Dragon Ball ZGX

Rated T: Blood, Cursing, Suggestive themes.

Description: After a haunting vision, Bardock cuts his time on Earth short in order to bring the Transekian Plates back to Planet Transeki with the hope that King will reveal the secrets they kept from him. But things don't go so easily for Bardock. Unbeknownst to him, Bardock's brother Turles has dispatched a team of Powerful Assassins to kill Bardock and retrieve the mysterious seed that Turles gave him. Will Bardock make it to Transeki and back in time for the Cell Games? Or will the Assassins end Bardock's journey and take his life?

Act 3: Elite Assassins Saga

Chapter 36: Hope In The Stars

xXxXxXx

Cliffside North of Takomi's Village, A Little Earlier…

Quiet had her scope locked on Bardock, Gohan and Piccolo, as they headed southwest. Tundra stood beside her, staring as the three looked like small specks vanishing in the afternoon sky. Finally, they were gone.

"Well, that's that I suppose." Said Tundra with his hands behind his back.

"Tundra!" Shouted Turles from a distance behind them.

Tundra and Quiet both looked back and saw the heavily damaged Turles stumbling up a hill leading towards their location. Breathing heavily, Turles, after a few minutes, finally reached his allies, and dropped to his hands and knees out of extreme pain and exhaustion.

"Why… didn't you… kill them…?" Turles questioned, thoroughly irritated by everything that just happened.

Tundra turned fully around. "Sir, you never gave us the signal."

Turles was flabbergasted by this. "Did you not see me barely escape with my life?"

"Well, from here it looked like you two called a truce, what with him letting you go and all." Tundra replied.

Turles narrowed his eyes at Tundra while kneeling back. "A smart ass huh?" Tundra simply stared at Turles, seemingly ignoring his comment. Turles scoffed, then stood up and walked passed Tundra. "I paid you to kill him…" Mumbled Turles as he walked by.

Tundra heard this as Turles passed him. He narrowed his eyes, then looked at Quiet. Quiet simply gave him the same look. Tundra then turned and watched Turles collapse to his hands and knees again. "Sir, it might be wise for us to retreat so you can recover."

Turles growled at Tundra's suggestion and glared at him. "We're not going anywhere. I want Bardock dead today."

Tundra glanced at Quiet again, and nodded at her after a moment. He looked at Turles again and closed his eyes. "As you wish, sir."

Turles looked out at the town from the cliffside and sighed. "Son of a bitch… he destroyed the seed. He destroyed my necklace, and my Soul Stones." Turles spat a wad of spit and blood over the cliffside and huffed.

Tundra walked up next to him and looked out at the town as well. "Your plans of making Soul Serum have been ruined."

"And so have my plans to rule the universe." Turles said. "That bastard took everything from me!" He exclaimed, followed by a fit of violent coughing.

"You shouldn't get yourself so worked up in the condition you're in." Said Tundra.

Turles growled in irritation, however, he knew Tundra was right. He was too pissed off to argue with him, and in too much physical and mental pain to acknowledge that he was right.

"Might I suggest the healing tank in my ship?" Tundra said. Turles looked up at him in annoyance. Tundra continued; "I'm not saying retreat. I'm saying spend some time in the healing tank before going after your brother."

Turles looked at the town again and sighed. "Fine. I'll be a lot stronger after I recover anyway."

Tundra nodded and offered Turles a hand getting up, but Turles ignored this and stumbled to his feet on his own. "Where's the damn ship." Turles asked as if he should've already known.

"Over there…" Tundra said, pointing behind them. The ship was parked near the tree line about twenty yards back.

Turles turned around and chuckled. "Oh that's right… How silly of me to forget." Turles slowly shuffled towards the ship. Meanwhile, Tundra looked over at Quiet, who simply rolled her eyes before looking out at the beautiful Transekian horizon.

As Turles walked, he noticed that the sky was getting dark unusually fast. "Must be a pretty bad storm coming." Said Turles.

Tundra looked up at the sky curiously. This is no storm… He thought. This happened on Earth before I left from killing Bardock.

Then, both Tundra and Turles heard finger snapping from the cliffside. They both looked and saw that Quiet was the source of this noise. She waved them both over to her, then pointed southwest.

Tundra and Turles were both shocked at what they saw. A bright golden serpentine silhouette shooting into the air and entwining itself in the dark clouds.

"What the hell is that!?" Turles exclaimed, quickly making his way back to the cliffside.

Tundra rubbed his chin as he watched this event unfold. The golden light faded and what was left was even more mind blowing. "Sir, I'd say that it's a dragon." The dragon was awe inspiring, and Turles, Tundra and Quiet all stood on the cliffside in astonishment of the magnificent beast.

"Quiet… isn't that the direction Bardock and his friend went?" Inquired Tundra. Quiet simply nodded.

"Alright, let's finish them off now." Turles said eagerly.

"Sir, you're nowhere near healthy enough to-"

"I'll decide what I'm healthy enough to do." Turles snapped. "Your constant insubordination is getting on my last nerve. We are going over there now while we know where they are!"

Tundra gave him a stone faced stare, then sighed. "Alright sir, whatever you say."

Tundra, Turles and Quiet all took off and flew towards the dragon. After a few minutes, the trio landed on a cliff that was very close to the dragon. The scale of this dragon couldn't be fully appreciated unless one was up close, and the trio was plenty close enough to appreciate it. An enormous turquoise colored dragon who shook the ground by merely breathing.

Quiet brought her rifle scope to her eye and started looking around at the ground. The only challenge was the bright golden light coming from the ground where the dragon's tail protruded. But it didn't take long for her to locate Bardock. This time however, Bardock was mixed in a crowd of short people with slightly football shaped heads, a lizardman, a child, and two taller guys.

"You find them?" Turles inquired. Quiet simply nodded and pointed to where they were. Turles peered over the cliff, and though everyone looked like inch tall action figures, he spotted Bardock immediately. They could hear talking from down there, but couldn't make out any of what was said. Turles turned to Quiet and went to say something, but he was interrupted by the earthshaking voice of the dragon.

"Your wish has been granted."

Tundra and Turles both looked up at the Dragon. "That dragon grants wishes?" Turles said in utter confusion.

"How very interesting." Tundra said, rubbing his chin. "This could be the reason that Bardock is alive." Turles gave him an uncomfortable grin, drawing the intrigue of Tundra. "What?"

"I could simply wish for absolute power." Turles said in a moment of revelation. He looked down at the group again, and saw Bardock conversing with his comrades. "It would be stupid of me to rush in now though."

Quiet still had her scope up to her eye, watching Bardock closely, thinking about Zarian and how close they were to getting him back.

"You have one wish remaining." The dragon said.

"Wait, one!?" Turles said in mild panic. He looked over at Quiet. "Alright, kill him! Kill him now before it's too late!" Quiet placed her finger over the trigger, then glanced at Turles, then to his right at Tundra. Turles started getting impatient. "What are you waiting for, woman? Kill him!"

Quiet kept her eyes on Tundra, who was giving her a knowing look. Quiet narrowed her eyes.

"Dammit woman! I order you to kill Bardock!" Turles demanded, growing more and more enraged.

Quiet shifted her gaze to Turles, then lowered her rifle. Tundra then looked at Turles. "Sorry, we can't do that."

Turles, now irate, looked at Tundra. "Excuse me? You'll do what I tell you to do, and I'm ordering you to kill Bardock."

Tundra started walking towards Quiet with his hands behind his back. "In case you've forgotten, I already killed Bardock once, which means we've fulfilled our contractual obligations." Tundra glanced back at Turles with a serious stare. "We no longer work for you, Turles."

Turles was taken aback by this. "You're betraying me… After all these years… What could I have done to you to deserve this?"

Tundra narrowed his eyes at Turles. "I don't know, ask Zarian."

Turles eyes widened in horror. "That's what this is about? You're betraying me because I'm punishing Zarian for stealing from me!?"

"First of all, you're torturing him." Tundra said. "Secondly, that isn't my only reason. But regardless, our partnership is over, Turles." Turles gritted his teeth and scowled at them.

"That wish can not be granted." The Dragon said, catching the attention of Turles, Tundra and Quiet. Moments passed, then he spoke again. "The one you call 'Gine' is still alive." A few more moments passed, and again. "Must I spell it out for you?" The dragon sounded like it was getting annoyed. "Whether or not you believe it is irrelevant. Now, if you have another wish, speak it now!" Turles began panicking, realizing he was about to miss his chance. Then, the dragon spoke again. "Very well."

"No!" Turles exclaimed.

Acting on impulse, he rushed Quiet and snatched the rifle out of her hands. He took aim and fired as quickly as he could, but his hands were shaking from anger and his injuries. The shot missed Bardock, and struck the hooded man to his left.

"Dammit, I missed!" Turles said angrily. He went to aim again, but the rifle dematerialized in his hands, dispersing as a bunch of orange particles. "What the hell?"

Turles looked behind him and saw Quiet with both her hands aimed at him. She used her special abilities and made the rifle disappear so Turles couldn't use it again, which made him even angrier.

"You bitch!" Turles exclaimed. Quiet simply crossed her arms and turned around.

"Goodbye, Turles." Said Tundra. He too turned around and he and Quiet started walking away.

Turles went to chase after them, but the pained roar of the dragon caught his attention. He turned around and saw the dragon engulfed in golden lightning bolts, then becoming wrapped entirely in flickering golden light. Moments later, a loud bang erupted, echoing across the landscape, accompanied by a bright flash of light that dispersed around the area. A much quieter one followed, and the dragon was nowhere to be found.

"What the hell?" Turles said in shock. "The dragon is gone! What the hell? Turles peered over the cliff and saw the panicked crowd, the man he shot with a few people tending to him, and Bardock, who looked frozen in place.

Turles looked behind him looking for Tundra and Quiet, but those two were nowhere to be found. Turles growled, then looked back over the cliff. Now, the man he shot was slung over the shoulder of Bardock's grandson. Then, he saw Bardock again, who was looking up at the cliff and right at Turles.

They made eye contact, and Turles was immediately struck with the most fear he'd ever felt in his life.

xXxXxXx

Takomi's House, Present…

Bardock's eyes were locked on Turles, white with fury. His body was trembling as his blood boiled with rage. "You… son of a bitch…" Bardock said through gritted teeth.

"G-Grandpa?" Gohan said nervously. He watched him for a moment, then noticed that he was looking northwest. Gohan shifted his eyes toward where he was looking and saw Turles. "Hey!" Gohan exclaimed angrily, pointing up at the cliff. "It's that Turles guy! He's the one that did this!"

Piccolo looked up as well and scowled. "Damn him, he couldn't just leave it alone."

Bardock was still staring, still white eyed, still shaking with anger. Pink steam started rising from his skin, and his power started to swell. Gohan, Piccolo, Gummo and Takomi took note of this and grew concerned. Moments later, thin yellow lightning bolts started shooting around Bardock's body. Wind started circulating around him, his hair slowly swaying along. The shaking got more violent, and his anger unable to be controlled.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!" Bardock screamed and was quickly engulfed in bright golden light. This momentarily blinded everyone, but as soon as the light faded, all eyes were on Bardock. He was a Super Saiyan, and his aura was flowing more violently than ever, golden-blond hair whipping as his ki output created a violent windstorm. This transformation wasn't normal, however. There was a pinkish steam rising from Bardock's skin and being whipped around within his aura.

"What is this power?" Piccolo said in astonishment. "He's much stronger than he was before!"

"It's Transekian magic." Takomi said. Gohan and Piccolo both looked at the elder with both curiosity and worry. "It seems as though his extreme anger has drawn it out, but it's still very unstable, meaning he could have another breakdown at any moment."

A powerful wind gust came from Bardock's body, nearly knocking over everyone in the immediate area. With a loud yell, Bardock took off and rushed towards the cliff, creating another strong wind gust.

"Grandpa!" Gohan shouted. King, still slung over Gohan's shoulder, started shaking and groaning in pain again.

"Gohan, get King to a doctor before it's too late." Piccolo said sternly. "Bardock will be fine, King won't!"

Gohan looked at Piccolo and nodded. "Right."

"Wait, hold on." Said Gummo. "What about those healing berries? Surely those will work faster."

"As far as healing goes, the berries would work faster." Ronnie said. "However, harvesting them is where the problem lies." Ronnie looked out at the lake. "They only grow near rivers and streams, and in rare cases, lakes. We'd have to find a berry vine, and there aren't many places around this lake for them to grow. The boy can get him to the hospital in a shorter time than it would take for us to harvest healing berries."

Elder Takomi nodded at his son and turned to Gohan. "Gohan, my village is closer than the nearest river. I'm going to go harvest some healing berries, I'll meet you at the hospital."

Gohan nodded. "Okay sir!" With that, Gohan took to the sky with King, and Takomi took off in search of healing berries.

Piccolo looked up at the cliff. Bardock was gone, and so was Turles, but he could feel Bardock's unstable ki output. "I'm going after Bardock. I have a feeling this won't end well." Piccolo said.

xXxXxXx

"No no no NO-GAAAAH!" Turles cried out as Bardock rushed in nailed him in the face with a super powerful haymaker.

Turles flew back with incredible velocity into the forest. Bardock flew in after him, his golden aura leaving a trail behind him. He was blind with anger, and in pursuit of Turles. Turles himself was unable to stop, but Bardock phased out and back in behind him. When Turles reached him, Bardock struck him in the back with a side kick.

Turles cried out in pain and spat up blood and saliva. As he collapsed, Bardock grabbed him by his hair and kept him from falling. "You bastard." He said viciously before hitting him with another kick, this one in his lower rib cage.

Turles cried out again. "GAAAAAH!" He started gasping for breath. "Br-brother… please…"

"I told you not to call me that!" Bardock barked. He kicked him hard again, released his grip on Turles' hair and struck him hard in the spine with yet another kick.

Turles slid across the ground a few yards, face down. Turles, sobbing from the amount of pain he was in, slowly rolled to his back and pushed up with his elbows. Bardock, shroud in a golden aura, pink steam rising from his body, was staring a hole right through him. "I'm sorry Bardock-GRAAAAAH!"

Bardock cut Turles off, speeding in and kicking him square in the face. This knocked a few of his teeth out and his head bounced hard off the ground, creating a small dent beneath it. Bardock looked over his shoulder, down at Turles. He was bleeding from the mouth, and his ribs were heavily bruised. Bardock scowled at him. "You're 'sorry'?"

Turles looked up at him, still gasping. "I… I am… brother…"

Bardock gritted his teeth. His aura grew bigger and created a wind gust. "I told you NOT TO CALL ME THAT!" Bardock turned quickly and kicked Turles hard once again, sending him flying sideways at incredible speed. Turles crashed through multiple trees, making them fall in a row behind him, and this continued for miles.

Bardock turned and watched as Turles disappeared in the forest. Even as the trees fell to the ground, Bardock could no longer see him. But that wasn't gonna stop him, he was controlled by anger, and wasn't finished yet. Bardock phased out in pursuit of him.

In a clearing a few miles west, Turles was lodged in the bottom of a fifty foot tall rock wall. Staring forward, he could see fallen trees for miles. Blood was dripping from his mouth, he was dirty, bruised and scraped all over, with blood running from a few cuts on his torso. Gasping and heaving, Turles was unable to move. His ribs were broken, and he was pretty sure some of his internal organs had ruptured.

After a moment passed, Bardock phased in directly in front of Turles, startling the battered Saiyan. Bardock was still wrapped in a golden aura. The pink steam had disappeared, and his eyes were no longer pure white. It seemed like Bardock was back to normal and in control of himself. However, his ki was still very unstable, and all he could feel was anger and hatred for Turles.

"You bastard." Bardock said angrily. He planted a fist directly in Turles' gut, causing him to spit up more blood. "I thought my wife was dead. But she's been alive this whole time, and you just took my chance of finding her away."

Turles blinked a few times, then let out a few pain filled chuckled before breaking into a fit of laughter. "Such a hypocrite… I took something away from me… I took something from you. We're even now."

"No!" Shouted Bardock, delivering another strike to Turles and making him cry out in agony. "They aren't the same. All you care about is yourself. Everything you've ever done has only ever benefited you!" Bardock punched him again. Blood was running out of Turles' mouth and dripping down on the rock wall. "And what's worse, a friend of mine is dying because of you!" Bardock punched him again, then again, and continued to punch him without remorse. He finished by punching him in the face, breaking one of his cheekbones.

Turles screamed in agony and started sobbing again. Bardock didn't care. "At first, I thought it was the girl, but she wasn't there."

Turles coughed up some more blood and began wheezing. "The… girl… she put me up to it, brother… I swear…" Turles lied, desperately trying to stop Bardock's attack.

Bardock gritted his teeth and drilled Turles in the stomach with another punch. "Bullshit!" He exclaimed. Bardock took a few steps back and examined his beaten to near death brother. "You were right. I did only let you go because you're my brother… And I realize now that it was a mistake. I should've just killed you. The old me would've killed you."

Bardock sighed and shook his head. He raised his right hand and aimed it at Turles, who was so beaten and lodged into the rock that there was no way for him to escape. Bardock's nose twitched and he gritted his teeth. "That was a mistake that I'll never make again."

A Few Miles Back...

Piccolo was flying over the forest following Bardock's unstable ki. This isn't good. He thought.

"Mr. Piccolo!" Called out Gohan, approaching Piccolo from his right, now without his cape. He had removed it at the hospital since the right shoulder pad and fabric were soaked in King's blood.

Piccolo glanced at Gohan for a moment. "You caught up! Good." Piccolo said. "How's King."

"Not good." Said Gohan. "He's in a coma right now, and I left before that Takomi guy got there. Grandpa's energy is bad."

"I know what you mean." Said Piccolo. "This could end very badly for him if he doesn't calm down soon."

"We need to stop him." Said Gohan. Piccolo nodded in agreement.

Gohan and Piccolo could see the clearing, and Piccolo spotted Bardock by the rock wall. "There!" He said, pointing towards him.

In the clearing, Bardock stood firmly as he charged a blue ki blast designed to kill Turles. "Grandpa!" Gohan called out from behind, catching Bardock's attention. Gohan and Piccolo landed on both sides of Bardock.

"This again?" Bardock scoffed, shooting glares at both of them.

"Bardock, the magic is making your energy extremely unstable." Piccolo said, ignoring Bardock's glare. "If you aren't careful, you could die."

Bardock narrowed his eyes at Piccolo, then looked at Turles. "Whatever." He simply said.

"You're not thinking, Bardock." Piccolo continued.

"Are you trying to stop me from killing him?" Bardock said in annoyance, still not taking his eyes off of Turles. "You're the one who asked me if it was wise to let him live, Piccolo. Clearly it wasn't, so let me finish him off!"

"I don't care what happens to him." Said Piccolo. "I just don't want you to die because you're being careless."

Bardock glared at Piccolo, then redirected his eyes to Turles. Gohan could tell Bardock wasn't himself. He was acting on pure anger, and he couldn't stop. "Grandpa…"

Bardock kept charging his blast, aimed directly at Turles. Then, out of nowhere, Bardock cried out in pain, the Transekian Magic was acting up again. Pink lightning bolts shot from Bardock's body, his aura faded away and pink steam again rose from his skin. He dropped to his knees and hunched forward, hugging his arms tightly to his gut.

"Grandpa!" Gohan said frantically, kneeling down next to him.

"Dammit!" Bardock exclaimed through the pain. "GAAAAAAAAAAH!" Piccolo and Gohan both watched with increasing worry. Bardock was in visibility more pain than the previous times they witnessed an episode. Bardock continued to scream, and in between, groaned and whimpered as the unstable magic continued wreaking havoc within him. He began shaking and wobbling from side to side, then head butted the ground.

"Grandpa no!" Gohan exclaimed, worried that Bardock wouldn't survive this time.

Bardock continued to scream in agony and head butted the ground a few more times, splitting his forehead in the process. This lasted about another minute. Then, the steam and lightning bolts disappeared. Bardock slowly pushed up to his hands and started coughing violently, and loudly gasping for breath. Piccolo and Gohan watched with much warranted concern. After a moment, Bardock shook his head and took a deep breath. This time, he was somehow able to maintain his Super Saiyan form, but this episode tanked Bardock's ki, and he was extremely exhausted. Bardock slowly stood up, wobbling and nearly falling down on his way. Bardock, now bleeding from his forehead, sighed and looked at the ground. The pain from the unstable magic seemingly snapped him out of his rage fueled trance.

"Grandpa…" Gohan said hesitantly, standing back up beside him. "Are… you okay?"

Bardock looked at Gohan but didn't answer him. He instead turned his attention to Turles and shook his head. "You should've just left." Said Bardock. "But no, you just couldn't help yourself. In trying to kill me, you've hurt a dear friend of mine, and cost me my chance of finding Gine." Bardock sighed, then continued. "I shouldn't have let you go, but I guess it doesn't matter anymore. You're in no condition to leave on your own. You'll die here in this forest, alone."

Bardock turned around, sighed again, then started walking away. "Goodbye, Turles." Said the Super Saiyan. Piccolo and Gohan both watched Bardock, then gave each other nods and followed him.

Turles, still lodged in the rock wall, couldn't believe what just happened. Bardock just gave him the worst beating of his life, and instead of killing him, decided to just let him rot. He watched as Gohan and Piccolo caught up to Bardock as they got further away. The further they got, the angrier he felt himself get. Bardock was really just going to leave him to die.

First my assassins betray me, and now this? Thought Turles. He knew he had no chance of survival. Not like this...

Bardock took a deep breath. "Sorry guys." He said.

"Don't worry about it." Said Piccolo.

As they walked, a weak ki blast struck Bardock in the back. He stopped, glanced back and glared. Turles was still stuck, but he had a hand aimed at Bardock.

"You think you're leaving…?" Turles said. Bardock didn't answer, he just continued glaring. "You're making that same mistake again. The mistake 'old you' would've never made, right?"

Gohan and Piccolo turned back to look at Bardock. "He's only trying to get in your head, Bardock." Said Piccolo.

Bardock kept his eyes locked on Turles, who had a devilish grin on his disfigured face. "Do you think your wife would like that?"

"What did you say?" Bardock said with anger in his voice.

"Think about it, brother…" Turles continued. "She married the 'old you', the ruthless you. But you aren't that guy anymore." Bardock gritted his teeth. "I bet if she knew how soft you've gotten, she'd be disappointed. A real Saiyan woman needs a real Saiyan man." Turles started laughing through the pain.

Bardock clenched his fists tightly. "You… don't know anything…" He said through his gritted teeth. In that moment, his aura fired up again, swelling and pulsing quickly as his anger returned. "You don't know ANYTHING ABOUT GINE!" Bardock shouted. He quickly sped back towards Turles and nailed him in the gut. The shockwave from this "spiderweb" cracked the entirety of the rock wall.

"Grandpa, no!" Gohan exclaimed.

"Bardock!" Piccolo added.

Bardock unleashed a barrage of strikes to Turles gut, making him scream while puking up blood. Bardock's arms were splattered with it. His pupils vanished again as he was fully consumed with rage. With a hard final punch, the rock wall shattered into thousands of pieces and collapsed. From above, it looked like a jagged "U" was carved in the plateau. Turles hurdled back, being pummeled by these rocks as they fell, and struck the new rock wall further back. Bardock rushed in and punched him in the gut again, causing him to scream in agony while spewing blood out of his mouth. He proceeded to grab Turles by the throat, lifted him into the air and threw him over his head, back towards where Gohan and Piccolo were.

Turles crashed into the ground and coughed violently a few feet away from Bardock. He was whimpering and gasping for breath while trying to avoid choking on his own blood. Bardock was slowly walking towards him, shrouded in a violent golden aura and blinded by rage.

Still with a ten yard gap between them and Turles, Gohan and Piccolo watched in awe. "Why would Turles do that?" Gohan said nervously.

"What? You mean taunt Bardock like that?" Piccolo replied.

"Yeah." Gohan said with a nod.

"Hmm." Piccolo pondered for just a moment. "Well, he's going to die either way. And he knows that. So I think he was trying to make him mad so that he'd finish him off."

"But he hasn't yet," Said Gohan, looking up at Piccolo in distress. "He's just torturing him."

"I know." Piccolo said. He looked at Gohan and nodded at him, and Gohan nodded back.

Bardock approached Turles and mounted his torso. He started delivering strikes to Turles' face. Right, left, right, left, further damaging and caving in his face, all while screaming out in anger. He went for another right punch, but it was stopped as Gohan phased in beside him, grabbed his arm and held it in place.

"That's enough, Grandpa." Gohan said, trying to plead with him. "You don't need to do this."

Piccolo was there as well, but it didn't seem to matter. Bardock had lost all his self control, he let out a loud battle cry and used his ki to create a powerful shockwave that sent both Piccolo and Gohan flying away. Piccolo landed on the ground and skidded to a halt on his back, while Gohan crashed into a small rock formation and was buried in rubble.

"Gohan!" Piccolo called out worriedly.

Gohan's hand shot up through the rocks, then, the rest of the rocks flew off him in all directions due to a shockwave he made with his ki. He pulled himself up, purple gi now tattered and dirty. A heavy scowl decorated his face as he stared angrily at Bardock. And a single blue lightning bolt shot in front of his face.

"I've had enough." Gohan said in a deep tone. "HAAAAA!" He cried out as his body was wrapped in an enormous golden aura. Blue lightning bolts shot around his aura, his hair stood straight up with a single bang hanging down, swaying in front of his green eyes. He had bypassed Super Saiyan and went straight into Super Saiyan 2. This momentarily distracted the seemingly mindless Bardock.

Then, faster than light, Gohan rushed in and planted a right uppercut to Bardock's gut, which immediately caused him to throw up, lose his Super Saiyan form, and pass out. Bardock's limp body collapsed over Gohan's shoulder, and the young Super Saiyan 2 simply stood there, keeping his unconscious grandfather from falling to the ground.

Gohan shifted his eyes to the right at Bardock. "Sorry Grandpa." He said. He heard footsteps coming from behind him, and he looked back to see Piccolo dusting himself off as he approached.

"You okay, Gohan?" Piccolo asked.

"I'm fine." Gohan replied. His aura disappeared, but he didn't power down yet. "Take him." He said, sounding pissed off himself.

Piccolo wanted to question him, but he didn't feel like it was an appropriate time to do so. "Sure." He said, lifting the unconscious Bardock off of Gohan and onto his own shoulder. Piccolo turned around and started walking away, allowing Gohan some space.

Gohan glanced behind him, down at Turles, whose head was lying in a pool of his own blood. His face was nearly unrecognizable due to the broken and collapsed bones, loss of teeth and facial swelling. He looked even more terrified than before, and with good reason. This child knocked out the man who gave Turles the most brutal beating of his life with ONE PUNCH.

"Man…" Piccolo said quietly to himself as he walked further away. "I'll never get used to how strong Gohan's become."

Gohan kept his eyes locked on Turles, who was violently shaking, sobbing, and completely unable to move. "The thing that disgusts me most about you…" Said Gohan, "... is that we're related… that you resemble my father and grandfather…" Gohan turned fully around and walked passed Turles. Without looking back; "As you suffer and die, I hope you realize that you deserve everything Bardock did to you."

The lightning shroud Gohan walked away and met up with Piccolo. Once there, Gohan powered down to his base form, and with Bardock out cold over Piccolo's shoulder, they took to the sky and headed west… back to Takomi's Village.

Turles lie alone, completely unable to move. He knew he wouldn't survive much longer. With loud pained groans, Turles used as much strength as he could muster to move, but all he could do was roll over. Most of his bones were shattered, and blood continued to drip from his mouth. Most of the immediate area surrounding him was stained with his blood. He tried to pick his head up, but it was pointless. He closed his eyes and accepted his fate...

"I personally think you've suffered long enough." A familiar voice rang out.

Turles opened his eyes again and looked forward. He saw alien legs that resembled Tundra approaching him. He shifted his eyes upward and sure enough, it was indeed him.

"T… T… Tundra…" Turles said, barely able to even speak.

Tundra stopped, hands behind his back, looking down at Turles. "I wondered if you'd survive that, and I must say, I'm impressed."

"You… were watching…?" The beaten and broken Turles asked.

"I saw everything." Tundra replied. "I've seen some gruesome things in my life, but that tops almost everything."

"Oh… I get it…" Turles said, somehow managing to maintain the strength to speak. "You're here to rub it in…"

Tundra shook his head. "Tempting, but no." He said. He knelt down on one knee in front of Turles. "I just didn't want you to die alone out here." He reached a hand out as if to offer Turles a shake.

Turles looked at Tundra in confusion, shock, and ultimately relief. "You've… changed your mind… Tundra… thank you…" Turles closed his eyes and smiled. Then, he felt warmth against his face, and he opened his eyes and gasped. All of Tundra's fingers were closed except his index. At the tip, a small purple ki sphere. Turles slowly shifted his trembling eyes up to Tundra's face.

"Goodbye." Tundra said. Then, without hesitation, he shot his Death Beam through Turles' head, killing him instantly.

Tundra got up, turned around, and walked away without looking back.

xXxXxXx

One Week Later…

Bardock opened his eyes, and everything was blurry. His whole body was sore, and his head was pounding. While he couldn't really see yet, he knew that what he was laying on was uncomfortable. And, it was cold. Freezing. He sat up quickly and hugged his arms to his body while shivering.

"S-s-s-soooo…. c-c-c-c-cold…" Bardock said, body shivering and teeth chattering. He then realized he didn't have a shirt on, which didn't help matters.

"Bardock." A familiar voice said, echoing around him.

Bardock rubbed his eyes, then blinked a few times until his vision was clear. "T… Takomi?" He said. Takomi sat criss cross in front of Bardock. The Saiyan pressed his hands to his forehead and sighed. "Where am I?"

"You're in the Sacred Temple." Said Takomi.

Bardock looked around, now realizing where he was. The stone walls with Transekian script, the glow from the wall torches, he remembered this room. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Takomi asked. Bardock simply shook his head. "From

what I understand, you lost yourself to rage. And the way Piccolo described what you did to your brother is… disturbing…"

Bardock bowed his head and tried to think. "I remember bits and pieces of it, but most of it's a blur."

"That unstable magic almost killed you. If not for your grandson, you would've died." Said Takomi. "You're lucky to be alive. You wouldn't have lasted this past week outside of the Temple."

"I've been out for a week?" Bardock said. Takomi simply nodded, and Bardock shook his head. "Huh…" His mind was still foggy, but one vivid memory he had was of King getting shot. "So… what happened to King…?"

Takomi closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. "He died a few days ago."

Bardock let out a depressed sigh and ran his hands through his hair. "Dammit…"

"I was able to do the trials of the guardian before he passed, so Transeki is not without a guardian." Takomi said. "However, being that I'm not Namekian, Transeki is without Dragon Balls."

Bardock sat hunched forward and sighed . "King… Dammit, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have let him go… I wished my psychic powers away, maybe I could've seen it coming, maybe I could've stopped it."

"Bardock!" Takomi said sternly. Bardock quickly looked up at him. "Son, you cannot keep blaming yourself. You cannot keep doubting yourself. King was dying before he was shot, and you know that." Bardock slowly nodded. "I know that doesn't change things, but King didn't blame you for what happened; no one does. So you shouldn't either." Bardock dropped his head again and sighed. "He wanted me to tell you something."

Bardock looked up at Takomi curiously. "What?"

"'Thank you'." Said Takomi. "For teaching us how to trust again. After all the lies we made, secrets we kept, you continued helping us. You showed us how to trust again, and we are forever grateful to you for it. For everything you've done for us. From King, from myself; thank you Bardock." Takomi, still sitting, bowed to Bardock.

Bardock stared for a moment, unsure of what to say. Takomi was right, and so Bardock bowed back at Takomi. "Thank you." He said.

"Now, onto that unstable magic." Said Takomi. "King explained what he believed to be the reason for it falling unstable; the loss of your tail, your primal Saiyan power." Bardock nodded, listening intently. "He wanted me to help you get it under control, however, I don't see a point in doing that."

"Hmm? But, if it's going to kill me, why not?" Bardock asked, perplexed over Takomi's statement.

"When your brother injured King, you fell into a violent rage. It brought the Transekian Magic out of dormancy, and your body used it as fuel to power you back up. And from what I'm sensing, there isn't much Transekian magic left within you. I think those episodes you were having after you lost your tail was the magic trying to leave your body, but your body was so used to it being there that it wouldn't release it." Bardock rubbed his chin as he listened. "This temple is the source of that magic, and I believe that in here, you'll be able to release the remaining magic within you safely."

Bardock nodded. "Good, I really don't want something that was meant to save my life to wind up killing me instead." Bardock chuckled and cracked his stiff neck. "Besides, if I'm gonna get stronger, I'd rather do it on my own."

Takomi chuckled and smiled. "You Saiyans never cease to amuse me. Now, let's not waste any more time. Through intense training and meditation, we should be able to release the remaining magic within you. After that, you'll be safe to carry on with your life. Are you ready?"

Bardock nodded affirmatively. "Yes sir!"

Over the course of the next week, Bardock took part in heavy meditation and training under new Transekian Guardian Takomi's watchful eye. Meanwhile, Gohan, Piccolo and Gummo helped the recently revived Transekians settle back into their community, and also helped rebuild and repair Takomi's Village. Not only from Eyce, but from Bardock's battle with Turles as well. Once Bardock and Takomi were done in the Sacred Temple, Gohan, Piccolo and Bardock decided to head back to Earth. Gummo opted to remain on Transeki, as he felt they would benefit from having a technician of his caliber on hand. He did make sure Bardock knew how to operate the ship before they left, since they were losing their trusted pilot. Before departure, Bardock made sure to visit King's grave to pay his respects. King faded away upon his death, keeping his body as he passed to Other World, but a grave was made as a tribute and memorial to the former Guardian. Soon, they were on their way home, and arrived after a single day of space travel. The whole trip totalled at sixteen days in space. Chi Chi was NOT happy to say the least, but because Gohan was unharmed, she didn't throw too much of a fit. Piccolo returned to Kami's lookout, and after receiving a new set of clothes, Bardock enjoyed dinner with Gohan, Chi Chi and Ox-King that evening.

Mount Paozu: Son Residence

Bardock was laying in the grass on a hill near the house, staring into the clear, starry night sky. He was wearing a black fleece jacket and gray sweatpants. He was barefoot, and held his blood dyed headband in his right hand. He was reflecting on his life since waking from his coma, thinking about his battles with Eyce, Cell, the Assassins, and Turles. He thought about the friendships he made with people like Piccolo, Gummo, his estranged time traveler friend Sheamus, Takomi and King. But what took up most of his thoughts? Gine. She was alive somewhere, and he didn't know where, and that was eating him up.

"There you are, Grandpa!" Called Gohan who was walking up the hill.

Bardock pushed up so he was leaning on his elbows, and looked over at his grandson. "Hey kid."

"Whatcha doing?" Gohan said cheerfully as he reached Bardock. He sat down beside him and looked up at the stars.

"Thinking. Staring at space." Bardock said, laying back down.

"It sure is beautiful tonight." Said Gohan as he too laid down. "What's on your mind?"

"Oh, nothing." Bardock said sheepishly. At this point, he knew his grandson was too smart for that kind of answer. "Well… it's just…" He said. "Gine. I miss her a whole lot more now that I know she's still alive." Bardock sighed and shook his head. "Turles really got to me that day… I'm sorry you had to see that."

"It's fine, Grandpa." Gohan said. "Remember, I'm the one that killed Cell. I've been involved in battles my whole life. Vegeta, the Ginyu Force, and Frieza."

Bardock laid back down and sighed. "Well still, I'm sorry. And… thanks for knocking me out that day, I'm sorry you guys got caught up in my rage." Bardock stretched and stared at the stars a bit longer. "I want to find her, but I can't help feeling like it'll be pointless. I don't even know where to begin looking."

Gohan glanced over at Bardock, noting his sad expression. He looked back up at the sky. "Don't worry, Grandpa. I'm sure that wherever she is, she'll be happy when you find her."

The two exchanged looks, and Gohan smiled at him. Bardock smiled back, then looked back up at the stars. "Right."

xXxXxXx

Space, Location Unknown

Purple... The sky was a beautiful bright purple with a huge sun setting in the west. Very few stars were visible in the evening sky. Below was a large lake, reflecting the purple star laced sky. A ridge half encircled the lake as part of a mountain range. Just above the surface of the water, two people were engaging in a sparring match; a young boy and girl. Water was splashing all around them as they exchanged blows, creating loud bangs. With one deafening boom and splash, the two fighters diverged and hovered across from each other above the lake, with a ten yard gap in between them.

"C'mon bro! Ya gotta try harder than that to keep me down!" Said the girl, hovering above the water with her fists up. She was thin, and had long black hair which she had tied up in a side ponytail on the left side of her head. A few bangs hung down on the right side of her face. She had beautiful onyx eyes with dark eyelashes and eyebrows, and she had a confident grin on her face. She was wearing a dark blue tank top, black fingerless gloves, yellow pants with a black sash, and black boots. And wrapped around her waist, a Saiyan tail.

"Don't get too overconfident, sis!" The boy retorted, hovering and angled to the right with his left hand stretched forward and making a fist, his right arm behind him and bent at the elbow while making another fist. His face was almost identical to hers, and he was also thin, but just a little bigger than the girl. He had black hair which was longer than hers, tied in a traditional ponytail behind his head. He had three long bangs hanging down on the right side of his face, and two smaller bangs on the left. His eyes were onyx as well, with thick black eyebrows, and he too was smiling confidently. He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt, blue pants with a black belt with gold stitching, black wristbands, and black boots with gold tips and gold bands overtop of them. He too had a Saiyan tail around his waist.

"Whatever, Matto! Just don't cry when I beat you!" She said.

"In your dreams, Luffa!" He replied.

The two siblings powered up, each wrapped in whitish-gray auras, then sped in at each other and resumed their sparring match. On the shore, sitting against the trunk of a tree with lush green leaves, was a woman with shoulder length shaggy black hair and onyx eyes, watching the two kids battle above the lake. Dressed in a dark green skirt with a pink T-shirt, pink wristbands and dark blue leggings. Her knees were bent and her arms were hugging her legs, while her bare feet were pressed flat against the grassy ground. Her boots, classic Saiyan style white boots with gold tips, were set beside her in the grass. She had her head resting chin first on her knees, her Saiyan tail standing up and slowly swaying from side to side, and a very proud smile on her face as she watched Luffa and Matto duke it out. Her name?

"Gine!" Called a voice from behind the tree.

Gine leaned sideways and peered behind the tree. "Oh, hey Tarble!" She said happily.

Prince Tarble, the younger brother of Prince Vegeta, was walking up a dirt path that led to the lake. He was a bit shorter than his older brother and had black spikey hair with a single bang hanging down above his black eyes. He was dressed in white Saiyan armor with yellow shoulder pads, a yellow belly section, two yellow hip pads. Hanging from his shoulders was a red cape that hung down to just above his ankles. Underneath was a navy blue jumpsuit, and his Saiyan tail was wrapped around his waist. On his face, an advanced scouter with a pink lense.

"How are you this evening my dear?" Tarble said as he reached the tree.

Gine looked up at him, still smiling. "Oh I'm doing alright. What are you doing up here? Shouldn't you be at the Ball?"

Tarble chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Well yeah. But the palace is full of uppity rich people right now. It's just not my thing, ya know?"

Gine chuckled. "Oh I do, Tarble. And in about five minutes, one of your advisors is gonna call and give you an earful for ducking out again."

Tarble waved his hand in a dismissive fashion. "Oh please, they're too busy getting drunk with aristocrats." Tarble looked over the lake and saw Luffa and Matto sparring. "Look at those two go." He pressed a button on his scouter to get a power level reading on the two. "Wow, what power!" He said excitedly as the scouter pulled up their strength.

"Yeah, they're getting strong alright." Said Gine, redirecting her attention to the young Saiyans.

"If only Kinoko was still alive to see how far they've come." Tarble said. "Can't believe it's been thirteen years already."

"Yeah." Said Gine. "Niniku died after giving birth to them. And since Kinoko died in that attack we barely escaped from, I've been the closest thing to a parent they've had."

Tarble looked up at the stars. "You know, I'll always be grateful to your husband. Without his warning, this life that we have would've never happened."

Gine looked up at the stars as well. She sighed as thoughts of Bardock ran through her mind. "Me too." She said. "I don't remember his name, but I'll always be grateful to that red haired fellow as well. He's the one that got everyone who believed Bardock off planet."

"The one that went out of his way to find you so you could escape?" Tarble inquired.

Gine nodded. "I didn't even know about it until we ran into each other. Bardock went off to face Frieza on his own, we escaped, and that was that." Sadness slowly crept into her voice. "I miss him. So so much. Sometimes I wonder if he's still alive, if by some miracle he escaped and is out there somewhere."

Tarble looked down at her, smiled, then patted her on the shoulder. Gine looked up at him curiously and was intrigued by his smile. "Well, from what you've told me about him, if he is alive. I bet he thinks about you every day."

After a moment, Gine smiled again and looked back up at space. More stars had come out as the sky grew darker. "Yeah, me too."

Act 3 Complete.

To Be Continued...