North Kaiō's Planet, Afterlife, 8 Months Later
Both Gokū and Caulifla stood calmly with their eyes closed. Extending their senses out, they senses latent ki within the life forms surrounding them. The immense power of King Vegeta stood out very prominently, followed by the ki of their respective significant other, along with that of their mentor, Lord Kaiō. Soon, their senses went down to less powerful beings like Bubbles, until it finally narrowed down to the very grass and trees on the planet, and finally to the single-celled organisms that permeated its earth. With a willed request, the life upon the small world responded, and granted a tiny portion of surplus ki for their usage.
"Mmmm…" Lord Kaiō hummed as a rippling white aura began to surround his pupils. "Very good. Now, concentrate it into a singular point and let it gain mass."
Both Saiyans said nothing but gave a simple nod in affirmation. They both opened their eyes and each raised a hand as the auras surrounding them began to concentrate around their palms before manifesting into a bright blue sphere.
"I can feel the sting of that technique from here," King Vegeta growled.
"That's because the technique is meant for the likes of you - no offense," Lord Kaiō elaborated. Despite the addition at the end of that statement, the King took offense regardless. "You may wanna take a few steps back."
With a reluctant grunt, The King took the deity's advice and stepped back from the display. Meanwhile, Lord Kaiō used his powers of magic materialization to conjure 2 very massive bricks that hovered nonchalantly above his hands.
"Alrighty! Try and track these bricks after I launch 'em!" Lord Kaiō ordered. "Left one goes for Gokū, Right for Caulifla! Hold off until they're out of sight!"
"Gotcha," Caulifla nodded as she kept a firm lock on her respective brick.
The North Kaiō then telekinetically threw both bricks forth, their speed increasing as extra force is applied as they swiftly orbited the small planet, until they were moving so fast that the human eye could no longer register them. The only indicator to clue in the average person that the bricks were there was the whistling air as they sped around. Gokū and Caulifla held still until…
"GENKI DAMA!"
As swiftly as the bricks vanished from sight, Gokū and Caulifla each threw their respective spheres of ki and two immense explosions rocked the planet as tiny clay pebbles that were once the bricks scattered in all directions like a massive shotgun shell. The wind from the explosion was enough to rip one of the trees out of the ground, roots and all, and even King Vegeta had to shield himself from the shockwave as the ki spilt from the explosion burned at his flesh, leaving everything else unscathed. Fortunately for the late monarch, the explosions dissipated as quickly as it came, and he saw that the resulting explosions had left some nasty burns upon his forearms.
"WHOO! Now that was absolutely amazing!" Lord Kaiō cheered, hopping over to his pupils who gave a sheepish chuckle. "I haven't seen the Genki Dama pulled off like that since I perfected the technique a couple dozen millennia back!"
"Thanks!" Gokū thanked with a small bow. "It's like a spirit bomb with how it works!"
"That it is, lad!" Lord Kaiō nodded. "Now, do remember that this technique allows you to borrow a small portion of ki from life forms around you, even residual ki from inanimate objects. You've seen how potent ki drawn from my humble abode can yield. Consider how much more you could draw from back on Earth, or even tapping into offset power from the sun. If handled improperly, you could risk destroying the planet you're trying to save. For that reason, I will sanction the use of it only once, but only as a last resort."
"And perhaps you could elaborate why only I was burnt by the shockwaves while everyone else was unscathed?" King Vegeta demanded, the annoyance in his voice clear as he displayed the burns on his arms.
"Ah yes," Lord Kaiō nodded as he cleared his throat. "The nature of the Genki Dama makes it potent against foes with malevolent auras. Basically any force of great evil will be susceptible to its effects." The deity then turned his attention squarely onto The King. "I did warn you to take a few steps back.~"
King Vegeta merely growled with annoyance as he walked over to take a seat on the felled tree that was blown away by the explosions.
"So yeah, last resort," Caulifla nodded with a fist pump. "But with the gains we got along with the Kaiōken, we should be good. Prince Vegeta and his crew won't know what hit 'em!"
As quickly as the words left her mouth, Caulifla immediately realized what she had said and covered her mouth in a vain attempt to take it back, but unfortunately for both her and Gokū, the already agitated monarch heard precisely what she said, and with a burst of speed, King Vegeta gripped both Saiyans by the neck and was visibly fuming.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" King Vegeta roared with newfound fury, his rage emphasized by a popped vein upon his temple. "You two never thought to tell me that this whole time, you were training TO FACE DOWN MY OWN SON?!"
"You, uh, never asked? Hehehe…" Caulifla chuckled nervously. Fortunately for her and Gokū, The King's grip was not at choking strength, but that second choice of words caused the king to clamp down if only for a split second before he tossed the two aside.
"Congratulations, Lord Kaiō…" King Vegeta snarled. "You have successfully made me prefer Hell over what you've deceived me into doing!"
"Oh boy," Lord Kaiō sighed as he pinched where the bridge of his nose would be if he had one. "Well, before you decide to jump into those clouds over yonder, why not-"
"I am not interested in any offers you have, Kaiō!" King Vegeta spat back.
"Hey, actually, Lord Kaiō," Caulifla spoke up. "Is there any way we can get in touch with my twins back on Earth? I've been wanting to check up on them."
"Oh, sure!" The blue deity nodded, eager to change the subject. "Just place your hand on my back and try reaching out with your mind. I can have you connected no problem."
"Wait, it's that easy?" Gokū asked, to which Lord Kaiō nodded. "Huh. As long as I don't have to remember any numbers to call."
Immediately the north Kaiō broke into a mixture of snorting and angry grumbling at what Gokū said. He was pissed at the idea of being compared to a phone, but the ironic humor was not lost on him either. Eventually he cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Just because that made me laugh, I'll let that one slide…"
With the little spat of humor past, both Gokū and Caulifla gently placed a hand on Lord Kaiō's back.
"Brrrrrrrrrr… Brrrrrrrrrr…"
Gokū gave a quick gasp at the noise Lord Kaiō made while Caulifla couldn't help but snort at the noise. The Saiyan King, who was watching the whole ordeal, merely rolled his eyes and eyed the cloudscape, ultimately deciding whether or not to jump back into Hell or make an attempt to enact retribution for the deception he was dealt.
Break Wastelands
"DODGE!"
Two blurs of black and green and pink and purple avoided a swift chop from a green four-fingered hand. Menra was soon tackled by Jica and the twins were separated into one-on-one fights. Gohan threw everything he had at the Nameccean and did his best to avoid the onslaught that was returned to him.
"Pick up the pace, boy!" Piccolo growled as he tilted his head to the right, avoiding a ferocious left look from the Saiyan boy, only for it to hook around his neck and pull him along into a throw. This caught the green man by surprise as he was pulled in and thrown off by several meters before correcting his balance. "Good. Don't assume every move you try will work though."
"Well, we can find out which ones work better than others, right?" Gohan suggested as he settled back into a balanced stance.
"Now you're catching on," The Demon spawn grinned as he rushed forth again.
Over with Jica and Menra, the sparring match was just as fierce, as Jica threw several feints in an effort to trip up Menra. The first few worked flawlessly, but soon the younger Saiyan began to notice a pattern in Jica's trickery, and soon began responding in kind. Jica threw a wide kick that barely missed Menra's head. Just as she reeled back up, the leg was coming back, but Menra was quick to raise both of her arms to block just in time. The force was a bit much and sent the child skidding for about a foot, but the attack was stopped with little more than a bruise on each forearm.
"Finally found my pattern, kiddo?" Jica applauded, to which Menra nodded, pleased that she figured it out. "My dad told me that it's one thing to expect the same move twice, it's another to figure out if it's the same strategy."
"Grandpa Bardock sounds like a genius!" Menra exclaimed, hearing her aunt's stories.
"Right?" Jica enthusiastically agreed with her niece as she lobbed a few weak ki blasts her way. "I've only ever managed to outwit the man once, and that was 2 years ago."
Menra knew the blasts sent her way would not hurt and opted to deflect them. As they made contact with her palms, they exploded, but the smoke cloud was much larger than expected, forcing the child to cough and shut her eyes from the dust. Her mind's eye alerted her to Jica's presence diving from above, and she quickly thrust her palms out and shot forth 2 beams of ki that rocketed her away from the older assailant and out of the dust cloud. Menra could not tell if Jica had emerged from the large cloud as well or if she was still using it for cover. Her answer came when her aunt appeared behind her and delivered a kick to her side that sent her tumbling.
"That smarts…" Menra groaned as she gently nursed her ribs. "You really like using diversion moves, don't you?"
"Well, between my dad's strategic talent and my mom's gift of stealth, it only made sense to sorta mish-mosh the two,~" Jica elaborated as she rested her hands on her hips. Her confident posture then slumped over, somewhat confusing Menra for a second. "Still, it doesn't really mean much if I can't be out in battle to actually try it out."
"What do you mean by that?" Menra inquired, wondering why her aunt, who seems so skilled, would not be in battle much.
"I blame my mother for that one," Jica shrugged. "Well, sorta. Because Kakarrot and Raditz were sent away when they were little, she was hell-bent on making sure she'd keep me safe. A little too safe though." Jica then smirked and gave a small chuckle. "Though luckily for me my father came up with the excuse of being able to meet my brothers, which actually worked in the end, plus I actually get a chance to test my mettle against the likes of Prince Vegeta's own squad!"
"You sure seem excited for this," Menra commented. "Reminds me of-"
"Helloooooooo!~"
Both Jica and Menra flinched at the sudden voice that intruded into their minds. It was not coming from anyone nearby, yet the voice sounded really close. Jica was confused, but Menra smiled widely as she recognized that voice.
"Dad?!" The young Saiyan exclaimed.
"Hey there, Menra!" The spectral voice of Gokū called out. "How's training going with you and Gohan?"
"Er, fine, but…" Menra answered, but was more confused than anything at this point. "How are you talking to me right now?"
"That would be thanks to Lord Kaiō's assistance!" Another voice butted in, clearly belonging to Caulifla.
The two Saiyans took notice of others flying towards them. Gohan, Piccolo, Raditz, Kuririn, and Tarble all gathered as they heard Gokū and Caulifla's voices come from their direction.
"What's going on?" Raditz questioned. "Please tell me this planet's atmosphere doesn't actually have hallucinogens mixed in it."
"If that were the case, how come we all heard the same thing?" Jica countered, flustering her eldest brother. "But to answer your question, I think Kakarrot and… Caulifla, was it? Got some means of communication by some guy named 'Kaiō.'"
"Hey! That's Lord Kaiō to you, missy!" The deity in question butted in. "I worked hard to earn that title, I'll have you know!"
"Aaaaanyways," Caulifla began, wanting to get back on track. "Who's that with you guys?"
"Oh right!" Menra exclaimed. "Mom, Dad, This is Aunt Jica!"
"'Aunt?'" Gokū echoed before the realization hit him. "Wait, so I have a sister?!"
"And would you believe Raditz freaked out even more?~" Jica cheekily threw into the mix.
"Well, so long as you didn't try to kidnap Gohan and Menra like ANOTHER In-law I know, I look forward to meeting ya," Caulifla added, making sure the emphasis got into the head and mane of someone else who was listening.
"Wait, you kidnapped the tykes?" Jica questioned, now glaring at Raditz, who had a few nervous beads of sweat rolling down his face. Jica then gave a wicked grin that worried Raditz even more. "Dad is going to reduce you to minced meat when he finds out.~"
Raditz was now sweating bullets. It had been over 2 decades since he last saw his father, and the thought of having to confront him on the fact that he had resorted to holding his niece and nephew hostage terrified him. "P-Please don't tell him…" He squeaked out.
"Alright," Jica shrugged, to which Raditz released a breath he did not realize he was holding. Jica grinned wickedly again once her older brother relaxed. "Unless I think it's too funny not to.~"
Raditz immediately tensed up and began sweating bullets again, meanwhile Chi-Chi couldn't help but chuckle at the wild-haired Saiyan's misfortune.
"Are you done tormenting your brother?" Tarble deadpanned as he shook his head.
"Hey! Lemme have my fun!" Jica pouted.
"Who's that?" Gokū inquired.
"It's not in-law number 3, is it?" Caulifla jeered, though deep down she did not write off the possibility.
"I can assure you that's not the case," Tarble answered as he shook his head. "My name's Tarble, second prince of House Vegeta."
"Tarble, eh?" Caulifla echoed.
"Tarble, eh?" Caulifla recited as she communicated through Lord Kaiō's telepathic link.
Immediately, King Vegeta perked up at the mention of Tarble. The last time he had seen his secondborn son was barely a year before Planet Vegeta was destroyed, when he was sent offworld to be in the care of the Avocado Twins. He knew much time had passed since then, and it was clear to him that either the Avocado twins were either put down, or Tarble escaped their custody by some other means.
"You mentioned Tarble?" King Vegeta spoke up. His tone still commanded authority, but it was more calm than when he found out that Gokū and Caulifla were training to fight his firstborn.
"Uh, yeah," Caulifla answered. "He's actually on the line right now."
"Still not a phone, guys," Lord Kaiō deadpanned.
"I.. wish to speak with him," King Vegeta reluctantly requested. This stunned everyone present, including Lord Kaiō.
Gokū looked to his wife and gave a simple nod, which he returned in kind. Gokū then returned his attention back to the telepathic link for a moment. "Yo Tarble, just a heads-up, you're gonna be getting contact from someone beyond the grave!"
"Uh, what?"
Tarble's confused expression echoed across the landscape and reflected on the faces of everyone present.
"What the hell is he talking about 'contact from beyond the grave?'" Raditz rolled his eyes at the notion that he would not only be part of a telepathic call, but a seance as well. "I'll never understand this voodoo nonsense."
"I can assure you that it's not as nonsensical as you might think," Piccolo informed the wild-haired Saiyan. "My counterpart works with those in the afterlife all the time."
"Well, hold onto your tails, folks!" Gokū chimed in, the comment eliciting a nonchalant shrug from Kuririn who lacked such an appendage. "I'm passing the connection over to King Vegeta the 3rd!"
"WHAT?!" Jica, Raditz, and Tarble screamed out in unison, the latter two being far more shocked at the announcement. A few moments of silence passed before-
"Tarble, can you hear me?"
To most of the group on Earth, the voice was unfamiliar, but Raditz and especially Tarble recognized it immediately. Raditz twitched ever so slightly considering the voice sounded somewhat familiar with what he had been dealing with for years, but it was different enough to not spur any horrible memories within him. Tarble, on the other hand, was wide-eyed at hearing the voice of his father for the first time since he was but a toddler.
"Y-Yes, I can hear you, Father," Tarble stammered. "How am I speaking with you now?"
"Telepathically, of course!" Lord Kaiō answered with a snicker, to which Tarble rolled his eyes and the late King gave an audible sigh.
"The truth is that you can thank Kakarrot and Caulifla for conjuring me up," King Vegeta answered. "I am not going to go into the details, though my question for you is why are you on this planet Earth? I thought you were in good hands with the Avocado twins."
"I can tell you from my 3 years experience with those cretins that I certainly was not in good hands," Tarble bit back, making it clear his disdain for the individuals in question as well as his father's choice in sending him to them. "Mother was able to locate me, and with Commander Bardock's aid along with… our mutual ally, they were dealt with."
"I see," King Vegeta nodded, though only those on his side could see the movement as well as the relief on his face. "You seem to have grown stronger since then, but that does not explain why you are on Earth."
"I'm here to see my brother and his subordinates apprehended," Tarble answered bluntly. "Every attempt we've made to intercept them has been met with absence until now, and if he won't come quietly, we'll have to use force. I've been training with the locals here just for that purpose."
"Your brother is still serving that demon?" King Vegeta inquired, enraged not by Tarble's lack of initiative, but more his firstborn's stubborn nature.
"He won't be after this is all said and done," Tarble answered firmly.
Silence filled the air for a moment as King Vegeta pondered his next words. Over in the afterlife, a warm smile of pride adorned his bearded face.
"That's the kind of attitude that has kept our bloodline strong, my son," King Vegeta praised. "I am pleased to see how you have grown."
"Of course," Tarble nodded, feeling pride from his father's praise, but he would continue to be stern as his blood demanded. "We should be more than ready for his arrival 2 months from now."
"Oh yeah! That reminds me!" Lord Kaiō piped up. "Lemme get a status update on their ETA."
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Everyone present on Lord Kaiō's marble of a planet turned to see the blue man scream and scramble, pacing feverishly and quickly enough to dig out a trench half a meter deep within a matter of seconds.
"Oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap!" Lord Kaiō repeated ad infinitum as he panicked and sweated before Gokū walked up and grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Whoa there!" Gokū exclaimed as he tried to calm the deity down. "Calm down. What's up?"
"Okay…" Lord Kaiō took a deep breath, though was still very nervous. "Now, Promise me you and Caulifla won't lose your heads, but there's been a sliiiiight recalculation on when the Saiyans'll be arriving…"
"Well, don't keep us in suspense," Caulifla implored.
"They're gonna be here tomorrow!"
"TOMORROW?!" Gokū, Caulifla, and even King Vegeta exclaimed in shock at this news update.
"I thought we had plenty of time!" Gokū cried out. "What happened?!"
"How should I know?!" Lord Kaiō snapped back. "Despite what my title demands, I'm not omnipresent! I can't keep track of every single asteroid or gravitational anomaly that slingshots a roving death squad faster to their destination!" Lord Kaiō then sheepishly turned to King Vegeta. "No offense intended, of course."
"None taken," King Vegeta shrugged off. He was aware of his people's utility as roving death squads as Lord Kaiō so eloquently put it.
"Can't you just teleport us to the check-in station?!" Caulifla pleaded. "It took us 2 whole months just to get here!"
"My job doesn't come with teleportation perks, alright!" Lord Kaiō snapped back. "Besides, with your new speed, you should get there by tomorrow!"
"We could use the dragon balls to get there now!" Caulifla suggested.
"Out of the question," Gokū shot down. "We'll need them after the battle's done."
Caulifla grimaced at the thought and then sighed. "Okay fine. Lord Kaiō, Can I speak with the crew on Earth again?"
"Sure, but make it snappy!" Lord Kaiō permitted.
"Hey guys, Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the Saiyans are arriving tomorrow," Caulifla's telepathic voice echoed, the message shocking everyone present.
"T-Tommorrow?!" everyone stammered out.
"I'm not gonna bother about the details on how or why, but Gokū and I are gonna be heading back with all the speed we've got," Caulifla explained. "Hopefully we don't run late."
"We'll try to hold out if that's the case," Jica responded with a determined fist pump.
"We're screwed…" Raditz muttered in grim despair, only to be smacked in the back of the head by Chi-Chi for his troubles. "OW! What was that for?!"
"For being a downer when we least need it, hedgehog!" Chi-Chi scolded, earning a chuckle from the witnesses around.
"Alright, we'll try to see you guys tomorrow," Caulifla bid farewell.
"Hey hold on a min-Urrrrgh!" Chi-Chi tried to get something in but was not quick enough as the connection was now broken, thus she groaned in frustration.
"I'm sure you'll be able to tell her tomorrow, Soya," Raditz reassured her as he placed a hand on her shoulder, the other rubbing the back of his head where he was smacked.
"Assuming your little quip didn't jinx the whole situation," Chi-Chi pouted.
"Well, I can't speak for Raditz, but I'm certainly feeling confident about all this," Kuririn declared. "I can only wonder how the folks training under Kami did."
"I'm sure we'll find out how effective the old man's teachings were for the others soon enough," Piccolo commented as he tossed aside his cape and turban. "This'll be one Hell of a fight."
Deep Space, Just Beyond The Oort Cloud
Five comet-like pods approached the tiny sun floating in the middle of the void, ruthlessly smashing through any unfortunate comet or asteroid that happened to be in their path. Within each of these pods was a Saiyan warrior slumbering in a deep stasis. By the time the pods passed the outermost threshold of their target solar system, wake-up routines were engaged as the pods began to slow down. One pod contained the crown prince of the Saiyans, Prince Vegeta. As the stasis began to fade, a wicked smile spread across his face, looking forward to the slaughter that was to come not only for the traitors of his people, but for the rest of the indigenous inhabitants of Planet Earth.
A/N: BEHOLD: MY LONG SILENCE IS NOW BROKEN, AND I AM MADE WHOLE ONCE MORE! I am TERRIBLY sorry for the unannounced hiatus. Life, coupled with other interests taking precedence tend to happen, but new chapter is out! Not much to say, other than I had originally intended to add a chapter to pad out training, but ultimately decided against it. Hope this was a good read. :)