch off the ground.

This was the worst hurdle Orion appeared to hit, as his mood was infinitely worse than before upon that discovery. He tried to find ways to make the metal lighter while keeping its durability, yet nothing seemed to work out, considering the screams that rang out from the lab throughout the numerous days spent on this issue. At one point, Paragus heard a blast ring out and had to disarm Orion of the enhanced blasters he had gotten from the castle before the silver-haired Saiyan destroyed the house in a fit of anger.

In the aftermath of that rage, Orion eventually came to Paragus to ask him for help in training. He forced the request out venomously, clearly hating that he had to ask Paragus for the favor. Hating how he had to lower himself to physical training like a typical Saiyan. Yet he swallowed his pride and asked anyway. A Saiyan swallowing his pride in order to gain something was unheard of.

Paragus felt as though he could not deny him after such an act.

Thus began Orion's true training. Much to Paragus's surprise, Orion already had plenty to work with. He was not starting off with nothing, as his battle power level would suggest. He had solid foundations when it came to battle, especially when battling bigger, stronger foes. Despite his inability to use ki for energy blasts, flight, or anything else, Orion made up for his many weaknesses with cunning and strategy, something that even mid-class warriors tended to forgo in exchange for raw power.

Paragus could see why the King took to Orion and made him a scientist despite his age and even considered making him a strategist. Cunning described Orion to a 'T'. From the boy's use of tactics to his willingness to use tricks and schemes to gain the upper hand, Orion's lack of typical Saiyan pride had been weaponized into his own pride in a way.

He was weak, yet, in a way, he was strong. Orion was the biggest contradiction Paragus had ever seen in his life.

Eventually, the metal no longer gave Orion any issues regarding their weight, so Orion could continue with his work. Yet his battle power was still, impossibly, zero.

Paragus was starting to lose his mind at this fact. That damned number frustrated him to no end. It would be one thing if the scanners or scouters failed to get a reading at all from Orion. They failed to register beings like Whis and Lord Beerus all the time. They were deities. It made sense their power was something a machine could not fathom.

But Orion was different. The machines picked him up. They locked onto him and tried to get a reading like anyone else, unlike how they failed to view beings like the Lord of Destruction. Yet when scanning Orion, the scanners still came up with zero—zero, not NULL, or no reading at all. They specifically came up with the number zero.

What was Orion? How was he different? He repeatedly claimed he was far closer to what Broly was than anyone else, but it was clear he did not suffer from the same mutation that Paragus's son did. His power was not in an uncontrollable flux at all times. His power was almost nonexistent. So much so that Orion cheered with pure joy when he saw that typical weapons still worked with him. Yet another contradiction that surrounded the silver-eyed Saiyan.

That was another thing. The boy's appearance. It wasn't just Orion's demeanor that differed from the typical Saiyan. His appearance drew the eye as well.

Why did he look different from every other Saiyan? Why did his hair and eyes have silver in them instead of being pure black like normal? His parents were pure Saiyans, Paragus knew that for a fact, having known Bardock in Paragus's previous line of work. So why?

It seemed Paragus was the only one asking the question. His boy was too young to understand and too isolated to know any better. The young Saiyan who owned the house they were staying at, Turles, only cared about his own strength like many Saiyans and wasn't even there most of the time, being shipped out for missions shortly after returning from the previous one. He was at that age, after all. Even Orion himself didn't seem to care, being too drenched in his obsession and work.

Unfortunately, that was a matter Paragus had to drop. There were bigger things to worry about. He had to focus on training Broly to help him control his power. Revenge was still in his mind, but Paragus was less focused on that and more concerned with getting off the damned planet to get away from King Vegeta and the other Saiyans. Paragus also decided to drag Orion out of that lab whenever he could ingrain more fundamentals and battle prowess into the young maverick, much to the self-proclaimed engineer's chagrin.

However, something eventually happened a few years after all of this started.

Paragus was minding his own business, taking the rare opportunity to relax and unwind as his son slept after yesterday's training. Paragus was glad for the opportunity, as he was just now starting to realize that he was older than he used to be. His body didn't move as it used to, and now it ached all over despite his prowess.

But just as he laid back against the chair he was sitting in, he felt his mind wander, and his eyes started to close, and in that moment, the basement door swung open with a frightening crack, startling Paragus so badly that he nearly fell out of his chair.

"HAHAHAHA! Take that, you sons of bitches! I did it!" Orion cried out in the most victorious voice Paragus had heard since the boy had tested that blaster two years ago.

"Did you finally finish whatever it was you were working on?" Paragus hazard a guess as Orion happily stomped over and slammed something onto the kitchen table.

The old soldier raised an eyebrow at what Orion had brought with him. Just as the now six-year-old Saiyan had proclaimed, he had made armor—Saiyan armor, to be specific, but nothing like what Paragus was familiar with.

The easiest way to describe it would be 'advanced', or perhaps 'metallic'. Unlike the flexible armor Saiyans typically wore, the one appeared rigid and inflexible at first glance. It gleamed like steel in the light and had many tubes and wires sticking out of certain spots of the armor. Strangely, at the center of the armor was a circular hole covered by a piece of glass.

"...What is this?" Paragus asked.

"The answer to all my problems if it works." Orion smiled widely. "Get Broly and put it on him. It should be easy. I managed to preserve the original armor's elasticity, so don't worry about breaking it. Just get it on the kid and bring him out for training. I want to see if this works or not."

The boy didn't even wait for Paragus to give a response. He simply turned and walked out of the house with more pep in his step than Paragus had seen from him. The old colonel just sighed as he went to wake his son.

Once he had roused Broly, he managed to slip the strange armor onto the young Saiyan, though Paragus couldn't help but think he had done something wrong. Those tubes were hanging off the back, but he didn't know what to do with them, so he brought Broly outside for Orion to examine.

"What's going on, father?" the two-year-old asked. What's this weird armor?"

"Orion made it. He claims that it will solve your difficulty in controlling your power," Paragus answered.

"...Will it work?" Broly asked simply in a quiet voice. "I don't want to lose control all the time."

"I hope it does," Paragus replied.

As they approached Orion, the young boy turned and nodded at seeing Broly in his armor.

"Good. I'll finish hooking up the armor. Then you two can spare. We'll see how it goes then," Orion said in a detached voice. Hearing him sound like an uninvolved researcher watching an experiment play out was chilling.

"What are those even for?" Paragus asked as he gestured to the tubes Orion was now grabbing.

"There needs to be a direct connection," Orion said simply, though a grimace did form slightly on his face. "Sorry, kid. This will sting a bit."

Broly didn't say anything. All he did was give a slight nod. Orion returned a nod in response before he moved the tubes to small nodes on the back of the armor. He connected the first tube, paused, and then twisted the tube into place. Broly immediately winced and let out a soft whine of pain, but he held his tongue from letting out anything more than that.

Soon, all the tubes were connected, and Orion sighed as he stood up.

"Ok. Done. Try it out. Don't hold back, too. The armor is, well, armor. It's tough and flexible, so fight like you usually would and see how it works." Orion said as he took a few steps back from the father-son pair. "Well? Get to it. I need to see if this works or not."

"Very well." Paragus sighed again, motioning for Broly to follow him as he moved further into the field for battle.

The two separated from each other, putting a fair bit of distance between them as they readied themselves for a spar. Then, without waiting for too long, they began the fight.

Paragus and Broly rushed at each other and began sparring as usual. Shockingly, the armor didn't hinder Broly much at all. It was heavier than what Broly wore before but not enough to slow him to a crawl. In fact, it made the training better while still being effective.

Still, the armor didn't do anything else during the fight…until Broly's power started crawling upward as it was wont to do. Just as Paragus and Orion discovered in previous training sessions, Broly's uncontrollable power rose rapidly, making him fiercer, dangerous, and unruly. But once it reached that limit, once it reached a point where it was ten times greater than Broly's base power, he would become enraged in that berserker state.

But before he could even get close to that point, the glass center of the armor started to glow with green energy, and the tubes hooked up to the back of the armor started to glow as well. Paragus paused as he watched the armor do its work, and to his shock, Broly started to calm down.

Both Paragus and Broly were stunned. They immediately stopped battling and turned to Orion for answers. Paragus couldn't help but feel a chill when he saw Orion with a giant grin on his face.

"It works…" Orion muttered as he stared at Broly, or more accurately, the armor Broly was wearing. "This is it! I finally did! This is the answer to everything!"

"And what exactly did you do?" Paragus asked.

"Remember what I said about Broly's power? It's like a faucet that can't turn off. His energy keeps flowing into his body until he loses control. Ki is a physical power. It is directly tied to a person's body and maybe even the soul. That means that if a person's physical limits are the same limits their ki has, at least that's normally the case, but Broly is an exception. His ki has no limits, but Broly's body does. The moment his body is forced to try to contain more power than it can handle is when he goes berserker." Orion reiterated what they already knew.

"So, going back to my faucet metaphor, if you have a faucet that won't turn off and the sink is overflowing, how do you get rid of the excess water, or in Broly's case, excess power? You could turn off the faucet, but that's not what we want during battle. The best thing to do is eliminate the energy before it starts 'overflowing'. But Broly can't naturally use all that energy before it overtakes him. We've already tested that."

"That's what this armor does. It takes the excess energy from Broly while he fights. That's why it needs a direct connection to Broly's body, so it can quickly take that ki before it overwhelms him. As you can see, it does its job quite well. It's much faster at getting rid of that ki than Broly is by himself." Orion smiled.

"Is that so?" Paragus asked as he took another look at the armor. "That explains why it's now glowing with green energy."

"Yep, that's Broly's ki." Orion nodded.

"So…" Broly then began. "What happens when the armor reaches its limits."

"Hmm?"

"Well…the armor can't hold my power forever, right?" Broly pointed out in his soft, stoic voice. "So what happens when it can't take any more from me? Won't I still go crazy?"

"If you let it fill up to the brim, yeah." Orion nodded. "But this armor isn't just for taking ki from you. It lets you save that ki for attacks later."

"It's a weapon as well?" Paragus questioned.

"It's more like a storage tank to draw from. You see the center of the armor? At any point, you can unleash all the energy stored in the armor with a giant beam attack that'll shoot out of there," Orion said. I'm also making gloves that will connect to the armor so you can shoot out the reserve ki from your hands, but for now, you'll have to deal with just the chest piece."

"I see." Broly nodded as he touched the armor with a thoughtful expression. Orion immediately figured out what he was thinking and sighed.

"This isn't supposed to be a permanent solution. This is more like a temporary limiter for you. It's a way to help you learn how to control your power naturally. You can't do it on your own yet, so the armor will help you not lose control until you can. That's all it is, kid." Orion explained. "Don't think of this as a chain we're putting on you since you're uncontrollable. If we thought that, we would have just killed you."

That seemed to pacify Broly as the young Saiyan nodded, and his body relaxed.

"Good. Now then, you two can continue training or whatever. I'm heading back to the lab." Orion stated as he turned to walk back into the house.

"So soon? Are you still not satisfied with this?" Paragus asked.

"Oh, I'm not going to make those gloves for your son right now. I am satisfied with his armor." Orion clarified. "No, what I need to do now is make my own."

That's all he said before he walked off, leaving Paragus to stew in the words he left behind.

If this was what Orion had in mind for Broly, what would he make for himself?

Once again, Orion locked himself down in the basement and engrossed himself in his work. Now with proof that what he was doing had worked, he pushed himself even farther than he had with Broly's armor.

Paragus watched as the weeks went on, quickly turning into months as more time passed. He didn't interfere with Orion, letting him do as he pleased. Orion had fulfilled the first half of the bargain with the limiter he made for Broly; now, he just had to get them off the planet. That would only happen once Orion made his own weapon, so Paragus wasn't going to interrupt him. The sooner he finished, the sooner they could leave.

"Are you sure he's gonna be okay?" Turles once asked when he returned from one of his missions to see his junior still toiling away within his self-made lab in the basement. "He's been eating and sleeping, right?"

"When he has to, yes," Paragus had answered as he made food for himself. "Still, everything aside from his work seems to have been forsaken by Orion."

"Eh." Turles shrugged. "As long as he takes care of himself, that's fine, I think. Do you think what he's making will make him stronger?"

"Perhaps. It worked for what it was supposed to do with my son."

"Sweet! I can't wait. Maybe once he's finished, he'll spar with me again!" Turles excitedly proclaimed.

Of course, that wouldn't come any time soon.

Time passed slowly like this for years, and nothing seemed to change as Orion continued to work on his weapon. Paragus continued to train Broly, Turles continued to go out on missions, and the Saiyan society refused to change. Most importantly, Orion's need for revenge and power only strengthened.

Then, four years after Orion had saved Broly from banishment to Vampa, something finally did change.

Paragus and Broly were sparring outside as they normally did. Since obtaining his limiter armor, Broly had no longer lost control or gone into a rage, though he was still learning how to use the stored energy in battle. But as they were in the middle of their spar, Turles suddenly appeared and landed in front of his house.

"Turles. You're back. How was your mission on Arlia?" Paragus asked as he motioned Broly to stop.

"Fine, but no time for that. I just got back, but I'm here for an important reason," Turles said with a hint of nervousness, which was very odd coming from the typically outgoing Saiyan warrior. "Orion's in his lab, right?"

"Where else would he be?" Paragus huffed. "Why do you need him?"

"The king has called for him," Turles answered, causing Paragus to freeze up at the mention of the king.

"Oh…" The colonel muttered. "I suppose Orion is still technically one of the king's scientists. It's been so long since he's gone to the castle that I've nearly forgotten."

"Yeah. The king seems to be planning something and wants all hands on deck," Turles said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Don't know what it is since I'm a low-class warrior, but orders are orders."

Turles entered the house after that, quickly walking down to the basement. Without knocking, Turles opened the door and walked into Orion's lab, only to freeze up at how little space there was to even walk down there now. The whole lab was covered in junk. Metal parts were scattered about on the floor, and wires and tubes were everywhere. One side of the room had all the technological equipment like computers and other things Turles didn't know, but the rest of the room was covered in metal parts, tools, grim, machine fluids, and things Turles wouldn't expect to see in a lab like a smelter.

This was less of a lab and more like a forge in which Orion worked.

And there, in the far corner of the room, was who Turles was looking for. Orion was taller now but still short compared to other eight-year-olds. He was covered in dirt, mud, and what seemed to be mechanical fluids as he continued working, not noticing Turles at all as he welded metal together while whistling a carefree tune,

"Hey! Orion!" Turles called out, but Orion didn't hear him. Turles sighed as he called out again. "Orion!"

The welding stopped, and Orion seemed to pause before he turned around and lifted the welding mask he was wearing.

"Oh, Turles. You're back." Orion said in an uncaring voice as he turned back around, though he began working on something else instead of more welding. "Did you need something? I'm still busy, as you can see."

"Yeah, about that…" Turles muttered. "The king has called a meeting with all his elite soldiers and scientists."

"So?" Orion asked without hesitation.

"That includes you, doesn't it?"

"I hardly consider myself one of his scientists at this point," Orion grumbled as he fiddled with some metal parts.

"But the king does. You'll be punished if you don't come to the castle." Turles told him.

"He won't. He knows I'm making a powerful weapon and asked not to be disturbed by anyone."

"No, he specifically mentioned to bring you for this meeting even if you were still working."

"What's the purpose of the meeting, then?"

"He didn't tell anyone. It's only for his elites, strategists, and researchers."

"Is that so?" Orion stopped working at that point as he cupped his chin. "...He's planning a rebellion again."

"Huh?"

"He must be worried about Frieza. Even I've heard rumors of his dislike of Saiyans and how strong his main forces are getting. Sooner or later, he won't need Saiyans as his enforcers anymore."

"So…you think the King wants to fight Lord Frieza before he can do something to us?" Turles asked.

"Most likely. Not that I care. To hell with Saiyans." Orion hissed before he took a deep breath. "Tell the king I think his plan is worthless and that he should plan an evacuation or escape instead of a rebellion doomed to fail."

"Wh-What?! You can't say that to the king! I can't say that to the king!" Turles shouted.

"Sure you can." Orion ignored the protests and started working again. "The king is smarter than this. He knows just how strong Frieza is. We all saw how Frieza methodically destroyed the king's assassination plan when he first introduced himself to us Saiyans. How effortlessly it took Frieza to dispatch those snipers. That wasn't even a percentage of Frieza's power, so what can the king do?"

"Still…" Turles murmured but quickly stopped and sighed. "Nevermind. I'll do my best, I guess."

Orion turned to look at Turles again, but his silver eyes narrowed this time as he examined Turles. Turles caught sight of that but figured it meant nothing, so he started to leave, only to stop when Orion called out again.

"Fine. I'll head over. I wouldn't do to make you do something for me." Orion grumbled as he got up from his seat and stretched.

"Really?" Turles's face lit up at Orion's words.

"Yeah, I might as well. I haven't really taken a walk in a while," Orion sighed. "Alright, let me clean up and get dressed. I'll head over when I'm done."

"Thanks, Orion! I hope I see you again before I head off on another mission." Turles left quickly after that, leaving Orion alone to his thoughts.

"...Damn it. More distractions." Orion huffed as he ran a hand through his long, greasy, black-silver hair. "Whatever. Let's get this over and done with so I can return to doing something important."

Without much care, Orion took off his clothes, which were simply a basic black jumpsuit normally worn under typical Saiyan armor. If there was anything Orion had misjudged how much he would miss from his old life, it was the feeling of wearing normal clothes. God, how he missed something as simple as that. Being forced to wear Saiyan armor for eight years was slowly driving him crazy.

At least one good thing came with this new life. That was what Orion thought when he used his tail to grab a clean rag and dunked it into a bucket filled with clean water that he kept in the room should he need it. After that, he used his monkey tail to wipe his back from the sweat and grim that had built up from his long working days.

Having a fifth limb was a huge blessing in disguise—so much so that Orion couldn't believe he used to hate having a tail. Of course, when he was young, it was mostly a weakness he had no control over. Now, though, he had perfect control of it as though it were a third arm, and he had trained the weakness out of it. No longer would anyone catch him by surprise just by grabbing his tail.

After cleaning up as best he could (another thing he missed dearly was normal soap), Orion put on a new jumpsuit and the scientist's robes he hadn't worn in years. The last time he wore them was probably when he finished moving all his research materials to Turles's basement. All because that stupid destruction god outed his hiding spot. Stupid purple cat.

Once he put on the robes, he finished putting on his basic armor chest piece and sighed. Soon, he'd have something much better than this piece of flexible junk. But that would have to wait a bit longer, as Orion had a boring meeting to get to.

"It'd probably be better just to shut up and listen to the king's posturing as he explains his rebellion plans. I could tell him how stupid and pointless it is, but that'll only hinder my progress. It'd be funny, and I really want to do it, but better to be smart than brash."

With that in mind, Orion left the basement and made his way out of the house. As he made his way to the castle, Orion had no idea that what was about to happen would be the start of everything.

"We need to fight back! Lord Frieza is already showing his distaste for us Saiyans, and his army is getting stronger by the day. Soon, he won't need Saiyans anymore and will toss us aside like trash! We can not let that happen!" King Vegeta proclaimed to all his elite soldiers and scientists.

As Orion predicted, the King was preparing a rebellion against Frieza and his immense army. How foolish and utterly dull. Orion could already tell how this was going to end. The King and his men might take the Frieza Force by surprise, but they were done for the moment they encountered one of the force's head generals or, god forbid, Frieze himself. Even Orion knew just how out of their league Frieza was. Everyone forced to serve that monster knew what he was capable of.

Orion, for his part, could understand the Saiyan's predicament. He was in the same boat in many ways, as a Saiyan under Frieza's thumb and a victim of the Saiyan way of life. While he, in some small capacity, might sympathize with their terrible situation, Orion couldn't help but find it amusing how, in truth, the universe seemed to be granting the Saiyans a hilarious form of ironic justice.

What could be more ironic than the tyrannical, cruel Saiyans falling to an even more tyrannical, cruel monster?

It morbidly excited Orion, thinking of how the Saiyans, in trying to simply survive and gain freedom, would no doubt destroy themselves. In his mind, it was already set in stone. They'd already shown Frieze they were a potential threat.

Even if they never reached his level, the dictator would not tolerate the chance that the Saiyans could band together and form an even greater power than Frieze himself. It was only a matter of time before Frieza freed himself of the Saiyan burden, just as the King had thought.

This meeting proved that point entirely. The king had hundreds of elite soldiers, and his scientists could perhaps provide them with weapons to match Frieza's men's arsenal. Orion didn't believe it was possible, especially since he himself would never willingly help the Saiyans, but this constant rebellion would only further guarantee the Saiyan's destruction.

It was so hilarious to Orion that it was an achievement that he managed not to laugh out loud during the King's speech.

Each of the King's words was heard, but Orion had already determined his part of the plan he spoke of, which was none, so each word went through one ear and out the other...until the King called out to him specifically.

"Orion. How are those weapons you said you were making."

Orion blinked a few times before it registered in his mind that the King was now talking to him. His head spun toward the king, and it was only now that he noticed that everyone was looking at him with multiple expressions. The scientist looked at him with disgust and envy, and the elite soldiers looked at him with disinterest and outright ridicule that the king had called out to the weakest person in the room, all while the king looked at him not just with expectancy but also impatience.

"...Eh?" Was all that left Orion's month as sweat began to form on his face.

"Were you not paying attention? Fool." The King growled, annoyance flashing in his eyes. "The weapons! You said you were making powerful weapons. You moved to work outside the castle lab to focus more on its development. I only allowed such since you improved our blasters to show me just what you were capable of!"

The blasters. That's right. Orion got his hands on the newest models of the Frieza Force blasters and improved them to convince the King to let Orion make a lab away from the other scientists and distractions. Of course, the true purpose of that wasn't to give Saiyans better weapons to use, but for him to have better weapons to use, but he managed to use that to gain the peace and solitude he needed in order to really work on what would be his salvation and key to revenge.

Of course, that meant Orion lied to the king and told him he was making weapons and weapon improvements like those better blasters he made. A lie that was now back to bite a giant chunk out of his ass.

"Uh…" Orion only let out that confused sound for a fraction of a second before his mind quickly began to dig his way out of this mess before it escalated into something far worse. "The weapons–! Yes! Of course! It's going well, all things considered!" He quickly stammered. Perhaps too quickly, considering how the King raised his brow at Orion's sudden shift in demeanor.

"Is that so?"

"Of course! It's been years since I've started that work, so it only makes sense that I'm close to finishing!" Orion nodded rapidly. "It should take…Yes! It should take no more than a week before I'm completely finished with my work!"

"Hmm." King Vegeta huffed as he rested his head in his hand. "And these new weapons will aid us in our eventual battle against that tyrant Frieza?"

"Yes, most certainly!" Orion lied through his toothy grin without any hesitation.

The king stared at Orion for a bit, and then–

"Then show me."

"Excuse me?"

"Show me." The king repeated, growing slightly more angry when he did. "If you've been working on this as you've said, then you must have something to show me."

Shit…

Orion gulped as he stared at King Vegeta with variable levels of disbelief. Was he really doing this now!? Now, of all times!?

"W-Well…I-I–"

"Let me make this perfectly clear for you." The king cut Orion off, and the sternest expression Orion had seen on King Vegeta appeared, aiming right at him. "I let you become one of my researchers and scientists because of the vast potential you showed when you arrived back on this planet. Never before have I seen a Saiyan with the intellectual potential that you possessed. I'd even call you a genius stuck in the body of a frail child. That is why I grant you more privileges and freedom than others in your field."

"However, do not mistake these acts for favoritism for you. If you have spent this time slaking off instead of working, I will have you killed immediately." The king warned, sending chills down Orion's spine.

With all his time bathing in his hatred of all Saiyan kind, thinking of them only as cruel, evil, mindless brutes, Orion had forgotten. He had forgotten that there existed some Saiyans that were not dumb. The king would not fall for his games and lies so easily when he himself is on the verge of paranoia.

'Think, THINK! Come up with something to give him!' Orion thought desperately to himself. He had not survived on this planet for eight years and worked himself to the bone, creating something to finally give him the strength to get out of this hell—only for it to end a week before he finished!

And then, it hits him. A bone he could throw to the king.

"Y-Yes. I understand. In fact, I do have something to show you that I believe will interest you." Orion began as sweat dropped down from his cheeks. "I-It's not a weapon, but it will be useful for your rebellion…Y-Your Highness…"

"If that's the case, what have you made that you believe will be so helpful?" the king asked in a no-nonsense tone.

"I-It's a new scouter I've designed." Orion quickly explained. "Unlike the models Fri–cough!–I mean, Lord Frieza provided us. This new model I made covers both eyes and provides not just the ability to determine the battle power of an opponent. It has multiple functions like night vision, thermal vision, and scope vision to zoom in on something from afar. It also displays numerous helpful details one might need in a battle in a heads-up display."

Many of the other Saiyans looked at Orion like he was crazy as he spoke, either not understanding what he was saying or not believing he could add such features to the already advanced scouters given to them. However, a few nodded along with his explanation, perfectly understanding what he said and what such an improvement to the scouters might provide their forces. This included the king, who nodded slowly but pleasantly at the news.

"Good. As soon as we're done here, you will take me to where you've been working and show me this new scouter model you've designed." The king said in a way that was clear it was an order and not a suggestion.

"O-Of course, Your Highness." Orion nodded as he bowed, biting his lips in frustration as he did.

'If he goes to Turles's home and sees Paragus and Broly training outside…' Orion thought as he did his best to stop himself from glaring at the king. 'Damn it, DAMN IT!'

The moment the king saw Paragus and Broly, the jig was up. He would know that Orion directly disobeyed his orders back then. It was akin to treason. A crime that would most certainly cost Orion his life should the king discover it.

He only had one shot at surviving this new problem, and it was something that would be out of his control.

Orion sat through the rest of the meeting tensely. The moment it ended, he quickly walked out of the room and prayed as he exited the castle.

Thankfully, it seemed as though his prayers were answered.

"Turles!" Orion nearly shouted through gritted teeth as he speedily stomped over to the fellow low-class warrior.

"Orion? How'd the meeting go? What was it even about?" Turles asked when he noticed Orion coming over to him.

"Forget about that. I need you to do something for me, and it's extremely important." Orion let out in a soft growl as he quietly spoke when he got closer. Turles noticed his tense tone immediately, and his relaxed expression shifted to one more serious.

"Yeah? Whatcha need?" Turles asked.

"Fly back to the house as fast as you can and hide the colonel and his son. The king wants to see my lab and what I've been making, and he cannot know about Paragus or Broly. If he sees them, all of us are dead, understand?" Orion asked.

Turles's eyes widened before he quickly nodded and flew off faster than Orion had ever seen him fly. Just in time, too, as King Vegeta and some of his entourage came out and moved over to Orion right then and there. Very little pleasantries were given as the King ordered Orion to take him to his lab.

Orion felt his heart in his throat as he guided King Vegeta and his men the long way to Turles's home. He was cutting it close with this, but it would be smooth sailing once it was over. He'd finish his project and finally be able to fight his way off this cursed planet. He'd dump Paragus and Broly on some random planet. Then Orion could finally fly away in his ship to a peaceful world. Perhaps if he were lucky, he'd return to Earth.

However, Orion had to survive this before stealing a ship and flying off. So he managed to keep calm as he and the King slowly approached their destination. It was completely silent as they walked, no one having anything to say to the other, making the atmosphere around them all even more tense.

The sharp silence only made it easier to hear the explosion that suddenly rang out in the direction of Turles's home in that instance.

"What in the–?!" Orion gasped when the explosion shook the area violently.

"What in blazes was that?!" The King shouted.

Orion didn't answer. Instead, all he could think about was how something had gone horribly wrong. So, without saying another word, Orion ran towards the explosion. The king had shouted at him, but he didn't listen. All he could think about was how the explosion was scarily close to the house, meaning Turles, Paragus, Broly, or even his work was caught in that explosion.

"No no no no no no no!" Orion screamed as he sprinted down the dirt path.'

The moment the small, humble house came into his view, Orion skitted to a stop, only to gasp at what he saw. More specifically, he gasped at who he saw.

"UUAGH!" Turles grunted as a punch knocked all the air out of his lungs, collapsing as he gaped like a fish out of water. Of course, his attempt to regain air in his lungs was futile when a foot stomped into his side, causing him to let out a breathless scream.

"Is this all you have to show, traitor? I'm disappointed, but I shouldn't have expected more from low-class trash like yourself."

Turles's attacker mocked the low-class Saiyan as he grinded his foot into Turles's side. His attacker turned his head and saw Orion standing there in shock, and he flashed the silver-eyed Saiyan a cruel, mocking smile.

"Oh… Hello, brother."

"Raditz…" Orion growled.

He was ready to shout at his idiot younger brother but was cut off when another blast rang out, sending something hurtling down to the ground. They came crashing down, creating a sizable crater, and as the dust settled, Orion could only stare in disbelief as Paragus groaned within that newly formed hole.

"You've gotten stronger, colonel, but you've gotten soft in your old age." Another Saiyan claimed as he landed back onto the ground.

It was a Saiyan Orion hadn't seen before, but he was massive in height and bulk. If Orion were to compare this guy to bodybuilders he had seen in his previous life, he was sure this guy would be able to bench press a hundred more tons than the strongest on Earth just from his bulk alone. Hilariously, though, the guy's face did not match his appearance, having an oval head with the stupidest haircut Orion had ever seen, looking more like a toupee that sat on his balding head.

"D-Damn you…Nappa…!" Paragus grunted out before the brute, Nappa it seemed, picked up the old colonel by the head.

"Oh? Still got some more fighting spirit in you, I see. Fine by me. I was hoping for a good fight here anyway!" Nappa shouted before he slammed his comically sized fist into Paragus's gut, sending the man sputtering backward.

It was around that point Orion's anger started to boil over.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" He yelled, catching Nappa's attention and getting him to stop mercilessly beating Paragus.

"Oho? Looks like the runt has finally arrived." Nappa laughed.

"Indeed. My foolish brother… Even I couldn't have imagined the weakest Saiyan would dare betray the trust the King provided him." Raditz added snarkily.

"I–" Orion began, but things went from bad to worse at that point.

"What is the meaning of this!?" The King had finally reached them and was clearly fuming at Oroin rushing ahead, but upon seeing Paragus on the ground heaving thanks to Nappa, confusion painted his face.

And then the king got his answer.

"It would appear that the scientist you spoke so highly of disobeyed your direct orders," a new voice said.

Orion and the others looked up in the sky, and Orion gasped as the blood drained from his face.

There, floating back down from the sky, was the young prince of Saiyans, holding the tail of a battered and bruised Broly.

"P-Prince Vegeta?" Orion couldn't help but question the sight in front of him. "Wh-What the hell are you doing here?"

"Hmm… So you're the weak, silver-haired, silver-eyed Saiyan I've heard about," the prince huffed. You were right, Raditz. He doesn't look like much. Even you look far stronger compared to him."

"Why you–!" Orion growled.

"To answer your question, your brother was chosen to join me on my missions when I eventually got put on missions. We were finishing up our briefing when Raditz saw that low-class warrior speak to you and fly off in a rush. He wanted to give chase and see what you were up to, and I decided to humor him. Look what we found as a result, Father."

The prince then tossed the hurt Broly over to the King's feet, and the king's eyes widened when he realized who this was.

"Th-This is–!"

"Yes. Nappa told me you had banished that foolish colonel's son to Vampa, yet he's been here this entire time." The prince explained with an evil smirk.

"It would seem that the child and the traitorous colonel have been hiding out in this low-class trash's home, along with another worthless piece of trash," Raditz added while shooting an amused glare at Orion. Why, dear brother, would you have hidden this fact from the King? Aren't you The King's loyal subject? Or perhaps this was all because you were the one who kept these two hidden here?"

"H-Ha…haaaa…" Orion couldn't even form proper words as fear began to creep up inside him. Instead of forming a proper argument, all Orion could do was ask the first thing that came to his mind. "H-How did you beat Broly? He's absurdly strong!"

"Oh, that? Yes, he was strong but exhausted from training, it seemed. And, of course, I am the Saiyan prince! I am the strongest Saiyan to live! My power level is greater than any weakling trash!" The prince proudly proclaimed.

"B-But that's…!" Orion stammered before it hit him.

Broly's armor kept him at a more controllable power level. Of course, you mix that with exhaustion from training, and Broly properly didn't have enough energy himself to use. And with how powerful and relentless the prince probably was, it seemed unlikely that Broly would be given a chance to use the stored energy in the armor. That was still something Broly was getting the hang of, too.

Before Orion could say anything else, though, King Vegeta grabbed him by the collar and lifted Orion to stare at him at eye level, the king's face now red with anger as he stared at Orion.

"This entire time, you disobeyed me and kept that…monster of a child on this planet!? Do you have any idea what could have happened!? He could have destroyed the planet! You remember his unstable power, correct!?"

"Of course I do!" Orion shouted back as he hung from the king's tight grip. "I-I knew how dangerous it was, b-but I also knew that if Broly could learn to control that power, he could become a great asset! A-And I needed him! For my own research! Because of him, I've made so much progress these four years! His power and how it works is incredible, and I understand how ki works so much better now!"

"And to do all of that, you directly disobeyed my orders! I am the king! My word is law! You are to obey my every command!" The king bellowed with fury.

King Vegeta tossed Orion back to the ground and stomped over to Broly. Pure fury shined in the king's eye as he aimed a palm at Broly and charged a ki blast. Orion's eyes shot open and, without even thinking or planning, leaped over and covered Broly with his body.

"NO! WAIT!" Orion screamed desperately.

The king's eyes widened, and his expression shifted to shock. Orion panted heavily and tried to find the right words to say. He didn't know why he had done this. If he was being frank, Broly had already served his purpose. Orion had gotten every piece of info he could from the unstable child, and the boy proved to be a useful guinea pig that proved Orion's armor idea was sound. It didn't do Orion any good keeping Broly alive, and yet…

"I-I…I…need him," Orion said, the words slipping out his mouth before he could really process them. But once he did process what he was saying, he managed to keep going without much issue. "F-For research. G-Good test subject and a useful tool. S-Same with Paragus and Turles. They're good assistance and muscle for me to have."

Orion's words seemed to have surprised everyone. The king stared at him in bewilderment, and even Nappa and Raditz seemed shocked that he was risking his life to protect these people. The only person who didn't seem impressed was the prince, who scoffed at such a sentimental act.

"You really are worthless as a Saiyan… Pathetic." The prince sneered.

Orion didn't pay the brat any mind. He kept his focus firmly on the King, who eventually lowered his hand, though his expression returned to one of anger.

"Fine. None of you will die. For now." The king declared.

"For now?" Orion repeated.

"That's right. If you wanted this boy around so much that you disobeyed me and are still willing to defy me to keep these people alive, then you'll have to prove all of your worth," the king said.

"Prove?"

"Tomorrow, you will fight for all your lives." The king explained, causing Orion to freeze up. "You may use any weapons you have during the fight, but you will fight. If you lose, you all will die. If you manage to win, you will all be spared. There will be no arguing with me on this point. Consider this a test for you and the weapons you managed to develop during this period of time. Show me just what you managed to make with the power of this unstable child."

Orion stared at the king in fearful disbelief. His plans seemed to crumble to dust as everything fell apart. He stared at the ground with a hopeless expression as his mind ground to a halt at this sudden, terrible development. He hardly even noticed when the King, his men, Raditz, that brute Nappa, and the Prince left, leaving Orion and the others who were either unconscious or wishing they were.

Slowly, Orion tightened his hand into a fist as he gritted his teeth in pure frustration. If they thought he was just going to give up and allow himself to die in their damn death match, they were clearly expecting this to be, then they were dumber than Orion thought. Like hell he'd let that happen.

The king said Orion could use the weapons he had and made, so he would. If the king wanted him to show them all exactly what he was capable of, then he'd put on the best damn show they'd ever seen.

But he couldn't do that alone—not when he still had a week's worth of maintenance left on his secret weapon. He might be able to reduce that to get his armor to the bare minimum of battle-ready status for tomorrow, but he'll have to go into maximum overdrive to pull that off and get as many hands as he can.

So, picking up Broly and carrying him over his shoulder, Orion walked over to the limp bodies of Paragus and Turles. Thankfully, Turles was still conscious, though he did seem to be delirious.

"H-Hey, Orion. S-Sorry. I led them…right here…" Turles grunted when he saw Orion approach.

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault that those guys were pricks." Orion replied. "Can you still move?"

"M-Maybe. Don't really want to, though." Turles answered with a weary chuckle. "Don't think…we can afford that kind…of luxury though, right?"

"Yeah. Sorry, but I need all hands on deck. My punishment for disobeying the king and standing up to him is that I have to fight a death match tomorrow, so I need my armor and weapons battle-ready by then. I can't do it on my own. I need all hands on deck if any of us are gonna have a chance at surviving this."

"Yeah…Yeah, I thought so." Turtles gave a weak nod as he slowly opened and closed his hands. "Can still feel my hands. That's a good sign. Damn, though. I'm sore all over. You didn't tell me you had a brother, Orion."

"I don't consider him my brother," Orion said grimly as he grabbed one of Turles's hands and pulled him up to his shaky legs.

"S-So what now?" Turles asked.

"We get Paragus to his feet and wake Broly up," Orion said. "Then, we prepare for battle."

Chapter Text

Orion grunted as he swung his mallet down, slamming it down onto the metal plate and making a loud, satisfying clang that rang out in the small lab. He repeated the action many times, raising and slamming the mallet down as he shaped the metal into what he wanted.

Orion was exhausted. They had been working for nearly a day straight now, but it was worth it. They were so close to something workable. Orion couldn't stop now. He wouldn't stop.

With each strike, Orion thought about everything that had happened to him. From the moment he entered this world, he'd been thrown into trials by fire without rest: isolation, terror, weakness, abuse, and being forced to submit to the man who indirectly caused all of it. Each memory was just a log that fueled the pier of vengeance inside him.

It was a flame that he and those monsters nurtured, allowing it to grow and fester into something more. It was the source of his drive, the thing that pushed him to keep living—to live long enough to punish those who dared hurt him, those who dared cast him aside for something as meaningless as a number.

What even were power levels? A joke. That's what. They had no meaning other than to let those with power underestimate those they believed had none. But he'd show them. He show them just how wrong they were. He would show them that he indeed had the power. The power to destroy them just as they tried to destroy him.

He'd break his chains, and he would be free.

And as he delivered a final strike to the metal, Orion panted as he examined the metal plate he held against the anvil. He lifted it up carefully, making sure to put on gloves before he touched the still-hot metal.

A smile crept its way onto his lips. It was a crooked smile, yet one that seemed to shine with a brilliant, dark light.

Orion turned to look at the other's progress, nodding when he saw they were on track too. Turles put his muscles to good use by working on the armor's frame while Paragus finished up the programming side of things. While he wasn't a programmer himself, he could at least follow the orders Orion wrote down for him. As he typed away the final lines of code, his son, Broly, finished up with some of the wiring with a gentler hand than even Orion's.

Yeah. This was good.

Orion picked up his original visor-scouter and put it on. He clicked the button on the side, and the heads-up display popped up in front of his eyes. He immediately looked at the clock on it. He had less than an hour before the fight.

Looks like this will have to do.

"Turles, Broly, Paragus," Orion called out, his voice making all of them pause as they turned to him. "Finish up. We're suiting up in a minute."

None of them argued as they immediately finished their jobs. They all know what was on the line here. Oddly enough, that seemed to unite them all under a common enemy. It was hilarious to Orion, or at least it would be if things were so dire.

The process of getting him suited up was long but necessary. Orion wrapped his hands in tight bandages, making sure to wrap his knuckles especially well. After he put on the white gloves that were a part of his typical uniform, Paragus tossed a padded leather vest over to Orion for him to put on as extra padding, all while Turles and Broly moved the parts of the armor over to be put on.

Orion wrapped a leather brace around his neck before moving over to have the armor put on him. He stood still with his arms raised as Turles helped push the metal plates into the right positions. First, the back, and then the front, and then they screwed them together. Broly and Turles then began to help Orion put on the armored parts for his arms, hands, legs, and feet.

"Can you still move?" Turles asked once they were done placing the armor on Orion.

"Yeah," Orion replied as he moved his hands, gripping them open and closed as he did. "Not sure about my body, though. Paragus, how's the terminal?"

"Almost done." The colonel said as he typed the last few lines of code before starting the upload process. "There. It should be finished right before your fight."

"Good. Can't go into a death match if the stupid thing doesn't work right." Orion let out a weak laugh as he stood there, waiting to be able to move. "It's definitely not gonna be fun, standing here unable to move until the right coding is in the armor."

"Not only that, but if you still can't move when the suit is all ready for battle, that'll be pretty terrible for us!" Turles laughed.

"Please don't jinx us…" Orion grunted.

"Are you sure about this, Orion?" Paragus asked. "This might not work, and even if it does, we don't know who you'll be fighting. Wouldn't it be smarter to get a ship and escape while we can?"

"Now why would I do that?" Orion asked, rolling his eyes. "This is actually everything that I wanted."

"What?"

"Don't you see? This is my chance to show those fools just how wrong they are about me. I can humiliate my opponent and get my revenge! I can finally destroy them!" Orion shouted. "Isn't that what you want? Don't you still want to destroy the king for what he did to you?"

"I believe it would be better for us to focus on our own survival before any of that," Paragus grumbled.

"Bah! You've gotten soft!" Orion spat out. "And here I thought you understood me…"

"I do, and that's why I'm worried, son," Paragus responded.

"I'm not your son, and I didn't ask you to give me your pity," Orion growled.

Paragus only sighed, turning around and focusing on the terminal upload, which was at about sixty percent.

It was silent as they waited for the upload to be finished, and as Orion lost himself in his vengeful thoughts, he felt a small tap on his hand and looked down to see Broly.

"Don't die." Was all the small Saiyan boy said.

Orion blinked a few times in surprise before laughing and nodding.

"Of course. I wouldn't die so easily," Orion promised.

"What is this shit? Ancient Rome?" Orion questioned when he looked at his surroundings.

He had made many assumptions in this second life of his, and this death match he was to be in was no different. Orion had many expectations for what it would be like, and he had many ideas about it stemming from what he knew about Saiyans.

Never did he ever think he'd be fighting in a freaking colosseum.

As he stood at his end of the battlefield, Orion could only stare around in confusion and amusement. He really should have expected this. Why would these Saiyans, who only cared about fighting, not glorify things like this? Why would they not turn capital punishment into entertainment for themselves?

The Saiyans clearly agreed with him, as the stands were packed. There was not a single empty spot anywhere. Of course, most of them were taunting him and jeering at him. As the weakling underdog in this upcoming fight, it was to be expected. The people came here for a battle. A battle in which a strong Saiyan mercilessly beat up a powerless weakling.

It was going to be great to ruin their fun.

Orion couldn't push back the cruel, eager smile on his face as he did a few stretches. The Saiyans were none the wiser. He was wearing his scientist's robes again, so his whole body was covered, hiding his secret weapon. The only thing visible were the metal boots he was wearing, but from up in the stands, no one would see them.

Only three people knew what he was planning, and he could see them in the stands. They weren't sitting down like the others. No, Turles, Paragus, and Broly were taken here with Orion when the battle arrived. It made sense, considering they were to die should Orion lose. That was why they were being held hostage by the Saiyan royal guard, each of them chained up and cuffed to prevent them from fleeing or fighting back.

As Orion stared at them from within the arena, he wondered who else he knew was in the stands right now. Were those terrible scientists watching with glee? Was his brother here, ready to see him die? Were Bardock and Gine watching? What about that god, Beerus? Did he even care about something like this? Orion definitely couldn't imagine Frieza being there just to watch a nobody like him spar.

Yet, Orion couldn't help but wonder. This was going to be the most important moment of his life, so it only made sense to think about who would be there to witness it when it happened.

Orion waited patiently, and soon, the sounds of the mindless crowd died down as the King stood up from his seat, which was placed higher than anyone else's. In essence, he was lounging around in a balcony seat that was above everyone else's. How egotistical…

"We shall now begin the trial of Orion, eldest son of Bardock," King Vegeta declared, his deep, threatening voice allowing no one to argue with him. "Orion, do you still wish to fight, or do you surrender yourself unto your death?"

"Don't screw with me… What kind of question is that?" Orion snarled. "I wouldn't come here just to die. In fact, I came here to win! If I was so weak that I'd resign myself to death, I would have died years ago!"

"Good answer!" The King shouted at his answer. "Then you will fight for your right to live as a Saiyan. Prepare yourself. Your opponent will show you mercy."

Orion frowned at that. That much was obvious, but why did it seem like the King meant something else by that?

His answer came in the form of a mocking laugh that he suddenly heard. Orion spun around to the source, and he immediately paled at the sight of his opponent floating down to the arena.

"You should consider yourself lucky." Orion's foe told him with a smirk. "After all, you will be the first to experience the power of the strongest Saiyan to ever live. Pick a god and pray, but I'll warn you now. I won't be listening."

"You've gotta be shitting me," Orion muttered as his body tensed with worry.

Of all the people he could have been set up against, the King picked his son to fight Orion.

"This is bad…" Orion grumbled as his mind got to work.

Could he do this? How strong was the prince? Could he beat someone who people claim is the strongest Saiyan to ever be born? How much had the prince trained since then? How much stronger is the prince now? Can Orion really stack up?

He shook his head. He couldn't start doubting himself now.

"Okay…" Orion let out a tense breath as he took his visor scouter out and put it on. The heads-up display turned on, and Orion focused himself as he stared at Prince Vegeta. "Yeah…no worries."

A twisted smile formed on Orion's face as he stared back at his opponent. He had already decided that it didn't matter who his foe was. Orion would crush them and earn his freedom.

So the two Saiyan boys waited, readying their stances as the tension between them grew. The audience was silent, and after a few more seconds—

"Begin!" The King shouted, signaling the start of the fight.

"Die!" Prince Vegeta immediately shouted afterward as energy charged in his hands.

In one fluid motion, the prince shot his hand forward, sending out a large wave of energy towards Orion. Orion quickly raised his arms over his head as he gritted his teeth.

Then, it impacted.

BOOM!

The beam hit, creating a massive explosion where Orion stood. The shockwave made by the attack blew strong winds across the entire stadium. The king wasn't fazed, though, as he continued to stare down at the dust cloud covering what he assumed were the remains of Orion.

"It is done." The king sighed in disappointment.

"Hahahaha!" The prince laughed victoriously. "Did you really think you stood a chance against the prince of the Saiyans? Fool! You are nothing to me!"

The prince continued laughing, loving every moment of his glorious, dominant victory against that weakling.

However—

BAM!

"AH!"

The prince shouted in alarm as a beam shot through the dust cloud and knocked him back. Gasps were heard from the stands as Prince Vegeta turned back with an expression of shock.

"What? Did you really think such a simple attack would kill me?" Orion's voice was heard as the dust finally settled.

There he stood, unfazed. At all. The only thing that appeared to be damaged was his robe, but the tears and burns in the clothes revealed something underneath. Something metallic.

"Wh-What…?" The prince muttered, causing Orion to laugh.

"I guess it's time for me to show off. Hope you're ready."

Orion grabbed the tattered robes he wore and swiftly tore them off, unveiling his secret weapon.

It was armor, but it only vaguely resembled the armor the Saiyans wore. Metal covered his feet, legs, and arms as tubes connected those parts to his back. His torso was covered in metal plating with a purple glass center right where his heart would be, contrasting with the white metal that covered Orion.

The armor wasn't complete. Not in the slightest. There were clearly areas that weren't covered, like the inner arms and joints. Hell, Orion's face was only covered by the visor he wore, leaving it completely vulnerable. But the armor was useable, and it was armed to the teeth. Blasters covered the metal gauntlets Orion wore, and there were slots in the armor that covered what looked like handmade explosives.

Orion might not have watched many movies in his old life, but he did read a lot of comics.

"Eat your heart out, Tony Stark." Orion smiled wide as he showed off the armor.

"How do you like this? It's much better than that rubber alloy crap you're wearing." Orion said. "If I had more time, I could have done so much more, but this is fine for now. This is all I need to kick your ass."

"Y-You dare…! You think wearing some metal makes you a match for me?!" The prince screamed angrily.

"No. That's why this isn't just a metal suit. This metal is the same stuff that the infiltration pods are made of. You could glass an entire city and still wouldn't put a scratch on it. Why wouldn't I want that kind of protection in my armor?" Orion smirked as he explained his armor. "That's not even the best part. I can do so much more now that I have this."

"Wh-What?"

"Oh? Are you curious?" Orion asked as he got into a stance. "Fine then. Let me show you what this can do. You all want me? You got me."

Orion felt his veins bulge and boil as his muscles tensed. He grunted and growled as the armor did its job. Slowly but eventually, the tubes that were hooked up to his back started to draw something out of him. A glowing white and purple substance. Slowly it was pulled through the tubes, and once it finally reached the rest of the armor, a white and purple aura burst out of Orion as he began screaming, the small rocks and patches of dirt around him now starting to float upward as he continued.

"WHAT!?" The prince screamed as he watched Orion draw more power out of himself.

The Saiyans in the audience were much the same, unable to believe what was happening. Those who knew Orion were even more shocked than that, as they had never seen the boy ever be able to draw out his power before now. His power level was zero, after all. He wasn't supposed to have any power.

But the ones most shocked were those who wore scouters during the match. Every scouter in the area locked on to Orion and began calculating battle power—a battle power that was above zero and soaring fast.

The king was one of those Saiyans who wore a scouter, and he stood up in pure disbelief as he read the continuously growing reading.

"One thousand…!" He muttered before gasping. "No! Two thousand…! W-Wait! It's over three…!"

All the while, Orion didn't pay anyone any attention. All he focused on was gathering all the power inside him that was growing under everyone's noses. As he felt the last bit of that power gather inside him and his heads-up display showing his armor at full power, he let out a victorious shout as he stopped, causing all the rubble to fall back to the ground unceremoniously as he stared confidently at the prince, who was stunned into silence.

The rest of the Saiyans began murmuring among themselves as they took in the display of power created by the weakest among them. At least, the one who used to be the weakest among them, and as the king stared dumbfoundedly at Orion, one of his advisors who stood next to him nervously gulped before speaking.

"S-Sire…W-What is his power level?"

The king growled as he yanked the scouter off his head and crushed it in his palm angrily.

"It's over three thousand!"

"T-Three thousand!? That's higher than many mid-class warriors!" The visor screamed as he looked back at Orion. "How could a boy who had a power level of zero suddenly spike up to over three thousand!?"

"I believe…" The king began with a tense expression. "We all greatly misunderstood just who Orion was."

Back in the arena, Orion began to laugh as the feeling of his power flowed through him.

"Man, is this how you guys feel normally? I feel like I could blow up a planet!" Orion smiled as he flexed his arms. "I've never felt this good before! It's like I just took an injection of pure power and health. I've never felt so alive!"

"H-How in the world did you do that? You were nothing before today. Don't tell me you somehow trained enough to grow so strong in less than a day?" The prince gasped.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but no. This has very little to do with training." Orion said before shrugging. "I guess I can share what happened with you. While it's true that I did train, I didn't do anything special that no one else did. In fact, that training didn't even seem to help as my power level was always zero at the end of the day."

"However, after studying Broly's power and understanding why he always went into an uncontrollable rage, I was finally able to piece together my own situation." Orion smiled maniacly as he opened his arms in a wide gesture.

"This whole time, the solution laid within my body! If Broly became uncontrollable because his body couldn't handle the constant flow of power being injected into him, then my body must be the same! My body can't handle even a tiny speck of my power! That's why my power level has always been zero! My body could never output anything on its own! That's why my first ki blast created such a backlash to my body. It couldn't handle it!"

Yes, that's right. That was what was happening this whole time. His body was weak. Perhaps not physically, though that was part of it. No, it was weak in the part that mattered. It was weak in handling its own ki.

Once again, it was best explained with the faucet metaphor. Broly was a faucet that couldn't turn off, eventually overflowing the sink, or in this case, his body, with power until he eventually snapped.

Orion was a broken faucet. His faucet, or body, couldn't handle anything, thus producing no power to be seen. But that didn't mean it didn't exist. He could still use blasters, which had to be drawing energy to use from somewhere. So, if his body could use any of the power inside him, he would just have to find some other way to use it. He would have to find some other way to output his energy. He had to get a new 'body', if you will.

This armor was perfect for that. It would draw out his ki for him to use, allowing him to finally tap into the power that had been growing for eight years now.

All of the near-death experiences, all of the beatings, all of the abuse and punishment, all of the training and sparring, all of the struggles Orion endured for so long…

Finally, he could show the results of everything he survived.

"This is who I am. This is my real strength. This is the true power of 'Orion'." Orion declared.

The prince stared at him for a moment, but then, something strange happened.

Prince Vegeta began to laugh.

It started as a small chuckle but quickly grew into an uproarious laugh that was heard throughout the colosseum.

"Impressive! I see why my Father was so interested in you now!" The prince proclaimed as he looked at Orion with amusement. You're definitely better than most of the trash here today. I'd even say you're better than that spineless younger brother of yours. You're something else entirely."

The prince then smirked as his confidence came back a hundredfold.

"Unfortunately for you, hard work and perseverance, no matter how much you have of it, won't get you anywhere. You're still below me. My power level at birth was five thousand, and I've only gotten stronger since then. Now I'm nearly at six thousand. That's over half your own level. It doesn't matter if you can use your power now. It's still not enough to beat an elite Saiyan like me."

"Is that what you think?" Orion laughed. "I'll let you know that there's a world out there where even the weakest people can beat an elite with enough hard work."

"Ha! Too bad this isn't that world," The prince said snarkily. "Let me show you the power no amount of hard work will reach."

With that, the prince took off toward Orion, gliding across the ground as he pulled his fist back for a strike. Orion smirked as he raised his arms to block.

When they collided, a loud ringing sound rang out as Vegeta pushed against Orion, who was managing to hold the prince back. They stared down at each other, ready to put their foe back into their place.

Prince of All Saiyans

Vegeta

Orion pushed the prince off before aiming his blasters at the prince. The guns on his wrists all immediately began to glow with power before firing a barrage of energy shots.

The prince smiled wickedly as he dodged the blasts easily. With how easily he weaved between them, it was as if they were moving in slow motion to him. He managed to get close and socked Orion in the jaw, the only visible part of Orion's body that seemed vulnerable to attack.

Orion let out a yelp as he staggered backward, but he caught his footing quickly before returning a blow himself, landing a powerful right hook on the prince that drew blood. The prince gasped as he held his bleeding cheek. That actually hurt. Orion was weaker than him, but hitting him while wearing that metal armor seemed to increase the weight and force Orion's blows would deliver.

Vegeta's anger boiled to the surface as he rapidly fired energy blasts at Orion. For his part, the Silver Saiyan remained calm as he raised his arms to block the blasts. Upon hitting him, the blasts exploded, and what Orion realized was that even if the armor protected him from the blasts themselves, he didn't take their explosive force into account.

It felt like he was hit with a barrage of punches as each explosion hit him with the force of a truck. Orion gritted his teeth as he kept his guard up, his arms getting shakier and shakier with each blow they endured. He couldn't let this continue. So, with a powerful shout, Orion swiped his hands away, deflecting the last two blasts away from him before shooting his blasters behind him.

The force of his blasts launched Orion forward like a cannonball. Vegeta only had time to gasp before Orion's metal fist collided with the prince's gut. As the prince bent over from the blow, losing any air in his lungs as he did, Orion swiftly grabbed the prince's head and slammed it down onto his metal knee.

The prince recoiled back, but Orion grabbed Vegeta's tail to pull him back. As Vegeta was pulled back toward Orion, Orion lifted his free hand and charged all of the blasters on that arm before punching Vegeta in the face right before unleashing the energy in the guns. Vegeta flew off a fair distance and landed with a heavy thud.

Despite this, the prince still managed to stand up, albeit a little shakily. While he was injured, Vegeta didn't seem to be on his last legs. In fact, he seemed more pissed than anything else.

"Y-You…! You dare injure me?! Prince Vegeta!?" He screamed. "You think you can hurt me?! I'll show you what real pain feels like!"

The prince then disappeared from sight, causing Orion to gasp.

"Where did he—?" Orion didn't finish as his visor beeped at him to turn right. His eyes widened as he tried to turn around, but all he was greeted with was a foot straight to his face as he was sent flying. Before he could go much further, Vegeta grabbed Orion's foot and began swinging him around.

Orion screamed in alarm and pain as he was suddenly slammed against the ground before being lifted back up and slammed back down on the other side of his body. Vegeta, meanwhile, laughed as he mercilessly punished the weaker Saiyan for his insolence.

Orion gritted his teeth as he tried to work his brain through the immense pain. He had to figure out a way to free himself from the prince's hold. An idea suddenly struck him, and as he was thrown around like a ragdoll, Orion managed to grab one of the explosives he had made and carried on him for this battle. He charged one of his blasters and used it as a lighter to light the wick of one of the bombs before tossing it at Vegeta's feet right before he was slammed into the ground again.

Vegeta saw the bomb, but he didn't have time to process the sight before it exploded, sending both young Saiyans away from the force. Orion was sent right to the arena walls and slammed into them. He heard something crack upon hitting them, but he couldn't tell if it was the wall, his armor, or his back.

As the Silver Saiyan coughed up some saliva and blood, he managed to move his head enough to look at his opponent.

"Oi…! Come on…!" Orion grunted when he saw the prince staggering to his feet. "What the hell do they feed you…?!"

That explosion did far more damage to the prince than Orion's other attacks. Vegeta's face was slightly burnt, and some of his hair had been singed off. His armor was full of cracks, and one of those stupid paldions on his shoulders had broken off. He was bleeding a lot, and he was visibly shaking as he forced himself to stand, which was more than what Orion was doing, which was lying on the ground, unable to move.

Vegeta's face was pained, unlike the confident expression he had worn before. In truth, he was starting to feel the consequences of Orion's strikes and attacks. The prince had never had a difficult fight before. He had trained since birth, and he was told throughout his life that he was the strongest Saiyan to ever be born. He broke all the records when he was born, and he was only getting stronger.

Of course, the prince couldn't fathom that what he had in raw power he lacked in experience. He had never been in a real fight before now. Every other battle was just training against drones and soldiers that tended to be far weaker than him. He rarely had the chance to really fight an equal or greater foe. The prince also failed to realize that while he was born with great power, it paled in comparison to the warriors who had fought for years and were at a level far greater than where the prince was at the moment.

After all, the prince was only four years old. He still had plenty of time before he reached the peak of his power, his prime.

Yet Prince Vegeta would not accept this at that moment.

"Y-You… How dare you stand up to me…! How dare you injure me… Me! The strongest Saiyan…!" The prince yelled. "It is my birthright to be the strongest in the universe! I can't be beaten or hurt by some low-class trash like you! I…I'll…!"

In that instance, something in the young prince snapped as his bloodshot eyes darted to Orion's limp form.

"I'LL TURN YOU TO ASH, YOU PATHETIC, WORTHLESS WEAKLING!" The prince yelled as purple energy surrounded him like electricity.

The prince then shot upward into the sky, his energy cracking and screeching as the prince put both his hands beside his head. Orion's eyes widened, as did all the other Saiyans'.

"Stop it, you damn fool! You'll kill us all!" The king shouted to his son, but to no avail.

"Why should that stop me!? If this kills you, then you were simply too weak to survive! It's the Saiyan way to fight to win, no matter what!" The prince screamed back as he continued to charge his attack.

"D-Damn it…!" Orion muttered as he pulled himself together and managed to get back to his shaky feet, albeit slowly and painfully. "Stupid kid's really gonna blow up the entire colosseum! Hell, this might take out the whole city with how freakishly strong he is."

This wasn't good. Orion thought back to when he had that fight with Raditz all those years ago. At the time, he was mesmerized by that ki attack Raditz used. There was something otherworldly about it that made Orion know that it was so much more than anything Orion could do himself.

This was different. It was so much greater than what Raditz did. This was like watching the start of a natural calamity begin with your own eyes. Having to stare down such a thing was enough to make Orion shake in his iron boots.

But he wasn't going to give up yet.

"I still have a trick left…" Orion muttered. "But…I have no idea if this will work."

He had never used this armor before. It hadn't been finished before today, so while he had ideas of how to use his power, he never had the chance to test it out. Orion could make as many theories as he wanted, but it wouldn't be enough to prove he could do it unless he tested it.

"Still…what choice do I have left?" Orion asked as he looked down at his palms, where small energy nodes were. He tightened his hands into fists as he hardened his resolve. "So…please work…!"

With that, Orion pooled all of the power he could into his palm, the energy node starting to glow at Orion focused. Then, a small orb began to form above the node in his palm. A small white ball of energy. Quickly, something began to happen as more energy was gathered. The orb began to slowly spin. Without any thought on Orion's part, the orb began to spin and spin, gaining spirals of purple-colored energy as it grew and spun faster.

Orion nearly screamed in pain as this was happening. Whatever was happening, it was negating the whole point of the armor. While the armor was still letting him utilize his ki, it was also supposed to prevent backlash, but even though the energy was being directed through armor and out of it through the node he made, he was still feeling immense pain as it gathered. Was it because the energy was spinning? It did that before, too, when Orion fought Bardock. Why did it do that? Was it special in some way? Was it causing this new pain in his arm?

It didn't matter, as Orion didn't have the answers to any of those questions, and he wouldn't find them in this battle. All he could do was fight. So, he gritted his teeth and kept going, pushing through the pain as his spinning orb grew with energy.

The prince must have caught sight of what Orion was doing as he let out a crazed laugh quickly afterward.

"You still think you can defy me? Fine! Go ahead and try. No matter what you do or what kind of plans you make, I'll still destroy you! I'll burn you to ash and grind you into dust!" Vegeta screamed before launching his attack. "GALICK GUN!"

The prince pushed his hands forward, and from them, a giant beam of sicking purple energy burst forth like a dam had been broken. The torrent of energy was frightening, like witnessing a bolt of lightning headed right toward you. It was just as fast, too, as Orion felt the heat of the beam getting closer by the second.

In that instance, Orion's tenacity…his determination to survive…still shined through.

"I refuse to die to the likes of you!" Orion shouted back as he stared the beam straight on. "You think I'm weak?! I'll show you just how strong I am!"

Orion then threw the spiraling orb out of his palm as his eyes became bloodshot.

"SHIELD OF SATURN!" He screamed with all his might.

Immediately, the orb burst open. Suddenly, Vegeta's attack came to an abrupt stop.

"What!?" Vegeta screamed in disbelief.

There, in front of Orion, was a shield. Not a typical, normal shield. A star-shaped shield as large and wide as the castle gates stood in front of Orion and assured annihilation.

Orion coughed up blood when the beam hit his shield. This was bad. He had theorized it was possible for someone to mold ki into shapes and give them form, so he thought it would be a useful move to create a shield in order to protect himself from strong attacks. Ki already acts like a slight barrier in a fight, but concentrating that into a single point to form a shield would be incredibly useful, especially with how weak Orion was.

However, Orion failed to account for how difficult it would be to mold and shape something like ki. It was as though he were trying to bend metal with just his thoughts, and each attempt strained his weak body further and further. It felt as though Orion's arm was on fire. No. It was worse than that. It was as though his arm had been dunked in lava. It was taking everything Orion had physically and mentally just to keep the shield up.

And even that wasn't enough, as a large crack began to form in the starry shield. Panic shot through Orion's bloodshot eyes. Even this wasn't enough! He really undrestimated the prince, it would seem, and now it would be the death of him.

"No…! I…refuse…to…DIE!" Orion roared as he raised his free hand and began charging another shield.

Another orb formed in the palm of his left hand, and it began spinning just like before. Orion let out a deathly cry of pain and agony once more. He felt something wet begin to trail down his face, only to realize that he must be crying from how much pain he was feeling. It was the worst sensation Orion had ever felt physically, and that was saying something.

Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to focus on the excruciating pain he was in as his first shield finally broke. As the ki shield shattered like glass, Orion felt something else snap in that split second. Orion screamed out blood that shot up his throat, but he did not let that prevent him from sending out his second shield.

A much smaller starry shield formed in front of him the moment the first shield broke, once again blocking the deadly beam. Orion was now profusely bleeding out his mouth, and he couldn't feel any sensation in his body other than pain. More than that, when he stole a glance at his right arm, he saw that it seemed to have exploded from the inside. Muscle and bone were now visible, if not sticking out of his skin and armor, and blood ran out of every open wound the arm now had as it limply hung off his shoulder.

A backlash. It would seem he didn't take into account the full extent of what this technique would require of Orion or what kind of backlash would come from it. He had never tested the move before, so it made sense. He would have to modify the move and his equipment if he wanted to minimize the damage next time.

If there ever was a next time.

Orion kept the shield up for what felt like an eternity, despite it being just a minute or two. Finally, after Orion started to lose any feeling in his left arm and cracks began to form in his second shield, the galick gun began to die out before fading away entirely. Orion gasped and panted as he let his own shield fade, falling to his knees as he tried to stop his vision from spinning.

He wiped the tears from his face, but when he pulled his hand away, Orion realized that he hadn't been crying from the pain. His eyes had been bleeding.

Orion stared at the blood-stained hand for a moment before he took in the information from his heads-up display.

5% power.

He was lucky to still have any power after that, so he wouldn't complain. Instead, Orion started to look up to the sky where his opponent was.

The prince was exhausted, panting heavily as he swayed in the win. His body trembled as his hands slowly lowered, and his eyes remained unfocused and shaky as he stared at Orion in pure disbelief.

"H-How are you still alive?! How did you get strong enough to survive that!?" Prince Vegeta screamed.

Orion stared at the prince as he took in the frustrated question. Then, he answered as simply as possible:

"I just did some situps, some pushups, made some armor, and drank plenty of juice."

"You dare mock me!"

"Yeah. I dare. And now I'm gonna win."

Once Orion made his declaration, his body created a small gust of wind as his armor charged up for a moment. Then, Orion began to float off the ground. The prince staggered back in the air as his jaw became agape. How the hell was that weakling starting to hover and fly in a heavy suit of armor like that!?

The secret was that Orion had gotten his hands on the special Frieza Force blasters that allowed its users to fly. He also put Graviton ore into the suit, the same stuff used to allow infiltration pods to fly despite their size and weight.

Orion had worked on this for four years, so obviously, he was going to make it as strong as possible and give it as much utility as possible.

"So…I can't feel my arms. I'm exhausted and out of breath, and I'm nearly out of energy, meaning my suit is about to run out of power, too." Orion began to say loud enough for all to hear him. "My armor is still incomplete and is only just battle-ready enough for this, and even then, I think it might fall apart from another strong blow. Not to mention how I'm pretty sure I'm bleeding everywhere."

"Even so, I'm still going to kick your ass!"

Orion's white and purple aura flared once again as he suddenly rushed at Vegeta with as much speed as the prince did when the fight began. The weary prince couldn't even hope to dodge or block before Orion was right in front of him, digging his knee into Vegeta's gut. The prince spat out some bile as he hunched over the older Saiyan's knee, unable to even look at the look of pure disdain Orion had on him. The prince nearly vomited anything left in his stomach.

Orion then slowly moved away, letting Vegeta grab his stomach as he groaned and gasped in pain, but it wasn't for any merciful reason. Orion just needed some space as he lifted his leg up and slammed it back down into the prince's skull with an axe kick. The prince flew down to the ground so fast the other Saiyans in the colosseum could hear the wind whistling as Vegeta's body cut through it, ending only once the prince's body hit the ground with explosive force.

Orion aimed his left arm at the small crater Vegeta lay in as the blasters on that arm began to charge up.

"What did you tell me before? Oh right. Pick a god and pray."

Orion then unleashed the barrage of blasts his blasters were holding. Dozens of shots flew down and collided with Vegeta's body, explosions ringing out with each shot that landed.

After a full minute of letting loose all his remaining energy onto the little prince, Orion finally stopped and hovered back down to the ground. The crowd was dead silent—they had been since Orion survived the galick gun. They just stared as Orion slowly walked over to what was now Prince Vegeta's unconscious form.

"You were definitely strong. Stronger than most people here, I'm sure. But you lacked in experience. You didn't know how to utilize that power you had. You could have easily beaten me if you used your head. Instead, you tried to brute force your way to victory and threw a tantrum when things weren't going your way. If you hadn't wasted all your energy with that beam attack and kept going as you were before, you would have definitely outlasted me and broken through my defenses."

Orion had won this fight, but it was only his victory in part due to Vegeta's weakness. The prince was born with the highest power level of any Saiyan born before him, and he was told he was destined to eventually become the strongest Saiyan to ever exist—the strongest in the universe. But it was for that exact reason that he lost this fight. It was the one thing he lacked, and that was the only thing Orion possessed.

And now, finally, Orion could finish things. He could finally get his revenge.

"I hate you. I hate every single one of you Saiyans." Orion growled as he stomped his foot into Vegeta's gut, grinding it in further as his seething anger flowed off him in waves. "You all think that power is the end all be all. You all think that if something doesn't have power, it's worthless! You all thought that I was worthless and berated me every chance you had! Nothing I did was ever good enough! Nothing I endured would ever gain any respect from you stupid monkeys, all because I managed to survive with my head and not my fists!"

"So I'll take it from you. I'll take the symbol of that life away from all of you! You think this prince is the strongest among you? That he will grow into something that can defeat even Frieza? Then I'll destroy it. I won against the prince. Me! The weakest Saiyan! What does that tell you all about what you all are?! What does it tell you about me!? If you still don't get it, then I'll take whatever hope this boy brings you all and plunge you all into eternal despair!"

It was as though the breath of all the Saiyans had been stolen at that moment. Even the king was frozen in shock and fear at what Orion was implying, and the feeling only got stronger when Orion aimed his blasters at the prince's face. The guns slowly began to charge, the muzzles glowing with white-hot energy fueled by years of hatred.

Worse, the pure, manic expression on Orion's face left little doubt that he would do exactly what he claimed he would.

For Orion himself, he had never felt so fulfilled before. The pure joy rising in his mind was greater than any he had experienced. So, as his crazed smile grew to grinch-like proportions, Orion prepared himself to finally end the prince. Finally, the one destined to become the 'strongest' Saiyan would die by his hands.

…Wait.

Die?

That one thought splashed onto Orion like a bucket of ice-cold water, washing away the frantic fury and need for revenge. Orion mentally took a step back and looked at what he had done. What he was doing.

He had beaten a child no more than four years old to near death…and now he was going to kill him.

Orion was seconds away from murdering a four-year-old child, all to make a point.

A tight knot began to form in Orion's gut as his breathing sped up.

Why…? Why was this his plan? Why did he only now realize that he was going to kill a child!? Sure, he didn't know he was going to fight the prince, but that didn't stop Orion from fighting with the intent to kill. the intent to kill this child.

Bile began to rise up into his mouth as he stared at the battered, broken body of a child he was standing over. His hands began to tremble the more the reality of what he had done sunk in.

That's when Beerus's words echoed in Orion's head once more.

You're very Saiyan-like.

He was, wasn't he? He could deny it all he wanted, but the fact still remains. Despite his hatred of Saiyans, Orion acted just like one all this time. He had thoughtlessly focused on one singular task, and he was willing to destroy anyone in his way as long as he got what he wanted.

Orion had become a Saiyan.

He suddenly felt sick. No, more than that, Orion felt uncomfortable in his own skin. He had turned into the very thing he despised! What was this!? Was the Saiyan's corrupt mindset contagious!? Had he unknowingly been poisoned by those horrible monkeys during the years he spent on Vegeta?

Cruelty breeds cruelty. Thus, the Saiyans gave birth to someone who hated them with as much cruelty as they showed him.

Orion only had one thought running through his mind now.

He had to get off this damn planet.

It didn't matter how he did it. All that mattered was that this planet was poisoning his mind. These people were corrupting him, turning him into a monster just like them. He had to get off and escape for his own peace of mind.

So, his mind got to work, and an idea quickly came to him. His blasters slowly dissipated the energy they were charging as Orion turned to face the king once more.

"So, how about it, your highness? Would you be willing to make a deal in exchange for your son's life?" Orion proposed.

"A deal? You would try to threaten me?" The king growled.

"No, not threaten. Demand." Orion spat out. "You can't afford to have your son die here, can you? I won your stupid deathmatch, so my associates and I will be spared and allowed to live, or are you going to make yourself a liar because I beat your kid? Would you really be that shallow? If you are, then I have no qualms about taking the prince to hell with me. What say you to that?"

The king nashed his teeth in anger but relented as he sighed. Orion let out a small sigh, too, thanking whatever god ruled this world that the king was buying his bluff.

"What do you want, Orion."

"A few things. First, you let me and my associates go without anyone trying to kill us or harm us from now on. We're free, innocent men." Orion began.

"Fine. You may have that. What else?"

"Second, you'll let us use the healing tanks, and again, you won't try to kill me while I'm recovering."

"Granted. Is there more? I am starting to lose my patience."

"There's just one more thing I want, and then I'll let your kid go," Orion said. "Lastly, I want you to prepare a large ship for me, enough to hold me and my associates. You will give us all the supplies we will need, and then, you will let us leave."

"Pardon?" The king questioned with a shocked expression.

"I said you will let us leave." Orion firmly repeated with a deathly glare. "You will let us go peacefully, and you will let me take all my equipment with me. You will not get a single scrap from me."

"Hold on! I can't allow that! This armor of yours could prove to be incredibly valuable to us Saiyans! I can't just—"

Orion aimed his arm at the prince and once again charged his blasters, making the king stop mid-sentence.

"This is NOT up for debate! You are not in a position to try to bargain with me! If you refuse my demands, I will kill your son, free Broly, then tear that limiter off him to let him loose on all of planet Vegeta! You saw what I did to your son. I can defeat any one of you, and when Broly loses control, he'll easily destroy the planet!"

"You wouldn't…"

"Are you willing to take that fucking bet!?" Orion bellowed.

The two stared at each other, refusing to back down as they expressed their displeasure with the other through their venomous glares. However, it seemed Orion's bluffs were enough to sway the king from doing anything both of them would regret.

"Fine…" The king gave a guttural growl. "Do as you like. You have my word that neither you nor the others with you will be harmed at any point unless any of you give me new reasons to. Is that acceptable?"

"Swear it. Swear it here so everyone here can be a witness." Orion told him.

"I swear it on my name, Vegeta the Third, and I swear it on my father's name and his father's name. Happy?" The king rolled his eyes.

Orion stared at the king for a moment before finally relaxing. His blasters deactivated as he moved away from the prince.

"Yeah. I am. Come pick up your son, and free my associates. We'll leave for the healing tanks as soon as you do."

The king made a motion with his hand. Orion turned to see the guards keeping Paragus, Broly, and Turles captive relented and freed them from their bondings. Orion let out a sigh of relief as he gave the king a thankful nod, only to get a glare back from the king that seemingly said, 'Get out of my sight before I change my mind and kill you all'.

That was a sentiment Orion wasn't going to test any further, so he happily used his armor to hover over to where the others were, ignoring any of the shocked stares or mutterings that he heard from the crowd he flew over.

When he landed, he took one dirty look at the guards and gestured for them to leave. They did so with only a few grumbles, leaving Orion alone with the three Saiyans, who were now staring at him with different levels of disbelief. Broly had an impressed look on his face as if he was proud Orion was able to fight so well, considering he hadn't done nearly as well in spars Broly had seen.

Turles was much the same, but his eyes seemed to sparkle like stars as he looked at Orion like a kind of messiah. It made sense if you thought about it. They both were low-class warriors born with battle powers that caused others to look down on them. Turles had spent his whole life up to that point working hard to prove that he was worth more than that initial reading on his abilities, and he did so through physical training. Orion had done that now but in the opposite way. He didn't prove his power through physical means but through his wit, cunning, and strategy. Orion was strong, strong in a way Turles wanted to be.

Then there was Paragus, who looked at Orion thoughtfully, almost like he was trying to piece something together. It almost seemed to Orion that Paragus was surprised by something Orion had done and was trying to figure out why he had done so. It wasn't in an angry way. There was something in Paragus's expression that Orion couldn't quite place.

"What?" He decided to ask the colonel, only to get an amused chuckle and weary smile out of the old man.

"You did good, son," Paragus replied.

Orion's eyes widened at the affectionate term before his shocked expression switched to one of annoyance and disgust.

"Don't call me 'son'," Orion growled angrily as he shot a dirty glare at Paragus. "Let's just hurry up and leave."

With that, Orion casually led them out of the colosseum, leaving all the Saiyans who were watching them speechless. Orion seemed to leave without being visually affected by the numerous wounds on his body. To them, the weakest among them had suddenly become one of the most dangerous Saiyans on the planet.

Of course, that was just the appearance Orion wanted them to see. The moment he and the others were away from any prying eyes, Orion finally let his body tremble again under the immense pressure he was still under.

"T-Turles…" Orion grunted out in a soft, weak voice, startling the young Saiyan.

"Y-Yeah?"

"Get back to your home and make sure no one comes to steal anything before I get back," Orion ordered him as he started to pant a little.

"Huh? Why? Didn't the king say you wouldn't take any of your stuff?"

"Do you really think King Vegeta will keep his word? Sure, I made him swear to my demands in front of an audience, but I trust him as far as I can throw him when I'm not wearing this armor," Orion stated. "So I need you to go back and act as insurance. I can't afford to lose any of that stuff, and the last thing I want is to hand the Saiyans the plans and materials to recreate my weapons. Can I trust you to do that?"

"O-Of course!" Turles nodded fervently before he flew off quickly. Orion let out a breath of relief before he slowly turned to Paragus and Broly.

"Now then…I need you two to take me to the nearest healing station and get me in a tank. Protect me until I'm healed."

"Take you–? Wait…What do you—"

"Sorry. I'm…trusting you guys." Orion muttered before he finally gave in to the pain and exhaustion of his body. His eyes closed as he fell over, hitting the ground with a thud. He was unconscious before he even hit the ground.

When Orion finally woke up once again, it was after a nightmare picturing him maniacally brutalizing and maiming Prince Vegeta's body for shits and giggles. The image of him laughing like a madman while his whole body was bathed in a child's blood was more painful than any fight could be for him.

The panic he felt shocked him out of unconsciousness in a painful way, almost like a sudden heart attack. He would have woken up screaming his head off if it weren't for the fact that he was in a healing tank, floating around with an oxygen mask on to prevent him from screaming.

Once he senses return to him, Orion takes stock of his situation. He was in a healing tank, and he looked down to see his naked form, now free of any wounds or markings aside from the old scars he had acquired during all those years of abuse. Actually, he did have a few new ones on his right arm from when he used the Shield of Saturn.

Orion had been healed, thank god. Tension left his body as that fact clicked in his mind, and it was then that he noticed the liquid had started to drain.

When it was all drained, Orion was left standing on his feet, and a knock came from outside. Orion looked up and saw Paragus staring back at him before he opened up the tank.

"You're healed now. How are you feeling?" The colonel asked.

"Better," Orion answered as he stepped out of the tank. "How long was I in there?"

"You were in there for over a day," Paragus answered, causing Orion to gasp and stagger backward in surprise. "It would seem you took quite the beating from the prince, although the worst of the damage was something self-inflicted."

When the colonel said that, he gestured to Orion's right arm, making Orion look at it. It had been healed, but like the rest of his body, it had a few light scars, both new and old. But what was worse now was that whenever he moved it or bent the arm, he heard a strange clicking sound.

"That can't be good," Orion noted with a frown. "I thought I was done healing."

"Yes, but the damage to your arm was greater than anticipated. While it is healed enough for you to use it without issue, I would still advise you to take caution with it and let that arm rest a bit longer outside the tank."

"So there's still a bit of lasting damage then?"

"Only slightly. Although… Should you keep foolishly harming your body in such a way, it would not be unreasonable to believe you would lose any feeling and use in that arm." Paragus warned.

"That would suck." Orion shrugged, not caring too much about a possibility when he had no intention of repeating that mistake in the first place.

"You should take the warning more seriously."

"I am. I'm just not too worried about it. It's not like I'm planning on ruining my arm. I already have a few possible fixes to the issue that caused that damage." Orion replied.

"No plan survives first contact…" Paragus sighed.

"Whatever…" Orion rolled his eyes as he grabbed the fresh black jumpsuit that had been set aside for him and began to dress himself. "Has anything happened while I was in there?"

"No. Turles has been guarding your research materials since you collapsed yesterday, but according to Turles, no one has come to take your things anyway."

"Good. I guess the King really bought that threat of mine. It's a good thing I've always been good at bluffing. I could win any poker game while blindfolded." Orion smiled to himself, though Paragus ignored him.

"Another thing. The king seemed to have called in a Frieza Force supply ship for us, though I don't think he told them what it was for."

"Ah. That's smart of the king but also quite dumb." Orion hummed as he put the pieces together quickly. "He didn't want to or couldn't just supply us with everything we needed for our departure, so he called the FF to do it for him. Smart because he saves himself the trouble, the supplies, and a ship. Dumb because I highly doubt the FF will take one of their supply ships suddenly disappearing too kindly."

"Perhaps that is his plan. It would be more convenient for him to have the Frieza Force hunt us down for treachery," Paragus said.

"Yeah, and then Frieza would have his hands on my research if he and his gang of thugs don't blow up our ship outright. The king's just angry that I beat his kid and wants to hinder us in any way he can." Orion shook his head as he finished putting on his jumpsuit. "Where's my armor?"

"Here. Broly's watching it." Paragus answered.

"That's Good. You two can help me put it on, and then we'll be leaving," Orion told him.

"You're equipping it now? So soon after your battle?" Paragus questioned. "Don't tell me you plan on battling again so soon after recovering. I warned you not to injure yourself again!"

"I'm not putting this on because I wanna fight! I'm not a mindless brute like you Saiyans!" Orion screamed in response. "I just…I…"

Orion eventually sighed as he averted his gaze.

"I don't feel safe when I don't have it on anymore," Orion answered. "I made that suit to protect myself, so without it…"

Paragus quickly understood and gave a nod of sympathy, which Orion couldn't help but grit his teeth at. He didn't want others to pity him, but he wasn't going to argue against Paragus's assistance.

Orion let the colonel lead him to the room Broly and the armor were in. Paragus woke his son up from his afternoon nap, and the two helped Orion suit up. Once that was done, the three began to discuss their next plan of action.

What they came up with was simple enough. Paragus and Broly would go to Turles's place and help him pack up whatever they needed, including Orion's research materials.

Orion would join them, too, but he had something else he wanted to do before they left the planet. Something he felt he had to do.

So Paragus and Broly flew off, and Orion headed in the opposite direction. He glided at a leisurely pace, for once taking in the vast beauty of the planet instead of hating it insistently. What had he missed while he was swallowed by his own hatred, he couldn't help but wonder. Despite all the terrible things that happened to him, he could at least acknowledge the planet's beauty. If the people living on it were kinder, it might be just as good as Earth.

Orion let out a sigh. How foolish he was. When did he fully lose himself? Was it when he was first shipped off the planet? Was it when he returned? When he was beaten to near death for the first time? Or was Broly's situation the tipping point? Orion couldn't remember. All he knew was that he acted childish during this time. He might be a child physically, but mentally he was an adult. He should have known better.

So, while he might have finally gotten what he wanted—freedom—Orion still had to do one thing, or there would be a bad taste in his mouth.

"I really did treat them poorly…" Orion muttered before he landed in front of what had once been his home.

He stared at the small, humble house with a conflicted look. He remembered the last time he was here, and he cringed at the memory.

"God, I was such an idiot…" Orion ran a hand down his face.

He let his anger take control. His vast hatred toward Saiyans and his own powerlessness led to him hurting two of the only people who didn't treat him like trash. Bardock and Gine… Without even realizing it—no. Without a single care, Orion hurt them. In their own eyes, their first child hated them with all his heart.

Orion couldn't place the blame solely on his own anger and hatred. In truth, that was the result of years of resentment and longing. Orion had never had parents before, not even in his original life. So if he was honest, when he was born into this second life, a part of his was excited at the idea of a new life. He was happy to actually have parents this time around.

And then all that horrible nonsense happened. Thinking back, Orion could see how unreasonable it was to blame Bardock and Gine for his situation. He could still remember the pained faces they made when he was taken to be an infiltration unit, so it wasn't as though they liked any of this either. Still, those terrible circumstances mixed horribly with his longing for loving parents and turned into a venomous hate.

He somehow managed to hate them, and that hatred blinded him to the obvious. It blinded him to the obvious truth that Gine always took the time to prepare him good food and make sure he was alright, even when he started to deem her a 'distraction'. It blinded him to the obvious truth that Bardock, despite Orion's weakness, took the time to train him so Orion could get stronger and protect himself.

They weren't normal parents by the earthling definition Orion had always wanted. But when he compared them to the other Saiyans, he knew those two were far better to him than he had any right to treat them.

And for what? A suit of armor he used to nearly kill a child?

What he told Paragus was true. Orion didn't feel safe without his armor at the moment. Even so, he wouldn't say he felt comfortable wearing it after what he almost did. This armor, while his only method of protecting himself and attacking, was a symbol of what his hatred almost turned him into: a vengeful killing machine.

The moment he got back to a peaceful planet like Earth, he planned to never use it again. He'd leave Planet Vegeta and all the fighting and death behind, and he'd return to living a peaceful life. But before he left, Orion wanted to try to make amends. He wasn't a Saiyan, and he would never allow himself to turn into one, so unlike them, Orion wanted to make sure he fixed his mistakes before heading to the next part of his life.

Now that he was standing in front of the house again, Orion felt even more nervous than when he was standing across from Prince Vegeta in the arena. He quickly shook his head before steeling himself.

"What am I so afraid of? It's not like they're gonna kill me." Orion mumbled. "...I wonder if they saw the fight yesterday. I wonder what they felt during it."

Shaking his head, Orion knocked on the door, but he didn't get any response. He knocked once more, but still no one came. Now confused, Orion decided 'screw it' and opened the door.

Entering the home, Orion quickly realized that no one was inside. Were they out doing something? He did recall Gine worked at the butcher, preparing food for the warriors, and Bardock might be out for a mission or something. Raditz wasn't here either, but Orion was completely fine with that. The little brat was still a prick in Orion's eyes, considering that he had started this whole situation.

Still, if neither Gine nor Bardock were here, Orion should probably leave. He'd rather not wait for possibly hours for one of them to get back just so he could apologize before Orion left the planet. But just as Orion turned back around to leave, he caught sight of the incubation tank he and Raditz had been in after birth, and he froze.

Someone was in the tank.

Orion slowly walked over to the tank and stared at the growing Saiyan baby floating inside. He couldn't suppress his chuckle at what he saw.

"They made a little Bardock," Orion noted as he stared at the child. "He has the exact hairstyle."

Unlike with Raditz, where Orion couldn't help but feel jealous over his younger brother's situation compared to his, with this child, Orion didn't feel jealous. Perhaps it was because he had been living with a jealous hatred for the past four years, but when looking at his new youngest brother, Orion couldn't help but feel relief.

"Maybe you'll be a proper child for them." Orion hummed as he rested a hand on the tank with a fond smile.

After taking a brief moment to consider the fact that he had a new brother, something that Orion still didn't know how to view himself, he sighed and figured it was time to leave. Of course, like clockwork, that was when he heard voices coming closer to the house until the door opened.

Suddenly, Orion found himself staring at the surprised and perplexed faces of Gine and Bardock, who stopped talking the moment they noticed him.

"...I wasn't ready for this." Orion quickly realized after the three of them stared at each other in silence for a full minute. Once he spoke those words, it was as though the spell freezing them in place vanished as Gine finally managed to speak up.

"Orion…?" She breathed out in disbelief.

"Y-Yeah?" Orion stammered a little as he averted his gaze. He took a deep breath and prepared himself to force out what he had to say. "I-I…I'm sor—"

Orion couldn't finish his apology, as Gine had crossed the distance between them and wrapped him up in a painfully tight hug so fast that Orion almost got whiplash.

"Orion! You're all right! You're alive!" Gine cried out as she crushed her son in her bone-breaking hug.

"-Ack! G-Gine! Y-You're…breaking…me…!" Orion rasped out as he felt his rips begin to tear open his lungs due to the hug's pressure.

Gine gasped as her crying eyes shot open, and she immediately dropped the young boy, allowing him to breathe in the air again as he held his chest tightly.

Gine had told him she was taken off typical Saiyan missions because she was weak. That was a lie. Even with his metal armor on, Orion felt as though she was going to crush him into a tin can.

He was still catching his breath, so he didn't notice when Gine apologized to him for hurting him. However, he did catch the next thing she said, which she nearly screamed out right next to his ear.

"Why did you go and pick a fight with the king's son!?" Gine screamed, nearly making Orion stumble back from how loud she was.

"What? What do you mean 'pick a fight'?! They're the ones who picked a fight with me! I was only defending myself!" Orion shouted back once what Gine said registered in his head. "They were gonna kill me and my fri—associates if I didn't fight and win!"

"That may be true, but do you know how much you scared me when I learned you were to fight a death match? Do you know how terrified I was when I saw you were fighting Prince Vegeta?! And do you know how mortified I was when I saw your appearance after you survived that energy attack from the prince?! You looked like you were dead!"

Guess that answered the question of whether these two watched the fight or not.

"Yeah, but I didn't die," Orion grumbled. "I know I'm weak, but you really didn't need to worry so much about me."

"This has nothing to do with your weakness or strength," Gine said as she crouched down to look Orion in the eyes. "You could have been the strongest being in the universe, and I would still have been worried about you. Still, I'm so glad you won and survived!"

Gine wrapped him in another hug, this one more gentle and, dare Orion say, motherly than the one before. Orion almost completely melted within the warm, comforting embrace. He never let himself feel like this when he was living in that loathful state, but now that he was mostly out of that hate-filled mindset, he realized just how much he missed a mother's warmth. He had missed this familial connection dearly.

It was then that Orion felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see Bardock looking at him. The man didn't smile, though Orion couldn't recall any time the man smiled other than right after he was born. Still, the man must have felt something, given what he said next.

"You did good, son." He said with a certain fondness in his tone.

Orion's eyes bulged at that, but he eventually settled into a small smile that he hid from view

"T-Thanks, I guess." He muttered, not quite sure what else to say at that.

Orion knew he couldn't stay like this forever. Eventually, he would have to leave both this home and the planet. He knew that, and yet he didn't see the harm in staying like this for just a moment longer.

It was warm. So warm…and so comforting.

"Come with me."

Orion didn't even mean to say it. It just came out once he was allowed to relax more than he had in the eight years of his second life. His parents showed obvious signs of confusion once he said that, and Orion nearly bit his tongue in embarrassment. How could he say that? Why did he say that?

"Come with you? What do you mean?" Bardock asked as Gine let Orion go, much to his dismay.

Orion bit his lips but decided that since he already said it, he might as well go all in on it.

"I…I'm leaving soon. The planet, I mean." He told them.

"You're…leaving? So what your demands of the king, that ship and those supplies…You're really going through with it?" Gine repeated.

"Yeah." Orion nodded. "I plan on leaving this planet, and I'm taking my associates, Colonel Paragus, his son Broly, and another Saiyan named Turles. I only came here to apologize for how I acted and how I treated you before, but…I would like you to come with me too."

"Orion…"

"I-I know I'm asking for a lot, and I'm not even sure if the ship the king called for us will be enough for all of us, but I'm sure I can figure something out to make it work," Orion told them. "Hell, I don't like him and would rather he stay here with the rest of the filth, but if you want, we could bring that brat Raditz with us. The same goes for that new kid you guys had. I…I would be fine with it."

"Kakarot." Bardock suddenly said.

"H-Huh?"

"His name is Kakarot. Your youngest brother." Bardock clarified.

"Kakarot…" Orion repeated.

"Yes. And regarding your request," Bardock began before he stole a look with Gine, who gave a sad nod.

"We can't go with you, Orion." Gine finished for her…husband. Mate? Whichever one worked regarding Saiyan relationships.

"Why not!?" Orion shouted. "If you say here, you'll always be under the king, and even worse, you'll always be under Frieza's control! Who knows when Frieza will decide to just kill the Saiyans, so it'd be safer to leave with me! We'll be free, and we'll finally be able to live peacefully! Isn't that enough?"

"...So you think something like that'll happen, too," Bardock muttered under his breath, though neither Orion nor Gine heard him.

"Orion, we can't go with you. We need to stay here with Kakarot, at least until he's ready to leave the incubation tank. Even then, this is our home. Planet Vegeta is all that we've known for all our lives. I'm not sure if we really could just leave everything we've known so suddenly." Gine explained.

"B-But—!"

"Orion, you should still go if you want to. This place…it's never been your home, has it?" Gine told him. "Just because we can't go with you right now shouldn't stop you from finding somewhere you feel like you belong."

"B-But I need to make everything back up to you!" Orion shouted. "I…I really wanted to try to make this work. That maybe, if we left here together, we could be…"

"Orion," Gine said as she placed a hand on Orion's cheek. "We'll always be your parents, and you'll always be our son."

"She's right," Bardock spoke up. "Even if you leave, we'll still be here. After all, while you guys have permission to leave, your mother, brothers, and I don't. But if something happens, we'll be sure to leave and find you. You can count on that."

Orion stared at Bardock as the child's eyes started to become wet with built-up tears before Orion gave a slow nod.

"Fine. If you guys want to stay so badly, there's nothing I can do about it." He sighed. "Just…Just tell me you guys won't do anything stupid if something bad does happen."

"Of course." Bardock nodded.

"O…Okay," Orion said. "I…I guess I should go then. The ship will be here any moment now, and I…don't want to keep the others waiting."

"Stay safe out there. Find something to live for. Find something that makes you happy." Gine told Orion.

"Stay strong, son. Always be prepared for whatever might happen." Bardock added his own two cents. "That armor you designed might have helped you become strong, but never forget where your real strength lies. Never forget what you're fighting for."

"What I'm fighting for?" Orion repeated in a confused tone. "All I've ever done was for revenge! A revenge that was turning me into the exact thing I hated so much! What was I really fighting for all this time if not for that?"

"If that's what you think, then find another reason to fight," Bardock told him. "There will be battles you have to fight in the future. The world isn't the kind of place where you can run away from all trouble. So find a reason to fight for that you believe in, and that'll give you strength to keep going."

"...What is your reason for fighting then?"

"To become stronger. To survive." Bardock responded. "And…I suppose to meet the expectations placed on me. Those are the most prominent that come to mind. Your reasons don't have to be the same as mine, and I doubt your reasons will be the same once you do find them. Still, hold on to them tightly once you find them. They'll help push you through whatever trials happen."

"Yeah…Okay." Orion nodded slowly as he digested the hardened warrior's advice. "Thank you. Both of you. And…I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to treat you both so cruelly. Even if my anger and hatred were warranted, it wasn't warranted by either of you, some of the only people who treated me nicely."

"Hey." Gine began as she held his hand dearly. "As long as you're safe and alive, you'll always be our son."

Orion held back a gasp before he slowly smiled.

"Yeah. I guess…I am your son."

For the first time in this new life, Orion felt a weight be lifted off of him.

For the first time, he felt as though he really had a family.

"What do you mean you're not coming with us!?" Orion yelled in pure disbelief.

After reconciling with Gine and Bardock, whom Orion still had trouble mentally discerning them as 'mother' and 'father', Orion flew over to the docks where the rest of his gang was waiting. Paragus and Broly were already boarding the ship that had landed for them, taking in all the things they were bringing with them, but Orion was still outside when a certain person brought something to his attention.

"Why the hell would you want to stay here!?" Orion yelled at his senior low-class Saiyan, Turles. "Even if we leave, you'll still be associated with us! The Saiyans will treat you like scum! Why the hell would you want to say here and deal with that? It'd be better to get out of dodge like the rest of us!"

"Yeah, I know," Turles replied sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Leaving with you guys would be the smart thing to do."

"YEAH! THAT'S WHY YOU'RE SO DUMB FOR NOT WANTING TO LEAVE!" Orion screamed, veins bulging out of his forehead at the sheer anger he felt toward Turles.

"Hey! I have a reason for wanting to stay!" Turles defended himself. "I'm staying because I want to get stronger."

"Wh-What?" Orion stammered, taken off guard by the statement. "The hell are you talking about? You can get stronger anywhere. It doesn't have to be here with these people."

"You're right, but…I've learned that I still have a long way to go before I get as strong as I want to be," Turles said as he turned and stared at the horizon with a far-off look. "I think I finally get what you've been telling me all this time whenever we sparred together. There are other ways to be strong besides strength."

"That's why…I want to stay here. I want to get stronger through different means, and I want to see how far everyone here can push me towards that goal." Turles clarified. "Yeah, they'll probably hate me after today, but that's just something I can use to get stronger. Perhaps they'll attack me outright, or maybe they'll send me on harder, more dangerous missions. Either way, it'll be a learning experience for me, and I don't want to run away when I can use that to get stronger like you."

"Strong like me? I'd hardly call myself that." Orion sighed as he looked down at himself with a shameful look. "I'm nothing more than a fool that wanted power to wield over those I thought to be my lessers. If I was really strong, I wouldn't have let my twisted desires control me. I don't even really know what I want anymore."

"I don't really get what you mean, but that's not right at all. You are strong! You beat the prince by yourself! Everyone said you were powerless, yet you made something and used it to show how strong you are! You're the coolest Saiyan around! I've never met anyone like you! That's why I wanna be just like you! I'll be strong like you. I'll find or make something that'll help me be really strong too! Then, once I'm on your level, we can see which of us is stronger."

"Is that all you think about? Battling?" Orion asked before letting out a weak laugh. "You know what? Sure. Consider this a homework assignment from me."

Orion then held out a fist toward Turles and smiled at his first real friend in this new life.

"Get strong like me. Not just in brute strength. Get smarter, and don't be afraid to use whatever you have to your advantage. Get strong and survive. Then, the next time we meet, we can spar for old time's sake and see who's stronger."

"Yeah! That's a promise! No backing out now!" Turles cheered as he bumped his own fist against Orion's. "Alright, that's enough of that. I don't want to delay your flight. Any idea where you're gonna go once you leave?"

"I'm not exactly sure. I managed to convince a few of my old workmates who didn't hate my guts to provide me with a map, but it's not a complete map. It only shows certain planets that the Saiyans are aware of, and it only covers part of the galaxy. We'll have to get a fill it out once we get to other planets." Orion noted as he took out a small disk he had been given. A 'holo-map', apparently. He sighed as he shook his head.

"It didn't really give me any ideas of where to go, but…I do have a place in mind. I just need to find it." Orion told Turles.

"That's good. It wouldn't do to fly through space for years with no idea of what you're looking for," Turles laughed.

"Shut up! I wouldn't do that! Paragus would never let me even if I did!" Orion shot back. "Well, I'll see you around, Turles."

"Yep. See ya later, Orion."

With that final goodbye, Orion made his way onto the sizable cruiser. This ship was definitely large enough, even if it was fully stocked with supplies they would need during this long trip.

Yeah, definitely a long trip, considering Orion had no idea how long it would take to find out where Earth was. The Saiyan, or rather Frieza Force, drones are scattered throughout the galaxy to search for planets of note. Anything that could potentially be worth something is recorded and sent to the database. However, Earth wasn't in the database. Either it wasn't worthwhile and wasn't recorded, or the drones hadn't reached whichever part of the galaxy Earth was in this strange world.

Hell, Earth might be entirely in a different galaxy. Or perhaps it didn't exist in this world. Orion didn't know. Still, he had hope that one day, he would return to his original planet. His true home.

Of course, he'd have to find it first.

Orion sighed as he made his way around the ship, his visor on as he scanned every inch of the vessel. Once he was done, he made his way to the cockpit. The moment he opened the door, he saw Paragus and Broly, the former of which was explaining their situation to the poor Frieza Force employee who had been sent here under false pretenses.

And by explaining their situation, Orion meant that Paragus was literally threatening him.

"I've already told you! You don't have any say in this matter! If you try anything, I will not hesitate to silence you myself!" Paragus told the little orange alien as he aimed his blaster right in the poor alien's face.

"H-Hey now! No need for any rash actions! I'm just doing my job! You're the ones trying to take over my ship! I was only supposed to deliver some new equipment and supplies and head back to my station. I-If I don't arrive on time, they'll try to find out what happened!"

"Yeah, they would try," Orion cut in as he walked towards them. Thankfully, I scanned the ship and removed all the bugs and trackers that were on it. Should we take over this ship and fly away, no one would be able to know where we were."

"Wh-What!?" The employee screamed though Orion ignored him.

"Paragus, you have the scouter I modified for you, right?"

"Yeah, I still have it. I also broke this one's scouter." Paragus nodded as he looked at the orange alien. "Are you sure it's no longer connected to the other scouters?"

"Absolutely. Both your scouter and my visor are now off the grid. No one will be able to listen in on our conversations. We'll still be able to speak to each other, but only when we synch up our scouters."

"Good. The last thing we want is for the King or Lord Frieza to know where we went off to."

"Don't call them that. Vegeta isn't our king anymore, and we won't be working for Frieza after today—not that I ever really worked for the guy," Orion said.

"True enough, I suppose." Paragus hummed as he walked over to his son, who was sitting quietly, watching his father and Orion with a curious expression.

Orion turned to the alien pilot, who flinched at his sudden gaze.

"So what's your name?" Orion asked.

"L-Lemo."

"Ok, Lemo. From this point onward, you are no longer an employee of the Frieze Force." Orion told him as he patted the alien on the shoulder. "You consider this a permanent or temporary leave. Once the three of us find a planet that we like or another ship for us to use, you can go back to the Frieza Force or head off to wherever you want, as long as you don't rat us out. We won't hurt you. All we ask is for your cooperation until we find a new home for ourselves."

"S-Still…"

"If it makes you feel any better, I only asked for a ship and supplies from King Vegeta. He should have provided us with everything himself, but he instead tricked you guys into giving us what we needed. So if you want to blame anyone, blame him." Orion told Lemo.

"Grr…." The little orange alien growled angrily for a minute before his anger faded into a defeated sigh. "Fine. Might as well. Not like I really liked working in the force," Lemo grumbled. "Don't like how I'm being used as a tool, though."

"Don't be like that. Let's get along." Orion tried to smile, though his attempt died at Lemo's next words.

"Yeah, right. As if a Saiyan would want to be nice to someone else."

Orion felt anger bubble in him at being called a Saiyan, but he quickly killed the feeling, leaving only a muddied feeling of conflict in his heart. Orion couldn't blame Lemo for thinking that. Orion had thought the same until recently. Orion was, physically, a Saiyan. He couldn't blame others for thinking he fit into the stereotype of his race.

Wasn't that a kick in the teeth? Having to accept that he did fall into that stereotype, or at least he had.

"We'll see," Orion said in a softer tone. "Just…get us off the planet. I'll be your copilot."

Orion sat down at the seat next to Lemo, who continued to grumble as he started up the ship. It didn't take long for the ship to rise above the ground before flying off the planet. As they flew away, Orion took one last look at what had been his home for the past few years.

Then, after swallowing a lump that was stuck in his throat, Orion turned back around to face forward. He was free—free from the chains of Planet Vegeta and the Saiyans. He could do and go anywhere now.

Orion couldn't help but smile fondly at this new turning point of his life.

Yeah… This second life of Orion's starts right now! He won't let anything else stand in his way again.

For the first time in a long time, Orion felt a spark of hope toward this second life of his.

Origin Sage End

Next Time on Bit by Bit Kai: Grand Tour Saga

Chapter Text

“I hate this place. I hate it so much.” Orion grumbled as he trekked through the muddy woods. “I hope this planet burns. I hope it burns and no one ever remembers it.”

Nothing about this was okay. That was only made clearer with each muddy step that Orion took. The Saiyan Boots he wore were caked with mud, becoming so much heavier than before, especially with how far Orion had to walk. He was wet, sore, and exhausted. He hadn’t slept in a little over three weeks, and all he wanted was to get to his base so he could fall onto the bed of leaves he had made—a bed that was so much softer than it had any right being.

None of this was helped by the small sled made of sticks full of sliced fruit he was dragging behind him. Slices of fruit that were bigger than his entire body.

Orion had arrived on Monmaasu a few months ago, and every day was a battle for survival. Everything was huge. The plants, the trees, the fruit, the animals, the freaking bugs!!! There was nothing that was not bigger than Orion. That meant that there was nothing that couldn’t kill him with ease.

Orion had only survived due to his wit and sheer luck. He made weapons out of wood, or rather twigs, and shaped them in spears, bows, arrows—weapons and tools he could use. He patched together some leaves into a clock to camouflage himself among the foliage, and he managed to steal some spider silk to craft himself a durable bag. It was still a bit sticky, but it wouldn’t tear or break.

Despite his body’s incredibly young age, using his wit, Orion had made it far. He could not competently fight off some of the giant bugs he sometimes encountered, but he was finding useful sources of food. The tree near his base tended to drop the fruits from its branches, and not many of the animals stayed around these parts for too long, so Orion had deemed it safe to forage there and grab as much stuff as he could carry.

As for the meat…well, he was supplied with it every time an ant or centipede found him and tried to make him their next meal. Roasted bug wasn’t appetizing at all, but it was needed to survive. Aside from that, nuts and beans proved to be a good source of protein.

Orion continued to drag his haul of fruit a few more meters until finally he made it to his base. Or rather, the large hill, relative to his size, that led to his base.

“Oh thank fuck…” Orion groaned as he stopped dragging the pile of fruit and began panting. “Okay. Let’s get these cleaned and into storage. Then I’ll have a slice for lunch.”

Moving up next to a nearby stream, Orion quickly washed his hands, as well as his face, before he began cleaning any grim off the sliced fruit he had brought. Once he had finished several minutes later, he dragged the fruit over to a small burrow underneath the nearest trees he had found. He had laced the empty burrow with leaves he had cleaned to create a sort of mat, allowing him to place all his extra food in there without it lying on the dirt.

Once he had dumped all of his gathered fruit into the burrow, Orion took a body-sized slice of apple with him, sticking it onto a stick he had on him like a marshmallow. He carried it over to what looked like a fire pit and sat down on a small pebble that was more like a boulder to him. He didn’t bother trying to start another fire as he began taking bites out of the apple. They were better while they were still sweet and juicy anyway.

This was his life now until he found something to justify his return to the Saiyan home world, Vegeta. Remembering that caused Orion to groan. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. He tried to find something of value, but he had to shift to focusing on surviving when he learned that everything and anything can kill him on this planet. Even the damn rain was ten times bigger than what he was used to, so even a single rain drop could crush him should he be hit by it. He’s lucky he managed to find shelter before the first rainstorm.

“But what do I do now?” Orion asked himself before taking another bite out of his apple slice. “I don’t know where anything of value would be on this damn planet. Even if I do find something, it’ll be ten times bigger than I am, so how would I even bring it back?”

He was at a loss. A dead end. Unless something happened, Orion was probably destined to stay on this planet for the rest of his life, and that was something he refused to accept.

“Like hell I’m staying here when even rain can kill me,” Orion growled. “I gotta finish this mission and then head back to Vegeta. The Saiyan planet can’t be nearly as bad as this shithole.”

Orion let out a sigh. What could he do? Where would he find his ticket out of this hell?

BAM!

“Ah!” Orion shrieked as the ground shook from the massive impact that came behind him. He quickly turned around, only to sigh at seeing a giant (relative to his size) apple that had fallen from one of the trees above.

“Geez…another one? This is why I made sure to set this place up away from any fruit-bearing trees.” Orion noted with an annoyed sigh as he turned back around to continue enjoying his apple slice.

Just as he took another bite, Orion heard a loud cry, or rather a caw. He hadn’t seen any birds yet, but upon hearing this one, fear shot up in him. If tiny bugs like beetles and bees were as big as he was, if not a little bigger, how much bigger would a bird be?

“Ah crap baskets!” Orion cursed as he quickly got up and ran for his little food den, diving into it before anything could snatch him up like a mouse caught in a bird’s talons. Once he figured he was safe, he peeked out through the tiny crack to see what was happening outside.

Just as he had heard and figured, a giant alien vulture-like creature dived down from the sky looking for food. Much to Orion’s shock, however, instead of searching for any small prey, it dug its talons into the apple that had recently dropped and flew off with it.

“...What was that about?” Orion couldn’t help but question as he waited a bit longer to see if anything else that might be dangerous for him happened.

And just like clockwork, the ground began to shake and tremble once again as loud stomps boomed in the distance, slowly getting closer. Orion’s teeth chattered from the earthquake-like tremors before his weak, terrified gasps came out of his dry throat.

What caused such a reaction? The foot of a giant that slammed down in front of the den he was in might have elicited such a reaction…

Orion lost any ability to speak as he began deathly silent, all the while watching this foot, which was bigger than an aircraft carrier. Orion could only imagine how incomprehensibly big the person the foot was if the foot alone was that big. 

Thankfully, the foot once again lifted and moved, leaving Orion and his camp behind as the stomps moved farther and farther away. It was only after the tremors stopped completely and not a sound could be heard that Orion remembered he still needed to breathe and let in a huge gasp of air to make up for how long he had unconsciously held his breath.

“Oh god…oh god oh god oh god…!” Orion muttered in absolute terror. “Giants… There’s a freaking giant here! Not just giant animals or bugs or fruit—No, there’s an actual, literal giant! What is this, some kind of planet grown from a magic beanstalk!? What, am I going to find a goose that lays golden eggs soon!?”

Well, fe fi fo fuck. This was a precarious situation now, wasn’t it?

“D-Don’t worry. It’s not like he’s saying here.” Orion tried to calm himself down. “You live in a damn ant hill you emptied out, remember? He can’t hurt you unless he pours bug killer down into your temporary home. Well, that or molten metal like people back on Earth sometimes did. He doesn’t even know you exist, though! If the worst comes to pass, you can just pack up and find another home, like this food storage you made. Yeah…” 

None of his words truly calmed him down. Instead, Orion found himself worrying more somehow. 

“Okay…Okay okay okay… Let’s think about this rationally.” Orion told himself as he tried to ground his spiraling thoughts. “The giant won’t hurt me unless I give him a reason to. He walked by just now and didn’t pay anything at his feet any mind. No one does. I just need to make sure I’m out of his way should he ever decide to take a walk back here again.”

Just as he finished getting his breathing under control, a stray thought implanted itself in Orion’s mind. A sudden thought that destroyed that new calm he had just made for himself.

“Hang on…If there’s a giant here…could there be more?” Orion pondered out loud as he began to piece together these loose thoughts. “If there are other giants on this planet, and they’re the dominant species here, then…could they be civilized? If they are, then that would mean they would have to trade with one another for food and supplies. I’ve been here for months, and I haven’t seen any giants yet, so either this guy is the only one, or this civilization is quite a ways away from here.”

That’s when Orion’s thoughts converged as a sudden realization overcame him.

“If there is a civilization, then they would need a currency, a currency that might be worth something to the Saiyans. This civilization of giants might also have other things, such as minerals and ores if they mine. If there are valuable minerals on this planet, logically, it would have to be just as big as they are in comparison to me.”

Orion’s eyes widened as he realized what he had to do next. 

“I need to follow that giant and see what valuables he has.”

Oh, the young Saiyan boy despised this. What he just said was inarguably stupid. The stupidest thing he had ever said in either of his lives. Yet he knew it was either risk his life on this stupid mission in hopes of finding the exact thing he needed to get off this hellhole, or stay here without a single clue as to what to do, having to survive desperately the whole time.

When weighed against each other, the preferred choice was clear.

“Damn it, I hate this planet…!” Orion hissed as he scurried out of his hobbit hole and started running.

Now, he didn’t start running after the giant. Dear Lordy Piccolo, that would be dumb. The giant was already long gone, and Orion had no hope of catching up to him on foot. Not when the Saiyan was the size of a woodchip compared to the giant.

No, instead, Orion ran to his makeshift stable that he had made behind one of the nearby trees. He dipped behind the massive structure and caught sight of his ‘noble steed’ as he ran.

In this case, ‘noble steed’ referred to the tied-up giant beetle Orion had captured.

He affectionately named it ‘Eatle’, as a large chunk of his fruit stash went to this thing.

“Okay, Eatle. We’ve got work to do.” Orion muttered as he approached and quickly began untying the large bug.

Eatle, lovable idiot that he was, realized what Orion was doing and began vibrating with excitement, not at all acknowledging the panicked tone in his master’s voice nor the franticness of his movements.

Once untied, Eatle opened up the flaps of his back and spread his wings, flapping rapidly upon doing so, which caused a cloud of dirt and dust to strike Orion’s face.

“Ah-! H-Hey! Calm down!” Orion shouted, motioning with his hands to his mount and getting him to relax again. Once that was done, Orion quickly got onto Eatle’s back and grabbed the straps of the makeshift saddle that Orion had made for Eatle. 

“Okay. Let’s fly! We’ve got a giant to find!” Orion proclaimed as he snapped the reins, causing Eatle to shoot up into the sky.

Orion would never get used to this—the sheer thrill flying brought to him. It was moments such as these, when Orion was on his beetle’s back flying without a care or worry, that Orion almost forgot the hell this planet could be to him. 

If only he were stronger—strong enough to survive on his own without struggling pathetically or desperately. If he were, perhaps living on this planet would not be so bad. In that instance, maybe Orion would even describe life as a ‘mystical adventure’.

Heh…yeah right.

The Saiyan boy flew for a while, flying through the thick forest as he searched for the giant he had seen. After what felt like an hour, Orion had finally found him.

There, sitting next to a campfire that was beside a stream, was the giant. He was cooking a fish that was bigger than he was over the fire while sitting with a bunch of forest creatures.

“What the hell is this? Is he a Disney princess or something?” Orion couldn’t help but wonder to himself as he looked at the strange scene.

It wasn’t helped at all that Orion could now see the giant’s face. Orion had been expecting something that looked human, but this giant was far more alien. Pale red skin, black eyes with yellow irises, fleshy whiskers like a fish, large pointed ears like an elf—these were the defining traits of the giant. 

It was the first time Orion had seen such an alien creature in this new world he was in. In his head, he knew technically he wasn’t physically human, but it never felt like it, considering the only real physical difference between a Saiyan and a human was the monkey tail.

Looking at the giant now, he didn’t seem to be rich, as he was only wearing a simple vest, pants, and boots that wouldn’t be strange to see on a farmer. Still, appearances could be deceiving. This giant could still be a miner or have some valuables that could prove this planet worthy of Saiyan conquest.

Orion forced down that last thought, as the phrase ‘Saiyan conquest’ made him sick.

“How am I gonna find out whether or not this guy has anything of worth?” Orion muttered as he guided Eatle down to the ground. 

Once he was back on the ground, Orion, after having given his beetle the pets it wanted and making sure Eatle was safe and secure somewhere, made his way over to the giant slowly. The very tall (relative to him) grass helped camouflage him, especially when the Saiyan wore his leaf cloak. Making his way to where the giant was on foot, Orion couldn’t help but wonder about the strangeness he had seen on his way down.

“He’s out here eating by himself if you don’t count those animals with him.” Orion hummed. “There aren’t any other giants with him… Is he the only one here, or is he a hermit living alone in the wilderness?”

Whatever the case, if this guy didn’t live with others, there goes Orion’s lead for this planet’s civilization. Thankfully, he still might be able to learn something from this giant. The large man had a bag with him. It would be the perfect place to keep any currency or valuables. So, like the thief he was, Orion continued to creep over to his target. 

It took a few minutes, but the giant was busy enjoying his cooked fish to move or notice. Orion got there soon enough, and no one had noticed him. So, sneaking over the bag the giant had set down by his legs, Orion quickly began to climb up the bag in order to peer inside it.

Once there, Orion checked to make sure he hadn’t been noticed once more before slightly opening the top of the bag and peering inside. Dark. Of course it was dark inside the bag. Sighing, Orion pulled out his scope and brought it to his eye, turning on its night vision mode as he stuck his head into the dark interior of the bag. He started to look around, but he was too slow, as he suddenly felt the bag rumble from some movement.

“What the–?!” Orion exclaimed as he looked up and gasped.

The giant had finished his meal and had moved to pick up the bag as he fed some fruit to the nearby animals. The motion from the bag was so sudden that Orion found himself falling inside the bag itself. He landed inside with a heavy thud and groaned before realizing immediately what was going on. He would have tried to climb back out, but upon feeling the bag he was in be picked up as the Giant began to move again, he realized he was stuck.

“Well…this might not be a bad thing…” Orion mumbled to himself. “If this guy takes me to his home, I might find the motherload of payloads. If I find a treasure trove of materials or at least can prove it exists here, I can finally safely get the hell off this dung hill of a world.”

Orion brought his scope back up and looked around the inside of the bag, sighing once more as he put the scope away. 

“Nothing in here aside from a few tools and other knick-knacks I can’t identify. Perhaps things unique to this planet?” He tried to think, but the constant motion of the bag stopped him from doing so efficiently. “Damn it… I hope he hurries up and gets to his destination soon.”

The giant didn’t. The long trip just continued on and on and on. Orion had no idea what was happening outside the bag he was in, but he imagined the giant might be doing more hunting, foraging, or some general errands. Orion could only sigh as he sat down and waited for it all to be over. Even if he was stuck in a bag, with not even a single beam of light to allow him to see an inch away from his face, Orion found that he wasn’t uncomfortable. 

As he sat in the dark bag being carried here and there by the clueless giant, Orion found that he had time to once again think about his strange new life that he couldn't care less about. What was he going to do once he managed to escape this world of giants? Orion didn’t have a clue. 

He knew he would have to go back to Vegeta at first. Despite Orion’s grievances with the planet he gained during his very short stay there, Orion knew he had nowhere else to go. He had no idea where any other safe planets for him to live on might be, and that’s not to mention how he had no idea if there was an Earth in this strange new universe. 

There was nowhere to go but Vegeta unless he wanted to try his hand at sending his pod in a random direction in space. He had no coordinates, and he was stuck in an infant’s body. Even with his matured, adult mind still with him, that wouldn’t prevent him from dying during space travel for who knows how long, or from any other dangers he might come across if he decided to try his hand at exploring space for a new home.

So, with no other choice, Vegeta was his only plausible destination to continue surviving. Despite Orion’s grievances with the Saiyan planet, he didn’t exactly hate it. He might find disdain for their practices in regards to weaklings like him, but he couldn’t help but imagine what returning to the planet, successful in his task and in such a short amount of time, might be like. Orion liked to imagine the dumbstruck and shocked faces of those same brutes who shipped him off like trash. The mental image always got him to laugh.

He then began to think about what life might be like on Vegeta. Would it be enjoyable if he returned? Orion doubted it, but he still saw a potential chance to live a comfortable life if he could prove himself to those Spartan alien people. Perhaps, if he showed he was useful to them, they wouldn’t throw him away again. Perhaps he might even be respected and held in high regard. Was that too unbelievable a thought? Maybe, but it was the only hope Orion had at this point. 

He had no idea what might happen if that very hope ended up betraying him.

But more than thinking of his potential future on Vegeta, Orion found himself thinking about those Saiyans who were now technically his parents. Bardock and…Gine, if he recalled their names correctly. He had no idea how he should feel about them. He felt as though he should hate them for allowing him to be shipped off the planet and sent to a death trap of a planet. But on the other hand…Orion found himself imagining what life with them might be like.

Orion still had memories of his old life. He still recalled how lonely life was as an orphan living in the foster system. He never truly belonged with anyone, and it only got worse as he got older. He never had a mother or a father. He never knew a parent’s love or warmth. So Orion wondered if he would be able to feel that warmth on Vegeta if he managed to reunite with those Saiyan parents of his.

Orion then paused as he realized just where his thoughts had gone, and he forced out a morbid laugh of self-depreciation. What was he thinking? He might be in the body of a toddler, but he was a full-grown adult. Why was he hoping for parents now? Was he so desperate to be accepted that he would take heartless aliens who sent their young off to conquer worlds before they could walk as his parents? 

Not like he would ever gain acceptance from those battle-obsessed warriors. Orion was pathetically weak physically. Not from a lack of trying, mind you. He’s spent months on this cursed planet where every day is a fight for survival. Orion had to train in order not to die. He was never one to focus too heavily on physical fitness, but necessity changes one’s perspective. Yet even now, after building up his stamina and strength as best he could in order to fight off beasts, he was still weak. He had checked himself with the scout scope he had, yet he was still ranked with a power level of zero. No matter how hard he trained or how much he trained, that number never increased.

Utterly worthless, no matter how hard he tried.

So, to make up for his lack of strength, Orion did his best to stay smarter than the forces trying to kill him. He made traps and tools, and he constantly strategized in order to stay alive. If any human were to see the things he had done to survive, they would applaud him.

But not the Saiyans. Orion was sure they would think him weak. They would see him as trash.

Orion frowned as he did his best to push those thoughts aside, but no matter how hard he tried, the dark thoughts continued to plague his mind. 

He truly was hopeless…

Orion did his best not to think for the rest of the trip, a trip that took an hour and a half to end. Orion had fallen asleep as he waited, only to be woken up with a start when the bag was roughly dropped onto some hard surface. He nearly shouted by being woken up in such a way, but he immediately remembered what was going on and stood up in a hurry. He listened closely to determine what was happening outside of the bag, and after hearing nothing, Orion figured it was safe to leave.

Taking out the make-shift knife he had made by sharpening out of a twig, he cut a hole in the bag just big enough to peer out through. Orion didn’t know what he was expecting, but he knew he did not expect to see the inside of a cozy log cabin. Orion had to blink a few times and rub his eyes to make sure he was seeing things correctly. 

Yep. He was in a log cabin.

Orion could only groan as he made the hole he tore bigger in order to step out of the bag. As he exited the bag and began to look around, Orion could only think of one thing.

“It’s just like every stereotypical log cabin I’ve ever seen…” Orion sighed as he looked around. “Unbelievable. Of all the people I could have hitched a ride with, I chose the hermit living alone in the forest. Of course…”

Orion could only face palm. This was fine, he tried to convince himself. This doesn’t mean his plan was destined to fail. Perhaps this hermit still had something valuable in this little home. This journey couldn’t have been pointless. Especially not now, after he left his only way back to his base. He had to find something here, or else he would be forced to live here for the foreseeable future. There was no way he was going to walk all the way back to his base.

With a heavy sigh, Orion readied himself for this arduous task. This would be so much easier if he could fly on his own. Climbing out of the bag he had hid himself in, crawling out of the hole he had made, Orion found himself on top of some kind of table in a kitchen. 

Once again, it was a reminder that he was an ant in a giant’s world. He wasn’t even as big as a coffee mug that sat on the table.

That was how Orion’s exploration began, with him sliding down the table’s leg to make it to the ground. From there, he slowly trekked through the cabin. He really should have brought Eatle with him. That way, he could have flown around, but there wasn’t anything the Saiyan boy could do about it now. 

In truth, it was a little exciting. All he was doing was moving around a small cabin that was super-sized to the point of feeling like a massive labyrinth. Orion, despite the horrors this planet had brought him, always enjoyed hiking and feeling like an adventurer in a new world. It was unnerving, being in a place so familiar and yet so alien to him, but all the same, he felt like he was the first to explore this new frontier.

If it had been safer and easier to explore, it would have been much better than living life as a worker in a paper company.

…That was what he did in his past life, right? So much had happened since then that he hadn’t really thought much about his old life. Honestly, it was already starting to get a little vague, but Orion didn’t pay it much mind when he was so focused on living and not dying.

Eventually, hours had passed, yet Orion had only covered not even a fourth of the kitchen. His efforts weren’t helped by the massive, mountain-sized furniture that he couldn’t properly climb. Also, he was forced to stay away from some areas when he spotted a few insects. Namely, some ants, termites, and, horrifyingly, cockroaches. Orion, for safety and sanity, decided he was better off looking elsewhere for any precious materials.

That’s how he found himself in what had to be the cabin’s living room.  There was only one other room attached to the living room, so Orion figured that must have been the giant’s bedroom. That was going to be the last place Orion was going to check out.

Still, not that it mattered. Orion’s exploration of the house was proving to be fruitless. He was never going to find anything if he was stuck on the ground like this. 

Once again, Orion found himself lamenting his weak body that prevented him from flying. Just what was wrong with him and his body?

“This is pointless…” Orion groaned as he sat down after what must have been hours of just walking around, yet not going anywhere. With how small he was, all he had managed to cover was what would have been just a couple of feet if he were the giant’s size. “I’m gonna have to set up camp here if I stay here any longer.”

It was getting dark, from what Orion could tell by looking out a nearby window. He could just barely make out the setting sun turning the sky red from where he was underneath a stool. Orion was also getting hungry, but when he was so far away from his base, there was no way he could make it back before it was too dark to travel. Not that it would matter, since Orion had no idea what direction his base even was anymore.

“Was this a mistake? Did I just doom myself by coming here?” Orion wondered as he looked up, his gaze only meeting the ceiling instead of the open sky he had become so used to. “Figures. Nothing I do matters in the end.”

Defeated, Orion was ready to lie down and try to sleep his worries away, but that’s when the elephant in the room made itself known. 

More specifically, the giant who lived in this cabin came out of his room.

Orion nearly jumped in fright as the giant stomped out of his room, causing the ground to shake with each step. Orion moved farther away from the giant as the massive alien man made his way to the couch, sat himself down, and set down an empty mug onto a nearby small table before letting out a small sigh as he closed his eyes.

Orion stayed still, following Jurassic Park logic in the event the giant opened his eyes and spotted the tiny invader in his home. That didn’t happen. The giant just…let his body relax and lose some tension for a little while. Just when Orion, from his spot underneath a drawer, was realizing he wasn’t in any danger of being spotted, that’s when the giant opened his eyes, but not to spot Orion.

Instead, the giant took something out of his pocket. A photo. The giant stared at it for a few minutes (it felt like hours) before letting out a deep, echoing sigh, one Orion knew all too well. It was a resigned sigh of total defeat. One that was only barely holding back a wave of tears. The same kind of sighs Orion had let out during his time on this awful planet. 

The giant set down the photo on the table before picking up his mug and moving into the kitchen. If Orion was asked about this later in life, he wouldn’t be able to answer why, but something about this scene pulled at something in him. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, Orion made his way to the photo. After lots of walking and scaling the small coffee table the picture was on, Orion crept across the glass tabletop before peering over at the picture.

It was of the giant, of course, but there was someone else with him in the photo. Another giant. A woman. They looked happy.

Oh. 

Orion suddenly felt as though he was intruding. He could imagine why this picture brought out such a weary noise from the giant, and Orion felt like it was best to leave sleeping beasts lie, so he made a move to get back to a hiding spot, but before he could, the giant returned with a mug full of tea.

The giant immediately spotted the tiny child on his coffee table, and he froze mid-step, just as Orion did. Their eyes met, and Orion felt a pit form in his stomach. Without waiting another second, Orion darted, leaping off the table and landing on the carpeted ground with a roll before darting underneath the couch. That seemed to snap the giant out of his shock as he hurried over to where Orion had hidden, making strange, alien noises that must have been the language of his people, not that Orion could understand it.

Orion didn’t care. He was now safe underneath the couch, at least he would be until the giant picked it up if the alien was so inclined. Orion’s heart thumped in his ears as his breathing became ragged. Fear grasped his heart and mind as he heard the giant still bumbling out something in that strange language, but Orion just kept scooting back away from the noise, going further and further underneath the couch.

Eventually, the giant gave up talking and walked away. Orion didn’t move, though. No way was he gonna risk going out and getting stepped on like an ant now that the giant was aware he existed.

That was…until the giant came back and put down a small napkin with a tiny bit of cheese and meat. Small enough that it would be what a person gave to feed a small mouse. Immediately, Orion’s stomach growled loudly when he saw the napkin and realized what was on it.

No! He was stronger than this. He would not be lured out by some cheap trick like this!

Gggggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrllllllllll…

…He would not fall for this trick, not even if his stomach begged him to grab the first real food that wasn’t fruit or plants he had seen in his lifetime. Finally, something that wasn’t sweet fruits, dried fruits, cooked fruits, or, worse yet, cooked bugs.

Yet Orion remained steadfast. He did not budge. Eventually, Orion heard the giant move again. The thumps of his footsteps moved farther and farther away. Only then did Orion feel it was safe to grab the food. He moved to the crack of the couch, peeked his head out to check his surroundings, and, once he was sure the giant wasn’t there, snatched the food and ducked back under the couch.

You don’t know bliss until you’re forced to survive off of bugs for months and then finally get real meat and cheese to devour.

Thus began a very strange relationship between Orion and the giant. Orion always tried to avoid the giant, ducking into a tight space whenever he caught sight of the alien as he continued to search the cabin for anything of value. And every time the giant spotted Orion, he would leave before coming back and leaving some food for him to take.

This continued for days before Orion no longer felt terrified of the giant. It was strange. This was the first time he had really been shown kindness in this new life of his.

It was…nice, and eventually, Orion wasn’t scared anymore.

Well, he wasn’t as scared. The threat of being stepped on like a bug was still there in his head.

Which is how Orion found himself today. He had searched most of the cabin by now. In all the areas he could get to, he found nothing of value. He had wasted all this time, and he had found nothing.

“At least I got some real food here.” Orion sighed as he sat down at what had become his new base. 

It wasn’t much, just being a little tent made from some toothpicks and a napkin and some other small pieces of fabric, metal, and wood to act as seats and bedding set up underneath the couch, but it worked well enough. He could do without the dust bunnies everywhere, though.

That’s when Orion heard the cabin door opening. The giant had returned from his recent hunt, it seemed. Standing up, Orion made his way to the crack and looked as the giant entered the cabin with a large, skinned goose in hand. Looks like Orion would be tasting a new flavor of poultry if the giant spared him a bite, which he usually did.

Orion nodded to himself as he turned to head back to his base, ready to plan his next move and whether he should keep searching the cabin for some kind of valuable he could take or find a way to leave, but that’s when he saw it. Something sparkling on the giant’s hand. Orion had never noticed it before, as he had tried to avoid the giant all this time, but the sun hit just right, allowing Orion to see something that made him pull out his scope to get a better look, and when he did, his jaw dropped.

The giant had been wearing a ring this whole time, and on that ring was a gem the size of half of Orion’s body, and Orion knew what that gem was. Looking at it gleam with the light from outside caused Orion’s mind to return to those first few days after he landed on this planet. He had opened up his infiltration pod to look at its internal mechanisms, and he had seen that same kind of gem inside the pod.

It was Graviton Ore, the same stuff that let Saiyan pods fly without the use of any typical kind of engines or motors.

Orion’s heart soared and dropped all at the same time. His ticket off this planet was there, all this time. It was now in his grasp! Once he got his hands on it, he could fly off this planet and finally go back to living comfortably on a planet where everything wasn’t supersized!

But he had to steal the gem from the giant’s ring in order for that to happen.

Orion felt dread at the situation. One wrong move, and he would be toast. The giant would probably not like the fact that Orion was trying to steal that gem off his ring. Memories of that photo he saw the giant sighing over gave Orion that impression. Still, it was either leaving the giant alone and staying here potentially forever, or taking that gem and going back to Saiyan society.

Orion’s answer was clear.

So, he waited until it was dark and the giant had gone to sleep. Only then did Orion begin his trek into the giant’s room. Orion was starting to feel a little sick. The giant, as usual, had left him some dinner before this, and Orion had eaten it gladly, despite knowing what he was going to do hours later. Did this make Orion a terrible person? It was all a matter of survival, and what did the ring really mean to the giant when Orion’s life was on the line?

Orion kept that thought process in his head as he ignored the thoughts of what would happen after he returned to Vegeta with proof that this planet was worth plundering. Orion was innocent in all this. He wasn’t at fault at all! This was the Saiyan’s fault, and Orion was just doing what he could to return to a safer planet where things were more normal than this place.

Orion kept pushing himself forward with those thoughts as he climbed up the room’s curtains, climbing his way up enough before jumping off, landing on a nearby bedstand. There the giant was, on the bed, sleeping peacefully. Orion could see the hand of the giant, the ring was still on, even as he slept. Taking a running start, Orion jumped onto the bed, landing safely and without waking the giant. After taking a steady breath, Orion moved towards the ring. The giant’s hand was resting on the bed, so it was easily within the Saiyan boy’s reach.

Orion’s thoughts were blurring together, all his focus on the ring now as he moved ahead. It was there, right in front of him! His freedom! He just had to break the stupid thing off the ring. So Orion pried, pulled, and did all he could to free the gem from its metal prison in the ring. Orion didn’t have any tools that could help him with the task, so it was all a matter of determination, finding leverage, and pulling at just the right spot to pop it out. And of course, there was a time limit, as he had to do this before the giant woke up.

Orion kept pulling, and prodigy, and praying that the ore would come out, but it was no use. It was firmly stuck in place. Orion started to get more panicked as he began to struggle with it harder. Still no good. Orion had to hold back screams as he kept at it, but it remained stuck in the ring.

Eventually, at his wits’ end, Orion just pulled the ring off the giant’s finger, content with taking the whole ring if he had to. It took a while, but eventually, the ring slid off the giant’s fat finger, causing Orion to stumble back before falling over with the ring on top of him. Orion looked down at the gem and smiled before letting out a laugh, but the joyous noise and the rough handling of the ring were enough to stir the giant.

The giant moved his hand to his face with a half-asleep grumble, but then, despite his daze, he noticed something was wrong. Something was missing from his hand. That’s when his dark eyes opened just a bit as he stared at his now ringless finger. Orion could see the gears beginning to turn in the giant’s head, and fear once again engulfed Orion.

He had to hide.

Without waiting, Orion jumped off the edge of the bed, latched onto the bed sheets that hung over the bed, and slid down to the ground, ducking under the bed as soon as his feet hit something solid. Orion scurried to the middle of the area under the bed as the giant finally processed his ring was missing, causing the alien to fly into an angry panic as he jumped out of his bed, causing the entire floor to quake.

The giant started to scream as his heavy stomps shook the ground, as Orion clutched the ring, or rather the ore, to his chest, his breathing speeding up by the second. 

“I-I need to do something…” Orion managed to spit something out as his panicked brain started to work again.

Orion managed to break a hand away from his tight grip on the ring, plunging it into a pocket in his uniform. Despite his shaking hand, Orion managed to pull out a little remote that he always kept on his person. It was the remote that would call his pod to his location, and thankfully for Orion, he had modified his pod so it would move at a fucking snail’s pace. He had already almost been fucked by that when a particularly nasty horde of hornets spotted him in their territory and chased him. He had to wait hours, taking shelter from the horde until his pod finally came and offered him salvation. After that, Orion immediately found the time to tinker with the pod to make it arrive much faster than before.

Of course, it usually created a massive crater when it arrived since it wouldn’t slow down until it hit solid ground, but at least in this case, it might at least serve as a way to disorient the giant and give Orion the opening he needs to rush for the pod after it lands.

That’s what Orion hoped for, anyway, as he hurriedly pressed the remote’s call button. He just had to wait now. At least he was safe under the bed.

“GRAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”

At least he was until the giant looked under the bed and saw Orion there, holding his stolen ring. The wraithful scream the giant let out at that moment nearly blew out Orion’s eardrums as the giant lifted up his entire bed and flipped it over onto its side, leaving Orion exposed.

Orion paled as he quickly darted away as fast as he could, but with how small he was, it only took a few steps for the giant to catch up to him. The giant slammed his hand down, either trying to squish the Saiyan or grab him, but Orion managed to somehow jump out of the way as the massive hand impacted the ground. But he was only able to do that once, as the hand’s impact made Orion's landing unsteady, causing him to tumble. The giant swiftly moved his other hand and grabbed Orion before he could get up, ripping the ring away from the small boy. Orion let out a pained gasp as the giant's tight grip wrapped around him, and the giant picked him up and held him in front of him.

Orion managed to catch the giant’s expression despite the pain. The giant’s eyes were wide with anger, shock, and betrayal. Orion almost wanted to laugh at how dumbfounded and even offended the giant looked. Too bad his ribs were too busy being squeezed for that to happen. 

Eventually, the giant’s deep growl showed that the alien had finally decided what to do with the freeloader who decided to steal from him. His grip tightened slowly, not even allowing Orion the privilege to yell out in pain. Orion’s squirming only seemed to anger the giant more.

So he tightened his grip. More, and more, and more, and more, and—

BANG!!!

SMSK!!!!

Until something happened. Something smacked in the giant’s head after a loud sound, and a following shockwave knocked Orion out of the now-surprisingly-loosened grip of the giant’s hand. Orion flew backwards, landing roughly on the ground after tumbling a few times. Orion groaned as he held his ribs tenderly. 

“What the hell was that?” Orion mumbled out as he staggered back to his feet. Holding his now aching head, Orion looked up.

He paled at what he saw.

The giant, who had been so angry before, now slumped against the wall, a small hole in the side of his head that leaked a stream of crimson liquid, his eyes now dull and lifeless as he sat there unmoving.

Orion suddenly felt sick as he paled. Turning his head, he saw the weapon that had done the giant in.

The Saiyan pod, which he had called, flew at high speeds until bursting into the cabin and piercing the giant’s head, which had been in its path. Now it sat there, a few meters away from the fallen giant, in a large crater—the source of the shockwave that knocked Orion into the air out of the fresh corpse’s grasp.

Orion might have been an adult in a child’s body, but in neither of his lives had he seen a dead body in person. Added to that the fact that his consciousness still was within that of a child’s, it was only natural that Orion lost his lunch as he hunched over and hurled. Bile shot up from his stomach as his pale shock turned sickly green. It surged out of his mouth with a foul tremble of his body.

Orion had just killed someone. He had killed someone who had been alive moments ago. Someone who had fed him for the past few days out of the kindness of his heart. And here Orion was, having stolen and killed that kind soul.

“It’s not my fault.” Orion suddenly muttered as he stared down at the sickness that coated the ground beneath him now. “It’s not my fault! I didn’t ask for this! I just wanted to survive! Is that so wrong? It was his fault for standing there! It was his fault for grabbing me like that! I’m…I’m allowed to survive!”

No one answered Orion or argued with his justifications. Who was there to even argue? The only other person here was slumped over the wall over there, now unable to even let out a grunt.

Orion was alone again, and the thought made him even more sick now for some reason.

“...Move,” Orion muttered to himself as he slowly got back to his feet and started staggering towards the pod. “Move…and survive.”

That’s right. That’s all that mattered now. He just needed to live. Once he got off this planet, his life would get better. He would never be forced into a situation like this again. Things would only get better now.

It had to.

Orion made his way to the pod, picking up that stupid ring with the stupid ore in it on the way. Upon stepping next to the pod, which was now slightly dented in some areas and covered in blood, Orion lifted the ring and slammed the trapped ore against the pod’s indestructible side. The ore snapped off immediately, only leaving another dent in the pod as the ore fell to the ground. Orion tossed the ring away as he lifted the undamaged ore up. He stared at the stupid rock for what felt like hours before he lifted the pod’s remote, opened the pod’s door, and got in.

As he started the pod’s return program, Orion stuffed the large, head-sized ore into his spider-silk bag. He leaned back into the pod’s chair as he flew off, set to return to Planet Vegeta.

After all this time on Monmassu, Orion only had one thought left before he entered deep sleep for space travel:

I hate this world.

Chapter Text

“Captain’s log: Day 414. Everything is as it should be. Nothing out of the usual today. Things appear to be clear outside for now. No asteroids or meteor showers. Should be smooth sailing. Once again, I decided to check all the supplies on the ship. All of the shipments of scouters that we took kept on the ship are still deactivated and disconnected from the Frieza Force network, and I’ve taken apart a few more models to fix the Silver Armor, though progress is slow due to the lack of proper materials on board.”

“Additionally, our food and water supplies are finally dwindling down to a worrying level. We had plenty of resources when we first flew off of Vegeta, but I suppose it’s only natural that we’d finally start to run out over a year after our departure. We’ll probably have to make our first pitstop on this little journey of ours, something Paragus and I have been hoping to avoid if we could. We’ll have to pray that a planet not controlled or watched by the Frieza Force that can provide us with our needs is nearby. If anyone from the force spots us, we’ll be in deep shit.”

“Aside from our soon-to-be supply problem, things have been quiet. Paragus has taken to helping Broly with more mental-based exercises since there isn’t any space to do any physical training aside from basic stretches and exercises like push-ups or sit-ups. Frankly, that’s probably the best thing Paragus could do for Broly. The stronger Broly’s mind becomes, the easier it will be for the kid to rein in his wild ki. Speaking of which, Broly’s armor is still perfectly functional. With Broly not battling, it hasn’t needed to drain him of his energy during the trip, something I am extremely grateful for. If we had to stop every time Broly needed to unibeam his stored energy out before it overloaded his armor, this trip would have been much more unbearable.”

“What else… Lemo seems to have relaxed just a smidge, I suppose, though, it’d be more accurate to say that he’s just become more resigned to his fate. He doesn’t really speak to anyone, and he always stays in the cockpit of the ship, piloting. The only time he seems willing to let anyone else take the helm is whenever he’s ready to drop from exhaustion. Even then, he only lets me pilot, and it’s clear he’s doing it unwillingly. He probably doesn’t trust us not to dump him on some random planet and fly off with his ship. I’m sure Paragus thought about it maybe once or twice near the start. Still, Lemo’s a good pilot. Does good work and doesn’t question my directions. He even has a few interesting tips and tricks he seems to have hiding up his sleeve, but he’s good and keeping those cards close to his chest and all that.”

“Speaking of directions, we’re still no closer to Earth. We’re still out in the middle of space-nowhere. That holomap I took has been useful, but we haven’t found any hint of Earth or even a non-Frieza Force planet. It’s made traveling harder for me, truthfully. I still find myself wondering if Earth even exists in this reality. I think at this point, I’d just take some nice, peaceful planet just to be finished with this endless road trip. But…a part of me still yearns for home, I suppose. Paragus doesn’t seem satisfied either. He’s right there beside me whenever we scan over the map in search of a decent planet for himself and his son, and he hasn’t found anything he finds good either. At this rate, we’ll have traveled the entire galaxy and still not find a home for either of us, but there’s not much we can do but keep on keeping on.”

“Well, that’s it for today, I guess. I think the plan will be to either keep cruising like this for the rest of today or find a planet where we can resupply ourselves. I’ll add an addendum if something of note happens. End log.”

Orion let out a sigh as he clicked a button on the side of his visor before taking it off his head. He leaned back against the small stack of boxes he had been using as a make-shift chair, lying his back down on top of the boxes as he took a deep breath in and let it out after holding it for a minute.

Over a year had already passed since the start of this journey, but it feels like it’s been longer. Did cabin fever exist if you’re stuck in a small space cruiser for a year? Probably. Orion had never been claustrophobic before, but he had noticed himself fidgeting more and more the longer he stayed in this same, small space. Paragus seems entirely unaffected, military man that he is, and his son seems to just simply be immune to such things with how he’s able to entertain himself with even the smallest things. And Lemo…well, he’s never comfortable being around Saiyans, not that Orion can blame him.

But that’s not really why Orion was here in the back of the ship with all the useless scouters. Orion narrowed his eyes as he sat back up, turning his head to the far corner of the room. There, lying in a messy heap, was his armor. The Silver Armor, MK I. He had worn it the day they flew off as a precaution. He was worried the king would go back on his word and chase them down, and that Orion would be forced to fight in order to guarantee their escape. That never happened, so after the gang flew off far enough, Orion tore off the blasted thing and threw it over to that corner. He hasn’t touched it since aside from the basic maintenance he did with the scrap metal he got from breaking apart the spare scouters.

What had been Orion’s pride and joy was now a twisted, ugly thing Orion couldn’t even bring himself to look at. That armor nearly turned him into the very thing he hated. What had been his salvation also served as a damning reminder of that fact. It sickened Orion whenever he looked at it.

Yet Orion couldn’t toss it out into the vacuum of space. He was done fighting, and now that he was off of Planet Vegeta, he would never have to fight again. He knew that, but the paranoia that a dangerous foe appearing out of nowhere like King Vegeta or even Frieza kept Orion’s hands at bay, preventing him from ridding himself of this grim reminder of his past obsession with power. Orion himself was still powerless. He was still stuck with his useless body that needed the armor in order for him to do anything of worth. For that reason and that reason only did he keep the armor. But even then, he prayed he would never have to use it again.

He had been excited to see just how far he could push the technology before the blood match in the coliseum. Orion had wanted to see just how strong he could become, but not anymore. Orion couldn’t even imagine a world where he designed a MK II with how that first battle with MK I went.

Orion could still remember the prince’s broken body trapped underneath his heel.

Orion shook his head. He couldn’t keep doing this to himself, trapping his mind in an endless haze of self-loathing. Everything he had done up until this point, whether cruel or fueled by obsession, was to help him survive this cruel world he was stuck in. That was undeniably the truth. He may have lost himself in that desire for survival, and he may have been led astray by his desire for power, too. Even so, all he wanted right now was to survive. He’d come too far to simply give up.

Despite everything, Orion was still himself. So he would continue moving forward, for better or worse.

“Orion. Come to the cockpit. We’ve come across something interesting.” Paragus’s static-filled voice echoed out of the ship’s intercom. Orion groaned as he pushed himself off the boxes and stretched.

“Welp, time to get back to work,” Orion grumbled in a toneless voice as he headed to the front of the ship.

Entering the cockpit, Orion noticed all three of his shipmates were already there. Broly was off to the side, fiddling with the green scouter Paragus had given him. Even after all this time, Broly still had a hard time figuring out how to use it to its fullest. Orion had tried to help him understand, but Broly just wasn’t one to grasp more technological things. Thank goodness Orion didn’t try to have Broly do anything programming or engineering back when all of them were finishing up the Silver Armor.

Paragus and Lemo were in the pilots’ seats, looking over the holomap as Orion approached. Paragus stole a glance at the Silver Saiyan, giving the nine-year-old a nod as he turned his attention back to the map.

“What’s up?” Orion asked.

“We think we found a planet we can stock up on supplies,” Lemo answered curtly as he gestured to a lone planet on the holomap. “See this? This is Imecka. From what the map says, it’s a merchant planet that’s outside the influence of the Friza Force. Total neutral ground.”

“Really? About time we came across a neutral planet.” Orion mumbled before turning to the colonel. “How accurate is the map’s data?”

“I’m not sure. This Imecka is far outside the Saiyan’s territory of interest, and I don’t think the Frieza Force ever sent anyone there for any reason, Saiyan or otherwise. Perhaps they simply don’t care enough to do so, what with it being a lowly merchant planet of all things, or perhaps the information is outdated.” Paragus answered.

“I see. Strange to see a planet that the Force doesn’t have an interest in, but I guess there are bigger fish to fry for them.” Orion hummed thoughtfully. “Sounds good to me. When will we be landing?”

“The planet is about thirty minutes away. We’ll land as soon as we’re there.” Lemo replied.

“Perfect. I’ll make a list of everything we’ll need and then plan out our budget.” Orion nodded.

“Budget? Why would we need to buy our supplies when we could simply take them?” Paragus questioned.

Orion blinked a few times, dumbfounded by that statement, but then he realized who had said it. Right. The Saiyan who was used to acting more like a pirate than a customer.

“No, we will not be ravaging the locals,” Orion growled out as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Do you have any idea what kinds of problems that will create for us, Colonel? There are only four of us! If these merchants are at all armed, we’d be in a hell of a lot of trouble. Broly is just a child, my armor is still damaged from my fight with the prince, you're getting up there in age, and Lemo is a noncombantent with about as much muscle as a twig! No offense, Lemo.”

“None taken.” Lemo huffed as he clenched his hands against the steering wheel.

“What difference does it matter? We are still Saiyans. We can easily overpower them even with their numbers and our disadvantages.” Paragus pointed out.

“You sure about that? Because from my experience, even the strongest can be overpowered, no matter how unlikely it is.” Orion pointed out, gesturing to himself as he spoke. 

“Besides, we’re not with the other Saiyans or Frieza Force anymore. Don’t you think we should try not to be like them? People are already not going to be fond of us the moment they spot our tails and figure out what we are. Do you really think it’d be beneficial for us to terrorize and steal from these people? Sure, we might get our supplies for free this time around, but what about the next? Or the next? Merchants tend to have a lot of connections, and we could get ourselves blacklisted from every other merchant planet if we pillage this one. That’d mean us having to fight off hordes of enemies whenever we needed to stock up on things. I’d rather not go through that every single time. Also, is that how you’re planning on living once you get to the planet you and your son will stay on? I’m sure the other inhabitants would kick you off world the moment you tried. It’s best we do things the right way from now on. It’s only logical.”

Paragus narrowed his eyes at the young Saiyan after Orion finished saying his piece. After a minute of staring at the Silver Saiyan, Paragus seemed to find whatever it was he had been looking for, turning away with a small smile.

“Indeed. You make several good points. Very well. We should do this your way. Do take care to make sure you have a proper list of supplies by the time we land.” Paragus nodded as he returned his attention to the front of the ship.

Orion tilted his head before his mouth dropped a little in offended shock. Had the colonel been testing Orion? The thought alone was enough to infuriate Orion. As if Orion needed to be tested on something like that! He hadn’t been a colonel in an army of pillagers! 

Orion just sighed as he walked back to the supply room. He had a list and a budget to make. Paragus could do whatever he wanted as long as he didn’t mess anything up for Orion.

Orion would make it to Earth or some equivalent, or he’d die trying.

Just as Lemo said, about thirty minutes later, the planet was in sight, and the crew was preparing for landing. Orion once again found himself staring at his armor for what was probably far too long. His eyes were narrowed as his crossed arms were clenched tightly.

Should he…?

“...No.” Orion shook his head. “It’s not needed. It’s not Monmaasu or Vegeta. It’s just a simple merchant planet. What could go wrong?”

Orion ignored the flag he had just raised as he moved over to the disassembled armor and, instead of putting it on, he simply took two of the blasters that were typically attached to the wrist plates with dozens of other blasters. He equipped the guns and took a look at himself. Just a simple black full-body Saiyan jumpsuit typically made to be worn underneath normal armor. Aside from that and the white Saiyan gloves and boots, all Orion wore was an old, worn, white vest that used to be Lemo’s, but the orange alien already had several others, so he lent the older, worn-out one to the similarly-sized Orion. None of Orion’s outfit was quite his style, but it would have to do unless he wanted to suit up in a tin can that he almost used to murder a child.

So that wasn’t an option, not that it was needed.

It also didn’t seem to be the wisest choice, either, because after arming himself and moving back to the cockpit to watch the landing, Orion and the others, upon breaking through Imecka’s atmosphere, found only desert. Reddish-orange sand as far as the eye could see. Orion felt his eye twitch as he looked back down at his black jumpsuit. The only thing he had to wear aside from a metal suit of armor. Right before they were to land on a planet that was apparently mostly desert.

Shit…

Landing in an open area a far distance away from the main city was smooth enough, thankfully, and once the landing was done, everyone got out of the ship, only to be hit with a wave of blistering heat. Orion could already feel himself covered in sweat, and his tail’s hairs were starting to fester from the heat.

“Desert planets… We just had to land on one first before anything else…” Orion hissed as he pulled at his jumpsuit. “Couldn’t be a cool snow planet or a lovely valley planet. Heck, I would have taken a forest planet or an ocean planet, but NOOOOOO! It had to be a hot DESERT planet!”

“Quit complaining, Orion. The heat is far from the worst thing we could have experienced.” Paragus pointed out, looking completely unfazed by the heat. Broly, too, actually. The only one who seemed just as bothered by the heat was Lemo, who already looked just as thirsty as Orion felt.

“How the hell are you unaffected by any of this?” Orion couldn’t help but ask as he moved off the ship and straight under the hot sun of the merchant planet, his body regretting every step he took. 

Paragus raised an eyebrow at the question, but sudden understanding came to him as he let out a small ‘ah’ and turned away from the Silver Saiyan. “It’s a byproduct of our ki. You probably know this, but ki can act as a small shield for its user. This can not only help defend the user from attacks, but also temperatures to a degree. The stronger the ki output, the stronger the temperature resistance.”

“So that means…” Orion blinked a few times before it clicked in his head. “FUCK!!!” 

“Language, kid!” Lemo shouted as he covered Broly’s ears just in time, the poor Saiyan boy looking mighty confused as a result.

“Are you telling me I’m suffering like this just because my body is useless!?” Orion screamed before grabbing a handful of his mixed-colored hair angrily. “Damn it, I hate this stupid body!”

“You’ll manage.” Paragus rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Let’s get a move on. Perhaps we’ll make it to the city before the sun starts to set if you stop complaining and start walking.”

Orion just growled as he stomped after Paragus and the others. At the very least, they didn’t have to walk the entire distance. Paragus and Broly could fly due to their powers, and while Orion’s body was pathetically useless without the Silver Armor, the blasters he used were the models designed to give soldiers with weak natural ki enough of a boost to fly, and with two of the blasters, flying was only slightly harder than it would have been with the armor. The only one who couldn’t fly was Lemo, and while Paragus never offered the poor alien a lift and Broly was too small to do so, Orion was able to pick Lemo up and follow after the colonel and his son, albeit much slower than they were due to the added weight.

After an hour of flying, the group made it to the city, which was much bigger than it looked from afar. For a merchant city on a desert planet in the middle of space-nowhere, Orion had to admit it was a lot busier than he thought it would be. There were tens of thousands of people moving about, and most of them were vendors at their stalls trying to sell their wares. It was like something straight out of the Arabian Nights with how much Orion felt as though he had arrived at a busy bazaar. Of course, unlike bazaars on Earth, these stalls were handled by alien vendors, but Orion had pretty much gotten used to that being the case with most everything in this wacky world, although these aliens certainly looked more alien than Saiyans, much like Lemo.

The others also seemed to be impressed as Broly let out a small gasp of surprise, and Lemo gave an impressed whistle at the scene. Of course, Paragus himself only gave a small hum, but that was pretty much adoring praise from someone like the colonel. Orion, too, was caught enchanted by the various items on display. There were jewels, various exotic foods, numerous fashionable pieces of clothing, and, most eye-catching for the tinkerer, multiple different kinds of metal and pieces of technology, old and new.

Orion might have complicated feelings towards his armor, but he was still a gearhead, and his mind buzzed with the possibilities of what that tech could bring him.

Then again, his impressed wonder at the shops was stalled a little by a few oddities that Orion couldn’t help but notice. Namely, the buildings. The city seemed to be designed as a radial, the buildings lined up together and forming a spiral-like shape, creating neat little spaces for these shops to exist; however, the buildings themselves were strange, as many of them seemed to be made purely of metal.

Why in the world would a city in the desert have houses made of metal? That’s just asking to be cooked alive in your own home, but maybe it was some kind of special metal that kept the inside cool like a fridge, or perhaps this planet had the best air conditioning in the universe. 

Either way, Orion didn’t see much use in thinking too hard on that. They weren’t here to explore. They were here to barter.

“Alright, gang, let’s get started.” Orion smiled as he pulled out his list of needed supplies and their budget. “With our current resources, including our grouped-together pile of credits and any valuable scrap would could bring with us from those scouters we’re hauling, we should have enough to get at least another year’s worth of supplies if that’s all we want. We’ll need food that can last and not make a mess during deep space travel, plenty of liquid, more clothing, I’d say, some materials for the ship for any emergency repairs we might need, some scrap for both my armor and Broly’s, and an update to our holomap if possible. With our budget, it should be possible to get at least the food and water and maybe the ship parts, but anything else, we’ll have to barter. You guys good at talking your way around a shop?”

“I’m not typically one who buys resources,” Paragus stated as he crossed his arms.

“Well, lucky for you lot that I have plenty of experience in places like this,” Lemo smirked proudly. “Just leave it to me. I know what we’ll need for my ship, and I shouldn’t have any trouble getting the parts. In fact, if the old colonel comes with me, that’d be a great help. After all, it’s hard to argue against someone who has a big, strong, Saiyan bodyguard by his side.”

“True enough.” Paragus shrugged. “Thankfully, I’m not so old as to appear feeble yet. As long as I don’t have to speak much, I’ll follow along.”

“That’s fine. Just keep scowling at the seller, and we’ll have bought out an entire store with just a single credit.” Lemo laughed. “Finally, some fun outside of piloting.”

“You seem fired up,” Orion noted.

“What can I say? The last time I was allowed out of the ship, walking around, buying stuff, and the like, was back before Frieze took the reins. I’m not getting any younger, either, so that hasn’t helped things, too.”

“Yeah. I get that…” Orion nodded wearily.

“The hell are you talking about? You’re still just a kid!” Lemo pointed out.

“Right… Kid…” Orion averted his eyes, letting out weak, self-deprecating laughs at that response.

“Geez, kid. When you give us a look like that, you act as though you were actually thirty!” Lemo laughed.

Lemo’s words struck a chord with Orion as he paused and began to stare off into the distance. 

‘...Oh god. It’s nearly been a decade since I was reborn. I would have been in my mid-thirties if I hadn’t gotten hit by that truck!’

Suddenly feeling much older than he currently was, Orion’s body slumped as a sudden dreary mood overtook him.

“It’s fine…I’m still young here. Not like I have to go through puberty again soon. That will be fun, I’m sure.” Orion grumbled quietly as he stared at the ground in utter defeat. “Not like staying my actual age would have helped much. I would have still been weak…and I would have been old enough to start having aches in my body. Will I have to deal with that in this body? Do Saiyans get arthritis? Will my tail?”

“Uh…kid? You doing okay? You’re muttering nonsense to yourself.” Lemo frowned as an ominous dark cloud practically formed over the Silver Saiyan’s head. “Hey! Kid! Snap out of it!”

“Huh? What happened?” Orion snapped his head up, now pulled out of his existential crisis. 

“...You’re a really weird Saiyan, kid. Y’know that, right?” Lemo asked as he gave Orion a strange look.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Orion brushed him off. “You gonna go with your dad, Broly?”

“Hmhm.” Broly nodded. “I wanna taste those purple fruit over there.”

Orion laughed at that. Powerful as he may be, Broly was still just a kid. “Sounds like a plan. Save some for me and the ship, why don’t you? I’ll be focusing on getting clothing, scrap for our armor, and some food and water. Let’s meet up back here after we’re done, and if we have enough time, we’ll fly back to the ship. If not, we’ll stay the night here.”

“A sound plan.” Paragus nodded. “If that’s settled, give us our share of the funds, and we’ll be on our way.”

“You got it, colonel.” Orion smiled as he started digging around his pockets. “Ok. Here ya—”

THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP!

Orion was cut off by the sudden shaking of the ground. There was a distant pounding sound that was getting louder and louder at a rapid rate. Orion blinked as he and the others turned to look further into the city.

What greeted them was, frankly, a horrifying sight.

What must have been hundreds of Imeckians were charging at them, goods in hand and excitement on their faces as they rushed forward like bulls against a matador! Orion let out a small yelp as he took a step back. Meanwhile, Lemo was not quiet with his surprised shriek, and even Paragus had blinked a few times in order to make sure his vision wasn’t failing him. Only Broly spoke as the merchants rushed closer to them.

“Uh oh.”

‘Uh oh’ was right, as the crowd immediately overtook the four guys. Dust surrounded the entire entrance to the street as the merchants jumped around, grabbing at the four, pulling and prodding them in every direction. More vocal shrieks and yells were let out as every part of the men’s bodies was touched by these strangers. Even the stoic Paragus let out yells at this, but he didn’t have a chance to threaten the aliens to stop as he and the others were overwhelmed by the sheer number of Imeckians on them. 

That’s when Orion felt his clothes being pulled at. He was about to snap and fire his blaster in the air, but then his tail was yanked hard. Orion had trained the weakness out of his tail, so he didn’t go limp like other low-class warriors might have, but the sudden feeling of being touched, something he already was not fond of, got a shrill shriek out of the Silver Saiyan, and by that point, it was too late to stop the frisky merchants. 

This horrific and, frankly, mortifying experience lasted only a few minutes, but the entire group felt as though they might be traumatized just from that. When the dust settled and the merchants finally stopped touching them, what they had done had become clear.

Everyone’s outfits had been either completely changed or heavily modified. Paragus was the one who kept most of his uniform, but he now had what looked like a lavender robe around his legs. He also had a long, brown trench coat now, as well as a pink, feathery hat, and for some reason, he had been given a tribal trident of some kind. Most concerning was the large green snake that was wrapped around his neck like a scarf—a snake that seemed far too friendly with Paragus.

Broly kept his armor (thank god), but he now wore a light blue turban on his head that had a long, yellow feather sticking out of the top. He also now looked more like a jester, what with the added puffy sleeves he was given, which were so long that they went past his arms by a foot. They would have touched the ground if Broly weren’t too busy holding a giant basket of fruit that was stacked high enough that it blocked his line of sight. The food also served the purpose of blocking Broly’s face from view, as his face had been ruined by pounds and pounds of nonsensical make-up designs.

Poor, poor Lemo had been dolled up quite nicely. He had been put in a massive, wild, blonde wig that was twice the size of his head. He was given very strangely colored clothes that all had different, strange, and clashing patterns. His white vest was replaced with a deep blue one with fur lining, which, again, clashed with the hot pink shirt, the crimson left sleeve, maroon right sleeve, and the lime green skirt the orange-skinned alien was put in. Also, sparkly gold lipstick and silvery-white eyeliner were not Lemo’s colors. He was more of an autumn anyway.

And Orion…Orion never felt more violated. He had been completely stripped of his outfit and given a brand new one, something that would have made him happy if not for the violent, intrusive way it was forced on him here. At the very least, his was the most practical, even if it looked mashed together like the others’. He now wore much lighter clothing, including loose, baggy, turquoise pants that went to his ankles and strange white desert shoes. He was nearly shirtless, with only a small, black crop top that only covered a fraction of the top of his chest and only wrapped around his left shoulder. The right side of his body, however, was covered by a large violet cape draped over it that reached his knees. While it was much easier to breathe in the hot, desert atmosphere now, the outfit left nothing to the imagination, including all of Orion’s scars. Orion tried to use his cape to cover himself up, but his mortified expression was still very much visible, despite having been wrapped around several feet of tan, brown, and pink scarves.

 “It looks good on you!”

“Magnificent!” 

“You’ll be a real ladies’ man, no doubt about it!”

“Looking fine, doll!”

“I only carry the very finest materials!”

“Yeah…sure you do…”

The merchants continued to talk over themselves as Orion and co. began to snap out of their trance of utter shock. The four all turned to each other as doubt sank into their expressions.

“Wh-What kind of planet is this supposed to be again?” Orion asked.

“A merchant one…” Lemo growled out with a twitching eye.

“Are…all merchants like this?” Paragus couldn’t help but ponder.

“Hmm…! These are nice and sweet!” Broly hummed as he took a big bite out of spotted red fruit, the juices spilling out of his mouth as he chewed.

“U-Umm…!” Orion called out, pushing down his trauma from seeing his scars brought him as he grabbed all the merchant’s attention. “L-Listen! All we need are some traveling supplies! We don’t need all this!”

“Traveling supplies?” One merchant repeated.

“Y-Yeah! Like food, water, ship parts—that stuff!” Lemo shouted.

“Food?!”

“Water!?” 

“Ship parts!?” 

The crowd suddenly got fired up once again as they pushed even closer to the group, shoving their items in their faces as they all shouted over each other.

“How about his one?”

“No! This one!”

“I guarantee this is the best fruit you’ll ever have!”

“I promise this will last longer!

“This is the freshest water on the entire planet!”

“No, it’s not!”

“This is the latest model of hypersonic engines!”

“I’ll sell you one for cheap!”

In no time at all, entire piles of random knick-knacks were piled all around the group. Orion felt sweat on the side of his head as he looked at the ridiculous number of useless items that were here. Hardly any of this was a true necessity. They were all just set dressing.

And then the real kicker came.

“Your total comes to…ten thousand credits!”

“Eleven thousand credits!”

“Five thousand credits!”

“A hundred thousand credits!”

Once again, the merchants began to talk over each other, each one shoving a receipt in front of the group. Each one had far too many zeroes on it. It was so much that Orion thought he was going to throw up from the anxiety of paying any one of these by itself! Lemo made a choking noise when he saw them, and Paragus’s ki cracked violently when he caught a glimpse of it. Broly just kept eating his fifteen hundred thousand balls of fruit with no care.

“And I’m sorry, but we cannot possibly accept any returns.” One of the merchants capped the whole thing off.

“WHAT!?!?” Lemo screamed.

“Y-You…You expect us to pay for all of this? Even when you forced it upon us!?” Paragus gasped out more out of utter confusion than anything else, almost like he still didn’t believe what he heard.

“You’re kidding me! We’re not gonna pay for all this!” Orion shouted.

“You mean you’re gonna take all of our products without paying?” One of the merchants asked.

The moment the question was asked, a dark mood overtook the area as all the merchants glared at the Saiyans and Lemo. Orion actually flinched. They could fight, but they were trying to avoid conflict. With how they acted when they were just trying to sell their stuff, Orion really didn’t want to see what these insane venders were like when they were pissed at you.

‘I really just want to shoot and scatter them away from us to be done with this nonsense.’ Orion thought to himself. ‘But…but…’

He sighed as he moved over to the merchant who held his jumpsuit and yanked it back. “We’ll buy the stuff we actually want. If you have a problem with that—”

Orion then lifted a wrist, which thankfully still had the blaster equipped to it. Ki charged within the gun slowly, making sure Orion’s threat was seen by the merchants. That seemed to do the trick, with the merchants freaked out enough to agree. Orion sighed again as he dug into his jumpsuit’s pockets to pull out—

“...Hm?” Orion blinked a few times as his hand felt nothing. He dug around a little more, only to once again not feel any of the credit containers he had put there. Orion once again paled as his breath stilled. “...gone.” 

“Hm? What’s that, Orion?” Paragus asked.

“It’s gone.” Orion repeated.

“...What’s gone?” Lemo questioned.

“...All the credits,” Orion muttered quickly.

The entire area stilled, and all noise was silenced at that statement. 

“...Please tell me I didn’t hear you say all our credits are gone,” Lemo asked.

“...It’s gone.” Orion repeated in disbelief. Disbelief…which quickly turned to red-hot anger as he spun back around to the merchants who had taken his jumpsuit. “YOU!!! YOU TRY TO RIP US OFF RIGHT AFTER STEALING FROM US!? WHAT KIND OF MERCHANTS ARE YOU!?”

Orion was so angry that he was moments away from throwing away what little restraint and morality he had left and just firing at the crowd until he got his money back. Thankfully, one of the merchants spoke up before Orion could let his impulses control him.

“Ah, you were probably robbed by Cheelai while we were getting you all suited.” The merchant spoke up.

“Cheelai?” Paragus questioned before Orion could yell again.

“A young, green-skinned pickpocket who’s been a thorn in our side for years now. She must have seen you, fresh-faced tourists, and saw you as her next easy mark.” Another merchant explained.

“And she snuck in while you all were crowding around us, so we wouldn’t notice. Clever girl, I’ll give her that.” Lemo grumbled.

“Don’t admire a thief!” Orion screamed, fire in his eyes now. He then turned back to the merchants. “Do you have any idea where she went?”

“Well…I guess it’s true you can’t pay us until you get your credits back…” The merchants hummed as they nodded to each other.

“She usually hangs out around the middle of the city, a little to the south. Frankly, it’s a surprise to see her near the east entrance.” Another answered.

“Mid-south of the city. Got it. Thanks.” Orion nodded, but as he turned to leave—

“So…you all will be paying us once you get your credits back, right?”

Orion paused before turning his head just enough for the gaggle of merchants to see his furious, bloodshot, silver eyes glaring back at them. Even without his armor, a violent purple and black aura was starting to surround the now very Saiyan-like child, and it was enough to scare the merchants away.

“S-Sorry for asking! W-We’ll leave you be! Please forgive us!”

And just like that, the merchants scurried away. Lemo couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. “Hah! I know you wanted to try to be civil with these folk before we landed, but I’d say they deserved that.”

Be that as it may, that didn’t mean the Silver Saiyan was happy about having to resort to using his anger and frightening presence as a Saiyan to solve problems. Orion let out a huff as he tossed away 90% of the scarves wrapped around him, keeping a single tan one while the others cleaned themselves up.

“This outfit will work better here.” Orion groaned in a defeated tone as he shoved his jumpsuit, gloves, and boots into his bag. “Paragus, you and Broly should get an aerial view of things. Try to spot her. Lemo and I will cover the ground.”

“Very well.” Paragus nodded. “Let’s go, Broly.”

“Okay.” Broly nodded, but before he followed his father up into the area, Broly handed Orion a fruit with a small, childish smile before handing the rest of the basket to Lemo, who nearly fell over when it was forced upon him. With that, the quiet Saiyan boy flew off.

“Geez, what am I even supposed to do with all this?” Lemo grumbled as he steadied himself.

Orion stared at the fruit before letting out a tense breath.

“C’mon. We need to find this Cheelai girl.” Orion said as he started a brisk jog.

“H-Hey! No, seriously, how am I supposed to keep up with ya if I gotta carry all this!?” Lemo screamed as he tried to follow after without spilling anything.

Orion ignored the pilot’s complaining as he lifted the strange, alien fruit to his mouth and took a bite. 

“...Strangely sweet.”

“Nyehehehe!” A young, green-skinned girl in a tattered cloak snickered to herself as she skipped across the Imecka streets. “What a buncha suckers.”

Boy, was she glad she decided to check out the entrance when she saw something strange flying over the desert. She knew it had to be Imecka’s latest batch of victims, fresh for the pickings. Heck, they had even gotten caught up in that stampede earlier. What was she supposed to do? Not steal every credit she could get her hands on?

“But man, those guys were loaded,” Cheelai muttered as she took out one of the credit containers. She had never seen so many credits packed into such a thin cylinder before, and the number on the tin… “Man, I hit the jackpot! Nii-shishi! Oh, I can only imagine what I’m gonna be able to do with all of this.”

Finally, things were looking up for the pickpocketing child. 

“There you are!”

At least things were until that silver-stained idiot from before suddenly jumped out of a nearby alley and blocked her path.

“You’re not getting away now!” The monkey-tailed boy shouted fiercely as he pointed at Cheelai, all the while the orange-skinned alien panted heavily behind him while carrying a ridiculous amount of fruit in a large basket.

“That’s what they all say.” Cheelai rolled her eyes as she darted away.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Orion shouted as he quickly flew up into the air.

“H-Hey! Orion!” Lemo shouted as he was left behind once again.

Orion didn’t wait as he got high in the air—high enough to spot where Cheelai was heading. Now more frustrated than anything else, Orion aimed his blasters and charged up two blasts, but neither were aimed at the young girl. Orion fired, and two spiraling ki shots came out of the guns. They flew forward for a bit before the spiraling of the shots caused the blasts to burst, creating dozens of smaller blasts that sped ahead of Cheelai.

Cheelai let out a shriek as the ki blast hit the ground around and in front of her, almost like a fence cutting off her escape routes. It stalled her enough for Orion to land in front of her, arms crossed and a stern glare aimed at the pickpocket.

“How’d you like my Meteor Shower technique?” Orion smirked despite himself. “Heh, starting to get the hang of this spiral nonsense.”

“Woah! That was wicked!” Cheelai admitted. “Just who in the world are you, mister?”

“Someone you really shouldn’t have stolen from,” Orion replied before dashing towards the girl.

Cheelai smirked as she backed away, ducking out of the way of Orion’s attempts to grab her. Orion growled as he kept at it, but Cheelai was as acrobatic and flexible as could be, and with her smaller size, she was much more lithe than he was. She was practically dancing around him. 

“Grrr…! Hold still, damn it!” Orion screamed.

“Now, why would I do that?” Cheelai laughed. 

“You best listen to him, girl.”

“Huh–Oof!” Cheelai made a confused noise from the new voice coming from behind her, but that’s when she bumped into the source of said voice.

Paragus had landed right behind her after having spotted Orion’s signal: his ki attack. So, he simply snuck up on Cheelai, allowing him to now grab her arm with ease, letting him pick her up by the arm. Cheelai yelped as she dangled a few inches above the ground. She tried to struggle out of the colonel’s grasp, but there was no way she was going to overpower someone like Paragus, even with his age.

“I suggest you give up. I’d rather not be forced to harm a child. Return what you have taken from us, and we’ll be on our way.” Paragus told her.

“Good job, Colonel. Glad you saw me.” Orion smiled.

“Yes, though I do hope you tested that move before using it in a crowded space,” Paragus said in a pointed tone.

“I knew what I was doing,” Orion argued as he averted his eyes.

“Unbelievable. My son is more well-behaved than you. I swear, I ought to–Ack!”

Paragus nearly bit off his tongue when a sudden zap of electricity struck his side. As the electricity coursed through his body, this slackened his grasp enough for Cheelai to shimmy out. That’s when they saw that the little thief had a space taser on her!

“Where the hell did you get that!?” Orion screamed as Paragus tried to say something, but was so shocked (literally) to do much else other than fall backwards and spasm a little due to the strong current Cheelai forced him to endure.

“A girl always leaves home with her favorite toys to protect herself.” Cheelai smiled as she tossed small orbs at Orion. They hit the ground, and immediately, giant clouds of smoke burst out.

“W-Wha-cough cough! S-Smoke bombs!?” Orion spat out.

“Sorry, boys, but I gotta bounce. Maybe I’ll hit you all up later to get another ‘investment’ from you.” Cheelai smiled as she started to run, only for something to grab her by the back of her shirt and cloak and pick her up. “Wha—!?”

“Got her.” 

Cheelai looked up, completely stupefied to see Broly of all people peacefully floating there, holding her with just a hand. He didn’t even look at all bothered by anything thus far. He then looked down at the green-skinned girl with that blank look of his. “Can you please give us back our things?”

Welp, game over. All Cheelai could do was groan in defeat. They got her. Damn.

Orion, still coughing out any smoke that was left in his lungs, approached the dangling thief, all while Lemo, who had set down his basket of assorted goods, helped Paragus back to his feet.

“Cough! A-Alright, brat. Gimme.” Orion opened his palm as he waited, his hard glare aimed right at Cheelai’s violet eyes.

“...Ok. You win.” Cheelai relented as she took out the containers from her cloak, dropping them back into Orion’s hand.

“Thank you,” Orion growled as he put the credits away. “Now then, why don’t you tell me—”

“Oof!”

Orion cut himself off as Cheelai landed on the ground right in front of him. Cheelai groaned as she stood back up, but then she froze as her eyes met Orion’s. The two stared at each other for a bit before Cheelai ran off without saying another word.

“H-Hey! Get back here, you brat!” Orion screamed before looking up at Broly. “Why in the world did you let her go!?”

“We got our money back. Did we need her for anything else?” Broly asked simply.

“Yes! We needed to turn her in, or punish her to teach her a lesson, or…or…something!” Orion shouted before letting out a sigh. “Not that it matters now, I guess. It’s out of our hands.”

“It’s no longer our problem anyway.” Paragus managed to say after Lemo helped him sit up. “It’s getting let. We should turn in for the night.”

“Right…” Orion relented. “Guess we should go find a hotel or something.”

Orion held a hand to his head. This was only their first day on this planet, so why did he already have a massive headache? And why did he feel like it would only get worse?

Once the crew had picked themselves back up, they headed towards the nearest hotel, far more on guard than they had been when they first arrived on Imecka. They looked at their surroundings constantly, always ready for another crowd of merchants or a feisty pickpocket to pop out of nowhere and harass them. 

Eventually, somehow, they made it. They arrived at a large building that they hoped was a hotel, and they cautiously crept their way inside. They were greeted inside by an alien bellhop, but they didn’t pay much attention to him. Orion, Paragus, and Lemo were more focused on making sure they weren’t going to get jumped again. Broly looked around, too, but he was much more relaxed about it.

The hotel was… strange-looking. Much like the clothes that were forced upon them, the inside of the building was a mess of colors. Bright blues clashing with faded oranges and reds, and hot pink walls were everywhere. Not to mention all the gold statues and the strange-looking clock device that sat in the middle of the lobby. But aside from that, there were no merchants. Heck, there weren’t even any patrons. Just the bellhops, a few droids, and the receptionist.

Seeing as they were now in the clear, Orion, Paragus, and Lemo let out tense breaths as their bodies relaxed.

“They’re not here,” Lemo muttered.

“Thank goodness.” Paragus breathed out.

“Is something the matter, honored guests?” The receptionist asked as the group approached the desk.

“Just…dealing with the aftermath of a few nasty run-ins from earlier today,” Orion answered wearily.

“Is that so?” The Imeckian asked with a smile and a laugh. “Let me guess. The merchants put you through the wringer?”

“Yeah, and that young pickpocket, too.” Lemo groaned.

“It was fun,” Broly added.

“Like hell it was!” Lemo shouted.

“Anyway, one room for four, please,” Paragus said.

“Very good.” The receptionist nodded as he turned to grab a room key for them.

“You sure a single room will be good enough for all of us?” Lemo asked.

“We are only two adults and two children. There should be a large enough room to accommodate all of us.” Paragus replied.

“Yeah, not to mention you’re pretty much kid-sized yourself, so should we really consider you an adult?” Orion poked fun at the orange-skinned alien.

“Hey! Respect your elders, kid! I’m way older than any of you!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Orion nodded without paying much attention. “Besides, can you imagine how much a single room is gonna cost us?”

That shut Lemo up as sweat formed on his face. “Right… Those merchants were charging five hundred credits for a single ship ornament. Inflation must be hitting this place hard.”

“I doubt it’s just that,” Orion muttered. “Either way, a single room would be much more manageable, I hope. We still have to buy supplies for tomorrow, remember.”

“Do not worry, honored guests. We do not engage in such underhanded trade here. Please feel at ease.” The receptionist told them as he handed Paragus their key.

“I pray for your sake that you are speaking the truth,” Paragus muttered.

Once he had taken the key, one of the droids in the lobby approached the group, taking Orion’s bag in one of its hands. With its other hand, it grabbed the back of Lemo’s shirt and picked him up, getting an indignant yell out of the old pilot.

“Hey! I’m no luggage! Let me go!” Poor Lemo yelled as Orion laughed at the pilot’s misfortune. 

“See? You're not even kid-sized to this thing! It thinks you’re as small as luggage!” Orion laughed as he and the others followed the droid.

“Yeah? Well I think this thing’s got a few screws loose!” Lemo screamed angrily as he struggled in the robot’s grasp. Not that it did anything.

Lemo kept on struggling fruitlessly as the Saiyans followed the robot down the hall. Eventually, the droid stopped by a door and turned around to Paragus.

“THIS IS YOUR ROOM.”

Paragus nodded as he opened up the door, and as Orion and Broly looked inside, they both let out little gasps. 

“This is our room?” Broly asked with wide eyes.

“You kidding me? This is an entire luxury suite!” Orion gaped.

The room was massive, bigger than any hotel room or suite Orion had ever seen in his previous life. The floors literally shone like gold, and all the furniture in the room looked like it was made for royalty. Gold-lined items, fancy fabrics, expensive sheets, and bedding. 

It looked horribly expensive, and with how Imecka priced junk, Orion couldn’t help but pale at whatever price this must cost.

Nothing more they could do about it, though. They were already here.

“We’re so gonna be broke by the end of this pitstop…” Orion cried softly.

“Hey! We’re here now, so you can drop me!” Lemo shouted at the droid.

“PLEASE INSERT TIP.” The robot stated as a little slot on its chest opened up.

“Oh, for the love of–Kid! The bot needs a tip to drop me!” Lemo shouted.

“I guess it’s understandable to tip a bellhop, but this is starting to get excessive.” Orion spat out as he pulled out a few credits and slid them into the bot’s slot. Afterwards, the bot dropped Orion’s bag and Lemo before it nodded.

“THANK YOU VERY MUCH.” The robot stated before it began to leave. “IF THERE IS ANYTHING YOU NEED, PLEASE LET US KNOW AT ANY TIME.”

With that, the robot exited the room and slammed the door shut. Orion and the others groaned after it left.

“Yeah, as if doing that won’t cost us an arm and a leg,” Orion grumbled.

“Unbelievable. Is this what service is nowadays? I’ve been treated better in the Force!”

“It is strange, but it’s over now,” Paragus grunted. “I think it’s time for us to finally eat a meal that’s not rationed. C’mon Broly. Let’s see what’s in the kitchen.”

Broly nodded as he and his father walked into the kitchen. Lemo let out a heavy sigh as he walked towards the bathroom. 

“You Saiyans have fun with that. I’m gonna take a shower to try to rinse off all this sweat from walking around in the desert sun. Try to save some food for me.”

With that, only Orion was in the main room. Fine by him. He liked being alone anyway. He hopped onto one of the beds, letting out a pleasant moan once he started to sink into the incredibly soft mattress. 

“Well, if this is gonna cost us all our credits, we might as well enjoy it,” Orion said as he sat up. “What do you know, they even have television here. Guess that’s a universal concept.”

Feeling as though he had returned to a normal, albeit expensive, life on Earth, Orion grabbed the TV’s remote and turned on the device. Immediately, a channel that seemed to be Imecka’s news channel.

“Today is the one day of the week when Don Kia holds an audience with the people.”  The reporter claimed as the camera focused on a gaudy-looking Imeckian wearing a king’s crown and robe while sitting on a large throne. “People from all over Imecka have assembled in the courtyard of Kia Palace to meet our wonderful ruler.”

“Don Kia!” The crowd of people in the palace all cheered as the Don sat on his throne, a smug smile on his face as he obviously basked in the glory and praise.

“That’s Imecka’s ruler?” Orion asked himself with an unimpressed huff. “So they’re stuck with some snob as a dictator. Sucks to be them. A greedy king for a greedy people. Match made in heaven…”

Orion began to lean back against the bed, but that’s when Lemo ran out of the bathroom without his shirt on.

“There’s something wrong with this place!” The orange alien yelled. “The water won’t turn off!”

“What?” Orion blinked in surprise. “Is it a plumbing issue?” He wondered. “Give me a sec. I’ll check it out. Nothing a mechanic and engineer can’t solve.”

Orion pushed himself off the bed with a strong hop, only to stop midway as something pulled him back towards the bed, causing him to fall on his face against the hard ground.

“Aaaah!” Orion groaned as he turned around, only to see a freaking chain had somehow attached itself to his clothes. “What the–!? How the hell–!? When did this happen!?”

“Orion! Check this out!” Broly suddenly shouted as he ran out of the kitchen, excitement in his eyes as Paragus followed after him. Not willingly, mind you. No, Paragus was pushed out of the kitchen by a flood of food that nearly reached the ceiling.

“What in the world!?” Lemo let out a shout as he and Orion gaped at the strange sight.

“This place has an endless buffet! No matter how much I eat, more keeps on coming!” Broly exclaimed.

“Indeed…!” Paragus tried to push the food back into the kitchen, only for it to keep inching him back. “Food keeps spilling out of the fridge, and it just won’t stop!”

“What the hell is happening in this hotel? Is this some kind of prank or something?” Orion exclaimed as Lemo ran back into the bathroom and screamed in frustration. 

“N-No…! There’s no way!”

“What? What happened?” Paragus asked.

“There’s a fare meter next to the shower! And it’s going up!” Lemo shouted. “It’s already over seven thousand credits!”

Orion, Paragus, and Broly all froze when they heard that, the gears in their heads pausing just enough to let that statement sit in their heads for a bit. But the silence let Orion hear something nearby. A very soft, almost indistinguishable clicking was coming from the bed.

Orion’s brain suddenly booted back up as Orion let out a gasp as he jumped onto the bed and pulled off the pillows, revealing the source of the clicking: another fare meter right on the back of the bed. A meter that now had a number over fifteen hundred thousand.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Orion screamed for what had to be the third time that day. “There are money meters EVERYWHERE! This is insane! They’re charging us for EVERYTHING, even just lying in bed, opening the fridge, or using the bathroom!”

That’s when everyone took a quick look around the room. EVERYTHING really did have a meter attached to it. The TV, the lights, the ceiling fan, the clocks—they were being charged for everything!

“Don’t engage in underhanded tactics my arse! They’re robbing us blind!” Paragus screamed in absolute fury. 

“At least the pickpocket had the courtesy of not hiding what she was doing! This is ridiculous!” Lemo screamed as he hurriedly put his shirt and vest back on.

“They’re even charging us for looking at the decorations.” Broly gasped as he stared at a strange bird figure that also had a meter that showed a number over nine thousand. 

“Okay, that’s it! I think I just found a planet that’s just as bad, if not worse, than Monmaasu and Vegeta!” Orion exclaimed as he fired his blaster at the chain keeping him tied to the bed. “I know I said we should try to be courteous before we landed, but we need to book it NOW! If we stay any longer, they’ll steal the clothes off our backs!”

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t raze this building to the ground right now, Orion. Please. I’d love to hear why this entire planet and its people should be spared?” Paragus asked genuinely. This was no test like before. The colonel was actually pissed the hell off.

Thankfully, Orion, despite having similar levels of rage, let his paranoia take the reins this time. 

“Do you really want to stick around long enough for them to figure out how to charge you for that?” Orion asked. “Look, let’s just get back to the ship! We’ll buy the bare minimum stuff tomorrow, and then we’ll get the hell out. The faster we get away from this place, the better!”

“...Fine.” Paragus spat out as he picked up his son and darted to open up the nearest window for them to fly out of so they didn’t run into any of the bellhops or the receptionist.

“I’m starting to think this is why this planet is neutral ground. Not even Frieza wants to deal with whatever the hell is happening here!” Lemo shouted as Orion ran up to him and picked him up before flying out the window Paragus had opened.

“Then I guess Frieza isn’t as insane as I thought he was, because that’s probably the most sensible thing he could do!” Orion gave a mocking laugh as he and Paragus flew off into the night through the rain. 

The group, ironically enough, took out the useless clothing they were given earlier that day from the merchants and used them to form turbans and robes that protected them from the rain. 

Now here they stood, under the side of a building as they waited for the rain to pass.

“This planet sucks,” Orion muttered.

“You mentioned that.” Lemo nodded. “We certainly picked the wrong planet to land on, huh? Damn it…I wish I had brought my smokes.”

“Something was bound to go wrong in our journey, but for it all to happen here… It is truly unbelievable.” Paragus shook his head.

“At least we’re not fighting for our lives.” Broly pointed out.

“I hate how you’re right,” Orion grumbled as he leaned back against the building. 

At least, he tried to, but the moment he pressed his back against the wall, what he had originally thought to be metal immediately gave way, causing Orion to fall through. He let out a surprised scream as he fell backwards, tearing a hole into the metal-painted fabric that actually made up the building. After landing on the ground with a heavy thud, Orion groaned as the others looked over him.

“Are you okay, Orion?” Paragus asked.

“No…I wanna go home now.” Orion whined before opening his eyes, only to be greeted with a family of Imeckians who were standing over him. Orion blinked a few times before sheepishly giving them a smile. “G-Good evening. S-Sorry for the intrusion.”

“Good evening.” The Imeckian family greeted kindly before looking up to Paragus, Lemo, and Broly.

“G-Good evening.” The three greeted as well.

“We apologize for ruining your wall,” Lemo told them.

“Don’t worry about it.” The mother Imeckian brushed off the apology with a smile. “But please, don’t just stand out there in the cold rain! Come on in! We have plenty of room for you here.”

The group looked at each other, confusion painting their expressions before they all shrugged. Not like they had anything better to do while it was raining this hard.

So, they took the invitation, with Orion and Lemo helping the husband Imeckian in repairing the wall. Now that Orion had gotten a good look at it, he found himself saddened by the state of the house. The building was designed to look nice and fancy and futuristic from the outside, but if anyone looked inside or even gave it so much as a strong poke, that image is torn away, revealing the disheveled home it really is.

Forget cooking alive in this house. How can anyone live normally like this for so long?

“So, what’s your story, folks? We don’t get many visitors here in Imecka nowadays, y’know.” The father asked as the mother finished putting their two children to bed off in the corner of the room, because the entire inside of the building was a single tiny room. Again, a sad sight, but Orion tried not to focus too much on that.

“Oh yes! You all must have been surprised when you arrived.” The mother gave a weak laugh once she joined the table, handing everyone a small cup of tea as they sat down to talk.

“Surprising doesn’t do it justice, ma’am. We were completely overwhelmed.” Lemo frowned.

“Yes. Do not take my words the wrong way, but the people of this planet appear to be…well”

“Obsessed with making it rich quick.” Orion finished for the colonel.

“Orion…” Lemo frowned before the Imeckians shook their heads.

“There’s no need to be upset. He speaks the truth.” The father hummed softly. “Isn’t that right, dear?”

“Indeed. It’s terribly shameful.” The mother admitted, her weak smile never fading despite the sadness that lay within it.

Oroin felt his heart soften at seeing that. That’s when Broly spoke up.

“But…there’s a reason for that, right? I mean, there’s no reason to be so desperate for money unless you needed it for something, right?” He asked.

“Yes. Truthfully, it’s because of Don Kia.” The father answered.

“Don Kia? You mean your ruler?” Orion questioned.

“Yes, he–” The father began to speak, but sirens began to ring out, and they were getting closer fast.

“Dear!” The mother cried as she held her husband.

“They’re here, are they?” He muttered as he held his wife tightly.

“Uh? What’s going on?” Lemo questioned, but he soon got his answer when one of the building’s walls was lifted up, revealing a horde of robots waiting outside. Orion and co. let out gasps and screams as they all readied themselves for a brawl, but that’s not what happened. Instead, the head robot began to speak.

“THE RENTAL ON YOUR HOUSE HAS RUN OUT, AS OF RIGHT NOW.” The robot claimed. “IF YOU WISH TO RENEW, PAY YOUR RENTAL RENEWAL FEE AT ONCE.”

Orion couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Rent? These people were renting out this shit-show of a house? How much did that cost them?

Too much, it seemed, as the husband and wife looked at each other and frowned sadly. The robot took notice of that.

“YOUR RENTAL IS NOT BEING EXTENDED.” It stated. “WE NOW COMMENCE HOUSE COLLECTION OPERATIONS.”

And just like clockwork, the robots began to tear apart the entire house. Every bit of fabric that coated the outside of the house and the tiniest bits of scrap metal that gave it structure were yanked off and taken away, all while Orion and the others still sat in the house’s ruins and watched.

“C-Can they just do this!? They’re gonna take your whole house!” Lemo shouted.

“What’s going to happen to you and your children?” Broly asked with a deep frown.

“It’s all right. We simply can’t afford to extend our rental any longer.” The father claimed as he and his wife looked down at the ground shamefully.

“Before Don Kia became the sovereign, it wasn’t like this.” The mother added.

“You mentioned that name before.” Paragus pointed out.

“Yeah, the ruler of Imecka. How’s he the cause of all this?”

“By having us residents of Planet Imecka need to borrow everything we need to live from him, that’s how.” The father explained in a defeated tone. “About the only things that we can call our own are our children, and they’re the only reason we still try to make things work.”

And just as he said that, the robots had finished removing the roof, and the rain started to fall onto them all once more. Orion could only stare up at the missing ceiling in disbelief as the father continued.

“Unfortunately, Don Kai’s rental fees are ridiculously high. Ordinary folk like us are quite incapable of paying more than a few credits at a time.” The father clarified.

“And so, everyone does their best to make whatever money they can.” The mother nodded.

“So that’s why…” Lemo breathed out with wide eyes.

“Unbelievable… For things to be so dire here, it’s…” Paragus began before stopping himself as he watched the robots remove the metal supports that had been for the roof before it was taken.

“People like you, who are travelers that do not know anything, make for particularly easy targets. We apologize for any trouble Imecka has caused you because of this.” The father told them as he bowed from his seat.

“That’s terrible…” Broly muttered.

That’s when the robots grabbed even the table everyone was sitting at, lifted it up, and walked away, the cups of tea that were on it still there as they took the table away.

“COLLECTION OPERATIONS COMPLETE. ALL HANDS, MOVE OUT!” 

And just as quickly as they came and worked, the robots all marched away, hauling away every piece of the Imeckians’ house and even their furniture. 

“Are you really going to be alright?” Orion asked the couple as they picked up their sleeping children to protect them from the rain.

“We will figure something out. We have to.” The mother answered.

“Someone should stop that Donki guy. He sounds like a bad guy.” Broly stated.

“Oh no! That’s not possible. If anyone were to turn against him even a little, Don Kia will come with an army in tow.” The father shook his head. 

“An army? Like those robots?” Lemo asked.

“Yes, and highly trained warriors from across the galaxy. They’re all on Don Kia’s credits.” The father sighed.

“We’ve been ready for this, ever since yesterday, when we were unable to pay the rental fee for our walls.” The mother told them as she cradled her child close. “What you all should worry about is yourselves. You have somewhere you need to get to, right? You shouldn’t worry about folk like us. We’ll manage.”

Orion and the others only frowned, but what more could they say? It felt as though saying anything would be either giving these people pity, which they did not want, or signing up for something they had no right to get involved with.

So, the night ended in the dark and the rain, and Imecka’s sad, ugly side was revealed to the travelers.

Orion didn’t get much sleep. Pretty hard to, considering the rain that lasted until morning. By the time the sun finally rose, Orion felt drained, physically and spiritually. It didn’t seem to be just him, either. No one said a word on the flight back to the ship. No one really wanted to acknowledge it. 

Well, one person tried to.

“Hey, are we really leaving right after we get those supplies?” Broly asked.

“That’s the plan,” Orion muttered with a tight frown.

“Hmm…” Broly hummed before he looked up at the sky. “I wonder if that family will get their house back.”

“Best not to think about it, Broly. It’s not our problem.” Paragus told his son.

“But what will happen to their children if things don’t get better? What about all those other homes in the city? Will the same thing happen to everyone else?” Broly asked, childish innocence somehow still there in his Saiyan eyes.

“Every planet, whether controlled by the Frieze Force or not, has its own rules. It’s not something any random tourist can change.” Lemo grunted as they began to land, Orion gently setting him down on the ground as he continued speaking. “It might bother ya, kid, but if that’s how things are done here, it ain’t our business, even if we don’t like it. It’s just like that mother told us: we need to worry about ourselves.”

“That’s right. The sooner we get off this planet, the sooner we can find one that’s actually habitable. Maybe that planet will have decent prices on things.” Orion grumbled. “Well, let’s get back to the ship, clean ourselves up, and head back to the market. Maybe today we can actually get what we need.”

“Right.” Lemo nodded as he pulled out their holomap from his vest pocket. “I think I saw a place we can update our map at, too, so I think that’ll be our first priority.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Orion nodded. “Once that’s done, we can finally get off this dung heap of a planet.”

“Yep! I can’t wait to get off this planet.”

“Yeah…me, too.” Lemo nodded at the third, weirdly female voice that chimed in. Then, after a few seconds, Orion and Lemo paused in their walk. They looked at each other, blinking a few times, before turning to look behind them. They were greeted with cheeky, lavender eyes gleaming with mischief.

“Hiya,” Cheelai smirked as she gave them a wave.

“AAAH!!!” Orion and Lemo both jumped back at the sudden shock. Lemo was so surprised that he dropped the holomap and nearly tripped over some stones sticking out of the sand. Meanwhile, Orion hopped back and aimed a blaster at the little thief.

“What the heck are you doing here? Did you follow us? What? Did you want to try your hand at stealing our credits again?” Orion asked, ready to fire if need be.

“Nah. No way am I gonna be able to do that, especially out here with nothing to distract you guys.” Cheelai shook her hand dismissively before pulling out a small sack. “Nah, I just wanted to hitch a ride when you guys left. This planet sucks, y’know?”

“Hitch a—were you really expecting us to just offer you a ride out of this place after what you did to us?” Lemo asked indignantly.

“Of course not. That’s why I was gonna sneak on board without any of you noticing. Duh!” Cheelai shamelessly admitted.

“You were trying to stowaway,” Orion stated in an unamused tone. “Well, you already failed that much, haven’t you? I mean, you just revealed to us your intentions.”

“Yeah, well…there’s a reason for that.” Cheelai ran a hand through her short, white hair. “You see, I actually came out here last night to sneak onto the ship before you guys came back, but…well—”

“What in the world!? Where is our ship!?” Paragus suddenly screamed out.

“...Our ship?” Orion repeated dumbly as he froze on the spot, not daring to turn to face where Paragus was.

“...Yeah. That happened.” Cheelai gave a weak laugh as she walked over to Orion and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Tough luck, pal. Looks like the Don got here before either of us. Oh well.”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘OH WELL’!? WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR SHIP!?” Orion screamed as he spun around and ran towards where Paragus stood. 

Just as the colonel and Cheelai had said, the entire ship was gone. Not even a trace was left. Just a trail of wheels and bot prints leading away, back to a different part of the city.

“It’s gone,” Broly said simply.

“It’s…gone.” Paragus nodded in disbelief.

“It’s goooooooone!” Lemo cried out in defeat.

“We’re stuck.” Orion felt his eye twitch as he stared at the empty space of sand. “We’re stranded here!? We’re marooned!”

“Yeah. Join the club. You and everyone else on this planet.” Cheelai sighed.

“Argh!!! This is terrible! My armor was still on the ship!” Orion screamed as he pulled at his hair. “Can this situation get ANY worse!?”

Cheelai hissed as though she had been burned the moment she heard those words before she face-palmed and shook her head in disappointment. She was going to say something, but that’s when a strange, robotic noise began to beep out.

“Gil-l-l-l-l-l—”

“Huh? What the heck’s that noise?” The thief wondered as everyone turned to the source. 

It was a strange, white ball, or rather, the top half of a small robot that was shaped like a ball. Much like the other droids on this planet, it only had one singular robotic eye with a red dot in the middle, and it was chirping out noises like a bird as it stared right at the holomap that Lemo had dropped next to it.

“Gil-l-l-l-l…e-energy… Energy!”

Suddenly, the top part of the robot opened up and ate the holomap whole, the small disk sliding into its mouth with ease.

Orion couldn’t help it. He screamed as the others just stared in horrified befuddlement.

“Hey! That’s not food, you stupid robot! That’s our map!” Orion screamed as he bent down and grabbed at the robot, trying to pull it out of the hole it was stuck in. The bot didn’t seem to care much, though, since it continued out with its beeping like nothing had happened.

“Replenishing energy…replenishing energy…” Then, its red eye glowed vibrantly as the robot hopped out of the hole, knocking Orion back as it shot into the air. Small, thin arms and legs popped out of the bot’s main body before it landed back on the ground and did a pose. “Replenishment complete! Giru now fully operational!”

The robot proudly proclaimed that as it began to stretch its metal limbs, but Orion wasn’t impressed, nor was he happy for the little gluttonous bot.

“Why you…! That holomap is ours! Give it back before I blow you to pieces!” He yelled as he aimed his blaster at the little Giru bot.

“Not capable-Giru. Device integrated into system-Giru Giru. Converted into energy.” Giru answered as he looked at Orion.

“I don’t care! Without that thing, even if we get our ship back, we’ll be stuck wandering space aimlessly!”

“Already integrated. Wander aimlessly!” Giru repeated happily, causing Orion to snap as he grabbed the little bot in his hands.

“Excuse you!?” Orion roared as he stood up, the little robot now hanging in his grasp. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t destroy you right here and now!”

“...Already integrated into system-Giru?” 

Orion just stared at the robot for a good, long while before his eyes shifted up to look at the horizon over the vast Imeckian desert, taking it all in.

It was just one disaster after another here on Imecka. They had been harassed by merchants, stolen from by a pickpocket, nearly bankrupt at a hotel, watched a home be disassembled right before their eyes, and now this. Their ship had been stolen, and their only map had been eaten by a robot.

In the face of all these insane happenstances, Orion could only do one thing.

“FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU—!”